Vorstallen Magic Preparatory - The Third-Best School for Young Mages in the Nation! Enrol Today!

So this took a couple of days to write at a snail's pace.
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It wasn't like sucking up was easy. Miranova... what did he know about Miranova?

She had used Souls and Spirits in combat, and had not only survived but won handily. From asking around, he found that wasn't common. Being able to coax a Spirit into doing something was one thing, being able to effectively use Spirits in combat was incredibly rare, apparently. It made sense, of course. Vorstallen was a good academy. He had raised a few queries with Edward, at first, and then Madavian.

Edward had looked at him like an idiot when he asked.

"People fight to be able to teach here. The resources at hand for being a professor here are huge, Ulos. Even the Collegium doesn't have better professors, probably."

"What? The Collegium is the best, though!"

Edward shook his head.

"The Collegium is ancient. Like, there are hundreds of challenges, arrays designed to bring you into folded spaces, and other things I shouldn't be telling you about, various runic and alchemical puzzles across campus, most of which you won't be able to notice as a first year. It's not organic, though. The Collegium has ancient puzzles because the King of Bones and his ilk went there and they genuinely wanted to lock dangerous things away. The Collegium has secrets nobody you could strictly call living is aware of, but the puzzles and challenges and magic were forged bit by bit, and the most dangerous are hidden away, and they're presented in a facsimile of order. But those things are powerful beyond what you see here. I read on the Library of Slumber. You genuinely enter some sort of dreamworld where you can study - no magic, mind you - and gain another five or six hours a day. I can't even figure out how to begin building something like the Egg of Time. The Collegium has the sorts of resources that multiply your efforts - even a mediocre student will become a good one if they have thirty or forty hours in a day."

He sketched a sigil in the air for a moment. It flared and did nothing.

"What you don't see with the Collegium is the weight of tradition. I was offered a full scholarship to the Collegium-"

Ulos felt his face tense up at the unfairness of it, for a moment.

"Don't pout, Ulos. Your cheekbones are too pronounced for it to look anything less than comical. Anyway, I came here. The Preparatory is the future of magic, Ulos. Do you remember being Awakened? That was Inukar's notion ten years ago, even when virtually all literature said a mage should Awaken through meditation and practice. Turns out that just sounded nice. Akk- Inukar studied it and found that how you Awakened to your talent had no difference whatsoever in your progress, but saved you about a week. That's the Preparatory. Experimentation, documentation, and careful thought over genius and ancient artifacts. The Collegium turns out more powerful mages today, but in a decade? A century? That gap closes every year."

Edward sighed.

"Anyway, Akkos Inukar is probably the best living magical theorist in the world. No doubt there are Liches who can outdo him, but I genuinely don't know of anyone better. If only that old bastard didn't-"

He cut off abruptly.

"My point is, Miranova is probably a genius too."

Later that afternoon, Ulos talked to Madavian.

The tutoring session for Madavian and Abraham went well, or as well as could be expected. Ulos tracked their progress on a small chart he'd written in pencil, and he felt that at least they wouldn't be in the lowest class. That was something.

For Miranova, he had a plan. Whenever he spoke without planning, he said something horrendous. But if he talked about things he knew, he tended to do fairly well. If he knew what he wanted to say and what he wanted to talk about, even he couldn't screw it up. Right?

"Madavian, tell me about Miranova."

Madavian shrugged.

"Don't know her first name. Looks really old, used to be a mercenary. Probably the same woman who was the assassin named Searing Death, but I'm not sure on that one."

"Assassin?!"

Ulos rocked back on his heels, in shock.

"Oh, right. Sometimes I forget where you're from, Ulos. Look, this is Vorstal. Assassin is a perfectly respectable occupation. It's a little like..."

Madavian's voice trailed off.

"You have prostitutes over in the Undying Empire, no?"

Ulos nodded, not quite sure what he was saying.

"Narubar doesn't. Death penalty for anyone frequenting a prostitute. Very frigid people. Not the prostitutes, the Narubites. Then the Narubites come here and find it peculiar. But you have to understand, while Vorstal is the greatest city in the world, it's only a city. If the Six-Fox Pact wanted to take it tomorrow and the King of Bones let them, we'd fight hard, but we'd lose. Vice versa, as well. So as long as a thing doesn't threaten the peace, it's allowed."

Ulos shook his head.

"And assassins don't threaten the peace?"

"There are rules, of course. But no, not in the way you're thinking. Assassins certainly aren't allowed to target the Five Families, or anyone under their protection. Targeting citizens of the city is frowned upon, and usually anyone with enough influence to be worth assassination is under the Five Families. However, the games the Pact and Empire play are easier if we let them kill one another."

Ulos felt like steel had been rammed into his spine, and he jolted upright.

"So an assassin could come kill me?"

"No, no. Just merchants, diplomats, mages, and the like. Not students, though. Strictly forbidden. Assassins really only kill foreigners with influence, and mainly because those foreigners want to kill one another to gain small advantages. If we let them play the game, the assassins are on a leash we can control to a degree. If we don't, they might bring their own assassins, and threaten the Families. See?"

Ulos didn't, but he wasn't sure what to say.

"This is..."

Madavian looked at his face and laughed.

"I know, I know. I seem like an idiot sometimes. I'm not stupid, Ulos, and this is what I've been taught all my life. Just because I don't enjoy dry theory doesn't mean I don't understand politics."

Ulos shook his head.

"I'll take your word for it. So, Miranova?"

"Oh, ask her about stories. Then ask her how it applies to theory. Old folks always like to talk about bygone days."

Ulos's eye twitched, and he shrugged.

"May as well."

- - - -

Later that afternoon he met Miranova in her office, ostensibly to ask about exams.

She seemed even older and more wizened than she had first been when he had met her. Her kindly wrinkled face with large glasses topped with white hair stood at odds with her fearsome reputation, he thought. Better to ask, though - perhaps Madavian was simply joking.

(Roll 82 + 10 Cha +11 Lore: Souls and Spirits = 103 vs 20 DC. 4-step success! Gained Relationship Educator (Good opinion!) Gained Miranova Favor)

He had barely opened his mouth to ask her about her past and she began talking.

Ulos sat there in silence as Miranova talked for almost an hour animatedly, at one point describing a runic array that he barely understood, but just managed to keep up with. As understanding came upon him, he realised she was describing a trap that had almost certainly killed eight people. The woman was bloodthirsty beyond his comprehension!

She chatted, and eventually looked him, kindly.

"Oh dear, young man. I forgot to even talk about exams. Here, let me get you some tea."

She brewed a pot, and poured out a cup.

"Now, even tea can be used effectively as a weapon. The best Alchemical Concoction is Barhath's Brew modified with yellow-backed spider venom, allowing you to make it inert when drunk but when flung against the skin anywhere but the face it kills in mere seconds."

His hands paused and trembled.

Miranova smiled and took a big gulp of her tea, and Ulos noticed she was very careful not to spill any.

No. She wouldn't have.

He drunk his tea unsteadily.

Miranova sighed.

"No guts, these days. Do you know why I tell you these stories, Ulos?"

He shook his head.

"Because being a mage is dangerous. Too many mages think their scant hundred or so years of life they might get justifies excessive safety. It doesn't. Especially for someone with your lack of talent - if you don't push ahead through whatever means you can find, you'll fall behind and become nothing. If you're not willing to kill, you're just willing to die. You won't understand that yet, but the time will come when you'll need to."

Her lips quirked.

"The exam will be written. Any idiot can pass it, there's no point failing anyone but the worst idiots on theory. Theory is important, but dealing with Spirits isn't dealing with Alchemy, Runes, or Sigils. Theory matters less. You don't have much talent for Spirits at all, Ulos. I'll be frank. Give up on them, and focus your energies elsewhere."

Ulos spoke.

"I.. I can't give up on Souls. Spirits, maybe. But not Souls."

She looked at him, suddenly intent.

"Interesting..."

Her voice trailed off for a moment.

"Let me give you a tip, then. Manipulating the soul with runes and sigils is possible, but Alchemy has the best record in terms of potency. That being said, there are several things you might be able to do..."

You have got 1 Favour from Miranova. Unlike Inukar, who sees you as a promising seedling to be nurtured, Miranova primarily acts in terms of Favours - if you entertain her, interest her, or give her something valuable, she may be willing to assist you. She's not a ledger, though - eventually Favours dissipate if they're not used. You can spend the Favour here, or use it to upgrade various Actions (upgrade in the sense Willpower upgrades - a temporary boost to a single Action).

[ ] Drink Ghost Lotus Tea - Unlocked due to Trait: Forging Onwards. Yes, it's really a lotus that's haunted by a Spirit. Taking leaves is incredibly risky, as the Spirit in question wants to grow the plant and prevent its harm, meaning seizing a single leaf can easily kill even an accomplished Mage. Apparently taking petals from the flowers is ten times more dangerous. It's also incredibly poisonous, though Miranova assures Ulos that he won't die. Her emphasis on the word die worries him, and he suspects she might be doing it just to find out what happens. The tea itself contains attributes of understanding and souls, so it's likely to boost your ability to view your own soul and magic considerably. Gain ???, suffer ???. Risky, requires a roll. Critical success will be massively magnified, but so will critical failures.

[ ] Dodge! Dodge! Dodge! - Miranova will train you to avoid magical attacks. Gain 5 (!) Training Rolls for Combat Skill: Retreat. This would put him ahead considerably in Magical Practice, as they are about to begin learning this skill. Ulos can't help but feel Miranova is doing it to entertain herself shooting at a student, though., as it's really unclear why that might help his ability in Souls.

[ ] Soul Detection - Miranova will teach Ulos how to detect the souls of others directly - as a Skill, not a Spell. He'll need to become much better at using his soul awareness before it's of any use, though. Arcane Meditation will evolve into Arcane Awareness at Level 15, allowing Ulos to detect living creatures automatically and passively.

[ ] Save It For Later - Ulos would rather wait, and see what else he can use this Favour on.

He had to answer, that much was certain but how was he going to keep in the dark without looking like an utter idiot? Wouldn't it be better if he told him what happened and received the backing of his House? He stood up in frustration and left his letter on the desk, he'd finish penning it to his Father later. He stretched his back and shoulders and looked around the room, even with the Imperial spy gone it felt a little cramped. Perhaps he should have taken one of the Tower Rooms after all, the whole ordeal might even have been avoided. He frowned as he faced the now secure cupboard, this kind of weak thoughts was unbecoming of a future Senator. Sure, the Towers would have made him closer to the teachers and given him more space to work but beyond his studies he had to make his fellow Narubites understand he was an upcoming Senator, worthy of his station. This meant he had to show both himself approcheable and virtuous, and sleeping among his lessers and punishing the Imperial scum would do just that.

Getting this Abraham expelled would have been a boon for his reputation, hell it would even have been good for Vorstal to be rid of a likely spy and a brainless mage. It was obvious the few Imperial students were moles, the Flits were traitors and cowards all, too happy to serve the abominations they called masters. A shame the Vorstallen didn't see it that way, but they had yet to learn that neutrality in the face of evil was the same as enabling it. He took his brand-new tools and headed out, his Alchemy had started to lag behind after the humiliation he had been through, he would have to practice after class. As he climbed down the stairs, his fury rose at the thought, how dare they hit him and threaten him? Vengeance, no, justice was coming and the Flits would pay. Junotrin was sadly out of hos reach for the moment but his Aufstadt plaything wasn't so protected and that'd teach the Scion that a true Narubite wouldn't be so cowed by veiled threats.

That brought him back to the unfinished letter, the previous one had been necessary to get the funds to reclaim what the little thief had stolen from him but it had also made Father curious as to why he needed so many coins so soon after entering the Preparatory. And that was the pickle: would he dare admit he had been cornered, beaten, extorted and threatened by an Imperial, a Flit with the magical abilities of a rat or would he pretend to have laid his morals to the wayside and fallen prey to the city's many temptations? Did he wish to look weak, dissolute or simply foolish?

His anger surged once more as he entered class, Flitter was absent as usual. Rumor had it he was getting tutored by an older student which sadly gave credit to Junotrin's claim that had backing. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed to him: the boy lacked morals, was known to call hateful Necromancy 'Higher Magics', had paid upfront without a scholarship, and he was far more daring than his condition allowed him to be. If he only showed some spine because an undead monstrosity had seen fit to put it there then it all started to fit. Had he sold his soul or merely his family? Coming to the Preparatory made sense, the Collegium most likely held few secrets for the King of Bones' ilk but here new magics were discovered and developed, Flitter's vile master certainly wanted them for itself. He straightened up in his seat as Inukar made his approach, letting go of the ridiculous train of thought. He'd go back to it latter, Flitter might be worth investigating further but today was test day and he had to ensure his future placement. As the test shets were handed out, he gave the misguided Scion and his ex roomate a look, sadly they were clearly on their guard, before turning to their female friend who wasn't so protected. She took pride in her grades, but he didn't believe she had reason to. After all, cheaters never prospered and Inukar wasn't one to let well-connected students get free passes, Thomas knew it from experience. He hid his smirk and started filling the test.