Chapter 38: Almost Perfect

Chapter 38: Almost Perfect

Carla knocked on the mages door and of course, it was Feli who opened it. Gods, Carla hated miss perfect. She knew what kind of person Feli actually was. Carla believed Feli to be someone who looked down on the other commoners, thinking she was better than the rest. Now Feli had even slept with an actual mage. Damn her.

Here are the mages clothes. Clean and dried, Carla made a fake smile.

Thanks, Feli slammed the door closed.

Feli turned around and looked at Stryg who was doing some sort of funny dance. May I ask what you are doing?

My morning training. Im following a sequence of combat moves, passed down from my ancestors of the Blood Fang tribe. Stryg swiped the air with his claws.

Feli had never seen a goblin with claws, they normally shaved them low.

I thought you were doing some ritual magic dance, arcane mage stuff, Feli shrugged her shoulders.

I dont know any chromatic spell that requires a ritual dance. Or any form of magic at that.

Whats a chromatic spell? Is it different from a normal spell? Feli asked.

The spells youve seen magi cast in the city are all chromatic spells. Though there are other kinds of spells.

Ive only ever seen one spell. The one you cast last night, Feli admitted.

Really? Id imagine youd have seen a lot through the city.

I dont really get out much, most commoners dont. Normally, I spend my time in the commoner district. Sometimes, I visit the trade district, but most stores there are closed off to commoners.

What about outside the city?

Ive never left the city. Besides, where would I go? Raiders prowl the Valley for any vulnerable travelers. Its dangerous and risky to travel without a caravan. I dont have any required skills or connections to join a caravan, either, so, Im just sort of here.

I understand, Stryg shifted his feet in slow steps.

How could you understand a commoners life, mister mage? Feli raised an eyebrow.

Stryg sighed, I grew up in a village surrounded by one of the Realms most hostile regions. There was nowhere I could go without risking my life. Even going out to the river to get water or take a bath was dangerous.

That... That sounds horrible. At least here Feli was fairly safe within the walls, so long as she didnt go out at night without her nameplate.

I didnt think so. I had my tribe to protect me and show me the way of battle.

You really love your Blood Fang tribe, huh? He had mentioned them at least a dozen times already.

Yeah The feeling wasnt mutual. Stryg raised his leg high in the air.

What? Why wouldnt they like a mage?

Stryg threw several kicks at an invisible opponent. I only found out I was a mageborn when I arrived in Hollow Shade. Back in my village I was weak, it didnt help that I looked different from everyone else.

I find it difficult to believe you were weak, Feli said as she eyed his lean muscles.

Stryg didnt know why he was telling her so much. He hadnt told anyone before. My hybrid natural gifts only began to appear when I came here. So, yeah. Even though I trained my hardest, I was still weaker than the rest. I hated it. Dont get me wrong, Im glad to have been born to the Blood Fang tribe. Its just, I had always hoped to have been greater than what I was. More than just the runt.

Most definitely. The amount of publicity we got just from your magic last night, oof, our nights will be packed for months. She turned to Feli, But, you wont have to worry. Ill make sure to clear your schedule, so that you can attend to our venerable mage.

Thanks, Feli made an awkward smile.

She was happy to get out of work, but she wondered how busy shed be with Stryg.

I wont waste anymore of your time. Ill leave you two to your breakfast. Please, dont hesitate to call me for anything you may require, sir. The woman bowed and left.

Stryg focused on eating for the next few minutes. While Feli ate her food she threw glances at Stryg, studying his features. He was handsome in an almost fae-like way. She hadnt seen anyone quite like him before.

We could always visit the other great cities, Stryg said after finishing his soup.

Hm? Feli hummed.

You said you dont like the wilderness. We could visit other great cities instead. Maybe Undergrowth or Frost Rim. Ive been curious about them for a while.

Oh, being considerate now? I thought this was a loveless engagement? Feli teased.

Stryg didnt know why her words annoyed him. He ignored it, Honestly, Id go by myself, but I'd rather have a beautiful woman warm my bed.

Feli laughed, Hopefully, itll be a better bed than the one upstairs. It almost broke after just one night.

I have a far better one at my place. It's larger and softer.

Is that an invitation? Feli raised an eyebrow.

Hm, yeah, I guess it is. Itll probably be a few days before I can take you there. I have several exams coming up that I need to devote my full attention to. And Im smart enough to know that youre too distracting, Stryg said, eyeing her chest.

I guess I can wait. Feli leaned over the table to grab another plate of food. She made sure her breasts were hanging in perfect view for Stryg. But can you?

Stryg licked his lips, Obviously.

Mm. Feli grinned.

After they finished eating, Stryg got up to leave. Feli made sure to kiss him on the lips in front of the entire staff first. He walked out of the Merry Crescent with a skip to his step. He felt refreshed and ready to face the new day.

In some ways he had gotten everything he wanted since coming to this city. The power of magic gave him the ability to defeat his enemies, like the one last night. He had also been able to eat tasty food, for free at that. And now he had a beautiful woman to spend his nights with. This had to be the best morning of his life, it was perfect. Until he saw her.

Karen, the goblin traitor, stood across the street, moving between a crowd. The woman who had led him to an ambush was only a few dozen feet away. Strygs mood shattered in an instant and was replaced with the cold fire of bitterness. He slipped into the crowd behind Karen. She wouldnt escape this time, nor would her friends.

Stryg kept his distance from Karen and stalked her like a wolf searching for his next meal. He needed to follow her until she led him to the rest of her gang. Then hed make a plan on how to kill them all.

The problem was Karen never seemed to meet up with the other gangsters. Instead she spent most of her morning pickpocketing one unaware commoner or another. Stryg was getting annoyed, he was running out of time. Classes would begin soon.

After a few hours, Karen split off from the crowds and headed to a more residential area. There werent as many people, so Stryg had to keep a further distance. Luckily his eyesight, like his other senses, had become very sharp. It wasnt difficult to keep an eye on her. Eventually, she made her way to a small house. She knocked on the door a few times and waited.

A few moments later an older goblin opened the door.

The older woman smiled, There you are Karen, I was wondering where you went off to so early in the morning.

Karen hugged the older goblin, Hey mom. Im home.

Stryg cracked a malicious smile as he caught the damning words. He had found her home. This was huge. It didnt matter if he didnt know where the other gangsters were. Karen had nowhere to run and now he knew. Stryg could pressure her for the information on the location of the other gangsters. He left before she had a chance to notice him. Classes were about to start, he needed to hurry.