It is easy for one to believe that their current quest is to be their greatest.

The sun was beginning to set when the two figures reached the town. The greens and beiges of the surrounding shrublands were cloaked in orange and gold, casting long shadows behind the pair as they approached. 

The longer of the shadows was cast by the shorter of the two, as he wore a tall pointed hat with a wide brim. The hat was slightly droopy, although rigid enough to stand mostly upright on its own. And though it was difficult to tell in the warm colors of sunset, it was just a slightly different shade of slate gray-blue from the rest of the raiment worn by its bearer, perhaps a bit paler, a tinge more grayish. And he was a wizard.

Both of them were, in point of fact.

The taller figure wore no hat, and their silhouette was instead crested by a ponytail of white hair that fell to a little below their shoulders. In contrast to the robes of their companion, they wore a long coat of black and red leather that reached their knees. A large oblong package was slung over his back, a roughly rectangular flat shape wrapped in oilskin and secured with leather straps. 

A few heads turned as they approached. The village was not especially large, nor was it exceedingly small. It was remote enough to receive few visitors, and those tended to merchants arriving with at least a cart. As it was, the pair, who had only traveling packs upon them, began to catch some attention. 

As the fading sun gave way to the colder night, the robed one shivered slightly.

“I think people are looking at your hat.”

“So?” 

The young man who wore the hat scowled and pulled on the brim with both hands to secure it upon his head, as if to reassure himself of its presence. 

“It is getting a bit chilly, are you certain you wish to continue wearing that getup for the rest of the journey?”

“The outfit is important! A proper wizard should present themselves as one.”

“And I suppose someone wearing a coat could not possibly be a wizard.” A smirk.

“It’s fine, if it’s actually a problem, I’ll just burn a little mana on a fire spell to keep me warm.”

“If your robes catch fire, does that make them more or less qualified to be proper wizard attire?”

“That won’t happen.”

“Mhm.” 

“Look, there’s the inn.”

The wooden door opened smoothly with a soft chime.

“Hello, looking for a room?”

“Just for the night, we are only passing through.” The tall one replied.

The innkeeper looked at the shorter one. “You a wizard? Like, a proper one?”

“I am. University trained.” He looked at his companion with a smug grin, which was met by a rolling of eyes.

“We are both actually wizards. Graduated in the same class.” 

“I see. Well, happy to have you in for the night. Let me show you your room.”

The stairs let out a soft wooden groan as they ascended. The innkeeper opened the first door on the right. Behind it was a small room, with just enough room for two beds and trunks, and a desk between them. It was dimly illuminated by a glowing crystal on the desk, which flickered slightly, as a torch would, but in a more subdued manner. 

“It’s not much, but it’s the best I’ve got ready right now. We don’t get too many travelers, so I rent out some of the rooms to the townsfolk for storage and such.”

“It’s not a problem, thank you.”

A little while later they had settled into their lodgings. The first one removed his hat to reveal a mop of messy brown hair. He was a young man in his early twenties at most, with olive skin and bright green eyes that quickly scanned the room. He wasn’t actually that short for a human, about average, or possibly slightly under it. His companion just happened to be rather tall, even for an elf. 

The one with the long coat removed it and hung it up on a wooden rack by the door. He was about half a head taller than the other wizard, making him just a bit taller than a good deal of other elves, and most humans. His eyes were a vermillion red, and his complexion was a deep tan. Underneath his coat he was wearing a straightforward tunic and trousers, both dyed a nearly black shade of charcoal. 

The human wizard, whose name was Hadrian, sat down at the desk and pulled a notebook out of his pack. A quill and ink followed shortly and his attention narrowed to the page before him.

“Don’t stay up too late. We want to be leaving town not long after dawn.” 

“Won’t be long. Good night, Jacedi.”

“Night.” The elf rolled over, facing away from the desk and its light. 

The scritching of quill and paper followed for a little while longer, before he extinguished the light and the night’s rest found both of them.