Sixty gold pieces. A week ago, Jak had never seen a single gold piece before. The money pouch in his hand, held tightly, contained a two emeralds worth 25 gold each, and 10 individual gold coins. He wanted to hide it, bury it in the ground. He wanted to spend it, and cover himself and Alya in ridiculous clothing that the nobles wear. He didn't know what to do.
Following directions, Tim led Jak and Alya up to a tower, not too far from the Traveler's Gate they had visited the previous day. The tower was tall, about six storeys high, the tallest building Jak had ever seen. On the door was a sign showing a drawing of three people surrounding an anvil. One held a wand, another held a hammer, and the third held a scroll and a pencil. The drawing was quite striking because, similar to the Traveler's Gate, this drawing glowed a soft purple.
Stepping inside, the room was clean and orderly, containing not much more than a large desk with a woman sitting on a chair, facing them. She took them all in with an unreadable expression, her gaze pausing on Ash as the moonwolf pup walked in front of Alya, as if to defend her from threats.
"Hello young lady, young men," the woman said, inclining her head to them, "welcome to the administration for Elwind Crafting Academy. How may I help you today?"
"Hello there," Tim said with what he hoped was his winning smile, "we are looking to enrol in the school. I have something from King Roderick." He rummaged around his bag, eventually pulling out a scroll and handing it to the lady. She opened it up and started reading through, an eyebrow raising as she saw what it contained.
"My, you _are_ well-connected. Very well, we cannot say no to the king. Welcome to Elwind." She said with a smile. Tim was surprised.
"You mean I don't need to do any kind of tryout or initiation?" He asked.
"Elwind has a reputation for having the very best, and we strive to keep it that way," she replied, "but in some exceptions we allow people to slip through the cracks. Especially when those people are under the watchful eye of a dignitary. I do warn you, though, that your growth and performance in the school will be on your own merits. The king cannot simply command you to be powerful. We also ask that you use your position of privilege for the benefit of the school." She pulled out a silver rod from behind the desk, covered in carvings. These carvings were filled with glowing purple lights that raced in pulses through the device. Offered it to Tim and said "Touch this, and you will be officially enrolled in Elwind Academy." Hesitantly he did so. When his hand touched the rod, the purple lights flashed, briefly lighting up the room, and Tim... didn't do anything. He just stood there. Frowning, Jak walked up to him, and noticed his eyes were flickering left to right, like he was reading something. He didn't seem in danger, so Jak and Alya waited for what felt like a long time. Finally Tim came to himself, shaking his head and blinking.
"Well, that was unexpected." He smiled at the lady. "I would like to also introduce my two friends, Jak and Alya. They would like to join the school too. I don't suppose my letter covers them too...?" He raised his voice in a hopeful tone. The lady shook her head politely.
"Your letter is controversy enough among the administration. We want to have good political connections, you see, but we also don't want to be under anyone's rule. We are proudly an independent state, even though it's simple a school and a forest. Your friends will have to earn their way through merit and payment, just like everyone else."
Jak felt his heart sinking a little. He thought you could simply ask to join, and be accepted. "How much?" He asked, "to enrol I mean, how much does it cost?"
The lady raised an eyebrow. "You haven't heard much about the school, I take it? You will compete with other applicants for one particular trade, and your performance will determine the cost. Highly skilled applicants are granted free tuition, and those who are less skilled can contribute their money instead of their talents to the greatness of Elwind. The trades you can select include: Magic, and all it's subsets of study; crafting, which includes weaving, carpentry, smithing, and leatherwork; and applied magitech, which includes runecrafting, alchemy, and schematic design. Besides these three, there is also the combat branch of the school, the Elite Guards." Her eyes flicked up and down Jak's tall and broad stature. "If you have a knack for fighting, you can try out there. All tryouts will be held in three days time. After competing, you will receive an acceptance letter. Bring that back to me, along with the required money, and you can be enrolled." The lady bid them farewell and ushered them back out of the building. Jak and Alya were not allowed to touch the silver rod.
"So?" Alya said as soon as they had leff.
"Hmm?" Tim said, not sure what she was asking.
"The rod! You were stunned for minutes! What happened? Was it magic? Tell us everything!" She exploded. She would leave no magical rock unturned, she needed to know everything.
"Oh! Right. It's hard to believe. Ummm. Have you ever had voices in your head?" Jak and Alya stared blankly back. "Heh, yea it does sound a little weird." Tim said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Well, one thing that makes Elwind so amazing is that rod. It's a powerful artifact created by the supreme chancellor of the school. It puts a little voice in your head that helps you to level up skills and abilities. A kind of guide for your growth, I suppose.
Jak and Alya looked at each other. They had never heard anything like that. "So... what's it saying now?" Jak asked.
"It's telling me to kill you." Tim said, keeping a straight face for about two seconds before bursting into laughter. "Kidding! It only spoke when I first touched the rod. It gave me a few skills to choose from, and helped me consider my path. I think it will only speak up when I level up my skills again."
"So, like, you've inherited a voice in your head, that tells you to become a blacksmith?" Alya asked incredulously.
"Heh, something like that. Ok now let's focus on what's important." He looked at Jak in the eyes, then Alya. "Food." The two nodded, and they looked around for somewhere they could eat.