Wizard Runners

Chapter 2's

Master Mases muttered softly as he rushed through the hall

The Academy. There are over a dozen Examiners who test hundreds of applicants each

day, and he only needed to obtain it with the forbidden Realm.

And not just any forbidden Realm, at that moment. Freaky

the blonde in his office actually managed to crack the testing disk!

Shivering on his back as he thought about it. Anything

the kind of rotten magic that the young man possessed, he did not want to know about it.

The sooner the little monster was locked up in the basement, the better.

Gasping for breath, he reached his master's office. He took

take a few moments to catch your breath, then knock on the door. A moment later, the door

it opens without a sound.

Inside, a handsome man with sharp features and hair

black short sitting behind the table. At first glance, he seems to

about thirty years old, but a closer look

revealing an ageless quality on his face, as if his body had been

stop aging at some point in the distant past.

“Mr Joko,” says Mases Tester, polite bow. Even

at a time like this, he was trying to be respectful. Mr. Joko is not

someone that only the Examiner wants to offend.

“Annual Song,” said Mr. Joko with a displeased view.

“Is there any reason for you to visit me under such circumstances?” Him

obviously not welcome the disruption.

The Mases examiner nodded anxiously. “There are applicants with

Prohibited realm!”

Mr. Joko raised an eyebrow. “Alam Forbidden? Seems

not like that ‘ Worth such a commotion. “

The examiner shook his head. “It's not a forbidden Realm

normal ones. He completely broke the testing disc!” He's lifting the disc, he's,

it showed black marks and thin cracks that spread like lightning from

centrepiece.

Hearing this, an interesting look finally appeared in the

the face of Mr. Joko. “Let me see it,” he said, extending his hand.

Mahir Mases hands over the disc, and Mr. Joko spends the

a few minutes carefully examined it. When he studied disc,

a curious expression came across his face.

A few moments later he lifted his head, meeting

eyes Testers Mases. “Now this is unusual,” he said, his voice betrayed

little excitement. “Tell me, does anyone else know about

this?”

Master Mases shook his head. “I came right

after it happened. Applicant is still sitting in my office.” His left eye twitched

anxious when he realizes that he should have put up a guard to

make sure the boy doesn't leave.

Mr. Joko stood up. “You did well,” he said

of calm. Then, he raised two fingers, slightly wagging them

whispering a few words.

A shocked expression appeared on the face of the Mases Examiner. Her mouth

it twisted as if it was about to cry, but before he could take out one

a voice, a beam of light emanated from his body as if it was burning from within.

The face froze in shock, the body of the Mases Examiner changed

pale color. Then, it began to disintegrate, like burning charcoal. Within

in a few moments, all that remained was a small pile of ash.

Mr. Joko moved his fingers again, making a gesture

sweep. A gust of wind blew through the room and the ashes of the Mases Tester were swept away

out window.

“Nature is off limits,” Mr. Joko said to himself

with a pensive expression. “I think I should check it out.”

———

Inside the office of the Mases Examiner, Aev grew increasingly concerned about

secs. The more he thought about the situation, the more convinced he was that he was inside

peril.

The uncomfortable feeling within him increased along with

with the passage of time, Aev finally decides that he must leave.

But then, what would he do? With less

of the two silver marks on his name, how could he escape?

He could not stay in Ghonas. Even if he doesn't know

how to successfully hide, what little coins he had would only be

buy a week or two at an inn, if that. After that, he

will be forced to find work, right under the Academy's nose.

Returning to Ghonas is more interesting, but he has no

coins to buy food for the whole trip. Silver mark and handful

the copper will keep him fed halfway to Ghonas. Subsequent to

that, what is he going to do? Resort to begging?

His eyes fell on the small metal box that was still sitting on

table top.

At first, he rejected the idea. Stealing from the Academy?

Only a fool would do such a thing. But if he has

the chance to escape, he needed money.

He understood that time was running out. Mahir Mases

can come back anytime. If Aev has to act, it has to be now.

After quickly glancing at the door, he stood up and stretched out

his hand towards the metal box. He could feel his heart beating

on his chest.

Just as he was about to pick up the box, a voice sounded.

“Stolen, right?”

With a jolt, Aev turned around, his head jerking to the door.

Behind him, he found a black-haired man

the handsome one, wearing a long black robe. Aev is sure he hasn't heard

the door opened, but somehow, the man appeared inside the office.

“I'm not—”

“You feel that you are in danger,” the man cut him off.

“And you decided to steal the money, escape from the Academy, and

use that money to disappear.”

“Who are you?” Aev asked, panicking in his voice.

“You can call me Mr. Joko,” said the man. “Now,

we don't have much time. If you want to escape with your life,

you will listen, and listen carefully.”

　

　

“When you broke that little disk, the Academy knew about

that's. Right now they're going to gather witches to take you. So

they catch you, they'll take you to a dark basement, and

you will never see the light again. ”

Aev's eyes widened in fear. “I have to go! They can

be here anytime!”

Mr. Joko looked at him in confusion. Then, understanding

it appeared on his face. “You think this is Academy?” He laughed out loud. “This

just a small post. The original academy could hold Ghonas City a hundred times over, and

there's still room left,”

Aev breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, he was afraid that he

just a few moments away from being dragged in chains. “So there's still time to

escape?”

Mr. Joko nodded, a smile on his face. “The original academy

it's thousands of miles away. It took weeks to get to

here's. At that time, you and I will be long gone.”

Aev was slightly surprised by Master Joko's words. Apparently,

the man planned to travel with her. He's not sure if he's

liked the idea, but then, he didn't have much of a choice. “Our time

go?” he asked after hesitating for a moment.

“Before we leave, I have a job to do

exercised. A day or four should be enough. You should go to

the inn is called Black Angel, in the southern part of the city. I'll find you

within a few days.”

Master Joko reached out to the small metal box above

table and took out two large handfuls of coins, gold and silver glittering in the

her hands. After spending a while examining them, he took

the seemingly mediocre silver coin and raised it.

“See this? There's a nasty little tracking spell in

above it. If you steal it, they'll find you in a few days.”

He returned the silver coin to the metal box, then

take the rest of the coins in his hand and hand them over to Aev. “This should

get you through this week,”

Aev blinked astonished. The man had just given him wealth

pay for a full year. “This is too much ..” his murmur hesitated.

“Better to have extra in case I don't

back,” Mr. Joko said indifferently. “Remember, Black Angel. If I

not been there in a week .. well, I guess you could at least try running.”

After he finished speaking, Mr. Joko made a sharp move

with his left hand, and the air around him he suddenly became blurry.

When that goes wrong, Aev is confused to find out that Mr. Joko has appeared

as Appearance Tester.

“On the way out, try to look like you're new

just failed the exam.” Mr. Joko, who now wears the face of the Mases Tester,

looking at Aev's confused expression. “Perfect. Now go with you.”

With that, he waved Aev out of the office, cutting

questions asked by Aev.

Outside the office, a trembling runs through Aev's body as he

trying to calm his nerves. The meeting left him deeply shaken.

“I said go with you!” Mr. Joko's voice is heard

through door.

Aev hurriedly started walking to the exit. Each fiber

his body told him to run, but he knew that he had to stay calm. Run

now it would definitely attract attention, so he forced himself to walk

with normal steps, it was frightening step by step.

Head low, he finally came out of the Testing Hall,

do your best to ignore the thought that at all times guards

The academy might explode and catch him.

When he entered the plaza in front of the main building of the Academy,

he looked up. In his eyes, the previously majestic-looking building was now

full of danger, it was as if the Academy itself branded him an enemy.

Shaking, he walked away.

Once he got enough distance between himself and

Academy to calm his nerves, he spent a few moments

consider whether he should follow Teacher Joko's instructions.

If the person is lying, the best bet is

leave town immediately. If the man is telling the truth, though,

the only chance for him is to do what he is told.

After thinking about it, he decided what to do

what Mr. Joko said. Although he did not completely trust the man, he did,

just the ability he showed at the Academy meant he didn't need to

using cheap lies to catch Aev.

After deciding, Aev left for the outskirts of town.

Soon, he began to feel somewhat calmer. More crowd

it's thick here and people dress worse, making it easier

for Aev to blend in with the masses.

He had originally entered the city from the east, but now he

notice that the southern part of the city looks rougher, with lots of people

in the crowd wearing swords and axes at their sides. The night has not yet arrived,

but already, many of the taverns that line the streets seem to do

good business though.

He spent some time trying to find Blue

Angel, but instead, she soon finds herself lost in the streets

it's like a labyrinth. At this rate, he would be lucky to achieve it

before nightfall.

Finally, he saw a woman on the street with hair

blonde, wearing a plain but fitting brown dress. He reminds her of the

the woman from Ghonas, and she stopped to ask where the Blue Angel was

be in.

“Sorry, miss,” said. “Can I bother you to

clue?”

He looked at her vigilantly, but still stopped to

answered. “Where are your goals?”

“I'm looking for an inn called Black Angel,” he replied.

Instantly, his face turned sour. He gave her a look

offended, then walked away without a word.

Aev's confused. All he did was ask for directions

an inn, yet the woman reacted as if she had proposed to him.

From this, he suspected that the Blue Angel was not the most prominent place.

After spending more time without searching

alone, he finally approached a beggar. He threw copper at

the man and asked, “Can you tell me where to find Black

Angel?”

“Male by taste, right?” The beggar gave him

a wide grin that showed some missing teeth, then gave Aev

the directive with an accent so thick that he could barely understand

what the man said.

Aev threw a coin at the beggar, then headed

to where he thought the man told the Blue Angel.

Not long after, he arrived at a stone building with

large board with rough painting of a blue woman, with the inscription “The Black

Angel” is written underneath. In front of the building, a bald and boating man

wide sat on a small bench, cutting his nails with a visible knife

too big for the task.

The man looked up for a moment as Aev approached, then returned

chopping nails.

As soon as Aev stepped in, he understood the offended look

that woman gave him before.

The common room was large, filled with over a dozen tables

wood, with several men sitting scattered across the room. However, which

aev's attention is the women.

Inside the room were nearly two dozen women, some

sitting next to the man at the table, while the others sat behind, eyes

they switched to Aev as soon as he got in.

Their clothes were unlike anything he had ever seen

previously, his neckline was so deep that it showed more

than they hide and skirts so tall that they

maybe not wearing anything.

Aev felt his face flushed red as he tried his best

to not see anything shameful, a task that is only partly her

do so. He had heard of places like this, but he

never thought he would actually visit her.

Trying to keep his face straight, he walked to the bar.

Behind the bar stood a fat but beautiful woman, wearing a dress

with the neckline falling.

“How much is the room price?” Aev asked him, quickly

add, “Leave alone.” It took a few attempts to not let his eyes go

wandering under his face.

“Two silver for this week,” replied the woman while

smirked. “Three if you want clean sheets,”

Aev handed three silver marks to her. There's a lot of trouble

the ones he had at the moment, but the lack of coins was not among them.

“Do you shower?” He asked .

“Two copper for shower,” replied the woman. After falling silent

in a moment, he added, “Six if you want one of

those girls are joining you.” He looked at the women sitting on

around the room with meaning.

“Built only,” Aev said in haste.

An hour later he lay on a soft bed in a

a small room with windows facing the street, showering and eating. Eat it far

better than she expected in a place like this, and after a shower, she said,

he felt cleaner than he had for months.

His mind turned to his situation. If Mr. Joko can

it is believed that a group of witches were heading towards Ghonas City at the time, intending to

caught him. Just thinking about it is scary.

Worse still, from the man's words, the Academy was far away

bigger than he could have imagined. Even if he somehow

managed to escape for now, hiding from such an organization

it seems almost impossible.

And can he even trust Mr Joko? The man has been

warned him about the Academy and even gave him a bit of coin, it was

thats right. However, why would he help Aev?

No matter how hard he thought about it, Aev did not

I can find a satisfactory answer.

It was deep into the night when he finally fell asleep, his dream

filled with visions of a murderous witch.