The Monsters Within

Chapter 2

Two Years Later

Veronica leaned against the stone window frame, watching the wind rustle the orange and yellow-tinted trees of the Elym school's grounds.

It was evening in Elym and traces of gold and rose-colored light bathed the horizon.

Elym school rested in a large, circular stretch of subtle hills. The area consisted of farming plots with the occasional copse of trees for accent.

Surrounding the grounds was a forest with dense canopies and thick-trunked sentinels that provided a natural barrier between the school and the outlying regions. 

To the west, the direction Veronica's chamber window faced, was the massive shadow of mount Iliar.

It lurked in the distance, a forlorn figure that rumor had pegged as the origin of many of Elym's darkest and most vicious creatures.

Legends claimed that Iliar was once volcanic and that the day it appeared it punched up through the earth in a fiery explosion that shook the foundations of the realm.

The resulting chasm created with its appearance was said to have served as the doorway to another realm, a hellish realm, through which a number of nightmares were granted entry to Elym.

Veronica didn't believe in legends. She believed in evidence and she'd never found one scrap of proof of such things being true, or even of Iliar's rumored volcanic activity. And she should know. She'd written her graduation report on the famed mountain years ago during her career as a student.

She directed her attention down to the window ledge and smiled.

A line of potted plants stretched from one end of the ledge to the other; a variety of plants ranging from squat, stubby-leafed calatheas, to sprawling, elegant vines of ivy.

Veronica waved a hand through the air and a light misting of water followed, sprinkling down onto the thirsty leaves of each.

A subtle knock sounded on the door of her quarters.

It was probably Krin. Today was a monumental day for him, for them both. The outcome of the day's events could very well determine the future of the school.

It was finals time and all of the upper-level students were preparing for their final exams and life after graduation.

Exams were presented in a tournament-style format in which students competed head-to-head in bouts of magical skill.

Each student was graded on performance-based criteria like strength, control, creativity in power usage, and overall battle acumen. The result was then combined with the student's class scores to determine a passing or failing mark for the year.

The exam served as a personal exhibition for each student. A good performance could solidify a sponsorship or an apprenticeship, as well as open a number of other post-curriculum opportunities.

Given that the who's-who of the Elym elite attended the yearly event, the tournament's scope stretched far beyond just a pass or fail grade and a good show.

Often the most gifted students were noticed by members of the Elym nobility and went on to acquire their own positions of influence.

Another important facet of the exam was that each entered student had to be first sponsored by a representing proctor. Most attendees and staff didn't quite comprehend the implications of this.

A student that won the tournament would earn enormous influence for their proctor, and generally a shift in the school council's political power resulted.