Dark Enchantments

As Muresh slowly regained consciousness, he heard a voice calling out to him, urging him to come back. Although he wasn't able to hear the voice with his physical ears, he felt a sense of calm and warmth that it brought along with it. Despite being aware of the voice and the emotions that came with it, he couldn't fully comprehend them as they weren't his own. For a brief moment, he felt a connection with someone or something that felt familiar to him, but it vanished just as quickly.

Despite this, he didn't feel any urgency to return to his physical body, so he ignored the voice calling out to him. However, the voice became more persistent, speaking of loneliness and reminding him that his body was waiting for him. In response to the voice's urgency, Muresh suddenly crashed back into his body, feeling disoriented and confused. As he opened his eyes, everything around him seemed strange and foreign. He struggled to make sense of his hazy and disjointed memories, but all he knew was that he had left his body and was now back. Looking up, he saw an oval shape with wrinkles and heard a voice calling out his name. The shape opened and closed to reveal a hole, and he felt someone holding him up. The voice thanked him for coming back and instructed him to walk around to re-familiarize himself with his body. It was his grandmother's face that he saw, and she reminded him that his birthday was the next day. As they walked into a bright courtyard, Muresh was amazed at the sight of the desert stretching out in front of him. He ran to the railing and leaned out to take in the breathtaking view of the palace and the cliff of rocks below. He reveled in the warmth of the sun and marveled at the beauty around him. However, he was unaware of the shadows that still clung to him.

"I see her, over there," Cobra pointed out, peering through the thick haze of smoke in the tavern. He gestured towards a woman surrounded by a group of men and laughing.

"I can tell she's Chelleskan," Axel shouted over the noise of the tavern.

"We knew that," Cobra replied, glancing back at the woman. "But how are we supposed to identify her?"

"We're not very close, and the lighting in here is terrible," Axel admitted.

Their conversation was interrupted by a burly man in leather armor who tried to take a seat at their table with his plate of food. Cobra stood his ground, insisting that the table was reserved.

The man grumbled, but Cobra offered to buy him a drink, and he eventually left. Once they were alone again, Cobra and Axel resumed their discussion about the Chelleskan woman.

"Maybe we should try tomorrow morning, now that we know where she is," Axel suggested.

Cobra was more focused on their mission than observing the traditional day of rest. "When was the last time Solis meant anything to us?" he retorted.

"I thought you city boys took Solis off!" Axel joked.

"Only the priests consider Solis a day of rest," Cobra stated, keeping his eyes fixed on the Chelleskan woman.

Axel grinned, not bothered by Cobra' serious demeanor. "We just need to distinguish the Chelleskans from the shadow mages," he redirected the conversation.

"But her hair is also black," Axel sighed, considering the difficulty of the task.

"It's too dark in here to see the shadows. We'll keep an eye on her and catch her tomorrow morning," Cobra reassured him.

"It could be a profitable venture. She could charge an exorbitant amount for guarding a caravan, and not many people could verify it," Axel commented.

"It's not a venture," Cobra corrected him, noticing that one of the Chelleskan's companions was watching them. "But it's a good sign." He raised his mug in the direction of the person, causing the young woman to turn back to her group with a mix of surprise and offense.

Meanwhile, Wendy watched from the other side of the table, feeling frustrated with Selena's behavior towards Grey. "Why is she so unfair? Selena seems to want to be with every man she meets," Wendy thought to herself.

Despite Grey's attractiveness, Selena continued to overlook him for other men, and Wendy couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards him. She pushed her greens around on her plate, wondering when Grey would make a move, but couldn't resist being drawn to their group and their exciting adventures.

Wendy remarked, "The Collegium was quite helpful, even for students who weren't at the top." She continued, "The advisors gave expert advice, the student officers arranged meetings with alumni and potential employers from all over Mance-Jolune, and the professors provided recommendation letters. But none of that was for me. I'm a prodigy, and everyone acknowledges it. I have to do something better, something unique." At the Mercenaries Guild, Wendy examined the job postings on the notice board.

The guild hall was split into two sections, with one half designated for counters and clerks and the other half for socializing at tables and chairs. Wendy approached a clerk and expressed her desire to take on a job, but the man condescendingly told her to go back to her fancy girl's school. Wendy argued, insisting on her prodigious status. Selena then arrived and chuckled, saying that they could use someone like Wendy, despite some hesitations from the others. Eventually, Bo agreed to take her on. Wendy introduced herself as the top graduate of the Mance Collegium of Magic for Women and explained that she had finished her studies early. Bo asked about her specialty, and Wendy confidently replied, "I may complement you better than you think." Wendy asserted, "I possess expertise in all types of magic, with a focus on healing." She added, "This includes inscribing, enchanting, offensive, deceptive, and theory," recalling her professors' encouragement to pursue research in magical thought. But for now, she had other plans - to travel the world and make a name for herself before settling down as a researcher. When Grey expressed surprise at her accomplishments, he also questioned her age, causing Wendy to respond, "I'm eighteen," while looking down at him with a perfected skill of condescension. "And I didn't list every field of magic!" she added. However, Selena interrupted her retort, introducing herself as a spell-sword. Wendy feigned polite interest, inwardly noting that spell-swords were known for their poor grasp of magical theory and reliance on basic spells attached to their weapons. Before she could say anything, Grey expressed concern about her age, but Selena dismissed it, reminding him of how young she was when she started working with Bo. Selena then introduced Bo and Grey, the group's leader and sorcerer, respectively. As soon as she saw Grey, Wendy inquired about the capitalization of his title. He chuckled and clarified that he was not of noble birth. Grey acknowledged her presence with a nod but didn't extend his hand for a shake. When Wendy asked about his training, Grey replied with animosity, "I haven't received the luxurious training you have. I'm curious how long it'll take for you to retreat to your Collegium." Before Wendy could complete her question, he stormed off. Bo leaned in and informed Wendy that Grey was self-taught. He invited her to practice with them and talk about their work. "Later that night," Wendy inquired of Selena if she was from Chelleska. Selena revealed that although her parents were Chelleskan, she was born in Clare and had never been to Chelleska. Wendy pointed out that this still made Selena Chelleskan, to which Amjerbo made a joke about not wanting to be called Manunian despite being born and raised in MJ. When Wendy asked Amjerbo's age, he told her he was 44 and asked how old she thought he looked. Grey seemed to disagree with Amjerbo's self-assessment. Wendy then asked Selena about being a spell sword, causing the other companions to exchange glances. Selena confirmed that she was indeed a spell sword and asked if Wendy was from Manus. Wendy revealed that her family had estates in the province but didn't want to discuss them further. She then asked Grey how he learned magic without attending a school, which made him frown and sigh. Selena suggested calling him Adore, but he declined the nickname. Wendy felt uncomfortable when she noticed Grey's hazel eyes. He advised her to rest early for the next day and left the room with a glare at Selena. The following morning, Selena woke Wendy up early for practice. Wendy hurriedly got dressed and packed, worried that she might slow down her companions on the first day. However, Selena suggested she wait and have breakfast with them at the inn and join them later. Selena assured Wendy that she would go and meet with the client, and once they were finished with breakfast, they could join her and start working. Wendy was surprised by the idea of work. Selena explained that Wendy would be responsible for checking the enchantments on the client's wagons since that was her area of expertise. After Selena left, Wendy wondered why she wasn't hungry. Grey and Bo soon joined Wendy in the common room, looking as tired as she felt. At the warehouse near the city's edge, Wendy found it hard to navigate through the noise and chaos. Selena introduced Wendy and Grey to their client, Mister Alleman, who granted them permission to check the enchantments on the first three wagons. Wendy inspected the wagons and pointed out to Mister Alleman that the speed enchantments on the wheels had little effect, and what was more important was what pulled the wagons. Mister Alleman informed them that his oxen were enchanted, allowing them to cut their travel time in half. Wendy wondered how he became so wealthy. Wendy and Grey swiftly checked all the wagons, including the canvas and bed. When Wendy finished the last packed wagon, she hesitated to move on to the unchecked ones because she didn't want to dodge around the loaders. Grey waved her away, indicating that he would take care of it. Wendy made her way towards an unchecked wagon when a man growled at her, "Stay back, girl, don't get in our way!" Wendy frowned fiercely and hesitated but eventually made her way to the unchecked wagon after the men carrying boxes had passed.