First Class
The next day the classes started. A room on the upper floor became the classroom, it was wide enough that it was able to comfortably facilitate all fifty of us. Benches that could accommodate five students each, were arrayed in three columns all facing a podium in front.
I seated with Jason and Athicles, and two others, on one of the benches in the back row. Irritatingly, everyone in the room was like giddy little girls, giggling and rumbling about how excited they are.
The entrance of a maroon-cloak mage quieted everyone. much to my comfort. He wasn't as old as the archmages, but his long hair that reached his shoulders was already gray. His beard was short unlike the others and he looked somewhat kind. The kind of face you would see on people who'd rather cry than retaliate when bullied.
"Good morning, apprentices" he started, leaning on the podium "I am Sir Polymer, your teacher on the history of Magery."
"I know that this is a boring topic and you'd rather cast your first spells already. But you can only appreciate the art of Magery, once you know how it all began."
History eh, stories about dead people, how is that supposed to be exciting? People are born, and live 60 years just to suffer and then die, the end. That's the story of everyone, and how can it be interesting when everyone already knows how it begins, how it will go, and how it will end.
But I did not voice out my thoughts and having not heard my wisdom, the mage proceeded. He cleared his throat and then his class began.
"In the beginning, the world of Berdiggog was rife with beasts and monsters. Mankind was yet to rise to the apex and cowered in fear behind caves and caverns. Without the wisdom of the elves or the strength of the dwarves, men became prey to every slightly stronger beast.
Because of this, their numbers slowly dwindled. There was little food within their hiding places and venturing out was almost always suicidal. Mankind was once on a brink of extinction due to starvation.
The gods not wanting their creation to perish intervened. Hathor, the king of the heavens, himself descended. He bestowed upon men the ability to extract magic from crystals, and the chants to unleash them.
But the gift was not without challenge, for the crystal can only be obtained from the beast and the demons themselves. Many men were slain in the first attempt but emboldened by the appearance of the God-King, more men poured out of the caves.
Soon the first beasts were slain and the first of the warriors obtained the first of the crystals. From then on, mankind would slay more ferocious beasts with weaker crystals to obtain even stronger ones. They reclaimed territory, built homes and fortresses, multiplied, and prospered.
Silverquill would be built by their descendants, a thousand years later."
"And all of you here are sons of Silverquill, the only individuals who could harness magic in the entirety of Berdiggog " he said pointing at the crowd of amazed naive fools "And you should be proud with that."
I did not know if it was just me, but I could've sworn his scanning eyes briefly stopped at me, as if he knew I didn't believe his crap. Weak magic is nothing to be proud of and I am convinced, they know it as well. They delude themselves by deluding others. And who are the easiest to deceive? Young men like me who are yet to know much of the world.
His monologue was applauded loudly, and it was obvious he was enjoying it. He spoke again after the clapping.
"That was simply the summary, we shall tackle every period of our history in great detail." he wetted his fingers and started flipping his thick book. "And today we are going to discuss the prehistoric period of our world."
The summary was boring but what followed was even more so. He started discussing, no, reading, he started reading word for word from the book. He would sometimes add his thoughts but for most of the lecture, it was just him reading and us listening in our seats. Why not just give us books and let us read them ourselves?
The monotonous proceeding lasted for about an hour. Even Jason who professed to be the most passionate of the magic enthusiasts had difficulty keeping awake. I spent the time counting how many times he would say "it says here."
"It says here they ate mushrooms and edible moss present in caves. It also says here that most of them did not have clothing, and having no access... It also..says here that babies are sometimes eaten by the most desperate..."
Some of the lads started conversing, and the mage was not shameless enough to rebuke them.
"Why are you talking while I read? Don't you want to listen to this extremely boring topic?" Nah, he wouldn't say that. And it hurt to watch him pretend people are listening.
He would finally finish and get out of the room, a lesser figure than when he had entered. With no one to blame but him and his crappy teaching technique.
"Well, that was informational," Jason commented, drool was still on the side of his mouth. I watched him sleep after the first ten minutes of the lecture.
"I wonder who's next?" he asked, reminding me that the class hours were simply starting.
The second maroon-cloak mage entered and with him servants carrying boxes. Some of the boxes had staves protruding out of them, other boxes had more hidden content. The sight of the equipment sparked excitement in the room but from me only mild interest.
"Quiet down, sit down." the mage motioned everyone to their seats. He was the youngest mage I have seen in a red cloak, maybe in his thirties. He was also the first one with a burly physique, and he looked like a warrior more than a mage.
"Greetings to every one of you. I am Sir Julius, I have been tasked to teach you the basics of Magery." he had with him a deep voice and a charismatic vibe. He was the first dude I have a good impression of.
"Before anything else, I would introduce myself fully. I am Julius, son of Flavius the king's minister. And I am what you would call a Thesian mage."
Nobody gave a damn about Thesian crap, what we were all astounded by was how a high-ranking person he was. Most of the sons of high-ranking nobles had been sent to other countries. He was either a fool or the academy have an appeal we were yet to see.
"Now I know you are wondering what Thesian means." he continued, probably misunderstanding our awe as interest in his lesson. "The Academy of Magery ranks mages according to the first four kings of Silverquill"
"Philippian Mages, named after the fourth king Philippus, is the lowest rank for a mage. They wear a dark green cloak, and use the crystal Vellecrete for their staves"
"Alexandrian Mages, named after the third king Alexander, the third rank for a mage. They wear dark blue cloaks, and use the crystal Astreyye for their staves."
"Then we have Thessian mages, named after the second king Thessi, the second rank for a mage. We wear dark red cloaks and use the crystal Halfer for our staves."
"Above my rank, we have the Archmages, also known as the Hathorian Mages, named after the God-King himself. They wear purple capes and use the crystal Weilinstone for their staves."
"You being mage apprentices, are nowhere within that ranking. But as long as you persevere you can only progress."
Now that was something genuinely informational. But it also presented additional questions. What really are the crystals? How do we rank up? And do mages have wages, and if they do, does it increase with the ranking?
"Even so, the academy will already give you your own staff and cape. And also a free spatial ring." he motioned to the servants and they started distributing what was on the boxes.
I soon received the ring and the staff and inspected them. The ring had a black pearl embedded in it while the staff had an ash wood handle and a white crystal on top.
"The ring had the crystal Delathrine, extracted from demons called Devourers. The crystal enables them to devour anything, no matter how large. Thus the ring grants the user a similar ability, the ability to store anything." Sir Julius explains as he demonstrates. He pressed a book against the ring and it immediately suck it in. Then he summoned it back by merely thinking of summoning it.
"That is worth 30 silver on the market, so take good care of it," he warned. 30 silver that's like my father's monthly income, but I did believe it's worth that much. It literally beats bags and mules.
"Now your staff is cheaper, way cheaper. But for us from Silverquill, it is much more powerful." he fondled the top of the staff.
"The emerald crystal is called the green pearl. Something you can get from a common goblin, but it already allows you to perform basic spells."
"Are you ready to cast your first?"