Nova sat an ornate cy cup back down on the table. Her throat felt a lot less parched. With a relieved sigh she turned toward her bed. Slime Nova had been pying the part of a bed again. Sapphire and Boernia were both naked sleeping soundly. They were cutely sprawled out all over slime Nova.

  Beornia’s essence tastes bnd like unseasoned chicken or toast without butter. It’s much better than the faint taste of monster parts that were on her equipment. Nova reminisced about eating all the grime off of Beornia’s armor, weapons, and clothes. I like being slime as well. I can clean everything. Sapphy is definitely the tastiest being in all of existence. I hope she finds some sex partners soon. Nova mused.

  Sapphire started groaning in her sleep. Nova got closer to see if she was okay. A few moments ter Sapphy was twitching uncontrolbly. Sweat beaded out of every pore in her body. Her freckles twinkled as they got brighter, then darker. Nova wrapped her tail around the wolf-kin and shook her awake with her slime self. Sapphire woke up with a start. Her beautiful eyes frantically looked around the room until she spotted Nova. Sapphy wrapped her arms around the succubus, and cried into her breasts. Nova squished her girlfriend with her tail while feeling her soft ears with her hands. “You are safe in my arms er uh tail,” Nova said.Sapphy stopped crying and giggled a bit. She cutely grabbed the end of Nova’s tail, and started gently nibbling on it while rocking back and forth. Nova’s tail slipped out of her hands as she slowly fell back asleep.

  _ _ _

  Putting on the talisman was hard for Nova, but it's one of those things that had to be done to stay safe. Sapphire likewise put on her disguise when she woke up to get dressed. Beornia had found priestess robes in one of the chests that were almost perfect fits. Did that princess measure us in our sleep?

  Beornia donned her armor. “I don’t think you will need to wear armor here,” Nova stated, as she rested her hand on Boernia’s arm.“I must be prepared to protect you both should the need arise,” Beornia responded, as she tied her gambeson. “I can leave my spear here. It would be a burden to carry it around.”A knock on the door distracted Nova. Sapphire rushed to open the door. “There is an acolyte assembly before breakfast. Let me escort you to it,” The princess’ sibling said once the door was opened.“Aren’t you a gentleman. We will be ready once Beornia has put on her armor,” Sapphire flirted.“Um uh,” (redacted) scratched his head looking uncomfortable, “I would prefer it if you didn’t call me that.” “I get it I wouldn’t want to be called a gentleman either,” Sapphire responded with an awkward ugh. “I couldn’t imagine why anyone would call you that,” (redacted) said, as Beornia’s mail made clinking noises.

  Beornia and Nova approached them while Sapphire’s tail wagged, as she ughed awkwardly. The child of the prince led the dies to the assembly hall. It was on the first floor. A few acolytes entered through the double doors of the hall. Inside the hall were around fifty acolytes. They all sat at tables. Sapphire sat down next to (redacted) while Nova and Beornia stood behind them like the servants that stood behind their masters.

  “You must be new here. I’m Kat,” A dwarf with a well trimmed brown beard addressed Sapphire. “Oh, I’m Sapphire,” Sapphire turned to the dwarf right next to her and shook their hand.“Since we are both non-humans we should stick together. If you haven’t noticed, most of the people here are humans,” Kat said.

  The noise of the doors rubbing against each other as they quickly opened reverberated through the hall. The princess entered followed by two huskarls. She walked to the front of the hall and ascended the stage. She regally turned around to face the acolytes. “Before we start, let me introduce the first beast-kin member of the academy, Sapphire priestess of the Fertility God,” Athelfd said, gesturing at Sapphire to stand up. Sapphire stood up and happily waved. The other acolytes were perplexed. “Can she really do magic?”“She doesn’t look that intelligent.”“She will probably be like (redacted) never get an apprenticeship,”The acolytes murmured among themselves shocked that a beast-kin could get accepted into an academy of magic. The wagging of Sapphire’s tail slowed down to nervous flicks. “Please be courteous to the new acolyte,” Athelfd stressed she didn’t show any emotion on her face. “You may take this time to work with your peers. Or ask me any magic reted questions. Remember do not use destruction magic in this hall” The princess said before descending from the stage.

  “I guess I can’t use any magic then,” Kat said.“You don’t know anything like crafting magic?” Sapphire asked them.“I’m somewhat of a disappointment. Most dwarf’s with a high earth affinity become master builders or craftsmen, but everything my magic touches gets ruined,” Kat expined.“Oh, I’m a destruction mage myself. Let’s break things together sometime,” Sapphire responded.“Sapphire, do you want to transte some of these notes for me?” (redacted) pleaded, as they took wooden pques out of their bag.Sapphire smiled brightly at (redacted). She excitedly took the pques, and started the transtion process.“Brother I hope you don’t overwork my thane,” Athelfd said. “I love this kind of work. I will learn so much from reading these notes,” Sapphire replied.“That is what concerns me,” Athelfd stated. “Since you aren’t doing anything, can you help out the other acolytes that might need help with their projects,” Athelfd asked her sibling. (redacted) got out of their seat and joined their sibling in walking around the hall.

  “He has the broadest magical knowledge of any of us here. He might be able to challenge an archmage in knowledge alone. He has been an acolyte for seven years,” Kat remarked.“How is he still an acolyte if he knows so much?” Sapphire asked.“He has very low affinity with any specific magic. He just wasn’t cut out to be a mage,” Kat replied. “I think a lot can be accomplished with knowledge. All the reading I do makes me a better person. If I didn’t become a priestess of Fertility first I would be serving as a priestess of Knowledge,” Sapphire said.“I’m not that big of a reader. I would rather be hunting monsters or bandits,” Kat replied while they spun an iron dart with magic above their hand.“Did you come here on a schorship from the adventurers guild?” Sapphire asked.“No, a Jarl heard about me, they made me their huskarl. They sent me to the academy to learn magic better. If I can become an adept mage he will make me one of his thanes,” Kat said.“I don’t know much about this academy. What does an adept entail?” Sapphire asked.“The academy has five ranks; all mages start out as acolytes. We try to get the attention of a master mage or archmage to become their apprentice. Once we complete our apprenticeship we become an adept mage. A master mage is an adept that has demonstrated that they have mastered a type of magic. And then an archmage is a mage that advances the field of magic with new original magic. There are only a few archmages in the whole academy,” Kat expined.

  “What are you doing with those darts?” Sapphire asked. “I’m practicing control. I’m trying to reduce unnecessary mana expenditure,” Kat expined.“Do you have a rock or something I can practice with?” Sapphire asked excitedly.“So you are an earth mage as well. Maybe you have an affinity for metal magic?” Kat asked, as they handed Nova a dart.“I don’t think I do, but I could try,” Sapphire said shyly as she bit her lip. The wolf-kin looked adorable as she focused on maniputing the metal. “It’s barely moving,” Sapphire finally said with a long sigh.“There are very few people that aren’t dwarf’s that have an affinity for metal magic,” Kat said, “The dwarf affinity for metal and gem magic is one of the reasons for why the Confederation is so wealthy,” Kat expined.It must be great to have a whole nation of metal detectors. Nova mused. “I actually don’t know a whole lot about the Confederation. Stigandr has told me a few things, but the books in the temple didn’t talk much about them,” Sapphire said. “By Stigandr, you can’t mean the space mage of Nothscir,” Kat said incredulously.

  “I am talking about them, do you know them?” Sapphire asked. “Despite popur conception, not all dwarf’s in the kingdom know each other. We come from different cns, and I was born long after he became a thane,” Kat crified.

  Soon people started packing up and leaving the hall. “It looks like assembly time is over. Follow me to the training grounds I want to see what you can destroy,” Kat decred brightly. Sapphire excitedly followed the dwarf out of the hall. The warm sun brought warmth to the cool early spring morning. The smell of trees, pnts, and flowers was strong. The sound of birds singing nearby and in the distance mixed with crickets chirping. A few people were out and about this early, but the day had not yet gone into full swing.

  “Do you think it would be safe for me to use magic in the training field?” Nova asked Boernia quietly. “I will check the area for any holy runes first,” Beornia said as she put her hand that wasn’t holding her helmet on Nova’s shoulder. While Boernia was checking the stone wall and the field surrounding the training area. Sapphire and Kat shot their magic at targets. The dwarf propelled metal darts faster than Nova’s eyes could follow. They embedded themselves deep into wooden targets. She is like a living machine gun. Wait a living what? Nova shook her head to stop pursuing thoughts that would lead to a headache.

  “Wow, that is amazing,” Sapphire praised. “Now let me see what you can do, Sapphy. Wait, can I call you Sapphy?” Kat responded excitedly. “My girlfriend and lover call me that. Maybe think of a more appropriate nickname,” Sapphire said.“Oh, sorry I wasn’t trying to flirt or anything I promise I’m just really friendly,” The dwarf rambled as their cheeks heated up in embarrassment. “You are okay,” Sapphire patted their head full of beautifully braided brown hair decorated with intricate copper rings.Sapphire turned toward the targets. She shot a fireball that reduced the target to ash.

  “That was fire! Sapphire you have two affinities? Sapphire Phire huh. Can I call you Phire?” Kat asked as she admired the smoldering ruin.“I like it,” Sapphire responded before burning a hole through another target. Her lightning was diffused by the wards on the wall.“You are a lightning mage as well? Are you like a hero or something?” Kat gawked.

  “There are no wards that will affect you if you use magic in the arena,” Beornia said, as she came back to Nova. Nova nodded, “Sapphire seems to think she isn’t good socially, but she hit it off with (redacted) right away. Look at how she gets along with Kat as well. She also was very friendly with the boatmaster too,” Nova observed. “I guess she put a lot of work in her social skills because it used to be a weakness. My left arm is weaker and less coordinated than my right, but I put a lot of practice into using weapons and shields with my left arm so I can be prepared for any situation,” Beornia said. Beornia put on her helmet, grabbed her shield off her back and drew her sword. She showered a bundle of straw with blows from her shield and sword.

  Nova closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her mind. If I can change myself with illusion magic I could probably influence the world around me. She conjured the image of someone that was familiar but she couldn't pce where she had seen her before. Nova let out some of her cursed magic to form the image. When she opened her eyes the image was staring back at her cold and lifeless. Nova instinctively shot a burst of holy magic at the image dispelling it.

  SillyGayKitty