The old man who sat in a chair in his illustrious quarters was called Eldavin.<\/p>\n
Or Teriarch. But no one knew that other name. He looked like a half-Elf, although a paragon of one, almost suspiciously flawless from his height to his physique. One would suspect illusion spells, and they would be half-right.<\/p>\n
Because he was a Dragon and his body was as perfect as he chose it to be. But that was just biological magic; any good [Mage] specializing in a number of schools could look like that.<\/p>\n
He sat in his rooms, knowing it was time to teach. In the hallowed halls of Wistram Academy, a Dragon had come to educate.<\/p>\n
But before he did, he had a lesson himself. For Eldavin, Teriarch, Dragon of innumerable years and knowledge, who had outlived even his own kind, learning still happened now and then.<\/p>\n
It was rare, but it did<\/em> occur. And when it did, he at least tried to keep an open mind. What people failed to realize, the Dragon in the half-Elf\u2019s body thought as he hummed to himself, was that learning should always be enjoyable and engaging. But that was not the fault of the student unless they failed to bring at least a modicum of motivation and respect. It was the fault of the medium, the teacher.<\/p>\n Or institution. But only a fool stopped learning.<\/p>\n Right now, Eldavin was learning from the best kind of teacher for his studies. He clicked, absently, displaying a level of experience with the mouse and keyboard of the laptop that few people in this world possessed. More extraordinary still because he was not from Earth.<\/p>\n \u201cLet us see. Let us see\u2026how interesting. These \u2018core files\u2019 are the same. Hm. Delete that and this entire thing stops working. So they build them all the same way. It is the files outside of this place that differ.\u201d<\/p>\n He was moving through the computer, inspecting files. Of course, the fact that he had a laptop was extraordinary in itself. Even in Wistram, the few electronics the Earthers had brought were fought-over by each faction.<\/p>\n But Eldavin was head of his own faction along with Archmage Valeterisa, and had thus secured one of the electronics for a day. Not long; the other factions were loath to give up even that much and they pointedly restricted what they regarded as the most valuable artifacts from the possession of the Terras<\/em> faction.<\/p>\n So, the Dragon masquerading as a mage had cheerfully accepted the laptop for the six scant hours he\u2019d been given it, duplicated it in secret, and handed it back after an hour.<\/p>\n Now, he spent his morning exploring the interesting laptop. He\u2019d done the same to the other artifacts Ryoka had brought to him.<\/p>\n Learning of Earth. A shame none were connected to the \u2018internet\u2019, but there was a glorious wealth of knowledge.<\/p>\n Movies, for one. Yes, they were parables, entertainment. But the stories people told about themselves and about others mattered. For instance, how they viewed Dragons, other species\u2026all very illuminating.<\/p>\n Eldavin was disappointed this one had less saved movies\u2014as in, only two, copied from other devices at that\u2014than the laptop owned by a \u2018KevinScate\u2019, the possessor of the one he\u2019d had.<\/p>\n And those had been fine movies. Eldavin still recalled watching them on the hill with\u2026<\/p>\n His hand stopped moving the mouse. The inn.<\/p>\n After a moment, the Dragon went back to work. But he\u2019d stopped humming.<\/p>\n Many movies, in enjoyable company. Remember that. He thought of the story of fantasy with the inaccurate Elves, the very wrong Dwarves, and so on. He also resented their depiction of Dragons as a stereotype which, while not untrue, was rather clich\u00e9d.<\/p>\n Ah, but here had been more. The Ogre with the weird skin condition and ears. Amusing. But another<\/em> bad-faith depiction of Dragons he wasn\u2019t even going to dignify! He\u2019d nearly blasted the laptop into ash, despite knowing it was comedy.<\/p>\n And the other one. The most illuminating of Humans\u2019 tales about themselves had been called\u2026what was it? That movie grounded in their world, yet told in fiction.<\/p>\n Eldavin tapped the side of his head, frowning. Magic reignited memory.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. That was what it was called. Contact.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n What a good story about other species from a people who had never met them\u2014aside from the plethora of animals and sentient creatures that Teriarch understood still populated Earth. He snorted to himself.<\/p>\n How did it go? Something, something, technological spinning wheel, explosion, something, aliens? It had elements of many stories, in that sense.<\/p>\n And yet\u2026Teriarch sat back.<\/p>\n What he learned in this moment was that Earth was good at telling stories. Movies were something special, and they made so many!<\/p>\n But they could be better. And if they could marry the best of both worlds\u2026he closed his eyes and murmured a spell.<\/p>\n When he opened his eyes, Eldavin sat no longer in the room in Wistram, but under another world\u2019s sky. He looked around, and saw a scene from the movie around him.<\/p>\n \u2018Car\u2019, check. \u2018Telescope\u2019, wonderful, if different starry sky? Check? Ah, well, he\u2019d taken some liberties. But there was the young woman. And he\u2019d added in ambient smells based on his own memories and abilities. More sound\u2026he wiggled his toes.<\/p>\n \u201cSensation, I always forget that one.\u201d<\/p>\n The grass squished under his bare feet. Eldavin nodded to himself.<\/p>\n Not everything Earth did was better. This was what magic could do. And if they could tell stories like this? He looked around, smiling a bit smugly to himself. Now, the challenge would be replicating the entire movie like this.<\/p>\n Actually\u2014he could barely do this one still image, with the young woman pondering while gazing through the telescope. Even if he\u2019d been back in his real body, the mental complexities of recreating this were a pain in his tail. The Dragon sighed. Well, that was why artists who spent the time doing such things were so prized.<\/p>\n He was just copying and altering. Even though the scene was the same, the sensation was that which he, personally, had felt. One could not create illusions of things they could not conceive. The breeze was one he had felt on his skin himself, the smells, likewise.<\/p>\n Only the young woman was a replica from the movie. She looked up and Teriarch\u2026<\/p>\n \u2026blinked\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n And the face was not that of a Human he had never seen before. The spell twisted as memory flickered.<\/p>\n For a second, it was realer than a movie. A young woman stood there, looking up towards the stars in a field of wheat as the night\u2019s sky filled the horizon. She had a telescope in front of her. No, not a telescope\u2026<\/p>\n Magnolia Reinhart turned from the ancient, magical astrolabe in the field of yellats, her latest project to import crops.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think there are<\/em> other worlds up there, Teriarch? Ones just as vast as ours? That can\u2019t be so.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dragon, wearing the half-Elf\u2019s body, replied as he walked across the ground. He stared up, but even with magic, his eyes were too weak to really see the glowing stars of every color.<\/p>\n \u201cI am just repeating what the Gnomes said. Not that I ever met more than\u2026hrmph. Well. They said a lot of things. The stars are more than lights in the sky. Even I can see that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you never tried? You, the master of magic and fire?\u201d<\/p>\n The young woman teased him. She flapped across the snowy field. The Dragon exhaled a plume of fire as he lay, melting the snow on one of the peaks. The same astrolabe lay in front of her, newly crafted.<\/p>\n \u201cInsolence, brat. Who would keep my kin in line down here? I don\u2019t have time to spend flying up there. Also, it\u2019s extremely cold.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you never tried?\u201d<\/p>\n She perched on a rock next to him. The brass Dragon looked up and exhaled; steam rose into the sky, blotting out the distant stars for a moment. He was forced to admit it.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026It may be impossible for us, without preparation, at least. Dragons have tried when we learned these truths. Long ago. One flew into space in our greatest age and suffered there. There was no air to breathe. So he breathed magic. There was no warmth. Yet his heart beat for him. There was no food, but he was a Dragon. He flew towards the nearest star.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally? When?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBefore even I was born. My mother told me the story.\u201d<\/p>\n And that was long, long ago. Teriarch pointed with one claw.<\/p>\n \u201cThere. You see that purple one? That was the one he chose because it was so bright. See? He flew up there. And he was a Dragonlord, like I.\u201d<\/p>\n Magnolia Reinhart was eating some nali-<\/em>sticks as she listened. Eldavin glanced at her to make sure she was listening. He wished she\u2019d stop having so many. She was developing a sweet tooth. Her young [Maid]\u2014[Assassin], still grim and hard-eyed from her training, watched him warily. He went on, feeling as though he\u2019d said this before. How many times?<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what happened? Did he ever make it, that Dragon?\u201d<\/p>\n The young woman was getting jittery with the sugar. Eldavin, Teriarch\u2014which body was it now?\u2014shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. He came back five hundred years later and said it was too far. But the journey had changed him and thereafter his kind were known as Void Dragons\u2014for he had been changed and so had his offspring.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVoid Dragons?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The perching Garuda nearly fell off the top of his head. Teriarch blew at her, irritably, and she flew around him, excitedly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never met one! Where are they? What do they look like? Are they like the Sea Dragons you\u2019re meeting?\u201d<\/p>\n For a moment, the weary brass Dragon looked at her. Then he shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026no, girl. You haven\u2019t heard of them because they were always few in number. As for where or what\u2014you will not meet them. They\u2019re all gone. Dead. The last of them died in a war you would not remember.\u201d<\/p>\n The eager smile faded. And he wished he hadn\u2019t said that. Slowly, the Dragon turned, looking around the oasis, waiting. He tried to say something better. He reached out\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cGrand Magus Eldavin? I\u2014oh.\u201d<\/p>\n The half-Elf blinked. The illusion vanished as the door began to open. The wide-eyed [Mage] saw the perfect recreation of memory. For a second, a Garuda, flying down, turning towards\u2026<\/p>\n Eldavin. The half-Elf stood there.<\/p>\n \u201cHow may I help you, Miss\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at her, with no idea of who she was, for a moment. The [Mage] hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cTeura, Grand Magus?\u201d<\/p>\n The [High Mage], second-most-important in the Centrist faction, really, helper to Eldavin, looked at Eldavin. He touched the side of his head, blinked.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, yes. Young lady?\u201d<\/p>\n She was eighty three, but somehow, it was appropriate. Teura ducked her head slightly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou requested the morning\u2019s timeslot for your classes. Your students are waiting. Should I tell them to remain there or\u2026.?\u201d<\/p>\n Eldavin looked out the window in shock. It had been before dawn when he\u2019d\u2014he looked around and rose to his feet.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course not. Apologies. I was working on an\u2026illusion spell. Very elaborate. Something in the vein of what that Mage Telim was doing. Smell, sensation, those are the keys to good magic. Thank you for fetching me. Shall we?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded. Teura respectfully opened the door and Eldavin left his chambers. [Mages] turned to watch him. A gaggle appeared, but were held back by Teura\u2019s look. For where Eldavin walked, Wistram followed. That great [Mage] had come to teach both young and old.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the new students who had come to Wistram to learn was named Troy Atlas. He said it in front of the mirror.<\/p>\n \u201cTroy Atlas. Troy Atlas. You\u2019re Troy Atlas\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Trey Atwood had to do it or he\u2019d slip up. He sighed. His robes were already on his body, over tanned skin, roughened from sand and sun a continent away. He still felt weird, waking up in Wistram\u2019s cool halls rather than feeling the beginning of the hot<\/em> Chandrarian days.<\/p>\n He checked his robes. They hadn\u2019t been washed in\u2026sixteen days. But they still felt fresh. He\u2019d bathed, of course! But his robes had anti-dirt enchantments. Still, it felt weird to be able to toss them on.<\/p>\n Then again, High Mage Telim had told Trey over dinner that he hadn\u2019t changed clothes\u2014or even changed out of his set of robes\u2014for months on end. Trey had resolved not to sit directly next to him ever again. Magic made things easier, but some people took it way too far.<\/p>\n However, he had to admit, it was nice not having to worry about what to wear. You woke up, changed undergarments, but the robes remained. He picked up his staff, and then looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cMinizi?<\/em> I\u2019ve got to get to class! Where are you? Where\u2019s my bag\u2014oh.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The little Lifesand Golem was next to the foot of his bed. He could sense her of course, but the little automaton was like a person. And she was trying to be helpful\u2026<\/p>\n She was trying to drag<\/em> his rucksack of books, notes, and supplies out from under the bed. Trey blinked, impressed.<\/p>\n It had been scattered about last night. A magical tome, his personal spellbook on the desk, ink pot unstoppered and he\u2019d collapsed into his blankets, feeling a bit ill and tired from magical overwork.<\/p>\n But someone had closed the books, taken them off the desk as he slept, put them in the rucksack, grabbed his other supplies, and put them in the leather carrying bag, ready to toss into his bag of holding.<\/p>\n Why he didn\u2019t put everything in the bag of holding was because it was a mess to find something unless you organized. Trey appreciated the little Golem\u2019s efforts, but he had to smile.<\/p>\n The little crimson sand Golem, made in the form of Gazi, had done all this, but miscalculated at the last. Now, she was straining<\/em> against the leather strap, trying to pull about ten or even twenty pounds of weight. Nothing was moving, but she wouldn\u2019t give up.<\/p>\n \u201cGood work, Minizi.\u201d<\/p>\n He told her as he dragged the pack up and put it in his bag of holding. The Lifesand Golem hopped onto his palm, and he transferred her to the hood of his robes. He\u2019d found she\u2019d sit there, hidden, occasionally poking her head up, if he let her.<\/p>\n He was very surprised the Lifesand Golem had done all that. But then\u2014the Quarass had told him the ability to make them would turn him into a far better [Mage] then he could have hoped to be otherwise.<\/p>\n The young man\u2019s hand felt at the scar along his throat as he went for the door. As it always did.<\/p>\n He was ready for class. And it was familiar, being in school once more. Not all the Earthers were like this. Indeed, as Trey left his room, a young man was sleepily stumbling around.<\/p>\n \u201cTroy. Whaz\u2019s happening? Going to school?\u201d<\/p>\n Flynn yawned<\/em> hugely. They were neighbors, and he looked hung over and sleepy. Trey raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere were you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDrinking. I couldn\u2019t go to school. I wouldn\u2019t even be up if not for Pokey.\u201d<\/p>\n He gestured to the Needlehound Dog, who barked at Trey. He waved at Flynn\u2019s companion and friend, who needed walks and to pee in the morning. They\u2019d met on the way here.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t want to learn?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI mean\u2026the basics, yeah. But I couldn\u2019t take classes. I didn\u2019t get an education like you did. I\u2019m taking a class with the other Earthers later.\u201d<\/p>\n Oh, right. Trey forgot that not everyone had received the grounding in magic he had. Flynn tried to flick his fingers and conjure some sparks. He managed\u2026one. Pokey barked encouragingly.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m late.\u201d<\/p>\n Trey had slept through breakfast, which was too bad because he was hungry.<\/em> Flynn eyed him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not looking well, my man. You didn\u2019t stay long at dinner either, or come after. Not a drinker?\u201d<\/p>\n The young man grimaced and put his hand to his stomach.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have minded. But I haven\u2019t been feeling well all week.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh. Have you gone to the [Healer]\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I\u2019ll go after class. I need to run, Flynn, sorry. I\u2019m late to Eldavin\u2019s<\/em> morning class.\u201d<\/p>\n Trey began to stride down the hallway, waving apologetically. Flynn gave him a thumbs-up. Even the new Earthers knew how important that was.<\/p>\n Grand Magus Eldavin and the Terras faction were shaking Wistram. Not just him of course. Two more Grand Mages and an Archmage and<\/em> a Depth Mage from the seas and representatives from other [Mage] schools had arrived and more of Wistram\u2019s graduates were coming by the day.<\/p>\n It was a renaissance in Wistram, according to the older [Mages]. And a free-for-all regarding the Earthers. Trey knew he and Flynn would soon be formally claimed by a faction. He hoped it was Eldavin\u2019s, but in the meantime, the Grand Magus was teaching classes, showing off his magical knowledge.<\/p>\n And Trey was here to learn! And find the last Archmage who was here, but never spoken of. He gritted his teeth with determination. It was a charge laid on him by the King of Destruction.<\/p>\n He could disobey, of course. It had crossed Trey\u2019s mind a dozen times already that he could go to one of the Archmages, or even Telim or one of the [Mages] he\u2019d met and tell them all about the King of Destruction, throw himself on Wistram\u2019s protection and join the Earthers.<\/p>\n But then, what would happen to Teres? And who would burn A\u2019ctelios Salash to rubble? And did he trust Wistram more than Flos Reimarch?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll do it myself if I have to.\u201d<\/p>\n Trey muttered to himself and Minizi as he strode down the hallways. He grimaced again as the Lifesand Golem rustled in his hood. He felt\u2026Trey put a hand to his stomach and groaned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Flynn Patel, a young man from Australia, a [Beast Tamer] who had been a Bronze-rank adventurer before being found by Wistram, looked up as he saw Trey practically sprinting<\/em> back the way he\u2019d come.<\/p>\n \u201cTroy? What\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBathroom!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The young man shouted. He disappeared into his room. Flynn shook his head. Pokey copied him.<\/p>\n \u201cWonder what he ate.\u201d<\/p>\n At least Wistram was so advanced it had a bathroom in the good bedrooms. Magical plumbing. Couldn\u2019t be beat. He went back into his rooms to sleep.<\/p>\n Inside his bathroom, Trey Atwood suffered from what could be described as, \u2018annihilation of the bowels\u2019. He had known suffering. Wounds in battle. Gazi beating on him during teaching, the feeling of having his throat slashed open by the Quarass.<\/p>\n This\u2026was not as bad as the last one, but really bad. Trey felt like his insides were coming out. He groaned.<\/p>\n \u201cMinizi\u2026out!\u201d<\/p>\n He tossed her out of the bathroom when he realized she was patting him encouragingly on the head. Trey thought it was over and reached for the toilet paper, another blessing. Then\u2026his face contorted.<\/p>\n \u201cNo way. This is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Flynn checked on him after the first hour. He rapped on the door, realizing Troy hadn\u2019t left after a nap. Actually, Pokey had woken him up, scratching at the door and led him to this one. She was sniffing and looking worried.<\/p>\n \u201cTroy? You okay, dude?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo! I\u2019m dying!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you\u2026still on the toilet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt keeps coming out!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Flynn did not want to know the details. But he looked at Pokey, who was whining worriedly. She sensed something.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I should get you a [Healer], Troy. Or tell one of the [Mages]. Need me to toss you a potion?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026I need a [Healer]. Maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n It was bad if his friend was admitting that. Flynn grew more worried.<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2014what\u2019s happening, Troy? What should I say? Do you have potions?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. But\u2026hold on. Let me check. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m bleeding, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Inside, Trey was sitting on the toilet. And he was about to make the radical move of inspecting what had kept him there for an hour<\/em>. It felt like the worst diarrhea ever, but it kept going<\/em>. He had not, out of sheer self-preservation, looked<\/em> at what came out.<\/p>\n Who did that, anyways? But if he was actually losing what felt like his guts\u2026<\/p>\n Flynn wrinkled his nose outside. He waited, not exactly excited, but worried. Pokey made another sound.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it that bad, girl? Do you smell blood or something?\u201d<\/p>\n She had a good nose and intuition. She\u2019d warned him about monsters in the dirt and so on. Flynn crouched to scratch her ears and try to get a \u2018sense\u2019 from their connection what it was. He felt she was disturbed. It wasn\u2019t blood, but\u2026<\/p>\n A horrified shout came from Trey\u2019s room. The young man bellowed something.<\/p>\n \u201cTroy?\u201d<\/p>\n Flynn shot to his feet. He reached for his side automatically. He heard a bellow from within.<\/p>\n \u201c[Flame Jet].<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n At this point, one of the other students across the hall who\u2019d been drawn by the shouting looked out of his doorway in concern. He stepped out as a young woman opened her door.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s making that racket? I\u2019m trying to study.\u201d<\/p>\n Flynn ignored them all. He pounded on the door, hesitant to open it.<\/p>\n \u201cTroy? What\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n He heard a strangled exclamation.<\/p>\n \u201cFlynn\u2014get a [Healer]! It\u2019s\u2026it\u2019s\u2026worms!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The young man stared at the door. He saw his dog stare up at him. The other neighbors didn\u2019t get why Flynn blanched for a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, fuck.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n He took off and went running. And he couldn\u2019t help but feel\u2026this might have been Pokey\u2019s fault.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cParasites. Not your dog\u2019s fault. More like an adventurer thing, really.\u201d<\/p>\n Ten minutes later, Sa\u2019la, the Selphid [Mage]-[Healer], was speaking to a small crowd outside Trey\u2019s room. It was quite a crowd.<\/p>\n Archmage Nailihuaile, Telim, who Flynn had found first, Vhedel, the [Herb Mage], and a number of Earthers and students and [Mages] were all listening, looking appalled.<\/p>\n \u201cBut how\u2019d he get them?\u201d<\/p>\n Sa\u2019la was a [Healer] as well as a [Mage]. Not a high-level one, but when it had been parasites, Telim had suggested they get the Selphid, as an expert on that kind of thing. Sa\u2019la had not been offended and she was the one to ask. She shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cA sea parasite. He must have caught it while travelling here. Probably in the food you were eating on the ships. Did they cook everything properly?\u201d<\/p>\n Flynn thought of the food they\u2019d eaten on The Emerald Signet.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe were sailing through storms. We had to eat rations and it was raining all day and night\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh. Maybe it came on the water, then. Wave deposits some on the food barrels and they aren\u2019t fully warded, or a [Sailor] accidentally gets some on a plate?\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone shuddered except the Selphid. She grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he was a Selphid, he\u2019d have killed them. You mammals are so susceptible. Poor kid, though.\u201d<\/p>\n Trey had blasted his toilet with fire, which was the appropriate response to seeing the wriggling things that had come out of him.<\/em> He\u2019d nearly hit himself with fire.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease tell me I\u2019m not infected.\u201d<\/p>\n Flynn begged Sa\u2019la. She looked incredibly amused, especially because Nailihuaile and most of the others were backing far away from Trey\u2019s door.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, it happens. Bugs are everywhere. Don\u2019t make such a big deal. They just come out of you; well, he was probably hungry for days. And the cure\u2019s simple. Vhedel?\u201d<\/p>\n The Stitch-[Mage] had no fear of the parasites. He\u2019d been working on something with a bunch of herbs and two pastes. Now, he lifted the dark brown liquid up and eyed it critically. It wasn\u2019t as magical as a potion, but he seemed satisfied as he nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cHand this to the boy, will you? Have him drink it down in one.\u201d<\/p>\n Sa\u2019la took the tonic. She opened the door and vanished inside. Vhedel turned to Archmage Nailihuaile and the others.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a simple cure, actually. For safety\u2019s sake, I recommend all<\/em> students and faculty in his classes as well as all Earthers take a simple tonic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre we all going to poop worms, Vhedel? Because I\u2019d rather stick a Wand of [Fireballs] down my throat first.\u201d<\/p>\n Telim spoke bluntly. The huge [High Mage] looked ghastly pale at the thought. Everyone else shuddered. Vhedel just rolled his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be dramatic. The tonic will kill them dead. It will kill them in any stage and you won\u2019t have trouble\u2014but no taking any potions for twenty four hours! The little bastards benefit too.\u201d<\/p>\n The door opened. Sa\u2019la came out, still looking incredibly amused. She wagged a finger at the others.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. Only Troy suffers; you won\u2019t even notice. They\u2019ll probably be dissolved by your stomach. The most you\u2019ll see is a body or two if they were fully grown in\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Sa\u2019la.<\/em> We don\u2019t need a picture.\u201d<\/p>\n Telim roared. The Selphid grinned at him, loving every minute of this. Vhedel coughed.<\/p>\n \u201cAlso, no sex in that region. That\u2019s the only way they\u2019d spread. Since our toilets are magical, we\u2019ll just incinerate waste like usual. I could tell Cognita to make the Golems make sure, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSex in that region?\u201d<\/p>\n Flynn repeated, trying not to smile. Sa\u2019la helpfully elaborated.<\/p>\n \u201cNo butt sex. All the other kinds are fine. Unless you get really<\/em> inventive, which, frankly, I think anyone but a Selphid would have trouble with\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone began to walk away. Archmage Nailihuaile shook her head as she slithered rapidly back to her rooms for cleansing spells and a bath. She turned to one of her underlings, the horrified Beatrice, who, like many Dullahans, was not at home <\/em>to any of this discussion.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSpread the word! Everyone gets a tonic from Magus Vhedel who even blinked near that boy. Have Magus Vhedel compensated and\u2026I\u2019m going to take a bath. With soap potions.\u201d<\/p>\n Beatrice nodded hurriedly. The [Mages] dispersed. The cure distributed.<\/p>\n It was just an event. Parasites. It happened to people! Trey made a full recovery in less than two hours after the potion was taken, and could get off the toilet after only thirty minutes after he\u2019d called for help from Flynn. No one else came down with the gut-parasites.<\/p>\n All was well. Or\u2026it would have been, but Archmage Nailihuaile had shouted the news in her haste to keep anyone else from having worm-poo. Thus, Troy Atlas was forever \u2018worm guy\u2019 in the halls of Wistram.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s definitely him. The kid who shit worms for two hours.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Parasite Mage. He conjures magic from his bowels!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hear they were magic<\/em> worms, giving him his power.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRemind me never to ask him for a conjuration spell.\u201d<\/p>\n The other Earthers laughed at that last one. Trey\u2019s head was buried in his arms at the dinner table. \u2018Worm guy\u2019 would have been a treat compared to the inventiveness of the other [Mages].<\/p>\n And they loved to tell jokes like this. Trey was the target of the week; no one was going to forget this<\/em> in a hurry.<\/p>\n \u201cS-sorry, Troy. Stop laughing, Aaron! It\u2019s not funny!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t\u2026I\u2019m sorry, but I can\u2019t. Did you hear what they said? Forget the Antinium. He can summon the brown tide!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Aaron Vanwell collapsed into his seat. Trey heard Elena jab<\/em> him in the shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cStop that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fine. Thanks, Elena.\u201d<\/p>\n Trey was going to leave Wistram. He was going to hide under a rock\u2014unless there were more worms there. He wanted to die.<\/p>\n He had never felt more embarrassed in his life. Everyone<\/em> knew his name. Even more than an Earther, he was infamous.<\/p>\n Elena was trying to be kind and considerate, but the others sitting at the table, everyone from George to Aaron to Flynn, was laughing. The nice ones were trying to hide it.<\/p>\n Well, most of the guys were sniggering. Some of the other Earthers weren\u2019t. And sadly, that was because for some, it was too\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not funny. It\u2019s horrible.\u201d<\/p>\n Sidney looked pale and sick and was sitting far from Trey. She was trying to be helpful, but the image of a bunch of parasites had been adjacent to her own trauma. Some of the others nodded too.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll stop talking about it. Eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n Basil told Trey. The young man from Bulgaria gingerly put a hand on his shoulder.<\/p>\n They would never. But Trey thanked him anyways. He looked around at the tables of Earthers. They were trying to be nice. And at least he was among his people.<\/p>\n Children of Earth. He shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, everyone. But I\u2019ll live. I have to get to class.\u201d<\/p>\n It was the next day. Breakfast\u2014Trey didn\u2019t have much of an appetite, except that he did after the scouring. He\u2019d spent all of yesterday hiding in his rooms and periodically blasting the toilet with fire spells. It had to be replaced. He glumly stood up.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure? You don\u2019t have to go to class.\u201d<\/p>\n Elena looked concerned. Trey just shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got to study or I\u2019ll fall behind. I\u2019m trying to be a [Mage] and\u2026it beats sitting around. Or staying in my room.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019d been told by Sa\u2019la that the odds of more parasites remaining on his possessions was remote. Even so, he\u2019d cleaned everything in the room. Three times.<\/p>\n The other Earthers looked up at him. A few waved. Aaron leaned over.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re one of the best [Mages] here, Troy. Which is awesome, but you should join our events too if you have the time. Tomorrow? We\u2019re having another gathering.\u201d<\/p>\n An Earth-only gathering. Trey would have been at yesterday\u2019s\u2026but worms. He smiled weakly.<\/p>\n \u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n He walked away, head bowed, hearing more jokes. The worst ones were funny. Trey tried to accept it. He was amazed anyone wanted to stand next to him after hearing what had happened\u2014and few people did. His story wasn\u2019t even worth a small secret; everyone in the academy of [Mages] knew what had happened.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all part of my cover story. Who\u2019ll suspect me of being an agent of the King of Destruction now? In fact, I <\/em>have to free Archmage Amerys now and rejoin Flos.<\/em><\/p>\n Because I\u2019ll always be the worm-guy over here.<\/em><\/p>\n At least he had classes. Learn magic. That was one of the reasons Flos had agreed to Gazi\u2019s cunning plan to have Trey infiltrate. Find out what Wistram was doing, improve himself as a [Mage], and free Amerys.<\/p>\n Trey needed to learn magic anyways. He could learn on-the-go from Parasol Stroll, but Gazi had pointed out that unlike Teres, magic wasn\u2019t something you could improve just by fighting and training. He needed an education and\u2026<\/p>\n Well, he was getting one. Troy hoped classes would be some relief, if only because they\u2019d be learning spells and the other students wouldn\u2019t have as much time to laugh at him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first class of Trey\u2019s day was Eldavin\u2019s seminar. The Grand Magus let anyone attend, but if you were unlucky, you just stood and watched him interact with a few members of the class. Everyone went who could anyways; he was just that good at magic and you learned something even if it wasn\u2019t your discipline.<\/p>\n Trey had hopes because Eldavin remembered his name and Trey felt like the half-Elf liked him a bit for being properly deferential. But if he\u2019d hoped Eldavin would be a relief from the torment of infamy, he was wrong.<\/p>\n \u201c[Detect Parasites].\u201d<\/p>\n The first thing Eldavin did when he saw Trey come in was point at him and cast the spell. Everyone turned and began laughing.<\/p>\n Eldavin just eyed Trey up and down. The young man was crimson.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a number of spells that I suggest any [Mage] learn and cast with regularity. Now, that spell would fail to the most aggressive and insidious kinds of parasites; general spells always do. But a quick scan reveals nothing amiss. Everyone may relax. Except for you. Get out and wash your hands.\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed to a Drake in the front row. Trey saw the Drake turn white and stared at his claws.<\/p>\n \u201cSnails. Out.\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone cleared a path for the Drake as he ran for the hallway, claws outstretched, forgetting his bags. They laughed\u2014but then looked to the front of the room. And they fell respectfully silent, even the ones eying Trey with amusement.<\/p>\n That was a demonstration of Eldavin\u2019s superior magical knowledge again. The half-Elf looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cI could choose to lecture you on invasive magic-draining parasites, of which there are quite a number! But this is the practical class and I have no desire to drag down the historical lessons either. Suffice it to say that being a [Mage] does not preclude you from threats of every kind. Indeed, we are sometimes sought after because<\/em> of our magic. But I digress. Today, as yesterday, we shall develop your strength.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Trey shifted as he began to relax. Eldavin\u2019s first class of the day took on the same tone as the last week of study.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The study of magic was, as Trey understood it, devoted to four main categories. He was taking the 1st<\/sup>-year classes in Wistram as well as Eldavin\u2019s extra seminars, but interestingly, didn\u2019t really \u2018fit\u2019 into the archetype of the first-year.<\/p>\n He knew too much. So Trey was ahead of even 2nd<\/sup> or 3rd<\/sup>-year students in some areas, while being, like most of Wistram, totally unqualified and underdeveloped in Eldavin\u2019s.<\/p>\n And the old [Grand Mage] did use the same concepts, albeit with his own spins on them.<\/p>\n \u201cA [Mage] studies in four ways! Which are?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed and a student responded.<\/p>\n \u201cFoundation, Acquisition, Materialization, and Theorization,<\/em> Grand Magus?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCorrect! And as far as I am concerned, with the exception of the most experienced [Magi] in the room, none of you should be on Acquisition, let alone conflating Materialization with your Foundational studies!\u201d<\/p>\n Eldavin swept around the classroom, inspecting students by their auras or demanding they show him basic concepts.<\/p>\n Foundation was the basic magical theory and understanding of magic that every [Mage] needed. [Sorcerers] skipped this part in some ways, but even they had to build up a base of mana to cast.<\/p>\n Like blood, or oxygen, a [Mage] had their own supply of mana. That was how Trey thought of it. You used it up as you cast spells, but like lungs, some were more efficient than others.<\/p>\n Superior [Mages] like Eldavin could throw spells around non-stop not just<\/em> because they had a lot of magic, but because they were incredibly efficient. And Eldavin pointed that out now.<\/p>\n \u201cA supply of magic is excellent. Knowledge of how to cast spells with minute waste is likewise superior. A Level 30 [Mage] with both qualities is superior, arguably, to a Level 40 [Mage] who can cast a few grand spells alone. I, myself, lack the superlative mana wells of the Archmages. That is my flaw.\u201d<\/p>\n He tapped his chest, admitting his weakness. His students murmured. Eldavin went on.<\/p>\n \u201cSkills can improve these qualities, but a good [Mage] does not gamble<\/em> upon their success! That is Foundational work. Ensuring no magic is lost in your spells. And because the most basic of spells compound your higher-tier spells, I will see you perfect<\/em> the most basic spells like [Light]! All of you in this group\u2014you waste nearly half again<\/em> the mana required for this spell. Yes, it is a Tier 0 spell. But that is no excuse!\u201d<\/p>\n That was how he was sorting students. He made them cast [Light] and if they couldn\u2019t do it without reducing the wastage of mana, he made them leave and go practice or retake the basic classes.<\/p>\n Two students in the first year had to leave that Trey knew. They had come with him and though he didn\u2019t socialize with them as much as he wanted, he knew some of the standouts.<\/p>\n Every year had them and in Wistram, any special qualities were scrutinized. Trey had been lucky his Lifesand Golems weren\u2019t public knowledge or if they were, they were probably secrets being sold around about him.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t like the air of secrets, but he had a \u2018wallet\u2019 of about twenty if he had to buy something. Some of those secrets were about his fellow students. Small secrets, mainly. And one huge one no one but himself knew.<\/p>\n There were four students like Trey who could be considered standouts. He himself actually qualified even before the\u2026worms\u2026incident.<\/p>\n Because Trey had a powerful magical staff, good robes, and an education, he was considered a promising first-year. In the same vein, he now saw two of the four promising students being cut.<\/p>\n One was Carn Thustone, also from Hellios. A tall young man with strong arms and perfect posture who flushed as Eldavin advised him to refine his magic. He was burly compared to most of his fellow students.<\/p>\n And he carried a sword. He had darker skin than Trey\u2019s, even tanned, and his hair was brown-black. He was handsome, and older than most 1st<\/sup>-years, having been paid for by his family. Perhaps too old?<\/p>\n Well, his magical knowledge was on the same level as all the first years, which was to say, almost nonexistent. He bowed to Eldavin and marched sharply from the room.<\/p>\n Trey thought he was too stiff, too unyielding. He certainly scowled like his father, but he\u2019d taken some of Venith Crusand\u2019s worst qualities. \u2018Carn\u2019 glanced at \u2018Troy\u2019 for a moment, but his eyes passed right over.<\/p>\n Calac Crusand was his real name. Like Trey, he had adopted Hellios as his home country. He was the second infiltrator sent to Wistram. Was he good at it?<\/p>\n Well\u2026no. But he wasn\u2019t exactly pretending. He really was here to learn magic.<\/p>\n It was his [Lord] and [Swordsman] classes that made him a standout as a potential [Magic Swordsman] or similar class. However, he clearly wished he was part of Flos\u2019 war and was thus ill-tempered, if somewhat admired for his martial abilities.<\/p>\n No wonder he couldn\u2019t learn, though. But the other student surprised Trey.<\/p>\n \u201cIs my spell not adequate, Master-Magus Eldavin?\u201d<\/p>\n A huge eye blinked slowly. Eldavin looked at the Gazer boy, who was barely fifteen and had one huge eye and two\u2026on his hands.<\/em> Trey couldn\u2019t help but stare at the Gazer from Baleros, one of the few he\u2019d ever met.<\/p>\n Gazi had once told him that no Gazer had eyes in the same configuration. Like her, he had orange-brown skin, pointed teeth, odd digits and huge, magical eyes.<\/p>\n But he was more squat, almost closer to a toad of a person than Gazi, who was half-Gazer and had inherited the best of both races. The male Gazer looked shocked as well that he was being cut.<\/p>\n Gazers were born<\/em> magic. Their eyes had great power even without being [Mages]. However, refining their talents made them more dangerous. Trey had heard Gazers taught each other and seldom left the jungles of Baleros, though. This young man, Goelv, was an exception.<\/p>\n He had few friends. He was alien, even compared to Selphids and Dullahans. Eldavin was not unkind or awkward as some teachers like Master Rievan were. But he was firm. He gestured to the perfect, glowing orb of eight different colors glowing in the Gazer\u2019s palm. He had an eye there, which blinked up at Eldavin. A round eye, not like an oval, and his main eye in his head was huge.<\/em> Unnerving to some.<\/p>\n It reminded Trey of Gazi.<\/p>\n \u201cYour spell is perfectly contained, young man. However. You are leaking mana from here.\u201d<\/p>\n His finger hovered over the Gazer\u2019s hand-eye. Goelv looked astonished as Eldavin spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is seeping into the spell. Control your eyes. Gazers are often deficient in that. Such great power\u2014but if it is not concentrated, you are no better than any novice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Master-Magus. Thank you. I apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n Goelv bowed several times and stood up. He was very ginger with his supplies; he only used the tips<\/em> of his long fingers. What was the practicality of hand-eyes, Trey wondered? But no Gazers were alike so maybe it was bad luck.<\/p>\n Two students passed the examination, as Trey did himself. Eldavin swept past him with a grunt.<\/p>\n \u201cEight percent. Work harder.\u201d<\/p>\n Trey blinked at his orb of light. Gazi had made him cast the spell until he wanted to shove the ball of light up her nose.<\/em> Which she did not have, so, nostrils? And it still wasn\u2019t good enough?<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s see. Nine percent. Barely<\/em> good enough, but I\u2019ll accept it.\u201d<\/p>\n Eldavin nearly reduced the girl standing in the ranks of first years to tears. Again. And she was another person who\u2019d come on Trey\u2019s ship.<\/p>\n Little [Lady] Emirea du Merrimorn had blonde hair, fair skin, and was of Terandria. The same girl who\u2019d burst into tears when first entering Wistram. She was one of the youngest first-years, a girl of barely eleven who seemed very young even for her age.<\/p>\n She reminded Trey\u2026exactly not<\/em> of the Quarass. Who was as far as she could be in the other direction. However, she was another \u2018notable\u2019 because of her talent at her age. She had class and magical ability at eleven. A girl to watch.<\/p>\n \u201cT-thank you G-Grand Magus. I will do better.\u201d<\/p>\n She was nearly in tears again. Eldavin hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cIf this class is overly complex, Lady Merrimorn, I suggest you simply observe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to learn, Grand Magus.\u201d<\/p>\n She gulped. He nodded, a touch less brusquely.<\/p>\n \u201cNext? Pass! <\/em>At least one person has reached two percent! Which I would expect nothing less of<\/em>, given how the Drowned Folk understand that mana leakage is like blood in the water for some predators.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded approvingly. Trey shot a glance sideways at the fourth notable in his year.<\/p>\n The Drowned Man, Tov, whose smile only extended across half his face. The other half?<\/p>\n Slimy, not exactly gelatinous, but\u2026slug.<\/p>\n Sea slug Drowned Man. He bowed slightly; he\u2019d come with the Drowned Folk contingent and the [Depth Mages] who\u2019d held their own at the battle at the banquet with Eldavin. As a student from the Underseas Crews, apparently. He had been born far, far below the surface of the sea where his people lived.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n His voice was like a whisper. He was soft-spoken, apparently a custom where his people were. Loud noises made him flinch.<\/p>\n \u201cVery well. Control of mana is essential. Now, to the development of your mana supplies or<\/em> the exercise of your magic, respectively. One group will develop their capacity. The second, their formation of spells and their control. The last? Output.<\/em> Follow me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Capacity, control, and output were more parts of Foundation. It was simple. Capacity was how much mana. Control was the fine control of manipulating a \u2018thread\u2019 of magic or \u2018weaving\u2019 it together, to use one kind of metaphor. Output? How much you could throw out at once, like how loudly you shouted.<\/p>\n Master all three, Eldavin claimed, and you were a fine [Mage] already. He lectured them as he took them at a brisk pace up the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cFoundation begets Acquisition! Before you move to the next step of acquiring spells, you must cast them perfectly!<\/em> Or else you are implanting bad habits which will never go away! I\u2019m lucky I caught you all\u2014none of you are ready for acquisition. And Wistram teaches that hand-in-hand with Foundation! When I was last here\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Acquisition was learning spells. Simple. It was a stage all [Mages] would keep coming back to, but Eldavin was insistent that most of Wistram\u2019s [Mages] had done it too soon. You took each step one-by-one, according to him, whereas Wistram preached that the first three steps of magic could go together.<\/p>\n Foundation, Acquisition, and<\/em> Materialization. Eldavin had laughed in their faces when a student repeated that.<\/p>\n \u201cDoes a Garuda learn to fly with a Ring of Flight on their fingers? Does a Centaur foal use a [Reduce Weight] spell when they first learn to walk? Your artifacts are crutches! Remove your wands! Put your staves away! Rings off!\u201d<\/p>\n Materialization was the act of putting magic into actual things. It was collecting a big spell tome, getting a staff which helped you cast more magic, or some artifact.<\/p>\n Eldavin called it impairing and Trey saw his point. If you relied on Materialization during your Foundation stage, you didn\u2019t learn.<\/em> But Wistram\u2019s [Mages] had been shocked by his insistence. They let anyone carry a powerful wand around, even first-years if they owned them.<\/p>\n Teriarch was back to basics. He jogged up the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cAll three parts of your learning will inform your final step, students. Theorization. When you create new<\/em> magic, explore your limits and push past them, every fault, every lacking quality will impede you from pulling magic higher with you! That is why you must be flawless. For magic will tear you to pieces when it is invoked strongly. What will be minor backlash now, a failed spell, losing control of a flame and having it singe your fingers, will turn into the kind of spells that erased Aldo Vat!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s that, Grand Magus?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExactly! <\/em>Very well, output first! That\u2019s the best of you who don\u2019t need to work on the other two elements. We\u2019ll have them start working first, so the rest of you take notes! Here we are!\u201d<\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t even breathing hard. Everyone else was; they\u2019d run<\/em> up staircase after staircase. Trey suspected Eldavin had used spells to make it easier; he clutched at his side.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n A Centaur third-year kindly asked Emirea, who had ridden on her back. The girl nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Miss.\u201d<\/p>\n She curtsied. The other students gasped for air as Eldavin strode onto a balcony. He stood at one of the higher points any [Mage] could get to.<\/p>\n High<\/em> up in other words. And this particular balcony extended far out into the air. It was the most Hogwarts thing about Wistram, actually. Because you could get the walkway to move<\/em> how you wanted, forming a loop back to another part of the academy for a shortcut, up to the higher floors, a ramp that took you almost to ground floor\u2026<\/p>\n Most people knew it as the \u2018Shortcut Balcony\u2019 because it was so handy. The only problem was that many people wanted to use it so you could get a traffic jam, or be taken where you didn\u2019t want to go.<\/p>\n Eldavin now used it in a way no one had seen before. He made the balcony go straight<\/em>, extending for nearly three hundred feet straight into the air. He ushered them along.<\/p>\n \u201cHurry up! We\u2019re wasting time! All the way to the end! You, the output group, stand here!\u201d<\/p>\n They stood at the end of the balcony as it ended. Thin air lay beyond. And below?<\/p>\n Four hundred feet of space<\/em> and then the waters below. They were clear of even the rocks around Wistram\u2019s isle. Some of the students with agoraphobia turned dead white. Tov looked almost longingly down at the water below.<\/p>\n \u201cGrand Magus? What are we doing?\u201d<\/p>\n The \u2018output\u2019 group, who were the higher-year students who had mastered both control and capacity, looked at Eldavin. Trey already knew before the half-Elf smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are all going to jump. <\/em>And all of you are going to project wind magic. I don\u2019t care how. Feet, hands, whatever. But use it to slow your fall so that you do not hit the water as hard as\u2026well. This.\u201d<\/p>\n He plucked at a young man standing next to him, and then flicked a finger. Trey saw a Human of about sixteen plucked<\/em> off the walkway. He had time to scream before Eldavin telekinetically threw him off the balcony.<\/p>\n He went down, screaming, flailing, turning in the air. Everyone stared over the railing. Eldavin watched. There was an impact as the young man hit the water.<\/p>\n It should have been a splash, in Trey\u2019s mind. Like a cannonball. It was not so\u2026fun-sounding. It sounded like a crack<\/em> as well as the splash of water.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just broke both his legs. And his arm.\u201d<\/p>\n Eldavin observed calmly. The student had landed bad<\/em>, in a belly-flop of four hundred feet. The other students looked at him.<\/p>\n Emirea burst into tears.<\/p>\n \u201cGrand Magus!<\/em> Someone call a [Healer]!\u201d<\/p>\n The other students backed away, horrified. Eldavin gestured and a wall of light blocked them from running.<\/p>\n \u201cCalm down.<\/em> Look again.\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed. Everyone turned. Where the screaming young man had been lying face-down in the surf was\u2026nothing?<\/p>\n \u201cIllusion. That was what will happen if you do not<\/em> arrest your fall. Actually, you may die. I advise you to cast impact-shields if you must, and do not land on your head. Vertically. But none of you will cast [Slow Fall], [Featherfall], or any other gravity spell! You will project air.<\/em> And not a spell! Just air. The exercise is to, without relying on a spell<\/em>, conjure enough magical force to prevent yourself from being hurt. Perhaps the impact shields for the first time, but the second, try to do without. Pain and fear of death is an excellent teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n It was older students, so Eldavin wasn\u2019t being\u2026unreasonable. Well, he was, but Trey wasn\u2019t one of the students. The youngest of them was still third-year.<\/p>\n \u201cGrand Magus? Aren\u2019t there other ways?\u201d<\/p>\n One of the Dullahans looked panicked at the idea of the jump. Eldavin addressed him, curtly.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you hear my lesson on how [Aeromancers] used to train, young mage?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Grand Magus. This was one of the ways. But\u2026I am not an [Aeromancer].\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOutput of magic is output of magic. This terrifies you, yes? Can you swim?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cN-no, sir. My armor is iron.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dullahan was standing well clear of the ledge. Eldavin nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cCast a flotation spell. But jump. Because what strains<\/em> you will teach you faster. Do I have a volunteer to go first?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked around. One of the sixth-year students slowly raised a hand. Which was a wing. She grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if this will frighten me as much, Grand Magus. But I will do it without flapping my wings!\u201d<\/p>\n The Garuda [Mage] looked at him, her brilliant yellow plumage gleaming by daylight. Eldavin looked at her. He tapped a finger against his chin.<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed. Well, I have a remedy for that.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A minute later, the Garuda and everyone else stared at the conjured weights that Eldavin had produced. They were twenty pounds. Each. And both were secured around her ankles.<\/p>\n At this point, Trey felt like he was watching a movie execution. The Garuda looked down at the surf.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I were you, I would not cast a flotation spell until I were in the water. Sever the ropes when you hit the surf or they will drag you down. I am told Wistram\u2019s waters are clear of predator-fish. More\u2019s the pity.\u201d<\/p>\n Eldavin watched. The Garuda looked pale.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have called my bluff, Grand Magus. But\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She hesitated. Half the students were shaking their heads. Trey couldn\u2019t imagine<\/em> how much air the Garuda [Mage] would have to conjure to stop her from hitting the water like\u2026forty pounds of lead! Well, over<\/em> forty pounds of air force? Without<\/em> using a spell?<\/p>\n He\u2019d tried along with the others and he could conjure a moderately stiff breeze. True, he wasn\u2019t a sixth-year student, but\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cGrand Magus, should I prepare a barrier? What if I get hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI make no promises. Nor will I watch, incidentally. I trust the students here can watch out for each other. Jump, run back up, or fly, or use whatever methods you wish, and repeat until you are out of mana. This is to train yourselves. I will not be responsible for injuries. Or deaths.\u201d<\/p>\n Eldavin met their gazes. The Dullahan looked horrified. The other students in the output group looked at each other.<\/p>\n \u201cMust we, Grand Magus? Is there no easier way?\u201d<\/p>\n The Garuda was backing away from the edge, bravado lost. Eldavin looked at her. For a long moment, the half-Elf stood there.<\/p>\n \u201cEasier? Yes. Of course. Your teachers can show you how to practice output. You can stand here, blowing air around and practice<\/em> with no fear of death. Just push yourselves and you will learn. But, young woman. Do you have the time for that? When other [Mages] rise, do you want to take the easy, slow way, or the fastest I know?\u201d<\/p>\n He turned to face the female Garuda. Eldavin smiled at her.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is not wrong to want to live as a [Mage] among equals. If that is your desire, stay up here and practice safely. But know that is what you become. So, young woman. My question is this: what would you do to learn true magic?\u201d<\/p>\n The Garuda [Mage] stared at Eldavin for a long moment. The others were silent, thinking, looking at each other. Then, the young woman smiled. She bowed, spread her wings, and stepped backwards.<\/p>\n She jumped.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Not all of them did. But over two thirds did. True to his words, Eldavin didn\u2019t even watch the others. But he had made sure the Garuda came up; and she had<\/em> managed to arrest her fall with the desperate blasts of wind. He had nodded to her in approval as she swam for shore.<\/p>\n \u201cWith theory alone, with control of magic, one can create any spell. That\u2019s right. Create a line of magic in the air. Don\u2019t use it! Just magic.<\/em> If you can\u2019t see this, incidentally, learn.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n He was in control of the second group in another room designed for this very task. Again, repurposed or rather, the use rediscovered.<\/p>\n It was a room where magic did not<\/em> ambiently gather. It was absorbed into the tiles in the blank room.<\/p>\n A magical void. Useful for [Mages] when something went wrong. A jail cell in some cases.<\/p>\n Or, as Trey now learned, to train <\/em>your control. Eldavin had the second group training to hold a single \u2018line\u2019 of magic in the air.<\/p>\n It was hard, because the tiles wanted to suck it away. It wasn\u2019t about your output; the [Grand Mage] didn\u2019t care how much magic was spent, although he encouraged them to use a good amount depending on what they had.<\/p>\n But they had to keep<\/em> the magic from being dragged away. The students were struggling, sweating, but it wasn\u2019t dangerous.<\/p>\n It was highly amusing, though.<\/p>\n \u201cYou. One leg. You\u2014hold this in your mouth. Don\u2019t drop it. I saw this at an inn, once. Very entertaining.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the Dullahans balanced on one leg as he tried to cast. The Grand Magus inserted a spoon with an egg in it in the mouth of a half-Elf. He glared desperately at the older half-Elf, speaking around clenched teeth holding the spoon.<\/p>\n \u201cGrand Magus, why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause it\u2019s distracting. [Mages] should control their magic in any circumstance! When swimming! When bleeding! When excreting worms! Or so I\u2019ve heard.\u201d<\/p>\n Trey turned crimson. The others laughed, but the control group was busy focusing.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep it steady, and without weaknesses. You! There\u2019s a thinning here.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Eldavin pointed. Trey could see<\/em> what he meant. It was Tov, the Drowned Man, who struggled with this. He was ahead of the other first-years and thus put in this group. Eldavin nodded as he firmed it up.<\/p>\n \u201cGood. Now, hold it. <\/em>And\u2026eat this dried pepper.\u201d<\/p>\n He offered the Drowned Man a spicy, purple<\/em> dried thing. Tov\u2019s eyes watered at the smell alone and Trey winced for the young man.<\/p>\n But he ate the pepper. Eldavin nodded as tears began to leak from his Human eye.<\/p>\n \u201cSuffering. But learning. That\u2019s good. Time how long you can do it for. If you can pass this simple test, you can maintain your focus! That\u2019s not the same as elegance of weaves, but I would actually say that short of a [Grand Mage], this is an acceptable level of control in this regard.\u201d<\/p>\n The other students brightened up at that. Eldavin didn\u2019t exaggerate. Tov spoke around his streaming eye and running half of his nose.<\/p>\n \u201cHow long\u2014should I hold it to pass\u2014Grand Magus?\u201d<\/p>\n Eldavin gave him an encouraging smile.<\/p>\n \u201cOne hour. Do your best and keep at it in your own time. Don\u2019t forget the peppers or similar distractions each time. Very well, capacity, with me!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCapacity, control, output. Fundamentals of all spells. You all simply need the first of the three. By all means, practice the other two, but you lack the sheer\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Mana. Trey was surprised he himself lacked it. He ventured as much as Eldavin stationed the last of the students in their training area.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I had enough mana, Grand Magus. If I\u2019m wrong, I apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n Eldavin stopped. It was true that Emirea lacked much, being a child, and mana capacities varied from student to student.<\/p>\n Some had [Mana Wells], which were a Skill which boosted your supply immensely. But there was innate mana reserve which differed from person to person. That was often what made people decide to become [Mages].<\/p>\n Trey apparently had a good one, according to Ulyse and Mirin of Parasol Stroll. It was one of the few things they hadn\u2019t<\/em> trained him in rigorously with Gazi.<\/p>\n Eldavin looked at him. His eyes flickered.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is true, young\u2026Troy Atlas\u2026that capacity is not really \u2018trained\u2019. This exercise is meant to expand it in all of you, and while [Mages] may do so, there is no real finesse, just need for a baseline. I shall explain as we begin. Are you prepared?\u201d<\/p>\n Trey nodded. What were they doing to train their capacity?<\/p>\n Well, they were standing in the exact opposite of the rooms where the control group was. In fact, directly underneath <\/em>those rooms.<\/p>\n The mana of this place was mana-dense.<\/em> Rooms devoted to one element, like the underwater room whose water never left the open door. A room burning with heat\u2014<\/p>\n This was an elemental-less room. Good for practicing new spells or where [Mages] went if they overextended. Now, Eldavin was having all the students push<\/em> magic out. Like the control group, but he didn\u2019t insist on any fine control.<\/p>\n Even as he did, Trey felt the ambient mana \u2018filling\u2019 him up. Eldavin nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cNow\u2014don\u2019t break your connection, but\u2014absorb<\/em> the mana. And prepare for nosebleeds.\u201d<\/p>\n It was like\u2026again, to use the analogy of lungs, taking a breath, a huge<\/em> breath. Exhaling it, taking the same amount of air and then inhaling<\/em> the first breath.<\/p>\n That could probably burst a lung. What the students were doing was straining<\/em> their internal reservoirs. Sure enough, half the class began bleeding from their noses.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a very careful expansion of your magic. You! Too much intake. Slowly. Slowly\u2014we are trying to strain your reservoirs. Do not try this without a [Grand Magus] monitoring you. In the past, students of magic drank mana potions to excess\u2026this is more efficient. But all methods are dangerous. I repeat, do not do this alone! Not even experienced [Mages] should do this lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n Emirea was bleeding from her nose. She pinched it, looking distressed, fishing for a handkerchief.<\/p>\n \u201cMana potionbth, Grand Maguth?\u201d<\/p>\n Eldavin waved a hand and the bleeding stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cOne method is by alchemical ingredients, young woman. This is another, a very old one, but costless so long as rooms like this are acquired. You yourself have a weak capacity; I shall offer a week\u2019s worth of lessons. It should be enough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?<\/em> But how?\u201d<\/p>\n The half-Elf smiled superiorly at her.<\/p>\n \u201cNormal methods are dangerous the more one pushes. I<\/em> know how to \u2018relax\u2019 the body to adjust to this process. Hence, the draughts you all imbibed and the exercises we will go over later.\u201d<\/p>\n You couldn\u2019t pay for this. Trey suffered a nosebleed on his third try. He looked at Eldavin.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy am I here, Grand Magus? I know it helps everyone, but why me?\u201d<\/p>\n Eldavin looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cThink on it, young man. Why indeed? Why you?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n He let Trey think on it for twenty minutes. When he circled back their way out of the sixty students, Trey offered a question.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it my magic?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA fascinatingly obvious answer. Did it take you twenty minutes? Indeed. Golems<\/em> drain magic and a [Summoner] or [Mage] of your class requires vast supplies.\u201d<\/p>\n The other [Mages] in earshot looked at Trey. He stared at Eldavin. The [Mage] gave him a knowing look, aimed at Trey\u2019s hood.<\/p>\n \u201c[Necromancers] also benefit from this kind of exercise. Keep it up.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The results of eight nosebleeds and him actually having to run outside and throw up once manifested after two such lessons. It was why all the students did so, even young Emirea. The control group, the output group\u2014and the students desperately trying to meet Eldavin\u2019s basic standards so they could learn.<\/p>\n They leveled.<\/em> Fast!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [Sand Mage Level 20!]<\/p>\n [Skill \u2013 Mana Well (Earthen) obtained!]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He waited for more. But there was no second Skill. Or a free spell. Even so, it was a big Skill.<\/p>\n Yeah. So great. So cool.<\/p>\n No, it was.<\/em> But at breakfast later, Trey Atwood found himself socializing with some of the other first-years rather than the Earthers. They were friends, thanks to Eldavin\u2019s class more than their shared first-year classes.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026And then I woke up. And I got my first eye-Skill.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Goelv was speaking excitedly to the others. He smiled around and Trey saw Emirea flinch slightly. The Gazer noticed, but the little girl was trying. Trey smiled encouragingly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s an eye-Skill, Goelv?\u201d<\/p>\n The Gazer boy gave him a smile. Trey had sat with him the day after the first lessons, having noticed Goelv was alone. Flynn had joined, and as a result, some of the other \u2018notables\u2019 including Emirea, Tov, and the surly \u2018Carn\u2019 had become a regular breakfast group.<\/p>\n On the second class, Goelv had managed to pass Eldavin\u2019s exam, having apparently not slept until he had mastered his faulty eyes. The Grand Magus had been approving and put him directly into output, much to the Gazer\u2019s horror.<\/p>\n Carn had yet to master his [Light] spell, but he sat in on every class.<\/p>\n \u201cEye-Skills are Gazers\u2019. Excuse me. They are Skills of my people for our eyes. We have abilities, but these make them stronger. Paralysis, fear, you see? The strongest of us grow so strong that when they die, the cores of their eyes still hold power. Eye-Gems. Artifacts. Mine is weak, but look!\u201d<\/p>\n He lifted his eye-hand, and shot a beam<\/em> at a cup. It promptly set the wooden exterior ablaze. Everyone fanned at it until Carn poured his cup of water over it.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry!\u201d<\/p>\n He could shoot laser beams from his eyes.<\/em> Flynn pointed as Goelv stood up and began bowing to everyone who\u2019d been alarmed by the flash of light. Trey nodded, mouthing back.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what about the rest of you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI gained [Control Mana]. Basic.\u201d<\/p>\n Carn grunted as he refilled his cup. He was sour about his slower progress. Emirea timidly raised a hand.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014I got [Mana Pool]. Which I am very happy about! I wrote back to my mother and she says it is very accomplished for my level! Below Level 10! And Troy has [Mana Well<\/em>]!\u201d<\/p>\n The young man ducked his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI just wish it was as cool as eye-beams. Or Tov\u2019s Spell.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n You could gain free spells on leveling. The Drowned Man had been showing everyone his [Shadow Raven] spell, a kind of swooping darkness that could actually extinguish<\/em> a [Fireball] spell if it wasn\u2019t exploding.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is all great stuff. I wish I could take that Grand Mage\u2019s classes. And you\u2019ll keep leveling! So\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Flynn looked excited, but he was behind even Carn. His voice trailed off as he looked from face to face. The first-years looked at each other. Oh yes. Levels. However\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMore practice.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Eldavin smiled the smile of a teacher who loved to see suffering on the face of his students. Malicious, in short.<\/p>\n It was great to level. But his classes?<\/p>\n First he had made the capacity-group stand in the mana-dense rooms. Since Trey had gained his [Mana Well], he was now in control. But instead of the rooms where you made a \u2018line\u2019 of magic and held it\u2026<\/p>\n Trey stared at the [Light] spell in his hands shifting from every color of the rainbow in order. He had to do this while navigating the hallways of Wistram. He could not slow down or stop, and if he ran into anyone or blocked their way, he had to start over.<\/p>\n \u201cWrong! Eyes forwards!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n A magical hand reached out and slapped <\/em>the back of his head. The spell flickered out and Eldavin pointed, forcing Trey back the way he\u2019d come.<\/p>\n Oh, and he couldn\u2019t actively look<\/em> at the [Light] spell. Trey glumly trotted back the way he\u2019d come. Other students or [Mages] gave him envious or encouraging looks. But the thing was\u2026<\/p>\n You couldn\u2019t get used to the lessons. Eldavin would just vary them. And it was good stuff! The other first-year classes weren\u2019t nearly<\/em> this good.<\/p>\n They essentially taught the same things as Eldavin. He just did it better, much to the rage of the other teachers. They taught basic spells though, and magical lessons, where he only had his morning magic class and later evening history, philosophy, and morality lectures where he\u2019d talk about [Archmages] of old and so on.<\/p>\n However, his lessons weren\u2019t fun. They made you level. They also made you want to sit on the toilet and crap worms for two hours instead. Literally, Trey grew so frustrated one time he actually yanked<\/em> a tuft of hair out of his head.<\/p>\n They protested of course, after six days of grueling exercises that left them burned and spent for the rest of their classes. But Eldavin was unmoved.<\/p>\n \u201cYou may be full \u2018[Mages]\u2019 of Wistram, seventh years, and so on. What of it? None of you have passed Foundational training in my opinion.<\/em> And it is my opinion that matters, or else you would not be in my classes! If you wish to join the [Mages] who do remain, work harder.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Some [Mages] like Teura, the best of the best students, and so on, would be part of the last hour of teaching where Eldavin actually talked spells. But he devoted the first two hours to the lesser students, who were not allowed to join the actual magic lessons.<\/p>\n Trey had accepted this at first and he knew the old axioms. Rome was not built in a day, walk before you run, and so on. But it still rankled.<\/p>\n \u201cStare at your hand before you stare through the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n That was Goelv\u2019s whispered remark in the same vein. Eldavin nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cMaster your foundations! All spells are made of capacity, control, and output! <\/em>It\u2019s been six days! Complain to me after six months!<\/em> Did you think you\u2019d become real [Mages] overnight?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked around and then focused on Trey.<\/p>\n \u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n Trey had raised his hand. The others scooted back. It was a risky move, Trey knew. If Eldavin didn\u2019t like your question because it was stupid, you left the classroom for the day.<\/p>\n \u201cGrand Magus. May I ask\u2014if Foundations are so important, why do we bother with Acquisitions? If you could cast any<\/em> spell in theory if you knew all the elements and how magic worked, why bother with learning spells?\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019d been wondering about that for a day or two. Eldavin\u2019s eyes, which had been narrowed with impatience, focused on Trey\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean, no spells whatsoever, young man? But Spells, like Skills<\/em> are part of how we level.\u201d<\/p>\n Trey nodded slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Grand Magus. But it seems to me they help.<\/em> But magic is still magic. Could someone cast magic without using Skills or Spells at all?\u201d<\/p>\n Someone laughed; Carn. There were other titters in the classroom. It sounded stupid to the people who lived their entire lives based around classes and Skills and such. Only Emirea didn\u2019t laugh; she looked curiously at the Grand Magus.<\/p>\n And Eldavin? He gave Trey a long, long look. And then he nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWell said. What a world that would be, wouldn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n The laughter cut off. Eldavin looked at Trey again, and the [Sand Mage] thought he\u2019d hit a mark. Because Eldavin had the look he sometimes got when a student asked a particularly good question. He slowly walked around the room.<\/p>\n \u201cIn its purest form? Hypothetically\u2026if there were a being without Skills or Spells, could they cast magic as well as any [Mage]? Oh, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled, almost to himself.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause Skills are like artifacts, just more convenient. Magic is magic. It is entirely possible for that to come about. Perhaps the greatest magic-users would be like that. Pure. What a world that would be. Unimaginable, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n For a second, he looked out a window, smiling to himself. Then his good mood faded. He turned, sighing.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026But there is a good reason that Spells exist. Why they are, in fact, important. A fair question, Troy Atlas. Think like that the rest of your life. But you are still wrong. Spells are not better<\/em>, more potent, or more adaptive than wild magic, or the magic of monsters or indeed, \u2018spells\u2019 that are created free-form. But they have one quality which makes them far superior. And it is\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked around. A few hands were raised and snatched down. Eldavin didn\u2019t wait. He looked at Trey.<\/p>\n \u201cThe answer is: spells are less mana-intensive.<\/em> I could create a fireball identical to a [Fireball] spell. But since one is a spell, one consumes far less mana. Thus, more powerful in every conceivable way for [Mages].\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut why, Grand Magus? Is there some minute difference?\u201d<\/p>\n The half-Elf met Trey\u2019s eyes. He hesitated, then spoke.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Because they are.\u201d<\/p>\n It was the first, and only time he had ever given an answer like that. Because they were. Spells were better. Trey left that lesson curious.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He was not the only one. Why was any of this happening? What was this strange new world?<\/p>\n Questions that had plagued Earthers from the first days they\u2019d found themselves here now tormented the greatest minds in Wistram. No one knew the answer.<\/p>\n But they had a lot of clues. Clues were people, devices, knowledge from both worlds.<\/p>\n Invariably, the Earthers who were fought over like possessions resisted being traded about. There was no union, no way to oppose [Mages] and their factions directly. But it had not come to that. And because they were