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The mana eater

The wagons stopped - I looked outside but it was not yet time for camping.

"CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIIIRRRRP CHIIIRRRRP CHIIIRRRRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!" [Nitram the Phoenix]

Was that S...

No, that had to be a co-incidence.

"I'm coming, I hear you."

What with that continuous chirping and the stopped wagons, there was obviously something very wrong, so I used a simple haste spell to propel me along quickly.

When I got to the front of the caravan, there were already several adventurers incapacitated.

A quick appraisal around told me what I needed to know.

"That’s a mana-eater - stay away from it if you want to live!"

Mana-eaters per se were not that rare - but they were mostly harmless small monsters that lived in very mana dense areas such as deep under mountains or at the bottom of ancient lakes. Most people would never ever get to meet any of them.

I could tell at a glance that this mana-eater was NOT one of those harmless beasties - in fact it could only be described as an abomination against nature.

Ah… seems now the rusty-red blob felt I was the most "delicious" around - it started wobbling towards me with obvious intent.

Well then - Multi-Barrier!

Oops, I waved my hand then, didn’t I?

That was a bad habit - I neither needed complicated verbal spells nor gestures to cast most of the spells I had mastered.

But somehow I still had a bit of theatre-blood in me, I suspected, as I was known to wave my hands dramatically about and sometimes even shout nonsense such as "Thou shalt not PASS!"… at least THIS time I had kept my mouth shut!

The mana-eater didn’t notice the barrier on time and slammed full into it, deforming like dough against the invisible shield.

After it bounced off, several bunches of tentacles shot out from the rusty-red mass towards me - and hit the barrier with sparks, leaving small holes.

"Ah… slight miscalculation - the barrier is mostly made of mana… and this is a mana-eater…"

Just as I had muttered that, one of the tendrils had made it through and was speeding towards me.

Before I could evade, I heard a very faint “Flame On!" in Ancient High Elvish, and a tiny flaming sphere hurtled towards the rusty-red mana-eater.

The rusty-red blob shrank back from the flame as if terrified and was trying its hardest to backpedal - but it had no chance for escape.

There was a soft sound - that weird sucking sound a new jar of blueberry jam makes when you first break its vacuum seal.

Sort of an "ooopfff"...

A light stronger than the sun radiated out from the monstrosity, blinding me.

When I could see again, both the flame and the blob were… gone.

A single multicoloured fluffy feather floated down from where the tiny flame had impacted the abomination.

"Anyone else caught what just happened?"

"I... you may not believe me, but it really looked like that small birdy sucked in the monster! And then the poor birdy just went POOF right after... poor thing..." [Cleric of Faraway's Blessing]

I nodded as I picked up the lonely feather and looked at it… I had several of these in my item-box from when Nitram preened itself.

The tiny bird would absentmindedly leave these downy under-feathers anywhere - inside books, on cushions, on Old StrawBrains MacGrinFace‘s head, and even semi-carefully stuck in with the cut flower display on the coffee-table.

Maybe because I could not see Nitram’s status - which could only mean it was much higher than my own - but something told me I’d see that little chirper again one day.

After doing what I could for the ones who had got into contact with the mana-eater - which wasn’t too much at this point, sadly - I piled a bunch of rocks I had in storage into a small road-side marker and with a glue spell stuck the lone feather on top with the tip pointing towards the capital.

Should Nitram return here, I hoped it would get the message to follow us.

---

Arrival at the capital

After we finally made our way out of the "endless forest" we stopped a few times at the larger towns to overnight.

A bit more than a week after the incident with the mana-eater we arrived at the towering gates of the capital, which we passed through after the standard processing.

Behind the main branch of the Guild was a large area reserved for caravans - this is where I said my goodbyes to everyone who I had travelled with over the last few weeks.

Before I left I approached the two who had had their mana eaten by the rusty-red monster.

"Come to the university tomorrow - they have been working on a possible cure.”

"Thank you, missy… I’ve been thinking of retiring as an adventurer- a mage with no mana is less than useless, after all… but your words give me a spark of hope, at least…" [Wizzard of Faraway's Blessing]

I nodded and walked out of the Guild’s courtyard, making my way towards the university, my alma-mater, "Brundal Institute for the Advancement of Magic Tools and their Daily Practical Use".

Or "BI-AMaToo-DaPrU" as we alumni affectionately called it.

Everyone else just rolled their eyes at the long name and referred to the ancient institute as the university.

Lazy people!

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The university

Having used a bit of wind magic to speed up my steps I was soon at the gates of the oldest school on the continent.

There was a new guard I did not recognize standing just outside the gate house - I suppose I hadn’t been here for over two decades, so new staff would be expected.

"Well now, young miss, are you here to visit an older sibling?" [Young University Guard]

I shook my head and held out the letter the acting dean had sent me.

The guard took it and looked at it confused for a moment.

His face brightened up in understanding - well, in misunderstanding, really.

"Oh you found this letter and are returning it! Well, that is mighty nice of you you, I’ll make sure to get it to professor…" [Young University Guard]

He paused and re-read the address on the front of the envelope.

"Professor Oberbergtal? Hm… that doesn’t ring a bell, actually…" [Young University Guard]

Sigh…

"That’s me… the acting dean asked me to come."

Before the young incredulous guard could question me further a shout rang out from an older guard who was running towards us.

"Oi, newbie, show some respect! That’s the founder’s honourable grand-daughter!" [Running Older Guard]

Puffing and wheezing, the older guard - who sported a most impressive moustache - finally arrived, giving the younger guard a light slap on the back of the head.

"I’m sorry, my Lady -  we didn’t have a portrait of you to train the new fellows on, so usually one of us older guards stay close to the gate in case you show up… but ol’ Crainiz who’s turn it was today came down with something yesterday…" [Older Moustached Guard]

"That’s fine… is the dean’s office still in the same building?"

"Yes, my Lady - nothing much has changed since we saw you last - other than the roof of the alchemist’s lab has been replaced three times I think?" [Older Moustached Guard]

We laughed - this was a running gag now for centuries, after all - and I set off across the courtyard, leaving the young guard being lectured by the older guard on how to act with un-expected but obvious harmless looking visitors.

The new semester had started two weeks ago and I marvelled at all the laughing fresh young faces wearing their still unstained school uniforms.

After the first semester, most students’ uniforms would end up with some un-removable reminders of failed magic or alchemy experiments - these stains were carried proudly as it clearly showed everyone that “I’m not a noob anymore".

Self-conciously I looked down at my own pristine outfit - to make sure I always wore a clean one I had bought several of the mouse-gray cat-eared hooded cloaks - ok, about fifty of them, don’t judge me!

Technically I could spare to lose one or two, nevertheless I had diligently cast several layers of protective and preservative spells on each cloak at the time of purchase - so no matter even if a dragon would fire-breath at me, my cat-eared cloaks would never get dirty or damaged.

Oh wait, this wasn’t an official school uniform - I’m safe!

Also from most people’s point of view I suppose I still looked like a child… other than the older guards and older staff here who would still know me, most probably everyone else thought I was visiting an older sister or brother who was enrolled here.

When I walked by the first year’s classroom, a very familiar voice rang out.

“Is that you, Anna-chan?” [Female Voice out of the Classroom]

Ah butternuts…

Why did my grandmother decide it was a good thing to have no doors on classrooms???

Was that some sort of High Elf thing?

Was there perchance some un-written rule to never be in a completely closed area - or did maybe even some racial claustrophobia come into play here?

Probably due to who my father was, I did not share that trait.

Either way, none of the university classrooms had doors - not even the alchemists’ laboratory, but that was because it had been blown off… again. The university had a standing order with the carpenter’s guild for a new door every semester. And a new roof every decade or so.

Anyways… Having been caught trying to sneak by this particular professor, I stuck my head into the classroom.

“Oh good morning, Professor Balenstar… you are in charge of the first years this season?”

“Yes, poor Doctor Omnipollux came down with a bad case of binomial fever, or so I was informed, so I am subbing for this week." [Professor Balenstar]

“Binom… ah… yes…. Quite… lots of that going around this year."

Or rather, this week was when the beer and wine festival was being held here in the capital…

And Doctor Ominipollux - not racially profiling here, but he was a dwarf - never ever missed that.

And he always had a stand with what he called his home made "herbal remedies".

In other words the fine Doctor proudly sold some very fancy and often experimental home-made liquors made with rare plants that he had adventurers bring from around the world.

"Children, we have here a special guest lecturer!" [Professor Balenstar]

Hey! What about asking my opinion?

Sigh… this is why I wanted to avoid Professor Balenstar… always picking on me in subtle ways.

"Anna-chan dear, I was just about to go into the history of the university - but now that you are here, who better than the grand-daughter of the founder to expound on that?" [Professor Balenstar]

My ears were better than most and I could hear the children whisper to each other.

"She’s so tiny! And cuuutteee!" [Random Student 1]

"She’s looks younger than my little sister - why is she going to give US a lecture…?" [Random Student 2]

"Didn’t you hear - the Professor said that tiny girl is the grand-daughter of the Great Sage! She must be a High Elf, too, then!" [Random Student 3]

And so on…

Oh well -  I stepped up to the podium and addressed the students.

"Hello everyone - my name is Professor Oberbergtal, and yes, I am the only grand-daughter of the Great Sage, the founder of Brundal Institute for the Advancement of Magic Tools and their Daily Practical Use. Can anyone tell me when this great university was actually founded? Yes, the girl with the pig-tails up there?"

"Two thousand six hundred and forty-two years ago!" [Pig-tailed Student]

"Oh very good -  and does anyone know why it was founded?"

There was some murmuring back and forth and then three hands shot up - I randomly pointed at one of them.

"Ah… to advance the making of magic tools?"

 Sorry, that was  trick question - yes that is the current name of the institute. But the REAL reason my grandmother founded the university was…"

Pause for dramatic effect, smile a bit, point through the windows over to other side of the courtyard at a six story building with an impressive copula roof.

"… she ran out of books to read. The first building to be erected was the library over there."

A hub-bub of disbelief broke out among the students as they came to grips with the prosaic truth.

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The Great Sage's statue

After I had completed giving my involuntary 101 lesson on the university’s history, I continued on my journey towards the dean’s offices, but quickly was blocked again.

Several professors and students streamed past me and lined up at the windows facing towards the main market square - some of the windows  had already been flung wide open, with various people leaning out and casting spells such as Far Sight...

“What’s going on?"

"Oh someone just reported that the Great Sage’s statue is doing something strange! Move over Farbain! Let me get a look, too…" [Random Professor]

"It’s so colourful!” [Random Student]

Grandma, what crazy thing did you do again?

I hopped onto the sill of the window closest to me, and then jumped out.

"Hey, we are on the forth floor! Catch her!" [Random Person 1]

"Eh, she’s… flying?" [Shocked random person 2]

Leaving the university behind in a flash, I navigated towards the market square where the Great Sage’s statue had been standing for the last thousand years.

So as not to cause a commotion, I landed carefully in an empty alley that opened up into the market square.

Oh… I see.

That would indeed cause a commotion…

The robes on my grandmother’s statue were all ablaze with multi-coloured mana flowers, shining bright even in the daylight.

And on the carving of an open book the statue held in one hand sat Nitram, my tiny bird friend.

It was looking all around - and then it glanced in my direction, gave a happy little hop, and jumped off the marble book.

The tiny Nitram opened its wings and glided over the surprised and upturned gawking market sellers’ and customers’ heads towards me.

I held out my arm and outstretched finger as a perch.

Called it!

Nitram was way too powerful to be bested by a mere mana-eater!

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