OoC: Mwah.

IC:

The solemn-looking men dispersed as quickly as they had come, leaving Nathan to silently ponder the events that had just transpired. A couple of garbed attackers beat me half to death, he thought with malice, I was thrown into a pool and arrived here. But where exactly is here? And why was I brought here anyway? He slowly brought himself up into a sitting position, then stood with a wince of pain. He scanned his surroundings quickly: to either side of him were hurriedly carved walls made from great boulders with fancy wooden doors jutting inwards every few metres; people hurried about him like bees, constantly sweeping into the rooms that dotted the large corridor. Oddly, the wide hallway was conjoined to a ceiling that only reached a couple of feet above Nate’s head. He silently pitied those taller than him for a moment.

The adventurer must have stood with a stupid grin on his face longer than he imagined, because a small crowd of girls had gathered and were giggling maliciously at him. One bold youth with horrific ginger pigtails and painfully typical freckles had the pluck to walk up and thump Nathan hard on the arm, dispelling him from his reverie. There must be more to this…Dome than what I’ve seen so far. Perhaps I should explore. The boy quickly flipped an imaginary coin and set off in the opposite direction to the horrible little girls. The single hallway continued on for what seemed like miles before Nathan finally stopped to catch his breath.

“Excuse me,” Nate asked tiredly to a passer-by. “Would you mind telling me where I am?” The woman gave a slight chuckle. She seemed to be in her late-twenties, with an air of style and confidence about her. She seemed like the kind of person not to be trifled with.

“Of course,” she replied with a smile. “You are at the Dome: school of magic, fighting, and everything in between.” Nathan gave the woman a polite smile and walked away, even though he was no less uncertain of why he was here. Was he supposed to enrol in classes and learn to be the best darn fighter he can be? Nate somehow doubted it. An intricate trap to lure the boy into a false sense of security by a couple of cunning pirates seemed somehow more believable. Might as well play along for a while, he thought sceptically. Perhaps they have a foyer or reception that could answer a few of my questions.

Nathan set off once again in search of answers, but as he walked he became increasingly worried by the lack of exits or turns that the building had. The entire establishment seemed to be one endless hallway. A feeling of helplessness slowly engulfed Nate, until all he was doing was trudging meaninglessly along the huge corridor, just trying to keep from thinking the horrible thoughts that had enveloped his mind. All of a sudden the despair and despondence he had felt was gone with one simple call of his name. He turned around sharply to meet eyes with the woman he had questioned what seemed like hours ago.

Now with time to inspect the woman more thoroughly, Nathan noticed that she was quite pretty. Her long black hair matched the olive skin perfectly, and she knew how to work with what she had when it came to clothes. “Nathan,” the woman repeated. “I am Cadenza Madrigal, your teacher for the foreseeable future here at the Dome. It occurred to me after you left that the Dome can be a bit frightening at first for new-comers. So I’m giving you a chance now to ask me whatever you want.” Nathan’s head immediately buzzed with questions.

“Why am I here?” he asked swiftly.

“To learn how to be the best you can be in both fighting and the magic arts."

“Why did you go to so much effort bringing me here?” he asked next. “And why so forcibly?”

“We had to ensure you would come.”

Nathan quite suddenly didn’t feel the need to ask any questions. He had nothing better to do, so why not join this school? After graduating the adventures he took part in would be much easier and smoother. “Then what the Hell,” he said through a big grin. “Sign me up.”

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