The young mage walked out of the room, still cursing and limping. His right leg was probably broken and he knew now that his dreams of passing the Test in record time were over. In the room behind him a few low groans could be heard as the remaining Kobolds lifted themselves off their feet and began to sort out the dead. The mage had overreacted just a little to the net, the platform they had been standing on was now little more than dust and only two of them were still alive. All in all it hadn't been a great morning. Grep tested his left foot and decided that he was able to walk, if slowly. He hobbled over to Kludge and saw that he carried burn marks all along his side, the little guy would never be the same again. Grep looked slowly around the room, he tried to count the number of bodies but he always had trouble when he got past two. He'd never been the smartest of Kobolds but he was pretty sure that a lot of his friends had died. He wrapped Kludge up in a dirty blanket and began to wander around. He quickly realised that Kludge was the only other original Brokenlands Kobold left. Everyone else was dead, even Syserr, who'd been the biggest and most intelligent of the lot of them. He suddenly felt very alone. He slowly moved back over to Kludge to make sure he was alright, however by the time he got there his last friend was dead. It seemed that the burns were worse than they looked. Grep stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by his dead friends and felt very lonely. He had always been tough, if slow, but he never thought that he'd outlive everyone.
A few rooms away the young mage walked into darkness. He stood there for a vital few seconds and then cast a light spell, however by that stage it was too late. He was confronted by a huge rolling black ball. The mage tried to rush out the door behind him only to find it locked, his exit blocked. He turned again to see the ball approaching. Nothing had prepared him for this and he released a fireball in a vain attempt to deflect his doom. The ball rolled closer and closer. The mage quickly turned himself invisible, but this achieved nothing. A few seconds later the Black Ball touched his outstretched hand and began to eat into him, after a moment or two there was nothing left of his arm and his torso began to disappear. Shortly after that the rest of the mage's body had been turned to dust and the light spell ended, the room returned to darkness and another undergraduate would never become a wizard.
Grep heard a far off scream and a tiny smile broke across his ugly face. Death did not make him happy, but sometimes he was glad that the students died. Some of them were nice and didn't actually try to harm too many of the Kobolds and some, like the last chap, just seemed to want to kill as much as they could. Grep's memory turned to better days, he remembered the big fiery mage who had come into the room many many feeds ago. The mage had attacked the Kobolds at first but later he had saved them and let them jump from their burning platform into his arms. Grep remembered that the mage had been especially nice to him. Then, at the speed of a growing oak, an idea began to form in Grep's head. He didn't have ideas very often and he almost forgot to breathe as he thought of a way to avoid joining all of his friends in death.
Later that day, after they decided that the mage had failed, a few senior wizards toured the test sight to decide what had to be rebuilt for the next student. After a while they came to the Kobold room.
"Oh Rad, little di Enzio really made a mess of this place. What? Are all ten of them dead?"
"No, no, look, over there, one of them is moving."
"Ah, good, only nine more to get, and there should be at least twice that number in the stores, hmm, we will have to get a new platform though, and probably a new potion."
"Ah well, it could have been worse, we might have had to get a new Black Ball. Remember the trouble we had after Hogel dispatched his one and got the wand?"
"Actually, speaking of Hogel, I hear he is in line for the Barony of Oxhill, now that Vandehaar is..."
"...a guest of the Constable?"
"Yes, yes, ha!"
"Ah well, politics can be so interesting sometimes... I once taught Hogel you know, it makes one rather proud to see one's students go on to great things..."
The two wizards turned to leave the room, satisfied that they could send someone in later to rebuild the woodwork and take out the bodies. Just then a voice stopped them.
"'Cuse me?"
The voice came from the alive Kobold in the corner of the room. Neither of the wizards had ever heard one speak before and the were surprised at the slow, deep voice.
"Eh, yes? What?"
"Erm... I wos wond'ring, cans I leave? I not want to die."
"What? Leave? Eh... what? I..I.. I'm not sure. Hold on."
"I can not believe you are having a conversation with a Kobold, whatever next? The little blighters are meant to stay here until they die."
"Well, yes, I suppose, but... well, is it really our choice?"
"What do you mean, "our choice"? They were taken from their homes and brought here, we feed them, they hassle our students until our students kill them, end of story."
"Pwease, I not want to die."
"But the poor little chap looks lonely..."
"LONELY? It's a monster! They are not fit to live in Rad's city!"
"Maybe.. maybe we should ask Etienne, it is his School."
"You want to bother Etienne with this? Are you mad? Well, if you really want to then go ahead, but it was your decision, remember that! He will probably just suggest we kill the mutant!"
The two wizards walked out of the door, still arguing. Grep sat in the corner, not sure if that went well or badly. The door was slammed shut and he finally decided that it had gone badly. He hadn't understood a lot of the words that the wizards had used and he had no idea who Etienne was, but he hoped that he was a nice man. At least his leg was getting a little better and he knew that food would come soon.
The food did come and the bodies were taken away. After a while the room was back to normal, except no new Kobolds had been brought in. Grep began to feel more and more lonely until the door finally opened again. However there weren't any Kobolds there, instead there was an old human with a long white beard. He walked slowly into the room and approached Grep, who tried his speech again.
"'Cuse me, I not want to die."
"Do you not? Hmmm, but surely you live to eat, steal and kill?"
Grep didn't know if this was an order or a question, so he stayed quiet.
"Why do you wish to live?"
"I not want to die, death hurt, nasty mages hurts us, nice mages don't, fiery mages don't."
"Fiery mages don't? Hmmm... How long have you been here?"
"Dunno, long time, many, many mages, many, many feeds. Wanna leave, not want to die."
"Oui, oui, you do not want to die. But I cannot set you free, if you roam the city you would be killed and I suspect it has been a long time since you were in the wild, there also you would be killed. Do you have any friends?"
"All friends dead, all taken away, even Kludge."
Grep's eyes brightened a little, "Fiery mage was friend, he caught me, didn't kill too many friends, big man, nice human."
Etienne d'Amberville thought for a moment. He was not often forced to speak to the humanoid races, but he found it rather refreshing. He had also just realised who the little Kobold was talking about.
"Do you mean Jan Hogel?"
"Dunno, fiery mage."
Etienne smiled, there was only one possible student who could be called a "fiery mage" and that was Jan. In fact, if he recalled correctly Jan had burned down the platform but most of the Kobolds survived. The smile widened, he knew that Jan was on the way up, the vote that would be taking place in the Council soon was testament to that, but maybe it would do the boy good to have to look after more than just himself. Anyway, if he was elected Baron of Oxhill a Kobold in his tower would be a wonderful conversation piece.
"You like this "fiery mage"?
"Yes, yes, Grep like him."
"Would you like to live with him?"
"Oh yes! Grep not want to die!"
"Well, you wait here, I will return in a little while."
Grep sat back against the wall, feeling happy. Maybe, just maybe, he would escape this place and go somewhere nice, somewhere warm, somewhere that would let him live for a long time.
Moskva, Alonzo and Jan had just entered the office when Rosie hurried up to them.
"Ms. Koranov, here are a few letters which arrived while you were out. Mr. Hogel, that gentleman over there has been waiting for you since this afternoon. I told him that you were out working but he insisted that he would wait. I think he's from the Great School."
Alonzo waited for a message for him but after a couple of seconds it became apparent that there was nothing.
"Oh! Ok, I'll just be in my office then, twiddling my thumbs!"
Moskva wandered into her office, already opening the first of the letters while Jan quickly walked over the the man who was already standing up.
The Fire Mage spoke first, "Vhat can I do for you sir?"
"Mr. Hogel, I was asked to inform you that you are expected by Prince Etienne d'Amberville at the Great School as soon as possible. I was instructed to wait here and bring you there when you appeared."
"Ah, ja, ok. Ein moment, Moskva! I vill be out for a few hours, I'll sort that other thing out ven I return!"
No answer came from the Moskva's office so Jan led the herald out through the office door. After a short while they arrived at the Great School and the herald was the one doing the leading. A few flights of stairs later they were outside Etienne's door. The herald knocked and they were bade enter. Jan stubbed out his cigarette and walked in, leaving the other man outside. Etienne was sitting at his desk and he waved Jan into a seat in front of him.
"Ah Jan, how are you?"
"Fine, fine and yourself?"
"I am fine, good in fact. Are you all ready for the vote?"
"Vell, it has very little to do vith me, I vill just avait the result."
"Ah, oui, there is that. Well, I have not asked you here to talk of that, I have asked you here to propose something to you. Do you remember your test."
Jan looked down briefly, "How could I forget?"
"Oui, I thought so. Well, do you remember the Kobolds?"
This time Jan smiled a little, "Ja, ja, I do, nice little fellows, if a little dangerous. Warum? vy?"
"Well, I ask because one of them wants to leave the test area and I am half inclined to let him go, as an... experiment? But I do not wish him to roam the city..."
Jan groaned, "So you vish him to stay vith me? Nein, I do not think so."
"I do not wish to push the point Hogel, this may not seem important to you, but I have my reasons. Please, do not force me to threaten to withdraw my support for your elevation."
"You just have Etienne. Vell, you leave me with no choice, vhere is he? Vhat is his name?"
Etienne smiled broadly, "Ah, I was sure you would agree with me eventually. He is here and his name is Grep."
Now it was Jan's turn to smile a little, "Ja, Grep, I remember Grep. Ok, I vill take him home, but soon I hope to be able to let him live in my tower, you understand."
"Yes Jan I do, now, Grep!"
The small creature walked out from behind the curtains and stopped beside Jan. "Hullo fiery mage."
"Mein name is Jan, little one. Come, let us go, before the prince here has me taking his entire menagerie vith me." He stood up and nodded to Etienne. "Guten Natch Etienne, I hope to be talking to you soon."
"I hope that also Jan, good night."
As the two of them left the Kobold began to question Jan...
"Where we go'in?"
"Home."
"Where home?"
"My apartment."
"Where that?"
"Glantri."
"Where that?"
"You'll see."
The last words Etienne heard before the door shut were, "I'm going to need a much bigger place!"
The old wizard smiled, the pieces were slowly being put into place and even though the Kobold was probably worth nothing, it did not do to ignore such things. He felt sure that Jan would take care of Grep and while a little girl, a Kobold and a deformed familiar were not the best entourage for a prospective baron, they were a start and all great things have little beginnings.
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