Chapter 2: Chapter 1 (A Fresh Beginning)

It was a beautiful day in Milagre, with the sun beaming down gently onto the grassy yards of the College’s Campus. Many students were lounging on the grass as they talked, studied their papers, or made plans for the rest of the evening. The knowledge that the academic year was over certainly added to the air of relaxation. To top it all off, there was a gentle breeze that had made its way up the gentle slope of the city from the river, and it played against their hair and face, keeping them just cool enough that they wouldn’t sweat in their heavy robes.

Not all were relaxed, however. About fifty students had graduated from the College that week, either completing a smaller course of studies recommended by their temple, or finishing a full term of studies that the college offered, and graduating as recognized Masters of the College. For the latter, there was much still to do in the day, including registering with the Mage’s Guild as full members, and collecting everything they would need for life after five to seven years of study.

One of these newly promoted Masters in particular was to be found strolling quickly across the campus, a harried expression on his face, and his voice pitched low in a constant murmur of the list of tasks he had to complete. It was a common sight among fresh graduates. In spite of the fact that they were competent and powerful mages, they always felt the same rush to kick off to the next chapter of their lives, perhaps even to prove themselves worthy of the title of Master.

The door to the administrative building set off an enchantment that lined the entrance, letting a faint bell-like noise ring out throughout the building. The interior was fairly plain when compared to the rest of the College, as its occupants preferred simple decor to the gilded, lush accommodations that the College was known for. A short human woman, clad in dark blue robes that also denoted her as a Master of the College was sitting behind the large desk that took up a small corner of the first room in the building, busy poring over records, three thick tomes open in front of her.

“Good afternoon,” she said, as she heard the bell. Her tone was polite enough for a greeting, but she never looked up from her work. “How may I help you today?”

“I’m Robert Samson,” the new Master said, speaking a bit quicker than was ordinary. “I’ve just graduated, and I need to register for the guild and get my license.”

“I see,” the woman replied. She’d already processed nearly twenty requests like this. “Leaving it until nearly the end of the day, aren’t you? Others have moved much more quickly.”

“Oh, I have no problem moving quickly,” Robert assured her, a small smile forming on his face at the personal joke. “I’ve just had other things to attend to.”

“Very well,” the woman commented, not sounding as if she cared either way. “Let’s see. Robert Samson.”

At her mention of the name, the tome on the far left of her table moved, flipping a few pages backward until it came to rest on a page bearing his name at the top, then slide closer for her to see. “Yes. It says here that you’ve graduated, and the College recognizes you as a Master of Transmutation, but that you wish to be identified with the School of Knowledge?”

“That’s correct,” Robert answered her, craning his neck, curious to see what was written about him in the tome. “I know my final test scores favored Transmutation, but it’s not the school I favor.”

“Your entrance exams as well as your bowl test both also indicate Transmutation,” the woman said, frowning. The ‘bowl test’ was the traditional introduction each student was given to the school. They channeled their mana into a bowl of muddy water, and the way that the water or the bowl changed dictated what school they favored. When Robert had taken the test, the muddy water had cleared, leaving a liquid so clear it looked perfectly drinkable. “Why are you interested in aligning with a different school so late in your studies?”

“Well, I’ve preferred the School of Knowledge since I arrived,” he confessed. “I’ve taken all of Archmage Bragg’s classes, except his spellblade training.”

Finally, the woman looked up at him, her eyes a little wide. “All of them? That’s impressive.”

He couldn’t think of anything to say to that, so he simply nodded. She pursed her lips thoughtfully as she considered the situation. “Normally, we do allow Masters to switch which school they represent, as long as they show sufficient knowledge and mastery of the subject. But switching too often is frowned upon, as it conveys a lack of commitment. Do you understand?”

“I do,” he said. “I don’t plan on switching schools ever again, so that doesn’t bother me.”

“Very well,” she said and picked up a short and stubby wooden wand with runes carved into its surface. When she ran the tip of the wand over the entry showing his school on the tome, the ink there vanished, and she wrote Knowledge in its place. “That’s settled then.”

“Thank you,” he said politely. “I’m also supposed to speak with you regarding my admission into the Guild?”

“Yes,” she said simply, and returned the tome to its original place on the desk, then clicked her fingers, summoning a stack of papers on the bare wooden surface before her. Handing the top-most sheet to him, she said, “You’ll need to fill this out before you leave, and though it will take up to a month for your license to be delivered to you, you will be, for all intents and purposes, considered a fully-fledged member of the Guild.”

“Excellent,” he said, summoning a quill of his own to quickly scratch down his information. Then he handed it back to her, and she set it aside, handing him the rest of the parchments.

“These contain the information regarding your current rank within the Guild, your monthly expenses allowance, and your equipment allowance. Unfortunately, we’re a little short on supplies here, so you’ll have to visit the main Guild in Sheran to retrieve your equipment, but your personal vault for money can be found at the Trader’s Guild here in Milagre, or, if you’re in a pinch, at any stall owned by Everyone.”

“Everyone?” He asked, confused. “As in the secret market of traders that run the Market District?”

The woman smiled slightly at his statement. “They don’t run the entire Market District, but they do have a hand in almost all sales and purchases in the Kingdom. Regardless, yes, that is to whom I referred. They are the ones that own the vaults we use, so you can always access your coins and goods through them.”

“Alright,” he said, a little wrong-footed. He hadn’t expected that the college would be so closely linked to a slightly shady organization of traders. But the money for their studies and materials had to come somewhere, he reasoned, and there were worse sources. “Is there anything else I have to do?”

“Do you have your student identification on you?”

“Err, yes,” he said. It was an item he’d carried for the past five years. Was he required to turn it in now? It felt strange to surrender an object that, while feeling insignificant when he’d received it, had been his for so long. Still, he retrieved it from one of the storage runes on his left forearm and handed it over.

She took a moment to examine the leather medallion, nodding slowly. “You’ve kept this in very good shape. A lot of the other students give me damaged medallions. It’s not required for you to keep it pristine, of course, but it does show some degree of respect.”

And so saying, she quickly burned it into dust. Hearing the involuntary and partially suppressed gasp he gave, she smiled reassuringly. “Oh, don’t worry. You’re getting a new one today. I do enjoy the reactions I get when I do that.”

He smiled weakly at her joke, trying to appear as if he were unbothered by the wanton destruction, though his heart was still a little unsteady. She produced a new medallion from thin air and handed it over. It was made of crystal, he saw, with fine stands of told worked around the edge and where it connected to a fine golden chain. In the direct center was the unlidded eye, the universal symbol for Arcana and the school of Knowledge.

“One major benefit of your new medallion is that it can be used as a spell focus,” the woman explained to him. “It can also store excess mana. Very handy, no?”

He nodded out of politeness but knew he’d never use it for its primary purpose. He’d become so accustomed to using a tome as his focus since he couldn’t manipulate his mana as quickly as the silent-casting mages, but the ability to store his mana without purchasing expensive enchanted gems was a nice bit of news. He slung the fine chain around his neck and tucked the medallion out of sight. “Thanks for that. Is there anything else?”

“No,” she said, letting out a sigh and rising to her feet, making eye contact. “Congratulations on graduating. I look forward to your future contributions to the study of the arcane, Master Samson.”

He couldn’t suppress the small flare of pride in his chest at hearing her address him by his new title. It was the first time that week that it had been mentioned directly, and strangely, it felt like a powerful bit of praise in recognition of five years of his life dedicated to the grueling study of magic. He shook the woman’s hand, grinning broadly, then was dismissed, and exited the building. He took a moment once outside to pause, just then noticing how warm and comfortable the day was for the first time.

 

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The next order of business, ironically, was to register with the Adventurer’s Guild, and await the chance to be assigned to a party, or perhaps be given a bounty or task to fulfill. Strictly speaking, he could have applied to join the guild at any time, but waiting until he’d finished with school had been a smart choice, as it saved him a lot of tedious work and wait times. The Mage’s College had already reached out on his behalf, clearing much of the initial paperwork and planning for him.

It was a marked difference, he thought, entering the Adventurer’s Guild headquarters about an hour later after leaving the campus. Compared to the fine decor and rich accents of the College building, the headquarters was plain in the extreme. A simple building formed of stone brick, reaching three stories, it sat near the front of the Issho-Ni training compound, where he’d spent many of the last two years learning the finer points of swordsmanship and strengthening his body as an optional elective within the College.

Indeed, several of the figures on the training ground recognized him as he stepped through the large wooden gate of the property, and called out a greeting, not all of them mercenaries or College students, either. He gave them only a brief wave, not wanting to be distracted from his path, and then entered the stone building. The interior of his building was just as plain as that of the Mage’s College Administrative building, though there was a great deal more activity and noise. Figures sat in the waiting area in uncomfortable wooden chairs or else walked briskly back and forth between the several doors that could be seen, carrying parchments and folders throughout the building.

“Good afternoon,” said the tall, broad-shouldered elven man. “What brings you to the Adventurer’s Guild today?”

“I’m here to register,” Robert told the man. “My name is Robert Samson. I believe the College should have already sent my information over. I’m a recent graduate.”

“Ah, yes,” the man said, his smile widening. “I did see your name on some papers earlier today. We’re grateful for your interest, Master Samson.”

Again, Robert got a little thrill out of hearing the title and wondered how long it would take before that sounded ordinary. “Well, it’s the quickest way to gain experience, I’ve heard. And earning money could help with my research.”

“You sound like a true mage already!” The elven man exclaimed. “Well then, let’s get your application settled. It will be much faster, as I’m sure you can imagine since you’ve already had some interaction with us.”

Robert nodded and waited patiently as more papers were produced. The man raised an eyebrow as he skimmed down a list of words and information before him. “You’ve been given high praise by Archmage Bragg. That’s impressive. Why even Master Tokugawa has put in a good word for you!”

That came as a surprise to Robert. While he was confident that he’d been a good student, he hadn’t expected Master Ehran Tokugawa to remember him out of the hundreds of others he’d taught in the span of two years. Still, the recognition could only help his chances in the near future, and it was nice to know that two highly regarded figures had spoken for him.”

“Now, am I correct in understanding that you’ve requested to be employed without a party?”

“Err, yes,” Robert said, a small worm of concern forming in his mind. “Is that an issue? I’m not trying to sound more competent than I am, it just takes a great deal of time to learn the abilities of others, and I want to get to work straight way.”

“It’s irregular,” the man admitted, smiling at him in a reassuring sort of way. “But it’s not an issue at all. I applaud your forthright request. You’ll do just fine with us, I bet.”

He handed over another form, and Robert filled it out. Next, the man handed over another medallion, this one made of iron, and thinner than a coin. “Based on your scores and the recommendations from your teachers, we’re going to skip you right past Novice Rank and promote you straight to Adept. This medallion will serve as your means of identification within the guild, and is also inscribed with Divination magic, should you be trapped or critically injured and need rescue.”

“Oh,” Robert said, taken aback. “Does that happen often?”

“It’s not that common,” the elf told him, chuckling. “If you’re skilled, you’ll more often than not be fine. And I have a feeling you’ll do just fine.”

“I… see.” He couldn’t think of a more appropriate reaction, so instead tucked the medallion away into one of his storage runes, and stood awkwardly, waiting for what was next. “Is there… anything else?”

“Nope!” the man said brightly. “That’s all we need from you. We don’t need to test you, of course, so you’ll just have to take over the pace as you like. If you want, you can speak to Serena over there to take on a bounty right away or come back later. We do, on occasion, send you job requests from time to time if we think you’ll make a great fit for it.”

He’d pointed back towards the front of the building, where there was another desk, this one holding a bored-looking elven woman. She had many tattoos on her face, and she was holding a book with one hand, twirling a knife with the other as she read. Robert cleared his throat a little awkwardly and shook his head. “No, that’s fine for now. I’ll come back later once I’m ready. I promised to spend the rest of the day with some friends.”

“Very well,” the elven man said. “Well then. Welcome to the Adventurer’s guild, Master Samson! I hope you enjoy your time with us.”

They shook hands as well, and Robert paced out of the stone building, feeling that the events of the day has passed him by a little too quickly. He was left feeling a little behind the times, but still satisfied. The sun had begun to descend while he was taking care of business, and was just then touching the horizon when he exited, squinting around the training ground. He let out a slow sigh, watching the training figures work through basic moves and sparring with each other.

“Done with registering already?” A voice said to his left. He turned to see a tall figure in white robes approaching.

“Master Tokugawa!” He exclaimed, hiding his surprise with a quick bow. “Good evening, sir. How  are you?”

“Can’t complain,” his swordsman teacher said, smiling broadly. “Big day for you, eh?”

“Yes,” Robert agreed, with some feeling. “It still doesn’t feel real. I can only hope I get used to it soon.”

“It might feel normal sooner than you’d think,” Ehran Tokugawa replied, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Before long, you’ll get the hang of being a Master of the Guild, and gain fame across the country. Maybe even the world.”

His grin widened as he said it, knowing exactly how nervous it made his former student feel. Indeed, Robert’s face paled slightly, and he let out a booming laugh. “Oh, relax! You’re still a young man. You have plenty of time to find your place in the world. Don’t be so hard on yourself!”

Robert smiled weakly in reply, but couldn’t quite come up with a response. Ehran didn’t seem to expect one. Instead, he gestured back towards the training ground. “How about we do some late training? It will help you clear your mind of troubles. We’ll get some dinner at the Heron afterward.”

Finally, Robert grinned. “Sounds good to me. Just take it easy on me.”

Ehran let out another snort of laughter. “As if!”

Chuckling, the two of them walked over to where a group of similarly-aged apprentices was practicing the more advanced combinations of swordcraft. Ehran tossed him a training sword, and swiftly put him to work attacking one of the wooden posts, giving him tips and corrections. “There you go! Loosening up already, aren’t you? Just let the doubts and worries fade away, and you’ll be able to tackle any problem with a clear mind.”

 

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