Over the next few hours, news spread that Tori was here in the hospital, and the rest of the group came to the Nature Priests’ sitting room to come greet her.
Her memory was mostly intact, and there was no question that she was who she claimed to be once she started talking to the others.
Then the nurse came back in with a Commander Rank Spellblade Elder, wearing the combat robes that Karl recognized from his time with Prince Corbin and the others.
The man glanced around the room, pausing when Remi wiggled her head flap at him in greeting, and then turned his gaze on Tori.
“Miss Tori? I am Elder Khalil of the Spellblade Sect. We would like to invite you to finish your training with us.” The man greeted her with a soft smile.
“Spellblade? I don’t know anything about swords?” Tori replied.
The Elder laughed. “How many mages do? That’s the point of training, to learn things that compliment your abilities and close holes in the skill set of a mage. With the abilities of a Spellblade, mages become an even more potent combat force.
I can’t promise that it will be fast or easy. In fact, I can’t even promise that it will be particularly enjoyable. But I can promise that we look out for our own, and you will learn what you need to know before your training is finished.”
Tori looked skeptical, but Karl thought it might be a good idea. She wanted a fresh start, away from her reputation, and she didn’t have one with the Spellblades.
Karl nodded to the Elder. “They do train the girls just as well as the boys, and they’re well suited to the techniques. I duelled one of their Acolytes, and she was much more impressive than most of the Awakened Elites that I have seen.
The combination of blade and movement techniques along with mage spells was incredibly impressive.”
That calmed some of Tori’s fears.
“And how are the Spellblades regarded?” She asked.
“We’re less present here than we are in many of the magical nations, but officially, we are treated the same as Elites of the same Rank. In the magical nations, the Spellblade Clans have a status equivalent to Elite Soldiers of their armies, and the Elders are granted respect everywhere they go, unless it’s the territory of a rival Clan.” Elder Khalil chuckled.
The politics of the Clans in other nations were much more complex, as everyone fought for influence among the many factions of magic users. But in the Golden Dragon nation, and the other nonmagical human nations, the respect for their powers was less conditional, and more linked to their Rank.
But that was a lot to explain to someone that he was trying to recruit for his Clan. It wasn’t often that they not only got the chance to take in someone with proven potential, but someone who already knew the basics of magic.
The first few years were normally spent building the base of their magical knowledge, as without the Divine Injection, they were starting from zero without a cheat code, and it all came down to the accumulation of knowledge and hard work.
Tori knew a little about the Spellblade Clans, but only as hearsay, and hadn’t met any that were from the Golden Dragon Nation before. The Elder did seem like a decent guy, though, and everyone in the room seemed to have a positive opinion of his group.
“What would I have to do to join your Clan?” Tori asked.
“We have two requirements. An oath of loyalty, that you will not betray the secrets of the Clan or its members, and secondly you must give up your past. All our Acolytes take on new names when they join the Clan so that they can’t be as easily tracked by those who might hold a grudge against their lineage.
Now, I doubt that your parents have enemies that would challenge a Spellblade Clan, but the rule is the same for mages who join from other nations as well.” He explained, then straightened his long white beard with one hand, making him look ancient and wise, in a stereotypical mage way.
Tori hesitated for a few more seconds, then extended her hand.
“I agree to your proposal.”
The Elder bowed politely to her as he shook her hand.
“Wonderful, I will escort you back to the Sect complex. Don’t forget that your name will be changing when you arrive, so those friends that you have here won’t be able to easily look for you. We won’t deny them, if they arrive looking for you, but if anyone asks about your old name, we will deny knowing your old identity.” he reminded her.
Karl gave the now young mage a hug. “Don’t worry, if you need us, we’re easier to find than you are. In a pinch, just ask Prince Corbin to send me a message. We’ve worked together in the past, and he is a good man.”
Elder Khalil nodded. “He actually requested for Commander Karl and his group to come fight on our battle lines during the war. I do wonder what you did to Rosalind that made her hate you so much. She hates men in general, but Karl in a very personal and particular way.”
Dana and Lotus both laughed and gestured for Karl to explain.
“When we first met, she challenged me to a duel to prove that Spellblades were the superior training method. Now, I was Ascended to her Awakened, and it didn’t end well for her. She didn’t take the loss well.
She was still quite professional while we were in danger, but I suspect that we’re not going to be lifelong best friends.” Karl explained.
Lotus nodded. “That sort of public humiliation won’t be quickly forgotten. Her team was there to fight a monster above their rank as a training exercise, and Karl is definitely a monster and above her Rank. Prince Corbin had to intervene to save her at the end.”
Karl gave Lotus his best innocent look. “Monster? I am a sweet and gentle young man.”
[No, that’s me.] Thor interjected.
Karl couldn’t even argue with that comeback.
The Elder nodded, and Tori gave a tearful bow to the others before turning to follow him. Long tearful goodbyes would only make this harder than it had to be, and everyone was already waving farewell to her.
“I can’t believe she was so cute as a kid. Those ringlets.” Bob chuckled once the Elder and Tori were well away from the room.
“Right? She’s going to be a heartbreaker once she gets to the Spellblade Clan. But worse, she’s like six years older than she looks. She will be ready to stab someone within a week for treating her like a child.” Karl laughed.
Bob smirked. “That’s kind of the point, isn’t it? I mean, she’s there to learn to blend blades and magic. She knows some magic, so making her better with a sword is their definition of success.”
“How is your head?” Dana asked as Karl settled into a chair along the wall.
“Much better. I’ve had the Refreshing Lightning barrier up all night, and it’s helping, but they said when I got here that the healing spell should have it sorted in a day or two.
I doubt that they’re going to release us that quickly, and my arm is still a bit numb. My fingers are working as instructed now, which is a good start, but it will need a few more days to be back up to fully functional.
How about you? You were pretty shaken when we arrived.” Karl asked.
Dana gave him a thin smile that made it plain that she was planning to lie to him.
“I’m alright. Actually seeing Tori helped. At least I know that she’s alive and well.” She replied.
That second part sounded like the truth, but Karl didn’t know what had happened in that wagon during the fight, other than that it had ended badly. The first part was clearly a lie, and even the clerics that didn’t know her could tell, judging by the sympathetic looks they were giving her.
“Well, we’re all here for the same reason. Have you considered herbal remedies?” One of the nature priestesses suggested.
Doug laughed. “I know that everyone thinks we’re just getting high, and they’re not really wrong. But we’re not just getting high. It’s a spell to bring the mind back in balance with nature.
But do you know what would help even more? If we could all just nap against a Lightning Cerro.”
[YES! Finally.]
