Almost Home

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Astro was just clearing the base of the mountain, wiping sweat from his brow with a closed mouth smile on his face. 'Almost Home' he thought to himself, with his guilds home less than a few hours away now. From his left his heard something moving through the few trees scattered here. He could smell the sweat too, he peered over the land. "Whose there?" He asked, not in a scared tone but more so an excited one, hoping maybe it was a guild member come to greet him.

Owain chuckled to himself. "A rivalry indeed. Haven't you heard, that the underdog always reach the top." Owain couldn't hold back his excitement, the thought of becoming a great mage and having a worthy rival. "Well then my good friend, from this day on we're rivals."

"Indeed, although it wouldn't have been much of a rivalry if you had died being stubborn out here for another week." He said truthfully, throwing Owain some water he had on him from his trip. "What kind of magic are you interested in learning?"

Owain had nodded his head slightly chuckling to himself. He took the water that Astro gave him, and starting to drink it. "Hm..magic that I wanna learn? This is the second time this question surfaced. To be truthful, I'm not quite sure. But it should be magic that can even quench my sword arm." Owain put the water he just received away. "What about you?"

"Whatever magic is opposite yours so I cancel it out" Astro jokingly said. "That I will win our rivalry." He continued to joke before getting a slightly more serious but still happy look on his face. "Just powerful magic, and not powerful just for powers sake, but to protect and teach, to nurture and guide. Help every generation after my own become brighter than the one before it. That's the end goal...I'd think that would make her, them proud." He said looking up at the sky as if he could see his family.

"Ah a girlfriend you're looking to protect?" Owain joked a bit, whoever Astro was talking about surely was very important to him. "Some much magic out there that's known and not even known. The idea to defend the weak and get stronger is a marvelous goal that one should seek out. I know for a fact that I tend to be the greatest, even better than the legends themselves." Owain spoke in a dramatic tone, but it was very serious. He open the water bottle he received earlier from Astro and took a few sips before putting it away.

"Oh I didn't know my rival was going to make me be the best ever? Seems like a lot of work" Astro said shrugging his shoulders "But I can't lose so if its a legendary mage I gotta be then its a legendary mage I'll become." The town was coming into sight as Astro's stomach growled. "I'm going to get a turkey leg, or any kind of meat." He said thinking aloud.

Owain chuckled a bit. "With thinking like that, you might be legendary. Although it sounds like a lot of work. I'll do better, I'll be the legend for you; so you don't have to worry about the work load that comes with it." As they kept walking and with the town in sight, Owain was relieved to get some real food. "Well I know what I'll be getting."

"Mhm keep dreamin" Astro said with drool coming out the corner of his mouth. "I need protein, putting away so many mages puts up an appetite. I couldn't sit and have a meal while trying to be a ghost. I just hope my guild doesn't have a celebration dinner waiting for me after I stuff myself at the first restaurant in town."

"Don't worry, I'll finish that feast for you if such a think happens. It's the least I can do for the water." Owain joked a bit, he was really excited to get back to eating real food again. "All that training left me hungry, I just hope we don't leave them without anything to serve the rest of the costumers." Owain could image the food, he clenched his fist and shook it at the sky.

Astro waved at a glass hunter, the intense heat made the sand around the mountain sometimes turn to glass that the townsfolk would then sculpt into artifacts for tourist. "Indeed, although my wages from the mission should cover any damage we do to their food reserves." He said sniffing the air turning his head to the smell of meat. "This way"

"That's good nose you have there. Hmmm..... kind of reminds me of a beast." Owain said following Astro. As they got closer, Owain could smell the scent of fresh cooked food, fresh bread could also be mixed in the scent. "..... Oh this smells wondrous."

"That's the advantage of growing up in the woods....and a phoenix for a mom" He laughed pointing at his noise "A superior sniffer" He inhaled through his nose. "All the better to smell that." He said pointing to the restaurant. He strolled in and sat down.

As they reach the restaurant, Owain scope the restaurant while the two waited for a waiter. This place was huge, surely a good respectable five star establishment, four stars at least. "Can't wait, to try out the rest on this menu." Owain looked at the menu, alright picking the meals that he was going to order. "What about Astro, what you gonna have."

Astro waved off the waitress handing him a menu looking at her with a huge grin "I'll take everything you have." He said grinning through her looks of perplexion and disbelief. She scurried into the kitchen and Astro took a sip of water. "Let's see, which magic should I ask the Master to teach me..." He said rubbing his chin.

As the waitress scurried off, Owain had yelled out to her. "Make that another serving as well." Owain picked up the glass of water on the table, taking a couple of sips from it leaving it half full. "That was good." Owain said to himself, he heard Astro statement. "Ah, the question I ask myself all the time. So you got a master or something?" Owain tried to ponder what magic he should go for an learn. Maybe he should buy a book with different kinds of magic in it, he thought. "If only, finding a master was easy."

"Well I've got two, my mom who taught me my slaying magic, but the master I was referring too is the Guild Master. Although I haven't seen him in a while." Astro said thinking back to when he last saw any of the guild mates about. He finished his glass of water and the waitress was snappy to refill it and he was equally snappy to empty it into his stomach. They played the game a few more times until Astro continued talking to Owain. "What rank are you Owain?"

Owain stomach growled abit when Astro and the waitress were doing their little dance. Owain was thinking around that time but quickly snapped out of it when Astro had asked the question. "Rank? How would one get a rank."

"Oh thats right you aren't part of a guild. A rank dictates what missions you can and can't take on. It also tells you what mages are and are not in your league ability wise. You've heard of S ranks no doubt?" He said smelling the food almost being done in the kitchen. Owain's order would've been out already if they weren't waiting on Astro's order of everything.

"Aye, I have heard of them. They're ranked one of the highest in their guild. But not higher than a guild's ace, or an SS rank wizard. But they are incredible strong." Owain sat back in his chair, the smell of food was getting stronger as the door to the kitchen opened and closed from all the waiters walking back and forth.

Astro's head snapped towards the kitchen as soon he smelt his food on the move. It came out on carts, not able to fit all one table. "ahhhhh" was the noise he made with drool in the corner of his mouth. He scooped his finger in something as it passed by him and immediately put it in his mouth "YUM!" When the food was all brought out he started inhaling it and talking at the same time. "That's right. That is an example of ranks. Your rival here" he gulped down some food before pointing his thumb at himself. "Is A rank, one step below S and two mere ranks away from SS. So if you are unranked you have a bit of catching up to do. Hehehe" he chuckled before inhaling more food.

Owain took a few bites out of his steak, it was huge needing to be on one whole plate by itself. With two bites the steak was already almost done. Owain gave himself some time to answer Astro. "Oh is that right? I'm sure that I can take you done easily. I fought many A rank wizards during my travels." Owain took a scope from some of the food that was on one of the trays. The rest of the people in the restaurant looked at the two enjoy their meal figuring how they would eat it all. "May I get a refill, please?" Owain waved his cup up, for one of the waiters to refill it.

Astro choked on his food from laughter "Take me down easy? No way man, I'd challenge you if this food weren't more entertaining than that fight would be" He retorted. The waitress refilled his and Owains cups giving them a look of disgust out how much food they had already put away. "Seriously though, you should join a guild. It's the smartest way to get stronger. You said work smarter not harder."

Owain chuckled to himself at Astro's rebuttal, Owain stuffed his face from some more of the meals that decorated the table. "Well.." Owain took a quick sip of water to make the food go down easily. "I don't think I found a place to call home yet. I was at home, Shadow Wolves. Those bunch, helped me with the basic of magic. Explained it to me, nice vibes all around from them. It's was my teacher idea to travel the world. I just want to get stronger, so that I can show em' my strengths." Owain covered his mouth as he belched. "What about you, you must love your guild. The people in there must be an interesting bunch."

"I haven't been around them much" Astro said now that he thought about it. "Been coming in and out for missions, didn't stay long. I'm use to traveling alone. I do love it though." He said before licking a plate clean and throwing it on a stack he had created. "Why not just join the Shadow Wolves?"

"Can't, Marcus told me that I should travel the world. I would learn from other people. Maybe my views might change, maybe I don't wanna join a guild. To bad you can't be a guildless mage in a group." Owain chuckled to himself. He put the plates that were infront of him on top of the chart, grabbing another plate of food.