Bibliomancer ~ 19!

~ Nineteen ~

“Novice Mages Sam_K and Finneas Laustsen,” the Archmage intoned, his greasy voice sending shivers racing along Sam’s spine, “stand before the Council and prepare to receive our verdict.”

“Verdict!” Sam shouted in shock and jumping to his feet. “We don’t even know what we’ve done wrong… your excellency.” 

He tried to keep a lid on his simmering anger, but it was no easy thing. The guards had tossed Sam and Finn into a frigid cell that was so cramped they’d barely been able to sit, and laying down was absolutely out of the question. They hadn’t received anything—no blankets, no water, no food, no information. Despite the cramped, terrible, and inhumane conditions of the cell, Finn had somehow managed to pass out for a few hours… Not so much for Sam.

He’s spent the remainder of the night sitting in a tepid puddle, his back pressed against cold, gray stone, his knees pulled in tight against his chest. He hadn’t slept a wink. Then bright and early, the guards returned, hauling them from the cell and parading them before the Council, who stared on with pitiless gazes, their brows furrowed in disappointment and judgment. 

Worse, the same balding, purple-robed Mage from the night before had slapped another Silence spell on Finn so he couldn’t even defend himself against this kangaroo court. Sam had asked for a lawyer—because due process. The guards had openly laughed in his face as though he’d just asked whether the moon was made out of blue cheese. Which meant that it was up to Sam to handle things. He’d never wanted to be a lawyer, but he’d go to the abyss before he was going to roll over without a fight.

“I refuse to accept any verdict rendered by this body until I know exactly which laws we’ve violated,” Sam growled, hands curling into tight fists.

“The charges should be obvious, even to one as new you, but I suppose for the sake of the other Mages present, I can edify you, child. You two formed an unauthorized party with heroes, a group unapproved by the Mage’s College. Moreover, you engaged in unsanctioned questing outside of the city proper without first receiving a writ of approval from the Mage’s Hunting and Wildlife Division. Further, while doing so, you engaged in the willful killing of ten Travelers without our express permission! To top it all off, the pair of you engaged in debauchery and revelry in a common tavern, which is conduct unbecoming of this august body.”

Each new charge felt like a slap to the face. That was it? Questing with a party in a game designed to go questing? Killing the Hardcores in self-defense? Having a few beers to celebrate?

“Seriously?” Sam features were contorting in bewilderment. “Those are the charges? This is a joke, right? Like… some kind of hazing ritual designed to mess with our heads?”

“How dare you take these proceedings so lightly,” the Archmage growled, leaning forward like an attack dog ready to pounce. Another sucker punch to the face came swiftly. “Mage Suetonius, make a note of this one’s insolence. He will receive an additional week’s punishment for Contempt against the Council.”

“What? I’m not trying to be insolent. Seriously, I’m not! I just genuinely don’t understand. We didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Octavius,” the Archmage’s jowls flapped like leather handbags in a hurricane as he spoke, “I am not going to waste my breath explaining what should be plain. Inform this fool, if you will.”

“Gladly, Archmage,” Octavius replied, swooshing forward in a swirl of fabric. “This party that you joined yourself with, were they preapproved by the Mage’s College?” 

“No,” Sam replied slowly, “but what does that matt–”

“If they were not preapproved,” Octavius cut him off, “then how do you know for certain they weren’t engaged in behavior that might be in opposition to the will of the College, hmmm? What of these other warriors you killed? Even though your actions were in ‘alleged’ self-defense, you could well have attacked a group that had ties to our College, causing a potential diplomatic incident with your foolishness.”

“Were they a group with ties to the College?” Sam shot back.

“No,” Octavius replied flatly, “but that is immaterial to the matter at hand. The important point is that they could have been, and you didn’t know they weren’t, yet you acted in your own self-interest… instead of the interest of the College. Even your unauthorized questing seriously jeopardized the College and even the human Kingdom of Ardania itself! We Mages serve the Crown, and if there had been a Wolfman assault, our members would have needed to mobilize for battle. Generally, Novices man the College’s defense, freeing up our more senior members to neutralize the threat, but with you and Lord Laustsen off gallivanting in the countryside, a more senior member of the College would be forced to remain behind to pick up your slack.”

“But none of that happened,” Sam sputtered, though he already knew he wasn’t going to win this argument.

“No,” Octavius said again, “but it could have. When you signed The Accords, you agreed to humble yourself, exchanging your own worldly wisdom for the wisdom of your betters. For the wisdom of this body.” 

He spread his hands out and turned in a slow circle. “But you and Lord Laustsen have failed spectacularly, bringing disgrace upon yourself, your houses, and this College. For that, you must learn your lesson.”

“Well said, Octavius,” the Archmage nodded his bulbous head. His many chins wobbled at the motion like a bowl of fleshy Jell-O. “Since this is your first offense, and we do believe it was a violation made in ignorance and not malice, the sentence will be light. You each shall be fined fifty gold, and your off-campus liberty shall be revoked for a month.” 

“No leaving these premises for any reason unless explicitly instructed by Peak Student Octavius or any Mage ranked Expert or above. To ensure the lesson is one that sticks, you shall each spend an hour a day—in addition to your regular duties and classes—devoting your Mana to The Accords. This will last no less than a month, and the first session shall commence at this very moment.”

There was a round of quiet gasps, followed by the soft murmuring of voices from the viewing stands. Sam wasn’t sure what ‘devoting your Mana to The Accords’ meant, but based on the reactions around the room, it was bad. Really bad.

You have been offered a quest. Punishment for your crimes! Serve your sentence with the Mage’s College by paying fifty gold, forfeiting liberty rights for one month and one week, and fueling the Mana of The Accords for one hour a day for one month and one week (Additional penalty for Contempt against the Council)! This quest is mandatory if you have signed The Accords, as it has been offered by the Archmage. Rewards: You will not be hunted by the College. Accept? Yes / Yes

Sam couldn’t believe what he was reading right now—a mandatory quest he couldn’t turn down? This was absolutely ridiculous. Punished for questing with friends and killing someone who’d tried to shake them down? Absurd and not even remotely what he’d signed up for. This was garbage, and he wasn’t going to spend a month and change locked up in this boring prison. Nope.

Sam flat-out refused to spend a month slaving away for people like Octavius and the Archmage. Hard pass. He’d put up with a lot of crap since entering Eternium and making his way to the Mage’s College. He’d scrubbed dishes, mucked stables, waded through sewers, and waited on Octavius hand and foot instead of venturing out into the wider world and playing the game like every other sane and rational person out in the big, wide world. This was it. He wasn’t putting up with any more of this. For a moment, he considered ignoring the quest, spitting in the Archmage’s face, punching Octavius in his, then going out in a blaze of glory as he hurled magic until someone laid him out cold.

But as tempting as that route was—and it was—now wasn’t the time or place. For one, if he did ignore the quest and start an impromptu revolt, there was every chance that Finn would get caught up in the mayhem and killed. Sam would respawn, Finn would not, and that wasn’t okay. At this point, the idea of being a Rogue Mage didn’t even sound all that bad; if things really veered wildly out of control, he could always quit and reroll a new character. Not Finn, though. This was Finn’s life, and if Sam self-destructed, there was a solid chance the young ice Mage would never recover.

There was also another ulterior motive to consider… Yes, he could punch Octavius in the face, which would be deeply rewarding, but his victory would be short-lived. But there was a way that Sam could hurt the Peak Student far worse; he could get him in trouble with the Mage’s College. He knew exactly how to do it, though it would mean following through with the Archmage’s stupid punishment quest. Sam was sure that whatever they had in store for him was going to be horrifying, but getting even with Octavius would be totally worth it in the end. So, reluctantly, he pressed ‘Yes’ and steeled himself for a world of hurt. 

“Excellent,” the Archmage boomed. “This esteemed Council has much work to be about today, so let us conclude our business, shall we? Octavius, prepare our wayward Initiates for their punishment.”

The Peak Student nodded, a deadly gleam in his eyes as he grabbed Finn with one hand and Sam with the other. Octavius marched the pair of them up the marble stairs and on to the same dais where Sam had signed the strange book only a few short days ago. Without a word of warning, Octavius pushed Finn away, then took Sam’s wrists and rudely shoved his hands against the glowing glass tube containing The Accords. The instant Sam’s hands made contact, fire and ice rocketed up his arms and zipped through his body; his muscles locked tight as he seized from the shock of raw power blasting through him.

Once, when Sam had been six, he’d decided to experiment with the electrical sockets by using a small screwdriver he’d pilfered from his dad’s toolbox. His parents had warned him a thousand times not to mess around with the sockets, but Sam—using the infinite wisdom that only six-year-olds possess—decided they must be hiding something fun. After all, most fun things had to do with the electrical sockets. They made the TV come alive, made his game console work, and charged the stereo system, which brought music to the house during the evenings. What awesome things, young Sam wondered, would the light socket do for him?

Very nearly gave him a heart attack was the answer. An answer and a lesson Sam had never forgotten. Now this? This was almost exactly like that—the power surging through his body, frying his nerve endings, searing his mind and scorching his lungs—making it nearly impossible to breathe. After a few brief seconds, the pain intensified even more as the biting power flowed into his Mana channels and worked its way into the blue-white core churning at his Center. Mana poured out of him like a tsunami, threatening to overwhelm him with its ferocity. It was so hard to think through the pain, but he heard Mage Akora’s lecture in the back of his mind.

This vast reservoir of power can be dangerous to those who do not understand its proper use. If one of you were to cast a spell without directing that rush of power through the appropriate channels, it could cause great damage—everything from exhaustion to pain to fits of severe nausea. In some ways, it would be like the reservoir flooding its banks, all of that water rushing around without anywhere to go, destroying anything in its path indiscriminately. You must master your Mana, you must guide the power along the appropriate pathways, or you will be mastered by it. 

The pain was intense, far worse even than getting stabbed in the guts with a blade. If Sam was going to survive, he needed to master the process, not be controlled by it. So, letting Mage Akora’s words run through his head over and over again like a record on repeat, Sam pushed through the pain and forced the massive exodus of power to flow out through his Mana channels, just as he’d been taught. The pain didn’t lessen in the least, but Sam’s awareness of the sensation faded, turning into ambient background noise inside his head. Every time his Mana ran out, the pain flipped off only to jolt him as his Mana regen replaced a drop of power.

Still, he couldn’t afford to acknowledge the pain because he needed complete and total concentration to keep the raging tides of power confined to his Mana channels. Directing that mad rush of arcane energy felt like trying to wrangle a hungry anaconda barehanded, but as he finally got things under control, the rate of his Mana depletion began to rapidly slow. As an Aeolus Sorcerer, he had a hefty Mana pool, and his wisdom meant that he had a naturally high Mana regeneration rate. Not enough to allow him to keep up with the Mana loss, but it kept him on his feet a lot longer than Finn. 

The ice Mage convulsed violently the whole time, his body shaking like a leaf in a strong breeze, his head flopping, his teeth chattering uncontrollably. His friend lasted ten minutes or less before his knees buckled and gave out, dropping Finn to the floor. He was unconscious, but his hands never left the glass tubing. Instead of rushing to Finn’s aid, Octavius just watched, arms crossed, an amused smile on his face.

This was brutal beyond belief, and he and Finn had been sentenced to an hour of this every single day for a month. If Sam had any second thoughts about betraying the College, they vanished the instant his hands were finally pried away from the glass. He grimaced as he regarded his palms. The skin was as raw and red as if he’d just had them pressed against a hot stovetop for the past hour. A notification icon flickered in the corner of his eye, and he brought it up on instinct.

Skill increased: Mana manipulation (Beginner III). Your training under Mage Akora has paid off in spades, and thanks to an iron will and a hard head, you’ve thrived where few others could endure. Great work!

Skill Gained: Channeling (Novice I). Congratulations! Through focus and use, you have learned to effectively channel your Mana! At seventy-five percent spell cost per second, you can maintain a connection to a spell that would otherwise use up the Mana allotted to it, increasing its effect over time. -.2% Mana cost and +1% spell damage per second per skill level.

“That will be enough for today, I suppose.” The Archmage magnanimously declared, his voice sounding like a gong in the otherwise quiet chamber. “Octavius, get these miscreants out of my presence this instant. Oh, and Octavius, I shouldn’t need to say this… but I will. These two are your responsibility as Peak Student, which means their failures are partly your own as well. Ensure they cause no further trouble of any sort, or it is you who will be up here replenishing The Accords with your Mana. That is abundantly clear, I hope.”

“Yes, Archmage,” Octavius replied, his voice as frigid as an arctic blizzard. “I will guarantee they never put one toe out of line again.” 

The Earth Mage glowered at them. “Now, both of you. Up. Your presence in this hall is a stain, and I shall see it removed.”

Finn gained his feet with a groan, his legs wobbling, face slick with sweat. Sam followed a moment later but couldn’t quite seem to get his balance. His legs felt as limp and useless as wet noodles. He took one tentative step and reeled to the side, nearly falling off the raised dais, which would’ve been a fitting end to this terrible evening. Octavius caught him by the arm, his fingers digging into Sam’s flesh as he dragged him away from the edge.

“You won’t get away from me that easily, Novice. Now march,” Octavius growled in a low tone. He gave Sam a rough shove, spurring him into motion. “You’ll be cleaning toilets until you fall asleep in the porcelain bowl.”

As Sam headed down the stairs, trailing after Finn, he had to suppress a wicked smile. Clutched in his hand were a set of keys, carefully lifted off Octavius’ belt as the Peak Student manhandled him. If he was going down, he was going to burn as much of this place down as he could in the process—especially Octavius’ budding career. As Sam’s dad often said, ‘Play stupid games, win stupid prizes’. These Mages had played a very stupid game, and now they were about to get the most fitting prize of all.