Yelce looked at the now two dozen requites, there where much more than he though there would be and he seriously questioned whether his standards where high enough or if he simply underestimated the populous of the city. It was most likely both and he adjusted accordingly. Everyone now stood in a spacy training room, looking at him with very mixed expression.
The Captain did not fully agree to the show he had just given outside, but he was warned. Many of those people would go to the city government to report a man being thrown off a tower and they should, but it would be a pain to deal with later. It was showy, but he had to have some way to weed out people who didn't have the nerve for this job. Ivia was not even in danger so what he did wasn't strictly in illegal, it was similar to a play with stunts.
"Congratulations!" he said to the crowd. "You all have reached the next part of your initiation." Many stood up straighter at his mention of there being more tests, which he saw as a good sign. "You all will be given a written test to test the knowledge of your own powers."
Many didn't seem thrilled to hear that there was a test though Yelce cared little about their results. It was important that his recruits knew about their own abilities, but that could be taught. No, he had other motives for the test. First of all he planned to take a set few aside, just a few that caught his eye outside, and interview them. Secondly, it gave him a good idea of the firepower he had in the room.
"This testing will take place in waves, separated by what type of soul weaver you are." The next few minutes where used to separate the collective into groups. The largest by far where mages with around half of the remaining recruits. The rest were four groups of two to four people. Mages were very common in Yolciph city with most major mage clans and families both originating in the area as well as being stations there as well. However there were enforcers, healers, enchanters, and a handful of people with very unique powers in the room.
He decided to have the mages test first.
****
For someone who had lived on the streets his whole life Arzin was actually well-versed in mage theory. Before meeting Vedin he had spent much of his time in libraries reading about their mechanics as well as researching clans. When he had met Vedin and became his sparring partner he had learned much more about both topics from Ivan. The test was nothing too hard for him. For the most part they where simple questions that would give the examiners a good idea of their ability.
List all Elements you are proficient in. Organize them from Strongest to weakest.
Explain the importance of mage stances, then list all that you are aware of. Put a star next to all that you can preform correctly.
Others gave situations where you had two fighters and you needed to state which one had the advantage.
If one mage is using blaze-stance and his opponent was using quake-stance, who has the advantage?
Though there were some that where very out of place and would be challenging for most people.
What are the three most magic conductive materials and what percentage of energy loss should be expected from channeling through them.
Arzin answered as best he could and when he was done he gathered his papers and looked up to look at the room arranged with two rows of desks. He wasn't the first to finish, most nobles had already finished including Vedin who currently sat slumped in his desk staring at the celling. They had years of study more than him, with great tutors. He technically had a great tutor, the same as Vedin in fact, but he only starting studying under Ivan for a few years. Nobles did have an unfair advantage in this part of recruitment and it made Arzin question whether this Lieutenant really was unbiased whether one was noble or not.
"Good your done." a woman stood in front of his desk. She couldn't be more than four and a half feet tall, her blonde hair reaching down to he knees. "Lieutenant Crazy wants to see you."
Arzin recognized the woman from the spectacle Lieutenant Uelas had made only not even an hour before. "Your Ivia right?"
The woman named Ivia raised her eyebrow, "I'm surprised you were paying attention during that interaction. Now follow me."
Arzin stood up and followed her out of them room and into an office. It was circular room the walls seemed to be made of bookshelves, every single slot filled. In the center of it all sat The Lieutenant who hadn't seemed to have noticed them quiet yet.
"HELLO!!!" yelled Ivia, the sudden loud noise made Arzin jump not nearly the extent that it affected the Lieutenant. With a blast of wind all of the pages on his desk flew up into the air, many of the books fell from their self as the Lieutenant hung on the top layer of the bookshelf. Ivia herself was laughing at Lieutenant Uelas's reaction.
The Lieutenant started laughing himself as he floated back down to his desk. "Sorry, I didn't you there. Thank you for bring him here Ivia, can you bring in the next in around fifteen minutes."
"I don't work for you Yelce." Ivia said before she walked out of the room, closing the door and leaving Arzin and the Lieutenant alone. Lieutenant Uelas starting collecting the spread papers. He didn't acknowledge Arzin's presence so Arzin simple stood there.
He continued to stand there until Arzin decided to speak out. "Excuse me sir?"
The Lieutenant looked up from picking up papers and book. "Oh, I'm sorry. I can get to this later." He moved back to his desk before speaking again. "I have to be truthful you have peaked my interest Arzin, not just at your fight with Sargent Yeria but your demonstration that took place today."
Expecting more to be said Arzin stood there. He had no idea what to expect from this conversation so nothing would surprise him. He could be sent home, promoted to rank of captain, killed on the spot, or so many other random and unlikely possibilities. Since that day in the market Arzin's life has taken a weird turn already. He was only here because of his bet with the Sargent and he still wasn't entirely sure if he would still end up being imprisoned.
Arzin continued to spiral, creating crazier and crazier stories in his head until the Lieutenant spoke again waking Arzin from his insanity. "I want to know more about you. Take a seat."
Arzin did and instead of standing awkwardly he now sat awkwardly. "What do you want to know?"
"A lot, but I'll shorten my list for now. First, do you have any noble blood in you?" He seemed to get right to the point.
"Not that I know of. I grew up on the streets with my brother all my life and don't remember my parents. Added to that I don't have any distinct clan markings so I doubt I'm illegitimate."
"You have a brother?"
"He's dead sir, it happened seven years ago."
"You couldn't have been any older than twelve. Is he the one who taught you soul weaving?" He was trying to go somewhere with this and Arzin wasn't going to make it easy for him. Though it would help if he knew where he was going.
"He was sir."
"Did he teach you all of the elements you can use?"
Arzin started to get a picture of what he was trying to at. So instead of hiding it from him he went straight to the point. "He was the one who taught me how to create a charge." he held up his hand, allowing sparks to run across it. It wasn't enough power to cause harm but it was a good visual demonstration. "However, I taught myself everything else. I don't know where he learned how to create a charge himself."
The Lieutenant smiled, "I never understood why nobles try to hide that fact that charge exist much less how to generate one. However it is notoriously hard to master, Sargent Yeria herself has no aptitude for it. Me myself," he pulled off his glove as he started his own charge. Unlike Arzin's straight lined blue arcs the Lieutenant's where white lined streaks that only faintly appeared. "I have a harder time packing the punch you do." He dispersed the faint lines disappeared and he put his glove back on. "You have a gift, and I would like to help you use it."
"Thank you sir, but it can't be that rare."
The Lieutenant laughed at that comment for reasons Arzin didn't understand. "Do you know how many formal stances there are when it comes to charge?"
"One sir, charge-stance."
"Yes, and that stance can barely be considered a stance in the first place. Now how many stances for charge do you know."
Arzin thought, he had never considered what he did as stances when he fought with charge. He though back to the past week, remembering what he body had done against that one bratty noble boy or the sergeant, and even the last time he sparred with Vedin. He had some kind of structure. "Including charge-stance, three sir."
The Lieutenant rose his eyebrows in surprise. "I definitely think I'll have a use for you."
****
Vedin passed Arzin in the hallway on his way to the Lieutenant's office. He tried to read his face but Arzin just looked forward. He started to worry if they where in trouble for what happened outside of the building, or worst-case scenario and he knew wanted to know about his "condition".
Vedin walked into the circular office and bowed in respect. Even though he was ill-mannered for a noble he knew them fine, and he did respect this man. He was everything Vedin wanted to be, he was strong and was well respected by people of middle and low classes. He had a lower reputation among noble standing but who cared what those idiots thought. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir."
The Lieutenant stood up and to Vedin's embarrassment bowed back. "The pleasure is all mine. Their is no need to bow, anyways you do have a higher standing than me in this city."
"I insist sir, and anyways I've never cared for social standing."
"That's good to hear, especially from a future house head and the cousin of my Sargent."
Vedin's face turned red his body was still bowed and he didn't entirely know when to straighten up. "We are cousin's sir but I don't really know her."
"You are right of course." The Lieutenant stood up and gave Vedin a very serious stare. "I'll get to the point then. I am aware of the conditions of your soul. I know you only can you only use fire as a mage. I don't care about that. I do care however that your soul is incredible unstable, leading you to loose all control, not only risking your own life but that of those around you. Can you promise me with all certainty that you will not have any problems while working for me."
Vedin sighed as he straightened up and looked the man in the eyes. "If I say yes I would be lying. but I can promise you that if Arzin is by me nothing bad will happen to civilians."
"You put so much faith in your friend?"
"Yes sir."
Still skeptical the Lieutenant said, "Is there any reason I should let you join my squad."
Vedin thought about it for a second. Saying it was because working for his hero would be amazing was a bit on the nose so gave his second reason. "Because I love the cause, and I see no better way how I can get stronger."
"That's good to hear, but I need some more information before I can make a clear decision, I'll let you go on to the next round of recruitment but only under one condition."
"Anything sir."
"I need to meet your tutor."