Arcanum Academy: The Tiresian Furlough free porn video
"A magus is first and foremost a counselor, a guide, and a teacher.
Beyond even the arcane arts for which we are most well-known, our most
valuable assets are wisdom and perspective. Both of these virtues are
shaped by experience, and thus we come to your final task."
As Adam Pendrik stared out over the shimmering sea from his preferred
perch atop the roof of the north tower, his thoughts could not help
turning to the words that Chancellor Thorsson had spoken only a few hours
earlier. The old sorcerer had given the young apprentice until midnight
to think and reflect before deciding if he would go through with the
final stage of his training, and as Adam watched the last sliver of the
sun dip down to the horizon, he knew he must reach a decision soon. If
only this final task weren't so...so...different.
"The Tiresian Furlough, as your final task is known, is designed to open
your eyes; to allow you to experience the other side of life for a year's
time, away from the influence of this collegiate establishment. If you
are unable to accomplish this allotted time, then you may return here and
your arcane training will be deemed complete, earning you a commission as
a task magus. Only if you complete the allotted time will you earn the
title of full magus and be allowed to continue your studies."
The Tiresian Furlough. It was an old tradition, older than the college
itself even, and every magus, sorcerer, and sage alive today had gone
through it at some point in their life, but that fact did little to ease
the turmoil of Adam's thoughts. He was now twenty years old, and had
known the college as home ever since he first arrived at the tender age
of seven. The thought of leaving for even a year, and should he fail
that time would be indefinitely extended, gave him far more pause than he
had expected it would. This life was all he'd ever known, and as the
evening sea breeze quickened momentarily and ruffled the spikes of his
hair, he had to admit that the prospect of losing it scared him.
But the departure wasn't the only change he would have to deal with if he
decided to go forward. The Furlough entailed another major change that
Adam was uncomfortable even thinking about. The other side of life,
indeed, he thought to himself. This particular change would make all the
rest even more challenging, more...different. Without a doubt, the coming
year would most certainly provide a wholly different perspective on life.
And that, Adam had to admit, was the point. Perspective. That was the
true advantage of the magus, as the Chancellor himself had said. To
experience things no ordinary person could and to be able to find meaning
and wisdom in that experience. A magus must embrace change, adversity,
and challenge; must always be ready and willing to see things
differently.
With practiced grace and calm to counter the steep slope of the shingled
roof, Adam stood. As the salt-scented breeze ruffled his black robe and
reminded him of all the good times he had had thus far at Arcanum
Academy, he watched the sun's rim finally dip below the horizon, leaving
warm oranges and pinks to color the sky ahead of him while behind him
approached the inevitable coolness of night with its innumerable bright
stars. Now he was ready.
Adam walked into the central courtyard as the bell tower began to toll.
The time had now come, and he was ready to face it. In the hours that
had passed since dusk, the sky had cooled to a deep, rich blue speckled
with bright starlight. Adam himself had spent the time preparing. In
the morning he would depart from the college by ship and begin the week
long voyage southward to Altmerea, the charming port city where he knew
he had lived before coming to the college. He remembered little about
it, and was sure that much had changed in the intervening years, but he
felt that it would be an appropriate place to reside for his furlough.
His Incantus, the one magic tome he would be allowed to take with him,
was already packed away with a few other personal items ready to be
retrieved just before boarding. Clothes and other essential possessions
would be provided by the college after tonight's ceremony.
At the center of the courtyard was the training circle, its smooth stone
surface engraved with arcane symbols and runes, a pattern designed to
simultaneously enhance and restrict the flow of magic, making it easier
to both use and control within the circle's bounds. It was here that
Adam found Chancellor Thorsson waiting, accompanied by six of his fellow
professors. Adam recognized Professors McLoss and Glasgow, who taught
Alteration; Professor Finnick, who taught Scholastic History; and Lady
Serenes, head of the School of Restoration. The remaining two were
unknown to Adam, and he realized that they must be advanced professors,
who only taught those who had already completed their furlough. Each of
these seven elder sorcerers was positioned on one of the seven focus
points on the outer ring of the circle, indicating that tonight's ritual
would involve some deep and potent magic, so it was not without some
anxiety that Adam presented himself to the Chancellor, who was closest to
him, flicking his robe back so as to drop to one knee in a respectful
bow.
"Apprentice Pendrik," Thorsson began with his powerful voice, speaking
loud enough so that all present could hear, "you have chosen to present
yourself before this conclave at the appointed hour. Can we conclude
this to mean that you are willing to continue on to the final stage of
your training?"
Adam breathed deeply before responding, keeping his head down. "Yes,
Chancellor. I have counted the cost and I am ready and willing to
proceed." His voice was firm in spite of his nerves.
"The Tiresian Furlough is a challenge we all recognize," continued the
smooth voice of Lady Serenes. "It is not for the weak hearted. It is no
shame to not go forward. Knowing this, are you still willing to
proceed?"
"I am."
"The year ahead will change you." This time it was the deep baritone of
Professor McLoss. "At its conclusion you will not see life the same.
Knowing this, are you still willing to proceed?"
"I am."
All was silent as Adam continued to keep his head down and waited for his
next instruction. The cool night air felt good as he breathed deeply. A
faint sheen of sweat on his forehead was the only telltale sign of his
nerves. Finally, after several short minutes that seemed to stretch on
interminably, Chancellor Thorsson broke the silence.
"Rise, Apprentice Pendrik, and hold your head high. Step to the center
of the circle with our blessing."
Another deep breath. Slowly but surely Adam rose to his feet and lifted
his eyes. The gathered elders were all watching him closely, their faces
somber. This would be his final chance to back out.
One step forward. Then another. With slow but steady strides Adam made
his way past Chancellor Thorsson and on to the center of the stone
circle. It may was probably just his imagination, but the stars above
seemed to grow brighter as he came to a stop with the elders' eyes all on
him.
"Kneel and relax," came McLoss's stern command, "this will take some
time."
Adam could feel the coolness of the smooth stone through the fabric of
his pants. He had spent many nights out here in meditation, so this was
nothing new, but he couldn't suppress a slight tremble, more from fear
than from cold. His life was about to change.
Each of the elders began to speak, their voices mere whispers which the
wind easily carried away so that Adam could not hear them. Not that it
would have mattered if he had, for they spoke very quickly in an archaic
language which he could barely understand. The Aetherium crystal on
Adam's bracelet, which served as the focus for his own magic, began to
glow faintly, but there were no other signs of the ritual at work. This
continued for several minutes, so Adam decided to close his eyes and
wait.
Deep breath. The sea air was cold and refreshing. Deep breath. The
rhythmic crashing of waves on the nearby shore was nearly hypnotic in the
otherwise still silence. Deep breath. The wind gusted gently, rustling
her hair and causing it to tickle the back of her neck.
Adam's eyes shot open as she took a sharp breath and reached her hand up
to the back of her head. Without a doubt, her hair had grown longer.
She grasped a small fistful of it and pulled it forward to see that it
was now long and silky and had shifted from its familiar earthy brown to
a deep jet black. The hand that clutched it had also changed, becoming
thin and somewhat frail in appearance, the skin pale and immaculately
smooth.
Oh, goodness, it had happened so fast. She hadn't felt a thing and now
it was done. She allowed the hair to fall from her grasp yet continued
to stare at the decidedly feminine hand. In spite of the shock, she was
beginning to feel how her balance had shifted, how the dispersion of her
body mass had changed. A hand touched her shoulder and she started,
turning to meet the gaze of Lady Serenes, whose faint smile was both sad
and proud at once.
"Relax," she said gently.
Adam realized then that her breathing had become quite rapid, and with a
tremendous effort of will she forced herself to slow down, breathing in
her nose and out her mouth as she had always been instructed. The
process made her realize just how heavy her chest felt, but she could not
yet bring herself to examine what she knew was the reason why. Once her
breathing had slowed to a more normal pace, she offered Lady Serenes a
sheepish and somewhat embarrassed grin, which raised the corners of the
older woman's own smile ever so slightly.
"You've done well, dear," came the welcome response, as Lady Serenes now
offered her hand to help Adam stand. "It's been a long time since I've
seen such a smooth transition. Usually the subconscious fights it the
whole way."
Adam accepted the proffered hand and quickly stood to her feet, noting
afresh how much her sense of balance had been altered, something she
expected she would quickly grow accustomed to. She swayed a bit but was
able to steady herself, realizing now that she stood at almost even
height to Lady Serenes, where before she had been at least four inches
taller than the old healer. Her clothes fit all wrong now and her robe
was practically falling off of her with how big it was. She registered a
quick sense of gratitude that the college would be providing her with new
attire.
"Indeed, a marvelous job," stated McLoss's deep voice as he and
Chancellor Thorsson stepped forward, "easily the smoothest transformation
I've ever taken part in." Adam froze, feeling suddenly very self-
conscious as the two men approached, and was secretly glad to see that
the other professors were beginning to disperse. Only McLoss, Serenes,
and the Chancellor himself appeared to be staying to speak with her.
Meeting the Chancellor's gaze, she instinctively dropped to one knee and
bowed her head, swaying only a little as she did so. It felt awkward,
and only once she had done it did she realize that a curtsy may have been
more appropriate, but what was done was done. She continued to stare at
the ground before her, waiting for him to speak.
"You may stand, Apprentice," Thorsson spoke a moment later, and Adam
quickly rose again to her feet, realizing as she did so that now the
Chancellor, who already been taller than her before, truly seemed to
tower over her now, being at least a foot greater in height. The
difference made her dizzy, but if it showed none of the professors seemed
to notice, and Thorsson quickly continued on.
"Please note that in the future a simple standing bow or curtsy will
suffice." His voice was firm but not harsh, and Adam found herself
nodding in understanding. "You are now quite close to attaining equal
standing with each of us here. Such elaborate formality is no longer
necessary to demonstrate your respect. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Chancellor," she replied with another quick nod. She was startled
to hear that her voice was now a few octaves higher than it had been,
smooth and lilting to the point of highlighting her faint accent. She
reflexively lifted a hand to her throat, but dropped it quickly when she
realized what she was doing, sheepishly lowering her head. She hoped her
now longer hair would be enough to hide the flush of her cheeks, and
thought she heard a faint chuckle from Thorsson. McLoss coughed once
into his hand to clear his throat before speaking.
"Ahem, if you please, Ms. Pendrik, we have one more thing to do before
your departure aboard the HMS Eiria in the morning." His voice was
somewhat gruff, but Adam felt that it was more likely from being tired
than impatient. She opened her mouth to respond but stopped short,
recognizing the full impact of what the professor had just said. Ms.
Pendrik, he had called her. She had expected it to happen eventually,
certainly once she arrived in Altmerea, but not here...not now. She was
still on college grounds, wasn't this too soon? With a sigh she had to
admit to herself that it was probably better to get used to it sooner
rather than later.
"What might that be, professor?" she asked in that lilting voice, still
so unfamiliar, as she kept her head down.
"Your new name, Ms. Pendrik," answered Thorsson firmly, prompting a
stunned look from the newly transformed apprentice, "or do you intend to
still be known as Adam over the course of your furlough?"
Adam had not thought of that. She had been so preoccupied with the
change itself that the idea of needing a new, temporary name had not even
crossed her mind. What would be a good name? Did she know of any that
she particularly liked? Marie? Abigail? Leneca? She wanted something
simple, so Marie might work.
"How about Addison?" offered Lady Serenes kindly with her faint smile,
"it means son of Adam, so I think it's appropriate." Adam had to agree.
She was named after her father, after all, so it would make sense.
Besides that she did like the sound of it, but not really as a first
name. Perhaps she could use it as a middle name?
A few more moments passed in thoughtful silence as Adam considered her
options. Finally, sure of her choice, she allowed a faint smile to grace
her new face as she looked up to meet Chancellor Thorsson's gaze. Her
voice was firm and confident as she spoke.
"Marie Addison Pendrik."
Arcanum Academy: The Tiresian Furlough
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