The Monster Mage

6

^^ Ciros ^^

Donning my armor and weapons again with a wave and an opening of my Pocket made me feel much safer, as the glares of the horrified elementals bored into my back.

"A lovely display, Lady Yula; your mentor, the ArchMage Medea, did not exaggerate your skills." The proctor announced, bowing her head and handing me an amulet that signified my badge of admittance into the college. A different amulet was given to 'Alice', which I examined very closely, to make sure there weren't any tracking spells attached to it. Mine buzzed gently, and I looked down, reading what was slowly writing itself upon it.

'Lady Victoria Avis Holborn of the Children of the Half-Mountain Clan, First-Year Initiate of the College of BattleMages.'

I covered it swiftly, and cleared my throat, looking at the proctor to see if she'd seen it. It was small text, but it was glowing. Luckily, she was occupied with Alice, who had asked a question swiftly about her being allowed to enter and exit the grounds freely. A small spell covered the necklace at my command, showing 'Lady Yula Lunier of the White Cliffs Clan, First-Year Initiate of the College of BattleMages'.

The spell instantly failed, and I tucked the amulet into my collar casually. 'Okay, apparently the magic of the amulet doesn't allow it to be covered up...' I walked us to the back of the room while the next students stepped onto the stage and were tested by the Fencing Instructor, -freshly healed by the House Blessed Healer,- one by one.

My vision wasn't on them, as I hid behind Alice and began casting a ridiculously complicated glamour charm on the air around the necklace, or rather the invisible Hard Light that now surrounded it in a protective fashion. Every single angle, every single lighting change, and every other variable that would affect it was accounted for and received its own layer of the spell, ending with the cover-all to hide the spell itself, several layers deep, and make it look like an anti-theft charm. It steadied, and I made it permanent, giving the same treatment to Alice's amulet, before focusing back on the Proctor.

"Ahem! Well, that was a curious group, all successes! Very rare, that is! And with that, the day of testing comes to a close! You may mingle, or go inquire about Dorms in the main hall, or tour the facility, if you like. As of now, you are First Year Initiates, which means you will be expected to master 1st Tier Battle Magic before the end of First Term, in order to progress to the next rank and access the more advanced libraries of the College! A reminder of the Rules is in order, before I release you; there are three main ones, and several other smaller, less important rules. The punishment for breaking these three rules is Expulsion from the College and Revoking your right to enter any Magical Guild in the Capital." She said clearly, and watched the crowd, waiting until the murmuring died down.

"Now that that's clear, let's begin;
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Rule #1: Sabotaging, Stealing, Revealing, or Displaying another Student's Belongings, Research Materials, Personal or Proprietary Information, or Research Results to the public, other students, or other Mages, is Utterly Forbidden.
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Rule #2: Duels, while discouraged, are allowed; however, any Intentionally Lethal Duels are not Tolerated!
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Rule #3: Politics are to be left Outside the Gates. You are all equal; Any student or faculty member caught using their political or economic power to control, coerce, threaten, or intimidate anyone will be not only Expelled and Excommunicated, but also Prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law.
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And that's everything! There's other rules, and you can look them up in the main hall, they're all inscribed around the base of the statue of Dream. If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them!" She smiled and bowed to a smattering of applause, then stepped off the stage easily.