Kingdom Of The Weak

Mindy and her friends sat in a lounge-like area at the College"s reception hall trying to fill out application forms .

A girl with extremely short (almost spiky!) hair pointed out a blank . Back at Fal"Herim, she had been a janitor for the arena and had gotten used to dressing like a thug, leathers, chains and metal studs . "Mindy, it"s asking us for our house address . What should we put?"

"House address?" Mindy paused . "21 Emerald Dale Heights, Loredawn, Ashdale . "

"Is that even a real place?" Gary asked . Lanky and mischievous faced, rather wide black eyes examined Mindy as if wondering what sort of prank she was pulling this time . Back in Fal"Herim, he"d been enslaved and forced to live as a pickpocket .

"That"s my mansion . " Mindy told them . "I own it . There"s a room for each of you once you"re done here . "

"And when would that be?" Siti asked . She wore a headscarf that covered her hair and neck from chin downwards with a long gray dress that covered her entire body to her ankles . At Fal"Herim, she had been the cleaning and book-sorting slave of a district librarian .

"You"ll need 36 credits to graduate as a college-certified First Circle Mage . The Certificate in Magic requires you to take 9 credits in Magical Knowledge, 3 credits in Magic Theory, and 24 credits in Magic Applications . Every course is worth 3 credits, so that means three subjects in knowledge, one in theory, and eight in applications . " Mindy explained . "Cla.s.ses run in three-month trimesters, or in two week block courses . We"re late for the trimester cla.s.ses, so our targets are the intensive block courses . Thankfully, ECM has a policy of having basic block courses consistently for the public . There"s Introduction to Elemental Magic starting three days from now, and Introductory Mana Channeling takes place next fortnight . Foundations of Sigil Theory takes place a month from your first cla.s.s . Rune-Reading happens right after that . Internal Mana Cultivation and Elementary Tool Casting are in your third month . These six are core subjects that must run in repeating cycles of two-week block courses . They are extremely popular and open to the public, including part-time students who learn for learning sake rather than certification . "

"Then why do we need certificates?" Loh grumbled, rubbing his knee where his leg ended in a wooden club . A gangster in Fal"Herim had cut it off and sent him to work as a crippled beggar on the southern streets . Every coin he"d ever successfully begged went into that gangster"s pockets . Loh had been in a very dark situation before Tim found him .

"It"s because I want my money"s worth . If I"m going to pay your college tuition for all these subjects anyway, we may as well pick up those certificates while we"re at it!" Mindy answered . "Otherwise, Mandy would never talk to me again . "

"Are we really going to be okay?" Tamera asked, worriedly . Her head of honey curls running down to her shoulders shook from side to side . "We haven"t even gone to school! Are we going to be okay in college?"

Advertis.e.m.e.nt"You can read and write . Mandy made sure of that . That"s all you really need . " Mindy said firmly . "The rest is studying, learning and practicing on your own . Whether or not you get the best grades is up to you . I learned these stuff from Remian and Sister Rhema, and it took me months and months . You guys have a chance to learn it from professionals and get certification on top of that . Don"t waste the chance . "

"But it"s expensive, isn"t it?" Juni prompted . Of all of them, Juni was the largest and roundest . He"d been slave to a butcher . "Can you really afford all of our fees?"

"It"s an investment to train up my future crew . " Mindy grinned . "Someday, we"re going to soar the skies and explore the world together . "

"Why someday? Why not today?" Isabelle snapped . She wasn"t being rude or nasty, she just had a clipped, quick way of speaking reminiscent of the insect shop where she"d been put to labor . Either that, or she really was being as snappish as the scorpions and centipedes she"d had to deal with every day .

"Because everyone on my crew has to pull their own weight . " Mindy said . "And we"re soon going to be in a world where mana crystals are in short supply . That means we"re going to have to fly our airships with mages supplying the mana power . Everyone on my crew needs to be a mage . "

"Are you going to be studying with us?" round-faced Karen asked, scratching at short brown curls .

"No, I"m going back to Fal"Herim . " Mindy said . "We have a deal with Ashdale that I need to honor, and then I"m going to pick up the others . "

"The others?" Jamie asked .

"The others who are in Ashdale with Mandy . The plan is, three months from now, I"ll bring them over to study here, and pick you guys up when I do . "

"What about your other, other Ravens? The bird family?"

"Them? They"re experienced Adventurers . They never had the chance to take professional courses, but they"ll get the job done . For now . " Mindy shrugged . "If they prove to be good workers, I might bring them here someday too . "

Jamie picked up another sheet of paper . "They"re also asking us about what clubs we want to join . What should we put down?"

"Join whatever you like . " Mindy shrugged .

Gary lowered his voice . "Are you sure you don"t have a preference? I hear the biggest clubs around here are all connected to magic guilds and they tend to quarrel a lot . "

"I"ll let you decide . " Mindy said, and left them to it .

***

Vigil wagged his tail as he followed his Mom and the other wolfcats into the main entrance of KarGoth . [So, this time, we"re here to stay? This is our new den?]

[For us, it is . ] Carrie nodded . [You, however, are going down into the Pit . ]

[What…?] Vigil stared blankly .
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[Along with Cheery and Snaps . ] Carrie added . [By order of Shadowflash . ]

[Why?! Is Papa mad because we went to the Gorge?] Vigil whined .

[You"ll have to ask him . ] Carrie said, and led the three of them down a scent-marked trail .

They followed it down KarGoth"s mining tunnels, all the way into the Pit, then through the floor of the Pit to the other side, and then down another tunnel, deeper, and deeper, and deeper…

It was when even wolfcats could hardly see anything in the dark any more that a shadow stirred to one side . [There you are . ]

[Hi, Papa . ] Vigil said meekly, ears flat on the back of his head . [Are you angry with us?]

[Angry? Oh, no, this isn"t punishment . This is an opportunity . ] Shadowflash told him . [Or perhaps you could call it training . ]

[Training? What kind of training needs us to be down here?]

Darkness flickered . Shadowflash brought out a familiar-looking orb . [The kind that n.o.body should ever see . ]

[Is that… the Core of the Spectral Beast?] Cheery sniffed, tail wagging . [h.e.l.lo, Core!]

[You"re not supposed to befriend it . ] Shadowflash warned . [You"re supposed to fight it . ]

[Fight it? How? It doesn"t look like a very good fighter . ] Vigil observed .

Shadowflash sent a trickle of Psionic power into the Orb, and…

"ROAAAR!" a projection of the Spectral Beast erupted from the Orb, fiercely challenging Vigil and his friends, threatening to destroy them all at its whim…

Except that it was just three inches big .

[This is your opponent . ] Shadowflash introduced . [No dinner for you until you destroy it . ]

[No dinner?!] Snaps gasped, eyes wide . [ATTACK!!!]

They charged . They went at it with teeth, claws and fury…

Only to find that nothing worked . It was like hitting smoke . The only things they hit was each other .

[Psionic energy! We need to use Psionic Attacks!] Cheery gasped, firing off a quick but weak bolt .

Finally, that seemed to do some damage . The mini-spectre stumbled, then roared back angrily .

[Kill it! For DINNER!!!] Snaps went all out, throwing bolt after bolt of Psionic energy at it . Vigil and Cheery joined in with all the power they had…

And failed miserably .

Ten minutes later, they were exhausted, and the mini-spectre was fiercely trying to chomp down on their tails, roaring away angrily .

Shadowflash observed for a bit, then turned away with Carrie . [Rest when you need to and keep at it until it"s done . Until then, you get no dinner . ]

To that, Snaps howled . [NOOOOOOO!!!!]