keenscythe
No longer NEET
- Location
- WA, USA
[X] Calanon
Shadowhorn - Magical Academies and Cosmic Horrors
- Thread starter Namer
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
3) Novitiate - II
Namer
ᵘʷᵘ
- Location
- Bangladesh
- Pronouns
- He/Him
You quickly scribble down your name: "Calanon Staihart".
"Middle Kingdoms, eh." The professor remarks.
"Northern Minvaria actually, sir."
The professor looks up, "Oh? Good place, if a little down on its luck these days. I've had quite a few promising students come through there the last few years as well. Now, off you go."
You leave with a grin on your face. It occurs to you that you didn't get the name of the girl back in the infirmary. You make your way there, marveling at the hallways now that you're moving at a more sedate pace.
Alas, she's not there. You stand there for a moment, remembering the curve of her smile. She'd left a hell of an impression on you. The infirmary is empty, save for the one occupied bed behind the dome and curtains.
Curious, you approach the bed. You draw out your hexagon and slowly walk towards it, watching the edge of it as it nears the barrier. You take a deep breath and make the final step.
Your center of gravity and the center of the Hexagon come within precisely one meter of the barrier. The edge of your hexagon touches it.
And you scream.
Pain surges through you, unimaginable. Skin-flaying, nail-pulling, bone-breaking, guts-spilling, eyes-stabbing pain. Your hexagon fizzles out instantly, then you're hurled back. You fly several meters, straight across the room, and then slide another few feet until you crash against one of the beds.
You groan as you pick yourself up. "Fuck-k-..." You mutter, rubbing your arms. The phantom pain lingers for a few moments before slowly fading.
There're unfamiliar voices coming down the hallway, probably someone investigating the source of your disturbance. You don't want to be found snooping around like this when you weren't really supposed to be here.
But, by the Shaper, what the hell is going on? First whatever had happened to you outside the city, and now this eerily similar sensation.
You don't stop to ponder those questions. You leave at a brisk walk, after having made sure you haven't broken anything in that. Nothing but some bruises.
You don't stop until you're out of the Academy, barely noticing the grandeur of the entrance and the street outside. You don't stop until you've found an inn just off the main thoroughfare, cozy and nestled between a jeweller and a grocer.
You don't stop until you've tossed a handful of coins from your pouch in front of the innkeeper, been directed to a tidy room on the third floor, where you throw down your pack, change out of travelling clothes, quickly wash up and curl up on the bed shivering all the way to a cold sleep.
You wake early the next day. After the sun has risen, but well before the city truly wakes to life. Slipping on clean clothes and shaking off yesterday's exertions.
Hopefully, someone at the Academy will be able to explain all this, or maybe I'll find something in the Archives. You tell yourself. But that would come later.
Fortunately, the inn's cook is also an early riser and as you come down, the smell of bread baking wafts into your nose. You grab several loaves and honey to lather them with, wolfing them down. You hadn't eaten all day yesterday.
With your hunger sated, you leave the inn. The alley, though narrow, is surprisingly clean. The ground is clean as if recently swept and unlike what was typical in every other city you'd been to, there are no urchins sleeping in the nooks. Beside the inn, the grocer, a large man with a jovial face, waves at you as he sets up for the day. You wave back at him, not too surprised at the general friendliness.
After all, Mak'ria-ka was the most prosperous and peaceful city in the world. It made sense for everyone to be friendly and helpful towards each other.
The rest of the day is open for you.
[ ] There is a tour group going around the Academy, for those interested, both outsiders and applicants. You could go check it out.
[ ] Mak'ria-ka is heralded as great in many things, and you want to experience that reputation firsthand. You could explore the city.
[ ] Since your enrollment is pretty much confirmed, getting new clothes, tools, books, et cetera, would help a lot. You could prepare.
"Middle Kingdoms, eh." The professor remarks.
"Northern Minvaria actually, sir."
The professor looks up, "Oh? Good place, if a little down on its luck these days. I've had quite a few promising students come through there the last few years as well. Now, off you go."
You leave with a grin on your face. It occurs to you that you didn't get the name of the girl back in the infirmary. You make your way there, marveling at the hallways now that you're moving at a more sedate pace.
Alas, she's not there. You stand there for a moment, remembering the curve of her smile. She'd left a hell of an impression on you. The infirmary is empty, save for the one occupied bed behind the dome and curtains.
Curious, you approach the bed. You draw out your hexagon and slowly walk towards it, watching the edge of it as it nears the barrier. You take a deep breath and make the final step.
Your center of gravity and the center of the Hexagon come within precisely one meter of the barrier. The edge of your hexagon touches it.
And you scream.
Pain surges through you, unimaginable. Skin-flaying, nail-pulling, bone-breaking, guts-spilling, eyes-stabbing pain. Your hexagon fizzles out instantly, then you're hurled back. You fly several meters, straight across the room, and then slide another few feet until you crash against one of the beds.
You groan as you pick yourself up. "Fuck-k-..." You mutter, rubbing your arms. The phantom pain lingers for a few moments before slowly fading.
There're unfamiliar voices coming down the hallway, probably someone investigating the source of your disturbance. You don't want to be found snooping around like this when you weren't really supposed to be here.
But, by the Shaper, what the hell is going on? First whatever had happened to you outside the city, and now this eerily similar sensation.
You don't stop to ponder those questions. You leave at a brisk walk, after having made sure you haven't broken anything in that. Nothing but some bruises.
You don't stop until you're out of the Academy, barely noticing the grandeur of the entrance and the street outside. You don't stop until you've found an inn just off the main thoroughfare, cozy and nestled between a jeweller and a grocer.
You don't stop until you've tossed a handful of coins from your pouch in front of the innkeeper, been directed to a tidy room on the third floor, where you throw down your pack, change out of travelling clothes, quickly wash up and curl up on the bed shivering all the way to a cold sleep.
You wake early the next day. After the sun has risen, but well before the city truly wakes to life. Slipping on clean clothes and shaking off yesterday's exertions.
Hopefully, someone at the Academy will be able to explain all this, or maybe I'll find something in the Archives. You tell yourself. But that would come later.
Fortunately, the inn's cook is also an early riser and as you come down, the smell of bread baking wafts into your nose. You grab several loaves and honey to lather them with, wolfing them down. You hadn't eaten all day yesterday.
With your hunger sated, you leave the inn. The alley, though narrow, is surprisingly clean. The ground is clean as if recently swept and unlike what was typical in every other city you'd been to, there are no urchins sleeping in the nooks. Beside the inn, the grocer, a large man with a jovial face, waves at you as he sets up for the day. You wave back at him, not too surprised at the general friendliness.
After all, Mak'ria-ka was the most prosperous and peaceful city in the world. It made sense for everyone to be friendly and helpful towards each other.
The rest of the day is open for you.
[ ] There is a tour group going around the Academy, for those interested, both outsiders and applicants. You could go check it out.
[ ] Mak'ria-ka is heralded as great in many things, and you want to experience that reputation firsthand. You could explore the city.
[ ] Since your enrollment is pretty much confirmed, getting new clothes, tools, books, et cetera, would help a lot. You could prepare.
keenscythe
No longer NEET
- Location
- WA, USA
[X] Since your enrollment is pretty much confirmed, getting new clothes, tools, books, et cetera, would help a lot. You could prepare.
Pathetic King
"I Speak To The Audient Void."
- Location
- Colorado
[X] Since your enrollment is pretty much confirmed, getting new clothes, tools, books, et cetera, would help a lot. You could prepare.
- Location
- Canada
[X] Since your enrollment is pretty much confirmed, getting new clothes, tools, books, et cetera, would help a lot. You could prepare.
[X] Since your enrollment is pretty much confirmed, getting new clothes, tools, books, et cetera, would help a lot. You could prepare.
Curious.
Curious.
[x] Mak'ria-ka is heralded as great in many things, and you want to experience that reputation firsthand. You could explore the city.
Fun first, preparation can come later
Fun first, preparation can come later
ConfusedPotato
Unverified Verifier
- Location
- Australia
[X] Since your enrollment is pretty much confirmed, getting new clothes, tools, books, et cetera, would help a lot. You could prepare.
4) Novitiate - III
Namer
ᵘʷᵘ
- Location
- Bangladesh
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Both the mysteries and wonders can wait.
First, you need to get ready for your life as a student. You'll have the next few years ahead of you to explore both the Academy and the City, so no sense in wasting time doing that.
After asking directions from a few passersby, you eventually get directed to the Scholar's District. Apparently, it's where most Academy students get their equipment and books from. It's on the other side of the city, however, quite a long walk.
On the way there, you stop by a Tailor. Not a high-class one, but still moderately upscale. Your parents had been landowners, just a couple steps below a low noble, and that marked you as 'fairly well off' in Minvaria, which had been hit hard by the recent population explosions. You have a tidy sum of money to pay the tailor with, though he's a little quizzical about accepting an order for five uniforms to your size before the results are officially announced. You tell him to not worry about it as you leave, your pouch marginally lighter.
It takes you about half an hour to walk to the Scholar's District. This close to the start of the academic year, the whole area, several streets and avenues altogether, are bustling. It's not just students your age here, but a lot of older people as well.
As you enter the crowd, you feel so many telltale tingles from walking into others' Hexagons that it actually turns into a physical sensation, something like the brush of a feather at the back of your neck. You rub the spot absent-mindedly.
There're shops selling pens of a hundred varieties and colours. There're shops selling enchanted clothing that are a bit out of your price range. There're shops selling magical focuses and staves. There are shops selling books and rune-sheets. There are shops selling alchemical ingredients. There are shops selling miscellaneous magical devices. There are shops selling exotic fauna and - wait.
You push your way past a gaggle of boys and press your face against the glass case of the shop.
There, right on display in a glass box, is a Priman Gecko.
The lizard is only several centimeters long, but you know they can grow up to two meters. It's just a baby right now. The mottled skin shimmers with every colour of the rainbow and you swear you can see miniature hexagons flashing amidst them.
More importantly, the lizard has its own Hexagon. The only animal known to do so.
You're shocked to see one here. They were native to Minvaria and Shaladh, but had all but died out centuries ago. It was said they were the first living beings to set foot in the land, born out of eggs fertilized by Shadia's sweat as she shaped the world.
You go inside the shop. The walls, floors and ceiling are all rich brown wood marred by old, unknown stains long dried here and there. You see various other animals in glass cages, but they're all far more ordinary creatures, used mainly as pets or even familiars.
Navigating around a couple shelves, you reach the case. You peer in close, as the Gecko takes note of you and croaks at you. You reach out to touch the glass. The Gecko turns around to look at you for a long moment, then it takes a step towards you.
"Quite an interesting specimen, wouldn't you agree so?"
You jolt straight up, startled, "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just-"
The speaker is a woman, in her late twenties or early thirties, maybe. Her pale skin and narrow eyes mark her as an Amikan native. She's wearing a simple dress and a coat over it, with thick leather gloves that indicate she'd been working on something at the back.
"It's alright." She calms you down with a wave, "It's not every day that I get someone in here who actually interests it."
"Huh?" You ask, "I'm sorry, 'interests it'?"
She glides past you and bends down to meet the Gecko at eye level. You realise it's still fixated on you.
"Welcome to my humble abode. My name is Nikana." She says with a small flourish, standing up and gliding past you again deeper into the shop. You follow her. "Are you a student at the Academy?" she asks, as she takes off her gloves.
"Uh, yes." You say, "I'm Calanon. I'll actually be starting this term."
"Oh?" She comes to a stop, "You must be talented, then. Not even trained and yet brimming with enough power and potential to grab the Gecko's attention. Tea?"
She offers you a steaming cup. You hadn't seen her pour it, but then you notice the teapot and tray floating behind her. Her Hexagon had completely blended in with the scores of them in the background. You wonder if there was any way to figure out how to distinguish multiple Hexagons when you're standing in them.
You take it to be polite and have a sip. The scent is fairly pleasant.
"First time in the city as well?" She asks.
You nod, "Yeah, though I lived on the outskirts of Minvar." Glancing back at the Gecko, you ask, "How did you even find that? They're supposed to be all but extinct, and impossible to find and catch in the wilds when they were around."
Nikana closes her eyes for a moment. "Have you ever traveled to the south edge of Shaladh, right between the Deadlands and the Abyss?
You shake your head. There's no way in hell you're even going near either one of those places, let alone both.
"Of course you haven't. Do not. That's all." She says firmly. You nod a mute assent.
She throws a glance back at the Gecko. It's still looking at you.
"Its been lonely for quite a while. I've had it here for months and I haven't seen it pay attention to anyone in the city, until you decided to walk by." Nikana says after a few seconds.
"Maybe I could buy it-?" You venture.
She cuts you off with a chuckle. "Doubt it. I'm not selling to anyone for less than two thousand Rhos. It's far too valuable. "
You wince at the price. You have less than three hundred on you, and that's a minor fortune that should keep you afloat for a year or two at least. Your tailored clothes had cost you two. Two thousand was the price for castles and kings.
"Though…" She tilts her head, thinking. "We could come to an arrangement. I've had scores of offers from the Academy, matching the price and more, but everyone they sent in person was ignored completely."
You look back at the Gecko again. Its skin is mesmerizing. Owning one would be… incredible, if half the stories told about them were true. Nothing was really concrete, most of it was hearsay. They were said to be able to sense the power and width of a Mage's Hexagon by simply knowing of their existence; they could understand Demitongue, the language of the gods, when fully mature, and could live for centuries. No mage had ever bound one as a familiar, but if it was possible...
"What kind of arrangement?"
"A down payment of one hundred Rhos, plus another two-thousand to be paid within five years." You would be graduated out of the Academy within two or three, and a Mage's earnings were not inconsiderable." There's more though, as the older woman holds up her fingers. "And Three favours, to be called on whenever I want. Don't worry, nothing bad or unfeasible. In exchange, I'll set up a proper home for it once you're settled in, and show you how to take care of it. What do you say?"
[ ] Agree to the arrangement. You simply can't let an opportunity such as this pass you by, regardless of the cost and the added responsibility.
[ ] Decline the arrangement. Nikana says the Gecko's been here for months, you expect it'll also be around later when you're more ready to buy it.
I wanted to get this out earlier, but the scene managed to drag on a little. Also, updated the second post with a map and lore stuffs. Map will be updated as relevant (because I haven't fleshed out all the minutiae yet ecks dee).
First, you need to get ready for your life as a student. You'll have the next few years ahead of you to explore both the Academy and the City, so no sense in wasting time doing that.
After asking directions from a few passersby, you eventually get directed to the Scholar's District. Apparently, it's where most Academy students get their equipment and books from. It's on the other side of the city, however, quite a long walk.
On the way there, you stop by a Tailor. Not a high-class one, but still moderately upscale. Your parents had been landowners, just a couple steps below a low noble, and that marked you as 'fairly well off' in Minvaria, which had been hit hard by the recent population explosions. You have a tidy sum of money to pay the tailor with, though he's a little quizzical about accepting an order for five uniforms to your size before the results are officially announced. You tell him to not worry about it as you leave, your pouch marginally lighter.
It takes you about half an hour to walk to the Scholar's District. This close to the start of the academic year, the whole area, several streets and avenues altogether, are bustling. It's not just students your age here, but a lot of older people as well.
As you enter the crowd, you feel so many telltale tingles from walking into others' Hexagons that it actually turns into a physical sensation, something like the brush of a feather at the back of your neck. You rub the spot absent-mindedly.
There're shops selling pens of a hundred varieties and colours. There're shops selling enchanted clothing that are a bit out of your price range. There're shops selling magical focuses and staves. There are shops selling books and rune-sheets. There are shops selling alchemical ingredients. There are shops selling miscellaneous magical devices. There are shops selling exotic fauna and - wait.
You push your way past a gaggle of boys and press your face against the glass case of the shop.
There, right on display in a glass box, is a Priman Gecko.
The lizard is only several centimeters long, but you know they can grow up to two meters. It's just a baby right now. The mottled skin shimmers with every colour of the rainbow and you swear you can see miniature hexagons flashing amidst them.
More importantly, the lizard has its own Hexagon. The only animal known to do so.
You're shocked to see one here. They were native to Minvaria and Shaladh, but had all but died out centuries ago. It was said they were the first living beings to set foot in the land, born out of eggs fertilized by Shadia's sweat as she shaped the world.
You go inside the shop. The walls, floors and ceiling are all rich brown wood marred by old, unknown stains long dried here and there. You see various other animals in glass cages, but they're all far more ordinary creatures, used mainly as pets or even familiars.
Navigating around a couple shelves, you reach the case. You peer in close, as the Gecko takes note of you and croaks at you. You reach out to touch the glass. The Gecko turns around to look at you for a long moment, then it takes a step towards you.
"Quite an interesting specimen, wouldn't you agree so?"
You jolt straight up, startled, "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just-"
The speaker is a woman, in her late twenties or early thirties, maybe. Her pale skin and narrow eyes mark her as an Amikan native. She's wearing a simple dress and a coat over it, with thick leather gloves that indicate she'd been working on something at the back.
"It's alright." She calms you down with a wave, "It's not every day that I get someone in here who actually interests it."
"Huh?" You ask, "I'm sorry, 'interests it'?"
She glides past you and bends down to meet the Gecko at eye level. You realise it's still fixated on you.
"Welcome to my humble abode. My name is Nikana." She says with a small flourish, standing up and gliding past you again deeper into the shop. You follow her. "Are you a student at the Academy?" she asks, as she takes off her gloves.
"Uh, yes." You say, "I'm Calanon. I'll actually be starting this term."
"Oh?" She comes to a stop, "You must be talented, then. Not even trained and yet brimming with enough power and potential to grab the Gecko's attention. Tea?"
She offers you a steaming cup. You hadn't seen her pour it, but then you notice the teapot and tray floating behind her. Her Hexagon had completely blended in with the scores of them in the background. You wonder if there was any way to figure out how to distinguish multiple Hexagons when you're standing in them.
You take it to be polite and have a sip. The scent is fairly pleasant.
"First time in the city as well?" She asks.
You nod, "Yeah, though I lived on the outskirts of Minvar." Glancing back at the Gecko, you ask, "How did you even find that? They're supposed to be all but extinct, and impossible to find and catch in the wilds when they were around."
Nikana closes her eyes for a moment. "Have you ever traveled to the south edge of Shaladh, right between the Deadlands and the Abyss?
You shake your head. There's no way in hell you're even going near either one of those places, let alone both.
"Of course you haven't. Do not. That's all." She says firmly. You nod a mute assent.
She throws a glance back at the Gecko. It's still looking at you.
"Its been lonely for quite a while. I've had it here for months and I haven't seen it pay attention to anyone in the city, until you decided to walk by." Nikana says after a few seconds.
"Maybe I could buy it-?" You venture.
She cuts you off with a chuckle. "Doubt it. I'm not selling to anyone for less than two thousand Rhos. It's far too valuable. "
You wince at the price. You have less than three hundred on you, and that's a minor fortune that should keep you afloat for a year or two at least. Your tailored clothes had cost you two. Two thousand was the price for castles and kings.
"Though…" She tilts her head, thinking. "We could come to an arrangement. I've had scores of offers from the Academy, matching the price and more, but everyone they sent in person was ignored completely."
You look back at the Gecko again. Its skin is mesmerizing. Owning one would be… incredible, if half the stories told about them were true. Nothing was really concrete, most of it was hearsay. They were said to be able to sense the power and width of a Mage's Hexagon by simply knowing of their existence; they could understand Demitongue, the language of the gods, when fully mature, and could live for centuries. No mage had ever bound one as a familiar, but if it was possible...
"What kind of arrangement?"
"A down payment of one hundred Rhos, plus another two-thousand to be paid within five years." You would be graduated out of the Academy within two or three, and a Mage's earnings were not inconsiderable." There's more though, as the older woman holds up her fingers. "And Three favours, to be called on whenever I want. Don't worry, nothing bad or unfeasible. In exchange, I'll set up a proper home for it once you're settled in, and show you how to take care of it. What do you say?"
[ ] Agree to the arrangement. You simply can't let an opportunity such as this pass you by, regardless of the cost and the added responsibility.
[ ] Decline the arrangement. Nikana says the Gecko's been here for months, you expect it'll also be around later when you're more ready to buy it.
I wanted to get this out earlier, but the scene managed to drag on a little. Also, updated the second post with a map and lore stuffs. Map will be updated as relevant (because I haven't fleshed out all the minutiae yet ecks dee).
keenscythe
No longer NEET
- Location
- WA, USA
[x] Agree to the arrangement. You simply can't let an opportunity such as this pass you by, regardless of the cost and the added responsibility.
ConfusedPotato
Unverified Verifier
- Location
- Australia
[x] Agree to the arrangement. You simply can't let an opportunity such as this pass you by, regardless of the cost and the added responsibility.
- Location
- Canada
[X] Agree to the arrangement. You simply can't let an opportunity such as this pass you by, regardless of the cost and the added responsibility.
[X] Decline the arrangement. Nikana says the Gecko's been here for months, you expect it'll also be around later when you're more ready to buy it.
5) Novitiate - IV
Namer
ᵘʷᵘ
- Location
- Bangladesh
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"I'll take it." You finally say.
"Wonderful," Mikana smiles, "Come by in a few days and I should have it all ready to be transported to your dorms. You're going to be popular, lugging that rarity around.
You make a mock gulp, then chuckle. After talking about this and that for few more minutes, you excuse yourself. The day is getting late and you still have quite a lot of supplies to grab.
Both your purse and your mood noticeably lighter, you leave the Menagerie. You spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the Scholar's District, buying recommended books for novitiates, plus stationery and other miscellaneous things you'll need. Shayal, the third sun, dips low in the sky and you see the faint outline of Hiina, the pale moon.
After a meal at a small restaurant, where you have a traditional Galani bread with thinly sliced beef on the side, you return to your inn early in the evening. It's a big day tomorrow.
You wake up the next morning, right at the crack of dawn, with Nezar, the fourth sun. You're feeling all fired up, ready to head through the gates of the Academy and to your new life as your name is called.
After having breakfast, you wander around for a bit before eventually making your way to the center of the city, joining the huge crowd that's gathered in front of the gate.
At precisely noon, a gong rings through the city, seemingly out of nowhere. A great, ringing sound that ripples through your entire body. You feel it for almost a minute afterwards.
The first name is announced. GANAN ZALEREN. The crowd murmurs at that, parting slightly from the aforenamed person's position, but you don't get to see him before he enters the gates of the Academy.
A second name follows. IANA WRYDDA. Another bout of murmuring and cheering as she walks in.
LAI SENHAN
DORON FIREFOOT
DRYZE SHADAR
WHISPERED-WORDS-AMIDST-BONE-AND-DUST
The crowd reacts with shock at the last name. You narrow your eyes a bit too. That's a Old Shalari name, still used only by the nomads who lived in the Deathlands, and scrounged a living off the bones and the shrivelled, toxic grass and putrid corpses.
The man himself is about your age, though covered from head to toe in a dusty brown cloak with the hood drawn low. He's actually standing a little to your left, and when his name is called the crowd parts outright to let him pass, scrabbling back from him like he's diseased. Knowing what you do of the Shalari, he might as well be.
Other names are called. Several dozen in all. Towards the end, you hear your own, CALANON STAIHART.
You give out a little whoop, and the people around you clap and cheer for you. You make you way through the crowd and enter. As you pass through the threshold, you're nearly bowled over. There is an immensely powerful Hexagon radiating out from the center of the building, the edge of it around the gate and fences surrounding it.
You hadn't really noted the courtyard of the academy before. The main building is a grand citadel rising off Mak'ria-ka's surface, towering over every other building, but also fairly expansive at the base, covering an area the size of a block. The air inside is cooler, with a paved pathway before you that goes on about forty paces before stopping in front of a massive, gold-burnished door. On both sides of the path are grass lawns and pools. The grass is a vibrant aquamarine and the pools deep navy. It could have been your imagination, but you see sparkling faerie-lights glimmering.
All in all, it's a nice show.
Those accepted are all milling around here, standing by themselves or small groups, waiting. After you, another name is called, and as the last person enters the outer gates swing shut with a final-sounding gong.
The inner doors swing open a moment later, the great golden gates moving with an ease that belied their size.
A tall man, with a long drooping beard and an aura of pure dignity, stands there. He spreads his arms, calling out to all of you as you crowd around him, "Welcome to the Academy of Mak'ria-ka! I'm sure you're all glad to have gotten this chance, as are we to get the chance to illuminate inquisitive young minds such as yours. So, without further ado, come on in!"
He steps to the side with a grand flourish.
You put your foot onto the entrance hall.
The world falls away into darkness. You're falling, falling, and all around you the others seem to be falling through blackness too. You cry out at the same time as the rest of them do.
A booming voice speaks "I may have forgotten to mention. The tests are not all over yet!"
Suddenly, you hit the ground. There's no impact, however. You just stop falling.
You stand up. It's disorienting, doing so. Because there's no ground, no sky, no surroundings. It's nothing but almost absolute pitch blackness, as if you've gone blind. But you haven't, because there's one thing you can see: a single speck of light in the distance, flickering, seemingly an incredible distance away.
"Okay," You mutter to yourself, trying to keep yourself calm, "This is just a test." There's no real horrifying sensation, just an eeriness.
[ ] Head towards the light, which seems like a goal.
[ ] Try to find your peers and join up with them.
[ ] Illuminate your Hex and investigate your surroundings.
"Wonderful," Mikana smiles, "Come by in a few days and I should have it all ready to be transported to your dorms. You're going to be popular, lugging that rarity around.
You make a mock gulp, then chuckle. After talking about this and that for few more minutes, you excuse yourself. The day is getting late and you still have quite a lot of supplies to grab.
Both your purse and your mood noticeably lighter, you leave the Menagerie. You spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the Scholar's District, buying recommended books for novitiates, plus stationery and other miscellaneous things you'll need. Shayal, the third sun, dips low in the sky and you see the faint outline of Hiina, the pale moon.
After a meal at a small restaurant, where you have a traditional Galani bread with thinly sliced beef on the side, you return to your inn early in the evening. It's a big day tomorrow.
You wake up the next morning, right at the crack of dawn, with Nezar, the fourth sun. You're feeling all fired up, ready to head through the gates of the Academy and to your new life as your name is called.
After having breakfast, you wander around for a bit before eventually making your way to the center of the city, joining the huge crowd that's gathered in front of the gate.
At precisely noon, a gong rings through the city, seemingly out of nowhere. A great, ringing sound that ripples through your entire body. You feel it for almost a minute afterwards.
The first name is announced. GANAN ZALEREN. The crowd murmurs at that, parting slightly from the aforenamed person's position, but you don't get to see him before he enters the gates of the Academy.
A second name follows. IANA WRYDDA. Another bout of murmuring and cheering as she walks in.
LAI SENHAN
DORON FIREFOOT
DRYZE SHADAR
WHISPERED-WORDS-AMIDST-BONE-AND-DUST
The crowd reacts with shock at the last name. You narrow your eyes a bit too. That's a Old Shalari name, still used only by the nomads who lived in the Deathlands, and scrounged a living off the bones and the shrivelled, toxic grass and putrid corpses.
The man himself is about your age, though covered from head to toe in a dusty brown cloak with the hood drawn low. He's actually standing a little to your left, and when his name is called the crowd parts outright to let him pass, scrabbling back from him like he's diseased. Knowing what you do of the Shalari, he might as well be.
Other names are called. Several dozen in all. Towards the end, you hear your own, CALANON STAIHART.
You give out a little whoop, and the people around you clap and cheer for you. You make you way through the crowd and enter. As you pass through the threshold, you're nearly bowled over. There is an immensely powerful Hexagon radiating out from the center of the building, the edge of it around the gate and fences surrounding it.
You hadn't really noted the courtyard of the academy before. The main building is a grand citadel rising off Mak'ria-ka's surface, towering over every other building, but also fairly expansive at the base, covering an area the size of a block. The air inside is cooler, with a paved pathway before you that goes on about forty paces before stopping in front of a massive, gold-burnished door. On both sides of the path are grass lawns and pools. The grass is a vibrant aquamarine and the pools deep navy. It could have been your imagination, but you see sparkling faerie-lights glimmering.
All in all, it's a nice show.
Those accepted are all milling around here, standing by themselves or small groups, waiting. After you, another name is called, and as the last person enters the outer gates swing shut with a final-sounding gong.
The inner doors swing open a moment later, the great golden gates moving with an ease that belied their size.
A tall man, with a long drooping beard and an aura of pure dignity, stands there. He spreads his arms, calling out to all of you as you crowd around him, "Welcome to the Academy of Mak'ria-ka! I'm sure you're all glad to have gotten this chance, as are we to get the chance to illuminate inquisitive young minds such as yours. So, without further ado, come on in!"
He steps to the side with a grand flourish.
You put your foot onto the entrance hall.
The world falls away into darkness. You're falling, falling, and all around you the others seem to be falling through blackness too. You cry out at the same time as the rest of them do.
A booming voice speaks "I may have forgotten to mention. The tests are not all over yet!"
Suddenly, you hit the ground. There's no impact, however. You just stop falling.
You stand up. It's disorienting, doing so. Because there's no ground, no sky, no surroundings. It's nothing but almost absolute pitch blackness, as if you've gone blind. But you haven't, because there's one thing you can see: a single speck of light in the distance, flickering, seemingly an incredible distance away.
"Okay," You mutter to yourself, trying to keep yourself calm, "This is just a test." There's no real horrifying sensation, just an eeriness.
[ ] Head towards the light, which seems like a goal.
[ ] Try to find your peers and join up with them.
[ ] Illuminate your Hex and investigate your surroundings.
[X] Try to find your peers and join up with them.
Rule one of the horror genre: never be alone.
Rule one of the horror genre: never be alone.
ConfusedPotato
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- Location
- Australia
[x] Illuminate your Hex and investigate your surroundings.