Ballistic Coefficient

The professors gave the two of them a moment to collect themselves before a few of them came back to get them. They were walked out into the main room, where the professors explained what had happened, and how they'd decided to admit them both to the Luminarium. Most of the students didn't seem to mind; Cal and Cynthia, at least, seemed happy for them. But Pale didn't miss a few others giving her a dirty look, namely Joel and his group, who were no doubt angry that they'd just had the wind taken out of their sails.

They weren't the only ones, though – through the crowd, Pale was able to spot Nasir, staring at her with a disappointed look on his face. She averted her gaze away from him, looking elsewhere; there was no sign of Valerie, but Pale suspected that she was reacting much the same way.

That made three potential enemies she'd have to be wary of, not to mention the other members of Joel's group. Not that she cared, though; she'd managed to make it into the Luminarium, and at the moment, that was all that mattered.

Eventually, the professors finished their announcement. Pale suspected that would be the end of it, but to her surprise, a few of them instead beckoned for the newly-minted students to follow after them. They all took a moment to collect their things, then did as they were told. As they went,.Pale did a quick headcount; by her estimate, there were just over fifty of them who'd managed to gain entry, herself and Kayla included. That was a far cry from the group who'd first begun initiation alongside them, though it wasn't unexpected, given what the professors had told her.

The thought made her scowl. Just what had gone wrong during initiation, then? From the sound of things, everything about it was anomalous in some way, though the professors clearly weren't about to tell any of them much about it.

In the end, Pale supposed it didn't matter. Her and Kayla had been granted entry together, and that was all she cared about.

The professors who'd opted to escort them – those being Glisos, Kara, and Virux – eventually led them to a large circular stone chamber, where sunlight was spilling down from above. Pale looked up, her eyes widening at what she saw. The stone above them had been perfectly cut to accommodate the platform they were all standing upon, and from the looks of things, it traveled straight up for several hundred feet.

"First of all, congratulations on earning your way into the Luminarium, all of you," Kara offered. "You've all been through quite the ordeal, but now it's over. As of this moment, you are all students here."

She flashed them a thin smile, and a quiet murmur of happiness went up through the crowd. After giving them a moment to talk among themselves, Professor Glisos stepped forwards.

"As some of you may have probably surmised, the platform you are standing on will take you directly to the Luminarium," he informed them. "Now, that being said… all of you, bunch up together, and keep your hands and feet away from the walls."

Kayla tilted her head, confused. "How does he intend for this thing to take us-"

She got her answer a split second later, when a black aura enveloped Glisos' hands. He brought them together, then began to lift them up, as if he were hoisting something heavy above his head. At the same time, the large stone platform underneath their feet began to shift, and before any of them knew it, they were rapidly traveling upwards. A few students let out cries of surprise, but Pale was more focused on maintaining her balance as they traveled, as was Kayla; they both held on to each other, helping to keep themselves steady as they went.

To Pale's amazement, the platform covered the distance to the top of the hole in under a minute. When the stone piece finally settled into place underneath their feet, Glisos lowered his hands, and beckoned for them to step away.

"Right, everybody off," he emphasized.

They all did as they were told, scrambling off the platform. As they did so, Pale looked around. They were in some kind of large courtyard, in a far-off corner of what had to be the Luminarium's campus. Somehow, it all looked even bigger and more imposing up-close; she'd seen the entire thing from a distance already, of course, but that kind of view hadn't done it justice. The large tower in the center of campus was really just the focal piece; there were a myriad of smaller buildings scattered around that, while dwarfed by the tower, were no less impressive from an architectural standpoint. Each one was adorned with a complex pattern of some kind carved into the stone, though Pale couldn't tell what it was just yet.

"Now that you're here, I suppose you'll all want to be shown around," Virux offered. "Generally, we'd prefer for our students to discover the campus on their own, but a little brief introduction wouldn't hurt. Follow me, everyone – I'll show you around."

Virux took off walking, and the students followed after him.

XXX

"Finally, this is where you'll all be staying as first-years."

Virux threw open the double doors to the three-story building, then stepped aside so they could walk in. They all moved into the building, taking a look around as they did so. Pale's attention again fell to the intricate carvings across the stone; thanks to Virux's tour, she'd already discovered them to be broken chains.

"I've seen you staring at those," Virux said from behind her, causing her to turn towards him. He stepped over to her, his hands clasped behind his back. "Can you guess what they symbolize?"

Pale thought for a moment. "Broken chains are traditionally a symbol of the abolition of slavery, at least where I'm from."

"You're partially correct. In truth, the carvings represent knowledge freeing us from our shackles, whatever those shackles may be. For some, those shackles are indeed a life of servitude under another."

Pale was surprised. "Slavery is an institution here?"

"In some far-away lands, yes," Virux explained. "But not in this kingdom. Still, we do occasionally get a mage in who's a servant to someone from overseas; as you can imagine, their servitude doesn't last long once they've finished studying here."

"Knowledge is power."

"Indeed." The corners of Virux's mouth quirked up slightly. "Let's join the others, I imagine they're all eager to see their rooms, as are you."

Pale nodded and followed after Virux as he led her back to where the other students had disappeared to. Most of them had found their way to a nearby hall, and were standing in the doorways of what appeared to be dorm rooms. A few of the more bold students – Joel and his entourage included, Pale realized – had already stepped into some of those rooms and laid their packs down, claiming them for themselves. Virux nodded at them as he passed by.

"They have the right idea," he said. "Everyone, now is the time to find a room for yourself! Two to a room, no more and no less!"

Pale looked around and found Kayla standing in a doorway to a room at the end of the hall. She made her way over to her, then tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention; Kayla turned to her, her expression changing to one of relaxation.

"What do you think of this one, Pale?" she asked.

Pale stepped into the room, looking it over. From what she could tell, it was surprisingly modern by her standards – two beds against the walls on either side of the room, two desks in the center pressed up together, and a few yellow crystals embedded into the ceiling above to provide light. A large window was situated in the center of the room, its curtains fluttering in the breeze. There were two small closets on either side, plus a large dresser complete with a mirror. Finally, and perhaps best of all, the room seemed to be complete with its own attached restroom as well.

Granted, as nice as all that was, it wasn't Pale's primary concern. She poked her head into the restroom; there were no windows or other points of entry there, meaning the only ways in or out of their room were the large window and the door she'd entered through. And as luck would have it, their window was blocked by a large thicket of nearby trees, making it difficult if not impossible for someone far-off to spy on them, or worse.

Pale stepped back into the main room, then gave Kayla a nod. "It'll do."

"Great!" Kayla said, flashing her a smile. "I'll start unpacking." She paused. "Um… you have my-"

Pale shrugged the pack off her shoulders, then offered it to Kayla. Truthfully, they'd both been traveling light the past few months; most of their belongings were still in the wagon Evie had given them when they'd left Stonebriar.

At that thought, Pale turned to Virux, who was leaned up against the doorway. "Hey," she said, causing him to turn towards them. "We arrived in a wagon pulled by two horses."

He caught on immediately, and gave her a nod. "That's been taken care of. Everything is waiting for you in the campus stables. I'd suggest going to pick up your belongings and check on your horses after dinner, though."

"Dinner…?" Kayla echoed. "Is it really dinnertime already?"

"Just about," Virux explained. "I'll give you all a few minutes to get settled before escorting you to the mess hall. But before then, there's one thing I wanted to discuss with you, Pale."

He peeled himself away from the doorframe and stepped over to her. Immediately, Pale was suspicious. Professor Virux had been nothing but trustworthy to them so far, but something told her that whatever this conversation was about to entail, she wouldn't like it.

"One of the students explained your weapons to me," he said. "From the sound of things, they are quite destructive, even if we don't understand how they work."

Pale's eyes narrowed. "Where are you going with this, Professor?"

Virux let out a tired sigh. "Look, I know this may not be entirely acceptable to you, but we have to take certain precautions to safeguard all our students. And from what I was told, your weapons are too dangerous to be kept on your person at all times. I will need you to turn them over to me for now."

Pale grit her teeth. Of course, there had to be some kind of catch involved with her entry to the Luminarium. She cast a glance over at Kayla, who was giving her a worried expression, before she turned back to Virux. Pale's first instinct was to tell him off, but it didn't take a genius to realize there would be consequences attached if she did that.

And so, with much reluctance, Pale unloaded her guns and handed them both to Professor Virux.

"A few ground rules, Professor," she said as she passed them both over to him. "Nobody is to mess with those at all. If you're going to take them, they are to remain under lock and key unless I need them, at which point they will be returned to me. Is that acceptable?"

Slowly, Virux nodded. "Very. I'll guard these carefully, you have my word."

With that, he turned and walked down the hall, taking Pale's weapons with him; no doubt he was going somewhere to lock them up. Pale watched him go before heaving a tired sigh.

She had a good idea who had told Virux about her weapons, but it wouldn't do any good to dwell on it for now. As much as she hated it, if disarming was necessary to maintain her spot at the Luminarium, then so be it.

"Pale?" Kayla asked.

Pale waved her off. "I'm fine. Just tired, is all."

"I can imagine." Kayla stepped over to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "It's been a long couple of days, hasn't it? But we're finally here."

Pale nodded. "Hard to believe, isn't it?"

"You're telling me. I've dreamed of walking these halls ever since I was little, and now I'm actually doing it." Kayla flashed her a grin. "And I have you to thank for it."

Again, Pale waved her off. "Don't sell yourself short, Kayla. Something tells me you would have made it here just fine on your own if you'd really wanted to."

Kayla went to argue, but didn't get the chance to before Glisos called out from down the hall.

"Students, it's time for dinner!" he called, his booming voice echoing against the stone walls. "Follow me to the mess hall!"

Kayla and Pale didn't need to be told twice. They hurriedly exited their new dorm, then joined the throng of students following after Professor Glisos.

With any luck, the night would be a short one, and they'd be able to finally get a nice, long rest right after dinner.