Mages of the North: The Adventure Begins

Chapter 27

Floris slowly opened his eyes after what must have been the most restful night in his entire life. The bed he was sleeping on was incredibly comfortable; far more comfortable than the rack he slept on back in the swamp. The mattress was so soft and matched his body perfectly, making it seem as if he was sleeping on a cloud. It felt as if he had slept for several hours, but he had no way of telling what time it was. He wanted to go back to bed, but the rumbling in his stomach made him have other ideas. He was anxious to look around the guild on his own and explore this new world he was now a part of, and he couldn't deny he was curious about the food. Without another thought, he threw his covers off and dressed in his normal attire, even covering his face with his scarf. He didn't even think about not being in the swamp anymore; he wore the scarf mostly out of habit now.

A quick glance at Alvis was all Floris needed to see to know he was still indeed asleep. He had every right to be. They had traveled far and experienced things they had never even dreamed of experiencing. The journey had taken its toll on both of them and Alvis was sleeping on a bed that had to have been as comfortable as his own. It was a strange feeling to wake up and not have any true responsibilities with little to no chance of having to cure an open wound, snake bite or insect sting. For once, Floris understood what it felt like to be relaxed. Whether or not he liked it was still a matter of internal debate.

When he stepped out of his room, Floris closed the door behind him very quietly, then made his way down the hall. He and Alvis were staying in room E20, which was easy enough to remember. After weeks of eating nothing but venison and the occasional berry he and Alvis managed to accidentally stumble upon, he was ready for some actual food. As he exited the hall, he turned in the direction of the stairs leading to the diner and saw Elizabeth leaning against a wall and writing something in a book. As he approached her, she looked up at him and smiled welcomingly, "Good morning, Floris. Did you sleep well?"

Floris nodded, "Great, actually. I don't think I've ever slept better in my entire life."

Elizabeth smiled and closed her book, then gave Floris her full attention, "I'm glad to hear it. You two did look pretty beat up when you got here yesterday. Feel free to take some time to get to know the place, then we'll discuss putting you in your class."

"Our class?" Floris asked curiously.

Elizabeth smiled and nodded, "Of course! As new members of the guild, you and Alvis will be put into a class full of people of a similar age group. Then, after we test you for your skill level in a number of different areas, you'll be teamed with someone who can help balance your team out with a separate set of skills. For example, one member may be very good at enchanting, but lacks proper control of magic.

Another member of the team may lack talent with enchanting, but has great control of magic. However, their knowledge or skill may only be suited to one style of magic, be it offensive or defensive. The third member of the team will make up for that by offering the exact opposite skillset as the other member."

"And after that?" Floris asked.

"There are a lot of things that could happen afterward. Most likely, however, you'll stay here for a while and increase your skills a little. Then, you'll probably be heading off." Elizabeth said.

"Heading off? To where?" Floris asked curiously. He and Alvis had traveled far from their old home and he was curious to know where else they could possibly need to go.

Elizabeth paused before she answered and saw the confusion in Floris' eyes. She could see he was confused by having to move on and decided to start from the beginning. She laughed a little, then continued, "Let me put it to you in another way, Floris. As Initiates to the guild, your ultimate goal should be to reach the Arcane University. It's the seat of all magic in the world and is full of knowledge passed down for hundreds of thousands of years! Most tomes will be beyond your capacity to understand when you get there, but with patience, you'll learn to understand them. However, before you can even enter the university, you'll have to meet with the leaders of the other guildhalls dotted around Fiorra, convince them you're good enough to gain access, then you'll join up with the university and truly begin your new adventure as a mage."

"So...we're going to have to travel all over the land of Fiorra before we can get to this place?! We barely managed to get here! We're going to need new supplies, a guide...and money!" Floris nearly shouted.

Elizabeth smiled softly and rested her hand on Floris' shoulder, making him blush under his scarf, then spoke to him in a soft and reassuring voice, "Not to worry, Floris. We've taken note of your Alvis' predicament. We're selecting someone we think would be an excellent teammate for you two. As far as money is concerned, I know of a way you can easily make money, Floris. Come find me downstairs and I'll go over some things with you. This is something that you and you alone can do easily to earn a fair amount of gold."

With his curiosity peaked, Floris walked past Elizabeth and made his way to the diner where he gathered whatever looked good to him and ate until his stomach was completely full.