Which while Lasutro was familiar enough with the basics of, she found Together with Henry, the pair made their way to their classes saying their goodbyes as they went their separate ways. Soon after which Lasutro found themselves once again in the eerily familiar corridor, the tall windows and the large doors leading in and out. While she had passed the day before, she couldn’t help but notice their growing unease at the larger shadows that clung to the walls and roof of the hall. Though she tried to shake it off while knowing that somewhere in their mind was the answer to the origin of the feeling. Instead of letting their thoughts move toward the memories that might ease their anxiety, Lasutro made their way into their first class and after taking a seat immersed themselves in the text she had been required to buy for the class as they waited for the professor.
As soon as the older human professor entered the room the light chatter that previously filled the room came to a gradual stop, though Lasutro got the impression the class wouldn’t be slow to fall silent next time. After the class had reached a complete silence the professor broke it following a quick examination of each student, “I am the Mage Sunakra, however you are to address me as Professor Sunakra, I shall be instructing you in both the practical and theoretical fundamentals of Arcane casting, as such unlike some of your classes which will end before the year is over I shall be teaching you multiple times a week until next year.”
“Now, tomorrow we shall be discussing much from Kyrten’s Fundamentals first hundred pages, the contents of which I shall largely cover in this lecture, though through my own understanding of the fundamental elements in arcane spell casting.”
Over the hour that followed Professor Sunakra, despite her serious tone and generally sour expression, gave a detailed and passionate lecture on elements of arcane casting. Most of which Lasutro was able to follow along with, however occasionally she found themselves making notes to themselves to ask about after class or to research. When the Professor’s lecture came to its end and she dismissed the class, she was quickly swarmed by the more confident members of the class who began to assail her with questions that varied in degrees of cleverness. The answers to some of which answered Lasutro’s own questions to the Professor, however just before Lasutro could make their own inquiries, she recalled the schedule for their next class and made their quick exit from the class. The distraction of the time until their next class beyond sufficient to keep at bay their thoughts of the oddly familiar hallway as Lasutro rushed out of the building.
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Lasutro arrived at one of their few classes that shared a classroom, with burning lungs,a painful reminder of why she had been trying to make a habit of running. And while Lasutro only had a vague idea as to the reason, their speculation solidified after she walked in and caught sight of both the great variety of plants and the older human mage who tended to them with care. Even as their fellow classmates entered the man Lasutro had begun to suspect was their professor for the class that had been labeled on their schedule as Understanding the Viridisarret affinity. Which Lasutro assumed to be the formal name for the affinity for green mana due to the fact it shared a room with a class known as The Study of Plants with Magical Properties.
By the time Lasutro breathing had finally settled, their eagerness for the class to begin started to negatively impact their mood as the mage she believed to be the class’s professor remained focused on his plants. Just as the impulse to voice their growing impatience entered their mind the mage turned their attention to the class that stood in awkward groupings due to the lack of empty furniture, and the loose earth that replaced the tiles that filled the halls of the building. After a moment of careful study of the entirety of the class by the mage who obviously was the class’s professor, his face turned from gentle curiosity into one of deep contemplation.
When his face relaxed into the soft smile that it clearly so often did, he began to make peculiar hand gestures towards the class and speak in a tongue that sounded not unlike elven. Although Lasutro caught the vague meaning of the words, the words themselves seemed to slip from their mind as she tried to recall them. Before she could put into words their own confusion, she heard a few gasps behind them, revealing a series of tables, chairs and benches weaved perfectly among the various students including Laustro.
After taking their seat Lasutro like many of their fellow students,she looked more deliberately at the new furniture which quickly revealed its intricate construction, something that easily applied to the solid stone furniture, but more so to the wicker like pieces that literally had grown from the floor. As Lasutro marveled both at the rough beauty of the newly created furniture and the perceived complexity of the spell, the professor introduced himself properly leaning over his own bramble desk as he did so.
“Greetings class, I am Mage Zuumen Muyrav, however I ask you simply address me as Professor Zuumen. Now let us begin with the simplest part of the Viridisarret affinity. What are the types of mana that this affinity is associated with,” He paused in anticipation of an answer being called out by the class, at which point several individuals yelled out in rapid succession “Green!” and “Brown!” He nodded in response “Yes, exactly, and as you can you see I have demonstrated one aspect of the duality both mana types, which is what we will be focusing on until you all have gained a sufficient practical understanding of each, and in the case of those of you who only have an affinity with half of what has been defined as the Viridisarret affinity just the one you have a affinity for. ”
The Professor continued his lecture consistently calling out to the class to answers to simplistically phrased questions to varied success, as he explained the nature of mana types, which at first felt unnecessary but eventually it became clear he was gradually moving to an explanation of differentiating attuned mana and unattuned mana. From there he transitioned into the current accepted understanding among arcane mages as to how mana became attuned and eventually into a more specific description as it related to green and brown mana. Despite the fact that most of the information Lasutro learned felt self explanatory Zuumen skillfully presented it in a manner that allowed the lecture to be informative and far more entertaining then it had any right to be. As the Professor began wrapping up the more information dense portion of the class, he gave the class a rough idea of what they would be working on over the next few classes, which was to be learning to sense specifically brown and green attuned mana. When he finally finished, he pulled a pocket watch from his robes and after checking it, apologized for the short class before dismissing the class and taking his leave.
Though Lasutro and some of their fellow classmates were disappointed in the shorter first class, most took their leave not long after Professor Zummen, with most heading in the direction of the citadel. When Lasutro got over their disappointment she did the same, having no time to head into the city for a meal. There in the main hall of the citadel its various conversations reverberated against the walls, Lasutro quickly found one of the few less crowded areas, and not long after was served what seemed to be a generic platter of roasted poultry, assorted vegetables and a small piece of bread.
After finishing their meal, Lasutro made their way leisurely to their next class, skimming the book she had brought with them for the little free time she believed to have in between their classes. By the time she reached the class she had returned their book to it place in their bag, and although the she was rather early, in part thanks to Professors Zummen ending his class early, she stepped into the room almost immediately catching sight of a rather youthful individual,at least in appearance, sat at a large desk cluttered with stacks of books. Among which Lasutro spotted a small platter of grapes, placed perfectly for the man who lounged behind the desk as they flipped through a thick tome.
Behind the crowded desk, dressed in the similar robes to the other professors Lasutro had seen, though with far less visible seams, the man quickly brought his well shined leather boots down from off the desk and gently closed his book as he got a better look at Lasutro and she, him. Though the man’s face appeared to be that of a human man in his mid thirties, the series of aquamarine scar-like lines that spread and fractured from around his eyes before fading into their dark, honey brown hair which hinted at his peculiar bloodline. More than the obvious oddity of his ivory white eyes, there was a wisdom behind them if hidden by the casual demeanor the man held.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“If you’re here for my class, don't just stand there, take a seat while you wait.” he said as he returned his somewhat ostentatious boots onto his desk and their focus on the book he just shut. Although Lasutro was momentarily taken aback by the reaction of their supposed professor, due to their own misconceptions on what the general attitude of the professors of the Academy was, she quickly regained the little composure she had lost and quickly took one of the closest seats. There she quietly removed one of the several books she had been required to purchase that seemed to be relevant to the assumed subject matter of the class and began meticulously going through the text. A task she continued even as their fellow classmates took their own seats, only closing the tome when the casual chatter of the room came to an end.
After once again removing his boots from their spot on his desk and onto the hard floor, the professor pulled himself from his leisurely posture revealing the clear oddity that was his height or rather the length of his limbs. Far from just being a lanky individual, both the professor’s arms and his legs did not match the proper proportions of any humanoid Lasutro had met or even read about with perhaps the exception of the few nameless horrors in some of the more fictional stories she had read. The sight of which brought forth several audible gasps, that were silenced with a simple glance of the professor, who stared at the entirety of the class until the quiet understanding was made to remain in the almost deafening silence that had filled the room.
Following which he properly introduced himself. “Greetings class, This is Historical Mages & Magocracies, I shall be your guide and teacher in this study of history. I am Atyretear Zuulpmae.” he lowered his head to Lasutro, and the rest of the class to give an elegant but exaggerated bow before continuing his speech “And the first subject of this class will be on the respective founders of various mage towers and even the founder of our empire.”
As the speech went on it quickly shifted from a simple explanation of the texts they were expected to read over the next few weeks, and his own expectations of them, to a brief lecture on the founder of the Academy or rather the institute that formed the first bones of what became the Academy. A lecture that smoothly transitioned to the separate but tangentially related topic of the founder of the Styriacus Tower and its influence on various kingdoms and the arcane arts in both past and present, which lasted until the class was finally dismissed. At which point Atyretear returned to his lounging position at his desk, ignoring the several pleading looks for additional conversation from students, in favor of reading one of the many books scattered on his desk.
Soon after Atyretear dismissed their class, Lasutro finished a brief review of the notes she had taken during Atyretear’s lecture and quickly began making their way to their second to last class for the day: Planar Studies. Despite being just a few buildings away, the Planar Studies classroom was within one of the many signature towers that were built into almost every building in the Academy. As a result when Lasutro reached the classroom she was once again reminded of why she had started to make a habit of running.
Beyond the entrance to the classroom for Planar Studies was not unlike the others Lasutro had seen, at least in terms of furnishing with the exception being the several large telescope like devices one of which was clearly modified to remain in a particular position, largely obscuring the window it pointed out from. After taking a brief moment to search for a space to sit, Lasutro quickly took a seat and waited among the rest of the class for the professor to begin.
Unlike the other professors that Lasutro had just interacted with over the previous hours of their day, the professor for Planar Studies was adorned in a far more casual type of dress instead of the mage robes the other professors wore. As if to act as a replacement for the robes, the cloak that she donned was marked with a small patch of the Academy’s symbol. Besides the obvious difference in dress, the professor’s streaks of gray hair were colored with ash as were parts of her face. Dark smudges which marked most of her outfit, but didn’t seem to bother her.
After several minutes of quiet chatter among the class,when the middle aged half orc professor finished making a page or two of notes and setting it aside along with the variety of other papers that filled their desk, she turned her attention to the class.
“Welcome to Planar Studies. I’m Kasus Murtomult and I shall be your guide for what will mostly be a theoretical exploration of the various planes.” she began, the hoarseness to her voice almost comforting, as she began her lecture on the various known planes of existence and the leading understanding of their relation “physically” to the material plane.
Throughout her lecture she would occasionally create large illusions illustrating specific ideas or things and even hand out several different planar models. When she finished she once again took a seat at her desk where she was quickly swarmed by several students who began pestering her with questions she answered with varying levels of enthusiasm even as Lasutro and the rest of class shuffled out.
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While on their way to what was to be their final class of the day, Lasutro was joined by Henry and the two discussed their separate classes even as they found their seats in the first of the pair’s shared classes. The class itself was one of the few rooms Lasutro had been hesitant to locate the previous day, in large part due to its placement deep within the bowels of the Citadel. Though the classroom held as many glowing stones as the hallways and the spiral staircase that Lasutro and Henry had taken to the dungeon-like floor the class called its home, if not more, the room seemed far darker then it should have been. And while the lack of light wasn't a particularly discomforting thing for Lasutro, she could see it bothered a good deal of their fellow classmates to varying degrees including Henry. Instead what twisted their guts was the way that all the natural shadows smoothly elongated and merged together to be indistinguishable from the others.
It wasn’t until the discomfort of what Lasutro had realized was a smaller class then their previous ones, reached its peak that she felt the chill that had quietly seeped into their bones. Just as the entirety of the class seemed ready to bolt, the deepest shadows in the corner of the room, not far from what Lasutro assumed to be the professor’s desk, coalesced into an impossibly dark wisp a little less than a meter tall and half a meter wide. A sight that created a unified gasp among the class that ended in sigh as a middle aged halfling dressed in the customary professor's robes emerged from inky darkness with a warm smile that didn’t suit the chilling sight of her magic.
“Ah hello class, I apologize for my tardiness this afternoon, an old student of mine visited me unexpectedly and I became a tad to inraptured by our conversation” The halfling explained after a small bow. “I see you have all been acquainted with the main function of this room’s design…” The Professor paused for a moment and did as almost all Lasutro’s other professors had done and performed a quick visual inspection of the class before continuing, “Given your placement in this class I thought it would be appropriate to safely introduce you properly to both blue and black attuned mana. Furthermore I hoped this would act as a warning to you that while strong affinity to particular types of mana is helpful it doesn’t make you immune to the variety of effects they can have, here or on any other plane of existence for that matter.”
Immediately after the last word left the Professor’s lips, Lasutro just barely caught the series of hand movements, gestures, and the muttered words that followed, all of which were largely incomprehensible to them. When the Professor finished, the grand coalesced shadow and the bone chilling sensation it brought with it faded away as if it was but a dream. With its disappearance the various stones that had previously poorly illuminated the class, did so with an enhanced vigor.
“Ah I haven’t properly introduced myself, I am the Mage Rosalyn Nightcreek. I look forward to educating you on the nature of both the Geluruk affinity and the mana types that form it. Now let us begin with the most basic definitions and properties of blue and black attuned mana.” The Professor continued, often performing simple demonstrations of her magic when appropriate, and even engaging the whole class in conversation to push Lasutro, Henry and their fellow classmates to not simply memorize the material of her lecture but ponder the information’s place within the entirety of their own personal knowledge.
While almost all of the content was new to Lasutro, she found bits and pieces of Professor Nightcreek’s lecture to be different, but no less insightful, descriptions of the same concepts she had previously heard during their class with Professor Zuumen. When the class ended, Professor Nightcreek engaged in conversation with a few of Lasutro’s fellow students, though the smaller group tempted Lasutro to inquire on the few questions she had specifically for Professor Nightcreek, she chose to head to the Citadel’s library, along with Henry to do some review of their notes and their own research.
It wasn’t long into the first hour of evening, that the pair roommates, ended their studies in the library, and alongside a multitude of students ate a hearty if simplistic dinner in the main hall of the Citadel. During which they further discussed their classes, some of their personal studies and even some more casual conversation. Which, Lasutro enjoyed, even if it often amounted to Henry telling them some of the more comical stories of his life and Lasutro reacting with chuckle due to either the stupidity of some aspect of the story or just difference in the pair’s life experiences. After the two finished dinner, they took their time returning to Gallina House, enjoying the moonlight, the cool sea wind on their face and the calming concerto of creatures of the night. An experience which elegantly inked the memory of their first day of classes at the Academy, into their minds.
When the pair finally arrived outside Gallina House Lasutro stopped for a moment and once again looked up to the sky, the stars, and the moons. As she did she found themselves imagining the writhing red, the pulsating amethyst and silver haloed black moons over their real life counterparts. Spurring a momentary thought that brought forth the memory of a dark wispy figure standing quietly in a dark corner of a familiar hall, and then another after Lasutro had taken their first steps back inside their room. A memory of a comfort she had briefly felt come over them as she hid ineffectively in a tree from the Judge. The thought of which brought Lasutro the long awaited answer to a question she had nearly forgotten, putting a small grin on their face as she drifted to sleep.