Issho-Ni’s dojo had to wait. First, Eric had an appointment with Samuel, though the Archmage didn’t know it. He’d got an idea from the mage guards he’d seen in Sheran. Judging by the way their gear was similar to Samuel’s, he had an inkling that he would know about the training required. Eric didn’t want the full year, but it couldn’t hurt to have a few extra magical skills when he needed them.

It was still early when he got to the Mage’s College half an hour later, and the grounds were almost completely deserted. Only a few bleary-eyed figures could be seen around, shuffling to and from buildings clutching books or scrolls. None of them seemed to take much notice of Eric, which suited him fine. He walked purposely past them, into the main building.

He’d only had a brief glimpse of the entrance hall on his last visit, led on quickly by Emma. Now he took a moment to truly soak in his surroundings. A massive lobby with a black and white checkered marble floor, dark blue carpets, and what looked like expensive artwork and chandeliers spread throughout the room. It was artfully decorated so that it didn’t appear empty despite the size, with every individual piece seeming to serve a specific purpose.

The most obvious addition to the room, of course, was the long desk of black marble set at the far end of the hall. It was large enough for six men to comfortably sit behind it, but only one figure was present, a tired-looking woman in deep red robes. She looked the same as the rest of her classmates Eric had seen, save for the array of black ink visible on her skin, forming intricate patterns over her face and down what was visible of her chest and arms.

“Good morning, and welcome to the College,” she said without looking up. “How can I help you?”

“I’m here to see Archmage Bragg,” Eric replied. He couldn’t help but stare at the tattoos on her face. On Earth, that kind of artwork almost always identified a hardened killer, with the few exceptions that were ink enthusiasts. Eric suspected that it was for something entirely different in this case, however. Her tattoos were… arcane in nature, as if runes had been inscribed on every available inch of her skin.

“Archmage Bragg?” She asked with wide eyes, looking up at him as if he had two heads. “Why didn’t you go straight to his tower? Is he expecting you?”

“Err, no,” Eric admitted. It probably wasn’t a good idea to lie and say that he was expected, only for her to see Samuel’s obvious surprise to see him. “But I’m a student of his, quite recent. I couldn’t find him in his tower this morning, so I was hoping you could call him.”

It was a calculated guess on Eric’s part. He figured that Samuel wouldn’t like to be stuck up in his tower on a fine breezy morning like this. The woman in the red robe seemed to agree with the sentiment, nodding slightly. She shook back her right sleeve to expose a golden bracelet that fit tightly upon her wrist and brought the pearl set in it close to her mouth. Even more tattoos were inscribed higher up on her forearm. Eric stared particularly at the tattoo that looked like a sword surrounded by lightning.

“Archmage Bragg, you have a guest at the main desk. He says he is your student, and he couldn’t find you at your tower.”

Eric was just wondering how long it took a message of that nature to reach Samuel when he heard a faint pop to the side and glanced over to see the by now familiar sight of shaggy black hair and violet eyes looking around in curiosity. When he spotted Eric, he smiled faintly, as if pleasantly surprised.

“Ah, Eric,” he said smoothly. “Glad you came. Thank you, Adept Jenna.”

“It is no problem, Master Bragg,” Jenna said. “Oh, while you’re here, is it okay if I skip the next lesson? Moran canceled, so I had to pull a double shift at this cursed desk.”

“That’s perfectly fine,” Samuel replied with a nod. “We’re continuing our practice with honing Arcane Blade. Practice when you can, and I’ll check your progress later.”

Samuel gestured Eric into a hallway branching off from the entry hall, still studying him curiously as if trying to guess why he’d come. They were heading towards the Archives, Eric noticed. That made sense. As the Champion of Arcana, Samuel would also be the highest-ranked Archivist, and it could be said that the library was his. Each of the students they passed glanced up from their tired shambles to wish Samuel a good morning, and the Archmage responded cheerily.

“So,” Samuel finally said, directing Eric into the quiet space of the Archives. “Why have you come to see me so early in the morning? I’m surprise you’re not taking the chance to sleep in on your first real day off.”

“How do you know that it’s my first day off?” Eric asked. “I went from the caravan to the tavern, then set off. It’s only been three or so hours since I woke up.”

“M slipped me a little warning this morning,” Samuel explained. “She said you seemed most perturbed, and that I could probably expect a visit from you soon. She also knows the merchant that you work for.”

“Hmm,” Eric said thoughtfully. It seemed that M had a vested interest in nosing about other people’s business. He pushed the thought aside, returning to the reason for his visit. “Well, yes. I’m here, but not for the reason you might expect.”

“You want to learn how to acquire the skills used by the mage guild in Sheran, but you don’t want to take the year of training that we offer for that job.”

Eric stopped in his tracks, blinking in surprise at Samuel’s perfect assumption. “Did you just read my mind?”

“No,” Samuel said with a short laugh. “It’s written on your face. I’ve seen several people interested in learning before.”

“Oh. Well, yes. That’s pretty much it. Can you teach me a few skills? It could help in the long run.”

“It definitely could,” Samuel agreed. “What exactly were you interested in learning? There are skill for many things, from enhancing your weapon and armor, to making enemies too weak to hold up their weapons.”

“Err,” Eric said slowly, trying to process what he’d just heard. “Let’s just start with…. My sword. What about that Arcane Blade you mentioned back there?”

Samuel did not reply at once, leading Eric to a door on the opposite side of the Archive’s main room. He made no move to pull out a key, but placed a palm on the dark wood of the door and pushed it open with ease. Eric followed him into another long hall, this one more simplistic in design.

“Arcane Blade is a particularly difficult spell to use,” Samuel finally replied. “It’s the last thing taught in that particular field of study. It’s the final lesson for the anti-mage guards employed by the Guild, and advanced optional material for Adept students.”

“So I probably couldn’t learn it, is what you’re saying,” Eric replied, sighing quietly. “Damn. I thought a little magic would help me”

“Well, don’t get all dejected on me,” Samuel said, turning to flash a grin at him. “You’ll have to start with the basics, since Earth doesn’t have magic, but even knowledge of the basics helps.”

“Oh, alright.” Eric capitulated. “How do I start learning, then?”

“Well, I won’t take the time to explain all the different branches of magic. There are four, but you’ll probably be best suited to physical magic.”

“Physical magic?” Eric queried. “That sounds like an oxymoron.”

Samuel grinned again. “Not at all. It’s a broad school, and consists of any spell or skill that uses Ki.”

“Like a monk.”

“Kind of. The first thing you should do is learn how to connect to your Ki, and use it consciously. Without that, there’s not much else you can do.”

“How do I do that?” Eric asked. It seemed that he had to some kind of study if he wanted to learn these skills. “Is there some trick to it?”

“There isn’t any kind of shortcut, sadly. Each prospective mage or warrior has to learn it the hard way, through experiencing it themselves. Once you do, however, it opens you to all kinds of possibilities. Keep this in mind. The more you exercise your body, the stronger it will become. Proper care is the best way to grow and strengthen your Ki. Eventually, you will become aware of it.”

Eric thought about that for some time, pondering the difference from what pop culture on Earth made magic out to be. It was more intricate in Ahya, as if it too was laid out as a system, rather than some mystical mysterious force that was unknown. Eric suspected that Samuel in particular had done rather a lot of research into the topic. Archmage of Knowledge, after all, Eric reminded himself.

“Alright,” Eric said again. “Thanks for that information.”

Eric noticed just then that the hallway they were walking down seemed especially long. They must have been walking for nearly twenty minutes while they were talking, yet the end of the hallway was still just as far away as it had been when they entered. Looking behind him, he saw, with a frown, that the door they’d used was also just as close. He blinked hard, sure that he and Samuel had been walking this entire time.

“Noticed, have you?” Samuel said, sounding mildly amused. “We appear to be in a trap.”

“You don’t seem too bothered,” Eric commented. “Should we just used the side door?”

“You can certainly try that,” Samuel said amicably. He almost seemed to be enjoying the inconvenience of the magic trap. “I don’t suspect that it would change much, but I never discourage an idea.”

Eric stared at him with slightly narrowed eyes now suspicious. Was this just an elaborate practical joke on him? Maintaining his glare, Eric sidled over to the door, able to reach and touch the knob without issue. He turned the handle and pulled it open in one swift jerk. It opened into another hallway, much shorter than this one. The door on the other end was open, and he could see the Archives.

Samuel followed him as he walked into the shorter hallway, grinning broadly. “I stand corrected. It did change something.”

Eric frowned in confusion, wondering what the mage was talking about. He glanced back at Samuel, then felt his stomach lurch with a sudden fit of vertigo. The floor under them both had vanished, and though Eric dove for the doorway of the Archives, he was a few feet short when he began to fall.