The Wandering Inn_Volume 1, page 260
It was a tall vessel, the Errant Traveller. Two massive sails stood furled as the ship floated in its berth. Ceria had already noticed the sailors and [Captain] bustling around the ship, so she predicted they’d be underway soon enough.
“Are they about to set sail?”
Ceria’s pointed ears perked up as she heard a young man—no, a boy, really—talking excitedly to his parents. He was with a family seeing off a woman – a merchant’s daughter by the looks of her – as they excitedly scrutinized the ship. The young boy tugged harder at his mother’s hand.
“Can I go too? How will they get there? Is the ship magic, too?”
“Hush. Let your sister say her goodbyes in peace. And who knows whether the ship is magical? When you’re a [Mage], I expect all sorts of wondrous things are possible.”
Ceria had to smirk at that, although she turned away so no one would notice. Magic ships? Maybe if they were enchanted, but she very much doubted this one was. The family seemed to think this was some special ship, but it was just an ordinary vessel to Ceria’s eye.
After all, students from around the world would be making the journey to Wistram this day. Rather than keep a fleet of their own, the mages doubtless found it easier to simply hire ship captains to transport students for them.
And as if her thoughts had summoned him, suddenly the [Captain] was striding down the gangway, speaking loudly.
“The Errant Traveller is ready to go! All students are to come aboard one at a time. Tell me your names and I shall cross you off the list!”
The people on the docks stirred. Several young men and women darted towards the gangway as if being last meant you wouldn’t be allowed on board. Ceria saw last goodbyes hurriedly exchanged as she stood up.
A long queue of bodies was already stretching down the dock by the time Ceria joined the line. She saw only Humans standing behind each other. Quietly, Ceria took her place behind a young man in expensive clothes, trying to ignore the looks the other people gave her.
The line moved forwards slowly, but Ceria passed the time thinking of what would happen next. The journey by boat would take several days assuming the weather held. And when they reached the isle, she’d probably have to wait through an introduction. After that she had just over a month to prove herself and be accepted—
Or sent home.
“Next!”
Ceria walked forwards and realized she was standing at the entrance to the ship. The Captain stared down at Ceria. His eyes flicked to her ears, but he made no comment.
“Name?”
“Ceria Springwalker.”
“Yes, I see your name on the list. Go on and find a place down below. Cause no trouble and cast no magic while you are on my ship.”
Was that last line for her? But Ceria dimly recalled the others being told the same. She nodded and stepped onto the deck of the ship. It took her a few seconds to get used to the gentle rocking of the boat and then she was fine.
Glancing around, Ceria saw some of the new students stumbling around, much to the amusement of the sailors watching them. She glanced over her shoulder and saw only ten or so more people waiting in line. The Captain was slowly running his finger down the list as he stared at a scrawny young man dressed in shabby clothes.
A list? Was that all he was using, people’s names on a piece of paper? What if Ceria had claimed to be someone else? Was it really that easy to steal a spot on board?
Most [Captains] could read well, but Ceria was still surprised that anyone would use such an uncertain system. Then, as she passed by the Captain she saw that he was holding a piece of paper with her face printed on it. It was so lifelike Ceria nearly gasped, but as the Captain went down the list the paper changed, showing the face of the next student attempting to board.
Magic.
She grinned and walked below decks. The sudden darkness was a stark change, but light shone through port holes. And as Ceria’s eyes adjusted she saw that this ship was well-equipped for transporting so many people. Instead of the hammocks sailors used, small cots had been set up with pillows and blankets to make sleeping on the hard wood easier.
Most of the new students had congregated near the center and already chosen a spot. Ceria looked around for somewhere secluded. Her arrival had not gone unnoticed though, and the eager group of young men and women turned to look at her.
That’s when the whispers started. Ceria had expected it, but it still made her stomach clench. The people who had noticed her pointed and exclaimed, and then began to talk amongst each other.
“Hey. Is that…?”
“No. Really?”
“I think it is. One of them.”
“Ugh. They let that apply?”
“Half-Elf.”
It was a word spoken like a curse. Ceria ignored the voices and dumped her belongings in a corner of the ship. The young woman who’d chosen a place three spots over stared at her in disgust and moved away. Ceria stared out one of the portholes, keeping her face calm and blank.
Half-Elf. That was what she was, and that was the reason for the distrust from the other Humans. The reputation of half-Elves was well known on Terandria. They were untrustworthy, thieves, criminals and bandits at the best of times. They lied, cast harmful magics, preyed on good, innocent folk, and they stole children out of cradles at night.
In truth, everyone knew that last claim was false. Most half-Elves wanted as little to do with Humans as possible, and no one wanted to raise a stinking Human brat. Half-Elves kept to their own communities, on the edges of society, and they were tolerated because they were useful and some half-Elves had valuable Skills or high levels. But they were not liked.
On this continent, at least. Ceria sighed as the whispering subsided. Terandria was not kind to most non-human species, on a continent where the populace was overwhelmingly Human. Maybe another continent—Izril or Baleros, perhaps—would be different where Humans were just one species among many.
But it seemed that while these Humans were prepared to leave behind their home and families to learn magic, they still brought their hatreds with them. Ceria only hoped Wistram would be more open to her.
It was hard to hide being a half-Elf, anyways. Ceria knew her unearthly complexion stood out even in a crowd, and besides that, she had pointed ears. It was almost as bad as having a scar on your forehead to point you out and it had already ostracized her from the others in the hold.
“Ah, hello? Is this seat taken?”
Startled, Ceria looked up. She’d already begun organizing her small pack so she’d be sleeping with it to her back in case someone tried to steal from her. She looked up and saw a young man’s face, a nervous smile, and a shock of brown hair. It was the smile that surprised Ceria the most.
“Is this seat taken? I don’t believe it is, but I would like to check before putting my belongings down here.”
The young man repeated the question. Ceria blinked at him and then found her voice.
“What? No, it’s not. But uh, do you—”
Too late. The young man was already dumping his rucksack on the ground. Ceria eyed his belongings skeptically. She’d thought she had brought only the bare minimum, but this young man only had a few changes of clothes, a small bar of lye soap, a toothbrush, and—
A rapier.
Ceria blinked. It had a long leather sheath, but it was unmistakably a rapier just from the hand guard and grip that stuck out at the top. She’d never seen any warrior using a rapier—it was the weapon of [Lords] and the aristocracy. What was a boy like this doing with one?
And he was a boy. Oh, he might have been closer to sixteen or seventeen, but to Ceria this young man and most of the passengers below decks were children. Only a few men and women were among students and they kept to themselves.
“Are you sure you want to sleep here?”
Ceria had to raise her voice to make herself heard. All of the students were below decks now, and their voices were overlapping with the shouting of sailors above and the creak of the ship.
The young man looked startled at being addressed. He nearly dropped his rapier and brushed hair out of his eyes.
“Well, yes, I mean, I do apologize if I’ve disturbed you. It’s just that I saw this spot was open and I thought I could take it. If you want to be left alone I can—”
He looked around wildly, but almost all of the other beds were taken.
“Stop that. I meant, are you okay with having me as a neighbor?”
“You? Why would I—”
The young man’s eyes widened as he looked at Ceria’s face and he saw her ears. She sighed internally and waited for him to exclaim in disgust.
“Are you a half-Elf? My word, I’ve never—may I shake your hand? I’ve never met one of your kind before. I’m delighted to meet you! My name is Pisces!”
Ceria blinked as she found a hand in front of her face. She took it uncertainly and felt her hand being shaken rapidly.
“I’m uh, Ceria. Ceria Springwalker.”
Pisces beamed at Ceria as he sat next to her. As the ship began to move he began chattering and Ceria, almost unconsciously, began replying.
“I must confess, I was quite alarmed when I found a mostly Human crowd. I was under the assumption all species travelled to Wistram to study, but I suppose those departing from Terandria would be mostly Human, don’t you?”
“Um. Yes. I suppose so.”
“Are you attempting to study magic at Wistram, or are you in another field? Alchemy, perhaps?”
“Uh, no. I want to advance further in the [Mage] class.”
Wistram didn’t just train [Mages], although that was the bulk of their graduates. A fair number of students would end up specializing in related fields like [Alchemist] or even [Blacksmith]—so long as magic was involved, any study was acceptable. But Ceria just wanted to become stronger. To have magic, to have power so she could—
“I’ve learnt several spells, but I’m only a Level 14 [Mage] at the moment. I’m told that’s quite high given that most students don’t know anything about magic, but I hope to improve myself beyond measure during my stay here. My focus is on basic elemental magic and some minor reinforcement-type magic at the moment, but I want to study every field I can. What about you?”
“Me? I’m just—I know a lot of attack spells, that’s all. I mainly focus on earth and fire spells. They’re my specialty.”
“Really? So you’re an adventurer? You use your magic for combat?”
Pisces seemed impressed. Ceria rolled her shoulder and nodded.
“I’m a Bronze-rank adventurer. I thought that I might be able to earn some money if I can learn more powerful spells at Wistram.”
If she wasn’t accepted as a student, she could at least try to learn one or two Tier 3 spells. Then at least she wouldn’t have wasted her money in vain. Pisces nodded energetically as the boat began to rock up and down. He didn’t seem to even notice the rocking that was making Ceria’s stomach churn slightly and had already made one of the Humans vomit.
The two kept talking as the Captain appeared below to announce that the trip would take two days if the weather held. Apparently, they’d hit a fast current and the weather was good. He told the Humans and Ceria that they’d get three square meals a day and that if they went above they were expected to stay out of the way of the sailors. Then he left them.
Ceria had no desire to go upstairs, but she noticed several people eager to stare at the ocean. A young man—a noble’s son with expensive clothing and even a wand she doubted he could use—was leading several other teenagers up the stairs already.
“So why did you decide to attend Wistram? I heard all half-Elves are far more talented than Humans at magic.”
The half-Elf shrugged uncomfortably.
“That’s only half true. Half-Elves are gifted at magic—we’ve got more in our bodies—but we don’t learn spells any faster.”
Of course, it was to their advantage to suggest that half-Elves were more powerful than they actually were. Ceria knew she was still an amateur as a mage, though. She was just barely strong enough to kill a few weak monsters with her spells. Something like Silver-rank was way beyond her still.
“So you want to improve your magic? I can respect that. Myself, I just find magic so exciting, don’t you?”
Ceria smiled briefly.
“I suppose it is. But I want to defend myself. With my spells, I can’t do anything but run if I meet a dangerous monster.”
“I’ve never fought a monster before.”
Pisces said it as he sat against one of the ship’s walls with Ceria. She glanced at his rapier. It was nearly hidden under his bedding and Pisces hadn’t referred to it. Nor had he really told her where he was from. They were munching on the hard biscuits and salted cod that was their dinner. To Ceria’s surprise, the meal had even included cheese and butter for their bread. It was no feast, but this was better than the rough fare she’d expected.
“How many monsters have you slain? A hundred? Or do Bronze-rank adventurers mainly just act as backup for stronger adventurers?”
Ceria coughed lightly to hide her embarrassment.
“I’ve uh, slain a few monsters myself. But we mainly work in teams.”
She’d fought a few Goblins and cleared out any number of rats, but she could count the real monsters she’d fought on one hand.
Of course, that still put her far above the other new students in terms of ability.
“Astounding. Now, I know we can’t practice any magic while aboard the ship, but do you mind if I ask you a few questions about the efficacy of spells in combat? I know only a few such as [Frozen Wind], but I was wondering—”
Pisces broke off and Ceria looked up as they noticed some other people coming their way.
“Well, I heard Wistram accepted everyone, but I thought they drew the line at freaks and trash.”
A young man followed by a gaggle of other teens approached in the manner Ceria had come to recognize as the prelude to harassment. He stared down his nose at Ceria and Pisces.
“I am Charles de Trevalier, scion of my house. You would do well to address me with respect.”
He was wearing the rich clothes to match, and he even had a shortsword buckled to his belt. It looked like it was purely ornamental, but Charles rested one hand on it as if he would like nothing better than to unsheathe it should the need arise.
Ceria raised one eyebrow. She wasn’t intimidated by Charles, although she disliked him on sight. Moreover, unless he had quite a lot of levels in some combat class—which she doubted—she could put a [Stone Dart] through his eye before his blade even cleared the sheathe.
That made it slightly easier to listen to him speak.
“You—the one who was foolish enough to consort with the half-Elf. You would do well to stay away from such creatures.”
Pisces blinked up at Charles and frowned.
“I will measure her worth independent of any outside opinion, thank you. Moreover, I don’t understand why you feel the need to come here and insult Miss Springwalker to her face.”
His diction was actually more polished than Charles’. Ceria saw it took the young lord back, and saw him reconsider his next words.
“Are you of the lesser nobility? Or a self-taught common citizen? Either way, only a fool would not know how insidious and untrustworthy the lesser species are.”
Lesser species. Ceria gritted her teeth. Charles was talking about her as if she wasn’t here. Pisces glanced at Ceria and his lips thinned.
“I believe you should go. If your aim was to have me remove myself, you have failed. Kindly do not disturb us again.”
“Ingrate!”
One of the young men standing behind Charles called out. He stepped forwards, a hand on his sword as well. What was with all these students and carrying weapons? Didn’t they know they were here to become mages?
The other young man glared down at Ceria and Pisces. He pulled his sword slightly out of its sheathe so they could see the costly steel blade.
“You dare insult one of the high nobility? I should have your head for that.”
Charles smirked and Ceria cursed inwardly. She didn’t know the countless aristocratic houses on the continent, but that explained why Charles already had a crowd around him. His family was undoubtedly as rich as they were powerful; his companions must have already been trying to suck up to him.
She expected Pisces to back down or deflect the anger, but instead he stood up. He had the rapier in his hands.
“I do not believe we have done anything that warrants a threat. This is a place for mages, not barbarians with metal sticks.”
The young man flushed. He unsheathed his blade—clumsily, Ceria noticed. He held the sword towards Pisces in an uncertain grip.
But even that was enough to silence the rest of the other students below decks. A bared weapon was dangerous, and the sword the young man held could kill no matter how inexpertly used. Ceria clenched her fist. She felt the magic flow into her hand. She didn’t want to use a spell and risk being thrown off the boat, but if it was that or Pisces getting hurt…
It didn’t come to that. Pisces stepped back and unsheathed his rapier—quite a lot faster than the other young man had and with more of a flourish as well. Charles and his cronies stepped back as they saw the rapier, and uncertainty flicked in the sword-wielding youth’s eyes.
“I would reconsider any attempts on our persons. Note the blade, please. I have levels in [Fencer] and I will not hesitate to defend myself.”
The people around Charles backed up. He had his hand on his sword, but he was clearly unprepared for actual violence. He looked at the other young man with a sword and licked his lips before facing Pisces.
“You fool. Timor du Havrington is an experienced warrior who would cut you to bits. He has many levels in the [Warrior] class.”
Timor nodded, but his eyes were on Pisces’s rapier. He didn’t hold himself like a warrior.
“Lower your blade, peon.”
“Not until you do.”
“I’m a [Warrior] and a [Lord]!”
His voice trembled. Pisces sighed. He reached into his pocket.
