Garret sat in a tavern booth, a full plate of food in front of him, one eye watching the door.
I walked in.
Everything still hurt. My head throbbed. My hand was bandaged—Vex had wrapped it while I was unconscious. The sparkstone sat heavy in my pocket, warm against my leg.
Garret didn't smile. Didn't greet. Just pointed at the seat across from him.
"Sit. Eat."
I sat. Ate.
The food was good. Meat. Potatoes. Bread with butter. I didn't realize how hungry I was until the first bite hit my stomach. After that, I didn't think at all—just chewed and swallowed on instinct.
Garret waited until I'd finished half the plate before speaking.
"You're not cargo anymore."
I nodded. Kept eating.
"You're also not a fighter. You're seven. You'd die in real combat." He leaned forward. "But that trick you did? That magic? That's rare. Valuable. Dangerous."
He slid a small pouch across the table. Coins clinked.
"Fifty silver. Your share of the job. Plus bonus for saving Vex."
I stared at the pouch. Fifty silver. I didn't know exactly what that meant yet, but Vex's eyes had gone wide when Garret mentioned the amount. It felt like a lot.
"I have a proposition," Garret said. "You listen. You decide. No pressure."
I set down my fork. "I'm listening."
Garret leaned back. Took a long drink from his mug.
"I run goods between cities. Dangerous routes. Corrupted, bandits, worse. I need people who can handle themselves." He pointed at me. "You can't handle yourself. Not yet. But that magic? If trained? That's worth more than ten guards."
He let that sit.
"I know someone. Old army mage. Retired. Lives outside Millbrook. She takes students sometimes. Rarely. Expensively." He named a price that made my stomach drop. "Forty silver for three months. Room and board included."
Forty silver. I'd just gotten fifty. He was offering me a path for almost everything I had.
"Why?" I asked.
"Why what?"
"Why help me? You don't know me. I'm just some kid Mira dumped on you."
Garret's one eye narrowed. Then he laughed—short, rough.
"Mira's not just some old priestess, kid. She's the old priestess. The one everyone in this city owes. When she asks for a favor, you say yes. When she asks you to look after someone, you look." He pointed his mug at me. "Plus, you saved Vex. She's been with me five years. Best fighter I got. You bought her another five years. That's worth something."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Hidden Information Unlocked:
· Mira's Reputation: Legendary (among those who know)
· Garret's Debt to Mira: Significant (unspecified)
· Your Standing: Favor owed by Garret (small, but real)
I looked at the pouch. Forty silver. Almost everything.
In my old life, I'd have hesitated. Calculated. Worried about being scammed. Worried about the wrong choice.
I pushed the pouch across the table.
"Forty silver. For the mage. If she'll take me."
Garret's eyebrow rose. "Didn't even think about it?"
"I thought about it." I picked up my fork. Went back to eating. "I just did it faster."
He stared at me for a long moment. Then he laughed—real laugh, head back, loud enough that other tavern patrons looked over.
"Kid, you're something else." He scooped up the pouch. Counted out forty silver. Pushed the remaining ten back. "I'll send word to the mage tonight. Her name's Elara. She's mean, she's old, and she doesn't suffer fools. If she says no, I'll return your silver. If she says yes..." He shrugged. "Then you learn magic. Real magic. Not street tricks."
[QUEST COMPLETE: THE MERCHANT'S OFFER]
· Choice: Accepted Garret's proposition
· Reward: 150 EXP + Introduction to Mage Elara
· Silver Remaining: 10 coins
I finished my plate. Drank the water Garret had ordered. Felt almost human again.
"One more thing," Garret said. "The academy."
I looked up.
"Millbrook's small, but it's got connections. There's a noble academy in the capital—Valdris Academy. Best in the region. They take commoners sometimes. Rare. But possible." He studied me. "If you train with Elara, if you're good, if you're lucky... you could test in a few years. That's where real power comes from. Not running cargo. Not guarding wagons. Real power."
[NEW INFORMATION: VALDRIS ACADEMY]
· Location: Capital city (distant)
· Status: Prestigious. Expensive. Competitive.
· Commoner Admission: Rare. Requires sponsorship or exceptional talent.
· Potential Path: Train with Elara → Build reputation → Test for admission
"Something to think about," Garret said. "But not today. Today, you rest. Tomorrow, we see about Elara."
He stood. Dropped a coin on the table for his drink. Headed for the door.
"Garret?"
He paused.
"Thank you. For the chance."
He didn't turn around. But he nodded. Once. Then walked out.
I sat alone in the booth, ten silver in my pocket, a new path opening in front of me.
The old me would have stayed there. Overthought. Worried. Done nothing.
I stood up. Went to find Vex. I had questions about this mage, and she owed me answers.
---
Vex was outside, sharpening her sword by the tavern's side door. Her bandaged arm moved slowly, carefully, but she didn't stop working.
"Heard you're going to Elara," she said without looking up.
"Garret told you?"
"Garret tells me everything." She tested the blade's edge. Nodded. Sheathed it. "Elara's tough. Tougher than him. Tougher than me. She'll break you down and rebuild you or send you home crying. There's no in-between."
"You trained with her?"
Vex snorted. "I don't have magic. She doesn't waste time on non-mages." She looked at me finally. "But I've seen her students. The ones who make it? They're different. Stronger. Not just in magic—in everything."
"What about the ones who don't make it?"
She didn't answer for a long moment.
"They don't talk about it."
[WARNING]
Mage Elara's Training:
· Reputation: Brutal. Effective. Selective.
· Student Survival Rate: Unknown (rumored low)
· Your Chance of Success: ??? (Depends on choices)
I should have been scared. Terrified. In my old life, I'd have spiraled.
Instead, I felt something else.
Finally. A real challenge. A real test.
"I leave tomorrow?"
"Dawn. Garret's taking you himself." Vex stood. She was taller than me. Stronger. Older. But she looked at me like an equal. "Try not to die, kid. You're interesting."
She walked away.
I stood there in the dark, ten silver in my pocket, a brutal mage in my future, and a tiny spark of magic that had killed twice.
Don't die. Don't fail. Don't waste this.
For the first time since waking up in that alley, I smiled.