CH 003 - Another Day of Teaching
I finally return to my small little house. It's cozy, but it doesn't smell like a home. I usually don't stay here very long, at most to sleep and cook every now and then. There is a fireplace that is only used during the long winter nights, but never used for relaxation. The bed is simple, consisting of a sciith leather case surrounding a stuffing of sheep wool.
I lay down, pulling my woolen blanket over myself. And looking at the ceiling, I wonder, is it really worth my time staying here? Ah well, nothing's going to change if I just keep staring at the ceiling.
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I wake up as the warm blue rays of light hit my face. Another day, another class to teach. Since yesterday was supposed to be magic class, might as well talk about that today.
As I get out of bed, I notice a bit of blood on the inside of my blanket. I look down at my body, pulling off my shirt, and see a large cut across my belly. I sigh, realizing I've been getting careless. I reach into my bed stand and pull out a small healing rune scrawled onto the wooden board. I pour some of my Aether into it, feeling the runes convert the energy, and in turn, heal my wounds.
I move to my bathing room and rinse my mouth, spitting out any grime I forgot to wash away last night. As I make myself breakfast, I continue to ponder the reason for those slavers entering the forest. They had a slave from another country as well, could the Empire of the Highborn be making a move at this time? It might be best to tell the mayor. Ah well, I can do it after teaching.
I step out of my house, and meander over to the school grounds where the children will be.
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The sun is way too bright.... I hate it. Unlike all these children, I much more prefer the night. The school field is covered in lush red grass, and grey blue flowers bloom here and there. About 40 young children, anywhere from 8 years old to around 14 years, all stood around, waiting for class to start. None of my 9 fellow teachers have shown up yet... was I early?
I look at the children, they seem antsy. "Hey, what's everyone doing?" I ask the boy closest to me, I don't remember his name since he's not my student.
"Umm, nothing. All the teachers said something about there being an emergency and left for the mayor's house."
So.... it looks like the mayor knows something, but it might be best if I just stay here with these kids for now. I look over to them. "So, how far are each of you in your magic studies?" I looks at each of them. Some seem to be reaching the point where they are learning how to make their own spell runes, some barely know the basics, and others are in the middle. I guess it'll be easier to teach those who know nothing at all.
"So, since I have no idea where most of you are, I'll start from the beginning. So, you all understand the base 6 elements; Aether, Nullity, Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, correct? These are the most basic elements available to us as Alchemists, but they are also the easiest and most malleable elements we can use.
"Since you all should have known this since you were babies, I'll move onto something a bit more interesting. So you all should understand by now the different pieces of a rune, correct? The Elements, the State, the Properties, the Attributes, and The Carves, right? A lot of you would also ask about the soul of a magic, but that isn't something you need to know or use for now. It's a crutch used by those Alchemists who didn't practice control long enough.
"Since you now know the basics of any decent basic rune, we'll get into how all the pieces work together. The very base of your rune is of course, the State. Then, depending on what you want, you add in your Elements, your Attributes, and then your Carve, and lastly your Properties. A simple spell to make a blade of wind would use a Manipulate State, Wind as your Element which will take up all 3 of the Manipulate's Element slots. In the remaining 3 slots you will put in the Sharp Attribute, the Wave Range, and the Heavy Property. This will generate a wind blade that will cut and push anyone who is hit by it. Any questions so far?
The students seem a little flustered by my quick teaching, but it seems most of them understand. "Alright, attempt to make the Rune for the blade of wind I just described, playing and toying with runes you know work will teach you more than any boom could." I sit aside while all the children start practicing this very simple spell, some who are more advanced even try making their own spell.