They barely caught a breather. Quick pit stops at roadside dives—horse-swap, chow-grab—then hammer down till dark, crashing at a beefed-up waystation like it was the promised land.
Elias clocked it: without his "delicate scholar" cover, Xander and Talon would've moonlit the whole damn haul.
Crack-of-dawn? Saddle-up remix.
Kingdom rot? Slapped in the face everywhere—ghost farms, zombie-eyed dirt-scratchers, sun-bleached bones roadside like bad omens. Grim slog, mouth-shut special.
Pace held brutal: two-and-a-half days of ass-numbing grind.
Then—bam. City skyline punched the flats, walls and spires clawing heaven. Shireland hub.
Gates? Human-tsunami, wagon-jam chaos. Boom-town buzz, light-years from the dust-bowl they'd blasted through. Jolt-whiplash.
Xander's backroad hacks? Clean slide-in, no fuss.
Streets? Alive-wire frenzy. Hawkers yapping deals, haulers bellow-bark, coach-rattle cobble-stomp, balcony waft-sweet perfume tease. Life's mad quilt, stitched wild.
Elias—mountain hermit most breaths—neck-cranked gawk-fest. Xander-Talon? Herd-mode, curiosity-killjoy.
Buzz-fade to zen-zone. Halt at mega-gate, carved-beam swoop-roof, flight-ready vibe. Crown goons flank-statue, plate-shine mirror.
Overhead slab: four fat chars, bold-script swagger—Wenhall Academy.
Shire's mega state-school. Students? Benched home. Dorms and halls? Temp crash-pad for knight-hopefuls cap-bound.
Snag: paper-push glitch. "Arthur Blackwood" roll-in sans county chit. Gate-grunts? No log. Xander-Talon clout? Short-stack.
Talon ghost-dip. Re-up: county-lord suit-slinger tag-team. One glare? Poof—hurdle dust.
Stamp-stab approve-blink. Attendant-summon, Elias-guide. Gate-stride, back-peep: solo now. Duo? Vapor. Wonder if re-link ever.
"That beast's the 'Hall of Brilliance'," short-stuff tour-gab, stroll-mode. "Debate den. Packs two-kay easy."
"And check this," tall-drink yapped. "'Garden of Cultivation.' Rock-flower feng-shui art-bomb. Masterstroke city."
Yap-yap landmark-point. Elias? Shadow-stalk figs snag—grey-hood lurkers, armed-up hawk-mode. Grim boot-stomp on zen-greens.
Whispers nailed it: [Royal Arcane Guild] grey-pack uniform. Gut-twist cold. Everywhere? Swarm-city.
"Lake-side strip? 'Hall of Repose'," shorty drone-on. "Chow central. County coin covers."
Halt dorm-block. "Dawn-Dusk digs," tallie tag. "Student crash-pads. Your pad till go."
Shorty palm-wood tag, 'Arthur Blackwood' carve-crisp. "Empty pick. Door-nail claim—occupied flag."
"Cheers," Elias snag. "How many hopefuls in?"
Duo grin-swap. Shorty one-finger salute. "You, sir—pioneer."
First? Elias yard-sweep: ghost-town hush. Deso-vibe check.
Knew the culprits. Xander-Talon speed-freak. Ass? Still buzz-kill numb.
Tallie clock-mug, pep-talk: "Omen gold! Lead-dog arrival! Cap Trials champ too? Grand Boss!"
"Word!" Shorty echo-pump.
Elias choke-laugh hold. Champ? Kingdom's wildest plot-twist.
Duo hang-dog, grin-suck-up, palms subtle-beg. Tour-grind click: tip-trap. "Fortune crumb."
Broke brigade, unite, Elias wry-think. Play-dumb nod, dorm-strut bail.
Duo gape-stare.
"Skint? Or clue-free?" Tallie aloud-muse.
Shorty ground-hawk. "Cap-trek coinless? Nah. Peep him—blade-pack, road-rag, sack-bookless. Turn-strut? Dumb-play pro. Shit, cheapskate snag."
Tallie's mug steel. "Legs walked raw, throat sandpaper—zip. Chase. Comprehension class."
"Nix," Shorty arm-snag. Subtle nod grey-lurk dist-watch. "Year's off-kilter. Guild swarm. Side-eye kill-shot. Risk? Trash. Bad-roll write-off."
"Cheap like that, champ-dream? Ha! Lucky if name sticks roster-end."
"Next? Flank-trap. Front-back pinch. No slip."
Elias? Zero ear. Dorm-wander: swank surprise. Stone-snake lush-loop, pavilion-bench zen-spots.
Full-loop: multi-block two-floor stack. Second-deck entrance-nab: no overhead stomp, yard-vista clear, chow-trek short. Prime realty.
'Arthur Blackwood' nail-hook, in-dip. Solo spread: bunk, desk, closet. Sack-bed toss, window-flip air-blast.
Tick, wash-kit snag, back-well scrub. Road-grit face-hand scour, outer-dust dunk.
Wet-rig room-hang, fresh-bucket haul-up? Afternoon ghosts. Spare-robe pack-swap, chow-hall hit.
Solo-specter. Lone-cook standby, menu-open. Elias no-mercy: top-shelf order-blast, room-rebound.
Night? Lone-wolf lock-in.
Dawn-chatter leak. Window-peep: duo-guide new-blood, kid-lug squire-tag.
Crown muscle? No maid-service. Rich-kid eggheads? Self-serve noob. Squire norm—fam-face grunt-work road-daily.
Elias's OG gig for Arthur.