The Ruby Magician

Wendy, gods bless her, was able to direct Wyn out of the guild hall to the training hall. Thankfully it wasn’t far, but still - in their excitement Daniel forgot to tell him where it was and Wyn forgot to ask.

The training hall ended up being down the street closer towards tower Alistair’s base. It was large and unexciting, a contrast to everything else Wyn had seen so far. Though it didn’t have the grand pillar entrance or even the cozy feel of the guild hall, it’s sheer size was impressive in its own right. It appeared like it was four or five buildings smashed together, because in a way it was. It was at least four stories tall and held an entire side of the street, dwarfing any other building Wyn had seen since entering the city.

Unsurprisingly, there was more traffic flowing in than the guild hall, a solid combination of new Climbers coming to train with their mentors, many in groups. There were veterans as well sprinkled in amongst the people though in less numbers here than he’d seen so far. They were the ones with audacious gear and the focus of many stares.

Wyn shuddered. He thought of rain, his company moving up a muddy hill towards an unknown enemy on the other side. They slipped and trudged slowly, as quietly as possible, the rain helping mask their noise of rattling armor and weapons. His helmet clouded most of his vision and he despised it for that, though was also grateful for the protection.

He shook his head and took a deep breath. He needed to focus - he’s no longer on the front lines of war. He’s in Jahnin. He’s home.

Well, sort of.

He took another deep breath and walked towards the doors.

Wyn followed a crowd of Fighters. He guessed they were Fighters since they wore the same military clothes he’d seen before - a long sleeved fitted black shirt and black pants, with the patch of the Jahnin’s coat of arms sown into the left breast. It was a stag with a silver head and antlers, and was bright in contrast to the black shirt. The same symbol of the tower he’d seen with the guild members was directly below the stag head.

There were over a dozen of them being led by two mentors, a man and woman, both tall and well built. Wyn wondered if they were related or maybe a couple, or even just two friends who happened to both be Fighter mentors sharing similar body types.

Though there were some in the group Wyn’s age, the group was more on the younger side, basically teenagers who chose to become a tower Climber than another profession. They all looked the same age as his sister, like some of the fresh soldiers he led in the war. It reminded him of his own time as a recruit in the military, young and foolish, seeking companionship and a new life.

He laughed and smiled, followed by a sharp feeling of shame. The memory and nostalgia thankfully faded quickly.

Wyn tried to keep to himself but it was difficult. He stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the others. He was dressed in casual clothes: a short sleeved undershirt and red jacket, which he now saw as ironic because of his class, and his trusty leather boots. He caught some wayward glances from the nearby group of Fighters and he tried to ignore the lingering stares.

“Welcome, new Climber! I’m assuming you’re meeting your mentor here today?” The woman mentor spoke to Wyn, her voice booming over the relatively subdued chatter of the crowd. She was taller than Wyn, taller than most of the Fighters, even, and her arms were impressively bulging through her tight-fitted black shirt.

His cheeks flushed. “Umm, yes. He said to meet him here.”

She nodded and moved on, trying to tend to other Climbers like a shepherd to their flock of sheep. Wyn looked around, hoping to see Daniel soon so he wouldn’t have to talk again. This was surprisingly awkward. Wyn didn’t know if it was because of his less popular class or a new environment, but he hadn’t felt this way since his early days as a soldier.

It was hard to spot Daniel, too, because Wyn was lost marveling at the hall itself. It was larger than any training hall the military had as the ceiling was several floors high and the training room was one large room for a wide range of activities. There were sections full of targets and dummies with multiple racks of weapons, equipment, and people to try them out. One entire length of wall had various obstacles of ropes, pits, walls, and more that Climbers were facing at various points.

“Ahh. Coming to show off a bit, eh?” The male mentor spoke this time, his voice equally as loud as his partner. He smiled and flexed his arms a bit. Some of the Fighters laughed, some snickered.

“I bet he’s a Sorcerer. He looks as lost and dumb as one!”

Wyn couldn’t tell who said that, but it came from the middle of the crowd. More of them laughed this time, louder than before.

He hoped the mentors would discipline them, make them have respect for the other Climbers. Unfortunately, he was wrong. The two adults laughed loudest.

One Fighter on the edge of the crowd didn’t laugh. He was scowling at the rest of them, arms crossed and shaking his head. He began to say something, but the male mentor cut him off.

“Come along, now, Fighters. We have actual training to do. Let the little Sorcerer go!” He laughed to himself, and the rest of the group joined in like schoolyard kids.

The lone Fighter stayed behind as the rest walked off towards the section of the hall full of racks of equipment and training dummies. He was as tall as Wyn, appeared to be similarly muscular, if not more so, and looked to be a bit older than the rest of the group. Wyn immediately wondered if he was also a soldier.

The Fighter walked over to Wyn, still scowling. “Sorry about them. They’re immature and misguided. They don’t understand the value of making friends here, apparently.” He dropped his scowl and offered a charming smile. A sword was strapped on his hip that had runes running all along the sheath, and a shield was attached to his back.

“Obviously not,” Wyn said. “But I appreciate that. And I’m a Ruby Magician, not a Sorcerer.”

The man winced. “I wouldn’t tell them that. They’d make fun of you more, honestly.”

“Probably so. But I don’t mind. I’ll be just fine.” Wyn felt his confidence growing, though also wondered if it was a front. Maybe it was the excitement of the day and of what was ahead, but he was getting more and more used to saying he was a Ruby Magician. It felt right despite what others thought.

The Fighter eyed him up and down and smiled again. “I think you might be right! I’m John, by the way. John Gallows.” He extended his arm in a greeting.

“Wyn. Nice to meet you.” He returned the greeting and clasped John’s forearm. Wyn still wondered if he was ex-military, though didn’t think it was the right time to ask. It was a customary greeting to grasp arms with your peers and bow to superiors, but many people adopted the greetings who weren’t involved in the military, either.

“You, too. Maybe I can go and set the others straight before my climb this afternoon.”

Just then, Wyn saw Daniel standing by a rack of weapons in a corner of the large hall. He had a few targets and training dummies beside him. He caught Wyn’s eye and waved, at first excitedly, then reigned himself in.

“There’s my mentor,” Wyn said. “I hope to see you again this afternoon if I can help it.”

“That’d be nice. Good luck!”

Wyn moved through the crowded hall, avoiding Climbers and their training. He heard clashes of weapons all over the room, and could see the occasional arrow flying at a target. He noticed several guild members on standby just in case, all wearing the same uniform as before though wore additional royal blue overcoats and the tower symbol on their chest. As Wyn looked around he noticed they were scattered around the hall, all observing, though whether for talent or protection he wasn’t sure.

He thought back to his time in the military with his company. He was back on that hill, smoke covering his vision, hearing far off clangs of metal and yells of men. He remembered his company crested the top of the hill, happy to cross the last barrier before they could join the fight despite feeling ragged and tired. They were weighed down by caked mud on their boots and armor drenched from the rain, though they were ready to fight.

“Wyn? Hello?” Daniel said.

Wyn stared at nothing, his mind distant.

Daniel grabbed Wyn’s shoulder and shook him gently.

Wyn, reacting on pure instinct, grabbed Daniel’s wrist and twisted, using his body for momentum in self-defense. Daniel rolled with the movement, surprisingly agile, and grabbed Wyn’s arm back, bringing Wyn down to the ground beside him. They both laid there staring at each other, Daniel wondering what happened and Wyn’s mind blank.

Wyn realized what had happened and immediately let go, scrambling away from his mentor on the ground in the process.

“I’m so sorry, Daniel! I... I wasn’t thinking.” His breathing was quick, but several deep breaths helped him calm down. His mind wandered yet again, and he reacted thinking he was being attacked.

Wyn repeated his phrase to himself to center his mind. He's in Jahnin. He's home.

Daniel slowly stood up and brushed himself off. “It’s alright.”

“No, it’s not alright. I attacked you unprovoked,” Wyn said. “It was reckless!”

Daniel studied him for a moment. “You were in the military, weren’t you?”

Wyn returned his stare, his face blank. He didn't know if it would benefit him more to tell the truth or lie, though his lack of response answered for him.

“It’s not uncommon, you know,” Daniel said, continuing, “that ex-soldiers come to the tower. But your neatly cropped short hair, your attentive pose, the way you speak and your observance of the environment tells me you might not have been a simple soldier.”

Wyn stood at attention and took one more deep breath. “You’re right.” He didn’t want to share much more than that. Not yet.

Daniel slowly nodded, understanding. “As I said, it’s alright. We all have pasts. Though we didn’t come to discuss that, did we? This hall was built for training and that’s what we must do!” He walked over to the weapon rack beside a training dummy. It had all sorts of basic weapons, and nearly all of them Wyn had seen or trained with at some point. They were wooden training weapons, too, of course, as expected.

Wyn followed silently. Based on Daniel’s reaction, maybe he really was the mentor he’d been seeking.

“Now,” Daniel continued, “before we get to the basics of magic I want to see your capabilities in combat. Being a Ruby Magician means having different tools at your disposal, both magic and weapons. We are capable of doing nearly anything well, if not exceedingly well, despite what most think. So, as your mentor, I have a task for you.”

Wyn took another deep breath to suppress his smile. If there was anything he was confident in, it was his combat abilities. “Yes, sir.”

“Daniel is fine. No need for formalities,” Daniel said, offering a warm smile. He patted the weapon rack beside him. “Now! I want you to choose three different types of weapons to attack this training dummy. I want to see what you favor and what you’re comfortable with.” Daniel picked up a short sword and twirled it around his wrist. He didn’t look at it, only at Wyn, and exuded confidence and skill he hadn’t shared before.

Daniel walked over to the dummy and stood beside it. It was wooden and lifelike, having a torso, head, and arms, though they were all rectangles or squares of wood pieced together. It stood on a base, firmly planted to the ground, and had a shield as its left hand. Daniel patted it on the back and Wyn noticed a strange aura radiating away from the impact like smoke from a flame.

His heart skipped a beat. Daniel just used magic.

The dummy suddenly jerked, the head and arms moving in quick flashes, and Wyn stepped back in surprise. Daniel laughed.

“Haven’t seen a magical training dummy before?”

Daniel then gave his short sword to the dummy. It reached with its empty right hand and grabbed it. Wyn didn't notice it had fingers before, or any capability to hold a weapon. Then, as suddenly as it jerked alive, legs sprouted out of the base, almost as though it was a plant breaking free from a pot. It then waited, still as a statue, and Daniel backed away to provide some space.

Wyn wondered how skilled the dummy was in combat. If it was magically enhanced to wield a weapon and be able to fight back, it likely was a worthy sparring partner.

Wyn walked to the weapon rack. He had trained on nearly all of the weapons, sure, but he did favor a few. The military encouraged certain weapons anyway, and his company wasn’t the type who used clubs or maces.

He looked back at the dummy, then decided to match it weapon for weapon.

Wyn picked up a shield he knew he’d be comfortable with, an average size round shield. The weight felt good. He then looked for the right sword. Most of his experience was with a slightly longer short sword rather than a more stout weapon that required two hands to adequately wield. The reach and length balance, along with the lighter feel, served him better than the more common longsword, too.

He didn’t see one, though, and settled on a wooden longsword. He hooked the shield onto his left forearm and felt confident with the straps, then picked up the sword.

The dummy quickly strode towards Wyn the instant he picked up the sword. It didn’t waste any time.

In the moments during its approach, Wyn tried to study it. Its stride wasn't too long, though it was more smooth than he expected from a wooden enemy. The arms were a bit shorter as well, and he began to estimate the distance it would be able to reach.

Wyn readied himself and stepped away from the rack. The dummy swung down first on the offensive, and Wyn easily blocked the strike with his shield. He felt the recoil but maintained his grip. He moved his shield to the side to open up for an attack, then swung his own wooden sword in retaliation. He was faster than his wooden opponent but it raised its shield at the last second and blocked it sloppily. He noticed it recoiled back more than he did, staggered from the blow.

He smiled. It wouldn't be nearly as hard as he expected.

Wyn drew back and stabbed forward this time, faster than before, and the dummy wasn’t able to keep up. It took the hit to the torso and stopped, then backed away to where it started and waited, as though it was following unknown commands.

Daniel walked up to the dummy and slapped it on the back again. Another aura of magic plumed away from his smack. “Good! You’re quick and precise, fitting for a trained soldier. You obviously need something more challenging!” The dummy jerked again, then loosened up its stance a bit. It swung its sword in a circle, ready for the next round.

Wyn had a feeling the next match was going to be much more challenging.

He walked over to the rack and placed his equipment back to their place. He knew what he was going to pick up but thought about the order. He left the shield behind this time, choosing the battle axe and picking it up.

The dummy moved faster this time, its stride more fluid and purposeful. Wyn tried to surprise it and struck first, swinging the axe down with both hands to the approaching dummy. To his surprise, the dummy sidestepped and blocked it with the shield, brushing the axe aside and opening Wyn up to an attack. The dummy began to swing the sword in a diagonal slash, though Wyn dropped low and ducked under the swing, sidestepping to the left. There was a brief moment where the dummy was open and exposed, and Wyn knew that was his chance.

He reached to his lower back for a dagger that wasn’t there, ready to strike quick. He grabbed nothing but air.

The dummy, whether sensing the opportunity or simply following preset moves, slashed out horizontally, following the momentum of its first swing. It struck Wyn in the side. It wasn’t a hard hit, thankfully, as the instant Wyn felt the wood hit him the dummy stopped with surprising control. The wooden combatant sensed it had won and backed away to its starting position yet again.

Wyn cursed, frustrated. He was used to a dagger on his low back for those exact moments. Caught up in the excitement he forgot to equip one.

Daniel smiled again. “Not a bad choice! Though it appears you’re also used to having a secondary option to your weapon. That’s good. We’ll have to remember that.”

Wyn threw his axe on the ground and turned back to the weapon rack. He saw exactly what he wanted - a spear. He grabbed it and turned, not waiting for the dummy to charge him. He spun it with both hands, twirling it around in the air. He wanted to feel it, sense the weight and length. He stabbed the air a time or two in front and behind him. It was solid and felt just like one with an actual metal spearhead.

To his surprise, the dummy didn’t charge. It instead started to circle him and crouched lower than before in an unfamiliar stance.

Wyn stepped forward to close the gap, still twirling his spear. He felt lighter on his feet than with the other weapons and more confident, too. He reached a distance he knew would be enough and struck out, half stepping with his front foot to gain a few extra inches.

The dummy blocked it with its shield and smacked it away similar to the axe. Wyn recovered easily, spinning it as the dummy pushed it to the side, able to maintain control. The dummy then attacked again, this time leading with a flat horizontal swing. Wyn ducked and made sure to carry the spear with him, striking the butt of the spear into the dummy’s leg. He backed away, thinking he had won.

To his surprise the dummy continued to advance, readying another swing. Wyn was confused but decided to keep going - no sense in stopping now.

The dummy stabbed forward, extending its wooden body for more reach, and Wyn used the spear shaft to block it to the side. He spun around it quickly, hoping to stab into its side, though the dummy hopped out of reach almost too fast, avoiding another strike.

Wyn felt alive. He nearly forgot the thrill he had fighting and sparring. Using a spear afforded him more reach and maneuverability, and he valued the tactical advantage that was usually under appreciated. He loved this part of his training and using his own talents while wielding a weapon. It was invigorating.

He moved towards the dummy for one final attack, spear at the ready. This time he performed a series of strikes, all stabs, at various points towards the dummy in quick succession: the right leg, torso, left arm, and head. The dummy did what it could to dodge or block, but it missed the final strike, taking a wooden spear point directly to its wooden head.

It stopped, stood tall, and backed towards Daniel in defeat.

Daniel walked over, slowly clapping. Wyn let the butt of the spear rest on the ground and held it proudly by his side. He was breathing a bit harder than before, but not quite out of breath - his experience served him well to keep his stamina up. It was mostly out of enjoyment and adrenaline.

“We know what weapons you’ll use in the tower, now. That was impressive!” Daniel patted Wyn on his shoulder like an approving father. The older mage looked more open and inviting than he had when they first met.

“Thank you, Daniel. It felt good, too! I always favored the spear. I love the reach and feel of a weapon I can use quick.” Wyn walked to the rack and placed the spear back.

“Not many people use a spear but it is a worthy weapon,” Daniel said as he walked back to the dummy. He patted the dummy on the back one more time and another aura of magic flowed from his touch. The dummy shortened, its legs collapsing back into a base. It looked like a regular training dummy now, funny and awkward with its wooden body.

Daniel pulled a flask out from under his robe and took a quick swig. His face scrunched in disappointment. “Now Wyn, are you sure you want to explore the tower today? There’s another introductory tour tomorrow afternoon, as well. You don’t have to rush, you know.” Daniel looked around the hall at other rookie climbers and their mentors, all training. The sounds of thumps and thuds radiated through the hall, everyone sparring with wooden weapons and each other.

Wyn smirked at Daniel trying to sneak a drink. “It’s just a brief climb, right? If the veterans are leading us it should be easy. It seems as safe as could be.”

Daniel paused and sighed. “That’s true. But nothing is safe in the tower, Wyn. If nothing else, remember that. Always be on guard. Always be ready for anything.” Daniel stared intently at Wyn now, his brows furrowed and demeanor unwavering.

Wyn took a deep breath. “I will. But I still would like to go. After you teach me magic, of course.”

Daniel laughed. “Wyn, I couldn’t teach you everything about magic if we had weeks. Months, even.”

Wyn looked confused. “Then how are you going to teach me what I need to do before the first climb in a few hours?”

“Because I’m going to teach you magic for a Ruby Magician! And, thankfully for you, magic is simpler and more straightforward when using your tower mark.”

“Right. I almost forgot about the mark. It’s to help use magic and skills, right?”

“Yes. But we need to go apply it.” He took another drink from his flask, quickly and discreetly. “Follow me, please.” Daniel then walked off towards a door in the wall he hadn’t noticed before.

Magic. A large part of the appeal of the tower. Wyn had heard it was easier to use as a Climber but he didn’t know exactly how. It was rare to see magic in the military but those who could wield it were revered by the soldiers and officers alike.

If only his company could see their captain now.