"Are you certain all of Mortalkind is at risk, Headmistress?" Some of the faculty asked with weary expressions.
"Sadly, we have to assume as much. After all, the carcass of the slain Calamity of the North lies in Whitewater Port. Knowledge of that is not widely known. To revive such an evil, had the necromancer succeeded, we'd be having a different conversation." She spoke unmovingly before thanking her attendant for serving her tea.
"For all the concerns we may bear, the danger of such a feat would be theatrical at best. Reports state that the Necromancer in question, Alistair Khartsphere, had successfully uncovered remnants of the Calamity in preparation for its revival. But it's simply that, the remnants." Reiss waved off the notion, much to the frustration of the rest of the staff.
"Headmistress, this can't be a coincidence. With the timing so close to other similar events across Ardyntorra and Melodoria." Professor Colt added.
"You are correct, Colt. As are you, Reiss."
"..."
"What I fail to understand is why the fact Reiss raised would be worth noting. We know what happened and what the necromancer hoped to achieve." Among them, the Head of the Spellcraft Studies and Investigation departments, Lymeria Lovelace, spoke up.
Her stern expression might have spoken of focus and class, however, those familiar with her were well aware of her resentment towards the elven folk, with the most unfortunate bearer of her xenophobia being the eccentric Reiss.
"Because, unlike the rest of you, my knowledge of history isn't limited to what I've absorbed from the notes and books of better men. Alistair could only have managed to recover a remnant of the beast, or Whitewater would have lit up like a second sun with all that magic he'd be using. The Northern Calamity was just that, a disastrous force of nature, so to bring the whole thing back to life would have been enough to shake the continent"
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"That's quite enough Reiss. While I am glad you have finally joined us, antagonizing your fellow colleagues isn't conducive to what we are trying to achieve."
"All right then, only because the Headmistress asked so nicely."
"Anyhow, to his point. The amount of magic required to resurrect the Calamity would have destroyed the town in its entirety. Which means our adversary was more than likely mistaken or worse, misled." The Headmistress's word held their attention.
"May I be allowed to speak, Headmistress?"
"Of course, Ulrich. Please go on."
"With the nature of these events, we may find ourselves facing the Forsaken once more. It's quite obvious that their search for God's Gate, Got'tiuri has yet to end."
At the mention of this word, the room's discourse fell to an utter silence, while everyone sat with a look of dread…
So much so that the chatty Reiss seemed uncomfortable by the mention of their terror, draining the famous glint of his crimson eyes as he took in the Headmistress 'words:
"Then what's the plan? If something is coming, what are we going to do about it?" The rest of the staff tried to word out their clouded thoughts.
"Sigh. For the moment, we'll have to prepare. The Melodorian and Ardyntorran Kingdoms plan on meeting during the Autumn Hearth Festival for further discussion. As for us, I'm giving you the go-ahead to begin preparations for the Carnival next month. We have to do everything we can to prepare our children."
"That will be it for our initial act. For the secondary and tertiary acts, I shall entrust their completion to you, Ulrich. As it stands, I am already working to secure our lead against our foes. We cannot afford to fall further behind, or there will be nothing left to fight for."
'It seems the future of our young prospects may have grown even more grim than I had hoped.' The Headmistress felt the idea stir deep inside her mind while discussion of further preparations took over the room.
