Her heart was beating so hard, she thought it would burst out of her chest. This was her last chance to prove the arrogant fire-mage wrong. Milara Bronzewing, a master inventor, had a long standing rivalry with Danice, the most promising fire-mage in the last century. They would often argue the merits of their respective disciplines, each fiercely contending that their vocation was of more use to the people of Yanor.
Danice was set to leave for Petrona to join a quartet, an honor among the graduating students of the Solonor Academy. Milara's relationship with Danice, though at times contentious, came from a place of great respect. She excitedly went to see her friend and colleague, meaning to wish her a safe and productive journey. Unfortunately, somewhere between heartfelt goodbyes and well-wishing, Danice and Milara got into it again. This time the subject of battle came up.
Though Yanor was enjoying a period of relative peace there was still an arms-race of sorts brewing between the dwarven capital Viranheim and the kingdom of Erza. It made all the people of Yanor very aware of their ability, or lack thereof, to defend their homelands.
In the past the most powerful weapon in the armies of men and elves were the war-mages. The elven mages gave each school of sorcery equal focus while the race of men always seemed to lean towards pyromancy. A fire-mage's destructive power was unmatched for most of the third age. Fire-mages became the standard on which all other destructive force was measured. So when the subject of battle came up, Danice expected Milara to acquiesce. Milara, however, would have none of that nonsense. She gave example after example of how, if applied correctly, science and technology would have no match in battle. She insisted that if war were ever to break out again, the primitive forms of fighting that were used in the third age, thousands of years ago, would be rendered obsolete almost immediately.
After a while, a large crowd gathered around them. Scholars, mages and even a few Petronian knights all began to argue and yell over each other. The commotion drew the attention of Highscholar Maximus Kreigen, who just happened to be attending some business nearby.
"What is the meaning of this?" yelled the Highscholar.
The crowd immediately dispersed, leaving Milara and Danice nervously looking at Kreigen. The highscholar looked at them with a slight smile and shook his head. He continued on to attend whatever business he was distracted from.
Milara and Danice looked at each other. Smiles turned into laughter and they embraced each other. Milara wished her dear friend a safe journey.
"To be continued Mila," said Danice, as she made her way to the North Gate of Solonor.
That night, Milara dreamily stared out of the window in her room in the large building that housed the students of the Solonor Academy. She would definitely come up with a way to beat her rival.
Her window faced the mysterious black tower that appeared many years ago off the coast of Solonor. Milara, one of the Solonor Academy's brightest students, was at the center of every innovation and technological advancement to come out of Solonor for the last four years. A born tinkerer, those who knew her were convinced dwarven blood ran through her veins.
