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335. Faithless Gems

After the harrowing fight in the catacombs, combat training at the Lyceum felt downright dull. They no longer fought fire acolytes against mageknights – presumably, Moira had made her point – and instead trained with some of the warriors acting as defenders for the elemental mages. Being in line to become an officer rather than serving as a protector, this sometimes pitted Eleanor against Martel, which had begun to trouble him. Thanks to his rigorous training, Martel's spells could pack a...

334. Unexpected Spectre

With Pelday keeping Martel busy, he managed to catch Master Fenrick just before fifth bell. "Master, I came across something curious, looking through books in the library last night."

"I'm not sure how it speaks to my confidence in my students that I am perennially surprised to hear any of them spent time in the library," the teacher replied, entering his classroom. "Well, go on."

Following him inside, Martel began his carefully constructed explanation. "I was reading descriptions...

333. Low Spirits

Most of the night had passed by the time the trio returned to the Lyceum, and they quickly split up, each seeking their own bed. Still tired when he woke, Martel went through his Solday chores while thinking about the catacombs.

He felt powerless. He had no idea how to defeat the monster they had encountered. Yet doing nothing seemed wrong.

He could tell the teachers and simply leave Eleanor and Maximilian out of it. It did not matter if the Inquisition turned their sights on Mart...

332. Smoked

Martel's training took over, and he launched a fire bolt at the attacking spirit flying towards them. The spell struck the shadowy mass in the chest, and the fire seemed to become absorbed by the smoke without inflicting damage.

Both mageknights kept their nerve and struck as soon as their enemy was within range. One sword slashed the creature's right arm, one hammer slammed against its left shoulder.

The weapons slowed down as they passed through, as if travelling through water. ...

331. The Second Touch

An insistent knocking continued until Eleanor finally opened her door to see a fire acolyte and a mageknight outside. The former looked stressed, the latter seemed annoyed. "What is happening?"

"I wish I knew," Maximilian muttered.

"As I told you," Martel interjected, "tonight is a full moon, and I think the maleficar has taken another victim. I also think I know where he is hiding, but I don't want to go after him alone."

"See? We have been here before, I feel," the young n...

330. Bad Moon Rising

With the threat to his friends taken care of, Martel could stop worrying so much and focus on his lessons instead. At the same time, his class in advanced elemental magic brought his mind back to the fight at the Four Flagon Tavern. His primary opponent in that fight had not been the warriors, but Flora with her frost rays. Had the fight taken place on terrain more favourable to her, she would undoubtedly have raised her earth wall before he remembered to use his own fire equivalent, and they...

329. A Child's Innocence

The worst of his concerns about the troupe alleviated, Martel could better concentrate on his lessons the next day. Still, until the actors left the bridge district, they would not be safe. The sooner the better. Just in case he might help facilitate this, or should Regnar need assistance persuading the rest to pull up their tents, Martel figured he would pay them a visit. It would also ease his lingering worry that despite their intention to leave, his friends might still be targeted by furt...

328. The Friendship of a Mercenary

The first lesson of Malday came and went easily, Martel practising his staff fighting against the other acolytes. They still posed no threat to him, but he had stopped trouncing them; it only fostered bad blood, and matters had been reasonably cordial between them all lately. No point in upsetting that without cause.

A message found Martel as he stepped out of the dining hall after lunch, changing what had begun as an ordinary day into an unpredictable one.

Martel,

...

327. Blissful Sleep

Despite Martel's fears, nothing further happened at the Four Flagon Tavern that night. He left through a hatch hours after dark, emerging in the alley behind the building, and returned to the Lyceum to get what sleep he could.

When he woke, his fears still pursued him. It felt ridiculous attending class like any ordinary day, knowing the Night Knives might return to the tavern at any moment to finish their assignment. Yet Martel knew that absence from the Lyceum would not be tolerated; ...

326. A Spell to Help or Hinder

Staying on the steps down to the basement rather than going all the way up, Martel remained hidden behind the others while he took in the scene. A handful of tavern guards stood scattered around the circle of Night Knives occupying the centre of the big common room. As of yet their weapons remained sheathed, but who knew for how long. A well-dressed man could be seen speaking with animated gestures and handwringing; Martel figured that would be the owner of the tavern.

"I don't understa...

325. Regnar's Reunion

As the fiveday came to an end, Martel woke on Solday feeling good. He had put all that with Lady Pearl and Ruby behind him; he was not going to be caught up in the affairs of the Nine Lords anymore, or let them take advantage of him again. He was learning alchemy, he had started learning Tyrian runes, and although he had not been able to enjoy the spring festivities much thanks to his busy schedule, watching the play at the Four Flagon Tavern with Maximilian and Eleanor was a memory worth rev...

324. Runes, Hedges, and Alchemy

Despite feeling strange about something so trivial – Martel did not even know if Ruby had noticed him – the evening spent at the Four Flagon Tavern proved to be the best in a long time. Martel found himself still laughing the day after, remembering particular scenes or witty remarks. And the company had been excellent; his two best friends together with an hour spent making merry with the actors afterwards.

Waiting for Master Fenrick to arrive, Martel toyed with the idea of returnin...

323. Theatre Below

Just the anticipation of seeing the play brought memories back to Martel, and his focus slipped a few times during Glunday's fire lessons. All his experiences with theatre had been with this particular troupe, albeit at the open stage on the square. He could not help but think about taking Shadi there, still early in their friendship – her absence still stung him, making the memory bittersweet.

Likewise, although Martel remembered the satire about the emperor and the war as very enter...

322. A Dramatic Reveal

Martel wished that Maximilian had told him about the gambling in the Chamber of Earth long before. Simply by wagering a bit of silver and spending a few minutes casting spells, Martel had earned as much as one outing with the Night Knives. While he found it hard to respect the young nobles so willing to gamble away their wealth, he could not complain when it benefited him. If he could keep this going, he would not have to worry about earning coin from any dubious sources such as Lady Pearl. 2023-06-07 07:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post

321. If the Prize is Right

When Martel woke, it was not only the beginning of a new day, or a new fiveday; it was the start of the spring festival. He had paid this no heed, given his busy schedule. He could not imagine having the time to go out night after night; staying up late meant lack of sleep, which impacted his performance in class, which would get him detention.

Still, just the excited talk around the tables already at breakfast had an effect on him. Everyone seemed in a better mood, happy to have winter...

320. Sharpening Knives

Making ink on his own in the small laboratory attached to Master Jerome's workshops, Martel had time to think. As his hands went through the familiar motions, his mind considered how to spend the rest of his day. He had previously decided to go visit Flora, as her message had asked him to do. Since he would already be in the bridge district, it would be a short trip to continue to the Pearl. While the owner of that establishment had told him to lie low, he now got the feeling it had not been ...

319. Warning Signs

Martel sat in Master Fenrick's classroom with anticipation in his stomach. Studying Archean was all well and good, but learning the Tyrian runes would actually give Martel new magic, along with insight into how many of the things in Morcaster worked. Just around the Lyceum, Martel had noticed countless examples of the small symbols. He knew they were used to push the water around the system of pipes, and the clerks likewise used it to send messages swiftly through tubes. Not to mention, acces...

318. Helping the Hunter

As Martel arrived at the Circle of Fire, he glanced surreptitiously at the other acolytes, wondering if yesterday's victory over the mageknights had made a difference. It did not appear so, at least not on the surface. They still stood scattered, waiting in silence rather than engage each other or even just be in close proximity.

Moira appeared, and by the snide look on her face, Martel had a guess at what she intended to say. "Well, you finally pulled yourselves together. Yesterday was...

317. Cold Thoughts

During Martel's morning shift at the apothecary, Mistress Rana approached him with a list of herbs and other ingredients. "Time for you to learn another recipe. Study all of these in time for our work on Manday."

Martel happily accepted the note, glancing at the scribbled words. He recognised some of these while others were unknown. He already looked forward to going through the herbal compendium and learning all he could; every new recipe was like learning a spell, giving him something...

316. Mending Fences

Martel made it back to the Lyceum in an almost reasonable fashion, but the events of the evening left their mark on him, keeping him from sleep. Meeting the Friar had been strange enough; stumbling upon Ruby fighting nuns had increased the bizarreness of it all by an order of magnitude. Martel presumed he had done right by helping her escape, but it nagged him that he did not know what had transpired. What had led to the fight? Something must have happened in the convent with Ruby while he sp...

315. A Ruby Among Yellow

Martel quickly left the compound, aware that everyone in the entrance hall and the enclosed garden stared at him as he passed by. He felt like the time Father Julius had caught him taking an apple from the fruit tree outside the temple in Engby, yet the priest had turned a blind eye and allowed him to leave with it.

Once back on the street, Martel took a few deep breaths before he continued towards the carriage. He had not seen any sign of Ruby as he left; presumably, she was busy talki...

314. The Riddle of Three

As soon as the symbol below Martel's feet lit up, several of the yellow-clad women wielding staves approached him. "No magical items are allowed within the convent, milord. This should have been explained to you." The nun speaking extended her hand.

Martel stared at the palm in front of him. He figured she was waiting for him to hand over any magical artefacts on his person. Hard to do when the magic resided inside his body. "I'm sorry," he stammered, trying to buy time.

"This is ...

313. Getting to a Nunnery

While doing chores in the apothecary and the workshop on Solday morning, Martel felt a tinge of anticipation that slowly grew to excitement. While he figured the party tonight would be different from last – he was not sure what exactly a ritual celebration entailed – spending the evening with Ruby felt promising. And since he still had the afternoon off to practise his Sindhian magic, he did not feel bad about being gone tonight. Especially as doing this task would pay for a lot of herbs ...

312. A Teacher's Calling

Martel arrived for Master Fenrick's class with a nice stack of parchment filled with Archean letters. Looking around, he saw everyone else had the same. Exchanging glances with Eleanor, he gave a quick smile. Her help had been rather invaluable, both in terms of speeding up his work process and eliminating many possible errors he might otherwise have made. He knew she had only worked together with him for his sake, as he could not offer the same assistance to her, which only made him more gra...

311. Camaraderie

As soon as the potion went down his throat, Martel felt warm. As he walked home to the Lyceum, he took off his cap and removed his cloak as well. By the time he went to bed, he wore only his underwear as he lay under a single blanket despite this being a winter month.

He woke, shivering all over. Glancing at his clock in the dark, he could eventually tell that it was four in the morning. He wondered if he was ill; this felt like a fever, this sudden onset of being cold. Putting on cloth...

310. Teamwork

Stretching his neck from side to side, stamping his staff a few times into the ground, Martel prepared for the skirmish about to happen. The other fire acolytes stood nearby, likewise steeling themselves. Some distance away, the mageknights assembled, feeling confident based on their expressions.

Moira entered, which was expected; she always observed when the elemental mages fought as a single group against the mageknights. However, Martel did not expect when she called his name and bec...

309. Paths of Friendship

A new fiveday began as Pelday rolled around, and two lessons in fire magic loomed over Martel. It had barely been a month; he could not fathom going through this for a whole year. As much as he felt sorry for himself, he briefly pitied the other fire acolytes, who had to stomach this for two years. He wondered if they had gotten used to it, or if they simply suppressed the anger at being treated this way, the fury at being helpless against it. Looking around the Circle of Fire, seeing their d...

308. Dazzling Gems

Checking his messages the next day, Martel received an envelope with a script he recognised by now.

Dear Master Martel,

I should ask for the pleasure of your visit one of these coming days.

Lady Pearl

Brief and to the point, but Martel assumed it was for more of the same. If so, he saw no reason to decline. It was perhaps the easiest money he had ever earned; not the fastest – nothing came as quickly as the prize money for winning a fight i...

307. The Cunning of Perel

Master Fenrick's classroom was a pleasant alternative to the outdoor gymnasium or the Circle of Fire. Martel could sit down, and nobody placed any demands on him other than listening. His only complaint was that learning Archean had started to bore him. Even if he knew that potentially it might come in useful, knowing the language, it gave him little motivation in the moment.

"And that concludes our work on irregular verbs," Master Fenrick told the class. "Furthermore, with that we appr...

306. A Lesson in Leadership

The loss against the mageknights, especially given he would be punished for it, weighed on Martel's mood. Sleep did little to improve that; he faced Glunday feeling irritable the moment he left his bed. Entering the Circle of Fire for his first lesson of the day, he wondered if the other acolytes could sense his foul demeanour, or if their reserved behaviour simply reflected the typical atmosphere of the classroom. Certainly none of them seemed anguished that Martel would spend his evening ge...