"Yaah, finally here"

Ardan sighed, gazing at the lavishly decorated gate. Streams of students heading to the academy grounds entered his roaming eyes, they were dressed similarly to himself, bar his weighty pack resting on his shoulder.

Giggles echoed through his ears as he stood gaping at the ornate gate.

"Who's this guy" "looks like he just crawled out of a bush" "hahaha"

Looking down at the hem of his trousers, the fabric was indeed caked in dry mud and leaves, his boots similarly covered. 

 Cough cough 

Ardan coughed awkwardly and slowly bent down to brush off the caked mud and leaves on his pant legs and boots, leaving only faint brown stains behind on his trousers, and now his hands. Stiffly, he entered the academy. 

---------------------------------------------------

"...."

"...?"

"....you"

Ardan raised a brow in response, his weathered bag still slung around a single shoulder.

"You're late"

The dean flatly stated, sinking his burly frame back into his chair.

"...Well I'm here now" 

Ardan said somewhat meekly.

...sigh

"Three months late Ardan Solda! Three months! Not three weeks! Not three days! Three. Whole. Months."

The dean sputtered, his impressive frame just shy of bursting out of his chair in anger. The deans large physique, coupled with the twitching red veins bulging from his forehead made for quite the imposing figure, most students would be quivering or at least slightly nervous in such a domineering presence.

'...and yet this guy...'

Sporting an equally impressive, if significantly smaller physique, Ardan looked almost bored standing with one arm holding his slung bag and the other brushing back his brown parted hair not realising he was just spreading mud through his hair. The dean could hear the words 'can I go yet?' echoing in Ardan head.

Running his hand down his face, the third dean slipped a paper across the table. 

"Here, your classes, classrooms and dorm number"

Ardan grinned.

"Thanks Dean" 

"Call me Sir, and don't let me see you in here again Ardan, I'm really pulling my leg out for you on account of your master" 

"Yesh Shir"

Ardan slurred and with a salute he swiftly left the deans office.

"crazy.....lunatics...that irresponsible guy...."

The dean grumbled.

---------------------------------------------------

Dumping his meagre luggage in his dorm, Ardan read the small slip of paper the dean gave him.

Classes

- Applied Swordsmanship

- Practical Warfare 

- Applied stealth

-Rune magic

It was a bare bones list, but such is the reality of the academy, it was a breeding ground for the continents strongest, with both current Archmages and the only living Master level swordsman being Alumni of the Academy, there was no room for those foolishly wishing to become a jack of all trades.

The academy was for those who were the best in their field, be it magic, swordsmanship, tactics, alchemy or even talent itself" The academy sponsors those they believe to have what it takes to rise to the top.

Ardans next class was rune magic, he could barely contain his excitement for the possibility of learning new runes and more importantly, answers no other could give. Though his masters words before he left for the academy ringed in his head, dampening his spirits.

"Nothing more to teach? What a garbage old man, I thought you were a master"

Ardan was 3 months late to the academy as he wanted to learn a little more rune magic from his father, one of the few runic masters alive. He may have gotten a little carried away, learning all there is to know, but Ardan refused to believe that's all there is to rune magic.

"...after all, it's just too easy" 

He muttered aloud, if another heard him calling rune magic easy they might just give him a tight slap across the face. 

'Compared to what's written on my body, what I've learnt from master is nothing. Master level, what a joke.' 

Ardan scoffed.

Finally reaching his classroom Ardan felt a faint sense of forboding, standing outside the door labelled Rune magic, he felt his vain hopes of the academy holding vast knowledge of runes fade as he witnessed the cobwebs covering the clear glass pane on the door, no sign of the normal lavish academy decoration to be seen.

sigh

'lets get this over with I guess'

creeek

The door creeked open, Ardan walked in with faint steps only to find a barren classroom littered with standard desks and chairs covered in a thin film of dust.

'Figures'

Ardan thought, his eyes scanning across the classroom and landing on.....a blob?.... 

'...no wait, that's a person' 

The faint movement of shoulders could be determined from the dark, round figure sitting alone at the very front of the classroom. 

'A shroud spell?'

Ardan thought, walking casually through the classroom, he was deeply familiar with the spell himself, hours of hunting does that to a man.

His footsteps unconsciously became lighter and lighter until he was practically gliding across the floor, closer and closer to his target until he was looming over the figures shoulder, as he stood there he pondered on the figures sloppy awareness, unaware that his own stealth skills far surpassed those which an adacdemy student could detect.

'Careless' he thought 'If I were to just...' he reached his hands over the back of the figures neck before he froze.

'Hmmm...not bad...' 

He thought, reading the contents of the figures scribbling over their shoulder, looming closer and closer to the paper, the figure still clueless. 

'Fairly advanced runes, enough to cast an intermediate elemental spell at least.' 

While runic magic allowed one to use elemental magic of any element, its casting speed was atrocious, one had to trace line upon line of runes in the air by exerting mana through their finger or extremity just to accomplish an intermediate spell a mage could conjur in an instant. It's true prowess shone through short, basic spells like dig, bolt and gust, combined with traps and stealth, the art was truly lethal. 

Ardan focused on the hand writing across the paper, a dainty, pale white hand traced quickly in a seemingly frantic manner, but Ardan saw the hours of dedication to runes reflecting in the ease and speed of inscribing.

"Your writing is decent"

Ardan uttered, breathing directly into the figures ear, unaware of the proximity.

The figure let out an alarming squeal, leaping into the air like a cat, the figure landed and hunched it's back in an attempt to look more intimidating, thrusting it's dainty white hand out from the shroud concealing it's figure, the figure hissed.

"W-w-wha?! H-huh w-wh-who are you?!"

The figure tripped over their words in a distinctly feminine voice. 

'...it's kind of.....cute? Ardan thought 'Like a small cat' 

"Yaaahh relax, I'm here for the rune magic class, this is it yeah?"

Ardan answered.