On a controversial report published by one of the foremost [Emissaries], Trixal Therest in the year 2 EL.R, he listed Wistram as one of the most powerful factions in the world. Trixal\u2019s report was issued to one of the Great Companies of Baleros who had hired him to write the primer, but it soon became widely disseminated across the world.<\/p>\n
Other [Historians], [Diplomats], and other notable cosmopolitans soon voiced their outrage over Trixal\u2019s report, which was claimed to be inaccurate and grossly misleading not to mention biased. However, while many charges were leveled at the characterization of other world powers, no words were spoken against Wistram\u2019s position. For Wistram was an undisputed world power, if an often quiet one.<\/p>\n
Mages. They worked for lots of gold and sometimes caused trouble, but they were indispensable. Of course, any organization that trained young spellcasters could be a threat, and other nations competed with each other to create their own institutions of magic now and then. But Wistram was safe from such politics, or indeed most wars due to its famed neutrality.<\/p>\n
If the mages of Wistram did take part in a war, it was by declining to provide services, boycotting specific groups or countries, and so on. Few times in recorded history did mages fight on battlefields against a specific kingdom or empire. When mages did take to the field in numbers, it was against common enemies such as the Demonfolk of Rhir, or against a Goblin King or similar calamity.<\/p>\n
Still, were it not for the benefits Wistram provided to all, it surely would have been taken over by one nation or other over the countless years it had existed. Wistram occupied a central point for all ships crossing the ocean, providing them with a place to trade, sell, and resupply. Yet few armies had ever taken Wistram by force, and none had ever breached the gates since the Golems of Archmage Zelkyr had been created to protect the isle.<\/p>\n
But what kept Wistram alive? Trade was only a part of the mage\u2019s economy, and that by itself would not allow mages to live in such splendor. No, it was the unparalleled quality of their education. A mage may be made of any fool with a basic grasp of magic, but of Wistram mages, it was said that the weakest of them was a match for any Silver-rank adventurer.<\/p>\n
And that was broadly correct. A mage passed by Wistram was almost always a studied graduate of at least six years, capable of casting many spells and studied in a wide variety of fields. She or he or they owed it all to the rigorous training given to them by their teachers, older mages who imparted their knowledge to the new students.<\/p>\n
That was the true value of Wistram. Its teachers. Each one defined the experience the students would go through year to year, and so it was small wonder the students quickly learned which teachers could be appeased, which ones were competent and which were barely able to convey their subject matter and of course, which ones were to be feared.<\/p>\n
The teacher for basic combat magic this year was not happy. Few teachers saddled with the job were. Teaching magic to the newest students, those that had passed their entrance exams, was not an easy job, and the salary provided by the council was meager. It was a task mages fought to avoid.<\/p>\n
Perhaps that was why this mage was angry. Then again, it could have just been her personality. All the new students knew was that their teacher was as terrifying as she was good at ice magic. And whenever they saw her in the hallways, or now, entering the banquet hall for breakfast, they took care to greet her deferentially while clearing a path.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning, professor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, professor.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a title of respect. And fear. The students backed away from their magic teacher, letting her select her food and pile it onto a plate before moving away to their collective relief. The teacher stalked away towards a far table, face frozen with a hostility that her students had grown to dread.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoi, teacher! Over here!\u201d<\/p>\n
Someone waved to her. The mage turned. Her face changed little, but she scowled as she sat down with a few other mages for breakfast. One of them grinned at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi there. How\u2019s it going, professor Ceria?\u201d<\/p>\n
Calvaron stared at Ceria Springwalker\u2019s glaring face for a few more seconds and then burst out laughing. He howled with mirth as he pounded the table Beatrice and Mons sat at. Ceria kept glaring until the Centaur had finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou done? Because if you\u2019re not, I\u2019ll shove an icicle so far up your\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoa there, don\u2019t take it out on me! Please, professor, show mercy!\u201d<\/p>\n
The Centaur raised his hands in mock fright. He grinned at Ceria, still sniggering at her. She wanted to throw her plate at him, but it wouldn\u2019t be worth it. Calvaron had been laughing about the title her students had given her since the year had started. She growled as she cut into the steak slathered with butter on her plate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI keep telling them not<\/em> to call me that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but you know students. They have to have a nickname for their teachers, and I think \u2018professor\u2019 suits you quite well. Don\u2019t you, Beatrice?\u201d<\/p>\n The Dullahan looked up from her plate and nodded her head with her hands. She had a book open by her head and was alternating between staring at that and nibbling on cheese.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a better name than Scaleslough. That\u2019s what they called our old teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDead gods, I\u2019d forgotten! We used to call old Tshya that all the time! That brings back memories.\u201d<\/p>\n The Centaur smiled at the memory, but Beatrice did not. She looked at Ceria.<\/p>\n \u201cHow are classes going?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you expect? Badly.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria made a face as she forked a dripping piece of meat into her mouth. She wanted to grimace, but the hot meat made her too happy to properly grouch. Instead, she only sighed, sipping at the sweet juice in her cup as she stretched out on the comfy cushioned seats she\u2019d grown used to.<\/p>\n \u201cAll these new students don\u2019t know the difference between a fire spell and a water one, I swear. Their magical composition is terrible, they can\u2019t compress their mana correctly, their aim is so bad I have to put up a ward or they\u2019ll hit each other\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The half-Elf broke off, affronted as Calvaron and <\/em>Beatrice laughed at this. Mons had to smile too, although she tried to look away from Ceria. Ceria growled as she eyed her friends.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Ceria. It\u2019s just that\u2014every teacher always says the same thing about their students.\u201d<\/p>\n Calvaron chuckled as he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the mages who have to teach say it. And all of the older students say it too. Why, not two years ago I heard all the older mages saying it about your year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey did not.\u201d<\/p>\n Beatrice nodded, smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cDid too. And now you\u2019re saying it. It\u2019s funny.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria turned her head to stare at Montressa. The younger girl turned red, but she grinned sheepishly at Ceria.<\/p>\n \u201cCalvaron and Beatrice said you\u2019d complain, Ceria. But it\u2019s a good thing you do, isn\u2019t it? It means you care about your students.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026I\u2019m their teacher. I have to care.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria hunched her shoulders defensively. Calvaron wagged his finger at her.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, ah. Don\u2019t be modest, Ceria. I hear good things about your class. You may torture your students\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI do not\u2014<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014torture them with lessons harder than all the rest of their classes combined, but they\u2019re learning a lot from you. The students can tell, for all they think you\u2019re the scariest half-Elf they\u2019ve ever met. You\u2019re doing a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria couldn\u2019t think of anything to say in reply. She tried not to blush, but knew her ears had turned slightly red.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a job. I didn\u2019t want it. It\u2019s a pain and it\u2019s keeping me from studying\u2014anyways, it\u2019s fine. What about you three? I\u2019ve been so busy I haven\u2019t had time to catch up with you all this year.\u201d<\/p>\n The other students sitting at Ceria\u2019s table shrugged. She eyed Calvaron and Beatrice, largely unchanged since she\u2019d gotten to know them. The only real difference was that Calvaron was a bit heavier, having gained weight, and Beatrice had upgraded her plain metal armor with a new coat of paint and what looked like steel mixed in with the common iron.<\/p>\n They had grown. But so had Mons, and in far more dramatic ways than the other two. In the year after the infamous day when Ceria had been caught up in a battle at sea with a powerful pirate navy, the young girl had turned into a young woman.<\/p>\n Humans grew up so fast. In one year, Mons had finished most of her adolescence and become, well, as physically old as Ceria. She had grown two inches taller, and her hair had gotten longer. Her breasts were a bit bigger, she had a bit more muscle, and she was more confident than the girl Ceria had met.<\/p>\n Now Mons smiled at Ceria, the depths of her pale saffron-topaz irises glinting in the morning light. She looked rather strange to Ceria, with her red hair and bright eyes. Half-Elves didn\u2019t have naturally red hair. Staring at her now, the half-Elf felt a pang in her chest. In one year, Ceria had barely changed, but Mons had transformed. How much different would she become by the time Ceria graduated?<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you, Mons? How are classes in the second year?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood! I\u2019m really enjoying my classes on ward spells. I don\u2019t know why, but I\u2019ve got a real knack for casting them. I\u2019ve gotten a Skill \u2013 [Layered Ward]! I think I could really specialize in that field!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s great news, Mons.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria smiled at the young woman while Calvaron and Beatrice made similar complimentary noises.<\/p>\n \u201cYou never told me you got a Skill, Mons! When was this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLast week. And I told Beatrice, but I didn\u2019t tell you because she said you\u2019d just sell the secret to someone.\u201d<\/p>\n Mons\u2019 eyes twinkled as Calvaron spluttered and turned red. Ceria laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m glad you\u2019ve learned how to put Calvaron in his place. I thought you\u2019d be in real trouble with me gone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not been the same without you, Ceria.\u201d<\/p>\n Calvaron sighed and shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cMons and Beatrice try, but no one has your sharp tongue\u2014or penchant for kicking and throwing things at people. I keep telling them, only you can kick like a real Centaur.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShut up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019m serious. Ever since you went off and had to become Illphres\u2019 apprentice, things have been so lonely. How could you just abandon us like that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re disgusting. Didn\u2019t you win a bundle for betting I\u2019d be able to do it when everyone said I didn\u2019t have a chance?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. But that\u2019s that and this is this.\u201d<\/p>\n Calvaron smiled smugly, causing Ceria to flick her fingers and spray a cloud of snow in his face. He yelped as the freezing snowflakes melted on his fur.<\/p>\n \u201cAah! That\u2019s the Ceria I know and love!\u201d<\/p>\n She had to laugh at that. Ceria eyed Calvaron as she finished her food. He really hadn\u2019t changed much. And yet, she knew he had taken his own steps towards becoming a mage over the year.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s your own work going, Calvaron? You\u2019re in your sixth year, now. One more and you\u2019ll be able to call yourself a mage. Excited?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHah. Terrified is more like. I\u2019m practicing my tail off for the exam, but really, I\u2019m more worried about collecting secrets and coin right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Calvaron flicked his fingers, making the water on his face and arms vanish in a puff.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing a mage means I\u2019ll really get embroiled in faction politics. I want the coin and secrets to, well, keep doing as I\u2019ve done. I figure that without classes, I\u2019ll be able to establish myself as a really influential broker between all the sides in Wistram.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr you could take one and keep studying instead.\u201d<\/p>\n Beatrice turned her head to frown at Calvaron. He avoided her gaze and Ceria sighed. She knew he and Beatrice had been fighting about his future. Calvaron was content to earn a living and continue being the affable Centaur everyone went to when they wanted to sell or buy things, but Beatrice wanted him to join her faction, the Revivalists.<\/p>\n It was an argument Ceria wanted no part of, so she sat back as Calvaron cleared his throat awkwardly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m\u2026not interested in their goals, you know that, Beatrice. I support some of their agendas, but other things they say\u2014I can\u2019t. Anyways, I need to be neutral. You know that.\u201d<\/p>\n She said nothing, just narrowed her eyes. To break the tension, Mons turned brightly to Ceria.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, um, Ceria. How are things between you and Pisces? Have you seen him around?\u201d<\/p>\n The mood at the table\u2014froze. Beatrice turned the head in her hands to stare at Mons and the girl flinched. Calvaron covered his face with his hand and Ceria stopped eating.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t seen him around recently.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNeither have I. I suppose he\u2019s studying quite a lot. But you know, that\u2019s how it is. We\u2019re so busy studying\u2014Ceria, how are lessons with Illphres going? Does she expect as much from you as you do from your students?\u201d<\/p>\n Mons ignored Calvaron\u2019s desperate attempt to shift the conversation. She stared at Ceria.<\/p>\n \u201cI spoke with him the other day. He was teaching me about how to use the [Flame Arrow] spell more effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria looked at Mons, surprised.<\/p>\n \u201cYou still\u2026keep in touch with him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see him at least once or twice a week. He\u2019s busy\u2014studying\u2014a lot, but he could use some visitors. I think it might be good if you talked with him.\u201d<\/p>\n Mons met Ceria\u2019s eyes squarely. The half-Elf didn\u2019t know what to say. Across the table, Calvaron fiddled with his fork and Beatrice turned her head back to her spellbook without a word.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll\u2014think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n That was all Ceria could come up with. Mons nodded, and the table fell into a deep silence.<\/p>\n Even after a year, there was one word, one name that couldn\u2019t be spoken aloud.<\/p>\n Pisces.<\/p>\n Ceria closed her eyes and pushed her plate back a bit, no longer hungry anymore. Even now, after so many months\u2014<\/p>\n It still hurt. It still made her stomach churn.<\/p>\n Pisces was a [Necromancer].<\/p>\n The entire academy knew about it, now. The new students learned this fact within days of arriving. There was a necromancer studying among them. A twisted, deranged madman who experimented with the dead.<\/p>\n What could be more abhorrent? What could be more wrong? Necromancers had existed since the dawn of magic, but today they were shunned and feared. Famous examples among their kind had been used to haunt children\u2019s dreams for generations, and the tale of Az\u2019kerash, the horror that had brought death to two continents for over a century before being slain, still lurked in everyone\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n Necromancy was evil. Few species could look into the rotting, dead eyes of a corpse and see anything but wrongness there. Perhaps the Selphid students sympathized with Pisces, and maybe there were those who quietly thought he did nothing wrong. But they were silent and the rest of the academy turned their backs on him.<\/p>\n Including Beatrice. The first time he had come to sit with them after his trial she\u2019d nearly attacked him herself. Calvaron had\u2014he hadn\u2019t attacked Pisces, but neither could he look the young man in the eye. Ceria couldn\u2019t either. Only Mons had stayed by Pisces\u2019 side.<\/p>\n \u201cDo that.\u201d<\/p>\n The young woman nodded to Ceria, looking around the table seriously. She still trusted Pisces, still talked with him. Ceria could understand\u2014but not condone.<\/p>\n He raised the dead. If she came to grips with that, he had still lied to her about who he was. She\u2019d known him for over a year and he\u2019d lied to her.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think I\u2019m ready for an after-breakfast dessert. Anyone want something?\u201d<\/p>\n Calvaron heaved himself up and Beatrice caught at his arm.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll get fatter. Don\u2019t eat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBeatrice\u2014<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cActually, before you go Calvaron, I did have some business to discuss with you.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria interrupted the upcoming squabble. She saw Calvaron brighten as he looked at her and saw Beatrice\u2019s smile of gratitude. Ceria tilted her head slightly as Calvaron sank back down.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m always willing to help a friend out! What did you need, Ceria?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA ring or amulet with enchantments that resist ice and cold temperatures. I need good stuff, Calvaron. Not a shoddy spell, but one with the best binding available\u2014something I could use if I had other enchanted items on me.\u201d<\/p>\n Calvaron\u2019s eyebrows raised.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need cold resistant magic? What, Illphres is too chilly for you?\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria scowled at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI need what I need, Calvaron. The question is, can you<\/em> get it for me?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked affronted.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I can! But it\u2019ll be very expensive, you know that Ceria.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPrice is no object. The highest-grade enchantments you can get, Calvaron, so long as they have no magical leakage. And I\u2019ll need two of them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTwo? What for?\u201d<\/p>\n Calvaron was alight with curiosity, but Ceria clamped her lips shut. She wagged a finger at him.<\/p>\n \u201cAsk me no questions and I\u2026won\u2019t freeze your face off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOoh. I\u2019m so tempted but\u2014very well. I\u2019ll ask around. You\u2019re sure two? And you\u2019re good for\u2014alright, alright, I trust you! Talk to me in a week or two and I\u2019ll let you know what I find. Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Calvaron.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria smiled and stood up. Beatrice looked surprised.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing so soon?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got to. Sorry. Illphres doesn\u2019t have that much time and I have classes to prepare for\u2014you know how it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell then, stop by another time Ceria. You know where to find us!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWill do. See you Calvaron, Mons. Beatrice.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria waved and walked away. She levitated her plates into a wicker bin designed to hold them\u2014a new addition to the banquet hall after the [Chefs] complained they were running out of dishes since students would pile them up ten feet into the air rather than send them into the kitchen\u2014and walked out of the banquet hall.<\/p>\n By now, Ceria knew most of the academy back to front. The only places she hadn\u2019t gone were the highest levels and deep into the bowels of the academy. It was still dangerous to wander in those places incautiously, but Ceria knew all the best shortcuts everywhere else.<\/p>\n So in less than five minutes, she was standing outside a door from which cold emanated. Ceria rapped on the frozen surface, ignoring the chill that made other students and mages hurry past her. She\u2019d long since learned several spells to help with the cold.<\/p>\n After a moment, the door opened. A woman walked out. She nodded to Ceria\u2014Ceria nodded back.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have eaten?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust now. Do you want to have breakfast first or\u2014?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres walked down the corridor slowly. Ceria followed. Her relationship with her master, Illphres, was a simple one. Illphres ordered and Ceria usually obeyed. They didn\u2019t waste time with greetings or chitchat, mainly because Illphres had no tolerance for it.<\/p>\n \u201cHey master.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t call me that.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres turned and scowled at Ceria. The half-Elf took the glare unfazed.<\/p>\n \u201cI get called \u2018Professor Springwalker\u2019 because of you. If I get called names, so do you.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres paused. She moved her hand past her mouth, and when she lowered it, she was smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cThey call you that? Hah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s your fault.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria scowled as the woman turned and kept walking slowly down the corridors. Illphres just shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMost masters don\u2019t make their apprentices teach their classes for them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey should. It\u2019s convenient.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria glowered. That was the thing about Illphres. She didn\u2019t care at all about your feelings, and in fact seemed to delight in annoying other people.<\/p>\n And she usually came up with inventive ways to do it. Not that she\u2019d deliberately gotten herself a teaching position for another year on purpose\u2014that was just politics. But it had definitely been Illphres\u2019 idea to make Ceria do the teaching instead.<\/p>\n Most masters made their apprentices get them food, or clean their rooms, organize their notes, assist with spellcasting and so on. But Illphres hated for anyone to do any of that for her\u2014she wouldn\u2019t let Ceria pull her seat out for her. And yet, she had no problems ordering Ceria to spend half her day teaching and preparing her next lesson for students when it suited her.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve barely had time to practice with all my lessons, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you do<\/em> practice, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm. We\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres led Ceria to a well-used set of rooms, looking at glowing stones on the doors until she found one that wasn\u2019t lit.<\/p>\n \u201cIn here.\u201d<\/p>\n They entered into the practice room. It was just an empty room, really. Some had furniture or other objects that could be used for magic practice, but most were just empty. This one had a white marble floor\u2014enchanted of course, to protect against the spells mages would test in here.<\/p>\n Illphres paused in the center of the room and turned to face Ceria.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, attack me.\u201d<\/p>\n There was no warm up, no preamble. Ceria just raised her finger and started casting magic.<\/p>\n \u201c[Ice Dart]! [Ice Spike]! [Frost Arrows]!\u201d<\/p>\n The spells shot from her fingers in the form of deadly shards of ice, some as long as Ceria\u2019s forearm and twice as wide. They shattered harmlessly on the sheets of thick ice that had materialized in front of Illphres. The woman let the slabs of ice hover around her, creating a multi-layered shield Ceria strove to break.<\/p>\n Her [Ice Dart] spell did little to the thick ice, for all it was a rain of projectiles. Ceria\u2019s newly learned [Ice Spike] spell created a few cracks, but the heavier shots didn\u2019t do much. And her final spell, a storm of fourteen arrows that shattered against the ice barrier and left Ceria gasping for air\u2014did nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cAll done?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria gasped for air and wiped at her brow, despite the chill in the air. Illphres let the icy barrier around her dissipate, the ice melting into water which vanished, and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cNot bad. If you ignore the fact that you\u2019d be dead if any of your opponents knew magic of their own or had a bow.\u201d<\/p>\n That stung. Ceria looked up, glowering at Illphres.<\/p>\n \u201cMost students my year can\u2019t cast a Tier 3 spell half as many times as I can! My offense is fine\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut your defense is terrible. Why didn\u2019t you raise [Barrier of the Winds] before casting?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know it yet. You\u2019re the one who told me to focus on ice magic! Why don\u2019t you teach me [Frozen Shield] instead?\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres\u2019 face didn\u2019t change, but the tone of her voice was definitely a sneer.<\/p>\n \u201cBah. [Frozen Shield] is a terrible spell. Just buy a real shield if you want to block something. You\u2019ll be better off learning [Wall of Ice] when you\u2019re at a higher level.\u201d<\/p>\n The two mages continued to argue as Ceria and Illphres took a position facing the far wall. Illphres made colored targets of ice appear and Ceria hit them, Illphres correcting her as they bickered.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t I get a say in what I learn?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course not. You\u2019re an idiot whereas I know what spells are best. Your [Ice Spike] spell is flawed\u2014see there? Correct it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria gritted her teeth as she did.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy won\u2019t you teach me more advanced spells? I want to learn more, not keep practicing one spell over and over!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMastery of the [Ice Spike] spell is key to learning the [Glacial Spear] spell. Besides, you don\u2019t need variety\u2014you need to perfect the basics first.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria grumbled under her breath and her ears drooped, but she finished practicing without any more complaints. Illphres was an excellent teacher even if she taught in much the same style as her element. Slowly, exactingly, choosing to perfect every spell before moving on to the next one. Still, Ceria couldn\u2019t complain. She had an excellent teacher. Although she sometimes wondered\u2026<\/p>\n As Illphres was walking towards the door without a word of goodbye, Ceria called out.<\/p>\n \u201cMaster.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCall me that again and I\u2019ll freeze your toes off.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres turned, her face a scowl. Ceria shrugged insolently.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Master, why<\/em> do you need two enchanted items to protect against the cold? I know it\u2019s not for me.\u201d<\/p>\n The ice mage scowled deeper, reshaping the ice mask on her face to do so.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course it\u2019s not for you.<\/em> If you couldn\u2019t handle my cold spells by now I\u2019d have gotten rid of you already.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen who is<\/em> it for? I talked to Calvaron, but he says it\u2019ll be a week or two before he can find anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres hesitated. Ceria waited, hoping she would get an actual reply. Illphres\u2019 eyes pierced her apprentice, and she seemed to come to a conclusion.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe you\u2019re ready. But\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n She glanced around the empty room meaningfully. There was no one to listen in, but Ceria knew that an eavesdropping spell might not be detectable even if they cast [Detect Magic].<\/p>\n \u201cI will tell you later.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria nodded and asked no more. She felt happy Illphres was willing to confide in her. Usually the woman just gave her orders and suffered no question. But perhaps she was trusting Ceria more? They\u2019d been master and apprentice for over half a year now, and Ceria felt like she knew Illphres almost as well as anyone in the academy.<\/p>\n Drained from her practice session with the woman, Ceria exited the practice room, walking slowly down the hallways. She did not walk back towards Illphres\u2019 room where she now had her own quarters. Instead, Ceria took a familiar route, one she hadn\u2019t used in a long time. She walked down to the first level, and soon found herself standing next to a familiar door.<\/p>\n Pisces still lived in the same room he had when they were first-year students. He had no master. Ceria knew the room she had used to live in\u2014and indeed, most of the rooms around his\u2014were empty.<\/p>\n She stared for a long time at the door. Thinking. At last, she raised her hand to knock. Ceria hesitated.<\/p>\n Then she turned and walked slowly away.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ceria had no intention of talking to Pisces. It wasn\u2019t that she couldn\u2019t handle the meeting, it was just that she didn\u2019t want to speak with him. But fate conspired against her, or perhaps it was the finite amount of space even in a place as large as Wistram.<\/p>\n About a month later, Ceria found a knot of students and raised voices that was the sure sign of a duel, either magical or verbal, going on in one of the hallways. Pushing her way into the group, Ceria saw the duel was of the latter kind, and going on between a fourth-year student and\u2014<\/p>\n Pisces.<\/p>\n Ceria\u2019s heart skipped a beat when she saw him. Pisces was standing across from his opponent in a ring of bodies, speaking loudly. He had changed much since she\u2019d seen him last.<\/p>\n Gone were Pisces\u2019 rapier and the silver bell. It now belonged to Timor du Havrington, Ceria knew. And gone was Pisces\u2019 smile, and indeed his normally semi-neat appearance.<\/p>\n Now his robes were dirty, a sign that he had little time or inclination to clean. They looked slept in, and ragged. Pisces had no coin to buy new ones. Ceria listened as the other student, a loudly-speaking cross between a dog and man\u2014one of the Beastkin\u2014concluded his point.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014and so your foul practice drags down the status of mages everywhere. No nation respects a [Necromancer], and thus, why should Wistram? Why should we condone a school of magic condemned by the entire world?\u201d<\/p>\n A murmur of agreement ran through the students listening to the debate. Ceria saw Pisces draw himself up. His posture was different. He hunched his shoulders more, and glared at his opponent as he sniffed and launched his counter argument.<\/p>\n \u201cNecromancers have no place in the world? Who decides such things? Popular opinion? If that is the case, I must inquire, what of Archmage Nekhret? Was she undeserving of her title despite being tainted, as you seem to insinuate, by the foul practice of necromancy? She was a true [Archmage], not some pretender to the class! She represented the soul of Wistram over a thousand years ago\u2014her bones still lie in the catacombs below the academy itself!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe lived over a thousand years ago!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAge is immaterial! My point is that she was an Archmage, someone who represented Wistram. Should she be condemned? No\u2014more broadly speaking, can any group of mages be condemned for the actions of a few? I put to you, what about the actions of the infamous Burning Killer, Calico, who was just caught and executed in Chandrar? Do his actions define mages as a whole? Should we look askance at every [Pyromancer] because of him? Let me ask to you this question\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n As she watched, Ceria knew Pisces would lose. His arguments were sound, but he had lost his audience, probably before the debate had begun. When they voted, the group of students chosen to listen to the debate all voted unanimously. Pisces had lost, and so the winner collected his spoils\u2014a small bag that might have had coin or something else\u2014and walked away without another word.<\/p>\n The students dispersed, leaving Pisces to stare murderously at the ground. Ceria approached half-unwillingly. She hesitated before she spoke, but she did speak.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope you didn\u2019t bet anything valuable on that debate.\u201d<\/p>\n Pisces\u2019 head jerked up. He stared at Ceria in disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cCeria?\u201d<\/p>\n She met his gaze levelly. The shock faded and Pisces\u2019 expression returned to normal. Now it was a bitter scowl and a sardonic crook of the mouth that was supposed to be a smile. He turned away from her, brushing at his robes.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, you mean the debate? I wagered nothing of consequence, I assure you. I am\u2026used to the bias of the masses even when presented with the most rational of arguments.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo I see. Why bother debating at all, then?\u201d<\/p>\n He glanced back at her haughtily.<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose it is to prove that I have a voice, and perhaps to sway opinions. They are bound under a truth spell to vote for whomever presents the best case, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut they hate necromancy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot all! I have had a few vote in my favor\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Pisces paused. He sniffed again, and frowned at Ceria.<\/p>\n \u201cNot that it matters. Why, pray tell, have you sought me out?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t. I was just walking and saw a debate was going on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n The two stared at each other. Ceria shifted from foot to foot as Pisces stared over her shoulder. It was\u2026so hard to see him like this. At last, Ceria sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cI talked to Mons a while ago. She says she studies with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMons? Ah\u2014she does. She hires me on occasion to provide her with instruction.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s good. For you, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it does\u2026help.\u201d<\/p>\n More silence. After a moment, Pisces cleared his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, I am studying combat magic in my spare time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally? I thought you gave up dueling.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, yes, well, I cannot seem to find a match. I have no desire to duel practiced mages and I seem to be boycotted by all other students\u2014but I am attempting to refine what spells I know. Mons claims to have benefitted greatly from practicing with me.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria tried to smile, but all she did was lift the corners of her mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s great, Pisces.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed. You are\u2014you would be welcome to join us if you had the time. I realize you may be somewhat preoccupied with your classes, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Part of her wanted to say yes, but she couldn\u2019t. Slowly, Ceria shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re friends anymore, Pisces.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked her in the eyes then. She saw hurt and pain in his, but Pisces didn\u2019t say what was clearly on the tip of his tongue. He was about to, but bit back the words. Then his eyes focused on Ceria\u2019s again.<\/p>\n \u201cIn that case, are we enemies?\u201d<\/p>\n He stared at her, searching for something, eyes gaunt and bloodshot, his robes dirty. Ceria felt a pang in her heart and glared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n She whirled and walked angrily away. But Ceria knew Pisces was smiling, just a tiny bit, behind her. She murmured under her breath.<\/p>\n \u201cWe couldn\u2019t be enemies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Four days later, Ceria found herself sitting at a table with Illphres and four other mages. She was nervous, terrified out of her mind, and nearly knocked over her drink twice when she reached for it.<\/p>\n Illphres glared at her.<\/p>\n \u201cStop fidgeting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see how she could, with you glaring at her so, Illphres.\u201d<\/p>\n A tall Dullahan seated next to Ceria said that. His name was Jurix, and he was a powerful mage specializing in combat magic and physical reinforcement magic. Sitting across from Ceria, a Drake named Bastam winked at her reassuringly. Ophelia, the Stitch-woman, smiled at Ceria, and the last mage, another Dullahan named Qum, nodded impassively at her.<\/p>\n That made Ceria feel a bit better, but she was still on pins and needles in the presence of so many important mages. She was sitting in the banquet hall, but at one of the tables usually claimed by older mages. It was made of some kind of expensive wood and the chairs were clearly expensive, if a bit worn, but Ceria would have preferred cushions.<\/p>\n And yet, it suited these mages well, because these five were all individuals who commanded quite a bit of influence and power of their own within Wistram. Each one was old; Ophelia, the youngest, was in her early thirties and Bastam, the oldest, was in his sixties, although he didn\u2019t look it.<\/p>\n Any one of them\u2014including Illphres\u2014could cause an upset if they threw their influence into a political fight. Three of them were Isolationists\u2014Bastam, Jurix, and Illphres, while Qum was undeclared and Ophelia was a Centrist. That was surprising in itself, given the Isolationist and the Centrist\u2019s longstanding rivalry, but apparently they had an understanding.<\/p>\n This was Illphres\u2019 group of allies, and Ceria felt out of place and very small sitting with them. But she was here for a reason.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is my new apprentice. Ceria. She\u2019s annoying, but she\u2019ll help get the equipment we need.\u201d<\/p>\n That was Illphres\u2019 way of introducing Ceria to the group. Jurix laughed as the others greeted Ceria. He put his head on the table to reach over and shake Ceria\u2019s hand\u2014she remembered to stare at his head while she shook, rather than at the empty space where his head should have been on a normal body.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen you about, and of course I saw you fighting those pirates a year ago, Ceria. If you managed to convince Illphres of all people to take you on as an apprentice, I have no doubt you\u2019re a capable individual able to do pretty much anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria blushed bright red, but Ophelia looked at Illphres with concern.<\/p>\n \u201cJust so long as you\u2019re not planning on making her our sixth. That\u2019s not your intention, surely?\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres passed her hand over her mouth to smile wryly.<\/p>\n \u201cHardly. I didn\u2019t want an apprentice and I still don\u2019t. But she insisted.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood. No offense Ceria, but I don\u2019t want you getting killed for nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n Ophelia nodded at Ceria and, confused, the half-Elf nodded back. She hesitated, but then cleared her throat.<\/p>\n \u201cUm, what is this about? I know Illphres said she needed the rings enchanted against ice magic\u2014I have them right here, they\u2019re about Tier 4 enchantments which is the best I could get\u2014but what is it for?\u201d<\/p>\n The mages stared at the rings Ceria put on the table, courtesy of Calvaron and a very large amount of gold, and then at Illphres. After a moment Bastam burst out angrily.<\/p>\n \u201cAncestors, Illphres! You didn\u2019t tell<\/em> her what we\u2019re going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres shrugged, smiling wickedly. She seemed to enjoy the others\u2019 consternation.<\/p>\n \u201cShould I have? Teaching her is all I have to do. Why bother telling her something that she can\u2019t change?\u201d<\/p>\n The others groaned and covered their faces, but none of them looked surprised. They too were used to Illphres\u2019 way of doing things. Ceria looked from face to face, wondering what was going on.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, I\u2019ll tell her. Unless you object?\u201d<\/p>\n The others shook their heads and Jurix turned to Ceria. She heard Ophelia casting a ward against eavesdropping as Jurix put his head on his shoulders and smiled at her. Then he turned and pointed. Ceria followed his finger and saw a Golem, one of the most primitive types, a crude man made of brown stone slowly wheeling out more food on a table.<\/p>\n He put each dish slowly and carefully on a table as students flowed past him, some taking food right off the plate as he paused so as not to bump any of them. He was just one of the many Golems in Wistram, practically the scenery that Ceria had gotten used to.<\/p>\n \u201cSee that Golem, Ceria? Well, he\u2019s our enemy. Him and every Golem in Wistram. At the end of the year, Illphres, Bastam, Ophelia, Qum and I are going to challenge Cognita. We\u2019re going to destroy her and open the doors to the rest of Wistram.\u201d<\/p>\n He grinned at her. Ceria turned to Illphres and stared into her master\u2019s eyes. The ice mage smiled deeply at Ceria. Ceria blinked, looked at the Golem serving food, and then flipped the table.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat!?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Golems. They were a rarity in most parts of the world\u2014unless you lived in a desert or if it snowed. Then they were more common, but you\u2019d still only see the weakest, most primitive of Golems. Sand Golems, Snow Golems and so on were functions of nature, of excess mana and intention.<\/p>\n But Golems, the kind that were manufactured and sculpted or built and brought to life with magic, those were different. They were expensive, hideously so, to make, and only a powerful mage could create one.<\/p>\n Well, Ceria supposed even she could make a primitive, small one with work. But to create it would take months of study, and it would be hardly useful. She couldn\u2019t imagine the effort needed to create a more advanced Golem.<\/p>\n The half-Elf walked through the halls of Wistram, distracted, hurrying past students without a word. Now that she looked, there were Golems all over Wistram. Okay, not many, not compared to the students, but too many.<\/p>\n A Golem passed her with a basket of laundry in his hands. He was a crude stone one, capable of following basic orders. She stared at him and shuddered as he passed. Okay, he was a simple one, but her idea of \u2018simple\u2019 had been skewed by living here.<\/p>\n A simple Golem? He was capable of obeying most instructions quite well! He could fetch and carry and fight or lift extremely heavy objects if need be. Forget simple, he was worth thousands of gold coins by himself, possibly ten thousand coins alone! An undying, tireless servant capable of killing lesser warriors with a body made of rock? He was powerful, not simple.<\/p>\n And he was the least of the Golems walking through Wistram. Ceria shuddered as she saw a suit of armor, gleaming and polished, meekly carrying a stack of books while he passed her by. He was a Golem built for war. His steel body was far more agile than the stone Golems and he had a sword and shield. If he used it\u2014<\/p>\n But of course, he wouldn\u2019t. Right? The Golems of Wistram had been made to protect and serve by Archmage Zelkyr. And enforce his will. But they were a valuable asset to the academy. They did chores, defended the isle against attack\u2014<\/p>\n And kept the highest parts of the castle under lock and key. Ceria knew that\u2014she\u2019d known it since her first year. But she\u2019d given little thought to it since then.<\/p>\n Wistram\u2019s highest corridors and rooms were out of bounds. So what? There was plenty to do below it.<\/p>\n Only\u2014there wasn\u2019t. Wistram was only a quarter, or less of what it was. The true magics and real spells that would turn good mages into great ones were all above, locked behind a door guarded by Golems. That was what the five mages had told Ceria as she\u2019d sat in the banquet hall in disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see, Ceria, there is a limit to the heights mages can reach here. Level 50, let alone Level 60, is the utmost limit we can strive towards. People like Archmage Feor or Amerys\u2014they\u2019re the top. And yet, it didn\u2019t use to be this way. Once, we had real [Archmages].\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnce we were true mages.\u201d<\/p>\n Jurix and Illphres\u2019 voice rang through Ceria\u2019s ears. It wasn\u2019t hard to understand what they were saying.<\/p>\n Cognita, the Golems of Wistram, they protected the academy. But they also held all mages within hostage. No one could reach beyond a certain level, not without more spells to study. Oh, a mage could study by themselves, but that meant their growth stagnated. In this place they had countless centuries\u2014millennia of experience to draw upon, but it was all out of reach.<\/p>\n Guarded. By Cognita and four other Golems. Sentries, designed to be a test for mages to challenge. All those who had tried before had died, but once again mages had gathered. Five of the most powerful mages of Wistram had come together to challenge the Golem\u2019s authority. And they would win or die.<\/p>\n It was too much for Ceria to take in. This was why Illphres needed the rings protecting against ice. She was going to fight alongside the others, and they needed protection from her deadly attacks.<\/p>\n Ceria had seen Illphres fight. She could freeze the air, raise huge structures of ice or hurl massive pillars of it at her enemies. She was going to use that magic to fight Cognita.<\/p>\n It was unthinkable to Ceria. She couldn\u2019t believe\u2014well, she could<\/em> believe Illphres would keep it a secret. But the rest?<\/p>\n It was too much for her. That was how Ceria found herself at Pisces\u2019 door, pounding on it and demanding to be let in. It took a while and she heard him bumping around inside, but eventually he opened it, glaring.<\/p>\n \u201cWho in the name of\u2014Ceria?\u201d<\/p>\n He let her in, looking bewildered. Ceria stepped into Pisces\u2019 room and found chaos. Dirt, mess, fragments of parchment and bits of food\u2014that was the least of it. Ceria saw a pile of bones in the corner and nearly backed out of the room in horror.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that\u2014dead gods, Pisces!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just mouse bones! Please, Ceria! I\u2019ll\u2014let me just clean this up!\u201d<\/p>\n Pisces waved his hands at her, desperately shifting things about with gusts of wind and levitating them into corners or into his dresser. Ceria looked away from the pile of bones, shuddering, and didn\u2019t ask where Pisces had put them when he told her she could come back in.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m\u2014sorry. I just\u2014I need to practice, you understand, and I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not plundering the catacombs?\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria eyed Pisces. She knew that quite a few mages were buried underneath the academy, even if she\u2019d never dared go exploring for the crypts where their remains\u2014if there were any\u2014were interred. Pisces shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI fear that would be\u2026well, let\u2019s just say I doubt others would take kindly to the knowledge that I were robbing graves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, they wouldn\u2019t. But rat <\/em>bones?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs there a difference?\u201d<\/p>\n Pisces shrugged. He fidgeted on his bed as he faced her\u2014he seemed barely able to believe she was here, talking to him.<\/p>\n Ceria had no idea why she was talking to Pisces either. She was so shaken by what she\u2019d just learned she had to speak to someone. And she had unconsciously come here. Now that she was actually facing Pisces, though, she didn\u2019t know what to say.<\/p>\n \u201cWell. It\u2019s been a while since I last came here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. It has.\u201d<\/p>\n Pisces cleared his throat awkwardly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou look\u2014awful, frankly.\u201d<\/p>\n He blinked, and then smiled at that. Ceria grinned shakily at him. Pisces looked around his dingy room.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, well, my circumstances have changed quite a lot since\u2014before. My fortunes have fallen, so to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell me about it.\u201d<\/p>\n He sniffed.<\/p>\n \u201cI hardly think you<\/em> can make the same comparison, given\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I mean, tell me about it.\u201d<\/p>\n He paused. Ceria looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cTell me, Pisces. Tell me everything. And tell me why. And maybe\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n She didn\u2019t say the rest. But slowly, Pisces relaxed his hunched posture. He straightened his back, and looked at Ceria like he used to.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, if you insist\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWill you challenge them all at once?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to. The Golems fight together. Cognita will be there\u2014and four others.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria stood with Illphres by the ocean, aiming at targets as the sun came up. Across the rocks, Bastam, Jurix, Ophelia and Qum were all doing the same.<\/p>\n She was a part of their group now. Not the same\u2014she was the only apprentice and student among them\u2014but they had no other confidants, no other apprentices to tell. Ceria knew, and this secret was one she\u2019d never reveal.<\/p>\n \u201cIt might not matter if you do. But others would try and stop us or get in the way, or make it political.<\/em> We\u2019re doing this to end politics and factions once and for all.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres aimed at a target, an ice pillar three hundred meters away, the ice tinted red, and shattered it with a single spear of ice. Ceria nodded as she took aim at her own target.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I mean, why five of you? Is it because there will be five Golems, including Cognita? Is there a rule of some kind?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRule? No.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres snorted as she raised more targets out of the sea.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no rule\u2014other than that if you try, the test doesn\u2019t end until you\u2019re dead or the Golems are destroyed. We could attack them in the hallways if we weren\u2019t afraid of all the Golems joining in. And every mage in Wistram could take on the challenge if they wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey why don\u2019t<\/em> they? Why only you five? If you got five more mages, surely\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey won\u2019t try. They\u2019re afraid of dying. Cowards.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres said it shortly. She shot a flurry of [Glacial Spears] out, shattering a dozen targets at once.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are afraid, and content to live like they have. Not us, though. All of us\u2014the Isolationists who aren\u2019t afraid to risk our lives and Ophelia and Qum\u2014we see that mages cannot live like this. We want to grow, not die old at this level. We want to be true mages.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrue mages.\u201d<\/p>\n The word floated in the air between them. Ceria stared across the ocean and tried to imagine what lay beyond the door. But she couldn\u2019t imagine the door itself.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen the Golems. You said there are four of them, not counting Cognita?\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres turned.<\/p>\n \u201cWould you like to see?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The door was stone. Not just any stone, but obsidian, shining and dark as night. Ceria could see it was warded as well. Across the room, it shone with a thousand sigils and runes, twining together to form the most powerful ward she could imagine.<\/p>\n She only dared look at the door from afar at the other end of the massive room, hundreds of feet wide and nearly forty feet high. That was because the guardians stood at the other end.<\/p>\n Three Golems. Ceria only saw three, but each one made her heart quake in her chest. Illphres stood next to her, which was the only reason Ceria didn\u2019t run.<\/p>\n One was a Golem made of magma. It burned as the molten rock flowed around it, onto the floor, and back up, covering its body. It was fire incarnate, a core of something so bright it shone through the melting stone glowing at its heart.<\/p>\n The second was a creature of metal, something that looked like no species Ceria could ever dream of. Two thin, curved legs made it stand twenty feet tall. Each leg was incredibly thin and seemed to taper off into an edge like a blade. A narrow, metal body was its torso, roughly the same size as a normal Human\u2019s, twenty feet up. It had two arms curved like the legs, half as long, and as sharp as scythes.<\/p>\n It had no face, and the way it stood so still made Ceria uneasy.<\/p>\n The third Golem was a simple one to understand, but no less frightening for it. It was a giant armored Golem, like one of the suits of armor but scaled up on a massive level. This Golem was a colossus, and it held a sword in one hand that was twice as tall as Ceria was and a shield of equal size and weight. It crouched, staring across the room at Ceria.<\/p>\n Only three Golems. Ceria didn\u2019t see the fourth. The Golem made of shadows stood next to her, noxious breath wafting over her as its jaws hovered close to her head.<\/span><\/p>\n The room stank, despite being clean. It smelled to Ceria of death, or perhaps it was her own fear she smelled. She saw Illphres was gazing at the Golems and shuddered.<\/p>\n When they left the room and the doors closed behind them, Ceria had to sit down in the empty corridor. Her legs had completely given out.<\/p>\n \u201cTerrified?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cY\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria couldn\u2019t even form the words to say \u2018yes\u2019. Illphres nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cEach Golem in there is a masterpiece. A nightmare. Only a true mage could create one of them, let alone four.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFour? I saw\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria closed her mouth as she remembered. She hadn\u2019t noticed it, not at all, but one of the Golems had been standing right next to her<\/em>. A thing of shadows and flesh and\u2014<\/p>\n She threw up. Illphres stood next to Ceria dispassionately, but she did magic away the vomit when Ceria was done.<\/p>\n \u201cYou noticed it? Good. It took Bastam three tries to figure it out. It looks<\/em> like a Shadow Golem\u2014I\u2019m not even sure if you could make such a thing to begin with, but it\u2019s really a Flesh Golem. It\u2019s only enchanted to be covered in shadows and mess with the mind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDead gods. It was right next to me and I\u2014I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRemember them. They\u2019re the enemy. But also remember, Cognita will be there as well. And of the five, she\u2019s the most dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCognita?\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria couldn\u2019t imagine Cognita stacking up to the Golems she\u2019d seen in that room, for all she was terrifying in her own right. Illphres nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t underestimate her. Truestone Constructs are the pinnacle of Golem creation for a reason. I have no idea what she can do, but I think she\u2019ll be the most dangerous. But the others will be just as deadly. At least the armored knight Golem seems easy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEasy? That thing was as big as a house!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not one of the original guardian Golems. I know because records show the original one was destroyed. That\u2019s a replacement, one of the Golems that normally defends Wistram. It may look dangerous, but it\u2019s not nearly as bad as the others. I could take that one out by myself with no problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria stared at Illphres, but she knew the other woman was serious. That was the difference between her and her master.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re really going to do this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve prepared for this day for over a decade. I gave my life to magic, and I will give my life to this battle if I must. But I believe we will win.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres smiled then. She looked at Ceria, and the mask of ice betrayed her true feelings. Her cold eyes burned with life.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what we will challenge, Ceria. Don\u2019t you see? This is what it means to be a true mage.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria saw, but she was still afraid. Illphres helped her up. The woman\u2019s hand was surprisingly small on Ceria\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n \u201cI gave up everything for magic, Ceria. Everything. You saw my face. I\u2019ve made mistakes, hurt myself, but always, always, I strived to reach higher. This is the ceiling I have come against. This is what I must overcome. And I will do it. And when I do, this academy will change. We will change it.\u201d<\/p>\n The half-Elf looked up into the Human woman\u2019s face. She knew, she remembered the fearsome enemies that stood in that room, waiting for their challengers. But she looked into Illphres\u2019 eyes and believed.<\/p>\n \u201cHow can I help?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCast the spell, Ceria!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Jurix screamed at Ceria as spells flashed around her in the largest of the practice rooms. She raised the wand he\u2019d given her and gritted her teeth.<\/p>\n \u201c[Fireball]!\u201d<\/p>\n It was a spell she could only cast with a wand, not being wholly proficient at it. It streaked across the room at Illphres. The woman turned, raising her hands.<\/p>\n Ceria didn\u2019t hear the word, but the fireball exploded, and when she could see, Ceria saw a huge wall of ice. Not just a wall\u2014<\/p>\n A fortress. Illphres stood atop it, throwing magic down at the other mages around her as they besieged her. She raised walls of ice, froze the ground\u2014<\/p>\n It was a battle between the best of mages. And it was only a practice session. Ceria watched as the other four mages slowly wore Illphres down, but it was hard, even for them. At the end she raised her hands in surrender and panting, they walked back towards Ceria to review.<\/p>\n \u201cThose walls you make really are hard to crack, Illphres. I believe we might be able to lock down all the other Golems with it, save for the magma one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Cognita. She can shatter my ice.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres was sweating. She nodded at Ceria as the half-Elf passed her a flask of water. Ceria had food and drinks for the other mages, and they thanked her as they kept talking.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCeria saw her smash through my barrier. It may be I can freeze her if I don\u2019t give her room to move her arms\u2014I can cast thicker ice walls than the one she broke\u2014but I won\u2019t bet on it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEven so, if we can count on your abilities\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Afterwards, Ceria talked with Illphres. The woman smiled as Ceria gushed over what she\u2019d seen.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was incredible! You held them off, four other mages! Are you higher level? What was that spell?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c[Fortress of the Ice Queen]. It has other names\u2014it\u2019s a famous spell. I\u2019ll use it right off in our battle to shield the others.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you\u2014do you think it\u2019ll stop them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe. Maybe not. I\u2019ll improvise. It doesn\u2019t matter. We don\u2019t stick to one plan. We\u2019re all experienced mages and we\u2019ll find a way to beat them one by one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t believe how powerful you are. Why aren\u2019t you an Archmage yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres shrugged as Ceria gaped.<\/p>\n \u201cI might be able to, but that\u2019s politics and I told you, I don\u2019t care. Amerys\u2014she\u2019s famous for fighting on battlefields, but I think she\u2019s only got eight levels or so on me. Maybe six.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSix?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEnough. If it came down to a duel between us she\u2019d win.\u201d<\/p>\n That wasn\u2019t what Ceria wanted to hear. Illphres just smacked her on the back of the head.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t look like that. It\u2019s about our combat styles.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean? You two are friends, right? Why won\u2019t she help you fight? I\u2019m sure she\u2019d love a chance to battle such powerful enemies.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres snorted and nearly laughed outright.<\/p>\n \u201cUs? Friends? <\/em>What gave you that idea? I can\u2019t stand her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you train all the time! Every morning I see you two\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re competing. And yes, we sometimes train together. That\u2019s because we\u2019re a good match. She\u2019s lightning and air and I\u2019m ice and water. She prefers rapid all-out assaults and I use traps and fight drawn out battles. She doesn\u2019t think and I plan every move.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd she won\u2019t join us. I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s waiting for her King.\u201d<\/p>\n That was all Illphres said. She and Ceria sat in silence, staring at the melting ice. After a moment, Illphres spoke again.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I had a minute to prepare, or if it was a double battle\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d win. I\u2019m one of the best mages at fighting defensively. You saw my barriers. That will be my role in the battle. So long as I live, I will protect my teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n So long as I live.<\/em> Ceria shuddered at the words. They were a frank statement about what might happen. But she didn\u2019t want to think of it.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n To distract herself, Ceria went to Pisces more than once over the months that followed. Sometimes she came away happy, relieved that he hadn\u2019t changed. Other times she stormed out of his room after a fight, or left wondering how the earnest young man she\u2019d known had disappeared and been replaced by this thing. But it all came together a month before Illphres and the others planned to challenge the Golems, as Ceria let her anger explode at Pisces.<\/p>\n He was busy showing her the newest spells he\u2019d learned. Ceria tried to focus; she knew Pisces had a terrible time obtaining new spellbooks or learning from anyone. But as her attention wavered from the brilliant [Flame Rapier] spell he had mastered, she stared at something covered with cloth in the corner of the room.<\/p>\n Pisces, engrossed in fencing with the flaming blade, whirled as he heard Ceria shout in surprise. She was backing away from the thing in the corner, the cloth in her hands.<\/p>\n \u201cCeria!\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed, finger shaking.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n It was a deformed thing, barely recognizable. It was humanoid\u2014barely. It had been made of wet clay that had dried and sculpted to look like a Human, but the sculptor, Pisces, was untrained and so the body was lumpy and the arms deformed. It had two stumps for legs.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, I see you\u2019ve found my latest work. I was going to show you, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPisces! What is it?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n He looked surprised at Ceria\u2019s reaction.<\/p>\n \u201cA Golem. One of my own creations. Don\u2019t be alarmed; it\u2019s barely functional. Worthless, really. Can\u2019t you tell? I admit, the workmanship might be a tad shoddy, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGet rid of it!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria backed away from the clay thing. Pisces frowned at her.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Don\u2019t be alarmed, Ceria, it\u2019s not animated!\u201d<\/p>\n She rounded on him furiously.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing, making a Golem? Aren\u2019t there enough around here?\u201d<\/p>\n He took a step back and stammered as Ceria shouted at him.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I was taught.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy who?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCognita.\u201d<\/p>\n The word doused the flames of Ceria\u2019s anger in a second. She felt a chill in her stomach and stepped back from Pisces.<\/p>\n \u201cExplain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell I\u2014I\u2019ve been talking with her, Ceria. You see, Cognita\u2019s one of the only people\u2014beings\u2014in this academy who will give me the time of day. She\u2019s quite brilliant, you know. She\u2019s seen more magic than anyone in Wistram, and she taught me so many things about Golems and mage craft. She taught me how to make this Golem. Did you know that she thinks I have real aptitude? She even\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t talk to her! Don\u2019t go near her!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s the enemy!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria shouted at Pisces. He didn\u2019t understand, and she couldn\u2019t explain. She stomped over to his Golem and punched it. The brittle clay broke under her fist and Pisces shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing? Do you know how hard I worked to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are you doing this?\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria turned to Pisces. She thrust a finger in his chest, making him stumble back. His face was red with anger, but she was even more furious.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst necromancy, now\u2014this?<\/em> Why can\u2019t you practice normal magic? Why can\u2019t you just be a normal mage? Everyone would accept you then! Why don\u2019t you get a normal master and stop\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you think I\u2019ve tried?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Pisces shoved Ceria\u2019s hand away. She blinked. His eyes were wide and bloodshot. Pisces nearly shouted, his voice cracking with passion.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve gone to every mage\u2014every one I know or thought would consider having me as an apprentice. I\u2019ve asked\u2014none of them were willing to teach me even when I told them I\u2019d swear off necromancy as long as I studied under them! No one will teach me, and I\u2019m not going to afford the fees for next year! Don\u2019t you understand!?\u201d<\/p>\n After his outburst there was silence. Ceria stared at Pisces and slowly sank back into his chair. He couldn\u2019t look at her.<\/p>\n \u201cNecromancy? That\u2019s just raising the dead. Some might object, but it\u2019s no curse. But the fools who claim to be mages here treat it as such. Thus, I suppose the curse is indeed real\u2014though by the prejudices and limited understanding of others.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re going to leave?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at her, on the brink of tears.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to. I have no coin, no one to speak for me. The only hope I have is a master, but who would take me as their apprentice?\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria\u2019s mind raced. The words came out before she could think about it.<\/p>\n \u201cIllphres. My master. She might.\u201d<\/p>\n Pisces stared at her, but then shook his head, closing his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cShe will say no. I know Illphres\u2014she would never agree.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI could ask\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019ll say no.\u201d<\/p>\n Pisces turned away. He walked back over to the broken Golem and stared at it.<\/p>\n \u201cLeave me, Springwalker. I am\u2014busy. I have work to do, especially if this year is to be my last.\u201d<\/p>\n She stared at him, and then slowly walked out of the room. Only after she felt a bit of liquid dripping from her hand did she realize the clay Golem\u2019s shards had cut her skin.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTake Pisces on as an apprentice? No. Don\u2019t be stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres looked at Ceria as though she were mad when Ceria brought it up to her the next day. The two were sitting on the edge of the walkway above the ocean.<\/p>\n Just sitting. Ceria had gotten over her fear of heights, mainly because Illphres had made her come up here to practice. A mage could have no weaknesses, after all. She stared down at the sea below, fighting her belly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not? He\u2019s smart, gifted\u2014he needs a master or he won\u2019t be able to stay!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToo bad, I guess. But I\u2019m not teaching him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres took her time in replying. She\u2019d grown\u2014not warmer, but maybe a bit softer towards Ceria over the year. In the last month, she was downright friendly at times. Both could feel it. The time of the challenge was approaching fast.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not my type.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria nearly tumbled off the bridge in shock. Illphres clarified after giving Ceria a smack on the arm.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean that he will never be an ice mage. You might, or at least, you\u2019ll learn Skills and change your class from what I\u2019ve taught you. But that boy is a [Necromancer] through and through. I don\u2019t feel like teaching someone who won\u2019t follow in my footsteps.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut if you\u2019d speak for him\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t need to. And none of the others will take him on as an apprentice either, Ceria.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?<\/em> Pisces is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you understand? After the end of this month, none of it will matter.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria\u2019s eyes widened. Illphres nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. After the challenge, i\u2014when<\/em> we win, all of the bickering , factions and the politics\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She paused.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it\u2019ll probably go on as normal. But we\u2019ll be on top.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow? If you defeat the Golems\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll prove that our way works. Mages will rally to us, and those that don\u2019t will have to fight to venture higher. But we\u2019ll be guarding the entrance. It might be a war, or it might be quiet, but the Council won\u2019t sit and pass decisions any longer. It will be every mage for themselves, as it used to be. As it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceria tried to imagine it. She thought of Calvaron and Beatrice fighting for more power and shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cI think things might still be the same.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally? You might be right. We\u2019ll see. But one thing I can promise you: when we open the higher levels of Wistram up, I\u2019ll use my influence. You, Pisces, and all the other mages who have a spine and a brain will stay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs the Isolationists?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs mages. True mages.\u201d<\/p>\n That was all Illphres said. Ceria stared at her, and realized that Illphres was the first Human she\u2019d ever known that she truly looked up to. She\u2019d admired Pisces for his brilliance, but Illphres was different. She was actually a bit younger than Ceria, but she felt so much older. She shone, and she stood higher than the half-Elf, reaching for the stars.<\/p>\n Ceria couldn\u2019t say any of this out loud, of course. If she did Illphres would probably toss her into the ocean. Instead, she just turned and stared at the dark night sky.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the day comes, I\u2019ll be waiting for you outside the doors. So make sure you finish the battle quickly, okay? I don\u2019t feel like waiting long.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInsolent girl.\u201d<\/p>\n Illphres\u2019 voice was amused. Ceria didn\u2019t look at her, but she knew the woman was smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take as long as I please. And when it\u2019s over I\u2019ll make you practice twice as hard learning all the spells you need to be halfway competent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPromise?\u201d<\/p>\n The woman was silent for a long time. After a while, she sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n They stared out across the ocean. Ceria felt a humming in her bones, a tightness in her chest that didn\u2019t go away when she slept. She felt as though she could run a thousand miles from sheer nervous energy, and that she didn\u2019t want to move a muscle at the same time.<\/p>\n There was one month left. One month.<\/p>\n Until it would all be over.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Previous Chapter<\/a> Next Chapter<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On a controversial report published by one of the foremost [Emissaries], Trixal Therest in the year 2 EL.R, he listed Wistram as one of the most powerful factions in the world. Trixal\u2019s report was issued to one of the Great Companies of Baleros who had hired him to write the primer, but it soon became […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52856846,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"patreon-level":0,"patreon_level":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11693083,349],"tags":[7224,250708,4330244,4472517,11693079],"twi_volume":[11693132],"twi_collection":[],"class_list":["post-3733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-volume-3","category-writing","tag-fantasy","tag-inn","tag-web-novel","tag-web-serial","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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