Chapter 91

The suns set and darkness settled on the city of Ur. In the sky above, the black moon dominated the heavens. As Night finally came, the Skylight Festival began.

A kaleidoscope of lights filled the sky, blue and red, green and yellow, every color of the rainbow spread across the horizon, forming waves and clashing against each other. Where the energies met, crackling eruptions of white light would explode with loud bangs.

The swirling energies formed images, horses galloped across the heavens, charging across plains of green, before slamming into a massive whale, its body shaped of yellow clouds. Their collision created an explosion that turned night to day for a brief moment in Ur, and the crowd stood in awe at the scene.

A group of artists, working in concert to combine their magic, shaped the Skylights into a green dragon, while their rival group formed a blue lion. The festival became an opportunity for them to showcase their talents, and soon the sky was filled with battling beasts and monsters.

One enterprising business had hired an artist to create a large banner for their establishment, and soon a dancing, scantily clad woman was holding two pitchers of ale, while ‘The Drunken Mule’ was written in burning letters above it. The image held for nearly a minute, before another group changed the woman to a large, potbellied man in a dress, and the crowd erupted in laughter.

The festival continued late into the evening, and Wil found himself leaning against a large tree, enjoying the cool night air. The pavilion had become noisy and crowded as the Night went on. The atmosphere was stifling, and he had ducked out for a moment of peace, his ears ringing from the Skylights, the music, and the shouting of the crowd.

He had also wanted a reprieve from the constant challenges from Astrid’s suitors. Over a dozen times he had been called out, challenged to one ridiculous test or contest after another. Several had wanted to spar, which he had turned down immediately. One young man had been so insistent that Wil had no choice but to agree.

Standing in a cleared circle in the center of the pavilion, they had agreed to one spell each, to showcase their skills and test their magical knowledge against each other. The young man, whose name Wil hadn’t learned, was a Rank 7 mage, and was a relatively well known noble in Ur.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t had much experience with combat, and Wil was 3 ranks higher than him. Combined with Wil’s access to the Compendium of Conjuration, no one here could match him for spell variety and skill.

Wil had knocked him out of the circle with a simple, Tier one ‘Grease’ spell on the ground, created with a wave of his hand as Wil dashed forward, his legs enhanced by mana. One shove of his hand was all it took to win, the young man still forming his first, Tier 3 spell matrix. He had gently skidded out of the circle, wounding only his pride.

After that fight, he had taken to turning the challenges down outright, merely walking away from the young men and ignoring their outrage. Some were incredibly creative with their insults, but Wil didn’t let them draw him into their conflicts.

Alone in the darkness, sheltered from the pavilion by the tree’s broad trunk, Wil relaxed his guard, letting the noise of the celebration wash over him.

Gazing up at the Skylights, a battle of beasts and monsters raging overhead, Wil felt a moment of peace in the Night, before a pulsation of mana from his bag of holding broke him from his reverie.

Reaching deep into the bag, he pulled out the Emerald gemstone that contained the Earth Elemental. Feeling its warmth in his hand, he channeled some of his mana into the object, before placing it on the grassy lawn.

A man-sized figure emerged from the ground, tufts of grass clinging to its body. The earth elemental looked around, momentarily distracted by the fierce magic of the Skylights, before turning and bowing towards Wil.

“Master. Betrayer. Here.” It rumbled, and Wil could feel the vibration of its voice rumbling beneath his feet.

Wil knew instantly what it was referring to. The elemental’s previous master had been betrayed and murdered by another guild member. To gain its allegiance, Wil had agreed to hunt the ‘betrayer’ with it at the first opportunity. He didn’t think that they would be fortunate enough to encounter him so soon after joining the Guild.

“How near?” Wil stepped forward, alert as he assessed the area around him for threats. The festival and the trivial concerns of politics were no longer in his mind at all. Someone willing to betray their friend and guild member was a risk that couldn’t be allowed to run free.

“Unknown. Muddled. Wild mana confused trail.” It said, and Wil could almost make out the frustrated look on its rocky face.

“We’ll need to search the city and the Wilds, possibly the entire borderlands themselves if the trail is cold.” Wil muttered, already planning in his head. Ur was the largest city on the borderlands, with a Guild branch, but several of the other towns and cities in this mountain range were popular locations for adventurers as well.

The best option would be to join the local Guild branch, taking on quests that ranged the surrounding territory. The more Guild members he made contact with, the easier it would be for the Elemental to track the betrayer.

“We’ll find him, whatever it takes, no matter how long we have to stay and search.” Wil promised.

Satisfied, the Elemental nodded its large head, before slowly sinking back into the ground. It could feel the conviction in Wil from the bond they shared.

Just as it disappeared, Astrid walked out of the darkness. The skylights dyed her silver hair in numerous colors, and her face was flushed red from the heat of the pavilion. Wil had left her while she was dancing with her father, stepping outside to cool off.

Seeing the delighted look on her face, her lips stretched into a wide smile, the beautiful woman glided across the grass, her long black dress billowing in the gentle breeze.

“There you are! You owe me a dance, Wil!” She said, laughing as she wrapped an arm around his, intent on dragging him back to the Pavilion.

Wil smiled, her energy was infectious, and it seemed to drive away the darkness around them. The conversation with the Elemental had left him on edge, aware of the dangers that lurked around every corner.

“Sorry, I just needed a moment.” Wil explained, bending down to pick up the Emerald from the grass.

“Trouble?” Astrid asked, recognizing the gemstone instantly. Her smile was instantly replaced with an icy expression, and she moved closer to him, warily watching the surroundings.

Wil was impressed, her exposure to danger during the trials had already left its mark on her. With time, and experience, she would no doubt be an incredibly capable adventurer.

“No, not yet anyway. Just an old debt that needs to be repaid for a friend.” Wil said, tucking the emerald into his bag. He briefly described his deal with the elemental, how he had agreed to hunt down the betrayer, who was either in the city, or had been at some point in the near past.

“Would you be upset if I stuck around Ur for a while? I’m going to register at the local branch and take on some quests.” Wil asked.

“Why would I be upset, I think that’s wonderful! My parents won’t refuse me accompanying you as long as we’re close to the city!” Astrid exclaimed, delighted. Her goal of becoming stronger was now more attainable with a skilled and experienced companion to accompany her.

“Hmm, maybe you should stay here. We’ll have enough trouble without every young man in the borderlands trying to impress you. I’m more worried about them than anything in the Wilds.” Wil joked.

“I can’t help that I’m beautiful. Just because you’re ugly, doesn’t mean that you can be rude.” Astrid teased, her eyes sparkling at her teasing remarks.

“I’ll have you know, if we were in Illyria, you’d be the one fighting duels over me!” Wil lied, and Astrid snorted in laughter at the image.

“Come on, you still owe me a dance!” She said, dragging him away by his arm. Wil reluctantly followed along, eager for the evening to end.

They spent the remainder of the evening in each other’s company, and the challenges of tomorrow seemed far away.