Fire's Mage (Book One) Kyoko of Fire Country

Chapter Twenty

Stanley didn't know what to think about the two Warriors in front of him, they seemed to be young. Pages and Squires, instead of Knights. Then rarely anyone has been knighted for the last year, Stanley could remember the last person to be knights and no one has seen him since.

Three Warriors and a Mage. Three students and a teacher, a standard team for a C-rank mission. His daughter, Shriya, was going to kill him. The red haired girl hovering near the gate didn't seem to be that much older than his grandchildren.

Anyway, staring back down, he didn't know if the two in front of them were going to be any help if things went south. And knowing his luck from his years as a bridge builder, things were going to south before he could blink.

"Stanley White," the Mage said making him jump slightly as she appeared to be next to him, instead above the other two. A grin spreading across her face as he looked at her, her eyes fixed on the rope holding his bag to his shoulder. "You're a well-known bridge builder. Heard you retired two years ago."

"I did," Stanley told her, not moving even as she placed her hand over the rope, black lines dancing across her skin and going onto it, glowing slightly before said lines moved out of his sight. "Didn't think anyone in Fire knew who I was."

"You're the one who built Sky Bridge," she told him, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at the Sky. Stanley was surprised when his bag felt more secure, like none of his things were going to fall out when he wasn't paying attention. "It helped the village during the Third Major War. During our fights with Gaoth and Tintreach Village."

"Sky Bridge?" the female Page huffed, she didn't even hold herself like a Squire. "No one cares."

"You might not, but some of us actually care about history," the Mage remarked, smiling as she stayed on her staff. Her feet no where near the ground, Stanley was sure he could use her staff as a leaning post if he wished.

"Mr White," Winston told him, purple eyes looking at the female Page, like a Knight warning a Page that they were about to cross a line. One more mistake and they'd be going back to their parents, since they weren't mature enough for the responsibility being a Squire required. "I'm Winston, these are my students; Adrianne, Sheikh and Kyoko."

Adrianne acted like a spoilt brat, as a father he had a daughter who acted like she did. He hadn't seen his youngest daughter since his wife past on, and before that he hadn't seen her since she married some merchant from Water. "I asked for Warriors, not toddlers."

"So you didn't ask for a Mage then?" Adrianne asked him, a nasty sneer on her face as she looked at Kyoko. Stanley had a bad feeling that those two didn't get along, that he wasn't only looking at a spoilt child, but also a bully who enjoyed trying to tear down those she didn't like.

"Adrianne," Sheikh growled at her, sword held showing from underneath his bag. Hands in his pockets, Adrianne looking at him with wide eyes. "Shut it. Loser."

Stanley stared at them, before looking at Kyoko who rolled her eyes, before nodding her head. So Adrianne had a crush on Sheikh, but Sheikh didn't like him?

And people thought he was an ignorant old man.

"I asked for one," Stanley told her, it was just barely anyone knew anything about magic in Ice. It had become lost their moments their Mages had died out, all of them were secretive enough that all of their secrets went with them to their graves.

No one knew what had caused it.

So for all he knew Kyoko could have been a high ranked Mage, which he doubted on the terms of how young she was, but he didn't know. A strong Mage who was stuck with a spoiled princess and rebellious punk, he was able to judge the Warriors standing in front of him.