The enrollment period was now over and the first day of classes had come. Onmund couldn't have been more excited. Like a young boy being promised a dessert of warm sweet rolls, he felt hungry for all of the days ahead of him- for all of the learning and using spells. He was going to do his best to impress the teachers and elders and study as hard as he could so he could ace all of his exams. In no time at all, he knew that he could reach Apprentice-level like Brelyna and even go beyond that. But for the most part, he kept to himself all of his hopes and accomplishments. He was not exactly shy about his positive traits, but he was smart enough to know that his deeds would speak the loudest when it came to demonstrating his knowledge to others. Maybe that was the Nord in him. Therefore, he wasn't a braggart.
J'zargo, on the other hand, was very vocal about his achievements. He constantly reminded Onmund and Brelyna and any other person who would listen about how good he was with magic and how "acute and graceful" his senses were when it came to the arcane arts. If J'zargo weren't so charismatic and funny, Onmund would've felt like punching the cat in the face. But he tolerated the Khajiit's eccentric personality.
Brelyna was just the opposite. A very humble elf, she never touted her achievements to anyone. In fact, at times Onmund thought that she was downright insecure. She was a little clumsy and put herself down a lot, which was sometimes annoying to her two peers, but her sweet innocence made it hard for Onmund to dislike her.
So was the entire student body of the School of Destruction. Despite the hopeful talks that took place among the three apprentices, no more new students had arrived. That was okay with Onmund; so far, he liked the people that he had met at the College and they seemed to like him, so he was content.
The three Destruction students were called to the Hall of Elements late that morning to begin their first day of instruction. As they entered the great hall, they met up with Tolfdir at the outer edge of the circle. There was someone standing with him, and this person was dressed in Novice Robes.
"Welcome, students!" Tolfdir greeted them as they approached. "Come gather 'round. I am happy to inform you that we have just acquired a fourth addition to our class. Her name is Danielle and she comes from Daggerfall."
A Breton, huh? I was hoping I wouldn't be the only Nord here, but I should've known better. Onmund looked at the new student as she gave a meek smile to all of them. Her head was partially bent down so it was hard to study her features, but the first thing that he noticed was how small and frail-looking she was. She must've been no more than five feet tall, judging from his standpoint. If she wasn't here at the College dressed in her mage robes, he would've thought that she was just a little girl.
"Let us begin," Tolfdir declared, and Onmund's attention was diverted away from the girl to his professor. "I am Tolfdir, Professor of the Destruction School, and I teach Fire, Frost, and Shock magic up to and including the Expert level. You will learn quickly how powerful magic can be. I can promise you that wielding such a power is unlike any other feeling you have ever experienced, and you will all go on to do great things with it long after I am gone. But…" he paused, and the other students shifted a little uncomfortably in front of him. "The first thing that you need to understand about magic, above everything else, is that magic is, by its very nature, volatile and dangerous. Unless you can control it, it can and will destroy you."
He sounds kind of like my parents when they warned me about the dangers of magic, Onmund thought wryly, stopping himself from rolling his eyes.
"Sir," Brelyna spoke up. "I think we all understand that fairly well. We wouldn't be here if we couldn't control magic!"
"Of course, my dear. Of course," Tolfdir said with a hint of annoyance. "You all certainly possess some inherent natural ability. That much is not being questioned. What I'm talking about is true control, mastery of magic. It takes years, if not decades, of practice and study."
"Then what are we waiting for?" J'zargo broke in. "Let's get started!"
Just what I was thinking, Onmund thought. I don't know if I should speak out just yet, though…
"Please, please!" Tolfdir cried, appearing to lose his patience. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. Eagerness must be tempered with caution, or else disaster is inevitable. We must first talk about the very basics- the fundamentals of magic, and then we can get on with beginning to master it. I must teach you how to control your powers first, and then we can practice."
Onmund couldn't help but feel like he was being talked to like a novice. Surely, he doesn't think we just strolled in from the fields knowing completely nothing. He couldn't hold back any longer. "But we've only just arrived here," he piped up. "You've no idea what any of us are capable of. Why not give us a chance to show you what we can do?"
Tolfdir's arms fell at his sides as if in surrender. Onmund knew that he knew that he was right. Tolfdir looked at each and every student, with the fire gleaming in all of their eyes, and he finally stopped at the fourth student who had yet to chime in with a comment- the little Breton, Danielle. "You've been quiet so far. What do you think we should do?"
They all watched as the Breton shrugged and replied simply, "I think we should learn something practical."
Onmund had to admit, he wasn't expecting such a response from her. Her confident statement along with her clear, mature-sounding voice (it was that of a woman's and not of a little girl like he had somehow imagined) betrayed her petite frame.
Tolfdir gave a nod and folded his arms. "Very well. We are all here to learn practical concepts. There is no question about that. I just need to be sure that I can trust you all to use your powers wisely and carefully."
For some reason, Onmund was now all fired up. He said, "Well, we're all pretty new at this, right? Let's just give it a chance. What's the worst that could happen?"
The other three students nodded and murmured agreement. The excitement was just too much to contain.
"All right, let's settle down," Tolfdir urged. "I suppose we can try something practical…"
Onmund noticed a shift in Tolfdir's countenance and thought, Finally! We can get past the novice stuff and do something worthwhile!
"In continuing with our theme of safety, we'll start with Wards. Wards are protective spells that block magic. I'll teach you all a ward, and we'll see if you can successfully use it to block spells, all right?
Wards, huh? Not a bad start, I guess… Onmund thought. He only knew a basic ward, but he wasn't very good at it. Now was his chance to learn it correctly.
Tolfdir then proceeded to teach each of them the Lesser Ward spell. Brelyna was the only one who knew how to use it well, since she had learned before. But even after the initial demonstration, everyone knew how to do a basic ward correctly. He ended the class by instructing them to practice wards for the rest of the day, and also to tell them about their first field trip tomorrow. They were going to tour the ancient ruins of Saarthal to learn about the various applications of magic throughout history. This particular bit of news had Onmund very excited. Some of his ancestors no doubt used to live at Saarthal, so it would be a highly enlightening experience for him to actually go there and see the city with his own eyes.
Tolfdir left the four students alone in the hall with Phinis Gestor, whom he had introduced them to, who was an Expert-level Conjurer and whose turn it was to watch the Hall of Elements during the day to make sure everyone followed the rules. Phinis stayed out of their way, though, planting himself on one of the benches along the wall while the four Destruction students talked amongst themselves and practiced their Lesser Wards. Each took turns shooting each other with Shock spells and warding, with the exception of Danielle, who was the only one who seemed to prefer Flame spells. At one point, Onmund partnered up with her and they both took turns warding and firing at one another.
"You're an aspiring fire mage, huh?" he remarked. "Not too many of those around here."
"Uh huh," she replied. "I've always been fascinated with fire."
"It is the most destructive," he said. "How long have you been studying it?"
"Fire? Just for a few months, but I've studied magic in general for years."
Oh boy, it's a good thing I'm comfortable with warding, he thought nervously. She seems to have good control with her Flames, but one can't be too careful. "It's good that you came in today," he spoke. "Otherwise, we would've had an odd number of students in the school."
"Are you from this region?" she asked.
"Yes, I am. From Falkreath. I'm the only Nord here. I'm a bit of an oddity, you might say."
"Yes, I must say. Your people are not very fond of magic, I hear."
"It is shunned by most. If it can't be swung over your head and used to crack skulls, most Nords want nothing to do with it. Magic is seen as something for elves, and weaker races." He then quickly added, "No offense, of course."
"Watch yourself," she cautioned, but then she gave him a playful smile.
"Hey, I didn't say anything about Bretons," he protested.
"Good..." she teased. "You are in a precarious position to be saying too much."
As she pummeled his ward with her Flames, he realized that all it would take is for him to lose his concentration and he would be toast. "Good point," he remarked and smiled. This girl is a sharp one, he thought. For the first time during his stay at the College, he felt a sense of competition arising and it was from none other than the petite Breton, whom he began to think was kind of cute.
Finally, a day's worth of practicing wards, reading books, and lectures by the elders was over. The next day promised a whole slew of new experiences and practicing magic, and Onmund went to bed early that night exhausted but happy.
At 7AM sharp the next morning, Onmund met with the rest of the Destruction students and Tolfdir in the Hall of Elements. Then, they all headed out together to Saarthal, which was a few hours southwest of Winterhold. The journey was a smooth one, with clear weather and only a light breeze blowing. Still, the two women in the group shivered and huddled close to each other. Onmund laughed inwardly. They aren't used to the alpine climates of Skyrim, I guess. J'zargo seemed to be doing okay, though. Despite being from a much warmer region to the far south, he had thick fur to keep him warm along with his heavy robes. Either that or he was just pretending to tough it out.
They finally reached Saarthal in about three hours. Having once been a great city, it was now nothing but a buried ruin- a fortress of windblown ice and snow. The group descended into the pit that had been dug out by earlier excavators which revealed a large, iron door.
"And here we all are!" Tolfdir announced. "Shall we step inside?"
"I'm ready!" Danielle declared.
"Let's go!" Onmund declared.
"All right, please stay close to me while we're inside," Tolfdir said. "It should be safe, but it's always better to be cautious."
With that, the five of them entered the ruin. It took awhile for their eyes to adjust to the dim light. It was a stark contrast to the view outside, which was nothing but blinding white as far as the eyes could see. In here, it was much darker. Tolfdir grabbed a torch off the wall and began carrying it in front of him. "Can everyone see? Let's proceed."
As everyone followed the professor deeper into the ruin, a different feeling began to seep in than his initial excitement this morning and the day before. As he looked at the cold, stone walls around him and breathed the strong, musty scent hanging heavily in the air, he finally realized what this place really was. This is a crypt! There are dead bodies in here, and they're probably the bodies of my ancestors! Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and the others looked at him curiously.
"What is it, Onmund?" Tolfdir asked, holding the torch in front of him.
"I'm not so sure we should be here," he said uncertainly.
"Why? Is something wrong?" Tolfdir continued.
"This…this is a crypt," he replied. "A place for the dead."
Danielle is an original character created by me. In my game, she is the Dragonborn, but for the purposes of this story, her Dragonborn aspects are not brought up at all.