The chief of Ratash Smitheries, Ratash Gorini.
He is a high profile figure, rarely making public appearances, mostly staying in his forge, making artifacts for the binders who matter. Beyond the academy walls.
For big shots, by big shots.
"Student, your ID, please."
The receptionist asked Cecil, professionalism back, tinged with, perhaps jealousy against this non binder kid for meeting the chief. Veiled, but Cecil had 16 years of experience listening to these.
Cecil gave his ID card, and the receptionist scanned it in one of the computers.
"Cecil Velhana, 30 gold for 3 weapons, no delivery charges because you live in the academy dorms. The weapons would be done latest by midnight, you want them tomorrow or?"
"Midnight is fine."
Cecil pulled out his simple, black wallet that was begging to be released from its mortal torment.
And counted the coins, took the reciept, and left.
Next spot that he forgor during his rage induced cafeterial plans.
Potion shops.
He's not going to just let his daggers fly about and do all the work. That will make him himself his own weakness.
The Poet's coming inside me, huh...
He was going to fight head on too and not be a useless, dead weight fuck.
"So much for having a skill like that..."
Cecil muttered as he reached the rows of cheap alchemy stalls, littered with mid sized stores evenly.
Well, Cecil decided to
He ended up scanning every single potion he laid his eyes on.
Recovery Potions around level 40 were his targets, even if he overlevels, however unlikely, these would work.
The optimum potion Cecil found was...
[
HMP potion, Lv 44
Hp recovery- 44%
Hp regeneration- 4Hp per second over 44 seconds
Mp recovery- 44%
Mp regeneration- 4Mp per second over 44 seconds
Purity- 94%
]
This is good and high quality, the purple color looked royally rich, and the traces of black impurities that potions have were almost gone.
The problem? There were like, 10 of these, hidden between identical looking colored water flasks.
Cecil bought all 10 of them for 1 silver each, and handed the shifty looking shopkeeper a gold coin.
The shopkeeper waited for Cecil to say something along the lines of
'keep the change'
"Haven't got Change?"
The shopkeeper shook his head disappointed, and gave Cecil 90 Silver coins back.
It hit him a good distance later, and he mused about missing an opportunity to sound cool.
Then again, his physique might make breach monsters ignore him as food.
Besides, it's not like anyone's watching him.
Next stop, the pharmacy.
Besides medicines, they also sell ration boxes.
[
Ration Box, Lv10
Items-
Full Meal Bar(Lv1, 5 bars)
Water Pouch(Lv1, 5 pouches)
]
Yeah. So these are barely palm sized.
Cecil got like, 20, of these, which was 1 Gold in all.
5:47
So far, everything Cecil wanted to buy has been bought. Now, he had a little over an hour to get ready for his gym session with Aron.
Truth be told, Cecil had never been to a gym before, and he was not sure what to do there.
His path ended before his thoughts. Carrying the shopping bag with him, he reached the dorm building.
White, Green and Cyan. All three faded looking, windows scattered evenly across the entire height.
DORM TORY
There's no 'I' in dormitory. Malfunctioning lights and Pretty common retort to anyone saying shit like:
"There is no 'I' in teamwork."
"There's no 'I' in dormitory, but it works anyway what's your point?"
Cecil punched his ID card at the entrance.
Instead of the green flash of light and jingle, he was greeted with a yellow flash and unnerving silence.
The receptionist picked um her mic, and spoke,
"Student Cecil Velhana, here please."
Cecil made his way to the counter.
"You binded with mana, correct?"
Cecil nodded.
"You have 1 week to arrange your belongings. Inform me when you're ready, I'll call the movers."
Cecil nodded again.
4 years of this building.
He might miss this place.
The thirty floors, 4 rooms for a single person in each.
The 6 buildings for the 6 years.
The tranquil silence and emptiness of each floor.
There were 40 of them, and most floors were occupied by a single person.
Cecil climbed to his floor.
The only source of light was the window beside the staircase, allowing a fraction of the pitiful dusk twilight inside.
The only thing that was illuminated was the stairs, leaving the other, major part in darkness, stagnant, like Cecil used to be.
The place felt desolated, and Cecil opened his door, switched on the lights. Then he switched on the coridoor's light.
Floors 31, 30, 29 and 28 were occupied by the girls. Floor 27 was left empty. Cecil was on floor 26, alone. Floor 25 was empty, and 24 to 1 had the other guys.
"Guess I had 3 floors to myself all this time."
Not a soul responded.
6:21
Where did time go?
6:26
Cecil sat in thought for 5 minutes, thinking of nothing at all. His thoughts were still here, but he couldn't make sense of them. Maybe they were not supposed to make sense, even if he tried.
He just sat there in a daze, just in between reluctance and willingness to understand and unravel his thoughts.
6:27
Cecil stood up, sudden clarity in his mind. He had no idea what he was thinking a while ago.
He saw a red light from the window behind him, and he turned around. Nothing. Probably a patrol drone. Or just a drone.
Cecil looked at himself in the mirror.
Thin, frail, a bit less dark circles under his unchanged ash like eyes. Still grey, still dead.
He ruffled his black hair. Shabby and messy. Again. Less shabby. He walked around the room a bit, and looked back at himself in the mirror.
His hair looked the same as it always did. That same messy pattern that almost all guys have.
Oh well. Time to get ready for the gym.
——————
In another corner of Cyan Garden Academy...
Rose Ecclessia was leaning on her chair, and a few other teachers were doing the same.
She got up abruptly, mumbling about grading tests and left the 'Staff Room'
It was just an unused classroom where teachers played cards and gambled. Sometimes.
She dialled a number in her phone, and began talking soon after.
Proffesionally cold.
"Are they in?... Good, transport behind the tier 2 Ice pond... Do not ask why... Know your place, because I know yours. Good day to you too."
Her face and voice relaxed as she sighed, hung up and called another number.
"Hello?... Yeah, lot of stuff happened today... Mhm... Twrinkle? Heh... Yeah, I won't be back... Take care, good night."
She looked at the time.
7:16
She mused internally, and yawned. There were indeed a lot of things that happened today.
Cecil causing two 'incidents' in one day, Document forgeries faster than she graded tests and the third one, which she's planning herself.