What might have been mistaken for the sound of the low rumbling of dying cat, was in fact just Emilie, groaning in her seat.
Her back hurt, her butt hurt, her legs hurt. She could feel every bump in the road, every rut in the path. Emilie to pull her legs closer to her chest, hoping to remove some of the pain and annoyance, but it just made it worse. Riding by carriage was a miserable experience for even the most seasoned travelers. Each bump made her lament the lack of any pillows, as she suddenly wished she had brought one, or ideally even more, with her.
The older man across from her smiled, his curly mustache twisting higher than it had before. “First time traveling little miss?”
She meekly nodded at the stranger’s question. Her shyness eating any drive she had for conversation.
“Hmmm. I can tell. You look uncomfortable. These carriage rides are always so bumpy and long. Eventually it hurts just to sit!” the old man was quite animate with his speech; and it would be hard no to smile at least a little.
“The trick is to have your feet planted firmly on the floor. You'll spread the bumps out more evenly if you do. Come try it.”
She followed his advice, each foot planted firmly. It was a bit of a stretch; her legs weren’t quite that long yet. But he was right. She could feel the bumps in her legs more than her back and bum. It was better, but it still hurt.
“See, better!” The man smiled, and Emilie couldn’t help but smile back. For a moment she forgot her physical pain, and the internal pain of losing her friend.
For a moment wasn’t sad, but of course realizing that just made her sad again. What was she going to do without her friends? Reese would be fine without her. She knew that. Even if he didn’t believe it, Emilie knew he was a more capable magician and what he called an engineer than anyone else in that village. He’d be more capable than anyone at this frozen college she was headed too to.
Even beyond Reese, she had made other friends, kind of. Gezal had left a few months ago, and she could still feel his absence. Samil and even Venginn were kind of her friends too, and they'd frequently talk at least in class. Knowing that she was leaving them behind also kind of hurt, just, much less than losing her best friend.
Though, perhaps none of that mattered. Her parents saw a chance to get rid of her, and it would be free. How could they say no? Her older brother had started to grow cold towards her, she didn’t really know why, not that it mattered, everyone had a reason to dislike her, she thought. Her younger sister and younger brother, well, they were too young to have an opinion yet.
'No.' She shook her head, that wasn't right. They did care about her, it was just hard for all of them.
Outside the carriage, the day grew long, and dusk soon fell. After the darkness crept over them, the carriage would stop, in a small village she had never been to, and that was barely on any map.
“Avonal. We’re stopping here till daybreak.” The carriage rider yelled from outside causing everyone to disembark without a word.
“Little miss” The old man tried to talk to her one last time. “It was a pleasure talking to you.”
As she smiled, her mouth tried to put forth a word of thanks, but could only manage a hum of acknowledgement.
"It seems like you've still got a ways to go on your trip. The first time traveling by carriage is always the hardest, just remember, keep your feet firmly planted and you'll weather the bumps." With those kind words the nice man smiled and wandered off into the night towards the woods. Perhaps staying at a different place? Though the thought of him wandering into the woods and sleeping like bear was amusing, and for a moment put another smile on her face.
The Inn in Avonal was small, smaller than Wollseeth’s. The village itself was smaller too, probably not much bigger than 100 people. She guessed this place was just a holdover location for people traveling between the bigger villages and cities.
Her room was small as well, but at least she wasn’t sharing it with anyone. The board was paid for by her family, beforehand or maybe even the college. She wasn’t sure, nor was she sure how much it was. Maybe six to a dozen coppers? It certainly wasn’t free. The food they served was filling but even blander than what she was used to, some kind of fish stew, with bread that was hard but not quite stale.
Her stomach and mind both full, she laid down on a bed that was just a bit too hard in the wrong places and too soft in others. The pillow felt thin, like it was filled with pressed down straw rather than something soft and fluffy. For a moment, she wondered why it felt like she was casting a water spell, she wasn't thinking of it, and certainly not speaking it. The answer became obvious as she rubbed her face.
Sleep would not come easy tonight, and when it did come, so would the dreams. Bad dreams, and sad dreams. Why did things have to change?
In the morning, the carriage filled with people again, but with a few empty seats. Most of the occupants were different, there were several other carriages outside, most had likely they changed over to one of them. Even the old man had seemingly left on a diffrent carriage. Obviously, they weren't friends, but they did share a few words at least. Suddenly it all felt even lonelier than before.
Eventually, others seemed to follow her. A dark furred Anthro with darker spots on his fur and a charcoal mane or hair. He was a young teen by the looks of it, but it was hard to tell their age, maybe 13? He was what appeared to be a feline of some kind, perhaps a Panther, but she had only read about them. His bark-colored eyes seemed to follow you, no matter how or where you moved. He was quiet, didn't want to make much conversation, beyond greetings, which was how she learned his name, Culushus.
Next later that day, was a very strange human boy, by the name Lenadir. His hair was charcoal black, and shiny, and appeared to have been cut with a bowl. His garbs reminded her of what a monk might look like, very simple brown robes, though it sounded like his family was very well off. Unlike Culushus she wished he was quite. They grew mostly cash crops, but he would drone on about their potatos. For how much she may have disliked Reese's prattling, at least she never fell asleep listening to him talk.
Each day the air grew colder, and it wasn’t because autumn was coming. The trek up the mountains into Yoth came with the same cold air the country was named after.
Right before the last stop, another early teen boy joined them. His deep olive, almost black skin implied he was from the tropics, his hair was jet black aside from one streak of yellow, that looked more like fur. Then there were his eyes, one brown, one amber, both had slits like a cat. Aside from the streak in his hair and his eyes, you wouldn't have been able to guess his mixed blood. He said nothing beyond "don't bother me", and ignored them and stared out the window. There were tags stitched into both his satchel and bag that said, "Eoltan", Emilie guessed it was his name, but he didn't seem to want to confirm or deny it.
Finally, the carriage would arrive at its destination with a slow and final creek, "Tranlearba". A large walled city in the Yoth Kingdom, a part of the six kingdoms. The area was hilly tending towards mountainous and filled with various large fir like trees, which is where the city got its Dark Elven name from. The air here was cold even for the month of Ogracito.
The riders disembarked, of the nine total, five walked off on their own, but the remaining four, all younger, stood outside the city walls at the modest travelers Inn. Each of them seemingly unsure what to do next. The instructions each of them had mentioned waiting but didn't say for what or how long.
Six days by cartridge, 10 total days traveling. Emilie’s exhaustion was painfully evident as she swayed side to side. The sigh she gave was one both of relief and weariness. For a moment she considered just crashing on the ground and resting right there. But such an action might seem rude, plus she had no idea what would happen if she missed her contact or whatever it was that was waiting for her.
If that happened, without anywhere to go or knowing how to get back she'd be stuck here. In an unfamiliar city. Doomed to become a street rat and fight for crumbs and scraps. Her imagination caused a momentary pang of fear that helped wake her up. Thankfully they would not be waiting long, and her imagination didn't have time to catch a river ferry down absurdity creak.
“You must be the be students”, a gruff female voice finished snapping Emilie out of the standing slumber she found herself in. In front of her was an older dark elf woman, wearing traditional grey robes, with some golden stitching in intricate patterns. Likely a sign of enchantments on them, if she remembered what Reese had explained to her, though he did say clothing enchantments were difficult.
As her eyes moved up the old elf’s body, it implied a life of light work but constant movement, thin, but with lean muscle mass. Though most of her body was hidden by the robes. She was clearly older but still had jet black hair made darker by the hood she wore, you couldn’t see her pupils it was like her eyes were solid black orbs with only a silver of grey white sclera. In truth though, it wasn't the wrinkles on her face that made her seem old, rather, it was her attitude and personality.
“Well, we were expecting new students. I suppose you are it.” With a slight huff the elf woman began walking quickly to the west, the same direction she came from. “Don’t doddle, I will not wait for you, I have other things to do.”
The older students managed to keep up with her well enough. But Emile, being smaller and having an extra bag, struggled more than a bit. It felt a constant risk of losing them as they stayed a good 50 or so paces ahead of her.
Yet, despite the elf's earlier warning, they did seem to slow down just a bit once or twice. Mainly when it looked like she would lose her youngest student. It was hard to make out, from afar but she proceeded to lecture the students on the large city as they walked. The section they were dropped off in was called the industrial district and had most of the heavy industry for the city. It also had the traveler’s Inn, where they were dropped.
The area they were in and quickly leaving held a few sawmills, some workshops and factories, which made use of the abundant and valuable lumber in the area. Also, there were the river docks which sat in an artificial harbor called “Hammon’s bay” named after the merchant who financed and built it centuries ago. The so-called Green River the docks sat on ran through the southern part of the city, and would eventually connect to the great wide river, the special district, and the capital of the six kingdoms before eventually draining into the ocean.
North-West of all this, and behind the main walls of the city was the market district, that sold all manner of goods, including magical items. However, as students they would only be able to leave the college grounds on approved days. So, for now the market was out of bounds.
There were also other areas of the market that the dark elf didn't seem interested in discussing in depth, just noting that they should be careful if they ever went to the debt auctions held there.
Further to the west was the governor's manor, who managed this city and some of the surrounding villages. Along with some of the other government buildings, like the city hall.
As they crossed the aptly named Dock Bridge, the same bridge Emilie came over, the surroundings shifted to mostly farmland and some spread out residences. About half the farms were barren, and the rest seemed to be in the process of harvesting. Large ground fruits, like squashes, were placed into wagons by many different hands. One farm seemed to have used mages to make them float towards the carriage. That was a spectacle to behold as all the students slowed their steps lightly to watch awhile longer.
“As you can probably guess, meals will mostly consist of squash for the next several months. Be thankful you won’t be eating just oats every day. The cold weather, and shorter growing seasons makes it hard to grow some of the crops you might be used to in south.”
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In the distances she pointed to some of the trees, “These trees are various types of Fir trees, I'm sure you've noticed they're very common from this area. The industry sector of the city makes a good amount of coin on them. As does the college as we help guide them in their harvesting of the trees. Early on in the city’s history about a 1,200 years ago they nearly stripped the mountains bare, and long before that the city that predated Tranlearba, did the same, only they full exhausted the forest, leading to both their extinction. It took millennium to grow back… The wood from these trees is, unique, for some reason they’re able to hold a substantial amount of Metal mana, allowing them to be hardened with spell crafting. It’s actually my area of research. When I’m not watch you.”
For a moment her attitude seemed to drop, and she almost appeared to enjoy the conversation. Even her face didn’t smile, her voice certainly did. Of course, once she was done explaining, she grew cold and quite again. And there was a large break in her explanations as the farmlands stretched for a few miles.
The walls of the city could be seen throughout the entire journey. However, in the distance were walls far taller, and seemingly both older and stronger. They protected a rather large and even more ancient-looking castle in the center of them. It wasn’t hard to guess that was the college.
Just outside the college walls were two groups of structures to the south and north. A large arena like field sat to the south, and a large set of what appeared to be various tightly grouped apartments or dorms to the north. Emilie didn’t have to wonder if that's where she would be staying. They were not.
“These… Dorms, if you can call them that, are for any student or visiting scholar not properly admitted to the school. Most people are allowed into the college for lectures and research if they pay the daily entry fee of 10 silvers. Don’t be alarmed by their appearance, your dorms are inside the walls, and… nicer.”
10 silvers seemed exorbitant, at a rough guess that would be 60 gold a year if they attended every day, but maybe they didn’t need to? Also, the way the Elf woman said ‘nicer’ was concerning. Was that a slight against the external dorms, or the ones she would be staying at?
The dirt and gravel road gave way to smooth grey stone, which quickly changed to bright, but worn white stairs that seemed to wrap around the large and foreboding gate house that sat atop them.
The small group stood before the giant metal gates of the college. Without saying a word, the older elf waved her arm, and the gate creaked upward and opened, like magic. “The doors and gates are sealed with spells, they are only to be opened by faculty and staff. Students may use the side entrances if they’re locked. You’ll need proof of admittance.”
After they passed though, it quickly began to close behind them with the same creaking motion and noise.
“The gate is left open during normal academic sessions from 6 to 6. There are no other ways into the college beside the gate and the side entrances. Do not attempt to scale the walls, they’re enchanted, and you will fall.”
In front of them were four things of note. The first was the massive fortification, the center keep of the college. Even just looking at it you could tell it was very old, and weathered.
But before that was a large green grassy area was one of the first thing you noticed when entering. A marble and stone amphitheater sat at the one end, and a towering and very old looking oak tree was nearer the other.
Two large buildings flanked the north and south of the walls, they were used as auxiliary spaces for teaching, research, and book storage. The south was a simple rectangular-like building with what seemed like several entrances. The more northern building had a more complex ‘U’ shaped architecture, with stairs following the alcove cut from the center of the buildings. A large awning covered a walkway at the top of the stairs and acted as a final barrier to the inside of the building. It looked like the space might be used as a second amphitheater in some instances. The buildings had no fancy names, just north and south auxiliary.
The party made their way past the greenery toward what would best be described as the front of the old keep. More stone, more stairs, unlike the entrance to the gatehouse, these were as well weathered as the keep, with patches of various colors and weathering a sign of the repairs done thought out the ages.
Two large reddish oak doors sealed the entry way. The metal bars and rivets covering the fronts was a cold reminder that this was a military fortification, at least at one time in the distant past. The large and heavy doors were surprisingly easy to open as the elf genteelly pulled on the circular handle causing it to drift outwards, almost silently.
Inside the keep smelled musty and dusty, with subtle hints of leather and other substances. It reminded Emilie of the bookstore from home, just far more intense and older. There was limited light inside but calling it dark would be incorrect. It was more as if the inside was ‘asleep’. A statement which seemed to become truer as the light stone lamps began to come alive as the elf walked near them.
“You’ll all need to learn some light spells quickly if you want to use the light stone lamps around campus. Staff will walk around at night and keep the common areas lit, but the insides of buildings will require your own mana to operate. Torches are not allowed in the keep, for reasons that should be obvious.”
As Emilie looked around in the now lit space, the reason was indeed obvious. The whole keep was a massive library! Thousands, possibly tens of thousands of books, and scrolls lined large shelves that towered to the ceiling. Materials that were no doubt easily flammable. Many of the tomes appeared quite old, and maybe fragile with age. It was possible, likely even, that there were works here that existed nowhere else in the world.
“The first floor is the open library. Everyone in the college is allowed access. There are some smaller spaces towards the edges that might be used for instruction or meeting rooms. Second floor is the archmage’s quarters and living space for some of the higher faculty. 3rd floor is more library and instructional spaces. Anything above the 4th floor is the restricted library. Don’t ask about going up there or beyond. If you’re ever allowed access, you’ll know.”
The four students made their way further into the center of the keep. It was there that an older man with skin surprisingly devoid of wrinkles as if he wore his fresh like ironed finery. Like most mages and wizards, he was wearing robe, in his case dark blue with green trim. His long silver and white hair flowed behind his back and his ice blue eyes gazed at them with a friendly expression, like you might expect from a child’s doll. It seemed he was waiting for them.
“Archmage, would you like to meet the new students?”
“Thank you Younath, I would indeed. I am the Archmage, Iomsakad of the family Dunfuirin. It’s nice to see the young faces among you. Particularly yours, young Emilie. Eight is close to our limit for how young we accept student.” The man smiled broadly, his teeth, unusually white. He seemed nice, but something about his air and attitude reminded her of Wollseeth’s mayor, Ard. Only, instead of the smile masking his true feelings, it felt like it was masking nothing beyond a deep hollowness. As if he smiled so wide because he didn’t understand what it really meant to smile, and was just mimicking what he saw.
With a light shake of her head, she was over thinking it. Also he was wrong about her age, “I just turned nine at the end of the month, but thank you.”
“My apologies.” With a slight bow of apology, me moved to the student next to her, “You must be Lenadir. Sibula interviewed you, said your grasp of magic was quite strong… in regards to plants?”
“Yes. I was hoping to learn how to grow more potatoes in our fields. My family is focused on higher coin crops like Assoias. But I believe potatoes offer a better opportunity for our family. Not only are they a superior crop being usable in many dishes and served in a veracity of ways. They are harvestable all year unlike Assoias which can only be harvested in the late fall and early winter. My extensive research suggests-”
“Indeed! Quite fascinating we must discuss more. At a later date.” Iomsakad turned to Eoltan and merely nodded at his fierce glare, and moved to the large black leopard, Culushus. “It’s unusual for us to have an Anthro apply and be admitted to the school.”
"Fucking animal," A quite whisper from Eoltan seemed to be unheard by everyone save Culushus, who's only indication of acknowledgement was a twitch of his ear.
If Culushus was concerned by either comment he didn’t show it, “Yeah. My family warned me about that before I left. But, I can face any challenges Yoth throws at me.”
“Very good!” The plastic man looked around at the teens and children before nodding to Younath.
Not missing a beat, the Dark Elf quickly moved to the desk next to the archmage and gathered scrolls placed there earlier. They were fairly large, made from a material that looked tougher and rougher than normal paper. The gold foil along the edges traced a runic pattern, strongly implying the paper was enchanted somehow.
“This scroll is your proof of attendance. Do not lose it, do not give it to anyone else besides the college guards and faculty. It will allow you to access to the college if you leave for any reason. Losing it will result in several demerits. Damaging it to the point of needing replacement will result in one demerit.”
Fearing the loss of such an import document, Emilie felt her hands shaky and tightly grasped the paper as it was handed. Under her finger she could feel it, it didn’t feel like the normal paper she used, it had that subtle tingle of magic to it and she was sure it was enchanted. Given what she could feel, it seemed like a protective spell, a warding made of Pure Light mana.
“Additionally, even though you can technically leave the college grounds at any time, you are not permitted to leave. If you are not given prior approval or it is not a scheduled day for outings, you will receive multiple demerits. The city tolerates us because we bring in money and resources, but young mages tend to cause… expensive issues, for both the college and city.”
Each student held their scroll for some time before putting it away, except for Emilie. Who remained uncertain how to care for it, she continued to hold it.
“Time to show you all to your rooms.”
Iomsakad bid the students well as they left him. In the distance, his smile seemed to drip off his face, like melting wax. Exposing features of annoyance and boredom. Maybe that was just in her imagination.
The group made their way though the keep, leaving out the smaller set of doors in what would be called the back of the giant library. Outside, was more of the same, with natural dirt and gravel paths tracing desired paths between the buildings.
“The buildings to our right are the faculty and staff dorms. Those staff and faculty choosing or required to stay have rooms over there, please do not bother them, and don't not approach them unless asked first. There’s also a small shrine you are welcome to leave offerings at. In front of us are the student dorms. Despite its appearance it’s two separate buildings, the more southern part is where you will be staying, the western part is for higher students who have petitioned for more room space.”
The building was tall, at least 6 stories, with the last two floors overlooking the massive walls. As they moved inside, the space reminded her of what a dungeon might look like. Gray stone brick, and a mixture of torches, candles and light stone, each just a bit too far apart for fully illuminate the space.
Several wooden doors in a row were broken by a large open space, “This space is the kitchen and cafeteria for your dorms. There are not enough tables for everyone, so you will need to work out seating arrangements between each of you. Food is not allowed in your rooms, do not take it there. Nor is it allowed in the library.”
Emilie had a sudden fear, being smaller than everyone else, “What if we can’t get a plate or a seat in time?”
The woman sighed. “The kitchen is closed after meals, but a pot of stew is left on the fire all times. Day old bread is also left out. But, do not make a habit of eating late. It’s frowned upon and checked.”
The students walked up a set of stairs that seemed just a bit too large for the size building, reaching the 2nd floor, and then the 3rd before walking out into the hallway that was almost the same as the first. “Eoltan, This is your room. The bathroom is down the hall, please follow the signs.” Younath opened his room and gave him a very short tour before handed him a key and moved on with the remaining three.
They traveled up to the 4th floor, and stopped next to two rooms. Lenadir and Culushus where each handed their own keys and shown into their rooms. Emilie stood in the hallway, just waiting for her turn.
Two more flights of stares and Emilie found herself on the highest internal floor of the dorms. The back of her legs and arms burned with fatigue from the walking and final hike. On the plus side, the space was much brighter than those bellow it, thanks to the occasional alcove with an open window. Being the higher floor, someone might expect it to be warmer then the rest, rather than feeling the coldest. A light breeze could be felt in the hallway as wind found its way through a crack or open window.
As they approached the last room on the south west side, the elf finally stopped.
“This will be your room Emilie.” She unlocked the door with the same key she used for the other rooms. Inside was no different from the rest, at least what she could see. A bed against the wall, next to that a smallish desk, that was still a touch too big for her. From the front of the desk it sort of looked out the one window in the room, being just off center from it. Next to the door was a bookshelf that was too big, with several books already on it and next to that a large chest. Simple, functional, cold.
The elf woman handed Emilie a different key, similar to the one she had used, but more complex somehow, like there were more groves and pieces to it. “This key will unlock your door, your desk and your chest. Only your key and my master key can unlock these. They're enchanted, so no one else besides me can open them. If you lose it, it will earn you demerits, but let me know so I can get you a replacement.”
Emilie looked at the key. Reese would have been fascinated by the magical technology, she thought to herself with first a smile then a small frown.
Whether the woman noticed, she paid no attention to it. “No doubt you'll want to rest a little. Dinner will be in 3 hours. My advice is to take a bath before. The rest of the students tend to take theirs after dinner. It can make the bathroom, crowded.” It felt like there might have been some subtilty to that statement, but Emilie was unable to ask before the woman excused herself.
Emilie brought her bags inside the room and ruffled though them. Clothes, some already well-worn and in need of washing. Some small books, and paper, the charcoal pencils her parents had given her. She looked over at the desk, and the writing implements there. What looked like a fountain pen, and ink well made her charcoal feel cheap by comparison. Small amounts of paper were provided as well and seemed much higher quality than the rough fibrous stuff her parents had bought for her.
In front of the desk was that moderately large window, for the small room. The glass wasn’t the greatest, small imperfections were quite evident. A few bubbles and a large seam through the center distorted the outside view just a bit. Like a twisted mirror in a fun house might. As she gazed out the distorted window she could see the large Forest, which seemed so much larger than it should. In the far distance were the mountains she had passed a day earlier. She knew Wollseeth was somewhere in that direction, too far to be seen, even if it hadn’t been blocked.
The young mage felt something cold run down her cheek as she truly began to realize just how far away her home really was. Her room seemed to grow even colder the longer she looked.
She hated the cold.