After their bout Avakian was forced to rest for nearly an hour, his wounds healing even as the bizarre energy inside him diminished. After he felt capable of ambulating himself he gave a shaky nod to Kamatie, and they departed the padded sparring room.

Their next destination was located in a differing quadrant of the academy. The journey there may have been interesting for Avakian; had he not been in pain and discomfort, courtesy of the stone-skinned giant walking beside him, taking only one stride for every of Avakian's two. He internally lamented his stature as he struggled to keep up with her.

Eventually they arrived at the building his next 'test' would be conducted in; a 40ft tall octagonal spire constructed out of immaculately masoned stone-blocks. The building had a single, square entranceway with the words 'Department of Erebology' embossed into the stone.

To Avakian's surprise, upon entering the building they didn't ascend but instead climbed down a winding set of stone steps and into a corridor. Kamatie led Avakian past several doors with labels he didn't have time to read, before gesturing to the door at the end.

"That's us." She pointed. Above the door, decorated with various symbols, was a plaque that read 'Sabat Society'. Avakian could hear several voices inside that sounded to be increasing in volume and tempo.

Kamatie shrugged, "Usually it's calmer than this; they must be having some kind of event."

She opened the door to reveal a large room decorated in a Victorian style. Despite its size the room still managed to look cosy, with a roaring fireplace in one end, and plush armchairs strewn around various odd-looking tables.

The source of the ever-increasing volume was immediately apparent; in the centre of the room stood a crowd of a dozen spectators, around a table, where two individuals were clearly having some kind of competition.

On the one half of the table sat an impossibly ancient man, sitting in a lotus position on a plump cushion. The man wore a grey beard so long it pooled into his lap, a stark contrast to his head, which was bereft of any hair in the slightest. Avakian thought there to be a quiet dignity to the man, as he glared menacingly at the table, occasionally switching his ire to his opponent.

On the other side sat a young woman in an armchair, who seemed to be in deliberate opposition to the attitude of the man. Her posture was languid, with a leg draped over the side of the armchair, and hands crossed behind her head.

The woman was of a middling height, a hand taller than Avakian, and had exceptionally high cheekbones accentuated by her hair, which was tied in a ponytail. Her dark eyes were wider and slightly further apart than they would have been on a human, which gave her a look of exotic beauty. The smirk on her face spoke of an arrogant intelligence, as if she not only knew the meaning of everything, but also refused to tell anyone else about it.

Eventually, as the encouragement and commentary from the crowd reached a crescendo, cracks started to appear in the woman's apparent confidence. Her posture became more restrained, and her smirk was replaced by a look of abject concentration. The man on the other hand had more forbearance and had not moved even a muscle, save for perhaps his eyes.

All of a sudden something changed on the board, and a light flickered on the man's side of the table. This seemed to mean something to the audience, as they all started either cheering or making noises of commiseration.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Avakian was unsure as to who won or lost until the man did something entirely unexpected.

"BOOYAKA!" Hollered the elderly man, pumping a fist and making an expression of pure glee. "You're a hundred years too young to challenge me, girl! Now bow to my exceptional wisdom and skill!"

"Impossible." Muttered the woman, still staring at the table in dismay.

"What does that make the score now?" Asked one observer to another.

"This is Samuel's third win. Of course this is with Ellian having a massive time handicap."

"And how many wins does Ellian have?"

"353."

Avakian suddenly understood why the man looked so happy, if he lost 353 times to the same person he would be pretty pleased if he finally won.

"So, what are we here for, Kamatie?" He asked, still slightly cautious as a result of the last 'test'.

"I thought I'd teach you the rules to Sabat, then play you in a few games." She explained. "I didn't realise that it would be so busy today, although it may be in our favour."

She strode over to the table where the two former competitors were bickering, and coughed slightly to catch their attention. Upon noticing her arrival the older man; Samuel, greeted her warmly, whilst Ellian paled and looked like she wanted to be anywhere else.

"Elder Kamatie! A rare treat to have you down here. Are you here to play?" He asked her, with a waggle of his bushy white eyebrows.

"Perhaps. I came to introduce a prospective student to the game; young Avakian here." She gestured as the two turned their attention towards him.

"Welcome to the Sabat Society, Avakian! I am Professor Samuel Palmer, the president of our little club. Are you a contender perhaps? It would do Ellian some good to play someone born in the same century as her." Greeted Samuel with a cheerful disposition that belied his previous serious image.

"He's a novice, never drawn a glyph before." Replied Kamatie for him, "I was hoping you two would show him the basics."

"Indeed, indeed. I'm sure our chairperson would be happy to teach him the board and the basic glyphs." He nodded his head towards Ellian, who looked distinctly unhappy at being volunteered for such a duty. "Us oldies can catch up over a game or two, eh?"

Kamatie nodded reluctantly, and Ellian gestured him aside, to a much larger table covered with a cloth with the title "Learner's Table".

"Kamatie said you've never created a glyph?" She queried, as she removed the cloth from the table.

"Nope! Never even heard of them until today." He said, utterly unashamed of his ignorance.

"Seriously? Where've you been living until now? I thought even the most uneducated racist peasants in the Higher Folds knew about glyphs."

"Well, I was living in a pod, but it crashed, so I've actually been travelling since then."

Oddly enough Ellian didn't seem overly surprised at his ill-explained impromptu biography, and explained why immediately after.

"Saw that coming. No way someone normal catches Kamatie's interest, she's been here for centuries and has only bothered to tutor about a dozen students in that time. I still can't believe those dipshits on the academic board granted tenure to a literal immortal." She snorted.

"She's immortal? As in won't die of old age, or unable to be killed?"

"Definitely the first, but I wouldn't be surprised if the second was also true. Rumour is she predates the entire city."

"That's incredible!" This gave a whole new weight to Kamatie's lessons, Avakian could not fathom the experiences she must have accumulated over centuries or even millennia.

"You also mentioned she has other students? Any chance I could meet any of them?" He asked, as Ellian started rifling through a box full of what looked like writing implements.

"Not if you're lucky. The only student left of Kamatie's still at the university is Chiros, and he's a total dickass."

"What's wrong with Chiros?" He asked, slightly bemused.

"Ugh, you'll understand when you meet him, and unfortunately you most likely will. Anyway; I doubt I can make you into a competent sabat player in one day but I guess I can show you the most basic six glyphs. Sound good?"

"All copacetic." He assented.