Cradle of the Filthy

[Rogue]

Life as an acolyte at the Temple of Praxeum was a series of trials and tribulations, and if one were lucky, one left the Temple as an apprentice. The average acolyte spent two years at the Temple before they found a master. Arainthe Vardis was nearing the end of her second year, and she had yet to find a master to take her on. It was not for the lack of trying.

Old Man Taiu’s eyes were inches away from her hands, and she was sweating visibly. The day’s lesson was fire, and instructor Taiu was testing the acolyte class on the art of conjuring flames.

Come on. Her eyes were pinched shut in concentration, and her hands were cupped so tightly that she can feel her bones. An eternity later, a spark appeared, and bursted into a small flame. Its orange hue spread to color her cupped fingers, but no further.

“Mediocre,” the instructor allowed in his tweedy voice. “Next--”

Arianthe sighed in relief and let her concentration go. The flame fluttered out. She was not the slowest of the bunch, and that was not the worst criticism from Old Man Taiu for the group standing in the Praxeum’s learning halls today. Mediocre. Her back hunched invisibly beneath her black tunic.

The instructor had already moved onto his next target. “Very mediocre. Next--” And so it went down the line of twenty-something students.

The last acolyte in the line was Glorrad Hruine, a youth of good breeding and pedigree who entered the Temple a year ago. His flames appeared instantly and shot halfway up cavernous hall, burning as red as his red velvet shirt. When the fire died, the grey halls seemed a little greyer, a little colder. Arianthe made a face. She was definitely not envious of that bastard.

“Most excellent,” the old instructor said, his first words of praise of the day, and turned around to peer at the entire line of his students. “All of you are dismissed. We have an important visitor tomorrow, so I expect all of you to be on time for lessons. Don’t want a repeat of today, do you, Mister Darger?”

Someone at the other end of the line shook his head and muttered a no. Old Man Taiu nodded in satisfaction.

“Well then. Go away before I blast the lot of you out of here. Don’t tempt me.”