Michael took a whole 5 minutes to find his master's cart, pick up his few belongings and carry them back up to his room. It's not too hard when it all fits in a single bag, after all. His extra clothes went in the closet, where he was surprised to see a series of robes and school uniforms. While he wasn't sure how often he'd be wearing the robes, the uniform would likely be his standard weekday apparel. As such, he was glad to see five different uniforms and 2 robes.
Assuming they didn't have a cleaning enchantment, he'd only have to wash them once a week. Each uniform was seamless and Michael could only guess they were made with magic. The main color was a deep forest green. The trim seemed to shift from color to color, though some looked better than others. It flowed from deep ocean blue to a golden-brown. From there, it turned a light-green before switching to a magma red. A stunning white and pure black finished off the rotation before it turned back to blue.
Though it was hard to be sure without putting it on, Michael was pretty sure the colors corresponded to one's affinities. If so, he'd be able to tell soon enough. Deciding that he could do with a change of pace, he changed into the first uniform on the rack. Though it was too large at first, it quickly shrunk to fit him perfectly. At the same time, the changes on the trim sped up, as if confused what color to turn. After nearly a minute of dizzying color changes, it seemed to settle on a shining silver- a color that certainly hadn't been there when he started.
Pleased with his new look, Michael reattached his sword at his hip and went to meet his dormmates. The nearest room was wide open and a gangling, freckled boy kept darting in and out. As Michael watched, he realized the boy seemed to be going too fast for one person. When he reached the door, the boy nearly plowed straight into him.
"Sorry about that! We're in a bit of a hurry. Mom's promised to take us shopping for familiars if we're done in the next 20 minutes. James already has his, but Jake and I still need ours. I'm Adam, by the way. Parents expected twins, not triplets, so I'm the odd one out. What's you name?"
Caught off guard, it took Michael a moment to reply. "I'm Michael. I just got here. What was that you were saying about familiars? And who are James and Jake?"
"Oh, sorry about that! James! Jake! Come say hi to our neighbor!" Two nearly identical boys stepped out of the room. If not for the fact that they all stood in front of him with the same goofy grin, he would never have believed there was more than 1 of them.
"I'm Jake. This is James. He doesn't talk much. If you're all moved in, what do you say to helping us out? We've got to get this all so Adam and I can get out familiars. Do you have one yet? I don't see it on you. Can we check out your room later? Is it the same size as ours?"
Michael decided to take his time with all the questions he was getting. "I'm Michael. I don't have a familiar yet. In fact, I'm afraid I didn't know we need familiars. You're all welcome to check out my room later, though I don't have nearly half the stuff you all do. As for the last bit, let me check."
He took a look at the room the three boys seemed to be sharing. It was large compared to most rooms back home, but it did have to house 3 twins who, Michael could sense, would frequently get into trouble. Still, he didn't want to be a bad neighbor. Seeing the cart of heavy items, Michael decided it was time to work his magic. Literally.
The sound of birdsong filled his head and, with a simple mental tug, the entire cart floated into the center of the room.
"Woah! You can already cast levitate on such heavy objects? That's so cool! I wish I was an air mage. Mom says I should be proud of dual fire and earth magics, but I bet it's so cool to be able to fly. Have you tried it yet," asked one of the triplets. Michael wasn't positive, but he was pretty sure it was Adam asking.
"Don't you remember? Mom said levitate is the first spell all air mages learn. Of course he'd be good at it if he got in," the other one (Jake?) said.
"Is this not normal? I've been doing it for a while, so I guess I'm kind of used to it. Earth and fire are cool, too! I haven't practiced with them yet, though. And no, I haven't tried it yet, but I've always wanted to. Maybe I can try after some lessons."
"Wait, you can use air, earth and fire magic? That's so cool! I've never met a tri-mage before!" The three crowded around Michael like a golden idol. "We are not worthy! Teach us, oh great one!"
The craziest thing was Michael actually couldn't tell if they were serious or not. "Maybe try learning from the professors first? I've never used fire or earth magic, after all." Remembering what the instructor had said at his testing, Michael decided to keep the rest of his affinities a secret for now. There was no reason to gather unwanted attention before he had to.
As the four finished moving their possessions to their proper places (quite a bit faster with Michael's help, too), the tallest woman Michael had ever seen walked into the room.
"My, you four did a- wait, four? James, Jake, Adam, did you three make this poor young fellow move your stuff for you? And here I thought I'd taught you manners. Really." The woman, who was clearly the triplets' mom, chastised them. Eager to stay on good terms, Michael was quick to defend them.
"It's no bother madam. I had finished moving into my room and saw your sons in need of assistance. In fact, I was hoping you might allow me to join you on your search for familiars, if you are willing. I promise James, Jake and Adam have perfectly kind to me and have done no wrong."
Right. He might have overdone it there. The woman stared at him in shock. "Such a polite young man! You three could learn a lot from him. Of course you can join us, dear. What's your name and how old are you?"
Seeing his speech work its intended effect, Michael smiled politely and said, "Michael Wudwolf at your service, madam. I am seven years old, though I've been told I am wise beyond my years. Thank you kindly for accepting my request."
Oh yeah, it was working. The triplets' mother was practically beaming. No wait, she was actually radiating light. She must have a light affinity! This was the first time Michael had seen a light affinity in action, so he was eager to observe it.
[Light magic technique discovered. Analyzing...Done. Caster's emotions are intrinsically tied to their use of emotion. Heightened emotions will result in more powerful magics. Technique can be purchased for 10 IP. Buy now? (Current IP: 5)]
Interesting. This confirmed that the system reacted to Michael's desires, offering him a solution, albeit at a steep price. Still, any method for enhancing his spells could prove useful later on.
With everything packed away, the group began to head away from the dorms. They headed away from the parts that Michael had already seen and soon found themselves surrounded by shops of all sorts and sizes. Triangular buildings offered steel armbands and rings. One rather round man sat inside an even rounder shop full of staves and wands and empty books. When they finally found their destination, however, its appearance disappointed Michael.
The front of the store had an open wooden door and big windows to display the creatures for passersby. Once they entered it, however, Michael saw that the building was far larger on the inside. Signs hung from the ceiling. "Felines and canids to the left." "Avian pets to the right." "Reptilian and subterranean creatures are at the back." "Taming tools available upon request." Now that last one sounded promising.
"Madam, what exactly is the purpose of a familiar? I'm afraid I never came across them in my studies," Michael asked sweetly.
"You don't know about familiars but still asked to come? How sweet of you! Familiars are a magician's best friend. You form a unique bond that allows you to read each other's thoughts, even across great distances. Most importantly, they compliment your magic, sometimes even awakening new affinities in a mage. They are of the utmost importance and you'd do well to think on what familiar you want before you make a hasty decision. You are, however, expected to have one for the headmaster's introductory speech three days from today."
Speech? What speech? Nobody told him about a speech? And he had to pick a familiar by then? So much pressure! And there were so many options. How was he supposed to know what a good familiar looked like? Still, he had asked to join them on this trip and it'd be rude to leave now. Michael bit his tongue and followed after the triplets.
The trip ended up taking far longer than Michael had expected. Despite only having two kids to choose familiars for, the group spent several hours wandering through halls of familiars of all shapes and sizes. He learned that James' familiar was a red flaming owl and Jake ended up with a similarly colored falcon. Both flared with real fire and greatly benefited fire and air mages. Though they lacked the latter affinity, they still gained from the first. With luck, one of them might learn to use air magic, too, making them a tri-mage.
Adam's familiar took a great deal longer to find. They passed rows of birds, fish, cats and dogs. When they reached the back of the canids, the cages gave way to a covered pen. In the center sat an ice-white wyvern and this was the familiar that he chose. It was an odd choice for someone with earth and fire affinities, but Adam was certain of his choice. When Michael asked about checking out, he was told that any goods bought and sold- familiars included -would be charged to their accounts.
Which reminded Michael of one small problem...He had no money!