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The first thing that greeted Ayr upon arriving in the northern region of Baldr was the smell of blood and the ominous clamor of a flock of harpies and other gruesome creatures. Hiding behind a tree and looking closer, she saw that they, as if starved, had fallen upon the carcass of a colossal serpent. The scaled monster was so enormous that it could likely have blocked all of Baldr if it had stretched to its full length. It was hard to imagine who could have defeated such a beast, but it was clear that it hadn't been the harpies. What she saw made Ayr hurriedly turn back, but after walking about a hundred meters, she reproached herself for her cowardice and forced her feet to march north once more. After all, the one she needed was in another part of this region, and there was no need to approach the serpent or the flock of harpies.
Having reached the desired location, a huge cave appeared before the girl's eyes; deciding to hold off on using her climbing gear, she summoned her courage and headed inside. For the next few hours, she wandered through the natural labyrinth, hitting one dead end after another. At one point, she even wanted to give up on the idea, so mixed were her emotions of irritation and confusion, but stubbornness got the better of her and would not allow her to return home empty-handed. Fortunately, and apparently, the monsters inhabiting this place, much like the harpies, had been distracted by the scaled delicacy, and therefore the remaining opponents here posed no serious threat to her—she could have handled them back in January, and her skills had improved manifold since then. During the battles and wanderings through the natural corridors of this cave, the traveler found a beautiful and somewhat mysterious pink tourmaline, hid it in her travel bag, and forgot about its existence for the time being.
When daylight appeared before her eyes, Ayr, with renewed strength and overwhelming enthusiasm, headed toward the exit. As it turned out, the intricate labyrinths of the cave had led her to the very peak of this mountain, where a beautiful view of Baldr opened up.
— Well finally, I was beginning to think that my efforts to spread rumors about my arrival had been unfruitful.
Filled with a sense of delight at the panorama of the barony before her, Ayr did not immediately notice the presence of a stranger. She reflexively placed her hand on the hilt of her saber and tried to collect her thoughts, pushing away the fatigue accumulated during the climb.
— Oh, my apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. Rest easy, I am no bandit. — He bowed theatrically. — Master of the School of Eight Elements, Yan Dere, at your service.
— Ayr von Walraven — Ayr introduced herself in return and suddenly realized that she had been guided solely by her own curiosity and had no real reason to meet this man. — Uh, and what is this "School of Eight Elements"?
— An excellent question! — This was amusing, because to Ayr herself, it seemed quite stupid. — I have just decided to take on students, and therefore I will gladly tell you about the peculiarities of this school, if you agree to become my pupil.
— Is that so? — The aristocrat wasn't particularly concerned with how others addressed her, but the way "Yan Dere" slickly transitioned from "you" formal to "you" informal somehow unsettled her. — Why here, of all places?
— There are two reasons for this. Firstly, I have heard much about Gungnir von Brekkendorf, and I believe that his wards must be very well prepared and ready for trials. Well, it is more pleasant to work with quality material, whereas you can't mold anything useful out of poor material. And secondly, Baldr is almost the homeland of a friend of mine, a visit which I postponed for a very long time, and now that he has left, I have to make up for lost time. I thought I'd at least take a look at his cozy little nest once.
Ayr remained silent, not knowing how to respond to this sudden monologue, and then asked. — Did you kill the serpent?
— Yes, though not out of altruistic motives: I simply wanted to make the road safe for my potential students. After all, letting them perish in the claws of some monster would be a monstrous mistake on my part as a teacher, don't you think?
— Perhaps. Well, tell me then, what kind of school is it.
— So you agree to study under me?
— No, first I want to understand at least in general terms what it is and what benefit I will get from this training.
— Very well, look. For example, I have a special skill called "understanding the past," unique to the stellar style of this school; it allows me to see the recent past through the eyes of my victims. For instance, not long ago, two hunters visited this serpent—one quite bearded, and the other stylish with green hair, a nobleman for sure. The serpent waited and waited for them, but they left him to pine in loneliness, because he could not approach the city himself. But I think if they had finally decided to venture into his lair, the green-haired one would likely have sacrificed himself to save the bearded one; he looked more experienced and his character seemed to me inclined toward such deeds.
— Sounds creepy and improbable. What if you just made all this up right now?
— Why are you all such skeptics... Believing only in brute force. — Yan Dere placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, closed his eyes and stood still for a few moments, after which he released the blade from its scabbard and swung its edge toward the mountain to the north, creating a hole that went straight through it. — Is this more interesting?
Ayr nodded.
Having reached the desired location, a huge cave appeared before the girl's eyes; deciding to hold off on using her climbing gear, she summoned her courage and headed inside. For the next few hours, she wandered through the natural labyrinth, hitting one dead end after another. At one point, she even wanted to give up on the idea, so mixed were her emotions of irritation and confusion, but stubbornness got the better of her and would not allow her to return home empty-handed. Fortunately, and apparently, the monsters inhabiting this place, much like the harpies, had been distracted by the scaled delicacy, and therefore the remaining opponents here posed no serious threat to her—she could have handled them back in January, and her skills had improved manifold since then. During the battles and wanderings through the natural corridors of this cave, the traveler found a beautiful and somewhat mysterious pink tourmaline, hid it in her travel bag, and forgot about its existence for the time being.
When daylight appeared before her eyes, Ayr, with renewed strength and overwhelming enthusiasm, headed toward the exit. As it turned out, the intricate labyrinths of the cave had led her to the very peak of this mountain, where a beautiful view of Baldr opened up.
— Well finally, I was beginning to think that my efforts to spread rumors about my arrival had been unfruitful.
Filled with a sense of delight at the panorama of the barony before her, Ayr did not immediately notice the presence of a stranger. She reflexively placed her hand on the hilt of her saber and tried to collect her thoughts, pushing away the fatigue accumulated during the climb.
— Oh, my apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. Rest easy, I am no bandit. — He bowed theatrically. — Master of the School of Eight Elements, Yan Dere, at your service.
— Ayr von Walraven — Ayr introduced herself in return and suddenly realized that she had been guided solely by her own curiosity and had no real reason to meet this man. — Uh, and what is this "School of Eight Elements"?
— An excellent question! — This was amusing, because to Ayr herself, it seemed quite stupid. — I have just decided to take on students, and therefore I will gladly tell you about the peculiarities of this school, if you agree to become my pupil.
— Is that so? — The aristocrat wasn't particularly concerned with how others addressed her, but the way "Yan Dere" slickly transitioned from "you" formal to "you" informal somehow unsettled her. — Why here, of all places?
— There are two reasons for this. Firstly, I have heard much about Gungnir von Brekkendorf, and I believe that his wards must be very well prepared and ready for trials. Well, it is more pleasant to work with quality material, whereas you can't mold anything useful out of poor material. And secondly, Baldr is almost the homeland of a friend of mine, a visit which I postponed for a very long time, and now that he has left, I have to make up for lost time. I thought I'd at least take a look at his cozy little nest once.
Ayr remained silent, not knowing how to respond to this sudden monologue, and then asked. — Did you kill the serpent?
— Yes, though not out of altruistic motives: I simply wanted to make the road safe for my potential students. After all, letting them perish in the claws of some monster would be a monstrous mistake on my part as a teacher, don't you think?
— Perhaps. Well, tell me then, what kind of school is it.
— So you agree to study under me?
— No, first I want to understand at least in general terms what it is and what benefit I will get from this training.
— Very well, look. For example, I have a special skill called "understanding the past," unique to the stellar style of this school; it allows me to see the recent past through the eyes of my victims. For instance, not long ago, two hunters visited this serpent—one quite bearded, and the other stylish with green hair, a nobleman for sure. The serpent waited and waited for them, but they left him to pine in loneliness, because he could not approach the city himself. But I think if they had finally decided to venture into his lair, the green-haired one would likely have sacrificed himself to save the bearded one; he looked more experienced and his character seemed to me inclined toward such deeds.
— Sounds creepy and improbable. What if you just made all this up right now?
— Why are you all such skeptics... Believing only in brute force. — Yan Dere placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, closed his eyes and stood still for a few moments, after which he released the blade from its scabbard and swung its edge toward the mountain to the north, creating a hole that went straight through it. — Is this more interesting?
Ayr nodded.