Private Tales The Virgin Mage and the Chad Merc

[Smiling One]

Willis limped through the College halls his right arm wrapped around in a bloody gauze while he held a brown bag which contained the head of a Bruxa in his left. To say it was wild night would be an understatement, Willis was tasked by a Dwarven Mage named: Bolgrun Blackbelly a Professor for the Care of Magical Creatures. The Bruxa was originally going to be used for a live study for students about the Bruxa's life cycle, it managed to break free from its magical prison and escape the College, killing a couple of Gargoyles in the process. The young man took the job mainly to avenge Philippa Ebonheart fallen guardians but of course make more coin. Besides, the paperwork wasn't nearly as obnoxious as before thanks to Philippa.

Tracking the monster was easy enough, the Professor cast a spell on the Bruxa creating an aroma which can be detected after consuming a Cateye potion. "Oh great potions," Willis muttered remembering his low tolerance for potions. "Oh I know some people's bodies cannot properly breakdown the contents of the potion!" Professor Blackbelly said. "But I assure you drinking my potion is like drinking a cup of Apple Cider. It's sweet and tasting and digests quite well! I had to adapt there is a reason why my family name is Blackbelly! For generations there were many a Dwarf who succumbed to one drop of a potion of any kind! Their bellies will would turn black as coal! I became the first herbalist in my family to make a potion that can tolerable to those who cannot take the taste of potions!"

The young man sighed and consumed the potion. He was right, it tasted great like Apple Cider, unfortunately his strength began to wane a bit. Never the less, Willis tracked the Bruxa to the docks where she was seducing a sailor. Taking out a mini-crossbow, Willis fired a shot at the Bruxa's neck, breaking connection with the sailor who screamed at the creatures horrid face. Sadly the bolt only pissed off the Bruxa and it unleashed a powerful screech on Willis taking him off of his feet. "This is going to be one of those fights," he grumbled landing hard on to the wooden boxes.

After a long fight in where Willis was cut up pretty badly, the Bruxa finally fell and Willis sliced its head off and headed towards the College. "Here you go," Willis said wearily casually dropping the head on the Professor's desk. "Now where's my pay?"

Bolgrun's grey eyes scanned the bloodied bag and then back at Willis. "Y-you weren't supposed to kill her." he moaned his stubby hands stroking his straight red beard.

"You never stated in the contract that you wanted her alive."

"I-I," Bolgrun clenched his hands into a fist his face burning with rage. "I won't pay!" he declared. "I promised my students a live Bruxa so they can study up close! Do you know how long it took me to capture her?!"

This Dwarf was really starting piss Willis off, the young man slammed his fists on the table. "Damn it Dwarf!" Willis yelled causing the Professor to jump back a bit. "Do you realize how fucking powerful Bruxas are? They're powerful as they are cunning! If a Bruxa can take down a Gargoyle what makes you think of bunch of students can kill her? That Bruxa overcame your little prison you've build for her and it nearly killed a sailor! You didn't tell me to bring her back alive and as a Monster Hunter, I am to use everything at my disposal to protect the people from Monsters!"

Bolgrun Blackbelly's face was now white with fear as Willis continued. "Now pay me my coin," Willis growled. "Or perhaps I should inform Phillipa Ebonheart that two of her Gargoyles were killed because a reckless Dwarf underestimated a Bruxa."

"Here!" The Dwarf tossed Willis the coinpurse, the young man shook his head and stuffed the coin into his bag. "Now please leave! I have to do... paperwork."

Professor Blackbelly put his head and began breaking down in tears. "Fuck me," Willis said. "Get some fucking dignity," before turning around and leaving the Professor's room.

Alistair Wren Daisya

 

[Alistair Wren]

Spellbook under his arm, Alistair walked out of the classroom and leaned against the doorframe, then sighed. With another day came another lecture. He had traveled back to back to Elbion to spend Pas Esvada at home, and if the holiday season wasn't hectic enough, he was taking a supplementary course on healing before he finished his degree. Professor Ebonheart had told it would help with his hydromancy, but he wanted more than anything to finish so he could start his new major.

Leaning against the doorframe, Alistair stretched, scratched his backside and pulled his feet down the corridor. The lecture had been long and he had been sitting down the whole time. Rearranging his robes, he strode down the white, marble corridor of the college, when he saw a rather imposing looking man leaving Professor Blackbelly's office. He wondered who he was for a moment. He didn't look like a mage, so Alistair suspected he must have been sent on a job by the college.

Shrugging, Alistair scratched his butt and walked past the man, avoiding contact with his gaze.

The light from the courtyard poured in, bathing the halls in light. Alistair stretched and rubbed his eyes. The sun hit his face and stung them, so he blinked to adjust them to the light. He stepped onto the grass and strode around the courtyard, where young mages were sitting in circles, some writing in their books and others practicing their magic.

Just beside the entrance to the courtyard on the other side of the grass, was a girl. Judging by her attire, she looked like a newcomer, or possibly a traveler passing by.

She was very pretty, kind of ragged and unkempt. That was Alistair's type. He blushed, smiled and waved at her from across the courtyard. As he stared, he expected her to turn around and look at him. His immediately increased in pace and a layer of sweat amounted on the back of his neck. Had that been too weird? Had she even seen him at all? He didn't know, either way, he felt like a fool for waving at a stranger like that.

Grabbing his books, Alistair hugged them to his chest and spun around, sputtering to himself.

"Idiot, idiot, idiot!" He muttered beneath his breath. Head lowered, he slammed his eyes shut and stormed down the hallway, desperate to get away.

He had failed to notice the dark-skinned, muscular man from before and walked straight into him. Eyes wide, he jerked and gasped, mortified. His books fell to the floor and he leaped down, then immediately started gathering them up, all the while stammering his apologies.

"I'm sorry!" He sputtered, grabbing books and papers left and right. He folded them into a pile and wrapped his arms around it, then hugged it to his chest as he stood.

His eyes locked with those of the man, who was taller than him and looked as though he could knock square out if he wanted to. Alistair recoiled into his capelet. Looking up at the man, he shrunk backwards, hiding behind his books as he slowly moved away. He swallowed a large gulp and motioned towards the door, his dark blue eyes staring into those of the man.

 

[Daisya]

Though crowded, the sunny courtyard ironically provided Daisya with the perfect amount of cover for her to feel comfortable-everyone here was a magic user to some degree, and nearly all were absorbed in their own dealings. This left the lithe mage to find an unoccupied corner of grass to curl up on with one of the tomes she’d recovered from the library. She’d initially taken to reading there, but was conscious of the sounds the ancient pages made as they turned, seeming to reverberate through the quiet room. The courtyard was lively enough that no one would bat an eye at a young woman sitting quietly with a book, and so Daisya took solace in blending in.

A glint of movement from the periphery caught her eyes, and the dark haired mage looked up from her tome to focus on the form of a young man across the courtyard. He appeared to be waving in her general direction, of course not at her-but just to confirm, she glanced around to see who’d be waving back. No one. That was odd, but maybe she’d missed it.

When she’d turned her head back in the direction of the young man, she found her gaze landing on the back of his retreating form. Tilting her head to the side, Daisya tucked a single lock of dark hair behind her ear. The idea that he’d waved at her was simply not a realistic option. After all, she’d only been at Elbion just shy of two weeks and had yet to make any friends.

Figuring it would be best not to dwell on the false notion that he was trying to get her attention, she returned her attention to the pyromancy tome.

Alistair Wren | Smiling One

 

[Smiling One]

Willis got out of the professor's room grumbling to himself. "Fucking asshole," he mumbled. As always Willis got ripped off of a Monster Hunting contract. Sometimes the young man wondered why he even became a Monster Hunter. It's always the same fucking shit, research, prepare and fight a creature that is often bigger, stronger and faster than you and then return to the client to get underpaid. At least with mercenary work when a client pays you they fucking pay you.

If it weren't for the benefits of becoming a Monster Hunter such as access to places to crash in such as the Wyvern's Nest and various safehouses located around Arethril, Willis would never think twice about being a Monster Hunter If all he received was disrespect. "Damn you Achates," Willis muttered walking down the hall. "For dragging me into Monster Hunting. I should've known there wasn't much coin to be made."

At least Willis had multiple places to live but the most important thing was the coin in which there wasn't much to be made. Just then, the young man crossed paths with a student scratching his behind. Willis snorted in response It looked disgusting until he had a closer look at the student. "You know you shouldn't be scratching your ass in public," Willis smirked. "Especially in front of a pretty lady." Willis pointed to the young woman not too far from them.

"You must be Maho's boy," Willis. "Alistair right? Willis Reede."

 

[Alistair Wren]

Alistair did not know if the girl had seen him. All he knew was that he had looked like a fool waving to her. Hugging his books to his chest, he scurried down the corridor in a panic, audibly berating himself for his stupidity. Head down, he walked directly ahead, completely unaware of the man leaving Professor Blackbelly's office.

Stopping in the middle of the corridor, Alistair looked up, to hear the man snort in disgust. He wasn't exactly sure what he had done to earn his disapproval, but knew he must have done something wrong. Alistair shifted his eyes. Hugging his books, he recoiled into his capelet and took a few steps back, scratching his backside in discomfort as he did so.

The man snorted again, and Alistair turned his head and looked over his shoulder, wondering if it was directed at somebody else.

Nope. There was nobody else in the corridor.

Pulling his head back around, Alistair beheld the man apprehensively as he spoke. So he had seen him scratching his butt. His eyes turned the size of stars and he lowered his head and pouted with the expression of a dog that had just been scolded for pissing on the floor.

Goddamn. He was allowed to scratch his arse for fuck's sake. Couldn't people just leave him alone?

"Hey, give me a break, man, I've been sitting in a lecture room for three hours and I'm uncomfortable, leave me alone!" He called, his brow creased in resentment.

It was then that the man mentioned the pretty girl Alistair had waved to. He immediately started to give a whole lot more of a fuck about how he presented himself in public. He shifted his eyes, then straightened his back and brushed the grass and leaves out of his hair. Shoulders raised, he recoiled into his collar and looked over his shoulder to check if the girl was there.

There was a pause, and the man said that he recognized him, before giving him his name.

"Uh yeah, I'm his apprentice," Alistair said, eyes shifting. He looked over his shoulder at the courtyard where the girl was sitting and sighed, "man, she was pretty."

 

[Daisya]

Another minute or so passed, and Daisya found that she just couldn’t concentrate as intently on her reading. Perhaps it was residual embarrassment from her earlier mistake, or maybe the sunlight was getting a bit too harsh for her liking. Whatever it was, Daisya decided on putting away her tome for the time being.

Rising, the young mage smoothed out the fabric of her robes and tucked the book beneath her arm. In making her way towards one of the courtyard exist that would lead her back into the building, Daisya tripped—on a rock, on her robes, on nothing—and fell face first into the grass.

A split second later, Daisya lifted her face from the ground, now beet-red and smudged with grass and dirt stains. “Oh, no.” She muttered quietly to herself, scrambling to a sitting position before checking her book over for damage.