Rhoxane Van Der Aa understood her assistant professor duties as any assistant professor did at Elbion. Obviously, helping the professors to teach and grade young Elbion mages was important. New minds, as she had been told endlessly by all the professors around, needed to be nurtured with care. After all, imparting knowledge on the students was not…
“Filling a vessel but kindling a flame, I know,” Rhoxane said with a wave of one hand and roll of her eyes. “But I requested this time off, I’ve already hired people! You can’t deny it now just because Professor Vitto-Arteza broke a couple of bones!”
“Rhoxane,” Professor Cetirizine admonished the younger woman, “she’s in a coma and is still undergoing intensive healing as over a hundred bones are fractured!” Rhoxane was unable to keep her eye contact with Sabrina, the woman who had been more like a mother than just an average professor to Rhoxane. She felt a mixture of guilt and disbelief at her own maturity. Sabrina Cetirizine had gotten Rhoxane this position, and to work alongside the woman that she admired most was a dream come true, was it not?
“But, you don’t understand.” Rhoxane did her best to keep from whining. “All the money I made last year is going to this expedition. Sheketh surely has a fantastic magma golem, I know it does! If I could bring it back, no, I will bring one back. We could actually study one! In a contained and safe environment,” she added quickly as she saw Sabrina’s mouth curl downwards. “The students would benefit from such a thing.”
“I know.” The gray-haired professor shook her head, lifting up her glasses so she could pinch the bridge of her nose. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. “Other than being a bit short-staffed for a few weeks, you’re forgetting one more thing: traveling to the Isles of Sheketh is dangerous. Minaris is fine, but when you get too close to Tyr?” She sighed.
“And that is why I hired a good team!”
“So you say….”
“I solemnly swear,” Rhoxane insisted, holding up her hand in a vow, “that I employed the best of the best this time. I even gave them my notes to read up on.” Rhoxane held up a hefty stack of papers that were well over two-hundred pages. “Just one magma golem, the first one I see and I know I’ll get a summoning contract on my first try. Then I’ll head straight back to Elbion.”
“And then, if we have time,” Rhoxane was telling the man who also seemed to be waiting for his adventure group, “I can see if I can find those strange volcano-beasts. They’re closer to Tyr, but I’m sure there will be a herd of them on the outskirts. You won’t believe how strange aggayu look, like a bird but also a dog? And the smallest herd had well over a hundred—“
“Oh would you look at that.” The traveler said, waving to a group that didn’t particularly seem to recognize him. “They’re here! Well safe travel to the Portal Stone.” Before Rhoxane could even say good bye, or wish this man who’s name she didn’t know the same sentiments, he was scampering off to blend into that group.
“Well.” She looked up to the sky, guessing the time. Her group should be here any moment, shouldn’t they? What time was it? Rhoxane pulled her pack off from one shoulder, bringing it to her front so she could rifle through it. She had the portal stone keys, a total of six, as well as suitable food for a long journey, plenty of canisters to hold water, different vials and— “Where is it?” Rhoxane cursed under her breath. “Like finding a needle in a haystack.”
“Filling a vessel but kindling a flame, I know,” Rhoxane said with a wave of one hand and roll of her eyes. “But I requested this time off, I’ve already hired people! You can’t deny it now just because Professor Vitto-Arteza broke a couple of bones!”
“Rhoxane,” Professor Cetirizine admonished the younger woman, “she’s in a coma and is still undergoing intensive healing as over a hundred bones are fractured!” Rhoxane was unable to keep her eye contact with Sabrina, the woman who had been more like a mother than just an average professor to Rhoxane. She felt a mixture of guilt and disbelief at her own maturity. Sabrina Cetirizine had gotten Rhoxane this position, and to work alongside the woman that she admired most was a dream come true, was it not?
“But, you don’t understand.” Rhoxane did her best to keep from whining. “All the money I made last year is going to this expedition. Sheketh surely has a fantastic magma golem, I know it does! If I could bring it back, no, I will bring one back. We could actually study one! In a contained and safe environment,” she added quickly as she saw Sabrina’s mouth curl downwards. “The students would benefit from such a thing.”
“I know.” The gray-haired professor shook her head, lifting up her glasses so she could pinch the bridge of her nose. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. “Other than being a bit short-staffed for a few weeks, you’re forgetting one more thing: traveling to the Isles of Sheketh is dangerous. Minaris is fine, but when you get too close to Tyr?” She sighed.
“And that is why I hired a good team!”
“So you say….”
“I solemnly swear,” Rhoxane insisted, holding up her hand in a vow, “that I employed the best of the best this time. I even gave them my notes to read up on.” Rhoxane held up a hefty stack of papers that were well over two-hundred pages. “Just one magma golem, the first one I see and I know I’ll get a summoning contract on my first try. Then I’ll head straight back to Elbion.”
“And then, if we have time,” Rhoxane was telling the man who also seemed to be waiting for his adventure group, “I can see if I can find those strange volcano-beasts. They’re closer to Tyr, but I’m sure there will be a herd of them on the outskirts. You won’t believe how strange aggayu look, like a bird but also a dog? And the smallest herd had well over a hundred—“
“Oh would you look at that.” The traveler said, waving to a group that didn’t particularly seem to recognize him. “They’re here! Well safe travel to the Portal Stone.” Before Rhoxane could even say good bye, or wish this man who’s name she didn’t know the same sentiments, he was scampering off to blend into that group.
“Well.” She looked up to the sky, guessing the time. Her group should be here any moment, shouldn’t they? What time was it? Rhoxane pulled her pack off from one shoulder, bringing it to her front so she could rifle through it. She had the portal stone keys, a total of six, as well as suitable food for a long journey, plenty of canisters to hold water, different vials and— “Where is it?” Rhoxane cursed under her breath. “Like finding a needle in a haystack.”
