The Second Tower pierced the sky, the top obscured by the clouds. Amie came in with the crowd. She grew up in the city and the sight of the tower still gave her a sense of awe. In the back of her mind she knew that the tower also burrowed down through the rock of the into the cavern below. The line moved slow as the entry clerks stamped papers and gave a variety of directions. She held her tome tightly to her chest with both arms. It took a while to get to the clerk. When she finally arrived at the window, the clerk looked at her with the well practiced face of someone who dealt with the public frequently.

“Pass?” the clerk asked.

Amie fumbled with her tome a moment, pulling a long paper from the back of the book. The clerk watched with a neutral expression as he tapped his foot below the counter. She spun the paper on the surface of the counter and slid it into the slot cut into the window. The clerk’s eyebrows rose.

“Oh, scholarship, congratulations!” he said as he pulled a stamp from a drawer.

With a practiced motion he dipped it in the shimmering ink and stamped the pass. The expected glowing seal didn’t shine.

“What does that mean?” asked Amie asked the puzzled clerk.

“Ah, Right, I need to check for reassignment” The clerk said hopping out of his chair.

Amie nodded. She was glad she arrived early. Entering the tower had always been a bit of an ordeal. It was always busy. The crowds were there for accessing some of the millions of books or artifacts. Commoners sometimes also worked inside with either shops or restaurants between floors. She could feel the man behind her boring into her with his hateful gaze, fueled by inconvenience. She shrunk into herself grasping at her book. Having someone waiting behind in line was the worst. Just as she was ready to fall to the floor and allow the crowd trample her to death, the clerk returned.

“Found it,” he said, “You’re assigned volunteer crypt 50-17c”

“Why?” she asked, “I’m not a death attuned mage.”

“It seems as though your class had been canceled indefinitely and your apprenticeship had been transfered.”

“What happened to Master Errington?”

The clerk winced, “I don’t have any information on that.”

“Do you know who my master is now?” Amie asked.

“It’s Grand Master Sugg,” the clerk said with an apologetic look.

“Isn’t she a diviner?” asked Amie, feeling the last of her hope fade.

The clerk nodded. Amie leaned on the counter, resting her forehead in her palm. She could feel her world crashing down around her. All she wanted to was work on The Wandering River. It changed frequently, but it was still predictable. What would Amie do now? This was what she all wanted out of life. Something poked her elbow.

“Your pass, miss.” The clerk said.

Amie grabbed at the paper mechanically and tucked it into the back of her tome.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, sir.”

She heard the beginning of the conversation but it faded out as she shambled towards the closest elevator bank.

The view of the cavern was enough to snap her out of her funk. The mesa the city had been built on had been pulled from the ground though generations of plains wizards moving the rock to the surface. The city that spread out before her was fed by a multitude of underground rivers as well as The Wandering River which mostly flowed west. She could see canals traced along many of the buildings below. The artificial sun illuminated the scene before her. If she hadn’t been underground she could easily forget that it wasn’t built on the surface. She hadn’t had a need to visit the city but now that she could see it clear there was the push to explore it. The elevator stopped after a while, she left to meet her new master.

Finding the volunteer crypt was easy, thanks to the sensible naming system. She found the room open. A short gnome busied herself with sweeping the floor. Various cleaning supplies were piled against the wall. Amie knocked at the door.

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“Hello?” said Amie with uncertainty.

The gnome spun, her long white hair swirling around with her. She beamed at Amie and opened her mouth to speak. Before she uttered a word here eyes grew to the size of saucers and she pointed frantically around the room between each wild gesture she held her finger to her lips. Amie’s brow knitted together and she pointed cautiously at the cleaning supplies and spun her finger in the air in a circle. The gnome nodded frantically. Amie picked up a rag and started working with the gnome in complete silence. It took them 45 minutes to get the crypt to be as clean as the gnome wanted. Even though she had yet to study anything yet, she still felt a sense of accomplishment. When they finished both Amie and the gnome loaded the cart with the cleaning supplies. The gnome left the room last, slowly closing the door to avoid making noise.

“I take it you’re my new apprentice Amie?” the gnome asked.

The gnome’s voice was deeper than Amie expected.

“Y-yes, I just learned of the change today.” Amie said.

“Well, it was just as much a surprise to me as it was for you I suppose.” The gnome said, “As long as we’re working together, you can call me Mirabelle.”

Mirabelle gestured for Amie to follow then added, “Follow me with the cart, please.”

“Do you know I was reassigned?” Amie asked while following the gnome.

“Syphilis,” she answered.

Moments passed before Amie was able to break the silence.

“What?” she asked.

“Apparently it’s progressed quite far.”

“Master Aloeus?” asked Amie.

Mirabelle didn’t answer.

“He’s over eighty,” stated Amie, “I guess you never know people.”

Mirabelle’s face started to grow red. Amie hadn’t noticed as she found herself muddled with thought. A dam burst and Mirabelle laughed hard, clutching her stomach. Her teeth flashed as she found herself in a fit. They had to pause in the hallway as the gnome tried to calm herself.

“The- the look!” laughed Mirabelle as she wiped the tears from her eyes with her fingers.

It took a while before Mirabelle was able to form a coherent sentence.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” she said, “I’m sure you have other questions for me, beyond your former master’s habits?”

Mirabelle giggled quietly, riding the aftershocks of her laughter.

“No, offense, but why did I get assigned to divinity?” Amie asked.

Mirabelle said, “My second mastery is hydromancy.”

“Really?” asked a shocked Amie.

“It was what I studied before switching to divinity,” Mirabelle said with a note of bitterness.

“Why divinity?” asked Amie.

“Before the school became broken, I used to have a natural talent,” Mirabelle answered.

Amie was about to ask another question before Mirabelle interrupted.

“Right here,” she said before sprinting to the door.

They pushed the cart into the closet and Mirabelle lead Amie into her office.

“This’ll be your home from home. I don’t have any students, so you’ll get my undivided attention.”

Amie glanced about. The space was filthy. Dust and cobwebs covered just about every surface, not counting Mirabelle’s desk. A chair scraped along the tiled floor as Mirabelle pushed it in front of the desk.

“Have a seat Amie.”

Amie sat down while the gnome scurried to her side of the desk and struggled to get on her chair, attempting to get eye contact with her student. When Mirabelle was comfortably seated Amie was the first to speak.

“I didn’t want to be a hydromancer. I’ve always wanted to be a water elementalist.”

“That’s a lofty goal.”

“I have the capacity.”

“Do you have the aptitude?” Mirabelle asked.

“I do, for learning.”

Mirabelle laughed, “I think everyone admitted to the tower has the aptitude for learning to a certain degree.”

She paused a moment to drum her fingers on the table.

“What makes you want to be an elementalist?”

Amie blushed and sank into her seat.

“Don’t shy away from it, Elementalist are bold!”

Amie muttered something. Mirabelle pointed her ear toward Amie, cupping her hand behind it.

“I’m sorry, what was that? You’ll have to speak up.”

“I want to tame The Wandering River.” Amie said quietly.

“There we go,” Mirabelle said, “I want you to focus on that.”

Amie nodded. Mirabelle hopped off her chair.

“Give me a moment. I have to give you something important.”

There was an odd sound. Amie could hear the sound of multiple objects being shoved around in the desk. Was it rocks?

“Don’t drop this,” Mirabelle said a second after tossing a black stone to Amie.

Amie scrambled to catch the stone, inadvertently kicking it from one hand to the other. After she worked through the surprise she finally managed to catch it in one hand. Amie looked down. The black stone started to glow with a faint blue light.

“Keep focused on it,” said Mirabelle.

Light blue halos formed above the rock in her hand.

“Good, you weren’t lying about the capacity.”

Mirabelle clapped her hands together. Catching her cue, Amie tossed the small black stone back to Mirabelle. It hadn’t been a good throw, but Mirabelle managed to snatch it with little effort while leaning forward. She dropped it into the a drawer without looking.

“Right now I’m trying to formulate a lesson plan for you,” Mirabelle said.

She paced around the dusty office a few times.

“What kind of testing did Aloeus give you before?”

“I’m not really sure,” Said Amie.

“Did he at least run you through an agility course?”

Amie shook her head.

“I thought that was the case. The old coot probably doesn’t see the importance of a mage increasing their mobility.”

“He did take me through three of the targeting courses.”

“That’s not too bad.” Mirabelle nodded.

Mirabelle handed a coin to Amie.

“It’s getting late. Find a place in the cavern, and I’ll want to see you here bright and early in the morning.”

Amie nodded. They chatted for a little longer, before Amie went to find lodging.