Michail followed the two caretakers through the door to the main hall of the academy. The humongous door closed behind them slowly. Michail felt like he fell into the belly of a beast. The hall was larger than any space for gathering he has ever seen. There were five long tables and countless chairs on either sides of the long tables. There were initiates in various coloured clothes in some tables, chatting and discussing with each other. No one paid attention to Michail or the caretakers who were walking towards the podium at the far end of the tables. The podium had five unoccupied regal chairs.
Muriel looked over to Michail who was viewing everything with great interest and said "This is the Great hall of Murals. On either side of the walls and the ceiling you can see paintings representing the victory of races over the Boeficians and excerpts of the great war. This is where initiates come together to eat, chat and even listen to the five leaders of caretakers during special occasions."
Michail nodded while following behind them.
"Ah caretaker Ritchie and Muriel" a voice similar to that of a snake came from the side. Michail saw a man seven feet tall in a close cut black suit standing up from a table. He had a grey moustache hooked upward and a black stone around a gold chain around his neck. His skin was pale which made the moustache appear and disappear based on the lighting. He performed a bow. Michail saw two black protruding horns on his head symmetrically on either side. He was a daemon.
"Hello Professor Mudlark." replied Muriel, while Ritchie just gave a perfunctory nod.
"What brings the talent people to the academy, I thought all of you were vagabonds who travelled around the continent in search for new recruits." Mudlark quipped and made a side glance at the following Michail. His distaste with the talent caretakers could be noticed in his demenor.
"Has the destruction caretakers forgot how to speak amongst caretakers or do I need to teach you the meaning of being a caretaker, Mudlark." Ritchie did not hide his anger either.
"You are just as grumpy as ever I see Ritchie. Why don't you introduce me to the young'un who keeps staring at my horns?"
"He is just a new kid I found. I intent to find how good is his aptitude so that I can teach him some of my skills." answered Ritchie and motioned both Muriel and Michail to follow him.
Mudlark looked at the ring on Michails hand. "Hmm, three striations. Not bad kid. Instead of following that old cripple why don't you come with me?"
Michail wanted to say no but suddenly he was held by Muriel.
"Mudlark, you old coot. Do you think I am invisible or something." Ritchie growled as sparks of electricity began to circulate around him.
Mudlark laughed and moved back gracefully creating distance between them. He slowly left them and moved towards the door. He glanced at the receding figures of the three looking intently at Michail and called up an initiate who was in the table. "Keep your ears open for any information of that kid, he seems special in someway if Ritichie personally brought him here."
The daemon initiate nodded and slowly followed behind the three.
Ritchie and Muriel led Michail to a contraption that seemed to have a door that opened and closed. Michail has heard about them at Argot school. "Are these mechanical elevators?" he asked.
Muriel nodded "Mechanical technology of a long lost civilisation has been integrated with our aura and magic technology to create this. It leads us to the top of the academy. Hop on lets go."
They boarded the machine. Michail saw a set of buttons on the side filled with numbers from zero to fifteen. Muriel pressed the number eleven. The elevator sped upward as a feeling of weight spread over Michail.
Ding. Chimed the elevator as they reached the sixth floor when a daemon initiate joined them. Soon the lift sped up as he clicked in the ninth floor button.
As they reached the ninth floor Ritchie said in a low voice "You better tell Mudlark to not poke his nose in the business of others." The temperature of the elevator dimmed a little.
Ding. The elevator door slid open and the daemon initiate left the elevator. His back was drenched in sweat.
Michail did not understand what happened and Muriel just smiled.
Ding. The elevator chimed again indicating arrival of the elevator on the eleventh floor.
"Lets go." Muriel said to Michail as the three went in. The Eleventh floor was in no way special. Painted in white with shelves of books as far as Michail could see. It was like a huge library. Michail saw a single kid about his size at the far end of the shelves sitting in a table and writing. Stacks of books were placed on each end of her table. As the three drew closer, the kid led out a surprising whimper. She drew her hood closer and seemed afraid of the newcomers in the library.
"Elenor, its me sister Muriel, where is your master?"
"Oh" a sudden exclamation of relief came over Elenor as she slowly removed the hood. "Master is working on some potions" squeaked Elenor. Her voice was so light that Michail did only hear potions.
Boom, suddenly the library quaked and both Elanor and the books on her table fell down.