The laboratory for the Royal Sorcerer’s Society had been turned into a makeshift waiting room with chairs strewn about the place. Some of them were precariously close to flasks and ongoing alchemical projects. Everyone in the room tried to focus on anything but each other, as if looking at the competition would somehow sabotage their chances. Most were staring at the door to the office of the assistant to the head sorcerer. Each person was waiting to hear their own name called so they could go in and explain to the assistant why they should be admitted to the society. It was the most important interview of their lives, and there was only one space open. Admittance into the society meant that a person was set for life. It meant having the first pick of any funding for research projects and having the findings of said project spread around in every important publication in multiple kingdoms. In short, if someone was admitted to the Royal Sorcerer’s Society, they would never have to worry about finding work again.

        Ada shifted nervously in her seat, alternately staring at the door and the numerous glowing and bubbling containers throughout the room. She imagined that some of them were filled with substances that would help the world in ways that people had no idea that they even needed help. That was what the society did, after all, and she was confident that they would make the right choice and admit her into their ranks. In the back of her mind, she knew that this was what everyone else was thinking as well, and what really made her more qualified than the others who were also vying for the same position? Well, for one thing, she was at the top of her class in everything important. However, it was presumptuous to assume that everyone else was so beneath her in everything that she was the obvious choice. The only thing she could do was put her best foot forward and hope that society saw all of her virtues.

        The door opened to let out a disappointed-looking boy who had often been in Ada’s classes. She did not know much about him, but it did not look like the interview went well for him. Following him was the assistant with a list in his hand. “Ada, Daughter of Cora,” he announced. Ada jumped slightly at the mention of her name, not aware that she was going to be next. She tried not to let her anxiety show on her face as she stood and adjusted her robes to look more presentable before she followed the assistant back into his office.

        She took a seat in front of his as he sat down. She was all ready to present her case for her to be admitted to the society, but she was cut off by him saying, “After reviewing your file, I do not think that you are what we are looking for at this moment.” He did not even look up.

        Ada wasn’t sure she understood what she was hearing. “Are you sure?” she asked. “You’ve seen all of my reports. I was at the top of my class in university! I did the best in all of my research classes!”

        The assistant still did not look at her. “Unfortunately, that is exactly the problem,” he said. “You’ve done very well in an academic setting, but you have no independent projects under your belt. You have a good foundation, and you seem to be very driven, but you have no real-world experience. Perhaps you can put your application in again in a few years, but for now, I can only pass it on to some other societies.” His voice was not very enthusiastic, and it was obvious that he was just repeating a script he was taught for disappointed applicants.

        “No thank you,” Ada shook her head, rising from her seat. She left the office without looking at anyone else, and the moment that she was out of the building, she pulled her scrying glass out of her pocket. At least talking to a friend might help.

        After saying the correct incantation, Sybil’s face showed up in the glass. Ada and Sybil grew up together, but she decided to go to a different university to specialize in healing. While the universities in their home kingdom were great, there were other ones in other places, and that meant that Sybil moved farther away than Ada had the money to travel. That was why scrying was so useful. As long as neither she nor Sybil was unavailable, they could still talk as if they were in the same room together. After all, what else do you do when you get bad news but talk to your best friend? So that was what Ada did.

        “So they just rejected you like that?” Sybil asked, looking shocked.

        “He said that I didn’t have enough ‘real world experience,’” Ada answered, doing a really bad imitation of the man’s voice to show just how annoying the whole situation was. “The thing is, don’t you get real world experience from a job like this?”

        “It doesn’t really make much sense,” Sybil agreed. “Do you have any other interviews lined up?”

        “Not yet,” Ada sighed. “The Royal Sorcerer’s Society was the first to get back to me. I thought that meant it was my best shot. Guess I was wrong about that. I should have been a healer like you. At least we would be able to see each other more often instead of just scrying.”

        “You know that you wouldn’t have been happy with that,” Sybil pointed out. “You would think that it’s too slow and boring, and you’d be angry that you can’t perform experiments on the patients.” Both girls laughed at the statement, but there was at least a little sadness behind that. “Well, I’m sure that you’re going to find something better soon.”

        “Better than the Royal Sorcerer’s Society?” Ada scoffed. “I doubt it.”

        “Hey, I’m trying to be helpful here!” Sybil defended, though her voice was slightly drowned out.

        “Sorry, Syb,” Ada apologized. “Someone’s parading down the streets.”

        “What’s the occasion?” she asked. “It’s not a holiday. Some poor ass saying they’re going to save the lost Prince?”

        The Prince in question had disappeared a year before the two girls began university. It was said that he was kidnapped by a dragon. Though no one had ever seen the Prince nor any dragons on the night of the supposed incident, so the details were dubious, but the Royal family was sure of this answer, and it was not like dragons were unknown in the area. After all, the stories said that, besides being violent, fire-breathing lizards, they also had a penchant for stealing away royal children for some nefarious reason. The stories never specified. Since he was captured, a few “brave” warriors every year went off to try and save the Prince and get the reward, which included marrying him, if they so desired (and many, men and women, did desire that). So far, no one had returned.

        Since it showed such a terrible survivability rate, fewer and fewer people were lining up for the job. Sure, there were warriors in abundance who were willing to risk their own necks for the glory, but in the beginning, they went out with parties of skilled hunters, sorcerers, and even bards who were there to record the quest for posterity so people would sing about it for ages to come. Now, a warrior was lucky if they even got a squire.

        The parade marched on so they passed where Ada was standing, and she was surprised that she recognized the person in armor. “Syb, you’re not going to believe this,” she exclaimed. “It’s the Brute!”

        “The Brute is trying to save the Prince?” Sybil asked, surprised as Ada was. “I knew she was stupid, but not that stupid.”

        The Brute was another girl who grew up with Ada and Sybil, but from the name, it was easy to see that the three were not exactly friendly. Her proper name was Bynna, and she had recently been given the surname of Sharpsword. Perhaps it was not exactly inspired, but it got to the point. She was a talented warrior from the time that she was a child, which meant that she ran in different circles than the ones in which Sybil and Ada stayed. It was safe to say that the children who were destined to become warriors were not always civil to the ones with proclivities to the magical arts. Those prejudices were not uncommonly kept well into adulthood. There was a bit of a rivalry between the warriors and sorcerers, even if they had to work together a lot.

        Then again, those who went on quests and came back successful were given respect and had their pick of whatever they wanted on returning. Just because no one had yet come back from this quest just meant it was hard. Perhaps it was not impossible.

        “Syb, I have an idea,” Ada told her friend while looking off at the beginning of the parade.

        “Oh no, Ada,” Sybil shook her head. “That’s a terrible idea. It’s a suicide mission.”

        “Maybe not this time,” she pointed out. “I mean, even if we don’t like her, the Brute is one of the most talented warriors in this kingdom, if not the most talented. If she kills this dragon, I’ll be able to study it. No one has ever been able to study a dragon up close. Everyone will be so impressed that the society will have to make a spot for me.”

        “That’s insane,” Sybil pointed out. “You’re just acting out of frustration.”

        “But what have I got to lose?”

        “How about your life?”

        “Look, I don’t know what else to do right now, and this might be a high risk, but if this works out, it will be a huge reward,” Ada said.

        Sybil sighed. “If this is what you want to do, I’ll wish you luck, and I really hope you don’t get burnt to a crisp.”

        “Same,” she agreed. “I’ll talk to you later.” With that, she put the scrying glass in her pocket and ran to the where the parade had stopped.

        With every quest, at the end of the parade, a speech was made and, at the end of it, the quester asked for volunteers to be included in the quest. For the last few times this quest has been attempted, there were no volunteers, and the people watching likely expected the same thing.

        Finally, it was that time. “Is there anyone here who would volunteer to join me on this quest?” the Brute yelled from a mall, makeshift stage.

        For a moment, there was silence. It was awkward, as people looked around at each other, thinking that this was another warrior doomed to die alone, even if they wanted to have complete faith in her. After all, no one else had come back from this before.

        The silence only lasted a moment before Ada moved to the front and yelled, “I’ll join you!”