Arthur Daigle's Blog - Posts Tagged "class"

Professor Atril Renault led his first period class out of the central building of The Vastan Institute of Magic and Technology. It was a glorious morning, sunny and warm, the air heavy with perfume from blooming trees, and pixies were relatively under control. That last fact took considerable effort and a large number of trained hawks, but it was worth it. Normally this would cheer Professor Renault.

“I didn’t think students were supposed to leave the Institute, sir,” Marty Fest said. Marty was the reason why Professor Renault was in a foul mood. Most people could only earn a handful of mortal enemies, but Marty had an innate ability to make everyone in a mile radius murderously annoyed with him.

“I would imagine you’d be pleased to leave the grounds,” Professor Renault replied. The older man wore simple, dignified robes over his functional work clothes. His oak staff was set with fire opals, as were the rings on his fingers. Renault’s thinning hair was turning gray, but otherwise he was in excellent condition. “I imagine Institute staff members will be equally delighted after last night.”

Marty smiled (never a good sign) and raised one finger. “I wasn’t near the unicorn’s cage when it got out, sir.”

“You were never near the wine cellar, the returns section of the library, the ladies lavatory and the rare plants garden that all befell shockingly bad luck.” Professor Renault stopped and turned to look Marty in the eyes. Marty smiled back, the smug expression of a man smart enough to do massively stupid deeds.

“Exactly.” Marty spoke that word as if it was proof of his innocence and that the matter was unimportant.

The Vastan Institute for Magic and Technology was the crown jewels of the city of Chalerdon, no small claim given the city’s staggering wealth. The Institute’s gravity defying architecture was the result of dozens of skilled wizards working for decades. It filled entire blocks of a city known for beauty, wealth and culture. Attending the Institute as a student should have been an honor bestowed on only the best, but Professor Renault had long ago noticed a decline in the behavior of his pupils.

Professor Renault continued on with fifteen students, young, intelligent teenagers who had basic training in magic and were from respectable families. Students had to have these traits, but there were times when young people could be too intelligent for their own good and come from families too respectable. Some were smart enough to cause trouble while having family connections to avoid the repercussions of their actions. This state of affairs could go on for years until they did something so foolish there was no way to avoid the fallout, and possibly no way to survive it.

Marty Fest was such a person. Smart, wealthy and related to men in power, the blond haired youth was handsome and drew attention from ladies his age. Any attraction ended the moment Marty spoke his mind, which was constantly in the gutter. His clothes were rich silks dyed gold and red, very stylish, and his coin pouch bulged with gold. Marty never failed to flaunt his wealth to students on financial need scholarships. He was, in short, a twit.

“Students are required to stay on Institute property to prevent them from patronizing disreputable establishments in the city,” Professor Renault said as he led his students onward. “Some students see this as a challenge to avoid our security measures and visit local bars. Today’s field trip is an exception to the rules.”

A young girl raised her hand and asked, “Where are we going?”

“I’m sure it will be exciting and challenge our minds,” Marty said cheerfully. He saw an attractive waitress at an outdoor restaurant and said, “There’s a challenge I wouldn’t mind solving.”

Another student scowled as he walked around an elf riding a griffin down the street. He leaned in close to Marty and whispered, “Renault is right here, Marty. Right here. You know, ‘Collective Punishment’ Renault, the guy who dunked an entire class into a lake for failing a test. He’s promised to do the same to us if we screw up.”

“Talk is cheap, and so is he,” Marty whispered back.

“They didn’t fail the following test, proof my actions had the desired effect,” Professor Renault said, startling both boys. “I am neither deaf nor stupid, Mr. Fest. You would be wise not to mistake patience for cowardice.”

“Second period is going to start soon, sir,” a female student pressed. “We barely have time to get back to the Institute, and I have Ms. Prezle’s Magic Theory lecture next. The last person who was late for her class was used for target practice.”

Another girl scowled at her. “Thanks for bringing that up! I spent four hours as an oak tree because of that witch, and stop smirking, Marty!”

“We’ll be back on Institute grounds before first period is over,” Professor Renault replied. He stopped walking and pointed to his left. “Here we are.”

“Here we are where?” the first girl asked. “It’s just an old house.”

“Appearances often deceive in our profession,” Professor Renault said. The building was small, with only one floor and a few hundred square feet. The walls were brick, the roof intact and the windows closed. There were beautiful flowers around the house, but the lush growth reached onto the street.

The second girl frowned and backed up. “Professor, you teach Ethics in Magic. What does this have to do with ethical behavior?”

Professor Renault tapped his staff on the paved street. “All will be clear shortly. Now, what can you tell me about this building?”

Two students raised their hands, but Marty shouted, “I’ve got this!”

Professor Renault stepped back and waved his staff at Marty. “By all means, Mr. Fest, let us see your powers of deduction.”

Marty began, “Land around the Institute is expensive, so some peon should occupy a house like this, but it looks like nobody’s lived here for months. There’s nothing wrong with the house physically. Let me check for magic auras…nope, no wards. The city watch doesn’t care that this place is a mess, which means whatever is going on here either has their approval or it isn’t worth their time bothering with. But someone has to own this place, so they should care that it’s gone to seed.”

“Which tells you what?” Professor Renault pressed.

Marty paused and then smiled. “It’s not abandoned. Someone or something is living here, not a person, maybe a monster or spirit.”

Professor Renault tapped his staff against the side of the building. “This house was purchased by the Institute years ago as a residence for visiting scholars. It’s not being used for that purpose because it was occupied by goblins, a situation the city watch has asked to deal with. We declined their offer and instead treat this as an opportunity for our students.”

The girl who’d once been turned into an oak tree edged away from the building. “What kind of opportunity?”

“It’s a test for our more ambitious students,” Professor Renault replied. “All of you have mastered basic magic. Most of you have mastered common sense. A few have even mastered logical thought. I’m curious which among you has reached such lofty goals. The test is can any of you evict the goblins. This isn’t easy, but anyone who succeeds is allowed full use of the house for the rest of the school year. You can stay here rent free and enjoy the hospitality of Chalerdon, provided you are on time for your classes.”

“That’s easy!” Marty boasted.

“Are you volunteering to be first, Mr. Fest?” Professor Renault asked.

“I’m volunteering to win your contest,” Marty said. He walked up to the house’s front door and stopped only long enough to cast a spell. Rocks sprung up from the ground and formed a shield and club Marty grabbed. He cast another spell and more rocks sprung up and assembled into a stone man four feet tall.

Then he opened the door.

A log ten inches wide and three feet long shot out and smashed the stone man before rolling down the street. A lasso caught Marty and dragged him into the house so fast he seemed to disappear. Frightened screams followed.

“Now what have we learned from this?” Professor Renault asked the other students while Marty continued screaming. When no one answered, he said, “The first is that Mr. Fest chose not to ask questions before beginning the test, such as how many goblins live in the house, or how long they have lived here and thus had time to prepare for invaders.”

“Get it off!” Marty yelled. “Get it off!”

“The second mistake was not asking local homeowners about these goblins, people who would know best about them,” Professor Renault continued. “I would hazard to guess that Mr. Fest assumed he didn’t have to because one goblin is the same as another. There is an unfortunate tendency for people to assume all members of a race act the same. Many goblins avoid conflicts. Not these ones. Nor are all men, elves or dwarfs the same.”

“Give that back!” Marty yelled. “It’s mine!”

“Mr. Fest’s last mistake, and I consider this the biggest, was not asking other students who took the test before him what he could expect,” Professor Renault added. “He was far from the first to make the attempt, and previous victims could have provided much needed advice.”

One of the girls raised a hand and asked, “Shouldn’t we help him?”

One of Marty’s shoes went flying out of the building. When it stopped moving they could see that half of it had been eaten.

The same girl said, “Never mind.”

“You’re making a big mistake!” Marty yelled.

Seconds later Marty was unceremoniously hurled out of the house. His clothes were torn and painted blue. His coin pouch and shoes were gone. His hands were tied behind his back. He was also wearing a bonnet and pink skirt.

“Would anyone else like to try?” Professor Renault asked. When no one raised their hands or stepped forward, he prodded, “Come now, no takers?”

“I don’t think we’re ready for this quite yet, sir,” a girl said. “At least not alone.”

“Going in as a group wouldn’t end much better,” Professor Renault said. “You each have mastered basic magic. This does not make you invulnerable, all-powerful or even right in most situations. Bravado, carelessness, arrogance and prejudice have no place in your lives now or after graduation. If you don’t think through the logical results of your actions then you will suffer far worse than Mr. Fest, and innocent men, women and children will suffer with you.”

Professor Renault then walked in front of Marty. The youth was furious but helpless to take action. Looking annoyed, the professor said, “A warning, Mr. Fest, should you wish to take revenge on the goblins or myself…”

Professor Renault shifted his staff from his right hand to his left. He clenched his right hand into a fist. Light shined from between his fingers and sparks shot out. Pebbles on the road levitated around the Professor and the air stank of ozone. The students backed up, and Marty’s fury was replaced by fear.

“Try it, you miserable toad,” Professor Renault said in a low, deadly voice. “Just try it. I have decades of experience in magic you can’t begin to match, and a temper that long ago reached the boiling point. You are not smart enough, not rich enough, not powerful enough to lock horns with me, boy. I won’t hesitate for a second to put you in your place, and to blazes with the consequences.”

The door to the house swung closed with a bang, making the students jump. Professor Renault let his spell fade and continued speaking as if nothing had happened.

“This concludes today’s lesson. My hope is all of you learned that actions have consequences. This lesson can be repeated as often and as painfully as necessary until it takes root. You have time enough to get to your next class if you hurry.”

“I can’t show up like this!” Marty yelled.

“You could, although I wouldn’t recommend it,” Professor Renault replied. “That leaves two choices: skip your next class while you make yourself presentable or go to class as you are. Both courses of action will result in harsh punishments. Correct me if I’m wrong, Mr. Fest, but don’t you have Ms. Prezle’s Magic Theory class next period? And unless I’m much mistaken that starts in five minutes.”

“Run!” one of the girls yelled, and the students ran back to the Institute as fast as they could.

Marty stumbled after them and called out, “Someone untie my hands!”

Professor Renault watched them leave before he walked up to the house’s door, opened it and tossed in a small wheel of cheese sealed in wax that he’d brought hidden inside his robes. Eager hands snatched it out of the air and eager mouths gobbled it up.

“You were kind of rough on the guy,” a goblin called out from inside the house. “Most of the students who take this test are junior year or better.”

“He was getting out of hand, dangerously so,” Professor Renault replied. He leaned against the doorframe. “These students are getting worse. There was a time we’d only do this once a year! I fear for the future.”

The goblins also remembered a time long ago when they’d had fewer ‘challengers’. Few students knew how many decades the goblins had lived in this house, or that Professor Renault had invited them to stay in return for the help they now gave with depressing regularity.

One goblin said, “Next year’s students will be better.”

“I pray you’re right.” Professor Renault picked up the log that had been launched out of the house and returned it to the goblins. He cast a spell to form a magic cloud and stepped onto it. As it carried him back to the Institute, he said, “Please reset your traps. There’s another student nearly as bad as Marty that I have to deal with next period