New Life As A Max Level Archmage
29 – The Briar and the Bramble

Continuous casting grated at Vivi. Although the siphoning of mana didn’t nauseate her like repeatedly casting [Blink], maintaining two [Fly] spells along with other effects created a constant drain. A leak could never deplete an ocean, but she likened the experience to solving simple math problems for hours on end. Not difficult, but irritating regardless of the complexity.

She pushed through. While this wouldn’t be her preferred method of travel, she could suffer mild agitation if it meant a fast trip to Meridian, and more importantly, one without further incident.

It almost surprised her when some level 2000 beast didn’t interrupt them on the way. Her standards were low; she had genuinely expected another unreasonable incident to intercept their flight. But one didn’t.

They passed city after city, forests and swamps and plains and plateaus. She recognized most, but not all, of the scenery. She’d spent hundreds of hours in these various low-level zones, but Seven Cataclysms was huge, and she could hardly remember every square mile across the continent.

For the parts she did recognize, she found herself fascinated by seeing those hunting grounds translated into reality. Despite the discomfort of maintaining her various spells, she found herself enjoying the trip.

Finally, Meridian crested the horizon.

The capital of the human kingdoms possessed no towering walls to rival Prismarche’s—only a squat perimeter maybe twelve feet high. Firstly because the metropolis sprawled too many miles to encircle with titanic walls of enchanted stone, and secondly, because there were few places safer than the southern lands of the Central Kingdom. Guard patrols and rookie adventurers culled the magical threats that spawned in this environment of stiflingly low passive mana. Even the wall that did exist was for peace of mind more than anything. Or maybe ingress and egress control?

Vivi touched down half a mile outside of the city. Saffra joined her, wobbling on unsteady legs as Vivi dispelled the various spells affecting them.

“[Fly] legs,” Saffra commented, taking tentative steps around. Vivi raised an eyebrow, and Saffra’s cheeks colored as she realized the statement didn’t make much sense. “Like sea legs. [Fly] legs. The ground feels weird.”

Vivi took a few steps and agreed. After hours of near-supersonic air travel, walking on solid ground felt strange.

“Why didn’t we fly all the way in?” Saffra asked.

“To avoid attention.”

Maybe that was paranoia, but the city might have detection spells to alert the City Guard about invisible flying archmages. She could probably detect them, but better to be safe. And if not a detection spell, perhaps a resident would notice. As the capital city, Meridian hosted a number of extremely powerful individuals. The archmages at the Thaumaturgical Institute to name the obvious.

She could go a full day without being the cause of some debacle, and she would prove it. She was a normal person, simply surveying Meridian, her home, and guild, seeing how they all had changed.

No more incidents.

They had set down on a hill, and Saffra gazed at Meridian with a complicated expression. “Why here, by the way? I’m just wondering, it’s okay if you don’t want to answer.”

Vivi considered. “I need to contact someone. Several someones.”

“Oh?”

“But it’s been a while. They might not live here anymore.”

“Old friends?”

She mulled that over. “Of a sort.”

Saffra looked like she wanted to ask more, but she didn’t press. Vivi wasn’t sure what she would have said if she did.

They trekked down the hill and onto the road. They received a few curious looks from the wagon drivers and foot travelers, but nothing that stuck. Traffic was heavy on a road leading to the capital city, especially at this time of day in bright, dry weather. But not enough they couldn’t find a pocket of space to walk without being bothered.

The gate guards seemed to be inspecting wagons but letting foot traffic pass through unimpeded. No wars embroiled the human kingdoms, and a peacetime Meridian had far too many daily visitors to vet everyone who came through.

Past the walls, chaos met her. Inns, stables, stalls, general stores, wagon repair shops—everything needed to cheaply host a traveler stepping foot into the city for the first time. Though frantically busy, loud, and smelly, as expected of a city, the streets were cobblestone and relatively clean despite the traffic. While not the modern concrete sidewalks and roads Vivi was used to, the infrastructure, upkeep, and general cleanliness were higher than she had expected. She had magic to thank, she assumed. [Tidy] was a tier-two spell, and never mind whatever other innovations the locals put to use. This world was technologically behind hers, but also, she suspected, ahead in some ways.

As a fortress-city tucked to the far north of the continent, Prismarche served as a home to far more adventurers and other high-level folk than Meridian. While Meridian, a capital city, hosted powerful organizations like the Thaumaturgical Institute—and the High King and other noble houses—the masses were predominantly commoners. Vivi saw few men or women walking around in armor or donning the colorful metal badges of an adventurer, as had been frequent in Prismarche.

“Where to?” Saffra asked.

She paused. Great question. She wanted to access her personal stash first, but that would be in her manor in the Noble’s District. Gut instinct told her that, much as she’d promised herself there would be no incidents, trying to access Vivisari Vexaria’s wealthy, famous, and perhaps abandoned estate in the heart of the Noble’s District would come with complications.

Meaning Saffra should stay behind. Especially since Vivi’s next stop would be the guild, which might be even more of a debacle.

“I’ll be dealing with personal business,” Vivi told Saffra. “Is there somewhere you’d like to stay? You lived here for—how long?”

Saffra grimaced and looked away. “A few years.”

“I see. Does that mean…is there anyone you want to see?”

Saffra was quiet for a while. Pressing harder on that topic might not be wise. But eventually she replied, “There’s an inn called The Briar and the Bramble. It’s a little expensive, but I figure that doesn’t mean much to you?”

“That’s fine.”

“It’s a bit of a walk.”

A forty-minute trip later, which passed quickly with how enthralled she was by the vibrant and hectic sights of the city, Saffra had guided them to the inn. The girl looked at the cozy rustic building with apprehension mixed with hopefulness. Vivi waited patiently, watching Saffra steel herself—she clearly didn’t know she was hesitating.

Finally, she squared her shoulders, nodded, and went for the entrance.

The door swung open on quiet hinges, revealing a common room that smelled of woodsmoke and stew. A low-burning fire crackled in a hearth against the far wall. The space was tidy and arranged with a half-dozen dark-wood tables with matching chairs. Most seats were empty, but those that weren’t held adventurers—in their plain clothes, but easily recognizable.

They were inside for a total of two seconds before a gasp ripped through the air, followed by a rattling of a bowl as an older, plump woman hastily dropped a tray to a table. She apologized to the man, who seemed bewildered but not upset, and rushed over with a cry of “Saffra! Darling! Where were you?”

Vivi would’ve reflexively defended the catgirl, who was rooted to the spot with an expression close to panic, but obviously Saffra had chosen to come here, and likely this woman was why.

Seizing her in an enormous hug, the plump, matronly woman lifted Saffra off the ground, pressing the girl’s face directly into her bosom. Saffra remained stiff as a board for a moment, then, tentatively, her hands quested up to return the hug.

Vivi released a sigh she hadn’t known she’d been holding. Saffra did have people who cared about her. She wasn’t completely on her own.

But then what had happened? Why had she been expelled, and why had she ended up in a frontier city like Prismarche? In an entirely different kingdom on the other side of the continent?

“Hi, Missus Tilly. It’s been a while.” The words came out muffled, seeing how her face was buried in the older woman’s cleavage.

“Almost a year!” Tilly cried. “I went and asked about you, and I heard the strangest things! I didn’t believe any of it, mind you, but dear, what happened?”

Tilly, though caught up in the moment, could read cues: she felt Saffra stiffen in her arms and start to wiggle away. Tilly’s attention flicked to Vivi, accurately guessing the reason for Saffra’s discomfort.

Surprisingly cold eyes analyzed Vivi, determining whether she was a threat. Since it was born out of purely protective instinct for Saffra, Vivi approved. The woman’s smile—the warmth in it—returned quickly. 

“Well, never mind that,” she announced, keeping a hand on Saffra’s shoulder. “Who’s this? You made a friend?”

Saffra’s expression turned to utter mortification, obviously reading the implication in the woman’s tone. “S-She’s my teacher! An extremely experienced mage, Missus Tilly! Not a friend.” Saffra turned a distressed look to Vivi to see how she would receive the woman’s words.

Vivi didn’t sigh, resigned to her fate by now. Of course when she walked in with a teenage girl, she would be assumed of similar age. That misunderstanding happened even in contexts it shouldn’t, much less ones where it was reasonable.

It was her own fault for designing her in-game character so closely to her real-life self. She could’ve been free from the assumptions her stature and build created. Then again, she wouldn’t have changed things if she could. She was who she was.

Tilly paused at Saffra’s clarification, then with her previous good-naturedness, laughed. “Oh, dear, I know better than to assume.” She tutted. “It was envy speaking, I think. What I wouldn’t do for skin like yours! Elves and demons, they don’t know their luck. I had wrinkles at twenty-five!” She laughed again, gregariously. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss.”

As far as recoveries went, it was a good one. And since anyone who watched over Saffra with such concern was an instant ally, she brushed past the bit of awkwardness.

“You as well. We met in Prismarche, and I agreed to teach her a few things.”

“Prismarche?” Tilly turned to gawk at Saffra. “Prismarche, in the Northern Kingdom? That…must be a story and a half, Saffra.”

Saffra looked extremely uncomfortable, so Vivi said, “I’m afraid I have urgent business I need to attend to—you two should catch up. I’ll be back by evening, I suspect.”

The discomfort in Saffra’s posture turned to relief, and Vivi didn’t take it personally. Saffra clearly wanted her past, whatever it was, kept a secret for now, and having Vivi and Tilly in the same room threatened that.

Tilly seemed to recognize Vivi’s play, because she nodded subtly at her in acknowledgement. For once in her life, Vivi had managed some level of social deftness.

“I would stay and introduce myself, but there’s a lot I need to handle,” Vivi said. “Take care of her, please.”

“No need to ask, dear. Of course. I’d love to get to know you too though, will you be staying the night? On the house, for bringing her back.”

Vivi took a second to respond. “Maybe. I don’t know what today will look like.”

“Alright then.” Tilly squeezed Saffra’s shoulder. “Best of luck with whatever it is.”

Vivi nodded, shared a look with Saffra—who seemed both embarrassed and relieved—and left with a parting wave.

Though deeply curious, she temporarily put Saffra’s situation out of mind.

It was time to see if her manor was still standing.