Sword of the Godslayer

Welcome to the City of Wealth

The Tower Academy of Magic taught its students that the City of Soliton was the worst place for a wizard to find themselves in. Putting aside widespread crime and the rampant corruption of its government leaders, its citizens generally frowned upon the practice of magic. There were even past attempts to ban it outright, even changing the name of the city to distance them from the great wizard Soliton. Those proposals would have seen the light day if not for the persistent lobbying against it by the Small Tower's office.

The Solitonians' disdain for magic didn't come from nowhere though. Throughout the city's history, they had been at the mercy of mages. From its beginnings as a trade post of the Ledrith Empire, to becoming one its richest colonies.

After the Sorrowful March, the Ledrithans attempted to reform and reorganize their holdings across the continent, but the Solitonians refused to be annexed again. They instead chose to establish themselves as the Free-City of Soliton. It wasn't a smooth transition, however, as several imperial loyalists attempted to seize power in order for the city to be brought under the heels of the newly created Mage Republic.

It took decades of chaos and infighting between the imperialists, who were mostly wizards, and the nationalists before the city finally achieved peace. All of that resulted in the regulation on magic use, which was soon ratified into the Six Precepts on Magic, a set of rules identifying what can and can't be done using magic inside the city.

In a way, Cassana didn't feel that bad for not finding a replacement for her Focusing Stone yet. At least she wouldn't be tempted to use magic in this city, which would just lead to more troubles that she didn't have the patience to handle.

She went back to the inn after their meeting with Professor Arcturus, together with Lira and Ashvell. Rei was still too weak to travel, so they left him in the Small Tower, with her former teacher promising her that he would be taken care of. The redhead didn't doubt him a little bit, she was well aware of the ministrations that wizards provide, especially to those afflicted with unnatural afflictions.

The trio opted to get a smaller room, with Cassana and Lira sharing a bunk bed, while Ashvell slept on the floor. They didn't have time to organize their stuff, but Lira made sure to check that Minos' effects were still intact. She pulled out one of his sleeping bags and gave it to Ashvell. Finally, he freed Scout from his cage so he could move around the room.

Consequently, despite the long and harrowing day they all had, their collective exhaustion made it easy for the three to doze off into dreamland without a fuss. Cassana woke up the next day to Ashvell and Lira's voices. She looked over below to find the two preparing their equipment.

"Looks like you got a good night's sleep," Lira commented, immediately realizing she was already awake.

"What time is it?" asked the redhead.

"Two bells after sunrise," answered the huntress.

"We're late..." remarked Cassana.

"Don't worry, we got everything ready..." Ashvell maintained, "is there anything else you need?"

"My writing quill and parchments?" she asked her friend.

"It's all in your bag."

Cassana climbed down the bed and grabbed her knapsack. She glanced at her stone-less staff leaning on the wall and then turned her back. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I wanted to..." Lira gruffed.

"I just thought you needed more rest, you seemed pretty tired last night," defended Ashvell.

"Every hour we rest is an hour wasted, "Cassana snarled. She did a quick inventory of her bag to check that had everything she needed. "Robb could be dead already. We don't have time to sit around having humdrum conversations." She stepped out of the room and slammed the door behind her.