Journey to Kloldus

The interior of the carriage wasn't too large, just enough for the three of them to sit somewhat comfortably. A tiger-like magical beast was hitched to the front of it, pulling it at a steady pace. This was much more convenient than walking all the way to the small, remote town of Kloldus. Even more convenient, the magical beast did not need rest, and could keep watch on its own. Devotion, Victor, and Alex didn't even need to be vigilant for this journey. They could sit and relax as long as they wanted.

The three of them sat in silence for a few hours, before Devotion finally went insane and broke it.

"If I knew travelling by carriage would be this boring, I would have begged to walk. My god, this is dreadful."

"Have you never travelled by carriage before?" Alex asked, pushing her round glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Well, I have, but not in a very long time. I used to take them with my family, before they..." Devotion's voice trailed off.

"Are they dead?" Alex asked, sensing the awkward pause.

"Yeah, you could say that." Devotion lied. It would be too embarrassing to admit that they were perfectly fine, they just cut him off. That was a secret that would go to his grave.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Victor offered condolences.

There was once more an awkward pause in the air.

"Let's change the subject to more exciting things. I feel like I know nothing about either of you two, any interesting facts? Tragic backstories?" Devotion asked, motioning towards his companions.

"I suppose I can go first." Victor volunteered, his blue eyes shining. "I was raised here in Wanchen, mostly off the streets. Never knew my biological parents, but it didn't matter much. I met some fine people that raised me properly, always taught me to strive for something greater. It took a few years of trying for me to finally get into the Summoner's Guild, but I'm there now. I owe those people so much. Right before I left those streets, the woman who raised me like a mother gave me this. Told me my real parents left it for me, before they left. I still don't know where they went to this day." As he said those last sentences, Victor produced a ruby necklace from under his cloak. It was inscribed with words in a strange language, one none of them recognized.

Looking at that writing, Devotion and Ysmir felt a strange pull to it. It was almost like a natural attraction, like they shared a destiny with it.

"Do you know what it says?" Devotion asked, masking that feeling.

"No. I've tried every public library to find something similar, but I can't. I'm hoping the Summoner's Guild has more in-depth libraries that I can reference, once I become an inner sect disciple." Victor's resolve to learn about his true origins seemed fierce, fiercer than Devotion had ever seen him. Devotion felt a sense of awe. Devotion and Victor could not have had more different origins. One was born poor and had to work for everything he had, while the other had everything and lost it. He supposed they were both looking for something they lost. They were just very different things.

"Well, I owe you for keeping me in the sect, so I'll help you find what that amulet could mean. To be honest, I'm also pretty curious about it. Something about that necklace feels unique." Devotion said.

Alex nodded in agreement. "I see what you mean. I've never seen anything like that necklace.

Devotion had almost forgot Alex was in the cart with them.

"What about you? I barely know you. Who are you, how'd you meet Victor, you know, all those questions." Devotion asked, motioning towards Alex.

"My story isn't nearly as interesting. Still have family at home, they're sending me to the Guild. They went through it too, in their youth."

"So they're cultivators?" Devotion asked.

"Yes. Fifth Rank. I respect them quite a bit." Alex explained. She continued her story. "I met Victor a couple days ago. We both went to the same lecture on Restoration Magic, and he just kept asking me questions. I started helping him out with it, since I have a pretty high aptitude for it. A few days of that passed, and now I'm here." She finished her story. "I don't need to ask about you, Victor already explained."

"At least he explained to one of us more than ten minutes in advance." Devotion replied, chuckling. Victor coughed and pretended he didn't hear.

Devotion thought for a bit. Everyone's story was so different. The world really was full of so many different types of people, from all sorts of walks of life. He was glad they had this conversation. He felt a little closer to the two of them, enough to cooperate with them on a mission.

"I suppose we should think about how we're going to do this. Have either of you been to Kloldus before? I haven't." Devotion asked, changing the subject.

"I did a bit of reading on its history, before we left. Kloldus was founded when a blue, half-dragon cultivator had his final showdown. While he died in the fight, he died protecting a small settlement from a Ninth-Rank Cultivator. The town was named after him in his honor. Local legends say that half-dragon cultivator left his inheritance somewhere in town, making it a hot spot for amateur cultivators to go and be disappointed when they can't find it. If I had to guess, whichever professor left this mission was probably searching for that inheritance, gave up, and left their materials there in frustration." Alex explained. "Best bet, we're going to enter their hidden study, grab some notebooks, and get to keep any magical items they forgot about. Should easy enough."

"What about the beast that was left guarding it?" Victor asked, a trace of concern in his voice.

"Most likely dead. There aren't many beasts that an survive that long without being fed, especially if they are locked in a study without any food or exit. I doubt this will take much effort from us." Alex retorted.

Victor clearly wasn't convinced, but he decided to drop it. Alex most likely knew what she was talking about.

For some reason, Devotion had a bad feeling about where they were going. He felt that there might be more danger than the rest of them expected.

"It's just best to be prepared for the worst, I guess. If something is still alive in there, we should at least be ready for it. I have a bit of a strategy I've been thinking of, I'm eager to try out. Let me know what you think."

With that, Devotion began to explain his new plan.