One of the many days working on the ballista Ethelred ask Alexis a question that has been on reds mind for a while now.
“Much have we spoken on what to do, or not to do, with regards to Telosh. When I do come before the Collegium, what will I say about my journey to magic. Not only is it directly tied to the story of Telosh, but it also has elements of a chaos birth, of feeling my way. And while I a more… Disciplined that Telosh I am still not… Legitimate. Ezrin has .ade it very clear that I am not… Right.. proper.. and that it will take some serious treasure to make things right.. or at least make them passable.”
“You are walking my path Red.”
“I came to magic on my own after several instructors tried to teach me the Collegium way. It never worked for me. It was too academic. Too rigid. And not connected to *what mattered*. Finding the lost treasures are what mattered! The lost histories. The artifacts from our history! This is where my attention was.”
“But it was always ‘we’ll get to that soon enough’ or ‘never loose sight of your dreams’ while they taught me how to meditate my dreams away.”
“Do you remember how little I knew when we descended into Pulathi? It was there that I realized what the Collegium lessons were for. Magic isn’t to be locked in a tower in Sutheron, or anywhere. It needs to be tested. Against the enemies of humanity (like the Dark Hand or the Arril-Noroth). To retrieve our lost heritage” Alexis gives a wink in making reference to Raff. “To protect humanity from being driven into the ocean. To walk among the non-humans, the enemies of humanity that used to be our allies and might be able to be again, and pluck what is ours from the lands we once held.”
“The Collegium has much that will help us both, but you will be a wizard with or without them. You are already a great hero without them.”
“I agree I am on the path. But the first steps on this path for revealed by the work we did to close the chaos pit. Magic, to your point, has been part of this treasure hunting journey from the beginning. But those powers were not where my power is. Mine magic comes from the material, from the structure, from the manipulation of the matter. Only just now have I been able to discover that power. Without the raw chaos of Telosh my own powers could have been left undiscovered from a long time.
When asked in Sutheron what should I say.. beyond as Alexis. How do I explain where my path started and how it has led me to the Colloguium?”
Alexis studies Ethelred for a beat, then lets his face settle into something like a smile—too quick to be mistaken for anything soft. He tips his hat back a fraction, then fingers the Collegium ring at his thumb.
“Tell them to ‘ask Alexis’ — that’ll do when we get to Sutheron.” He sounds like he means it. “I don’t know yet what bit of treasure we’ll bring forward, but I’ll make sure it’s enough to pry open the doors you need without hanging your name on it.”
The grin comes then, mild and crooked. “Telosh — the Chaos-Maker,” he adds, as if the title is half joke, half warning. A coin clicks against his knuckle.