^^ The 'College' ^^

--- Day 64 AD ---

I dressed swiftly, drying my hair and tying it back, and Gem and Pepe watched me closely.

I dressed in my best clothes, so I was wearing a pair of dyed soft Cotton pants, the color Black, and hardened black leather boots. I wore a thin white shirt under my black Leather jacket.

I tightened my black leather gloves, (yes he's wearing all Black and White on accident, it wasn't on purpose, at least not fully.) and shook myself, then picked up my bag, filled with notebooks and materials for taking notes. Luckily I'd had a few pens and a pencil in my pocket when I came here, so that was good.

I mentally commanded Gem and Pepe to sit in my bag, and then walked out. I flipped the innkeeper a Frei, and grinned. "See you, Man, thanks for the advice, love the room. Peace to you!" I called as I jogged out.

I noticed several other mages, by the magic in their clothes, headed towards the palace. I decided to follow them, as I had no earthly idea where 'The College' actually was, it was very secretive.

Eventually the crowd thinned as certain mages ended up stopping in the palace, but I followed the others, the really determined ones, who were going straight to the college, despite the early hour.

We went down, and down, and down, and eventually I turned to ask one of them, just as The blank wall in front of us up and disappeared.

I chuckled. "Whoa. Cool..." I stepped through, again following the others, and we ended up on a tram, or maybe a skyway. (Subway on stilts).

The doors closed, and we were off. The tunnel was dark, at first, but then the entire train was bathed with natural light, and I gasped, looking out of the window.

An entire Archipelago's worth of land was down here, surrounded and bisected by what looked like deep blue oceans. Seeing as we were deeper in the earth, and therefore further away from the moon, the gravity for the tides was more normal than the surface, from my calculations, which meant no monsoon tides.

A much larger island covered in one city sat in the center, and a sun was at the Apex, where we had come from. We were currently spiraling down to the Island's elevation, and towards the main island, which honestly fascinated me.

A large castle, clearly divided into two pieces, only connected by one piece near the top, spread out like wings. The island's surrounding were obviously built to be an entire ecosystem, and I could see several different environments, from a small (5000 acre) Desert to another small (5000 acre) Deciduous Forest.

The other parts of the islands were several hundred Villas, each sporting a small mansion and its accompaniments. Someone snickered at my agape staring, and I ignored them, taking in details by the bucketful as we neared the Island. I noticed several hundred smaller islands, scattered around the bubble I assumed was all underground.

"Done staring, Druk?" One man sneered at me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Druk? I don't know this word. I'll assume it's an insult and save you the trouble of forming a cognitive response, I wouldn't want you to strain your tiny brain. Annoy me, and I'll hurt you. Severely. Understood? Good. Now, go stand in the corner like a good little boy." I shoo'ed him distractedly, memorizing the main Castle's layout, from what I could see.

I heard a grunt of pain, and turned.

A beautiful woman held the rude man by his arm, which she'd caught as he tried to punch me.

"Next time? Don't provoke assholes." She grunted, and kicked the man away from her.

"Thank you. But I did that on purpose. I counted on him attacking me. While I appreciate the thoughts behind your interference, I must ask that you step aside for a moment." I smiled.

She nodded. "Alright. Have at him. Not my fault when he kills you."

"I cannot die from normal means, my dear, and he is nowhere near-" he punched my cheek, and I kept speaking as he fell to his knees, clutching his broken hand. "Skilled enough, or physically strong enough, to significantly harm me." I said, and looked her in the eyes.

She smirked. "Ah, a Shifter. That explains your confidence. You're immortal. Shifters are always confident."

"No, I've only been a shifter and a Mage for 64 days. I was stronger than him long before." I negated her statement, and the train started slowing.

"Ah." She nodded, and looked away, her gaze calculating. She was trying to figure me out.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked suddenly.

She raised an eyebrow. "You may."

"Do you know this place well? I know literally nothing about it, so I'd love a guide, of sorts. I'd be happy to reimburse you for the trouble of defending me." I smiled.

"And how would you do that?" She asked suspiciously.

"I'd offer to buy you coffee, but I don't know where to buy it, down here, or if you can." I shrugged helplessly.

She laughed. "One condition."

"Name it, and I'll think about it."

"Explain how you've only been a Mage 64 days." She said simply.

"I turned into a Shifter by the Old Way, dying in combat with a Leopard. Pepe? Greet her." He leapt out of my bag, and shifted to full size, rubbing his head against her stomach.

She blinked, petting his ears. "Wow... That explains the..." She gestured at her throat vaguely.

"Yes. Now, the tour/Coffee Hunt?" I smiled.

She grinned just as the doors opened. "Sure thing. Classes start in four hours, so we've got loads of time. You saw the layout as we came in, I'm betting, and memorized it?"

"Habit, yes." I smiled.

"Then I don't need to give you a tour, just explanations. The main building is the Magical College and then the opposite, almost, the Military Academy. Some people study at both, the Warfare and Magic both being useful, like me." She started walking.

I followed. "I see, and who ascertains your classes?" I asked.

"No one, but, of course, if you go to a class, you have to turn in the course work the next day, regardless. You go to classes you believe you should study." She nodded.

"Hmm... Interesting..." I nodded, following her closely.

"Some people have studied here for 10 years and learned to be an adept, and some have studied for 2 and become Master Physical Warfare Specialists, or MPWS's." She proudly displayed a pin on her shoulder that had MPWS and a pair of crossed swords under it.

"I see... Like a Prefect, an elite student." I said.

"I don't know what a prefect is, but yes, an elite student." She nodded.

"I suppose Magical College has something similar? Very interesting hierarchy... And what exactly is the goal? Does a certain number of classes determine your level of completion?" I asked.

She shook her head. "That sounds idiotic, no. There's an semi-annual test, a Tournament, that determines whether or not you have learned enough to be considered proficient enough to go up a rank." She gestured at the different emblems on people's uniforms.

"Oh, there's a uniform... Hmm... Okay, I think I understand. And is there a limit?"

"Well, Grand-Master is the highest rank, but if you want to continue studying, they won't stop you." She shrugged. Then she stopped, and I looked around. She gestured to a small alcove carved deep into the Rock. "Ladies first." She smirked mischievously.

I chuckled. "Why thank you. I'm led to believe this Is a Coffee house?" I asked as I walked into the hidden cavern.

The vaulted ceiling was almost 20 feet above, and the quiet room was filled with tables, shelves of books, a bar, and soft candle lighting, giving the room a cozy feel to it. "Welcome to the Black Brew, milady." She snickered softly, and approached the bar, while I followed, grinning.

She ordered two coffees, and I paid for them before she could, snagging one of them. I tasted it slowly, and moaned in pleasure. "It's been too damn long since I had a coffee. Too damn long." I sighed, explaining myself.

She laughed. "What, they didn't have any in the Village you're from?"

"No." I shook my head. "It hurt, really. Right here." I placed a dramatic hand on my heart, and we claimed a table.

She laughed again. "You're quite the joker... My name is Simatis, but my friends call me Tizzy. You?"

"Lord Caleb Johnson. And I don't have friends, just family." I held out a hand to shake.

She shook it, and grinned. "A humble Old One, with a Title and a sense of humor. The Stars have truly aligned, huh?" She laughed.

"I try. I mean, I know I'm not the center of the universe, but sometimes... It's just so hard, when everyone focuses on me. Such a burden, really..." I shrugged helplessly, and she snorted with laughter.

"You're amazing, Caleb. So, you bought me coffee and I told you about our school. What next?" She asked.

"You tell me about the classes I could take. I want to learn everything there is to learn, but not all at once. That would be stupid. And I practice physically as well, so make sure to include Warfare, as well as MageCraft and Any Shifting Classes available." I smiled.

She hummed. "Okay... It's really simple. There's weapons classes, which are all morning classes as well, to allow students to study when they're fresh, and the mages have something similar, which is a class I'm not allowed to take, the Shifter 575 course. You'll want that one." She nodded.

I hummed. "And if I want to take both?"

"Each class on campus repeats itself twice, so that if you want to take it on (Friday), and you have to take another class, you can actually take it on (Saturday). Pretty simple." She nodded.

(Seven day week, foreign names. I'm going to translate them automatically to the English calendar.)

I nodded as well. "Makes perfect sense... Alright. And next?"

---

We spent the next three hours drinking coffee, laughing, and discussing the classes offered in the College. They were plethorant, but all centralized. They were easy to understand, their titles were detail enough.

I worked out a rough schedule for myself, and nodded. "Thank you... Tizzy. So class starts in thirty minutes... Do I have to get a uniform?"

She shook her head. "Most people only wear the uniform to brag, you can wear what you want, if you have a MagiPlay running." At my blank stare, she smiled. "Cynthia? Show my friend your MagiPlay?" She asked someone.

The woman turned and showed me her bracelet, and then it disconnected, and expanded down her arm, pure mechanics showing a holographic screen on her forearm.

I swear I was drooling. I quickly cleared my throat, subtly wiping my mouth. "Uhm, okay. That's awesome, I can't wait to make one, Uhm... Wow. Holographic technology... Mmf. Science boner. Sorry. I really love new tech." I grinned.

She laughed, and Tizzy laughed as well, after her initial shock. "Oh, wow. Okay. Well, most MagiPlay's are just able to show the credentials, hers is better by far. Spoiled brat." She nudged Cynthia playfully.

"So is there a central network to allow information trafficking?" I asked curiously.

She blinked. "No... I don't think so. If there was, I would recognize those words. I don't. What's a central network?"

I grinned savagely. "Puurrrrfect... I'll build one then, and finish that mechanics class easily... Heh."

She raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Well, an Information Trafficker... Well, you'll see. It'll be awesome. Though I think it'll only work down here... The metal in the walls might work to my advantage... Anyway, thanks for the tip. Where can I buy one of those?" I asked, pointing at the bracelet.

"The school furnishes a basic one." She shrugged. "They'll give it to you in the Orientation."

"Orientation?"

"Yeah, new students sit in a big hall and listen to the Emperor and Headmistresses of each school give speeches, and then you get your uniform and Bracer, and boom, you're set for class tomorrow. It starts in ten minutes." She shrugged.

"And... The rest of the day?"

"Explore. I'll see you after, yeah? Here?" She asked.

'Elevated heart rate, blood rushing to the cheeks, ears, and eyelids... She's embarrassed and hopeful... Hm.'

"Sure, I'll be here." I smiled, standing up.

I jogged out towards the large open space under the bridge between the two schools, where the orientation was likely taking place.

'Let's see what you have to offer...'