Incline 6: Traditional Student Baltanthan

"Q-Quiet..." I groan at the blaring alarm I had set the night prior. Yet, it was also not the only alarm In had. Because my roommate was a dragon for all intents and purposes. And, if it wasn't for the problems I would cause for myself, I'd choke her with a pillow.

But, her noise did prevent me from going back to sleep. So I grabbed my things, piled neatly in a certain spot so I always knew where it was. And I went out into the area outside of the rooms. Then, slowly, I tried to get changed into my physical education kit.

"How am I not used to this, already?" I asked myself after standing still for a few minutes. And I think it was a valid question. I've been doing this routine since I passed the entrance exam, really. But, here I was, tired and out of it with a pestering chill all about.

However, it was not enough to make me retreat back into my warm bed. So I went down the stairs, careless of any noise I made on the way down. Then, I went into the kitchen and pulled a string out of my pocket. I made a knot with it, and then I grabbed a piece of cheap steel from a pot on the windowsill.

And, as it was rolled about my hands, I watched as it started to rust, "Let's get going, then." I mumble as the last of the initial morning grogginess left me.

I grabbed the rest of my equipment, and I went to and out the door to our dorm. Shivering in the morning cold before I started to jog down the pathway of our street. And, like usual, it was quiet. A few others were up, but, initially, I was the only one doing anything.

More people out for morning runs, however, were spotted once I got to my destination. A small shop meant for the students of Traditional House. And, like every other day, I grabbed a small meal and waited to be served. But, some were just not rid of the morning grogginess, and the queue moved slowly.

"M-Morning, Baltanthan..." the woman at the till greeted as she yawned and blinked slowly.

And, that yawn was infectious, "M-Morn..." I couldn't even finish before I let out a long breath through my nose.

"Still going at it?" she asked me as I became what bothered me only moments before. Thankfully, we had no short-tempered people here. As that would just make me want to combat their complaints with my own.

"Yeah, the Inter-House Talent Display has yet to happen." I commented without my usual snark for a question like that. I was just too tired right now to really care.

"G-Good luck with today, then." she yawned out before she waved me off.

"Stop yawning..." I complained as I yawned on the way out with a small bag. Then, once I had secured it into my grip so that it wouldn't bounce about. I started to jog again, this time with greater vigour as the problems of waking up vanished. And, for a short while, all I heard was my feet hitting the path.

And once my final destination came into view, I slowed down before entering the large building. From there, I moved into its depths and put my food aside while extracting the drink. I then just walked about until I found my spot. But, before I could do what I wanted, I needed to prove it was me.

"One slightly rusted washer." I said to the machine as I waved the magically-affected item by it. Something I kept up until I was finally allowed into the training room. Thankfully, as well, because I was able to keep this spot for an extended period of time. I could just get to it, no equipment had to be moved about.

"Aw, little Ravineer still coming here?" the girl in the cubicle over mocked as she leaned over the low wall separating us.

"What do you want, Rosheney?" I asked what had essentially become my morning routine bully. Not that I would ever admit it in the open. I wouldn't hear the end of it if that were the case. But, she really did frustrate me.

I hated the fact she found out I was not from a mountain-state...

"To be able to train for the Inter-House without knowing some thing from down below is on my team." she told me with a smile that did not belong.

However, I just rolled my eyes and got to it. As I can't ignore her, I was too aware of her voice for that. But, I could at least let it fuel my desire to improve. So, there was that at the very least to make it bearable.

And I could only wish for the kind of equipment Oddity and Exceptional House got. I had this little cubicle with some low-grade equipment while they had malleable pocket spaces! How was anyone meant to get on their level if all Traditional House had were these? But, for all my complaining, this stuff worked fine.

I was not strong enough to make the most of anything more than it. So I tried to keep my focus and kept on going at it. I lifted the weights when I was using them. I used the fancy breathing devices designed to help magic circulation. And, of course, I occasionally looked on in jealousy at Rosheney.

She was from Thrurstradtur, so her magic was naturally better as she was from higher up. But, as she was female, her real strength shined in her ability to cast spells. She could make small magic blasts without the need for a conduit or blood magic. Meanwhile, I could only rust metal because my early life boredom has somehow screwed me over...

Then, she caught me watching her, and she smirked, "Oh, I'm sorry, Ravineer? Is there something wrong?" she asked me as her magic made itself known while she lifted some weights.

"No." was all I had to say to her before I went back to stewing in my rage. And, deep inside of me, the machine swirled about my own magic while injecting more into me. In reality, it was a fancy breathing device. Possibly based on an ancient machine dug up by the Archeological Study and Relic Extraction Club.

The same club my second alarm was a part of. I could ask about this machine, actually. It would have my ears bleeding and broken by the end of it. And, I would no longer have to put up with Rosheney's comments.

Because my ears would be broken beyond repair because my roommate never shut up about her club. I have really had it with her incessant blabbering about that giant glass chamber her group has found. I really have. How can she talk so much about something she knew next to nothing about!?

"Heh, look at it go." I quietly commented with a smirk as I read the counter in front of me. I was able to break yesterday's record by working myself up into a silent rage! Yet, I also regretted it as it made me easier to annoy.

Which, a certain someone was certainly putting to use as she was an obnoxious one. So now my good feelings were making way for growing annoyance. Because she wouldn't stop commenting about how well she was doing in comparison to me... Every day it was like this...

I was sick of it, but, I also wanted to use it as well as I could. Yet, even then, I had my limits, so, I finished up with what I was doing and headed out to the range. Maybe today would be the day I could cast some kind of spell without a conduit. As, thankfully, I was able to avoid the fall that was blood magic.

Even if the name was far more intimidating than what it would actually do for me. I used wind magic, so all that would happen is that I would be breathless. So why did they insist on calling it blood magic!? No blood was involved!

"Okay, a target..." I mumbled to myself as I messed with the machine next to me. Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding, being the intuitive institution it was. Had a lot of insight into how magic developed and worked. So, they gave even us of Traditional House some arcane fabricators.

Which meant I could create a target made of metal. But, with the small space I had to work with, it was only a small box I could make. And, once I was done setting up a target, I walked out onto the range and stood near it. First marking its backside with some rust to make sure my magic was working.

A pointless test when you thought about it, but, it was a part of my routine with this bit. Then, once I circled back around to the front of the target. I spread my feet apart and held out my hand and breathed in deeply. I tried to concentrate on any unfamiliar feelings inside of me and I tried to bring them out.

Yet, no matter how long I stood there with a trembling, claw-like hand, nothing happened. I kept up with it, however, for a few moments, but, someone followed me and set me off. Because she set up her own target and blasted it right from the start of the range. Meanwhile I had to move so close to the target in order to achieve nothing!

"DAMMIT!" I roared at the metal box before I slapped it with a loud bang. But, even the process of the piece I slapped going orange before falling apart did nothing to calm me. In fact, I only got angrier as she was now howling with laughter.

"You're pathetic, Ravineer!" she cackled before she walked off. But that only made me angrier, as she only came over to enrage me.

"Laugh all you want..." I growled out before I turned back to my box. But, because I had struck it out of anger just now, I had to reset it. Because I would not be able to tell if a projected spell worked properly like this. Yet, when I got to the machine again, I hesitated as now I was left wondering if there was a point...

I was a ravineer in over his head right now. Most people here were either foreign students who came here because Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding was a great school. One of the best in the world for magic... Or they were mountain-born and got to feel the winds of Jhroungijherammujhernosumonaterikra at their purest.

I came here because I wanted to learn magic, but, what I had learnt up until I got up here barely meant anything! I barely made it past the entrance exams and was suffering from a lack of sleep during that time! I was a weakling from a forgettable town in a storyless intersection of mountains... Yet, despite that, I still made it.

"I am a student, a student of Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding!" I suddenly declared loudly, full of pride. My previous thoughts were still there, but this injection of optimism was what I needed to give it another go. And I did just that, I worked to prove people like Rosheney wrong. I worked so I could tell a younger me that it was worth it.

But, this time, I moved closer rather than returning to my prior distance. If I was having trouble with casting a spell. Then I just needed to squeeze a spell out. And when something was squeezed out, you stayed close to the target!

"There we go!" I let out joyously as I watched rust spread across the new box I had prepared. It wasn't as damaging as my slap, but, it was something! And something was better than nothing!