Mages of the North: The Adventure Begins

Chapter 38

Cautiously making her way back to regroup with Floris, Kathrina kept a close watch on what Flare was doing, making sure to keep at least one eye on him so she wouldn't be taken by surprise. She was closing in on the area where she saw Floris up in the tree and kept her head on a swivel so she wouldn't be taken by surprise if he dropped from a branch and landed in front of her.


As she walked around a tree, she looked up and noticed Floris standing on a high tree branch, leaning his back against the tree trunk with his arms crossed and keeping his vision fixed on Flare, watching as he walked back to his previous position in the field. Floris' robes camouflaged him in with the vegetation very nicely, making him almost impossible to spot unless one knew specifically what they were looking for.


Floris kept a sharp eye on Flare for a minute, then looked down and noticed Kathrina standing at the base of the tree. He lept down to the ground, landing on his feet in front of her. He looked at her with a hint of concern in his eyes and slowly approached her, saying, "That was a pretty nasty encounter you had. Are you alright?"


Kathrina lifted her chin and rubbed her neck where Flare had grabbed her and tried popping her neck as she responded, "I'll live. It wasn't one of my finer moments, though, I'll admit that much." She arched her upper back, popping her shoulder blades before looking at Floris with her full attention and asking, "I assume you shooting that arrow at Flare was the signal for us to regroup? Do you have a plan, or think you have one at least?"


Floris nodded and answered, "I think so. But... I need to know something. How did you escape from Flare? I thought you were practically a goner when he caught my arrow."

Kathrina smiled and slid another scroll from down her second sleeve and handed it to Floris as she answered his question, "I bought these scrolls for just such an occasion. They're "Replacement Scrolls" which allow the caster to trade places with a nearby object. They're just as expensive as they are rare, but they can come in handy from time-to-time as you just witnessed."


Floris observed the scroll for a moment, then handed it back to Kathrina, "I see. You're lucky you had these today."

Kathrina nodded and slid the scroll back up her sleeve, "Tell me about it. It cost me more than I care to admit, but they're always a wise investment. Anyway, fill me in on your plan."


Floris shook his head and started to walk past Kathrina before he replied, "We should find Alvis first; then I'll explain it to you both."


Kathrina turned around and walked alongside Floris, "Fair enough."



Floris and Kathrina slowly and cautiously made their way through the forest until they found where Alvis had last been seen. They both started skimming the area for any sign of him, but could only see the destruction left behind from Flare's attack.


Seeing the destruction up close unnerved Kathrina and she started to worry. She looked around for a bit, then looked at Floris and said, "This has to be against some rule somewhere. If one of those fireballs struck Alvis, he'd have been eviscerated into ash. I would have thought a mentor killing their pupils would have been frowned upon."

Floris looked over his shoulder at Kathrina for a second, then looked at a hedge of thick bushes, and noticed some footprints in the dirt. A grin grew under his scarf, and he walked towards the bushes, "He's fine."


Kathrina followed Floris to the bushes and noticed there was an embankment on the other side with a creek at the bottom. She smiled, finding some comfort in the fact that Alvis was okay once she seen him walking towards them in the water.


Splish, splash, splish, splash, Alvis, who was soaking wet and his robes covered in mud, slowly made his way towards Floris and Kathrina with a very unamused and extremely unimpressed look on his face as he approached them. He looked up at them and said, "I hope you both appreciated the effort I put in because I will NOT be doing that again!"


Kathrina smiled and covered her mouth as she snorted and chuckled, seeing that Alvis still had a sense of humor, even after looking death in the face.


Floris lowered and shook his head for a moment, then looked at Alvis and waved his hand for him to come, "Your effort wasn't in vain. I think I have a plan to win this exercise."


Alvis smiled at Floris and started to make his way up to them by climbing the embankment, "Do tell."



The three moved a little further into the forest to an area where Flare would be out of earshot. They sat in some bushes so Floris could start explaining his plan to them.


"Okay, I don't want to say I know this for certain, but I think I know what this training exercise is all about." Floris said quietly.


"Alright, well let's hear it, then." Kathrina said.


Floris nodded and focused his attention on both of them as he explained, "I've been thinking about what the speaker in the classroom said the other day. He said that we're supposed to rely on our teammates and use each other to bring develop our strengths and overcome our weaknesses. If we work as a team, we can take on foes more powerful than us, and I think that's what Flare's testing here. He's seeing how well we can work as a team."


Kathrina's eyes widened a little when she realized how simple the entire exercise could potentially be, and spoke up, "Wait, that almost makes sense. He doesn't want to test out our individual strength, he wants to see us work as a team and see if we can overcome his test." Her enthusiasm dropped a little as she continued to speak, "But even so... getting those bells is a near impossibility. Even if we work as a team, a single Elemental Guard can be equal to a small army."


"Yeah, and let's not forget the fact that he only has two bells. Regardless of what happens, one of us is staying here for sure." Alvis said.


Floris looked at Alvis and said, "Are you sure about that? I'm not so certain the bells actually matter. I'd be willing to bet he's using those as a tactic. Pitting us against each other, to see if we can overcome our own selfish ambitions and prevent ourselves from breaking the team apart. I don't think he cares if we get the bells at all."


"Wait, so you're saying there's a chance we'll pass if we just act as a team?" Kathrina asked.


Floris shrugged his shoulders and looked at Kathrina as he gave his answer, "I cannot be certain, but I think that's the general plan."


"But shouldn't we try to get the bells, just in case?" Alvis asked.


Floris looked at Alvis and nodded, "I have a plan for that. We're all going to have to play a part if we want to succeed at this." He turned his attention to Kathrina and asked, "Kathrina, do you have any spells that could make us faster, or at least more light-footed?"


Kathrina thought for a moment, then responded, "I do have one spell, but it's not very powerful. I use it when I'm hiking."


"It'll have to do." Floris said. He turned his attention to Alvis and continued, "Here's the plan, Alvis. I'm going to do what I can to distract Flare and see if I can give you an opening to snatch the bells while he's focusing on me. If the opportunity presents itself, try getting a hit or two in on him, but your primary focus should just be getting the bells." He then looked at Kathrina again and continued, "Your part in this is to give us whatever aid you can. Support us with whatever spells you can from a distance, but keep me and Alvis between you and Flare."


Kathrina nodded with a confident look in her eyes, "Sure, I gotcha."


Floris then looked at Alvis and asked, "Do you understand the plan?"


Alvis nodded and stood to his feet. He waited for Floris to stand up, then held his fist out.


Floris looked at Alvis' fist, then used his own to give Alvis a fist bump.


Alvis grinned confidently as he walked past Floris and started cracking his knuckles, "Let's do this."