《ARCANIST》 1 - Intro Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. 2 - Meeting of the Minds Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! 3 - Apprentice Meeting "By the gods, that is most foul," Fren spurted as he tried to breathe. The wine that Kagen had made was not much better than the previous batch, but it smelled better. He had brought three different types of wine with him this time and was getting us to taste-test them. Each was more foul than the last. Kagen was a journeyman but was closer to the apprentices than the other journeymen. He was raised to Journeymen when the others were given their second Vocation. It was all very sudden, and Kagen preferred staying with the people he knew than hanging with the other Journeymen. "Would it not be healthier to just grab a bottle of real wine from the Kitchen?" Roland asked as he looked at the bottle being passed around as if it were a venomous snake. "Where would the fun be in that?" Bren asked, taking a sip like a real trooper. She was almost able to keep a straight face until she opened her mouth to breathe. "It burns," she gasped. Sarah grabbed the wine bottle from Bren and sniffed, "Are you sure this won''t make us go blind? I heard of people who tried to make this stuff, and they ended up going blind." Kagen smiled, "They were making moonshine. I am making wine. A very different animal." "Still tastes more like horse piss than wine," Fren added. "Better than the goblin piss he made last time," Brian muttered. "You never told us what Word of Power you use to make this with. Transmutation?" Brian had asked Kagen several times what the Word was, and he steadfastly refused. "I bet the word is Poison," Fren quipped with a chuckle. When he noticed Kagen''s frown and a slight blush, he shrieked, "You son of a bitch, it is Poison, isn''t it!" Kagen held up his hands in defence, and Fren reached out a meaty hand to grab him, "Of course it is Poison. What do you think wine is made from? So are ale, mead, and other alcoholic drinks. They''re all poison." "Are you serious?" Roland said as he shifted away from Kagen, "You know it is a crime to try and poison a member of the Royal family," he continued. Roland was the nephew of the King and made sure that everyone was reminded about it at least once a day. Bren turned to Roland, "Are you still a member of the Royal family? I thought you had to give that all up when you became a mage?" Roland looked like he had swallowed a bug, "Yes. I am still a member of the Royal family. I just had to give up all my titles, lands and any chance at the throne." "You were in line for the throne?" Brian asked. He was not sure how the lines of succession worked, but the idea that one day, Roland could be King was mind-boggling. "I was tenth in line," Roland responded, looking down at his hands. The others could see that he was not happy about losing his position. "Well, I don''t think it is fair," Bren pipped up, "Just because a bunch of mages tried to usurp the throne a hundred years ago is no reason to ban all mages from holding titles and stuff. It is not our fault." "You know as well as we do that the mages back then almost succeeded," Fren countered. "If it were not for a group of other mages defending the throne, we would be living in a very different world right now." "Where we would either be dead or enslaved," Sarah added. The organization that tried to take over the throne was led by a man of incredible power. He wanted to enslave all mages and use their power to increase his. The fact that he almost succeeded was a very scary idea for a lot of people, and it was for that reason that changes were made that prevented mages from getting into a position of power like that again. It was too bad that Roland could never become King, but it was better than what might have happened. "You would think that poison would taste better than this shit," Bren said as she picked up one of the other bottles. "Don''t you want to encourage people to drink it?" Before Kagen could answer, Alek showed up. He was the apprentice to Mistress Cordelia. "Knew I would find you guys here. Is that the new batch of wine?" Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Yes," Kagen said with a smile and pointing out the three bottles, "Three different flavours, so pick your poison." Alek looked around at his friends, "Why is everyone laughing?" ********************************** The next couple of weeks fell into a strange routine. In the early morning, all the mages, except for the Masters, fell out into the courtyard, and Rogdar began training them in physical exercise. For the first couple of days, most of the mages made a joke of it, but when it came to time to run around the Fortress, many of them started to seriously complain. Some cheated by using spells to augment their speed, and others just disappeared. By the fourth day, hardly anyone showed up other than the apprentices and a few of the journeymen. Rogdar was not pleased by this turn of events, but this did give Brian a chance to finally meet Hanzel, the mage who had an abrasive personality and wanted to kill everyone. She was as pleasant as she sounded. Brian thought the only reason she was even there was that she respected Rogdar because she kept her eyes on him the entire time she was in the courtyard. She was one of the few that worked hard at getting in shape, not that she really needed to. She was very attractive and appeared very fit. Brian wasn''t sure what her story was, but he noticed that many of the other mages kept a distance from her. "You best hope she doesn''t notice you are staring at her," Alek whispered to Brian. "What?" "You''re staring, and she is not known for being friendly. If she noticed, she would probably come over here and beat you death with your own eyeballs". Alek laughed at his own joke. "That doesn''t even make sense," Bren commented. "Exactly," Alek said a little too loud and got the attention of most of the people in the courtyard. "That is exactly the muscle I need to work on," he covered with a grin. "Smooth," Brian whispered. "I am not the one trying to ogle death." Later that night, Hanzel ran into Brian in the Dinning hall. Brian lost his balance as she slammed him into a wall and held him there with her forearm across his throat. "If you want to keep your eyes in your head, I suggest you keep them to yourself!" Brian smiled at her, "And miss out on seeing such a beautiful young lady as yourself? Never." Hanzel stepped back a bit and slammed back into Brian, "Don''t push your luck, Apprentice, I have no use for people like you." "Of course you do," Brian whispered to her, "You can''t go around picking on people who are stronger than you, so you have to target people who are weaker. This makes you look stronger than you really are. You need me to be scared so that other people will be scared of you. But I am not." "What is going on there," Rogdar shouted from across the room. Hanzel stepped back from Brian and released him from being pinned to the wall, "Nothing." Brian just laughed. "Something funny, Apprentice?", Rogdar asked with a glare. "Yes, Adept," Brian replied. Rogdar narrowed his eyes, "Care to explain?" "Just that Journeyman Hanzel thought that threatening me with bodily harm was an appropriate social response because I dared to look at her in the exercise yard," Brian said. The crowd of mages in the room froze in place. It was one thing to see it happening and another to have it spoken out loud. Rogdar turned to Hazel, "Is this true Journeyman Hanzel." "He looked at me with male desire!" Hanzel hissed. Rogdar sighed, "What have I told you about this. If someone says something or does something to offend you, you need to speak with me first". Rogdar turned to Brian and noticed the spilled food on the floor, "Please clean this mess up, and we will discuss this matter later, Apprentice." Brian looked at the mess on the floor and shook his head, "I am sorry, Adept, I am happy to clean up after my Master when he makes a mess, or even myself, but she can clean up her own." And with that, he moved to the serving table to get another plate of food. "What in the Seven Hells is wrong with you!" Bren hissed at him when he sat down at their table. "She is all bark and no bite, or so I was told. Also, she is a bully that gets her way through fear. If you don''t fear them, they can''t control you," Brian explained. "She may not be able to control you, but she could probably break your neck," Fren commented from across the table. "You can''t let bullies control you. They may hurt you, but they are like cockroaches. Shine a light on their activities, and they scurry away. "And what was that with talking back to Rogdar. That was dumb." "Asking me to clean up the mess that she made was not fair. I merely pointed it out. "Ya, in front of everyone. You need to learn when to pick your battles. "I did. Standing up to Rogdar like that, I make it clear to everyone else in the room that if I was not going to back down Rogdar, I would not back down from them. That probably saved me a bunch of unnecessary confrontation in the future", Brian added as she shoved food into his mouth. Fren looked around the room, "I always knew you were a cocky son of a bitch, but this was a whole new level of cocky. Rogdar is going to kick your ass?" Brian thought about that for a moment. Fren was right. He never spoke to the Masters like that and never would. But the Journeymen had been giving the Apprentices grief for the past two weeks. Although they never came to a confrontation like today, it was brewing. Usually, it was snide comments or some posturing in some way, but this interaction with Hanzel was different. She was a bully, and Brian grew up with two older brothers who were bullies. He learned early on that the best way to deal with them was to fight back. Bullies were interested in easy prey, not someone who fought them, even if they were stronger. It didn''t always work for the victims, but in this case, he would take the sore throat as a victory. "I don''t like bullies," he said, taking a bite out of an apple. 4 - A meeting with the Master, Part 1 Brian walked into the main room he shared with Master Nigel carrying a plate of bread, meat and cheese, "Master, do you have a moment." Master Nigel didn''t even bother to look up from the parchment he was reading and just grunted, "How can I help?" Brian put the platter on the table, "Have you had lunch yet?" "I had breakfast only a couple of hours ago," Master Nigel muttered, this time picking up the second piece of parchment and comparing the information on the two. Brian slid the platter of food towards Master Nigel with a smile, "It is more than two hours past lunch, Master. You should eat." Master Nigel finally looked over at Brian and scowled. Then, his stomach growled, and he rumbled loudly in the quiet room. "Traitor," Master Nigel said of his stomach, and Brian laughed. "It is no traitor if it keeps you alive, Master." Master Nigel harrumphed but reached for some cheese and a slice of meat. He brought the meat to his nose and sniffed, "Is this ham?" "I think so. The cook didn''t tell me. She just handed me the tray", Brian replied in the way of explanation. Master Nigel harrumphed again and started making a sandwich. Brian sat down next to his Master, "It has been more than two weeks since I earned my second Vocation, and we have not had a chance to do any training. Do you think we may have some time today?" Master Nigel leaned back in his chair, taking a bite of his sandwich, "Has it been that long?" Brian just nodded. "I am sorry," Master Nigel said, "I had not realized that I had been so remiss in my responsibilities." "Do you have some time now?" Brian asked hopefully. "Not really, but if we keep putting it off, we will never find the time." Brian smiled at the promise of some training. Master Nigel leaned forward and slid the food platter over to be between them, "Let''s have a bite to eat while we review your current status. You have only been my Apprentice for two weeks, and other than a few conversations around the fire, you and I haven''t talked. Now, I read your report from school, but it doesn''t tell me much. So, let''s start from the beginning, shall we?" Master Nigel smiled as Brian nodded in agreement, his mouth full of cheese, "Good. Your records show that you were made a Novice Mage when you joined the Academy two years ago. Correct?" Brian nodded again. "And, due to the war, you agreed to take your test for Apprentice Wizard two years early." Brian nodded again. A large group of Novices agreed to join the war if they succeeded in getting their second Vocation. The tests were grueling, more so for the Masters than the Novices. At the same time, several Apprentices decided to try and get their third Vocation early and become Journeymen. They were only allowed to do this if they agreed to join the war. Not as many were successful, but there were some. The last group of people to join up with Master Nigel were the Journeymen who were already that rank and who had heard about the Call to Arms. They knew that the recruiting would be at the Academy and showed up, ready to join. Brian frowned, "I am surprised we only have Rogdar as our only Adept. I thought there would be more, considering the number of Masters we have with us." "The only reason there are as many Masters here is the Academy. Once a mage reaches Adept, they tend to become reclusive and avoid populated areas. As Journeymen, they are still learning their trade," Master Nigel explained, "If they can become a Master, they need to find employment while perfecting their skills and becoming a Sage. Most mages never make it to Master, let alone Sage." "Why not?" Brian asked. Master Nigel shrugged, "A hundred different reasons, I suppose. Time, money, family, life. All good reasons to distract someone from progressing as a mage. Some find they don''t like it as much as they did as they were younger, some decide to take a different path entirely, and some don''t survive long enough. To be a Master takes a great deal of commitment and perseverance. Many don''t have that." Brian paused in his chewing and thought about what Master Nigel said. It was true. The amount of effort that was necessary to become a Master was staggering. He was lucky that he qualified for Apprentice after only two years, but Master. That was something else entirely. "Do you think you have what it takes?" Master Nigel asked him, giving him a steely stare. Brian looked over at his Master and smiled, "If the gods don''t stand against me, I will." Master Nigel returned the smile, "Then let''s see how you have progressed. How are your Mental Attributes?" Brian smiled and grabbed some more cheese and meat, "Well, my Intelligence is up to 78, but my Focus and Wisdom have stayed the same at 67 and 71." Intelligence was how well he retained information. Focus was how well he maintained concentration on one thing without his mind wandering or being distracted. Wisdom had to do with his decision-making abilities. "I figured you would see increases to your Attributes with travelling on the road and being exposed to new things." Brian shrugged. He was sure it had to do with one of the other mages learning a new spell that created wine. The stuff smelled offal, tasted worse, but worked at getting you drunk. He didn''t remember much of that one night. Not that he would admit to any of that. Any gains he may have made during the trip were probably lost that night. "Did you see any improvements on your Social Attributes?" Master Nigel paused to pour two mugs full of watered-down wine. "With all your interactions with new people, that should have helped." Brian looked at his Sacred Scroll a moment before reporting, "Wits is still high at 84. Presence is 32, and Charm is 47" Brian frowned as he discussed his Presence and Charm. "Are you upset that two of your Attributes are below 50?" Master Nigel asked carefully. Brian sighed, "I don''t know. No one likes to be thought of as below average. Especially when it comes to Presence." Presence was known to represent one''s appearance, how much they stand out from a crowd or how much they catch your eye. It was primarily first impressions. Having an Attribute at 32 was well below average. Charm was how charismatic you were. It is an Attribute that determines how much people like you after they talk to you or get to know you. His was average. At least his Wits was high. 84 was his highest Attribute and meant that he was very quick on his feet, having quick wits. Of course, that was tempered by his age. "Remember, all of this is fluid. In ten years, these Attributes will all change. Hopefully, by going up, but that is not always the case. My Focus has dropped by almost two points in the past ten years, and I don''t expect to see that changing any time soon. It has to do with age. How did your Physical Attributes fair during the ride?" Brian grimaced, "They are still horrible, Strength is 38, Endurance is 42, and Dexterity is 41." If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "I am confident that your Endurance and Dexterity both increased." Brian nodded, "Yes, but more than two points each, and my legs are still sore from riding out here." "It was better than walking, so don''t complain. Besides, we needed to get here quickly." Master Nigel paused to consider his words, "You are lucky. You are at the age when most of your Attributes advance quickly with use." "Master, who decides what the Sacred Scroll shows us? I mean. I know the numbers are a numeric representation of ourselves, but who decides that it should be?" Master Nigel scratched at the beard on his cheek before answering, "The easiest answer is the gods. You already know the story of how the Sacred Scroll came to be, but no one can say with any certainty if it is the gods or a specific god or something else. Of course, if anyone asks, we always say it is the gods." "But the priests can talk to their god, haven''t they asked? Surely they would know." "Perhaps. For some Priests, it is inconceivable that their god is not responsible, in some way, for the Sacred Scroll. It would never occur to them to even ask the question." Master Nigel let Brian contemplate that for a few moments before continuing, "Now, let''s talk about your Words of Power. What level are your Words that you got as a Novice Mage?" "Elemental (General) is 8, Summoning (General) is 3, Enchanting (General) is four and Protection (General) is 4. "That is good. You will need to get them all over level 10 before you are permitted to become a Journeyman. Your new Words will need to be over level 5 as well. How are they coming along? "Elemental (Fire) is 2, Elemental (Earth) is 2, Elemental (Water) is 1 and Divination (General) is 2", Brian said with his voice going softer. Master Nigel frowned, "That is my fault, not yours. I never taught you any of the spells to go with it. The fact that they are not at level 1 is impressive. You have been busy, even if I have been negligent in teaching you. How did you accomplish that?" "I used the spells I learned from Elemental (General), as well as the Primer we were given in the Academy. I converted General Patterns to their base forms and then applied them to their Elemental forms. I already had Fire Light from Elemental (General) and added it to Elemental (Fire). It sucks that I have a duplicate Pattern, but the new Pattern is stronger. I created Sense Earth for Elemental (Earth) and Purify Water for Elemental (Water) from the Primer. I got Fren to teach me a quick spell called Sense for Divination. It has a really short range, but it is great for sensing things around you." Master Nigel observed Brian. An Apprentice teaching a spell to another Apprentice was against the rules of the Mage College. Not that they are still there. And for him to convert those three spells from more complex spells was a feat all on its own. That wasn''t easy to do and could be very dangerous. "I want you to show me the spells you converted and how you did them. All your notes, too. It is perilous to do that, but I want to see your methodology since you succeeded." Brian went into his room and grabbed the notes he kept in a small book, and brought them over to Master Nigel, who had cleared some space in front of himself. Master Nigel and Brian spent the next hour reviewing the steps he went through to convert the more complex spells he had in his Elemental Primer into the Elemental Word of Power to Fire, Water and Earth. The only spell he already knew was Fire Light. After the review and the dozens of questions, Master Nigel smiled and reached for his pipe, "Excellent work. In the future, you will need to present me with your work before you try your hand at this again. It can be dangerous and affect your ability to grow. A level one spell may only have a mild backlash if done incorrectly, but a level ten could quickly kill you." Brian could only nod. He knew he was taking a risk but also knew the risks were minimal, and he was meticulous in his work. "Now, tell me about your Magical skills." "My Directed Spells is at 8, Spellcraft is at 12, Ritual is a 4, and Magic Awareness is at 2" Brian frowned at the review. All were pretty good except for Magic Sense. Directed Spells was from Elemental and helped him with his attack spells. Spellcraft was used for creating new Patterns that were used in Enchantment. Ritual was specific to Summoning and allowed a caster to substitute a Ritual for a spell they don''t know from that Word of Power. Magic Awareness was important for detecting Protection. He never used it because he had Wizard Sight. "I read that you had Mage Sight. That is a terrific Advantage, but you can''t rely on it much. You need to turn it off and use your Magic Sense instead. I want to see improvement on that Skill at our next meeting", Master Nigel admonished. No one knew that Brian had Wizard Sight instead of Mage Sight. It did the same thing, except that he saw magic in colour instead of just seeing magic. This made a huge difference, as he could tell the types of spells people were casting. It also allowed him to see the Pattern locked in a Matrix instead of just seeing the Matrix. Again, very handy, as you can only cast spells in your Matrix, and if you know what spells a mage has prepared, that gives you the upper hand. Brian nodded again. Not much you can do when you''re given a direct order, "I have one more new Skill from Divination called Prediction." "Good luck with that one," Master Nigel frowned, "I was never very good with divination. Mistress Zara might be able to help you with ways to practice that skill". Brian leaned forward and whispered, "Can it foretell the future?" Master Nigel laughed, "We can launch fire through the air and cause the earth itself to shake, but you draw the line at believing that fortune-telling is real?" Brian couldn''t help but smile, "I guess that believing that one can tell the future means that the decisions we make don''t matter because things will happen a certain way anyway." "You mean that things are predestined," Master Nigel clarified. "Exactly. If our decisions are already determined, then do we have any control over our fates." Master Nigel picked up a cracker and held it over the table''s edge, "If I drop this cracker, will it hit the floor?" Brian narrowed his eyes, becoming suddenly suspicious, "So long as no external forces influence the outcome." Master Nigel smiled, "Good point. Is it fortune-telling to know that if I drop this cracker and neither one of us use magic to stop its descent, it will hit the floor?" "No," Brian shook his head, "It is a known probability." Master Nigel popped the cracker in his mouth, "There you go," he said between crunches, "That is what fortune-telling is all about. Master Nigel used a napkin to wipe his mouth, "Knowing what will happen based on what you know about the people involved and what they are most likely going to do based on their circumstances, their options available to them and their disposition. Some things are straightforward to figure out. Other things are hard. As your Skill in Prediction increases, you will learn to see patterns in the way people behave in the way events unfold, and you will learn how to predict how people will respond. It requires a very high Wits and an excellent Perception." Brian mulled over Master Nigel''s words as he sipped at his wine. "Are people that predictable?" Master Nigel shrugged, "Most. Some try to be unpredictable, but even that can be predictable." Master Nigel noticed that Brian was not convinced yet, "If you go to Mistress Zara and she says, ''I know why you are here.'' Is it seeing the future? Or did she know that you learned Divination as a new Word of Power? She knows that I am horrible at Divination and probably don''t have an outstanding Prediction Skill and would suggest you talk to her instead of trying to teach you myself. Therefore, she knows that you will show up in the next day or two and ask her to teach you the Skill. See. The Pattern is there. You only need to open your eyes to see it. As you get to know people and how they behave, you will be able to predict their responses to certain things. This can help you in being prepared." Brian nodded at this. Being unprepared was the bane of all casters. Mages only had one Matrix for each Word of Power. Each Matrix can only have one Pattern or Spell. The mage could be in trouble if they prepared the wrong spells. Master Nigel changed the subject, "You mentioned that your Spellcraft was at level 12. That is impressive considering you are an Apprentice Wizard and not an Apprentice Enchanter." Brian grinned, "They are fundamentally the same. The spells we learn are just Patterns that we put into a Matrix. When we Enchant an item, we are creating a Pattern. Almost the same Pattern we put in a Matrix. Once I realized that they were the same, I could apply the same rules for modifying Patterns as I could to modifying an Enchantment." "Are you sure you are just an Apprentice?" Brian blushed, "Mage Sight allowed me to see the magic. Once I figured out what to look for, I realized that Patterns follow the same rules. I don''t have any experience with modifying Enchantments or Patterns, but it was enough for me to figure out the three new spells I created for Fire, Water and Earth." "Don''t let Master Garrett hear you say that. Creating Enchantments is something that only Adepts are supposed to strive for, and Masters hold over their Apprentices. The fact that you figured it out as an Apprentice will win you no friends among the Masters and too many friends among the Journeyman. Brian sighed, "Knowledge is Power." "Where did you hear that? "Master Xavier said it a couple of times on the trip here. "No surprise there. It is true that Knowledge can give you Power, but it is more important to know how to use that Knowledge or even when to use it. Now, I want you to work on your Magic Sense, and I want you to increase your Fire to level 4. At that level, you are going to be able to use Firebolt. In this case, instead of me teaching you the spell, I want you to create the spell yourself. But don''t activate it until I had a chance to review it." "Do you want me to use Fire Light to get Fire to level 4?" Brian groaned inwardly. Using a level 1 spell to get the Word of Power up to level 4 would mean he would have to use the spell thousands of times. "No, I am not that cruel. Instead, I will teach you the spell Warm, it can apply to anything you touch, and you don''t have to worry about causing damage to it." Brian smiled at the idea of learning a spell, especially one that is as versatile as that one. He already had ideas for applying it to different things. And tonight, his bed would be toasty warm. 5 - A meeting with the Master, Part 2 Master Nigel spent the next three hours teaching Brian to cast the second-level spell called "Warm." The Pattern was pretty simple and could raise the temperature of the object. This was done by channelling Essence into the object until the desired temperature was reached. It was not as efficient as Heat Water, Warm Air, or Heat Metal, but it was more generic and could be used on various objects. Brian was pleased with having learned a new spell and focused on mastering it as soon as possible. "It is truly remarkable, the speed at which you learn. This spell should take several days for an Apprentice to be able to cast, and here you are, casting the spell after only a few hours," Master Nigel remarked. "It is one of the Advantages that I have," Brian replied, "Magic Adept. It allows me to learn Magic and spells at twice the speed." "Even so, that would mean you would have learned it in six hours instead. A remarkable feat." Master Nigel said, grinning broadly, "You probably have another Advantage. Most likely Magical Affinity. That would allow you to gain magic skills and spells at twice the normal rate. It is your prerogative to share your Sacred Scroll with me or not. But it does help if I know your strengths and weaknesses to instruct you in the ways of Magic better". Brian kept his face neutral but nodded in agreement with Master Nigel, "I understand. When I arrived at the Academy, the Head Master told the students that it was important that I share the information on the Sacred Scroll with my instructors, but I also heard what happened with Master Jacob before I arrived". Brian paused, not sure what more to say. Master Jacob had used his position within the Academy to take advantage of young boys placed in his care. He used his knowledge about their Sacred Scroll to manipulate them and groom them into his toys. He could not do that with each student but was able to pick his prey with exacting care. When what was happening came to light, all hell broke loose, and the Masters were scrutinized. From what Brian had heard from the older boys, other secrets were revealed. The Academy had a stain on its honour and had made sure to tell its students that they were never obligated to share the information in the Sacred Scroll with anyone. Since then, many students held their personal information very close to them and rarely shared it. "That was a horrible thing to happen. Those boys should never have been taken advantage of like that, and thinking that a fellow Master of Magic was responsible sickens me. But I hope that I can gain some trust and you will share. It is the best way for me to advise you on your future Vocations." Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Brian nodded again but didn''t say anything more. He had four Advantages on his Sacred Scroll: Magical Adept, Mentor (due to Master Nigel), Wizard Sight, and Magical Protege. It was the last one that caused him concern at the moment. Divine Boon - Magical Prot¨¦g¨¦ A Magical Prot¨¦g¨¦ is someone who excels at all things dealing with Magic. You gain the following bonuses: * +100% to learning new Skills (Magical) and Spells * +100% to learning Lore: Magical * +100% to learning Meditation * +100% of Base Essence Pool in bonus Essence * +50% of Base Essence Recovery in bonus Recovery * Word of Power - Arcane (General) * New Skill - Mana Control (Arcane) The last Advantage was the secret. Everyone knew that you got a bonus spell or skill or extraordinary power when you got the Advantage Prot¨¦g¨¦, but Brian did not want to share this information. The first problem was that it showed on his Sacred Scroll as Divine. He was unsure what that meant, but it could not be good. He didn''t know any gods, and he was concerned that one of them might know him. The second was that the World of Power - Arcane (General) was not something that he was familiar with. He looked through the library at the Academy for two years but could never find anything. All he knew was that Arcane meant secret or hidden. And even that was a stretch. He wanted to share but was fearful. Master Nigel laughed and just shook his head. "What?" Brian asked, confused. "The expressions warring for dominance on your face is rather funny." Master Nigel held up his hand, forestalling any denial from Brian, "It is okay. I understand. It is hard to know who you can trust, and we only met two weeks ago, and even then, we have not spent any time together with other than today. Hold off your judgment, and let us see where this leads. Now, there was one thing I wanted to talk to you about. Your little run-in with Adept Rogdar. Care to explain?" Brian frowned. He knew that Master Nigel would find out about it. Eventually, he hoped that he would have a few more days, "His request was inappropriate. I did not think that it was fair for me, the victims, to clean up the mess caused by the aggressor. It would be like the city watch asking a stabbing victim to clean up the blood on the ground while the attacker walks away. And I am not a victim." There was a long pause as Master Nigel chewed on a grape. He watched Brian for a moment before shrugging, "Sounds fair." "That''s it?" "Do you think it requires more attention than this?" Master Nigel asked. "Not really. I hope Adept Rogdar understands. He seems like a nice guy. "He is," Master Nigel agreed, "I have known him for more than twenty years. I have always found him to be fair and understanding. But, just in case, I will speak to him."