Forest Waypoint
As the carriage slowly passed through the dense forest, Aayla stared out the window to see the strangely familiar plants. Everything looked like a normal Terran plant, but the small details were off. The colors bothered Aayla most of all. The leaves, flowers, berries and so on were brightly colored and seemed fake, like they were cheap goods made in a factory. Animals were the same way with strange colors and patterns. Ramona pleasantly chatted with the other passengers in the carriage.
Aayla could eventually see a broad gate and a towering stone wall off in the distance. Bored, she pulled the window curtains shut. When their carriage passed through the gate, Aayla lifted the curtains again for her first look at Forest Waypoint. The cute, old-fashioned buildings were made out of stone and brick with an occasional exposed wooden frame. The streets were clean and neatly cobbled. Banners and the occasional flowerpot added some color to the otherwise brown and grey buildings.
Compared to the modest buildings, vibrant colors filled the streets. Scores of people hurriedly went about their way. Elaborately cloaked figures, lightly armored brutes, well-dressed business owners and many other types of people freely intermingled on the sidewalks while carriages crowded the streets. Merchants constantly shouted advertisements for their wares. The aroma of freshly baked breads and mouthwatering spices filled the air. The simple shops lining the streets bustled with activity much to their owners' delight.
Yet, a faint sense of unease filled the air. Few children played on the streets, and women hurried home in broad daylight. Anger, worry and impatience filled many of the voices bartering in the streets. Every so often a patrol of three or five soldiers would pass by on the clean cobblestone streets. Occasionally, they would break up an unruly crowd or drag angry, drunken figures out of bars.
Slowly, the disorder calmed as they left the area around the gate. The carriage parked at a station for Ramona and Aayla to get off. Ramona paid their fare, then led Aayla deeper into the city.
"Welcome to Forest Waypoint! Almost everything and everyone that goes to Nafriton University comes through here. Most of the people living here earn money by hunting, acting as wilderness guides or catering to students. All of the large companies and guilds have set up shops in the city.
The current unrest has managed to reach all the way out here. Extra guards have been deployed, but the headmaster has decided to restrict access to Forest Waypoint. The inner parts of the city are fine for now, but the gates can get a bit rowdy. Just stay away from the gates, side streets and people with swords and you should be fine. That being said, this will probably be your only chance to really see the city for a long time."
Ramona took Aayla through city, stopping at various buildings, statues and plazas. They first stopped by a quiet clothing store, so that Aayla could replace the outdated clothes from the lost and found. Ramona took almost an hour spinning an elaborate story about how her beloved goddaughter was forced to flee due to certain circumstances but lost her luggage on the way. By the end of the story, Aayla had several shirts, skirts and dresses. Aayla never knew that there were so many types of clothes. The shopkeeper included undergarments and sleepwear out of pity causing Aayla to blush with embarrassment.
After paying for the clothes, Ramona placed them all into her bag much to Aayla's amazement.
"Is that bag an artifact? How can it hold so much stuff?"
Aayla pointed to the leather bag on Ramona's hips. The intricately sewn leather bag was hung on her belt. Aayla saw all sorts of bags on the street, but this one had higher quality materials, embroidery and design.
"Oh this? Yes, it is. This storage artifact can only store about as much as a large wardrobe, and the weight reduction is a bit off. It's still handy for shopping and travelling though. We should probably get you a couple of bags for your new things, but they won't be artifacts.
Storage artifacts are somewhat more common here for the higher-class hunters and the university, but they are still rare, expensive and require mana to use. Now, let's get moving. We have several more shops that we need to stop at to make sure you are at least presentable to those gossips at Nafriton."
The teary-eyed shopkeeper wished them the best of luck and recommended a few other shops for other items as the pair left. Ramona hummed happily as she calculated how much money she was able to save. Aayla's drab clothes combined with her bruising and the fake story worked better than she thought.
Aayla was half dragged to a few more shops, and each time Ramona's storytelling become more exaggerated and perfected. Some shopkeepers gave slight discounts and higher quality goods, while others added some free items. Aayla was dizzy keeping track of her new shoes, socks, bags, hats, gloves, umbrellas and other items. Does one really need five pairs of gloves and three umbrellas?
Aayla didn't notice, but word spread among the shopkeepers about Ramona's misfortunate yet skilled goddaughter who was granted an employment opportunity at Nafriton University by Headmaster Marin for the year. Ramona heaved a sigh of relief. This story should spread amongst the students and staff when they came to shop for the semester. Aayla would gather unwanted attention no matter what, but this way people would know that Aayla was 'Deputy Headmaster Heston's goddaughter' and 'personally approved by Headmaster Marin'.
Ramona has enormous power as the Deputy Headmaster of Operations. She somehow managed to stay neutral during the fights between faculty and staff factions. Most people wanted to get on Ramona's good side, and the rest wouldn't dare to bother Aayla too much as long as she stayed low key.
They finally finished shopping after Ramona purchased some trunks for Aayla, who profusely thanked her godmother while stuffing every purchase into them. Since the last store was near the magic train station, Ramona took Aayla to a small restaurant next door so she could see a Tellan train. They settled down on the patio and looked over the lunch menu.
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Just as Aayla and Ramona arrived at Forest Waypoint, two young men carried their bags off the train. One was a quiet, black haired young man while the other was a talkative, blond-haired youth. The pair were Daren Forolan and Christopher Vear, the students assigned to help with the Nafriton Dormitory by Headmaster Marin. By coincidence, they had arrived even earlier than planned.
"Hey, Daren, slow down! We ditched those annoying noble nuisances again at our last stop and haven't seen them in over eight hours. You don't need to walk that fast."
"I am not risking them staying in the same hotel as us, Chris. We are finding a new one immediately."
"Argh! Fine, my dear young master. At least give me some time for a shower at the new hotel. I'm sweating buckets walking this fast and I'm not going out later smelling like a wild animal."
While Chris continued talking away, the duo left the station. Daren was happy to finally be someplace where he could relax free from the politics of his home city. He slightly smiled and almost enjoyed his best friend's constant talking.
After they found a new hotel and left their bags, Daren dragged Chris out of the room before he had the time to get comfortable. The pair walked around Forest Waypoint with long lists in their hands. They freely adventured throughout the city where few recognized them for a couple of hours. Chris happily munched on street food while Daren haggled with shopkeepers for various magical ingredients and school supplies.
Daren suddenly stopped as he noticed a dark-haired woman with a mocha skin tone. Was that Deputy Headmaster Heston? Daren looked to her side and noticed a tan, brown haired young woman. His eyes widened in shock and he stared intensely at the her. Her dark espresso hair was tied up in a ponytail and her body was covered in a green cloak. The young woman had small dark circles underneath her eyes, but when she laughed cute dimples appeared on her cheeks.
Does Deputy Headmaster Heston have a child or niece? Or was the young woman the much-rumored goddaughter? What really surprised him was her complete lack of mana. That should be impossible. Everyone on Tellus has mana. Was she ill? How is she not dead?
Daren wasn't the only one surprised. Chris had continued on for a few steps before he realized that Daren stopped moving. When Chris turned around, he discovered Daren staring intensely at the restaurant next door. A woman who looked like Deputy Headmaster Heston sat on the patio with a young woman who had several shopping bags. A naughty smile flashed across his face as Chris's bad habit of teasing Daren flared up again.
"Hey, Daren did you just fall in love at first sight with a girl?!"