Seed Of Speed

The process of joining the sect involved a long series of lectures about the sect laws, proper conduct within the sect grounds, and other boring rules. Diego had been expecting some kind of magic ceremony linking his fate to the sect, but other than a jade-green token with his name magically engraved on it, there had only been talking. He had been on the verge of falling asleep like he was back in school when the adapt offered a tour.

The first place he took them by was Tri-Tower Plaza. One large, tower-like building was flanked two similar, yet shorter versions. The outside walls of the towers were perfectly smooth and curved and had a number of openings to act as windows, letting in the natural light. There were a handful of people in the small garden in the center of the plaza reading and chatting.

The largest was the Great Library where the history of the desert for the past seven thousand years were recorded and free to everyone. The other two were the Spell Tower and Skill Tower where they could go and purchase skills with the pellets that sect members used as currency. Each tower was divided by floors to rankings that members held. The first floor could be accessed by everyone and was the only floor apprentices could enter.

The Commission Hall was a large, square building in the center of sect grounds that always had someone coming or going from it. The hall was in charge of all of the duties that went into making the sect run and passed out the jobs. There was also a Request Board posted in the main hall of the building where, if you had a profession like blacksmithing or alchemy, you could fill special request to earn pellets.

The only other methods of earning pellets were battling in the Gambling Arena or challenging the Catacombs. The Gambling Arena name explained exactly what it was, a place where apprentices could challenge each other to duels with pellets on the line. It was in the southern section of the grounds and had the feel of the Roman Coliseum to Diego. The Catacombs were something special.

When the adapt stopped and pointed out the small, inconspicuous building, the trio were surprised that it contained such a great secret. Inside the building were a set of stairs that led down to a room with a fixed Void Passage. Apprentices could pay a fee and enter the pocket world to harvest materials to turn for pellets. The problem was that it was both dangerous and expensive, so it was rare for new recruits to waste money on it.

Firesand took the time to talk about a few of his adventures within the strange pocket world. The sect would only allow teams of five to enter together and they were required to have a certain balance of different members to ensure that the students of war and magic would work together. The pocket world was in a state of eternal night which allowed the undead to roam the lands freely. There were ancient treasures rumored to be lost within the deepest regions, but the truth value to the sect came from the bones of the skeleton that the apprentices and adapts harvest. The bone dust was a part of the base for countless medicines, talismans, and magical items that the sect produced, not only for the desert, but also to sell across the Zebugo Sea.

After the Catacomb entrance, the guide took them to two buildings setup across from each other. The highly decorated building with red, blue, green, yellow, and violet was known as the Hall of Elements and where shamans could go and hear lectures about the different elements and other forms of magic. The one ornamented with blades and banners of dark red was known as the Hall of Warfare, where classes on different weapons were held and you could even spar with an instructor, but all of this came at a price, of course.

The guide showed them the residents of the master and grand masters on their way to Apprentice Street. The entire road, on either side, was line by a single building that four floors tall and a tunnel was carved through after every two rooms to allow flow of traffic around the long building. The adapt took them to get their rooms registered under their tokens. Diego's was on the second floor, with its own private bathroom and cultivation room, while Tovao's was on the fourth and only had a cultivation platform within the single room he was assigned. Rainshower's room was much like Diego's, but in the building on the opposite side.

Tovao'a silver token marked him as a martial apprentice while Diego's and Rainshower's jade-green one represented their status as shaman apprentices. Those tokens were their id, but also had a small storage space which they could use with a bit of Solar Energy or mana. Once you stored your pellets inside, it would also be able to pay for any of their needs with a simple swipe of it, if they had the funds, of course. Diego and Rainshower were given a gift of a thousand pellets while Tovao only received a hundred. The adapt left after registering their rooms, so they escorted Firesand back to the outer court where they made their good-byes.

"Take care of mother while I am gone," Rainshower said as she hugged her father.

"Of course, dear daughter. You three must not waste your time here! This is a great chance for you, especially you Tovao. You must be humble and hard-working if you want to succeed here," Firesand said as he parted and mounted his dracolisk.

"Yes, sir," both Diego and Tovao said in unison.

"Good-bye, father," Rainshower said.

"Good-bye, my little Dystina," Firesand said then turned his lizard to leave with the others.

The three of them watched their clansmen leave until they disappeared into the distance. A silent tear rolled down Rainshower's cheek, but there was still a smile. She had known this day was coming for as long as she could remember, so she was ready, but it still hurt to part ways. This was the start of a new adventure and she had two people she could trust alongside her.