"Ohohoho!" Argus laughed, his beard jumping up and down as he leaned back into his chair. His smile quickly faded, however, when he saw the two girls staring at him unflinchingly.
"Oh...you two are actually being serious?!" he said, placing his clasped hands on the table.
"Of course we are!" Velvet responded. "Do you think we are just asking this as a joke?"
"Sorry to bother you about something so stupid," Arianna couldn't help herself but say.
"Not at all!" the man stood up and started his signature pacing around the desk. "I must admit though that this is not something I get asked every day. How to start a magic academy, huh?"
"Yes!" Velvet's eyes lit up. "Please tell us what is required to do that!"
"Well, I don't see why not!" he smiled, stopping for a brief moment and raising his index finger. "But I must warn you—it is not easy to do so! The requirements are quite...strict."
"Knew it," the golden-haired girl spoke under her breath. This didn't discourage her eccentric friend in the slightest on the other hand. It seemed to only make her all the more eager.
"You might take a piece of paper and write this down for future reference," Argus pointed to his large wooden desk, where among other knick-knack there was a pile of empty sheets of paper next to a large feather and ink. "You can take one from there."
He didn't need to say it twice for Velvet to jump forward and grab a sheet and snatch the feather off the table, dripping ink and smearing it into the carpet. The old man didn't seem to mind it one bit though. Instead, it was Ralph who raised his eyebrow from behind his desk when he saw this. He knew better than to comment on it, knowing it would only result in the old man going on a tangent about him having to "loosen up a bit."
"The first requirement," Argus started, continuing his aimless walk around the desk, "is for the founder to be at least a tier three sorcerer!" He eyed the girl writing this down. "I imagine this should be no problem for you, Miss Crow. It is only a matter of time if you ask me..."
After a brief pause, he continued. "The second requirement is at least one teacher for each type of magic! There are six types of elemental magic, so you will need six people, all of which should be exceptional in their own field of magic!"
"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!" The girl was nodding furiously as she wrote, her pointy hat bouncing up and down while Arianna looked rather uninterested in comparison.
"The third requirement is a heap of land and a building in which you can offer accommodation for the students and teaching services! Naturally, you can't have your students and teachers sleep on the ground now, can you?"
"Yesyes, of course," Velvet continued to scribble on the paper.
"The fourth requirement is a majority vote of the Council of Mages—which regretfully, I am a part of myself—to permit the opening! There are twenty members, so you will need at least eleven votes in favor to be allowed to start enrolling your first students!"
"Majority vote...alright!" she said and wrote it down.
"Finally, the fifth and final requirement is a written permission from each ruler whose people shall be allowed to attend your temple of knowledge!" The old man chuckled. "In your case, since you want all the different races of Rumerra to attend, you will need a permission from each of the five kings!
The now ruling king of Ardor, Matthew Fredricksen—nice fellow, but a bit too self-centered for my taste.
The jakkal king also known as 'the king of beasts' or 'fanged emperor,' Jarvis Korgarr Dusktooth—not too fond of humans, regrettably, but he is a fair ruler.
The dwarven king, Atlas Jackhammer—greedy bastard, that one; he likes to make deals that benefit him more than the other party; his son is alright on the other hand, or so I've heard.
The elven king, Varus Hoshinov—three daughters he has; they say their beauty is breathtaking and I tend to agree!
Lastly, the dracon king, Kirion Stormbane—ruling with an iron fist; he lost his son recently in a wyvern hunting accident, the poor bastard...but he still has a daughter, which I do not know much about. They say she is as fierce as her father! And that is all of them!"
YOU ARE READING
Rumerra - The Journey Begins
FantasyCOMPLETED! Since she was a little girl, Velvet has been reading stories about great wizards and witches of Rumerra's past, wishing every night to wake up one day and be blessed with the affinity for magic herself. Unfortunately, the odds are stacked...
