Without anyone realizing it, it was nearly time for dinner. The sky was growing dark and floating lanterns began to appear one after another, lighting the path between buildings and spaces. They all, save Connie, decided it would be fun to go together. Many of the new students were eager to hear about Michael's battle with Orthus, but he told them to wait until dinner.
They arrived in the main hall with their familiars, only to realize that a bunch of people were there already. They wore academy robes and a group of them blocked off the exit once the last of the new students had trickled in. In fact, all possible routes of exit had been blocked.
Even stranger, they all seemed to be wearing masks of some kind. Without faces or familiars, it was impossible to guess exactly who was blocking them in, but Michael had a pretty good idea. Hazing was unfortunately quite common back on Earth. Older students or athletes would pressure their new school/teammates to do things they wouldn't normally. If he had to guess, that's what was going to happen here.
Some of the students, mainly the triplets, were whispering back and forth excitedly. Michael couldn't catch everything they were saying, but he heard the word "initiation" and that was enough to confirm his suspicions.
A melodic voice filled the air. "New students, congratulations on entering Ilkhorn Academy. You have been judged to be the best of your year, and you were likely told you are the future of the academy. Let me tell you now, the journey ahead of you is harder than you think. Here to tell you more are the ghosts of geniuses past."
A taller boy in a mask stepped forward. "I am the ghost of the overworked genius. For years, I spent my time studying hard and focusing on my magics. When I disappeared, nobody even noticed I was gone." He stepped back, blending into the sea of students.
A smaller, ambiguous individual stepped out to face them. "Students, I am the ghost of the under-worked genius. I played too much and studied too little. I died days after leaving the academy." This figure, too, then stepped back into the crowd.
Finally, the original speaker stepped forward. "Students, I am the ghost of the Elk. I studied hard and made good friends. I graduated an expert with a shining future. Now, I return to judge. Who is worthy of the Order of the Elk?"
Wait, so this was a recruiting trip? No wonder their stories were so corny! Still, organizations did tend to give some benefits. If Michael joined them, he might be able to progress even faster!
"Let the bravest among you step forward. Meet our challenges and you will be rewarded. Fail, and you shall never learn our secrets."
At this point, quite a few of the younger students became quite excited. Some, like Julia and Malachi, were a bit frightened by the stories. Still, they both looked determined to pass whatever "challenges" this Order of the Elk had come up with.
The new students formed a line. Michael was curious to see what it was all about, so he chose to place himself at the end of the line. If he didn't like what he saw, he figured he could probably break through their barricades.
"First challenge: Defeat the order member assigned to you. You have three days. Until you officially challenge them, they will remain nearby but unseen. Good luck, recruits."
Eighteen different masked figures stepped forward. They were paired up one by one, until only Michael and one of three original speakers were left.
"Looks like I am to be your opponent. If you remember my story, you just might win. I am skilled in Light, Darkness, Earth and Water magic. You have three days." Michael's opponent then disappeared into the shadows. If Michael took a close look, he could figure out his opponents location through the disturbance of shadow magic. The effect was cool though, so Michael didn't want to humiliate his opponent.
[Quest created: Join the Order of the Elk. The leader of the Order of the Elk has invited you to apply for membership. Defeat your shadow in under 3 days and complete all other tasks to join the Order. Rewards: 10 IP. Penalties for failure: Loss of respect of classmates, cannot join the Order of the Elk.]
Sweet, this strange performance had actually generated a system quest for him! If not joining the Order of the Elk was considered a sufficient punishment, it probably meant that it was worth joining. With luck, they might help him advance faster. If they were strong enough, he might even be able to use them in his attack on the dragon.
Michael daydreamed of countless applications for this new group he had just learned about. He was all but positive he could pass their tests, so the only real issue was what he would get out of it. At dinner, Michael's dorm mates couldn't help but talk about the first challenge.
Strangely enough, he noticed a sound dampener surrounded their table, preventing what they said from leaking out. Even more strangely, he noticed the same thing at several other tables of students. Were there other organizations at the academy? If so, how was he supposed to know which one to join?
"Hey Scott, you seem to know a lot. What can you tell me about the Order of the Elk?" Michael's table looked at him like he had grown a second head.
"You've never heard of the Order of the Elk?" "They're only the best Order of mages on the continent!" "Dude, I thought you were smart!" Even James had jumped in to berate him. After a while, they all quieted down enough for Scott to explain.
"The Order of the Elk is an organization of mages. They have chapters in nearly all top schools and only recruit the top ten recruits of each year. They have more resources than any other group in the country. Anyone that is anyone either is a member or dreams of being one. Their methods for recruitment are kept a secret, hence the sound barrier around us."
Michael was glad he had asked Scott for the explanation. If that was the short, informative version, how long would it take for Adam or Jake to get through it all? More importantly, such an organization would save Michael a great deal of money and effort. He was currently penniless despite his high potential. If not for Master Robin, he doubted he'd have ever attended a magic academy.
Okay! It was decided. Michael would become a high-ranking member of the Order of the Elk. Still, he had time before he had to defeat his opponent. He decided to head to bed early in preparation for the welcoming ceremony the next day. He made sure Orthus had food and water and was comfortable, then went to bed.
He had plans for tomorrow.