The training with Cao was only the basics. Magic training wasn't flashy and all the important stuff was going to be learned later. This frustrated her greatly. She understood that they needed to get down the basics in order to do anything else. Yet the fact that she wasn't progressing faster made her angry. Why wasn't she getting this all down faster? It wasn't as though this was difficult. The fact that she didn't do everything perfectly was a thorn in her side. A thorn that she struggled to remove. It didn't matter that this all was new to her. Dala wanted to know all of this stuff now, not later. Her patience was small and she was angered easily by her lack of competence. Every time the little girl did something wrong, she would bite her tongue and she would tense up. But she would take the time to figure out what she had done wrong and do her best to fix it. She wouldn't stop until she had gotten it right. That was how she rolled. 

There was another thing lingering at the back of her mind. Recently, she had gotten an item. It was an item gifted to her by a certain friend that she helped out long ago. The item was a pair of massive strong manacles that could cancel magic. They pair of manacles was made for a dragon. They were also painted gold, if it wasn't for the golden chain, the entire thing would look like a pair of golden bracelets. She had picked up the manacles before the training had begun and had been keeping them in her magical purple bag for a rainy day. Or an extremely sunny day full of opportunity. Today was that day. 

Dala and Cao were travelling through a small village to a destination where they could have an easier time making money. The village had a small amounts of warriors and hunters so they had a board displaying all the requests for heroes from all over Revaliir. There was one flier on that board that had caught Dala's interest. A Boreas dragon had been bothering some residents of Itjivut and they were looking for somebody to stop the dragon. But the child had a better idea with what to do with the dragon. If she could get to the icy island and catch the dragon, she would be able to have a powerful ally. There was only one problem with her plan. 

Cao would never let her go on such a dangerous quest. Dala respected her mentor and knew that Cao was only trying to protect her student but that is not what the situation was calling for. The little girl viewed this as a ripe opportunity that couldn't be wasted. Worrying about things like personal safety or possible death wasn't going to get her the powerful allies that she needed. So she had a plan. A plan that might not work. A plan that would probably result in being punished severely by Cao. A plan that might result in beatings or yelling from her teacher. Dala didn't care. It was now or never. If she didn't carry out her reckless idea then she knew she would regret it for the rest of her years. 

"Cao can we go to the market?" Dala asked, trying to act natural, "I wanna see if I can find a certain book." 

They were already in the village. Going to the market would allow her to escape easier. And if all else failed, there always was the bathroom excuse. 

She knew that Dala was impatient, but Lixue had completely underestimated how impatient the young girl truly was. She had told her before that magic is something that cannot be mastered in a day. Just as a kingdom takes generations to form with each generation building on top of the preexisting groundwork of their predecessor, magic is a collaboration of all mages working to ever build on top and surpass those before.

"Anger will defeat you in battle as well as in life do not give your opponent the luxury". Seeing as how Dala's anger was getting the better of her a momentary rest would be the best cure for a moment of anger. Moving over to her flustered student and tabbing her forehead, Lixue would cast Arua sight on Dala to allow her to see magic. "Rest while I give you an example". Walking further from Dala, the young girl would be able to see the immense amount of magic flowing through the Undead's body. Compared to her own it was refined like an untouched pool of water ready to activate at the whims of its master. "Just because this is the beginning of your training do not think that it is easy. The basics are a foundation that encompasses all magic, even those claiming to be masters often forgo and dismiss their foundation out of pride more than often causing their undoing. Without a sturdy foundation, everything collapses even the mightiest of kingdoms cannot ignore it". Condensing the flow of magic to her left hand, Cao shot off an icicle roughly the size of a needle at a tree. Enough through the icicle looked small and fragile it pierced right through the tree. Shifting and warping the magic all around her body showing that she could if need be channel magic anywhere she pleases. "Don't feel frustrated that you cannot produce results immediately, with repetition and dedication you can reach the very same level of control. Just like you, I'm still learning and will learn from you just as you learn from me".

Finished with her example, Lixue motioned after Dala as her student can practice while on the move as both of them still had a job to do as guild adventures. While the Guild Master was less than appreciative of the Priestess hiding her true ability they accepted her reason to apply as a beginner adventurer as her focus was on her student, not fame or fortune. Once Dala improves and gets stronger the both of them will climb the ladder and collect enough money to be able to build a village to start the groundwork of Dala's kingdom.

Walking in silence as no doubt Dala was placing all of her focus into her training. Keeping an eye out for anything strange as the area was known for its dangers, as they reached the village Dala asked if they could stop by the market. "We have to meet with the village elder before we can start our work. Since it's on the way you can stop by the market while I meet with him, but you should come to these meetings from now on as it will be a good way to learn how to speak when you hold a court yourself one day". Thinking that the girl might be looking for a book on magic to assist her studies Lixue allowed it this one time.

Cao was correct about the importance of the basics. The little girl knew that without the basics, anybody could be crushed. It just angered her that she wasn't able to master it already. She'd felt the same frustrations when she was teaching herself to write. It was even more frustrating back then because she didn't have anybody to teach her the basics. Dala had to learn them through books, observing strangers, and forcing herself write over the letters until she understood how to make them. At least she had a mentor now. Her mentor was wise and calm, far calmer than herself. To be like her was a good idea. Lixue already had everything under control, or at least that was how it seemed to Dala. The undead woman always seemed to know what to do and how to do it. She was calm, never bothered. Dala wanted that calmness but controlling her anger was a lot easier said than done. 

But she couldn't think of all of that now. She had to get to work. There was an important task that she needed to complete, without the cautious eyes of her mentor. Luckily, Cao trusted Dala enough to go to the market while she was meeting with the village elder. That trust was soon to be destroyed. The child knew that much. She knew that she would have to earn Cao's trust after all of this was over. If that was even possible. At worst the priestess might stop teaching her. At best she knew that she would probably receive some sort of punishment. 

The risks were worth it. 

"Thank you Cao!" Dala said with a small smile. 

Now she had to keep an eye out for magic users. They were the key. She had to find one that could use portal magic. That was all she needed. Once she got that, then the rest of her plan would fall into place. As they passed the marketplace, Dala gave a small wave and headed to the bookstore. She didn't lie about wanting to get a book. Technically, she hadn't lied at all. She was wanting to get a book at the marketplace. Dala looked among the books and found one that went over some local history. Picking up the book, she ran over to the counter and quickly bought it. Afterwards she went back to the market and began her search for a magical person that could help her out. 

"Whoosh~" Out of thin air a hole in the fabric of space opened and what appeared to be a girl in a white dress and puff hat danced out of it. A gust of wind made her skirt ripple as her white boots tapped the ground. Then, the portal was gone in the blink of an eye. Moments aho, the small oni had been doing research on the local grasses outside the village. But in reality she was just here because she heard rumors of the elusive jackalope being sighted in this neck of the plains. Sure she already had a jackalope–Patchouli, but the little arcanist was determined to find them in the wild–and make friends with them. After all, they were magical. "Ahhhh…the sweet smell of civilization. Or maybe just apple cider. Mmm, cider. Now what were we gonna buy again?" The little arcanist asked her familiar. Patchy warbled something, and Myouga put her hands on her hips. "…Oh yeah! Butter biscuits! There's nothing better with apple cider than freshly baked butter biscuits! Alrighty then–to the bakery!" 

Pointing ahead with her funny little familiar, Myouga marched her way through the market stalls, eyeing the pastries. The curious winged rabbit creature with antlers sitting on her hat licked its lips when they stared at the cheese danishes. If there was one thing Myouga loved more than magic, it was food! "I'll take one of these, these, these, and these! Thaaaank you~" She chirped as she handed over the money. "Bye Auntie!" The small oni waved as she continued shopping. Having a congenital growth disorder made doing manual work inconvenient, but people were nicer when they thought you were a kid. And thanks to that, she could hide her horns easily beneath her bangs. With short-cropped black hair and charcoal eyes, she skipped along without a care in the world. Eventually the crowds picked up so she started floating to see over people's heads. Magic sure was convenient! 

Spotting her was easy, as it was hard to miss the girl floating around. She had a mischievous grin as a booth of toys caught her eye. There was a jack-in-the-box on the shelf, and looking at it sure was nostalgic. It reminded her of the time she scared the sandals off other kids when they told scary stories in the summer. Once they got to midnight everyone was too scared to use the bathroom. She hid in a basket and popped out, making Yabashira scream and fall over while the other boy who had been teasing him wet his pants. He was so mad at her after that, but that other kid stopped picking on him. Ahhh…good times.

"No need to thank me just be sure to go straight to the chief's home after, also you don't have to keep referring to me by my family name". Watching Dala as she left for the market, Lixue wondered if such a small village even sold books as they were quite expensive. Given that most of the population could not read it was unlikely that a village would prioritize literature over more basic needs. Not thinking much of it she made her way to the chief's home as Dala had taken care of herself all this time the Undead had no concerns about her wandering the village alone.

It was not too difficult to locate the Chief's tent as it was the largest compared to the rest. However, the fact that a tribe of Boharan requested assistance concerned her. What she had gathered from the other adventures was that the tribes were known to have many strong warriors and vast knowledge of their home. If their warriors and knowledge could not deal with the threat it was most likely far more dangerous than she was led to believe. After this, I'll be sure to cut ties with this guild after this job as it is more than a simple clan of goblins as I was led to believe. Cursing the guild master for lying she approached the warriors in front of the tent, "I'm a representative of the guild here to deal with your request". Handing the sealed letter over to one of the warriors who simply looked at the seal and waved handed it back before stepping aside.

Passing into the tent and looking at the stranger character and designs painted into the tent, she slightly bowed towards the time riddled man seated by the firepit. "I am the guild representative here to deal with your request". A brief moment of silence hung through the room as the cracks in the Chief's face shifted as he smiled relieved that his request had been answered. As he stood up the Chief uttered words unknown to the Priestess before continuing in Common. "No words can describe how grateful I am to your arrival, please sit would you like some food or something to drink ''? Shaking her head, "No thank you for the offer, but I'd rather deal with this creature as quickly as possible. Can you tell me anything about this creature"? Sitting back down and getting comfortable, the Chief looked as if he was preparing to tell a very long story. "The present details if you please, I think it would be best if I dealt with the beast as soon as possible". Letting out a huff as the Elder seemed upset about the Priestess' impatience. "All we know is that this beast preys upon the deer. Our hunters have tried to deal with the beast, but all efforts have been met with failure. If the beast is not dealt with our ability to hunt the deer will be significantly impacted as the deer population will not be about to repopulate to meet up with the demand. All we know is that the creature seems to be of the forest, but twisted and corrupted". Thinking on the Chief's words the thoughts of sprites or dryads came to mind, but a dryad would never do such a thing. "It's not much to go on, but it is appreciated. I'll do my best to see to it that whatever is threatening the forest is promptly dealt with ''. Parting with the Chief as she left the Dala was not waiting for her nor in eyeshot. I told her to come straight here after she bought the book, what is she doing?

It didn't take Dala long before she spotted a girl who looked around her age flying above the crowd. The only issue was getting the girl's attention. She was higher than Dala so the little girl reached into her bag, taking out a slingshot. After putting in a small pebble, she aimed her slingshot at the girl and tossed the smooth pebble in the girl's direction. Hoping it would get her attention, she started waving her arms towards the floating girl. This was great. The floating girl seemed to be around her age. All she had to do was figure out if she could use portal magic and convince her to open a portal to the icy island. 

"Hey! Over here!" Dala called out to her and waved, "Could you do me a huge favor?"

Dala really hoped the girl would see her. If she came towards her, Dala would begin the begging. The little girl knew she didn't have much to pay for the portal magic. There was only so much silver in her pocket and her items needed to be used for other things. However, she would be willing to strike a deal with the stranger as long as the portal was provided. There wasn't much time left. She had to be quick about this to avoid the ever watchful eye of Cao. 

"Do you have portal magic?" Dala quickly asked Myouga, "If so, please please open a portal to Itjivut. I really need to get there. If you do, I'll bring back whatever item you want. Please! Its an emergency!"

Dala pressed her hands together in a praying motion as she begged for the portal magic. She knew that she wasn't at the level to do it herself. But somebody like Myouga might be able to. The portal magic seemed to be common among magic users. Cao had hers and Dala had seen others with similar types of magic. All she needed was to get to Itjivut. That's all she wanted. 

"Please please please please." Dala said. 

She needed to get there now. Cao would coming after her soon and she knew that the teacher would not allow her to go through with her plan. All that mattered was getting to the island. Everything else could be worked out later. 

Drifting along, she was looking for any interesting things when something small hit the back of her hat. "Hm?" She looked around until she saw somebody waving at her. Grinning, Myouga flew over and landed, Patchouli following after with its little wings. It was a blonde girl, probably around age ten to twelve? Maybe, maybe not. Anyway that wasn't important. Right off the bat the girl asked her if she could do her a favor. Not to be one to deny at first sight, the small oni agreed immediately. "You want me to take us to the ice island? Ok! It's really cold though, so hold your breath!" Myouga wasn't sure if she had any extra warm clothes on hand, but she knew that holding your breath for a few seconds helped stall the sudden feeling of cold for a moment. While most people wouldn't agree to such a sudden request, Myouga had been thinking of paying Itjivut a visit for a while. She had failed to purchase that pony back in Sularia, and she still wanted one. If importing them was illegal, then why not go get one herself? The strange jackalope familiar perched on its owner's shoulders as Myouga pointed her right index finger in the air. With quick movements, the little arcanist drew a rune in midair, causing a portal to open. As she did so, her eyes turned a bright green, then went back to normal. A freezing gust blew out of the portal to the icy southern isle, and snow was falling out onto the ground. 

"Brrr! Whew, hold on." Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a bright red hat lined with white fur. Handing it to Dala, she then said with a singsong voice: "Ta-da~ All aboard the portal express! Hold onto your hats!" There was nothing extremely flashy about the spell, aside from how quick it took for Myouga to cast it. That was one of the benefits of having a strong magical affinity with the arcane. "We'd better get some warmer outfits once we're through though–these clothes aren't gonna keep us from turning into icicles. I almost forgot why I haven't visited in so long." Oh right, she did go to Itjivut once. It was with Lise and that's how she got her little pseudo-wyvern, Ryokuto. "On the count of three–one, two, THREE COLD COLD COLD COLD!" Myouga zipped through and waited for the girl to follow before closing the portal shut. "Ok, time to open a portal to the nearest place with hot chocolate and a fireplace!" The small oni shouted through chattering teeth. Patchouli shivered as well, making trilling sounds as it tried to bury itself into her bag. "I wanna still keep my fingers and toes!"

It took a lot less begging than Dala expected. Her eyes widened in surprise when Myouga instantly agreed then began to open a portal. The little girl watched as Myouga created a rune midair to open the portal. Runes were magical, Cao had taught her that. So she understood when she saw the rune. Dala reached into her bag quickly and put on a ring. The ring was very special. It was made up of wyvern bone and was able to protect the wearer against the cold. Dala also still had her warm clothes tucked away in the infinite purple bag that she always carried around, though they would be the additional protection. She hadn't worn her dress today but instead was wearing the tunic and pants. It was harder to travel in a dress, or at least that was her excuse to Cao.

Confusion lit up in the little girl's eyes when Myouga handed her a bright red hat lined with fur but she shrugged and put it on her head.  Once Myouga got through the portal, Dala ran into the portal. The other side was cold but far less cold for Dala then it was for Myouga due to the ring. The world around her was covered in fresh white snow. There was wind but it was gentle. Tiny snowflakes fell from the sky and the sun was hidden behind light grey clouds. The weather didn't seem bad but they needed to get to the village that the dragon was at. Dala reached into her satchel and pulled out a map along with a compass. She observed the landscape along with any signs of markers. It would have been easier if the stars were out, but it was daytime and the clouds hid the sky. 

"There should be a village on the northern side of the island. I need to head that way. They also have these weird pony things so we can always use those to travel if we need to." Dala said, "Oh wait. You have portals. Can you portal us to the northern side?" 

She put away her map and compass and brought out the winter clothes from her infinite purple bag. The coat was made up of hide and fur from buffalo and was one of the best coats she had. However, instead of using it for herself, she handed the heavy coat over to Myouga. 

"Take it." Dala said, "Not that I care or anything. I just don't want to have a frozen travel buddy." 

The child also wanted to get to the village as fast as possible. She didn't want to leave Cao for too long. The child knew that her mentor might be a bit worried. Maybe. It was difficult to tell, as Dala had never had anybody worry about her before. Most people wanted her dead or couldn't care less. The idea of somebody caring enough to be worried, it was as foreign as the snowy island.  Dala put on a lighter jacket and heavy boots. Her wyvern ring protected her from the majority of the cold but she still needed slightly warmer clothes. 

Waiting by the Chief's tent, Lixue let a few minutes pass as she waited for Dala to arrive. The more she waited the more concerned she grew as she knew how combative her student could be. While she had taken care of herself before the Undead could not help but to think the worst as Dala was still just a child. It's only been a few minutes I can wait a bit more, if I let my paranoia get the better of me we may miss each other due to my impatience. Continuing to wait for a little longer as her concerns built up more and more until she could not bear it anymore as her instincts fought against her mind forcer her to hastily travel to the marketplace.

Searching around the marketplace calling to Dala in an attempt to get a response, every time she called out and received nothing in response the more fearful she became. Walking faster and looking all around the market as power walking turned into jogging then into sprinting as she yelled out to Dala. Soon even sprinting was not enough as the Undead teleported around and back to the Chief's tent cling onto one of the warriors driven by fear. "Hey, have you seen a young girl blond hair with brown eyes come by"! Surprised by Cao's action the Warrior would attempt to try to calm her down, but lean onto his spear as he started to feel dizzy. Letting the man go as she could feel his energy flowing into her being realizing that her hunger was not held at bay. CALM DOWN, Everything will be fine… just think, RIGHT the book. While the Undead was in her own world the other warrior was attempting to figure what was going on. Though before he could question Lixue she was gone.

Blinking through the marketplace as she looked through the stalls looking for any that sold books. Catching the leather bound books she would almost appear out of nowhere as she slammed her hand down on the counter. "There was a little girl here with blond hair looking to buy a book did you see where she went"! Glaring at the shopkeep as the jumped back as the book covers began to dry out from the Undead's aura.

"Y..Ye"

"Answer the question I don't have time to deal with your timidness"!

Nearly cause the keeper to faint from her aura along, the shopkeep explained how she bought a book on history before running over to a white in white with an odd creature on her head. Pushing the shopkeep to the breaking point they would simply point to the baker, who attempted to hide as Lixue looked over. Shaking the baker down for information like a common street thug, she would learn about an odd magic user that would come by from time to time and buy cider and baked goods usually arriving via a portal. Pushing for more information the baker would say that both the magic user and a little girl went through a portal not too long ago. Leaving the baker in peace but the good dried and sour, Lixue made her way to where the portal was opened. It was not too far away from the market, still close enough to hear the fear wafting off of the traders. Looking around and feeling the area around her, she could sense a distortion within the magic of a particular area. Sending some of her own magic into the area the outline of a portal would appear. I don't know what's going on and why Dala went with this woman, but I need to discover where they went. Examining the outline more she let out a laugh. This won't be as hard as I thought the user did not even try to hide their tracks, I just need to focus and follow the breadcrumb trail!