Touch of Fate

Chapter 94: For Testing Purposes

The two doors on either side of Ronolf's passage seemed to serve different purposes. The one to the right saw a steady stream of people entering and leaving. Guards were posted near the entrance, but they merely watched as people entered and left.

The door on the left had lower levels of traffic, but every person was having to check in with a bored looking guard in a booth near the entrance.

It seemed that the University could only be entered by foot. However, long rows of stables and wheelhouses were constructed along the wall, evidently providing students with places to store their carriages and mounts when at school.

Figuring that it would be his best bet, Mike joined the line for the door on the left, the others trailing behind him. When it was his turn, he stepped up and waited for the bored looking guard to address him.

"What is your business with the University of Almirn?" He asked from behind a steel grate.

"I'm actually here to apply. I have a letter of recommendation."

The guard looked Mike over before flicking his gaze back towards the rest of the group, "Is that the same for all of you?"

"These are the members of my household. I was told I could bring them with me." Mike answered confidently.

Sighing, the guard waved them through. "You'll have to check in at the Administration Building. Another guard will escort you there. Your household will need to wait in the lobby."

They passed through the open doorway, walking for nearly 5m through a tunnel of stone before they exited on the other side. Another guard, this one looking a bit more animated, was waiting for them when they arrived.

"Right this way, ladies and gentlemen. Please follow me." He spoke enthusiastically while directing them towards a stately stone building. Architecturally speaking, it resembled a Gothic structure, but with more stylistic embellishment in the crenelations and columns. Overall it exuded a quiet elegance that was in keeping with a school for the rich in powerful.

They were ushered into a large and tastefully decorated lobby. Several leather couches and chairs occupied much of the front half of the room, while the rest was dominated by a massive desk, behind which sat several individuals dressed in a matching black and silver outfits. Figuring that this was the lobby that everyone kept mentioning, Mike directed the other three to have a seat while he went up to the desk.

"Hi, I'm looking to apply." He announced, when the male staff member gave him a questioning glance.

Putting down his quill, the man asked, "Do you have a letter of invitation from the school, a letter of recommendation from a member of the high nobility, or are you attempting to apply through the scholarship program?"

"I've got this letter of recommendation from Count Graveston, if that works." He said while pulling said letter out and laying it on the counter.

"Very good, sir. If you would follow me, I will take you to an admissions specialist who will be handling your case."

The staff member led Mike through a nearby door and into a series of hallways. He stopped at one of them, and after opening it, invited Mike to pass through.

"Please have a seat, sir." Said a dignified, slightly plump woman that looked to be in her late forties, from behind her desk.

Once he had seated himself in simple chair, she continued. "I am Margret, and I will be your admissions specialist for today. Now, may I have your full name?"

"Michael Rasmussen."

"Ah, we got a message about you from Wyrport not too long ago. You are to have full tuition and board covered by your sponsor. Additionally, a line of credit has been opened with the Almirn Bank, where you may draw a stipend every month." She explained while shuffling through documents on her desk.

Handing him a form to fill out, she asked, "Have you decided what department to apply for first? Please keep in mind that if you fail the admissions test once, you will be unable to apply again to that department for three years."

"I'm aiming for the Magic Department." This elicited a simple nod as Margret making notations on another sheet of paper.

Mike started noting down some personal information on his form. "Do you need the letter of recommendation?"

"No, Count Graveston has already provided all the materials needed to start your admissions process." She replied offhandedly while filling out another form in a quick efficient manner.

[That sounds like the Count, making me carry his letter all the way here for no reason.]

He buckled down and started working on the sheet, but he couldn't help but notice its quality. Not for the first time, Mike wondered at the apparent sophistication of the paper and printing industries in this world. Despite being a feudal culture, the bureaucratic forms he'd seen since his reincarnation were roughly on par with the ones from his past life. He guessed that magic must play a role in production for a number of products and industries, but he couldn't quite see how.

[I'll have to pick up some crafting skills sometime soon.]

"Alright, it looks like everything is in order. If you follow me, I will take you to the Magic Department so you can take your entrance test. While we walk please take the time to familiarize yourself with the campus map." She handed him a paper while a detailed rendering of the University.

At its center was a tall, thin, and pointy building. According to its somewhat ominous label, it was simple called The Spire. Eight wedges formed around it in a circular pattern, giving the entire map a slightly pizza-like appearance. At the very bottom was a section marked Administration. To its left was one labeled Arts, followed by Sciences, and finally Faculty Offices. At the top was Student Dormitories, and to the right, Martial Arts, Magic, and Finance.

As soon as they left the Administration Building, The Spire stood out. So much so that Mike was amazed he hadn't noticed it sooner. Standing well over a hundred meters, it looked like a sliver of glass impaled into the center of the campus. The reflected light of the late afternoon sun was dazzling to see.

"Quite impressive, yes? The Spire is an ancient structure supposedly discovered by the first settlers to reach the central continent. Even after millennia of research and investigation, no one quite knows what it is, what it's purpose is, or even what it is made of. When Talitheon the Great first founded the University, he claimed The Spire as the center of the new school. Ever since, it has served as both the Headmaster's Office, and the University's library."

"Very impressive indeed."

Margret led him through the center of campus. Since it was starting to get fairly late, there weren't many students about, but Mike could already tell that the majority of them were quite wealthy. Casually scanning with Appraise let him see several that held titles and classes such as Noble and Knight.

They eventually arrived at a cluster of buildings which Mike could only describe as fantasy-like. Four multi-storied structures surrounded an open courtyard. A tower of white stone floated at the center of the cluster, literally hovering in the air in a manner that truly epitomized the idea of an 'Ivory Tower.'

He was almost left behind as he stopped to gawk at the tower. Arcane looking runes were carved into its outer surface. They flashed with a blueish light every so often. There was something about the runes that almost made sense to him, but he couldn't quite suss it out.

He followed Margret into the closest of the large buildings. After speaking quietly to a black robed young man sitting behind a small desk in the foyer, she demurely bade Mike goodbye and made her departure. The man, who introduced himself as Henry, beckoned Mike to follow him and led him down a set of stairs to a large circular room.

A sunken section of the floor dominated most of the room. Around its circumference were more of the arcane glyphs, but this time, he thought he could barely make out some of the meaning, as his Communication Magic worked overtime. It seemed that the writing had something to do with protection and nullification.

"Instructor Thomas will be down in a little while with the judge panel. Do you know what to do?" Henry asked, idly scratching at a bit of acne.

"I was hoping for some guidance on how this all is supposed to play out." Mike responded.

Nodding, the man agreed, "Fair enough. The test is usually straightforward, although I've seen the instructors occasionally ask for more complicated demonstrations from certain students. You just need to give them a good showing of what you are capable of. By the way, what kind of mage are you?"

"Elemental."

Henry frowned, "We see a lot of those, so it would probably be best to do something really cool to impress the judges. Do you know any good chants?"

"Just fireball and stone javelin at the moment." He replied while walking around the edge of the markings, trying to gather more information from them.

"Those are pretty much a bust, although having two elements will probably help. If you can think of any original applications of those two chants, I think you'll have a chance." The sound of footsteps could be heard descending the stairs. "That's them now. Good luck!"

Mike thanked the young man, and waited for the arrival of his examiner.

A tall, dark haired and bespectacled man entered the room first, also dressed in a black robe. A golden insignia of a tower laid on top of a book was sown on his right lapel. Three bands of purple cloth circled both sleeves of the robe. He was followed by two old and wizened men and a similarly old woman. Each of them had silver lapel insignias and only two stripes, although the colors were different. One of the men had a set of red and blue markings, while both of the others had white.

The tall man spoke first. "I am Instructor Thomas, and I will be conducting your examination today." He paused to give Mike an appraising look, but evidently was not impressed. "If you are not already aware, this test is meant to determine your eligibility for entry into the Magic Department. What area of magic do you practice?"

"Elemental." He answered for the second time today, already getting a little tired of it.

"Of course." The instructor replied quietly. "Then your task is simple, stand in the sunken area over there, and cast your most potent spell against the target location." He pointed to a marked section of the wall that Mike had missed previously.

"Are you sure? Wouldn't that be a little dangerous?" He asked, a little concerned.

This elicited a chuckle from the four teachers. "Don't worry its quite safe. We will be charging this nullification field," he gestured to the glyphs, "which will prevent any harm."

Shrugging Mike hopped down in the designated area, and considered what spell to cast.

[I'm most familiar with fireball, but I'm not sure if its flashy enough. I suppose stone javelin will have to do.....how does that chant go again?]

"From the depths of Eon, I call to thee. O heart of the First One, break free from the ancient bonds of thy earthly shackles and fly true, [Stone Javelin]."

Mike felt a huge amount of mana leave him all of a sudden, as a spike of pitch black obsidian formed in the air beside him. It was small, even smaller than the first one he created during the demon invasion. Also, it lacked the characteristic hum and instead hovered in the air, utterly still. Something about it felt...lethal.

Almost immediately, Mike began to feel a tremendous pressure on his mind, almost forcing him to let go of the spell prematurely. With a titanic effort of will, he aimed the spike at the target, and released.

There was a terrific crack, and the wall, target and all, simply disintegrated under the force of an unseen impact, sending a powerful shockwave through the floor. The spear had flown faster than he could even perceive. Luckily, there was only dirt on the other side of the wall, and a great deal of it fell back into the room, creating a small cloud of dust.

[I really need to figure out a way to deal with these dust clouds. They seem to pop up any time I use a big spell.]

He looked back up at the instructors, noticing that Instructor Thomas's mouth was hanging open, a look of pure shock on his face.

"Well, did I pass?"

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