Chapter Four

Chesi lead Petra to Natural Magics; which was boring. Kotel, the Natural Magics instructor, was friendly and skilled. The problem was that all they were really teaching at this point was elementary Psionics. Admittedly without the awareness they would provide it would be difficult to locate sites or creatures and what-not. When it came right down to it though, psionics were geared towards non-Nielda. Petra wouldn't admit it, because the attention she was already getting for yesterday's incident would only worsen for it, but she already had the entire practice of feeling out the unsensed world down. With the exception of a few select, and generally Nieldic, students, she could tell everything about any of her classmates.

Chesi had a little trouble with it at first, or at least she claimed to. Now that Petra was actually paying atention to her surroundings she was acutely aware of her new friend's rather sophisticated mental defenses. She couldn't penetrate them, but she knew that a defense like that wasn't hiding nothing. Still, she was useful and nice.

Their next class was much more interesting, or at least found her more interesting. Beginer casting was battle magic. Nielda had always considered combat the essential application of magic. While the Academy had students of a dozen races, at its heart it was a Nieldic school, with a focus on Nieldic usages of magic.

"So, the infamous Petra Laerdsfeld. Not so high and mighty that you won't attend class?"
"No sir, master Otan made my status in this school perfectly clear."
"Glad to hear the geezerly wolf is still useful somehow."
"Anatolian." Chesi muttered quietly.

"And proud of it. My name is Gnogg. I'm your Beginner Casting instructor. You will learn how to empower your bodies with magic to strengthen reflexes and enhance your body's natural traits. I will also be showing you how to use basic attack spells, including firebolts, hydrobolts, and arcane blasts."

They paired off and took turns trying to speed up their motions. Chesi was clearly distracted, and unhappy.
"What's wrong? It's wierd seeing you this calm."
"Racist, I can't believe he'd be that inconsiderate towards his own colleague."
"So he's a jerk, I'm pretty sure that's not illegal."
"It just annoys me so much when people like him can act like that and there aren't even any consequences."
"I bet I could make consequences if you want me to."
"No, I don't want to see him hurt. I just want to see him stop saying things like that about nice people just because they aren't Nielda."
"I don't know if I could pull that off yet. It can't possibly be less interesting than this."

Chesi wasn't moving. Petra glanced around, no one was moving. She realized that she'd pulled off that haste spell way to well. She decided to have some fun with it. When it wore off an hour later, seconds for the rest of the room, they reanimated to wedgies, sharpie markings, and in Gnogg's case a cardboard sign reading 'mommy never loved me'. The entire room was horrified, no one had been spared; Petra had been careful to self-inflict one of the random embarassments.

"Whoever did this will be punished severly if I ever catch them!" Gnogg yelled as he tore the sign off.
Chesi just looked at Petra, whose eyes silently affirmed her guilt.