Journey Through the Underdark - Eric EarthScorn Book 1 - Chapter 5 (Patreon)

The sound of knocking woke Eric the next morning. After groggily rubbing the crud from his eyes, he looked around to find a rag to wash. With the sleep wiped clear, he remembered where he was and pulled on yesterday’s shirt. Padded to his door, he looked out to find Rick knocking on Terry’s door, trying to get his attention.

“You alright?” Eric asked.

Startled, Rick glanced over then turned away with a red face.

“What? I was sleeping, ugg,” Terry said as he opened his door, still disheveled from slumber.

Rick looked to Eric for a moment then seemed to give up and turn back to Terry, “We can go into the cleaning room now, but…um,” he said before looking to Eric again.

Giving Eric an angry look, Rick turned back to Terry and said, “I can’t figure it out.”

Terry gave a small bark of laughter then gestured the two boys along, seeming to not care about his lack of shirt.

Inside the last room in the hall was a stone room split in two. One side had regularly spaced metal spheres hanging from the ceiling near the wall. The other had what was obviously a row of seats like an indoor outhouse.

“Listen up, I’m sure you will have to teach this when others get here,” Terry said as he stepped over to the wall of metal spheres.

“This is a water summoning sphere. Place your hand on this plate here on the wall and ‘want’ the water to come out,” so saying the sphere hanging above started to a dismal downpour, though he stood to the side to avoid the dribble.

Pulling his arm back, the water stopped immediately to which he frowned and then stuck his hand against the plate again and reached for the dribbling water.

“Great, it’s the cheap kind. Well, it’s going to be room temperature and stop the moment you take your hand off it. Fun!”

Terry said, then wandered over to the other side.

“Same idea here. Touch the plate on the wall, and the waste goes away. Alright, have fun!” Terry said as he stomped back to his room, leaving the two boys to consider the miracles that Terry found so routine.

The next ten-day followed a similar morning routine. Terry had a difficult time waking in the morning, but the others made sure he was ready. An Army Corporal had been put in charge of their physical training while the professor was notably absent. Eric had expected to find it challenging to adjust to early mornings, but to his surprise, he adapted quickly. As the days progressed, they were joined with new apprentices and noticed that others were arriving at the other barracks. Terry enjoyed lording his knowledge of the magical devices over the others, but his assumed position of authority was quickly ignored when he struggled to keep up with the morning jog.

The Corporal in charge of the morning exercise, Corporal Tergus, made it clear that Rick’s speed Knack was off-limits during the training. A few of the other new boys had similar restrictions. After their jog, they would enter the dining hall for a hearty morning breakfast that was far fancier then many were used to. Meat at every meal, and three meals daily as well, seemed a strange turn of events for many. Only Terry seemed to take it in stride, but then, he was used to living in EarthScorns castle, so he was familiar with better fare.

They fell into a tired routine until it was interrupted by finding professor NorthSpear waiting for them in the morning instead of Corporal Tergus. The initial joy with skipping their morning physical torture was quickly dashed when they were instructed to follow the dour scholar into the administrative building’s vestibule.

Each of the boys, now numbering twenty-three, had been warned that they would be punished if found uninvited into the building. Ignoring the concerned looks, NorthSpear directed them into a door directly next to the entrance. Inside of the large room was a table that had some kind of metal device mounted on it. Ignoring the murmurs of the boys, NorthSpear pulled from his robes a leather pouch. When he reached the table, he pulled the drawstring and upending the pouch onto a bowl-shaped rest. From within the bag, a collection of glass spheres rolled onto the padded rest.

Yanking the chair from behind the table, NorthSpear settled himself then spoke loudly to the boys crowding around to see.

“Form up into a line, quick now. We have a lot to do today and little time to do it,”

After the constant yelling from Corporal Tergus, NorthSpear’s commands were less violent, but his dark eyes and scowl made it clear he was to be obeyed.

“This is a signature stone, it will take a sample of your magical signature and store it within. Along with a visual projection, it will be used to find you if you are lost or in need of assistance on the field of battle,” NorthSpear said.

Eric also considered that it would be useful to hunt us down if we tried to fake our death and try to flee.

More than one of the boys had flashed a concerned face and then schooled themselves into neutrality. Apparently, Eric wasn’t the only one who had considered the hundred-year service requirement to be severe and had though of alternatives.

As each boy reached the front of the line, NorthSpear would hold the glass marble up, stare into it at the boy, and an image of the young man would form within. Then he would place the orb into the metal contraption, and each boy would then place their hand on the metal plate that housed a small hole. Each time they would hiss in pain and then move away to stand awkwardly at the back of the room.

When Eric’s turn came, he rubbed his sweaty hands on his legs before he quickly slapped his hand down on the plate. The loud smack of his palm on the device had NorthSpear scowling at him. The sudden pain from what felt like fire flashing through his hand and out his fingers caused him to yelp and jerk his hand away, ignoring the professor.

Glancing at his hand, back and front, showed it to be clear of any wound. Eric was so distracted by wiggling his fingers that he missed NorthSpear’s instruction to move. NorthSpear emphasized his command with a bolt of green light that jabbed into his body from the professor’s finger.

“You will follow instructions or be punished. Congratulations, everyone,” the professor said before he checked the imprinted sphere, “Mister Eric EarthScorn here has volunteered everyone for extra practice today. Be sure to thank him back in your quarters tonight.”

The smile the professor gave Eric was more a snarl than anything else.

Scrambling onto his feet, Eric tried to join those who were finished, but his unsteady legs - and angry scowls - had him huddling up against the wall away from the others.

After the commoners had been processed through the imprinting machine, NorthSpear gathered the spheres into his bag and signaled everyone to follow. Eric had regained his feet, but the shoves from the other boys left him following along at the back of the pack.

It was a short walk to the main school from the administrative building. There had been some mutterings as they trooped over to the classrooms, but the teens grew quiet when they entered the well lit and appointed front hall. NorthSpear marched along the stone floor and gestured that the commoners should keep apace.

The room they finally entered was towards the back of the building and was smaller and less well-appointed. The room consisted of a small raised stage and podium for the professor and a series of raised benches. Stepping behind the podium, the professor commanded the group to find seats. After everyone had found a position, the professor leaned on the stone stand and began to lecture them.

“This is now the first official class of your training. You will remain seated and silent,”

So saying, he took a moment to look over the collection of boys then continued, “At the moment you are Sparks. That is to say, you have a Knack and a magical ability of some kind. Your body and soul have shown some ability to hold mana and, more importantly, express it in a useful way. Despite what most assume, anyone can perform magic,” the professor began with a bored tone, the words sounding well-rehearsed.

This pronouncement led to murmurs among the boys. It was an official doctrine of the kingdom that magic was for those who had developed souls and no others. The council was the embodiment of magic themselves and were the rightful rulers by the nature of their power.

Leaning forward slightly, one of the boys began to ask a question only for the collected teens to grip their benches and grunt in pain as light passed through glowing runes within their seats. The flash of light only lasted for a moment before they faded and released the flinching teens.

The professor smiled when the boys tried to pull away from their seats. None of them were able to lift their rears from the benches.

“Silence!” the professor shouted with a roar.

Within a short time, the teens quieted, though none seemed comfortable.

“The Academy will have wizards even if it must burn the magic through you. It will be easier for all involved if you follow instructions. You were told to sit and be silent,” the thin man said, his hands gripping his podium as he leaned toward the boys.

“When class is in session, you will pay attention, or you will be punished, collectively or individually as your instructor decides is fitting. Now then, you are Sparks,” he said, continuing as if what he had said was perfectly normal.

“The next step is for a large amount of magic to be forced through your channels until you Ignite and are no longer Sparks but true Apprentices. In antiquity, Wizards would exhaust themselves to Ignite a single Apprentice, or they would seek out places of power to Ignite their charges. With Artificing and Enchanting, we have gained the ability to Ignite as many as we wish. It is even possible to Ignite those without a Spark. Does anyone know why the kingdom does not do so?”

Looking over the group, the professor frowned at the questioning looks.

Tapping something on the podium sent out a wave of light to the pain-causing runes.

“You will raise your hands to answer questions,” the professor said, to which hands raised like flowers in spring.

The professor turned to Eric then smiled as he pointed to the boy.

“Um…because they are unworthy, sir?” answered Eric in a questioning tone.

NorthSpear’s face stretched into a smile to which the group made a collective exhale, but the sudden squeal of pain from all of the boys had them clenching their teeth and glaring at Eric.

“That is the official policy of the council. Yes, but it is not the full answer. The full answer is that magic must act,” the professor said. At the looks of confusion, the professor continued.

“Magic must act. It will always find a way to act when it can. In Sparks, this comes in the form of a Knack. But in those without a Spark, the thimble full of magic they hold is locked within them tight. Forcing more into them leaves only one way to act: Mutations and Corruption.”

At the sound of the two words that were usually only whispered in horror stories, the boys became silent.

“Now, Mutations, despite the fear of the ignorant, are commonly helpful. The fact is that each of you probably has a mutation hidden inside of you. Stronger muscles, better vision, hearing, and capable senses of all kinds. These are the most common mutations. This is incidentally why wizards live so long. Magic interacts with the will and acts. Even the strongest magician will leak magic, and their unconscious will and leaking magic bleed into youth and strength.”

The professor let his pronouncement rest in the room for a moment. Some of the boys stared into the distance without reaction. Others stared at their bodies or the other boys as if to see if they could identify these changes. When the silent confusion continued longer than the professor was happy with, he used a short burst of pain from the glyphs to gather the boys’ attention.

“For Sparks, a sudden burst of mana is a seed that blooms into greater control and the ability to contain more mana. Even the Mutations which form - and I repeat - each of you will likely have one or more, will be beneficial. This is what it means to be a Spark, magic interacts with our soul and will and produces positive results.”

“For those who cannot become Sparks, it results in horrific Mutations which kill them. If they are lucky.”

The professor’s voice then raised, “for others it causes Corruption. This means they are cleansed and anyone related to them to ensure the tendency to Corruption is cut away.”

The two forbidden words being repeated had the boys flinching. As serf’s they had heard the two words in stories, the distinction was never clear between them. The only thing that had been clear was the stories of entire towns vanishing.

“Now that the fun part is over, who would like to go first to be Ignited?” asked the professor with the smile the group had learned heralded pain.