by Turtle Me
Her mouth opened, but closed again as she wiped her tears. My mother let out a hoarse chuckle. “I guess it’s my own fault for raising you to be such a strong and upright young lady.”
A laugh escaped my lips as I walked around the table and pulled my mother into a seated hug.
287
The Day of Bestowment
ARTHUR LEYWIN
A soft knock on the front door woke me from a brief slumber. My night had been spent refining my aether core; the exercise resulted only in a minimal increase in the amount of aether I could store and the speed at which the aether travelled through my newly-forged passages, but any amount of progress felt better than sitting by idly.
“Ascender Grey,” a soft voice called through the door.
After getting up and having Regis withdraw back into my body, I opened the wooden door to see a girl that looked like Loreni, except a few years younger and with longer hair.
For a moment the timid girl simply stared at me, her mouth slightly ajar.
“Yes?” I finally asked.
“Ah!” She shook her head. “My apologies, Ascender Grey. My name is Mayla, and I’ve been instructed by my sist—Loreni to assist esteemed ascender during your stay in Maerin Town.”
So they are sisters, I mused. “You came at a good time, Mayla. I was actually wondering when the bestowment would be happening today.”
“It’s not until later this afternoon, so esteemed ascender has some time to rest and get ready if you wish to attend,” she answered, keeping her gaze downcast.
“It’s actually getting a little stuffy in here, so I’d like to take a stroll. Would you mind accompanying me?”
“Of course!” Mayla exclaimed, her eyes going cartoonishly wide.
“Before that, though, I have a cart filled with mana beast corpses. Can you get a few men to take it down to whichever shop will pay for them?”
“Right away!” Mayla gave me a quick bow before scurrying back to town.
After she was gone, I uncovered one of the empty horse-pulled wagons at the back of the house and began taking the beast corpses out of my dimension rune.
‘Is all this necessary?’ Regis asked.
“The story we’re going with is that I lost my dimension ring, remember?”
By the time Mayla came back with three burly townsmen, I had finished piling the corpses on the surprisingly sturdy wagon.
“Th-this…” The speaker was a bearded man sporting a tank top to show off his muscles. He paled at the sight of the mana beasts, and his two companions stepped back in shock.
I frowned. “Is there a problem?”
“N-n-none at all, esteemed ascender,” the bearded man said, carefully poking the leg of the bear-like mana beast. “It’s just that… these beasts are considered dangerous to even a full team of mid-tier mages.”
With no reference to how powerful a mid-tier mage actually was, I just shrugged. “Please take these to town, sell them, and give the money to either Mayla or Loreni.”
“Yes!” The three bowed once more before the bearded man began pulling the cart while his two companions pushed from the back.
Mayla and I took our time walking down the small hill leading back down to the downtown plaza of Maerin Town when I noticed her looking at the rune on my right forearm.
“Is something the matter?” I asked, suddenly very conscious that having a rune on your arm might be abnormal.
“My apologies for staring, Ascender Grey,” she said, peeling her eyes away. “I’ve heard many nobles and even highbloods have rune glyphs tattooed on their bodies, but it’s my first time seeing one in person.”
“Is it not popular in these parts?” I asked, feigning mild embarrassment.
“Oh, it’s just that most around here couldn’t afford the inks. I suppose in the wealthier parts of Alacrya it must be more in style…” Mayla trailed off, and now she was the one acting embarrassed. “Sorry if I’ve offended you, Ascender Grey. It wasn’t my intention.”
“It seems like the people of Maerin resort to apologizing very often,” I commented with a smile. “It’s fine. I’m glad to have someone explain how things work around here. Are you a mage yourself?”
“Oh, not at all! Although… today is also the day of my bestowment,” she admitted, turning pink around her ears.
“Congratulations in advance,” I said as we neared the gate to town. “Any particular element or class you’d like to be in?”
“Even though I know I’m a bit on the older side and my chances are low, I would very much like to be an Instiller. I know that Casters and Strikers are the most sought after by academies and powerful bloods, but I’m no good at fighting,” Mayla admitted.
I pondered her words. I had heard of the three classes of battle mages, as well as the supporting Sentry class. In Aya’s brief, there was a detailed account of the powerful Sentry who had managed to use her magic to create a path through Elshire Forest, allowing the Alacryan army to invade Elenoir.
Her name was… something Milview, I thought. I also knew that she was just one of many mages capable of using elemental magic to scout and scry long distances. I had never heard of Instillers, however.
“What did you want to do as an Instiller?” I asked, hoping to gain more information about this class.
“I want to create artifacts to help the impoverished people all over Alacrya,” Mayla effused, eyes suddenly vibrant. “For example, I know that there are artifacts capable of purifying water, but such things are currently too expensive to make on a large scale. However, I’ve done some research and realized that not all the components for the artifact are necessary, and a lot of them can be replaced with cheaper materials, so—”
Mayla let out a gasp and bowed at me. “I didn’t mean to lecture you, esteemed ascender.”
“I was the one that asked the question, Mayla,” I replied. “It’d be silly for me to get angry because you answered me. Especially when you’re so excited.”
Mayla reminded me of Emily back in Dicathen. Her excitement and passion for artificing was second to none. My chest tightened at the thought of my curly-haired friend.
“A-anyway, did esteemed ascender have anywhere in mind to go first?”
“Since the mana beast corpses will be taken care of, do you mind if we stop by the schools?”
“Certainly! It would be an honor if esteemed ascender visited! I know the students at our Striker school would love to get some pointers—of course that’s only if esteemed ascender wishes to,” Mayla said.
The irony of training soldiers that would eventually attack Dicathen caused a laugh to burst out of my mouth. I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to stifle my laughter.
Mayla regarded me with utter confusion. “D-did I say something odd?”
“No, it’s… nothing,” I said, composing myself. “Anyway, let’s take a look through the academies.”
The visit to the Caster school was brief. They were practicing outside, so I could see the students over the fence. A row of young would-be Casters were shooting bolts of pure mana at a handful of practice dummies. There was a wide variety of skill on display: some could barely conjure a strong enough missile to reach the target, while others were hurling two or three glowing bolts of mana at a time.
‘How cute,’ Regis remarked.
“It doesn’t seem like these students are using their marks,” I noted.
“The students here are still adjusting to their marks, so they’re not yet allowed to utilize their elemental magic yet. Once they’ve been deemed base-tier mages, they'll be allowed to practice the elemental spells their marks carry.” Mayla explained this with confidence. Though she was herself hoping for a bestowal, I was surprised by how much regular people seemed to understand about Alacryan magic. Most Dicathian non-mages wouldn’t have known as much as this young girl about Dicathian magic, I was certain of that.
She turned her head left and right as if looking for something befor
e letting out a gasp. “I forgot that the primary students are practicing in the arena today in preparation for the upcoming exhibition. My apologies, esteemed ascender. Both the instructors and students are much more excited this year because of the recruiter coming from Stormcove Academy.”
“Is Stormcove Academy such a prestigious place?” I asked, genuinely curious.
Mayla thought for a moment before answering. “Well, it is an official academy, so students accepted will have housing and basic needs provided for them within the campus. Stormcove is also one of the higher ranked academies in not only Aramoor, but the entire Grevorind Region. That being said, this is still all relative.”
The two of us began making our way to the Shield school as Mayla continued to explain.
“Compared to the elite academies in the rest of the Etril Dominion, and even the other four dominions, which have even more prestigious academies, Stormcove isn’t much. It’s why esteemed ascender has most likely never heard of Stormcove Academy.” Mayla seemed to shrink as she talked about the academy, and her voice became quiet. “I can only imagine how pitiful our schools look compared to the prestigious highblood academies in the central dominion.”
I digested this information in silence. It seemed like the entire economy in Alacrya glorified self-improvement and gaining strength, and was even centered on it. Was this all funded by Agrona? I couldn’t imagine a viable way for a proper economy to form around just training and getting stronger, aside from hunting mana beasts and ascending from the Relictombs.
“D-did I talk too much again, esteemed ascender? My sister, I mean Loreni, often berates me for this.”
“No, I like it.” Mayla was a goldmine for information, and the best part was that I didn’t have to ask questions that might normally be common sense. I stopped mid-step, causing her to look back at me with some alarm, despite my assurances. “Mayla, do you know what dungeons are?”
“Dungeons? Of course, Ascender Grey. My mother would tell me the story all the time as a child,” she answered. “It really is amazing how the great Vritras, led by the mighty High Sovereign himself, vanquished all of those dangerous dungeons in order to keep us safe.”
It was easy to imagine Agrona and his clan wiping out all of the dungeons under Alacrya in order to build an economy around exploring the Relictombs, practically guaranteeing himself a constant supply of relics to study.
“What do you know about the other continent then?” I asked, studying her expression.
“Dicathen?” Mayla tilted her head. “I’ve heard stories from passing merchants about how savage and undeveloped they are. It’s scary to think of an entire continent where mages run amok and dungeons still exist. Thankfully, High Sovereign Agrona has decided to liberate them.”
“Liberate?” I echoed, careful to keep my true feelings from leaking onto my face. “I see.”
We didn’t stay long at the Shield academy either. Though it was entertaining to watch the children take turns throwing things at each other, with the targets expected to conjure translucent shields of mana to block the projectiles, there weren’t many students training. Mayla guessed that the primary class of Shields was also in the arena, since the Shields and Casters often trained together. It made sense, seeing as the Shields’ primary role was to either take damage for their teammates if they were a melee Shield or create defenses from afar if they were a ranged Shield.
Next we made our way to the Striker school, where both the primary and secondary students were present and preparing to spar with one another.
“Remember, release and focus your mana from your core to the rune glyphs that make up your mark! Pay attention to the warmth that spreads from your mark and let that feeling guide you. Don’t try to control it!” ordered a scowling woman garbed in a layered, muted blue mage’s robe.
Despite her salt-and-pepper hair and the wrinkles lining her face exposing her age, she carried herself with poise as she strode around two students, each wearing padded leather practice-gear, as the rest of the class sat against the walls.
The two students, a dark-haired boy and a freckle-faced girl, looked around the same age as Mayla. They faced each other and bowed, keeping their stances neutral.
“Begin!” the teacher barked.
The two students triggered their spells with surprising swiftness.
The girl’s spell materialized first: a short blade of fire surrounding her open palms. She dashed toward the boy, who was barely able to conjure his bracers of fire in time to block her first strike.
Their two flames intertwined from the impact, and the boy was forced to retreat a few steps. Cheers from some of the children on the sidelines rang out in support for the girl, and some of the boy’s friends cracked jokes at his expense.
Gritting his teeth, the boy rushed forth and the two began to spar. Despite their young age, they showed a shocking amount of agility and strength, and their techniques seemed almost ingrained into their movements.
“The instructor is good,” I muttered, vaguely remembering Chumo and Sembi’s praise toward this woman.
Mayla and I continued to watch from the hallway, but the bout soon came to an end. The instructor intervened just as the girl was about to land a critical strike on the boy’s open side. Once the children had been separated, the aged instructor called out the results, and was just about to start on the next pair of children when she saw me.
Mayla bowed at the instructor, who regarded me with her sharp eyes.
“Instructor Resbin, this is Ascender Grey,” Mayla said without lifting her head.
The instructor’s eyes widened for a moment, but she otherwise kept calm as she dipped her head in a formal gesture. “My apologies for not welcoming you sooner, Ascender Grey. You hid your mana so well that I didn’t realize such a powerful individual had entered the school.”
I raised a hand in a placating gesture. “It’s fine. I had no intention of interrupting your class.”
By this time, the children that had been spread out against the walls were all standing and craning their necks to get a good look at me. Whispered muttering soon filled the room so that Instructor Resbin had to silence them, but that didn’t stop their sparkling stares from boring into me.
“Instructor Resbin was actually once an instructor at Stormcove Academy,” Mayla said proudly before turning to the aged woman. “Ascender Grey just told me how good you are!”
“Thank you, Ascender Grey,” Instructor Resbin replied, but her eyes continued to assess me.
“I simply noted what I saw,” I said with a polite nod. “Please continue.”
I turned to leave, not particularly having a reason to stay here any longer, but stopped when Instructor Resbin called out.
“Forgive my insolence, Ascender Grey, but as you know, the annual exhibition is in just two days. My students and I would be most honored if an esteemed ascender showed us some pointers.”
Looking back over my shoulders I stared at the woman.
“You say pointers, but your eyes are asking for something different, Instructor. I have no interest in engaging in a meaningless fight just so you can gauge your own strength.” I flashed her a cool smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
I walked out of the Striker school, Mayla following beside me. The girl looked uncomfortable with my treatment of the school’s instructor, but said nothing.
‘You’re no fun,’ Regis remarked. ‘I was hoping for a show.’
You’re just bored. Hold on for a few more days.
By the time we reached the town proper, the center of the plaza had been redecorated for the bestowment ceremony. A platform had been constructed there, and a line of twenty or so kids had already formed beside it. Near the end of the line, I was surprised to see a little boy that I recognized.
‘Hey, isn’t that the boy that tried to stab you last night?’ Regis asked.
It was Belmun. I could make out more of his features in the daylight, but
this only seemed to highlight how malnourished he was underneath his clean tunic, which was several sizes too big for him.
I couldn’t help but wonder if he and his family had managed to eat last night, or if they had been able to sell the leather from the rocavid.
“Didn’t you say that the ceremony starts later?” I asked, pushing my worry for the child—the Alacryan child—from my mind.
“Yes, but lines always form beforehand,” she said, her eyes watching nervously as the line grew longer.
“Then shouldn’t you be going too?”
Mayla turned to me, pale-faced and stricken. “Oh no! It’s okay, esteemed ascender. It’s my responsibility to assist you, so I’ll just get in line once the ceremony actually begins.”
Frowning, I waved her away. “Just go. I’ll be fine.”
There was still a trace of reluctance in her expression, but her impatience won over. After thanking me, she bolted to the end of the line.
‘She’s a good kid,’ Regis voiced. ‘Too bad she and all the rest of the people on this continent have been brainwashed by Agrona.’
Not sure if brainwashed is the right word but, yeah. Regis had a point. They were just people, really. Regular people trying to make the best life for themselves that they could, considering their situation. What was it to them if their High Sovereign was murdering tens of thousands of equally innocent people on the other side of the world… but maybe they would care, I thought.
Maybe, under the right circumstances, they would be eager to throw off the oppression of the Vritra Clan.
I shook the thought from my head, knowing the truth. Agrona was a tyrant. He had controlled life on Alacrya so completely, and for so long, that they really did worship him like a deity.
The ceremony progressed once a man dressed completely in black walked up onto the elevated platform with two hooded figures in gray behind him. The most notable part of his wardrobe was an obsidian staff that he carried. There was a small gem embedded at the top, and it glimmered in the colors of the elemental attributes. Barely noticeable in the reds, blues, and browns, there was also a faint trace of purple.