Ch. 8
The next morning, Evan got up and ready for his meeting with his advisor. He was looking forward to seeing what classes would be available. He hoped there wouldn’t be any requirements that he didn’t meet because he went to a different high school. He didn’t think there would be, but it was true he was clueless when it came to using magic power. If the classes had a heavy magic focus, he would be way behind. He finally decided not to worry about it too much when the time for his meeting came. He pushed those worries to the back of his mind and made to head out. As he exited his room, he encountered two girls who were walking towards him in the hall. They looked surprised to see him and stopped in their tracks.
“Hello,” he said and waved awkwardly after locking his door.
“Hello!” one of the girls said. “I’m Clara!”
“Evan.”
Clara was tall, coming only a couple inches under Evan’s 5’10” body. She had long light brown hair and dark eyes. She also had a pair of brown furry ears sticking out from her head. They did not look like the ears he saw on the girls that were playing pool, and he couldn’t quite place what animal they reminded him of.
“Hi, I’m Zayla,” the other girl said.
She was a little smaller than her friend. She was also a monster variety that Evan was already familiar with. Her green skin and pointed ears made it obvious she was a goblin.
“Nice to meet you,” he said.
There was a pause where nobody said anything before Zayla quickly elbowed Clara to get her to speak.
“Oh! Yes, nice to meet you too!” Clara said in a rush.
Evan could already feel his skin crawling from the awkward energy in the air, so he decided to make his exit.
“I have to get to a meeting,” he said starting his walk to the stairs. “See you later.”
“See ya,” Zayla said.
As he started his descent, he could hear the girls burst into giggles behind him. He sighed loudly and shook his head. Was it going to be that awkward every time he met someone new on campus? He was in an uncomfortable position where everyone seemed to know about him, but he was totally in the dark about them. He hoped that wouldn’t take too long to change, but he had no idea how long it would take for people to adjust to his presence in town. Based on what Ms. Vaduva had told him, he would probably be treated as a celebrity for a while.
Evan was able to easily find the building where his meeting was thanks to Ms. Vaduva giving him directions the day before. When he got to the office, he found the door open, but he still knocked politely to announce his arrival.
“Hello?” he said. “I’m supposed to meet Mr. Oliveira?”
The office was not very big. It simply had a desk, a few cabinets, and a couple chairs for guests. There wasn’t much room for moving around even. Evan was confused when he looked inside, because there looked to be a child sitting behind the desk at first glance. He thought maybe it was his advisor’s kid.
“Ah! You must be Evan!” the person at the desk said. “Have a seat!”
“My name is Theo Oliveira, or Mr. Oliveira as the students say,” he said as Evan sat down. “I believe I have been assigned as your advisor.”
“Uh, yeah. Yes! That’s what I was told.”
“Are you surprised by my appearance? It’s ok, it’s a normal reaction,” Mr. Oliveira said with a laugh. “Especially when you come from outside Tourmaline.” This chapter was copied from novelping(.)com without permission.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“It’s fine,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I’m a hobbit. My ancestors tailored their bodies for lives in underground cities where space was limited. It was a curious way of life, but it had its advantages, such as staying safe and hidden from those that would do them harm. And well, if you couldn’t tell, I teach history here at the academy, and the stories of the origins of mages are my passion!”
A hobbit? It wasn’t one of the magical monsters he had in mind when he was thinking of what he might find at the academy. He was sitting down, but it was easy to see that Theo was quite short. Unlike someone with dwarfism, all his proportions looked to be the same as any normal sized man. That was why Evan initially mistook him to possibly be a child. There was also the fact that his hairless face looked quite youthful.
“I’m a little surprised to meet another man here,” Evan said. “I was led to believe there weren’t many around.”
“Ah, true, true,” Mr. Oliveira said solemnly. “Not many around for sure. But there are a few of us here and there. I suspect they assigned you to me so that you might be able to make a connection with a man who can sympathize somewhat with your situation. Not always easy being the only man in a world full of women after all.”
“I suppose not,” Evan said.
“How about we get to it!” Mr. Oliveira said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. “Do you have a degree in mind you’re aiming for?”
“Umm, no. Not really,” Evan said. “I was hoping there might be a program to help me learn how to use my magic?”
“Hmm, no luck there I’m afraid,” Mr. Oliveira said. “There aren’t any magicians in Tourmaline, you see. There just isn’t anyone that can teach you those skills.”
“But Ms. Vaduva said this was the world’s center for magic knowledge?”
“And she was right. You could learn plenty about how augmenters use their abilities. You can learn about the many eccentricities of the various mage tribes. They have even begun to make some breakthroughs combining magic with science! But I’m afraid lessons on how to use your gifts just aren’t available.”
Evan’s face dropped. The thing he was most excited about when he made the decision to come to Monstrum Academy was that he was going to learn how to use magic. Now he was being told it wasn’t possible. It felt like he was scammed.
“How am I supposed to learn how to use my magic then?”
“The typical fashion would be for you to learn directly from a master, but there hasn’t been a master magician in Tourmaline since Elias Monstrum himself.”
“Are there no other magicians in the world?”
“Well, I’m not sure about that,” Mr. Oliveira said. “There are likely to be some hiding away somewhere out there. But there aren’t any that are associated with the academy.”
“So, what do I do?”
“The best you can do is read from what resources are available at the library, but you won’t find anything pertaining to a generator's training there. I should know, I’ve spent many long nights perusing those aisles! Sadly, books regarding the ways of magicians are incredibly rare and just aren’t easily found.”
“Then what good would the library be?”
“Maybe there are some historical accounts of magicians that could give you a hint? But yes, I see your point, and I sympathize. If you are to advance, it is likely you will simply need to learn on your own over time through trial and error.”
This was getting worse and worse. Trial and error? Evan had never been big on studying, but he was prepared to buckle down and do the work when it came to magic. However, what was he supposed to do if there was nothing to study at all!? He didn’t have much confidence in his ability to just learn something from scratch without a book or teacher and only his own intuition to guide him.
“Didn’t Elias Monstrum leave behind any material for people to learn from?”
“You know, now that you mention it,” Mr. Oliveira said, sitting forward. “There was an old legend that said Dr. Monstrum had secretly left behind a great inheritance somewhere in the academy. According to the legend, it was said to be a library holding the knowledge and treasures collected throughout his life.” Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping.com.
“Naturally, it was just a fantasy tale created by his fans,” he continued. “Nobody has ever found any hidden treasures in the academy in over 70 years.”
Evan was annoyed at having briefly gotten his hopes up at the mention of an inheritance only to have them dashed a moment later. He wasn’t happy about it, but it looked like there were some difficult years of hard work ahead of him. It wasn’t like he could just not try. His desire for magic was too great, and he had already committed his life to Tourmaline, for better or worse.
“I guess I don’t have anything in mind to study then,” he said after thinking for a bit.
“That’s ok,” Mr. Oliveira said. “Even if we can’t teach you how to use your magic, there are plenty of subjects related to magic for you to study! History, for example!”
“History?”
“Of course! Just think for a moment. All the history you’ve learned up to this point did not mention the existence of magic, but magic is such an awesome and powerful thing! How could it not have shaped history throughout the ages!? There’s much about the history of the world you will need to relearn.”
“Wow, yeah, that makes sense.”
“We will get you signed up for the basics. Plenty of history and life sciences. Those will help you understand exactly how magic works in our bodies. Very useful.”
They spent another half hour talking and finishing up Evan’s schedule. In the end, he was satisfied with his classes. He got many of the basic courses he would need as a foundation for any degree, so he would be free to pivot in any direction he needed to down the line. Evan had no other business when they finished, so he returned to the dorm.
Evan spent most of the afternoon lazily watching TV and snacking on junk food. The food was from the small stash he had brought with him from home. He knew that was no way to live long term, so he was thinking about what he was going to do for food going forward. There was a cafeteria that served three meals a day for free to students. It was only a short walk away from where his dorm was. He figured he would have to bite the bullet and eat there most of the time. He had no way of knowing if the food was good or not, but he just dreaded the idea of showing up there to eat when he didn’t know anyone yet.
It was when he was contemplating his uniquely introverted dilemma that he heard a knock at his door. He quickly covered up some trash so he wouldn’t look like a slob and went to see who it was. When he opened the door, he saw a familiar face.
“Hi, Evan! It’s me, Clara. You know, from earlier?”
“Yeah, hey,” Evan said with a nod and smile. “What’s up?”
Clara was fidgeting as she greeted him. It seemed she was nervous to be talking to him. Usually, he was the one fighting nerves when meeting someone, so it was a novel situation for him. Just like earlier in the day, Clara wasn’t alone. This time she was flanked on either side by a pair of twins. They looked to be identical, with the only difference being the length of their dark brown hair. Judging by their height, he suspected they were hobbits like Mr. Oliveira. Despite their short stature, the development of their bodies showed they were definitely not children.
“Well, classes start next week, as I’m sure you know,” Clara said. “And usually before the year begins, we always have a party for all the new students and first years. So, we were planning on having a big dinner with, like, pizza and stuff down in the common room. We’re seniors, so we’re helping with organizing and inviting everyone. So, do you think you could come?”
“Uhh, yeah, sure. Sounds good.”
“Great!” Clara said. “It will be Saturday evening at 7. You don’t need to bring anything, it will all be taken care of!”
“Ok,” Evan said. “Guess I’ll see you there.”
“Definitely!”
With that, Clara and the twins ran away, presumably to invite the other freshman in the dorm. He closed his door and returned to his place in front of the TV, but now his thoughts were about the upcoming dinner in the common room. He sighed as his worries turned away from food and towards how he might be able to make a good impression on his peers.