The following day started much like most other days. The usual day-in and day-out ritual of hygiene, dressing, and eating breakfast at the cafeteria. My roommates tried to make conversation with me, but I found myself distracted by everything that happened from the day before, and it grated on me that I couldn't tell anyone about any of it.
The duel, the Headmaster helping me with said duel, or the upcoming solo dungeon assignment, which was supposed to be a surprise, none of it. I just wanted to vent my soul, but I had to keep it all to myself, and I hated it.
I could tell that they knew something was wrong. I could see it on their faces, their looks of concern for me, but I brushed it off, saying I was just tired and feeling under the weather. Which wasn't precisely untrue, I definitely wasn't feeling the best, but my conscience wouldn't let that technicality pass, and so guilt continued to fester inside me.
At least I had the distractions of classes to keep my mind off everything. I decided to check my schedule to find out what I would be dealing with mentally today, and it took all my willpower to stifle a groan. Guild administration fundamentals. I cursed my fortune, and picking myself up from the cafeteria seats, I shuffled my way to class.
Adventurers and Dungeoneers operated in a guild structure. While all guilds in the Mortal Kingdoms were ostensibly a united organization, the sad truth of the matter was that laws and regulations around their work varied in each country as part of that alliance. Burgotova, Tarkota, Kildjan, Hastera, and Middenveldt all had their ways of doing things in their guilds, including what they were allowed to do, how much they could earn, and even more minutiae. That was before even calculating in the rules and regulations involving independent city-states that dotted the region.
On top of all this was the adventuring Letters of Marque, allowing those who hunted monsters and delved in dungeons to sell treasures and materials, and what markets they could do so in. All of this was too much for individual adventurers to try to make sense of, so the guilds were supposed to facilitate this. It was a difficult process and took a great deal of training.
The purpose of this class was to give us a glimpse into the basics of this world, and guide those who wanted to focus in that field a starting point. For the rest of us, it was a window into the world of those whom we would come to rely on for the rest of our careers.
I admitted that I was in awe of everything that had to handle, but I was also deeply grateful that I wasn't going to be actually doing any of the handling. I just had to survive this class, and I never had to deal with this confusing morass ever again.
The thing that amused me most was that the only thing that was consistent in the entire system was the adventuring ranks. Ranks were less a declaration of skill and more a representation of how much work you had done. The more dungeons cleared, quests completed, monsters slain, etc., the more advanced your rank. You ranked between one and ten, and after that, you could collect stars up to a total of five. A Rank Ten Five Star was the top of the pecking order, but usually when an adventure hit that point, it was usually a sign to retire and enjoy the rest of your days on the wealth you had hopefully set aside.
Quests, dungeons, and hunts had difficulty ratings, and those ranged from one to a hundred. There were no restrictions as to who could take them, the difficulty ranks were more a suggestion than anything else. The guild didn't care much about stopping adventurers with more bravery than good sense in their heads.
There were other things covered in the class today, but I found it a struggle to focus on anything at all, much less take notes. I kept catching myself just staring out the window near my seat and just watching the red and gold leaves fly through the air, dancing in the wind. It was then that I noticed something else outside.
There was a woman, probably around my age, in the courtyard dancing along with the leaves. I couldn't make out any details about her species or anything like that. The main thing that stood out to me what her deep raven black hair, as if light just fell into it. At first, I thought it was Myth, but it wasn't. The build was all wrong for my wood elf companion.
I was entranced as I watched her. She danced and danced. Not a graceful dance, but one of freedom and joy, just basking in the moment, and enjoying the world around her.
I admitted I felt a bit of jealousy, and there was part of me that wanted to join her. Autumn was my favorite season as a child, and once I danced like that, with nary a care in the world, letting the change of seasons and the falling leaves be my partners. She stopped and turned my way. There was no way she could see me staring, could she?
We waved at me, and I shyly waved back, feeling myself blush slightly. She walked off, and I couldn't help but stare as she left, lost in my own little world.
Why did I find her so fascinating? Some sort of nostalgia for that sense of freedom? Something else. I was feeling even more confused.
The sound of the droning lecture dragged me back to reality. I sighed quietly and continued jotting down my notes.
The rest of the day was subsequently filled with other classes of the like. Weapon maintenance, basic armor crafting, business math, and beginning treasure appraisal, all important subjects for an adventurer to know. At the very least, the basics of it. The first year of dungeon school was, for the most part, an introduction to all the facets of the field. I understood why it was done, but for all my work at keeping up my grades in these classes, I didn't care about any of it. I just wanted to move on to my second year, where we got into the deeper parts of dungeoneering.
While we did dungeons in our first year, including pruning of the dungeon cores and combat, we only touched the surface. While Revenstahd had a lot of dungeons to explore in its territory, some dungeons were beyond imagination from what I read in the books. I wanted to see those, explore them, map them, and bask in their treasures.
Again, I knew I had to learn the basics, or I'd join the graveyards filled with the bodies of foolish adventurers. Or worse, become just another name on the wall of remembrance in a backwater guildhall, because there wasn't enough left of me to bury. Forgotten as a footnote in a sea of footnotes.
This wasn't a job for glory. It was a job for money. If you wanted glory, you became a Knight or a Mage. Glory was a prize for the wealthy and powerful. The rest of us just wanted money, a place to sleep, food to eat, and to survive to old age.
I shook the morose thoughts from my head. Everything had been pulling my mind into dark places again, and I didn't need any of that right now. I had to focus on the next several days. Solo dungeon, and then a duel. I think the Manager would excuse me from being off this weekend from Atelier du Maiden. Of course, she would.
After classes had ended for the day, I found myself without anything to do. I didn't have much urge to work on my assignments, and the idea of doing sword exercises didn't appeal to me. It was too early for dinner, and I wanted to be anywhere but my dorm room.
Going into town was right out, because as far as I knew, the Order of the Obsidian Gauntlet thugs were still here, and I didn't need any more incidents with that lot.
A thought finally crossed my mind. I kept meaning to take time in the baths and now was as good a time as any. It wasn't likely to be too busy either.
I went to the cleaning facilities and gave them my clothes to wash while I soaked. They weren't dirty by any means, but I was going to get my tuition money's worth.
I rinsed myself off and made my way to the baths and slowly sank into the delightfully warm water and just luxuriated as the elixirs they added soaked into my body, whisking away my lingering exhaustion, and I just let my worries evaporate and float away with the steam.
I sat and enjoyed the sensation in silence, which was suddenly broken as I heard someone slip into a tub next to me. This surprised me as I hadn't even heard their footsteps. I opened my eyes to look at who it was.
She looked familiar. She looked elven, but her ears were a bit shorter and rounder than mine. A half-elf? They were rare in the Mortal Kingdoms. Rare anywhere for that matter, but not unheard of. Her hair was long, black as night, her eyes a deep blue. She was well muscled as well, and probably a hand taller than I.
A fighter, I mused. Likely here after training. I couldn't shake the sense of familiarity, though, as I closed my eyes again. Then it occurred to me. She was the one dancing with the leaves. I felt my face heat up, and despite my internal protests, I knew it had nothing to do with the bath.
"Did you enjoy my dance?" she asked, with humor in her voice. That confirmed my suspicions. "I saw you looking through the windows. Should be focusing on your studies and not pretty things like me!"
"I-I, uh. Yes well, that is to say..." I cleared my throat. "You dance very well. The class was boring, and watching you was more interesting."
"Oh, so you find me interesting, do you? How scandalous!" She giggled.
I sputtered a bit and felt myself blush deeper.
"Oh, don't worry about it, I was just teasing. I find dancing relieves some of my stress and gets my mind off things. Lots of things on my mind these days." She sighed as she leaned back in her tub.
"I completely understand that. Too much going on, and my brain won't leave me alone about it." I followed suit, sinking up to my neck. I was so grateful that these tubs were large, so I could stretch out.
"My name is Eira, by the way, in case you were wondering. I'm in the dungeoneering program, second year." She held out a hand towards me, which I took.
"Alta. First year dungeoneering." Her hand was strong, but smooth. She didn't have the usual calluses of a weapon user. They were on the tips of her fingers. Was she a mage who worked out?
"Good to meet you, Alta. That first year was rough. They load you down with so much information, and most of it will go completely to waste. Once you get into the second year, they finally let you focus on what you're here for." She squeezed my hand for a moment, and I felt a slight tingle of magic. "I have a knack for guessing what folks' specialties are. Let me see, judging by your grip and hand strength, you use a sword. And given your mana, probably a sword mage? Hmmm. No, I'd say a sword-witch. You have self-taught vibes about you."
"You could tell all that from my hand?" I was astonished. What an amazing skill to be able to tell that from so little info.
"Well, that and we've trained at the gym at the same time, and usually do mana training at the same time." She laughed at my expression. "I'm sorry, Alta, I'm a tease at heart, and I can't help making cute elves like you blush!"
I then noticed that I was flushed to my ears. She had gotten me, but I couldn't find in me to be mad.
"Well then, Eira, since you know all about my fighting style, what about you?" I was genuinely curious.
"Oh, me? I'm a bit multitalented. I fight with my bare hands, but I also cast magic. Albeit in a bit of an unusual way." She explained and then smirked and winked at me. "I'm also a spellsong!"
A hand-to-hand fight was rare enough, but a spellsong? Spellsongs were individuals who used music to cast magic. I admittedly wasn't too familiar with how it worked. Spellsongs in Burgotova had a reputation that was less than flattering so I had never bothered to learn exactly how their craft worked. I had to shake off the creeping preconceived notions I had about them.
"So, you punch people, sing and dance, and do magic? What's next, you'll tell me you can cook too?" I giggled and she joined in.
"That I can very confidently say is not in my skill set! However, speaking of food, I'm getting hungry. Would you care to join me, this evening, Miss Alta of the Baths?" She grinned at me as she got out of the bath.
I found myself staring at her and blushing from head to toe as she emerged from the water. What was going on with my brain? Twenty-something years of having absolutely zero attraction or interest in anyone, and suddenly it was hitting me like an ironwood plank across the forehead.
"Uh, yes, dinner. Dinner would be amazing, yes!" I said as I got out of the tub, nearly slipping in my haste. We both rinsed off, dried ourselves, and dressed.
We exited the cleaning hall together, and I was grateful for the cool air. It helped me clear my head. We made our way to the cafeteria and chit-chatted about everything and nothing. We talked about fighting techniques, we talked about hobbies, we talked about journeys, we talked about hopes and dreams. I wasn't sure why, but despite having known her for only an hour or two at most, I felt comfortable with her.
There was a part of my mind that was wary, of course. There were so many things swirling around in my head and going on in my life that there was an instinctual part of me that didn't trust her. Could she be someone in league with my family and their rebellion, sent to keep tabs on me? Was she an ally to the knights, wanting to throw me off my game before the duel? Someone else who had a grudge against me that I had forgotten about?
Spellsongs had a reputation as individuals of a duplicitous nature, seductive and conniving, and weren't to be trusted. How much was truth and how much just superstition that had steeped too long in Burgotovan society, I had no way of truly being able to parse.
I saw from her expression, she knew what I was thinking.
"You're Burgotovan, right? Yeah, I know us Spellsongs have a bad reputation. Seducers and thieves. Using songs to lure young men and women to their doom, or at least a lighter wallet. That's probably what you're thinking, right?" She still smiled, but it felt a bit forced.
"I admit, it ran through my mind. That said, since I left Burgotova, I've come to learn how much of what I was taught was ignorant at best, and outright malicious at worst. I have a gut feeling that, in regard to Spellsongs at least, its more the second than the first. I trust my gut, and it tells me you're a good person. For an adventurer at least!" I smiled at her with a wink, and she laughed, a lovely sound to my ears.
"Back in Hastera, we said the same thing about Sword-Witches! Sword Witches trick you and take your soul to save you from traps that they set. Revenstahd is a great place to realize that the world is bigger than the little corner we grew up in," She raised a glass. "To new outlooks and new friends!"
"I can drink to that! Sadly, it’s just juice and nothing stronger." I clinked my glass against hers and we both laughed.
"Well, we'll just have to meet up again, won't we!" She smiled.
We continued talking for what felt like hours after that.
We parted ways, agreeing to meet again on the second day of the weekend. I would likely need the friendship, no matter how the dungeon run or the duel went. My roommates were great folks, but it felt different with Eira, somehow. Something to consider later.
I was tired, but a good sort of tired. The weight on my spirit felt lifted, and I was in a better mood than I had been in as long as could remember. My steps felt light, and it was hard to resist the urge to skip back to the dorm hall.
I entered the hall and, upon entering the common area, I felt my heart drop, like a meteorite through a stained-glass window.
There was a poster on the community board. A large one, with bright colors and eye-catching words, making it very plain it was for a big event.
The event? A duel. My duel. What was originally going to be a private duel before the City Lord was now a spectacle. There were even instructions on the poster for placing bets and the odds. Mine were laughably poor, of course. The bet taker in question? Mariana Togalli, the thrice damned and twice accursed wretch herself. Why wouldn't she make a show of it? I wasn't supposed to say anything, but apparently this rule didn't include anyone else.
I cursed. I cursed in every language I could think of. I kicked a chair and cursed again as my toe protested in pain for it.
I would show them, both Knight Cavendish and Togalli. I would rub this stupid duel in their faces. I would win and lord it over both of them! They would rue the day they crossed me!
Just what I needed. It was never a good idea to go to sleep angry, but sleeping angry was just what I would have to do.