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The fourth installment. Please enjoy.

-4-

The University of Brarhapa was a bustling place, full of elves, dwarves, and houyhnhnms. The medical staff at the university were quite bewildered at the story of the dwarves who had come in close to dawn, apparently completely sober, who claimed they had been in a bar fight.

"Ok, what actually happened," one of the doctors, a dwarf himself, asked to Laimonuit in private, but just in earshot of Ethelred. And Laimonuit told the dwarf of the elves who had ambushed them, and how they were thieves trying to steal from the dwarves, who were trying to avoid the taxes of the gate and were taking a secret entrance in. The dwarf looked knowingly at them, "I see. You know, there are some medicines that, in public markets, are ridiculously marked up, but which I know how to find in other places." Laimonuit smiled, pleased that the doctor was asking no more questions.

Bellem came through eventually, being merely unconscious and bleeding from his head. "Ah, you should know the head bleeds a lot, but it isn't usually too serious. It wasn't anything too serious." Bellem tried to stand, and nearly collapsed--he would have if Alehem hadn't caught him as he fell.

"Sir, you're concussed. You shouldn't be trying to stand right now. If you just rest a couple of days, you'll be fine in no time." Bellem sat crossly, protesting the doctor and proclaiming himself to be fine, except for the anesthetic. "Sir, we've not put any anesthetic in you," the doctor retorted, offended at the suggestion, "You'll just be like this for a few days to a week. Give it some time." Bellem eventually resigned at the urging of all present. "We sell the wares," Alehem whispered cryptically. The doctor smiled at having overheard this, "And what exactly are you selling?" Alehem smiled, "Stories, sir, if you're interested." The doctor looked genuinely confused for a moment before he let the cryptic remark stand, seeing that he would get no further information out of his customers.

The group of travelers paid the doctor and set out for their target, the head of the clericy school.

The head clerk of the clericy school wore a simple gray cloak over a coat of scale-mail armor that was barely shone in the bright light of the sun. The high, vaulted windows of the stone building that housed the houyhnhnm's office let in light and warmth to an otherwise cold room. Mrunhin, the chief clerk of the department, was tall man, and thin by the standards of the houyhnhnms, but powerfully built and long-limbed. He stood a few inches taller than Ethelred, a head taller than Laimonuit, and was more than twice as tall as the tallest dwarf, who had yet to introduce himself to Ethelred, the houyhnhnm.

Mrunhin's office was nestled in a corner of the building, away from unwanted prying eyes. In fact, the party had some trouble finding the office in the large hall that his office was housed in. Eventually, they managed to find it and knock on the door, and at this point, Alehem turned to Ethelred, "My boy, it's been nice working with you, and your service to us is complete."

Mrunhin gave an audible, "Just a second," so Ethelred responded, "Am I not to hear the news that I helped deliver?" Alehem turned to him, "Listen, this information is dangerous, and you don't want to get mixed in if you don't have to. Go back home and help your parents. They sounded like they needed you when you left."

Ethelred's ears fell despondently. Was this how it was to end? Ethelred looked sadly at his companions and thanked them all, with tear-filled eyes, for employing him. Alehem looked sympathetically at Ethelred before he responded, "My boy, if our path were easy, we would be happy to have you join us. But the Enemy is incredibly dangerous; his snares are especially subtle and sinister. If you continue with us, you will be in utmost peril. If you say that is what you want, I will say you know nothing of what you speak of. You have known only safety and otiose all your life, not the dangers which we face regularly. Your efforts in the tunnel were valiant, but we outnumbered those enemies by many times. We would have killed them eventually. Please, kindly, go, and let us bear this burden alone. It is not because we don't want you with us, but because we hope to keep you safe and good."

With that, a student popped out the door, and the party walked in without Ethelred. Neither did Ethelred leave nor did he stay and eavesdrop. He sat outside and patiently waited for the party to be done.

And he waited from about an hour before noon to three hours after noon before the party left Mrunhin's office, shocked and disconcerted to find Ethelred there. "Why are you here?" Alehem asked, not annoyed, but vexed that Ethelred had waited for them. "Well," Ethelred answered quietly and sternly, "I had been hoping to talk to Professor Mrunhir."

"What about?" Laimonuit gasped, afraid he already knew the answer. "And just who wants to talk to me," came a soft, kind voice, but a voice that sounded like the words had been sweetened deliberately, as if some great strain were eating at the man's heart. "I do, Professor, sir," Ethelred answered, sternly and deliberately, speaking slowly and carefully as someone who has long rehearsed what he will say sounds when he says what he has rehearsed in his mind over and over again.

"Ah, hello, are you a student here? I don't believe I've seen you around before. Could I get your name? And please, come inside. Laimonuit, would you wait just a moment?"

Ethelred entered the office. It was a small space, seeming hardly to befit the most important professor of the most important department of an elite university. It was also lined with tomes and scrolls along the walls and artifacts and, evidently, magical reagents of various sorts. "I'm very sorry," Mrunhin laughed, "I've got a bit on my mind at the moment. Would you excuse me?" Ethelred smiled tersely and stood while the professor cleared for him a place to sit. When it was clear, the professor gestured for Ethelred to sit before he slumped into a chair and rubbed his temples, "What is it, my boy? Have you come to discuss another professor? Have you come to seek help in your studies? A letter of recommendation? What?"

Ethelred smiled tersely, "W-well, sir, I was hoping for admittance into your department and to enroll in the university. Is there a process for that? If so, what is it?"

Mrunhin stared blankly at Ethelred, "Oh, is that all? Well, there are standard forms to complete that can be turned into the main office, but you can enroll for next quarter--registration is due in a week. The hardest part will be a letter of recommendation that you will need attesting to your skill or talent as a clerk. And just what were you hoping to study?"

"Well, I was hoping to be in the clerical school, specifically studying conversion of chemical potential energy to electrical potential energy." Mrunhir smiled, "Well, my dear boy, that sounds wonderful. What specific forms of chemical energy do you wish to convert to electrical energy? Judging from your form, my suspicion rests in adipose tissue, correct?" Ethelred's scarlet face and silent response of grated teeth confirmed his answer. "My dear boy, what you want to do is not to be ashamed of. One of our great masters, Professor Brunhelm, specialized in that clericy. You'll just need to go to the main office, fill out the application forms, and specify which program you want to study--there will be a list to choose from--and you'll want to select 'Chemical Energy to Electrical Energy conversion' with the energy source being 'adipose tissue.' It's really quite that simple. I'm also assuming that Laimonuit will be your recommendation letter, correct?" Here again, Ethelred blushed and nodded, "My boy, no need to worry, this is common, but just be warned, Laimonuit is often...candid. Brutally candid. If you've ever messed up in his presence, he will mention it. But he will also highlight your strengths and virtues in exquisite fashion. His recommended students are seldom turned away. If he thinks well of you, you'll get in."

Ethelred smiled, but internally, his mind raced. What if Laimonuit mentioned how he had almost jeopardized the mission with his clumsiness or how he had burnt his hand with his first attempt at conjuring lightning. Or what if they thought he was too naïve to be in the university? Ethelred became suddenly anxious.

"Oh, and have you ever taken a literacy and numeracy test? If so, we'll need the results from that. If not, you can take one at the culture office any day of the week at no expense to yourself. But, no, my boy, you should be more than fine!"

And with that, Ethelred thanked the professor for his time and let him go back to his studies. As he walked out, Ethelred noticed Laimonuit standing across the hall with crossed arms. "If you were going to ask me to write a letter of recommendation, forget it. You made a promise to your parents, and I expect you to keep that promise to the best of your ability." Ethelred stared uncomprehendingly at Laimonuit.

"Laimonuit," he began, not knowing how to retort, "why would you teach magic if you didn't see anything more in me than a stupid baker?" The elf turned, ashamed of his answer, "My dear boy, you are brave, but you don't know what you're talking about. The effort, the toil, and most importantly, the heartbreak, are what makes being a clerk difficult. You haven't a clue about what I've suffered up 'til now, nor do I intend that you should know. I'm sorry, but this is goodbye."

And with that, Ethelred left, defeated and dejected at what he thought to be the cruel and senseless betrayal of a man he thought to be a friend.

Ethelred wandered the town for a little while before he found a tavern at which to eat a meal. Alehem, before he had left, had given Ethelred a bit of extra money for the trouble, and Ethelred now found a place to drown out his woes with the sweet taste of beer and food.

And the plates did fly. Alehem had given Ethelred 30 gold pieces to do with as he saw fit. By the end of the night, Ethelred had spent 15 of the thirty gold pieces and sat in a food coma until the bartender sternly awoke him at closing time. "Need a room, bud?" the bartender asked, "I'll give you one for nothing--you've more than paid for it. But I need to clean this place and you probably want somewhere else to sleep than in your own drool on a wooden table." Ethelred stood, still a bit tipsy, but able to walk, and went up to bed.

In the morning--even though it was but half an hour to noon, and the bartender came pounding at the door, "Buddy, are you in there? You haven't responded! I've got a lemon and a pitcher of water if you want it, but I need you to open the door." The headache Ethelred experienced was something he vowed never to do again, but he managed to toughen through it so that he could open the door. "Much appreciated," he mumbled before he tried to close the door again, but the bartender stopped him. "Also, I don't know where you're from, but I figured you'd care to hear the news anyway, but apparently the elves have invaded from the northwest. They sent a messenger saying that they intercepted some messenger of ours carrying a message of alliance with the dwarves, and with 'implied messages' about declaring war. They apparently invaded last night, and the herald arrived just this morning in the wee hours of the dawning day. Apparently, our border sentries were simply unprepared and overwhelmed after years of peace and neglecting the defenses. The king's summoned all able-bodied men of fighting age to come to his aid at the capital, but apparently a good section of the northwest has been overrun already."

Ethelred bolted the rest of his glass of water and set it down quickly, "No! You're sure of this? Please confirm to me that this is true." The bartender immediately knew why and his ears lowered, "Every paper in the city is reporting this news, and has a map of the conquered lands. Would you like me to bring you a paper?" Ethelred shook his head, but went down stairs half-dressed, grabbed a paper, and took it back to his room. The paper's map was about 6 hours old at this point, and judging by where they were and what cities were labelled, Ethelred hung his head.

Mrahina was almost certainly captured at this point; Ethelred began to weep. The bartender walked over and sat on the bed next to Ethelred, "I'm sorry for the news. You're welcome to stay here another night if you'd like, but I'm afraid that refugees will start pouring into the city ahead of the coming army, and beds will need to be spared. Beyond tonight, I can't guarantee you a bed." Ethelred looked at the man, trying his best not to lash out at the man who was trying his best to console Ethelred, "Thank you, sir," he choked, realizing again that he had forgotten to ask the man's name, "Hirmyun," the bartender smiled wanly, trying himself to choke back tears, and you are, "Ethelred, son of Erenred, of Mrahina. It was, and I hope still is about here." He pointed at a space in the occupied territory of the army. "If the maps are accurate," Ethelred whispered, wiping his eyes, "the elven army will be here in about four days, five if we're lucky. We had best hope it rains."

Ethelred ate a cooled breakfast of oatmeal cooked in what tasted like the heaviest cream available, green vegetables, and a hash brown. It was still delicious even if a bit cold. He thanked Hirmyun's wife for preparing it, and headed to the cultural administration building for a literacy exam. The building was deserted for the most part, save for a few secretaries here and there. "Can I help you, dear?" one of the secretaries asked, inquisitive that a man in the prime of his life should appear at the moment. "Yes, ma'am," Ethelred whispered, "I'm here to take a university entrance exam." The lady looked at him skeptically, "You aren't, by chance, going to apply for any of the war magic curricula, were you? Because otherwise, I'd have to deny your request because we're at war. Also, do you have proof of enrollment in a war-magic curriculum? Because I'll need to see it."

Ethelred shook his head and thanked the lady for her time quietly. He then walked briskly north toward the university. The crowded and bustling streets were alive with the sounds of war--armor being donned, swords being sharpened, bows being bent and strung--and the chatter of the populace. Should they stay or should they go? That seemed to be the main question of the day. There was chaos--some were deciding to stay, others to go. But Ethelred marched northward, hoping against all hope to find Laimonuit.

As he approached the university, he noticed that the usually bustling campus had been made quiet, and as he marched farther in, the more off-put Ethelred was by the quiet. Suddenly, he felt a tap on the shoulder, a gentle tap, a friendly tap. Ethelred wheeled around, it was Professor Mrunhin, donned in full mithril-scale armor. "Laimonuit was looking for you at the enrollment building. He seemed to have some parting words for you."

With that encouragement, Ethelred ran as fast as he could to the enrollment building. There stood Laimonuit the elf, tall and strong, with a coat of full mithril armor donned over his brown robe, "Ethelred," he began having tears streaming down his face, but he changed his mind, rushed forward, and embraced Ethelred in a great bear-hug. Ethelred's skin yielded at the force of the embrace. "I'm sorry, Ethelred, for you and your family." And then Ethelred felt a slip of paper be pushed into his back pocket. "Take it," Laimonuit whispered, "And be strong. Unfortunately, I must be leaving soon to guard the others save Bellem on their journey to Nazar-khelem. We must have the dwarven army to relieve the coming siege. The city is well-stocked and amply-fortified, but no city under siege can hold forever, and if the elves should press their advantage and ask the dragons to come to their aid, there is good chance this city will be torched."

Ethelred nodded, embraced Laimonuit one more time, dried his eyes, and went inside.