Call of Ring(Compleled)

27 Level 2 Test

A strike of fire lit up the grass near Blake’s left foot. It hit so close to his toes, that he had to move quickly to prevent himself from being burned. Sensing the fire had come from above, Blake looked up and saw his attacker on the roof of the school. Blake ducked behind one of several palm trees outside the school building just as it was being struck with another hit of fire.

Using the protection of the tree, he looked over to the entrance of the school. Sadie stood next to Mage Zenith. His facial expression read of mild entertainment as he looked on nonchalantly. Sadie, on the other hand, bore a face of grave concern. Somehow, she also looked resigned to the fact that she could not intervene.

“At least she’s safe,” thought Blake.

It appeared the attacker was somehow aware that he was the only target.

Blake decided to make a break for another tree that was located closer to the school building. He was hoping to draw his enemy down from the roof so he could engage him in one-on-one combat. His plan worked, because as he crossed the open area in route to the other tree, his attacker jumped from the roof firing another strike. Part of Blake’s gown caught fire, but he rolled to the ground quickly snuffing out the flame safely arriving behind the tree for shelter.

         Blake’s left shoulder was burned. He could feel the pain, but most of the damage was to his gown where there was now a gaping hole near his chest. Picking up a branch from the ground beside him, Blake stepped from behind his tree into the open and spotted his attacker running toward him. Blake pointed the stick at his enemy and struck him with fire. His attacker fell to the ground. Blake incorrectly assumed that he had dealt the fatal blow. He looked up with a tired smile toward Princess Sophie.

“Stop it! You have to call her Sadie now,” he scolded himself.

But to Blake’s surprise, the man he assumed dead rose to his feet, with no evidence of a burn on his body.

         “He must possess the wood element; somehow he had healed himself!” muttered Blake under his breath.  

         The man lunged at him swinging his left fist into Blake’s lower jaw, an uppercut that outwitted even Blake’s quick reflexes. Blake staggered back a few steps, but then regained his composure, realizing the only thing he could do next. It was Blake’s turn to lunge. He tossed the stick he had converted into a weapon high into the air. He then faked a punch using a left cross which caused his attacker to flinch. Blake’s move with his left fist tricked his attacker well, and he quickly landed a blow with his right fist into the mid-section of his enemy. Blake hear the cracking of a couple ribs. Reaching his left hand up, he caught in mid air the stick he had flung up a few seconds before and came down hard stabbing the left foot of his attacker. Writhing in pain, his enemy fell backwards.

         “What is it about this world? Everyone is barefoot, and yet a strike to the foot is akin to a fatal stab through the heart,” Blake mused to himself, relieved to have defeated this latest enemy.

         Blake made his way slowly back to the entrance of the school and was pleasantly surprised to see that the Grand Master’s demeanor had changed. His wise old face now bore a great big grin of congratulations. Meanwhile, Sadie’s face indicated relief.

         “I’m sorry I didn’t warn you Blake,” said the teacher trying to manufacture a pathetic half-hearted apology.

         “As I said before, to gain entry into the Calvin School of Magic, you must be at least a level 2 mage. That is why an attacker came for you. But having defeated him, you are now permitted to enter. Congratulations!”

         Blake felt relieved, but he also felt exhausted.

         “And as for you, young lady. Based on Blake’s win, I must trust that you are who you say you are. You both deserve my congratulations. Follow me.”  

         Another student appeared out of nowhere and took the three horses away.

         The teacher then turned to lead them through the entrance way. As he turned his view away from Blake and Sadie, she subtly reached for his hand and undetected gave it a squeeze. Blake looked up at Sadie and caught her smile. He smiled back and imagined briefly that they were back in the cave just before entering Desert Blanche. He longed to fall asleep next to her but wondered if he was more attracted to her as Sadie or Princess Sophie.

         As they passed through the entrance, a beautiful patio with lush vegetation and varied colors of beautifully manicured flowers overwhelmed their senses. Mage Zenith looked back at them, beaming with pride.

“We hope you like the environment that has been created here for your study. We take great pride in the maintenance of our grounds.”

The patio was organized in the shape of a large square with small buildings surrounding its entire exterior. A series of six short paths were outlined by neatly trimmed hedges that converged evenly into the middle of the patio garden forming a star. In the center stood a tall flagpole. Attached to it was a flag fully extended in the wind. Blake could now see the flag clearly unlike when he first spotted it from a distance. It displayed two solid colors of red and green evenly split as two big stripes.

“That’s either the flag of the Calvin School of Magic or the Vex Empire,” thought Blake to himself. He wondered which was true but wasn’t about to ask for fear of revealing himself to Mage Zenith as a stranger to this world.

“Let me show you around,” declared the Grand Master.

Sadie and Blake followed him as he detailed the campus. They walked first into the center of the patio using one of the six paths.

“The wind is cooperating today to proudly display our school’s flag. Red symbolizes the blood shed of mages past who have fought to defend honor and good in our world. Green symbolizes our hope for the future. As new students learn new skills, they venture out into the unknown world. Our school is instrumental in the fight of good vs. evil.”

“It’s a beautiful flag that conveys a simple and profound message,” commented Sadie.

They were now facing the entrance of the school, looking due north by Blake’s estimation. The Grand Master pointed at the buildings in that direction.

“I have an office there as the Grand Master. Also, two of our student mages are posted there for security around the clock, one on the inside, and another with quick access to the roof. All students rotate into the security protocol for twelve hours shifts.”

Blake swallowed hard, realizing he had killed another student who was simply taking his turn as security detail, but he decided not to speak about his feelings out loud.

Without context, Mage Zenith said aloud, “Don’t worry about him Blake. He wasn’t making much progress here anyway.”

Without belaboring the point, he continued on callously with the tour, as if it wasn’t odd that he had detected Blake’s thoughts of regret, and as if nothing of significance had taken place.

“There is also a small store. It’s open daily for about an hour just before dusk. It doesn’t contain much variety, because most of your needs are taken care of by the school. In addition, we encourage all of our students to attend the local market on Saturdays.”

“I neglected to ask what the fees are for attending the school,” Blake inquired rather abruptly.

The teacher let forth a hearty laugh, “Fees?!” he exclaimed.

“My dear boy, this must have been a failed attempt at humor. Either that, or you are somehow a foreigner to our world. The fee for anything is always one coin, including the fees to our school. But you must quantify your entrance by proving you’re a Level 2 mage, which you have done by defeating one of our students earlier.”

Blake suddenly remembered that he had one coin left over from his last day with Gaius and Dorkus. He had never used the second coin from that day. Blake reached into his gown where an inner pocket was concealed. From the pocket he produced a coin and handed it to the Grand Master. Princess Sophie had a coin ready as well, and Blake wondered from where she had gotten hers. He presumed she also had hiding spots within her small white gown.

Mage Zenith accepted the coins with a slight bow. He then pointed to a larger building to East of the patio.

“This is where we all gather for two meals a day. One meal takes place shortly after sunrise, and the second one occurs just after dark.”

The Grand Master then turned around cueing his guests to redirect their attention. They were now facing south.

“These buildings are our dormitories. You both will be residing in the first house with other newer students,” Mage Zenith said pointing to the first house on their left.

“There are multiple rooms set up for individual use; you can choose whichever one you like, first come first serve. Finally, the last building within our small patio central area is the bath house.” Mage Zenith said, turning again slightly pointing to the West.

“It is heated by our unique natural hot springs. But I must apologize in advance, my dear lady. You are our first female student, and as I was not expecting us to ever admit a woman, I will have to consider how we can afford you privacy as clothing is not permitted in the water.” 

Princess Sophie spoke up, “Please do not have any further concern for me. I enjoy privacy in my thoughts, but I am not ashamed of my body, nor do I need any privacy in that regard.”

Her words startled both Blake and Mage Zenith. The incredible posture of composure alluded the Grand Master for a moment as he was visibly blushing in response to Sadie’s words of disclosure, presumably trying to dodge explicit images running through his mind.

“Very well,” he said, with his voice cracking a bit.

Blake looked over at the princess, now known to him as Sadie. She snuck a subtle wink at him while the Grand Master had his head turned momentarily. Blake was glad he was beyond the instant blush induced reactions now. He felt more comfortable around her, but still felt an existential threat by her beauty.

“Given the hour, the two of you should choose your room, bath…”

the Mage stuttered as if something had caught him in the throat, but after clearing his throat, he continued;

“…and rest as necessary. Afterward, please join us in the dining hall for our evening meal.”   

“Thank you for your hospitality,” said Blake.

Blake and Sadie bowed slightly and headed in the direction of the first dorm house. As they approached the little house, Blake almost tripped over Sadie. He hadn’t noticed that she was pressing into him closely as they walked.

“That battle you fought before we were allowed entrance burned part of your gown. It has left me with a great view,” she said with a flirtatious smile.

Blake was confused so he looked down at his gown. The left side of his chest was exposed, and because she was walking so closely to him, a view of his six-pack was on display.

         “Well, now it’s my turn to counter. I’m glad you’re enjoying the view,” Blake fired back.  

His response was only half-hearted though because in this moment, he knew he’d be meeting other students. The same question returned to him from before:

“Will the students I meet prove to be friend or foe?”