~~~ Chapter 5: Learning the Basics ~~~

Shing Jea Monastery, Shing Jea Island, Cantha
1576 (Canthan Calendar), Season of the Scion

"What," asked the instructor in stentorian tones, "is magic?" There was a sudden bustle of activity as students still trickling into the lecture chamber scrambled to take out their ink and brushes. Careless of them, not to arrive early for their first lesson. The monastery taught more than mere spells and incantations, histories and tactics. One who expected to graduate must also master self-reliance, and the ability to be prepared for anything.

Kasumi sat cross-legged on her straw mat and smiled. Preparation was something her parents had drilled into her since she was very young. Merchants that did not prepare, that left port without studying their destination and bringing a cargo worth the voyage could lose everything. "Know your enemy and know yourself." That was what the ancient philosopher had said. As a merchant, her enemies would have been her competitors; as a hero, the enemies of the empire.

Here, at the monastery? Was it the instructors? Was it her fellow students? Kasumi did not know. She hoped it was not the latter. She looked around among the seated students for Kisai, and frowned. Perhaps there was another section- Ah, there she was, sitting hastily with a stammered apology to the instructor. No, she knew at least some of her fellow students were not her enemy.

The instructor stood at the front of the room, hands clasped in exaggerated patience, and waited for the stragglers to gather their materials. The rustle of students' robes and bags faded into quiet mere moments before the great gong signaled the formal beginning of the lesson. The instructor nodded once, slowly. In approval? Unlikely. An assessment, then, of the new crop of students. Kasumi frowned again. Surely they would not all be judged by the failings of a few.

"Thank you," the instructor said drily as the gong hummed into silence. "Welcome to Shing Jea Monastery. You have, of course, already been welcomed by your headmasters, and many of you have begun your formal studies in your chosen professions. Nonetheless, I always take this opportunity to welcome my students. This is a difficult road that you have chosen." The instructor walked his gaze across the assembled novitiates, giving each a moment in turn. "When next we meet, some of you will already have turned from that path."

"You will notice that your fellow novices may intend to follow professions different from yours. What, you may be asking yourselves, can a monk and a mesmerist learn together? What ties together the studies of elementalism and necromancy?" He paused a moment, for emphasis. "The answer, of course, is magic. Magic to heal the body and confuse the mind, magic to harness the elements and even raise the dead."

Silence fell.

"Good. When faced with a question you cannot answer, you admit to your ignorance. That is the first step towards wisdom. One answer to the question is this: magic is many things, to many people.

"So let me ask a different question. What is magic to you?"

Silence fell again, but after a long moment a young man with dark close-cropped hair rose and bowed to the instructor. "Magic is a gift from the gods," the young man said.

The instructor nodded. "Very good. Anyone else?"

A young woman stood and bowed. "Magic is truth amid illusion."

"Magic is the fifth element from which all other things are derived."

"Magic is the force that animates all living things."

Kasumi rose and bowed to the instructor. "Magic joins the worlds of the living and the dead."

The instructor held up a hand. "Magic is all of these things, and none." He paused for her to sit once more. "Many of you have studied the mystic arts before. Perhaps you found an old book, detailing the principles of elementalism. Perhaps you were tutored by a hedge necromancer or apprenticed to a travelling mesmerist. Perhaps you learned simple prayers of healing and protection. Let me be clear. This does not mean that you understand magic. To the contrary; before you can learn what I have to teach you, you must first unlearn."

Shing Jea Monastery, Shing Jea Island, Cantha
1576 (Canthan Calendar), Season of the Colossus

Wisps of steam rose and curled about as Kasumi eased slowly into the baths. The water was piping hot; barely short of scalding, actually, and imbued with a tingling effervescence that was both soothing and stimulating. Already she could feel the stiffness in her legs loosen. It had been too long since she had sat for hours in study. Judging from the groans of relief coming from some of the other students, she was hardly alone in that.

Or perhaps not. As Mai slid over to join her, she saw dark discolourations marring the other girl's limbs and torso - the precursors to deep bruises - and an atypical stiffness in her movements. Kasumi raised a quizzical eyebrow.

Mai sat silently for a long moment, letting the heat soak into overtaxed muscles. "We started training with the warrior students today," she said in answer to the first girl's unspoken question. She did not open her eyes. "They had wooden practice swords. We did not."

Kasumi frowned. That hardly seemed fair.

"'The warrior students must practice their skill at hitting elusive targets. You require skill at evading attacks.'" She quoted with only a hint of resentment, or perhaps simple frustration. "'As two blades working together can accomplish more than either alone, two problems in isolation can resolve into a unified whole. That is your first lesson for today.'"

It made sense, of course. Better to learn those skills now with wooden weapons than against real foes in anger. Still, the results seemed rather...unpleasant for those on the receiving end. She frowned. Surely the monastery had healers, once the lesson was over.

"And, of course, the resulting injuries were good practice for the novice monks to apply their healing prayers." Mai winced. "With varying degrees of success."

Quite deliberate, of that Kasumi was certain. Seeing the lingering pain of their charges would inspire the novices to redouble their studies, and motivate the assassin students to be quicker in their next sparring match as well. Lessons inside of lessons. She was beginning to understand why graduates of the monastery were so highly regarded.

A slender foot dipped into the springs beside Mai, then hastily withdrew. "Ow, hot," complained Kisai. "How can you two stand to soak in this?"

Kasumi lifted her eyebrows. "You have never been to a hot spring before?"

"Mainland girl, remember? No room for springs in the city. The best we could do was a barrel of rainwater." She knelt down at the water's edge and poked at the spring with a cautious finger. "There are some to the south, of course, where the rich merchants and ministers go on holiday. Not people like us, of course."

"Too close to the vassal states for me, though," Mai put in. "Even if we ever had the money. They're savages, you know. The luxons will cut your throat as soon as look at you, and the kurzicks are mad from living in their stone forest all these years. Everyone says the only reason they don't attack us is because they're too busy fighting each other."

Kisai paled. "Do you really think so?" She paused a moment in thought, then shook her head. "Some of the other students are from the vassal states. They seemed nice to me."

Mai frowned. "Perhaps...no, you are right." She patted Kisai's foot. "I was too quick to judge."

The other girl smiled shyly, and tried dipping her foot in the spring again. She jumped back again with a curse. "You must be boiling alive in this."

Kasumi leaned back. "Well, if it's too hot for you, why don't you cool it down? You are an elementalist, right? Fire and water."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Kisai's face lit up, and as quickly fell again. "But we're not supposed to use magic without supervision."

"You're not by yourself," Kasumi pointed out. "You're with us. Mai and I will keep an eye on you."

Mai elbowed her in the ribs. "That's not what they meant and you know it. The instructors don't want someone getting hurt."

"It's a simple cooling spell. No one's going to get hurt."

Mai's frown remained. "The rules are there for a reason."

"How do they expect us to learn, if we are not allowed to practice? You do want to learn elemental magic, right?"

"Well, yes..." Kisai frowned. "It still doesn't seem right."

"One little spell won't hurt anyone. But if you're not sure you can do it, it's okay."

Kisai stood silently for a long moment. "I do need to practice. And it's just one little spell. Right?"

She knelt down at the edge of the baths and traced the sigil for "cold" in the condensation on the stone at the water's edge, closed her eyes, and began to focus her will. For a long moment nothing seemed to happen; then Kasumi noticed a thin mist forming and flowing from the water's edge, not the wispy steam of the baths but a chill vapor, like the fog that formed over a warm lake on a cold morning.

"See, you're doing it," she said with an encouraging smile, and then yelped as a tendril of icy water snaked its way to her unsuspecting leg. "Don't overdo it." She sidled quickly away, bumping into Mai-

Mai, whose face still held anger over Kasumi's manipulation. She supposed the other girl had a point, but wasn't particularly in the mood for a lecture. She glanced back over at Kisai, an apology forming on her lips, and then swallowed it as she saw the young elementalist's expression. She, too, was looking at Kasumi, but with something more akin to...jealousy, perhaps? No, looking at Kasumi and Mai, so close together.

Getting out of that talking-to would be as easy as distracting Mai. In her mind Kasumi smiled, careful not to let it show on her face, and stood. "I'm heading back early-" She caught a flash of guilt on Kisai's face. "No, it's not your fault. I need to study." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, and leaned in to Kisai's shoulder as the other girl slid into the baths. "She's all yours."

A strong but slender hand shook Kasumi awake, none too gently. She awakened with a start and opened her eyes to see Mai's face bare inches above her.

"I saw what you did to Kisai earlier. Toying with her like that. Let me be clear - you ever do that again, we're through. She and I will go our own way. Understood?"

Kasumi blinked, then nodded. The iron hand on her shoulder did not relent.

"I also saw what you did to me. Just because we're not fancy merchant girls like you doesn't mean we're stupid. Maybe you think the rules aren't for you, but people like us, we learned to keep our heads down. She looks up to you, you know. Trusts you. If you get her in trouble, you and I are going to have more than words."

Kasumi forced her blurry eyes into focus. The other girl's glare was sharper than her daggers. Although...Kasumi didn't remember seeing that mark on Mai's neck in the baths. Mai followed her gaze, and even in the dim light Kasumi could see her cheeks burn. Mai removed her hand and stood.

"And if you ever toy with her feelings again, if you hurt her, I will make you pay."