A/N: Alright, I'm back with the next chapter of A Wizard Among Sorcerers. Sorry it took nearly a month to do this, but my winter break was a little busy. And by busy, I mean that my X-Box got un-imploded by way of getting a new one.

Here are the answers to a few questions about Auren:

First, he's level 18. Wizard 6/ Navigator Wizard 10/ Archmage 2

Second, he was created using the Pathfinder Rules, but we played 3.5. I will post his stats at the end of the chapter.

Third, he can use both versions of the wish spell, but I'm not going to spoil anything.

Chapter 2

Elsewhere…

Colbert stared dumbly at the crystal ball. His jaw, if it had been physically possible, would have hit the floor. The Headmaster, however, merely stroked his beard, his expression displaying one of his few "lucid" moments. His normally jovial senile persona had shifted to a calm calculating one.

"Professor Colbert, I believe that this familiar will be much different than what you thought," Old Osmond remarked quietly.

"He utterly defeated the Gramont boy with magic. Magic! And a single spell at that. And what were those creatures? They were no golems." The teacher shuddered, "Golems don't act like that."

"They were Spirits. Living manifestations of the element of Earth," Osmond's tone remained neutral, "The child was beaten with his own element and some of our land's holiest beings to boot."

"Spirits?! You're saying that Miss Valliere's familiar can command divine Spirits?!" Poor Colbert was almost at his wits end.

Both went still instantly as the man in question looked straight at them through the crystal ball and smirked. Osmond's gaze never left the stranger, so he barely noticed the thud in the background as Colbert fainted.


I suppressed a smirk as Louise numbly walked into the room and sat down in an empty chair. I probably didn't have to, considering that she wasn't taking in much of her surroundings at the moment. When I found her, she was rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the courtyard. Frankly, that was the same reaction that a lot of the noble brats had. It was quite understandable, considering that I had just broken their preconceptions of the society that they lived in. Imagine it, a commoner performing magic.

I was somewhat saddened when I couldn't find Siesta, though. I had to go and physically lead my little "master" back to her own room, which to my surprise I managed to successfully find again. Give me a break. I know I'm a navigator wizard, but I work on ships, not land.

After she was seated, I sat down in my own chair and waited for her to speak. Minutes went by, and I found myself tapping my foot.

When twenty minutes went by and not a single word was spoken, I decided to do something to rectify that. Rummaging through my bag of holding, I pulled out a bottle and a small glass. I popped the cork out of the bottle and filled the cup halfway.

Then I stood up, tilted Louise's head back, and opened her mouth. And promptly dumped a shot of Elven Firewine down her throat.

That got her attention.

She almost flew out of her chair, beating her chest and doing a decent reenactment of a cat coughing up a hairball. The mini mage started in on a slew of curses that a girl of her social standing shouldn't even know, before she started flopping about like a fish.

Finding this endlessly amusing and not wanting any of my wine to go to waste, I poured myself a bit of Firewine and downed it in a single gulp, soon feeling a familiar burning sensation in the pit of my stomach. There is a reason that this stuff is called "Firewine," and not just because it's delightfully flammable.

Louise finally managed to reduce her frantic motions to a fit of coughing, "What the hell was that?"

"Elven Firewine," I answered simply, "You weren't doing anything, so I figured that you needed a kick in the rear."

"E-Elven?" She sputtered, "How did you get that?"

"It's not that difficult. Elves are quite common in my world," I shrugged, "One of my companions was a half-elf, and he knew where to get some."

When her face went pale, I remembered that elves were a lot more powerful and feared in this world. I'm used to the forest-dancing fey. I poured myself another shot of Firewine, "Now, I believe that you had something to speak of other than this fine drink?"

Louise calmed down almost immediately, her response almost sullen and dejected, "I thought you were a commoner. Of course I'd summon someone who can do magic better than me…"

I raised an eyebrow, "I am one. I was born a commoner and raised as such."

"B-But you used m-magic!" She almost shouted in my face, as hers started to go red.

"Yes I did. I know that your world has mages as being nobility, but that is not the way of my people," I paused, "Besides, unlike you and your kind, I was not born with my magic."

"Not born with it?" Louise asked, confusion evident on her face, "What do you mean?"

I nodded, "In my world, there are two types of mages: sorcerers and wizards. Sorcerers are mages born with an innate talent for manipulating arcane energy, such that it is almost instinct to do so," I can't help but smirk, "Wizards, on the other hand, are regular people that achieve the same power through disciplining their minds, harnessing arcane power through mathematical calculations and applied theory. You and all of your nobles are what we would consider the former. I am among the latter." I paused, "Well, actually, there are a few other kinds, but sorcerers and wizards are the strongest."

"So the sorcerers of your world are superior mages?" My "master" tilted her head to one side.

"Not quite. Both have their strengths and weaknesses." I scratched my chin, "The most glaring difference is how they learn. Sorcerers are more akin to artists, creating based on whim and inspiration. Thus, it is impossible to teach sorcery, as each one has a different way of casting their spells that work for them." I leaned back into my chair, "Wizardry, however, is very regimented. It has to be, otherwise, our spells would simply blow up in our faces or do nothing at all. The entirety of the wizard community is academic in nature."

I paused and winced, "However, the study of magic can consume the mind, and many go mad. One of my party's deadliest foes was an insane sorcerer."

"Have you?" Louise asked tentatively.

I barked out a laugh, "There are people that would say that, but when you are fighting in a desperate war, you take all the help that is offered."

"So you were a mercenary?"

I shook my head, "No, I've been a soldier of the Shield Lands since the age of eighteen. I didn't start in active duty until after I turned twenty-seven, nearly four years ago. Training to become a battle-mage is a lengthy process. That's why they are far and few between in my homeland."

"You're thirty-one?" She looked puzzled, "I thought you were younger."

"Blame magic. The same artifact that deadened my ability to feel pain also slowed down my aging, though by how much I do not know. It happened the same year I started in active service. I haven't grown any older since," I shrugged at Louise's curious, yet horrified expression, "That's what you get when you start poking at necromantic obelisks." Probably shouldn't mention that my heart doesn't beat. Man, those obelisks really did a number on me, didn't they? At least I'm not rotting.

My flippant reply stunned her for a moment, which she shook off quickly, "Who was Wakunis?"

I froze, not expecting the random question, "How do you know that name?"

"I-I…" She stopped to halt her stuttering, but her hands still fidgeted. I guessed that it wasn't something that she was planning on talking to me about, but just slipped any way, "I had a dream last night. Of you and a group fighting a man named Wakunis. Your party, I guess."

"Aye," I relaxed, "We called ourselves the Wolf Pack, mostly because of how frequently we were found by monstrous wolves, later because we all had cloaks made from wolf hide. At first we were an advanced reconnaissance unit, and then after repeated successes, we moved on to become an elite commando group. We would perform specialized missions behind enemy lines. Hit and run mostly, but sometimes we had to retrieve a lost artifact or retake a strategically important position."

"Like the Spellpool?"

I sighed, "So that was the one you saw. Not one of our most pleasant missions, but yes, that was one such case." I poured myself a double helping of Firewine. I was going to need it, "We were assigned to either retake or destroy the Spellpool, to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. It was the treasure and power source for our Shield Mages, one of the most powerful factions in the Shield Lands before the invasion."

"Even though the island it sat on was occupied by the enemy, we didn't have to worry about it because of the wards on the tower housing it. However, the repeated bombardment by enemy spellcasters and siege weaponry caused them to weaken. We had less than a day before they fell completely," I noted that Louise had quietly sat back down in her chair and listened intently. Lyall always did say I was a good story teller, "So the Wolf Pack was dispatched to take care of it, with the help of a Shield Mage. You probably saw him, his name was Gregory."

"I thought you said that the Shield Mages had been wiped out?"

"It's mostly true. Gregory was still an apprentice when the followers of Iuz began targeting the Shield Mage towers and their inhabitants," I felt my eyes drop to the floor. Even though I had been no more than a wailing babe in those days, I still mourned for my home's irrecoverable loss. I continued with my voice hushed, "We lost much old knowledge with the fall of the towers. When they took the stronghold that housed the Spellpool, the remaining mages were cut off from it as soon as the barrier went up, causing even more casualties. By then, all that was left were a few Shield Mages and their apprentices left, and they scattered to the four winds."

"By the time I met him, Gregory was a powerful abjurer in his own right, and a much more powerful wizard than me. He had managed to infiltrate the island by disguising himself as a pirate allied with our enemies. With his help, we completed our objective without losing any of our unit," my expression darkened, "Except for Agatha." I managed a wry smile, "You know, that was not our first encounter with Wakunis. The previous one did not end as well as the one you saw."

Louise cocked her head to one side, "How so?"

"We died," I said simply, and watched with some amusement as the expression of disbelief formed on her face. I counted down. Three…two…one.

"WHAT?!" My "master" was starting to get predictable in her responses.

I winced and picked at my left ear with my little finger, "You know, you are really shrill when you freak out. I'm fairly sure you just cracked the window and a few of my teeth." I met her eyes, "Where I come from, death isn't always permanent. And-" I held up a finger before she could freak out even more, "I am no undead monstrosity. There are benefits to having deities pay close attention to your civilization, resurrection being one of them. With enough prayer and offerings, usually monetary, the dead can be brought back, unless they seriously offended the patron deity or there are outstanding circumstances. However, before you ask, no I cannot bring the dead back to life. Or at least not how you would want them. Only some of the most powerful priests can. Mages can only animate the corpses, not breathe true life into them."

"Besides, raising people is expensive and exhausting. That applies to both the dead and children. I have experience with the latter from raising my siblings."

"You have siblings? What happened to your parents?" I couldn't fault her for asking the question, I did kind of leave it hanging.

"I have a brother and sister, both younger than me by about seven years. Their names are Alice and Nathaniel, twins to boot. Last I saw them, Alice was starting training in the army, and Nathaniel on his apprenticeship with the Arcanist's Society," I sighed as I downed another shot. I was starting to feel the effects of the potent drink, "My parents were killed during the retaking of Critwall, in the temple district. They were soldiers in the main army, the heavy infantry. I was in the siege camp outside the city when it happened. I was seventeen at the time, and my siblings were ten. After that, we lived in the refugee camps for nearly a year before I started my training and was able to arrange living quarters for my remaining family."

"It's also the reason I hated Wakunis so much. I didn't find out until years later that he was responsible for the massacre that claimed my parents' lives and those of their battalion. He had taken two more people from me. The first was my grandfather, during the fall. He was a paladin, a holy warrior if you will, and a Knight of Holy Shielding." I let out a dark chuckle, "A retired paladin, I might add. He was in his seventies. He knocked my father out and drop-kicked him into the boat before single-handedly standing down Wakunis and about twenty-five orcs, giving us time to escape." I smirked, "He carved his way through the orcs in seconds, only to be cut down by the sorcerer. I was seven and my mother was pregnant with my siblings."

I patted the axe at my side, "This was his. I managed to find it a few years ago on the body of an orc." I frowned, "We never found his armor though."

"If your grandfather was a knight, why did you say that you were a commoner?"

I snorted, "Because he never accepted the noble title. Actually, he outright refused it. He was one of the stereotypical self-sacrificial knights, "out to serve the people, not himself." He wanted his family to earn what they got and be ready to throw it all away, just as he did. He still got indignant when I pulled at his beard hairs, though."

I smiled a little when Louise laughed before she could stop herself. After that dreary tale, the mood needed to lighten a little bit.

"Well, that's enough about me. Let's start on you," I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as her face fell.

"Well, you already know my name. I am from the Valliere family, one of the most prestigious and powerful noble families in Tristain," Louise started tentatively, "My mother is Karin the Heavy Wind, a Square-class mage and the former commander of the Manticore Knights. I have two sisters, Cattleya and Eleanor, both older than me. My father is the Duke de Valliere."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I've noticed that mages in this world seem to add titles onto their names. Why is that?" I was honestly curious. In Oerth, you didn't do that unless you had the power or ego to back it up.

She seemed almost relieved to get off of the subject of her history, "The titles, as you put them, are their runic names. Most mages have them, and it generally serves as an indicator of their abilities or power. My mother is a Square-class Wind mage, and her runic name is the same as her most powerful spell."

I tapped my chin and tried to think up one for myself. I gave up after five seconds. My abilities are too broad for a single title to apply. I am a generalist wizard after all, though I do favor evocation…

"So then, what's yours?" I asked.

Oops. The depressed look came back. She muttered, "The Zero."

There was definitely a story behind that one, "Dare I ask why?"

And that was exactly the wrong thing to say to her, as her face turned red and she shouted, "BECAUSE I CAN'T DO MAGIC!"

I jerked back into my seat, sending it onto its back legs. I hadn't been expecting that response, "At all?"

Louise had suddenly remembered who she was talking to and had quickly schooled her temper, and answered with a shake of the head.

"I find that illogical," I replied in what Lyall referred to as my "trying to sound as mysterious as possible" tone, "Your summoning ritual is magic, right?" Nod, "And you called me, did you not?" Another nod. She was starting to see where I was going with this, "Then obviously, you are at least capable of performing magic on some level."

That seemed to perk her up a bit, but then she deflated just as fast, "But all I can do is make explosions. Try to levitate? Boom. Translation spell? Boom. You get the picture."

"Hmm…" I thought for a moment, "That sounds like what happens when my spellcasting gets disrupted."

"Disrupted spellcasting?"

I gave her a playful scowl, "You try successfully casting a spell while five orcs are trying really hard to plant their axes in your face." I shook my head, "Anyway, that's just a baseless guess, since I have no idea how your magic works. You mentioned 'Square-class' mages?"

"There are four tiers of mages: dot, line, triangle, and square. Dot mages are the lowest and can only manipulate one element. Guiche was a dot earth mage. Each subsequent rank shows how many other elements that the mage can mix into the first," Louise seemed happy that she could teach me about something instead of me being so superior. So long as she didn't get too uppity, I would allow it.

"Only four tiers? Huh, strange. So a square-class mage is someone who can combine the three other elements into their affinity?" A quick nod from my "master," and I continued, "You only have four basic elements? Fire, Water, Earth, and Air?"

No, there is also Void, but that was lost long ago. Why do you ask?" She queried, perplexed.

"We have seven. Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Positive, Negative, and Force. We also have nine tiers of spells, although technically we have eleven if you count High Magic and cantrips," As I continued my explanation, I noted with amusement that Louise's eyes got bigger and bigger, "Positive deals with the energy of life itself, while negative energy powers the undead. They counter each other. Positive heals the living and damages the undead, while the reverse is true for negative. Force is kind of self-explanatory."

The petite mage stared blankly at me for a few moments. For a minute, I thought I broke her, "Your system of magic is way more complicated than ours."

"Not really, it's just more expansive. There are things we can't do, like combine elements. Arcane energy isn't as malleable as your "mana" is," I admitted, "Though there are some spells that incorporate more than one element, but only in special cases. A lot of spells don't have an element at all." I scratched at my nose with one finger, "And, ah, it can be taught to anyone with the proper mental faculties."

Louise froze. Her head turned towards me slowly and full of jerks, as though it were moved by gears, "What? Why didn't you say that EARLIER?!" She leapt across the table, as though to strangle me. I simply leaned back, causing her to miss and crash onto the floor.

"I did say it earlier, but you were a bit stunned at the fact that I could do magic at all to really notice," I looked away indignantly, "It's not my fault."

"Familiar. As your master, I command you to teach me!" The pinkette demanded.

"First," I held up a finger, "My name is Auren. A. U. R. E. N. Not "familiar." Second," Another finger joined the first, "What's the magic word?"

What happened next was arguably the creepiest sight I have ever witnessed. Louise went from trembling with rage and indignity to perfectly calm, and with a wide smile to boot. I swear I saw fangs as she smiled.

Then she simply raised her wand and said, "Fireball."

Unfortunately for me, my Ring of Counterspelling only functions if a spell has been loaded into it and Louise's earlier bout of anger caused me to use it. However, I still had a contingency in place, set to activate if a harmful spell was aimed at me and the ring was exhausted. So Spell Turning popped into place just before the explosion would have gone off and bounced the spell right back at her.

I shook my head and sighed as she let out a confused squawk just before the spell hit her. I simply refilled my glass as she went flying across the room, "You really should have learned by now, Louise. I have a counter for everything. Except for witty puns, that's Lyall's department."

When I heard no response, I looked up, to find her in a crumpled heap against what used to be her dresser. The shot glass dropped from my grasp as I rushed over and started looking her over for wounds. I'm no medic, but I know how the body works. There was blood leaking from her head and cuts all over, not to mention numerous splinters.

I stifled a curse before rifling through my bag for a potion. I hadn't been expecting that. At first, I judged her explosions only deadly enough to cause some minor to moderate property damage. Clearly I had been wrong. I quickly force fed her a Curing potion and watched as the wounds started to close by themselves. Making sure that the head injury stopped bleeding, I carefully picked her up and placed her on her bed, not caring that the blood that she had already lost was staining the covers. She wouldn't die from blood loss thanks to the potion, but as I said earlier, I am no medic and I had no experience with binding wounds.

I quickly cast a message spell, sending it to the only person that I really knew here at the academy other than Louise.

Siesta. I need help with Louise, she's injured. Don't care what kind of grudge you have against me, but I need your help. Her room.

I really wish I could have gone into more detail but there was a twenty-five word limit on that particular spell.

Apparently, the maid had been quite close by as there was a knock on the door not three minutes later. I hurriedly opened it and ushered her in. Once she saw the room, she looked from the bloodied Louise, to the broken dresser, and then to me with an accusing glare on her face. Otherwise, she did not say a word.

I shook my head, "Just help me, then I'll explain. Both this and earlier."

Siesta looked at me for a moment before giving a hesitant nod.


Thankfully, Louise woke up barely twenty minutes later and was thoroughly confused as to why there were bandages on her. She turned a questioning look to me, with Siesta mimicking the expression.

"Your spell rebounded off of one of my protective wards and hurled you across the room," I pointed at the dresser, "into that. Incidentally, "Fireball" was not the magic word I was looking for."

"Why do you have wards on you at all?" She asked, blatantly ignoring my quip, "Nothing is going to attack you here."

I raised an eyebrow, "Other than my summoner, you mean? Plenty can happen. Assassins coming for my throat in the night, demons assaulting the castle, or invasions. That particular ward was a contingency, set to go off whenever offensive action of a magical nature is taken against me. I have four others prepared to deal with other situations." Kaj stirred and woke up. How in the Nine Hells he slept through the commotion I will probably never know. I fed him a piece of jerky before continuing, "If I didn't, I would never have lived this long."

Louise looked down sheepishly, "So I guess you won't teach me, especially after what I just did."

I sighed, for what seemed like the hundredth time this afternoon, as I gave her a hard look. Change her looks and gender, and she would be exactly like a younger Nathaniel. Both were impulsive, brash, stubborn, and felt entitled to what they wanted because of who they were related to. But they were also both good kids at heart.

Shaking my head, I spoke again, "No, I've changed my mind. I'll teach you my magic." I looked to Siesta, "You can join us as well, if you wish."

The maid blinked, obviously surprised, "What?"

When I explained what I had told Louise less than an hour beforehand, she calmly nodded her head and accepted. The subdued reaction puzzled me before Siesta fell out of her chair in a dead faint.

After I made sure that the maid wasn't hurt as well, I sat her up in the chair and turned to face my "master."

"I will warn you, I've had a lot of students, but only one apprentice. If you can compare to him, then I'll accept you as a wizard," I declared with a feral grin, "My job as your teacher will be to make your life a living hell while you are under my tutelage. You will read until your eyes feel as though they are about to pop out of their sockets. I will pound spells and knowledge into your head until it bursts. I will break and remake you. Years will pass by without your notice. In the end, you will have the power to shake this world to its core and wander the planes as you see fit. Any questions?"

As I concluded my little spiel, I saw a look of dread spread across her face, but it quickly reformed into one of determination, "Just one. When do we start?"

I felt my smile grow wider, "Tomorrow night. I still want you to keep up with your regular classes. Tell Siesta when she wakes up." I pushed myself out of the chair and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Into town. I need to get some supplies if I'm going to do this. I'll see if I can't requisition a lab from the school later," When I reached from the door handle, I was interrupted again. I swiveled my head to listen.

"There was something I forgot to mention. Tomorrow is the talent show, where mages show off their newly summoned familiars. The Princess is going to be there," Louise said, her voice muffled as she hid behind the covers. I could still see that her face was completely red.

"And you want me to show off, is that it?" I chuckled as she "eeped." She was expecting me to outright refuse, "Very well. But for now, get some rest. It's been a busy morning." I walked out and closed the door behind me with a soft click.

I felt the grin on my face grow to near supernatural proportions as I thought about my current situation. Maybe this world won't be so bad after all.

A/N: Alright, all done. It's a bit shorter than my other chapters, but that just seemed like a good place to stop. Sorry about the lack of significant gut-wrenching action, but I'm trying not to rush the story. Hope you enjoyed it. Review please! And as promised earlier, here are his stats.

Name: Auren Janten

Age: 31

Gender: Male

Race: Human (Oeridian)

Homeland: Shield Lands

Alignment: Lawful Good (Originally True Neutral)

Deity: Murlynd

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 160 lbs.

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Hazel

Str: 12

Dex: 14

Con: 16

Int: 25

Wis: 12

Cha: 12

Fortitude: +11

Reflex: +10

Will: +17

Languages known: Common, Terran, Ignan, Aquan, Auren, Draconic, Elven, Dwaven, Orcish

Feats:

Spell Focus (Evocation)

Spell Focus (Enchantment)

Spell Mastery (Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist, Fly, Halt Undead)

Craft Wonderous Items

Leadership

Practiced Spellcaster

Skill Focus (Spellcraft)

Affiliation Bonus feat: Sudden Empower

Spells per day: Spells Known:

0: 4 7

1: 5 18

2: 5 15

3: 5 18

4: 5 16

5: 5 11

6: 4 7

7: 4 5

8: 3 4

9: 2 4

In case you are interested, I calculated the number of pages all of his spells take up. Each spell is one page per level of the spell. He knows a total of 105 spells. 323 pages in all.