7 Lumaki, 891 ED

Oraw, 15:44

Milagre, Empire of Tyrman

It took a few seconds for the reality of what I’d just done to sink in. By the time it had, the crowd of other students was applauding with gusto, and even a few of the Masters were clapping. Every single one of them showed interest in me now, doubtless impressed by the power I’d shown. Cursing my own impulsive action under my breath, I lowered my arms and cleared my throat.

“Is that enough of a demonstration?” I asked Master Corsa.

“I should certainly hope so,” the man replied, his jaw still open in surprise. “Why didn’t you start with that, boy?”

“Err,” I said, trying to think of a viable excuse. “I suppose I didn’t think I could manage it. I only recently learned how to do that.”

“That’s Wild Mage magic,” a voice said to my right. Turning, I gave a jump of surprise that I couldn’t hide. It was Samuel Bragg. He’d approached without me noticing him. “In fact, that’s a spell that very few people outside of the Alpha and his family could know.”

For a wild moment, my head still spinning from the fact that I’d dared to use it in a public trial like that, I thought he was somehow worried that I’d obtained the spell through illegitimate means. “Y-yes, Archmage Bragg. Zerial Thunderborn gave me the spell himself.”

Those shining violet eyes fixed upon mine for a second or two longer than was comfortable. Then his mouth curved in a warm and jovial grin. “I see. You must be the one that helped him recover that family artifact he’d lost.”

It wasn’t his knowledge of affairs in a mage’s colony a nation away that surprised me. Samuel had spent quite a bit of time training in the Wild Mage’s camp in his youth, after all. No, it was the way he’d decided, at only our second meeting, that I was worthy of this friendly treatment. The Archmage treated everyone with respect, but it was rare for him to regard strangers as potential friends in his old age.

“I am,” I replied, weighing my words carefully. I wondered if anyone around, except for Gogo, could sense the waves of panic and dread rolling off of me. I was surprised that I hadn’t broken out in sheets of sweat yet. I tried to keep my nerves calm, and present an uninterested face, like the one I’d seen on Gogo so many times. “It really wasn’t a big deal.”

Deception Check: 9 (+0) = 9 [Failure]

Damn that system. Samuel’s smile shrank slightly as he obviously took note of my panic and distress. Thankfully, I was saved from further investigation by Gogo, who stepped forward. He seemed more proud and puffed up than his usual self, perhaps in an attempt to draw more attention.

“I was there too,” he said boldly, stepping into Samuel’s range of vision. “The name is Gogo.”

He reached out one hand, and by force of nature, Samuel shook it, turning his head to look at the Beast-Kin. In the brief second of silence that followed as Samuel took in my friend’s appearance, I saw his eyes flash with a bright energy. He’d used his magic to instantly study Gogo, probably being cautious of potential hostile magic.

“I see,” he replied, his grin broadening again. He pumped Gogo’s hand enthusiastically, and I was able to relax again, though not completely. “You must be the child of Baithak. I’ve heard good things about you.”

Unlike me, Gogo seemed thrown by his knowledge of the parts of the world that were so far away. But he seemed excited at the thought, and nodded, grinning himself. “I am. I wagered you’d know about me from Master Longfang.”

“Indeed I did,” Samuel agreed. “You have a great gift, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwlllantysiliogogogoch.”

If Gogo was surprised by Samuel’s knowledge and mastery of his full name, he showed none of it on his face. Instead, he let out a booming laugh as the other students reacted to the strange name. “I try not to be too proud of it. If you see my mother soon, please tell her I’m doing well.”

“I’ll be sure to mention it the next time I see Anjali,” Samuel promised. He broke off the handshake and turned his attention back to the front of the line. “It seems you have a promising new recruit, Master Shaso. A fine beginning to your career as a teacher.”

The druid woman inclined her head gravely. “I couldn’t agree more, Archmage.”

“Very well,” Samuel said decisively and now returned his attention to the crowd at large. “Well, folks, we don’t have all day. Please, continue your examinations. I’ll take my leave now.”

And just as quickly as the attention had fallen onto me, it now returned to the Masters as they called the next in line forward. A nearby attendant clad in green robes replaced the training dummies that Gogo and I had destroyed or toppled, and the process resumed anew. I went back to stand in front of Master Corsa, feeling my face heating from the spectacle.

“Well, well done in any event, Apprentice Tuck,” he said, smiling in encouragement. “You seem to have a shy nature about you, but there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll be a prodigious mage.”

“Thank you, Master Corsa,” I replied in a low voice.

“Do you require a focus for your studies?” He asked. “It is not required, of course, but it could come in handy if you feel you would struggle with incantations or control.”

“I don’t need a focus, thanks,” I replied. Of all the things today, I was certain of that.

“Very well,” he replied, not surprised. “Take this, then, and I look forward to seeing you in my first class.”

It was remarkable, how quickly the people of Milagre could move on from any incident, I thought. By the time I’d stepped out of the lines and joined Gogo off to the side, the interest shown by the other students had diminished considerably. A few still cast curious glances my way, but I could tell it was out of mild interest only. They’d likely forget about me by the end of the day.

“Looks like you have an admirer,” Gogo said with a laugh, jerking his head to the side. “Over there.”

Turning to see what he was talking about, I saw a figure in a grey cloak. Though they wore no hood, their face was covered by a mask of the same color, with just the barest hints of his short, rather spiky black hair poking out. He looked to be armed with a long walking stick, and though I couldn’t see his eyes through the mask at this distance, he was definitely turned to stare at me.

At my glance, he began to approach. For a moment, seeing the mask and his billowing robe, I assumed that he was a Dreamwalker. There were quite a few of them around Milagre, all studying with the College to further their magic. But as he came closer, I realized that, under the cloak, he had a long and lanky build. He hadn’t bothered to conceal enough of himself to be a Dreamwalker.

“Good afternoon,” he said politely, giving me a polite bow once he was within easy speaking distance. “I apologize for the random introduction, but I have to admit, I was impressed by your spell.”

“Thanks,” I said dryly, already hoping that everyone would forget about it sooner rather than later. “Not to sound rude, but who are you?”

“The name is Felix,” he said, extending one arm and shaking my hand. “I’m originally from Tyrman, but I’ve traveled the world. Felix Cited.”

He said the two words separately, but I still heard ‘Feel Excited’. That told me immediately that he was yet another character created by one of my readers. One in particular, I thought with a slight scowl. Jason was quite persistent with his joke names.

As much as I wanted to dismiss his greetings and get out off the campus as quickly as possible, my instinct as a writer was telling me that Felix just might be important to this story. Surely the me that was writing the story wanted this guy to stay along. I wasn’t sure for how long, but I was certain this would be a semi-regular acquaintance for the foreseeable future.

“Tuck,” I replied, doing my best to sound polite despite my scowl. “This is my partner Gogo. We’re bounty hunters.”

“That sounds exciting,” Felix said, and the joy in his voice was genuine. It was also easy to recognize as the joy of discovery, something you often hear in the voice of one who loved hearing about and experiencing new things. “I’m trying my hand at telling stories. I’m not bad, but I’m far from the best.”

To my surprise, I saw that Gogo was mildly interested in this stranger. That fact cemented my guess that Felix would be around for a bit. Might as well bite the bullet on this one, I thought. Half-turning toward the gate, I said, “We’re just about to go to the Heron for lunch. Would you like to join us?”

“I don’t see why not!” Felix replied excitedly. “I’m curious to hear more about your time with the Wild Mages. I’m willing to bet there’s a good story there.”

I gave a short grunt by way of answer, and lead the way through the massive front gate and down the well-managed road that separated the Mage’s College from the rest of the city. Many of the apprentices had chosen to linger on the property, which gave us a mostly deserted road on which to walk. That was a welcome treat after the noise and commotion of the entrance exams.

“So,” Felix said, not bothering to wait very long before getting right into it. “You guys have been to Zaban, eh? I’ve never gone further than a mile or two outside of Stormbreak. Frankly, the excess of wild animals frightens me a bit.”

“They’re not so bad if you know how to deal with them,” Gogo said, his tone friendly. I glanced at him quickly, wondering why he was so friendly with a virtual stranger. It was very unlike him. Gogo noticed my look, and grinned at my mild annoyance. “But Tuck here could probably tell you more about it than I could.”

I scowled at him, and he laughed again. Felix, however, looked even more excited. He pulled his mask down, revealing a rather pale face with pearlescent eyes and a broad, guileless grin. “I’d love to hear about that sometime.”

His eager expression said quite plainly that by ‘sometime’, he meant as soon as possible. As much as I liked sharing stories, I was too exhausted and put-off to talk much at the moment. So I offered a slight shrug. “I’ll tell you about it later. For now, I need some coffee.”

Thankfully, he seemed to accept my response, and didn’t push. Maybe he could tell how tired I was, I thought. He was polite enough, at least, not the kind of person to tread over boundaries. He settled into a grinning sort of silence as he fell into step behind Gogo and I. I shared a quick look of confusion with the Beast-Kin, who merely shrugged, grinning in his own turn.

“Sounds like things are shaping up to be more exciting in this city than I could have hoped,” he said. “I was starting to worry that I’d regret coming here.”

I opened my mouth to reply. I can’t remember what I was going to say, probably something congratulatory or comforting. Whatever it was going to be, I was too distracted by the way his eyes flicked up a few centimeters, seeing something high over my shoulder. Then his eyes narrowed, and his entire body seemed to ripple with open and undisguised hostility. Even his teeth showed in a snarl of anger, and he reached one hand out to push me to the side.

“Not again,” he snarled, the other hand reaching over his shoulder for his spear. “These bastards don’t know when to give it a rest!”

Acting on pure instinct, I yanked my sword out of its sheath as I turned around, and saw, perched on the wall of the Noble District to our left, a figure in black leather armor and a mask. He was much closer to us than on his last appearance, but I had absolutely no trouble recognizing the figure. It was the archer that had tried to kill me in the market. He was here for a second attempt.