Chapter 4: College Days
Raminus had heard from Bothiel that Nim arrived at the University early this morning. Under orders of the council, he was to send her on an assignment to Skingrad. The attack on Wellspring Cave had shaken everyone and though he understood the rationale behind the assignment, Raminus found many more reasons to be displeased with the decision. He even offered to take on the task himself only for the Council to refuse. He had sent out in search for her after speaking with Bothiel in the Archmage's lobby, but so far, he had not run into the young Bosmer in the living quarters or the practice rooms. Raminus set out on his morning stroll, hoping the fresh air would clear the unease of his stomach, hopefully enough for him to eat breakfast upon return.
It was a chilly Middas morning, and the breeze blew softly through pines along the City Isle. The sun shone brightly overhead, sparkling in the dew of the grass, and by the time Raminus had made his way back within the University walls, he was feeling much calmer if not a bit cold. Ready to enter the Archmage's Lobby to prepare a cup of tea before breakfast, a soft voice singing amongst the wind caught his ears. It grew louder as he approached the iron-wrought gate separating the public from the inner grounds, and he approached to the edge of the walkway to peer into the Lustratorium Garden. There he found Nimileth leaning forward on her knees with a calcinator and retort set up on the stone slab of the decorative architecture of garden. She sat in the center of it dressed in her mage's robes and surrounded by ferns and shrubs. Beneath her apparatuses, she had created a small fire with twigs and dry grass to keep them hot enough to steam and boil her ingredients. Taking a deep breath as he fought the sickly feeling rising in his belly back into the depths of his mind, Raminus walked down the steps and approached the Bosmer, who appeared to be working hard at grinding whatever was in the mortar and pestle in front of her.
"Ah, Nimileth. I should have known I would find you here."
Nim looked up from the bubbling retort, and upon spotting Raminus, she sat back on her knees and waved with a large grin.
"Good morning, Master Wizard," she called to him "Were you looking for me?"
"You know we have an alchemical lab on the University grounds. In fact, you're a mere ten feet away from it."
"It's much too clear of a morning to spend inside. Can you believe Spring is only a month away? This garden will be filled with flowers in no time at all. Hyacinth, iris, bloodroot. You can't imagine how much I've missed them."
Raminus found himself chuckling at her fondness for vegetation. Realizing he hadn't stopped by the Lustratorium to visit Julienne in ages, he must have forgot how excited some people could be over flowers. Alchemists were a very peculiar breed of people.
"Not a fan of Winter, I assume?"
"That would be rather small-minded of me," she replied. "Winter's fine, but it would be better with flowers. Isn't everything?"
"Hmm, I'm more of a rock man myself." Raminus didn't quite understand what compelled him to say that. Sure he had a collection when he was a boy, but no one needed to know that. Certainly not Nimileth.
Nim laughed heartily at his statement. "Good for you, Master Wizard. They're too often overlooked."
"Well, what have you got there?" He asked, eager to change the subject.
"I'm just killing some time before lecture. This," she tapped on the retort with her finger. "should be ready in about five minutes."
"Oh, I forgot to ask sooner. What courses are you taking this Winter? Should you need recommendations for the spring, I'd be happy to give you some ideas."
"Beginners spell-crafting. This week's lesson is on destruction. Can you believe Gaspar Stegine teaches that course? Gaspar Stegine. Everytime I walk into the Praxographical Center and see him and Borissean standing there, I feel like my mouth is full of cotton and I forgot all of my Cyrodiilic."
"Yes, indeed I can believe it," Raminus chuckled. "Borissean and Gaspar trade of lecturing every year or so."
"It's crazy isn't it? Finding yourself among the most powerful sorcerers in all of Cyrodiil," Nim sighed and shook her head before returning to her grinding. "I swear to Stendarr, one day I'm going to make the biggest fool of myself in front of them and hate myself forever."
"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Nimileth. You're only a Journeyman and for someone of your age, that's quite an accomplishment. I can't remember the last time we had a mage rise so fast within our ranks."
Nim nodded along to his words with a soft smile.
"Thank you, I just- I have so much to learn you know? I'm also taking Auras and the art of reflection, because I know so very little about Mysticism, couldn't float an apple out of a sack if I tried, unfortunately." She sounded quite disappointed in that last statement. Raminus wondered if there was perhaps more to that very specific example.
"Boderi Farano is teaching that, isn't she?" He asked
Nim nodded.
"How do you find of her methods and style?" Raminus had taken the same course those many years ago and he found her terrifying. He hoped, for Nim's sake, that she was easier on the first-years in her old age.
"Oh, she's so wonderful!" Nim exclaimed. Somehow it didn't surprise him that Nim found this an effective teaching style. "So aggressive and loud and terrifying. Is it true he was an imperial battlemage before hired as a lecturer?"
"Well she had been retired for nearly a decade before then, but yes. She was. She trained among experts in Great House Telvanni before moving to Cyrodil. I believe her Father has a Tel in Morrowind."
"A Tel? Those big mushrooms, right?"
Raminus smiled. "Indeed. Have you ever seen one in person?"
"I've never left Cyrodil."
"Oh, you must go if you have the chance. They make you feel so small in comparison."
"Well that typically happens to me no matter what."
"Ah, I- um." the wizard stammered. Nim didn't seem bothered, and realizing he didn't know how to respond to that comment anyway, he didn't bother to respond. He watched as Nim blew out the fire beneath her retort and sprinkled the orange powder from her pestle into it. She swirled the glass around and poured it's contents into a brown stone cup.
"How is that potion coming along?"
"Here, have a sip," the elf stood to her feet and offered the cup to Raminus. He eyed the deep purple liquid curiously and brought the cup to his nose. He wafted the steam upward with his fingers and found it produced a pleasant fruity spell.
"Go on. Let me know what you think.
"I'm not about to start glowing or fall to the ground in exhaustion, am I?" He asked playfully.
"There are worse things to fear than poison, Master Wizard."
"Oh? Like what?" He brought the cup to his lips and took a small sip. The potion coating his mouth was warm and thick, almost syrupy.
"Perhaps it's a love potion," she shrugged. "I met a girl in Bravil who got slipped one of those and she said it left her thoughts distorted for weeks."
Raminus nearly choked at the thought and extended his arm to hand the cup back to Nim.
"It's not a love potion, Master Wizard," she responded flatly.
"Yes, of course. I –" Smacking his lips slightly, he first detected citrus, but the overwhelming taste was… was that blackberry? A tingle spread across his tongue in a peppery zing that caused him to cock his head in pleasant surprise. "Oh my, that's absolutely lovely. What do you call this concoction?"
"Breakfast. Pairs remarkably well with goat cheese on toast or a thick slice of ham," she replied. "I'm thinking about calling it Fire-juice," she said with a dramatic wave toward the sky
"Fire… juice?" Suddenly the zing on his tongue made sense. "Fire salts with breakfast? I never would have imagined that would combine so nicely with blackberries. The orange was a nice touch, not to overpowering. Great work, Nim." He helped himself to another mouthful.
"Yes, the blackberries and the orange combine for a basic restore fatigue, something most everyone needs in the morning. But as a mage, I think we out to get the magicka flowing as soon as possible. Thus I add the fire salts to further draw out the restorative properties in the blackberries. And they add a nice zing, don't they?"
"Wonderful zing." So wonderful that Raminus had decided he was not going to hand the cup back, even though he saw her eyeing it. An idea suddenly popped into his head "In fact, would you care to join me for breakfast so I might try this with food as you suggested? As long as you have time before class, of course."
"Oh, it would be my pleasure," Nim replied excitedly. "Let me just gather my things."
"A book?"
"Yes, I'd like you to retrieve it," Raminus repeated. Nim stabbed a small potato with her fork and squinted her eyes at the wizard from across the table, unconvinced. The lobby had emptied as the mage's made their way to the lecture hall or study rooms to begin their day of work.
"But how is this book related to the Necromancer attack on the Wellspring Cave?"
"Er- yes it details the history of necromancer cults in Cyrodiil and the surrounding provinces. We're wondering if the group of necromancers we are currently working against, the ones who attacked the cave, may have some tie to these historic cults."
"I see," Nim replied through narrowed eyes making no attempt to hide her suspicion.
Raminus sat silently as she held eye contact. A low rumble sounded from the depths of his belly. He managed a few bites of toast before the gnawing guilt bubble up once more as he began to relay the task to her. The young Journeyman was far more inquisitive than he had prepared for. He found himself fidgeting with his hands while waiting for the Bosmer to speak and shoved them into his pockets to keep them still.
"Forgive me if I am speaking out of place, I just believe that we should be taking a more proactive approach. They have already murdered mages on the guilds own property."
"I understand your concern, Nimileth. I know it seems a trivial task but still, the task needs to be done. You are one of the few available to do it while the rest of the council continues its investigation on the occurrence you reported at Wellspring Cave."
"If you say so, Master Wizard. I will leave for Skingrad first thing in the morning. For now I think I should be getting to class." She stood up from the table and carried her plate over to the wash basin on the other side of the room.
"Thank you, Nim. And please, it's Raminus."
Nim nodded and grabbed her pack, slinging it loosely over one shoulder.
"Yes, good day Raminus."
"Take care," He called after her as she left for the Praxographical Center. He watched as Nim shut the door softly behind her, giving him one last small grin before leaving him standing alone in the lobby. His stomach turned, this time not with hunger but with a gnawing guilt about the task he had just assigned her to. Slowly he sipped down the last of his Fire-Juice. She had every reason to doubt him.
Blink. Gaspar Stegine, master spellmaker. Vigge the Cautious, from the Skingrad Chapter, had told her that Gaspar was among the best sorcerers in all of Cyrodill along with Borissean. Blink. Gaspar Stegine, master spellmaker. Nim still couldn't believe that he was teaching her lecture every every Middas.
"Alright, everyone," The old Breton clapped his hands. "We have fifteen minutes left of class. Let's see what you've made. I want everyone to step forward and, without explaining the effects you chose, tell us when your spell would be most effective in combat. After you demonstrate on the practice dummy, we will try to deduce the effect." He pointed toward the end of the room where a wooden mannequin stood wearing a beat-up leather cuirass. "Pria, why don't you demonstrate first?"
Pria, a small Breton with curly blonde hair, stepped forward and cleared her throat. She was another first-year student that had arrived at the University from High Rock. Nim had sat beside her in Boderi Farano's lecture several times but the two had only spoken once when she asked for a spare quill.
"I've um, made a short-range spell most useful in close combat within a confined area," she said while wringing her hands.
Gaspar offered the nervous girl a kind smile. "Go ahead and direct the spell toward the dummy."
The students in crowded near the mannequin at the end of the room to watch. Pria approached the dummy slowly and set a hand on the wooden arm. A small spark of light jumped from her fingers and sizzled out in a mere second. Pria blushed a violent shade of red.
"Useful in a crowded marketplace when the shopper behind you is breathing down your neck, perhaps," he said with a finger pointed in the air. "But that wasn't the intention, was it?"
The room filled with soft laughter, and Pria shook her head.
"The only way this would cause any damage in a fight is if your target were soaking wet. What are some ways we can make this spell more effective without increasing the magnitude?" Gaspar asked, directing the question to the cluster of students. "Anyone?"
Nim's hand spasmed upward, but she quickly brought it down. She knew her destruction magic almost as well as her Illusion, but what if she said something wrong? She certainly didn't want to look as silly as Pria did. Poor girl. At least her mysticism was half decent.
Nim looked up to see the tall argonian beside her raise his hand. She had never heard him speak before. Gaspar pointed at him, motioning for him to speak.
"Couple the spell with a weakness to shock."
I knew that, she mumbled in her head. Oh yeah, well why didn't you say it?
"Good, Chee-Tul. Why don't you show us your spell now?"
Chee-Tul nodded and stepped forward.
"This spell is most useful when attacking from afar, perhaps for a scout or guard defending against bandits or raiders." He released a bright orange stream from his palm, and the armor on the dummy audibly sizzled away, leaving a gaping hole to expose the wood beneath it. Nim had to restrain herself from oohing.
"Very impressive work," The Breton sorcerer said with a series of fast nods. He turned to the class. "What do we see here?"
"Fire damage," an imperial spoke up from the back row.
Gaspar smiled and remained silent, waiting for the mage to continue. "Oh, were you finished with that thought?"
"Uh," the man croaked. "I mean, it was obviously a fire spell."
"Oh, was it really? I had no idea."
The class chuckled, and the Imperial mage shifted in his stance.
"Why don't you look closer and tell me what you notice."
The imperial walked toward the mannequin and squinted. "I see… scorch marks and- um. The leather is burned where the fireball made impact."
"I would take a closer look at that," Gaspar suggested.
Without thinking to ask, Nim approached the dummy. The imperial mage stared at her with a shriveled nose as she twisted herself around him and ran a finger around the edge of the hole in the cuirass. The edges were warped by odd ripples rather than melted away by flame, while the wooden torso was burned black in the center. She raised her hand but didn't actually wait to be called on before speaking out.
"The fire itself didn't to melt through the leather. Chee-Tul coupled the fire damage with a spell to disintegrate armor."
"Exactly," Gaspar said, snapping and pointing a finger at Nim who nearly swooned off her feet. "Let me propose a situation. What if you were fighting a battlemage who had enchanted their armor with a dispel charm? That would certainly be bad for you. What could you do then?"
"You could stack the spell with weakness to magic," Nim blurted out. "This would not only counteract the dispel charm but also increase the damage done by the other two effects."
"Very good, Nimileth. Let's see your spell now."
Nim stepped forward and faced the class, avoiding eye contact with the Imperial mage who had returned to the crowd and was now glaring at her.
"This is a long-range spell that can be used discretely to gain a swift advantage over a single target in battle without drawing much attention to yourself."
"I like the specificity," the Breton said.
She raised her right arm and gave her hand a small spin towards the end of the room. A faint green orb mingled with red wisps of light enveloped the wooden mannequin. The dummy itself remained physically unchanged. Gaspar smiled at Nim and nodded his head in approval. Mumbled whispers broke out among the class.
"Nothing happened," a voice spoke up.
"If you believe that, why don't you let Nimileth demonstrate on you?" Gaspar turned to Nim and motioned her toward the student who suddenly grew very stiff and bug-eyed. Nim nervously chuckled.
"I'd rather not, Sir."
"What destruction spell did we just observe?"
The class was silent.
"Frost, Fire? No, what else could it be."
"Damage health?" Another mage asked
"Yes! Now, did anyone catch the second effect?"
Nim stood awkwardly in the center of the room across from the rest of the class as Gaspar paced up and down with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Give them a hint, Nimileth. What school of magic was it in?"
"Illusion."
"Paralyze," Chee-Tul called out immediately.
"Correct, Chee-Tul." Gaspar walked to the near wall and peeked out the window. The sun was just reaching it's zenith. "Unfortunately, that's all the time we have for today. Those of you who did not perform their spell today will be first to present for next week's demonstration."
The students began to pack up their work benches and chat amongst themselves. Nim walked back to her bench to retrieve her bag feeling a content smile beginning to creep across her face. She could tell that some of the other students were staring at her. For a Journeyman, it was a pretty good spell, but for a Magician, a Warlock? Well Nim was happy that most of her classmates were first-year University students like her otherwise she'd be laughed out of the Praxographical Center.
"And watch out for these two, class," Gaspar called out with a mischievous grin pointing out Nim and Chee-Tul as they gathered their belongings. "It's always the unsuspecting ones."
Nim cracked a stupid, wide grin and felt her cheeks flush warm, as she watched the Master Wizard ascend the stairs and disappear behind the door. Gaspar Stegine, master spellmaker.