Okinwarry - A Road To Academy of Wizardry

Ass Pee Penny? What A Weird Title For A Priestess!

Thursday, 31st March 1453

I saw a lady in her early 40’s, wearing the same get-up as the rest of the Priestesses and was looking rather joyful when she laughed together with Senior Priestess Mystic Windtalker. I was half wondering to myself, what a weird way to call oneself as “Ass Pee Penny” and I wondered if she had that name given to her or she cooked up such moniker for herself just for laugh…!

“Nice to meet you, err… Ass Pee Penny” I extended my hand and was warmly shook by her. “Could I call you sister Penny instead because adding those two offensive words in front of your name would make it sounds rude, don’t you think so?”

It took just a moment before both Senior Priestess Windtalker and Penelope began to break into raucous laughter as they had just recalled that the teenager before them had no formal education before and every abbreviation sounded weird to her.

“Ahhh Haa Haa Haaa… alright, you can call us both as Sisters, we won't really mind one bit. By the way just to highlight to you, since this is your first day and we are not here to reprimand you or anything.”

“The dining hall is used for dining purposes only. Normally the students would have a practise room to themselves if they want to hone their skills. I heard that you were talking to your friends and this brought the other girls to cause pandemonium in the dining hall.”

“You know girls, right…? They are quite squeamish towards those furry friends of ours so its best to advise them to visit you at your sleeping quarters or at the private rooms for your practice or chatting with your friends. Do you understand me?” Priestess Windtalker advised me and pointed out the rules of the Academy.

I wished to inform her that it was started by Nibbles, the zippiest mouse in the whole Academy grounds but I preferred to keep mum since I do not want them to be in trouble instead. I am sure this incident that happened in the dining hall would be dismissed by them. But then I was interested when Priestess Penelope had informed me about the scream the latter heard when she was pruning the plants. It was hilarious but I would not dare to laugh in front of them. They looked so authoritative…!!!

“Alright, would there be anything else you need to bring up? You have a few days here and we normally send the students back home on Friday evening and be back here on Sunday evening. At least they could have some fresh air and return to their families and as for you, you could return to the Orphanage too. From next week onwards, we would be scheduling you to have a formal education, so that you would be able to learn to read and write in the fastest manner. Believe me, within a week, you would be exposed with so much information that you would be craving for more. There’s a library here on the ground floor and you could bring up the books to your room or study areas and flip through the pages.”

What Priestess Windtalker was saying doesn’t make sense at all. How can I become a learned person in just under a week? I never hold a writing instrument before so how could I be able to read and write if I don’t even know the alphabets. I cannot even distinguish anything at the moment and I would depend on the landmarks to get around within the Main Wing.

“Excuse me, Sister Windtalker, I never learnt how to read or write so how do you expect me to become a genius within a week?” I asked inquisitively but I heard another uproar, this time from Priestess Penelope.

“You had forgotten something, Kristobel. This is Okinwarry, Academy for Wizardry, a place where all the wizards with special abilities would gather and become one big family. We have someone arranged to meet you later on Monday since that special someone would be helping you and others who have difficulties in learning something new.” Priestess Penelope explained and I was all ears when I heard once more of the purpose of this Academy. I now finally understood that the Academy would also stand for school. How would a dim bulb like me understand such a BIG word like an Academy?

“Alright, be off now. So you already know the small little rules of the dining hall, right? No practising of your skills there, no matter how difficult it may be to resist those temptations to talk to those who talk to you first. Right, be off then. Tomorrow is Friday so by evening time, all the students here would have their carriages to send them back home. How about you? Would you like to take a ride with us? Besides, Our Majesty is still there in Safehaven, which Clayton had christened it and I am sure the children are helping him put up the signs too.”

I wondered why my heart was palpitating the moment I heard about Clayton’s name. Maybe I missed his warm and infectious smile and also the place that I once called home. Or maybe I missed him. Oh my…it’s only been a day away from Safehaven and I feel like there’s a storm of butterflies in my tummy right now. Maybe I had not enough to eat earlier and would go snacking like that Vivian had suggested to me earlier if ever we got hungry.

“Ye…Yes, I would love to join you in your car back to Safehaven…!” I was clasping my hands under my chin and looked kind of stupid doing so in front of the Priestesses.

“Alright then, you could wait up at the registration earlier by Gecko tomorrow when the bell rings to signal the end of the school week, okay? I am sure the children would be thrilled to see you back with them and we would be driving you here once more on Sunday evening. That’s settled then. Would there be anything you would like to ask me?”

I shook my head and answered that there is nothing else and then I was ushered out from the office and the person who guided me sent me back to the so-called elevator and then back to my room, where Vivian was waiting for me with a thick wad of paper rolled up in her hand…!

Meanwhile in Priestess Windtalker’s office…

“So what do you think of this girl? She is just like me, and she does not need to hone her skills any more than I did right now. The only thing for her is to go through a series of procedures when Monday comes.” Priestess Windtalker asked Priestess Penelope of what she thought of the idea of letting the new entrant go through a process called Knowledge Absorption.

“Well, she is just like you and I wondered if she had ever interacted with other animals besides those mice back in Safehaven. I agree that she does not need to hone her skills any more than she needs to, just like you. I am not sure about plants, but as for myself, I can manipulate plants and vines. You know what I mean.”

“So, how about making a trip to some farm around here and see if she could understand the sheep bleating, the shepherd dogs barking or even the horses neighing. We would be able to see how the progress level for Kristobel. I am sure she would have some other abilities that are dormant inside her and I am sure someone would be able to probe into her mind to filter all the recesses of her mind and memories.”

Priestess Penelope highlighted since that someone would be assisting in performing some procedures not only Knowledge Absorption but also perform a Mental Scan as well. “Who knows that maybe we can uncover something to our benefit. Somehow, she ever mentioned that she was a thief, am I right? I mean, not technically that she is one right now but was taught to perform such deeds to gain wealth that the late Matron and her goons had accumulated all these years. I am sure a lot of people are happy that those animals are dead right now, even though they had never voiced out vocally.” Priestess Penelope added and Priestess Windtalker cannot disagree with her on this matter.

Between sips of tea, as the duo sat down in the mahogany table, they both chatted idly about the days gone by and were glad that their Majesty had taken them in before when they travelled to the small Gracehaven Town, looking for shelter and protection once they heard that the person in charge was of a royal lineage.

Right now, the Wizard’s Guild back in Gracehaven is being managed by the new blood since most of the Priests and Priestess would love to be educators and decided to stay in Okinwarry instead.

Besides, the trip from Okinwarry and Gracehaven would only take under 1 hour if they were to drive there. The duo Priestess talked and joked about the old times but nothing could compare to what's happening on the third floor of the dormitories…..

“Come on, Vivian…It was not done in purpose, you know. All I heard was someone talking under the table about the crumbs that would be collected after the meal if it drops to the floor. The tiny mouse was looking for food to feed its brothers and sisters and he does not mean any harm. What could a mouse do to you?”

“You know, you want to whack that thing you are holding on to right now on every mice you find here in this school? You..?!?! You are afraid of mice and yet you wanted to whack them up?” I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time since Vivian, the one who was screaming like a red fox during a mating call. Hahaha…!

“If I don’t whack those furballs, I am going to bring my cat, Garfield and it would be able to settle the infestation that we have in this school. Hmph…! Just watch out, okay…?!? You sabotaguer…Hmph…!!!” Vivian threw away the roll of paper that she was holding and jumped onto her bed and buried her face into her pillows.

A cat, she said? It is still considered as a big ball of fur and the only difference is that a cat looks more lovable. Hey… Mice could also be a pet and more lovable too, am I right?