251 Land of the Damned
The One Hundred Thunder Academy was in the west part of the central continent, built in 6 different mountain peaks which were close to the clouds to gather the lightning power!
With the map Arthur got from that store, and also the ones he looked in the two cities he had passed, he now knew where the academy was, and how to reach it!
There were two troublesome parts of his journey. The first one was the Land of the Damned, which was a dead-like area where one of the few dark arts schools on the central continent lived.
It was a place devoid of life, and even by using the road, one would have to deal with lots of skeletons. That area was dangerous and prohibited, just like the Forbidden Forest.
One could use an alternative path to pass through that place, but it would take a lot of time, more than Arthur had. So, they would have to go through that part, but not now!
“Come.” Arthur said, asking Elena to follow him.
Right after he left the city, he did not go far, but stopped at a building just outside the city. There was an enormous sign in that place, saying ‘Hagrid’s Beasts’.
When the two of them entered that building, a tall bearded man with an amicable smile said, “welcome costumers. How can I help you today?”
“Hello friend. We are looking for one flying mount to buy. Which one is the best?” Arthur said.
These beasts weren’t that expensive, at least not for a mage. Arthur wanted one just to make his traveling easier, as Sully was not with him at that moment.
“Depends. Are you looking for a flying mount that can also fight side-by-side with you, or just for traveling alone?”
“Just for traveling.”
“Hum. May I suggest you the Griffin? These are loyal, and their speed is one of the best! But the types I have aren’t great at fighting.”
“Can you show them to me?”
“Of course, hahaha. Follow me.”
The first part of the building was just a small part of it. Hagrid, the bearded man who was the owner of that place, showed them another room close to where they were, and it was impressive!
Arthur thought all those beasts would be locked in cages, but it was not necessarily the case! There were some small portals, and each portal led to a magical realm, a habitat for those beasts!
It was not identical to the real world, as the beasts could not fight against each other, or else it would be death, but the flying beasts could fly freely, the water beasts could swim in lakes, and so on. Way better than a normal cage.
Hagrid went inside one of these realms and asked Arthur and Elena to follow him. There, they saw it, the Griffin! It had four legs with immense paws and claws, the head of a bird, and two massive wings!
The Griffin looked lightly different from what Arthur had imagined, but the essence was the same! The head feathers were white and the rest of his body was brownish, quite similar to a gold color.
“Beautiful!” Elena said with bulged eyes. She fell in love with the Griffin, and it was a creature she had never seen before.
“We will take him.”
~~~~
After the payment, Arthur said goodbyes to Hagrid, someone that treated not only his costumers well, but the beasts there too! It was clear those were all beasts that were rescued and saw Hagrid as their father.
Different from Sully, Arthur could not talk with the Griffin, but it could understand some commands. As for their name, Elena wanted to give it one.
“It is a girl! Well, then your name will be Megan!” Elena said.
Megan made some bird-like sounds after receiving the name. Apparently, it liked the name.
“All right. Let’s all hop on.”
It had enough space for at least four people to ride on, so it was more than enough for just Arthur and Elena. Their next destination was a city near the Land of the Damned, the last safe destination before having to pass through that area.
“I am so excited about going to school. You know, I am barely a one circle mage, and there are a lot of things I want to learn!”
“I know that feeling. Don’t worry about it. I will be there to help you.”
An indescribable feeling born inside Elena. She felt grateful to Arthur, someone that had not only saved her when she needed the most, but was someone willing to help her without asking something in return!
These types of people were rare. Elena knew that well, and that was what made her think highly of Arthur.
“Thanks…” Elena said, so quiet that it was almost impossible to hear it.
Arthur laughed at that, and then pulled out the reins, making the Griffin fly. Elena then was once again both shocked and afraid. It was the first time she was flying.
Scary at first, but the beauty of the scenery made all of that fade away as the time passed, and soon Elena was comfortable in the air.
“This is beautiful, look!”
She said that to every mountain, river or lake. To every animal, city, or village. Everything for her was new and impressive.
“How far are we?”
“Far. Also, we will have to pass through two dangerous locations, but with me around, it should be fine.”
Speaking of dangerous locations, after twelve days of traveling, only stopping from time to time so that the Griffin could rest, and for them to eat, they reached the last safe place before the Land of the Damned.
Safe was a strong word, as the small town had a dark look, and the people who stayed in there weren’t necessarily good people.
All kinds of dark mages ventured around that area, with the necromancers being the common type. Arthur took out a black-cloak from his magical pouch and gave it to Elena.
“This town has some bad people lurking around. We better be careful while here.”
“What about Megan?”
“Don’t worry, I have this!”
Arthur had bought from Hagrid not only the Griffin, but a special and expensive bestial pouch! The idea behind that was to simulate the same habitats Hagrid had in his building, so that the Griffin or any kind of mount could go inside of it, and live normally.
All Arthur had to do was toss some food into the bestial pouch, as the only thing it had was water. Megan went inside of it, along with some fresh meat Arthur had gotten during their trip.
Now, everything was taken care of, and all they had to do was enter inside that strange little town.
What was the reason for Arthur to go in there? Information. Although he knew the Land of the Damned was dangerous, he did not know what dangers to expect.
The town they were in was the closest to that location, which meant it should be the place with the most information about it.
Arthur hoped that was the case as he entered inside the town.