Elizabeth woke up with a jolt, spinning her head around to see where she was. She saw dozens of what seemed to be nurses, doctors, and other medical assistants walking throughout. She was wearing a blue hospital gown made of paper and had a needle in her arm, which was connected to a large tube attached to a cylinder of blue liquid giving off the slightest glow. Elizabeth blinked rapidly as she saw the strange device infusing the liquid with her blood, having never seen anything like this back in her village.
A nurse in dark purple scrubs walked up to Elizabeth's bed, seeing that she was awake. The nurse then began, "Hello there, miss...?"
"Elizabeth, miss Elizabeth, and where am I? What happened while I was unconscious?" Elizabeth asked as she continued looking around. The halls had a clean, grey, and black tile floor, while the walls seemed to be made of beige drywall with dark baseboards. The place hummed with life and motion, patients being wheeled on gourneys, mainly soldiers who seemed to have injuries from battles with mana beasts.
The nurse continued, "Miss Elizabeth, that's good to know," She said as she grabbed a clipboard hanging from the footrest of Elizabeth's hospital bed, taking the pen hanging from it and scribbling something down with speed. "You fell unconscious after slaying that Terra-Serpen. We guess that whatever ice spear spell you used was more mana than your body was accustomed to, which caused you to faint unexpectedly. As for where you are, you're in the Grand Infantry Infirmary. The guards at the South-Eastern gate found you out there after seeing your feat of strength. They didn't find any capital city identification on you, and while ordinarily only Grand Infantry members are admitted here to receive special care, the guards at the gate demanded we take you in regardless." The nurse turned to Elizabeth, the pocket on her right chest sporting a metal nameplate, which read 'Nurse Jackie'. "Your treatment consisted of a Lividium drip, which is essentially mana-infused medicinal liquid for those who need their's restored." Nurse Jackie said, seemingly reading Elizabeth's confusion from her face.
"H-how long have I been out?" The look on Elizabeth's face contorted to concern rather than confusion, worrying if she had missed the Grand Infantry exams.
"Well, you've been admitted for about twelve hours thus far, but more than likely a tad bit longer given the distance from here to the gate you were found." Nurse Jackie responded, still holding the clipboard, "So can you tell me your full name, date of birth, and current living location? I just need your information for records."
"Sure, my name is Elizabeth Glutatio, I was born in Lapidus on the twenty-fifth day of Menglacius," Elizabeth answered, her voice sounding slightly shaken as she remembered herself facing the Terra-Serpen. The hairs on her neck stood as she thought back to the feeling of it looking over her. She was still shocked, even hearing that she was able to beat the beast, let alone with one spell that she had just created within a mere moment. "Have the Grand Infantry Exams begun?" Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock, remembering why she was even in the capital in the first place.
Nurse Jackie blinked as she stopped writing and looked up at Elizabeth. "Y-you're from Lapidus? And you're worried about the exams? Sweetie, they don't start for another hour, but-" Before the nurse could finish her sentence, the entire medical hall Elizabeth was in went silent, a powerful aura of mana had just walked in, causing Jackie, Elizabeth, and many other members of the hall to stop what they were doing momentarily and look towards a man, followed by two Grand Infantry members in full armor, which Elizabeth could sense was enchanted, with magic far stronger than that of her amulet.
"Where is she? Where is the girl who saved the Southern-East gate?" The man shouted joyously, clasping his hands together as he looked around the hall. Elizabeth immediately noticed the mana surrounding him. It made the Terra-Serpen look like an insect in comparison.
'A creature who could level an entire village would cower underground from just the mana this man commanded.' Elizabeth thought silently. She didn't need any introduction, nor did she ever have to see him before. This was the Archmagus of Medicine, and she knew it without a shadow of a doubt. She had read his name in the papers her adoptive father received every few weeks. Dr. Gregory Chlora, one of the smartest men to ever live, and the godfather of modern medicine. Elizabeth didn't know what his affinity was, but even without that knowledge, she knew he was in a completely different league of power.
Dr. Chlora was a rather tall man, standing about a head above the soldiers behind him. He sported a dark full beard, his hair matching except for two more trimmed parts on the side, which were full of silver hair, somehow all maintained perfectly. He wore a clean grey suit with a white undershirt and blue tie. Black dress shoes and several pins acknowledging his achievements on his chest finished the ensemble.
Nurse Jackie nodded her head towards Elizabeth, "Good luck with your exam, dear," her voice with a hint of forlornness. Jackie returned the clipboard to Elizabeth's footrest and walked towards the Archmagus Chlora. Elizabeth couldn't hear what Jackie had said, but saw her point towards Elizabeth and muttered something.
The doctor smiled and nodded towards Jackie, then turned to walk towards Elizabeth in her hospital bed. "Well, now I suppose I should introduce myself to you at the very least. The name is Dr. Gregory Chlora, Archmagus of Medicine. Most call me Dr. Chlora, or Archmagus if you'd prefer, but considering you saved an entire gate from an A-Rank Mana Beast, I think you can call me Gregory," The Archmagus smiled, reaching a hand out to Elizabeth in a gesture to shake it.
Elizabeth quickly reached out, shaking the doctor's hand, "Sir, please, I'm so honored to meet you, my Uncle Roy is a huge fan, he actually studied at the same schools you did, from what he's told me. It's such an honor to meet you, one of the Archmagi, in person." Elizabeth spoke quickly, her nervousness showing, especially as, while she spoke, she continued to shake Dr. Chlora's hand for an awkwardly long time.
Dr. Chlora laughed and tugged his hand away from the shake. "Please, please, the honor is all mine, miss..." He took the clipboard with Elizabeth's medical information, skimmed it, and spoke, "Elizabeth. Trust me, when one hears of a no-name adventurer saving a caravan and an entire gate from such a threat as you did, they become rather curious." As he skimmed the clipboard, his brow furrowed for a moment, causing Elizabeth's shoulders to tighten. "Relax, Miss Elizabeth, I was just reading over some of your data. It says here you're from Lapidus? Is that correct?"
"Y-yes, that's correct. I know, it's rather rare for someone like me to come from a village in the mountains," Elizabeth began to explain, speaking rapidly as she put her hands up defensively. Though Elizabeth began to wonder how Dr. Chlora could tell she was afraid, given his reaction.
"No, no, there's nothing to worry about, Miss Elizabeth. Your mana just spiked up as if you were afraid. I apologize for my reaction, but like you said, I'm not used to seeing such powerful magic users from Lapidus. I rarely see citizens of Lapidus in the capital at all." Dr. Chlora's eyes narrowed before putting the clipboard back and looking towards Elizabeth. He waved his hands to his guards, "Leave us for a moment, why don't you, and pull the curtains. I'd like some privacy with our guest." The guards do as they're told, and the privacy curtain is drawn, separating both Elizabeth and the doctor from the rest of the hospital hall.
"I-is there something wrong, sir?" Elizabeth asked, her fear growing as she shifted uncomfortably in her hospital bed. She could feel his mana; its flow was much calmer than the Terra-Serpen's, but its intensity was far scarier.
"If you don't mind, I have a few questions. Like, for one, what is a member of Lapidus doing here in the capital?" Gregory Chlora's demeanor changed, becoming far more serious. Up close, Elizabeth could see his golden-brown eyes and the intensity of his stare.
"Um..." Elizabeth swallows hard, feeling her face flush and her spine tingle with fear. "I-I just came to take the Grand Infantry Exam, sir. I-it was a dream I shared with my mother before she passed." Elizabeth managed to stammer out through her increasing anxiety about the situation.
"Oh, the Grand Infantry Exams... interesting." Dr. Chlora responds, his intensity dwindling slightly at the response. "I suppose if you're from Lapidus, you would have no idea as to why I'm suspicious, so let me ask you one more question, and trust me, I can read the flow of your mana with ease. If you lie, I'll sense your mana shifting irregularly. So, with that said, have you heard of The Order of the Blue Flame?" Chlora asks, his voice lowering to a deadly serious tone.
Elizabeth blinked, confused, before looking back at the Archmagus, "I can't say that I have, sir. If I may ask, what is it?" Elizabeth said slowly, her anxiety fading as she felt Chlora's mana relax.
Chlora took a deep inhale, his face dropping to a far easier expression. "The Order of the Blue Flame is a terrorist group that worships the ideals of Aquivis. They're no better than cultists who randomly attack the kingdom, believing him to be the true god of this world, and that all the Archmagi have built, and the kingdom itself, should fall to ruin for betraying him after the War of Dragons. I can tell you have no involvement, your mana didn't so much as hint at you lying, but they've previously sent their members with false identities, claiming to be from small villages throughout the kingdom that don't carry capital identification. The problem with these lunatics is the fact that many of them aren't weak; in fact, several of them have fought squadrons of our Grand Infantry single-handedly. I apologize for my suspicion however, I believe you can see where it came from."
Elizabeth nodded. "Of course, sir, a stranger from a small village with next to no mana casts a spell capable of killing an A-Rank Mana Beast with one strike, carrying no capital identification... I would've been suspicious of me, too." Elizabeth looked down towards the foot of her bed. "I can't believe there's a group like that out there, worshipping a myth and killing innocent soldiers in their pursuit to do so." She shakes her head slowly, her voice full of disappointment and a little shock.
"Well, to tell you the truth, they're quite impressive when it comes to infiltration and keeping themselves alive. They're like an infestation of the capital and the kingdom as a whole. Anyone could be a member, even your closest friends could empathize with them, and we'd have no idea." Chlora said, his voice low, seemingly harboring anger. "They've destroyed supply lines, factories, warehouses, whatever they can to cripple the kingdom, and they're always gone before myself or my fellow Archmagi can reach them. But, I suppose that I should let you get to the Bellum Coliseum for your exams. They start in only a few hours, so you might want to get ready. I'll even let the Archmagus of War know of your arrival, and to watch out for you." Chlora winked, before taking a handsized notepad from his inner jacket and taking a pen from his pocket, writing his signature and hanging it on Elizabeth. "For your Uncle, it's not much, but think of it as a small gesture of gratitude. Along with the cost of your hospital stay washed away entirely." The Archmagus smiled as he stood, turning and pulling the privacy curtain open to reveal his two guards. "Good luck, Elizabeth. The kingdom could use some firepower like yours to help defend from those lunatic cultists." He made a final remark before walking away.
Elizabeth sat in her hospital bed for a few minutes in utter shock. A cult that worshipped Aquivis was threatening the kingdom, and she had just met an Archmagus after slaying a Terra-Serpen with a single spell. Her prior twenty-four hours shocked her to her core, but now wasn't the time to sit and rest; she needed to pull herself together and make it to the exams before they began.