The Mage Clan

"Something tells me we'll be on this hunt for a while."

"Maybe- anyway, I'm still not forgiving you Noir. You put yourself at such a risk?!"

Blanc seems to be really mad at me. Since when did she care so much?

But it's not like I could hide it forever. My level shot up from Level 1 to Level 3. According to Maru, we fought a Grim Reaper that was Level 17. To think that only fed me enough levels to get up to Level 3 makes me wonder what sort of dangerous monster I'd have to fight to gain enough experience.

"It's all okay now Blanc. I arrived in the nick of time."

"Yeah- but what if you didn't! Noir would've died for no reason..."

"It's okay, really. I'm used to being in danger."

"Oh- that doesn't make it okay!"

The bickering kept going for a while. I'm sorry Blanc for making you worry...

"Where is this path leading us to anyway Maru? Were you able to find the Bandits in the end?"

"I placed a marker on them. It'll only take a bit of time before we find their base. I found it before, but..."

"But?"

"I forgot to place a way point on my map."

An honest mistake. I don't know what sort of answer I was expecting there, but it made me chuckle a little.

"Ah... There, there they are..."

"Best we keep quiet then."

Holding my hand out, I initiated magic which cloaked us in invisibility. It wasn't perfect invisibility, but it was good enough to hide us from something like bandits.

"They seem to be... well- doing bandit things."

"Bandits are usually dangerous... They are rare, but whenever they are around- they wreak havoc. All that loot... I'll bet they've pillaged many villages around here..."

"We should stop them before it's too late..."

Blanc muttered before standing up. I held her arm and pulled her down before lecturing her.

"Don't be foolish. We're an army of three and not to mention- the reason we did this in the first place was to mark them down so that once we are stronger, we can take them on."

"Noir's right... even with what we have right now- my magic won't be enough. What's even more odd is that what they're collecting isn't conventional things that would earn them money... rather, it seems they have some sort of ulterior motive."

"What... does that mean..?"

Blanc seems a bit lost, but that's okay. She wouldn't know, afterall- she seemed to have lived a life of a shut-in.

"Bandits are single headed. They aren't smart enough to coordinate their attacks nor are they smart enough to simply grab specific things. If I were to take a safe guess... They're under the influence of someone fierce."

"You're certainly right. They take orders from their boss, but he ultimately takes orders from someone above him. Who that is, we aren't sure of. But whatever they are collecting- it's definitely not something any ordinary bandit would simply go after."

Maru seems to have put some thought into it. If anything, it sounds like she's been keeping track of them for a while. Though incinerating one of their camps must've alerted them in some way.

They all seemed to be panicked, and there were a few injured ones with scorch marks. They were definitely made aware of Mary's existence.

"Noir, Maru- look..!"

Blanc pointed over to some wagons that held several people tied up and unconscious. Were they selling people as well?

"This can't be right..."

"What is it Maru..?"

"They're all unconscious... whoever they're working for isn't concerned about selling them at all. Otherwise, why would they damage what they want to sell? They're covered in wounds..."

"... Maru, we should leave."

I suggested. Those weren't just any wounds. Those families- the men, the women... even the children. They weren't breathing. I could tell from my sight skill.

"I think we should report this to the guild. We can sort this out if we have more people..."

"But if we don't act now, then more people will suffer like these people..!"

Blanc started to tear up. I'm sure even she knows we can't do anything, but she's so courageous and wants to do the right things... I simply just can't let her kill herself like this however.

"Maru, where is the guild..?"

"They're at the Capital. We can use my TP Crystal to get there instantly."

"TP Crystal..?"

"It's a teleportation device that lets us travel to wherever we set up waypoints. I've set one here, and if I can activate a TP Gate, then we can arrive with more people by our side."

"If that's the case, then our next course of action is clear."

"If it means saving them, then we have to. Maru, please take us to the capital."

"Okay. We have a lot to discuss once we get there though."

"I understand. I've still got a lot of questions to ask you after all. I'm sure you'll be with us for a while too."

"That I'm sure of as well."

We exchanged glances before nodding to each other. Holding out the TP Crystal, a blue light surrounded us all. I closed my eyes instinctively. And as I opened them, I was greeted with something incredible.

Looking around me, I heard the sound of bustling streets and the lovely sound of a river flowing. It took a moment for me to take everything in- but this certainly was the place that Blanc wanted to reach. Her eyes glistened as she looked around her. She was in awe, perhaps it was her first time being in such a lively city. Her village was nothing to scoff at, in fact it even surprised me. But this was something I'm much more familiar with.

"Welcome to Rivdale Exis. This is where most adventurer's journeys begin."

It was certainly a sight to behold, but we couldn't afford to wait around for long.

"Maru, we need to get to business first. Something's telling me that we need to act right away."

"I understand your impatience, but I ask that you wait a while longer. Contacting the mage guild is no easy task after all, and we need to first register you both as Adventurers. If you're caught without an Adventurer's License while being in the overworld, you might be arrested for suspicious behaviour."

"That's... quite the law."

Looks like I learn something new everyday. It didn't take long for us to eventually make our way to the Guild Hall. There were markets held everywhere, and beautiful scenic spots that we passed by. Blanc couldn't help but indulge herself in such amazement, and even tugged on me a few times as she spotted animals. She was certainly excited, but her face would sometimes drop. She's reminding herself of those bandits and the horrible things they are doing...

"This is the Guild Hall. It's the largest place of Rivdale Exis. Here, Adventurers come daily to solve problems that surface everywhere."

"Who runs this city? It can't be the King, surely."

"No... The King run his own nation, but they say his power reigns over most lands. Most wouldn't dare turn against him."

"I see... so who runs this place?"

"Rivdale Exis is apart of the Nation of Freedom. Aiolia is the Nation of Freedom, that is only ruled by the council. They are all devote believers to their Goddess and all pursue her beliefs in freedom."

"Aiolia... I see. Then-..."

She's a goddess from my world too, in fact I've even met her myself. She's the Goddess of Time- but more importantly- the Goddess of Freedom. Is this the same Goddess as I know though?

"Does her name ring a bell? Afterall-, she was once a hero too."

"Ofcourse it does. She's an amazing Goddess that has achieved so much in her life time."

"Well anyway, let's not get side tracked. I have the registration fee so all we need to do is assign you two licenses."

"What sort of information will be contained in this licenses?"

Blanc asked, turning to Maru whilst also remaining close to me. She needs to change that habit. Once she becomes more independent, I'm sure she'll be able to carry some quality features of herself into her general being. She's courageous, but not confident.

"It contains information such as your stats and your skills. More importantly, it states your class and what sect you work for. Here's mine for example. I have stats distributed between STR, MAG, DEF, RES, SPD, INT, DEX, and LCK. That translates respectively to Strength, Magic, Defense, Reliance, Speed, Intelligence, Dexterity and Luck. Just under it displays my class, which is Archwizard. Finally, to the right side of my license displays my legal name, my legal serial number that's gifted from the guild and the guild I had obtained this license from."

"(Blanc)Is the guild name important?"

"(Maru) Yes, it's important when being in one nation and another. Some nations only accept guilds that are known to that nation. Otherwise it's considered useless in other nations. That isn't to say that some nations won't accept the license from other nations."

"(Noir)Such as..?"

"(Maru)If you have a license from the King's nation, most places accept that License as absolute."

"(Blanc) I get it... the more significant a specific nation is, the more places it'd be accepted."

"Exactly right. Let's get you two registered firstly and then we'll contact my Clan."

We headed into the Guild Hall and upon entry- it almost reminded me of the Tavern back in my city. It was an exceptionally large hall that accepted all kinds of people. They'd get requests and constantly update the bulletin board, all whilst serving as a bar where people drink, socialise and even eat. This was no different, and at the receptionist stood a woman who seemed quite friendly.

"Hello Miss. Heatheryne."

"Ah, Archwizard Maru, what a delight to see you after all these weeks!"

"It has been a while hasn't it.. I'm still working under that commissioner but once I've fulfilled my mission to a certain extent, I'll be able to accept commissions regularly again!"

"I appreciate your enthusiasm about work. Now, who are these two you brought in? Seems like you've brought in a criminal... would you like me to send security to escort him to prison?"

"H-hey, I don't look that suspicious do I?"

Black attire is not well received around here, is it?

"No no, it's okay, these two are friends I've made during this commission. In fact, they want to register as Adventurers."

(Heatheryne)"I see. In that case, have you brought the registration fee?"

(Maru)"I've got the expenses covered. Is it okay if I paid for an upgrade in their outfits too?"

(Heatheryne)"As long as you're fine with paying for it Maru, I know you always hold true to your word."

(Blanc)"Now that you mention it... these village clothes are getting knackered... I haven't showered in a few days either..."

(Noir)"If it means I'll stop being attacked like a criminal, then I don't mind an outfit swap."

(Heatheryne)"Well, let's get you two set up. Would you like to come first Miss?"

(Blanc)"Ah, sure thing! Also, I'm Blanc and this is Noir."

(Heatheryne)"I see. First we must analyse your structure. Please stand in the Scanner, and make sure you aren't holding anything metal."

Blanc immediately handed me her sword over, her ring and some coins she had in her pockets.

As she stood inside the machine, a bright light began to flash her feet, steadily going up and following her entire body.

(Heatheryne)"What class would you like to enroll into?"

(Blanc)"Um... I'm not sure."

(Heatheryne)"Then let's let the Scanner decide then."

(Blanc)"Okay!"

As the light reached her face, the light suddenly stopped.

(Heatheryne)"Please step outside and please place your hand on this spheric device."

She pointed towards the blue sphere and as she hovered her hand over it, the sphere began to rotate. The cogs under it also began to rotate in different ways and eventually- Heatheryne placed a card underneath the device to which magical light began to write out the details. So this was how licenses were made.

(Heatheryne)"All done now, would you like to take a look?"

(Blanc)"O-okay-..." She grabbed her own license and all the information displayed.

(Heatheryne)"Oh my... Your class... That's quite a rare one- Mage Swordsman means your Intelligence and Magic are quite high, but you can consistently use the sword with you very good Strength and Dexterity."

(Blanc)"That's pretty good right Noir?"

(Noir)"If you ask me, I'd say it's pretty good. Here, have your stuff back."

I handed her blade back as well as her ring and the few coins she held.

(Heatheryne)"You're up next Noir, please step into the machine."

I nodded, before handing my obsidian blade to Blanc. She immediately fell- perhaps due to the extreme weight of the thing. Maybe I should've set it to the side. Since the sword was the only metal-like thing I had, I was confident the process would go smoothly... That was...

(Heatheryne)"What... What's going on..?"

(Noir)"Is something wrong?"

(Heatheryne)"N-no, things should be fine. Please exit the machine and hover your hand over the Spheric Device here..."

I did exactly as I was told, and as the Sphere began to rotate- it immediately halted. Something was off, but the device began to write down anyway.

(Heatheryne)"Your card..."

(Noir)"... Something isn't right..?"

As Heatheryne pulled the card out of the machine after it was done writing.

"Your name... Aster... from Jvagdil..?"

"... Sorry, Heatheryne. Uh... Would you be able to keep quiet about that."

I told her, to which she begins to grow suspicious. Understandably so.

(Heatheryne)"Noir- no... Aster... your stats are beyond comprehension here... not to mention- your class... I've never seen a unique class before, this is the first time I've heard of a 'Hero' class."

"Seriously...? There'd be a lot to explain, but..."

(Heatheryne)"You don't have to. Your license cannot lie. You are definitely Aster from Jvagdil... it's a place that doesn't exist in this world."

She seemed to be somewhat aware of another world... What does she know..?

(Heatheryne)"Never mind that. Noir, you're fully welcomed to this guild. I know for certain you'll be someone to look out for. As for your equipments, don't worry about it. After a day, we'll have it all fully prepared."

"Thank you. I would tip you but this sword is all I have."

(Heatheryne)"It's okay, your presence here is honour enough. Someone of your capability will always be welcomed here. You three must be busy, and now that you're officially legal to roam around, please enjoy your stay at Rivdale Exis! May the Goddess of Freedom bless your paths, Adventurers."

Sounded like everything went smoothly. As we exited the halls quietly, Maru suddenly turned to look at me- as if she was about to ask so many questions- but nothing came out.

"My real name is Aster, but I'm going as Noir in this world. I didn't realise that machine would reveal to you this truth in such a way- but it's fine. I planned on telling you about it anyway."

"I-it's fine... besides...I knew you were otherworldly... but to be Aster from Jvagdil... I simply... can't comprehend that our children's story book was based off your world..."

"I uh... To be honest, I'm not even sure why that's the case, but something like this can't exactly be blurted out of nowhere..."

I took a look around as we suddenly got several suspicious looks. Luckily she didn't outright state that I am Aster, but... What she said did hint at it.

"A-ah... sorry Noir-..."

(Blanc)"Hey, we should get going, didn't you want to talk to that Mage Clan?"

(Noir)"Yeah. It looks like we'll have to wait a day too so getting things going as soon as we can means all the more merrier."

(Maru)"R-right... Listen, where we are going is a place full of amazing wizardry. It's not for JUST anyone, so you need to at least be as respectful as you can be."

How elitist are these people? I thought the Mage Clan accepts just about anyone- but...

"Follow me, the way to the Mage Clan is this way."

She stated, heading towards the west of the city. As confused as I am as to where this place could possibly be, I began to follow her anyway. I do owe her my life so the least I can give her is my trust.

Blanc followed along steadily, and as we passed by many citizens- I had been getting a lot of creepy looks.

"Is wearing black seriously this bad..?"

"It isn't at all, it's completely legal... but the higher your image in society is, the more bright colours you'd usually wear... Most nobles do wear black, but it's usually accompanied with a variety of white."

Ah... so what she's saying is, clad in black usually means trouble and black should only ever be a secondary colour in this world. How lame...

"It's not far from here."

"Where... are you taking us..?"

Blanc questioned, looking down into the set of stairs that followed complete darkness underground. How can such a suspicious place exist here? Better yet, a suspicious looking person going into the suspicious place- I can't help but feel like I'm being judged here!

"Light."

Maru spoke, and as she did, the top of her staff began to glow quite a dim gold. It was only enough to light up about a meter ahead of us- but maybe she couldn't go brighter due to that potentially being harmful to our own eyes.

"This Mage clan- why is it in such a suspicious area...?"

"There's no need for questions. You'll understand once we reach there."

(Blanc)"M-more importantly- what is this place anyway? It's so dark and gloomy... and something smells a bit..."

(Maru)"I said... sigh. Nevermind- I bet you're full of questions anyway. Listen, this place is..."

She seems hesitant to answer. The stagnant water to the side is clear enough as to what it is. If I ever get a purification spell, this is the first place I'm coming to. That's for sure.

(Blanc)"This place is..?"

(Maru)"Y-you might not like it... it's the system that runs underneath every household."

(Blanc)"Wh-what?... Wait... so this smell is..."

(Maru)"The more you think about it, the worst it gets."

Pfooom! It reeks down here, can the Mage Clan really survive in such a place like this?!

"Oi, isn't this kind of..."

(Maru)"D-don't question it! There are multiple doors to this place and this just happens to be the most convenient way to get to it right now-!"

What kind of... if there are multiple doors... could it be that this is the only real door and the others just happen to be the toilets of those living in the city?!

(Maru)"Don't get any weird ideas... The Mage Clan is just up ahead... Hold on tight to me."

She spoke, to which Blanc held her hand and I held onto her shoulder. She suddenly stopped before a wall, before tapping her staff onto the ground three times.

The wall in front of us began to look fuzzy. The longer this went on, the more I realised what was happening. More than that, the longer it went on, the more I realised how much I needed the hand that was holding onto her shoulder to hold my nose.

"Here we go..." She said, before she suddenly vanished into the wall. Following her with my hand still on her...

"WAIT- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

I felt my body do all sorts of weird things, as if my body was flung through a series of pitfalls and as if I was riding something extremely fast that was going up and down and up and down and up and down and...

"AAAAAAAA... Ah?"

I suddenly felt normal. I was on the ground, and in my sights was a beautiful landscape full of greenery and... an odd starry sky that looked like it was constantly warping and distorting.

(Blanc)"Maru... is this..?"

(Maru)"Welcome, to the Mage Clan."

Exotic creatures were floating in the skies, as if they were fantasy-like creatures. All sorts of odd things, such as whales flying and half lion half eagles were swimming... I couldn't tell what the hell was going on, but whatever it was- it was something out of a fever dream.

(Maru)"The Mage Clan's place of residence is in our own Realm which feeds off the magic potency of a core which was created by the first Archwizard."

"So, this place really is magical... What's with all these... odd animals..?"

(Maru)"The animals look cool."

(Blanc)"Is that all???"

(Maru)"The animals aren't actually in existence, they're just mirages of the real world. Saying that, we can't control where they appear, so we simply keep them away from the mainland."

That makes sense. What doesn't make sense is why we're all the way out here instead of being at the location we need to get to...

"Follow me, there's a shortcut if we follow the black road."

Maru stated, pointing towards what was clearly a yellow path. Why is it called the Black Road? Actually, I'd rather not ask.

We followed Maru down the path and saw many strange creatures, or rather- normal creatures in strange places.

(Maru)"This place was made so that wizards can roam free. Magic is quite restricted to battle use, and practicing with it would usually garner a lot of attention."

As she said that, we spotted a few Wizardry adventurers who were all casting basic magic on targets.

"This place seems really amazing. In fact, the idea that we're in a completely different realm..."

(Maru)"You probably don't know this, but Realms are simply entities that exist within a plain of bubble universes. Think of our world as an ocean. When bubbles appear, they're technically air pockets that don't contain the ocean within it- but exist all the same. This realm is similar to that bubble. It exists in the ocean, but inside is an empty pocket that had been built upon."

The wonders of this world will always continue to amaze me. This whole bubble realm thing is giving me a headache though.

(Maru)"A-anyway, let's just get to the Magic Clan already..."

Did she suddenly get shy? That's odd, it's the first time I've seen her like this. More than that, Blanc seems way too entranced right now. Every little thing was amazing her.

Eventually, we reached the mainland- and before us, stood what looked like a village floating on several islands.

"The way forward is here. If we tap this, we can get to each island pretty quickly."

"Oi, Maru, this isn't going to be like that wall door thingy is it?"

I was very suspicious of any methods of travelling when it comes to Maru. She's quite reckless with these things.

(Blanc)"Oh it can't be that bad, right? Show me the way Maru!"

(Maru)"Sure thing, just tap this."

She pointed towards what looked like a pillar that glew a slight gold. Blanc walked over, too optimistically as her optimism was quickly turned into pure fear.

"AAAAAAAAAAAaaaa..."

"Where did she go Maru?"

"She'll be fine. Your turn next."

"Oi, don't go saying that after it looked like she poofed into thin air."

"It'll be okay... That light that surrounded her is just Light Traversing."

"What..."

"You're asking too many questions!"

All of a sudden, Maru pushed me into the light pillar which suddenly made me go dizzy. Before I could even react- I was in another place.

(Maru)"See? Wasn't that bad."

(Blanc)"I'm... gonna puke..."

"I think I soiled my pants."

(Maru)"T-M-I! Gosh, you two are overreacting... Anyway, please get up... a lot of people are looking at you."

Maru glanced away as the eyes of the Mages around us seemed to peer into our souls. Getting up, I dusted myself and helped Blanc up.

(Blanc)"H-hold me up please..."

Does she have some sort of motion sickness?? I'm glad I didn't actually soil my pants though.

Thankfully, seeing the head of the Mage Clan was going to be a lot easier than I had anticipated. Before long, a mirage of light had appeared before us, continuing to speak.

"Hm? Ah- Maru, it's so good to see you young one. To what pleasure do I owe you?"

"Madame Jihlian. I've got a request, and I'd like you to meet my two adventuring friends."

(Blanc)"P-please to meet you Madame..."

"It's an honour for us to meet, Madame."

(Jihlian) "Oh please, no need for pleasantries. The Mage Clan treats everyone like family here."

(Maru)"Madame, I have an urgent request that needs attention..."

(Jihlian) "Hm... You wish for assistance to deal with those bandits, right?"

(Maru)"I would like some assistance with a band of bandits... Wait- how did you know?"

(Jihlian) "Fret not my dear... Some of us Wizards have mastered some degree of omniscience. I'll save that discussion for later... Now, Maru, you and your friends have more than what is needed to take care of the situation."

(Noir)"Uh... with all due respect Madame- we are only beginning adventurers... To take on something so dangerous is..."

(Jihlian) "I understand your concern. But our hands are currently full on a different situation. Perhaps I could make the request that you three settle the ordeal on your own... I know it sounds selfish, but I believe that what we have in our hands associates with your very same problems..."

(Maru)"... I feared that would be what you were going to say."

(Jihlian) "Trust your instincts more Maru. You have an ability unbeknownst to all. Your ability to tell the future will come to aid you in your battles, so don't hesitate when the moment is right."

Maru has the ability to see into the future? Isn't that kind of powerful... Wait- if that's the case, then why did she attack us?

(Maru)"If what you're saying is true Madame Jihlian, then am I correct to assume that the bandits are working in alliance to those cultists..?"

(Jihlian)"Unfortunately yes. It seems they are attempting forbidden experiments. These cultists must be stopped before the Gods are angered..."

(Maru)"I'm sure that we can handle the situation... If that's the case, we must depart tomorrow you two."

(Blanc)"This sounds all too sudden... I don't have any experience whatsoever..."

Blanc is clearly conflicted. In the moment, she knows what she has to do, but when expecting the dangers, it's almost like she freezes up and has zero idea on how she'll approach things.

"Then, Blanc, I'm going to teach you swordsmanship. We only have a day, so let's make this count."

(Blanc)"I-I can't learn it that fast..."

"Maru, is there a way to transfer specific skills?"

(Maru)"Uhm... Before we continue, Madame Jihlian- thank you for listening to me. We will be on our way."

Maru bowed before the flash of light disappeared. I chose not to question it, but I could only assume it was a form of communication that allowed the two people to communicate as if they were right next to each other. Pretty convenient.

(Maru)"Noir, transferring skills is possible- but in the sense that one can learn specific skills."

"And what about sword mastery skills?"

(Maru)"If you're talking about specific sword attacks... then yes, that is learnable. Everyone has made their own one, but that is also how traditional family sword styles exist. Techniques passed down from generation to generation."

"Then, Blanc, I'm going to teach you a few basic Sword Skills that I already know."

Blanc gave me a blank stare before realising just want I was pushing onto her.

"WHAT?"

(((Author's Note:

This is a web novel that I'm ultimately planning to make into a Manga, I'm spending everyday writing it out with only a faint image of what direction I'm taking. That being said, I'll eventually make a remastered version which delves into the story deeper than what I'm telling here since I'm not writing in my usual fashion and more so writing similarly to a script. In that sense, it'd make my life easier when making the actual manga, but I hope this story is at least interesting to read!)))