[Judgement] Is it a New Beginning or is it the End?

[Sorcha]

40th of Summer, 514 AV Today was the ultimate be all and end all of days. It was judgment day and her fate was in the hands of beings she didn’t even know. That was the worst of it in her mind, that no matter what she did or how good she was they could dismiss her with a word and she’d be escorted off the island. Sorcha was not the type who willingly let others control her fate, she had done that enough growing up and she was not too pleased to have to do it again now that she was finally free. It was worth it though. She had to keep reminding herself that in the end it would be worth it because it would bring her one step closer to gaining powers she wouldn’t be achieve on her own. Knowledge! That’s what this was all really about, knowledge and furthering her skills until she could become her own Master. Her life up until this point had been in the hands of others, it still would be when she was assigned a mentor she supposed but that was temporary and a means to an end. Her life was hers now, no matter what happened today she wouldn’t be shackled down again. It is now or never, she would conquer the fears worming their way through her stomach like flesh eating maggots or let them consume her from the inside out until she was just a rotting meat sack not even suitable for the nuits. Her path was laid, now she just had to see where it led. She had already decided how to present the charm bracelets she created but that didn’t stop her from taking pause outside of the Lecture Hall doors. It was her time to shine or burn to ash so why were her feet stuck in place and each of her six arms trembling as if she was cold in the heat of the summer? The only good emotions were the non-existent ones, that’s what she told herself all the time but that didn’t stop the pesky little buggers from creeping into her brain and gut whenever they saw a weakness in her armor. The Eypharian’s nostrils flared as she breathed deep, expanding the lungs in her chest and then she slowly exhaled to suffocate her fears and calm her pulse. She did this a few times and not without glares of the other possible apprentices behind her but she ignored them, they were nothing to her. It was just her and the judges, that’s all that mattered. Finally as she lifted one care foot she found that the trepidation that had held her back a chime ago was now washed from her muscles and the ‘maggots’ in her stomach weren’t quite so vicious in their attack. Sorcha stepped into the Lecture hall with her head held high and her golden, black eyes fixed on the judges before her ignore the crowds waiting to see if she passed or failed. The hall itself was larger than she had expected, though truthfully she didn’t really know what she expected but it definitely wasn’t this. It was the type of room that made even her staggering height seem insignificant, maybe that was the point though – to remind those being judged that they were nothing in the eyes of Sahova until they could provide for Sahova. She held both charm bracelets in separate hands after deciding not to walk in wearing either of them as that would have only made her nerves worse. When Sorcha finally found her place at the center of the room she spoke clearly, her voice unwavering in its confidence despite what she may be feeling one moment from the next. “My name is Sorcha re Bisret and I am here to present my skills at Malediction for my Judgment. I have two pieces; I will start with the one that is easiest to demonstrate. Thank you.” Carefully she placed the charm bracelet made from a bat off to the side to be used after her first display before she centered herself in the room again. “The first charm bracelet I have created was made from the bones of a rabbit; before I put it on I will explain to you what it will do but I also will demonstrate what I can NOT do without it on.” She held the bracelet carefully in her hands as she spoke clearly, she doubted they needed to be taught how a malediction item worked but for them to understand the differences with and without it she felt she needed to show them – how else would they know there was a change in her ability to jump? “I chose to create an item that would double the wearer’s ability to jump both in height and in distance. I would say my own ability to jump is average when I am not wearing this charm bracelet.” At that point Sorcha took a few steps back from the center of the room and, just as she had in her quarters; she jumped without any running momentum so that the effects could be best seen. Her bare feet slapped against the floor only a few feet before where she had started and she glanced at the judges. “As you can see … average at best.” She didn’t wait for them to react; there was no need for reaction just yet so her hands began tying the rabbit’s foot bracelet on one of her left wrists. “Now this is how my jumping changes with the bracelet on.” Again she positioned herself in roughly the same spot she had for her simple leap and she pushed off with the balls of her feet. The height of her jump, just as it had been in her quarters, was increased and the distance was clearly around double of what she had previously done. When she landed she held back the smile she felt behind her lips and instead she canted her head to the side. “The bracelet is not without faults of course, after some time of wearing it I noticed increased anxiety. It took about a bell for the effects to start but once they did they increased over time – when I finally took the bracelet off from testing it I felt a decrease in angst begin slowly until I was returned to my natural state of mind.” She spoke with calculation of her findings and the assumption that she would rather explain where her faults in the object lay even if it meant them finding her unsatisfactory. “I believe the bracelet would work just fine with short term use however long term use is not recommended without further refinement in a future piece.”

[Sorcha]

Her display had been short and she wished it had taken longer, she thought it would but she didn’t have time to fret over that right now and instead she removed the bracelet before its affects began to bog down her mind and leave her incapable of demonstrating the next piece. Setting the first bracelet down where she had placed the bat bracelet she picked up the second and looked towards the judges quietly for a long moment. She let her eyes settle between each of them before she spoke again, this time directing her words to the gathered crowd who occasionally whispered or made a sound “For this I ask you to be as silent as possible.” Turning her attention back to the Judges she held up her second bracelet and spoke to explain this one. “This charm bracelet I made from the skull and finger bones of a bat, I wished to enhance hearing while I was making this so that is why I requested silence.” With deft fingers the Eypharian placed the bracelet on her own wrist and paused before she completed the circle with a knot. “I have a request of you …” This time she was making a request directly of the judges that would soon seal her fate. “...when I am wearing this I would like one of you to speak as quietly as you can. Quiet enough that you would be certain I would not be able to hear it from where I stand before you today. I don’t care what you say when you whisper, I don’t want to know right now, but I will repeat back to you what I believed to have heard so you can see the how exactly my hearing has been altered. I did not ask one of the crowds because I don’t want you to perceive it as a plant, that is why I ask this of you whether it is conventional or not. ” She didn’t wait for them to agree, she didn’t want to seem hesitant in her actions and she didn’t want to seem unsure of the abilities of her malediction item she was just hoping they’d comply with her request as it would truly showcase her work. The knot was tied and for a tick she heard everything like she normally did and then all the sounds rushed at her unfiltered like a battering ram. Her jaw tensed and her own breathing sounded like a wind storm in her ears, even her hands unwillingly clenched as the sounds of the crowd pressed against her. They had, thankfully, remained quiet like she asked but quiet to them still meant they could shift their weight or rustle their clothing – she heard all of it. It was like someone drowned her in sound but the silence they kept was the only thing keeping her standing as she waited, waited to see if the Judges would whisper for her like she asked.

[Ink]

The five judges arrayed above her seemed yet unimpressed. Each judge varied wildly from the next,and all but one were nuits.

The first Nuit sitting furthest on the right seemed especially bored. He had glanced up as each jump was demonstrated but lethargically returned the enormous leather-bound volume in his hands. Garbed in dark heavily-layered robes, he held no particular expression within his mien. More than anything malicious, he seemed to simply be too absorbed in his research to care about an unrelated subject.

The second judge was also a nuit, though took a female vessel. Like a parody of youth the wizard wore an immaculate alabaster sundress. She watched intently, uncomfortably so. Shaded by the grotesquely black circles her grey eyes pierced through Sorcha like an animal on a dissection table.

The center nuit was well known in the citadel, or at least in the Common Labs. Bedecked in ludicrously opulent robes and seemingly weighed into his seat by the number of frivolous jewelries dripping off him was Overseer Telemaran. He had brought with him the same intensity he applied to his position as Overseer. His sight was all for the bracelets rather than Sorcha.

The fourth seat held the only living judiciary; a human. A mature woman of clearly scholarly inclination, she smiled at the Eypharian's display. Certainly the most congenial of the Judges but that could probably be attributed to retaining her humanity. Her expression slowly devolved into a frown at the fifth and final judge as the demonstration progressed.

At Sorcha’s instructions the Judges and observing mages quieted. The demonstration of the first bracelet was decisive and so the expectations for this second item were yet higher.

The final seat was infested with the presence of another nuit who had been only mildly entertained until Sorcha asked for volunteers. Then he practically animated all over again. Hair slicked back and wearing perfectly tailored set of robes he leaned forward. A nuit grinning usually meant he had gone mad, this one was unfortunately still in full control of his faculties. He whispered, "I request Cryptly as my Master." This was the mage-tailor Warick and he eyed Sorcha with heady anticipation. Her first magic test would be a political trial by fire if he had his way.

The human judge next to him, Mistress Tieh rolled her eyes quite dramatically given that she was the only judge close enough to Warick to hear his whisper. In kind she whispered, “Do not say that. Say, ‘I wish to be a Legate.’” As soon as the girl‘s demonstration was over and the bracelet removed she commanded, "That will be enough demonstration. Come forward applicant let us inspect the craftsmanship of these trinkets."

[Sorcha]

The stoicism of the judges wasn’t shocking to Sorcha however even through the expected lack of thrill they expressed each seemed to hold their own personality. It was their differences that she focused on as the ticks passed so agonizingly slow. She wasn’t actually sure if they would help her at all. Only the human woman seemed to be enjoying something that the Eypharian was doing but for all Sorcha knew the smile could have been amusement at her rather simple display of talents. She seemed the most approachable; perhaps it was because she was actually not a nuit unlike the others sitting at the table.

It was the last judge that stole the Eypharian’s attention with his excitement that seemed to perk when she actually dared to ask for the judges to participate in her display. His grin was unnerving and his words cut through her like a knife making her visibly flinch under the sound that she was pretty sure was akin to having your head in a drum and playing it. It was such a specific sentence he demanded of her that she simply stared at him for a fraction of a breath, her eyes unmoving from his own anticipated stare. The words he whispered could be a trap; they could seal her fate and bind her to one person before she was even given a chance to learn beneath a master of Legacy. She didn’t even know who this “Cryptly” was. It had to be a trap. The paranoid thoughts whirled in her brain to the point she briefly glanced down to make sure she wasn’t wearing the rabbit charm bracelet. Shaking her head to herself she wondered if perhaps some unknown part of her psyche was simply trying to survive on instinct that she felt deep in her gut.

Sorcha’s thoughts on his words didn’t last long, she parted her lips about to speak after only a couple ticks of making them wait but then the human woman’s voice cracked across her skull like lightening. This woman commanded a different sentence from her, one that by all angles seemed a much safer route to choose in the, hopefully, soon to be apprentices eyes. Was safe what she wanted though? She wanted to be the best and she knew that sometimes to be the best you had to invite danger into your life. Danger however seemed equal if you stared down both paths for too long. On one hand she could claim this Cryptly as her teacher and they may lead her down extraordinary paths, or they could limit her and never truly lead her to success. On the other hand she could choose the path set forth before her by the human which had endless possibilities but also endless failures, it could also mean setting every nuit in the room against her with the one choice. Taking a deep breath she chose her path and now she had to verbally walk it as her voice boomed in her head and around the room “I wish to be a legate.”

Without a glance to the fifth judge, who seemed too excited for Sorcha’s personal comfort, she removed the bracelet from her wrist and muted the world. Closing her eyes for the briefest moment she relished the silence until the human judge spoke again at a much more tolerable volume. There was no need for Sorcha to speak anymore so she grabbed the rabbit’s bracelet from the floor and started towards the judges. When she placed her bracelets down for inspection she laid them in the center of the table in favor of no judge. She had a feeling ignoring the first nuit’s whispered words to her might have consequences for favoring a living creatures command over a nuit’s in the isle of the undead. With her actions she tried to be as neutral as possible now to not anger anyone. Taking a step back she clasped her hands behind her back in an attempt to calmly await her sentence while her stomach churned with nerves.

The first bracelet, the one made from a rabbit’s bones, was a bit more delicate in its structure. Aesthetically speaking the bones of the foot would lay along the back of the wearer’s hand while the vertebrae of the spine wrapped around the wrist. Painted circles in yallo, red and brown danced their way along the larger bones and it was all held together by firmly woven twine that clearly had been thinned to fit through the holes and gabs of the bones. The bracelet she had more recently removed was made from the skull and finger bones of a bat. The skull had been carefully removed from the rest of the skeleton before use. The painted circles on this piece were of the same coloring though the layout of them would seem more focused and deliberate. The rings encompassed and emphasized the eyes and where the ears would have been before the bat became a skeleton on a shelf waiting to be used or forgotten. Between the bigger circles were also smaller ones almost making a kaleidoscope affect of color on the bones. Twine held this piece together as well in a carefully woven wrap.

[Ink]

Each judge took their turn inspecting the bracelets, passing them down to the right so they could each inspect them in a logical order. The nuit so annoyed with being a judge, put down his text and began inspecting the bracelets. Behind Sorcha the small audience of Nuit and Pulser mages discussed among themselves creating a humming backdrop. The first judge was inspecting the carving and painting, tracing the lines of the bones and their connections. “The physical craftsmanship is rudimentary but shows patience. The patient can achieve more than the rash in world magic.” He passed the bracelets down to the second judge.

Turning her intense gaze from the applicant to the items. She stared for several moments and then tilted her head as if to catch a murmur something just beyond hearing. When she looked up, the profound glint in her eyes had faded. The majority of judges and the crowd was aware of what Sorcha couldn’t be, the second judge had been studying her with auristics. “I see a tendency in this one.” She held up the rabbit bracelet, “If it were me I would wear it as little as possible, Applicant. Otherwise the internal flows of djed are acceptable, certainly better than the designs on the outside.”

Overseer Emarus Telemaran was the third in order to take up the bracelets but he only placed them in front of him. “You are aware that beating heart or not, if we accept you as an apprentice you become a resource belonging to the citadel, just like these animal bones and paints? In fact, anything you make while under the gaze of Sahova is ours first and yours only if we choose to let you retain it. You are property as sure as slave, can you live with that Pulser?” His voice echoed his sneer.

Taking the bracelets from Telemaran, it was the intended effects the Tieh cared about most. “So you have made an item to enhance hearing and one to enhance alacrity. If you were given indefinite time and infinite resources, what avenue would your projects lead you down? Malediction may be your area of study but each Wizard here brings a different aspect of their field to the table, some study defensive uses of magic, others offensive varieties of the same magic. Some seek to enhance currently accepted norms and some to understand the root of the phenomenal. What, would you do given the chance Sorcha?”

The onlookers began to talk again at this question, usually the judgments focused on the projects presented. It was the muffled consensus that aptitude for future progress might be relevant in such a short lived applicant.

Finally Warick examined the bracelets. “They’re passable for an inexperienced legate, but mostly uninspired. I can't see a reason we would need someone so... dull.” was all he said before looking boredly over the crowd. He pushed them to the edge of their table for the Applicant to retrieve. Tieh had ruined his fun and Sorcha hadn't played along, as far as he was concerned the sooner this was done the sooner he could leave. Sorcha’s was the final judgment to take place this day, and he would be free for another forty days before having to sit through this torture again. At least thumb screws would have been interesting.

[Sorcha]

Day Season Year AV

Each criticism or semi-compliment offered by the judges was tucked away in a cabinet in Sorcha’s mind so that she could take everything to her next time in the labs creating something. The first judge’s comment on her patience was appreciated though she kept her face as straight as she could to not show her pride in her own patience. The next comment about the rabbit’s bracelet earned a silent nod from Eypharian, the bad outweighed the good in the rabbit’s bracelet – she had figured that out when she almost fled the island the night she wore it for an extended time. The female judge’s words made sense and Sorcha’s eyes moved onto the next judge who picked up her bracelets, it was the Overseer.

Slave. The word echoed in her head like a sickness, she had been a slave one way or another her entire life but she didn’t pause in response to his question. “I’m aware and yes I can live with that.” Sorcha nodded subtly with her words and then glanced to the fourth judge when they asked her possibly the most important question that would be asked of her during her time in Sahova. The Eypharian didn’t answer right away, she wanted to make sure she was honest in her desires but also something that would allow her to expand her knowledge of magics and not limit herself to just one type. She knew there were magics she knew nothing about and she knew there were ones she had been interested in advancing in. One that had particularly stood out to her was leeching though her old Master had told her never to attempt the particular type of magic because of its ability to tear someone down. She actually was curious in it because of the dangers that were involved and well he wasn’t her Master anymore so she figured she could do what she wanted.

With a deep breath she leveled her gaze and gave her response “I would like to explore what may be seen as a dangerous path mainly involving the addition and manipulation of leeching and how it might affect and enhance legacy items.” She paused in thought before adding “I understand the consequences this may have on me however that is still what I want to do. If I could choose anything I rather take the risk and explore this path and I’ll face the costs as they come.” Her onyx and gold eyes flicked to the on lookers before she settled on the last Nuit, his boredom was better than his excitement in Sorcha’s mind so she said nothing to his observation. The pieces were uninspired, she agreed with that though she knew if she hadn’t been so worried about the judgment she might have actually had a better imagination. Glancing back to the human judge and then the Overseer she awaited her fate and their reaction to what branch of malediction she wanted to explore.

[Ink]

The first judge had been preparing to return to his reading when her answer of leaching filled the air. “Legacy and Leeching? Dangerous and foolish, but novel. I find the Eypharian acceptable.” With that he did return to his book.

The judge masquerading as a young woman, “Innovation no matter how improbable should be fostered here, you may fail horribly and your last moments in life will be full of despair locked in a broken body, but that could happen to any of us. I accept Applicant Sorcha.”

The overseer looked down at the two judges, “This sounds just as much like a waste of resources as anything else we have heard tonight and others were accepted. As long as she is aware of her relationship to Sahova and the Council, then I find her passable.”

“The two disciplines you have proposed are a combination I have never encountered.” Said Tieh, “You answered my question instead of faltering or making excuses like others might have, for that alone I would give you a pass. But your idea also has merit as the others have said.”

Warick being the final judge looked at her, “I still find her dull but if you all intend to pass her, I still say her Master should be Cryptly. Why with Leeching and Malediction, she would have hte most resources there in the dungeon.”

“And a Master that knows nothing about either magic. No Warick I will end that line of thought before it is given any further credence. I will take Sorcha as one of my Apprentices.” Tieh ended all conversation with her statement. Sorcha was the last applicant this fortieth and so the other judges left fairly quickly. The audience stood in the statuesque way of the nuits, that is to say not moving at all, as they discussed each of the applicants for the final time. Now the apprentices would not be worthy of talk again until they became wizards or failed horribly in some fresh way.

Tieh stood as the other judges hurried, in a nuitly way, back to their work. “Come on then, I am headed to my laboratory so you may follow me instead of a Fetcher Golem.” Without waiting the human woman, who up close looked much more haggard than from afar, headed out into the hallways. “Everything in Sahova in a game on deathly stakes Apprentice, for as long as you are upon this island everything you do will reflect upon me. Even if you become a Master yourself, they will still mention your first Master. What this means is you will appearing above reproach, the living rarely make it into places of power in the Citadel.” Appearing above reproach and actually being so, were two very different things. Tieh maneuvered through the dank hallways until the pair found themselves in Gug Adjak. Unlike the majority of the labs which were housed above ground, the two headed down the stairs. The very stairs down had a golem standing guard, but Master Tieh showed her ring and both were allowed access.

As they continued they passed several more golems meant to hinder the unauthorized, but as it turns out Tieh was authorized most everywhere. Still they went further down. It was on the eight sub-level of the Gug Adjak that Tieh stopped. Sub-basement eight which correlated to floor thirty as the labs were counted from the top down; the Overseerer possessing all of the first, and top, floor for his office. On this sub-floor two golems stood sentry before double doors. Before entering the maledictor stopped to address Sorch again, “I am Master Frankie Lee Tieh, foremost in studies of malediction within the Citadel. Here is your ring Apprentice.” From her pocket the Master produced a bronze apprentice ring, the design across the knuckle was three concentric circles that left the center exposing the wearer’s own flesh. “It will allow you beyond the sentry golems up to this point.” Tieh pushed open the doors.

Inside a dozen apprentices worked, hunched over workbenches for the most part though three in a notably barren corner were working together to create a void portal. “Follow Apprentice Sorcha.” She command before heading towards an iron spiral staircase in the back. Tieh took the steps slowly but with the sure-step that implied thousands of climbings. The second floor of the laboratory looked down over the first, but it was not merely for observation. In the corner was an enormous white bear’s corpse in the process of being flayed by yet another apprentice. Tieh took a seat behind her large desk with a heavy sigh. “The bear can wait, Apprentice Yorge get me a cup of a tea.” The bloody apprentice sprang to his feet, leaving tools and half loose skin behind to seek the beverage.

“Now you said you wished to explore Malediction and Leeching. I can make this happen Apprentice, but before I do you will prove yourself useful to my own research. Can you read Nader-Canoch? And do you possess any ability in the magic known as Voiding?”

[Sorcha]

Day Season Year AV

Sorcha couldn’t stop the joy that was beginning to blossom inside of her as each judge spoke their approval even if they thought she was being reckless in her presuit. Joy was not an emotion she was used to feeling and it made her uncomfortable to feel it so as they each spoke she shifted from one foot to the other slightly. Each judge accepted her even if it wasn’t with faith of what she wanted to explore but that was fine for her. She wasn’t being sent from the island and instead she was being told that she would have a Master to teach her and guide her down her path.

The human woman who she had repeated during her presentation was the one to claim her, she was also the one who spoke out the most about Sorcha in the group so perhaps she really was the best fit as she again denied the last nuit his attempt to have Cryptly rule over her. This human woman must be powerful to silence a nuit in the island that was ruled by them. It was as if those few chimes rushed past her in simply a blink because before she knew it the human was telling her to follow her towards her laboratory. If she was an emotional girl this would be the point where Sorcha would have grinned stupidly from ear to ear and then rushed forward to hug the woman but instead she nodded and collected her bracelets before following in a long stride that naturally allowed her to catch up pretty quickly.

The Eypharian didn’t speak as her new Master began to coach her on Sahovan ways and how her own work would reflect upon the woman. A frown crossed the tall apprentice’s lips but she nodded letting herself get lost in thought about what she could do to make the woman proud or what she might end up doing to fail her. It was definitely in her interest to make Tieh proud because the woman could help make or completely destroy her. Sorcha took all this in, in silence while attempting to memorize the path down to the laboratories she would be able to work in after today.

The walk to the 8th sub-level was longer then she expected it to be, each golem they passed held an ominous air over the areas that were forbidden to some but clearly not to her Master. Finally her Master stopped and Sorcha’s eyes tilted down to the woman’s with an acknowledging nod to the name that was spoken. “Thank you.” Reaching out she’d take her apprentice ring and slip it on the middle finger of one of her left hands. It was a simple ring of circles and yet it meant so much which caused her to pause and examine it before she was brought back to Master Tieh’s commanding attention when she told her to follow again. She followed without question, her golden-black eyes widening at the sight of all the others working on things in the lab she could now call her own as well. She didn’t know what she was expecting but it definitely wasn’t a dozen apprentices all working on their own project, it was almost invigorating to see that many but she was also a competitive person in her core so she couldn’t help the surging need to beat even these who had been here longer then her.

When they reached the second floor Sorcha stared at the bear curiously, she had never flayed flesh from an animal before and as she stared she let her eyes settle on the different tools used trying to commit them to memory for her own future use. Drawing her eyes back to Master Tieh the woman paused for a long moment, she was careful in her choice of words making it clear she was the type to think before answering so she didn’t make her commitments on rash decision. “I don’t possess any ability in voiding and only barely know what it is to be honest.” She paused and then added “The only magic I currently can perform is Malediction and Projection though I haven’t given much focus in Projection in truth with most of my focus on Malediction. I would be more than willing to learn voiding and whatever else.” Magic was a powerful addiction and her limited taste of it already made her want to learn as much as she could and though this hunger may flash across her gaze her tone of voice was level and calm.

“I only know Common and Arumenic.” She stated flatly with a brief frown “I didn’t have much opportunity to learn something else, I can learn it as well though.” She nodded sagely realizing she wasn’t giving affirmations to these questions and that bothered her a bit – she had been limited growing up and even more limited when she was a slave, her only real growing had begun in later years. She didn’t explain her complicated history to Tieh though, she doubted the woman wanted to know that information and Sorcha wasn’t really the bare all kind of person. She just knew she didn’t know the subjects Master Tieh had asked her about and she also knew that she would be willing to learn anything if it meant furthering herself and in turn furthering Sahova and proving that she was worth taking on as an apprentice.

If Master Tieh didn’t stop her Sorcha would shift her weight and let it carry her towards the bear that was being skinned, she would keep a careful distance with her six hands clasped behind her back as she examined it. Perhaps the skin wasn’t that hard to pull from the muscle but she wondered how many bodies she’d have to tear through to properly stop ripping the flesh and ruining it. “I have a lot to learn.” She stated both to herself and to the judge who had taken her on. “I know that. I appreciate you taking me as your apprentice, I’ll do my best not to disappoint. I’m willing to do what it takes to accomplish what you and Sahova want as well as what I want. What does your research entail?” As she ended her words she turned her gaze from the bear to Master Tieh quietly.

[Ink]

“Can and will” Tieh asserted. “The vast majority of the texts in the library are in the ancient tongue, it is imperative that you learn it. Never underestimate a good library Apprentice, and you will find no better collection of magical texts than upon Sahova.”

A tinkling of porcelain against porcelain Heralded Yorge’s return, the nuit appeared from the stairwell with a blue glazed teacup and saucer still steaming. He placed it gently before Tieh. Though blood still stained his work apron his hands had been scrubbed immaculately so as not to mar the beverage.

Tieh took a sip, “Thank you Master Apprentice Yorge.” After a moment of her herbal indulgence the Master maledictor returned her attention to Sorcha. “This is Yorge, he is in charge of making certain all the apprentices complete their tasks while maintaining his own. Your tasks Sorcha is to gain an novitiates understanding in both Nader-Canoch and voiding given one seasons time. If you have completed these tasks by the fortieth of Fall we will discuss a research stipend for you to delve into your own avenues, but you will still be responsible for projects I set you upon. If you still show success I will locate a Wizard to induce you into Leeching. I will not prohibit you from seeking your own initiation but use caution if you do, there are a myriad of reason why a Nuit shouldn’t waste its time teaching you and very few that they should. You will like none of the reasons that one should.” She motioned for Yorge to step forward and began shuffling through a pile of missives upon her desk.

Yorge, a nuit in a relatively fresh body stepped up to inspect Sorcha. Intense viridian eyes made more pronounced by the dark circles ringing them slowly looked her over. His vessel was certainly human, slender but muscular with a strange twisting tattoo across his neck. The body’s dark hair was cropped tight against his skull. “If your mind works in multiples like your arms can then perhaps you stand a chance here Apprentice. Tomorrow we can discuss your assignment, as for today you will assist me in butchering this bear.” Yorge walked passed her to the bear and picked up his knife. Though the skin was nearly off now that was but the least of his work, the bones were most valuable to the maledictors and the flesh a boon for the Pulsers. When the skin pulled free Yorge got up. He meandered over to the balcony and made a signal with his right hand, in under a chime another apprentice appeared to take away the fur so it could be properly cured.

The knife needed for the actual butchering was significantly more brutal looking than the skinning knife. Yorge held out a twin to Sorcha. “The bones are most important. Shave off the flesh, I will handle the bones. If Master Tieh claimed you, then you will need to be able to butcher animals efficiently.” For a maledictor this first lesson would be on in self-sufficiency, the less you had to rely on others the fewer favors owed. The fewer favors one owed on Sahova the stronger that individual was.

[Sorcha]

“Can and Will.” Tieh’s words were a definite, a rule for Sorcha to take to heart so that she could survive her time here on the island. The Eypharian simply nodded in response since she wasn’t going to argue, she already planned on learning them the second she had to say she didn’t know them. “Are there translations to common that I can learn from? Or is that something I should seek someone out for?” She knew it would be easier to learn from someone but she had a sneaking suspicion she might be better off in the long run the less favors she owed others. The apprentice who had disappeared to get her tea returned and Sorcha’s dark eyes fell on him quietly memorizing his face of his current body.

The tasks that she was given from Tieh seemed easy enough though she was slightly worried that the easiness they seemed to present was only masking the fact they would be much harder than a few days work. She couldn’t get cocky; no matter how much she wanted to she had to remember that the people in front of her were better than her right now. If she didn’t remember this simple rule that the unassuming was probably more dangerous than the apparent tooth then she was toast during her time on the island. She nodded her head when Tieh basically confirmed her thoughts as she spoke of the dangers of finding someone to teach her leeching if she wanted to find someone on her own. “Am I free to learn any type of magic as long as it doesn’t hinder my work towards voiding and learning Nader-Canoch?”

Arching a brow curiously she shifted her gaze to Yorge again and watched him examine her the way she had just been examining the dead bear. She was going to get to work with the bear? She had never separated muscle from bone before; there was a first time for everything she supposed. Watching him finish his work on the skin she reached out and took the twin blade from him when offered. She didn’t bother stating this was her first time, it would probably be apparent when she started carving off the flesh. He could correct her if he saw a problem.

Moving to the bear she grasped the arm of the bear with two hands to steady it so she could cause the least amount of damage to the limb, a third hand held the borrowed blade and she pressed it carefully against the bear’s exposed muscle. Dragging the blade away from her body she barely put pressure at first wanting to see how much pressure it would take to work the flesh so that she could be as careful as her lack of experience allowed. It was a little tougher then she had expected. The sinewy texture unforgiving as her knife barely made a dent. Pressing more of her weight into the handle of the knife it suddenly shot through the tissue and was stopped by the bone causing a knick in the one part that she was supposed to be keeping unmarred.

The Eypharian’s jaw clenched but she pulled the knife back out and went at it again this time with the purpose of shaving the skin into thin strips layer by layer. If it took longer she would let it take longer and even though she now officially damaged the bone she was working around she continued to work on that same area preferring to cause multiple knicks in the same piece rather than ruining other pieces. If Yorge began to work as well she’d glance up and pause in her own work to silently watch his methods and then try to adopt them as her own.