eightball
Joined: 15 Feb 2004 Posts: 70
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 6:19 pm Post subject: The Die has Been Cast |
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As Leona Lae sat up, she looked around as if forgetting where she was. Then she remembered she was at the Starbreeze Academy. She wore her novice whites, with her hair tied up in a bun and her books neatly stacked by the door lest she forget something. "Time for chores," she thought. After splashing cold water on her face and changing her shift to a novice skirt she slipped on her slippers and started for the kitchens. She did this routine everyday. Get breakfast ready for the upper class men and then it was time to scrub the walls and do yard work. Sometimes she was allowed to use a cantrip or two, most times she had to get on her hands and knees. It was explained to her that magic is also part physical. Some spells required you to be somewhat flexible and have some amount of strength because the very high ranking spells could be very complex or tax the body because of their long casting times.
Each time she was told this, she just gave her teacher a blank stare, a stare that said, "what are you talking about?" Walking down the long corridors, she still as of yet did not smell the morning bread, or the muffin cakes that always made her mouth water. Nor did she see the other novices moving about like busy bees in a newly constructed hive. This was not unusual as she was a very early riser and always wanted to make sure she was up a little bit earlier than the others. Always hoping that she could get a muffin cake that was quite not made right, or that some of the smoke sausage or bacon was just a tad too burnt for the heads of the school.
Leona, as usual walked down the corridors whistling a tune she had learned from her father. As she turned a corner she saw a man. Non descript, dressed in grays or what could pass for dirty whites. "Well," he asked, "How are you progessing?" "Hmmm, let me think. I have sketched out the entire academy, made some friends and have found out that part of the academy is on another plane. That part I have not sketched out as of yet, but this is why at times you can see her and why at other times you cannot. You know I have been here for three months, I think I know what I am doing. This is not my first mission. Nor is this my first Senior mission. Please don't forget that I am one of the best infiltrators around." "Your accolades were not in question Leona," the figure said, "We need to know everything there is to know about this school and the head of this school if we are to assassinate or capture her. Divinations alone will not help"
Leona blinked as if in shocked and then smiled. "Let me inform you of a few things. First if you are not able to cast 4th level or higher spells, you are not getting past the school proper." The figured interrupted, "Then how do you know that the rest of the school is on another plane? I am sure that is not common knowledge!!!" " Second if one did not interrupt and just let the journey take them, one would have the answers. Please hold all questions till the end of the lecture" Leona taking a pose that look as if she were a teacher and not a mere novice, "Third making friends of the maids and the stable boys is always a good thing to do. Stable boys are young and are always oogling. When you smile at them just so, they just get all tongue tied. Really it is truly cute." The figure looking very impatient as he was tapping his hand against the wall. "Oh very well I will continue. Anywho, I simply listened and heard the rumors and found out what was true and what was not. Now the maids and the stable boys only know so much, as there are separate maids that deliver the food to the upper classmen and different stable boys who handle the animals of the higher ranking mages. However," as she smiled with a knowing twinkle in her eye. "The upper classmen, some of which are also male, act the same way that a stable boy will. Age is truly just a number when it comes to men." The figure raised his voice as if to object, but was cut off as she continued.
"Well upper classmen are not as easy to crack, but if you find one who is not very attractive, but smart and you take an interest in him, and show him a little tender love and care, but don't sleep with him the first month, you will be surprised to find out what he will say in confidence or let slip. See that is the problem with you men. Always want to brag about your station or what you do to impress us women. That is why it is better to have one head instead of two!!!" At her last statement she laughed, for she knew the person she was talking to was a eunuch. "Now as for me, I am in the school of summoning, or that is the school that I have claimed to want to be in. This gives me the best chance to move about, as I can always go out and watch the other summoners work their magics"
"This is where you met your friend?" The figure asked. "No," she replied. "To meet someone of his status in the same school would be very bad. This fine fellow can cast sixth rank spells. People like him are called upon at times to teach people like me and there is a buddy system here. Higher ranking mages from the same school will a lot of times take on mages from their same school who are new. They take them under their wing you see. In this case he is an evocation specialist. We are not related in the magical arts so me befriending him and that friendship secretly blooming would not cause any alarms."
"Very clever," he exclaimed. "So have you mapped out the inner sanctum yet? Leona looked with droopy eyes, "No, and talking about it a lot could raise suspicion in him, so it is rarely brought up. Suffice it to say, I am not allowed in there and he has not told me if there is a way to get in. It could be as simple as going to a secret door. Now on to other things. My sister, my dear twin sister, is having a rough time of this place. She finds the classes boring. She keeps telling me that she could not have thought these classes were this boring when she was learning the art. I can attest to that. It is very difficult to act like a novice, I have to be very careful of what I cast and how I cast it. I have to look clumsy at times when things are very easy and these teachers are quite skilled and very knowledgeable. I would not have mind being a student here. One could learn a lot. Oh by the way, no shadow weave, whatever you do, that art is forbidden." With that she clasped her hands and said, "Questions please."
The figure just looked and said, "We have three strike teams in position and two assassins and one extraction team should things get heavy. All of the operatives are to maintain their cover no matter what, if this does not go right, we do not want to reveal our hand. Even if it does go right, we still want you in place. Your sudden leaving would draw attention. The three strike teams will deal with the school, and our assassins will deal with the mage."
"Damn!!!!!" Says Leona, "What?" says the robe figure. "There is a knock on my door, time for me to wake up." With that Leona wakes up and looks for her twin who is floating above the door. The knock is her class mate Victoria. "My you slept a little late today eh? Rough night with Elend? She giggles and so does Leona who just smiles and says, "I will kiss but I will not tell" With that the two start their morning chores before the upperclassmen and teachers wake up and start their day.
The figure in robes simply watches Leona disappear from sight. "Always talking and playing, I hope you did not leave anything out." With that he wakes from his dream as well and makes his report. |
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