The academy's administration building was a hive of activity in the days leading up to welcome week. Headmaster Crottish sat at his large desk, technically in charge of it all. He held two finely crafted metal figures in his hands, weaving magic to make their limbs move. “You’ll never leave this dungeon alive, Baron Narlow! —------- Ha! Ha! Ha! That’s what you think. Wait until you see my special domain move.” He clashed the characters together, careful not to let them touch too roughly.
A single knock and with but a breath before the doors started to swing open, Crottish had to drop them to his desk hard with a wince, hoping no parts of the specially ordered items were bent. They were from a limited run.
“Secretary Atkins, what did I say about knocking!” Crottish demanded as he stood up to stare down the bureaucrat who barged in.
“Three knocks and then sing the school anthem to make sure I’ve waited long enough. But this was an emergency!” Atkins yelled, holding up a letter.
“Everything with you is an emergency. When the beast kin chose to send a dozen more students across all classes, something they had never done, it was an emergency a few days ago. You had us contacting the local government about a potential invasion despite the fact that we are landlocked, and they live on an island far away. When we ran out of berry wine, it was an emergency. I only keep you because you are good at your job!”
“This time it really is. A disaster is coming. Maekus Von Trell, the master of five apes, is coming. He’s been at the fall of every kingdom in the last five hundred years!”
Atkins shoved the letter onto the desk.
Von Trell was enough of a precursor that he’d made it into some fortune-telling decks or games. It was hard not to get noticed that way when you were everywhere, but he was rarely involved directly in anything. “The man buys a box of chocolates and watches the fire from a distance. He’s never been to Ricort before.” Crottish snatched up the papers and started to read.
For the upcoming school year
Charter Scholarship Claimed per signed agreement - Harmony White - Revivalist - Eraser.
Charter Monitor Position Claimed - Maekus Von Trell - Master of Five Apes - While monitoring will teach one class and advise ten students per school, and charter regulations
Signed- Charter Counselor VT
That was the only information in the letter.
“This isn’t a disaster. We get a new instructor who is more famous than any of our current pillars, except for maybe Flint. And Izzel barely shows up to any of her classes. Any news on this White student?” Changing the topic was usually a good way to get Atkins out of his emergency brain.
“It’s half a world away. News from charter nations is incredibly thin. White is a newly evolved royalty who met the authority requirements. There are two hundred and thirty-seven places under the charter, each run locally, to the point where trade and information are controlled at hubs designed around maintaining their local culture. Von Trell is known to visit all of them because he teleports.” Atkins answered.
“Well, without more information on the girl, this will severely impact her class ranking. Give her some average grades when you put her in the system; everyone recalibrates after the first quarter, and their quickenings anyway. Now leave me alone, I’ve got important work to do!”
Atkins left.
Not a single dent in either one. Crottish repositioned his figures once more. The Von Trell news was big. There was only one way to celebrate. This deserved a new storyline. “Suddenly, both fighters freeze on the battlefield as a new challenger has arrived.” From under his desk, Crottish pulled out the detailed metal figure of Saren Byerly, witchhunter and school founder. “One of you is a Necromancer. I can feel it in my bones.” With magic, he let the battle commence.