Chapter 234 The House of Seals (2/2)
This ave hiet a first ierly as he hurried along the road
It was immediately that the House of Seals was very different from the other Houses he had seen
The House of Swords had plenty of training fields but few of the large stone halls that spellcasters used, while the situation in the House of Flames was the exact opposite Yet the House of Seals had both in abundance, with plenty of
Frole-minded in its pursuits as the other Houses, which treated disciplines other than their oith so close to disdain
While a quick look wasn't nearly enough to draw any firht the explanation hold, it seemed qualitatively different from the other Houses — like a separate Valley rather than a ive it any , his tiuards' directions proved accurate, and it wasn't long before Arran arrived at his destination — a series of large stone buildings that roups of initiates and noviceswas a si one of the novices, and Arran breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped inside — well on tiood ten , he found a large hall filled with initiates There ell over a hundred, standing silently as they waited for the day's lessons to begin After a nored the initiates as he waited, instead studying his surroundings The hall was spacious even with the large group of people it held, easily a hundred paces across And along its sides were several doors, evenly spaced and currently closed
At the far end of the hall stood a sray-haired roomed beard who looked upon the initiates with a lofty confidence that suggested he was at least a Master
Surrounding the es Three of these looked to be in their thirties, and frouessed thee Novices, most likely
Other initiates entered the hall as he waited, more than a few of their faces flushed with exertion Apparently, he wasn't the only one who had rushed to arrive in time
The crowd doubled in the last fewto a complete halt only a moment later
With the last of the initiates inside, the gray-haired Master cast a satisfied look upon the group
”Welcome, all of you,” he said in a powerful but cal us today Newcomers, please remain here The rest of you, head to your classrooms”
At once, the initiates flooded froh the doors at its sides, the adepts and all but one of the novices following behind the were the Master, a single novice, and a sroup a friendly smile, likely meant to ease their nerves ”Today, you will set your first steps on a wondrous journey,” he said in a practiced voice ”The path of seals is a difficult one, but its rewards are great Work hard, and your efforts will be repaid a hundredfold”
He scraped his throat, then continued in a more casual tone, ”Ozluk here will instruct you today Any questions you have, he'll be glad to answer Good luck, to all of you”
Evidently satisfied with the introduction, the h one of the doors at the end of the hall
”Well then” The novice naroup of initiates in front of hi souided the initiates through one of the doors at the side of the hall Behind it, Arran found a large semicircular room, with raised rows of wooden seats in the back and a lectern on a se at the front The room held a faint whiff of mustiness
Arran and the other initiates sat down on the wooden seats, their sh to fill a fifth of the empty spaces As they sat down, Ozluk stood behind the lectern, eying the group nervously
”All right,” he said ”First, I'll give you a short introduction about seals, forics Then, after our ” He let out a shrill laugh, though it came to an abrupt end when he noticed none of the initiates joined in
Arran suppressed a weary sigh He had no intention of being there longer than a few hours, but even spending that long listening to the hapless novice would be unpleasant
”Everyone ready?” the novice asked No answer came, and he continued, ”Now, about seals…”