Coming to a decision was significantly harder than you expected, as you knew that most of the coming time would be taken up with mandatory training, and other things you had no options regarding. Everything you thought of seemed appropriate, and almost you decided to go several different ways.
Your first thought was simply to increase your skill at Severing Distance in order to make you hard to hit and harder to kill. You meditated on that for a little while, before realising that had Grand Axe not been there you would have died regardless. You needed some way to kill your enemies, not merely inconvenience them.
You considered studying the Darklings in-depth, trying to understand where their weaknesses lay and what methods you could use to dispose of them, but decided against it as well. After all knowing your enemies weaknesses was a good thing, but you had so few strengths to use against them. Better find some way to destroy them before understanding how it could best be used.
Your thoughts had flashed back to the moment when the Spinewolf had almost killed you, jaws slavering above you as you thrust your sword desperately upwards. If your blade had been a little sharper, you could have pulled it out quickly, killing your enemies with sudden swift strikes. That then, was the way forward.
You returned to your training, although this time Jagged Edge greets you at the training hall.
"Dancing Dagger has been required elsewhere. You will once again be training under me."
He smiles.
"And this time, I will not be so lenient. Grand Axe has told me all about your… escapade."
With that, you begin training. You would have thought it would have been a more difficult time, but Jagged Edge treats you no more harshly than he had before. There are long, arduous days but when you tell him of your desire to learn Infinite Sharpness, he merely nods letting you know that he thinks it is good you are considering a future. After a few days of training, you come into the hall the morning ready to train.
Jagged Edge is standing there, along with two people - a man and a girl. He gestures towards you.
"Come in, Swallow and sit down. Leave your swords with me."
You do as he says, sitting down ten or so paces away from him, leaving your swords by his side.
He raises his halberd above his head, leaping forward towards you and cuts above and around you. You feel woozy, and weak. Suddenly you could not stand if you wanted to, you can
merely watch and barely that.
"This is an object lesson, Swallow. You disregarded orders, endangered yourself, endangered your assigned partner, and ultimately endangered the city itself. I am making it clear to you why this is unacceptable, firstly through argument, and secondly by example."
He gestures at the man.
"This is Fulbad. He is a merchant. You may remember him from when you saved his life."
Jagged Edge looks you quizzically.
"You may not, I understand your blood was running hot that day. In any case, Fulbad was saved because you disregarded orders. Reasonably speaking, he should be dead right now. I have brought you here to see the consequences of your actions. Dagger and Axe considered this to be excessive, by the by. In normal times I would agree. These are dire times, though, and we cannot afford foolishness such as yours if we are to survive."
He gestures at the girl. She is pretty enough, you suppose with a shock of red hair falling down around her shoulders. Her face is a little dirty, and her eyes are wide and full of fear.
"This is Shaina. She is seventeen, a little older than you. The difference between the two of you is that she went to the Lighthouse. She, however, was unlucky. Take off your shoes
Shaina."
The girl takes off one of her shoes, showing a wooden peg leg stuck within it.
"She was maimed, and is consequently little use to the city. Do you know why she is here?"
Jagged Edge closes his eyes and his forehead creases.
"It is frustrating to have to do this personally. But I must impress upon you the depths of our resolve - if we do less than this, we die and the city dies with us. This is not a decision made
to inflict pain upon you, it is merely this: Fulbad is valuable and should live. Nonetheless, your actions demand redress, and you should see the consequences of what you do. So..."
Shaina looks at him, eyes widening even further with terror.
Jagged Edge raises his halberd again and slashes at the air. The clean strikes you had seen done to the Spinewolves are nothing like that now, as Shaina's head is carved in half like a melon, the top half of the skull falling to the ground, one eye still wide open and staring starkly up at you.
"When you act without thought, when you act in ways likely to endanger your fellow mages in the city, or the city itself, you must fully see the likely consequences of your action. Many die merely for the possibility of magic, and you throw it away so lightly? Others sacrifice, that you might live, and you risk that for some self-satisfaction? Do as you will, but do not think there are no consequences."
He walks over to you and swing the halberd above you once more. You feel your limbs strengthening, and you are able to move once more.
"Do you understand, Swallow? Or is more instruction required?"
Shaina's corpse stares up at you, blood and brain strewn across the floor. You feel the need to vomit, but steel yourself and manage to speak.
"...Yes."
[ ] You Lied, Stubbornly
[ ] You Whispered, Hopelessly
[ ] You Murmured, Fearfully
[ ] You Spat, Full of Fury
"There is one more thing. In addition to this Swallow, you will be required to undertake some… Community service. This will be part of your training, and will present no danger to you. However, it will require you to take actions that you would otherwise consider distasteful. Let me know which one you prefer."
[ ] Driving Out The Failures
Those who have failed to attain powers and become crippled must periodically be driven from Madalgia. There is no room for them here without attracting the Darklings, and simply killing them in the streets incites too much unrest. Better they sate the appetites of the Darklings before they can reach the City itself.
[ ] Executing the Rebels
Sometimes the Shield Ring gets restless. Occasionally children throw rocks at mages, adults attempt to attack guards, gangs try to steal from carts. These are considered acts of treason in Madalgia, and it is considered useful to set examples to set the remainder back in line.
[ ] Burning Out the Settlements
If those who leave happen to settle too close to the city, they are relocated - assuming they refuse to do so willingly. Typically this takes the form of a punitive expedition with mages, soldiers, and fire. Few enough are killed, but being driven from a fortified village into the wilds is usually a death sentence in and of itself.
[ ] Leave
You can leave the city. Of course, you'll receive no more training and you'll be blacklisted by Madalgia in addition to that, making returning a near impossibility. A risky choice that only the most stubborn would go through with.
