As the sun cracked over the horizon and began to dissipate the fog of the early morning, an elegant woman came into the main courtyard surrounded by a assortment of pillars under the towering presence of a great building. She shuffled her materials together, looking around at the new students to come to this place, a mage school known simply as...
The woman clapped her hands to no affect, the tired travelers sleeping quietly in the morning hours. She let out a sigh, rubbed her hand on her temples before moving her hand in an elegant swish, coating it in a mystical blue aura before forming a small sphere of light that was immediately shot down by a mighty bolt of lightning, creating a sudden loud explosion of sound that snapped the new students awake.
"Ah good. You're all awake. Welcome new students to the Arcanium. You have journeyed here to us, no doubt, in search of knowledge and guidance in the arts of the mystic." She allowed a pause for some subtle murmurs that always occur this time of year when they fail to realize this wasn't a statement that required an answer. She shuffled her materials in her hand clutching them close to her chest, and cleared her throat to speak once again.
"Follow me." She spoke with a direct clarity as she turned in place walking towards the entrance to the large building that the students were not able to open the day before. She unlocked it and lead the students into the building before beginning to speak once again.
"Here at the Arcanium, we have many materials available to you to assist you on your quests for knowledge." They stepped forward into a massive library, bustling with movement from small fuzzy otters pushing carts full of books and filling the towering room with their squeaking. The library was massive, towering upward for hundreds of flights and expanding deep into the distance making a maze like structure that was intimidating to anyone too afraid of getting lost in the book cases to be overwhelmed by the mass amount of literature. The woman turned back to her new students,
"Do excuse them... They had a hard time preparing for your arrival,
they wanted to make sure that every book was in it's place before you were allowed to step in. They are quite the proud workers of course. She dismissed the otters as if it were simply a natural thing to have tiny otters managing a library, she then jumped as if suddenly realizing something.
"Oh where are my manners! I am your attending Head Mistress, Lady Miatri. It's a pleasure my new students, I look forward to watching over you all and your growth. Be sure not to disappoint. She lead the group to a large painting of an elderly, powerful man.
"You all may be suprised to find that I'm the one leading the school, as many of you likely came to see this man. Astioth, the Archmage of the Grand Arcanium. Well, he is here. But he's far too busy to mentor anyone in the school. If you can find him... He's more than happy to share his knowledge with you." She let the students take in the image of the wizard.
After the students took in the image, she began to speak once again.
Now then, you are allowed to borrow books here in the library, you will find very little knowledge is forbidden to you. This knowledge will come to aid you in your upcoming lessons. Though you must be thoughtful for your fellow students, there is only one copy of any given book in this library, and destruction of this knowledge is punishable by expulsion. She turned away towards a hallway to the right and began to walk, motioning that they were continuing with their tour.
They made their way to an expansion filled with a heavy humidity as well as a wonderful smell of cinnamon and sugar.
"This is the wing of the school you will come to bathe, and to eat. The bathrooms are for both the male and female population of the school." Her voice turned stern and serious.
"With that in mind you will be attentive to the designated bathing hours. She motioned to the right half of the wing,
"In this direction, is the cafeteria. This is where our master chef Piero does his work. You are welcome to approach him any time you feel the need to eat, and he will more than happily oblige you. Remember,
you are not allowed to bring your reading materials into the bath. Do. I. Make. My. Self. Clear?" She once again paused and heard the murmurs of her students that signified she had gotten her point across. She nodded and mad her way back to the library, and turned to another hall that was located in the back of the library. The walk was grueling and long, allowing the students to marvel at the massive amounts of books and occasionally bumping into a now angry little otter that would squeak at them with a anger of a thousand little weasels. Eventually they made their way to another massive door leading to another wing.
"This is the teacher's wing. This is will be where you come to attend your lectures and your lessons. This is where your mentors will be staying, each teacher has their own quarters that allow them the room to teach." As she said this, a tall man with dark black skin, elegant white hair and piercing red eyes exited from the door.
"Ah, master Taihlier. This is a fine morning is it not? These are the newest students to join us here in the Arcanium." The man greeted her and bowed,
"Ah, Lady Miatri. It is a fine morning, I was just performing my research on the affects of frost magic on this morning's fog." He held a small bottle with a swirling fog trapped inside, he turned to the students
"Tell me Headmistress. Are any of these students mine this year? I have quite a great many projects in store. The Headmistress nodded.
"Yes, perhaps some will be. If they wish to learn your arts." She turned to the students,
"This my little scholars, is Master Taihlier, our attending Destruction Magic teacher. I proudly believe my statement will have no challengers when I state you will find no better Master in the art than he."The Dark Elf bowed again,
"Second only to you, Headmistress. I do not deserve such praise." The lady waved the comment off and dismissed him, which he politely but swiftly went back to his business.
"Now then, these teachers will have regularly scheduled lectures for you to attend, but it is up to you to seek out your lessons. The arts of magic are not for those un-eager to learn them. That being said, you will have your own masters that will be responsible for reporting assessments of your progress. She motioned for them to follow again as they proceeded forward back in the direction of the courtyard, avoiding the left wing tucked under the stairs.
The cold air brushed the students faces as two young men came into view. The Headmistress bowed and greeted the both of them.
"These two are Abil and Tarrin Gofid. Two very skilled brothers in their second year, they will be assisting me in displaying to you, your first lesson. The proper art of a mage duel. The mage duel is honorable, by all accounts and fashions. A mage that treads on these sacred rules of combat is no mage at all. First, you bow to your opponents." She turned to the two boys and took an elegant bow to them. She then motioned to the boys.
"Then, you state your intent to combat."The first boy, a silver haired young man dressed in leather and blue cloth, bowed to his elder and spoke,
"Headmistress Miatri of the Arcanium, I Abil Gofid, student of the Arcanium, challenge you to combat."Then the second boy, a simple brown haired young man dressed in more stylish blue clothes pointed at her with an energetic vigor
"Mistress Miatri, I challenge you to single combat!"The headmistress giggles at Tarrin's energetic attitude.
"Now then, let us begin." She spoke as she stepped away from the new students and into the courtyard across from the boy. She took a combative stance, her hands distant from her body extended in a stiff ready manner. The two boys got in a ready position, looking more like they were preparing for a race instead of a more elegant stance like the Headmistress had taken. The courtyard felt stale for a moment, with tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"Begin!" She called out, her voice ringing through the courtyard.
The brothers did not lose a moment, Abil sending blasts of blue energy at Miatri while his brother began to jump about acrobatically sending strong gusts of wind at the master. Without losing any time, a small field covered her hand, intercepting the blue blasts of energy as the wind came and swept her back a bit, forcing her to turn away. Tarrin let out a small chuckle, not expecting her to be so easily knocked her out of her stance and taking the opportunity to run up on the master, his brother called out to him
NO! Tarrin wai-" but he was too late. Miatri snapped back to her position holding an orb in her hands of glowing golden light, which she shoved into the direction of the boy now only a few inches away from her. A sharp pulse of energy could be felt as the orb dissipated, sending the boy flying back and tumbling on his face, moaning in pain and defeated. Abil snapped back to attention, mumbling something into his hands as it began to overflow with a cold mist, with a sudden raised voice he spoke a foreign phrase and began to blow a deep breath onto his open palms facing the Mistress. A large blizzard emerged from his breath as he blew, and snow shot around the students in a violent wind causing many to yelp in surprise. Miatri soon countered, a powerful blaze shot from her hands, clashing with the frost and causing a mixture of steam and liquid water to shoot from the clash. As he struggled to maintain his spell, losing his breath, Abil dropped to his knees gasping for air. The Mistress bowed to the two students, victorious in her demonstration.
"Thank you my students. That will do for now." She turned to the crowd of students.
"This is the proper form for two mages to do combat. Settling your differences using this method is not encouraged, but is accepted if done in a safe environment. No death is permitted in these conflicts. To cross that line, you will face consequences. Now, if you will follow me, we have one last place to cover before you are allowed free reign of the school. She walked up the steps, past the students, and back into the library. Making her way over to the last hall she had not yet approached under the stairs. Her motion beckoned them to follow as she made her way down a large hall.
"This hall leads to the student's quarters. This is where you will be allowed your study space, you will sleep, clothe, and conduct any magical research you must in this space if not reading in the library. You will live among your fellow students, so be sure to be respectful of eachothers privacy. And stay out of each other's rooms after curfew. We don't need any more of those kinds of problems. If any of you are hurt, please see our residing restoration teacher for treatment. If your fellow classmates are sick, seek out a teacher you are comfortable with. From this point on, you have free reign. Find your rooms and settle your belongings. In the morning, you will be assigned your masters and classes you may be interested in attending. Your education is now in your hands, and with it, your potential for success and failure. Your belongings are placed in your designated rooms. With that, I leave it to you. Welcome to the Arcanium my students." The Headmistress made her way out of the hall, leaving the students to their own devices.
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