The Werebears of Adengaan: Forward and Chapter 1

 

The Werebears of Adengaan

by

MC

Foreword:

  I can't remember the exact time I first ran across an erotic story about werebears. I want to say it was somewhere between ten and fifteen years ago. Those first stories were rather short “sketches” compared to some of the epic novels that came after from PapaWerebear and UrsusMajr, but they were enough to intrigue me and stimulate my imagination. It was around 2015 when I came across their werebear story archive that I followed the werebear stories in earnest. The depth and complexity of some of the stories were inspiring, so much so that I wrote to them to let them know how much I enjoyed their stories. It made me contemplate writing a story of my own.

I had always wanted to try my hand at a fantasy/D&D story and the idea of werebears fit perfectly into that theme. Inspired by their works I had sketched out an “epic scene” of two protagonists looking down from a cliff at an enemy approaching in huge numbers with a huge battle forthcoming. I had sketched this out in my mind using D&D “rules” and “context” which in the end turned out to be a detriment. Not only did I have to work within the confines of the “rules” of D&D but I also had to work out how these two protagonists arrived in the situation they were in now. I gave it some serious effort back in 2015 but nothing I could come up with satisfied me. I put my writing attempts on the back burner but the idea of writing a story never completely died and I let the idea churn in the back of my head for years. Coincidentally, my correspondence with PapaWerebear and UrsusMajr also went on the back burner though I occasionally went back to their bear cave to get my fix of werebear lore.

It wasn't until I rekindled a correspondence with them in the summer of 2020 that I had an epiphany about writing a story: If the rules don't let you write what you want, throw out the rules! It was in that moment of giving myself permission to create an entire fantasy universe from scratch that included werebears that the ideas began to flow. Well over half this story was written in the span of about two weeks as the creative juices were flowing nicely. Personal events forced this lower in my priorities but it never stopped me from contemplating the story and how to tell the tale.

There's a few people I want to thank for making this work possible. Of course, PapaWerebear and UrsusMajr for their own stories and being the shoulders on which I stood to make this story possible. PapaWerebear's feedback has been invaluable motivation to bring it to completion. I also want to thank a certain otter who has acted as a sounding board and provided encouragement for this endeavour.

Welcome to my fantasy world of magic and werebears! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you want to let me know personally, you can reach me at MuscleCub@protonmail.com.

-MC, June 2021

Chapter One

The town of Tenby had a community pavilion. The thousand or so residents of the town erected it almost a hundred years ago as symbol of unity and community. It served the community well for life's events both happy and sad. Tonight was a happy, special event and Samdir, a man in his mid-forties, had reason to celebrate. His son Gaden had been formally invited to serve His Majesty, King Halben, in the city-state of Adengaan by joining the Mage's Guild. It was a rare honour for someone from the countryside.

Old man Jamder had been Gaden's teacher, though not for magic at first. When the white-bearded, stout man came to Tenby about ten years ago in search of a more peaceful life, he decided he could fill his days acting as a tutor for the youth of the village. He would teach them to read write and from there teach history and mathematics for those so inclined and could afford to be away from the family farms. Twelve year old Gaden was one of those fortunate ones to learn to read and write. It wasn't until four years later that Jamder detected an unusually strong spark of magical aptitude in his pupil. It was so surprising the old man insisted to Samdir that Gaden be allowed to stay with him full time to study and train.

So began six years of intense training and study. At first it did not go well. Jamder believed in physical fitness and Gaden didn't understand what that had to do with the arcane. Jamder would simply reply "fit body, fit mind" before ordering him to go on a run. He would sternly remind his pupil "fit body, fit mind" as he watched him do pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups, or other strength building exercises. Running was constantly part of his fitness routine. One time early in his training he was told to run to Eagle's Crag and back. Thinking he could outsmart his mentor, he disappeared around the bend and simply waited resting in the sun by the north brook. The young apprentice splashed water on his tunic to appear sweaty and then ran back, acting exhausted.

“So, did you see what was on the rock?" Jamder asked, referring to the large, flat rock about waist high at the summit of the crag.

"Uh, yes, it was, uh, nice." Gaden lied.

Cocking an eyebrow, Jamder queried as his normally bass voice went up an octave, "Oh? What was it?"

Gaden's stammered response brought about a gruff, angry response from Jamder. He told the boy he had two options: He could either go now and bring back what was at the Crag and face the punishment for lying, or he could not go and face an even worse calisthenics punishment. Gaden chose the former, and running in earnest found a silver pendant of a bear on a silver chain. That silver bear would be the goal of his runs for the next six years.

The two grew closer over the next few years. Jamder often had a gruff exterior and was highly critical of the boy in all aspects of his training. Sometimes he would be told to practice the same spell again and again even when it seemed to be executed correctly. All too many times his performance was "absolutely terrible", but outside of training his teacher's demeanor changed. It was as the warmth he showed for Gaden outside of training that demonstrated he wanted to be a mentor, friend, and father figure to Gaden not just about magic, but about life as well. He taught many life lessons to Gaden in that time about valuable traits: loyalty, honesty, compassion. And it was through these stories (or punishments) Gaden realized that despite the old man's gruff exterior, he did indeed want the best for his pupil.

The realization of this fact was Gaden's 19th birthday. After a grueling run to Black Rock Mountain and back, Jamder had a surprise for him waiting.

"Good run?" Jamder asked wryly, hands behind his back.

"Fan..." Gaden replied between heavy breaths with as much sarcasm as he could muster, "...tastic..."

"Good, then defend!" and with that Jamder brought his arms in front of him, released an arrow of magic energy, and fired it right at Gaden. The young apprentice was startled but composed himself fast enough and with a hand gesture created a shield that deflected the arrow harmlessly into a tree before returning to breathing hard again.

"Hmmm..." Jamder contemplated... "Almost okay." He smiled ever so briefly before the gruff exterior returned.

And there it was: "Almost okay" became the mantra for doing well over the next three years. Three years of work, study, pain, and sweat that culminated into being invited to continue to study at one of the most prestigious guilds of the five city-states.

Many times when Gaden asked Jamder about his past he would say simply "I lived in Adengaan for a while." It wasn't until Gaden received his invitation that mentioned the recommendation of Jamder, a former guild member that a few stories of his time in the city came out. The more he heard of this city life, the more he looked forward to going. Now, the day had come where he would have his chance.

It was that invitation that his father, Samdir, stood and raised his glass to the forty or so family and friends from the village. They joined him raising their glasses and rising from the table.

"Son," the brown bearded man started, "this is a special day. Through hard work, dedication, and of course, with the help of a very special man," he nodded in the direction of Jamder who nodded slightly, "you are going to embark on a journey in life few of us could dream of. I'm so very, very proud of you son, and as much as I wish you didn't have to leave tomorrow, I accept that your path is going to take you away from home."

"So, my family and friends, join me tonight in celebrating the success of my son, Gaden. May his path always be lit from the light of good family, good friends, and good men." The man downed his drink in one, and many others, followed suit.

"Now come everyone! Drink, drink! Celebrate with my son, for tomorrow he leaves us!" Cheers and congratulations flowed across the table as soft happy tune began to play again.

The drinking was quite heavy through the night and Gaden, not used to drink, was intoxicated quite quickly. It didn't take long for his speech to slur and his gait to stagger. It was a night of happiness and joy, at least until the drink really caught up with him late into the night. Most had either gone home or passed out at the pavilion with only a few managing to stay upright in their seats, talking softly and nursing the last of their drink. A sole musician playing a recorder was the only one left trying to play a happy tune, out of time and horribly out of tune.

"Come, Gaden," Jamder beckoned, "time to go back to the house." Gaden lifted his head from the table where he was sitting, almost passed out.

"uhhh c'mon jhzamderyrrrrr," Gaden pleaded, "can’t we jas wahlk? Yew knows I gets zeek when theleporhtun!"

"You're in no condition to walk," the old man countered, "Now come here."

Gaden managed to rise and half stumbled, half fell into the old mage who grabbed him around the waist. With a quick flourish they blinked from the pavilion and appeared at the front door of the mage's house. His student promptly threw up.

A lot.

All over his master before falling to the ground and passing out. Jamder looked down at the mess on him and on the ground and sighed.

"Great... just... great."

The morning activities of the town of Tenby tugged at Gaden's consciousness. It couldn't possibly be morning already and he refused to accept it. Groggily, he opened his eyes praying that it wasn't really morning yet. His prayer unanswered he flung his legs over the side of the bed and slowly rose to a sitting position. His head throbbed no doubt from the drinking the night before. At that moment he swore off drinking ever again.

Gaden stood and steadied himself against the spinning room. Tonic, he needed tonic. Staggering to the shelves in his room he found what he was looking for - a small vial with green liquid. He uncorked it and downed the contents in one swallow. Almost immediately the dizziness and headache subsided.

"Always use your ability to help those who are less fortunate," he repeated the mantra of his master out loud to no one in particular, except in this case he was the less fortunate one, or so he told himself. Feeling somewhat normal again he went to his basin to splash some cool water on his face. Each splash sobering him up to the reality this was the last day he would perform this morning ritual in this town. The steel mirror held his reflection as he stared at his face and attempted to etch every feature of himself in his mind to remember the end of this chapter of his life. His eyes worked their way up from the bottom of his face to the top. His neatly trimmed brown beard he prided himself on having for over three years now. His gaze moved to his nose, slightly crooked after being broken in his youth.

"It was worth it. The bastard got what he deserved in the end for stealing from me" he thought as he smiled. His hazel eyes squinting slightly as he smiled also revealing dimples that never quite disappeared as he grew into manhood. He began to comb his short brown hair when a familiar voice called from outside his window.

"GADEN!" The old mage Jamder called, his bass voice ringing.

"GADEN! Just because you leave today doesn't mean your get a pass. Outside in five minutes!"

"ON MY WAY!" Gaden yelled back. He didn't want to keep the old man waiting, but took just another moment to study himself in the mirror as he uttered another mantra that had been burned into his brain: "Fit body, fit mind".

It was as if he was seeing the street for the first time when he exited the house. Things felt strange, foreign, as if he didn't belong. He wondered if this sensation was because his conscious mind didn't accept he had a new path in life, but his subconscious his mind had. Gaden was roused from his thoughts by a slap to the back of the head.

"Welcome back from the dead, my boy,” Jamder said, excessive sarcasm ringing through his gravelly voice, "you know the drill. Today its Eagle's Crag and back." He held up the familiar pendant of the bear. "Get going."

"Yes, SIR!" Gaden retorted with a mock salute and began his run down the road and off to Eagle's Crag. Jamder watched as he ran, stroking his long white beard with his thick fingers. He had joined the guild as a strapping young lad when he was only twenty-one, a year younger than his pupil and one of the youngest to be accepted, ever. And now, fifty years later he watched what would be his last student start his last run under his tutelage. The old man believed in physical training, and it was that training along with mental discipline that gave him the looks of someone twenty years his junior. However, in this moment as Gaden turned to disappear around a hedge, he realized he would never teach another student. That realization made him feel old.

Gaden had done the run countless times and probably knew every twig, rock, and tree along the way. Three miles out, three miles back. The first few minutes were always the worst. Despite all the years of training his body refused to come online for the first half mile or so. It felt excruciating. Once he got his rhythm though he could let his mind wander. Today, his thoughts were a mixture of excitement and sadness. Part of him didn't want to leave the familiar comforts of his home town. He was going to miss his family, the fun times fishing with his father or the breakfast smells from his mother waking up as a kid. His extended family, his friends, and even those he fought with, he was going to miss them all. But part of him was also excited! No one in his family had ever been to Adengaan. He would be the first to see if the stories were true about the city. Stories of tall buildings and clothing made from gold leaf. Of pubs and music and... men.

That part excited him the most. Tenby was the kind of place where everyone knew everyone's business and being gay was a part of him he wanted to keep private. Besides, except for a few who moved here like Jamder, he grew up with everyone here and that seemed to cool any attraction to anyone in the town. Getting a fresh start in Adengaan was nothing short of a dream come true.

His thoughts were interrupted to make the final push up a steep incline to the waist-high boulder at the top of Eagle's Crag. There it was: the pendant the old man was wearing when he started the run. He donned the necklace for the last time and, after a few quick breaths to take in the eagles lazily riding thermals, began the descent from the Crag and back to town.

"How is using magic to put the pendant there helping the less fortunate?" he questioned in his mind. Jamder had many sayings in the ten years he taught Galen, but there were two that he repeated more than most: "Always use your talent to help the less fortunate" and "Fit body, fit mind". Galen had started making a mental list of all of Jamder's sayings when he stopped dead in his tracks, snapped back to reality and breathing heavily. To the left of him was old man Emered's hedge, and the street of his adoptive home in front of him. This run, this last run, was over when he turned the corner. It was in this moment he realized of all the things he was going to miss about that town, it was going to be that gruff old man waiting for him around the corner. He was going to miss his wisdom, his guidance, his knowledge. At that moment in Gaden's mind, it seemed like an eternity of contemplation as to whether he wanted to turn that corner, to really close this chapter of his training with such finality. To a casual observer, it would have looked like a momentary pause before he started running again.

"Well, well, well... almost okay," Jamder commented as he took the necklace from Galen's outstretched hand, bent over huffing from the exertion of the run. "Catch your breath and cool off. No calisthenics today. We have more important matters." He turned without saying another word and headed back to his small house.

Gaden was relieved. He liked that part of training less than the running, in fact he used to think that all of this was useless compared to alchemy or magic. It was hard to deny it was this very training that gave his body a hard, muscular look, and over the last couple of years he came to embrace the way he looked especially with a "man's beard". Still breathing hard he stripped his shirt off and went over to his water bucket to ladle out some cool water, pouring it over his head and shoulders and letting it run through his beard, chest and back hair. He loved the relief the water brought and was glad he wouldn't need the whole bucket today for a change. His breathing returned to normal as he walked slowly to Jamder's house.

Gaden let himself in as the door was slightly open. Jamder was sitting at his study table with a second chair placed opposite his. All of the shades were drawn making the house dark. Without saying a word Gaden closed the door softly and sat down in the chair. Jamder's icy blue eyes seem to penetrate his soul as he spoke.

"Light the candles, Galen." Jamder softly commanded.

With a snap of his fingers, four candles on the table lit up. He remembered when he first succeeded with one candle years ago. Now it was old habit. Jamder sighed at the unnecessary flourish of snapping his fingers before speaking.

"It's been fifty years since I joined the Guild in Adengaan," the old man spoke softly, "and I've been training new students in magic for about forty. When I moved here about ten years ago, I never thought I would encounter someone out here," he waved his hand around to motion to their small rural town, "that would have your ability. You may think I've been especially hard on you at times but I have my reasons. I knew that you needed strict guidance to temper that ability."

The young mage wanted to protest, but he seemed to understand, in retrospect, the motivations of his teacher. The old man raised a hand up to stop Gaden from interrupting and continued, "You need to know that I'm very proud of you. You have such a bright road ahead and, being my last student before I finally retire, I'm glad that I could be a part of shaping who you are, not just as a student of magic, but as a man.” He smiled softly and pushed a necklace across the table toward Gaden.

Gaden stared down at it. It was the bear necklace he must have retrieved hundreds of times on his various runs. His teacher wouldn't let him come back without it despite trying and failing a couple of times. He looked back up at his teacher, his mentor, and in many ways a second father in his life who nodded at him to take it. He gingerly picked it up and hung it around his neck, the silver contrasting with his brown chest hair.

"There's something else I want to give you,” and with that he reached under the table and placed on it a thick leather bound tome with various sigils and seals embossed on its cover. He turned it toward Gaden.

"It's a compendium of different subjects and information in arcana. Think of it as an old man's magical autobiography and encyclopedia all in one. You might find some things useful in there as the years go by." He opened the cover to reveal an inscription:

TO GADEN. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU. MAY IT SERVE YOU WELL. - Jamder

Gaden was stunned. He knew underneath the gruff exterior was a man who cared deeply for his training and success but he never expected it would be shown like this. More often than not his efforts would get an "almost okay" from the old coot. And here was a book that shared his fifty years of knowledge and wisdom.

Jamder started to stand at the table and Gaden followed suit, the younger about a head taller than the elder. The elder mage came around the table and put his hands on each side of his pupil's head. Pulling him down to eye level, he held his gaze before pulling him further down to kiss him on the forehead and then grabbed him for a tight embrace. After Gaden returned the embrace, holding each other tightly, his gruff exterior returned as he broke the embrace. The book was picked up off the table, and placed at the young man's chest.

"Time for you to leave." He said simply.

Gaden stared for a moment, etching every detail of the old man into his memory before taking the book under his arm and walking by him to go to outside again. Sounds of the town intruded into the small home as the door cracked open. He turned at the doorway to face his teacher one last time, but the old mage didn't turn around.

"Goodbye Jamder," it was the first time he addressed him by his name, as an equal.

Not knowing what else to say, he simply said to the old man, "Thank you."

He waited for a moment, hoping for a reply, but none came. After one final look Gaden turned and left. As the door closed softly behind him, the old man remained motionless. The door clicked shut once again shutting the town out and returning the home to silence. The motionless old man had a stoic expression betrayed only by a single tear falling to his beard, reflecting in the flickering candlelight.

"You're welcome, Gaden."

**********************************************************

The city of Adengaan was a majestic sight as he emerged into the clearing from the forest road. Nestled against the edge of a cliff, it was big, so much bigger than he expected. Gaden stopped his horse for a moment to take it in before coaxing the horse back to a walk for the closest open gate. A gate that continued to loom larger as he approached it. By the time he was at the gate he guessed the walls must have been forty feet high, and he could see buildings taller than that behind it.

A mercenary guard blocked his horse's path at the last minute, startling the horse to a stop as it whinnied in protest.

"Your business?" the guard said gruffly.

"To join the Mage's Guild of Adengaan" he said simply.

The guard in his shining steel armour looked the young man up and down carefully before an incredulous look came over his face.

"You? Join the guild? Right, and I'm King Halben!!" He started laughing. "Look, I don't know what kind of stunt you're trying to pull, maybe trying to hawk some trinkets you have in that rickety cart for some decent clothes or whatever, but we're not having it here. This is a proper city, so why don't you go back to whatever village you came from, okay?"

The young mage's blood was boiling at the insults. Years of controlling that boil were paying off as he maintained his cool to explain the situation.

"I have a letter of invite here from the Guild that proves..."

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK YOU HAVE!" the wiry guard retorted, trying to puff himself up, "Look, you're not going to be able to convince me with some forgery you're joining the guild." He moved in closer, and spoke in a softer tone, "but if you have some OTHER way you can convince me, perhaps I can overlook this." His outstretched hand indicated he expected a bribe.

Gaden could feel the heat in his face and the blood pumping through the veins in his neck. It was taking a lot to control his rage but he knew this was not the time nor place for a confrontation. It was then the words of the guard turned in his head. It may not have been the right time or place, but he couldn't help it. With a malicious smile, he formed a plan.

"Sure, I think I have a way I can convince you." The young mage acted like his right hand was reaching into his pocket, but instead of coming out with coin thrust his hand forward, fingers out, palm facing left as a wave of nearly invisible energy left his fingers. It struck the guard in the chest, knocking him off his feet and hurling him backwards against the wall where he slumped down on the ground.

"Convinced?" Gaden asked wryly as the guard tried to shake the cobwebs from his head.

The guard was not amused and any sense of decorum was gone. He stood up cursing, drew his sword, and began to walk with purpose back toward the cart. A few other guards who had seen the situation fell in lockstep with their comrade. Gaden's anger was quickly replaced by fear. Four against one and they had swords. His temper had gotten him in trouble before, but this wasn't his old master in town. These were guards, in Adengaan, and he was alone.

"IS THERE A PROBLEM HERE?"

A booming baritone voice froze the guards in their tracks. Gaden looked to where the voice came from to see an enormous man. The young mage was taller than average and this man was probably a head taller than him. He seemed to be as wide as he was tall, as if the shiny black armor could barely hold the strength contained inside. A thick, bushy black beard and short cropped black hair framed his square face, and if his frame didn't command respect, his piercing green eyes did. He looked to be about ten years older than him and he seemed to command respect from everyone around him. Apprehension, fear, and curiosity all fought for control in his mind as he tried to take in the situation.

"No, no problem at all, Brunaulf" the smaller guard responded, "just getting rid of some riff-raff"

"Really? Because to me it looks like you're trying to shake someone less fortunate down." The big man retorted, striding over to the scene, "I mean, I HOPE that's not what I just saw, right?" He got in the man's face, looking down his nose at the smaller man.

"n-no, sir,” the smaller man stammered, "you didn't see that."

"Good!" He turned his attention to Gaden, "So, what brings you to Adengaan?"

Gaden stared at the man, somewhat dumbfounded. This mountain of a man captivated his imagination, and awoke feelings in him he hadn't experienced before. He felt an attraction to this man and felt himself sinking into thoughts of seeing this powerful man out of his armour. He broke the train of thought quickly, and seeing the fear this man put in the other guards gave him some courage to speak his mind.

"Well you see, sir, I have been invited to join the Mage's Guild of Adengaan. I have an invitation letter that I was going to show them but he didn't believe me and said I needed to convince him."

"That's when he threw me against the wall!!" The guard interjected.

"I never laid a hand on him," Gaden retorted, smiling, "that's how I convinced him."

The big man stood there without expression. There was something about this young mage. His bearded face caught his attention as did his taut frame. He involuntarily sniffed the air, his hypersensitive nose catching the man's scent. It was intoxicating, inviting, and he felt something stir under his amour. However, any interest he had in the man he hid well and reached out a thick, large hand.

"Papers, please?"

Gaden fished out the letter and put it in his hand. Brunaulf inspected the letter carefully. Everything seemed to be in order. The usual pleasantries, the offer for room and board in exchange for service to His Majesty and the date to take the oath. Present was both the signature and seal of His Royal Majesty.

"It appears your paperwork is in order," he determined, "but let me give you a piece of advice. Adengaan has laws. These laws are our rules. With rules you have order and with order you have success. I expect you will follow the rules of our city and obey His Royal Majesty, King Halben." He returned the papers and stepped aside to allow the horse and cart to pass.

"Welcome to Adengaan," he concluded.

Gaden took the papers back and tucked them away carefully. As he turned to place the papers back in his satchel Brunaulf noticed his bear pendant sliding out momentarily before being hidden again when he sat upright. With sideways glances at the group and the big man, he walked his horse through the gate. Brunaulf stared at him, studying him from behind as he drove his cart down the city street catching one last smell of him before mixing with the other scents of the city.

"What in the hells just happened?" Gaden thought to himself as his horse slowly drew the cart down the street. Mentally, he was shaken at the encounter that just happened. Not even in the city walls and he almost had to fight for his freedom or his life. He swore to himself and tried to calm his thoughts about his stupidity. The sights and sounds of the city seemed to pass him by as he was lost in thought. The hooves against the wide cobblestone road barely penetrated his consciousness. The quiet residential street transformed into shops and street carts with merchants peddling wares. Soon he came to the square in the city center where the young mage stopped his cart in shock as he snapped back to reality. Over half of Tenby’s population could have been here. There were hundreds! People gathered talking, laughing, or selling wares. Street performers mixed in the crowd entertaining small children. Never had he seen anything like it. Scanning the right side of the square he spotted the landmark: A fountain with a statue of the city-state's patron, King Halben, regally standing behind it. The road next to the fountain led to his destination.

He wanted to stay and take more of this in, but there would be time enough for that later. It was a ten day journey from Tenby and his oath was tomorrow. Gaden coaxed his horse back to a walk as his thoughts returned to the man at the gate. He wondered if, in such a big city, their paths would ever cross again. He certainly hoped so.

About ten minutes later he arrived at his destination, an area of the city segregated by a smaller wall from the rest. Several well-spaced guard towers overlooked both sides of the wall and could see all the way to the forest beyond the grain fields. Behind the wall were three major facilities: The royal palace which housed His Majesty King Halben, the Royal Guard's training center and barracks, and the Mage' Guild of Adengaan. Unlike the gate to the city, this smaller gate seemed to be manned only by men in reflective black armour like the large man captivating his thoughts.

"Good day, sir!" The guard pleasantly chirped.

"Good day to you," Gaden replied, relieved at the friendliness. He began fishing through his belongings and presented his letter, "I'm here at the invitation of both His Majesty and the Mage's Guild of Adengaan."

The guard perused the letter, noting the signature and seal with care, before carefully handing the letter back.

"Thank you for the credentials." The guard continued, "After you pass through the gate, turn left. You will pass by the recruit training grounds on your right. Past that, on the right, you'll see a three story building with stained glass on the north side. That's where you want to go. If you come to a garden with a well, you went too far."

Gaden thanked the man for his help and followed his directions making careful note of the recruits in the midst of their training. Some of them were drilling in swordplay with wooden swords, others were involved in strength training lifting heavy stones onto and off of a table. Still others were running on a path that surrounded an athletic field. A few he even found attractive.

"Fit body, fit mind" He said to himself as he smiled and continued on to the building.

Gaden stopped his cart near the main door of the building described to him by the guard. The ornate building with its arches and intricate architecture spoke volumes for both the timelessness of the building and the reverence for which its occupants maintained it. The young mage wrapped the large knocker on the door, the solid oak reverberating deep thumps into what felt like a hollow interior. After a minute a short but well-dressed gentleman of about fifty arrived at the door.

"You must be Gaden," the clean-shaven man said in a tone that implied it wasn't a question nor was this is first time orienting new members, "My name is Nadis. I'll be your guide and proctor for the next month as you get oriented. Come with me and I'll show you to your room."

Gaden grabbed an essentials bag from his cart - he would come for the rest later - and followed Nadis, a balding man in a green tunic with gold accents. The man did not share the "fit body, fit mind" philosophy which was obvious from his paunch as the turned and started down the hall.

"For your first two weeks here you will have restricted access to the grounds," his proctor began in a somewhat bored tone as he continued to walk down the hall, "this is so you will focus on your entrance testing. No entry after ten, no departures before six. Common meals should you choose to engage with... them..." cocking his head toward the trainees outside, "are at eight, one, and six."

Nadis came to a stop in front of a door at the end of the hall. He eyed Gaden up and down, seeming to appraise him for the first time since he started speaking. With a snap of his fingers a card appeared in his hand and handed it to his charge.

"This is the name and address of the guild's tailor,” He looked the young man up and down again, "see to it that you see him well before you see His Majesty at three o'clock tomorrow." He then reached into a pocket and handed the young man a key.

"Your room key. If you need anything let me know." He turned and walked back down the hall without saying another word.

"Charming fellow" Gaden said to himself as he turned the key to the lock and let himself into his new home. It was a fairly modest room consisting of a double bed, a couple of dressers, a bookcase, and a small stand with a pitcher, basin and a mirror on the wall behind it. A work desk with chair completed the sparse furnishings. He returned to his cart to grab the remainder of his belongings and bring them to his room.

A clock tower in the background struck one o'clock as the young mage was making up his room, from outside his window a single baritone voice carried over the field.

"OKAY RECRUITS! MEAL TIME. GET THAT CHOW IN YOU AND STAY AWAY FROM THE CAKE! IF I SEE YOU EATING CAKE I GUARANTEE YOU, IT WON'T BE THE LAST TIME I SEE IT TODAY!"

Gaden knew that voice. He hurried to the window and opened it to have a look. Sure enough it was... what did that guard say his name was? Brunaulf?... barking instructions to the recruits. His large stature and brawny build was unmistakable. He sat at the window, simply admiring the man's rugged features, surveying the men under his command, scratching his thick beard in contemplation. As the big man's eyes scanned the field, he looked across it to the other side and his eyes locked on Gaden's sitting in his room.

The young man froze like statue as he felt as if his heart stopped. Their gazes locked for about a five count when Brunaulf, expression unchanging, turned his attention back to his men.

"THIRTY MINUTES MEN, THAT'S THE RULES," he started striding toward the mess hall bellowing, "RULES BRING ORDER, AND ORDER BRINGS SUCCESS!"

With the big man's back turned, Gaden closed the window and finally exhaled the breath he realized he had been holding the whole time.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he cursed to himself, "I'm acting like a little kid!" He looked at the card he realized he had been holding the whole time as well, and decided to focus on the tasks at hand needed for tomorrow.