"How about three of Elixir's school ground rules?"
"Number one; magical creatures are forbidden inside the school. Secondly; roaming the castle unsupervised is prohibited. Thirdly; leaving school premise without permission is not allowed." She grinned as if she already achieved some kind of accomplishment. "Was that enough, oh great senior guardian?" Halata na naman sa boses niya ang pang-aasar.
"Don't be a brat. Memorizing won't prove much."
"Oh really?" Nakangisi pa 'to na para bang ipinapagiwatig na natalo niya 'ko sa kung ano. "E, bakit lukot na naman 'yang pagmumukha mo?"
I really don't like the way she thinks and talk. Para bang napakasimple sa kanya ng lahat. She's expecting that if she's able to do something right, she should be commended for it.
"You're already happy about a thing that doesn't really make you smart nor capable?" Napalis ang ngiti sa mga labi niya. "Those are just information to let you survive in our school. You won't be seeing them in examinations."
Kitang-kita ko ang pagkainis sa mukha niya. I have every intention of crushing her beliefs about how easy life could be here. Hindi gano'n kadali ang lahat. This is my way of preparing her.
Narinig ko lang ulit siyang umimik nang nakatawid na kami sa tulay palabas ng Elixir. "Why are we leaving?"
"We didn't have enough time to roam Alquia yesterday, so for today, familiarize yourself to where you'll be getting most of the materials and ingredients you'll be using for magic."
The school made sure that it won't be hard for the students to do research and spell craft, thus purposely creating a city outside Elixir.
She just nodded obediently that I wasn't really expecting. "You have blimps here?" mangha niya nang tanong habang sinusundan ng tingin ang malaking sasakyang panghimpapawid na kasalukuyang naglalayag sa ibabaw ng Alquia.
"That's the normal means of transportation I mentioned before."
"Now that makes sense."
Nagtataka man sa hindi niya pagsagot ng pabalang minabuti ko na lang na ipagwalang bahala 'yon. "Alquia is one of the major trading cities in Amystrea," pagpapatuloy ko habang humahakbang papasok sa siyudad. "Dahil maraming kagamitan, materyal at kasangkapang nabuo galing sa mahika ang dito lang makikita. Alquia is also named as the "Witch's city of the west'." It didn't take us long to reach the plaza where most shops are. "However, there are something's one won't find here, and some that are also limited in quantity, making the price higher than normal."
The place is packed like the usual. Merchants, locals, and travelers that are going about their business are everywhere. If I had a choice I wouldn't be seen anywhere near here. I'm not fond of crowded places.
Hinayaan ko siyang magtingin-tingin habang itinuturo ang ilang importanteng tindahan. Hindi nagtagal ay nakarinig ako ng panaka-nakang bulungan galing sa ilang mga estudyante ng Elixir.
VI: Alquia
Start from the beginning
