"Regeneration won't outpace my harpy even with strong defense! That was stupid." Elwin snorted, looking to Juniper as if the girl might laugh along with him. Of course he found her icy stare fixed on Arthur. Why? He was intelligent and kind and had been nothing but nice! He knit his jowly face into a frown; one way or another she would see. "Keeping in mind she is nourished by the Fattened Orratilla, my Bloodfeather Harpy attacks your seed!" He slammed his hand on the table for emphasis.

***

His expression softened at the girl who was shaking uncontrollably. "You're telling me it won't happen again because you think that is what I want to hear, or because you've weighed the risks and benefits in your mind?

"The very first rule of wizardry is you need to be careful. Magic is prediction. Control. Arriving two minutes early at the risk of tripping down a flight of stairs? Careening into some poor alchemy student? Impaled on a gargoyle?" He took a step forward, leg clanking on the floor. He grunted in annoyance. Unfortunate. Some droopling imbecile watching might think his ranting drawn from jealousy and ravages of age.

"Are you okay? Oh, right, you're new here!

"I'm Kana and this is Liam. Basically, there wasn't enough space in our class so they stuck us together!" Kana flashed a smile And by now he was used to the stares; it was actually pretty fun to make a show of it. "Its a pretty good deal, yeah? I don't have to study and Liam gets some muscle for once. He was such a shrimp before."

"I'm wasn't that short." Liam hid a tiny smirk. Kana talked as if this were the most ordinary thing in the world. Perhaps it was. It was hard to conceive of not sharing a body. Snapping out of reverie the boy turned his attention to Susie's roommate. Fair, silver-haired, definitely highborn or feyblooded or something. Had to be. "Are we really the weirdest thing you've seen first quarter? My favorite thing was the hedge-maze; changes each day."

Kana-Liam were perusing the Magicka Miscellanii. These were books of disciplines not officially recognized: haruspicy, Yoreiqi bone-dancing, draconic mentalism, and so on. "What about this one?" Kana haphazardly pulled a book off the shelf, shoving it in Liam's face. 

"Can you just let me- Seriously? It has a dragon picture right there! Like the other two!" Liam huffed and Kana cackled. In retort, a hand whipped around and cuffed the the Duhjari in his shoulder. Amidst their roughhousing the pair backed into someone. It was a bewildered looking girl and at once they straightened.

"Oh. Sorry! We didn't see you there. Are you okay?" Kana offered an apologetic smile. "You're one of Susie's roommates, right?" Stuffy and fancy by her complaints.

"We? And, um, I'm sorry too. Normally these stacks are deserted. Witchcraft nonsense, mostly."

It was midnight. Another term had begun at Wyrdwood. The days were still warm with the dry heat of summer, but a chill was beginning to creep through the mountaintop castle by nightfall. Just about everyone was in fitful slumber, but for a lone bat flapping his way through the towers and parapets. He gripped a tiny letter, bound by string, between delicate little paws.

Where was the first-year tower again? Everything looked the same from up here! It was northernmost one, right? North! He fluttered in a circle, catching site of Wyrm Mountain in the distance. That was south. With another hearty beat of his wings the bat found his mark and perched on the window sill. Being a bat and flying were just terrible. There were so many better ways to do this, but in his head it sounded brilliant. But if he were smart he'd not be doing this at all. Bunkbeds. Snoring. Mothballs, probably from those itchy quilts the first years got. Good chance this was it. The girl's name was Ryvana and she had white hair. Making barely a sound he fluttered to the nearest bed frame. A redheaded girl in a fetal position. Not her. Shit. Wrong room? But then his beady black eyes caught a glint of silver across the room. Pale skin. Long, long silvery white hair. Delicate face. This was her. The bat nipped the string to free the note from his paw and, note between his teeth, flapped to the hook where her robe would hang. It took a few tries to force the scroll into the pocket.

When Ryvana donned her clothes for the day she would feel the crinkle of paper in her front pocket. It was a tiny scroll bound with string and a glob of blue wax.

QuoteNot like the others. See it in your eyes. Not worried if you're too tall or too short, if your nose is too big, or whether or not that boy will ever notice you. You want something more and we can help.

Find The Maw of Mysyryx in the Library. Bring it to Fyarion's Font at midnight.

Wyrdwood had innumerable libraries and book collections. The largest of its libraries was simply called 'The Stacks' and was a sprawling expanse that occupied three floors of the central keep. The lower floors were filled with historical texts and primers on magical theory. The upper floors were off limits but to true wizards and their named apprentices. The imps and gargoyles of Wyrdwood, not to mention a vigilant librarian, kept young students well away from such dangers.

A sour frown of consernation crossed Elwin's jowly face. Seed of Yggdrasil? Why? It was pretty useless outside a strong defense. "I could probably just make Oratilla use Grind to lower its defense and kill it. But I really want to show the Lady how my deck works. I don't want to ruin the spirit of it.

"I use Bait to bring in Bloodfeather Queen with added health." He flicked the card off the field, lazily, placing down the Bloodfeather Queen in all her glory. Black feathers tipped in red, luxurious thighs ending in sharp talons, and a little silk corset. "I really love the artwork on this. There's just so much soul in it, you know?"

Kana snorted in annoyance at the playing card. He never understood why so many boys liked the Dreadful Damsels set. "Its not that pretty. She's all gangly and flabby. Looks like a vulture." His expression faltered soon as he said it, eyes darting around in search of some flicker of support. Pissing off Elwin was not a good idea.

***

As Susie rounded a bend a taller figure, in the azure robes of a Magister, was rounding the bend. The girl ploughed into him. "BAH!" there was a scream of rage and, in a split second, a globe of ice and frost enveloped the figure -- blasting everything else away.

"What mushheaded nonsense are you rushing off to, girl? Hm? Not important enough, not yet, to be tearing about the school. Got to earn that." Icy blue eyes locked onto the meek first-year.

Sage walked in silence trying to formulate a reply. There wasn't any. When they reached the inn a squat Adelan opened the way and Sage tossed him a coin. It was filled with the smell of smoke and meat and raukus laughter. It was dark but for firelight, with a great sand-filled put in the center. The doormen lead them through a crowded maze of tables and up a flight of stairs to a private table on the dias. Xamuu and sage one side; Cody and Sara on the other.

"I wish you could have at least made a life in Serendipity.

"But I can bring you back now. If you want. It will be my decision." It felt good to say and was true. Juniper and his mother did not matter; not really. He was the first, the strongest of them, and it would go his way.

The young lord took a deep breath and a long sigh. How do you accuse someone of kidnapping? No right way to do. His gaze flickered, ever-so-briefly, to Cody. "But the reason I'm here... is that Basil is missing."

***

The masked boy's sharp, labored breathing was visible even from the window. "Eckhart? I can fix him!" His mind drifted to Belladona. The stupid cat always worked in some little jab! Too reckless. Shouldn't be allowed to touch Vanya's book. Much better at streetsweeping than magic. Ewan turned to a few jars and scribbled notes on his nightstand. It was mostly stuff Eckhart lent him: dead bugs, garlic, and crocodile scales. Maybe good for cleaning a wound or making grass grow. Not the time to go showing off. 

"Actually, um, maybe you're right. Just hope Belladona isn't there..."

The townhouse steps thundered as Ewan and Randal stomped their way down, vaulting over the banister in succession. "Hey! Eckhart! Its us!" came loud knocking at the healer's door.

"Are you sure? I made this just for his deck. Not fair to just change it.

"Some of us don't have silver spoons like the Clearwaters, you know, and can't always be buying new cards." Of course the Stormbane family had some notable mineral wealth along the Adelan border, but what about all those other children who didn't? Elwin gave Juniper a crooked smile, searching for any sign of sympathy. He helped her out with Nettlefield! Why wasn't she making it easy? Something in the girl's expression - her sharp voice - made him flinch. "Fine, I-I guess..."

"Fattened... Orratilla!" With a showman-like flick of his wrist, and a wink to Juniper, Elwin placed down the hexagonal card. It showed one of the rodents snoozing in a wooden cage, fur glistening in the sun.

***

Kana-Liam scrambled atop a desk to watch, left leg kicking to and fro with impatience. "Stop! So annoying!" Kana clamped a calloused hand on their knee. He hated fidgeting. "Sorry. Thinking about Susie aren't you?" A smirk crossed his face. He knew this for several reasons.

"Wasn't she coming?" It had been thirty minutes. Had he upset her? Her marks on that exam? Eleven out of fifteen was just passing. Maybe he should not have brought attention to it.

"Maybe she didn't feel like it?" Kana shrugged. They'd stuck close to Susie since she arrived at Wyrdwood, and even if she was nervous as a mouse he liked her a lot. But Liam's buzzing around her was annoying. What was so wrong with spending time together that the girl always needed to be involved?

"Come on Elwin! The whole point is to keep people guessing what you're going to do!"

"Yeah. Good game..." Liam said glumly and forced a smile, fumbling with the cards as Kana tried to help him put the deck away. A tiny crowd of the students ceased their game and meandered beside Arthur to Elwin's table.

"Oh, um, well-" Elwin's mind raced, as fast as it could at least. He built an entire deck to counter the one Arthur usually used. All winged monster girls to avoid his traps! Of course he was afraid of it not working, and never actually played him to avoid humiliation. "B-but what about your signature deck? You always use it... I really think you should."

The apprentice cast look to juniper, as if the the girl's support meant everything. She was tall, pretty, and intimidating anyway.

Sage exhaled and the dragonscale faded from his companions, who lowered their arms in turn. What the hell was that? The boy did it? So many mage-children in one place.

"There's an inn around the corner. We can talk there. If you want." He shifted awkwardly, voice shy and quiet without any of his bravado. Xamuu, Sirala, and Cody trailed behind the pair as they clomped through the mud in silence. Already the crowds of Zantaric were returning to old business. "I'm glad you have Friends down here. But- why and how are you so far south?" Other questions burned that he was not yet ready to ask.

----

"Its Elwin.

"And him? He's just a kid. We've played a lot. It would be boring to watch" They had only played once and Arthur beat Elwin handily. Of course he was rich and could afford better cards. Also if Elwin had gotten out his deepfisher mermaid he would have won. "But fine I guess. Hey, Arthur! Play me." He called out.

Skugg screeched angrily. "That is the third time this filthy cunt has gotten your name wrong? What is wrong with you? Look at her. Do you really even think she- and you always lose to him why the pissing hell are you just doing what she says?" The rodent swished its tale in exasperation, sinking its teeth into a nearby goblet. "

***

Liam had kept a number of spell cards on hand he'd use to get rid of the salamander, but they'd been exhausted against other threats Arthur kept on hand. Minutes filled with sharp sighs and eyerolls went by as Arthur seemed to have an answer for nearly every spell he tried to remove the salamander. "How did you get so many-" Liam huffed, only to be interrupted by Elwin. He gave the pudgy man a glare for interrupting. "Sorry. Play him if you want. I think I'm just dragging this out."

"That was amazing!" the Duhjari boy grinned. "Think your deck can counter almost anything! Totally wasn't expecting the cave salamander. But you know how Liam is - he always has to use that dumb hydra."

----

Sage's draw dropped in surprise at Sara's approach. He was prepared, almost, to have them all stand down.

"I didn't come to fight. I came to talk, and-" his voice faltered, suddenly sounding very young. The girl did not look so different from the one he used to go sledding with, who stole his cards to admire the pretty pictures. But then an anger rose in Sage. Who were these people to attack him? Snare him with a spell? He could not forget this. Could he? This wasn't how you were supposed to be as a Lord or as a brother. "We aren't going drop our guard unless your friends stand down."

Cody hefty his blade, ready to strike to the Connlaothian if she reloaded. Sirala bobbed in the air, a shroud of frost encircling her. And Sage's body, though snared by magic, seemed to twitch ever-so-slightly.

"Well there's really nothing to be sorry about. The phrase is common. Its just not something we use in magical circles, you understand? If you're more interested I have a few books I could-" It took a few moments to register the downcast eyes and slumped posture had little interest in such matters. "Anyway, don't hesitate when you answer. Its fine if you're wrong sometimes.

"And I'm sure your mother is very proud." The sorceress offered a small smile. She supposed some students needed to hear it, but Anwen heard it so often the sentiment was meaningless. Of course there were far worse things in the world than unconditional love, but Anwen always knew she was never what made her parents most proud. You could always tell.

***

"So basically what I did was play Fattened Orratilla which counts as bait, to bring out my Screeching Harpy Queen." A smug little smile crossed Elwin's face and he held up the hexagonal card for Juniper to inspect. It was a seductive looking female with black feathers, talons, and a crescent shaped hat. "One thirty pounds of pure terror. She is really strong, you see, but you need a huge sacrifice to bring her out usually. So she comes way early.

"Hey kid, want to play?"

"I got some real good pointers. Just a friendly game...

"That card is terrible. Why would you do that?

"See! You messed up! Let me get that out way too early!

"Bad move. Its over!"

It went on like that. The portly young man heckling anyone and everyone to play cards, or at least, any new faces or eager young beginners he could find. There was always the promise of a few pointers, though it amounted to little more than gloating in the end. From time to time he'd look over at Juniper in hopes the noble girl was sharing in his delight.

***

Kana narrowed his gaze at Elwin, sighing sharply. "Kind of old for all this, isn't he? His age people do proper duels. Or- well- chase girls, I guess."

Liam was meanwhile lost in playing cards with Arthur. It was taking all of Kana's effort not to tell his other head what to do, though even he couldn't quite figure it out. The young illusionist had his favorite card - a beautifully illustrated hydra leaping from a swamp - and seemed to be employing some convoluted strategy where his own monsters attacked the hydra to multiply its strength attribute. Their heads did regrow, after all...

"Well, well I-I don't think I'd call you a witch..." A brief look of hurt and anger flashed over Anwen's face. If this was anyone else she wouldn't! The wizardess mustered a sharp, and dismissive laugh wash to it all away. Laughter hurts more than anything. Ewan always had a way of making you feel like a stupid child for disagreeing with him, and with a big smile on his face. "There is a difference but no one, here at least, is training you to cut away unwanted babes or make offerings to storm gods for rain.

"Witch, hedge wizard, cunning woman, and medicine man are what I like to use for magicians who perform magic as spiritual leaders, especially in the country. People who think a slyph is a sky goddess, or that woundwort stops bleeding because they planted it under a full moon." Susie's minor slight was quickly forgotten, Anwen growing more and more animated. "That's not to say they don't know anything of value! We can learn a lot from them. Early Serenian druids and witches laid the groundwork for mostly everything. They just don't have a scientific or scholarly approach to magic."

Anwen paused to catch her breath. The girl was just staring. Probably bored. She hated being boring. But then again how could you not find this interesting? "Susie? Did they call you a witch at home?"

Xamuu's arrow missed. The hunter readied a second shot, but was thrown off-kilter by a dagger slamming into his back. The blade struck true, but barely grazed the dragonscale that coated his skin. He whirled with a grunt to face his new assailants. Fingers splayed, arms crossed behind his head, a barrier of jagged rock rose from the cobbles. "COME NO CLOSER! I HAVE YOUR BOY. HE SHALL BE CRUSHED, AND YOU NEXT."

Cody stood strong, eager to split Griselda in twain. But the dog-man thought better of it as she swooped with alarming speed, and darted aside. The weight of her against his shield sent him tumbling backward with a curse.

The Jelly had not been fast enough to evade the arquebus, and the bullet shattered the feeble shield of ice. It ricocheted, but the force of it knocked her from the sky and into a heap of gelatinous tissue, two of her Tendrils blown clean off. "Sirala!" Sage meant to rush forward but found himself stuck. His fingers and toes moved but his arms were held fast, but by what? The tuning fork at his belt was keening. Immediately he recognized the pitch as corresponding to spirit magic. A compulsion. It would not be hard to break, just a matter of seizing the spell! But did he need to? On the very edge of his perception he could feel their heartbeats. Seven heartbeats and so much more. The boy's mind drifted instead to the Jelly. She was cold. Dry. Too dry. Where are the other two legs? And pain. So much pain.

Sirala's form began to shift and twist... growing... changing... and in mere moments she was made whole. There came a shriek of rage, and the creature propelled itself into the air with renewed vigor and malice.

"You'd better listen to Xamuu. He isn't the joking sort. But- but if you don't have my brother" came ragged gasps, quivering with anger. "-why do you think we came to this lice ridden, rat-shit-filled heap of a City? To kill Sarah? Living here she's as good as dead. And you? You're in charge?" Not the most clever retort but mending the jelly was agony. It was painful but it was done. Just a moment and he could free himself.

***

Ordinary, Ewan made a valiant effort to give Randal some sense of logic and morality beyond Taza being right all the time. He might've needled his friend further, but both boys' noses were pressed to the glass. "There's no way she survived that! And- and Wyrmskin is mine! Its my spell. Highland wyvern scale absorbs magic and that's why I made it like that. H-how did he..." his voice broke with frustration, as if a child beaten at checkers one too many times.

"Well you don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. Its just if you're going to be a wizard some day you need to project authority. Sometimes even if you're not sure about something you'll be the one who knows the most. And if you can't get people to listen, well, you'll just be someone's pet who does magic tricks.

"And its fine to be excited about a new spell. Just don't forget everything else. There's going to be a lot of magic you've never seen before, and if you can't figure out how it works you might get into trouble." She offered a quiet smile, though it faltered for a moment. Wanting but failing to understand was one matter; apathy was unforgivable. But, her own annoyance aside, Susie was meant to be watched. Anwen was not certain why but the instructions were clear (well, relatively speaking, an underlined name was not 'clear' but it meant something). "What've you been doing with your dust?"

----

Anwen supposed she ought to give Susie some sort of advice; it was sad, and uncomfortably familiar, to see the nervous girl bumbling about. She fixed her gaze on the student and tried to search for the right words. "You remember the question I asked, Susie, about using same-species tissue in blood magic?

"You had some trouble with it but you knew the answer, right here, see?" she pointed to the entry on Susie's latest assessment, offering a gentle smile. "If you forgot that's fine. But I think you did know the answer. You shouldn't be scared if you think you know it. Its better to try and be wrong, really..."

Cody was expecting a counter-attack. The dog-man was one of the Whitechalk's better warriors, and ready to sever the Brawler's hand if she made a move. But the sudden transformation Sage brought upon them all had thrown him off - and the woman expertly parried his blade with a brass knuckle. A brass knuckle. He swung a riposte with a snarl. "Basil's the boy you're holding here. Or don't you know you're in with kidnappers, runt?"

Sirala saw the flash of the musket. Would it work in the rain? She did not understand such things. Her mind raced to formulate a plan. She drifted slowly for cover, but she was far too slow to evade the weapon. There was a rush of cold air and the water around her froze, forming a barrier, as she braced for the impact...

Xamuu watched the fray from a distance. He saw the Connlaothian take aim for the jelly, and drew his bow in turn. And then the crack of a rifle rang out. Without hesitation the man loosed an arrow, a narrow-pointed bodkin, at the woman. 

Sage thought he heard something off in the distance. And a boy talking, some nobody without a drop of sorcery. That did not matter right now. He'd urgently wanted to try out this new power that had already armored them with dragonskin. The sensation was intoxicating. But even that didn't matter. Sage had fought and trained beside Cody since they were children, and used Griselda's parry to rush forward as the fat woman spun, slashing at her wings and soft meat of her back and thighs...

The ground roiled, shook, and a giant of stone and clay erupted from the cobblestones. With a roar, and jolt of alarming speed, it snatched for the masked boy!