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"Hm..." Liz seems to think for a moment, but then shakes her head.

"Not that I can remember. Did he ever say anything to you, Sebastian?"

The butler responds with a simple negative.

"It's possible he left something tangible behind, but if he did, I haven't found it yet. There are a lot of books and little objects he had that we'll be taking with us, but I've barely even begun to look into them."

I've already edooted. I just used the blush one by accident, still the same expression.

Whoops, wrong sprite. I put that up right before I went to bed. =x

Alex also studies until he gets his three bonus points or it's time to leave for the next class.

"We are discussing a small part of the theoretical area of magic as our first lesson because these laws are important to know going forward. Would you explain division to a child without explaining that you cannot divide by zero? As self-evident as the second and third laws may appear to be, they deserve to be iterated. If you are anxious to strengthen your power, do not worry. You will have that opportunity later."

With Lyle attended to, Mister T finishes etching out the third and final law.

"3. Magic cannot create an absolute."

Walking back and forth at the front of the class once more, he begins an explanation similar to the others on what exactly the third law meant.

"The third law is, similar to the second law, one of the few logical laws that magic actually follows. Its name is somewhat self explanatory, but I will endeavor to explain."

The teacher makes a gesture, and once more a simple animation plays out on the board.

This time, the young mage casts a spell forming a length of wood upon which you see the word "Unbreakable". A hulking man picks up the wood, and snaps it over his knee. The mage frowns, then creates another piece with the words "Super Strong". This time he stops the man from picking it up, and smiles at you.

"Magic, for all its power, has one thing it has never been known to do. While objects touted as unbreakable, weapons described as all-destroying, effects believed to be unstoppable, and powers considered invincible have existed in the past, all have eventually been broken, stopped, or defeated. The only absolute it might be able to create is absolute zero, but that is a different type of absolute to the kind we are speaking of."

He stops and nods, continuing his explanation.

"This may seem obvious to you, but the primary purpose of this law is for you to keep in mind that no matter how strong your abilities may be, you can still be defeated. No matter how sharp your sword, things it cannot cut. No matter how impenetrable your defenses, things that can slip through. Overconfidence will lead to a painful defeat."

His speech concluded, your instructor once more asks for queries.

"Are there any questions?"

The perceptive among you might notice a strange expression in Liz's eyes as she responds to Ash.

"Just don't antagonize them needlessly. None will fault you for a death in battle, but... If you kill a man or woman trying to surrender, that wouldn't be very good of you."

Liz shakes her head again, the look in her eyes vanishing as quickly as it came.

"The best guess I can make is that someone wants to stop something that has been going on for a long time. The only one who might know where it came from is my deceased father, and... I truly have no idea what we might find. The more people we have to search and maybe stumble upon whatever it could be, the better."

Seeing that she wasn't likely to be receiving any more questions, Liz softly claps her hands to obtain everyone's attention before beginning to speak.

"To start off, I'd like to officially welcome everyone, even if one of the arrivals was a bit late" she says, grinning slightly at Tali.

"Now, moving onto more serious matters. The task I have hired all of you to assist me with is driving a group of lawless ex-military out from an old castle currently in my ownership. I emphasize drive out, not kill. Not unless things change when we arrive, at least. The simple fact is that while they have been harassing the nearby town of Landoww, I am unaware of any deaths they have caused, and suspect they may not necessarily be awful people beyond salvation."

Pausing briefly, she indicates the town (and castle's) location on the ink-stained map, they are seemingly situated to the northwest. It occurs to you that it's lucky the area you were interested in wasn't damage by the ink spillage - though it also occurs to you that it isn't really that important a detail.

"Naturally, that's not all there is to it. After we have secured the castle, we'll begin work on renovating and repairing it, to restore at least a small amount of its former glory. Some of you may be able to help with that if you desire, but ultimately you'll be there as advisers and guards. This is also when those of you who wish to leave will be paid for your work. I hope to one day turn that castle and town into a minor trading hub, and if we can manage to absorb some of the nearby land, it may have the potential to be a decent military force as well."

"And finally, the real reason I'm interested in that place. The other goals are just there as side-investments, backup plans for if the main goal doesn't work out..."

She pulls out a small piece of crinkled paper untouched by ink, and holds it up for the whole room to see, her face growing much more serious than you have seen her thus far.

~~So many times, so many deaths,
Each less meaningful than the last,
How much more should I see?
Of this eternal spiral.

One who finds this message, I implore you,
One who discovers the truth, I beseech you,
One who obtains the key, I beg you.

You must break the cycle,
The circle must be broken.~~

"Shortly before his illness and death, my father was obsessed with that castle. He might not have been the most sensible man in the world, but I trust his intuition. This note was clasped in his hand even as he died. I don't think the words are his, and I don't know where he found them, or what they mean," Liz shakes her head. "But... I am certain there is something important in that place, something he had yet to reach. Something he was looking for. I want to find it."

Alex nods, though adds something else to his confirmation with a small smile.

"You'll also need to work on your expressions a bit."