Stratalian Ambitions ch.04

 

Chapter 4 *AKA: the short story: Haki's Ambition*

 

    Holly-Lia, the grand-daughter of the dean, has a familiar. This news has spread like wild fire all throughout Stratalia in less than a day; of course Hollia has had her new familiar, the small dragon like Lin Lin, with her since the morning; sitting on her shoulders, in her lap, on her desk, and even at times coiled on top of her head like a silly little turban; making cooing and chirping noises all day long. A very noticeable and distracting sight indeed with her serpentine like body covered in white fur, her almost canine like head, and tiny little antlers; at times she has even playfully snapped at the tuft on the end of her tail.

 

   One would think other girls would be all over her trying to get a look and say how cute she is. A few have, others are jealous that they can’t bring their own familiars into class, believing Holly-Lia is getting special treatment.

 

   “of course it’s special treatment,” says Yurataki during a lunch hour to a group of female students sitting opposite her, and her three always armored vassals The Three Amazons, “she is the dean’s grand-daughter after all; and besides look at that weird thing she is carrying around with her all day like a cat, with its weird antlers, weird eyes, weird colors, and weird behavior; you know she didn’t buy it or call it like any of us would have to do; oh no, no doubt she summoned that weird thing from some horrible evil dimension, or you know…” she leans over the table, index finger raised and producing a fake whisper loud enough for everyone to hear, “her parents bought that weird thing for her from some alien world, totally ignoring the law;” Yurataki shrugs her shoulders with a smug look, “but you know, that’s the aristocracy for you.”

 

    The girls across the table nod like obedient dogs being taught a trick.

 

    “and just look at the timing,” says Yurataki, “it’s not long before the festival, you know they’re letting her perform…oh sorry…demonstrate there right? No doubt she is going to do some silly little dance with that thing looking all cute for the royals and perform some ridiculous illusion to go along with it; just sickening.”

 

   Yurataki places her hand to her chest in smug confidence, “While I on the other hand will no doubt be chosen to represent Croix based solely on my merits and achievements.”

 

   “Of course,” says one of the girls.

 

    “No doubt about it Miss Yurataki,” says another.

 

   Yurataki looks around, hiding her anger that she couldn’t say these things while Hollia was in the room, or the truth that she has yet to receive a response from Croix about being accepted to represent them; merchant and trade ships have come and gone four times since she sent that letter and not one brought mail from the Empire accepting her as representative. Who else could it be she wanders, “I am after all,” she thinks, “the most deserving, and have worked the hardest, and the best magician in this whole damned place from Croix for crying out loud.”

   “Miss Yurataki?” says one the girls noticing a glare in her eyes to which Yurataki is quick to dismiss with a, “Oh its nothing, just thinking over my own demonstration is all.”

 

    Which is met with more “of course,” and “you will do it,” and such praise.

 

    ******

 

    On the other end of the spectrum is Haki, the gangly youth as it were with his heavy sweaty sorcerer robes, the proper attire for a royal sorcerer from Crimdalina, and his numerous pockets stuffed with magic items. For the last week he had been worried about how Hollia had been acting strangely; sneaking off after class to her dorm and only speaking with her tutor in parts of the school only members of her family or the faculty could go to. Not long ago when Yumi, Amia, and Pima, were at the school he would team up with them and Hollia on class quests; but now not so much. He had been trying to get jobs with Hollia that had been snagged byYurataki; but he was still happy, he got to spend time with Hollia, alone, the very thought makes his face blush and gives him a slight case of the hiccups as though he were drunk for a moment. But ever since Hollia’s tutor, this Rurona woman showed up they have been going on jobs together, in fact their very first quest together uncovered a new labyrinth, and one the school is now paying Yumi’s dad to use for advanced training for adventurers and those training to return home as heroes and champions; a quest outside his training, and truthfully to himself outside his abilities. He imagines a scenario of the two of them, Hollia and Rurona, back handing the stone animals he has heard are down there and laughing; although he has never seen Hollia act like that in person but he always imagined beneath that intellectual shyness was a dominating personality…and now his nose has started to bleed.

 

   “Of course, if I were there,” he imagines himself there, stepping forward to fight a stone bear *a golem not actually down there, but he doesn’t know that* , “I shall protect you ladies from this dastardly monster,” he imagines himself saying…and then imagines the bear is chasing him away only for Rurona to grab it and snap its head off while Hollia in an exaggerated pose with her eyes wide and sparkling and hands clasped together saying, “Wow, you’re so cool Miss Rurona.”

 

   “Oh come on,” whispers Haki plopping his face in his text book in his dorm, “Even my own imagination is against me.”

 

    He looks at his text, and a guide for his upcoming alchemy exam, and says, “Then again…”

 

    ******

 

    A mission sent to Hollia’s room, not an impossible type of mission, just one she hasn’t gotten since that time when Yumi decided that she and Hollia were going to be friends, back when they first met. Yumi had sent this “request for assistance” to Hollia for a beginner’s mission to chase off crows from a field as a pretense to get to know her better and become friends. This one is from Haki, asking for assistance to gather ingredients to use for an alchemy test; he could do just about any level 2 or higher combination to pass it; but the mission states he has signed himself down for a level 5 combination and can’t back down from it; but didn’t realize how dangerous the circumstances would be to get the ingredients so needs extra help. Hollia looks at Lin Lin coiled up on the bed in a little nest of sorts she made from pushing the sheets around, and over to Rurona standing by her desk; having come in shortly after the letter arrived for Hollia’s evening tutoring.

 

    “Miss Rhulan,” asks Hollia

 

    *during the events of the summoning/creation spell for Lin Lin Hollia revealed to Rurona that she has known for some time that she is really the ancient sorceress Rhulan, and much to Rhulan’ssurprise doesn’t seem to be put off by this, and actually prefers to call her Rhulan when the other students and faculty aren’t around to hear them*

 

    “I’m a little concerned,”

 

    “About that mission?” asks Rhulan puzzled that Hollia would be concerned over that.

 

   “No,” says Hollia, “it’s a bit embarrassing but, Lin Lin, she’s eaten a squid on a stick, a few apples, and some other snacks here and there along with the herbs you told me about to feed her since yesterday…but…well…she hasn’t you know…relieved herself.”

 

   “Oh…” says Rhulan, “that…well she doesn’t do that, this type of familiar converts everything they consume into energy and stores it inside a pocket dimension inside their body where the matter and energy can be used later along with their normal extra dimensional energy sources. It’s one reason the spell is practically forgotten, I suppose technically something like Lin Lin gone out of control on a feeding frenzy and growing to insane proportions could threaten an entire world like some great devourer of worlds.”

 

   Rhulan laughs a little, Hollia tries to imagine a mountain sized Lin Lin chirping as she devours mountains and castles and trees, the image is still weirdly cute, but looking at her tiny familiar can’t really believe she could do such a thing.

 

   “Of course,” says Rhulan, “that’s a farfetched scenario; the original designer of that spell may have intended something like that to create a world eater but the end result as you well know is far from it.”

 

   Hollia pets Lin Lin on the head.

 

   “The Dragon that Swallows the Moon,” thinks Rhulan, “Anu Huran, you really were a lunatic, good thing I altered the spell.”

 

    ******

    The Alchemy Exam Ingredients Quest:

    Item 1: Feather of a Blue Ripper:

 

    The dirt road between Stratalia and Agate Town, the rules of Stratalia strictly forbid hunting or gathering of items for missions and quests on the school grounds; however Haki isn’t bothered by that, while he was joyous as could be without showing it that Hollia accepted to join him…however…he looks back and close behind Hollia is her tutor, Rurona, her dark black robes making her look to him like a mourner at a funeral…or a reaper following close behind them like some foreshadowing of doom for their adventure.

 

    Haki stops in the path, “Okay, I think this is good time to find this blue ripper monster!”

 

    Hollia and Rurona exchange glances,

 

   “Haki,” says Hollia

 

   “Don’t worry,” says Haki, “I will protect you both against this fiendish…this…”

 

   He takes out the alchemy list, “…feathered…? Uh…”

 

   “Haki,” says Hollia, “you…do know what a Blue Ripper is right?”

 

   “Sure,” says Haki trying to play it off, “It’s…blue…and its…a ripper…maybe…”

 

   He imagines a blue feathered version of a Flame Raptor in his head, or the man sized predatory desert birds he has seen pictures of from the Great Desert to the west beyond the Archae Sea, “it’s like a Kokaroo…maybe…but…I’ve never seen anything like that around here…so…a-ha! It’s a super-rare animal…no wander its feathers are used for potent magical ingredients.”

 

   He nods to himself,

 

   Rurona chuckles under her breath, “Kid,” she says, “It’s a Scrambler, we just call them Blue Rippers in these parts.”

 

   “Scrambler?” says Haki, his mental image of the deadly Kokaroo, the large six foot long road-runner giant with its deadly claws to accompany its talons and blade like beak, shrinks, turns fatter, keeps claws on its wings, but is small enough to fit in his hand and is really just a small blue bird with a silly crest of feathers on its head.

 

    Haki’s knees shake a little in embarrassment, “Uh…” he says while thinking,

 “all that posturing just now, all over…a…scrambler”

 

   “Uh…” he says, “I…well…sorry…I mean…” he turns beat red.

 

   “It’s okay Haki,” says Hollia, her smile brightening his day, “they may not be dangerous but they are hard to catch and can be kind of mean if cornered.”

 

    Haki looks into her eyes, and looks away, he looks back and yelps, “ah!” and leaps back as he looks directly into the face of Lin Lin, who is floating in the air, Hollia mean while has walked over to Rurona.

 

    “You…” says Haki to Lin Lin, “can fly…er…float?”

 

    *chirp* is the only response he gets from Lin Lin.

 

    “We’re in luck,” says Hollia turning to Haki as he walks over, “Miss Rurona has a cage we can use for a trap.”

 

    “Great,” says Haki slightly sarcastically with out thinking that amongst all the magic items he brought he didn’t bring anything to catch a small bird; why would he, he thought they were going after something called a -Ripper-.

 

    “Unfortunately,” says Rurona, “we still need bait,”

 

   “Oh well in that case,” says Haki regaining some confidence, “we’ll just have to got to Agate town and get some…”

 

    “No need,” says Rurona, “Now watch students, I am about to show you a useful trick for acquiring bait for catching small predators or even just for fishing.”

 

    She walks over to the side of the road and leans down on the dirt, her palm on the soil. Hollia watches the ground, Lin Lin looking over her shoulder, Haki stands next to her and looks over at her; Lin Lin flicks her tongue out at him causing him to take a step back with a confused look on his face.

 

   Rurona closes her eyes and opens them quickly, the fact that her eyes flash for a moment catches Haki’s attention; not that it’s too unusual for powerful magic users to have eyes that can glow, it’s just something he’s never seen before without someone casting a spell out loud.

 

   “Vibration.” says Rurona, not loudly, not whispering, just saying it normal.

 

   They can feel a slight trembling in the ground.

 

   “Quickly,” says Rurona catch the worms before they go back under.

 

   “Neat,” says Hollia as she scoops up a few and places them in the cage past the one way trap door.

 

   Rurona takes the trap and hangs it in a tree.

 

   “Miss Rurona,” says Hollia, “will that be enough to catch a Blue Ripper?”

 

   “Good point,” says Rurona looking around, “Not if we don’t want to rely on chance of one happening by and seeing it, they hunt by sight and smell, and despite their colors are in the same family as crows so a bit of fresh or rotting meat along with the squirming worms…which should stay alive in that cool cage in the shade for a while, they shouldn’t be able to get out of those thin bars with their inscribed charms either…but…”

 

    She points her finger at some pushes and with a come here gesture actually says, “come here” and a mouse comes literally flying through the air to her hand which she grabs around its head between her thumb and forefinger; and with a quick twist of her thumb and forefinger crushes its skull.

 

   Haki’s eye twitches, “I really wish I hadn’t seen that.”

 

   Rurona places the head and still twitching mouse body in with the earthworms which squirm over the corpse.

 

   *blarg*

 

   Haki vomits by the side of the road.

 

   Rurona says to him, “Don’t forget to kick sand over that least your prey goes to that to feed instead of the cage.”

 

  Haki holds his hand over his mouth and runs to the other side of the road to throw up some more behind a bush.

 

  As Lin Lin floats around them looking at the ground, back at the cage, and over to where Haki is Rurona says, “Your friend is a rather strange boy isn’t he?”

 

   “Oh you know Haki,” says Hollia, “Miss Rurona, he’s always being silly, but he’s always a truly reliable friend on a quest.”

 

   “I wouldn’t know,” says Rurona, “but I know you are a good judge of character and he always came back alive; although your stories do hold true so far.”

 

   It occurs to Hollia that she really has never seen Haki on an actual quest, just around the school, Rhulan couldn’t travel far enough as an astral body leashed to her stone body away from the school to see them out in the field; she’d only know the stories Hollia would tell her as a statue, back when she thought she was just talking to herself pretending to relate her adventures to an imaginary leader. Combining these facts together, that the statue and the woman next to her are one and the same, although something she’s come to accept is still after this time so weird that she finds herself forgetting it at times.

 

    -A little while later; *snap* the trap has sprung…for the third time, they had waited hidden by an invisibility spell by the road watching the trap…and basically having a picnic. The first time another mouse came to trap…its body ended up joining the first to add to the smell, the second time a crow made a play for the trap and had to be chased off; this time however they have what they wanted.

 

 

    Rurona carries the trap with its thrashing bird inside over to Haki, the thing has splattered the mice bodies around as it ate them, what remains it has thrashed about in its frustration at not being able to escape. She hands the trap to him, it’s all he can do to hold it with its screeching prisoner. Lin Lin hides behind Hollia.

 

   “heh,” thinks Haki, “even the dragon is afraid of it.”

 

   All the times he had seen Scramblers back in Crimdalina, wandering about the royal garden and around his family’s house, and all the times he had seen them back in Stratalia, he never once thought of them as something dangerous, just some small birds that would run and fly away when approached. But right now, this close to one, he can see the serrated edge of its beak, the wild look in its eyes, the razor sharp claws it uses to catch prey and climb trees, and its talon feet; not to mention the horrible high pitched noise it’s making.

 

   “It’s your capture,” says Rurona, “You just need a feather right?”

 

   “Right,” says Haki.

 

    He looks at it, the bars are too close to get his fingers through, and he just needs a feather not the whole bird. He’d have to open the cage, take out the thrashing animal with claws known to leave marks in stone while they climb; a problem for the garden walls back in Crimdalina that occurs to him just now, a small fact he had pretty much ignored and is amazed he actually remembers. He could just kill it with one of the magic knives he keeps amongst his arsenal, he looks over at Hollia.

 

   “What would she think of me if I needlessly killed it? Would she think I was smart…no, no, no, she’d think I was a coward…I am a man after all…time to be a man and…”

 

   *screech!*

 

   The Blue Ripper makes a play for his hand as he reaches for the door, causing him to nearly drop the cage.

 

   “What a shame,” says Rurona in a weird, clearly fake nonchalant tone, “that it’s not asleep, you would be able to take the feather without hurting it so easily if that were the case.”

 

   “Right,” thinks Haki practically whipping his own brain for not realizing that sooner, he has dozens of items with sleep and even paralysis as side effects, including the oh so simple and oh so obvious…sleep powder.”

 

   “I…” he says trying to keep face, “was…just thinking of something like that.”

 

   Hollia smiles looking at Rurona and back at Haki thinking, “Miss Rurona really is such a great teacher.”

 

 

    Haki takes out a little bag of powder, sprinkles it on the Blue Ripper, the bird calms down and goes to sleep; at which time Haki opens the cage and timidly takes the bird out, and looking at his guide plucks a tiny feather…jumping a little when the bird twitches at this…from its head and places the feather in his pack.

 

    “If that’s all you need the bird for,” says Rurona picking up the Blue Ripper and holding it in her hand, “wake up.”

 

   Haki and Hollia watch in amazement as the Blue Ripper awakens immediately, Lin Lin is sort of interested, hard to tell; but she does watch as the Blue Ripper takes off to the nearest tree trunk and scrambles up to the branches.

 

Item 2: Pink Moss:

 

   Haki has crossed out Blue Ripper Feather from his list and reads aloud right there on the dirt road where they caught the Blue Ripper, “Pink Moss.”

 

   He looks around, “What…is Pink Moss…” he looks at Rurona and speaks again before she has the opportunity, “I mean…sorry…I know its moss, and it’s pink…but…”

 

    “Come to think of it,” says Hollia, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Pink Moss in person.”

 

    They both look to Rurona and are surprised when all she does is shrug her shoulders and says,

“Not a clue, but I can tell you it grows on trees and rocks, but usually deep in the woods near running water.”

 

    She pauses a moment, “although I seem to remember a special condition for which they would grow the most…”

 

    She smiles, “Aw, yes, I remember now, Pink Moss is most abundant near a Pink Water spring.”

 

    “Pink Water?” asks Haki, as he turns to Hollia, her expression telling him she knows what Rurona is talking about.

 

    “Oh,” says Haki as he remembers, “that sweet water the healers use.”

 

   “Haki?” asks Hollia, “You mean they use it as an ingredient for healing potions right?”

 

   He raises an eyebrow as she gestures towards Rurona watching him, reminding him that she is Hollia’s tutor and thus on par with them being out on a quest with a teacher from Stratalia.

 

   “oh,” he says thinking it over, “yes, I remember the healing potion pink formula having it as an ingredient, no, the palace healers have their own spring in a greenhouse that they keep year round…I’ve had some in fact, it’s very sweet.”

 

    “Interesting,” says Rurona a bit nonchalantly, “Tell me then, what makes it useful for healing?”

 

   Haki realized he has put himself on the spot, “Oh…um…it’s magic water?”

 

   Rurona shakes her head while smiling before turning to Hollia, “Can you tell us Hollia?”

 

   Hollia smiles, “It’s the algae, the Pink Water Algae, has mystical healing properties, although it dies off in winter and may or may not return to the same spring the next year; a good way to tell which springs may have them is too look for springs that are still with Red Tip Grass growing in them.”

 

   Haki looks at her; she practically recited the text book word for word and thinks, “That’s Hollia for you, the perfect student, no doubt she’ll be a great dean some day…”

 

  He looks over at Rurona, “and the tutor to the perfect dean, okay…get it together Haki this is YOUR quest, they’re here to help YOU, and you’re supposed to be showing off what you know, not making yourself look like you need them to spoon feed everything to you.”

 

   “Okay!” says Haki a little louder than he intended, “sorry,” he says a lot lower, “I got it, we just need to find a Pink Water spring, and then we’ll find the Pink Moss.”

 

   Haki looks down the road toward Agate town, and then down the other way back towards Stratalia, “sooo, do we know anywhere where they have a spring?”

 

   Hollia shrugs, “Sorry Haki, but the only spring is in the school’s garden and we aren’t allowed to use school grounds for the class quests.”

 

   “Right,” says Haki, “but that means either wandering around the woods hoping to find one, or…” He thinks of Amia’s item shop in Agate Town and says, “maybe the item shop in Agate Town has a map to the location of known springs, I can’t believe…”

 

   He looks at them and decides to rephrase himself, “I mean I just remembered that back home in Crimdalina that peasants would mark the locations of possible springs on maps and every year in the spring go out and find which ones turned pink.”

 

   “I don’t think we do that here,” says Hollia thinking about it, “but…then again…I’m not…you know…” Hollia looks sad for a moment, reminded of the things some of the other students would say about her when they thought she couldn’t hear them, about being spoiled, having everything she needs right at the school and for free. The garden at the school belongs to her family, but she has always used Happy Apples and Milk enhanced with healing potions when she felt a little under the weather; she never got so sick that she needed anything serious. Lin Lin cocks her head looking at her, and Haki kicks a little dirt wishing he hadn’t said anything.

 

 

 

   “I don’t believe so,” interjects Rurona surprising them, “Everyone out in this particular area has Happy Apples, and the healing facilities at Stratalia are free for the local towns, perhaps if we were further out west or north some towns might have maps to their areas.”

 

   She pauses a moment and walks a little, “However…you must ask yourself if this one ingredient for your test is worth a five days if not more walk through woods filled with Steel Claw Bears, Forest Wolves, Werewolves, and all manner of other hazards and annoyances when for all we know,” she points at the woods right next the path, “there could be a spring or just some stray moss near a stream coming from such a spring, only a few yards away.”

 

    “Yeah,” says Haki, “but…doesn’t…you know…I mean…” he can’t form the words.

 

   Hollia speaks up, “Miss Rurona, doesn’t that take us back though to wandering around looking at random? I mean I’m not against exploring in the woods, it’s just.”

 

   “It’s just,” finishes Rurona for her, “unnecessary, when we can just fly above the tree line and look for a bright pink splotch sticking out amongst the green and brown.”

 

   Hollia looks at Lin Lin, “Miss Rurona, do you think Lin Lin would be able to lead us?”

 

   “Lin Lin?” asks Rurona genuinely confused, “Why would we need Lin Lin to lead us when we could just fly ourselves?”

 

   Rurona starts to hover a few inches off the ground.

 

   “She,” thinks Haki, “didn’t even recite a levitation spell.”

 

  Haki looks at Hollia, expecting her to fly, he imagines himself scrambling through the tree limbs and mud trying to keep up with and follow them as they fly over-head, smiling in the warm breeze above the trees; he is brought back to reality however when he sees her downtrodden expression.

 

   “Hollia?” he starts as she says, “I…I can’t fly.”

 

   Rurona lands and walks over to her, “You…can’t fly? Hollia? If I am not mistaken your specialty power is wind? You are descended from Strata-Lee, you…” she remembers Gyro-Lee from a thousand years ago who couldn’t fly, at least not for very long and had to get a running start to take over short distances at high speeds up or straight ahead, mostly using an adaptation of the skill “Air Skimmer”; of course her great grand father was known as “The Sky Warrior”.

 

   “I’m sorry,” says Hollia looking about to cry.

 

   “Now don’t do that,” says Rurona smiling, cheering her up a bit, “You just should have told me sooner,” she remembers as a statue even then Hollia never mentioned this, and there would really be no reason to needlessly fly around the school, she just figured she missed her learning it…or plain just didn’t notice; that this must truly be embarrassing for her, to know so much about so many spells but not even be able to do the most famous skill for her own specialty type.

 

   “All this means,” says Rurona in a scholarly manner, “is that from now on, we have something of high priority to tutor you over, every day from now on we must take time to practice your flying and levitation skills and spells; and in no time you’ll have it down pact.”

 

   “You…you really think so?” says Hollia looking up at Rurona with a twinkle in her eye and cupping her hands like she’s practically praying to her.

 

   Rurona places her fist to her chest, “You can count on it Hollia, with me teaching you, we’ll have you flying in no time.”

 

   “Thank you?” says Hollia, “Thank you, thank you,” Lin Lin even starts to chirp as though she too were thanking Rurona.

 

   Haki looks off to the distance with some tears in his eyes thinking, “They totally forgot about me, it’s like I’m not even standing here.”

 

   He looks back at them standing there and looks away again, “damn it should be me comforting Hollia, but it’s like Rurona is her brave prince, the hero to lead her party.”

 

   He shakes his head, “Don’t be silly Haki,” he thinks, “they’re both girls, and besides she’s her tutor that’s her job.”

 

   “Okay,” says Rurona, “no time like the present, Hollia,” Rurona takes a few steps back, “show me what you can do, and we’ll design a training regiment around that.”

 

   “Oh…okay,” says Hollia, She focuses and levitates a few inches before *woah!* and falls on her butt, like she actually slipped on the air.

 

   “Hollia!” yells Haki running over even as Lin Lin beats him to her *by just levitating down and looking as confused as a creature with no complex facial expressions and for whom levitating is second nature can look*.

 

   “I’m alright,” says Hollia standing up and brushing a little dirt off her dress which returns to its brilliant white as though the very dirt dare not sully her appearance, adding to her whimsical nature in Haki’s mind; making him stand there in awe.

 

   “Okay,” says Rurona, “we can work from there, but for now it’s getting late in the day I suggest we head to Agate Town, we can’t get back to Stratalia before dark.”

 

   “Wait a minute!” says Haki surprising everyone including himself, “Sorry…I mean, weren’t we going to you know…look for some Pink Moss?”

 

 

 

   “Oh right that,” says Rurona not really showing any concern, “As I recall from the last time Hollia and I came out this way there is a whole bunch of it growing near the stream next to Agate Town you can collect some while we fish for some dinner before heading to the inn.”

 

   Haki has an impression on his face like *you have got to be kidding me*

 

   -an impression he still has on his face several hours later as he sits next to the stream holding a bottle glowing with a preservation spell holding some scrapings of Pink Moss in it, whole looking at not just some, but a whole lot of Pink Moss growing on the rocks while right behind him not only are Hollia and Rurona fishing and basically having a tea party at the same time, but Yumi, Pima, and Amia have joined them and are all enjoying themselves as they fish.

 

    “Come on Haki!” yells out Yumi, “if you don’t catch your fare share I’m eating all the ones you would have gotten!”

   He shakes his head and thinks, “Pink Moss, Pink Water…what…the…hell?”

 

    ******

 

    Item 3: Milk Stone:

 

       In the dark of the night Haki rests in a room to himself at the inn in Agate town, Hollia and the woman he knows as Rurona rest in another down the hall. It has not been long since darkness fell, and Haki finds himself disturbed. It is not the first time he has slept in an Inn, although he much prefers his dorm room; or better yet is room back at his home in Crimdalina. But this night he finds himself listening to every noise outside, as though the darkness has given him a new fear; a shriek, the sound of an animal in the distance snaps his eyes open as he tries to shut them to sleep; after all tomorrow they are going hunting for a Milk Stone and plan to head out into the woods early or else he’ll be forced to bite the ropes and go clear all the way to Volstick where he remembered they have a Milk Stone farm; Stratalia would be much closer but as always the school forbids gathering ingredients for alchemy tests on the school grounds, and that includes buying them there.

 

  The sound outside reminds him of the Blue Ripper, the animal he always called a Scrambler back home, the fearful little beasts he would chase off as a child,

  The image of it shrieking at him in the cage returns to him making him shudder. He always thought of himself as brave, but now, he finds himself looking out the window, at the edges of Agate Town, unlike Stratalia with its moats, walls, and security wards, or the royal grounds of Crimdalina with its walls and guards, this town has no more defenses on its boarders than the fences of yards. He had always heard the towns in the Merchant Confederacy ruled over by Stratalia were walled in towns for protection; but Agate Town doesn’t have them. So he looks at the dark woods and is reminded of what is out there, aside from wolves and bears these woods are said to be home to were-cats, bunny-girls, dragons, dinosaur like creatures, living hostile plants, and werewolves…

 

   His eye brows furrow and he takes out his list from one of the pockets of his coat which he has laying over a chair while he wears only his white underclothes to bed…

 

   -oh shit!-

 

   His brain practically screams…, “how?...why?”

 

  Right on his list of ingredients for what he thought would be a small easy to gather ingredients item for this test is [werewolf fur]. But thankfully it’s still a little ways down the list, 6th item.  But then again the idea is to finish up the rest of the list tomorrow; after all waiting for a trap took them longer than they had hoped.

 

  *creak*

 

  A soft sound, someone stepping on a wood board in the hall; by this time all the patrons of the restaurant down stairs should be to their rooms or gone home. He throws on his coat and cape and leans his ear against his door.

 

   Another soft *creak*, coming from down the hall towards the room Hollia and Rurona are sleeping in.

 

   “I am a man,” he says as he puffs himself up with confidence and goes out his door, and down the hall he sees…a sight that is just weird.

 

   A woman dressed in weird ninja wannabe cloths and sandals is kneeled down and leaning her ear against the door of the room Hollia and Rurona are in. She is wearing a weird thing on her head, a kind of handkerchief with the ends tied just below her nose, but this isn’t really hiding her face, or her identity, especially with her long green hair sticking out the back.

 

   “Amia?” asks Haki, “how?”

 

   The girl stands, makes some wild *you got it wrong, don’t pay any attention me* somewhat comical gestures with her hands while saying, “Amia? Who’s Amia? I’m…I’m just your run of the mill pervert…er…I mean thief…don’t pay any attention me…go back to sleep Haki…er…I mean…who ever you are…okay…bye.”

 

  And…she runs away down the hall and down the stairs. Haki looks at the door and down the hall before heading back to his room, before he goes to sleep he thinks, “Can an archer also be a thief?”

 

   In the room of Hollia and Rurona, there are two beds separated by a desk, on one Hollia is sleeping dressed in her frilly night cloths her robes folded neatly on a table, Lin Lin is resting on a pillow next to her head. On the other Rurona is sleeping, her robes nowhere to be seen of course, even though while asleep she is only wearing black panties, a black bra, and weirdly enough a choker with a red gem in the middle that normally would be the gem acting as a clasp for her robes or cape; she is Rhulan after all, and her clothes are shadow cloth, an extension of her own power taking whatever form she wants them to take; and right now she is concerned with comfort, which even when sleeping may explain why she is in such contrast with Hollia; while Hollia sleeps with the covers up to her neck, arms neatly folded; Rhulan is sleeping with the covers kicked off at some point while sleeping, arms and legs out and about as it were as though they were the tentacles of an octopus looking for prey; eventually snagging the second pillow on the bed. She curls over and snuggles the pillow, spooning it, and stops her night movements as she goes into a now peaceful rest; all that fidgeting about no doubt causing all sorts of squeaky bed spring noises.

 

   Outside the green haired “thief” is climbing over the fence of the backyard of the Inn to get to the backyard of the Item Shop, a quick pink blur appears next to her with her hand out, Pima.

 

  “Amia,” she says, “the key.”

 

   “Oh right,” says the sneaky Amia without any of her usual timid tone as she pulls the key to the inn’s backdoor from her pocket.

 

   Amia falls over the fence and Pima goes back inside the inn thinking, “She’s got to have a split personality…” *giggling to herself*, “pervert Amia took my key again.”

 

   She does a weird sneak thief pose, “By day a timid Item Shop clerk, by night transforming into The Pervert Ninja, peeper on guests.”

 

    ******

 

    The next morning, the restaurant is already bustling not long after the sun has risen; the local farmers, adventurers who also stayed the night, and other patrons are already enjoying a hardy breakfast. With the towns best cook, Pima’s father, and the fastest service imaginable thanks to Pima it isn’t any wonder this Inn’s down stairs restaurant is so popular.

 

   Rurona, Hollia, Lin Lin, and Haki are sitting at a small round table eating what looks to be pancakes, some sausages, and glasses of orange juice (really from a citrus like fruit that grows on pine trees known as Orange Pine Fruit and can be found fruiting every two months even through the winter).

 

   “Any who,” says Rurona interrupting a casual conversation in which Haki was trying to, very clumsily, bring up the topic of someone sneaking around last night, “Tell me something Haki, where do you plan to search for a Milk Stone?”

 

    Haki is surprised to find himself on the spot like this, but this is his quest after all, “well,” he says, “There is a farm up in Volstick;”

 

    “Which would mean a good days walk,” says Rurona, “walking back to Stratalia then heading out the north gate; unless you plan to cut across the forest of course.”

 

 

 

   “We could…” starts Hollia, “I mean Miss Rurona, we could search the woods, it’s just a white mushroom despite being able to be made into milk right? We might be able to find some growing on some logs.”

 

    “That’s right.” says Haki excited, “I know they have farms for them, but they do grow wild around here too don’t they; just have to make sure we don’t pick a poison mushroom by mistake.”

 

   Rurona sets her glass down slowly, “I see something has been lost.”

 

   They both look at her, and her serious expression, “You are both not mistaken that they can be found growing wild; however I must inform you, being your tutor and all Hollia, that Milk Stones are not mushrooms, they are animals; forgetting this fact you may overlook the prime growing spots for one.”

 

   “Really?” asks Hollia whose texts always place Milk Stones in with mushrooms.

 

   “But,” objects Haki, “the royal library, and Stratalia’s library say they’re mushrooms, so…”

 

   “So then,” says Rurona, “where would you look?”

 

  “Oh,” says Haki, “um…well dead logs, rotting trees, wet leaves I guess, you know places like that.”

 

   “And then,” says Rurona, “you’d be lucky to ever see one, ask the farmers some time who grow them; I’m sure they can tell you that they wouldn’t be found in such places.”

 

   With a flick of the hand Rurona conjures up an image of a Milk Stone, much like a hologram, “Look here,” she says pointing out the six slits on the cone like cap, three on either side, “these are mouth slits, using a combination of static attraction and suction they pull in biomass particles from the air to feed on as well as moisture and air to breathe.”

 

   She makes the illusion turn into a cross section revealing eight black seed like structures inside the stem, six of which lead up to the mouth slits, “these are its primary organs, hard cased as they are they are easily mistaken for seeds, six are stomachs, one is its lung, and the other its central nervous system; or in other words what could be considered its brain.”

 

   “Wow,” says Hollia watching the projection intensely, taking mental notes. Lin Lin tries to take a bite out of the illusion before Rurona makes it vanish.

 

   “How,” thinks Haki, “how does this lady know something that Crimdalina’s library or even the library of Stratalia don’t know?”

 

   Haki thinks for a moment imagining a Milk Stone farm, and places Rurona there, “maybe,” he thinks, “maybe she grew up on a farm *no*…or…maybe lived near a farm *maybe*…or…maybe she’s from a wealthy family with their own farm and was taught this by their farmer or something *I bet that’s it*…” he nods to himself.

 

   “Any who,” says Rurona distracting him, “if we’re done with breakfast I suggest we pay and head out, “after all, this time of year there are bound to be other creatures also going after any obvious Milk Stones.”

 

    A shadow looms over their table, looking up they see a rather large man with a bald head smiling down at them past his stained apron, the cook, and owner of the establishment.

 

    “My apologies in advance,” he says with his deep voice, “my daughter while waiting tables eavesdropped on your conversation, now I know she’s your friend and all, but still she shouldn’t be eavesdropping.”

 

   He looks back at Pima whose trying not be too obvious about eavesdropping again, “Now my daughter tells me you all are looking for Milk Stones, but don’t want to go all the way back to Volstick for ‘em; yeah I remember those quests when I was a kid, guess they still don’t let you just buy what you need at school huh?”

 

   He doesn’t wait, nor seems to except an answer, “well, normally I wouldn’t tell anyone this but…”

 

   He looks around, “on second thought follow me back into the kitchen please.”

 

   They follow him as he asked curious about what he has to say; and while inside he continues, “Okay, you know out back we got our own groves and gardens, and a special spot for Orange Pines and such; well there is also a spot I know full of Milk Stones; now I know, okay, you’re not telling people about this so you don’t have students and other folks picking them, themselves right…well, yeah, but there’s a better, not so selfish reason too.”

 

   He looks around to make sure the kitchen staff isn’t listening in and whispers to them, “this area is just west of town, down a path I have hidden behind a large grey rock with an hour glass carved on it; I figure most people will think its just a hunters path or a warning about some danger right;…well…it is, you have to be careful out there and make sure to always carry a strong monster ward or several with you, the place is crawling with were-cats; a whole pack of them live out there just outside of town and they love them Milk Stones.”

 

    ******

 

    -a little bit later

 

    The sun shines down on the dirt road going west and they stand now in a row looking at a very large grey boulder, about the size of a house, with a little hour glass carved in it near the bottom.

 

   “He,” says Haki, “said it was a marker?”

 

   “Um,” says Hollia, “he said it’s a warning and people will believe its hiding a hunting path?”

 

   Rurona looks to the right at the trees, and to the left at some more trees, “You wouldn’t even know there was a path behind this thing, *she laughs to herself*, guess when he wants something hidden he really means it.”

 

   Without so much as uttering a word she flies up to the top of the stone and looks off into the distance, “I see, Hollia, Lin Lin…Haki, there is a clean clear path back here, a stream a little ways down with a bridge, and it looks like a pretty descent garden of Milk Stones a little ways in the distance.”

 

   It is just as she said, a dirt path, nothing much to speak of, some small creatures such as Blue Blobs, Blue Rippers, and other animals in the brush, but nothing that could be seen as a threat to them. Upon reaching the stream they find a flat homemade bridge, clearly made by their host back at the inn, however as they start to cross it the rocking of the bridge stirs up something beneath it, a great deal of hissing.

 

    A swarm of Dagger Snakes, their knife like blades jutting from their heads glistening in the sun slither out from under the bridge and hiss at them.

 

    “Telekinetic Hold!” says Rurona as two of the snakes levitate in the air, “Telekinetic Thrust!”, with a  wave of her hand and these words two of the snakes vanish into the grass by the side of the road, likely stunned by the impact.

 

    Haki and Hollia jump back as a few of the other snakes take swipes at them with their venomous blade horns.

 

   “What is wrong with these snakes?” asks Haki wild eyed at the sight of a swarm of these creatures just staying at the other side of the bridge.

 

   “Maybe they’re under a spell to guard the Milk Stones?” suggests Hollia.

 

   She looks at Rurona who gives her a curious look, Hollia says sheepishly, “I…I…don’t really know much about snakes.”

 

   Rurona shrugs, “It’s a mating swarm,”

 

   Hollia and Haki look at each other and back and Rurona who says, “If they were just resting or being territorial than tossing a few of them should have scared the rest off; no they are claiming this cool spot, yet open for the warmth, as their nest and will protect it with their lives.”

 

   “Then,” says Haki chest puffed out, “As adventurers we will defeat these monsters,”

 

   He pulls out a top, “A Top of Doom, should do the trick,”

 

  “Or,” suggests Hollia, “no offense Haki, but as adventurers we have to respect nature and not just kill things because they are in the way unless we have no choice.”

 

   She summons her staff and chants,

 

   “Hypnos

    Morpheus

    Great lords of sleep and dreams

    Grant thy gift of silent rest

     To that which stands before us”

 

    A green mist flies from her staff, making Lin Lin float back a little, surprised by the weird effect. The mist encircles and engulfs the hissing swarm, their hissing stops with in the cloud; which upon dispersing reveals a pack of sleeping snakes.

 

    “It’s best to allow them to live if we can help it, right Miss Rurona?” asks Hollia,

 

   “Sure why not,” says Rurona looking at the sight with a raised eyebrow, she is quick to shake her head and smile at Hollia, “er, I mean sure, er, yes of course Hollia.”

 

    Rurona thinks back to smashing a mouse’s head as bait, “Note to self, don’t just slaughter things around Hollia.”

 

    “Telekinetic Hold.” says Rurona with her hand pointed at the swarm, her power now lifting the entire swarm of Dagger Snakes, this time however rather than throwing them, she gently lets them down by the side of the road thinking, “that spell should keep them asleep; granted now there is a good chance something else will just come along and eat them and if I let them down in the water like this they’ll just drown; might as well have blasted them apart with a wind sphere or that kid’s top.”

 

    Rurona looks off the trail past the snakes into the woods sensing something, “speak of the devil,” she smiles, as she turns and says, “Okay, we’d better get moving and get your Milk Stone.”

 

   It’s not long further down the path before they come across more Milk Stones than they could ever have hoped to see in one place outside of a farm. Hollia examines one close, “wow,” she says, “It really is sucking in air through the slits, I can’t believe I never noticed that before.”

 

   “Good head for spells and adventurer rules,” thinks Rurona, “but she really should be taking more classes related to zoology and botany.”

 

    Haki takes out the jar he brought with him…and realizes most the Milk Stones are too big to even fit through the top.

 

   Noticing this Rurona says, “They are squishy, just pick a medium sized one and plop it in head…cap first.”

 

   Haki shrugs picks up a smaller one, surprised that it really wasn’t rooted like he expected, instead noting it was holding on with tiny caterpillar like lumps on the bottom and shoves it into the jar which he latches back onto his belt.

 

   *chiiiirp!* Lin Lin lets out a loud alarming chip making Hollia jump up and stare back the way they came at what has Lin Lin in so much of a scare that the mane on her back is raised up.

 

   “What…” starts Haki as he freezes in place, white as a ghost.

 

   Rurona just crosses her arms and says, “speak of the devil,”

 

   Before them is a were-cat, but not one like anything Haki has ever seen. He knows them to be built like lithe women covered in brown striped fur, with mostly human faces save for the fur and cat like nose and mouth, their shoulder length shaggy hair only disrupted by the two pointed ears on top of their heads. Having hands and feet more closely resembling paws, and a long swishing tail behind them.

 

    While this one does have the same cat eyes staring back at them, the fur is instead white with black stripes, and the hair is a metallic silver color; the eyes may have slits pupils, but they are also blue eyes. Otherwise this one does look how he’d expect.

 

   “Albino were-cat?” stammers Haki, “I…I…I…m..m…mean…were-cat…wha…”

 

  “A Cyber Cat-girl?” says Hollia wide eyed, “I…don’t believe it, I thought they only lived in Nipponia?”

 

   “Cyber?” says Rurona, “Hmm, I’d have thought the name Byakko-Kia would have been the one that survived, or Metal Claws would be more common, to think a term like Cyber is still used for them despite that term not even having relevance in this world anymore…for the most part.”

 

    “mine,” growls the Cyber Cat-girl, “that is mine!”

 

    The jar starts to rattle on Haki’s waist, and is yanked from his side through the air by an invisible force towards the Cyber Cat-girl.

 

   “Not so fast,” says Rurona casually as she turns and catches the jar with one hand, “A metal lid, with metal straps, not normally an issue; but when facing something with magnetic powers a real problem indeed.”

 

   She turns towards the Cyber Cat-girl who points her paw at Rurona and hisses, but stops and cocks her head in confusion.

 

   “My power trumps yours my dear,” says Rurona with a smile, “The Cyber Cat-girl, indeed Hollia I have heard too that the only survivors were in Nipponia, but I would find it hard to believe such a powerful species wouldn’t have some survivors, or its genes hiding in amongst other cat-girl species like our very own were-cats waiting to pop up again. Did you know these were once plentiful across the world until the age of the dragons when the Shining Black Dragon put a bounty on their heads…and I bet you’d never guess the reason why, believe it or not my dear students of Stratalia, but just one of these could have killed that massively over powered monster that Gino-Lee fought and lost his life too…well…eventually…poison is a bitch.” *cough*, “I mean a shameful and painful way for any adventurer to die. But while most know of these being able to crush a man in full armor and shred shields with their claws, and shoot lightning off their bodies, I bet you didn’t know the reason the Shining Black Dragon wanted them all dead is because its own brain had metal in it…machines…and just one of these could have killed him had they been given the chance or reason to…a shame Gino-Lee never found one to join his party.”

 

    “Really?” says Hollia, who has heard stories of Gino-Lee, her ancestor who fought the Shining Black Dragon, in fact the man would be her Great-Great grandfather.

 

    “wow,” she follows up looking at the creature standing before them.

 

   “Um…” says Haki, “excuse me, I know Miss Rurona you’re a tutor and all, but shouldn’t we be a bit more concerned about the large dangerous cat monster in front of us?”

 

   *hm, hm, hm, hm* silently laughs Rurona, “Hollia step over here please?”

 

   “Yes Miss Rurona,” as she steps over and blushes as Rurona grabs her hand and stretches her arm out towards the Cyber Cat-girl.

 

   “Now be calm,” says Rurona to the blushing girl, Lin Lin floats back to where Hollia was standing and watched.

 

   Rurona turns to the Cyber Cat-girl and says rather low and quickly, “Byakko-Kia, Rhulan set command.”

 

   The Cyber Cat-girl’s head jerks slightly as blue electric streaks shoot across its eyes, making Rurona think, “a little degraded it seems, but its still in there.”

 

   Rurona says to her, “Set command, sniff and identify.”

 

   The Cyber Cat-girl walks over on all fours and sniffs at Hollia’s hand, which is being held gently in Rurona’s, and of course sniffs Rurona’s hand.

 

   To Hollia’s surprise, and to Haki’s jaw dropping disbelief, the Cyber Cat-girl sits down and bows her head purring. Guiding Hollia’s hand Rurona has Hollia pet the cat-girl behind her ears making her purr louder, “wow,” is all Hollia can say as she slowly takes her hand away.

 

   “Now then,” says Rurona as she tosses the jar back to Haki, “If you would my dear,” she says to the Cyber Cat-girl, “please stand aside and allow us here to pass; and as compensation for the Milk Stone help yourself to a bundle of sleeping snakes by the creek down the path we are walking.”

 

    She ushers Hollia with Lin Lin to head down the path while Rurona stands there, “young man,” she says, “Haki, if you’re done being confused I’d suggest heading down the path before I do.” She gestures with her head towards the Cyber Cat-girl now lying down in the grass next to Rurona. Haki makes it a point to make as wide an arc as he can on the other side of Rurona away from the cat-girl as he heads towards Hollia who is walking towards the stream.

 

   “now then,” says Rurona, “stay here until we are all out of sight, and don’t forget there are some nice juicy snakes sleeping and easy prey by the stream.”

 

   “thank you master,” says the Cyber Cat-girl in her feline like voice.

 

   Rurona is certain to keep her senses about her in case more are nearby as she is quick to catch up with the others.

 

   As they leave the path back to the main road, Haki lets out a huge breath of relief, as though he had been holding it this whole time, and nearly vomits on the road, or right onto the jar with the Milk Stone; which he just stares at in the jar trying to mentally piece together what the hell just happened.

 

    “What?” says Haki between breaths, “how, huh, I…what?”

 

    “Hypnotism!” says Hollia really fast.

 

   “Miss Rurona used really powerful hypnotism.” She says with her arms crossed and nodding.

 

    “Oh,” says Haki, “right.”

 

   “Any who,” says Rurona, “I suggest we head back to Agate Town now for a snack before heading on, Haki what’s next on your list.”

 

   Haki straightens himself out shaking his head thinking, “damn it Haki don’t…don’t pass out…be a man, it wasn’t THAT terrifying…only just looked right at a monster that can hold its own against a dragon is all, a legendary beast thought to be extinct except in one small area in a distant country…oh shit I’m going to vomit…no…”

 

   “Haki?” asks Hollia, “are you ill,”

 

  “No,” says Haki standing up and forcing a smile, “No, No, No, I’m fine…just perfectly fine, just a little winded you know, all the excitement, adventure, you know.”

 

   “Yes,” says Hollia with a bright smile, “It’s so exciting isn’t it, imagine experiencing something so magnificent when just looking for a Milk Stone, imagine all the adventures to be had out there in the world!”

 

   “Uh” says Haki, “yeah, sure.”

 

   “Haki,” says Rurona, “Not to interrupt but you wanted to be done today right? Well then we need to move on to the next thing on your list; we might just be able to find it in Agate Town while we’re there.”

 

   “Right,” says Haki taking his list out, “It’s…A Lightning Orb.”

 

    Item 4: Lightning Orb:

 

    -Back in Agate Town they stop by the restaurant for something light to eat and some water before heading out again; Haki decides to go to the Item Shop by himself to see if he can buy a Lightning Orb.

 

   -At the shop

 

    “Welcome Haki,” says Amia in her usual near whisper tone.

 

   “Hello Amia,” he says, “Would you by chance happen to have a Lightning Orb here?”

 

   “Sorry, but we don’t carry anything that rare here, if you need one Stratalia’s shop should have them.”

 

   “Yeah,” he says, “But it’s an item on a quest so I can’t just buy one, the rules you know.”

 

   “I’m sorry,” says Amia bowing, “we have Warmth Stones, Plant Growth inhibitor stones, Plant Grownth enhancer stones, shock stones, and various smaller stone ingredients but no Lightning Orbs, sorry again.

 

   “No,” he says, “you don’t have to apologize Amia, I mean, its not that serious, just means we have to go buy one someplace else…er…I…don’t know where though.”

 

   A map forms in his mind with Stratalia at the middle, north is Volstick…they wouldn’t have something like that, he remembers their item shop from when they went after the Crocotta, it was all Happy Apples, Red Fruit, Astral Viles, and minor beast repel wards. He thinks further north, he knows there is…nothing but forest till they reach a river, but its just a hamlet, there are some military like outposts near the larger rivers, small fur trapper towns, deer farms, but by then its all too far north, and besides they don’t have what he needs. Going further west is pretty much the same story till they hit the major rivers; but east…oh right…east…Bostonia would have shops with such items, a long walk if they can’t get a coach, and a walk of several days and…nights…through bandit filled forests.

 

   “Haki?” asks Amia seeing him being noticeably indecisive to himself like he’s acting out two sides of a conversation, “I…think you could check the guild at Stratalia, they sometimes have side quests with rewards like Lightning Orbs and other items to help students in situations like this…we took some like that when we were there you know.”

 

  Haki stops, more so because that is the longest sentence he has ever heard Amia say, granted still in her usual mousy whisper tone. He smiles and nods to her, as he leaves he turns and says, “Oh, and by the way Amia, thank you for keeping an eye out for Hollia, you really are a great friend for her; I don’t trust that tutor of hers either, there is just something about her you know…”

 

   He leaves not even noticing Amia has turned beet red with embarrassment and whispers to herself, “He recognized me?!”

 

   “Of course!” shouts the excited voice in her head, “He must be a closet pervert too, you know what they say Amia, it takes one to know one.”

 

    -At the restaurant

 

     After Haki returns with the news that the item shop doesn’t have any Lightning Orbs, but Amia suggests trying to take an additional quest from the school if there is one available. Rurona and Hollia are now alone…with Lin Lin of course, in their room gathering up their supplies.

 

   “This is for the best,” says Rurona, “We need to unload some stuff, and Haki should get what he has so far stored away in his room.”

 

   “Miss Rhulan,” asks Hollia, “Can I ask you something now that we’re alone?”

 

   “Of course,” says Rhulan.

 

   “Back there,” asks Hollia, “with the Cyber Cat-girl…how…did you really do that?”

 

   “Oh that,” says Rhulan, “Its simple really, do you remember the story of Gyro-Lee?”

 

   “Yes,” says Hollia

 

   “Remember the role the Cyber Cat-girls played in it?”

 

   “Well,” says Hollia, “they were the elite guards of the Metal Castle and elite stealth forces alongside the Shadow Cat-girls for the empire.”

 

   “Exactly,” says Rhulan, “What it doesn’t tell you is that we actually created them, by combining the traits of were-cats with the Byakko from Xiang.”

 

   “Like a chimera?” asks Hollia.

 

  “Similar,” says Rhulan, “except what we made weren’t sterile, we were creating a new species, but not just for weapons…we…had other reasons too; mostly out of concern for how limited cat-girls are in their genetic drifting with their near clone like reproduction; but I digress; I made sure to have implanted into their very genes a trait that allows them to obey my commands; I know, it’s like enslavement, but the commands can’t be anything that would go against their natural instincts or something they’d object too; in truth it really just makes them recognize my scent and treat me…well, pretty much to them like meeting their creator…awe…and reverence and all that as it were.”

 

   “Oh,” says Hollia, “I had a feeling it was something like that, thank you Miss Rhulan.”

 

   “She’s a smart one,” thinks Rhulan.

 

    ******

 

     -Back in Stratalia (lots of small talk along the way there, nothing worth writing about, not much between Agate Town and Stratalia on the path that’s a real threat to anyone unless they were really low in power.) Just an hour’s walk really from Agate Town.

 

    “A Lightning Orb?” asks the clerk at the quest window, “Well…now that I think about it, I do recall seeing a quest that hasn’t been taken yet today with that listed as a prize.”

 

   He brings it up on his screen, “Here we are, it’s a first level mission though is that okay?”

 

   Haki looks to see Hollia and Rurona playing with Lin Lin or discussing something, “Y…yeah,” he says, “I just need one for another quest we’re on.”

 

   “I see,” says the clerk, “a few more extra credits doesn’t hurt either?” saying this with a raised eyebrow.

 

   “I…guess,” says Haki with a shrug.

 

   “Okay,” says the clerk while trying not to roll his eyes, “In that case, here’s the ticket of proof, you will also be supplied with six cages, the mission is to capture five Blue Blobs and one Dagger Snake.”

 

    “Hold on,” says Rurona walking over, “Who is the client if you please?”

 

   “Well,” says the clerk, “it’s the pet shop in Bostonia.”

 

   “and they gave a quest to Stratalia to poach wild animals?”

 

   “Oh no,” says the clerk realizing what Holly-Lia’s tutor, who is in good with the dean perhaps is implying, “No, this is not poaching, they occasionally give us a quest or two like this each year or so to provide new breeder animals, their old ones either get…well…old, die, or they need more individuals so they don’t get too much inbreeding.”

 

   “And people keep Dagger Snakes as pets now?” says Rurona but not waiting for a reply, “well to be honest I’ve seen weirder things.”

 

    “So,” says the clerk looking between Haki, Rurona, and Hollia who is standing a little ways behind Rurona.

 

   Rurona says, “I have no further objections, just curious was all.”

 

   “Then?” says the clerk turning to Haki.

 

   Haki looks at the two women and back at the clerk and says confidently, “Yes.” While thinking, “It’s either this or dish out half my weekly allowance to buy one and go all the way to Bostonia.”

 

    ******

 

    It’s boring, once again they are sitting waiting to catch animals in traps; although this time they thankfully have appropriate scent bait and have put the traps out near a creek and areas known to have an abundance of Blue Blobs and Dagger Snakes, although they can’t help but think back to the swarm they encountered earlier when looking for a Milk Stone; of course they

had no way of knowing at the time they’d need one of them.

 

   *snap!*

 

   It isn’t long, not long after setting a trap and walking away to have lunch that one goes off; and has not one but two Blue Blobs crammed together inside it trying to get at the scent bait that had been provided.

 

   “Sheesh,” says Rurona, “what’d they give you mating pheromones?”

 

   Not a moment after saying it Rurona looks at the cage, “yes, it would seem so.”

 

   It isn’t long till they have all their targets captured.

 

   “Wow,” says Hollia looking at the cages, “this couldn’t have been faster had they jumped out at us randomly as we walked around.”

 

    “Would have been more interesting,” says Rurona, “but this is out of Haki’s way after all.”

 

   -they take the creatures back to the clerk and receive the Lightning Orb right on the spot as payment.

 

   “That really took me back,” says Hollia surprising Haki, “it was like the quests I used to take when I was younger.” She pets Lin Lin on the head as they sit at a table for lunch.

 

   “Haki,” says Hollia surprising him, and Rurona looking up briefly from her cup, “what was your first quest like?”

 

   Haki practically blushes from ear to ear, she’d never asked him anything like that before,

 

“W…well,” he says, “I guess it was just before I came here…”

 

   He perks up, “Right, get this, I had to capture by myself no less than six Red Ear Snappers that had gotten into the royal palace’s fish pond and were killing the koi.”

 

   “Some overgrown aggressive turtles,” thinks Rurona, “although for a kid that would be a big deal.”

 

   “Wh…” says Haki, “what about you Hollia?”

 

  “Me?” says Hollia, “Wow, I mean…I don’t know really, what counts as my first adventure or quest, I mean the first one I did for classes was just I think looking for a white flower for a potion, but…Oh I know; when I was little my parents would take me everywhere with them, when I was five they took me the Water Roots Country; they were setting up trade relations with a lost colony of Aesperians there.”

 

   Haki has a confused look on his face.

 

   “Hollia,” says Rurona, “I don’t believe that’s common knowledge, however as you spilled the beans.”

 

   She turns to Haki, “The Water Roots country is one of the small continent worlds in the Makai Cluster…you know…alien worlds. Back during the era of the Rhulan Empire, well the latter part of it at any rate, exploration and the establishment of outposts were being done; partly to seek out any survivors from the…well…legendary colonization event to see if anyone was still out there; and of course to open the way to creating settlements off world. “

 

   *takes a sip of her drink*

 

    “Of course you know the story of the fall of the Rhulan Empire, anyone still out there would be stuck after that and for the last thousand years forced to survive or vanish.”

 

    “And one such colony,” says Hollia, “is in this really weird land that is like all water with giant vines and roots everywhere that connects to that giant tree ball the Stingers come from.”

 

   “Oh,” says Haki still not fully understanding, “So you went…off world…”

  He thinks back to being a kid and running scared with tears in his eyes as the Red Eared Snappers chased him as he was bait for the trap cages his uncle had set up in the garden.

 

    “How about you Miss Rurona?” asks Hollia.

 

 

   Rurona raises an eyebrow, “Me? Well, that was a really long time ago as you might have guessed.”

 

   It dawns on Hollia that her innocent question was asked with other people around, and isn’t really all that innocent considering who Rurona really is.

 

   “Well,” says Rurona, “It’s hard to remember, but I do believe the very first mission I ever went on was to capture a thief. I didn’t really do much as a kid as I can recall.”

 

   Haki thinks, “Where is she from that her first adventure training quest would be something so dangerous?”

 

   “Any who,” says Rurona, “Haki, what’s next on your list?”

 

   “Oh,” says Haki taking his list out, “A warmth stone.”

 

   Item 5: A warmth Stone:

 

       “Haki, Hollia,” says Rurona, “I do believe this deserves a brief important lecture.”

    She turns to Haki, “Haki, does your quest assignment here require you to acquire each item in this specific order of seven items?”

 

   “Well, no” says Haki a bit sheepishly.

 

  “Then allow me to give you both a tip on something for these item retrieval type quests, look over your entire list carefully, and remember what’s on it, that way if along the way you encounter one or more of the easier ones while going after a harder one you can just grab it. Understand?”

 

   “Yes, Miss Rurona.” Says Hollia with a bow as Lin Lin chirps happily.

 

   “Hollia is sure lucky to have such a great big, sexy, older sister, dominant type tutor.” thinks Amia who had just handed Haki a warmth stone that he just bought in her shop in Agate Town.

 

   Haki looks at the stone in his hand, remembers when they were here earlier for the Pink Moss and the Milk Stone…Amia had even mentioned warmth stones to him while he was looking for a Lightning Orb.

 

   “Damn it,” thinks Haki, “All your bravado, you think she’s impressed by stories of you chasing turtles? Sitting around while we catch critters in cages, and I just made us have to walk all the way back here…”

 

   He realizes Rurona stopped her lecture, “oh,” he says, “Y…yes…sorry everyone.”

 

   “It’s no problem,” says Hollia, “I love coming back here,” she looks at Amia, walking over to chat with her.

 

   Hollia is nice, Haki knows this, but the tone her tutor has; it practically tells him, “You want to be a royal sorcerer, a respected position in your kingdom, then shape up and get your head in the game.” He’s sure she isn’t thinking those exact words, but it’s the vibe he gets.

 

   Especially if it weren’t for Hollia and Rurona remembering this shop has warmth stones…well…by himself he might have just been wandering all over the place trying to remember where he saw one before, for sale. In fact as he looks back ever since the first item they’ve been doing all the real work, knowing how and where to find these things; it was even thanks to Pima being Hollia’s friend…well she’s his friend too…maybe she’d have gotten her father to tell him where the Milk…a vision of him being pounced on by that Cyber Cat-girl pops in his head.

 

   Rurona is over with Hollia now, they are talking about something about healing herbs near the town Amia could use if they want to help her pick them in a few days; and something about the fishing they did yesterday and about doing it again sometimes. Haki takes out his list and shudders, [Werewolf fur]

 

    Item 6: Werewolf fur:

 

         The forest is disturbed by the sounds of battle, the snarling form of a large brown wolf lunges past Rurona towards Haki only to be grabbed by its tail and tossed by Rurona into a nearby tree, smashing the tree in half. The beast rises to its four feet, the front two more closely resembling hands than paws. Four others surrounding the group rise on their long back legs, their bodies now resembling a cross between a man’s and a wolf’s. Drool drips from their snarling maws as they eye the group who have their backs towards each other.

 

     The battle did not just start; they had been wandering through the forest following the tracks of a werewolf, only to find themselves in this mess. Hollia had attempted a sleep spell; that werewolf is now over in the tall grass sleeping; however five of its companions were alerted by its howl before it went down.

 

    “Goddess Wind!” shouts Hollia, summoning forth a spinning blast of green wind sending one of the werewolves flying through the trees.

 

   “Damn!” screams Haki as another lunges at him.

 

  *poof*, he tosses a smoke bomb in its face making it drop to the ground whimpering.

 

  “Um,” says Haki rummaging in his pockets, “Oh, okay,”

 

  He tosses a pill like item at the werewolf which explodes into sticky pink goop trapping its feet to the ground. A nearby companion tries to chew at it.

 

 

   Lin Lin coils up, a green mist appearing around her which forms into the shape of a wyvern, rises up and explodes into a green cyclone at these two werewolves sending them flying and knocking them out upon impact with the ground.

 

   “Enough of this,” says Rurona.

 

   Haki turns to see an impossible sight; Rurona has the two remaining werewolves by their throats, their clawing bouncing off a defensive aura around Rurona.

 

   *bonk* Rurona smashes their heads together knocking them out.

 

   “Now then,” says Rurona, “If we are done playing nice with our would be predators I suggest getting that fur clipping off of one of them before more show up.”

 

   “Y…yes,” says Haki taking out some scissors and clipping a little fur from one werewolf and putting it in a jar.

 

   *rrrrr*

 

   The werewolf that had been thrown by the goddess wind spell is back; as it lunges at Hollia it’s blasted into a smoking carcass by a thunder bolt from Rurona.

 

    “Important to note,” says Rurona, “If something is trying to kill you, you don’t hold back…of course neither should you go overboard, but staying alive is the most important thing.”

 

   Hollia is ashamed of herself, she doesn’t want to hurt or kill anything, but its true, she held back on the Goddess Wind, it was far weaker than any version of it she’d use against golems, zombies, or any other such monsters; she knows Rurona is right though, push come to shove she has to make sure her opponent stays down.

 

   Haki too is reflecting, when the fight started he was barely able to move; even when they were facing just one werewolf he just stood there as Lin Lin distracted it and Hollia cast a sleep spell on it. When the others showed up it was Hollia whacking them with her staff and Rurona’s amazing strength that he never expected that kept them off of him long enough for them to get back to back; and all he managed to do was throw a smoke bomb and sticky gum at some; Hollia’s familiar finished off the ones he was fighting.

 

   He looks at Hollia and Rurona, already chatting with each up ahead smiling as though Rurona hadn’t just chided her; and Lin Lin, that cute little creature; it had smacked a werewolf on the nose with its tail, and even performed that strange wind attack.

   

    Item 7: A twig from an Oak at least 500 years old:

 

    “By the way,” asks Hollia as they exit the woods back onto the main road to head east towards Agate Town, “What are you making for your exam anyway Haki?”

 

    “Huh?” he says, “well…” he had picked something without looking up its ingredients, although every item on the exam was guaranteed to have ingredients that could be found near the school; although he doesn’t want to admit he didn’t look into it, and just picked the simplest looking and easiest sounding item, “well,” he continues, “Its a healing wand; yeah, I thought I’d make something I don’t have yet so I’d have one; I have all these attack items, and status effecting items, but nothing for healing so I figured I’d make one…you know.”

 

  He looks at his feet a little sheepishly thinking, “Why the hell does a healing item need werewolf fur?”

 

   “Neat,” says Hollia surprising Haki who was expecting to be scolded, “You must really want to help people? That’s so cool.”

 

   Haki feels a little better until he sees Rurona’s expression who says, “Feather of a Blue Ripper, Pink Moss, Milk Stone, Lightning Orb, Warmth Stone, and now werewolf fur…Haki…you do already have the last item needed I hope.”

 

   “Huh?” says Haki taking out the list, “I…it’s a twig from a 500 year old oak tree…that shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

 

    “Maybe,” says Hollia, “there is a tree like that nearby…um…how can you tell how old a tree is just by looking at it?”

 

   “By the goddess,” says Rurona, “If you don’t want to harm it, then you need to learn how to sense its life force.”

 

    She looks at Hollia, “Okay, now aside from flying lessons, I am making a note to include sensing the presence of other life forms to your lessons.”

   “Wow,” says Hollia, “You think I can?”

 

   “I am sure of it,” says Rurona with a smile, “and no time like the present.”

 

   What Haki sees them doing has him once again confused, as it just looks like Rurona is having Hollia touch a tree with her eyes closed and concentrate on something; but in a moment Hollia looks happy and excited.

 

   As they walk back towards him he hears Rurona saying, “It will take more time to tell apart different things, but you’ll get it down before long; however in the mean time I do believe my assistance will be needed if we don’t want to be wondering all over the woods for who knows how long hoping there is a tree old enough that hasn’t been cut down already.”

 

   She floats into the air, Haki looks up for a moment but quickly looks away towards the ground realizing he was looking up her dress.

 

 

   It’s not long before she comes down and points out a direction, “it may take a little longer on foot,” she says, “but there is a very old tree just a little north of Agate Town; after a quick stop to rest we should be able to reach it before long.”

 

    ******

 

 

    Haki is standing next to Hollia, Lin Lin floating behind her, and Rurona to the far right, before them the trees part ways for a spring clearing, shallow water filled with lily pads and a sandy with stones bed, the giant oak tree stands in the center, its branches reaching high yet not appearing to block any sunlight.

 

     The voice of Yumi pops into Haki’s head, “The giant tree up north of town…I know about it, but guys, no one in town goes anywhere near it, they say its protected by spirits or something”

 

  The voice of Pima too, “Wow, the big ole tree up north? Really, really, you’re going there, like really, wow, I’ve never been there, you know, its like haunted, yeah my dad says so, he says there are evil spirits like all around it, its crazy dangerous you know.”

 

    And the whispering voice of Amia, “The…old tree, yes, I…know, uh huh…it’s…guarded by…spirits.”

 

    Rurona’s eyes narrow as she looks at the tree thinking, “damn it, I went senile, why’d I bring them here?”

 

   Hollia takes a step towards the edge, but backs up suddenly as stones float to the surface of the water, and a door of light appears in the trunk of the tree.

 

   “Wow,” says Hollia, “What…is this place.”

 

   “We should just get a twig and get out of here.” says Haki trying not to look at the door.

 

   “Now Haki,” starts Hollia who is quickly interrupted by Rurona, “I agree,” much to Hollia’s surprise who was intending to go on about the job of an adventurer also being to explore new things.

 

    “Not so fast,” comes a high pitched, feminine voice from the door of light, “This tree is our home, if you so much as want a leaf off of her you have to make a deal with us.”

 

   “By the goddess!” says Haki backing up, “there really are spirits in the tree, we’re doomed.”

 

   “Miss…Rurona?” asks Hollia backing up a little too.

 

   “Why not,” says Rurona more to herself than anyone as she steps forward, “Are you still open for business?”

 

   Haki and Hollia look at each other with a confused expression as the voice beyond the door says, “What?...well yes, yes we are…been a while since we’ve had Aesperian costumers, come on in.”

 

   Rurona walks over the stone path towards the door as Hollia and Lin Lin follow behind; Haki on the other hand is hesitant.

 

   “Um,” says Haki, “Shouldn’t we…I mean how…do we know…its safe.”

 

   “Because Miss Rurona is going in first,” says Hollia with a smile.

 

   Haki shakes his head and follows after.

 

   A blinding light yet not harmful to the eyes, and then…a store; it’s an item shop.

 

   Hollia and Haki look around in bewilderment at the shelves lined with strange looking items, weapons, shields, masks, wands, all manner of stones, including Lightning Orbs which is something Haki notices right away.

 

   The shop keeper is also something neither of them has ever seen before, although only three feet tall this blue skinned woman is perfectly proportioned to that of a mature woman; as though she were some kind of doll wearing a rather skimpy costume barely covering her with leaf designed armor for a bra and a loin cloth. Upon this woman’s back is a pair of wings, whose structure looks to be two silver metal poles with the length part of the wing coming to a sharp point; the poles are joined at a hinge hidden beneath an ornate silver armor. The membrane of the wings looks to be a blue shimmering material, Hollia can’t imagine these can actually fly, but knows anything is possible. Her pointed ears and silver eyes are nearly hidden by her long white hair.

 

   Rurona doesn’t look to take any notice, as though this were an every day occasion.

 

   “What is this place?” asks Haki.

 

   “Yes,” echoes Hollia, “Please Miss Rhula…Rurona…where are we?”

 

   “This,” says Rurona, “is a place I had forgotten about, although I had heard stories that it was still in business; it’s a very expensive magical item shop. In fact,”

 

   She indicates two more doors, on either side of them, “these are spirit doors, using them alone costs money, and will take you to any destination you’ve already been in your life.”

 

   She smiles, “Oh, yes, I remember now, it explains why your friends thought this was haunted.”

 

   Hollia and Haki exchange another confused look, “I trust you are both aware of the war between Crimdalina and Postorina? Well as you should know Tyros-Lia, Hollia’s father,” she says this last part while looking atHaki, “was involved, and while in Postorina met up with the two light elf siblings; what isn’t common knowledge though is that Tyros had three other companions with him, his body guards slash fellow adventurers; who were in fact the fathers of your friends Hollia, Pima, Yumi, and Amia; the master swordsman with an obsession for cooking, the golem summoner with the laid back attitude, and the master Archer with great healing magic.”

 

   Haki, being that he is from Crimdalina and knew the story before even going to Stratalia is more than a bit embarrassed by the fact he never knew Hollia’s friends were the daughters of the other three warriors…or that he didn’t recognize one of them when meeting him.

 

  “Wow,” says Hollia, “I…I had no idea my friends are…the daughters of my dad’s friends….weird.”

 

   Hollia looks around almost laughing at the serendipity, Lin Lin giving her a curious look.

 

    “That said,” says Rurona, “To answer your most likely follow up question, they knew about this place, and it ties back into that adventure as I hear as they stumbled upon it, or were told about it possible by another shop located north of Postorina.”

 

   Haki does a double take hearing that.

 

    “Excuse me,” says the shop keeper, “How may I be of service to you fine folks today?”

 

   “Yeah!” says Haki to everyone’s surprise jumping forward, “How much is one of those Lightning Orbs?”

 

   The shop keeper rather than telling him, writes it down and shows him, his jaw drops. Hollia can see from a fold in the paper over his shoulder more zeroes than there should ever be for something like that.

 

   “Like I said,” says Rurona, “very expensive.”

 

   She turns to the shop keeper, “Tell me something homunculus what would it cost for us to simply take one tiny, insignificant, maybe about a foot long, twig, from your tree?”

 

    “hmm,” says the shop keeper, “From what you say I’d say you are either very old for an Aesperian, or very smart for anything, we haven’t been called Homunculi for centuries, we are shop sprites now.”

 

    She looks around, “but to answer your question dear customer, I’d say, this is a special tree that we’ve enchanted, you are in fact not even in the tree, but between the tree.”

 

   “What?” says Haki.

 

  “Sub-spacial fold,” says Rurona nonchalantly, “As you were saying shop keeper shop sprite?”

 

   “Yes,” she says, “placing a value on a twig is hard, so how about as a prize, we are prone as you might know like all true faerie to enjoy a good game or two.”

 

   She smiles wickedly as the spirit door to the right stops glowing and a stair case is displayed beyond it going down.

 

   Another of her kind, female as well and basically identical walks up the steps and indicates for them to follow her. Down the stairs they find themselves in another room, with a third shop sprite. In this stone cavern the third shop sprite is standing at a desk with two doors behind her, one orange, one yellow, both have monstrous gargoyle faces on them.

 

   “One door,” says the shop sprite, “has a gargoyle that only tells the truth, the other has a gargoyle that only tells lies, you may ask one of the doors one question, and the guess which door is the one that tells and which tells truths.”

 

    “I think I know this one,” says Hollia.

 

    Haki says, “Yeah, okay, we have to be careful…”

 

   He blushes as Hollia is leaned in close for the huddle, but sees Lin Lin smiling as much as something like her can be said to smile, at him out the corner of his eye.

 

   “Um…” says Haki, “Okay…sooo…what do we ask?”

 

   “I think,” says Hollia, “the answer to this riddle is to ask, if you were the other one what would you say you are the lier or the truth teller…”

 

    “Sounds good,” says Haki,

 

   *crash!*

 

   The both look up to see Rurona has smashed one of the gargoyles in.

 

   “What are you doing!” yells Haki

 

   Rurona just looks at him and then turns to the shop sprite, “Which are you?” she says, “a truth teller or a lie giver?”

 

    “Me?” says the shop sprite?

 

    “Never mind,” says Rurona, “One tells lies, the other truths, but a lie and a truth are

subjective, and besides I hate this riddle.”

 

    “Miss Rurona?” asks Hollia.

 

    “Any who,” says Rurona, “just sell us the damned twig off the tree for crying out loud, making these kids do this riddle, did you even…”

 

   She snatches a piece of paper off the desk, “intend on telling them the details of this contract?”

 

   “Contract?” says Haki and Hollia in unison.

 

   “Yes,” says Rurona, “as soon as you agreed to play this game the shop keeper here would have stopped you from asking your question until after signing the contract, you’d get the twig if you won…and if you lost…”

 

   She hands it to them, “we’d all have captured and sold into slavery, transported via these doors to some far off land.”

 

   She smiles at the shop sprite, “They have truly evolved into true faeries, truly they are no longer homunculi by any means; and like true faeries prone to strange twists of morality.”

 

    Her tone gets a bit vicious, “I don’t like to be tricked little sprite, we will give you 200 gold for a twig, not a bad bargain considering the external special properties are all illusion and this oak has no more magic than any other 500 year old oak now does it?”

 

    “Ye…yes,” says the shop sprite in fear as it looks back at the smashed in stone gargoyle face and back at Rurona.

 

    They head out; Hollia and Haki behind, Haki taking a look back seeing the shop sprite fix the gargoyle with the wave of its hand as though all that damage amounted to little more than a smudge. Upon reaching the front desk Rurona pulls out a bag of gold from her robes and drops it on the desk.

 

   The front room shop sprite follows them out, “No hard feelings of course,” she says, “but also, as you can see the branches are very high, perhaps another thirty gold for me to retrieve it for…”

 

   *kra-koom*

 

   A bolt of lightning from a clear sky strikes the tree sending a six foot branch down.

 

   “Impossible.” Says the shop sprite, “even with magic…no especially with magic, our spells protect this tree from all lightning and magic.”

 

   Rurona snaps off a twig and hands it too Haki.

 

   As they leave and the shop sprite waves good bye to them, vanishing back inside with the door disappearing and the stones vanishing Rurona says, “Hollia, Haki, remember this event clearly, true faeries are dangerous tricksters never think anything they say is straight forward, or trust even the most innocent of games, simple riddles will have twists to them, common questions not so common answers, they have their own standards and rules; no doubt this is the reason your friends were told to never come here and told stories of spirits, after all sprites are little better than spirits.”

 

    Haki holds the twig in his hand in silence as they leave.

 

  The ritual and completion:

 

 -some time later he is again looking at the twig, this time however he is alone in his room, the quest is done, Hollia and Rurona have each been given the required prize he had to offer the guild office to set up a quest, even if certain people were requested as they could have turned it down and then he would have had to have gotten anyone else the guild office got for him; he is ashamed at the prize of only fifty gold each.

 

   Before him on his floor is a six point star alchemic circle, at each point one of the six other ingredients they gathered, and in the center he places the twig. With a bit of chanting and hands placed before the circle, it glows a brilliant blue, each item at the points vanishes, turning into a blue mist like energy that flows into the center, into the twig. The twig changes, the body turning to crystal that is colored like the wood, the leaves being replaced by pink crystals.

 

    *he huffs from the effort*

 

    The ritual done, all those ingredients now gone, he gathers up the healing wand and wraps it in a silk cloth before placing it in a sleeve that can be strapped to a belt.

 

    “Okay,” he says to himself, “My exam item is ready, good work Haki.”

 

   However he thinks, “but…I barely did anything, I asked Hollia along so I could prove myself to her…but…if not her, her familiar, and her teacher…I’d…I’d have failed…okay Haki, don’t think of this as a setback, you just have to do better next time; then she’ll see how cool you really are.”