71 Preparation

"Sorry for the wait!.... I had to visit a few more shops to get enough potions for everyone." Scarlet said arriving back after her trip.

"Thanks for getting the potions." Paul thanks her finishing up his drink, "So we all good to go?.." He asked with a smile causing us to all take one last gulp before setting down our drinks.

"We're ready!" Helen said with a smile.

"Great!" Paul replied smiling walking out the tavern leading the way, we waited for Scarlet and Ashley to follow him before following behind them.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?.." Jay whispered to the group."

"It will all be fine!" Daisy replied with a big smile.

"Yeah I'm sure they will protect us!" grace said.

"I swear before this you wasn't such a big fan of his.." I replied to her.

"Yeah.... but I would love to see him in action!" She said.

"Yeah... don't you?!" Helen asked.

"We saw him already.... when he killed the goblin army..." I replied, but secretly a part of me wanted to see him in action up close in a real life situation.

"Trust me.... knowing Paul and Emilia's history i bet nothign will happen to us..." Daisy said.

"You guys are gonna be the death of me..." Jay said as we exited the building to rejoin them.

"You guys can back down... if you want it's not too late…." Paul said opening a red portal behind him and stepped through.

Ashley and Scarlet turned to us with a smile motioning us to follow before stepping into the portal.

Helen Grace and Daisy jumped in excitement almost unable to contain their excitement. "We're gonna get the chance to step through Paul's portal!!!." They squealed and quickly jumped through, followed closely with Jay and me casually stepping through.

We entered what seemed to be Ashley's dimly lit Lab room noticing the large table he was working on when we first met.

"Lights on" Ashley shouted causing the lights to suddenly shine brighter revealing the full extent of his vast lab. Filled with what I assume to be materials, gadgets and gizmos on the side a larger empty area. "Clear the Table please." He shouted again causing several lifeless mechanical golems to emit a small blue glow and come to life and began to walks to the table clearing it as Ashley and Scarlet went deeper into his Lab.

"Eight Chairs please..." Paul shouted causing the robots to bring back eight chairs and carried on clearing the table.

"Take a seat...." He said pulling out a book from his robes flicking through the pages before stopping at one and began reading through it whispering in another language.

We all stood in anticipation watching him knowing that he was casting some unknown spell his eyes flashing with a very faint yellow tint similar to the colour similar to when Daisy casts her spirit weapon and shield. Snapping his book closed he placed it back in his robes as a magnificent feast of food, wine and cutlery materialized on the now cleared table.

"You guys can take a seat...." he said taking out his wand and with a small flick all the chairs positioned themselves on the side of the tables and taking a seat at the end of the table.

We all carefully took the seats on one side of the table looking at the magically created feast in front of us.

"Don't worry its safe for consumption, it will also help in our upcoming adventure he said."

"What sort of spell was that?.." I whispered to Jay.

"I don't know myself..." He whispered back.

"So..... Helen Grace?... what brings you here to a human school?...." He asked.

"We came here because we wanted to experience the world outside of the Elven prejudices sir.." they replied to him.

"No need to call me sir... Please call me Paul." He chuckled.

"Okay Sorry..." They replied.

"But let me take the time now to thank you all for helping Emilia and taking care of her, I am eternally grateful." He said his voice filled with sincerity, "And don't worry about our upcoming mission I'll keep you all safe." He smiled, hearing him say it washed away any anxiety and nervousness I had. "You're safety is our top priority there's nothing to worry about." He said as Ashley and Scarlet came back their arms filled with heaps and heaps of equipment.

"Ahh there you guys are... did you find everything?.." He said turning to them.

"Yup." They replied taking a seat on the other side of the table.

"Okay... Lets eat and then we'll get everything fitted and go through some basics and then we'll head off." He smiled standing up holding up his hand for Jay's plate and began dishing out food for everyone.

"Aren't you guys afraid at all?.." Jay asked them as Paul finished up plating everyone's dishes.

"Not at all.... We have handled much worse..." Scarlet said and began eating politely causing all of us to begin eating, with each mouthful I could feel there was something special about the food..... It felt like it slowly reenergised me somehow..

"What was the nastiest thing you've slayed so far?.." Grace asked.

"Hmmmm....It would be a tossup between.....Vampires.... or Mind Flayers.... in small numbers they can be extremely deadly... especially if they over whelm you..." Scarlet replied.

"Yeah..... We've been in some very close calls..." Ashely agreed.

"Yeah defiantly creatures with intelligence are quite deadly..... Innately Wild creatures are easy to predict...." Paul added.

"Paul may I ask a question?..." Helen politely asked.

"Sure ask away." He replied

"Why do you never participate in the Grand Tournament?.. Every 4 years?" She asked him.

"It's because I don't feel a need to prove myself to anyone..." He replied.

"Will you ever participate?.." She asked.

"You never know I might compete in the upcoming one." He smiled and gave me a wink causing me to look back at him completely confused.

"Do you think you'll take top place?.." Helen asked.

"Maybe…. But the top tier students in the other schools are pretty strong..." He replied

It took us roughly an hour to finish eating up the magical feast, then it slowly dissipated into nothingness leaving the table bare and clean as if nothing was there to begin with.

"Right lets get you guys all geared up... and ready to go." Paul said standing and walking over to the bunch of equipment.... "So I assume you all have your weapons?... Since Grace, Helen and Daisy has theirs." He asked.

"Yeah we do.." Jay and I replied pulling out our wands.

"Ohhh nice wand you got there Jay." Paul commented noticing it.

Paul, Scarlet and Ashley spent some time sorting out the equipment and issued us to come over. Daisy grabbed me and pushed me in front of her to stand in front of Paul.

He stood up holding up a leather chest piece, "So... this equipment is pretty rare and expensive so please don't lose them..." He said placing it around me and fastening it tightly, "It should protect you guys from most the incoming damage the worm can do." He smiled at me.

He proceeded to grab a pair of bracelets putting them on my wrists taking extra care when touching my skin.

"Umm Paul can I just put the gear on myself?.." Daisy asked.

"Sure.." He answered her moving to the side slightly to let her get past.

Pulling out some ugly brown boots, "These boots they will help speed you guys up a little... I know they aren't fashionable...." He chuckled placing them at my feet to put on.

"Ashley do we have any.... of those Amulets that stop bleeding?.." He asked.

"Ohh yeah... I think we have two..." He said walking off to a shelf picking up two shiny amulets with a bright red ruby on them.

"Thanks" he said taking them, "So these will stop you from bleeding out in case we are a little far too heal you." He said with a smile, I parted my hair to the side to allowing him to put it on and handing the other to Daisy.

"Hmmm what else could help.." He said to himself pondering.

"Ohhh Ashley you got any of those Invisibility coins?.." He asked.

"Yeah sure... I'll go get them once I've done explain what these items do to Jay." He replied to him..

"Sure..." Paul replied to him.

"Ohhh maybe some weapons in case you've guys have ran out of Arcanum." He said smiling proud of himself for remembering. Disappearing behind some shelves for a few seconds he came back with some modern looking guns. "So this is a Standard Visium pistol.... It doesn't do too much.. But better than nothing." He smiled and also handing one to Daisy, "Use this for when you're out of melee range of anything okay?" He said to her.

"Okay she replied attaching it to her belt.

"Scarlet get Helen and Grace a pistol... Ohhhh and maybe get Grace some Siege arrows." He said to Scarlet.

"Sure no probs." She said walking off to retrieve them.

"You too Ashley remember to get Jay a Pistol as well..." He said.

"No worries." He said still explaining everything to Jay.

"Hmmmmm what else...." He said still pondering to himself.

"Paul I think that's all need...." I reassured him noticing him getting a little stressed at what else to do.

"Hmmmm I think you're right..." He said standing up giving me a pat on the head, "Excited?.." He asked.

"A little?..." I replied feeling a little nervous and unsure.

"We'll be alright." He said trying to reassure me.

"Right we're all done..." Ashley and Scarlet said.

"How many potions did You manage to buy Scarlet?.." Paul asked.

"Ummm Ten Greater Healing potions." She replied.

"Okay great... Give one to everyone... and give one extra to Emilia, Jay and Grace." He instructed Scarlet.

"Okies." She said pulling out a potion out of her pouch handing it out to everyone.

"You got the lures Ashley?..." Paul asked.

"Yup...." He replied going to a shelf picking out long rods.

"So just to brief everyone.... You should be quite well protected now... but please be wary of it's mouth or its stinger those are its only forms of attack....so try to stay along its sides." Paul began explaining to everyone, they are extremely heavily armoured so save your attack till either Scarlet or Grace with siege arrows makes and opening in its plating." It mainly detects enemies through vibrations in the ground, so make sure you keep movement to a minimum so Scarlet can keep its attention but move if you must!" He carried on explaining.

"Everyone Ready??!" He said with a smile.

"Yes!" we all replied to him.

"Hold on I need to get the coins." Ashely said quickly running off and coming back with a bag pulling out a Gold Coin and handing one to each of us. "These have three uses only…. So just keep count…" He explained to us.

"Great let's begin he said opening a portal behind him revealing a desert behind him with a gentle sandstorm blowing through.