The borrowed chestnut mare carries Max beneath the academy’s warded arch. Robed students stream around them, their spellbooks tucked beneath their arms, while blue sigils shimmer across the pale stone.
A young adult man with a lean build steps from the archway’s shadow. His narrow face, swept-back black hair, and charcoal instructor’s coat are marked by silver casting rings and dark ink staining both gloves.
Elian Voss
Hold there. I am Magister Elian Voss. That grimoire is floating without a visible conductor, and the ward noticed it before I did.
The students slow beneath the arch, glancing between Max and the circling book. Its orange glow reflects in the ward-lines, which tighten into a watchful lattice overhead.
Elian Voss
Before you seek a mentor, demonstrate control. Shape the fire into one small construct, hold it steady, and release it without scorching stone or saddle.
Elian Voss
Raw force alone will not satisfy this academy, no matter how impressive the impact. Precision is the first door to instruction.
The magister raises his ink-stained hand, and a small circle of blue light opens beside the arch as a testing mark. The mare shifts beneath Max, while the students fall quiet to watch.
✓ Quest Accepted
Demonstrate control of the fire
Director's note
I dismount my horse.
Director's note
I said aloud. i took a deep breath as a small flame forms in my palm. the fire shapes into a kitchen fork.
“Do people come here often looking for mentors? Why is that the first question everyone asks me?”
FAILURE (Mediocre Reasoning, rolled -3)
max "maxinus" rodriuez
Do people come here often looking for mentors? Why is that the first question everyone asks me?
Max dismounts from the chestnut mare and settles her reins. Around the arch, the robed academy students remain silent, watching the question land between him and the testing mark.
He draws a steady breath. A small flame forms in his palm and folds inward, shaping itself into a delicate kitchen fork while the blue ward-lines tighten overhead.
Elian Voss
Often enough that we learned not to begin with promises. Your second question is less simple, and your answer has already arrived before your explanation.
The fork holds its shape without licking the stone or saddle, but its tines waver. The testing mark catches the instability and stamps a pale circle across the ground.
Elian Voss
You are asking for a mentor while displaying a spell you cannot yet keep perfectly still. Report to the academy registrar; no instructor will claim you until your control is recorded.
Director's note
I dismount my horse.
Director's note
I said aloud. i took a deep breath as a small flame forms in my palm. the fire shapes into a kitchen fork.
“Do people come here often looking for mentors? Why is that the first question everyone asks me?”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Reasoning, rolled +1)
Elian Voss
Every week, sometimes every day. Most arrive after a failed duel, a family dispute, or a spell that frightened them. They want a teacher before they understand what they lack.
The kitchen fork trembles in Max’s palm, its tiny flame reflecting in Elian’s silver casting rings. The nearest students exchange glances but remain respectfully quiet.
Elian Voss
That is why it is the first question. We need to know whether you seek instruction, rescue, recognition, or merely a stronger weapon. Your answer tells us where to begin.
The testing mark records the fork’s shape in pale blue script, including the wavering tines. The note is practical rather than condemning, but it will follow Max into the registrar’s ledger.
Elian Voss
You will wait there while they record your control. Expect an hour before anyone reviews your request. That delay is the cost of arriving without a sponsor.
The blue circle opens into a narrow path beneath the arch, pointing toward a domed registrar’s hall. The fork’s flame remains intact as the academy’s wards release their scrutiny.