《Fragments from the Wildlands》01-Opportunity
Advertisement
Miguela paused, regarding herself in the reflection of the polished double doors of the headmaster's office. She adjusted a wayward tuft of hair then smoothed wrinkles on her modest green dress. Straightening her back, Miguela gave the door knocker two confident raps. The vibration of the action traveled up her arm, but she heard no sound. Confused by the lack of audible feedback, she was about to try again when the door slowly swung open.
"Enter," a voice called from inside.
Well, this certainly wasn't going as she expected. She took a deep breath and then crossed the threshold into the headmaster's office. The room was as impressive as she'd expected. Large as a windship hanger, the chamber had dozens of magikal trophies and other oddities on display. Magikal power washed over Miguela as she proceeded toward the center of the room, where the headmaster waited, sitting behind a massive, ornate desk. Miguela inwardly cringed when she saw the expression of impatience on his face, quickening her step.
"Headmaster Vawall," she greeted, making her best curtsy as she stopped in front of his desk.
Headmaster Vawall was an elderly Arzan, whose blue skin was so wrinkled it reminded her of a dried grape. He was tall despite his age- stooped shoulders, and he had an air of sternness that she figured only decades of teaching could create.
"Be at ease, Mistress Miguela. I did not call you here for disciplinary reasons," he said, toying with a ring on his pinky finger as he inspected her.
His words brought Miguela a measure of relief, and she resisted the urge to relax. There were still many ways this meeting could go wrong.
"Why don't you have a seat and relax before we begin?" the headmaster said.
Where was she supposed to sit? The floor? She opened her mouth to speak, but a flash of something in her peripheral vision caught her eye. A high-backed chair that hadn't been there appeared out of nowhere. Such an unusual use of magik was unsettling, but she kept her composure and sat down.
The headmaster smiled a knowing smile as she settled into her seat. For several awkward moments, he shuffled through a stack of parchments until finding what he was looking for, then clicked his tongue before nodding to himself.
Advertisement
"Let's see here, Miguela DeStrella was born in the capital of Xanth to a successful merchant family. Your father being the pious man he is, arranged for his third-born child to become an orator for the god of wealth, Ajo, as tradition dictates. Upon starting your apprenticeship, your mentor discovered your affinity with the arcane and convinced your father to enroll you in the Academy where you have been for the last two years."
It was strange to have her entire life summarized in such a concise manner, but nothing the headmaster said was untrue. Miguela was unsure what the point was, but in her time at the Academy, she had learned if she kept quiet, her lecturers would eventually get the crux of the issue.
"During your time at the Academy, you have been an above-average pupil whose lecturers all believe that you have not been living up to your potential. Many have categorized you as someone satisfied with being average for the rest of your life. In most cases, this would not call for the attention of the headmaster, but we live in strange times," the headmaster said.
Miguela was surprised at how much the words stung. She was also embarrassed because she knew his words also to be true. Blinking rapidly, Miguela poured every drop of her willpower into stopping the tears she felt forming in her eyes. She would not cry in front of this man. She --
"There is no reason to drag the young lady through the mud, is there, headmaster?" a voice from behind Miguela asked.
She jumped at the sound and turned her head to the side, trying to keep one eye on the headmaster and see the unknown participant in their conversation simultaneously.
"I do not mean to be harsh, Archmage Larz, but I do believe in telling the truth, especially for something this important."
Miguela could hardly believe her ears. She was in a meeting with the headmaster of the Academy and the First Chair of the Consul of the Five! What in the seven hells was going on?
The woman, Archmage Larz, walked into view, and Miguela got her first good look at the other woman. Archmage Larz was a tall, broad-shouldered Arzan with short-cropped hair. She wore brilliant blue robes that reminded Miguela of a summer sky. The tilt of the Archmage Larz's head, in combination with her commanding posture, reminded Miguela of the high nobles and royalty she'd met throughout her life.
Advertisement
"I admit there are concerns about her determination, but I feel it would be better to inform her rather than dress her down in this case, headmaster," Archmage Larz said as she came to a stop next to the headmaster's desk. She turned her attention to Miguela before continuing, "Miguela, many of your lecturers believe that you can be a powerful and talented mage. But if you do not apply yourself, becoming that mage they believe is inside of you will be impossible. Luckily, a brilliant archmage has developed a new program that could use talented people like you. In that program, I am sure you can find the purpose you have been lacking to fulfill your potential. Does this interest you?"
Something in the Archmage's gaze implied only one answer to her question was correct. Miguela froze, partly from the cold scrutiny of the First Chair and partly because she had always felt that she lacked direction in her life. She became an Orator because her father wished her to, not because she wanted it. Even her studies in the Academy were only because of her mentor's wishes. Whatever Archmage Larz was offering tempted her to her very core.
Before she could form a proper answer, the Archmage spoke again. "I will be frank with you. This new program could revolutionize how magik is used and save thousands of lives. The Five Kingdoms needs you more than ever. As you may have heard, we have negotiated with the Wildland clans, allowing them to settle a city near Rame in exchange for taming the Wildlands. However, it seems that the Wildlands are more hostile than we have anticipated. If this program is successful, you would be able to find the truth about what we are facing and hopefully give us the information needed to defeat our opposition without leaving the comforts of Arza.”
"This is a lot to digest," Miguela said.
The headmaster frowned at her words. "I told you that she did not have what it took to serve a greater cause than herself," Headmaster Vawall said, speaking to Archmage Larz as if Miguela was not in the room.
"I did not say that I was not interested," she snapped, immediately regretting her haughtiness as both of the powerful mages looked at her intently. The headmaster wore a look of disdain, most likely from her tone, while the Archmage wore an expression that Miguela recognized as amusement.
"It is just that only a few moments ago, my only concerns were passing my exams, and now I am told the Five Kingdoms requires me to be a part of a program that could change the magikal world as I know it. It is a bit overwhelming," Miguela added, feeling the need to defend herself. The headmaster audibly scoffed at her statement, but the Archmage surprisingly nodded sympathetically to her words.
"I understand that it might seem staggering at first, but destiny often is. I cannot promise that if you decide to help the Five Kingdoms, your experience will be a pleasant one, but I can assure you that you will be making a difference, and when it is over, you will be able to forge your path in life. It will be your chance to make your own decisions and gain your own accolades," Archmage Larz said after a moment.
Miguela was surprised at how well the Archmage seemed to know her inner desires. She wondered if they picked her because of her potential or her upbringing. She figured it was a bit of both.
"I'll do it," she said before she could find reasons to stop herself.
"Excellent. Training will begin immediately. The Five Kingdoms thanks you for your diligence and your sacrifice," Archmage Larz replied. Miguela hoped she did not just make a mistake, but the smug look on the headmaster's face told her that he might have played her like a cheap fiddle.
Advertisement
A Journey of Black and Red
A conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century’s Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires. It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable. This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside. Updates every Friday. Mind the tags. Cover by Antti Hakosaari: https://www.artstation.com/haco Special thanks to Svensonsen for getting me started, as well as Omi Nya, Jemima, my patrons and you dear readers, for the support.
8 171A New Breed of Pirate: A VRMMO Tale
What would happen if you dropped 2500 people from the year 2049, in Port Royal, Jamiaca in 1714? Rio Grande gaming division intends to answer that very question. Apply today to be chosen to take part in the beta testing of "A New Breed of Pirate" today. Sail the seven seas, as a pirate, merchant, or even in a navy! Experience what the world was like during the 18th century, as the entire world is your playground. Take part in the worlds first truly immersive VRMMORPG. Utah looks at the email he just recieved, then at his barely functioning legs. "What could I possibly lose?" Follow Dwayne Utah through his experiences in the hyper-realistic beta of NBP online. ***A couple disclaimers*** Thus story features progressive RPG elements. This is my first story, and I'm wanting to start slow on the status screens and game rules. I just wanted to put this here to let everyone know what they were getting.
8 138The Ones Among Us
Friends stumble onto something that redefines what it means to be a One Percenter.
8 200Almost a Good Person
A memory, a memory of a boy who wanted more than pain, of a girl who wanted more than death, and an Isle that should not exist. The Isle of Red is a small, unassuming, quiet place. It is just large enough for a college, a small town, and maybe even a few more unusual sorts of places. Of course, the townsfolk practically know each other as family. Flush-faced regulars can be found toasting just about anything in the Briar's Brew, then, a few streets away, the same haggle of older women stationed themselves on their perch as they did every day from one of the few balconies in Central Square. They fuss away now, spouting the usual gossip as they watch us all from on high. Then there is the College here on the Isle of Red. My college. It has been often described as an unusual place by a good deal of people on the mainland. If they only would visit -why I am sure they'll soon have a change of heart, they may even come to find it a quaint sort of place, odd but in the same way a tattered old quilt can be both odd looking and warm, and especially soft. We teach mostly the same sort of disciplines here, with fantastic and absolutely normal professors.I must conclude that I am quite smitten with myself. The stage is set with a level of perfection that would have astonished me in my youth. They are coming. Derek will follow her. He knows the weight of reality too intimately, but she will be his true north if only for a short time. A beacon in the storm to show him the stunning pastels and brightness the sun may yet refract through his thinner, sharper pieces. Theoline will lead as she always has- well not always, not yet. She holds onto questions feverishly tight, that one. Lights them up inside like a new type of fuel without the slightest worry of being burned. She knows... There is but a certain few who can look at a map and find nothing where I stand but the Atlantic Ocean. And still, there is earth beneath me, a noisy pub down the road from me, and several people clucking conspiratorially on a balcony above me. She knows... that the Isle of Red doesn't belong here. Neither, technically, do I. (Hello! Chapters will be posted regularly on this website and also at Booksie: Almost a Good Person, book by KenjaminButton (booksie.com)Stay tuned for Chapter 3 to be uploaded on 5/28/2022!)
8 74Perfect Wish
If you are granted your perfect wish which was a RPG like system with the power to live in fiction worlds. How would you live? Would you become a hero and slay dragons and demons or would you become the villain and take the worlds for yourself. Or maybe, you just go for a life a bit more peaceful than that. Disclaimer: I don't own existing worlds or characters.
8 238my lover is a serial killer (killing stalking x yandere reader)
y/n ,a perfect 19 year old girl so people think . On the outside people think she is an all A transfer student , that is kind to everyone and is just PERFECT but inside she is a cold hearted killer who has no mercy for any one until she meets two interesting people YOONBUM AND SANGWOO
8 180