The Mad Skills Academy was a large brick building on top of a tall hill overlooking the Kingdom of Woodbury. The academy (MSA for short) was highly respected in Woodbury. Over the years, it had produced many great adventurers and warriors. That is because it trained its students in the most advanced magic and combat skills. Some of the things they taught have still not been mastered by some other experienced adventurers. However, it was such a good school that only the best of the best could get in.
Torby Jacobson was one of these people. Though he was not quite at the top of the class, nor anywhere near it, he had great potential, being from a long line of skilled mages. Recently, the summer had ended and Torby would be returning to MSA to complete his tenth year of education. He really didn't want to go. Though he lived on his own and could make his own choices, he decided that he should go back to school for his own good. At least there was next summer to look forward to.
When the first day of school came, Torby woke early and miserable. Classes began early at MSA, so Torby had to wake up even earlier. He crawled out of bed and showered, then got dressed in his usual clothes: a green t-shirt, tan cargo shorts, a blue cape-looking thing with a high collar, and a pointed brown hat. He had enchanted it to make his face dark and shadowy, and his eyes glowing and yellow. He liked to avoid having people see his face. Torby was a short guy with an inferiority complex and greatly disliked most people. After he scarfed down his breakfast and assembled his belongings, he disappeared into thin air.
Instead of ceasing to exist, as many people may have thought he did, he instead appeared in front of MSA. This was one of his many mad skills that he had learned at school, and it was entirely useful. It was incredibly draining, though, and Torby felt even more exhausted when he reappeared. He shuffled in the front doors, through the maze like hallways, and eventually to his locker. He deposited his stuff in his locker, checked his schedule that he had received in the mail several days earlier, and went to his first class: Magic Studies.
Magic Studies was an incredibly hard class, but it was greatly beneficial because of all the spells they learned. Torby came in, guzzling the last of his energy-restoring Ether (he needed all the energy he could for this class), and sat down in an empty seat next to his friend, Casey. Casey was an odd fellow with abstract sense of humor. He always wore a black headband, a black coat, black pants, black shoes, a black shirt, and dark sunglasses. He looked like the sort of person that would work for some secret agency in a movie. According to Casey, he did work for a secret agency, but apparently, it didn't exist yet, whatever that meant.
Torby looked to his right and saw that his other friends, George and Dan were sitting at the table there. George had shaggy brownish-blond hair and almost always wore black or grey t-shirts that bore band logos and big, baggy pants with many pockets to store the items he stole. He was a rather indecisive person who didn't talk much if he didn't have to. Dan was George's partner in crime. He dressed similar to George, but his hair was black and shaggy. Though he was a year older than Torby, Casey, and George, he was in this class because he failed it last year.
Before Torby could mumble a greeting to them, the teacher came in and class began. It passed uneventfully, as did the rest of the day. They went over several syllabuses (syllabi?) and ended the day with too much homework, especially for the first day of school. During the rest of his classes, Torby saw a bunch of his other friends, like Fred, Craig, and Travis.
Fred was one of the most intelligent kids in the school and was several grades ahead in magic (the most complicated element of combat). Craig was one of those big people that sit in the corner and don't talk. Only he didn't sit in the corner. Travis was big, cocky jerk, but there was something about him that made you not hate him. Most of the day was spent reminiscing about yesteryear rather than paying attention in class.
Finally, the end of the day came. This was Torby's favorite part of school. He crammed all of his homework and stuff into his backpack, decided he couldn't be bothered with carrying it, and teleported it to his house. He ran out front and met George and Dan. Casey always seemed to disappear after school, and was never around. But George and Dan were cool.
