Chapter 75 - God's Ale

"Excuse my rudeness, but I don't think sending more people to investigate whatever is happening near Totrya is going to do us any good." An average looking woman spoke, her apparel was one formal of which the primary colors were black and white. Another night had passed, the streets grew lively. "You needn't apologize, I do agree with you but if the populous lose their trust in us, then what's the point of even existing?" The man replied, his voice sounded old, he looked menacing; a retired warrior. He wore a suit, his muscles filled out the clothes and looked constantly on the verge of breaking.

Outside, in the business district within the capital; people rushed to work. The roads were wide and high-ranking people now use their cars as means of intimidation. The flashier the car, the more respect, and the more attention one will garner; business was another war, fought by thousands.  Most of the local workers, people who could barely scr.a.p.e by, used cycles given by the royal family. It was a campaign launched as a means of making life better; it worked wonders – people appreciated it.  As if a flash flood, people would rush to work, a horde of struggling commoners. Some educated, while others helpers, everyone rushed in.

Rosespire changed a lot, slavery grew less common but was still ever-present. Cheap labor and replaceable, most of the guilds – except the mage's and fighter's guild, used them. The slaves differed in shapes and sizes, some were humans but rare, it was mainly demi-humans hailing from Arda. News about the royal family allowing Arda to become a free nation rattled this small community, it meant that blatantly abusing non-humans was going to be banned. Dark guilds, once dealing in trafficking, thievery and assassinations were greatly touched. Part of their already slim income was going to be ruptured thanks to that decree. Nonetheless, a new practice saw the light of day, something that was never meant to be, something malicious and vile; breeding. The slaves were forced to bear kids, one after the other; they became machines. This part of Rosespire wasn't known, the capital's secret. Often, drugs and medication were used to force uncompliant slaves to work, the addiction grew. They all soon lost hope, they did whatever was told for a taste of God's ale.

"Look outside, look at the inhabitant's faces as they rush to work. They don't care, they live like stones, no will nor desires, only survival matters. It's tragic if you ask me. No matter, they are still the people we are sworn to protect, as vile and shrewd as the other guilds maybe, us as the main central guild must do out best to help out the populous." Sat at his desk, after admiring the view outside, he resumed the pile of due paperwork.

"What should we ask the guilds then?"

"Let them do whatever, we only intervene when things go downhill; for now, remain on standby. Have all our top-adventurers brought in, we may soon be sent on an expedition with the guild-master." He concluded. Seeing how engrossed he was, the lady bowed and left.

The building in which they stood was one of the tallest amidst the others in this street. It had seven floors and stretched on high. The place it rested in was the business district. The bank's headquarters, many guilds, and other establishments stood there all surrounding the giant tower. The latter was own by the central guild, one in charge of all. The Order also made its mark here, as they had a six-story building made, it stood opposite the giant. Soon after, messengers were dispatched. Their jobs were spread rumors, news, and new quests. Thus, began a typical, ordinary day in the capital.

It made no change whatsoever; young mages and warriors alike took to the quest in finding whatever was happening at Totrya by storm. All around the island, people made the long journey in search of glory. Day after day, hour after hour and minutes after minutes; someone was reported dead. Despite this, it only helped to add to the growing urge of conquering whatever stood there.

Naught was lost, the announcement of the inter-magical tournament being opened to all helped calm the frenzy. There was no greater glory than completing a quest for adventurers but the prospect of being recognized as a prodigy trumped all. On top of that, being offered the option to enroll in the royal guards; one of the highest paying jobs, as well as a shot at becoming a noble, did help. Acquiring noble crests grew more difficult, only a handful existed. Most were lost or had merged with others, the ancient book guarding said information wasn't opened. It was an edict straight from the Emperor, the mystical book about nobles and crest shan't be opened under any pretext.

The gentle snore of a familiar voice paired with whispers and chatter awoke Staxius. His eyes opened to a mildly filled waiting room. Unknown faces stared at him. He soon realized that the stares were from boys and girls directed to Eira, who rested her head on his shoulder. Her snoring grew loud, Staxius smiled. This white-haired girl here was supposed to be a noble. "Stop snoring," he whispered. "five more minutes," Eira mumbled. "People are looking at you." That sentence broke her sleep completely. "Where the hell do you see people looking at me?" she wiped her eyes, indeed, a few students stared at her. "I'll go check up on Ayleth, don't you have classes to attend to?" Staxius stood, "yes, I'll get going now." They hugged and parted ways.

A few hours went by, the doctors explained Ayleth's situation in greater detail. Staxius sat through all of it, the one who gave him the explanation was none other than Jona; sadly, she didn't recognize him. It was better this way, he thought. "Her recovery will take more or less five months as I said earlier, she nearly died." They walked down a familiar corridor. Nurses would pass by them often; they would stare at Staxius from head to toe then pretend he wasn't there. Finally, he entered the room in which his companion was being kept. Large bulky equipment surrounded her, a lot of tubes were strap to her face and body; it looked surreal. "I'm afraid we can't talk nor approach her at this early a state, I give a week or two before we can remove the life-support system and speak to her normally. For now, you'll just have to watch her from afar. I shall leave you to it, please take as long as you want, but don't disturb nor try and approach her." The door closed, Staxius stood alone with the patient.

"Five months to recover, that is going to cost a fortune; I need money fast." He didn't stay for long, the prospect of watching over her seemed like a waste of time. "Money, we need money fast. Ayleth's treatment, running Dorchester and Eira's education cost; I mean I could get more gold transferred to me by fooling the bank again." He thought and headed outside. Now that she was taken care of, the next plan of action didn't look obvious. Curious about how the Claireville academy had changed. He asked Josiah for permission; the strict looking director allowed it. First his visit began with the main building, he carefully observed the architecture then went towards the battle-arena.

It stood as immense as he remembered, a giant screen with advertis.e.m.e.nt about joining the tournament stood on high. Nonchalantly, he walked in. A few twists and turns after, he reached the battleground, a feeling of nostalgia whelmed him. The day he awoke the death element, the day his life changed, it all stood before him. Explosions, water splashes, gust blowing against the barriers, weapons clashing against one another reverberated throughout. A lesson was being taught, after getting closer, Sophie Mirabelle came into view. She sparred with four to five students at a time and destroyed them.

None noticed, Staxius hid his presence; people Sophie trained looked about his age. They were young and full of vigor and energy; their faces held a genuine grin. They had fun, fighting, sweating, and getting beaten. Just like every class ever, the students were divided naturally; the strong stuck with the strong and weak with weak. A natural selection, something they all had to live by.

*Bam,* a loud noise changed his focus; a great-sword broke and sliced training dummies. It was Eira, she was training hard as well, her sword-play didn't look that bad, Staxius got a chance to see what his daughter could accomplish. Unlike a normal parent, however, he entered the arena and leaned against the inner wall with his arms crossed. Sophie fought ruthlessly, her students all grew tired soon, their accuracy diminished. The spells they shot lost their initial impact, it looked dull and worthless.

"Instructor, you're strong but today is the day we win," two boys yelled, they were conjuring a spell. By the first look, one had an affinity for water while the other wind, "I'd like to see you try, bring it on." *Combination spell: Piercing stream,* the spell looked powerful, it was powerful enough to kill a person. Staxius watched eagerly, the boys launched the spell. *Light element: Blinding flash,* Sophie didn't realize it but behind her, the weak students practiced. One of the girls used a blinding spell which made her sparring partner move and jump backward. Their presence was weak and feeble, none paid attention. "Better luck next time, but a slow spell like that isn't going to do much," Sophie dodged. The spell, shaped like an arrow blew straight by her. "INSTRUCTOR," one of the boys yelled, the spell shot towards the blinded girl's head. "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY," she screamed, but it was too late, the spell's velocity increased. *Death Element, Shadow-step,* Everyone screamed, the spell made contact, the stream of water exploded into vapor, blood dripped onto the floor. The panic grew, Sophie rushed to where the spell hit and so did everyone. The vision was rendered blurry thanks to the small pocket of fog.

"Are you insane?" a strange voice yelled from behind the crowd. "don't you realize what that could have done?" it felt like an argument. The fog dissipated; the girl was nowhere to be found. "I'm not saying what you did was wrong, but do be careful."

They all turned to see a boy dressed in grey yelling at Eira. This was a first, her head faced downwards, her arm bled. She looked vulnerable, the man who spoke this way to her; was young. "Is that Beth?" Staxius held her unconscious body. "Hey don't speak to Eira like that," the students rushed to help Eira, everyone argued. "I hope you realize you have not mastered shadow-step yet, you need to train more. You're slow and if this is how you're going to act then forget ever standing by my side." He ignored the screams around him, his gaze was focused solely on Eira. "Well, don't worry about it," he patted her head.

"How dare a commoner like you touch Eira," one of the boys spoke, he seemed from noble birth. "Will you guys shut the hell up," Staxius said monotonously. "Who are you to give us orders, bloody peasant." They spat. "Have you not learned any manners during your stay here. It seems that the mighty have fallen, how tragic, a worthless instructor and disrespectful students." He spoke graciously, everyone got mesmerized by how the words rolled off his tongue. "Father please, don't," Eira held onto his clothes. "How am I supposed to feel at ease with a teacher like Sophie Mirabelle, once SSS but now a mere S-rank with nothing to her name. Am I wrong, is that what you teach your students? I'm appalled." The disrespect he suffered yesterday didn't bother him, but he wanted to remind her, her place and where she stood.

"I care not if you're a parent or noble, but you've blatantly ruined, disrupted and insulted one of my students." Her voice grew sharp, "how dare you to question the way I teach; I was the best mage in Hidros, and those experiences haven't vanished." She held a grudge too, Staxius also rudely spoke to her uncle, it showed in her tone, her blood boiled.