The rest of the class then took turns demonstrating command of their elements. The two non-humans proved capable, if not altogether overwhelming. Aine was able to summon a powerful blast of fire, but seemed to burn through her mana quickly. Rebecca, on the other hand, produced only moderate results, but appeared to have a vast amount of mana to draw from.
[Maybe it's related to her title.]
Quentin, of course, didn't participate. Once they were done, Instructor Johnathan had them fall back into line.
"Not bad, overall. It seems that you aren't completely without talent. A few months of training, and the majority of you will earn the right to call yourselves elemental mages. That being said, I want each and every one of you to prepare to be tried and tested and pushed beyond your limits. It is the only true way to grow stronger. Now, everyone besides the showoff and the fatty, spend the rest of the class expending your mana in one of those circles over there." He gestured to a series of ten, smaller runic circles on one side of the building, each about 1.5m in diameter.
Aine asked in a slightly incredulous voice, "Uh, is that safe? If I go all out, I could incinerate everyone around me."
"You'd be hard pressed to do much of anything inside one of those circles. They're modified versions of the pit we use to test applicants. While it's not unbreakable, it would require the power of at least a Tier 3 mage to put much of a dent in it. Also, I don't want any of you trying to cast a spell through a chant. I know some of you might have learned them, but until you've completed the introductory Chanting course, you are banned by University policy."
Once the others had started their exercises, he directed Quentin to wait for him near the chalkboard, and pulled Mike to one side. "What's your name, son?"
"Mike."
"Well, Mike, I think we both know the only reason you are in this class, is because the University won't let you take anything more advanced until after your first quarter. Nothing wrong with that, but one of my biggest pet peeves is wasting time. So, I'm going to be instructing you a little differently than the rest."
Mike silently nodded his agreement.
"Now, what's your weakest element?"
"Lowest rank would be Light, but lowest tier would be either Earth or Air."
Johnathan frowned in thought for a moment. "Alright, from here on out, while you are in class, you are only allowed to use Earth or Air. Now head out into the circle, and try to expend as much mana as possible through one of those two types of magic. When you start to feel faint, you may stop."
Leaving him to it, Johnathan then took Quentin outside for whatever task he had in mind. Shrugging, Mike set about improving on his Air Magic first. He summoned a small whirlwind around him, working to keep the effect contained to a small area around him. Simply maintaining the effect barely touched his reserves, so he sat down, and directed a portion of his mana to pushing him off the ground. It took a great deal of concentration, and a little wobbling, but he managed to hover about 1m in the air.
[Alright! Flight is just a few steps away now.]
A small stirring in one of the convenient inner pockets of his robes reminded Mike that he need to feed his ravenous familiar. He'd noticed that, since he'd come to the University, Audra's habits had changed. She spent most of the day sleeping, waking only briefly to devour three times her body weight in food. It was convenient for him, now that his day to day life had become busier, but he was starting to get a little worried.
[Maybe she's just going through a growth spurt or something. Now that I think about it, I should probably do some research on dragon ecology and physiology. I would hate for her to be sick, and not even notice.]
Lowering himself back onto the ground but maintaining the whirlwind, he moved a peach from one pocket to the one Audra slept in. In the process he sent a little healing magic her way, just in case. His mana was drained in the process, but it didn't feel like he was actually healing anything. The little dragon definitely perked up though.
[Maybe she just needs regular infusions of mana or something?]
After a devouring the peach, pit and all, Audra gave a tiny yawn, and curled back into a comfortable position to fall asleep. Familiar fed, he returned to the task at hand, and resumed hovering. He invested a larger amount of mana into the whirlwind, making it howl intensely. He was beginning to feel the drain.
Instructor Johnathan eventually returned with a worn out and shaking Quentin, who was now able to use Earth Magic, to a limited extent. Whatever method he'd used appeared to be traumatic, but effective. The other students had already expended their mana, and were quietly whispering to one another while watching Mike's antics.
At some point, he had started to slowly roll forward, while maintaining his altitude. Not precisely sure why it was happening, he overcompensated, causing him to spin quickly in the other direction. By the time the Instructor had returned, he was gyrating rapidly in the center of his whirlwind, while still in seated position. Mike felt like he was in one of those machines used to train astronauts. If it wasn't for his Physiological Resistance skill, he was sure he'd have already emptied his stomach contents.
"What are you doing?" Johnathan's exasperated voice somehow cut through the howl of the wind with ease.
With a fair amount of timing and a good bit of luck, Mike canceled his spells and landed nimbly on his feet. Looking at the audience he'd accumulated, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Ah, just following your instructions, sir."
Johnathan face-palmed, "Just get back in line."
Once they had done so, he addressed them. "Now that you've all spent your excess energy, its time to learn." He walked over to the chalkboard before turning back to face them. "Who can tell me what the five basic elements are?"
Quentin raised his hand, and after receiving a nod from the instructor, began listing them off. "Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Life."
[No surprises there.]
"Good. Can you tell me how they are further subdivided?"
Almost as if he were quoting the textbook, Quentin began answering. "The five fundamental elements can be further divided into the material and immaterial. Water and Earth are both forms of matter that in turn contribute to all that remains static. Fire and Air are energy, giving motion to the motionless. When all four combine, Life is created. A blend of both the formless and formed."
"Felt like I was listening to my old teacher, when he read straight out of the book. Too bad its a bunch of propaganda. Fact is, we don't know too much about the elements, or why they seem to be such a major part of how the world is run. Anyone who claims to know is a liar or a charlatan."
Johnathan took a moment to look at the group before sighing, and turning back to the chalkboard. Grudgingly writing the names of the elements on the board in the manner Quentin described, he continued. "But I'm required by the University to teach it to you this way, regardless of how unfounded the claim may be. Alright, who can tell me what the five High Elements are?"
There was a pause, before Quentin timidly raised his hand again, seemingly afraid to answer again.
"Go ahead, know it all. Just keep it short and sweet this time."
"R-right. The five High Elements are Light, Dark, Space, Time, and Void. They are considered higher than the fundamental ones due to their abstract nature."
"Get up here and put them into the model."
Quentin hesitantly took the offered chalk and began writing. "Light and Dark are placed here, opposite of one another. As they are both visible to the mortal observer, they are held to be the most material of the High Elements. Next is Space and Time, whose existence can only be determined indirectly. Finally, Void is placed at the top, due to our current inability to verify its nature. This creates the model of the elements from the most fundamental to the most abstract."
He put the chalk back down, and quietly rejoined the line.
Johnathan moved to the front of them once again. "A good explanation of the current Materialist Theory on the elements. Remember this diagram, it will be an important component of your future education. Anyway, that will conclude our class today. We will be starting the real work tomorrow. Be on time. Dismissed."
With a collective breath of relief, the group started leaving.
The instructor called out before they had gotten far. "Where you going, showoff?" He pointed at the statue still resting in the center of the room. "You've got cleaning to do."
With a sigh, Mike turned back and moved up to the stone sword in the stone.
[Not sure what he's so worried about. This is clearly an ironic masterpiece.] Mike thought to himself as he considered the best way to remove his work. [I suppose I could just relocate it somewhere....]
"Oy, showoff. Let's talk."
Mike realized that he was now alone in the building with Johnathan. He turned to face the instructor, question on his lips, when his Detect Hostile Intent skill suddenly triggered.
He fell into a dodging roll, coming back up onto his feat a good two meters away. The air he had been previously occupying was cut by an almost invisible blade.
Johnathan's face split in a vicious grin, as he pulled a glaive made of pure darkness back into a proper stance. "You've got good reflexes....lets see how good."