The next day when Lasutro awoke, despite the sudden fatigue of the previous day, she did so with an energy she had not felt in months. Fuelled by the familiar rush she dived into what had started to become routine for them, practicing the three spells until she was left with no choice but to stop. While she rested, she had a simple meal brought up by the staff of the inn before she pulled their red tome out of its resting place in their pack.
As Lasutro opened the book anxious for new spells, unlike the three she had previously learned to find the same chapter and spells as before. Although frustrated, she reinspected the pages to see if they had changed subtly, only to find none. Just as their frustration began its transition into rage, she flipped the last pages of the chapter she had only to realize she had unintentionally flipped two pages forward revealing the familiar style spell deconstruction of a new spell. Suddenly Lasutro was pulled in by the words and was unable to look further in the chapter for more spells instead finding themselves entranced by the opportunity for new knowledge. As the rest of the day passed Lasutro ignored the hunger and fatigue that seemed to grow with each page she read.
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Over the following days with little deviation, with the exception of meals, Lasutro confined themselves to their room practicing their new spells in the morning and then from the afternoon to late in the night studying new spells, and reviewing previous ones.
Although the first jumble of new spells Lasutro read about were similar to those she had just become adept at, with the exception of one that was effectively a more efficient and powerful version of the same spell, the new spells eventually diverged into effects that she had previously not thought of. Slowly, as Lasutro began to get a hand on some of the newer spells she started to notice a steady increase in each spell's difficulty, not just to read and understand but to properly execute. Nonetheless, she pressed on, determined to not be satisfied with their increasing internal library of spells.
Only when the Lasutro’s study of a new spell from the tome started to take more than just their afternoon but also a good portion of the night, did she resign themselves to focus more on their practice castings. Some of which she had moved to just north west of the city, on the less frequented parts of the beach that laid between it and the lighthouse. A building that she learned partially doubled as a shrine for The Harbinger Of The Path, a minor deity who was known for their relation with The Wanderer, a fact Lasutro only made note of due to their previous ignorance on the two deities.
Although the modifications to Lasutro’s schedule caused by the journey to and fro were, in the scheme of things, small, she was ever so slightly irritated with the time she lost. However despite their feelings on the matter the changes she begrudgingly implemented led to them to better eating habits. A few days after she became settled in their new schedule, Lasutro took the little spare time she had allowed themselves to go to one of the stores she previously meant to visit.
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The outside of Mayr’s Mystical Merchandise was marked by a perfectly matched ornate door and sign. Aside from the astonishingly well carved cursive of the store's name itself, the words were paired with a pan flute that had several of its chambers filled by cute fairy-like creatures. Upon entering the store it became evident to Lasutro that the sign did an accurate job of conveying the interior of Mayr’s Mystical Merchandise, which instead of carrying some variation of the scents of the now familiar streets of Traclins, it smelled of freshly pollinated flowers with a hint of sweetness and the refreshing scent of pine. Smells that were not left to linger alone, but paired with the sounds of a skillfully improvised melody led by a pan flute and accompanied by the songs of birds, the crashing of waves, tree branches and the wind.
Lasutro was entranced by the truly mystical feeling of the store, and so remained in the entrance way for a moment before they regained their senses. As she shook off the magical wonder, both intellectual and emotional, she took in the less mystical aspects of the shop, partially looking for an employee but also keeping an eye on the items that drew their attention.
Several minutes passed while Lasutro wandered the surprisingly big interior, their focus nearly entirely on the variety of curiosities that lined the shelves of the store. While all of the objects drew their curiosity, it was the small bookshelf that pulled Lasutro in completely, temporarily removing them of the awareness that she was not in a library.
Lasutro pulled a book from the shelf, a green leather bound book far thinner than their strange tome with gold lettering on the front that read:Unorthodox Spell Applications For Singular Affinities. Just as she began to read it a deep, yet jolly voice rang out behind them. “That is quite a bit above your level young one,” the voice said, its tone somewhat stern. Nearly jumping out of their skin in surprise, Lasutro snapped the book shut and turned to face the voice.
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Towering over Lasutro in a manner that was only vaguely reminiscent of the beast that attacked them on their way to the city, was a satyr. While Lasutro had never met a satyr, on multiple occasions she had read about them although almost always in particularly fictional settings the few exceptions being more traditional fiction, and a single biography of a man who reportedly traveled to the feywilde by accident. However none of the descriptions from those stories would have done the satyr in front of them justice.
His ram-like horns, capped and covered in just enough jewelry to not be ostentatious, some of which appeared to not only be for decoration. Their face was peculiarly angular, yet handsome, a feature that was accentuated by the magic that danced behind his woodland green eyes. Despite their nearly excessively long robes, and the general grandiosity that hung about the air around him, the satyr felt approachable. A feeling that seemed to originate in his size, which, in any other piece of clothing, would make him appear to be some sort of oaf-like performer.
After gently removing the book from Lasutro’s hands and returning it to its spot in the bookshelf the satyr spoke again although in a more friendly tone. “Pardon my late arrival. I was occupied with my own studies, and all my attendants are preparing for the examination for the academy, ” he took a breath, “much like yourself I presume?” Lasutro subconsciously let an expression of shock slip, but before she could say anything the satyr continued, “Ahhh, no need to worry about how I know, you will figure out how with time if you follow the path you are on now. Never mind all that. Follow me, I have some things that may prove to be useful for your own preparations, of course it will not be free but I think you will agree it will be worth the coin.”
Lasutro followed quietly behind him into a surprisingly spacious and well lit tea room that despite clearly being inside the building, appeared as if in a particularly unkept garden that paired perfectly with the decor of the table as well as the chairs. Just as she opened their mouth to comment she was interrupted once again by the individual she was now certain was Mayr. “Come, come sit,I will fetch us some tea and some useful items for you to ponder, I will not be gone for more than a couple minutes, so just relax.” Mayr said, pulling out the chair for them and waiting until she sat down to exit the strange room through one of the halls that intersected it.
There she sat, resisting the urge to follow Mayr and instead pondering questions to ask them, coming up with only a couple questions for Mayr outside those she already had directly related to the Academy’s upcoming examination. While Lasutro waited,their thoughts and questions forming in their mind, preparing the best ways to word them, she idly studied the structure and design of the tea room around them. Just as boredom began to over take their anxious anticipation Mayr returned, carrying a large stack of books and an ornate box in one arm, in the other an elegant teapot marked by delicate design depicting a fantastical field of flowers all in a beautiful and deep cobalt blue.
Mayr took the seat across from Lasutro as he swiftly and softly set down all the objects previously in his arms upon the table in a single motion. Then, in similarly swift motion, Mayr performed a simple gesture to one of the apparent walls and pulled a pair of teacups from it, through the air, both of which wore a similar design to the teapot that now rested upon the table, from behind what Lasutro now understood to be an illusion. Yet if not for the movement of the cups through the wall to the table in front of them Lasutro was sure of its solidity. As she spiraled with questions of their perception, Mayr calmly poured them a cup of tea before he pulled them from their spiral by drawing their focus away from the illusion with his voice, speaking in a more exaggerated tone then he had previously and even more jolly, “Before I ask my questions to best help you in your efforts to pass the Academy’s examination, I simply must introduce myself, I am Mayr the Mage, my surname is of no import for you so you may simply call me Mayr or if you are feeling particularly kind Sir. Mayr. Now to business.” Gesturing appropriately as he projected his words, clasping and rubbing his hands together as he finished speaking.
And so Mayr began asking his questions which amounted to what kind of spells, if any, can you cast at will, what would you say is your most powerful or most draining spell and a variety of other questions. Although their conversation started particularly onesidely, it gradually shifted to be more balanced as Lasutro became more comfortable speaking with Mayr. As the conversation went on and Lasutro answered Mayr’s questions, he started to set aside particular books, sometimes returning them to the stack he initially placed on the table after particular questions from Lasutro; most often when they made inquiries about the contents of the Academy’s examination. Eventually, after an hour or so, the pair’s conversation came to an end, finishing with a short discussion of payment for the several books and the simple spell scroll Lasutro had been convinced to purchase in addition to the books.
Following their payment to Mayr and return to their room in the Risen Albyon, Lasutro almost screamed in frustration of the now spent coin despite their intellectual understanding of the ultimate sum of its benefit from the great financial cost, at least relative to their spendings in the past couple weeks. After taking a moment to breathe, she piled their new books onto the table she had been using for their studying the spell deconstructions from The Life of Paydaego Freesill, before sitting down and organizing the books into a new order to suit the modifications she had started to make in their schedule. When she finished, Lasutro took to their bed and let the day’s fatigue pull them into the darkness of sleep.
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The next day, and the week following, Lasutro studied their new books. Doing so every moment they could, even on their way to and from their spot on the beach where she practiced the more damaging spells. She worked through the books finding their studying of them more relaxing than reading had been before for them,the act feeling almost meditative. To further alleviate their concerns about the examination, even as she studied the books and concepts Mayr had recommended, Lasutro paid the very same inn attendant who had offered to look into their inquiries previously, to do so, specifically on the topics she was to be tested on for the Academy’s examination. For which she received a positive confirmation that eased an unfamiliar paranoia that Lasutro hadn’t even realized the presence of. With that she continued their studies right up until the day before the examination, taking the day to half relax, and half for a light refresher of their now worn books, then taking to bed early in preparation for the next day.