《Soulbound》


 1. Beginning

    This is my very first fiction, I appreciate any advice given. I''m writing it mainly to improve my english. Hence feel free to correct me thoroughly. Tell me if you think my chapters are too short or the plot develops too slow. You can even suggest names.


    The first three chapters are the prologue, please endure.Thereafter follows the School/First-Dungeon Arc.


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    ¡°Every life-form possesses a form of life-force. It manifests itself through aura and mana. The life-force is proportional to the strength of the manifestations.


    Non-magical projectiles are ineffective against people who train their aura. As long as they are conscious it can surround them, stopping projectiles. Even melee-weapons are ineffective, if not encased in Aura.


    There are two ways of strengthening your aura. First you can train the amount of aura and the recovery rate. This will strengthen your life-force in return. Strengthening your life-force is the other method. If it grows, the manifestations like aura and mana will get stronger as well.


    Strengthening your life-force is the same as leveling up.¡±


    -Beginners Guide, by Nicholas Novi.


    ***Aeron***


    ¡°Hello Aeron! Wake up!¡±


    ¡°mmmmm...¡±


    Always the same procedure. What can I say? I''m not a morning person...


    *splash*


    ¡°waaaaah!¡±


    ¡°Lily!!¡±


    That''s new... With a startled mind I start blinking. In front of me stands a cute, young girl and a playful looking maid with an empty bucket. The first one glances displeased at the maid named Lily.


    The young girl looks exhausted but still gracious despite her ruffled, fair hair. Cute!


    Suddenly her emerald-green eyes catch mine. Time seems to stop and I can feel our bond. I get a glimpse of me from her perspective. Water trickles from my dark brown hair and my hazel eyes are locked onto hers. Seeing yourself is weird.


    ¡°Mia?¡±


    She gives me a tender smile and nods. I''ve known her my whole life, but it''s the first time we get to see each other, if you don''t count looks at the mirror.


    It''s a bit complicated. Perhaps I should start at the beginning. I was probably born around the same time as her. As far as I know, there wasn''t anything unusual, at first.


    But as far as I can remember there has always been something different deep in my mind. I could glimpse at a completely different world through the perspective of another person. It increased as I grew up.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.Sometimes I could even feel some emotions of my ¡°host¡±, when concentrating or while sleeping. I figured out her name is Mia. Although I couldn''t understand the language of that world at first, it''s easy to deduce the name, if it''s added in almost every sentence.


    That way I grew up bilingual, learning languages awake and asleep. And I wouldn''t blame my mother if she had called an exorcist. Imagine your child mumbling an alien language instead of cute baby-talk. Creepy!


    It''s not as if I got to see her world the whole time. As mentioned before, I needed to sleep or concentrate in order to do so. But at times of strong emotions like fear, sorrow, pain or loneliness I almost got pulled into her mind. And especially the latter emotions occurred quite often. I''m pretty sure she felt when I commiserated with her or sent her comforting thoughts, because her mind eased afterwards. The same happened with strong, positive emotions like joy. Though I needn''t to cheer her up then.


    Reversed it was the same. I often felt observed, but it wasn''t creepy like a stalker. Yes I know that feeling. Don''t ask, but there was a time when I had a stalker.


    People often said ¡°Oh, what a handsome boy!¡±, which made my mother happy. Contrariwise I wasn''t really sociable, which worried her. I tried to keep my bond secret, not worrying her even more.


    My bond with Mia was distracting, but gradually I grew accustomed to it and its implications. Though, in primary school, I was detached and moony. Not bullied, but not integrated in class, either. At that time we learned how to send some thoughts to each other, a kind of telepathy, but weaker. Hence nowhere near to mind-reading, but still good enough for ''teamwork'' in exams.


    Growing up with the knowledge of two worlds should have quite an impact on your mind. I don''t know if the information flood is the reason, but both of us are quick learners, precocious and we brought multitasking to a whole new level. And I wouldn''t call our ''teamwork'' cheating. Even without helping each other in exams, we scored perfect results. However it''s reassuring to have someone reliable by your side.


    Of course there are times you want to be alone, too. For example, when you take a shower or are looking in the mirror with an out of bed style. As I said, we were precocious. Luckily or perhaps unfortunately, as long as our emotions are under control, it''s really easy to exclude each other; especially if we want to be left alone.


    You may ask how I know that she''s living in another world. It got me into some trouble, but I noticed quite early that my world is missing something essential.


    It''s Magic.

 2. First Impressions

    Feel free to point out any mistakes. I hope it''s easier to read with more paragraphs.


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    ¡°The theory is simple, but Summoning Magic is hard to learn and even harder to master. If done wrong, failures can be fatal. I recommend to stop right here if you are untalented, have no patience, a small mana-pool or no control. Otherwise, welcome to the crowning discipline of magic!


    To summon something specific, you need a connection to the subject you want to summon. It''s easiest with a part of their soul, but getting a part of a soul through normal means is impossible. You have to at least sacrifice your life, getting married. And no, you cannot just hijack a maiden and force her. It has to be mutual love, you need to be compatible with each other and it has to be a wedding ceremony of ancient custom. Totally not worth it!


    Summoning a person with hairs or nails is possible, too, if they aren''t too old. But your summoning spell has to overpower their life-force multiplied with a bad connection-penalty. Therefore the amount of mana your spell costs exceeds their life-force several times. And if the person tries to resist the summoning, you are fuc***. Hence trying to summon a weaker, simple-minded monster-pet is the way to go!


    The best thing to summon, though, far cooler than your pathetic spouse, is an Elemental Spirit! For a connection, convert a bit of your mana into its element and place it onto a suitable summoning circle. The purer the element, the easier it is to summon. Now let your mana flow through the pattern of the circle and welcome your new element spitting servant! Be sure to use enough mana, otherwise it won''t survive very long. That''s the only downside of an Elemental Spirit. And perhaps their lack of brain.¡±


    -Who Needs a Girlfriend if He Can Summon Elemental Spirits? Author unknown.


    ***Aeron***


    I''m lying in a puddle of water, and in the middle of a complicated looking magic circle. Getting an elusive glance at my surroundings, I recognize the huge bedroom I''m in and the 11 year old girl right in front of me. She has an athletic, but still slender build and is almost as tall as I. She wears a charming, white dress and despite her age you can sense the beginning of generous proportions. Her long hair is slightly ruffled and she smiles tenderly at me. Her name is Mia Kingsley. Our eyes are fixed on each other.


    *cough* *cough*


    Time seems to catch up again and our gazes wander to the third person currently present. Clad in a proper maid uniform is Lily. She has slightly curled, auburn hair which waves down to the level of her armpits. I don''t know her age, but she should be a little older than Mia and I. If it wasn''t for her mischievous, manipulative smile, which gives me a chill, I would see her as a lovely girl.


    As I''m getting up, she does a graceful curtsy and introduces herself:


    ¡°Nice to meet you finally Aeron, my name is Liliana Ravenstein, please call me Lily.¡±


    It''s a foreign language, but I grew up with it. Before I get the chance to reply she winks at me and sallies out of the room.


    When I was about to send an inquiring look to Mia, the door opens again and Lily pokes her head into the room:


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.¡°Don''t do anything I wouldn''t do. So Behave? I need to call Lord Kingsley. It shouldn''t take very long.¡±


    One last wink and she''s gone.


    ¡°Wait!! What do you mea-n...Why do you have to call D-dad?? Lily!¡±


    Mia looks worriedly at the door, but it''s already too late. After a short, embarrassing silence she looks at me and smiles weakly.


    Just now do I realise the blank space in my memory. I can''t recall the recent days and even though I''m not sure why, I know today is my 11th birthday. Through the window I can see a silvery moon glowing high in the sky. It should be around midnight. Hold on, there''s a second, flimsy red glowing moon?


    I never noticed a second moon through our bond. Then again, Mia never had much leisure time watching the night sky. Since the incident with her brother she always trains seriously; emulating her older brother. He was a real genius in combat with a strong aura and was the pride and hope of her family. Always training to get stronger, but still saving time to care for his little sister.


    My sight wanders to the magic circle and I ask her, knowing the absurdity: ¡°Was I summoned?¡±


    ¡°Looks like, but I can''t remember anything. My last memory is celebrating my birthday. I don''t even know how something like this could be possible.¡±


    She glances at a table. I follow her line of sight and get to see unpacked presents and remains of a cake.


    While giving my best smile: ¡°Happy Birthday Mia.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Aeron, Happy Birthday to you, too.¡±


    Her delicate smile enchants me again and saves me from my confusion. It still feels surreal being in the same world as her. Without noticing, we came closer and are standing just a few inches away from each other. Slowly she raises her left hand. My right hand intercepts hers. A dazzling light blinds me the moment our hands touch. Followed by a sharp pain deep in my mind. Everything fades before I even get a chance to yell.


    ¡°...he''s...eal!.. Mia can''t...¡±


    Lily''s voice wakes me up. It''s the second time today. I''m not a morning person. I''m almost suffocating and can feel something soft on top of me. Mia awakes slowly with a soft moan on top of me.


    ¡°Please knock, Lord Kingsley. I left them alone a short while ago an...¡±


    At the same time as the door busts with a loud bang, Mia frantically jumps up. A six foot tall, grim looking, middle-aged man bursts in. Behind him, Lily pokes her head into the room with an impish smile. Despite the grim look, Lord Kingsley incarnates an exemplary noble. Fine clothes, refined traits and a precious rapier attached to his left side. He glares at me , while I''m lying almost beneath Mia. I''m praying frantically that he didn''t see our awkward state.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Blushing bright red she stands protectively right before me while I struggle to get up as fast as possible.


    Lord Kingsley eases slightly when he changes his gaze to his daughter.


    ¡°Who.¡± Just one word, that''s all he says. Still looking at Mia he points at me.


    ¡°That''s Aeron! I told you about him!... I''m not whimsical...¡±


    Taking all of my courage, I bow stiffly with my right fist over my heart. It''s the etiquette of this world.


    ¡°It''s nice to meet you. My name is Aeron Evans.¡±


    My name startles him, but he still glares at me and frowns when he sees the magic circle. He responds after taking a few deep breaths:


    ¡°Both of you, follow me. Lily, call Leonard. Tell him to bring the shard to my work-room.¡±


    His commanding tone wouldn''t accept any protest.

 3. Engagement?

    Do you prefer bigger chapters, which takes more time to be released or smaller ones being released more frequently?


    And do you need an indicator for knowing who''s speaking?


    Next week I need to prepare for a lot of exams. I will try to write as much as possible, but I''m afraid you have to wait until the 25th for more frequent updates.


    With this chapter the prologue ends and the School/First-Dungeon Arc begins! Thanks for holding out!


    I post this chapter before intensive proof-reading, will catch up on it tomorrow.


    Enjoy!


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    ¡°The Holy Kingdom of Gewain lies in the heart of the Theran continent. It''s a rag rug of many territories, ruled by nobility, boards and clergy. The most influential circles decide the next King. But only high nobility has a chance of becoming royalty. The Gewain Council, lead by the royalty, is settled in the Capital of Gewain, Alessor, and supervises the kingdom.


    But the Councils power was limited. Brawls were common. Most of them were fought to get or retain control over dungeons. There are just a few of them, but the resources they provide are enormous.


    It''s said that those who control the dungeons, control the country.


    The Guild was founded in order to keep a balance of power. Every dungeon in Gewain was set under supervision of the Guild. It''s institution needs to be comprehensible and monitored. The cities above those dungeons are free of affiliation and self-governed. It doesn''t matter now, if a person is a farmer or from upper nobility. Each citizen has the same right to access a dungeon. Of course they have to register first, then proof they have the required potency for the respective dungeon.


    Many have been using this chance to make a living from raiding dungeons. Those were called Adventurers. Nowadays every person registered at the Guild and labelled as active is also referred to as Adventurer.


    Without the constant brawls over dungeons and free access, more manpower has been diverted to dungeon-exploring and raiding. The whole country prospers since the establishment of the Guild."


    -History Tuition for Beginners, by Xander Mathews.


    ***Aeron***


    It''s different seeing the mansion through your own eyes. The mansion is huge! High ceilings with expansive looking chandeliers and old suits of armour are adorning the interminable hallways. After about a minute we arrive in front of a heavy double door. He guides us in and closes the door in one fell swoop. The windows are barred, there''s no escape. Steeling my self I turn towards Mia''s dad.


    Instead of his grim look, he has a thoughtful expression now.


    Shortly after there''s a knock and a 5,3 feet tall, wise looking man enters the room, followed by Lily. His white, long beard rivals Santa Claus'' and conveys an old age. Together with his long, blue robe he portrays a stereotypical wizard. A pointed hat would be the cherry on top, though you shouldn''t make too great demands.


    He''s breathing heavily, as if he joined a marathon, and offers a small, crystal clear shard in a box to Lord Kingsley.


    ¡°Thank you Leonard, but please think of your age, don''t rush every time I call you.¡±


    ¡°Yes Milord!¡± With a reverent bow he places himself at the wall.


    Mia''s dad inspects me thoughtfully, hands the shard to me and tells me to hold it. In my hand it begins to glow weak at first, but it quickly grows into a lucid, almost transparent, faint pale blue. But it''s not the whole shard, just a small pattern within, which shines. It looks like a 2. His thoughtful look is replaced by an astounded one. Just for a split second, but I don''t think I imagined it. From behind him I can hear the old wizard, I mean Leonard murmur: ¡°Oh, how uncommon... should be a wind-affiliation? Rare, though the weakest element. But a level 2... remarkable for a fledgling.¡±


    This puts a big smile onto my face. Fledging doesn''t sound that nice, but if my guess is right, it should signify that I''m able to learn magic. Even though a weak element, it''s still magic! Taking one glance at Lord Kingsley and my smile is gone. What can I say, first impressions are crucial and I''m pretty sure I failed this one beautifully. He tells me to give the shard to the still meek Mia.


    It slowly begins to shine as bright as in my hands, but the light patterns a crimson red 2.


    ¡°Milord! I-impossible!¡±


    This time even Lord Kingsley can''t hide his perplexity.


    ¡°Dad? What''s the matter?¡±


    Ignoring her he turns towards Leonard and asks: ¡°Was she really level 0 this morning?¡±


    ¡°Yes Milord. A crimson red 0. An enhancer, just like your highness. Helen saw it, too.¡±


    His gaze rests on me. Gaining 2 levels seems uncommon. Does it has something to do with me? The summoning? Or our blackout?


    ¡°Dad! Speak with me!¡±


    ¡°Dear, do you know how long it takes to gain your first levels? It takes months of combat to reach level 2! And it doesn''t include the time for learning the skills needed. Not to mention the time you would need without combat!¡±


    ¡°Miss Kingsley, if it was that easy to raise your life-force, the whole population would do it. But it''s arduous and time consuming, the very reason nobility emerged.¡±


    Listening to Lord Kingsley and Leonard I conclude it has to be either the summoning or the blackout, perhaps induced through our bond? After all I can''t remember being in any combat so far. Even Mia isn''t able to make head or tail of it.


    Lily, being reticent until now, steps forward: ¡°I believe the situation is closely linked to Aeron and we can look forward to even greater achievements. Sending both of them to the academy could solve the issue concerning Mia''s engagement? It could either help Mia gaining enough strength to be independent or help shaping Aeron into a suitable fianc¨¦. There''s a chance for him to perish, too.¡±


    ¡°My engagement?! What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Fianc¨¦... me?! I''m just 11!¡± I couldn''t hear Lily''s last sentence, which was whispered to Lord Kingsley and made him think. Mia reacted slightly quicker than me. It''s not as if I don''t like her. I really do. We get along wonderfully, like best friends! But we are talking about getting married! I still haven''t had my first kiss, let alone experienced a crush!


    Lord Kingsley brooded over Lily''s conclusion, then gazed confused at Mia: ¡°Dear? We spoke after your party. The big dispute we had? You need to look for a suitable fianc¨¦ in Griffon Academy or I have to choose one. But Lily has a point, too, I nee...¡±


    ¡°Wha....¡±


    ¡°Mia Fiora Anabelle Kingsley! Interrupting is bad etiquette and not tolerated in this house. Though I need to consult with Helen afterwards... Lily, arrange everything for Aeron to accompany her to Altos. It''s not possible for him to join Griffon Academy in Altos, but maybe we can get him into the Adventurer Academy. By the way, you are departing with them. It''s your job to oversee them, don''t disappoint me!¡±


    ¡°Yes Lord Kingsley.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.¡°Now dad, what on earth has gotten into you? Suddenly talking about me getting engaged?! I will become a powerful Adventurer, strong enough to explore the dungeon and find the truth, never something like a dull, chained housewife! Are you nuts fo...¡±


    ¡°How are you talking to y...¡±


    Lily is pulling me out of the room, while shaking her head, followed by Leonard, leaving back two raging persons. He bids us farewell and leaves in the opposite direction. Lily guides me through the unending corridors until we arrive at a luxury looking guest-room. Main focus is a massive canopy bed and an extravagant wardrobe. She tells me to use the clothes inside the wardrobe.


    Wearing a playful smile she then asks me if I need help getting changed into a pyjama. After pushing her out of the room she wishes me a sweet night, winks and leaves.


    I''m a sulky that my opinion and point of view was neither asked nor considered. But all in all I think the outcome is acceptable. I get to help Mia and above all I get to learn magic! Though I have a really bad vibe about being send to Altos with Lily as overseer.


    ***Lord Magnus Kingsley***


    One of the worst nightmares of every father is to find a boy in your daughters bedroom. When Lily knocked on my door and spoke rapidly, I could only make out scraps of her monologue like summoning, boy, bedroom and Mia. Immediately I rushed to my daughters chamber and forced Lily to report calmly in the meantime.


    After Mia''s birthday party we had a big quarrel. I know it was a bad timing, but she had to know about it before she leaves tomorrow. Our family counts to the upper nobility. The very fact is reason enough for that pack of power craving hyenas. They are trying to arrange an engagement with my little daughter. But I would never trade her in. All they see in her is the right to participate in the battle for the crown. It''s not as our current King is going to die anytime soon. Those with plenty of life-force have a very long span of life.


    Until today I was able to refuse all of them comparatively easy. Aura and mana develop during puberty and with it they are official considered as part of the society. Enchanted shards are used to measure aura and mana. Our shard showed a reaction to Mia this morning. It''s something worth celebrating, but all I could think of are those hyenas, who will pressure anew with much more vigour. Our house lost lots of its power years ago.


    Luckily the new school term starts in a few days. It''s expected from nobility to send their children to one of the academies after their coming-out. There they will cultivate their powers in order to protect the country and the people within. Noblesse oblige, but most of them have forgotten. They see the tradition as convenient for their power struggles.


    I might had similar thoughts, but after loosing my oldest son Silvius, I couldn''t care less about them.


    Sending her as fast as possible to one of the academies will lend us some time. That''s why my wife Helen missed most of the birthday party. She departed early afternoon to arrange everything meticulously. I would have done it, but I know better than to mess with Helens decisions.


    Yet postponed is not abandoned. Mia was excited as we told her about sending her to Griffon Academy. It''s the most renowned academy in the western territories. Famous for their swordsmanship. It''s the same academy Silvius attended.


    Mia is clever and far ahead of her age group. Diligent, but not interested in much more than training and reading. Perhaps I sheltered her too much. And I tried to slow her down, to no avail, though. In the end I even taught her some swordsmanship.


    However the academy isn''t for her to seclude herself in training. You need to have a noble origin in order to be accepted at Griffon Academy. Hence it''s the perfect place to find a suitable fianc¨¦. Woe to those who doesn''t treat her right!


    But how do you tell your 11 year old daughter that she has to find a suitable fianc¨¦? I messed up.


    I lost temper as she was talking back and even brought up her imaginary friend again. It''s not normal to still have an imaginary friend at her age. I told her to stop the idiocy and never mention him again. I was right, wasn''t I? The next year is crucial for her. It will decide her future. She''s smart. She will succeed, though she''s just 11... I will send Lily with her. She''s manipulative, but loyal to us. Especially to Mia. Hopefully Lily can cope with being back in Altos.


    Listening to Lily''s report I get to know that Mia spend the whole evening trying a summoning. However summoning isn''t something you can learn in a few hours and first of all, her mana has just begun to develop this morning. I get a bad vibe about this: ¡°Lily, what have you done?¡±


    She may look like an adorable, innocent young girl, but don''t get yourself fooled. That''s a strong life-force for you. She was Silvius'' junior and one of his closest friends, taking care of Mia since the incident.


    ¡°There is no way I could have summoned him... but I... may... have shown her how to... but it''s not right to force her! There''s still hope. The bond... Aeron exists... He''s real! And bound to her. Mia can''t be given to them, after all, it''s their fault in the first place!¡±


    ¡°Stop it Lily! Don''t bring it up.¡±


    She nods weakly and for a second her mask crumbles. But instantly, as if it was just an illusion, her typical impish smile dominates again. ¡°Please knock, Lord Kingsley. I left them alone a short while ago an..¡±


    I can''t help it and frown, the situation is dire, even without her interference. I need to reconsider, though first I have to verify the situation and check w-what they are doing. It has nothing to do with Lily''s talk, nil...!


    *bam*


    Opening the door gently I get a glimpse of Mia jumping up. Almost raging I glare at the weird clothed boy lying beneath her. Looking at Mia my mood improves slightly, but I need to verify, still all I can say while pointing at him is: ¡°Who.¡±


    ¡°That''s Aeron! I told you about him!... I''m not whimsical...¡±


    So that''s him...


    ¡°It''s nice to meet you. My name is Aeron Evans.¡±


    At least he knows etiquette. I''m not a magician, still I recognise the advanced summoning-circle beneath him. I need time to rethink the whole situation. Hold on, Evans? Could it... No, impossible.


    ¡°Both of you, follow me. Lily, call Leonard. Tell him to bring the shard to my working-room.¡±


    ***Lily Ravenstein***


    Oh, soooo cute! Aeron was red as a tomato when he pushed me out of the guest-room, how innocent! Of course there''s no way I would do a thing.


    After turning at the next corner, I can''t help it anymore and perform an embarrassing victory pose. What can I say? I love it when a plan comes together. And this one worked better than I could hope for.


    I struggle not to skip on my way back to my room. I can''t let anyone notice this affective side of me. I have a duty to fulfil at all costs.


    Bback in my room, I''m going to get ready for bed. After all I have to arrange some things before leaving tomorrow.


    Laying my necklace carefully onto my bedside table, memories of him are emerging. Trying to fight back my tears, I remind myself that it''s not the time to indulge myself in the past. I need to get some rest.


    Instead I now have to think about Aeron, I did something horrible today.


    Atonement isn''t something I can hope for, but I can make his new life memorable.


    Yes, I will make his new life ''interesting''.


    With a playful smile, I finally fell asleep.

 4. Departure

    It would be a great help if I could find someone, prefered a native speaker, who is willing to do some proofreading. If you find any mistakes, please point them out. Are the paragraphs ok?


    I''m sorry, I couldn''t cut right to the Dungeon-City Altos. But I included a small and very short fight, it''s my first time writing one, I hope I did well. And I gave chapter 3 a small addition at the end. A small insight regarding Lily. It''s optional.


    Enjoy!


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    ¡°There are four basic elements. fire, water, earth and wind.


    Fire has the strongest offensive power and attack is the best form of defence.


    Water is known for a strong, annoying defence, especially combined with frost magic.


    Earth magic is well balanced.


    But wind magic alone is useless, if not for those hot days where a breeze is really precious. Though almost everyone has the ability to learn basic frost magic and cool oneself down.


    Luckily, a good fire magician can be boosted by wind magic, which makes them perfect supporters.


    Every person develops an affiliation for one of the four elements. They stabilize during puberty and can be indicated through enchanted shards, but only if you are a magician.. Just 1 out of about 5 persons is lucky enough to be born as one.


    Instead of a dominating, crimson red, for enhancers, their shards will be tainted with blue.


    Majestic purple for fire-affiliation, deep blue for water, turquoise for earth and pale blue for wind.


    Enhancers need to use the classic way of confirmation, trial and error. They will have a hard time, learning how to manipulate mana first. Then they have to concentrate some mana onto their palms and try to convert it into one of the four elements. If it works with fire, congratulations, if not, you have my sympathy.


    But don''t hang the head, there is still non elemental magic. Like frost magic, though mainly and best used by water magicians, healing magic, time magic, telekinesis and some more.¡±


    -Fire to Rule Them All, by Max Powers.


    ***Aeron***


    *flop* *flop*


    A jolt wakes me up. Blinking I see two pristine girls in light, white nightgowns standing on the other end of my bed.


    ¡°Lily! Mia?¡± I need a small moment to recognize where I am. Third time... Can''t I sleep in just for once?


    ¡°Oh, did we wake you up? Tell me, what do you think about our nightgowns? I even lend this one to Mia, lovely, isn''t she?¡±


    ¡°D-does it really look good on me? Not t-too... short?¡±


    Lily pokes her tongue out and spins the shy Mia around, leaving her white gown flutter slight revealingly.


    Flushing and feeling my head already heating up, I try to answer as calmly as possible: ¡°Lovely... but a little more length wouldn''t be amiss.¡±


    ¡°I wait downstairs.¡± Beet red, she jumps down and exits the room quite hastily, with a smile.


    Not the worst method to be roused, definitely better than cold water. Lily jumps down, too, and while walking to the door she says: ¡°It took some effort persuading Mia, but you can thank me later. As compensation she just insisted on letting you sleep in, at least longer than I planed. By the way, breakfast time is over, thus we brought you some leftovers.


    We are leaving in half an hour, please choose some new clothes from the closet. And Lord Kingsley wants to talk with you before departure. He''s in the backyard, easy to find, just follow the sound.¡±


    ¡°er, thanks? But just one question, how did you get in here?¡± I suspected some kind of prank from her and made sure to lock the door thoroughly.


    ¡°Oh silly, ma~ster~key!¡± A playful wink and she''s gone. As I thought, having her as an overseer will be great...


    After having a quick breakfast, bread with cold cuts and some juice, I went to the adjacent bathroom. It''s almost half the size of the guest-room! With an oversized, luxury bathtub. But not having much time, I took the shower next to it to freshen up. I''ve always been wondering, if there''s electricity in this world. There is artificial light and running water at Mia''s home, but no machines. However there are more important things at the moment.


    Feeling refreshed I take a look at the closet. So many clothes to choose from... as if! There''s only one set of clothing! Luckily, decent undergarments, black pants, a white shirt, light brown boots and a matching leather jacket.


    It''s creepy how well they fit! And when were they placed in the there?


    Stuffing my belongings into a small brown bag, which was placed in the closet, too, I leave in order to look for Lord Kingsley.


    I roughly know where the back of the mansion is and after walking for about a minute I hear some sounds, created by impacts. Following the sounds I finally arrive at the backyard, one floor below.


    A large terrain, restricted through hedges. There''s lawn, but most of the terrain is covered by soil, equipped with some training dummies.


    The middle is dominated by a ring, which is the source of the sound. Lord Kingsley is sparring there with a youth. He spots and greets me while defending effortlessly against his adversary.


    ¡°Good morning Aeron. Jason enough, have a short rest.¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.¡°Thank you for the lesson.¡± With a reverent bow he goes to a bench while examining me curiously at first, a depreciative look follows quickly, though.


    ¡°Good morning Lord Kingsley.¡± I bow courteously, he''s Mia''s dad after all.


    ¡°First of all, I have to apologize. Yesterday has been a long day and pretty much happened. So I acted quite rash, I''m sorry. I just want Mia to be happy and it''s getting tougher, lately. Mia told me a few things about you, though I never thought of you as a real person. Please take good care of her, she really trusts you.¡±


    Is it Mia''s doing? After yesterday I never thought of being accepted that easily. Am I accepted or just useful? He still didn''t ask for my opinion. Never mind for now, at the moment we have the same objectives.


    ¡°It''s fine, I will do my best!¡±


    ¡°Then it''s settled. You will need to gain great power and prestige, if you want to have a chance to stand beside Mia, protecting her. I can''t give you much support, it''s important that this stays confidential. You will be targeted, if your involvement with Mia becomes known. In this world, you are just a commoner, be careful.


    Jason, get up and prepare to fight!


    This is Mia''s cousin. He''s 14 and started academy last term, not the earliest coming-out. Not the best fighter either, and just a level 1, but most of the upper academies lay their focus on technique first. It would be disastrous, if they were to send noble children to their deaths.


    I assume that you can''t use any mana or aura, yet?¡±


    ¡°No, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Too bad, you won''t have any advantages. Just a small test, catch.¡± With his commanding tone he throws his wooden sword in a high arc towards me. I succeed in catching it at the hilt. Jason positions himself opposite of me, smiling nasty and grasping his wooden sword with both hands.


    ¡°Time to learn your place, peasant.¡± Though almost inaudible, Lord Kingsley overheard it, too.


    ¡°Jason! Guard your tongue!¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry Lord Kingsley. I will take it back,... if he survives.¡± The last part was said even quieter than before, still audible for me hear, though. Looking even nastier, he places his sword on his right waist with the tip pointing to the ground behind him. Shouldn''t we wear some protective clothes? Should I say something? Can I refuse?


    Still thinking, I grab the sword with two hands, place the left hand below the right, the hilt points slightly below my navel with the tip pointing at his throat. It''s the Chudan-no-Kamae. With a deep centre of gravity, it''s good for defending and attacking. One of the sports I did was Kendo, unluckily I haven''t started practising it all too long ago.


    But I can notice, that Jason is taken aback, seeing me taking a stance. Not expecting me to know a stance? He should still have the advantage, though. I''m not small for my age, but he''s still one head taller than me and should have more strength and practise.


    Suddenly, he charges at me, before even starting to swing his sword. Mistake. You shouldn''t jump into an opposing blade while still swinging it back. Without hesitation I used this small opening to jump forward, trying to stab his chest before he can finish his swing.


    Taken by surprise he abruptly stops his charge and tries to parry with his swing.


    He catches my sword and diverts it, but it''s too late. My tip grazed his left shoulder. Promptly I jump back, taking the stance, Kamae, again.


    Success!


    But then, looking into his face... perfect, now I got him really mad...


    He gets ready to close in again.


    ¡°Match is over. It''s Aeron win.¡±


    ¡°What? That was nothing! I didn''t even feel that scratch!¡±


    ¡°You know the basics, he doesn''t, you can harm him, he can''t really harm you... nevertheless you reacted to his stab. There''s still plenty for you to learn.¡±


    ¡°That''s not fair! At least give me second chance!¡±


    ¡°You should rest yourself, when I''m back, we have lots of time, time to ''train'' you.¡±


    When he turns to me, I can see traces of a roguish grin. He gestures me to follow him, leaving a meek Jason behind.


    ¡°I was surprised, you know some swordsmanship. But it''s not suited for this type of fight. Can you guess what would happen if the same situation happens again against Jason?¡±


    ¡°He wouldn''t care about my stab and hit me as hard as he could?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and even if you can use your aura, it doesn''t matter who hits first, but who can penetrate the opponents aura first. Remember this clearly.¡±


    He guides me through the mansion, but before we reach the front, he turns towards me: ¡°One more thing, Don''t do anything improper to Mia!¡±


    His face is starting to get a grim look and there is no way I could mistake this for a mere request. Hence I reply hastily: ¡°I won''t do anything improper!¡±


    This calms him down.


    ¡°Good. Lily will be your contact person. I gave her money for decent basic equipment. By the way, this fight showed me a lot about you. Grabbing the first, best chance courageously... without hesitation... a nice performance... for a fledgling.¡±


    Arriving at the front we get to see a sobbing, small girl embracing Mia. It''s Mia''s little sister, Elenora. She is one of the reasons Mia is striving for power. She is carefully patting Elenora''s head. Lily, standing besides her together with another maid, spots us first. She taps Mia on the shoulder.


    Elenora starts crying anew when Mia leaves her at the maid. Lord Kingsley takes his time bidding farewell to Mia before lifting Elenora up and comforting her. In the meantime Lily waves me to the carriage. It''s towed by four horses and accompanied by about 10 mounted guards, who keep watch.


    Mia follows after a short time. Getting farewells one last time, we board the carriage and start our journey.

 5. Arrival

    If someone is willing to do the proofreading, please send me a pm. It would be a great help.


    I have to constantly remind myself not to bore you with too many rules of the world at once.


    Enjoy!


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    ¡°Dungeons are the basis of Gewain''s power, nevertheless they remain a mystery. The monsters, who inhibit those, are a mystery, too. They are unique, based on something different, ether. After dying their bodies will dissipate, leaving some kind of crystal, called ether core, behind. The core contains solidified ether, proportional to the monsters strength. It''s comparable to our life-force. Sometimes the corpses won''t dissipate completely, leaving also some gear, they used, or particular body parts behind. Those remnants are crucial for our civilisation and therefore precious.


    Dungeons are enormous, subterraneous labyrinths consisting of many corridors and caves, with an unknown amount of floors, interspersed with ether. Growing intenser the deeper you go. Monsters tend to inhabit floors with a comparable density as their ether core.


    Viewing someone''s life-force is usually obstructed through aura, but the strength of the monster''s core, their level, is visible with an identification spell. The level system derives from there. Archetype is the frequently raided dungeon in Altos. The Council established this system to get a standardized unit for strength. Level 1 is adjusted to the ether core of monsters from the first floor, level 2 to the monsters of the second floor, and so on. It was directly implemented into the identification spell to link the strength with a matching level. The same scale is used for all living beings.¡±


    -Beginners Guide, by Nicholas Novi.


    ***Aeron***


    I close the Beginners Guide and take a look at my surroundings. Opposite of me, Lily is teaching Mia how to use aura. I think she progresses well, even I can feel feint traces of aura shifting onto the dagger she''s holding, stabilising steadily.


    Something Mia and I recognized only today, which was obvious, but we were too distracted. We had much to talk about, after all it was our first real conversation. You couldn''t count yesterday or this morning. Something was bugging me since our blackout. While sitting opposite of Mia, it hit me.


    Our bond. I tried to concentrate on it, but the usual response was missing. Instead I could sense something enclosing Lily.


    When asking Mia if she felt anything, she concentrated, then shook her head looking slightly disappointed, though she could sense the phenomenon, too. She told Lily about our blackout.


    Lily wasn''t perturbed, instead she told us that we sensed aura and sensing it is the first step to train your aura. It usually takes quite some time to learn it and she added that she got an idea. Then she laughed... creepily... while mumbling: ¡°As expected, it''ll be interesting!¡±


    After that I should read some books she prepared, saying that her plan was awesome. Looking serious for once, I decided to trust her... this time. After all, it''s just reading, isn''t it?


    In the meantime she instructed Mia.


    It''s been about half a day since our journey started. We are still riding the carriage and advance pretty fast. Of course not as fast as cars, but those horses are much faster than their counterpart from my world.


    They have the inborn talent to concentrate their aura into their legs, boosting their speed and stamina by a great amount. Very advantageous, will I be able to accomplish a similar feat? According to Lily, I can learn it if I train hard in aura.


    She used the opportunity to explain some points about dungeon monsters. They use something more alike to a mana shield than to aura to protect themselves. If a magician deploys a shield, it will wear off after some time.


    Monsters in dungeons, though, use the surrounding ether. For example, the shields, being fuelled through ether, will regenerate and adjust to the density automatically if you let them get a rest. Hence a low level monster will have a greater strength if he dwells in greater density and vice versa.


    Lily impressed following rule of thumb, add the dungeon floor with the level of the monster and divide it through two and you get their current strength. If we ever engage a level 5 monster on the first floor, despite lower density, he will still have a power equivalent to a level 3 monster. That''s why it''s crucial for both of us to learn the identification spell..


    Slowly but surely it''s getting dark outside. One of our guards calls that we are almost there.


    After a few minutes we arrive in a very small, rural town. Just a few houses placed around an inn.


    ¡°Time to test my assumption. Aeron, please collect the books, I will see if we can get more than one room... but if you insist I could pass on getting another one?¡±


    ¡°Lily!¡± Luckily Mia intercepted. She looks quite cute while blushing, too bad that I couldn''t see it in all those years.


    ¡°Just a joke, not before your marriage.¡± Poking her tongue out she left for the inn. I pretend to look interested at the guards, who dismounted and began to build some tents on the lawn nearby.


    ¡°Aeron? Let''s check on her, before she schemes something.¡±


    Packing the books swiftly, I follow her into the inn. The name was Three Arrows and it was a cheap, but passably clean looking tavern. We spot Lily standing at the counter talking, she turns to us, gives us a sign to follow, turns again and pounds the stairs, next to the counter, up. She seems angry, whereas the old, but sturdy looking barkeeper pretends that nothing happened, whistling a simple melody.


    ¡°We shouldn''t keep her waiting.¡± Mia grabs my hand without thinking and pulls me with her. Strong but tender. What am I thinking! Shaking my head I speed up, so as to not being pulled like a sack of potatoes.


    ¡°Calling me little girl... asking if my parents know if I''m here...aargh!¡±


    *cough* Arriving upstairs we see Lily throwing a small tantrum in one of the rooms. After clearing my throat, we went in. Better changing her thoughts quickly. Of course Mia let go of my hand in time.


    ¡°I brought you the books. So what''s your awesome idea?¡±


    ¡°Ah, thanks Aeron. Yes, this room should be sufficient, but first a test. Both of you, please stand in the middle and hold the dagger, together.¡±


    Looking interrogative at her, we still do as told. Mia takes the dagger, she already used for practice. Then grabs it in a way, which allows me to hold it, too. Her hand, smooth!


    Aargh, not again! We both look embarrassed at Lily, who keeps smiling. Is it one of her pranks, again?


    ¡°Sweet!¡± *cough* ¡°I mean, concentrate on your bond. Mia, try to wrap the dagger with your aura. Aeron, try to get a feeling about it.¡±


    I concentrate and feel the aura surrounding Lily, but there''s something more, like the bond we shared before. Instead of sharing senses, it''s more like getting a feeling on what she''s doing. Mia''s aura was stabilising around the dagger.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Aeron! Our bond, it''s back again?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, though very weak, I could almost feel what you were doing.¡±


    She repeated the step a few times, the feeling got clearer and clearer. Still fuzzy, though.


    ¡°As suspected! Aren''t I great? Let''s swap. Aeron, take the dagger with your right hand. Mia, get behind him and encase the dagger with your right hand, too. Then try it again.¡±


    Imagine someone standing intimately behind you, trying to improve your golf swing, quite embarrassing, but it worked!


    It''s like concentrating on our bond deep in our minds, but grasping something different and trying to shift it onto your hand, then onto the dagger.


    ¡°I think I''ve got it!¡±


    ¡°Really?! I just thought you two would look cute that way! Now try it! Don''t make such a face, it worked, didn''t it? Hurry!¡±


    No point in arguing with her... I try to recall the sensation and replicate it. It takes me a few attempts, but it works!


    ¡°Aeron, you did it! I could feel it!¡±


    Mia hugged me happily. There''s no reason to not be excited, after all I''m able to use aura and our bond is back! I tried to not think about our bond in the carriage, but it was still quite depressing. Mia must have thought about it, too.


    *cough* *cough*


    ¡°Ahem, should I leave? Or do we try my great plan?¡±


    ¡°The plan!¡±


    ¡°Try the plan!¡± We almost exclaim in unison.


    ¡°Then it''s Aeron''s turn. Usually a mana type will convert mana instinctively according to the affiliation. I told you to read the textbook Basic Elements and memorise all four descriptions of converting mana. Ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I answer with a nod.


    ¡°Now drop the dagger, open your palms and begin with wind, Mia change position with Aeron and grab his hand from below.¡±


    Doing as told, I begin concentrating. The book says that deep in your mind is a huge pool, try to grab it, then shift it to your palms. Sounds similar to what I did before. I know what to do. Besides the feeling of aura is something different. Something which would have distracted me from the aura pool. Luckily I got Mia''s tries as reference and didn''t miss it.


    I grab it, shift it onto my palms and try to convert it into wind. After very few attempts a puff leaves my hand. Success!


    ¡°Not bad, for your first time. Let''s try it again, then change with Mia.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± This time in unison.


    After another puff leaves my hand, we switch. She tries it a few times, but to no avail.


    ¡°Aeron, try to convert mana into earth.¡±


    ¡°But, he...¡±


    ¡°Psst, just let him do it.¡±


    Hmm? Never mind, there''s no reason in arguing against Lily. Concentrating I shift mana onto my palm, then I try to convert it. The feeling is different. Instead of a chaotic dissolving I have to dissolve it, while building regular, dense patterns. Sounds complicated, but after my fifth attempt I succeed. A small pebble appears on my palm. Feeling astonished, I disrupt the mana flow and the pebble disappears again.  This should be normal, the textbook states, that converted elements will disappear if the mana is used up. Still:


    ¡°Aeron!¡±


    ¡°Wow! Expecting something and seeing it in real is different...¡±


    ¡°What did you expect? Should the pebble stay?¡±


    ¡°No no, but you shouldn''t be able to use earth magic. Then again, you''re not an original resident of this world. Mia told me that your world is without magic. When I saw your almost transparent shard, I suspected that your affiliation had no time to stabilise in the short time you spent here. Let''s see if Mia can do it.¡±


    Mia fails at earth magic, too. She still tries, but she just gets more and more frustrated.


    ¡°Just why? I know what to do, but I can''t do it!¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. It''s just not your element. Think about how the other enhancers have to learn it. Trying much longer just to get a feeling how to do it, but without any success. And if they are unlucky, they have to try it four times over and over again until they know their respective element.¡±


    Luckily we find her Element with our next try. It''s water. And I can use it, too. I even succeed with fire, but Lily didn''t think it would be a good idea to convert fire, while Mia''s hand lays near to mine. Reasonable. Hence I tried it alone, but before, I had to do some difficult training in mana manipulation with her. She said, that I would even burn myself, if I don''t succeed, which I did faster than she expected.


    Furthermore we discovered, that we can only use something similar to our bond, if we are touching. It''s better than nothing, it''s even really useful that way. Still saddening, though.


    After that Lily tells us another plan. Mages have an advantage in learning magic. Especially if it''s concerning their affinity, they will learn it almost instinctively. Given that I can use water magic, I will teach Mia magic, and she will teach me how to use aura in return. There is just one issue, we need to find time and a place to train in secret. We come to the conclusion, that it''s best if I keep my ability, as well as my tight relation to Mia secret.


    After casting some magic and trying aura, it''s time to sleep. I wish them a good night and go to my room next door.


    It''s a small, tidy room with one bed. Still excited to know magic, I keep trying it, though it gets more and more tiring.


    Lily must have sensed it, because after some time she comes over and tells me to get some sleep, or if I need my overseer to watch over me, sleeping. Of course I take the former option and try to sleep.


    Next day a knocking wakes me up.


    ¡°Wake up, we are leaving soon!¡±


    I poke my tongue out in the direction of the door, thinking ''ha, no master-key for you!''


    After a small breakfast with the guards, we leave the Three Arrows and head to our destination Altos.


    It''s pretty uneventful. Mia practises with the dagger and water magic, while I keep on experimenting with my magic. From time to time, I practise with the dagger, too.


    Before the night falls, we eventually arrive. A guard shouts, that the city is in sighting distance. Mia pokes her head curiously out of the cabin. I am curious, too, so I accompany her.


    Ahead of us lays an enormous city. It''s dim already, but the city is nerved with chains of lights. In it''s centre towers a huge castle.


    ¡°oO, getting suddenly that close... actually right in front of you overseer... that won''t do... let me join!¡±


    While exclaiming, Lily pushes herself right between us. Just now do I realise how close we were. A small glimpse at Mia reveals her blushed state. It''s getting a bit clamped, but the fair wind cools me and I don''t think it''s bad.


    ¡°Do you see the castle in the centre? That''s the Griffon Academy. Right in front of it is a plaza with the Colosseum. Beneath is the biggest of the seven entrances to the dungeon.¡±


    Currently we are on a small hill to the south of Altos, quite a great view. The city is walled by sturdy looking stonewalls, forming a hexagon. Lily performs the role of a tour guide. ¡°Do you see the large buildings at the corners? Each of them is a academy with an entrance to the dungeon right in front of it. They lie beneath the small towers in the middle of the respective plazas. In the east is the biggest, the Military Academy, opposite of it is the second biggest, the Adventurer Academy. I think you will like your new class there, Aeron.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just wait, I don''t want to spoil the party.¡±

 Announcement

    Unfortunately I couldn''t finish the next chapter. I will have to take a break at least until the 25th of october due to exams.


    I finished the excerpt, it''s a bit different than the rest. The second part, is the handwriting of someone who added it to the bookpage.


    I will edit this chapter when I''m back again. Add the story and change the title from announcement to the chapters title.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    *sorry, it took much more time. I uploaded the chapter as a new one. For the poll, I think the fox is a great idea. Perhaps I will add a pet in the future.


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 6. Adventurer Academy

    First of all, sorry for keeping you waiting. With the start of the new semester I don''t have much time. The bachelor thesis takes a lot of time, too. I will try to post at least one chapter per month, beginning the week after next.


    Enjoy!


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    ¡°Once upon a time, in a certain village there lived a little girl, the prettiest one of all. Her parents, especially her mother was excessively fond of her. They doted upon her and spoilt her. She wouldn''t listen to what her parents say.


    One day, when her mother told her to sleep, she wouldn''t go. Instead she indulged herself in playing with dolls. Midnight came. Still not yet asleep and with her room as bright as day, she attracted something evil.


    Coated in dark shadows and long, pitch black claws, it lurks in the deepest shadows.


    The light in the room suddenly flickered, then flickered again, then it extinguished eventually. The shadow sneaked in.


    The girl wasn''t really disturbed, but annoyed that the lights were unreliable.


    Luckily her caring mother noticed something was amiss and opened her door. A small line of light illuminated what was in front of her.


    The bogeyman. With the long, pitch black claws clear in front of her, the girl screamed.


    But screams couldn''t help the spoilt child, though her loving mother could. Keeping her cool, the mother sang a lovely good night song.


    The shadow, who couldn''t stand it, fled. The little girl was saved. From now on she listened to her parents and they lived happily ever after.


    Moral of this tale, either listen or wail.


    -old fairy tale


    ***Aeron***


    After arriving at the South Gate one of the guards went ahead to talk to the city guards, who are protecting the Gate. Shortly after, one of them waves us through without inspecting us. The name Kingsley seems to be much valued or the guards are simply slacking off.


    The road broadens and there is enough space to let at least three carriages passing by, side by side. It''s already dark, but the streets are illuminated by lights, which are attached to cables hanging above. Despite the late hour, it''s still lively and a lot of stalls are offering food, clothes and miscellaneous items. We follow this main street for some time until we arrive at another gate. It''s much smaller than the outer gate and secludes the inner part of the city. These city guards aren''t stopping us neither. There are a lot of grand and high-toned looking houses in this district. In the distance ahead are huge silhouettes, perhaps the Griffon Academy and the Colosseum, but we are leaving the main street before arriving at the centre.


    The journey ends at an inn named Black Sheep. Despite it''s name, it''s a good middle-class inn in one of the calmer corners. Lily tells us that the owner handles the guests in a discrete manner.


    ¡°Are you sure of this place? It''s not shabby, but shouldn''t Lady Kingsley stay in one of the better inns?¡±


    ¡°It''s perfect for our means. And above all I know the owner, he may even lend me the master-key.¡±


    Lily is outside to talk to the chief of our guards. I can''t hear their talk, but something gives me a chill. Afterwards the guards help us with our baggage, then they bid us farewell before they leave for another place.


    We get two rooms at the second floor. They are clean and big. But I don''t pay much attention, the training, which I did the whole day, takes its toll and I fall asleep quickly.


    *Splash*


    ¡°waaaah!¡±


    Opening my eyes, I see Lily standing in front of me saying, almost singing bitter-sweet:


    ¡°Good mor~ning dear, breakfast is ready.¡±


    ¡°Lily! Why?!¡±


    ¡°Breakfast is the most important meal. And it''s going to be a very, very long day for you.¡±


    ¡°That''s not what I meant! There is NO need to wake me up with cold water!¡±


    ¡°But it''s much more fun! And it''s just magical water, it will leave if I cut the mana supply... see, you''re dry again. By the way, I know what you where thinking yesterday morning.¡±


    While poking her tongue out, she leaves. How does she know? No, there is now way that she knows... But it''s her win today and I just have to survive this day, then she won''t be able to prank me much more. The academies are boarding schools and Mia and I are at different places.


    After refreshing myself I go down for breakfast. Mia and Lily are already waiting for me. Eggs, bacon, bread, cold meat, cheese, pancakes with syrup and cereals are at the buffet. Delicious! I''m stuffing myself, after all we went to bed without having dinner. Mia does the same, just Lily is refraining herself. Afterwards both of them take me to the Adventurer Academy.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The Adventurer Academy owns several buildings. The castle-like main building is the most prominent of it. It adjoins the eastern plaza and it''s back faces the city wall. Between the city wall and the main building is a huge, enclosed training ground with many buildings for teaching and housing.


    Standing in front of the plaza I get to see an impressive view. The plaza is filled with countless people. There are many stalls with loud promoting merchants and even more passers-by and adventurers. The latter are sticking out with their equipment, most of them are equipped with swords and miscellaneous armament like leather armours, chain mails and even plate armour. Outfits just made out of cloth are quite common for them, too. Some of them look like clich¨¦-like magician robes.


    ¡°Wow! Look at all those items they are selling! This stall sells lovely trinkets and good luck charms!¡±


    ¡°Come on, Mia. We can go shopping after registering. Aeron needs cute equipment after all.¡±


    It''s much too early for arguing, hence I pretend to be oblivious to their little talk and follow them closely, it would be really bad to loose them in the crowd. There''s no way I will accept something like ''cute'' equipment, though! Of course I shouldn''t be too picky about free stuff, but still, there has to be a limit on how much I have to endure!


    In the middle of the plaza is an elevated place with a tower as it''s centre, guarded by armoured sentries with dark brown surcoats. A golden scale and a golden sword below it adorns the centre of the surcoats. A big clock is attached to the tower, displaying 10:15am.


    ¡°Below the tower is one of the few entrances to the dungeon. The guild-guards won''t let anyone through who isn''t registered. As a student you will have to wear your academy''s emblem additionally.¡±


    Lily takes the role of our tourist guide again and explains a few things. For example most of the shops near the tower are specialised in adventurers. They provide them with miscellaneous equipment, consumables and resources. Not only selling, but also buying the items, which the adventurers gather in the dungeon.


    ¡°Aeron look, there, an elf!¡±


    She points at a tall, female adventurer clad in a short tunic and a long wand. On the left side of her slender waist is a short sword attached. Long blond hair tied to a pigtail, delicate, fair skin and a nice face. If it wasn''t for her long pointed ears, you wouldn''t think that she isn''t a human. She draws a lot of attention, but I don''t think it''s because of her race. Most of the onlookers are males and her companions do their best to move smoothly trough the crowd, heading for the tower.


    ¡°Mia, it''s not nice to point your finger at people.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± She looks down with an apologetic expression.


    ¡°It''s OK, just watch your manners next time. You will see many more people from different races in Altos. A lot of them are good fighters and adventurers.¡±


    ¡°It''s my first time seeing other races. I never saw any of them at Mia''s place? How many are there and where do they come from?¡±


    ¡°Um, the majority here should be the varied beast-tribes, elves and dwarfs. They have kingdoms near our borders, but they have some towns of their own in Gewain, too. Several nobles had and still have a preference for them, especially beast-tribes, and benefited those immigrants massively in order to let them settle in their territory. In history lessons you will get to hear more about the other races.¡±


    It doesn''t take too long and we arrive on the other side of the plaza. Behind a sturdy fence and a well-kept front yard is the castle-like main building of the Adventurer Academy. At the main gate are two guards in navy blue surcoats with a white emblem.


    ¡°Good morning. Are you here to enrol?¡±


    ¡°Just Aeron here.¡± Lily speaks for us.


    ¡°Then follow the right corridor after entering. It''s signposted. Good luck with your fight.¡±


    ¡°Thank... er... fight?¡±


    ¡°Oh,don''t you know? The Adventurer Academy has a ranking system, but don''t be afraid, it''s not a real fight. Just show the examiner what you''ve got.¡±


    Looking back at Lily, I see her smiling. Of course, she knew about it.


    ¡°Don''t look at me like this. It''s just a really small, insignificant test here. Please show this letter at the registration, it''s a copy of the one I already sent... just in case. We will pick you up here at 1pm and get your cute equipment. Oh, and you better do well during the test.¡±


    ¡°Till later then, Aeron. And good luck!¡±


    One of them is smiling mischievously, the other one is giving me a hearty smile, while being dragged off. They have to enrol Mia at the Griffon Academy. They just brought me to the front gate. They left a little sudden, but it was clear from the outset, that here, I''m on my own. Facing the front of the building I can''t help and smile. This is the place I will go to school for the next years and learn magic, my new home. I advance with great strides.

 7. Examination

    It would be great, if somebody is willing to do the proofreading. Suggestions are welcomed, too. Especially suggestions for full names (I will need a lot of them when class starts).


    Enjoy!


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    ¡°Raising your level takes a lot of effort and time, but there is a shortcut. By killing a creature, its life-force will vanish. If you are in its vicinity when it dies, you can absorb some of it. The life-force you can absorb is called experience and depends on the strength of your and the creature''s life-force, which is measured in levels.


    You get the best efficiency, if the creature has a few levels more than you. If its level is much higher, it will give more experience on death, but your life-force won''t be strong enough to absorb much of it. If the creature''s level is much lower, it will of course give less experience, but you can absorb more of it. The downside is, that it''s too weak and can''t be used to strengthen your own life-force very much, hence the effective experience you get is much lower. A real waste.


    A level-difference of about fifteen levels and you will get almost no experience at all. Therefore try to hunt creatures, which are about one or at most two levels higher than you, but never alone. If more than one person is in the creature''s vicinity on its death, the experience will be shared. However I don''t recommend to hunt creatures with higher levels alone, there is a reason why they have a higher level than you. Actually I don''t recommend hunting alone at all, it''s much too dangerous and straining. Get a party with people of your level, considering that if one has a much higher level, he will get almost all of the experience, leaving the rest of you with almost none of it.¡±


    -excerpt from Beginners Guide. By Nicholas Novi.


    ***Aeron***


    It wasn''t hard to find the room to enrol, but I''m facing my opponent at the moment and a judge is counting down.


    ¡°3¡±


    I knew I have to take an examination, so what''s wrong?


    It''s not the real examiner, who I''m facing at the moment.


    ¡°2¡±


    Not even enrolled and I already have my first school quarrel. My opponent is about 6 foot tall, bulky and grinning malignly. I think I have angered him quite a bit.


    ¡°1¡±


    Perhaps I should have just entered the reception room instead of being dragged into a conflict. A lover''s quarrel? I can''t remember being in any fights at school before, why do I had to start now?


    ¡°fight!¡±


    The 6 foot tall, bloodstained berserker charges straight at me. If that doesn''t sound frightening, than perhaps the even taller, gigantic warhammer he carries, which is held high above his head, ready to crush down on anyone who dares to stand in its way. How did it end up like this?


    After reaching the reception room, I heard something breaking and the scream of a girl. It couldn''t be that far away, hence I followed the direction, where the sound came from. I arrived at an inner courtyard after a few turns. A sturdy teenager was about to drag a young girl by her hairs to the other exit of the courtyard, but not without a fight. His nose was already bleeding, tainting his formerly white shirt red.


    ¡°Let me go you blockhead!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, I won''t spend another semester with those commoners! This worthless scum!¡±


    I don''t like to meddle with other people''s problems, but I couldn''t just stand idly by and watch a girl being dragged off like that.


    ¡°Hey, you shouldn''t treat a girl like that.¡±


    The teenager flinched. Seizing the opportunity, the girl turned half around, summoned a fireball in her hand and shot it to the hand holding her hairs. The fireball didn''t connect. Shortly before reaching the arm, the teenager instinctively let go of her and moved back. Realising his blunder, he turned towards me, surveyed me, then scowled at me.


    ¡°Mind your own business! And who the heck are you?¡±


    In the meantime, the girl dashed to the other side of the courtyard, near to my position and picked up a staff from the floor, which I failed to recognize. It''s a weird staff, something between a scythe and a pike. The white rod is adorned with delicate, crimson patterns, but the most peculiar thing is the tip. A scythe-like blade is attached to the top, as if holding a big C. A crescent would describe it best.


    ¡°I''m new here, but pretty sure, that it''s not allowed to hijack cute girls!¡±


    After realising what I just said, I steal a glance towards her, too embarrassed to face her directly. Though she really is cute. Her dark brown hair flows down to her mid-back, leaving a nice contrast to her white blouse. Lightly tanned, pristine skin and dazzling, chocolate brown eyes. Her face shows traces of a baby face and she should be around my age. She blushes, looks slightly embarrassed and starts to pout a little as she speaks to me.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I could have handled him on my own, but thanks anyway. You better leave quickly, he can be really nasty and resentful.¡±


    ¡°Newbie! Don''t think about leaving, we need to ''talk'' after I''m finished with my dear Alexandra. I didn''t invest all the time and effort for nothing!¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that, blockhead, but somebody has to tell you. It doesn''t look like she wants to be anywhere near to you. You should let her be.¡±


    Alexandra first looks startled at me, but it quickly changes into a sweet, little smile.


    ¡°Steve! What''s going on here?¡±


    Before the situation could escalate, a tall, well built and middle-aged man approaches the, thanks to the blood and fury, now deep reddened teenager with the name Steve. Before answering, Steve takes a few deep breaths to calm himself down and think about an answer.


    ¡°Mr. Dewis, I was talking with Alexandra about our future, when this newbie-lad barged in.¡±


    ¡°Face it already, I don''t want anything to do with you any more! You may have kissed up to grandfather, but I know your real self! He, mm, sorry, but what''s your name?¡±


    Looks like I was right about their relation. Instead of his reddened face, Steve''s face looses his colour now. Don''t know if that''s better or worse, but it''s fun to see his impression and how he has to pull himself together. Serves him right! Though I shouldn''t go overboard.


    ¡°Aeron.¡±


    ¡°Aeron... I''m Alex. So Aeron here just came through and wanted to help me, but as you can see Steve''s nose, it wasn''t necessary.¡±


    Even though it''s Alex who said it, Steve is glaring hatefully at me right now... So much for not going overboard! Mr. Dewis on the other side looks intrigued at me.


    ¡°Aeron? Aeron Evans?¡±


    ¡°Yes, how do you know?¡±


    ¡°A mutual friend. We got a rushed message from Lily, quite interesting... We were expecting you to take the examination today?¡±


    I have a bad premonition...


    ¡°Actually, I was going to take his examination. As a student council member, it''s my job to help our new fellows after all.¡±


    Steve is grinning dangerously now, whereas Alex expresses her shock.


    ¡°No Steve! It''s something between me and you. I would love to take you on in a fair fight!¡±


    Yes, it''s not my fight! Though how can I let her fight in my stead? Hower it''s Mr. Dewis who chips in first.


    ¡°That would be interesting. Indeed it''s the student council who helps with the examination, even though usually the more experienced members. Level four might be low, but you are from an older age group, 15 if I remember correctly. I''m looking forward to your fight, Lily''s letter was really piquing my curiosity.¡±


    Interesting?! Letting a freaking, now deadly grinning, furious giant fight a not yet enrolled first grader, that''s not something a sane person would or should do. Though it''s exactly something Lily would do, just for fun. Perhaps I should expect nothing less from a friend of our ''mutual acquaintance''...


    Hence it doesn''t even take 20 minutes and I''m facing Steve in some kind of small arena. It''s a little reassuring that the healers applied a mana barrier directly under the first dermal layer, the only place where a foreign shield can be applied to a body, without disturbing your own Aura. The rules are simple. The person, who penetrates the opposing Aura and gets a clear hit onto the foreign shield first, wins. No further attacks are allowed after that. There''s a time limit, too, in order to prevent the shield to wear off. Hence it''s not lethal, but can still hurt a lot. You won''t loose limbs, get deep cuts or other serious wounds, but especially the impacts can be ''felt'' despite your Aura.


    And it doesn''t help to have a 6 foot tall, bloodthirsty, raging bruiser with a gigantic impact-causing warhammer standing on the opposing side. Steve grins maliciously, Alex looks worriedly, Mr. Dewis and the other staff members excitedly. But I, I don''t know how I feel about it. Of course it''s scary, but it''s motivating to have good reason to fight. How could I let Alex fight him? Then again, she should have a higher level and more experience. Steve is level four, while I''m a level two. It shouldn''t be impossible, but he is trained, whereas I have just started a few days ago. Mr. Dewis, who is our referee, counts down. Looks like I can''t hold back and may have to use magic.


    ¡°fight!¡±

 8. Windblade

    Still busy with my thesis, but I should be finished in two or perhaps next month, leaving me with enough time to write more.


    I''m still looking for a proof-reader, if someone has interest, please send a pm.


    Enjoy!


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    ¡°Goblins are small, weak creatures. Most of them have a greenish skin colour and a disproportionate big head. Primary they inhibit the upper dungeon floors. They may have nasty canines, but neither have they razor-sharp claws nor strong muscles. They are more like overgrown rats? Hideous, but not a big threat? There are three peculiar things about them, which may change your opinion. First: Goblins move in flocks. Second: They can use armament. Third: They are diverse.


    Most of them may be small and weak, though that doesn''t mean that all of them are like that. Some flocks are lead by stronger individuals, sometimes they even have spellcaster. The deeper the better equipped they are. When Goblins manage to surround a party, even an advanced one will have troubles. Hence if you encounter a single Goblin, be careful and keep attention to your surroundings.¡±


    -Greg''s Dungeon Guide, by Greg S. Bonham


    ***Mr. Dewis***


    As soon as I finish the countdown, Steve rushes towards Aeron. He choose an unexpected weapon, a huge warhammer. It can deal tons of damage and hurts a lot, even if you protect yourself with aura. It''s suiting his fighting style, though he hasn''t much experience with it. I think he exaggerates. Seems like he is furious and just wants to crush him. Aeron on the other hand choose a sharp rapier, which can''t effectively parry the warhammer''s blow.


    It may sound like a bad choice, but Steve is older and much more advanced in his growth phase, has the level advantage and has been trained for years. He should be six foot tall, about one and a half feet taller than Aeron. It''s not very surprising if you consider their age difference, 15 and 11. Aeron wouldn''t be able to block his attacks, even with a shield or a sturdier weapon. Choosing a rapier may give you the speed advantage, though that counts nothing if you aren''t experienced enough.


    And his lack of experience reveals immediately. Steve closes the gap in an instant, is almost in range and Aeron starts a horizontal swing. Too wide, too early. If you aren''t familiar with fast movements, it''s easy to miscalculate, though missing an opponent by three feet is just awkward. The moment I come to think about it, I sense mana manifesting at Aeron''s blade. Now this is interesting!


    Steve''s smile, confident of victory, crumbles instantly as a slash, which should have been out of range, connects with his torso and leaves a red, horizontal line.


    A windblade! Subconsciously I start whistling. The reason why wind magic is sneered at, is that the first stages are weak compared to other elements. A strong wind gust works defensively and can disrupt the enemy''s balance quite effectively, but in order to really hurt the enemy, you have to upgrade your wind gust into a strong blast. Of course this isn''t something a beginner can do. That''s why a lot of wind mages train in martial arts and use wind magic as support or ditch it completely. A waste. It may be hard and take a lot of time, but if you break through advanced stage, you are able to use strong attacks and the wind magic is on a complete different scale. Being able to create windblades is one reason. They belong to the fastest attacks known and do decent damage. In addition they are almost invisible, which is the reason they are dreaded. You have to perceive their creating through mana sensing in a split second and react to it. The pinnacle of wind magic, though, is lightning. They are even faster than windblades, devastating and armour penetrating. No one would sneer at someone who is able to create windblades, not to mention lightning.


    Steve is an enhancer and has neglected his sense for mana. Therefore the attack is a complete surprise for him. Luckily for him, it''s blunt and weak, hence it doesn''t deal too much damage. The most interesting part is how Aeron produced the windblade, which should be impossible for rookies. Using the aura-encased rapier to materialise and shape some kind of windblade along the sharp blade, then launching it off together with his slash. Sounds like an easy shortcut in theory, but needs a lot of accurate intuition in both, aura and mana manipulation. Additionally he needs a slash with his weapon to use the windblade, which makes it predictable. The same attack shouldn''t work on Steve again, if he realises what he''s up against.


    Although taken aback, Steve finishes his vertical attack quite swiftly. Nevertheless, the second of surprise is enough for Aeron to jump aside with a dive roll. The warhammer hits the floor where Aeron stood a second before and debris shoots out from the small crater, hitting him and Steve likewise, too weak, though, to do any damage.


    I had reservations to let them fight, one clean powerstrike with that hammer is all Steve needs to crush him, though he intends to let Aeron suffer with many weaker hits. I can''t help myself and smile, are there more surprises waiting for me?


    ***Aeron***


    After the dive roll I get up quickly and prepare for another attack, but there is no follow up. Is he cautious? Doesn''t suit him at all. Too bad that my attack didn''t do very much, I have to work on it. I thought about windblades as soon as I heard, that I''m wind-affiliated. I have to admit, though, that I got the Idea from fictitious characters back on earth. But no matter how I tried to manipulate air, I couldn''t create anything strong and sharp enough to be considered a windblade. When I learned how to coat the dagger in aura, I had the Idea to coat the blade with mana and use it as some kind of template. It took me almost half a night until I succeeded more or less, but the spell looses its strength and sharpness too quickly after leaving the blade, hence it''s ineffective as a range attack, for the time being.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    No time to think about those things now, the fight is still going on. Instead of attacking, Steve circles around me cautiously, while looking at me with a mix of anger and confusion. Still clueless Mr. I need to compensate with a huge warhammer? That''s fine with me, it''s better to let him parry with it, than attack.


    Encasing my blade with another windblade I lower my centre of gravity and dash towards Steve. A swift horizontal slash from the right, which is met by a strong, slanted upward swing. Using the resulting force to pivot around my left foot, I attack him with a diagonally downward swing, carrying the added force from our first clash. I know, that spinning around, showing your back in front of an enemy, isn''t something you should do or I intended to do. My body acts almost on reflex, as if I have fought someone like him already hundreds of times, knowing that he can''t retaliate with his heavy weapon.


    Steve has to parry with the elongate handle. Without the momentum of a swing, the clash messes with his balance, not much, but enough for me to follow up with another two slashes, which he has to parry likewise. They don''t carry as much momentum, but the windblade is still coating my blade. My next attack is a quick thrust, aiming for his torso. Instead of parrying, he intents to take the blow head-on and prepares a strong overhead strike.


    My thrust hits and the windblade is let loose, doing significant damage at point-blank range, although less than a powerful slash would have done. He expected the hit, but still looks astounded, perhaps he didn''t expect to take that much damage. This doesn''t stop his well trained lumberjack-motion, though.


    I try to sidestep the blow, but he shifts his attack to follow my movement. Simultaneously I raise my sword arm, while the blade points inclined downwards, trying to divert the blow and using the resulting force to support my lateral movement. Barely in time and barely diverting more than a few inches, it''s still enough for me to avoid a direct hit.


    A sudden detonation and I''m blown away by the impact. My aura protects me, although the amount in my aura-pool decreased significantly and I feel dizzy. Getting up promptly, I see Steve''s follow up. Shouldn''t he be affected as well?!


    I flew more than 15 feet away from the crater and he already caught up five feet. The warhammer is behind his back, like preparing a Back Swing.


    It is a Back Swing! My body reacts, as previously, on its own. Almost like having trained this for years, I jump aside with another dive roll, however my left leg still gets grazed by small pebbles. Though that''s nothing compared to the fist sized debris flying at high speed through the space I have been standing half a second ago.


    I don''t know if I can dodge the attack again, I need to bind him in close combat, but then there is his suicidal, lumberjack attack. I don''t have the confidence to even endure another indirect hit. None the less I keep smiling, no sign of fear is left. It''s a true challenge and it''s fun!


    I need a quick conclusion. Let''s try another spell, make-or-break!


    Encasing my blade again with a windblade, I start my rush, trying to close in before he can attack anew. Eight feet to go.


    ¡°Arrrrrrrrgh¡± With a ferocious scream Steve starts his Back Swing, but he''s slower and lacking the power from before. Looks like he isn''t unscathed from his own attack. Truly a berserker. Five feet left, I can make it!


    Gripping the rapier with my right hand, I clenched my left fist from the beginning of my attack. I left it hollow in order to form my spell there in secret. It''s important that nobody observes what I''m trying to do, although my success rate isn''t very high with that spell. Three feet left to be in range.


    It''s a feint! He changed his posture to his berserk lumberjack attack and speeds up. Is he trying to bring me down at all costs? However that won''t stop me from smiling, am I going to be battle crazy just like Mia? One feet...


    Taking all my vigour left, I kick myself sideways to my right and prepare the spell. Steve follows my movement again, as expected of someone trained in martial arts. Nevertheless I''m outside of his range when his attack connects with the ground, but he doesn''t need a direct hit against my weakened state. Almost simultaneously I open my left, outstretched hand and attack, not Steve, but the ground the warhammer is hitting. Make-or-break, which one will it be?


    BOOOM


    The blast pushes me back. I''m trying to hold my ground with a lowered centre of gravity.


    It''s hopeless. I get pushed back, but keep standing more or less upright. It hurts, luckily my left hand is still working fine. I have to keep going on, it hasn''t ended, yet.


    Keeping my rapier sideways, I dash towards the cloud of dust. Bearing the brunt of both our attacks, this time it was him who flew several feet away. Visibility is low, but it''s enough to locate him lying on the floor just outside of the cloud.


    Still dizzy, his expression shows disbelieve and a hint of fear as I tear through the cloud of dust, uncovering the intricate pattern of my windblade. With sluggish movements, Steve tries to grab his weapon in order to block the attack, but there was no trace of hesitation from me, making it impossible for him to react in time. A clean horizontal slash hits Steve, the windblade instantly breaks through, revealing a fine, blue line.


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    After one, of the two healers, exclaims, Mr Dewis announces:


    ¡°END! Steve Grey has taking damage. Winner is Aeron Evans.¡±

 9. Choose your class

    Good news, I had enough of my term papers and distracted myself with this story. Originally it was longer, but I cut it and will release the next chapter quicker. It''s still the biggest chapter I released so far. I also corrected the previous chapters and changed some minor details. For example I changed aura-type into enhancer, mana-type into mage/spellcaster, etc. The bad thing about distraction, my work didn''t decreased :???:


    The Adventurer Academy is still looking for an emblem (Colour is white and navy blue) , any suggestions? Just leave a comment. Any questions, logic errors or other mistakes you have/find are well appreciated, too! I''m running out of interesting Ideas for the excerpts at the beginning of a chapter.


    And now, enjoy!


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    ¡°The power to use aura and mana awakens during puberty. The age differs greatly between individuals, hence the age of people who enrol into the academies differs greatly. Most pupils start at the age of twelve or thirteen. To have less tension in class, the academies try to group those of the same age together. Together they will learn, together they will fight. In tournaments, though, it''s not the age, which counts, but the level. The rookie tournament gathers pupils with levels ranging from one to eight.¡±


    -Griffin''s Compendium


    *Aeron*


    I''m exhausted as hell, my legs are unsteady and my whole body aches, but it''s my win. Victory!


    ¡°AERON!¡± While I''m still panting heavily I turn around and see Alex jumping joyously towards me, following another female.


    *thud*


    Looking back again, I find Steve collapsed on the floor, but the healer next to him isn''t disturbed at all by the situation.


    ¡°Don''t worry, it''s just fatigue. Are you hurt? It was a fierce fight, considering it was just an examination.¡±


    ¡°Yes, forget that blockhead, serves him right! Are ''you'' OK?¡± The female who Alex followed spoke first and is the healer in charge of my shield, Mrs Banks if I remember correctly. She takes my left hand and checks it.


    ¡°A bit exhausted, but I''m alright. Although I''m pretty sure that I will get the worst muscle ache of my life.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear child! Just wait for the basic training! Your condition now doesn''t look concerning, nothing a good rest couldn''t cure. I will take my leave then, I''m pretty sure we will meet again. See you soon.¡± I bid her farewell, too, but I definitely don''t plan on troubling her any time soon again. Although I must admit, the fight was fun.


    ¡°That fight was awesome! Where did you learn to fight that way?¡± About that question... It puzzles me. I did some sports like Kendo back then, but I never had any serious combat situations. My body, though, reacted almost on its own and I pay the price for the unaccustomed movements. I did a lot of sport and of course I had muscle soreness before, but never to that extend or that soon. Still those movements seem to be familiar to me.


    Thinking about it, it reminds me of Mia''s training. She didn''t have many friends because of circumstances and the many fighting lessons were essential for her. I sort of accompanied her through our bond, but it''s not the same thing as practising yourself. Just because you see someone playing a song on an instrument, it doesn''t automatically enables you to play it, too. Even if you know how to play and even if you have the notes, you have to practice it on your own in order to play it perfectly. Especially if a rapid pace is required, where you don''t have much time to think. It''s not that I''m ungrateful, it''s just weird. Since coming here many things were odd, but there were also so many new and exciting things.


    ¡°It''s OK if you don''t want to answer, everybody has some sort of secrets and keeping your fighting style or school hidden isn''t something extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry Alex, that''s not the reason, it''s just... my memories are messy since my coming-out a few days ago.¡±


    She''s giving me an astounded look? Crap!! I should have kept it a secret, it''s clearly not normal to learn that fast or ascend to level two in just a few days. Don''t panic! Looking at my freezing posture, she says: ¡°Isn''t it a bit too early for a coming-out? After all we are just 11 and our preferences are still developing. I may hate boys like Steve, but it doesn''t mean I hate all boys.¡±


    She completes the sentence with a light smile, which quickly changes into a stiff poker-face, while observing my expression. What does she...?! It took me longer than I''m proud of to realise what she means.


    ¡°T-that''s not it! Of course I d-do like girls...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± *fu fu fu*


    She can''t hold it any longer and starts to laugh. Did she just played a prank on me?! After calming herself, she keeps talking with a radiant smile, though it doesn''t conceal the traces of mischievousness.


    ¡°Sorry, I was just teasing you. Using the term ¡°Coming-out¡± is antiquated. Although it may still be used by some very old fashioned nobles. Don''t worry, I won''t ask or tell anybody, but you should use the term ¡°awakening¡± instead. Perhaps someday you will tell me more, at present it was nice meeting you. See you in school!¡±


    Baffled, I somehow return the farewell. Are all girls like this, or is it just this world? But the stalker back on earth was a also a girl. Mia seems to be the only normal girl around me, although battle-crazy and being able to trash most older kids, may not count as normal. Or maybe it''s just me? I''m not good at handling girls. Am I easy to see through? Alexandra seems to be nice and astute, though. Never mind, it''s great to know someone from school already. It may look like I was a loner before, but I always had Mia by my side, literary. Now that our bond is almost gone, it''s perturbing, it''s like a missing limb. Even though we spent the last days next to each other and there were so many exciting new things keeping me distracted, I can''t help and feel lonely. It''s not just missing my best friend, Mia, there is more, but... ouch! Great, I got a headache, too, that fight was really taxing, damn that Steve!


    ¡°Aeron Evans?¡± Surprised I look to my side, and see an older man approaching me.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    He''s bearded and wears a simple white robe with a navy blue cloak. The most striking feature is his staff, though it looks more like a dreamcatcher on a rod with a mesmerizing black gem in the middle.


    ¡°Oh, Director Herrero, you don''t have to concern yourself with the admission of a mere student. I will go through the formalities with him, if he works hard, chances are good that he will be successful in first class 11I.¡± Mr. Dewis chases hectically after the older looking man, who seems to be our Director. The director scrutinises Mr. Dewis before answering him with a knowing, predominant smile.


    ¡°Jarod, I know you like to amass promising people in your classes, which of course is desirable, but as an examiner you should be more impartial. Wouldn''t first class 10H fit better for a level 2?¡±


    ¡°B-but director! You cannot give him to that witch! Her class contains al...¡±


    ¡°Jarod Dewis! This is a School, keep your intrigues out of it.¡±


    ¡°What about the standard of knowledge? And skipping a class is always problematic, the parties are already formed!¡±


    ¡°Give it up, Jarod, Lily is currently in Altos and I heard she will be staying here.¡±


    Lily again? Is she famous? Oh... seeing Mr. Dewis'' paling face, she has to be more like notorious than famous. Something I am able to relate to. Poor Jarod, what has he been through?


    ¡°Sorry Aeron, I''m the director of the Adventurer Academy, Jordon Herrero. Just give your weapon to Mr. Dewis, he will bring it back to the armoury. Let''s see what we are going to do with you.¡±


    Giving the rapier to the depressed teacher, I quickly follow after the director. Thinking back to their conversation, I have to keep my vigilance up. Why is everyone so obsessed with power and intrigues? I have to swallow the bitter pill and consult with Lily. The only person in this world I can trust wholeheartedly is Mia, and Lily is trustworthy if it''s related to Mia.


    We exit the arena and walk in silence. Thanks to the negative thoughts, the lonely feeling comes up again, and with it the headache increases. Not bearing my thoughts any longer, I break the silence.


    ¡°Mr. Herrero? I''m admitted, aren''t I?¡±


    ¡°Of course you are. A recommendation of a former honour student is sufficient after all.¡±


    ''Honour student'', her? Keeping my sceptical thoughts for myself I inquire about other things.


    ¡°Then why the examination?¡±


    ¡°Although Altos dungeon probably is the biggest dungeon, we have seven academies. We already accommodate more than 10.000 students. It''s not just our facilities, if we accept more students, the upper dungeon floors will be too cramped and over-farmed. Hence we have to select the most promising ones. Another aspect is the allocation of students. We need balanced classes, as parties are usually formed within a class.¡±


    ¡°Sounds logical, but why was Mr. Dewis vehemently trying to get me into his class? Are there great bonuses for teachers?¡±


    ¡°Oh, just connections... Power... Loot... But don''t worry, we keep a close eye on our teachers. That reminds me. What do you get if you multiply 124 with 11?¡±


    Baffled by the prompt question I need more time than usually, but luckily it''s an easy question. 124 multiplied with 10 than adding 124 again.


    ¡°1364. Why are you asking?¡±


    ¡°General studies. Most pupils have problems to keep up in maths. Ten plus 5, multiplied with 2? No brackets.¡±


    If you know the rules, multiplication and division first in this case, maths isn''t too complicated, and back on earth I had to learn more complicated things in maths than Mia.


    ¡°20. Finished?¡± I answer without hesitation, which earns me an a appreciatory smile from him.


    ¡°That will do. Smart and talented, too bad that my position doesn''t permit a prot¨¦g¨¦.¡± He added half mumbling. After sending him a questioning look he keeps on talking. ¡°Ah, never mind, it''s just rare to find a promising fellow wind magician. Although your fighting style reminds me more of a Battlemage or a Paladino. Perhaps I can introduce Edward to you.¡±


    ¡°What''s a Paladino, Sir?¡± Battelemages use magic and aura equally, making them versatile, but the path they take is quite arduous. I never heard the other term, though.


    ¡°Sorry, I wandered from the subject. Let''s keep it simple, important things first. We have 9 regular classes. Beginning with I, then H, G, until A. Usually you start in I, where you learn the basics. In your case it''s fine to skip it and start in H. To get to H you have to be at least level 1, which we are going to check right now. Beginning at H, you have to level up at least two times each year in order to take the next class. Don''t worry, an average student levels up three times a year.¡± He talks fast and I have to concentrate to comprehend it his words quickly. After taking a small break to draw breath, he wants to continue his tirade.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Director Herrero! You have to do something about Steve Grey! Someone like him in the student council? That has to be a tasteless joke!¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, how often have I said to just call me Mr. Hero.¡±


    ¡°As often as I have said that I will never call you that! And cut that oh dear crap, do something about Steve! First day in the council and he already used his authority to harass a maid!¡±


    Arriving in front of a double door, an agitated girl awaits us. The first thing which comes to my mind is - beautiful. She''s older and a bit taller than me. Her magenta coloured hair flows down gracefully, almost reaching her waist. Is this a natural hair colour here? She has a tender, but still athletic build, with clear signs of maturity. The most striking features are her lapis lazuli blazing eyes, complementing her drop-dead gorgeous face.


    ¡°My my, shouldn''t you wear a proper uniform? A vice-president needs to be a role model.¡±


    ¡°Don''t try to distract me, school hasn''t started, yet.¡±


    Her gaze roams towards me. Meeting her gaze I''m almost mesmerized, it''s enough to take one''s breath away. Trying to break the spell, I force myself to focus my gaze away from her eyes, inspecting the clothes Mr. Herrero mentioned.


    The upper part is white with a few red spots and she has a fitting red skirt, all in all it''s resembling a miko outfit. A curved sword sheath with the fitting handle is hanging from her left waist, all black. Two dark blue ties are adorning her hair, surprisingly the hair colour doesn''t clash with the red hue of her clothes.


    ¡°You should look up into a persons face and introducing yourself is courteous. I''m the vice president of the student council, Eryn Delaney, first Class 10E.¡±


    Feeling the heat, which accompanies a blushing I quickly apologise to her and introduce myself properly. Upon hearing my surname she smirks lightly. Luckily the director saves me: ¡°By the way, Aeron is the latest victim of Steve. He''s here for enrolment.¡±


    After hearing Mr. Herrero''s words, she looks anew at me, this time with a sympathising expression, even her voice, instead of a reprimanding tone carries a gentle note: ¡°I''m sorry for this idiot. The student council should help students, but we caused you trouble, sorry.¡± She bows gracefully and seems to be honest and sincere. Who could be mad at her? It''s not even her fault to begin with.


    ¡°Never mind, no harm done and the dispute wasn''t about me in the first place.¡± Happy with my answer she sends me a small smile before turning to the director again.


    ¡°There you have it, you have to kick him out!¡±


    ¡°We can talk about Steve''s case later, I have to allocate Aeron first.¡±


    ¡°Allocate? I thought he''s here to testimony the troubles with Steve? Allocating new pupils is something examiners should do, kicking troublemakers out of school is something the director, ''you'', should do! It''ll be best, if we do this before he causes more trouble!¡± Her blazing eyes apply pressure to the director, who isn''t fazed at all, though.


    ¡°Don''t worry, he won''t cause troubles again, for today.¡± After her questioning look he explains further: ¡°Aeron took care of him.¡± The director isn''t much of a help. Still looking confused and before it take years, I decide to help Eryn and explain the incident with more details.


    ¡°Steve Grey harassed Alexandra and I disturbed him, in doing so. As a member of the student council, he ''took care'' of my examination and fought me in return. Eventually I was able to defeat him and before I left with Mr. Herrero, he broke down due to fatigue.¡±


    ¡°He''s just a rookie himself, he can''t examine pupils!¡± Looking accusingly at Mr. Herrero she questions him: ¡°Director, please, don''t tell me you allowed it!?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Dewis permitted the fight and acted as referee. I was just there to stop his trophy hunt.¡± The director uses his most innocent smile to deny the accusation. Relieved she breaths out, before realising something. Looking at me she asks: ¡°You won?¡±


    ¡°It was a tight fight, but yes.¡±


    Evaluating me for a short moment, she replies: ¡°Impressive. This earns you 100 sympathy points, though I have to subtract 50 for gaping at me and another 50 points for your late introduction. Manners are important.¡±


    Sympathy points? Please, don''t tell me she''s a weirdo, too! And I wasn''t gaping, I was just trying to... never mind, it will just sound like a cheap excuse, but I can play that game, too! ¡°You started the staring and didn''t introduce yourself along the way either.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, it''s Mr. Herrero''s fault, it was his duty to begin with. You are 50 points in the black, keep it up! Director, I don''t have to tell you about your negative amounts, do I? Just take care of Steve and I don''t have to come here again, anytime soon. Bye.¡±


    Instead of a the cold glance, which our Mr. Hero gets, she gives me a small smile as farewell, probably worth 50 sympathy points. I return the smile while the director just waves his hand. Although oddish in some ways, I have to admit, that she gained an excess of sympathy points from me. Great, now I''m starting to use this ''measurement'' too. Maybe it''s just the way girls are?


    ¡°That''s the vice president for you. As long as you don''t cause trouble, you should be on her good side. Just a little warning, you shouldn''t tell anyone that you are 50 points in the black, her fans are quite ''avid'', jealous would be a better word for it. Not a single guy had a positive amount, until now! You''re quite a lucky one, I wish I were a ''few'' years younger... Now get in, I also have to take care of a troublemaker today. Although, she coming back isn''t a threat at all.¡±


    With a laugh he enters the double doors. Dispelling the thoughts of Eryn and her fans, I focus on my surroundings. Only now do I recognize the plate with the inscription ¡°Director¡± on it. At first he made a serious and reliable impression, but the talk right now disabused me. Should I ask him about the Mr. Hero stuff and his leisure at handling his business? No, it''s better to pretend I never heard it.


    I enter the director''s bureau. A huge desk, two chairs in front of it and a comfortable looking armchair behind it. Old-fashioned, but comfy. After placing his staff carefully in a corner, Mr. Herrero takes a small box from the desk''s drawer, opens it and places it on the desk. There''s a small familiar looking crystal clear shard in it. ¡°Help yourself.¡±


    I grab the shard with my right hand. It doesn''t take long before it glows in a faint pale blue hue. On closer inspection, just a small pattern in the shard glows, forming a symbol. The number two.


    ¡°Level two, as in the letter. Sorry, it''s not about trust, but about formalities.¡±


    And letting a rookie test an applicant is compliant to rules? There''s no benefit in enlightening him, though, hence I keep my thoughts for myself. ¡°I understand, after all it''s your duty to do so.¡±


    ¡°Now let''s talk about your future class. You have two options. Either you take class 11I or 10H. I recommend taking class 10H, you beat a level four, who is twice as strong as you. I don''t think you can learn much from class 11I, but that''s up to you.¡±


    Class 10H sounds optimal for me, I''m a fast learner and have to gain power quickly in order to help Mia, but just to be sure I play safe and ask a few questions which are bugging me.


    ¡°What about the things Mr. Dewis said? About standard of knowledge and the already formed parties? Oh and what''s the meaning of the numbers?¡±


    ¡°Standard of knowledge is about general studies, like Maths, history, writing and reading, rules and so on. Another important part are battle studies, but don''t worry, it''s not too much to catch up to and I may have the perfect tutor for you, Edward.¡± He tries to reassure me with a kind smile before talking about the other questions: ¡°In the first year you become acquainted with your classmates and eventually form small groups, parties, of 3 to 6 persons at the end of the year. It''s important, that they are balanced and with your skills as a melee fighter, a wind and water magician, I don''t think you have any problems to get into one of them.¡±


    Water magician? Damn! He noticed! Did someone else? Wait, that means he missed the other part, though! The spell I used to counter Steve''s last power strike contains three different kinds of magic. It''s the reason I call it triple blast, no need to tell me, I don''t have the best naming sense, but it''ll have to suffice for now. Concealed through my hand, I created a small sphere of water. Next I used fire magic to heat it up while compressing the sphere. If Lily hadn''t shown me how to protect oneself from his own magic, I would have severely burned myself back then. At least she''s great at teaching, I guess I need to thank her later. Releasing the spell is easy, just stop compressing the water. The hard part is to redirect the whole pressure in one direction. Using wind magic is essential for this step and it conceals the other elements additionally, though apparently it didn''t work all too well.


    ¡°Don''t look that shocked. Learning to sense mana is fundamental as an adventurer. You have to use wind magic first to cover the water sphere, if you don''t want others to sense the water magic. Do you want to keep it secret? Though I''m pretty sure that Jarod noticed, too. Double affinities are very rare and it usually takes a long time of hard work to develop the secondary element.¡±


    That explains why he didn''t noticed my fire affinity. It''s the first time that I hear about double affinities, but it''s a great cover up. ¡°I want to keep it secret. There is more than enough to catch up to, even without another element.¡± Of course it''s good to have an ace or three up one''s sleeve, too.


    ¡°It''s your choice, but you will be sought-after, if you announce it.¡±


    No, it''s better to keep a low profile for now, there are too many crazy people around. I have to get a better understanding of this world first, hence I shake my head. A little dejected he says:


    ¡°Too bad, another dual elemental would have been a great boost for our reputation. Now, for your last question, the numbers... It''s simple, it''s the age when they start to attend this school. Those who are ten or younger will start in 10I, those who are 16 or older will start in 16I. 10H hast two classes, divided into first class 10H and second class 10H.¡±


    In other words, those in 10H will also be 11 years old by now. Same age as 11I, but stronger and probably less immature because of the early puberty. I have to work harder, but count me in: ¡°I choose 10H.¡±


    ¡°Then it''s decided. School starts the day after tomorrow, go to the third teachers lounge before eight o''clock and ask for Miss Small, she''s your class teacher. I assume you will meet Lily today?¡±


    ¡°Yes, why?¡±


    ¡°Take this sheet, but don''t loose it, it''s your admission. Go to one of our approved tailors, show it and you will be able to buy our uniforms. She will know where to go. Dorms will open tomorrow, be sure to check in before eight pm. You are in building D2. Any questions left?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then, good luck. I will notify you in time about your tutor.¡±


    After thanking him, I bid farewell and left to meet Lily and Mia.

 10. Shopping with Lily

    Hiatus is over! I just passed, got my degree and have time to write again.


    There is not much action in this chapter, hence I tried to keep it short. It''s still almost 2000 words. Please endure, there will be action in the next chapter and of course more words! I will try to post them sooner and more frequent than before. Feel free to point out mistakes, ask about things wich seem odd, write your thoughts or just pester me to release the next chapter earlier. Comments are one of the things, which keeps me writing this story.


    Enjoy!


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    ¡°It''s a common beginner''s mistake to use armour, which doesn''t suit the user. Using equipment, which is meant for people of higher levels just because it''s stronger, is foolish. It''s an erroneous belief to think, the stronger, the better. A stronger armour needs more of your aura to be completely infused. If you fail to infuse it completely with your aura, the armour looses almost all of its effectiveness. Even if you manage this part there won''t be enough aura left for your aura-shield, your last line of defence, which protects in contrast to armour your whole body. Much less is there left to strengthen your muscles. That''s also the reason why mages don''t wear heavy armour. They train in mana and simply don''t have much aura.¡±


    -Beginners Guide, by Nicholas Novi.


    ***Aeron***


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    Falling back into my bed, all I want is to sleep. No experimenting with magic, no practising aura, just sleeping. Although it''s just late in the afternoon or early in the evening.


    After meeting with Lily and Mia, we went shopping. It was Mia''s first real shopping tour, making her excited and energetic. I had to smile, seeing her behaving like an ordinary girl. It doesn''t took long for my smile to fade away, though. Even without an arduous fight, it wouldn''t be easy to accompany them in their frenzy.


    For myself I got a few sets of the school uniform. Lily persisted on getting a few of them, saying that there will be some sort of attrition and that I look handsome in them. Taken aback by her unnaturally sweet words, I couldn''t retort in time and Mia''s confirmation settled it.


    The boy''s uniform has a white shirt and khaki coloured trousers. Furthermore a navy blue blazer with the academy''s white emblem, a three tailed fox on a burning shield, on the left side and a red golden, diagonal striped tie. All in all it looks formal, but it''s still easy to move in them. To a certain degree it''s even possible to do stretching with it. Additionally for colder days I got a dark blue cloak with the academy''s emblem on the left side again. It reminds me of the cape worn by a fictitious void magician named Louise.


    Asking Mia about her uniform, she just blushed and said that her mother has already ordered it. In contrast to her I couldn''t use gear from the Kingsley, which were mostly marked. Hence another strenuous part was looking for dungeon gear. Though the real issue, that made it tiring, had four letters: L i l y. But with the help of a few pleading looks, I swayed Mia to my side, helping me. Together we managed to acquire decent gear.


    I have to admit, though, that Lily wasn''t only counterproductive, her knowledge was really helpful, too. Mia wanted me to choose strong, protective gear, which wasn''t even made for rookies. Just the price of them was alarming. It would be fatal to wear gear which doesn''t suit your level or fighting style. The fight with Steve showed me the importance of mobility and as a magician, lighter gear is more beneficial. In the end Lily proposed gear and I decided eventually with a little help of Mia. Sounds easy, but we are talking about Lily! You wouldn''t believe what kind of armours you can find in Altos! And don''t ask me how I know about certain stuff, but I''m pretty sure that gear from at least one of the shops Lily visited wasn''t meant for fighting, at least not in dungeons!


    In the end I got a convenient belt pouch with magically enchanted bags on both sides and a bigger one at the back. It was really expensive and has to be recharged with ether by a professional, depending on the rate of usage. My bags are magically enlarged, though the weight of the stored object stays for the most part. The more I fill the bags, the faster the ether will be consumed, hence I should empty them as soon as I don''t need the extra space anymore. There are also bags, which cancel out more weight, but those consume much more ether and are of course more expensive.


    Most of the money Lord Kingsley gave Lily to spend on my gear was used for the pouch. According to Lily it''s is more important than armour, as I will quickly outgrow any armour I can handle now. With her charm, she even managed to get a great discount and an aura flask as a bonus, which fits perfectly in one of the straps of the belt pouch. Although I can''t completely deny that she may seem charming, if you don''t know her, she still doesn''t look much older than fourteen! That salesman... To be charmed by a girl who could be his daughter or even granddaughter! But I shouldn''t complain as it benefited us.


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    As armour I got a light one for beginners - hardened leather with a metal-reinforced chest part, which went down to the upper thighs. The arm and shin guards are also reinforced with metal. Looks like some kind of iron, I hope it doesn''t rust. A pair of leather gloves and boots with reinforced caps complemented my gear. Not flashy, not ugly and above all, not cute! I liked that rapier from the fight I had, but in the dungeon I need something stronger, which can deal more damage with a hit. At least that''s what Lily said. I ended up with a simple but sturdy broadsword and a shield. Both are "Level 2 advised". The shield was her idea, using the argument, ¡°Are you going to let a girl tank vicious monsters?¡±, completely ignoring that Mia is our melee expert. As Mia and I looked confused, she explained that we will spend the day tomorrow in Altos Dungeon. Lily, however, used an euphemism. She called it ¡°going on a picnic-trip¡±, even though she just used the words ''vicious monsters''...


    The money was almost completely spent, but there was still enough for a few supplies like vials. I can attach up to four vials to the straps of the belt. Of course I could place more inside the bags, but those straps allowed me to quickly grab them in case of emergency. There are three main types of vials. The red ones are aura vials, which surprisingly restore aura. The blue ones are mana vials, which of course restore mana. The most expensive vials are purple and are called life vials. They can mend wounds directly. You can choose the quality of aura and mana vials according to your aura or mana pool. There are just very few different types of life vials, though. Life vials are meant to be strong, and it doesn''t matter if a level one or a level hundred is wounded, the same vial is needed for the same kind of wound. Lily was really insistent regarding those life vials. We shouldn''t be stingy with their quality and always carry at least one of them with us, even if we are together with a healer.


    I placed two red, one blue and one purple vial into the quick-access straps. Mia bought also some for her gear. The expensive purple vial was a gift from Mia and Lily. Together with a water bottle we bought some necessary things for a ¡°picnic¡± like food and a blanket. Are we really going to have a picnic in a dungeon? It was really a strenuous day and tomorrow won''t be better. Time to get my well-earned sleep. Although I feel my whole body aching, I slowly drift asleep...


    *knock* *knock*


    ***Mia***


    Today was a great day! First the enrolment and then the shopping afterwards, it was really exciting. Despite our watchdog Lily, it was almost like a date. Or rather this is how I imagine a date must feel like. Of course not a L-lover''s date! I mean, how meeting friends must feel like... I never got much time besides training and the rest of the time I spent with my family. Like big brother always took time to care for me, I tried to spent as much time as possible with my little sister. I hope I don''t spoil her too much... That my parents are overprotective and try to keep us in our estate doesn''t help either, but that suits me. I have to focus on getting stronger and can''t spent my time with toying around with friends. I don''t have much time left. My sister won''t stay a child forever and eventually they will target her, too. Failing isn''t an option!


    That''s why my bond with Aeron is so precious to me. He is the only friend I have. Of course there is also Lily, but it feels more like being her smaller sister. Now that Aeron is here in my world, trying his best to help me out, staying by my side and I am able to see him face to face, it''s like my dreams come true. I should feel happy now, but I am not.


    Pulling Aeron out of his world isn''t something we should have done. I know how much he loves his mum, who raised him all on her own. My memory of the summoning is still hazy, but I know for sure, that we never intended to do a permanent summoning. However, it''s still our fault that he has to stay here until we find a way to send him back. Will our bond in mind re-establish, if he gets back to his world? Even now, without his thoughts in my mind I can''t help and feel lonely from time to time and that''s while seeing him daily!


    He never mentioned his home since coming to this world, albeit he must miss it. Is he keeping it to himself in order to not worry us? I will respect his decision, but I want to be there for him. As soon as school starts, I won''t be able to see him often.


    Suddenly I find myself standing in front of a door. Surprised I look around. This should be Aerons room? Taking another look around, just to be sure, my hand rises on its own into a knocking position. Am I really going to knock? What should I say? I can''t say I''m feeling lonely, can I? No, there is no way I can do something this embarrassing and I can''t just walk alone into a boy''s room.


    I force myself to lower my hand and to step back from the door.


    I''m despicable... He''s alone in a foreign world. I know him, there is no way he''s not missing his home or our bond and all I can think of are trivial things like how embarrassing it would be... Without any further thoughts my body moves.


    *knock* *knock*

 11. Lemmin Slayers

    This week''s poll is about metric vs imperial unit system. I use the metric system, but I tried to use the imperial system in this story until now to familiarize myself with it.


    As always, feel free to point out any mistakes.


    Enjoy!


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    ¡°One of the most popular classes is the enhancer. It belongs to the aura types and has two main subclasses. Speed enhancer and strength enhancer. An enhancer won''t use his whole aura pool for his aura shield and armour, but also some of it to enhance his muscles. It''s up to each enhancer to decide how much aura he will spend for each task. A speed enhancer reinforces his muscles with aura to let them contract faster, allowing much quicker movements. Strength enhancers use aura to let their muscles work with more power, granting them superior strength.


    An important factor for enhancers is their body. A person with slow, but more effective muscles fibres will have to use more aura to speed up his movements than a person with quicker, but less effective muscles fibres. The same applies vice versa for strength enhancers. It''s also important to train the body. The fitter the body, the less aura is needed to achieve the same result. Speed enhancers are better known as Duellists, strength enhancers as Berserks. Those who use a balanced mix of both are called Warriors.¡±


    -The Way of a Warrior, Author unknown.


    ***Aeron***


    We are currently on the way to one of the dungeon''s entrances. Surprisingly I''m not scared to fight ferocious monsters. I''m excited! Hopefully this won''t change in front of one of the monsters. That would be really embarrassing, especially in front of the girls. Mia shouldn''t have a problem, she''s always eager to fight. Ha, looks like I''m turning into a male Mia.


    Speaking of her, waking up this morning was a real surprise. The moment I almost fell asleep yesterday, someone knocked on my door. Although a bit dizzy, I opened the door and saw a shy, but smiling Mia. Despite my confusion, I let her in. Due to the lack of chairs, we sat on my bed and talked, but I must have fallen asleep quite soon.


    When I woke up this morning, I was surprised to stare into a girls face. Seems like she fell asleep, too. Her sleeping face is angelic, but I didn''t have much time to enjoy it. From somewhere behind me I could hear someone waking up. After turning around, my eyes caught something dreadfully, cute. I have to admit, her sleeping face has some cute features, but it''s still her, hence it''s dreadful! Lily was sleeping on a chair, although there shouldn''t be one in my room.


    Perhaps I wronged her. It had to be her, who covered us in two blankets, too. I just had one in my room and she watched over us while sleeping. OK, the last point could be interpreted as creepy. Before I could contemplate about it more, she opened her eyes. A devilish grin greeted me and I knew, I didn''t wrong her! That''s how my troubles this morning started.


    This was a few hours ago. We are now arriving at the plaza in front of the Adventurer Academy. Despite the early hour, it''s already filled with people. Many merchants are praising their goods full-throated. It takes us almost ten minutes to arrive before the guild''s guards, who are protecting the tower in the middle of the plaza. The nearest guard in his dark brown surcoat calls out to us: ¡°Good morning kids. Your academy cards please.¡±


    Lily steps silently forward and glares at him while showing something resembling a dog tag. I think she doesn''t like being called a kid. Good to know!


    ¡°An adventurer card?¡± He examines her sceptically, but after the dog tag begins to glow he waves her through, before turning to Mia and me. Both of us are showing our admission sheets.


    ¡°Ah, newcomers. I assume she is your guide?¡± He asks while pointing at Lily.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mia and I answer in unison, which let''s me flash her a glance. She returns the look with a small smile.


    ¡°In that case you can pass, but take care. Monsters aren''t a joke.¡±


    ¡°I take care of them. Come.¡± Instead of us it''s Lily who answers him while stomping further into the tower.


    The inside of the tower is spacious, although gates and defensive positions are restricting the place to walk. We are following the flow of people going down a wide ramp. It leads down spirally. There are also stairs, but Lily prefers the ramp. All of the inner gates, we are passing, are build to obstruct something leaving the dungeon. Sure enough, the guild take monsters seriously. After some time we enter a huge hall. It''s well illuminated despite the few lanterns. The central area, which is mostly occupied by a big fountain, is especially crowded. There are also many sculptures of fabulous looking creatures and many more benches for people to rest.


    ¡°Mia, Aeron, welcome to Altos Dungeon. From now on you have to listen to everything I say. No arguing. Got that?¡± As soon as we enter the dungeon, Lily''s playful aura vanishes and even her voice is stern. There is also a hint of sadness on her face or am I just imagining things? But this makes it easy to answer her seriously: ¡°Yes, Lily.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Mia replies immediately, a second before me.


    ¡°Good. This is the entrance hall. It''s regarded as safe, because there is almost no ether here. Despite the many adventurers, you should never be careless in here.¡±


    While nodding I have to think about the beginners guide. It mentions, that even strong monsters get weaker and weaker the lesser the ether concentration. I can''t imagine any upper floor monster threatening all those adventurers up here, but perhaps she doesn''t only mean the monsters.


    ¡°As long as you aren''t careless, it''s a great place to recover and get up to date information. It''s also a convenient place to assemble a party and many people here are trying to find one. You shouldn''t trust them, though. Try to find trustworthy companions at your school.¡± What exactly happened to her to develop such trust issues?


    ¡°Come, I will place a mana shield around you, but don''t be reckless because of it. Your aura shield should always be your last line of defence. Never count on the mana shield.¡± I was about to question this, but then I thought about it more carefully. Mana shields loose their strength after some time and if it wasn''t you who cast it, then it''s hard to know how much strength is left. And an additional safety margin doesn''t sound too bad in a fight. Mia on the other side just nods. She is pretty used to getting orders from her fighting instructors.


    While taking Mia''s hand she applies the mana shield on her. There was a faint bluish glow on her skin, which fades slowly. Then it''s my turn. Lily reaches out for my hand and I place mine into hers. Touching the hands of the devil is actually pleasant. Together with a faint bluish glow the tender and warm feeling spreads onto my whole body. The glow fades, but the feeling doesn''t vanish completely. Measuring the strength of the shield with this feeling alone is impossible, though.


    ¡°Alright, draw your weapons. Now follow me closely and try to remember our route. You two will lead us back.¡±


    There is no need to answer, hence Lily just proceeds. Before going to the Dungeon, she made us memorize a rough map of the dungeon while explaining the plan. Having an accurate map of the dungeon is impossible, because it''s ever-changing. However there are pathways, which won''t change. The most distinctive characteristics are the paved ground, about 30 feet high ceilings and bright illumination for the upper levels. Most parts of the upper dungeon are well-lit via fluorescent things like moss or crystals. It''s strictly forbidden to remove those. Your entrance rights can be revoked if you get caught stealing them.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The not changing pathways are called main roads and they lead to the seven entrances, but not in a straight way. There are many splits, dead ends, nooks and crannies, but all main roads are even, indicating the floor you are at. The only exceptions are the main interchanges. These are paths of the main road, which lead either up or down onto main roads of another floor. They can be ramps, stairs or just holes. Of course we didn''t memorize the whole map of the western part, we just needed to memorize the way to and the nearest vicinity of the place we are heading to now. It''s one of the westernmost areas on the first floor.


    The hall we are in has four gigantic gates, for each cardinal direction one. We came through the western gate and are now heading to the northern gate. There are many parties who are taking the same entrance. Stepping out of the gate we walk on a ramp, which leads 50 feet down to the first floor. Not far from the gate is a square with two big holes and a line of people, who are waiting there. Almost all of the other parties are heading to the end of the line.


    ¡°This is a popular main interchange. The Adventurer Academy operates two lifts, which lead to floor 11, 19 and 27. Although the lifts can carry many people, it''s still crowded at rush hours like now. It takes some time to reach the 27th floor through other passages, thus this is a nice short cut to reach lower floors. The use is free for Foxys.¡±


    ¡°What''s a Foxy?¡±


    ¡°Oh Aeron, you are a Foxy! It''s one of the cuter nicknames for students of your Academy.¡±


    After getting Lily''s answer I look down on the emblem of my dark blue coat I bought yesterday, it shows a three tailed fox. Although the dungeon is colossal, there is a strong rivalry between the pupils of the Academies, hence it''s an unspoken law to not venture into areas of the other academies. Lily doesn''t look old enough to resemble an adventurer, thus I was forced to wear my academy''s cloak.


    Yep, enforcing the role of the vanguard onto me while I have to wear my new clothes. That''s why she made me buy more than one set... At least she is also useful and knows how to use support magic. While walking to the western exit of the square, some lined up adventurers are giving us curious looks. We quickly leave the square and follow the paved road.


    The walls left and right have many openings. Some have a diameter of just one feet, others are big enough to let a few elephants through, at the same time. The strangest thing is, that they aren''t at the same level. Some are even at a height of 25 feet. Seems like an arduous and risky task to climb up or down. After several splits and turns, Lily suddenly pushes us forward.


    I look at her enquiringly, but she just smiles mischievously and points with her index finger upwards. Immediately I follow the direction and look upwards, together with Mia. Just in time I catch a glimpse of grey silhouettes falling down onto us. While jumping back, I raise my shield to block the nearest silhouette. There is an impact, followed by a dull sound. No need to warn Mia, as expected she manages to avoid all of the silhouettes completely.


    After confirming quickly that no new silhouettes are jumping at us, I take a look at the place we stood few seconds ago. ¡°What the...?¡± Instead of scary monsters I get a sorry sight. Six grey corpses, resembling four feet tall sloths, are laying on the floor not moving at all. Another three are groaning loudly while crawling slowly towards us. That''s what you get from jumping down from up there. Just one of them was lucky enough to avoid serious injuries and is charging at us with his long and pointed claws.


    As Lily told us to draw our weapons I also applied my aura shield, charged my armour and weapons. It''s not easy to keep this up the whole time, but this surprise attack shows it''s worth the trouble. The sloth-like creature''s charge is more like a slow stroll compared to my speed, hence it leaves Mia and me with enough time to prepare our attack. I take a look at her and she nods almost unnoticeably. This marks the beginning of our attack. With my windblade prepared I propel myself forward, holding my left-handed shield in front of me. Because of the short distance I reach the monster almost immediately, strike his claws away with my shield and jump to his left side, to my right (*AN: left and right always from the point of view of the mentioned body). He tries to turn with me, but got hindered by the inertia of his knocked away claws. I use this opening and slash at him horizontally. Direct hit!


    At the same time Mia followed me closely, concealed by my fluttering cloak. At the moment I jumped to the sloth''s left side, she moved to his right side and impaled it with her glowing longsword, before using the momentum to spin around clockwise. This way she gets rid of the impaled sloth-like creature, which along the way splits into two parts. Both parts land with a smack on the wall she was spinning at. Yep, never mess with my childhood friend!


    But I don''t have much time to look at her, instead I''m now in front of the crawling creatures. The injured sloths aren''t a challenge at all and I end their misery with two windstrikes at blank range. The third ones life is ended by a quick strike of Mia. While the six corpses already dissolved, the four fresh corpses now begin to dissolve, too, with a strange glow, marking the end of our fight.


    ¡°That''s it?!¡± Mia can''t help and ask me confused. I''m puzzled as well, more than half of them killed themselves during the jump and the rest couldn''t put up a fight. Mia''s and my attack was simply an overkill. At that time, Lily begins to laugh in amusement.


    ¡°Ahahaha, you should see your f-faces! Ahahaha, c-congratulations for slaying your first ferocious monsters. I''ll g-grant you the title Lemmin-Slayers! Ahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Oi! Lily!?¡± Why is she laughing at us? What''s so funny?


    ¡°What''s so funny?¡± Mia inquires even more confused, asking the question I have in mind.


    ¡°You two are just too cute! Attacking these Lemmins with all you''ve got. Such serious expressions and then your confused faces, ahahaha...¡± Lily needs a few breaths to calm herself from her laughing fit. All the while I glare at her and Mia looks at her with a sullen face.


    ¡°Phew, I thought I was going to die just now. These Lemmins are nearer to level 0 than to level 1. They are only a threat if you don''t see them jumping right onto you. Then their piercing attacks are quite something, but if you evade their first attack, they are either harmless or already dead. Oh, don''t pout like that Mia, actually it''s really good. You should never underestimate an enemy, especially not down here.¡±


    This girl is too much for me... At least her grave demeanour is gone and she smiles again. That''s more like the Lily I know and her smile is actually quite cute.


    ¡°Let''s go my~migh~ty Lem-m-min S-slayers ahahaha... come, let us find some worthy opponents for you!¡±