Orientation

Was that really Amun? Everyone was seated on the floor or standing off to the sides. The bigger the student the further they were so others could see.

"I am going to just give a few words to start us out before Ceres takes over.  Now it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to Tolgahiniste. School of Magic and the Metaphysics. I'm delighted to see you here from the hassle of getting to the top of this embarkment quest. As you may have noticed, there are few grounds to go to, but throughout there is a multitude of opportunities to join. hope you will discover over the next few weeks, what I have discovered in my six hundred short years at this institute: that you have entered a lively, challenging, and diverse community.

"Knowing that you all are here to learn is what makes us strive to push you forward. What is it that you 'strive' for? What is it that motivates you?" A small brief hold as he looks across the room.

"Hold that in your heart, so that you may never forget what brought you here today. You have come here to Tolga in order or gain what all those before you sought. Knowledge. That is what the professors here are for. We were all brought on to help you inquire into what makes you special. What brings about the future you wish to make. Some of you will go on to make history in the realms you are from. Some for the betterment of themselves and some for their communities."

This speech made me feel like a student's orientation. As he spoke though his body began to lift into the air, spreading his arms out towards us all.

"I want you to know that the entirety of Tolgahiniste's community is here to support, sustain, and encourage you as you commit to study at Tolga. It is you who make us what we are. We look forward to those that make it through and what fresh ideas and energy you bring to our campus. I speak for the entire faculty, staff , and student body in saying that we are so happy that you have come here in your decision. Some by choice, and others by circumstance. Welcome!" With the ending of the speech, he lowers himself down to the platform and Ceres promptly jumps up and over towards the center. Sitting down she scans the crowd before her voice, like the one heard in the forest, booms over the student body of freshman. All of whom clasp their hands over their ears.

"You all may think that you have what it takes. But some of you don't. That is why you are here today and why you have been placed into such teams. We need to root out those that are capable of greatness. Even those that I brought in personally may not be able to pass this simple task we are to give you. Every one of you came in here as a number." I swish of her tail and a roll of darkness blanketed the room like the surf over the sand. When it passed over us, we all had a number somewhere on our bodies. Mine showed up on my right hand; the same number as when we came into this building, 335.

"Some of your teams may end up with others to form a group. The tests may differ per group, but do not let your imaginations go wild. You will only know what your test will involve after you enter your respective areas. No one will be able to get hints by just watching or overhearing anything that is said when you come up here.

"When you are called up, you will be come up as a group and head to the door located along the walls there." Her tail pointed towards the sides of the room. Wherever she pointed to the walls receded forming doorways. Numbers started to line the tops of them from one up to thirty-five. "This is a test; as I said, you will not get any information until you are inside for each testing room is different in the ruling. I expect each and every one of you to take advantage where you can. Watch and learn what you may, for no matter what happens in there, everyone has a fair shot of making the cut. Now we will begin. Numbers 1-3 come up to the front and grab your gear." With another swish of her tail the platform started to lower and the lights between the panels along the ground grew brighter to light the room.

I look towards those around me. "What number are you guys?"

Zaya spoke up first raising her sleeve to reveal the number 155 on it. "It seems like we all have a long way to go, you lot more so. We may be here awhile. What else is new. Did you see that cat though, the power emanating off it when she spoke was just amazing? I would love to have her as part of my crew."

I couldn't help chuckling from my thoughts on how we met back in the forest with the giant persona of hers. "Yes, she is very powerful, also a little lazy."

"You shouldn't say such things. It is rude to the teacher, and rude to yourself." Eldria brought up while gathering herself whenever the next numbers are called. "You may think that she is lazy, but what you are doing is comparing her way of life and way of thinking to your own. An unjust comparison between a high-ranking magical creature with pure abundance of energy and you who is just about to begin your training

"I would suggest going ahead and look at her again next time and think about what they may have gone through to get to the position of power that they have. To gain that much, I cannot think how many years they must have lived. Centuries? Millenia even. I do not know, but instead of looking at your own culture for that term, try to strive towards her power. I know I do already."

This was the most that she had spoken since they had come together the short hours before. I guess perceptions and first impressions can be misleading.

Every time a team went into the doorways, new panels lifted behind them to close them in. After twenty minutes or so the number on top of the first door changed and opened back up. No one coming out. It seemed like hours went past in slow motion. We continued to speak with each other afterwards, I told stories from the mythos back home. Halla was captivated laying down on the cold panel, her feet in the air kicking back and forth, her hands cupping her chin.

"What do you think the test is like?" Dha'wae stated before trying to see above some other students who were watching another team head into one of the testing rooms.

"I don't know too much about it, but we should get ready for anything. Honestly, I would say that the early ones called are the ones with the disadvantage. In one aspect the teams that go in get the see what the test is like and experience it first. As for the other later teams, they get to do what we are doing and explaining ourselves and our abilities before we go in. Teamwork is something that we need to have, but to do that we need to focus on what we know." I say peering over towards the from area. Another team walking up stuck out to me.

The one walking ahead of the other two was tall, may even be around 7 ft something. His copper skin glittered within the light as he walked past. Hair was braided down to the mid of his back. He was packing some serious muscle. One of those behind him was wearing a long sort of robe, he looked like Eldria at first. The dark skin and red eyes. He grabbed their things while the third of their group was a woman, she stayed back behind the other two, body as fine as the elves around, but she held a frown. From one side, her face shown with her hazel eyes, the other side looked like it was burned off by either fire or something worse. All three just looked like trouble.

Time goes by and soon Zaya's team was called up, "halfway there, hope you guys make it too."

Nodding with a small smirk she walks off with a stride full of confidence. The other two right behind. We all just watched after them till they disappeared into the testing room.

"Spill!" Halla stated before she could hold back as she got up in front of Garthe.

"W-what??" He was generally confused.

"I saw the way you watched Dha'wae. You like the dwarf don't you."

"I-I respect her. It's not what you think.." The color of his face did not match his words.

"Okay, we shall see." She giggles and I laugh out.

Finally, the time came, and we got up to head over to the front. Halla being the first one up there in a hurry, she was given a pouch for each of us. Looking down to see an older male human. Glasses sit on the edge of his nose, light seafoam green eyes shone up at us. "Now be careful out there, you will have everything you need in these pouches, just don't do what some did last year and flip it inside out, once it has been taken out, you cannot put it back in. Once inside you will see a pedestal that will activate once you all place your hands upon the top. You will be transported into a new biome and from there will find your task."

I arched my eyebrow wondering what this man was talking about before I was being ushered off towards our door. The number above it read 111. All the doors now had numbers above one hundred.

Stepping inside the panels got a lot smaller and I could barely see the other two once the walls shut behind us. This room was around a 20x20ft room with a single pedestal as stated from the older man. The black obsidian style pedestal had runes lit up running up and down each side which only grew brighter when the doors shut. There were standing pads and a placement for our hands. I walk up towards it and places my hand onto the mark. "Let's do this."