Academy pt. 1

Tyson had mixed feelings about leaving his little paradise; the camp beside the Lake Tagota that he shared with his master, Freya, for twelve years. It was the only place he called home since his childhood home was burnt down as well as his entire village. But he understood that whatever was chasing he and his master would eventually catch up to them if they remained in one place. He had to get stronger while also keeping Freya safe at the same time. He also harboured some guilt because part of him knew that whatever threatened them existed because she saved him all those years ago.

For this reason, he entered the office of one of the instructors at the recently re-opened Knights and Mages institute at Drenda'al. Experience with Freya had taught him that he had very little talent for magic. He messed up even basic spells and once caused a rare flower to burst into flames so he thought that he might as well learn to wield a sword so as not to be completely useless in a fight.

"Ah, young Tyson. Freya told me all about you."

Tyson felt small in the presence of Lord Luschek. Tyson had grown to over six feet but the man still towered over him like the Drenda'al watchtower above the city. He was also very thin and was clad in a loose-fitting robe that made him look like a boy was standing on a stool underneath it. Tyson bowed deeply as a gesture of respect.

"Freya said that you come to us as a raw apprentice," Lord Luschek noted. "That you have never been trained in the ways of the sword arts."

"I'm a quick learner," Tyson assured him.

"She also said that you have powerful mana but you have no skill for magic," He said. "Is that why you applied to be trained as a Knight and not a mage?"

Tyson was unsure of how to respond.

"What do you know of this Academy?"

"I know that for many years only mages were trained here and you only just recently started teaching sword arts as well just like the Citadel and other such-"

"There are no other places of learning like this one," Luschek interrupted. "It is true that many schools of Magic exist throughout the world from Alftheim to the Winter Isles to the Great Forests but there are none quite like this and you will find out soon enough."

"Drenda'al is the ancestral home of Mages where the first human mages first sought wisdom from the Great dragon. Students of all races come here to learn what we have to teach. Her you can feel the strong presence of Magic."

"But I didn't agree to take you on just because you had great potential, I have an ulterior motive for granting you admittance and sheltering my former master."

"How can I be of assistance to you?"

"Since we started offering Sword arts here at the Academy, our best students or 'Primus Magnum' has been human. This year, however, that pleasure may be going to an Orc named Shotan."

"I see."

"I have no students that possess even a shadow of the talent needed to displace him so I need you who has studied under Freya to be my champion."

"I will do what I can."

"Failure is not an option. I know that you and your master face grave threats, I am willing to help you as long as you show the dedication to my art."

"Of course."

"You will spend your free time studying up on practical applications of Magic and after nightfall, I will give you extra lessons on sword arts."

The tall man floated towards Tyson and placed an arm on his black hair.

"I expect great things from you. The training will be difficult but the rewards are even greater... for both of us. I trust that you will not disappoint us."

Tyson had no intention of doing that.

***

The next few weeks passed quickly as Tyson threw himself into his studies. To his surprise, he discovered that his lack of prowess with magic was the exception and not the rule. Many of the students there were sons and daughters of noblemen that trained with magic for years before they were accepted into the Academy.

At first, Tyson found it troubling to have just started training and be already behind both in the mastery of magic and sword arts but he began to realize that he wasn't as weak as he thought. All spells were laborious and required long incantations depending on the skill of the caster and the mastery of the user but Tyson had always been able to use magic in unorthodox and instinctual ways.

He knew how to channel magic inside his own body to drive away fatigue and boost his strength at a moments notice. Any spell that the user can't cast in the split second it takes for a swordsman to swing his blade was utterly worthless in single combat.

He alone, of all the students at the academy, had been able to manifest raw magic power without any training. He could do it so effortlessly and frequently that he had begun to take it for granted and now it would be his advantage that brings him victory. Once he completes his training, none of the others would be his equal.

There were group training sessions at the Academy, but they were few and far between. The weak and the slow to learn were not allowed to hold back the strong and ambitious. Students learned at their own pace, driven by their desire and hunger to learn. There were, however, three hundred students and fifteen instructors of varying skill levels which meant that there were fifteen students for every Maester, and the apprentices had to prove their worth before one of the instructors would spend valuable time teaching them the secrets of sword arts.

Though he was a newbie, Tyson found it easy to garner the attention of the Maesters, particularly Lord Luschek. He knew the extra attention would inevitably breed animosity in the other students, but he forced himself not to think about that. In time the additional instruction he got from Lord Luschek would allow him to catch up to and pass the other apprentices, and once he did he wouldn't need to worry about their petty jealousies. Until then he was careful to stay out of the way and not draw attention to himself.