The Societie Royale

"Mr. Dawson, have you considered my offer?"

The talent scout for S2 Magus Technology Holdings, Inc., had approached Caspian after his Principles of Magic class, ambushing him close to the cafeteria. It wasn't a true ambush, as Caspian had sensed his approach minutes earlier, but the scout's intent was clear.

He wants to catch me off-guard and force an answer, hopefully one favorable to him.

But what's got him riled up enough to try such a risky move?

Someone less decisive would likely panic and decline if he tried something similar…

"I'm still thinking it over," he replied, interested to see what angle the scout would take in response.

Caspian's gamble paid off.

"I hear you're making friends, Mr. Dawson," said the scout. "Was that Ms. di Cadenza I saw you conversing with earlier today?"

There's no way he could've seen that. He has a source, one he doesn't want to expose.

"It was, yes," said Caspian. "She asked me to join the Societie Royale. Does that bother you? Are you seeking an exclusive contract with me?"

The scout practically licked his chops.

"Mr. Dawson, I know you are hesitant to work for us while here at the Academy, but let me set the record straight: if you join the Societie, we're prepared to double your already-exorbitant signing fee. We'll also increase your salary by half, in perpetuity."

So that's how it is. He wants an informant in the Societie.

"That's quite the generous offer. Are you prepared to offer that, even when I haven't yet been accepted into the Societie?"

"It's contingent upon your acceptance, of course, but the offer is legitimate."

"I'll give you an answer after I've been accepted, then," Caspian replied with a friendly smile.

Better to stay on his good side for awhile. I might be able to get some useful information out of him.

"Ah! Very good, Mr. Dawson," the man beamed. "I'll await your call. I hope all goes well at the Societie, and I wish you the best of luck."

The man waved and departed for an unknown area of the academy town.

"Hey, Caz, who was that?"

Lance and Gwen, the only other students in Principles of Magic who seemed interested in the material, had offered to join Caspian for lunch. He had accepted their invitation, and they were just now reaching him having overheard the last few seconds of Caspian's conversation.

"A scout for a magic corporation. He heard that I was invited to join the Societie Royale, and was determined to get me to sign with them."

"Whoa, seriously?" exclaimed Lance. "You were invited to join the Societie?"

"Yeah," Caspian admitted, deliberately giving the impression of being embarrassed. "They told me to come by their clubhouse later today."

"Do you think you'll do it? Sign the contract?" asked Gwen. "I hear those contracts are very lucrative, especially if you get them early on in your magical career."

Caspian thought about it for a moment.

"I really don't know," he replied.

***

"Who's the other guy?"

Elisabeth Blackstone and Caspian Dawson were standing in the courtyard of the Societie Royale clubhouse, a moderately-sized and well-decorated Gothic building with two wings on either side of a large central hall. The Executive Board of the Societie met them outside, and though they had been expecting Elisabeth, Caspian was an unexpected addition.

"He's a second applicant," said Jessamine, emerging from the hall with Duke Henry Cahill in tow. "I just finished briefing the Chairman here and was about to tell you all as well, but it appears our applicants are here early."

She glanced over at the other two standing behind Caspian.

"Who are your friends, Mr. Dawson?" she asked, narrowing her eyes to convey her disapproval.

"My apologies, Ms. di Cadenza," he said. "We have first-year Principles of Magic together and are going out to dinner after I'm done here. This is Ms. Gwen Rivierra, and Mr. Lance Johnson."

"We'll wait outside," Lance offered. "We're sorry for intruding."

He brought friends along like he's making a trip to the store, thought Jessamine. How can he be so calm about this? Does he not understand the impact that joining the Societie could have on his life?

"No, it's okay," she replied. "The Chairman and I have agreed to a test, of sorts… a competition between Ms. Blackstone and Mr. Dawson. The winner will be accepted into the Societie. There's a practice arena nearby where the test will be conducted. You're welcome to attend and support your friend."

"Thank you, Ms. di Cadenza," said Gwen.

The Societie leadership, who had been excluded from this decision-making process, looked to Henry for answers.

"It is as the Vice Chairwoman said." Henry's tone indicating that the decision was final and should not be challenged, which was unusual for a man renowned for his open-mindedness in making decisions. "We've discussed Mr. Dawson with the faculty, and it appears he has a fascinating understanding of magic and magic technology. He may not be nobility, but we do believe he will be a valuable asset to this Societie."

"And you recruited him because he had the courage to directly oppose Elisabeth Blackstone?" Henry had asked. "How are you sure it's courage, and not foolishness?"

"I can't," said Jessamine. "But there's something about the look in his eyes… I think he's more than he seems. His professors seem to agree."

"Well, Jess… let's see how it goes, I guess."

Surely, some of the Societie leaders were hoping that Caspian would beat Elisabeth so that they wouldn't have to deal with the Blackstone heir. Others wondered that if this had secretly been the Duke's intention from the beginning, only pretending to support Elisabeth's inclusion whilst secretly working to prevent her from joining the Societie.

Elisabeth wondered this as well.

"Ms. di Cadenza," said Elisabeth, "Just what kind of 'competition' are you expecting us to engage in?"

"A duel between magicians," Jessamine replied. "Only lethal spells are prohibited; otherwise, whomever is standing at the end of one minute will be accepted into the Societie."

Elisabeth's brows arched contemptuously.

"You are aware that this commoner can't cast magic, right?"

"It is my understanding that he can't cast chanted magic," Jessamine clarified. "If his knowledge of magical technology can overcome your skill with magic itself, we see no reason why he should be excluded from the Societie."

"What? You can't chant magic, Caz?" asked Lance, surprised.

"I'm afraid not," he confirmed with a small smile. "My brain just can't translate the chants into magic structures."

That's a little different from what he told me earlier, thought Jessamine.

"And you're okay with that?" asked Elisabeth, who was clearly annoyed at the prospect of competing with Caspian.

"Yes," said Duke Henry. "And if you have an issue with the Societie's decisions, Ms. Blackstone, you're free to leave at any time."

Elisabeth huffed and crossed her arms, but did not protest further.

"Let's proceed to the practice arena, then, shall we?" said the Duke.

The arena was only a short walk from the Societie clubhouse, and yet the walk seemed to take far too long—in no small part due to the overt animosity between Elisabeth and Caspian.

No doubt due to that confrontation the other day, Jessamine thought. Looks like it hasn't been resolved…

There's still something about him that feels weird.

What is it?

Jessamine attempted to focus her senses on Caspian; she had been honing both her physical and metaphysical abilities for over a decade, and there was usually nothing that they would miss.

And yet… in spite of her intuition, she couldn't see anything out of place with the young magician.

Wait a moment.

His aura…

…something's wrong with his aura.

But, his aura seems appropriate for a Novice-level magician. I can't feel anything unusual—

No, wait—

His aura… it's too…

It's too cold.

It feels cold, artificial, fake.

Like a completely smooth stone in a bed of gravel.

Is there a way to fake your aura? I haven't heard of one—I don't know if even I could pull off such a technique at my current level, no Master-level magician could.

No, that can't be possible.

A form of Instinctual Magic, maybe? Aura Control, or something like that?

No—a magic device. That's got to be it. An Aura Shroud, a tool that overwrites your aura with a fabrication. That's the only thing I can imagine which makes sense.

Jessamine threw a sideways glance at Caspian, who, despite not looking at her, gave Jessamine a vague sense of being watched.

If he's prodigious enough to invent such a device, scouting him was definitely the right call. He might also stand a chance against Elisabeth Blackstone—I'm actually interested in the outcome of this duel!