In the morning a guard was waiting down stairs for them once they had gotten ready.
"Good morning. Follow me please we need to get you checked in." The guard turned and led the towards a building near the border. He went inside and grabbed a form before turning back to them.
"Alright, lets start with names."
"I am Tumuo, these are my apprentice and his sister Mercer and Lera, as well as an MI Silachlume and my friend Mirnia a mountain Nymph." Tumuo had spoken up first and introduced them all.
"No family titles?" The guard looked up at them. "Very well, they are not needed." He scribbled down their names. "What brings you here?"
"We are here to stay at the University, I wish my apprentice to learn as much as possible. We are also fleeing Ligerian cruelty." Tumuo glanced over at Mercer an Lera, "Their mother..."
"Understandable. We will need to test his bloodline, then we will give a pass for free entrance if he is strong enough. Do you have any other business?"
"We will be heading through to Ahmesh... I would like for Lera to train under a professional swordsman, she is already moderately skilled."
"You're going there? Even we out here know the stories... Very well, I will get a pass for her, you will find a suitable trainer at the university." The guard wrote some more down then went back in. "Come in young man, we must get you tested so that we know if you must pay for University. We want talented wizards to be well trained after all." He beckoned to Mercer.
Inside there was a runic core around a table in the center of the room.
"Please have a seat and try and release your magic. No need to focus it, just release it."
Mercer did as he was told, focusing on the Magic well in his soul he release a blast.
The building shook, and pushed the guard back a little. On the ground the circle was glowing, the ring was bright almost blinding.
"That... that's not right... can't be..." The guard was muttering under his breath. When he finally got a hold of himself he grabbed a card and stamped it. "Give this to the University, they will let you in."
On the card was a few words.
'Certificate of Magic Aptitude'
Underneath was a stamp with a number.
'100%'
Tumuo was looking intently at Mercer when he came out.
"Soooo? What did the test say." Lera asked peering at him from behind Tumuo.
Mercer held out the card. Lera looked at it, then at Tumuo. "Is that good?"
Tumuo bent over to read the card, and immediately started laughing. He got control of himself then looked to the guard. "I think your tester is a little of sir. He is only 99% as of yet."
The guard looked at him, his eyebrow raised in a question.
"You asked for identification, I am Tumuolathlamo of the Shiragagian Theocracy, The first, and current Arch Wizard of Eyrien, as I am without children my apprentice Belrien of Belyan was to be my successor until he was murdered by the Shiragagian Witch patrol for harboring his wife Aliara of Tric'trrel. After he died his son became my successor."
The guard's jaw dropped. "How is that possible, you should be dead by now. How am I in the presence of the first Arch Mage." The guard stumbled back a step and caught himself on the wall of the building. "I suppose you should get going then. If you had just told me that to start this would have gone faster." He set his head in his hands. regaining composure he continued, "I assume you will be able to find your way sir?"
"Yes we will be fine." Tumuo thanked the guard and then left.
"Are you really the first Arch Mage? That must have been thousands of years ago." Mercer was gazing up at Tumuo with a new found awe.
"Yes I am, as I said, Magic does wonders for the skin." He gave a small laugh at his joke.
"Wow, that's amazing."
The party left into the forest, following the road towards Hapsu.
"I remember an old song from my people. A tale of an old god who wished to return to the old days when Gaia was young and beautiful, before she was overrun with fire and structures." Silachlume broke the silence offering up a song.
"Thlu Liame'e muta thlu Ritomelo or rather The call of the Wild, I remember that song, it was always a favorite."
Silachlume hummed a soft tune. It was sorrowful and seemed to slow time. Bringing a strange calm to the world around them they could only hear the song. The sound washing over them like waves at the beach. Turning their minds over, giving them a new perspective on the world. From the north they felt a soft breeze wash over them, bringing memories of the past, a young man calling out while walking through an ancient forest.
Suddenly Silachlume was cut off by a howl in the distance. Immediately everyone stopped to look around. A small pack of Dire wolves had surrounded them to the south, the only way to go would be north. There were 8 wolves, but that would be more than enough to shred the small group of travelers as only 3 were good in a fight, and wolves were different from men.
"Mirnia, take them and run, when you are safe, head towards Hapsu. I will meet you there if I can." He pulled out a stunning staff and held it in front of him. "RUN!" His staff floated out in front of him and began spinning his eyes glowing a hint of gold. The 4 others ran off to the north, after a few seconds of running they heard an explosion. Followed by another every few seconds.
They found a clearing and waited for a 10 minutes before turning back to find Tumuo.
...
They found Tumuo's body laying in a clearing a bit to the north of the road. Around it were 6 of the beasts that had chased them, he was covered in cuts and scars. He had been torn to shreds.
"Tumuo!!!" Lera ran towards him, but stopped when she saw something coming out of the woods.
A small black cat walked up to his body. It's eyes shone a quiet gold almost sad in appearance. As it looked down upon Tumuo two spirits drifted out of it's back, a white one on it's left and a black one on it's right. They took the form of men with goat's legs though they were made of a billowing smoke and no details were visible. The white spirit had eyes a deep shade of red, appearing to drip blood, on its back were brilliant wings like those of a dove, though the edge of the wing appeared to be bleeding. The black spirit had eyes that shone a brilliant gold, its back held wings like that of a dragon, glowing gold along the top.
"Luimetosaolu..." Silachlume whispered, almost reverently.
First the white spirit reached out and touched Tumuo's forehead. A single drop of blood ran down the spirits face and hit the ground leaving a small patch of dead grass. Then the black spirit reached over and touched Tumuo's chest. From where it touched plants began sprouting, covering his whole body until a tree grew in his place. The tree was the largest in the forest and had golden leaves like no other. It's bark a dark black. From a branch grew a single fruit. The cat transformed in front of their eyes, taking on a humanoid form. Its body was seemingly shapeless, being nearly impossible to see. When it turned around and they could see into its eyes Mercer stared deeply. He felt as though he was falling until everything left his senses except the sound of a soft wind rushing by. He saw all of the universe laid out in front of him. Both future and past, he could see every moment from the beginning to the end. Every possible future and past was laid out, every possibility since the dawn of time. When he looked past there was nothing. Forever into his sight was nothing. Only darkness. Then he snapped back to reality.
In his head he heard a voice.
"This is yours now my child, eat it once you have spoken to the god of the sands." It handed Mercer the fruit from the tree, a dark black, with a hint of gold peeking through. Then, the creature vanished as though it was never there.
[ Thlu Liame'e muta thlu Ritomelo | The call of the wild ]
(Eldar)
Lamoletelumosu tilatola muta thlu rimu'uloso,
Tilu'ulo sumu milu tilusilu thtoso liame'e muta mitomolu,
Silureluame sumu milu, toa rumura sameluasolu,
Thlu lamoletelumosu telasulu sumu thlu tiolo'olumo siluamei.
Lamoletelumosu tilatola muta thlu rimu'uloso,
Tilu'ulo sumu milu tilusilu thtoso liame'e muta mitomolu,
Musalumo tamusi milu toa rumura sameluasolu,
Thlu telasulu muta soumulu sumu thlu siluamei leurumuolo.
Lamoletelumosu tilatola muta thlu rimu'uloso,
Tilu'ulo sumu milu tilusilu thtoso liame'e muta mitomolu,
Muolu somu talatosi, to maoluri leutamusilu,
Tesimurimo tomo loasima liutamusilu thlu metoetisu,
Silumeluasolu rumurasi taluasi lamolo melusu milu moluasi,
Laso to rilaso leutamusilu thlu talame'e.
(English)
Ancient Gaia of the woods,
Heed to me here this call of mine,
Reveal to me, if you please,
The ancient gate to the hidden realm.
Ancient Gaia of the woods,
Heed to me here this call of mine,
Open for me, if you please,
The gate of stone to the realm beyond.
Ancient Gaia in the woods,
Heed to me here this call of mine,
One so fair, I knew before,
Grown in dark before the light,
Release your fear and let me near,
As I was before the fall.