#kyrall paoro

[tales-of-eridao]

The New High Enchanter

(Thank you to @patchworkheart for helping to design Rosk.)

Today was the day where the class finally received their actual tools to work with going forward. Each of the young mages in training, after years of hard work, would receive a personalized conduit for their power. They each came forward as they were called, accepting the weapons presented to them gratefully.

Faz took up his new bow, feeling its weight and the high quality of the wood, running his finger along the string. Embedded in the center of the bow was a yellow mage crystal, attuned to his power to work most efficiently with him above all others.

Next came Maolik, who accepted his short sword with glee. The moment he touched it, the red crystal in its hilt flashed, igniting the blade with an aura of magical fire. He quickly earned a swat on the back of his head from Kyrall, prompting him to return it to its inert state before running off.

Then came Jatun, who took up her staff with pride. Held at the end of it was a cool blue crystal, which she looked to with a glistening hope in her heart, knowing that she would use this to help her kingdom prosper.

However, students came forward and took their tools one by one, until Umbin was left... with no items left to hand out. The instructors saw this and began to discuss, until it was determined that it must not have left the enchanter’s workshop.

Jian came forward calmly. “Umbin dear, why don’t you go up and fetch your staff from whichever enchanter created it. We must stay here to help the other students after all. Besides, this is a rare opportunity to see an enchanter at work! A servant shall show you the way.”

Umbin nodded, soon being led through the castle to parts of it that he’d never been to before. Through hallways and up stairs he was lead, until finally he found himself at a corridor, a single person sitting at the end of the hall at a desk with a large book.

“Excuse me,” Umbin said with a cough to the seated man, who looked at him with a bored expression. “My staff wasn’t with all of the others, so they sent me here to get it.”

The man grumbled, asking Umbin’s name and what he had ordered, flipping through a large record tome to try and figure out whose responsibility it had been to make the staff. The entire process felt a bit drawn out, and it wasn’t long before Umbin began to wonder if the real reason the teachers had sent him was because the hadn’t wanted to deal with this themselves.

Finally, he found it. “Ah... you need... Rosk.” The man scowled as he said the name, turning and pointing to a particular hall, one that was separated from the others by an engraving on the arch above it: “High Enchanter.”

“Good luck. That one’s an eccentric...” With that, the record keeper returned to ignoring Umbin, who stared down the hall with an anxious feeling in his gut. He’d heard that the new High Enchanter was strange, but otherwise he knew nothing of what to expect inside.

He walked down the hall, coming to a large door. Steeling up his nerves, he politely knocked at it, nerves tensing as he wondered what would happen.

The door creaked open, and a young woman stuck her head out, eyes wide and ears twitching slightly. “Yes? How may I help you?”

Umbin blinked at the surprisingly normal response. He’d been expecting explosions, yelling, anything but this. “Ah... m-my name’s Umbin, and ah... you didn’t send my staff down with the others... so...”

“Oh! My goodness, I’m terribly sorry! Master Rosk has been very busy with a new invention, and your staff must have fallen by the wayside! Please, come in and we’ll try and get you settled, yes?”

Umbin followed the woman, surprised that she wasn’t Rosk herself. Stepping inside, he found the room very dimly lit; any windows had been covered up, the only real light source being a large furnace in the back. Toiling away in the center of the room was who Umbin assumed was High Enchanter Rosk. It was very hard for him to tell Rosk’s gender, as the enchanter seemed to have a remarkably mixed appearance. Rosk was slim, without any curves, like a male, yet had a face and tail that looked closer to a woman’s. In addition, Rosk’s hair was cut very short, which was highly unusual for anyone.

Umbin’s thoughts were quickly snapped by the woman who had let him in. “Please excuse them, they tend to get absorbed in their work.”

The young mage blinked at this, surprised that she hadn’t used he or she for Rosk. Granted, he’d heard that some in their society had begun to feel that they did not fit within the terms of male or female, so he figured that this was probably what they were doing as well. While he found it odd, Umbin knew there was no reason to judge them over this.

“Oh! While we wait, allow me to introduce myself! I’m Master Rosk’s assistant, Rehai! A pleasure to meet you Umbin!”

Suddenly, there was the sound of something being bumped against, and Rehai’s arm flicked to the side, brandishing a small object. A green glow shown from the tip, and that glow was soon shining from over by Rosk, holding a flask that had been knocked over in midair while the enchanter looked at it in silent surprise before letting out a sigh of relief.

Umbin watched Rehai levitate the flask back onto the table it had been knocked from, using something he had never seen before. It resembled a miniature staff, one the size of a twig, with a small green crystal at the end. Noticing his attention, she smiled and held it out to show him.

“I see you’ve noticed my wand! It was Master Rosk’s first innovation, a tool that allows casters with weaker magic to still cast our aura. It’s not as powerful as a staff, but it’s much more precise!”

Rosk came over to them silently, staring at Umbin with curiosity. They didn’t speak a word, and Umbin quickly became very uncomfortable that such a high figure in the kingdom was just... quietly looking at him.

“Er... hello... ah, High... Enchanter... um, I’m Umbin, and I’m here because... I uh... I didn’t get my staff today.” The young mage in training was burning up with embarrassment, hoping that he hadn’t just made a fool of himself.

Rosk merely closed his eyes for a second before nodding, turning and walking off again. Rehai gave a soft chuckle. “I know that Master Rosk’s behavior can be off-putting to those not used to it, but they are an amazingly kind person. They just have different ways of showing it than most.”

Rosk returned, holding a staff with a faintly glowing pink crystal at the end. He held the staff out to Umbin in an odd way, holding it by the crystal and pointing the shaft to Umbin, as though to put as much distance between them as possible. Still, he took the staff, smiling in relief as the crystal glowed brighter as he held his new tool.

“Thank you so much, s-... er... High Enchanter!” Umbin, feeling happy, held out his hand to Rosk, who jumped back slightly at the motion with a sudden yelp. They acted as though Umbin had suddenly thrust a dagger at them, putting them completely on edge. Rehai stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Sorry about that. Master Rosk doesn’t like sudden movement.” She turned to the enchanter. “Rosk, it’s okay. Umbin just wanted to shake your hand as a display of gratitude.”

Rosk blinked, pulling a random mage crystal out of his pocket and fiddling with it, its aura growing a soft and soothing white as they did so. Then, somewhat hesitantly, Rosk brought his hand out to meet Umbin’s, taking it gently and giving it a single brisk shake before pulling away. With that, Rosk walked back to his work area, still fiddling with the crystal and its aura.

“Well, thank you for visiting us, Umbin, and sorry for all of the trouble to get your staff,” Rehai said as she took his hand with a bright smile. “I hope that we can see you again once you begin to blossom into a full mage! Until then though, I think the master would like to return to work.”

Umbin quietly nodded, leaving the workshop to head back to rejoin his class. As he walked, he thought about how strange that had been. Still, as unusual as it had been, he couldn’t help but smile. Rosk may be eccentric, but it was clear that there was more to them than what Umbin had seen in that brief exchange. He found himself curious to know more about the strange new High Enchanter.

[tales-of-eridao]

First Day at the Academy

Umbin and Jatun hugged their mother and father goodbye, ready to leave for the academy. Their father smiled with pride, while their mother was holding back her tears. Hefting their bags with them, they climbed into the carriage, waving a final farewell.

Maolik’s mouth was going a mile a minute as he stuffed his toys into a sack, his mother standing in the other room, barely listening. She didn’t say goodbye as he rushed out the door, just watching as he waved from the carriage, shouting about how he’d make her proud. She scowled at herself, feeling regret, and went back inside to open her store.

Faz stood in the walls of the academy. He was washed and dressed in clean clothes for the first time in years. He sighed, still not sure how to process all of this. He was a mage, he was in high society now, and his mother... well, he wished that she could be here too...

Today was the first day of many, the start of a new class in the Mage Academy.

A group of twelve children stood in a courtyard. Before them were three adults, all dressed in the garb of the Academy.

To the left stood a tall, muscular woman. Her face was stern, her hair was bound in a single long braid, and across her back was a double-sided battleaxe, an unusual sight among mages.

To the right was a face that Faz recognized, a lean man with a warm smile and a mischievous glint to his eye. Across his back was a bow.

And between them stood a kind-looking older woman, a sweet and frail thing with her hair tied in a bun. In her hands was a smooth staff, being used as a walking stick.

This elder was the first to speak, her voice soft and sweet. “Welcome, young acolytes! My name is Jian Kyr’sea.”

The strong woman was next to speak, her tone blunt and powerful. “I am Kyrall Paoro.”

Finally, the man introduced himself with a laugh. “And I’m Harpek Loirema! Greetings, young ones!”

Jian stepped forward. “My, such a big turn out this year... so rare to have so many recruits in a single class. In any case, today, we find out what kind of mage you are! Who can tell me how many kinds of mages there are?”

Maolik let out a shout before anyone else could answer. “Three! Sword, bow, and stick!”

Most of the rest of the students burst out laughing at this. Harpek seemed to be holding back his own laughter, while Kyrall scowled slightly at the display. Jian just shook her head as Maolik blushed from the response.

“Actually, young one, there are fifteen known categories of mages. Though yes, a part of it has to do with how a mage casts their magic. There are twelve types  known as common mages, as well as three special branches of magic. Every mage is born with one of these types.”

Kyrall stepped forward, drawing her axe. Embedded in the shoulder was a green crystal.

“Most mages fall into a combination of a color of magic and a type of casting. I...” she paused, and the crystal ignited. Suddenly, the blade of her axe was surrounded in a green energy, taking the shape of an even larger blade. “... am a Green Blade.”

Harpek stepped forward, drawing his bow. The blue crystal in the grip of his longbow flashed, and suddenly he was pulling back an arrow made of freezing blue energy.

“I, on the other hand, am a Blue Ranger!” He let the arrow loose at a nearby training dummy. Upon impact, the arrow caused thick ice to rapidly form around the target, freezing a large portion of it.

Jian chuckled as the children let out a series of impressed murmurs. “And I am one of the three specialties I mentioned. I am a Healer. Unfortunately, I cannot display any fancy demonstrations like my colleagues. But I still play an important role. Now then!”

Another mage, brought forward a bin full of crystals, all glowing with rainbow hues. “Everyone, take a crystal and line up over here.”

The children rushed towards the bin, grabbing at the crystals and feeling the magic flow around their hands. When everyone had one and had lined up, Jian continued.

“I want you to hold out your crystal at these dummies,” she gestured to a line of training dummies in front of them, “and focus your mind on channeling forth your magic. Try to control the aura around your hand, focus it into an attack.”

One by one, the children let loose their powers. Some blasted out fire balls, others shot out arcing electricity, some grabbed the dummies using green energy to rip it from the ground.

Jatun calmed her excitement, focusing. She could feel the magic responding to her, building up around her hand. Then, she let it loose, a stream of freezing blue magic flowing from her hand. In seconds, the dummy was totally encased in ice.

“A Blue Caster! Wonderful, dearie!” Jian cheered her on.

Faz glanced at the others, frowning before focusing his own mind. He looked at the target, focusing straight at its chest. And suddenly, a single bolt of lightning launched from his crystal, precisely striking right where he’d been focusing.

“A Yellow Ranger! Good show, my boy!” Harpek said, clapping Faz’s shoulder.

Umbin was trying to attack, but nothing came. All that happened was his crystal glowed pink. And while the glow made him feel good, it didn’t help him here. He was about to call for help, when he was interrupted by an explosion.

Maolik dropped his crystal, screaming in pain as his hand smoked and smouldered. When he’d tried to attack, his hand erupted into flame. Jian rushed over, holding out her staff. The crystal at the end glowed the same pink color that Umbin’s had, and a stream of magic flowed forth.

Maolik’s pain quickly faded as suddenly his hand was beginning to restore to perfect health. He wiped a tear from his eyes, surprised at how fast she’d fixed him. However, before he could say anything, Kyrall was grabbing him by the shoulders.

“Were you trying to get yourself killed on the first day? What part of ‘focus’ did you not understand? You try to channel magic without giving it a direction to go, and it will go everywhere. You’re lucky that we dampened these crystals, otherwise that would have been much, MUCH worse.”

Maolik gulped, nodding in understanding under Kyrall’s harsh glare. She released him, and he bent down to retrieve his crystal. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his mind. His thoughts were racing, but he managed to force himself to focus on the target before him. A small plume of red energy shot out from the crystal, but not very far.

“What? Did I do something wrong again? I-”

Kyrall interrupted him bluntly. “You’re a Red Blade. Your magic isn’t meant for long range attack.”

Meanwhile, Umbin was talking with Jian, who gladly confirmed his suspicions; he was a Healer, like her. He actually felt a tinge of relief that he wouldn’t be fighting and killing, that his magic was for helping rather than hurting.

“Miss Kyr’sea?” another boy asked, coming up to them. “My crystal isn’t working. It’s just glowing white.”

Jian’s smile turned sad at this. “Oh... you’re a Mentalist then. Another specialty mage. But... well, I’m afraid there isn’t much we can teach you about that...”

The boy began to ask what she meant, but she held up a hand to silence him. “We will figure out something for you in time. For now, have patience, please.”

The boy nodded, confused and distressed. Umbin couldn’t help but feel a little bad for his classmate, even if he didn’t know him at all.

“Alright everyone! That will be it! Please return the crystals to the bin, and we will begin a tour of the Academy!”

The students returned their crystals and followed their teachers out, murmuring amongst themselves about their newfound powers, wondering what the future would hold for them.