I slowly approached the next table. A rough-looking man twirling a knife sat alongside a bald, broad-chested brute. A trio of big brawny men lined up behind them - exactly the sort that a defenseless mage should surround herself with.

  “We are the Kerakars”, all five of them said in unison. An instant red flag. I wasn't one for synchronized group activities.

  “It is not everyday that a mage shows up in the talent pool”, the Kerakar with the knife spoke. “So, we scouted you out and retrieved the information you filled up”. That traitorous receptionist sold me out! The responses in the questionnaire were supposed to be private.

  “There were some points of dispute”, he voiced his displeasure. Was it one of the random choices I filled or one of the answers that Cayla improvised?

  “The matter of loot distribution and payment – you opted for an ‘even split’. At Kerakar, we pay by the color of the badge. A copper badge should not hope to have what an Iron badge is owed”, he added, with a toothy grin. I turned my attention to their badges and sure as hell, they were all iron.

  “Everyone in a party bears the same risk, fights the same foes, and shares the same fate – hence, deserves the same coin”, I replied. I took a deep breath and continued, “It hardly matters anyway. I’m not sitting here telling you how to run your own party. This doesn’t concern me”.

  He looked confused. “ It would – when you join”. When I joined? If I joined.

  “You seem to think it’s a foregone conclusion that I will join the Kerakars”.

  “Where else would you go? We are the best up and coming party in Palomp, with ties to some of the biggest leagues and houses in town – a chance to catch their eye and move up in the world”. It was the bald headed man who spoke now. I assumed he was probably the second-in-command. The three standing men showed no interest in inserting themselves into the conversation. There was no shortage of chairs in the room, but they remained standing. This was no party of equals, but a band of crooks, doing their leader’s bidding.

  “Lord Baskin is the patron for Kerakars. He will not pass up the chance to have someone with a high primer. If not with us, then with another party of his choosing”, their knife wielding leader spoke. A powerful backer, I presumed.

  “I do not side with those who attempt to strong-arm a new recruit into taking a smaller slice of the pie”, I replied.

  I wasn’t particularly keen on making enemies, but I didn’t think I could work with this lot. If their patron developed an unhealthy interest in my primer, I would flee. I had no ties to this town or country.

  “I wonder how your patron would feel knowing you cost him a mage, because you wanted a bigger cut of the loot?” I left that question hanging.

  “You are refusing us?”, the bald headed man asked in shock, while the leader furiously glared at me.

  “Yes, I’m quite the heartbreaker”.

  Then I turned to one of the standing brutes and said, “Here, have my seat. I won’t be needing it”. With that, I stood up and walked to a corner of the room to wait out the remaining time in the round.

  Cayla immediately came to me. “Not what you were expecting?”, she asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

  “No, it’s a silver down the drain. Any chance I can get a refund on that sign up fee?” I wasn’t ashamed to resort to some puppy eyes.

  “ We will break for refreshments at the end of this round. I suggest you get your money’s worth in cupcakes”, she winked. I laughed at her suggestion.

  She hesitantly added one last thing before she walked away, “The Kerakars weren’t my pick. They used their influence to get into this room. An unaffiliated magic user will have a lot of suitors.”

  Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all, though she still needed to atone for her comments about my hair.

  Right on cue, the bell signalled the end of the round. There were several trays of cupcakes and cookies left on a long table at one side of the room. I took Cayla’s advice and decided to stuff myself with cupcakes.

  Most people stayed away from me. The Kerakars were busy ‘networking’ with other people. Dust tried not to make eye contact with me as he picked some cookies for his plate.

  One of the women – there weren’t many of us in the room, walked up to me and asked, “Are the cupcakes any good?”

  I wasn’t sure if that was a mere conversation starter or a genuine interest in baked delicacies. “Phey arph okay”, I tried to reply with a mouth full of cupcakes. She left me alone with my cupcakes. I spent the rest of the break by myself.

  I had just cleaned out a tray of cupcakes when I heard Cayla ordering everyone back to their seats. I prayed for better luck as I slowly made my way to my next table. It was a party of three – two men and a familiar looking third woman. It was the cupcake girl – though I would be a more fitting candidate for that moniker from her point of view, or from that of any neutral observer.

  The two men turned out to be brothers. The youngest was Leos and the eldest Gref, and together they were the Krugel brothers.

  “I’m Seramina, the archer. Everyone calls me Mina”, the only woman in the party introduced herself.

  “They call you Mina and not Sera?” I got a nod in return. “Since I am not everyone, I shall call you Sera - if that’s okay with you”. Sera giggled in approval.

  “We heard you were a mage. What do you specialize in?”, asked Sera.

  A light primer, aptly dubbed one of the high primers, was more expensive to acquire. If saving up enough skill points for an elemental primer was a challenge, then a light primer was beyond the reach of a commoner. So far, confessing I was a magic user had caused awe, and shock, and anger, and resentment – doubly so when I mentioned the light primer. ‘Maybe I should ease them into the idea this time? Start them with the skills and perhaps I could keep my audience with me for longer?’, I wondered.

  “How about I tell you how I can be of use to the party instead?”, I asked.

  “Keeping your primer a secret? Makes me curious now. Go on then, how can you help the team, lady?”, the older brother replied.

  “I have an attack spell that does good damage and another spell that helps while camping. It’s a barrier spell that keeps out all monsters slightly stronger than me.” I kept the other spells a secret, for now.

  The elder krugel studied me. “I have never heard of a spell like that. I’m even more curious now to know what strange primer you possess, and to know why you left your noble house behind to roll around in the muck with the rest of us”.

  Sera gasped, as she momentarily rose from her seat, her eyes fully focused on me, and never leaving mine. It sparkled as if she had a grand epiphany. “I heard that the second princess has taken up residence in Castle Wildencrest”, she said absently, her thoughts a million miles away.

  The elder Krugel scoffed,”No need to sugar coat it, love. The princess was exiled to Palomp”. Sera winced at the older brother’s comments. She apologetically glanced towards me, then attempted to signal something at the brothers with her eyes.

  “I’m surprised the first prince hasn’t gone for a more permanent solution. If it was me, I'd get rid of all competition.”, the younger brother replied.

  Sera’s face went pale. She looked towards the brothers with pleading eyes, as if requesting them to stop. Meanwhile, I was trying to understand why the conversation had gone off on a tangent.

  “To think she was sent here as punishment. It’s because these big city folk in the capital look down on us ”, the older brother aired his frustration.

  “And now the princess is here roughing it like the rest of us”, the younger Krugel grinned.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “If you think your stinking room in Crystal moon inn is the same as her bedchamber in Castle Wilden crest”, the older Krugel mocked his younger brother.

  Sera quickly spoke up, “Fellas, I’m sure you have heard of those rumours about the second princess and her strange primer?”, she glanced back and forth between the brothers and me, hoping the brothers would catch on - and then maybe they could fill me in, because I didn’t know what had gotten into Sera.

  “Huh? What about it?”, the younger Krugel wasn’t sure where this conversation was going. That made it two of us.

  “I heard it is not an elemental primer or even a light primer”, the elder brother commented, bringing his glass of ale down.

  “You are saying it’s a special primer? Probably just idle gossip”, Leos dismissed the idea.

  I suddenly recalled the transit system using that word once, but I didn’t know much beyond that. What was a special primer and what made it so special?

  “No, I heard it from some guy I met in the tavern. Had a thick northern accent. Claimed he used to work at the palace. He said that everyone at the palace called her a name behind her back - The intuition princess”, the older brother explained.

  “A strange nickname for a princess”, Leos noted.

  “Because that’s where she put all her stat points into. Had a class for it. The guy thought it had something to do with her strange primer”

  “No one puts all their points in intuition. That’s a secondary stat at best”, the younger brother pointed out. After a brief pause he added, “Why are we wasting time talking about the princess?”. I would like to hear the answer to that one too, because the clock was ticking.

  It was Sera’s turn to speak, “Does that remind you of someone? Someone new to Palomp with a strange set of skills and a primer she was born with?”

  “Oh”, all of us spoke at the same time. I was no longer mistaken for just any noblewoman. I was royalty now.

  Maybe I should fully embrace my ‘noble upbringing’ and craft a backstory out of it. Something to consider for later.

  Still, it was best if I didn't try to impersonate a princess. In stories, the royalty were fickle creatures who would have you part with your head because their soup tasted bad, or because they got a papercut. No, I didn't want to involve myself in the matters of royalty.

  “She is the princess?” The older Krugel was the first to snap out from the shock.

  “That’s what I have been trying to tell you”, Sera quickly replied. So, that was what she was doing.

  Leos was the worst one hit by the news. “..And I suggested that the prince should get rid of her permanently. That’s akin to…”, he shuddered without finishing the thought.

  “Yes, treason”, Sera finished it for him, before burying her face in her palms. She muttered something to herself - I wasn’t sure what, but it sounded like her saying, “We are all going to hang for treason”.

  “No, calm down everyone. I am not your exiled princess. I’m not even from this country”, I frantically replied, hoping to kill the rumour before it took off.

  “Then, where from– Tarth?”, Gref asked suspiciously.

  “No, not from Tarth. Way beyond Tarth”, I quickly responded. I didn’t want to be associated with a country that was probably a rival. Until now, no one had cared to ask me where I was from, so I didn’t think to have a response prepared. If I replied with something like ‘Earth’, there was no telling how the auto-translator would interpret it. I wasn’t pretentious enough to call it something like ‘Terra’ either – as they did in some books.

  I quickly came up with something, “Silicon valley”. That was where the parent company that created me had its office.

  “Sel..eca valley?” Sera tried to repeat what I said.

  ‘Okay, let’s go with that instead’, I decided. “Yes, Lady Alysa of the Seleca valley”.

  “Leos probably can name four countries now”, the elder Krugel joked.

  “Get lost, Gref. You have a brain the size of a preston seed”, his younger brother scolded.

  I breathed a sigh of relief when the brotherly banter took over from the topic of my origin. System suddenly pinged with a message. I looked at the subject line before minimizing it.

  “New backstory available : Foreign dignitary”.

  At least that was confirmation they bought it?

  We had a good chat about various things – primarily about their past adventures, their skills and roles. They had all been working together for a couple of months and the brothers had known each other all their lives. They had their own party dynamics and I would be the new girl. But, this was the first time I felt comfortable with a party today. When the bell broke up our meeting, I reluctantly moved to my next destination.

  My next few meetings were uneventful, with cold, unwelcoming company. It was as if they had already made up their mind about me. I followed their lead and decided to simply go through the motions myself.

  My last meeting for the day was with a man who was without doubt the oldest in the room. Most adventurers in the room were at least three or four years older than me. But the man sitting before me looked a lot older.

  “We aren’t a good match”, he spoke before I could even pull up a chair.

  “Most people would let me take a seat before they turn me down”, I replied.

  He smiled, stretching the wrinkles on his face. “We are both in need of a punching bag to stand between us and the enemy”, he said.

  “I take it that you aren’t a strong, independent brute then?”

  “No, I hope to dabble in magic”

  “You are a mage?” I asked in shock. By that point, I was conditioned to react a certain way to such an admission, having seen people do the same with me.

  “I am almost on the verge of having enough skill points to afford a primer. Until recently, I worked under a potion maker. When it was time to gather the herbs, he would send me out with the adventurers. The potion maker is too much of a coward to step outside the city gates, and your average adventurer can not tell apart a Veir-root from a Persimonae. I was just a boy when he started sending me out into the woods with the adventurers. They kept me safe as I collected the herbs. When my system awakened fully, I started carrying a spear with me during these outings, and if an opportunity presented itself when the adventurers fought the monsters, I would get a jab in. My master never experimented with new potions. It was always the same half a dozen potions. That let me get away without having to raise my herbology skill beyond second rank. I saved up all my skill points. It has taken me thirty-five years to get to where I am. I am almost on the verge...” Tears started to trickle down his cheeks. Instinctively, I reached out with my hands to comfort him.

  For most of the people in this room, joining the guild marked the culmination of years of hard work – years spent fighting for every level, and saving every skill point. When they found themselves at a table with a willing listener, they often talked their hearts out.

  He continued, “ Last week, my master found out what I was planning to do – that I was saving up for a primer and that I would soon leave his employment. He was furious that his herb collector was going to be a mage. I was kicked out and left without a job. I had no choice but to join the guild, without even a weapon skill or a primer.”

  “But you have plenty of levels?”, I asked. The cheapest primer would cost him thirty skill points and he was close to getting one.

  “Yes, more than anyone in this room”, he replied with a smile, wiping his tears. He had probably heard that I was born with a primer. Did he also resent me for getting mine for no cost?

  “The Kerakars have agreed to take me into their group. They will help me get those final levels that I need to purchase an elemental primer. In exchange, I will pick a water primer. With my herbology skill and a water primer, there is a good chance I might get offered a ‘green healing’ spell. It is a lesser healing spell that amplifies the healing effects of herbs and potions. Of course, I can not be a true healer without a restoration primer from a fused light and water primer”, he explained.

  I stored that piece of information on the restoration primer for later use. I had a null primer that was formed of a fused light and dark primer. I had wondered if other primers could fuse together and give access to new hybrid magic schools. I had my first confirmation.

  “You will be their healer and they will pay you by the color of your badge and not by the weight of your actions ”. I didn’t hide my disapproval.

  “ A cost I am willing to pay. I have waited so long for my first primer. This has been the singular focus of my life”.

  “I’m sure you have earned it”, I replied with a smile.

  “You know, the Kerakars were badmouthing you during the break. ‘An uppity attitude, hard to work with’ – their words, not mine”, he told me.

  “I suspected as much.” It explained why everyone was suddenly cold and aloof.

  “So, what will you do now?” he asked.

  That was the question, wasn’t it? I tried to divert his attention away from topics that could send me down an existential spiral. The bell went off for the last time — it was time to submit my list of names. The rules required each of us to pick a minimum of three participants, ordered according to our preference. Then we would hand our list of names to Cayla, who would do the ‘match-making’. If the interest was mutual, Cayla would get in touch with us both and help us register as a party. And if no one picked me? I tried not to think of that.

  I didn’t trust Cayla to not simply throw my list away and take matters into her own hands. It would be entirely within character for her to dismiss my choices, because they were not tall enough for me, or because the color of their eyes didn’t go well with my hair.

  As my first choice, I picked Sera’s party. They had a tank and an off-tank in their team, and Sera was easy to talk to. I didn’t really have anyone else to pick after that. The old man who wanted to be a mage wasn’t an option. I wrote the name of the friendly archer as the second choice, knowing fully well that neither of us could protect each other. I needed one more.

  I didn’t choose to write the names of anyone else I met after the break. Not because they were cold and aloof, but because they were easily swayed. Was it preferable to go solo, than to be stuck with someone you couldn’t work with? With a villainous smirk, I added the name of the only person who wouldn't name me in his list.