ã€ŠAn Artificer&#x27;s Ambitionã€‹


 Prologue: Memorial

    <hr>

    He swept a brush over an open canvas painting a crimson sun over foggy horizons, faded orange skies over a valley shrouded in mist and a sea of blades buried in the ground; he sat back to admire his work, and found only a sense of rising frustration. There was nothing wrong with this picture, but what about it was right? How many tries would it take before he finally got it right?

    Shouting in frustration he lifted the canvas off its easel, and drop kicked it off the balcony. The door behind him creaked open and a tall, slender man peeked out from the doorway.

    ¡°That''s the second one this week, Master Jamison.¡±

    Jamison stretched his back before collapsing on to his seat. ¡°Just fetch me some more paint and have someone get me a new canvas.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you should take a brea-¡±

    ¡°The paint, Derrick. Now.¡±

    ¡°Certainly, Master Jamison.¡±

    The door closed behind him and he rested his arms and head on the railings. Children played in the streets, birds sung, and the trees bloomed in different shades of vibrant, beautiful colors. It was a pleasant sight but not enough to inspire him, lately life had just become mundane. The way things were these days was a far cry from the misadventures of his youth or the tense competition he¡¯d experienced in his early adulthood.

    He heard someone knocking at his door. No one was scheduled for today and he certainly didn''t feel like putting up with anyone now, but the knocking kept on coming. He let this go on for about five minutes before he gave up and walked down a couple flights of stairs, taking his time strolling through his house just in case they were about to give up. After a couple more minutes he decided that his visitor wasn''t going away anytime soon, so he briskly walked over and opened the door.

    ¡°Damn it! What could be so important that¡­¡±

    ¡°You owe me Jamison.¡± A tall man stood at his doorstep. His clothes were tattered, he smelled like misery and his eyes were red and puffy.

    ¡°Salamn? You look like a wreck.¡±

    ¡°I''m fine, just fine. But, I need you to do something, please it''s the least you can do.¡±

    Master Jamison nodded grimly. ¡°Whatever it is that needs doing I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°...Thank you.¡±

    He shouted across his manor. ¡°Derrick, never mind the paint and canvas just fetch me two cups of tea, the best we have in stock.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Derrick shouted back. ¡°Certainly, Master Jamison.¡±

    Jamison turned back to address him. ¡°Right this way.¡±

    He nodded, following Jamison into a luxurious common room. The floors were made of a dark, rich wood; light streamed in from the windows and a beautiful garden could be seen just beyond the glass. The tables were finely crafted and engraved in the likeness of roses and smaller, more decorative pieces lined the shelves, but most of all were the chairs. Those had perfect arm and leg rests covered in velvety-red cushions that looked absolutely inviting. He beelined towards the chairs without a care in the world for propriety or decorum. He fell onto the chairs and when he did, the tension seemed to visibly leave his body.

    Jamison sat across from him content to let him rest until he was ready to speak. What he saw now was a haggard man, with deep bags under his eyes, content to be sprawled onto someone else¡¯s chair without having been invited or offered a seat elsewhere. If this were anyone else he¡¯d have had them kicked out by now.

    Derrick arrived silently, opening the door without so much as a sound and quietly pouring them both a warm cup of tea before bowing out and leaving through the same entrance. He took a sip from his cup slowly, lounging in the silence and watching the dust float by in rays of sunlight. Salamn began to sit upright slowly, lethargically. He raised the cup to his mouth and drained it all in one go; before pouring several more and draining them too.

    Jamison hesitated. ¡°So, what do you need?¡±

    Salamn looked away. ¡°I need a memorial, something beautiful in a¡­ melancholy way.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Its fine, really.¡±

    ¡°Who for?¡±

    "My kids.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Jamison paused hoping to find the right words, ¡°Look, I know they were your kids and all¡­ but kids die from the plagues often. There¡¯s a lot more you could do for your family with my money, maybe build a bigger business off of it, tend to the living before you care for the dead, you know? I mean I¡¯ll do it if you still want me to but-¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the thing.¡± Salamn buried his hands in his face. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the plagues that killed them.¡±

    Jamison¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°Then what did?¡±

    ¡°The Arbors.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna talk about it.

    ¡°What¡¯d they do? Your kids I mean.¡±

    ¡°Not sure.¡±

    "Then there¡¯s nothing you can do about it, is there?¡±

    Salamn shook his head. ¡°Guess not.¡±

    Jamison shook his head. ¡°Look, you should get some sleep.¡±

    "No, no I really should get going, I¡¯ll be fine I¡¯m sure.¡± Salamn tried to stand again.

    Jamison easily intercepted him, laying a hand on his shoulder and easing him back onto the chair ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡±

    He turned around and called out. ¡°Derrick!¡±

    ¡°Yes Master Jamison!¡±

    "Would you be so kind as to escort this man to the guest room!¡±

    "Certainly, Master Jamison.¡±

    Salamn struggled again to get up. ¡°No, no I... I couldn¡¯t possibly.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Derrick, take him to his room.¡±

    Derrick appeared again by the entrance. ¡°Sir, I believe that wasn¡¯t a request.¡±

    Salamn was exasperated. ¡°What am I, a child?¡±

    "When it comes to politics yes. Please, just rest here for a couple days.¡±

    "Alright.¡± He let out a small sigh, too tired to argue.

    "Thank you, I¡¯ll take care of things from here and I¡¯ll see what I can do about the Arbors alright?¡±

    "Alright.¡±

 Preparation

    Today was probably the last day, the last one for a while. He leaned against a blackened willow and watched the sunrise over a distant, mountainous horizon. He listened to the winds while they whispered and the rustling of trees as they swayed.

    Tomorrow morning he¡¯d have to ready himself for the Coming of Ages Ceremony and shortly after the celebrations were over he¡¯d leave for the city of Silverwall. So he savoured this moment, and for the first time he decided to speak to it. To them.

    He looked up at the willow¡¯s golden leaves and ebon branches.

    ¡°Hey it''s been a while. I know I haven''t really spoken to you but, I guess I never really had anything worth saying.¡±

    The winds picked up a little.

    ¡°I wanted to tell you, I managed to pick up an apprenticeship with one of the masters over in Silverwall.¡± He paused for a second, trying to figure out what he was saying, and why.

    ¡°I think we can do it this time you know? Become rich and famous, everything we¡¯ve ever wanted.¡±

    He took comfort in the gales.

    ¡°But I think this means goodbye. For now at least. For four- maybe five years.¡±

    The leaves went silent and the wind stopped.

    ¡°So I wanted say, I''ll always remember you. And when I next get the chance I¡¯ll be certain to come and visit; I''ll tell you about all my exploits and profits in the coming years.¡±

    He stood up and looked towards the trunk of the tree, on a little section where the dawn¡¯s light shined; words carved into the tree.

    In loving memory of Rea and Darius Brandy.

    ¡°Wish me luck.¡±

    He walked past the willow, through fields of grass and rolling hills. From the top of each hill he could see the town in the distance. The closer and closer he got the more he could see its layout, or rather, it''s lack thereof. The buildings themselves had no uniformity and they were placed haphazardly around an unusually large town square. The main roads were somewhat small, with a maze like network of thin alleyways that ran the course of the town. Even from here he could see the main roads being crowded and overflowing with people.

    He walked along the pathways through fields of golden crop, entering through one of the main roads despite how crowded it had already become. Townsfolk were setting up colorful banners and decorative ornaments. Some shops were closed for the next few days while others promoted their wares more fiercely than ever. The scents of bakery sweets and smoked meats hung in the air, but as he passed through the square he was filled with anxiety.

    A wooden stage was currently under construction and almost complete, chairs for the celebrants¡¯ families were arranged in a semi-circle across from it; and in the center was marble pillar that stood at about chest height. Atop the pillar was a grey sphere made from stone, spiral carvings ran across its surface and fed into the pillar below.

    He lengthened his stride, eager to put the stone out of sight and out of mind. Thankfully his house was only a few minutes away from the square, far enough away from the stone, but close enough to be convenient.

    He walked up to the door and knocked once or twice. It opened inwards slowly and his mother stood at the doorway rubbing her eyes.

    ¡°Oh! Good you¡¯re back, go check your supplies while I get my tools.¡±

    ¡°I already check-¡±

    ¡°Yes yes I know but it never hurts to be safe.¡±

    ¡°And my measurements we already-¡±

    ¡°You never know, boys your age eat a lot.¡±

    ¡°Come on.¡± He whined

    ¡°Just do it already.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    Mother ushered him into the house, gently closing the door and walking upstairs to look something. He followed her and at the top of the stairway made a left, pushing his door open and walking into the room. It was drafty, cramped, and dimly lit, but it felt like home. Beside his bed and beneath the window laid a backpack, a sack, and a small satchel.

    He checked the backpack¡¯s contents briefly, making sure the bedroll and clothes were all in place. The sack was entirely empty, though it would carry his food once he went on his way. What he cared about most, was the satchel. He counted the coins, more money than he¡¯d seen in his lifetime, ten golds, twenty silvers, and a few handfuls of bronze. Where they¡¯d gotten the money he¡¯d never know, but he placed them back in their pouches and gingerly picked up a small envelope. On it was a silver, waxy seal embossed with a stylized hammer.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    He¡¯d have to read the letter, one last time in case he missed anything. He opened the envelope and read through it carefully.

    Addressed to Namar Brandy

    Your talents have been recognized by the committee of smiths at the Maker¡¯s Association. You are hereby invited to take an apprenticeship under Master Chromus for the next four years or until you complete your trials and gain the title of Journeyman Smith. Food and lodging will be provided. Further details upon arrival.

    ~The Maker¡¯s Association

    His mother called out. ¡°Namar get down here!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    He gingerly placed the letter back in its envelope and neatly tucked it away into a pouch.

    ¡°Namar!¡± His mother called out again.

    ¡°Coming!¡±

    He rushed down the stairs and walked into the common room. The tables and chairs had been moved to the side and his mother stood center holding a marked string about the length of her arm.

    She tapped her foot impatiently. ¡°Hurry up we¡¯ve got other things to do today.¡±

    Namarwordlessly stepped into the center of the room while she used the length of string to take his measurements.

    ¡°Alright, everything looks ok. Now where is that father of yours I swear if he¡¯s gotten distracted again¡­¡±

    ¡°Should I look for him?¡±

    ¡°No it''s fine, it''s fine. I''m sure he¡¯s on his way¡­ Have you memorized the ritual procedures?¡±

    ¡°Backwards and forwards.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re going to do once you arrive in Silverwall?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely.¡±

    His mother took a seat and fired off a series of questions to which he answered with absolute confidence. Then, she changed the topic.

    ¡°How''re you feeling about your dancing skills?¡±

    ¡°My uh¡­ my what?¡±

    ¡°You''re dancing how is it?¡±

    Namarsuddenly became more awkward, fidgeting and looking off in different directions.

    ¡°Don''t tell me he never tried to teach you.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I kind¡¯ve wanted to skip that part.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not.¡±

    ¡°But it doesn''t have anything to do with anything!¡±

    ¡°Yes. It does.¡± She crossed her arms.

    ¡°Name it.¡±

    ¡°How about your reputation?¡±

    ¡°What about it? I won''t even be here after tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re always this stiff about everything how''re you ever going to find a wife?¡±

    ¡°I don''t care.¡±

    ¡°Look I know it doesn''t matter to you right now since you¡¯re off chasing your dreams or whatever, but one day you¡¯re going to want a genuine wife and¡­¡± At this point she gave up on whatever speech she had in mind and sighed ¡°Damn it I want grandkids Namar!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Namar was momentarily stunned

    ¡°You¡¯re a big boy now Namar surely you can at least handle that.¡± She was mocking him. She was really mocking him.

    ¡°Mom I have things I want to do.¡±

    ¡°And that''s exactly what I''m hoping for.¡±

    ¡°Mom!¡±

    Mother¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Look, I know you have your goals and dreams in mind, but you and I are a lot more alike than you think.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He asked skeptically.

    ¡°Just hear me out-¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°No. Really.¡± She stood up, taking his hands in her own.

    ¡°... Alright.¡±

    ¡°I was just like you once. So obsessed with my dreams that I forgot to enjoy myself along the way. That was¡­ a long time ago, before I met your father. So please, loosen up a little? Have some fun. Sing, dance, play, you haven''t done any of that since you were seven. If not for yourself then at least do it for me?¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡±

    They hugged it out. Unfortunately, mother had the audacity to ruin the moment.

    ¡°But I still want those grandchildren.¡±

    Not particularly eager to continue their argument he responded. ¡°I''ll keep it mind.¡±

    ¡°That''s all I wanted.¡±

    Suddenly they were both crushed and lifted up by the muscular arms of a huge man bear. Also known as his father.

    ¡°Oh! I love you guys too!¡±

    ¡°Dad? Where did you come from?¡±

    ¡°Oh I''ve been around.¡± Dad had the  most unbelievably smug impression.

    ¡°Does that mean you were listening to that whole thing?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    Moms cheeks became a scarlet red. She struggled to escape the power of dad''s hugs. ¡°Put us down you oaf!¡±

    Reluctantly he let them go. ¡°Awww ok.¡±

    ¡°So I heard you needed help.¡±

    Namarnodded his head.

    ¡°Alright, now watch master at work.¡±

    Mother shook her head and moved to lean on the far corner of the common room. Father on the other hand moved to the center of the room and started dancing.

    It was horrendous.

    ¡°Alright now you.¡±

    Mom stood in the corner barely able to hold back her laughter

    Namar took dad¡¯s place in the center of the room and shamefully tried his absolute hardest to mimic dad¡¯s movement. He took a step back, and felt his foot roll to the side. He wasn''t able to stop himself from falling, Namar hit the ground with a heavy thud.

    Mom rushed to his side. ¡°Namar!¡± She helped him up. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I think so.¡±

    Dad on the other hand was freaking out. He took him by the shoulders and started to shake him. ¡°Son are you alright! Do you need a visit to a shaman? Cause¡¯ I know a guy and he¡­¡±

    ¡°I''m fine dad.¡± He gave him a forced smile and a thumbs up for reassurance.

    Dad''s expression slowly started to shift from one of panic to an expression of glee. ¡°Hah! That''s my son just like me tough as balls.¡±

    Mom snorted. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll try again in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°No no it''s fine. I''m¡­ fine. I¡¯ll work on this all day if I have to. Better to look like an idiot now than later.¡±

    ¡°Exactly! Alright get up and try again I''ll show you step by step this time.¡±

    "No. Not you,¡±She held a finger up at him. ¡°You work on other things. I''ll teach him. Well? Shoo! Go on.¡±

    ¡°Will do sweetie.¡± He smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek and left for the smithy.

    Mother turned to him. ¡°Now let''s try this again.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± He moved to the center of the room and prepared to fail miserably for the next twenty four hours.

 Ceremony

    The Ceremony was almost upon him. Yet here he was, sitting on a hay bale and watching the clouds drift lazily to the east. He was bored. Up until today there¡¯d been a looming sense of dread, but he¡¯d come to terms with the situation. Everyday would be like this; these last couple hours. Sheer boredom, watching the world walk by while it left him behind.

    His brother called out from behind him. ¡°Barlor c¡¯mon it''s almost time to go already!¡±

    He looked back at Cal, the youngest of five brothers. ¡°Alright alright I¡¯m going.¡±

    He got up off the hay bale and jogged over to Cal. ¡° Where are the others?¡±

    They started walking towards the town square.

    ¡°Tommy said we¡¯d meet up while we were on our way.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Well Tommy said he¡¯s busy.¡±

    ¡°Sounds about right.¡±

    ¡°And Fel said he was with a girl.¡± Cal stuck his tongue out in disgust and Barlor couldn''t help but smile.

    ¡°Where''s Shep?¡±

    ¡°I dunno.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Don''t remembers.¡±

    ¡°Can you try?¡±

    Cal scrunched his face. ¡°Mmm¡­ said¡¯ he was doing something¡­ somewhere. I think.¡±

    ¡°Very helpful Cal.¡±

    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Cal responded without a hint of sarcasm.

    Unlike some of the other towns folk they completely ignored the main road. Instead choosing to cut through the alleyways. Cal may not have remembered much of what it was like before Tommy got the job, but they both knew the alleyways inside and out. They walked with confidence, ignoring certain alleys entirely and navigating through the winding maze of houses as though it were a straight corridor.

    ¡°Hey.¡± The voice was smooth and dark, and it seemed to resonate throughout the passageway. It was one that belonged undoubtedly to Shep. His lanky figure emerging from seemingly nowhere.

    ¡°You still haven''t told me how you do that.¡± Cal whined.

    ¡°When you¡¯re older little bro.¡±

    ¡°Shep what¡¯re you up to?¡±

    Shepput his hand on his heart. ¡°Nothing shady I promise,¡± He looked around, ¡°Well, figuratively speaking.¡±

    ¡°There you are!¡± This time the voice came from above. His brother Fel stood on the rooftop. He could barely make out his figure due to the light shining behind him.

    ¡°Show off.¡± Shep muttered.

    ¡°I just think you¡¯re lacking a sense of style my brother.¡± Fel somersaulted off the edge of rooftop and landed on both feet. ¡°See? Maybe if you spent less time sneaking around you¡¯d be at least half as stylish as I am.¡±

    ¡°Shep¡¯s too shady.¡± Cal nodded with vigor.

    ¡°Yes I agree brother, Shep¡¯s too shady indeed.¡± Fel chuckled slightly.

    ¡°Let''s just go.¡± Shep walked off and the rest of them followed.

    ¡°Tommy should be here by now.¡± Barlor rested his hand on his dagger and searched the alleys. It was hard to hear with noise coming from every direction, though he could still see just fine.

    ¡°Whatever, he¡¯ll show up.¡±

    They heard a commotion at the end of the passage. A cacophony of noise from the square, where families gathered and passerbys watched. They walked silently into the square. Barlor searched for Tommy near the wooden chairs and found him towards the very end of the half circle.

    ¡°Brothers, I''ve been waiting for you.¡± Tommy sat next to a grizzled old man, hunched over a short wooden cane and wearing a worn straw hat.

    ¡°Tommy. I thought we¡¯d meet up?¡± Barlor asked

    ¡°I did say that. And we have.¡±

    ¡°You lied.¡± Cal pointed ¡°You says we¡¯d meet up on the way, not at the end.¡±

    Tommy shrugged. ¡°I guess that''s true.¡±

    ¡°What were you busy with?¡±

    Shepand Fel took a seat next to Tommy.

    ¡°I was just ironing out some details with Mr. Brown here.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Mr. Brown looked at them all with his one good eye. ¡°No need to be so formal now, you¡¯re technically my sons after all.¡±

    Fellooked back over his chair. ¡°Whatever you say old man.¡±

    Trumpets blared from the stage above.

    Tommy looked to Barlor. ¡°That appears to be your cue .¡±

    ¡°Wish me luck guys.¡±

    Mr. Brown looked glanced around at them. ¡°As if any of you need it.¡± He turned to Barlor. ¡°Go on kid make me proud.¡± He dusted off the hay from Barlor¡¯s clothes and pushed him to the stage.

    Barlormoved to get as close to the front as he could, hoping to get the ritual over with as soon as possible. There were about a hundred of them in total lined up in rows and columns on a massive wooden stage. Thankfully, he managed to get a spot on the second row.

    The Host Mage stood before them, looking confident and refined rather than weak and elderly. Beside him was a small table with an empty bowl, two bottles filled with a strange liquid, a knife, and long strips of cloth. He turned to the crowd and raised his hands, all went silent. The mage recited a lengthy prayer, one that Barlor had heard many times, and one that he completely ignored. He waited, reciting his part alongside the rest, standing stock still, and swearing oaths he had no intention of keeping.

    ¡°It is time at last. To see who amongst these men and women, if any, could harness the the very essence of the world itself. To see who amongst these men and women can know the ways of the world. Let us see who amongst them, has the potential deep within, to be a mage.¡±

    The cheering of the crowd was mostly subdued. As far as he knew no one from their town had ever been discovered as a potential mage. Some didn''t even believe the damn stone actually worked. The first one stepped forward, a tall boy with tanned skin. He was lean and muscular with short, midnight hair. He certainly didn''t look like a native.

    ¡°Step forward young man. What is your name?¡±

    ¡°This one¡¯s name is Namar. Namar Brandy.¡±

    ¡°Place your hand above the stone.¡±

    Namarstretched his hand out, just above the stone. Barlor watched with morbid fascination, he always did. The Host Mage raised the knife high above his head and brought it down in a long arc, piercing through his hand effortlessly. A steady stream of blood fell from the blade onto the stone, unable to cling to the silver knife. Namar stood, motionless, and unflinching. The mage then opened the two bottles and mixed them into the bowl, together the liquid was a swirling emerald mix; draping the cloths in the emerald mix, he raised them from the bowl and bandaged Namar¡¯s hand. They both took a step back.

    As expected nothing happened.

    At that moment the stone grew white hot. It shone with an incredible light and heat emanated from it in waves, bearing down on everyone with a sheer oppressive heat. Just when the heat became unbearable, it stopped. The Host Mage looked to Namar in shock, and raised his hand, bandaged and bloody.

    ¡°We have found one, a boy with the mana to harness the essence of the world itself. A mage.¡±

    The crowd cheered and roared with vigor. Where nerves may have been an issue in the past, the celebrants were eager and willing to get stabbed in the hand. They clamoured over each other, and when nothing happened the mage would walk over shortly and lay his hand on the stone; it would glow for a second and that was it. Soon, it was his turn.

    ¡°Step forward young man. What is your name?¡±

    ¡°This one¡¯s name is Barlor,¡± he was about to leave it at that when he remembered. He looked over to Mr. Brown. ¡°Barlor Brown.¡±

    ¡°Place your hand over the stone.¡±

    Barlordid just that. The mage raised his silvery blade high over his head, and brought it down in the exact same arc. It was an understatement to say the pain was tremendous. He wasn''t expecting the knife to be nearly this painful, almost flinching in the process. Instead he shifted his feet, playing it off as if he were merely trying to get comfortable. After what felt like an eternity the mage finally raised his hand, dripping the blood over the stone and setting the knife down. He bandaged his hand with the same emerald strips of cloth. They barely had a moment to step back when the stone fired off light like a beacon. Unlike before the light was almost blinding and the heat was a constant, unbearable temperature that occasionally got even hotter. As suddenly as it started it stopped.

    The mage¡¯s jaw dropped so hard it might''ve hit the floor. He composed himself rather quickly grabbing it and raising his hand.

    "We have found another, one with the mana to harness the essence of the world itself.¡± The crowd roared again although for some it was more like a forced wheeze.

    The Host Mage walked by him. ¡°You and any other mages I find are to meet me behind the stage when the ceremony is over. Got that?¡±

    Barlornodded.

    ¡°You are dismissed.¡±

    So the ceremony continued, significantly sped up by the recent surge in optimism. At the ritual¡¯s end Barlor gestured at his brothers to wait for a few minutes and walked behind the stage, the other two were already there.

    ¡°Ah there you are. Let me cut to the chase, are you two interested in becoming mages? We can leave by tomorrow if you so desire.¡±

    Barlor jumped at the offer. ¡°Of course!¡±

    Namarhesitated, then nodded his head.

    ¡°Alright! Now I could give you a few academies you might be able to attend, but let me give you a different option. There''s a new school that was built in our Kingdom, The Academy of Arcane Core Teachings, you have the opportunity to be the first students to go there. They have plenty of resources and anyone who''s interested will be admitted, no testing required, ¡°

    That sounded way too good to be true.

    ¡°But, by the end of the school year, regardless of however many students enroll, only four hundred will remain. If there''s less than four hundred, half of that. Afterwards at the end of every year for the next five years they¡¯ll cut the number by half again. At the end of five years, regardless of family or title or inborn abilities, only twenty-five of the best will go on to be a full mage. Or less depending on how many enroll, but I digress.¡±

    Actually that wasn''t that bad. Except.

    ¡°Then why would we go there instead of anywhere else?¡± Barlor asked.

    ¡°Good question. To put it simply you are highly unlikely to pass the test anywhere else, the mages vying for a position tend to have established magical heritages or deep connections. Chances are you wouldn''t get into any of them. Enrollment aside, they still have a lot of students to manage and you¡¯ll have to pay for almost everything, and I doubt you have that kind of money. The AACT will be mostly free and every year after your first, you¡¯ll have increasingly more resources dedicated to you and your projects. Not to mention that by the time you graduate there¡¯ll be a number of Mage Guilds waiting to snatch you up.¡±

    ¡°So basically, we probably don''t have a choice and this is our best shot at success anyways.¡± Namar crossed his arms.

    ¡°Yep, still interested?¡±

    ¡°I''m pretty sure this our only option anyways.¡±

    ¡°You could just give up on this whole mage thing.¡±

    ¡°Not a chance.¡±

    The Host Mage turned to Barlor. ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn''t miss it for the world.¡±

 Aspirations

    Later That Evening.

    Namar walked through noisy streets, dodging rampant children as they played and receiving cheers from random passersby. He moved quickly through the streets eager to wake up tomorrow and pursue a career as some kind of magical blacksmith, he didn''t worry too much about the details, what mattered to him was that a mage had far better chances of achieving wealth and fame. Even if it meant leaving behind the craft he¡¯d been practicing for his whole life, though it would be a shame, he¡¯d do it. There were other ways to go about this fame and fortune thing, maybe he''d be a battlemage, or an adventurer, but he would¡¯ve preferred to stick to what he knew. Fortunately Namar had heard in the past about legendary enchanted weapons and armor, and someone had to make those right?

    He opened the door to his house and headed for the stairs.

    "Namar! Get over here.¡± Mother called out from the living room.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He walked briskly down the stairs and into the living room, startled to find that the host mage was sitting on a table across from mom and dad.

    ¡°Uh¡­ Greetings m¡¯lord.¡±

    ¡°No need to be so formal. In this house you can refer to me as Aaron, Aaron Jamison. A pleasure to see you again.¡±

    ¡°Right. What exactly are you doing here Mr. Jamison?¡±

    ¡°I was just discussing that with your parents here.¡± He nodded at dad.

    ¡°As it turns out, Aaron here had a gift prepared.¡±

    Namar was skeptical. ¡°Why? Do we know each other?¡±

    Mr. Jamison nodded. ¡°Actually-¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re old friends.¡± Dad said.

    Oh that made more sense.

    ¡°I have a truly spectacular gift waiting just for you.¡±

    ¡°What is it? The gift I mean.¡± Namar asked

    ¡°Follow me.¡± Mr. Jamison stood up and gestured at them all to follow him out the door.

    They looked to each other and nodded, following him out the door. He led them towards the outskirts of the town, at this point Namar had a vague idea of where they were going. The farther and farther they went the more certain he was. They stood at the top of the hill, looking down on a solitary willow.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°The memorial, you hid your gift here?¡± Namar asked.

    ¡°No. I hid the key.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a piece of the tree isn¡¯t it? that''s why you planted it¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he walked beneath the willows golden leaves and looked up, searching for something. ¡°Not only that but it''s incredibly beautiful, it''s leaves are valuable to those who know what they¡¯re looking for, and the conditions it grows in are¡­ ideal for a gravestone.¡±

    Namar stayed silent.

    ¡°Don''t dwell on it for too long.¡± He looked up at a branch and reached outwards with one hand, there was a quiet snap. Slowly, a golden flower fell into Mr. Jamison¡¯s hand.

    Reaching into his cloak he pulled out an elixir, containing an opaque sapphire liquid. He sat down, cross legged on the ground and placed the elixir by his side. He slowly pulled apart the golden petals of the flower in his hand.

    ¡°You see, what really makes this thing valuable is its flower.¡±

    ¡°You mean flowers.¡± Mom said.

    ¡°No, just the one. In all its lifetime this tree will only bloom once, and from it, there will only be the one.¡±

    He opened the bottle and placed the petals in the elixir, and held it out. The petals fractured, golden light emanating from their form until there was only a subtle glimmer of light. He stood up and offered Namar the bottle.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Complete and unending regeneration, rapid recovery from exertion, complete immunity from any and all diseases¡­ In short, what I''m offering you is immortality, and all the benefits that come with it.¡±

    Mom stood in disbelief, unable to move nor speak. Dad on the other hand quickly stepped forward, arms and palms facing outwards as if to stop him.

    ¡°Jamison come on wait you can''t be serious.¡±

    ¡°I''m dead serious Salamn.¡± Mr. Jamison fixed him in place with a stare.

    ¡°But we couldn''t possibly I mean¡­¡±

    ¡°I owe you more than you could ever know, this.¡± He gestured to the elixir in his hand. ¡°This is how I can repay you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not still on about that are you? I mean this memorial was more than enough, it kept us healthy when the plagues broke out. You¡¯ve already repaid your debt.¡±

    ¡°This is just a part of that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really not going to let this go until you do this?¡±

    Mr. Jamison shook his head. Father stepped aside and Mr. Jamison looked to Namar. ¡°So, how about it? Would you be interested in an immortal life?¡±

    Namar stopped to think, then a wide smile spread across his face.

    ¡°Tell me, do you know how to make more of this elixir?¡±

    Mr. Jamison shook his head. ¡°The family I confiscated it from destroyed the notes before we could get to it.¡±

    Namar''s smile grew even wider. ¡°Imagine how great it would be if such an Elixir were made available to the public, even better, if I were the one to sell it to them.¡±

    ¡°Are you really sure you want to go down that rabbit hole? When we confiscated it we found things¡­ mangled corpses, a cabinet full of hearts, animals dissected, labeled and placed into jars, I¡¯m certain that wasn''t the extent of it. The ceiling caved in before we could see the rest.¡±

    ¡°Where there''s a will there''s a way Mr. Jamison, I''m certain I could find an alternate solution. Hold onto that for me will you? I''ll be certain to return and study it one day.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    And while Namar¡¯s smile grew ever more radiant, the frown on Mr. Jamison¡¯s, grew ever more grim.

 Heirloom

    <hr>

    Barlor wandered through crowded streets and empty backroads. He took his time watching the crowd as he walked. Watching for expressions, for laughter and tears, idly wondering if the people here were the same out there. His childhood was lived between cramped alleys and narrow corridors, and his teenage years were spent on a farm close to town. The people out there, for all he knew, were alien. Strange and wonderful all at the same time.

    There was a shadow in the corner of his vision, a flick of movement. Barlor turned in alarm. He was greeted with music and laughter from a distant stall and a group of people dancing in front of a small bonfire. A trick of the light maybe, or perhaps a tired hallucination. After all it was already midnight and he''d spent the whole day dancing, gambling and eating. At one point he and about a hundred people on either side were trying to kick a ball to the other side of the town.

    Eager to get some rest Barlor decided to go through the backroads, there were far fewer people wandering around that area given that celebrations were mainly concentrated on the main roads. Travel through there would be faster than taking the main roads and more straightforward than the alleyways.

    He turned onto an empty street and continued to walk at a leisurely pace. Over time the festivities began to die down, and torch lights were extinguished as townsfolk went to sleep. Soon Barlor found himself alone, flanked on both sides, by complete darkness, with only the light of the moon to guide him.

    The shadows shifted and Barlor realized where he was. Not a witness in sight, not a soul to hear him scream, and surrounded by darkness. Again the shadows crawled and Barlor was compelled to watch the area more closely. He took a few slow glances around, careful to make it look completely natural. This could¡¯ve all been for nothing, complete paranoia on his part, but he looked around nonetheless. There was nothing except; a very soft noise. Thinking back on it he realized that whoever it belonged to it was most definitely a footstep. Quiet, and muffled, but it was definitely there.

    There was a breeze, an unnatural wind. On instinct Barlor rolled forward hoping that whatever it was, he dodged it. He stood up, turning in time to see a figure in a sheepskin cloak land exactly where he was mere moments ago lash out with a steel blade. Barlor pulled a dagger from a sheath on his belt. Upon close examination the figure looked to be fairly bulky and well muscled, he wore a large wooden mask with a ridiculous yellow-painted smile. Behind the mask he could make out dark brown hair and striking blue eyes. They both stood in place, sizing up the other before making any movements.

    Smiley charged him sword in hand. Barlor waited calmly, stepping forward and parrying an overhead strike with his dagger and proceeding to deliver a sickening punch to his liver. Smiley dropped to his knees, soundlessly clutching at his sides. Barlor took a couple steps back. Immediately he felt a pair of hands crawl around his neck. He dropped his dagger in surprise and grabbed at the hands desperately, holding the them away from his throat. Then, taking a step forward; he turned his hips and threw the other one over shoulder. His new assailant crashed into the other with a heavy thud. Barlor wasted no time trying to get a good look, instead choosing to run the other way. He found an alleyway tucked between two buildings and ran through it. At its end was a solid stone wall, for others it would¡¯ve been a literal dead end. Instead, Barlor ran a couple steps up its surface and grabbed onto a nearby roof. He pulled himself up and crouched low, moving slowly so he didn¡¯t disturb anyone sleeping below.

    There was a light tap on his shoulder. Barlor pivoted, but not in time to deliver a strike instead being met with a leather boot to the chest. He was sent hurtling across the roof coming to a stop at its edge. The world spun and blurred, but stopping now meant death so he rolled to the side and stood up arms raised and ready for a fight. Another one, this time clad in black and wearing a hood. He wore a pair of brass knuckles on his hand and kept a dagger on his belt. Looking down he noticed that Smiley was waiting down below and whoever it was that tried to strangle him was gone.

    His new assailant closed the distance rapidly, moving quickly but never rushing. He shot outwards with his right hand hoping to catch Barlor on the side of the face. Barlor ducked low countering with another jab aimed at the gut. The assailant¡¯s left hand rushed downwards, and rather than blocking he punched Barlor¡¯s hand with his brass knuckles. Pushing through the pain and desperate to end the fight Barlor kept going, moving his whole body and tackling the Assailant. Both fell onto the roof of the building. As Barlor struggled he realized he was being slowly overpowered. He head butted the new assailant and used the moment of shock to grab the dagger from his belt.

    Barlor held the dagger to his throat. ¡°Try anything funny and you¡¯re dead!¡±

    His assailant held up his hands and laughed.

    ¡°What? Hey¡­ I said nothing funny. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s the opposite of what I said. Stop laughing!¡± Barlor pushed the blade closer to his throat.

    The hood fell from his face. ¡°I surrender.¡±

    ¡°Tommy?¡± Barlor got off Tommy and looked around, completely dumbfounded. Realization seemed to strike him, and Barlor doubled over in laughter.

    ¡°You guys¡­ you really got me good there. Man, you really had me for a while. I bet those weren¡¯t even real weapons!¡±

    Tommy picked up the dagger and made a very shallow cut on his finger. ¡°No they were real alright.¡±

    Barlor¡¯s expression quickly shifted into one of alarm. ¡°What?¡±

    Tommy nodded off to the side. ¡°Ask the old man over there.¡±

    Barlor followed his gaze and sure enough the old man was standing right there as if there were nothing out of the ordinary. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡¯

    The old man ambled in their direction. ¡°A test of sorts. Mostly to see if you could handle yourself in a fight.¡±

    ¡°What, no test of character?¡±

    The old man simply raised an eyebrow and looked him in the eyes. ¡°Oh please, you¡¯ve lived on the farm for¡­ what? Five years now? I know you. And I know your brothers didn¡¯t believe for a second that you¡¯d actually kill them.¡± Then he added on to it ¡°Which in this case was probably a bad thing, but you can handle yourself in a fight and that¡¯s what¡¯s important.¡±

    ¡°So what do I get? A cool battle staff? An enchanted sword? A potion maybe?¡±

    ¡°Even better. A tattoo.¡±

    ¡°Really, a tattoo?¡±

    The old man raised his hands in his defense. ¡°A magical tattoo of course. The kind that gives you special abilities.¡±

    Barlor perked up at the idea. ¡°Oooh like what?¡±

    ¡°A number of things really, it¡¯s sort¡¯ve a mixed bag, but it¡¯s everything a battlemage needs. And some quality of life stuff also.¡±

    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to be a battle mage?¡±

    ¡°Ok then what? You aren¡¯t the type that enjoys sitting around and studying all day.¡±

    Barlor shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s fair. You¡¯re going to teach me everything today?¡±

    ¡°No. Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Why though?¡±

    ¡°Because A. I don¡¯t want you getting too reliant on the damn thing, I know I was. And B. There isn¡¯t enough time left.¡±

    ¡°So really it¡¯s not going to do anything whatsoever?¡±

    ¡°Well there is one thing¡­ I¡¯m going to suppress your mana by like¡­ half. Actually, three quarters.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like a benefit.¡±

    ¡°Not usually, but for people like you; who quite frankly have an absurd concentration of mana. It gets pretty hard to tell the difference between the amount that constitutes a knockout, or a lethal strike.¡±

    Barlor paled at the idea. ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Yep. Now, if ever you take part in say¡­ an extremely important tournament, find yourself in dire constraints, or you¡¯ve just plain graduated. I¡¯ll tell you everything there is to know about that tattoo.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Sounds good.¡±

    ¡°Great. Follow me.¡±

    <hr>

    Barlor sat on a wooden chair looking into a broken mirror, ready to get a tattoo that somehow qualified as magical, in the basement he never knew they had, after fighting three assassins that turned out to be his brothers, after finding out that he had a great deal of magical potential.

    What a day.

    Cal ran around the room. ¡°Oh big bro!¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡¯

    ¡°We should dye your hair like¡­ purple or something!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡° Your brown hair is too normal. Mages are supposed to look all kinds of weird and cool.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh I know! We could give you one bad eye like Mr. Old Man over there!¡±

    The old man grunted. ¡°Alright bite down on this please.¡± He held up stained with some form of liquid.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll make you numb to pain for a while.¡±

    ¡°And we didn¡¯t use this at the ceremony?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°Tradition.¡±

    Shep and Fel were off in the corner. Shep was massaging his shoulder and Fel seemed to be oddly attached to the mask, wearing it on his belt rather than throwing it away. Even going so far as to reapply the yellow paint. Tommy was watching intently, curious as to what would happen.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s get started.¡± Barlor bit on the napkin.

    The old man returned holding a large piece of parchment. ¡°Alright take your shirt off.¡±

    Barlor did exactly that, admiring his form in the mirror.

    ¡°Too scrawny, if you¡¯re going to be a battlemage you¡¯ll need to put on some muscle.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    ¡°Alright sit still you.¡±

    Barlor sat as still as possible. For the next few minutes he could feel something be pushed into his secondary skin, but not experiencing any pain coming from it. It was¡­ weird. To say the least.

    ¡°And¡­ done! Alright turn around and take a look.¡±

    Barlor turned around and looked at the mirror behind him. The tattoo was made from black ink, a multitude of geometric shapes in different rotations surrounding a black circle. Upon closer examination the shapes were made from a multitude of other much, much, smaller shapes and lines arranged in ways he couldn¡¯t even fathom.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t actually learned how to use and detect mana yet so you haven¡¯t noticed exactly how much is being locked away from you. When you finally figure it out you won¡¯t notice any differences either. I¡¯ve left you at above average, but not so much that you¡¯ll have any major issues with control.¡±

    ¡°Sweet.¡±

    Barlor put his shirt back on. ¡°And thank you, for everything.¡±

    ¡°No problem. I needed some help on the farm anyways.¡±

    Shep stood up. ¡°Oh and Barlor. Here, a parting gift.¡±

    Barlor turned around. ¡°You too Shep? Aww you guys are the best brothers a guy could ask for.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah whatever. Here.¡± Shep handed Barlor a dagger. The handle, whatever it was made from, was extremely comfortable. The hilt was adorned with a black gem, and the blade was razor thin.

    ¡°How did you ever get your hands on this?¡±

    ¡°I know a guy who knows a guy who knows the Brandys.¡± He waved the question off. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s yours now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Barlor enveloped Shep in a crushing hug, and for his part Shep didn¡¯t struggle at all.

    Tommy and Cal stood up too. ¡°We also have something. Isn¡¯t that right Cal?¡± He looked down at Cal, who was vigorously nodding his head.

    ¡°We got you this!¡± Cal gave Barlor a small notebook. Barlor patted Cal¡¯s head. ¡°Thanks guys! This is pretty neat.¡±

    Shep turned to Fel. ¡°And you little brother? Come on I know you got something.¡±

    Fel coughed into his arm. ¡°Right well¡­ I don¡¯t quite have the connections Shep does, nor did I save enough money to buy something, but I uh¡­ made you this.¡± Fel held out the mask, the one with a yellow painted smile. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to go on your belt. Or the face, but you know¡­ yeah.¡± He offered weakly.

    Barlor took the mask and used the two thick strings attached to tie it to his belt. He smiled at how ridiculous it looked. ¡°I love it.¡± He then pulled everyone into a big hug, making sure to grab Shep and the old man before they could get away.

    ¡°You guys are the best family an orphan could ask for.¡± Cal and Tommy openly embraced the hug, while Fel and Shep struggled awkwardly. Old man Brown reluctantly accepted his fate with a grumble or two.

    Maybe he would come back every now and again.

 Essence

    Mr. Jamison, Master Jamison, Lord Jamison, or Host Mage. Once upon a time he might¡¯ve cared for these titles, but he was getting old now, and those titles were tedious. What pride he had in them before were gone now, replaced only by pride in his achievements. Or at least, that''s what he would''ve liked to think, he wasn''t quite sure, he never was.

    He¡¯d changed over time. Mainly because of a fifteen year old boy who¡¯d saved his life and propelled his career into success. It was odd then, that when he looked at Namar, he was reminded of himself. Sure Namar looked like his father, with tanned skin to match dark hair and even darker eyes, but in terms of personality? Well, Namar was more like his old self.

    At a quick glance Namar seemed laid back, and generally content, but he¡¯d caught a glimpse of what laid beneath the surface. Behind those eyes was a burning ambition, a sense of duty that he couldn''t place. His posture was straight backed, but relaxed. When Namar stepped up to the Ceremony Stone he¡¯d mistaken Namar as a young lord, not the son of a humble blacksmith.

    There was a quiet confidence too, not the overt arrogance of some nobles, but a certain unrelenting tenacity. ¡®Where there¡¯s a will there¡¯s a way Mr. Jamison.¡¯ Had he forgotten the scene laid out before him? Not to mention making such an elixir available to the everyday citizen. It was madness, but what worried him most was that he might very well do it.

    Then there was the other one. Barlor. He seemed innocuous enough, sort¡¯ve like an innocent puppy dog. He looked pale, and pretty scrawny, but he was also quite energetic, saying his goodbyes to every single one of his friends before hopping on the wagon. He started some small talk with Namar, although it seemed mostly like Namar was just being polite. Still though, there was something about the boy he couldn''t quite place. Something shady, like he wasn''t quite sure he''d leave him behind with any of his valuables. Maybe that was just paranoia though.

    He wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of the two, but they seemed interesting enough. He was going to support Namar regardless, but Barlor was definitely worth supporting if he could achieve a fine control over his frankly absurd supply of mana. He closed his eyes; going over the possibilities, but after few hours he was getting pretty bored.

    With nothing else to do he pulled a spell book from his backpack. Most of the spells written here were for convenience rather than combat. Creating a ball of water in mid-air, a small flame for starting campfires, stuff like that. Flipping through the book he realized that some of the spells were quite inefficient; redundant glyphs and overly thin lines made for a ridiculously costly campfire. He used his limited understanding of ink, and pulled some of it off the parchment, reusing and reshaping the lines as he pleased. The end result being a much simpler collection of lines and shapes.

    Looking up he realized that the two were looking at him in awe.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Namarlooked at Aaron as though he was a weirdo. ¡°You¡¯ve been using magic to pull ink off parchment.¡±

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s exactly what I was doing¡­ What about it?¡± Aaron wasn''t quite sure what the issue was. It was just ink after all.

    It looked as though Namar wanted to speak, but Barlor beat him to it. ¡°There¡¯s magic specifically for ink?¡±

    Oh. Right, kids who¡¯ve never seen magic would probably be astounded by it''s casual use. Still, he was debating fully explaining the concept since they¡¯d be taught anyways. Looking to Barlor he realized that not giving any answers would result in him getting barraged by an endless series of questions, so he gave in and resigned to answering his questions as well as possible.

    Aaron shrugged. ¡°Anything can be utilized through magic given enough study. Or meditation if that¡¯s your thing.¡±

    This immediately caught Namar¡¯s attention. ¡°What about other people?¡±

    Ok. That was definitely alarming. It must¡¯ve showed on his face because Namar shrunk back a little. ¡°I was uh¡­ just wondering.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­ Well, unless that individual person is willing let you study them, up close, for hours at a time, for weeks on end, you wouldn''t be able to do much of anything. Even then you¡¯d still only be able to slightly control that one person and maybe glean a little bit of information about their heritage. It''s not very practical.

    Barlor was practically on the edge of his seat and Namar leaned forward intently.

    It was of course Barlor who managed to fire off the first question. ¡°How does it work? Why does it work? Could we-¡±

    Namar cut him off. ¡°Would it be possible to teach us now or does it break some kind of law? How much time-¡±

    ¡°Wait I wasn¡¯t done yet!¡±

    ¡°We can learn these things as we¡¯re taught.¡±

    ¡°It would be better to know them now!¡±

    ¡°It doesn''t help to know things if we can''t put them to use.¡±

    ¡°I beg to differ!¡±

    Aaron waved his hands hoping to calm them both down before they got into an argument. ¡°Look, look. I¡¯ll explain this one thing, if you still have questions afterward you can ask your teachers alright?¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Barlor nodded vigorously while Namar seemed skeptical at first. In the end, both of them accepted the offer.

    ¡°Look, truth is everything in this world is magical. A bit disappointing right?¡±

    Namar didn''t seem overly concerned, choosing to lean on the back of the wagon. Barlor only seemed more fascinated. The coachman looked back. ¡°Serious? Doesn''t that make magic sort¡¯ve normal?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it is. Even normal people and animals make use of magic, but typically not in the same way that mages do. For mages, our ability to manipulate the natural world is based on our understanding of the world around us and the mana we have at our disposal to manipulate it, but it''s not enough to just know things. There¡¯s something¡­ innate about every physical object regardless of how simple or complex it is, in the mage community we call it essence. This is kind of a silly example, but its sorta like what separates a tree from its wood, or a door from a door knob. It''s almost like a definition.¡±

    Aaron paused to find the right words. He gathered the ink in his bottle into a floating orb that hovered in front of him.

    ¡°For the most part, essence is the same across every object. Ink is ink. Water is water. You might find it hidden in, or combined with something say; a stone wall or a stone table. You can change that of course, let''s say you broke the table into tiny, little pieces. In that case it''s just stone. Living beings are different though, each of them are unique, with the exception of plants, and that alone makes every individual worthy of study. Even the most basic understanding of an essence is enough to grant some form of ability. In some cases you can manipulate the material, or even create it.¡±

    Aaron changed the color of the ink orb floating in front of him. First from black to white, then from white to red, he shifted Its color a few more times before shifting it back into a glass bottle and closing the lid.

    ¡°What you study and how far you go into it is up to you really, some people are satisfied with being able to throw fire before moving on to other subjects, others specialize.¡±

    Aaron furrowed his brow trying to think of a good example. ¡°I once knew a guy, an archivist who studied books, paintings, scrolls, all sorts of stuff like that. It got to the point where he could read and interpret the information on any medium, not just paper and parchment. He told me without a doubt in his mind exactly how long I''ve owned a piece of clothing down to the second and how frequently I''ve worn it since I¡¯d bought it.

    Aaron tapped on the side of his head. ¡°Sometimes, it was like he was reading my mind. He could usually tell what I was thinking by reading my body language alone, even through a set robes and a thick mask. Look point is, if it interests you go for it. You never know what you might get out of it. It''s better in our community to do what interests you, not what seems most practical from the outset.¡±

    Barlor of course, had yet more questions. ¡°So why do you use a spell book?¡±

    ¡°Ask your teachers.¡±

    ¡°Come on man. Just one more!¡±

    ¡°I said ask your teachers!¡±

    ¡°Please!¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    <hr><hr>

    Eventually, inevitably perhaps, he gave in. Thankfully he figured out how to get both of them off his back. He told them exactly how to access their mana, he just wasn''t very helpful about it. He even gave them some cryptic nonsense inbetween to try and confuse them further.

    In the end they actually managed to it figure out. Namar was the first to come out of his meditation, and rather than ask more questions he experimented with his newfound mana. Something that he was very grateful for. At one point he even managed to gather mana into the shape of a ball. Which was honestly, a lot farther than he thought he¡¯d get. Even better, by the time Barlor figured it out, the sun was already setting.

    They decided to set up at the top of the hill and leashed the horses to a couple stakes they set in the ground. They set up bedrolls around a campfire, but rather than light the campfire normally Aaron insisted on doing it through magic.

    ¡°This seems completely unnecessary.¡± The coachman frowned.

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that.¡± Aaron flipped through his spell book and placed traced the shape with his finger.

    ¡°Right, exactly. So let''s just do it the normal way I mean, what if you accidentally blow up the campfire or something!¡±

    ¡°Do have more faith in me, I¡¯ve been doing this for decades.¡±

    ¡°But why!?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± He finished tracing the page and reached into his pack, pulling out a bottle of red paint and a paintbrush. He reached out with the paint brush, and the paint followed his every stroke. He painted on thin air as though it were a canvas. A series of interlocking geometric shapes and symbols stretched out in front him, he reached out and the symbols glowed temporarily, before a pillar of flame erupted from its center. The inferno disintegrated the firewood and the nearby grass spontaneously ignited.

    ¡°Too efficient! Too efficient!¡± Aaron jumped back making certain to keep his spell book away from the raging inferno. He flipped through his spell book, glancing between it and the fire. The boys stepped back quickly, rapidly putting distance between the fire and themselves. The horses however, tried desperately to run away, one of them even managed to free itself from the stake before running off as quickly as it could.

    ¡°No Wait! Bessie!¡± The coach man jumped and waved, almost forgetting about the fires spreading behind him.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Aaron yelled.

    He drew his paintbrush once more, painting a different set of geometric shapes, this time consisting mostly of concentric circles. A great sphere of water appeared before him. He lowered his paintbrush, bringing the sphere down with it, dousing the flames and leaving a pillar of steam in its wake; and a drenched coachman too.

    The coachman turned around ¡°You!¡±

    For the next couple hours the coachman went on and on about ¡®unnecessary dangers¡¯ and ¡®I lost Bessie¡¯ he even went so far as to insult him and his family. In the past Aaron might¡¯ve insulted back, followed by a speech about his prestige as a nobleman, but he was older now, wiser and more experienced. So of course he threw him a sack of gold that should¡¯ve been enough to buy a better horse.

    ¡°There, now you can buy a better horse. Happy?¡±

    The coachman got even more angry and rambled on and on about¡­ something. He wasn''t quite sure what. In the end the coachman took the gold and laid down on the back of the wagon, mumbling to himself all the while. It was up to him to break the news to the boys.

    ¡°So¡­ how¡¯s your day?¡±

    Barlor smiled. ¡°Memorable. Definitely Memorable. One might even call the experience¡­ illuminating.¡±

    Aaron shook his head and looked to Namar. ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡±

    ¡°Great! Now, I have some good news and some bad news.¡±

    Barlor nodded. ¡°Bad news first.¡±

    ¡°No preference.¡± Namar shrugged.

    ¡°Wonderful! Good news is¡­ the horse can still pull the wagon!¡±

    They looked at each other and then to him.

    ¡°Bad news is¡­ we¡¯re going to be late.¡±

 Valed

    It¡¯s been three days since they¡¯d left for the Academy and they hadn¡¯t let Mr. Jamison near a campfire since. The poor coachman refused to even look at Mr. Jamison despite the bag of gold he¡¯d received as an apology. Namar was beginning to think the coachman had some kind of personal attachment to that horse, but it really wasn¡¯t his place to pry. At the very least, he¡¯d gotten something out of the whole ordeal. To make up for lost time Mr. Jamison decided to teach them a few basic techniques alongside how to access their mana supply.

    Figuring out how to access his mana supply was quite simple really, he closed his eyes and focused inwards. After a few hours of searching he felt something at the center of his chest. It was concentrated and focused, almost like a solid object, but with a simple demand it would give its power freely. It took a couple hours to find the first time around, but only got easier every time he looked. At this point it only took maybe ten or fifteen minutes to find it, and he could hold onto it for hours at a time.

    He experimented with it immediately, but had trouble properly controlling the raw flow of mana, only being able to hold it in the rough shape of a ball for a few seconds before it fell apart. To combat this Mr. Jamison taught them a few basic techniques that could be mixed, matched, and mastered to the heart¡¯s content.

    The first was focus, the simple exercise of bringing mana to a single point. He tried this in a number of ways, first seeing how quickly he could bring mana into a point, then seeing how much he could pour into it. He tried this on points on his body and could even make one a couple feet from his skin. He even turned the point into a ball.

    Beyond a certain point however, the mana would begin to unravel itself. Something Mr. Jamison referred to as the ¡®threshold.¡¯

    Then came burst. Pushing mana out of the body as quickly as possible in as large an amount as possible. He could do it to existing sources of mana, pull from his own body, fire multiple at once. It was pretty simple. Though It could only go so far before it dissipated entirely.

    Sever detached his connection to a certain amount of mana, allowing it to pass his threshold. without it beginning to unraveling itself. Unfortunately he could no longer control the mana he severed. At one point he used this to throw a ball he made with mana. It traveled at the same speed he threw it at until it vanished into the distance, when asked about this Mr. Jamison shrugged and told him, ¡®It¡¯ll disappear eventually.¡¯

    Anchor was different. He could form a connection between a certain amount of mana and his core. This usually locked that amount of mana in place, but he could still move it if he focused enough. What he thought was really interesting was that he could feel a small threshold around the anchored mana source, so it never disappeared, and he could even channel mana through it.

    He played with these techniques for hours on end. Experimenting with them, doing his best to master each technique individually. Barlor on the other hand seemed to master them pretty quickly, moving on from them to continue asking Mr. Jamison even more questions. To Namar it was pretty astounding how someone could seem so fascinated by a concept yet move on so easily after receiving an answer. It was complete nonsense.

    Although, admittedly, he was a little jealous that Barlor picked up the techniques so much faster than he did. Still, he was learning magic in the same way he learned smithing. Try, fail, reflect, repeat, and he was comfortable with that. He¡¯d been so focused on this process that he hadn¡¯t noticed when they¡¯d entered into a forest.

    Barlortapped him on the shoulder and smiled. ¡°Up for a game of cards?

    He looked up, realizing that at some point in time they¡¯d entered into a verdant forest, brimming with life. He briefly weighed his options and decided that a break would be good every now and again. ¡°Sure why not?¡±

    Barlor set a stack of cards on a small box full of dried food. The first few games were more strategic, with a heavy emphasis on numbers and decision making. Those games Namar excelled at, mostly because he took his time being thorough. When they moved on to more luck based games he struggled, barely able to make decisions due to the lack of information. It was because of this that Namar had gone on a lengthy losing streak, unable to give up out of sheer determination.

    This time though, this time for certain. He laid down his hand. ¡°I win.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Barlor smirked. ¡°You¡¯re certain about that?¡± He revealed his hand.

    ¡°Damn it! Come on!¡± Namar slammed the cards on the table.

    ¡°Wait, what happened? How¡¯d you get that card in your hand?¡± Mr. Jamison had been trying to follow along with what was happening so far.

    ¡°Uhhh.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second,¡± Namar leaned forward and grabbed his hand. A pair of cards fell out of his sleeve. ¡°You little¡­ wait, how many times have you cheated in our previous games?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Barlor answered sheepishly.

    ¡°Ha! So I won?! Yes I did it! Who won? It was me! I¡¯m a winner!¡± Namar threw his hands in the air and laughed. When he realized everyone was looking at him funny, he coughed into his arm and quickly regained his composure. ¡°Yes I¡­ think that¡¯ll be all for today.¡± He stacked all the cards and handed them back to Barlor.

    Mr. Jamison looked at him amusedly. ¡°A real winner huh?¡±

    Barlor looked to Mr. Jamison. ¡°Personally, i¡¯m surprised he didn''t notice sooner. He seemed so observant¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey I -¡± Namar didn''t get the chance to defend himself.

    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived!¡± The coachman announced.

    As the wagon exited the forest they got a good look at the scenery around them. They stood at the edge of a large valley with a few mountains on the other side. At the valley floor a wide river flowed alongside abundant grasses and the occasional spattering of trees. Three large stone bridges lead across the river, to a collection of marble buildings built around a massive sinkhole and nestled into the massive earthen cliff faces.

    The downward slope would¡¯ve been rough for a wagon, but a dirt path outlined a gentler, smoother path downwards. The plants here, like the forest above them were the same vibrant green. The flowers too, were bursting with color.

    ¡°What is this place?¡± Barlor looked around, awestruck.

    ¡°A hidden valley.¡± Mr. Jamison had a far off look, but he couldn''t tell what it meant. ¡°A little over fifteen years ago the forests and mountains surrounding the area were teeming with deadly wildlife capable of using magic, such that our explorers and scouts couldn¡¯t even get to the valley. Then one day the wildlife activity slowed, the more dangerous inhabitants slowly disappeared. Being the closest to the valley we immediately seized the opportunity, and sent scouts to explore every nook and cranny. We discovered that the valley is a treasure trove of natural resources and filled with research opportunities, but we weren¡¯t sure if the predators would come back.¡±

    He pointed at the gaping hole in the ground that was now the center of the academy. ¡°See that? All along the edges of that sinkhole are waterfalls, cave systems and ledges of stone that support entire miniature ecosystems. They should be filled with all kinds of wildlife¡±

    From this angle Namar could see that what he said was true. Large rocky ledges that looked like entire sections of grasslands, waterfalls descending into an empty abyss, and large cave entrances where no light could escape.

    Mr. Jamison grimaced. ¡°But we didn''t find anything. When we finally reached the bottom we found a world beneath the surface. The cave¡¯s ceiling was lit by a number of white glowing mushrooms, from the bottom it was almost like the night sky. The grass was blood red and the water was an unnatural shade of blue. We found all kinds of alien and exotic plant life down there, but no animals, still, nothing. Not a trace save for one thing.¡±

    Mr. Jamison visibly shuddered. ¡°A massive skeletal structure. It''s rib cage pierces the sky like massive bony spires and it''s skull is a mountain buried in the dirt.

    Namar looked to Mr. Jamison with a worried expression, but Barlor couldn''t have been more thrilled.

    ¡°Anyways, that thing worried me, it still does. I wanted to wait until we figured everything out, or at least scratched the surface of what was going on here, but my colleagues insisted that the animals wouldn''t be coming back, and the king was bent on elevating our status as a nation.

    Mr. Jamison nodded at the buildings. ¡°So we undertook our most expensive project yet, in a place we knew little to nothing about.¡±

    ¡°Then why build a mage academy at all? Aren''t mages free to work with whoever they choose to?¡± Namar asked.

    Mr. Jamison crossed his arms and nodded. ¡°It''s true that mages owe no allegiance to the country that educated them and that they usually stay unaffiliated, but a strong connection to mage society is a powerful tool for a nation for a large number of reasons. Yes, a mage owes no allegiance to the country that trained them, but they¡¯re also less likely to work against that country. Not only that, but an established and famous bloodline is a powerful symbol of a country¡¯s might. Just to cite a few reasons.¡±

    ¡°Is it worth it though?¡± Namar seemed to be deep in thought.

    ¡°That remains to be seen¡­ Do me a favor though.¡±

    Barlor''seyes narrowed. ¡°What do you need?¡±

    ¡°Just keep an eye out ok? If you see something suspicious, try to get in contact. Send a letter if it''s nothing serious, but you see something¡­ and you know it''s not good. Carve the words into this.¡±

    He pulled two grey discs from his pocket and handed it to them. ¡°Worst comes to worst snap it in two.¡±

    Namar turned the stone in his hand. ¡°How do we use it?¡±

    ¡°Do whatever, you¡¯ll figure something out. Just find a way to carve the words into the stone or try and break it somehow.¡± Knowing they¡¯d ask what would happen he preempted them. ¡°Its a link stone. Whatever happens to one of these, happens to all of them. Just be certain to tell me if you see anything ok?¡±

    Both Barlor and Namar wore serious expressions. They looked to each other, then to Mr. Jamison, and responded in unison.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

 Academia

    Barlor drank in the sights while they rode through the central bridge, the largest and most imperious of the three that led across the river. While the other two were plain and unadorned the central bridge was decorated with three massive archways, each of them having a different design and unique images carved onto the front and back. Just beyond the bridge were a number of large rectangular buildings made from marble, and while the architecture itself was mostly plain, the buildings were overgrown with a variety of plant life that appeared to be very deliberately placed. Scattered between the buildings were neat little patches of grass, and roads that outlined a path from building to building. At its center was a circular stone wall, one that prevented the students and staff from falling into the giant sinkhole behind it.

    The coachman glared back at Mr. Jamison. ¡°Get off the wagon.¡±

    ¡°Right. Come on let''s go.¡± Mr. Jamison stood up and hurried them off.

    Barlor jumped off the wagon. ¡°Where to?¡±

    ¡°The registry over there.¡± Mr. Jamison pointed to a small building off to the side.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Barlor had never heard of a registry before, but whatever it was you could find it in a Mage Academy which meant it just had to be interesting. He followed just a few steps behind Mr. Jamison watching for anything new. Eventually, he could spot a few people in black clothes wandering about, some tended to the flowers while other carried books or stacks of paper. Beyond that there wasn''t much else.

    They arrived at a dark wooden door with a simple iron door knocker on its front. Mr. Jamison raised the iron ring and let it go; waiting for a couple seconds before another servant dressed in black opened the door and let them in. They walked into a large marble room with a counter on the opposite end, behind it was a woman wearing a black dress and a rather serious expression.

    Mr. Jamison nodded towards a few wooden seats off to the side. ¡°You can wait over there. This might take a little while.¡±

    Namar simply nodded and took a seat at one of the chairs, closing his eyes and waiting patiently. Barlor instead chose to walk around the area, examining a few of the flowers decorating the registry, when he got bored of this he moved on to a large window across from the chairs.

    The scenery outside was picturesque to say the least. The leaves of trees fluttered and swayed with every gentle breeze. Still waters were moved with the wind and every little wave caused a glimmer like the twinkling of a distant star. He got bored of this too.

    Barlorrepositioned himself, hoping to make it look like he was trying to get a view from a different angle. He got as close as possible to Mr. Jamison without it seeming suspicious and listened in, viewing the exchange from the corners of his eyes.

    ¡°Sign these papers here.¡± The woman passed Mr. Jamison a quill, an inkwell, and some papers.

    ¡°Right.¡± Mr. Jamison quickly scanned through the papers before manipulating the ink and signing his name on the papers.

    ¡°And could you tell me why you¡¯ve arrived so late?¡± She picked up the quill and readied some papers of her own.

    ¡°... Rogue Magnacaws. They stole our horses and flew away.¡±

    ¡°I thought they migrated south this time year?¡±

    ¡°Must''ve been a stray. It looked somewhat injured.¡±

    ¡°It or they?¡± She raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°It. Just one¡­ I must¡¯ve misspoken.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± She wrote on her papers. ¡°Mr. Allenbury should be here any time now. You can wait over there with those two.¡±

    Barlor struggled to stifle a laugh.

    ¡°Will do Ma¡¯am.¡± As Mr. Jamison was leaving the door behind the counter opened.

    A tall man with silver hair and blood red eyes walked through the door, his face seemed to be locked in an expression of eternal smugness. He wore loose black robes that flowed as he walked, and a red phoenix circled by flame was emblazoned over his heart.

    ¡°Hey you¡¯re the late students right?¡± He waved at them all.

    Namarstood up and nodded once.

    ¡°That''s us.¡± Barlor crossed his arms.

    ¡°Come with me.¡± He walked back through the doorway.

    Namar immediately followed him. Barlor looked to Mr. Jamison for confirmation.

    ¡°Go on. I¡¯ll be waiting here.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Barlor followed them through the doorway. Barlor could feel his heart rate slowly increasing.

    He walked into a room with doors on each wall. The room was lit by a glowing cylindrical slab attached to the ceiling, almost like a kind of lamp without a flame. Another servant in black clothing stood in the corner holding clothing in his arms.

    At its center was a table and three chairs. Two of the chairs were on his side, Namar sat in one of them. Barlor pulled an empty seat across from Mr. Allenbury.

    ¡°So¡­ you two aware of your situation?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Slowly Barlor was getting more and more nervous.

    ¡°I mean the expulsions.¡± Mr. Allenbury grinned wider.

    Barlor''sheart skipped a beat. There was no way he was going back to live on that farm. He couldn''t possibly¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re three days late you know¡­ you¡¯re already falling behind already. I trust you¡¯ve been informed about the situation regarding students.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the weakest half will be expelled at the end of each year.¡± A smile tugged at the corner of Namar¡¯s mouth.

    Of course, of course. Nothing to worry about, they wouldn¡®t have come here if they¡¯d already been expelled.

    ¡°You think you two can manage? We¡¯re quite brutal with our program. Anyone who isn¡¯t worth the funds will be cut at the end of each year, regardless of whether or not you aren¡¯t in the lower half.¡±

    ¡°Undoubtedly.¡± Namar looked Mr. Allenbury dead in the eyes with the widest smile Barlor had ever seen on his face.

    And yet the butterflies in Barlor¡¯s stomach wouldn''t cease.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Mr. Allenbury glanced at the servant, then to the table.

    The servant walked up and laid two robes on their table, a couple belts, and two pairs of shoes.

    ¡°Get dressed in the bathroom, then wish your host mage goodbye. We¡¯ll start immediately afterwards. Bathrooms are over there.¡± He pointed at the door to his right.

    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll do that.¡± Barlor grabbed the clothes and walked off. Looking around he realized that even the bathrooms were made from marble. There were little stalls with doors off to the side separating individual chamber pots, more opulence than he¡¯d seen in his entire lifetime, and something he definitely didn¡¯t want to give up.

    He dressed himself in the stalls. Tightening the strings so that they fit well, but weren¡¯t overly tight. He placed the notebook in his pocket, and tied the smiling yellow mask over his dagger sheath to hide the dagger from view. He walked out of the stalls and looked himself in the mirror. He was of average height, plain brown eyes and black hair, perhaps a little scrawny like the old man said. The mage robes were a light grey with maroon outlines. It was a little bit like a cloak, but the cloth fell to his thighs at most. They could be buttoned together, or tightened using strings, and while there were only a few small pockets on the outside, the insides were practically lined with them.

    Mirrors, new clothing, fancy buildings, what a place to be, but as he considered the possibility of expulsion and the thought of having to return home. He slowly began to panic. Subconsciously he laid his hand on the mask, and began to feel himself calming down.

    No need to panic just yet. Do the best you can. There¡¯s no use being afraid of what can¡¯t be helped. They¡¯re just like the shadows. Just like the shade.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Barlorwalked out of the bathroom and saw Namar leaning by the door. Same robes, except his were tied a little tighter and buttoned together instead of being left hanging.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wish Mr. Jamison goodbye and get going. We¡¯re burning time already.¡±

    ¡°Right. He might have something else to tell us.¡±

    Barlorand Namar walked out to the main room where Mr. Jamison was waiting.

    Mr. Jamison walked over to them. ¡°I suppose this is where we part ways for now.¡±

    ¡°I think so.¡± Barlor put his hands in his pockets.

    ¡°It was nice getting to know you Mr. Jamison.¡±

    ¡°The pleasure is all mine,¡± Mr. Jamison lowered his voice. ¡°Remember, if you see anything suspicious find some way to contact me.¡±

    The two nodded in response.

    As Mr. Jamison was leaving the building he glanced back at them. ¡°Good luck you two, I¡¯ll be certain to keep an ear out for your future achievements.¡±

    ¡°You too Mr. Jamison!¡± Barlor waved goodbye.

    "Now that that¡¯s over with let''s get going.¡± Mr. Allenbury didn''t wait to see if they¡¯d follow, choosing to simply leaving through the door.

    Barlodand Namar quickly followed Mr. Allenbury going back into the same room with the table and heading left this time. Behind the door was a plain spiral staircase that led downwards. Down and down they went until eventually they reached a wide corridor. The same glowing stones out in the room upstairs were regularly spaced throughout the corridors. Mr. Allenbury didn''t hesitate at all, walking through each corridor and making sudden turns with absolute confidence. Making his way through a series of maze like corridors was a pace Barlor happened to already be familiar with, and he internally mapped each of the turns as they made their way to the classroom. Namar however, seemed to struggle a little, occasionally losing Mr. Allenbury. When this happened he walked a little slower and waited for Namar to catch up.

    Eventually they reached a more decorated area of the underground. There were the occasional benches here and there, potted plants, and bulletin boards with almost nothing on them. They reached a set of double doors, above it the word gymnasium was carved over the doors. Mr. Allenbury stood to the side.

    ¡°Go on in.¡± He smiled.

    They opened the door and found themselves in a large room, by Barlor¡¯s estimate maybe eighty by sixty feet. The room was full of similarly dressed students, most fired away at practice dummies about twenty feet away from them. Whether or not they were successful he didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been informed that you were taught how to use magic before you got here. Is that true?¡± Mr. Allenbury asked.

    ¡°Yes, but only enough to keep us from falling behind.¡± Namar said.

    ¡°That¡¯s not my concern. You¡¯ll be placed in the advanced course regardless.¡±

    ¡°Fine with me.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Why not?¡± In truth, Barlor wasn¡¯t at all fine with being placed in the advance course. They¡¯d only been taught enough to keep up with normal students, there was no way they¡¯d be able to handle the more advanced work, let alone contest with the advance students.

    They followed Mr. Allenbury to an area closer towards the end of the gym. The advance students wore the same robes, practiced on the same dummies, yet fewer students were actually practicing. Most of them sat on the ground in groups, talking amongst themselves. Some groups were filled with laughter, while in others the tension was palpable.

    ¡°Control is perhaps the most important factor for a student. Here, stand on this white line.¡± Mr. Allenbury tapped his foot on the white line. ¡°Open a hole in the dummy the size of a coin, no more, no less.¡± He pointed at the dummy. A flash of white light streaked across the gym and pierced straight through the dummy. The dummy itself didn¡¯t even move as the beam pierced its chest. ¡°Don¡¯t knock it over.¡±

    He opened his palm. ¡°Then knock it back to the white line behind it.¡± A white orb formed in his hand. He held it out and the ball rushed towards the dummy, knocking the head back onto the white line about twenty feet behind it. ¡°Only the head may land on the white line.¡±

    As the dummy flew he noticed a chain attached to the bottom of the dummy¡¯s base. He heard clicking mechanical noises from beneath the ground. The chain tightened, and moved back into a hole beneath where the dummy had stood before, dragging the dummy back with it. With a bit of effort the chain straightened out the dummy attached to it, standing it upright as though nothing had ever happened.

    ¡°Then I want you to dent it.¡± He created another orb over his hand, condensing it and gathering into a ball the size of a marble. He opened his hand towards the dummy. The orb transformed into a burst of white light, blasting the dummy and leaving a dent in the arm. ¡°Hit both arms, don¡¯t knock it over, don¡¯t remove the limbs.¡± He did it again, much faster this time and with a casual wave of his arm.

    ¡°Got it?¡±

    Barlorcould only nod. The demands were insane, but he had plenty of time to practice. He could only hope that he¡¯d master it in time. Namar simply took a spot with an empty dummy and fired. For a moment Barlor thought he¡¯d actually be able to do it. The sudden movement and confidence led him to believe that somehow, he¡¯d managed, but Namar had only failed. Not even unleashing enough power to scratch the dummy. Namar continued onwards, unperturbed by his previous failure, again and again he failed, but he did so with fervor. Each time he failed he waited for a bit, before unleashing another attack with entirely different results.

    Barlorfollowed his lead and took a spot with an empty a dummy. He first tried to place a hole in the chest of the dummy, but unlike Namar, the hole was far too big, and it drained about a fourth of his mana. He waited for longer between attacks, doing his best to fine tune the mana put forth in each of his attacks. He was unsure of how long he spent in between attacks, only that with each attack he was being slowly drained. It took some time but he managed to drain himself completely.

    He could¡¯ve just waited for his mana to replenish naturally, but Mr. Jamison showed them a different, more¡­ expedient alternative. Normally one would just wait for their body to create mana over time. If one was in a hurry they could meditate, eat more, or just get some rest. Barlor however, wanted to make as much use of his time as physically possible.

    He closed his eyes and concentrated. His breathing became ragged, his whole body felt like it was being prodded with thousands of hot needles. He was simultaneously being filled with energy, and drained at the same time. A paradoxical feeling, it was like being so full you couldn''t eat but starving to death at the same time.

    Barlorcollapsed on the ground. Desperate to make as much progress as possible he stood back up, weary and exhausted. He pointed at the dummy once more, gathering as much mana as physically possible to a small point on his finger. One about half the size of a coin. He rotated the point counterclockwise and pushed it all outwards as quickly as possible. A rotating beam of blue light struck the dummy and pushed straight through its body within a second. The dummy shook a little, but didn¡¯t fall over. Success! Sort of, the dummy didn¡¯t fall over this time, although the hole was a little too small. Still, in Barlor¡¯s book that was a win so he decided to sit on the ground and get some much deserved rest.

    He heard the toll of a bell, he wasn¡¯t sure where it came from, but it was there.

    Mr. Allenbury clapped his hands. ¡°Alright! Alright! Calm down. Before you all leave for lunch, I¡¯m going to test you.¡±

    Most of the regular students stiffened at the thought. The majority of the advance students on the other hand, were less than impressed. Some even rolled their eyes. What really scared Barlor, was the way Mr. Allenbury reacted to the eyerolls. He saw, just for a second, a sadistic grin spread across his face before vanishing almost immediately.

    ¡°Advance students line up in front of me!¡±

    Might as well get this over with. Barlor rushed for the line, ending up second in place. The man in front of him was tall and chiseled. He wore two gold necklaces and a pair of silver bracers.

    ¡°Stand on the white line.¡±

    The man in front of him did so casually, waving to his friends and showing off to some of the girls in line.

    ¡°Demonstrate the practice techniques for me.¡±

    ¡°Will do sir.¡± He raised his hand relaxedly. As he was about to fire on the practice dummy a blinding light struck seemingly out of nowhere. The shot went wide and struck the ceiling above the dummy.

    ¡°Argh! The fuck!¡± The man in front of him wiped his eyes. ¡°The hell was that for?!¡±

    Mr. Allenbury¡¯s smile became ever more condescending. ¡°Did you really think it would be that easy? No one¡¯s going to wait while you line up a shot. Expect some form of distraction and improve your self control. What if that was a support beam?¡±

    ¡°The hell? That¡¯s fucking stupid, you didn¡¯t tell me shit!¡±

    ¡°Your opposition wouldn¡¯t have told you either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d still be expecting it!¡±

    ¡°Next form.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you.¡±

    ¡°Next form.¡±

    The man in front of him became red faced. He lined up another shot, forming another red orb in his hand. Yet another flash of light struck and the orb went flying in the wrong direction, collapsing harmlessly against the wall. The man in front of him was breathing heavily now.

    ¡°Next form.¡±

    The man gathered a small orb in his hand, he closed his eyes and held his hand outwards one more time, but instead of another flash of light Mr. Allenbury stomped on his foot. The blast struck the floor.

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    ¡°You should¡¯ve been expecting that by now.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d fucking step on my foot!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to learn to power through the pain. You won¡¯t always be able to avoid the hits.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you can¡¯t fucking do that! Do you know who-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m stopping you right there. Let me make two things clear.¡± He raised his head to the rest of the class. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn who or what you are. I don¡¯t care where you came from, or how you got here. That shit doesn¡¯t matter to me. I¡¯ll also let you know what I do not tolerate. Complacency. I¡¯m going to put all of you through your paces and it¡¯ll only get worse from here. If you can¡¯t even handle this, and if you don¡¯t like that, then you¡¯re free to leave.¡±

    None of the basic students made a move, but some of the advance students did, the man¡¯s friends.

    ¡°I¡¯m out of here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t need this shit.¡±

    ¡°You coming Gamris?¡±

    The man, Gamris. Tightened his jaw. He took a deep breath. ¡°No. I won¡¯t¡±

    ¡°You serious Gamris? You¡¯re gonna stay with this crazy bastard?¡±

    Gamrislooked down. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Mr. Allenbury leaned over. ¡°Oh. I forgot to mention. Students who didn¡¯t succeed in even one of the practice techniques, won¡¯t be going to lunch. You¡¯ll be here, working with me. If you work hard this time, I might be inclined to feed you.¡±

    ¡°Really, this asshole. You¡¯re staying with him.¡±

    Gamrislooked back at them. ¡°Yeah. I am.¡±

    ¡°Your loss man.¡±

    Mr. Allenbury walked up to Gamris and laid a hand on his shoulder. Gamris brushed it off.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to arrange you boys a transport back to your respective homes. Wait at the registry when you¡¯re finished with lunch ¡±

    The boys left the gym.

    Mr. Allenbury looked at the rest of the class. ¡°Congratulations. You¡¯ve just signed your death warrants.¡±

    Despite the morbid statement, Barlor saw on Mr. Allenbury¡¯s face, the most genuine smile he¡¯d ever seen him display. He was genuinely happy that some had chosen to stay, including Gamris.

 Liars

    Mr. Allenbury sent Gamris off to the side to stew his own anger and called up the next person in line. Barlor hesitated for a moment before walking up to the white line and preparing to fire on the dummy. Namar knew that regardless of whether or not Mr. Allenbury decided to distract Barlor during his practice forms his chance of succeeding even one of the practice forms was practically nonexistent.

    Barlorheld out his arm and pointed towards the dummy; a marble of spiraling blue energy manifesting at his fingertips. It was too small, too weak, and yet Barlor was already beginning to push it outwards. That was when it struck. A blinding flash of light that forced him to close his eyes, but right before he closed his eyes he saw it. The marble grew bigger, spun faster, it got brighter. In that moment Namar knew what happened. Barlor got lucky.

    When the class opened their eyes they saw the damage inflicted. A small hole exactly the size of a coin, right where the heart would''ve been. A resounding success. Barlor cheered and so did the rest of the basic students. The advance students however, were noticeably less impressed with the outcome.

    Mr. Allenbury didn''t look particularly pleased, but he wasn''t upset either. He simply shrugged. ¡°Next form.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    This time Mr. Allenbury made sure that Barlor wouldn''t get any luckier. The next flash came sooner, and Barlor¡¯s spell failed to even form properly. It held the rough shape of a ball before dispersing into wisps of blue gas.

    ¡°Next form.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    This next form was the most outrageous demand. Dent both arms, don''t make a hole, don''t knock over the dummy while doing so, and don''t take its arms off. Namar wasn''t at all concerned that Barlor would succeed this one, it¡¯d be easier to catch lightning in a bottle.

    Barlor formed an orb in his hand and threw it. He grazed the side of the arm and knocked the dummy over.

    ¡°Damn.¡±

    Mr. Allenbury simply nodded his head. ¡°Well you succeeded one of the forms at least. You¡¯re free to get lunch.¡±

    ¡°Actually Mr. Allenbury¡­¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°What? You¡¯re not going to tell me you want to stay are you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, actually. I''d like to stay.¡±

    The class whispered amongst themselves.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Mr. Allenbury was caught off guard for a second. ¡°I don''t see why not. You''re free to stay if you so desire.¡±

    ¡°Thank you sir.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and do remember. This was your choice.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ right.¡±

    ¡°Good. Move along then.¡±

    Mr. Allenbury called up the next student. Again and again they tried and failed. In the end maybe seven out of the twenty or so advanced students actually managed to succeed one of the forms. It was finally his turn. Namar was last in line, and all eyes were on him. Were it someone else they might¡¯ve been a little worried, anxious even, but Namar was no stranger to failure. Either way Namar didn''t mind. If he did it, he¡¯d get some food and rest. If he didn''t, he¡¯d be ¡®punished¡¯ with the opportunity to practice. He walked up to the white line.

    He wasn''t quite sure why some people used their hands. He guessed it had something to do with extending their reach or visualization, but he didn''t need that. He closed his eyes. Focusing a small amount of mana into a point on his chest and anchoring it in place. As long as he focused on maintaining the connection his aim wouldn''t be thrown off. It was a neat trick, one he stole from another student attempting the forms.

    A tiny mote of emerald light extended a couple feet of his chest. He felt a connection to the light and pushed mana through it. A beam of light powered through the connection and struck the dummy. At first he failed to even scratch it, but he kept on going. Slowly, ever so slowly, it began to carve a hole into the dummy. At this moment Mr. Allenbury decided to interfere, stepping on Namar¡¯s foot with as much force as possible. While it was definitely painful, he could still handle it just fine. He¡¯d dropped hot metals on his foot on the past and in comparison this was nothing.

    Unfortunately Mr. Allenbury didn¡¯t stop there. He applied even more force and started to twist his foot from side to side doing his absolute best to cause excruciating levels of pain, and unlike a hot metal, Mr. Allenbury wouldn¡¯t quit trying to crush his foot. But as much as it hurt, Namar had to keep going. Any more force and he might accidently enlarge the hole he was carving into the dummy.

    This went on for what felt like an eternity, in reality a minute at best. As Namar neared the end of his torment he rejoiced, success. At the last second Mr. Allenbury lifted his foot. Namar was so happy he almost screwed it up, a sudden burst of energy slipped from the orb and struck the dummy in the chest. At the same time he finally managed to pierce straight through the dummy¡¯s chest. The dummy rocked backwards for a second before coming to a rest at its base once more.

    ¡°Nicely done.¡±

    Was that a compliment? Namar simply nodded.

    ¡°Next form.¡±

    Right there were still two forms left to go¡­ Was it really worth trying? Yes.As Namar created a emerald sphere before him, he quietly wondered why he¡¯d even bother asking that question. As the sphere formed a flash of white light took him by surprise, wiping away the emerald light in its entirety.

    ¡°Getting distracted are we?¡± Mr. Allenbury raised an eyebrow.

    Namar rubbed his eyes. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. Next form.¡±

    Namar hadn''t gotten any practice with this last one, but it was worth a shot. A pair of orbs formed over Namar¡¯s shoulders. He saw someone else try this one too, he wasn''t sure why but there must''ve been some reason for it. He packed in as much mana into as small a space as physically possible. Where to aim, where to aim. The shoulders still counted as part of the arms right?If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    He fired mana in tiny bursts the majority of which missed, but the few that did hit left almost little to no damage. He figured he¡¯d do this the same way he did the first one, gradually increase the power of his attacks until it did what he needed it to. However it was also extremely wasteful. Namar was almost empty, his only choice left was to drastically increase the level of his attacks. He gathered all the mana he had left into the orbs and prepared to launch them simultaneously.

    Both orbs struck, placing small craters in the arms of the dummy. That¡¯s odd. Mr. Allenbury didn''t do anything to distract me¡­ A very well placed roundhouse landed in the middle of Namar¡¯s gut. He fell to the floor coughing and sputtering.

    ¡°Good effort, but I should warn you that wasting mana like that is going to result in a lot of pain, one way, or another. Especially if you forcefully generate mana. That goes for you and your friend over there.¡± Mr. Allenbury glanced at Barlor, then to the wrecked dummy. ¡°I¡¯d encourage you to avoid doing that. It''s a neat trick, but a bad idea for developing mages. Still, your gamble paid off. Well done.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Namar coughed.

    ¡°Would you like to stay as well?¡±

    ¡°No thank you sir.¡± Namar stood up carefully.

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± He shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re free to go. If you need directions ask one of the staff members in black robes.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Namar did just that. Hand on his stomach he walked outside and asked one of the staff members for directions. He tried as hard as he could to remember the directions to the lunch room, but ended up getting lost instead. He was getting desperate at this point, as it turned out generating mana made him really hungry. The more his core filled up with mana the hungrier and hungrier he got. It took a while, but he realized he¡¯d been starving the entire time.

    That was when he ran into another student. A tall girl with blonde hair and arctic blue eyes. She jumped back in surprise. Her voice was soft and elegant. ¡°You¡­ don''t look so good.¡±

    ¡°The lunch room. Where is it?¡±

    She tilted her head. ¡°You were that last advanced student weren''t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Now where do I get food?¡±

    ¡°Have you been lost this whole time?¡±

    Namar deadpanned. ¡°No. Not at all.¡±

    ¡°Alright alright, calm down. Just trying to start a conversation.¡± She looked around for a bit. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Namar followed her lead

    The lunchroom was a large, open building above ground with large glass windows to let the light in. It was crowded, messy, and loud. The once orderly arrangement of tables were moved to make way for more students to sit together in a group while others chose to sit on the floor or on their own. There were three lines on the far left wall, one in the middle, and two to the right and left respectively.

    They stood in the left line. He wasn''t sure why they weren''t all equal, after all the left line was by far the shortest one. The student he¡¯d just met ordered two plates of¡­ something. He didn''t know how to pronounce it.

    Namar received his plate, and he couldn''t help but stare. It was some kind of meat, steak maybe, dipped in a kind of sauce he¡¯d never seen and covered in exotic spices. He gawked at his food and almost ate it right there.

    ¡°There isn''t any space around here. Let''s eat outside.¡±

    Her voice snapped him out of his reverie.

    ¡°Right!¡± He said perhaps a little too loudly.

    She looked at him strangely.

    ¡°Right. Let''s do that.¡± Namar tried to pretend like the last few minutes of his life never actually happened. He confidently walked out the door and held it open for his new benefactor.

    She nodded towards a tall tree by the stone wall. ¡°How about we eat over there.¡±

    ¡°Anywhere works.¡± Namar really didn''t care. He just wanted to eat.

    They sat down by a tall tree, whose many leaves created much needed shade from the sun. The grass was as soft as could be. The wind was just right. It might¡¯ve been nostalgic if weren''t so damn hungry. He sat down against the tree and dug into his food. When he finally finished he sighed in relief and left his plate beside him.

    The girl across from him just sat there, looking extremely unamused. She ate from her plate carefully, daintily, almost¡­ artificially. It dawned on him that he¡¯d treated her somewhat poorly the entire time, despite the fact that she¡¯d bought him such good food. Although in his defense she was wasting his time with pointless questions.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Namar scratched the back of his head. ¡°Owe you an apology for treating you so rudely earlier.¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Really, and was that supposed to be your grand apology?¡±

    ¡°I guess?¡± Namar shrugged.

    She took a bite from her plate and continued to study him.

    ¡°Alright, alright, I''m sorry! You happy now?

    She sighed. ¡°I suppose that¡¯ll work. My name is Juno. Juno Elway. It''s a pleasure to meet you.¡± She held out her hand.

    ¡°Right. Of course.¡± Namar shook her hand.

    She pulled away rather quickly and looked at her hand. ¡°You¡¯re not of noble birth. Are you?¡±

    What? What kind of question was that? Oh shit. ¡°What do you mean? Of course I am.¡±

    ¡°Really.¡± She didn''t seem entirely convinced.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Namar nodded. ¡°Really.¡±

    ¡°Is that so. Tell me what family are you from? I''m afraid I don''t recognize your face. ¡±

    ¡°The¡­ Brandy¡¯s of course.¡±

    ¡°Truly? I''ve never heard of them.¡±

    ¡°Yes well that''s probably because we are foreign to these lands. You see I''m here to¡­ elevate. Yes! Elevate the status of my family.¡± Namar looked around for something, anything that could change the subject.

    Her voice became sweet like honey. ¡°Oh? And what is it that the Brandy¡¯s do?¡±

    Maybe I¡¯ve convinced her. ¡°We make Brandy! Obviously.¡±

    ¡°Really? Alcoholic beverages? I''ve always been interested in those. Tell me what kind of ingredients do you use? ¡°

    Something, something, anything! ¡°We use Corundum of course. It''s quite simple really.¡±

    ¡°Corundum. Isn''t that a rock?¡±

    ¡°Not in my country!¡± That came out a lot more desperately than he intended.

    She sighed. ¡°Why do you even bother lying to me?¡±

    Namar looked down. ¡°Please don''t kill me.¡±

    ¡°What the-¡± She dropped her softer more elegant voice. As it turns out her accent was a fake. ¡°Where the hell did that come from!¡±

    ¡°I''m sorry! It¡¯s just-¡± Namar raised his hands as if to defend himself from the incoming verbal onslaught.

    ¡°Just what? You think we¡¯re all like that huh? Think we¡¯re all the same?¡± She stood up and started walking towards him

    ¡°No it''s just-¡±

    ¡°Just what? I show you where the lunch room is, I pay for your food, I even pick this nice spot for you, and you still think I''m the type to do that?¡± Her voice was slowly getting louder and louder. She leaned over Namar and glared at him. At that moment people started wandering off in different directions. Anywhere, but there, really.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know maybe?¡± Namar shrunk back and looked to both sides.

    ¡°Gods this what I get for trying to be nice to commoners!¡±

    ¡°You see sentences like that are why ¡®commoners¡¯ think you¡¯re the worst.¡± Namar tried to defend himself weakly.

    ¡°Oh please, after everything we do for you people, give me one good reason to hate us!¡±

    ¡°I could give you a pair of names if that¡¯s what you want!¡± He said those words without thinking, and immediately he wanted to take them back.

    ¡°Oh.¡± She seemed to deflate almost immediately. ¡°I''m¡­ Sorry.¡±

    ¡°No I should be the one apologizing. I should¡¯ve known better.¡±

    ¡°It''s fine. It¡¯s fine. I should''ve been more composed.¡± She took a deep breath.

    When she next spoke she was back to using the same elegant voice as before. ¡°I suppose we started off on the wrong foot here. Let¡¯s try this again. My name is Juno Elway. Second in line to the house of Elway, and you are?¡±

    This again? He kinda preferred her normal voice over her fake accent. Whatever it''s not like it mattered much anyways. He stood up and shook her hand firmly. ¡°Namar Brandy. Humble smith of Oakswear. Pleased to make your acquaintance.¡±

    The toll of a bell firmly punctuated their handshake.

    Juno gathered her plate. ¡°Well. I suppose that¡¯s our cue. Let¡¯s get going.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Namar followed her lead. Partly because they were headed in the same direction. Partly because Namar was still having trouble with directions.

    Juno looked back. ¡°Hey, I have a question for you.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Is Brandy actually your last name?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ yes. Why?¡±

 Minutes

    He was sweating from every pore, his memory was a blur, he almost wanted to give up, but he knew that wasn''t going to happen. He wouldn''t go back unless there were absolutely zero options left for him. Just the shame of having to go back home after everything that had happened would be enough to kill him.

    They were all so happy for him. Like it was a foregone conclusion that he''d become a mage. The gifts, the goodbyes, even the random people that cheered his name. Deep down he knew that if he went back they¡¯d accept him as though nothing ever happened, but it just didn''t feel right.

    So, Barlor pushed onwards. Whatever Mr. Allenbury threw at them he¡¯d do his utmost to do it as quickly as possible, and to the absolute best of his ability. While they were attempting the practice forms Mr. Allenbury or one of his three assistants would come around and offer tips on how to better control their spells and conserve mana as best as possible. But if you ran out of mana or were caught slacking, Mr. Allenbury would have you running laps around the gym or doing push-ups, generally while throwing beams of mana that would sting anyone who was lagging too far behind.

    Under normal circumstances Barlor wouldn''t have had any problems with the actual exercises themselves. The issue was the fact that generating mana required energy of some sort, and always refilled itself if it wasn''t completely full. The more a mage used their supply of mana, the more hungry and exhausted they¡¯d become. This paired with the constant and lengthy exercise between the complete refill of mana turned simple tasks into works of herculean effort. It was hard enough to walk sometimes, let alone jog. Some of them fainted out of sheer exhaustion, others out of hunger

    When they were finally allowed to take a break and eat; even more of them fainted. When their adrenaline rush collapsed, so did they. Given his past Barlor was already somewhat used to the feeling of starvation, though he hadn''t experienced it in quite some time. It was almost nostalgic, in a sick, twisted way. Some the servants in black robes picked up the fallen students. If he had to guess; they were taken to the infirmary, but he didn''t know for sure.

    Slowly the students that had been allowed to get lunch walked back into the gym. Namar parted ways with a tall girl with blonde hair and walked up to him.

    ¡°You¡­ don''t look good.¡±

    Barlor chuckled and finished his soup. ¡°Hey I know I''m not the best looking guy out there, but I wouldn''t call myself ugly.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ probably could¡¯ve phrased that better, couldn''t I?¡± His tone was apologetic, though he didn''t seem at all concerned.

    ¡°Mmhm.¡± Barlor nodded.

    Namarlooked around; noticing the class was sizably smaller than before. ¡°What happened here? Actually, I can guess-¡± He shook his head. ¡°What did he have you do?¡±

    ¡°That sadist had us exercise between practice forms. No breaks, no food. All torture.¡±

    Namar shivered. ¡°I don''t know how you managed. I barely made it through that first part of class.¡±

    ¡°You get used to it eventually. If it keeps happening you get better at dealing with it, eventually you don''t notice.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Namar raised an eyebrow. He didn''t seem entirely convinced.

    ¡°Yes? It just kinda¡­ happens. It''s a little hard to explain, but sometimes you just don''t notice the hunger until you stop to take a break, and you just sorta fall apart. So¡­ don''t take breaks, I guess. ¡±

    ¡°I''m not sure that¡¯s the best advice.¡±

    Barlor shrugged. ¡°It''s what I got.¡±

    At that point Mr. Allenbury walked into the center of the room and sent a beam of light shooting upwards. Everybody looked to him.

    ¡°Hey that worked.¡± Mr. Allenbury rubbed his hands. ¡°Alright now that I''ve got your attention I¡¯d like to congratulate all of you for making it this far. Especially those of you who managed to stick it out through my little remedial training session. So I¡¯ve got a reward for all of you.¡±

    No one said a word.

    ¡°Hey don''t be like that, it''ll be fun! Plus, there¡¯s an opportunity for extra credit. How¡¯s that sound eh? A little head start against the rest of your classmates.¡±

    One of the students raised their hand. ¡°Is that really fair to the other students?¡±

    A few of the students around him gave him looks of death. To which he shrugged sheepishly.

    ¡°Good question! Long story short, us teachers are allowed to distribute an equal amount of extra credit each year, and we can assign them however we please. Also no, it''s not exactly fair, but it''ll be pretty obvious who the favorite is.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± He put his hand down.

    ¡°Anymore questions?¡±

    Someone else raised their hand.

    ¡°Yes what is it?¡±

    ¡°What are we doing?¡± He yelled.

    ¡°I was getting to that part. So here, let me explain-¡±

    He raised his hand again.

    ¡°What. What is it?¡±

    ¡°What if we still have more questions?¡± He yelled again.

    The group around him started laughing. Mr. Allenbury pointed at his forehead and loosed a beam of jagged white light. It struck him instantaneously. The idiot yelped in pain.

    ¡°Anymore questions?¡± A point of light manifested at his fingertips.

    No one said a word.

    ¡°Good. Now, let me explain the rules of the game.¡± The light disappeared. ¡°You will be paired into groups of around ten to fifteen, and pitted against one of my apprentices. To make things more even they¡¯ll be be bound by these handcuffs which will get continually warmer until they start to burn at the skin, furthermore they¡¯re only allowed to use raw mana, no fire, no ice, nothing.¡±

    He paced back and forth. ¡°On the other hand you students aren''t allowed to throw attacks of your own, not because I''m worried for the safety of my apprentices, but because I''m worried you might accidentally start hitting each other. If you get struck once, you¡¯re out. That is, if the mana hits your skin specifically, you¡¯re out. Every minute you last beyond the first is worth ten points of extra credit. Getting one of my apprentices to surrender is worth fifty.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    He stopped and raised his finger as if he had a new idea. ¡°Also, you advanced students will all be paired up together, and unlike the basic students, you¡¯re free to do whatever. I trust you enough to be certain that you won''t start shooting each other in the back. Also, my apprentice won''t be using those handcuffs. Got it? Good.¡±

    The idiot raised his hand again.

    ¡°Ok fine, but It better be a real question this time!¡±

    ¡°Could you go over that again? Just¡­ a little slower this time?¡±

    Mr. Allenbury sighed. ¡°Alright I guess that¡¯s my fault. I did go over that a bit quickly¡­ Here let me try and break it down for you¡­

    <hr>

    Beyond another set of double doors was a long corridor that eventually opened up to a wide, circular space. It was a kind of arena. Sets of stairs doubling as seats led downwards to a large pit with stone at the bottom. There was a small pathway, between where the stairs ended and a railing that kept the students from falling into the arena, and two doors on the left and right sides of the room that led into the pit itself.

    ¡°Alright, advanced students first. They¡¯ll show you how it''s done.¡± Mr. Allenbury pointed at the doorway to the right. ¡°Advance students go that way, apprentices with me, everyone else can feel free to take a seat and watch.¡±

    They filed in through the doorway down another flight of stairs and yet another long corridor leading to an open space. The room held a few stone benches and a large iron gate at the end, but other than there wasn''t much else.

    ¡°So we just wait around for the gate to open?¡± One student said.

    ¡°Supposedly.¡± Said another.

    They started to talk amongst themselves, a few trying to calm themselves down, others laying out plans of attack and strategies. Some, like Barlor just didn''t care and took a seat in the corner. Unlike some of these advanced students he didn''t actually have any advanced knowledge, trying to help out would just be getting in the way. His plan for the match was to stick to the walls and hope that would get him to the second minute.

    He couldn''t help but eavesdrop on some of the conversations. He was a little bored, and Namar wasn''t the best conversationalist. One conversation in particular caught his interest.

    A tall, skinny man with midnight hair and and even darker eyes sat on a bench surrounded by his friends. He had a mark on his face, a dark ring along the bridge of his nose. ¡°Look, I''m telling you. That pompous prick has no idea what he¡¯s doing. I refuse to obey any more of his stupid fucking orders unless he shows us that he¡¯s worth listening to¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure that''s a good idea Mr. Talan.¡± The people around him looked uncertain.

    ¡°I thought I told you to call me Derek.¡±

    Another tried to voice his concern. ¡°Sorry Mr. Talan, but wasn''t he chosen specifically by the government?¡±

    Derek looked around at all of them. ¡°The government isn¡¯t infallible. Trust me I know. Those assholes? They¡¯re dumber than we are.¡± He stood up. ¡°Look, you¡¯re either with me or against me, but I''m doing this regardless of what you think I should or shouldn''t do.¡±

    A girl at the front with raised her hands in their defense. ¡°We have your back alright? We just wanted to make sure you weren''t doing anything stupid.¡±

    ¡°I know what I''m doing.¡± He placed a hand on her shoulder.

    She looked around at her companions. They all nodded. ¡°Alright then.¡±

    The people around him nodded

    ¡°We follow you wherever you go.¡±

    ¡°Aye.¡±

    ¡°Let''s do it.¡±

    At that moment the gate before them opened. They stepped out into the light. The arena was massive, with plenty of space for all twenty of them to move around freely and dodge about. A woman walked out from the other gate. She held herself with confidence, walking straight backed and looking directly forward. A large falcon with slate grey feathers, a white underside, and a hooked beak rested on her shoulder.

    Students watched from above and Mr. Allenbury leaned over a railing. ¡°You can start when I say go.¡±

    ¡°Three...¡±

    ¡°Two¡­¡±

    ¡°One¡­¡±

    ¡°G-¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Derek walked up and looked at Mr. Allenbury with contempt in his eyes. ¡°Why don''t you come down here and fight us yourself? Or are you afraid of losing to a bunch of students?¡±

    Mr. Allenbury scoffed. ¡°It wouldn''t be a fair fight.¡±

    ¡°Is that the truth? Why don''t you come down here and prove it then! You swagger around acting like you¡¯re so much better than us, but we haven''t seen you do anything more than make pretty light shows and step on our toes! I¡¯ll tell you what I think of you! I think you¡¯re a damn fraud!¡±

    To Barlor¡¯s dismay other students started nodding along. Then they started to voice their opinions. Shouting at him to prove his worth. The majority of them joined in in the shouting. Oddly enough, Gamris wasn''t one of those people. Upon closer inspection he even looked disdainfully at those who did. Looking around Barlor realized that there were a lot of mixed reactions, but those that started yelling were heard the loudest.

    In front of them the woman¡¯s falcon let out an ear piercing screech. She used the moment to walk forward. ¡°Listen up you-¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Mr. Allenbury raised his hand.

    She froze, momentarily stunned by Mr. Allenbury¡¯s decision. ¡°W- What? Are you actually considering-¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± He jumped down from the arena walls. ¡°They¡¯ve got a point. So I''ll do it.¡± He looked up at one of the other apprentices above the arena ¡°Daimen! Give me the handcuffs!¡±

    Derek rolled his eyes. ¡°As if we need your help.¡±

    Mr. Allenburys scoffed. ¡°You asked for it.¡±

    The apprentice with the hawk turned around and walked off shaking her head. The hawk beat its wings and a massive gust of air assaulted all of them. It took flight, carrying its master along with it, and landing them in one of the spectator seats.

    Mr. Allenbury inhaled deeply. ¡°Feel free to position yourselves however you¡¯d like. Combat starts in three¡­¡±

    ¡°Two¡­¡± Students surrounded Mr. Allenbury and backed away at the same time.

    ¡°One¡­¡± Whether they were running from the fight or confronting it, people were desperately trying to ready themselves for what came next.

    He exhaled deeply. ¡°Go.¡±

    No one was ready for what came next.

    Derek let loose a savage smile. A writhing mass of flames forming near instantly in the palm of his hand. He sent it hurdling forwards at immense speeds. Mr. Allenbury leisurely jumped backwards; reaching impossible heights effortlessly, and casually avoiding an explosion that sent waves of heat radiating in every direction.

    The girl next to Barlor started to glow a soft golden color. The soft glow became like flames, a cloak of golden flames trailing behind her as she took off at unnatural speeds. She raced upwards at Mr. Allenbury like a golden comet. Somewhere behind Mr. Allenbury another student shot outwards like an arrow in flight.

    A burst of white light erupted from Mr. Allenbury¡¯s back. It coalesced into a solid white, tail like appendage. In mid air he spun, slamming both students in the torso. That golden comet was sent crashing back into the ground. Only a flicker of light was left where a once beautiful radiance once shone. As for the other, he was sent flying into another student, who thankfully managed to catch him.

    A disc of white light formed beneath Mr. Allenbury¡¯s feet. He stood imperiously on the white disc, lazily blasting both students with a burst of light that stung them both and left their skin red.

    ¡°The two of you are out by the way.¡± Mr. Allenbury looked at Derek and tilted his head slightly. His voice was as innocent as could. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s all you¡¯ve got?¡±

    All that could be seen of Derek¡¯s visage was pure, unbridled rage. ¡°Just watch you bastard.¡±

    A hailstorm of azure needles assaulted Mr. Allenbury from the side. His tail fanned outwards like a peacock and shrugged off each and every nail. ¡°That¡¯s it? That¡¯s your big plan?¡±

    The ground surrounding Mr. Allenbury erupted outwards into a wall of flames that reached the ceiling. It circled around him and rapidly began to shrink. Barlor could only stand and watch, he was awestruck, afraid. Seconds in and the battle had already escalated this quickly. If these were the kind of people he had to compete with, he might never stand a chance.

    Derek¡¯s sweat turned to blood as he struggled to pay the toll for his mana consumption. Suddenly the girl who just barely withstood Mr. Allenbury¡¯s attack began to glow. It was a white glow, with a beam of light emanating from her chest.

    Suddenly Barlor understood.

    There was a reason she hadn''t lost yet...

 Indomitable

    A burst of wild flames scorched the earth before them. Students rushed forwards with devastating speed. Through it all Mr. Allenbury never wavered, never hesitated, not even for a second. He casually avoided an explosion that sent waves of heat cascading through the arena. He sent rising students crashing down into the earth with a flick of his tail.

    When the wall of flames erupted from the ground beneath him, they trapped him, encircled him, and slowly shrunk. Smaller and smaller they shrunk. Gradually Namar was beginning to think they¡¯d won. That they¡¯d beaten their Mr. Allenbury, and shown their worth. But he knew, deep down, that it wouldn''t be nearly that easy.

    A white glow emanated from behind the pillar of flames. He couldn''t see what was happening, but he could hear it. Screaming, the sound of bodies thrown against a wall. An inexplicable sizzling sound that permeated the air. When the fires dropped Mr. Allenbury was still standing, and on his glowing white disc he looked down on the students. Many of whom were knocked out against a wall, or limping weakly towards the arena gates with reddened skin. The few left standing looked shaken, and exhausted.

    ¡°Nice try, and although I like the way you think, I¡¯d like to point out one colossal issue in your little plan - besides of course, trying picking a fight with me in the first place. You see¡­¡±

    Juno snuck up on Namar, and tapped him on the shoulder.

    ¡°If I could have a minute your time.¡± She whispered.

    Namarraised an eyebrow.

    ¡°I''ve come up with a plan of sorts. I think we can pull it off, but I am in need of your assistance.¡±

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s hear it.¡±

    ¡°All I require; is that upon my signal, you barrage him with every every ounce of mana you¡¯ve left, and I mean all of it. Empty your mana pool.¡±

    ¡°Anything else you¡¯d like to tell me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all you need to know. Let us handle the rest and I''m certain the odds will change in our favor. If we do this right then chances are that we can distinguish ourselves among the best - no, the very best in the school.¡±

    Could he really trust a girl that he met about thirty minutes ago? Then again, she did buy him food, and she was very patient when it came to dealing with him. She was however, a noble, so who knew what she was really up to. Then again¡­

    ¡°A yes, would suffice quite nicely in this situation.¡± She huffed.

    ¡°Wait. I¡¯m thinking.¡± At the very least if the entire plan turns out poorly it¡¯d be a good learning experience, so there really wasn''t much to lose in this situation. If it turned out well, he could distinguish himself from the crowd, which would be quite nice¡­

    ¡°How much longer are you going to think about it? Hurry up already!¡± She dropped her softer, more elegant accent in favor of her normal one.

    ¡°What¡¯s the signal?¡± He hastily gathered mana into his hands. It was inefficient, the shape of the orbs was certainly less than uniform. Their surfaces were a chaotic mess of ripples and waves.

    ¡°You¡¯ll know it when you see it, just get ready.¡± She stormed off, making brief nods at other students and quickly speaking with a couple of them.

    He watched Juno closely and waited for some kind of signal, all the while checking to make sure Mr. Allenbury was still talking. When she finally stopped walking she settled into a fighting stance. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and nodded at him once.

    Namar took that as his cue, and sent all of his mana exploding outwards all at once. The emerald spheres in his hands were larger than cannonballs, and ruptured into blasts of green light with a heavy, explosive crash. They were beacons of light that painted the world a shade of emerald, and as they approached Mr. Allenbury, he was no doubt alerted to their presence.

    The disc beneath his feet simply disintegrated, and Mr. Allenbury fell a long way towards the ground. The blast sailed over his head and impacted harmlessly on the ceiling. He oriented himself while he was falling into an upright position, and turned to face Namar. Another disc manifested itself beneath his feet and he effortlessly stuck the landing.

    ¡°You see? This is what I''m talking about. If you¡¯d demonstrated some patience those blasts of your would¡¯ve been much faster, and far stronger than it was just now. You had plenty of time, and plenty of-¡±

    Jagged beams of red light zoomed towards Mr. Allenbury. He raised his hand, and they collapsed harmlessly against a smaller, more fluid disc of light. ¡°You know what,¡± he sighed. ¡°I really should save the lectures for later. I have about ¡­ thirty seconds to clean the rest of you up.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    With that the disc beneath his feet angled towards their direction, and Mr. Allenbury lunged forward at twice the speed anyone had previously managed. He was headed directly for Namar. There wasn''t enough time, he could barely process what was happening. Then he felt a rumble beneath his feet. The ground below was becoming exponentially colder.

    Suddenly the stones fractured. Again, and again at a seemingly impossible pace. Then they started moving, all of them rushing forwards, the world becoming a wall of frozen debris in every direction. The ground beneath him slowly turned into a crater, as the rubble rushed outwards and around him from beneath his feet. He fell over, the ground slipping outwards from beneath his feet.

    The stones shifted imperceptibly, when the curtains raised he could see the form the rubble had taken; the shape of a giant hand. Another student raised her hand and let loose a ray of chilling frost. The hand closed in on Mr. Allenbury, attempting to crush him in its frozen grip, the ray of frost attempting to seal off attempts at escape.

    Just as the hand was about to trap Mr. Allenbury he slipped its grasp, but not in the way he was expecting. He flew outwards, but it didn''t look like he¡¯d jumped. Rather, it looked like he¡¯d been thrown. He sailed high into the sky and, once again oriented himself in Namar¡¯s direction. He used the tail on his back, and propelled himself off another white disc, shooting forward with the same deadly speed.

    The fist behind him started to move once more. The stones that composed it shattered the ice, and flew backwards like a thousand tiny arrows. Another student let loose a grid of jagged red mana, but rather than being aimed directly at Mr. Jamison, it was headed straight for Namar, and he was powerless to do anything.

    The ground behind him fractured again, sinking him beneath the ground, and protecting him from any incoming damage. None of that stopped Mr. Allenbury who charged head on through the danger. He landed next to Namar, who was already halfway buried in the ground.

    The tail like appendage on his back shot outwards it grabbed onto him, pulling him from the ground and throwing him through the mana grid. The jagged net tearing at Namar¡¯s clothes and leaving bleeding red marks on his skin. Their teacher followed through the opening that Namar made in the grid, but he wasn''t done yet. As Namar flew through the air Mr. Allenbury punched Namar, and sent him flying directly towards Juno.

    His body glowed a brilliant shade of white, and suddenly he felt a stinging sensation course through every inch of his body. Spikes of light shot outwards. They turned and crawled around his body, binding his arms and legs. Another spike shot through the ground, nailing him in place. Suddenly he was just a conduit for someone else''s mana, a puppet to be used as a weapon. He was mostly out of mana, and forbidden from forcibly creating more. Tendrils raced outwards from his body attempting to strike at everyone within range.

    The world became a blur of ideas, as he sat there, with nothing more to do than watch. He took note of the battle for future use. Oddly enough, Mr. Allenbury never once sent a ranged projectile at anyone, despite clearly demonstrating that he was extremely proficient with them. Instead opting to use the tail on his back, somehow using mana to strengthen his limbs and, whatever it was that he did to him.

    Even stranger, Juno never seemed to move from the same place. Instead using rubble to defend herself rather than do the sensible thing and move out of Namar''s range. Her rubble constructs moved around in area that should''ve been far beyond anyone¡¯s threshold of control, but instead of keeping her distance while the rubble did its work, she stood completely still.

    He wasn''t even sure how Mr. Allenbury turned him into a weapon. By this time he was off in another area of the arena, and a few of those students were also turned into weapons. Anchors were the only way he knew of to increase the threshold and move in different places, but Namar was a living being with his own mana, there was no way that Mr. Allenbury could somehow interfere his body and turn it into an anchor.

    Unless¡­

    Of course! It was his clothing all along. Once he had enough mana he could use it to shred his clothing and destroy the anchors. While he was already out of the game, he could still buy a few extra seconds, and maybe some extra credit for the survivors. He''d also be able to stand out from the rest of the crowd as a dedicated team player, and a resourceful mage.

    The spike that nailed him to the ground dissipated, more bindings appeared around his body. They started moving, forcing him to move along with it. Suddenly he was moving towards Juno, not of his own volition, but because the bindings forced him to.

    Hopefully he¡¯d be able to charge up enough mana in time to save Juno. She was one of the only friends he had right now, and probably his only shot at making any more¡­

    He should at least warn her about it.

    Namar sauntered towards her with janky, broken movements. ¡°Hey, Juno!¡±

    ¡°Namar?¡± She sounded surprised. ¡°You¡¯re still awake in there? I don''t suppose you¡¯ve got a plan right now do you? I''m just a bit curious given the current situation. I mean, I''ve mostly got it under control, but¡­ Any assistance lent would be preferable?¡± Given the tone of her voice she definitely didn''t have anything under control.

    ¡°Yes. Close your eyes when I tell you to close them.¡±

    Vicious tendrils lashed out at Juno from behind his back. More rubble deflected them, but she insisted on not moving.

    ¡°Why, exactly?¡±

    ¡°Hey! I trusted you, so you should trust me on this one.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ alright.¡± It was clear at this point that she was losing speed, and many of that of the constructs she made earlier were destroyed. At this point it was safe to assume that she was running quite low, since she hadn''t made anymore of them.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Three¡­

    Two¡­.

    One¡­.

    Was that enough? That should be enough.

    ¡°NOW!¡±

 Pyhrric

    It all went so wrong. Everything. This was supposed to be her moment to shine. For once she¡¯d be at the top, she¡¯d be the role model, the best of the best, but she ruined it. Every time, without fail. As if she could pull off a plan that¡¯d even delay Mr. Allenbury. The majority of the students working with her had been puppeted, turned into weapons to be used against them. If anything she sped up their inevitable losses.

    Now it was Namar; the peasant boy that had a plan, but what other option did she have? It was her waiting on his mark, and he was already out. Whatever the technicalities were she didn''t have enough options left to argue.

    Juno stood perfectly still; her expression the epitome of calm and control. She knew she was running out of time. Almost all of her mana had been expended on the first attack. Even more on trying to save an ally. The last of her rubble constructs were being used to fend off a series of tendrils controlling and manipulating Namar. She had so much, and she wasted it all.

    All she could do was prepare to close her eyes. On his mark.

    ¡°NOW!¡±

    She dropped the rubble constructs, conserving her mana, and closed her eyes. There was a tearing sound, like clothes being shredded. Then footsteps. She could tell he was behind her. He must''ve gotten free.

    ¡°Now, don''t look behind you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    "I''m completely naked back here, so give me your mage robes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re what?!¡± Why the hell was he naked?

    ¡°You¡¯re wearing clothes under there so just give me your robes.¡±

    ¡°Why-¡± So that''s how he got free¡­ ¡°Take them. I''m sure you need them far more than I do at this point.¡± She took her robes off tossing them back to Namar. She didn''t bother looking back, and took stock of the situation.

    There were about eight of them left standing in the arena. Two of which were her friends. They were all spread out across the arena, but they were generally within reach. If she sprinted she could reach nearest one within about ten seconds, but Mr. Allenbury could undoubtedly get there in less. Right now he was chasing one of the students through the air, jumping off discs of mana that appeared at his feet with unnatural speed while puppeted students harassed them from the ground.

    He must¡¯ve been preoccupied chasing down that individual student. She was the only one giving him any trouble, but she wouldn''t hold out for much longer. Neither would her friends on the ground. She knew what she¡¯d have to do, although it¡¯d make her extremely uncomfortable, and it''d make her look like a creep. Still, victory first; even peasants understood.

    You¡¯ve got a second chance, so use it.

    She sprinted as fast she could towards her friend. Time slowed to a crawl, and in that moment nothing else mattered. She got so close, just barely within arms reach. A white tendril lashed out at her as soon as she got too close. She lowered her head as she ran, narrowly avoiding the whip like tendril. She grabbed onto her friend¡¯s arm, and pulled as hard as she could.She already saw the puppet reacting to her movements. Thankfully, the person inside was already unconscious. It¡¯d save him from having to deal with a lot of embarrassment along the way. Unfortunately the same didn''t apply to her, given that she¡¯d be the one tearing his clothes into pieces.

    She gathered a small amount of mana into her hand, and poured in even more towards making it unstable. Her hand trembled, a stinging sensation spread from the tips of fingers to the palm of her hand, then a terrible burning, and suddenly numbness. She let it all out in a crackling wave of mana. The numbness disappearing from her hand, the burning and stinging fading as quickly as it came.

    A crackling wave of violet light washed out from the palm of her hand, shredding his clothing and leaving shallow cuts on his body.

    ¡°Val throw your robes on him!¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ Right!¡± She complied hastily throwing off her mage robes and covering up the unfortunate student laying before them. ¡°Any other plans?¡±

    ¡°We just need to convince the others to do what I just did. Or preferably what he did over there.¡± She jerked her thumb at Namar and hazarded a look backwards.

    He was walking towards the nearest arena gate, but he wasn''t but naked. Even worse he was wearing her mage robes like a bathrobe.

    ¡°Alright.¡± She paused ¡°And how do we convince them to do¡­ that.¡±

    ¡°I think we could - or maybe - I don¡¯t know, but we have to do something!¡±

    ¡°You know, that sounds nice and all¡­¡± She looked upwards. The student fleeing from Mr. Allenbury falling like a rock. ¡°but I think we¡¯re out of time.¡±

    She crashed against another white disc. It lowered her to the arena stands, and unceremoniously dropped her on the floor.

    ¡°Damn it. Every time.¡± Juno sighed. She backed up slowly, ready to run in either direction at a moment¡¯s notice.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Tell you what. I know what to do.¡±

    ¡°You serious? Go for it then.¡±

    Val took a deep breath. When Juno realized what she was about to do it was already too late to cover her mouth.

    ¡°EVERYONE! HE¡¯S USING OUR CLOTHES TO CONTROL US! WE NEED TO DESTROY THEM IMMEDIATELY!¡±

    Juno was afraid the entire class could hear her heart beating out of her chest. Nothing but silence, and a sea of blank expressions. Well, except Mr. Allenbury, that shitbag was still smiling. This one looked like a mix of amusement, and condescension. Or maybe that was just how he always looked.

    ¡°Damn it damn it damn it damn it. Damn it!¡± The person screaming at himself happened to be that one guy who started this whole mess. She didn''t know his name, but the lunatic was hard to miss. His robes looked burnt, there was dry blood on his skin. Not to mention the mark on his nose.

    ¡°I''ll do it!¡± He yelled.

    His whole body emanated a strange dark light. Like the light around him faded just a little. A burst of mana followed the glow. Expanding outwards from every side and pushing his clothes along with it. They stretched and stretched. Until finally it all tore apart.

    The bindings around him disappeared the moment the clothes tore apart. He was free. He stood awkwardly making certain to cover up the privates. ¡°Could someone get me some clothes? Or at least some mage robes?¡±

    This time Mr. Allenbury was stunned. He was still smiling of course, but it looked as though all mental processes had vacated his brain. ¡°Sure¡­ Uh¡­ Daimen!¡±

    ¡°Already on it sir! I''m getting extra!¡±

    ¡°Yes. Very good. Alright, back to the fight then.¡±

    ¡°Huh, I should''ve thought of that.¡± The well muscled man who¡¯d failed the test earlier, Gamris, stood proudly. He shredded the clothing of the bound student before him and left his robes on her unconscious from. ¡°Now for the main event! Apparently it wasn''t enough to stop there. He shredded his own clothing too, and he wasn''t even ashamed either. He just stood there with his hands on his hips. It was true that he couldn''t be puppeted anymore¡­ but fighting naked? Did he really have to go that far?

    ¡°Oh shit wait.¡± Mr. Allenbury recovered from his shock. The puppets immediately started to react to their presence, lashing out or backing away at the same time.

    Unfortunately it was too late. One by one the students were freed from their bindings, but even that wasn''t enough for some people. A couple of them, thankfully not all, destroyed their own clothing too.

    ¡°You know what?¡± Val said.

    ¡°Oh no. Val, please have some dignity!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what mom and dad would''ve said.¡± She smirked.

    ¡°That''s what anyone¡¯s mother and father would''ve said!¡±

    Of course; Val wasn''t paying any attention to her at that point. She did it anyways. Juno very pointedly tried to avoid looking at any of the people who were standing around completely naked. She instead gave Mr. Allenbury her full attention, who was slow clapping, because of course he was.

    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s it for the parlor tricks then.¡±

    That¡¯s right. Just keep talking and in about ten seconds that extra credit is ours.

    ¡°If I remember correctly you said you didn¡¯t need my help.¡± He sighed. ¡°I guess I should¡¯ve taken some of you a little bit more seriously.¡±

    [eight seconds left]

    He doubled over. A deep rumble coming from his back like the rolling of boulders over a stone floor. Crystal spires erupted from his lower back bending and flailing like newly created limbs. They resonated at a low frequency, a steady electric hum getting louder and louder by the second. Sparks of lightning exuded from the liquid crystals with every bend and break in their structure. Eight semi-solid tendrils watching them all like the heads of a hydra.

    [six seconds left]

    How someone got the chance to study and learn from lightning long enough to use it was beyond her, how anyone could conserve this much mana during a fight; she had no clue, but one thing remained the same. He launched forward, another charge at a breakneck pace. The same straight line attack. While she doubted anyone would have enough time to create an anchor and trap him like they did before, he was going straight through the center. All they needed to do was hit him. Once, that was all it took, and he¡¯d be out.

    A swirling mass of cold fog formed around Val¡¯s clenched fist. Looking closely Juno realized that that without her gloves, the fog had turned her fist a bluish gray color with frost creeping over her hand with every passing second. She raised her fist at Mr. Allenbury, visibly struggling to open her hand, her fingers violently shaking as they unfurled from the fist. She let loose a burst of fog in Mr. Allenbury¡¯s path. Juno knew from experience that anyone trying to pass through that would find their energy fading within seconds.

    [five seconds left]

    The tendrils on Mr. Allenbury¡¯s back reacted. The upper two twitched and bent, their surfaces expanding outwards to a massive length, jagged crystal spikes and prisms became more pronounced and grew in number, like wings made from bursts of quartz. The lower tendrils were used to slow his momentum leaving deep troughs in the ground as his momentum slowed. They released his grip on the floor, using his momentum to turn in mid air. A slow beat from the wing on his right created a gust of air strong enough to drag the fog in the other direction, sending towards another pair of students. A flick of the wing on his left sent a hail of quartz flying in their direction.

    Juno reached deep, forcefully generating enough mana to shield themselves from the shards. The ground before them shattered, a wall of rubble rising to defend both her and Val. The crystals smashed through most of the stones, but were thankfully sent flying in other directions. A rain of crimson spears fell from the sky with Gamris at the lead, covered in a cloak of mana, and holding out a shield and a spear of his own. He plummeted towards Mr. Allenbury with reckless abandon fully committed to his attack, and ready to pay the price.

    [four seconds left]

    Another white disc manifested itself midway between Mr. Allenbury and the spears. A tendril reached out, grasping onto the disc and using it to slingshot Mr. Allenbury in his direction. He launched upwards ready to meet Gamris in combat.

    Gamris threw the shield and, it stopped in place. Borrowing a trick from Mr. Allenbury he used it to jump off to the side, dissipating it as he leaped and throwing his javelin at the same time. The mana weapons all surged, their edges becoming jagged, and their surfaces becoming more like a collection of waves and spikes than solid mana. The spears readjusted their position, assaulting him from every angle simultaneously.

    Gamris apparently didn''t get far enough. A tendril reached outwards and grabbed him by the torso. Mr. Allenbury spun; swinging Gamris into the majority of the crimson spears that came his way and destroying his cloak at the same time. The rest were either blocked or missed entirely. When he was through with Gamris he tossed him to the arena stands. Where one of his apprentices caught him.

    [two seconds left]

    He stood on another white disc. The eight tendrils on his back coalesced into four. Crystals protrude and fan outwards like leaves on roses with spiral stems. They followed each of them slowly. Then thin transparent blue lines emerged from their center. The lines tracked them slowly always approaching, but never landing directly on them, Juno wasn''t sure what they were, but she could feel her hair standing on end. She saw the sparks of lightning surge on the roses, their electric hum growing louder, and louder. She reached inwards for even more mana; knowing that she¡¯d pay the price later, but also knowing that this tiny victory was all that mattered.

    Her instincts were telling her to run. She obeyed. The ground beneath them fractured, a sea of rubble launching taking both her and Val as far away from the blue as possible. In the corner of her eye she saw three students doing their best to shield themselves from the lightning. A thin bolt struck the area around them, not their shields directly. They all very clearly felt the pain; dropping the shields in disorientation and surprise. Val and Juno both landed a few feet away from the bolt, surprisingly their line never fired.

    ¡°Two minutes have passed!¡±

    As soon as she said that she felt an electric shock at her ankles. Val felt it too, and so did her other friend, who surprisingly managed to make it out on his own. She looked, curious as to what got them in the end. It was deflected quartz shard. It still hummed with electricity. Looking around she realized every quartz shard was brimming with it. Apparently, even getting close to one of these things were enough to give a good shock. Her other friend didn''t last much longer. Every quartz rose produced another set of blue lines and locked on to him. He did the sensible thing and surrendered.

    ¡°Well done you three. You did it. Well, granted I tried to give a lecture mid fight, but¡­ I was feeling magnanimous. Anyways, grab a seat on the arena, then sit back and enjoy the rest of the show.¡±

    Juno dragged herself back up to the arena stands. It was about a minute into the next battle when the starvation kicked in. One of the costs of forcefully generating mana. She was lucky she didn''t have go too far, otherwise it could''ve been much worse. Still, in the end the combination of starvation and exhaustion were too much to handle. She passed out in the arena stands. When someone finally noticed they had a staff member carry her to the infirmary.

    She wouldn''t wake up until the end of the day.

 Curious

    The last thing Barlor remembered before the world went dark was a brilliant light. He didn''t sleep well over the course of the next few hours; drifting in and out of sleep, tossing and turning. There were faces, people in black robes, something about an examination, then darkness again. It was his body that awoke before his mind did. He started out of bed and reached for something nearby without thinking. After a few seconds of searching he found something, the handle of a dagger. He grabbed on and held it tight. He sat still for a while, as his mind cleared and his breathing calmed.

    He remembered where he was, and opened his eyes slowly. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a tall man in black robes. He stood back, his arms at the ready and his eyes wide in alarm.

    ¡°Do you remember where you are?¡± He asked

    ¡°The¡­ Academy. I was in class with Mr. Allenbury when something knocked me out.¡±

    ¡°That is correct.¡± He dropped his guard and visibly relaxed. ¡°So perhaps it would be wise if you were to let go of your weapon.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Yeah, sorry ¡®bout that.¡± Barlor reluctantly let go of the dagger. ¡°So where are we exactly?¡±

    ¡°Don''t you remember we¡¯re at th-¡± He stopped himself mid sentence. ¡°Ah, I suppose you mean this room specifically. Welcome to the infirmary. I suspect you¡¯ll become rather familiar with this place as time goes on.¡±

    A hint of nervousness crept into Barlor¡¯s voice. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I just mean that there were some awfully stringent requirements as well as some oddly specific ones, and I doubt they pay me so much to sit around and do nothing.¡± He gestured across the room. There were stone beds in rows, most of them with only a pillow for comfort, and some of them occupied. Beside each of them was a small table, also made from stone, and enough space to comfortably move between them all. The walls were bare and windowless, but the space was well lit. Barlor was beginning to suspect that the infirmary was completely underground. In fact, he was almost certain that the majority of the building was actually built underground. ¡°Besides I''ve had such a busy week already. I can only imagine what the rest of the year will be like.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Barlor forced a laugh, and poorly at that. ¡°Who knows, It¡¯s only the first week after all. I bet after this you¡¯ll be spending most of your time slacking off.¡±

    ¡°Hopeful aren''t you.¡±

    ¡°Just a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Well, aside from ensuring that you were doing well I was told that you¡¯d just arrived today. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°Good, because I¡¯ve been assigned to inform you of some things that you might¡¯ve missed the first day around since Mr. Allenbury neglected to do so himself.¡±

    ¡°Alright then¡­ I''m listening.¡± Barlor leaned in a little closer.

    ¡°Your room is down on the third level of the Academy on the Eastern Wing. Your room is number 345.¡± He reached inside his robe and gave him a slip of paper as well as a key. ¡°There are maps in the central lobby of every floor. Be forewarned it¡¯s easy to get lost so I recommend you focus on finding your room first before you go about exploring the premises. Ask a staff member if you must.¡±

    Barlortilted his head. ¡°What¡¯s a central lobby? Where is it? Actually better yet, how do I find it? What¡¯s it for?

    ¡°Calm down, It¡¯s right outside, and they¡¯re mostly just big circular rooms that help you navigate the area.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see what I mean.¡±

    ¡°Any other vital pieces of information that Mr. Allenbury didn''t tell us?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be attending Basic for the next twenty seven days. From seven in the morning to eight-fifty in the afternoon. With an hour break in between for lunch. That means you¡¯ll be seeing more of Mr. Allenbury and his gym for the foreseeable future.¡±

    ¡°What?!"

    ¡°I know it sounds bad, but it¡¯s only for the month.¡±

    ¡°Still! That¡¯s about thirteen hours of class every day for a month!¡±

    He raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Did you have any other plans?¡±

    ¡°Well no but, that doesn''t make it any less crazy.¡±

    ¡°If it makes you feel better you¡¯ll be able to pick your classes afterwards, and they won''t last nearly as long; about 7 hours in total I think.¡±

    Barlorglanced at the clock. ¡°Does that mean class is still going on right now?¡±

    ¡°No. There was no class on the first day, and these last couple days only lasted for about six hours. Unfortunately for you, that ends today. So it¡¯s the full thirteen hours from here on out.¡±

    Barlorput his head in his hands and sighed. ¡°Just my luck.¡± He looked up. ¡°Other schools, do they do this too?¡±

    He took a seat on one of the empty infirmary beds just across from him. ¡°Not that I''m aware of. Only other school I''ve operated in was Lux, and they aren''t near as brutal. I doubt the ISE is willing to even challenge their students, the UCL doesn''t really teach that way from what I¡¯ve heard, and the Archive? Who even knows what they¡¯re up to.¡±

    ¡°Then why do we have to take a basic, introductory class for thirteen hours, every day, for a month?¡±

    ¡°Likely because the founder was very insistent on the fundamentals. It¡¯s even in the name. It¡¯s The Academy of Arcane Core Teachings after all. Sensible move too given that we take anyone and everyone with magical potential, so we need some way of rooting out those who aren''t even worth teaching.¡±

    Barlorwent slack as he accepted his fate. He then straightened his back and took a deep breath. ¡°As much as I hate to admit it. That makes a lot of sense, and I guess I¡¯ll have to suck it up if I want to prove that I can make it here.¡± He looked the man in the eyes. ¡°On the other hand, there are a lot more schools than I was expecting, how?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    He saw the curiosity in eyes. ¡°There are many countries in the world.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but still. How could there possibly be that many countries with Mage Academies? I thought there were special conditions surrounding the founding of ours?¡±

    ¡°You know about that?¡± He raised an eyebrow.

    Barlorimmediately began stuttering, tripping over his words and falling over them just to try and explain how he knew. He was of course, lying, but the surprise caught him badly. He was usually better about he used his words.

    ¡°No, no. Calm down. You¡¯re fine.¡±

    Barlorsealed his lips.

    ¡°It¡¯s not really a secret so you haven''t done anything wrong per se. Too many people already know, and there¡¯s too much going on around it to keep this school¡¯s ¡®secret¡¯ hidden. Rather, it¡¯s just not common knowledge, and it''s surprising that you know.¡±

    ¡°Thank the gods.¡± Barlor breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Though you clearly thought it was a secret. So perhaps you should endeavor to take more care with your words.¡± He wore a small grin his face. Barlor was starting to get sick of grins.

    ¡°I''ll try.¡± Barlor smiled right back.

    ¡°Well. I hope I''ve answered your questions.¡± He stood up.

    ¡°Wait, no. You haven''t answered my question.¡±

    ¡°Haven''t I?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    The man sighed. ¡°Persistent, aren''t you?¡±

    ¡°Well?¡± Barlor leaned back.

    ¡°I suppose there¡¯s no harm in telling you. I hope you¡¯re not much of a patriot.¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡± He was listening intently now. Careful to pick apart every word, and then he remembered his journal. A gift to him by his brothers, and the perfect way to record information.

    ¡°Excellent. That¡¯ll make this revelation easier to swallow. Let me put it this way, your country isn''t even close to being a global contender.¡±

    ¡°That doesn''t explain-¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± He held out a finger and took a very deep breath. ¡°Let me try to put this into perspective. To the Emperors and Senators of the national superpowers, your king, and many others, are poor men in a fancy bathrobe. This academy may seem impressive to you, but it pales in comparison to the others. It''s an attempt to bridge the gap, because politics is what keeps you independent, but it won''t do forever. However, if this academy consistently churns out the best of the best, and that¡¯s what the expulsions are for, then there might be reason to leave you out of any future conflict. The Academy lets anyone and everyone into its halls regardless of affiliation or social standing, unlike all others, but only the best are allowed to leave. And, if someone noteworthy doesn''t make the cut, they¡¯ll probably be qualified for one of the other mage academies. Or even a guild or apprenticeship with someone else. That means fresh faces, and that means real talent. Something that mage society¡¯s been needing more of. At least, that¡¯s the goal.¡±

    Barlorhad no reason to put any real faith in his country so he was quick to get his hopes up, but he had to remain skeptical. It was a little too much.

    ¡°And you¡¯re allowed to be telling me this?¡±

    ¡°Censorship laws in your country have been almost completely removed in this area.¡± He scanned the area to check if any of the students had stirred from their unconscious state.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I can say and write almost anything here without getting executed for it.¡±

    Indeed one of the students was beggining to wake up.

    ¡°What about-¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately I have work to do. I''m aware you have questions so I¡¯ll advise you to visit the library. The censorship laws I mentioned apply to books they¡¯ll have answers to your questions. I¡¯d encourage you to keep asking questions.¡± He looked Barlor dead in the eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve got a job to do so let''s wrap this up with haste.¡±

    ¡°Wait-¡±

    ¡°Any symptoms?¡±

    ¡°Wha-¡±

    ¡°Pains, aches, nausea, feel anything strange?¡±

    ¡°My head hurts a bit.¡±

    ¡°Scale of one to ten. How much does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°What does that-¡±

    ¡°A one would be a slight stinging, like being pricked by a rose thorn. A ten would equate to be stabbed repeatedly with a rusty knife.¡±

    ¡°I still, uh - three?¡±

    He reached into his robes; pulling out a small vial containing a clear red liquid and a thin stick. He held dipped it in the bottle and held it out to him.

    ¡°Smell this.¡±

    ¡°No I think I''ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Headaches are a mages worst nightmare. We¡¯ve got plenty of these in stock.¡± He pushed the stick a little closer. The top was stained with the red liquid.

    ¡°Alright then. If you say so.¡± He leaned in and sniffed.

    It was terrible. Like vinegar mixed with piss. It felt like someone threw saltwater in his nose.

    ¡°That is¡­ a smell.¡± He wondered if sticking with the headache would''ve been a smarter idea.

    He held it up and ignited the stick, burning it to a crisp instantaneously. ¡°You¡¯ll thank me later. Remember there are maps outside in the central lobby.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Barlor stood up carefully. Indeed his growing headache already began to fade.

    ¡°Take your things with you.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Almost forgot.¡± His clothing hadn''t changed but his robes were folded up neatly on the table. His mask and dagger were there too, his journal was probably still in the robes.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be off now. Good luck.¡±

    ¡°You too.¡± Barlor hastily slipped on the robes. There was a wooden door to his left. The word exit was carved in above.

    He opened the door first before walking through it. Looking through he realized what the man was talking about. It was a massive circular room built mostly from marble. The floors were tiled in diamond patterns and the ceiling was supported by a number of pillars and braces carved to look both elegant and opulent. On the walls were grey banners bearing the symbol of the pheonix painted in red, at the top of the banners the number one was written and at the center of the rooms a massive stair case that presumably lead to other floors. He stepped out of the door and found himself lost, and it seemed that he was the only one. The only one in the central lobby at least.

    Everyone else seemed to have at least a general idea of what they were doing. They¡¯d had three days to familiarize themselves with the area and they probably visited the exact same places over the course of the last few days. What few students were present were either hanging about the benches spaced throughout the room or on their way to somewhere else. There were four massive archways present in the room, each of them with equally large dark wooden doors with intricate golden decorations laced throughout. All of them were open of course, no one could reasonably even attempt to budge them from their place. Staff members in black clothing outnumbered the students here. Some ran about carrying stacks of paper, others held tools and equipment used for gardening or repair. It was this that reminded him of the link stone. He looked frantically through his robes in search of the flat stone. Thankfully it was still there, and it hadn''t so much as chipped. Whatever happened to it happened to the others, and if there was any damage on Mr. Jamison¡¯s link stone it might¡¯ve looked foreboding. He needed some way of actually writing on it. It was his only method of warning Mr. Jamison if he spotted something strange. Unfortunately he had nothing to carve into it with.

    What shame. He thought it¡¯d be at least another week before he stole something again. Not that he minded much, he wanted to take a look around the school anyways. Plus, he was in a good mood today, it seemed that not every country was nearly as dull as his. Long as he made it through the academy he could go exploring. If he made it through. The mere thought of getting expelled made his head feel light and his stomach queasy again. He found himself holding on to the mask at his waist again before he calmed down. There were times in his life where he could''ve been sent to prison and stayed perfectly calm, but just the thought of getting expelled from school made him nauseous. It was this reflection that lead to an unfortunate conclusion; he really needed to get his act together, or he wouldn''t stand a chance. He felt himself getting anxious all over again.

    Damn it.

 Basics

    He hadn''t slept in his room, nor had he changed his clothes. It was hard to argue that a near motionless haze full of meaningless facts and figures could even be called sleep, but it was something akin to it at least. Namar ¡°slept¡± in the library. There were no assignments due, nothing he needed to know, and no burning desire to know the unknown. Rather he felt the need to work off his embarrassment. If he was working, then he could stay focused, if he stayed focused, then his mind wouldn''t wander, but if his mind wandered, then he would remember yesterday, and yesterday¡­ yesterday was an embarrassment.

    He wasn''t quite sure what to make of being a mage. He didn''t have the slightest clue about what any of it entailed, aside from fame that is, but he didn''t imagine bumbling around trying to find food and then spilling some uncomfortably personal information out of sheer panic. He didn''t imagine stripping himself naked to try and help someone he barely knew survive a little more than two minutes against a teacher who was barely trying, and he certainly didn''t imagine getting lost in a school¡¯s endless underground hallways and corridors.

    After a few more hours of class Namar arrived in his room, fully expecting to pass out due to sheer exhaustion. Sleep never came. When his mind wandered he thought back to his embarrassments and found himself getting too flustered too sleep. As much as he tried acting like he didn''t care, he wasn''t completely unaware of social standards, though he did realize he was horribly lacking in that regard. As it turns out a decade of complete dedication to the art of smithing and tailoring has left him feeling somewhat awkward in friendly conversations. Something he thought he understood and didn''t mind at the time, but also something that¡¯s become much more of an issue now that he¡¯s interacting with people his age much more frequently than he used to.

    Of course there should have been a solution to all of his problems if he just worked hard. He picked himself up, and spent another half hour looking for the library. When he did find the librarian he asked her a few simple questions in order of his priorities. He first asked her for books on the basics of magic, then on the mage society, and another on basic social etiquette. She was very helpful with the first two, but she burst into laughter on the third question and didn''t seem likely to stop any time soon. Thankfully, libraries were neatly organized and he found what he needed in relatively short order. Except for the social etiquette thing, he figured he might be able to use a book or two on noble history to try and figure it out.

    That turned out to be a huge mistake. In an attempt to understand social etiquette, complete the difficult work first, and figure out where some of his friends are coming from, he instead ended up getting engrossed in a mess of useless events and conflicts before memorizing dates and figures that were just as, if not even more pointless than the people involved. If anything, he just confirmed the fact that the nobility made him extremely uncomfortable. He was aware on an objective basis, that a few corrupt individuals in the past didn''t make an entire social class an assortment of terrible people but, reading all about how seemingly every single one of their conflicts have gotten completely out of hand didn''t make him feel any more at ease with his fellow advanced students. So at the end of the day he accomplished the exact opposite of what he came to the library to do, and slammed his head on the book laid out before him.

    ¡°Namar is that you? How long have you been here?¡±

    Speak of the devils, it was the only person Namar knew who consistently used a fake accent. He looked up at her. ¡°Not sure. I haven''t checked the time.¡±

    Juno tilted her head. ¡°Okay then¡­ When did you get here?¡±

    ¡°Some time after class ended.¡±

    She gave him a blank stare.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°We have about an hour before class starts.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for letting me know. I should get ready then.¡± He stood up and slammed his book shut before neatly stacking it on a pile.

    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°And you¡¯re¡­ sure you¡¯re feeling well?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Why?¡±

    She shook her head and sighed. ¡°Never mind.¡±

    Juno looked over to the stack of books on Namar¡¯s desk. Her face scrunched up. ¡°Really? You¡¯re reading Jalen¡¯s Guide to Noble Affairs?¡±

    Namar''seyes widened in sudden realization. He needed to leave and fast. ¡°Right! Well I¡¯d better be going now. I¡¯ll see you in class goodbye.¡±

    He headed for the door immediately, and in his rush, also forgot to put the books away.

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Namarslammed the door behind him and worried she might somehow take offense, but he was probably just worrying about nothing. He put his concerns away for the moment and walked quickly down the hallways leading back to the dormitories. Once he was back he took the time to prepare for class, washing himself thoroughly to ensure that his scent wouldn''t bother the other students, and then tying and his mage robes as tight as possible to ensure that they wouldn''t do something pointless like getting caught in a doorway or some other nonsense. He stopped before the door and sent the gods a brief prayer asking that he get to where he needed to be in time. He opened it, and prepared to brace the endless maze of hallways.

    What he ended up finding could¡¯ve been a blessing in disguise or his worst nightmare. Students. Students everywhere crowding the hallways and making movement difficult. They ran every which way. Some were still putting their mage robes on, a couple were running around with a bread bun in hand. Either way everyone was headed somewhere and doing something. If there was a face he recognized he might¡¯ve been able to ask them for help. Otherwise he¡¯d have to follow a random person and hope they brought him to the right place. He desperately needed a familiar face to guide him. Preferably not a noble face, but that essentially shrunk the already tiny list of faces he recognized down to Barlor and maybe Mr. Allenbury.

    From the deafening chorus of voices Namar was able to make out a voice. A familiar one, but not that he could place.

    ¡°Move over you idiots! How long does it take to walk down a damn hallway, and stop bunching up like that you¡¯re getting in everyone¡¯s way!¡±

    He was hard to miss, a tall man who looked like he was carved from stone pushing and shoving his way out the door while yelling at anyone who wasn''t moving fast enough for his liking. Soon enough people afforded him a wide berth as he moved through the hallways so that he¡¯d stop yelling at them, and eventually others began picking up on social cues and decided not to directly get in his way. A man like that probably would''ve been his last choice as far as guides went but, there was nothing he could do about it except for walking nearby and hoping that he wouldn''t notice. Namar joined the crowd and followed after his classmate, nudging others aside and pushing them a bit before promptly apologizing afterward. After what felt like a million apologies and a few sour looks from others in the hallway he¡¯d finally caught up to the man. Unfortunately, the larger man seemed to notice that Namar was very deliberately making his way towards him and, as luck would have it, he gestured for Namar to join him.

    With no other options afforded to him, the only thing Namar could do in this situation was walk with him.

    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re that one guy who blew up his clothes to buy us some time, right? Name¡¯s Gamris, and it¡¯s a real damn pleasure to finally meet someone willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done!¡± Beneath his breath he muttered, ¡°Unlike, some people¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Likewise. It¡¯s very nice to meet you Mr. Gamris, my name is Namar.¡± Namar scanned the crowd for any reactions, but it didn''t seem like anyone actually cared or overheard. He sighed in relief.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Ha!¡± Gamris slapped Namar on the back with enough force to send him stumbling forward a little. ¡°You don''t need to be so formal with us, we owe you one for giving us such a good idea. Besides, us advanced students gotta stick together right? I swear that asshole Allenbury¡¯s got it in for us.¡±

    ¡°I don''t think he¡¯s that bad.¡± Namar sincerely wished he could take those words back because upon hearing them Gamris studied him for a bit. Namar rushed to defend himself. ¡°I mean it¡¯s just that we haven''t really given-¡±

    Gamrislooked like he was about to stop, but he kept walking instead. ¡°Hold up, let me get this straight. You don''t think Mr. Allenbury is the prickliest thorn in the rosebush? Or the largest donkey in all the lands far and wide?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ I think you¡¯re just bitter because of what happened to you yesterday. Namely the fact that I think you¡¯re friends left you and Mr. Allenbury beat us all with relative ease.¡±

    Gamriswas silent for a while, and Namar began to seriously consider never speaking again.

    He grumbled. ¡°Well, you tell it how you see it I¡¯ll give you that.¡±

    When they arrived at the entrance to the gym Gamris swung both doors wide open. ¡°I still think he¡¯s an asshole though.¡±

    Namarshrugged in return, and released the breath he realized he was holding. Though it seemed Gamris wasn''t quite done with their conversation yet.

    ¡°I mean, come on. Didn''t he grind your foot into nothing during your test yesterday? Didn''t he send you flying before pirating your body? You have to be at least a little bit upset right?¡±

    Namarpursed his lips and shook his head. They sat down at a random spot in the gym and waited for their teacher to arrive.

    Gamrissat back and used his hands as support. ¡°Not even a little bit angry? A little agitated perhaps? Mildly miffed, if you will?¡±

    Namarshook his head each time, and Gamris gave him the most confused look. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just learning, there¡¯s nothing to get angry about.¡± Namar shrugged.

    Gamrissquinted at Namar, examining him like he was some strange, alien entity. He gave up after a few moments. ¡°You¡¯re a weird one, you know that?¡±

    Namarshook his head again. ¡°No. I did not.¡±

    Gamrischuckled. ¡°Why am I not surprised.¡±

    The gym doors flew open and Mr. Allenbury came walking through, his black robes flowing steadily behind him. He walked to the center of the room and launched a brilliant beam of light upwards to catch everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Morning everyone! I hope you¡¯ve gotten a good night of rest and something to eat this morning. After all, these first seven or so hours are going to consist entirely of exercise!¡± He threw his hands up. ¡°Yaay!¡±

    The rest of the class let out a collective groan. Even a few of the more athletic students seemed apprehensive.

    ¡°First things first though. Take a look at this!¡± He gestured to the wall opposite from him. One of his assistants held his right hand out, while his left hand held a piece of parchment. A deep rumbling resonated throughout the back wall. Large names carved themselves into the back wall, neatly arranging themselves into a list divided into four quarters. ¡°This will help you roughly gauge your position in the class. The list is divided into four divisions, with the top being first division and the last being fourth division. First division is really good, last division is really bad, you can figure out the rest from there. It doesn''t have anything specific like ranking or point values, but rest assured I¡¯m being very diligent about keeping track of your points. Questions?¡±

    Juno¡¯s hand shot up.

    Mr. Allenbury reluctantly called upon Juno. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°I notice we haven¡¯t been equally divided into four groups, why?¡±

    Mr. Allenbury looked at the board. ¡°We don''t just split you up equally into four groups since so many of you will have the exact same point values. Instead we¡¯re doing it based on averages, so there¡¯ll always be a lot more people in divisions two and three instead of one and four. Well, unless you¡¯re all equally terrible, then I¡¯d just place you all in fourth division. Any more questions?¡±

    Another hand shot up.

    ¡°Wonderful! Take a few seconds to find your names and we¡¯ll get started right after.¡±

    Namartook a few seconds to try and find his, starting from the bottom and working his way to the top. He didn''t know enough names to figure out where the majority of advanced students were placed, but he found Juno in the fourth division and Gamris in the third division so he guessed he had a similar ranking, though he had some trouble locating his name around the same area.

    ¡°Oh bullshit!! I did awesome yesterday what the fuck?¡± He stopped and squinted at the board for a few more seconds. ¡°And how¡¯d you place higher than me!¡± He stopped and patted Namar on the shoulder. ¡°I mean, congratulations on second division, but still! I did fucking great yesterday!¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that where I placed?¡±

    ¡°Yeah man, good job!¡± Gamris raised his hand up.

    Namarwasn''t sure what to do.

    ¡°Come on don''t leave me hanging here¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry but, what am I supposed to be doing here?¡±

    ¡°... It¡¯s a high five man, come on.¡±

    Namarsquinted at Gamris¡¯ hand. ¡°No I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve never played that game before¡­ How do I win?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s a high five. Just-¡±

    Unfortunately Mr. Allenbury interrupted him before he could learn the rules of ¡°High Five¡±.

    ¡°Everyone got it? Good! Now split up into two groups, the first group will be running, and the second will be doing pushups. I¡¯ll tell you when to switch, pick your poison and get moving already! Move it! Move it! I¡¯ll zap you if you don''t move fast enough. Get on with it!¡±

    <hr>

    Namarmoved in bursts of speed and strength. After a few minutes of running or lifting or whatever it is that Mr. Allenbury asked them to do Namar would double his pace and continue until everything burned and ached. Even between those bursts of strength he tried to move as quickly as his muscles would allow him. He worked while his muscles trembled and stomach was clutched in pain, sweat drenched his clothing and the world was a blurry, light headed mess of shapes and commands. It was a good thing, suffering was the clearest sign of progress in any field. Be it with metal or magic, suffering was a price meant to be paid in full, preferably double.

    ¡°Are you okay? Namar? You good in there?¡±

    He didn''t bother looking at Gamris, doing so would be a distraction from the task at hand. Instead he managed to eek out a nod.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure? ¡®Cause¡­ ¡° Gamris took a few short breaths. ¡°I¡¯m used to this and even I''m getting a bit tired. Like, we can take a break whenever you feel like it you know. Those guys over there¡­ They¡¯re practically walking and Mr. Asshole hasn¡¯t shot them yet so¡­

    Namarnodded quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll run.¡±

    ¡°Right then, as long as you insist that¡¯s fine with me.¡± Gamris was breathing heavily.

    Namarturned his focus back to running. Only to have it broken again by Gamris.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure you don''t want to stop? I mean, you look like you¡¯re getting a bit tired over there. Don''t mind me, I¡¯m just watching out for you. After all I-¡±

    Namarleft eye began twitching. ¡°You want to take a break don''t you?¡±

    ¡°What? No! I''m trying to-¡±

    ¡°Tell you what. I¡¯ll keep running, and you can walk.¡±

    ¡°Oh you did not just- you know what?¡± Gamris¡¯ voice suddenly became much louder than before.

    In retrospect, Namar realized that he might¡¯ve been a bit¡­ curt with his responses.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you who can run for longer. In fact. I¡¯ll bet on it! An entire gold piece how¡¯s that sound?¡±

    An entire gold piece might¡¯ve been the most expensive bet Namar had made in his life but¡­ if he won. Well, he¡¯d have another gold piece, but the most important part was that he¡¯d be one step closer to getting rich. Even if he lost it wouldn''t make much of a difference. All he¡¯d have to do is win it back somehow.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that bet.¡±

    Gamrisran ahead of Namar and looked back. ¡°Biggest mistake of your life Namar. No one¡¯s ever beaten me in race!¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be the first.¡±

    ¡°Oh you cocky little¡­ You¡¯ll be eating those words just watch.¡± He looked away and sprinted forward at full speed.

    It took about five minutes before Gamris lapped him. ¡°Getting tired?¡±

    Namarshook his head.

    Gamrislapped him again, and again.

    ¡°Need a break?¡±

    ¡°That gold coin is mine!¡±

    ¡°Are you even trying?¡±

    Every time Gamris lapped Namar he wasted his breath some pointless remark. At some point Gamris slowed down, and a few minutes after that Namar lapped Gamris; who was speed walking as fast as he could with one hand clutched over his stomach.

    ¡°I win.¡± Namar said as ran past Gamris him.

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    The next time Namar saw Gamris he asked if he won his gold coin.

    ¡°Yeah whatever, I let you have that coin. I¡¯m very generous about giving to those who¡¯re less fortunate than me, you know?¡±

    ¡°Thank you kindly.¡±

    ¡°Whatever.¡±

    Namarcontinued running. Eventually Gamris made a struggle to catch up to Namar, falling in place just behind him.

    ¡°How¡¯re you still running?¡±

    ¡°I just keep moving forward I guess.¡±

    ¡°Ha ha very funny Namar. You know there¡¯s nothing wrong with resting every once in a while. You¡¯re making the rest of us look bad.¡±

    ¡°Isn''t there?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there what?¡±

    ¡°Isn''t there something wrong with resting?¡±

    ¡°No. I''m not really sure why you¡¯d have to ask that, it¡¯s inevitable after all.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s inevitable, yes, but that doesn''t mean I have to like it.¡±

    They ran in silence.

    ¡°You¡¯re a strange one, you know that?¡±

    ¡°I do now.¡±

    Gamrischuckled a bit. ¡°But, seriously. You should take a break every once in a while.¡±