The Asshai's Bloodmage

 Before Rafael was attacked in his room, after helping with the details of the new tower and helping to set up all the traps in his new home, Zaya and Vitarys took a carriage that was still waiting for them outside the mansion and went to a tower that was 3 times bigger than the tower of the Order of Sages. They had only recently come across this place and its name was Ventria Tower, the former and now current home of their master Esmer. Although Zaya and Vitarys were his disciples, they remembered well that when they began to study magic, their studies would only last as long as they were in Valyria. This was a condition they accepted and now such a master-disciple relationship was no longer possible. Vitarys had only followed Esmer to Asshai for the sole reason of receiving a recommendation to study with another Master. But now seeing such options available in the city, he decided to follow the new group he had joined and join the Garden of Beasts. 

Unlike before, when Vitarys saw all the apprentices below him, his attitude changed completely. Rafael was much younger than him, but he was already a highly skilled Blood Mage. Jhon was his age, but had already mastered his first spell. Omar was an excellent swordsman, who had a treasure he never dreamed of having in this life, in addition to having his own knight. Even Fatty, who he despised for being so useless as Liza, had now become another man. He was undoubtedly the strongest of the group after Rafael. And that faceless man was unfathomable…

The Order of Sages may have a weak magical legacy when it comes to spells and rituals, but the knowledge that the leader had, along with his skills as a Blood Mage and alchemy, are something that was truly worth Vitarys investing in his development and remaining in it. Never would an apprentice who had not yet mastered his first spell be able to be the founder of such an organization. 'We were lucky to join and we must continue strengthening such an organization.' Vitarys thought as he was still climbing his master's tower. Soon the two reached the highest floor using a counterweight elevator. The two were fascinated to reach the highest floor of the tower without climbing a single step, their new small tower had no such thing. When they met their master the two bowed and paid their respects and soon Esmer spoke:

"As I said before, I will no longer be your master after I leave Valyria. I was going to recommend you two to a friend of mine, but since you both decided to join the Garden of Beasts, I have written a letter of recommendation for you two. This should make things easier inside that old man's tower. I will be assisting a friend of mine in an experiment and it should take about 1-2 years, after that I will be spending an undetermined amount of time on an important experiment. That is basically why I can no longer guide you two as disciples. Here, take this, it is a gift for you two."

The two students looked at the unusual bag that was being given and took it.

"This is a high-level storage bag, its space is much larger than the shadow bag you use, its name has been lost over time, as has its method of creation. Rumor has it that it is an artifact created by the children of the forest. Inside are some gifts for you to take care of yourselves. Remember to be careful, Asshai is a dangerous place, even more so for those of you who decided to follow that man. Vitarys, you can wait downstairs. I need to speak with Zaya alone for a bit."

Vitarys bowed and thanked his master before leaving the father and daughter alone. As he descended to the ground floor of the tower and sat down to wait for Zaya, he took out the bag he had been given and dripped a drop of blood into it. His eyes widened in surprise, inside were copies of 3 new wind-type spell books, and 2 new fire-type spell books. His master had said that fire was his secondary element, but he had never instructed him in anything about that element. In addition to the spell books, there were 15 more books on blood magic, rituals, and several scrolls on forbidden techniques and documents related to alchemy. There were also 1000 gold coins, dozens of silver ingots, many precious stones that he would need to learn the spells in the books, 3 single-use spell scrolls, and lastly, a necklace that emanated the power of the wind element.

When he saw this item, he immediately ignored the 3 single-use scrolls and began to breathe heavily because he knew it was an artifact. He took it out and dripped his blood on it to create a bond. As soon as he did so, he also read a note that was in the bag about the necklace: It could improve the duration of wind-elemental spells by 10% and had an effect that could protect the wearer's life in fatal attacks with the "Wind Shield" spell. Vitarys held the item as if it were his most precious possession. This was a level 3 artifact, and it was among the best level 3 artifacts due to its automatic activation in times of danger. It would easily cost thousands of coins if purchased from one of the shops in Asshai. At that moment, all Vitarys felt was admiration and affection for his master.

Suddenly Zaya left the tower elevator, still accompanied by her Master. Vitarys realized that there was someone else with them. To be more specific, there was something with them. Behind Zaya, a black cat, larger than a hunting dog, was following her steps. Vitarys immediately recognized the creature that inhabited the most inhospitable and cold places in Westeros. It was a shadow cat. Its fur was blue-black, very different from other animals of its species, a clear sign of a mutation or alteration. Each step it took made no sound, although it did not seem very dangerous. Vitarys had seen such an animal with his master before. It was one of Esmer's first pets. The way it followed behind Zaya was a clear sign that the creature now had a new owner. But Vitarys was not jealous of Zaya. She was Esmer's daughter, and receiving more benefits from her father was just something normal. He also saw the same collar that he had just won around her neck.

Then, Esmer took the two of them to the underground of Ventria Tower. The size of the place left Vitarys speechless. He thought that the larger towers were only slightly thicker and taller, but this underground floor made him change his mind. The size was so large that it easily covered a third of the size of his master's entire estate. If each floor were to grow even larger like the Tower of the Sages, the last floors would be almost equivalent to the enormous territory of the entire mansion. When he remembered the dungeons that Rafael told them about, a shiver ran through his body. Before he continued in his thoughts, Esmer made them sit in two armchairs that allowed them to even sleep sitting up, before giving them a red potion. Without question, the two drank the potion and slowly lost consciousness.

When Zaya woke up, she saw her father reading a book sitting near the armchairs where she and Vitarys, who was still sleeping, were. When she saw her father, her heart warmed with admiration and love for him. She felt the bond with the shadow cat that was lying not far away before remembering that her father had given her a Wind Element Totem… Although it was a simple spell called Haste, it was still a spell that could be used 3 times a day. Her father said that such a spell was no longer of much use to him now that he had more powerful spells, so he gave the totem to her.

Focusing on the totem, she saw metal walls that were 3 meters square and felt its direction. The totem was inside a metal box buried in one of the deepest places in the Ash River. When my vision returned to the totem, I also remembered the spell book my father had given me, it was a unique spell created by himself, something no one else had. I had received so many valuable things that night and I was still astonished when I saw that Vitarys had also woken up.

"You two finally woke up, I made some changes to your bodies to strengthen you against the diseases and climate of Asshai. You should even be able to drink the water of the Ash River now… But I saw that there were already changes in your bodies… Who made them?"

"Rafael," I answered without much concern.

"I didn't know he was a Bloodmage, although his methods are a bit primitive his knowledge of the body is excellent. I found no problems with his enhanced vision. I also made adjustments to his respiratory system in preparation for learning that original spell I showed you. As for you Vitarys, the liver enhancement he made I improved a bit more to be able to neutralize all low-level toxins. That's all for today, you can leave now, we'll see each other in a few years, keep studying diligently and don't disappoint me."

"YES MASTER!"

The two shouted and bowed one last time before heading back to the Tower of Sages, it wasn't long before dawn.

***

Special thanks to the Patreons:

Magic Apprentice: Parsa, Pato Senalima, Axel Bour, Gabriele Sulpizio, Vinnie, Jan, frimorigo, Scott Robertson, Takatchi and Leery Falcon!