The pair stopped for a snack at the mess hall before making their way to the archive. When they reached the building, Gregory slowed his pace. The archive took up a huge chunk of land and stood almost as tall as the sixty-foot wall.
“How many books and scrolls are inside?” Gregory whispered as he stared at the building.
“They say it’s the biggest collection of works in the entire empire, even grander than the emperor’s archive in the capital.”
“So much knowledge,” Gregory said in awe.
They could not help coming to a stop and staring around in awe when they went into the building. The interior was done in white marble that had streaks of black and red scattered through the stone. The wooden tables, shelves, and desks were all a uniform white, bordering on the unnatural. Lanterns illuminated the interior brighter than the sun outside.
“Might I help you?” a pleasant, if deep, voice asked from just off to their right.
“Umm, yes,” Gregory said, turning to face the massive scaled eurtik resting behind a desk. “I’m interested in the current rules and laws for challenges.”
“And I would like to see a book on the best paths for those who have shadow magic,” Yukiko added.
“Shadow magic, hmm? It’s been quite some time since we’ve had a novice with that magic. Follow me, please,” the eurtik stepped away from the desk, his scaled tail dragging along the ground behind him.
Careful not to step on the archivist’s tail as he led them past the first set of tables and desks, the pair looked around in wonder as they passed rows and rows of shelves filled with books and scrolls. When he went by one shelf, the eurtik picked up a large tome, but kept going with barely a decrease in his speed. Reaching the far wall, he bade them wait as he slipped into an aisle between the shelves and pulled out a much thinner book.
Coming back to where they were waiting, he took them over to a table and placed the books on it. “When you finish, leave the books. One of the archivists will put them back,” he told them. “If you would like any other books, just find someone in a black kimono, or come see me at the front.”
“Thank you, sir,” Gregory said.
Bowing his head, the archivist gave them a toothy smile before heading back to the front. As he watched him go, Gregory wondered what animal he came from.
“I wouldn’t have expected a crocodilian eurtik as an archivist,” Yukiko murmured. “Maybe he also makes sure no one removes a book from the archive without permission?”
“Maybe,” Gregory said, wondering what a crocodilian was, but set aside the thought to look at the thick book on the table. Opening it, he saw that it was a history of challenges, as well as the rules throughout the years.
“Challenges can be non-combative,” he murmured in surprise, skimming through a few pages while he flipped to the back to find the current rules.
“What kind of challenges are those?” Yukiko asked, looking up from her own book.
“Go, chess, any number of tactical games… though there is a part about treasure hunts to solve disagreements, too.”
“How would that even work?”
“The adjudicator sets up the hunt,” Gregory said. “It was suggested that for such a challenge, the archivists at the academy archive be used.”
“They are supposed to be neutral, and they would surely create an interesting hunt.”
“What about your book?”
“It’s very contradictory,” Yukiko sighed. “One part of it says that body is the best path, because it will help with the majority of the physical demands that accompany shadow magic. The next part says that mind would be the best path, as it’ll help me gather information more easily and quickly. The only mention of spirit is that it’s only good for the least of shadow magic.”
“Huh,” Gregory grunted. “Not a lot of help, then.”
“It does give me something to consider, although speaking to a user of shadow magic would probably be better.”
“What would you ask them?” a soft, but firm voice asked from nearby.
Startled, as neither novice had noticed the presence of the black panther eurtik, their heads snapped in her direction. “Archivist,” Gregory exhaled deeply, with his heart hammering in his chest, “you gave us a scare.”
“My apologies, but thank you for not screaming.” Moving toward them on soundless feet, the woman took a seat at their table. “What is it you are looking to find out from one who uses shadow magic, Novice?”
Yukiko slid the book to the woman in the black kimono. “This book seems to contradict itself. I would like to know which path different shadow magi have taken and what each offered that the others didn’t.”
“Would that not prejudice your own choice?” the archivist asked. “Should you not be looking for your own path?”
Yukiko frowned, looking down at the table. “Yes, but—”
“You don’t wish to disappoint your family, friends, or clan,” the archivist cut in.
“Yes.”
“Then the answer you seek is simple,” the archivist smiled. “Follow your instincts; your aether is likely trying to help you. If that doesn’t work, then use the process of elimination. Body will help you with combat, so if you are lacking in that, it will also help you mitigate your weakness. Mind will help you learn and grow more than you could otherwise, and you’ll find ways around fighting that way. Spirit can help you in other ways.”
“What ways?” Gregory asked.
Raising an eyebrow at Gregory, the archivist shrugged. “That all depends on what she wants. The path of spirit is one of knowing yourself and building on that basis. I can offer you some scrolls that will outline what each path does in basic terms, if you’d like.”
“Please,” Yukiko said without hesitation.
“Very well.” Rising to her feet with a grace Gregory had never seen, the archivist inclined her head a fraction of an inch to them. “I hope your time inside these halls is enlightening.”
When the panther eurtik left the table, Gregory shook his head. “Did you feel that?”
“The small vibration? Yes. Maybe it was a purr?”
“Maybe.”
“Did you learn anything about challenges?” Yukiko asked.
Gregory gave her a quick review of the things he thought were important. He was finishing when a timid-looking woman in an archivist kimono came to their table.
“The scrolls you asked for,” the woman said, her buck teeth reminding Gregory of a mouse.
“What happened to the other archivist?” Gregory asked.
“She had other matters to attend to, and requested that I bring these to you.”
“Thank you,” Yukiko smiled.
“We are done with these two,” Gregory said, closing the book he had. “Do we—?”
“I will take them,” the woman squeaked. Picking them up carefully, she bowed her head to them before hurrying away.
“That was different,” Gregory shook his head.
“I think she comes from mouse eurtik,” Yukiko said. “It is very slight, like my own.”
“That makes sense,” Gregory agreed as he picked up one of the scrolls. “Let’s go over these and see what they say.”
~*~*~
It took them a few hours to read through the three scrolls. Each one extolled the virtues of the path it was dedicated to and outlined the basic steps to start down that path. The body path started with a few exercises that would help limber the body and get aether moving throughout the body more easily. The mind path began by doing simple math problems to get one used to processing information quickly, which was supposed to help them increase their aether. The spirit path scroll was a copy of the one Gregory had received from the scrivener; it instructed the magi to meditate. That was supposed to compress the aether, so they could use less to do the same job.
“In addition to what the paths do for aether, they also have physical benefits. Mind will let you track multiple things at once, helping you find a response sooner. Body hones the body to always be ready to attack or defend, making them instinctual. The odd one is spirit… it just lets you know yourself better, allowing you to ignore distractions so you can focus on whatever you need to. None of that will help me unless I know what my magic is, though.”
“I still don’t know which path I should take, either,” Yukiko admitted. “Body would help make up for my slight frame in combat, but mind would let me keep track of goods and prices more easily. Spirit does sound strange, but something tells me I should follow it.”
Gregory’s vision wavered, and three copies of Yukiko stood behind her. The left was the most physically fit, but was covered in blood. She had a dead expression on her face, looking like she had given up on life. The middle image had a cruel smile and had a number of small puppets dancing at the end of strings tied to her fingers, making her seem like the spider in the middle of a web. The last vision was the same; Yukiko sitting across from him, except a happy smile touched her lips while shadows swirled around her feet like happy puppies. He knew with certainty that the visions represented what would happen if she followed the body, mind, or spirit paths respectively. He blinked repeatedly and the visions vanished, leaving him staring at Yukiko, who was looking at him with concern.
“Greg? Are you okay?”
“Sorry, yeah, I… uh… was just thinking. The archivist was saying that the spirit path would let you know yourself. Your gut is nudging you that way, and the scroll did say that the chance to grow was endless, unlike the other paths. It’s just much slower.”
Yukiko looked pensive for a long moment before she sighed. “You may be right, but I’ll wait for classes to start. If we end up using the same path, we can train together.”
“True,” Gregory smiled. His stomach growled loudly. “Err, sorry.”
“What time is it, do you think?” Yukiko asked as she stood and stretched.
“It is near the eighteenth bell,” an archivist said as they went past the table.
“Dinner?” Gregory asked.
“I didn’t think we had been here that long,” Yukiko said. “Yes, dinner sounds good.”
Leaving the scrolls on the table, the two novices started toward the exit. “Novice, wait!” a commanding voice called out loudly as they were nearing the doors.
Stopping, Gregory looked behind him with alarm, to see Master Damon hurrying his way. “Master Damon,” the large scaled eurtik by the door said unhappily, “this is a place of quiet reflection. Yelling is prohibited as you well know, sir.”
“Rafiq, I do know, but I had to stop him from leaving,” Damon sniffed as he finally got close enough for polite conversation. “I need to know your lineage, Novice.”
“My father is Carmichael Pettit, my mother was Marian Pettit,” Gregory replied. “I lived in Alturis.”
“What was your mother’s maiden name?” Damon asked.
“I don’t know, Master. It was never mentioned to me.”
Damon grimaced, “Very well.”
“Have you had any luck with finding out about the ryuite, Master?”
Damon’s grimace deepened, “No. That’s why I want your heritage. I’m hoping something there will help me, because magic talents are sometimes passed down through the mother’s line. I’ll need to send a message to Alturis to find out your mother’s maiden name. That will be all, Novice,” Damon dismissed them and went toward the stairs on the left side of the front room.
Rafiq watched him go, a soft chuckle escaping his scaled snout. “Haven’t seen him that worked up in years. Sarinia will chew him out for yelling, but she’ll be happy that he found something to occupy himself with.”
Yukiko’s stomach gurgled, and she blushed, “Dinner?” she reminded Gregory.
“Yeah, dinner,” Gregory replied, a little distracted as they left the building.
~*~*~
The mess hall was busy when they got there. Seating was scarce, and the line in front of the eurtiks was moving slowly. Gregory looked at how busy it was and shook his head; there were more people in the mess hall than there were in his entire village.
“This seems to be the busy period,” Yukiko said softly.
“It’s moving steadily, though,” Gregory added. “No one is lingering over their food except for the novices, but I think that’s expected from the look of things.”
“I see you’re thinking the same thing we were,” Nick said from behind Gregory. “Food would be a wonderful thing.”
“Hey,” Gregory said, turning around to give Nick and the handful of other novices a smile. “How have you been?”
“Bored,” Nick laughed. “With days to go until classes start, there isn’t much to do. We’re going to get some sparring in after dinner. Want to come?”
“I’m not exactly skilled,” Gregory hedged.
“No worries. Fureno back there is a complete loss.”
“Fuck you, Nick,” the boy named Fureno replied. “Not all of us had family that can do what yours can.”
“Fair,” Nick chuckled. “We can scale back and go over the basics. That’ll give you a chance to not be completely lost when classes start.”
“Is it okay if I come, as well?” Yukiko asked.
“Never say no to a pretty woman,” Nick smiled widely, before his smile lost a touch of its luster. “I mean, sure.”
“Finding a place for all of us to eat together might be a problem,” Michelle sighed. “Maybe we should just meet at the training hall after dinner.”
Nick looked over the room before nodding, “Yeah. Good call. If you can’t sit with us, then just meet us there. Everyone got it?”
The five with him agreed. Gregory did too, but asked to make sure he knew the right building. “That was near the arenas, right?”
“Yes, right by them,” Michelle replied.
“Sounds good,” Gregory smiled. “I know where to go.”
The line had kept moving, allowing them to pick up their trays and get ready to order. Gregory copied Yukiko, ending up with noodles in a brown sauce, pieces of beef sliced thin, a selection of vegetables with a butter herb sauce, and some tea. They were able to find a place to sit side by side. Gregory frowned at the two sticks that Yukiko had taken for cutlery instead of a fork.
Scooping the beef into the noodles, Gregory wondered why Yukiko did it, but he also realized she was likely to have had similar food in the past. He was surprised at how deftly she wrapped some of the noodles and picked them up with her sticks before they vanished into her mouth. Shaking his head, he took a bite of his own food. The sauce was creamy, but with a solid beef flavor. The noodles tasted like they were made from mushrooms. The small sliver of beef he ate made his aether flare before settling down, tempered by the sauce and noodles.
“I’ve never had anything like this,” Gregory mumbled.
“It’s stroganoff. It’s popular in the east,” Yukiko told him between bites of her own food. “Try the vegetables; they are good.”
Gregory took a small bite of the vegetables, and was unable to identify the herbs. The vegetables were perfectly cooked, though, still firm with just a hint of softening. He thought that the way his aether reacted to them was unusual. The normal steady flame gave off tiny flares with each bite of the vegetables, which died down as he swallowed each mouthful. Enjoying the meal and not wanting to cause his aether to have problems, Gregory ate at a slow and measured pace, with Yukiko matching him bite for bite.
~*~*~
“Okay, now that we’re all here,” Nick grinned, “we can start. Gregory, Fureno, move over to the left for me. I’ll get you two started on the basics. The rest of you, go ahead and pick out a partner and start on the drills.”
Gregory watched Yukiko square off with Michelle before Nick stepped in front of him. “Okay, Gregory, have you had any training?”
“No.”
“Then you and Fureno are evenly matched, since he only got here a week ago. He’s about done with the first part, but he can still use some polish on breakfalls. Okay, so to start with, we’re going to show you the right way to fall backward.”
The two hours were physically taxing in ways that Gregory had never experienced. When they finally stopped, everyone was breathing hard and sweating. Groaning as he stood up, Gregory winced as his muscles protested.
“Good job, everyone,” Nick said. “Baths are that way,” he added to Gregory.
Gregory’s eyes went to Michelle, Gina, and Yukiko, who were talking, and he looked back at Nick with wide eyes. “Baths?”
Nick smirked and waggled an eyebrow at him, “Yeah, we wish. It’s segregated bathing. Come on.”
The baths were radically different than any Gregory had seen before. Most of the room was dominated by a large steaming pool. In another part of the room, there was a long stone bench. A stack of buckets waited at the end of it. Next to those was a hand pump.
Unsure of what to do, he did what he had been doing: copying everyone around him. Stripping down, he set his clothes in an empty basket near the door. He pumped a bucket of lightly steaming water and found a spot on the bench that had soap on the shelf across from it. Using a wooden ladle, he poured water over himself before scrubbing up. As he rinsed the water off with the rest of the bucket, he was surprised that the others kept glancing at a wall.
“You’re so pale,” Michelle’s voice drifted faintly to Gregory’s ears. “Your hair is what I’m jealous over, though. That color—”
“The women?” Gregory asked Fureno.
“Shh,” Fureno whispered, elbowing him. “They don’t know we can overhear them.”
Nick shook his head as he headed for the pool. “It’s a small guilty pleasure,” he told Gregory as he went past. “Come on, scrawny. The pool will feel great for your muscles.” He paused and stared at Gregory’s left arm. “What happened to you?”
“I was attacked,” Gregory said, not wanting to expand on it.
“Sorry,” Nick said, feeling like he had touched a nerve. “Come on, the pool is amazing.”
The others grumbled when the conversation on the other side got softer and they could not hear it anymore. They followed Nick, with Gregory trailing all of them. The water was on the edge of being too hot, but as he sank into it up to his neck the warmth soaked into his tired muscles.
“Aether, that’s wonderful,” Gregory sighed. “Isn’t this place too big for just us?” he asked after a moment.
“This is where we can train outside of class,” Nick replied. “Everyone can use it, though some of the equipment is for more advanced tiers.”
“I don’t know if I could go back to a hip bath after this,” Jason chuckled from off to the side. “Then again, we’ll be magi, so we won’t have to.”
“Unless you end up a proctor on the fringe,” Fureno said. “No offense, but the lack of comforts out there…” Trailing off, he shook his head.
“None taken,” Gregory said.
“Aren’t the people doing proctor duty on the fringe posted to those positions because they fucked up majorly?” Jason asked.
“Most of them,” Fureno replied. “One of them asked for the post and has been doing it for years.”
“Bishop,” Gregory said. “She’s been at the village every year since I was a kid.”
“Yeah, that’s her,” Fureno nodded. “Rumor is she’s a nut, that she enjoys being out there by herself.”
Gregory frowned. Bishop had always been kind and respectful to everyone in all the years she had come to the village. “She’s not a nut. She’s always been respectful to us,” Gregory said with a bit of bite to his tone.
“Easy, easy, Gregory,” Nick laughed. “Fureno didn’t mean it like that, did you, Fureno?”
Fureno shrugged, “Wrong word, sorry. I meant she’s driven.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have snapped. Sorry,” Gregory said, though he meant it as much as Fureno did.
“See? We can all be friends,” Nick laughed. “Now let’s just relax and let the water soak in.”
Gregory did as suggested. He closed his eyes and let the warmth of the pool seep into his aching muscles. Feeling his aether, he found it simmering at its usual intensity, no longer burning brightly like it had been two hours ago.
~*~*~
“You need to get out or you’re going to become a prune,” Nick laughed, snapping Gregory from his relaxed state of mind.
“Uh, yeah, sure,” Gregory said, getting out of the pool. Catching the towel tossed to him, he dried off and got back into his uniform. “Umm, the uniforms… where do we wash them?”
“You don’t,” Nick replied as he finished getting dressed. “There is a white bag inside your closet. Put the uniform inside and set it outside your door. The staff takes them after sixth bell and returns them after midday. They’ll put the clean bag inside your door.”
“Does that include other clothing?” Greg asked.
“Yeah, anything you leave for them gets cleaned and returned.”
“That will make things easier. I was going to ask for a larger basin tonight.”
“Now I’m sorry I told you,” Nick laughed.
Gregory was about to reply when the women came out of their bathing room. Yukiko was combing her hair out when she saw him, and gave Gregory a smile.
“I’ve been asked to join them again tomorrow,” Yukiko told him, putting her comb away in her pouch.
“You, too,” Nick chuckled, nudging Gregory. “You’re invited back to train with us, too.”
“Learning how to fall,” Gregory rolled his eyes. “Great.”
“Just tomorrow. After that, we’ll teach you something different,” Nick said with a grin.
“I don’t trust that smile,” Gregory muttered.
“He’s smart enough to know when you’re playing at something,” Michelle said as she walked past them. Looking back, she gave Yukiko a smile, “See you tomorrow.”
“Yes, I’m looking forward to it. Thank you.”
“Anyway, see you tomorrow,” Nick said quickly, following Michelle.
Gregory and Yukiko stayed where they were as the others left. “They seem like nice people,” Yukiko said.
“Yeah,” Gregory said, not so sure he agreed with her. “No one gave you any problems?”
“No, it was refreshing,” Yukiko smiled. “I’m far from the worst in the group. Nick and Jason might be the only ones more skilled than me. That is Gin’s fault… he always wanted me to be able to defend myself. I’m glad Father didn’t stop him after he found out.”
“While I’m learning to fall,” Gregory sighed. “Let’s head on back, shall we?”
“Learning to fall will help when you do fight. It’ll help you get injured less.”
“I know, Nick said the same thing. Makes me think the first year is going to be even harder than I thought.”
“We will learn together,” Yukiko smiled. “Friends make things easier.”
Thinking of Gunnar and the twins, Gregory had a sad smile on his face. “Yeah… yeah they do.”
