#maybe not strict as say in Othard or other Far Eastern communities but it's there

[ahlis-xiv]

[starter] - a primer in arcanima

(tag: @singforalamhigo)

“May I speak with you for a moment, Ahlis?”

She looked up from the text she was reading to see none other than Thubyrgeim, the stand-in guildmaster of the arcanist’s guild. Her arrival was unexpected and Ahlis’s confusion must have been apparent since Thubyrgeim gave a gentle smile of understanding.

“I apologize for interrupting your studies, but something of interest has come to me and I wish to have your insight on the matter.”

Ahlis didn’t need to hear anything else to put her book aside and to follow the other woman on a slow paced stroll through the stacks towards the lower level where their training grounds were located.

“I had a man come to me asking for admittance into the guild. An Ala Mhigan, in fact.”

That last part couldn’t help but make the hairs on the back of her neck bristle in goosebumps. Ahlis wasn’t entirely sure where Thubyrgeim was leading to with this, but she had an idea...

“He goes by Elushai and his skill is not lacking. I see no reason as to why he cannot join our guild.”

“So what does this have to do with me?”

The two followed the curving stairwells down to the lower level but Thubyrgeim paused for a moment to look upon Ahlis in earnest.

“This may after all be an unnecessary request, but I feel it prudent to seek the only Ala Mhigan I know of who currently trains our novices; your presence and assistance may help him feel more at ease here.”

“So...you want me to be a kind of mentor? To him?”

“You’ve said you’ve been wanting more responsibilities within the guild, is that not true? This is a perfect opportunity to expand your teaching repertoire.”

Ahlis did not know what to say; suddenly her previous ambition to strengthen her role within the guild seemed far too immense. For all she knew this man could be older than her by far, an elder in social standards, and the youths did not teach their elders, not to mention Ala Mhigans did have their less-than-desirable  reputation...Ahlis certainly disagreed with such prejudices. She was one of them after all, but a respected exception to the so-called “rule”.

They continued down the stairwell and came to the bottom floor where the training ring awaited them. A number of novices were already well into practicing their summons while a couple others were listening to instruction from one of the trainers.

“Let me introduce you to him,” Thubyrgeim insisted as they entered the large training area.