The Arcane University

Before us stood a massive building. Four distinct towers rose above each corner of the university, each decorated with a separate banner. One had a yellow banner decorated with some type of dragon-like monster. Another had a green banner with a unicorn on it. The third had a blue banner with what appeared to be a mermaid on it. Lastly, there was a red banner with an eagle on it.

The school was surrounded by a tall an intricate gate that glowed with magical light, likely chock full of protection spells. Behind the gate was a set of double doors, about three people tall. The place was like something out of a fantasy novel, like the Pigmole school from that one book series.

Various students dressed in robes that bore the color and insignia of one of the four banners were everywhere the eye could see. There some acting like your average high schoolers, just standing around talking. Others were playing magical pranks on unaware students. There was even a magic duel going on between a blue and yellow student off to one side. Before all that, we needed a way to get in.

Sofia went up to a small building that looked like a toll booth next to the university gate, knocking on the window to get the worker’s attention. The man inside looked to be in his mid to late forties, his shaggy beard and disheveled brown hair just starting to have a few gray hairs.

“Eh?” he mumbled, looking up. “What do you want?”

“We require access to the grounds,” said Sofia. She pointed at Excellus. “We have a prisoner that the council has to try.”

“Another former student turned criminal...” he sighed. “Damn shame what this place is coming to. Kids nowadays think magic is just a tool to **** for their own end.”

“Magic is a wondrous gift that must be respected and cherished,” said Sofia, clutching her staff to her chest.

“Sheesh, you sound like Professor Lowery saying cheesy stuff like that, kid,” he mumbled. He squinted his eyes, examining Sofia closely. “Hmph! Well I’ll be! I see the resemblance now! You must be that old coot Lowery’s kid! Come on in, he’ll wanna know you were here!”

“Uh, thank you sir,” said Sofia, blushing. The worker opened the gate with a simple flick of his hand, the gate glowing before sliding aside to grant us entry. Following Sofia in, the gate worker exited his toll booth to meet us. He closed the gate behind us.

“Holding cells for prisoners of the council are on the second floor. I’ll show you to them,” said the worker. “Meanwhile, you go catch up with your dad. I bet he’d be ecstatic with you coming to visit. Hell, I know I would be if my high and mighty adventurer son came to visit.”

“Oh? Is he a mage too?” I asked.

“Naw, kid never had any talent for it. Didn’t make him give up. Boy picked up an axe and started swinging it. Became a fighter in the guild,” he grumbled.

“Oh really? Maybe we could tell him to come visit sometime. We are adventurers ourselves,” said Alice.

“He ain’t in town right now. Last I heard he was going to take out some bandits to the east,” he said, leading us through the front doors. The sudden realization dawned on me, and I could see that Lucille realized as well just who this poor man’s son was. I locked eyes with her, and she shook her head sadly.

“I’ll let him know later,” whispered Lucille.

“Thanks,” I said. Sofia pulled on my sleeve.

“Could you come with me? I’m kinda nervous,” she said, fidgeting.

“What for?” I asked.

“I haven’t seen my dad in a while...and we didn’t exactly part on the best of terms,” she said, twirling her crimson hair.

“Alright,” I said. “Lucille, Alice, are you two gonna be okay on your own?”

“Yes. We’ll ensure he gets to the proper authorities,” said Lucille. Alice nodded in agreement. Wishing the pair good luck, I followed Sofia towards the red tower as the other two followed the gate worker to the second floor.

“Unless he changed rooms, dad’s office should be on the fourth floor of the red tower,” Sofia said, partially to herself.

“Hey, don’t worry. It’s gonna be okay. Whatever happened between you two in the past, it doesn’t matter. You’re family. Don’t end on a bad note with family, you never know when it’s the last time you get to see them,” I said, from experience. Sofia nodded, and as we climbed the stairs towards the fourth floor, the nerves wracking Sofia’s body became more and more evident. Plus, the slight shakiness meant her ass trembled with each step she took, which was a nice bonus.

Finally, we made it to the fourth floor. Even the great view couldn’t prevent my legs from feeling like jello. It had been far too long since I’d had to climb multiple flights of stairs, and my legs hated me for doing so. Sofia led us to an office in the corner of the floor, the nameplate reading ‘Lowery’, with a flame motif decorating the nameplate.

“You ready?” I asked Sofia. She sighed and nodded before approaching the door and knocking a distinct rhythmic patter. There was a bit of rustling around from inside the room before the door opened.

“Sofia!?” exclaimed the man inside the office. He was a bit taller than Sofia (not saying much), with the same crimson hair and eyes. His hair was short and well kept, but his beard was the exact opposite: long, bushy, and tangled to all hell.

“Hi dad,” said Sofia sheepishly. The older man pulled his daughter in for hug, a big smile on his face.

“This is a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?” Sofia’s dad asked. “And who is this?”

“This is Flynn, my party’s leader,” said Sofia, introducing me. “And this is Professor Martin Lowery, my dad.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Professor Lowery, vigorously shaking my hand. “It is good to hear my little girl finally found herself a reliable adventuring party. I hope she hasn’t been too much trouble.”

“Oh no, none at all. In fact she’s saved my life a few times,” I said, his energy a bit off putting as I wasn’t expecting it at all.

“That’s a relief,” he said. “How about the two of you come in and join me for a cup of tea?”

“Uh, we’re actually kinda-” Sofia began.

“That sounds great!” I said, intentionally cutting her off.

“Splendid! Please, make yourselves comfortable while I brew the tea,” he said, eagerly heading back into his office.

“What the heck Flynn!” Sofia whispered.

“Cmon, it’ll be good for you to spend some time with your dad. Trust me,” I whispered back, dragging her into her fathers office behind me.

Inside Professor Lowery’s office, the place was a bit of a mess. He clearly wasn’t expecting company, as there were books and documents strewn all over the place. His desk was particularly cluttered. The couch in the corner had a pillow and blanket on it, with a few spare sets of clothes tossed into a pile on the ground next to it. He’d been sleeping here for at least a few days.

“Pardon the mess,” he said. With a quick spell, the various books and papers began to float around, inserting themselves back into his bookshelf or just making themselves more tidy. All the while, he stood by a tea set in the back of his room, using a weak fire spell to heat the water. My amazement was plain to see, and Sofia looked a bit jealous.

“I see you haven’t changed much around here, huh dad?” said Sofia, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“You know me,” he laughed, carrying the tea set to his now organized desk. With a flick of his hand, a pair of chairs floated down from atop his bookshelf, placing themselves in front of us. “Please, sit.”

We obliged.

“So, what exactly do you teach here?” I asked, curious.

“For general studies, I teach introduction to magical diseases and curses. For red house students, I am the instructor for advanced pyromancer courses,” he said, handing us each a cup of tea.

“I see where Sofia gets it from then,” I said.

“Ah, no. Sofia actually is self taught,” he admitted. “The little prodigy refused to enroll here and taught herself everything using my books! She reminds me of her mother.”

“Um, dad? What was mom like? You never really talked about her much,” said Sofia, refusing to meet her father’s eyeline.

“Delilah was the most beautiful woman I’d ever met. She was kind, smart, and extremely talented to boot. She graduated here the same year I did, top of the class,” he said, reminiscing. “While you may have gotten the color from me, you certainly have you mother’s eyes...and her figure too!”

“Dad!” Complained Sofia.

“Relax, it’s a joke!” he laughed, and I couldn’t help but laugh as well after seeing how flustered Sofia was. “But enough about us. Tell me about you, Flynn. Where are you from?”

“Oh, uh, out west...” I mumbled, unsure if I should tell the truth. I mean, this world was similar to the Middle Ages, so they’d either think I was crazy at best or burn me at the stake at worst if I went on about being from another world and having personally met their goddess. I fancied keeping my flesh intact. Sensing my nervousness, Sofia came to the rescue.

“His homeland is a bit of a sore subject for him...it was destroyed by the remnants of the demon king’s army when he was a kid,” Sofia lied, even putting up a fake tear.

“I see. My condolences,” he said somberly. “Too many suffered under his cruel fist. Thank Lady Esther that good King Zain did away with him.”

“T-thank you,” I said, sipping my tea.

“Now then, onto more important matters...” he began.