Mages of the North: The Adventure Begins

Chapter 32

After finishing their lunch, Floris, Alvis, and Kathrina made their way back to the classroom and sat together in the middle of the room, which had already been filled with an ocean of mixed colored robes and incoherent conversations from all over the room. There was a mixture of emotions within the group, uncertain of what their futures held, but it was undeniably exciting as well. Up until now, the three of them had managed to get along perfectly fine. Kathrina had many questions about what life was like for the boys back in the swamp, and she answered any questions they asked her about the new world they had been thrust into. However, the excitement did not come without tension. Floris and Alvis both knew what would happen if Alvis couldn't learn to do a basic skill that the guild required. He would be removed from the team and forced to adjust to his new life on his own while Floris and Kathrina took on a new member and continued their adventures. But for Floris and Kathrina, it was a different story. Floris already had a head start when it came to alchemy, and Kathrna had already demonstrated her powers. There was no getting around the simple fact that Alvis was in for a hard time.

As the teacher came back into the room and started for the podium, the apprentices calmed down and the room fell silent as he started to speak, "I hope you all enjoyed your meal and that you're all getting along with your new teammates. It is imperative that you learn to cooperate with each other and build on each other's strengths and weaknesses. A squad with many diverse talents between the members can be a force to reckon with, even if they're just new apprentices. However, do not become complacent and let arrogance become your downfall. A mage who brags and boasts is his own worst enemy. Now, if you're all prepared, I will give you a short lesson on how to harness and use your power and explain the differences in the magic schools." He stepped back to a large chalkboard behind him and started drawing several symbols on the board. A flame, a snowflake, a tree, a lightning bolt, and a mountain were the symbols he drew. He then stood to the side of the board and continued talking.

"The first school of magic I will talk about is Elemental Magic. This is one of the more common schools of magic you will see practiced within the guild. Spells of this school are, in most cases, more easily learned. But once a person decides on an element, they cannot change their magic. To put it simply, this is a magic that gets into your blood. Once you adopt its power, you cannot change to a different element later on, so it's wise to see which element you like best before making your decision. There are five basic elements you can choose from. Fire, ice, wind, earth, or lightning."

"Wait. Fire...Ice...Wind...Earth...Lightning...one's missing." Floris thought. He slowly raised his hand up and waited for the teacher to spot him.

The teacher stopped talking for a moment when he noticed Floris's hand and pointed at him, "Yes, Mr. Fetcher? What would you like to know?"

Before Floris answered, he noticed almost everyone in the room was looking at him, making him feel uneasy. However, he was curious to know the answer to his question, and looked up at the teacher as he asked, "You say there are only five elements...what happened to the sixth? Where's water?"

The teacher grinned and stepped forward a little as he replied, "That is an excellent question, Mr. Fetcher." He started to walk back and forth with his arms behind his back as he continued, "For some of you, this might be ancient news. But for those who may be wondering the same thing, let me answer it for you. For a myriad of reasons, water is elemental magic that hasn't been used in over ten-thousand years. Its been so long since it was last used that there are very few beings remaining who could even teach someone how to use it now. During its time, water magic was one of the most powerful forms of magic, but there were many who let that kind of power slip into their heads. In fact, it was water magic that led to the Twenty-Year Civil War within the Mages Guild. A group of powerful water mages saught the position of the Arch-Mage and the council seats, seeking to take complete control over the guild. But once they were defeated, the magic that made them so powerful was banned from practice. It has long since been un-banned but by the time it was allowed to be taught again, few remained who knew how to teach it. Since then, the guild has not seen a single water mage. It is a presumed extinct form of magic."