Book 2 Chapter 50

Miss Mu was right about the smoke and noise in the city of Acerorazon, but what she had failed to mention was the riot of color displayed on the walls of most of the buildings. Sure some of them had a buildup of soot covering them, but the vast majority of brick buildings had at least a splash of colorful paint to ward off monotony. Mostly yellows and vibrant reds, but occasionally sky blue and grass green made a surprise appearance.

They’d already dropped off their travel gear at the Wanderer’s Sect branch they’d be staying at for the next couple of years, and since Miss Mu was considered a Master of the sect she was given quite nice accommodations. Though they had to request an extra bed for Willow since the room had originally only had one big one.

After settling in they’d set out in search of his new martial instructor.

Willow couldn’t really get a sense of the emotional state of the populace due to needing to keep his senses sealed for his own safety. Even with his spiritual senses cut off for now, his more mundane ones were still threatening to overwhelm him anyway. The crush of people was suffocating, the smell of smoke filled his nostrils, and the constant banging of hammers combined with noisy people had him clinging to his mentor for dear life as she navigated the city towards their eventual destination.

The large and austere building was actually nestled against the wall of the city, and to the side of it was an open dirt training yard currently occupied by a group of recruits. Though considering the fact Mu seemed to ignore the man currently yelling at them, Willow guessed that he wasn’t the one who’d be teaching him this time around.

Which was good, he couldn’t imagine doing well with someone constantly berating him in the manner of the yard instructor.

Mentor and apprentice entered the main building, and Willow let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. He was frankly frustrated with himself, he’d hoped that the technique to suppress his spiritual senses would be all he needed to do well in cities, but apparently he’d still have to work hard to get used to such things.

The room they were now in held only a desk with a wiry man sitting behind it. Multiple doors led to parts unknown to him, since they were currently all closed.

The man at the desk looked up at them when they’d entered, and seemed to blink a few times before his face split into a grin.

“Look what the snake dragged into town! Didn’t expect to see you in these parts for a few more years at least!”

Miss Mu returned the smile, but hers was a tad more reserved. “Well that doesn’t bode well, I even sent a letter to your bossman sayin’ I’d be showin’ up with a job for him.”

That just made the man guffaw. “You know the bossman doesn’t tell me anything unless I ‘need to know’. He probably just wanted me to be surprised when you showed up at our door.”

The man rose up from his desk and surprised Willow by being far taller than he expected. His long limbs and wiry build made him look almost spiderlike, and his graceful movements as he moved to one of the doors behind him reinforced that notion.

“I’ll just check with him and see if you’re expected. Shouldn’t be too long.”

The two of them waited in that little lobby area for several moments, Willow took in the sparse decor, and when that ceased to amuse him he briefly played with his friends internally until his mentor gave him a little nudge as the tall man reentered the room.

He gestured for them to enter back through the door he just returned from while he sat back down behind his desk. “He did indeed receive your message, and is free to attend to you right now. Would you like me to look after your ward while you speak to him, or are they part of the matter?”

Willow and Mu began to walk through the indicated door. “They’ll be comin’ with me, but I appreciate the offer, Fer.” His mentor gave the man a little wave as they left the room.

They moved through the connecting hallway and entered the doorway at the end of it. The office beyond was just as sparsely decorated and austere as the rest of the building, leaving Willow to wonder if they had something against having nice things to look at.

Even the view outside the back window was dreadfully boring.

There was a central desk taking up the majority of the space in the room, and the man behind it looked up as the two of them entered. He had well groomed dark hair, greyed at the temples and a thin moustache on his upper lip that was equally grey. The ease with which he smiled explained the laugh lines on his face.

“Master Mu, looking radiant as always!”

Willow was slightly surprised at how well received his mentor seemed to be here. The guards at Darabaile recognized her and even seemed to respect her, but there wasn’t nearly as much warmth in their reactions as what he was currently seeing.

“Save your flattery, Matias. We both know I look like shite, haven’t even washed off the travel dust yet.”

The smile never left his face. “And yet your inner beauty shines through regardless. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company? I assume it has something to do with the child with you?”

Miss Mu frowned in confusion. “You got my letter, didn’t you?”

His smile shifted to a slightly apologetic one. “I did, but I’ll admit to finding your letter to be mostly illegible. I’d blame it on the courier who handled it, as there seemed to be quite a bit of water damage. The only thing I was able to make out was that you were coming to visit, which of course made my heart soar with joy!”

Mu sighed and rubbed at the back of her head in frustration. “I suppose you get what you pay for.” She muttered.

She gestured to Willow, which he took as his cue to give a martial bow in the style of the House Herrera region. Something that seemed to pique Matias’ interest.

“This is my apprentice, Willow. I’ve come here to call in a favor and have you teach them how to fight.”

His thin brows raised in surprise. “An apprentice, how delightful! However, are you sure you want to entrust their martial training to me? You know how exacting my standards are, and I wouldn’t want to break the poor child. Besides, wouldn’t it be more appropriate for you to teach them your style of combat?”

Mu let out a cloud of smoke as she sighed. “Believe me, I’ve tried to convince them my way of fightin’ would be better, but they’ve been quite insistent on takin’ the frontline with their spirit.”

Matias steepled his hands in thought as he stared at Willow, his hazel eyes seeming to pierce through him. He then let out a sigh.

“Then perhaps I’ll attempt to show them the error of their ways.”