by Pirateaba
Pisces stood next to Ceria, just as entranced. They walked past the Captain, and Ceria only just remembered to thank him for taking them to harbor safely.
“Don’t thank me. I’ve been paid for the trip, although this one was hardly worth the coin. That Sea Serpent would have broken my ship and all of us to bits had the mages not come to our rescue.”
The Captain shook his head as he stared at the second ship coming in to dock. Ceria hesitated.
“Do you know who that mage was? The one who slew the serpent?”
“Only one person it can be. That was Archmage Amerys. One of the King of Destruction’s Seven.”
Pisces gaped. The Captain shook his head.
“It was a stroke of luck, having one of the Archmages so close and inclined to help. Even so, it’s an omen for you who want to become mages. A good one or bad? Who knows. Be off with you, then, and best of luck.”
He turned away, and the two mages exchanged a look. They hurried after the students walking up towards the doors of Wistram. They were slowly opening, and people were coming down to greet the arrivals.
That was how they entered Wistram Academy. To the new students, it seemed as if nothing could top that first harrowing voyage through the storm, but they soon realized that they hadn’t the first inkling of the true mystery that lay within the ancient citadel.
—-
The first thing Ceria noticed when she stepped inside Wistram’s massive halls was that the castle was, in fact, massive. In fact, the word massive was itself too small for Wistram. It would have gotten lost in the entrance hall, and that was already a place big enough to hold an entire village comfortably.
“It didn’t seem this big on the outside.”
“It must be magic! Some kind of spatial magic or—or we’ve been teleported!”
Pisces looked around the massive hall as Ceria eyed the lights hovering high, high overhead. Multiple floors overlooked the students as they filed into the center of the huge room, and Ceria could see people on the walkways connecting overhead.
“Tree rot. That’s stone up there! They’ve built bridges inside a room! This place must be enormous!”
“Yes indeed. Wistram is far larger than it appears from the outside. Mages have built high into the air and far underneath the isle. It takes a while before you stop getting lost, and even then you’d do well to stick to the main areas.”
Ceria and Pisces turned, and saw a tall man staring down at them. He had only a shirt on his chest, probably because his lower half needed no clothes. He was a Centaur, and he grinned broadly at their surprise.
“It’s always the same. New students stare up and never even notice us. We could rob you all blind and you’d still be staring. Not that that would be a very nice greeting after the journey you’ve all had, would it?”
“You saw the Sea Serpent?”
Pisces exclaimed excitedly, and the Centaur laughed.
“The entire academy saw it. We were placing bets on whether Amerys would reach you in time. But you all made it, which I am glad for. My name is Calvaron, young mage. I am a full student of Wistram, and I’ll be showing you around.”
The Centaur mage offered both Ceria and Pisces a bone-crushing grip, and then raised his voice.
“Prospective students, this way! Your group will follow me to put your belongings away. Step quickly now, Humans! The next group will be following you soon!”
Heads turned. Ceria was pleased to see that Charles and his group of friends visibly hesitated when they saw their guide was a Centaur, but Calvaron ignored their looks. He began to trot down one of the large corridors, speaking loudly as he went.
“Congratulations on surviving your voyage! Not many people get to meet a Sea Serpent and live. But you’ll find life in Wistram just as exciting—if you stay, that is. We have you all for a month, and then the exam will see if you remain or have to go. Unless you can pay your way, that is. I hope to see at least some of you afterwards.”
Ceria had to hurry to keep behind the Centaur. He moved quick, and she saw Pisces was red-faced as he tried to juggle his belongings and keep up. He’d put his pack down when they’d entered, and now he was trying to put it on as he half-ran after them.
“Excuse me, Calvaron, can you slow down?”
“What? Oh, excuse me.”
Calvaron glanced over his shoulder and saw the Humans were struggling to keep up. He paused and Pisces looked gratefully at Ceria as he finally put his pack on his shoulders.
“I forget how slow you people are. But if you can’t keep up at Wistram, you might as well leave right now. Then again, other mages might have different opinions. Come on, you slowpokes! We’re nearly there!”
He bellowed at the stragglers, and then led them into a large room. Ceria froze the instant she entered and Pisces bumped into her. She stared up into a carved face of a seven foot tall Golem.
It had to be a Golem. Ceria only knew of one type of monster that had stone for skin, and no Gargoyle was carved to look like a beautiful woman dressed in clothing. Then the Golem moved, and Ceria gasped as she saw the robes shifting and moving with her, as if the solid rock were nothing but cloth.
“Greetings, young mage. I trust you are one of the new students?”
“I—I—”
“She is, Cognita.”
Calvaron stepped in smoothly for Ceria, as the other Humans entered the room and had similar reactions. Cognita, the massive Golem nodded graciously in turn until everyone had entered, and then spoke. Her voice was deeper than normal, and had a weight that made even Charles and Timbor listen with rapt attention.
“I am Cognita. I am a Carved Golem, or rather, a Truestone Construct designed to oversee Wistram and its mages. I and my kindred maintain and preserve this building and will assist you for the duration of your stay. In a few moments you will be led to your rooms, but before that I must tell you of the rules of Wistram.”
She stared down at each person in turn, her emerald eyes serious.
“Firstly. You must never venture into the high parts of the castle or the lower reaches unaccompanied and even then, only with great cause. Dangers lurk within Wistram, ancient magics and spells and creatures called here and never destroyed. Too, the very enchantments keeping this citadel intact sometimes fray. Only a mage with true power is allowed into such places. Second. Some of the Golems here were made as I am, but most lack any form of intelligence and simply obey orders. Do not attack or obstruct them in any way or they may react unpredictably. Third. Anyone attempting to cast area-wide magics must first consult with I or an experienced mage. Unpredictable results may occur if a spell affects a wide area of the academy at once. Is that understood?”
She stared down at the students and then nodded.
“That is all. Follow me, and I will lead you to your rooms and give you your keys.”
She walked through the doorway and Calvaron indicated that everyone should follow her. Ceria, Pisces, and Calvaron slipped to the back of the group as the other students filed out of the room.
“I’m surprised she didn’t have more rules. Like, don’t kill other students or not to steal.”
Ceria whispered to Pisces. Calvaron laughed when he heard that.
“Those are also against Wistram’s rules, but Cognita was created in a different time. She only cares if you study magic, and she only tells you those rules so you won’t get killed by accident. We’ll tell you all the rules later.”
“Calvaron. Will you lead these students to the dining hall now or later?”
Cognita had paused before a doorway. Calvaron nodded.
“Put your things away and take a moment to relax. In fifteen minutes I will bring you all to our dining hall to eat.”
The procession moved on, Cognita led each of the students to a door and handed them a key, or a stone, or sometimes just whispered in their ears. Ceria was bewildered, but then she and Pisces were left.
“This room shall be yours, Ceria Springwalker. Here is a key to the lock. It
can be picked, so be wary.”
Cognita handed Ceria a key made of iron. Then she turned to Pisces.
“The door to your room is spelled. Speak your name into the lock and it will open for you alone. Be cautious that you do not lock a companion within.”
She turned, and left. Bemused, Ceira looked at Pisces as he wandered over to his door and spoke into it. The door swung open and Pisces blinked at the inside.
“Why are the locks different? And why are the rooms different?”
Ceria found her room was wide and spacious, filled with an old four-poster bed and a mirror and dresser in her room. Pisces had a much smaller room, but for some reason his came with a balcony that extended outside. He and Ceria looked at Calvaron who only shrugged.
“Lots of people worked on Wistram, and each person had their own style. Some doors have locks, while others use magic or a stone as a key. You got lucky, Pisces; a balcony spot is pretty nice to have. I imagine you could trade yours if you wanted.”
“I believe I will be content with my lodgings. Ah, did you say there was food available?”
Calvaron laughed as Ceria tossed her belongings on the bed and turned the key in the lock.
“Indeed there is. Let me gather the rest of your group and then we’ll eat. No one can learn magic on an empty stomach, right?”
—-
Ceria and Pisces stared up in the great hall of Wistram, craning their necks to see the ceiling.
“Are those mage lights permanent, or are they just temporary enchantments?”
Calvaron looked up. He was sitting with both mages at one of the tables, crunching down on a meal that was mostly carrot, but had quite a bit of beef. He popped a chunk of carrot into his mouth as he spoke thoughtfully.
“I’ve never really asked. My guess is that it’s like a lot of the lights in the castle. They can be turned on and off, but the enchantment remains. Mind you, most mages will toss up a globe of light if it gets too dark and leave it there for a few hours.”
“Or a few days.”
Ceria turned. Sitting across from them was a dark-skinned woman wearing armor. What was unique about her was that her head and said armor weren’t attached. She was spooning pudding into her head on the table. Calvaron seemed perfectly at home with this, but neither Pisces nor Ceria had ever seen a Dullahan in the flesh before. Her name was Beatrice, and this was about the third thing she’d said throughout the course of the meal aside from ‘Hello’ and ‘Nice to meet you’.
Ceria stared around the vast room she was sitting in as she cut into her steak. The great hall was filled with long tables—and short ones. Like much of the castle, it seemed like any furniture was used, and so she’d found herself and Pisces sitting with Calvaron at a low table on some couches, rather than the long tables with chairs most of the students were dining at.
This was probably because the lower table allowed Calvaron to kneel on the ground while he ate. Ceria still couldn’t quite focus on her food, though. The floating orbs of multicolored lights, the tables filled with all kinds of food—and especially the chatting, gossiping, laughing groups of every kind of species at every table was overwhelming her. She was surrounded by mages, and every few seconds Ceria would see someone cast a spell or illustrate their point with a cantrip.
“Stop staring, Springwalker. This food won’t eat itself and if you want seconds, you’ll have to eat fast.”
Ceria blinked at Calvaron, and then realized her steak was getting cold. She added some butter, watched it melt, and began scarfing the meat down.
Pisces was already eating as if he’d been starving. Neither he nor Ceria had the best table manners, but Calvaron and Beatrice didn’t seem to notice.
“Where’s all this food come from? Not magic, surely.”
“Hah! You think it just appears out of nowhere?”
Calvaron looked extremely amused. He pointed off to one side, towards the long buffet tables where they’d all collected their meals.
“Golems and [Chefs] do most of the cooking. Wistram hires the best, and what we don’t eat they preserve for another day.”
“It must be handy, having a bunch of constructs to do most of the lifting and work around here. I don’t know how you can deal with them so easily, though.”
Calvaron shrugged. He’d walked right past two of the huge, lumbering Stone Golems on the way here while Ceria and the others had walked as far away from them as possible.
“You get used to them pretty quick if you stay here. Beatrice used to hate all the enchanted armor around here. For two whole years she kept thinking they were other Dullahans and calling out to them.”
He laughed at Beatrice and she paused in feeding herself long enough to scowl at him. Pisces looked around.
“I appreciate that we are being fed immediately upon our arrival, but are you sure there’s no welcoming speech? No introduction?”
“Do you want one?”
Calvaron waited until Pisces shook his head.
“Most mages don’t care about new students. It’s only the Expansionists and Revivalists that are interested in making sure there’s a system, although every faction usually contributes in some way.”
“Expansionists? Revivalists?”
Pisces and Ceria exchanged a glance. Calvaron nodded.
“You’ll hear more about them soon enough. But Wistram isn’t one unified place. What you’ll learn quickly is that there are factions in here. Mages either band together or go it alone depending on their personalities.”
Ceria was surprised by that.
“So there isn’t a formal ceremony where we choose where we want to end up? I thought we’d be assigned to a group or…a faction or something.”
Calvaron laughed into his food and even Beatrice’s head smiled.
“Don’t be daft. Who’d be stupid enough to publicly announce which side you’re on? Not to mention that you can’t just put people into groups like that.”
He snorted and pointed at the new students.
“If you’re smart, you’ll choose wisely and tell no one at all if you do join a faction. Mind you, word will spread soon enough, but at least that way you’ll have a chance. And I hope you sell your loyalties wisely. It takes a strong mage to survive in Wistram alone, but better that than becoming a slave.”
He pointed down the hall, towards a small group of mages who were sitting alone. Their robes were clearly magical, and one was raising his voice and pointing at an illustration he’d conjured out of the air.
“See them? They’re Isolationists. They’d prefer that we stop accepting new mages into Wistram altogether, and have aspiring mages find their way here. It would weed out the casual applicants, true, but imagine how much business we’d lose!”
Beatrice scowled.
“Foolish. Wastes money.”
Calvaron rolled his eyes.
“Beatrice is a Revivalist. She’s part of the faction that thinks we should throw open our doors and usher in a new era of magic like in centuries past.”
“And you? What group do you belong to?”
The Centaur grinned.
“I’m undeclared, at least for now. I’ll probably join up with some faction or other, but I’m not important enough for them to start putting pressure on me yet. What about you, Pisces? Would you be an Isolationist or a Revivalist, given the chance?”
Pisces nodded to himself as he thought.
“Well, I am uninformed as of yet to all the nuances of the discussion, but my position would be—”
Ceria kicked Pisces under the table. He yelped and she glared at him. Calvaron laughed again.
“You’re learning quick, aren’t you?”
She was just planning to ask Calvaron about the different factions in Wistram when Ceria heard a sound. She turned her head and stared at one of the entrances to the great hall. A young man in disheveled robes burst into the great hall, shouting.
“Ghouls! They’re flooding the west hallways!”
For a sec
ond all was stunned silence, and then all of the new students started screaming. The young man fled into the hall, and then Ceria saw them.
Ghouls. They bounded out of the corridor, dead bodies leaping forwards with incredible strength and agility. Their eyes burned with unholy light.
She didn’t even pause to think. Ceria stood up and pointed her finger at the Ghouls. Without a wand she couldn’t cast strong magic, but she’d honed this spell until it was as deadly as an arrow.
“[Stone Dart]!”
A jagged piece of stone shot from her fingertips and caught one of the Ghouls in the chest. He stumbled, but came on. Ceria’s heart sank. Ghouls were far more dangerous than Zombies, and they were coming so fast! They’d be on top of the new students before they could flee.
“Stop screaming. [Ice Lance].”
Someone spoke up from behind Ceria. She turned her head just in time to see a massive block of ice shaped into a point shoot past her. The wind blew her hair and Ceria turned back to see the Ghoul she’d struck and three more had been smashed to bits by the spell.
“[Silent Sickle]!”
Another mage across the hall pointed without even getting up from his meal. One of the ghouls was sliced to bits by transparent scythes and another lost its legs.
“[Earth Cannon]!”
“[Invisible Arrow]!”
“[Slippery Floor].”
All around Ceria, mages pointed or waved their wands or used their staves to cast spells. The Ghouls practically disintegrated under the combined mass of spells until all that was left was a completely ruined floor as ice spells and fire spells created steam and sticky and slippery substances mixed on the ground or began to dissipate.
Calvaron laughed as he tugged Ceria back down into her seat.
“Nice spell, new student. But leave the fighting to the older mages, alright? We can handle ourselves.”
“Is that normal? The Ghouls?”
Pisces pointed to the remains of the Ghouls—a single hand and a few stains on the stone floor. Already a Golem was lurching over to the mess with a mop and bucket in hand.
Both the Centaur and Dullahan shrugged.