60 Odemore
The crew parted ways for the time being. Hayla and Joshua were the leaders.
Arthur had another mission, and that was to go look for his girls. He and Kai were talking with someone in the port, looking for a ship for them to buy.
It was at that moment that Arthur overheard a conversation between two men.
“We will finally leave to do the entrance test for the magic school. I cannot wait.”
“Right? I hope we can learn some cool stuff there.”
Arthur came close to them, and asked more about it.
“Hey, sorry to bother you too. How does one join this school that you’re talking about?”
“No worries man. You’re also looking for these pretty girls, aren’t you? Anyway, all you have to do is pay a fee for that man, and he will transport you there.”
One of them pointed to a fatty man that was near a ship. That was the man responsible for getting the people to the school.
Arthur thanked them for the information, and went to talk with the man.
“I heard you’re in charge of sending people to the magic school? How much?”
“The ship is full, I’m sorry.”
“How much?”
The man seemed annoyed, but he still said, “It is 50 gold per person, but like I said, it is full.”
“I can pay you 300 gold per person, but you have to give us the best rooms.”
“Deal. I’ll kick two.”
“But please, don’t kick them.”
Arthur pointed at the two that just gave him the information. They were nice, and he did not want them expelled.
“No problem. We will leave in two hours. Don’t be late.”
600 gold coins was not that much for Arthur, and he paid the man without problems. Maybe he could negotiate for less, but it would be boring, and Arthur was not feeling like doing it.
The best part was that the ship would leave in two hours. Arthur would not have to wait long, as he would have to wait 2 months to get there anyway…
He returned and explained everything to Kai, and they went to grab something to eat.
There was no need to pack his stuff, as Arthur had already done that, and his magical backpack was full. He even put some food there in case something happened during the trip.
They went to a regular restaurant nearby, ate, and returned to the port after the two hours passed.
A lot of people were already there, waiting to get inside the ship. Arthur stood in line with Kai, and waited for their turn to enter.
“Your room will be the 1 and 2, the best there is.”
The man kept his part of the deal, and gave one room for Arthur and one for Kai, and both were the biggest rooms of the ship.
“Now all we have to do is wait for 2 months, damn. That’s a far island.”
“I agree captain.”
Arthur and Kai talked in the ship’s hall, where all the rooms were. The others, who were looking to join the magic school passed by them from time to time.
There were all young people looking for an opportunity to change their fate. Arthur respected that, and hoped most of them would pass the tests to enter the school.
“What are you looking at?”
A man noticed Arthur’s gaze, and did not like it at all.
“Can’t I look? Is it a crime to use one’s eyes?”
“Ha, I get it now. This is the first time you’re seeing someone from a noble family, right? But remember your place, dog.”
Arthur had the urge to beat that man right in the spot, but that was prohibited inside the ship, and he did not want to get expelled, as it was the best chance he had to find his friends.
But he had a better idea, one that would hurt that man more than a beating.
Speaking of him, he left right after spitting that bull shit. Maybe he was afraid Arthur would beat him?
Kai also left and went to his own room. Arthur would not stay still on the hallway alone, so he left as well.
The room was said to be the best there is inside the ship, and it was indeed quite good, but it was still a room inside a ship.
It was not luxurious nor anything like that, but it was nice. Arthur could stay there for 2 months easily.
He sat on the bed, and thought about the moment he reunited with his friends again. It had been a long, long time.
“I cannot wait.” Arthur thought.
Now all he had to do was endure 2 months…
~~~~
Two months passed, although it looked like an eternity for Arthur, who had nothing interesting to do inside that ship.
All he did was eat, sleep, and read some boring ass books. Well, he absorbed the sun energy every day, but the progress was little. He wondered if there was another way around.
Anyway, after two months of suffering, they reached the island.
It was an immense island, away from everything. For that reason, Arthur noticed many farms, with all different types of crops, and animals as well.
There were common people living there, which took care of the normal stuff of the island. It was these people that got the food everyone ate.
Now, Odemore, the school of magic, was not near the shore, but somewhat in the middle of the island.
From the shore, there was a pathway made of stone that led directly to Odemore.
“Everyone, leave. We are here.”
The captain of the ship said. Arthur was almost shaking with anxiety, and Kai was excited as well. Not for the reunion of Arthur and his friends, but about the fact he would join a magic school.
“Should we go there?” Kai asked as soon as they stepped out of the ship.
“Well, I guess. Do you want to?”
“Of course. I cannot wait to stretch my legs.”
“Let’s go, to Odemore it is.”
~~~~
No beast or man caused any trouble during the trip. Arthur and Kai were in the front, while the rest of the people from the ship were behind.
With each step, more and more trees and tall vegetation covered both sides of the road. The canopy of tall trees covered their heads, keeping out the sunlight.
Arthur noticed some people restless, afraid that something would attack them at any moment. He, on the other hand, was calm.
Many were the things Arthur passed, and it would not be a tree-covered road that would frighten him. Kai was also confident, after all, like Arthur, he could also see in the dark.
They walked for some time until they saw signs of human workmanship. Odemore was in the middle of the island, which made the journey not as fast as expected.
The first thing they saw was a house, made of the same stone as the path.
A person was sitting on a chair inside this house. Arthur saw him through the window, and it seems that he did the same.
The man came out of the house, and asked, “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
Arthur took the lead, and said, “We came by ship from a distant city. The entrance test seems to be near, and we have come to perform it.”
“Oh, right, right. Well, you have arrived at very short notice since the test is starting now. Follow that path, and you will find the rest of the students who are taking the test.”
The man pointed to the direction in which they should go.
It was the same stone path they had been following up to that point. They kept going deeper into the forest, until a mansion came into their view.
The mansion was huge, and extremely well crafted, with many details. With just a glimpse you could tell that whoever built it was an extraordinary person.
In front of this mansion, at least 10 people were waiting. They were standing next to a huge statue, carved in detail.
That statue was so well-made that it looked real. The most incredible thing was that the statue reminded them very much of Arthur’s face.
A person came out of the mansion, and it was no one Arthur knew.
“Is everyone here?” As soon as she said that, she could notice Arthur’s group coming.
“Let’s go quickly. We don’t have all the time in the world.”
Once Arthur was near, the woman could not help but notice he looked familiar.
“Attention, everyone. The first part of the test will start now.”
Arthur and Kai were among the people, listening to everything the woman said. It seemed the test have more than one phase, so it would probably take a while.
“I was hoping that someone I knew would run the test, but who’s this woman? Well, she is beautiful nonetheless, and angry it seems. A new challenge for me, he-he.” Arthur thought.