Side Story - Raphia - Chapter 1

Side Story - Raphia - Chapter 1 Arrival

It was a bright sunny day. The snow that covered these mountains nearly all year round persisted through the heat but if one was familiar with the territory, it really was a very clear day.

“More people traveling,” Cornelius said, stopping for a moment to catch his breath. His pack weighed on him quite a bit but he refused to let anybody help him.

“Of course,” Philly said, looking bored as they finally reached the line to enter Morhill.

Raphia sighed happily, glad they were finally back in civilization. A bath… and food that is cooked by an actual cook, she thought and glanced towards Dany. She hoped the girl didn’t hear her.

“Why are you squinting at me?” Dany asked with a smile, waving at her.

Raphia opened her eyes wide. She got caught. Again. Sometimes she was a little slow. “The… view!” she said, glancing behind the healer to see the expanding valley that lead through various turns and twists but finally to the plains of Lys.

This was all part of Lys too at some point, she thought, turning around to look at the high city walls. Guards stood on top of them, clad in black.

“It’s a very nice day, I agree,” Dany said, looking back as she took a deep breath.

Raphia admired how good the woman looked even after weeks of traveling and fighting in the wild.

She was left behind a moment later when the holdup seemed to have been dealt with, allowing the waiting people to pass into the city.

She jumped up and dragged the wooden sled behind herself, most of their packs, monster parts, traps, and weapons placed on top. So close to other adventurers, she actually pulled it without using her magic. Something Cornelius had insisted on. Wood mages were rare and creators even more so, especially at her level.

Raphia still didn’t quite understand why he didn’t want other people to know that but Dany and Philly agreed so she didn’t mind.

[Healer – lvl 105]

[Mage – lvl ??]

[Mage – lvl 110]

She identified her friends, smiling at the levels they had gained in the last mission. Hunting Leaf Deer was difficult, especially for people at their level but their abilities were quite efficient at trapping the fast moving monsters.

Their level ranged between one hundred and one hundred and fifty but most of the danger seemed to be their great speed and the way they moved through the trees with graceful ease.

A wood mage alone could perhaps trap them but coupled with an ice mage, it had almost been too easy. Of course their leaf magic and the surprisingly sharp teeth made it a difficult job nonetheless.

She glanced at the massive bag filled with monster parts and smiled, happy they had survived.

“Raphia?” Dany asked.

The girl was shaken out of her thoughts and sped up. “Sorry!”

Morhill was quite busy at this time of day. It had become a base for adventurers in the region, tailored to their needs. There were smithies, leather workers, armorers, craftsmen and women specializing in specific weapons, and of course a large number of inns.

Raphia had gotten used to Ravenhall a little, feeling like an adventurer amongst the civilians. Here however, she felt small.

The guild had not only one or two buildings here but four.

“Why are there so many people again?” Cornelius complained as they entered one of the guild halls, his frown only deepening as he saw the queues.

“Everything is cheap here,” Dany said. “Cheaper than in the Empire. Plus there’s hardly anything south of here. Except for Ravenhall of course.”

“The fees are lower too. Which means both those offering jobs and those taking them would rather do so here,” Philly helpfully supplied.

“How is that even legal? Isn’t that an issue for the empire?” Cornelius asked.

Philly didn’t seem inclined to explain it further, ignoring the boy.

“I doubt the Empire cares about that right now. They’re busy with a war,” Dany said, her voice solemn.

“Hmm,” Raphia voiced.

It took the better part of half an hour to finally get to the front. At least their job was processed quickly. The alchemist who had offered the job had deposited a large sum of silver for any parts that could be brought back intact.

“We could go and hunt more tomorrow,” Dany said as they left the building, each of them with eight silver pieces added to their pockets.

It wasn’t the worst pay but they had better. Raphia knew this was mostly for the battles anyway, both for levels and just plain old fashioned experience.

“Up for a drink? We’re staying at the Drunk Hawk again?” Dany asked.

The others nodded as Raphia used her manipulation to squeeze the now empty sled into a single chunk of wood. She would give it to the innkeeper for a very slightly reduced rate for the room. She and Dany usually shared one.

“You’ve been rather quiet,” Dany said when they sat at their usual table. The Drunk Hawk was quite a small inn with medium pricing. It wasn’t particularly central or close to any of the city gates. That of course meant that they usually got a room.

They had already bathed and put away their things.

Raphia glanced towards the kitchen every few seconds.

Philly didn’t look at Dany, instead staring at the table. She was the one the healer had spoken to.

“Something’s been bothering you for the whole week,” Dany said. She sounded calm, understanding no matter what.

Raphia liked that a lot about her. The healer was one of the oldest in their team, close to Philly in age. It showed.

She had initially thought it a bad idea to work with this team but it turned out the concerns were mostly unwarranted. Of course she would have taken the opportunity anyway. Ilea and then William. Who would say no to that kind of training?

Philly remained quiet.

“It’s okay, Philly,” Raphia said. “Whatever it is.”

She meant it. Raphia thought of them as family. With the training and adventuring they’ve done together, they might even be closer than her real siblings.

“Alright. I want to become William’s student,” Philly said.

Cornelius snorted. “You’re already his student.”

Dany looked serious. “She doesn’t mean that. A personal tutor. He offered it to you?”

Philly nodded. “He finally accepted.”

It made sense Raphia thought. The man used ice magic and so did she. “That’s great for you!” she said and smiled.

“It means she won’t be part of this team anymore. Am I understanding that correctly?” Cornelius asked.

What?

Philly nodded.

“Why?” Raphia couldn’t help but ask. She knew the opportunity was good but as Cornelius said, they were already being taught by William. Just not directly and one to one.

“You’ve not been perfectly happy either. Am I wrong?” Philly asked, looking at the three of them.

“The talk we had, Cornelius. I didn’t give you an answer before but now I have one. I don’t think I want that,” Philly said.

The boy seemed conflicted.

“What do you mean?” Dany asked, looking at the two of them. “Philly, either way. It’s your decision. If you want to leave the team, I won’t hold you back.”

“What talk?” Raphia asked. She was getting annoyed at the secrecy. “Say it. I thought we were friends.”

Cornelius rolled his eyes but answered nonetheless. “Aren’t you a little tired of these jobs?”

“What do you mean? We get to go on adventures, fight monsters, and earn our own gold,” Raphia said. This was exactly what she had wanted to do. She was already at level 95 and could give money to her family whenever she visited in Ravenhall.

“It’s not enough,” Cornelius said.

“You want to become a Shadow?” Dany asked. “You know there’s no easy way. It takes time and dedication. It helps nobody if you get killed being reckless. These jobs are good. They’re safe.”

“I know. But what if there’s another way? One that might be more dangerous but also more rewarding?” Cornelius asked, talking in a whisper now.

“The education we get is rewarding enough, and we reached level one hundred in no time at all. Do you know how long it takes for normal adventurers? Without being as fortunate as we are?” Dany said. She was getting a little agitated.

Raphia didn’t like where the talk was going. She did want to become powerful but she thought they were already doing a good job.

“You sound just like Philly,” Cornelius said, shaking his head.

“What exactly did you have in mind anyway? I’m not going into some high level dungeon without a plan just for you to die to some creature you thought you could kill,” Dany said.

Cornelius smiled and looked at Raphia.

“What?” she asked, distracted when the food arrived.

They all got their plates and remained silent for a little while, eating.

“The healers that sometimes have Classes with William…,” Cornelius started.

“You want to join an Order?” Dany asked, chuckling as she rolled her eyes.

“There is no healing order in Ravenhall,” he snapped back.

“What? Do you not think they could send a group to receive training from a famous Shadow?” Dany asked.

“But they’re not,” he said. “Raphia is friends with one of them.”

“Oh, you mean Celeste?” Raphia asked. “I wouldn’t say friends… she was interested in my magic. Not the first.”

“I listened to the two of you talk a few weeks ago. She didn’t sound like she was from a healing order. Their gear doesn’t fit either. Nor does the fact that many of them didn’t have a healer tag… they have one now,” he said.

Dany didn’t interrupt him.

“We never saw them in the city either. They come to the lessons and then they’re gone,” he added.

“Not that unusual. Maybe they’re sponsored by a powerful noble or something? Could still just be a healing order,” Dany said.

“I agree with all that… but she said she knows Lilith,” Cornelius said, looking around to see if anybody was paying attention to their conversation.

There were only three other people present, quite far away and having their own conversation.

“She could have lied?” Dany asked.

Raphia smiled. “I think she knows her. We both really like her, that’s why we talked about her for a little longer. She knows about the ash, the wings, and some other things too.”

“An order founded by Ilea?” Dany asked.

“What? Wait… how did I… oh no… are you kidding me?” Cornelius said, looking lost in thought at the end.

Dany laughed. “You never made the connection? It’s quite obvious, isn’t it?” she asked.

He shook his head.

“I think it’s just a coincidence. Either way, it’s not impossible, right?” he asked.

“Their levels aren’t that impressive though,” Dany said.

“Doesn’t matter if they have good Classes. Raphia only has one and she’s just as strong as us,” Cornelius said.

Raphia scratched her neck, nearly choking on her food.

“It’s the truth,” Cornelius said. “My dust magic takes a long time to use. And you’re a mixed bag Dany.”

“There is some truth to that,” Dany said. “But why have we never heard of it from William? If that’s an option.”

“Maybe he deemed it sensible,” Philly said, making it clear that that was the reason.

“Or we weren’t ready. Maybe they just forgot about us. William and Lilith are busy people. Why would they care about the likes of us?” he asked.

“She cares!” Raphia nearly shouted. She looked around and calmed down. “She cares. If it helps us get stronger, then why shouldn’t we try?”

“You could ask that friend of yours,” Cornelius said.

“I’m sure William would be the person to talk to,” Philly said, finally giving them her attention. “You know what you’re talking about though, do you? This is Ilea… Lilith. It won’t be some happy adventuring and spell training. Do you think she got to where she is without pain and sacrifice? I think nobody ever asked us to join because we’re simply not made for that kind of training.”

“And you’re the one to judge that?” Dany asked. “We did it before. Trained with her that is.”

“Yeah,” Raphia supplied. They had trained with Ilea, why should they not be able to do it.

“A few bouts with pointers isn’t the same as real training… you’ve seen those healers,” Philly said and rolled her eyes.

“There you have your answer, Cornelius. Why don’t we go to Ravenhall in the morning and talk to William,” she added after the girls remained silent.

He smiled, quite smug that two of them had taken his side.

“Even if we weren’t ready. The adventuring we did by now, it will prove we’re dedicated,” Dany said.

Raphia couldn’t help but smile at the idea. Celeste didn’t look much older than her but something about the girl scared her. The same had been true for Ilea. Well she was much older but not old.

“Who’s in favor?” Dany asked.

Philly was the only one who didn’t reply.

Raphia wasn’t sure if the woman didn’t like the idea because she didn’t want to participate or if it meant that their paths would diverge.

“We can still be friends!” she said and smiled at her.

Philly looked at her for a while and nodded. “That’s true,” she said after another long moment.