It turned out that Sir Arthur even went to the extent of bribing a crew only to helped them sneaked inside the ship. At the same time, the ship that they boarded happened to transport items with magical background and delivers them to different places. Also, this ship serves as the medium to bring the students back to Iridos. Coincidentally the kingdom of Corona was the ship's last stop before it would set sail back to the said school.
It was not hard to infer that Sir Arthur used imported magical goods to cook everything in his tavern. He has been their customer ever since he started his business, so basically, he managed to forge some connection inside the ship over time. The wind was still howling outside as huge waves knock the side of the ship every now and then. As a result, the ship sways making Audrey lost her balance. She will occasionally lean at the wall to regain her footing. The sound of creaking woods echoed as Audrey an
After some fumbling on keys as the cabin crew tries to unlock the room, the doorknob finally turns and soon a magnificent room blinded them. As soon as Audrey walks inside the room, the cabin crew bid his farewell." How did they manage to fit a room as big as this in this small corridor???"Audrey asked with a mix of bewilderment and amazement in her voice as she looks around.[ I suppose it has something to do with magic again.]The room was a stark contrast from the dark and narrow corridor with a wooden floor that keeps on creaking in protest whenever something weighs above it.The interior of the room was akin to a resort or hotel room in line with the theme of Greek mythology.The paint is a combination of white and gold and on each corner are Corinthian pillars. The room has a complete set of furniture, from bed, cl
When they look up, they saw an ornate lighting fixture suspended from the ceiling. It was akin to a chandelier, but what makes it different is that it does not have branches to hold the candles. Instead, the candles were suspended on their own. Hanging in mid-air!!![I don't know about you, but this definitely have so much 'Deja Vu' feel for me and so I cannot help but think that the vibe of this ship was like I got into some part of the movie titanic.]"Don't be silly, in what way did it resembles titanic????"[I don't know either?! I just feel like it is...]"Just forget about it. You're sending me creeps. I'm not yet over from that ship sinking part. I don't want to play Rose and Jack in the middle of this unknown water."The queen-sized bed was so tempting, it was like finding an oasis after a long walk in a desert.&
On the very next day, woken up by the sunlight that fell on her face, Audrey stirred on her bed. She even tried to cover herself under the blanket as she attempted to reposition her body finding the best spot to continue her slumber.But realizing that sleepiness escapes her already, she decided to sit up on the edge of the bed and brush away the remaining sleepiness in her eyes.She did a cursory look at the small glass window at her side and there she saw that the sun was already rising majestically outside. It was as if the heavy rain and the brewing storm last night were all part of a dream.Yet the Greek-inspired room where she was currently resting at, was foolproof evidence that everything that happened last night was all for real.She was finally heading to Iridos for real!Looking back at her bed, she saw her cat still lazing beneath the bed cover. To be pr
As if they plan to wake up all at the same time, door after door opened one by one. It did not take long for the small and narrow corridor to be crowded as all of them headed in the same direction.When they were finally out, the people scattered within the ship's deck. Minding their own business.Not knowing what to do next, Audrey decided to observe everyone first. They casually walk towards the edge of the ship's deck, using the guardrail to support her as she walks.[ Aren't we suppose to have our breakfast???? Little girl, I'm starving.]"Yeah sure, have this."She casually handed her cat the meat jerky that Sir Arthur gave last night. Then Audrey continued to look from a distance.She squinted her eyes, trying hard to look in one direction.Nero, on the other hand, feels that he was tricked into
"Who has the gut to attack the ship carrying the students of Magus Academia????" One of the passengers asked in puzzlement as he reaches inside his robe. As if on cue, the remaining number of the man left within the ship's deck reached inside their robes and took out a wand. "Wow! Everyone here is a warlock! They all knew magic!!!" Audrey shouted in amazement in her mind. But soon realization struck her. "Everyone was capable of protecting themselves, but how about me???" "It was a flock of Harpies!!!!" "Harpies?!!! Shoot! Why now?!!!" "This gonna be bloody." Heated discussion started to resurface as the remaining men in the ship's deck converse to one another. Audrey at the corner grimaced as the severity of the situation unfolds. She tried her best to shr
Audrey shivered upon meeting the said harpies for the first time. She saw the face of a woman, attached to a human head, but all humanity ended there. Because the rest of its body resembles a huge blackbird."I just hope we would not end up as one of their dinner."[ No worries, those bunch of idiots are nothing but a child's play to me...]Nero boasted as he puffs his furred chest. If he was in his panther form right now, maybe Audrey might feel the chivalry that her cat was trying to impose. But right now, Nero looks nothing but a cute little cat puffing his cute little fluffy chest."Errr.. aren't you going to transform first???"Audrey reminded her cat nicely, but Nero did not heed her advice.[Shhhh.. Trust me. We can manage. This form would do just fine]It did not take long for the Harpies to arrived. At the same time, the warlocks in
"HEEEEEEEEEELPPPP"Screamed a man as he got lifted off the ground by two Harpies. It was as if the two birds with the face of that of a woman were trying to snatch the body of the poor man to one another. They ended up tugging at both ends."NOOOOOOOOO... Please... Someone... Please make them stoooooooppppp!"The man keeps on shouting as pain assaulted his body. His cry was a mix of pain and agony. Yet no matter how hard he cried for help, it was to no avail. Everyone was busy defending themselves from the sudden onslaught of these said harpies.Audrey, on the other hand, decided that she can't watch idly as she saw the man being tortured like that." Nero!!! Quick... help him...."[I'm sorry, Audrey but I cannot. That man over there is a warlock he must have other means to survive. But you, you on the other hand don't have any
That scene of the man mercilessly being torn into half will haunt Audrey on the nights to come and it only goes without saying that it will be one of her darkest nightmares at that. The shrill voice continues to resound at the ship's deck. But it was hard to discern whether the sound was still coming from the Harpies or if it is already the scream of the warlocks who unfortunately fall victim to this onslaught of Harpies. A few Harpies will occasionally look at Audrey's side but as soon as they saw her, they will scrunch their face as if they were disgusted by her sight.HUH! How dare you use that disgusted expression over me????"You are the one disgusting!!YOUR WHOLE FAMILY IS DISGUSTING!!!!!Audrey should be happy that the Harpies have no plan of attacking her right???? But she can't help but gnash her teeth due to anger whenever she saw their expressi
[Distract them for me.]“Was it not only right for Steffi to get to use to eye whenever she feels like it?? I mean, she is older than the two of you so naturally, she was supposed to have more authority above both of you, no?.”“Ehhh… She’ll be fine. I’m the youngest so they should let me wear it more.” (Meredith)“The kid is right. The eldest should have the eyeball. She is a genius” (Steffi)Steve, on the other hand, seemed to get what Audrey was trying to do, so he said something that would surely add fuel to the fire.“But what about the middle child? I am sure, Ariel wants to have her turn too.&rdqu
“Now, where are we? Right, cooking.”Steffi changed the topic on purpose, before turning to her sisters.“I need the eye to check if it's ready, who has it?”“It’s around here, somewhere,”Meredith replied as she started to rummage through a pile of disorganized drawers. She felt obliged to respond since she was the last one to use the Magus Eye. Unfortunately, she forgot where she left it.“The last time I saw it, you put it in the utensils compartment, Meredith” Steffi insinuated using a lazy tone so the other party rebutted,“Don’t use that tone with my name.”Ariel on the other hand joined in this time to inform them that the eye was nowhere to be seen.“It’s not there this time.”After a while of contemplation, Meredith’s face lit up as she recalled something.“Aha! Steffi always put it in the dish cabinet:”And just like that, she found where her sister was hiding it.Consequently, the group found it interesting to watch how the three sisters could be talkative without having t
“I agree with Ariel. Why don’t we invite them over? This way, we could continue our chat there whilst they take their much-needed rest.” This time, it was Meredith who spoke and she deliberately told her sisters this. Nonetheless, she has spoken the words loud enough to be heard by others. The students, on the other hand, were beyond ecstatic when they overhear the ongoing conversation. But decided that it would be best not to allow their emotion to show on their faces. At this point, Meredith turned to the group and greeted them with a bow. “Let me apologize on my sister’s behalf. The thing is, it has been a while since we had visitors. As such, we are no longer accustomed to receiving guests.” She insinuated before she slowly approached the bunch of bewildered youngsters; careful not to bump her toe as she felt her way through the darkness. Her blindness was made obvious by her action and it made her appear pitiful to any onlooker. Truth be told, the Grae’s current act of displ
“Seriously, when will they stop obsessing over Cercei?”Tsking in annoyance, Steffi stealthily moved her slender fingers next to the Magnus Eye with the full intention of taking it back from her younger sister’s possession.“These people were getting on my nerves!”She purposely added this to appeal to her sisters’ sentiment so that their minds could focus somewhere else and they would not notice it once she started hogging the magic eye all for herself again. Meanwhile, her plan worked, as it always did. Ariel readily agreed to her and with a voice full of despondency, she said,“That’s how the mage community works. They fear what they could not understand and so they are set on destroying anything that they cannot control.”Ariel finished with an exasperated sigh. Meredith, on the other hand, could not help but clenched her fist as she was reminded of their good friend’s plight. Then with her brows knitted together, she roared,“The gal did not deserve all this hatred.”Meanwhile, t
On the flip side, rewinding the clock a tad, just a few minutes before Audrey’s group discovered that they unknowingly fall under a spell, the Graes were already watching them. “The eye! Who has the eye?” Meredith, the youngest, shouted at the top of her lungs. Steffi, on the other hand, stepped away from the giant cauldron before answering. “Over here. I had it with me.” She purposely put a safe distance between her and her two sisters before taking the eye out from her pocket. Afterward, she put the eyeball inside her empty socket. Meanwhile, Ariel, the middle child among the three sisters complained, “You again? You are always snagging our eyes by yourself.” “I know right? Give us a chance as well.” Meredith seconded. But Steffi only rolled her removable eye and mumbled, “Oh, shut up! Stop whining, it's because I have more use of this than the two of you combined.” Ariel no longer argued. But Meredith was different. “Give me that, it is my turn today.” She insinuated and
“But this was done in consideration of what was the lesser evil. News about how the petrifying monster has been terrorizing the Black Forest had already reached the ears of the masses and as a result, was causing mayhem among the people; both non-magic and magic practitioners alike. If it was not for that, the mage community would not make a move.” “Terrorizing, you say.” The Grae mockingly repeated Niccoli’s word that struck her noggin the most. Then with a contemptuous scoff, she added, “What an interesting choice of words considering that it was you, students, who made the first move against her. If you were to ask me, I think it is more accurate to say that it was the other way around. You all are the ones doing the terrorizing. You brought the melee with you and now that she retaliated, you turned her into a villain?” Everyone fell silent afterward but it was not because they were trying to come up with better arguments to refute the other party’s words. Rather, it was due to
Audrey was on her dormitory bed when all that happened, and she was absolutely oblivious to the problem that was headed her way. Meanwhile, the results of the examination were announced on the third day. The students gathered around the square early in the morning and crammed in front of the announcement board to check their results. They also wanted to find out which class they had been allocated to. Niccoli dragged Audrey into the heavily obstructed crowd and finally came before the Herbalist Division’s announcement board. Niccoli immediately found their names, and as expected, both of them had obtained the highest marks for the test. They were also allocated to the Herbalist Division’s violet class for that autumn enrollment. Niccoli was also excited to see the name ‘Andrew’ written on the top of the list. Everyone envied her marks. “Andrew! You are the first! You are the first!” Niccoli was extremely surprised and held onto Audrey’s shoulder. He was very excited, and it was as i
[Alright, I must admit it’s my fault this time. My bad.] “As you should!” Ultimately, Nero acknowledged the part he played in inciting the agitated hut to action. But he also did not forget to let Audrey know that he did not appreciate her tone. [Needless to say, raising your voice is completely unnecessary. Besides, getting mad at me won’t change anything, will it? You’re kind of embarrassing me, just you know.] The cat tried to reason out but with her and her friends’ lives at stake and almost put in danger, Audrey did not back away easily this time. “Oh yeah? Then swear to me that from now on, you will be mindful of your choice of words. We have to be careful with every word we are saying because it was not every time that we got a chance to take it back.” Meanwhile, Nero’s response came shortly. However, it was so brief. Moreover, it did not sound sincere either. [Okay. I promised] So Audrey prompted the cat to state the matter precisely because she did not want him to circ
“What if the Graes already took notice of us as soon as we entered their perimeter and right now, we are under a spell; making our eyes play a trick on us? What if what we are seeing right now is not real?”“Well, if that is the case, then I guess there is only one way to check it.”Audrey insinuated and without wasting another breath, she said the passphrase."Turn your back to the forest, your front to me."Slowly, it dawned on the others as well what was possibly happening and so without waiting to be told what to do, they recited the same thing too."Turn your back to the forest, your front to me."They whispered into the air one after another and almost immediately, the landscape changed into something else, right before their naked eyes.Everyone watched with an awestruck face as the trees turned into fences. At the same time, just a few feet away from where they were standing, they noticed how an empty lot from moments ago started to morph into what seemed to be an inconspicuou