Hooves.
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It was a strange sensation that sent shivers down my spine as the sound of galloping horses thundered closer and closer. It was not concern but curiosity that stirred Elise and me as the riders ground to a steady halt several meters away from us. As I stood up, a broad man wearing a gambeson strut forward on a chestnut charger. He seemed eager to exhale a curious piece of news.
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“Take heed, young mistresses, all students of Cinderfall Academy must seek shelter within the walls forthwith!”
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“Is this another drill?” stammered Elise, too lazy to lift her head from my lap.
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“A battle has been observed not several leagues from academy grounds. So do not tarry! Hah!” He was off before we could blink.
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Elise sat up. “A battle?”
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I could not believe it. “We’d better do as he says.”
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“I wonder which lords are tossing their pricks this time.” The way Elise picked herself up annoyed me a little, because she rose using only her legs. “Maybe, this time, they will clean up the battlefields.”
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“Right.” I thought about all of the flesh-eating beasts that the incoming bloodshed would attract. “I wonder where monsters come from.”
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“You should pay attention in Bestial Science more,” Elise admonished, ironically, as if she was the model student. What nerve.
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“I know they come from bogs and plagued places, but how do they get there in the first place? How do they breed? Why do they exist?”
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“Why do we exist?”
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“… I see your point.”
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“Come on.”
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As we walked through the portcullis, the caravaners busied themselves laying tarps over their wagons. Every now and then they would lodge in the academy if only to avoid road travel during the unsavory hours. I wondered how they would fare over the course of this new war.
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You often read stories of battle, and they are difficult to believe. No surprise, Sister Monica would steal those books from me whenever she found them under the floorboard. A man pierced by a lance through helmet and eyeball hardly makes for leisurely reading.
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Back in the dorm, I keeled away from my studies and thought about the fighting between Calabeck and Rochambeau and how the everyman would live. War does not stop on the battlefield. It does not satisfy itself with taking lives or livelihoods. It comes after food. It comes with hunger. And then disease comes. In combat, people do not thrive; animals do. It was a twisting path in my anxiety when I tried to think about something else.
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I began to dwell on the general state of things at Cinderfall. A few weeks and I'd conformed to the sight of floating candles, animated paintings, and magical majesties. Out in the fields, on the same grass where I struggled to lift my own body weight, I enviously watched the spellcasting duets. While I was stuck in theory, the upperclassmen danced in waves of energy and elements as they honed their arcane abilities. Students of diverse skill sets helped elevate the magical duels from bumbling acts to performances of finesse like that of the Rondo. There were moments when the spectacle lacked nothing but a good musical number. I saw blue, vibrant tendrils extend forth from their catalysts; rocks formed and crumbled; the wind twisted and blended the various hues of fire; some of the trees decayed as a result – Magic had to come from somewhere. Most spells could not function without mara. Sucking the life from a tree would not improve a fireball, but that energy could help fuel a spell.
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Speaking of fire, I presumed that the students were too wary of their surroundings to try destructive spells. However, a hail of stars soon erupted from the hands of the upperclassmen. They spiked suddenly and fell with a devastating force that pounded and carved up the soil around them. It was both beautiful and terrifying, but another realization interrupted my thoughts then and there.
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How frightful that the Cinderfall students in front of me were merely the tip of the iceberg when it come to arcane potential. To this day, I don't believe I've seen anything near magic's true potential. The arcane is still a hollow box that can never be filled.
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Without my realizing, the days had become less daunting. I worried a little less about the future and more about the things around me. I would find myself looking forward to the study sessions with Elise and Roy. Don't get me wrong. I was anxious about my future at Cinderfall, but the fear was no longer crippling. The crisis seemed like it had departed for the time being.
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Yet one random evening, as I sat by the window and watched moonlight drizzle over the sheets, I remembered to be grateful for my lot. My brothers and sisters at the orphanage expressed both envy and sorrow when they found out I would be boarding at a prestigious arcane school, away from them. I was the big sister to most of them, little sister to some. One out of more than a dozen found a home, sort of. Meanwhile, I had a roof over my head, food in my belly, and a path out of serfdom. Most of all, I had protection against those things. I hadn’t seen a monster since my arrival, which was a welcome change of pace. But my heart and mind always wandered to the people I left behind. I hoped they were safe, that Sister Monica was well and still reading the old fables before the whole family.
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***
One sunny morning came with an early uproar across the academy grounds, from the lower ring to the upper keep. As expected, on the fifth day started the short pilgrimage to the Trials of the Rounds and The Grand Magic Gauntlet. What is the Grand Magic Gauntlet? Every year, Cinderfall's most talented students, and students from different fiefs and kingdoms, enter a gauntlet designed to test their knowledge, skill, and fortitude. Every year, a cadre of teenagers—typically the older, more seasoned alumni—are hand-selected to represent Cinderfall Academy. Every year, on this day, students from all corners of the imperium would head north, into Caria. Students and teachers. Any and all participants would travel to the nearest warpstones for a short journey to the capital. But the importance of the event extends beyond the games.
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The Grand Magic Gauntlet marks a climactic moment of the year for lords and ladies, who come from all corners of the imperium to attend. That includes nobles, whores, bureaucrats, clowns, court magisters, princes, bishops, and even kings. All members of the second and first estate throw their lot into twelve days of sport and spectacle. With mobs of exceedingly high-brow folk in attendance, there was no ceiling to the prestige for the winners. Victory can open the floodgates of opportunity.
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Since it was something of a popular event, it was no wonder that so many teachers would make the trek as well. Therefore, Cinderfall's most renowned Magisters and Maisters would be gone for a while. I wouldn’t be surprised if the war between Calabeck and Rochambeau paused for a while as well. It was a special time of year where the land became docile. It’s not unlike a holiday or, what the wealthy folk call, a “vacation.” Aside from a lack of classes, it would be a normal pair of weeks for me.
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Though everyone would have a repreive during the Grand Magic Gauntlet, first-years could not attend unless they had siblings among the players. While in the capital of Great Jormungaard, where the accompanying festival is supposed to be equally mighty, peasants could not hope for seats in that grand arena.
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Myself, I thought about returning to the orphanage to pay everyone a visit. But it wasn’t exactly around the next acre, and it would have been my first time on a long journey. I couldn’t use a warpstone, either. Figured. It would be against my nature to relax anyway. I thought about how I might improve my stamina in time for the return to Fitness class. Wandering the halls wouldn’t be enough. Perhaps, it was ime to test my adventurousness.
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