The door to the place that had his things would not open, everything was used, cantrips he had vaguely heard of were used, most gentle 1 circle spells. In the end all that was left was waiting, and maybe? Salt used thrumming strings of mana to search for its innate vibrational frequency, he did not know if what he had read in the tome just now was true a newbie student had by luck come across a slice of the concept of sound and vibrations. He was trying everything short of braking school equipment and nothing, he had spent hours down here. Enough time to devise a terrible little spell Based of vibrations it worked by vibrating an enemies left temporal bone violently. Making the focus the left side so you can on the right insert quick grow Mycelium spores then “feed” it by vibrations much lower than the high vibrations you made earlier. Distracted by the high vibrational attack your foe might not think to shield from low vibrational attack allowing the mycelium to reach his brain. But no, that spell was trash, what was he thinking Salt thought to himself. A spell with only one misdirect based on the enemy's incompetence, that was embarrassing. Something a first year or one of those magi from outside the school to be proud of. At least when he sought a counter spell he discovered some handy earmuffs, so far, he had always bulled trough sound attacks and used the concept of ME or control if the sound spell was lethal enough. The earmuffs where good protection that did not make him dependant, he would have to inscribe the spell into his hood if he ever got his robes back.
At least the book worked, somewhat worked. Salt was certain that more of his first years had died by now. There is a law in the universe that there are only enough of stupidity and nothing, and nothing was filling up fast. So where were all the books, he never would have loaned away something so valuable if he did not KNOW they were spelled to return. Maybe, they went to his room, so he only had to know where his room was to get the semi priceless books back. And to maybe get the room, wait out the time. At least the tome training was going all right, he could almost use the tome as a foci up to 3 circle spells without someone of his own mana sensitivity and mana perception noticed. Now all he needed was time, and he was pondering what to do without a room. He would need to go on an excursion to gather the necessary wealth to live without the room, sounds silly to say but safety has a high cost in Nersinia. But the potential customers would be more tempted by something other than scrolls, perhaps light magic equipment. Salt had taken both Nersinian equipment 101 and 201 but due to his limited mana node as Soil he was stopped on that road. Hm something to investigate.
“Yes, hi hello. Here I am with some answers.” Morn the assistant guidance councillor said as he teleported innocently in like he had not just stolen all of Salt's stuff. Conjuring table chairs mugs and teapot “come, come have some tea. I know it's been dreadfully boring for you but have no fear your query ticket went straight to the top of the pile.” Pouring some tea at Salts assenting nod Morn continued “Now it is true that you do not currently have a room, but we think we know why. See when you sacrificed your room to Nersinia, you did not technically pay it as tuition. If and I am sorry this has been interpreted this way, you disregard what you said with your mouth in the beginning and only go with the end it came out as: Nersinia I offer thee my room.”
Salt sat quite perplex in till shaken by a throat clear from Morn, looking over Salt said, “what now?” “What now well unfortunately the ritual of sacrifice you did was interpreted as akin to when a MASTER sacrifices something big to get into Nersinias good graces. So that means good news Nersinia is possibly, probably, definitively maybe pleased with you! And bad news you still haven't paid your tuition.”
Sitting poleaxed in his chair Salt got out “what...........wat, what.” Morn bulled on “Yes, we are all quite exited Nersinia hasn't done something this weird to a student since 3 months ago now, you know, the custard pump incident. We are all mostly sure that’s what happened. So, anyway since Nersinia maybe favours you now, we thought maybe don’t let him die too soon. So, some staff got together and got you a sort of room, we activated an old school position for you. It's called keeper of the light, or light keeper or something like that. It's for the library's I know you like that, it's for the main library though so every week a new room. Now, it's not perfect but its somewhere safe to sleep and work.”
Clapping his hands together and looking pleased Morn started speaking “All you need to do is take this key and your stuff to the......... Say didn't you have more stuff?” Looking up at Morn, Salt raised an eyebrow and said, “you serious, you robbed me.” Morn looked perplexed and then something came over his face, something other. Not seemingly to channel or cast Morn ripped through the door Salt could not open as well as most of the wall. Morn the tea giving chipper man was no longer recognisable as a cold, cold voice lashed out. “Little item, little creature have you forgotten who cut your soul to shreds?” Saying the words with something approaching fear of losing control Salt Froze himself still in fear, prudence. As Morn started looming larger and the walls of the keep started to spring away from him as if in terror Salt thought. Eyes aglow in terrible anger and mana lashes undulating like serpents, Morn plunged his hands into whatever centre of the thing on the other side of the door was. Morn's voice came again as the sea “little thing have you forgotten what I am? A wizard is not something to shrug off.” Terrible screams followed as splintering happened all around the keep, Salt could feel the aspects in the air change from neutral to Morn coloured. As the detritus and splintering wood began to levitate Salt stood STILL, barely breathing and waited, for what he did not know.
Salt could not say when it stopped, but it did stop. First the terrifying pressure and then the screaming, and then Morn walked into what had been a room. His eyes still throwing of waves of power, Morn turned them on Salt. “Remember little wizard that WE are the masters of this school, we make the magic others toy with! Here are your things, me a thief of children. Ha, a wizard is not a nice thing boy! We are the monsters of monsters, predators of predators.” Taking the spatial ring offered Salt ran and kept running.
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Having ran for some time Salt finally told himself to slow and equip his lifesavers robes and things before he met someone not inclined toward a good outcome for his health. Leaning against a doorway Salt tried to push some mana into the ring, he tried and failed again and again before falling to his stomach perplexed as he started shaking. Trying to get just a small warding over himself Salt kept trying and kept failing, continuing like this for however long Salt eventually blacked out confused.
Waking Salt was still Salt, feeling the aspect of Morn leaving like time ticking away. Finally understanding blossomed. Hurrying to open his Tome Salt dedicated ten pages to what had just happened, the clarity of a wizard leaving as his understanding flew on to the page. Morn almost killed him of that he was sure, but the gains in understanding Salt gained from it. Marker and magic flew across the pages until the ecstasy of understanding was stopped by Salt himself. He almost died once today and to succumb to a learning frensy now, well he had felt the pull but his will remained. Focusing his mana Salt opened the ring, and after running a complete diagnostic array over his stuff, Salt fastened it to himself. The loner robe from the keep was gone blown away in the fleeing he had done, robing himself anew felt good. But in the ring, there were other things, things not his 7 powerful artifacts and many books and other ephemera probably stolen as his stuff was almost stolen.
Setting his new acquisitions aside for now, Salt cast some landmark and locator spells finding himself at last on a great road. As the day waned into the silence Salt thought it prudent to seek out his new room so, peeling of at the main library road he found himself in front of “the glockenspiel library” a place dedicated to golem craft, artificers and soul mongering. Going up to the front desk he balked a bit as the receptionist was a golem of course. “Hello what can I be-” cutting the glorified spell-matrix of Salt said, “Real librarian now or get pulverised!” That was not how he usually talked, oh no he was still infected by Morn's anger wasn't he, just stay calm and get to the room. Salt snapped “now you bucket of bolts!” As the golem went to fetch someone Salt spent some time with several centring and anti-berserk exercises going through his head.
“Hello sir” said a clear mage 3 circle pyromancer interesting, no stop analysing. Shaking himself free Salt said, “hello I am the main libraries keeper of the light, Salt of Nersinia third year cohort 023 can you please direct me to my room." A bit perplexed looking the mage said, “what sir, are you a part of our faction?” Shaking his head Salt went “look I am a servant of the main library, and not your library. Now get one of the elder Liberians or a will tome of the library and we will sort this out ok. I will be going into the jobs hall now you can find me there.” Salt turned away and started for the jobs hall that seemed to pop up in every main library, perhaps his room was in there somewhere.
Walking into the job's hall where the usual customers, Slaver gangs, different factions and hundreds of massage mages sending and receiving orders for what was on the bords and who were taking the jobs. A little further into the massive hall a bidding frensy was starting to break out on the alternative personal bidding boards. There you could literally bid on anything as long as you found a fool to take your bet, Salt sidled up to the sides of the hall and started investigating if a new door had sprouted somewhere. He was working his way on the last third of the hall when a guardian golem found him. “Keper Salt the chief librarian of the current main library would like to meet at your earliest convenience.” Sighing and looking up Salt said, “lead the way twinkle brains.”
Turning with his escort out from the job's hall Salt heard “holy shit, there's bounty 257, free money guys!” Upon registering the stupidity in the voice Salt activated his entire crisis arsenal of shielding spells and runes. Turning himself into a sort of disco ball Salt counted down 7 seconds before allowing light in trough his shielding. Now, Salt could not see who had shouted out the stupidity, but he could see whom had taken the bait. A good puddle of enough meat for maybe seven men laid smoking and sputtering on the ground and his escort golem was half melted on the ceiling of all places. With the piss poor security protocols in place Salt set his hopes and regard for this library down a few notches. Levitating over the pool of acid and men, Salt disabled most of his shielding to not seam aggressive to the less bright members of the libraries staff as he landed in front of the reception anew and asked, “hello my name is keeper Salt the chief librarian of the current main library is expecting me, could you direct me to his presence?” After hemming, hawing and hullabaloo Salt was finally shown to a small meeting room where he was told to wait.
The room was cosy and decorated with silver columns and a magnificent central painting, Salt could not help but rise and examine it. A massive glittering hall shone out at him the red and purple dancers interspersed with the green shimmering musicians gliding over the dancers the rich dresses and taut bodies intermingling. He felt the breath hard in his lungs as the dance reached another crescendo, the smile she showed to him as he followed through with his arms grasping her hand after the throw. The passion of the room itself flowed through the both of them as the world went away and her eyes became all he could see. And he felt then the vastness of the-
In the waiting room Salt had stood for an entire silence waiting as the admittedly excellent painting prison tried to work its way into his mind and soul. He knew the trick to these things was to appear captivated in till- The door opened, and a large important looking man stepped inside. The man looked at Salt unblinking visage, cleared his throat “hello keeper Salt I am elder Trellom assistant chief librarian of the glockenspiel library. How might I be of assistance?” Cleared his throat again Trellom said “mister Salt?” tap, tap, tap “mister Salt you seem exhausted please you may use this room for as long as you wish, just call us when you need us. God night.” Taking mister Trellom at his word Salt simply stopped standing still and went to recline on a well-placed ottoman and said. “If you are so inclined perhaps some refreshments are in order, it Is not every day I someone tries to assassinate me through Cosmic apotheosis. Now scurry along and do try to get someone with actual authority to talk with me.
Salt was lucky, just now. Lucky because he had just fought of Morns influence, but enough of it remained to snap him from that horrid painting. Rubbing his temples Salt muttered to himself “becoming one with the universe what a stupid way to almost die.”