Foresigh

by Sophia Schmidt

  'No.' Lith replied. 'This is a perfect opportunity to get some job done. If we manage to finish the three books early, we can visit them before dinner or spend the evening together. If we don't, we'll have to pull an all nighter, even if I'd prefer to sleep.

  'I want to be at my peak condition for the first practical lesson of the Healer specialization. Besides, we still have to receive this trimester's books. The clerk should be here any minute.'

  He could feel Solus's disappointment, so he rushed to add.

  'It's not like we are hiding. If they have nothing better to do, they'll come visit us.'

  Lith had barely completed the thought when they heard someone knocking on their door.

  'See? This must be the clerk. Good thing we are here, otherwise we would have missed them and be forced to go fetch our package from the secretariat.'

  'I bet this is Phloria. I hope she gives you a good scolding before dragging you somewhere nice for a date.' Solus cheated, using her mana sense through the door. Their guest had a bright cyan core and was very tall.

  It was unlikely for a clerk to be so powerful, while Phloria fitted the bill.

  They were both wrong. When Lith opened the door, he found Wil Ironhelm, the Professor in charge of the Battle Mage specialization, staring at him with an impatient look.

  "Good evening, Lith. Mind if I come in?"

  Lith was quite surprised. It was the first time a Professor came to his room and Ironhelm was the last one he would have ever expected paying him a visit. After Lith let him in, Ironhelm handed him a piece of paper containing a list of jobs.

  Chapter 277 White Part 2

  "Those are your available choices for the Code of Practice course." Ironhelm explained.

  You start tomorrow and we need to know where do you want to be assigned. The rules are simple. Each day you have to pick a different duty.

  "No repetitions allowed until the start of the following week. The Headmaster wants the students to acquire experience in as many fields as possible before graduating. I'm here to answer any question you may have and to offer you guidance."

  Lith read quickly the list, noticing that each job was listed along with the maximum number of points the student could be awarded according to their performance. The jobs ranged from clerk for the Mage Association to patrolman.

  "Why working as a Healer is not an option?" Lith found odd not being given the opportunity.

  "Because it would be overkill. Like all students with a practical specialization, you are already scheduled to spend a good part of the third trimester working in the field. Code of Practice gives you the possibility to try out things that you normally wouldn't do." Ironhelm explained.

  Lith nodded, simply selecting for the rest of the week the jobs granting the highest number of points in descending order. Ironhelm furrowed his brows, most of Lith's choices were identical to those of his colleagues.

  Being the last year, everyone was eager to score the maximum number of points, no matter what. Yet very few had selected the first job on the list.

  "Are you sure about this?" Ironhelm asked.

  "Yes, I am. Is there any problem?"

  "Kid, I understand you are in the top three and want to keep it that way, but maybe you should rethink your choice. This is the real deal. I know that Linjos kept you safe until now, be it in the forest or during the house calls.

  "However, the Headmaster is only a man, he cannot guarantee your safety at all times. What good would points do you if you die?"

  "If it's so dangerous why is it available?" Lith didn't budge, merely raising an eyebrow in annoyance.

  "Because we didn't make this list, the Crown did. Academies are simply tasked with providing assistance, the final choice belongs to the student." Ironhelm scoffed.

  "Thanks for your concern, but I have made up my mind."

  Ironhelm shook his head. There were several things he would have liked to say, yet he remained silent. After inputting Lith's choices in his communication amulet, the Professor left the room.

  'Are you sure about this?' Solus asked. 'What about our plan of being low key?'

  'Too late for that. This is the final year, holding back is useless. I need to stand out as much as possible to acquire what I need and guarantee the safety of my family even during my absence. Besides, the Crown already knows about me.

  'During the last year, I've spoken with the Royals more often than most nobles do during their whole lives. I have allies in the army, in the Queen's corps as well as in the White Griffon. Before I was a nobody. I had to build up things slowly while now I'm a rising star.

  Even if I sit back and do nothing, a lot of people will try to get back at me for my success. As I see it, this is our only way out.'

  ***

  The following day, the city of Xenatos.

  Thanks to the Academy's Warp Gate, Lith crossed hundreds of kilometers in an instant. Arriving at the location of his first day of community service required help from a mage of the local branch of the Association.

  Lith had never been there and time was of the essence.

  'I still can't believe we are going to do this.' Solus sighed.

  'What do you mean?' Lith laughed in response. 'It's our first opportunity to face normal human opponents instead of the wackjobs we keep meeting since we entered the White Griffon. Who knows? Maybe working as a member of a tactical team may be interesting.'

  Walking through the Warp Steps, Lith found himself inside an abandoned warehouse. It was a run-down place, dust and cobwebs covered most of the surfaces. The only clean spot had been arranged as a debriefing room, with wooden chairs and a white board.

  Lith could see the rough sketch of the layout of a building that was drawn on it. He counted three floors and what seemed like a basement.

  Several men and women wearing military looking uniforms were assembled in a circle around the boards, their faces were tense. No one had weapons, but only because each one had a dimensional ring.

  Their clothes were black in color, with the insignia of the local Lord's Household on their backs, shoulders, and heart.

  They also wore metal protectors on the forearms, shoulders, and chest. Solus completed the analysis for him.

  'Everything they wear is enchanted, but the quality is poor. The clothes are inferior to your old uniform. Only the zones also covered by protectors offer a decent defense.'

  Being used to the Queen's corps, the Talons, and all the marvels of the academy, Solus had high standards.

  'What do you expect? This isn't an elite squad, just a local police force. It must be the standard equipment. I could never afford my Skinwalker armor without the academy's points. How many mages?' Lith replied.

  'Good question. All those present have red cores, except the woman on the second chair from the right, who has a green one, and the man on the first chair on the left. He has just a yellow core. She's probably a mage. Him, I'm not so sure. It depends on the power standards they use.'

  Solus pointed at Lith a woman with chestnut hair in her forties and a black-haired man around the same age. Everyone in the squad had an expression difficult to decipher.

  More than nervous, they looked like they were there because they had lost a bet.

  "The first saddle has arrived, captain." A rough voice scoffed. Lith saw it belonged to the man with the yellow core, who spat on the ground with a disgusted expression. The woman with the green core glared at him for a second but said nothing.

  'Saddle?' Solus was baffled.

  'Probably an insult. I guess they consider students like me dead weight, or worse.' Lith didn't like being offended, but he could understand the man's feelings. Whatever they were about to do was a dangerous job and the police officers would be forced to keep an eye on the students too.

  It would make their work harder and get back in one piece even harder.

  "Nice to meet you, son." The captain offered Lith her hand, which he promptly shook.

  "I'm captain Yerna of the X
enatos police force."

  "I'm¡­"

  "No names, son. We must judge only the performance, not the household." She said with a stern look.

  "Since you are from the White Griffon, we'll just call you White. That's sergeant Khran, my second in command. Sorry for the cold reception. Today's task would be a run of the mill, if not for the fact that we are waiting for another student."

  "Two rookies to the same unit?" Lith asked.

  "Yeah, the other one belongs to the Fire griffon." Yerna nodded.

  "Why did they send both of us here? It makes no sense."

  "Thanks for your understanding, White. The problem is there aren't many missions that students can take part in without endangering themselves or the host team." She sighed.

  "Which is exactly you are doing by being here." Khran stood up, walking toward Lith with a menacing expression.

  Chapter 278 Red Part 1

  "I know that for you nobles your points are much more precious than commoners' lives, but I'd like for your Lordship to realize that some of us may not come back to their families because of you brats.

  "Captain, instead of wasting our time with niceties, let's see how much a waste of space he is. What's your status, Saddle?"

  "I have a girlfriend. Don't know if she's the right one, though." Lith pretended to have misunderstood the question. Being obnoxious was a game two could play.

  Seeing Lith's smug expression, Khran became red from anger. Some of the officers laughed at the joke.

  "I don't give a damn about your love life. I want to know what can you do!"

  Lith took a mental note that no one was defending him. Even the captain did nothing, aside from the occasional eye roll.

  "His specializations are Forgemastering¡­" When Captain Yerna read out loud Lith's file, multiple groans and the sound of hands slapping a forehead or a leg in a fit of rage echoed through the warehouse.

  "That's great, another one as useful as a third nostril..."

  Yerna ignored Khran, raising her voice to cover the sergeant's whining.

  "¡­and Healing. Back in his village, White was a hunter and a bounty hunter. Last year he survived Balkor's attack, went toe to toe with a Valor and lived to tell the tale."

  Instead of wasting her time arguing, the Captain had decided to check her trainee's personal files from her data amulet. It contained an image of his visage to recognize him and all the relevant information for the mission at hand.

  Many heads turned when they heard about the healer part, a few nods followed Lith's past as a manhunter, and clear disbelief accompanied the last sentence.

  "His village?" Many echoed.

  "Yeah, I'm a commoner, not a noble. I've worked very hard to get where I am." Since they showed him no respect, Lith was ready to pay them back in kind. His voice was cold while Death Vision showed him a series of gruesome deaths he had no intention of preventing.

  "A healer from the White Griffon sounds nice." Said a brown haired man in his mid-twenties. For Mogar's standards he was tall and lean, with his 1.74 meters. Like all the men in the unit, he was perfectly shaven.

  "I'm Huren Nacth, nice to meet you. Can you get rid of this scar? The ladies don't like it." He took Lith's hand in his own, making the request without a hint of shame.

  "I could, for a price. It will leave you exhausted." Lith was amused by the change of attitude. The scar was long and deep, going from the lower half of the left cheek down along the neck.

  "A healer is damn fine as long as they are trustworthy." Khran spat again.

  "Every kid still attending an academy is a survivor, so there's no point in bragging about it. As for fighting a Valor, what kind of sick joke is that, Captain?"

  "It's no joke." The Captain replied.

  Yerna's words caused a small commotion. All the unit's members rushed behind her to read from the hologram projected by the amulet, but it was soon interrupted by the arrival of the second student.

  He was a fifteen year old boy, 1.7 meters (5'7") high with blond hair and deep green eyes. The newcomer had the build of a soldier, rather than a student. Something in his confident attitude told Lith he had to be a lady-killer at his academy.

  The Captain moved to his file, hoping for another pleasant surprise.

  Alas, the student from the Fire Griffon was a Warden and an Alchemist. His only perk was having received some nondescript military training. Yerna clicked her tongue, turning off the amulet before moving in front of the board.

  "Now that Red is here, let's wrap this up. Today's mission is very simple. We have to raid the drug depot of a local gang. It's a three stories building right in front of this warehouse.

  "Thanks to an informant, we know the disposition of doors and corridors. We'll split into four teams of five. Two teams will break in respectively from the front and the back door while the other two will secure the perimeter to prevent anyone from escaping."

  She pointed with her finger on the two entry points and then on the position of the windows on the first two floors.

  "According to our intel, each floor should be lightly guarded. Expect a minimum of five guards but no mages. The organization we are against is notorious for being ruthless. Its men carry Fire Seeds with them and have no hesitation to blow themselves when captured.

  Hence kill first and questions later. We are not taking prisoners."

  Captain Yerna took a deep breath before addressing their guests.

  "Remember that despite our targets do not have magical powers, they are likely to be well armed. Enchanted blades need one hit to rip to shreds a light armor and the one wearing it. They could also have Alchemical weapons, so never underestimate them.

  Any questions?"

  Lith raised his hand. Yerna nodded, giving him permission to speak.

  "Do you plan on breaking in or for a stealth approach?"

  "Stealth it's not an option. The doors could have magical traps or alarms and we don't know exactly how many people are inside. If we take it slow we would risk getting surrounded and outnumbered."

  "I can detect and disarm magical contraptions. I'm a Forgemaster." Lith lied. Wanemyre had yet to teach him about those subjects, yet he was confident about succeeding thanks to true magic.

  "And I can tell you how many people there are in the building and where they are positioned." Red said with a confident smile. "I'm a Warden and my family specializes in Life Detecting arrays. Speaking about my family, My name is not Red, I'm¡­"

  "Happy to have you with us, kid." Captain Yerna used one hand to shook Red's right one and the other to shut his mouth.

  "Today you are Red and you are going to be evaluated based on what you do, not on who your relatives are. Got it?"

  Red nodded with a slightly annoyed look. Only then Yerna took the hand off his mouth.

  "Good. I'm Captain Yerna, your commanding officer for today. He is Sergeant Khran, my second in command and he is White."

  Lith and Red were still deciding what to think about each other when Khran handed them a black uniform and a communicator earpiece each.

  "Welcome to the team, kids. There are no Griffons here, only members of this unit. Put on your uniform, so we can separate the good from the bad guys and you avoid getting shot in the back by friendly fire. You can change behind those crates."

  "Thanks, but it's not necessary." Lith put the uniform inside the blue gemstone at his neck, allowing his clothes to shapeshift into a new form.

  Red took step back from the surprise, while Khran took a wand out of his dimensional ring, pointing it against Lith's still morphing clothes. Its tip shined with a yellow light, allowing Lith to perceive the fire magic it contained.

  'Must be the equivalent of Earth's service weapons.' Lith thought noticing a small red mana crystal set into the alchemical tool.

  'Yup.' Solus confirmed. 'The crystals work as a cartridge. These guys must be good because a wand like that costs a pretty penny.'

  Chapter 279 Red Part 2

  "A Skin
walker armor?" Red was amazed.

  "Your family must be loaded!" He ran behind the crates to change. Red didn't want to be the one slowing down the team.

  "With the two of you, we can give the stealth approach a try. Change into something less conspicuous, so you can scout the building without drawing the attention."

  A few minutes later, Lith was wearing his hunter clothes and studying the front door while pretending to be interested in the merchandise of a food vendor.

  "Don't try to be a hero. If you are not certain of your findings or don't feel up to the task just say it." Captain Yerna's voice sounded in his ear.

  'Solus?' Lith couldn't use Life Vision without scaring the cr*p out of the vendor. He still had to find a way to activate it without his eye glowing like small suns. Solus's mana sense was much more discreet.

  'The front door is clean. No magic at all, if there is anything it's mechanical in nature. There are no arrays active, but I can sense something magical and powerful on the third floor.'

  Lith bought some of the food, going into an alley to circle around the building. It was his first time in a slum of a big city. The alley was full of trash, forcing him to dodge rats eating rotten food while he walked.

  Now that he could use Life Vision, Lith detected that aside from the animals the alley was empty. He could see the people inside the building through the wall, and no one seemed to be alert.

  Lith used darkness magic to extend the shadows of the alley. It provided him a cover while he studied the back door from a safe distance. It also masked his glowing eyes, preventing onlookers to notice him.

  "The front entrance is just a regular door." He reported via the communication earpiece.

  "The back door, not so much. It's reinforced by some kind of earth spell, making it as hard as stone. The lock is booby trapped to turn into a skewer of ice whoever tries to pick it."