Seth Chapter 68

Chapter 68

When Seth entered Nightshard City, he expected to see people and sights that he hadn't seen before.

The high walls, and the spires and towers beyond it already gave him that idea other than the fact that the whole city seemed to be rich in mana.

The mana density in the air was even more than what he had felt in the Tunnels of Grithza and he didn't know if that was because of the place's close proximity to the dungeons and ruins. Or something completely else. It almost made him feel like he was entering a dungeon that was going to eat him alive.

As he took his first foot inside, he saw a white cobblestone street moving in all directions filled with people — humans, dwarves, giants, elves and even a man whose tail seemed to be lit with fire.

He looked completely human other than the tail and he almost wanted to approach and ask if he was a species related to a dragon or a wyvern.

Seth kept watching the man for a while as he turned around a corner before Rebecca nudged him on the shoulder to start moving. He kept close to her, scared he would get lost in the wide streets and hundreds of people that walked on top of it.

A few brushed past him, being in a hurry and all sorts of voices entered his ears.

On the right side, he saw a small street with kids playing around a board game in the open with a few adults peeking through a window and on the left, there seemed to be a man in a hurry moving towards their work.

Sacria City had been mostly a human city even though he had seen quite a few members of other species, but Nightshard seemed to have every race on the planet.

One more thing was the sheer number of what seemed like students in uniforms walking around in groups. It was a blue uniform intricately carved with insignias built on the centre and back.

He guessed that it was the symbol of the BlackStone Academy — A wand with the four basic elements of fire, water, earth and wind around it.

Rebecca told him that they would often come out if they have no classes and it was a common sight since the academy housed over a thousand students in it.

“Come quickly! Are you not able to make a breakthrough to the next rank? Scared that it's the end of the journey for you? Fret not! Try our potions and it would give you extra experience that would surely make you rank up. Just 100 gold coins for a small bottle!”

He heard a shout and turned his head to look at a man whose face seemed to be carved on smoke. He was wearing gloves and bottles of a boiling, black liquid on top of a table.

“Don't bother with those. They are potion salesmen,” Rebecca said, giving the salesman a look. “That potion would either give you small side effects like fever or go extreme with an organ failure. There's no way it would help out in getting more experience.”

As she spoke, a few guards came from the gate and the salesman took his potions and ran through an alley. It seemed like there were more than a few crooks in the city.

“Only the Alchemy Guild can sell legitimate potions in the city. You can also sell them if you are affiliated with BlackStone Academy,” Rebecca explained as they walked.

From time to time, she would point out a building and explain what it was. A few were simple, square designs while others were built up in different shapes like animals. There was even one building that was a “Golem Manufacturing Company” built in the shape of a golem.

There were also statues all around. From famous sorcerers that he barely knew the name of to the statues of gods.

They would also pass by people from the churches from time to time asking for donations, but with them having lost their money in the carriage, they could only shake their heads as they made their way towards the academy.

“We need to take a Strider to the academy. It's around half an hour from here.”

“Strider?” Seth asked and she pointed up ahead to what looked like a bus stand with people lining up. Rather than buses, lean animals that resembled horses, but with small horns on their front and back stood. They had stripped patterns in gold and silver and a few people seemed to be feeding them fruits. “I have never seen such a monster before.”

“Because they are mostly used in Nightshard City. They are swift and can go through alleys due to their lean frames at a breakneck speed, but they don't have a lot of stamina. They use their mana in short bursts and need to rest after that. They are also passive and gentle, so they make great monsters to tame to use in big cities.”

“I already want to ride one,” he said as they walked up to the end of the line.

Looking up at the Striders standing, he couldn't help but wonder how the ride was going to be.

***

By the end of the ride, Seth wanted to simply get off.

His whole world shook as the Striders ran through the narrow alleys, taking the shortest route they had to the academy. His hair swayed in the air as the monster ran at a breakneck speed.

Seth simply clung to the saddle, holding it tightly through the whole journey.

He had never even ridden a horse, so it was a completely nauseating experience and by the time he reached the academy ground, he was on his knees, barely stopping himself from vomiting.

“Seth, it will be okay in a few minutes. I was the same when I first rode a Strider. They are fast, but they don't have the concept of slowing down once they get going,” Rebecca said, patting his back in a soothing manner.

“You could have said that before.”

“I forgot.”

“I don't think I believe that.”

Seth shook his head as Rebecca grinned at him before looking up at what seemed like the entrance to the academy grounds and for a second, he wondered if he had suddenly appeared in a different city.

The space was vast and it looked as big as a small town.

Black cobblestone path went everywhere as three tall towers rose, reaching up to the sky and next to them, a small hill with snow stood. On the other side, he could even see what seemed like the entrance of a forest.

He briefly wondered how it was even possible for there to be snow in this season, but he simply accounted it to magic.

People with the same uniform he had seen on the streets walked with books, lost in conversations with their friends.

“Why is there snow there?” he asked as they started walking. A few people gave them looks but ignored them.

“It's because a snow wyvern lives there. They tend to make the surroundings chilly. One of the professors tamed it and now he lives there. It's almost a tourist attraction now since the guy doesn't do anything.”

“A snow wyvern? Aren't they Rank 6 creatures?” he asked. “How will one even tame something like that?”

“Food,” she said, smiling. “Let's go. I will show you a tour of the towers before we meet my master. His office is on the upper floors of the third tower.”

He nodded and they walked towards the wide pathways. A statue stood in the centre of the three towers and they stopped just in front of it.

“Who's he?” He asked, looking at the statue of a bearded, wrinkled man who seemed to be looking down on everyone walking by with a staff in his hand. His appearance made him resemble countless wizard characters from all sorts of media from back home.

“He's the founder of the BlackStone Academy, Archmage Ragus. In his prime, he was one of the few Rank 9s in the history of our world. He was akin to a god and once he got old, he made the academy and became its first professor hundreds of years ago.”

“What happened to him then? Did he—”

“I don't know. People say he passed away while some say he moved on to another plane, became a god. Lots of theories,” Rebecca explained and as they were moving forward, Seth saw someone walking towards them.

It seemed like Rebecca saw it too as she turned back and her eyes widened.

“Rebecca!”

The person yelled, being a woman wearing a long black coat with lots of pockets. The same insignia that was on the uniforms was on the coat. A long golden chain bounced off her chest and her fingers were covered in rings that looked more than simple accessories.

Aside from her clothing, she had blonde hair and a harmless, chubby face, but what attracted his attention was the horns on her hand. Two small horns jutted out of her head and he kept his eyes on them as the woman reached near them.

“Cyrla, what are you doing here?” Rebecca asked, clearly not expecting to see her here. Her voice came out strained as Cyrla held her hands excitedly. “Last time, I heard you were researching monsters back in the Darkan Valley.”

“I was, but it was over a year back. Field work was exciting, especially with new exciting properties of mana and how monsters used it, but I got bored,” she said with a shrug. “I took a job here as an assistant professor for a change of pace. I am researching different elements of mana these days. What are you doing here? Did you get a job yet?”

Although Seth wasn't sure, it looked like Rebecca barely managed to contain her frown and replied, “Yes, I'm actually working as an adventurer now.”

“Really? That's so cool. I work with a few of them as they bring materials for my research and it's always a pleasant experience. I was actually on my way to give another order at the Adventurer’s Guild. I don't expect to see you here today.”

Her cheerful nature and rapid way of talking reminded Seth of a golden retriever who won't leave your side without a treat. In her case, it was someone who could actually communicate and she seemed to know Rebecca from her school days.

As he was thinking when to introduce himself, Cyrla's eyes fell on him.

“Hello, I'm Seth, Rebecca's friend and—”

“Your mana,” she interrupted him and said, walking a step towards him. “It feels so different from what I normally sense in my life. It's abyssal mana, right?” She asked.

Seth nodded his head, looking at her shining eyes. “Yes, I use that in my skills.”

“That's so cool. I once looked into the abyss and the mana it gives out. It was so chaotic and interesting. You feel just like the abyss to me.”

“What?”

He looked at her confused and her gaze felt like she was looking at him like he was a rat that she could experiment on.

“You said you are Seth, right? Can you answer a few of my—”

“Cyrla!” Rebecca shouted out before she could grab his hand. “We are actually short on time and were going towards the tower to meet my master.”

“Oh really?” She looked back at her, then as if she recalled something, she clapped her hands. “I actually have to get a few things in the tower too. Why don't we go together? You won't mind spending a few more minutes with your school friend, right? Rebecca.”

Cyrla looked at her expectantly and Rebecca stared back, her smile forced before she nodded.