Rude as whoever it was outside sounded, the voice had a point. I couldn’t exactly go around hogging the Attribute Chamber for myself. Professor Izithy hadn’t ntioned anything about ti limits or that anyone was waiting for to be done, and I also had trouble believing she was allowing soone to be so disrespectful.
Which suggested she wasn’t out there waiting for , if she had been to begin with.
I put aside my euphoria at gaining a new Attribute and got up. For a second, I recalled I hadn’t asked how I was supposed to get out.
The loud knocks were still insistent, and I was annoyed enough that I considered just staying put. Bastard outside had zero patience. I sighed, then walked over and simply pushed the door. It started opening outwards, surprisingly fast, but then thudded against an obstacle.
“Ow!” the voice from earlier muttered. It was a lot louder now that there was an opening. “How dare you hit , you Pits-blasted mud-drinker!”
I continued pushing the door back. There was a bit of resistance at first, probably from whatever idiot had gotten hit, but it soon gave way. “I didn’t hit you. You were just in the way.”
“Insolent! You will pay for your transgressions.”
I finally stepped outside to take a look at who was causing the ruckus. It wasn’t just one. Or rather, I was being confronted by one academy student, but he had a little posse of five others to back him up like I was a dungeon monster that needed the attention of an entire party.
All of them wore familiar deep blue and white robes that I had seen before. Though, unlike the professors, they had badges on their breast pockets. So were silver, and a couple, like the Rakshasa trying to bully , had golden pins. A signifier of their rank in the Weave, maybe.
“You were right, Swadev,” another student said. He was humanoid but had the head of a deer. I had no idea deer could get arrogant expressions like that. “It’s a lowly human. Not even an academy student, at that. What were they thinking allowing trash to stain our halls?”
Swadev, the Rakshasa who had started this whole ss, sneered at . He was vaguely familiar for so reason. “Right? Look at him. He’s hardly even got any real magic.”
“What in the world is a new Attribute supposed to do for him?” asked another student, this one a Scalekin with lemon-yellow scales.
I was wondering how best to tackle this. My preferred thod of dealing with bullies was by simply calling out their reprehensible behaviour, but I couldn’t care less in this instance.
My goal here had been accomplished. I didn’t need to waste my ti on these idiots.
So, I stepped to one side. “Were you actually intending to use the Attribute Chamber or are you just here to insult ?”
“Insult you?” Swadev shook his head while holding on to that sneer of his. “Insulting the likes of you is far beneath us. I’m simply doing my duty to the academy by taking out the rubbish and clearing it off leeching pests.”
“So it was never about using the Attribute Chamber, huh?” I said. “Figures.”
“Don’t be naive. Now, since my friends here demand it, I’ll be rciful and let you go for today. But if you ever show your face at Xokrist academy again, I’ll be forced to step in and put you in your place.”
Well, if that wasn’t the most naked threat I had received so far then I wasn’t sure what was.
“I’d like to see you try,” I said.
The gaggle of students looked like I had just made their day. They exchanged knowing smiles. Apparently, I had just stepped into their trap.
“Such insolent defiance,” Swadev said. “You truly think performing so favours for the academy ans you actually belong here? Don’t kid yourself.”
“Why don’t you put your Aspects where your mouth is then,” I said. “Wait, don’t tell the only thing you’ve got is the Aspect of Running Your Fucking Mouth.”
Escalating was probably not the best thing I should be doing just then but they were really getting on my nerves.
The students continued to grin as one like I was playing right into their hands.
“Alright then,” the Rakshasa said, grinning at his comrades. “Since you’re so desperate to—”
“Hello there!”
We all turned to see Professor Izithy approaching, her cane tapping on the balcony tiles. She was smiling at us all in a way that promised she knew exactly what was going on here.
“Swadev!” she said, still with that smile intact. “You’re early! You aren’t supposed to be here for another half hour at the earliest.” Her eyes turned sharper. “Don’t tell it was you who put Professor Adivanth up to the poor task of distracting with inanities.”
“I don’t know what you an, Professor,” Swadev said, with the sa kind of smile Izithy was using. “I haven’t spoken with Adivanth in ages. I do hope he’s well.”
“Is that right? Well then, if you’ll excuse .” Izithy turned to . Now her smile looked actually warm. “I must speak with the mage who unearthed the Nether Vein.”
That made all the students freeze. I almost wanted to laugh at the way their eyes widened as Professor Izithy approached . If they hadn’t been a bunch of reprehensible assholes, seeing them instantly recalculating their initial impressions of would have been very satisfying.
“I trust everything went well, Mage Moreland,” Izithy said. “Got your new Attribute?”
I nodded. “Yeah, Thauma is all mine.”
“Most excellent.”
I lingered for a mont. My business at the academy was done. But I figured that since I was already here, I might as well make the most of the opportunity and ask about things like my new Attribute, maybe about new Affixes and Augntations.
Before I could do so, Swadev and his posse were stepping up once again. His eyes raked over once more with distaste before settling on Professor Izithy with a asure more respect.
“I can’t allow that just yet, Professor,” he said. “Did you know that this mage here challenged to a duel?”
Izithy looked at with a questioning glance, though my attention was focused on the Rakshasa. What ga was he playing at here? Even after learning that I probably wasn’t the best person to ss with—not for him, at least—he was still pushing things.
He was still insisting on trying to prove that I was his inferior. This guy wasn’t just a jerk, he was delusional. I had noted that he hadn’t even bothered to use the other professor’s title.
“I did,” I said. There was no point in explaining that I had only responded in kind to their aggressive harassnt. It would just be an impasse of my words against that of half a dozen students.
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“You see! To think that he’d actually go and—”
“But it doesn’t matter.”
Another interruption, and this ti, even I was surprised at the person walking in. Ascelkos strode over like he owned the place, his arrogance rivalling all of the snooty students’ combined pride at once.
“Mage Moreland here isn’t an official student of the academy.” He grinned at , his face rippling like a reflection on a pond. “Academy students are prohibited from engaging in any sort of altercation or combat with anyone not a part of the academy. Those were rather strict rules from what I rember!”
“What in the world are you doing here?” Swadev asked, looking mightily annoyed.
For once, I was actually on the evil students’ side. “Yeah Ascelkos, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, right.” He laughed a little. “Sorry Ross, I forgot to ntion that I joined the academy recently. It’s been quite enlightening! A very different sort of learning experience from the Mage Guild's more… professional-mindedness.”
Izithy’s cane click-tapping on the floor dragged all our attention back towards her. “Well, Mage Ivarios has clarified where we all stand with regards to the academy. I suggest if anyone continues to have any further problems, it’s best to learn to let it go.”
Jerkwad Rakshasa scowled at severely, but I decided against taking offence at that.
“I better hear no further issues on this matter,” Izithy said with a warning tone. Then she turned to . “And I hope we can continue to work together when we are both less pressed with current matters, Mage Moreland. Farewell, for now.”
Izithy then left with the surety of soone who knew things behind her were more or less settled. She had said to cause no trouble, and no trouble would be caused here.
Though, that didn’t an the academy bullies were willing to drop things entirely.
The Rakshasa stepped closer, though not in a threatening way. Instead, he had an air of condescension about him. He looked at like he was looking at stale milk. “I don’t need to beat you to prove anything. After all, in ti, I’m just going to own you.”
The realization of why he was looking familiar made forget to respond. This bastard was a Brasvay. Now I understood why he had been so antagonistic towards from the very beginning.
I was about to open my mouth to reply, but Ascelkos stepped up with a shake of his head.
Let it go, Izithy had said.
With parting sneers, the Rakshasa and his posse finally parted. They made sure to shoot Ascelkos a glare before leaving too.
“Aren’t you glad I showed up in ti?” Ascelkos asked with a big smile.
I regarded him coolly. “Not sure you really made much of a difference.” Then I smiled too. “But I appreciated it all the sa.”
“That’s good because I was about to be rather cross,” he said with a laugh.
Ascelkos explained how he had joined the academy to further his education about his Aspect and so on. Apparently, he had no trouble bankrolling his tuition and other fees. The Anymphea weren’t lacking funds, which partly explained why they thought they belonged in Ring Two.
The real reason Ascelkos had co here, though, was because he wanted to discuss the issue of the remainder of the Anymphea settling in Ring Four.
“We can go visit the residences right now,” I said. “To see how it’s coming along.”
“Yes! I’d enjoy that.” His expression turned montarily grim. “Not long now.”
Not long now till the Blight Swarm. We would need to finish our preparations as fast as we could.
Before we left the academy, I t up Professor Izithy one last ti. I knew she didn’t want to deal with any further, not on that day at least, after I had already taken up a decent chunk of her ti. But there was one important bit I wanted to discuss before I took off.
I thought I was going to get lost in the huge academy, but it turned out Ascelkos had discovered a little trick for that in just the one day he had been here.
“See here,” he said, stepping up to one of the living suits of armour. He cleared his throat and addressed the walking tin can. “Ho, dear suit of armour, would you be so kind as to guide us to the office of one Professor Izithy?”
With a clanking stomp, the suit of armour smartly saluted Ascelkos and . The sa fist to chest and short bow I had seen every so often. Then he led us away. We only had to follow for less than five minutes before we arrived at an office door on the sa floor. I was just impressed at how big this place was. Definitely would have gotten lost on my own.
“Mage Moreland,” Izithy said. “And Mage Ivarios. Any issues?”
I shook my head. “Sorry for bothering you again, Professor, but I had a small query if you had a bit of ti.”
She settled back on her strangely curved chair. I wondered if Scalekin had a certain style of furniture they preferred for their sinuous bodies. “What is the matter?”
“I was wondering what the process behind enrolling in the academy is. Not for , but for soone I know. I’d like her to study here because she can learn a lot about her Path and Aspect.”
“Hmm. She would require a recomndation and would need to pass an evaluation test. We take students in batches, you understand, so she’d have to wait two more months until the next intake occurs. It’s unfortunate that we just had an intake, although that might be for the best.” Izithy steepled her hands before her. “I will confess, the evaluation is rigorous. Certain families prepare their children exhaustively to ensure they pass.”
I looked at Ascelkos. “I think I can get so help with that.” Ascelkos answered with a smile of confirmation. Then I turned back to the professor. “Although, I’ll gladly accept any guidance you can spare, Professor.”
Izithy nodded. “I can send you so information through a Pipe Missive if you leave your na.”
I recognized a dismissal when I heard one. So I did as she directed and put my na down on Professor Izithy’s Pipe Missive. Then, after thanking her, I left her office with Ascelkos in tow.
“Suitable?” I asked after we went to Ring Four later that day and showed Ascelkos all the preparations we were making, for both the residences of the Anymphea and the defences against the insect invasion.
Of course, neither was imnsely impressive. We didn’t have enormous catapults that the Councillors were putting on the city walls, nor did we have a battalion of ard guards patrolling every street and corner.
That said, we were doing what we could with what we were given. There were braziers set up that would be flaming and smoking to ward off the bugs. Stashes of weapons and so armour as well had been secured at regular intervals. No guards, sure, but we had our own facsimile of them already performing and practicing drills and mock defence scenarios as needed.
Several of them recognized and greeted , even from afar. I waved back at them. Though, Ascelkos always gained the most attention.
He was inspecting things a little critically, but not in a disapproving way. “I think there’s room for improvent. Do you agree, Thyrethena?”
The older woman that Ascelkos had said would essentially function as the leader of the Anymphea staying in Ring Four scrutinized everything carefully. “I agree, my lord.” The droopy leaves on the branches she had for hair were threatening to fall off. “But the fact remains that this is better than I expected. I appreciate the effort these humans have gone to.”
“Thanks,” I said. I was grateful they recognized that, limited or not, we were sincere. “But improved how?”
“The Anymphea have fought the Blight Swarm before,” Ascelkos said. “We’ve developed so tricks that make tackling them a great deal easier. I’ll show you.”
I laughed a little. “Ah, right. I thought you said we had room for improvent for the residences themselves, and I really wasn’t sure how to bring up that we probably don’t have ti for anything fancy.”
Ascelkos tutted and waved his hand dismissively. “No, nothing of the sort. The construction you’ve perford is adequate. Not ideal for living, but it doesn’t need to be.”
Thyrethena nodded. “So long as they’re strong and can house our people with a modicum of comfort, then I can’t complain.”
“Well, we did use the sa construction company that you guys did.”
I had just called in the favour the foreman owed after I had impressed him back on Ring Two.
“Unfortunately, construction companies are not the best at assisting with defensive asures.” Ascelkos paused, considering. “In fact, I’ll bring in so of the others and we can go over it together. That way, we can have both sides showing off how they can be mutually beneficial.”
Right. We’d be displaying the residences while the Anymphea could enlighten us with their insect-combatting skills.
It was getting late in the day, but I didn’t mind waiting. By the ti Ascelkos arrived with his party of battle-hardened Anymphea, I had my own little gathering of Scarthralls behind .
The Anymphea were a little surprised at seeing them, but I sensed they approved of it for so reason. Maybe they were reassured that it wasn’t just humans populating Ring Four, though the truth was that the Scarthralls weren’t a far stretch from it. Whatever the case, the lessons started, and we were all eager to dive in.
We—as in, my intrepid gang of Scarthralls and I—were happy to learn about setting up lure zones to trap invading bugs, using special gear like hook-lines and nets to catch and trap them further, and, most importantly, being ruthless about cutting losses and giving up what was needed in order to ensure survival.
“If you aren’t prepared to endure a few losses,” Ascelkos warned. “Then I assure you that the Blight Swarm will make you lose everything.”
I had to concede that was an unfortunate grim reality of war. And we were at war with these invading bug monsters. Almost.
A little tired after the events of the day, I was looking forward to returning to bed and actually not Sacrificing sleep for once. But before I could reach blissful unconsciousness, Aqrea hurried up to with a panicked look.
“Cultist Ross!” she cried. “You need to see this. This—it’s—”
“Woah, calm down there.”
Before I could say or ask anything further, she was stuffing an official-looking letter into my hands. I swallowed a little and pulled out the missive before reading its contents. It said, very plainly, that the temple was going to be sold, whether we liked it or not. Lord Brasvay was going ahead with the purchase, and it was approved by the Councillors.
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