Chapter 11 – Parthanex Tower

The grand double doors inlaid with designs featuring the symbols of the order opened easier than expected simply by pulling on the pair of mounted metal rings, and Ria, Iselyn, and their familiars soon found themselves inside a large empty reception hall.

“It’s not without charm, but not particularly welcoming either,” Iselyn quietly observed.

Ria agreed as she turned around in place, trying to make out the peeling frescoes decorating the glowstone-lit arched ceiling. “Has the feel of an abandoned tower…”

“Yeah.” Iselyn wandered closer to a wall and ran a hand along the colorfully glazed plaster. “Like a ruin filled with forgotten history…”

The frescoes along the walls were in better condition and depicted many scenes of gray-robed wizards facing down monsters, natural disasters, and armies, all grandly portrayed. Mixed in were scenes of awe-inspiring construction projects and dramatized weapon-forgings and other craftings.

Malleron as usual had an unkind opinion, probably something like ‘all that humans build withers in the face of time and nature’ or some such. Ranger was sniffing around and taking in the aged scents.

Ria made her way toward the pair of curved stairways framing the second story podium that arced outward into the hall, extending from a gallery area that could be used by higher-ranking members during gatherings or meetings.

The carpet running up the stairs was worn, and worn-through in places, but still commanded a majesty of sorts as the colors of the nine rings were vividly displayed.

Ria was surprised that magic hadn’t been used to repair the carpets and the frescoes. Surely, a divination-assisted alteration could be used to restore the room to its original condition.

As she climbed the stairs, Ria spread out her Sensing Sphere and was even more surprised to see that everything in the hall, including the floor, support pillars, and walls, was already enchanted. When she reached the gallery, the aged wood of the podium drew her, and she walked out onto the raised stage to run a hand along its oiled surface.

The weight of time permeating the place resonated with her in a way that felt comfortable. Closing her eyes, she could almost envision Luventi standing at the podium, powerful mages arrayed in the gallery behind him as he addressed the eager students below, all full of dreams and potential.

“Envisioning yourself a future Ordermaster, huh,” Iselyn teased from the stairs.

Ria grimaced and could admit she walked into that ribbing, but was it something she actually desired? No, she couldn’t see it. “I think my path is something different than an academic, but leadership... is a skill I’ll need to meet my goals.”

“Oh, and what are your goals?”

“For now? Power,” Ria answered with a chuckle.

Iselyn smiled. “A perfect villain answer. But with the Order we’ve joined, I think we’re more likely to be bullied than be bullies.”

Ria was beginning to think the same.

After joining her on the 2nd floor gallery, Iselyn glanced at the archways exiting either end and shrugged. “Which way?”

“The craz-… upperclassman girl said the third floor. Maybe both ways lead to stairs going up?” Ria offered. There were two sets of stairs in the reception hall, so the likelihood of the symmetry continuing seemed plausible.

Iselyn nodded and started for one of the archways. “Let’s choose left. It’s more sinister.”

Ria couldn’t help chuckling at her friend’s reasoning as she called Ranger and hurried after. She would have plenty of time to investigate the reception hall later, and if her sense of it was correct, the area around the podium would make an interesting place to meditate.

Stairs to the third floor indeed greeted them once through the archway. A good-sized landing and hallway adjacent lead to doorways hiding costuming rooms, offices, and classrooms according to quick glances at the plaques beside each door.

They didn’t loiter overly long and didn’t dare open any of the doors, not knowing if any of the rooms were currently occupied.

The left stairs led to a wide hallway that put them before another pair of metal-and-crystal-inlaid double doors.

After exchanging glances and taking deep breaths to calm their nerves, they pushed the doors open.

“Welcome, new members,” a tall and athletic young man with shoulder-length black hair and a fifth-year’s purple-gemmed insignia greeted them and spread his arms wide. “Welcome to the Sages of the Nine Circles. I am Welkin Summergold, Acting Student Tower Leader for our Order and an Initiate of the Fourth Circle. Step forward and present yourselves.”

A few giggling members, one of which was the crazy girl from before, looked as if they were hiding something as they moved to join the others who were already lined up and schooled their faces to be more serious.

Ria gathered her courage and strode into the hall, Iselyn and the familiars following a few steps behind.

This event hall was larger than the reception hall below, with viewing stands along the walls and two gallery levels rising above the viewing stands. The galleries were accessible by decoratively-carved and well-oiled wood stairs that switched back at landings halfway up each of the levels.

None of the decrepit state of the previous hall was in evidence.

As she approached, Ria noticed an invigorating feeling from being in closer proximity to Welkin. The effect was definitely caused by a magic the Order’s student leader was maintaining for some reason, but his expression as he evaluated her and Iselyn didn’t show anything that would make her suspicious.

Standing near Welkin were Hulle and a pair of red-gemmed fourth-years—a white-haired and well-tanned youth with a crystal snake wrapped around his arm and a teen girl with a stern expression and a pouty-jowled fish covered in a film of water drifting in the air behind her. With her sea-blue robes, the older girl was one of the few present not wearing a gray robe, the other two being a girl closer to Ria’s age in a red robe and an elfin girl in a light green one. Aldri was in the small crowd and gave her a discreet thumbs-up.

Overall, more than a dozen people were gathered in the hall, including a very old woman, a young woman with a maid outfit under her robe, and a master-mantled man with bushy-brows who was likely Researcher Shadwich. All of their eyes watched with unnerving interest.

Ria made a formal curtsy and bowed her head. “This one named Ria from Shadewood does present herself together with her familiar Ranger-”

“Woof!”

“-and thanks Hulle Novidus for sponsoring her and Acting Student Tower Leader Welkin for allowing her to join the Order.”

With a snort, the fourth-year with the crystal snake scoffingly sneered, “You sure these girls aren’t just lost? They’re dressed as if for an event at Whitestone Hall.”

Ria cringed a bit. She and Iselyn had come directly from the tea party, still in their party dresses. They were wearing cloaks and their academy insignias to appear more like they belonged while walking the academy grounds, but Ria did have to pin her insignia to her shawl since her enchanted cloak was warded against punctures.

“Don’t be rude, Ulren. Just because your salt affinity is a poor-man’s imitation of the Vesali’s gem affinity doesn’t mean you need to act like them,” the water-robed fourth-year snarked then motioned toward herself. “Endresi Rebatti. Like Ulren, I am an Initiate of the Third Circle. My specialty is water magic.”

“I can vouch for ’em, Ulren. The brown-hair in the plum dress made a wind barrier strong enough to deflect the falling gravel from my fifth-floor demolition,” the crazy red-haired girl spoke up and stepped forward, slamming a fist into her palm. “Katria of Vesali City. Initiate of the Second Circle. I found out about my ‘pressure’ affinity thanks to glasses-boy. If you need somethin’ crushed, exploded, or disintegrated, I’m who you’re looking for. Heh, heh.”

“Nice to meet you-” Ria tried, hoping she wasn’t making a brow-twitching face, but was interrupted.

“You’re supposed to verify no one is below beforehand!” Endresi chastised Katria. “What would you have done if they had been hurt?!”

Katria rolled her eyes. “I would have gotten Welkin or Tallien to heal them up, of course. I made sure none of the rubble was big enough to kill anyone. No easy feat that, you know.”

“Potions aren’t cheap,” a somewhat sparkly-skinned third-year boy complained and took the opportunity to introduce himself, “Tallien Blackroot, Alchemist and Enchanter-”

“Our resident potion guzzler,” Katria interjected with a smirk.

“It’s how my House powers our spells,” Tallien huffed defensively. “We have a unique constitution that can produce elemental energy from specially-made serums.”

“Must be nice,” a thin third-year girl with wavy hair complained and used a hand to comb a wayward ringlet out of her face. “I’m Rialle of Sentinel Watch, a village in Tellia province near the western border. I’m still only an Initiate of the First Circle, but my fire magic is top notch.” The imp on the girl’s shoulder stared intently at Malleron.

“I too can vouch for Ria. She beat down a Ravelle Stormbringer second-year with shadow magic and body-strengthening,” Aldri said with a wink.

“Ooh! Beat-downs are my specialty!” the elfin girl enthused and flexed her arms as she gave Ria a reevaluating look. Other more restrained reactions to Aldri’s vouching included raised eyebrows and encouraged mutters.

“I’m sure you’ll get along then.” Aldri laughed. “Can’t remember if I introduced myself to Iselyn, so… I’m Aldri Touften. Initiate of the First Circle. My specialty is spatial magic, and with Researcher Shadwich’s help, I’m going for a Summoning certification this year!”

At hearing Aldri’s specialty and goal, Ria’s turn to raise an eyebrow in surprise came.

“Orlisi Yurren,” the elfin girl proclaimed, jerking a thumb toward herself. “Initiate of the First Circle, Diviner, and martial artist. Working on alteration magic to improve my body-strengthening, durability, and strike damage. My motto is: It’s hard to get hit and harder to miss when you can see the future!” Orlisi stuck out her tongue with a wink then gave a big grin before nudging the boy next to her. “You’re last, Zell!”

“Zell Trine. Initiate of the First Circle.” The boy shrugged and added. “I’m a close combat fighter like Orlisi, but my clan’s bloodline lets me use magic to transform parts of my body into beast forms—clawed arms, protective fur, wings-”

“Fangs!” Orlisi added with a smirk and Zell grimaced.

Iselyn stepped next to Ria. “I’m Iselyn Jayre. Illusion magic. This is my familiar, Malleron—a rot element spriggan.”

Hulle discreetly nodded his approval at Iselyn’s querying eyes.

“Oooh! What a cool familiar!” Orlisi gushed, wandering closer for a look and poking at the little guy, much to his annoyance. Malleron still couldn’t help puffing up proudly even as he grumbled and swatted away the girl’s finger.

“So, we know you can use shadow and air magic. What’s your focus and affinity, Ria?” the fire mage, Rialle, asked.

Whether to reveal her affinity, Ria was still hesitant. “...I’m a generalist. But I have medium-crystal attunements in all the major elements. My focus is spellcraft and enchanting.”

Tallien whistled in appreciation.

“Hiding your affinity, huh,” Rialle commented with an accusing smirk then motioned toward the only fifth-year in the room other than Welkin. “Well, with your focus, you’ll be right friends with Welkin’s House Astacio girl. Wendra’s the resident spell designer for our team of misfits.”

The teen girl gave Ria a kindly smile and friendly-enough wave. “Nice to meet you, Ria, Iselyn. I’m not officially part of the team, but I’m happy to help if you need a spell customized.”

“Ehem. Now that everyone is introduced, that’s all I wanted for today’s meeting. I’m sure you all have work to do and are free to return to your projects and training while I finish the new members’ orientation,” Welkin announced and added, “Next meeting will be in two days for skill evaluations.”

Ulren muttered about wasting their time, but the other team members gave Ria and Iselyn amiable waves or nods as they left. Aldri gave them a thumbs-up.

The adults, and Wendra, Welkin, and Hulle stayed.

Welkin nodded to Ria and Iselyn. “Don’t worry, we’ll get the two of you up to speed soon enough. The second-years seem to have taken a liking to you both, so feel free to ask them or Hulle what you need to do to prepare for the next meeting. For now, let’s get to your orientation.

“As members of the Order, you two can now take advantage of Order-provided housing—much cheaper than the academy dorms. Tower Keeper Alenna can handle such arrangements.” Welkin motioned toward the old woman wearing a robe and mantle of the order and added with a grin, “She’s also in charge of tower security and has been known to teleport unwelcome guests out of the tower without warning and not necessarily at ground level.”

“Ha! That’s an exaggeration, young Welkin, and you know it,” the woman objected with crinkling eyes. “I always give one warning. The first time.” A few hearty cackles followed after her assertion. “Though, I doubt we’ll have any trouble from the new members.”

Ria vigorously shook her head to deny any thoughts of troublemaking, which set the woman to more cackling.

Welkin grinned and continued, “We have personal vault storage with spatial access keys that can deposit or withdraw items from anywhere in the city area available for modest rental fees. The tower has several elementally-attuned meditation areas for student use. You’ll find the signup-list for locations in the student lounge on the fifth-floor... which is currently undergoing renovation.” Welkin glanced in the direction Katria had gone and coughed into his hand. “...sorry about that. There’s also a self-service store for purchasing and borrowing materials specially grown here in the tower. Restricted materials will naturally need the approval of Researcher Shadwich, here, or one of the other licensed elders and are kept in the research laboratories and vaults on the upper floors. Access to Assistant Tower Master Irelyni’s garden at the top of the tower is by his permission only, and with Tower Master Atheron Riftsail away on business, Master Irelyni will likely be the acting tower master for most of the first term.

“I think that’s enough to start with. Any questions?”

Ria shook her head. She didn’t have anything she wanted to ask that couldn’t be asked while consulting with Researcher Shadwich and looked over to Iselyn, curious what her friend thought.

“Um... if I move into a room here, can I bring my maid?” Iselyn timidly asked.

“We do have plenty of suites available, and there is a currently open maid position...” Welkin looked to the Tower Keeper.

“Indeed. There is a Tower Maid position available, but your maid would have to sign a contract with the Order and would be required to perform regular work around the tower as part of her contract,” Tower Keeper Alenna confirmed.

“Okay.” Iselyn nodded. “Can I see the rooms before I decide?”

“Of course, dear,” Keeper Alenna replied with a warm smile. “Would you like to see them now?”

Iselyn glanced at Ria and looked to Welkin.

Welkin nodded. “That should be fine; I think we’re just about done here. A few more things before I leave the two of you in capable hands. Initiate Friesa here is our Head Maid. She’s your elder as an Order member, and I expect you to treat her with respect. She’s not here to clean up after you. Take care of your own messes.”

“Thank you, Welkin,” the young woman with the maid outfit under her robes and Order mantle spoke with a wry smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Iselyn, Ria. If the mess is too big, it’s okay to come get me. Accidents happen.”

Ria and Iselyn returned the greeting. Was the woman an academy graduate?

“And lastly, feel free to explore the tower, and if you want to make temporary use of a room that’s not on the sign-up sheet, or want to propose a remodeling or repurposing of a room, you can approach me or Alenna, and we’ll help you with getting your proposal approved. The tower is here for all Order members.” Welkin gave them a friendly smile and turned to Hulle. “You did good work again this year, Hulle. Unless you have any complaints, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“I always have complaints,” Hulle stated, and with an awkward laugh, Welkin and Wendra left. The invigorating aura also left with Welkin, proving her assumption that he was the source.

“If you don’t mind...” Iselyn prompted the spectacled third year.

Hulle smiled slightly. “No, it’s fine for you to go look at the rooms. I’ll contact you later about your familiar selection and how we should proceed with your preparations for the next team meeting.”

Iselyn nodded and left with the two women, leaving Ria alone with Hulle and Researcher Shadwich. No, not alone. Ranger was with her, lying on the floor looking bored out of his mind.

“So, this is the student that you wanted me to meet?” Researcher Shadwich mused with a jovial voice as he pulled out a monocle and looked at her and Ranger. “The foreign girl with an interest in shamanic magic and who just signed up for my Spellcraft class, no less.”

“Yes, particularly of concern is her self-performed familiar contract,” Hulle supplied.

“Hmm... yes. Indeed. Ria, was it?” The jovial man prompted her.

“Yes, Researcher Shadwich,” Ria replied.

“How long ago did you perform the binding ritual?”

Ria mentally counted back through the events since her village was conscripted. “Since the end of last summer. So, about 7 moons?”

“Hmm, you did the right thing in bringing this to me, Hulle,” the researcher said with a serious tone, his gaze moving back and forth between Ria and Ranger. “Do you still have the ritual?”

“I do.” Ria nervously handed over the notes she had prepared, detailing the ritual, time of day, and materials used. “Is there a problem?”

“Well, to call it a problem...” Research Shadwich shrugged as he quickly pored over the notes putting one page behind the other. “And you’re sure that this is the exact ritual you performed?”

Ria nodded, worry creeping in. Even Ranger sensed something was up and was sitting up, watching attentively.

“Alright then, how about we head up to my laboratory and do some investigating?” the researcher proposed with a toothy grin.