“I’ve got fire magic but I’m more interested in learning how to fight like you!” Fire was something I always dreamed about being able to control. An element with high risk and reward when it came to training it. I could see the hesitation of wanting to train a fire mage.

“What's your reason for wanting to get stronger?” This was a question I didn’t have a proper answer for until after the ring trials. For me, training was something forced upon by my uncle. I never had a choice.

“I almost hurt my sister with my magic and have never used it since. I don’t want to be a burden to her anymore.” Most likely a story attached to that incident but I didn’t want to pry. Things should be fine so long as he could hold onto that motivation.

“Well, there really is a reason I can’t train anyone right now but Tessa can help you. She’s my number one pupil and can teach you the basics of martial arts.” Aside from ki training, he would need another person to teach him how to use his magic properly.

“You mean it! Really!?”

“Just so you know, the training will be extremely tiring. I won’t accept any complaints. If you are completely sure about this, then I’ll have Tessa find you later to begin your training.” His answer seemed obvious but it was the same thing I told the others before they started their training.

“I won’t disappoint you!” With that I left Seric, passing through the automatic doors and moving out of sight towards the elevator.

I ended up contacting Eris and filling her in on all the details. She wanted to know why I was avoiding Tessa and wouldn’t reach out to her myself.

“That’s silly..., I’m only going to do this once for you. Next time speak with her directly...and don’t you dare ask Alexa or anyone else to be the messenger!” That wasn’t a bad idea and it sucks that she caught the loophole before I could act on it.

“Okay, I won’t and thanks.” I ended the connection and moved on to the next person on the list to contact, Jade. To inform her about working together with Seric on executing a public event, grand enough to pull in potential business.

The conversation with her went many times smoother and it was a simple matter of redirecting her to Seric. Even I was looking forward to the fun that both of them would work on creating together.

The next victim of being ordered around would have normally been Alexa but I changed my mind last second. Alexa was the point of contact when it came to anything regarding magic training or for anything in general. Even more so now with the addition of the skill books provided by Eris. Which involved the distribution of the skill books and ensuring copies were made for the ones not currently in use. She tended to tackle things on her lonesome and I’d rather not have her burning out from pent-up stress again.

Rhea was the next best choice for assisting with finding anyone that knew about inscriptions.

“I will ask around for you. If it is just the basics then maybe I can help?” Rhea agreed to look for others and added her own insight to the playing field.

“Oh, do you happen to know something about making scrolls?” The odds that Rhea happened to know something was fantastic news and gradually made sense the more she explained.

“Inscriptions and scroll creation, in general, is an area of expertise for us elves. I happened to watch some of the processes when I was younger.” Rhea talked about the importance of being able to manipulate magic and the requirement for a large mana pool. If those two traits allowed elves to excel then thinking about it, Eris should do well with inscriptions.

“Excellent, that's great news. Once you’ve asked around, let me know and we will go from there.” Things were turning out easier than originally planned. Now let’s see if Vera is available to add any input.

“What do you need this time, Volatis?”

“Am I not allowed to randomly call my most favorite patron... It hurts that you think I need something from you.” I responded to her icy tone with some playful banter.

“Hah, there’s always something you want. Now spit it out, what is it this time.” Vera’s response lacked the usual sarcasm and I figured now may not have been the best time to reach out to her.

“I wanted to see if you knew a way to hire an inscriptionist to teach us the process for creating scrolls. Also, is something wrong, do you need help with anything?” Vera has only ever helped us every step of the way when we arrived in Avalon and I wanted to start returning the favor.

“I’m sure the craftsman guild can help with that and… Things will be easier to discuss in person. Can you swing by now?” Her voice became serious for once.

“I’ll be over soon.” Vera provided the address to her home. It was not too far from our location, so it wouldn’t take long to arrive.

This was the first time Eris declined an invitation to tag along and I found myself not wanting to bother asking if anyone else wanted to come.

From the time I got on my motorcycle to reaching her apartment complex, only five minutes had elapsed.  The security guard was informed of my arrival and gave me access to the elevators. The place she was staying at seemed rather pricey with all the checkpoints to enter. Though I shouldn’t be the one to point it out, considering we own a whole building and have a new warehouse under construction.

Each floor seemed to house two separate dwellings. I found her door and walked in as instructed without knocking or anything. There were potted plants leading past the foyer area designated for shoes. I removed my sneakers and followed the path to the spacious open concept design. I heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs and eventually saw Vera appearing from around the bend.

“Thanks for coming. This way...” Vera continued walking further into the living room, to a large island counter that was covered in countless papers.

“I’m here, tell me what is going on.” She came to a stop and pointed at the documents as a means to explain.

I looked up at her then turned my attention to the closest one. In big red font the words, “Arrest Warrant” was the first thing to catch my attention.