A single person was wandering on the imperial country road leading from Baliho to Trallop. The person was dressed in plain, gray robes that proved her identity as a member of the 'Great Gray Guild of the Spirit'... or, as they were more commonly known, as a Gray Mage.
The robes the young mage was wearing weren't too fancy... their owner wasn't very rich, so she couldn't afford more expensive ones. Her staff, while still looking impressive for a non-magic user, also wasn't something a regular mage would be proud of.
Just a simple staff, crafted from the wood of a blood elm's tree, decorated with a few carved runes, and its tip was adorned by a small claw made out of moon silver. This claw was also holding a single, oval stone. Ignorant observers would instantly assume that this would be a crystal, but it was actually made out of soapstone.
Ami looked at her staff with a smile while she was wandering along the empty road. While her staff wasn't as fancy-looking as most of those who successfully graduated from the 'Sword and Staff Academy Beilunk' - one of the most renowned magical schools, specialized in battle magic - she still couldn't help but feel pride when looking at it. She finally did it: She was a full-fledged mage now.
Of course, she was still a beginner and had much to learn... but that was the destiny of every single mage, may he be graduated from an academy or not.
She grasped the pole of her staff and felt the magic flowing within. Of course, like every Mage's Staff, hers was a magical artifact. The staff helped the mage in channelling his or her powers, but also held various enchantments on its own.
Up to seven special enchantments could be placed within a staff, and Ami already had placed four of them within.
The First Enchantment is always done right after the successful completion of a mage's final exam: It creates a spiritual bond between the mage and the staff and, at the same time, makes it nearly indestructible, so that only extremely powerful magic or a dragon's breath would be enough to destroy it.
The Second Enchantment allows the mage to turn the staff into a magical torch that can never get extinguished. The Third Enchantment, similarly, allows the mage to turn it into a rope that is able to wrap itself around any obstacle, on the mage's command.
The mage is always able to make the staff change its shape to torch or rope and back to staff as he or she pleases.
Ami had yet to complete the Fifth Enchantment... and she would only able to place the Sixth and Seventh Enchantment on her staff upon completing the Fifth one. But she felt confident that one of these days, she would be able to place the Fifth Enchantment on her staff as well.
Of course, the magical abilities of her staff weren't the only thing she brought from the academy: She was now a skilled battle mage, able to fight both with her staff, as well as with the various magical spells her teachers have taught her. Of course, she also had been able to master several spells that weren't battle spells, but as Master Arius always used to say: Ami had always been a very hard-working student.
Ami smiled, finally her dream had come true: Coming back home to where she and her friends had spent a wonderful childhood, and showing them that she had managed to get somewhere with her natural talents.
She couldn't wait to see everyone again. How long had it been, six years?
"I wonder how everyone fared?" she said to herself. "Haruka and Rei should be formidable warriors by now... And Michiru wanted to join the royal marine in Festum. I bet she's at least first mate."
Ami continued walking ahead. Not many travelers were on the road today. She felt a little tired, so she had considered if she should simply hitchhike. But as she still couldn't see a single cart rolling along the road, she would just have to continue on foot.
About noon, the young mage started to feel hungry, so she decided to take a break. She just wanted to sit down on a small boulder that was lying next to the road, when she saw smoke rising up into the blue sky. Was there anyone cooking his lunch? Maybe he wouldn't mind some company... After a long journey on foot, just by herself, Ami really felt like talking to someone.
As she came closer, she could see that it was indeed a campfire someone had started near the road. The smell of a roasted rabbit reached her nostrils, and she took a deep sniff.
A figure clad in green and brown leather knelt next to the fire and made sure to keep it burning. A small dog with a bushy tail was lying nearby and raised his head when Ami came closer.
Ami saw a bow, a quiver and several pieces of hunting equipment lying next to the man... or was it a woman? She assumed this would be a hunter, one of the woodsmen that lived in the forest and made a living by hunting big or small animals.
"Excuse me..." Ami spoke up shyly. "But I couldn't help but smell your delicious meal... would you mind if I join you? I've been walking all day long and could use some company."
"Sure," came the reply. "Sit down and..." The 'stranger' stopped when she raised her head and looked at Ami. An all-too-familiar, brown ponytail came spilling out from under the hunter's green hat.
"Ami?" she said in surprise. "Is that you?"
"Ma... Makoto?" Ami shouted in joy. "I can't believe it! To meet you here, of all places..."
The two friends embraced each other deeply, then they both stepped back, so they could get a look at each other.
Makoto whistled. "Looking good, Ami! I suppose that staff isn't just for show, eh?"
Ami giggled. "Nope, I'm a trained battle mage now. A-hem... you may call me: 'Mistress Ami'!"
Makoto chuckled at that. "Not into those kind of things, thanks!"
"Oh you!" Ami playfully punched her shoulder, and the two girls had to laugh again.
"But why the gray robe?" Makoto asked curiously as they saw down next to each other, at the fire. "Couldn't you get anything in a brighter color?"
Ami shook her head. "Makoto, you really are clueless, are you? Everyone knows that there are three main magic guilds in Aventuria: The White Guild, the Gray Guild and the Black Guild. And I, well, I just joined the Grey Guild. That gives me the most freedom, I think. The Black Mages always want to control everything with their power, and the White Mages... well... they always preach that we have to stop the Black Mages from getting too much power, and so on. They're both confining their students way too much for my tastes. So when they asked me to join their school instead of the Grey Guild, I declined with a firm: 'No, thanks!'"
Makoto grinned. "That's our Ami! Never lets herself being pushed around by others!"
Just then, the dog came over to her, and poked her with his snout. He whined.
"Ah yes, forgot to introduce ya," Makoto said while ruffling the dog's fur. "This is Shadow... a good pal and a really great help when on the hunt."
"Shadow?" Ami asked while she watched the dog with his brown fur and the pointy ears. "Unusual name, but I like it."
"Well, his full name is 'Shadow Hunter'. He is a Nivesian Tundra Dog, and the woman who named him told me that he always used to snap at people's shadows when he was a pup."
Ami giggled. "Well, he's awfully friendly," she said and petted Shadow, as he came over to smell her.
"Not towards orcs, I can tell ya," Makoto explained. "I think he really hates them. Heck, he only has to smell one, and he just can't stop barking."
Ami then realized something. "Makoto... what's with all that hunting stuff anyway? I thought you were in Baliho, with Lady Alina. Didn't you want to be a disciple of Peraine?"
"Please, don't start with that stuff," Makoto groaned. "I simply had no idea how awful and boring that was going to be. All the time we just studied herbs and stuff, and she always preached on how I had to help others... I mean, helping is good and all, but... I just can't picture myself as a scholarly herbalist like that. I love nature, sure, but... I really prefer hunting out in the wild. Searching for animal tracks, hunting down your prey... now that is life!"
Ami gave her friend a sly smirk. "Does Lady Alina know about your new 'occupation'?"
"How should I know? I didn't see her for years."
"You don't mean...?"
"Yup!" Makoto grinned. "I used the first chance I got and took off. A hunter that was living nearby took care of me from that day on. He even taught me to take care of myself. And I'll tell you, Ami, I didn't regret it one single time."
Ami thought about it, then shrugged. Makoto was right, she somehow couldn't picture her friend as some herbalist... even if she knew that the priests in the service of the goddess Peraine were more than that. And if Makoto was happy, why not?
Shortly after, the rabbit was done, and Makoto invited her friend to the meal.
"I can't wait to meet the others again," Makoto exclaimed before biting into the tender meat. "I wonder if Minako managed to find a job that's suitable for her..."
"I really hope so as well," Ami nodded. "But it certainly couldn't have been easy for her..."
"Yeah, I know..." her brunette friend sighed. "Not many people would take a half-elf like her as an apprentice..."
"Well, I suppose she..." Ami was going to continue, but then, some loud noise interrupted their conversation.
"What the...?" Makoto wondered and stood up. "What's going on?"
Somewhere down the road, the two girls could hear cries and a loud crash. Also, a number of weird, high-pitched voices that sounded very familiar to both of them.
Makoto gave off an angry snarl, and Shadow growled as well.
"Lemme guess..." Ami said. "Goblins."
"A whole pack of them," Makoto grumbled. "Sounds like they're attacking some traveller..." She groaned. "I'll tell you, it's always the same with the red-pelts... they never learn just to stay back in the mountains, where they come from!"
She quickly poured some water over the fire to quickly extinguish the flames, grabbed her weapons and shouted: "C'mon, Ami! We got to help them!"
"I'm with you," the grey mage shouted, and the two girls and the dog ran into battle.
Read the comments on this episode
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Thu, 18 Jan 2007 11:17)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.