The City in The Sky [M] >Holeypaladin & Rikaya<

**Rikaya** · 07-20-2018, 01:29 AM

Spoiler: Elyssa Aremhal

Today was the day, the day to board the airship and venture off to the most prestigious University in the realm. Elyssa was busying herself with her luggage and trying not to forget anything of importance. Both nervous and excited, Elyssa couldn't stop thinking about finally being able to leave Misty Wood and go someplace that isn't just filled with elves. Misty Wood was home and it is all Elyssa has ever known but she was ready to go and see the rest of the world, at least a world that is located in a floating city. There was so much to look forward to.

On the way to the docks, Elyssa sat through her parents' excited jabbering about how their daughter is going to become the greatest mage there ever was. Trouble was, Elyssa was plenty educated, just not in the magical arts. So much so that she wasn't even sure what magical path she was going to take and what kind of magic she would even choose to study. Was she even magical at all? Trying to push her anxiety away, Elyssa tried to engage in some light conversation with her parents until they have reached the docks.

To get to the University, Elyssa had to take an airship to Imperial City, a place she has only heard stories about. She knew that this city was a vast and beautiful place that was frequently visited by all races. Of course Elyssa has interacted with other races before, but majority of her life has been spent in the forests of her elvish kingdom which was not frequently visited by others due to the elves' private nature. Living in Imperial City was going to be an adjustment but it will be a welcomed one.

Before boarding the airship, Elyssa exchanged an embrace with her parents. Her mother, a tall slender, beautiful woman, whom Elyssa looked up to very much, pulled Elyssa’s thick braid over her shoulder and tucked some loose strands behind her ears before cupping her face. “You will do great things my love. Study hard but also, don’t forget to have a little fun, okay?” Elyssa’s mother commented with a gentle smile before kissing the young elf’s forehead. Elyssa did look young, and in human years she was fit to attend the University, but in truth, elves age at much slower rate than most races and so Elyssa was much older than what she appeared. Her true age? She did not reveal to many other very often. “I will miss you mother, and I promise, I’ll try to have some fun too” she replied and laughed.

<-------------------------------->

Flying to Imperial City took at least an hour, and once Elyssa was off the ship, she found herself wondering around the town trying to find her way to the University. Nothing looked familiar, the streets were very busy with people, and the directions she had received from the school were not very clear. How was she supposed to find her away to the school? Deciding to take a small break, Elyssa had entered the market and felt her stomach churn with hunger. As expected, Imperial City had some of the most amazing food vendors Elyssa has ever seen, and she stopped at a vendor which made fresh soup on the spot.

After buying herself a cup of vegetable soup, Elyssa sat down at a table nearby and enjoyed her soup while taking in her surroundings. Being up in a city which floated in the air gave something very beautiful to look at. The clouds appeared a lot closer than they would from the ground and the sun almost felt warmer too, or perhaps that was just Elyssa’s senses starting to wake up after being in slumber in the dim surroundings of Misty Wood.

As she took in the atmosphere of Imperial City, Elyssa was also on the lookout for someone she thought would be able to help her find her way around. Beyond this market, she really wasn’t sure which direction to go so she finished her satisfying meal and set off again to try and find some assistance.

**Holeypaladin** · 07-20-2018, 05:35 AM

Spoiler: Hans Schrödinger

It seemed like every semester, the students got younger, prettier, and more diverse. Perhaps it was due to the increasing diversity among apprentices at the Arcane University... every year, more elves, fairies, mermaids, dragons, and other races enrolled for classes, while the number of human students decreased slightly due to the limited space in the dormitories and classrooms.

Hans didn't typically have much interest in human girls. Sure, many of the students who attended the Arcane University were young, pretty, and human... but humans in general just seemed so... ordinary. From the perspective of a wizard who preferred the realm of ideas over the realm of the mundane, humanity was as mundane as it got. Plus, they grew old so quickly... within a decade or so, most of their pretty faces would already be showing signs of aging. Definitely not ideal from the perspective of a wizard as old as Hans.

Not that it particularly mattered that much... due to regulations regarding teacher-student relationships, and the fact that the University had plenty of male graduate students in prestigious fields of study, the female apprentices weren't typically very interested in a professor of destructive magic.

As he was preparing himself for yet another semester of teaching magical techniques that were no longer as vital for combat as they had once been, Hans Schrödinger found himself wandering around the largest bazaar in the known world, where exotic goods from lands near and far were hauled in and sold at inflated prices. Additionally, magically enchanted weapons, armor, scrolls, wands, staves, rods, potions, and various other products produced by University apprentices were sold at some of the cheapest prices to be found anywhere in the world.

As he was walking past some food stalls, he saw beautiful girl... teen by all appearances, though her pointy ears betrayed the fact that she was at least several decades older than she looked... helping herself to a vegetable soup. It was about as elven a dish as could be found, the girl obviously an elf herself, though she seemed to be looking for someone.

He didn't have much reason or excuse to talk to her, and expected she was waiting for a date with some lucky young man... why else would a pretty thing such as herself be alone, after all? Still, her clothing didn't match some of the local fashions of the Imperial City, where girls her age had taken to wearing thigh-length skirts and dresses of silky and cotton fabrics. Rather, it looked like she was straight from one of the elven villages on the surface. Since the earth mote on which the Imperial City was built tended to drift across the sky in a circular pattern, it took a bit of calculating to realize there was an elven kingdom underneath them at the moment... and it made him wonder if the elf girl was from that kingdom.

As he was lost in thought, he noted a human male had taken an interest in the elf and made his way towards her, presumably to hit on her. Hans had no real reason to interfere, but something about the elf girl made her seem... lost. Vulnerable. And unfamiliar with her surroundings. So he decided to stick around for a few moments longer, just in case she needed help dealing with potentially unwanted sexual advances.

**Rikaya** · 07-22-2018, 03:09 PM

A bit disappointed with her ability to figure out what seemed like simple directions, Elyssa flipped her map this way and that trying to make sense of it. Was living cooped up in a forest all her life this disadvantageous? If so, she should have asked to be trained as a soldier instead, at least they had the opportunity to ride out into the world, explore, and learn to navigate the various terrain.

A deep frown creased her forehead and she sighed. At this point a local would be her best bet so she looked up from her map and instantly noticed a rather handsome gentleman standing a little ways away from her. He looked human and a bit older than her teenage appearance, the way he was dressed made him seem like someone who might work at the university. He also looked friendly so she chose to approach him. As her feet began to move in his direction, something stopped her and she looked up to see a much taller human boy standing in front of her. Did she run into him without noticing? Elyssa's shy demeanor began to show and she tucker some hair behind her ear and clutched the map to her chest. "Uhm..I'm sorry, did I run into you? I suppose I wasn't paying attention" Elyssa decided to apologize to the boy.

Almost as soon as the words left her lips the boy grinned at her so widely she could have thought she told him the funniest joke in the land. A bit surprised by him reaction, Elyssa looked at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Oh not to worry darling, it was I who ran into to you, and what a pleasure it is running into such a fine young lady as yourself" the boy replied. A little known secret about Elyssa, she was not used to being courted by anyone. Sure there were men she was interested in before but all these years of being buried in her books made her lag behind in interactions with men. She could talk to pretty much anyone else but when a man made an advance at her, she didn't quite know what to do and a severe blush crossed her freckled cheeks.

"Oh...um, thanks" she answered timidly. "No need to thank me, you new here?" he asked and looked Elyssa up and down, making her discomfort grow. "Yes, is it that obvious?" she answered and laughed nervously. "I'm just trying to find my way to Arcane University" she went on hoping he would either tell her where to go and leave her be or just let her go altogether. "Ah, a new student, how convenient! I'm a student as well. You know...I can show you how to get there if you want, on one condition" he replied with a sinister looking grin. "You accompany me for a drink at the tavern" he suggested. Elyssa figured out very quickly that she didn't like his kind, the kind of person who just advances on someone as they see fit.

Unsure of how to let him down easy, Elyssa looked for an escape route, her eyes going back to the other man she noticed earlier. The one she was going to approach first before this obnoxious fellow stopped her. "Well..actually, I was on my way to meet him" she answered and pointed out the other man with her gaze. The boy turned to see who she was talking about and frowned immediately. "Oh...a professor" the boy commented with disappointment. Elyssa was right the first time, he did work at the university, a professor no less. "Right, he was going to help me figure out what field of study to choose" Elyssa didn't like lying but she wasn't interesting in drinking with this boy either. "Well, if you ever get tired of that old man, I'm sure I'll see you around school" he commented and winked at her.

Forcing a smile at him she began walking towards the man whom she knew now to be a professor suddenly realizing that approaching would probably come off really odd and Elyssa felt that familiar blush cross her cheeks again. "Um..excuse me sir, that boy over there tells me you're a professor?" Elyssa wasn't sure how to start this conversation but she needed to look engaged if the other boy was going to believe her lie.

**Holeypaladin** · 07-22-2018, 08:23 PM

The wizard didn't have any real reason to stand around the way he was, nor had he any particular right to interfere with the exchange between the elf and the human student. Compared to the smaller towns and cities throughout the Empire, the Imperial City was incredibly progressive and tolerant... supportive of individual freedoms and liberties rather than constrained to ancient ideas of feudalism still practiced by the human kingdoms. This was reflected by the fact that teenage girls and young women were walking around alone, unaccompanied by a father, brother, or husband, and wearing skirts and dresses with a short enough hem line as to be considered obscene in the more conservative lands. What some cultures considered obscene in fashion, the residents of the Imperial City considered normal, largely due to the hotter climate due to the city's proximity to the sun.

Hans, however, still held himself to an older tradition... a desire to protect young teen women from unwanted advances. And it was for this reason that he made himself available to do just that, should the elf girl require his assistance... though as he watched the shy elf girl's response to the aggressive advance of the human, she seemed to handle herself just fine without him... though he did overhear enough of the exchange to catch the fact that she was using him as an excuse to escape the situation.

Sure enough, the girl then made her way over to him, and, unable to prevent his usually expressionless face from smiling a bit at the pretty elf's adorable blush, the wizard gave a nod to the younger girl. "That's right..." he said, looking over her a bit. "Are you here for the University? You don't look like you've been in the city for very long... is there something I can help you with?" Pretty as she was, Hans wasn't about to extort some sort of date out of her like the young human had attempted.

**Rikaya** · 07-31-2018, 12:38 AM

Social interaction was not Elyssa's strong suit, but she could handle herself if she needed to, depending on the situation. It wasn't often that a boy would approach her like that. In her kingdom, most boys and men were more poised and never pushed themselves on anyone....unless they were drunk. However, even that typically only happened on major Elvish holidays and celebrations. Even still, with her little experience, Elyssa could instantly tell a difference between how the human boy behaved around her and how the professor did. Sure he is a professor and it was part of his job to be courteous but there was something else there that set him apart from the human boy, but Elyssa couldn't quite yet tell what it was.

Tugging at her hair and tucking it behind her ear, Elyssa smiled up at the professor as he spoke to her. "Uh yes actually, I'm very new. I have just arrived a little while ago by airship but I'm having the hardest time navigating this map" she admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed and showing him the map she was using. "I'm sorry if this is troublesome, but if you could show me the way I would very much appreciate it" Elyssa asked and then bit her lip remembering the human boy she managed to escape. She turned to look back briefly and noticed the boy still starring so she looked back at the professor quickly. "And um...sorry about that. You could probably tell I kind of used your presence to get away from him, and I'm sorry if that comes off badly" Elyssa wanted to apologize as she figured the professor was probably smarter than that and knew exactly what was going on. "Honestly, I'd rather have you show me the way than him" she added and extended her hand to him. "I'm Elyssa Aremhal from Misty Wood" she introduced herself and hoped she would be well received by the professor especially since she probably made the situation a bit uncomfortable with the human boy watching them from behind.

**Holeypaladin** · 08-01-2018, 09:53 AM

The young elf girl soon confirmed the wizard's suspicions and clarified the fact that she had just arrived in the city by airship, as her attire and overall lost attitude suggested. "Let me see that..." he remarked as she handed him the map. He looked over the map briefly, giving a slight chuckle and nodding at her request to show him the way to the University, he presumed she meant as she hadn't denied his guess as to her reason for coming to the city.

"This map is at least ten... maybe twenty years old," he stated a simple observation of the girl's map. "While very few elven cities change in any noticeable way over that period... human cities are known to shift and change quite quickly in comparison... especially this particular city. This huge city is only about fifty years old... younger than either of us, I should imagine," he said with a chuckle. While most people would guess his age at somewhere in his thirties, Hans was in fact quite a bit older than his physical appearance indicated.

He waved away her apology at using him as an excuse to get rid of the human. "You don't need to worry about that," he remarked. "Call me old fashioned, but I figure it's my duty to help a young girl in need." As she extended his hand towards him, he took her fingers gently and gave the back of her slender elven hand a gentle kiss. Though some of the female students of the Arcane University had begun to shake hands the way men did, Hans was still, as he had admitted, rather old fashioned in courtesy towards girls.

"Hans Schrödinger," he replied to her introduction by stating his own name. "A pleasure to meet you, Elyssa. While I've heard of Misty Wood, I haven't had a chance to visit it, yet. Did you attend a prep school in order to learn the essentials of magecraft required for first year apprentices, or are you more self-taught or privately educated?" Prep schools were becoming increasingly common throughout the Empire for preteen and teenage humans with magical talent, though many of the elves seemed to have a more steady, long term sort of education, which often made it difficult for them to adapt the fast paced, rigorous studies of the Arcane University.

"If you'll come with me, I'll show you the way to the University," he remarked. "The market can be quite crowded, so you'll want to stay close if you don't want to get separated." He went ahead and offered her an arm in case she wanted to hold on to it to avoid getting separated as he began to walk up the streets of the city. "One easy way to locate the University is to first locate the Imperial Palace. If we keep walking uphill, even without knowing the streets we should find it easily, since it sticks out."

**Rikaya** · 08-02-2018, 10:01 PM

"Oh..." Elyssa murmured and looked down at her feet. "I didn't realize how old the map was, that would explain a lot huh?" she laughed a little at how silly the situation seemed. Elyssa glanced around the market and nodded in agreement that this city was far too big and far different from what she had initially expected. Living here and going to school here was definitely going to be an adjustment, and she wondered if many homeschooled students even considered going to a school like this.

Elyssa was relieved to know that the professor didn't seem offended by the situation with the human boy and the relief was replaced by surprise as he kissed her hand. It wasn't a bad surprise however, it was pleasant and made her smile. Elyssa was right to think that, the man now known as Hans was different than the human boy. In a very good way. "The pleasure is all mine Professor Schrödinger" Elyssa replied cheerfully.

When hearing Hans mention that he has never been to Misty Wood, Elyssa's smile grew. "Oh you must visit when you get the chance, it is a wonderful place! A little dark sometimes because of the heavily wooded forest....but wonderful nonetheless" she explained. "I was mostly homeschooled. My father is a teacher, an exceptional scholar, he taught many things that can be acquired from books, but actual magic....my parents saw it more fitting to send me here. I gather this is as good place as any to learn magic. Is that what you teach per chance?" She wondered. Elyssa was being especially chatty at the moment which surprised even her. Her typical shy nature kept her mostly quiet. Elyssa figured it has something to do with Hans, as she found it easy to speak around him.

The market was growing increasingly busy and Elyssa assumed this might be the rush hour of the day. The residents of the city as well as the students coming out for a bite to eat or purchase daily essentials. Turning her attention back to Hans, she was ready to follow him to get to the school. He offered Elyssa his arm and considering how busy the streets have become it would probably be a good to stay close. As she went to take his arm, a rather tall Orc walked in between the two and Elyssa jumped back and out of the way. The Orc barely noticed her small frame and kept walking and Elyssa had to jog to catch up, wrapping her hand around the professor's arm. "You weren't kidding about this place getting crowded" she commented and did her best to keep up as they walked. After a few moments, Elyssa could begin to see the top of the palace and even from this distance it was quite beautiful. " I have only ever heard stories of the palace. Are we allowed inside it?" she asked, hoping not to sound too behind on her knowledge of the city. Perhaps she should have studied up on this place before coming.

**Holeypaladin** · 08-04-2018, 05:47 AM

The mage merely shrugged off the words of the elf as she remarked on the age of the map. A ten year old map wasn't much by elven standards, so as silly as the situation was, it was the sort of thing he had come to expect from elves in general. "A bit, yes," he remarked with a chuckle, giving her a nod of approval as she said his name. "Your language skills are pretty impressive... most people can't pronounce me and call me Shrodinger," he chuckled, always finding it amusing how often people mispronounce the "ö" in his name.

Though his initial impression of the elf had told him that she was shy, she seemed to have quite a lot to say to him. He imagined she was experiencing some mixture of excitement and anxiety in what was most likely her first time away from Misty Wood... by the looks of her, she was still too young by old elven standards to leave the woods, though times had changed and elven students were beginning to study away from home at younger ages than they had in ancient times. He suspected at the moment that her excitement outweighed her anxiety, hence her having a lot to say to him.

"Most all of the professors at the academy teach some form of magic," he said with a chuckle. "Be it spells, alchemy, or magical enchantment. My area of expertise is in Evocation... the sort of magic you don't want to practice back at home else risk burning the whole forest down," he said somewhat teasingly. "I wonder if Misty Wood is anything like Silverglen... lovely city. So sad how much damage it suffered during orc wars." Hans had helped defend Silverglen during the orc wars, and his experience fighting so many wars against orcs suddenly turned awkward as an orc walked between the two, causing a startled reaction in the elf and momentarily separating them until she came up and grabbed on to his arm.

He nodded at her comment regarding the crowd. "All races are considered equal under Imperial law..." he remarked. "Even orcs... or at least those orcs who have made some sort of effort to civilize and become productive members of the Empire." Most of the orcs in the world still lived in tribal, warlike societies who were enemies of the Empire, hence the need for war wizards and a university that trains them.

Gazing at the palace as he approached it, the professor noted the wonder in the elf's voice as she spoke of a desire to see the palace from the inside. "I'm afraid we can only visit the palace on official business..." he remarked. "Though depending on what field of study you decide to focus on once you get used to the University, official business might take you inside the palace on more than one occasion. Still, we can at least get close enough to see some of the main attractions of the palace..."

He figured a detour route near the palace wouldn't hurt, and so he led Elyssa through the streets, making sure to hold on to her slender hand as she wrapped it around his arm so that she wouldn't become separated once again. Once he came close to the palace, he waved in the direction of one of the Imperial Guards posted at the entrance... a tiny girl who looked to be in her early teens, wearing a suit of ceremonial armor that left her magnificent angelic wings unconcealed. When she saw him waving at her, the girl gave an innocent, adorable smile and waved back enthusiastically.

"A homuncula," he explained to the elf girl. "Artificial magically-enhanced life form, created through an extremely high level form of alchemy. While they look cute and adorable, they're some of the most dangerous magical creatures a person could face in battle if you threaten their home or their Emperor. Go ahead and wave at her, though... you'll find they're quite friendly. Most of the time."

**Rikaya** · 09-04-2018, 01:03 AM

Elyssa certainly felt behind the times as she listened to the professor speak. It wasn’t a certainty whether it was her studying all the wrong things or being homeschooled for so long that made her feel so behind, but she suddenly felt a bit discouraged. This wasn’t something she wanted to show to the professor so she kept her expression neutral, hoping that while she was here, she would do her best to study up not only on magic but also on some history.

The orc wars were no secret and she knew about them, but most of them had happened before she was born. In fact, her father fought in some of them as well in defense of the Elves, as the Orcs had no problems threatening all races. In Elyssa’s naive mind however, she always held out hope that even Orcs could become civilized and perhaps they did, seeing as one almost ran her over a few moments ago. Perhaps not all Orcs agree with the idea of war and carnage.

Allowing those thoughts to fall back, Elyssa brought her focus back to the professor. “I am very much looking forward to learning magic! Though in truth I am not certain on how it all works. I suppose I did come here a bit ill prepared so you must excuse me. I really did not have much hands on training” she apologized and felt her cheeks flush red so she looked away briefly. Elyssa realized that books can only take you so far and this made her determined to study well while she was here and do actual training rather than read books. This thought helped her embarrassment dissipate a bit.

As the professor explained more about the palace, Elyssa gazed in its direction and took in how beautiful and grand it is in person and she took special notice of the female guards he pointed out. They looked friendly indeed and rather harmless as one of them waved at them, but Elyssa was going to take his word for it when he said they were dangerous. Elyssa did wave back at the girl however, and smiled. “If magic can create a whole life form, then I am even more eager to learn now!” she commented as they walked past the palace. "Do you think I will get a chance to sit in on one of your classes professor? I'm not sure how good I would be with Evocation, but it sounds fascinating" she admitted.

**Holeypaladin** · 09-05-2018, 04:47 AM

As enthusiastic as the young elf girl sounded about her eagerness to begin studies, Hans couldn't help but wonder if she wasn't properly prepared for such a strict education... and though she seemed to be maintaining a neutral expression, he couldn't help but get a sense of unease from her. Frowning somewhat, he realized that he didn't want to see such an adorable girl crumble under the pressures of such strict education, so he decided to give a bit more support to her.

"I see..." he said. "Well, while I may teach Evocation as my primary school of Arcana... I have a fundamental understanding of all the other schools," he remarked. "Should you need any assistance of any kind... stop by my office, whenever I'm there. I'll be perfectly willing to answer any questions you have, no matter how dumb you might think they are." He smiled somewhat as he watched the girl wave to the guard, feeling she was a good girl for being kind to the homuncula.

Chuckling at her words, the mage nodded. "Alchemy is the process by which the guards are created... but none of the Universities classes adequately cover the technique required to make life forms as advanced as those girls," he remarked. "Only the Master Wizard himself is capable of it, it seems. He's also the Emperor, you see, and so he uses his creations as his own personal guardians, since they view him as their father." Thinking over her question, he gave a nod. "I'm teaching a lower level Evocation class this semester, so if you have an empty slot in your schedule, you should enroll. It's a popular class among the young students but... I'll make sure your name gets approved."

Making his way past the Imperial Palace, he finally arrived at the gates of the Arcane University itself... an impressive structure all of its own, obviously created through magic as much of the architecture defied gravity and conventional construction techniques. Many young students of various races were in the process of moving in as well, most of them appearing to be around Elyssa's age, yet due to the difference in aging process between races, quite different in actual number of years lived. "Here we are," he said. "Am I correct in assuming you'll be staying in the freshman dormitory for girls?"

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