[*brrrrring!* Wake up! Time for class!]
[*brrrrring!* No for real.]
[*brrrrring!* Future me, I swear if you’re not up by now… we made these alarms for a reason!]
I swatted the last notification, mentally cursing past-me. I was up! I was out of bed before the first alarm had finished!
Granted, I’d almost shot someone who was walking past my window, but that was neither here nor there. I should ask for heavy curtains or something, as a safety precaution.
“Auri! It’s time for class!” I told my little friend.
“Brrpt…? BRPT!” She woke up in a start as my words made their way through her sleepy little head.
“You excited?”
“BRRRRRRPT!!!” Auri flew in circles around me. She couldn’t WAIT to go to school!
I grabbed my robes off the back of my chair and gave them a sniff. They very faintly smelled, and I needed to do laundry again. I was still limited to one set of robes, and putting on anything other than pristinely clean clothes felt greasy on my soul.
Like, sure, I was able to operate for months at a time wearing the same outfit, but that was different. I was in civilization, and when I was working in the field as a Sentinel, I was rarely taking anything off to put it back on - it just stayed on the entire time.
It was like how a shirt that was worn all day was fine, but putting on the same shirt after taking it off was less fine, because it was ‘dirty’.
Still, my options were as limited as my funds, most of which had gone towards making sure I had the proper school supplies. Those took priority.
“Fire bath?” I asked Auri.
“Brrpt!!” Nothing was better for the start of Auri’s day than trying and failing to light me on fire. It had the benefit of a full-body deep-clean to boot.
After checking that the coast was clear, I quickly dashed across the narrow hallway in the suite, and we were in the bathroom. I wasn’t about to let Auri go nuts right next to all my worldly possessions, and there was water here if things went horribly wrong.
I spread my arms out, opening my mouth slightly.
“Go!” I told Auri, and my world became flames.
Interestingly, I could see through the flames when I was completely coated by them. Normal fire I couldn’t, but there was some point where the flames obscuring my vision triggered some sort of “no no you can see through them” aspect to my immunity.
Magic was weird and cool.
“Thanks.” I croaked out after a few seconds, coughing up a bit of ash and licking my lips, trying to get some moisture going.
Benefit to keeping my mouth open - my teeth got cleaned as well.
Downside - my sinus cavities also got cleaned, my snot reduced to ashes, and my mouth was completely dry after.
Still, seconds to get a more thorough cleansing than hours in the shower? I had a packed schedule, and every minute counted.
“Brrrpt!”
“That was fun! Want to do it again?” I asked my little pyromaniac.
Instead of answering, Auri wrapped me in flames once again.
[*brrring!* We should be out the door by now!]
I glared at my overly-ambitious past self’s idea of how fast I could get ready in the morning, and elected to spend just a few moments more with Auri. After all, this was a moment we’d never get back.
[*brrring!* We should be dropping Auri off!]
[*ding!* [Wood Affinity] Leveled up! 3 -> 4]
[*ding!* [Timekeeping] Leveled up! 11 -> 12]
I hated past-me’s sense of time.
I spent a moment hitting snooze on a half-dozen alarms that were set to go off, only keeping the important ones, then checked that the hall was clear.
It wasn’t, Iona’s latest paramour leaving in the early hours. Bless the thick, enchanted walls, and bless Iona for being at her ‘friend’s’ place more often than coming back here.
The coast was clear a moment later, and I sprinted back across the hall to my room, throwing on my robes. I grabbed my bag, packed last night, and looked through it one last time.
My head itched, and I narrowed my eyes, looking around.
Ahha! My wand! I swiped it and stashed it in the sleeve of my robe.
[*ding!* [Something Doesn’t Look Right] Leveled up! 19 -> 20].
I felt a little attacked how quickly and easily I was leveling that one up.
“Are you ready for your first day of school?” I asked Auri.
“BRRRPT! Brrpt?”
She grabbed her little black hat off my desk and flew it over to me, clutching it in her beak.
“Of course! Hold still.” I took the little black witch’s hat from her, and put it on her head, carefully strapping it closed. How it didn’t burn, I had no idea.
Probably because Auri didn’t want it to burn.
“Yay! Let’s go! You’re going to have a blast!”
“BRRRPT!!!”
We left, heading over to Auri’s school.
Or tried to.
“Brrrpt….” Auri was hovering in the corner of the antechamber of the dorm.
“Oh come on! It’s not that bad!”
“BRPT!” Auri violently shook her head, indicating resolute refusal.
“Aoife Auri Stentor.” I put my hands on my hips. “You are not made out of sugar. You will survive a tiny drizzle.”
“Brrpt…………..”
“You’re hot enough that you’ll just burn the water away!”
“Brpt.” She shook her head again.
I rolled my eyes. I did not have time for this.
“I’ll put you under the [Mantle] and you’ll stay perfectly dry the entire time. Plus, school!”
“Brrrpt!”
Auri finally let me shield her from the incredibly light drizzle we were experiencing, but insisted on four layers to the shield. Just in case. That was stacked ontop of her [Domain of Fire] skill rejecting a portion of the rain.
We navigated our way through the well organized streets of the School, finding the lower education building. It was bright and colorful, with four different playgrounds around it. Two of them were clearly magical, a kid hovering and twisting in midair over a platform. A few kids, too young for their System to be unlocked yet, were playing on the equipment, while a slow stream of parents in robes brought their kids to the mini-school/daycare. Mostly, a few of them didn’t have obvious kids in tow. Maybe they were doing a pickup or something…?
I’d gotten the impression that the place was more than just a daycare for babies and toddlers, but the average age I was seeing worried me. I finally caught sight of what had to be an 11 year old going to the building, in full black robes like nearly everyone else, and it clicked.
Half the people streaming to the building were students, trusted to make their way over on their own, not the parents. That made more sense.
“Hello?” I asked as we entered the building. Most people seemed to know where they were going, but we were new.
“Brrrrpt?” Auri called out her own little greeting.
“Oh! Hello!” A green woman popped out of one of the doors, quickly looking at us then walking over. Flowers sprouted from the stone floor in her wake. “You must be Elaine! And this must be Auri!” Her words weren’t in High Elvish, but I caught the automatic translation well enough.
Her robes were also green, and I suspected she was a dryad, although I wasn’t quite sure how rude it was to ask what someone’s species was. It didn’t matter that much in the end.
“Yup! That’s us!”
“Brrrpt!”
“Welcome! I’m Bridget, I’m so glad you’re here. Do you know what you’d like Auri to study?” A branch extended from her shoulder, an apple forming at the end of it and dropping into Bridget’s hand. She offered it to Auri, who fluttered around the familiar fruit.
“Brrpt! Brpt brpt BRPT brpt.”
“Oh my! That’s quite a lot. And how old are you?”
“Brpt!”
“Wow! Impressive for such a young girl. Well! If your mom,” Bridget looked at me and tilted her head in a small question, a vine sprouting from her shoulder into a question mark. “Is ok with it, we can put you in the later years to study more.”
“Companion.” I gently corrected, although the assumption was… decent, I guess? For all I knew, magic made human to hummingbird totally possible. Or I was like Reinhard, and could transform. “And yes. The best learning she can get.”
“Well! We’ve come to the right spot, haven’t we? We’re going to have so much fun together!”
“Brrpt!”
Auri immediately flew off with Bridget, who started to give her the tour.
[*brrring!* Practice starts now!]
Shit!
I sprinted off towards practice, my speed and the small school being next to the practice arena saving my butt.
I had a moment to reflect on the interaction.
I was impressed that Bridget had understood Auri! I was guessing there was probably a skill for understanding toddlers that worked on her.
She seemed to be in good hands.
Practice was fine. A few teamwork exercises first to get us used to working with each other. They also doubled as physical exercise, although working together to walk over tight wires was trivial for the people with strong physical stats, and difficult for the pure mages.
It did neatly demonstrate that we needed to look after the mages, and showed the mages they needed to work on their physical skills. I didn’t count myself in their number - my level and stat distribution was closer to some of the physical classers, than the mages.
Individuals duels and feedback were next, before we wrapped up. Honestly, it was a cakewalk compared to Ranger Academy, which would’ve crammed five times the activities into the same amount of time.
We finished up early, letting everyone get to their first class on time.
I found myself sitting in a pre-scouted classroom. Front row, notebook at the ready, quill prepared, I sat and waited for “Introduction to Cultivation” to start.
[*ding!* [Organization] Leveled up! 9 -> 10]
Double-checking my mental notes, it was going to be cultivation or talismans. I was leaning towards talismans, having seen them a half-dozen times already, which was why I was checking out cultivation first. Introduction classes usually had a lot of fluff in the first class, just getting to know each other and going over fundamentals, and I wanted the cultivation fundamentals. I had rough ideas on talisman fundamentals.
[*brrring!* First class is starting, hope we’re in our seat!]
Awww yes. Beat my notification!
At the same time my notification went off, the door opened one last time, and a large albino triangle-headed snake slithered in, a gnome in black robes sitting cross-legged on his head. The snake slithered to the front of the room, and I leaned way back in my chair, instantly regretting my life choices.
The snake looked big enough to eat me, nevermind the gnome sitting on his head. It swayed up, the gnome opening her eyes.
I really, really, really hoped that this class was taught by the gnome, and not by the snake.
“Good morning.” The gnome said in Hakka, and I decided to look at the silver lining. Her words were being translated into High Elvish, and I could rapidly learn the languages by using the translator as a keystone. Back to the lecture.
“My name is Bai Luli, of the Bai clan. This here,” She patted her snake seat affectionately. “Is Albedo. I am to be your instructor on cultivation, and guide you through the profound mysteries of the great Dao.”
I had no idea what ‘Dao’ was, but I guess this was where technical terms and learning came into play. I started furiously taking notes, all while leaning away from the snake’s flicking tongue.
I started to pray that there’d be a break in the middle, and I could find a new seat.
“Now. This is the introductory class, and I suppose I must explain what cultivation is in slightly… different terms for you to understand.” Luli scowled and twisted her face, as the words came out with obvious distaste.
“Terminology is the start, and most important. What you call the System is the Blessing of the Heavens. What you call acquiring experience is obtaining qi. The different stages of classes are realms, and different levels are subrealms. Questions?”
I had a ton, but I was still in the ‘wait and listen, because most of my questions will be answered that way’ phase.
Not everyone had the same discipline I did, and a hand shot up. Albedo stopped staring at me, instead turning to look at the new victim - err - student.
“Yes?”
“How do cultivators, uh, obtain qi?” The student stumbled slightly, at least getting the right terms.
Luli smiled.
“Many different arts will claim that they are the best. However, cultivators have the best methods. One can choose to study the sublime art of potioneering as a cultivator, or as a wizard, but cultivators are superior. Normally I’d ask if anyone knew why, but this is an introductory class. You would not be here if you knew why.”
That was fair, and my quill danced over my paper, taking notes on almost everything being said. Just another way of learning.
“Meditation upon the profound Dao, and feeling the Qi in heaven and earth is what all cultivators want to do. This expands their internal Qi, empowering them to perform feats mere mortals can not hope to accomplish. That is why we are superior.”
My quill stopped as Luli stopped, and I thought about her words, translating them back into normal terms.
My jaw dropped.
Cultivators leveled up just by thinking about it.
Well, technically, they needed to meditate, not think about it, but the difference was academic. Mostly? Either way, it seemed like a stupid, broken hack that was entirely within how I knew the System to work.
Classes leveled up by doing what they wanted to be and do. A [Carpenter] leveled up by carving wood up, by say, making a table. A [Ship’s Carpenter] might get some experience by making a normal table, but they’d get a lot more for making a table in a ship.
It sounded like somebody had figured out a job that wanted to ‘think’ as its method of leveling up, then tied a bunch of other skills and abilities to that. Whoever had invented cultivation was a genius.
Hang on. I was assuming with the ‘bunch of other skills and abilities tied to it’ part. Question time!
I raised my hand after formulating a well-designed question.
“Yes?”
“What limits do cultivators have, in other words, what can cultivators not do that’s permissible in other System classes?”
I got a frown for that, and another flickering tongue in my face.
Gods, that snake had huge fangs.
“All is accomplishable with the Grand Blessing of the Heavens.” Luli practically sniffed at me for that question, but she did answer it.
“Now, next…”
Cultivation was interesting in that it opened up additional avenues for gaining experience, while still having all the benefits of a ‘normal’ class.
At least, that was how the introduction to the class framed it. There was an implication that a cultivator’s leveling speed dropped off as they leveled up, but that was true for everyone. Were they slower than a normal classer? There was usually a challenge or stress component to gaining experience. That was why fighting for my life, and healing people getting eaten by monsters, was such good experience, compared to tamer city or hospital-based healing.
They did make it clear that doing other things within the boundaries of the class also granted experience - errr - Qi. It was like how my [The Dawn Sentinel] class both wanted me to heal, and work as a Sentinel. The meditation part was simply a ‘broadening’ of what granted experience. Cultivators could spend as much or as little time meditating as they wanted. They often grabbed skills that helped them meditate, but they were often useless outside of meditation. Still, a skill to make the time zip by, not needing to eat or drink, was interesting. Basically a ‘lemme level up now, be right back’ type skill, although there was no telling quite how long a cultivator would be meditating when they did that.
I was having trouble believing it though. If it was true that cultivation was purely beneficial, why wasn’t everyone a cultivator?
There had to be more to it, and I only had about a week to decide if I was going to keep studying cultivation, or pick up talismans instead.
At the end of the class I tried [Dabble] to see if I could meditate in the way Luli described. It was like my consciousness expanded, and I could vaguely ‘feel’ around me - although that could’ve just been a side effect from closing my eyes, sitting still, and thinking about the world around me in combination with my stats.
[*ding!* [Dabble] Leveled up! 1 -> 2]
[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Studious Meditation]. Would you like to replace a skill with it? Y/N]
I ignored the notification. I was happy with my class skills.
[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the General Skill [Meditation]. Would you like to take it?]
More skills… I got offered them so easily here. I’d eventually find what I wanted, but right now wasn’t the moment. Nor would it be [Meditation].
I suppose my class was already capped, and even if I did level up, it’d be almost impossible to tell if it was because I was practicing meditation, or if it was because I was being a diligent student, practicing the various things I was told.
Busy, busy.
==============
“Transformation! We’re a bloody awesome field!” The professor, with the most ‘toeing the line’ set of black robes I’d ever seen, energetically paced in front of the classroom. There was a big rack covered with cloth near the front, and I was hoping it was something fun, and not more snakes.
I was safely in the middle seats this time, keeping a safe distance from any more shenanigans that might crop up. One snake eyeing me for a snack for two hours was plenty, thank you very much.
“The most famous example of transformers are the werewolves! A bloody fantastic lot! During the full moon they turn, and they can turn into wolves whenever they want! Any werewolves here today? Apart from myself.”
He grinned at us with too much teeth, his sheer passion for the subject bleeding through.
“Right! Transformation’s wonderful! You want claws? Transform into a wolf! You need teeth? Wolf! You need to run fast? Wolf!”
He grinned at his own joke, probably told a thousand times already, and I laughed along with most of the class.
“Being a little more serious for a moment. You want wings? Transform into a bird! You need to be strong? Find the right dinosaur! Nearly any problem has a creature that can deal with it! Or, maybe you just need a helping hand.”
His hand transformed into a black and furry paw at that. He looked at it a moment, grabbed it with his other wrist, and started screaming as the paw tried to attack his face.
“AHHH! It’s out of control! It’s going to get me! AHHHH!”
He wrestled with himself for a few moments in front of the class. Some students laughed, while others looked worried.
I was a little unimpressed, and the professor knocked it off soon enough.
“Everyone starts with partial transformations, and they can be good enough for the job! Time for an in-depth showing!”
He dramatically pulled the cloth off the block, revealing a rack of outfits. Each one looked like it was made out of animal skin, and I felt my eyebrows going up just a bit.
He grabbed one of the outfits - filled with feathers - and threw it on himself with a flourish. As the cloak went on him, he shifted and changed, until an eagle was hovering in front of us, flapping its wings impossibly slow.
Then somehow, he ‘grabbed’ the ‘clasp’ with his wing, and the cloak fell off, revealing the professor in front of us again.
I clapped wildly at his display as a few other students joined in. The professor bowed a few times.
“Thank you! Thank you! Onto the next one!”
As a learning opportunity? Watching the professor put on various cloaks and transform into a bunch of different creatures wasn’t exactly the best use of my time.
It was totally awesome though. Just… POOF! I’m an eagle! I’m an ankylosaurus! I’m a manticore!
POOF! I’M ANOTHER BLOODY GIANT SNAKE.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I was sitting in the middle of the room, far away from the constrictor, and he took his cloak off after a moment anyway.
I tried to transform my finger with [Dabble] at the end of the class into a talon, but while the skill leveled up, nothing happened. I put a question mark next to that.
[Something Doesn’t Look Right] didn’t ping either, although the skill was low level.
If I was doing something entirely wrong, I wouldn’t have gotten any [Dabble] levels. Interesting.
Transformation ended with a ‘maybe’ on my initial analysis. I’d need an entire class dedicated to it, and practical uses felt limited at first blush. The class was closely tied with biomancy though, and the lessons learned here were potentially applicable to that field of study.
Plus, he had a point. If I could simply transform into anything, that was a lot of the flexibility of biomancy, without a lot of the pain points. I needed to learn more.
But the professor was cool, and the magic was AMAZING, and that counted for quite a bit.
====================================
Comparative Elvenoid Anatomy was up next, and I was back in the front seat. The class was small, only about a dozen of us here, and I was the only purple robe. Everyone else had a [Healer] tag, and I got looks from everyone.
The mortal-healer-over-256 combination wasn’t one people saw every day, and I was a ‘new’ addition to this cohort of other healers, most of which had probably been taking classes with each other for a few months to a few years now.
I swear by my love of mangos, if Comparative Elvenoid Anatomy had giant snakes in it, I was done.
“Welcome. This class is Comparative Elvenoid Anatomy I. If you think you should be in a different class, this is the time to leave.”
The professor paused a moment, and nobody left.
“Excellent. You all know how this works. Now, as you all know, the Medical Manuscripts tend to use either human or elven anatomy to teach the basics. This course will begin to cover the subtle variations between the different species. There is much to cover, and little time. We will begin with the skeletal system.”
The professor waved his arm, and a few dozen different mirages of skulls popped into existence behind him.
“The horns of the elf can be seen on the dragonling, but the anchor point is higher up. Relatively, they’re in the same position, but dragonlings have a coronal suture that is further back, and…”
I had no time to ask questions, let alone practice hearing different words in different languages through the translator. My quill scribbled furiously as I took notes in the blistering paced lecture.
This class was going to be a challenge. At least there wasn’t a giant snake!
================================================
Class ran to the very last second, and while technically the cafeteria was near the hospital, I wasn’t the only one with the idea to grab lunch as soon as class ended. The place was swarmed with students all trying to grab food, and it would’ve taken too long to get through the lines, buy some food, and make it to my next class.
Ah well, skipping a meal wouldn’t kill me. I’d just make sure to grab a bigger breakfast and dinner from now on, and pack snacks.
=============================================
“Transmutation is the subtle art of turning one object into another.” The blue-robed professor was speaking softly, practically whispering. I could hear her just fine, but most of the other students were leaning forward, making sure to catch her every word. “The object is not conjured, oh no. It exists and is just as real as the object it was before. There is a correspondingly higher cost, but a proper Transfigurer is practically elementally unbound, capable of turning any substance into any other. It is a long and difficult path, but I hope those of you here will be willing to join me on this journey of discovery. Let me begin with some simple, yet subtle, word usage, just as the subject matter itself. Transmutation refers to changing the material. Transfiguration refers to changing the shape. The two are often used interchangeably, but are not.”
At the end of the class, I tore off a small strip of paper, giving [Dabble] a shot. I focused on the paper, remembering the lessons about how the more similar things were, the easier it was to transform them, and that my current element was Wood, which made things relating to nature just a bit easier.
I constructed a complex mental image, of paper becoming bark, and stretched [Dabble] to try and make something happen.
[*ding!* [Dabble] Leveled up! 6 -> 7]
I critically examined the piece of paper, flapping it around.
It did seem a bit stiffer…
Well, all these weak [Dabbles] told me that I loved having ALL THE MAGIC, I liked having effective magic more. Obviously [Dabble] would get stronger as I leveled, but even then… I wasn’t impressed.
It was worth considering narrowing my focus, and getting a powerful and effective class, than having lots and lots of weak magic.
Onto the next class! It was one I was extra excited about.
==========================================
“I am Lothar Glasswhistle.” A… I was pretty sure he was a beastkin, but all the reflective glass and dangling beads in his antlers made it hard to see if he had the characteristics of an elf. The purple robes both suggested an unusually high level for a mortal, but too low of a level for an Immortal teacher. He was carrying a gem-encrusted gnarled staff with one hand, and a course book with the other. “This course is the start of your journey into wizardry, the most profound, flexible, and powerful of the magics available to you. Indeed, little can be done with other magics that are not accomplishable, in some way, shape, or form, with wizardry. The only difference is time, and learning. It takes but a moment to gain a strong System skill, and to use it endlessly. It will take you considerably longer to properly educate yourself as a wizard, and to use the skills and abilities to create the same thing. However. Once you have reached that mark, there is nearly no skill that will not be open to you.”
He paused a moment, and my quill finished taking notes.
I glanced around at the other students, all black robed, still industriously writing away. Most of them at least, a few were chatting quietly with each other, not really paying attention.
It made me sick. This fantastic opportunity was being squandered. To talk. Honestly, why bother?
“Here is how wizardry works, in a nutshell. Please keep in mind that if you continue to pursue your education in this widest of fields, that you will continuously have your understanding of how wizardry works to be redefined, again and again. You may even develop a personal philosophy. To the topic.” Lothar tapped his staff, grabbing some wandering attention.
I turned my page, making sure I had a fresh, clean, new sheet of paper for this.
“The System allows for skills to create runes, inscriptions, sigils, incantations, or the like. I will refer to them all as runes, even though there are dozens of different names for varying subtypes. Linking the runes together, then pouring mana through it in an appropriate way, allows for various magical effects to occur, mimicking nearly any other skill the System can let you make.”
He paused a moment, letting people scribble away, then pointed at me.
“Excuse me. Miss. As the highest leveled here, is there a non-healing skill that you can safely demonstrate?”
I wasn’t thrilled with being singled out, but then again, I was the only purple robed student in a sea of black. The School had already singled me out, and I was more than happy to help.
I summoned a single butterfly above one finger, and my [Mantle] in the shape of a shield over a different finger.
Remus Legion tower shield, of course.
“Shield or explosive butterfly?” I offered him.
“I will demonstrate the butterfly. Radiance, correct?” He said, and I mentally dismissed my two creations.
“Correct.”
“Excellent. Now, many wizards can prepare their spells ahead of time, and store them in various ways. Often, wizards will obscure what they are doing, so that they are not interrupted, often for nefarious purposes. You will rarely see a full display like what I am about to do outside of a classroom setting, or a true fight where there simply is no time to obscure, and a new creation is needed. Now.”
He put his staff aside - and boy, did that ever generate a dozen more questions that I wanted to ask - and started tracing in the air. A full circle was the first thing he drew, almost as large as he was.
“This section here permits me to use this structure I’m creating.” He said after he ‘traced’ the first glowing line of mystic runes in the air, just under the top arch of the circle.
[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Runic Scribing]! Would you like to take the skill?]
Another student skill offered… I dismissed the notification, returning back to paying attention to the lecture.
“This next section allows for mana to flow… this is a linker… this shapes the object into a ball… this makes light… of a particular color… this gives it crude wings… apologies, this part is complicated and another skill of mine will fill it in, this lets me control it…” A huge chunk of runes appeared wholesale in the middle, more than tripling the length of everything else he’d done so far. “This gives wings motion… and I think I’m close enough for a sample, here are a dozen different closers I need to make the entire thing work.” He finished with a few more lines popping in just like the middle section.
“Voila!” The runes started to glow, then they coalesced into a tiny butterfly. Lothar gestured - I knew it had to be for dramatic effect, but good showmanship was critical for teaching - and the butterfly started to fly around his head.
“Now. I’ve cut the explosive aspect of Miss Elaine’s butterfly, don’t want that here.” There were some light chuckles as I did a double-take, then remembered that my name literally meant healer.
How crazy was that!? I knew why, but it still blew my mind every time.
“And it doesn’t fly as naturally, or look as pretty, but believe me, I could do all that given enough time and motivation. Additionally, all wizardry is more expensive from a mana standpoint than the corresponding sorcery. The advantage of the [Affinity] skills, and narrow skills can also have discounts. Wizardry, of course, has more breadth of skills and options. I simply wanted to demonstrate how wizardry cloned skills, a detailed demonstration before we start studying each individual piece. Seeing how it all comes together will motivate you and incentivize you all. I’m sure you all have questions. Ask.”
A barrage of questions occurred, some interesting, some inane. I leaned back and processed.
[Something Doesn’t Look Right] was a new skill. A low level skill. One I was unfamiliar with. It was no surprise that it took me ages to notice the tiny little voice saying I should double check things.
I checked my notes. All there.
“How do we know what runes do what? Excellent question. Fundamentally, we’re taught what they mean. There’s an entire field of study down the wizardry path called Runesmithing. [Runesmiths] create new sets of runes. There’ve been many! Each one had their own unique understanding, and created their own set of runes, cleverly devised to meet their needs. Now, most of these runic sets are poorly done, utterly outdated, too difficult to work with, or frankly useless. Here at the School we teach a handful of different sets, and as your path down wizardry continues, I strongly encourage you to focus on a few. They are as follows:”
I checked my timers. They looked fine, and why would it have changed recently? They weren’t why my skill was going off.
“Laconic Style is the oldest known style of wizardry, and is taught mostly from a historical perspective. It is old, clunky, and nearly every other established language is better, but at the same time, nearly every language is derived from it. The ur-language, if you will.”
Historical interest. Funny overlap with Origen’s hometown… although from what I’d heard of the Remus Empire, maybe not.
My ink hadn’t been replaced by invisible ink. Another thing checked. I was reaching here, but it was my first day, and some of the people in the lecture didn’t seem that interested. Pranks were a possibility.
“Nixia is obnoxious. Someone figured out that all wizardry could be boiled down to only eight different runes - one for each base element - and created a language with only that. It requires the longest casting by far, and every other rune you’ll handle can be expressed as a combination of those eight runes. For all my complaints about the language, it is literally the most fundamental language, and if it can’t be done in Nixia, it can’t be done.”
Eight runes sounded easy enough to learn… although making them into something useful seemed challenging. Like writing a book with only eight letters, each word would need to be significantly longer to make it work.
“Delas is a somewhat archaic and old style, but has been slowly and steadily used across the world for centuries. Rulers are often looking for people who are capable of using Delas simply to maintain their old wards, which gets a number of people proficient in using the language. This means when they go off to write warding schemes of their own, they tend to use Delas, and the cycle continues.”
That wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. I wanted to do cool stuff, not dabble in crusty old languages to work for someone else.
I wanted wizardry for me.
I checked my outfit. I hadn’t had a wardrobe malfunction. What was my skill pinging me about?
“Anaconda is the current popular rune set. Fast. Flexible. Neatly strikes a balance between different numbers of runes, and ease of learning. The popularity means a number of simple aspects already have pre-defined rune segments, making it easier to build complex mandalas. If you are looking for a language, Anaconda is a safe bet.”
Well, far from it for me to decry the expert, but WHY WAS IT FUCKING GIANT SNAKES AGAIN??? I suppose this one wasn’t literally in my face about it, but this was getting absurd!
There wasn’t a sign on my back, my hat was unmolested. Pranksters were rapidly falling off my list of why my skill was pinging at me.
“Octagony will twist your mind around.” Lothar held his hand up, an octahedron hovering in front of him. “It has a number of runes, but each rune is used multiple times in each mandala. In other words, if I put a single Rull rune into the Octagony matrix, it gets read eight times as the skill casts. This has the advantage of casting both quickly and flexibly, along with having a wide number of options, but crafting new Octagony spells is difficult. You will not be able to think of new ones on the fly.”
I marked that one high on my list. Sounded like a puzzle!
What was it that I was missing? What was I forgetting, or not noticing?
“Lastly is Jiwa, the language of the giants. Jiwa uses single runes to create massive effects, almost like a sorcerer would, with the flexibility of a wizard. However, what it gains in speed and power it loses in control. The rune for ‘magic missile’ will grant exactly one magic missile, traveling in a straight line towards your target. The power naturally scales with the amount of mana put into the rune, but there’s no zig-zag corkscrew magic missile rune. It simply can’t be done in Jiwa.”
That sounded great for a fight though. I added my thoughts to my copious notes on the subject, liking what I heard about wizardry more and more.
I’d need to check if my [Acolyte of Asura] class could use any of these languages.
Double checking everything I was looking at, while also paying attention to class was hard. The multi-tasking to find out what didn’t look right, while also taking notes, and thinking about the material and how it applied to me was hard.
[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the General Skill [Multi-Tasking]! Would you like to take this skill?]
Not now, my notifications-
Hang on.
My notifications.
I checked through the most recent ones, my eyes immediately going wide as I landed on one of them.
[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Runic Scribing]! Would you like to take the skill?]
That wasn’t asking me if I wanted to replace a skill.
That was asking me if I wanted to take a class skill. In my rush, I’d assumed it was another [Student of the Ages] skill.
No.
Taking it meant that it was a [Butterfly Mystic] skill.
Lothar was a Radiance mage. He’d traced the runes in light in front of him.
Which meant my class easily, almost like breathing, cribbed skills off of him.
Forget [Dabble]. I was going to find out how to be a real wizard.
[*brrrrring!* Wake up! Time for class!]
[*brrrrring!* No for real.]
[*brrrrring!* Future me, I swear if you’re not up by now… we made these alarms for a reason!]
I swatted the last notification, mentally cursing past-me. I was up! I was out of bed before the first alarm had finished!
Granted, I’d almost shot someone who was walking past my window, but that was neither here nor there. I should ask for heavy curtains or something, as a safety precaution.
“Auri! It’s time for class!” I told my little friend.
“Brrpt…? BRPT!” She woke up in a start as my words made their way through her sleepy little head.
“You excited?”
“BRRRRRRPT!!!” Auri flew in circles around me. She couldn’t WAIT to go to school!
I grabbed my robes off the back of my chair and gave them a sniff. They very faintly smelled, and I needed to do laundry again. I was still limited to one set of robes, and putting on anything other than pristinely clean clothes felt greasy on my soul.
Like, sure, I was able to operate for months at a time wearing the same outfit, but that was different. I was in civilization, and when I was working in the field as a Sentinel, I was rarely taking anything off to put it back on - it just stayed on the entire time.
It was like how a shirt that was worn all day was fine, but putting on the same shirt after taking it off was less fine, because it was ‘dirty’.
Still, my options were as limited as my funds, most of which had gone towards making sure I had the proper school supplies. Those took priority.
“Fire bath?” I asked Auri.
“Brrpt!!” Nothing was better for the start of Auri’s day than trying and failing to light me on fire. It had the benefit of a full-body deep-clean to boot.
After checking that the coast was clear, I quickly dashed across the narrow hallway in the suite, and we were in the bathroom. I wasn’t about to let Auri go nuts right next to all my worldly possessions, and there was water here if things went horribly wrong.
I spread my arms out, opening my mouth slightly.
“Go!” I told Auri, and my world became flames.
Interestingly, I could see through the flames when I was completely coated by them. Normal fire I couldn’t, but there was some point where the flames obscuring my vision triggered some sort of “no no you can see through them” aspect to my immunity.
Magic was weird and cool.
“Thanks.” I croaked out after a few seconds, coughing up a bit of ash and licking my lips, trying to get some moisture going.
Benefit to keeping my mouth open - my teeth got cleaned as well.
Downside - my sinus cavities also got cleaned, my snot reduced to ashes, and my mouth was completely dry after.
Still, seconds to get a more thorough cleansing than hours in the shower? I had a packed schedule, and every minute counted.
“Brrrpt!”
“That was fun! Want to do it again?” I asked my little pyromaniac.
Instead of answering, Auri wrapped me in flames once again.
[*brrring!* We should be out the door by now!]
I glared at my overly-ambitious past self’s idea of how fast I could get ready in the morning, and elected to spend just a few moments more with Auri. After all, this was a moment we’d never get back.
[*brrring!* We should be dropping Auri off!]
[*ding!* [Wood Affinity] Leveled up! 3 -> 4]
[*ding!* [Timekeeping] Leveled up! 11 -> 12]
I hated past-me’s sense of time.
I spent a moment hitting snooze on a half-dozen alarms that were set to go off, only keeping the important ones, then checked that the hall was clear.
It wasn’t, Iona’s latest paramour leaving in the early hours. Bless the thick, enchanted walls, and bless Iona for being at her ‘friend’s’ place more often than coming back here.
The coast was clear a moment later, and I sprinted back across the hall to my room, throwing on my robes. I grabbed my bag, packed last night, and looked through it one last time.
My head itched, and I narrowed my eyes, looking around.
Ahha! My wand! I swiped it and stashed it in the sleeve of my robe.
[*ding!* [Something Doesn’t Look Right] Leveled up! 19 -> 20].
I felt a little attacked how quickly and easily I was leveling that one up.
“Are you ready for your first day of school?” I asked Auri.
“BRRRPT! Brrpt?”
She grabbed her little black hat off my desk and flew it over to me, clutching it in her beak.
“Of course! Hold still.” I took the little black witch’s hat from her, and put it on her head, carefully strapping it closed. How it didn’t burn, I had no idea.
Probably because Auri didn’t want it to burn.
“Yay! Let’s go! You’re going to have a blast!”
“BRRRPT!!!”
We left, heading over to Auri’s school.
Or tried to.
“Brrrpt….” Auri was hovering in the corner of the antechamber of the dorm.
“Oh come on! It’s not that bad!”
“BRPT!” Auri violently shook her head, indicating resolute refusal.
“Aoife Auri Stentor.” I put my hands on my hips. “You are not made out of sugar. You will survive a tiny drizzle.”
“Brrpt…………..”
“You’re hot enough that you’ll just burn the water away!”
“Brpt.” She shook her head again.
I rolled my eyes. I did not have time for this.
“I’ll put you under the [Mantle] and you’ll stay perfectly dry the entire time. Plus, school!”
“Brrrpt!”
Auri finally let me shield her from the incredibly light drizzle we were experiencing, but insisted on four layers to the shield. Just in case. That was stacked ontop of her [Domain of Fire] skill rejecting a portion of the rain.
We navigated our way through the well organized streets of the School, finding the lower education building. It was bright and colorful, with four different playgrounds around it. Two of them were clearly magical, a kid hovering and twisting in midair over a platform. A few kids, too young for their System to be unlocked yet, were playing on the equipment, while a slow stream of parents in robes brought their kids to the mini-school/daycare. Mostly, a few of them didn’t have obvious kids in tow. Maybe they were doing a pickup or something…?
I’d gotten the impression that the place was more than just a daycare for babies and toddlers, but the average age I was seeing worried me. I finally caught sight of what had to be an 11 year old going to the building, in full black robes like nearly everyone else, and it clicked.
Half the people streaming to the building were students, trusted to make their way over on their own, not the parents. That made more sense.
“Hello?” I asked as we entered the building. Most people seemed to know where they were going, but we were new.
“Brrrrpt?” Auri called out her own little greeting.
“Oh! Hello!” A green woman popped out of one of the doors, quickly looking at us then walking over. Flowers sprouted from the stone floor in her wake. “You must be Elaine! And this must be Auri!” Her words weren’t in High Elvish, but I caught the automatic translation well enough.
Her robes were also green, and I suspected she was a dryad, although I wasn’t quite sure how rude it was to ask what someone’s species was. It didn’t matter that much in the end.
“Yup! That’s us!”
“Brrrpt!”
“Welcome! I’m Bridget, I’m so glad you’re here. Do you know what you’d like Auri to study?” A branch extended from her shoulder, an apple forming at the end of it and dropping into Bridget’s hand. She offered it to Auri, who fluttered around the familiar fruit.
“Brrpt! Brpt brpt BRPT brpt.”
“Oh my! That’s quite a lot. And how old are you?”
“Brpt!”
“Wow! Impressive for such a young girl. Well! If your mom,” Bridget looked at me and tilted her head in a small question, a vine sprouting from her shoulder into a question mark. “Is ok with it, we can put you in the later years to study more.”
“Companion.” I gently corrected, although the assumption was… decent, I guess? For all I knew, magic made human to hummingbird totally possible. Or I was like Reinhard, and could transform. “And yes. The best learning she can get.”
“Well! We’ve come to the right spot, haven’t we? We’re going to have so much fun together!”
“Brrpt!”
Auri immediately flew off with Bridget, who started to give her the tour.
[*brrring!* Practice starts now!]
Shit!
I sprinted off towards practice, my speed and the small school being next to the practice arena saving my butt.
I had a moment to reflect on the interaction.
I was impressed that Bridget had understood Auri! I was guessing there was probably a skill for understanding toddlers that worked on her.
She seemed to be in good hands.
Practice was fine. A few teamwork exercises first to get us used to working with each other. They also doubled as physical exercise, although working together to walk over tight wires was trivial for the people with strong physical stats, and difficult for the pure mages.
It did neatly demonstrate that we needed to look after the mages, and showed the mages they needed to work on their physical skills. I didn’t count myself in their number - my level and stat distribution was closer to some of the physical classers, than the mages.
Individuals duels and feedback were next, before we wrapped up. Honestly, it was a cakewalk compared to Ranger Academy, which would’ve crammed five times the activities into the same amount of time.
We finished up early, letting everyone get to their first class on time.
I found myself sitting in a pre-scouted classroom. Front row, notebook at the ready, quill prepared, I sat and waited for “Introduction to Cultivation” to start.
[*ding!* [Organization] Leveled up! 9 -> 10]
Double-checking my mental notes, it was going to be cultivation or talismans. I was leaning towards talismans, having seen them a half-dozen times already, which was why I was checking out cultivation first. Introduction classes usually had a lot of fluff in the first class, just getting to know each other and going over fundamentals, and I wanted the cultivation fundamentals. I had rough ideas on talisman fundamentals.
[*brrring!* First class is starting, hope we’re in our seat!]
Awww yes. Beat my notification!
At the same time my notification went off, the door opened one last time, and a large albino triangle-headed snake slithered in, a gnome in black robes sitting cross-legged on his head. The snake slithered to the front of the room, and I leaned way back in my chair, instantly regretting my life choices.
The snake looked big enough to eat me, nevermind the gnome sitting on his head. It swayed up, the gnome opening her eyes.
I really, really, really hoped that this class was taught by the gnome, and not by the snake.
“Good morning.” The gnome said in Hakka, and I decided to look at the silver lining. Her words were being translated into High Elvish, and I could rapidly learn the languages by using the translator as a keystone. Back to the lecture.
“My name is Bai Luli, of the Bai clan. This here,” She patted her snake seat affectionately. “Is Albedo. I am to be your instructor on cultivation, and guide you through the profound mysteries of the great Dao.”
I had no idea what ‘Dao’ was, but I guess this was where technical terms and learning came into play. I started furiously taking notes, all while leaning away from the snake’s flicking tongue.
I started to pray that there’d be a break in the middle, and I could find a new seat.
“Now. This is the introductory class, and I suppose I must explain what cultivation is in slightly… different terms for you to understand.” Luli scowled and twisted her face, as the words came out with obvious distaste.
“Terminology is the start, and most important. What you call the System is the Blessing of the Heavens. What you call acquiring experience is obtaining qi. The different stages of classes are realms, and different levels are subrealms. Questions?”
I had a ton, but I was still in the ‘wait and listen, because most of my questions will be answered that way’ phase.
Not everyone had the same discipline I did, and a hand shot up. Albedo stopped staring at me, instead turning to look at the new victim - err - student.
“Yes?”
“How do cultivators, uh, obtain qi?” The student stumbled slightly, at least getting the right terms.
Luli smiled.
“Many different arts will claim that they are the best. However, cultivators have the best methods. One can choose to study the sublime art of potioneering as a cultivator, or as a wizard, but cultivators are superior. Normally I’d ask if anyone knew why, but this is an introductory class. You would not be here if you knew why.”
That was fair, and my quill danced over my paper, taking notes on almost everything being said. Just another way of learning.
“Meditation upon the profound Dao, and feeling the Qi in heaven and earth is what all cultivators want to do. This expands their internal Qi, empowering them to perform feats mere mortals can not hope to accomplish. That is why we are superior.”
My quill stopped as Luli stopped, and I thought about her words, translating them back into normal terms.
My jaw dropped.
Cultivators leveled up just by thinking about it.
Well, technically, they needed to meditate, not think about it, but the difference was academic. Mostly? Either way, it seemed like a stupid, broken hack that was entirely within how I knew the System to work.
Classes leveled up by doing what they wanted to be and do. A [Carpenter] leveled up by carving wood up, by say, making a table. A [Ship’s Carpenter] might get some experience by making a normal table, but they’d get a lot more for making a table in a ship.
It sounded like somebody had figured out a job that wanted to ‘think’ as its method of leveling up, then tied a bunch of other skills and abilities to that. Whoever had invented cultivation was a genius.
Hang on. I was assuming with the ‘bunch of other skills and abilities tied to it’ part. Question time!
I raised my hand after formulating a well-designed question.
“Yes?”
“What limits do cultivators have, in other words, what can cultivators not do that’s permissible in other System classes?”
I got a frown for that, and another flickering tongue in my face.
Gods, that snake had huge fangs.
“All is accomplishable with the Grand Blessing of the Heavens.” Luli practically sniffed at me for that question, but she did answer it.
“Now, next…”
Cultivation was interesting in that it opened up additional avenues for gaining experience, while still having all the benefits of a ‘normal’ class.
At least, that was how the introduction to the class framed it. There was an implication that a cultivator’s leveling speed dropped off as they leveled up, but that was true for everyone. Were they slower than a normal classer? There was usually a challenge or stress component to gaining experience. That was why fighting for my life, and healing people getting eaten by monsters, was such good experience, compared to tamer city or hospital-based healing.
They did make it clear that doing other things within the boundaries of the class also granted experience - errr - Qi. It was like how my [The Dawn Sentinel] class both wanted me to heal, and work as a Sentinel. The meditation part was simply a ‘broadening’ of what granted experience. Cultivators could spend as much or as little time meditating as they wanted. They often grabbed skills that helped them meditate, but they were often useless outside of meditation. Still, a skill to make the time zip by, not needing to eat or drink, was interesting. Basically a ‘lemme level up now, be right back’ type skill, although there was no telling quite how long a cultivator would be meditating when they did that.
I was having trouble believing it though. If it was true that cultivation was purely beneficial, why wasn’t everyone a cultivator?
There had to be more to it, and I only had about a week to decide if I was going to keep studying cultivation, or pick up talismans instead.
At the end of the class I tried [Dabble] to see if I could meditate in the way Luli described. It was like my consciousness expanded, and I could vaguely ‘feel’ around me - although that could’ve just been a side effect from closing my eyes, sitting still, and thinking about the world around me in combination with my stats.
[*ding!* [Dabble] Leveled up! 1 -> 2]
[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Studious Meditation]. Would you like to replace a skill with it? Y/N]
I ignored the notification. I was happy with my class skills.
[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the General Skill [Meditation]. Would you like to take it?]
More skills… I got offered them so easily here. I’d eventually find what I wanted, but right now wasn’t the moment. Nor would it be [Meditation].
I suppose my class was already capped, and even if I did level up, it’d be almost impossible to tell if it was because I was practicing meditation, or if it was because I was being a diligent student, practicing the various things I was told.
Busy, busy.
==============
“Transformation! We’re a bloody awesome field!” The professor, with the most ‘toeing the line’ set of black robes I’d ever seen, energetically paced in front of the classroom. There was a big rack covered with cloth near the front, and I was hoping it was something fun, and not more snakes.
I was safely in the middle seats this time, keeping a safe distance from any more shenanigans that might crop up. One snake eyeing me for a snack for two hours was plenty, thank you very much.
“The most famous example of transformers are the werewolves! A bloody fantastic lot! During the full moon they turn, and they can turn into wolves whenever they want! Any werewolves here today? Apart from myself.”
He grinned at us with too much teeth, his sheer passion for the subject bleeding through.
“Right! Transformation’s wonderful! You want claws? Transform into a wolf! You need teeth? Wolf! You need to run fast? Wolf!”
He grinned at his own joke, probably told a thousand times already, and I laughed along with most of the class.
“Being a little more serious for a moment. You want wings? Transform into a bird! You need to be strong? Find the right dinosaur! Nearly any problem has a creature that can deal with it! Or, maybe you just need a helping hand.”
His hand transformed into a black and furry paw at that. He looked at it a moment, grabbed it with his other wrist, and started screaming as the paw tried to attack his face.
“AHHH! It’s out of control! It’s going to get me! AHHHH!”
He wrestled with himself for a few moments in front of the class. Some students laughed, while others looked worried.
I was a little unimpressed, and the professor knocked it off soon enough.
“Everyone starts with partial transformations, and they can be good enough for the job! Time for an in-depth showing!”
He dramatically pulled the cloth off the block, revealing a rack of outfits. Each one looked like it was made out of animal skin, and I felt my eyebrows going up just a bit.
He grabbed one of the outfits - filled with feathers - and threw it on himself with a flourish. As the cloak went on him, he shifted and changed, until an eagle was hovering in front of us, flapping its wings impossibly slow.
Then somehow, he ‘grabbed’ the ‘clasp’ with his wing, and the cloak fell off, revealing the professor in front of us again.
I clapped wildly at his display as a few other students joined in. The professor bowed a few times.
“Thank you! Thank you! Onto the next one!”
As a learning opportunity? Watching the professor put on various cloaks and transform into a bunch of different creatures wasn’t exactly the best use of my time.
It was totally awesome though. Just… POOF! I’m an eagle! I’m an ankylosaurus! I’m a manticore!
POOF! I’M ANOTHER BLOODY GIANT SNAKE.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I was sitting in the middle of the room, far away from the constrictor, and he took his cloak off after a moment anyway.
I tried to transform my finger with [Dabble] at the end of the class into a talon, but while the skill leveled up, nothing happened. I put a question mark next to that.
[Something Doesn’t Look Right] didn’t ping either, although the skill was low level.
If I was doing something entirely wrong, I wouldn’t have gotten any [Dabble] levels. Interesting.
Transformation ended with a ‘maybe’ on my initial analysis. I’d need an entire class dedicated to it, and practical uses felt limited at first blush. The class was closely tied with biomancy though, and the lessons learned here were potentially applicable to that field of study.
Plus, he had a point. If I could simply transform into anything, that was a lot of the flexibility of biomancy, without a lot of the pain points. I needed to learn more.
But the professor was cool, and the magic was AMAZING, and that counted for quite a bit.
====================================
Comparative Elvenoid Anatomy was up next, and I was back in the front seat. The class was small, only about a dozen of us here, and I was the only purple robe. Everyone else had a [Healer] tag, and I got looks from everyone.
The mortal-healer-over-256 combination wasn’t one people saw every day, and I was a ‘new’ addition to this cohort of other healers, most of which had probably been taking classes with each other for a few months to a few years now.
I swear by my love of mangos, if Comparative Elvenoid Anatomy had giant snakes in it, I was done.
“Welcome. This class is Comparative Elvenoid Anatomy I. If you think you should be in a different class, this is the time to leave.”
The professor paused a moment, and nobody left.
“Excellent. You all know how this works. Now, as you all know, the Medical Manuscripts tend to use either human or elven anatomy to teach the basics. This course will begin to cover the subtle variations between the different species. There is much to cover, and little time. We will begin with the skeletal system.”
The professor waved his arm, and a few dozen different mirages of skulls popped into existence behind him.
“The horns of the elf can be seen on the dragonling, but the anchor point is higher up. Relatively, they’re in the same position, but dragonlings have a coronal suture that is further back, and…”
I had no time to ask questions, let alone practice hearing different words in different languages through the translator. My quill scribbled furiously as I took notes in the blistering paced lecture.
This class was going to be a challenge. At least there wasn’t a giant snake!
================================================
Class ran to the very last second, and while technically the cafeteria was near the hospital, I wasn’t the only one with the idea to grab lunch as soon as class ended. The place was swarmed with students all trying to grab food, and it would’ve taken too long to get through the lines, buy some food, and make it to my next class.
Ah well, skipping a meal wouldn’t kill me. I’d just make sure to grab a bigger breakfast and dinner from now on, and pack snacks.
=============================================
“Transmutation is the subtle art of turning one object into another.” The blue-robed professor was speaking softly, practically whispering. I could hear her just fine, but most of the other students were leaning forward, making sure to catch her every word. “The object is not conjured, oh no. It exists and is just as real as the object it was before. There is a correspondingly higher cost, but a proper Transfigurer is practically elementally unbound, capable of turning any substance into any other. It is a long and difficult path, but I hope those of you here will be willing to join me on this journey of discovery. Let me begin with some simple, yet subtle, word usage, just as the subject matter itself. Transmutation refers to changing the material. Transfiguration refers to changing the shape. The two are often used interchangeably, but are not.”
At the end of the class, I tore off a small strip of paper, giving [Dabble] a shot. I focused on the paper, remembering the lessons about how the more similar things were, the easier it was to transform them, and that my current element was Wood, which made things relating to nature just a bit easier.
I constructed a complex mental image, of paper becoming bark, and stretched [Dabble] to try and make something happen.
[*ding!* [Dabble] Leveled up! 6 -> 7]
I critically examined the piece of paper, flapping it around.
It did seem a bit stiffer…
Well, all these weak [Dabbles] told me that I loved having ALL THE MAGIC, I liked having effective magic more. Obviously [Dabble] would get stronger as I leveled, but even then… I wasn’t impressed.
It was worth considering narrowing my focus, and getting a powerful and effective class, than having lots and lots of weak magic.
Onto the next class! It was one I was extra excited about.
==========================================
“I am Lothar Glasswhistle.” A… I was pretty sure he was a beastkin, but all the reflective glass and dangling beads in his antlers made it hard to see if he had the characteristics of an elf. The purple robes both suggested an unusually high level for a mortal, but too low of a level for an Immortal teacher. He was carrying a gem-encrusted gnarled staff with one hand, and a course book with the other. “This course is the start of your journey into wizardry, the most profound, flexible, and powerful of the magics available to you. Indeed, little can be done with other magics that are not accomplishable, in some way, shape, or form, with wizardry. The only difference is time, and learning. It takes but a moment to gain a strong System skill, and to use it endlessly. It will take you considerably longer to properly educate yourself as a wizard, and to use the skills and abilities to create the same thing. However. Once you have reached that mark, there is nearly no skill that will not be open to you.”
He paused a moment, and my quill finished taking notes.
I glanced around at the other students, all black robed, still industriously writing away. Most of them at least, a few were chatting quietly with each other, not really paying attention.
It made me sick. This fantastic opportunity was being squandered. To talk. Honestly, why bother?
“Here is how wizardry works, in a nutshell. Please keep in mind that if you continue to pursue your education in this widest of fields, that you will continuously have your understanding of how wizardry works to be redefined, again and again. You may even develop a personal philosophy. To the topic.” Lothar tapped his staff, grabbing some wandering attention.
I turned my page, making sure I had a fresh, clean, new sheet of paper for this.
“The System allows for skills to create runes, inscriptions, sigils, incantations, or the like. I will refer to them all as runes, even though there are dozens of different names for varying subtypes. Linking the runes together, then pouring mana through it in an appropriate way, allows for various magical effects to occur, mimicking nearly any other skill the System can let you make.”
He paused a moment, letting people scribble away, then pointed at me.
“Excuse me. Miss. As the highest leveled here, is there a non-healing skill that you can safely demonstrate?”
I wasn’t thrilled with being singled out, but then again, I was the only purple robed student in a sea of black. The School had already singled me out, and I was more than happy to help.
I summoned a single butterfly above one finger, and my [Mantle] in the shape of a shield over a different finger.
Remus Legion tower shield, of course.
“Shield or explosive butterfly?” I offered him.
“I will demonstrate the butterfly. Radiance, correct?” He said, and I mentally dismissed my two creations.
“Correct.”
“Excellent. Now, many wizards can prepare their spells ahead of time, and store them in various ways. Often, wizards will obscure what they are doing, so that they are not interrupted, often for nefarious purposes. You will rarely see a full display like what I am about to do outside of a classroom setting, or a true fight where there simply is no time to obscure, and a new creation is needed. Now.”
He put his staff aside - and boy, did that ever generate a dozen more questions that I wanted to ask - and started tracing in the air. A full circle was the first thing he drew, almost as large as he was.
“This section here permits me to use this structure I’m creating.” He said after he ‘traced’ the first glowing line of mystic runes in the air, just under the top arch of the circle.
[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Runic Scribing]! Would you like to take the skill?]
Another student skill offered… I dismissed the notification, returning back to paying attention to the lecture.
“This next section allows for mana to flow… this is a linker… this shapes the object into a ball… this makes light… of a particular color… this gives it crude wings… apologies, this part is complicated and another skill of mine will fill it in, this lets me control it…” A huge chunk of runes appeared wholesale in the middle, more than tripling the length of everything else he’d done so far. “This gives wings motion… and I think I’m close enough for a sample, here are a dozen different closers I need to make the entire thing work.” He finished with a few more lines popping in just like the middle section.
“Voila!” The runes started to glow, then they coalesced into a tiny butterfly. Lothar gestured - I knew it had to be for dramatic effect, but good showmanship was critical for teaching - and the butterfly started to fly around his head.
“Now. I’ve cut the explosive aspect of Miss Elaine’s butterfly, don’t want that here.” There were some light chuckles as I did a double-take, then remembered that my name literally meant healer.
How crazy was that!? I knew why, but it still blew my mind every time.
“And it doesn’t fly as naturally, or look as pretty, but believe me, I could do all that given enough time and motivation. Additionally, all wizardry is more expensive from a mana standpoint than the corresponding sorcery. The advantage of the [Affinity] skills, and narrow skills can also have discounts. Wizardry, of course, has more breadth of skills and options. I simply wanted to demonstrate how wizardry cloned skills, a detailed demonstration before we start studying each individual piece. Seeing how it all comes together will motivate you and incentivize you all. I’m sure you all have questions. Ask.”
A barrage of questions occurred, some interesting, some inane. I leaned back and processed.
[Something Doesn’t Look Right] was a new skill. A low level skill. One I was unfamiliar with. It was no surprise that it took me ages to notice the tiny little voice saying I should double check things.
I checked my notes. All there.
“How do we know what runes do what? Excellent question. Fundamentally, we’re taught what they mean. There’s an entire field of study down the wizardry path called Runesmithing. [Runesmiths] create new sets of runes. There’ve been many! Each one had their own unique understanding, and created their own set of runes, cleverly devised to meet their needs. Now, most of these runic sets are poorly done, utterly outdated, too difficult to work with, or frankly useless. Here at the School we teach a handful of different sets, and as your path down wizardry continues, I strongly encourage you to focus on a few. They are as follows:”
I checked my timers. They looked fine, and why would it have changed recently? They weren’t why my skill was going off.
“Laconic Style is the oldest known style of wizardry, and is taught mostly from a historical perspective. It is old, clunky, and nearly every other established language is better, but at the same time, nearly every language is derived from it. The ur-language, if you will.”
Historical interest. Funny overlap with Origen’s hometown… although from what I’d heard of the Remus Empire, maybe not.
My ink hadn’t been replaced by invisible ink. Another thing checked. I was reaching here, but it was my first day, and some of the people in the lecture didn’t seem that interested. Pranks were a possibility.
“Nixia is obnoxious. Someone figured out that all wizardry could be boiled down to only eight different runes - one for each base element - and created a language with only that. It requires the longest casting by far, and every other rune you’ll handle can be expressed as a combination of those eight runes. For all my complaints about the language, it is literally the most fundamental language, and if it can’t be done in Nixia, it can’t be done.”
Eight runes sounded easy enough to learn… although making them into something useful seemed challenging. Like writing a book with only eight letters, each word would need to be significantly longer to make it work.
“Delas is a somewhat archaic and old style, but has been slowly and steadily used across the world for centuries. Rulers are often looking for people who are capable of using Delas simply to maintain their old wards, which gets a number of people proficient in using the language. This means when they go off to write warding schemes of their own, they tend to use Delas, and the cycle continues.”
That wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. I wanted to do cool stuff, not dabble in crusty old languages to work for someone else.
I wanted wizardry for me.
I checked my outfit. I hadn’t had a wardrobe malfunction. What was my skill pinging me about?
“Anaconda is the current popular rune set. Fast. Flexible. Neatly strikes a balance between different numbers of runes, and ease of learning. The popularity means a number of simple aspects already have pre-defined rune segments, making it easier to build complex mandalas. If you are looking for a language, Anaconda is a safe bet.”
Well, far from it for me to decry the expert, but WHY WAS IT FUCKING GIANT SNAKES AGAIN??? I suppose this one wasn’t literally in my face about it, but this was getting absurd!
There wasn’t a sign on my back, my hat was unmolested. Pranksters were rapidly falling off my list of why my skill was pinging at me.
“Octagony will twist your mind around.” Lothar held his hand up, an octahedron hovering in front of him. “It has a number of runes, but each rune is used multiple times in each mandala. In other words, if I put a single Rull rune into the Octagony matrix, it gets read eight times as the skill casts. This has the advantage of casting both quickly and flexibly, along with having a wide number of options, but crafting new Octagony spells is difficult. You will not be able to think of new ones on the fly.”
I marked that one high on my list. Sounded like a puzzle!
What was it that I was missing? What was I forgetting, or not noticing?
“Lastly is Jiwa, the language of the giants. Jiwa uses single runes to create massive effects, almost like a sorcerer would, with the flexibility of a wizard. However, what it gains in speed and power it loses in control. The rune for ‘magic missile’ will grant exactly one magic missile, traveling in a straight line towards your target. The power naturally scales with the amount of mana put into the rune, but there’s no zig-zag corkscrew magic missile rune. It simply can’t be done in Jiwa.”
That sounded great for a fight though. I added my thoughts to my copious notes on the subject, liking what I heard about wizardry more and more.
I’d need to check if my [Acolyte of Asura] class could use any of these languages.
Double checking everything I was looking at, while also paying attention to class was hard. The multi-tasking to find out what didn’t look right, while also taking notes, and thinking about the material and how it applied to me was hard.
[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the General Skill [Multi-Tasking]! Would you like to take this skill?]
Not now, my notifications-
Hang on.
My notifications.
I checked through the most recent ones, my eyes immediately going wide as I landed on one of them.
[*ding!* You’ve unlocked the Class Skill [Runic Scribing]! Would you like to take the skill?]
That wasn’t asking me if I wanted to replace a skill.
That was asking me if I wanted to take a class skill. In my rush, I’d assumed it was another [Student of the Ages] skill.
No.
Taking it meant that it was a [Butterfly Mystic] skill.
Lothar was a Radiance mage. He’d traced the runes in light in front of him.
Which meant my class easily, almost like breathing, cribbed skills off of him.
Forget [Dabble]. I was going to find out how to be a real wizard.
