Tansen was a late 20's man with the sharp brown eyes and protruding cheek bones of his homeland. But what made him really stand out from the locals was his ridge between his eyebrows which went from the bridge of his nose to the near top of his forehead. It was a special organ developed through long forgotten means that allowed him to hold a cache of mana and use it at will.
His dress also showed a clear distinction from the locals. It was a kimono with flares of sapphire jewels stitched into shining blue waves against the black outer coat, which made it hard to see just where his shoulder length dark hair was. Considering the fact he was the head of one of the most prestigious academy's on the whole continent, such an expense was insignificant.
The room had a surprisingly bare thing. The floors were simple wood with the walls being painted in alternating colors of blue and white. The only furniture being his oak desk and leather chair. A standout feature, or its lack of one, was that the room had no window. Tansen considered such an indulgence a needless security risk. Scenic views be damned, as the headmaster of the top academy in Palantia his secrets and security were paramount.
"So a painfully stereotypical red head with a fire element, a more level headed younger brother with a dual fire and wind element, and a grown child trying cover up his insecurities by pushing the fact he is a new family scion with an earth element. That is quite a list this year" Tansen said looking over the report. Naturally, he didn't trust the families to be honest in their assessment of their own children. So he had a considerable network of butlers, maids and former students to verify,... not spy, verify the claims of the children's talent and also give some bare bone personality descriptions. No one had been dumb enough to actually lie about their children's tier of talent yet but the peace of mind was well worth it. Also the psych evaluations helped him avoid some personality conflicts in the past.
"So many boys this year, I'd say we have 3 scions in this academy now". Tansen rubbed his goatee happily. Most academies had no scions to speak of, with a few of the stronger ones having a single scion but when you were the best of the best you tended to attract the best.
"Spirits help us, our mailbox is overflowing with letters from families demanding their daughters be the first into their beds. Not to mention the staff have been finding bits of rope and gear to scale the walls into their rooms. That's discarding the possibility that some of the female staff were in on the scheme in the first place." His assistant Aki said. He was a late 40's gentleman with the same racial features as the headmaster. He had been assigned as Tansen's servant, guard, adviser and unusually, had become his friend. His long gray mustache moved slightly as it brushed against his cheeks. Aki was a skinny bald man with a slightly longer beard than Tansen's only chin length facial hair. His brown eyes barely peaking out past his bushy eyebrows.
"Ah yes, well it's not like it was an unforeseen occurrence. All the needed preparations are in place, or at least Agatha will make sure they are." Tansen said, thinking back to the chaos the followed him when he was the new scion at the imperial academy, that constant sea of feminine flesh and ecstasy that demanded his energy where ever he went and still followed him to this day. The amount of children he sired since his 14th birthday was without count considering his seed covers two continents.
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But it seems the universe is not without a sense of innate justice and has paid him back two fold, maybe even three. It isn't well established if a dual element caster can match up against a scion. The old headmaster who had to deal with the mayhem of Tansen's early years now seems to have been dealt an easy hand compared to what Tansen is being forced to deal with.
"Head master, a letter has just arrived. It's was from an elven courier." A messenger boy half yelled as he forced the door open and ran in.
Both the men's eyes shot up. Elves usually considered themselves far above the petty affairs of humans.When they did deign to talk to them it was never simple and always had great peril as an implicit condition of the arrangement. But it was also a source of tremendous opportunity, if you could stomach the risk. More than one dynasty could trace its origins to the gains of such ventures. As could some of the gravestones in cemeteries scattered throughout the world.
"Good lad, send the kid down to the kitchen for a desert" Tansen said to a guard dressed in knights armor with the white and blue livery of the Diamond academy by the doorway. He then leaned over and took up the fine paper envelope with the tell tale leaf embroidery of the elves, as the kid skipped merrily to his sugary treat.
'Tansen of the far shores,
One of my sons, Dior, is working on a mission near your area. While the nature of the mission is of a very personal manner, any requested assistance you could offer us in this endeavor would be greatly appreciated and of course, equally well compensated
From,
Lord Dilfen,
Aeson '
Tansen leaned back, a thousand different horrors behind these pretty words crept into his mind. But he had not gotten to where he is by not taking chances, these kind of chances were something else entirely though. A cough interrupted his train of thought.
Aki was looking at him expectantly, with a mix of dread and greed playing across his features.
"It was from a lord Dilfen and a lord Aeson." Tansen said musing over the oddness of the letter's composition. He handed the paper over to his trusted aid.
Aki looked it over quickly. "Ah Dilfen is a rough equivalent to a duke in elvish terms. So his proper name is Aeson. Just Aeson, elves don't have the same structure of last names like us....well like most humans" he added quickly, noting the hints of sourness etching their way into Tansen's face.
"Well anyway, this letter doesn't have a return address so I guess he is assuming our agreement is without question." Aki said, a note of bitterness in his voice.
Tansen was similarly annoyed but their well honed dynamic demanded he now be the reasonable one. "It's fine. What would this elf need?"
"We better be too ready rather than too unprepared. Troops, supplies both magical and for long expeditions, crafts. He may very well take us near the dwarves for all we know." AKi said.
"I will defer to your experience in this matter. But the new scions aren't the only problems, I always marvel at how these semesters get harder and harder no matter how many issues we manage to solve". Tansen said to Aki as much as he said it too himself. The older man then gave a light bow and headed out the room to get the preparations in order.