"I seriously doubt they'd be in your hometown still. My guess is they'd be heading north, where it's warmer. They're more at home in warmer climates. They might have even gone south, to claim some smaller civilizations. We'll look everywhere." He shrugged his shoulders. There were loads of possibilities. The mages could have gone anywhere in the near decade since Iris had last seen them, but Ignatius was determined. They would find them, and Iris would get her revenge.
The two traveled back to the entrance of the guild. They went underground, and listened for who might be awake. In the common room, a large room with a great table and random things thrown about, a few members of the guild were talking about something in Incolumis, the town Ignatius and Iris had just come back from. They stopped when they noticed the two enter. A couple of them bowed their heads in greeting.
"We're leaving!" Ignatius announced, loud enough to wake up any remaining sleeping members. "Remember, I was going to take Iris on that journey? It's today!"
The unofficial leader of the guild, a middle-aged man named Radcliffe, raised a brow. "So early in the morning? That's odd of you, Ignatius."
The teen waved him off. "We're just going to take a map, and some food, and we'll be off. We'll be back, okay? Don't go missing us too much."
Radcliffe turned to Iris. "You're sure you're ready for this? I cannot stop you, but it will be very emotionally taxing to encounter those who so dramatically changed your life."
"She'll have me!" Ignatius assured. "Nothing bad will happen."
Radcliffe rolled his eyes at Ignatius, a common sight in the guild. He looked at Iris again. "It's been a pleasure watching you grow with us, Iris. I am very happy to see your passage into womanhood today. Remember, Exls will always be your family, and we will always welcome you back should you need it. For your sake, I hope you can find those bastards and destroy them. I think you will find yourself on your journey." He turned to the rest of the room. "Should we toast them off?" he suggested. "Our Exls children, our youngest members, they are adults now, and it's time to leave their nest."
One of the other members of the guild, Harold, glared at Ignatius. "Finally," he muttered.
Ignatius blew him a mocking kiss. He looked at Iris with a wide grind. "So, it really is goodbye for now. I'm going to miss it here. Exls Guild will always be a part of me. And we will be back to them, to all of you, when we finish what we're starting today."
...I hope.
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