《The Arcane Paladin》 Chapter 1 - Shouldve Just Picked the Duck To the Archbishop of the Sky Arbor Church- I write to you in the desperate hope of correcting a potentially monumental failure of my making. I am the highest-ranking representative of the church in the village of Aelder Creek and was therefore tasked with providing vigilance to any divine influences that may occur in the area. I was blinded into thinking that a young boy¡¯s dream of becoming a mage was nothing more than that of a meager child¡¯s fantasy. But now that young man, who I believe is of interest of the church, will soon be traveling to the capital to apply for enrollment at the Mage¡¯s Academy. In an attempt to correct for my failure, I will provide an account of the strange occurrences surrounding this young lad, that due to hindsight, are now painfully obvious. The village of Aelder Creek was founded by the great grandfather of the boy according to his father, a humble Farmer. The location was picked due to the presence of an Aelder tree growing near a source of fresh water and because of the belief that the trees naturally repel monsters. --- What¡¯s going on? Where am I? Ok, try to think¡­ Last thing I remember I was dying¡­ and then my soul finally, finally, disconnected from my physical body after suffering for what felt like hours while the EMT¡¯s did everything in their power to perform a miracle. After that¡­ I was just a soul, floating around with my tiny little seed of divinity, having a ball of a time! I met up with a bunch of other souls, sadly couldn¡¯t meet up with grandma since she was currently living as a squirrel, and I was deciding if I should also reincarnate since I died kind of early and would have to wait a while for everyone else I know to pass on. I was taking my time debating between being a duck or a beaver since the queues for those were shorter for some reason, when I felt a strange tugging sensation and I ended up here¡­ This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Hmm¡­ did I accidentally get reborn? I can¡¯t move¡­ am I still in the womb?... and shouldn¡¯t my memories be sealed already? I don¡¯t feel anything though¡­ no heat, no pressure, no sense of movement. Ugh, this is frustrating¡­ ok let¡¯s see if I have any senses at all¡­ no smell, can¡¯t hear anything, can¡¯t taste anything¡­ Oh, I can see something! It¡¯s just a bunch of glowing blobs, but that¡¯s something! Maybe if I try to focus, I can make something out¡­ --- Ok, vision is starting to get better every day, although I have no idea how long it¡¯s been since I came here, or if there even are days where I¡¯m at. I can now see different colors! And have been able to de-pixelate all of the blobs to a small degree. I¡¯m still looking at what I would generously describe as 4-bit resolution though, maybe If I keep practicing¡­ --- And now I¡¯m up to a whopping 8-bit resolution! I¡¯m still confused as to what exactly happened to me¡­ I still have my memories of my previous life which I shouldn¡¯t have if I reincarnated¡­ I don¡¯t think I got summoned as a ghost or spirit since I haven¡¯t moved or felt any pulls on my soul¡­ my vision is omnidirectional, which is weird, and even more so since I can also move a focus around as if I was a floating camera, but there seems to be an invisible anchor that keeps me from seeing too far away. Is that anchor my body? Also, I¡¯m positive that some of the moving blobs that I see are living things¡­ which means that time must be passing¡­ in fact, a lot, of time is passing¡­ Ok, keep it together¡­ your vision keeps getting clearer, and I can stretch it out a little bit farther each time that I try. I just need to keep at it, and hopefully not succumb to madness before I figure out what¡¯s going on. --- Ok¡­ mental screaming session over¡­ let¡¯s take stock of what I know¡­ Vision has improved by a huge leap, still no high def, but maybe on par with an old tube TV from the 90¡¯s. I¡¯m also seeing less blobs with cleaner lines and more empty space between them. Which makes sense since I¡¯m not seeing reflected light¡­ since I don¡¯t have eyes¡­ because¡­ I¡¯m not a living thing. I¡­ am¡­ a¡­ sword¡­ I am¡­ a sword. I¡¯m a god damned sword! Who did I piss off? Why a sword! And maybe even more relevant, why am I stuck in a tree! None of the humans wandering around seem to know I¡¯m here, and despite how happy I am that I can finally confirm that the blobs walking around are humans, they just keep walking by or sitting underneath the tree I¡¯m in, completely oblivious to my presence since I¡¯m positive no one can even see me up here because I¡¯m way too high up and hidden by multiple branches! Ok, just try to calm down. Just breathe¡­ in, and out¡­ in, and out¡­ ignore the fact that you don¡¯t have lungs¡­ in, and out. Well, at least I can people watch now¡­ guess I might as well keep stretching out and sharpening my vision since I¡¯m going to be quite literally stuck here for a while. Chapter 2 - Seeing the Village from the Tree True to the lore, the tree seemingly provided protection to the new village. Only small, weak and frail monsters made themselves known, and even then, the local guards rarely needed to intervene for the farmers. Only two occurrences of strong monsters appearing have been recorded. The first, I¡¯ve now confirmed from my records, happened approximately 9 months before the birth of the young man of interest. --- Alright! I can see the whole town now. Although what I¡¯m actually using to see is still up for debate¡­ The houses don¡¯t appear to have any significant substance, since I can see right through them as if they were made of tinted glass. The people, and even one of the dogs are much easier to see, shining much more brightly. Although I¡¯ve noticed that three of them are much easier to see at all times, I think they¡¯re all guards, but that doesn¡¯t clarify why some are easier to see than others. Older people are generally easier to see than the kids which makes everyone and everything kind of look like a bunch of ghosts wandering around a ghostly town on a planet that looks like a ghost also... hmm. Speaking of the town, what is with this layout? The outside is a giant ring of farmhouses and barns with wall-like fences between and a single gate that leads to the road. It looks like the fields and pastures for each farmer radiates out from the town, but I¡¯ll need to improve my range to confirm. My tree is inside this outer ring close to one of the farmhouses and seems to have a small park for the children to play in underneath. The inner ring looks like vegetable gardens, followed by another ring of houses, and then finally some larger buildings with what I¡¯m guessing is a church surrounding an open area in the middle. At a glance, it looks like a smart design that reeks of a ton of meticulous planning on the town¡¯s part. The unbroken line of houses, barns, and walls provides defense; while the gardens and access to livestock inside provide sustenance in the event of a siege, but that theoretical siege is where everything starts falling apart. Bandits could easily slip through one of the doors of the houses, and while my knowledge of medieval siege tactics is minimal at best, I¡¯m pretty sure a decent sized battering ram could easily break though the wall since there¡¯s no ramparts or scaffolding located against the walls. Also, I only see three guards carrying weapons. That¡¯s hardly enough to mount a defense, so why even bother? Ugh, wish I could ask someone¡­ I don¡¯t know how or if I even can figure out how to communicate with my little ant colony of people. --- Uh oh, looks like the blacksmith forgot where he put his hammer again, and a bunch of old ladies are pestering the farmer¡¯s wife that lives close by. Tch tch tch. I can almost hear them asking about why she hasn¡¯t given her husband any children yet. I see the priest is walking over my way with a book in hand, really wish I could see what¡¯s written in it. Sigh ¡­ I miss being able to physically sigh¡­ the mental ones I do in boredom just don¡¯t quite do it. Oh hey, it¡¯s the farmer, why is he running? Is he injured! Oh, crap! I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to jinx everyone. Priest! Get off your ass and go help him! This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. --- Well, that was a stressful day¡­ why was I complaining about being bored? Farmer got patched up and the bell in the church started ringing not long after. All of the villagers have started congregating in the center of town except for one of the guards who grabbed a horse and rode off. The other two guards are speaking to the people, and everyone looks nervous. I wonder what happened? I try thinking back to what happened earlier this morning and, to my delight, I can recall exactly what happened this morning in perfect detail. Replaying the movements and actions as if everything was just a movie, I fail to see anything out of the ordinary. So, apparently swords get perfect memory. Why didn¡¯t I notice that earlier? Oh, right, I was busy trying not to go insane... Probably shouldn¡¯t dwell on how long it¡¯s been since I was stuffed inside this sword. If I¡¯m being honest, it¡¯s probably been decades now. --- The guard is back, and he¡¯s brought friends?... I think¡­ what¡¯s up with these guys? They look even more tangible than the guards except I can see the brain and spinal column of one in vivid detail. Another one looks more like a person with no skin. The other two look a bit more normal I guess, although I can see the eyes much more clearly on one and the last one, I¡¯m pretty sure isn¡¯t a human. Granted, I¡¯m in another world and for all I know maybe some humans have tusks. I really wish I could see actual colors instead of whatever amalgamation of lights these hologram-like figures are before me. Huh, those new guys didn¡¯t even go into the town, they just rode off after meeting with the remaining guards. What are they? Soldiers? Mercenaries? Adventurers? --- It¡¯s been hours now, are those guys coming back? Everyone in the town looks nervous, especially the farmer¡¯s wife. He¡¯s still lying on a bed inside of the church shaking and shivering. If I look hard and push my focus even harder, I can see little red lights clustering around him. Occasionally, either the wife or the priest wipes a wet rag over him and that causes some of the little red lights to leave. Hmm, now that I¡¯m looking, those red lights are everywhere, just more condensed and moving freely in the air around him. Those small red lights, along with the others I see, apparently blur together when I don¡¯t zoom in so closely, kind of like how you can see the individual RGB cells on a monitor if you look real close. Ugh, I still don¡¯t understand how my vision works, and what I¡¯m actually seeing. Those new guys only raise questions, why do they look so different? I mean, overall, all four of them look to have about the same amount of light when compared to each other, but for some reason it''s just distributed differently. --- I pick up movement on the edge of my vision¡¯s range and spot the weirdos returning to the town dragging something behind. What the¡­ it looks like a bull successfully mated with a chicken¡­ it¡¯s got a bull¡¯s head and body, a beak for a mouth, giant chicken legs for his front feet, a crown and wattles, and finally a bunch of tail feathers coming out of its rump. The guards start shouting with the monster hunters and soon the townspeople start cheering and rushing into the church and nearby buildings. They all start pulling out tables and benches and even manage to get a fire going before the large beast gets dragged in. It doesn¡¯t take long before the beast is cooking over the fire and the townspeople start listening to the four tell the story of how they killed it, complete with flailing arms, hand gestures, and¡­ wait¡­ what was that? A puff of red light quickly gathers near Brains, and he raises his arm in the air before shooting it off into the sky as if¡­ he was a wizard! I focus as hard as I can on the group, straining my hardest to pick up as much detail as possible. I watch as he does the action again, and I see some of the red lights in his brain start pulsing faster, more red lights in the air start gathering around his palm, then start pulsing in the exact same rhythm, he holds his arm up and then molds the lights into little arrow like shapes before they shoot off away from his hand. I take a moment to see the townspeople¡¯s faces and it¡¯s like seeing the faces of people watching fireworks for the first time. It then finally hits me. The little lights that I¡¯m seeing¡­ it¡¯s magic! Chapter 3 - Everything is Magic A group from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild came to dispatch a bullcock that managed to injure the boy¡¯s father, and a celebration was held in the village. One of the adventurers, a Paladin from our own church, was kind enough to provide healing to the farmer before leaving to join the now relieved wife in the festivities. I understand that it is unbecoming of a priest to speculate on the virtue of one of their congregation, but I feel that it is prudent to include that the mother of the boy did not return to the church that night. --- I watch the monster slayers with rapt attention, trying to pick up every detail that I can so that I can go over it again with my perfect memory. Brains and Orc are entertaining the children. Brains casting different spells by making different colored lights pulse in his head before a burst of identical lights gather and pulse in an identical pattern before being shaped and shot off. Some of the kids walk up to Orc and start touching his face and tusks, much to his amusement, especially when he notices the looks of horror on the parent¡¯s faces. Muscles walks into the church and takes a moment to pray in front of the altar before noticing Farmer¡¯s Wife. They chat for a bit and then he follows her to Farmer. I focus on Muscles when he touches Farmer and watch as some of the lights in his muscles start pulsing faster and begins to make the lights around Farmer¡¯s wounds do the same until they begin pulsing at the same rate. Muscles steps back, and I watch as the red lights around Farmer are joined by other lights of different colors. Farmer begins to sleep heavily, now looking completely relaxed. I''m confused now, did he cast a healing spell? Muscles then starts speaking to Farmer¡¯s Wife again and the two begin to walk out to join in the feast. I see Eyes is chatting with the guards and takes his time to scan over the gathering crowd. He scares me for a bit when he stares directly at me for a long moment, making my non-existent heart skip a beat. I wonder¡­ can he also see magic? Then again, maybe magic is too general of a term¡­ I bet those motes of light that I¡¯m seeing are actually mana, and the different colors represent different... types? That¡­ would explain the clusters of red lights above the logs. I can¡¯t see the flames themselves, but I can tell that they are there due to the lights moving faster. I bet that also means that the long stream of mostly blue lights outside of the village is a river. The large number of golden motes in the ground must be earth mana, and the silver lights that float around everywhere must be air mana. So, what kind of mana is in my tree? It looks green to me, maybe wood? Hmm¡­ I try to focus on the smallest mote of mana that I can and finally notice that it¡¯s not actually green. Just a mix of water and earth mana that are attached closely together. Wait, why would trees be full of water and earth mana? Don¡¯t they grow by absorbing the carbon from the air? Most plants don¡¯t even really need dirt to live as long as they can still absorb the minerals that they need, but I¡¯m seeing barely any air mana in my tree. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Scanning the area, the orange mana I see at the tips of farm tools and spears of the guards must be metal mana, which actually makes more sense, since it¡¯s fire and earth combined together. I wonder¡­ is there other mana types that I¡¯m not seeing¡­ I wish I didn¡¯t have to strain my vision super hard just to make out these individual motes. I spot Muscles and Farmer¡¯s Wife approaching me. Well, probably not me actually, I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s focusing on the tree as he takes a moment to pray. I notice that the faster pulsing mana in his body begins to slow down, while the mana in the tree starts speeding up before also slowing down as it causes a chain reaction, spreading from the trunk and into all of the branches in a wave. He gets up with a spring to his step and starts talking excitedly with the Farmer¡¯s Wife. What exactly did he just do? I can see her smiling at him while he continues to babble on and eventually starts patting him on the shoulder. Hey now, you two better not be getting any ideas! One of you is married and the other is clearly a chaste paladin of the church. Stop stroking his arm! Don¡¯t step so close to her, you probably still smell like rotting monster blood. I watch in horror as the two stare into each other¡¯s eyes and I quickly scan the area only to find no one else nearby. Muscles whispers something into her ear, and she replies with her own. The two then proceeded to her empty home and¡­ I¡¯m going to stop watching now. It¡¯s bad enough having to avoid watching couples do that every night like a creep. I¡¯ll distract myself by focusing on what I¡¯ve learned today. Lots of questions answered, but now I have multiple new ones. How do people gain mana? How do they learn how to use it? Can I learn to use it? I continue distracting myself from the nearby farmhouse by focusing on the town¡¯s central circle. Brains casts a spell that uses Air Mana, sending it near Eyes¡¯ ear and vibrates it at the same frequency as the Air Mana in front of Brains'' mouth. Eyes then turns his head towards me, then the farmhouse, and then cracks a giant shit-eating grin while nodding at Brains. What a noble group of adventurers¡­ wait, did Brains just use magic to speak from a distance? I replay the scene over and over again, and can confirm with high confidence, that yes, he just did. Well, looks like I got a new goal now! If I can figure out how to manipulate mana, I can use it to communicate! All I have to do is just make the Air Mana vibrate the same way that air does when a person speaks¡­ which, crap¡­ is going to be insanely hard to do without a sense of hearing. Hopefully I can use my non-organic brain to start cataloging Air Mana vibrations, body language, and lip movements. I¡¯m also going to have to learn a new language as well, since I doubt everyone is speaking English¡­ Thankfully¡­, I have nothing but time¡­ hopefully, I can figure this out before the madness starts to creep into my mind. Chapter 4 - Can You Hear Me Now? The young man¡¯s parentage has never been questioned in the village. In fact, the running joke amongst the people is that the Aelder tree blessed the boy with his mother¡¯s face, much to the delight of the young ladies and his father¡¯s chagrin. The only traits he shares with his father is his average height and distinctive hair color. What worries me is that these traits could easily have been picked up from the aforementioned Paladin, as well as an instinctive trust in the church to provide help, since that wasn¡¯t prevalent in either his mother or father. Again, please forgive this one for my undignified gossip. I will write of this no more. --- ¡°Good morning Mildred.¡± ¡°Good morning Eagan,¡± the woman behind the store counter replied, startling the farmer who didn¡¯t notice her presence. ¡°Oh, my apologies, good morning Mildred.¡± ¡°Ha-ha-ha, I believe you already said that. You must be having a slow morning.¡± ¡°Oh? I guess I am, I¡¯ve been having troubles sleeping lately, I think I should order a new mattress.¡± ¡°I can put in an order for one if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°That¡¯d be great.¡± --- Success! I have reverse engineered the [Message] spell from D&D. Damn, that was nerve wracking. I didn¡¯t need to worry nearly as much about the birds I tested my spell on since they wouldn¡¯t notice something wasn¡¯t right. I need to be more careful though¡­ can¡¯t just let people know that I can talk. They might think I¡¯m evil¡­ or some kind of angelic voice¡­ or¡­ crazy¡­ Calm down¡­ no need to panic¡­ just because you¡¯ve spent the last decade carefully watching the lip movements, body language, and vibrations in the air of every person in town, doesn¡¯t mean that you aren¡¯t all there anymore. Yes, you¡¯ve had to discard some of the remains of your humanity in order to create a living database of memories just so you can translate and output the recognized patterns in what amounts to the equivalent of using only an audio visualizer to capture and transmit sound. Just breathe¡­ in, and out¡­ in, and out¡­ Let¡¯s practice a different spell¡­ ok focus on the Water Mana embedded in your body¡­ the sword¡­ No, stop. You need to focus, now use your willpower to increase the pulsing of the Water Mana in you. Ok, now shape the Water Mana that has gathered near you and is now pulsing at the same rate¡­ change the formation from a condensing array to a radiating one¡­ and release! The spell, about the size of a quarter, shoots off, leaving a small vapor trail as it arcs over and through the tree branches to land on the unsuspecting child. Boom! Headshot! The new blacksmith¡¯s little girl, Ingrid, immediately accuses Travis, the Farmer¡¯s son, claiming loudly to everyone, that he spit on her. The little bastard smartly gets revenge by owning up and yelling that he simply thought her pigtails were on fire again. Relief finally floods my mind as I take a moment to chuckle at my prank. Maybe I don¡¯t need to rush in trying to communicate with someone? After all, I¡¯ve only collected a decade of conversations in the town so far¡­ I might need more¡­ gotta expand that vocabulary! Plus, how should I introduce myself? I need to make a good impression, don¡¯t want people thinking I¡¯m evil¡­ or crazy¡­ They wouldn¡¯t think that right? I mean, it¡¯s only been a century, maybe two, since I last spoke with someone. I can wait another¡­ just need to find that perfect moment¡­ when I¡¯m calm, collected, and not panicking at the thought of interacting with someone again. Just breathe¡­ in, and out¡­ in, and out¡­ ignore the fact that you¡¯re an immortal object that doesn¡¯t have lungs¡­ in, and out¡­ in, and out¡­ --- Ok, mild panic attack subsided, that only took about 8 hours this time! The tendrils of madness have been pushed back once again! Thanks to, the power of¡­ what will soon be¡­ FRIENDSHIP! I just need to find someone to talk to¡­ but who? Definitely not the priest, I do not want to piss off any local gods by unintentionally making him think I¡¯m them. Especially, if one of them was the jerk who put me here in the first place. Maybe the old blacksmith? After his son took over, he¡¯s been wandering around kind of aimless. I think his memory must be failing him. He¡¯ll go into a store, say hello, chat for a bit, and then move on to the next, until he finishes the loop around town, and then starts all over, not realizing that he was already there earlier that day. If I talked to him, maybe he¡¯d just forget after a while? Although maybe I shouldn¡¯t¡­ having to repeat the same conversation every time might just aggravate my impending madness even further. Which would be a bad thing¡­ because I don¡¯t want people to think I¡¯m crazy¡­ which I¡¯m definitely, most likely, in my unbiased opinion, not. After all, if people start think he¡¯s hearing voices, they might think he¡¯s crazy! Then no one will want to talk to him¡­ they might even lock him up¡­ secure his arms and legs so he can¡¯t hurt anyone¡­ maybe give him some birds to watch¡­ put him in a spot where he can¡¯t bother anyone¡­ like a¡­ tree¡­ Stolen novel; please report. Ok, just breathe! In, and out¡­ in, and out¡­ in, and¡­ AAGGHHH! There¡¯s Travis! I¡¯ll talk to him, he¡¯s perfect! He¡¯s just a little brat that likes to terrorize everyone and everything! No one will believe him if he starts claiming that he hears voices! --- I wait patiently for Travis to return home for supper, watching the little hellion like a hawk. Excellent¡­ I¡¯ll just wait until night when he goes to bed, and his father finally falls asleep on the living room chair. The little tyke will probably just think he¡¯s dreaming at first. It¡¯s PERFECT¡­ I feel my non-existent blood pressure rise however when he slows down outside of the house. Why is he stopping? I look inside and of course, the one day I finally decide to grace these mortals with my presence, his parents are having yet another argument! Seriously! You had one yesterday, and another a few days before, and¡­ over a hundred¡­ other arguments before¡­ Oh no¡­ I watch as Travis peeks through the window, notices that supper isn¡¯t ready and slowly walks back towards my tree. He slumps against the trunk, resting his arms on his legs, with his head, now covered with tears, buried underneath. Dammit, what the hell was I thinking! The last thing that poor kid needs is a bunch of people calling him a liar. Maybe I should say something¡­ but what? I rewind and watch the argument his parents are having¡­ something about him wasting money when she wants to take Travis to the capitol for the winter festival¡­ he then fires back saying that they couldn¡¯t afford to go anyways, and that they wouldn¡¯t return in time for spring planting, making him have to do double the work next spring. They keep firing back and forth, not taking time to actually listen to each other or at least realize that their argument isn¡¯t being productive right now and should be put on hold until they have a chance to cool down. I check back in on Travis, he¡¯s calmed down a bit now; and his head is back up, resting on his arms. I take a big¡­ imaginary¡­ metaphorical¡­ breath, and cast the message spell. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Ugh, is that really the best that I can come up with? ¡°What? Who said that?¡± I watch Travis as he swings his head around, looks behind the tree, and after failing to see anyone nervously asks ¡°Hello. Is someone there?¡± ¡°I said that. Can you hear me alright? I¡¯ve never spoken to anyone here before.¡± OK, pull back on the reigns a bit, don¡¯t say too much, being a little bit mysterious should be fine¡­ right? Travis keeps whipping his head around, ¡°Yeah, I can hear you¡­ you sound a bit funny though¡­¡± ¡°I do? Funny how? Am I making a silly voice? Or slurring my words? Or¡­¡± I clamp down on the spell, ending it before I can start babbling like a madman. ¡°Umm, it¡¯s like you¡¯re pausing between each word, but¡­ not pausing?¡± I know how to fix that! ¡°How about now? I can add more changes if I still sound strange.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re good now.¡± Travis takes a moment to look around again, ¡°I don¡¯t see you anywhere¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry. It¡¯s been a long time since I talked to someone, so I¡¯m kind of hiding from everyone right now.¡± Yes¡­ smart plan, just start opening up to the first person you talk to, he definitely won¡¯t think you¡¯re a weirdo. ¡°How come?¡± I immediately regret picking a child to talk to¡­ the little bastards don¡¯t understand when to not ask the follow up question. Well, I guess I made my bed. Now I¡¯m going to have to untuck my sheets and lie in it. ¡°I¡¯m scared of what people might think of me. I¡¯m¡­ not a human.¡± ¡°Really? What are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not say right now, can you ask me something else?¡± ¡°OK, umm, my name is Travis. What¡¯s yours?¡± Good question, I guess I could use my old human one, but you¡¯re not supposed to do that when you reincarnate¡­ yeah, I better not, some of those bigger souls and gods might think that I¡¯m trying to cheat death and then might do something even worse than trap me in a sword. ¡°I don¡¯t have one, any suggestions?¡± Travis actually starts smiling at the opportunity, ¡°How about¡­ Mr. Shouty?¡± ¡°What are you? Five?¡± ¡°No, I just turned ten!¡± ¡°Just, pick something else please.¡± ¡°Thunder-man!¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°Skylord, Master of the Tree!¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Umm, Gerald?¡± ¡°I think that one¡¯s taken¡­¡± Travis starts frowning, and then gets even more upset when there¡¯s no one to frown at. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll think of something for next time when we talk. Would you like to talk together again? I think your parents are getting supper ready, so we don¡¯t have much longer.¡± Travis turns to look over at his house and the little shit lets out a depressed sigh right in front of me. Stop flaunting off your lungs! He doesn¡¯t seem to want to move¡­ I guess I should give him that pep talk that I was supposed to do¡­ ¡°I meant what I said earlier. It¡¯s not your fault that your parents keep arguing. I know for a fact that they both love and care for you. They¡¯re just¡­ not very good when it comes to listening to each other, plus neither of them is very good at telling the other what exactly it is that they want when they do get the chance.¡± Hearing this, Travis starts stomping his feet, ¡°But parents aren¡¯t supposed to argue! None of the other parents do!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. Just last week Franklin the Blacksmith was arguing with his wife when she suggested that they should have his father sent to a retirement village. Mildred¡¯s husband refuses to go to church on Woodsday since he¡¯s a firm believer of Ignitious, even though he promised to convert when they got married. Heck, Holly and Pippen are arguing right now! She¡¯s mad that Pippen keeps going out at night to hunt leaving her to tend to the leatherworking shop during the day and¡­ other reasons¡­ that you¡¯re too young to know about yet.¡± Travis¡¯ tantrum finally dies down leaving him with a defeated look, ¡°So there¡¯s nothing I can do to make them stop?¡± ¡°Well, when you go in tonight, you can try bringing up that you heard them arguing. They might start again, but if you want, I can try to help you mediate for them?¡± ¡°Mediate?¡± ¡°Umm, that thing that the priest does when he visits couples when they need help¡­ wait! What am I doing! Turn around! Run to the church and go ask Father Viburnum for help. Ask him to come to supper and tell him that your parents have been arguing again. I think he¡¯ll know what to do¡± ¡°Ok, umm, can you come with me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m kind of stuck where I am right now, but I can see everything in this town, and even quite a bit further out. I¡¯ll personally keep an eye on you and make sure nothing bad happens.¡± Travis begins running to the church, ¡°OK! I¡¯ll go tell him that you sent me!¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! If you tell Father Viburnum that you''re hearing voices, he¡¯ll¡­ probably make you pray at the altar and¡­ start dumping water over your head! And then even worse, you¡¯ll miss supper!¡± To my relief, the little speed demon manages to stop before entering the church. ¡°Tell you what, how about we keep this a secret for now? I don¡¯t want to spend all night casting [Message] spells trying to convince Father Viburnum that I¡¯m not a monster or something else from his nightmares.¡± Travis stops hearing me halfway through and starts getting super excited, ¡°You can cast spells!¡± ¡°Umm, yeah. How do you think that I am able to talk to you?¡± The little kid somehow starts vibrating even harder, ¡°CAN YOU TEACH ME!¡± Ok, maybe you can ensure his secrecy, just whatever you do, don¡¯t sound evil¡­ ¡°Alright, I will, but you¡¯re going to have to make me a promise¡­¡± Chapter 5 - The First Week of Training Thinking back, and checking every possible record that I can, the only stand out behavior exhibited by the boy before the second monster attack was a strong work ethic when it came to his daily farm chores and an oddly sharp and curious intellect. I recall him stopping by the church on occasion to peruse our collection of books but stopped coming by after a time. I can¡¯t help but wonder now if instead of losing interest, he simply ran out of books. Yet again, I must berate myself. Had I the foresight of what was to come, I could have sent for new tomes to fill his mind, or at the very least, provided writing and crafting materials! I¡¯d often see him practicing letters and numbers beneath the Aelder tree, dirtying his hands with charcoal and leaving a small pile of nubs. The poor lad must have written so much that he couldn¡¯t afford ink. He could also be seen assisting the crafters and asking about their profession, offering a helping hand in exchange for a simple meal or chance to make something himself. To quote High Priestess Ophelia, ¡°My heart is filled with a deep agony, my arrogance has made me blind to the potential that now lies dead at my feet, for I have failed to nurture this starving sapling.¡± --- ¡°Mr. Tree! I¡¯m ready to learn magic now!¡± shouted Travis loudly enough for a few of the parents and children to turn their heads. Why did I think that a child could keep a secret? It didn¡¯t even take him long last night to start blabbing during supper about how he was going to become a mage and go hunt monsters. Granted, I think his parents were a bit more concerned with the fact that their son invited over the town¡¯s marriage counselor. They did take some time to talk with Father Viburnum and have decided to see him once a week for the foreseeable future. Honestly, I was a bit shocked at the outcome, they seemed genuinely invested in what the priest was setting up. Although maybe they were just saying that due to the embarrassment of having an intervention dropped onto them by their son. ¡°Not so loud, if everyone else hears that your learning magic from me, they¡¯ll want too as well. Which means that I won¡¯t have as much time to teach you.¡± Travis calmed down and decided to sit with his back up against my tree, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll be quiet.¡± ¡°Alright, let''s start with something simple. I want you to try seeing the mana that I¡¯m going to send out in front of you. The air should start to change color once you learn to see mana.¡± I gathered all of the Water Mana that I could and moved it in front of Travis¡¯ face. I started to compress it, but not tightly enough for it to change mana type or create a [Water Orb], I didn¡¯t want to maintain a spell that anyone walking by could see. After spending five minutes staring straight ahead, which must have felt like an eternity for the kid, Travis finally broke the silence. ¡°It feels wet and damp now, plus I see some fog, is that mana?¡± ¡°Do you see any glowing blue lights? Wait a sec¡­ I can only see mana, so¡­ I can¡¯t compare colors with you¡­¡± The kid looked up and gave me a confused expression, unaware that the sky on this planet might not match the blue from mine. ¡°Oh, I know¡­ What color does an iron ingot turn when it starts to heat up in the forge?¡± ¡°Umm, red?¡± That¡¯ll do for now, we¡¯ll have to figure out what color everything else is later. I swapped out the Water Mana with Fire Mana and collected it into three blobs in front of Travis. ¡°Ok, I now have Fire Mana collecting in front of you. Try to look for the red lights and tell me how many patches that you see.¡± We spent the next hour going through different mana types, trying with his eyes closed, and at one point I even smothered his eyes a bit with Water Mana. However, Travis failed to see a single glowing light. I decided to have him spend the day walking around instead, telling me what color everything was. I was able to confirm after collecting enough data that the sky was blue, the grass was green, and that the barn was a classic red. So, nothing too foreign palette-wise. --- A whole week, 8 days on this planet, goes by and despite spending almost two hours every day, no progress was made. I¡¯m honestly shocked that he hasn¡¯t given up yet, I don¡¯t think I was ever this motivated as a child. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break, don¡¯t you have some homework that¡¯s due in a couple of days?¡± Though he does grumble a bit, Travis grabbed his bag to take out his homework. I asked him write with charcoal instead of ink since the residual fire mana glows in contrast to the wood mana in the paper, allowing me to check his work. However, his strokes are too wild and inconsistent to figure out what he¡¯s writing. ¡°Not so fast, take some time to neatly draw each letter and number, I can¡¯t help if I can¡¯t read what you¡¯re writing.¡± Travis gave me a pouty look, ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, mages have excellent handwriting since they need to spend a lot of time writing and reading from books in order to study magic.¡± One use of the trigger-word later and he¡¯s already taking the time to make each letter as perfect as he can make them. Granted, I might be exaggerating a bit, the symbols that make up the 64 letters and 12 numbers can be written in any direction or even mirrored and still not be mistaken for another. That does make me wonder if the Common everyone is speaking is a manufactured language¡­ Errant thoughts pushed aside; I tried to brainstorm what the issue might be. I paused occasionally to check his work and think back on my journey on how I learned to use magic. Seeing mana came naturally to me, granted it took me decades to get to where I¡¯m at, but I probably handicapped myself by trying to see too much. I likely added too much complexity going from a human¡¯s field of view to my full 360-degree view and telescopic floating focus. Learning to manipulate mana then took 7 years. Granted I didn¡¯t allot myself much time to practice since my main focus was learning the language. My breakthrough came at random while I was analyzing the sound waves created from my body being pelted by windblown branches. The chime that my edge gave off provided the initial feel for how to manipulate the mana in my sword body. Speaking of sword body, I¡¯ve been going with the assumption that Travis could learn the same way that I did. Maybe humans need to learn differently? I brought back up the memories of the group that visited all of those years ago. Out of the four, only Orc looked normal, basically looking like a more solid guard. The other three had their mana concentrated in different areas. Hmm, if I was to treat the group like a classic adventuring party: Muscles would be the melee dps/tank, Brains would be the spellcaster, Eyes would be the scout, and Orc would be¡­ umm, the diversity hire? I know Muscles could manipulate mana, I saw his mana pulse faster when he healed Travis¡¯ father, but could he actually see mana? He had to touch everything that he casted a spell on. I never saw Eyes cast a spell, but I¡¯m positive that he could see mana. I took a second to zoom in on Eyes¡¯ eyes and compared them to Travis¡¯. Aside from the huge disparity in density, the main difference was that Travis¡¯ mana in his eyes pulsed at a much slower rate. Is that the trick? Just make the mana in your eyes pulse faster, and you¡¯ll be able to see mana? Great, either we got a chicken and egg situation here, or I¡¯m having Travis learn everything backwards. I need him to learn how to activate the mana in his body first, and then have him learn to trigger only the mana in his eyes. Now how do I do that? Remembering that Orc had a similar mana composition to the guards, I sent my focus to over where the youngest guard Lancel is conveniently training and observe him while he practiced his spear thrusts. Some of his mana was pulsing faster than others, but I noticed that one of his thrusts during a sequence caused more to begin to pulse. That¡¯s it! Activating mana must be similar to using a muscle that you don¡¯t normally use. Kind of like how everyone has the muscles and tendons for it, but only a small percentage of people can wiggle their ears on command. I waited for Travis to finish his homework, chastising myself for making him write so slowly. After watching him blaze through his math problems, he started getting cranky when he got to his Common lesson, ¡°Why do I have to do so much homework?¡± ¡°Well look at you Mr. I only go to school for 3 hours a day and can¡¯t tough it out. I thought you wanted to be a mage? I can guarantee that all of those rich kids in the capital have tutors instructing them in reading, writing, arithmetic, science, art, and history for hours on end. I myself had to spend 8 hours nearly every day of the week from when I was 5 until I was 23 at either a school or academy.¡± Travis¡¯ eyes lit up at the realization, ¡°Whoa, you¡¯re like super smart then?¡± ¡°Of course I am. Becoming a master of the arcane arts requires a quick and creative mind. The only way you gain that is by learning everything and anything that you can. You don¡¯t even need to learn from just books. Observing nature, performing experiments, or having someone teach you a new skill are all things that can help you expand your knowledge of the world.¡± Travis paused a moment to take in my awesome motivational speech. He then stared at his homework for a bit before resuming in a renewed zeal. He finally finished, but before he put everything away, he suddenly asked out of the blue, ¡°What does arcane mean?¡± ¡°Oh, right. That¡¯s a word from a different language. It¡¯s a word used to describe something that is only known by a few, often used when describing something mysterious or magical.¡± ¡°So, like you?¡± ¡°Huh, I guess that does describe me¡­ hmm¡­ you know, I was supposed to come up with a name for myself a week ago. How does Arc sound to you? It¡¯ll be short for arcane.¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of lame¡± ¡°No one asked for your opinion.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°No buts, I want to try something different. Instead of trying to see mana, we¡¯re going to see if you can activate it in your body first. We only got another hour before supper, but I think that¡¯ll be long enough. I need you to head over into the barn and grab a pitchfork, there¡¯s no one there right now.¡± Travis dropped the argument and packed his things. After a quick stop to the house to drop off his bag, he made his way into the barn and grabbed a pitchfork. I had him start by adjusting the position of his arms and legs to emulate Lancel¡¯s and we practiced a few slow thrusts to try and mimic his successful spear thrusts. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s try a couple of real thrusts.¡± ¡°Your feet are sliding; you need to keep a solid footing.¡± ¡°Ok, better. Try focusing on your hips, it should be one complete motion from the ground to the tip of the fork, each body part pushing off the other to provide momentum.¡± After more corrections and a dozen thrusts later, the mana finally pulses in Travis¡¯ body. ¡°Stop, close your eyes, and focus on the last thrust that you just did. How your body pushed off the ground, the burning you feel in your muscles, the throbbing in your veins from your blood being pumped, and the air leaving your body as you grunt.¡± I watch Travis move into a meditative state while still holding the pitchfork. His mana continues to pulse at the faster rate, and even speeds up a bit during one of his exhales. I wait for him to inhale, and then shout the command, ¡°Now thrust!¡± His mana activates again, Travis letting out a loud grunt, sweat pouring down his face, his skin flushed from the increased blood flow, and muscles straining to remain in position. ¡°Thrust!¡± Another success. ¡°Thrust!¡± That one fails. ¡°Focus, breathe in¡­, Thrust!¡± His whole body lights up from the increased pulsing, ambient mana even begins to move towards him, attracted by the energetic mana. He¡¯s doing it! ¡°Keep going! Breathe in¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± I was rudely interrupted by Travis¡¯ father Eagan and the poor kid, after being shocked, lost his grip on the pitchfork and stumbled forward. ¡°Sorry Dad,¡± Travis gasped for air in a vain attempt to regain control of his breathing. I watched as Air Mana was drawn into his lungs, attracted by the more energetic mana in his body. ¡°I was just practicing.¡± Eagan raised an eyebrow at his son, ¡°Practicing what?¡± ¡°Magic!¡± Travis started standing proudly, ¡°I think I felt it on that last thrust!¡± His father, still raising his eyebrow, looked at the sweaty and dirty boy from head to toe. ¡°Ok¡­, well, your mother will have supper ready in just a few minutes. You should probably wash up before she sees you.¡± Eagan then took his leave shaking his head as he stepped out of the barn. Travis walked over to a nearby bucket of water and started splashing water on himself, not really putting any effort into cleaning himself. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a washroom?¡± ¡°I took a bath yesterday.¡± ¡°And now you¡¯re covered in filth.¡± Travis grunted out a frown, ¡°You¡¯re not my mom!¡± ¡°No, but I am your instructor. You can quit at any time, but continuing means following the training regimen that I give you. From now on, you will bathe every night before supper with your family. You made great progress today and we¡¯ll go over your new routine in detail tomorrow. Now go wash up, I¡¯ll explain the importance of personal grooming during one of my science lessons.¡± His expression didn¡¯t change, but his ear did perk up at the mention of science lessons. He made his way to the washroom and after giving himself a firm scrubbing, put on a fresh pair of clothes. The clean child finally walked in for supper and after receiving a fresh ladle into his bowl, his mother gave him a kiss on the head that caused Travis to recoil in disgust. ¡°Ah, but you smell so nice dear, and what¡¯s with that grumpy face?¡± ¡°I have to take a bath every day now¡­¡± muttered Travis just barely loud enough for his parents to hear. His Mother looked to his Father, who gave a confused shrug in reply, and the three begin to eat as usual. The only difference being that Travis asked for a second bowl after finding himself extra hungry that night. --- The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Travis Windsday ¡°Time to wake up¡± I groaned at the sound of Mr. Bossy¡¯s, or I guess Arc¡¯s, voice. Seriously why did he pick such a lame name? I got up and changed out of my pajamas, tossed them on the floor with my bedsheets and was about to leave my room, but Arc decided to start bossing me around yet again. ¡°Hold up, first things first, you need to make your bed.¡± Seriously! Why is he being so mean all of a sudden? I picked up my sheets and started to tuck in my blankets since he¡¯s just going to keep yelling if I didn¡¯t. Why does he keep picking on me? It¡¯s like he wants me to quit¡­ Wait¡­ It¡¯s just like Old Guy¡¯s story of how he became the town blacksmith! He said that he and a half dozen people all came to the same Master Smith to become an apprentice, but while they were there, they weren¡¯t allowed to touch a hammer until he accepted them as students. They had to work for months, only working the bellows, and cleaning the shop. Old Guy said that he even wanted to quit after a while, but he really wanted to learn from the Master. Eventually though, all of the other apprentices quit, except for That Old Guy. The next day, the Master told him to pick up a hammer and began to teach him. The Master then invited a new group of people that wanted to be apprentices to work the bellows. Old Guy said that the Master did that to all new apprentices since he only wanted to train the most dedicated. He-he-he¡­ I¡¯m on to you now Arc. First you tried to make me quit by making me sit around and do nothing for a week, and now you want to make sure that I¡¯ll do everything you say, because you want the most dedicated student. ¡°There we go, now let¡¯s head outside. We¡¯ll go easy to start and only do one lap around the town before breakfast.¡± ¡°Ok¡± I rush outside, nearly bumping into Mom on her way back from picking the eggs from the coop. ¡°Travis! Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± ¡°Not yet Mom, I gotta train first!¡± I start sprinting, but Arc tells me to slow down and follow the rhythm that he stars chanting to. Ok, left, left, left-right-left, left¡­ I keep running, but when I make it to the gate, Lancel makes me stop and even grabs me by the shoulder, ¡°What are you up to?¡± Ugh, I¡¯m not even halfway done yet, ¡°I¡¯m training to become a mage! Now can I go? I only have to do one lap around town before I get to eat breakfast.¡± I try to wiggle out of his grip, but it¡¯s even stronger than Dad¡¯s! ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to believe that you¡¯re not about to chase around Connor¡¯s pigs? He had to fix his fence the last time you visited them.¡± He glares at me; despite that it¡¯s been like three weeks since I did that. I decide to glare back at him since he¡¯s being mean to me, but Arc decides to butt in, ¡°Ask him to run with you if he doesn¡¯t believe you.¡± Good idea! ¡°Fine, you can just join me then, unless you¡¯re too slow to keep up!¡± Lancel smirks at my taunt and then lets me go. We both start to make our run around the town, but it gets really hard for me after the halfway point. Lancel, right beside me, extends an arm out and begins to push on my back to help me speed back up. We eventually make it back to my house, and I almost collapse when my legs give out, but Lancel catches me and holds me up while I catch my breath. ¡°Tell him ¡®Thank You.¡¯¡± Gasping hard I eventually say ¡°Thanks¡± once I¡¯m able to stand on my own. I stare up at him and see that he¡¯s not even winded! But we were running so fast! ¡°So, you want to become a town guard when you get older?¡± What! Did he even listen to me? ¡°No, I want to become a mage!¡± Honestly, who wants to be a town guard? All they do is stand around and do nothing. ¡°Then why did you run a lap around the town?¡± he asks while he does that same eyebrow thing that Dad did last night. I pause, since I don¡¯t know why Arc wants me to run. ¡°Mages live in tall towers, so they need to be in shape so they can walk all of the way up and down the stairs.¡± I smile and repeat Arc word for word. Of course. It makes so much sense! He really must know everything about magic and mages. Lancel starts laughing and was about to leave before Arc made me ask him something, ¡°Can I come by later and ask you about what you do every year during the spring flood?¡± He looks at me strangely again, but eventually replies, ¡°Sure¡­, I¡¯ll even let you look at a few of the monsters in my field guide if you promise that I won¡¯t hear any more complaints from the town about you.¡± ¡°Sturdy! Thanks Lancel. I need to go eat breakfast, see you later!¡± Lancel watched as the boy ran into the house, moving past his mother who had stepped out to view their interaction, ¡°Morning Margret. What¡¯s this business about Travis wanting to be a mage?¡± Margret shrugged her shoulders, ¡°Honestly, I have no idea. He just up and decided last week that he wanted to become a mage.¡± Her shoulders then began to slump, ¡°I don¡¯t think I have the heart to tell him that he can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well, if it keeps him out of trouble,¡± Lancel dropped his smile and gave her a hard I¡¯m-sick-of-dealing-with-your-kid glare. ¡°I¡¯m willing to humor him.¡± She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded her head. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that he understands that.¡± --- Arc Voltsday Ok, yesterday was a huge improvement! Travis¡¯ mana would occasionally pulse faster in different parts of his body. After spending the whole day observing him, I have created the hypothesis that mana inside a person will only react when their body becomes stressed. Meaning that, similar to lifting a weight with perfect form, a person needs to carefully challenge themselves or else they¡¯ll end up harming their body. That explains why the town guards are denser than the towns-folk mana-wise. Daily training to keep their bodies and fighting skills in perfect form, also causes their mana to react. The four monster slayers likely all had different training regiments, resulting in their differences in mana concentrations. It should be easy to train Travis¡¯ body, I already have a plan for that, but I¡¯ll have to brainstorm how to challenge his mind and perception, otherwise he¡¯ll just end up as an unbalanced mess. Maybe having Travis learn from the other villagers will work? Lancel ended up being a small treasure-trove of knowledge, Travis and I were able to learn more in detail about what happens at the capital every early spring during the monster flood, and I even noticed Travis¡¯ mana in his brain light up when listening and looking at the monster field guide. Hmm, I think I got an idea know, but this might be tricky. Travis doesn¡¯t exactly have the best reputation in town¡­ ¡°Ok, let¡¯s head to the barn. I¡¯m going to give you a list of daily chores that you can do to help train.¡± Travis, recovered from his run that was accompanied by Lancel again, finished his breakfast and even washed his dish without being prompted. The kid keeps surprising me, I expected him to complain all day yesterday and give up, but not a single peep. ¡°Ok, first: I need you lead the cows from their pen, tie them up in the parlor, and give their rumps and udders a nice gentle wash.¡± ¡°Is that so they don¡¯t get sick?¡± Travis asked while leading the cows over. ¡°Yep, if too many germs enter an udder, it can cause the milk inside to curdle and rot¡± ¡°Ewww¡± Escaped from Travis while getting the first cow covered in suds. Eventually he finished, and I directed him to the pen with pitchfork in hand. ¡°Alright, just like we did the other day, I want each movement to be just like those ones you did right before your dad came in.¡± Realization finally dawned on him as he looked at the dirty pen, then the pitchfork, and then the wheelbarrow. Ah, finally some resistance, I should press him a bit, ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t forget to dump the wheelbarrow into the money-wagon.¡± My young apprentice slowly started to move, and I helped guide him, but he only got one good thrust in before the pen was clean. After he dumped the load into the manure spreader, I had him pitch in some fresh straw, and finally played my trump card¡­ ¡°Great job! You still have plenty of time to take a bath before school starts.¡± And there¡¯s that look of dread! He stammered for a bit and finally cracked, ¡°But¡­ I thought¡­ only before supper¡­¡± ¡°You really want to go to school smelling like shit? I mean, if you want to quit, that¡¯s fine. We can still talk to each other. Lucky for me, I don¡¯t have a nose.¡± --- Travis Burnsday Ok, already done with this week¡¯s math homework, just my reading and writing assignments left. I looked down at my small pile of charcoal sticks, wishing that they¡¯d last longer. I hope mom doesn¡¯t get mad at me for needing money for more. Feeling stiff again, I decided to stand back up and stretch for a bit underneath Arc. Why does everything feel so sore? ¡°Done with math already?¡± I nodded my head, ¡°Sounds like a good time for a study break then. How about we head over to Issac¡¯s and see if he can get you some more charcoal sticks?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Issac?¡± ¡°Mildred¡¯s husband, the woodworker¡­¡± ¡°Is Mildred the one who runs the store?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ do you not know the names of any of the adults in town?¡± ¡°I know all of the guards¡¯ names.¡± ¡°Of course you do¡­¡± Once I put my stuff into my bag, I walked over to Smokey¡¯s workshop. He¡¯s not working on anything, just staring into a fire, talking to himself, so I stepped up and tap him on his dark-skinned shoulder. ¡°Huh, Travis? What are you doing here?¡± He startled for a bit before looking around the shop and then stared at me with narrowed eyes. ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure? ¡°I need more charcoal sticks and was told that you could get me some.¡± He kept staring, though looking down at my hands for some reason, ¡°And why do you need more charcoal sticks?¡± Ugh, why is he asking so many questions? ¡°Because they''re easier to practice letters with¡± I started staring back, straight into his creepy large irised eyes. He blinked first though, looking confused now, ¡°To practice letters with?¡± Again? More questions? I let out a groan before explaining, ¡°I¡¯m training to be a mage, and all mages have neat handwriting.¡± He cracked a smile and started chuckling, ¡°That they do.¡± He gestured for me to come closer, and lowered his voice, ¡°And I should know, my father once trained to be a mage.¡± I swear my heart stopped beating for a sec, even Arc was startled, ¡°Whoa! That¡¯s amazing! Ask him about him!¡± I tried to speak, but before I could mutter a single word, Smokey was grabbing something off the shelf and handed it to me. ¡°Here you go, a set of compressed charcoal along with a cutting knife, eraser and resin. I¡¯ll show you how to use them.¡± He then opened up the leather pouch and showed me how to cut the ends so that my lines can be narrower, and even better; teaches me a few tricks to make my lines straighter, how to keep my hand from cramping, and how to apply a resin coating to keep everything from smudging. My stomach interrupted us though, causing him to start laughing, ¡°Didn¡¯t realize it was getting so late¡± Not wanting to leave without asking, ¡°Umm, can I ask you about your dad?¡± He inhaled sharply and turned to stare into the fire for a bit, though maybe too hard, since he wiped his eyes before looking back, and placed a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Tell you what, come by next Burnsday, and I¡¯ll tell you all about him.¡± --- Steelsday ¡°You want to chop the wood for the forge?¡± Big Arms asked while scratching the side of his head. ¡°Dad won¡¯t let me chop anymore, says we already have too much or something.¡± I tried to explain to yet another adult. None of the others would let me and Pig-man even yelled at me to leave before I could ask. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who made Ingrid come home crying because you spit on her a couple of weeks ago?¡± I slumped my shoulders and sighed. I started to leave, waiting for Arc to tell me who to ask next, but I only made it a few steps before Big Arms stopped me. ¡°Hang on, I guess I can let you chop wood for a bit while I finish cleaning up in the shop for the night.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± I eagerly rush over to grab his wood-chopping axe, but notice that it¡¯s way heavier, So I start taking a couple of practice swings, with Arc butting in to adjust my swing. After Arc gives his approval, I try splitting the first log, focusing so I can hit as hard and fast as possible. It cleaves in two easily, and I start to feel that strange prickling feeling on my skin again. ¡°Good swing!¡± ¡°Damn, you¡¯re stronger than you look kid!¡± I turn my head and see that Big Arms never even went into his shop. ¡°You trying to get your arms as big as mine?¡± and he flexes one his arms that are nearly as round as my torso. ¡°No, I¡¯m training to become a mage!¡± I shout back, preparing for my next swing, only to mess up when he starts laughing. I glare at him, and he only starts bellowing louder, almost making the ground shake. Stuck standing there waiting for him to quit, he eventually catches his breath and points out the half-empty log rack close to the forge. ¡°Well, if you ever want to do some more ¡®mage training¡¯, just stop by and fill up that rack.¡± --- Arc Rocksday ¡°Good news! Since it¡¯s raining out, you don¡¯t have to go for your morning run.¡± Travis, already well trained, waited for the other shoe to drop¡­ ¡°Instead, I¡¯m going to teach you how to lift weights. You¡¯re a bit too young to do any heavy lifting, but we can still do some bodyweight and lightweight exercises. When you¡¯re ready head over to the barn and we¡¯ll get started.¡± I have to admit, I¡¯m impressed with Travis. I can already notice a small increase in his mana, and his recovery at night must be accelerated from him always grabbing second helpings of food. I¡¯ve observed that some of the mana cloud that gathers and sticks to him from charging his mana seems to be partially absorbed, becoming a part of his own body. My working hypothesis is that charged mana in a person causes the body¡¯s cells to rapidly kick into overdrive, accelerating growth and fuel consumption. This could possibly explain how Muscles was able to seemingly heal Travis¡¯ dad when he got injured by that monster, and also why he discharged his mana into my tree. He likely didn¡¯t want to spend the time eating and resting, waiting for his mana to discharge naturally. I continued to coach Travis, finally making use of my NASM-CPT certification, and he seemed to be enjoying it. The kid even started grinning when I played music from my gym playlist (Hopefully that won¡¯t piss off any local deities). My future gym-junkie seemed to be having an easier time triggering his mana to pulse faster as well, which might be helping improve his mood even more. He didn¡¯t even grumble when he went to take a bath before school. --- Travis Woodsday Today is a ¡°Rest Day¡±, according to Arc. So no training outside of my farm chores, no homework (didn¡¯t matter since I already finished it for the week), and I was told to just do something relaxing that I enjoyed after church, but not to do anything that would get me in to trouble with Lancel. My stomach started growling loudly during church though, since Mom and Dad decided that we would just have a light breakfast. I tried to complain, but they said that I could eat as much as I wanted at the potluck after service. Dad heard my discomfort and gave me a quick apology while he rubbed my back. He then lowered the hymnal so that I could sing along with him. That helped distract me, but after a few verses, Arc scared me when he suddenly butted in. ¡°Ok, I can literally see how off key you are, let me help.¡± Luckily Dad didn¡¯t seem to notice, but he did give me a big smile after I got used to Arc humming the right notes into my ear. I realized after the third song that Mom must be a terrible singer though, since none of her notes matched the ones Arc sang into my ear. After service, I must have eaten as much as Big Arms, because my stomach started hurting again from eating too much. And then to make it even worse, Father Viburnum pulled me aside into a private room and started asking me about my ¡°feelings¡±. He kept asking questions, wanting to know how school was going, if I was getting along with the other kids, and if Mom and Dad were doing anything that upset me. I tried telling him that everything was fine, and that mom and Dad had barely even been talking to each other, but he just started frowning after I said that. Seriously, they stopped arguing, isn¡¯t that the important part? Eventually he invited me to tell him about anything that I wanted, and I started talking about how I was training to become a mage. He started smiling, and even allowed me to come read from his library as long as I didn¡¯t take home or damage any of the books since they could take a long time to replace. After showing the study to me, he left me there while he went to go speak to Mom and Dad. --- Rainsday ¡°You want more homework?¡± Judith my teacher asked with a confused face. Her hands started twitching, and her eyes were darting around as if there was a duck in the room. After pausing for a long time, she finally spoke, ¡°Sorry, I got left speechless for a moment.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the only one!¡± ¡°Why do you want more homework?¡± ¡°Because the math is too easy, and I already finished everything else you gave me on Burnsday.¡± I handed her my papers, to prove I finished. She looked over them for a bit before nodding. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t do much to improve the difficulty for math without having you skip ahead, but if you want to work at your own pace instead, I can let you use one of the study rooms when I do the daily math lecture.¡± She walked me over to show me one of the side rooms that the older kids will use while they wait for their classes to start. ¡°As for the History and Writing assignments¡±, she pointed out a shelf in the room with some unused textbooks, ¡°All of these cover topics that I don¡¯t normally have time to include with the lesson plan.¡± ¡°Yes! More books for you to narrate to me! I started smiling after hearing Arc¡¯s reaction, and Judith turned to look at me with a sad face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not challenging you enough. Since we¡¯re not in a large city, I don¡¯t have aides or other teachers to help out. Please let me know if you need anything else, it¡¯s not easy for me to keep track of every student.¡± --- Arc Snowsday I watched as Travis worked on his new self-assigned homework, a book on Archeology about a clan of dwarves that supposedly lived on floating islands. He narrated for a while, then began to copy the illustrations from the book so that I could see as well. While he worked on the drawing, I took stock of the changes that he had already made. Already his attitude has improved immensely, no longer scowling at adults or picking on the other kids. A few of the adults have even started gossiping around town, coming up with all kinds of crazy rumors about what he¡¯s been up to. Surprisingly most of them seem positive, with a few people even calling out their neighbors for be just as much of a bully when they were his age. After catching him rubbing his eyes repeatedly, I zoomed in to see if something was wrong, but noticed instead that his eyes were pulsing faster. Well, that settles it, I guess it¡¯s time to tell him the good news¡­ ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯ve passed your test.¡± A startled Travis looked up from his drawing and began to smile, ¡°I knew it! I just had to train hard and prove that I was dedicated.¡± ¡°Actually, the training wasn¡¯t the test. I wanted to make sure that you could be trusted. Magic is both powerful and dangerous in the wrong hands. Which means that it is the responsibility of each mage to use it wisely and for the good of everyone. The reason I had you go around town asking for help, was to teach you an important lesson. The people you interact with are influenced by the decisions you make. Last week, the guards were all keeping a tight watch on you whenever you left the house, but now Lancel joins you for your daily jog instead. You¡¯ve never pulled a prank on Issac, but he expected the worst when you came to visit, and even thought you were about to vandalize something with terrible art. Franklin tried to pull a prank on you in revenge for making his daughter cry. And your teacher had to be consoled by her husband after coming home because she realized that she wasn¡¯t giving you the attention you needed in school to succeed.¡± Travis, speechless and a bit shocked, took some time to process through what I just came up with on the spot to try and tie everything together. Hah! Suck it Merlin! You needed a kind and gentle-hearted child to become your apprentice. Us real wizard mentors can make do with the schoolyard bully. ¡°How about we practice some magic?¡± Travis snaps out of his contemplation, and starts vibrating with excitement, ¡°What spell do I get to learn first?¡± Well, time to test his dedication¡­ ¡°About that¡­ now, don¡¯t get mad¡­¡± Travis freezes up, ¡°But, you don¡¯t have the mana capacity to cast a spell. You only have a fraction of the mana that your dad has, and he has only a fraction of what the guards have.¡± I watch as he visibly slumps, but then his head perks up, ¡°Wait, then what are we going to practice?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to test if you can see mana now.¡± I summon a bunch of fire mana and float it above his drawing, matching it with the residual mana in his drawing. He reaches down to start packing his bag but starts staring at his drawing. He tilts his head, and then blocks out the sun as much as he can, still staring at the drawing. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a weird red sheen on my drawing...¡± Chapter 6 - Future Plans and Ridiculous Weapons Before I explain the incident that occurred, know this, the boy was prepared. He carried with him the strength of the three races. --- Travis ¡°Ok, you got this!¡± Taking a calming breath and reaching out with my hand over the creek, I begin to charge the Water Mana in my body to make it pulse faster. The ambient Water Mana from beneath begins to rise up and attach itself to the invisible membrane of my body. Now making contact, I can increase the pulsing in the mana until it syncs with my internal supply and begins to attract additional ambient mana. I move the synced mana now under my control to my palm, then detach the mana, shaping it into a condensing array a few inches below my hand. I watch as the less energetic ambient mana is drawn in and pulls on the humidity from the air and even a small trickle of water from the creek to form a [Water Orb]. Now for the hard part¡­ I repeat the process using Air Mana, trying to keep the amount equal to the Water Mana, and create an outer formation around the [Water Orb]. I then rotate and condense the Air attempting to force it into the orb. I close my eyes at this part, allowing the world of lights to come into view. I concentrate on the blue orb, trying to make the swirling cloud of silver around it force its way in and make the mana fuse. The squeezing motion I make with my hand helps but trying to push the two mana types together feels like trying to crush an apple with my bare hands. It¡¯s possible, but my strength isn¡¯t quite high enough yet. My concentration eventually wanes, and I release the Air Mana, not happy with my failure. ¡°I see a few motes of Ice Mana!¡± Really? I take out my canteen and send the mana-infused Water into the container so I can take a sip. ¡°You¡¯re right, it¡¯s cold.¡± ¡°Just need to up your capacity, and I think you¡¯ll have it.¡± I slump my shoulders at bit, knowing that I really shouldn¡¯t complain. Despite being only 17, I already have more mana than the Guard Captain Lancel and he¡¯s ten years older than me. Deciding to switch back to my original training that we planned, I start shaking out my arms and legs out and adjust my ragged shorts before digging my bare feet into the sand. ¡°I¡¯m going to try for 12 steps this time.¡± I charge my Earth Mana, focusing my gathered mana towards my bare feet and begin my sprint. Keeping the high concentration collected into a formation on my soles attracts the less energetic Earth Mana, allowing me to manipulate the ground to provide perfect leverage. THUD, THUD, Thud, THUD, THUD, ¡­ I pump my arms and legs as hard as I can before I lose concentration on the formation, causing my legs to give out. I tuck forward and roll across the sand before stopping flat on my back, getting completely covered in sand. ¡°You made it to 14, but you failed to maintain the formation on the third step again.¡± ¡°Seriously, why is it always the third step?¡± my arms raise to strangle the intangible obstacle in front of me. ¡°I think your acceleration is too high on your first two steps, you''re at full speed on your fourth, so it might just be that your brain can¡¯t keep up initially. ¡° ¡°So, it might not even be something that I need to fix, as long as I¡¯m just using that third to keep balance.¡± I lower my arms and let out a deep sigh while I take a minute to finish recovering. ¡°So, what are my ¡®daily quests¡¯ for today?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see, you finished stocking the entire town with firewood for the winter, but Franklin will need the pallet outside of his forge topped off again. He¡¯s been trying to finish his orders for the year early, so maybe ask if he wants you to forge some new ingots. Holly has those varmint hides cured and ready for pick-up. Judith could use your help grading homework. The healing experiment needs to be checked on again. You got one more lesson with Mildred¡­ Oh, and you need to ask a girl to dance with you at the Fall Festival.¡± Ignoring Arc¡¯s attempt to get me to ¡°socialize more¡±, I stand back up and brush the sand off my bare chest, the effort however proved futile with it sticking to my sweat, so I opted to jump into the creek to rinse off instead. One quick air spell and I was dried off and headed to Franklin¡¯s. --- ¡°Nope, I¡¯ve got enough ingots to finish, so just load up the pallet with wood.¡± I nodded my head at Franklin and was about to start before he added one more thing, ¡°Oh, and come find me at the festival tomorrow when you need a break from dancing. There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to discuss with you.¡± ¡°Hmm, I wonder what he¡¯s up to?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± I replied while setting up the first log. ¡°Yes, but some people already find it uncanny how you always show up when they need a hand. I also don¡¯t like actively knowing everything since it makes me feel¡­¡± Chop! ¡°Less human?¡± ¡°Ha-ha, I guess.¡± The pallet gets filled shortly after, but before I could head to pick up my leatherworking supplies, Ingrid showed up with a sandwich wrap. For some reason, her face was as red as her hair, despite her not taking a turn on the bellows inside the forge. She shakily handed me the food, and I nodded my thanks before setting off. ¡°Wait! I¡­ uh¡­ wanted to ask¡­¡± ¡°Mhm¡­ Sorry, mhm¡­ got to get going,¡± after swallowing my bite I added, ¡°Tell your mom ¡®Thanks for the food!¡¯¡± I started making my way to Holly¡¯s shop, but Arc decided to chastise me, ¡°It¡¯s rude to just walk away from someone when they¡¯re trying to ask you something.¡± Rolling my eyes, I bit back, ¡°It¡¯s also rude to speak to someone when they¡¯re eating.¡± ¡°And I think you need to stop abusing that rule at the church potluck every week.¡± He paused for a bit, making an inhaling noise, ¡°Can we talk about this? You barely talk to anyone your own age anymore and, I¡¯m going to give you a freebie here, Ingrid fancies you. The poor girl was psyching herself up to ask you to dance with her tomorrow while making your food, but then you and your naked muscular sweaty torso got her all flustered.¡± I slowed down to take in what he just said, ¡°Umm, it¡¯s not that I hate talking to people, it¡¯s just¡­ well, talking to her is¡­ well¡­ boring, I guess. Yeah, she¡¯s pretty, and making those stuffed animals for the kids was fun last week, but I ended up doing all of the talking, even after I asked what she¡¯d been up to.¡± ¡°So, wait¡­, you¡¯re more concerned about her personality¡­ than her looks?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me that¡¯s what I should be looking for the most?¡± ¡°Well, yes, but¡­ I¡­ umm, didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually listen to my advice.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? You know a lot and have never lied to me when giving advice, ... you¡¯re also my closest friend.¡± Arc then began to make a bunch of weird noises while I continued on with my "quests". --- After I picked up my supplies from Holly, I started making my way back to the house so I could drop them off and check in on the injured steer. However, while waving at mom while she was setting up for the festival, she gave me a double-take and marched over towards me. ¡°Travis, why are you walking around town looking like a vagrant!?¡± She started glaring at me, and I caught a few of the neighbors that were helping her start to snicker. Arc began to laugh his ass off in my ear, leaving me to come up with a reply on my own, ¡°Umm, I didn¡¯t want to ruin my shirts again¡­ and¡­¡± I started running my hand through my long auburn hair, trying to think of something else. Not pacified in the least, she pointed to a nearby chair, ¡°Sit. You¡¯re getting a haircut.¡± ¡°What! No! Don¡¯t let her cut your hair. You just finished growing it out!¡± Smiling at mom, I asked, ¡°Can you cut it really short on the sides? It gets really hot, and I hate having to comb it so often.¡± She nodded, approving of my choice, ignorant of the threats and screams coming from Arc. --- I piled my plate as high as I could with the Fall Festival food, making my way over to where my dad was sitting with Mildred and Issac. I noticed him adding up the final tally of the town¡¯s harvest, and he adjusted the sheet so I could see it better while I stuffed my face. After double-checking his work, I gave him a thumbs-up between bites, and he gave me a smile in return while patting me on the back. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I continued taking my time eating, enjoying all of the different items, which was made even better when Ingrid and a few of the other girls dropped off hotdishes that they made themselves. Unfortunately, they then took over the spots where Dad and the others were seated, and the music for the dance started playing. ¡°Uh, oh. Looks like the town¡¯s most eligible bachelor just got trapped. How will our hero escape this dire situation?¡± Arc¡¯s theatrics aside, he was correct. If I ate one of their dishes, I¡¯d be expected to return the favor by dancing with them. If I said I was full and done eating already, then they would be allowed to speak with me and ask without having to break etiquette. The absolute worst thing I could do was grab something else from the buffet or leave. Deciding to stall for time, I activated the Fire Mana in my body to digest my food faster, then slowly started eating their hotdishes one by one. Realizing that I was trapped, the girls started grinning deviously at me. Darting my eyes around and trying my best to not look panicked, I searched for a solution, but my time was running out as I started the final dish. Luck was on my side that night, as there was a break in the music for one of the band members to pull out a cello. A plan suddenly snapped into my mind. I quickly finished my food and stood up to address the girls, ¡°Thank you all for the wonderful food. Unfortunately, I cannot reward any of you with my first dance of the evening, for there is someone dear to me who deserves that honor.¡± I gave a quick bow and began moving to the table as fast as possible to where my now surprised mom was seated at. I held out my sweaty palm and asked if she would do me the honor. After a few agonizing seconds, one of the ladies snapped her out of her shock, and she grabbed my hand, allowing me to lead her to the dance floor. Once there, even though I was terrified, I got into the position that Mildred taught me, and we began the nerve-wracking three-step dance. ¡°I thought you said that you hated dancing?¡± my mom spoke as we got into rhythm. ¡°I, uh¡­ wanted to do something nice for you.¡± I stuttered out while trying to keep count in my head and my feet from stepping on her. She started chuckling at me and let go of my hand for a few beats to wipe her eyes, ¡°Well, this is certainly better than the last gift you gave.¡± ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t remind me, I knew there was something off about how Issac was acting after I finished the wood burning portrait.¡± I stumbled for a bit, knocking into someone, but mom pulled me back into rhythm. ¡°So,¡± she whispers to me, ¡°Do I need to save you from the angry table of girls that you left?¡± I nodded my head. ¡°Alright, but just this once. Next year you¡¯ll be a recognized adult in this village, so you¡¯ll have to start thinking about what kind of life you want to have and with who.¡± She waved at the acting host and pointed to the table where the girls sat and then to the one where my old male classmates were seated. The host taking the hint, moved over and corralled everyone to the dance floor to join in on the waltz. Seeing that her work was done, she pulled her arm away from my back and gave me a quick look of disgust, ¡°Travis, you are drenched in sweat, why don¡¯t you go cool off for a bit.¡± Relief finally hitting me, I quickly made my way to the washroom and splashed my face with cold water. ¡°Congratulations on escaping! Too bad the plan to tell your mom had to be dropped.¡± --- After hiding for a bit, I had Arc direct me over to Franklin, hoping he would keep me safe for a while. He was sitting at a table looking miserable next to my dad along with Issac who was shuffling a deck of cards, Pippen handing out mugs of ale, and Lancel waving at me to join them. ¡°There you are!¡± shouted a happy looking Lancel, ¡°Pippen, get this lad a mug!¡± I raised my eyebrow at the Guard Captain, who only replied with his unbroken grin. I stared into the mug, remembering Arc¡¯s lesson on the dangers of underage drinking and debated if I should decline. ¡°Just only one drink, and you¡¯ll be fine. Now loosen up and have some fun! You¡¯re at a festival.¡± I took a swing and the men at the table started cheering. Wiping the foam from my mouth, I turned to Franklin, ¡°You wanted to discuss something with me?¡± Franklin lowered his head and gave out a deep groan, much to the table¡¯s amusement, and Pippen started to prod him in his massive shoulder, ¡°Yes, tell us Franklin, it must have been very important.¡± He continued to grumble until my dad gave him a reassuring pat. ¡°Right, well then¡­¡± he paused to look out at his daughter dancing with umm¡­ I think his name started with an R, ¡°We¡¯ve been chatting with each other and seeing as how you¡¯re nearly a man already...¡± He started shifting uncomfortably, ¡°We were wondering what your plans for the future are.¡± Lancel¡¯s grin somehow grew fiercer, but before he could speak, my dad cut in, ¡°Travis, I know you have no interest in taking over the farm, so if there¡¯s something else that you would like to do,¡± he gestured to the table, ¡°We¡¯d like to help you out.¡± My head started swimming with a deep confusion. Sure, I hadn¡¯t told anyone my exact plan yet, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been keeping it a secret. I mean, I¡¯ve been shouting it since I was ten¡­ I looked into my mug, wondering if it was just the alcohol affecting me. Everyone had gone silent, all waiting for my answer, which began to make me nervous. I scratched my right ear, signaling to Arc that I needed help. ¡°Just tell them. But be ready, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll like the answer.¡± I tapped my ear in thanks, then took a big breath, ¡°I would like to apply for enrollment at the Mage¡¯s Academy during Fifthmonth. I know it¡¯ll be my last chance before I turn 18 but-¡± ¡°Travis,¡± Lancel interrupted me, ¡°I¡¯ve met and worked with a lot of mages over the years defending the capitol during the flood. The only humans among them are the children of nobles and wealthy merchants.¡± ¡°Yes, but-¡± ¡°No,¡± Issac interrupted this time, ¡°I told you all about the effort my father wasted trying to attend the academy.¡± He looked at the others, ¡°Did I ever tell you about how he spent his entire inheritance, was excommunicated from his family, and forced to work as a monster slayer? All because he couldn¡¯t pass the entrance examination.¡± ¡°Travis,¡± apparently it was Pippen¡¯s turn, ¡°You¡¯re seventeen now, it was cute when you were ten, but it¡¯s time for you to grow up.¡± I tried to find my voice, but despite everyone ceasing their interruptions and remaining silent, I couldn¡¯t speak¡­ I turned my head towards my dad, but he just had a sad, dejected look on his face. ¡°You can tell them, I¡­ don¡¯t want you to suffer because of me.¡± I lowered my head into my arms, knocking over my mug as I tried to hide my tears in front of everyone. Arc¡¯s words failed to help me calm down and the last thing I wanted to do was to force Arc to reveal himself. I should have just gone with his plan instead¡­ wait, maybe I still can? I raised my head back up, seeing the uncomfortable looks on everyone. ¡°Ok, but¡­ I would still like to see the capital once. I¡¯ve never even been to another town, and there¡¯s so much territory under the control of the three kingdoms. I¡¯ve¡­ never even seen a dwarf before and can barely remember when that elven caravan came through.¡± I took another breath, feeling sick to my stomach, ¡°After the guards return from the spring flood, I want to travel for a few months. I¡¯ll come back for my birthday and¡­¡± I turned to Franklin and struggled to get the words out, ¡°If you¡¯ll have me, I¡¯d like to become your apprentice.¡± Franklin quickly stood up and rushed over to me with tears in his eyes and pulled me into a crushing bear hug. Everyone else started either consoling the big log or myself since I couldn¡¯t stop sobbing in his embrace. A fresh round of drinks was passed out and I quickly downed my drink, hating myself for what I¡¯ve done. --- Arc I watched as Travis grabbed another drink, and then another¡­ he quickly became intoxicated, drunkenly telling the men at the table about how he owes them so much and continued sobbing into his father¡¯s arms. Realizing that he likely had enough fun for the night, Eagan took Travis back to the house and tucked the trembling teen into bed. His dad sat at the end of the bed for a while, trying to find something to say, but just ended up rubbing his shoulder once more before leaving. Due to his Fire Mana being active, it didn¡¯t take long for Travis to finish processing the alcohol he was burning through at an accelerated rate and was soon lying sober on the bed. I hadn¡¯t spoken yet, wanting to wait for him first, but he kept curling into a tight ball unable to sleep. ¡°Travis, it¡¯s not too late to change your mind. My plan was a terrible one and I know this is eating away at you. Just tell them the truth and it¡¯ll be ok, keeping me a secret isn¡¯t worth forcing you to lie to everyone you care about.¡± He wiped his nose on his pillow before turning onto his back, trying to force his body to give him back full control. ¡°That¡¯s what hurt the most, the only thing I lied about was returning home.¡± Feeling as helpless as his dad, I did the only thing I could think of to help cheer him up a bit. I summoned four clouds of different mana and sent them into his room. ¡°Want to practice seeing mana?¡± Travis closed his eyes and nodded his head. Soon he began the familiar listing of the different number and types of clustered mana that I used to help train his mana sight. Not long into the exercise, he finally fell asleep. --- Travis I woke up, still feeling awful about last night, but better about my decision. Thinking over the conversation, it seemed like they were coming from a good place, just ignorant of my ability to manipulate mana, and didn¡¯t want me to wound myself by failing the entrance examination. I checked the hallway, and while the door to Dad¡¯s room was still closed, Mom¡¯s was open. I peeked inside to spot her brushing her hair and silently offered to help. ¡°I heard that you had an eventful night?¡± Mom asked after I finished brushing and started making a braid to occupy my hands. ¡°Yeah, I wanted to tell you during the dance that I wanted to leave, but¡­¡± She turned to me and grabbed my hand, looking into my eyes, ¡°I know that you told everyone that you¡¯d return in time for your birthday, but¡­ and I¡¯m sure your father would agree also, if you find a reason out there to stay. We¡¯d rather that you be happy.¡± Needing to excuse myself, I made my way outside for my morning run. --- ¡°So, you want to learn as much as you can this winter?¡± the smiling blacksmith asked when I came to visit. ¡°Well, it just so happens that my orders are done for the year, so I¡¯ll have plenty of time to teach.¡± He placed one of his large hands on my shoulders and pulled me in close to whisper, ¡°About Ingrid, do you intend to¡­?¡± I gave my head a slow shake despite not wanting to incur his wrath for not wishing to marry his daughter¡­ oh, crap¡­ that must¡¯ve been what he wanted to discuss with me last night, and since I didn¡¯t want to give my first dance to Ingrid¡­ Wanting to quickly change the topic, I pulled out the sheet of paper containing the project that I originally wanted to collaborate with him on over the winter. The weapon was one that was described by Arc to me, and I was able to create a design using existing war-hammer, battle-axe, and spear schematics. ¡°I was hoping to make this at the forge this winter, it¡¯s called a poleaxe.¡± His interest now peaked, he started going over it before beginning to chuckle, ¡°I don¡¯t know why us old folks keep scheming behind your back. You¡¯re just going to branch out and do whatever crazy idea pops into your head.¡± ¡°Understatement of the year!¡± He continued looking for a bit, ¡°It looks doable for a first project, but only due to the different heads being separate pieces. You already know how to make better ingots than me, so I¡¯ll teach you how to hammer out the rough shape. I¡¯ll have to do the finishing work on each head, but for the haft, you¡¯re going to need to get help from Issac.¡± Excited to get started, we began to make our plan, although Arc distracted me at one point, ¡°About the haft, I¡¯ve got something you can use, but you¡¯re going to need to sneak out late tonight to get it.¡± --- Arc Night falls as I work on the final preparations for Travis¡¯ gift. What originally started as a project to give the kid a proper wizard staff ended up changing a few months ago when I was talking about different weapon designs and their uses. I see Travis approach my tree, and I verify that no one is awake or able to see. After double-checking to make sure that Father Viburnum was nowhere near, I begin to summon the Air Mana to make my cut. The branch that I picked out was a nice and straight one, loaded with Wood Mana from my constant infusions into the limb. So, it wouldn¡¯t be an easy thing to cut, let alone break. I begin shaping a spinning disc of Air Mana, charging my entire supply to the max. The spinning disc starts to shrink as I compress the mana until the motes of Air Mana finally fuse together, creating a higher tier of mana that moves and vibrates in a wild and erratic pattern. Struggling to contain the chaotic mana in the formation, which looks and sounds like a sawblade, I start to cut into the branch, but the damn thing is too tough to make it through quickly. Travis, hearing the noise, moves underneath the branch in time to catch it when I finally cut it through all the way. Looking down, I could easily see his eyes bulging in his skull before quickly darting his head to look around and running off with the sacred item. Feeling my sword-body ache from the exertion, I¡¯m now forced to pull in my vision quite a ways and cease using my floating focus. I take a moment to inspect my soul, now visible again while my mana is charged to its peak, and I ensure that the ¡°patch¡± I applied is still functioning correctly. Seeing nothing wrong, I let out an imaginary sigh, and wait for my mana to slowly discharge. Chapter 7 - Wooden Walls, Flaming Monsters? It occurred the night of our guards'' return. There was no warning, but the boy knew. The town was silent, but the boy ended it. The wall was smashed, the boy didn¡¯t care. The town begged for salvation; the boy was the herald. --- Travis I stomped through the mud in my new boots, courtesy of Holly¡¯s aid, carrying my finished weapon. Lancel had just returned with the other guards from the flood, and I was excited to not only show it off, but maybe possibly get a few pointers on how to use it better. Franklin surprised me by teaching me some basic quarterstaff fighting techniques he learned from his dad Old Guy, but his knowledge was only half remembered and never used. ¡°Someone¡¯s in a good mood!¡± It was certainly a nice change of pace. The last few months spent preparing for my trip had constantly put me through the wringer emotionally. The worst definitely being when Arc severed one of his own limbs. Not only did I not sleep a wink that night but having to wait for him to recover made me worried that he¡¯d never speak again. I entered the training yard were everyone was gathering and noticed something different. There were now three guards accompanying Lancel and he was wearing a new set of armor. The usual dark green brigandine set of the guards was replaced with a full set of dull grey half-plate armor, complete with wood fiber bindings and brown under-cloth instead of leather. ¡°Someone got a nice boost to their mana level. He¡¯s much closer to you now.¡± After waving at him and waiting for the crowd around him to part, he made his way towards me, ¡°What the rot are you carrying?¡± His expression a mix of amusement and curiosity. I held up my poleaxe, allowing Lancel full view of its glory. It definitely turned out better than I hoped, the crescent shaped axe blade was the trickiest, requiring Franklin a full week of hammering to get symmetrical and shaped correctly. The spear tip and spike I was actually able to finish myself, since I kept to simple square-sided tips and the hammer end only required help when I decided to add a spike in the center of the square smashing head. Oddly enough, I think I spent nearly as much time getting the haft prepared. The branch Arc gave me was so dense with Wood Mana, that I ended up having to whittle it down by hand. I constantly had to press the long strings of mana deeper inside so I could shave it to not only the correct width and length, but to create furrows and holes for the langets to rivet the entire weapon together. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± I spoke through my huge grin, eager to hear his approval. ¡°Umm, it¡¯s definitely a weapon¡­¡± Lancel stated while giving it a thorough inspection, ¡°Normally halberds go past even your outstretched hand¡­ Is this thing even as tall as you?¡± ¡°Exact same height from tip to tip. And it¡¯s not a halberd, it¡¯s a poleaxe.¡± Nervous now, I tried to give him the sales pitch, ¡°It combines the best of three different weapons: the crushing power of a war-hammer, the slashing potential of a battle-axe, and the accurate piercing of a spear.¡± ¡°Uh, huh¡­¡± Lancel kept looking and even gave it a few swings and thrusts but didn¡¯t seem too enthused. ¡°Should have gone for something simpler, more elegant, and with a modest cross-guard and hilt¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like it do you?¡± I finally let out defeated. ¡°It¡¯s not to my style¡­ and I¡¯m a little bit worried about how you¡¯d use it in battle. There¡¯s a reason why the spear is the symbol of the human kingdom. While individually it¡¯s not the most powerful weapon, when it¡¯s used in a group behind a wall of shields however, it¡¯s damn near unstoppable.¡± He hands the poleaxe back to me and grabs his shield and spear to demonstrate while he continues speaking, ¡°The spear is the bane of a charging enemy.¡± He moves into a stance capable of accepting a charge, the spear end dug into the ground and the tip forward, stretching past his ready shield. ¡°Able to quickly and repeatedly hamper one¡¯s foe.¡± He demonstrates a shield shove and set of rapid thrusts. ¡°Even able to finish an enemy from beyond it¡¯s normal range.¡± He makes a quick motion, briefly balancing the spear on the tip of his thumb as he switches from an over-hand to under-handed grip, and then throws the spear. It flies quickly, burying itself deeply into a nearby target. Smiling at the shocked looks of the other three guards, he finally turns back to me, ¡°I¡¯ve got to get these three set up for when I leave permanently. I¡¯m no longer the active Guard Captain of the village.¡± He gives me a wink, ¡°Make sure you come find me before you leave, I¡¯ll be heading back to the capital around the same time.¡± --- Arc ¡°Was it just me, or was he acting strange?¡± Travis asked while heading back home for the night. ¡°Well, I remember a certain young lad a little over two years ago who also acted like he had a thick trunk when he learned to activate his mana consciously.¡± Travis stopped in his tracks, turned towards the barracks and attempted to see the mana around Lancel. ¡°Too far away for my sight. Did he activate it right before his throw?¡± ¡°Yep, didn¡¯t even amp himself up all the way, must already be able to regulate himself a bit.¡± Travis began to groan, likely remembering the hellish couple of weeks where he couldn¡¯t stop himself from preventing his mana charging to its maximum pulse-rate whenever he tried to trigger his mana. Thankfully, his sub-conscious naturally stopped himself from harming himself. His parents just thought he hit a growth spurt, which although partially was true, the number of calories he had to consume to prevent starvation was probably enough to feed 3 hard-working Franklins a day. As he passed by my tree, Travis gave its trunk a firm pat, ¡°It won¡¯t be long now.¡± then headed into his house to bathe and eat supper. Ugh, you coward! That was your chance! Again! I was frustrated at myself for being frightened to leave, not even because it could bring me under the attention of a god or another big souled individual, but because it was such a departure from my old human self. I used to be the outgoing extrovert, often acting as the enabler for my friends whenever they needed a push or suddenly had the energy to go on adventures. Heck, I literally had a truck that had full camping and overlanding gear packed and ready to go at a moment¡¯s notice. And I know Travis wouldn¡¯t say no if I asked to come along. Afterall, every farm-boy future-hero of the kingdom needs a magical sword! How else will he kill the dragon and woo the princess? Definitely can¡¯t do it with that ugly chimera of a weapon that he keeps polishing and playing with as if it was his¡­ I let out a mental sigh, wishing just once that I could feel the sensation of muscles going limp. --- Travis ¡°Travis! Wake up!¡± I jolt awake, not feeling rested at all, ¡°Travis, you need to get up!¡±, I rub my eyes and look around, but it looks like it¡¯s the middle of the night, and I can¡¯t see anything. ¡°Travis, wake up! The entire town is in danger! You need to get moving!¡± Now awake, I summon a tiny [Fire Orb] so I can see and get dressed, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a large group of something gathering outside of the village. Travis, they don¡¯t look like monsters¡­ but they¡¯re almost entirely composed of amped up Fire Mana.¡± I grab my poleaxe and make my way out of the room and into the hallway but pause, since I don¡¯t know what to do. ¡°Wake your parents. Tell them to warn as many people as possible and grab buckets of water. Then head to the church to barricade yourselves inside. I¡¯m going to try and run as much interference as I can. Now go!¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I begin knocking on Dad¡¯s door, but after waiting a sec, my mind takes in the threat, and I slam into it, forcing it open. Dad jolts up with a look of terror on his face, and I shout, ¡°The town is under attack! Get to the church, bring water!¡± I turn around, already hearing Dad throwing on shoes and a coat, then burst through Mom¡¯s door. She screams loudly, but I grab her shoulder and calmly state, ¡°The town is under attack, we need to take shelter in the church. Bring water, they have torches.¡± I bolt through the door leading outside, not even bothering to open it, I fill my lungs and charge up my Air Mana so that I can let out a huge shout. ¡°Bandits! Get to the Church! Bandits are attacking! Grab water! Bandits!¡± My parents rush out, then split heading to our neighbors. Knowing it¡¯ll take too long to rouse everyone individually, I begin to run around the inner ring out the town, repeating the same words, over and over again until I make my way to the guard barracks and kick the door in. To my relief, all three and Lancel are putting armor on or helping the others. I repeat much quieter this time and Lancel turns to look at me, ¡°Go wake the town, drag them out of bed if you have to.¡± He then turns to one of the guards, ¡°Grab a horse, go to Lakewell and get help.¡± Lancel turns back, ¡°Which direction are they in?¡± ¡°Southside, all of them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re all to the south.¡± Lancel turns his head back to the other guard, ¡°Take the barracks gate, the rest of us will stall as long as possible.¡± He then holds his left arm at a 90-degree angle to mimic holding a shield, then slams his right fist into his left forearm, ¡°Move out!¡± I rush out of the barracks and continue my loop around the village, bellowing my warning once again. I eventually stop when I reach my house. ¡°Who¡¯s not awake?¡± I ask, hoping Arc will be able to help me. ¡°Connor fell and hurt his leg.¡± ¡°Umm...¡± ¡°Oh for¡­ Pig-man! Two houses past the gate.¡± I run to his house, charging my Earth Mana enough to keep my feet from slipping, and shoulder barge through Pig-man¡¯s door. Hearing a noise, I make to the stairwell and see Pig-man lying on the floor with his face wracked in pain. Not caring for pleasantries, I lean my poleaxe against the wall, then pick up the lanky man despite his screaming protests and force my shoulder under his armpit to take weight off the likely broken leg. ¡°Travis, they¡¯re heading right for you!¡± Feeling the dread squeeze my heart for a second, I stare at the nearly immobile man. His eyes widen with realization, and he shakes his head in a no, trying to push me away. That push was enough to snap me out of my stupor though, and I instead crouch, bringing my shoulder to his gut, then lift the entire man off the ground. My entire body now amped up, I grab my poleaxe and rush for the door in time to beat the noise of the back door breaking. ¡°Go! Go! Go!¡± Making it outside, I opt for the charging bull strategy, and begin running in a nearly straight line to get to the center of town. Plowing over three fence gates in the process. ¡°Keep going! You lost them for now.¡± I make my way into the town center where nearly everyone is rushing into the church. Nearly every adult has a bucket with them. Franklin spots me from where he is standing outside with a quarterstaff, and rushes over to help me carry Pig-man into the church. I sneak back out, poleaxe warding off the people to allow me passage, and stand outside with the remaining crowd, ¡°Who¡¯s left?¡± ¡°Get ready, two incoming, left side of store.¡± Feeling the battle-lust kick into full gear, I sprint to the store, but stop before going down the alley. ¡°3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­¡± I turn the corner swiping the spike in front of me, startling one creature and slashing into the other. Finding a target, I pivot the poleaxe into a Chop!, cleaving off an arm and part of the shoulder of the thing in front of me. I hopped back a half step and Thrust! at the uninjured one, puncturing it in the chest. It staggers back, so I swing the butt spike back up, making a small cut. I then swing down, sliding my right hand down to meet my left to give a mightier CHOP!, snapping its left collarbone and digging deep into its chest. ¡°Dodge!¡± I try to leap to the side, but slam into a wall instead, allowing the armless one to get a shallow slash across my right shoulder. I raise the hammer side from the ground, sliding my right hand back up, and give it a hard tug to hook the back of my opponent¡¯s leg, causing him to fall. Not pausing to waste my opportunity, I immediately thrust twice into the fallen creature, and then step back to make a mighty SLAM! with the hammer. ¡°They¡¯re dead! Get back to the church! There¡¯re still people filing in.¡± I foolishly pause to look down at our attackers; tattered clothes, charred skin like a cooked ham, red light seeping through the cracks, and¡­ long ears¡­ elves? ¡°Travis, get back to the church.¡± I try to move, but the revulsion of what I have just done¡­ brutally dismembering another thinking creature¡­ causes my stomach to lurch and its contents to erupt from my mouth. ¡°Travis, you need to move. People are in danger. There¡¯s only a handful left making it into the church. You need to get inside.¡± I shakily stand back up. When had I gone to my hands and knees? I stare at my blood-covered weapon and try my best to bark myself as I picked it back up. I start slowing walking at first, but then am able to jog back once the blood starts pumping in my veins again. I make it back to the church steps, seeing Franklin standing above with one hand on each door, ready to pull them shut and barricade. ¡°Get in kid!¡± I start to move, making it to the door, but turn around at a sudden noise. --- Arc After sending Travis out the door, I begin my overwatch of the town as if I was playing a real-time-strategy game on my computer. Seeing Travis immediately shouting, I follow his example and begin sending out [Message] spells to create noise in people¡¯s houses to wake them. I follow the attackers¡¯ movements, counting twenty of the creatures, and am able to provide updates to Travis as he barges his way through the town. I use every trick I could think of to distract or bind the walking piles of fire mana. Loud noises, loose dirt, water in ears and eyes, but my range for any offensive spell is limited. Lancel is able to mount a counter offensive right away, charging at an initial group of eight, but two manage to sneak away and make their way to the center. I warn Travis, allowing him to get the jump on the two. Lancel¡¯s group eventually finishes the advanced group and are preparing to make another push, but one of the attackers in the next approaching group begin to shape their mana around their hand. Recognizing an offensive spell, I sent a [Message] spell to the creature¡¯s ear and made the loudest noise possible right before it fires. The creature¡¯s fireball is sent low, impacting the ground near the guards, causing them to be knocked over instead of incinerated. Feeling helpless with the fighting so far away now, I can only watch as the attackers begin to rush after the fallen guards. --- Travis I see the explosion and watch as the guards fall from the impact. I instinctively try to step forward, but Franklin grabs on to me. I spin around, tossing his arm off me, and give him a shove inside. ¡°Shut the door!¡± Now free, I focus on my sprint, needing to get there now. THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, ¡­ THRUST! My spear tip impales the chest of an approaching attacker, and it¡¯s sent flying back. I stand between the guards and the attackers, sweeping with my spike and using it to ward off the attackers to give the guards the precious seconds they need to right themselves. I¡¯m soon aided with a shield to my right and a spear to my left, and we begin to hold the line making them draw back for a brief moment now that the numbers were even, but something in the attackers begins to change. ¡®The red glow emanating from their cracked skin begins to brighten, and shortly after almost all of the creatures begin to catch on fire. ¡°Get to the tree! I¡¯ll help cover you!¡± ¡°Lancel, we got to move!¡± ¡°Travis! Lead!¡± Lancel pushes me back with his shield to remove the hole I made in the shield wall. Right, charging a spear line is suicide, I¡¯ve got to keep these guys moving though. ¡°Back step, back step, right step, right step, back step¡­,¡± I start chanting, trying to remember the stories that Lancel told me. ¡°Keep moving, they¡¯re all moving in on you, one more block.¡± The flaming creatures keep snapping at the guards, only to receive small cuts in return, but the excessive heat is quickly tiring out the group. As we make it to Arc, a bright light flashes, blinding the creatures and allowing a few good stabs to get in. The bright light dims as it splits into multiple motes of light and begin to surround Arc, bringing more enemies into view. Seeing the enemy at our rear, I charge towards one before it could ignite itself an manage a Thrust! into its gut, causing it to spill. I back away towards the trunk of the tree, bringing the spike back up to quickly parry any incoming attack. Lancel notices the stop in the chanting, and finds a moment to scan the field, ¡°Make for the tree¡­ Now!¡± He slams his shield ahead along with a rising spear swipe, allowing him to quickly 180 and sprint to the tree. He kicks off the trunk to turn around and covers for the slower guards by counter charging with a shield slam into one opponent, knocking it prone and allowing a quick stab to the heart. One of the flaming creatures rushes me, and I send the spike down in time to strike the leg, allowing me to shove the creature back away. The motes of Light are soon joined by a cool mist and breeze, allowing relief from the heat of the flames for us while weakening the fires of the enemy. I catch some of the attackers slipping or moving unsteady as their feet lose footing as they approached. Realizing that Arc does indeed have my back, I begin to hack and smash away anything that approaches, keeping somewhat close to the guard¡¯s shield wall on my right. Lancel keeps thrusting and scanning the field when possible to find the caster, but nearly spots them moving in with an intense glow in their hands too late. He flips the grip on his spear and throws it at the caster while swiping to the left with his shield. His outstretched hand moves with a fluid motion to grab the arming sword at his side and gives a rising slash to an approaching enemy along with a follow up shield bash using the edge. With the caster dead, all that¡¯s left are the seemingly mindless grunts, who keep charging like feral animals, their wild swings creating small burns and cuts on my unarmored skin. I keep attacking though, Arc hovering light directly above each enemy and clustering them together after each death until only one cluster and enemy is left. Lancel charges with his shield and sword that begins to glow with a silver light, knocking away an arm, and cleaving through from neck to opposite armpit with a loud screeching noise. I drop to my knees, my mana burning in my flesh from the extended high intensity, and notice Lancel doing the same, but breathing far heavier and barely keeping upright. I force my way to him out of worry, but when I grab him, he mutters, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Was that all of them?¡± We begin moving our heads around, but the single large orb of light makes our night vision useless. The light suddenly bursts into a countless number of small motes, floating gently around the area, allowing us to see the piles of bodies. The ground softens underneath us as we all begin to sit or lie down out of exhaustion. I breathe in the fresh damp air and let out a long¡­ deep¡­ sigh¡­, finally assured that the ordeal was over. Chapter 8 - Crises of Faith I apologize for not providing complete detail of the second attack, for I cannot ensure the security of this letter not reaching the wrong hands. Neither do I know the full details of what happened outside of the church during the attack. My hope is that I have provided enough detail to allow you to peruse the church¡¯s secure records and find the answers that I cannot pen to this letter. I will remain in Aelder Creek, awaiting my impending questioning from the inquisitors, and whatever punishment is deemed necessary. Your inattentive servant, Father Viburnum --- Arc I struggled to keep my vision extended for as long as possible, but my mana pulsed too fast and for far too long for me to keep control. So as soon as I was able to confirm and communicate non-verbally that the coast was clear, I released all of the spells so that my mana could finally begin the process of discharging. Thankful to whatever god that trapped me here for once, because there was no way that a body made of flesh could have endured the high charge that I put my mana through. Afterall, I had just used every mana type that I had stored in my body to its fullest and possibly beyond what I should. The final defense had me creating a swirling aura of Water and Air to keep Travis and the guards cool, Earth manipulation used to create unsteady footing and to prevent a full-on rush, and finally, the fusing of Fire Mana to create a higher tier of double-moted mana that I call Light Mana. While not as useful combat wise, it made for great support, first by making Sun Tsu proud by blinding my foes and then splitting into small light formations to help highlight the enemies. I gave out a mental sigh¡­, I¡¯m sure no one noticed the fancy light show¡­, or are curious as to how Travis knew of the attack¡­, or how he knew they¡¯d receive help after making it to my tree. I wish I could see him, I¡¯m not even entirely sure if he¡¯s ok. His mana was pulsing quite fiercely, well past what we¡¯d allow during training. Plus, the last time I was forced to go quiet, he seemed extra stressed before I could start casting [Message] again. Lacking something to do, now that my vision was completely gone, I took the time to inspect my soul again. It¡¯s gotten a bit bigger¡­ and the patch has also¡­ but I¡¯m definitely fine with that since it¡¯s been allowing me to feel more human again. I am angry at myself though since I haven¡¯t learned how to discharge all of this pulsing. You¡¯d think after seven years of mana manipulation, one would be able to replicate a feat that even a meathead was able to do, but I¡¯ve still not found a way. I pointlessly replayed the memory, but as usual, I failed to see anything to hint at what I¡¯m doing wrong. The only possibility I can think of is that there¡¯s something lower in the trunk that allowed for the transfer, which could explain why the trunk is quite dense with mana, almost to the point of looking completely solid with my mana sight. Argh, I wish I could talk to Travis. We¡¯ve gone for long periods with not speaking to each other before, but not being able to is agonizing to me. Has he been forced to out me? Is he in danger? Does he still plan to leave? Has he¡­ left? That last one terrifies me the most. I was close to madness before I first spoke to him over seven years ago. Will I get one more chance? Just breathe¡­ in, and out¡­ in, and out¡­ your vision is already beginning to come back bit by tiny bit¡­ in, and out¡­ --- Travis Despite feeling the urge to nap and wait for my arms and legs that felt like over-stuffed sausages to deflate, I shoveled the last bits of my bowl of food down and my stomach finally gave me some relief. Note to self, don¡¯t amp up your internal mana so high right away, the extended combat and increased pulse rate after every mana infused strike pushed me far beyond what was comfortable. I saw a full bowl moved into my periphery, but before I could reach for it, Mildred pulled it just out of reach and gave me a serious look. ¡°Since I¡¯ve caught you between meals, perhaps now would be a good time to speak. I believe there is something you need to tell me?¡± My tunnel-vision finally ended, leaving me able to finally take notice that I was in the dining room of my house. Where was Mom and Dad? ¡°Umm, tell you what?¡± I spoke just to break the silence; my brain wasn¡¯t feeling the sharpest at the moment. ¡°Travis, I know everything that goes on in this town¡­¡± Mildred¡¯s words were interrupted by a snickering Pippen, entering with a man I didn¡¯t recognize wearing a wide brimmed hat and leather trench coat. She twisted her head to give him a stare-down, ¡°Is something funny Pippen?¡± Pippen began leaking small chuckles before replying, ¡°Just remembering last time you said those words¡­¡± he starts to lose control, ¡°right before the Fall Festival¡­¡± Pippen gives up on trying to constrain himself and begins to bend over in laughter. My stomach grumbled, turning Mildred¡¯s attention back to me. Well¡­, time to come clean, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to, it just happened, and before I knew it¡­¡± Mildred¡¯s mood softened and set the bowl down before putting a hand on my forearm. ¡°I was carrying Pig-man into the town circle and¡­¡± I looked down at the table near the fresh bowl of stew, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯ll do my best to fix all of the doors and gates before I leave, and if have to, I¡¯ll even pay out of my traveling allowance.¡± Mildred didn¡¯t say anything, likely trying to determine if my self-assigned punishment would be enough. I felt another protest come from my stomach, so I began to slowly resume eating. Pippen¡¯s laughter began to resurge and when I looked up, I saw that Mildred must have been truly angry about me possibly causing more damage to the town than the attackers since she was now red in the face. The trench coat wearing man, cleared his throat before approaching Mildred, ¡°Ma¡¯am, there¡¯s something you need to know.¡± He pulled out a small red gem that visibly glowed brightly and pulsed quickly even without me needing to activate my mana sight. Mildred looked at the gem, ¡°Full of cysts? Then¡­ these were necromancers?¡± The man shook his head in a no, ¡°Mana cysts, have a soft coating and growth that needs to be cut by a jeweler. These were found already cut, so¡­¡± ¡°Someone implanted those inside their bodies¡­¡± Mildred stated with a horrified expression. ¡°This needs to be reported to the capital as soon as possible. They might not be the same mad cultists that the dwarves and elves helped us humans eliminate, but it would be best to treat them as such.¡± The gruff voiced man replied. ¡°Are¡­ the horror stories I was told as a kid true? Can they¡­?¡± Mildred asked, now trembling slightly. The man adjusted his wide brim hat, ¡°Aye, they¡¯re essentially monsters, able to sense high concentrations of mana. I suggest you give these to Lancel and have him take ¡®em to the capital. He and those gems are essentially juicy steaks before a starved dog.¡± He handed Mildred a small sack before starting to make his way towards the door, ¡°I¡¯m gonnna head back out and join the others patrolling outside for stragglers. I¡¯ll send a sensor in a few days to check for any items or people that might attract a second wave.¡± Mildred, looking exhausted, sat down with me, ¡°This village has always been abnormally quiet. Did you know the last time a monster attacked was before you were even born?¡± I finished my bowl, exchanging it for a fresh one from Pippen that he handed to me when he joined as well. After a long pause, I decided to break table manners, ¡°My dad was hurt in that attack, right? I¡¯ve seen the scar on his chest, but he never talks about what happened.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Pippen set a hand on my shoulder, ¡°I don¡¯t blame the man, he came real close. The wound wasn¡¯t deep enough to damage organs, but the infection he got afterwards¡­¡± Mildred picked up the story, ¡°Luckily the monster hunters we summoned from Lakewell Fortress had a Paladin with them. He was able to help heal your father.¡± I finished my bowl, finally feeling satiated, but started feeling drowsy and had to catch my head from nodding. ¡°You look properly tuckered out kid,¡± Pippen said as he patted me, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go take a nap, you¡¯ve already done enough for the village today.¡± He then helped me up and led me to my bed so that I could finally rest. Pippen shut the door to Travis¡¯ room and walked back to a disappointed Mildred. ¡°I was hoping to get an explanation from him, Lancel refuses to speak and ordered the guards to keep silent as well.¡± Pippen began to chuckle again, ¡°What¡¯s there to explain? Holly told everyone what she saw when she scaled up the belltower to see what was happening.¡± Mildred gestured for the two to leave, only to encounter Travis¡¯ parents waiting outside. ¡°Are you done interrogating our son?¡± an angry Margret barked. ¡°He¡¯s been fed and tucked into bed, though I do apologize for not giving him a bath first. The little tyke could barely keep his eyes open.¡± teased Pippen in a poor attempt to ease her worries. --- I awoke sometime later, feeling gross from not having washed, but much better internally despite being sore all over. I sat up, hearing voices coming from inside of the house. Finally finding myself alone I whispered, ¡°Arc, are you there?¡±. Dread tried to fill my stomach, but I was able to pacify myself by reminding myself that Arc likely used too much mana when he helped us, making him unable to cast a spell to speak to me. I decided to head towards the voices, not having anything better to do and entered the living room where Lancel was sitting with my mom and dad. Mom looked up with worry in her eyes, ¡°Travis, are you feeling ok?¡± I nodded my head in a yes, and walked forward to give her a hug, ¡°I¡¯m ok, Lancel kept me safe last night.¡± My dad who came to join in on the hug began to chuckle, ¡°According to him, you¡¯re the one who kept everyone safe.¡± I joined in on the merriment but stopped when I gazed over at Lancel. He looked injury free, but looked to be in shock, trembling occasionally and with a wide-eyed look when we made eye contact. ¡°Are you ok Lancel?¡± He looked so different from his usual confident self that was only cranked up to 13 when he returned. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, just a little shaken. Happens to even the best of us when things calm down after being so dire.¡± He stood up from his chair and muscled his way through my hugging parents to grab my shoulder and look me in the eye, ¡°I should be the one asking you that though, are you ok? Bloodening your hands is one thing, but¡­¡± I took in his words, and tried to assess myself, ¡°I think it hasn¡¯t sunk in yet, I get that those were people, but¡­¡± Lancel interrupted me, ¡°Those weren¡¯t people, not anymore. It¡¯s a good thing if you feel guilty, makes you human. Only monsters kill without remorse.¡± I nodded my head and felt a strange dark chuckle come over me, ¡°I think I know why you prefer the spear so much; I threw up after I dismembered the two that tried to attack the church.¡± My chuckle turned into a laugh, causing Mom and Dad to let go of me in fright. Lancel turned to soothe them, ¡°It¡¯s ok, happens to soldiers all the time, helps with the trauma according to the church.¡± My fit of laughter subsided and Lancel turned back to me, ¡°I¡¯m leaving for Lakewell, need to be out of the town before night. If you want, I can ask for Mildred to write up a special travel visa so you can accompany me. That way you wouldn¡¯t have to travel alone to the capital once the travel ban ends, assuming you still wish to do so.¡± Remembering the conversation I heard earlier between Mildred and the monster hunter, I turned towards my parents. They approached to give me one more hug, giving me their blessing. ¡°I¡¯ll just need a couple of hours to say goodbye to everyone.¡± --- There was only one person left that I had to say goodbye to, and to my surprise, he was all alone. No one, despite what happened, was nearby. I approached and began to give him a firm pat just like my dad taught me to do to the cattle to relax them, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can hear me, but if you can, thank you Arc. Not just for helping last night, but for everything. I owe you so much for teaching me¡­¡± I began to tear up and sniffle, ¡°I wish I could bring you with me.¡± ¡°Travis! Oh, thank the gods and God! Are you ok? Are the others? What¡¯s going on in the town? I can¡¯t see very far yet and can just barely make you out.¡± Wiping my nose and eyes, I gave Arc another pat, ¡°I¡¯m ok, and so is Lancel and the guards. No one died or got hurt by the¡­ attackers. They didn¡¯t even start any fires.¡± I began to laugh at how I made everyone grab buckets of water for no reason, but then quieted down when I prepared to give Arc the bad news, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going to happen to you, Holly saw the lights you made from the church.¡± I took a big breath, not wanting to pile on to his troubles, ¡°I need to leave the village, according to the monster hunter, those¡­ things are attracted to strong sources of mana. Lancel is leaving the village before tonight. I¡¯m¡­ going to go with him.¡± I waited for Arc¡¯s response, hoping that he¡¯d understand and not be mad at me. ¡°That¡¯s perfect! You said that there¡¯s no one nearby?¡± My hand slipped in shock from his response, ¡°Umm,¡± I swiveled my head to scan the area, ¡°yeah, there¡¯s no one here.¡± ¡°Excellent, now quickly climb up, I¡¯m on the fifth main branch up, directly above you.¡± Confused, but finding myself performing blasphemy climbed the Aelder tree. I made my way up, squeezing between the multiple branches. ¡°Little higher¡­ to your left more¡­ no, too high¡­ that branch!¡± My hand landed on a branch, and I followed its route from the trunk, spotting a sword of all things embedded in it. ¡°Why is there a sword up here?¡± ¡°Good question. I honestly have no idea how I ended up here.¡± ¡°Wait¡­, are you¡­ the sword?¡± My confusion somehow reached a new height. ¡°Umm, yeah¡­, what did you think I was?¡± Getting angry suddenly, ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe the giant tree that the church and stories say is capable of warding away monsters!¡± I glared at the sword, but then another realization hit me. ¡°Oh no¡­ I¡¯m in so much trouble¡­ I chopped off a limb from the Aelder Tree! Father Viburnum is going to be furious!¡± I start to hyperventilate, terror taking hold of me. ¡°Calm down, you didn¡¯t cut off the limb, I did. Now, hurry up! I¡¯ve been stuck here for maybe centuries, and do not want to be here when whatever the church¡¯s equivalent of law enforcement shows up.¡± I somehow found the fortitude to move again and tried to pull him out. ¡°Try jiggling it a bit¡­ no, all directions¡­ ok, think worthy thoughts and give me a tug now.¡± I did as directed, but the sword came out suddenly and I lost balance and fell to the ground. ¡°Ok, now make sure that you wrap me up. I¡¯m pretty sure that it¡¯s super illegal for you to openly carry me. Also¡­, you¡¯re going to want to hide the branches that you knocked down.¡± --- Aelder Creek Church Father Viburnum observed Lancel as he sat before the altar to Apheros, deep in prayer. He could easily tell that the man was troubled after the events of last night and wanted to be available. The image was certainly strange to him, he knew that although Lancel would attend services when not on duty, he mostly did it out of respect rather than a true belief. Not that he minded, Lancel with his blonde hair and reflective tan skin was clearly from the southern plains, were they mostly worshiped Torbolt. His musings were interrupted by a strange sight, which were it not for the possible miracle last night that he witnessed, would certainly put him into shock. Issac, husband of Mildred, woodworker of the town, and fervorous follower of Ignitious, entered the church. The man looked quite shaken, likely having his own beliefs questioned that morning. ¡°Father Viburnum, do you have a moment to talk in private?¡± Father Viburnum nodded and invited a trembling Issac to his study. After taking a moment to pour out a stiff drink for each of them, he gestured for them to sit. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± Issac took a sip, paused, and then downed the whole drink before speaking, ¡°There¡¯s something I need to tell you¡­ and¡­ I¡­¡± he stopped and searched the room as if expecting assailants, ¡°Think it relates to what happened last night.¡± He took some deep long breaths, trying to steady himself. Father Viburnum, seeing that the man may need something to help, reached into his robes for his personal flask and handed it to Issac. He nodded in thanks, took a swing, and then resumed, ¡°It happened the night after the Fall Festival.¡± He took another swing, ¡°I woke up in the middle of the night, hearing a noise. I thought it was nothing at first, but it persisted, and Mildred didn¡¯t seem to hear it despite how loud it was.¡± His hands fidgeted with the flask, ¡°So I went to investigate, and when I looked outside¡­, Travis was there¡­ holding a tree branch, looking terrified. He kept muttering to himself, but when he saw me, he immediately approached and pleaded for my help.¡± Issac took another swing from the flask, ¡°I took him into the shop, and I tried to make him sit down and explain what was wrong, but he kept fidgeting with the branch in his hands.¡± Issac made eye contact with Father Viburnum, ¡°That¡¯s when I finally noticed what he was holding¡­, a branch from the Aelder tree.¡± ¡°I tried to console him, telling him that he was young and that accidents happen, but he grabbed my arm, looked me right in the eyes and asked me to keep a secret¡­¡± Issac stopped, realizing that he was about to break that promise and began to weep. Not wanting him to potentially make a decision lightly, Father Viburnum interrupted, ¡°Wait, before you do, take a moment to be sure. I¡¯m willing to forget that you ever came here if that makes you more comfortable, I don¡¯t want you to live with regret.¡± Issac nodded his head in thanks, ¡°Thank you, but this needs to be said. He said¡­ that the tree gave its branch to him¡­, so that he could make something from it¡­¡± ¡°That poleaxe!¡± Father Viburnum interrupted unprofessionally. Issac nodded, ¡°We kept it hidden in the shop. It took weeks for him to whittle it down, and I couldn¡¯t even scratch the thing.¡± Issac passed the flask back, ¡°Father, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, I thought the boy was just lying to me¡­¡± Father Viburnum took a swing from his flask, trying to shake himself from his shock. Eventually after some time sitting there with Issac he finally spoke, ¡°I¡¯ve failed in my duties¡­¡± Chapter 9 - Covering Up Miracles and Going on Adventures To Father Viburnum of Aelder Creek, I send you this letter in the hope that I will be able to assuage your immediate fears upon the arrival of my inquisitors. They have been instructed by me personally, and unless there is something egregious, there will be no punishments inflicted. Your letter was received and although I find it unlikely to have occurred, am pleased with the lack of vital information that could have been intercepted. I and my stewards have checked our records and have been able to fill in the missing information, as well as decode your hidden message. Since this letter will be secure in my men¡¯s hands, along with instructions to only have your eyes to view its contents before destruction, allow me to be informal. Calm down, relax. I understand the futility of saying those words, but I¡¯m going to say them anyways. Unless you were maliciously and intentionally not providing aid when asked, then you likely already have done more than enough. They understand the limitations of a small village¡¯s resources, and likely picked yours for the quiet location below the notice of the average person. In fact, this is a common occurrence for them, one that I can now share with you. Truly, had you discovered the boy¡¯s true nature before the attack, he likely would have either left or, and I say this to reassure you, destroyed the entire village in order to keep his secret. Believe it or not, commendations are in order for you. Not only did you provide a safe environment and aid to Travis when asked; but sending your former guard captain along with him to assist where needed, as well as provide cover for his tacit departure of the village, was a stroke of genius on your part. They often have trouble keeping a low profile, and as a result, seldom make many friends. Speaking of friends, I was able to confirm that despite earning the title of Knight, Lancel Hopkins turned down any invitations to post flood celebrations and instead requested leave to visit his previous posting. Now, while the request to visit a previous post to say final goodbyes is quite common, doing so in spite of the festivities presented to him implies that he had to meet a deadline. Whether or not Sir Hopkins knows of the boy¡¯s true identity, it¡¯s quite likely that he returned to your village for the boy. And given what occurred the night of Sir Hopkin¡¯s return, it appears that our young Travis has things in hand already. And with that thought, let me provide you with your instructions moving forward. First off, I¡¯ve already ordered my inquisitors to determine a valid explanation for the miracle (which should be easy given that it occurred underneath an Aelder Tree, those things already have many fantastical tales surrounding them). Second, you are to remain in the village unless Travis reveals his true nature to the world. This unfortunately prevents you from coming to visit so that we can have a fun chat discussing the nature of them, but it is prudent that you ensure that Travis has a place to return should he desire some peace and quiet. I know it will be impossible for things to return to normal in the village, but they usually understand and appreciate the effort if it¡¯s there. Finally, you are to inform the church of any major event that occurs in the village. Feel free to go into far too much detail, there¡¯s records among our elven brothers of an entire branch being destroyed because the church failed to inform them of their beloved pet¡¯s death. Now go relax, have a stiff drink, or¡­ let¡¯s see, you¡¯re unmarried¡­ take a quick trip to the nearest brothel! Heck, put it on the churches tab! Oh! Even better, have Inquisitor Barberry authorize the expense. Go ahead and tell him to read this bit, if his surprised look doesn¡¯t cheer you up, nothing will. I¡¯ll make preparations to receive Travis, although they can be difficult to predict, he¡¯ll likely make his presence known to us once he finishes with his ruse of attempting to attend the Mage¡¯s Academy. The trunk that supports your branch, Archbishop Artemisia --- Arc It was already past noon when we set out with Lancel and Travis on horseback and me tucked into a sleeping bag. I only wish that my vision¡¯s range wasn¡¯t so limited still. Sure, I could force it to stretch out, but my mana was still discharging from last night and it would only take longer to do so if I pushed my vision. Regardless, I was excited to go on an adventure! We already had the makings of a great team: Travis, the chosen one hero (well, chosen by me in a fit of totally not madness), Lancel, the grizzled war veteran (actually, hang on, can he even grow a beard? I¡¯ve never seen him with one. I¡¯ll have to check my memories to see if he shaves.), and me, pulling double duty as the magical sword and wise wizard. ¡°We just need to pick up a rogue and a priest, and then I think we¡¯ll be all set.¡± Travis flinched at my [Message], defying his learned behavior to not react when others were nearby. He must have still been on edge from the fight last night and perhaps from also damaging the Aelder tree when he fell to pull me out. Oh, and there¡¯s also the fact that it¡¯s illegal for non-military to carry a sword, but I think he¡¯s overreacting since it would only be a possible death penalty if Travis was over the age of 18. The two rode out at a respectable canter, not saying anything to each other. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising for Travis, given that it was the first time he was going past the forest where I would help him hunt varmints. Lancel on the other¡­ umm, edge?... you know what? Hand. I¡¯m going to stick to human terms¡­ Lancel on the other hand seemed to be quiet for a different reason. He kept glancing at Travis on occasion, but it was becoming apparent that it wasn¡¯t that of an officer checking in on one of his men or a loved one checking in on Travis¡¯ mental state. No, it was like he kept expecting Travis to do something spontaneously, or maybe¡­ perform a miracle. Right, the elephant in the room¡­ maybe it¡¯s time¡­ ¡°Do you think I should say hello to Lancel?¡± That seemed to snap Travis out of his anxiety and into full on shock. He stopped his horse, Lancel immediately noticing, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Travis, spun his head back to the village and began to stutter, ¡°I¡­ umm¡­ There¡¯s¡­¡± Lancel started to smirk, ¡°Let me guess, you forgot something? And now we have to go back to that village that you just spent 2 hours saying goodbye to.¡± I watched Travis continue to stutter, ¡°At least ask him if everything is all right, he keeps staring at you. You need to talk about what happened.¡± Travis took a breath to calm himself and searched the area to ensure that they were alone. ¡°I know I asked earlier, but are you okay? Or is there something you want to ask me now that we¡¯re alone?¡± Lancel stopped grinning, took a good look at Travis, then at the direction of the town, and then towards the sky looking flustered, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to ask, and to be honest, I¡¯m a bit worried about what you might say.¡± Travis pulled his horse in a bit closer so that he could give Lancel a reassuring pat on the shoulder pad. The physical contact, though dulled from the armor, seemed to sink in and Lancel appeared to relax some before turning his head to Travis. ¡°After the Aelder Tree saved us, you seemed to be more worried about me and the others. It was like you didn¡¯t even register that a¡­¡± Lancel¡¯s voice cracked, unable to finish the sentence. He reached for one of his side pouches and pulled out a small carving and held it in his hands while he breathed heavily. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± / ¡°What¡¯s that¡± We both asked in unison. ¡°It¡¯s a symbol of Apheros,¡± he showed the small statue of a tree with a round shield at its base, ¡°I got it from Father Viburnum before I left, he said it represents the protection that must be given so that new life can flourish.¡± ¡°I thought you worshiped Torbolt?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Lancel lowered his head in shame, ¡°after last night, I¡¯ve been debating if I should.¡± Oh crap! That¡¯s not good. ¡°Travis, let¡¯s not piss off a god by converting one of his followers with my fake miracle.¡± Travis stopped touching Lancel and idly tapped his right ear for a moment before speaking, ¡°I think you should.¡± Travis took the statue from Lancel, ¡°You¡¯re from the Southern Plains, right?¡± Lancel nodded his head, ¡°Well, according to the history book I read on the unification of the human tribes, our entire military is based off the doctrine that Torbolt¡¯s churches established. I read that even though military service isn¡¯t mandatory anymore, the majority that worship him still do.¡± Lancel nodded his head again, ¡°It¡¯s why I joined the army. I never even questioned why; I just did.¡± He began to clench and unclench his hands still breathing heavily. Travis reached out to grab his bracer, making his hand movements cease, ¡°Well, I for one, am glad that you did. If you weren¡¯t there last night, we would have all died. I was only able to wound those¡­ things when we made it to the tree.¡± Travis made eye contact, ¡°You managed to fend off and kill 18 monsters that supposedly died out centuries ago with only two guards and a teenager who doesn¡¯t even know how to use his weapon. I don¡¯t think the tree is the one who performed a miracle last night.¡± Damn! I wish I had a jaw to drop, or maybe a mic for Travis to drop instead. The kid has clearly learned how to give an inspirational speech from his master. The great speech however didn¡¯t seem to take and Lancel began to hyperventilate. ¡°Ok, try giving him a good firm hit. We need to snap him out of his funk.¡± Travis, without question, gave Lancel¡¯s shoulder a punch. He clearly regretted it immediately though when Lancel almost fell. ¡°I said a ¡®firm¡¯ hit! Not to knock him off his horse!¡± The altercation did get a rise out of Lancel though, ¡°Travis! What the storm!¡± ¡°You¡¯re acting as if Apheros himself showed up last night instead of, oh¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ a legendary breed of tree that¡¯s famous for being able to repel monsters¡­ repelled some fire monsters.¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Oh, Travis you brilliant little bastard! Lancel not quite convinced tried to interrupt, ¡°But, it cast spells¡­ and¡­¡± ¡°According to your field guide, there¡¯s plenty of monsters capable of basic spellcasting. And I would hardly call those spells, all it did was swirl around a bunch of Water and Air and loosen the Earth underneath the fire monsters. Something, that I¡¯m sure would come in handy for a tree that can supposedly outlive 12 generations of elves and numerous forest fires.¡± I wanted to defend my usage of magic, feeling insulted by his words, but Travis was on a roll. ¡°But those lights¡­¡± Lancel spoke weakly, now that he was losing the argument. Travis paused, taking a moment to scratch his right ear. ¡°Those lights were created by fusing fire mana together.¡± He tapped his ear, then replied, ¡°Those lights were likely created using fire mana. It probably does that to help weaken fires and attract friendly beasts.¡± Lancel began to huff and puff, creating a scowling face, not appreciating the seemingly mundane explanation, ¡°So what happened wasn¡¯t a miracle?¡± ¡°The miracle that occurred was that the only casualties were a boar and Pig-man¡¯s back door.¡± Travis huffed and began to pull his horse away. ¡°Now come on, I was hoping to have an adventure! Not sit around discussing religion.¡± Lancel took a moment to absorb the conversation, then began to urge himself back into normalcy by shaking out his arms and torso. ¡°Now hang on, do you even know where you¡¯re going?¡± --- Travis We rode on for a couple of hours, following the winding road as it meandered around rivers, creeks, and lakes. Lancel and I were mostly silent, although Arc would occasionally pester me with some inane question or comment. Despite that, I was starting to relax as I rode my horse. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your horse¡¯s name?¡± I leaned forward to scratch my horse¡¯s ear and read his identification tag, ¡°5751054. Figures, Dad would go out of his way to buy one with a lucky name.¡± ¡°Wait, is your horses name just a number? I get it for market animals, but this is your companion that you¡¯ll be taking with you on your journey.¡± I scratched my left ear, trying to signal for Arc to shut up, but he kept at it. ¡°At least give him a nickname! How are people supposed to tell stories of your heroics when your horse is just a string of numbers?¡± Seriously, it¡¯s just a horse. I¡¯ll probably be forced to sell him after I enroll at the academy. I turned to Lancel, an idea forming in my head on how to pacify Arc, ¡°Hey Lancel, do you ever give your horse a nickname?¡± Showing surprise at my out of the undergrowth question, he took a moment before answering, ¡°Hmm, the only horse I¡¯ve ever given a nickname was the one I learned to ride back when I was a kid.¡± He chuckled to himself, ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m lucky if I even keep the same horse for a whole month with how often they get rotated. If I didn¡¯t keep their second tags in my pocket, I¡¯d have lost a least a dozen mounts by now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so callous! How can you do such a thing to a noble creature?¡± ¡°Do you ever think it¡¯s a bit cruel only giving them numbers?¡± I asked, hoping Lancel could provide an answer to Arc¡¯s protest. ¡°I used to, back before I joined the army. My dad was in the calvary division, and since they did extra training and kept their steeds long term, they¡¯d often give their horses nicknames.¡± Lancel gave his horse a friendly pat, ¡°That changed after I joined the army. When you join, you¡¯ll be given an identification number that you need to memorize, and your squad of 12 that you go through basic with all share the same number minus the last digit.¡± ¡°It may seem strange at first, but for me it all clicked into place when I fought in the spring flood for the first time.¡± He paused to gesture with his hands, ¡°Seeing the mass of soldiers stretching from horizon to horizon made me realize that I wasn¡¯t just a single person anymore. I was one of many; the myriad of rain droplets that make up the clouds, my shield, combining with the others to form a storm front, my foot, multiplied by my brothers to create the thunder, and my spear, thrusting in concert to strike as lightning.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile at Lancel¡¯s speech. He was back to his confident self that I remembered fondly. He caught me smiling and returned with a grin of his own. ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer the question!¡± Arc shouted in my ear, ruining the moment. ¡°Umm, we were talking about horse names?¡± I awkwardly brought up. ¡°Right,¡± Lancel flustered for a quick moment, ¡°the same thing goes for the horses. Every single one is just another drop in the cloud. Storms, one can argue that they¡¯re treated better than us soldiers. They¡¯re always the first to bed down and last to rise for duty.¡± He began to giggle to himself, ¡°I still remember my commanding officer once ordering our pack mule to dig the latrine, but when he failed to do so, my C.O. disciplined my squad for failing to carry out our mule¡¯s orders since he had a higher rank than us.¡± Arc continued to grumble, but I got distracted when we finished our path through a small wood and caught sight of Lakewell Fortress. It was hard to get a proper view from the outside due to the glacis obscuring the outer walls. The large mounds of dirt were designed to create a long and difficult uphill approach before sharply dropping off into a ditch before the outer wall. The purpose, according to my textbooks, was to force monsters to slow their approach and group up tightly together so that mages and soldiers could efficiently eliminate all threats. We followed the road, it being the only area clear of thorny plants, sharp rocks, and other walking hazards; until we reached a drawbridge that allowed for easy access to cross. Now able to see the fortress better, I was able to better see the taller star shaped walls of the main keep, as well as one of the ravelins. Arrow shaped and detached, their function was to provide high ground for the army and long-range weaponry, and to provide an obstacle before the main gate to the inner fortress. We continued following the winding path to the inner fortress, my head on a swivel, trying to take in as much as possible of the scenery. Lancel began laughing lightly at my wonderment, ¡°Once we get squared away inside, I¡¯ll take you to the top of one of the bastions so you can get a proper look. Though I should warn you, once you¡¯ve seen one fort, you¡¯ve seen them all.¡± We worked our way inside, finally breaching the gate and allowing the small, cramped city inside to become visible. ¡°Huh, these houses are a lot more different than I expected.¡± I commented on the multi-story buildings that shared side walls and sometimes roofs. ¡°Yep, space is at a premium inside here, so even the buildings get frisky with each other.¡± Lancel shares, and then takes a moment to show how the front side is still different on each building, ¡°Technically, none of these are houses; the ground floor is usually a store, the second floors are workshops, and the top floors are where the owners live.¡± I followed Lancel to the central building that not only was large enough to take up half the available ground space but stretched to at least double the height of the nearby walls. The roof was quite strange, being multiple tiers of steep roofs, only breaking occasionally for windows or short recessed walls. ¡°Is that a Northman style building?¡± I asked, excited at the huge departure in architectural style. ¡°What gave it away?¡± Lancel began to chuckle at me for straining my neck upwards, ¡°Let¡¯s get the horses stabled and ourselves a room for the night. It¡¯s still early, so we can walk around before supper is served.¡± The inside of the building was massive, the entire bottom three floors made up a grand feasting hall with firepits scattered down the middle. A bar and kitchen occupied one side, the other side had a series of counters and desks, and stairways and balconies stretched out above us leading to the rooms. I gawked at the spectacle, not caring about the looks that I knew others were giving, while Lancel got us a room. ¡°Isn¡¯t he a bit young for you Lancel?¡± came the voice from behind the counter. Lancel¡¯s face quickly turned a deep red and gave out a restrained growl, ¡°He¡¯s 17, and I¡¯m escorting him to the capital while the travel ban is still in effect. I expect there to be two beds when I arrive at our room.¡± Arc was laughing so hard that I could barely pick up the interaction. Lancel turned after completing the transaction, looking embarrassed, ¡°Here¡¯s your key for the room. Let¡¯s unload our gear, and I¡¯ll show you around the fort.¡± --- Night approached, and after a walking tour of the fort, I was more than ready for our evening meal. I showed my key to the guard in front of the buffet and excitedly began to pile food on my plate. Lancel followed suit and we were soon seated at one of the long tables across from each other. ¡°Mmm, swamphog¡­¡± Groaned a content Lancel, ¡°I¡¯ll never understand how such a terrible smelling animal tastes so good.¡± I nodded in agreement, a bit surprised at Lancel¡¯s poor manners, but after looking around at the other feasting patrons, I recognized that I was the odd one out. Well, might as well join in. ¡°Is this all monster meat?¡± I asked between bites, finding myself getting fuller at a faster rate than normal. ¡°Yep, they got to do something with all of the things they kill.¡± He leaned in towards me, ¡°Plus if you¡¯re ever able to enhance yourself with mana like I can now, the mana enriched food helps to calm your internal mana and keep you from burning through food.¡± He leaned back and began to stretch his limbs, ¡°I¡¯m feeling much better now, pushed myself a bit too hard last night. Could barely stand after using my new sword.¡± ¡°Can you ask him about that sword, I think it must be enchanted or something, there¡¯s a permanent spell formation on it.¡± I finished chewing my food and was about to ask when someone from across the hall called out to Lancel. ¡°Lancel! There you are. I was expecting our new Knight to come join us hunters for a final feast before he becomes all burdened with ¡®duties and nobility.¡¯¡± The man parted through the crowd revealing himself to be the hunter that met with Mildred this morning. ¡°Sorry Trent,¡± replied a grinning Lancel, ¡°already busy with duties. Got to escort this young calf to the capital. Trent gave back his own smile, then after looking at me, moved to sit at my side. ¡°Name¡¯s Trent, I think I met you this morning, right?¡± I nodded my head, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Travis.¡± I then reached out to shake his outstretched hand. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that you took the hint I gave, it can get messy when us hunters have to remove people with high mana from their homes.¡± Lancel gave an astonished expression, ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me our brave Sir Knight hasn¡¯t had the chance to train his mana sight yet.¡± Trent began shaking his head, ¡°you do know that nearly everyone here would do almost anything to have access to the training you¡¯re getting now, right?¡± Trent gave me a firm pat on the back, ¡°If you decide that the army isn¡¯t your thing, come back here and ask for me. I¡¯ll get you trained up as a proper monster hunter. You¡¯ll be able to keep your village safe and even get to visit it from time to time, instead of getting stationed at some random town or fort between floods.¡± Lancel began to frown at Trent, but I interrupted him before he could speak, ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I¡¯ll be applying at the Mage¡¯s Academy once enrollment begins in Fifthmonth.¡± Trent begins to laugh and Lancel gives me a wink, ¡°Sorry Trent, but this one has been training to be a ¡®mage¡¯ since he was ten.¡± --- Trent stuck around for a while, inviting others over and telling me stories about the different monsters that they¡¯d been hunting in the area. It was becoming apparent that Lancel was getting annoyed with Trent trying to sell me on becoming a monster hunter though, and to be honest, I was as well. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to call it a night,¡± I announced to the group, ¡°that nap I took earlier is starting to wear off. Plus, it feels like this day has been going on forever.¡± Lancel gave an approving nod, ¡°I¡¯ll join you after a bit, we¡¯ll head out bright and early tomorrow.¡± Finally alone, I quickly washed up and made it to my room, ¡°Can you hear me alright Arc?¡± ¡°My range isn¡¯t back to its maximum, but it¡¯d be redundant since the walls here are harder to see through. I have to keep my focus on you right now just to hear you.¡± ¡°Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have left you in the stable¡­¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re fine. It¡¯d be suspicious if you carried your sleeping bag up when you got a nice bed to sleep in.¡± Arc paused for a bit, ¡°How are you doing? I know things aren¡¯t going how you originally planned. Plus, I think you got yet another person trying to decide your future for you.¡± ¡°Honestly, I can barely even register Trent¡¯s offer. There¡¯s been too much happening today.¡± I laid down on the bed above the sheets, too tired to tuck in. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on with Lancel? He didn¡¯t seem surprised when I mentioned that I still intended on applying at the academy.¡± ¡°Well, during the Fall Festival, Lancel was convinced that you wanted to join the army. Perhaps he thinks that you always intended to, and that the academy is just an excuse so that you can go to the capital and enlist without your parents knowing? He intended to escort you to the capital even before the attack, so maybe he has decided to help you?¡± I gave out a groan, the anger helping motivate me to tuck in, ¡°Why would he think that? I¡¯ve never stated that I wanted to join the regular army.¡± Another growl escapes from me, ¡°Why does no one think I can get into the Mage¡¯s Academy?¡± ¡°They all think it¡¯s an impossible goal for a poor farm kid. Plus, you¡¯ve been adamant about not showing off your abilities or telling people about me.¡± He took a moment before asking, ¡°Can I ask why? You¡¯ve had plenty of chances, even today with just Lancel.¡± I buried my face with my blanket, feeling embarrassed, ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t want to lose you.¡± I waited for a response, but didn¡¯t hear one, so I decided to explain, ¡°At first, it was because I didn¡¯t want everyone in the village swarming around and pestering you, but after I found out that you were actually a sword¡­¡± I shifted to a sleeping position, ¡°I was excited that I¡¯d get to take you with me, but now I¡¯m scared that if I tell even one person, you¡¯ll get taken away and experimented on.¡± ¡°Well, before I forget to do so. Thank you. I know you don¡¯t enjoy lying to people, and the fact that you¡¯re willing to do so for my sake means a lot to me. However, I won¡¯t let you keep my secret if it will bring you harm or ruin your future. Besides, I¡¯m not scared of a group of mages trying to probe me¡­, I¡¯ve met far more dangerous beings.¡± Chapter 10 - An Adventurers Most Deadly Foe -Excerpt from the First Elven Ambassador to the Humans, Eldar Adifel¡¯s, abridged account of the discovery of humans- Our kingdom knew that something had changed, but we, nor the dwarves, knew not what. Two generations had passed, and the attacks lessened each spring. The mountain pass was quiet, but the sign above the gate said, ¡°Here be monsters¡±. An expedition into the valley was called, for the kingdom had to know. Volunteers went through the gate. I went with, for I was curious. We searched high and low, day and night, but the monsters that lived between the two mountain ranges could not be found. We were growing anxious, but I pushed us to complete our task. I saw them, walking on two legs¡­ I foolishly..., walked towards them¡­ --- Travis Despite Lancel not coming up until very late in the night drunk, we headed off right away in the morning. He likely took advantage of his new ability to burn through alcohol quickly and was able to start us off at a quick pace for our 10-day journey. However, I don¡¯t think I even made it an hour before I started to get antsy. It¡¯s just a twitch in my legs from not going on my morning jog, and maybe from getting stiff in the saddle. Now just relax and stretch out your shoulders. Ok, get your neck and arms too¡­ now what? I fumble with my reigns, but 5751054 doesn¡¯t need any input to follow the road. Ugh, what the rot is wrong with me? I try to reason it out, it¡¯s likely just my body anticipating my pending morning workout. Alright, then I just need to occupy myself another way. What do I do when I can¡¯t do any physical or magical training? I usually read, but I don¡¯t have any books with me. I could practice my drawing, but I have a limited number of supplies and I haven¡¯t even finished my first real day of travel. I could ask Arc to give me a science lecture, but we¡¯ve been reaching the limit of what he knows now that it¡¯s been 7 years, and with Lancel here, I can¡¯t ask follow-up questions to help him dig through his memories better. I turn my head to Lancel to see him grinning at me. Oh crap, he knows! Don¡¯t. Admit. Anything. Just point your head forward and focus on the road ahead. There¡¯s another bend up ahead, must be going around another lake, and look, there¡¯s some more birds in that tree¡­ ¡°Bored already?¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°Well, never mind then. I was going to ask if you wanted to borrow one of my books, but if you¡¯re not bored¡­¡± Arc begins to chuckle in my ear, ¡°Oh, he¡¯s got you good.¡± I try to not scowl, but my mind finally rationalizes that it¡¯s pointless to keep covering up my poorly implemented lie. I turn to Lancel, ¡°Ok, I admit it, I¡¯m bored¡­¡± Lancel was fighting to hold back his grinning from becoming full blown laughter, ¡°I knew this would happen. Just didn¡¯t think you¡¯d crack after a couple of hours.¡± He reached into a side pouch of his saddle, ¡°Here¡¯s something to read, you might want to grab a new book when we get to the next fort, that one probably won¡¯t last you long.¡± I sighed and reached out for the offered book, ¡°Thanks, but how did you know I¡¯d get bored?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve never truly left the village before, right?¡± I nodded my head in response, ¡°And I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever once seen you lazing about, so¡­¡± He gestured to the road, ¡°A well-maintained road that doesn¡¯t need any input for the horses to follow, patrols eliminating and driving away any surviving monsters from the flood, plus a limited number of activities that can be done on horseback, will lull just about any soldier into sleep out of sheer boredom.¡± I nodded my head in agreement, then looked at the book, ¡°What is this? A logbook of monster hunts done in the Lakewell Fortress area?¡± ¡°Yep, professional monster hunters like to read and trade logbooks with other hunters to help expand their knowledge. My field guide only lists the attributes and general weaknesses of monsters to provide accurate identification.¡± ¡°So, this might actually be more useful since it gives possible solutions on how to actually track and kill different monsters?¡± He furrowed his brows a bit at my mild critique of his field guide, ¡°There are countless ways to kill a monster, the ones listed in there are only valuable for instructing a small group. When you join the army, the smallest group you¡¯ll ever be in is your squad of 12.¡± I raised my eyebrow at this statement, then raised my palms to make a motion of searching the area for the rest of his team. ¡°Ha-ha, very funny. I¡¯m technically on leave right now. The second week of Fifthmonth is when I formally begin my knight training.¡± He let out a small groan as he stretched out his neck, ¡°I¡¯m both excited by and dreading the training I¡¯ll have to go through.¡± ¡°Can I ask about that? How exactly did you qualify as a knight? None of the books I¡¯ve read ever mention requirements, just that they¡¯re elites of the 3 Kingdom¡¯s armies.¡± Lancel began to chuckle, ¡°That¡¯s because there¡¯s only two requirements. The first is an oath to the 3 Kingdoms, that you¡¯ll commit to a life-long service in the army.¡± He paused a moment to tilt his head back in the direction we came from, ¡°That¡¯s the requirement that Trent will never be able to meet, he only enlisted in the army to get himself off the streets. He¡¯s never put the kingdom¡¯s interests before his own. The second he was done with his 12 years of service, he immediately took his severance package and moved to Lakewell Fortress.¡± ¡°The second is that you¡¯re able to consciously activate your internal mana.¡± He stopped to think, ¡°Every living thing has an internal storage of mana that gets trapped inside of their bodies as they age. There¡¯re things you can do to increase your mana, mainly by challenging yourself in combat or academics, but the easiest way to gain mana is simply to live for a long time. That¡¯s why elves and dwarves can become mages so easily, all they have to do is wait.¡± ¡°Learning to activate your mana opens up new possibilities for a person. A distressed mother lifting a cart off her trapped child can repeat the same action a dozen times before breaking a sweat, a blacksmith can place his unprotected hands in a forge, and a farmer can enhance his crops to feed thousands.¡± ¡°One of the things mana can¡¯t do is extend your life. Humans still top out at around 80, elves and dwarves around 300, and I think I heard that female orcs can hit 180, but I¡¯ve never been brave enough to ask one.¡± He chuckled for a bit before continuing, ¡°It does help with your quality of life though, my dad is over 60 and can still out-wrestle me and my brothers. It¡¯s actually kinda strange seeing him next to his childhood friends, they¡¯re grey-haired and wrinkled like him, but so frail and weak that there¡¯s no comparison.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let out a wily grin, ¡°So, when I get to the capital, all I have to do is swear an oath to the 3 Kingdoms, prove that I can trigger my own mana, and I¡¯ll get to join you in your knight training?¡± ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t be cruel.¡± Chuckles Arc, clearly enjoying the irony. Lancel must not have appreciated the joke, and gave me a stiff glare, ¡°I got Trent to admit that your internal mana is unusually high, likely a product of you having a higher-than-normal amount as a child and training to join the army since you were ten, but building up a large internal supply and learning to activate it willingly are two different things.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. I wanted to interrupt him, but he held up a hand to halt me, ¡°Stop. The only reason I didn¡¯t have to wait a full 12 years of training in the army like most other knight candidates is because my father was able to coach me in his spare time. The dwarves and elves won¡¯t ever bother teaching us humans, at 30 we¡¯re already past a third of our lifespans, but for them, they¡¯re just finishing their ¡®teenage¡¯ years.¡± He scowled and eventually let out a small sigh, ¡°I¡¯ll admit, you got a head start compared to me. As a first-generation knight, my dad just didn¡¯t have time or resources to teach me and my brothers. The older families have retired knights to train their children and multiple knights and merchants to help bring in money to provide resources.¡± He looked at me in the eyes for a moment before looking away ashamed, ¡°I wish I had the natural talent that you have. I saw the two monsters that you killed, you cleaved right through one¡¯s ribcage and crushed the other¡¯s head into mush, it took me 5 years of training in the army to match that kind of strength.¡± I wanted to say something, but both me and Arc were coming up blank. Lancel pulled away, not wanting to continue our conversation. I decided it¡¯d be best to not upset him and began to read from the hunter¡¯s logbook, narrating out loud so that Arc could learn as well. --- Arc Well, that got a bit intense there. I always knew Lancel was more dedicated to his training than the other guards, but I never knew what was driving him so much. He must be under a tremendous amount of pressure from his family to help establish a future lineage of knights. I can only postulate, but I bet that it takes multiple generations before a family can reliably push out new knights. The older noble families probably don¡¯t even recognize the newer ones until they¡¯ve been around for half a dozen generations. I know Lancel is fond of Travis, and probably thinks of him as a little brother, but now I¡¯m a tad worried that he¡¯s deluded himself into thinking that he can adopt Travis into his family and provide yet another Knight for his clan. Granted, I may be over-thinking things, but it¡¯s not like I have anything better to do¡­ wait, whatever you do¡­ do not admit to Travis that you¡¯re bored also. You¡¯ll never hear the end of it. --- ¡°There¡¯s a rest spot just up ahead.¡± Lancel finally broke his silence, surprising Travis. We cleared the small woods we traveled through and came upon a small creek with a large sandbar. There¡¯s also a fire pit and benches set up, implying that this must be a common spot to rest. Travis got down and unhooked most of his bags, including me, and let the horse walk up to the creek to drink by himself. Ok, I didn¡¯t have horses back on my parents¡¯ farm in my previous life, but I don¡¯t think the average horse was that well trained. Seriously, Travis just put out a bowl of high-energy grains for his horse to eat as if it were a dog. My musings were interrupted though by Travis, ¡°Do you want a fire?¡± Lancel, apparently still angry, snapped at Travis, ¡°No,¡± catching himself mid-sentence, he took a breath before continuing, ¡°We¡¯re making great time, we¡¯ll have a proper hot meal at Braewood Fortress.¡± Seeing the tension in the air, I [Message] Travis, ¡°Maybe we should give him a moment alone. I think he¡¯s under a lot of stress right now, first from having his faith tested and now he seems to be unintentionally misplacing his frustrations with himself on you.¡± Travis tapped his right ear, ¡°I¡¯m going to go fill the canteens.¡± Then began to walk upstream a ways until fully out of sight and hearing of Lancel. I watched Travis use magic to fill the canteens with pure water, even mixing a little air in to chill and improve the taste, but I still kept a full overwatch of the area now that my vision was back to normal. ¡°No monsters or people in my range of vision. If you want, I can alert you before anyone comes near if you want to practice your magic.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Travis lets out quietly to ensure that Lancel doesn¡¯t overhear. He grabs a small stick that was lying on the ground and begins to charge his Earth and Water Mana. I observe as he creates long strings of mana on his body starting from his feet and ending at his palms, the idea being that if you mimic the property of the mana you want to create, the easier it will be to do so. ¡°You¡¯re looking good. Now, just use the stick in your hands as a focus, and envision the Wood Mana traveling along the wood fibers, burrowing itself like a grub.¡± The Earth and Water Mana begin to fuse, and shortly after, I see long thin strands of Wood Mana snaking their way into the branch. What once confused me about my tree¡¯s mana types made more sense after learning to create Wood Mana. Water Mana can be seen as the ultimate expression of flexibility, able to conform its shape to fit its container, heck water¡¯s preferred state could be considered a liquid, since that is when it¡¯s at its most dense form. So, when it gets combined with the ultimate expression of structure, i.e., Earth Mana, you get a mana type that¡¯s a mix of both. It kinda makes sense in hindsight, wood is naturally both tough and flexible, roots can snake their way into small crevices and provide a strong foundation, and the trunk and branches of a tree can support a lot of weight while being flexible enough to sway in the wind. Travis, taking a breath from his exertion, decides to evaluate his stick by bending it. It bends far longer than a dried branch should, and he almost bends it in half fully before it snaps. ¡°Nice work! I wonder if you¡¯ll be able to make use of your poleaxe¡¯s haft in the future? It seems like a waste having all that embedded mana and only using it to reinforce the handle.¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve been thinking about that¡­ Have you gotten a close look at Lancel¡¯s sword yet?¡± ¡°Yeah, the blade has permanent spell formations carved into it. They constantly pulse at a high and consistent rate. I¡¯m thinking that Lancel can charge his mana to match, and then use the premade formation to cast a spell.¡± ¡°But won¡¯t that mean he only gets one spell in?¡± Travis casually creates a small [Wind Orb], then launches it into the creek and summons another, ¡°Yeah, unless there¡¯s something I¡¯m missing, it¡¯s impossible to charge external mana without bringing up your own charge.¡± ¡°It does have three formations carved into it, each with a different level of intensity. Maybe the idea is to naturally build up your charge to match the different spell levels and then space out attacks so that your internal mana discharges enough if you want a repeat at a certain level?¡± ¡°But then you couldn¡¯t use any body enhancement in the meantime.¡± Travis charges his internal mana a bit and then performs a series of enhanced punches into the air, causing his internal mana to pulse slightly faster after each punch. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re over-thinking it. The enchantment is probably just a way to give a temporary boost. Lancel stated earlier that the dwarven and elven mages won¡¯t bother teaching an older human how to cast, so maybe that sword is the compromise?¡± Travis began to smirk and give out a snooty tone, ¡°Here¡¯s a sword with a built-in spell formation. You can use it three times, if you want more, figure it out on your own.¡± I snicker at the likely direct quote from a non-human mage, ¡°Careful now, you¡¯re about to enroll at a school with those people acting as professors. Best not anger them with your accurate impressions.¡± I notice Lancel stirring from his position, verbally berating himself for getting angry at Travis. He takes a few big breaths before calling out to Travis. ¡°I just had an idea. What if we counter-manipulate Lancel¡¯s plan for our own benefit?¡± --- Travis I listened to Arc¡¯s plan, tapping my right ear in agreement with him as I placed my bags back on my horse. It was much better than his previous one that resulted in me lying to my parents and friends. This one didn¡¯t trigger that wrongness in my gut like that one, likely because I wouldn¡¯t technically be lying to Lancel. To be honest, it was a plan I should have had in place to begin with. There is no guarantee that I¡¯ll get into the Mage¡¯s Academy, even if I pass the examination. Arc had a worry that I would not be allowed in just because of my status as a child of a farmer. Even though tuition was covered by the kingdom, a simple bribe could easily keep me from attending to prevent making some rich merchant or noble¡¯s child look bad. I waited for a good time to implement the plan, wanting a good moment to provide the best impact. Eventually, my chance appeared when we finally grabbed supper at Braewood Fortress. It was surprisingly quiet in the Main Hall of the fortress, and it was just the two of us in our own corner. I finished my meal and patiently waited for Lancel to finish his. ¡°Lancel, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you.¡± He looked up from his empty plate, seemingly surprised by my words, ¡°Oh, umm¡­ what do you wish to tell me?¡± I took a big breath and gave out my rehearsed line, ¡°I¡¯ve known, since before even the Fall Festival that¡­¡± I paused, to ensure that I not only had his attention, but to prepare my own self for the minor confession, ¡°there was something different about me. Even when I was younger, I could easily split logs using Franklin¡¯s behemoth of an ax.¡± Lancel shifted in his seat, moving closer to better hear me, ¡°I knew that I couldn¡¯t stay in the village, my mana level is too high now, and I¡¯ll attract monsters to the village.¡± I began to tear up unexpectedly, the truth hitting me fully for the first time, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to disappoint anyone in the village, you were all so kind to me, and¡­ not being able to stay¡­¡± I stopped to sniffle but found myself blowing my nose instead. ¡°You¡¯re a terrible liar kid.¡± Lancel interrupted the silence, causing me to freeze. He began to laugh at my expression before speaking, ¡°Back at the Fall Festival, you were a mess after we backed you into a corner and forced you to pick one of us to follow. I knew you were lying about your reasoning to visit the capital, or at least about returning before your birthday, but I guess I was too cloud-headed to figure out why until Trent pointed it out to me.¡± I nodded my head, deciding to go with the flow, ¡°It wasn¡¯t a complete lie, I do want to travel and see the world, but returning to the village to live as a simple blacksmith¡¯s apprentice¡­¡± ¡°Would bore you to death.¡± Lancel completed my thought, ¡°Or at least the equivalent, you¡¯d end up as nothing more than a shell of a person, just going through the motions and no longer having the spark that made life worth living for you.¡± ¡°Yes! Exactly!¡± I exclaimed, finally having someone who understood, ¡°That¡¯s why I want to become a mage. There¡¯re so many things that I could do, so many places that I could go, and so many people I could meet.¡± I paused to make eye contact, ¡°Lancel, when enrollment opens, I want to take the exam for the Mage¡¯s Academy.¡± I held out my hand to prevent him from interrupting me, ¡°If I don¡¯t get in¡­¡± I shuddered at the thought that the seven years of training I went through would amount to nothing, ¡°Could you¡­¡± Lancel nodded his head, ¡°If you don¡¯t get in, I¡¯ll get you a recommendation from both me and my father for one of the advanced regiments. That¡¯ll set you ahead of the pack when you finish basic training, and you¡¯ll be able to become a Knight even faster than me if you¡¯re half as talented as I think you are.¡± I smiled at Lancel, Arc¡¯s plan worked flawlessly, and I found myself comforted by the reassurance that there was a backup plan. Chapter 11 - Fast Traveling, Sight-Seeing, and Potential Suitor? Cold. That was the only thing I felt. Everything else was numb. My legs, hanging below me. My arms, limp along the bars. My torso, barely breathing. Hunger, long gone. My heart, barely beating. My head, resting against the cage. My eyes, no longer able to see clearly. They were all dead. No, worse. They were eaten. I was the last one. I think. But then again, my head was numb too. And cold. Everything was cold. I couldn¡¯t even shiver anymore. I was that numb. I wish they¡¯d just eat me. Then they¡¯d roast me over their fire, and I wouldn¡¯t be cold. Or numb, I can¡¯t even remember how I got here. It¡¯s all a blur now. Just like my vision. Numb. Cold. My memories are hazy, but I remember being brought down. Water was given, the first time in¡­ I can¡¯t remember, it was all numb. The thing held me in its arms. They were so warm, unlike me. It wrapped me up in cloth, swaddled me like a newborn, hung me from a bassinet. I didn¡¯t know what was happening, but I was angry about not being placed over a fire. Because everything was numb. And cold. So very, Cold. --- Travis Our journey continued, sadly with not much happening. The roads were clear, Arc never even saw anything with his huge range of vision, and I had gone through a couple dozen hunter logs. They were interesting, but eventually they all started to blend together. Which, I guess, shouldn¡¯t be too surprising, a successful hunter would be smart to emulate another successful hunter. I did learn a few card games while I passed the days with Lancel. Arc even taught me one at one point, which surprised me, because he mentioned that he always had fun playing it. I¡¯m not even sure what to do with that offhanded comment. After spending so many years believing he was a tree, I¡¯m worried about how many hints about his past that I¡¯ve missed. Was he once a mage? A monster? Or something else? I guess I could just ask, but I¡¯m not sure how to broach that subject, let alone, know what to do with that info. I¡¯m positive that he¡¯s keeping information from me, he¡¯s even admitted it on occasion. Though I¡¯m sure if he wanted me to know, he would. At least things were going great with Lancel, after the talk with him at Braewood Fortress, it seemed like all of the tension between us faded and we were talking as if we were family. Eventually we only had one stop left before the capital, and the fortress we were in was packed. Lancel¡¯s status as a Junior Knight could only guarantee us a room if no one higher ranked than him appeared, so it was only after the gates to the fortress closed for the night that we were able to get our room key and get in line at the buffet. Despite sitting across from me, I could barely hear Lancel as we spoke during supper. He was trying to explain what we¡¯d be doing tomorrow when we reached the capital, but we kept getting interrupted by the drunken patrons flanking us in the overcrowded tables. The old hunter on my left kept retelling the same story (with the monster growing in size each time), a person next to Lancel was failing to keep their cat away from my food, and the young woman on my right kept touching my arm while asking if I wanted to go someplace quieter. I didn¡¯t even pick up what she was hinting at until Lancel grinned at me from across the table and slid the room key to me, ¡°Don''t stay up too late. We''ve got a long day tomorrow." My heart began to pump wildly as the girl grabbed the key then pulled me towards the stairs¡­ this wasn¡¯t¡­ no¡­ I definitely wasn¡¯t prepared for this. Lancel luckily noticed my panic and rushed to stop us, plucking the key from her, then escorted me out of the hall. We eventually made it to our room, and after locking the door, Lancel turned to give me an embarrassed expression, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I... I should not have done that.¡± I let out a deep sigh, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m just glad you intervened. I completely froze up and didn''t know what to do.¡± Lancel held his seriousness for about twelve seconds before smirking, ¡°Oh, is that why you kept hiding from Ingrid? I''m sure Father Viburnum would have been happy to explain the bucks and the does to you if you had questions.¡± The redness in my face returned, made only worse by having Arc giggle in my ear. To my relief, my former village''s guard captain showed mercy by changing the topic, ¡°Tomorrow, I''ll take you to my family''s estate and get you a guest room. I''ve got a couple weeks before my knight training starts, so you''re more than welcome to stay until then. By the way, are you still being stubborn about taking the Mage¡¯s Academy exam?¡± ¡°Yes, we got a few days before they open up enrollment though.¡± I narrowed my eyes at him, ¡°I assume you already have something planned while we wait for the start of Fifthmonth?¡± ¡°Well, there''s still one last party that I could attend. And I''m allowed to bring a guest.¡± He grinned connivingly, "Should have fancy food, capital-class entertainment, and a bunch of knights to rub elbows with, plus possibly a mage or two in attendance." A mage or two? That got me interested. Although, I still had a few reservations. ¡°Won''t it be weird for me, a farm-kid from a tiny village, to be there with you?¡± I gestured to my simple linen shirt and pants I was wearing, "Also, won''t I stick out like a white bison?" ¡°No, you''ll be fine. I''ll be introducing you as a new hopeful to keep an eye on in the army. You wouldn¡¯t even be the only one, it¡¯s common for nobles to use these parties to form connections by bringing their children and wards, even my father brought me to a few before I joined the army.¡± He raised his hand to compare our heights, confirming that he was a solid four inches taller than me, "Hmm... you''re too short for me to lend you an outfit, but I might have an old set of dress robes that''ll fit. If not, I''ll pitch in to get you something nice to wear, my treat." I mulled over his offer, not really seeing any downside to going, but then a thought occurred to me, ¡°Wait, will I have to dance at this party?¡± Lancel, for the first time I could remember, told me an easy to recognize lie, ¡°Only¡­ if you want to¡­¡± --- Arc The next day had us making our final stretch to the capital and wow¡­ was it fortified. We were going through multiple gates every hour, the walls of the city extended well past my vision, and the winding path had us walking over glacis using bridges and weaving past ravelins, bastions, and other obstacles. The number of defensive structures was mind-boggling. I knew it would be an impressive sight, Travis once drew the flowery mandala pattern that was the layout of the capital, but the amount of distance covered was staggering, and the path we were taking was one of the quicker ones. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think that we would have never made it in time had we left without Lancel.¡± I mention to Travis after having his travel visa inspected for the fourth time. Travis tapped his right ear, ¡°How long does it normally take to get to the capital?¡± ¡°When you¡¯re marching in and out with your battalion, a little under 9 hours. An emergency runner can make it from the center of the city to the last gate in only an hour.¡± He stopped to smile at Travis¡¯ amazement, ¡°For us, it should only take 6 hours, a good portion of that spent waiting in line.¡± As we made it closer to the center, I noticed the mana density increasing, and I was forced to retract my range due to the amount of mana that I was now seeing. Everything was so much more solid, the ground, the plants, the water, and even the air. The gates kept getting more and more impressive, and I couldn¡¯t help but stare at one of the gates that preceded the first outer housing district. It was thick with Wood, Metal, and double-moted Earth Mana; likely making it near impossible to penetrate. I pointed out the double-moted Earth Mana to Travis so that he could see it for himself, but he surprised me. ¡°Wow, I can literally see the mana in that gate!¡± Lancel nodded his head, ¡°I¡¯ve heard the dwarves call it Order Mana. From what I¡¯ve gathered, it forces something to stay as it is, so using it to enhance a gate makes it much harder to bust down.¡± ¡°Do you know why it¡¯s visible? I thought you needed mana sight in order to see mana?¡± ¡°Not sure, maybe some types of mana are just visible?¡± Lancel thought for a moment before he pulled out his field guide and showing a page to Travis, ¡°I¡¯ve fought one of these before. It used Shadow Mana to hide itself in the darkness, was a pain in the ass to fight.¡± He set the guide down, taking a breath, ¡°I lost two squad mates in that battle, they didn¡¯t even get to fight¡­ it just¡­¡± Travis moved up to give Lancel a friendly pat on the shoulder. He smiled at Travis, ¡°Thanks, it wasn¡¯t the first time I lost squad mates, and I wasn¡¯t even that close with them, but that encounter has always stuck with me.¡± ¡°We must be getting close now, are we heading to your home?¡± ¡°I technically should report in to debrief on the attack at Aelder Creek first, but that could take a couple of hours, plus Lakewell already sent a runner ahead with the SALUTE report. I¡¯ll drop you off with my family first, so you won¡¯t have to wait outside for me.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. We continued through the gate and suburb, and I couldn¡¯t help but scan the buildings and area with my mana sight. The houses and businesses were strange, the exteriors were nearly all cosmetic, just a fake veneer over a rectangular and generic-looking frame. I¡¯d seen something similar in my past life when driving through newer developments in the suburbs of a city. There it was due to a large construction firm saving time and money by repeating the same handful of templates and floor plans in order to speed up the building process and stockpile supplies. The reasoning probably held here as well, I noticed that a few buildings had no fa?ade or were having a new one constructed. I was pleasantly surprised by the infrastructure; Travis¡¯ village didn¡¯t have indoor plumbing, sewers, or air ducts to transfer heat. It certainly put a hole in my thinking that technology was currently in a medieval era equivalent. Maybe a hypothetical future Rome? Water was being piped in via aqueducts, although there was something strange, there were two tiers of channels that traveled through the city. I traced them back until I found what I could only describe best as a water tower, not like one from my old world however, this one looked more like a barn silo. It stood in the middle of an artificial pond, with multiple channels coming from it, and one large aqueduct acting as the water source. I kept looking, still perplexed about the multiple tiers. The pond was surrounded by a park and even had fish living in it, so it was likely an intentional beautification project. The lower channels made sense since they came out of the water tower enclosed and only went to buildings to provide plumbing. The upper ones were what confused me though, they were open, exposed, and even porous, letting water seep into beds of soil with plants and vines growing out of them. It took me far too long to realize what I was seeing, or I guess it would be more correct to say, what I wasn¡¯t seeing. It should have been obvious, I¡¯ve been to plenty of greenhouses, and even tried to replicate something similar in my backyard with trellises above the sundeck in order to create a natural shade from the sun. ¡°Travis, when you get a chance, could you¡­ describe just how beautiful this city is. It would mean a lot to me.¡± --- Travis Arc¡¯s request spurred an old memory of mine, one from when I first met him, at the time I didn¡¯t understand how he didn¡¯t know what color everything was, but now I knew. I closed my eyes, allowing me to more easily see the world the same way that Arc does, and almost began to weep. The world of colorful lights just couldn¡¯t compare. Wanting to fulfill Arc¡¯s request swiftly, I began to babble, ¡°This city is amazing! There¡¯s so much greenery, not just the trees lining the roads, but even on the roofs of the buildings.¡± Lancel, enjoying my amusement chirped in, ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible to stand in the sun in some districts. In fact, let¡¯s make a quick detour, there¡¯s a row of Ashman styled houses down that street.¡± ¡°Oh, wow! It¡¯s like they carved their home into a living tree and then covered it in flowering vines and moss.¡± Lancel chuckled, ¡°Yeah, from what I remember in school, their ancestors were kinda like us Packers, always roaming, never making any permanent homes. Unlike us, they built temporary shelters that blended into the rainforest, allowing them to hide from monsters.¡± ¡°That matches with what Issac told me, the rainforest to the south is thick with undergrowth and the trees are so tall that barely any light penetrates through the canopy.¡± I chuckled to myself remembering the reason Issac once told me when I asked why he doesn¡¯t attend church with the rest of the village, ¡°Nature will smother you within her embrace and keep you safe, but she¡¯ll chill you to your core. That¡¯s why you need to burn her in order to feel warmth.¡± Lancel raised an eyebrow at me, ¡°You¡¯ve definitely hung around Issac.¡± He began to lead us back to our original path, ¡°Hang on, I thought Apheros was a male deity?¡± ¡°He is, although¡­ there are a few stories about him disguising himself as a woman in order to woo some of the goddesses.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe I considered converting¡­ Torbolt would never do something so ridiculous.¡± Arc began to chortle, ¡°Maybe not on this world¡± --- We kept moving, and I tried my hardest to keep vocalizing my appreciation of the different buildings and scenery, ¡°That one must be dwarven, all of those hand carved tiles, I really like the geometric designs. Oh, is that one a Packer style? I like the false shield wall, are those painted designs all different clans? More Northman buildings! I love that roof design, especially how the tiles look like scales on a fish. Are those elven buildings over that pond? I know they build them on stilts, but I didn¡¯t know they also had glass covered rooms that went underwater.¡± I kept going constantly talking and gawking, until Arc interrupted me, ¡°Might want to pile up all of those leaves you keep scattering, I think Lancel is getting exhausted.¡± I turned to see Lancel sighing in contentment at my silence. He caught me looking and bowed his head in shame. I decided it was best to apologize, ¡°Sorry, guess I got overwhelmed.¡± I looked around, seeing all of the intricate architecture, ¡°Us Lakelanders have such boring looking buildings¡­¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. You just have your own style, one that I actually like quite a bit.¡± He gestured to a row of Lakeland style buildings, ¡°The clean lines, the painted wood siding, simple sloped metal roofs, and my favorite part, the front porches. It¡¯s like it¡¯s not even trying to compete with nature, it¡¯d rather be the frame to the painting.¡± Hearing Lancel¡¯s words gave me a fresh perspective as I looked at the row of houses. All of the flower beds popped, the critters and birds were easy to spot, and the wooden furniture on the decks looked super inviting. ¡°Thanks Lancel, they remind me of why I miss home.¡± Lancel began to grin at me, ¡°Speaking of home, we¡¯ll never make it to mine if we keep looking at everyone else¡¯s.¡± --- As we got closer to the center of the city, the houses and buildings got less and less crowded. No longer were they multi-family complexes or buildings with shared walls, but actual free-standing homes with a short fence and small yard. It kinda bewildered me that we had to go so deep into the capital just to find a house layout similar to the one I grew up in. We kept going deeper, passing a ring that held only glass covered buildings that functioned to provide fruit and vegetables year-round. One that Lancel told me was full of military barracks and training yards. Another that was a massive stable and grazing/riding area for horses. Then finally, the one that had the Hopkin¡¯s estate on it. ¡°How loaded is Lancel¡¯s family?¡± ¡°Umm, just how close are we to the Queen¡¯s palace?¡± I asked, hoping that would be less rude. ¡°Still a good ways. My family is an ¡®outer ring noble house¡¯. The older your family is, the higher you are on the waiting list to get into the innermost rings. Although realistically, it¡¯d take a cataclysm for my family to move more than another ring towards the palace. The older families have so much manpower and wealth that they could lose half a dozen knights every year for a dozen years and still be standing.¡± We kept riding, eventually coming up to a gate with a painted symbol of a rabbit hopping away from a lightning strike. ¡°Finally home.¡± Lancel stated as he approached the gate. ¡°Sir Lancel!¡± A surprised guard shouts as he opens the gate for us, ¡°We weren¡¯t expecting you for another 2 weeks. Would you like us to announce your arrival?¡± ¡°Yes, that would be wise. However, I need to make a report to the Lakeland Guard Headquarters before I stable my horse.¡± Lancel tilted his head towards me, ¡°This is Travis of Aelder Creek, he will be staying as a guest of mine.¡± The guard nodded, and then led us up to the main house. It was a beautiful building, stylized to mimic a classic Southern Plains shield wall tent. ¡°Mimic¡± being the biggest descriptor, because there is no way that a leather tent with a bunch of large rectangle shields acting as supports could ever survive a winter this far up north. ¡°What¡¯s with all of the rabbits?¡± I finally asked, seeing them painted everywhere. Lancel began to give out an embarrassed laugh, ¡°Well, you see¡­ my dad was known for his fast charges from cover to cover, moving from ravelin to ravelin, in and out of the burrowed tunnels that were built underneath them to provide cover for resting soldiers.¡± He pointed out a nearby family crest, ¡°Eventually, he gained the nickname of ¡®Hopper¡¯ since he was ¡®kin¡¯ with those who can evade Torbolt.¡± ¡°It could be worse; I knew a guy with the last name Cockburn.¡± I mentally took note of Arc¡¯s loaded comment, mostly out of curiosity of why being named after a flaming rooster would be a terrible name, but focused on Lancel¡¯s explanation, ¡°Those who can evade Torbolt?¡± Lancel resumed his laugh while he and I remove our gear from the horses, ¡°There¡¯s an old children¡¯s tale about a tortoise that challenges a hare to a competition. Whoever could last the longest in battle with Torbolt would be the winner. The tortoise, knowing he couldn¡¯t possibly harm a god, but was confident in his strong armor, hid within his shell while Torbolt sent down lightning. Torbolt, however was too powerful, and the tortoise''s shell shattered so hard before its immediate death, that even its progeny''s shells became cracked.¡± ¡°The hare, realizing that he was next, began hopping from place to place in a zig-zag pattern, dodging multiple lightning strikes. Torbolt grew angry, not pleased that such a lowly creature could escape his wrath, and kept casting down bolt after bolt, trying to kill the hare. The hare kept evading, and eventually made it to its burrow.¡± ¡°Torbolt turned furious, creating a powerful storm that created even more lightning and flooded the plains with its rain. He couldn¡¯t hit the burrow though, for it was too well hidden and too small of a target. The rain failed as well, since the hare built his home near the top of a hill, causing the water to flow away and allowing him to stay dry.¡± ¡°The storm lasted multiple days, the hare satiating his hunger by chewing on roots, until one night, the hare began to pray.¡± ¡°He asked Torbolt why he was so furious with him, for he was not the one to insult him by claiming to be able to withstand his might. Torbolt, in reply, told the hare that he was the destroyer of monsters, and that such a small and weak creature escaping his heavenly might would only embolden the monsters, since it proves that they could do the same.¡± Lancel turned to me, now giving a confident grin, ¡°The hare then stated, ''If that''s the case, then how about I challenge the monsters first? I could lure them beneath your storm clouds, then you could teach them the same lesson you taught that foolish tortoise?''¡± ¡°That tortoise was an idiot, should have challenged the hare to a race.¡± Ignoring the commentary from Arc, I turned my head to the guard who was walking out the main door. He was followed by a silver-haired elderly woman who, despite her age, quickly moved over to Lancel to give him a hug. ¡°I¡¯m still angry at you for running off,¡± she stated, clearly happy about Lancel¡¯s return, ¡°but it can wait till later.¡± She let go of Lancel and gave me a quick look before returning her gaze to Lancel, ¡°I was expecting you to bring home a potential suitor, not some random boy. I take it there''s a story I need to hear?¡± Lancel grimaced, ¡°Yes, but some it may need to stay under wraps. I need to give a report to HQ before I can enter the estate proper.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± she then turned to face me, ¡°Welcome to the Hopkin¡¯s estate. I am Rabiria Hopkins, the clan¡¯s matriarch.¡± I was about to speak, but Arc stopped me, ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t say anything yet! Hold your left hand in front of you with your palm down as if it was resting on a shield. Now set your right hand on top of your left with the palm up to show that you are unarmed.¡± I do as he instructs, remembering now the formal way to greet a noble from the Southern Plains. I tilted my head downwards, but maintained my firm posture before speaking, ¡°I am Travis from the Lakeland city of Aelder Creek. I come unarmed.¡± A familiar grin crept along the woman¡¯s face, ¡°Then you shall fear no spear.¡± She spoke, completing the old ritual for when soldiers of a different clan would meet with another. ¡°Well then,¡± she turned to Lancel, ¡°I believe you need to get going. I¡¯ll put a hold on supper until you return. In the meantime, I¡¯ll take care of your guest.¡± ¡°Thank you Mother. Could you have my old wardrobe checked? I still have an invitation to the Quintillius Estate¡¯s party, and I¡¯d like to bring Travis.¡± Rabiria gave me a look from head to toe, ¡°Are you sure your old wardrobe would fit? I remember you being much scrawnier than this handsome young man.¡± She began to chuckle at Lancel¡¯s frown, but then turned back to me, ¡°Come now, let''s get you settled in. Lancel barely talks about his exploits in Aelder Creek, it be nice to hear a from a local." --- I followed Lancel¡¯s mother inside, the guard would carry my belongings to my guest room, and I took in the grand hall of the main complex. It reminded me of the ones from the forts, but there was only a single large table, and the furniture was similar to what I grew up with in my house¡¯s living room. She signaled the house staff to approach, quietly requested supper to be delayed, and had an attendant approach me, ¡°Would you like assistance in refreshing yourself after your long journey?¡± ¡°Umm,¡± I paused, trying my hardest to remember what was written in the etiquette book that I read. ¡°Say yes, it¡¯s a huge insult to turn down help from the house staff when you don¡¯t have any of your own.¡± ¡°Yes, I would hate to bring the road into your lovely home.¡± ¡°Good job. Now try to relax, they know you¡¯re not used to formal etiquette, and likely won¡¯t hold it against you if you fumble a bit.¡± I try to do as Arc coached and took in a deep breath while I followed the attendant to the bathing room. Once there, the attendant showed me how to use the shower, where the toilet was, and gave me a simple robe with sandals to put on after I was done washing. ¡°I¡¯ll need help getting dressed, I¡¯ve never worn an evening robe.¡± I croaked out, embarrassed. The attendant gave an amused smile, ¡°No worries, it¡¯s actually customary to receive help putting one on.¡± I gave a nod and went to clean myself before coming back to get dressed. I was a bit uncomfortable standing nude before the attendant, but they quickly wrapped the length of cloth around my waist and legs. They then had me hold the fabric while they tied a second piece that was long and narrow just above my hips and left the two ends hanging towards the ground. The part that was wrapped around my waist was then folded down, leaving me feeling silly since it looked like I was wearing the lower half of a dress. ¡°Would you prefer a sleeved or sleeveless coat?¡± I looked at the two options, they both would extend to about halfway down my thigh, but the sleeved one had buttons to hold the front opening shut and the sleeveless one looked like it would leave a good portion of my chest bare. After some internal debate, I decided on the sleeveless one since it was already getting warm out. It was tied loosely shut and the attendant stepped back to check me over, ¡°Excellent choice, your warrior physique is accentuated nicely, I¡¯m positive the young mistress will find you alluring.¡± ¡°Wait, what!¡± I exclaimed, trying to stop the attendant from leaving. ¡°My apologies, I will refrain from gossip when attending you in the future.¡± They then stepped out, leaving me alone in the changing area. ¡°Oh, Lancel,¡± Arc gave out an amused laugh, ¡°I underestimated you. We walked right into your trap.¡± Chapter 12 – The Family of Lancel, Master Manipulator It was cruel, my torturer. It carried me in a sling, making me sway with every step they took. It would occasionally taunt me, holding water to my lips, but pulling it away the moment I tried to drink my fill. I hated it. I couldn¡¯t fight, my body was too weak. I dared not to cast, my mana was stripped away from my time in the cage, and the effort would only bring me more pain. My mind and vision were becoming clearer with each sip of water though, perhaps I could plan an escape? The darkness of the trees obscured the sun, but eventually I noticed night finally approaching. My torturer pulled me from the sling, removed the cloth and began to wash my naked body. I felt helpless and humiliated, it was certainly doing its job, making sure that I knew it had full control of me. After I was cleaned, it wrapped me up again and sat me on its lap like a child. That¡¯s when I fully understood the perversion of my torturer. It began to feed me soup, but only the broth, not any of the vegetables or meat that I could smell. It did surprise me when it let me eat my fill though, perhaps it intended on keeping me alive so it could ¡°play¡± with me more? My torturer began to feed itself, still holding me in its lap. I was finally able to focus my eyes enough to see it now that I was close. It looked similar to the ones that¡­ but different. It had auburn hair on its head and jaw, pale skin similar to my own, and it was tall like an elf but built as powerful as a dwarf. It spoke to the others of its kind, the words foreign and indecipherable. The others would come up, looking at me¡­, touching my ears¡­, poking me, trying to make me speak¡­ My torturer eventually barked at them for playing with its prize and carried me to a hammock where it laid down, holding me to its bare chest and wrapping its arms and blanket around me. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from sinking in, trying to soak my body in the heat that it gave off. I felt ashamed, but it was the first time I truly felt comfortable since passing the mountain gate. I drifted to sleep, but kept being woken from my nightmares, my torturer making cooing noises while it moved its hands up and down my back. --- Travis I stood in the foreign washroom, in the foreign city, wearing foreign clothing, and now was in a foreign social situation that I had no idea how to handle. ¡°Ok, don¡¯t panic, but one of the house staff found me while they were unpacking your things.¡± I immediately began to panic and breathe heavily, now needing to hold myself steady by placing my hands on the wall. ¡°Hey! I said not to panic. Matriarch Rabiria just got told and she hasn¡¯t immediately called the guards.¡± ¡°I literally told her that I came unarmed!¡± I snapped at Arc. ¡°Relax. It¡¯s just a formal greeting. Plus you technically already lied anyways, you did have your poleaxe blatantly lying there with your luggage.¡± ¡°Is that supposed to make me feel better!¡± I lightly banged my head against the wall, ¡°How did I get myself into this mess?¡± ¡°Oh quit being melodramatic. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re overreacting. A guard is carrying me to the armory with your poleaxe and¡­ just wrapped me in a cloth and placed me in a locker next to where your poleaxe is hanging. They probably just think I¡¯m an antique or heirloom, and only told Lancel¡¯s mom because it was a minor security risk.¡± I pulled my head from the wall, still breathing heavily, but now counting my inhales and exhales, ¡°Ok, just¡­ let me know if people start inspecting you.¡± ¡°Will do. I think we¡¯ll be fine though; the guard gave me a look but didn¡¯t notice anything, just took extra care in stowing me away.¡± ¡°And what should I do about Lancel trying to marry me off to his sister?¡± ¡°Again, I think you¡¯re overreacting, the attendant was giggling to himself after he stepped out of the door. They were probably just pulling a minor prank on you.¡± Groaning with annoyance, I stepped out of the washroom and made my way to the main hall. Lancel¡¯s mother was sitting on a sofa, so I approached her. ¡°Come sit,¡± she gestured to one of the nearby chairs, giving me a friendly smile, ¡°How was your journey? I know that some years the roads can be rough while the cleanup from the flood is going on.¡± ¡°Uneventful, we didn¡¯t even run into any varmints.¡± I responded, then sat nervous as a pause in conversation appeared. Needing help immediately, I scratched my right ear. ¡°You know what? Confess to bringing in a sword. It¡¯ll break the ice and clear the tension.¡± ¡°Thank you for the hospitality, but I need to apologize before I receive more.¡± I watched for her expression, but it remained static, ¡°I lied that I was unarmed when I entered your home. I had a poleaxe and sword with my things.¡± She grinned at my statement, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite alright.¡± She paused to give out a small chuckle, ¡°If I removed the weapons off every visitor, some of my husband¡¯s friends would have to strip down to their underclothes at the gate just to get in.¡± ¡°Besides, you weren¡¯t actively carrying them, so you didn¡¯t break etiquette.¡± She paused a moment, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me prying, my guard mentioned that the sword in your sleeping bag was old and unkempt, how did you come across such an antique?¡± Thankfully, I had a prepared statement, ¡°It was a gift from a friend, he told me to take it with me before I left the village.¡± I stopped to lightly laugh at the remembered panic that I was in when trying to find a place to hide Arc, ¡°I probably would have gotten arrested if I wasn¡¯t traveling with Lancel.¡± Rabiria joined me in my laugh, ¡°You would have only gotten a stern warning or robbed. It¡¯s only when you impersonate a soldier that the death penalty goes into place.¡± I let out a deep sigh and noticed someone approaching. She was wearing an evening robe as well, but hers was sleeved and buttoned up. She was clearly of Southern Plains descent, blonde hair and shimmering tan skin, and after a quick comparison, looked similar to the Matriarch I was just speaking to. ¡°Caldia, daughter, I¡¯m glad you could join us. This is Lancel¡¯s guest that he dropped off.¡± Rabiria then waved a hand at me. I sat there, not knowing what to say. ¡°Introduce yourself.¡± Right, ¡°Umm, my name is Travis¡­ I¡¯m from Aelder Creek¡­ oh, uh, that¡¯s a Lakeland city near Lakewell Fortress¡­¡± I slowly stammer out. Caldia gave me what must have been the family¡¯s signature grin, ¡°Just Travis?¡± ¡°Um, yes¡­ uh, my dad¡¯s a farmer and¡­¡± I drifted off, feeling ashamed for the first time about my humble origin. My abashment changed to terror when she began to laugh, ¡°Mom, how long have you been torturing him?¡± She continued her laugh but moved to sit on the stuffed chair next to me. Her mother began to grin, ¡°Probably longer than I should.¡± She turned to face me, ¡°You were doing well, you just need some more exposure, and some prestige to use as a shield.¡± I exhaled, trying to force my body to calm, ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°So,¡± Caldia asked, ¡°what brings you to the capital while the travel ban is still in place?¡± Taking a deep breath, I gave my explanation, ¡°I intend to enroll at the Mage¡¯s Academy.¡± I paused, waiting for a reaction, but after hearing none, I continued, ¡°I was originally going to leave right after the ban ended, but¡­ Lancel was able to get me a travel visa so I could travel with him and not come here alone.¡± Rabiria spoke, raising an eyebrow, ¡°I take it there¡¯s more to the story than that?¡± I nodded my head, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much I¡¯m allowed to share.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Lancel¡¯s mother nodded, ¡°Lancel did need to give a report.¡± She turned to an approaching servant and listened to them whisper in her ear before standing, ¡°I need to take care of a few things. Caldia, could you keep Travis company while he waits for Lancel to return?¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Of course,¡± she turns to me, ¡°but fair warning, I¡¯m going to hold your shield while I ask you about your village. I¡¯ve never gotten a chance to visit a Lakeland one.¡± I began to speak to her about my village, answering questions as she brought them up. She surprised me when she wanted to know more about the dairy cows we raised, since the cattle her uncle raised down south were purely for market and was fascinated by how raising two similar animals could be so different. We kept speaking for a while, my nerves finally relaxing. I guess I really was anxious for no reason. --- Arc Dammit! I¡¯m an idiot, I should have known better than to let Travis waltz right into the den of foxes disguising themselves as rabbits. I felt helpless as I watched Rabiria walk away with her servant after asking if she wanted an excuse to leave Travis and the young mistress alone for a bit. Well, I know where Lancel got his brilliant mastermind from now. I couldn¡¯t even warn Travis, the poor kid was finally relaxing as he spoke with Caldia. No way was I going to disrupt him, he needed all the low-pressure socializing he could get. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t in any immediate need of help, I decided to up my game and move my focus around and replayed some of the conversations that were happening while I wasn¡¯t paying attention. Ok, looks like there was a short discussion between the Matriarch and staff while Travis was showering, questioning why Lancel brought a teenager over as a guest. One of the guards postulated that he brought Travis to become a potential ward of the family, hence wanting to bring him to the party. Rabiria got angry at the possible explanation though, not happy that her son seemingly skipped multiple important social events just to pick up a random farm kid and promise him a wardship without discussing it with the family first. She made a circuit of the estate after leaving Travis in Caldia¡¯s care, asking one of the guards to re-check me and the poleaxe, a servant to go through Travis¡¯ belongings, and another to send out a runner to check for any possible information on Travis. Ok, don¡¯t panic. She¡¯s likely just angry and frustrated, which makes sense, her son was abdicating his responsibilities as a noble of Clan Hopkins for a seemingly mundane reason and wanted to know why. Hmm, speaking of why, something doesn¡¯t make sense now. Lancel was the one to make the decision to return to the village to train in the new guards. It must have been a last-minute change of plans after earning his Knight status, since he wouldn¡¯t have returned normally. Did he do that just so he could catch Travis before he left the village? What exactly is Lancel¡¯s plan? And why did it justify performing a social taboo in order to complete it? Is Travis even part of it? He doesn¡¯t know that Travis has a higher mana density than him, making him already eligible to become a Knight, Trent only told him that Travis¡¯s was larger than normal when Lancel threatened to destroy Trent¡¯s hat. So, does he know something else about Travis that made him want to potentially marry or adopt Travis into the family? Or is Travis just a red herring for his real scheme? Ugh, I¡¯m missing too much information, and Lancel is keeping his cards hidden. Time passed, and I was even brought before the Matriarch, but after inspecting me, she just sighed and sent me to be put back in the footlocker. Things began to calm down in the house. Travis and Caldia kept chatting, although it looked like Travis was able to invert the conversation and was having her describe what it was like growing up in the capital. Things were going well, which must be why a massive storm cloud of mana appeared at the edge of my vision and made its way through the gate unhindered. At the center of the violent thunderhead was an incredibly dense mass of man-shaped mana. Oh crap, that must be Lancel¡¯s dad! I watched as he got off his horse, the steed quickly trotting away to its stable, and approach the door. His entire bodybuilder physique was pulsing strongly with mana, its vastness causing all of the ambient mana to gravitate towards him and swirl. I had to maneuver my focus right up to him in order to see his face due to all of the mana in the air, and wow¡­ he was super pissed! I somehow saw his eyes pulse faster and locked on to Travis inside. ¡°Travis, stop making out with Caldia! Her dad¡¯s home!¡± Travis, confused about my inane statement, stopped talking to the girl who was seated across from him just in time to hear the doors open with a Thud. ¡°There you are! You better have a damned good explanation for leaving the capital the second the flood ended! Do you realize how many¡­¡± he stopped mid-sentence, his mind now finally concluding that the terrified teenager before him was not his son. Silence filled the room, Lancel¡¯s Dad looking like he saw a ghost, Caldia with wide eyes in embarrassment, and Travis looking like he actually did get caught making out with his daughter. It lasted for a long moment before Caldia finally broke it with a shaky voice, ¡°Father¡­, this is Travis¡­, he¡¯s from Aelder Creek, the village that Lancel was stationed at¡­¡± The roiling mass of mana stood there, unmoving, before finally letting out in a slow robotic cadence, ¡°Hello, I am First Knight of the Hopkins Clan, Darius¡­¡± he took a breath, visibly trying to think of what to say, ¡°I apologize¡­ I mistook you for my son¡­ and have now entangled you in our family affairs.¡± Travis, still unresponsive, needed some prodding to wake up. ¡°Tell him¡­ um¡­ crap, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ok,¡± Travis croaked out, his voice cracking, ¡°honest mistake. My name is Travis¡­, I¡¯m from Aelder Creek¡­, near Lakewell Fortress¡­¡± The room grew silent, only being disturbed by an attendant announcing that Lancel had returned. --- I swear my mana sight could see the tension in the room as supper was served. Lancel trembling every time he caught eyes with his mother, but confusion when looking at his dad. His dad was clearly embarrassed about storming in, and kept making glances at Travis, making me scared to send a [Message] to him. Rabiria was keeping a calm face, but her left eyebrow kept twitching on occasion. Travis was probably hating the silence while eating, for the first time in his life. Caldia, I couldn¡¯t read, I just straight up didn¡¯t know what kind of expression she was giving. Also, more of Lancel¡¯s family showed up, two older brothers, and another sister. I haven¡¯t even gotten their names yet because no one is talking. Slowly everyone finished their meal, the newcomers¡¯ eyes darting around the most, trying to figure out what was going on. One of the older brothers broke the silence, ¡°I saw an interesting weapon in the armory, was that yours?¡± The man looked towards Travis, desperation in his eyes to have a semblance of a normal conversation. Still afraid to speak to Travis with Darius¡¯ mana sight still active, I felt relief when he spoke, ¡°Yes, I made it over this last winter.¡± He paused, then continued, clearly not wanting the silence to continue, "Well, not completely, I needed help from my village¡¯s blacksmith in order to complete the finishing work on it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very brutal looking¡­, have you been training with it for long?¡± Lancel¡¯s brother asked, wincing at his already answered question. ¡°Um, no¡­ I only completed it a month ago.¡± Travis, clearly forcing himself to speak, continued, ¡°I still need to learn how to use it properly though, I only know a little bo staff combat¡­¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure that Darius or one of the guards would be more than happy to help you with that.¡± The older brother looked towards Darius, likely praying to Torbolt that he¡¯d pick up the feeble conversation starter. Darius, apparently was desperate for something to speak to Travis about, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen this weapon yet, but you are more than welcome to make use of our training yard to hone your skills.¡± He turned his head towards Lancel, ¡°I¡¯ll be busy for the next week, perhaps you¡¯ll be able to assist your friend before you report for Knight training?¡± Lancel looking proper spooked now, ¡°Um, sure¡­ we might not have much time though, there is a party on the last day of Fourthmonth, that I was hoping to bring Travis to.¡± He turned to his mother, trembling in his seat, ¡°Assuming that¡¯s ok with the family?¡± He finally let out weakly. Rabiria entered the tense conversation, ¡°About that¡­¡± Darius immediately interrupted her, ¡°You have our full blessing of course.¡± He stared at his wife, ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need to help prepare, do let me know if I can assist.¡± Rabiria and Lancel both started looking confused, neither continuing the conversation. A long gap of silence entailed, Caldia¡¯s eyes sparked with an idea, ¡°Travis, has anyone given you a tour of the estate yet?¡± My friend managed to shake his head no, and to my amazement, actually stood and walked away with the girl when she offered to escort him. I watched the table, waiting for the daytime drama to play out. Rabiria spoke first, glaring at Darius, ¡°What was that about?¡± Darius looked to Lancel, ¡°Son, I¡¯m sorry for getting angry with you, I should have known you had something hidden behind your shield¡­¡± Lancel, looking perplexed, spoke, ¡°Um, it¡¯s alright¡­ I should have¡­ explained before leaving?¡± Rabiria, now angry for being ignored, ¡°Alright, what am I clearly missing that all of you know?¡± She gave an evil eye to the men at the table. Lancel¡¯s brother, who hadn¡¯t spoken yet, blurted out, ¡°He¡¯s got a huge¡­¡± --- Travis Caldia and I made our escape, both of us took a moment after exiting the room to take a quick breather. I looked up at her face, noticing the golden sunrise-colored eyes, and joined her infectious grin that turned into laughter. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen my dad so flustered before!¡± She belted out between laughs. Her volume alarmed her though and encouraged me to follow her as far away from the Main Hall as possible. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been more terrified in my life¡­¡± I spoke, feeling the euphoria wash over me. She began to lead me around, both of us still suffering from the giggles, and made good on her offer to give me a tour. The multiple buildings connected by enclosed walkways reached from neighboring wall to neighboring wall, creating a boxed in area where they had a private garden and training yard. She showed me around the three largest buildings: the Main House where her immediate family lived, the guard and servant barracks for those wishing to live on the estate, and the guest house where I would be staying. We then made our way into the private garden to enjoy the disappearing sunset. ¡°Thank you for showing me around,¡± I spoke when we went to sit on one of the benches under a large tree, ¡°I never thought I¡¯d be spending my time at a noble¡¯s estate while I waited to take the Mage¡¯s Academy exam.¡± ¡°Can I ask you about that? You¡¯re not the first person I¡¯ve met that has tried to pass it. What makes you so confident?¡± I brought my hand up to my chin, letting her know that I needed to think since I didn¡¯t know how to answer her question. She was the first person to not dismiss me for wanting to make an attempt. I kept thinking, but then an emboldening confidence suddenly started to swell within me as I realized that my secret was going to come out in only a few days anyways. I looked around, both with my regular eyes, and then my mana vision to ensure that no one was nearby, ¡°Are you willing to keep a secret?¡± She started to grin at me, ¡°As long as I can flaunt that I knew all along when it comes out.¡± I grinned back, then began to gather Fire Mana around my body. Thinking back to Arc¡¯s display of magic, I decided to make a dozen small candle flame sized [Fire Orb] spells and used them to illuminate the area underneath the tree now that the sun had set. My confidence started to erode however, when I noticed that I was overreaching to control that many spell formations. I could only move four at a time, and they had to move in the exact same pattern. Despite not being able to replicate Arc¡¯s firefly-like movements, I saw Caldia¡¯s jaw drop in amazement. Sadly, I couldn¡¯t keep up the spell for too long, my concentration was waning trying to keep that many spells synced, plus I spotted a guard approaching with my mana sight. I cancelled the spells, then stood and offered my hand, ¡°We should probably be getting back inside, I still need to unpack from my journey.¡± She grabbed my hand and pulled herself up but kept holding it as we walked. I began to tense up, not expecting the continued contact. She must have noticed me though, because she then began to lean against my bare arm and tease me, ¡°Where did all of that confidence go?¡± ¡°I¡­, umm¡­,¡± I stammered, feeling my skin heat up, but not from amplifying my Fire Mana. I reached with my left arm over my head to scratch my right ear in an awkward motion, desperate for help. ¡°You¡¯re doing great bud!¡± Arc began to laugh in my ear, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to tell you what happened after you left. Lancel is truly a master manipulator.¡± Chapter 13 - Popping the Question The next morning, I was awoken by an intense pain in my abdomen. I curled in on myself and gave out a quiet moan. Luckily my new captor wasn¡¯t in the hammock with me. I kept shifting, trying to will my discomfort to stop, but the now remembered pains of hunger were too powerful. I must have been overheard, because my captor soon appeared, carried me over to the firepit, and began to feed me stew. To my shock, it had vegetables and meat in it, and I ate until I was almost certain that I would burst. My captor and one of it subordinates, then held me upright and led me to a private area so that I could relieve myself. The simple act of decency sent me into tears, and my captor took a minute to hold me in its embrace until I quieted. Afterwards, I was placed into a sling and kept warm with blankets and animal furs. My captor walked beside me, holding his spear, and speaking softly to me. His behavior was beginning to confuse me. Why did he torture me yesterday? Was it to make me compliant? Why go through all the effort to be kind to me today? We kept moving through the dense foliage, but eventually my captor held up his spear high into the air and gave a shout. The entire party stopped moving, and my captor pointed his spear tip down and spoke a short phrase. Shortly after, the leaves began to move, and I screamed in alarm when dozens of dark-skinned creatures wearing plants appeared from nowhere. My captor set a hand on me and tried his best to console me, but a couple of the dark-skinned creatures came to inspect me. They looked similar to my captor, but with dark, almost black skin that reflected no light. There was no hair on their heads or chins, and their eyes had massive irises, leaving very little whites to their eyes. They thankfully didn¡¯t poke or prod me, but maybe my captor forbade them? The creatures led us to a thicket of bushes, and we followed them inside to find a hidden shelter, lit with dozens of small flames. Inside, I was taken from my sling and laid out on a cot for some of the Dark-skinned creatures to inspect. My captor stayed near, holding one of my hands, when possible, but allowed them to examine my naked body. I was growing scared, it reminded me of a medical examination, but there was no way savages living between the mountain ranges would be intelligent enough to practice such a thing. Eventually, an oil was rubbed into my skin, causing it to warm up. It felt quite pleasant, and I almost drifted to sleep out of sheer comfort. I was prevented from doing so when they began to massage my limbs and forced what little mana remained in my body to activate. I gave out a small shriek in pain, and gave a pleading look to my captor, asking him to stop them. He ignored my pleas and leaned over to stroke my hair and speak softly in his foreign tongue. Eventually, the torture stopped, and I watched as my captor gave what looked like monster cores to the dark-skinned ones. They gave him multiple bags, including one with additional flasks of oil, and then sent us on our way. --- Arc ¡°¡­ pool of mana!¡± Lancel¡¯s brother shouted, then sent Lancel a glare, ¡°Seriously Lancel, what the raging storm? Did you kidnap a spartan?¡± Lancel, looking befuddled responded, ¡°I know his mana pool is abnormally large, but¡­¡± ¡°Abnormally large!¡± Lancel¡¯s other brother interrupted, ¡°Are you honestly trying to downplay this?¡± The table was interrupted by their father slamming his elbows on the table and burying his head in his hands, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I made such a fool of myself...¡± ¡°Wait, is that why you were acting so strange?¡± Lancel¡¯s sister asked. Her father nodded his head while still in his hands, ¡°I mistook him for Lancel, scared the poor lad half to death.¡± Rabiria placed her hand on her husband, ¡°It¡¯ll be alright, one embarrassing moment won¡¯t be enough to send him running.¡± She turned to look at Lancel, ¡°Now explain, I talked to Travis, and he¡¯s just a farm-boy from some tiny Lakeland city. I thought Lakelanders exiled people with high mana?¡± ¡°They do, which is why Travis had to leave,¡± Lancel gave out a sigh, ¡°Poor kid didn¡¯t even have the heart to tell his parents. I knew he was going to leave the village on the first day of Fifthmonth, so I wanted to intercept him and bring him here. He¡¯s essentially been training to be a soldier since he was 10, doing laps around the village, chopping down the entire town¡¯s firewood supply last fall, and pestering all of the crafters in town to teach him.¡± ¡°I knew he¡¯d do well if he joined the army and could become a knight even faster than me.¡± Lancel looked to his parents, ¡°I haven¡¯t asked him yet, but I¡¯d like to make him a ward of the family. I¡¯m not even sure if he¡¯d say yes, he has a habit of always doing whatever he pleases. Despite my warnings about how difficult it will be to pass the Mage¡¯s Academy exam; he¡¯s been adamant about taking it.¡± Rabiria gave out a sigh, ¡°So that¡¯s why you wanted to bring him to the party, it¡¯d give you an excuse to ask him to become a ward and prevent the paladins from getting their hands on him when he fails the exam.¡± Lancel nodded, then focused on his dad, ¡°I already promised him that you and I could get him a recommendation for an advanced regiment in the army should he fail the exam, and he seemed appreciative. If you offered a wardship instead, there¡¯s a decent chance he¡¯ll take it, but maybe only after he fails the exam.¡± ¡°So,¡± Lancel¡¯s brother summarized, ¡°We have two days to convince Travis to become a ward before some paladin tells an impressionable horny teenager all about the ¡®perks¡¯ of being a Paladin of Apheros.¡± Lancel¡¯s other brother began to rub his forehead, ¡°Should be easy, all we need is a miracle.¡± he stated sarcastically. The family began to rise from their seats, deciding that the best course of action would be to treat him like family. Lancel began to head over to the guest house, but was followed by one of his brothers, ¡°One last question Lancel.¡± Lancel turned, ¡°Uh, what is it, Tristan?¡±. ¡°You only learned how to activate your mana a few months ago, how did you know that Travis had a bigger mana supply than you before you returned from fighting the flood?¡± Lancel, began to stammer, only now finally learning that Travis has a bigger mana supply than him. His brother, clearly reading him like a book, grabbed his shoulder and pulled him close to whisper, ¡°Are you kidding me! You didn¡¯t even know, and yet you bailed on a dozen parties.¡± Tristan began to breathe heavily, ¡°How are you the worlds luckiest person alive!¡± He pushed Lancel against the wall, then held up his hands as if debating to strangle his brother. His willpower held out, and he began to walk away, massaging his temples and muttering about needing a drink. --- ¡°¡­and that¡¯s what happened.¡± I told to Travis after he turned in to his room for the night. ¡°So did Lancel really go through all of that trouble just to recruit me before he even knew about my mana level?¡± Travis asked while looking at his bed and then his evening robe, likely trying to figure out if he was supposed to sleep in it. ¡°You sleep in just the lower half.¡± Travis tapped his right ear and I continued, ¡°My thinking is that he probably wasn¡¯t invested in going to those post flood celebrations and knew instinctively that something was special about you. He probably just couldn¡¯t figure out what.¡± ¡°And thus, he turned a terrible plan into an actual good one.¡± Travis looked around the room, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d say yes if they offered me a wardship. I know Knights will often work together with Mages, so it¡¯d be a good alternative to the Mage¡¯s Academy.¡± ¡°No interest in becoming a paladin? It sounds like they got a great sales pitch.¡± ¡°Ugh, no thanks. From what I¡¯ve read, they don¡¯t work with the Mage¡¯s Academy at all. Plus, it¡¯d be the worst aspects of a soldier and monster hunter combined. Random location assignments and lack of higher knowledge resources.¡± I watched Travis put out the lanterns in the room, leaving a single [Fire Orb] for himself, before crawling into bed. ¡°So¡­¡± I mentally grin to myself, ¡°How did your date with Caldia go?¡± Not taking my bait, he tried to shrug it off, ¡°A house tour doesn¡¯t count as a date.¡± ¡°Oh, I was referring to the lovely light show that you put on to impress her¡­¡± I watched Travis squirm in his bed, ¡°You even did the classic rookie mistake of trying to do something above your skill level.¡± Travis let out a groan, turned over to his side, and began to tap his left ear. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I gave out a hearty laugh at him, happy that he was finally acting like a normal teenager. --- Travis I slept in for far longer than I anticipated, Arc didn¡¯t even wake me, and I was surprised at how long I had slept. Guess those fortress keep beds aren¡¯t as high in quality as the one I¡¯m in. I take a moment to luxuriate in its softness; yep, I¡¯d be willing to become a ward if I got to sleep in a bed this nice. After changing into a set of my own clothes, I made my way to the kitchens and was greeted by the staff. They made me a delicious breakfast sandwich and mentioned that a few of the guards were asking during breakfast if I was going to demonstrate my weapon. I decided to take the offered suggestion, and went out to the training yard, where I saw Lancel getting beat handily by his older brother with a quarter staff. Not wanting to disturb the hilarious sight, I caught eyes with one of the guards, and he tossed me a staff so that the two of us could spar. ¡°You¡¯ll need to adjust your stance more like this,¡± the guard demonstrated, ¡°You¡¯re not very tall, so half of your opponents will outreach you. Your best bet is to focus on a more balanced approach and keep those heavy swings for feints and finishers.¡± We sparred for a good hour, and he was able to help fill in and fix the techniques Franklin taught me. Afterwards we started chatting while taking some time to cool down with some water. ¡°So, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, why did you become a guard for a noble house?¡± ¡°To be honest, mostly for the perks.¡± He pointed around the area, ¡°I¡¯d be stuck in a small apartment, forced to work in a factory or sign on for a life commitment to the army.¡± He continued, ¡°Instead, my wife and I get to live here on the estate with our children, and she never has to cook a day in her life. Sure, she does the laundry for everyone here, but she¡¯d go mad if she didn¡¯t have any work to do.¡± ¡°Plus, my oldest son only has a few more years before he turns 15 and can become a ward. Maybe he¡¯ll be able to do what I couldn¡¯t and become a knight.¡± I took in his point of view, and could easily see the upside, ¡°There must be some downsides, right? What if he doesn¡¯t make the cut?¡±. He nodded his head, ¡°He¡¯d lose his wardship, be forced to become a guard if he wished to remain, and his children would have a low chance of being asked to become wards.¡± He turned his head towards the inner city, ¡°The guards of the oldest families are completely composed of failed knights, subtle reminders to their children to not slack off or be disrespectful to the staff, since they may one day join them.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s one way to keep your kids from being spoiled.¡± Lancel and his brother began to approach us, his brother displaying the family grin, while Lancel trudged a bit behind looking slightly tenderized. ¡°Good morning Travis!¡± Lancel¡¯s brother shouted, ¡°Was Barry able to help you out?¡± I nodded my head, ¡°Quite a bit, although I doubt I¡¯ll be able to remember everything when we spar tomorrow.¡± Lancel¡¯s brother gave out a short laugh, ¡°It¡¯ll come and go some days, but eventually you¡¯ll have it down to instinct.¡± He held out a hand for me to shake, ¡°Name¡¯s Tristan, I¡¯m Lancel¡¯s oldest brother.¡± I went to shake his hand and was startled when he pulled me in close and placed his left forearm over my back in a half-hug. Lancel took a moment from lamenting over his soon to be bruises and started to laugh, ¡°He¡¯s a Lakelander, they don¡¯t do shield-brother greetings.¡± ¡°Looks like they¡¯re making their first moves. Did you decide if you wanted to make them sweat or not?¡± I did my best to hold back my grin, then squirmed a bit in his hold to signal him to let go, ¡°Sorry, my dad always told me not to man-handle the cattle or people, makes them agitated.¡± Tristan, now with the grin wiped off his face, awkwardly started stepping back a bit to give me space, ¡°My bad, just wanted to make you feel welcomed.¡± I had planned to let the silence fill the air for a bit, but Lancel quickly put an end to it, ¡°How about you show Tristan your weapon, maybe he¡¯ll know what to help you with better than me?¡± I went to the armory to retrieve it and noticed a few more guards and Lancel¡¯s sisters outside when I returned. I was a little nervous giving a presentation to so many people, but once I started going over the specifications of my poleaxe, I found myself talking like a salesman. Well, at least until Caldia asked a question, ¡°I thought halberds went out of style in the army since they required two hands and can easily break on monsters with tough hides?¡± Despite enjoying the sight of Tristan and Lancel wincing at the question, I was a bit irritated, ¡°It¡¯s not a halberd, it¡¯s a poleaxe.¡± I pointed to the langets that ran part way down the shaft, ¡°A halberd is just a weapon head on a bare, easy to break, pole. This can take a beating and not even crack.¡± I handed my poleaxe off to Tristan, and he began to play with the weapon a bit. A few of the guards joined him, and I decided to approach the two ladies while they tested a few stances and swings. ¡°Hello, I am Travis from the Lakeland city of Aelder Creek, it is a pleasure to formally meet you.¡± I gave a short, but formal, Lakelander bow. ¡°Pleased to meet you Travis, I am the future Matriarch of Clan Hopkins, Marcia. I believe that you¡¯ve already become acquainted with Caldia?¡± She gave a similar bow, though not as low. ¡°Yes, she made a wonderful host.¡± I turned to the men all taking turns with my poleaxe and winced slightly when one guard almost hurt himself, ¡°Did you come for the weapon demonstration?¡± ¡°No, we came to get you actually. We pulled out the old wardrobes and wanted to see if there was anything that would suit you.¡± I looked down at myself, ¡°I¡¯ll need to bathe first,¡± I nodded my head to the women and then waved to the boys, ¡°I¡¯ll be back later, just hang it back up when you¡¯re done fishing-around.¡± --- Arc Yep, Travis is definitely going to have fun messing around with these guys. The second he left the yard, all of the men inspecting the weapon began loudly discussing their opinions. ¡°How in the storm are you supposed to use this on a horse?¡± ¡°This thing is so top heavy.¡± ¡°You¡¯d need to be fully armored to make up for the lack of defense.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Hector when you need him?¡± ¡°Not sure,¡± Tristan piped in, ¡°Marcia¡¯s been complaining that he¡¯s been keeping her in the dark about a job offering, and as a result, rarely comes home for more than a few hours every day.¡± Lancel groaned a bit as he massaged a forming bruise on his leg, ¡°Not sure if even Dad would know what to teach Travis, he never trained with axes or hammers in the army.¡± Barry the guard moved over to Lancel, ¡°Has Travis ever used this thing in combat?¡± Lancel nodded his head, ¡°I can¡¯t give out the full details, but Travis used this to fend off an attack in his village right before he left.¡± He took a second to shudder at the remembered sight of Travis¡¯ victims, ¡°That axe-head was able to cut through a creature¡¯s ribcage and tear the heart, and the hammer-end was able to turn a skull into mush.¡± Tristan looked up with a raised eyebrow, ¡°I think I might have downplayed my description when I called it brutal-looking.¡± Lancel nodded at Tristan, ¡°Hey, could you check it with your mana sight?¡± Tristan focused his eyes, and then almost dropped the weapon when he noticed the amount of embedded mana, ¡°What the¡­!¡± All eyes darted to Tristan, waiting for him to give an explanation. Yes, do tell them Tristan¡­ I darkly laughed to myself. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to add blacksmiths to the list of people to keep away from Travis.¡± --- After watching the men fumble around trying to come up with ideas to endear Travis to the clan for an hour, I decided to drift my focus over to Travis. He was trying to put on a robe, but stopped before he put his arm all of the way in, ¡°Umm, this feels a bit tight¡­¡± One of the attendants inspected his arm, and then took the robe from him, ¡°He¡¯s correct,¡± she patted his bare torso, ¡°He¡¯s bulkier than some of our guards.¡± Marcia and Caldia both began to laugh at what I must assume was Travis blushing at the compliment. Marcia turned to her sister, ¡°Mom was right, we¡¯ll have to get something tailored last minute. The only thing we got that fits is pitch black, and¡­¡± she looks up at Travis, ¡°that color doesn¡¯t quite suit him.¡± ¡°Plus,¡± Caldia added, ¡°he¡¯s a Lakelander, so he should be wearing Lakeland colors.¡± Travis cleared his throat, ¡°He¡¯s standing right here¡­¡± Caldia held up a hand, shocking her older sister, ¡°Shush, the ladies are playing with their new doll.¡± The face Marcia made sent me into a frenzy of laughter. Travis, snuck in a grin to Caldia, and then began to visibly frown and give her a mild glare, ¡°I¡¯m not even sure as to why I¡¯d want to go to a party with a bunch of snobby nobles.¡± Damn, did Travis secretly collude with Caldia to have her help him tease her family? Hmm, don¡¯t see anything in my memory, she must have simply noticed Travis playing hard-to-get, and wanted to join in on the fun. Marcia, now getting double-teamed, visibly struggled to come up with an appealing reason, ¡°Well¡­ to flaunt off your humble origin, of course.¡± She continued with renewed confidence, ¡°They may look down at you at the party tomorrow night, but when you meet them in the future, you¡¯ll be able to flaunt your accomplishments in their embarrassed faces.¡± Travis, pulled out a smile that he hadn¡¯t used since he stopped bullying, ¡°Hmm, that does sound like fun.¡± --- The day continued, and the antics around the estate were getting downright hilarious. Marcia pulled Caldia aside to yell at her for sabotaging a future prospect of the family, but Caldia countered that she refused to be married off to some random hick just because he had a big mana pool. Marcia tried to console her and state that she would never force her to marry someone she didn¡¯t choose, but Caldia stormed off to her room so she could finally let out the laughter that she was suppressing. Tristan and Lancel kept trying to come up with ideas to woo Travis, but not all of them were winners. Requesting supper to be Lakelander comfort food, good idea. Inviting him to the sauna with them, bad idea. Offering to take him to the mall in a few days, apparently they have those in this universe, good idea. Not giving Travis a moment to himself all day, bad idea. Eventually supper drew near, and more of the family was present this time. Tristan introduced his pregnant wife and daughter, Varia and Silia. Percy, apparently that was the other brother¡¯s name, also introduced his fianc¨¦, Lucia. The table grew quiet as food was served, and Rabiria offered to let Travis make the first dinner prayer. Sadly, Travis didn¡¯t know any formal dinner prayers to Apheros, but the Matriarch followed up by using an informal one to Torbolt as well. The table resumed its silence, and I noticed it was safe to [Message] Travis, ¡°Ok, I think you¡¯ve left them stranded long enough, maybe you should throw them a paddle?¡± Travis idly tapped his right ear while he finished eating, once done, he scanned the table. To his surprise, he was the last one to finish. ¡°So... Travis,¡± Darius spoke, ¡°I heard that I missed the poleaxe demonstration. Would you be willing to show it to me before you turn in for the night?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯d be happy to.¡± Travis rubbed his chin for a moment, ¡°That reminds me, I probably won¡¯t be able to bring that with me to basic training if I fail the Mage¡¯s Academy exam. Are there any advanced regiments that use two-handed weapons? I should probably strive for one of those.¡± ¡°There are, though most of them focus on search and destroy missions for high threat monsters.¡± Darius rested his chin on his hand, ¡°A lot of nobles will push their children into those regiments, they have a high chance of producing Knights.¡± Travis nodded his head, ¡°Hmm, that brings up another question. How does someone apply to become a ward?¡± Silence filled the room, and Travis had to slide his hand up to cover his escaping grin. Darius had to clear his throat multiple times before he finally spoke in a clearly forced casual tone, ¡°Would you be interested in becoming a ward of Clan Hopkins?¡± Travis, overacting a tad, spoke in a casual tone as well, ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to need a backup in case I fail the exam, and it sounds like it¡¯ll be tough to get a spot on one of those regiments. So, yeah, if you¡¯re offering¡­¡± Caldia finally lost her composure and began to giggle out loud, drawing the ire of quite a few people, but Darius apparently couldn¡¯t hear her. He was too busy smiling at Travis. ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± Darius stood up and gestured at Travis to join him, they both stood before his wife and Darius continued, ¡°Matriarch Rabiria of Clan Hopkins, I present for your approval, Travis of the Lakeland city, Aelder Creek. Though young, he has shown great dedication to his self-improvement, and has even fought side by side with our own son Lancel. I request to have him be named a ward of the family, granting him full membership upon knighthood.¡± Travis, no longer hiding his smile, was joined by the rest of Clan Hopkins. Rabiria, still remaining composed, nodded towards her husband, ¡°You have my approval, Darius, First Knight of the Hopkins Clan.¡± She turned to Travis, ¡°Allow me to be the first to welcome you as a ward of our family.¡± She then stepped forward to give Travis a shield-brother hug. Cheering erupted from the table, and servants quickly appeared unprompted, carrying celebratory drinks. After being let go, Travis was patted on the back by Darius, and almost knocked him over. A few laughs were given at Darius¡¯ expense, but he shrugged them off and handed a mug of ale to Travis. The room went quiet as Travis held his mug, he looked around a bit before finally asking, ¡°Is that it? I assumed there be some long overly ornate ceremony or something?¡± Laughter filled the room before Tristan answered, ¡°A good number of wardships are given out in the field, plus, I get the feeling you wouldn¡¯t be up for the 2-hour version of the ceremony.¡± Travis visibly shuddered and went to drink from his mug. Cheers from the room soon followed. Chapter 14 – Legal Advice and Party Drama My rescuer kept repeating the painful treatment each day, rubbing the oil into my muscles and then forcibly activating my mana. The pain was nearly unbearable some days, but I was beginning to see results. My appetite was monstrous, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever eaten so much in such frequency or duration, and I was regaining strength in my limbs. In fact, it only took five days for me to be able to stand unassisted, and then another three to be able to walk a short enough distance to relieve myself without support. I still had to be carried in the sling for the majority of the day, but the little independence I had gained was keeping my spirits high. We eventually camped at a miraculous sight; a wide-ranging waterfall that stretched across multiple cliffs. The sound it gave off was enough to make my bones vibrate and the moisture it left in the air could be seen wafting far into the forest. My rescuer led us to a path that cut into the cliffside, and we were able to slowly make our way up the cliffside to the top. At the top, an ocean of green grass was waving before us, and strange heavily muscled beasts could be seen grazing in the distance. We traveled towards the beasts but were intercepted by more bipedal creatures similar to my rescuer. These ones looked more similar, since they at least had hair on the tops of their heads, but their skin looked like polished bronze and their hair was the color of dried grass. My rescuer handed off his spear, along with a hatchet and hammer that he carried, to one of his other men. A small number of us then left the group to follow the new creatures. We followed then for a while, until we came across an encampment composed of multiple tents and were stopped by a woman who was surrounded by guards. My rescuer then stepped forward and held his hands palm up to the woman and gave what I assumed to be a greeting. The woman replied, then invited us to a large tent in the center of the camp. My rescuer then began to talk with the woman for some time, occasionally pointing towards me, but she shook her head to the side in what I believed was a shared gesture of ¡°no¡±. The two then began to talk trade and I could see my rescuer getting irritated at the lack of items she deemed valuable. Eventually, the woman pointed towards one of the young men that came with us, and my rescuer gave a frown. He spoke to the young man, and after the young man nodded to my rescuer, he had the young man remove his torso covering and spin slowly in place. The woman and a few others gave nods of approval and shook hands with my rescuer to seal the deal. It took me a while to figure out exactly what it entailed until a group of horses were brought over to be exchanged for the pelts, herbs, and oils my rescuer¡¯s party carried. My rescuer gave the young man a long-shared embrace, tears visible in both of their eyes, before he sent the young man forward with his goods. My rescuer was in a dour mood for the next week. Our increased speed thanks to the horses was of little comfort to him. However, I did get him to smile when I pointed to myself and said, ¡°Eldar.¡± --- Travis The next day was a frenzy of activity. I was getting pulled almost every hour for refits on my outfit for the night, paperwork for my wardship had to be filled out, and Lancel was throwing me off balance by being even more nervous than me. ¡°Why are you the one who¡¯s nervous?¡± I asked while I waited for my turn to be refitted, ¡°You¡¯re the child of a noble, beat the cutoff to become a knight by 3 years, and just recently saved an entire village of people without any casualties.¡± Marcia, who was assisting the tailors began to laugh, ¡°He¡¯s afraid that he¡¯ll run into all of the people he snubbed by turning down their invitations.¡± I turned to see Lancel¡¯s shimmering brown skin gain a reddish hue, ¡°I¡¯m having second thoughts about going now¡­¡± he muttered. ¡°Too late to change your mind now!¡± Marcia stated with glee while pinning a decorative edge to a piece of fabric. She then held up the garment and then looked to me, ¡°It should hold for the night, just don¡¯t get into any duels.¡± I took the offered item and began to try it on. The entire ensemble ended up being a mix of Lakelander and Packer styles. For my legs, I borrowed a pair of Lakeland navy colored wood-fiber pants from Darius, (The seams had to be brought in since my quads weren¡¯t nearly as large as his.) a white long-sleeved undershirt was purchased from a Lakelander merchant that was asked to visit, and instead of a traditional Lakelander doublet, I was going to wear a Southern Plains styled dress robe. The shape was similar to the evening robe that I had been wearing, being sleeveless as well, and stopping mid-thigh, but was not as open in the chest area. The main coloring was the Human Kingdom¡¯s forest-green, but it had the Southern Plains gold for trim, and Lakeland navy blue for accents. ¡°It looks nice!¡± I commented when I looked into the mirror, ¡°Umm, what am I going to wear on my feet?¡± Marcia gave me the Hopkins¡¯ family grin and gestured to one of the servants that entered while I was changing, ¡°It just so happens that the boots you were wearing are a popular style right now. I hope you don¡¯t mind, but I had yours polished up a bit.¡± A smiling servant then presented a pair of below-the-knee riding boots that did not look like they had just spent the last two weeks on the road collecting dust. ¡°Those aren¡¯t my boots,¡± I immediately accused, ¡°Even the day I finished making them, they weren¡¯t that shiny or dark.¡± The servant gave out a light chuckle, ¡°I used a conditioning oil that was developed down in the Cloudy Rainforest. Although it unfortunately stains the leather darker, the resistance and repulsion of water it provides is popular among Knights wishing to keep their feet dry.¡± I nodded my head in thanks and tried them on. The dark brown coordinated well with my outfit, and I was a bit tickled that something I made was considered fancy enough for a formal event with nobles. ¡°Well, looks like you¡¯re ready for tonight.¡± Marcia spoke as she circled around me, trying to spot any needed last-minute corrections. She suddenly stopped, and gave me an embarrassed expression, ¡°A bit late to ask now, but do you know how to waltz? You¡¯re going to be expected to do a lot of dancing tonight.¡± I turned my head to raise my eyebrow at Lancel, Arc laughing in my ear like usual, and gave him an accusatory glare, ¡°I was told it was optional.¡± --- Arc Watching the entire family getting ready for the nights festivities was quite interesting to watch. In my previous life, my only exposure to the wealthy elite was through media or working the occasional charity event. The entire day was full of vendors dropping off clothing, gifts, and services. It appeared that the entire family had events to go to that night: Darius and his wife had an invitation to the palace, Tristan would be taking his wife and daughter to an middle ring block party located at a park, Marcia would be meeting her husband at an event hall near the Mage¡¯s Academy, Percy and his fianc¨¦e were to attend a military ball, and Caldia would be going with a few friends to what I assume is a single¡¯s event hosted at a vineyard. Despite all of the preparations, Rabiria managed to sneak in her Matriarchal duties and pulled Travis aside when a lawyer came to formalize the paperwork needed for him to become a recognized ward. ¡°Normally, you¡¯d need your parental guardians to give permission in writing as well,¡± The lawyer explained to Travis while he went over the forums, ¡°but since you¡¯re a resident of a Lakeland city, you¡¯re automatically granted emancipation upon written confirmation from a registered Knight¡­¡± the lawyer gestured at a present Percy, ¡°that your mana level is high enough to require exile from your village.¡± He then handed a book to Travis along with a packet, ¡°These go over the contracted obligations you are to perform as a ward, nothing too egregious, just behave yourself and don¡¯t get into any legal troubles. If you have any questions, you are free to contact me privately, I am considered a neutral party between you and Clan Hopkins, so anything said to me in private will not be shared.¡± ¡°Now,¡± the lawyer straightened his spine, ¡°are there any immediate questions that you¡¯d like answered?¡± Travis sat there for a moment thinking and began to scratch his right ear, ¡°Oh, I got one. What happens if you become a mage instead of a knight?¡± Travis tapped his ear and then asked, ¡°I¡¯ll be taking the exam for the Mage¡¯s Academy tomorrow, what happens if I pass?¡± The lawyer began to chuckle, ¡°Then everything I¡¯ve just done would be for nothing.¡± He kept going for a bit before Rabiria interrupted, ¡°Why is that? I was under the impression that gaining the ¡®Mage¡¯ title was equivalent to a ¡®Knight¡¯ one? I know plenty of older noble families will grant wardships to mage candidates.¡± The lawyer clarified for her, ¡°You are correct, it¡¯s just that academy students are in a strange place legally. Since the academy is funded by the kingdom, all students as a result are drafted into the army and are considered wards of the Queen.¡± ¡°This grants some interesting perks that a typical wardship wouldn¡¯t entail, one of them being a military rank equivalent to a recently titled knight.¡± The lawyer paused to drink some water, ¡°Those of course are only temporary, and upon graduation, the wardship can then be transferred to an existing noble family or the new mage is allowed to establish a family name for themselves.¡± ¡°If the mage candidate fails to graduate though, then things get interesting. They¡¯re considered a ¡®failed knight¡¯ under a standard wardship agreement, and since they were a ward to the royal family, they can only be granted a new one upon completion of a 12-year military contract before they reach the age of 31. Only then can they be granted a noble title and be allowed access to knight training.¡± The lawyer concluded. ¡°That seems really harsh.¡± Travis commented, likely worried about his future. ¡°Mages are a precious resource to the kingdom; the Queen does not want the students at the academy to slack off.¡± ¡°Still, that basically means that I¡¯d have to drop out before my eighteenth birthday, and then serve a full 12 years in the army without a wardship even though I would qualify to become a knight.¡± The lawyer resumed his previous laughter, ¡°There¡¯s a reason most dropouts are exiled from their family and forced to become monster hunters.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. --- Final preparations were being made for the night and Travis managed to find some privacy. ¡°How are you doing? Having second thoughts on enrolling now?¡± Travis gave a nervous grin, ¡°Not going to lie, I am. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to talk to someone tomorrow about how difficult the coursework is? Becoming a knight right after completing basic training is looking pretty tempting now.¡± ¡°I have a feeling that as long as you show that you¡¯re committed to learning the coursework, that you¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯d be in the kingdom¡¯s best interest to help any students that are struggling at the academy.¡± Travis let out a big, jealousy inducing sigh, and began to practice his dance steps while he counted out loud. I started playing music in his ear to help him out, but my poor student still had two left feet. Eventually his frustration got to him, and he began pacing the room agitated instead. ¡°Maybe I should smuggle you into the party? Having you there to help, would take some of the weight out of my boat.¡± Scenarios from various cartoons, movies and novels began to spring into my head, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯d be a bad idea. Even if you pulled it off, you¡¯d shave years off your life from all of the stress.¡± Travis, the little bastard, gave out another sigh, ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right.¡± --- Travis The evening drew near, causing Lancel and I to depart in our carriage. The trip was short, since we were only traveling one ring inwards, but to my annoyance, we ended up waiting in line to enter the estate for over an hour. ¡°Ugh,¡± I squirmed in my seat, trying to force out the stiffness in my limbs, ¡°what¡¯s with the traffic?¡± Lancel began to grin at my discomfort, ¡°The Quintillius clan is taking the time to welcome every guest as they enter the estate. If they didn¡¯t, they¡¯d run the risk of not being able to speak to someone that they invited.¡± He stretched his arms out, then smoothed out the black, gold, and orange sleeved robe that he wore, ensuring that the three clan symbols depicting his ancestry was visible. ¡°As for the line, there¡¯s a social puzzle that every attendant is supposed to figure out. You want to show up early, but not too early since you might come across as desperate, in order to beat the forming line. If you show up later, you can avoid having to wait, but then you¡¯d run the risk of insulting the host by showing up late.¡± Lancel pointed a thumb to the window, ¡°I decided to opt for waiting in line, since it¡¯s the safest option. I¡¯d rather not insult anyone tonight.¡± Eventually our carriage made it to the walkway in front of the estate and we finally exited the carriage. I tried my best to not dart my head around wildly, but it was difficult given all of the new sights. One of the things I noticed was that the displayed symbol for the Quintillius Clan was identical to the bottom one on Lancel¡¯s robe. ¡°Was your grandfather part of this clan?¡± ¡°Yep, these guys are all my cousins. Though that probably doesn¡¯t mean as much to us Packers as it would to everyone else.¡± Lancel led me down the carpeted walkway to a man that waved at our approach, ¡°Sir Lancel! I was in for a shock when you confirmed my invitation yesterday. You¡¯ve given my family quite the honor for being present tonight.¡± Lancel approached the man and gave him a shield brother hug, ¡°I¡¯ve been fortunate in my travels. I did not truly believe that I would return in time to attend, I owe Torbolt a hearty thanks.¡± The two separated, the man giving a friendly grin, ¡°Care to explain what sent you running off the second the flood ended?¡± Lancel extended a hand towards me, ¡°I needed to escort our clan¡¯s newest ward. His mana level grew too high for him to remain at his village.¡± The Packer-descent man gave me a surprised look, ¡°Ah, I see. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Tiberius, Knight of the Quintillius Clan.¡± ¡°Hello, I am the newly accepted ward of Clan Hopkins, Travis, from the Lakeland city of Aelder Creek.¡± I gave out my prepared greeting. Tiberius started chuckling to himself, ¡°Well, I guess I can¡¯t blame Lancel for running off, I know I would do the same if there was some gifted kid just waiting for me to come pick him up.¡± He turned to Lancel, ¡°Just a heads up, there were a few families that bribed me to make your night a storm. Shouldn¡¯t be anything you can¡¯t handle, more of a polite rudeness instead of insult, but it should be enough to appease them.¡± Lancel¡¯s head drooped a bit, ¡°Guess I knew that was coming. Thanks for the warning.¡± Tiberius slapped Lancel on the shoulder, ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, just keep your walking excuse nearby, and all will be forgiven by tomorrow.¡± We left Tiberius to welcome his next guest and then began to enter the estate to find our table. ¡°So,¡± I asked with a mischievous tone, ¡°how soaked in the rain would you be if I didn¡¯t have a huge mana pool?¡± Lancel began to groan as we walked, ¡°I expect that my bruises from Tristan trying to beat some sense into me would become permanent.¡± I chuckled at his response while we followed a servant to our table. There were a few people already seated there, including¡­ umm, crap¡­ what was the name of the middle brother? Lancel froze in place, then began to frown while muttering, ¡°Nothing I can¡¯t handle¡­¡± I looked back over at the man, who was wearing a scapular with the symbol of Torbolt on it. ¡°Sir Lancel, it¡¯s been a while¡­¡± Lancel gave out a sigh, ¡°I guess it has Gaward. It¡¯s been what? 14 years?¡± Gaward gave a frown, ¡°Only because Mother refuses to let me visit.¡± Lancel didn¡¯t reply, only stared for a moment before silently taking his seat. I awkwardly followed and glanced to the fellow teenager seated next to me. He looked to be of mixed descent, having the pale skin of a Northman, but the brown hair of us Lakelanders. He looked as out of his pond as I did, so I decided to say hello. ¡°Hi,¡± I offered my hand, ¡°I¡¯m Travis from the Lakeland city of Aelder Creek, and ward to Clan Hopkins.¡± He stared at my hand a moment before awkwardly grasping it, ¡°I¡¯m Reidar, Spartan of the Queen.¡± ¡°A spartan, wow, I did not expect to meet one here.¡± I commented, hoping the conversation starter was adequate. ¡°I was ordered to attend,¡± he replied, gesturing to the man next to him, then gave out a small groan of annoyance, ¡°I¡¯m to immerse myself with the culture surrounding nobles, so that I can better assist her highness in the future.¡± I looked over to the two brothers that were giving each other looks and commentated, ¡°Well, if it helps, Sir Lancel Hopkins over there just beat the cutoff to become a knight by three years but performed a social faux pas by turning down a bunch of invitations to post flood celebrations. In revenge, a few of the snubbed nobles bribed Sir Tiberius Quintillius to have what I¡¯m assuming is Sir Lancel¡¯s exiled older brother seated at his table.¡± Reidar gave out a small groan and began to massage the side of his head, ¡°I haven¡¯t even been here an hour and I already have a headache.¡± I began to chuckle at his discomfort, ¡°At least the food will be good.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll probably be inadequately portioned¡­¡± he grumbled. Our conversation was interrupted by the silver-haired man seated next to Reidar, ¡°Don¡¯t worry kids, they keep us high-mana folks close to the kitchen so they can bring out seconds and thirds.¡± The rest of the table was remaining silent, likely not wanting to set off the potential fire between Lancel and his brother. Deciding that I should try to help, I tapped Lancel on the shoulder and gestured for him to lean close, ¡°Are you going to be ok?¡± Lancel sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine once dinner concludes and we¡¯re allowed to separate.¡± He shot a quick glance at his brother, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him since the day he left to take the Mage¡¯s Academy exam. Mom and Dad never told me exactly what happened, just that the paladins present convinced him to join their order.¡± That shocked me quite a bit, and I grabbed onto Lancel, ¡°Is that why you¡¯ve been trying to convince me not to take the exam?¡± Lancel gave me a sad look and nodded his head, ¡°I¡¯d rather you take Trent¡¯s offer than join a paladin order. They give out a lot of promises and gifts, but in return,¡± Lancel sighed heavily, ¡°they basically take ownership of your life.¡± A loudly cleared throat came from across the table. Lancel glared at his brother, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did I insult our representative of the church?¡± The paladin looked like he was about to speak, but a loud bell began to ring in the hall, signaling the beginning of dinner. I gave Lancel a grin, and he returned one as well upon witnessing his brother''s frown. Dinner was delicious! Appetizers were delivered before three different courses and a dessert. The servants then took requests for seconds and I could hear noises of contentment coming from my spartan neighbor. Lancel¡¯s brother finished eating, but after watching Lancel make a showing of requesting another plate in front of him, he left to enjoy the party elsewhere. Once he left, the entire table let out a group chuckle, apparently happy that the river blockage was now gone. Eventually, the table finished eating and those present took some time to make pleasantries with Lancel and I before leaving to speak to the other party goers. The spartan next to me surprised me by asking a question, ¡°You¡¯re going to take the exam for the Mage¡¯s Academy?¡± ¡°Yes, going to take the test tomorrow in fact. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused I guess.¡± He scratched the side of his head, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense to accept a wardship from a more prominent noble family that already has mages in their ranks?¡± I got a good laugh at his confusion, ¡°Do you know any?¡± I pointed to Lancel, ¡°I grew up in a tiny village over twelve days travel from the capital, the only reason I met Lancel is because he was assigned to my village as a guard.¡± Lancel grinned at my statement, ¡°Too late, you already signed the paperwork.¡± I snapped my fingers, ¡°Damn, so much for that.¡± The spartan still looked confused, so I decided to clarify, ¡°Lancel¡¯s been guarding my village since I was 10. He was already like an older brother to me.¡± I gave Lancel a pat on the shoulder, ¡°Plus I owe him big time. I¡¯d be covered in burns and probably dead with the rest of my village if it wasn¡¯t for him.¡± Lancel reciprocated with a pat on the back, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that you saved me first. Not many commoners would abandon their safety to save their sworn protectors.¡± The spartan began to nod his head, ¡°I see, you were essentially squad mates, but now you¡¯ve made it official.¡± I looked to Lancel with a strained look, ¡°Umm, I guess?¡± Lancel gave me a grin, ¡°If I remember right, Spartans are assigned to their first squad when they turn 5, and it¡¯s considered a lifelong appointment?¡± The spartan nodded his head, ¡°From what I¡¯ve been told, it¡¯s similar in structure to a familial unit since our squad leader is assigned for life as well.¡± Lancel nodded at the confirmation, ¡°Then yes, my squad officially had Travis assigned to us as a lifelong appointment.¡± Lancel then stood and gestured for me to join, ¡°Now, let¡¯s go mingle with the other attendants, otherwise, we¡¯ll never get a chance to join in on the dancing.¡± A small groan escaped from me, and I spotted the spartan giving me his first smile of the evening, ¡°Have fun, I¡¯ll just stay seated over here.¡± ¡°But I thought you were told to immerse yourself in noble culture.¡± I replied in a mocking tone, ¡°How can one do such if they don¡¯t humiliate themselves by dancing in front of a group of strangers?¡± My new friend¡¯s smile turned into a frown of discomfort, ¡°Please don¡¯t¡­¡± Ignoring his protest, I grabbed him by the arm and was assisted by the older man next to him in pulling him away from the table. The older man shouted at the spartan to hang out with someone his own age, which caused the spartan to start cursing under his breath as we walked around, speaking to different people. The conversations did get repetitive, but at least it was understandable. A wandering elf did shake things up though. ¡°Sir Lancel Hopkins?¡± A tall blonde elf with pale skin and flowing hair asked. ¡°That I am.¡± Lancel paused to study the elf¡¯s face, ¡°My apologies, if we¡¯ve met before, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t recognize your face.¡± The elf waved off the comment with a flick of their wrist, ¡°We haven¡¯t. My name is Selanar Ulaphine, I¡¯m the Head Researcher of Monsters over at the Mages Academy.¡± I swear I could hear Arc squeal in excitement, or maybe it was just my own? Thankfully, no one seemed to notice if I did. ¡°I was told that you¡¯d be attending tonight and wanted to personally ask you about the creatures that you encountered.¡± Lancel nodded his head and then looked around, ¡°I¡¯m under a gag order about the specifics, so we¡¯ll have to go somewhere private.¡± Lancel looked to the spartan, ¡°Umm, silly question, but are you cleared to know what we¡¯re about to discuss?¡± The spartan raised his eyes to think, but then gave a look of epiphany, ¡°You two are from the village that got attacked by those flaming bipedal monsters?¡± Lancel and I nodded our heads, ¡°Then yes, I have already read the report.¡± He then looked over to me as we walked over to a private room, ¡°That story about how you saved each other?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± I replied, ¡°same incident.¡± Once in the room, Lancel and I did our best to describe the creatures in detail, from how they looked to how they attacked. ¡°And you¡¯re positive that they were elves?¡± The researcher asked, showing a mild discomfort at the thought. ¡°My knowledge of elven anatomy is minimal, but one of the monster hunters present seemed confident.¡± Lancel clarified. I decided to add in as well, ¡°One of the one¡¯s I killed did have long ears,¡± I looked the researcher up and down, ¡°but that¡¯s the only distinctive surface level characteristic that you share with those creatures.¡± The researcher began to grow agitated, ¡°I just can¡¯t understand why someone would do that. There¡¯s no way that those creatures would be able to live long. The implanted Fire crystals would simulate advanced mana sickness, and even if done for unethical reasons, the effects are already well documented. There wouldn¡¯t be anything to gain.¡± Silence filled the room, no one could answer the question, but then the spartan broke the peace. ¡°How much do you know about orcs?¡± The researcher looked puzzled initially but then apparently understood what he was implying, ¡°No, they wouldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Why not? Orcs are naturally gifted soldiers. Heck, a large number of Spartans are half-orcs.¡± The researcher began to groan and massage their forehead, ¡°We¡¯ve still yet to learn how orcs were created from us elves, or why they can breed with three different species.¡± He gave out an exasperated sigh, ¡°This is not how I would like to learn about the creation of a new species.¡± Lancel nodded his head along with mine in agreement, ¡°On that, we can agree.¡± --- To my dismay, we parted with the researcher shortly after, and then had to endure getting paired off to dance with the sisters of one of Lancel¡¯s friends. My new spartan friend, whose name I had already forgotten, was at least commiserating with me on the dancefloor. The three of us kept alternating between dancing and talking with the various partygoers. We continued to spend the night sharing stories, telling jokes, and even did a few party games. Eventually, it started to get late, and Lancel spoke to our group, ¡°Well Reidar, it¡¯s been a pleasure making your acquaintance. You¡¯re welcome to come visit the Hopkins¡¯ Estate, I know my father and brothers would be just as interested as I am in getting to know you better.¡± Lancel then extended a hand and grinned when the spartan joined him in a shield-brother hug. Reidar. Reidar, I need to remember that. I gave him a shield-brother hug as well before saying goodbye. Reidar, Reidar, Reidar¡­, I kept repeating in my mind as we left the party. I was going to remember that name. Chapter 15 – A Very Stressful Day We spent many days on horseback, following the river, but always moving North. My body was beginning to fully recover, and I spent my travel time trying to learn the language from my auburn-haired teacher. It seemed primitive at first, but I was shocked at its depth when I discovered that there was a written form, and that it was shared by my teacher and the other tribes that we met. We kept traveling and I was able to learn a few phrases that allowed me to have more independence with the group. I still slept beside my teacher though. The night air in the plains here remained hot, but the night terrors that I was plagued with would cause me to start screaming until my teacher was able to bring me back to my senses. I know that I was a burden to the group, and that a few were unhappy that I was journeying with them. That was something I could tell even before I began to understand their insults. --- Travis ¡°Got your writing tools?¡± ¡°Yep¡± ¡°Extra charcoal and paper in case you need more?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Is your canteen filled? Do you have plenty of snacks?¡± ¡°Ugh, yes.¡± ¡°How about your lucky pair of socks? You just grabbed a pair at random this morning.¡± ¡°What? Why would my socks be lucky?¡± I asked, foolishly exposing myself to Arc¡¯s madness. ¡°Because how else are you supposed to pass your entrance exams?¡± I gave out an irritated sigh as I rubbed my temples with my left hand, ¡°You¡¯re starting to stress me out Arc.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s a stressful day! Now, go stand next to your nameless horse and give me a smile so I can have an image to remember this day by.¡± Not wanting to enter a futile argument with a madman, I walked over to 5,751,054 to give him a pat on the shoulder while I turned and gave my best smile. ¡°No¡­ not like that. You¡¯re supposed to look like your mother is mildly embarrassing you by making you wait in front of your friends while she checks to make sure your outfit is spotless. And there we go¡­ Perfect!¡± I started walking with 5,751,054 out of the stable, happy that I would soon be getting some peace and quiet from Arc. Wait¡­ I stopped and turned my head back in the direction of the stable, ¡°I wish that you could come too bud.¡± Arc began to make a few overdramatic sobs, ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too!¡± I made my exit for real but was surprised when the person I saw waiting outside for me was¡­ rot, I was doing so good with everyone¡¯s names. Lancel¡¯s older brother, who I just found out last night was a twin, gestured for me to come talk, ¡°I know we haven¡¯t really gotten the chance to know each other that well yet,¡± he started to lose momentum, ¡°and I just wanted to say¡­ umm, before you go¡­¡± He started to look agitated and nervous. I could tell he wanted to say something, but I interrupted him by giving him a calming pat on the shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± I then looked into his yellow-orange eyes, ¡°I¡¯ll be coming back whether I pass or fail.¡± Lancel¡¯s brother let out a tension-relieving breath and then gave me the family¡¯s signature grin, ¡°Thanks, between hearing about Gaward from Lancel and now you taking the exam, I¡¯ve been nothing but roiling clouds.¡± He paused to stretch his neck, ¡°Wish I could go talk to a priest, but¡­ yeah, I¡¯m not going to feel comfortable talking about that to a priest of Torbolt.¡± I gave him another pat, ¡°Well, I suppose you could always talk to a priest of Apheros instead. They¡¯re technically best known for their marriage counselors, but I assume there must be some overlap for dealing with familial drama.¡± He started to lightly chuckle as we set off towards the gate, ¡°Not a bad idea. It¡¯s definitely better than my plan to go get day drunk and do something that¡¯ll piss off Lucia with my stupidity.¡± I shook my head at him and then waved to Lancel and Caldia who were seeing me off. ¡°I¡¯d go with, but¡­¡± Lancel spoke, pausing to complete his thought, ¡°I¡¯d, rather not stand around for hours doing nothing?¡± He sheepishly finished, locking eyes with one of the guards. The guard, the same one who sparred with me the other day, gave out a short laugh, ¡°It¡¯s not so bad if you¡¯re paid to do so.¡± The guard then checked over the saddle on his horse before looking at me, ¡°Ready when you are.¡± I turned to say goodbye but was frozen solid when Caldia approached me to give my cheek a kiss. She then joined in on Lancel¡¯s laughter before speaking, ¡°Good luck!¡± Arc began to make irritating cooing noises and started sobbing, ¡°My baby boy is growing up too fast!¡± The comment got me motivated to leave as soon as possible, and I quickly got up on my horse, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± --- Arc I watched as Travis left, feeling glum about not being able to join him for his big day. I was in good company at least, Lancel was walking a bit aimlessly back into the estate until Percy invited him to the archery range. The two kept taking turns doing the equivalent of darts at the pub, even having drinks brought over. Eventually, Percy broke the brotherly silence, ¡°So, did you ask Gaward?¡± Lancel shook his head no, ¡°Was too angry to even speak to him.¡± Lancel paused to line up a shot and shoot, ¡°I don¡¯t even know why I was mad, I just¡­¡± ¡°I still have nightmares about that day.¡± Percy let out quietly. ¡°How mom broke down in tears when the guard returned without him. I just wish that I knew why. We never kept secrets from each other¡­¡± Lancel tried his best to mimic one of Travis¡¯ pats, ¡°Something tells me that any answer he¡¯d give wouldn¡¯t satisfy us.¡± The two gave each other a long shield-brother hug before resuming their ¡°archery practice¡±. Sadly, it was looking to be a boring day, there wasn¡¯t anyone else worth spending the time to snoop on, the only other Hopkins family member left on the estate was Caldia, who was¡­ walking over to me? She opened the trunk that I was in and then set me down on a sheet of paper that she was carrying. She then took out a chunk of charcoal and began tracing my outline, turning me on to my edge to trace again, and then took what I think was a piece of clay and made an imprint of my blade right before the hilt. I saw her smile as she put me back away, commenting that Travis better enjoy the gift. --- Travis I took time to enjoy the silence as I followed the guard to the Mage¡¯s Academy. I was actually happy that I had an excuse to leave Arc, since I didn¡¯t want him to be tempted into helping me out and take away my potential accomplishment. Eventually we made it to the campus, and while the mix of dwarven and elven architecture was something to behold, I couldn¡¯t help but notice a certain lack of something. ¡°Something wrong?¡± My guard companion asked. I rolled my shoulders and gave a strained half-smile, ¡°No¡­ I guess not. It¡¯s just¡­ I thought there would be towers, since¡­ you know, mages live in towers¡­¡± The guard started chuckling, ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, it¡¯s only High Elves that live in towers back in their homeland. Besides, they wouldn¡¯t be allowed to build them very tall anyways. It¡¯s illegal to build higher than the walls of the palace.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± I contemplated as I got off my horse, ¡°I wonder why?¡± ¡°Probably a security thing,¡± the guard guessed as he and I grabbed our bags, ¡°I assume the Queen gets an unobscured view of the entire city because of it.¡± I nodded my head in agreement, then after double-checking that I had 5751054¡¯s second tag, patted him on the shoulder to signal that he could join the line with the other horses waiting to check in at the stables. The guard and I started walking into the campus, and quickly found the location to sign up for the exam. We got into the quickly moving line, and it didn¡¯t take long for me to stand in front of an administrator. ¡°First name?¡± ¡°Travis¡± ¡°Family name?¡± I stated proudly, ¡°Don¡¯t have one, I¡¯m just the son of a farmer. Oh, I am a ward to the Hopkins Clan though, if that¡¯s relevant¡­¡± ¡°Uh huh, I¡¯ll just leave it blank.¡± The administrator then clearly wrote something in the ¡°Last Name¡± portion of the form, but I couldn¡¯t quite make out her poor handwriting enough to see. ¡°Proof of age.¡± I handed her my identification papers, including the emancipation certificate that the lawyer was able to create for me yesterday. ¡°Finally, someone who actually has all of their paperwork.¡± The administrator then took out a stamp and pressed it onto the form that she was filling out. She then grabbed a sheet of paper and handed it to me. ¡°Here¡¯s your written test location and start time, just follow the signs or ask a senior student to lead you. Your companion can wait for you at the Union Hall, which is where you¡¯ll sign up for the practical portion of the test. Any questions?¡± ¡°Umm, no, I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Excellent, good luck with your test!¡± I nodded my head at the administrator and then began to follow the signs until we got to a fork in the path. ¡°Well, looks like this is where we part.¡± The guard who I was feeling guilty about for not knowing his name stated. I nodded at my companion, ¡°Thanks for coming, umm¡­¡± ¡°Barry.¡± ¡°Sorry. Thanks for coming Barry, I¡¯ll try to remember your name as thanks.¡± I let out an embarrassed chuckle that he seemed to enjoy. ¡°Haha, no worries kid. The Matriarch spent an entire year calling me Gary when I first joined.¡± We parted ways and I followed the signs until I found myself in a classroom filled with desks. A guy who must have been a student waved to me and told me to leave my bag by the entrance and to take a seat at one of the desks, but not touch the packet sitting on it. I looked over and noticed a pen and ink set sitting on the desk, ¡°Umm, is it alright if I use charcoal instead to write?¡± ¡°Did you bring your own writing set?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I pulled my set from my bag and handed it to the student. He looked through it, pulling out each piece and holding the resin vial up to the light, ¡°Alright, you¡¯re good. You can use this.¡± I sat down at one of the desks and the student was kind enough to take away the pen and ink. I looked up at the clock in the room and noticed that there was still 15 minutes before my start time. I leaned back in my chair and let out a long breath, a tad annoyed that I had to wait. The student, with the typical pale skin and black hair of a Northman, cracked a smile at me, ¡°Eager to get started?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been wanting to apply here since I was ten, so you¡¯d think another 15 minutes would be nothing.¡± I joked to him. ¡°Just promise me that you won¡¯t be the one to have the panic attack today. There¡¯s usually at least one per day.¡± I grinned wildly at the student, ¡°No promises.¡± The classroom began to fill as the start time finally neared. The student was joined by a few others and a teacher at the front of the classroom where they stood with their eyes searching over the room. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°You will have 4 hours to complete your test. When you are finished, wave to one of the students here, and they¡¯ll escort you out of the room. You will not be permitted to share knowledge with another test taker, or touch another¡¯s desk or test. If you need something, such as a bathroom break or more ink, raise your hand, and a student will assist you shortly.¡± ¡°Begin.¡± I broke the seal on the side of my packet and began to skim through the test like Arc coached me to do. Looks like it¡¯s essay questions for the history portion, data interpretation for the science portion, and word problems for the math portion. Nothing too complicated then. I started with the math section and found it surprisingly easy. There was a page at the beginning that had a list of common formulas for me to reference, and although there was a lot of facets of trigonometry and calculus covered, the questions were just beginner level problems. I took a moment to stretch my arms and neck before I started the science portion, which earned me a look from a student, but they smiled when they noticed that I was moving on to a new portion of the test. It was a bit more difficult, mainly since I had to keep in mind what Arc taught me about how correlation can trick you into thinking something is the cause. I was a bit nervous about how I had to conclude a few times that the data was either insufficient or not relevant to the question I was supposed to answer with the data. Finally, I just had the history portion, and after taking another minute to stretch, I dived right into the first batch of essay questions. Summarize Eldar Adifel¡¯s first interaction with humans. Explain the historical significance of the Sky Dwarf ruins in the Lakeland Crater. What are the advantages given by having a river that runs through the center of the human kingdom? Why, despite its young age, is Common used as the universal trade language? I kept writing and writing, using the 3-argument format that Arc taught me for most of them. Eventually I finished my last question and was shocked that I still had over an hour left on the clock before time was up. I must have caught the attention of the student from earlier, because he came up to me and quietly asked if I was finished. I looked down at my test, worried that I had carelessly rushed through it, but a chuckle from the student made me look back up. ¡°You¡¯re fine, most of the people who pass finish early.¡± I nodded my head in thanks and allowed him to escort me outside of the room. --- I entered the Union Hall and spotted¡­ umm, Gar- no wait, not Gary, Barry sitting at one of the tables reading a book. ¡°What¡¯re you reading?¡± Barry looked up startled, then quickly closed his book and placed a hand over the cover, ¡°Just a boring adventure novel. Nothing you would enjoy.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± I looked at him unconvinced, ¡°Well, I finished the written portion, and signed up for the practical, so I just got to wait for my name to get called now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! Sounds like we¡¯ll get out of here early.¡± I nodded my head and sat down to eat the snack that I brought along. We sat there for a little while making small talk, Barry not once moving his hand. Unfortunately, our relative peace was disturbed by a group of armored individuals entering the hall. I hunched over at the table, hoping that I could avoid their gaze, however Barry noticed that one of the paladins that entered looked familiar. ¡°Does that one look like Percy to you?¡± Percy! That was the name of the middle brother, which¡­ means¡­ I turned to give a quick look, but accidentally caught eyes with the paladin that I met just last night. ¡°Dammit.¡± I exclaim when the paladin began to walk straight over with a few of his friends. I massaged the sides of my head, ¡°That¡¯s Percy¡¯s twin brother. The one who got exiled for joining a paladin order.¡± ¡°Oh, storm. I don¡¯t get paid enough for this¡­¡± The pounding of steel-coated boots drew near before suddenly stopping, ¡°It¡¯s Travis, correct?¡± I mentally whispered a prayer to Apheros to have my name called soon, ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t believe I got yours last night.¡± The paladin of Torbolt extended his hand, ¡°My name is Gaward, Paladin of Torbolt.¡± I slowly extended my hand to shake, ¡°What brings you to my table Gaward?¡± ¡°I wish to apologize for my brother¡¯s behavior towards the paladin orders. My family¡¯s drama has likely clouded his judgement, so I would like to humbly request that you do not hold him accountable for his biases. He is a dedicated soldier, is talented in other fields as well, and one that will give you his undying loyalty should you ask.¡± I gave a confused stare at him, trying to make sense of what he was saying, and I noticed Barry looking just as perplexed as I was, ¡°Umm, I think you have misread the situation. Lancel is my trusted friend, and his talent as a soldier is just a side bonus.¡± Gaward¡¯s eyes bulged in their sockets, and he began to back away, ¡°I apologize¡­ I, should not have disturbed you¡­¡± He kept backing away and then finally gave a low bow, ¡°Please forgive this one for his foolishness.¡± He then briskly walked away, fully leaving the Union Hall. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± the other paladin who was standing nearby stated as he sat down next to me, ¡°I told him who you were, and he immediately began to freak out.¡± I rubbed my face with my hands, giving out another silent prayer, this one to Torbolt, asking him to strike me dead so I wouldn¡¯t have to endure more of this shit pile. I lowered my hands and turned to the remaining paladin of Apheros, ¡°I take it there¡¯s something you want to say also?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep it short and simple. I was sent here by the Archbishop, so as soon as you¡¯re done here, just let me know, and I¡¯ll escort you to the church.¡± He caught me glaring at him, annoyed that he had the gall to assume that I¡¯d join their order without even giving me the sales pitch. He then immediately cleared his throat, ¡°Erhm, right¡­ I¡¯ll leave you alone then.¡± He stood up and walked away in time for my name to be called out by a tall silver-haired elf. ¡°Travis umm, Farm-boy?¡± I groaned for a bit while I banged my head against the table. Barry gave me a sympathetic grin as I got up and walked over with as much confidence as I could muster. ¡°I¡¯m Travis¡± The alabaster skinned High Elf gave me a look from head to toe, ¡°Well, let¡¯s get this farce over with.¡± I mentally bit down my tongue and followed him to a small room with a pair of instructors. We walked up to the first table, and my guide handed a sheet of paper to a caramel-skinned Sea Elf. ¡°Identify the mana crystal type in each one of these boxes.¡± I closed my eyes and activated my mana sight, allowing me to easily see the different colors in each box. ¡°That one has Air crystals. That one has Earth, that one¡¯s Light, that one is half Water half Fire, that one has Ice, and that one has some Wood but is mostly Metal crystals.¡± I opened my eyes in time to see the shocked face of the dreadlocked Sea Elf, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ correct. Perfect score.¡± My High Elf guide gave a small grunt and brought me to the next station where I was directed to stand on an inscribed circle and place my hands on a glass orb in the middle. ¡°For this test, we need you to activate all of the mana in your body and bring your pulse rate up slightly.¡± I did as instructed, then had to repeat the process multiple times while they recalibrated the device. ¡°Ok, try again¡± I amped up my mana a small percentage for the fifth time, thankfully the tester seemed to have fixed the equipment issue. ¡°Sorry about that, looks like you¡¯re a near perfect 25% of each of the four mana types. We didn¡¯t prepare for someone like you to actually try and take the exam.¡± The tester then looked to my guide, ¡°His capacity is plenty high, so you can continue.¡± I followed my irritated looking guide out and down a hallway, trying my best not to panic at the statement that I heard. The tester implied that there was something different about my mana and I couldn¡¯t comprehend what it was. I glanced around and seeing that it was just the instructor and me, decided to look at him with my mana sight. I nearly tripped over myself when I looked at him. I knew that he¡¯d have a huge amount since he was likely an instructor here, but what shocked me wasn¡¯t the quantity. His mana supply was mostly composed of wind mana; around 75% if I had to guess. Arc and I once speculated that it was possible that some mages specialized in only two elements, but this was much more extreme than we imagined. I tried to calm my breath, remembering the lessons Arc taught me about how putting all of my training into a single area would leave me with an ¡°unbalanced build¡±. I kept walking and reinforced my willpower with each step. If not specializing in a single element will cause me to fail the exam, then I was ok with it. Why would I ever want to limit myself in such a fashion? We entered an area that had a series of wooden poles with straw targets attached. My irritated guide made a quick inhale, ¡°This part is simple, just attack a target.¡± I glanced at the elf and gave him a raised eyebrow, his instructions seemed too simple, my entire being was screaming that it was a trick question. He remained expressionless and after a pause muttered with an annoyed tone, ¡°I have more exam practitioners to evaluate today¡­¡± I decided to just let loose, it¡¯d been weeks since I last went all out with spells, my built-up frustrations from today needed an outlet, and that target was just begging me to destroy it. I started by aggressively charging up my mana to gather the ambient mana in the room and launched the biggest [Fire Orb] that I could muster at the target. It burst into flames, and I used some of my lingering control to have the flames spin around the pole, making the straw target burn up fully. I shaped my gathered Earth Mana next, packing a rock the size of my fist as tight as possible with Earth Mana before adjusting the spell array and making the rock fly at a blindingly fast speed towards the pole, causing a loud Crack! as it hit. Seeing the crack in the pole made me grin, and I sent a [Water Orb] encased in Wind towards the crack, guiding the Water into the small cracks with my open hand before closing my hand into a fist and forcing the Wind and Water to form Ice. The wooden pole splintered loudly into pieces, and I could feel the battle-lust in my veins demanding me to attack another target. I was brought out of my tunnel vision by the sound of someone laughing though. I turned my head to see that it was the elven instructor, who was hunched over with one hand on his knee for support due to how much of an uproar he was in. I sat there in a stupor, unsure of what to do, but he regained control of himself and gave me a smile, ¡°Well, I certainly wasn¡¯t expecting that!¡± He started chuckling again, but stopped himself by clearing his throat, ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive me for my lack of professionalism, I assumed that you couldn¡¯t cast when you were staring at me earlier.¡± I gave him a big grin, ¡°Sorry, I was positive that it was a trick question of some kind. Simply attacking a target with spells just seemed too easy.¡± My instructor let out a handful of laughs before composing himself, ¡°You are correct, that technically wasn¡¯t the test.¡± He gave me a grin and held up his palm, ¡°How about we start for real?¡± I swore my grin grew even larger, and I nodded my head. ¡°Good, now pay attention human, for I¡¯m about to teach you your first real spell.¡± I visibly saw air begin to rotate in his palm, and I instinctively closed my eyes to allow myself to focus on just the spell formation he was creating. ¡°This is the standby form of the standard [Wind Blade] spell.¡± He made a portion of the formation wiggle in place, ¡°This bit is where the final activation trigger lies. When you are ready to activate the spell, simply point the three lines towards your target, instead of at each other.¡± I began gathering Wind Mana and started detaching my synced mana into the same pattern as I was shown. ¡°Good, start with the trigger, and then work your ways outward.¡± I finished the spell formation and gave a quick glance to my instructor. ¡°Looks more than stable enough. Now let¡¯s try it out on a target.¡± He demonstrated how to point the trigger and I watched as the crescent shaped spell flew across the room and cause one of the straw targets to split in half. I tried to mimic as best as I could and was delighted when a portion of my target was cut in half as well. ¡°Not bad for a first attempt, most students need a week just to reliably hit a target.¡± He looked at me, then slapped his hand across my back, ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯ve passed your exam!¡± I sat there frozen for a moment, his declaration not wanting to sink in right away, ¡°I¡­ passed?¡± He began to chuckle at my expression, ¡°Well, assuming you didn¡¯t completely fail the written test, then yes, you passed.¡± He set a hand on my shoulder, ¡°Ah, 60 years of teaching here and I still don¡¯t tire seeing that expression. Come on, let¡¯s go get you registered for classes so you can go home and celebrate.¡± I followed behind him, but my mind felt like it was in a drunken haze. I passed. It didn¡¯t seem real. Surely, he must be pulling a prank on me? Wasn¡¯t there something wrong with my mana? I started to slow down and breathe heavily, counting my breaths in and out like Arc once taught me to do. ¡°Do you need a moment?¡± My teacher asked, looking worried. ¡°Yeah,¡± I gasped for air, ¡°can we sit for a moment?¡± He nodded his head and led me to a conveniently placed bench where we sat. I kept counting my breaths while he filled out the form with my information on it. ¡°Hmm, I see that you¡¯re not from a noble family?¡± ¡°No. I did recently accept a wardship, but that was mainly so I¡¯d have a backup plan in case¡­ I¡­ didn¡¯t¡­¡± I took in a big breath. ¡°That explains your mana distribution. I suppose it¡¯s not covered in the general education curriculum that humans found it easier to focus on a single element and that us elves changed our cultivation style to match since it was more efficient for battle.¡± ¡°Will it be a problem for me?¡± ¡°Oh, it won¡¯t be easy. You¡¯ll have to put in four times the amount of work that the other students will, but it is possible. I haven¡¯t seen a human do it yet, but there are always a few elves and dwarves that attempt to learn the traditional elementalist style every few years.¡± He stood up and gestured me to follow, ¡°Come now, I¡¯m sure the Queen would allow you to repeat a year if you truly needed it.¡± I allowed his confidence to influence me and began to follow him towards the Union Hall. A loud groan then escaped me though as we entered the room, I forgot about the paladins, and was now about to walk right into them. ¡°If you¡¯re ready to leave, I can escort you right now.¡± The paladin of Apheros stated while bowing to me. My instructor loudly cleared his throat, and I believed he amplified his voice with mana, ¡°And why would this promising student debase himself by joining your group of failures? You already have a room full of future rejects in here, surely one of them would make a more fitting recruit?¡± Silence filled the hall, the paladin was immobile with an alarmed expression, and the various exam takers began to give looks of terror. The atmosphere was broken when the sound of someone sobbing could be heard walking in with another instructor, ¡°Hear that? There¡¯s one right now.¡± He started making shooing motions with his hand, ¡°Go on now. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be overjoyed once he hears about all of the fun he¡¯ll have serving your whore of a god.¡± I couldn¡¯t even register the insult to Apheros due to the hilarious expression of anger on the paladin. I started joining in on laughing with my teacher at the paladin but had to stop when a random thought burrowed into my head. ¡°Rot!¡± I grabbed the attention of my instructor and the room, ¡°The Matriarch of Clan Hopkins is going to be furious at me. She went through so much trouble to get my wardship filed in time for the party I attended last night, and now it¡¯s about to be nullified.¡± I let out a big full-body sigh, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s even been a full day since I signed the contract.¡± My teacher gave out a laugh as he placed a hand on my back and guided me through the room, ¡°Hopkins¡­ where did I just hear that name¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm, not sure where, unless you heard something about their newest knight Sir Lancel.¡± I thought out loud. ¡°No, that name doesn¡¯t knock my tree.¡± We continued walking, passing by a test taker that was being held down by multiple people as they thrashed about. ¡°Hey look, that one¡¯s having a panic attack.¡± the instructor pointed out. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at his casualness, ¡°Huh, I was told by a senior student that there¡¯s usually at least one per day¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, strange, normally they do that during the written portion.¡± he rubbed his chin while he finished leading me to an area where a bunch of administrators were stationed. ¡°I¡¯ve got a future student here!¡± He handed the administrator my form, ¡°Has his written exam been graded?¡± The administrator pulled out a folder and started skimming through the papers in it, ¡°Yes, right here.¡± They pulled the sheet of paper and placed it on the counter. My instructor quickly grabbed it and began to scan my results, ¡°Excellent, excellent! You tested out of the general education courses. That¡¯ll leave you plenty of room.¡± He looked up at the administrator, ¡°Sign him up for all four core element courses, and make sure you put him in my Wind Spells 1 class.¡± ¡°You want me to put him on the elementalist track?¡± The administrator asked surprised. ¡°Yes, now get to it, I haven¡¯t failed an examinee yet and I¡¯m starting to worry that I¡¯ve gone soft.¡± The administrator started filling out forms and making copies, and my future instructor turned to me, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing you in class Travis.¡± He held out a hand for me to shake. I reached to take it, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it as well, umm¡­¡± He let out a short belt of laughter, ¡°Right, I never introduced myself, I am Archmage Evindal Quinsandoral, Department Head of Wind Mana Studies.¡± I gasped a bit as I shook his hand, not realizing he was such an important figure. He grinned at me, then turned to the administrator, ¡°All set?¡± ¡°Yes, he just needs to sign here and then we can schedule his fitting for his school uniform.¡± ¡°Good, good.¡± He slapped his hand on my shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave, you should be all set now.¡± He then set off on a brisk pace back towards the Union Hall. ¡°Is tomorrow all right for you?¡± I turned to the administrator, still feeling a bit off and I signed the documents, ¡°Umm, yeah, that should be fine¡­ oh, I had a question about that. I know I¡¯m allowed to bring a personal weapon to train with, but can I bring my own sword as well?¡± The administrator looked up for a moment before answering, ¡°Yes, as long as it¡¯s approved by the Quartermaster. Bring it in tomorrow with your other weapon, and he¡¯ll be able to determine if they fit the guidelines.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± I grabbed the stack of papers that I was given and then suddenly began to giggle. I did it! I really did it. In two weeks, I was going to start learning how to become a mage. I started floating through the Union Hall, completely ignoring the mass of people that were staring at me. I walked to the table that Barry was at and saw him doing his best impression of a statue. I waved my hand in front of him, ¡°Barry, are you ok?¡± ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± he stuttered, ¡°You passed.¡± ¡°Of course I did!¡± I patted him on the shoulder, ¡°You didn¡¯t think I¡¯d go through all of this trouble just to fail now, did you? Chapter 16 – Fitting In The more I traveled with these ¡°humans¡± the more questions I started to have. Where did they come from? How did they kill the monsters? Why did our kingdoms fail to notice a budding civilization between our two nations? Who granted them their knowledge? What do they intend to do with me? One of the answers I was at least able to guess now that I had seen them fight. My eyes of truesight were able to see the mana inside their bodies pulse after every strike with their spears. I was shocked to see a difficult to learn technique amongst us elves used so effortlessly. It would often take a dozen years to establish a strong enough mind-body connection to enhance one¡¯s physical strength with mana. But here they were, matching the strength of monsters blow for blow, yet ignoring the mana that swirled around them? It was like they didn¡¯t know how to manipulate their domain. During one of the battles, I instinctively levitated a stone and flung it to save one of the humans. The strain from using my mana for the first time since my¡­ capture, made my entire body ache from the high intensity needed to make up for my recovering cultivation, but the expressions on their faces after the battle put me at ease. They began to sing and dance, gave me the first helping of food that night, and they all surrounded me in curiosity. The leader approached me and was able to ask me to levitate a rock once more. Not wanting to say no to the one who rescued me, I did as he asked, and hovered a small stone in the middle of the group. The leader stared at my spell, then barked something loudly to the other humans. I couldn¡¯t understand all of the words yet but was able to pick out ¡°fallen¡± and ¡°mountain¡±. Arc Blessed Torbolt, voice of the heavens, protector of the herd, destroyer of monsters and arrogant tortoises, I thank you for answering my unspoken prayer. For I was bored, and you graced me with your benevolence. ¡°And he said that I was like a father to him!¡± Lancel violently sobbed into Tristan¡¯s arms, ¡°I was mad at first, but it¡¯s true¡­¡± He grabbed Percy with a free arm so that all three brother¡¯s heads were close, ¡°It feels like it was only a month ago that I was stopping Travis from throwing rocks at the church bell.¡± Tristan, also intoxicated to the extreme, grabbed Lancel¡¯s head and looked directly at him, ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you have kids! All of a sudden you don¡¯t give two steps about whether or not to begin the back-march because your too busy trying to remember if Silia wanted a stuffed bison or a buffalo for her birthday.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what happened!¡± Lancel shouted loud enough for the entire estate to hear, ¡°It was at my knighting ceremony, I remember getting hugs from everyone, but when I had a moment to myself, a random thought entered my mind and all I could think about was that I wished Travis was here. I know it seems silly, he¡¯s just that little kid that I¡¯d do laps with around the town, but the thought of never getting to do that with him again kept gnawing at my mind.¡± ¡°Is that why you made like a leaf instead of doing something sensible like sending a formal letter asking Travis to become a ward instead?¡± Rebekah, a female knight friend of Tristan¡¯s asked while inspecting the poleaxe. ¡°No,¡± Tristan interjected before Lancel could answer, ¡°this idiot didn¡¯t even know that Travis had a big mana supply.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡± Percy shouted, ¡°but¡­ you said no more secrets.¡± He then started bawling his eyes out. Tristan and Lancel pulled Percy into a three-way shield-brother hug. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± cried Tristan. He then made eye contact with his brothers, ¡°I always hated how Dad was able to help train you two. I know you¡¯ve only gotten help these last three years, but I was so close to not making the cut¡­¡± he began to break down, ¡°and you passed without a worry when you turned 30¡­ and you!¡± He pointed at Lancel, ¡°You passed 3 years early!¡± Percy backed away a bit, grabbed a pull from the now empty bottle and looked to the sky while his whole body began to shake, ¡°I¡¯ve been hiding something too! I always hated that I had to share everything with Gaward, even my room, and I hated always being compared to him. So, I prayed to Torbolt once when I was angry, and asked him to make Gaward go away so I could finally be alone.¡± Percy then fell to his knees and cried out, ¡°It¡¯s my fault! I¡¯m the one who made Gaward leave!¡± He was joined by his brothers on the ground, now harmonizing as one in an incomprehensible cacophony of sobs and consoling words. ¡°Wow,¡± Tristan¡¯s other knight friend commented while he grabbed Rebekah from behind by the hips, ¡°I wish I was that close with my brothers.¡± Rebekah turned her head to give Rufus a kiss on the cheek while making an obscene gesture with the shaft of the poleaxe. ¡°Hmm, I think I prefer yours. It¡¯s much more manageable.¡± Rufus grinned and took the poleaxe, ¡°Are you sure? You can make some powerful thrusts with this one.¡± Rebekah closed the distance, the poleaxe pressed between the pair, ¡°If I wanted a thrusting weapon, I would have reached for Tristan¡¯s spear.¡± She then reached her hands around him, giving his ass a firm squeeze. ¡°Well, my hammer-axe will be happy to know that you prefer it.¡± He leaned his head forward, and the two engaged in a long passion-filled kiss. Can this day get any better? A pair of women entered the estate with a few guards. Oh blessed Ignitious, granter of knowledge, bringer of change, he who consumes the death in the undergrowth, you have graced me with your kindness. For your comedic timing is truly of a godly nature, and the envy of all pranksters. Matriarch Rabiria and Lucia, Percy¡¯s fianc¨¦e, were approached by an apologetic servant, saying that they did attempt to cut the brothers off, but they had a hidden stash located in the armory. Rabiria face-palmed at the sight of her boys lying on the ground and gave out an unladylike grunt, ¡°This is my curse.¡± she turned to Lucia and pointed at her sons, ¡°This is what happens when you pray to Torbolt, asking that your sons will never strike each other in anger.¡± Lucia stared at the sight, then let out a sigh, ¡°At least they didn¡¯t make fools of themselves in public this time.¡± Rabiria nodded in agreement, then approached the overly intimate couple and cleared her throat. The two snapped to attention and gave deep bows in apology. ¡°Apologies Matriarch,¡± Rufus let out while bowed, ¡°our lack of respect towards your hospitality dishonors us.¡± ¡°Just, tell me what happened.¡± Rabiria commanded, waving off the formalities. Rebekah began to tell the tale, ¡°Well, we ran into Tristan, and he told us that your family had accepted a new ward and that the young man created his own weapon.¡± She gestured to Rufus, ¡°He mentioned that it looked like a cross between a halberd and Rufus¡¯ hammer-axe and we got curious, so he invited us over.¡± Rufus picked up the story, ¡°When we got here, we ran into Lancel and Percy who were hanging on each other and complaining that the servants stopped bringing them ale. Then¡­ well¡­ next thing we knew, Tristan pulled out a false bottom from his footlocker and¡­¡± He outstretched his hand to the drunken trio and gave an embarrassed grin. Rabiria started to massage her temples, ¡°It appears that I need to apologize on behalf of my son for being a poor host. Perhaps it would be best if we simply forget this incident?¡± The couple nodded their heads. ¡°Thank you,¡± the Matriarch turned to her sons, ¡°could you help assist in sobering up these supposedly grown men? I¡¯d hate for our newest ward to witness such an embarrassing sight.¡± Blessed Apheros, germinator of life, caretaker of the forest, who¡¯s table is never empty of food or drink, I am not worthy of your gift. For you have delivered a smiling Travis back to me. ¡°Quick! Get to the training yard! You¡¯ve got to see this.¡± Travis hopped off his nameless horse, and after being assured by Barry that he didn¡¯t need to help stable the horses, began to walk to the training yard. ¡°Oh, just a heads up, you¡¯re going to want to give your poleaxe a good cleaning.¡± Travis whispered a barely audible ¡°What?¡± as he entered the training yard. The look of incredulity on his face was captured for my personal memories, and I couldn¡¯t help but laugh in Travis¡¯ ear. ¡°Percy decided to go with his original plan for the day.¡± ¡°Travis!¡± Rabiria gasped when her eyes fell upon him. She reasserted her noble posture and approached him, ¡°Before you get any ideas, this type of behavior,¡± she pointed at her sons who were being helped up by the visiting knights, ¡°is unbecoming of a knight, and will not be tolerated amongst our wards.¡± Travis stiffened his posture and gave a firm nod of understanding, but then slumped his shoulders and gave out a pained half-chuckle while he rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Umm, about that¡­ my wardship¡­¡± Rabiria glared at the teenager, ¡°What did you do?¡± He tried to speak, but the intimidating look she gave must have terrified Travis, and he couldn¡¯t let out anything. His right hand reached to scratch his ear. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not bailing you out of this one.¡± Travis regrew his spine enough to hand the Matriarch the papers he held. She took the documents and began to scan them with a visible scowl. She suddenly stopped and almost lost grip of the papers, ¡°You¡­ you were¡­¡± Travis gave a low bow and was finally able to speak again, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know you went through a lot of trouble to get the lawyer here last minute yesterday. If there¡¯s anything I can do in repayment, please let me know.¡± Lancel, now upright thanks to Rufus, broke the hold over him upon seeing Travis and rushed over to him, ¡°Travis! It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t worry, my dad is going to help make you a knight.¡± He forced the former ward into a forced shield-brother hug, ¡°We all decided that it doesn¡¯t matter if you become a knight even younger than us, because you¡­¡± he paused his slurred speech to gain the attention of everyone, ¡°are a brother to us!¡± Travis scowled at the unwanted hug and attempted to pry off the drunken knight. I began to chuckle as I spoke to him, ¡°Looks like you¡¯re officially part of the family now.¡± He kept trying to move the emotional man, but eventually gave up and started leading Lancel away from the yard with the other knights. ¡°By the way, congratulations, I knew you could do it.¡± --- Travis I pushed Lancel into the room and was thanked by the servant while they locked the three brothers inside. ¡°Just how much did they have to drink?¡± The two Lakeland descent knights began to laugh at my question and the woman replied, ¡°They each went through a bottle of creekwater.¡± I gasped, memories flooding my mind of Wobbles telling me that the only difference between his disinfectant and creekwater was whether or not he aged it in a barrel with fruit to infuse the nearly pure alcohol. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°They¡¯d be dead if they weren¡¯t knights!¡± The visiting knights had their laughter renewed as we returned to the training yard where the Matriarch and Percy¡¯s fianc¨¦e were sitting on a bench with my acceptance letter. Rabiria was beaming at me, no longer in shock, ¡°Congratulations Travis.¡± She began to chuckle and then bent over when they turned into belly-aching laughs. The Lakelander knights gave me an inquisitive look, ¡°I passed my exam for the Mage¡¯s Academy.¡± The male knight narrowed his eyes at me and looked me up and down, ¡°Wait, your mana pool is pretty high, but¡­ it¡¯s not built up like a mage¡¯s? How did you pass your test?¡± I grinned at him while I held up my hand and formed a small [Fire Orb], ¡°I¡¯ll admit, it took me a long time to learn how to detach mana from my membrane, but once I got over that initial log, learning to shape it into arrays wasn¡¯t so hard.¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes were like moths to my spell, unable to look away. The female knight squinted at my spell and then held her hand out to cast her own [Fire Orb]. ¡°How did you get yours so stable?¡± She moved her constantly shifting spell beside mine so that she could compare. I closed my eyes to examine her spell, ¡°Your lines aren¡¯t straight enough and one of them has less mana, so you¡¯re probably putting in double the effort to hold it in place.¡± She concentrated on her spell and started to make changes. ¡°Ok, that¡¯s looking better. Now you just need to adjust your tetrahedral angles until they are all at about 109.5 degrees.¡± She looked up from her spell to give me a minor glare before returning. It started to stabilize more, but her concentration failed, causing the mana to de-sync and start scattering. She then gave out a groan and rubbed her eyes, ¡°How are your eyes not bleeding.¡± The male knight started laughing, and then casted a [Wind Orb], ¡°I take it mine is just as bad?¡± I summoned my own spell and hovered it near his to compare, ¡°Your lines are barely teardrop shaped. I bet that must be why you need nearly triple the amount of mana in your formation.¡± He nodded his head, ¡°That¡¯s what my dad says. I was only able to get my mana to form a spell after I brought up my levels high enough to brute force it, which, by the way, is not the best strategy to go with if you¡¯re trying to get into the Mage¡¯s Academy.¡± He slumped his shoulders and gave me a sad smile, ¡°My family has been producing mages for three generations now. There¡¯s going to be a lot of noble families praying for your failure.¡± The female knight wrapped her arms around her companion, ¡°Ours will probably be included, us middle ring families can get vicious if we think our position is insecure.¡± The male knight locked eyes with me and started to grin, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see their disappointment.¡± We continued chatting for a while, mainly sharing training exercises, and I caught Rabiria speaking to multiple servants with Percy¡¯s fianc¨¦e until a guard came into the yard to announce that the Hopkins brothers were now sober. I gave my best imitation of a Hopkins grin to the Matriarch, and she returned the genuine article. She then told the guard to have them meet us in the Main Hall. The five of us entered the hall to find that all three had changed into evening robes and were now sitting on one of the couches with their heads bowed in shame. Rabiria stepped forward, ¡°I¡¯ve decided on everyone¡¯s punishment.¡± She looked down at her boys, ¡°I¡¯ll be pulling from your personal funds to pay for a celebratory event in one week.¡± Lancel and his brothers raised their heads in confusion and Rabiria turned her head towards me, ¡°As for you, in repayment for having your wardship to us annulled by the Queen, you¡¯re going to have to endure being a political tool for a night.¡± I grimaced at the news but nodded my head in agreement to her punishment. Lancel and his brothers however were still slow on the uptake, ¡°Annulled! What happened?¡± My frown flipped over, and I basked in the confusion on the Hopkins brothers¡¯ faces. Tristan¡¯s eyes were the first to sparkle in recognition, ¡°Wait, did you¡­?¡± I nodded my head, ¡°I¡¯m getting fitted for my uniform tomorrow.¡± --- Non-alcoholic drinks were served and plans for the party were already being formed. ¡°Unfortunately, we won¡¯t be able to invite your parents.¡± Rabiria apologized, ¡°The travel time is too long for them to make it here before you start classes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, they¡¯d have a hard time coming even if they were close. Spring planting is in full swing now and I¡¯m not home this year to help.¡± I sighed after my statement, feeling glum despite their assurances over the winter that they would be able to make do without my help. Lancel patted me on the back and locked eyes with his mom, ¡°Perhaps we could make up for it by inviting them up for the Winter Solstice Festival?¡± The Matriarch scratched her chin, ¡°Would they be willing to stay for the entire 4-month travel ban? I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯d be able to get them a travel visa.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I can ask them when I send out my letter to let them know what¡¯s been happening.¡± She nodded her head, ¡°Well, you have my blessing to invite them to winter here at the estate.¡± She reached for a sheet of paper, ¡°Is there anyone here in the capital that you¡¯d like to invite?¡± I thought for a moment and there was only one person that I¡¯d personally gotten to know since arriving at the capital that wasn¡¯t from Clan Hopkins. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯d be able to come, but there was a spartan that I met at the party last night.¡± ¡°We can always send out the invitation,¡± she gestured to one of the lists, ¡°a good number of invites are sent without any real expectation of them coming.¡± She started to giggle to herself, ¡°Some consider parties just an excuse to announce their accomplishments.¡± She picked her pen back up, ¡°Now, what is their name?¡± ¡°Umm, it was¡­¡± I tried to think, ¡°I know it was a Northman name.¡± I turned to Lancel, but his grin was growing malicious as I grasped for the Spartan¡¯s name. I started to scratch my right ear, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, I never met him.¡± Lancel turned to his mother, his laughter barely contained, ¡°You might regret having him host a formal event.¡± --- Supper felt like it took an eternity to begin, and my stomach was protesting to remind me that it was the first time in weeks that I had charged my mana to such a degree. Unfortunately, I had to wait for the rest of the family to gather since I still had Hopkins to tell the good news to. Tristan¡¯s wife congratulated me, and her daughter was ecstatic when I used Water Mana to splash the inside of her dad¡¯s ear. Darius returned to the estate with a pair of newly registered wards that he attempted to introduce to me, but his wife interrupted him for me so that I could apologize for not being able to join in on their training. His response, after I reassured him that I was in good hands for combat training, was of course to give me a rib-cracking hug and then started laughing so hard that the furniture began to shake. Caldia eventually arrived, carrying a package, and whispered to one of the guards before approaching her family and me. ¡°I take it that I missed the big announcement?¡± She gave out with a disappointed tone. I smiled at her, ¡°No, just a small one.¡± She gave me a grin, which for some reason made my stomach act strange, I guess the wait for supper was getting to me. Barry entered the Main Hall, holding a wrapped item, and gave Caldia a nod. ¡°Well, at least allow me to give you a gift to commemorate your acceptance to the academy.¡± She then handed me the package she held. I grew nervous as everyone watched me open the gift. I pulled out the scabbard inside and held it up to the light to better see. It wasn¡¯t anything fancy, just a sheath of dark oiled leather that matched my boots with silver metal ends. It did have a few decorations though, one being an engraving of a shield placed over a spear, hammer, and axe to symbolize the three kingdoms on the locket, and a small inscription of a rabbit dodging a lightning bolt on the chape. Barry stepped up beside me, presenting Arc to me. I darted my head around to catch everyone¡¯s smiling faces before grabbing Arc and testing out the fit. ¡°Fits perfect. This is great, now I¡¯ll get to be by your side during your adventures!¡± The beautiful moment was ruined by a freak-of-nature bearded Packer that entered the hall with Marcia and shouted boisterously, ¡°I have an announcement to make!¡± His eyes scanned the room, until they fell on me, ¡°Wait, who are you?¡± I probably shouldn¡¯t have said anything, but I couldn¡¯t help myself, ¡°One of your students.¡± Surprised looks sprouted in the room, and I turned to Caldia, ¡°That, was the big announcement.¡± --- Arc I watched as an exhausted Travis slumped onto his bed, still with his boots on, and I think he even faded away for a moment when his head hit the pillow. ¡°Tired?¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± I could see why, Travis wasn¡¯t the extroverted type, so his batteries for socializing with so many people had run dry. It wasn¡¯t a problem I personally delt with in my previous life, but I did have a few friends who always needed some alone time to recharge after I roped them into one of my adventures. ¡°Probably doesn¡¯t help that a month ago you were an only child. Now you¡¯ve essentially gained a half-dozen siblings, an aunt and uncle, plus two cousins if you include the wards, all in one night.¡± ¡°I still need to tell you about¡­¡± Travis tried to continue but let out a big yawn. ¡°Take off your boots. Now tuck into bed. Good. Now, go to sleep. We¡¯ll catch up in the morning.¡± Travis did as ordered and I couldn¡¯t help but think about Lancel¡¯s drunken statement of feeling like a father towards Travis. Yep, I definitely felt the same. --- Morning eventually came, and Travis was able to give me a quick rundown of what happened at the academy. Great, Travis is going to a school of min-maxers with a suboptimal build, and I think he¡¯s already become the teacher¡¯s pet of the mean professor. He¡¯s definitely not going to have any problems making friends¡­ On the bright side, it sounds like I¡¯ll be able to join him. He read out loud the documents he received after breakfast, and his acceptance into the academy makes it legal to carry a sword. But, similar to a soldier, he can only have me belted at the waist in the ¡°armed¡± position when in uniform. We left the busy estate with Barry accompanying us to the Mage¡¯s Academy, and the amount of mana present in the area made my figurative head spin. The walls, the air, the grassy areas between the buildings, I had to pull in my vision even more just so I could process it all with my sword-brain. It didn¡¯t take me long to figure out why, the number of teachers and students walking around with their crazy dense mana piles was turning the academy into a giant gravity sink that pulled in any ambient mana. ¡°Oh, thank the gods and God, I was worried that the female students would be forced to wear mini-skirts, knee-high socks, and revealing tops despite being at a military academy while the guys got to wear something sensible.¡± Travis stopped mid-step, turned to look right at me in Barry¡¯s hands, ¡°Maybe I should just use the sword that gets issued to me? This one might curse me with madness¡­¡± Barry started to chuckle at Travis, ¡°That¡¯s just an old wife''s tale, the ¡®voices of your ancestors¡¯ that you hear when you wield an old sword are all in your head.¡± ¡ª- Travis Arc quieted down after I threatened to leave him due to his insanity, and thankfully the trip to the armory wasn¡¯t too difficult. A senior student spotted me when I walked in with the test takers and asked if I was getting fitted. ¡°What gave me away?¡± I joked while holding up my poleaxe. She smiled at me, ¡°Well, you¡¯re also the only one not wearing a uniform who doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re about to freak out from all of the stress.¡± We entered the building and I started to vibrate with excitement at the sight. One of the bearded workers waved me over, ¡°Let¡¯s get you fitted.¡± I nodded my head and followed the short and stocky person, my voice refusing to work, and I was soon ushered behind a blind and handed a piece of clothing. ¡°You boys are lucky, we started issuing the same underpants that the knights wear this year.¡± I took off my clothes and put on the strange boxer-briefs that had extra fabric stitched inside to prevent chafing. I then walked back out and stepped on a circular stone platform. The dwarf began to take measurements of my body, using magic to lift the stone platform up and down, and started pulling brown pants, shirts, socks, and a pair of boots for me to put on. They then grabbed a green arming jacket that extended to my knees and had me swing my arms around. ¡°If the shoulders start to feel tight, just let us know, you won¡¯t want your arms restricted during battle.¡± I nodded my head and gave a thumbs up to approve of the fit. The dwarf then smiled at me and started attaching a set of half-plate armor to me. It looked similar to Lancel¡¯s, but the pauldrons were much fancier, having the symbol of the three kingdoms proudly displayed, and a single multicolored stripe underneath. The weight felt a bit strange, but Arc¡¯s weightlifting training had me prepared. The dwarf double-checked the armor and after confirming that everything fit properly, told me to wait there for the Quartermaster. I stood around and chatted with Barry while he held onto my weapons. We ended up waiting for a long time but were entertained by another new student who was getting fitted. ¡°It feels really tight around the waist, and are the arm holes supposed to be this loose?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to reissue a new uniform every two weeks for you.¡± The dwarf gave a stern look, ¡°If that beer gut doesn¡¯t start shrinking, let me know so that we can fire your combat instructor.¡± The dwarf left the upset Ashman, who started to shift around uncomfortably in their half-plate, ¡°I thought this was only half-plate, why is it so heavy?¡± Barry decided to set the whining boy straight, ¡°Because you''re missing some of the parts of full plate armor that help with distributing the weight. Mainly the upper leg and arm plates.¡± ¡°Then why wasn¡¯t I given a full set?¡± Barry started to chuckle, ¡°Well, for starters it¡¯s more expensive. But the big reason is mobility. It doesn¡¯t matter how much armor you have, some monsters simply hit too hard and you¡¯re going to need to dodge.¡± I grinned at my fellow student''s scowl, but the sound of someone entering took my attention. ¡°Sorry for the holdup,¡± a newly entered dwarf stated to the ones that were getting us fitted, ¡°had to attend a last-minute staff meeting.¡± They grabbed a sheet of paper from the dwarf that fitted me and went into a locked area. They then returned carrying a helmet in their hands and approached me. ¡°Put this on. Now shake your head left and right. Good, nod a few times. Ok, hop up and down¡­ good, now give out a big yawn.¡± I did as instructed, then took off the helmet and held it in my hands. The Quartermaster then placed their hands over mine, causing my hands to squeeze my helmet tightly. ¡°The enchantments on this helmet allow us mages, knights and spartans to send long distance messages. Without them, the defense of the capital would collapse.¡± ¡°Since this is a basic commander¡¯s helmet, there¡¯s four channels for receiving [Message] spells with. The first two on your left side are for the emergency broadcast and battalion orders. The two on your right are your squad and personal channels.¡± ¡°This is now the most valuable item that you own.¡± He tapped the left side of the helmet, ¡°You will face expulsion if you tamper with the enchantments on the left side, and possible execution if you use them in an unauthorized way or lose your helmet.¡± They lowered the platform I was on until I was at eye level, ¡°If something happens to your helmet, you are to report to me immediately so that I can fix the problem before anyone finds out.¡± I nodded my head, ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Good lad. Now, I see that you got some weapons that need approval?¡± I grabbed Arc from Barry and nervously handed him over. They looked over the unadorned pommel and cross guard and gave a big grin, ¡°Been a while since I¡¯ve seen one of these.¡± They then pulled Arc from the sheath, exposing his wide blade with the deep fuller, ¡°Hmm, yep, just like the others. Saturated with every mana type.¡± They sheathed Arc, ¡°You¡¯ll need to have it cleaned up and have the handle rewrapped before you start classes, but I¡¯ll approve its use despite being a bastard sword since you¡¯re clearly strong enough to use it one-handed. You won¡¯t be able to enchant it due to the mana inside being blended finely together, but on the downslope, that type of mana reinforcement makes the metal extremely durable and resistant to the elements, so it will require only the bare minimum of maintenance and should stay sharp for a gross (144) generations of dwarves.¡± They handed Arc to me so that I could strap him to my belt. ¡°I like this guy; he clearly knows how valuable I am.¡± ¡°Not like you¡¯ll be using it anyways when you got this beautiful work of art!¡± The Quartermaster exclaimed when their eyes caught my poleaxe. ¡°Oh, you can just fuck right off!¡± I started beaming at the dwarf¡¯s expression as their hands held my weapon like a newborn, ¡°Who is the Adamanrion blessed smith that made this for you?¡± ¡°I did the design by myself and was able to do a good portion of the metal shaping, but I needed my village¡¯s blacksmith to help with the finishing work.¡± ¡°Village?¡± The Quartermaster finally looked up from their inspection, ¡°You didn¡¯t commission this here in the capital?¡± I shook my head no, ¡°Then where did you get the reinforced ingots?¡± ¡°I smelted and mana-infused them myself using a crucible furnace.¡± I stated proudly. They started shaking their head, ¡°Of course you did. I¡¯ll never understand why you humans don¡¯t do the sensible thing and just lower a crucible into a magma pit to smelt your ore.¡± They gave out a sigh, then handed my poleaxe to me, ¡°It¡¯s approved, but I expect to get updates when you start enchanting this thing. Adamanrion would curse me if I let you ruin a weapon with so much potential.¡± Chapter 17 – Oh, How Things Can Change We kept riding North but were no longer following the large river. The flat plains were starting to change, being broken up by patches of forest, and the number of small rivers and lakes kept increasing. To my delight, the air was cooling down, and my sleep wasn¡¯t always plagued with nightmares. We rode up to a strange sight. It looked like a hill at first, but as we drew closer, I recognized it as a fortified keep. It was surrounded by a ring of sloped earth that sharply dropped into a deep depression. It soon dawned on me that the humans must have built this structure inside of a crater. We were greeted by humans that looked somewhat like my guide, though these ones had brown hair, beards, and skin that varied between pale and tanned. We were led across a wooden bridge that extended from the crater¡¯s edge to a wall located on the inside that surrounded the fortress. The construction wasn¡¯t anything impressive, the stone and wood lacked the mana reinforcement that the dwarves were famous for, but it was an intelligent design. I was led inside with my guide by an individual wearing armor. They gave me a hard look, then looked to my guide to ask a question. I couldn¡¯t make it out, but I did hear the word ¡°green¡± spoken. My guide replied with a no, then asked a question about writing. The armored individual waved for us to follow and took us deep into the keep. I had to carry a torch in order to see and was alarmed at how deep we were traversing. Why would they dig so deep? My question was answered when we entered a chamber that was barely held up with cracked pillars. The entire room was at an incline, with collapsed doorways and other features that made me realize that I was amongst ruins. I was directed to a mural on one wall and nearly dropped my torch in shock. It was depictions of dwarves, standing before a mountain, but something was wrong. I scanned the artwork, frustrated that I couldn¡¯t read dwarvish, but I couldn¡¯t find an explanation. My guide set a hand on my shoulder, having noticed my distress, because what I saw inscribed into the stone made no sense. The dwarves appeared to be standing above the trees, above them floated an upside-down mountain, and on top of that, was a city¡­ --- Travis After the Quartermaster gave his approval to the dwarf that fitted me, I was pulled over to a counter and given the rest of my kit. I was given a week¡¯s worth of pants, socks, underwear, and shirts. Then given two more arming jackets, one of them a fancier formal one that could be worn with or without my half-plate, and a round wood and metal shield. Lastly, I was given a backpack loaded with various survival and equipment maintenance tools. ¡°You mages and knights get all of the good gear.¡± Barry jokingly complained as he showed off how the pouches on the backpack could detach to be slung from my belt. The beardless dwarf behind the counter let out a good chuckle, ¡°Well, maybe if you humans would stop breeding for 6 minutes, we could keep up with demand for once.¡± ¡°You¡¯d have an easier time convincing a Packer to part with their shield.¡± Barry joked back, then turned to me, ¡°I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re just letting you walk out with all of this stuff. You haven¡¯t even gone through basic training.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably a test for when you show up to morning drill practice.¡± I scratched my right ear to agree with Arc, ¡°I assume I¡¯ll get in trouble if there¡¯s anything missing when I start classes.¡± The beardless dwarf behind the counter smiled at me, ¡°Looks like you won¡¯t be scrubbing toilets on your first day.¡± I looked over at the growing pile of stuff, ¡°Is there anywhere on campus that I can store this?¡± ¡°Was just about to get to that. Head outside and ask a senior student to take you to the first-year dorm, the staff there will assign you a locker so you can store your gear.¡± I nodded my head in thanks and started walking out with my backpack and shield on my back, Arc and a bunch of loaded pouches on my hip, and my poleaxe in my hands. I looked over at Barry who was carrying the rest of my clothes, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll admit now, everything is starting to feel heavy.¡± Barry smiled at me, ¡°Welcome to the army. You now carry your entire life wherever you go.¡± --- Arc It felt strange, but in a good way, being side by side with Travis as he walked about the campus. I think he was having a hard time believing it. I noticed that he¡¯d occasionally set his left hand on my pommel, let out a subtle grin, and then give me an affectionate rub. We made our way to the dorms, got assigned a locker in the armory, and Travis was able to offload a good majority of his gear. Barry then offered to take the poleaxe and other items Travis wanted to keep to the stables so that Travis could take a tour of the school. The campus reminded me of the college I went to in my previous life. There were large buildings dedicated to different areas of study, dining halls that looked like they could feed thousands, a giant library, and various places for students to congregate and mingle. What was different however, was the military additions. A long serpentine running path went around the entirety of campus, multiple training yards complete with obstacle courses, and it looked like a majority of the buildings had shooting ranges attached to them. Travis sat down on a bench after his tour and gave out a groan of satisfaction. ¡°Not used to the weight yet?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad at first, and after I unloaded, I was good again¡­ but, yeah, I¡¯m getting tired.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let Hector hear that, or he¡¯ll make you run extra laps to help you get into shape.¡± Travis tapped his right ear and began to stretch his limbs out. He then took off his Corinthian-styled helmet and started to examine it with his mana sight, ¡°Hmm, Wind Mana crystals¡­ each one pulses at a different frequency¡­¡± ¡°Should make talking to you a lot easier for me. I¡¯ve been hesitant to [Message] you on occasion due to people being able to see my spell.¡± ¡°Should be easier for me to talk back as well if I attach the dust filter and lenses.¡± Travis chuckled to himself, ¡°I bet everyone thinks I¡¯m weird for talking to myself so much.¡± ¡°Not really, granted there were some people in your village that would joke that your smarts were leaking out, but thinking out loud isn¡¯t that uncommon of a trait.¡± Travis let out a mild grunt of acknowledgement, then stood up and clipped his helmet to his belt, ¡°We better get going, I know it¡¯s Barry¡¯s job, but I feel bad making him stand around waiting for me.¡± He started heading to the stables but was waved down by a senior student who must have recognized him, ¡°Oh hey! You passed!¡± Travis smiled as the student approached, ¡°Didn¡¯t have a panic attack, but did have a hard time accepting reality when my brain refused to believe that I passed.¡± The senior student started chuckling, ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯ll happen.¡± He then tilted his head, ¡°Why do you have an eight-colored stripe?¡± The little bastard let out a sigh, ¡°I got placed on the elementalist track.¡± Amazement appeared on the student¡¯s face, ¡°Wow, I heard a rumor that some of the inner ring families were going to have their children start making attempts, but I didn¡¯t give it any credence.¡± He extended his hand to Travis, ¡°Jakob Brekke, Apprentice Water Mage.¡± Travis took the hand, ¡°Travis, Initiate Elementalist Mage.¡± Jakob frowned, ¡°Seriously? Rumors are probably already spreading around campus, and it¡¯s not like the entire capital won¡¯t know by the time classes start.¡± Travis started looking confused, so I filled him in, ¡°You forgot to tell him your last name.¡± He smiled after I clarified for him, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just Travis, I grew up in a Lakeland city called Aelder Creek.¡± Jakob narrowed his eyes, likely trying to spot the deceit, ¡°Never heard of it¡­¡± ¡°I got a fun idea; invite him to your party.¡± Travis started to grin, ¡°Well if you want proof, I¡¯m hosting a celebration party on Windsday. I¡¯ll send you an invite.¡± Jakob¡¯s scowl remained unchanged, ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can attend¡­¡± --- We left the third-year student and made our way to the stables. Barry heard us approaching, quickly put away his book, and opened the gate for the horses. ¡°Ready to head back?¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry for making you wait.¡± Barry waved the non-noble off, ¡°It¡¯s my job. You might not be a Hopkins¡¯ ward anymore, but you¡¯re still an honored guest.¡± Travis gave a sheepish grin, ¡°Speaking of guests, we better get back to the estate. I¡¯m about to host my first formal party and I¡¯ve only ever been to one in my life.¡± We made our way outside, the horses doing that creepy thing where they just followed alongside without needing to be led or prompted, and had to walk around a big gathering of people at the gate. ¡°Wonder what¡¯s going on?¡± Travis asked out loud. I sent my focus out, spotted a group of armored humans standing in front of a pair of elves and a dwarf, and started to listen in. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°You¡¯ve been warned multiple times over the years, and the number of complaints we received yesterday from staff and parents was the final leaf.¡± An angry elf spoke to the armored figures. One of the humans, who I assumed was a paladin, started to preach, ¡°We are the acolytes of multiple gods, including the ones you worship. Do you truly think it¡¯s wise to turn us away?¡± The dwarf decided to reply, ¡°If it¡¯ll teach you to stop harassing the exam takers, then yes.¡± The other elf made an attempt to placate the paladins. ¡°We¡¯ll still recommend your orders to any non-noble examinees that fail.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s the real reason.¡± One of the paladins accused, ¡°A bunch of prissy nobles got mad that their kids decided to choose a higher calling.¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Shouted the dwarf, causing the entire crowd to wince, ¡°The senior staff voted on it this morning. If you want back on campus, take it up with the Queen.¡± The dwarf then waved to a bunch of the academy guards and ordered them to disperse the crowd. I pulled my focus back to Travis, ¡°Just a disagreement between the paladins and mages, I doubt that it¡¯ll affect us.¡± --- Travis I finished detaching the last of the half-plate, storing it in the Hopkins¡¯ armory, and took a moment to enjoy my lightened load. It was a nice day out, so I took the long way back inside, and was walking through the gardens when I spotted Caldia. She was seated on a bench with papers and writing tools, and kept looking up at the semi-wild rabbits that lived on the estate. She heard me approach and gave out a whistle after giving me a look from head to toe, ¡°Looking good! That dark green looks so much better than the brown that the knights have to wear.¡± My throat tightened up a bit, but I forced myself to talk, ¡°Thanks, I was a bit surprised that I wasn¡¯t issued a tabard. I guess that¡¯s only a knight thing?¡± ¡°Yep, they do that so they can display their family crest when not out on the battlefield.¡± She invited me to sit by her, ¡°Was the scabbard I got for you approved?¡± I joined her on the bench, leaning Arc against the seat between us, ¡°No complaints, though I do need to take my sword to a blacksmith before I start classes.¡± I looked over at her papers, ¡°Party planning?¡± ¡°No,¡± she angled the papers to show various life-like drawings of rabbits, all in different poses, ¡°taking a break right now, I like to draw in my free time.¡± ¡°Wow, those are really good!¡± ¡°Thanks, want to give it a try?¡± I took the offered art supplies and sat there silently with Caldia as I made my best attempt to draw a rabbit. It didn¡¯t turn out that great, I was better at doing straight lines and angles, but she still grinned at my attempt. ¡°Not bad. At least I can tell it¡¯s a rabbit, Silia likes to give hers really long tails.¡± I gave her a grin and handed her back her supplies, ¡°I should probably head inside, I¡¯ve got a person to invite, and I assume a bunch of etiquette lessons to learn before the party.¡± Her grin faded, and she gave me a melancholic look, ¡°It¡¯s a real shame that you couldn¡¯t stay to train as a ward. Would have been nice to have you around for company.¡± My throat seized up fully, so I grabbed Arc as I stood, and nodded my head before doing my best to not look awkward as I walked away. I had to force myself to walk slowly and only after leaving the garden was I able to calm down my heartbeat. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so nervous, I¡¯m pretty sure she likes you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡± ¡°Umm, care to expand on that?¡± ¡°You know what my schedule is going to be, I won¡¯t have a day off for the entire semester, and then it¡¯s Fall Purge followed immediately by winter semester and then the spring flood after that.¡± I gave out a big sigh, ¡°I¡¯ll need every free moment that I can get. I won¡¯t have time to court someone.¡± Arc went silent for a while, but then finally spoke after I stepped into the Main Hall, ¡°You need to tell her that then.¡± I scratched my right ear due to the presence of the servants in the area, ¡°Communication is one of the most important aspects to a relationship, whether or not it¡¯s romantic, and not speaking to each other is the worst thing you can do.¡± I grunted in irritation, the words Arc used for some reason caused a visceral reaction in me, and I repeatedly tapped my left ear to tell him to shut up. ¡°Something wrong Travis?¡± I let out a breath to try and calm myself, and then turned to reply to Marcia, ¡°No, nothing important.¡± I forced myself to smile, ¡°Is there anything I need to do?¡± Marcia gave me a hard look before responding, ¡°Not tonight, we¡¯re finishing up on sending invitations and already have a caterer coming in two days to finalize the meal selection.¡± ¡°Oh, I do have one more person to invite.¡± She went to grab an invitation and pen, ¡°No problem. What¡¯s the name?¡± I paused, trying to remember the name, but had to reluctantly scratch my right ear, ¡°Jakob Brekke.¡± ¡°Jakob Brekke, he¡¯s a third-year water mage.¡± Marcia nodded her head, ¡°Perfect, I think we were sending out a general one to their family already.¡± She gave me a Hopkins grin, ¡°You might be causing a stir amongst the middle ringers, I think that¡¯s the only personal invite you¡¯ve sent to a noble.¡± I gave out an aggravated groan, ¡°Before I forget, I also need to visit a blacksmith. My sword needs to be restored before I begin classes.¡± Marcia looked down at Arc, ¡°You should do that tomorrow, it¡¯ll look bad if you have a poorly maintained sword on your hip at your party.¡± --- Arc Travis¡¯ poor mood remained for the rest of the night, and although he tried to hide it, many of the Hopkins were able to spot that something was wrong. ¡°Any idea about what¡¯s upset him?¡± Rabiria asked Barry and her children when Travis left immediately after supper to go to his room. ¡°Not sure, I don¡¯t think anything happened at the academy.¡± Barry said while taking a seat to join the family. Marcia thought for a moment, ¡°He did look agitated when he asked if there was anything he needed to do for the party. Maybe he¡¯s upset that we basically forced him to host one?¡± Lancel gave out a sigh before contributing, ¡°He does hate being forced to dance, plus he is just a farm-kid, he¡¯s not going to be thrilled about hanging out with a bunch of nobles he doesn¡¯t know all night.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Rabiria pondered for a moment before speaking, ¡°it¡¯s too late to cancel the party, the invitations have already been sent.¡± ¡°Maybe he just needs a pep-talk,¡± Tristan looked over to his dad, ¡°perhaps from someone who also grew up as a commoner?¡± Darius gave a grunt of acknowledgment, then stood up without a word, and headed to Travis¡¯ room. ¡°Just a heads up, Darius is coming up to your room.¡± I tried to think of something else to say, but then mentally kicked myself for not listening to my own advice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t be ordering you around when it comes to personal matters.¡± Travis sat up from his bed, and turned to look right at me, ¡°It wasn¡¯t that, it¡¯s just¡­ Mom and Dad¡­¡± he gave out a frustrated sigh. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, I know that¡¯s a touchy subject for you. I should have known better.¡± Travis started to wipe his eyes, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I know you just wanted to help, and¡­ it¡¯s good advice¡­ I just¡­¡± A knock on Travis¡¯ door prevented him from finishing his thought, ¡°Travis, can I come in?¡± Travis started to chuckle despite still tearing up, ¡°Isn¡¯t this your house?¡± The door opened and a large giggling man stepped inside, ¡°Yes, but I believe that my sons adopted you into the family yesterday.¡± He gave Travis a softened look, ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re going through.¡± Darius pointed to a space on the bed, ¡°May I?¡± Travis gave a nod, allowing Darius to sit next to the now scrawny looking teen, ¡°I used to be a commoner too, and when I became a knight, I had a hard time adjusting to the sudden change in my life.¡± He placed a hand on Travis¡¯ back, ¡°If you ever want to talk to someone, I¡¯m willing to listen, even if it¡¯s something that my own family is doing to upset you. They grew up in a different world than us, one where no one questioned my sons when they wanted to become knights, in fact, their success was expected. They don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to learn an entirely different culture, or to interact with the people who used to dismiss your goals simply because of your status.¡± Darius¡¯ words must have jarred something loose in the already emotional Travis, because he started to openly cry and lean into Darius, ¡°No one thought that I could become a mage. Everyone: Mom and Dad, Issac, Lancel, the monster hunters, the paladins, the Archmage that tested me, that water mage; Caldia was the only person who didn¡¯t immediately dismiss me, but even she needed proof.¡± Darius began to pull in Travis and rub his back. I could see his face grimace a bit, but it softened back up once Travis calmed down, ¡°I owe you an apology. First I scared you half to death, then I assumed you were some inner-ring knight hopeful that was attempting to court my daughter, and when I found out that you were just some random farm-boy, the only thing I cared about was making you a ward before you failed the mage¡¯s exam.¡± He pulled Travis into a regular hug, ¡°I didn¡¯t even consider that you could pass.¡± He then began to laugh, ¡°Guess I really did become a proper noble after 33 years.¡± Travis kept the hug going, and even seemed to luxuriate in the embrace, ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you give really good hugs?¡± Darius started to give out a big-bellied laugh at the sudden change of topic, ¡°The trick is to activate just your Fire Mana a bit, then concentrate the collected mana on your chest and arms.¡± He gave out a sly grin, ¡°Makes the ladies want to cuddle with you when it gets cold out.¡± Travis gave out a groan, breaking off the hug, ¡°Like I¡¯ll have time for that, I¡¯m going to be doing nearly four times the work of all of the other students.¡± He looked up at Darius, ¡°Thanks Gramps, I feel a lot better now.¡± ¡°Gramps?!¡± Darius recoiled a bit, looking somewhat hurt. ¡°Well, Lancel has been looking out for me since I was 10, so he¡¯s kind of like a father to me, therefore you¡¯re Gramps.¡± Darius gave out a groan, ¡°That reminds me, the wife and I still need to have a conversation with him about his future marriage prospects.¡± --- The next day was a beehive of activity. Rabiria and Marcia were doing a wall to wall inspection of the estate, Darius was training the new wards, Percy and Tristan had to report for duties and wouldn¡¯t be returning until the night of the party, Hector was at the academy preparing for his first drill instructor job, and Caldia was being sent off on errands with the staff. Lancel gave out a deep sigh upon leaving the estate with Travis and Barry, ¡°Finally some peace and quiet.¡± Travis raised an eyebrow, ¡°Aren¡¯t you used to it?¡± ¡°Yeah, but that doesn''t mean that I enjoy it.¡± Lancel guided the group down the street to the ring¡¯s exit, ¡°Part of why I signed up to be a Lakeland Guard, your village was a great place to relax between floods.¡± Barry strode up to join the conversation, ¡°Is that why you didn¡¯t join a more prestigious division?¡± ¡°Partly, the large amount of downtime and lack of travel made it easy to train, plus I was able to visit the nearby fortress twice a week to scout for potential wards.¡± Lancel gave Travis a grin, ¡°Seems like a waste of time now, I wasn¡¯t able to recruit anyone, and the one kid I did find got his wardship immediately nullified.¡± They kept making small talk as they moved to one of the outer rings and entered an enclosed area that resembled one of the massive multi-floor shopping malls from my old world. Travis¡¯ head was on a swivel, and I was doing the equivalent by zipping my focus about like a curious hummingbird. There were so many shops selling different items or services. There was furniture displayed in one store, a shop with kitchen wares, restaurants selling food, lots of clothing stores, a bookstore, a printing shop, a build-a-bison workshop for children, and many more. We stopped before a sign that the trio started looking over. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who to take you to,¡± Lancel thought out loud, ¡°Franklin always took good care of my equipment and the blacksmith my dad bought my sword from only does maintenance on blades that he forged.¡± Travis scanned the directory, then pointed to a specific spot, ¡°I recognize that symbol, that blacksmith is the one who trained Franklin¡¯s father.¡± Lancel narrowed his eyes, ¡°How can you tell? They all look alike to me.¡± Travis gave a grin, then started to head down to what must have been an entire wing dedicated to blacksmiths. I zoomed ahead and discovered how modern by my old world¡¯s standards the equipment was. Machine lathes, drills and saws could be seen making cuts into the metal. Drop hammers were assisting the dwarves, some metal was being cast, and there was a big machine press that was bending metal into shape. Travis left his nameless horse at the entrance and walked in with Lancel while Barry went on a different errand. He approached the counter where a beardless dwarf was greeting customers. ¡°Greetings, welcome to Magmastone, Fireforge and Underheart, how can I help you?¡± Travis unclipped me from his belt, ¡°I¡¯ve got an old sword that needs reconditioning work.¡± The dwarf grabbed the offered sword and gave me a look before nodding, ¡°Hedgrerlug would be able to make repairs, but he¡¯ll need to know who sent you here.¡± ¡°The father of my village¡¯s blacksmith once trained here.¡± The beardless dwarf gave a skeptical look, ¡°The blacksmith¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± Travis scratched his right ear, but Lancel face-palmed before I could answer, ¡°His name was John.¡± The dwarf nodded and then stepped away from the counter for a while before returning with a smiling long-bearded dwarf, ¡°John sent ya? I assumed he¡¯d be dead by now.¡± Travis looked to Lancel and the two shared a sad look, ¡°Well, he¡¯s not dead, but¡­ he¡¯s not exactly with us anymore.¡± Travis cleared his throat to force the topic to change, ¡°I trained a bit with his son, so I recognized your smithy¡¯s crest, and thought I¡¯d check if you could restore my sword.¡± The bearded dwarf gave out a big sigh as he reached for me, ¡°That¡¯s a real shame, that lad was a talented smith.¡± He started chuckling, ¡°I still remember him coming into my shop with that quarterstaff of his and breaking my apprentice¡¯s hands for vandalizing a statue to Apheros. I was so angry about losing a worker right before the flood and grew even more when he just shrugged me off saying to just hire a new one.¡± Travis stood there silent, giving side glances to Lancel. Hedgrerlug¡¯s chuckle ascended into a laugh before calming down enough to continue the story, ¡°I tried to tell him that it wasn¡¯t that easy to train in a new person, but he just stood there with a dumb look going: ¡®you just hit stuff with a hammer, how hard can it be?¡¯¡± He shook his head from side to side, ¡°4 months later, and he was already surpassing some of the dwarfs that I¡¯d trained for 12 years. Wish I could have convinced him to stay, he was a fun one to have around, but then that orc woman showed up, and I guess you know the rest.¡± Travis¡¯ mouth was agape as Hedgrerlug inspected me, ¡°This one¡¯s a beaut, should be able to get it cleaned up in only an hour.¡± The dwarf then walked off with me into the shop. Lancel tapped Travis on the shoulder, ¡°Did you know any of that?¡± Travis shook his head, ¡°I was told a very different story growing up¡­¡± Chapter 18 – How to Woo a Princess My mind was racing as I was led back into the fortress. I didn¡¯t remember much about Dwarven history, but I doubt I would have forgotten being told that their people once lived on floating cities. The armored human led us to an area that was heavily guarded and was speaking to my companion. A loud scream suddenly permeated the hallway before a reinforced door, and my companion put his arm around me to hold me close. We entered the room with the persistent screaming, a large simple stone room with what looked like steel cages in the center. The screaming came from a nearby wall, where a large number of humans were surrounding a table, including a dark-skinned one that looked like the ones who gave my companion the oil that healed me. The armored human spoke to the group, and a small number of them backed away from the table. On it laid the screaming creature, a heavily muscled bipedal thing covered in scars that could have passed for a human at a glance if not for its dark green skin. I was frightened of the sight, my painful memories threatening me to resurface, but I was emboldened by my companion, and knew he would not lead me here without reason. I moved closer, so that I could inspect the face. It had a thick neck and lower jaw with protruding tusks that gave the creature a prominent underbite. It certainly didn¡¯t look like any creature I had seen before. The dark-skinned human looked over at me, gave me a hard look after the armored one spoke to it, then stepped away for a moment to grab a stack of scrolls. They showed me it¡¯s contents, a diagram of the green monster¡¯s anatomy, I looked for a while, but was confused as to why they were showing it to me. A few minutes of attempted communication passed, until the dark-skinned one went to reach for another scroll and presented it beside the first. This one showed the anatomy of a human, and¡­ it was similar but definitely different. The center lung was missing, the heart was on the wrong side, and there were many other tiny differences. The one of the green skinned monster actually looked closer to an elf¡¯s than a human¡¯s. Wait¡­ I looked over at the monster on the table, it¡¯s screaming had died down, and was now whimpering in pain. It had large hands with webbing up to the first knuckle between each finger. Long arms and torso over short legs and large feet when compared to myself or a human. It reminded me of our distant cousins that lived on the shore and islands of our kingdom. I looked once more at the head of the monster. It had pointed ears¡­ I felt my knees go weak, and my companion had to hold me steady. I don¡¯t know how I found the fortitude, but my eyes remained locked on the creature, and I activated my eyes of truesight. I could see the violent mana pulse inside the creature, and just like a monster, there was a core inside of it. The dark-skinned one was putting a damp cloth over the monster¡¯s forehead, speaking words that I recognized as the same ones that my companion first spoke to me after my rescue. My companion spoke to me, choosing his words to match the ones that I had learned, ¡°Help, friend.¡± I looked at my companion, then back to the creature, it was covered in scars, but they were faint and not debilitating, not ones that would have been gained in a battle. I now understood, they wanted to cure the deformed elf before them. I grabbed the attention of the dark-skinned one and pointed to a location on the anatomy chart right above the right hip. They nodded and proceeded to cut into the creature that now resumed it screaming. The dark skinned one used a tool to reach inside the incision, then after making a few cuts with its knife, pulled out the tiny uncut monster core. The creature¡¯s screams stopped, and a deep exhale emanated from it causing its entire body to go limp. Not long after, the sounds of sleep could be heard. --- Travis I stood there dumbfounded after hearing the dwarf¡¯s story. How many times did I hear the tale of Old Guy becoming a blacksmith as a kid growing up? Lancel was visibly thinking, then drew in close to whisper to me, ¡°Ok, awkward question. Is Franklin a half-orc?¡± My river of thought jumped banks, I tried to remember if I ever heard Franklin mention that, but I doubted that I would have forgotten him saying something so astounding, and as far as I knew, there were only humans in my village. I scratched my right ear, hoping that Arc could provide an answer, ¡°I¡¯m working on it! Just give me a minute. I¡¯ve got a lot of memories to sift through.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, he¡¯s never mentioned it.¡± I uselessly looked around, but there were no orcs in the smithy, ¡°I¡¯ve never met an orc, let alone a half-orc.¡± ¡°You boys just gonna stand there or are ya gonna go watch?¡± The beardless desk clerk interrupted. Lancel gave a sideways grin with a shrug to me, and we followed the clerk inside to what I assumed was the master smith¡¯s workshop. The bearded dwarf was covering Arc in a strange paste, brushing it into every crevice with a boar hairbrush, and would occasionally grab a wooden chisel to dig out some of the encrusted gunk. They then placed Arc into a small tub of blue liquid, then pressed a button which made the inside churn with air bubbles. ¡°Removing 144-year-old grime and dirt¡­ oh yeah¡­ that is deeply satisfying to watch¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile at Arc. It was always hard to find something nice to do for him, especially since his senses were so limited. About the only thing I could really do for him was read books or draw pictures in charcoal so that he could see. I looked over to the master smith and saw that he was just idly waiting, ¡°Have you worked on similar swords before?¡± The bearded dwarf nodded, ¡°Aye, been a hobby of mine doing restoration work on these old Northman swords. Real shame that they don¡¯t make ¡®em using the method they used before meeting us dwarves anymore.¡± ¡°I actually don¡¯t know much about my sword. I was given it right before I left my village a few weeks ago.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t give you the history?¡± The dwarf shook his head, ¡°Well, let me fill you in. Back before us dwarves were able to teach you humans the proper way to smelt ores, some of you Northman humans got it into your heads that you could up the heat by constantly pumping air into your fire, and to trap in the heat by using a clay furnace. It would get hot enough, but the mana pollution from the Air and Water would still seep into the metal reinforcement, leaving you with a blade full of all four mana types. Granted, you humans didn¡¯t know how to manipulate mana back then, so it¡¯s not like you¡¯d have been able to inscribe them anyways. On the downslope, the weapons made using that method are practically immune to the elements, would always bend back into place, and never chip.¡± Lancel butted in, ¡°Is that why Franklin¡¯s work was such high quality? I always found it odd that the equipment that he repaired for me lasted much longer than the gear issued to me from the capital.¡± ¡°I did train in John on the old human method, always good to know different smithing techniques. That method would work nicely in a small village, you wouldn¡¯t be swamped with orders, so you could spend the extra time smelting your own ore.¡± I felt my heart skip a beat, and felt dread sink into my bones, ¡°Wait, would that mean his quality would drop if someone¡­ umm, gave him ingots with only Metal Mana in them?¡± Lancel gave me an inquisitive side glance that I tried to ignore, but thankfully the bearded dwarf drew our attention, ¡°Nah, he¡¯d be fine. A bunch o¡¯ farmers aren¡¯t gonna be beating the sand out of their equipment. In fact, he¡¯d probably have an easier time hammering the steel into shape and making repairs without the mana contamination. Besides, it¡¯s not like the non-metal mana would stay in place anyways, it¡¯d eventually wiggle its way out of the steel and be set free after a few years.¡± The master smith then took out Arc, gave him a good look, then carried him over to a different tank. He dunked him in, then wiped him off with a rag, and took him to a workbench. ¡°Got any preference for the leather color?¡± ¡°Umm, can you match the sheath?¡± ¡°No problem, got loads of that stuff,¡± The bearded dwarf opened up a drawer and pulled out a spool of dark leather, ¡°should be done in a few, this one¡¯s held its mana real good.¡± ¡°Hey, can you ask him a question for me?¡± I listened to Arc, then repeated the question, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, you said that the ingots Franklin makes would lose their Non-Metal Mana after a few years. What makes my sword different? I heard that the mana reinforcement could last 144 dwarven generations.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re a sharp one, it¡¯s what they used in the smelting process.¡± The dwarf began to wrap Arc¡¯s handle, ¡°Normally when you make an ingot, you got to add some glass to attract the left-over Earth Mana and add in charcoal to give the Fire Mana something to bind to.¡± I nodded my head, already familiar with the procedure. ¡°The thing is, you can use something other than charcoal¡­ Now, it technically wasn¡¯t necromancy, but after the human kingdoms united and us dwarves and elves helped ya purge those mad cultists, the practice went out of style since it was a bit too close for comfort.¡± ¡°What did they use?¡± I asked nervously, unable to pull my eyes away from Arc. ¡°The bones of their fallen¡­ the stronger, the better¡­¡± I gulped at the revelation, yeah, I was definitely feeling uncomfortable now¡­ Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The master smith finished his wrap, then went over Arc one final time before sheathing him, ¡°There we go, good as new, and ready to nab yourself a princess with.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± / ¡°Wait, what?¡± Arc and I asked in unison. The bearded dwarf started laughing, ¡°Don¡¯t you humans know your own history?¡± I scowled at him, ¡°Care to clarify your statement? How is an old sword supposed to do that?¡± The dwarf kept chuckling, ¡°You know the story of how the human kingdom united right?¡± ¡°Yes, the four representatives met to decide on who to choose as a ruler. The Ashmen representative declined, leaving only the Grand Matriarch of the Southern Plains, the Knight King of Lakeland, and the Emperor Jarl of the Northern Tundra. The three debated whether or not to form a council, but didn¡¯t want to exclude the Ashmen, and were worried that without a singular ruler, the defense of the forming capital city would fail due to infighting. The three eventually decided to have the Matriarch rule, since she was the most experienced tactician, and would be the best person to organize the army. As a compromise, her lineage would only be allowed to marry knights of the newly formed human kingdom.¡± ¡°Aye, you¡¯ve done your studying, but how does one become a knight?¡± I glanced towards Lancel, instincts kicking in that it was a trick question. He raised his eyebrow but answered, ¡°You provide proof that you¡¯re capable of consciously activating your internal mana before the age of 31 and swear fealty to the crown.¡± The old dwarf smirked, ¡°That¡¯s how it¡¯s done now, but one of the queen¡¯s successors found the original requirements a bit too difficult.¡± The dwarf led us into a back room that was filled with massive skeletons of killed monsters, ¡°Dragons are nasty creatures, so full of cysts that they can strip away all of the ambient mana in an area and bring it under their control.¡± They patted the skull of a creature, it was larger than my horse, had teeth as big as my forearm, and was covered in veins of faintly glowing orange light, ¡°The mana inside of a living dragon is so intense that any weapon that manages to pierce their hides is obliterated.¡± The dwarf then pointed out the eye socket of the skull, the size of it bigger than my head, inside was the tip of a spear, dug deep and melted into the bone, ¡°There is one exception though.¡± they then looked at Arc, ¡°The original requirement to become a knight, was to present a weapon bathed in the blood of a dragon.¡± --- Arc The history lesson from the old dwarf distracted me from scanning through memories of Franklin. I didn¡¯t want to halt my search, but the new information provided a clue as to how I came to this world, and not focusing on it was proving to be challenging. ¡°Travis, if it¡¯s alright with you, I¡¯d like to do some soul-searching and scan my oldest memories. I¡¯ll try not to take too long, but I¡¯ll be unavailable while I do so.¡± I paused for a bit, feeling bad for being selfish, ¡°If you think you¡¯ll need me, just let me know, and I¡¯ll wait till tonight.¡± Travis tapped his right ear, then gave my pommel a friendly rub with his left hand. ¡°Thanks bud.¡± I pull in my vision, discontinue my floating focus, and take a mental breath as I inspect my soul. No changes. Still the same size though, I guess that¡¯s good? I look over at my ¡°patch¡± to ensure it is still working as intended and is only acting as an aide. Ok, everything looks fine, time to do the thing you¡¯ve been dreading¡­ Now that I know I¡¯m a captured spirit, with the bones of a fallen warrior being used as a catalyst, it¡¯s time for me to figure out just how old I am¡­ I begin rewinding my memories at a fast pace, it wasn¡¯t necessary, but it allowed me to think in terms of a human rather than a sword. I watch as my vision gets blurrier and blurrier, until all I can see is giant blobs of color. I keep rewinding, but my memories stop. Well, I guess that¡¯s when I got dragged over here. I have my ¡°patch¡± calculate the time I¡¯ve been here, and¡­ ok, I guess it could be worse. I give out a mental sigh, I¡¯m not sure why I was worried, I did manage to prevent myself from going mad. Hmm, there¡¯s not really much I can figure out though¡­ Yes, I¡¯ve got a start date, but that doesn¡¯t really tell me anything. For starters, I¡¯m actually not that old, only 147 years old. There¡¯s also the issue of how I got anchored, since those aren¡¯t the embedded remains of one of my previous lives in my sword body. Then there¡¯s the big question, who pulled me into this universe? Only a god or God could do such a thing, and they don¡¯t normally do something that big without consent. I mentally sigh, no real answers, just confirmation on one of my guesses. I take another pointless look at my soul, not truly expecting to discover something, but was still disappointed when nothing new was learned. Guess it¡¯s time to get out of my head and stop making Travis worry. --- Travis I gave Arc an affectionate pat on his pommel, letting him know that I was there for him if he needed me. I know he probably won¡¯t share what he finds out, but after hearing the dwarf¡¯s story, I can make a few guesses. Lancel and I exited the shop, my wallet not as empty as I feared going in. I think the master smith gave me a heavy discount, since what he charged would have likely only covered the materials used, and the beardless dwarf was grumbling after being told what to charge. I looked around the entrance by the horses, ¡°Where¡¯d Barry go?¡± ¡°He asked if he could go on a quick errand.¡± Lancel and I tried to scan the crowd of people and horses walking in the separated lanes, ¡°I guess we both thought it would take longer to get your sword fixed.¡± ¡°Should we wait or..?¡± ¡°Nah, he¡¯ll be gone for another half hour at least. Let¡¯s walk around for a bit, he¡¯s the one that gets paid to stand around bored, we¡¯ll meet him back here after I get a chance to show you around.¡± Lancel led me out of the blacksmith¡¯s wing of the mall, then went up a ramp into a central ring full of tiny shops. The variety was incredible to me, especially with how specialized some of the shops were. I saw one with glass tanks full of colorful fish that I couldn¡¯t help but stare at, one that a lot of elves were at that only sold a dark brown drink, another that sold face paint, and many more. We finished moving along the current arc to the next wing, which ended up being a massive multi-level bookstore. ¡°Hmm,¡± I looked around and noticed that not only were we close to the blacksmith wing, but a few of the horses outside of the entrance looked similar to Barry¡¯s, ¡°can we check out the bookstore?¡± ¡°Of course, you¡¯re the one who we¡¯re here for. If there¡¯s any place you want to check out, go ahead.¡± I gave Lancel a thanks, then got off 5751054 and left him to walk over to one of the water troughs in the park on the inside of the ring. I wisely looked before crossing the horse path, then weaved through the mass of people on foot into the store. There were multiple guards in front by the registers, scanning the people walking out, and after passing them, entered the massive multi-floored room with seemingly endless rows of bookshelves. Lancel stepped beside me and began to chuckle at my wonderment, ¡°Your entire village could probably fit inside this bookstore.¡± I could easily see it, there were even street signs put up to direct people to different sections of the store. One of the signs caught my eye, and my intuition started to lick it¡¯s lips in anticipation. I started silently walking, now on a mission, though Lancel didn¡¯t seem too eager, ¡°Umm, Travis¡­ why are we going into this section?¡± I grinned at Lancel¡¯s reddening face, ¡°Following a hunch.¡± Inside I found a large sign, Newly Released ¨C Under the Tusks and Sails: Radelia, now free from her arranged marriage and scheming father, travels to the human kingdom with Drozuk to create a new life for themselves. However, tragedy befalls the couple during a storm while sailing on the Grand River, and the two become separated. Drozuk nearly drowns after a blow to his head but is rescued by a passing pirate warlord. Now suffering from amnesia, will Drozuk be able to remember his love for Radelia? Or will he fall into temptation from the advances of the voluptuous Captain Evangeline? We walked past the sign to where a line was forming in front of a large crate full of books, and¡­ yep there he was. ¡°So I¡¯m thinking, we wait for him to get his book then wave to him as he passes by. What do you think?¡± I schemed with Lancel. Lancel, now grinning madly, countered, ¡°I think we should hide, then wait for him to walk to the register and bump into him there.¡± I nodded in agreement to Lancel, and we moved towards the front of the bookstore to wait for Barry. Our timing must have been blessed by Ignitious, because it only took a few minutes before Barry began making his way up. ¡°Barry?¡± Lancel shouted, ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to find you here.¡± Barry, stopped dead in his tracks, was completely immobile for a brief moment, then quickly pulled the book he was carrying close to his chest with a crimson-red face and choked out, ¡°Lancel¡­ Travis¡­ I, uh, thought you¡¯d be a while¡­¡± I patted Arc, ¡°The master smith knew what he was doing, so we got finished quickly.¡± I tilted my head toward the book being tightly grasped in his hands, ¡°Another adventure novel? I was thinking about buying one myself, what¡¯s that one about?¡± Barry began to sweat and breathe heavily, and I was actually starting to worry about his health, but Lancel set his hand on Barry¡¯s shoulder, ¡°We¡¯re just messing with you, I know you¡¯re only picking that up for your wife.¡± Lancel then followed up with his signature grin. ¡°Yes! It¡¯s for the wife!¡± Barry blurted out, now trembling from the stress, ¡°Did you two want to look around as well, or can I go buy this book for my wife?¡± I looked around the store, ¡°Actually, yes. Let¡¯s head over to the history section.¡± --- Travis The day after our trip to the mall, I managed to finagle my way out of some of the party prep to work on the letters I was going to send back home. Mom¡¯s and Dad¡¯s were the easiest, since they mostly just detailed what I had been up to and were ended by extending Matriarch Rabiria¡¯s invitation to winter in the capital. Franklin¡¯s was proving to be difficult though. I scratched my right ear, hoping Arc could help me out, ¡°Maybe just straight up tell him the truth? He¡¯s a grown man who¡¯s likely made poor decisions before, and you¡¯re just a teenager who was put in a difficult situation, he¡¯ll likely forgive you for lying to him. Plus, he might enjoy hearing about your encounter with his father¡¯s master.¡± I wasn¡¯t alone in the Main Hall, Lancel was reading a book, and a few of the staff¡¯s children were doing homework, so I wrote down for Arc to read, ¡°What about the fact that Old Guy told a false story to everyone? I¡¯m not even sure if Franklin knows the true story, he¡¯s never mentioned having a mother, just that Old Guy came to Aelder Creek with him when he was still a baby.¡± ¡°Maybe leave out the bit about the orc woman, we don¡¯t know the full story, and speculating without any substantial leads could lead to harm if they end up false.¡± I tapped my right ear and continued with my letter to Franklin, now feeling self-conscious about it becoming longer than the letter to my parents. My writing was later disrupted by Marcia entering the Main hall, ¡°Just got back the initial stormfront of replies.¡± She gave me a grin, ¡°The two that you invited are both coming.¡± That put me in a good mood, and I gave out a relaxing breath, ¡°That¡¯s sturdy. I didn¡¯t think the one would come; he wasn¡¯t exactly enthused to be at the last party.¡± Lancel looked up from his book, ¡°There¡¯s a big difference between being ordered and volunteering. Besides, he did seem to be loosening up towards the end of the night, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if you¡¯re the first non-spartan he¡¯s made friends with.¡± A large commotion suddenly emerged in the hall due to Rabiria entering the Main Hall with a number of guards and an unknown person in an intricate set of half-plate that had decorative filigree filled in with green paint. I decided to use my mana sight and was shocked to see that the knight was even more mana dense than Darius. ¡°I need the entire estate in this room immediately.¡± Rabiria ordered, shocking me due to her lack of calmness and look of panic. I scratched my right ear, worried that something bad had happened, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to enjoy this. Make sure you got a good seat; you¡¯re going to want to see the faces of all the Hopkins.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for everyone from the Hopkins family, guards, and staff to start entering the room. I turned to Lancel and gave him a whisper, ¡°Is that guy a royal knight?¡± Lancel nodded his head with a worried look, then moved to stand by his sister. Once everyone that could attend the meeting was present, Rabiria spoke, ¡°We just received a letter from Her Royal Highness.¡± She then gave the royal knight a nod. The royal knight pulled out a sheet of paper and with a loud booming voice spoke what was written, ¡°To Travis of Aelder Creek, Initiate Elementalist Mage, currently in the care of Clan Hopkins, I have received word of your accomplishments and find it fitting to extend a personal congratulations to you. Not only did you manage to pass the entrance examination to attend Sigurd the Archmage¡¯s Academy for the Gifted, but you have been given permission to pursue the Elementalist Mage title, despite your humble origin. I wish you the best of luck and will eagerly wait to hear of your success.¡± Ok, wow, a personal letter from the Queen. My heart was thrumming with excitement, no wonder Arc didn¡¯t want to spoil the good news. I caught the eyes of Lancel and the others all beaming at me with their smiles. Well, except for Matriarch Rabiria, who was breathing heavily, and was being held by a confused Gramps. The royal guard cleared his throat, ¡°To Clan Hopkins, in care of Matriarch Rabiria, To bear witness to the continued establishment of your noble house has been a pleasure. Darius, First Knight of Clan Hopkins, has a prestigious military career, and his assistance in defending the capital these past three floods despite his retirement has been a boon to the kingdom. With the knighting of multiple sons, your family has now weathered the most difficult challenge to becoming a permanent fixture of the kingdom. Sir Lancel has received my recognition personally, not only for becoming a knight 3 years early, despite being the child of a first-generation noble house, but for defending the kingdom from an ancient threat that was long thought to be gone from this world. His discovery of Travis has also cast light on a set of potential flaws in our recruitment efforts in the kingdom and is one that I intend to rectify. As a personal thank you for your loyal servitude to the kingdom, I will accept your invitation to Travis¡¯ Mage¡¯s Academy acceptance party on behalf of my daughter, Princess Seleyna, who will be joining Travis at the academy. Queen Claudette of the United Human Kingdom¡± Silence filled the room, I noticed that Gramps was fully supporting Rabiria, Marcia seemed to be doing nearly the same for Lancel, and Caldia was laying prone on one of the couches breathing heavily while staring at the ceiling. I turned to face the royal knight, who gave me a nervous smile, ¡°Well, it could be worse¡­ at least it¡¯s not the Queen who¡¯s about to visit.¡± Chapter 19 – A Royal Knight and Spartan Come to the Rescue My night terrors came back. I was no longer able to sleep, my dreams were now warping to include the screams that I heard from the ¡°orcs¡± that were being cut open. I found myself crying one night in my room at the fortress, unable to sleep, and cursing at the gods for sending me on this journey. I couldn¡¯t handle the stress anymore. The capture, the cage, the rescue, the treatment, the inability to communicate fully, and the growing unanswered questions were all too much. I wanted to go home, back to the familiar snow-covered mountains and 144-elf tall trees. I missed my family, I missed my friends, and I missed the ones I sent out on this journey with. My roommate tried to comfort me by holding me in his embrace, but he was unable to calm my nerves, and I was only able to sleep after collapsing from spending multiple days awake. Thankfully, Zephoreas showed kindness to me, and gave me a dreamless slumber that night. --- Arc I watched with maddening glee as the chaos caused by a simple RSVP sent the Hopkins Estate into a collective hyperventilation. I could even see the Air Mana swirl around, as the forcibly controlled breathing emanating from Rabiria and Marcia caused even their untrained internal mana to activate. Travis, the farm-grown peasant, clearly didn¡¯t fully comprehend why it was such a big deal that someone from the royal family would attend his party. If anything, the constant darting of his eyes, the twitching in his hands demanding action, and the diluted remains of his earlier smile, gave me the impression that he was more confused than anything and wanted to know what to do. The royal knight seemed to expect the Hopkins¡¯ reaction, since he was scanning the room and giving a few subtle nods of affirmation. He eventually moved his gaze over to Travis, and after scanning him with his mana sight, spoke, ¡°I take it you¡¯re Travis?¡± ¡°Umm, yes. I¡¯m Travis.¡± He moved to scratch his right ear; the action easily disguised within the constant motions his body was now doing. Sadly, I couldn¡¯t [Message] him until the knight stopped the usage of his mana sight. Ugh, we need to figure out an alternative way of communication. I should have known this would have happened. Thankfully, the royal knight didn¡¯t seem concerned with Travis¡¯ lack of decorum, and extended a hand, ¡°I¡¯m Asher, Royal Knight of the United Human Kingdom, and personal bodyguard of Princess Seleyna.¡± Travis reached for the hand, and was then able to introduce himself properly, now that he was prompted, ¡°Apologies. I¡¯m Travis, Initiate Elementalist Mage.¡± ¡°No worries, the one you need to show proper etiquette to won¡¯t arrive until your party. Which is partly why I¡¯m here.¡± He turned his head and raised his voice to grab the attention of Matriarch Rabiria, ¡°The Queen is understanding of the difficulties she has placed on your family and has sent me to assist in preparation for the Princess¡¯ arrival.¡± Rabiria, now looking fortified from her steady breathing, regained her footing, and was able to recompose herself, ¡°Her Majesty is most kind. If you¡¯d like, I can prepare a guest room for you so that you can stay here at the estate.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble.¡± Asher gave a quick bow, ¡°I am here to assist Clan Hopkins, so feel free to consult me in any matter,¡± he raised himself back upright into a domineering posture, ¡°but do be warned, I will have final say on whether or not it is safe for the Princess to attend.¡± ¡°Understandable,¡± Rabiria gave a quick return bow, then cast her eyes across the room, ¡°is there anything that the entire estate needs to be aware of before her visit?¡± The royal knight rubbed the reddish beard on his jaw that didn¡¯t match the nearly black brown on top of his head, and made eye contact with Darius, ¡°There will be a contingent of royal guards arriving on the morning of the party to help secure the estate.¡± Asher then moved the focus of his gaze towards Rabiria, ¡°The Princess has made it clear to me that this is to remain Travis¡¯ celebration party, so if possible, try to plan out as if she wasn¡¯t to be attendance. The princess declined the offer to host an event of her own, so she would not appreciate any blatant attempts to make the focus of the celebration turn to her.¡± The royal knight stopped rubbing his beard, ¡°It may be conjecture on my part, but I believe the Princess prefers smaller, more intimate, events. I recommend not sending out any additional invitations,¡± Asher paused a moment to chuckle, ¡°I have a feeling that once word gets out, everyone who got one will for sure be attending now anyways.¡± Asher then gave Travis a big smile, ¡°You¡¯re in-luck farm-boy, the princess enjoys not just waltzing, but Lakeland traditional dancing as well. So just pretend it¡¯s another harvest festival, and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± I could almost physically see Travis¡¯ heart plummet into his stomach as he finally felt the same amount of impending dread that the Hopkins were feeling. --- The days started to slowly pass, the preparations taking up an increasing amount of time each day, and everyone was thankful for Asher¡¯s assistance. Darius and the guards spent the entire day grinning after an initial security sweep of the estate showed no impending issues. Their neighbors however, well, let¡¯s just say there¡¯s nothing quite like the satisfaction of a higher up boss chewing out a fellow employee for ignoring the safety violations that you kept warning them about. The caterer almost refused to serve the requested dinner of wild rice soup, battered fish fillets served with Lakeland regional fruits and vegetables, eight-layer hotdish, and caramel ice cream; claiming it was unfit for a royal princess. The royal knight however was able to defend Travis¡¯ menu choice, reminding the caterer that it was Travis¡¯ party, and that it was quite arrogant to claim knowledge of the princess¡¯ food preferences. Asher, grinning after the exchange, gave Travis a wink after the caterer left, whispering that the Princess always enjoyed hotdish as a child. The number of attendees was going to exceed expectations as predicted, which meant there was only room in the Main Hall for those who replied before word got out of the princess¡¯ attendance. The rest would have to be seated outside in tents. Asher was again able to come to the rescue by requisitioning a few additional Packer style tents from the army and even convinced a drill instructor to have a group of trainees provide additional manpower for the set up. The only person he wasn¡¯t able to help was Travis, who was growing more nervous and agitated as the impending day approached. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s switch out for a moment.¡± Marcia suggested as she took Caldia¡¯s place during another one of Travis¡¯ dance lessons. Travis whispered an apology as Caldia hid the pain on her face from the multiple times he stepped on her and went to go sit with Tristan¡¯s wife Varia and Percy¡¯s fianc¨¦e Lucia. ¡°A Lakelander that can¡¯t dance,¡± Lucia shook her head in disbelief, ¡°that boy is nothing but walking impossibilities.¡± Caldia sat down and tucked her legs underneath the table to hide the fact that she was massaging the likely to form bruises on her feet, ¡°I know Lancel warned us, but I thought he was just exaggerating.¡± Lucia sighed in acknowledgment, then winced at the sight of Travis jerking Marcia¡¯s arm after his foot slid, ¡°Is there any way that we can keep Travis off the dance floor?¡± Varia lamented at the situation while she was going over the seating arrangements, ¡°We¡¯ll have to consult with Asher, but I highly doubt that a stepped-on foot is warrant enough to deem Travis a threat to the princess.¡± Hmm, is there something I can do to help? I think the stress is making Travis even worse than usual. ¡°Can you excuse yourself for a bit? I¡¯d like to chat with you.¡± Travis miss-stepped yet again during my [Message], then let go of Marcia and backed away, ¡°Sorry, but I need a few moments to refresh myself.¡± Marcia didn¡¯t object, and Travis quickly made his way to the restroom so he could talk to me in private. ¡°Ok, what did you want to talk about?¡± ¡°Well, you for starters¡­ I know that you hate dancing, but you¡¯ve never been a hazard on the dance floor before. Is the stress of having to dance with a princess getting to you? Or is something else sending your anxiety into rapids?¡± Travis leaned his back against the wall and let out a long exhale, ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± ¡°The having to dance with a princess? I think you¡¯re just an unlucky pawn who happened to create the correct circumstances for the princess to have a casual outing.¡± ¡°No, that part I get, it¡¯s the dancing¡­ it should be simple, just move your feet in time with the beat, but you¡¯re supposed to ¡®flow¡¯ from position to position, and you¡¯re also supposed to¡­¡± Travis¡¯ rant ran out of steam, and the poor kid began to sink to the floor. ¡°I¡¯m a leafless sapling aren¡¯t I?¡± I was tempted to reassure him, that he¡¯ll be fine, but I know Travis didn¡¯t want an empty platitude, ¡°Yes, there is no way that you can avoid making a fool of yourself on the dance floor.¡± Travis looked up with a shocked expression, ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan? You can¡¯t dance yourself out of this situation, and the princess will be disappointed if she doesn¡¯t get to have fun doing so.¡± Travis sat there on the tiled stone floor, thumb rubbing the gap between his eyebrows, ¡°What I need is someone who¡­¡± his eyes lit up with an idea, ¡°I got a plan!¡± --- I watched Asher enter the armory, looking around to ensure that he was alone, then approached Travis¡¯ locker. He activated his mana sight, then started looking over Travis¡¯ things, starting with¡­ the poleaxe¡­ Seriously? Travis already showed it to you, what do you hope to find out? He looked over it for a while, but reluctantly hung it back up, disdain showing on his face for not finding what he was looking for. He searched through Travis¡¯ other belongings, then finally picked me up to inspect, even drawing my blade so he could get a proper look. That¡¯s right, inspect the real weapon, that poleaxe will just melt if it stabs a dragon. Asher brought my pommel close to his eyes, but sheathed me shortly after, and gave out a loud sigh, ¡°Nothing¡­ who the rot are you?¡± He placed me back, then returned outside to help with more planning. Hmm¡­ that was odd. --- Travis Tonight was the night. Either everything will turn out great or I¡¯ll simply make a fool of myself. I stood before the entrance to the Main Hall, wearing my formal arming jacket and Arc on my hip. Lancel stood nearby, wearing a formal evening robe and piece of cloth on his belt that displayed his lineage, and was looking almost as nervous as me. Lancel tried to ease the tension, ¡°Some of the carriages outside have been circling for an hour now¡­¡± ¡°Won¡¯t they be seen as desperate if they arrive right at the start time?¡± Lancel chuckled, ¡°Too late, our guards and the assisting royal guards have already spotted their family crests, they¡¯ll be gossiping about it tomorrow.¡± ¡°That¡¯s assuming nothing more scandalous occurs tonight.¡± I muttered in reply, happy that the party would be starting soon. It didn¡¯t take long for the first guests to arrive, and Clan Hopkins got into formation to help greet the incoming people. Since I was the ¡°host¡±, I had to give a quick greeting to everyone that stepped onto the estate. The guests would then have a longer greeting with one of the Hopkins before entering the Main Hall. ¡°Rebekah, Rufus! I¡¯m glad you could make it.¡± I gave Arc a pat on his pommel, happy that our plan to have him state a person¡¯s name every time I turned to them was already working. Rebekah gave me a big grin, ¡°Of course we were going to make it, and I would like to point out that we even sent our replies before word got out about one of your guests.¡± I started to chortle, ¡°I wish you could have seen everyone¡¯s faces when the royal knight arrived.¡± I glanced down at the sight of the two holding hands and noticed a matching set of twine bracelets. ¡°You two are getting married! Congratulations.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Thank you,¡± Rufus proudly boomed, ¡°it took a while for our families to come to an agreement, but I¡¯ll be joining Rebekah¡¯s family next year.¡± Lancel raised an eyebrow, ¡°What does your family get in return?¡± ¡°My dad gets to pick out two future wards from Rebekah¡¯s family to keep as potential mage candidates. If they both make the cut, one of them can even return.¡± I shook my head at the absurdity, ¡°Can¡¯t you nobles stick to something more sensible for a dowry? Like a team of horses or a pair of pregnant livestock?¡± The Lakelander knights let out a big laugh, grew excited when I mentioned the music choices for the night, then left to go tell Tristan and Varia the good news. ¡°You do realize that you¡¯re one of us nobles now right?¡± Lancel teased while giving my back a prod with his finger. ¡°Only on a provisional basis until I graduate.¡± I proudly stated, ¡°By the way, those two brought up something I¡¯ve been meaning to ask. Now that you¡¯re a knight, aren¡¯t you expected to get married to someone?¡± ¡°Oh, would you look at that, more guests. We¡¯ll have to talk later.¡± I gave Lancel a minor glare, then turned to greet a large number of guests before finally recognizing someone. ¡°Jakob! I¡¯m glad you could find time to come.¡± The black-haired and nearly ghostly pale Northman shook my outstretched hand and leaned in close to me, ¡°Like it was an option for me, once word got out, my family interrogated me for hours when they noticed that our house received two invitations.¡± I gave him my best sympathetic smile, ¡°Sorry about that, the invitation was supposed to be a minor revenge for you not believing I wasn¡¯t a noble.¡± Jakob waved me off, ¡°Tell you what, send my family a thank you for this gift and we¡¯ll call it even.¡± He reached into the inside pocket of his formal arming jacket and pulled out a small leather case, ¡°These writing tools developed by a Cloudy Rainforest family have been in high demand the last couple of years and are only now available to people outside of the royal palace.¡± I looked down and opened up the case, inside was a small sheet of sandpaper and a dozen small painted sticks, except one was partly sanded and showed that the wood was wrapped around a tiny piece of charcoal. ¡°Tiny charcoal sticks?¡± ¡°More like highly compressed charcoal. I¡¯m not exactly sure what the process to make it is, but the charcoal acts differently on paper when you write, since it doesn¡¯t smudge or rub off enough to require a resin coating.¡± ¡°That sounds handy!¡± I looked up and gave him a thankful grin, ¡°Thank you, this is a great gift. I¡¯ll definitely send that thank you card.¡± Jakob gave me a wide smile in return, ¡°They wanted me to get you an enchanted blanket or fancy gaming set, but I figured you¡¯d want something that you would actually use.¡± I nodded in agreement, then noticed Barry signaling to me to wrap up my greeting, ¡°Unfortunately, we¡¯ll have to wait to talk more until after I finish greeting everyone. Do keep the princess entertained while I finish up outside here.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Jakob nearly tripped when he turned his head back towards me. I laughed at his expression but had to return to my hosting duties. A few more guests filtered through before the stream of people suddenly stopped. I looked over to Barry, who gave me a nod to confirm that she was here. Lancel gave out a breath to calm himself, ¡°Here comes the stampede ¡­¡± Asher escorted the Princess towards me, she certainly looked like one, light brown skin with a subtle glow, long flowing hair that was a mix of Packer blonde and Lakelander brown, large eyes and irises that spoke of an Ashman descendant, and blue-grey eyes with those strange eyelids that I noticed that some Northmen have. I took a knee and lowered my head the way Asher coached me, and spoke my prepared greeting, ¡°It is a great honor for you to join us this evening, I am Travis from the city of Aelder Creek, Initiate Elementalist Mage.¡± The princess moved close enough for me to see her shadow, ¡°Greetings Travis, I am Princess Seleyna of the United Human Kingdom. Please rise, so that I can be properly greeted.¡± I slowly rose to my full height, posture as perfect as I could manage, and even did that scapular retraction and abdominal flex that Arc told me to do to make myself look larger. The princess turned to Asher, ¡°We¡¯re good now right?¡± Asher nodded, ¡°If the Princess deems it so.¡± ¡°Good,¡± she then turned to me and extended a hand, ¡°feel free to address me as Seleyna tonight, or simply Princess if it¡¯s more comfortable for you. Also, allow me to apologize for putting you and Clan Hopkins into this stressful situation, I believe my mother sent me here due to not wanting to have a large party of my own.¡± I cautiously reached for her hand and darted my eyes quickly to Asher to make sure it was ok before making contact, ¡°Thank you for the apology¡­ Seleyna¡­ you are too kind.¡± We stood there a moment after the handshake, I didn¡¯t know what to say, and the princess wasn¡¯t speaking either. Thankfully, Asher noticed my growing awkwardness, and suggested to the princess that I resume greeting the remaining guests. Lancel got up from his kneeling posture, ¡°Ok, that wasn¡¯t as bad as meeting the Queen, I think I can handle this.¡± ¡°Sturdy, someone at the table will have to talk to her, and I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m up for the job.¡± ¡°The princess just thanked Asher for saving her, she froze when she didn¡¯t know what to talk to a peasant about.¡± I patted Arc in thanks, and made note of his observation, I¡¯ll have to initiate the conversation next time we speak. The trickle of guests began to slow, making me worry for a short time, but eventually I saw at the end of the line, a familiar brown-haired Northman walking up with the same elderly man that was sitting by him at the previous party. ¡°Reidar, I was growing nervous, I¡¯m happy that you could make it.¡± ¡°Apologies Travis, there was an unexpected complication in our preparations tonight, hence our delay.¡± The oddly nervous looking spartan spoke. The old man beside Reidar gave out a quick bark of a laugh before correcting the younger spartan, ¡°What he meant to say was that he panicked when he thought that he needed to bring a gift to congratulate you.¡± The old man started shaking his head at the now bug-eyed fellow teen, ¡°Tried to tell him that it wasn¡¯t needed, but he kept insisting.¡± Reidar made eye contact with me and made a sad face, ¡°I¡­ couldn¡¯t decide on anything¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I reached forward to give him a shield-brother hug, ¡°It¡¯s alright, you being here is more than enough.¡± I felt Reidar reciprocate the hug and let out a deep exhale. I captured the attention of his eyes an gave a conniving grin, ¡°I was hoping to take advantage of your skills as a spartan tonight, if you¡¯re willing to do me a favor.¡± ¡ª- Reidar wasn¡¯t exactly thrilled about my plan, but the old man, who I found out was his squad leader for life, reassured him by reminding him of his oaths as a Spartan of the Queen and that he had received training to complete such a task. We made our way into the Main Hall, the interior unrecognizable from its earlier layout and decoration, and proceeded to the table that we¡¯d be seated at. The table was the smallest in the room, only having room for my two personal guests at each of my sides, Lancel to the right of Reidar, then the princess, then Asher, and finally Jakob to my left to complete the circle. Jakob looked terrified, and seemed to be attempting to hide behind Asher, so I decided to break the ice, ¡°Seleyna, how did your test for the academy go? I know the stress got so bad for me that I couldn¡¯t even comprehend that I passed at first.¡± Seleyna gave me a quick smile, and I even caught Asher crack a small grin before she spoke, ¡°More frustrating than nerve-wracking. There was an incident at the Union Hall before I went down to take my practical, so Asher here decided to have me take it the next day.¡± I kept calm but was panicking a bit internally. Was she describing what I think she was? ¡°Did you test on the first day?¡± Jakob, finding enough confidence to peer around Asher asked. ¡°Yes, were you present for it?¡± ¡°No, but what happened has been some of the top gossip around campus. Unfortunately, I have no idea what¡¯s true. Some of the rumors even state that Professor Quinsandoral personally signed up a student for classes,¡± Jakob looked around the table, ¡°which for those of you who haven¡¯t attended the academy, is a big deal, since the professor in question is notorious for being impossible to please and that distinction is usually only reserved for royalty.¡± Jakob then looked to Seleyna and started giggling at his unintentional choice of words. I was positive that I was beginning to sweat. Was that really such a big deal? I know a lot of people were staring at me after I came back from registering for classes, but I assumed it was because of the paladins. Seleyna started to giggle along with Jakob, ¡°Someone should have told my examiner, the second I was done learning how to cast a [Fire Blast], they signed my paperwork and sent me off.¡± Reidar tapped me on my shoulder and whispered, ¡°Is everything all right? You look like you forgot to make your bed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I whispered back, then felt relief when the gong rang to signal the beginning of supper. What¡¯s the phrase Arc always uses? Right, thank the gods and God. ¡ª- During supper, Arc began to brief me on the various conversations happening in the estate. A lot of it was of minor importance, though there were a few major rumors being discussed. Most of them revolved around my origin. Quite a few people thought that I was the bastard child of some inner ring noble, others thought that Lancel illegally trained me as a ward, but there was one rumor that quieted the others. One of the guests, who works in the palace as an accountant, shared that the Queen ordered a complete audit of all high mana checks done by the Jarls in the star fortresses. Apparently the Jarl at Lakewell Fortress (the one that watched over Travis¡¯ village) was submitting false reports and placed a town in danger due to not removing an abnormally high mana individual. ¡°Incompetence is one thing, but laziness¡­ well, at least it sounds like he won¡¯t be doing that again. The Queen gave the order to have the Jarl executed.¡± I gave Arc a pat in thanks and took note of the dinner¡¯s progress. Everyone had let out a good laugh at the sight of Reidar¡¯s plate and portions being triple the size of everyone else¡¯s, seemed to enjoy the savory and hearty taste of the food, and I even caught Asher smiling at Seleyna when she tore through her hotdish. Sadly, the table was finishing their meals, and the band had already switched to a song for waltzing. I decided to get it over with, then gathered all of the courage that I could muster, ¡°Princess Seleyna, would you honor me tonight by being my first dance partner?¡± The princess gave a subtle startle, but quickly went into a royal composure, ¡°It would please me greatly.¡± The two of us made our way to the dance floor, us being the first ones there, and I took a big breath as we got into position. The music began to play, and I focused on Arc¡¯s counting in my ear to help keep in step, but the smile on the princess was losing its luster since I was doing a poor job. I managed not to step on her feet, but it was becoming clear from her stiffening posture and lack of conversation that she was not enjoying herself. Thankfully, Reidar walked onto the dance floor to start the first phase of my plan. ¡°Excuse my intrusion, but my oaths as a Spartan of the Queen require that I defend the crown from all danger and emotional distress.¡± Reidar paused to look for my affirmation, ¡°That includes poorly performed dancing.¡± Reidar then extended a hand, ¡°Please allow me to ensure your safety and comfort on the dance floor this evening.¡± Seleyna looked to me, but I gave her a gentle nudge towards the spartan and mouthed a thanks to my rescuer. The two paired off and began to dance, the smooth motions and assertive lead already causing the princess to smile. Well, time for part two. I walked over to the band, eyes straight ahead to ignore the looks from everyone, and requested the next song. The conductor gave me a grin, then silently signaled the group of the change in the playlist, while I stood nearby and charged my Air Mana and listened to Arc key in my starting pitch. I waited for the waltz to end, then began to sing one of the popular Lakeland polka songs, the band then joined, and my baritone voice started echoing through the Main Hall. The princess upon hearing me sing, started to grin madly, then yanked on Reidar¡¯s arm to pull him back into another dance. The two were soon joined by Rufus and Rebekah, then even more Lakelanders as my song continued. After I finished, Seleyna giggled at the sight of Reidar glaring at me for not sharing my full plan, but quickly softened his expression when he was asked to continue dancing for the next song. I thanked the conductor and was headed back to my table, but was stopped by an approaching Caldia, ¡°Would you be willing to honor me with a dance?¡± I looked around, then closed the distance so I could whisper, ¡°Are you sure? I think I might have hurt your feet the other day.¡± She gave me the Hopkins¡¯ grin, and started pulling me to the dance floor, ¡°I¡¯ll survive one dance.¡± The two of us got into position, the song now switching to a much slower and¡­ ugh¡­ romantic tune. Caldia made my stomach twist into a knot when she decided to switch to a Packer dance, pulling me closer and adjusting my forearm to rest on the small of her back. She mirrored my body positioning, and the two of us began to make small shuffles with our feet while our bodies swayed to the beat. I felt my throat tighten, my body sweat, and my breathing growing more intense. ¡°It¡¯s your decision, but I think now would be a good time to tell her.¡± I removed my left arm from Caldia¡¯s back to give Arc a pat, then readjusted our dancing form back to the Lakeland style so that the gap between us would allow me to better see her confused face. ¡°Caldia, I want you to know that I¡¯ve enjoyed our time together and wish that I had the opportunity to get to know you even better, but¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be spending every waking minute trying to keep up with your studies.¡± Caldia interrupted, then drooped her head a bit, ¡°A few of my friends here warned me, but¡­ I guess I didn¡¯t want to believe.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I lowered my own head out of shame for upsetting her. The current song finished, and the two of us silently parted ways. I looked around, and seeing that Reidar and Seleyna were still dancing, decided to move back to my table. ¡ª- The night moved by surprisingly quickly, after spotting that Jakob and Lancel were deep in conversation with Asher, I had Arc instead lead me around the hall so that I could make small talk and conveniently intervene a few times. A family that was planning to try and lure me to join their older and more established family after my graduation, was silenced when I verbally thanked ¡°Rabiria and Gramps¡± for helping me host the party and mentioned that I owed them greatly for supporting me after my arrival to the capital. A small group of middle ring nobles were displeased for being seated outside in one of the tents, so I went outside to make a round of apologies, lying that the sudden influx of attendees forced us to organize the seating arrangement by the order of receipt. My poleaxe that was on display in the training yard was gathering a small crowd, and despite Arc saying that I didn¡¯t need to concern myself, decided to greet the merchants and pair of blacksmiths. I ended up spending nearly an hour demonstrating my weapon, going over the creation, and answering questions from the genuinely impressed crowd. Arc tried to convince me to move along a few times, but his reasons for doing so were a bit flimsy, and I was starting to think that Arc might be growing jealous. Eventually the party was drawing to a close, and the guests were beginning to leave. Jakob thanked me for the invite, stating that he enjoyed himself, and offered to tutor me with my Water Mana studies if I ever needed help in the future. The princess and Asher said their final goodbyes while surrounded by royal guards in front of the Main Hall, and I even received a kiss on the cheek from Seleyna after she thanked me for the wonderful night. Asher shook his head at my reddening face, then shook hands with me and thanked me as well for creating a memorable evening for the princess. I went back inside and gave the nearby spartan a sideways hug, ¡°I owe you big time for your help!¡± Lancel, who was by the door as well, gave out a grin, ¡°Are you sure? Reidar seemed to be enjoying himself.¡± His tone then changed to a teasing one, ¡°After all, not only did he spend most of the night dancing, but he was the envy of all the nobles since he was the only one the Princess chose to dance with.¡± Reidar¡¯s face flushed a bit, but he remained professional, ¡°The Princess requested that I be the only one to dance with her tonight, stating that my dancing was pleasing, and that she didn¡¯t want to create a disturbance by having people compete to dance with her. I agreed with her assessment and performed my duties as a Spartan to the Queen.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but jest at his wording, ¡°You agreed that the dancing was pleasing? Lancel, I think our friend might have a crush!¡± Lancel and I started laughing at Reidar¡¯s sudden realization but stopped when he started to look panicked. I put a hand on Reidar¡¯s shoulder and gave him a quick pat to help calm him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that was mean of me, especially after I already threw you into the lake without a log.¡± I smiled at the sight of Reidar cheering up, and had a sudden idea, ¡°Hey, are you on duty tomorrow?¡± My spartan friend gave me a quizzical look, ¡°No, part of the reason I was able to attend tonight is due to there being a strange delay in receiving my next assignment.¡± Lancel already thinking what I was, decided to ask, ¡°There are guest rooms available, would you like to spend the night here?¡± Reidar¡¯s confusion remained, and he shifted a bit from side to side, ¡°I¡¯d have to receive permission from my squad leader first¡­¡± ¡°No problem.¡± I stated, then looked around the room for Reidar¡¯s ¡°dad¡±. ¡°Southwest corner, talking to Darius.¡± I patted Arc in thanks, then sent out a [Message] spell, ¡°Hi there, it¡¯s Travis, can Reidar stay the night?¡± I watched as the elderly spartan bent over in laughter, startling Gramps and the other knights, but eventually was able to upright himself then give me a wave and thumbs up. I placed my arms around Lancel and Reidar, ¡°Your dad said it¡¯s ok! Come on, let¡¯s go have some fun!¡± Chapter 20 – New Friends and Unexpected Roommates After finally getting a dreamless night¡¯s sleep, my friend gathered me and his party, and we set off towards the North. I still had nightmares, but I was at least able to fall asleep due to exhaustion from the constant battles with monsters. Now that I was fully recovered, I could support the group with spells, allowing them to get in the killing blows once the beasts were disoriented. The constant cycle of speeding up my mana¡¯s pulsing from casting, then slowing it by consuming monster meat, was increasing my stores of internal mana by a significant amount each day. My body was changing also. Now that I was no longer protected with a wall, I had to engage the monsters head-on with the humans and learned to enhance my physical body, just like them. My limbs and torso were becoming thicker with muscles, not enough to match any of the humans, but they kept giving friendly squeezes to my arms and smiling at my newfound strength. Our journey started veering Northwest, until a snow-capped mountain range came into view, and then a walled fortress that was nestled between two mountains stood before us as we drew near. The faces on the humans were jubilant, and I finally was able to translate the word the kept calling our destination. ¡°Home.¡± My friend took me past the gate, allowing me to meet the humans inside. To my surprise, they all had black hair, and the beards that these ones grew didn¡¯t cover their chins as much or were anywhere near the thickness of the last tribe of humans that I met. Some of them even had differently shaped eyelids, which caused me to look quizzically back at my friend. He started to grin as I looked at his brown hair and thick beard, then to the sea of black, and then back to him. My friend led me to the gargantuan building that was inside the wall, and greeted the numerous people inside of it, taking a long time to embrace one of the older females. He then took the time to teach me the words for ¡°Mother¡± and ¡°Father¡±, allowing him to explain that his mother was from here and that his father was from a tribe further south. The mention of family caused my homesickness to renew with a fervent vigor, and it must have been obvious, because my friend cheered me up by showing me around the multi-story building, then took me to a place that felt like heaven to me. Inside of the heated room made of sanded wood planks, a stack of fire-roasted rocks was placed in a bin, allowing us to pour water over them and increase the humidity. The heat was able to soak into every crevice of my naked body, and I thanked my friend for the pleasurable experience. He grinned at me, then after we left the ¡°sauna¡±, we bathed, put on freshly laundered clothes, then went into a room that was covered from floor to ceiling with scroll-filled shelves. I looked around, chiding myself for once calling these humans savages, and was directed to look at a map that my friend had pulled out. On the West and East sides of the map were mountain ranges, the South side ended at the sea, and the Northern portion faded into unexplored land. From North to South, the land transitioned from rocky tundra to bountiful lakes and rivers, then to wide open plains, and finally a massive forest at the bottom. My friend pointed out the three-headed river that connected it all, then how one branch started near the mountain range I originally came through. He pointed at me, then traced his finger from the mountain range to the river, then traced his finger down its path till it connected with the other two and went into the southern forest. He then pointed at himself, then traced his finger from our current location to the middle river, then followed it down to the southernmost forest. I looked at my friend in puzzlement. Why was he so far South? And if he knew where my home was, why didn¡¯t he bring me there? He started chuckling, then pointed to what I think was a calendar on the wall. He pointed to a specific day, and after a quick study, was able to determine that he was pointing out the current date. Winter would be coming soon, and then the flood of monsters. My heart gripped with fear. I was on the wrong side of the mountains, and there was no way we could make the crossing during winter. My friend then pointed to another date on the calendar, one that corresponded to a day late in spring, then pointed at me then spoke the word ¡°home¡±. It took a while to sink in, but once it did, I began to weep, he was going to take me home¡­ he was¡­ but, why? Why did he rescue me? How did he know I was trapped in a cage so far south? I grew hysteric and tried to speak to him, asking him why, but he eventually calmed me down enough to hear his answer, ¡°My god sent me.¡± His god? My heart was pounding in my ears with elation, and my breathing was growing rapid from the excitement that the gods did not abandon me here. I gripped him by the arm, and started shaking my friend, ¡°Who sent you? Zephoreas? Hydraviandor? My friend shook his head, ¡°No, I am Oskar, Chosen of Apheros.¡± My euphoria was washed away with a new tide of confusion. Apheros? Apheros sent him? Apheros, the god of trees, alcohol, and debauchery; sent him? I stared at my friend, then fell into his arms when my mind refused to continue regular functions.. Nothing made sense anymore. --- Arc It felt nostalgic watching Travis walk across the Main Hall with his two buddies in tow. He was strutting just like I used to after signing a new client, and the grin on Lancel plus the timid look on Reidar reminded me of my two coworkers. I gave out a nice deep metaphorical sigh of contentment, it wasn¡¯t even a year ago that I had to start pressuring Travis to be more sociable, but here he was, unprompted, off to go have fun with his friends. I just wish I could join them. Yes, technically, I was with them, but hanging from Travis¡¯ hip doesn¡¯t exactly count. Hmm, maybe I should ask Travis to introduce me? Lancel is trustworthy, has been looking out for Travis since he was 10, and might even become his legal brother if Travis decides to transfer his wardship to Clan Hopkins after graduation. Reidar seems like a good kid as well, definitely an introvert, but he does loosen up once¡­¡± ¡°So, what do you want to do first?¡± An excited Travis asked Reidar. The teenage spartan darted his eyes around, clearly not expecting to be given the lead, ¡°Umm¡­, I haven¡¯t gotten to see your poleaxe yet, despite hearing about it multiple times now.¡± On second thought, Travis only met Reidar a few days ago. We should have him properly vetted first. Travis grinned a bit too hard for my liking, ¡°I¡¯d be happy to show it off! C¡¯mon, let¡¯s head to the training yard, should be less people outside by now anyways.¡± His assumption was quite wrong, in fact, there was a large number of people beginning to circle around the training yard, surrounding a bearish looking man and¡­ Percy? What the? I only stopped paying attention for like 5 minutes¡­ what the hell did I miss? I rewound my memories to play out the scene. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯d like to rephrase your last statement.¡± An angry Percy growled towards an overweight knight named Breidr. ¡°Come now Percy, just because your clan is still a newborn doesn¡¯t mean that you should have the innocence of one. We all know that there¡¯s no chance that boy will graduate, and even if he did, why would he join your clan?¡± Percy didn¡¯t respond right away, just kept glaring at the rude man for a bit before turning to one of the guards, ¡°Fetch us some quarterstaffs.¡± I pulled out of my memory in time to see Travis scratching his right ear after spotting the crowd, ¡°Sorry, Percy challenged someone to a duel.¡± The trio looked around for a spot to watch, but Tristan spotted the group and barked a few orders to the guards to make room for them up front. Lancel walked up to his brother, ¡°What happened?¡± Tristan shook his head, ¡°The usual¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to get his ass handed to him, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Mmhmm.¡± Percy and Breidr began to remove their torso coverings, allowing Percy¡¯s lean bodybuilder physique to contrast against the powerlifter build of his opponent. The two then each took quarterstaffs, began to inspect their equipment, and stepped into the ring. Travis, the gluttonous little bastard, was more concerned with another matter, ¡°How¡¯d that one guy get so fat? I used to be forced to take days off from physical training due to not being able to eat enough.¡± Lancel and Tristan¡¯s concentration on the duel was lost to laughter and many of the people nearby began to snicker as well. Reidar was frowning at the hefty knight, ¡°Waste of resources. My squad-brother would have a fit upon seeing him. You¡¯re supposed to use mana-rich foods to supplement recovery from your training, not to force-feed your mana density higher.¡± Lancel suddenly face-palmed, ¡°I¡¯m an idiot.¡± ¡°Yes, you are.¡± Tristan automatically replied. Lancel scowled at his brother, but decided to share his realization with Travis, ¡°I should have known you had a high mana pool from how much food you¡¯d eat at gatherings or how everyone joked that they could bribe you to do their chores by feeding you lunch.¡± Travis chuckled a bit before replying, ¡°On a good day, I could earn an extra three lunches from helping out in town.¡± The conversation had to conclude however¡­ Percy brought his staff into a guard position, eyes locked onto his opponent, then nodded. Breidr grinned at Percy, then held his staff like a baseball bat and nodded as well. The two amp up their internal mana, then dash to the center of the ring, Breidr immediately goes in for a large swing, but misses as Percy skillfully hops backwards. Percy starts circling, making taunting thrusts with his staff and amps up his Fire and Air Mana to gather a forming cloud of ambient mana around him, but has to leap over a low swing from Breidr, forcing him to back up to the edge of the fighting circle. Breidr gathers Earth Mana into a formation, then stomps his foot downwards to activate the spell, causing a small wall of Earth to pop up from the ground. He then makes a punching motion with his left fist, commanding the synced mana to make the wall fly towards the cornered Percy. Percy grins, then pole-vaults over the Earth wall, at the peak of his vault, he shapes his gathered Fire Mana around his right fist and Air Mana around his forearm. Percy then kicks off the Earth wall to increase his speed towards his opponent. Breidr tries to bring his staff up to block the incoming fist, but it shatters upon impact, and Percy¡¯s fist strikes the man in the chest. The mana on Percy¡¯s arm rushes forward with the motion, shoves Breidr back from the blow, smothers him initially with Fire Mana and then the Air Mana quickly follows after in a violent collision, making the mana cloud around Breidr instantly turn pink. --- Travis The two mana types that Percy gathered fuse with each other, and a bright light flashes in tandem with a loud crack of lightning. My eyes take a moment to adjust and my ears ring for a bit until I hear the sound of someone moaning. I blink a few times and am finally able to make out a bleeding Percy walking over to the fallen man, pausing to pick up a broken piece of staff, then holds the splintered end to the man¡¯s neck. ¡°Yield.¡± The man stops his groaning, now growing frightened of the bloody image of Percy glowering over him. Growing frightened of the sight as well, I march into the ring and enhance my voice so everyone can hear me, ¡°That¡¯s enough Percy, I think you¡¯ve gotten your point across.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Puns? Really?¡± Percy turns his head to me and starts chuckling, ¡°Good one.¡± His posture relaxes and he tosses the broken staff aside while giving me a fresh grin, ¡°Sorry for causing a ruckus at your party.¡± I grin back, then peer towards the fallen unmoving man, ¡°Is he going to live?¡± ¡°Only a mild shock, for a knight, should wear off once his body heals a bit.¡± Reidar enters the ring, then approaches Percy, looking him up and down, ¡°Just minor surface cuts and embedded splinters,¡± he then darts his head around, ¡°is there a first-aid kit nearby?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go grab mine.¡± I rush into the armory, detach the needed pouch from my backpack, and enter a now clearing out training yard. Reidar grabs the kit from me, summons a [Water Orb], then begins to wash the blood from Percy. Once finished, he pulls out a tweezer from my kit and starts removing the embedded material from Percy¡¯s torso and arms. He then holds out his pointer and middle finger, visibly focuses, and starts tracing his fingers over the numerous small cuts, ceasing their bleeding. ¡°Reidar is a healer!? We need to recruit him for our adventuring party.¡± I reactivate my mana sight partially, and am able to see Reidar¡¯s fingers glow with a green light, ¡°You use Wood Mana to stitch the wound back closed?¡± Reidar nods his head slightly as he finishes, then grabs some salve and bandages for the larger wounds, ¡°Yes, I chose field medicine for my support skill due to having an easier time shaping Wood Mana.¡± He then finishes and makes eye contact with Percy, ¡°I take it you can amp up your internal mana yourself?¡± Percy nods, then slowly amps up his mana in just his torso and arms, ¡°No mana-rich foods for a day right?¡± Reidar shakes his head, ¡°Nothing went deep, you¡¯ll be fully recovered after a few hours.¡± --- The duel signaled the end of the party for a majority of the guests, and the guards were directing everyone to the Main Hall or assigning guest rooms for some of the closer friends of the Hopkins. Barry approached our group and chuckled at Percy, ¡°My wife is still going to be upset that you got your trousers bloody.¡± ¡°She can toss them if they¡¯re too ripped up, Lucia made me start wearing cheaper ones after the last set got ruined.¡± Percy grinned, then turned to Tristan, ¡°Speaking of Lucia, we should probably turn in before our wives get mad at us.¡± Tristan nodded, then headed over to the training yard¡¯s bathhouse and sauna to help Percy clean up, leaving Barry to address me, ¡°Lancel said you needed a room for Reidar?¡± I nodded my head and Barry continued, ¡°Alright, the single bedroom across from yours is still open, you¡¯re lucky I reserved that one for you, we got a full guest house tonight.¡± He then headed off to assist the other guards. The three of us stood in the now empty and eerily quiet training yard, the buzzing of insects around the light posts the only noise. Lancel scratched his head, ¡°I can¡¯t remember why we came out here now¡­¡± ¡°You three were going to the archery range to throw axes.¡± I scratched my left ear, trying to hide my grin as I answered, ¡°Reidar wanted to see my poleaxe.¡± Reidar inspected my weapon as I went over its creation and what I¡¯ve been doing to train with it. He seemed impressed, and confirmed it when he commented, ¡°I like the design, it¡¯s very versatile, yet sturdy. I haven¡¯t fought in a flood yet, but my instructors have emphasized the need to be able to change tactics quickly during one, since the variety of monsters can vary from one extreme to the other in only minutes.¡± Lancel chimed in with his experience, ¡°That¡¯s partly why us humans mainly use the shield and spear. Even if piercing attacks aren¡¯t very effective, we can usually slow down the monsters enough to call in the elves with their axes or dwarves with their hammers.¡± Reidar nodded, ¡°Spartans are expected to be self-sufficient though, hence why I carry a one-handed ax and hammer with me.¡± He handed my poleaxe to me, ¡°This will serve you well, mages normally act as mobile artillery or as a fast-reacting counter for wall-breakers. The large amount of embedded Metal and Wood Mana will help you cast ranged offensive elements much easier or allow you to exploit whatever physical weakness a monster has at close range.¡± I smiled at my new friend, ¡°Thanks.¡± I then gave out a yawn, ¡°What should we do now?¡± Lancel grinned, ¡°How about we hit up the sauna?¡± I frowned at Lancel, but quickly hid it when Reidar eagerly replied, ¡°You have one here? I¡¯m jealous, it¡¯s a 24-minute walk to the nearest one from my barracks, and my squad-mates rarely accompany me.¡± --- The sauna experience wasn¡¯t too bad, Arc recommended that I bring in a canteen of ice water, which helped out a lot since we ended up spending a long time in there talking. Reidar asked about my life growing up on a farm, then shared his experience growing up as an orphan ward of the Queen. I was surprised at how mundane his childhood was. Yes, he was one of 12 orphan siblings that were assigned to a pair of retired/no longer fit for active duty spartans, but Lancel pointed out to me that while his family size was much larger than a typical Lakelander one, it was much smaller than most noble families and traditional Packer homes. He had daily chores, went to school for 8-hours a day, which was standard for a capital city child, and was encouraged to play with his assigned squad-mates. Though when he turned 12, things changed quite drastically for him, he and his able-bodied siblings started training to be spartans. The school¡¯s curriculum focused more on military tactics and survival skills, he reported for a morning set of group exercise drills and received individual combat instruction from spartans. He first learned to activate his mana when he turned 15, like me, and has requested to dual-specialize in Water and Earth Mana so that he can use Wood Mana to heal his injured allies. The conversation later moved on to us recapping what we did after supper, causing it to take an awkward turn when Reidar asked me a question, ¡°Did something happen between you and Caldia? Seleyna was concerned after you two left the dance floor.¡± I slowly gulped when I noticed Lancel raising an eyebrow at me, ¡°I, uh¡­ had to tell her that I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± Lancel lowered his head, and gave me a brotherly pat on the shoulder, ¡°There¡¯s a reason most knight hopefuls don¡¯t marry before they get knighted. I assume it¡¯ll be just as bad, if not worse, for you?¡± I nodded while giving out a strained sigh, ¡°I wish I had the time; I feel awful for sidelining her, but I need to focus on becoming a mage.¡± A hand then landed on my other shoulder, and while his words weren¡¯t exactly comforting, I still felt the genuine attempt from the one giving it, ¡°There¡¯s still a chance Caldia will wish to engage in a courtship ritual with you after you graduate. It will only be a short wait for her, and a wise investment if she does. Your mage training will only take 3 years, that¡¯ll be much faster than the average knight. Plus, mages are given a larger amount of downtime compared to a knight, so if you two marry, you¡¯ll be able to assist her family in the training of wards and help elevate the status of her clan.¡± Lancel gave me a big grin after hearing Reidar¡¯s speech, ¡°Should I have Marcia start planning the wedding for you and Caldia?¡± Not enjoying the conversation, especially with Arc laughing in my ear, I decided to deflect, ¡°Doesn¡¯t she have to plan yours first?¡± Lancel¡¯s grin dropped like a sack of grain, and I countered with my own grin when Reidar spoke, ¡°That¡¯s right, will you be applying to adopt a ward from the Queen given your preferences after you marry? I believe your family is in good standing with the crown, so it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for you.¡± Lancel scowled, ¡°You two are worse than Mom and Dad.¡± --- Eventually we all grew tired, so Lancel helped us put on evening robes after showering. We then split off from him once we entered the main house and made our way to the guest house. Reidar and I stopped in front of our rooms, so I decided to give the happy looking spartan a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Did you have fun tonight?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Reidar closed his eyes and blissfully leaned into my shoulder pat, ¡°I¡¯ll admit that I was uncomfortable at first dancing with Seleyna, but I¡¯m glad you made me do so, the conversations I had with her were much more pleasant than the ones I¡¯ve had with other nobles.¡± He gave out a sigh, then made eye contact with me, ¡°It¡¯s strange, I normally dislike being around other people for extended periods, but for some reason I don¡¯t mind being around you.¡± I chuckled lightly at the admission, ¡°It¡¯s probably the shoulder pats, everyone in my village used to claim that my dad could calm even the most restless cattle, so I always tried to emulate him.¡± Reidar gave me a smile, then turned to open the door to his room. ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t let him go in!¡± I tried to stop him, but Reidar opened the door before I could react, and then quickly shut it once we saw what was inside. ¡°Sorry, I forgot that Rufus and Rebekah went in there, I usually ignore it when couples do that.¡± I tapped my left ear to express my anger at Arc, then looked to Reidar, ¡°Umm, I¡¯ve got a sleeping bag in my room, so I can sleep on the floor while you take the bed. Reidar followed me into my room, but made a small protest, ¡°This is your party, I can sleep on the floor, I¡¯ve been trained to sleep on various surfaces.¡± ¡°Yes, but you¡¯re a guest.¡± I countered as I pulled out the sleeping bag, then took off my upper robe. The two of us stared at each other for a bit, before Arc gave me a solution, ¡°How about you grab an extra blanket, and you two share the bed, but not the sheets?¡± I repeated Arc¡¯s idea, and Reidar nodded then took off his evening coat as well. He then looked around the room, but stopped when he viewed my nightstand, ¡°Is that a symbol of Apheros?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± I picked up the carving that I took from Lancel a while back and handed it to Reidar, ¡°This one specifically symbolizes the tenet to protect burgeoning life.¡± Reidar stared at it intensely, making me wonder if he was ok, but he eventually spoke, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that Apheros was a protector, I thought he was just a god of the harvest.¡± I shook my head, ¡°He is as well, but he¡¯s also a defender of nature and a healer of the sick, so he¡¯s often at odds with Torbolt and Ignitious for rooting into their domains.¡± I pulled his attention away from the carving to point at a pyrography art piece that Issac gave to me, ¡°My favorite story is about how he once went on a journey to explore the world to gain knowledge, wisdom, and strength.¡± Reidar looked over the depiction of Apheros carrying a shield on his back, a spear in right hand, a book in his left, various tools on his belt, and a large cloak with a pair of deer antlers resting on his shoulders. He must have been enthralled by Issac¡¯s talent in wood-burning, because it took him a while to speak, ¡°I see, most spartans worship Torbolt, so I don¡¯t know much about the other gods.¡± I gave him a pat on the shoulder, then pointed to the idol in his hands, ¡°You can keep that if you want, that one¡¯s just an extra.¡± Reidar looked down at the carving and smiled, ¡°Thank you.¡± --- Reidar stayed until noon the next day, so we were able to enjoy each other¡¯s company for a little longer, and I was even given a solution to a problem that I¡¯d been having with my poleaxe. ¡°What you can do is get a Lightning Mana inscription, then you can magnetize your poleaxe to your back. I¡¯ve got one for my shield, and it makes it much easier to quickly stow.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t that get expensive?¡± Reidar scratched his head, ¡°I¡¯m not sure about cost, but it¡¯s likely not too high, I¡¯ve seen many mages use it. I know the formation for the enchantment is simple, just a basic rotation, so you could probably find an older student to do it for you if provided materials.¡± I had Arc add getting inscriptions to my ¡°quest log¡±. --- Lancel had to leave for training the following day, and I was definitely going to miss having him around. I pulled Lancel into a shield-brother hug, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can ever repay you for all you¡¯ve done these past few weeks. Not just saving my village and taking me here, but for not stopping me from applying at the Mage¡¯s Academy or incessantly asking questions about how I was able to pass.¡± He gave me his signature grin once we finished our hug, ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I have been mighty curious about how you learned to cast spells, or even just activate your mana.¡± Arc whispered in my ear, and I couldn¡¯t help but laugh before I answered, ¡°I learned by watching you.¡± Lancel¡¯s face turned into a twitching mass of confusion, ¡°Me? What? How?¡± It was difficult to keep myself from falling over with laughter at the sight, but I pushed through, and gave him an explanation, ¡°Well, I just copied how your mana would activate on some of your spear thrusts with my pitchfork, then applied the technique to my other chores.¡± ¡°So wait, you going on daily laps around the village, chopping wood for everyone¡¯s fire, pitching the manure out of every barn¡­¡± Lancel looked deeply into my eyes, ¡°When you said you were training to become a mage...¡± I nodded my head while giving out the biggest grin I could still fit on my face. ¡°I think I need to sit down¡­¡± --- The last few days before classes at the academy started went by quickly, I ended up spending most of my time helping out Gramps train in his new wards. He was very appreciative, since having an extra set of eyes allowed us to individually assist in coaxing the ward¡¯s mana to activate when doing drills. I also gave him some advice and mana exercises based off the training Arc gave me, and he got a good laugh when I mentioned that I had an easier time triggering my mana when weightlifting, since that was his go to method as well. Eventually it came time to leave, and after saying goodbye to the remaining Hopkins, I left with Barry to move onto campus. We got my room assignment, picked up the stored clothing in my locker, then headed upstairs to my future home for the next year. ¡°This is a first-year dorm? You private college students are all spoiled!¡± I looked around the living room and had to concede Arc¡¯s point, if I¡¯m being honest, it was much fancier than my room at the Hopkins estate. The living room was larger than the one I grew up with, had a large patio door and attached deck that overlooked the training yard, no kitchen but it did have a soapstone bar with a built-in sink, and three Lakeland-styled sliding barn doors. The walls and molding were forest green and eggshell white painted wood, the ceiling had brass squared-patterned molded tin, and the floor was covered in large smooth-finished stone tiles. I quite enjoyed the color palette but was even more impressed with the furniture. Everything was extremely sturdy, with thick wooden legs, wood fiber cushions, and even metal reinforcements on the joints. There was no doubt that the couches and chairs could easily hold a person wearing armor. It was all modular too, the table could be set to three different heights, the backrests on the couches and stuffed chairs could adjust all the way flat, the desk in my room could be lowered or raised by turning a wheel, and my desk chair could also detach from the legs to create a small table and floor seat. Barry looked impressed as well, ¡°Must be dwarven make, I know a few brands are famous for their specialty in making adjustable furniture.¡± I started unpacking the clothes I stored in my armory locker, then heard the deep voice of someone entering the living room, ¡°My roommate finally shows up.¡± I stepped out of my room, followed by Barry, and gasped a bit upon seeing the orc. He was the same size as Darius, but the thick long arms coming out of his sleeveless arming jacket gave him an even more aggressive look. His grin helped offset the intimidating appearance, but it quickly faded when Barry fully stepped into the room. ¡°I was told that my roommate was a commoner as well¡­¡± Barry let out a merry chuckle, ¡°He¡¯s a bit too pale and short to be from Clan Hopkins.¡± The orc let out a bestial growl through his tusks, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask the help for its opinion.¡± ¡°Well isn¡¯t this guy just a ray of sunshine¡­¡± We were off to a bad start, so thinking back to the lessons Matriarch Rabiria taught me, I made a small inhale and introduced myself with pride, ¡°Travis of Aelder Creek, Initiate Elementalist Mage.¡± I extended a hand, but the green-skinned orc only raised an eyebrow at me, ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing a bunch of rumors about you on campus all week.¡± He then narrowed his eyes, ¡°My dad used to hunt monsters with the Jarl of Lakewell Fortress¡­ he was a good man and a great hunter, could even spot a monster on the horizon with his mana sight.¡± My hand started to tremble a bit, so I slowly pulled it back, and was frozen from not knowing how to respond. Barry came to my rescue though, ¡°We should go get the second load from the horses.¡± I nodded my head, then walked out of the dorm with Barry, ¡°Thanks, I completely froze up there.¡± Barry shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you could have said, he seemed eager to find something to hate about you.¡± ¡°If that Jarl was such a great man, then why couldn¡¯t he bother to take a quick 2-hour trip and use his supposed eagle-eyed mana sight to make sure there weren¡¯t any spirited teenagers running around trying to learn magic?¡± I gave Arc a rub on his handle with my thumb, then extended my right hand to Barry, ¡°Guess it¡¯ll be a while before we meet again?¡± Barry took my hand, ¡°I¡¯m sure Hector will keep an eye on you, but I¡¯ll be stopping by to deliver mail and to check up on you. Speaking of which, is there a good time for me to stop by?¡± A snicker escaped from me, ¡°9-11pm is my only scheduled free time every night.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have any days off?¡± ¡°I get morning drill off on Woodsday so I can go to church.¡± Barry gave me a wide stare, then pulled me into a shield-brother hug that I accepted eagerly, ¡°If the workload starts getting to you, feel free to stop by the estate, you¡¯ll always be welcome there.¡± --- Arc I watched Travis wipe his eyes after Barry left, ¡°Looks like it¡¯s back to just us two, learning how to use magic.¡± ¡°Hopefully the teachers here will actually know what they¡¯re doing, unlike my last one.¡± ¡°Hey now, it¡¯s not like I had much to work with, that group of monster hunters were the only spell casters I had for examples.¡± Travis gave my pommel a rub, ¡°We did manage to figure out enough to enroll here.¡± He then started to stretch out his limbs to allow the half-plate he was wearing to shift around, ¡°I should probably take this off, then do inventory to make sure nothing is missing. Anything else I need to do before tomorrow?¡± ¡°You should first stop by the quartermaster and restock your first aid kit. Other than that, it¡¯s just low priority items in your quest log.¡± Travis started to head off, letting his left-hand drift over to my pommel and start scratching at the base of my handle, in the same manner one would scratch behind a dog¡¯s ear. I thought about telling him that I couldn¡¯t actually physically feel his touch, but I didn¡¯t want to ruin his (or my) happiness. Chapter 21 – First Day of Magic School The Reconciliation of Racial Theology By Dhormuik Snowspine Ah, humans¡­ Those adorable little rascals that like to show up uninvited right before a massive joint operation of dwarves and elves can march out on the anniversary of the last expedition¡¯s disappearance. To say that things changed afterwards, would be such a massive understatement that you could support an entire library of statements with those words, but I should get back on topic. Many revelations were had that day, but the one we¡¯ll be focusing on involves the god that one of the humans worshiped, and how stories from the rest of the humans in the valley of monsters created a large series of conflicts in established divine lore. Now, it shouldn¡¯t be surprising that when cultures meet, certain views are going to clash or seen as strange. Take for example the discovery of us dwarves by the Sea Elves, it took us not only an embarrassingly long time just to decipher each other¡¯s languages, but the lack of ¡°bearded¡± and ¡°beardless¡± pronouns in the elven language and the dwarven language not having ¡°he¡± and ¡°she¡± pronouns is still creating problems to this day. When it came to sharing stories about our gods however, the revisions and addendums to our books only needed a few notes added into the margins, mainly in the form of adding stories about the gods that we knew existed, but only had a few details about. Whereas the number of changes needed after meeting the humans, required (and I¡¯ll use a human expression to properly convey this one) ¡°pouring a bottle of creekwater and tossing a match¡± over the book, because it was much easier to start over from bricks. Though I have consulted many churches and theologians to create this book, my hope is that I¡¯ll be able to provide a neutral telling of the many stories involving gods and provide an outside perspective free from any church¡¯s dogma. --- Travis Windsday, the 17th of Fifthmonth 7-8 Breakfast ¡°Time to wake up.¡± I woke up with a groan, it was difficult to fall asleep last night, and Arc¡¯s usual trick of having me count mana clusters didn¡¯t calm down my thoughts. ¡°Look on the bright side. It should be easier to fall asleep tonight.¡± I sighed while I made my bed, this was going to be my life for the next three years, only broken up by going on a Fall Purge or defending the capital during the flood. I put on my school uniform, starting with the tan shirt and pants, then leather boots, and finally tossing on my green wood-fiber arming jacket. Now dressed, I slid my door open into the living room, and heard my roommate snoring despite his door being closed. ¡°Should I wake him?¡± ¡°Your call. He¡¯s responsible for waking himself up every morning, but you might be held responsible as well if he¡¯s late for morning drill.¡± I grunted lowly, my orkish roommate straight up blamed me for his dad¡¯s friend receiving an execution order from the Queen when we first met, and our second encounter that day wasn¡¯t much better. He was sitting on one of the couches, looking smug, and asked where my second load was. I ended up just giving him a glare, then immediately entered my room without saying a word. I wasn¡¯t going to engage with him if he was going to be an ass. I should wake him though, that way I can at least claim that I tried. Mana gathered around my palm, then detached from my membrane once synced. I closed my eyes so I could navigate the [Message] spell through the crack in the door, then over to the still sleeping pile of mostly Water Mana. ¡°It¡¯s 12 minutes past 7am. You may wish to wake up.¡± I canceled the spell, then immediately headed down to the neighboring food hall, ignoring the loud noise of an orc yelling. ¡°Good call on staying polite, if things get nasty between you two, your best defense from disciplinary action would be to not be the antagonistic one.¡± I tapped my right ear while I grabbed breakfast from the chef, then turned to look at the rows of tables that were filled with students talking to each other. A small sigh escaped me, ¡°I don¡¯t know where to sit¡­¡± ¡°Just grab an empty table and leave for the armory once you finish eating. You¡¯ll make some friends eventually.¡± I sat down at one of the empty tables and started eating. Shortly after, I was joined by an Ashman girl, who sat diagonal from me. We gave quick nods of acknowledgment, then focused our attentions back on our food. Once I finished, I stood up, gave another nod to the girl, then headed to the armory to put on my half-plate. I started with the boot, shin, and knee plates; pulling the wood-fiber straps snug, then clipped on the calf and tendon guards. Next was the chest and back pieces, and that went on much quicker, since the tassets were attached to my belt, and I only needed to undo the one side¡¯s straps before putting it on like a coat, then tightening them down. Next were the pauldrons, those were the most difficult, but luckily Tristan showed me a handy trick of pre-attaching them to my gorget so that I only needed to tighten the easy to reach straps. After that was the vambraces and plackarts, then gauntlets, and finally my weapons and helmet. I clipped my shield to my backpack, then slung it over my shoulders to rest the straps between my pauldrons and gorget. ¡°Looking good. You got some time, maybe help out a few of your classmates?¡± I looked around, finally taking full notice of my surroundings, then stepped up to the Northman next to me, and waved for him to let me help him with his pauldron. There were people talking loudly, but the Northman and I remained silent as I helped him get his half-plate fitted into place properly. Once I made sure the rest of his armor straps were done, and no longer too tight or loose, I gestured for him to do the same. He looked a bit nervous, but I reassured him that I just needed a double-check. He went over everything but didn¡¯t find anything wrong. I took notice of the time and decided that we should walk out. I tilted my head towards the door, picked up my poleaxe, and the black-haired teen followed me outside. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯m a commoner, so this is only the second time I¡¯ve worn armor.¡± I turned my head towards him in surprise, then remembered that my smile would be hard to see, so I gave him a thumbs up, ¡°I am too, but I was lucky in that one of my village¡¯s guards was from a noble family, so I was able to stay with them and learn a few things before classes started.¡± ¡°Village? You¡¯re not from a fortress or merchant family like me?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The Northman stopped, then visibly took notice of the multi-colored stripe on my shoulder, ¡°Wait, are you the one the senior students won¡¯t stop talking about? It¡¯s all I¡¯ve been hearing since I moved in a few days ago.¡± I sighed a bit but gave out a grin that I quickly realized he couldn¡¯t see because of my helmet, so I had to settle for another thumbs up. --- 8-12 Morning Drill The Northman and I got into line with the students who beat us out and stood at attention in front of the pacing knights. I quickly grew uncomfortable standing still there for so long, Arc even had to caution me to not sway or fidget, but eventually one of the knights holding a pocket watch snapped it shut, then took off his helmet. ¡°To those still walking out, you¡¯re late.¡± The bearded Packer boomed with an imperious tone, then switched to one dripping with snark, ¡°I certainly hope that none of you are the children of knights or mages, because that would certainly be an embarrassment for your families.¡± My drill instructor scanned me and the other students that were on time, ¡°As for you, let¡¯s see how many of you are actually prepared.¡± He then raised his voice to direct everyone, ¡°Remove your packs and submit for inspection.¡± A large number of dwarves and humans wearing the simple green cloth uniform of the logistics corps, walked out onto the field and started to do equipment inspections. The one that approached me was kind enough to help me remove my backpack before checking my equipment. ¡°All good,¡± the beardless dwarf patted my shoulder, ¡°your pa raised you right.¡± ¡°Ah, but which dad? Eagan? Lancel? Franklin? Darius? Issac? Pippen?¡­¡± I rapped Arc with my knuckles to shut him up, I needed to pay attention, and Hector looked ready to bark another order. ¡°Those that pass inspection can leave your packs, shield, and weapons. Then join Sir Felicity for a nice easy walk around the campus.¡± The bearded Packer narrowed his eyes in disgust, ¡°As for the rest of you, we¡¯re going to have a little chat about timeliness and taking care of your kit.¡± I unhooked Arc from my belt, set him on top of my poleaxe and backpack, then stood to where the female knight was directing me to stand. The Northman followed behind me, and whispered once we stood in line, ¡°Thanks again, I really owe you one.¡± Felicity looked over our group with a taunting grin, ¡°I¡¯m impressed, some of you aren¡¯t even nobles. Congratulations on doing the bare minimum required of you every morning. Since I¡¯m in such a good mood, I¡¯ll give you a little warning, tomorrow everyone needs to be ready.¡± The knight looked to make sure no one else was coming then shouted, ¡°Forward march! Left, left, left-right-left, left,¡­¡± --- Arc I watched Travis march off for a bit before returning my attention to the remaining students. My initial worries that Hollywood lied to me about basic training were alleviated when Hector and the other remaining knights began interrogating the unprepared students with simple questions. Why were you late? Why didn¡¯t you wake earlier? Why is your kit missing items? Why was your armor not put on properly? Why didn¡¯t you ask for help? I couldn¡¯t help but break out the mental popcorn as I watched student after student grow terrified and took particular interest in one interaction. ¡°Why are you out of uniform initiate?¡± barked a female knight that was a full head shorter than Travis¡¯ massive orc roommate. The orc didn¡¯t flinch, and looked down with an arrogant look, ¡°Sleeves were too tight; Quartermaster refused to issue me a larger one.¡± The knight only grinned at the challenge, then poked her finger into one of the orc¡¯s beefy arms. I mentally gasped when it sunk in, nearly disappearing her whole finger, then jiggled a bit after she pulled her finger out. ¡°Don¡¯t worry dough-boy, we¡¯ll get you squeezed into your uniform in only a few weeks. I hope you like running.¡± The female knight started cackling, making the orc¡¯s posturing fade into anger, before moving on to her next victim. Ok, what is going on with orkish biology? I know Travis¡¯ textbooks didn¡¯t go into too much detail on non-human anatomy, but you¡¯d think that there¡¯d be some mention on why orcs are as squishy as a stuffed animal. The sound of someone bawling derailed my pondering. A male student broke down into tears when Hector interrogated him. It took a full minute for Hector to coax the teenager to calm down and explain why he was late. While getting dressed, the student must have knocked over his helmet, causing it to roll along the floor and behind a row of lockers. He panicked when he found it missing, accused the person getting dressed next to him of stealing it, and then forced him to help find the missing helmet. Hector patted the exhausted kid on the shoulder, ¡°You were right to fear the Quartermaster more than me, but next time, try to keep calm.¡± The bleary-eyed teen nodded his head, then tilted his head towards the student next to him, ¡°I¡¯m the reason he was late, I¡¯ll carry out his punishment.¡± Hector gave another pat, ¡°Good lad.¡± --- The unprepared students were then ordered to put on their packs and carry their weapons while they went on their march, the only standouts being a student who had two shields and an extra pack in his arms next to the student he took them from. Travis¡¯ group returned from their march, and Hector addressed the group while chuckling, ¡°Easy first day, right?¡± Travis and the other students, remained expressionless, clearly expecting it to be a trick question. Hector only continued to smile, ¡°Nod your heads in a yes. Good. Now grab your swords and shields, we¡¯ll start a few drills while we wait for your classmates to join.¡± Travis clipped me back onto his belt, grabbed his shield, then got in line with the other kids to start mimicking Hector¡¯s movements. The attack cadence was simple, since it focused on keeping the shield in front of them as much as possible, and only moving slightly to allow thrusts or rising back-swings. ¡°Tilt the top of the shield towards you more. Good, now lower your stance a bit¡­¡± With Travis¡¯ helmet on, I could [Message] him much easier thanks to the inscriptions inside, and the verbal cues I gave based off watching Hector seemed to help. It was still obvious that he was a novice, especially when compared to the other students, but his movements were looking more and more natural with each thrust and swing. The second group of students returned, looking far more exhausted, and joined in on the sword practice. Hector stopped briefly to elevate himself with an Earth platform, then continued the practice for another half hour while the supporting knights patrolled the lines, adjusting the student¡¯s forms. Hector called a halt, then ordered the initiates to take a knee, ¡°The swords you carry are not just a method of defending yourself, but a representation of the authority that has been given to you by the kingdom. Wearing one is a privilege. Should you abuse that privilege, you may find yourself on the wrong side of the wall during the next flood.¡± The bronze-skinned man paused while he scanned the crowd, ¡°Many of you will never use your swords to defeat a monster; that is ok. Many of you will let your sword skills fall to the wayside; I¡¯d advise that you do not. Many of you will never kill another man with your sword; you¡­ will have my envy.¡± --- The remaining morning drill alternated between exercises and lectures. I got a good chuckle as the kids did what was essentially a CrossFit routine, using their shield as a dumbbell, and doing the daily WOD (Workout Of the Day) of: pushups, squats, rows, overhead presses, dips, curls, lunges, and abdominal twists for the first round. The second was a straight up yoga practice, and the third was a simple march in formation that required the kids to react to constantly changing orders. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The lectures went into detail on military etiquette, basic combat commands, disciplinary actions, and ended on a Q and A where the students could ask any questions that they had. Travis surprised me by asking a question, ¡°Are we allowed to get inscriptions on our equipment? I was recommended to get one to allow me to carry my poleaxe easier.¡± Hector nodded, ¡°Good question, I¡¯m sure some of you are confused as to why the Quartermaster didn¡¯t approve your personal weapons with inscriptions, despite nearly every senior student having one on theirs. The answer is simple, you must demonstrate proficiency with a spell before being allowed to use a shortcut and are expected to utilize your mandatory artifice classes to inscribe your own equipment.¡± Hector scratched his beard while he received a [Message] spell, ¡°You can, however, petition the Quartermaster for an exception before the fall field expedition, there is a short list of pre-approved utility inscriptions that can be purchased.¡± --- 12-1 Lunch Travis grabbed his tray from the chef, then looked out towards the seemingly endless rows of filled tables. His new friend didn¡¯t have any classes until 4, so sadly instead of joining Travis, the barely standing teen went to go take a nap before eating. ¡°See anywhere I can sit?¡± I looked around the room in more detail, checking to see if there was anyone Travis knew, ¡°The princess has room at her table, but it¡¯s filled with inner ring girls, so you might embarrass yourself by asking to sit with her.¡± Travis nodded his head since his hands were full, ¡°How about an empty table?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking¡­ there¡¯s a few way off on the South side¡­ oh, Jakob is sitting at a table back there with some friends. Maybe give him a wave while you walk by?¡± Travis nodded again, then began to traverse the cafeteria. I watched as some students spotted his Elementalist patch as he walked by and began to gossip with their tables. Most of it boiled down to ¡°I think that¡¯s the commoner everyone¡¯s been talking about.¡± and ¡°Is he the one that got the paladins kicked off campus?¡±, but there were a couple that had nothing kind to say. Nothing thankfully reached Travis¡¯ ear while he walked, and I gave out a metaphorical sigh when Jakob spotted him, ¡°Travis! Come sit with us.¡± Travis smiled at the invitation, then sat down to eat, ¡°Thanks, I don¡¯t know anyone yet.¡± Jakob grinned, ¡°The irony of course being that everyone knows you.¡± The group chuckled for a bit before Jakob continued, ¡°How¡¯d morning drill go for you?¡± Travis grinned, ¡°Not bad, I expected it to be much worse, but then again, I didn¡¯t get stuck with a punishment.¡± ¡°One of the perks of being a noble; you get one free warning.¡± Jakob leaned in towards Travis, ¡°Make sure you and your roommate are ready tomorrow. You¡¯ll get stuck with the same punishment he does.¡± Travis groaned and almost buried his face in his remaining food, ¡°Great, we haven¡¯t exactly been getting along¡­ I was so excited to meet an orc for the first time too.¡± Jakob raised an eyebrow, then must have remembered that Travis was from a tiny Lakeland village, ¡°Hmm, I know someone who can cheer you up.¡± He then cast a [Message] spell, ¡°Xruul, come over here! I¡¯ve got a friend that¡¯s never talked to an orc before.¡± An orc seated at a nearby table looked around until he noticed Jakob waving at him, then stood up to walk over, ¡°I take it back, your parents clearly didn¡¯t shelter you too much as a kid.¡± Xruul looked down at Travis, ¡°So, you¡¯ve never met an orc?¡± Travis looked up at the tall orc who was much slimmer than his roommate, ¡°Not really, I¡¯ve only said a couple of words to my roommate, haven¡¯t even gotten his name.¡± The orc let out a chuckle, ¡°Kid sounds like an ass.¡± Xruul then sat down in the spot that was opened up next to Travis, ¡°So, anything you¡¯d like to know about us orcs?¡± Travis grinned, ¡°Can I ask a stupid question?¡± Xruul grinned back, ¡°You just did, but I¡¯ll let you ask some more.¡± ¡°Are orcs just a sub-race of elves, or is it more complicated than that? None of my textbooks went over what makes orcs different.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit complicated, you¡¯ll actually learn about orc biology in Monster Anatomy 2, there¡¯s a debate about whether or not we¡¯re the precursor to the other 3 races and the missing link between monsters and people, or something manufactured.¡± ¡°Hey, can you poke his arm for me?¡± Travis gave a nervous laugh, ¡°Umm, can I touch your arm?¡± Xruul gave out a deep chuckle, ¡°Go ahead,¡± he held out his arm for Travis and watched as he touched his arm, ¡°give it a good squeeze, I¡¯m not some puffed up dough-boy.¡± Travis did so, and it seemed like a normal arm to us, ¡°Dough-boy?¡± The orc unbuttoned his arming jacket then pulled up his under shirt to show off his stomach, ¡°Full blooded orcs barely put on any body fat. Instead, we accumulate what¡¯s called soft muscle. It¡¯s much less dense than actual muscle, and breaks down much quicker when exerting ourselves, but it does provide nutrients directly to our real muscles when they rip.¡± What the? Hacks! I call hacks! There¡¯s no way that¡¯s natural or fair. Travis must have thought the same, ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem natural¡­¡± ¡°Part of why some biologists believe we¡¯re manufactured.¡± Xruul buttoned his jacket back up, ¡°I think I agree, it¡¯s too convenient of a design for natural selection, and a great one if you¡¯re breeding an army. Female orcs give birth to litters of 3-5, with only one of them being a girl, and they don¡¯t have the same problem us male orcs have.¡± He grumbled, ¡°They also don¡¯t start puberty at 8 years old.¡± Travis started chuckling, ¡°My mom used to complain that I was growing up too fast, I¡¯m not sure how she¡¯d react if I was as big as my dad when I turned 10.¡± Xruul nodded, ¡°Probably the same way the parents of my non-orc friends acted when I turned 9. I had the body of an adult, but the mind of a toddler.¡± Travis finished his food, then noticed his empty plate, ¡°You must have been eating constantly.¡± Xruul sighed, ¡°It sucks, male orcs are practically carnivores with the amount of protein we need to consume, plus once we start hitting 80, it¡¯s almost impossible to keep ourselves from growing immobile. My grandpa isn¡¯t allowed to leave our estate anymore, and our kitchen is locked, since he¡¯s in a constant state of hunger.¡± The orc lowered his head and sighed, ¡°I can¡¯t even remember the last time I was allowed to eat with him.¡± Travis reached out to give Xruul a pat on the shoulder, ¡°Want me to ask something else? I¡¯ve got 12 more minutes before I need to leave for class.¡± The orc gave Travis a grin, ¡°Go ahead.¡± --- Travis 1-3 Mana Manipulation 1 ¡°This class is mandatory for all students. The skills you learn here have been taught for thousands of years by elven archmages and will function as the building blocks for all spells that you cast. Our main focus will be the three most basic spell formations.¡± The High Elf instructor raised her hand and three lines of Light Mana shimmered into existence above, ¡°The first formation is a condensing array. This one is a simpler 2-dimensional configuration that you¡¯ll often see inscribed on equipment. Take note of the equal angles between each line and how they are all teardrop shaped. The alignment of the angles direct where the mana will go, and the teardrop shape affects how strong the pull is.¡± The Light Mana lines shifted so that the rounded ends pointed out instead, ¡°A repulsion array works in a similar manner, but is more difficult to master due to the high variation and how much more control is needed to direct your spells.¡± The mana shifted once more to create a triangular pattern, ¡°The last, and most difficult to learn, is the rotation array. As you may deduce from its namesake, this formation causes mana to rotate, and can be modified to also function as a condensing or repulsion array.¡± The platinum blonde elf then released her spell, ¡°Sadly, we won¡¯t be going into detail today, due to an even more important lesson that you need to learn.¡± She then walked to the side of the stage to pull a rope. A banner unfurled and displayed on it was a list that outlined the stages of mana sickness. ¡°You will be tested repeatedly on this topic, including one at the end of class today. The health hazards from the overuse of mana will put not only your life in danger, but also the lives of those around you.¡± The instructor gave a hard look over the crowd, ¡°There is a reason that you are required to carry a sword at all times on campus.¡± She summoned some Light Mana to highlight a portion of the banner, ¡°Stage 1 ¨C Hunger. I can see some of you cracking grins, and they are not unjustified, anyone who triggers their mana will experience this effect. The reason of course is due to the increased energy expenditure in your body¡¯s cells. The effects are generally mild and can even be removed by eating mana dense food.¡± The Light Mana moved down a line, ¡°Stage 2 ¨C Saturation. All living creatures have a membrane located on their skin that prevents foreign mana from freely entering one¡¯s body, and their internal supply from spilling out. This membrane has pores which allows some of the mana to slowly enter the body. When these pores get completely filled with mana, saturation occurs, causing pain and discomfort.¡± I nodded along, yep; I¡¯ve felt that before. Usually just a mild stiffness after a long mana training exercise, but I definitely felt pain and discomfort after defending the village. ¡°The next stage is called Dissociation.¡± This is the first stage that puts your fellow students at risk should you enter it. The symptoms include tunnel vision, memory loss, and acting in a bestial manner.¡± ¡°Travis, are you ok?¡± Arc must have noticed me going pale at the mention of tunnel vision and memory loss. I scratched my left ear and whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± I focused on my breathing and tried to pay attention to the lecture. ¡°Stage 4 is Cysts. A large gathering of highly active mana in a body will eventually generate enough external pressure from mana trying to get in and force it to collapse into a mana crystal. When it does, the flesh around that crystal will rapidly mutate and form the soft material around the crystal. This material becomes a foreign entity in the body, preventing the control of the mana in it. Due to the crystals being highly active from their formation, it essentially becomes impossible to discharge mana in the body, since it would only grow attracted to the formed cyst and cause immense pain.¡± The classroom was dead silent as the professor highlighted the last stage, ¡°Stage 5 ¨C Death. This stage marks the body¡¯s complete inability to adapt to the high concentration of active mana. The only recorded monsters capable of surviving past stage 4 are dragons, and even then, tests done on captured specimens show a low chance of it occurring.¡± ¡°Now, open up your textbooks so that we can go over each stage in detail, and we¡¯ll learn how to spot potential symptoms in your colleagues.¡± --- 3-4 Break I sat down on one of the benches outside and took a big breath, anticipating Arc to start probing me with questions. ¡°So, how are you doing so far?¡± ¡°Not terrible, but not fantastic?¡± ¡°I¡¯m familiar with that feeling.¡± Arc paused, then switched to a more serious tone, ¡°I owe you an apology, I lectured to you about how magic was dangerous, but didn¡¯t even know the full risks before teaching you.¡± I grabbed Arc with my left hand and started to rub his pommel with my thumb, ¡°It¡¯s ok. We were both still learning, and we were cautious, but I think I might have experienced Stage 3 once right after the attack on our village. I remember being exhausted, hungry, and my muscles feeling like they were swollen to twice their size right after the battle, but then I suddenly found myself eating, and wondering where mom and dad were. Granted, I could have just been that tired, I could barely stay awake long enough to talk to Mildred.¡± ¡°Have I ever pushed you too hard when training, or should have stopped you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think so, the only other time I can remember feeling pain was when I first learned to trigger it consciously, but that faded quickly, and wasn¡¯t the persistent pain that the Professor warned us about. ¡°I still feel bad, but at least now we know what to look for, I¡¯ll do my best to keep you from pushing yourself too hard.¡± I gave Arc a nice pat, ¡°Thanks bud.¡± --- 4-6 Wind Spells 1 ¨C Classroom Component ¡°I see quite a few second-year students in here¡­¡± The silver-haired High Elf taunted, ¡°Must be embarrassing having officers tell you to relay orders and having to suggest that they ask the junior knight instead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to see why this guy has a reputation.¡± The Professor continued, ¡°Not to worry, there¡¯s an entire group of freshman students here to ask for assistance should you need tutoring.¡± He scanned the room and smiled at one student, ¡°An Earth Initiate? If you find that you are having trouble casting due to your small Air Mana supply, what you can do, rather than fail this class, is file to receive an incomplete, that way you can just focus on the written portion and take the practical test once your supply is large enough.¡± ¡°Thank you sir.¡± The familiar looking Packer responded eagerly. ¡°No need, I¡¯m just saving myself a future headache, last thing I need is another crying student outside of my office.¡± ¡°Now, for those of you using this class as a steppingstone, welcome to Wind Spells 1. This class will not only provide the framework for Ice and Lighting spells, but Chaos itself.¡± The Professor gestured to a nearby stone pillar that glowed with tiny gold lights despite my mana vision not being active. ¡°This pillar has been reinforced with Order Mana, just like the gates and inner walls to our city, and it can withstand an enormous amount of punishment before breaking but has a fatal flaw.¡± Quinsandoral cast a spell, creating three spinning blades of silver light that squealed in a high pitch tone. He flicked his wrist, causing the three blades to fly across the room and cut diagonally through the stone as if it were water. The spell ended and the three pieces cleaved from the pillar fell to the ground in a series of thuds that echoed throughout the silent room. ¡°You are not safe behind the walls of this city. There are monsters that can replicate this same feat and on a larger scale. I will be teaching you how to stop them.¡± ¡°Gah! I¡¯ve been using Chaos Mana completely wrong!¡± I stifled a chuckle to the best of my ability and gave Arc a friendly scratch. I had a feeling he¡¯d be enjoying classes just as much as me. Class went by quickly, and I got startled when I was packing my bag at the end of class. ¡°Travis, could you come see me before you leave?¡± It took me far too long to realize that it wasn¡¯t Arc speaking to me, but in my defense, it was the first time someone else had messaged me. I walked towards the lectern and was about to get in line behind the students wishing to ask Professor Quinsandoral a question, but he waved me over to talk first. ¡°Ah, Travis, it¡¯s good to finally see you in class. There is something that I need to discuss with you however¡­¡± Dread filled my stomach. Had I done something wrong? There are rumors going around campus about my entrance exam, maybe he thinks I¡¯m using his reputation to boost my own? He looked down at me and narrowed his eyes, ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but notice that I was not invited to your acceptance party. I assume that my invitation was lost or forgotten to send out due to the chaos of having a royal visitor?¡± I started to quietly panic, it never even occurred to me to invite him, would he be upset if I told him so? ¡°Just a suggestion; lie to him but do it in that sarcastic way so he knows that you¡¯re lying, I think he¡¯d react well to it.¡± ¡°It must have,¡± I croaked out, ¡°which is a shame, because now it looks like I didn¡¯t even consider that you¡¯d want to come. I¡¯ll make sure next time to give you your invite personally.¡± Professor Quinsandoral gave me a knowing grin, ¡°See that you do.¡± He started chuckling and patted me on the shoulder, ¡°Not like I could stay mad at you, especially after you helped me finally get rid of those leeches on campus.¡± ¡°Umm, you¡¯re welcome? I¡¯m not sure exactly what I did, the paladins I met that day were either acting weird or as if I already agreed to join their order.¡± ¡°Probably not anything you physically did, I assume they took one look at your mana build and thought they could steal another promising knight from a noble family.¡± He gave out a sigh, ¡°It¡¯s a real shame, so many test takers that simply weren¡¯t suited for the coursework here. There was nothing stopping them from having a prestigious career as a knight.¡± I tilted my head, surprised that the guy who called a room full of examinees a bunch of future failures would have such kind words now. He must have read my thoughts, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t give me that look, just because one breed of snakes can fly doesn¡¯t mean that all of them have to. The spells that knights learn might only be the most basic and least elegant, but they do get the job done.¡± I nodded my head to concede his point, then winced when my stomach began to loudly growl. He started to chuckle at me, ¡°I assume you haven¡¯t eaten since noon?¡± I nodded my head to tell him yes, ¡°Well, given your tight schedule, feel free to bring a sandwich into class in the future if you need something to tide you over until supper.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I turned, did my best to ignore the looks that everyone in line was giving me and left the room at a brisk pace. --- 6-7 Supper ¡°Hey look! They got signups for extracurricular activities.¡± I gutturally groaned, like I¡¯d have time for that, I couldn¡¯t even make time to get to know a girl I liked better. ¡°Sorry, got excited. This world¡¯s version of magical kickball is probably lame anyways and has some dumb rule that allows a person to win single-handily; negating the entire point of it being a team sport.¡± This world? I tried my best not to react to Arc¡¯s strange word usage, and decided to distract him in case that was an unintentional omission, ¡°Ugh, they got a school choir, a paddle boarding team, and a few crafting clubs¡­¡± ¡°Maybe we can squeeze one in after we get a better idea of the course load? Or join an open event that gets hosted?¡± I nodded my head while I sat down at the empty table, ¡°That¡¯d be nice, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll need a break from studying from time to time.¡± 7-9 Private Study I walked into the private spell range and assessed the layout. A large concave wall of earth sat in the far end with a pair of shorter walls that came up to the entrance, and it was open to the sky, but had a covered shelter at the entrance with an open channel of water that went through. ¡°This is nice, especially compared to the non-private ranges.¡± I gave Arc a pat and turned to the bearded dwarf that led me here, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No problem, just let me know if someone¡¯s in here so I can bop them on the head.¡± They patted the giant warhammer that they carried, ¡°You elementalists don¡¯t get as much free time as the rest of us, so rather than make you wait in line for minutes at a time, administration automatically booked you for 2 hours every night in this room.¡± The bearded dwarf began to scratch their beard, causing their red arming jacket to peek through their full plate, ¡°I¡¯m forgetting something¡­ oh, if you need a bigger range, try to give us a heads up at least the day before.¡± I thanked the senior student once more before they left and closed the door to the hallway. ¡°Anything in particular you want to practice?¡± ¡°Just formation creation and modification. I¡¯ve got a third of the mana supply that a specialist would have when casting a spell, so I need to be as efficient as possible.¡± ¡°Sounds good, I¡¯m going to practice a few things myself, but I¡¯ll keep an eye on you.¡± --- 9-11 Free Time I walked up to my dorm room and could hear a number of loud voices inside. ¡°Looks like your roommate invited over some guests.¡± I sighed, then walked into the room. All of the couches were full of people, and they all turned to look at me. ¡°Ah, there he is. Did you get tired of hanging around your noble friends?¡± My orkish roommate taunted. I was honestly confused by his question, ¡°Umm, no¡­ I was busy with classes all day, then spent 2 hours at the spell range.¡± One of my roommate¡¯s friends didn¡¯t look convinced, ¡°What were you practicing? We haven¡¯t learned a single spell yet.¡± I tried to answer, but someone interrupted me with a sarcastic tone, ¡°Probably proper courtly etiquette. After all, this chaps friends with a princess, he can¡¯t be seen acting like a peasant in front of her.¡± I looked around the room of leering faces, now growing frustrated. What the rot did I do to them? ¡°Try to keep calm, I think they¡¯re trying to get under your skin.¡± I decided to just exhale and force the topic to change by addressing my roommate, ¡°Do I need to wake you again tomorrow? Or will you show up for drill on time without my assistance?¡± My roommate furrowed his brow at me, ¡°I¡¯ll be on time.¡± I nodded my head, then went to grab an evening robe before taking a shower. I ignored them on the way in, but my return trip generated some hard to ignore taunts. ¡°I thought you were a Lakelander?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? He got purchased by the Hopkins Clan.¡± ¡°The same one Hector¡¯s from?¡± ¡°Yep, why do you think he didn¡¯t have to do extra marching this morning?¡± I shut the door behind me and growled to cover up the sounds of laughter seeping through my door. ¡°I know you¡¯re angry but try to keep cool. Drozuk and his friends are all children of monster hunters, so they consider you a traitor for getting that Jarl executed and trying to blend in with the nobles. If it persists, maybe you can request a room transfer?¡± ¡°Drozuk? That name sounds familiar¡­ have I met someone with that name?¡± ¡°I can check, but it¡¯s probably just some random person that you immediately forgot the name of like usual.¡± I smiled, ¡°But I have you by my side now, why would I bother to?¡± I chuckled while Arc made unintelligible noises in my ear, went to grab the book I picked up while shopping, and started reading. ¡°Umm, you normally¡­¡± I gave Arc a pat, ¡°Not this one.¡± ¡°Ugh, never mind, I¡¯d rather not listen to one of Barry¡¯s romance novels.¡± 11-7 Sleep Chapter 22 – Chosen Friends and Avoided Conversations One of the more fascinating differences between each race¡¯s theology, is that each race has an origin myth that doesn¡¯t match with the others. Dwarves believe that the previous world had ended, and that many of the gods were killed, leaving only a small number of survivors. While this may seem a bit too fantastical of a tale, and likely inspired by the numerous violent storms that would sweep across the East coast, the story became less so after archeologists were able to confirm that there was indeed a tribe of dwarves that lived on floating islands. While it¡¯s unknown what caused the collapse, one could easily imagine that, if the floating city that once protected you from the valley of monsters below fell to the ground, it would certainly ¡°feel¡± like the world was coming to an end. Not to mention, that the coast that you escaped to being constantly pelted by storms could be interpreted as Torbolt no longer having control over the weather due to his death. Elven religions proclaim that the world is new, and that they are still in the protected garden that the gods created for them. The expedition that Eldar Adifel went on into the Valley of Monsters created an uproar amongst the churches before he even volunteered for the mission, claiming that they weren¡¯t given permission to leave, and that once they venture past the gate; the protection from the world given to them by the gods would end, creating a new era. They weren¡¯t entirely wrong, things have definitely changed, and anyone touring the elven lands to view the numerous tropical island chains or lush forests filled with sky-scraping trees, can easily see why they describe it as a garden. Humans¡­ Humans¡­ They are the annoying ones. The dwarven and elven origin stories conflict in some ways, but there is the possibility that both are correct if you interpret it as the dwarves being the first sentient race, then a cataclysmic event caused the gods to separate, followed by elves being created while the remaining dwarves struggled to become recognized by the gods again. Humans however¡­ Don¡¯t have an origin story. There are a few stories that could be interpreted as such, but each time I¡¯ve tried to clarify if it is, I¡¯m told that the mortals described in the story aren¡¯t necessarily their ancestors, and that they are only retelling the tales that the gods have told them. I¡¯ve checked with all four human tribes extensively, but none of them have an origin story. They can¡¯t even confirm what direction they settled the Valley of Monsters. To be honest, that doesn¡¯t bother me. If you don¡¯t know something, you simply don¡¯t know. But what frustrates me, is that none of the humans I¡¯ve met seem to care¡­ --- Arc Voltsday, the 18th of Fifthmonth 7-8 Breakfast ¡°It¡¯s 6 minutes to, you might as well wake up.¡± Travis yawned, which irritated me like usual, then got out of bed with a pep to his step and started to give his arms and back a stretch while making that annoying satisfied look on his face that morning people like to taunt you with. He cast a quick [Fire Orb] so he wouldn¡¯t need to light his desk lamp, or open the curtain, and started eagerly dressing. ¡°You¡¯re back to your normal cheerful self.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a new day and you told me about how Drozuk got chewed out yesterday, so I doubt he¡¯ll cause trouble during drill. Plus, it¡¯s not like I have to interact with him, instead of returning here after classes, it¡¯d be more valuable for us to study in the school library at the end of the night or between classes. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s right, I won¡¯t be able to read any of the books or what the other students write down in ink, but I¡¯ll be able to overhear the students and faculty.¡± Travis finished buttoning his arming jacket and clipped me to his belt, ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking.¡± He slid open his door to the living room, saw the mess that Drozuk and his friends made, and frowned, ¡°Ugh, is he awake?¡± ¡°Kinda? His alarm clock went off, but he¡¯s still lying in bed and groaning.¡± Travis patted my pommel, and gave a mild shout, ¡°Drozuk, are you awake?¡± The angry orc growled, ¡°Sod off, knee-pads.¡± Travis grinned with schadenfreude, ¡°Just checking, got warned yesterday that everyone needs to be ready today, so if you need help¡­¡± ¡°I said sod off!¡± Travis managed to hold in the giggles long enough to exit the dorm room. --- The kid who couldn¡¯t find his helmet yesterday looked out over the fast-filling tables and sighed, looking just like Travis did yesterday. He must have been catching the other students snicker and joke about his emotional outburst yesterday. At least he wasn¡¯t alone, the guy he initially threatened was with him, I¡¯m guessing they must have bonded over the experience. Wait, was that guy in Travis¡¯ Wind Spells 1 class? I played back my memories, and compared the mana builds to confirm, yep, 45% Earth, 30% Air, 15% Fire, and 10% Water. Hmm, Travis and these two could use some friends¡­ ¡°Hey, could you invite those two walking by to sit with you? The one kid had a rough time yesterday, and it would mean a lot to me.¡± Travis lifted his head, and after I confirmed which two, he waved, ¡°Need a spot to sit?¡± Surprised looks appeared, not just on the invited, but the Northman Travis made friends with yesterday and the Ashman girl that was sitting with him again. ¡°Umm, yes.¡± The kid that cried yesterday replied, then sat down with his buddy, ¡°I¡¯m Jethro Bradshaw, Initiate Wind Mage.¡± His companion looked at Travis, before realizing he was next, ¡°Umm, right, I¡¯m Mattius Tatian, Initiate Earth Mage. Are you in my Wind Spells class?¡± Travis gave a look of comprehension, ¡°With Professor Quinsandoral at 4?¡± Mattius gave a nod, ¡°Yeah, the instructor that tested me suggested that I should take the class.¡± Travis smiled, ¡°I¡¯m Travis, Initiate Elementalist Mage.¡± He then gestured to the Northman teen next to him. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m Adrian, Initiate Water Mage.¡± Adrian looked nervous, but looked towards Jethro, ¡°Are you the one who lost his helmet yesterday?¡± Jethro gave out a deep sigh, and nodded his head, ¡°Yes, made a fool of myself in the process, I¡¯m a fifth-generation mage, I should know better.¡± Adrian gave out a light laugh, ¡°You lived through the nightmare I kept having all week, I know the Quartermaster told us to go to him first if something happened to my helmet, but I assumed that was in case someone was bullying me.¡± Travis nodded in agreement, ¡°My helmet is worth more than the entire wealth of my village put together, I¡¯d definitely have a panic attack if I lost mine.¡± Jethro smiled at the two and seemed to relax before turning to the Ashman girl, ¡°Apologies, that was rude of us to converse without letting you introduce yourself.¡± The Ashman girl waved him off, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m Bridget, Initiate Fire Mage, former ward of the Mortymer family.¡± While the other boys recoiled in surprise, Travis made a face of exasperation, ¡°Ugh, was I supposed to list who I formerly was a ward to this entire time?¡± Bridget took notice of the other boys, but smiled as she directed her attention to Travis, ¡°It¡¯s not necessary, but if you were a ward to a very prestigious family, they might be upset with you.¡± Travis relaxed in his seat, ¡°That¡¯s a relief, I was only a ward to Clan Hopkins for a full day, but I¡¯d be upset if I was introducing myself wrong all this time.¡± ¡°Clan Hopkins? The same one Sir Hector is from?¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s married to the future Matriarch Marcia.¡± She nodded her head, ¡°I bet it¡¯s weird having him as your drill instructor.¡± ¡°Not really, I¡¯ve only truly spoken to him once, I¡¯m more weirded out by his beard.¡± Bridget and the other boys started to leak out small chuckles, then noticed that it was already half-past 7, and left to get changed. I gave out a deep imaginary sigh, my biggest worry about Travis coming here had completely faded away now. He had become distant from his old friends in the village after I started teaching him and it only amplified further when he turned 15. But here he was, off to go learn about magic with his friends, and it looks like his grumpy roommate even just left to get changed as well. Everything was looking fantastic. --- Travis 8-12 Morning Drill ¡°Let¡¯s see how many are prepared today¡­¡± Hector taunted to me and the others. The Logistics Corps began inspecting everyone, and it looked like we were all about to pass, even Drozuk, but the person inspecting him waved over to one of the knights, and my stomach began to cramp with dread. Hector stepped up to Drozuk, and after inspecting his arms, spoke in the tone that reminded me of the one that Mom used to use when she suspected me of stealing sweets, ¡°Initiate, why are you out of uniform?¡± Drozuk shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Quartermaster wanted to charge me to repair my uniform, told him it wasn¡¯t my fault that he issued me the wrong size in the first place, and that he should bill the Queen. He kicked me out of the supply depot afterwards.¡± No¡­ no, this can¡¯t be happening¡­ Various groans of annoyance, disbelief, and aggravation from the other students, confirmed that I wasn¡¯t hallucinating. Hector kept a straight face, ¡°Who is your assigned roommate?¡± Drozuk grinned, ¡°Travis Hopkins.¡± The bearded Packer raised an eyebrow, then turned to one of the knights with a clipboard, ¡°I don¡¯t recall acquiring a new brother-in-law, could you check the roster for me?¡± The knight looked through the pages, then visibly clenched their teeth to prevent a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t see any Hopkins listed, but there is a Travis Farmboy, perhaps the Initiate is confused?¡± I groaned and had to desperately fight the urge to bury my face in my hands, the restrained chortles escaping the students near me certainly didn¡¯t help. Drozuk grinned, ¡°Ah, my mistake, kept hearing rumors about¡­¡± ¡°Initiate! You were not given permission to speak.¡± Hector shouted with enough force to blow away the smarmy look on the orc. He then turned to me, ¡°Initiate Travis, front and center.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I made a quick inhale, then marched straight up to Hector and stood at attention directly in front of him. ¡°Initiate Travis, were you aware that your roommate failed to pass inspection yesterday?¡± ¡°Yes Sir.¡± ¡°What corrective measures did you perform to ensure that it would not happen today?¡± ¡°I offered last night to wake him, then offered assistance this morning after confirming that he was awake. Initiate Drozuk turned down both offers.¡± Hector narrowed his eyes at me, ¡°Not when you were preparing in the armory this morning?¡± My nerves started to misfire, and I could feel myself beginning to tremble, ¡°No Sir.¡± Hector began to scratch his beard, ¡°Did you offer assistance to anyone while preparing in the armory?¡± I gulped, ¡°Yes, I assisted 3 other students with gear checks before leaving the armory.¡± Hector nodded, ¡°But not your assigned roommate¡­¡± ¡°No Sir.¡± My stomach was now twitching into knots, I wish I could ask Arc for help. My drill instructor looked to Drozuk, then back to me with a hardened stare, ¡°Initiate Travis, you will not get to pick and choose who your fellow squad mates are in the army. Your failure to ensure that your assigned roommate was prepared this morning has resulted in him receiving disciplinary action. You will be joining him today.¡± I let out a weak, ¡°Yes Sir.¡±, then proceeded to endure my punishment of being yelled at in front of our entire battalion, doing laps around the group during the morning march, then an extra circuit of exercises between each lecture component of morning drill. It actually wasn¡¯t too bad, more embarrassing really, and Arc tried to apologize part way through, but I rapped my knuckles on his pommel and whispered that it was ok. --- Morning Drill eventually ended, and we were released. I got into the lunch line and was joined by the four who sat with me at breakfast. Sadly, I couldn¡¯t remember any of their names, so I had to keep prompting Arc to tell me theirs. ¡°Ok, I get why you two aren¡¯t tired,¡± Adrian, looking red-faced instead of his usual ghostly white, looked at the other two guys before turning to me, ¡°by why am I even more exhausted than you Travis?¡± ¡°I used to do laps around my village every morning with a knight-in-training, then I¡¯d do some weightlifting and any physical farm chore that I could find.¡± The water mage shook his head and looked about ready to fall over from the motion, ¡°Even if I knew I was going to become a mage, I doubt I would have known to improve my fitness beforehand.¡± Bridget sighed, ¡°At least you have an excuse, I got warned by my aunt that I should wait at least 6 months before testing and do some physical training with the wards, but I was too impatient.¡± She groaned a bit as she stretched out her neck, ¡°Guess I¡¯m paying for that now.¡± I approached the orkish chef, who tilted his head to see my shoulder patch better, before giving me a much more generous scoop of each food. I thanked him and he gave me a wink in return before moving on to the next person. ¡°Have you been flirting with the chefs to get extra food?¡± Jethro teased in my left ear, while Arc started laughing in my right, ¡°Because I find it appalling¡­, that I didn¡¯t think of it first.¡± I grunted at him in annoyance and led everyone to an empty table on the far side, passing by a familiar looking royal knight and giving him a nod of recognition. He nodded back and even gave a small wave as we passed. Mattius walked up beside me, and gave me a curious expression, ¡°Do you know him?¡± I nodded while we sat down, ¡°That¡¯s Sir Asher, Royal Knight and bodyguard of Princess Seleyna. He helped assist me and Clan Hopkins before my party.¡± Jethro raised a finger, ¡°That reminds me, is the rumor I heard about you true?¡± ¡°Which rumor?¡± I asked flatly, not entirely sure if I even wanted to know. ¡°That you¡¯re the only Lakelander in the world that can¡¯t dance.¡± Chuckles escaped from the table and Arc started laughing so hard in my ear that I swear his scabbard was even vibrating. ¡°My parents were joking that instead of the child of a Lakeland farmer, you must really be the traveling merchant¡¯s kid.¡± Arc threw me off for a moment by abruptly canceling his laughter, but I managed to reply, ¡°To the best of my knowledge, I am a full-blooded Lakelander. My dad can trace his ancestry back to one of the original Lakeland island fortresses, and my mom can trace her side¡¯s back for four generations, so if there is something else, it¡¯s not a large fraction.¡± We kept talking while we finished eating, but Arc was slowly making me uneasy from the continued utter silence. Once I got out of earshot and was walking to class, I gave his pommel a rub, ¡°Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to worry you. I¡­ uh, got lost in thought.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± I paused before heading into the classroom. Arc failed to mention that he was ok, and I was trying to figure out a way to coax Arc into talking to me, but sadly decided that I didn¡¯t have time. --- 1-3 Artifice 1 ¡°This class will teach the three basic principles of Artifice, and even include a small bit of history to explain how this dwarven study of magic allowed us to survive Ragnarok and build the bunker cities on the East coast.¡± I eagerly started preparing to take notes, Arc and I were both looking forward to this class the most, since it was the area of magic we knew the least about. Plus, the fact that the classroom desks looked more like workshop benches, was making me excited to create something. The red-bearded dwarf grabbed a large Light Mana gem from their front desk and held it up for us to see, ¡°The first basic principle is attunement. Many of you are already familiar with the process of taking the ambient mana that attaches to your membrane and using the physical contact to increase the pulse rate to match your internal mana.¡± The instructor paused to make sure everyone was nodding their heads, ¡°What some of you young-in¡¯s might not be aware of, is that this can be applied to any mana that makes contact with your membrane.¡± The Light from the mana crystal began to glow brighter, but then began to quickly dim back to its original intensity, ¡°And if the density of the mana you are making contact with is high enough, you have the option of discharging your mana into the object if the pulsing of your internal mana is higher or pulling the charge from the object if your internal mana is lower.¡± ¡°So, it wasn¡¯t anything I was doing wrong, just didn¡¯t have the right materials.¡± I tapped Arc¡¯s pommel to agree, then noticed that the dwarven instructor was narrowing their eyes. ¡°Now before you go getting it into yer heads that you can grab a bunch of uncharged crystals and spend the whole day at the spell range, know this; you can permanently damage your membrane if you unnaturally increase or reduce the mana pressure on it too much or too fast.¡± Hmm, I bet I know why¡­ I raised my hand, then got nonverbal approval to ask my question, ¡°Is that because the partially absorbed mana in your membrane can get torn out if it¡¯s suddenly pulled in a different direction?¡± The bearded dwarf smiled at me, ¡°Exactly, hence why it¡¯s only recommended to use that technique to fine tune a mana crystal. A common example that you¡¯ll be doing often is changing the frequency on your helmet inscriptions to make sure your squad is all on the same messaging channel.¡± ¡°Now, let¡¯s move on shall we? There¡¯s another component of attunement that¡¯s more difficult to learn but is highly rewarding once mastered.¡± The instructor grabbed a metal rod from their desk, then after holding it for a moment, began to glow red, allowing them to bend and shape it with their gauntlet covered hands. The noise of impressed students made the dwarf grin, ¡°The more mana already infused into the material, the easier it is to shape and move. This rod weighs a full stone (about 12 pounds) but feels more like a third of that.¡± They then took the now chisel-shaped rod to a building stone, held it above while focusing, then looked at us once the rod began to cool, ¡°Attunement is the first step to the next principle of Artifice, enchantment.¡± They put their helmet on, then plunged the rod into the giant stone, making what sounded like the loud clattering of a dozen pickaxes erupting from the point of impact. The stone then began to vibrate and crack open, sending dust and small shards into the air. A few cheers and even clapping sounded out from the other students, Arc was squealing with excitement in my ear, and the instructor took off their helmet to show off their grin, ¡°But, it¡¯ll be a few weeks before we go over that. Now, open up yer textbooks so we can start going into more detail on attunement.¡± --- Arc 3-4 Break I breathed out deeply and figuratively that Travis didn¡¯t bring up my strange behavior during Lunch. I certainly didn¡¯t want to lie to him, but how exactly are you supposed to tell someone that you witnessed their mom sleep with a wandering Paladin of Apheros after cracking from the stress of not producing any children with her husband (despite trying very hard for years)? Granted, there¡¯s no guarantee that Eagan isn¡¯t Travis¡¯ father, but let¡¯s be honest, it doesn¡¯t look good. One too many comments from the townspeople about how Travis was lucky that he took after his mother, or that Eagan was smart to marry a pretty woman, eventually wormed their way far enough into Eagan¡¯s mind that Travis might not be his biological son. Hence the unspoken argument that he and Margret refused to have. They¡¯ve never once told anyone what the true reason for their fighting was, not even Father Viburnum, and they seemed content to take that secret to the grave. I just wish that they would have eventually told Travis, he deserves to hear from them the reason why his mom and dad rarely speak to each other or don¡¯t share a bedroom. Realizing that I need to stop mucking about in my head before Travis starts worrying again, I decided that it was time to finally show some humility, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll admit it. I get why everyone was excited upon seeing your poleaxe.¡± Travis looked up from the notes he was taking and smiled, ¡°It was pretty sturdy to see the professor bust through that stone so easy. I wonder if enchantment is the ¡®proper¡¯ way of using Wood, Earth, and Metal Mana for combat?¡± ¡°Probably is, your [Earth Orb]¡¯s tend to either be a loose ball of sand and pebbles or a slightly more mana-dense rock covered in sand and pebbles. It¡¯d probably be more mana efficient, and just as damaging, if you took a rock and made a mana-infused throw instead. I bet we¡¯ll get an answer when we begin Earth Spells 1 in a couple of days.¡± Travis packed up, then began to walk to class, but suddenly stopped, ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t Reidar say that my poleaxe would help me cast ranged offensive spells easier?¡± ¡°Let me check¡­ yeah, your right¡­ hmm, unless Reidar considers Wood and Metal to be offensive elements, I¡¯m not sure what he meant.¡± Travis scratched his chin for a bit, but noticed that people were walking around him, ¡°Ugh, we¡¯ll probably figure it out soon, we don¡¯t need to know everything yet.¡± --- Travis 4-6 Wind Spells 1 ¨C Spell Range Component I waved to¡­ umm¡­ I scratched Arc¡¯s cross-guard, ¡°Mattius Tatian.¡± I waved to Mattius as I approached him at the spell range, ¡°Want to pair up?¡± Mattius looked uneasy and glanced at the other students before looking back to me, ¡°Umm, you sure? Wouldn¡¯t you rather pair with an actual wind mage?¡± I shook my head, ¡°We¡¯re in the same boat when it comes to Wind Mana supply, we¡¯ll learn more from each other than a caster who doesn¡¯t need to worry as much on efficiency.¡± Mattius didn¡¯t looked convinced and was running his fingers through his long blonde hair out of anxiety, so I gave him a firm pat on his shoulder similar to the ones my dad used on the cows to calm him down. ¡°Today we won¡¯t be going over any spell formations, but a skill that¡¯s still essential for all mages; creating a [Wind Aura].¡± Professor Quinsandoral then began to manipulate the air around him to swirl, ¡°This technique is not only capable of counteracting dust and poison clouds that monsters create, but will also improve your natural discharge rate for your internal mana by circulating in fresh, less energetic mana.¡± He gestured to his eyes to indicate that we should activate our mana sight, ¡°Now, there¡¯s a few ways to accomplish this technique. The primary method used by dwarves and skilled knights has you shape the synced mana attached to your membrane into a rotation pattern on your skin.¡± The professor then made a series of large, likely overexaggerated, lines across his torso, causing the Wind Mana in the area to spiral around him. ¡°The method used by elves involves detaching a portion of synced mana and creating a large array with you as the center.¡± They demonstrated the technique, which allowed more Wind Mana to circulate around him. ¡°There are pros and cons to both methods. The dwarven method is easier to maintain, especially while mobile, but the range and circulation will be limited. The elven method allows you to use the already detached mana for a ranged spell, and will also provide better mana circulation and range, but can be extremely difficult to use while moving.¡± Professor Quinsandoral narrowed his eyes at the class, ¡°Assuming that none of you are idiots, I expect everyone to learn both techniques.¡± --- 6-7 Supper Mattius gave his shoulders a good stretch while we got supper, ¡°That wasn¡¯t too bad, I guess. Was going to have to quit if we went for longer though.¡± I nodded my head, I wasn¡¯t feeling any pain or pressure yet, but my chest felt like it was constantly puffed out, ¡°I¡¯m just glad that I had you as a training partner, some of those second-year students didn¡¯t even last the full two hours.¡± Mattius gave me a giant grin, ¡°I am too, makes me feel less stupid for not having a proper mana build.¡± ¡°Can I ask about that? I assumed that everyone here would have similar mana builds.¡± ¡°Well, I probably would have built a standard Earth one if I knew I was going to become a mage. I learned how to activate my mana consciously about 6 months ago and assumed that I would just get put into one of the basic training camps for already eligible knights, but my dad encouraged me to at least try the exam.¡± He started to chuckle to himself, ¡°After mimicking both an Earth and Wind spell for my test, it took me a good while for it to sink in that I passed.¡± I joined in on the laughter, ¡°I know that feeling, Professor Quinsandoral evaluated me, and was so nonchalant about me passing that I thought he was pulling a prank on me.¡± Mattius elevated the volume of his giggles, ¡°I can totally see that.¡± ¡°So, are you going to transition to a full Earth Mage, or stick with a hybrid spec?¡± ¡°Not sure, there¡¯s nothing stopping me from doing so, and was told that there¡¯s a large number of spartans that specialize in Earth and Wind, so it is a viable build for combat.¡± ¡°Makes sense, you got Earth for defense and Wind for offence. Plus, you can probably learn to create dust clouds and mini sandstorms to support your squad.¡± Mattius nodded his head, ¡°I¡¯ll have to see how much I enjoy Wind magic, I¡¯m positive I originally slanted toward Earth Mana because I would play with my stone building blocks for hours on end as a kid.¡± ¡°Did you ever create a star fortress and pretended that monsters were attacking?¡± Mattius grin looked like it was starting to hurt, ¡°Oh, yeah, all the time. I¡¯d even convince my brothers to bring over their figurines so we could have an ¡®epic battle for the fate of the kingdom.¡¯¡± --- Arc After supper, Travis and I went to the private spell range to do some more mana manipulation practice, then hung out in the library so I could snoop on students while Travis went over his notes from Artifice 1 and read from his romance novel. Eventually, it grew late, and Travis dragged his feet while making his way to the dorm. ¡°If it helps, Drozuk is by himself tonight.¡± Travis sighed, then opened up the door to the living room. His eyebrows started twitching, likely at the sight of his roommate¡¯s mess, but kept his cool while Drozuk spoke, ¡°There you are,¡± he pointed at the pair of arming jackets on the other couch, ¡°I had these sitting out here so you could take them down to get repaired, but I think the supply depot is closed for the night now.¡± Drozuk stood up and began to chuckle softly while walking into their room, ¡°G¡¯night Knee-pads.¡± Travis started to breathe harder, then brushed off the clutter from one of the couches, so that he could rest his elbows on his knees and bury his face in his hands. ¡°If you report him right away in the morning, you might not get into trouble¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯ll want to know why I didn¡¯t do anything before lights out though.¡± ¡°You were busy with classes. Plus, you¡¯re not his mother, does Hector expect you to change Drozuk out of his pajamas in the morning also?¡± ¡°No, but he¡¯ll want to know why I didn¡¯t return to my room during break or right after my range time was over, to at least make an attempt.¡± We both sat silent for a while, until the sound of snoring started to emanate into the room. Travis stood up, then grabbed the arming jackets, ¡°Is my sewing kit in the armory?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s where you left it this morning.¡± Travis walked down towards the armory, giving out a deep sigh that I wasn¡¯t jealous of witnessing. Chapter 23 – Idiot Mages Now, as I mentioned last chapter, the elven churches were not happy about the expedition into the Valley of Monsters. So, it shouldn¡¯t be surprising that Eldar showing up with a dozen natives of the zone caused a ruckus at first, and then a full-blown riot when Eldar translated that one of the humans was claiming to be a chosen of one of their gods. Apheros wasn¡¯t exactly popular amongst the elves due to his status of being the god of trees, alcohol, and debauchery, and us dwarves were under the impression that he was one of the fallen gods. So, hearing a completely foreign set of tales about him, was calling into question the validity of the churches. The chosen one, Oskar, was confused after Eldar started translating the elven stories to him, stating that the domains they assigned to Apheros was incorrect. For starters, according to Oskar, Apheros was the god of nature, both plant and creature, not just trees. He¡¯s only credited as being one of the creators of alcohol, due to one of his minor domains being healing, and although the debauchery was somewhat true, Oskar was adamant about pointing out that it was because Apheros¡¯ other minor domains were fertility and the harvest. Many were baffled by this statement, confused as to how their lore about one of their gods could be so incorrect. According to multiple eyewitnesses, the confusion wasn¡¯t cleared up until Oskar visited one of the elven churches of Apheros and started laughing hysterically at the sight. It took nearly an hour for Eldar to calm down the human, but eventually Oskar finally spoke to the angry crowd, ¡°You¡¯re all idiots! You¡¯ve been pranked by the child of Apheros and Ignitious, the minor god Aelder.¡± --- Travis Burnsday, the 19th of Fifthmonth ¡°Time to wake up.¡± I groaned at the intrusion of my dream, then gave out a startled yelp when cold water was splashed in my face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Travis, but it¡¯s already 12 past.¡± My body refused to follow my command to leave my nest of comfort, but I managed to at least sit up, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me earlier?¡± ¡°I did, you immediately fell back asleep the first two times.¡± ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t even remember¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, here¡­ let me get the light for you.¡± A small orb of Light appeared above my head, allowing me to see the interior of my room, and the pile of clothes on my chair. Well, at least I was smart enough to have everything prepared. --- Not surprising, I was the last to make it to the table with the others. I sat down with my breakfast and was given a bunch of concerned looks. ¡°Are you ok? You don¡¯t look like you got any sleep last night.¡± Umm, rot¡­ what was his name? I scratched Arc¡¯s cross-guard. Oh, right, Adrian. ¡°You might want to answer his question¡­¡± I tried to focus, ¡°Oh, umm, sorry¡­ what did you ask?¡± The Ashman girl stood up and walked over to me, then placed the back of her wrist against my forehead, ¡°No fever,¡± she looked down at me, ¡°it¡¯s rare for someone with high mana to get sick, but it does happen, do you want us to take you to the infirmary?¡± Infirmary? Why would I? ¡°I¡¯m not sick, just a bit tired¡­, only got 4 hours of sleep last night.¡± ¡°More like three¡­ but¡­¡± I shook my head to disrupt Arc¡¯s spell, there was too many people talking, my brain felt sluggish, and I needed to eat. --- Arc Worry creeped into me as Travis ignored his friends and started eating with a glossy-eyed expression. I must have underestimated just how much a lack of sleep would affect him. The only thing keeping me from panicking was his friends at the table taking action. Jethro looked to Mattius and Adrian, ¡°Go get changed, I¡¯ll make sure he gets to the armory so you two can dress him.¡± The two left and Bridget moved in to get her orders, ¡°Anything I can do?¡± Jethro thought quietly, then did it out loud, ¡°He¡¯s barely sapient right now, he¡¯ll never pass inspection. Unless¡­¡± Light flickered in his eyes and he looked to Bridget, ¡°You said that you brought a bunch of herbs to decorate your room, do you have a spike-leaf plant?¡± Bridget made a puzzled expression, ¡°Yes, but there¡¯s not enough time to brew a tea with it.¡± Jethro smiled mischievously, ¡°No need. My sisters told me that they used to chew on spike-leafs during morning drill if they stayed up too late the night before. It doesn¡¯t last as long as when you brew it, but it¡¯ll kick in fast and long enough to wake him up enough to pass inspection.¡± Bridget nodded, then hurried off to her dorm room while Jethro slid an arm under Travis, ¡°Alright bud, let¡¯s go get you changed into your armor.¡± Travis, reduced to a primal state, moved like a stubborn bull, but did start walking once Jethro forcibly man-handled him enough to accept the directions. The three of us made it to the armory, but Travis became aware enough to start fighting Jethro¡¯s grip, ¡°I need to¡­ Drozuk¡­ help¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him,¡± Jethro pushed Travis into a ready Mattius and Adrian, ¡°you just worry about yourself.¡± He then looked around and spotted a pair of students walking out, ¡°Hold on! Can you two make sure that this guy¡¯s orc roommate is ready? I¡¯m not sure what happened last night, but Travis can barely stand from the lack of sleep.¡± The two nodded their heads and turned around, leaving Jethro free to put his armor on. He was able to get the leg armor and the breastplate on before Mattius and Adrian joined in to help him finish. Mattius and Adrian then lifted the passed-out Travis off the bench and out of the uncomfortable sleeping position he was in. Adrian shook Travis awake, then spoke to the other two, ¡°How is he this out of it? He¡¯s acting like he hasn¡¯t slept in days, not skipped a single night.¡± Jethro cleared the way for the group, then answered, ¡°One of the side effects of using mana, your body heals and recovers faster, but the need for rest increases. Most knights and mages can¡¯t function without less than eight hours of sleep, and during a flood, may need up to ten due to the constant physical activity.¡± Wait, really? How come Travis and I never noticed that? Oh, duh, I always encouraged Travis to get plenty of sleep, especially when he was younger, since I know I wasn¡¯t the best about getting enough sleep in my previous life. Adrian made a look of epiphany, ¡°Oh, I thought I was just a heavy sleeper.¡± Mattius chuckled a bit before nodding his head, ¡°You can counteract it some by taking stimulants, but as soon as you amp up your mana, you¡¯ll burn through it at a quick pace and be left even more tired.¡± Jethro opened the door and smiled, ¡°Speaking of stimulants¡­¡± Bridget was standing outside waiting for them. She held up a leaf to Jethro, who grabbed it, then stuffed it into Travis¡¯s mouth, ¡°Chew it into a wad, then stick it under your tongue.¡± Travis did as ordered and immediately began to perk up, ¡°Ugh, what is this?¡± He cautiously gave it a few more chews, wincing with displeasure each time before his jaw stopped moving. Bridget leaked a small laugh, ¡°Spike-leaf, it tastes much better when you brew it.¡± Travis looked confused, ¡°Spike-leaf? Isn¡¯t that an invasive weed? My village¡¯s clerk used to bribe me with pulled pork sandwiches to walk the fields and pull out any growing patches.¡± Wait a second¡­ Travis never thought it was strange how the patches were always in the middle of the fields? Bridget tilted her head, ¡°No, it¡¯s not native to Lakeland, and considered a low-grade narcotic, illegal to own more than a single plant without a license.¡± Travis, now looking alive, scratched his head, ¡°Huh? Why would she lie to me?¡± Oh, Travis, you¡¯re too pure for this world. Travis¡¯ friends shared glances, hinting to me that they thought the same. The group¡¯s silence, however, was broken by a pair of students dragging out an unruly orc. ¡°Get yer hands off me!¡± Drozuk kept struggling to free himself from the grinning students. They were followed out by Drozuk¡¯s posse and a number of other students who were all shouting at each other. Jethro smiled, then turned to Travis, ¡°Never got to ask, why weren¡¯t you able to get any sleep last night?¡± Travis let out a yawn, but managed to answer, ¡°Drozuk didn¡¯t get his uniform fixed, so I had to stay up late tailoring the sleeves back on. Took me a long time, since he ripped off his sleeves instead of undoing the stitching, and I let out the arms a bit, so he¡¯d stop complaining.¡± Jethro stared at Travis and his expression softened drastically before he quickly turned from the others to hide his face. He then grabbed a pocket watch from his belt to read the time. His eyes bulged, then he amplified his voice with Air Mana to ensure that everyone could hear him, ¡°Hurry up! We only got a couple of minutes to report for morning drill.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Drozuk, finally free, growled at Jethro, ¡°Shut it crybaby! I didn¡¯t come here to get bossed around by some greenhouse flower noble, or to become a sycophant for the queen.¡± ¡°Then why the storm are you here!¡± shouted Mattius. ¡°You¡¯re here to learn how to become a mage and are even going to become a noble yourself when you graduate.¡± Drozuk grinned, ¡°Who said I was going to graduate?¡± Travis looking stupefied, spoke before he could think it out, ¡°But, you¡¯ll be barred from becoming a knight for 12 years¡­¡± ¡°Why would I want to become some pompous knight?¡± Drozuk lifted his hands to properly preach to the crowd, ¡°I¡¯m going to learn everything that I can here, then bring back that knowledge back to the monster hunters, so that the real defenders of the kingdom don¡¯t have to scrounge for table scraps.¡± Jethro went slack jawed after hearing the orc¡¯s statement, ¡°You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re¡­ an idiot!¡± He buried his face in his hands, ¡°You¡¯re a complete moron! I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± Different expressions spread across the crowd. All of the non-nobles were looking at Jethro confused or angry, and half of the noble born were sharing Jethro¡¯s look of disbelief. The rest were like Mattius and I, visibly trying to figure out the missing context that Jethro wasn¡¯t saying. I was confused, I know it is illegal for a knight or mage to train a non-ward in magic, but what about monster hunters? They don¡¯t receive a formal education in magic, even their spellcasters must cobble together spells from observation or testing. That ¡°wizard¡± that visited the village way back technically wasn¡¯t even a mage, just a skilled witch. My concentration was broken by Sir Felicity marching over to the dorm and shouting at the students to line up for disciplinary action. --- Travis Hector was angry. No, he was more than angry. He was furious, infuriated, incensed, and quite literally steaming with anger. I partially activated my mana sight out of morbid curiosity to confirm my suspicion, yep, red and blue mana was swirling around him like a tornado. Sir Hector Hopkins, Drill Instructor Knight, stopped his pacing then glared, ¡°It appears that I¡¯ve been too lax with this group.¡± I could hear him barely able to restrain his voice into a calm, but firm, tone, ¡°You were the only battalion that failed to have everyone prepared yesterday, but since it was only two individuals, I decided to be kind. That was clearly a mistake.¡± Hector stood there, steam still wafting off him, ¡°Take off your armor, you disgrace the kingdom by wearing it.¡± He then turned to Sir Felicity who looked a little scared of Hector herself, ¡°Run them hard.¡± My morning sleepiness was long forgotten and now replaced with fear, I quickly started taking my half-plate off as fast as possible, setting it into a neat pile on the ground. Hector barked to take off our arming jackets as well, so I took mine off, then marched over to Sir Felicity to prepare for our morning run. Once the entire battalion was lined up, Sir Felicity ordered us to start running, taking an overly long path that looped and zig-zagged in on itself. We eventually made it back to our starting location, but something was immediately triggering my sense of dread. I darted my eyes around and finally noticed that everyone¡¯s armor was thrown into a huge pile. Hector stood nearby with a pocket watch in his hand, ¡°Enjoy your walk?¡± He held up his free hand to the pile of gear, ¡°You have 6 minutes to get your armor back on. Beginning¡­ now!¡± We stood there stunned for a few seconds before all dams broke loose and everyone scrambled to the pile. I got hit multiple times by flailing arms and tried to catch one of the pieces of gear that were being carelessly tossed out of the center. I managed to catch a gauntlet, but after looking, the tag inside didn¡¯t belong to me, so I shouted the inscribed name, then tossed it to a person that shouted back. The six minutes flew by way too fast, and before I could even put on a single piece of armor, Hector boomed with a voice loud enough to quiet the group, ¡°Times up, remove your gear. Sir Felicity, take them for another lap.¡± Terror started to sink into me, was it even possible to get armored up that fast? And how many times would we get to try before people started to collapse? My friends were still running close to me, but I noticed that Adrian was breathing hard, and likely couldn¡¯t keep at our current pace. I tried to think of some way to help. Maybe press my hand on his back to help him keep momentum? No, that wouldn¡¯t work, he¡¯d just pass out once we finished our run. Think¡­ oh, I know. I amped up my Wind Mana, then shaped the accumulating ambient mana on my skin into a [Wind Aura], adjusting the rotation so that Adrian would get a tailwind and fresh, mana enriched, Air to breathe. It looked like it was working, and Adrian didn¡¯t seem to be growing exhausted as quickly as before. --- I black out for a second, but that was enough for me to lose concentration, making me slide and tumble down the side of the elevated path, barely able to tuck my arms in as I roll into the bottom of the ditch. Ugh, what happened? I was concentrating on maintaining my [Wind Aura], but then my lack of sleep came back violently. My face is buried in the dirt, and my body aches with pain from the multiple scrapes on my body. I try to lift my head, but my brain is so tired, and my emotions are a complete wreck. All that effort I put in last night was wasted. I hear people shouting, then a [Message] reaches me, ¡°Are you injured?¡± My brain takes a moment, but I eventually recognize it as Sir Felicity¡¯s voice, ¡°No,¡± I groan while pushing myself up, ¡°just a few scrapes.¡± ¡°You need to get moving then. No one is allowed to skip punishment.¡± I nod my head, then take a few deep breaths and think. This is the fourth lap we¡¯ve done, and we weren¡¯t even close to getting armored up in time last round. There must be a way to complete our task¡­ if only¡­ wait, Hector doesn¡¯t start the timer till after the group arrives, what if I beat the group there? Too exhausted to think of a smarter plan, I amp up my Earth Mana and shape a pair of formations on my feet. THUD. THUD. Thud. THUD. ¡­ I sprint as fast as I can, using a mix of body enhancement and external manipulation to give each step the traction and power needed to catch up with the group. Once there, I start summoning [Water Orb]¡¯s to fling at anyone in my way and force myself through the crowd. Sir Felicity looks at me strangely but doesn¡¯t stop me as I rush past. I keep running, recasting [Wind Aura] to help cool myself off and help with my breathing. Eventually I make it back to the starting location, and immediately rush to the pile of gear, ignoring whatever Hector might be saying. ¡°Travis? Thank the gods and God, quickly, I got a solution. Start by lifting your leg and slamming it down like you¡¯re casting an Earth spell.¡± I do as Arc instructs, and the pile pulls apart in eight different directions due to the ground underneath sliding away. ¡°Good, now once everyone gets here, have them circle around the piles and keep passing gear to the right until they have their full set. Then just have everyone check the person to their left and right to ensure their gear is on correctly.¡± I tap my right ear, and amp up my Air Mana so I can repeat Arc¡¯s instructions. Everyone looks exhausted, and to my relief don¡¯t argue with me as I shout out the commands. We get into a large circle, and I start pulling gear, checking the tag, then passing it on. The plan isn¡¯t perfect, some of the students who finished collecting their gear left gaps in the circle after leaving, but soon all the piles are empty, and everyone is changing. I put on all of my gear without tightening the straps, then start throwing on the pauldrons to the guy on my right. Once on, I bark at him to help tighten my straps, then turn to my left to double check that person¡¯s gear. I make him double check me, then scan my eyes for anyone who needs help, but suddenly hear Hector¡¯s voice boom over the crowd, ¡°Time¡¯s up. Submit yourselves for inspection.¡± My heart fails to calm down as the Logistics Corp shows up to inspect us. An elven woman gives me a pat on the chest to confirm that I¡¯m good, then moves on to the next in line. My anxiety is fully peaked now, and I don¡¯t even try to control my breathing. One of the Logistics Corp officers gives a shout to Hector, then raises a thumbs up so everyone can see. My legs turn to jelly, and I start to sway, barely able to hear Hector, ¡°About time. Initiates, take a rest.¡± I don¡¯t remember sitting down, or passing out, but the giant grin on Hector¡¯s face when he woke me to tell me that morning drill was over, made me feel like I was finally free from an unending nightmare. --- Arc I watched in horror as Travis went weak at the knees and tumbled to the ground. ¡°Travis! Travis¡­ are you ok?¡± Sir Felicity rushed over to check, then gave out a sigh of relief once she determined that Travis had merely passed out from exhaustion. She repositioned his armor and body to make Travis more comfortable, then walked over to Hector. ¡°Is he ok?¡± ¡°Just exhausted, we should probably let him sleep.¡± Hector nodded his head, then let out a breath, ¡°Thank god, Marcia would rip my head off if Travis injured himself on my watch.¡± He looked over the barely awake students before turning back to Felicity, ¡°I suppose we better start interrogations. Know where to start?¡± Felicity, who was staring at Travis on the ground, narrowed her eyes, ¡°Quick question first. You said that Travis was self-taught?¡± Hector raised an eyebrow, ¡°Yes, according to Lancel, there was no one present in Travis¡¯ village that could have taught him. Why do you ask?¡± Felicity tapped her fingers on her tassets, ¡°That spell he casted¡­ [Earth Slide] ¡­ it¡¯s a starter spell, but a multi directional one is something you¡¯d only see an end of first-year student capable of casting¡­¡± Crap! I didn¡¯t think my spell was that advanced, I made it one that Travis could have done himself had he enough time. ¡°Maybe he has an affinity for Earth magic?¡± The female knight stood there pondering, ¡°Maybe¡­ I guess I¡¯m just surprised that someone so exhausted could free cast a spell that quickly.¡± She shook her head, then turned to Hector, ¡°Back to the matter at hand, I didn¡¯t catch the altercation, but I did see Drozuk and Jethro at the center of the crowd.¡± Hector began to scratch his beard, ¡°Guess we¡¯ll start with those two.¡± The two knights called over Drozuk to get his version of what happened this morning. It boiled down to him accusing Jethro of sending two lackeys to harass him while he tried to get ready. Hector and Felicity nodded along, but I could clearly tell by their unamused faces that they knew there was more to the story. They then called over Jethro, who gave them a full account of what happened, starting with Travis staying up late to repair Drozuk¡¯s uniform, the effort he and the others went through to get Travis ready and awake, then whispering to the knights that Drozuk didn¡¯t intend to graduate. That made the two knights facepalm and call Drozuk an idiot, leaving me annoyed that I still didn¡¯t know why. Jethro was sent back to join the rest of the students in this world¡¯s version of Tai Chi, sans Travis, who was still fast asleep. The two knights whispered to each other for a bit on what to do, but decided it was best to report the situation to Administration. Dammit! Why all the secrecy? I move my focus back to Travis who¡¯s resting blissfully, ¡°When you wake up, you¡¯re going to get some answers for me.¡± --- Travis Hector¡¯s grin may not have been the same as Rabiria¡¯s children¡¯s, but it was still a welcome sight. He offered a hand for me to grab, and I was swiftly pulled up. I took a moment to shake of my bleariness, then started to panic when my head cleared up enough for me to realize that I must have slept through the rest of morning drill. A hand was placed on my shoulder, and Hector spoke in a calming voice, ¡°Relax, you¡¯re not in trouble, but I don¡¯t recommend making this a habit.¡± I let out a breath, then tried to explain, ¡°Sir, there¡¯s no excuse for my¡­¡± Pain emitted from my shoulder as Hector squeezed it, ¡°You are part of a team now Travis, one of the many droplets in the cloud, running off on your own without backup or informing your teammates is unacceptable behavior in the army.¡± He released my shoulder, then gave it a quick pat, ¡°You have made some reliable friends already, learn to trust them.¡± Hector then stepped away and nodded his head towards my friends. Adrian and the others walked up to me, but I could barely acknowledge them while my mind raced. Hector was more upset that I wasn¡¯t being a good teammate. Was that true? A clap on my still sore shoulder jarred my thoughts back to the world outside my mind, I looked to the source and scratched Arc to find out it was Jethro, ¡°Sorry, just got told I was being a poor teammate¡­¡± Jethro raised an eyebrow, ¡°You? Mr. I¡¯m going to stay up all night repairing my roommate¡¯s uniform even though he hates me?¡± I shook my head, ¡°No, the running ahead of the group without warning.¡± I let out a deep sigh, ¡°Sir Hector¡¯s right. If I did that during a flood or Fall Purge, I could get myself killed. I¡¯m sorry guys, I¡¯ll try to do better.¡± Jethro grew upset, ¡°What? You¡¯ve been nothing but a model teammate to us!¡± He took a few breaths to calm down before continuing, ¡°Day one you helped Adrian get ready unprompted, yesterday you invited me to sit with you despite everyone mocking me, and then you invited Mattius to partner with you during class.¡± Jethro turned to Bridget with a finger raised, ¡°Umm, not sure what Travis has done to help you,¡± she smiled back, ¡°but I¡¯m sure it was something both thoughtful and helpful.¡± He turned back to me, ¡°And yes, you ran off on your own during drill, but we needed someone to think up a proper plan, we were never going to pass at our current pace.¡± Guilt took a hold of my insides and squeezed; I wouldn¡¯t have done any of that without Arc first prompting me. Hector was right, I need to stop being an idiot and become a team player. I wiped my eyes, and spoke despite my voice cracking, ¡°I don¡¯t deserve you guys. I should have asked for your help instead of doing things on my own.¡± Jethro threw his arm around me, and started leading us towards the dining hall, ¡°It¡¯s Day Three, we have plenty of time to learn from our mistakes.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t have said it better myself.¡± Chapter 24 – Weak Stomachs and Inevitable Costs Now, some of you are probably wondering, who¡¯s Aelder? And those who grew up in an orthodox church might be asking, there¡¯s minor gods? Well, let¡¯s clarify a few things first. There are eight major gods, seven of which we have names for (Zephoreas, Torbolt, Ignitious, Adamanrion, Titantuin, Apheros, Hydraviandor, and The Hooded One), and each one holding domain over one of the base (Wind, Fire, Earth, and Water) or hybrid elements (Lightning, Metal, Wood, and Ice). Below them are the minor gods, the exact number of them is unknown, and they differ from the major gods due to being born as mortals, becoming patron saints to a specific ideal towards a major god. Aelder is likely the most famous, not only for his deception in the elven lands, but for the naturally mana dense trees that share the same name and how he is the patron god of childish mischief, play, and protection of the young. A few stories also include references to ¡°The First Two¡±, but it¡¯s unknown if they refer to the first two major gods or a precursor to the current eight major ones we have. My research has led me to believe that it is the latter, due to nearly every major god having at least one story that mentions them. Multiple theories have been put forth on the subject, but no chosen of the gods has ever been able to petition an answer from their patron, minus a single exception. When a chosen of Zephoreas was asked about ¡°The First Two¡±, his reply was, ¡°Pay them no mind, they do not care about our struggles, they only look down upon us.¡± --- Arc The orkish chef smiled at Travis and went to grab a steaming mug of mana infused drink to place on his tray. He then signaled the line to keep moving and resumed giving students the normal portions of mana rich food. Mattius watched the interaction, then whispered to Bridget, ¡°Ok, is there something I¡¯m missing?¡± Bridget shrugged her shoulders, ¡°Not sure, I mean, Travis is handsome, but he¡¯s not ¡®handsome¡¯ handsome if you get what I mean.¡± Mattius nodded, and Adrian leaned in, ¡°Most orcs I¡¯ve met find physical might to be a person¡¯s most attractive feature, so all Travis has to do is flex his muscles.¡± Hmm, I take a moment to look over the arming jackets that everyone was wearing, yeah, not sure how Travis is supposed to show off his physique while wearing one. While not bulky and stuffed with padding like the type a knight would have worn in my old world, they were still made with layered fabric and heavily stitched at the joints to provide durability. They also don¡¯t reveal a lot of skin, the collar completely covers the neck when fully buttoned and the bottom hem goes down to the knees, making it ironically(?) look more like a wizard robe. The group made their way to a table, and Jethro snuck up behind the first three to flaunt that he overheard them, ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the reason why Travis¡¯ roommate doesn¡¯t like him. The poor oaf simply doesn¡¯t know how to express his feelings.¡± The four and I started snickering, making Travis look their way when they sat down, ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± ¡°We were thinking of ways to get back at your roommate.¡± Lied Mattius with an almost disturbing amount of ease. ¡°Oh, I already have an idea.¡± Travis retrieved a grin from his childhood bully days, ¡°In the middle of the night I¡¯m going to knock Drozuk unconscious, then I¡¯ll have you guys help me forcibly dress him and tie him to a pillar in the training yard. I figure that a simple constrictor knot should be enough to hold him, he¡¯s mostly soft muscle, so the self-tightening from his struggles if he wakes will work against him.¡± Shocked looks filled the table, and even I had to focus in on his face to determine if he was joking or not. A pregnant pause went by, confirming that he was not joking. Adrian managed to whimper out a response, despite his obvious discomfort, ¡°Maybe, save that as a last resort¡­ He¡¯s drawn the ire of multiple people in our battalion now, he might behave tomorrow.¡± Travis mulled the idea over, and I decided that I better help Adrian convince him, ¡°I agree, besides, Drozuk might just retaliate if you do that, or you might get into trouble.¡± Travis nodded his head, and to everyone¡¯s and my relief, dropped the evil grin, ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right.¡± He then focused his attention on his food and drink, eyes widening when he sipped on the hot drink, ¡°This tastes amazing! What is it?¡± Bridget leaned over and gave it a sniff before smiling, ¡°Brewed spike-leaf and tree beans, it¡¯s a favorite amongst elven mages, you shouldn¡¯t have any trouble staying awake for the rest of the day now.¡± --- Travis 1-3 Monster Anatomy 1 This room was completely different from the others I¡¯ve been in. For starters, the room¡¯s walls looked like a kitchen¡¯s pantry due to all the glass jars, and instead of desks or workbenches, it looked like rows of kitchen countertops, complete with sinks. Bridget and I had the same schedule today, so we sat together while we continued looking, wondering what was in the jars, until a familiar looking elf walked in backwards, giving commands to the teacher¡¯s assistants following him in. ¡°Set it in front of the magnifier.¡± The blonde High Elf then turned to address the class, ¡°Grab your pens and paper and take as many notes as you can, we¡¯ll be going over a few topics that are normally gone over later in the year, but I am not going to waste this opportunity.¡± The professor, who I now recognized as the same one I met at the party Lancel took me to, gestured to the assistants who were pulling in a large hooved creature that was missing its head. It was mostly covered in brown fur, but also had patches of green moss growing on it and was giving off a pungent odor. ¡°This specimen is an elmek, a common single element mutation monster that originally evolved from elks. Sadly, the hunter insisted on keeping the head for their personal collection, so I won¡¯t be able to show how this species is capable of combating mana sickness by growing mana dense antlers.¡± They grabbed a knife from their workbench, then adjusted the magnifying lenses to give us a close-up of the monster¡¯s hips, ¡°What I will get to show you today, is a rare occurrence when dissecting the reproductive system.¡± The professor took off their robe, leaving their torso bare, then slid the knife between the rear legs, causing the monster¡¯s innards to spill out. The elf then reached in with their bare hands, going all the way to the shoulders, and started pulling different parts out to show, ¡°Here¡¯s the bladder, a kidney, and¡­ here we go¡­¡± A large fleshy sac covered in blood was pulled out of the elmek, ¡°The placenta!¡± My stomach clenched at the sight, I¡¯d help deliver newborn calves many times, but this was much more disgusting. I heard Bridget begin to breathe heavily, making me turn to her. She caught me looking at her matte-black face, then whispered, ¡°Please don¡¯t judge.¡± I held up my hands in submission, ¡°I¡¯m also barely keeping my lunch down.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a trashcan under the sink if you need it.¡± I tapped Arc and gave him an extra friendly rub as thanks before grabbing the trashcan and setting it between me and Bridget. She smiled and gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled back at her, almost getting lost in her large brown eyes, before I remembered where I was. The professor finished readjusting the magnifier, then made a cut to open up the placenta, ¡°This elmek was carrying twins, but one of the fetuses acquired a rare mutation¡­¡± They displayed the two unborn calves, one much larger than the other, ¡°The smaller fetus on the right is a normal healthy fetus, but the one on the left developed a mana cyst despite the protection of the womb. As you can see, its growth has been accelerated rapidly as a result, causing the mother to become more aggressive for food. Had the mother successfully given birth, she would have been able to purge herself of the late-stage mana sickness, if no new cysts formed while waiting for the fetus to finish developing.¡± Bridget gripped the countertop to help bark herself, then raised her hand, ¡°Would either of the calves live after birth?¡± The elven professor nodded their head, ¡°Excellent question, the one with the mana cyst would live, but likely not for long since it would be born crazed, and its undeveloped body would be easy for a hunter to take down. The normal fetus would die due to lack of development.¡± ¡°This is a perfect example of why mammalian monsters tend to give birth to only one child and are generally more resistant to mana sickness, whereas egg-laying monsters are capable of maintaining large clutches of eggs and rarely live for more than a couple of years.¡± The professor then took the two fetuses and placed them in a large jar full of liquid, before asking an assistant to place it on a shelf with what I now realized was preserved monster parts. --- Class eventually ended, making Bridget and I thank our gods for the fresh air outside. Neither of us puked, but I did hold the basket for a bit after seeing one of the other students in the front row do so after the professor opened up the stomach to show off the elmek¡¯s omnivorous adaptations. Bridget rubbed her bald head and eyes, ¡°So glad that I got Fire Spells 1 in an hour to distract me.¡± ¡°Same here, I¡¯ve field dressed animals before, and even checked pregnant cattle, but not both at the same time.¡± We chatted while we walked over to the Fire Mana studies building, and I got to learn about how the Mortymer family was one of the biggest producers of healing ointments. Arc of course wanted me to ask her how they worked, and I eagerly asked her since I wanted to know as well. ¡°At the most basic level, they are simply mana infused oils that prevent the pores in your membrane from getting saturated, allowing internal mana to stay amped up for longer and allow the faster cell growth to repair the body.¡± I nodded along, ¡°Let me guess, the mana in the oils is slightly active, so they help equalize the mana pressure by drawing away some of the mana that¡¯s trying to burrow itself into your body.¡± She smiled widely, ¡°Exactly, one of the biggest difficulties when using mana to heal someone is that you can only amp up a person¡¯s mana so far before they develop stage 2 mana sickness. So, if you can prevent saturation from occurring, you can speed up a person¡¯s recovery by a considerable margin.¡± I smiled back, wishing that we could keep talking, but sadly class was about to start. --- 4-6 Fire Spells 1 ¨C Classroom Component ¡°As a fire mage, you will be using your spells to burn monsters to death in one of the most violent ways possible.¡± The beardless dwarf spoke, then directed the class¡¯s attention to the timber wolf that was gnashing at the metal bars of its cage, ¡°This juvenile timber wolf is a common monster that will swarm the walls during the Spring Flood, its long haired pelt when fully grown is capable of ensnaring piercing weapons and reflecting slashing ones, making it a high priority for us mages to kill since a pack of them can overrun a human shield wall.¡± The instructor raised their hand, creating a circle of fire to surround the beast, causing it to cry out in pain, ¡°This is what will be plaguing your dreams in the future.¡± The screams from the creature grew louder as its limbs were slowly charred off, cauterizing the wounds to prevent it from bleeding out. The poor wolf¡¯s eyes eventually rolled to the back of its head, signaling that it was unconscious, and spared further torment. The fire spread over the torso, billowing smoke into the classroom, making my stomach retch once the smell hit me. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Bridget tapped me on the shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m going to go throw up now, want to join?¡± I nodded my head, afraid to open my mouth and let the bile that was rising in my esophagus out. ¡°There¡¯s a restroom two doors down and a bench in front, I¡¯ll let you know when your psycho professor is done killing puppies.¡± I led Bridget over to the bathroom before we each took a stall and made it to the porcelain goalpost. After spitting a few times following my purge, I flushed the toilet, then left the stall to rinse off my face and mouth in the sink. Bridget joined me shortly after, and once the aftertaste was gone, we sat down to rest on the nearby bench. The silence in the hallway allowed me to recollect my thoughts, causing me to start giggling. Bridget turned her head towards me with a quizzical look, so I decided to share, ¡°That was certainly distracting.¡± Bridget rolled her eyes at me, a feat that I didn¡¯t know was possible for Ashmen, ¡°Today was supposed to be a fun day for me. Enjoy my day off from morning drill to go to church, then attend the two classes that I was the most excited to attend.¡± I dropped my smile, ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t need to attend drill this morning with us?¡± She shook her head, ¡°Was too worried about you.¡± She then cracked a smile, ¡°Although if I knew our efforts would go to waste, and we were just going to get a group punishment, I probably would have reconsidered.¡± I lowered my head, feeling ashamed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for dragging you into my mess, is there anything I can do to make up for it?¡± Bridget patted me on the thigh, ¡°Just keep doing what you¡¯ve been doing.¡± ¡°Hey, sorry to butt in, but your professor is done traumatizing the class.¡± I gave Arc a pat, ¡°We better get back to class.¡± --- Arc Travis and Bridget weren¡¯t the only ones that needed to step out, or in a few cases should have, so they weren¡¯t alone when walking back into the classroom. The ¡°mess¡± from earlier was cleaned, a cauldron now sat where the cage once was, and the room was eerily calm. The dwarven professor was handing out syllabuses and acting if what happened 12 minutes earlier was nothing but a group hallucination. The professor got everyone¡¯s attention once all were seated, ¡°Fire magic is cheap to cast, devastating to many monsters, and will continue to have effects long after the spell has been scattered. During the flood, you will be expected to take out swarms of monsters for hours on end in the same manner that wolf was. I apologize for the earlier display, and if you feel the need, my teacher assistants will happily take you to counseling or to the administration building. Though, I will warn you now, unless you¡¯ve dedicated at least 25% of your mana to another type, you will not be given permission to change tracks.¡± They paused their speech to create a basketball sized [Fire Orb], then proceeded to move it around the room, ¡°Fire Mana is both creation and destruction, it is everywhere, not just the core of this world, but permeating everything, not piling up in neat little layers like Earth, Water, and Air Mana.¡± The spell began to light the torches that were ensconced to the walls, ¡°Paladins and witches only see it as a way to summon fire to their aid,¡± the orb moved back to the front of the room, ¡°they are idiots that fail to see the true potential at their fingertips,¡± the spell moved under a hanging cauldron near the professor, ¡°Fire Mana can generate heat, induce chemical reactions, and speed up the conversion of matter into energy.¡± The cauldron began to boil, causing steam to rise, and the [Fire Orb] was cancelled. The professor gave an impish smirk to the class, ¡°Anyone want to guess what¡¯s in the cauldron?¡± The room was quiet, Travis scratched my pommel, but I only saw the already full cauldron being brought in, ¡°Sorry, don¡¯t know what¡¯s in there. My guess based on the speech is that it¡¯s something more powerful than the spell she just cast.¡± Travis gave me a pat, and then raised his hand, ¡°A hot meal?¡± All eyes in the room fell on Travis, each one in disbelief that he¡¯d guess that. Even I felt the need to berate the glutton, ¡°Seriously Travis? Why would you guess¡­¡± I was cut off by the professor giving an excited shout, ¡°Yes! Correct! During the Spring Flood, the weather can be downright awful, freezing rain, blizzards, chilling winds¡­¡± the professor swirled their hand to visually indicate that there were many more possible weather patterns, ¡°A hot meal infused with Fire Mana can not only let you and the regular soldiers stay warm for many hours, but will also improve digestion, recovery, and alertness. And then there¡¯s the positive mental effects that it can create for a person¡¯s morale.¡± ¡°Tomorrow at the spell range, we¡¯ll be learning how to create a [Fire Aura], one of the simplest ways to keep you and your soldiers warm. Now, open up your textbooks and minds, Ignitious is not the god of destruction, but one of science and change. So, if you¡¯re going to wield their element, then you need to learn how to use Fire Mana to both create and destroy.¡± --- After class finished, Bridget did me a solid by asking the question I wanted to ask, ¡°Ok, I got to know. How did you know what was in the cauldron?¡± Travis turned to Bridget with a wide grin, ¡°Well, what else are you going to cook in an open cauldron?¡± She scowled at the cheeky bastard, ¡°I¡¯m serious, how did you know?¡± Travis dropped the grin, ¡°No, seriously, what else are you going to cook in an open cauldron? The type she used is designed to retain heat for a long period of time and would be a chemist¡¯s worst choice for a vessel due to not being able to modulate the temperature quickly.¡± Bridget let out a huff, ¡°That still seems like a huge leap in logic. Poison, tar, and acids are commonly used to help defend fortresses from monsters, the cauldron could have had one of those.¡± Travis shook his head, ¡°Those only reliably work on varmints according to the monster hunter logs I¡¯ve read, and I doubt a teacher would be allowed to expose a student here to toxic fumes.¡± The shoulders on Bridget slumped, and she aggravated my pet peeve of seeing people flaunt off their lungs when she let out a deep sigh, ¡°I guess I¡¯m just upset that I didn¡¯t guess the answer.¡± She then grabbed her bag and started to leave the classroom, allowing me to sneak in a follow up question. ¡°How did you know what type of cauldron that was? You never took up any cooking lessons that went over different pot types.¡± Travis rubbed my pommel and smiled, ¡°During the church¡¯s potluck every Woodsday, I noticed that some stews and hotdishes would stay warmer for longer. Eventually, I was able to remember which styles retained the most heat and planned my eating so that I¡¯d always have warm food on my plate.¡± Ugh, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve been underestimating just how much of a glutton Travis truly is. --- After supper, Travis and I finally got some alone time in the private spell range so we could chat. ¡°You had me worried quite a few times today, first the bestial behavior at breakfast, then when you collapsed after getting inspected, and then once more when you threatened to tie up Drozuk.¡± I watched for Travis¡¯ reaction, ¡°Can we talk about that? I had to help Adrian talk you down.¡± Travis took a seat on the bench underneath the sheltered portion of the spell range and gave out an aggravated grunt, ¡°Well? What am I supposed to do? Let him keep bullying me? I¡¯ve never had to deal with someone like him before.¡± I mentally frown back at him, and replied with an annoyed tone, ¡°Of course you haven¡¯t, you used to be the one tormenting the other children.¡± Travis winced at the reminder, but I began to give my advice, ¡°As for how to deal with a bully, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they¡¯re a person, group, or country, they all have one thing in common; they lack empathy, only caring about themselves, and will find any excuse to keep themselves elevated above the ones they deem lesser. The solution to stopping one is simple but hard; ask someone for help, if they can¡¯t or won¡¯t, ask someone else, and then keep asking until you have the numbers and power to overwhelm that bully and make them stop.¡± Travis thought over my advice, but he must have had some revelation, because his eyes went wide, and his breathing became more expressive. ¡°Travis, is something wrong?¡± A hoarse voice whimpered, ¡°Am I a bad person?¡± ¡°What? No. Why would you even think that?¡± ¡°Because, like you said, I used to be a bully. If you weren¡¯t here pushing me to reach out to other people¡­ would I just become a narcissistic asshole? What¡¯s stopping me from becoming one?¡± ¡°The fact that you¡¯re sitting there worried that you will.¡± Travis shifted in his seat, clearly not liking my answer. Ugh, I wish I could give him a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, listen, I would have never taught you magic if I thought you were going to use it to oppress others. Yes, you were a mean kid when you were young, but you were also a troubled youth who needed someone to help and listen to them.¡± Travis buried his face in his hands, ¡°Ugh, I just feel so guilty, Jethro went off about how I was being such a nice person, but you¡¯re the one who should get the credit.¡± ¡°Hey now, you¡¯re the one doing the actual work, I¡¯m just giving you a friendly nudge. Nothing¡¯s stopping you from ignoring me.¡± Travis barked out a laugh, ¡°I wish I could sometimes.¡± He stood up and gave his body a stretch, ¡°I think I should call it a night, it¡¯s been a long day, even though I slept through most of morning drill.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine with me, I¡¯d rather have you well rested tomorrow.¡± Travis started to make his way to the door, ¡°And quit beating yourself up, you¡¯re not infallible, no one is, not even the gods,¡± I made a sighing noise, reflecting on how some divine jerk put me here, ¡°trust me, I would know.¡± Travis stopped dead in his tracks in front of the door. I was about to ask if something was wrong after he was quiet for so long, but he quickly stammered out a question, ¡°Umm, can you add do something nice for my friends to the quest log?¡± I mentally smiled, ¡°Sure, want any suggestions?¡± Travis nodded his head, ¡°Please do.¡± ¡°How about you invite them here occasionally? I think you¡¯re allowed to bring guests, or at least study partners.¡± ¡°Sounds great.¡± --- Travis I kept giving Arc some friendly scratches and rubs on the way back to the dorm, doing my best to distract him. I stopped in front of the door, pausing so Arc could inform me that Drozuk was in his room, then entered. To my surprise, the room was clean. Maybe Drozuk wanted to make peace? I let out an airy laugh, yeah, more like he didn¡¯t want to compound the trouble he was in. Lancel mentioned that instructors would do barracks inspections during basic training, so it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if unscheduled ones would occur for us as well. I went to grab my evening robe, not bothering to grab the jacket since I intended to crawl right into bed, and took a nice, long, shower. Feeling clean and drowsy, I made my way to my room, but stopped in my tracks at the sight of Drozuk sitting on a couch. He slowly looked up at me, ¡°Here¡¯s the deal, you keep your noble buddies off my back, and I show up to morning drill bright and chipper every morning.¡± He narrowed his eyes, ¡°And I won¡¯t be needing your ¡®help¡¯ in the morning either.¡± I crossed my arms, staring right into his eyes, ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t bother you, you won¡¯t bother me.¡± Drozuk nodded his head to agree, then with surprising speed, got up and walked into his room. I let out a deep breath that I was apparently holding, then went into my room and crawled into bed. I wanted to look through my book again, but sleep was beckoning me into its embrace, and my bed was too luxurious in its comfort. --- Steelsday, the 20th of Fifthmonth ¡°Good morning Mage¡¯s Academy! It is now 7am this Steelsday and overheard conversations of the patrolling guards state that it¡¯s looking to be a lovely day outside.¡± I made a small groan and pressed my temples with my right hand. Arc was having one of his ¡°episodes¡± again. It had been a while since the last one, but his self-admitted madness from being isolated for so long in the village was making him act strange again. The announcer tone I understood, I read that fortress cities employed criers to spread news, but why was he making himself sound like he was trapped in a cooking pot? ¡°Today¡¯s activities include Morning Drill, Noble Ethics 1, Fire Spells 1, asking Jethro why he called Drozuk an idiot yesterday, and inviting your new friends to the spell range with you.¡± Well, at least he was being helpful. I put my uniform on and quickly made my way downstairs, only pausing to make sure that Drozuk was awake. I grabbed breakfast, and sat down at a table where I was shortly joined by the others and a very happy looking Adrian, ¡°What¡¯s got you in such a good mood?¡± ¡°I get today off from drill.¡± ¡°I take it you worship Adamanrion?¡± Adrian nodded his head, ¡°Yep, just like practically every other Northman merchant family.¡± Jethro nodded along, ¡°Lucky you, hopefully Travis¡¯ roommate will stop being an idiot today or at least tomorrow if he¡¯s that swamp-headed.¡± Bridget leaned her head in, ¡°Oh, speaking of idiots, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, why did you call Travis¡¯ roommate an idiot yesterday?¡± Jethro smiled, ¡°You don¡¯t know? But I thought your father was a commando?¡± She scowled, ¡°Really? Stereotypes? Not every Ashman has a commando in their family.¡± Jethro laughed at her annoyance, ¡°Anyways, the reason is because his plan wouldn¡¯t even get a chance to fail.¡± He turned to Adrian, ¡°You mentioned that you¡¯ve been to dozens of fortresses, ever meet a monster hunter that was a former student here?¡± Adrian mulled it over before answering, ¡°Not former students, quite a few that failed the entrance exam here though.¡± ¡°Exactly, he¡¯s not the first to try and steal knowledge, and probably won¡¯t be the last.¡± Jethro paused so that he could stop himself from laughing, ¡°Afterall, he¡¯d be cursed with the two inevitabilities of life should he do so.¡± --- 1-3 Noble Civics 1 Morning drill went by without incident for the first time, much to the overexaggerated delight of Hector, who was acting like we were toddlers that managed to use the outhouse without assistance for the first time. The routine was unchanged from the first two days for the most part, but we did find out that next week¡¯s training would have us start attempting the obstacle courses and splitting off for an hour to train with our personal weapons. As I was about to enter the classroom though, Arc chirped in, ¡°Quick heads up, Drozuk is in this class.¡± I patted Arc and entered the plain looking classroom, making sure to sit as far away from my roommate as possible. He did notice me entering but seemed satisfied that I was keeping my distance. ¡°I¡¯m sure many of you will find this class boring, due to already having noble titles, but I ask that you do your best to pay attention since this class will also include economics, law, and civics. Both on the national and international level.¡± The Lakelander professor began to write on the chalkboard, ¡°Upon graduation here at this academy, you¡¯ll be granted the Mage title. This comes with many benefits, including the ability to transfer your wardship to an established family or create your own, a monthly salary based on your military rank, passing on your noble title to your first generation of children, and many other minor benefits that we will cover in this class.¡± The professor slid the chalkboard up so that he had a clean board, he then looked across the room, and I think locked eyes with Drozuk, ¡°Administration has asked that I adjust my course this year, and to go over some of the costs this kingdom incurs every year to keep this kingdom safe. The most relevant to you being the expense on the kingdom to run this school.¡± ¡°This should be interesting¡­¡± I gave Arc a rub on his pommel in agreement as the professor began to frantically write line after line on the board before drawing our attention to what was written. ¡°Uniforms, laundry service, food, artifice supplies¡­,¡± The professor kept rattling on just the physical material costs, then switched to staffing costs, ¡°Salaries for mages, knights, chefs, guards, logistics corps, administration, accountants, lawyers¡­,¡± They kept listing items and including a number for each category, reminding me of how my dad would help Mildred with the annual accounting for the village every fall, except the numbers for this were huge, and¡­ I think my heart stopped beating for a second. I looked over the numbers once more to confirm and started to concentrate on my breathing. Yep, he wasn¡¯t going over the budget for the entire academy¡­ he was summarizing the individual cost per student. My tiny village¡¯s entire gross income couldn¡¯t cover the cost for a single student, even if you removed the cost of my helmet and uniform. The professor finally finished listing off items, then smiled in the way that only a lawyer could, ¡°And that¡¯s just the cost per semester.¡± Gasps leaked from the students in the room and me, before the professor delivered the killing blow, ¡°Imagine having to somehow pay for that should you fail to graduate.¡± Chapter 25 - Offense and Defense Backtracking to Aelder, Oskar, the Chosen of Apheros was eventually able to calm the riot he caused by assembling a group of clergymen and having Eldar translate the origin of the minor god. A story that roused a large number of dwarven historian¡¯s interest. (But we¡¯ll get to that in the next chapter.) Apheros, traveling on his grand journey across the world, followed the Grand River down past the Endless Falls, and was stunned into inaction at the sight. The once lush delta that was fed by the river was no more, instead a broken land stripped of its vitality was before him. He could see monsters scavenging for leftover scraps in the sand, attacking one another when a morsel of dead leaves was discovered. Apheros grew mad with rage, he didn¡¯t have his spear, but he didn¡¯t need it, they didn¡¯t deserve it¡­ He reached behind him to snap off a tine from a set of antlers on his back (make note of this for next chapter), then grew the broken piece until it became a long-sharpened pole. He then began to kill. Not in the quick and nearly painless way that a butcher would do to an animal, but in quite the opposite matter. He impaled the nearest monster, boring deep into its abdomen, then raised the still living monster in the air, and planted the pole into the ground. The screams from the wounded monster as its blood slowly trickled down the pole drew in its brethren, allowing Apheros to continue his rampage as he repeated the process over and over. Days went by, the blood-drenched sand turning black as it began to rot, but Apheros kept killing and killing, his madness only exhausting itself once every single monster was dead. Apheros then fell to his knees in agony, tears streaming down his face; mortals had once lived there. A sound woke him from his misery, a thumping noise from one of the impaled monsters. He grabbed the hatchet from his belt, then cautiously cut open the stomach of the monster. A small wailing child fell out, startling Apheros, but he quickly knelt down to hold the child in his embrace. The tears kept flowing, and while he tried his best to calm the child, he tilted his head up to the sky, thanking the first two for their small mercy. His attempts to quiet the child were in vain though, for it kept screaming and trying to escape from his grasp. He knew why of course, he was covered in viscera, and surrounded by a horrific forest of dying monsters. Apheros barked himself, he knew he could do better. He was not a god of destruction, nor did he wish to become one. He focused on what the child needed. It needed to feel safe, it needed to be fed, it needed a place to learn and play, and most of all, it needed someone to love it. Apheros took his shield, the one that had served him for countless years, then buried it in the dirt. He then focused all his godly energies, using his shield as a catalyst for creation. A new domain for himself; protection. He poured and poured his energy into his shield, until a sapling began to sprout. It took root, then began to drink in the rot from the destruction that he caused and shot up into the sky, branching out in a myriad of directions until its leaves fully blotted out the harsh sun. Apheros gave the tree everything that he could, until only his exhausted breathing could be heard. He looked down, only now realizing that the child must have finally calmed. In his arm was the child, looking at him and the tree in wonderment. ¡°What is your name child?¡± ¡°Aelder¡± ¡°Well Aelder, this is your tree. It¡¯ll keep you protected, as long as you stay near, this is my promise to you.¡± Apheros leaned against the tree, barely keeping himself awake, but when he made contact, the tree drained some of his fatigue. Not much, but just enough for him to grow a layer of soft green moss over his ironbark armor. It absorbed the filth that covered himself and the child, then began to spread into the delta, consuming the rot caused by his destruction. The two slept safely under the shade of Aelder¡¯s tree, holding each other in their arms. --- Travis Rocksday, the 21st of Fifthmonth ¡°It¡¯s 7am now.¡± I set down my history book, slightly annoyed about my side project¡¯s lack of progress. The tome I had was loaded with useful information, but I was going to need to take notes to conduct a proper investigation. Normally this wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but when the person you¡¯re investigating can see everything you can do with perfect memory, you need to be careful. I mulled over the problem as I got dressed and stepped out of my room, but my thoughts were interrupted by Drozuk walking out at the same time. We both stared at each other for a second, before awkwardly walking down to breakfast together in complete silence. The change in attitude wasn¡¯t too surprising, given that the Noble Civics instructor yesterday all but called out Drozuk when he pointed out that tuition was only covered by the kingdom if you graduated, and that anything we learned here at the academy could only be legally shared with registered mana users and wards of the kingdom. Thankfully we were able to separate after going through the food line, and I was soon joined at my table by my friends. ¡°So, all of you can make it tonight?¡± Everyone nodded their heads, and Jethro gave me a big grin, ¡°Definitely, I hate having to bump shoulders at the regular range or try to find time to go to a T.A. led group study at the Wind Mana Studies¡¯ range.¡± Mattius let out a small grunt, ¡°At least you got a silver stripe on your shoulder, I kept getting dirty looks when I went there to practice.¡± Wow, I didn¡¯t realize how bad it was for them, ¡°I¡¯m surprised there aren¡¯t more spell ranges if the competition is that bad.¡± Jethro waved me off, ¡°There¡¯s plenty of range space, just not enough for everyone to show up at 7-11. Plus, they don¡¯t close, so you can adjust your sleep schedule and go during the night if you really needed the practice.¡± Adrian let out a small chuckle, ¡°I didn¡¯t even know it got crowded, I¡¯ve just been going at 2 since I don¡¯t have any classes between drill and 4pm.¡± The entire table gave Adrian a dirty look, but I couldn¡¯t hold it in and started chuckling, ¡°I¡¯m jealous, my schedule is completely packed. If I didn¡¯t test out of all my generals, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d even be able to attempt an Elementalist build.¡± The angry looks of jealousy switched to me, making Arc laugh, so I decided to lean into it and bask underneath their envious gazes. Bridget and Adrian were the most exasperated, since Bridget only tested out of Math and Science, whereas Adrian only managed the same feat in Math and History. Mattius only barely tested out of Math, and Jethro, after some prodding, finally admitted that he didn¡¯t test out of any generals. --- ¡°So yesterday wasn¡¯t a fluke?¡± Hector taunted to our group, then turned to the logistics corps sergeant, ¡°Your men can switch to random inspections now.¡± A small grin escaped me, I wasn¡¯t exactly confident that Drozuk would uphold his end of the bargain. We went through the usual physical routine and got lectured today on how to create a shield wall. We got into groups of 12 and took turns calling out movement and repositioning orders. I had quite a bit of fun at first, but the marching reminded me of the time I fought with Lancel, and how I wasn¡¯t able to fight as one with the guards. I pushed the unhappy feeling aside as much as possible, focusing on Hector¡¯s words and melding my motions to synchronize with the others. Hector was calling out words of encouragement in between his critiques, ¡°That¡¯s the way, remember now, the best offense is a good defense. Even a rabbit can outlast a god if they dig in deep enough.¡± That one got me laughing at the confused head-turns of my squad mates, and I even got yelled at by Hector to focus. We ended on another Q&A session, and one of Drozuk¡¯s friends asked an interesting question, ¡°Do I have to become a noble after graduation?¡± Sir Felicity decided to take the question, ¡°Yes, but what you do with the title is up to you. You must take a last name for legal reasons, but no one is going to force you to join an existing family or build an estate. In fact, quite a few knights and mages, myself included, live in single-family homes.¡± Hector chimed in after, ¡°You¡¯re also not required to go to any social events outside of a handful of mandatory ones before you fully graduate, and you are allowed to spend a good portion of your time outside of the capital.¡± He paused to scratch his proof of not being a pure-blooded Packer, ¡°Hmm, something that may be of interest to you, is that due to the recent incident with the Jarl of Lakewell, the Queen has been openly creating a new position in the regional guard that would put a mage or knight in every fortress to assist with mana checks. It¡¯ll take a few years to finish putting it to law and recruiting applicants, but I imagine that there wouldn¡¯t be much competition from us city-born nobles, and a former fortress resident would have a better chance of getting the position.¡± The girl who asked let out an exhale and seemed to relax with a big smile, but I noticed Drozuk was just staring despondently at the ground. ¡°Hey, do you know if anything is going on with Drozuk?¡± I whisper to Arc, taking advantage of my helmet being on. ¡°He was asked to stay after Noble Civics yesterday, so I¡¯m guessing administration was told about his plan. He¡¯s probably debating on whether or not to stay, if he leaves during the first week, the fines wouldn¡¯t be as bad.¡± I couldn¡¯t really get my head around why he wouldn¡¯t want to learn here; the monster hunter logs I read didn¡¯t glamorize the lifestyle at all, and that paladin¡¯s journal in Father Viburnum¡¯s library often lamented about having to be gone from his family for long stretches of time. ¡°Hmm, I may be wrong, but I wonder if Drozuk¡¯s friends ditched him. He¡¯s been sulking in his room the last two nights, and he ate alone this morning.¡± Ugh, great, now I feel kinda bad for him. Maybe I¡¯ll try to extend a paddle if he decides to stay. --- 1-3 Mana Manipulation 1 I sat down in my seat but noticed that everyone was looking abnormally excited for class. Curiosity got to me, so I gave Arc a scratch on his pommel while I used my right hand to cover my whisper by scratching my cheeks, ¡°What¡¯s got everyone excited?¡± ¡°Sounds like the professor will be going over the basic spell structures for ranged offensive spells today.¡± I gave Arc a nice rub while I joined in on the class¡¯s eagerness. The High Elf instructor walked in, and upon the entire room immediately going into an uncharacteristic silence, gave out a small sigh. ¡°Yes, we will be going over basic ranged spells today in preparation for what your elemental magic courses will expand upon next week. As a quick reminder, disciplinary actions will be placed on any student caught casting offensive spells outside of the designated areas or at another person.¡± She narrowed her eyes at the classroom, but her intimidation tactic wasn¡¯t working on me or the others. ¡°Now, during our last session, we went over the three basic spell formations,¡± She raised her hand and summoned three lines of Light Mana to form in the air, each identical and at a 120-degree angle from each other, ¡°These lines act as pathways for mana and the element they drag with them, and by making these lines teardrop shaped, we can direct the flow.¡± The instructor summoned a cluster of Light Mana motes to illustrate the interaction that ambient mana would have with an array, beginning by having them float around in the air aimlessly. The professor changed the lines to be teardrop shaped, with the rounded ends pointed toward the middle. The ¡°ambient mana¡± then followed the lines to the middle of the array, creating a small pool, but were then scattered when the professor inverted the teardrop shape of the lines, making the rounded ends point away from the center. ¡°This triognial planar pattern, of course, is an inefficient design for ranged spells. Mana can leak out from the center due to the lack of containment, causing more mana to flow into the formation, increasing the odds of your synced mana to discharge, and result in you losing control of the spell. Therefore, it¡¯s only truly useful for Dwarven-based spellcasting due to having one side blocked off.¡± She then summoned a new line to add to the array and shifted the others till each line was at a 109.5-degree angle from each other and pointed towards the center, ¡°This tetrahedral pattern will likely look familiar to you, since most of you had to learn this spell during your entrance exam in order to pass. It is the formation for a standard Orb spell. It is often used as the collected fuel for a spell and is the centerpiece for the four standard ranged spells.¡± ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you say you mimicked something more advanced for your test?¡± I rapped Arc with my knuckles to shut him up, so I could focus on the lecture as I edged forward in my seat. One of the lines in the formation inverted, making the rounded end of the teardrop point out, ¡°This is the formation for a standard Blast spell, it¡¯s range is very limited, but it does have the advantage of being quick and simple to cast due to its standby form being a standard Orb spell.¡± The professor then returned the formation to an Orb spell, then added three small new lines to one of the original larger lines. The new lines were in the same tetrahedral pattern with the older line, but they were pointed outwards in a repulsion array. "This is a standard Bolt spell, the trigger for this spell is the line that acts as the pipe connecting the two arrays. By simply changing the teardrop shape to a straight line, the mana concentrated in the condensing array will travel down the neutral line towards the repulsion array, causing the spell to propel forward." "There are a few factors that can be adjusted in just this simple spell, you can increase the speed and range at the cost of reducing your payload, and the spell can travel in an arc if one of the lines in the repulsion array is smaller. You will be expected to have mastered this spell by the end of the semester before the Fall Purge." ¡°The two advanced versions of this spell are the Arrow and Missile spells,¡± she added even more arrays and lines to the formation at the mention of each to show off the complexity, ¡°but you won¡¯t need to worry about them until next year.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Oh, I definitely couldn¡¯t wait to get to the spell range as soon as possible. --- Arc Well, that was certainly eye-opening, especially when the instructor went over how it was easier to simply hold a spell formation in place and let it propel itself. I guess it was never a problem for me with my sword brain, but it does explain why Travis has trouble tossing spells quickly. It¡¯s probably the equivalent of having to constantly kick with a skateboard instead of cruise downhill. I imagine it would only grow more complicated as more arrays were added to a formation. Travis stopped at the commissary between classes, picking up a couple of fresh notebooks, and¡­ a pen and ink set? ¡°Why are you grabbing a pen?¡± Travis stiffened up a bit, ¡°Umm, I noticed that the other students had an easier time making spell notations since you can just hold the pen in place before making your line. I hope you don¡¯t mind¡± ¡°Oh, right, I did notice you getting annoyed at having to fill in the teardrop shape on your notes. So, yeah, that¡¯s fine.¡± Travis let out a breath. Why was he nervous? He¡¯s had to write with a pen before, he just got into the habit of using charcoal instead so that I could read what was written. ¡°Is something wrong? I don¡¯t mind if you¡¯d rather take notes with a pen, I just wouldn¡¯t be able to read it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just that, it¡¯s¡­¡± Travis shifted from foot to foot, ¡°You see everything I do, even what I write when I use charcoal.¡± Oh crap, I don¡¯t want to have this conversation again, ¡°Ok, just like we discussed when you¡¯re using the bathroom or taking a shower, I will not bring my focus into the room or speak to you unless you ask, and I will partition off that section of my memory once you exit the room. I¡¯ll admit, it¡¯s a bit obvious what you¡¯re doing when the gaps in my memory are longer, but you shouldn¡¯t feel shame for doing what every other healthy teenage boy or adult is doing.¡± Travis was looking mortified at me giving him ¡°the talk¡±, and I assume his face was beat red due to the ambient Fire Mana being drawn to his face, but I decided to push forward, ¡°If you want to keep something private from me, feel free to write with ink. I promise not to analyze your pen strokes to figure out what you¡¯re writing down. Since we¡¯re discussing it, I should mention that I¡¯ll also extend the same courtesy if you ever get intimate with someone, you can even prop me up against the door if you want to non-verbally signal me beforehand.¡± Travis was still looking embarrassed, but he eventually managed to leak out a thanks. --- 4-6 Earth Spells 1 ¨C Classroom Component ¡°Earth Mana, due to its attraction to solid matter, is quite different from the other 3 base elements.¡± The bearded professor lectured to the classroom, ¡°This class will teach you how to create walls, dig ditches, repair structures, protect yourself with ceramic plating, and even how to turn a defensive spell into a mighty offense.¡± I moved my focus towards the front of the class to get a better look at the pile of gravel the instructor was stepping in front of. They began by increasing the pulse rate of their internal mana, causing the less active ambient Earth Mana to collect on their body. The collected mana was then attuned so that the pulse rate was raised high enough to become fully synced with the spellcaster¡¯s internal mana. They then sent a portion into the gravel pile, forming an [Earth Orb], then lifted it up for the class to see clearly, ¡°While ranged spells can be cast using Earth Mana, the general effectiveness is quite limited. Granted, flinging a bunch of pebbles and sand into a monster¡¯s face can disorient or harm the eyes, but if you¡¯re allowing a creature to get that close to you without a wall in the way, you¡¯re doing something wrong.¡± The bearded dwarf then lowered the spell back into the gravel pit, ¡°One of the perks of using Earth Mana is that a majority of the lines you create for your spell formation can remain neutral in their direction.¡± They sent more of their synced mana into the pile, creating lines of mana in a honeycomb pattern, then shifted the top layer of gravel around by only manipulating the outside lines. ¡°2-dimensional formations can be used to quickly move or solidify the top layer of earth,¡± they then created a thin wall of loose gravel using a 2D formation, but calling the creation a wall would probably insult the dwarf, ¡°but they¡¯re not very useful for building structures with.¡± The dwarf let the flimsy construction fall back to the ground, and then sent the remainder of their synced mana into the pile, this time constructing a 3D lattice of hexagonal lines. ¡°Now pay attention, because this is what you¡¯ll be expected to do for hours on end during a flood or purge.¡± The instructor this time raised up the entire gravel pile, shaping it into a slanted shoulder-height wall. Then they modified the spell formation to vastly increase the number of neutral lines and added directional ones so that the ambient mana would travel in a giant looping pattern. I heard Travis gasp as the pile of gravel seemed to melt together and turn into a wall of solid rock and even began to glow when the mana cycle speed inside was increased. I zoomed in closer to confirm my suspicion, and yep, there was Order Mana present in the mana line intersections. Enough of the dwarf¡¯s controlled mana eventually discharged, causing the instructor to lose control of the spell, but I assume they weren¡¯t too concerned. ¡°Earth Mana will retain its position for much longer after being released, due to its slower discharge rate, adding Order Mana to a creation will also increase the longevity even higher, making it that much more difficult to chip away.¡± --- After class finished, a starving Travis started making his way to the cafeteria. ¡°We¡¯ve definitely been sitting on Earth Mana.¡± ¡°Agreed, that ¡°snowshoe¡± technique I¡¯ve been using has been handy, but turning broken rocks into bricks¡­ did you know that was possible?¡± ¡°No, the thought never occurred to me. I guess it shouldn¡¯t be surprising that mana can mimic how sandstone and other sedimentary rocks are formed, but just running a magic circuit instead of putting the loose materials under high pressure seems like a giant slap to the face of science.¡± Travis nodded along, and gave my pommel a nice scratch, ¡°Maybe we¡¯re underestimating how strong mana can pull on matter when it¡¯s active. I mean, even an [Earth Orb], despite its weight, can float in the air.¡± ¡°True, maybe we¡¯ll get a more scientific explanation once we¡¯re farther in with classes.¡± Travis got in line and was smartly acting as if he was thinking out loud, ¡°Oh, I bet if you include a circuit of Fire Mana in the formation, you could probably change the rock to a metamorphic one or even igneous if you can get it to completely melt.¡± A deep chuckle came from behind Travis, and he comically took a full second to finally look down at the dwarf, ¡°Aye, that be how us dwarves built the buildings here. Otherwise, you¡¯d haf ta, haul all of the granite and marble for miles.¡± Travis smiled at the bearded person, ¡°Is it a difficult technique to learn?¡± ¡°Not really, just got to weave in some veins of Fire Mana to mimic magma, but it¡¯s a big ol¡¯ mana hog. Most Metal Mages don¡¯t bother trying to make marble or slate until their second year, and then only try to make granite right before graduation.¡± ¡°Thanks for answering my question.¡± ¡°Not a problem, in fact, how ¡®bout you answer one o¡¯ mine?¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± ¡°How the rust can you humans run for so long? I just woke up from a nap I had to take after drill, and I¡¯m still exhausted.¡± Travis grinned, ¡°I¡¯m tempted to just say it¡¯s the longer legs, but the truth is that we just have more surface area to help cool ourselves off, though we can hamper our ability to run long distance if we put on too much muscle. I¡¯m not sure about dwarves, but I know elves don¡¯t sweat like us either, so that helps a lot too.¡± The bearded dwarf let out a deep laugh, ¡°Is that why those long-ears always smell like flowers?¡± Travis grinned and shrugged his shoulders, then turned his attention to the chefs about to plate his food, ¡°Umm, silly question, but I wanted to get a party platter of food, can I order something from the cafeteria here, or¡­¡± The woman behind the counter gave Travis a big smile, ¡°You sure can, if it¡¯s mana-rich food or something exotic, we¡¯ll have to charge though.¡± Travis let out a big breath, ¡°Thanks, just something that can serve 6, and chef¡¯s choice as long as it is portable enough to take to the spell range.¡± The smiling lady wrote down the order, ¡°Should be easy, can I get a name for the order?¡± ¡°Travis.¡± The chef looked up from her notepad, and tilted her head to see his shoulder patch, ¡°We¡¯ll have that ready at the end of the hour, though¡­¡± she leaned in to whisper, ¡°next time just order from the counter over there.¡± A finger pointed Travis to a small counter that he passed on the way in. ¡°It¡¯s open 24/8, so be sure to take advantage.¡± Travis, looking flustered, thanked the chef again, then grabbed his tray of slightly larger portioned food. Ugh, first a super fancy dorm room and now an always open mostly free cafeteria, the Queen sure likes doting on these kids. --- After Travis finished supper and picked up his package of snacks, he made his way to the entrance of the spell range to wait for his friends to arrive. He stood there for a while, nodding at people walking by, or looking at the statue in front of the range, but after a few minutes, he started to pace around. I brought in my focus to better see that his breathing was unsteady, his head was rocking, and his eyes were darting around. ¡°Umm, is everything ok?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine, just¡­¡± Travis let out a bit too eagerly, then let out a big breath, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just nervous, what if they don¡¯t show up?¡± I spun my focus around Travis to confirm that he wasn¡¯t an imposter. What happened to the loner kid that I had to keep prodding to socialize? ¡°It¡¯s still only 12 minutes to, and they seemed quite excited to come. Plus, they¡¯d be idiots to pull a cruel prank on you.¡± The nervous teen closed his eyes, and focused on his breathing, ¡°You¡¯re right, I just¡­ want to make a good impression.¡± Wow. Ok, I¡¯m gonna have to dig into this, ¡°Can I ask you a personal question?¡± Travis nodded his head due to his hands being full, ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t too interested in making friends your age back in the village. I had to pester you frequently to make time to play with the other kids when you were younger. Then after you finished school, you just flat out stopped, despite my prodding. If Ingrid wasn¡¯t Franklin¡¯s daughter, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d have even hung out with her on occasion either.¡± Travis slumped his shoulders and lowered his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to admit it back then, but after we started training, I realized that I might have to leave someday. Then, when I activated my mana for the first time, it felt like there was a looming storm cloud always on the horizon, warning me that my time in the village was going to come to an end.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t want to get close to anyone?¡± Travis nodded his head, then let out a half-sob, ¡°Didn¡¯t work, I just became friends with the craftsmen of the village instead.¡± He breathed heavily, visibly trying to hold back his tears, ¡°I put them all in danger didn¡¯t I? Just so I could what? Have someone other than a tree to talk to?¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright, everything turned out ok. Plus, it¡¯s natural to crave friendship with other people, if humans weren¡¯t social creatures, they never would have survived here in the Valley of Monsters.¡± Travis did his best to remain stoic, but he wasn¡¯t doing well. A few tears started to fall from his eyes, and he turned so that no one entering the range would see his face. Thankfully, the edge of my vision caught a group of people looking for him, ¡°Your friends are almost here, better wipe off your eyes.¡± --- Travis I managed to hold my package with one hand long enough to wipe my eyes, then gave out a tension relieving sigh before turning around to see a waving Bridget. ¡°Hey, I uh, brought snacks¡­¡± Adrian grinned, ¡°Good call, I¡¯ve been constantly famished ever since I started training here.¡± Jethro gave the water mage a slap on the back, making him almost fall over, ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll finally stop looking like an elf, I never realized how skinny they could get, guess I never met one that wasn¡¯t a Mage or Watcher.¡± I started leading them in and continued the conversation with a sarcastic tone, ¡°There¡¯s elven students here? If I hadn¡¯t met the range master or bumped into a dwarven Apprentice Metal Mage during supper today, I wouldn¡¯t even know that there were any of them here either.¡± Jethro answered my rhetorical question, ¡°They¡¯re on a different schedule from us, I think the dwarves have drill after us and then the elves after them.¡± I gave a nod in acknowledgment and guided the group to the door of my private range. Passing the range master, who gave me a wave, and warned us not to get too rowdy. Mattius grabbed the door and opened it for everyone, ¡°Wow, this is nice. I guess there¡¯s at least a rainbow after the storm for trying to learn all of the elements.¡± Everyone looked impressed, but I quickly noticed a problem, there was only a single bench, no tables or additional seating. I shifted around, moving my head as if a solution would fall out of the sky while Jethro, Adrian, and Bridget went further in. Mattius must have noticed my plight, ¡°Need a spot to set that?¡± ¡°Umm, yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t think to get a table or chairs¡­¡± The Packer smiled at me, ¡°You forget, we¡¯re Earth Mages, if we don¡¯t have something, we build it.¡± He slid his foot forward in the sand, then held out a hand to help him focus while a hexagon of sand began to rise from the ground. It stopped rising after a few inches, then seemed to shudder for a moment before a new hexagon of sand started pushing it up. I partially activated my mana sight so that I could watch the golden lines of mana sink into the ground, then change the entire formation to both attract fresh sand and rise. The directions of the lines then changed to mimic the professor¡¯s from earlier, though Mattius¡¯ weren¡¯t nearly as small or as tightly packed into the forming stone. The column of sandstone tiles kept rising until it was waist height. Mattius took a moment to refresh his focus before muttering, ¡°Okay, now for the hard part.¡± His mana snaked its way up the pillar, stopping the simple two-layer formation over each of the seams, before cycling the mana to merge the tiles together. He then repeated the action, slowly moving his mana upwards until the entire column was one single piece. I watched the entire process like a hawk, trying to take in every detail that I could. I didn¡¯t even notice Jethro walking up next to us before he startled us both after the column was finished. ¡°Look at this guy, acting surprised that he got into this school.¡± Jethro placed a hand on the earth mage and gave him a good shake, causing him to break connection with his synced mana. Mattius looked down at Jethro with an irritated glare, but wasn¡¯t able to hold it for long, ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s not that impressive, it took a long time to create, and you can barely call the tiles sandstone. In fact, do be careful, I¡¯m pretty sure you could break this with your bare hands, even without mana reinforcement.¡± ¡°Not impressive? Every single tile was within a 32nd of an inch with each other.¡± I gave Arc a rub and repeated his words, causing Mattius to look flustered from the compliment. Bridget stepped up, taking a full look at the pillar, and making a nod of approval before addressing the group, ¡°Ok, so how is this going to work?¡± Jethro started sporting a huge grin, ¡°Real simple, we¡¯re here to help Travis, so we¡¯ll each take turns going over our elemental focus with him.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s really nice of them.¡± A grin escaped me, and I gave Arc another rub. ¡°Unfortunately, we each have different specializations, so three of us will have to find something to entertain ourselves with while we wait. Perhaps by shooting off a few spells, or enjoying the snacks¡­¡± ¡°I take it back, he was here for one thing, and one thing only.¡± My grin grew wider at Jethro¡¯s shamelessness, and I ended up lowering my head and giving it a shake, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started.¡± --- We started with just making Orb spells, with me having to awkwardly give advice to everyone but Jethro, who due to being a 5th generation mage, had knowledge from his parents to pass down to me and Mattius. ¡°Always pay attention to whether a spell is listed as an ¡°Air¡± spell or a ¡°Wind¡± spell, the name for the mana can be used interchangeably, but when it comes to spell names, there¡¯s a big difference.¡± He demonstrated both an [Air Orb] and a [Wind Orb], allowing me to see the tightly packed Air in the first spell, and the fast-whirling Wind in the second. ¡°My grandmother taught me to stick to this angle for the [Wind Orb] rotation array as a default, since it¡¯s a common one for upper-level spells.¡± Jethro summoned another [Wind Orb], this one with a reversed rotation array, ¡°Also, make sure you practice rotating the spell both ways, and not just one direction with one hand and the opposite in the other. You¡¯ll end up having a spell blow up in your face otherwise.¡± We kept practicing, doing a training exercise that Jethro commonly did by making our Orb spells trace out numbers in the air, then flinging them as fast as possible to the receiving wall after counting down from 12. The middle ring noble told us that it was good practice for when we move on to the higher difficulty spells, since although they propel themselves, they can be directed with minor adjustments as they move. Mattius struggled the most with this exercise, followed by Bridget, then Adrian, and then to my surprise Jethro. He started giving me dirty looks, especially as I kept changing elements. ¡°Ok, how long have you been casting this spell? You should have moved on to Blast or Bolt spells by now.¡± I scratched the back of my head, ¡°Umm, a year and a half¡­ I think?¡± ¡°1 year, 9 ? months, but that¡¯s probably not relevant.¡± Everyone started staring at me in shocked disbelief, with only Jethro able to ask a follow-up question, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you test earlier? Didn¡¯t you say this Spring¡¯s enrollment was your last chance to get in?¡± Worry crept into me. Did I do something wrong? ¡°Umm, I didn¡¯t know how difficult the test was, so I prepared as much as I could before I left. Once I was able to reliably form an Orb of each type, I spent last Summer creating iron ingots infused with Metal Mana, then in the Fall I learned how to push Wood Mana around so I could carve the haft for my poleaxe, and in the Winter I finally learned how to create Ice Mana after seeing it so abundantly in the wild.¡± Jaws dropped amongst my friends, and Jethro buried his face in his hands. ¡°So¡­, there¡¯s a chance that we may have overprepared¡­¡± Bridget was the first to compose herself, ¡°Travis, for my entrance examination, I only had to form a [Fire Orb], then hit a target that was surrounded by obstacles with it. What did you have to do?¡± My nerves started to misfire, and my whole body began to fidget, ¡°Umm, well, I was asked to attack a target, so¡­ I launched four different Orb spells at a straw target, destroying the wooden post when I fused my Water and Wind Orbs to form Ice.¡± I paused to bark myself, knowing that they¡¯ll probably react to the next part, ¡°Professor Quinsandoral then had me copy a [Wind Blade] spell¡­ and attack another target.¡± Jethro started to moan in frustration, ¡°That¡¯s a second semester Wind spell¡­¡± Oh, rot¡­ I turned to Mattius, ¡°Ok, what was your test?¡± He took a moment to collect his thoughts, then let out slowly, ¡°I¡­ made a couple of small rectangular bricks out of sand, which impressed the professor quite a bit. They then guided me through making my first [Air Orb] spell. Didn¡¯t have to move it or anything¡­¡± Adrian then spoke like a guilty person hysterically confessing their sins, ¡°I learned how to detach the synced mana from my membrane for the first time during my test¡­ I didn¡¯t even have to make an Orb, just make three lines, and shift them from a condensing array to a repulsion array.¡± Jethro finally raised his head from his hands, ¡°After they saw my [Wind Orb], they had me cast it as a Blast spell a few times, then guided me through constructing an [Air Bolt], but I didn¡¯t fire it.¡± ¡°Ok¡­, in our defense, Issac said that his father kept complaining about how difficult the test was, claiming that it was designed so that only the noble-born could get in.¡± I focused on my breathing, the silence in the spell range periodically being interrupted by the neighboring private ranges, ¡°So¡­ uh¡­ How about we take a break for snacks?¡± A giggle escaped from Bridget, then Adrian joined in, followed by Mattius, and then after it turned to full on laughter, Jethro finally gave in. The tension completely drained from me, and I joined in while we encircled the package from the cafeteria. I opened it up, discovering that there was four layers of snacks, one with a variety of crackers, the next was an assortment of cheese, followed by a layer of sliced meat, and then six paper containers containing drinks. Everything tasted wonderful, especially the cheeses, since most were brand new to me, though Adrian had to spoil the mood when he found a note at the bottom of the package. Enjoy the snacks Travis! Everyone in the Logistics Corps Chef Division has your back. Adrian glared at me, ¡°Ok, what did you do to make the entire cafeteria staff your best friend?¡± Chapter 26 - The "Chosen One" Goes to Church We¡¯ll get back to Aelder, because that little scamp learned a little too much from his trickster parent Ignitious to only be contained to a single legend and focus first on what happened to us dwarves after hearing that story. Oskar¡¯s narrative made the historians of the time scramble to review the details of our oldest recorded tablets. For you see, us dwarves have a legend about a figure that appeared out of nowhere right after Ragnar?k and helped us in our greatest time of need. The tale roughly translates to the following in common, though do keep in mind that dwarvish still has a limited vocabulary, even all these years after contact was made with the elves then humans, due to originally being carved in stone. The world has ended, the day of Ragnar?k has come. The sky shattered, the fields burned, the land is pocked with scars. Only a small number of us are left. We¡¯ve hidden ourselves in caves, but we won¡¯t last long, our warriors are dead by hands of monsters, our crafters are maimed, the elderly have stopped eating, the children are frightened. We¡¯ve managed to create a crude door to block the storms, they rage almost constantly¡­ was it true? Has Torbolt fallen? Many days have passed, our numbers are dwindling¡­ is this how it truly ends? First with a loud proclamation that killed Adamanrion, then a pathetic whimper? Another storm came, the noise permeated into the caves, we did our best to ignore it, but a new sound drove us into fear. A deep thumping could be heard, the door rattled, frightening the children. We thought it was a monster, until a booming voice reverberated our bones. ¡°I come seeking refuge from the storm. Is this what constitutes dwarven hospitality?¡± Another survivor? We cautiously opened the door for the stranger, who stepped in to shake off the rain. They were massive, a full head higher than the tallest of us, but still with the proportions of the strongest blacksmith. They were covered in heavy green plate-mail, their head had a strange helmet that fully covered their face, leaving only a ¡°T¡± shaped opening that was shrouded with blackened glass. They had multiple packs on their back and waist, a hammer and hand-axe were slung from their belt, but what was most shocking was the living tree branches resting on their back. The vibrant green of life hypnotized us as the stranger finished drying themselves. They however weren¡¯t satisfied with our stares, ¡°You can call me Warden. Now, are you going to give me a hot meal? Or are you just going to stand there gawking?¡± Our fear was remembered, and no one wanted to further anger the stranger. They had survived outside the caves since Ragnar?k? How? Were they that strong that monsters fled at the sight? We pulled together what we could for food, it was a paltry offering, but given the stranger¡¯s attitude, nothing would have been worse. Warden began to eat the meal of gathered mushrooms and roots, taking a piece, and sliding it up the gap underneath their helmet. They stopped after the first bite. ¡°This tastes terrible. Where is your kitchen?¡± Our fear persisted, but we led the figure to where we stored our food. ¡°This is inadequate¡­ I will prepare this evening¡¯s meal.¡± Warden then made us leave the space, only calling us back once an hour had passed. What happened during our absence, we don¡¯t know, only that a miracle had occurred¡­ Glowing moss flooded the room with light, the dirt floor was replaced with wooden boards, a roaring fire bathed the room with warmth, the kitchen was replaced with a massive countertop, roots delivered fresh water into basins, and long tables with benches were present, allowing everyone to take a seat. That oddly wasn¡¯t the miracle, that distinction belonged to what filled the tables¡­ a feast. The constant days of hunger made us temporarily mad as we rushed to gorge ourselves, barely able to hear the booming laughter coming from Warden. We ate and ate, but the table never emptied. Many began to cry from now bloated stomachs, but Warden relieved us of our pains by handing us crystal mugs of golden liquid, telling us to drink, and continue eating to our heart¡¯s content. Many of us began to break down into tears, myself included, and we tried to thank the stranger, but Warden only grew angry. ¡°You insult me now? Words alone cannot thank someone; I expect recompense for my services.¡± We were shaken by Warden¡¯s words but managed to ask how to repay the miracle worker. ¡°I alone cannot feed your people, there are too many of you scattered throughout the caves of this coast. You will feed them and teach them how to do the same for themselves.¡± Confusion filled our heads. How were we supposed to do that? Warden laughed, ¡°You''re holding your answer,¡± we looked at the crystal mugs in our hands, ¡°those are a gift from Adamanrion, his flesh was torn and his bones were broken, but he can still fuse Earth and Fire together to create. Do great works in his name, and he will hear your prayers again.¡± Warden would then go on to teach us dwarves how to construct houses of glass that could nourish the many strange plants that Warden brought, while still providing protection from the violent storms. They stayed for a great many nights, providing aid to our wounded and sick, and the tables never emptied of food. When the story was translated to Oskar (Likely poorly at the time due to first needing to be translated into elvish for Eldar), he merely shrugged his shoulders and stated that Apheros never told him that tale, but that it sounded like something that he would do. It wasn¡¯t until many years after Oskar died that a hidden cache of writings was discovered, the reason why becoming apparent after they were examined. According to them, the night before Warden left, they asked for 12 ¡°female¡± dwarves to join them in their chambers for a night of carnal passion. Now for you non-dwarves, the mention of sex wasn¡¯t the reason for the records being hidden. What was scandalous was the specification of females in their request. Us dwarves aren¡¯t really concerned with what goes on underneath a person¡¯s neck when it comes to mating season (although I¡¯ll admit that many of us nowadays have picked up on human¡¯s appreciation for a firm rump), and it¡¯s considered rude to ask what gender someone is. Six bearded and six beardless dwarves entered the darkened chambers, none of them able to get a proper look at their savior, but accounts from them stated that the night was quite enjoyable. 32 days went by, and a bearded dwarf that spent the night with Warden went into labor. This repeated every 32 days, cycling back to the first dwarf after the remaining 11 gave birth. The cycle ended on the 12th, the reliability creating a new calendar for us dwarves, and landmarked an explosion in our population. I¡¯ve asked many human theologians about this story, and while there has been no confirmation that Warden was secretly Apheros, a resounding ¡°yes, that is definitely something Apheros would do¡± was heard from each. --- Arc Woodsday, the 22nd of Fifthmonth I noticed Travis begin to stir from his sleep. It was still early, but the poor teen still didn¡¯t have much stamina for socializing, so he ended up collapsing into bed shortly after finishing his time at the spell range. ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°A little before six, do you want me to get the light?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Travis practically leapt out of bed, giving his body a thorough stretch, before turning around to pull the sheets from his bed. ¡°Is it weird that I feel bad about missing out on morning drill?¡± ¡°Not really, the army training is still new and exciting for you, even if it does leave you sore and exhausted. Plus, I noticed that no one took Voltsday off, even though I¡¯m positive there¡¯s at least a few worshipers of Torbolt in your group.¡± Travis let out a small chuckle while he began to change, ¡°Can¡¯t properly worship a god of war and military tactics if you skip out on an opportunity to learn about the subjects.¡± ¡°Speaking of gods, would it be alright with you if I didn¡¯t come to church?¡± He stopped what he was doing and turned to me, ¡°Umm, sure¡­ can I ask why?¡± Good question, one that I should have saw coming. Ugh, I hate keeping secrets from Travis, but a church is a likely place for a bridge between the physical and spiritual planes to be created, and I have a feeling how that encounter with a god will go. Why weren¡¯t your memories sealed? I don¡¯t know I was trapped here. Hmm, a likely story¡­ if another god placed you here intentionally, they would have told you why. What I think happened, is that you tried to cheat the system and screwed up. Perhaps you¡¯ll learn your lesson after spending a few years anchored to that sword as it floats towards a black hole. Don¡¯t worry, after a billion or so years, your anchor will finally be destroyed, and you¡¯ll be released. Yeah, let¡¯s not do that¡­ maybe I¡¯ll get lucky, and the local God will be able to help me. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯d rather not¡­¡± I watch Travis¡¯ face sadden, ugh, I can almost feel the physical discomfort, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to, it¡¯s that I could get into a lot of trouble.¡± Travis slumped his shoulders, but finished dressing, clipped me to his belt, then carried his sheets to the laundry chute. He grabbed a fresh set of sheets from the nearby closet, then returned to make his bed. He picked up the book he¡¯d been reading but paused before opening it. He then gave my pommel a nice rub, ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t press the issue, but listen¡­ you¡¯re my best friend, and literally by my side now, just remember that I¡¯m by your side also.¡± Aww, I appreciate the sentiment, but you''re not going to be able to stop a god from destroying the ant hill just to pluck me out of the nest. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll remember that.¡± --- Travis Well, that conversation all but confirmed one of my suspicions about Arc¡¯s origin. Someone trapped him in a sword, and that someone must have been a god. But which one? Adamanrion seems a likely suspect. Arc is a Northman-style sword, and that blacksmith mentioned that the bones of one¡¯s ancestors could be used in the forging process. Then again, he was found in an Aelder tree, and even he admitted that he didn¡¯t know how he got there. Maybe Apheros trapped him? Or he just doesn¡¯t know who and wants to play it safe. I know I personally wouldn¡¯t want to anger The Hooded One. Maybe I can figure something out at church¡­ --- Jethro and I stood in front of the knight with the clipboard to report that we¡¯d be attending church. ¡°Jethro Bradshaw¡­ check, Travis¡­ Just Travis right?¡± I nodded my head, confused as to why he had to ask. ¡°I don¡¯t see you listed.¡± Jethro started to snicker, ¡°Is there a Travis Farmboy?¡± I groaned as the knight checked over the list, then visibly checked me off with a giant grin, ¡°Ah, never mind, I found you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll add ¡®stopping by administration to fix that¡¯ to the quest log.¡± Jethro patted me on the shoulder, ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get moving. I want to change before we head out.¡± I nodded my head, then went back to my own room to change, putting on a set of regular clothes from my village and the boots I made with Holly¡¯s help. Jethro greeted me downstairs, wearing a much fancier outfit, though I noticed his smile looked strained. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Umm, no. Nothing¡¯s wrong¡­ I just¡­ thought you¡¯d wear your uniform.¡± I narrowed my eyes at Jethro, I never was good at discerning lies, but something was telling me that he wasn¡¯t being fully honest with me. He must have noticed my skepticism, because he rushed us towards the stables. 5751054 and Jethro¡¯s horse greeted us outside, both already saddled, and we were headed off towards the church. --- I gave 5751054 a friendly pat while we drew near the ring of the city with the churches, ¡°How¡¯s it been bud? I feel like it¡¯s been weeks since I last saw you. Is the logistics corps treating you okay?¡± A friendly whinny came from my steed, and he turned his head to press his nose to one of the pouches on his saddle. Feeling curious, I opened it and found a small logbook inside. ¡°Oh nice, it¡¯s a log of who¡¯s been riding you, and what tasks the logistics corps has been giving you to cover your stabling costs.¡± I searched through the logbook and noticed in the front that there was a spot to give notes or list trusted people that could request 5751054. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Hmm, ¡°Hey, would it be alright with you if I added a few of my friends to your trusted rider list?¡± 5751054 twitched his ears around but didn¡¯t make any grand reactions. ¡°Is that a ¡®I don¡¯t care?¡¯¡± My stallion nodded his head. ¡°Ok, thank you.¡± I filled in the names of my friends, then returned the logbook before we were about to pass through a wall of people holding signs. Jethro looked at the crowd nervously, ¡°Umm, maybe we should turn around?¡± We stopped our horses, and I waved to one of the protesters passing out sheets of paper, ¡°Excuse me. What¡¯s going on?¡± An elderly man walked up with a smiling face, but slowed after he glanced at Jethro, ¡°Just a peaceful protest over the Queen¡¯s proposed new law.¡± He handed me a pair of papers, ¡°Us nationalists see her posting mages and knights to every fortress as nothing more than a desperate power grab, intended to delegitimize the Jarls now that the public is in support of establishing a parliament. Don¡¯t worry, your master has nothing to fear from us, we¡¯re well aware that many nobles support our cause as well.¡± I turned to Jethro, whose face was beet red, and I grinned at the now forming joke in my head, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Young Master Bradshaw, I¡¯ll ensure no harm comes to you.¡± Jethro fumed internally, and I managed to hold in my laugh long enough to pass the crowd of protesters. --- As expected, the church was massive, the one from my village could have fit inside just the entryway. It was also much more beautiful. Vines crept up trellises that ran along the columns and walls, trees and shrubs lined the pathway to the inside, and a countless number of planter boxes and pots filled with flowers and other greenery that provided a full rainbow of colors. I know Father Viburnum did his best, I even helped him out on occasion, but one priest couldn¡¯t match what the small army of priests and acolytes had accomplished here. Jethro and I let our horses wander off to join the others, and started making our way up the walkway, but Jethro froze when someone began to wave at him. A smiling Lakelander girl with wavy chestnut hair approached us, ¡°Jethro, there you are. C¡¯mon, family is already inside, we saved you a seat.¡± She took notice of me, and her smile fell, ¡°And who are you?¡± Jethro slid a hand through his matching hair, and chuckled nervously, ¡°Umm, this is Travis, he¡¯s a classmate of mine¡­¡± The girl gave me another once over, then turned back to Jethro with a cold stare, ¡°We only saved a single seat for you.¡± Oh, I think I get what¡¯s happening now. I pat Jethro on the shoulder, ¡°Go join your family, I¡¯ll see you back at school.¡± Jethro tried to protest, but his lack of arming jacket allowed me to dig into his trapezoid easier, preventing him from resisting my dad¡¯s secret animal calming technique. We parted ways, and I whispered to Arc to add possibly buying some nicer clothes to the quest log, but when I reached to give his pommel a pat, I foolishly realized that it was just me. Huh, yesterday I was stressing about him always watching me, but the second we part, I immediately start missing him. Figures. I worked my way past the crowds leaving the previous service and entered in with the other non-nobles. The inside was just, if not more, as grand as the outside, and I followed the lines further in, hoping that they were heading towards the main service. The people apparently knew where to go because I soon found myself in a grand hall. It had a glass roof supported by numerous pillars, was filled with so many plants that my nose felt assaulted by the fragrant smells, and numerous benches being quickly filled. I took notice of how people on one side were dressed finer than the other and found an open spot on the poor people¡¯s side. I continued looking, seeing that the walls all had archways that led to a different part of the church, and after investigating the symbols above them, determined that they must lead to shrines for the individual tenets of Apheros. The familiar service began, and it helped me relax my mind; it had been way too long since I last went to church. It also felt nice to sing. I hadn¡¯t found time to practice outside of the day I prepared for my acceptance party, though part of that was because it felt strange to not have Dad provide the bass to my tenor. It ended way too quickly in my mind, and I let out a big exhale as the crowd began to leave. I prepared to do the same myself but was approached by a pretty Lakelander girl wearing an acolyte¡¯s garb. ¡°Excuse me, but I couldn¡¯t help but notice your impressive voice. By chance, would you be interested in joining the church¡¯s choir? We¡¯re always in need of male voices.¡± I sighed as I made direct eye contact with the girl¡¯s green eyes, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯d love to give it a try, but I don¡¯t have the free time.¡± She seemed unfazed by my rejection, and even smiled, ¡°I can assure you that it¡¯ll only be a few hours every week, and you¡¯d only have to sing for 4 hours on Woodsday.¡± ¡°No, really, I don¡¯t have any free time. I don¡¯t even have the rest of the day off, I need to get back to the Mage¡¯s Academy before noon, so that I can eat and go to my afternoon classes¡± She started laughing, making me frown, but eventually stopped herself by clasping her hand over her mouth, ¡°Sorry, but that was the worst made-up excuse that I¡¯ve ever heard.¡± My frown turned into a snarl, but I managed to stop myself from completely unloading on the ignorant girl, ¡°That¡¯s not an excuse, I really am training to become a mage.¡± Wanting to put the potential argument out to pasture, I summoned a tiny [Fire Orb] above my hand to visualize my point. The acolyte gasped, then lowered herself into a bow, ¡°My apologies, I should know better than to allow my biases to cloud my judgement.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I let out a tired sigh, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten used to it.¡± I extended my hand, hoping to shake off the poor start, ¡°My name is Travis, Apprentice Elementalist Mage.¡± Her head shot up, then slowly took my hand, ¡°Phoebe, Acolyte of Apheros. Are you perhaps from the village of Aelder Creek?¡± ¡°Umm, yes. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°I was told to bring you directly to the Archbishop, should you make your presence known. I¡¯ll not waste your time any further, please allow me to escort you to her.¡± Her posture stiffened, and she held out a hand to point to somewhere further in the church. I exhaled and grunted at the same time, then rubbed my face with both hands. The Archbishop was probably cross at me for getting the paladins kicked off campus. Ugh, I didn¡¯t want to get involved in politics. ¡°Can we please not? I came here to enjoy the church service.¡± I lowered my voice to emphasize my next point, ¡°The churches kicked themselves off campus when their paladins wouldn¡¯t stop harassing me.¡± Her eyes widened, and she shakily lowered her hand, ¡°As you wish¡­ is there, something else I can do for you?¡± Pain filled my chest, I must have frightened her, because she could barely speak. I did my best to relax my tone and posture to make myself nonthreatening, ¡°Umm, sure. Is there a depiction of Apheros preparing for his journey across the world? I¡¯d like to say a quick prayer there before leaving.¡± She nodded her head, then led me towards a giant oil painting depicting Apheros standing at the top of a hill, the Grand River below him, spear in hand, a hatchet and hammer on his right hip, a book in his left hand, a shield on his back, and the giant set of antlers on his shoulders. The artist took advantage of the medium and was able to add a striking amount of colors to the painting by having Apheros looking into the sunset, and even added a few vibrant green leaves to the ends of the antlers, making them look more like a set of bushtail deer¡¯s, rather than a non-monster¡¯s set. Apheros, though I know it¡¯s not your domain, please continue to provide what aid that you can, as I emulate the journey you once took. I hope to gain power, knowledge, and wisdom, just like you. For you are the one that inspired me to become more than just a simple farmer or blacksmith apprentice. I also ask that you show mercy on Arc. I don¡¯t know his full story, but he has been a kind and helpful friend to me throughout my journey, and it pains me to see him under such duress. So, if he¡¯s been trapped in the sword by you as penance, I ask that you someday forgive him, should he prove himself worthy. ¡°Thank you.¡± I smiled at the beautiful girl, still feeling bad and wanted to let her know that I had no ill feelings towards her, ¡°I¡¯ll need to get going, but it¡¯d be nice to see you again next week.¡± She let out a relaxing breath, then smiled back to me, ¡°Of course.¡± I nodded my head, then proceeded to leave the church. Phoebe watched as Travis left, then took off in an almost sprint towards the back of the main sanctum. A pair of paladins blocked the door to the Archbishop¡¯s office, but she knew that she had to relay her encounter, ¡°Let me pass, I need to speak to the Archbishop.¡± ¡°She just finished a service and needs to rest and eat before the next.¡± The paladin glared at Phoebe, ¡°I also don¡¯t take orders from acolytes.¡± ¡°So, the Archbishop would rather not immediately hear that I met Travis?¡± The eyes on the guards bulged, then one found the mental sense to open the door, allowing Phoebe to enter. The archbishop was seated behind her desk with the High Paladin across from her and was startled by the disturbance. ¡°What brings you here under such urgency child?¡± ¡°Archbishop Artemisia, I was told to report directly to you if I encountered a Travis from the village of Aelder Creek.¡± She then spoke of her encounter, being careful to retell Travis¡¯ exact words to the two. Her arms and shoulders finally went limp from the emotional exhaustion The High Paladin poured her a stiff drink, then began to escort her towards the couch, ¡°You did well, and exactly as told. It would have been unwise to force Travis to come before the Archbishop.¡± He turned to his superior so that he could tilt his head towards the girl, but received a nonverbal no from the archbishop, ¡°Rest here, we¡¯ll return once the two of us have a private conversation. Artemisia and the paladin exited towards a back room that had a private altar, but more importantly, a sound-proof door. The paladin broke the silence first, ¡°This is all my fault, I angered him by disturbing his plans instead of letting him contact us when he felt it was appropriate.¡± Artemisia placed a comforting hand on the paladin, ¡°It¡¯s mine as well for sending you, at least we have a clue to his intentions now.¡± She let out a deep, tension relieving sigh, ¡°Sneaking in without any of us noticing¡­ he could have brought down the entire building, Apheros is truly more patient than the other gods. We should count our blessings.¡± The High Paladin nodded his head, ¡°Indeed, what are your commands for proceeding? Should we inform the girl?¡± ¡°No. She¡¯s only been told that he¡¯s the son of a prominent church figure and should be treated with the utmost of respect. It¡¯s best if she remains ignorant, the truth may make her go catatonic.¡± ¡°Hopefully she doesn¡¯t interpret that as ¡®he¡¯s a rebellious youth that needs to be reined in,¡¯ I had to get after a few of the junior paladins for shaking down an academy student.¡± He let out a sigh, ¡°I¡¯d hate to imagine what would have happened if he ran into them instead of the acolyte.¡± Artemisia let out a small chuckle that seemed to surprise her, before growing thoughtful, ¡°He asked to see her again¡­ I guess Travis is a teenage boy¡­ I¡¯ll give the girl a few assurances so that she won¡¯t fear her next encounter with him. Hopefully, he¡¯ll take a liking to her.¡± ¡°Hmm, she has been with us for a while now¡­ I could probably arrange for her to have a private room without drawing suspicion.¡± ¡°Excellent idea, as for everything else¡­¡± the archbishop looked to the altar, trying to determine the best answer, ¡°Go fetch Travis¡¯ father, we¡¯ll need his insight.¡± --- Arc ¡°The paladin then demanded to know my name, despite the fact that I have been attending that church since before I could even walk.¡± Jethro shook his head, ¡°It was easily the second worst trip to church in my life.¡± He finished his tale at the lunch table, then turned to Travis, ¡°Again, I¡¯m sorry for how my sister acted.¡± Travis waved the fellow Lakelander off, ¡°It¡¯s fine, just promise me that you¡¯ll thoroughly embarrass her when you tell her who I really am.¡± Jethro smiled, then started giggling, then broke out into a painful sounding laugh that had him clutching his sides and falling prone on the bench. The reaction shocked and worried everyone, but Jethro eventually calmed down enough to explain through his convulsions, ¡°I¡¯ve never¡­ gotten¡­ one over¡­ on¡­ my sisters¡­ they¡¯ll be¡­ so mad¡­¡± Adrian shook his head along with the others, then turned to Travis, ¡°Sounds like the paladins were looking for you.¡± Travis nodded his head, ¡°An acolyte tried to take me right to the Archbishop, had to get mean and tell her no.¡± ¡°Probably for the best, one of the senior students was bad-mouthing you when I went to church the other day. Apparently, the paladins used to provide carriages for the students here, but since they were banned, some of the more religious nobles had to start organizing and paying for rides instead.¡± Travis buried his head in his arms, ¡°Why am I getting blamed? They¡¯re the ones who kept harassing me!¡± ¡°Because you were the final plucked leaf that killed the tree. Maybe we can leave a complaint with admissions that you¡¯re being blamed?¡± Travis reached down to give my pommel a nice rub, sending a satisfying wave of pleasure all the way down my handle and blade from the touch. Wait¡­ did I just feel that? Now hyperaware, I put my senses on full alert, but like usual¡­ the only sense I had was sight. Sure, I modified my patch to auto-translate sound vibrations into words, but I wasn¡¯t actually ¡°hearing¡± anything. To be sure, I replayed the memory, but didn¡¯t feel anything. Hmm, maybe I just imagined or hallucinated it? --- Travis 1-3 Artifice 1 The bearded T.A. gave me the nod to begin, and I amped up my internal mana while doing the same with the Wind gem in my right hand. I kept slowly rising it, until it got close to matching the pulse rate of the gem in my left hand. I kept nudging it, slowly¡­ slowly¡­ there! I closed my eyes, and fully activated my mana sight to inspect the two gems. A grin escaped me, and I looked up at the mostly Fire and Earth Mana dwarf that was observing me then nodded. They took the gems from me, checked to confirm that they were synced, then handed back one of the gems and grabbed a new one that was very close in pulse rate to the first. Ok, now for the dangerous part. I took a big breath to calm my nerves. Unlike the last procedure where I brought up my internal mana along with the gem¡¯s, using a mana crystal to increase my pulse rate while lowering the gem¡¯s could harm my spell membrane if I wasn¡¯t careful. Luckily, increasing your mana amperage with a crystal is much safer than lowering it, so I wasn¡¯t likely to harm myself unless I pulled too much. I focused on my left hand that held the faster pulsing gem, and let my internal mana get drawn to it. I then slowly pulled back, feeling the pulse rate of my internal mana rise from the foreign source. Keeping tabs on the gem in my right hand, I kept pulling slowly, until¡­ there. I looked up at the smiling dwarf, who gave me a pat on the shoulder, ¡°Good job! Not many can get it on their first try.¡± I slumped back into my seat, and set the gems down on the workbench, ¡°Not going to lie, that was nerve-wracking.¡± The orange-bearded dwarf chuckled, ¡°Always is the first time, from what I¡¯ve heard, most knights go out of their way to not use that technique. They just grab the bloke whose helmet has the most active message inscription, then use that one to sync their channels.¡± I nodded my head, and Arc agreed as well, ¡°Sounds smart, no need to put yourself at even a minor risk if a completely safe alternative is easily available.¡± The T.A. looked around the busy classroom then chuckled, ¡°Looks like it¡¯ll be a while before everyone else finishes. Anything you want to know about artifice while we wait?¡± Yes! So many things! I wrangled control of myself and calmly took a breath, then asked my first question, ¡°Is there a way to discharge a crystal without having to use that method?¡± ¡°Yep, the professor will go over it once everyone is finished, but the short is that they act just like ambient mana and will discharge if direct contact is made with other less active mana. The easiest way to do that is to set up the gems into an open-ended condensing array and let the constant stream of fresh mana slowly strip away the charge.¡± ¡°Ooh, I bet that¡¯s how Lancel¡¯s sword¡­¡± I interrupted Arc¡¯s thought by giving his pommel a nice rub and smiled, we were both thinking the exact same thing, ¡°So if they were used in a sword¡¯s inscription, they would naturally discharge if the blade was kept unsheathed, but then you could just slowly amp up the crystals to match your own internal mana once you learn how to fully attune to the sword.¡± The dwarf let out a small chuckle, ¡°That¡¯s the idea. Why waste time in battle trying to construct a spell when you can just use a pre-made one?¡± ¡°I take it there¡¯s some drawbacks?¡± ¡°Of course. For starters, the materials are expensive, even if you¡¯re using Mana dust instead of gems. Then there¡¯s the fact that you can¡¯t modify the spell to suit your needs. And finally, you need to fully learn the attunement aspect of dwarven-based spellcasting. Matching your internal mana to match an inscription is the easy part but creating a continuous conduit to it, is much trickier, and flat out impossible if there¡¯s not enough embedded mana in the housing to create the pipe.¡± Hold on, is that what Reidar was referring to? I took a moment to collect my thoughts, then asked, ¡°Wait a sec, a weapon usually has Metal or Wood Mana embedded in them, does that mean it doesn¡¯t have to match the inscription¡¯s mana type to create the conduit for attunement?¡± ¡°Nope, in fact it¡¯s better if it doesn¡¯t. Then the mana from your conduit won¡¯t interfere with your inscription¡¯s.¡± I nodded my head and gave Arc another rub, a bit surprised that he was being so quiet, ¡°So how difficult is it to fully master attunement?¡± The T.A. wiggled their hand in front of me, ¡°It depends, us dwarves and elves are usually able to learn each other¡¯s styles with only some difficulty, but a majority of you humans have the same amount of trouble learning our style that we have trying to learn yours.¡± I thought back to when I first learned to cast spells, ¡°So it didn¡¯t feel like you were peeling off a giant dried scab the first time you detached your synced mana?¡± They leaned against the workbench, taking advantage of my seated position to look directly even with me while grinning, ¡°There are always exceptions. I should know, I¡¯m one of them. I was able to physically keep up with the senior blacksmiths with little effort when I was younger, but it still feels like I¡¯m ripping my arm hairs off every time I cast a [Fire Missile].¡± Wow. I guess everyone is built a little different. I noticed out of the corner of my eyes that the rest of the class was finishing up, much to my disappointment, ¡°Wish we could keep talking, but it looks like we¡¯re almost out of time.¡± I extended my hand, ¡°By the way, my name is Travis.¡± The bearded took my hand, ¡°Durinnsognir Wardenforge, but you can just call me Durinn for short.¡± My eyebrow raised in surprise, ¡°Wardenforge? Does that mean you¡¯re a descendant of The Warden?¡± ¡°Ha, me and a good chunk of all dwarven kind share his name. Heck, I doubt there¡¯s anyone left who doesn¡¯t have him as an ancestor.¡± ¡°Well thanks again, I haven¡¯t had a chance to craft anything in over a month now, and I¡¯m starting to get that itch. I hope we get to make something in this class soon, especially now that I know what I can do with artifice.¡± They scratched their orange beard after taking back their hand, ¡°Hmm, if you got some free time, I could always show you what I¡¯ve been working on for my thesis.¡± I drooped my head, and let out a weary chuckle, ¡°I¡¯m only available at 9, so unless you brought it to my private spell range time at 7, I probably won¡¯t get to see it.¡± They looked at my shoulder, then had a look of comprehension, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re that human I¡¯ve been hearing about!¡± ¡°Anything good?¡± They laughed, ¡°The Quartermaster wouldn¡¯t stop chatting about your poleaxe to us grad students. The old codger was acting like a pair of square-jawed dwarves showed up at their mating nest with a big set of mason jars.¡± I tilted my head at that statement. Ok, I need Arc to add ¡°pick up a book on dwarven anatomy and maybe also courting rituals¡± to my quest list. They noticed the instructor preparing to speak again, ¡°Tell you what, I got a project I can bring, but only to a private range. Let me know a good date.¡± I waved goodbye to the dwarf, then gave Arc a scratch, ¡°That should be a lot of fun.¡± ¡°What? Oh, right, yes. Can¡¯t wait to see what they bring.¡± I lower my voice, ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Umm, no, just got distracted.¡± I fought back a frown. First Arc gets spooked about going to church, and now he¡¯s clearly anxious about something. My hand gave his pommel a slow and gentle rub. I know he can¡¯t physically feel it, but Dad always said that the most important thing was to project your intent, and I wanted him to know that he could trust me. Chapter 27 - Week One Complete The Warden¡¯s proclamation that Adamanrion wasn¡¯t dead, resuscitated his dying church. (Though admittedly, many of his teachings were lost.) It would be many years before a Chosen would present themselves, so us dwarves were forced to make do with Warden¡¯s parting words, ¡°Do great works in the bearded¡¯s name.¡± And so, we did. We created greenhouses, built bunkers in the mountains that could ward off monsters, and used our minds to create new inventions and spells. Now, here¡¯s where things get muddled from a historian¡¯s perspective. According to the records and journals left behind by some our most famous inventors, many of them began to receive blessings from Adamanrion, which helped reinforce the worship of the god, and has arguably caused the church of Titantuin to fall into irrelevancy. Exactly what is a blessing? Well, it took a lot of pestering, but I was finally able to get a somewhat straight answer out of a paladin. According to the beardless, a blessing is a personal gift from a god that allows one to act as an extension of the god¡¯s will. These can be temporary or long-term, usually dependent on the person¡¯s faith, and allow a person to do something extraordinary. For example, one talented glassmaker stated that they received a blessing that inspired them to float their planes of glass on molten tin, allowing for a smoother finish. Another stated that their blessing allowed them to quickly reforge their armor during battle, and another stated that they¡¯d get a gut reaction whenever a math equation was wrong. So, here¡¯s the problem. Inspiration is famous for appearing out of seemingly nowhere, but it can happen to anyone. (Heck, I was inspired to write this book, but you don¡¯t see me crediting a god in the acknowledgements.) Repairing armor in the field is a common high level Metal Mage skill nowadays, and every skilled mathematician can quickly review a problem for errors. How do we know that a person is simply not lying? --- Arc Ugh, this is frustrating¡­ What is going on? Am I finally going crazy? I playback all three memories that I recall feeling Travis¡¯ touch, but either my photographic memory doesn¡¯t remember physical sensations or I¡¯m going insane. Ok, let¡¯s assume that you¡¯re not losing your marbles¡­ which might be possible, since normally a person won¡¯t have the presence of mind to question why they¡¯re losing their grip on reality. I try to think, what do all three instances have in common¡­ The first happened right after I reassured Travis, the second was when Travis interrupted me before asking out loud the question that was forming in my head, and the third was when Travis gave my pommel a rub to try and comfort me. Hmm, maybe my subconscious is creating the stimulus as a reward due to my lack of senses or glands creating dopamine? That could explain why I haven¡¯t felt any of his scratches or rubs since, now that I¡¯m taking active notice, but it feels too real¡­ Did something change? I didn¡¯t physically feel anything this morning when Travis tried to comfort me before church¡­ wait¡­ Church! Ugh, some asshole god is probably fucking with me right now. Likely Apheros, given where Travis just went. That man-whore must be laughing his ass off at me. I bring my full attention back to Travis as he practices his Water, Air, and Fire spells in the spell range. He¡¯s currently testing out a technique suggested by Jethro where he maintains a few Orb spells while reading or writing. He¡¯s got that romance novel out, which I guess would make for a good training aide, since a spicy scene might pull too hard at his attention. He keeps reading, occasionally stopping to fix his spell array alignments, but then pulls out a notebook and his pen to start taking notes. Oh, Travis¡­, you shouldn¡¯t be taking advice from those¡­ Wait¡­ why are you researching a romance novel? Aww, does my apprentice have a crush on someone? I know the gang was joking about that orkish chef possibly flirting with him, was Travis interpreting the extra-large scoops as advances? Or is he pining for someone else? Oh, I bet he wants to exchange romantic letters with Caldia! Although, why hasn¡¯t he told me? Wait, duh¡­ of course he¡¯s not going to tell me. It¡¯d be like telling your parent or older sibling. And let¡¯s not forget that the last conversation we had about him getting intimate with someone left him completely flustered and embarrassed. I patiently wait for him to finish his allotted time, then speak when he starts making his way to the library, ¡°Hey, quick question. Did anything happen to you while you were at church? Well, outside of what you told your friends.¡± Travis strained his face in contemplation, ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Like did anything strange happen when you prayed to an altar, or did the priest go off on a strange tangent during the service, or maybe someone bumped into you?¡± ¡°Umm, nothing I can recall, I didn¡¯t even pray at an altar, I went up to a painting of Apheros instead.¡± Hmm, maybe that was it? ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what did you pray for?¡± Travis started tapping the side of his leg, taking his time to answer, ¡°Just the usual, and an extra one for a friend.¡± Ah, he probably means me. He did seem worried about me this morning. Well, it¡¯s a bit of a stretch, but I suppose a god could give a minor blessing that way. I¡¯ll have to wait and see if it wears off after a few days. But first, a test. ¡°Hey, could you please scratch my pommel?¡± Travis hovered his hand over me cautiously but acquiesced after a second. Ok, don¡¯t feel anything. Now for the scary part, I just need to emotionally connect to Travis. ¡°Ok, sorry for acting strange, something happened¡­ and umm¡­ actually, it would probably be best if I waited to tell you. Suffice it to say, I thought I might have gone crazy for a bit there.¡± Travis raised an eyebrow and made a shit-eating grin, ¡°Might have?¡± Ugh, I walked right into that one. Travis chuckled at his joke while I groaned in his ear, and he gave my pommel a rub. It felt nice. --- Travis Rainsday, the 23rd of Fifthmonth Adrian and I set down our trays after morning drill, and I had to stop him from face-planting into his lunch when his hand slipped while sitting. ¡°You ok?¡± Adrian shook his head, then turned it to show me his tired blue eyes, ¡°Yeah, umm, thanks. Just tired again.¡± I gave his shoulder a rub, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll catch up eventually. Even with mana reinforcement, your body can only recover so fast.¡± Bridget sat down on the other side of Adrian, ¡°Exactly, the only reason I¡¯m not dead on the ground is because I was able to train at my family¡¯s estate during the travel ban.¡± ¡°His muscular and skeletal systems have the lowest mana density in his body, the kid¡¯s a bookworm trying to compete with athletes.¡± I gave Arc¡¯s pommel a rub, thanking him for the extra insight, then began to dig into my food. ¡°Oh, not sure if you care or not, but Drozuk is eating by himself a few tables over. I think it¡¯s official that his friends have ditched him, I haven¡¯t seen him sitting with or talking to anyone.¡± I looked up, then turned my head towards the right area after Arc prompted me, and I oddly gave out a sigh. The table saw me and turned to catch the same sight. Mattius shook his head, ¡°Why is he still here? Isn¡¯t he just piling on the debt?¡± Jethro started to chuckle, ¡°Maybe he¡¯s worried that Bridget¡¯s dad will ensure that he doesn¡¯t share anything he learned here.¡± Bridget gave Jethro a glare, ¡°For the last time, not every Ashman girl has a commando for a father.¡± The two kept teasing or glaring at each other while Adrian kept looking at Drozuk, ¡°He probably can¡¯t go home¡­¡± I turn to face Adrian, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Adrian gave out a sigh and drooped his head, mostly out of exhaustion, but probably also out of empathy, ¡°Most monster hunters are former soldiers that turned down the opportunity to become a knight or didn¡¯t make the cutoff before they turned 31. The rest are the children of merchants or hunters that couldn¡¯t pass the entrance exam for this school.¡± Mattius rubbed his chin, ¡°Is there a stigma for applying to the academy?¡± ¡°Not really, if anything it¡¯s almost a rite of passage. Those that get in do get teased, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s truly malicious. Most witches like to joke that they¡¯d do anything to simply sit in on a few of our classes.¡± I took in the insight that Adrian had, and it clicked into place, ¡°If Drozuk returns, not only will he have a debt to the kingdom to pay, but he¡¯ll get ridiculed by the witch hunters for wasting his opportunity.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Adrian lowered his head, then snapped back awake, ¡°Ok, I¡¯m going to go take a nap. Have fun at classes.¡± I waved goodbye to Adrian as he dragged his feet back to the dorm, then glanced back towards Drozuk. He didn¡¯t look outwardly depressed, though I¡¯ll admit that his orkish features might be muddling my read of him. Hmm, do I actually care? The guy was a huge jerk to me, and like Arc told me when I was little, actions have consequences. --- 1-3 Monster Anatomy 1 Bridget and I finished taking our notes and were beginning to pack up when I received a [Message] from the instructor. ¡°Travis, if you have a break before your next class, I¡¯d like to take a moment of your time.¡± I looked up to see the professor telling the students lining up that he wouldn¡¯t be able to answer any questions today, then sent a return spell to let them know that I¡¯d be right down. ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t go over notes with you. The professor just called me down.¡± Bridget looked a bit downcast for some reason, but suddenly perked up, ¡°You¡¯re usually in the library late at night, right? How about we meet there?¡± ¡°Umm, yeah. That should work.¡± I smile back at her, getting entranced by her eyes for a few seconds before she turns to leave. Finally remembering what I was supposed to be doing, I headed down, then followed the professor out of the room. I scratched Arc¡¯s cross guard to get professor Ulaphine¡¯s name while they brought me over to one of the research labs in the basement, ¡°We¡¯ve been studying the corpses of the creatures you and Lancel fought, and I was hoping to get some clarification from you.¡± ¡°On what exactly?¡± They brought me into the lab and led me past a few graduate students towards a row of containers. ¡°For starters, I¡¯d like for you to confirm that these are the creatures that you killed.¡± He gestured down, drawing my gaze through the glass top of the coffin. Inside was a charred corpse of an elf, the same as the ones that attacked my village. I felt a shiver run down my spine, not just from the cold radiating from it, but because those things nearly killed Lancel and everyone else in the village. ¡°Just finished comparing them to my last set of memories, all of the injuries and mana signatures match.¡± I gave Arc a friendly rub to help keep myself calm as I walked from casket to casket, until I fond one that only had what looked like a broken piece of a melon left for a head. ¡°I killed this one¡­¡± Professor Ulaphine moved next to me, and set a hand on my shoulder, ¡°We¡¯ve analyzed the bodies, they were elves, but became mindless monsters by the time they attacked your village.¡± He grabbed a clipboard from a different coffin, then flipped to a page before showing me, ¡°This one is the same as the others, parts of the brain were undergoing atrophy for an unknown amount of time. Even if we captured them alive and removed the implanted mana gems, they would have remained feral for the rest of their lives. Now come, there was something else I wanted to confirm.¡± I stared at the corpse for a little longer, trying to get a read on the foreign emotion I was feeling. It reminded me of the time that one of the cows shattered their legs after tripping over a gopher hole while out grazing. Dad took me out into the pasture with a sad look in his eyes and did everything he could to calm her down as he slit her throat, but it was the first and only time that I¡¯ve ever seen Dad unable to pacify an animal. Dad¡¯s hand, however, did work on me as he rested it on my shoulder while we walked back, I only wish I could have done the same for him back then. Mom spent the night yelling at Dad for letting me see that. ¡°Travis, are you ok?¡± I gave Arc a rub on his pommel, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I then turned around to join the professor, who decided not to bring up my behavior, and instead led me out of the lab and towards another. ¡°You and Lancel stated that you weren¡¯t familiar with elven anatomy, correct?¡± I nodded my head to confirm. ¡°Then you may not know that us elves do not sweat like you humans.¡± ¡°That, I actually did know, if I remember right, I think my textbook said that elves have more glands for producing oil on their skin as a trade off?¡± ¡°More like counterproductive for our survival strategies. Sea Elves secrete an oil that¡¯s hydrophobic, allowing them to glide through the water effortlessly, and us High Elves can change our scent to match the foliage around us by simply eating it.¡± ¡°Those sound like handy adaptations, I used to go through a lot of trouble walking downwind or taking extra care to reduce my scent when hunting.¡± He gave a small chuckle while we entered a different lab, ¡°That they are, especially when you pair them with our center lungs¡­ oh, that reminds me, did any of those attackers breathe fire?¡± Hmm, I¡¯m pretty sure I would have remembered that¡­ Just to be sure though, I give Arc¡¯s pommel a scratch. ¡°Checking¡­ Checking¡­ ok, nope. Just double checked, none of them breathed fire. The spellcaster held up his hand both times.¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯m pretty sure I would have remembered that.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Ulaphine nodded their head, then led me to a covered cage in the room of students studying live monsters, ¡°To answer your unasked question, we¡¯ve noticed a shared trait among the specimens brought in, namely that their oil glands have been modified to produce a flammable substance.¡± He pulled the sheet covering the glass cage, revealing a huge salamander that dripped with oil. Upon seeing us, it snapped its jaws, causing its entire body to envelope itself in flames. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I noticed that I even moved back a step once the shock wore off. ¡°Yep, exactly like that.¡± The professor tossed the sheet back over the monster, then let out a deep sigh, ¡°Well, I guess that confirms it. Someone is trying to create a new species. The trace amount of oils that we extracted from the corpses match the properties of this inflamadar. We haven¡¯t covered it in class yet, but the primary method for a monster to mutate into a chimera classification is by consuming the cysts of another monster.¡± ¡°Dear gods and God, that means¡­¡± I finished Arc¡¯s thought, ¡°Someone implanted Fire Gems into an elf to induce Stage 4 Mana Sickness, then fed them unprocessed inflamadar to replicate its ability to light itself on fire.¡± --- Arc 4-6 Water Spells 1 ¨C Classroom Component Travis sat down at his desk, visibly happy having a new class to distract him from his previous, but let out a dark chuckle, ¡°Think this professor will drown a kitten in front of us?¡± ¡°Hmm, maybe¡­ I think the consistent theme has been warning of what your role during a flood will be. Wind Mages kill wall-breakers, Fire Mages kill the swarms and invigorate the troops, and Earth Mages repair and modify the defenses.¡± ¡°So, what do Water Mages do?¡± ¡°Good question. Lancel never really mentioned Water Mages when he told us about his experiences.¡± As if on cue, a cloud of utter blackness flooded into the classroom, drifting closely to the ground, and sending long tendrils up the walls and onto the ceiling before shrouding over the lights. I watched Travis and many of the other students stiffen up, some even looking downright frightened of the display of Shadow Mana. Sadly, the effectiveness was lost on me, but years of going to haunted houses as a kid (oh, who am I kidding, I still went as an adult as well) allowed me to easily imagine the black smoke moving about the room. Feeling childish, I played some classic spooky organ music into Travis¡¯ ear, causing the poor kid to jolt upright and dart his head around. The students seated next to Travis all shot him glances, causing him to realize that I pranked him. He quickly sat back down and gave me a firm rapping with his knuckles. Oww, oww, oww¡­ ¡°Ok, ok, I¡¯m sorry! I couldn¡¯t help myself.¡± Travis sat there scowling, but I was oddly swimming in the enjoyment of feeling his angry strikes. Maybe Apheros wasn¡¯t being a complete asshole when he gave Travis a blessing, though I am still concerned about how he was able to receive one. I mean, a soul can¡¯t affect the physical plane without something to act as a connection, and I¡¯m not sure if Travis is religious enough to form one with a god. My train of thought was pulled to the front of the room, where a mass of swirling Shadow Mana was forming, before it suddenly lowered to the ground, revealing a hooded figure. ¡°Welcome students¡­ to Water Spells 1¡­¡± The specter spoke in a grizzly edge-lord tone, ¡°This class will instruct you in the fundamentals of Water Mana, and allow you to advance into¡­ darker spellcraft, should you prove diligent. As a Water Mage, you will be given the most gruesome of tasks, venturing into the shadowy underground of the city, combat both the sun and rain, and purifying the filth that comes from the North every Spring.¡± The whole classroom was silent, everyone not daring to move as they were entranced by the words of the wannabe warlock. I¡¯ll admit he had a presence, and it probably would have been more effective if I wasn¡¯t positive that the professor entered the room by sliding down the walkway on his belly to keep himself hidden by the Shadow Mana. ¡°Now, open your textbooks, we shall begin by learning how the sewer system in the city works, and its similarities to the flushing system used to clear the ditches of monster corpses.¡± Travis cracked open his freshly given textbook and wasn¡¯t the only student to make a strange face of confusion once he began to read. I of course understood why. Water Mages get the shitty job of clean up during the flood. --- We joined Adrian and Jethro for supper, the latter looking quite happy to see Travis, ¡°Travis, help me convince Adrian to tutor me in history. I already convinced Mattius to help me with math, and I think I¡¯ll be able to convince Bridget to help me with science.¡± Travis grinned, ¡°What does Adrian get in return?¡± Jethro, looking abashed, muttered quietly, ¡°That¡¯s why I need your help. This guy doesn¡¯t seem to want anything.¡± Attention was shifted to Adrian, who let out a sigh into his supper, the poor teen must have been getting pestered for a while now or was still exhausted, ¡°Can¡¯t you just study on your own?¡± Jethro frowned, ¡°I¡¯ve tried, and failed. Hence why I need help. Simply having someone help to keep me on task would make a huge difference.¡± ¡°Ah, I used to have that problem. Had to study in a group or at a specific location free of outside influences to stay focused.¡± Travis rubbed his chin, ¡°Hmm, if you just need help staying focused, how about you join me at the library at night? I¡¯ve been going there every night once my spell range time is over. In fact, Bridget was going to join me tonight, we could make it a regular study group.¡± I don¡¯t think Travis noticed Adrian¡¯s head perk up at the mention of Bridget, so I decided to keep note of that for future reference. Jethro did look excited, ¡°That¡¯s perfect! I only have one class that ends at 9. I¡¯m meeting Mattius at the spell range after this, so I¡¯ll invite him to join also.¡± --- 9-11 Study Group ¨C Library Bridget smiled at Travis when he came around the corner to join her at the table. The two pulled out their Monster Biology notes and were about to start when the other three showed up, and I caught Bridget¡¯s hands clench underneath the table. ¡°Sorry, hope you don¡¯t mind that I invited the others. I was hoping we could make this a regular thing; it feels like the only time we get to hang out is around lunch and breakfast.¡± The drop in enthusiasm was probably only detectable by me, ¡°No, it¡¯s alright, I¡¯m glad they¡¯re here.¡± Jethro plopped down on the other side of Bridget, ¡°Hey Bridget, I was wondering if you¡¯d be willing to help tutor me in science?¡± Bridget let out an irritated exhale. --- Snowsday, the 24th of Fifthmonth Morning drill the next morning was a departure from the normal routine. The entire battalion went on a run fully equipped, joined by not only Hector and the other assistant knights, but the logistics corps team that did equipment checks and first aid. The run sent them across the entire campus, ending in a stadium that I foolishly thought was for sporting events. Hector led us inside and sat us down in one of the sections. ¡°Every Snowsday, you¡¯ll be tested in combat with live monsters. Sir Felicity and I will be splitting you into groups of twelve and assigning one of you as squad leader. The squad leader will be allowed to choose their own second. Spellcasting is allowed, but only spells that you have learned in class. Also, you are asked to not kill the monsters if possible. Wood Mages and Field Medics will be using our battles to improve their skills, though do keep in mind that your safety comes first.¡± Sir Felicity began to split the battalion into 4 squads. Adrian, Bridget, and Drozuk were placed in the first squad and Travis, Jethro, and Mattius were placed into the third. The newly formed squads were then told to sit together so they could strategize before the first match began. Travis¡¯ battalion wasn¡¯t first in the arena, that distinction belonged to Princess Seleyna¡¯s squad. Sir Asher was, of course, on standby, sword drawn and focused intensely on the princess. She looked determined, but her hands were shaking a bit out of anticipation or nervousness. A loud clunking noise echoed into the arena, putting the squad on high alert. They darted their eyes around, and a few even attempted to use mana sight, but they likely wouldn¡¯t be able to pierce through the reinforced walls to see the varmints running towards a hidden door. A few tiles slid up, allowing the squirrel-like creatures to swarm out, nearly catching the group unaware. The princess¡¯ squad leader called out the formation, and a shield wall was formed, causing the tiny monsters to scurry up the team¡¯s shields. Travis was watching with his squad, then spoke out loud while scratching my pommel, ¡°I think those are shadetails.¡± ¡°Correct, their favorite habitat is wooded areas. They¡¯re classified as varmints, despite their high Shadow Mana concentrations, due to being unable to cast spells. They can however enhance themselves to increase their speed, making them excellent climbers. Your hunter logs recommend not using shields, since they¡¯ll use them to climb, and you¡¯ll need speed to cut them down before they bite down on exposed flesh.¡± Travis relayed my info dump, and after watching the princess¡¯ squad getting swarmed, his group began to critique. ¡°Shield walls apparently don¡¯t work on ankle high creatures.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right, they should drop them and space out.¡± ¡°Honestly, they should drop their swords also. It¡¯d be easier to pluck them off your allies.¡± The princess¡¯ squad lost their cohesion, and a few smartly broke formation to drop their shields and begin crushing the tiny monsters with their fists. The princess had three shadetails climb up on her, so she smartly jumped to the ground and rolled around, catching a couple more underneath her while she crushed them using the weight of her armor. Travis began to chuckle, ¡°Huh, I guess that works too.¡± That got some laughs, and the squad began to cheer for the princess. A few minutes later, all of the varmints were eliminated, and the embarrassed squad went to get checked over by the logistics corps. Wanting to listen to the post-match banter, I sent my focus to listen in. Princess Seleyna had to get hosed off by the helpers, one even had to scrape a chunk of wedged-in flesh off her back-plate and wow, did she look pissed. She turned to her squad leader and glared at him, ¡°That was embarrassing.¡± The squad leader turned to her while his arm was being checked, ¡°That entire battle was a farce. Not allowing us to use spells? We¡¯re mages!¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t realize that you needed to be coddled so much.¡± The squad¡¯s Drill Instructor interjected while walking in. The group froze in place, and the squad leader began to tremble under the knight¡¯s stare, ¡°Shall I ask the monsters to go easy on you as well? I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll patiently wait for your mana to discharge enough to cast.¡± The squad leader visibly gulped, unsure of what to say. The Drill Instructor shook their head, ¡°This battle was far from meaningless, mana can only take you so far, a squad of fresh-trained commoner soldiers could have easily dispatched four times the number of monsters. The princess is correct, ¡®that was embarrassing¡¯. How are you to be expected to lead soldiers into battle if you cannot handle something that a 10-year-old can kill with their bare hands?¡± The room went quiet, and everyone¡¯s heads were drooped. The Drill Instructor, looking pleased with their demoralizing of the squad, barked an order to snap them into motion, ¡°Finish cleaning up. The next group will be in soon, and the lot of you need to learn from your more competent betters.¡± Huh, I wonder if they put that group of inner-ring nobles first on purpose? --- A few rounds went by, Travis group was constantly discussing tactics during the matches so that they wouldn¡¯t repeat any mistakes that the others made, and it was soon Adrian¡¯s squad¡¯s turn. They looked just as nervous as the other squads, but Adrian seemed to be shaking extra hard. Bridget moved to stand on his left, and Drozuk ended up on the other side of the circle the squad formed. The familiar noise of the pen gates rang, pumping up the anticipation in the air. The largest gate quickly opened, and a lumbering monster slowly walked in. ¡°Honeybadger, a greater varmint. Its skin produces a sweet-smelling adhesive substance that lures in insects and smaller varmints, trapping them in the monster¡¯s fur so that they can be easily consumed. Hunter logs recommend using hit and run tactics with ranged weapons. The monster is slow moving, but hits hard, and can restrain you by brushing its fur against you.¡± Travis relayed my info to the group, though I¡¯m pretty sure he already knew most of it. He actually killed one while hunting once, though that one was about the size of a golden retriever. This specimen was much larger, coming up above the waists of the defending squad. Travis and I both winced as the squad leader ordered the group into an arrow formation. The honeybadger didn¡¯t care and began to charge at the squad. It veered to the side, and slammed into Adrian and another student¡¯s shields, knocking them over. Bridget tried to slash the monster with her sword, but it only slid down the side a short way before stopping. The honeybadger swung its hips, wrenching the sword from her, making her open to a heavy paw strike to her side. The monster then rolled over Adrian, who let out screams as it thrashed about. The other students tried to drive the creature away, but it kept stomping on Adrian (he would have been crushed had he not been wearing armor). By now the entire formation was a mess, the squad leader wasn¡¯t shouting commands, and no one knew how to attack a monster that was immune to sword strikes or how to draw it away from Adrian. Drozuk, was the exception. He began to gather Water around his fists, dropped his shield and sword, and charged at the honeybadger. His entire fist was engulfed in accumulated Water, so when his mana reinforced strike hit the monster, it was knocked back due to Drozuk¡¯s fist not sticking to the creature. He rushed forward, stepping over Adrian, and like a trained boxer, kept pummeling the monster until it fell over and stayed down. Hector called the match, and a small team of Wood Mages rushed out to secure the monster and ensure that Adrian was ok. I knew he was fine, though likely heavily bruised, but I did feel relief when the mages gave the aching teen the go ahead to stand up. Travis breathed out a sigh, and idly gave my pommel a rub, ¡°That was scary.¡± Physically feeling Travis¡¯ touch, I confirmed, ¡°It was. We¡¯ll have to thank Drozuk, I think Sir Felicity was about to rush in.¡± I followed the squad into the post-fight lobby, where Adrian was quickly undressed and told to lie down on one of the cots. Bridget and a few others soon joined him, leaving Drozuk looking a bit aimless. Hector walked in, and slapped a hand on Drozuk¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Nice teamwork, you saved your fellow squad-mate with that maneuver.¡± Drozuk then winced in pain from his shoulder being squeezed, ¡°You disobeyed orders to only use spells that you learned in class though.¡± Drozuk could only nod his head in response, which satisfied Hector, ¡°Once everyone¡¯s fully cleared by the medics, we¡¯re having a chat with your squad.¡± --- Travis I watched the next few matches, but it was hard to focus. Especially after the uninjured squad members returned to the stands. Drozuk moved to take a seat, but caught me glancing at him, ¡°Your friends are fine, just being told to lie down for an hour to speed up recovery.¡± ¡°Thank you, and for rescuing Adrian earlier as well.¡± Drozuk looked uneasy but managed a nod before sitting down by himself. Mattius bumped my arm and leaned close to whisper, ¡°He reminds me of a wounded wolf begging the camp for table scraps.¡± ¡°Not a bad analogy. The question now is, ¡®do we trust it not to bite our hand?¡¯¡± I definitely didn¡¯t know what to do and was oddly eager when it was my turn in the arena. Jethro led us down and gave out a few preliminary orders, ¡°Circle formation to start. Travis, you¡¯re my second. I expect you to rattle off the monster¡¯s information. If I call a bad formation, belay my order.¡± I swiveled my head around, surprised that Jethro didn¡¯t choose Mattius, but everyone was nodding their heads in agreement. I nervously gulped, happy that my helmet was hiding most of my face and adjusted my positioning so that I¡¯d be opposite of Jethro in the squad formation. We walked into the arena, the sand coating the hard rock underneath forced my feet to steady my gait as we circled up in the middle. My eyes scanned the walls once the sound of a gear began to echo loudly in our ears, but the numerous gates and movable tiles made guessing the point of ingress impossible. A tile slides open, making me immediately shout, ¡°Contact!¡± Three more shouts follow, signaling to the group that we were about to become surrounded. Jethro shouts to maintain formation the same moment the monsters crawl out of their hole in the wall. They look like small pigs, about knee-high, but their skin is a grassy green color, and their bodies look almost spherical. The monsters begin gathering at the wall, sniffling the ground before their faces jerk up towards my squad. Their large eyes with tiny black irises creep me out, especially with how they seem to bounce around whenever the creature moves. ¡°Tumblepigs. DO NOT SET ON FIRE! THEY EXPLODE.¡± I shout out Arc¡¯s warning, mentally thanking Torbolt that Arc immediately warned me right away, then prepared to repeat Arc¡¯s words. ¡°Despite their adorable looks, these lesser dual-element monsters can be dangerous if not countered properly. Their skin is reinforced with Wood Mana, allowing them to inflate themselves with methane. While inflated, they can float and propel themselves forwards with Wind Mana, then explode at will to injure their prey and implant spores to reproduce.¡± The first group runs up and I brace my shield to block. Half ways towards us, they inflate and float up in the air, propelled by their earlier charge. I keep my eyes darting between them, then one makes a loud farting noise, and it flies towards me quickly. My shield intercepts the head bash, the tumblepig ricochets off from the impact, then it suddenly swells up even larger and bursts with a thunderous Pop! More explosions go off behind me, making my heart race, but I focus my attention forward. I can¡¯t see the remainder through the forming spore cloud, so I focus on my hearing to listen for the telltale farting sound. Another pops out of the cloud, and I¡¯m able to sneak in a slash with Arc before hiding behind my shield. It squeals just like a pig and flies away, leaving behind even more spore clouds. Mattius on my left manages to block one, sending it flying directly upwards, but when we don¡¯t hear it explode, I grow nervous. ¡°Behind you!¡± I spin around in time to see the tumblepig from earlier flying downward and freeze. It¡¯s already too far down to block with my shield, and it¡¯ll blow up or knock someone over if I attack. Mattius apparently knew what to do though, because he leapt towards the tumblepig, holding his shield with both hands, then slammed it down on the monster. The tumblepig exploded, but Mattius¡¯ shield trapped it underneath, only allowing a wave of air, inches off the ground, to escape. Realizing that I had my back turned, and that Mattius left a hole in our shield wall, I about-face in time to block another attacking tumblepig. It bounces away, and didn¡¯t explode either, likely looking for a different angle of attack. I try activating my mana sight but cancel it due to the smoke screen being dense with Wood and Air Mana. Dammit, these aren¡¯t that hard to fend off, but their mana makeup is nearly the same as the clouds they create, if one catches us unawares¡­ think¡­ you need to get rid of this spore cloud¡­ An idea sparks in my head, and I amp up my Air Mana, ¡°Jethro! [Wind Aura]!¡± I detach my accumulated mana into the air behind me, making three distinct lines that hopefully¡­ yes! Jethro with his considerably larger Wind Mana supply compliments the three lines that I create with a pair of his, plus an additional three above. Together we create a combined [Wind Aura] formation that creates a giant downdraft that both blows away the spore cloud and prevents the tumblepigs from floating upwards. Our squad gets a second wind, and we keep slashing and blocking the incoming tumblepigs until all the ones in front of me are disposed. I shout out a ¡°Clear!¡±, and soon two more people shout the same. Jethro calls out a reverse ¡°V¡± formation, and we march forward to trap the remaining tumblepigs. Hector calls the match, and I can finally hear the cheers erupt from the stands. I dumbly look around, confused about where that crowd was earlier, but Mattius slaps me on the shoulder pad to pull my attention back to the celebrating squad. ¡°Great work bud! You even got the princess cheering for you.¡± The blood in my veins finally stopped throbbing, allowing me to smile. We followed Hector into the post-match lobby for a debrief and wellness check. Everyone was mostly injury free, Mattius¡¯ ears were still ringing, and after getting washed off and checked for spores in our lungs, Hector began to speak. ¡°So, what did we learn today?¡± Before I could answer, one of the Fire Mages in the squad spoke, ¡°Next time, wear your dust filter.¡± I turned to see that the Fire Mage must have gotten a lung-full of the spores, due to him hacking up gunk into a bucket. Hector nodded, ¡°Not a bad habit to get into, especially if you don¡¯t need the extra discharge rate.¡± Jethro spoke next, ¡°Travis and I should have positioned ourselves in the center. A single tumblepig nearly toppled our formation, and if mine or Travis¡¯ concentration was broken, we would have lost the [Wind Aura].¡± I nodded, ¡°Our shared arrays were a bad idea also, we should have created individual arrays instead, then connected them to form a spell formation.¡± Hector rubbed his beard in thought, ¡°I agree on the squad formation, since standard practice is to have mages in the center of the squad, but I disagree on the shared arrays in the spell formation. You two had to create one from scratch, so Travis¡¯ half-completed one allowed Jethro to fill in the blanks and even improve the spell formation. You would have lost precious time trying to collaborate.¡± We kept going over what we did wrong, until Hector finally called an end to the debriefing, ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, your squad has performed the best so far. As a reward, I¡¯m going to authorize the early petition of utility inscriptions. We¡¯re starting additional weapons training for spears, polearms, bows, and other weapons tomorrow, so I assume that many of you will want an easier way to carry your equipment.¡± Chapter 28 - Girl Problems Now, I know what you are thinking. If we can¡¯t prove the existence of blessings, how can we even be sure that Chosen Ones aren¡¯t pulling some elaborate con? Well, what if I told you that they might not even know the truth? Let me share a popular story about Apheros that often gets passed around in taverns and brothels. Apheros was following the Grand River, keeping a low profile so that Torbolt wouldn¡¯t find him, when he came upon the union of the three rivers. Checking to see if there were any dangers, he cloaked himself in leaves, and discovered that the deadliest of predators was there. A trio of gossiping young goddesses. Feeling a bit randy after failing to bed Torbolt, Apheros decided to scout ahead by shapeshifting into a young maiden before approaching. The trio of river goddesses greeted Apheros, asking ¡°her¡± why she had come to their domain. Apheros claimed to be engaged to a man she hadn¡¯t met yet and was worried about what she should do to please her soon to be husband. The trio laughed, saying that it wasn¡¯t her job to only please him, and that they both should get to enjoy their first night together. Apheros then stated that she wasn¡¯t sure what she wanted and asked the trio about what they would want from their husband on their wedding night. The first of the trio, Philiadra of the Western Tributary, stated that she had no interest in carnal pleasures, and that she would prefer to spend the night sharing stories, hobbies, and other interests with each other. The second, Erosathan of the Northern Tributary, stated that she would lay with her husband, but that she agreed with her sister in that she wanted to get to know her husband better first, now that they were to become a team. The third and final goddess, Jormania of the Eastern Tributary, teased that she hoped her husband wouldn¡¯t mind being tied to the bed. Armed with knowledge, Apheros shed his disguise, then spent the next three nights greeting each of the goddesses in their individual domains. He spent the first night simply talking to Philiadra, showing her a few of the plants that he had been cultivating, and most importantly; actively listening to her. The second night he invited Erosathan to dine with him, then after competing with their minds in a few puzzle games, finished the night by sharing a bed with each other. On the final night, an eager Apheros was having the last restraint placed on him when Jormania whispered in his ear, ¡°Next time, don¡¯t bother with the disguise. Simply ask.¡± And so, with his (and the godesses¡¯) lust satisfied, Apheros continued on his journey, proud of his newly formed domain of Fertility. So, did you notice the problems with this tale that was originally told by Oskar himself? That¡¯s right, didn¡¯t Apheros already create his domain of Fertility? And who are these godesses? Hydraviandor¡¯s church has no recognized minor gods. Also, why is this the only story about the gods that doesn¡¯t include mortals? And why is there such a prominent moral in this one? Apheros¡¯ stories, unlike some of the other gods, don¡¯t usually contain one if they do, and they are always a more subtle one that the listener must determine themselves. I spoke about this story at length with a human theologian, and he pointed out to me that the Chosen are first told the story by their gods before passing them on to the people. Perhaps Apheros simply wanted to brag that he once scored with a trio of godesses but embellished on the details to make it sound more legendary. --- Travis Windsday, the 25th of Fifthmonth Jethro held up his double-ended spear while grinning madly, ¡°Check it out, my cousin finished carving it last week. I just have a pair of human-steel tips on it for now, but the shaft is the most valuable. My Dad had the worst luck during his field assignments trying to win the lottery for an elmek horn, but he finally got lucky during the last flood when his squad took down a small herd of them.¡± We were outside of the armory and chatting before morning drill, today¡¯s topic being our personal weapons. Adrian was checking out my poleaxe, and was looking embarrassed, ¡°You guys have some pretty cool weapons.¡± I looked over at Mattius¡¯ one-handed hammer-axe, then Bridget¡¯s one-handed mace, and had to agree. Jethro was quick to cheer up Adrian, ¡°No, we¡¯re just spoiled rich kids.¡± He paused to give me a quick smile, ¡°Well, most of us. I doubt any of us will even be inscribing our weapons until next semester, so you got plenty of time to find something that suits you. In fact, you should join in on the quarter staff training. Mages tend to prefer 2-handers; so it¡¯d be good to get comfortable handling one.¡± Mattius cleared his throat, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with preferring a one-hander, you get a lot more control and precision, even if you got one with a large head like mine. A monster probably won¡¯t even feel it when Jethro stabs it with his skinny weapon.¡± The guys and I all start grinning, and Adrian plays with my poleaxe a bit before handing it back, ¡°Well, this one¡¯s definitely too much for me to handle. I guess not all of us can be gifted like you Travis.¡± My face turned red as the guys and Arc started laughing, our attitudes the complete opposite of Bridget¡¯s, who was letting out an annoyed groan, ¡°I need more girl friends.¡± Drill went like normal, though there were a few changes. Our morning jog included some obstacles for us to cross that mimicked the glacis and ditches outside of the forts and walls, and a 4-story flight of stairs to sprint up and down. Sword training included more attack swings, lectures began to cover what role mages performed in a squad, and the last hour¡¯s Q&A was shortened to allow us to begin training with our personal weapons. Hector led the instruction for heavy two-handed weapons, and I was joined by a few students from mine and the other battalions. Most of them had hammer-axes or war-picks, but I wasn¡¯t the only one with a unique weapon. One guy had what looked like a flat shovel (I think Arc called it a monk spade), another had a bardiche, and another had¡­ ugh. A Lightning Mage stepped up next to me with her weapon, and I felt my blood boil at the sight. ¡°I thought I¡¯d be the only one with a halberd.¡± Irrational rage flooded my body, and I was barely able to restrain myself, ¡°It¡¯s not a halberd, it¡¯s a poleaxe.¡± The Lakelander girl started laughing, ¡°Sounds like someone¡¯s angry that their halberd came up short.¡± She gestured with her weapon, emphasizing how its length was a least a few heads longer than mine. I was about to unload on her, but Arc interrupted me, ¡°Whoa there tiger. Keep it sturdy. She¡¯s trying to get a rise out of you.¡± I turned to face Hector, who was just about ready to begin the lecture. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of variety here, but most of your weapons will have the same starting base for martial arts. This week we¡¯ll work on the basics, but next week I¡¯ll be addressing individual groups or inviting in an expert to help assist with your training. Additional instruction outside of morning drill is available, and I have a representative from the school¡¯s polearm club here to promote their student-led training camps.¡± We then went through the training exercises, and after chatting with the Polearm¡¯s Club President, was able to get notified whenever they had open training camps. The guy was quite interested in my poleaxe, and we ended up chatting for a while when he asked how well the rivets held up. It was already well past the end of drill when we finished talking, and I gasped when I finally took notice of Hector waiting to talk to me. ¡°Sir, apologies for making you wait.¡± ¡°None needed. Morning drill was completed, I¡¯m borrowing your time now.¡± He then dropped the overly stiff and formal military tone, ¡°I was wondering if I could borrow your poleaxe when you¡¯re not using it during drill.¡± ¡°Um, what for?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need some time to develop a fighting style for you. The additional spear tip, plus the spike on the end, adds extra variables that a hammer-axe doesn¡¯t have. Then I need to include the fact that you will have a unique caster style. Your fellow students will likely only inscribe their weapons with three mana types; something I have a feeling that you won¡¯t want to do.¡± I grinned, ¡°Yeah, can¡¯t see why I¡¯d want to limit myself so much. Go ahead and borrow it as much as you need. Just let me know if anything starts to loosen, it''s still just a prototype.¡± Hector nodded in thanks, ¡°Let me know if you need it to remain in your locker. I know you¡¯ll want to get it inscribed soon.¡± I let out a sigh, ¡°I definitely want to, I¡¯m just worried that I won¡¯t be able to afford it.¡± Hector tilted his head, ¡°Huh, shouldn¡¯t you be getting an allowance from the queen for being a commoner?¡± ¡°Wait what?¡± It took Arc¡¯s surprised expression for Hector¡¯s words to sink in, ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t remember seeing anything about an allowance¡­¡± I scratch Arc¡¯s pommel, hoping that I was just holding the idiot stick. ¡°Nothing in your paperwork from registration included an allowance.¡± Hector looked perplexed as well, before something visibly clicked in his head and the bearded freak of nature packer began to laugh, ¡°I think I know what happened, Young Master Farmboy.¡± --- I got into line for lunch and was met by a familiar orkish face, ¡°Travis! How have you been? I heard you did well in your arena match yesterday.¡± ¡°Not bad. And thanks, those things were terrifying.¡± I idly scratched Arc¡¯s cross guard so I could remember the name of the nice orc that Jakob introduced me to. Xruul chuckled, ¡°I always thought tumblepigs were kinda cute. Used to have a toy one that my brothers and I would play in the pool with.¡± I shook my head in disbelief, I¡¯m amazed I didn¡¯t have nightmares involving their eyes. We chatted for a bit as we got served by the chefs, but I caught Xruul giving my plate a judgmental glare. ¡°Are you flirting with the chef to get larger portions?¡± Arc started laughing as a groan escaped me, and I ended up unloading on Xruul, ¡°No. I don¡¯t know why that orc chef keeps giving me extra-large portions, or why the entire cafeteria staff is so nice to me either.¡± Xruul took my frustration in stride, only clearing his throat before issuing a correction, ¡°Half-orc chef.¡± Irritation flushed away by curiosity, I did a quick head turn to compare Xruul to the chef, ¡°How can you tell? You both look similar enough.¡± Xruul balanced his tray with one hand to show his other, ¡°Full-blooded orcs have webbing up to their first knuckles and more angular faces. Plus, he¡¯s more of a pine green, whereas my skin is a pleasant shade of seaweed.¡± I spun to give the chef one more look before I lost sight, then turned back to a shit-eating grin on Xruul. ¡°Ugh, remind me again why I should trust anything you say.¡± ¡°You got any other orkish friends?¡± ¡°I guess not, my roommate and I haven¡¯t been speaking to each other.¡± He nodded his head as he joined me and my friends for lunch. I quickly introduced him, though had to give Adrian a prod to wake up and answer back. After we sat, the earlier talk about half-orcs spurred a memory, ¡°Thanks for clarifying a few things about half-orcs for me, I almost thought my village¡¯s blacksmith was one, but he looks just like a regular human.¡± Xruul and the others turned their heads towards me with strange looks on their faces, immediately making me feel uncomfortable. Xruul thankfully broke the tension somewhat by letting out a lighthearted laugh, ¡°Right, forgot that you were isolated in a tiny village. Half-breeds take after what their father is. For example, that chef with the orkish father looks nearly identical on the outside to a full-blooded orc, just with a few subtle differences. If his mother was the orc, he¡¯d look a lot like a human, just taller and probably packed with muscle if he had a physically demanding job.¡± ¡°Maybe ¡®Big Arms¡¯ Franklin is a half-orc? I¡¯m still confused as to why he wouldn¡¯t tell you that or possibly not know.¡± I stuttered out my words, ¡°Umm, stupid question?¡± Xruul set a hand on my shoulder to give it a comforting rub, ¡°Ask as many as you want.¡± ¡°Is there a stigma to being a half-breed?¡± Jethro leaned in, ¡°In the noble circles, what matters most is that you maintain or grow your family¡¯s number of knights and mages. I know of at least one house that¡¯s completely composed of human-looking half-orcs, though they prefer the term goliath.¡± Mattius spoke next, ¡°One of my older brothers is half dwarf. He¡¯s more of an embarrassment for my dad since he¡¯s walking proof that my dad was unfaithful towards his first wife.¡± ¡°Yikes, there¡¯s a lot to unpack there¡­¡± I rubbed Arc¡¯s pommel in agreement, then turned my ear to hear Bridget better, ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, it¡¯s only the half-elves and dwarves that get ridiculed by their full-blooded counterparts.¡± Adrian rubbed his worn-out eyes before adding, ¡°Same from what I¡¯ve seen also, most humans won¡¯t pick on a half breed since there¡¯s a good chance that they or their sibling is a spartan. And Spartans defend their own.¡± ¡°Thanks guys, I appreciate it.¡± I turned to catch everyone¡¯s faces, but stopped on Mattius¡¯, ¡°Hang on, you said your brother is half dwarf?¡± Mattius nodded his head while Xruul clarified for me, ¡°As long as you have an orkish ancestor, you can have a child with any of the other three races.¡± I raised my eyebrow at that, Arc¡¯s biology lessons echoed in the back of my head, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that wear off after a few generations? Viable hybrid animals in the wild usually can¡¯t even reproduce.¡± ¡°Another reason why I think us orcs are manufactured.¡± Bridget made a small groan, then muttered, ¡°Of course you¡¯re a creationist¡­¡± --- Arc If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Travis and I snuck over to the Administration building during break to get himself un-nobled, but upon entering the room to visit with an administrator, a deeply buried trauma submerged to set off my anxiety. It was laid out exactly like the DMV. Complete with a number dispenser by the door, a roped off barrier to keep people from crowding the workers behind the counters, and even a burly guard acting as security. Now, I¡¯ve had plenty of good experiences at the Department of Motor Vehicles before. I¡¯ve never had to wait more than 10 minutes for my scheduled appointment, but there was that one time that I decided to go in without one. It was a slow day at the office, I had finalized a trio of projects the day before and was simply waiting on feedback for the next project from a client, before deciding which design team to use. Wanting to do something productive, I went to the DMV to update the address on my license as a walk-in. It was the longest three hours of my life. I couldn¡¯t get a signal on my phone, the place was packed since there was an election in one month, and for some reason, I was way too dammed stubborn to leave and schedule an appointment. Then when I finally got to the counter, I realized that I forgot to bring proof of my change of address, and then¡­ Whoa, I drifted off there on that river of nostalgia, almost missed Travis walking up to the administrator. ¡°Hi, there¡¯s a problem with my registration, my name is coming up incorrect on my instructors¡¯ documents.¡± He handed her his identification papers. The administrator looked over Travis¡¯ documents, then looked up, ¡°What is your name coming up as?¡± ¡°Travis Farmboy, I don¡¯t have a last name.¡± She looked over Travis documents again, ¡°I¡¯m not seeing a change of name declaration¡­¡± ¡°What? I¡¯ve never had a last name. I¡¯m not a noble born.¡± The administrator set her hand down and gave Travis a hard stare, ¡°You do realize young man that it¡¯s a crime to impersonate a noble?¡± Travis jolted back from the accusation and began to stutter, ¡°But¡­, I didn¡¯t¡­ the person during my entrance exam must have¡­¡± ¡°Are you implying that a registrar made such an obvious and illegal mistake? I find it much more likely that you are a poor estate-less noble who¡¯s trying to defraud the kingdom by claiming commoner status.¡± The administrator pushed forward Travis¡¯ papers, ¡°I¡¯ll be alerting legal about this, I recommend that you contact your lawyer.¡± --- Travis Voltsday, the 26th of Fifthmonth I stood next to Mattius while he practiced his [Wind Orb] during Wind Spells 1, ¡°You¡¯re keeping your array too rigid. Wind Mana won¡¯t enter in even amounts, so you need some flex to accommodate one side attracting more mana.¡± Mattius let out a long breath to help himself physically relax, and I watched as the spell stabilized into a proper Orb. He started moving it around, making a few winding circles around the trio I made, then started tracing out numbers. He was showing a remarkable improvement from last week¡¯s practice at the spell range with me and the others. We kept playing around with our spells, with me forcing Mattius to swap between a [Wind Orb] and an [Air Orb] then reversing the rotation array to make it a Wind variant again. A sudden voice from behind, almost startled us enough to break our concentration on our spells. ¡°I¡¯m glad you found something to entertain yourself with Travis.¡± I turned to address Professor Quinsandoral, ¡°I meant no disrespect sir, just wanted to help out my friend.¡± The High Elf made a small chuckle, ¡°It¡¯s quite alright, I figured that today¡¯s practice would bore you.¡± He handed me a folder he was holding, ¡°This is a variant of the Blast spell that you can practice on your own. I believe you are already intimately familiar with it.¡± I looked over the spell diagram, it looked like a regular Blast spell, but instead of only one line reversing in direction, the lines went neutral and fed into an outer layer of repulsion lines. I had to visualize what the spell would do before I could comprehend what my professor was getting at. ¡°Oh, this is basically what those tumblepigs did to explode.¡± I angled the diagram so that Mattius could see. Professor Quinsandoral grinned, ¡°Correct, practically every basic spell draws inspiration from or downright plagiarizes a spell that monsters use. Make sure you follow the instructions carefully for this Burst spell. It¡¯s very easy to modify the formation to create a loud noise, and although that can be handy in battle, you¡¯ll anger the range master if you don¡¯t warn them ahead of time.¡± ¡°Oooh, magical flash-bangs¡­ I can¡¯t wait to breach and clear an abandoned warehouse.¡± Deciding to get clarification from Arc later, I smiled back to my professor, ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll be careful.¡± He nodded to me, then turned to Mattius, ¡°Young Master Tatian, how are you enjoying Wind Spells 1? I can¡¯t help but notice that you¡¯re performing better than many of the actual Wind Mages in my class.¡± A large number of heads turned towards us, making me wonder if Quinsandoral was using the Air Mana condensing around him to carry his voice farther. Mattius, not surprisingly, grew nervous from the attention, and began to rub the back of his head, ¡°Umm, I wasn¡¯t exactly interested at first, and kinda assumed that I would have a harder time.¡± The professor nodded along, ¡°Not surprising. I¡¯m just glad Ingotborn convinced you to enroll in my class. It¡¯s rare to find a mage with an intact dual affinity.¡± I cocked my head at his statement and noticed that Mattius looked confused as well. The nearly snow-white skinned elf rolled his eyes, ¡°Right, your general mana studies hasn¡¯t covered how absolutely paradoxical you humans are.¡± He let out a quick sigh, ¡°Humans are unique in that they inherit one of the four basic elements as an affinity from each parent. If someone was to inherit a Wind affinity from both parents, they would find that they naturally have an easier time shaping and free-casting Wind spells. If the person in question received a Fire affinity from their mother instead, they would have an easier time generating and syncing with Lightning Mana.¡± Mattius let out a nervous laugh, ¡°So, since Earth and Wind don¡¯t mix, does that mean I get two affinities then?¡± Our professor gave him a wink, ¡°Or maybe your true affinity is still unknown. If you''re not keeping a journal, I suggest you do so, a recording of your observations could prove invaluable.¡± He suddenly turned to me, ¡°That goes for you as well, simply creating a replicable training regimen for the kingdom that can teach a commoner to become a mage, could easily be used for your Master rank thesis.¡± I nodded my head and gave Arc a tap on his pommel to make note of the conversation for later. Wait¡­ hang on, ¡°What were you referring to when you called us humans paradoxical?¡± ¡°Ah, I see you were paying attention,¡± He then raised his volume so that everyone in the spell range could hear, ¡°unlike your classmates who should be focusing on their spells.¡± He lowered his voice back to normal and continued, ¡°All humans have an elemental affinity, but for some reason that I wonder if even the gods know, it disappears as a mana user learns to use body reinforcement. You know; the magical ability that humans are naturally gifted in.¡± --- Mattius and I ate supper together in silence, and I must admit that it was nice to not have to weave in conversation between mouthfuls of food. Just as I finished though, Arc prompted me to speak to Mattius. ¡°Ok, could you please tell your friend to stop staring at that one girl. He¡¯s going to come off as a creep if he gets caught.¡± I looked up to see Mattius staring off into the distance, so I traced out his view in my mind to see that he was checking out a Packer girl seated at a nearby table. ¡°Hey. Stop staring at the pretty girl.¡± Mattius jerked his head towards me, eyes wide in surprise from being caught, ¡°What? I¡­ wasn¡¯t¡­¡± I frowned at my friend, ¡°Don¡¯t bother lying, I already saved you from being labeled a creep.¡± He lowered his head in shame, ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re right¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ she¡¯s in my group for heavy one-handed weapons, and I¡¯ve never seen a Packer girl use anything other than a crossbow before¡­¡± He started grinning with a far-off look in his eyes. ¡°Oh boy, he¡¯s got it bad. I think we better give him some advice before he makes a fool of himself.¡± I gave Arc an agreeing rub, then leaned into whisper, ¡°Have you talked to her yet?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know what to say. Some of us can¡¯t just smile at the orc chef and get extra-large helpings.¡± I briefly scowled, but listened to Arc give some advice to repeat, ¡°First off, he¡¯s a half-orc. Second, I have never knowingly flirted with any of the kitchen staff.¡± Mattius held up his hands in surrender, ¡°Third, when it comes to striking a conversation with someone you¡¯re physically attracted to, the most important rule is to not objectify them.¡± ¡°So don¡¯t tell her that her hair looks like a freshly bundled weave of golden-brown wheat?¡± ¡°You can, but if you lead with that, she¡¯ll just assume that you only care about her outer appearance. Maybe start by complimenting her on her skill in a certain area?¡± Mattius nodded his head, and somehow scooched closer despite having a table between us, ¡°Ok, maybe comment on how she has excellent battle axe technique for a woman?¡± ¡°NEVER END A COMPLIMENT WITH ¡®FOR A WOMAN¡¯, it¡¯s a back-handed compliment, and will always come across as sexist.¡± I rapped one of Mattius¡¯ hands to emphasize Arc¡¯s words as I repeated them verbatim. He flinched at my sudden violence, then nodded his head, ¡°Alright, alright, I got it. How about I say that I¡¯m jealous of how effortless she seems to be able to switch from position to position?¡± ¡°That¡¯ll do.¡± I gave Mattius a thumbs up, ¡°That¡¯ll do. Let me know how it goes.¡± --- Arc Hmm, Day 5, and I¡¯m still physically feeling Travis¡¯ touch on occasion. I¡¯ve been able to determine that it only happens when we are either thinking the same thoughts or if we actively make an emotional connection. It¡¯s kinda strange, I figure a blessing from Apheros would have faded away by now. The books in Father Viburnum¡¯s library that cataloged the publicly known divine blessings described that they either faded quickly or required constant affirmation of faith. Granted, I¡¯m still confused as to how Travis got one in the first place. Maybe as a thank you for defending his village? But wouldn¡¯t that be more in line with Torbolt¡¯s domain? Ok, think¡­ Apheros domains are Nature, Fertility, Harvest, and Protection. So maybe defending a village counts, even though his presence might have helped cause the monsters to attack in the first place? Ugh, you¡¯d think already being dead and having met both a few gods and even a God before, would mean that I know how all this works. But, this world, heck, this universe, has different rules. I know where I probably could go to get answers, but that could put both me and Travis at risk. Deciding that my problem wasn¡¯t going to resolve itself, I stopped letting my focus drift and pivoted over to where Travis was testing out the [Air Burst] spell that his professor gave him. A deep Thud sounded against the concave receiving wall, and I saw an equally intense smile on Travis. ¡°That spell packs a wallop.¡± He nodded with the eagerness of a toddler playing with firecrackers, ¡°Yeah it does. Do you think if I swapped the Air Mana for Fire, that it would make a fireball?¡± ¡°Maybe ask your Fire Spells professor first. Besides, we¡¯re almost out of time now.¡± Travis looked behind him towards the clock, ¡°Yeah, I should probably pack up.¡± He then put away the spell diagram and notebooks that he had out but had to pull out the fat romance novel that he kept carrying for some reason first to make room. ¡°I¡¯m glad we were able to stop Mattius from doing something stupid.¡± Travis chuckled while he buckled his bag, ¡°I am too, you¡¯re much more knowledgeable than me when it comes to girls.¡± ¡°You know¡­ if you ever want advice, I¡¯d be happy to be your wingman.¡± Yes, I was leaning against the barrier of privacy that Travis put up, but c¡¯mon. I¡¯m not just going to let my buddy do something super embarrassing. Travis stopped in front of the door before opening it, ¡°Wingman?¡± Crap. This world doesn¡¯t have planes yet, I think¡­ Ugh, the technology level is all over the place. ¡°Right, umm¡­ there¡¯s a story about a bird who was trying to attract himself a mate. There was a lovely young female that he wanted to impress, but there was an older male that was more experienced than him when it came to building an alluring nest. The bird shared his frustrations with a goose that he was friends with, and the fowl came up with an idea to help his friend. The goose would waddle by the older male¡¯s nest every morning on his way to the pond, quacking loudly with the other ducks and geese. The racket that they created veered the female bird away from the older male¡¯s nest and decided to mate with the younger bird instead. The goose as a result became the first successful wingman, a set of extra wings to help a friend impress a girl.¡± Whew, managed to make up something halfway coherent, and it looks like Travis took in the story. ¡°Oh, I see. Wait, haven¡¯t you already been doing that?¡± ¡°Ok, I didn¡¯t want to encroach on your privacy, but I know that you¡¯re taking notes from that romance novel.¡± Travis¡¯ eyes widened in shock, but I continued, ¡°I know it¡¯s embarrassing for you to ask me about that stuff, but I want you to think of me as a friend or older brother. Like you said, I¡¯m literally by your side now, so if you need a wingman, I¡¯m just a pommel scratch away.¡± Travis stood there dumbfounded for a while, and I grew worried that I had crossed a line when it came to his privacy. Maybe we should make an agreement with each other? I can shut off my sense by drawing into myself, but I lose the ability to track time or know if I¡¯m needed. I felt Travis give my pommel a rub, and my mind stopped racing. I moved my focus to see a smiling Travis, ¡°Ok, if I need help, I¡¯ll ask. I was just using that book for research.¡± I mentally sighed in relief, ¡°Thanks, and let me know if you want help writing a letter to Caldia. I assume that is why you were taking notes?¡± ¡°Umm, it wasn¡¯t for that, but¡­ I could use your help. I¡¯m still not happy with how things ended.¡± Travis gave my pommel another rub on the way out of the spell range. --- Travis Burnsday, the 27th of Fifthmonth Bridget and I were entering the cafeteria together after spending the day going to the same classes. I let her go in line first, like the proper gentleman that Arc and my parents raised me to be, and decided to continue our conversation from break, ¡°So I sent a message to the lawyer that did the paperwork for my wardship, hopefully I¡¯ll get a response before my hearing with the administrative board gets scheduled.¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that you need to get one. I mean, the entire campus knows that you¡¯re from a tiny farming village, it should be obvious that whoever filled out your registration added in a last name as a joke.¡± I chuckled as we got our trays, mine of course was heavier despite the half-orc chef not being present. I suppose I could just ask, but if I¡¯m being honest with myself, I¡¯m worried that once I ask, my portions will go back to normal. All because I broke some strange social taboo. ¡°Excuse my interruption Travis, but Princess Seleyna has asked for you to join her table for supper this evening.¡± I nearly tripped at the sound of Sir Asher¡¯s voice (It¡¯s so jarring hearing someone other than Arc use a [Message] spell on me) but stopped myself from spilling anything. I looked up to see the royal knight standing near a table that was opposite of where me and my friends usually sat. I let out a sigh, ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t really refuse.¡± ¡°Not without insulting the crown.¡± Oh, rot, I didn¡¯t know he could hear me. I turned to Bridget, ¡°Umm, I just got invited to dine with the princess.¡± Bridget¡¯s quizzical expression changed into a downcast one, ¡°You better go join her. It¡¯d be rude not to do so.¡± ¡°You may bring your friend as a plus one if you¡¯d like.¡± Bridget shook her head, apparently, she could hear Asher too, ¡°No thanks, I want to enjoy my last three years of quiet before I fully become an inner ring noble.¡± Oh, I didn¡¯t realize her family was one¡­ I nodded my head towards her, then gave a quick goodbye before walking towards the table Asher was standing by. The princess was seated there, along with a few other (I assume) inner ring nobles. I set my tray on the space across from Seleyna, then stepped back to give a formal Lakelander bow, ¡°Thank you for inviting me to your table Princess Seleyna.¡± I stayed lowered, thanking Apheros that my nervous face was hidden. I hope I remembered the right procedure, Arc has been quiet, so I assume he can¡¯t safely talk to me without getting noticed. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to do that here.¡± I looked up to see a flustered looking princess and a table of silently laughing nobles, ¡°Please, sit. And feel free to just call me Seleyna. I¡¯m just a student here, same as you.¡± I stamped down my nerves with a cautious grin, then sat down. To my relief, the table was quiet while everyone began to eat, allowing me to calm down by focusing on my food. Once everyone had finished eating though, I mentally braced myself for round two. The princess broke the silence, ¡°I enjoyed watching your arena match Travis, your squad performed much better than mine.¡± I darted my eyes quickly enough to hear a mild grunt from one of the Lakelander(?) nobles, then tried to figure out a response, ¡°Thank you. My squad was lucky in that we didn¡¯t need to immediately change formation.¡± My heart was pounding in my chest, I don¡¯t remember being this terrified of misspeaking during my party. Am I overthinking the situation? I looked into Seleyna¡¯s large blue-grey eyes, then in what was probably a moment of insanity, decided to toss the paddle and let the river take me, ¡°You yourself did well, I think you killed at least half a dozen shadetails.¡± Shocked expressions filled the table, but Seleyna¡¯s face did not have one. She instead began to laugh, ¡°Wasn¡¯t exactly the most dignified slaying of monsters.¡± I grinned, reveling in the sudden loss of my nervous tension, ¡°Hey, it worked. And besides, dropping and rolling is one of the best tactics for shaking off fires or swarms of pests.¡± We began to chat for the next half hour. I spoke about my experience of what it was like to try and learn every element, and the princess talked about how she was excited to join the archery and drama club. I also shared that I got a letter from Reidar stating that he finally got his army assignment, but that he was being coy about sharing what it was. One of the familiar looking female nobles tried to make a jab at me, but failed, ¡°So how is that stumpy halberd treating you? With all those rivets and plates on the shaft, I assume you expect it to fall apart at any moment?¡± I started to prepare my retort, but was shocked when Seleyna replied first, ¡°A halberd? Cordelia, surely you must know that no one uses such an outdated weapon anymore. Travis¡¯ poleaxe is a significant improvement over the original halberd, countering the easy to break haft head by securing the weapon head with langets, then shortening it to allow easier two-handed combat. I heard that Sir Hector Hopkins has had to dedicate extra hours just to properly comprehend Travis¡¯ poleaxe¡¯s full potential.¡± I couldn¡¯t stop grinning at the princess, and happily accepted her open invitation to join her every Burnsday. --- Steelsday, the 28th of Fifthmonth After a successful study group, we were heading back to the dorms (though I did have to keep Adrian from walking off the sidewalk a few times) and speculating at what Durinn was going to bring to the spell range tomorrow. ¡°There¡¯s a familiar face reading a book on the bench outside of the dorm.¡± I looked ahead to a guard wearing the colors and symbol of Clan Hopkins, ¡°Barry, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Barry snapped his book shut and stuffed it in his pack with such quickness that I could barely remember that he had one, ¡°Travis, it has been. I brought you some mail that reached us first, and a few other things.¡± He handed me a small stack of envelopes, and I paused to briefly look over them, ¡°Ooh, a wedding invite¡­¡± Barry chuckled, ¡°Yeah, Percy and Lucia found out that they forgot to give you an invitation the other day.¡± I opened it up, and looked over the date, ¡°Umm, I¡¯m not sure if I can attend the wedding¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, Hector is going to miss it as well since the only day he¡¯s not allowed off is Snowsday. You both should be able to make it to the reception at night though, I¡¯ve already arranged for a carriage to pick you and any guests up.¡± I nodded along, ¡°Thanks.¡± I looked through a few more, got excited that I had letters from Mom, Dad, Franklin, and Trent? There was also a letter from Caldia¡­ Barry must have saw me pause on that one, ¡°I got that one personally from Caldia, don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing bad.¡± I gulped, my last real conversation with her was me telling her that I couldn¡¯t pursue a relationship with her. Maybe I will need Arc¡¯s help writing a letter back. Hang on¡­ Arc thought that my book on the history of human metalsmithing was a romance novel, and that I was using it to write a love letter to Caldia¡­ Maybe I should¡­ ¡°Oh, I finished that book I bought at the bookstore when we went shopping together, do you think I could borrow one of yours?¡± Barry cleared his throat, then slowly began to grin at me, ¡°Here, I already finished this one.¡± He carefully handed me the book in his pouch, making sure that our hands hid the title, ¡°It¡¯s got quite a bit of action and adventure, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll enjoy it.¡± I thanked Barry, then chatted with him for a bit before having to turn in for the night. I grinned as Arc moaned about me reading yet another romance novel, confirming that he was truly in the dark about me trying to figure out exactly who he was. Chapter 29 - Revelation After Revelation With all this uncertainty when it comes to verifying the truth, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if some of you readers might begin to question whether the gods are even real. Afterall, their Chosen are mortals just like us, what¡¯s stopping someone from impersonating one? Well, for starters, despite what atheists may claim, there is evidence that confirms at least the existence of beings with incredible power. The names of the gods for example, are uniform between all three languages, despite the lack of communication before their respective races first met. Then there are the recorded feats of magic that cast a shadow on the most powerful of Archmagus. I¡¯d go into detail, but I¡¯ll save you the terror and simply advise that when a Chosen gives an order, you follow it. Be happy that most gods don¡¯t keep an active Chosen. The presence of even one can cause unrest in a kingdom due to the god needing to take direct intervention. I¡¯d hate to imagine what would happen if more than one were active at a time. --- Travis Rocksday, the 29th of Fifthmonth I held up Adrian by the armpits as Bridget helped put his pants and shoes back on. My heart was still racing from seeing him suddenly cry out in pain during a set of shield squats and collapsing on the ground. The medic was filling out something on their clipboard, then looked up to address us and Sir Felicity, ¡°Sporadic stage 2 mana sickness, the mana oil should help ease the pain soon, and I¡¯m prescribing an extra mana ration for lunch and supper. You should be recovered by tomorrow, but no spellcasting for the rest of the day. I recommend a short nap after lunch if possible, a 30-minute walk at a slow pace before bed, and maybe even a sit in the sauna if you¡¯re not too tired.¡± Adrian tried to nod his head, but either his exhaustion or embarrassment was too much for him to properly respond. Sir Felicity stepped up to get into Adrian¡¯s field of view, ¡°I¡¯m glad you stopped yourself when you did initiate, you could have seriously injured yourself. However, you¡¯re clearly struggling with mana reinforcement, you¡¯ll be assigned a tutor starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Travis, I should have realized that something wasn¡¯t right. He¡¯s been having difficulty since the first day, but when I compare him to even the other less physically fit students, his internal mana seems to only fully amp up or not evenly when he tries to use reinforcement.¡± I wish I could console Arc and tell him that I was just as guilty. I walked Adrian to a nearby bench, while Bridget grabbed an infused beverage from the medic to have him drink. The heat from his skin penetrated my gloves, and his face was a deep red, coated in sweat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Adrian, I noticed you were constantly tired after drill, and even well after. I should have asked you if something wasn¡¯t right.¡± Bridget handed me the drink, and feeling that it was warm from the sun, held it in my hand while I focused on the Air and Water Mana that had collected on my skin. The two mana types fused, and I was able to cool the drink enough to form a few ice crystals. Adrian took a large swallow, held it in his mouth with his eyes blissfully closed, then finally swallowed, ¡°It¡¯s ok, I just thought I¡¯d get used to it.¡± ¡°Hey, can you ask him a few questions for me?¡± The medic and Felicity were having a private chat, so I thought it¡¯d be safe, ¡°Have you always had trouble with mana reinforcement Adrian?¡± Adrian bobbed his torso around, so I sat on his left with my arm over his shoulder to hold him steady. He didn¡¯t respond right away, just making a few unintelligible noises, but spoke when Bridget moved to his right and gave his leg a comforting rub, ¡°I guess¡­ I¡¯ve been able to occasionally see mana for a few years now and figured out how to trigger it intentionally on my own over the winter. I never tried to use mana reinforcement before coming here, but my examiner said that since I was a human, I should be able to pick it up easily.¡± Bridget leaned her head closer to Adrian, ¡°That¡¯s what mine said too. Apparently spending all day either studying or staring out of the wagon convoys with my mom and cousins made it easier for me to train my perception and mind enough to see mana.¡± I looked up to see Sir Felicity subtly cast an Air spell, moving it to above where we were sitting on the bench. She then turned around to continue talking to the medic after giving me a wink. Adrian took another sip of his drink, ¡°Same for me, but it was just me and my dad.¡± He started tearing up, ¡°He was so proud of me getting in, and even before, kept saying that he knew I had a talent to become a mage, even though I never casted a spell before coming here.¡± Physically able to feel him about to begin fully crying, I used my already wrapped arm to give Adrian the best shoulder pat that I could. Inspired by Gramps [Warm Hug] technique, I coated my upper arm and side with a light coating of Ice Mana, giving my overheated friend something cool to relax into. I felt him sink in as greedily as I do on nights after I flip my pillow to the cool side. I let out a sigh, relieved that I was able to comfort my friend. It must suck not being able to learn the magical style that should come easily for you. I know not everyone is built the same, the dwarven artificer we were going to meet tonight admitted that he was outside the normal curve, and even they still learned their race¡¯s magic style without trouble. Wait a sec¡­ I gave Adrian another shoulder rub, feeling the bones easily due to his lack of muscle. He really was thin, even for someone who didn¡¯t have a physical job. My head moved to get a good look at his face, the redness was fading, returning to his pale Northman skin tone on his angular face. Bridget gave me a weird look, so I tried to signal to her what I was thinking, ¡°You must be popular with the girls, with those high cheekbones and clean jawline, especially now that you¡¯re a mage.¡± Adrian started chuckling while Bridget stared into my eyes, clearly still trying to read my mind. Arc figured out what I was thinking though, ¡°Oh, you think he¡¯s a¡­¡± I grinned as I gave Arc¡¯s pommel a rub, ¡°Did you get your good looks from your mom too?¡± Adrian nodded his head, ¡°Never met her, but my dad says I remind him of her.¡± ¡°Ok, let¡¯s ease him into it. Don¡¯t want him to react badly and go into full denialism.¡± Arc probably should have warned Bridget though, ¡°Smoldering embers! Are you a half-elf?¡± Adrian jerked upright with a huge scowl, ¡°What? No. That¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Well, so much for easing him into it¡­ Got a Plan B?¡± Feeling Adrian tremble with anger underneath my arm, I decided that I needed to calm him first, ¡°You¡¯re right, that is.¡± I sneaked a glare at Bridget to convey my annoyance, then focused back on Adrian, ¡°I¡¯m sure your dad would have told you if your mom was an elf.¡± Adrian nodded, his whole body shaking with the intensity, ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ I admit he¡¯s never really told me much, but that¡¯s probably because he never married, so I¡¯m most likely a¡­¡± his volume lowered, ¡°child from a brothel visit.¡± ¡°He sounds like a great guy, could have just left you at the guard barracks to become a ward of the Queen.¡± Adrian started chuckling, ¡°I don¡¯t think I would have made a good spartan, definitely would have ended up in the logistics corps.¡± He relaxed, and I felt him sink back into me, making me wonder if he somehow transferred his tension to me. ¡°Plus, if you were a half-elf, you¡¯d need an orkish ancestor for it to even be a possibility.¡± Adrian brought his head up, a surprised look in his face, ¡°Actually, I do have a Great Aunt who¡¯s an Orc. Would that count?¡± Bridget, now finally following the same unspoken plan as me, gave Adrian a pat on his thigh, ¡°Maybe, depends on if she¡¯s your aunt by blood for starters.¡± Adrian bobbed his head, and I looked up to see Sir Felicity still chatting with the medic, but something looked off. I gave Adrian another shoulder rub, and decided to press again, ¡°Would your dad even be in contact with any elves? I thought you said that he only sold small goods?¡± I felt my friend tense up, but after taking a few deep breaths, spoke in a whisper, ¡°He¡­, uh, almost works exclusively with elves¡­¡± He paused to breathe some more, then started making a terrified look, ¡°He used to have a route that would cross the western mountains but switched to sourcing goods for elves here in the capital after I was born. Said that it was easier to raise me that way and less dangerous.¡± Oh boy, this is a big dam to dislodge¡­ ¡°Adrian, you said during your exam that you detached your gathered mana for the first time and even shaped it. Did it hurt or feel strange at all to you?¡± ¡°Umm, no¡­ was it supposed to?¡± I got a firm grip on Adrian, and brought my left hand into a ready position, ¡°Adrian, normally for a human, it¡¯s tough to do that. Elves can naturally detach their mana much easier than the other races but learning mana reinforcement is difficult.¡± Adrian began to tremble, gasping for breaths, and darting his head around. Bridget took his hand, and I brought my left hand to his chest to help keep him steady while his mind began to finally understand. ¡°Wait¡­, you think¡­ but, why would Dad¡­¡± He began to sob, ¡°Why would he¡­¡± Sir Felicity¡¯s voice whispered in my ear via [Message], ¡°Go ahead and take Adrian to the infirmary. He¡¯s going to need to speak to a therapist.¡± Adrian was a mess, so I tucked my arm underneath his armpits, then gently pulled him up, and walked him away from morning drill. --- ¡°After we got him to the infirmary, they drew a blood sample, and fed him a ration loaded with sleep inducers. They should have the results by the time he wakes up.¡± I finished telling the story to Jethro and Mattius during lunch, while Bridget sat next to me with a dejected look. Mattius buried his hands with his face, ¡°Ugh, I should have noticed. He¡¯s just like my half-dwarf brother Canus. He didn¡¯t meet the deadline to become a knight, so now he just works as the head of the guard on our estate. Said that he just couldn¡¯t figure out how to hit stuff hard enough.¡± Jethro¡¯s face twisted to one of anguish, ¡°I can¡¯t believe his dad didn¡¯t tell him¡­¡± I had to agree with Jethro, the thought of my parents hiding something that big from me seemed impossible. But then again, there¡¯s a good chance that Franklin¡¯s dad lied to him, or at least omitted the truth. Maybe I just don¡¯t understand why a parent would do that? I gave Arc¡¯s pommel a rub, admittingly treating him more like a dog than a friend, but I certainly felt more at ease knowing that he was by my side. ¡°When you become a parent, not only do you want the best for your kid, but the need to become a good role model can cause you to hide any faults or sins that you have committed. Maybe Adrian¡¯s dad simply didn¡¯t want to tell his little boy who wanted to know why he didn¡¯t have a mom like the other kids, that his elven mother wanted no part in his life.¡± I gave Arc¡¯s pommel another rub, and a tap to remember his quote for later. I guess Mom and Dad always did go out of their way to hide their marital problems from me, making up silly reasons why they didn¡¯t share a room, or why they split the chores so that they barely had to interact. Bridget woke me from my introspection, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making it worse earlier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. You¡¯re free for the rest of the day right?¡± She nodded her head, ¡°Could you return to the infirmary? I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll want a friend nearby.¡± ¡°Sure. Should I¡­ bring him to the spell range tonight?¡± Me and the guys shared looks of uncertainty, but Jethro decided, ¡°Yes, you should bring him. A fancy artifice demonstration would probably be a welcome distraction. Especially if we keep out any talks about elves.¡± I nodded my head, ¡°I¡¯ll warn Durinn ahead of time.¡± --- 3-4 Break I found a comfy looking patch of grass then unhooked Arc and set him on the ground nearby with my backpack, and finally sprawled out on my back. Mana Manipulation was a nice distraction, but there was no way I was going to be able to study between classes today. I closed my eyes, but my mind was back to racing out of control like it was this morning. ¡°Are you doing ok?¡± ¡°Not really. Did I do the right thing this morning? What if Adrian was better off not knowing?¡± ¡°I wish I could answer that. To be honest, I¡¯ve been struggling with the same issue you have been.¡± I turned my head to look at Arc, ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You know how I see everything within a certain radius of me?¡± I nodded my head, ¡°Well, there are things that I¡¯ve been debating on whether or not I should tell you.¡± Oh, right. I bet Arc has seen everyone in my village¡¯s dirty laundry since before I was even born. Wait, does that mean¡­ I reached out to place a hand on Arc, ¡°My parents have been keeping secrets from me?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡­ uh¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure if I¡­¡± I smirked, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ve technically been hiding secrets from them too.¡± I gave Arc a pat to emphasize my point. ¡°If you really want, I¡¯m willing to say. I¡­ would rather that your parents tell you though.¡± I nodded along. Yeah, I bet Adrian would have preferred his dad pulling him aside to have a long chat instead of spending a whole week wondering what was wrong with him. Speaking of parents¡­ Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I sat up, then pulled over my bag to pull out the letters that I got last night. I still hadn¡¯t opened any due to my lack of free time, but now that I had them in my hand¡­ I shuffled through them, putting Mom and Dad¡¯s in the back, then Franklin¡¯s, leaving me with only Caldia¡¯s and Trent¡¯s letters. A short mental debate later, and I broke the seal on Trent¡¯s. To Travis, Apologies in advance, because I¡¯m not exactly the best with fancy words. And I ain¡¯t hiring a bard to snazzy up this letter. Things have gotten rowdy here at Lakewell, and I ain¡¯t gonna lie, you¡¯re one of the causes of it. For starters, those necromancers you fought aren¡¯t actually necromancers. I helped put the bodies on ice and have been publicly stating that they are as such, but¡­ I know what happens to someone when they start eating high mana people. And what those things could do, wasn¡¯t that. Then there¡¯s that fact that you were gallivanting around the fort, showing off your high mana level to all of us sensor types, which got me thinking that something wasn¡¯t right. I¡¯ll have to save the story for when we meet, because there¡¯s no rotting way I could put my little adventure to paper. Let¡¯s just say, Eisaiah was a walking dead man the second I found out he¡¯d been lying on his papers for mana checks. Now, I¡¯ll probably get in trouble for telling you this, but I think you got the right to know. A bunch of Eisaiah¡¯s crimes are getting covered up, and will never see the light of day, the biggest one involves you, and some the other young hunters that we¡¯ve been recruiting for the past dozen years. Eisaiah has been lying, letting towns get away with keeping high mana kids. Once they turn eighteen, and start having wives and kids, he¡¯d send us sensors in to round ¡®em up and give them the spiel that they can either join the army and die or hang around the fortress and get to visit their loved ones once a week. Travis, I can¡¯t tell you how sorry I am for trying to do the same to you. I¡¯ve never been the loyal soldier type, didn¡¯t even consider becoming a knight when I learned to activate my mana, and I truly thought I was doing right by you. Guess it makes sense that an old thief wouldn¡¯t have the best morals. There are so many recruits that I¡¯ve brought in these last few years, I¡¯m not sure if I can return here anymore, now that I know I robbed them of a potential future as knights or maybe even mages. How am I supposed to look them in the eyes? I know Lancel¡¯s probably been buttering you up to join his clan, and it surprises me to say this now, but you probably should. Yeah, you¡¯ll have to lick the Queen¡¯s boots, but at least she has commandos to keep hers clean. If you decide that the army isn¡¯t gonna be your thing though, my offer still stands. Lakewell is a bit hot right now, but it¡¯s in good hands now that there¡¯s a trio of knights running the place. Your village will be safe long enough for me to get you trained as a monster hunter, and maybe even a witch, but don¡¯t get your hopes up, it¡¯s a bitch to figure out spells when you don¡¯t have an affinity to get your feet wet. I¡¯ll be in the capital by the start of Sixthmonth, so just let Renald over at the Handy Hand Inn know that you¡¯re looking for me. Trent, Grade 3 Witch-Hunter I set down the letter, not sure how exactly to react. There was a couple of huge revelations in there, but it didn¡¯t really change anything. I guess I already knew that those creatures weren¡¯t necromancers, just someone¡¯s twisted science experiment. And the Jarl¡¯s plan to recruit me would have never worked on me. Heck, I probably would have outed him regardless since I originally planned to stop at Lakewell Fortress first to collect information for my journey to the capital. I reread the last portion again, this time to myself, and started chuckling at the irony, ¡°So, we¡¯re going to have to send Trent a letter, assuming he hasn¡¯t already been assaulted with rumors about me.¡± Arc started laughing in my ear, ¡°I wish I could see his face; I still view Lancel and his brothers¡¯ reactions on occasion when I¡¯m bored.¡± ¡°It¡¯s weird though, Trent had this huge adventure that shook his trunk down to the roots, all because of me, but nothing changes for me. I¡¯m still going to class in half an hour, I¡¯m still fretting over how I need to go to a hearing on Rainsday for the stupidest of reasons, and I¡¯m more worried about how Adrian is doing rather than what some mad scientist is trying to create.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what you should tell him when you meet. Just because he¡¯s a half-elf doesn''t mean you¡¯re not going to be his friend. Have him focus on what doesn¡¯t change, and maybe the things that do won¡¯t seem so bad.¡± I gave Arc¡¯s pommel a rub, and I think I heard him purr? Or something similar. He must be messing with me again. --- ¡°Alright, should have that ready, can I get a name for the order?¡± ¡°Travis.¡± I tried not to react as the woman behind the counter¡¯s eyes widened and head turned to see my shoulder patch. I gave out a small sigh, then turned to get into the regular supper line in the cafeteria. A moment later, I heard a small grunt, making me turn around to see an uncomfortable looking Drozuk. ¡°Umm, is your friend ok?¡± It took me a moment to believe it was him, his voice was barely audible, and it looked like he had either shrunk or was letting his posture go completely slouch. ¡°He should be fine physically by tomorrow.¡± I idly reached up to scratch my right ear, hoping that Arc might be able to help me make this moment less awkward. Drozuk nodded his head, ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± We stood there for a while in silence, waiting for the line to move forward. Arc eventually pitched in some advice after we moved closer to the servers, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time to bury the hatchets?¡± I glanced at Drozuk with my peripherals while I thought it over. The line finally moved far enough for me to get served, so before we split to head our separate ways, I made my decision, ¡°Do you want to sit together?¡± My out of the undergrowth question caught him off guard. His eyes darted around, clearly expecting a trap of some kind, but he eventually nodded and followed me to my usual table. We sat in silence as we ate. It technically was proper table manners but given how that rule wasn¡¯t strictly followed in any of the fortresses, or even this cafeteria, it actually made me uneasy. Luckily Arc gave me a conversation starter. ¡°You said your dad was friends with the Jarl of Lakewell, did he use to party with a Paladin of Apheros and a witch?¡± ¡°Umm, yeah¡­ my dad Olric used to be in a band with Eisaiah, a witch named Brian, and a paladin named Marceles. How did you know?¡± ¡°I think his group helped eliminate a bullcock that injured my dad outside of my village. It would have been over 18 years ago now.¡± Drozuk scratched his head, his large hands digging deep into his dark-brown hair, ¡°You¡¯d have to ask him to be sure, but we used to live in Lakewell before Eisaiah got elected Jarl, so there¡¯s a good chance it was him.¡± Ugh, this conversation was moving agonizingly slow. Drozuk must have felt the same, because he started shifting uneasily before speaking, ¡°I¡­ owe you an apology. I should not have been such an ass to you.¡± Huh, I guess it was my turn to be surprised. I gave Drozuk a grin, ¡°Dang, I was hoping I¡¯d still get an excuse to tie you to a pillar outside of morning drill.¡± Drozuk¡¯s eyes bulged briefly, before narrowing, ¡°Were you seriously contemplating that?¡± A light chuckle escaped from me, ¡°You can thank Adrian for talking me down. I was pretty angry after the entire battalion got punished.¡± Drozuk lowered his head, ¡°Ugh, I definitely deserved being called an idiot by everyone.¡± We actually managed to carry out a conversation afterwards, mainly with me having to clear up the incorrect rumors that he¡¯d been hearing about me. ¡°So, you really are just a terrible dancer?¡± I let out a groan, of all the rumors about me to spread, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I asked my friend Reidar to cut in for me.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ you didn¡¯t do that because he¡¯s your secret half-brother who¡¯s had a crush on the princess since he was little? Then why did you start serenading the two with a romantic song?¡± That got my head spinning and Arc laughing hysterically in my ear. Where do I even start with correcting that one? ¡°Ok, slow down. Who told you that?¡± Drozuk squirmed a bit in his seat, the large orc oddly looking like a toddler caught telling a lie, ¡°I uh, heard it at the pub just outside of campus.¡± I channeled my inner parent and narrowed my eyes at him, forcing him to continue, ¡°There¡¯s a bard there¡­ and he¡¯s got this great shadow show to help illustrate¡­¡± Feeling a headache begin to emerge, I began to disseminate the outrageous tale, ¡°First off, Reidar is not my half-brother. I¡¯m pretty sure the only royalty he¡¯d met before that night was the Queen for his Spartan induction, and I¡¯m positive polkas aren¡¯t considered romantic.¡± Drozuk slumped in his seat with a disappointed look on his face while I told him the true story. After finally finishing towards the end of supper, his only response was a muttered, ¡°I think I liked the bard¡¯s version better¡­¡± I rolled my eyes as I got up to put away my tray, Drozuk sat there, but got up to follow me after a second, ¡°Hang on. Travis, I¡­ I really am sorry. You¡¯ve had every excuse to make my life a waking nightmare, so thank you.¡± I looked into his eyes, it was quite evident that he meant his words, ¡°How about we consider the hatchets buried? I¡¯d rather not have to check for leaks every day in my boat.¡± Drozuk nodded his head, ¡°Thanks.¡± The change in attitude was still jarring for me, and thinking back, I¡¯m surprised that he even agreed to join me today. I wonder if he was getting lonely after being isolated for so long¡­ ¡°Hey, are you free tonight?¡± ¡°Umm, I guess¡­¡± ¡°Want to come join me at the spell range? There¡¯s a graduate student that¡¯s going to show off an artifice invention that they¡¯ve been working on.¡± Drozuk shifted a bit, but finally replied, ¡°Umm, sure.¡± ¡°Sturdy, you can help me carry the snacks.¡± I gave his broad shoulder a slap but stopped my hand after it made impact. His arming jacket interfered, but I felt his muscles give way. It was definitely squishier than raw muscle, but not nearly as jiggly as a person¡¯s belly fat. My musings were interrupted by a loud throat clear and a beastly looking glare. I leaked out a weak chuckle while I removed my hand, ¡°Sorry. Umm, you should probably bring your seams in, your jacket is starting to get loose.¡± My embarrassment sadly wasn¡¯t going anywhere, because a familiar looking half-orc was waiting for me at the takeout counter with a giant smile, ¡°Travis, I¡¯ve got your order.¡± He patted a ridiculously high stack of boxes that had to be tied together with multiple strings despite me simply asking for the same thing as last week, ¡°We also heard about your friend Adrian, so I packed a care package for you to give to him.¡± I stood there, mouth a gape, not knowing how to respond. This was starting to get ridiculous. I¡¯m positive that I wasn¡¯t flirting with the chef, or wait¡­ was he the one flirting with me? Drozuk either didn¡¯t notice my inaction or was too eager to help by grabbing the boxes. He then blocked my view of the chef and had to lean his grinning head to the side so he could see, ¡°Lead on bud.¡± Shaking my head in a vain attempt to force normality to resume, we started walking towards the spell range, but Drozuk ruined any chance of that happening when he leaned in close, ¡°You should really get on that, I think that half-orc wants a tumble in the grass with you.¡± --- Arc I kept a look out for Travis as he introduced Durinn to Drozuk, Jethro, and Mattius in the spell range, but still paid attention to the conversation. Mattius started off, ¡°I stopped by the infirmary during my break, and talked to Adrian and Bridget.¡± He paused to ensure that his next statement had the proper respect and weight to it, ¡°Adrian¡¯s blood test came out positive, he¡¯s half elf. He¡­ was doing ok when I saw him and was looking forward to coming here.¡± Durinn shook their head, ¡°Poor kid, I hope they don¡¯t make him join the elves for training. Us dwarves can be cruel, especially the orthodox followers of Adamanrion, but most elves I¡¯ve met treat sleeping with a human, or even their orkish cousins, the same way they treat bestiality.¡± Drozuk grunted, ¡°They hardly treat us like cousins. Last time I checked, migrating to the elven kingdoms was blocked.¡± Jethro let out a sigh, ¡°Will our professors look down on him? I know there¡¯s some half-orcs and goliaths here at the school, but are there any half-elves?¡± Durinn scratched their orange beard, ¡°Not sure if there are any half-elves, but I know that the school has protections in place for students. You green shirts are considered the Queen¡¯s personal assets of the United Human Kingdoms, so a foreigner can find themselves deported or worse if they interfere with the duty of her mages.¡± Huh. The perks of being someone¡¯s property? Actually, I don¡¯t think it goes that far. Maybe the Spartans back in the day, but it¡¯s probably closer to how a government will ensure that no foreign entity harasses their forces without repercussion. ¡°Heads up, Bridget and Adrian are walking in.¡± Travis, being smart, stopped the conversation by asking Durinn to help create a table and benches for everyone to sit at. I moved my focus in to watch in detail as the Metal Mage plunged their large collection of mana into the sand, then formed four rows of benches for everyone to sit at. The speed blew my figurative mind, they were 3d printing them so fast that the sand was flowing in like water, but what amazed me the most was how they kept adding layer after layer of Earth Mana lines as if their available to sync mana supply was endless. They finished shaping the benches, and I watched as many of the mana lines became directional, creating a giant loop and turning the loose sand into proper sandstone. I had to give it to Durinn, their skill was impressive. They even added some decorative elements. Travis and Mattius¡¯ table for the food looked akin to a toddler¡¯s sand bucket castle next to a professional artist¡¯s rendition of Edinburgh Castle. Durinn got a good laugh at the two¡¯s faces, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, most of the difficulty lies in the design process. Once you learn all the basic building formations, it¡¯s easy to begin tiling them to create stuff.¡± The door opened, and Bridget walked in, holding Adrian¡¯s hand. The two stood before the group before forcing nervous smiles. Travis, smartly deciding to act as if it was just a normal day, introduced Durinn to the two. Then did the same for Drozuk. Adrian cocked his head in surprise at the sight of Drozuk, ¡°I, uh¡­ never thanked you for getting that honeybadger off me. Thank you.¡± Drozuk, looking abashed, tried his best to wave off the comment, ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s what we¡¯re supposed to do. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be saving me again at some point.¡± ¡°Again?¡± Drozuk gestured to Travis, ¡°Got told that you kept this attack dog on his leash.¡± Chuckles passed around the group, especially after Travis¡¯ grouchy face was spotted, and it seemed like the tension in the room had passed. Adrian let go of Bridget¡¯s hand, then approached Travis to give him a hug, ¡°Thank you. It was sky shattering, but I¡¯m glad you told me.¡± Travis returned the hug, even giving it the Darius special, ¡°So, what¡¯s going to happen to you?¡± Adrian kept the hug going, clearly enjoying the embrace, ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m going to have a private tutor instruct me during the physical portions of morning drill, but Sir Hector said that I can stay in the battalion. Lucky for me, I¡¯m still 15, so I won¡¯t be eligible for the Fall Purge field exercise, so if I haven¡¯t caught up by then, I¡¯ll be able to spend Fall break working solely on mana reinforcement.¡± Travis started to chuckle, ¡°Great, there goes the big speech about how you¡¯re still my friend and how you need to focus on the parts that don¡¯t change.¡± Adrian finally broke the hug so he could properly laugh, ¡°Dang, I should have waited¡­¡± With that, it was time for Durinn¡¯s presentation. The sweaty-looking dwarf stood in front of the seated group and started to breathe heavily. Oh no¡­ ¡°Hello. This¡­ is my invention¡­¡± The dwarf¡¯s normally bass tone was replaced with a constantly breaking high tenor, ¡°Knights¡­ have problems, with uh¡­¡± They looked down at the note cards in their shaking hands, then found their spot, ¡°Casting ranged spells.¡± Durinn robotically held out their hand to the large cylinder. ¡°This¡­ fixes them. No¡­ I mean that.¡± Dear gods and God, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen someone make such a 180. The bearded dwarf was acting perfectly casual just moments ago¡­ I mean, I¡¯ve seen nervous public speakers before but¡­ ¡°Artifice¡­ spells are usually restricted to¡­ flat formations¡­ but this can, fix that.¡± Durinn gulped, then switched to their next cue card, ¡°Mana dust formations¡­ teach knights to use artifice¡­ but this teaches¡­ wait¡­ Rust!¡± The dwarf clearly skipped ahead in their presentation and looked about ready to shake off their armor from all the audible rattling. Travis and the others, to my amazement, stayed polite during the presentation, giving reassuring smiles that did nothing to ease the dwarf¡¯s anxiety. To Durinn¡¯s credit though, they kept going, eventually picking up the tool once they had gone over the basic design specs. Durinn gripped the handle, then set the tube on their shoulder like a¡­ Fire mana from the dwarf was guided inside then followed the inscriptions to form a [Fire Arrow] inside the tube before completing and launching out of the front like a rocket. That got the crowd excited, and everyone was quick to start asking if they could try out the fantasy rocket launcher. Sadly, it only worked with Fire Mana, so Bridget was given the first chance to try it out. She followed the directions, allowing her synced mana to flow in the direction laid out by the higher intensity inscriptions. Once the tube was fully filled, she followed Durinn¡¯s directions to complete the circuit and fire the [Fire Arrow] at the back wall. Bridget was beaming, which I assume was emphasized by her large eyes, and I noticed Adrian move close to Bridget and give her a big smile. She handed the spell launcher to Travis to try, then stepped next to Adrian to watch Travis¡¯ turn, letting her hand drift towards Adrian for him to hold. Travis managed to summon enough Fire Mana to fire, but he clearly looked winded after doing so. Looks like casting [Fire Arrows] won¡¯t be happening anytime soon for Travis. The group opened the boxes with snacks, and Travis pointed out how one was marked specifically for Adrian. Curious, Adrian opened it to find an assortment of cookies, candies, and other goodies that were clearly not on the cafeteria¡¯s order list. With those guys distracted, I move my focus over to check out the dwarf¡¯s handiwork in better detail. It¡¯s quite remarkable, using the Metal Mana smartly to help attract additional Fire Mana, but not interfere with the spell formation template. I dive my focus into the tube to provide more info so I can study it in more detail when I replay the images tonight. Something looks off though¡­ I¡¯m not sure what¡­ I keep making rounds, circling multiple times before finally noticing. The Metal Mana isn¡¯t pulsing at a constant rate¡­ It almost looks like¡­ No, it can¡¯t be¡­ I move my focus close to a dense patch of erratically pulsing Metal Mana, then feed the image into my ¡°patch¡± on a whim to see if¡­ Hang on, I think he¡¯s noticed something at least. I doubt he can hear me though. My focus recoils back. What the? Hey! Can you hear me? Bob up and down if you can. My mind races on high alert, and terror grips my soul. It¡¯s alright ingot, I¡¯m not going to hurt you. My name¡¯s Addy, short for Adamanrion. Addy¡­ No, Adamanrion¡­? The god of Metal, Architecture, Invention, and Rebirth? That Adamanrion? I slowly move my focus up and down, not because I particularly want to, but because I don¡¯t want to anger the god. So, you can hear me. I¡¯m surprised, you¡¯re still so small. Not sure how to reply, I¡¯m stuck waiting for ¡°Addy¡± to continue. Well, since I got your attention, do you think I could bum a favor from your paladin? Paladin? Wait, do they mean Travis? I move around in a circle, instead of up and down, hoping that they¡¯d get the hint to explain. Oh, don¡¯t be like that. It¡¯s nothing grand, I just want him to help Durinnsognir with their public speaking skills. You must have seen how bad that presentation was. Ok, I guess that¡¯s something I was going to suggest Travis help Durinn with anyways. Might as well get a favor from a god in the process¡­ I bob my focus up and down. Great! I¡¯ll owe you one! With that, the erratic pulsing in the Metal Mana stops, leaving my sword-brain flooding with questions. Chapter 30 - Using Your Words Now before you soil your underpants at the thought of a Chosen waltzing into your village, then destroying everything by opening up a sinkhole underneath the entire town (yes, that has happened); keep in mind that not every god uses such a heavy-handed approach. Ignitious¡¯ Chosen for example, once tricked all of the flat-earth conspiracy nutters in the three kingdoms into attending a convention at The Capital. She then had everyone locked into the main hall for her hours-long keynote presentation on why that wasn¡¯t true, and how they should feel ashamed for ignoring the effort that Ignitious¡¯ church puts into updating the school¡¯s curriculum for children every year. Rumors state that she only had to burn a handful of people that gave non-apologies to the Queen¡¯s Public Education Committee. One of Torbolt¡¯s Chosen, Gaias the Handless, is famous for traveling from tavern to tavern, fancy street to back alleys, just to speak to the broken soldiers of the endless war against the monsters, provide aid if possible, and listen to their stories. Of course, not every Chosen succeeds in their given task. Just ask Dengril, Chosen of Adamanrion. Despite their incredible journey of rebirth, one errant comment caused their entire church to split, resulting in what I personally believe is the reason no Chosen of Adamanrion has presented themselves since. --- Arc So, that just happened¡­ Ok, let¡¯s not panic¡­ that god didn¡¯t seem angry at me or started questioning why I was trapped in a sword. So¡­ that¡¯s probably a good thing¡­ Ugh, I¡¯m oddly thankful for my sword body, if I was still tethered to a meat sack I definitely would have defecated right there on the spot. And I didn¡¯t even see the god, just the equivalent of a speakerphone. As for that favor¡­ what an odd request. Also, they called Travis my paladin¡­? Ugh, this is too much to process, and that god only expanded the number of questions I have. Ok, well¡­ before I contemplate on that, I need to make good on my agreement and convince Travis to help out Durinn, hopefully that won¡¯t be too hard. ¡°If you ever need help with preparations for your presentation in the future, just let us know.¡± The bearded dwarf began to nod their head energetically at Travis and his friends, ¡°Yes! Please. I don¡¯t know why, but every time a crowd of people pay attention to me, I just start panicking.¡± Well, Step 1 complete, I guess. ¡°I¡¯ve got quite a few suggestions, but I recommend that you begin by having Durinn visualize what a successful presentation¡¯s outcome would look like in their mind. They¡¯ve probably seen other graduate students present their thesis or invention to receive their Master Mage rank.¡± Travis gave my pommel a rub, then asked the dwarf, ¡°Why did you invent this?¡± Durinn scratched their head, ¡°Well, I originally did it because ranged spells are hard for me to cast. But, once I finished some of the design work, I realized that it would work for anyone who has trouble detaching their synced mana.¡± Travis nodded along, ¡°I noticed that, normally detaching that much synced mana feels like I¡¯m pulling out body hair, but your invention felt more like it was shaving it off instead. Imagine if every Knight in the kingdom had access to one during the flood; it¡¯d be like doubling the number of mages.¡± Drozuk butted into the conversation, ¡°Not just Knights, but Spartans, Commandos, Warrant Officers, and even Witches. I think you might be lowballing your estimate Travis.¡± Travis grinned at Drozuk, then looked to Durinn, ¡°Start by focusing on what¡¯s the most important. Your presentation doesn¡¯t need to be flawless; you just need your audience to see the same future that you do.¡± Durinn nodded their head, ¡°Ok, that sounds easy enough.¡± ¡°Good, because for the next step, you¡¯re going to be giving multiple speeches to us every week to help you prepare.¡± The dwarf slumped their shoulders, clearly not excited about the task ahead of them. --- Travis Woodsday, the 30th of Fifthmonth I finished changing out of my school uniform, then gave Arc¡¯s pommel a rub to say goodbye before stepping out of my room. Drozuk was there, lounging on one of the couches, then raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°Your commoner disguise needs work.¡± Disguise? ¡°What? These are the same clothes I brought from my village.¡± Drozuk, not looking convinced, brought his eyes down to my feet, ¡°Maybe don¡¯t wear a pair of designer boots then. They¡¯re a dead giveaway that you''re wealthy.¡± I rubbed my eyes to help relieve the increased blood pressure, ¡°I know nothing about fashion. I made these boots myself, even sourced the leather from some local varmints outside my village. Also, I¡¯m not wealthy in the slightest. I don¡¯t even have my allowance from the kingdom due to a paperwork issue.¡± ¡°Yeah, but is the thief about to rob you know that? Or how about the factory worker that¡¯s been saving up to buy a new pair of lower quality ones for themselves? All they¡¯re going to see is some well-off teenager who¡¯s probably had everything handed to them.¡± I rolled my eyes and gave out a strained sigh, then heard a knock at my door. I went to open it and ended up groaning yet again at the sight of Jethro. ¡°What do you think? Do I look like a peasant?¡± Jethro spun around, showing off his simple long-sleeved shirt and pants made of linen, but calling it a peasant¡¯s outfit was definitely a stretch. For starters, it was clearly tailored to Jethro¡¯s athletic physique, the dyes were too bold in color, and it looked like someone had intentionally cut a few holes in the garments since they weren¡¯t in places that usually got torn. A deep laugh echoed from behind me, ¡°I take it back, your disguise is fine Travis.¡± I shook my head, ¡°Are you adamant about not dressing like a noble? Don¡¯t you want to sit with your family?¡± Jethro lifted his slightly trembling hand while grinning, ¡°Oh, uh¡­ they won¡¯t mind. In fact, I got their blessing to do so.¡± Something seemed off about his statement, and Arc seemed to agree, ¡°How much do you want to bet that he hasn¡¯t told his family who you were, and is scared of how they¡¯ll react?¡± Hmm, not sure if I want to take that bet¡­ I put my hand on Jethro and started guiding him to my room, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll lend you some of my clothes, but in return, you¡¯re taking me shopping. I have a wedding to go to in two months, and I have nothing to wear.¡± Jethro smiled, ¡°Deal.¡± --- Arc So, now that Travis is gone, should I spend the next 4 hours thinking on the implications of what that god said, or should I do something else? Without even pausing to debate, I sent my focus out into the training yard, gleeful that I had a conveniently located distraction outside. Sure, I wouldn¡¯t be able to see the entire practice due to my limited range here, but at least I only had to go through one wall. Adrian looked a bit nervous as Hector held him back from the morning run and led the teen to a figure wearing what I think might have been a set of molded leather armor, but with a tight hood and mask, multiple knives strapped to their forearms, and some odd-looking boots. Hang on, is that a ninja? Hector gestured to the rogue, ¡°Initiate Adrian, this is former Commando Captain, Andri Bachelot.¡± Ah, so that¡¯s what a Commando looks like¡­ that explains the assassin garb. Hector left the rightfully trembling Adrian, who flinched when the commando spoke in a rasping voice, ¡°So, you¡¯re a half-elf?¡± ¡°Yes sir. Just discovered yesterday.¡± The commando nodded, ¡°How are you holding up?¡± Adrian was taken aback by the question, but managed to croak out, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ strange. On one hand, it hasn¡¯t sunk in yet, but¡­ on the other, a lot of stuff makes sense now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I won¡¯t be able to help you with that, but I can help you in other ways.¡± They pulled back their hood part ways to show off their pointed left ear, ¡°Unlike you, I got left at the guard barracks as a child. Was raised by the Queen¡¯s Spartans until I turned 12 and discovered that I was having trouble with mana reinforcement. Got lucky in that the previous Queen was willing to bribe a Watcher to secretly train me, and after training, was placed in the Commandos.¡± Adrian¡¯s eyes were as wide as dinner plates, no doubt wondering if he would have ended up the same if his father hadn¡¯t chosen to raise him. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough talk for now. I¡¯m going to teach you a set of movement exercises that should help you mentally connect with your body.¡± The commando then began to have Adrian try out different dexterity-based skills, such as juggling, handstands, tumbling, balancing his body on the edge of his shield, and knife twirling after gifting Adrian a set of knives to strap to his forearms. The weapons and holsters had lightning inscriptions on them, allowing the user to use gravity to drop the knives to their hands or back into the holsters. Oh, 15-year-old me is super jealous of him! (And current me.) I would have had so much fun playing superhero with those. --- I later took extra notice of Mattius when he began his heavy one-handed weapon training today, since the girl he¡¯d been fancying decided to stand next to the now nervous lad. During one of the water breaks, Mattius finally built up enough courage to talk to her. ¡°I¡¯m jealous. You¡¯re way better at switching positions than me. I feel like I¡¯m waving my arms jerkingly like a clock instead of a smoothly spinning waterwheel.¡± The girl turned her head in surprise, ¡°Oh, umm, thanks. I¡­ uh, am jealous of you too. I saw you shield dive that monster during your arena match. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be smart or quick enough to do that.¡± Mattius tried to scratch the back of his head, but awkwardly got a handful of helmet, ¡°Thanks. My brothers taught me that trick. We used to make a game out of trying to secure a bouncing ball in the training pit.¡± Their water break ended, stopping the conversation there, but I did catch Mattius grinning extra hard and putting in double the effort into making sure that every swing of his weapon was perfect. --- Travis The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. 5751054 and Jethro¡¯s horse met us outside the stables, and we started making our way to church. After chatting with my horse and Jethro for a bit, I pulled out my letters from my parents and Franklin to help pass the rest of the time and opened the one from Dad. Travis, Haven¡¯t gotten a letter from you yet, but I know that mail is usually slow for the first couple of weeks after the travel ban ends, so I figured that I¡¯d just send you a quick update. Father Viburnum told your mother and I that he¡¯d send you a letter telling you about what happened with the Aelder tree, and to not worry. It¡¯s been tough, but considering how quiet everything is now, it¡¯s almost hard to believe that the attack wasn¡¯t some crazy dream. Planting has been going well, the early spring this year left most of the fields dry enough to start seeding right away. Mabel gave birth to twins two days after your departure but had no problems licking the calves clean once a few of the other cows helped her out. Connor¡¯s leg is still broken, so the rest of the town and I have been helping him out in the field as much as we can. Everyone in the town misses you. Especially Franklin, the big log nearly drunk himself silly when he caught Ingrid kissing Ryan behind the shop. I¡­ miss having you around also. With you gone, I¡¯ve been having to think about the farm¡¯s future. It¡¯s a lot of work for only your mom and I, and we won¡¯t stay young forever. Your Dad, Eagan P.S. So, funny story. The day I was about to send my letter to you, the guard comes in with a fresh delivery of mail, and the one you sent me was included. I¡¯m not exactly sure how to react, though maybe that¡¯s because it hasn¡¯t sunk in yet. I read out loud the part about how you used to sneak off to practice spells to help me come to grips with what you wrote, and while a few of the townsfolk had a few ¡°a-ha¡± moments, it still seems too fantastical of a tale. Even the guards that fought with you that night partially broke their silence about what happened that night to state that they didn¡¯t see you cast any spells. It¡¯s all surreal to me, I¡¯m adding on to your letter right now at the inn and drinking out of the town¡¯s bottomless mug of ale that Franklin just gave to me. Did you know that us old fellas had a betting pool over who you¡¯d end up apprenticing to or marrying? I didn¡¯t even bet that you¡¯d do anything specific, just that you¡¯d do something that none of us would expect. Ha, looks like I won. I¡¯m going to need to think on the ¡°wintering at the capital¡± invitation. It would be nice to see you, but this whole ¡°you becoming a mage¡± business, still has my head spinning. It feels like it was only a few months ago that I caught you in the barn pretending that your pitchfork was a soldier¡¯s spear, yet for some reason, claiming that you were practicing to become a mage. Dad I set down the letter and let out a deep sigh, and must have made a melancholic face, because Jethro leaned close to me, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure your dad just needs some time to adjust.¡± I snapped my head towards him in surprise, which sent him laughing. ¡°You did that thing when you study, where you read out loud,¡± Jethro started giggling, ¡°I think you¡¯ve been slowly driving Bridget crazy with that habit.¡± My face heated up, turning a deep red, ¡°Oh, umm¡­ sorry.¡± Jethro shook his head at me, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯ve actually been trying that out when I¡¯m studying in my room, to see if it helps with retention.¡± We made our way to the church eventually, having to go through another crowd of protesters, but managed to make it in time for the hourly service. Jethro kept darting his head around, acting like he was about to get caught doing something wrong, and I had to elbow him to stop drawing attention to himself. We pulled out the hymnals and were bookmarking this week¡¯s song selections when I heard a familiar woman¡¯s voice behind me. ¡°Mind if I join you?¡± I turned around, and my eyes fell upon the same acolyte that I met last week, but it took a few seconds for me to be sure it was her. The robes had changed from a set of brown ones to an emerald-green set with gold trim, her hair wasn¡¯t in a braid this week, allowing her long wavy brown hair to fall past her shoulders, and her skin looked completely free of any blemishes. My mind blanked for a moment as I made eye contact with her green eyes. Is that green face paint on her eyelids? Jethro rescued me from my stupor by interjecting, ¡°Not at all, it¡¯s always a pleasure to be joined by one of the sisters of the church.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I blurted out, ¡°That would be nice.¡± Gah! What¡¯s wrong with me? Just say something normal. Ugh¡­, where¡¯s Arc when I need him? Ok, think¡­ Arc¡¯s advice for Mattius was to give a compliment as a conversation starter¡­ ¡°You look very lovely today.¡± Wait, no¡­ Arc said to not start by complimenting a girl¡¯s appearance. A bewitching smile crept across the girl¡¯s face, making my heart thump loudly in my chest, and my lungs acting as if I just finished running a dozen laps around the academy. Ok, try to calm down. You can salvage this¡­ just, say something else. My eyes darted around, trying to find something to talk about, and landed on the green robe she was wearing, ¡°That robe, it uh¡­ brings out your eyes.¡± What the rot is wrong with me? I just did it again! My attempts to remain visibly calm apparently failed, because she started to giggle, ¡°Thank you. I just got promoted to Sister. Hence the green robe.¡± Apheros then showed mercy on me by having the Archbishop begin the service. --- Arc A quiet Travis and his friends (now including Drozuk) sat at the lunch table listening to Adrian talk about his new tutor. ¡°It blew my mind when Andri told me that you guys don¡¯t have to actively amp up your mana with each strike or occasional step to keep momentum. I wish someone would have told me, could have discovered that something wasn¡¯t right way sooner.¡± Mattius chuckled along with the others, though Travis seemed a bit distracted, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s more like the exact opposite for me. I need to actively focus on not triggering my mana just to keep my amperage buildup from growing too high.¡± The group kept talking, but I noticed that Travis was barely participating, ¡°Is something bothering you? You¡¯ve been really quiet since you came back from church.¡± Travis shifted in his seat before he reluctantly reached up to tap his right ear. ¡°Ok. How about we sneak away a bit early so that we can talk properly?¡± My pommel gets scratched, and I can physically feel Travis¡¯ nervous tension transfer into me. Oof, something bad must have happened at church. Though, looking at Jethro¡¯s non-stop grin since returning, I¡¯m confused as to what that could be. Drozuk leaned forward to talk to Jethro, ¡°By the way, I¡¯m curious, is the rumor that Travis is a talented singer true?¡± Jethro¡¯s grin somehow grew wider, and I saw Travis sport a look of dread on his face, ¡°He is.¡± Jethro started chuckling deviously, ¡°In fact, he¡¯s so good at singing, that the most beautiful Sister of Apheros in the entire kingdom asked to join him for church service.¡± Travis looked like a cornered deer and began to tremble. Jethro, empowered by the table¡¯s enjoyment of Travis¡¯ embarrassment, decided to go for the kill, ¡°Not sure why he was in such a hurry to leave, I mean, Travis was such a virtuoso with words.¡± Mattius, perhaps missing the sarcasm, gave the frozen Travis a playful shoulder punch, ¡°I¡¯m not surprised, your advice worked wonders for me today.¡± Bridget, with a playful look of surprise, looked towards Mattius, ¡°Oh? What did Travis tell you?¡± Mattius, ignorant of Travis¡¯ now heavy breathing, proudly smiled, ¡°A bunch of things not to do mostly, the big one being to not objectify the girl I¡¯m interested in and start by complimenting her on something she clearly put effort into.¡± Bridget¡¯s playful look transitioned into a genuine one of surprise, ¡°Hmm, that is good advice. Having some sleazy guy come up to me and compliment me on my eyes is a huge turnoff.¡± Travis, unable to handle the tremendous amount of stress he was clearly under, grabbed his tray and quickly left the table, barely muttering that he had to get to class. The table was silent for a moment, before Bridget turned to Jethro, ¡°Umm, did something happen?¡± Jethro looked towards the direction Travis left and shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I don¡¯t get it. He was obviously nervous, but he wasn¡¯t stumbling over his words too much. If I remember right, he said that she looked lovely today, and that her new robe brought out her eyes.¡± Bridget shrugged her shoulders as well, but if she said anything else, I missed it due to Travis carrying me out of range. ¡°Calm down bud. It doesn¡¯t sound like the world ended for you.¡± Travis snuck in between a pair of buildings and leaned against one while he let out a huge groan, ¡°I did the one thing you told me not to do when talking to a girl.¡± ¡°By telling her that she looked lovely today?¡± Travis slid down, burying his head between his knees, ¡°Ugh, it was the only thing I could think of. She was pretty last week when I met her, but today¡­ she looked extra¡­¡± ¡°Ok, I think I may have accidentally given you bad advice. A generic comment on a girl¡¯s appearance is perfectly fine if it¡¯s clear that they put effort into doing so that day. In fact, they might get upset if you don¡¯t notice that they did something to change their outer appearance.¡± Travis lifted his head, ¡°Wait, but you said¡­¡± He lowered his head back down, looking frustrated, ¡°Ugh, none of this makes any sense¡­¡± Wish I could tell you that it gets easier, but¡­ if my experiences are anything to go by¡­ ¡°Unless you gain the ability to read women¡¯s minds, you¡¯ll never be able to perfectly say the right thing each time. Besides, words aren¡¯t the only way to communicate with someone else. What¡¯s important is that you keep trying and learn from what didn¡¯t work.¡± Travis let out a deep groan, ¡°I could have used my wingman.¡± Ouch, that hurt. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll come to church with you next week if you want, but there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been holding off from telling you, and I¡¯ll need to tell you first.¡± Travis, shocked out of his self-loathing, turned his head towards me, ¡°Oh, umm¡­ what is it?¡± ¡°I originally didn¡¯t want to go into the church because I was worried about encountering a god, but last week when you went¡­ I think you received a blessing. One that allows me to feel your touch on occasion. I didn¡¯t want to say anything right away, but since it hasn¡¯t gone away¡­¡± Travis looked off into the distance and set his hand on my pommel, allowing me to feel his warm hands, ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s¡­ wait¡­ How? Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Maybe as thanks for protecting your village?¡± Travis kept a grip on my pommel while he verbally began to think, ¡°That¡¯s why you were asking if anything strange happened¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m still confused on that part. Father Viburnum¡¯s books described that to receive a blessing, you had to make a deep personal connection to a god. I don¡¯t mean to question the strength of your beliefs, but¡­¡± Travis grinned, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I don¡¯t really follow any of the four tenants that strongly, I haven¡¯t even prayed at one of the individual altars in a long time either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought¡± A moment of silence passed between us, but I noticed the foot traffic increasing on the sidewalks. ¡°Rot! You need to get to class!¡± Travis¡¯ eyes bulged, then leapt off the ground and started sprinting off to class. --- Travis Rainsday, the 31st of Fifthmonth I shook out my arms in preparation for another set of exercises during morning drill but was interrupted by a [Message] spell from Sir Felicity. ¡°Initiate Travis, your lawyer has arrived, and has requested an hour of preparation with you before your hearing with Administration.¡± I looked around, then noticed the lawyer that Matriarch Rabiria hired to fill out my wardship paperwork, Vincent Antworth. I grabbed my bag from the ground and walked over to where he was standing. ¡°Travis, I apologize for not coming by earlier. Fifthmonth always swamps my firm every year with the amount of new wardships that need to be filed, though from the message I got from you, this seems like a simple enough matter.¡± I shook the extended hand of my lawyer, ¡°It¡¯s quite alright, I¡¯m just glad you could come. I still can¡¯t believe that I needed to contact you in the first place.¡± My lawyer shook their head, ¡°Honestly, this isn¡¯t even in my personal Top 12 for frivolous cases.¡± He gestured away from the training yard, ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere quieter, that way you can tell me your version of events.¡± We found a bench near where my hearing was to take place, and I told him my version of events. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been mocked, denied financial aid, and accused of fraud. Do you have any other grievances with Administration that you¡¯d like for me to know?¡± I thought for a moment, then got prompted by Arc, ¡°Oh, I think I¡¯m getting blamed for getting the paladins kicked off campus. One of my friends said that they heard a senior student say bad things about me.¡± Vincent nodded his head while writing down my statement and gave a small grunt, ¡°Letting false rumors spread about a high-profile student, as if you aren¡¯t already under enough stress.¡± He put his pen down, ¡°That reminds me, if you have troubles with the coursework and either need to request an additional year or forgiveness from a poor performance in class, make sure you contact me. I¡¯ll be able to help you with your appeal.¡± I nodded my head in thanks, then followed him to where my hearing was to take place. --- ¡°Furthermore, rather than correct the obvious mistake, Travis has been forced to waste his limited free time waiting in line for an administrator that refused to fix the issue, stressing over today¡¯s hearing, and right now is missing out on valuable combat training that could save his life one day. Need I remind the council that Travis is not the child of Knights, Mages, or even Hunters? He¡¯s never held a spear in his life.¡± I watched in awe as Vincent tore into the pitiful accusation made by the administrators. (One being the person that filled out my entrance exam application, and the other the woman who accused me of trying to commit fraud.) He was able to deliver so much passion in his voice, and he easily won over the random selection of senior staff in the room, though I had a feeling that Professor Quinsandoral didn¡¯t need much convincing. The five staff members put in their votes over who was at fault, and the votes ended up unanimous in my favor. The next vote was to determine the punishment. ¡°I can confirm that Travis¡¯ evaluation form was filled out incorrectly. I assumed at the time that it was a poorly made joke by an applicant who knew that they couldn¡¯t pass. Travis, however, not only surprised me that day, but put me in my place for judging him before he got the chance to prove himself.¡± My professor glared at the administrators, ¡°I vote for immediate termination. Harassment of a potentially gifted student should not be tolerated here on campus." This one ended up splitting, and after the administrator¡¯s lawyer put in their vote, the count was tied at 3-3. I whispered to my lawyer, ¡°I just want an apology to be honest.¡± He nodded, then put a hold on my vote to begin negotiations. After some back and forth with both the other lawyer and the professors, an agreement was made, and I voted to not terminate the administrators. In exchange, the school would release a public statement detailing the reasoning for the dismissal of the paladins, and the administrators would provide monetary compensation for both my lawyer¡¯s time and my emotional distress. To celebrate, Vincent took me to the tavern located just off campus for lunch and a celebratory non-alcoholic drink. ¡°Hopefully next time we meet, it¡¯ll be three years from now, and I¡¯ll be negotiating your marriage contract.¡± I nearly choked on my drink, much to Arc¡¯s amusement, and had to pound my chest to clear the liquid that entered my lungs. Vincent also got a good laugh at my reaction, then relaxed back in his seat for the bar''s hourly performance. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, beards and beardless, for today¡¯s entertainment here at The Exotic Axe, we have, by popular demand, Norvin the Shadowweaver, here with his telling of ¡®The Farmboy, the Spartan, and the Princess.¡¯¡± ¡°You should probably ask Vincent about libel laws here in the kingdom.¡± Chapter 31 - Improving Ones Self Oh Dengril, poor Dengril¡­ How does a chosen cause a church to split? It¡¯s quite simple, all they need to do is contradict already established lore harshly enough to elicit an antagonistic response. Dengril, before they were chosen, was no one special, the bearded armor smith worked hard to protect their fellow dwarves from the monsters that tried to invade the tunnels between the bunker cities, but they weren¡¯t all that talented at fighting. Us dwarves were following the command of the Warden, ¡°Do great works in the bearded¡¯s name, and they will hear your prayers again.¡± We learned how to construct greenhouses but had a common problem in that there was a lack of sunlight for the crops. Sure, we could expand the above-ground glass domes, but they also made easy ingress for a motivated monster. Dengril was on a patrol when the worst enemy imaginable invaded the greenhouse they were protecting; a sunbeaver. They barely escaped with their life, but it came at a deep cost. Dengril was the only survivor of their squad. The guilt took hold of Dengril, the bearded didn¡¯t deem themself worthy of surviving, for they were the poorest fighter. It got so bad, that Dengril couldn¡¯t live with themself anymore and marched into the now forming sunbeaver den. Adamanrion had other plans though. They themself once laid broken, wishing that everything would end. If not for Apheros appearing before them, they likely would still be wallowing in their grief. Dengril was guided down an endless maze of tunnels created by Adamanrion to slow the dwarf down. Dengril, however, was determined to meet their end, and ignored the constantly raising heat to keep marching, unaware that they had come under Adamanrion¡¯s final domain, Rebirth. What happened in that tunnel, only Dengril and Adamanrion know. What we do know, is that the den of sunbeavers was destroyed, and that Dengril, now the Chosen of Adamanrion, returned in a full set of reforged armor that completely hid their appearance and a bag filled with sunbeaver monster cores. The cores would then be turned into one of the first Light inscriptions, allowing greenhouses to be burrowed deep beneath the ground. Dengril was praised as a hero. Everyone gathered to hear their stories, but one day it all came crashing down when after being asked a question. Dengril petitioned for an answer, then replied, ¡°Right, just got finished confirming it with the beardless themself. The planet¡¯s orbit around the sun isn¡¯t a perfect 384 days. We¡¯ll need to shorten the calendar by a single day every 12 years.¡± --- Arc Travis looks down the edge of my blade with a skeptical look while we practice in the spell range, ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Now quit stalling and hit the stone target.¡± Travis raises me overhead in a two-handed grip, then draws in a deep breath. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to say the attack out loud.¡± He scowls but acquiesces as he swings me down in a powerful Slash! ¡°Mana Slice!¡± / ¡°MANA SLICE!¡± I cut deep into the stone but get stuck partway through. Travis grimaces in pain from my reverberations traveling up his arms and even lets go of my handle. He begins massaging his palms and lets out a small groan of pain, ¡°Well, that hurt my hands. What about you?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t feel a thing. Though¡­ I don¡¯t think you put your all into calling out our attack.¡± Travis glares at me, looking completely done with my antics, ¡°Remind me again what I did to make you feel physical pain?¡± ¡°Ok, ok, we can stop. Maybe your blessing prevents me from feeling pain during combat?¡± Travis stretches out his arms, then begins to gather additional mana to practice casting, ¡°Makes sense, it would be counterproductive otherwise.¡± I watch as he then forms Orbs made of all four basic elements, flings them towards the back wall, and detonates them as Blast spells. It blows my figurative mind just how much he has improved, even compared to his friends that have made much larger leaps in skill. Granted, he did have a head start and a good base to work from. But considering that he doesn¡¯t have an affinity to help him with minor adjustments, I¡¯d say he¡¯s doing well in the spellcasting department. It also helps that his internal mana supply has been growing much faster. His stomach is still a bottomless pit, but thanks to the monster meat and other mana rich food groups, he hasn¡¯t had to consume nearly as much food or need to take days off due to exhaustion. We certainly underestimated how mana starved Travis was in his village. Next time I get stuck in a tree and must make a bargain with a child to not tattle on me, I¡¯m going to make them eat every single varmint that they hunt. ¡°Are you just going to sit there pouting, or do I need to pull you out?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not pouting, was just thinking is all.¡± Spurred by Travis¡¯ taunt, I gather Earth Mana around my blade, then begin to reform the trashcan sized pillar I¡¯m embedded in to bring myself upright, and into a proper Excalibur pose. Wait, was Excalibur the sword in the stone or the one given by the Lady of the Lake? Oh, who cares? No one on this world, I¡¯m sure. Now, what was I doing? Right. I send my gathered Earth Mana into my pillar to create a layer at my base. Then direct the teardrop shaped lines to¡­ My pillar begins to slide across the sand, not quickly, but at least faster than a snail. I move towards Travis to give my stone a twirl and watch as he pauses to get a look at me. Instead of impressed, he looks more confused if anything, and after a brief moment, turns back to his practicing. Ugh, that¡¯s fair. I have been screwing around lately during practice. Yes, I am learning a lot from the professors and students here, but I think I¡¯ve hit a wall when it comes to expanding my internal mana. No matter how I look at it, I have a big disadvantage that Travis isn¡¯t even close to hitting yet. Mana Density. There¡¯s only so much mana that you can pack into a 3¨C4-pound sword, and I think I might be hitting my limit. Since mana is its own unique form of matter or something similar in this universe and not some mysterious energy, that means that my mana supply is a physical thing. Casting spells requires me to draw in ambient mana, and the amount of external mana I can sync with can¡¯t exceed the total amount in my sword body. Travis, of course doesn¡¯t have this problem. He probably weighs fifty times more than me, leaving plenty of room to pack in mana. Heck, it will probably be even more than that soon. He still has a long way to go before catching up to Darius in size, but now that he¡¯s not deprived of food and can let his mana stay amped upped for long periods of time, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he starts packing on more muscle due to the faster recovery speed. A loud Boom! fills the range, snapping me out of my mental stupor. I bring my focus over to see Travis stretching his neck while giving off a big grin. ¡°I wonder if I¡¯m allowed to use that [Air Burst] spell tomorrow?¡± ¡°Hmm, Hector said last week that you could only use spells you learned in class¡­ You should probably ask, being given a diagram for self-study might not count.¡± Travis nodded his head, then turned to check the time, ¡°Still got half an hour left, anything you want to try?¡± ¡°Yeah, let me move this pillar into place first though.¡± I move my pillar towards the back wall, then loop the Earth Mana so that I can start syncing it at a higher pulse rate. Once high enough to draw ambient mana from the entire back area, I mold the Earth so that I¡¯m lying on top, then create a crystalline latticework of hexagonal synced Earth Mana lines in the pillar. Many of the lines then become directional, causing the ambient mana to cycle in a twisting loop that begins to speed up. I keep pushing, and Order Mana begins to form, making the entire sandstone pillar stronger than concrete. ¡°Ok, come pick me up. I think this is the biggest I can make a stone object while still meeting the Order Mana saturation I saw in the gates to the city.¡± Travis comes to grab me, but pauses to inspect the pillar before walking back, ¡°I know that your blade is made of adamantine, but it still boggles my mind that you don¡¯t feel any pain from amping your mana up that high. I¡¯d be doubled over in tears or going feral if I did the same.¡± ¡°I do have difficulty controlling it once it amps up to this level, but I¡¯m limited on the amount of mana I can use for the Volume x Amperage x Shape = Output equation, so I don¡¯t really have an alternative.¡± Travis sticks me in the sand by the casting area, then moves as far back into the shelter as he can before hollering, ¡°Ok, go ahead!¡± Seriously? It¡¯s just Chaos Mana, what could possibly go wrong? I ramp up every mote of my internal Wind Mana to a high pulse rate, then begin to copy the same formation that Professor Quinsandoral made on Travis¡¯ first day of school. The numerous rotation arrays would have driven my old self insane, but thanks to my ¡°patch¡±, I can robotically copy the spell exactly. Chaos Mana begins to form inside the spell formation, likely from sending the mana traveling in a roller-coaster of a trip in contrast to the steady highway that I used to make the Order Mana, and the spell takes shape. Three spinning blades form, rotating around a central point like fan blades, and after double checking with my memory to determine the trigger, I launch the trio towards the back pillar. They quickly fly down range, impacting the pillar and slicing deep into the stone. I use my remaining control to push the blades, but their shapes begin to warp too much to contain the mana. The Wind and Chaos Mana disperses after my control is lost, leaving me disappointed. The Order Mana reinforced pillar is badly damaged, but still standing. ¡°Not bad. Are you going to try again?¡± ¡°No, I needed to use all my available Wind Mana just to form that spell. If I try to cast another, my mana will amp up too high for me to control, or at the least, I won¡¯t be able to talk for a while. I hate to say this, but I get why Mages prefer to specialize. Your professor could probably recast that spell multiple times per day without even needing to worry about mana sickness, simply because he can start at a lower amperage by substituting a higher volume of Wind Mana.¡± Travis teased a smile at me, ¡°Well, lucky for you, you¡¯ll outlive the grandchildren of elves yet to be born. Should give you plenty of time to cultivate more internal mana.¡± ¡°Afraid not, I¡¯m already running out of room.¡± Travis cocked his head at me in surprise, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, hate to say this, but you¡¯ll probably be more powerful than me by the time you graduate, simply due to having a bigger mana supply.¡± Travis stepped up to give my pommel a comforting rub, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ditch you once I graduate. Besides, I got a poleaxe to use for battle, I¡¯m fine with keeping you as an assistant.¡± His composure broke, allowing his teasing grin to escape. I sarcastically moaned in protest, but I did take in what he said. Travis swinging me around during the Fall Purge casting [Chaos Blade]¡¯s would quickly out me and put him in a rough position. Maybe I should focus more on utility spells? I can maintain spells near indefinitely, even complex ones. Heck, maintaining different elemental Auras for Travis would be a huge benefit for him in combat. ¡°Guess we better finish destroying this pillar though, the rangemaster might get suspicious if a first-year student made a target with Order Mana in here.¡± Travis pulled me from the ground and started walking down the spell range. Oh, right. I should have planned ahead better. The remaining mana in the pillar is still a long way from discharging enough for me to wrestle control over easily. And since it¡¯s impossible to bring up the pulsing of foreign mana without raising your own, syncing with a fresh batch of ambient mana big enough to clean my mess would cause my Earth Mana¡¯s pulsing to rise to an unwieldly rate. ¡°Sorry, should have thought of that earlier, I can blast it with some Fire or Water spells if you want.¡± Travis lifted me up, and began to grin evilly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got an indestructible sword that doesn¡¯t feel pain to finish the job.¡± Wait, what does he¡­? ¡°Mana Slash! Mana Slash! Mana Slash!¡± Travis swings me with all his might, chipping away at the stone, and probably giving some poor blacksmith nightmares. He keeps hacking, until the pillar is reduced to enough pieces that the Order Mana separates back into Earth Mana. Travis brought my edge to his eye level, ¡°Not even a scratch, let alone a chip.¡± Not liking his treatment, I mentally scowl, ¡°I¡¯d like to see your poleaxe do the same.¡± Travis shrugs his shoulders, ¡°I put the hammer end on it so it could. Though, I am going to need to learn how to attune to it fully. Otherwise, it might get damaged.¡± ¡°Hah, take that! Sword ¨C 1, Poleaxe ¨C 0.¡± Travis shook his head as he placed me back in my scabbard, then gave my pommel a pat like one a parent would give to a child as we left the spell range. --- Travis Durinn joined us for our study group, and we set aside some time at the beginning for them to give the verbal portion of their presentation. At Arc¡¯s suggestion, I asked them to restructure their speech so that it would be easier for them to memorize, then had the bearded repeat their speech to themselves multiple times in a monotone voice. It seemed to help, and Durinn¡¯s last practice speech before all of us went much smoother. ¡°Thank you again for the help, this whole ¡®standing before a crowd and preaching¡¯ nonsense just isn¡¯t my thing. If you ever need help with something, just let me know.¡± I gave the dwarf a pat on their red arming jacket¡¯s shoulder and spoke in a sarcastic tone, ¡°Not sure what a future Master Artificer could possibly help me with, but I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Durinn grinned back at me, ¡°Could craft you a new sword, then you could put that antique up on the wall where it belongs.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare even think it.¡± I let out a laugh, then said goodbye before returning to the study group. Adrian was helping Jethro and Mattius with their history homework, so I sat down by Bridget. She turned her head to me, ¡°How did your hearing go?¡± ¡°Went well, my lawyer negotiated a settlement with the academy and administrators, so no more ¡®Young Master Farmboy.¡¯¡± Bridget giggled for a short bit, which caused the guys to look up at us. Realizing that she had everyone¡¯s attention, she leaned an elbow on the table to emphasize her mischievous look, ¡°That reminds me, we¡¯re going to have to make plans to eat at the Exotic Axe. I heard they got a new act.¡± Arc starts laughing at me as I groan out loud and bury my head in my hands. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Jethro, seeing the wounded animal that was me, went in for the kill, ¡°That sounds like fun. We should try to go tomorrow. What¡¯s it called?¡± ¡°The Farmboy, the Spartan, and the Princess.¡± Adrian took in my exasperated face, ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s about you?¡± I nodded my head while keeping it in my hands, ¡°According to my lawyer Vincent, it¡¯s not considered libel since I¡¯m not named directly, and it¡¯s not being used to intentionally damage my reputation. Also, since it¡¯s not an accurate telling of events, it¡¯s under further protection due to ¡®poetic license¡¯ and other laws.¡± Bridget gave my shoulder a pat, ¡°There, there, maybe it won¡¯t even be that great of a show.¡± I moaned, already dreading the oncoming day. --- After the study group called it an early night, I returned to my room to get showered, and was debating on whether to continue my investigation on Arc¡¯s origin or do something else before lights out. ¡°Just a heads up to set your alarm clock. I¡¯m going to cut off my mana sight so I can discharge faster and do a few other internal things.¡± My head perked up at that. ¡°Oh, umm¡­ ok.¡± Arc then modulated his voice into a brotherly taunt, ¡°Would be a good time for you to read that letter from Caldia that you haven¡¯t opened yet¡­¡± Ugh, I hope that wasn¡¯t his main reason. I pull out my unopened letters from my bag. Mom¡¯s ended up not amounting to much since she sent it before she got my letter telling her of my acceptance here. But I do have one from Franklin that I still need to open also¡­ I give Arc a few taps and asked if he was still there. After getting no response, I opened Franklin¡¯s letter. Travis, So, I got your letter¡­ Not gonna lie, I was pretty livid there for a while. Had to take a day off from the shop and sit down with Father Viburnum just so I wouldn¡¯t do anything stupid. (Had a close call just the other day when I caught Ryan sneaking off with Ingrid.) He helped me see things from your perspective, and I guess I can¡¯t really blame ya. All of us old fellas put you on the spot that night after mocking your plans. Not sure what I¡¯m going to do about the shop now. Ingrid still has first rights for inheritance, but she¡¯ll need a husband to do the smithing since she focused on the other aspects of running the shop. Oh, rotten rust, that Ryan boy better not come asking to apprentice while I¡¯m sober. Well, since I haven¡¯t said it yet, I forgive you. Should have known better than to try and tell you something was impossible, you¡¯d just take it as a challenge. Speaking of impossible, I owe your pa a bottomless mug. Though, I think I¡¯m going to get myself drunk first. Oh, almost forgot. Thanks for telling me about your meeting with my Pa¡¯s master. I always figured that he was full of it when telling that story, so thanks for telling me the truth. Franklin I gave out a deep sigh of relief. Lying to Franklin is definitely the worst thing that I¡¯ve ever done. (And I once peed on the Aelder Tree.) I glanced over at Arc, wondering what he was up to. He got shaken up by that blessing I got pretty hard. I wonder if cutting off his senses is his way of sleeping on a problem? Hmm¡­ I won¡¯t get many chances to investigate who Arc might really be without him knowing¡­ I pulled out my history of human metal crafting and started comparing diagrams to Arc to see if I can find a match. After half an hour, I¡¯ve got my suspects down to only a handful. Not a bad night. --- Arc Alright, let¡¯s dive in. I cancel my floating focus and start to pull in my spherical vision. I¡¯d been working hard to expand its range, but it seems like I¡¯m limited by how much mana I can see. It has been improving every day, but similar to a video game, my maximum render distance is hindered by the resolution of the objects I¡¯m seeing. My soul comes into view once all outside influences are cut off, and¡­ oof, it¡¯s put on some considerable weight. Hmm, last time I checked, nothing had changed. I wonder what the cause is? Normally a soul grows in size via reincarnation, each new life creating a new layer that mostly cuts off memories from a previous life, the growth a result of being connected to a living creature in the physical plane. The patch I created sorta acts like a layer, but my soul¡¯s growth doesn¡¯t make any sense. I give my patch a thorough evaluation while I¡¯m here, and I can¡¯t find anything wrong, so at least I know for sure now that being able to feel Travis touch wasn¡¯t it bugging out. In fact, now that it¡¯s gotten larger¡­ There. Wanted to add that documentation feature to the patch when I first devised it, but the auto-translate took up most of my¡­ umm¡­ hmm¡­ calling it hard drive space for code doesn¡¯t feel like a proper analogy. Uhm, maybe fragment of my personality would be a better term? My patch is basically just an unfinished layer on my soul. Ugh¡­ I just realized; it¡¯s going to get cramped in here if I keep growing. I¡¯m already too big to fit into the duck or beaver that I originally wanted to reincarnate as. Well, I think I know what to ask Addy for my favor. --- Snowsday, the 32nd of Fifthmonth ¡°Arena Fight Round Two, Let¡¯s Go!¡± Travis groaned at my excitement, he¡¯s been doing that a lot lately, and I¡¯m not sure why he¡¯s doing so this time. Is it the relentless rain that¡¯s pouring down on the open sky arena? The fact that Jethro reserved a front row booth at the Exotic Axe tonight? Or maybe because first semester students aren¡¯t allowed to bring personal weapons to the arena? Yeah, it¡¯s probably that. Definitely not from me being way too chipper this morning. Teams this week are Mattius and Adrian in the first squad (with Mattius as squad leader), Travis and Bridget in the second squad, then Jethro and Drozuk in the fourth squad. Before everyone moved to sit by their assigned squad for the day, Hector had a few more notes for today¡¯s matches. ¡°Today is an exception, the Medic and Research divisions have marked today¡¯s specimens for disposal. Therefore, you are ordered to kill every monster you fight today without hesitation.¡± Hector scanned the students to ensure everyone gave nods of affirmation, ¡°Good, any questions?¡± Travis lifted his hand, ¡°Sir, are we allowed to use spells that we have been given for self-study?¡± Hector¡¯s head twitched back in surprise, ¡°You first will need to report any such spells you intend to use to me or Sir Felicity, but yes, if a professor gives you a spell diagram, then you will be allowed to use it.¡± Sir Felicity provided a follow up, ¡°As a reminder, you are encouraged to free-cast spells. The purpose of these matches is to encourage adaptive thinking while under pressure. For safety reasons however, you are only allowed to modify a spell, within reason, from one that you already have permission to use.¡± The students broke to form their teams, allowing Travis and Mattius to approach where Hector and Felicity stood underneath an awning. Hector lowered his gaze towards Travis, ¡°Initiate, was there something else?¡± ¡°Yes, wanted to report that I received the diagram for [Air Burst].¡± Sir Felicity narrowed her eyes at Travis, ¡°Which professor gave you the diagram?¡± ¡°Professor Quinsandoral.¡± That got an audible gasp for the female knight, causing Hector to look her way. She recomposed herself, then grabbed a clipboard to mark down Travis¡¯ new spell. Travis was then dismissed, allowing Mattius to approach. ¡°Sir, I have received the spell diagram for [Sand Burst] from Professor Quinsandoral.¡± Felicity made a small grunt, then spoke, ¡°Just so that you and Travis are aware Initiate, we do confirm when formalizing the paperwork that you did receive a spell.¡± Mattius nodded his head, unable to hide his smile. He got dismissed, allowing Hector to speak to Felicity. ¡°Do first-year students normally get self-study spells this early?¡± ¡°No, even more so from Professor Quinsandoral. I¡¯ve had his students complain to me about not being given access to spells.¡± Hector shrugged his shoulders, then began observing the first match from one of the other battalions. Travis moved over to sit by Bridget and leaned in to hear his squad leader for the day speak, ¡°Zaccheus, you¡¯re my second.¡± One of the squad members cracked a joke, ¡°Not even going to try justifying the nepotism?¡± Zaccheus chuckled along with the squad, ¡°How about my brother and I have identical voices, so we¡¯re preventing possible confusion in battle?¡± Oh, wow. Thanks to my ¡°patch¡±, I could do a comparison, and he wasn¡¯t kidding. Wait, do I know these two? I check back, and¡­ yep. They are the twins that drug Drozuk out of the armory last week. Hmm, strange¡­ they look completely identical, but with different mana builds. Zaccheus has a 50% Fire, 30% Water, and 10% for Wind and Earth build, while his brother Thaddeus has Fire and Water swapped for his. The squad went over a few preliminary strategies, though everyone took a moment to gripe about having to sit in the rain until after their fight. It didn¡¯t take long for Mattius¡¯ squad to head out for their match, so I followed them to the prepping stage with my focus. Mattius turned to Adrian, ¡°Adrian, you¡¯re my second. Stay in the center of the formation with a [Water Aura] big enough to keep us dry and help spot. I don¡¯t want to give the monsters an advantage over us.¡± Adrian gulped nervously but nodded his head. The group was let out into the arena, but upon the door closing behind them, the terrain in the arena began to change. Stone pillars, short walls, tall walls, trenches, and archways began to rise from the ground, changing the battlefield from an open field to an urban labyrinth. Mattius called a 3x4 formation, then took point as he led the group into the small maze. Loud-clicking gear noises echoed along the walls, signaling that this week¡¯s varmints were about to flood into the arena. ¡°Giant rats?¡± Travis spoke with a bewildered tone. ¡°Please, those are hardly giant, they¡¯re only the size of a cat. I¡¯ve seen way bigger.¡± Bridget¡¯s back went ramrod straight, then spoke out loud in a controlled panic, ¡°Not giant rats, corpse-rats!¡± Oh, those poor kids¡­ ¡°Corpse-rats, vermin-type varmint. These creatures appear during every flood to consume the abundant corpses of monsters. They carry numerous diseases, making them particularly dangerous for non-mana users, and can quickly multiply by consuming a large amount of mana-rich flesh, then fusing with other corpse-rats to spawn a new litter by dividing the accumulated mass. After a flood ends, they burrow into the ground to hibernate until the next flood, making them difficult to purge.¡± Mattius spots the corpse-rats moving in while he leads his squad down a long alleyway, ¡°Contact! Knee-wall! Fire!¡± Mattius and the other two in the front crouch to one knee, then he sends his Earth Mana into the sand to create a small, sloped wall to hamper the vermin. [Fire Orb]¡¯s fly over his shoulders towards the rats and detonate into Blast spells once they get close. Adrian stands in the middle, keeping the rain off the group with his Aura, and keeps twisting his head around with his mana sight active. He repeats to the rear guard to copy Mattius¡¯ strategy when a smaller second group of rats approached to flank, then orders one of the Fire Mages to target the rear and the Wind Mages to attack. Mattius keeps his eyes forward as a few [Wind Blast]¡¯s help push back some of the closer approaching rats, but like the grizzled war vet that he apparently is, starts muttering that everything seems too easy. I pull up my focus to get an overview of the arena to see if he was right and¡­ Travis grips my pommel, and squeezes me hard out of fright, ¡°What the¡­¡± A very, very, big rat, probably the size of a washing machine, plods its way towards the rear of the group. ¡°Ok, that is the biggest rat I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Travis, still terrified, clenches my handle harder, ¡°That¡¯s not a single rat¡­¡± Huh? I zoom in on the giant corpse-rat and, oh dear gods and God¡­ the shaggy ¡°fur¡± that I spotted earlier is really rat tails, and its ¡°head¡± is actually dozens of smaller heads all fused together. For the first time in my new life, I¡¯m happy to be restricted to only seeing mana. Adrian manages to see the moving mass through the wall and calls out a warning to the rear. Mattius, oddly looking relieved, orders all of the Fire Mages to attack the approaching monster while he begins to prep a large spell of his own. He starts by gathering an Orb of sand the size of a bowling ball, then coats the entire thing in Wind repulsion arrays. He slowly moves the Orb down the alleyway amidst the [Wind Blast]¡¯s being used to push the rats back, his jaw clenching tightly from the mental strain of having to manually move all those mana lines, then calls out, ¡°Front, shields up!¡± The spell detonates, sending sand flying in every direction and forcing the rats to retreat or lie stunned. Adrian pays the explosion no notice, more worried about the slowly approaching monstrosity. Despite the additional [Fire Blast]¡¯s being sent its way, the giant corpse-rat keeps moving, pausing occasionally to shake off the dead rat corpses on its surface. With the heavy rain hampering the Fire spells, Adrian starts cussing underneath his breath once he likely realizes that they¡¯ll be overrun soon. He suddenly jerks his head to the other two Water Mages, ¡°Mud it down, we need to slow it.¡± [Water Orb]¡¯s fly down the alleyway, then crash down at the monstrosity¡¯s feet. It seems to help, but not enough. Adrian, taking notice, orders the rear Earth Mages to prep an [Earth Slide], once prepped, the two call out, and Adrian orders to hold. The corpse-rat monstrosity keeps shedding layers of rats from the [Fire Blast]¡¯s but the Fire Mages begin to visibly slow from having their internal mana amp up. Adrian takes note, and orders the Fire Mages to cease, then waits for the monstrosity to take a few more steps forward. ¡°Now!¡± Adrian shouts, and the giant corpse-rat slides down the alleyway, losing all of the distance that it had made. ¡°Front, Fire! Rear, Drown!¡± Adrian takes the Water Mana that he was using to create a repulsion array above the squad and sends it towards the monstrosity. He then recreates his [Water Aura] formation around the target, but inverted, causing Water to accumulate over the monster. The other two Water Mages join in, and soon the monster starts to thrash about from drowning. Adrian and the other two¡¯s faces begin to strain from concentration but get a surprising assist from the Earth Mages, when they harden the sand around the monstrosity¡¯s feet. Muffled screams continue, but after what must have felt like hours for the team, the giant corpse-rat fell unmoving. Hector called the match, then jumped into the arena with the other knights to help finish off the remaining rats. Travis and his battalion stood up to cheer the squad loudly as the terrain was reset to a flat plain, and then again after they returned from the post-match debriefing. ¡°Great job guys!¡± Mattius scratched the back of his helmet and Adrian shifted from foot to foot, but even their humility wasn¡¯t enough to prevent them from talking about how Hector applauded their performance. Only criticism being that the other two Water Mages should have extended Adrian¡¯s [Water Aura] to allow the Fire Mages to attack without hindrance. Princess Seleyna¡¯s squad came out next. They had to fight a horde of tumblepig-spore infected giant frogs in a forest of wide stone pillars. The squad¡¯s strategy had them split into three teams and have two groups create barricades on opposite sides of a large pillar and the remaining group to kite the monsters through the maze of pillars. The plan worked quite well, since the infected frogs were slow to move, but their Drill Instructor wasn¡¯t thrilled with their plan, and took the time to point out the numerous points where everything could have gone horribly wrong. --- Travis I breathed in and out, taking a moment to enjoy the respite from the rain outside while we stood in the staging area. Bridget moved to the middle of the group with Zaccheus, Thaddeus, and the other Fire and Water Mages. We decided to copy Mattius¡¯ 3x4 alternating mage type formation, with me substituting a Wind Mage in the rear with a pair of Earth Mages. The door opens, allowing our squad to move into the still shifting terrain of countless narrow stone pillars with ¡°branches¡± of stone sticking out of many of them in odd angles. I think it was meant to mimic a forest, but I wonder if it looks more like the coral forests located on the Dwarven Coast that I read about. Thaddeus and the other two Water Mages set up a group [Water Aura] to redirect the falling rain away from our squad as Zaccheus orders us to spread out to a full horse¡¯s width between each person to navigate the ¡°forest¡± better. The rain keeps pounding down outside of the Aura, and I can¡¯t even hear the crowd, but am just barely able to hear the monster gate open. ¡°Sweet merciful gods and God! You need to kill this thing! Burn it, crush it to paste, throw it in a hole, burn it again, and then burry it under a mountain just to be safe!¡± I clench my jaw, and squeeze Arc¡¯s handle in my grip enough for him to yelp in pain as I feel every hair on the back of my neck stand on end. ¡°Sorry, single monster, 10 o¡¯clock.¡± I turn my head in the direction, then close my eyes and fully activate my mana sight. Water and Earth Mana is everywhere due to the rain and manufactured field, but¡­ there! A shifting blob that has Fire and Wind Mana moving with it. ¡°Contact! 11 o¡¯clock, 48 yards out. One target.¡± Thaddeus calls the squad to halt, then after the monster moves closer, orders the rear Earth Mages by me to move forward and fortify the front. He then calls for us to prep spells, while the monster keeps moving, and eventually gets close enough for me to open my eyes and clear away my mana sight. A long, thick spider leg the size of one of my own legs wraps around one of the pillars, then is soon joined by three more. The torso of the spider moves into view, but my breathing stops as the rest of the monster makes itself visible. The furry cephalothorax looks familiar, but a scorpion tail substitutes the abdomen, and a¡­ The horned mammalian head twists a full 180, giving me and the squad full view of the eight-eyed goat¡¯s head on the chimera monster. Its eyes lock with us and it lets out a haunting bleat before jumping towards our front line. Its skull bashes into the shield of an Earth Mage, then tries to sting her with its tail, but is shoved off by her neighboring Wind Mage¡¯s shield slam. I and the other Wind Mage cast [Air Blast] to shove the chimera farther away, but before Bridget and the other Fire Mages could Blast it, it leaps back into the fake forest and rain. I grunt in aggravation, this thing¡¯s a skirmisher; it¡¯s going to spend the entire battle trying to harass our lines, until it or us finally get lucky. The twins let out irritated grunts as well, and have our squad maintain the current formation, but with the group sidestepping to keep the chimera at the center of our front line. The chimera makes another attack, this time trying to come in from high and leaping over a Wind Mage towards Bridget. I cast a prepped [Air Blast] to push it back enough from her so she could fire her two prepared [Fire Blast] spells directly downward towards it in quick succession after it hits the ground. The first Blast hits a leg as it scampers away from the group, completely evades the second, then leaps back into the artificial forest¡¯s canopy. Thaddeus turns his head to me, ¡°Travis, can you cast that big Wind spell you got?¡± ¡°Yes, but I can¡¯t move it fast.¡± Thaddeus nods his head, then orders the squad to shift to a different spot. The chimera makes a few feints while we move, retreating before committing to an attack, and causing our Fire Mages to waste spells. We keep moving, and I grow a bit confused at first, until I see where Thaddeus led us. ¡°Perfect. Travis, lay your spell in the middle. Rest of us, set a trap, snowflake!¡± We create a spaced-out triangular formation with the Fire and Water Mages in the center, followed by the Wind Mages and Earth Mages in the outer triangle. I do my best to keep calm and prep the [Air Blast] spell, even making a small modification to direct the explosion better, then carefully move the spell into the center of our formation. ¡°Ready!¡± Bridget, Zaccheus, and the other Fire Mage cast [Fire Orb]¡¯s to hover in front of them, while the three Earth Mages call out that they were prepared as well. Now for the hard part¡­ The chimera keeps skittering around, latching from pillar to pillar, in what was probably an attempt at disorienting us before it catapults toward a vulnerable looking Earth Mage. The mage¡¯s reflexes were quick, and they duck low enough to get under the monster and use their shield to fling it towards the center of the group. The two Wind Mages help push it in with Blast spells, while the Earth mages use [Earth Slide] to pull the now about-faced Water and Fire Mages out of the middle. Everyone crouches behind their shields as I detonate the modified [Air Burst], launching the chimera straight upwards into a patch of several ¡°tree branches¡±, and even shattering a few stone struts. My modification prevented the friendly fire, and the Fire Mages start Blasting the chimera once it crashes back to the ground. Once the first wave clears, Thaddeus and the other Water Mages rush the injured monster with their swords while a second round of Fire spells gets prepped, but our spells get cancelled once Thaddeus chops off the goat head. Hector calls the match, and we¡¯re led into the post-fight lobby to get checked by the medics. Despite the squad cheering in victory, I wasn¡¯t in the mood to join in, and let out a deep sigh of relief. Having Arc start the fight by panicking due to a phobia despite being practically indestructible, then having to free-cast a spell I haven¡¯t even known for a full week clamped the pressure down on me hard. I wish I had something other than an embarrassing theatre show to look forward to tonight. ¡°Hey, cheer up bud, you got a certain special someone to greet you.¡± I looked up in confusion, wondering who Arc was referring to, when a brown-haired Northman approached me. He was wearing a golden arming jacket underneath a set of half-plate, painted green lines strewn across the steel, and shoulder pauldrons depicting a red feather between a set of green antlers. ¡°Initiate Travis, are you injured?¡± ¡°Reidar?¡± The Spartan Medic nodded, then clasped my helmet to stare directly into my eyes, ¡°No signs of concussion, you may join your squad for debriefing.¡± He patted me on the shoulder, then moved to inspect the person behind me. My mind flooded with questions, but I moved to where my squad was gathering. I sat down while we waited for the last person to get cleared when Reidar¡¯s voice chimed in my helmet. ¡°Excellent work in your match today, I look forward to conversing with you once my duties here have concluded.¡± Chapter 32 - The Farmboy, the Spartan, and the Princess One of the reasons I decided to write this book was due to how much the culture of humans changed the dwarven and elven kingdoms. One aspect being how we picked up humans¡¯ enjoyment of telling stories. I used to think their love for the arts stemmed from the long periods of them sheltering together to survive in the Valley of Monsters, but a human pastor pointed out to me that the sheer number of stories from his god Ignitious tripled the number from the elven god Zephoreas. Perhaps humans are merely inspired by the gods they worship? It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if that was the case. No Chosen of Apheros has presented themselves after Oskar¡¯s death, but many romance authors have claimed to receive a blessing from the god after completing a novel, citing highly improbable circumstances where they meet a publisher and other strange occurrences. A Chosen of Adamanrion once commented that their god (and to their knowledge the others as well), do not mind having their likeness used in a fictitious manner, they only ask that their likeness remained consistent to their established character. Then there are the tenets of the gods themselves that encourage the sharing of stories. Torbolt¡¯s Domain of Comradery instructs soldiers to share their war stories, both good and bad, and Ignitious¡¯ Domain of Art literally includes storytelling as a medium. I wonder if the lack of stories is to blame for the abysmal number of humans converting to the non-human gods? --- Travis Hector wasn¡¯t exactly pleased with our performance. While he did commend us for implementing a trap for the goat-spider-scorpion chimera, our clear lack of redundancies made it overly risky. We took the time to discuss what we should have done or tried, and eventually returned to the stands to watch the remaining matches. I separated from the squad and sat down underneath the invisible umbrella of the [Water Aura] that Adrian and a few other Water Mages had set up, then leaned my head back to look up at the diverting rain. Despite combat having ended for some time now, my body still felt full of tension, and my mind was mired with endless thoughts. I reached to give Arc¡¯s pommel a comforting rub and took in a deep breath, hoping that a little alone time would allow me to relax. ¡°I wonder what Reidar¡¯s doing here?¡± I opened my mouth to reply but gasped instead when I heard the clean monotone of Reidar¡¯s voice inside my helmet. ¡°As part of my new assignment, I will be assisting the medical teams on occasion during the weekly arena matches. Apologies for syncing with your private channel on your helmet without permission Travis, but I was worried that I¡¯d be unable to communicate easily with you once combat exercises have completed.¡± What the¡­? Did he just hear Arc? My body trembled for a moment, but Arc managed to keep the boat steady. ¡°Oh, no problem at all. I¡¯ll, uh¡­ change frequencies so that you two can talk privately.¡± Arc then spoke again, but this time the sound came from outside my helmet, ¡°Sorry, forgot I was using your helmet¡¯s inscription to speak to you. Do you need help talking back to him?¡± I hadn¡¯t tried it yet, but the inscriptions on my helmet to allow long range communication should be easy enough to use. I moved my hand up to the right side of my helmet to help sync with the crystalized Wind Mana and shaped a small patch of mana to receive my voice. ¡°Can you hear me Reidar? I haven¡¯t tried this before.¡± ¡°Yes, I can hear you fine. Though, I recommend shifting your input formation more towards the side of your mouth.¡± ¡°Sorry, is this better?¡± ¡°Yes. Are you still feeling post-combat shock?¡± ¡°Umm, I guess¡­ That spell I used to ambush that chimera is a new spell, so modifying it to not hurt my team members stressed me out.¡± ¡°I see, despite your victory, you¡¯re more concerned about the repercussions of what would have happened, had you failed.¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°The fact that you have not become emboldened by your success speaks volumes to your character. Learn from your mistakes today, and vow to better yourself in the future. One cannot learn to kill by only attacking a practice target, they need to be challenged by a living creature.¡± I let out a breath and slumped my shoulders forward, letting Reidar¡¯s pep talk help relieve the last of my internal tension. He was right, more practice in the spell range and overall experience will reduce the chances of me messing up a spell enough to hurt someone by accident. ¡°Thanks Reidar, I needed that.¡± ¡°Oh, umm¡­ you¡¯re welcome.¡± I smirked at Reidar¡¯s sudden breaking of his military monotone, ¡°So, your assignment has you working here on Snowsdays?¡± ¡°Not exactly, I¡¯m here today for preparatory training so that I¡¯ll be able to begin my assigned role this fall.¡± ¡°And this assigned role is¡­¡± I tried to coax out of the spartan. ¡°An important duty to the kingdom.¡± ¡°Oh, are you not allowed to say?¡± ¡°No, I am.¡± I let out a tiny, aggravated grunt, grateful that Reidar couldn¡¯t see me, he could be such a straight and narrow river at times that I couldn¡¯t tell if he was joking or not. We had to pause our conversation, so that Reidar could inspect the next group, but once they were cleared, Reidar and I were able to share what had been happening with each other. ¡°So, thank you again for the symbol of Apheros.¡± ¡°None needed. By the way, if you¡¯d rather, you¡¯re welcome to join me and Jethro on Woodsday for worship, so you don¡¯t have to go alone.¡± ¡°I¡­ would prefer to keep my worship private for now. I¡­ uh, not to insult your invitation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright, whatever you¡¯re comfortable with.¡± ¡°Thank you. To be honest, I¡¯d feel bad about taking Woodsday off instead, I wouldn¡¯t be able to join my first squad on Voltsday for supper otherwise.¡± We got cut off again as the current squad finished their fight. One of them had a puncture wound to their thigh that Reidar had to perform surgery on, so we didn¡¯t get to resume our conversation until Jethro and Drozuk¡¯s match. While their squad fought in a terrain full of water canals against a fast-swimming turtle that kept jumping from the water to slash at the group with its pincer arms and fish tail, Reidar and I continued swapping stories. ¡°I¡¯m curious, if you decide not to marry or join an existing noble house, what would you choose as a last name?¡± ¡°Hmm, not sure. Lancel said his dad chose his based on a nickname that he received in the army, but I think most Lakelander nobles choose one based on their place of origin.¡± ¡°Hmm, perhaps Aelderson?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure that one¡¯s taken¡­¡± The stands erupted into cheers as the tail of the aquatic chimera was cut badly, preventing it from jumping, and allowing the Water and Earth Mages to trap it in a waterless pit. The Wind and Fire Mages then pelted it with Blast spells until Hector finally called the match. ¡°Sorry, need to resume duties, should be able to talk once more before I meet my squad-brother for lunch.¡± After the final match concluded, I had to wait until I was walking to the armory with my friends to hear from Reidar again. ¡°Sorry, had to fill out a preliminary report before I could leave for lunch.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± I whispered back, ¡°Oh, forgot to ask, does your ¡¯brother¡¯ work here on campus?¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s training to be a Spartan Field Chef, so he¡¯s working as a rotisseur in the school¡¯s cafeteria to gain experience.¡± I stopped dead in my tracks, causing Adrian to crash into me, but I was more concerned with another matter. ¡°By chance, is he a half-orc?¡± ¡°He is. Have you two met?¡± I let out a huff, ¡°Not in an official capacity.¡± I then took notice of my friends looking quizzically at me, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m talking to my friend Reidar.¡± Drozuk cocked his head at me, ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t he the spartan you told us about?¡± I nodded my head, then turned it to see Jethro grinning at me. ¡°You should invite him to the show tonight!¡± ¡°I can ask, but I thought you only reserved a booth, will there be room?¡± ¡°Should be plenty actually. The booth I reserved holds a dozen people.¡± Although I wasn¡¯t looking forward to watching the performance again, the thought of having Reidar there to commiserate with me, cheered me up. ¡°Reidar, are you free tonight? My friends and I are going to attend a shadow theater show for dinner at the Exotic Axe.¡± ¡°One moment¡­ Yes, I can attend your social gathering.¡± That got me excited. I wonder what Reidar will think of the show? Hang on¡­ That gives me an idea. ¡°Jethro, can I invite one more person?¡± He shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind.¡± --- Arc Uh oh, Travis had that mischievous look in his eyes, and the helmet he was wearing helped him maintain his poker face. The question is, ¡°Should I stop him?¡± The odds of it even working are slim¡­ but then again, if it does work¡­ I moved my focus over towards Jethro and the others who basically bullied Travis into attending the show tonight¡­ hmm, maybe a little payback couldn¡¯t hurt? --- Travis and his friends sat down with their food at their usual table, but I noticed that his head kept leering in a certain direction. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when they enter.¡± Travis stifled a smirk, then gave my pommel a scratch that would make even the bestest of good boys jealous. The pleasurable feeling even distracted me from seeing the table getting ambushed by Jakob and Xruul. The Northman Water Mage was grinning madly, ¡°Travis! What did you think of the chimera?¡± Not surprising, Travis was flummoxed by the question, and only managed to stutter out, ¡°Umm, it was terrifying?¡± Bridget let out a huff, ¡°That ¡®thing¡¯ could outrun every spell that I threw at it. Hector literally chided us for not throwing rocks instead.¡± Jakob started to laugh, while Xruul shook his head. Xruul then turned to Adrian with a scowl, ¡°You made my Corpse-Rat King look like a joke.¡± That drew some scrutinizing stares from everyone and even a metaphorical one from me. Adrian broke the silence with a gravely tone he must have learned from his new tutor, ¡°What do you mean ¡®my¡¯ corpse-rat?¡± Jakob and Xruul started to giggle, but the orc managed to control themselves long enough to respond, ¡°In Monster Anatomy 5, you¡¯ll study in more depth how chimera monsters evolve. There¡¯s even a lab portion where you get to see the process in action.¡± Realization must have clicked in Travis¡¯ mind, because he spun to look Jakob dead in the eyes, ¡°Wait, you made that thing?¡± Jakob nodded his head while giving out a sigh, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll admit it wasn¡¯t a very good design. I mean, it barely used its tail.¡± ¡°Ok, I got to know, why the goat head?¡± Travis humored me by asking, and Jakob responded, ¡°I used a scream-goat as the base, since they¡¯ll eat anything, but unfortunately its preference for charging in with its horns couldn¡¯t get overridden.¡± Xruul turned around with his full tray, ¡°I told you that you should have fed it inflamadar or bat-lion cysts.¡± I¡¯m¡­ starting to worry about how ethical the experiments in the Monster Anatomical Research building are. The group continued eating and chatting about the matches, but Jethro and Jakob¡¯s conversation started to meander to a different topic. ¡°Wait, you were there that night?¡± an excited Jethro exclaimed. Jakob nodded with a proud smile, ¡°Yep, had first row seats, could even see the princess grimace from Travis¡¯ poor dancing.¡± Jethro, not taking notice of the table¡¯s laughing and Travis¡¯ groaning, became excited as a puppy, ¡°You two should come tonight!¡± The senior students, ignorant of Travis¡¯ plans, agreed to come. Just in time too, because the person Travis wanted to invite had finally entered the cafeteria. ¡°That reminds me.¡± Travis sent his [Message] spell across the room towards his target and spoke loud enough for the table to hear him, ¡°Royal Knight Asher, this is Initiate Elementalist Mage Travis. I apologize if this is an incorrect way to do this, but my friend Jethro Bradshaw has reserved us a booth at the Exotic Axe for this evening¡¯s dinner show. I would like to extend an invitation to Princess Seleyna to join us tonight.¡± Silence and wide-eyed looks of terror filled the table, allowing everyone to hear Asher¡¯s response. ¡°Given the short response time needed, a verbal invitation through me is satisfactory. For security purposes, is it just your current table attending tonight?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°No, Spartan Reidar will also be joining us tonight.¡± ¡°I see, I will inform the princess.¡± Jakob buried his head in his arms, Bridget¡¯s eyes somehow double in size, Drozuk and Adrian looked absolutely flabbergasted, Mattius and Xruul went motionless, and Jethro stared daggers at Travis. Jethro hissed, ¡°What did you just do?¡± Travis, with a smug look, replied, ¡°You said I could invite someone.¡± Jethro started to breathe heavily, and his arms began to quake with legitimate anger, but before he could formulate a response, Asher¡¯s voice echoed over the table. ¡°Princess Seleyna has accepted your invitation. I¡¯ll notify the tavern and assemble the security team. Will 6:42 work as a meeting time outside of the Union Hall?¡± ¡°Perfectly, it¡¯s where and when I told Reidar to meet us.¡± The spell ended and Travis took in the looks of his ¡°friends¡±. Jethro¡¯s heavy breathing continued, but his anger was visibly giving way to full on panic, ¡°A princess! Travis, how am I supposed to host a princess!¡± Travis leaned in to give his fellow Lakelander a comforting pat on his arm, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. The princess doesn¡¯t care much for large formal gatherings, in fact, she¡¯ll probably ask for you to address her only as Seleyna.¡± Travis¡¯ calming pat fought with Jethro¡¯s panic until it finally claimed victory, and soon the table was a buzz with what to do tonight. ¡°What I did last time was place a pair of Water repulsion arrays underneath my armpits.¡± Jakob coached the other Water Mages, ¡°It¡¯ll keep you from forming sweat stains, and if you coat your underarm in scented charcoal powder, no one will smell you either.¡± Bridget moved next to Jethro and was going over proper etiquette for meeting royalty, while Travis checked in on Mattius and Xruul. ¡°You two going to be ok?¡± Xruul gulped, ¡°Travis, I¡¯m a second-generation mage from an outer middle-ring family, I¡¯m not supposed to be going to dinner with a princess.¡± Mattius started to tremble, ¡°At least your family is in better standing than mine. Travis, I haven¡¯t told you, but my dad became infamous in the noble circles when he remarried a woman half his age. Not to mention there¡¯s also the fact that only one of my older brothers is from his first wife. Since he retired before I turned fifteen, I was able to get personally coached by him to activate my mana and was named the successor of my clan. That kind of behavior is frowned upon, especially since he is the First Knight of Clan Tatian.¡± Ok, maybe I should have stopped Travis, I didn¡¯t consider how the rest of his friends would react. Travis had the decency to look ashamed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should have consulted the table first.¡± Mattius let out a deep breath, ¡°What¡¯s done is done. Just, please don¡¯t make me sit next to her.¡± --- Travis left for class with Drozuk, and the two walked together in silence until Drozuk suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, and turned to Travis, ¡°I just realized, you¡¯re a genius!¡± Travis, looking perplexed, raised an eyebrow at the giddy orc, ¡°How so?¡± ¡°You saw the perfect opportunity to ask a princess out on a date, and immediately pounced on it.¡± Oh, my gods and God¡­ He¡¯s right! Travis stepped back, his face smothered with confusion before the light of comprehension leaked out, ¡°What, no¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ I just¡­¡± Drozuk grinned, showing off his tusks in a prominent display, ¡°Don¡¯t try to deny it. That set-up was too perfect. Going to a dinner show inspired by an event involving her, Reidar, and you; there¡¯s no possible way she could resist! Especially with you and Reidar there. Jethro and the rest of us are just a smokescreen to make it seem like a casual outing.¡± Travis started to tremble as Drozuk¡¯s argument began to make too much sense, so I decided to join in with my own. ¡°Dinner and a show is a classic first date. Dinner before and then drinks after, give you a chance to talk. And the show gives you a shared topic to discuss if needed. Plus, Seleyna mentioned that she was joining the drama club, so a shadow theater production is something she may be interested in.¡± Drozuk gave Travis a pat on the back to jostle him out of his catatonic state, ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get to class lover-boy.¡± --- Travis Instead of heading to supper after my last class, I headed towards my dorm room, only to hear Arc giving me a warning. ¡°Just a heads up, everyone¡¯s in your living room waiting for you.¡± I opened the door to find the place packed with my friends, all of them spinning their heads towards me. ¡°There you are!¡± Jethro shouted at me. ¡°We need to get you ready.¡± Jethro and Xruul drug me into the bathroom and started forcibly pulling my clothes off. I tried to stop them, but my struggles were in vain. ¡°Stop it! What are you doing?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t go on a date looking fresh off the farm!¡± Xruul crowed as he removed my arming jacket and boots. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I don¡¯t¡ª¡± Jethro interrupted me by pushing me onto a chair, ¡°Sit! I¡¯m going to cut your hair and shave off that pathetic attempt of a beard, so no moving.¡± I instinctively reached up to touch the handful of hairs that started to grow around my mouth. Did I have to? I was so excited the other day to see the first signs of a proper Lakelander beard growing on my face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, shaving will make them grow back thicker.¡± What? Why would shaving change that? Jethro didn¡¯t care for my hesitation and smeared my face with shaving cream using a thick brush, then pulled out a straight razor. I stopped fighting at the sight, letting him go to work on my face and around my neck. He wiped off my face with a hot damp towel that Xruul gave him, then grabbed a shears to trim my hair. Jethro gave me a comprehensive scan with his eyes, then stepped back, ¡°Wash team!¡± Jakob and Adrian stepped in, ordered me to undress then stand in the shower. ¡°Guys, I can shower without help.¡± I tried to reason with the two. Jakob grinned, ¡°Not like this¡­¡± He then raised his hand, causing the water from a nearby basin to rise into the air. ¡°You¡¯re gonna want to take a big breath, close your eyes, and plug your nose.¡± I did so just in time to feel a waterfall of Water rush over my entire body, getting into every nook and crevice. The torrent of water paused for a second, but before I could open my eyes, soapy suds lathered my skin, followed by one more blast of Water to rinse me off. ¡°He¡¯s clean!¡± Shouted a way too excited Adrian, and I open my eyes to see the pair step out while Jethro and Xruul entered back in. The two raised their hands, and a gust of warm, dry air finished removing the excess water on my naked body. The door opened a crack, and a black skinned arm holding a bottle of oil reached in. Xruul grabbed the oil, then began to spread the scent of overgrown forest over my body that had completely given up fighting. I was then dressed in a freshly set of laundered clothes and arming jacket, then told to sit once more so Jethro could style my hair with some paste. Jethro gave me one last overlook, then nodded his head, ¡°Ok, you¡¯re ready. Let¡¯s head out.¡± I followed him out of my bathroom, and into the living room to receive nods of approval from everyone. Now that I wasn¡¯t being assaulted, I was able to notice that everyone must have gone through the same process to prepare. Mattius cut his hair in a style like mine, with high faded sides and longer top. Jethro¡¯s hair was similar but cut longer and slicked to the side with some light oil. Drozuk and Xruul went with a traditional orkish buzz cut that had horizontal lines shaved down to the skin. And the two Northmen added something to make their shoulder length black hair look wavier and used black charcoal dust to create shadows around their eyes. I gave Bridget a long look to see if she did something to change her look as well, but her bald head and nearly charcoal black skin looked the same as always. She unfortunately noticed me staring. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Sorry, was trying to see if you did something different also, but you look the same as always.¡± Bridget narrowed her eyes at me, but she was distracted by Adrian grabbing her hand, ¡°Makes sense, why change something when you¡¯re already beautiful.¡± Bridget beamed a smile at Adrian, then gave his cheek a kiss. ¡°Wow, didn¡¯t know Adrian was such a smooth-talker.¡± I rolled my eyes, then followed the oddly cheerful group outside to head towards the Union Hall. It was a complete inversion of everyone¡¯s attitude at lunch, even Mattius was walking with a spring in his step, so I darted my eyes around until they stopped on Drozuk¡¯s irritating smile. ¡°Sorry, I know you wanted to keep it in the undercurrent, but I couldn¡¯t resist after seeing how stressed out everyone was.¡± Deciding that I better reseed the row straight, I attempted to stop any potential misunderstandings, ¡°Just to be clear guys, I didn¡¯t ask the princess out on a date.¡± Giant smirks, matching the type that pirates must make when encountering an unarmed river transport, appeared on everyone¡¯s faces, and Jethro gave me a brotherly pat on the shoulder while speaking in a sarcastic tone, ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t. It¡¯s just an informal outing with friends.¡± I almost opened my mouth to refute further, but Arc cut me off first, ¡°There¡¯s Reidar. No sign of the princess yet.¡± Reidar stood in front of the building with his helmet clipped on his belt and gave me the standard military wave of a raised forearm and single wrist flick, ¡°Travis, it¡¯s good to see you. I take it these are your friends?¡± I took the time to introduce everyone, proud of myself for only needing to scratch Arc¡¯s cross-guard once, then noticed that Reidar must have taken the time to freshen up as well. His faded brown buzz cut still showed off his mixture of Northman and Lakelander heritage with his small mouth, and wider face, but with deeper set eyes to give his cheekbones and brow more prominence. So, it must have been something else. ¡°Did you polish your armor?¡± ¡°A thorough sanitation was required after providing medical treatment this morning.¡± Reidar paused, to subtly break his neutral expression, ¡°I¡­ did have some free time to repaint my lines after I was dismissed for the day. I determined, since we would be going to a public venue, that I should ensure my appearance matches the high standards of us Spartans.¡± I let out a nervous grin, ¡°That¡¯s good, because¡­ there is one more person that¡¯s coming.¡± As if on cue, the sound of heavily armored steps could be heard, causing everyone¡¯s head to turn towards the approaching Royal Knight and Princess. I bent forward in a bow that got mimicked by everyone, except Reidar who took a knee, then rose back up to greet our final guest. ¡°Princess Seleyna, thank you for accepting my invitation.¡± The princess, who had freed her hair from the braid that she had kept this morning to allow use of her helmet, must have taken extra steps to prepare for tonight as well. Her long wavy blonde hair didn¡¯t have a single errant strand, her eyelids had dark blue coloring shadowing her large blue-gray eyes, and I caught a whiff of spring flowers emanating off her. She gave me a bright smile, ¡°And thank you for inviting me Travis.¡± Her head turned to address the still bowing crowd, ¡°Thank you, but that won¡¯t be necessary while on campus. Rules state that I am to be treated the same as every other student while undergoing training to become a mage.¡± Jethro and the others rose, allowing me to begin introductions, ¡°This is Jethro Bradshaw, Initiate Wind Mage, our host for this evening.¡± Jethro visibly gulped from the stress but managed to greet Seleyna and introduce everyone else. Asher must have briefed her on everyone beforehand because she had something kind to say to each person as Jethro went down the line. She congratulated Mattius and Adrian for their squad earning the top marks this morning, Drozuk for hilariously knocking out a honeybadger with his fist last week, Bridget for not flinching when attacked by that chimera this morning, and then gave everyone else compliments as well. Eventually it was Reidar¡¯s turn to greet her, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you again Princess Seleyna, I hope tonight¡¯s activities provide memorable entertainment.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it will, especially with you and Travis with me in the audience, I expect the bard for tonight¡¯s ¡®The Farmboy, the Spartan, and the Princess¡¯ performance were in for a shock when my security team was sent out. Reidar¡¯s stiff composure finally broke at the mention of the show¡¯s title, and he even surprised the princess and myself when he glared at me, but I could only shrug my shoulders and suppress my laughter as Sir Asher led us to the venue. --- The Exotic Axe was a lively place upon entering, likely because news of the princess visiting leaked, but given how extravagant the evening d¨¦cor was in the Northman inspired building, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if the place¡¯s evening entertainment drew large crowds on the regular. We weren¡¯t even the only mages there, many senior students were sharing drinks at the bar that run along the outside ring of the auditorium, and I spotted a few professors in one of the booths as we descended towards the front. Jethro sat in the middle of the crescent shaped couch with me on his right, followed by Seleyna, Reidar, Mattius, and Asher on the end. Bridget was providing support on Jethro¡¯s left, with Adrian, Drozuk, Xruul, and Jakob filling out the other half. The table was slid forward by the waitstaff, and pitchers of drinks were set out for us to enjoy while we waited for dinner to arrive. Arc warned me that Mattius was looking anxious, likely from getting stuck so close to Seleyna, and suggested that I help calm him down since the other half was busy chatting. ¡°Reidar, I heard that some spartans specialize in Wind and Earth Mana, is that true? Mattius has been debating on whether he should dual-specialize or not.¡± Reidar must have been nervous also, since he perked up at hearing the conversation starter, ¡°That is correct.¡± He turned to face Mattius, ¡°That spell you used is popular for Spartans to use when preparing to close a gate during a back march. The high volume of irritants drives away most monsters long enough to finish clearing the portcullis.¡± The two then began to discuss other military tactics while Seleyna gave me and Jethro her attention, ¡°How have classes been going for you two?¡± I shrugged my shoulders, ¡°Still going well, I¡¯m just worried that I¡¯ll suddenly hit a wall during training and fall behind with all of my classes.¡± Jethro followed with his own response, ¡°My grandmother helped prepare me well, so everything is still just review for Wind Spells 1 and my general magic studies. My biggest concern oddly are the general education classes that I couldn¡¯t test out of.¡± Seleyna nodded her head, ¡°I¡¯m in a similar situation to you Jethro. I passed history and science, but my math score was embarrassingly low, I need a tutor to help me study now.¡± Jethro grinned, ¡°Too bad Travis didn¡¯t have more free time so he could help you, I¡¯ve seen him solve problems our study group had gotten stuck on for a half hour after only giving them a cursory glance.¡± ¡°Uh-oh, looks like Jethro has decided to become your wingman.¡± I gulped, feeling my face turn red, but I managed to continue talking until dinner arrived. The main entr¨¦e was bacon-wrapped scallops seared in butter, medallion-cut tenderloins served with grilled vegetables, and slices of frozen tropical fruit from the Elven Islands. The food was dense with mana, but the portion size left a certain Spartan looking grumpy. ¡°I think your squad-brother has been spoiling you Reidar.¡± ¡°And you haven¡¯t been as well?¡± He gestured his head towards my already empty plate. Seleyna started giggling at our poor manners and waved to the waiter to bring a second helping for us. After the booth had finished eating, we began chitchatting again while waiting for the show to start but didn¡¯t have to wait long before the lights in the grand hall began to dim. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, Beards and Beardless, for tonight¡¯s entertainment here at The Exotic Axe, we have, Norvin the Shadowweaver, here with his telling of ¡®The Farmboy, the Spartan, and the Princess.¡¯¡± Applause filled the room as Shadow Mana began to coalesce on the stage. The inky darkness rose to a tall height, and a Sea Elf wearing a darkly colored cloak with star patterns weaved into it stepped forward. ¡°Although tonight¡¯s story was inspired by true events, please understand that the characters depicted are fictional, and that any accurate resemblance to their real-world counterparts is unintentional.¡± The brown-skinned elf turned their head to give our booth a smile, then raised their arms into the air. Shadow Mana began to form shifting shapes of people and places, before settling on a single outline of a man. ¡°Our story begins over eighteen years ago after a particularly cold winter and endless flood.¡± The mana shifted to show the man wearing armor and wielding a spear. They were soon joined by other soldiers inside a defensive wall as an endless stream of monsters rushed to attack them. ¡°Before he was known as Farmer, he was called Soldier, and he defended the kingdom from the violent hoards that crossed the Hooded One¡¯s Ice bridge.¡± The image shifted, showing the man growing tired from the constant battles, but would find a second wind after a pair of soldiers wielding an axe and a hammer urged the man to continue. ¡°He defended the capital to the bitter end but lost those who were most dear to him.¡± A large monster appeared, then thrashed the man and his two friends, breaking their weapons in its struggle, and leaving only the man alive before it died. ¡°Now a broken man, Soldier needed a new life, so they prayed to an altar of Adamanrion, offering the broken weapons of him and his friends. Adamanrion heard the prayer, told the man to rename themselves Farmer, and to take his mementos of his previous life with him and bury them underneath an Aelder tree.¡± ¡°His commander, Knight, was saddened to see Farmer leave, but wished him well.¡± The mana kept narrating the Bard¡¯s words, showing a scene of a ridiculously muscled armored man next to a small child waving goodbye. ¡°Farmer left to find a new home, even taking comfort with a night maiden to help ease the sorrow he still felt, but eventually found a village and a wife to help him feel joy once more.¡± The scene split, depicting the night maiden growing pregnant in one, and Farmer¡¯s wife growing pregnant in the other. ¡°Time passed, and soon Farmer¡¯s first son was born; Spartan.¡± The mana shifted to show the night maiden handing her child to a town guard, giving her child a single kiss before vanishing into a puff of air. ¡°Then his second son was born; Farmboy. The child brought great joy to Farmer, for Farmboy had the voice of a bard, and the dancing feet of an inner-ring noble.¡± The booth¡¯s occupants and I let out a few snickers, and I whispered to Seleyna to answer her question about if my father was even a soldier. The show continued, taking time to explain how Spartan became a ward of the Queen, how the Queen gave birth to a daughter of her own, and how Aelder himself enjoyed watching Farmboy sing and dance underneath his tree. New scenes depicting Spartan meeting Princess the first time during a visit from the Queen, another showing Farmboy growing tired of always singing and dancing and wanting to explore, and of Princess being told by an old crone that she¡¯ll know that she has met her true love when a boy makes her smile for the first time. Tensions built when Spartan was tasked with protecting Princess, and how he grew upset over seeing Princess in a constant gloomy mood. Princess was told by her mother that she would someday have to marry, even if her husband failed to make her smile, and Farmboy got into trouble after Farmer caught him leaving the protection of the Aelder tree to explore. ¡°Farmboy grew upset, sitting underneath the Aelder tree, and wished that he could learn magic. That way he¡¯d be forced to leave the village, and even have the strength to defend himself as he explored the world. Aelder, however, wasn¡¯t happy. He demanded that Farmboy stay so he could watch him sing and dance, but when Farmboy refused to do either ever again, Aelder decided to compromise.¡± ¡°Aelder disguised themselves as their father Apheros using the magic that Ignitious taught him, and shouted to the north, ¡®Hooded One, if only you were here, I think I may finally be ready to wed thee.¡¯¡± The Shadow Mana conjured a massive figure that took up nearly the entire stage, garnering the bard some cheers and applause from the audience. ¡°The Hooded One appeared, but grew angry when Aelder dropped their disguise, ¡®Foolish child. Why do you deceive me?¡¯ Aelder laughed, ¡®Because I need your domain to help make a deal with Farmboy.¡¯¡± ¡°The Hooded One spoke to Farmboy, ¡®Magic comes with a price, and my Domain of Commitment requires payment for rendered services.¡¯ Farmboy thought for a long while, but eventually offered his ability to dance as payment. Aelder offered to craft a tool to teach Farmboy magic, and after both parties agreed, had The Hooded One use her domain to formalize the contract.¡± ¡°The broken weapons that Farmer buried were brought together to create a halberd for Farmboy. A spear¡¯s tip to instruct him in the might of the humans, an axe¡¯s edge to teach the awareness of the elves, and a hammer¡¯s head to impart the intelligence of the dwarves. Farmboy took the fused together weapon, and felt his spirit cleave so that he could part with his ability to dance.¡± ¡°With the deal completed, The Hooded One turned to Aelder, ¡®I know your father fears my domains of Ice and Death, but remind him that he will someday join me, it¡¯s only a matter of when.¡¯ The Hooded One vanished, and Aelder prepared to do as well, but whispered into Farmboy¡¯s ear, ¡®Don¡¯t let her fool you, the domain Apheros is most afraid of is her Domain of Commitment.¡¯¡± The rest of the play followed close to what really happened, though I¡¯m not sure if Reidar was taught to dance by a ¡°mysterious old man¡±, plus there was one major artistic flourish at the end. ¡°Princess held hands with Spartan on the dance floor, her eyes closed so she could focus on the dulcet voice of Farmboy and the steady steps of Spartan¡¯s feet, then felt something strange happen to her. She began to smile for the first time.¡± Chapter 33 - Enchanting Tales and Weapons I¡¯ll probably anger some of you dwarves and elves with this next chapter, but I think it¡¯s important that you accept reality and recognize why it is that your fellow countrymen may suddenly stop attending weekly church services. In typical human fashion, they have drug us into their nonsense. As if the insanity of creating a giant lure to draw in the bulk of the migrating monsters every spring wasn¡¯t enough, their culture has begun to infect us with their madness, case in point; The Reforged Church of Adamanrion. Northman humans have an interesting tale about how they built their first fortified keeps. Apparently they didn¡¯t build the first one, and instead there¡¯s an oratory tradition about how a group of hunters met their first god. Hunter Tobias and his wife Bente were desperate. Their lodge was destroyed by a behemoth, putting not only them, but their entire family of twelve dozen at risk of starving over the winter, making it nigh impossible to ward off the first wave of the Spring Flood. They knew that the monsters rarely scaled the eastern mountains, so they took a chance, and risked trying to escape the Valley of Monsters. What awaited them on their arduous journey was many trials, but when things seemed the direst after Tobias was injured, a miracle happened. Before them, built into the crevasse between two mountains, was a stone keep. It had tall sturdy walls that angled outwards with crenelations, narrow slits to allow one to see out of, and an entrance with four open gates. The humans marveled at the construction, they had tried to build such structures before, but the short summers and immensity of such a project made it unfeasible. There was also the fact that it looked as if the nearby rocks had melted into the structure. How did they carve the stone so effortlessly? They entered the keep, wary of what they may find, and for good reason; it wasn¡¯t empty. Inside stood a figure covered from head to toe in steel who nodded to the approaching hunters. ¡°You have journeyed far and endured many hardships. I¡¯ve heard the prayers you whisper, but I must warn you, ¡®the tallest peaks are on this side, and the only path through has long been eroded.¡¯¡± Bente held her husband as he began to weep, there was no way he¡¯d survive the journey across the mountains. She turned to the armored stranger, ¡°What would we have to give to remain here?¡± The sound of laughter echoed throughout the keep, emanating from the walking suit of armor, ¡°How about you keep me company? It¡¯s been many, many years since I last¡­¡± The figure drifted off, then reached up with trembling hands to remove their helmet. Underneath was a heavily scarred face, any hair was shaved or burnt off, one eye refused to open, and the other was leaving a long stream of tears. The Northmen gasped, both out of fear and amazement. They thought that they had fallen on hard times, but¡­ Bente approached the scarred figure, setting a hand on shoulders that seemed to tremble with the weight they carried despite their broadness, ¡°We¡¯d be honored. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Adamanrion.¡± How are the orthodox churches supposed to compete with stories like those? The gods aren¡¯t infallible or almighty? They¡¯re flawed creatures just like us? This goes against everything that you may have been taught at church. It amazes me sometimes that we never went to war with the humans. Dengril was nearly executed for their heresy, instead merely banished from every bunker. How many dwarves and elves see the familial way humans treat their gods and ask, ¡°What if they¡¯re right?¡± --- Arc Wow, they really upped the production values for tonight¡¯s show! Even the Commandos hidden in upper balconies (one of whom was showing off by dangling from the ceiling via a rope wrapped around her leg with a loaded crossbow) got distracted from time to time. I should really practice more with Light and Shadow Mana, I personally never found much use for it, but there¡¯s a lot of untapped utility there that the bard showed tonight. Heck, they barely even created any formations, just shaped the already visible mana into whatever form they wanted. Travis and his friends seemed to enjoy the show, though there were a few complaints¡­ ¡°What! You can¡¯t just end it there. Who does Princess choose? Do Spartan and Farmboy ever discover they¡¯re brothers? And why didn¡¯t Guard ask Hunter to marry him?¡± an angry Jethro, Jakob and Xruul protested, much to the delight of Seleyna and the others. Travis gave my pommel a scratch, ¡°I don¡¯t recall Lancel and Trent having that kind of relationship¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, I know Lancel would go to Lakewell as part of his regular guard duties and uh¡­ practice one of Apheros¡¯ tenets, but I don¡¯t think they were involved in any way.¡± Bridget leaned in to address Travis and his two guests, ¡°So, what was the biggest inaccuracy?¡± Travis spoke first, ¡°Pretty much everything involving my dad. My great-grandfather was one of the founders of my village, and the farm has been in the family since. Also, my dad taught me how to sing, and he¡¯s much more talented than me.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re not denying that a god gifted you a weapon to teach you magic?¡± Jakob goaded Travis. ¡°Well, having my ability to dance taken away is much less embarrassing than the reality.¡± That got some laughs and once the group quieted down, Seleyna went next, ¡°For me it was the ¡®not smiling¡¯ bit of my character, but I guess I shouldn¡¯t complain too much about my depiction.¡± Asher spoke, startling a few who forgot he was there, ¡°True, this play is much more flattering than the ones your mother inspired.¡± Travis turned to Seleyna, ¡°It¡¯s normal for royalty to be depicted in plays?¡± ¡°Yes, though they usually aren¡¯t too unkind. My mother is one of the exceptions, since there was a scandalous incident involving her, that inspired quite a few bards to create romantic tragedies based on the event.¡± Reidar gave an affirmative grunt, ¡°As part of my cultural studies, my class was ordered to analyze the differences between the plays and what actually happened when Spartan Menelaus killed Young Master Paris. One of the purposes was to teach the importance of how making hasty actions could lead to political ramifications.¡± Asher scowled, ¡°The kid wasn¡¯t even doing anything inappropriate, just sneaking into the princess¡¯ bedchambers so the two could talk without having a dozen guards looming over them. But of course, false rumors began to spread.¡± Seleyna sighed, then glanced back towards Reidar with a smile, ¡°What was the biggest inaccuracy for you?¡± Reidar lowered his gaze to think, ¡°Not sure, I guess being Travis¡¯ half-brother?¡± Adrian leaned in, ¡°Oh, were you not dropped off as a baby?¡± ¡°No, I was. My oldest memories are from getting assigned to my first squad at five. To be honest, I¡¯ve never actually checked to see if there¡¯s a record of who my parents are.¡± Uff-da, I just realized. There¡¯s a non-zero chance Reidar¡¯s dad is the Paladin that visited Travis¡¯ village¡­ ¡°What about falling in love with me at first sight when you were a child?¡± Seleyna teased. Reidar, finally looking like a normal embarrassed teen, stuttered out a response, ¡°Umm, I did meet you once as a child¡­ As part of your mother¡¯s decree for more education in the arts amongst us Spartans, I was ordered to participate in a Winter Solstice play that was attended by the royal family.¡± Seleyna¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°I remember that. Mom had us compliment everyone on their performance and even give a small gift. Who did you play?¡± ¡°Northman Hunter number five.¡± That got a few stifled chuckles and smirks from the booth, which gave an approaching elderly man and Norvin the Shadowweaver an opening to approach the group. The two bowed and the elderly man spoke first, ¡°Princess Seleyna, thank you for gracing my establishment with your presence.¡± He turned to face Jethro, ¡°And to you as well Young Master Bradshaw. Choosing to host the Princess here brings great pride to this old man.¡± Princess Seleyna nodded to the owner, ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure, I hope I didn¡¯t overburden you with my presence.¡± The old man waved off the concern, ¡°I¡¯ve been hosting innermost ring nobles and royalty for years now, heck I had nearly all of the preparations done within three hours, and that was because I had to prep this old man.¡± He gestured to the nervous bard, ¡°Norvin here just about had a panic attack when I told him that you and the others were coming to see your likeness depicted on stage.¡± Norvin nodded their head, ¡°You certainly did. I¡¯ll admit it¡¯s been terrifying. I hope you enjoyed my performance, and if there is anything egregious with my depictions, please let me know. I¡¯ve been approached to expand venues and performance types, so I will need to finalize my script soon.¡± Seleyna smiled, ¡°My only requested change would be to have it be the Princess¡¯ idea to go to Farmboy¡¯s party. I know having the Queen send her is accurate to reality, but it would provide Princess with more agency.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind changing that, the dramatic twist at the end would hit much harder.¡± Novrin twitched their long ears, ¡°Oh, I can include a comedic beat where the Queen immediately agrees, that would help stress the worry Princess has when making decisions.¡± Seleyna stifled a chuckle, ¡°Nothing says you¡¯re walking into your own trap like your parents immediately agreeing to your plan.¡± The bard pulled out a notepad and wrote down the suggestion, then looked back up, ¡°Any other changes?¡± Reidar leaned forward, ¡°The fight in Farmboy¡¯s village is the only action piece, a second one should be included in the second half.¡± Norvin nodded along, ¡°True, true¡­ my problem has been trying to find where to add one in.¡± Reidar rubbed his chin, ¡°Perhaps have Spartan challenge Farmboy to a duel during the first party? Spartans take offense to false claims of valor, so if he hears Farmboy speaking about how he defended his village, despite the lack of formal training, he¡¯ll assume Farmboy is lying.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that. Makes sense though, you Spartans do worship Torbolt.¡± Norvin scribbled furiously in their notepad, ¡°That¡¯s an excellent idea, when Farmboy holds his own in combat, Spartan¡¯s opinion would change, causing the two rivals to turn into fast friends.¡± They then looked towards Travis, ¡°Any changes you¡¯d like to make?¡± Travis, not expecting to get asked, scratched the back of his head, ¡°Umm, I guess change the weapon from a halberd to a poleaxe?¡± --- The gang eventually departed the Exotic Axe and were walking towards their dorm rooms. Travis and Reidar were talking to Seleyna while Asher kept watch at a respectable distance. Wanting to give Travis a little more privacy, I moved my focus over to the Royal Knight, remembering his odd behavior at the Hopkin¡¯s estate. He had his eyes narrowed at both Travis and Reidar, in what I originally assumed was just a stereotypical protective father¡¯s glare towards a teenage boy flirting with their daughter, but the longer I watched him, the more it looked like he was trying to ponder something in his head. Maybe he¡¯s wondering why Travis invited Seleyna? The group started to break up, first with Jakob and Xruul parting for the senior dormitories, then again when Seleyna had to part for her dorm. ¡°Would you two be so kind as to escort me to my dorm?¡± Travis visibly gulped, ignorant of his friends giving each other scheming looks, but managed to nod his head after seeing Reidar do so without hesitation. The trio begin walking, and after the princess checked to make sure Asher was far enough away, whispered to the two boys, ¡°So, who do you think Princess should choose?¡± Reidar, moving with the emotionless precision of a Swiss Guard, spoke first, ¡°Farmboy. Spartan is ineligible to marry the princess due to the kingdom¡¯s laws.¡± Travis managed to find some confidence ¡°What? No, it should be Spartan, he¡¯s the one that loves Princess. Farmboy just wants to explore.¡± ¡°Spartan will be satisfied knowing that Princess is finally happy.¡± Reidar reassured, locking his eyes on Travis to give a stern look. ¡°Will Princess really be happy if Farmboy is miserable?¡± Travis countered, giving Reidar the stink-eye. Oh, this is too good. And given her amused expression, it looks like Seleyna agrees. ¡°Sounds like the sequel will have to focus on how to resolve the love triangle.¡± She spoke while holding up her hands to prevent an argument from beginning. The trio went silent, until they were before Seleyna¡¯s dorm. Seleyna turned to Reidar, ¡°Thank you for keeping me safe in the arena.¡± She then leaned in to give his cheek a kiss, causing Reidar¡¯s eyes to nearly pop out of his skull. She then turned to Travis, ¡°Thank you for inviting me tonight, I¡¯ll see you on Burnsday?¡± Travis lost his voice but managed a head nod before Seleyna smiled and gave his cheek a kiss too. She then stepped through the door that Asher held open. Travis and Reidar stood there dumbfounded, so I moved my focus through the door to spy on the princess and her bodyguard. ¡°And who do you think Princess should choose?¡± Asher teased. ¡°I think Princess should take the time to actually get to know the two boys before making a decision.¡± Seleyna stopped to direct her gaze at Asher, ¡°I take it you have your own opinion.¡± He nodded, ¡°It won¡¯t be long till your mother declares her new law. If you¡¯re going to make a bid for queen, you¡¯re going to want a reputable husband by your side.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Wait, I thought succession for the crown followed the standard ¡®first-born of the correct gender¡¯ rule? Also, Asher wants her to marry Travis! Seleyna looked just as shocked as me, ¡°Wait, I get mom wanting me to have a positive relationship with the kingdom¡¯s first official Elementalist Mage, but¡­¡± her eyes suddenly narrowed, ¡°hold on, was that entire shadow show your doing?¡± The Royal Knight let out a deep laugh, ¡°I didn¡¯t even have to try very hard, just asked old Barty to keep an eye out for new acts. Your ¡®date¡¯ tonight is the one that did all the real work. Defending his village from some mad witch¡¯s experiment, uncovering that mess with the Neo-Nationalist Jarls, and then causing a ruckus at his own Mages Academy acceptance party.¡± He shook his head, ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t be too surprised, if that boy is who I think he is¡­¡± My focus suddenly gets dragged away, causing Seleyna and Asher to fade into nothing. Dammit Travis. You couldn¡¯t wait a couple more minutes to walk out of range? --- Travis Reidar and I stood there frozen in silence until after what I¡¯m positive must have been minutes. I managed to eventually turn my head towards Reidar and smirked at the sight of him. ¡°Your face is looking a little red.¡± Reidar turned his gaze towards me and lowered his brow, ¡°Yours is too.¡± Our eyes locked into a staring contest, but I broke after only a few seconds, and went into laughter. Reidar grinned with victory, before finally joining me with one of his rare laughs. I reached up to give my friend a shoulder pat, ¡°How about next time we skip the theater show with the princess? I know you¡¯re not a big fan of mucking about with nobles.¡± Reidar smiled, then reached up to return a pat of his own, ¡°It¡¯s much more bearable when you¡¯re there. I know I don¡¯t show it, but I do appreciate you pushing me out of my comfort zone. Storms, if it wasn¡¯t for you, I likely wouldn¡¯t have been allowed to choose my current assignment.¡± I let out an over dramatic groan, ¡°Again with your assignment, just tell me what it is already!¡± Reidar resumed his earlier laugh, then started leading the two of us towards the stables, ¡°My title is Spartan Field Medic, and I¡¯ve been assigned to the Combined Arms Special Extermination Forces. My current duties are to train for deployment this Fall.¡± ¡°Combined Arms? You¡¯ll be working with Knights and Mages then?¡± Reidar nodded, ¡°Commandos too. Watchers and Artificers as well if their kingdoms agree.¡± I raised an eyebrow at him while we entered the multi-story horse stable, ¡°I figured you¡¯d be more comfortable working with other Spartans¡­¡± ¡°I would, but it¡¯s not something I want.¡± He stopped to take a quick breather before making sure no one was in earshot, then leaned in close to me, ¡°You¡¯re the first non-spartan I¡¯ve ever truly felt comfortable enough around to lower my shield. I¡¯d like to feel that way around others as well.¡± I felt my mind go blank from Reidar¡¯s confession and then the telltale twitches in my limbs and tightening of my throat from not knowing how to respond. He must have noticed my discomfort and moved away to speak to the evening stablemaster. ¡°I¡¯m in need of a horse to take me to my assigned barracks.¡± The man behind the counter nodded their head and reached to grab a form, ¡°Want to pay upfront or debit your military account?¡± I stepped up, ¡°Hold on, can you check if 5751054 is free? I added Reidar to his trusted rider list.¡± ¡°Oh, sure. Let me ring him up.¡± The stablemaster swiveled their chair over to a board covered with buttons. Their fingers scanned for the correct number then pressed the one matching my horse. A moment passed, and a bell above the board chimed. ¡°Alright, he¡¯ll be down shortly.¡± Arc finally ended his extended silence with a groan as 5751054 entered the neighboring kiosk and poked his head through. ¡°Hey bud, would you be willing to give my friend Reidar a ride back to his barracks?¡± 5751054 twitched his ears in thought, then nodded his head. The stablemaster nodded as well, ¡°Alright, go get saddled, I¡¯ll get your logbook filled out.¡± He then grabbed the logbook from the nearby shelf and filled out the page. ¡°Just need you to sign here.¡± Reidar filled out the needed paperwork then turned to me, ¡°Thank you, and not just for the free ride.¡± He then held his right hand out for me to grab. I eagerly took it, grasping his forearm and pulling him close so I could wrap my left arm around him in a shield-brother hug. ¡°Anytime.¡± --- I started dragging my feet towards my dorm after Reidar left, ¡°How does he wear armor all day?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that he walks different than everyone else. His armor barely shifts, and it¡¯s like he doesn¡¯t make a single wasted movement with every step.¡± ¡°So different training? Or maybe just a side effect of growing up wearing armor all day?¡± ¡°Sounds likely.¡± ¡°By the way, what¡¯s your issue with 5751054?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like how he¡¯s smarter than a dog.¡± I shook my head, ¡°So is every other horse, they¡¯re called ¡®man¡¯s best friend¡¯ for a reason.¡± ¡°I still disagree on that. It should be dogs.¡± ¡°What? Why dogs? Northmen are the only ones who utilized them fully. And without horses to facilitate the trading of goods between the four tribes, the United Human Kingdom wouldn¡¯t exist.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t trust them.¡± I rolled my eyes and berated my own self for humoring Arc¡¯s insanity once again. I kept walking, this time in silence until finally reaching the door to Drozuk and mine¡¯s room. My orkish roommate was sitting on the couches with Jethro, Mattius and Adrian. ¡°There he is¡­¡± Drozuk gave me a big toothy grin, ¡°How¡¯d the rest of your date go?¡± I scowled as the guys all leaned in with eager faces, ¡°It wasn¡¯t a date.¡± I then turned to go grab my evening robe, but my living room¡¯s intruders refused to be shaken off so easily. Jethro was blocking the bathroom, ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t. Give us the details.¡± I briefly debated slugging Jethro with my fist, but knowing these guys, they might read something outrageous from my action. ¡°Fine. We talked a bit more, then she thanked both me and Reidar before going into her dorm.¡± Adrian raised an eyebrow at me, ¡°That¡¯s it? Not even a traditional kiss on the cheek?¡± ¡°Well, yes¡­ she did¡­ for both of us¡­¡± I stammered, regretting not being upfront now that everyone¡¯s grins were turning devious. Drozuk started laughing, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough guys, lover-boy needs to get to bed. He¡¯s gonna need a fresh head to plan his next move.¡± I groaned as Jethro smiled and left with the other guys, allowing me to finally shower and return to my room. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to throw more cargo into your boat, but are you interested in the princess at all?¡± I slumped onto my bed, ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m more concerned about school.¡± I glanced over at my desk which held a letter from Caldia, ¡°It¡¯d be pretty scummy of me to turn down Caldia then ignore my own reason to pursue someone else.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± Arc paused a brief moment before resuming, ¡°Speaking of Caldia, have you opened her letter?¡± I let out a deep sigh, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Barry said it wasn¡¯t anything bad¡­ or is that what¡¯s worrying you?¡± Not sure how to respond, I stared at the letter for what must have been a full minute, then reached over to open it. To Travis, I want to start by apologizing for not speaking to you properly before you left for school. Unlike me, you were acting in a mature manner, taking the future into account. The two weeks you were at the estate went by fast, and I truly enjoyed the time we got to spend together, so getting told that you¡¯d effectively be gone for the next three years felt like finding a crack in your new shield. It makes sense when I take the time to properly think it over. Between learning magic, going on expeditions in the fall, and then fighting in the Spring Flood, you¡¯ll likely become a different person by the time you graduate. What guarantee is there that I¡¯ll even recognize you? I won¡¯t be able to see your journey in person, only brief glimpses during your limited free time. So, if you¡¯re willing, I¡¯d like to start exchanging letters. I honestly don¡¯t know much about you yet, and for all we know, maybe not pursuing a relationship saved us some potential heartaches. It would certainly be ironic, and not too big of a stretch for my luck, if I was upset over not being able to court a boy I¡¯m not even compatible with. If you¡¯d rather not, I understand, I only ask that we at least act as friends the next time we meet. Caldia Hopkins P.S. Silia misses you and wanted me to send you some of her drawings. I set down the letter and laid down over the sheets of my bed, letting out the building tension I was holding inside. ¡°So, it wasn¡¯t exactly a ¡®Dear John¡¯ letter, more of a ¡®let¡¯s put a hold on things and see if there¡¯s still chemistry after you graduate.¡¯¡± It took me a while to decipher Arc¡¯s word choices, but I think I got the meaning, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to date a girl¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m worried that I¡¯ll fall behind in classes. I don¡¯t have an affinity to help me out with free-casting spells, and I think the only reason I¡¯m keeping ahead of the wave is because I started training at 10 and enrolled late.¡± ¡°Well, I won¡¯t judge you if you decide to date someone. Also, the real reason you¡¯re staying ahead is because you¡¯re working hard, and I¡¯m helping assist. That won¡¯t change anytime soon.¡± Feeling drowsy from my emotional exhaustion, I tucked underneath my sheets and reached out to give Arc a quick scratch in thanks. He started making that satisfied groaning noise again, making me wonder if my friend was secretly a dog. Wait. I shot up, startling Arc as I cast a [Fire Orb] and started going through my notes. I found my list of possible people Arc could be and smiled. That bit about how dogs should be man¡¯s best friend just gave you away Arc. I¡¯ll need to gather more evidence to confirm, but it shouldn¡¯t take me too long. --- Windsday, the 1st of Sixthmonth Whack! My left leg sears in pain, causing my footing to fail, and making me crash shoulder-first into the ground. I roll onto my back while trying to hold in my groan of both pain and embarrassment from my training partner laughing at me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Stumpy? Need a longer quarterstaff? Oh, wait¡­ I forgot; we¡¯re supposed to match our real weapon¡¯s length.¡± The cruel Lakelander girl (hang on, she must be part Packer since she is much taller than me, and her hair is an abnormally light shade of brown) looms overhead and in her ¡°benevolence¡± reaches out a hand for me to grab. I take the offered hand despite my hesitation and allow her to pull me back upright and dust some of the bigger dirt chunks off me. I let out a sigh as I reached to grab the quarterstaff I was sparring with. I guess I should be happy that we weren¡¯t using our real weapons for safety reasons. My opponent shook her head at me, ¡°Who taught you how to fight? The second something goes slightly wrong; you completely fall apart.¡± ¡°My village¡¯s blacksmith taught me a few basic quarterstaff techniques over the winter, but I didn¡¯t get any real instruction until about a month ago from an estate guard.¡± I snorted out a grunt, angry that I was worried about falling behind in spell-craft when I¡¯m already behind in physical combat. The halberd wielder must have noticed my frustration, and gave me a pat on the shoulder pad, ¡°Don¡¯t take it too hard, mana reinforcement removes the strength advantage men have physically over women. Plus, I¡¯ve been training with weapons much longer than you.¡± I nodded my head, trying to let my anger vent, ¡°I suppose you started training right away when you turned fifteen.¡± She smiled, ¡°Actually, I started when I was twelve. One of the perks of being a noble-born is that you get to enroll in one of the capital¡¯s preparatory academies. It was only a couple of hours a day, but it makes a big difference when you become a ward since your grandparent can focus on making sure you trigger your mana consistently.¡± A familiar voice joined our conversation, ¡°You two having a nice chat?¡± We turned in unison to stand at attention before an amused Hector, and my sparring partner responded before I could think of a response, ¡°Sir, I was allowing my partner to recover from a hard blow to his leg.¡± Hector grinned, ¡°I saw that. It¡¯s a shame you weren¡¯t skilled enough to strike one of the armored portions of your training partner.¡± ¡°Oh, she looks pissed¡­¡± Hector turned his head to address me, ¡°Initiate, I¡¯m still constructing a fighting style for your weapon, though I should have something ready for you to start practicing with tomorrow.¡± ¡°Thank you Sir. I will need you to return my poleaxe to my locker before 2 today though, I¡¯ll be taking it to the Quartermaster to get inscribed.¡± Hector nodded, ¡°Make sure you get one for your shield as well, you¡¯ll want easy access to it in case you need to switch to a shield and sword stance.¡± ¡°Will do Sir.¡± --- Arc Travis kept his armor on today, and although he didn¡¯t mention anything, I think he was trying to mimic how Reidar walked as he made his way around campus during break and eventually to the Quartermaster with his poleaxe and shield. ¡°Try remembering how you¡¯d stalk around in the woods to hunt varmints and combine that with the poses you shift into during your stretching routine for morning drill. Reidar spins on his heel whenever he turns and looks ready to lower into a forward shield block when he does.¡± Travis let out an embarrassed cough as he entered the building, then found the beardless attendant, ¡°Initiate Travis, I made an appointment to get my gear inscribed.¡± The dwarf tilted their head to see Travis¡¯ pauldron and nodded, ¡°Follow me. Quartermaster wanted to fit you themselves, threatened to shave any bearded Artificers that even looked at ya.¡± They started chuckling as Travis was led onto a fitting platform. He didn¡¯t have to wait long for the bearded dwarf to enter. ¡°Been waiting all day for you to come in.¡± They said, directing their lustful eyes towards the poleaxe before finally meeting Travis¡¯ eyes, ¡°Your drill instructor almost sent me digging the other day when they came in asking for my opinion on how you might want to enchant or eventually inscribe your weapon.¡± Travis shifted a bit uncomfortably before speaking, ¡°I uh, also wanted to get my shield inscribed with a magnetism inscription.¡± ¡°Right, right, I¡¯ll grab ya a new shield too. First things first, let¡¯s get your backplate mount installed.¡± They stomped down with their foot, causing the platform Travis was standing on to lower into the ground until his upper back was level with the dwarf¡¯s elbows. They then grabbed a wooden plate with Lightning Mana inscriptions from a nearby shelf and riveted it to Travis¡¯ backplate using their bare hands. ¡°There we go, now for the shield¡­¡± I watched closer this time as they reached for where Travis¡¯ nameplate was riveted to his shield, allowing me to see that the dwarf was using tiny Metal enchantments to reshape the soft tube of metal. They pulled the tag off, then rolled the shield over towards the other end of the fitting area. They walked over to a rack holding several shields, pulled one out, slapped the tag on it, and tossed it over to an unprepared Travis. He fumbled, causing the shield to fall onto the granite floor and do that thing where round objects quickly rock back and forth, taking multiple seconds to stop vibrating and go still. His embarrassment went unnoticed as the Quartermaster went over to a different shelf and pulled out a box to carry to a nearby workbench. ¡°Alright, one of these wooden magnets should do the trick, I¡¯d rather you not inscribe your poleaxe until your senior year.¡± The dwarf turned around, awkwardly noticed Travis still sunken into the ground, then raised their hand while chuckling to let the teen out of the hole. I mentally groaned at the mention of ¡°wooden magnets¡±, some of the fantasy stuff in this world I could handle (domesticated manatees being raised like beef cattle along the Philiadra river for example), but others really tested my patience for some reason. I paid attention anyways as I watched Travis assist the Quartermaster in picking out an inscribed shim of wood and bolted it on top of the lowest portion of langets. Travis lifted his weapon, and after focusing for a few breaths, raised the poleaxe overhead and let go on his right hand, causing the weapon to swing down before suddenly stopping. The inscriptions stuck together, causing the weapon to sit at an angle over Travis¡¯ back, the center of the weapon-head even with his right hand. The old dwarf nodded, ¡°How¡¯s it feel?¡± Travis shifted around and took a few steps to check, ¡°Huh, not too bad. I¡¯ll have to practice drawing it.¡± He took notice of his backpack on the ground and frowned, ¡°Wait, how am I¡­?¡± The Quartermaster began to chuckle, ¡°Backpack goes over the two-handed weapon, then the shield goes over top. The inscription on that is on a bearing, so it¡¯ll swing down once you attach it. When you get into combat, press the quick releases on your backpack¡¯s straps, you¡¯re not going to want to fight with all that useless weight on your back anyways.¡± Travis nodded along, putting on his backpack, then attaching his shield. He then walked around in a few circles, ¡°Huh, oddly feels a little more balanced now¡­¡± ¡°Just be careful, that spike end sticks out a way. We can adjust a few armor pieces after some time to balance your weight load, but I¡¯d rather you test it out for a bit before committing.¡± --- Travis Voltsday, the 2nd of Sixthmonth 1-3 Artifice 1 I finished the adjustments on my wireframe lantern artifice, making sure each mana gem was secure and at the right angle. Satisfied with my tinkering, I touched the small plate that connected all the metal wires and focused. Ok, the Metal Mana density in the wire should be high enough to act as a conduit to the Light Gems. Just act as if it¡¯s all one big mana gem. You don¡¯t need to directly touch every bit of crystalized mana in a gem to sync with it. I feel the Metal Mana in the wire amp up to match my internal Fire and Earth Mana, then notice the amount of internal Fire Mana amping up sharply rise as I attune to the Light Mana gems. Durinn sees my lantern light up and approaches, ¡°Looking good. Can you up the brightness?¡± I amp up the attuned crystals, making the [Light Orb] in the center grow in size and luminosity. ¡°Polished. Dim it just a bit¡­ perfect.¡± Durinn raised his head to look up at me, ¡°You should be good to go on Woodsday when we start the basics of enchantment.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I rolled my shoulders to remove the stiffness I picked up from focusing on my project, ¡°Oh, that reminds me, enchantments are basically just spell formations that you maintain on your body or equipment, right?¡± ¡°Yep, it¡¯s why most Knights focus on trying to learn the basics of dwarven spellcasting. They¡¯re easier to maintain and use when engaged in close-range combat, especially if you can cheat a bit and inscribe some of your gear.¡± I nodded my head, ¡°Ok, I think I might have been using a crude one already then.¡± I stepped around the bench so Durinn could see my feet as I created the Earth Mana formations on the soles of my boots. Durinn started chortling, ¡°I¡¯ve seen witches with better mimicry.¡± The bearded then created a spell formation on their boot for me to see. It was composed purely of Earth Mana and had two large arrays (a condensing array on the heel and a repulsion array on the ball of the foot) that seemed to be the main foundation of the spell. ¡°This right here is an [Earth Cleat] spell. When most of the weight on your foot is distributed to the heel, the condensing array gets the majority of the mana, giving you better grip with the ground. When you step forward to the ball of your foot, the mana transfers to the repulsion array, giving your step a nice spring. Every Earth, Metal, and Wood Mage learns this spell during their second semester here. Partly because you¡¯ll need it to ride an [Earth Slide] safely when in combat.¡± I nodded along, taking the time to analyze Durinn¡¯s spell, and didn¡¯t notice them pulling out a notepad to write in, ¡°Here, take this to your Earth Spells instructor, I can¡¯t guarantee they¡¯ll give you the spell diagram early, but they¡¯ll usually honor a recommendation from us T.A.¡¯s.¡± I took the note and gave the Artificer a pat on the shoulder, ¡°Thanks. By the way, you¡¯re coming by again to practice tonight, right?¡± Durinn let out a sigh, ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± I gave them my best grin, ¡°What if I told you that you¡¯d be helping me get some petty revenge on my roommate?¡± Interlude - Reidar, Spartan of the Queen CONFIDENTIAL ¨C Q1 ACCESS REQUIRED ENCRYPTED MESSAGE TRANSCRIPTION LOG AGENT CHARCOAL: Made initial contact with target ¡°Farmboy¡±. He seems like a normal teenage boy. Didn¡¯t show adverse reaction to P3¡¯s acceptance to his party initially, and looked more terrified than annoyed once given information about P3. Will continue observing. CHARCOAL: Finished establishing my cover, have had time to speak with Farmboy. Above average intelligence, is as physically fit as a spartan, and has a mana pool to match. Seems too wise for a teenager his age though. CHARCOAL: Was shown the weapon Farmboy created. Haft is made of Aelderwood and weapon head is a modified halberd. Farmboy was adamant though that the creation was called a poleaxe. Requesting transmission of any previous weapons using that name. RAVEN 2: No record of any weapon named or of type ¡°poleaxe¡±, please provide detailed description when giving written report. CHARCOAL: Witnessed Farmboy take time to play with young child using magic. Used only Orb spells, a crude Earth enchantment, and a Message spell that only transmitted sound. Seemed genuinely happy to do so. Only odd behavior so far of note is apparent inability to dance, or remember names easily. RAVEN 2: Red Feather requests possible identity of Farmboy. CHARCOAL: Unsure, no obvious identity. Currently shows traits of, or connections to, Beaver, Armadillo, Deer, Wolf, and Bison. Will perform additional sweep before returning. CHARCOAL: Found artwork in Farmboy¡¯s room. Clearly displayed, as if to taunt me. Can confirm target is Deer. END OF LOG --- Reidar 3 Days After Travis¡¯ Academy Acceptance Party Reidar stood in the hallway doing his best to not pace. His anxiety had been slowly building over the past month, the long delay in not receiving his next assignment was well out of the norm, and implied that there was a complication on deciding where to place him. He personally was confused as to why; he was ahead of the curve for learning to trigger their mana consciously, got great marks in combat and first aid when assessed, and didn¡¯t have a single demerit on record. ¡®Well, there is that one thing¡­¡¯ The young spartan let out a deep sigh. He¡¯d answered his question; he lacked socialization skills. With the ever-growing number of knights and mages each year, the need for improved inter-forces cooperation and communication was needed. The current Queen even ordered the inclusion of arts, etiquette, and other activities to help ¡°normalize¡± the Spartans after a few deadly incidents were caused due to culture clashes. Reidar¡¯s inability to quickly relax and drop the formalities around someone new wouldn¡¯t have been an issue under a former queen. In fact, some would have preferred his constant military professionalism that only disappeared when sitting down with his first squad for dinner. But that was a previous era, and he simply didn¡¯t fit in to the mold of what a current spartan should be. It wasn¡¯t like he did it intentionally or hid himself in his room to prevent social interactions, he just found it difficult to warm up to someone new. It had been that way since he was little. He had no problem playing with his own squad, but he always preferred them over the other kids. His problem grew worse as he got older though, especially in recent years, now that the possibility of dating someone was a reality. During the last spartan-only social event he attended right after he turned 18, it felt like he had to constantly swim upriver the entire night. Everyone else had no problems talking to each other, or in some cases getting intimate and then wandering off together. He did get approached by a few people, likely assuming he was only nervous, but he just couldn¡¯t set his shield down when they tried to get ¡°closer¡±. The infuriating part was that he did want to, he just couldn¡¯t¡­ it didn¡¯t feel¡­ Reidar leaked out a small groan. He once spent half an hour struggling to describe it to his squad leader for life Braxton (or his ¡°dad¡± as some non-Spartans like to call), but after finally exhausting himself from venting his frustration, the only thing Braxton did was pat him on the shoulder and say, ¡°A lot of boys like girls, some prefer other boys, some like both, and a few don¡¯t like any. What¡¯s important is that you find someone that you trust and feel comfortable around, after that, it should hopefully work itself out.¡± It was the first time he had ever wanted to strike Braxton in anger. The sound of an opening door pulled him out of his mind, and a decorated officer from the logistics corps stepped out, ¡°Reidar? We¡¯re ready for you now.¡± Ok, time to face the stampede. Reidar nodded to confirm, then carefully marched into the room, stepping both gently to reduce the noise of his clanking armor and firmly to ensure a proper fighting stance. He stopped before the table of officers, aligning himself with the center figure, then performed the same United Human Kingdom¡¯s salute that he¡¯d been executing since he was five. Left arm held to the chest in a 90-degree angle while making a fist, then right forearm overlapping in front, right hand in a fist since he was greeting fellow military. He then stood at attention, the only visible movements from him were the subtle shift from one foot to the other to allow a quick reaction speed, and his eyes making a quick scan of the table¡¯s occupants. On the far left was his primary drill instructor, Spartan Major Aarav. Next was one of his magic instructors, Master Wood Mage Dorcas. In the middle was a person that would make him shiver down to his boots had he not been trained in military decorum, Spartan General Zadock, one of the second highest ranking Spartans in the kingdom. To his right was a Brigadier General from the Logistics Corps that Reidar didn¡¯t recognize. Then someone the young spartan had personally worked with during the flood, Major Medic Amabilis Sartre. She snuck Reidar a smile when his eyes met hers, but he remained professional as he took in the people seated off to the side of the room. Braxton was in the front row along with a couple of his squad siblings. There was also a Royal Knight, a Commando, and a half dozen other Spartans and Logistic Corps members. Reidar¡¯s breathing remained steady, his posture perfect, and his outward demeanor completely stoic. Internally though, he wanted to panic, he wanted to scream, he wanted to escape whatever twisted nightmare he¡¯d stepped into, because there was absolutely no reason for this many high-ranking officers to be present for a mere assignment of duties ceremony. General Zadock broke the silence, ¡°Junior Spartan Reidar. Title earned this Secondmonth with top marks in shields, one-handed weapons, snares, wilderness survival, and field medicine. During the recent Spring Flood, reported to Major Medic Amabilis Sartre as a surgery assistant and orderly for high danger patients. Recently applied to specialize in Wood Mana. Currently no job assignment.¡± He looked up from the paper he read off, ¡°Any corrections to be made?¡± ¡°No Sir.¡± General Zadock nodded his head, then turned to receive a nod from each officer at the table, ¡°At ease Spartan. For the remainder of this hearing, you are allowed, and even encouraged, to speak freely. Nothing you state will negatively impact your career, we only ask that you be honest with your words and generally respectful, but should you feel the need, go right ahead and insult anyone in this room. Even me.¡± ¡®What is going on? Hearing? Did I do something wrong?¡¯ The Four Crownwork General motioned to one of the small piles of folders in front of him and the Brigadier General, ¡°It¡¯s not uncommon for different departments to compete over a talented soldier. However, the number of job offers for you has grown to an unprecedented amount in the last few days. The purpose of this hearing is to receive your input on determining your next assignment.¡± The Brigadier General spoke next, ¡°Are there any concerns or questions you¡¯d like to bring forth before we begin?¡± Reidar¡¯s mind raced, but his outward composure remained steady, he had dozens of questions forming now, and knew that despite his training, there was a limit to how long he could remain steadfast before the pressure made him buckle. He decided on his question and began by making a showing of looking around at all the people in the room, ¡°This seems quite out of the ordinary.¡± Stifled chuckles leaked out of the crowd of witnesses and even General Zadock gave one of his rare grins. He patted the stack of folders closest to him, ¡°You¡¯re quite correct, normally an assignment of duties for a Junior Spartan can be done by someone as low ranked as a Captain if none of the specialized divisions submit job offers, or by a Brigadier General if there is one, but one of your offers requires my authority in particular.¡± The Brigadier General turned to the old Spartan, ¡°Perhaps it would be best to get Spartan Reidar¡¯s unbiased thoughts before he hears his offers?¡± General Zadock nodded, ¡°Agreed.¡± He turned to a page in Reidar¡¯s file and faced the young Spartan, ¡°To start, your request to specialize in Wood Mana has been approved.¡± he made a small grunt of amusement, ¡°It looks like you were having difficulties keeping to regulation mana distribution. Can¡¯t say that I¡¯ve seen an affinity fight to stay active in a recruit before.¡± Wood Mage Dorcas leaned in, ¡°It¡¯s a recent discovery we¡¯ve noticed now that we¡¯re able to expand mana distribution testing. Reidar here is one of the example cases of fully human Spartan Recruits not having their affinity immediately disappear, and why we¡¯ve been pushing the inclusion of Section 13-C in the Queen¡¯s proposed Armed Forces Integration law.¡± ¡°Can we leave the politics for later?¡± Major Aarav interjected with a scowl, then turned to Reidar, ¡°Reidar, did you enjoy your last assignment?¡± ¡®I was ordered to speak honestly; they¡¯ll take insult if I don¡¯t do so¡­¡¯ ¡°Not at first. I was upset that I wasn¡¯t placed in a regular squad for the Spring Flood, despite turning eighteen, and was placed far behind the defensive line. My opinion did change after working with Major Medic Amabilis Sartre. Witnessing even common foot soldiers become afflicted with Stage 3 mana sickness made me realize how much danger the medical teams put themselves under to provide triage.¡± Amabilis smiled at Reidar, ¡°It was quite the sight seeing you cuss under your breath when securing some of our most violent patients your first day.¡± General Zadock turned to a different page in the file before him, ¡°The Major here gave you high commendations, stating that you not only learned quickly, but became her preferred suture surgeon due to your steady hands and calm attitude.¡± He looked up at Reidar, ¡°Is that something you¡¯d be interested in continuing?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The room remained silent, but upon realizing that Reidar wasn¡¯t going to continue, General Zadock let out an audible sigh, then flipped to a different page in Reidar¡¯s file. ¡°How about we address the duck in the room. Your psych profile has several flags that would normally hinder you from receiving some of these job assignments.¡± He gestured to the pile of folders, ¡°You¡¯re within accepted mental tolerances, and there¡¯s addendums from your therapist stating that you have been actively working on and have shown improvement in some areas, but ¡®has difficulty engaging in casual conversations, even with fellow Spartans¡¯ and ¡®has difficulty forming friendships¡¯ is something most squad leaders aren¡¯t going to want to deal with.¡± Reidar remained still, but the observant in the room could notice that his breathing became unsteady, and that his eyes grew watery. It was what he dreaded going in. Torbolt¡¯s tenet to his followers to show comradery towards each other was ingrained in every spartan. Death and sorrow could come at any time, and a support structure was needed to help cope with the losses that were destined to occur. The table paused to allow Reidar to speak, but after hearing nothing, the Brigadier General decided to fill the silence, ¡°You¡¯re not the first spartan to have this problem and I doubt will be the last. Had you not received any offers, you would have been placed in a long-term general assignment, most likely trade route security. But¡­ an after-action report you filed, describing how you made friends with a newly titled knight and ward, alleviated many of the worries about you.¡± Braxton let out a small groan and even facepalmed while Reidar¡¯s squad siblings fought to hold back laughter. Reidar took notice, confused about the reaction, wasn¡¯t he supposed to file one after every mission? Regardless, he had to make a correction. ¡°Sir, I did not state that we became friends, merely that I spent the night in their company.¡± The Brigadier smiled, ¡°Didn¡¯t you receive an open invitation to visit the knight¡¯s estate, and also a personal invite to the ward¡¯s Mages Academy acceptance party two days later?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well,¡± the Brigadier General chortled out, ¡°if that¡¯s not the sign of a budding friendship, then I clearly don¡¯t know anything.¡± He tilted his head towards the pile of folders in front of him, ¡°Would you like to hear the offers you received?¡± Reidar took a breath and considered the question, but wanted clarification on something first, ¡°Not yet. I would like to know how that single after-action report caused so many offers.¡± ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t just that report,¡± The Brigadier General admitted, ¡°your recently acquired fame caused recruiters to give your file a second glance.¡± Reidar fought back a scowl that tried to penetrate his wall of professionalism. Travis¡¯ stunt certainly made him uncomfortable that night, especially when he enacted his hidden second part, and the disdainful looks he got from the nobles in attendance only compounded the issue. He did enjoy dancing and conversing with the princess, Travis¡¯ setup of making it a mission helped alleviate the gut-wrenching awkwardness, but the entire ordeal completely exhausted him emotionally by the end of the night after his second wind ended. General Zadock pulled the top folder from the pile of job assignments in front of him, ¡°It should be noted that one of these offers was filed a month ago but took some time for initial approval. It¡¯s a unique offer and the reason I¡¯m here.¡± Stolen novel; please report. ¡®A month ago? So, before all of this attention was placed on me?¡¯ ¡°I would like to hear that one first.¡± The old spartan hesitated briefly, but eventually spoke, ¡°This offer is an exemption signed by the Queen, allowing you to enroll at Sigurd the Archmage¡¯s Academy for the Gifted. It would strip you of the title Spartan, replacing it with Initiate Wood Mage, and would replace your benefits and privileges to that of a commoner turned mage.¡± Reidar was left dumbstruck, and it even showed on his face. Major Amabilis was amused at the sight, ¡°I submitted a petition to the Queen on your behalf shortly after the flood. Yes, your bedside manner could use improvement, but your skill as a surgeon and spellcaster far outshines that blemish. You shouldn¡¯t have been prevented from joining the Mage¡¯s Academy just because you¡¯re not a noble or commoner.¡± Wood Mage Dorcas added in, ¡°The coursework shouldn¡¯t be too difficult for you at first. You could probably even skip your first semester, but some of those professors have been teaching longer than I am alive and have far more knowledge tucked away in their heads.¡± Major Aarav grunted to gain the attention of the table, ¡°I don¡¯t like how you¡¯re treating one of my former recruits as a political tool. Spartans have been kept separated from the nobles for a reason. The thought of asking Reidar first never went through your heads, did it?¡± Reidar¡¯s mind was racing, and it felt like the room was beginning to spin as well. ¡®The Queen made an exception for me? I¡¯d be joining Travis at school? Wait, I wouldn¡¯t be a Spartan anymore?¡¯ Reidar trembled at the thought of his last question, he took great pride in his title of Spartan. Would his squad siblings that haven¡¯t yet or failed to obtain it grow angry at him for discarding it? He turned to Braxton and his squad siblings in attendance and fought a losing battle to keep back his tears. The squad leader for life looked crestfallen, but managed to speak, ¡°You¡¯ll always be a member of my squad, not even a god could take that away.¡± Reidar¡¯s squad siblings nodded along with Braxton, giving Reidar the reassurance to accept his new offer. Afterall, how could he say no to the Queen? She went through the hassle of hearing the petition and agreeing to the exemption from the law. It would be a grave insult to the crown to make her effort meaningless. He wasn¡¯t sure why the officers even bothered to bring up that he had other offers. He turned back to General Zadock to receive his assignment, placing his left hand into his pouch of personal belongings, then fumbled past his toy spartan and stamped coin so he could grasp the idol he had received from Travis. He wasn¡¯t sure what he was supposed to do with it, but he could almost feel Travis give one of his calming pats as he rubbed his thumb over the carving of the shield. ¡®Well, on the bright side, I¡¯ll have a friend there. Plus, Burguk will be working there as a chef for his training, so the food should be adequately portioned.¡¯ General Zadock didn¡¯t look happy, ¡°You look upset Reidar. Anything you¡¯d like to share?¡± Reidar stood there trembling, ¡°It would be an insult to the Queen to turn down that offer.¡± General Zadock stood up, holding the offer in hand, ¡°Let¡¯s talk in private.¡± He led the emotional teen over to the corner of the room, then cast [Sound Aura] to block off any sound from coming in or leaving. He placed a hand on Reidar¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Between just you and me, I don¡¯t like this one bit. I¡¯m not against sending Spartans to the Mage¡¯s Academy but stripping off our identity as Spartans reeks of political malfeasance. I¡¯m positive those two mages are going to try and rope you into joining their families the second you step onto campus.¡± Zadock shook his head, ¡°Lazy bastards can¡¯t be bothered to raise their own mages or recruit from the commoners, would rather rob us after we do the hard part.¡± He locked eyes with Reidar, ¡°I need you to be honest with me Spartan, do you want to become a mage? I won¡¯t fault you for wanting to. But you also have other offers, and while yes, you only got them because you danced with a princess, they aren¡¯t asking you to discard your title.¡± ¡°I¡­ I just want to help keep people safe. It¡¯s part of why I chose field medicine. Becoming a noble¡­¡± Reidar¡¯s voice trailed off, no longer having the energy or words to continue. General Zadock smirked, ¡°Is not something you¡¯ve ever wanted or fantasized about.¡± Reidar nodded in agreement. The older spartan pulled away his hand, then held it upright to cast a [Fire Orb], then gestured with the folder in his other hand, ¡°Say the word and I¡¯ll tell the Queen and those scheming nobles to raise their spears in a storm.¡± Reidar gasped, ¡°What? No, you can¡¯t¡­¡± Zadock gave a malevolent grin, ¡°Did you forget that I¡¯m a Four Crownwork General? I¡¯m one of the handful of Spartans that can tell the Queen no.¡± He angled a corner of the folder to the flame and let it catch on fire. Reidar¡¯s eyes widened at the sight, unable to believe what he was seeing, and watched as the folder burned to a complete crisp. Zadock cancelled his Orb spell and studied Reidar¡¯s reaction, ¡°How do you feel?¡± Reidar felt his mind cycle through multiple emotions before finally settling down. He let out a deep sigh of relief, ¡°Like I no longer have a spear pointed at my back.¡± The General gave the teen a pat on the shoulder, ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a few minutes to freshen up, and we¡¯ll go over the other offers. Luckily for you, that was the only offer we needed a decision on today, so you¡¯ll have a few days to decide.¡± Reidar nodded, then left to go rinse off his face in the washroom. General Zadock sat down in his chair with a content look on his face, ignoring the glares that the two mages were giving him. The Brigadier General leaned into whisper, ¡°I knew you multi-Crownwork Spartan Generals had thick trunks, but I never thought I¡¯d see one burn a missive from the Queen.¡± General Zadock smirked, ¡°I¡¯m not that daft, I burned the copy we were going to give Reidar.¡± The Brigadier General stared at his superior officer for a long moment, then pointed to the stack of folders on front of him, ¡°Umm, are you sure about that? I thought that I had the copies?¡± The old Spartan¡¯s face flipped to one of dread as he hastily reached for the stack in front of the other officer. He grabbed the file in question and cursed upon seeing the lack of a signature at the bottom. ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll find the situation humorous?¡± Zadock groaned. --- Reidar looked up at the massive structure, it reminded him of the homes Ashmen live in, with how practically every surface was covered in plants. The nearby aqueduct brought in a tremendous amount of water that provided irrigation and even a few water features to the landscape, making him almost feel as if he was traversing a forest. He clutched his backpack, then cursed himself for not instead wearing his formal arming jacket that had green identification lines sewn into the wood-fiber fabric. At least it wasn¡¯t Woodsday, the place would no doubt be packed if it was. He took one more breath to calm himself and entered the Church of Apheros through the massive wooden doors. It was much different than the church he went to with his first squad. That one had only limited lighting and didn¡¯t have planter boxes strewn about everywhere. It looked like it did have rooms for people to come seek counseling, but they looked much smaller. Though that made sense, Torbolt¡¯s priests specialized in post combat trauma, and often did group therapy sessions to help people not feel isolated. If he remembered right, Apheros¡¯ priests specialized in marriage counseling. He sadly had no clue where to go and was about to pull out his book before a young woman about his age approached him. ¡°Excuse me, but you wouldn¡¯t happen to be Travis by chance?¡± That raised an eyebrow on Reidar¡¯s face, ¡°No, my name is Reidar, Spartan of the Queen.¡± The brown-haired girl with the braids gave a quick bow, ¡°My apologies sir, I was told to keep an eye out for a young Lakelander.¡± That was a first, most people said he looked more like a Northman, just with brown hair. Although, it was still spring, most Lakelanders wouldn¡¯t have begun to tan yet. ¡°Are you a priest of this church?¡± The girl blushed, and fluttered her green eyes towards the spartan, ¡°No, I¡¯m still only an acolyte. Was there something you needed assistance with? I can get someone to help.¡± ¡°Yes, I need help finding the shrine dedicated to Apheros¡¯ Domain of Protection.¡± ¡°Oh, I can show you the way. Follow me.¡± The two walked further into the church, entering the main hall with the glass ceiling and entrances leading to the altars that were dedicated to the individual tenets of Apheros. The young woman gestured toward the altar, ¡°Here it is. Was there anything else?¡± ¡°No, I will be fine.¡± She bowed, then left the small hall. Reidar let out a breath, then looked to the altar. It was like the carving that Travis had given to him, but much larger and in far more detail. The shield leaning against the trunk of the tree looked a proper size for wielding, had multiple gouges and scrapes etched into it, and the backlighting from a nearby hanging lantern gave it a majestic appearance. He sat down in one of the benches in front of the altar and opened his bag to pull out the folders containing his job offers, the idol Travis had given him, and a book he recently purchased from a kind elven woman at the bookstore. He picked up the book titled, How to Forge a Connection to a New God, and opened to the page he had marked. ¡®Ok, first step is to decide on a tenet that matches the goal that you yourself would like to embody.¡¯ Reidar looked up at the shield, then back down towards the book, ¡®Protection of burgeoning life. Next step is to recite an appropriate prayer to act as the initial handshake with the god you wish to make a connection to.¡¯ Reidar turned to another page that he had marked and was deciding which prayer he was about to speak when a pair of loud voices began to echo in the hall. ¡°Marceles! You old tomcat, it¡¯s been years. What are you doing here in the capital?¡± A middle-aged man in a green robe spoke to an individual wearing heavy plate mail. ¡°Kolen, it has been quite a few years.¡± The grey-haired, but still young and broad shouldered Lakelander greeted the cleric with a handshake. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not quite sure. The Archbishop called me up, saying it was urgent, but when I get here, I can¡¯t find the old doe or High Paladin Eozen anywhere.¡± ¡°Oh, you have been gone for a long time. Eozen¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°What? What happened?¡± ¡°Oh, you may want to sit for this one, he started shedding about four years ago, finally died over the winter.¡± Marceles stood there mouth a gape, but eventually was able to kick his boat away from the sandbar, ¡°I thought he wasn¡¯t much older than me.¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t, he spent his 60th birthday bedridden from the lack of disease immunity.¡± ¡°But¡­ how? I¡¯ve heard of knights and paladins shedding before they turn 72, but that¡¯s because they were heavily injured or suffered Stage 4 mana sickness and had to be operated on.¡± The cleric shook their head, ¡°The idiot was using mana gems to discharge their mana, wrecked their membrane so bad that it started bleeding mana.¡± Marceles shook his head, ¡°So who¡¯s High Paladin now?¡± ¡°Hawthorn, for now.¡± ¡°That idiot?! Wait, what do you mean ¡®for now?¡¯¡± Kolen began to chuckle, ¡°Well, that ¡®idiot¡¯ got not just us, but every single church representative banned from entering the Mage¡¯s Academy¡¯s grounds. And from the sounds of it, might be causing a ripple effect. I¡¯ve heard rumors that the church has been receiving fewer event invitations.¡± Marceles scowled, ¡°I told them a dozen years ago to stop that rot. Nobles don¡¯t like having their investments stolen from them.¡± ¡°Then you should have stuck around, instead of having your little hissy fit.¡± the cleric teased. ¡°A good number of us wanted you to take over as High Paladin, but since you were absent, we had to make do.¡± The paladin snarled at Kolen, ¡°It was hardly over something that petty.¡± The cleric put up his hands in surrender, ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to upset you.¡± He put his hands back down once the paladin stopped glaring, ¡°I was about to go get lunch, want to join? I owe you at least a keg¡¯s worth of drinks by now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll join you in a bit, got to say a prayer to the shrine first, haven¡¯t done that yet.¡± The two separated, and the sound of heavy armor-clad footfalls began to approach the altar Reidar was seated in front of. He quickly put his head down, scolding himself for getting so easily distracted, and tried to focus on deciding which prayer to use. Marceles stopped in front of the altar, bowed his head in submission, then turned around to sit on the front bench the opposite side of the aisle. He took notice at the sight of a spartan but kept whatever thoughts he had to himself as the bench groaned from the sudden weight placed on it. He then fumbled around his pouches, eventually finding the idol he carried and held it in his hands while keeping his head bowed. Reidar kept going through the possible prayers he had marked but kept searching as none of them seemed to express what he hoped to convey. ¡®Maybe that one? I¡¯d have to swap father for squad leader and¡­ wait, no, that would make the whole thing nonsensical.¡¯ A scowl finally infiltrated Reidar¡¯s face and he set the book down in a huff. He wasn¡¯t trying to find the right prayer, he was stalling. He closed his eyes; regretting having come here. ¡°Everything all right?¡± Reidar opened his eyes to see the paladin must have noticed his frustration. ¡°I made a mistake in coming here.¡± Reidar spoke, then began to pack his bag, starting with the job offers and book, then stowing the idol. The paladin cocked his head, ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Reidar sighed as he considered the question,¡°I enjoy testing myself in combat, but I prefer having a reason to fight, and thought that maybe since I have a Wood Mana affinity, that Apheros might be a better fit for me than Torbolt, but I don¡¯t think I belong here.¡± A few barks of laughter followed by a deep sigh escaped the armored man, ¡°I feel that way around here too sometimes.¡± He gestured with his hand, ¡°Here, scoot over, I saw you having trouble trying to pick out a prayer, but I can show you a trick that doesn¡¯t require one.¡± The young spartan acquiesced and made room for the over-the-hill aged man who pulled out the idol he had used earlier for prayer. ¡°Do you have an idol? I¡¯ve got an extra if you need.¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Reidar reached into his bag and pulled his idol back out. The paladin whistled, ¡°How¡¯d you manage to get one carved out of Aelderwood?¡± ¡°I received it from a friend.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a good friend you got.¡± He wiggled the tiny idol in his hand, ¡°Lot of paladins and clerics like to use elmek horns or ironwood since they can make the idols bigger, but I prefer using bushtail antlers since they can hold a lot more Wood Mana. Yours will do nicely, Aelderwood will hold even more, and will barely leak much over time.¡± The paladin shifted to a comfortable sitting position with the small idol held between his hands and motioned for Reidar to do the same, ¡°Now, what we¡¯re going to do is infuse the idol with Wood Mana, but not in the same way Mages do.¡± He paused, to give a nervous laugh, then leaned into whisper, ¡°Just remembered that I¡¯m not supposed to share this technique with those outside the church. You can keep a secret right?¡± Reidar shifted awkwardly but didn¡¯t get a chance to answer before the paladin continued, ¡°Thought so. Now start by making the thinnest string of Wood Mana that you can manage and burrow it into the idol.¡± Reidar did as instructed, until his line of Wood Mana had gone straight through the middle the long way through the idol. ¡°Good, now send a couple more lines down parallel to it¡­ excellent start. For the next string, go with a thicker strand and wind your mana around the previous strings in a loop tight enough to squeeze them together but not break.¡± The older man watched Reidar carefully bundle the strings of mana together and smiled, ¡°Wow, first try. I think it took me twelve dozen times to get the hang of it. Well, final step is to remove the thicker strand and repeat the process.¡± Reidar turned his head after retracting the thick strand of Wood Mana, ¡°I¡¯ve had relevant training in my field medicine courses, including the use of Wood Mana to suture together open wounds.¡± ¡°This will be good training for you then. I once spent an entire day and night sewing a guy¡¯s leg back on. No way I would have been able to keep concentration that long without learning this technique.¡± The two then focused on their idols, slowly feeding in new strands of Wood Mana, then bundling them together to create a rope of mana strands inside their idols. They kept going for nearly a half hour, until Reidar broke the silence, ¡°I don¡¯t understand, what is the purpose of this?¡± The paladin began to chuckle, ¡°The idea is that by performing a repetitive motion that requires just enough skill and patience that your mind can wander, but not too much, allows you to organize your thoughts and feelings. Since Apheros¡¯ element is Wood Mana, you¡¯ll be able to direct your thoughts towards him easier and focus on the tenet that you wish to emulate.¡± Reidar nodded his head and continued for a few more minutes before suddenly turning back to the paladin, ¡°You said you could get into trouble for teaching me this?¡± ¡°The upper clergy want to keep this technique hidden in the undergrowth, but I¡¯d be genuinely shocked if the dwarven Artificers don¡¯t already know about this technique. It¡¯s a form of inscription that doesn¡¯t require mana gems or dust. If you keep pumping mana into an object and compressing it, you¡¯ll eventually get it to somewhat crystalize. It doesn¡¯t last even remotely as long without constant upkeep, and the initial formation takes a tremendous amount of patience and time to create. We¡¯ve been at it for what, nearly half an hour? I doubt you¡¯re even close to compressing enough mana to create an array line.¡± Reidar looked back down at his idol and gave a grunt of affirmation. The paladin gave the young spartan a pat on the shoulder, then stood up to give his arms a stretch, ¡°Well, I think you¡¯ll be fine on your own now. Although, who knows? Maybe Apheros will help out and give you a blessing.¡± ¡°I read about that, but the text was confusing. What exactly is a blessing?¡± ¡°There are two main types. The first I would describe more as a gift or intervention; these can go unnoticed since the god affects the world around the person receiving it. A child misses getting hit by a carriage due to a wheel breaking, a cook creates a new dish due to a spice container being mislabeled, or maybe some down on her luck woman who writes fanfiction accidentally crashes into a publisher.¡± ¡°The second type are what I consider true blessings. To receive one, you must make a deep and intimate connection to a god. That allows the god to let you access a sliver of their domain.¡± Reidar listened with rapt attention, though was slightly annoyed, ¡°That is a much clearer definition than the one in my book.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re not supposed to tell anyone. Otherwise, the public might discover how few actual blessings are given out.¡± He smirked at the teen, ¡°A lot of people ¡®think¡¯ they have received one, but trust me, you¡¯ll know when you get one.¡± The older man gave a nod, then left the hall, leaving Reidar alone once more. He took a few moments to digest the encounter, then reached into his bag to pull out the job offers. He then spent the next few hours compressing mana into his idol, thinking out the pros and cons of each job. He had a variety to choose from. One would place him in a squad of spartans at one of the northernmost watchtowers of the kingdom. Another was from a mixed group of commandos and survival expert spartans that eliminated the monsters attempting to attack the currently under construction canal from Aelder¡¯s Tree Fortress to the southern sea. The process ended up being quite relaxing. The constant threading of mana made him unable to grow too emotional, lest he damage the strings of Wood Mana. Eventually he went over one offer that he initially felt apprehensive about, but after thinking it over with a calm mind, realized that it was perfect for him. It¡¯d be tough, and would challenge him greatly, but if he succeeded¡­ ¡®Well, I think I¡¯ve decided.¡¯ Good choice bud! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll have your back. Reidar dropped the idol he held with a yelp. Chapter 34 - Anatomy Lessons In a previous chapter, I wrote about how Apheros created his domain of Protection but didn¡¯t go into detail on exactly what one was. To start, Domains are divided into three types, Elemental, Greater, and Minor. Only the Greater gods have access to the Elemental and Greater Domains, the reasoning believed to be the prevention of the gods going to war with each other. Minor Domains (for example: the shared one of Healing between Apheros, Ignitious, and a half dozen minor gods) are not as powerful, but as a possible tradeoff, can be shared amongst the Greater and Minor gods. The Elemental Domains are easy enough to understand, since they are associated with a mana type, but what about the loosely defined Greater Domains? When researching initially, I found it hard to get a specific answer. This is, of course, partially because church representatives refuse to give clear and concise answers, but upon collating my notes, I¡¯ve come to the conclusion that it¡¯s because domains aren¡¯t capable of being measured by a scientific or historical standard. To help illustrate my point, let me share the story of how Apheros established his first Greater Domain. Apheros did his best to help calm the mortals as Ignitious excised then burned away the invasive monster tissue that threatened to eat away at the mortal from the inside. Their screams of pain were loud and well warranted, but they still gave appreciative bows of respect and praise once Apheros sutured the open and bleeding wounds back together. He turned to his fellow god after all the mortals¡¯ lives were saved, ¡°Thanks for the help Ignitious.¡± The dark figure, wearing black leather pauldrons that had pure white feathers trimming the underside and a blood red feather lying across the top of each, turned to Apheros after burning away the remaining viscera from their body, ¡°I was able to gather useful data, though I will need to devise a way to prevent the specimens from thrashing about so much in the future.¡± Ignitious tapped their fingers on their chin, ¡°Perhaps a numbing agent of some sorts?¡± Apheros let out a sigh, but managed to smile after seeing the mortals begin to comfort each other, ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you need to lighten up?¡± ¡°My Domain of Fire already encompasses the creation of Light,¡± Ignitious cocked their head, ¡°you should be more than aware of this.¡± Apheros let out a small groan, ¡°It was a joke.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand the purpose of such things.¡± (Author¡¯s Note: This story takes place before Ignitious¡¯ creation of their Trickery Domain. Also, take notice that it was Apheros that created the first pun, and not Ignitious. It angers me whenever I see someone curse Ignitious for unleashing that particular verbal plague.) Apheros shook their head, ¡°Regardless, thanks again. We made a good team.¡± Ignitious nodded along, ¡°Indeed, we¡¯ll have to collaborate in the future. We¡¯ll need to find a different batch of mortals to study though, these ones will be dead by winter.¡± Apheros twisted his head back, eyes and face clearly startled, ¡°What?! But¡­ we healed them¡­¡± Ignitious frowned at their friend, ¡°Quit letting your emotions over these mortals muddle your logical thoughts. Look around, the hoard of monsters already scoured the land and what they didn¡¯t consume was burned away in the fighting. I estimate that they¡¯ll only be able to scavenge enough food for about a month before they begin to starve.¡± The god of Fire watched as Apheros fell to his knees in dread, ¡°Hmm, I did find it odd that you¡¯d knowingly be extending the suffering of these mortals.¡± The god of Nature began tearing up but began to grab from the pouches on their side to pull out seeds. He quickly began planting them in the dirt in exacerbation and started channeling mana into the seeds. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Asked Ignitious in a disdainful tone. ¡°I¡¯m going to grow them a field so they can feed themselves. If they can gather enough food before winter¡ª¡± ¡°They can what? Freeze to death from the lack of shelter?¡± Ignitious scowled, ¡°Quit debasing yourself in front of the mortals. You¡¯re a god, start acting like one for a change.¡± ¡°Be quiet!¡± Apheros barked, focusing on getting his seeds to sprout. ¡°Why? So you can grow a handful of plants enough to maybe feed one mortal? The numbers don¡¯t lie Apheros, you¡¯d need your plants to go to seed over a dozen myriad of times to even come close enough to grow enough food for all the mortals that you just ¡®saved.¡¯¡± Apheros¡¯ started breathing heavy, his vision a complete blur from the welling tears in his eyes. ¡°You may be the god of Nature, Master of Wood Mana, but even your abilities have limits. Now quit groveling in the mud and filth, you can¡¯t just will something into¡ª¡± ¡°I said, BE QUIET!¡± Apheros shouted so loudly that the continent shook. Ignitious stepped back out of fright, then grew panicked as the ground continued to rumble and shake long after the echoes of Apheros voice rang out. The sound of crackling and popping began to join in the cacophony of sounds and they managed to glimpse at a nearby pinecone exploding into a cloud of spores. The god turned back to their friend but could only see a mass of visible verdant green mana emanating from the Nature god and snaking through the topsoil. Ignitious¡¯ looked in awe as plants began to grow at an incredulous speed. Saplings turned to trees, sprouts aged into vegetables, shoots stretched upwards into grass, vines began to spread, branches started to bud¡­ It was too much for the god to comprehend, they couldn¡¯t even see the source of this miracle due to the trees providing shade and the undergrowth covering every available inch of ground. The sounds of screams, however, tore them from their stupor. The mortals that Apheros had gone through so much trouble to save were growing terrified as the rapidly growing forest threatened to swallow them. Knowing that idiot would only do something even more idiotic if they were to perish, Ignitious moved to the center of the mortals and erected a wall of flames to hold back the invasive growth. A long period of time passed. Long enough for the mortals to have fallen asleep and reawaken, but Ignitious remained vigilant, and was eventually rewarded once they no longer felt the constant press of Apheros¡¯ magic combating their own. They lowered the wall of flames, and the gasps from the mortals were numerous enough to drown out Ignitious¡¯ own. A primordial forest of green could be seen, thickly packed with plants, but it wasn¡¯t just that. Birds could be heard chirping, insects flew past buzzing, and even a few deer and other mammals could be heard rutting. Ignitious began to wander, and if it wasn¡¯t for their brilliant mind, they would have been unable to locate Apheros collapsed on the ground. Ignitious looked down, and gave the idiot a few kicks to ensure they were awake, ¡°What did you just do?¡± ¡°I¡­ created a new Domain?¡± Apheros stated in disbelief. ¡°This¡­¡± Ignitious stammered, then looked up to the stars, ¡°This changes everything¡­¡± Yep, you read that right. A god can bend reality itself to their will enough to create a new Domain. Which of course means that what a god can do with their Domain is only dependent on how they define the concept. --- Arc Wind Spells 1 ¨C Spell Range Component I mentally sighed out of boredom during today¡¯s practice, slightly saddened by the fact that even a magical fantasy school could lose its luster after a time. Granted, it didn¡¯t help that they were practicing Messaging spells today, both to transmit voice or allow remote hearing. The latter of course being a component that was useless for me. In fact, an observant person using mana sight could see the spell, ruining the stealthy surveillance that someone might try to perform, making my direct reading of the Air vibrations vastly superior. Well, assuming they aren¡¯t a god and can see my focus floating around. I still don¡¯t know how that works; my mana sight works similar enough to Travis¡¯ since he needs to close his eyes in order to fully engage it. The only difference being that I get a full spherical range unlike his conical vision, though that¡¯s probably in his favor, I imagine his head would throb from the sudden expanse in field of view. My focus however¡­ hmmm¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a spell¡­ I don¡¯t cast it like one¡­ it¡¯s just something I can do instinctually. And since ¡°Addy¡± could see it, that means it¡¯s not just my sword brain processing my spherical vision into something more familiar to me¡­ I kept pondering as I weaved my focus through the kids practicing their spells, eventually making my way back towards Travis after giving up trying to find an answer. ¡°CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?¡± Mattius blared using his [Message] Spell. Oof, reminds me of the first time I taught Travis the spell. ¡°Adjust your input formation to the side of your mouth more, and just speak as if I¡¯m right next to you.¡± Travis coached into Mattius¡¯ [Remote Ear] spell. ¡°Ok, so¡­ more like this?¡± ¡°Much better.¡± Travis gave Mattius, who was on the other side of the range, a thumbs up. The teenage Packer smiled, then looked alarmed, ¡°Heads up, our favorite professor is on a warpath.¡± I spun my focus to better see Professor Quinsandoral looking extra irritated today as he approached each group for corrections. Travis scratched my pommel, ¡°I wonder if people have been pestering him for self-study spells? I found out that we were the only two to get early access to spells, and that he¡¯s normally quite stingy on doing so.¡± Sadly, I couldn¡¯t respond due to everyone having their mana sight active, but Mattius somewhat voiced what I was thinking, ¡°Probably doesn¡¯t help that we both used our spells strategically enough to sway the momentum of our arena matches in our favor.¡± Professor Quinsandoral approached Travis; irritation clearly visible all over him. His breathing was shallow, his balled-up hands were quaking, and his face was akin to someone finding a dog turd on their favorite pair of shoes. ¡°Travis, have you and Mattius gotten the hang of both features of [Message]?¡± The professor spoke in a strained tone. Mattius, possibly not seeing just how angry the professor was, spoke a bit too casually, ¡°I think so, Travis already knew how to output sound, so it didn¡¯t take him long to learn the remote hearing extension to the spell, then help me out.¡± Travis nodded along with Mattius, then gave the elf a big smile, ¡°Before I forget, thank you for the [Air Burst] spell diagram. It helped me out greatly in my recent arena match.¡± ¡°Yes, same here for the [Sand Burst] spell.¡± Ah, smart move Travis. I can see some of the anger vent out of Quinsandoral. The professor shook his head at Travis, ¡°Almost wished I hadn¡¯t. The other teachers have already started teasing that I¡¯ve gone soft.¡± He let out a deep breath, ¡°Well, at least you two appreciate the gifts I give,¡± his voice grew cold, ¡°unlike a certain child¡­¡± Travis began to look uneasy, ¡°Umm, did something happen?¡± Quinsandoral let out a huff, ¡°Oh, something did¡­¡± He peered down at me, ¡°That family heirloom that you carry, would you trade it in for some other common sword?¡± ¡°Heirloom? I thought you said you got your sword from a crazed old man in your village?¡± Travis leaked out a chortle, no doubt able to hear the mental curses that I was sending at him for telling that fib to his friends. ¡°Mattius is correct.¡± Travis patted my pommel, ¡°My family doesn¡¯t have warriors anywhere in my known family tree. I don¡¯t even know where this sword came from.¡± The professor scowled, ¡°Hmm, bad choice of example¡­ How about I ask you two a hypothetical instead? You¡¯re a talented young man, haven¡¯t even turned 60 and are already selected to inherit your uncle¡¯s title and land. Your mother finally convinces your father to allow you to enroll at the UHK¡¯s magic academy early and go through the accelerated program to graduate in three years instead of the usual twelve to fifteen.¡± Travis and Mattius nodded along, though their faces made it obvious that it was difficult to put themselves in such a foreign mindset. Probably didn¡¯t help that Quinsandoral was speaking about an elf. ¡°You perform well in your first semester, scoring high marks in Water and Air spells, and then again your second semester despite adding in Ice spells. But when it suddenly comes time to begin inscribing the two-handed battle axe your father had commissioned for you during your second year, do you honor your father¡¯s expensive investment in your future by wielding the traditional weapon of your people? Or do you pawn it off at a shop so you can wield a god-cursed two-handed shield into combat?!¡± The spell range went dead silent as the professor shouted out his last question. Well, at least until the sound of Mattius laughing over his [Message] spell disturbed the peace. The professor twisted his head sharply downrange, ¡°And what is it that you find so humorous Young Master Tatian?¡± ¡°That if you¡¯re trying to find someone who¡¯ll agree with you, that maybe you should ask someone other than the guy who welded a spear, axe, and hammer together, then called it a weapon.¡± Professor Quinsandoral turned his head back to see Travis¡¯ nervous smile, then shook his head. ¡°Remind me to keep you far away from my son, he might pick up more human insanity.¡± He let out a breath then turned his head downrange, ¡°Young Master Tatian, did you have an actual answer to my question?¡± ¡°Before I answer, I¡¯ll need some clarification, What¡¯s a 60-year-old elf equivalent to in human years?¡± ¡°Roughly¡­ 15-16, I¡¯d say. He hasn¡¯t endured his first cycle yet, so that partially explains the moody attitude, but I don¡¯t recall being nearly as bad as him when I was his age.¡± ¡°Might just be a phase. I know when I turned 15, I refused to let my dad teach me to become a knight at first. It wasn¡¯t until my oldest brother took me on a camping trip and had a heart to heart with me that I finally stopped being so angry at him for ruining my family¡¯s reputation and naming me heir.¡± The elven instructor finally deflated, ¡°Just a phase¡­ Oh, blessed Zephoreas¡­ I hope you¡¯re right.¡± --- Travis 9-11 Group Study The deep baritone voice of a narrating dwarf echoed throughout the quiet wing of the library¡¯s group study area. Admittedly, there were a few sounds of people snickering, but given the book choice, I couldn¡¯t really blame anyone. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Captain Evangeline stood on the command deck of her ship, Two Masts, her pent-up frustration threatening to boil over at the most minor of inconveniences. First her former lover had tried to backstab her in bed, then her bounty had escaped during the night in a storm that nearly left her ship grounded. She tried to calm herself with her breathing and focus on the positives. Her ship was still in fine condition, unlike the one carrying the elven princess, and her entire crew was alive and well, plus one extra that they found unconscious in the water straddling a log.¡± Jethro scribbled down a note and slid it to Bridget, who nodded, then passed it to me. They¡¯re doing surprisingly well. I nodded my head in agreement, then added to the paper: Since they need to focus on reading a foreign text out loud, their awareness of what¡¯s going on is reduced. Plus, if Durinn can manage to read this out loud in a safe environment, their own presentation won¡¯t seem nearly as daunting. Durinn stopped to take a few breaths, then proceeded to continue reading from the romance novel I borrowed from Barry, ¡°Extra being the descriptor for her new crewman Drozuk. His expansive back that rippled with each row of the oars, those strong arms that easily pulled up the anchors, and those large green hands that¡­ Evangeline shook her head to clear her mind of distractions, she had a ship to run, there¡¯d be time for¡­ ¡®venting her frustrations¡¯ later¡­¡± The angry orc with the same name stared daggers at me from across the table as Durinn continued, forcing me to bite my lip so I wouldn¡¯t start laughing. He motioned to have the paper passed to him, then after scratching something down with his pen, slid it towards me. I hate you all¡­ so much¡­ I wrote back but passed it the long ways around the table so everyone could see. Next time, don¡¯t falsely convince everyone that I invited a princess out on a date. Durinn kept reading, their face growing red and words beginning to stumble more as they reached a spicier section, ¡°Drozuk stood in the captain¡¯s quarters¡­ his head aching, but¡­ his (mumbling noise) throbbing¡­ he wished for his torture to end¡­ and that the phantom sealing his memories would relent, because his willpower was quickly fading. He felt the captain¡¯s hand caress¡­ his pectoral¡­ and then slide down¡­ to his¡­¡± The loud sound of a woman clearing her throat interrupted Durinn from their mild torture, though given the bearded¡¯s mortified look, they probably would have preferred to have kept reading. I turned my head to see the head librarian fuming in anger at our table. ¡°Care to explain why you are distracting every student in this wing of my library?¡± Durinn began to breathe heavily and show signs of panicking, so I quickly stood up and moved over to give them a calming pat on the shoulder. I then turned to the angry middle-aged human. ¡°Ma¡¯am, we were helping our friend get over their fear of public speaking by having them read one of our books out loud.¡± The librarian adjusted the glasses on her face, but still held her unamused look, ¡°And the reason you chose to narrate uncensored smut?¡± ¡°I¡­ was¡­ reading the censored version¡­¡± Durinn held the book up with trembling hands. The librarian took the offered book, allowing her to peruse the contents. Her eyes suddenly widened as she read a passage, ¡°Oh, you weren¡¯t lying¡­¡± She flipped to a random section further into the book, ¡°Oh, my!¡± Her head turned sharply to address Bridget, ¡°Young lady, you shouldn¡¯t be rotting your mind with this drivel.¡± Bridget spewed silent curses at me while the librarian set the book down in front of her, not taking notice of her expression as she addressed the group. ¡°Perhaps next time, choose a different genre.¡± I nodded in agreement, then turned to Durinn after the librarian left, ¡°You were doing great, I¡¯m shocked you kept going for so long to be honest.¡± Durinn let out a few deep chuckles, ¡°I think my anger overwhelmed my embarrassment at first, once I realized you didn¡¯t really give me an adventure novel to read. After that, I¡¯ll admit I grew intrigued. You humans really do work differently when it comes time to nest.¡± Hmm¡­ I¡¯m going to have to pick up a book on dwarven and elven anatomy, this is getting annoying¡­ I gave Durinn another shoulder pat, then followed them towards the entrance of the library where the librarian had resumed her station. There were other people behind the counter, but I decided to be brave and approach her. She peered over her glasses with a piercing stare, ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°Yes, I come from a small farming village, so the only thing I know about elves and dwarves is the handful of things taught in the general education curriculum. I never even met a dwarf until enrolling here at the school.¡± The librarian nodded along, then stopped me before continuing, ¡°I know an excellent guide for you to read.¡± She grabbed a book loan form, then filled it out, ¡°Sign here.¡± I did as she asked, then waited as she left the counter to pull from the loaner book section. While I waited, I took notice of the other forms that could be filled out and saw one of them was for hiring a library assistant to gather research materials from not just this library, but the science academy and medical school down the street and also the national archives located just outside the judicial district. Intrigued, and excited over a convenient way to research who Arc was, without him knowing exactly, I grabbed one of the forms. ¡°What are you filling out?¡± ¡°A form to hire a research assistant to grab copies from the national archives. They would have a more complete record detailing the creation of Aelder Creek, including background info on the people who founded it.¡± ¡°Oh, I get it. Maybe Norvin wasn¡¯t too far off the mark, and some retired warrior brought a sword with them. Just buried me high in the tree instead of under it.¡± I grinned, happy that Arc fed a better excuse for me, and hoping that he wouldn¡¯t pick up that I wanted to search for an additional piece of info, ¡°Exactly, I hope you don¡¯t mind me trying to find out how you got stuck in that tree.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t mind, I don¡¯t really have a way to find out by myself. Just let me know what you find.¡± --- Travis Burnsday, the 3rd of Sixthmonth 1-3 Monster Anatomy 1 ¡°Now, this is where things get interesting¡­¡± The High Elf professor was once again bare-chested and covered in the gore of the monster he was dissecting, ¡°Underneath the armored chest of this crushpaw, you can see that despite being 4 hours since this mutated otter died, some of the body¡¯s functions are still continuing.¡± The professor made a shallow cut along an exposed rib, ensuring that the overhead magnifier allowed the whole class to observe as it began to quickly heal. ¡°Make note of how the nearby fat is being consumed as fuel and nutrients for the repairs, this is why ursine and swine type monsters can be particularly hard to defeat in combat.¡± The elf then stood up straight to address the class directly, ¡°Anyone want to guess why we didn¡¯t see the same regenerative properties when we dissected the stone-covered paws?¡± Hmmm, I bet it¡¯s because¡­ I raised my hand to answer, but Bridget beat me and nabbed the teacher¡¯s attention first, ¡°Is it because the chest had a higher concentration of Hybrid Mana instead of Basic Mana?¡± ¡°Correct. Due to its double-moted nature, the Hybrid and Higher Mana types double the amount of mana density in a creature. Which effectively doubles or even quadruples the rate of cellular growth and ensures the formation of cysts.¡± They moved over to where the chest-plate was set aside, then filleted the remaining skin from it to show a pair of glowing orange sacs. ¡°I believe it¡¯s still traditional for young Lakelander Knights to hunt down crushpaws for this kind of bounty to be used as armor or a shield. Though nowadays, they get reforged instead of wearing the monster part as is.¡± I wrote down that anecdote to ask Jethro about later, then double checked my notes to ensure I didn¡¯t forget to jot anything down. Hmmm, Hybrid Mana doubles regeneration speed¡­ wait¡­ I raised my hand to ask a question, ¡°If double-moted mana ensures the eventual formation of cysts, does that mean Wood Mages who suture wounds together using mana are putting their patients at risk?¡± ¡°Ah, a valid concern. We¡¯ll go into further detail next semester when we go over orkish anatomy, but the adaptation that separates us from monsters is what immunizes us from having that happen. That of course being our body¡¯s ability to break down double-moted mana into single-moted mana.¡± I nodded along, writing down the professor¡¯s words as they cleaned the blood off themselves. ¡°I should warn you however, that there are ways to bypass our natural defenses. The simplest being the introduction of live foreign monster tissue to our bodies. There are monsters that¡¯ll attempt to penetrate your body using barbed spines, spores, quills, or even inject live embryos. The foreign tissue doesn¡¯t even need to contain a cyst to cause great bodily harm, since the possibly higher mana density can cause your body¡¯s cells to mutate from the accelerated growth and possibly even turn you into a pseudo-chimera.¡± Our professor stopped to take in our worried looks, ¡°Luckily for you, your mana levels are already high enough to protect you from most of the common threats that could kill a commoner if not removed quickly. And any monster meat procured in the field requires a certified chef to prepare before consumption, so there¡¯s no real risk of becoming a necromancer by accident.¡± A student raised their hand, ¡°I thought necromancers ate people?¡± The High Elf sighed, ¡°In order to become or remain ¡®functional¡¯ and not a rabid beast, an infected person can consume raw flesh from one of the four races to reduce the effects of Stage 3 mana sickness enough to allow ¡®clear¡¯ thinking.¡± They paused to emphasize their next point, ¡°Under no circumstances are you to ever resort to cannibalism. Even cooked flesh can cause minor psychosis and loss of empathic ability if enough is consumed in a short period. There is no known cure, and research in this field is banned in all three kingdoms.¡± --- Bridget and I sat down on a bench outside during break after I snuck into the cafeteria to grab an extra sandwich. ¡°Sure you didn¡¯t want to try a bite?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m good.¡± Bridget waved me off while she compared our notes from class. ¡°Looks like neither of us missed anything. She returned my notes then reached into her bag to pull out a different book. I finished swallowing my current mouthful, ¡°What¡¯re you reading?¡± ¡°I¡¯m applying to enroll in the optional medical track next semester, so I¡¯m doing some preparatory studying so I can start off ahead.¡± ¡°Oh, nice. Are you going to join Reidar at the Medical University for classes?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s enough demand that they do satellite courses here on campus.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be convenient.¡± I bit back into my sandwich, enjoying the blend of deli meats, cheese, veggies, and some weird creamy sauce that had hints of onion, garlic, and I think parsley and a few other herbs added in. Bridget turned to stare at me for a bit, then smirked, ¡°Did your favorite half-orc make that for you?¡± I finished my sandwich, then licked my fingers clean before responding, ¡°Not sure, haven¡¯t run into them for a few days now. Did I remember to tell you he¡¯s Reidar¡¯s squad brother?¡± ¡°No, but Mattius found out when he was talking to Reidar before the show and shared. Do you think he¡¯s avoiding you?¡± ¡°Not sure, Reidar didn¡¯t mention anything¡­ though¡­ he did have lunch with him that day. Maybe something happened?¡± Bridget shrugged her shoulders, and made a teasing grin, ¡°Maybe he got told that you weren¡¯t worth the effort?¡± I scowled at my friend¡¯s and Arc¡¯s following laughter. --- Arc Steelsday, the 4th of Sixthmonth Travis stirred awake a good half-hour before the alarm. ¡°You awake?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Travis sprung out of bed, then began his usual morning stretching routine, letting out the occasional moan of pleasure that I, in absolutely no way at all, found jealous. ¡°You done fondling yourself?¡± Travis twisted to give me the stink eye, ¡°Wake up on the wrong side of the scabbard again?¡± ¡°You know me, I¡¯m not a morning person.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t even sleep¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s irrelevant. Now, what are we spending your short bout of free time on? Your letter to Caldia?¡± Travis visibly debated in his head, ¡°No, let¡¯s work on that over break, I want to try a couple of different tones.¡± I rolled my metaphorical eyes at Travis; the kid was definitely overcomplicating the matter. He must have decided on something else though because he went to grab a book. ¡°A Human¡¯s Guide to Elves and Dwarves ¨C A ¡®How to Guide¡¯ When Interacting with Our Coastal Neighbors¡± He sat down at the desk in his room, then opened the book and scanned the table of contents before turning the pages to a section far into the book. ¡°Unlike the elves, dwarves do not have a set time during the year for mating season. In fact, the need to build a nest by burrowing into the ground can happen at any time once a dwarf reaches maturity. Some dwarves are on record going as many as 60 years before feeling ¡®The Urge¡¯ between cycles, and there¡¯s plenty of instances of younger dwarves immediately going into another cycle after leaving the nest, though this generally only occurs when no children are born from the union.¡± ¡°When feeling ¡®The Urge¡¯ a bearded dwarf will dig a tunnel into the earth and decorate it to attract the attention of a beardless dwarf. Should the beardless dwarf find the display alluring, they will bring an offering that the bearded dwarf can add to their display. If the gift is considered satisfactory, the two (or on rare occasions more if the display attracts enough mates), then seal off the entrance to the nest from the inside. Common gifts include gemstones, stone carvings, potted plants, and kitchen utensils; each one carrying their own meaning.¡± Hmm, that¡¯s definitely a departure from any human courting ritual I¡¯ve witnessed, both in this world and my last, but it¡¯s nothing too crazy, I guess. If I remember right, bowerbirds build colorful nests to attract a female, and the smartest ones are often the most successful. Travis kept reading for a while, stopped to chuckle when the book explained what bringing glassware meant, then shut the book before giving me a rub on my pommel and getting up to get dressed. --- 8-12 Morning Drill Travis did a doubletake, then scratched my pommel after returning from their morning jog and moving to sit down for today¡¯s survival skills lecture, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Adrian be taking today off?¡± ¡°Yeah, I noticed that¡­ His private tutor looked confused at first too. Want me to keep an eye on him?¡± Travis tapped my pommel to confirm, and after the lecture broke for the usual interval training, I moved my focus over to watch Adrian return to his tutor. The old commando put Adrian through a familiar routine of balance and stability exercises, then forced him into a plank that had his feet rested on the edge of his shield. The commando leaned down, once Adrian was busy focusing on keeping his back straight, then spoke in their gravely tone. ¡°Care to explain why you didn¡¯t join your family for church today?¡± Adrian winced, nearly losing balance, but managed to steady themselves, ¡°My dad is still gone on his current trip¡­ and the thought of talking to my uncle and cousins¡­¡± Adrian¡¯s feet began to spin the shield to one side, but he managed to trigger his mana correctly and power his legs back to the top without losing grip. He took a big breath to calm himself, then finished his thought, ¡°What if¡­ they know? And what if they don¡¯t? Will they¡­¡± Adrian¡¯s arms trembled, causing his mana to amp up unevenly and eventually fall over. The tutor reached a hand down to help Adrian back up, ¡°If they don¡¯t accept you, that¡¯s their problem, not yours.¡± He gave Adrian a small mana-rich food item, then patted him on the shoulder, ¡°You were doing well there, but your lack of focus is harming you.¡± Adrian fidgeted, ¡°I just¡­ can¡¯t get over how my dad was so forward about me being a brothel baby, but never once hinted to me that I was half elf. He didn¡¯t even force me to learn elvish, that was something I begged him to teach me.¡± The commando gave a genuine look of surprise, but quickly remembered his training and instead gave a more subtle head tilt, ¡°You and your dad both know elvish?¡± Adrian ate the treat, then smiled, ¡°It¡¯s how he became so successful. I can only speak it though, and not fluently enough to not pause before each sentence.¡± He shook his head, ¡°I still remember when I first started, and dad told me that there was male, female, or neutral prefixes, then day and night suffixes of just the word ¡®sun¡¯ that you weren¡¯t allowed to mix up. Plus, formal versions when addressing the sun directly or indirectly.¡± The commando nodded along, ¡°I tried to learn it multiple times, but gave up when I couldn¡¯t even accurately copy down a written document.¡± ¡°Yeah, all those tight loops, squiggles, and diacritics¡­ I had to give up the written language because I couldn¡¯t practice while on the convoy wagon.¡± ¡°Hmm, speaking of convoys, you said that your father changed his route after taking you in? I wonder¡­¡± the old commando visibly pondered for a moment, ¡°If you¡¯d like, I can ask one of my old coworkers to look into your situation.¡± Adrian shifted his feet, but eventually nodded to agree, then started to get back into position for another plank before suddenly turning back, ¡°Hey, can I ask you an elf question?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Adrian darted his eyes around, then gestured for his tutor to bring his ear down so he could whisper. The old commando¡¯s daunting presence failed him as he leaked out a chuckle strong enough to make his entire body shake. ¡°Nope, that¡¯s normal. They¡¯re all shaped like that.¡± He gave Adrian a pat on the shoulder, then pulled him in to whisper, ¡°Just a warning, you¡¯ll probably get some weird looks your first time with someone, but I can personally attest that I¡¯ve never had any complaints. Even a few that say they prefer.¡± Adrian let out a big sigh, and was about to end the embrace, but his tutor held him in place to ask a follow-up. ¡°Out of curiosity, do you¡­¡± Adrian smirked, ¡°Nope, daily.¡± The commando nodded, ¡°Suppose you would have noticed something was off otherwise. There was a big incident I think about 30 years ago, when a dozen visibly half-elf spartan recruits were believed to have gone mad during the winter solstice according to their squad-leaders.¡± I pulled my focus away, feeling ashamed for viewing something so private. I decided to make note of the useful info that I had gained, then Messaged Travis before sealing away my memory, ¡°Your friend should be ok, nothing to worry about.¡± --- Travis Rocksday, the 5th of Sixthmonth I went up to the counter with Drozuk to grab my now usual order of snacks for our group study at the spell range. ¡°Travis, right?¡± I nodded and shifted my shoulder patch so the attendant could see it and confirm. They peeked, then went to grab the stack of tied together boxes. Drozuk pulled the boxes from the counter, allowing me to lean and peer in. ¡°Out of curiosity, I¡¯ve noticed that a certain half-orc hasn¡¯t been serving whenever I come by for food.¡± The worker grinned, ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve noticed that as well. Did something embarrassing happen? Trying to get info out of a Spartan is a lost cause.¡± ¡°Not sure, last time I saw him was before he had lunch with his squad-brother.¡± I gave my best mischievous smile, ¡°Could you tell him that I said ¡®hi¡¯?¡± The worker began to chuckle with a touch of malicious intent, ¡°Oh, I will.¡± I turned around to see Drozuk giving me a confused look. ¡°So¡­ wait, are you flirting with him now? Or¡­¡± I let out a groan, then gestured for him to follow. --- Mattius grumbled while practicing moving his [Sand Burst] spell, ¡°I swear, the curriculum at this school is all over the place. No spells week one aside from Auras, then ¡®hurry up and learn Orb and Blast spells¡¯ the second, and now ¡®whoa calm down, we¡¯re about to spend the next three weeks going over theory and maybe learn a few utility spells.¡¯¡± Jethro let out a deep laugh, set the spell diagram he was going over aside, then addressed the group, ¡°It¡¯s intentional. You¡¯ve probably also noticed that the basic training is arranged differently from what your brothers told you.¡± Mattius nodded, ¡°Yeah, they were shocked when I told them we were practicing sword techniques day one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because mages need to be able to defend themselves as soon as possible, not just for our arena fights, but off campus as well. It¡¯s been quite a few years since the last incident, but it¡¯s not unheard of for a student to get attacked by someone who couldn¡¯t get in.¡± That turned a bunch of heads towards Jethro, and even caused my enclosed section of the spell range to go silent. Drozuk tilted his head, ¡°But¡­ why?¡± ¡°Well, consider the following question, how angry would you have been if you didn¡¯t get in? What if your best friend got in, and despite you both making a pact to either both enroll or both reject, they change their minds? How angry would you be then?¡± Drozuk and the rest of us went silent to ponder the question, until he finally turned to look at Jethro with a sad set of eyes, ¡°You¡¯re speaking of a specific incident¡­¡± Jethro nodded, ¡°His statue is the one just inside the front gate.¡± We all kept quiet for a good while in the range, the only loud noise being Mattius¡¯ held spell finally going off. I went to go grab a snack with Drozuk and Adrian and shared a look with the two, ¡°Anything to look forward to in Water Spells 1?¡± Adrian shook his head, ¡°Not unless you want to know what ratio of Earth Mana to add into your spell arrays to draw salt water, murky water, or sludge.¡± I drooped my shoulders, ¡°Really?¡± Drozuk gave my shoulder a pat, then teased in a sarcastic tone, ¡°Cheer up lover-boy, I heard next week we get to learn how to make stuff float.¡± I shook my head, ¡°Why do so many people want to become Water Mages?¡± Drozuk began to chuckle, ¡°You get the safest job during the flood, and even bonus pay if you help with the cleanup.¡± Adrian nodded along, then suddenly had an epiphany, ¡°I just remembered, you said your village only had a small creek nearby, right?¡± I nodded to confirm, which only made him buzz with excitement, ¡°That means you¡¯ve never seen a Water Mage go wake surfing!¡± Chapter 35 - Confessions When it comes to Domains, one thing I¡¯ve noticed is how some of the gods have more than others. Hydraviandor the Ocean goddess, for example, only has two, her Elemental Domain of Water and Greater Domain of Navigation. Titantuin¡¯s church has shrunken to the point that, despite being a dwarven god, I myself had to confirm that he doesn¡¯t even have a known Greater Domain. This is likely the byproduct of the lack of communication between the gods and us. Chosen are the only ones that most churches will allow to contribute to a god¡¯s divine canon, so if a god is not willing to speak much to their instrument, then there¡¯s not much to go off. This has no doubt contributed to the division in some of the churches, especially since the orthodox congregations don¡¯t recognize the existence of minor gods. I do have another hypothesis as to why some gods have more domains though, but I¡¯ll have to inform you about how some of the other gods established their Greater Domains first. I¡¯ll start with Ignitious, since their adoption of Aelder arguably caused their final two Greater Domains to emerge. Aelder was taking a nap underneath his tree, so Apheros was making use of the opportunity to help his friend Ignitious with their latest project. ¡°I can¡¯t sense any meaningful amount of bacteria.¡± The moss covered god turned to Ignitious after setting the barrel down with the others, ¡°You were right, allowing the yeast to ferment long enough would eventually cause them to die off from the lack of sugars.¡± Ignitious smirked, ¡°Of course I was right. Now, let¡¯s begin the distillation process, so I can extract this useful disinfectant they produce as waste.¡± Apheros cocked his head, ¡°Disinfectant? I thought we were making a drink that the mortals could store long term without having to worry about contamination?¡± ¡°Oh, I already deemed those a failure. Any mortal drinking that will mildly poison themselves, causing disruptions with a brain¡¯s communication pathways, making their thoughts muddled and hampering coordination.¡± Apheros turned back to check that his child was still asleep, ¡°Best keep Aelder away from this then, he¡¯s been growing curious lately, so I told him about our project.¡± The god of Fire began to set up the equipment but ceased when they heard Torbolt bellow loudly for Apheros¡¯ head from beyond the horizon. They then gave out a sigh, ¡°It seems Torbolt has recovered from his ¡®condition¡¯. I advise that you stop him from venturing on a warpath to this location. I¡¯d prefer to not restart my experiments due to him destroying everything again.¡± Apheros let out a groan, then moved to comfort a now scared Aelder, ¡°It¡¯s alright little one. I¡¯ll go to Torbolt and get him to calm down.¡± He crouched down to become eye level with the child, ¡°Ignitious will keep an eye on you, so be good while I¡¯m away.¡± The nature god stood back up and approached Ignitious, ¡°He¡¯ll need four meals a day, a nap after the second, and you¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m more than capable of caring for a single mortal.¡± Ignitious snapped. Apheros surrendered, then left to approach the growing storm cloud in the north. Ignitious shook their head, unsure why they bothered associating themself with such an emotional fool and proceeded to begin the distillation process using the glassware that Adamanrion created for them. A tugging sensation was felt on their clothing, and they shifted their ornately feathered pauldron to see Aelder standing beside them. ¡°What¡¯re you making?¡± ¡°Alcohol. It has some interesting properties that I wish to study. For starters, it seems to naturally kill smaller organisms, and has a lower boiling point than water. I believe that teaching mortals like you to use it will help combat monster infections, even for those who cannot command fire.¡± Ignitious pointed to the coiled tubes and the beaker that was collecting the condensing compound and began to explain in simple terms how everything worked, immensely prideful of his new Domain of Science, and how the mortal child watched with fascination while asking questions about the experiment. Well¡­ for a time¡­ ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± Aelder whined, ¡°Can we do something else?¡± Ignitious scowled, they didn¡¯t mind the endless questions to correct the child¡¯s ignorance, but to suddenly lose interest¡­ ¡°I cannot leave this experiment alone. Perhaps find something else to entertain yourself.¡± Aelder pouted but left the god alone to tend to their experiment. He tried to play with the ball Apheros gave him, but without someone to kick or throw it to, he found it boring. He gathered the wooden animals Apheros made him, but without a Nature god¡¯s Wood Mana to animate them, they weren¡¯t exciting either. He finally tried doodling in the mud with a stick and found that to be fun. Especially when he began to draw silly pictures of Apheros and Ignitious. Ignitious was unamused at the artwork when he approached Aelder for their meal, carrying a plate of cooked food and glass mugs of the stored juice Apheros was keeping for the child. Now, what happened next is up for debate from a historian¡¯s perspective, since this story has been told from three different perspectives, and they all differ. Plus, when one of the accounts comes from a god of Trickery and another comes from a minor god of childish mischief, the truth has a difficult time of being objective. Aelder states that after eating, he went to play with his ball again and accidentally kicked it towards the experiment, causing it to erupt in flames. Ignitious claims that Aelder hurt himself, causing them to leave their experiment unattended, and one of the beakers to boil over and catch fire. Apheros, of course, found it suspicious that a god of Fire would be unable to stop a section of the forest from burning down, but was happy to see Aelder and Ignitious having fun together upon his return. Ignitious was smiling as they told the child stories, using their newly formed Domain of Art to depict scenes from the past by using either images burnt into wood, or drawn using the charred remains of the forest. The pictures and doodles the two made were everywhere, and the ones on his barrels of juice ended up being quite useful, since the ones being used for the fermenting process now had warning symbols on them, making it much easier to keep them organized. --- Arc Woodsday, the 6th of Sixthmonth ¡°Morning bud!¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± I watched as Travis got up bright and chipper just like he always does. I wonder if I influenced that trait by helping lull him to sleep almost every night? Our routine of having him count mana clusters seems to work far better than any oscillating fan or white noise machine ever did for making me fall asleep. Travis finished his stretching routine, made his bed, then started to change into his school uniform. He then looked up at the clock in his room and gave an exacerbated laugh. ¡°Guess I still got some time before breakfast¡­¡± ¡°I was actually hoping we¡¯d have a minute to talk. Have you noticed any changes with your blessing?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ to be honest, I keep forgetting that I have one. I don¡¯t feel any different, even when I¡¯m holding you.¡± He turned to give me a guilty smile, ¡°I¡¯ll admit, now that I know you can feel pain, I¡¯ve probably been a bit too eager to make you shut up on occasion.¡± I sent a chuckle to Travis, ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t mind. Makes me feel less like a ghost hovering around you and more like a living and breathing person.¡± Travis relaxed to sit on his bed, right next to where I was leaning against the wall, ¡°What about you? Anything different?¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling your touch more often, but that might just be a side effect of you being aware that I can feel it. I haven¡¯t noticed any significant change in sensitivity either, so I don¡¯t think frequency affects it.¡± An idea creeped into my head, and I casually spoke out my next sentence to not come across as begging, ¡°I would like to make note, however, that your scratches where my cross guard meets the handle are the most pleasurable.¡± Travis raised an eyebrow and grinned, ¡°Really?¡± Then leaned forward to remind me why the queues to reincarnate as a dog or cat were so long. After he finished by giving me a few pats, he leaned back to set his arms on his lap, and tapped his thumbs together while thinking, ¡°Wish I could ask someone from the church about this.¡± ¡°Hmm, not sure who or how you could ask without letting them know about your blessing. And I doubt any church officials would want to share their secrets so freely with a random teenager. Doubly so if they¡¯re using him as a scapegoat for why they got banned from entering campus grounds.¡± Travis nodded along, ¡°I could try researching, but I¡¯m not sure if I could find anything useful unless I had access to the church¡¯s archives.¡± ¡°Yeah, Father Viburnum didn¡¯t mind you browsing his library, but he wouldn¡¯t be in possession of anything considered confidential.¡± ¡°I guess we¡¯re on our own for now.¡± ¡°About that¡­ have you considered introducing me to any of your friends?¡± Travis twiddled his thumbs and clenched his teeth, ¡°I have¡­, but I¡¯m not sure how much I trust everyone. The only person I think I¡¯d be willing to right now is Lancel since I¡¯ve known him the longest.¡± ¡°It is a big confession to make, especially when there¡¯s no immediate need to do so. I¡¯ll trust your judgement, but I will share my honest opinion on someone if you¡¯re on the fence.¡± Travis gave a nod, then stood up to taunt me once more, giving himself one final stretch and groan before clipping me to his belt. He gave my pommel a pat, then leaked a tense grin, ¡°Still want me to leave you here when I go to church? I¡¯m sure a change of scenery would be nice for you.¡± I moved in my focus to read his abnormal expression better, allowing me to guess his real reason for wanting me to come. ¡°I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m not as hesitant now, so if you want, I¡¯ll come. Do you think I¡¯ll get to see that cute girl that left you tongue-tied last week?¡± Travis gulped, but managed to croak out, ¡°Not sure.¡± He then moved to his desk to grab a few things, including the multiple drafts he was composing for Caldia. My friend was ripe for further teasing about his girl problems, but I figured he had endured enough stress before breakfast. He finished packing, then stepped into his living room to greet Drozuk. I let out a mental sigh. I still need to tell Travis about my encounter with Adamanrion, although it might be best if I wait, he already has enough things to worry about. Plus, I¡¯m still completely in the dark about what the rules are in this universe when it comes to interacting with the physical plane of existence. I¡¯m most likely operating in a legally gray area, since I¡¯m a trapped spirit capable of direct conversation, and if I¡¯m not careful, I¡¯ll probably end up angering the local God. --- Travis Jethro and I finished eating breakfast, and after we reported to the knight that we¡¯d be going to church, I turned to him, ¡°I¡¯m just going to wear my uniform today. That should be fancy enough to join your family right? I¡¯m pretty sure I saw other students seated in the noble¡¯s section of the pews.¡± Jethro looked flummoxed by my sudden statement, ¡°Umm, yeah¡­ I guess. Just, uh¡­ let me¡­ umm, get changed.¡± Jethro led me to his dorm, which after a quick scan, looked almost identical to mine, only with the bathroom on the opposite wall. I sat down in one of the adjustable couches while I waited for Jethro to change. He was taking his time, so I decided to pull out the different letters that I was drafting for Caldia and started to read through them again. Arc began to groan again in annoyance, but I wanted to make sure that I didn¡¯t come across as cold, or too friendly, or too flirty, or too¡­ ¡°Oh, for¡­ stop obsessing, and just write out a simple reply! The longer you take to respond, the more stressed out both you and Caldia will become.¡± The longer I take? Oh, rot! It¡¯s been over a week since Barry delivered her letter. Will she be mad? Or think I¡¯ve outright rejected her? Or¡­ simply don¡¯t care? My breathing started to grow shallow, and I think my peripherals started closing in. I looked down at my letters and watched as my hands began to shake. Rot! None of these will do. I need to start over. Maybe think of a lie to explain my slow response? Ugh, I need help. I looked up towards Jethro¡¯s door and remembered that he has a bunch of sisters. Maybe he¡¯ll know what to do? I moved over to his door and gave it a knock, ¡°Can I come in?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yeah¡­ sure.¡± I slid open his door to step into his room and was immediately bombarded by the amount of clothes piled on the bed and stuffed into the closet. I looked around to see there was also a bare armor stand, a trifold standing mirror, colorful printed paintings of people plastering the walls, and a stack of magazines on the desk. The entire room was a flower garden of color, making mine depressing in comparison. The only decorations in it were the wood burning picture Issac gave me and Silia¡¯s drawing of a squirrel-tailed rabbit with bird wings on its back. ¡°Oh, dear gods and God¡­ Posters! How could I forget! I¡¯m adding those to your shopping list.¡± Forgetting why I came in suddenly, I turned to Jethro, who was obsessing over a pair of jackets. ¡°Maybe this one¡­ no, then the green would clash with the orange on the pants¡­¡± ¡°Umm, Jethro?¡± He startled, then turned, looking embarrassed, ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t decide what to wear.¡± ¡°Ok, we both know he¡¯s stalling right?¡± I gave Arc¡¯s pommel a rub, and spoke with a concerned tone, ¡°Do you not want to go to church?¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Jethro deflated, ¡°Ok, so¡­ I haven¡¯t talked to my family at all since the first week of school. And to be honest, I barely said a word after my sister acted rude to you.¡± I reached out to give Jethro a comforting shoulder pat, ¡°It was hardly the first time I was insulted¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ here¡¯s the thing.¡± Jethro squirmed underneath my hand, ¡°I have four sisters, and since you¡¯re probably going to be the first official human elementalist mage¡­¡± ¡°Ha, you went from Aelder Creek¡¯s most eligible bachelor to the entire human kingdom¡¯s.¡± I let out a groan, not just because of Arc¡¯s comment, but because I remembered now why I came in. I gave Jethro another pat, though it was probably more to reassure myself this time, ¡°It¡¯ll only get worse if you put it off, trust me, I¡¯m suffering a similar problem.¡± Jethro cocked his head at me, ¡°Really?¡± I proceeded to tell Jethro the story about how I met Lancel¡¯s younger sister Caldia and what happened between us since. Jethro nodded along, ¡°So you want to be friends, but don¡¯t want to accidentally spark a romance or seem like you¡¯re only writing back because a spear is pointed at your back?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I let out a deep sigh, ¡°exactly. Should I make up a lie to explain why I haven¡¯t responded for over a week?¡± Jethro returned the shoulder pat, ¡°No, if my sisters have taught me anything, it¡¯s that women always find out. And if they don¡¯t, you¡¯ll just get tempted to lie again. Just be forthright and tell her the truth. You said you wanted to be friends? Well, friends don¡¯t lie to each other.¡± He shook his head, ¡°The guy who didn¡¯t hesitate to ask a princess out on a date is afraid of writing a letter.¡± I scowled, but let out a sigh of relief, ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll try to stop obsessing, and just write her a normal letter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s literally what I told you to do!¡± Ignoring Arc, I looked around at the abundant clothes, ¡°Did you bring your entire closet with you here?¡± Jethro began to chuckle, ¡°No, just a small selection and the articles that I was able to finish without a sewing machine.¡± That was a surprise, ¡°You made all of these?¡± ¡°More like modified them, one of my cousins owns a factory that creates formal uniforms for soldiers, and he taught me how to tailor.¡± I shook my head, ¡°Should have asked you to fix Drozuk¡¯s sleeves, I had to redo one arm twice because I couldn¡¯t get it aligned right.¡± Jethro resumed his earlier laugh, then looked around, ¡°You know, last week I borrowed your clothes, I should return the favor this week.¡± He grabbed a rusty orange shirt and navy-blue doublet, ¡°Here, these will go nice with your brownish-orange hair.¡± --- The noise of the protesters could be heard long before we neared the church. Traffic wasn¡¯t too bad moving in, but it looked like the exit lanes for foot traffic were completely packed with people holding signs and forcing the outgoing lanes for horses and pedestrians to merge. Jethro grabbed a flyer from one of the protesters and shouted towards me, ¡°No wonder it¡¯s so loud. The royalists have set up a counter protest.¡± He handed the flyer over to me so I could read. I read over the arguments in favor of the Queen¡¯s proposed law to place a mage or knight in every fortress while we finished our journey to the church and dismounted our horses. I then put the printed paper in my bag, and turned to Jethro once we cleared much of the noise, ¡°What¡¯s your opinion on this whole thing?¡± Jethro bobbed his head from side to side as we walked towards the entrance of the church, ¡°Well, my family and I are strong royalists but even I¡¯ll admit the new law seems like an overreaction.¡± He turned his head towards me, ¡°If you had the option, would you take a posting in a fortress after graduation?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯d want to tour the entire kingdom at least once first, maybe even visit our coastal neighbors. Honestly, I¡¯m not sure if I can even call myself a proper Lakelander, I¡¯ve never been on anything larger than a canoe.¡± Jethro¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Really? Well, if you don¡¯t get to ride one during your Fall Expedition, I¡¯ll take you to the docks during Solstice. One of my neighbors is ship captain of a gunboat, I bet I could easily convince them to give you a tour.¡± I smiled as we entered the church properly, ¡°Sounds like fun.¡± Jethro smiled back, but it quickly grew strained as he suddenly turned his head, ¡°Be right over Dad.¡± He took a big breath and led me over to a beaming older version of himself. He was slightly taller than his son, had longer hair with grey streaks and the top half pulled back in a ponytail, but his face was nearly identical to Jethro¡¯s, only with a handful of wrinkles. He reached out to tousle Jethro¡¯s hair, ¡°There you are boy. We missed you last week.¡± He then took notice of me, ¡°Who¡¯s your friend?¡± Jethro was looking mortified from the treatment, so I reached out a hand, ¡°Travis, I¡¯m in the same training battalion as Jethro.¡± He raised an eyebrow, then took my hand to give it a shake, ¡°Just Travis?¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t let the fancy clothes your son lent me mislead you. It was only a few months ago that I was cleaning out a barn.¡± The older man let out a chuckle, ¡°Always refreshing to meet a commoner born, keeps us older families from growing too out of touch.¡± His head perked up, ¡°Oh, but where are my manners. I¡¯m Obadiah Bradshaw, Master Wind Mage.¡± He placed a hand on Jethro¡¯s shoulder despite his obvious protest, ¡°You¡¯ve been keeping this one out of trouble?¡± I grinned, having to hold back the number of things I could say to embarrass Jethro, but decided to be kind, ¡°More like he¡¯s been wrangling me. He helped me out greatly one morning after I only got three hours of sleep.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me about it.¡± He looked around at the sudden increase of traffic, ¡°But, maybe after we find our seats.¡± He led us inside, and over to a section of benches on the nobles¡¯ half of the sanctuary. Jethro¡¯s dad immediately began to introduce me to his wife, mother, a few of Jethro¡¯s cousins (including the one who taught him how to sew), then Jethro¡¯s three older sisters and one younger sister. I winked at the red-faced sister that snubbed me a couple of weeks ago, then grabbed one of the hymnals to begin bookmarking this week¡¯s song selections while I made light conversation with the family. Jethro¡¯s dad began to subtly maneuver his daughters into position near me while we talked, but to my surprise, Jethro gave his dad a nudge and whispered into his ear. He gave a grin, then stood to Jethro¡¯s left, allowing me and Jethro to take the end of the row. The conspiracy was blatantly obvious, and I tried to deduce what they were planning, but didn¡¯t get long to ponder before I heard a familiar voice from behind me. ¡°Travis, I didn¡¯t recognize you at first, you¡¯re looking quite dashing today.¡± I gulped, and mentally cursed at the two Bradshaw men, then slowly turned to face the beautiful Sister that I quickly fled from last week. She looked just as lovely, with her green eyes accenting her wavy brown hair, and was smiling brightly at me. I took a big breath and tried to remember the advice Arc gave me. ¡°Thank you, although credit goes to my friend Jethro,¡± I shakily held up my hand to gesture, hoping that the queasiness in my stomach would settle, ¡°he¡¯s the real fashion expert.¡± My traitorous friend leaned forward, ¡°Will you be gracing us with your presence and enchanting voice again today? It was such a treat to hear you and Travis sing together last week.¡± She turned to me, smile still on her face, ¡°If you¡¯re willing to have me.¡± Not wanting to be rude to the Sister of Apheros, and not having a real reason to say no, I scooted closer to Jethro and his dad to make room, ¡°Of course.¡± I looked down at my hymnal so I could open up to the first song, but nearly jumped out of my boots when I felt her press up against me to read from my copy. I closed my eyes to help myself focus my thoughts inward. Why was I so nervous around this girl? Was it because she was so forward? Ingrid made some not-so-subtle passes at me back in the village, but she didn¡¯t elicit such a strong response. I¡¯ll admit Caldia made me nervous at first, but that¡¯s because I thought Lancel was trying to set me up with her to marry, and that faded once I got to know her better. Was it the same thing here? Or simply because I think she¡¯s pretty? I felt her body¡¯s warmth penetrate my jacket and could hear her soft breathing in my ear. I cursed myself for leaving Arc behind, wishing he was here to reassure me that I wasn¡¯t doing anything stupid. I let out a strained sigh, unhappy that I apparently was so dependent on him. Why was I even obsessing over a girl flirting with me? I barely know her and haven¡¯t even been able to remember her name. Plus, I had many more important things to worry about. The girl I was fretting about pulled away, causing me to look towards her and see her concerned expression before she spoke, ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I took in a breath, ¡°Just lamenting the fact that the only thing I know about you is how talented you are as a soprano.¡± I slumped my shoulders to emphasize my next point to hopefully lessen the impending rejection, ¡°It¡¯s a shame, the only chance we¡¯ll ever get to visit will be the short periods before and after church service.¡± The awkward pause while she visibly tried to understand what I said was interrupted by the start of service. --- Today¡¯s service seemed to drag on, partially because the sermon today was about how Apheros first helped teach mortals how to farm crops, but the more likely culprit was the Sister constantly sending me looks and looking more and more uncomfortable. Once the closing hymn was sung, I turned to her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being blunt, but my studies at the Mage¡¯s Academy leave me with very little free time, including pursuing a romantic relationship. If I¡¯m being presumptuous, my apologies, but I don¡¯t want there to be any misunderstandings between us.¡± The Sister of Apheros shifted from foot to foot, but nodded her head, ¡°My apologies, I thought¡­¡± She turned, then started to walk away at a brisk pace. I held up my hand, but my voice failed to form any words, and I lowered it with a regretful sigh. A hand settled on my shoulder, and I turned to see it was Jethro¡¯s dad. ¡°Jethro filled me in on exactly ¡®who¡¯ you are.¡± He gave my shoulder a few pats, ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot of cargo in your boat, finding room for another person may be more trouble than it¡¯s worth.¡± ¡°I still feel like a sack of manure.¡± He gave a few more pats, ¡°Better than a full wagon of it from leading a girl on.¡± Jethro approached, ¡°Sorry Travis, I wasn¡¯t being a good friend there.¡± I reached over to chain the shoulder pats, ¡°It¡¯s alright, you were just trying to be a good wingman.¡± ¡°Wingman?¡± Jethro moved his eyes towards his dad to see if he knew but stared back at me inquisitively once he didn¡¯t get an answer. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you on the way back.¡± I reached to grab my pocket watch to check the time, ¡°Speaking of, I¡¯m betting it will take longer to get back with the protests outside. We should probably get going?¡± Jethro bobbed his head in thought, ¡°Think we can sneak in a quick prayer at the Altar of Protection?¡± I nodded, then said goodbye to Jethro¡¯s family before making our way into the side hall that held the familiar altar of a shield propped up against a tree. It wasn¡¯t too crowded, so we were able to walk up to a spot for kneelers, right next to where a burly paladin in armor was standing. ¡°Need assistance in prayer this day?¡± His words had clearly been repeated dozens of times just this morning, but still managed an enthusiastic cadence. Jethro turned to the silver haired Lakelander, ¡°Yes, we would much appreciate it.¡± The paladin grinned, then moved behind us to set a gauntleted hand on each of our shoulders, ¡°Anything in particular you¡¯d like to focus on?¡± ¡°We¡¯re studying at the Mage¡¯s Academy, so perhaps guidance as we learn to defend the kingdom?¡± Jethro looked to me for confirmation. I nodded in agreement, but noticed that the paladin had stiffened up, and that his hands seemed to quiver. I wonder if he was nervous about the tensions between the school and church? His voice quavered at first, but he eventually spoke in a preacher-like manner, ¡°Blessed Apheros, god of Nature and Protector of Burgeoning Life. Keep these two safe under the shade of your branches and shield, so that they may one day provide protection to the generation that follows them. Keep their bodies strong to endure the rigors of combat, their minds clear to strategize, and senses sharp to react without hesitation. Provide guidance the day these two face the harsh sun, and smile upon them when a new crop sprouts at their feet.¡± He removed his hands, allowing Jethro and I to stand up and turn to face him. He kept darting his eyes between us, clearly looking uncomfortable, and making it click in my head that he probably thought that it was one of us that got the paladins kicked off campus. Feeling bad for the guy, I reached to give the paladin a pat on one of his shoulder pauldrons, ¡°Thank you for the prayer. I know things are tense between the church and academy right now, but I don¡¯t hold any ill will towards the church.¡± He closed his eyes briefly, and must have felt my intention to provide calm, ¡°That¡­ is a relief to hear.¡± I gave him a big smile and another pat, ¡°Thanks again, umm¡­ keep up the good work.¡± I stepped away to leave with Jethro, chastising myself for not thinking of something better to say. --- Marceles stood there in a daze, heart pounding in his chest, and amazed that he remembered to breathe. He didn¡¯t even notice that someone had approached him until they reached out to shake him and asked if they were alright. ¡°Apologies¡­ I, uh, need to go refresh myself¡­¡± He gave the stranger a nod, then exited the hall through a door leading away from the public areas. His footfalls were heavy, his armor felt double in weight, and as he leaned his back against the wall to support himself, he truly felt old for the first time in his life. ¡°That was him¡­ the auburn-haired one¡­¡± Marceles¡¯ felt his lungs struggle to breathe, and he reached into his pouch to grab an idol of Apheros to give his mind something to focus on. Wood Mana began to thread into the carving, and he felt his body relax bit by bit as the bundles of mana were tied together. He stood there for a long while, letting his mind and thoughts finally settle enough to calmly focus on his encounter. ¡°I knew I¡¯d eventually meet him, but¡­¡± He closed his eyes to focus on what was spoken, ¡°No ill will towards the church¡­ and I¡¯m doing good work¡­¡± Elation welled up in him, to the point that his whole body began to quake, and it didn¡¯t take long for tears to well up in his eyes as he remembered the prayer he spoke. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­ I got to¡­ Thank you Apheros.¡± --- Arc 3-4 Break ¡°It was a relief to see that you wish to remain friends. I¡¯ll admit, despite Barry¡¯s assurances, I was worried about what you wrote in your letter and was too big of a coward to open it for a few days.¡± I listened to Travis narrate his ¡°final¡± draft to send to Caldia, but I wasn¡¯t going to bet on him actually mailing it just yet. ¡°Of course, it was only later that Drozuk pointed out that I unintentionally asked the princess out on a date.¡± I bobbed my focus along to his testament of events from his perspective, wondering if Caldia might read his letter and give a sigh of relief for not being hitched to Travis¡¯ boat. ¡°And that about sums up everything that¡¯s been happening here at the academy. I¡¯ll be at Percy¡¯s wedding for the reception, so I¡¯ll be looking forward to seeing you in person there.¡± Travis set down the letter, giving it a discerning glare. ¡°It¡¯s good enough! Now hurry up and mail it before you change your mind.¡± Travis flinched, despite his trained behavior to not strongly react to me in public, then folded up the letter to place in an envelope. He got up off the shady patch of grass he was sitting on, then winced as his stomach grumbled loudly. Afterall, it had only been three hours since he last ate. ¡°Sounds like you need to make getting a snack during break a regular routine.¡± Travis patted me on my pommel, ¡°I was oddly enjoying not having to eat so much.¡± I hovered my focus in front of him while he moved, ¡°If you¡¯re going to lie to me, at least try to make it believable.¡± --- Travis We entered the cafeteria, walking past the elven students that were in line for lunch, and over to the carryout counter¡­ where a reclusive half-orc was currently working. My grin grew wide as I modified my approach to hide my presence for as long as possible before suddenly stepping in front of the counter. The half-orc¡¯s body went stiff, and his voice sounded overly stiff, ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°Yes, I would like a sandwich and drink, chef¡¯s choice for both.¡± Reidar¡¯s squad brother nodded, then went to grab a pre-wrapped sandwich and drink carton from behind. They then wrote down my order in the ledger after setting the food on the counter. ¡°Beef, bison, and manatee on wheat with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato sandwich, and a cold cherry limeade.¡± He looked back up and with a tenuous air of professionalism and tried to complete the transaction, ¡°Enjoy your day.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no line behind you, now¡¯s your chance.¡± I gave Arc''s pommel a purr inducing scratch before I picked up the order, ¡°Thanks. Oh, by the way¡­¡± I smiled at the beefy spartan, ¡°Reidar never told me your name.¡± The half-orc peered to see if anyone was behind me, then let out a tiny sigh, ¡°Varguk, Junior Spartan Field Chef.¡± I held out a hand, ¡°Travis, Initiate Elementalist Mage. I''m surprised you didn¡¯t introduce yourself earlier.¡± Not having the emotional stoicism as his brother, Varguk took my hand with a clear discomfort, ¡°Well, I¡­ didn¡¯t want to¡­ uh¡­¡± He lowered his head in defeat, then let out in a huff, ¡°Everything just started snowballing until the ice broke through the pond.¡± He raised his head back up, reinstating his presence as a spartan by giving an after-action report, ¡°Our squad was ecstatic when Reidar received his invitation to your party, especially considering how shy he can be, so when Braxton returned late that night without Reidar, we all wanted to know what happened. Varguk paused to give me a nonverbal cue to go ahead and eat my sandwich after my stomach grumbled again, then continued his debriefing, ¡°Braxton, of course, refused to say anything that night, but we managed to get the complete story of how our little baby brother got to spend most of the night dancing with a princess the next day when we sat for breakfast.¡± I held up my hand, and took a swing of my limeade to finish swallowing my current mouthful, ¡°Baby brother? I thought Reidar said that your entire squad was born within a week of each other?¡± The half-orc smiled, ¡°Yeah, but he was born last. Plus, he¡¯s the shortest of us boys. Well, except for Yarruck, but he¡¯s practically wider than he is tall.¡± Varguk returned to his military candor, ¡°Anyways, a few weeks later, I managed to see you in line, and as a way to thank you, I gave you an extra-large helping.¡± He let out a long sigh, ¡°Of course, despite having a quarter of my first squad already active in the logistics corps, I forgot that it¡¯s near impossible to keep a secret from them. So, one of the other line cooks noticed my charity, put two and two together, and then convinced the rest of the cafeteria staff to also use their daily generosity budget to give you bigger food portions.¡± I nodded along, not too surprised, Jakob did mention on my first day how practically everyone on campus had heard at least one rumor about me. That didn¡¯t explain everything though. ¡°Ok, but why have you been avoiding me?¡± The spartan chef scowled, clearly hoping that I¡¯d forget to ask, ¡°Well¡­ Reidar found out, and¡­¡± he shifted uncomfortably, ¡°got mad at me for giving you special treatment. Saying it was unprofessional.¡± He made eye contact with me, ¡°Word of advice, don¡¯t ever make him mad at you, especially if you¡¯re wearing anything with wood-fiber fabric.¡± I gave the big guy a pat on the shoulder, ¡°Well, thanks for telling me, and for all the extra food. All my friends were convinced that you were flirting with me.¡± Varguk started laughing nervously, ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad to have cleared that up. Oh, would you look at that, I¡¯ve got someone approaching, we¡¯ll have to chat sometime when I¡¯m not on duty.¡± He waved me away a bit too eagerly as a bronze-haired high elf approached. I needed to leave for my next class anyways, so I finished off my sandwich and drink, then exited the building while giving Arc¡¯s pommel a scratch, ¡°I think that cleans up my quest log right?¡± ¡°Yep, just long-term goals now, assuming you actually mail your letter to Caldia.¡± I winced, but nodded along, ¡°Alright, I will.¡± Chapter 36 - Status Reports Before I continue where I left off last chapter, I¡¯d like to clarify that although any of the formation stories of Torbolt¡¯s Greater Domains could be used as evidence for my hypothesis, the creation of his final Domain (Comradery) emphasizes my belief the strongest. Torbolt was furious. Apheros could see that long before he approached his fellow god. The god of Storms was sporting a new helmet, one with a familiar set of forward-facing horns, and had a sinister set of glowing pink eyes escaping the shadow that his helmet cast. Not wanting to make eye contact out of fear, Apheros lowered his head, noticing the heavily muscled torso of Torbolt was twitching in fury. The Nature god felt a pang of guilt upon seeing the scar above where Torbolt¡¯s heart was, and lowered his head in supplication. No longer staring at the Lightning god¡¯s thick pectorals, Apheros could see the immense strength held in Torbolt¡¯s balled-up fists, the unyielding wall that was at the core of this god, the pteruges hanging from Torbolt¡¯s waist unable to shroud the horizon-leaping power of the god¡¯s legs, and the¡­ ¡°Look me in the eyes coward!¡± Torbolt¡¯s voice boomed as mightily as the storms he commanded. Flustered, and hoping that he didn¡¯t just double down on his punishment for ogling his fellow god, Apheros raised his head back up to see Torbolt pointing at a nearby tent. ¡°Come with me. I require your skills.¡± Viewing the mountainous backside of the god in disbelief, Apheros couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of the situation. He had wasted countless efforts trying to goad the god of War and Tactics into ¡°sharing a tent with him¡± but believed that his last encounter with the god had extinguished any chance of that happening. He cautiously followed behind, worried that retaliation was still imminent. Inside the tent were dozens of mortals, many who screamed in fright upon the gods entering. Torbolt crossed his arms, looking down disdainfully, ¡°Some of my best warriors simply stop fighting for no reason.¡± He pointed at one mortal who was shaking uncontrollably, ¡°Fix them.¡± Apheros glanced to the side, unsure what to make of Torbolt¡¯s sudden change in temperament towards mortals but decided it would be a bad idea to test the god¡¯s patience. He slowly approached the mortal, who jerked away before he could touch them, and instead stopped moving to simply observe the people inside. Nearly all of them looked like they haven¡¯t slept well in weeks, many seemed to be either in a catatonic state or highly anxious. There were no physical injuries that he could see, but the looming terror in the mortal¡¯s eyes were enough to worry him. ¡°You¡¯ve been leading these mortals into battle?¡± Apheros cautiously asked. Torbolt grunted in affirmation, ¡°I taught the men how to channel their fury, to use it to kill. But the number of injuries and deaths was unsustainable. To make up for their weaknesses, I taught them how to fight as one, and that stopped the brunt of the deaths and injuries, yet still some laze about like they¡¯ve been injured.¡± Apheros wasn¡¯t sure what he could do, broken bones and torn flesh he could easily heal, but none of his domains allowed him to fix a broken mind. Maybe Ignitious or Adamanrion could help? He turned to Torbolt, and gave him a downtrodden look, ¡°I¡¯m sorry friend, but I can¡¯t help them.¡± Torbolt gripped the Nature god, causing them to yelp in pain, ¡°Why not!¡± ¡°Because you pushed them too hard! Not everyone lusts for endless battle like you.¡± Lightning arced up Torbolt¡¯s body, and they heard the mortals scream once more. Some were clutching their heads, trying to shut out the presence of the god. Others were lying on the ground unmoving, tears in their eyes. And one was muttering prayers to Torbolt, asking for him to finally end their suffering. Torbolt¡¯s anger washed away, only now recognizing the damage that his storms had done. His push to cause destruction had turned what was once a harsh reality for the mortals into an inescapable nightmare. In a daze, the god lowered themself to the ground, guilt taking hold over him. He had promised the mortals that he would protect them, that he would create a new life free of fear. One of the mortals who were clutching their heads opened their eyes after their panic ended and took in the sight of the frightful god being consoled by another wearing antlers on their back. The bull-horned god looked to him, his eyes no longer containing restrained fury, but something else. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have failed you.¡± The mortal lowered their head, ¡°No, it is me. Your voice¡­ it makes the ground shake. Just like¡­ when they¡­ in the spring¡­¡± A large hand landed on the mortal, ¡°If it helps, I will speak softer from now on.¡± --- Travis Steelsday, the 4th of Seventhmonth I finish the calculations in my head, ensuring that even with the payload lowered to its minimum, my spell will still fly at the same speed as a fully loaded one. Fire Mana gathers around my hand into a [Fire Bolt] formation, and my hand raises up. ¡°I¡¯m ready¡­ Pull!¡± Arc began to play his usual exotic music of unknown origin in my ear as I scan the private spell range with my mana sight for my target. Light Mana pools behind the small Walls that Arc created beforehand, and I calm my breathing down to steady my aim. Light flickers in the corner of my eye, and I jerk my hand towards the outline of a duck springing up from behind one of the walls, then close my fist to launch the spell. The spell hits, causing the Light Mana to change into an image of an explosion, and I immediately begin shaping my next [Fire Bolt]. More targets appear, each flying in different directions and angles. I manage to hit the first three, but Arc begins to increase the difficulty by modifying the speed at which the images move. My next spell misses, flying behind the duck before hitting the back wall. Arc, going out of his way to annoy and frustrate me, uses his Shadow Mana to conjure the image of a laughing dog (complete with accompanying sound) from behind the farthest wall. I clench my teeth, knowing that he¡¯s only trying to anger me enough to lose focus, and keep launching [Fire Bolt]¡¯s at the targets. The music fades, and I lower my hand, letting out a deep sigh. ¡°Hey now, five out of twenty-four isn¡¯t too bad. You¡¯ve already managed to shave off a second on your casting time already.¡± My blood began to boil, but calmly gathered Wind Mana for the next round, ¡°Reset the range.¡± The next round with [Wind Bolt] had the same poor result and I did even worse when testing out [Water Bolt], not even managing to hit a single target. ¡°I think you¡¯re not taking the spells weight into account, maybe try adjusting your lead upwards more? Or upping the speed?¡± I tapped my fingers on my thigh, trying to think of a solution, ¡°I was setting the speed to what one with a full combat payload would contain, if I raise it any higher, the loss of expelled mass will nullify the damage output.¡± Shifting some mana to help me visualize the spell formation, I looked over the deceptively simple spell. It was essentially just an Orb spell with a small repulsion array attached to one of the lines, but that simple change allowed for so many more variables. ¡°Hmm, I could modify the output ratio on the repulsion array¡¯s lines to make it arc upwards...¡± A grunt soon followed as I did the math, ¡°It won¡¯t work. I¡¯d still have to redo all my calculations before using it in battle. Damn, I was hoping I could conserve mana.¡± This rots, I was looking forward to starting Bolt spells this week, especially after the endless slog of only learning utility spells the last four weeks. We got told yesterday during Fire Spells 1 that part of my final exam will require me to destroy twenty-four moving targets with a [Fire Bolt] spell in under a minute, but it¡¯s already Sevenmonth, I¡¯ve got less than eight weeks to master this spell before the end of the semester. This is going to be more difficult than I thought, especially if I need to repeat the same feat with the other elements¡­ ¡°Sounds like you can¡¯t just launch and forget. Maybe it¡¯ll be smarter to keep your mana synced and launch those heavier spells at a slower rate so you can adjust them in flight.¡± A frustrated sigh escaped me, the main benefit of casting Bolt spells over Blast spells was that they propelled themselves. Not only could they move faster and farther, but the reduced potential leakage over time and compression upon impact made the spells much more deadly. Having to manually guide them could quickly tire me out mentally in combat or distract me. ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t kick yourself too much. You don¡¯t have an affinity, unlike most of your cheating friends, so you don¡¯t get some vaguely described ¡®instinct¡¯ on how to correct your spell formations on the fly. You need to manually take account of everything.¡± I took in a fresh breath to recenter myself, glad that Arc seemed to understand what my problem was. Hmm, maybe I should take Jakob up on his offer to help tutor me? Or wait, maybe he won¡¯t be able to help. He probably has an affinity as well. Ok, think¡­ there must be a workaround for mages without affinities¡­ I mean, dwarves and elves don¡¯t have them¡­ or orcs! A grin drew itself across my face. Not sure if asking Drozuk for advice tonight would be worth my time, but if not, maybe we can find a solution together? Noticing the time, I debated asking Arc to prep the spell range for [Rock Bolt] but decided to practice walking around with [Earth Cleat] while I had some privacy instead. I started by attuning to the mana in my boots, grateful that I didn¡¯t have to cast this spell barefoot due to the expensive monster leather used in their construction, then began to draw the formation lines. After pausing to make sure I remembered the spell diagram¡¯s instructions, I began to make a selection of the lines directional, notably the condensing array at the heel and repulsion array at the ball, then modified the shape to only provide a mild benefit. Shifting my weight around while keeping my heels dug in allowed me to confirm the spell was working, and I cautiously took my first step. The push off wasn¡¯t too strong, but it was still more than expected, and I face-planted into the sand after failing to keep both legs underneath me. Animalistic chuckling from Arc drew my ire, especially after seeing him ¡°walk¡± up to me with his Shadow Mana construction of a laughing dog, looking like he somehow managed to draw the outline in the air with charcoal. My eyes rolled at his blatant taunting of what I believed was his true form, then checked the state of my enchantment on my boots. The formation was still intact, so that was good. I just needed to learn how to walk all over again. Wait¡­ ¡°Hey Arc, could you bring up an image of Reidar walking? I just realized that he probably knows this spell.¡± ¡°Sure, just a sec.¡± Arc reshaped his avatar to one of Reidar walking around the spell range, and I observed closely to how he always brought his heel down first and didn¡¯t fully shift to the ball of his other foot until his next step was nearly completed. ¡°Are you sure you want to spend time trying to learn that spell? You¡¯ve got exams to prepare for, and it sounded like it¡¯ll be included with Earth Spells 2 next semester¡­¡± ¡°Ranged spells are expensive for me to cast, especially if I stick to a single element. The diagram for this spell stated that mastery of this enchantment was not only relatively cheap to maintain, but it would allow a person to triple their jumping distance and even walk upside down on ceilings made of stone.¡± ¡°Whoa! Never mind. You should definitely learn that spell as soon as possible.¡± --- 9-11 Group Study ¡°Oh, hang on, let me grab my notebook.¡± Drozuk closed the oversized folder containing his self-study spell and moved over to his bag to bring back a thick notebook and metal wand, ¡°So, what I¡¯ve been doing is using a mana frequency scale to help simplify my casts.¡± He pointed at one end of the inscribed rod, ¡°For example, my current mana supply is only big enough to cast four [Water Bolt]¡¯s at 1MF (Mana Frequency Standardized Unit) if I want 1 pint of water in each Bolt. So, using that as a constant for my first four casts allows me to reduce the number of variables.¡± I nodded along, trying my best to not focus on the fact that I had vastly underestimated my friend¡¯s intelligence, ¡°I was trying to extend my practice casting by keeping the payload low, but ran into problems when switching to Water and Earth spells due to gravity affecting them.¡± Drozuk frowned, ¡°Yeah, I noticed my spells kept dropping at random rates, so I asked a few senior students, and they showed me how they use mana scales to keep their spells more consistent. They also recommended focusing on just hitting stationary targets at different ranges first, then introducing moving targets after I build up enough muscle memory to not have to constantly recalculate my output ratios.¡± He pointed to the formula he had bolded at the top of his notebook¡¯s page, ¡°I keep speed and weight constant, that way I have a consistent drop rate to correct for when I estimate target range.¡± He pulled a scrap of paper to physically show his calculation to me, ¡°Since I have enough constants, I can rearrange my equation to a Shape = Output / (Volume x Amperage) arrangement and only need to adjust my top line¡¯s mana ratio on the repulsion array to accommodate for the effect gravity has on my spell.¡± ¡°Hmm, I think I¡¯ve seen senior students use something similar to his wand. Let me check my memories¡­¡± I gave Arc a friendly scratch with one hand and gave Drozuk¡¯s shoulder a pat with my other in thanks. Stopping upon contact though, I noticed that Drozuk¡¯s shoulder seemed much more solid, and had to remind myself that despite the drastic change in size, he was still the same orc I met on my first day. ¡°Have you shrunk down more again?¡± The green-skinned orc, who had gone from the size of Darius down to something closer to us guys, drooped his head, ¡°Yeah, had to get my uniform refitted again. Got a bunch of dirty looks from the Quartermaster¡¯s staff. I¡¯ll probably start looking like an elf soon at this rate.¡± I gave his shoulder a brotherly squeeze, ¡°Hmm, feels as solid as a tree to me. I bet you¡¯ll start growing again soon.¡± Drozuk gave me a toothy grin, ¡°Thanks bud.¡± I smiled back, then directed my attention to the wand he was carrying, ¡°Where did you get that mana scale? It¡¯d be nice to have one to practice with.¡± ¡°My uncle Brian gave it to me. Said he ¡®found it¡¯ once while out on a monster hunt but didn¡¯t know what the inscription was for since it was just an inert dotted line.¡± He passed it to me so I could get a closer look, ¡°I asked one of the artificers about it, and they showed me how it worked. Apparently they¡¯re a common combat aid for elves and dwarves.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. I finished checking my memories, practically every senior elf and dwarf here has a 94-key scale inscribed into their two-handed weapon.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I cocked my head at the item in my hands, ¡°How come we don¡¯t get one to train with?¡± A familiar deep voice from behind startled me, ¡°Why would we do that when you¡¯re just going to make one of yer own in a couple of weeks?¡± Our heads turned to see Durinn somehow snuck up on us. They looked oddly cheerful today, unlike the visible dread they normally showed when coming to practice their presentation. ¡°You¡¯re in a good mood today.¡± The light-gray skinned dwarf blushed, causing their face to look fresh out of a forge once you added in their blaze orange hair and beard, ¡°Well, I had a big breakthrough today with one of my side projects. So, I got a fallback invention in case my presentation for my assisted spell launcher collapses.¡± ¡°Ooh, let me guess¡­ Gauntlets that launch towards your opponent to punch from a distance! Or¡­¡± I gave Arc a few raps with my knuckles to calm him down, then checked with Drozuk before handing the wand to let a curious Durinn inspect the item. ¡°Must be old, the seals are completely compromised.¡± They pulled it closer to their eyes, ¡°Oh, wow, this must be older than the United Human Kingdom, I¡¯d bet my beard that this was originally made with a set of mana gems, but they turned into dust over time. In fact, I¡¯m a bit surprised there¡¯s even that. There¡¯s practically no insulation on this thing.¡± Drozuk grunted in affirmation, ¡°Yeah, was told I¡¯d have to tune it every couple of days just to keep the measurements accurate.¡± Durinn handed the scale back, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the one¡¯s you¡¯ll make won¡¯t need to get calibrated even remotely as often.¡± They clapped their hands together, ¡°Now, can I get my semiweekly torture session over with, or can I stall by answering questions.¡± Drozuk and I started to chuckle, catching the attention of everyone else at the table. I slid my chair so that Durinn could be seen and motioned to the table to take notes on the presentation. Once everyone had a fresh sheet of paper in front of them, I turned back to Durinn, ¡°Today we¡¯re going to drill you with questions after your demonstration to emulate what the professors might ask.¡± The bearded dwarf nodded their head, pulled out a set of notecards from their belt pouch, then took a few big breaths before speaking, ¡°Hello. This¡­ is my invention. The Assisted Fire Arrow Spell Launcher.¡± They paused to look down at their notecards, taking another set of deep breaths, and hopefully remembering Arc¡¯s advice that long pauses are always better than a garbled mess of words. Overall, the presentation was a vast improvement from their first. They won¡¯t be shouting advertisements from a shop window to draw in customers anytime soon, but they at least managed to not make the experience painful or tediously boring. Bridget started the questionnaire with a moss-ball question, ¡°How difficult will field repairs be to conduct? The internal structure sounds complicated.¡± ¡°A competent Water or Fire Mage will be able to do most repairs with a standard Artificer kit. The Human Kingdom¡¯s mana-powered water pumps share a very similar base design, and since the inscribed formation nearly perfectly mimics an unaltered [Fire Arrow], the check for errors should be simple.¡± Jethro decided to ask the next question, ¡°How do you justify the cost of your invention? There¡¯s enough crystalized mana in that object to create over a dozen Mana Edge inscriptions.¡± Durinn shifted in place, still looking anxious, ¡°This¡­ provides a way for Knights to use long-ranged spells with only minimal training.¡± Jethro glowered, doing exactly what I asked him to do earlier, ¡°Surely a simple Bolt Spell inscription embedded into a gauntlet or spear-end would be a more economical use of materials?¡± ¡°Well¡­ umm, those are often either two-dimensional formations or poorly optimized three-dimensional ones since they have to conform to the shape of the object being inscribed.¡± Durinn made eye contact with Jethro, and shuddered, ¡°This¡­ allows the user to cast more powerful spells, and with greater frequency.¡± ¡°Why would a knight want to use more powerful spells? If your invention is used, a Knight may amp up their Fire Mana too much and cripple their ability to use mana reinforcement. Perhaps you¡¯re simply unaware due to being a dwarf, but in order to use mana to amplify one¡¯s strength, you need to trigger all four basic mana types simultaneously.¡± Jethro made a showing of rolling his eyes, then waved off the dwarf, ¡°No further questions from me.¡± ¡°Wow. I can¡¯t believe I was worried that Jethro wouldn¡¯t be able to play the part of a dismissive arrogant prick.¡± I gave Arc a scratch in agreement, and turned to give Jethro a stealthy thumbs up, but twisted it back to Durinn after seeing the worried look on my fellow Lakelander¡¯s face. The bearded dwarf was hyperventilating, and I held up my hand to halt the practice, then walked into Durinn¡¯s field of view to help shut out external stimuli while I gave them a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Are you ok Durinn? We can stop if you want.¡± Durinn¡¯s erratic breathing began to calm, and they nodded their head, ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ I just¡­ need a minute¡­¡± They tilted their head back and clutched the spell launcher in their hands, then closed their eyes while they muttered something to themselves in dwarvish. After a minute passed, they let out one final deep exhale and opened their eyes again, ¡°Sorry, been having nightmares about Professor Quinsandoral belittling my invention the last few weeks.¡± They gave their head a good shake, ¡°He wouldn¡¯t even be on the board, I¡¯m applying for my Artificer title, not Master Mage title.¡± That stunned me into a bewildered state, ¡°Professor Quinsandoral?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the department head of Wind Mana Studies. Don¡¯t ever take a class with him. He¡¯s damn near impossible to please, has a habit of making his students feel like complete idiots, and the worst part is that he¡¯s never wrong about anything. It¡¯s like he¡¯s the living embodiment of Zephoreas.¡± The bearded gave themselves a full body shake, then peered around me, ¡°You did a great job Jethro, almost needed to change my pants there.¡± ¡°Sorry about being so harsh, Travis wanted me to give you a worst-case scenario.¡± ¡°Oh, it was.¡± Durinn gave me a pat on my thigh, ¡°Alright, I think I¡¯m ready for more questions.¡± --- ¡°They¡¯re getting there, but I think we need to focus more on the interview questions. Having a prepared answer for anything the academy¡¯s senior educators might throw at them will help relieve their overall pressure.¡± My hands were busy writing down Durinn¡¯s next assignment of seeing if we could practice in the room they be presenting in and asking their colleagues what other types of questions the Artificers might ask, so I¡¯d have to wait on giving Arc his scratch for being such a good sword later. Once finished, I handed the sheet over, ¡°Here you go, enjoy the rest of your night.¡± Durinn chuckled, ¡°Ha, I will. For the twelve minutes it takes to walk to my bunk.¡± They gave us a nod and final wave, walking by a High Elf woman who was carrying a stack of folders. ¡°Ah, good timing. Are you by chance Travis?¡± The golden-haired elf with red eyes asked. ¡°Umm, yes. Can I help you?¡± She gave me a big smile, ¡°You submitted a request to have a scribe obtain relevant records for you over four weeks ago. I came to drop off your request but was told I could deliver it directly to you.¡± I smiled back, then made room on the table for her to set down the documents, ¡°Thank you. To be honest, I kind of forgot that I submitted the request.¡± She let out a light chuckle, then took a moment to readjust her necklace once her hands were free, getting the glowing black pendant centered below her neck properly, ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re already a full mage. I can¡¯t tell you how many times I¡¯ve seen mages hard at work on obtaining their master rank look utterly baffled about the records I deliver for them. Just last week I had to watch a lightning mage try to figure out why I brought in a codex of cryptographic languages.¡± ¡°Ooh, I bet I know why! He wanted to transmit a message over long distance using low voltage wires.¡± Sensing that Arc was about to grow overly excited, I signaled for him to calm down, and did my best to act casual around the elven woman. Despite it being a month and a half since classes started, I hadn¡¯t really interacted with any elves other than my teachers. She was checking through the stack of folders but got distracted when Bridget asked her a question. ¡°Is that a symbol of Ignitious? I haven¡¯t seen one like that before.¡± The elven woman began to beam with glee, ¡°Not exactly, it¡¯s an artifice that my boyfriend made for me.¡± She stood upright and gestured with her hands to bring attention to the pendant, allowing everyone to more easily see the silver filagree wrapped around the Orb of Shadow in a pair of rings. ¡°He said he modeled it after the sun pendants that the clergy of Ignitious like to wear, only instead of it radiating Light, it radiates Shadow.¡± Hmm, I wonder if that¡¯s what one of those collapsed suns Arc told me about look like? My eyelids closed temporarily to allow me to give the inscription a quick inspection with my mana sight, ¡°What does the formation do?¡± ¡°Creates a small [Shadow Aura] around my head to block out bright lights.¡± She gave a knowing glance to Bridget, ¡°Comes in handy for us Fire Mages, since we can easily blind ourselves with our spells.¡± She tucked an errant strand of hair behind her pointed ear, then turned to me, ¡°Now, before I leave you to your research, I just wanted you to know that while I was able to find a census of the settlement expedition that founded your village, a few of the founders are flagged as receivers of Adamanrion¡¯s Blessing of Rebirth.¡± I nodded along, not too surprised, especially since that Bard¡¯s tale might be more accurate than we initially thought, ¡°Any luck on determining the history of my sword?¡± She pulled one of the folders out to place it on top, ¡°I was able to confirm it¡¯s not the Fang of Voffer, but it¡¯s possible it could be a prototype due to the similar style and lack of engravings on your sword. When I checked the public sword registry, one of the workers suggested that you bring it to the Reformed Church of Adamanrion to get it analyzed and registered. They might be able to tell you more.¡± My shoulders slumped in disappointment. I was positive that Arc was secretly Voffer, the minor wolf god of Hunting, and progenitor of all Northern Tundra dogs. The elven scribe finished checking over the documents to ensure she brought everything, then set out a form on top of the stack, ¡°Feel free to request me personally in the future, and if you could, please fill out this review and leave it with the front desk. It¡¯ll help me out greatly when trying to apply for a permanent researcher position.¡± She gave me a flirtatious smile, ¡°Especially if you leave me a glowing review.¡± I awkwardly thanked her once again before she left, then sat down to go over the documents. There wasn¡¯t much time left before lights out, but maybe I could at least skim over everything. ¡°Fang of Voffer?¡± Stifling a groan, partly because I couldn¡¯t respond with everyone around me, but mainly because I was embarrassed that my opportunity to confront Arc with the evidence I gathered had completely failed. Instead, I was going to have to explain to my friend why I thought they were the first domesticated wolf. It was going to be an embarrassing conversation tonight when we got back to my dorm room. --- Arc I watched Travis step out from the greyed-out void that was the bathroom, and mentally laughed once more at how my latest update to my sword-brain still needed a few tweaks. Travis greatly approved of me auto-censoring some things, mainly whenever someone was in the bathroom, or changing clothes, but the blurred-out squares covering Travis¡¯ nipples looked down-right comical to me. I¡¯ll have to add that to my list of things to change next time I dive back into my soul. My young friend tried to tuck into bed while acting as if nothing eventful happened earlier, so I decided to begin the teasing tonight with the sound of a clearing throat, ¡°Aren¡¯t you forgetting to tell me something?¡± Travis rolled over in a futile attempt to hide from me, but answered after letting out a groan, ¡°So¡­ I might have gotten it into my head that you were the minor god Voffer.¡± ¡°He¡¯s that wolf that was blessed by Ignitious right?¡± ¡°Yeah, in the book I was using to research, it mentioned how, after Voffer befriended Magnar and sired multiple litters of the first dogs, that he died in battle helping defend a Northman lodge from a mature cloak dragon. Magnar then supposedly used Voffer¡¯s remains to create a sword, allowing a part of his friend to remain by his side.¡± Book? When did Travis research this? Wait¡­ ¡°Ok, I have multiple questions. First off, why did you think I was a dog?¡± Travis let out another sigh, ¡°It made sense at the time. Your name sounds like a dog¡¯s bark. You have knowledge that no one else knows of, but not much about how magic works. And then there¡¯s the fact that you do dog-like things, like purring whenever I give your pommel a scratch, getting excited easily, or how you created an avatar in the shape of one.¡± Have I really¡­? I scanned my memories¡­ oh crap, I totally have been! ¡°So¡­ I can see why you might have thought that.¡± I made an audible sigh to help signal my own embarrassment to Travis, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t feel too embarrassed for thinking that.¡± Travis made a small smile of relief, ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be willing to tell me who you truly are now?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t tell you everything. Mainly because I could get into trouble, but I can probably safely tell you that I was a human, and you won¡¯t be able to find any records of my previous life.¡± ¡°Ok, but why all the secrecy about who you were? Like, where did you grow up? Did you ever marry and have kids? Or, if it¡¯s not too painful, how did you die?¡± ¡°Well, here¡¯s the thing, I know what happens after death. And I have knowledge that normally only the gods are capable of sharing¡­¡± Travis¡¯ eyes widened with realization, ¡°Oh, I get it now. That¡¯s why you¡¯re so nervous about entering a church. They might think you¡¯ll share divine secrets with me unless they take you away first.¡± ¡°Yeah, I figure the less you know about me, the less likely you¡¯ll get punished by association.¡± I paused to remember my other questions from earlier, ¡°Back to my earlier questions¡­ When did you find time to research without me noticing?¡± The little bastard began to grin madly, ¡°You did notice, remember that book I got from the bookstore?¡± ¡°That giant romance novel?¡± ¡°I never said it was one.¡± Hold on¡­ I searched through my memories yet again, and¡­ ¡°Oh¡­ for¡­ You little child of Ignitious¡­¡± Travis began to laugh, ¡°Yeah, I was surprised that I was able to pull one over on you so easily. It¡¯s normally impossible to hide something from you.¡± Well, I couldn¡¯t fault him for jumping at the opportunity. ¡°Ok, but why the secrecy in the first place?¡± Travis dropped the smile and turned over to set his hand on my pommel, ¡°You¡¯re normally so secretive, I thought that unless I cornered you with information, you wouldn¡¯t tell me anything about you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t really argue that I wouldn¡¯t. Feeling the sincerity from his touch, I decided to make a promise, ¡°Ok, let¡¯s make a deal. That scribe mentioned that you should take me to Adamanrion¡¯s church. If you take me there, I might be able to talk to Adamanrion again and ask them what I¡¯m allowed to share. Once I know what¡¯s safe, I¡¯ll feel more comfortable telling you about me. Maybe even my old name.¡± Travis stopped caressing my pommel, no doubt shocked that I¡¯d be willing to open up so much but surprised me when he pointed out my word usage. ¡°Again?¡± Dammit. ¡°Ok¡­ so, I might have agreed to do a favor¡­¡± --- Woodsday, the 6th of Seventhmonth Travis took the news well¡­ I think. After telling him about how ¡°Addy¡± asked me to have my ¡°paladin¡± assist Durinn, he seemed more skeptical than worried, asking how I even knew that I was hearing the voice of a god. After explaining that even I couldn¡¯t control mana enough to variate pulse rate, he seemed satisfied enough with my response, even shrugging his shoulders when I asked if he was ok with proceeding to do the favor. According to him, he hasn¡¯t once felt the presence of any divine entities, and that if it wasn¡¯t for me voluntarily telling him about his blessing or conversation with Adamanrion, he¡¯d be completely in the dark. In fact, as he was quick to point out afterwards, I had absolutely no evidence to prove that he¡¯d either received a blessing or that I had a conversation with the god of Metal. We haven¡¯t truly talked since, and while part of that was due to me being angry that Travis wouldn¡¯t believe me at my word, the real reason is because he was right. I had no proof. For all he knows, I could be lying. It certainly wouldn¡¯t be hard for me to do so. And as he pointed out earlier that night, I haven¡¯t been very open with him. I tried to relax as Travis put on this week¡¯s outfit provided by Jethro. Fashion has seasons on this world too, and the beginning of last month marked the acceptable time to start wearing boardshorts and t-shirts in public. To my amusement, it looked like tank tops were considered in season after the summer solstice, and the kid that once got berated by his mother for walking around his village shirtless in bare feet was looking self-conscious when he approached Jethro. ¡°You need to take off your arming jacket more often,¡± Jethro teased, ¡°your torso is as pale as a Northman¡¯s.¡± Travis rubbed his bare arms, ¡°Feels weird wearing so little clothing now. I wonder if this is what Spartans feel like when out of uniform.¡± Jethro barked out a laugh, ¡°Do they even own anything else?¡± ¡°Reidar did wear civilian clothes to my party. Though, for all I know, that could have been his only set.¡± ¡°Speaking of Reidar, we haven¡¯t seen him once since we went to see the show. Think we¡¯ll see him on Snowsday?¡± ¡°Not sure, his last letter mentioned that the assignments were mostly random, and that he could be practically anywhere in the capital for field study.¡± Jethro nodded along, then encircled Travis to give him a fit check, ¡°How do you like the colors?¡± The teen in question shifted uncomfortably, ¡°Umm, it seems a bit¡­ loud?¡± ¡°Does your village not have men wear bright colors to celebrate the summer solstice?¡± ¡°Yeah, we have a town celebration where we dye our clothes, but the bright colors fade after getting washed.¡± Jethro gave Travis a prod to start walking out, ¡°That¡¯s how the tradition started in the capital here too, but thanks to Ashmen alchemists, our dyes last much longer.¡± The two eventually left my vision¡¯s range, and I decided to bring my focus over to the training yard for entertainment. Who knows, maybe today will be the day that Mattius will finally speak more than a single sentence to the girl he¡¯s been crushing on. Sadly, by the time my focus floated over, the battalion parted to go practice on one of the ridiculous obstacle courses, leaving only Adrian and his tutor in my vision¡¯s range. The two were sparring unarmed, and the still frail looking teen seemed to be holding his own, despite the blindfold on his face. ¡°You¡¯re not intentionally using your mana sight, right?¡± The grizzled voice threatened. ¡°No! I¡¯m not. I swear.¡± Adrian put up his hands to plead innocence, ¡°I¡¯m only getting a flash after I block your strikes.¡± The retired commando narrowed his eyes, then began to carefully step to the side, not allowing his footfalls to make noise. He then lunged forward, but his fist was blocked by Adrian yet again, the Northman¡¯s mana triggering in unison to provide the needed force. The commando sneered, ¡°Explain. How are you ¡®seeing¡¯ my approach?¡± Adrian gulped, ¡°Umm¡­ you smell like one of those elven bars that serve stim-leaf drinks.¡± The old half-elf¡¯s train of thought must have derailed, because he stood there dumbstruck for a moment before letting out a chuckle, ¡°Looks like your nose is on par with an elf¡¯s.¡± He reached to pull off Adrian¡¯s blindfold, then gave the teen a pat on the shoulder while they checked for nearby watchers. ¡°Speaking of, one of my old coworkers was able to help, and ¡®borrowed¡¯ a file.¡± They reached into a hidden pocket woven into the back of their jacket, ¡°I can let you read this, but you cannot share its contents with anyone. Even your friends.¡± Adrian grasped the folder with shaking hands, then looked to his tutor for affirmation that it was truly ok to open it. His eyes widened as he read and needed his tutor to assist in remaining upright as his breathing became erratic, but he managed to finish reading the document. ¡°Wow¡­ I¡­ Dad¡­¡± Adrian stumbled over his words, clearly unable to orate his thoughts. The commando took back the folder and tucked it back into its hidden pocket, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t stay too angry at your father. He had good reason to keep your mother a secret.¡± He gave Adrian a shoulder rub to help center the teen, ¡°Not to put pressure on you, but your life would have been at great risk had you not applied to become a mage. The Queen will be able to keep you protected here but be careful when you¡¯re off campus. Your existence threatens the political balance between the elven and human kingdoms.¡± Adrian took in a big breath and forced a smile, ¡°Good thing I won¡¯t be going on any Fall Expeditions.¡± The commando nodded in agreement, then cocked their head towards Adrian, ¡°That reminds me, I¡¯ve got something planned for your Fall break, so don¡¯t make any plans.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± A dark raspy chortle escaped the commando, making Adrian uneasy, ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t spoil the surprise just yet.¡± Chapter 37 - Communication Problems For this next story, I¡¯ll be using the Reformed Church of Adamanrion¡¯s version of events, but I will highlight the portion that is considered heretical by the Orthodox Church of Adamanrion. Adamanrion laid there unmoving¡­ broken, torn apart, and scattered like refuse as their remaining eye was forced to view the night sky. Everything¡­ it was all gone¡­ the cities¡­ the creations¡­ their pride¡­ and their followers. They cursed the first two once again, wishing that they would show the decency to finally end their miserable life. An armor-clad figure with a pair of living tree branches on their back came into view, holding a small sapling. ¡°Did you know that your blood has caused the nearby plants to mutate? The high concentrations of metals in the soil have made some of these pine trees as strong as iron. I think I¡¯ll call then ironbark trees. Unless you got a better name?¡± ¡°Have you come here to gloat like the others?¡± Apheros looked around puzzled, then back down, ¡°No, I came to help you out.¡± Adamanrion scowled with what remained of their face, ¡°Why would I want your help?¡± ¡°Umm, perhaps you haven¡¯t seen your reflection lately, but¡ª¡± The broken god screamed a cry of agony, then began to whimper once the rage had subsided, ¡°Why do you torment me with your presence?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve learned some new things, and have been thinking about going on a journey to learn more but didn¡¯t want to just leave you lying here.¡± Apheros leaned into whisper, ¡°Also, I was hoping you could make me a few tools. The mortals crafted me a few things, and¡­ well¡­ they tried, but¡­¡± Adamanrion glared at the nature god, ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m capable of creation?¡± ¡°Well, not currently, but¡ª" ¡°Listen you fool! Everything I created has been destroyed¡­ including me¡­ Why? Why should I?¡± Apheros sat down in the ground and looked up, ¡°If they wanted you dead, they would have done so.¡± He turned to look back at Adamanrion, ¡°I know how painful it can be to watch your creations die, but I also know how beautiful it can be to watch something new take its place.¡± He placed a hand on one of Adamanrion¡¯s exposed ribs, ¡°I can sew you back together, but¡­ you¡¯ll need to do the rest.¡± The broken god laid there, unresponsive for a time, but finally spoke once more. ¡°These mortals¡­ they tried to make tools for you?¡± Apheros tried his best not to smile too enthusiastically, ¡°Nothing fancy, just sticks with rocks tied to them.¡± Adamanrion groaned, ¡°Alright, pull me together.¡± Apheros channeled his mana, drawing in as many fragments as he could, but with Adamanrion¡¯s pieces scattered so wide¡­ ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s all I could find.¡± Adamanrion grunted, ¡°It¡¯ll do.¡± They then focused on their Domain of Metal, how it represented both change and rigidity, then focused their thoughts towards reforging the broken pieces of themself into something new. Metal Mana gathered around their body, and soon the bones of the god grew molten, catching the nearby plants and nature god on fire. After finally patting himself down, Apheros looked up to see Adamanrion staring at the rising sun, their new armor reflecting the orange light, and tears rolling down their face as they clutched their new helmet. (¡°Looking good! Though if I were you, I¡¯d just shave off what¡¯s left of your beard. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t have the chin for it.¡± The reborn god touched their face, ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll consider it.¡±) --- Travis I leaned back in my saddle, squeezing my legs against 5751054 to keep balance, and basked in the hot summer sun. Jethro was right, I needed to sit outside more. My only outdoor activity nowadays was morning drill, and I couldn¡¯t exactly take a few minutes to sunbathe. Jethro continued our conversation from earlier, regaling me with the history of textiles in the kingdom, and how it influenced even our school uniform. The guy was a walking encyclopedia, too bad it only covered clothing. ¡°And that¡¯s why the arming jackets for Knights are brown.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but shudder, and hope that I would never do something so embarrassing that it would cause the kingdom to adopt a new law. Jethro took a big swing of water, then followed my earlier example of enjoying the morning sun, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Arc¡¯s unintentional confession about how Adamanrion asked for a favor should have angered me, after all, it was yet another secret that Arc (my best friend) was keeping from me. But at the time, all I could focus on was how disconnected I felt from the whole ordeal. While my friends and I were having snacks at the spell range, Arc apparently was making deals with gods? It was just so hard to grasp. Especially the part about getting called a paladin. Was it because Apheros gave me a blessing? I still have questions about that. Why does it only allow Arc to feel my touch? What purpose does that serve? I let out a big exhale, oddly wishing that Arc did keep his secrets. It would certainly reduce the stress I was under. It¡¯s not like I have any personal agency in the matter anyways. Or wait¡­ maybe I do? Arc said that ¡°Addy¡± called me his paladin¡­ does that mean something? Paladin¡¯s pledge their lives and service towards a god, but¡­ wait, no. Arc was adamant that he wasn¡¯t one¡­ Getting lost in thought, I didn¡¯t even register that Jethro had spoken until he tapped my shoulder. Startled, I turned my head, ¡°Sorry, was pondering something. What did you say?¡± Jethro smiled, ¡°I was commenting on how quiet it was today.¡± I looked around, amazed that I somehow missed that we¡¯d entered the church district, ¡°What happened to the protestors?¡± ¡°Not sure. Maybe the Queen finally got fed up with the disruptions?¡± I shrugged; it was as good an explanation as any. Looking around, I could finally make out the other churches in the district, including one that had a bronze statue of a nearly naked man wearing a horned helmet. ¡°Is that Torbolt¡¯s church?¡± ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s not the main branch of the capital, unlike the others in this district. They have a much bigger one nestled between the army¡¯s and Spartan¡¯s rings.¡± Not surprised, I nodded along, then remembered that I had an ¡°uncompleted quest¡± to take care of, ¡°That reminds me, I was thinking about skipping church next week so I could stop by Adamanrion¡¯s church.¡± Jethro grinned, ¡°You sure about that? You might upset your favorite paladin.¡± ¡°You mean your favorite paladin? You¡¯re the one who insists on visiting the Protection altar every week.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s always so happy to see us.¡± Jethro teased, ¡°I think he¡¯s even been letting us cut in line for guided prayers.¡± I let out an annoyed groan. Just once I would like to have a normal interaction with a paladin. The first one I met, Percy¡¯s brother, went on some nonsensical rant about Lancel. Then, the next paladin immediately after, acted as if we had already agreed on me joining their order or something. And now, there¡¯s the one I¡¯ve been meeting every week, who acts like he¡¯s always got a spear at his back and keeps going out of their way to please me for some reason. At this point, I¡¯d settle for the one Drozuk said his dad worked with. Sure, he spent more time in the brothels or starting drunken tavern songs instead of dutifully going out hunting monsters, but at least he¡¯d probably be fun to be around in small doses. Jethro adjusted our path, taking us for a loop to check out the different churches. The two dedicated to the elven gods were easy to spot, one being half-submerged in a lake and the other a series of circular towers connected by bridges, but a few weren¡¯t so easy to identify. ¡°What¡¯s that one?¡± I pointed to a tiny church that wasn¡¯t much bigger than the one in my village. Jethro bobbed his head from side to side in thought, ¡°That¡¯s umm¡­ rot. What¡¯s the name of the Earth god?¡± ¡°Titantuin?¡± Jethro gave me a double point, ¡°That¡¯s the one. Always forget him. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever met anyone who actually worships him.¡± Looking at the dull looking building that had more in common with a toolshed in this district instead of a place of worship, I could see why. ¡°Hey, which one is the Reformed Church of Adamanrion? I don¡¯t want to accidentally walk into the wrong one next week.¡± Jethro grinned, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s easy to tell them apart.¡± Our loop turned a corner, and a pair of statues lined the road on both sides, both in front of a pair of nearly identical looking buildings style-wise. They were clearly dwarven architecture, being completely made of carved granite and stained glass, not to mention being covered with dwarven runes. I kept comparing the two, but I couldn¡¯t figure out if I was missing something obvious, or if Jethro was pulling a prank on me. ¡°Ok, I give up. Both churches practically look identical.¡± Jethro, being playfully dramatic, gestured for me to keep quiet, ¡°Careful now, you don¡¯t want to get accused of heresy.¡± I glowered at my friend, until he finally acquiesced and pointed at the statues, ¡°Just make sure you visit the Beardless¡¯ place of worship next week.¡± --- ¡°And let the tenets of your divine Domain of Protection provide a supporting trunk for their skills in combat, always branching out, and always reaching to extend their shade.¡± The broad-shouldered paladin finished the guided prayer, allowing us to rise and see his fatherly smile. Jethro, of course, had to ruin the moment. ¡°Thanks again for the prayer, I think that one is my favorite so far.¡± Fighting the urge to drive my elbow into Jethro¡¯s side, I could only helplessly watch as the tiny praise made the paladin¡¯s eyes gleam with passion filled fervor. ¡°You honor me greatly with your words.¡± The aged Lakelander attempted a bow, but between his heavy set of full plate mail and almost musclebound physique, his movements were restricted, and he visibly chastised himself internally for not being able to bow lower. Clenching my teeth to help relieve the stress of my annoyance, I gave myself a mental pep talk to continue the interaction. After all, if anyone from the church was going to be willing to answer my numerous questions, it was going to be this guy. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can I ask you a few questions?¡± He bolted back upright, and despite not stepping closer, somehow seemed to barge right into my personal space, ¡°Of course, ask me anything.¡± Deciding to start with a slightly unrelated one to hopefully calm down the old man, I spoke in a casual tone, ¡°What made you decide to become a paladin?¡± Bracing myself for a tirade of a sermon, going on about how he ¡°felt the call¡± to do Apheros¡¯ bidding, I was left in complete shock at the sight of his pride quickly deflating, looking more ashamed than anything. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t have a noble reason for joining the order.¡± He paused, making me consider taking back my question, but before I could stop him, he barked himself and began to tell his tale. ¡°I was a complete idiot as a teen, and to be honest, stayed one for far too long after. After I turned 15, I began apprenticing over at a bakery not too far from the noble rings. Back then, I didn¡¯t have a single inclination to join one of the military preparatory academies or even the logistics corps since my father died fighting during a Spring Flood. That all changed however when I fell head over heels for this noble girl.¡± ¡°She¡¯d stop by practically every day to buy a croissant and sit on one of the tables out front writing in her notebooks. One day, I finally mustered up enough courage to ask her out on a date, but she turned me down, saying that unless I was a knight, her family would forbid her from doing so. I, being a swamp-headed fool, took her at her word and signed up to be a soldier the next day.¡± Jethro winced, then leaned in to whisper some extra context for me, ¡°For noble-born, that¡¯s considered the ¡®polite¡¯ way of telling a commoner you¡¯re not interested.¡± The paladin let out a light chuckle, ¡°Wish someone would have told me that before I spent the next ten years either killing monsters, lifting weights so I could kill them with a single blow, or stuffing my face with food.¡± He let out a sigh, ¡°My hull finally ruptured one day when I was on leave and decided to visit the bakery. She was still there, only now she had a pair of boys with her eating sweets. She¡­ didn¡¯t even remember me¡­¡± He paused to wipe his face, and maybe hide some of his embarrassment, ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t make the cut for knighthood, and was too out of my head to even read my discharge papers before a recruiter from the church came to serenade me.¡± He shook his head, ¡°Free room and board at every brothel suddenly looked very appealing for a boy who hadn¡¯t even touched a woman before. So, I fully submerged myself in the lifestyle, spending my days raising money for the church by hunting monsters, and my nights either sharing a bed with night maidens or¡ª" He cut off, looking not only embarrassed, but deeply ashamed. Feeling guilty for making the old man pour out his soul, I gave his beefy shoulder my best pat, ¡°Thank you for telling me, I know that wasn¡¯t easy for you.¡± He closed his eyes, not bothering to hide the fact he was crying, and only opened them after hearing Jethro ask him a question. ¡°Do you regret becoming a paladin?¡± He looked towards Jethro, then at me, and finally replied, ¡°I do. It took a long time for me to swim back up from that dark place in my mind and see just how miserable and awful I was. The thing that finally made me surface was when one of my party members announced he was quitting the group to go raise his son.¡± His massive frame began to shudder, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ I don¡¯t deserve your kindness. I even tried to leave the order at one point.¡± Stolen story; please report. Jethro and I exchanged glances as the man began to sob, not sure what to do. I racked my brain to think of something to say and hoped that paraphrasing some of Reidar¡¯s advice would be enough. I gave the big man another shoulder pat, ¡°The fact that you¡¯ve learned from your mistakes speaks volumes to your character. I¡¯d rather know a paladin who recognizes their flaws than some arrogant asshole.¡± Crouching so he could see my smiling face, I gave him a mild shake to hopefully drag him out of his rut, ¡°Just remember, even gods aren¡¯t infallible, and I highly doubt that Apheros expects you to be.¡± Still raw from his outburst, but now showing signs of recovery, the paladin reasserted his stance and stood proud once again. ¡°Thank you. If there¡¯s ever anything that you need, do not hesitate to ask.¡± Feeling that familiar return of awkwardness, I suddenly remembered that we were in a very public place. The urge to leave was strong, but I wanted to at least part with one more word of encouragement. ¡°Thanks, umm¡­ same here, if you ever want someone to talk to, don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± I gave him a nod, and was about to turn away, mentally chastising myself again for not thinking of something better to say but was startled when an armored gauntlet gripped tightly to my arm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the intensity was relit in the paladin¡¯s eyes, ¡°but I have to know. Why did you not join us?¡± ¡°Oh, uh¡­ well, back in my village, the local priest had a journal from a paladin who lamented over how they were never able to spend time with his family or allowed to start one of his own. That, plus the fact that the church only has a fraction of the magical knowledge Mages have access to.¡± I took a breath, feeling the paladin¡¯s grip tremble and weaken, ¡°I¡­ wish things were different, and that the church could come to some agreement with the three kingdoms.¡± The paladin released his hand, then leaned forward in a bow, ¡°I understand now. I will take no more of your time.¡± He then turned around, and briskly left the altar¡¯s hall. Jethro stepped up next to me, looking puzzled, ¡°Are clergy members really not allowed to get married?¡± I nodded, ¡°It¡¯s illegal in our kingdom for a church to collect offerings. That¡¯s part of why they provide services to the kingdom, such as marriage counseling, medical services, or even the use of their buildings in the event of an emergency. Paladins and Clerics are often tasked with hunting monsters to help provide extra funding as a result, only keeping a small portion of their share for living expenses.¡± ¡°All that just so they can learn some secondhand spellcraft? No wonder they need to recruit so hard. I¡¯m surprised anyone ever joins.¡± ¡°Well, the alternative for civilians is to dedicate twelve years of your life to the army with no guarantee that you¡¯ll ever even learn to use mana reinforcement or pay some sketchy Witch at the nearby fortress to teach you.¡± Jethro let out a breath, ¡°Wow, I¡­ uh¡­ never realized just how privileged I am until now.¡± I gave my friend¡¯s shoulder a pat, ¡°C¡¯mon, we should get back. I don¡¯t want to miss lunch.¡± --- 1-3 Artifice 1 ¡°Next week you¡¯ll be given supplies for your first wand, which will include enough mana dust for a dozen single-point inscriptions of each basic element that you are currently majoring in and a single one for each of the elements you aren¡¯t.¡± The professor gave an intimidating stare to snuff out everyone¡¯s excitement, ¡°These may be the most basic of materials, but they still are costly for the kingdom. Any loss or replacement of materials will be billed to your families.¡± ¡°Ooh, I can¡¯t wait. They might not be as iconic as a staff, but nothing screams spellcaster quite like a wand.¡± I tapped my fingers on my notebook, thinking about today¡¯s lesson. Estimating the pulse rate of mana is extremely difficult without tools, meaning that I will probably need to use a wand in battle if I want to cast as efficiently as possible, but something about using one in combat was irritating me. ¡°Something bothering you?¡± Leaning forward on my desk, and using my hand to cover my mouth, I explained what I think my gripe was, ¡°I guess I always envisioned myself using my poleaxe in combat, not some tiny wood or metal rod.¡± ¡°Well, you still can. Senior students don¡¯t seem to carry them. I assume they trade them in for their weapon of choice at some point after inscribing them.¡± I tapped my chin, going over Arc¡¯s words, then was suddenly struck with an epiphany. Why can¡¯t I just inscribe my poleaxe now? Anxiously waiting for class to end, I was overjoyed when I managed to get an early spot in line to talk to the professor after class. ¡°Travis, I already know what you¡¯re going to ask, and yes, as an Elementalist Mage you will receive a full supply for all four basic elements.¡± ¡°Oh, umm¡­ that wasn¡¯t what I was going to ask, but thanks for the confirmation. I was wondering if I would be allowed to create something other than a wand?¡± ¡°Depends, what do you have in mind?¡± ¡°Well, my poleaxe currently has a magnetism inscription riveted in with the langets, instead of the wood of the shaft being inscribed, and was hoping I could do something similar.¡± My professor nodded along, giving their beard a stroke, ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll need to see a blueprint first for approval, and agreement from a teacher¡¯s assistant to supervise your lab work, but I¡¯ll allow you to modify the assignment if you meet those requirements.¡± I grinned, knowing exactly who I was going to ask for help. --- Arc Woodsday, the 14th of Seventhmonth Travis waved goodbye to Jethro as we split off towards Adamanrion¡¯s church. Despite not having a stomach, I still felt queasy about what we were about to do. Addy didn¡¯t immediately start a crusade to have me eradicated, but who knows, maybe they¡¯re just biding their time, or couldn¡¯t make a move with church officials being banned on campus. Travis was describing the buildings to me, occasionally closing his eyes to activate his mana sight and see the world the same as me, but I couldn¡¯t really focus too much on what he was saying. That is, until he asked me a very good question. ¡°So¡­ how exactly is this going to work? I¡¯m just going to talk to a clergy member while you¡¯re off conversing with a god?¡± ¡°Well, the conversing part might be tricky¡­ I¡¯m not exactly sure how to talk back, I had to bob my focus around to answer them last time.¡± Travis raised an eyebrow, ¡°They could see your focus?¡± ¡°Yeah, completely freaked me out, but in retrospect, it makes sense that gods can see things others can¡¯t.¡± Travis nodded along before getting off his nameless horse, giving the stallion a pat before it walked off to join the others in front of a shrine with a statue of a horse on it. I mentally shuddered. The entire thing was creepy, but like usual, no one seemed to think anything was odd. We entered the church, a ridiculously reinforced structure that had endless rows of thick columns, domed arches holding up the roof, and was so dense with Earth, Metal, and Order Mana, that it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if the place could effortlessly shrug off a nuke. I could see the numerous dwarven runes decorating the place but given how Travis was walking around completely slack-jawed, I had a hunch that there was quite a bit I couldn¡¯t see. ¡°I take it this place is beautiful?¡± Travis grasped my pommel with a pained expression, ¡°This place is covered in paintings¡­¡± His eyes began to scan the entire building, making me both painfully jealous and oddly nostalgic. I could still remember the first time my friends and I took a tour of European churches and were blown away by the sight of the beautiful frescos. I mentally chuckled as Travis forgot our reason for coming here and began to appreciate the art instead. I couldn¡¯t really blame him. After being trapped in his tiny village for so long, the poor kid was starved for culture. He suddenly stopped mid-step, then grasped my pommel tightly, causing a flood of foreign emotions to invade my soul. Along with a vision. The creature was massive, and despite being a painting, emanated an aura of superiority, demanding all before it to quake with fear. It¡¯s lizard-like body was covered in metallic scales that reflected the nearby lava, including a row that stood vertically along its spine, tail, and even legs. Its face was wide and flat like a shovel¡¯s, eyes glowing a fiery orange, had a chest and limbs packed with thick muscles, and the impressive claws I could see seemed to effortlessly chisel into the stone beneath. The other claws¡­ well, this thing didn¡¯t seem to care in the slightest that it was half-standing in a pool of lava. Before it stood an armor-clad figure, and despite the clear exaggeration in their strength, looked absolutely tiny compared to the monster before them, not even coming up to the creature¡¯s elbow. They looked ready to throw down however, with orange runes glowing across their armor, and holding an impractically large hammer that looked like it was made by welding a dozen smaller hammers together. The entire scene was incredulous. Lava waterfalls decorated the background, heat lines were distorting the image slightly, and the two opponents were locking eyes, preparing to strike. My vision ended when both me and Travis were startled by an approaching person, ¡°Quite the sight isn¡¯t it? Whoa. Did Travis just use his blessing to share his vision with me? I looked down with my focus to see that Travis had yelped in surprise, causing the armor-clad man to chuckle while the teen regained his composure enough to reply. ¡°The illustration in the monster field guide doesn¡¯t do it justice.¡± The armored man resumed their laughter, ¡°No¡­ it certainly doesn¡¯t. I know some will even argue that the name doesn¡¯t either, but I personally find it quite fitting. This monster vibrates its metal scales to brutally cleave through its prey and swim through the earth like water. Calling it something else would only insult the identity this dragon crafted.¡± ¡°Do scale dragons really get that big?¡± Travis whispered, only mildly able to hide his terror. ¡°No, this one¡¯s a bit of an exception. This artwork depicts a battle that took place shortly after the founding of our kingdom. Unlike the western mountains, the eastern ones are so extensive that it used to be quicker to transport goods to the elven kingdoms, then sail them all the way around the continent to reach the Dwarven Coast. To fix that, an expedition was called, and numerous Mages and Artificers were tasked with creating a tunnel underneath the mountains to facilitate trade.¡± He gestured to the painting, ¡°Inside one of the mountains though, they discovered a caldera, home to a very old scale dragon. The scouting party was wiped out, and after only being fed an appetizer, the dragon made its move to eliminate the rest of the expedition.¡± The storyteller looked towards the armored figure in the painting, ¡°That¡¯s when a miracle occurred. One of the members of the scouting party appeared, armor still molten from the field modification, and carrying the fused weapons of their fallen comrades. They fought valiantly, treating the lava beneath their feet as if it was merely a puddle of water, and eventually killed the dragon before collapsing in exhaustion.¡± ¡°The surviving expedition forces tried to aid their savior, but by the time they opened up the breastplate, the person inside had already succumbed to their wounds.¡± He turned to look directly at Travis, ¡°The miracle that day was not the battle, but what happened to the person. By all means, they should have been long dead before even facing off with the dragon. Both arms were burned away, along with their flesh and face, and everything below their ribs was torn off. The armor depicted in this painting is nothing but a walking coffin.¡± Travis kept his dumbstruck look, one I would have shared (had I a face), but he managed to voice some of his thoughts, ¡°How¡­? How is that even¡­?¡± ¡°The Chosen of the gods can do some impressive feats. We still don¡¯t know this day who it was, but perhaps that¡¯s for the best.¡± They gave Travis a friendly pat on the back, ¡°Now, before I leave you to appreciate the Ignitious blessed artists that have graced us with their work, was there anything I could help you with?¡± ¡°Oh, right, completely forgot¡­¡± Travis reached to unclip me from his belt, ¡°I was told to come have my sword registered here, and that someone might be able to tell me more about its history.¡± The man leaned in to give me a thorough look, ¡°Ah, not every day I get to see one of these¡­ hmm, I should probably get Uminstronlir, the beardless is the true expert, and will throw a fit if I update the registry without them getting to see your sword.¡± Travis returned me to his side, then gave me a friendly scratch before returning his attention to the clergy member, ¡°Oh, umm¡­ could you show me where the altar of Rebirth is? I was hoping to offer a prayer while I was here.¡± Altar? Why would¡­ oh, Travis, you genius! A prayer from him might be enough to reach out and contact Adamanrion. The man nodded and led Travis to a secluded part of the church and into a small room containing only a single bench. The shrine was simple, a giant helmet surrounded by other smaller helmets, but the symbolism was quite evident once you noticed how there were empty spaces on the shelf. Also, the large sign saying, ¡°Free to take, for those who wish to start anew¡± spelled it out plainly for anyone else. Travis took a seat, and once we were alone, gave my pommel another scratch, ¡°So, what now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need your help for this. Last time, I think Adamanrion showed up to see Durinn¡¯s spell launcher, since that falls under their Domain of Invention. I think we can use a prayer to contact Adamanrion, but it¡¯ll need to be relevant to one of their domains.¡± ¡°Anything in particular I should pray for?¡± ¡°Well, this is a shrine of Rebirth¡­ there¡¯s a lot of ways to interpret what that means. For some it probably means being allowed a second chance at life, for others¡­ maybe a chance to live the life that they always wanted?¡± Travis stopped scratching me, then looked up towards the large helmet, ¡°Adamanrion, had I not met Arc, I would have been forced to live an unfulfilling life as a farmer, never venturing far from my home, and never being able to see the wonders that this world contains. My life changed drastically that day almost eight years ago, and I haven¡¯t regretted it once since. My best friend though, needs your guidance. He too has been reborn but carries many worries regarding what he can share about his old life. Please help¡ª¡± The large helmet in the middle of the shrine lit up with an increasing density of Metal Mana, and after bringing in my focus closer, I was able to see the familiar erratic pulsing. Sword Guy? What are you doing here? ¡°Travis! It worked! Look at the helmet! It¡¯s pulsing weird, just like I told you.¡± Travis looked up, squinted his eyes at the shrine, then closed his eyes to activate his mana sight. Oh no, is this about Durinnsognir? I know it was a big favor to ask for, but they¡¯re working very hard, and have improved so much already, and¡­ Travis kept staring at the shrine, no doubt captivated by the presence of the god, but his body language began to look more uncomfortable before he finally reached down to set a hand on my pommel, ¡°Arc¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°What? Look at the big helmet, even if you can¡¯t make out the variation in pulsing, you should at least be able to see the huge disparity in Metal Mana compared to everything else in the room.¡± Travis gripped me hard, as if I was in denial, then looked directly at me, ¡°It¡­ has the same amount of Metal Mana that the other helmets in here have.¡± What¡­ no¡­ that can¡¯t¡­ No¡­ Oh no. Oh no no no no¡­ Have I? Oh, dear gods and God no, don¡¯t tell me I finally¡­ Panic filled my soul, was I hallucinating? Travis held me in his warm grasp, looking very worried. Hey dummy! Did you forget? Mortals can¡¯t see us. Can¡¯t see us? But I¡¯m a sword. Unless Addy is referring to my soul, or¡­. Oh! I slowly spun my focus around, only relying on my 360-degree vision to see the altar, but as soon as the shrine leaves my focus¡¯ field of view, the extra mana that appeared in the helmet disappeared. Looking the exact same as it did when we originally walked in. Well, that¡¯s a relief. Either my madness is doing a bang-up job rationalizing everything, or there¡¯s more to my focus than it being invisible to mana sight. ¡°Travis, I know I probably sound like a madman right now, but I need you to trust me. Adamanrion does have a presence here, but it¡¯s not visible to mortals. Could you please repeat my words for me? I don¡¯t think they can hear me.¡± Travis shifted uncomfortably, but after taking a breath, spoke in a reverent tone, ¡°Divine god of Metal, my friend Arcane requests your counsel. What knowledge is he allowed to share with the mortal plane?¡± Arcane? Ooh, I like that name, sounds ominous, and foreboding, like I could get into trouble for saying it out loud¡­ I waggled my focus to get Addy¡¯s attention. Oh, sorry, umm¡­ basically just be cautious before you drop any of the big chunks of ore into the furnace. I especially don¡¯t recommend going into too much detail about the afterlife, Chosen tend to become heroically suicidal otherwise, and then you got to start that long arduous process of finding a new one all over again. Rust, it took me nearly two dozen years to find my current one, though I guess you probably already know all about that, given how much effort you must have put into finding yours. Ok, that¡¯s¡­ good to know. Also, note to self, do not let the gods know that I picked Travis at random while borderline insane from the lack of human contact. Now, what should I ask next? ¡°Apologies for disturbing your prayers, but I¡¯m told you have a sword for me to come look at?¡± A deep voice echoed into the chamber, startling Travis. ¡°Oh, umm¡­ yes, I do. One second¡­¡± Travis whispered quietly, ¡°Arc?¡± Uh oh, looks like we¡¯ve run out of time. Again, I would really appreciate you helping out Durinnsognir. I promise to help you out with whatever you need in return. With those parting words, the influx of Metal Mana in the altar¡¯s helmet dissipated. Leaving me still with far too many questions and worries. ¡°They¡¯re gone now¡­ we can leave.¡± I made the sound of a sigh, ¡°I¡­ I wish you could have saw them.¡± Travis gave my pommel a comforting rub, allowing me to easily feel his sincerity, ¡°I know I¡¯ve been upset with you keeping secrets with me, but¡­ I do trust you.¡± He took a big breath to recenter himself, then stood to greet the armored dwarf before him. ¡°Sorry for making you wait, are you the expert I was told about?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The dwarf held out their free hand, ¡°Uminstronlir, though you can just call me Umin. Sorry for taking so long, but I wanted to stop by the reliquary first.¡± They held up a sword they were carrying, ¡°Look familiar?¡± Travis took the sword, giving it a thorough examination, ¡°It looks just like mine¡­ well, externally at least.¡± He pulled me from my scabbard, then offered it to the dwarf. ¡°Ah, I see¡­ I¡¯m impressed, all the other swords from this batch have either been destroyed or have turned into regular steel by now.¡± ¡°This batch?¡± ¡°Yep, these are two of the prototypes that Solveig crafted before creating The Fang of Voffer. She used an unusual process for these swords compared to the standard blades at the time which used human remains as a catalyst.¡± ¡°Are you implying these don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Hmm, yours might be an exception, given how long it¡¯s lasted, but according to her notes, she used the bones of different monsters to emulate what might happen when using the remains of a sentient beast capable of blotting out the sun with its howl or freezing everything underfoot. Nearly all of them ended in failure, the sword in your hand one of the few minor successes.¡± Travis nodded along, ¡°That explains the lack of decoration. How long did this sword last?¡± ¡°Only about a dozen years before it began to chip, instead of the usual two to three for regular mana infused human steel.¡± They paused, giving me another thorough scan with their mana sight, ¡°Your sword¡¯s quite lively, must be seeing a lot of action.¡± Oh, shit. Travis, somehow keeping his cool, cocked his head, ¡°Huh, what do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s a lot we don¡¯t know about adamantium. Unlike human steel, the mana inside adamantium will draw in the charge from higher intensity mana, allowing it to keep a hold on its infused mana and last entire calendar cycles. This trait is considered why the infused mana resists being wrestled out when piercing a dragon.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Completely forgot I read about that.¡± Travis chuckled, ¡°I usually just ignore it, not like I can attune to the mana inside anyways. I let out a big imaginary sigh, by the gods and God, as if I haven¡¯t already had enough scares today. At least it doesn¡¯t sound like Travis intentionally hid that from me. The dwarf joined in on the laughter, ¡°I personally think that¡¯s how those tales about these weapons driving men insane started. If the mana inside gets amped up enough, it could draw in enough ambient mana to make some strange things happen. Lighting things on fire, getting stuck in stones, or perhaps making unfamiliar noises that sound like whispers...¡± Travis grinned, ¡°Good thing I don¡¯t intend to use it much in combat. I¡¯ve got a poleaxe for that.¡± I mentally groaned. Could this day get any worse? ¡°Poleaxe? Hang on, are you by chance Travis?¡± Travis nodded, then twisted to show off his shoulder patch. ¡°You are! I¡¯ve been hearing so much about your weapon, did you by chance bring it?¡± Oh for¡­ Chapter 38 - Weapon Upgrades and Noble Privileges Now, let¡¯s compare those previous stories to a poem that a Chosen of Zephoreas told their congregations to recite regularly. ¡°O Zephoreas, Divine god of the Sky and Winds, let our praise echo thy name across all the earth! He who rules the sky with their authority. Let our mouths only speak of your immense strength over our enemies, and that none will slight you, mightiest of the gods. When the heavens cleaved, you remained by our side. The moon and the stars are now nothing but relics of the past. What can we do but fulfill the only task he has given to us elves? We are to be mindful of him, reassured that he, who watches over our garden, severs those who dare enter our realm. For he has sacrificed much for his crown and majestic wings, and thus shall be showered with glory and honor. His Dominion of Authority rules over us all. King of kings, Lord of lords, the Watcher who watches us. O Zephoreas, ruler of all, how most excellent thy name is in all the earth!¡± Notice anything different? --- Travis Windsday, the 17th of Seventhmonth I looked up at the statue of Sigurd the Archmage, Dragon Slayer, Consort of Queen Valeria, and founder of this academy. His Northman eyes accentuated his piercing stare, as if he was looking for yet another dragon head to add to the pile beneath his feet. In his hands was the legendary spear Echoing Eyeseeker, which according to bards, could strike three locations simultaneously, ensuring that no dragon could escape its strike. I gripped Arc tightly, thinking back to the fresco that I saw a few days ago, and how Arc was able to see through my eyes for a brief duration. ¡°Anything?¡± Arc groaned, ¡°Nothing. Ugh, I¡¯m not even sure if I was picking up your emotions on occasion as well, or if I¡¯m just going mad.¡± I crossed my arms, raising one hand so I could scratch the gap between my eyebrows, ¡°Maybe we should have tried talking to Apheros.¡± ¡°That¡¯s assuming we¡¯d be able to get his attention with the myriad of people also praying, or even if we did, wouldn¡¯t give some vague folksy advice like Adamanrion did.¡± Arc made a groaning sound, ¡°I can almost hear him going, ¡®To strengthen your blessing, you must strengthen the bond you two share.¡¯ Or some other nugget of wisdom that¡¯s supposed to induce a mind-blowing epiphany.¡± ¡°You make him sound more like Torbolt with that talk of bonds. Are you sure he¡¯s not the one who gave it to me?¡± ¡°Hmm, we did save one of his followers, convinced them not to switch gods, and then lived with their family of other Torbolt worshipers for a couple of weeks. Plus, I would not be surprised in the slightest if Darius once posed for an artist¡¯s rendition of Torbolt. My only issues are the long gap between staying at the Hopkin¡¯s Estate and how the blessing showed up right after you visited Apheros¡¯ church.¡± Thinking out loud as I tapped my forehead, ¡°Maybe it took time to take effect? His Domain of Comradery would be a better fit from what we¡¯ve learned about my blessing.¡± I let out a sigh, then reached down to gently scratch Arc in his favorite spot, hoping he was ready to finally talk, ¡°I suppose we could visit his church next Woodsday. Although, if you rather not talk to another god yet, I¡¯ll understand.¡± ¡°Right¡­, it has been a few days.¡± Arc made the sound of a deep breath, ¡°Ok, here¡¯s the thing¡­ All Adamanrion told me was to be cautious with what I share with you and advised me not to speak about the afterlife.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ umm¡­¡± ¡°Not very helpful?¡± I let out an exacerbated grin, ¡°I was going to say poor guidance. You were already doing that.¡± ¡°Oh, the irony isn¡¯t lost on me.¡± Arc made a sigh, ¡°It¡¯s part of why I was hesitant to repeat their words to you. It¡¯s bad enough that I need you to test your faith in me. Though, I guess it¡¯s a possibility that Addy was being ambiguous on purpose. They were initially worried when we showed up that I wanted to back out on our deal.¡± ¡°Or they figured out the favor you wanted was a Q&A session and didn¡¯t want to pay you before we delivered.¡± ¡°On that note, are you still okay with me using our favor for that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking that would be the most beneficial. Plus, I¡¯m not sure what I could ask for anyways.¡± I let out a sigh, and began to shift nervously, ¡°Though, I¡¯ll admit¡­ it¡­ would be nice to have some tangible proof that you¡¯re speaking to a god. Not that I don¡¯t trust you, but¡­¡± ¡°No, I agree, it would put me at ease too.¡± Arc made another sigh, ¡°I¡¯m starting to think I¡¯ve been too cautious when it comes to talking about my past. Adamanrion didn¡¯t seem too worried, maybe I shouldn¡¯t either? The more I think about it, the more I¡¯m disappointed in myself. I was never this hesitant in my old life. Heck, I was the courageous one among my friends, always taking risks and dragging them along on some crazy adventure.¡± My throat tightened, and I think my breathing even stopped. Was Arc really? ¡°I miss them. Sure, they¡¯d always moan and complain before leaving, but for some reason were all smiles once we got on the road.¡± Arc¡¯s voice began to crack, ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ glad I hadn¡¯t¡­ picked them up before I¡­¡± I gently cradled Arc, ¡°Before you died?¡± ¡°Yeah. It wasn¡¯t anything spectacular, just a¡­ traffic accident.¡± Oof, no wonder Arc doesn¡¯t like horses. I gave his pommel a comforting rub, doing my best to remember the coaching my dad gave me on how to transfer my intent, ¡°Thank you Arc. It means a lot to me that you¡¯d share that.¡± Arc didn¡¯t speak as I left the statue to attend my next class, but he did begin to make a familiar canine purring sound as I continued to comfort my friend. --- Voltsday, the 18th of Seventhmonth Hector comes in with a thrust, so I parry his poleaxe with the axe¡¯s flat of mine, catching the side of his weapon to push it away, and leaving his forward leg vulnerable to the spike at the other end of my poleaxe. Hector adjusts his stance in time though, leaving our weapons locked in place between us as we press against each other. My mana surges as I contest my strength with his, and struggle to find an opportunity. A mix of a grunt and chuckle emits from Hector, and I¡¯m left dumbstruck when he lets go of his poleaxe with one hand and grabs onto mine. Before I could comprehend what he was doing, his other hand is on my weapon, and he shifts his weight to pull it out of my grip. He follows up with a threat to tackle me with his shoulder, forcing me to step back, and completely miss that he lowered the head of his claimed weapon to trip me. My leg gets hooked, and I¡¯m soon lying on my back looking up in time to see the hammer end of his poleaxe swing down with a Slam! knocking the wind out of my lungs and leaving me gasping for air. Hector waits for me to catch my breath, then begins to lean in to give me a hand but stops after hearing the hourly chime in our helmets, and instead moves it to the side of his head. ¡°Training Battalion 3, you are dismissed.¡± I let out a sigh of relief, or at least tried to, my chest was still throbbing when Hector finally pulled me to my feet and allow me to remove my sweaty helmet. ¡°You¡¯re a strange one to teach.¡± I looked back up after clipping my helmet to my belt, ¡°Huh, what do you mean?¡± Hector chuckled lightly as we picked up our training weapons, a pair of mock poleaxes that had layered tumblepig leather over lead instead of deadly steel, then started walking towards the weapons rack. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re a walking set of contradictions. You have the physique of a knight, but you¡¯ve only been training for a few months. You¡¯re a quick learner and adaptable when it comes to weapon drills, or parkour on the obstacle courses, but freeze up with indecision when sparring. Oh, and you were able to both cultivate a sizable mana pool and trigger it without any outside help, despite living in the equivalent of a desert mana wise.¡± Hector narrowed his eyes at me, ¡°By all metrics, you¡¯re a gifted savant who just needs training, but I haven¡¯t once seen or heard of you displaying any ounce of boastfulness.¡± I set my training poleaxe on the rack, confused about Hector¡¯s last statement, ¡°Do you¡­ want me to be more arrogant?¡± Hector glowered at me, ¡°Travis, do you know why there are no inner-ring nobles in your battalion?¡± ¡°I assumed that was a side effect of providing security for the princess, since almost everyone in hers is.¡± He rolled his eyes, ¡°Yes, that too, but the other reason is so I, a first-year instructor, don¡¯t have to worry about angering any influential parents when I beat their child¡¯s ego into submission.¡± Still not sure what he was getting at, I gave Arc¡¯s pommel a scratch. ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re going to make me spell it out to you?¡± Before Arc could explain, Hector caught sight of my face, then sighed, ¡°Forget I said anything.¡± He raised his training poleaxe to return it to the rack, but stopped to give it a look, ¡°I think I¡¯ll get a real one commissioned, I¡¯m starting to really enjoy the versatility of this thing.¡± I smiled, not sure if that actually was Arc moaning or if I had just internalized him, ¡°I can give you a copy of my blueprints, including the additional inscription attachments, although I haven¡¯t tested them to see if they¡¯ll work or not yet.¡± Hector nodded, ¡°That¡¯d be great. Although, I doubt I¡¯d be able to match the materials you used. Marcia and I are hoping to have children soon, and I¡¯d rather not get cursed by both the god of Fertility and the god of Childish Mischief for greedily chopping off an Aelder tree¡¯s limb.¡± I let out a chuckle, ¡°I still vividly remember when the branch for my poleaxe fell down in front of me. Ended up waking my village¡¯s woodworker in the middle of the night because I was terrified that I¡¯d get into trouble and begged him to help me keep it a secret.¡± A melancholic sigh escaped me, ¡°In hindsight, I probably panicked for no reason. Father Viburnum always collected the smaller branches and twigs that would fall after a bad storm and have them made into idols. I¡¯m sure larger branches have fallen before.¡± Hector joined me in my amusement, then gestured for us to start heading towards the armory, taking off his helmet to let me see his textbook Packer features (minus the glaring exception on his chin). His beard was on full display, taunting me with how he was more of an adult Lakelander than I was, then double downed on the insult by combing his fingers through it. He raised an eyebrow when I unintentionally let out a groan, then gave me a goofy grin, ¡°Something bothering you?¡± I debated on whether I should be honest or not, but once Hector started stroking his beard mischievously, I couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer, ¡°Your beard infuriates me!¡± Hector began to laugh, and even had to stop walking for a moment, ¡°Is that all? No wonder Marcia¡¯s brothers ¡®adopted¡¯ you into the family, you fit right in.¡± He fought off a few residual chuckles as we neared the armory, ¡°Speaking of family, excited for Percy and Lucia¡¯s wedding?¡± ¡°Yeah, my friend Jethro just finished assembling an outfit for me, but I haven¡¯t gotten a gift yet. Any ideas?¡± ¡°Hmm, I heard there¡¯s a new shadow show that¡¯s growing popular¡­¡± I stopped before the door, strongly tempted to pound my head against it, ¡°Any other ideas?¡± --- Arc The woman behind the event counter at The Exotic Axe smiled nervously after a familiar looking old man cleared his throat from behind her and tilted his head towards Travis¡¯ shoulder, ¡°Apologies, I was looking in the wrong section. Two tickets right? Any specific date?¡± ¡°Yes, two tickets. And as far as dates go¡­¡± Travis grimaced, then uttered a silent curse. ¡°Maybe ask if they can change reservation dates if the one you pick doesn¡¯t work?¡± Travis gave my pommel a scratch, ¡°Sorry, they¡¯re a wedding gift, and I didn¡¯t think ahead to find out their schedules.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± She filled out the tickets, scribbling something in the corner, ¡°Here, they can simply bring these in to finalize the date at a different time.¡± ¡°Look at you, already living the life of a noble elite, and using your connections for personal gain. Won¡¯t be long till you¡¯re having your meals prepared for you, hiring a stylist to assemble your look, hosting parties for royalty, and¡­ oh, wait, never mind.¡± Travis groaned as I began to chuckle in his ear, making him quicken his pace to get back to campus. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pound your ego back into submission if you start complaining about how the peasants aren¡¯t working hard enough and just need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps." His whole body suddenly deflated, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s what Hector was talking about¡­¡± An angry growl then emanated from Travis¡¯ stomach, loudly voicing its protest, and demanding the growing teenager¡¯s attention. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure your future statue includes the epithet, ¡®Humble Eater of Hotdishes.¡¯¡± --- Burnsday, the 19th of Seventhmonth Travis joined the princess for their weekly supper together, and the lively table was sharing gossip about the extracurricular clubs they were in. ¡°I still think you guys are wasting your time,¡± Miller Bowitch, an Ice Mage from a family that was producing spellcasters long before contact was made with the elves, spoke with a weary tiredness, ¡°if there were other civilizations across the seas, don¡¯t you think the gods would have told us?¡± Ansel Raycraft, a Lightning Mage who¡¯s dad is on the advisory committee for the kingdom¡¯s weapon development programs, countered with their protest, ¡°Oh c¡¯mon! We were snuggled right between the elves and dwarfs for ages without them knowing, and it¡¯s practically guaranteed that there¡¯s other continents.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Travis kept swapping glances between the two boys, ¡°Isn¡¯t it¡­ impossible to randomly attune to a foreign Message channel?¡± ¡°Exactly, Wardenstone¡¯s Paradox. It doesn¡¯t matter how sophisticated your equipment is, you can¡¯t synchronize two motes of mana without having them touch.¡± ¡°That hasn¡¯t been proven. Plus, there¡¯s plenty of accounts of people hearing strange whispers when using Wind magic in combat.¡± ¡°Yes, from madmen who were wielding their fathers into battle.¡± The two kept going at it, and Travis slid out of the argument after noticing Seleyna look his way. ¡°How¡¯s Drama Club going? You guys had auditions for the Winter Solstice production last week, right?¡± ¡°Would you believe me if I told you there was drama going on in the drama club?¡± Travis gasped in mock surprise, ¡°I for one am shocked. What could cause such a thing?¡± ¡°Well, the actor who got the part of Oskar is a Goliath, so a ¡®few¡¯ people were upset that the director cast a 6¡¯4¡± handsome tower of muscle that can¡¯t even touch his hands behind his back.¡± I mentally shook my head, despite switching universes and living in a world full of magic, historical figures are still depicted by better looking versions of themselves. I¡¯ll have to check my memories, but I think Travis at 5¡¯10¡± is taller than Oskar¡¯s recorded height, since the Chosen was half Northman. The table continued to gossip, Travis not really able to contribute much, but everyone seemed to enjoy his company regardless. Whether it was because they didn¡¯t want to anger the princess by insulting her guest or because they genuinely liked him, I¡¯m not sure, but hopefully it was the latter. ¡°I forgot to ask last week; do you know what happened to the protesters outside the church district?¡± Travis asked after a lull in conversation formed. ¡°The opposition group finally organized enough to send a few representatives to the crown, and Mom had a talk with them, so they shouldn¡¯t be a problem anymore.¡± Whoa, I hope the Queen didn¡¯t go full tyrant on them. Monarchies and Stratocracies in my world didn¡¯t have the best reputations, and the hybrid one this kingdom uses hasn¡¯t had the best either due to a few bad Queens and Generals. Travis must have thought something similar, because his expression made the princess put up her hands to alleviate his worry. ¡°No no, not like that.¡± Seleyna paused to think before explaining, ¡°The law was actually one my grandmother originally drafted, but the plan wasn¡¯t deemed feasible at the time due to there not being enough Mages and Knights to assign to every fortress.¡± ¡°So, it wasn¡¯t a reaction to that Jarl not removing me from my village?¡± ¡°No, the original idea was to implement a communication network using Messaging artifices, allowing Jarls to directly report to the capital and eventually¡­¡± Seleyna cut herself off, then gestured to Sir Asher. The Royal Knight nodded, then held up a hand to create a wall of Air Mana around the two teens. I made note of the spell structure, but continued to listen in. ¡°Keep this to yourself, but the law is intended as a precursor to another one my mother intends to implement. The formation of a Parliament.¡± Travis¡¯ eyes grew wide, and he leaned into whisper, ¡°She wants the Jarls to be able to vote on new legislation?¡± Seleyna nodded with a big smile, ¡°I wish I could have seen the organizers¡¯ faces when they found out they were actually harming their cause. Especially the part when my mother agreed to include a few addendums to the law, then told the protestors to return, and tell their followers that they convinced her to change the proposed law.¡± Not surprising, Travis was shocked by the Queen¡¯s manipulation, then finally noticed the lack of sound from outside the bubble Asher made and grew worried, ¡°Wait, are you really allowed to tell me this?¡± Seleyna leaned into whisper, leaving the two teens only inches away from each other, ¡°I¡¯m allowed to divulge some secrets to trusted people.¡± She tilted her head to draw attention to her bodyguard, who was keeping a watchful gaze on Travis, ¡°There¡¯s a lot of eyes on you, and given your status, it¡¯s important that we build trust between each other.¡± Travis gulped, no doubt wondering just how fast Asher could draw his sword, but managed to focus enough on the conversation, ¡°Because I¡¯m the first human Elementalist Mage?¡± ¡°And other things,¡± she darted her eyes to the sides, drawing attention to the table of inner ring nobles looking on in curiosity, ¡°but that¡¯ll be another, more private conversation.¡± She leaned back in her seat and held up a hand for Asher to drop the spell. Travis sat there looking like he just had a brush with death, and still looked like his nerves had been fried long after he left the table to practice at the spell range. Hmm, maybe I should warn him that Seleyna might want to marry him and make him King Consort¡­ I looked down at Travis after he entered his private range and collapsed on the bench looking utterly exhausted. On second thought, I should probably keep that to myself for now. --- Travis Steelsday, the 20th of Seventhmonth The interior of the Artificer Burrow was well deserving of the name. Unlike the other buildings on campus that had human and elven elements added in, this building was purely dwarven. At the heart was a communal workshop full of machine lathes, presses, drills, sanders, saws, and even a few forges. Rows of columns holding up the high ceiling separated the equipment from large workbenches or cleared floor space for projects. Encircled around that were multiple stories of private workshops, some facing the public area, and others that extended down long tunnels that¡­ weren¡¯t very tall¡­ ¡°You might want to carry your poleaxe in hand. I doubt you want to get into trouble for scratching one of the ceiling windows.¡± I gave Arc a scratch, carefully removed my poleaxe from my back, then dug into my backpack for my directions to Durinn¡¯s spot. That ended up being a smart call. Arc couldn¡¯t see very far due to the mana density of the walls and amount of mana crystals being used. Plus¡­, he was having another one of his episodes¡­ ¡°I am a dwarf and I¡¯m digging a hole¡­¡± I did my best to try ignoring Arc sing about a bunch of dwarves going into a mating cycle, following the signs in the tunnels, stopping at each branch, then continuing along until reaching the outermost arteries of the complex where the apprentice artificers worked. My feet eventually stopped at one of the heavily barred doors, and after double checking to ensure the rune matched, I knocked on the steel door. No one responded, only silence greeted me. Was I at the wrong door? I double checked the rune with the one on my paper, then compared it to the neighboring one to confirm that I wasn¡¯t misreading. Ok, so I¡¯m at the right place. Am I here at the right time? I gave Arc a scratch, ¡°Did I mix up my dates?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s today. You¡¯re two minutes early, but¡ª" ¡°Travis! I was worried that you wouldn¡¯t be able to find my little hidey-hole.¡± A familiar deep voice echoed in the tunnel. I turned my head to see a pair of dwarves walking towards me; Durinn and a beardless dwarf. Both were clad in full plate-mail, but unlike the usual orange hair most of the dwarves I¡¯ve seen, the beardless had a magenta pink mop of hair, leaving me entranced by the strange sight. ¡°Travis,¡± Durinn waved their hand in front of my face, ¡°you there?¡± I snapped back to attention, and felt my face turn red, ¡°Sorry, I haven¡¯t met any dwarves with pink hair before.¡± Durinn let out a chuckle, ¡°Let me guess, you thought all dwarves had orange hair?¡± Feeling a bit more relaxed now, I joined in on the amusement, ¡°I did notice that a few had red or golden hair, but just assumed it was similar to how Lakelanders like me occasionally get auburn hair.¡± ¡°Believe it or not, Pinky here isn¡¯t even that odd by dwarven standards,¡± Durinn slapped a hand on the beardless¡¯ shoulder, ¡°even this guy thinks the dwarven Water Mages with their blue hair are a bunch of weirdos.¡± If I was entranced earlier, then pink-haired dwarf must have been fully hypnotized, because they completely ignored Durinn¡¯s touch and was staring at my poleaxe. Noticing the lack of presence, Durinn gave the dwarf a good shake, ¡°Thramreat! You there?¡± The dwarf startled, then looked around the tunnel confused, ¡°Sorry, got distracted¡­¡± they gave me a look, before their eyes grew wide in excitement, ¡°You¡¯re Travis! Aren¡¯t you?¡± Their head jerked back to my weapon, ¡°And that¡¯s that poleaxe I¡¯ve been hearing about!¡± ¡°Ugh, seriously? Not again¡­¡± The beardless raised their eyes to the skylight, allowing me to almost see the gears turning in their head, before snapping their head towards Durinn, ¡°That project you had to get back for¡­¡± Durinn grinned, ¡°Yep, gotta supervise Travis¡¯ lab work.¡± They moved to open the door to their workshop, grabbing the handle, then began pushing it in and out while twisting at odd intervals. A series of clicks sounded off, before a loud thud, and the door opened to reveal a simple workbench and tool storage. A swath of pink hair crept up into the corner of my eye, and I looked down to see an excited grinning dwarf staring up at me. ¡°Need an extra set of hands?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you just complaining about not having enough time for your own project?¡± Durinn admonished. ¡°What? No¡­ I¡­ uh, can spare a few hours¡­¡± Durinn, not having any of it, reached forward to spin the beardless around and push them out the door, ¡°Out wit¡¯ ya. It¡¯s gonna be crowded enough in here with just the two o¡¯ us.¡± I laughed hard with amusement as the other dwarf was kicked out, then took the opportunity to give the place a more thorough look around while I waited for my gaiety to calm. My bearded friend wasn¡¯t lying about the lack of space. While there was probably enough room to set up a hammock, I doubt a cow could have turned around in here. Tools and supplies were neatly organized into drawers or on wall hooks out of necessity rather than want, and there wasn¡¯t even a second stool to sit on. Durinn backed up to the wall, then their plate-mail began to open up with a series of clicks, completely hands-free, and allowing them to shuffle out of the side of their armor like a hermit crab, leaving their armor looking like a statue. Thinking of how much of a hassle it was to put on armor, even with help, I grew jealous, ¡°When do I get to learn that?¡± Durinn smiled as they began to air out their red arming jacket, ¡°You¡¯ll learn the theory behind it during Metal Spells 1, but it probably won¡¯t be practical until the end of your second year once you¡¯ve built a large enough mana pool. Attuning to a weapon is one thing, but a full set of armor and still having leftover mana to cast?¡± They shook their head as they opened a drawer to pull out a folder containing a copy of my blueprints for my poleaxe¡¯s mana scale attachments, then opened it on the workbench, ¡°Speaking of attunement, I¡¯m worried about the mana conductivity. Switching materials and mana types when forming a circuit reduces the efficacy, especially when using wood. We¡¯ll have to do a few tests after you complete the first attachment to be sure this is even a viable option.¡± I moved up next to Durinn, nodding my head, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not confident that I¡¯ll be able to connect to the mana scales while my poleaxe is mounted on my back. The initial pathway to my poleaxe is already really narrow, having to go through my arming jacket, then back plate, then carrier, and then magnet inscription.¡± I let out a big sigh, ¡°But that will be a future problem. I don¡¯t have room to rivet two different attachments on one side, so I saved room on my mana scale design for a new inscription.¡± Durinn twisted their head towards me, ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?¡± They studied my face, then patted the bench, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have a look at this poleaxe everyone keeps raving about.¡± Being careful not to hit anything, I maneuvered my poleaxe to allow it to sit on the bench and let the future Artificer see what we were working with. The moment they activated their mana sight was obvious, because the dwarf immediately did a doubletake, then gulped hard, and started shuffling their feet anxiously while their hands began twitching. ¡°Stay strong Durinn! Don¡¯t fall into temptation.¡± Arc¡¯s words fell on deaf ears though, because the bearded soon began adjusting their collar while speaking at a rapid pace, ¡°Is it just me, or is it drafty in here? Maybe we should shut the door? I know it¡¯s not proper for a bearded and beardless to work together in an enclosed space, but¡­¡± Something jabbed at me upon the word beardless. It was accurate, since my future beard was only showing glimpses of its future magnificence, but something about that word just felt wrong. Maybe it was the way Durinn said it? ¡°Durinn¡­ No¡­ You were the chosen one!¡± My mind snapped back to the present at the sound of Arc¡¯s ranting, ¡°Ok, we can shut the door, but I have a couple of requests.¡± ¡°Sure, whatever you want.¡± ¡°First, do not call me beardless.¡± Durinn gasped in horror, ¡°Travis, I am so sorry! I should know better. It¡¯s blatantly obvious you¡¯re from that tribe of humans that grow beards after reaching adulthood.¡± Shrugging off the unintentional backhanded comment, I held up a hand to placate the dwarf, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I know you didn¡¯t intend any harm.¡± I gave Durinn a pat to help calm them down, ¡°The other request is to explain to me why every dwarf I meet wants to take away my weapon and stroke it lovingly in the starlight.¡± Durinn chuckled at my wording, ¡°Let¡¯s see, how do I describe it to a human¡­ it¡¯s like staring at a massive mound of sculptor¡¯s clay or unblemished hunk of marble. Raw potential that you can make into anything. I have no idea how you got your hands on high grade dwarven steel, but it certainly wasn¡¯t wasted on this weapon. Normally putting it atop a wooden handle would be considered a waste, since you¡¯d be strangling your connection to it when attuning to the weapon. But you have almost the opposite in effect here with how mana dense your handle is.¡± Durinn looked at my poleaxe, then back to me with an inquisitive look, ¡°Can you even attune to this thing fully?¡± ¡°Yeah, it takes a long time, and it¡¯s difficult to cast even a small Earth spell afterwards. Like trying to grab one more thing while your hands are full.¡± Durinn nodded, ¡°Not surprised, your mana supply is still growing, and you haven¡¯t started building internal pathways to optimize connectivity for spellcraft.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Right, sorry, that¡¯s advanced artifice¡­¡± They rolled their head to think, then patted my poleaxe, ¡°Basically, your body is currently like your weapon here, a raw mass of mana. When you advance in artifice, you¡¯ll learn how to mimic something your body will do naturally when synchronizing with foreign mana; creating mana channels.¡± Durinn paused to think, ¡°How do I simplify this¡­ umm, oh! You¡¯re a farmer, you probably know about creating irrigation channels and tiling a field to regulate the amount of water in the soil.¡± He checked to ensure I was following, ¡°Creating mana channels is similar. You¡¯re taking what¡¯s already there but optimizing the flow. Pretty much every fully fledged mage could pick up your weapon right now, and create a high tier enchantment without inscribing it, but modifying it in combat would be hard due to the slow connection.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s like how you can easily see the nervous systems in initiate dwarven mages!¡± That made it click, ¡°That explains why the Quartermaster doesn¡¯t want me to even think about inscribing this until my senior year. If I advance far enough in artifice, I¡¯d be better off using enchantment on my weapon since I can easily change or modify it, instead of being stuck with whatever permanent one I inscribe.¡± Durinn gave my thigh a slap, ¡°Exactly! Now, c¡¯mon, we don¡¯t have all night to prattle.¡± --- The first step was to head to the shared workshop¡¯s storage to grab supplies. I didn¡¯t need much, my mana dust was already secure in my valuables pouch on my belt, so a single piece of ironwood and ingot of dwarven steel was quick enough to secure. After that came shaping the housing for my basic inscriptions. My block of ironwood first went through the bandsaw the long ways to create a pair of narrower planks, then were cut to correct length using the miter saw. After that, I marked up my still raw piece of wood to denote where the holes for the rivets and mana dust will go and had Durinn doublecheck my measurements. Once confirmed, I moved over to the drill press and started with the tiny holes on the long narrow side for the dust, and then the larger ones on the large side for the rivets. The final step for the wooden housing was to take the planks over to the router and smooth out the edges on one side. ¡°That was insanely fast.¡± I commented to Durinn while we got in line for the steel rollers to start the metal attachments. ¡°Really? I was about to complain about how long the lines were tonight.¡± ¡°I was referring to the sawing and drilling. Most of the tools in my village were hand-powered.¡± I pointed to the gears that glowed with orange rotation arrays under my mana sight, ¡°If we had inscribed equipment that made gears turn just by amping up the mana inside, we¡¯d get assaulted by monsters.¡± Durinn was quiet while we prepared the steel attachments, constantly looking around the shop or hyper-focusing when drilling or shaving my future artifice. When we got back to their shop though, they finally voiced their thoughts. ¡°I think I finally get it now; why Adamanrion blesses so many of your craftsmen.¡± They pointed at my poleaxe, ¡°I could easily make something similar in an afternoon. Granted, I¡¯d have to settle for elmek horn instead of aelderwood and use a lower grade of dwarven steel to meet that deadline, but it¡¯d be possible.¡± They let out a deep sigh, looking completely downcast, ¡°If you told me to also make it without any artifice machinery, or advanced magical knowledge, I¡¯d tell you it was a waste of time though, and not even try.¡± Not sure how to respond, I resorted to my default behavior of giving a shoulder pat. It seemed to do the trick, and the dwarf barked themself, going from a thin-skinned birch to a proper oak. ¡°Right, you got a project, let¡¯s start with the Fire and Wind scales.¡± I pulled out my vials containing my precious mana dust and began using Durinn¡¯s weight scale to measure out twelve portions. Each portion was then carefully dropped into the tiny holes I had drilled, then had a drop of binding agent added to each one. After enough time passed to let the oil fully soak in, I used my mana sight to confirm all the mana dust was at the bottom of each hole, then pounded in a wooden dowel to stamp the dust into a tiny ball and seal in the mana dust. ¡°Now for the first test¡­¡± I set my hand on my poleaxe, the mana scale already attached using temporary rivets, and tried to attune to feel the inscriptions. My internal mana amped up as I raised the pulse rate in my handle, then langets, then the housing of the mana scale, and finally the inscriptions. Grinning, I looked over to Durinn, ¡°Success!¡± Durinn nodded, also sporting a huge grin, ¡°Excellent, I¡¯ll cut and sand off the dowels for you so you can keep going. Let me know if you¡¯ve got questions.¡± I nodded, then continued with my other artifices. The Fire Mana scale was made exactly the same, so that went a tad quicker the second time around. Leaving me with plenty of time to work with the steel for my Earth and Water scales. Unlike the wooden housing, I had to first drop cutting oil in each hole before tapping them to create threads, then wash it clean before adding the mana dust. After that, it went about the same, using a binding oil to keep the dust collected, then compacting it down with set screws. It took a while to test the scales and file down the excess material. In fact, so long that Durinn must have started working on a personal project. They pulled out extra tools and were huddled at the other end of the workbench, hiding what they were doing so I wouldn¡¯t get distracted. ¡°Just need to rivet everything together now.¡± ¡°One second¡­ there.¡± Durinn leaned back, ¡°Just got to varnish these real quick and then we can do the real test.¡± I cocked my head as Durinn pulled out a jar of lacquer, then created a tiny spell that blew warm air over my weapon attachments after coating them. Curious as to what the bearded was up to, I was about to activate my mana sight when Arc interrupted me. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t spoil the surprise.¡± Durinn, looking like an excited child, eventually brought over the dried inscriptions, then helped finish by riveting using their impressive Metal Mana control. ¡°Alright, put your chest and back plate back on, let¡¯s test this for real!¡± Confused about what they were getting at until I was handed my poleaxe, I noticed with my mana sight that my Fire and Wind scale attachments each had a pink rotation array composed of six arcing teardrops around one of the rivets. Much fancier than the straight triple lined one I had before. ¡°You inscribed them?¡± ¡°Figured I¡¯d save you the trouble of having to go back to the Quartermaster. Go ahead. Give it a try, should be able to set it at more angles now, and even swap sides.¡± I nodded, then mounted my poleaxe onto my back, but instead of the handle pointing out at an 11 o¡¯clock angle, had it sitting more on my right side with the handle at 7, only a few inches off the ground. Note to self, will need to detach before sitting¡­ but first¡­ I focused on trying to attune with my poleaxe and found the connection much stronger now. In fact, I had no troubles forming a connection to the four mana scales on my poleaxe. Durinn¡¯s modified magnetism inscription must have fixed my problem. Leaning forward to give the dwarf a hug, I gave them a hard squeeze, ¡°It works! Thank you so much!¡± Durinn gave my back a pat, ¡°Well, I owed you a favor. Plus, I kinda felt bad for you, given all the hassle you¡¯ll have to deal with now.¡± I broke the hug to give Durinn a stare, ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Well, the reason we have you make wands, is so you got something portable and easy to stow away. You¡¯re gonna have to lug your poleaxe with you everywhere now.¡± Oh¡­ rot¡­ I did not think this through¡­ Chapter 39 - Up to My Eyeballs in It And now let¡¯s add in a fable depicting Hydraviandor. Shandalar was a sailor, an expert navigator blessed by Hydraviandor. He¡¯d travel from isle to isle, never straying far from home, and never far from Hydraviandor¡¯s protection. He had a wife, children, wealth, and comfort, but like the greedy mortal he was, he wanted more. He¡¯d sail on his boat, always looking past the horizon, always curious, and always asking the goddess, ¡°What else is out there?¡± Hydraviandor in her infinite wisdom would then answer, ¡°Nothing but pain, suffering, and death.¡± Shandalar would then bow in supplication to the three-eyed goddess, offer his daily prayer, and go about his route, but some days he was slower than others to sail towards the next island. One day his mortal weakness finally overtook him, and Shandalar, now a foolish sailor, sailed towards the west. There he found an island, a massive one, so large that he couldn¡¯t even see the entire coast before it sunk under the horizon. It had trees, tall trees, trees so tall that they must be scraping the clouds. He returned home, raving about the trees, assembling a navy, so they could go gather the resource. What awaited him was pain. Other elves ambushed him and his crew, pale ones, with metallic hair, and singing praise to a different god, one of the sky. They enslaved them, telling them they were their betters, that their authority was above theirs. Their god did not approve. Shandalar returned to his boat, the scars still fresh, but his mind still curious, perhaps next time will be better? He sailed south, following the massive island, past an endless marsh of trees covered in mist and full of the screams of monsters, then found himself sailing north, finding a forest made of rocks. It was then that the storm came, thrashing his boat, killing his deckhands, and leaving him and his boat stranded on the coast. On that coast he was awoken by stout little men, who poked and prodded at him and his ship, speaking fast, and with so few words. They helped fixed his boat, asked him to return¡­ maybe? He wasn¡¯t too sure, but Shandalar knew that he needed to tell his brethren of this place. Shandalar offered his prayers to Hydraviandor, the goddess once again speaking to him, ¡°You have found pain, you have found suffering, will you now seek your death?¡± Shandalar grew furious with the goddess. Yes, he had found pain, but he had reunited his people with their cousins of the trees and mountains. And yes, he found suffering, having lost many of his life-long friends, but he had found new ones in those strange men that would burrow into the ground and spawn new men. He set his eyes to the west and challenged the sun to a race. Shandalar never returned. --- Travis Woodsday, the 22nd of Seventhmonth ¡°Whatcha get? Whatcha get? Whatcha get? Is it a sword stand? I bet it¡¯s a sword stand. It¡¯s definitely a sword stand!¡± The aggravated groan emanating from me did little to relieve my tension as I set the package down on my bed. I then reached to unclip Arc from my belt, his completely inert form the complete opposite of his puppy-like excitement. ¡°Are you gonna open it? Hurry up! I wanna see. I wanna see.¡± ¡°Arc! Would you please calm down?¡± ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯ll be quiet¡­¡± I started with the unmarked envelope attached to the package with the secure shipment label on it and opened it. Travis, I¡¯ve taken the liberty of organizing the town¡¯s letters to you for your convenience, and am taking a few measures to ensure they arrive without incident to you in a timely matter from now on. I apologize for the long delay, but I wanted to wait for the giant ruckus to calm down before sending this care package. I hope its contents aid you in your journey. As for news from Aelder Creek, things have begun to finally calm down. The Inquisitors from the church managed to convince the town that what happened under the Aelder Tree during the attack was a natural phenomenon, and not a miracle. It did take until the summer solstice festival for most of the townspeople¡¯s stress to finally evaporate, though a few things have permanently changed now. Issac is now attending church on Woodsday with his wife Mildred. It may be out of guilt, however. After you left, he came to me and confessed to helping you hide what your poleaxe¡¯s shaft was made with. He was a nervous wreck after the attack on the village and couldn¡¯t handle the stress. He¡¯s calmed down considerably now, and hasn¡¯t told anyone else, so I humbly ask that you show mercy on him. A new family has moved in, a former soldier and his schoolteacher wife (Judith is over the moons with glee). They have three children, a ten-year-old boy, and two daughters ages seven and five. They provided a nice uplift for the town, especially after the new residents got to show off their fancy new farming equipment that they bought in the capital¡¯s farm show. Ingrid and Ryan have started pre-marriage counseling, and although I personally think they are rushing things, it seems some of your habits have rubbed off on your friends. In an unrelated matter, Franklin has been seeking counsel with me on the regular and asking about the ¡°ethics¡± of preventing a marriage. I¡¯ll continue to organize a regular secure shipment to you, should you wish, and will keep you updated on the happenings of the town. So, feel free to ask about anything, no matter how minor. Father Viburnum Ah, that¡¯s nice of him. I¡¯ll have to send Issac a letter to apologize, and maybe include a gift for causing him so much stress. He always mentioned how out of place he felt sometimes, not just because of his appearance, but because he worshiped Ignitious. I remember him once getting very upset one winter when he couldn¡¯t get any incense for his weekly prayers before the travel ban started. Hmm¡­ I should check with Bridget¡­ maybe something Ashman related would cheer him up. I opened the wrapped package, inside was a small stack of letters, and a bundle of wood¡­? ¡°Umm, did he send you a bunch of scrap wood?¡± It certainly looked like it, but upon closer inspection, I noticed a familiar pattern of faint green lines embedded with the grain of the wood. ¡°Whoa! This is all aelderwood.¡± ¡°You¡­ should probably get a lockbox¡­ especially now that we know how valuable that stuff is.¡± I nodded along, then began to read the other letters, starting with one from dad. ¡­Ryan, of course, showed up bright and early to ask Franklin if he could apprentice, completely unaware that the big log was hungover¡­ ¡­Now that Connor is up and about, I¡¯ve been helping out the new family get settled, and seeing them every day has made me start missing you terribly again. I wish we could have had a long talk before you left, especially since it¡¯s finally sunk in now that you won¡¯t be coming back. I¡¯m still undecided on wintering in the capital. The new family has agreed to milk and tend to the cows, but I can¡¯t help but worry that I¡¯ll be nothing more than a burden for Lancel¡¯s family. I¡¯ll make up my mind soon though, there¡¯s some news I¡¯m waiting on first before I¡¯ll commit to coming. So, try to be patient with this old man. I sat down on the bed and leaned up against the wall while I let out a deep sigh. Maybe mom¡¯s will be better¡­ ¡­ I¡¯m still waiting on confirmation from one of my old friends to see if they¡¯ll allow me to winter with them, and not take advantage of the Hopkins family¡¯s hospitality. Once that is settled, I¡¯ll have a talk with your father, and we¡¯ll see¡­ I looked up at the remaining stack of letters, decided I was no longer in the mood, and set them on the desk with my bundle of wood. ¡°Do you want to talk?¡± ¡°Not really¡­¡± ¡°Well, it sounds like the sticking point is staying with the Hopkins for the entire four-month travel ban. Maybe we can secure a couple of apartments for your parents?¡± Reaching over to give Arc a scratch, I felt some of the tension fade, ¡°Good idea. Was there anything in my paperwork about winter housing for family? I can¡¯t be the only non-noble that¡¯s needed a place for their parents to stay.¡± ¡°Checking¡­ Nothing in my memories, but there was an issue with your paperwork, so it¡¯s possible that you might be missing something. Maybe ask your Civics teacher?¡± --- Rainsday, the 23rd of Seventhmonth 1-3 Mage Civics 1 ¡°Yes, as a mage, you do have access to the winter housing available to commoner-born knights. I¡¯ll admit it¡¯s not very luxurious, the buildings are all Northman style lodges, so the bedrooms are practically closets with mattresses thrown over storage trunks. But from what I¡¯ve heard, the food is quite good, the common areas are quite comfortable, and there¡¯s plenty of entertainment since they¡¯re located close to the market districts.¡± Professor Lambertsen gave me an inquisitive glance, ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯d need to inquire though. I¡¯d assume you¡¯d have dozens of families clamoring to host your parents.¡± Now it was my turn to tilt my head in question, ¡°Why would they?¡± My Northman professor sighed, ¡°Right, I somehow forgot you are the son of a farmer. A common recruiting strategy for established noble families is to invite the families of first-generation Knights and Mages to winter at their estates.¡± He shook his head, ¡°That¡¯s part of why the public housing for wintering families is kept barebones. Guilt can be an effective tool on young adults to make them do something they¡¯d normally be hesitant to do, especially when it comes to family.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­ not very ¡®noble¡¯ of them.¡± Arc, unfortunately, was missing the forest for the trees. How do I know the Hopkins weren¡¯t doing the same to me? A hand rested on my shoulder, and I looked up at my concerned professor, ¡°Travis, is there something bothering you?¡± I lowered my head with a sigh, ¡°I guess¡­ I have an invitation from the Hopkins Clan to have my parents winter with them, but my parents have been hesitant, and I think I am now too. Which¡­ is now making me feel guilty for even thinking their clan would do something that awful.¡± He nodded along, and let out his own sigh, ¡°I¡¯m probably just being pessimistic and overselling the maliciousness. I¡¯ve had too many clients break down into tears at my law firm after I isolated them to confirm their wishes, and have even seen the reverse where their parents will force them into a marriage or wardship for personal gain.¡± He gave my shoulder-pad a pat and smiled, ¡°There¡¯s nothing stopping you from asking your family to act as a set of eyes and ears to determine if you even wish to join the noble house in question. If they are acting in bad faith, it¡¯ll be difficult to keep up the ruse for four months straight while trapped inside underneath six feet of snow.¡± I let out a sigh of relief. Maybe my tense interaction with Seleyna the other day after she subtly threatened to kill me if I shared state secrets invoked a bit of paranoia. ¡°If you¡¯re amicable to some advice, I suggest that you have your parents stay at the public housing but visit the Hopkins estate for short periods.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Your parents will have somewhere else to go, and that lodge will be full of other parents in a similar situation as them.¡± I nodded along, and gave Arc a scratch, ¡°Thanks for the advice.¡± --- 4-6 Water Spells 1 ¨C Classroom Component A dark figure wreathed in shadows glided up and down the stairs of the auditorium while we attempted to solve the fluid dynamics problem posted on the chalkboard. The problem was meant to simulate a common one that would plague a Water Mage during the flood, and our task was to determine how to correct the flow of a heavily obstructed sewage line before total blockage occurred. It was a fun puzzle to solve, since I had to figure out which sewage lines could be restricted without creating new problems, then create enough pressure in the obstructed line to clear the blockage. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can solve those problems so quickly without a calculator or sword-brain to assist.¡± I shrugged, not thinking it was that strange, Dad used to do something similar whenever he was fixing the neighbor¡¯s irrigation systems, always saying it was smarter to make the system clean itself than constantly snaking lines. A dark shadow passed over me, making my neck hairs stand on end. ¡°Travis,¡± the deep scratchy voice of Professor Aumrauth echoed, ¡°one of my assistants informed me of your pursuit of knowledge in combat-related Water Enchantments.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ yes. I was told that most aren¡¯t available or usable till second year though.¡± The hooded figure coated in blackness nodded, ¡°Correct. However, as with most things, there are exceptions.¡± He tilted his head towards my desk where a small dome of Shadow Mana was forming. A flick of his hand a moment later, and the Shadow mana dispersed, leaving behind an innocuous looking spell diagram folder that wasn¡¯t there earlier. ¡°[Water Bracer] - This spell is a derivative of the [Water Gauntlet] spell. It lacks the explosive damage component, but is simpler to cast, and does not require as large of an investment of mana. Show caution when using it however, as it does not absorb blows, but will deflect minor ones.¡± I reached to pick up the folder but startled when I turned back to thank my professor and found him missing. ¡°How does he do that?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just simple misdirection. He had one of his teacher assistants set the diagram on your desk while your attention was on him, then ducked behind the back row of desks when you went to pick up your folder.¡± I let out a groan, ¡°Why not just hand it to me like a normal person?¡± ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon! Where¡¯s the mystique in that?¡± --- Snowsday, the 24th of Seventhmonth I wonder if I can convince Adrian to help me get showered after this¡­ ¡°Sewerducks, a dual-element varmint, I¡¯m gonna be honest¡­ there¡¯s not much in the hunter logs you read. Mainly just let the local guards take care of them, since they rarely grow bigger than a housecat, and are worthless parts-wise. I think they¡¯re considered one of the more notorious menaces that plague island fortresses though, since they¡¯ll use their control over Water and Earth to swim up sewage lines and contaminate freshwater storage tanks.¡± ¡°You forgot to mention they smell like an upturned outhouse.¡± ¡°Hate to break it to you, but I listened in on a group of Hunters make a list of the ¡®Top 12 Worst Smelling Monsters¡¯ and these guys only got an honorable mention.¡± I sighed, happy that I at least didn¡¯t throw up like a few of my teammates did while we trudged through the simulated sewer line. On the bright side, I had plenty of practice hitting ducks with my spells. --- Arc Voltsday, the 26th of Seventhmonth 4-6 Wind Spells 1 ¨C Spell Range Component Professor Quinsandoral stared judgmentally at the poleaxe on Travis¡¯ back while the teen was busy casting [Wind Bolt]¡¯s, then gestured to Mattius to join him behind a sound-blocking wall of mana. ¡°Young Master Tatian, it is of great relief to me that you chose a less¡­ flamboyant training aid.¡± Mattius leaked out a giant grin while the two watched Travis, ¡°At least he has the decency not to literally wave it around in everyone¡¯s faces.¡± The High Elf sighed, ¡°True, it could be worse¡­¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Mattius turned his head to witness the professor¡¯s lamentation, ¡°Something bothering you?¡± Quinsandoral waved off the Packer, ¡°Nothing that would affect you, I¡¯ve already taken measures to correct his behavior.¡± The elf pointed their head at Mattius¡¯ shoulder, ¡°I see you¡¯ve decided to continue Wind magic past his class.¡± Mattius looked down at his wand, ¡°I¡¯ll admit, the thought of missing out on getting a full twelve-note scale for practicing Wind spells gave me the final push to declare a second major. I¡¯m just glad I was able to complete the paperwork in time before supplies were handed out.¡± The professor nodded, then turned to watch Travis, ¡°I¡¯m glad you did. I¡¯ll need your assistance in a future project I wish to conduct. Have the Dust Mages¡¯ Guild reached out to you yet?¡± ¡°No, who are they?¡± The professor lowered the sound barrier, ¡°Better if they explain. Expect an invitation from them soon.¡± He then stepped towards Travis, ¡°Travis, you¡¯re hitting the targets incorrectly. You¡¯re supposed to hit the edges of the ones with inverted colors. Targeting the center of mass will only have a minimal effect on armored or heavier monsters, you¡¯ll want to target the legs, wings, or sensory organs instead.¡± --- Travis Burnsday, the 27th of Seventhmonth I carefully grabbed my overloaded tray of food from, umm¡­ umm¡­ ¡°Varguk.¡± Right, Varguk, Reidar¡¯s half-orc squad-brother. Then turned to see Bridget eyeing me up and down. ¡°Are you really about to walk up to the princess¡¯ table carrying that thing?¡± I looked down at my tray, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with tater-tot hotdish?¡± ¡°The fact that you picked it over the pan seared duck served with cranberry glazed vegetables.¡± She sighed, ¡°But what I was referring to is your poleaxe. Why are you even carrying that around today? Guided practice for Fire spells in the spell range is tomorrow.¡± I groaned, ¡°It¡¯s so I don¡¯t have to walk all the way to the armory before going to the spell range. Plus, I need to get used to wearing my armor all day. Fall Expedition is only a month away now.¡± Bridget shook her head, then stopped walking once she realized we were approaching the Princess¡¯ table. ¡°You are welcome to join us¡­¡± She narrowed her large eyes at me, ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± Shrugging my shoulders, I walked up to Sir Asher and his stern gaze, ¡°I assume it¡¯d be improper to sit at the Princess¡¯ table with a polearm on my back?¡± Asher deadpanned back to me, ¡°Yes.¡± I gulped, then turned around, ¡°Could you? My hands are full.¡± A groan was heard, but the Royal Knight did take my poleaxe, and I quickly moved before he got any ideas with my back turned. Seleyna and the rest of the table had a good view of my interaction and were laughing hard before I could even sit down. The rest of the hour went by relatively quickly. Arc, like usual, couldn¡¯t help out due to Asher and the hidden Commandos using their mana sight, but I think I¡¯m starting to get used to the different clique. I only wish I had more to contribute to the conversations, the only thing I really had in common with most of them were classes, but they tended not to discuss schoolwork. ¡°Sorry for making you hold this.¡± I apologized to Asher as I mounted my poleaxe on my back. The Royal Knight massaged his temples with his now free hand while letting out a sigh, ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. You¡¯ve made your message quite clear.¡± I raised an eyebrow at his statement, and was about to ask that he clarify, but Seleyna¡¯s voice caused me to spin around. ¡°Travis, I forgot to mention to you that I¡¯ll be having a party on Snowsday here on campus. Nothing extravagant, and no need to worry about formal attire.¡± She paused to give me a big grin, ¡°Though, I wouldn¡¯t recommend bringing your poleaxe.¡± ¡°Umm, sorry, I¡­ can¡¯t attend.¡± I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck, ¡°I¡¯ll be attending a wedding that night.¡± Seleyna reacted with a flummoxed expression, making me instantly aware that I must have done something wrong, and leaving me paralyzed as she spoke, ¡°Oh, umm¡­ never mind then.¡± Not needing to turn around to feel Asher¡¯s icy glare run down my spine, I gave a quick nod to the princess then hurried off before I did something even more stupid. Once clear of the cafeteria, I gave Arc¡¯s pommel a scratch. ¡°So¡­ how deep am I in it?¡± ¡°Sir Asher did call you an arrogant little beaver once you got out of earshot.¡± I groaned, ¡°I didn¡¯t even register that I turned down an invitation from the Princess until I saw her reaction.¡± My feet continued to trudge along towards the spell range, ¡°I take it Seleyna is angry?¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯d say the opposite. Seleyna started giggling after hearing Asher cuss at you, and was overall more surprised than insulted. To quote her, ¡®It¡¯s not every day someone says no to me.¡¯¡± Well, hopefully it was only a minor insult¡­ --- Steelsday, the 28th of Seventhmonth Ok, Arc is just showing off now¡­ He set up our private spell range with numerous stone pillars and walls then began blasting loud orchestral music filled with exotic instruments. It didn¡¯t take long for the battle lust to surge in my veins, and upon seeing today¡¯s target, I was ready to meet his challenge. The skeletal creature made of Light and Shadow glided out from behind one of the walls, undulating in the air with its segmented serpentine body and oversized skull. Its visage mimicked a Skull Dragon, with a nose resembling a battering ram, a tiny well protected lower jaw set far back, a set of slightly protruding twin eyes on each side, a pair of forward-facing horns to protect said eyes, and catfish-like tendrils that swayed behind it like waterweed. The rest of its body was segmented, only connected by thin strands of Shadow and Light, and composed of an alternating set of polyhedrons with some having small wings or legs attached. I cautiously began launching a single [Wind Bolt] at the phantom creature, amping my gathered mana till it synced with the lowest frequency on my poleaxe¡¯s mana scale, and hitting one of the segments with tiny legs. Like the other targets Arc created, the section burst into a tiny explosion, but instead of the monster dispersing, the gap closed, and the creature began to move faster. Ok, seems straight forward¡­ I launched a few more [Wind Bolt]¡¯s at the false dragon but ended up cursing when one of my bolts missed and another flew through a winged section without creating an explosion. Arc made a familiar noise of a laughing dog and summoned an Orb of Light with orbiting motes of Shadow Mana. The dragon then swooped in with its unhinged jaw and swallowed the mana, regrowing its missing section. Ok, maybe not so straight forward¡­ and¡­ another Orb is already forming¡­ looks like I¡¯m on a timer too¡­ The solution ended up being [Wind Bolt] for the body segments with legs, [Earth Bolt] on the skull to interrupt it from swallowing another Orb to heal itself, [Fire Bolt] on the segments with wings, and [Water Bolt] for the bare segments. It¡­ took an embarrassingly long time to conclude that I needed to use all four elements, and to be honest, my aim still needed improvement. By the time I dealt the finishing blow to the ¡°boss monster¡±, my internal mana had amped up to the point that I was already using the highest pitch frequencies on my mana scales. ¡°Nice work bud! I didn¡¯t push you too hard, did I?¡± I gave my limbs a good stretch to keep myself limber and help stave off the Stage 2 Mana Sickness, ¡°No, I¡¯m good, just a little stiff. It actually feels kinda good, like that soreness you get the day after weightlifting.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I was increasing the difficulty every once in a while, to keep you on your toes, but eased off once you started using the top notes of your scales.¡± I grinned as I kept stretching, my shoulders felt especially tight beneath my arming jacket, and decided to leave early after Arc finished cleaning up the range. It was oddly quiet in the hall today, so when Arc whispered to me, my blood immediately ran cold. ¡°Travis, stop walking. Unsheathe me, right now.¡± Arc¡¯s tone was gravely serious, so I did as instructed. And just in time too, because a moaning student stumbled out of their range looking glossy-eyed and breathing heavily. They twisted their head sharply, looking straight at me, before suddenly breaking out in a sprint directly at me. I held up Arc with trembling hands, scared shitless, and was preparing to counter the charge when a wall of Earth erupted from the ground between us. It was soon joined by three more, boxing in the student as they began scratching at the walls and snarling like a feral animal. My lungs were hyperventilating as the range master calmly approached, tossing something into the prison, then walking towards me with both hands raised. ¡°Easy now¡­ it¡¯s alright¡­ can you tell me your name?¡± It took a moment for me to remember the steps for identifying if someone was suffering from Stage 3 Mana Sickness, and realize that the range master was checking to see if I was suffering it too. I let out a deep breath, ¡°Travis, I¡¯m going to put my sword away.¡± The range master gave a nod of approval, then approached my still trembling body after I put Arc back in his sheath, and offered me a wrapped candy from their pouch, ¡°Here, this has a mild tranquilizer in it, should help you calm down.¡± I grabbed the candy and popped it into my mouth, ¡°Thanks¡­ that was¡­ scary.¡± The range master nodded, ¡°Always is.¡± They held up a hand to create a stone bench, ¡°Take it easy for now, I already called in the guards.¡± A deep thud was heard inside the cage, making it go quiet, ¡°Ah, sounds like they ate the knockout ration.¡± They moved to join me on the bench, and gave my shoulder a pat before handing me a puzzle box, ¡°You were smart to Message me, you could have gotten hurt or worse.¡± I let out another deep breath, feeling the candy do its job, then gave Arc my best scratch in his favorite spot, before focusing on the puzzle in my hands. --- Arc Rocksday, the 29th of Seventhmonth I hovered my focus over Travis as he laid down in the grass during his break, oddly not the only student who opted to bare their chest and get some sun. ¡°You feeling ok after what happened?¡± Travis bobbed his head around before responding, ¡°I guess I am? Don¡¯t get me wrong, I was terrified, but the thought of it happening again isn¡¯t causing me to panic. If anything, I think I feel more confident now¡­ does that make sense?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think I know what you mean. My workplace had¡­¡± Shit, are fire extinguishers a thing here? Ugh, I¡¯ll just go with it, ¡°a fire extinguisher for putting out fires, and we had training every year on how to use it, but one year during one of our worker¡¯s birthday celebration, the candles on the cake caught the decorations on fire, and to my surprise, I managed to calmly grab the fire extinguisher and put out the fire without panicking. Ever since then, I was always relieved to know that I¡¯d be able to keep my mind clear in case it happened again.¡± Travis nodded along, but stopped to give me a curious stare, ¡°Why did you have candles on the cake?¡± Seriously, that¡¯s the part I screw up? This whole not telling Travis I¡¯m from a completely different universe is harder that I thought it would be. --- Bridget slammed Travis against the wall in the private spell range, using her mana reinforcement to hold the terrified teen up by his throat as she screamed at him, ¡°You did what?¡± Fighting back the urge to start laughing in Travis¡¯ ear, I watched as he struggled to gasp out his excuse, ¡°I¡­ forgot¡­ she was¡­ a princess. Didn¡¯t¡­ think¡­ it was¡­ too big¡­ an insult¡­¡± Adrian and Drozuk, not showing any sign of stopping Bridget from choking Travis to death, seemed more interested in why Jethro and Mattius were massaging the sides of their heads in exasperation. ¡°It didn¡¯t sound like she even directly invited him,¡± Adrian questioned the noble-born, ¡°no written or verbal invitation of any kind. So, shouldn¡¯t that just be a minor insult? At worst, the only punishment having his invitation at her table revoked until he makes amends?¡± Jethro sighed, ¡°Normally yes, Princess Seleyna did choose her words carefully so that Travis could decline without showing insult,¡± he raised his volume so even Travis could hear him, ¡°but when a princess asks for you to come to their eighteenth birthday party, you drop everything and attend it.¡± Oh, crap. Uh, yeah, that¡¯s not good. Bridget finally let go of Travis, ¡°Here¡¯s what you are going to do. You are going to go to your wedding, just like you planned, but¡­¡± she held up a finger and poked him right in the chest, ¡°you are going to apologize by giving her a gift on Voltsday.¡± ¡°Why Voltsday?¡± Bridget began fuming so hotly that I could easily imagine the sand turning to glass underneath her, ¡°Because the 2nd of Eighthmonth is Princess Seleyna¡¯s birthday.¡± Drozuk moseyed up next to Mattius, ¡°Am I supposed to know the Princess¡¯ birthday?¡± Mattius nodded, ¡°It¡¯s highly frowned upon to be a single noble, and not send a birthday card to the Queen or her unmarried daughters on their birthdays and major holidays.¡± Drozuk nodded, ¡°Think you can help me make a card later?¡± Mattius nodded. Adrian whispered to Jethro, ¡°Could you help me with mine?¡± Jethro smiled, and patted him on the back, ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be a good wingman otherwise.¡± The three boys looked at Jethro confused, while Bridget disciplined Travis on what to get the princess. --- Travis Woodsday, the 30th of Seventhmonth Jethro kept fiddling with my outfit, smoothing folds, tugging my undershirt into the correct spot, and even making me move my limbs into awkward positions. ¡°And you¡¯re sure you like the colors? We can still change a few things.¡± I grinned, almost tempted to say I didn¡¯t, but after checking myself in the trifold mirror, I was far too satisfied to pull a prank. Jethro chose an overall militaristic style, using bold solid colors and simple lines. The outfit consisted of a Lakelander navy-blue double-breasted jacket with forest green trim and gold buttons, matching blue fitted pants, a cream-colored undershirt, and a dark leather belt to match my handmade boots. I spun around to give Mattius and Drozuk a better look, ¡°What do you guys think?¡± Mattius scratched the back of his head, ¡°Umm, it looks nice¡­ won¡¯t you get hot wearing that though?¡± A growl escaped from Jethro, ¡°It¡¯s made from linen, he¡¯ll be fine.¡± He turned to look directly at me, ¡°Don¡¯t ever take fashion advice from a Packer, it took an order from the crown to get their soldiers and Spartans to wear pants, and they¡¯re practically nudists when out of uniform down south.¡± Mattius was quick on the defense, ¡°Clearly, you¡¯ve never studied abroad down in the Southern Plains. Otherwise, you¡¯d know the painful discomfort of having everything chafe from all of the heat and humidity. Trust me, that extra air flow is a blessing from Torbolt.¡± Drozuk grunted out a laugh, ¡°And you¡¯ve obviously never had to worry about fish or mosquitoes trying to crawl up your legs to get to your privates.¡± I chuckled at the two¡¯s banter, then turned to Jethro, ¡°It looks great! I think you¡¯ve outdone yourself.¡± Jethro smiled, ¡°Thanks.¡± He then cleared his throat, ¡°Umm, any thoughts on the emblem¡­ I can remove it if you don¡¯t like, my cross-stitch isn¡¯t that great, so I can take it out.¡± Curious as to how I missed it, I twisted my left shoulder towards the mirror, and found out why. It was similar to the Three Kingdoms symbol (a round shield atop a spear, axe and hammer), but instead of a trio of weapons, my poleaxe¡¯s likeness was stitched into the fabric, and instead of a shield, there was a rainbow-colored ring around the middle of the handle. Jethro was babbling as I inspected the emblem, ¡°So, I was adding my house¡¯s crest to one of my jackets, when I realized what was missing on your outfit, but didn¡¯t know if you wanted me to add the Hopkins¡¯ crest or maybe just the military¡¯s, but then I got to thinking, ¡®what would Travis use as a crest if he decided to start his own family?¡¯ and I uh, figured you¡¯d display your poleaxe, since, you know, that¡¯s the first thing people see when they look at you nowadays, but that looked kinda dull all by itself, so I added the mana color wheel to highlight your status as an Elementalist Mage, and uh¡­¡± I set my hand on Jethro¡¯s shoulder to calm him down with one of my pats, ¡°I like it, in fact, if I do end up creating my own house, I¡¯ll probably use your design.¡± My friend let out a giant sigh of relief, then began to help me get undressed so I could put my school uniform back on. Mattius and Drozuk stepped up to see the emblem, each giving nods of approval, and an extra grunt from Drozuk. ¡°You should stop by the registrar¡¯s office to reserve this,¡± he pointed at the emblem, ¡°that way you won¡¯t have to worry about someone else snagging your design.¡± ¡°Huh, didn¡¯t know you could do that.¡± Mattius paused in thought, then cocked his head at the orc, ¡°Wait, why do you know that? Family crests are only required for families that build estates.¡± Jethro started eyeing Drozuk as well, ¡°Yeah, what happened to Young Master I Don¡¯t Give Two Shits About Becoming a Noble?¡± I grinned at the suddenly bashful orc turning grey, and reached for my pants, only to notice that the stitching in the crotch must have torn loose at some point. Rot, that¡¯s the third pair now. Sliding them on, and grateful that my arming jacket covered most of my upper legs, I put on my boots while Drozuk tried to explain himself. ¡°Well¡­ after I got thoroughly humiliated¡­¡± his voiced cracked, ¡°and was ignored by everyone for a whole week¡­ I uh¡­ decided to stop trying to pointlessly swim against the current as it pushes me somewhere I don¡¯t want to go, and instead swim with it, so I at least have some say in where I end up.¡± Mattius gave Drozuk a pat on the shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ve been that fish. It can be real depressing knowing that your life has already been preset, and that struggling against it will just harm you and those around you.¡± Drozuk pulled away in surprise, ¡°What! That¡¯s not what I meant at all. I mean, look at Travis,¡± the guys all turned to face me right as I was struggling to get my undershirt on (whoever said woodfiber doesn¡¯t shrink in the wash was a liar), ¡°I¡¯m sure he had countless people tell him he couldn¡¯t become a mage,¡± I nodded my head to agree and let Drozuk continue, ¡°but he still found a way to become one without having anyone teach him.¡± Feeling uneasy about the praise, especially since it was untrue, I turned away from the group and reached to put my arming jacket on. Mattius sounded confused, ¡°Wait, but¡­ you were just saying not to fight the river.¡± The orc grunted, ¡°No, what I was trying to say was that you have to work with what you got. You only have so much energy, and if your current plan isn¡¯t working, then you need to find a different one. Running off before graduation to teach a coven of witches will just get me killed by Bridget¡¯s dad, but¡­ if I instead become a good little mage, I might be able to petition for legislation that would provide a basic preparatory education in magic. Travis is that one fish that somehow found that narrow path between the jagged rocks and managed to swim upriver, imagine how many more could follow if the rapids were calmed down.¡± I finished buttoning my arming jacket and was finding it hard to reach around my back to grab my belt. Maybe I was just tense from the conversation? I should try to redirect it back to the earlier topic. ¡°Wait, can we back up a sec to the part about family crests? When did you learn about reserving designs? I don¡¯t remember hearing about it during class.¡± Drozuk let out an annoyed grunt, ¡°I asked about them after class one day, then tried to reserve one the next day.¡± A pig-like snort shot out of his nostrils, ¡°Apparently, there¡¯s already a few families that use a fist enveloped in Water for their design. So, now I have no clue what to use.¡± Chuckles filled the room, and Jethro bobbed his head around in thought before something sparked in his mind, ¡°Hang on, there¡¯s not that many orkish noble families, maybe you can use a fist or hand. Just make sure it looks visibly orkish.¡± Drozuk looked down at his hand, slowly making it into a fist and releasing it, then summoning some Water around it before suddenly stopping with his hand partially closed, ¡°Got it! Just need someone to sketch this.¡± He held up his hand to the room. The three of us traded glances, none of us confident that we could draw a hand, but luckily Arc provided a solution. ¡°How about you ask Caldia to design the crest?¡± I gave Arc a scratch as I clipped him to my belt, ¡°I¡¯ve got a friend who¡¯s a good artist, I¡¯ll ask her to stop by sometime.¡± Drozuk smiled, ¡°Thanks bud.¡± I smiled back, then tried to roll my stiff shoulders, but was having troubles with how tight my arming jacket was feeling at the moment. Jethro noticed my struggle though, and suddenly approached me to start tugging on my uniform. ¡°Travis, when was the last time you got your uniform tailored?¡± ¡°Umm, before I started classes.¡± My fellow Lakelander glared at me, ¡°Are you swamp-headed? You¡¯ve put on at least a full stone¡¯s worth of weight (16 pounds) since we started this semester. Go schedule an appointment with the Supply Corps.¡± Cowering in fear, I nodded my head in apology until Jethro turned to look at the snickering orc and Packer, ¡°Don¡¯t think for a second you two are getting off so easy. Once we get our finals schedule, we¡¯re going shopping. I¡¯ll not allow my friends to look like vagrants.¡± Mattius didn¡¯t object, and even chuckled along, ¡°Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t mind the help.¡± He looked around at the group, ¡°That sounds fun actually, we can make it a guys night out.¡± Drozuk nodded, ¡°We should invite Adrian, I feel like we hardly see him anymore.¡± I looked around, only now registering that he wasn¡¯t present, ¡°Hang on, he doesn¡¯t have classes right now, how come he¡¯s not here?¡± Jethro grinned, ¡°Oh, he¡¯s too busy spending every free moment with our other missing squad member.¡± Huh? What is he¡­? I gave Arc a scratch. ¡°Travis¡­ Adrian and Bridget are dating¡­¡± What the¡­? When did that happen? --- Rainsday, the 31st of Seventhmonth The beardless dwarf at the supply depot shook their head at me, ¡°You, young man, should have been in weeks ago!¡± They directed me over to a fitting station, ¡°Hurry up now, I¡¯ll have to issue you an entirely new set of clothes.¡± I quickly undressed, then stood on the lift platform so I could get measured. The beardless gave my boxer-briefs a discerning look, then gave them a tug right above my butt, ¡°I¡¯ll get you some new underpants too. Will you be going on a Fall Expedition?¡± I nodded my head, letting the dwarf measure every inch of my body, ¡°Right, I¡¯ll get you a few things to hold you over for now, and I¡¯ll include some tear-away stitching on the clothes I¡¯ll drop off for you tomorrow so you can let out your seams easier when you¡¯re out in the field.¡± The entire visit was embarrassing, especially once I got my new arming jacket and was told to swing my arms around. I really should have noticed my clothes were getting too tight. Actually, now that I think about it, I¡¯m surprised Arc didn¡¯t say anything¡­ My musings were interrupted when I was getting my half-plate checked and the Quartermaster walked in, looking peeved for some reason, and stopped to set a hand on my helmet sitting on the shelf. ¡°So¡­ I heard a rumor that someone went and got their weapon inscribed without clearing it with me first¡­¡± My spine went ramrod straight, and the beardless checking my armor began to back away and out of the room, leaving me to fend for myself, ¡°Umm¡­ Sir, I¡­ only attached a few mana scales to my poleaxe. I didn¡¯t inscribe the weapon itself.¡± The bearded narrowed their eyes at me, then palmed my helmet with their hand as they approached my poleaxe, ¡°Hmm, I see you are technically correct.¡± They tapped one of the wooden scales with their free hand, ¡°That¡¯s a fancy looking magnetism inscription though, I don¡¯t remember issuing you that, perhaps my memory is failing me?¡± Gulping hard, and trying to stop myself from shaking uncontrollably, I tried to explain myself, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s new. The old one I had didn¡¯t fit after the upgrade, and I was going to ask you for a new one¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, so the one I gave you wasn¡¯t good enough? And here was me thinking I was doing your commoner-born self a favor and providing you a frugal option made by a novice.¡± ¡°No, it worked great! I¡­ umm, well¡­ when I was working on the last two attachments, the apprentice artificer who was overseeing my work decided to recycle the dust from the one you gave me and added in some that they had on hand to create a new inscription.¡± I must have been sweating buckets at this point, ¡°I¡¯ve been doing them a favor, so they did the labor free of charge. I just need to recompense the mana dust once I earn some during the Fall Expedition or Spring Flood.¡± The quartermaster grunted while inspecting my poleaxe extensively, then spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see any flaws¡­ I¡¯ll have to give the apprentice my praise¡­ what did you say their name was?¡± Trembling, I debated on whether I should lie or obfuscate, but decided that would be a bad idea, ¡°Umm, Durinn Forgewarden.¡± ¡°WardenForge.¡± ¡°Sorry, uh, I meant Wardenforge.¡± The Quartermaster nodded, then began to walk out, ¡°Well, everything seems to be in order then¡­¡± ¡°Travis! They have your helmet!¡± ¡°Sir!¡± The Quartermaster turned, ¡°You have my helmet.¡± They looked down at their hand and began to darkly chuckle, ¡°Oh, would you look at that, how thoughtless of me.¡± They walked back to the shelf to set it back down and gave it a pat while speaking right at it, ¡°Would be a shame if you were to lose your helmet.¡± Another dark chuckle emanated from the dwarf as they walked out, leaving the only remaining noise in the room my beating heart. I wonder if I can get another candy from the range master? Chapter 40 - A Beardless Guide to Giving Gifts Sadly, I haven¡¯t been able to find any relevant stories about Titantuin or The Hooded One (their lack of stories and known Chosen make it difficult to glean too much information about the gods themselves), but I think I¡¯ve gathered enough evidence to support my theory on why the human gods have more established Greater Domains. Apheros, Ignitious, Adamanrion, and even Torbolt all have stories depicting their flaws, and how interacting with mortals on a more personal level caused them to grow in power. This is something you¡¯ll never see depicted in Zephoreas¡¯, Hydraviandor¡¯s, Titantuin¡¯s, or even The Hooded One¡¯s dogma. Afterall, gods are all powerful, omnipotent, and omnipresent, right? Well, humans certainly don¡¯t think so, case in point, this next tale of how Torbolt discovered he was only the second most powerful god. Torbolt was mad. He was furious. He swished his tail in anger at the Nature god for this insult. He bellowed loudly, snorting through his nostrils, and blowing away his shaggy fur. His eyes glowed pink with Lightning as he stomped his hooves into the ground, packing the soft soil into hardened earth as he was forced to witness that coward explain himself. Apheros slumped his shoulders, the antlers on his back drooping along with them, and he turned to the inquisitive god of Fire, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure what happened¡­ this isn¡¯t at all what I planned¡­¡± Ignitious cocked his head at the bark-covered god, ¡°You had a plan?¡± Then shook their head, ¡°Start from the beginning, you¡¯re clearly too emotional to think clearly.¡± ¡°Well, I just got finished teaching some mortals how to turn their water-soaked ground into arable farmland and was heading south, following the river, when I noticed that the terrain sharply changed after the three rivers united. Instead of the tree and rock-filled hillsides riddled with rivers, creeks, and lakes, I found this area with its gently rolling plains, seas of green grass, and a thick layer of topsoil.¡± The Fire god dressed in molded black leather nodded along, occasionally giving glances to Torbolt as he thrashed about in anger, ¡°I take it you found these bison here feeding on the grass?¡± ¡°Yes, and mortals. Well¡­ not on the grass, but¡­¡± Apheros caught sight of Ignitious glaring at him, ¡°Right, back to my story¡­ I noticed how healthy everything was, and how few monsters there were, so I got curious, and that¡¯s when I saw him¡­¡± Apheros smiled like a lovestruck teenager, ¡°The glimmer of the lightning off his oiled biceps, the clouds releasing their atmospheric gasses-infused rain every time he kicked off from one cloud to the other, the way he fertilized the soil with the corpses of monsters¡ª" Ignitious cleared their throat, interrupting Apheros¡¯ infatuated rambling, ¡°Aren¡¯t you married?¡± ¡°What? No, I¡¯m only engaged.¡± Apheros stammered guiltily, ¡°Plus, it¡¯s an open relationship, we¡¯re not exclusive just yet. And we haven¡¯t even set a date, so I¡¯ve still got plenty of time to fool around first.¡± The Creator of Light bored their eyes into the Nature god, no doubt wondering just how this lust-filled idiot managed to become the most powerful of the gods (Author¡¯s Note: This statement is highly contested by Zephoreas¡¯ church, and it¡¯s possible that it¡¯s only an embellishment added by Torbolt out of respect.). Ignitious could only sigh, causing their feathered pauldrons to sag, ¡°Continue your story.¡± ¡°So, I tried to get his attention. First I bred a unique flower that would bloom after every thunderstorm, but he merely nodded, saying that he approved of the land itself being able to tell of his exploits. That got me the idea to carve pictures into the land, having the mortals help me out by making their cattle walk over the same path multiple times, but he merely thanked me, saying that it was much easier for him to navigate the nearly endless sea of grass easier now. Then before this happened,¡± he gestured to the adorable looking baby calf that was having a temper tantrum, ¡°I was trying to implement a plan a female mortal suggested by preparing a feast for him, but before I could begin gathering herbs to season the meat, he leapt out of a nearby cloud, screaming like a madman, and making me cower behind my shield with my spear raised.¡± Apheros started to grow distressed from the memory, ¡°Next thing I knew, I was covered in blood, and my spear was thrust straight through his heart, and I panicked. I tried to heal him, but he had lost too much blood, and was fading fast, and I tried to think of something, but my Domain of Harvest was useless and my Domain of Wood could only slow his death¡­¡± Apheros turned towards Torbolt, who was still furious, but had grown hungry and was suckling on the bison that gave birth to him, ¡°That¡¯s when I thought, ¡®Why don¡¯t I just make him a new body?¡¯ So, I took his umm¡­ ¡®essence¡¯, and planted it into this bison, and then¡­¡± Torbolt stopped his feeding to huff at the Fertility god. The coward had left out the part where Apheros had showed up hollering, ¡°Hey there, you sexy towering storm cloud! Why don¡¯t you come join me in my tent with that juicy ass of yours, and I¡¯ll teach you a few moves from the most powerful of the gods? I guarantee you¡¯ll find it way more satisfying that killing a bunch of brain-dead monsters.¡± He was still furious at the Nature god¡¯s words, falsely claiming that there was something more gratifying than the heat of battle. As if there was such a thing! Then instead of backing his words in combat, the antlered coward somehow kept dodging each of his lightning strikes, finding only the charred remains of logs in the smoldering craters, before they eventually vanished into thin air. Apheros finished his ¡°scientific¡± explanation to Ignitious, ¡°You can help him, right?¡± ¡°I think Adamanrion would be better suited for this task, combating your insanity with my Domain of Science is an impossible task.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ rot, they¡¯re probably not going to want to help¡­¡± Ignitious shook their head, ¡°No, I highly doubt they would.¡± Torbolt grew immensely furious, demanding that the two gods fix him, stomping his hooves down and snorting loud enough to summon thunder. Apheros looked up at the incoming storm, quickly growing terrified, ¡°You know what? I think he¡¯ll be fine, maybe just give him a few weeks, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll get better.¡± The Nature god started to back up towards the nearby river, ¡°I¡¯m going to head south for a while, let me know if you need me.¡± He then turned around and began sprinting towards the north. Ignitious sighed, then looked down at the baby bison that was Torbolt, ¡°About time you suffered some consequences for your bullheadedness. Getting herded around by mortals will do you some good. Maybe you¡¯ll even learn to stop trouncing around and breaking everyone¡¯s things.¡± --- Arc The massive library on campus was filled to the brim with students, forcing my 360-degree mana sight to contract to the tightest it had been since I first came to this world. Granted, I didn¡¯t have even close to the same amount of detail I do now, with how much more solid everything looked. Even the walls and furniture were saturated with mana, looking more like colored glass instead of the vague wisp of an idea they were back in Travis¡¯ village. I moved my focus around, checking out the different tables of students while Travis and his friends were busy with their usual routine. There was one being led by a senior student from the neighboring science academy, helping tutor them through the general math course, and answering math-related questions that arose from the general mana studies. Another was a school club dedicated to reading and creating comics about heroic Mages and Knights from history. And a conveniently placed group of second semester first-year students, were taking an extra-curricular course on learning dwarvish, helping out my ¡°patch¡± slowly work on constructing a codex for the language. My 360-degree vision caught Travis shifting nervously in his seat, constantly looking up from his schoolwork every time someone walked by, and was having a difficult time focusing. Worried, I brought in my focus, hoping that it would help me discern why. After all, he had plenty of things to be stressed out over. First, there was the looming storm cloud of finals fast approaching, Travis only had three weeks left of classroom instruction, and given the way his schedule was structured, they were going to fly by fast. Then there was the aftermath of him getting attacked in the spell range. He¡¯s claimed that he¡¯s fine, but I can¡¯t help but worry. I know those mutated elves left a mark on him, and he¡¯s had at least one nightmare involving them. Oh, and he got spooked just this afternoon when the Quartermaster appeared, acting like an angry housewife who just caught her husband in the act of cheating on her. Travis¡¯ hands began to twitch, and they eventually found their way into his pouch containing his gift for Seleyna. Right¡­ I somehow forgot Travis was a teenager at this fantasy military academy for mages. Why worry about the next monster attack or revenge from the Quartermaster when you got a birthday gift to give to a cute girl? A pair of dwarves did at least manage to cheer him up upon their approach. ¡°Travis, apologies, but Thramreat here,¡± they gestured to the beardless Lightning Mage beside them, ¡°caught me sneaking out of the burrow, and insisted on tagging along.¡± Travis grinned at the newcomer, ¡°I¡¯ll let you see my poleaxe after Durinn is done practicing.¡± He then turned his head to Durinn, ¡°Before that though, I was umm¡­ wondering if¡­¡± Travis shifted uncomfortably, ¡°you see, there¡¯s this girl¡­ and¡ª" Durinn held up a hand, ¡°Travis, I know 84 years old is a long time for a human, but I haven¡¯t even been in the human kingdom for a full calendar cycle (12 years). I know absolutely nothing about how human women work when it comes time to mate.¡± Travis¡¯ eyes nearly popped out of his skull, and he immediately began to stammer, ¡°What? No¡­ no no, it¡¯s not like that! I¡­ uh, was making a gift and¡ª" Thramreat interrupted the teenager this time, ¡°Travis, don¡¯t ever ask for gift-giving advice from a bearded.¡± They pulled Travis aside, then tugged on his arming jacket to bring his head lower so the beardless could whisper, ¡°Now, when you¡¯re trying to coax a bearded into digging out a nest, the most important rule is to not overwhelm them.¡± Travis, now looking mortified, went comatose as the beardless started to give the dwarven version of the birds and the bees. Much to the delight of Durinn and his friends at the table. ¡°Now, I know it might sound redundant for me to tell you not to give a potted plant to a bearded who hasn¡¯t even started to feel the urge to dig a nest, but you¡¯d be surprised at how many beardless make such a simple mistake.¡± Thramreat shook their head in disappointment, ¡°The last thing a bearded wants is an unwanted burden. A smarter gift would be to give them fresh-cut flowers to improve the air quality of their workshop, they¡¯re quick and easy to dispose of, and can even induce a little agoraphobia to kickstart their next cycle.¡± ¡°Thramreat!¡± Durinn shouted, looking appalled, ¡°Show some modesty.¡± They shook their head and began to mutter, ¡°And beardless wonder why it took so long to be allowed into the Artificer¡¯s Guild.¡± Thramreat shrugged off the admonishment, then focused back on the strung-out looking Travis, ¡°Even something like that might be a bit much for a first gift if they¡¯ve only started to reinforce the nest¡¯s walls, your best bet is to start small. Offer to help tidy their shop, bring over some supplies that they keep running short of, or even something mundane like grabbing their lunch for them so they can keep working.¡± Durinn narrowed their eyes at the beardless, making me wonder if they were questioning some of Thramreat¡¯s behavior, but if they were about to voice a concern, they missed their chance. Travis had finally regrown his spine enough to stop the lecture, ¡°Wait, I¡¯m¡­ thankful for the advice, but I just wanted to ask a question about making artifice jewelry.¡± He reached into his pouch to pull out the gift we crafted together. And by ¡°we¡±, I mean Travis carved the piece of aelderwood into a pendant, burned the symbol of the three kingdoms onto one side, went to the commissary to get a spool of wood fiber string, and then knotted it into a necklace. I helped by stuffing it full of Wood Mana afterwards. The two dwarves moved in to give the handmade necklace a look, then gave approving nods, although Durinn looked a bit peeved, ¡°Travis, where are you getting all of this aelderwood from?¡± ¡°My village had an Aelder Tree inside it, and my poleaxe¡¯s shaft was made from a branch that once fell.¡± He bobbed the necklace up and down, ¡°This was made using a tiny piece of scrap that I had on hand.¡± Thramreat scratched their bare chin, ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever seen someone use wood for artifice jewelry before¡­¡± Durinn grunted, ¡°I have, but only as a proof of concept. Ironwood is only a low-tier material for enchantments and inscriptions. For jewelry, and higher tier enchantments, you¡¯ll usually see elmek horn or bushtail antlers used for Wood foundation artifice.¡± Travis darted his eyes between the two dwarves, ¡°Will this not work then?¡± Thramreat gave Travis a pat on his thigh, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, any Artificer would jump at the chance to inscribe this.¡± --- Travis Snowsday, the 32nd of Seventhmonth I finished shaving, wiping the hot towel over my chin and neck, then scowled as I noticed I cut myself in a half dozen places. Letting out a groan, I slathered some ointment over the cuts, and amped up my internal mana around the afflicted areas. While that was healing up, I put on the deodorizing cologne Bridget gave me and the lower half of the formal outfit Jethro assembled for me. ¡°Ah, the struggles of having a defined jaw line¡­¡± I grumbled, ¡°I¡¯d prefer to not need to shave¡­¡± ¡°But then you have to oil and comb your beard daily, give it trims at least once a week, and then have to listen to your girlfriend complain incessantly about how it irritates her face, and how you look like a hobo, or that it¡¯s disgusting when you eat, or¡­¡± Arc faded out, ¡°Sorry, almost started rambling there.¡± I sighed as I wiped away the dried blood from my chin, checked to make sure all the cuts were fully healed, and started putting on the rest of my clothes. ¡°Something bothering you?¡± ¡°Yes, but I need to get moving. I¡¯m sure Hector and Barry are waiting for me.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your food and gift!¡± Grabbing said items from my room, I mentally checked if there was something else I was forgetting, then waved goodbye to Arc before leaving. As predicted, Hector and Barry were waiting for me, but didn¡¯t seem too annoyed, and after a quick greeting, we immediately got moving. Once I was settled inside with Hector, I unwrapped the bundle of carryout so I could eat my supper before my stomach threatened to murder me. Hector grinned as I inhaled the sandwich Varguk made for me (a chicken, bacon, and mutton sandwich, with veggies and honey mustard sauce), guzzled down the carton of aloe and pear juice, then noticed me pulling out a wrapped bar with attached note from the bottom of my takeout box. Travis, Couldn¡¯t prepare you a proper mana-rich meal today despite the heads up, so apologies. I was able to throw in a Mana Rich Edible that I got to help create though, so I hope you enjoy! Varguk Smiling, I unwrapped the MRE and took a bite of the colorful bar. The flavor¡­ hmm¡­ it was a crazy medley of honey glazed steak and caramel bacon that was battered and deep-fried, maybe¡­ but also had a blend of fruits? The texture was definitely the strangest part though, reminding me of the time I was offered a chunk of honeycomb to chew on with how waxy it was. Overall though, I highly approved, and I ended up only pausing briefly to check out the dozens of colorful layers that composed the bar, before greedily eating the rest of it. Hearing a gasp, I looked up to see a horrified face on Hector, making me worry, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He narrowed his eyes at me, ¡°You looked happy to eat that¡­¡± I shrugged my shoulders as I wiped down my face with my napkin and made sure there were no crumbs on my outfit, ¡°I mean, it¡¯s a little wild on flavors, but it was pretty good.¡± The bearded Packer kept analyzing me, then muttered, ¡°Walking set of contradictions¡­¡± --- ¡°Twavy!¡± A little girl covered in tiny pink flowers raced up to me as I approached one of the tables at the reception, and immediately wrapped her arms around my leg. I gave her blonde head a pat, ¡°Look at you, you¡¯ve gotten taller!¡± Lancel¡¯s niece looked up with a big smile, and I soon heard her mom approach, ¡°Silia, didn¡¯t you have a present for Travis?¡± Silia let go and raced off towards where she was coloring with the other children, letting me take notice of her mother¡¯s now slimmer figure, ¡°Where¡¯s the new guy?¡± ¡°Grandpa insists on carrying him everywhere,¡± Tristan¡¯s wife shook her head in annoyance, ¡°claims it will help him grow a bigger mana supply, or some nonsense.¡± She let out a sigh as Silia started making her way back with a sheet of paper, ¡°Personally, I think he¡¯s going stir crazy from being cooped up in the house now that he¡¯s retired, almost makes me wish he did take that offered General position.¡± Silia ran back up with a sheet of paper, holding it up for me to see her iconic drawing of a long-tailed rabbit with bird wings. It even had a new addition. ¡°Oh wow! This one has antlers!¡± I smiled at her drawing, then carefully folded it up so I could stuff it in one of the hidden pockets Jethro stitched into my coat. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to hang it up in my room with the others.¡± ¡°Sweetie,¡± Silia¡¯s mom requested, ¡°why don¡¯t we let Travis say hello to everyone, then maybe you can have fun playing a game together later tonight?¡± She nodded her head, then rushed back to the kid¡¯s table, leaving her exhausted mom to sigh before following behind. I chuckled at the sight, then approached the head table inside the venue¡¯s main hall. Pink stormblossoms decorated practically every bare surface, shrines depicting The Hooded One, Apheros, and Torbolt were against each of the walls, and the smell of savory barbecue still remained in the air. A group of drummers were providing music as some of the guests got into lines for dancing, waitstaff were frantically rushing about with drinks, and I think I even spotted a bull walking around. Lancel greeted me first, sporting his family¡¯s signature grin, then leaned in to give me a shield-brother hug, ¡°Been too long.¡± He gave my back a pat, pulled away to give me a better look, and then gave my arms a squeeze, ¡°You¡¯re going to make an orc jealous if you keep growing.¡± I smiled, noticing that Lancel¡¯s shoulders were looking wider than I remembered, ¡°I could say the same about you. You¡¯re starting to look more like Gramps now.¡± Lancel¡¯s grin switched to a self-conscious one as his brothers began to snicker behind him, ¡°Yeah, I¡­ uh, may have had a wardrobe issue this morning¡­¡± Tristan clapped Lancel on the shoulder, ¡°What this idiot meant to say, was that he was in tears panicking this morning because none of his clothes fit.¡± I nervously laughed, ¡°Yeah, what kind of idiot forgets to get their uniform retailored¡­¡± Tristan narrowed his eyes at me, making me sweat raindrops, but luckily the newly wed Percy and Lucia stepped forward to greet me. ¡°Travis,¡± Lucia greeted, looking stunning in her white robe embroidered with gold and emerald-green flowers, reached in to give me a regular hug, ¡°I¡¯m so glad you could make it.¡± ¡°I am too, I only wish I could have made it to the wedding as well.¡± Percy took his turn, pulling me in for a shield-brother hug, ¡°It¡¯s alright, you didn¡¯t miss much.¡± He chuckled as he gave my back a firm pat, then broke the hug so I could get a better look at his gold-colored robe with emerald-green grass patterns stitched into them, reminding me oddly of Reidar¡¯s Spartan uniform. I reached into my jacket, then pulled out the two¡¯s gift, ¡°I¡¯ve never been to a Packer wedding before, so I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a presentation of gifts or¡­¡± Lucia smiled, then took the envelope, ¡°Weddings in the Southern Plains usually just have the guests leave the gifts on a table when entering the venue, and then the newlyweds open them the next day, but I think we can make an exception if you want¡­¡± I nodded, giving them the go ahead, and let out a tiny sigh of relief at their happy expressions upon seeing the tickets. ¡°Mom and dad are going to be so jealous.¡± Percy squeezed his new wife, then thanked me for the gift, allowing me to join the table with the rest of the Hopkins, including Caldia¡­ Caldia gave me a tiny wave, then gestured for me to take a seat between her and Lancel, ¡°Come sit, I had the caterers save you a couple plates of food.¡± I sat down, noticing Hector whisper something to Lancel and his brothers, who all then suddenly twisted their heads towards me with a shocked expression, triggering that anxious worry once more. ¡°Umm, what¡¯s wrong guys?¡± Tristan looked over at his father holding his newest child, then leaned into whisper to me, ¡°Nothing important, just uh¡­ are you absolutely sure you¡¯re not secretly our half-brother?¡± What the¡­? I stared blankly at them before Caldia nudged my shoulder, ¡°Ignore those drunk idiots.¡± She slid over a plate of mouthwatering barbecue, ¡°You¡¯re probably starving right?¡± I grinned, thinking about how not even Franklin could beat me in an eating contest back in my village after I turned fifteen, ¡°Always.¡± She gave me the Hopkins¡¯ signature grin as I dug into the still hot food, then took out her sketchbook, ¡°I¡¯ll give you the highlights from the wedding.¡± ¡°Oh nice. Was there anything big that I missed?¡± The table all started laughing, making me and Hector share curious glances, but before I could ask why, Caldia began to narrate her drawings. ¡°Well, it started off just like any other Southern Plains wedding. The families gathered at The Hooded One¡¯s church for the exchanging of vows, preparations for the ceremony were getting finalized¡­, and then Gaward showed up.¡± Caldia flipped the page to show a charcoal drawing of a bare-chested Darius, holding an infant in one arm and a furious Matriarch Rabiria in the other, while Percy and his twin brother greeted each other. ¡°Mom, of course, wasn¡¯t too happy, but she calmed down after Percy and Gaward came back from their private chat and told her he was only there to attend the wedding.¡± I looked up to see Matriarch Rabiria frowning at Percy, ¡°I still wish you would have warned me ahead of time.¡± Percy grinned, ¡°And give you the chance to bar him entry?¡± Rabiria rolled her eyes, giving me an opening to ask a question, ¡°Umm, why is Gramps shirtless?¡± That cleared the tension at the table, and I noticed Caldia¡¯s cheeks gain a more reddish hue, ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t have time to capture everyone, so I cheated and drew dad later, using one of the statues here as a reference.¡± Rabiria leaned in to give her husband a kiss on the cheek, ¡°That reminds me, now that you¡¯re at home permanently, I should take up sculpting again.¡± Darius leaned in, his powerful physique making the baby in his arms look more like the size of a kitten, and returned the kiss with one of his own, ¡°I don¡¯t know, didn¡¯t I have to pose over two dozen times for you to finish a single statue when we first met?¡± Rabiria gazed deeply into Darius¡¯ eyes, ¡°I seem to remember a certain someone kept distracting me.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Caldia shouted, ¡°no worshiping Apheros at the dinner table.¡± Darius grinned, ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s our cue to leave then.¡± He got up, then walked around towards me, ¡°Here, you haven¡¯t had a chance to hold Boris yet.¡± I took the baby in my arms, catching the Hopkins women all give me dirty looks, then watched Gramps escort Rabiria to the dance floor. Looking down at the little bundle of joy in my arms as he in turn looked up at me with his almost glowing golden eyes, I couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°He¡¯s so tan.¡± Lancel chuckled beside me, ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯ve never seen a Packer baby before.¡± Giving the little guy a tickle with my free hand before reaching back to my plate of barbeque, I turned to Caldia, ¡°Ok, so what uneventful thing happened next?¡± ¡°Well,¡± she turned the page, showing a hooded figure standing before Percy and Lucia, ¡°the ceremony went by like normal, but before the burning of Percy¡¯s pedigree and exchanging of vows could begin, the officiate asked if there were any objections to this union, and¡­¡± she flipped a page, showing a woman holding a raised sword inside the entrance of the sanctuary, ¡°that¡¯s when Percy¡¯s ex decided to show up, demanding a chance to duel for Percy¡¯s hand.¡± Hector began to grin madly, ¡°Does that mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Tristan groaned, ¡°the one time Percy didn¡¯t get challenged to a duel at a public event, was at his own wedding.¡± ¡°Hey, there¡¯s still a chance.¡± Lancel objected, ¡°We¡¯ve got¡­ four hours before the carriages arrive.¡± Marcia, giving her husband¡¯s beard a loving stroke, ¡°Sorry guys, but everyone is too afraid of angering Lucia now. Hector gets to keep his beard.¡± She then leaned in to give his lips a kiss. Confused, and now out of barbecue, I cleaned my face, then turned my head to Lucia, ¡°Umm, I thought you managed warehouse supplies for the Logistics Corps.¡± Lucia¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Oh, I guess I never told you, I originally was assigned to frontline supply delivery.¡± She chuckled, ¡°You can learn a lot from a bunch of Spartan recruits who couldn¡¯t make the cut.¡± Percy smiled, ¡°It¡¯s how we met actually.¡± He turned to his wife, ¡°Did you want to tell, or should I?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start.¡± Lucia cleared her throat, giving everyone who must have heard this story twelve dozen times a chance to tune the two out, ¡°So, I was delivering yet another load of artillery ammunition to Crownwork #167. For some reason only Torbolt knows, that section of the wall was under constant assault by behemoths.¡± Percy picked up the story, ¡°It was so loud, and the Wind Mages stationed there had to dedicate all of their time preventing the Artillerists from going deaf, so the rest of us soldiers were unable to get any sleep.¡± ¡°That¡¯s when I found him.¡± Lucia continued, ¡°He was huddled up in the stairwell, sobbing uncontrollably, begging Torbolt for the chance to sleep.¡± Percy gave his wife a squeeze, ¡°Then this beautiful sight lured me into a bed, despite my delirious state, whispering how she was about to give me the best night of my life¡­ then stabbed me in the chest with a tranquilizer bolt.¡± The two laughed, generating eyerolls from everyone else at the table, ¡°It was love at first sight.¡± --- The rest of the night flew by fast, and I was barely able to catch up with everyone, though I did get a chance to have a private conversation with Caldia once I handed Tristan¡¯s son back to Gramps. ¡°I¡¯ve been enjoying your weekly letters.¡± Caldia began once we found an empty side hall, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m surprised you even have the time to write them.¡± I nodded along, ¡°Sorry if they sound more like journal entries, sometimes I end up writing them sporadically throughout the week.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± She dropped her grin, then reached to grasp my hand, ¡°Since we¡¯re face to face now, I want to apologize once more, I shouldn¡¯t have acted like a child at your party.¡± Taking her hand, I looked into her sunset-colored eyes, ¡°I¡¯m sorry too, I wish¡ª" A drunken Lancel barged into the hallway, throwing his arm around me, and interrupting our private moment. ¡°Travis! There you are, you little bastard, how¡¯s school going?¡± Groaning at the disturbance but knowing that prying him off me was going to be difficult, I shrugged my shoulders, ¡°Umm, it¡¯s stressful sometimes, especially when having to adjust to being a noble now.¡± I started to chuckle, ¡°Did you know it¡¯s the princess¡¯ birthday in two days?¡± Lancel let out a goliath-sized groan, ¡°Ugh, it was so much easier to send a card to the princess when I hadn¡¯t met her¡­ and now that¡¯s she¡¯s turning eighteen, I have to turn the storming thing into a dating profile¡­¡± Caldia laughed at Lancel¡¯s apparent torture, giving the drunken idiot a pat on the shoulder, ¡°You know, there¡¯s a solution to that problem¡­¡± Lancel moaned once more, ¡°No¡­ not you too! All night it¡¯s been, ¡®Where¡¯s your date for this evening? Have you met my son so-and-so?¡¯ oh, and for some reason everyone keeps asking me why I didn¡¯t propose to hunter.¡± Sadly, I didn¡¯t get a chance to explain the joke to anyone before having to return to campus, but at least Caldia agreed to my offer of spending a free afternoon together if I got the chance between finals and my Fall Expedition. --- Voltsday, the 2nd of Eighthmonth I finished buttoning my formal arming jacket, hooked Arc to my belt, then grabbed the tied together box containing Seleyna¡¯s birthday gift. My nerves refused to remain calm as I approached her dormitory, then spiked upon seeing the line of students outside, all holding gifts as well. ¡°Will you be giving a gift, or just a card?¡± Startled, I nearly jumped out of my boots as the Commando popped out of nowhere, forcing me to take a few calming breaths before replying, ¡°I¡­ uh, brought a gift.¡± They took my tiny package, opened it carefully, then took out the contents and gave everything a thorough inspection before handing it back, only sporting a much nicer looking bow in the ribbon. ¡°You¡¯re clear. Go ahead and stand in line, and don¡¯t fret, it¡¯s been moving quickly.¡± Gulping, I walked to the end of the line where a familiar looking inner-ring Northman noble wearing a wolfish grin was standing, ¡°Travis, I almost didn¡¯t recognize you without that poleaxe.¡± Praying to Apheros that Arc could talk, I gave his cross guard a scratch, ¡°Miller Bowitch, he¡¯s fifth in line to become the head of his clan.¡± Feeling some of my tension drain, I welcomed in the needed distraction, ¡°Yes, I decided that I was already in enough trouble as it is and left it in the armory tonight.¡± He barked out a short bout of laughs, then gave my shoulder a nudge, ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, we¡¯ll be teasing you until we¡¯re all in the grave, and maybe even after, but it¡¯s far from the worst thing you could do. Plus, you¡¯re a first-generation noble, you¡¯re allowed some wiggle room.¡± I let out a sigh, feeling even more stress wash away, then suddenly turned my head in curiosity, ¡°Hang on, you must have gone to Seleyna¡¯s party, why are you here now?¡± His wolfish smile returned, ¡°These didn¡¯t come in till yesterday.¡± He opened up the gift he was carrying, displaying the dozens of finely crafted arrows for me to see, ¡°I¡¯ll admit it¡¯s a lazy gift on my part, given that my family has been crafting these before the kingdom was even founded. But I figured with the princess¡¯ fondness for archery, plus the fact she¡¯s a Fire Mage, that these would be quite suitable.¡± ¡°Damn¡­ these are really nice. Check out the Wood Mana.¡± Closing my eyes to activate my mana sight, I was able to get a good look at the embedded Wood Mana inside each arrow as Miller went into detail. ¡°Ironwood for the shaft and tips, then lotusduck feathers for the fletching. There are fancier options, but since no one has discovered a mid-grade option between iron bark and aelderwood, higher grade arrows require you to enchant each end separately.¡± He shrugged his shoulders, then closed the box, ¡°I wanted to at least give her something she could use next month when she goes on her Fall Expedition, instead of letting them sit on a shelf and slowly rot away all their mana by this time next year.¡± A voice called out, signaling that it was Miller¡¯s turn to present his gift. He gave me one more wolfish grin before walking forward, leaving me clutching my pauper¡¯s gift to the princess in my hands as my nervousness returned. ¡°Is it too late to run, or mail it to Seleyna instead?¡± I whispered to Arc. ¡°If I told you no, would you actually start sprinting?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ no.¡± ¡°Ok, let¡¯s assume she¡¯s mad at you for not coming to her party and hates your apology/gift. Worst case scenario, she acts in a polite royal manner, sends you on your way before she tosses your gift into the trash, then leaves you having to eat supper with Bridget tomorrow. Would that really be the end of the world for you?¡± I let out a deep lungful of air, ¡°No, I guess not¡­¡± ¡°Good, now hurry up and grow some thicker bark, you¡¯re up.¡± A voice called out, letting me know it was now my turn. Taking one last deep breath, I marched forward, averting my eyes away from Asher as he stood guard at the entrance to the gazebo the princess was accepting gifts under, and cautiously climbed the steps. Princess Seleyna stood there regally bathed in the light emanating from a half dozen tiny [Fire Orbs], her usual braided blonde hair was let loose, allowing the curls to flow down her formal arming jacket, and her captivating blue-gray eyes glimmered in the firelight. Don¡¯t forget to bow. Don¡¯t forget to bow. Jarred awake from my daydreaming state, I hastily knelt, then took a few panicked breaths before speaking the lines Bridget coached me to say, ¡°Princess Seleyna, as an apology for being unable to attend your party, and in honor of your birthday this evening, I humbly ask that you accept this gift.¡± ¡°How thoughtful, please rise, so you may present your gift.¡± It felt like a cow was resting on my shoulders as I stood, and my heart was pumping so forcefully that my fingers throbbed in pain as my gift was plucked from my grasp. She gave the necklace an inquisitive look, not speaking a word, and causing my stomach to twist into a tight knot. ¡°Is this aelderwood?¡± ¡°It is,¡± I answered, overjoyed at the conversation starter, ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to get it inscribed, but if you want, I can do that in the future, or¡­ you can have someone else do it. Umm¡­, it¡¯s your necklace, so¡­ whatever you want¡­¡± Seleyna looked up with a big smile, making my throat close up, ¡°I like it.¡± She then pulled me in to give my cheek a kiss, making all the blood in my body drain out, ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow for supper?¡± Feeling lightheaded, I could only nod, then leave out the back of the gazebo, nearly tripping on the steps down. A Commando at the bottom gave me a big smile, then gave me a gentle push in the correct direction back towards my dormitory. ¡°Great job bud!¡± I let out a sigh, ¡°I¡¯m just glad that¡¯s over with. I¡¯m not cut out for all this nobility nonsense.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re doing great, considering that you¡¯ve been diving in blind, you just need more exposure. You¡¯ve already accumulated some notable accomplishments to build your status, are likely the kingdom¡¯s newest most-eligible bachelor, and from what I¡¯ve gathered, are easy on the eyes. Plus, after that romantic gift, there¡¯s no way¡ª¡± I stopped dead in my tracks, ¡°Wait, what do you mean romantic?¡± ¡°Umm, isn¡¯t that what you were going for?¡± ¡°What? No, I just wanted to apologize for insulting her, and make sure she wasn¡¯t angry at me. Making that necklace was the only thing I could think of for a gift.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ uh, hate to tell you this¡­ but, you may have over-corrected.¡± Chapter 41 - An Uneventful Day With how mortal-like the human-worshiped gods are compared to the others, and how it¡¯s part of their churches¡¯ dogma that minor gods are former mortals and chosen, one must wonder at some point, ¡°Does that mean the greater gods were once mortal too?¡± I once mentioned such a possibility to an elven theologian, and nearly lost my head for my heretical question, but when I asked a human Northman theologian the same question, I got a very different response. To quote him, ¡°Perhaps, but maybe you have it backwards? Adamanrion was left for dead by ¡°The First Two¡±, Apheros praised them for their mercy, and Ignitious looked up to them for guidance. How do we know that the ones we worship are even truly gods?¡± --- Travis Snowsday, the 8th of Eighthmonth 7-8 Breakfast The downlighting in my bathroom¡¯s mirror was never consistent. Some days the contrasting shadows would show every peak and valley of my physique, replacing the soft contours of my face with sharper features, highlighting every body hair, and overall making me look like someone twelve years older. Today was not one of those days¡­ While some Lakelander men can look downright bearish with how hairy they get, I always assumed I wouldn¡¯t be one of them. Dad wasn¡¯t very hairy body wise, unlike Franklin who was often forced to shave their backside before being allowed to enter the house, but dad could grow a very impressive beard every winter. I sighed while inspecting my lower face, my facial hair was coming in, but it felt like it was taking forever to go from their current baby hairs into proper hog fur. Dad did try to reassure me last winter that his first beard came in late too, but¡­ ¡°I know today¡¯s a big day, but that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll magically grow one overnight. Besides, don¡¯t a lot of Lakelanders shave during the summer months?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± Words failed me as I tried to express my issue. Lancel never had to worry about not being called a man even though he couldn¡¯t grow a beard, why was I so upset? Was it because Jethro, despite being over a year younger than me, gets a midnight shadow over his chin every night? ¡°You know, I always had a love/hate relationship with my beard. I had to start aggressively shaving once I turned fifteen, which was a lot of fun to brag about, but before I was even legal to drink, my head was already going bald.¡± ¡°Oh, from wearing a helmet all day? Or¡­ wait, didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t a soldier?¡± ¡°What? No, it wasn¡¯t because it was rubbing off, it just fell out naturally.¡± Naturally? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of such a thing¡­ unless¡­ ¡°Umm, not to be rude, but did you have some kind of disease or something?¡± ¡°Disease? Oh, umm¡­ right¡­ uh, yeah, I guess it was a disease. Nothing debilitating, just something I inherited from my grandfather.¡± Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not sure if I should put that in the ¡°Arc is borderline insane¡± pile or ¡°Arc is keeping secrets again¡± pile¡­ A knock on the bathroom door disturbed my river of thought, ¡°Travis, could you please hurry up, I gotta¡­¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I shouted to Drozuk while shoving my stuff into its basket, ¡°be right out.¡± --- Arc 8-12 Morning Drill ¨C Live Combat Training Travis and his team fan out into the simulated forest, the Earth Mages mimicking an old densely packed pine forest today, with spear-like pillars blocking out the sun, and even including a few ¡°fallen logs¡± and a river into the terrain. Travis holds up a fist to signal everyone to stop, then holds his hand to the side of his helmet, ¡°Jethro, get above the treetops. Wind Mages, begin scouting.¡± Jethro and the other Wind Mages nod to confirm the orders, he then makes a running start at a nearby tree then kicks off it to jump towards another, then another, using his mana reinforced legs to maintain momentum as he ¡°climbs¡± the trees. He starts to run out of bare trunks as he nears the spear tip tops, but instead of grabbing onto one and climbing up the rest of the way like a sane person, he opts for the video-game strategy, and double-jumps in midair (with a flourishing flip and everything) to reach the top of a tree using his [Air Step] spell. Travis, meanwhile, joins the other two Wind Mages in casting [Remote Ear] to help find the monster, each picking a different direction and moving their spells as far as possible before maintaining focus becomes too difficult. (The spell works much better when you have direct line of sight, and don¡¯t have to worry about it colliding into things.) ¡°Contact! 72 yards at 10 o¡¯clock, umm¡­ doesn¡¯t seem to be moving towards us.¡± Travis eyes the two Wind Mages next to him, ¡°Keep scouting, it might have friends.¡± He then speaks over the squad¡¯s Messaging channel, ¡°Jethro, can you identify?¡± ¡°It looks like a giant snake, but¡­ floofy?¡± Travis strums the tassets protecting his thighs in thought, before it finally clicks, ¡°Constrictor ferret.¡± ¡°Yep, Constrictor Ferret, a greater varmint. They generally reach about 10 yards long, are as wide as a standard round shield, and are fully capable of using mana reinforcement, most notably for increasing its speed. They use their tubular body coated in long slick hair to weave through heavily forested areas, then feed by crushing and suffocating its prey by wrapping around it, swallowing it whole. Hunter logs recommend drowning the monster since it can¡¯t swim and has a highly valuable pelt.¡± ¡°Too bad we don¡¯t have a lake¡­¡± Travis mutters out loud. One of the Wind Mages overhears him, ¡°Sir, I heard running water at our 2 o¡¯clock, not too far away.¡± Travis taps the side of his tassets again, then speaks over the squad¡¯s channel, ¡°Jethro, status update.¡± ¡°It¡¯s crawled up a tree, and is sniffing around, doesn¡¯t appear to be ravenous.¡± ¡°Perfect, report any changes.¡± Travis then turns around to address the squad, ¡°We¡¯re setting a trap.¡± A few minutes later and the squad was already finalizing preparations. The artificial trees were sabotaged to fall if anything heavy climbed them, the Earth and Water Mages prepared a group [Mud Slide] to drag the monster into the river, and Travis had split off with Bridget and the other Fire Mage to lure in the ugly snake-rat. Travis draws me from my scabbard and is looking very knightly as he leads his team. Hmm¡­ maybe I should up the pressure a tad? ¡°Oh, probably should have said this earlier, but Reidar is here. So¡­ don¡¯t mess up!¡± Travis attempts to crush my handle in revenge but manages to keep his cool as they approach the Constrictor Ferret from downwind. He turns to look at Bridget, ¡°Bridget, get its attention.¡± Then alerts his squad over the Messaging channel that the mission is starting. Bridget makes a big grin, then starts by summoning three large [Fire Orbs], then converts each Orb into a [Fire Bolt] by splitting her fingers into three groups as her hand clenches into a fist. The trio of spells quickly fly towards the head of the oversized ferret, scoring a succession of amazing hits by hitting an eye, going up a nostril, and even one into its open mouth. The monster thrashes in pain, foolishly losing its grip, snapping the top off the fake tree it was wrapped around, and making the pillar buckle under the sudden shift in weight. The stone treetop falls first, spinning a few times before landing tip up, and is then soon followed by the trunk and giant varmint as its sudden lack of coordination and stubby legs prevent it from reaching another stone tree. The monster screams as it falls but is quickly silenced when it¡¯s lobotomized by the stone spike thrusting through its lower jaw and into its brain. Bridget and her witnessing teammates stood there completely dumbfounded by the Rube Goldberg series of events, and given the temporary silence of the arena¡¯s stands, weren¡¯t the only ones. After a few painfully long seconds, and sudden cacophony of laughs and cheers from the stands, Hector calls the match and orders the squad to report for debriefing. There was, of course, some confusion over the squad¡¯s Messaging channel, but Jethro had a good view of events and was able to explain as they walked inside for medical checks and debriefing. Inside, a familiar looking Spartan Medic gave Travis a quick cognition test after noticing his dazed state, then gave his helmet a tap. ¡°Brain fog should clear soon.¡± Reidar then lowered his voice, ¡°My duties here will be concluded at 5pm.¡± That snapped Travis out of his funk, ¡°Perfect, classes end at six for me. I¡¯ll Message you. Maybe we can have supper together?¡± Reidar nodded, ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡± He then motioned for Travis to join the others, but suddenly darted his head back towards Travis, ¡°Wait, will you be inviting the Princess?¡± Travis chuckled as he gave the spartan a pat on the shoulder, ¡°No promises.¡± Reidar glared at the back of Travis¡¯ head, but quickly surrendered with a sigh and shake of his own head before performing checks on the rest of the squad. Hector and Felicity soon stood before Travis and his squad, giving each other shrugs, then speaking to the group. ¡°Instead of the usual question, I¡¯ll just summarize.¡± Hector began, ¡°Your overall plan was smart, setting up a trap, not attacking the monster in its territory, and despite splitting up, you kept a Wind Mage with each group so you could communicate.¡± He shifted in his armor, giving Sir Felicity a glance to see if she had anything to add. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to account for every variable, and even the best laid plans can be upturned, with or without the minor god Phymur intervening. Some days everything that can go wrong will go wrong, and some days¡­¡± she raised her hand towards the arena, ¡°your Drill Instructors will have to get scolded for letting a valuable training monster get killed.¡± --- 12-1 Lunch The cafeteria was a buzz with chatter, [Message] spells flew in the air, and one very talented Apprentice Water Mage was putting on a shadow show for anyone who missed the arena matches this morning. Granted, this wasn¡¯t out of the ordinary, but it wasn¡¯t every day that a first-year student one-shots a greater varmint. Bridget, the lady of the hour, was of course enjoying the attention. ¡°Yes, I did aim for the face, but I didn¡¯t expect to actually hit the monster.¡± Bridget repeated for the sixteenth time to the table¡¯s numerous guests today. Aside from the usual gang, Jakob and Xruul were there, both wanting to get the first-hand account after kicking themselves for not watching the matches today. Cordelia Langhorne (Travis¡¯ halberd-wielding training partner) surprised everyone by asking Travis if she and her boyfriend could join. She was still looking awkward many minutes later, since her boyfriend Arvid had a pen and paper in hand, peppering Bridget with follow-up questions. ¡°What was your initial reaction upon the creature¡¯s death? Surprise? Satisfaction? Anger?¡± Bridget sighed at the school newspaper¡¯s reporter, ¡°I guess surprise? Mostly just disbelief, I used to laugh at Hunters that told of similar happenings on their hunts, and always assumed they were making up stories.¡± Cordelia guiltily turned to Travis as the interview continued, ¡°Sorry for disturbing your table, Arvid was¡­ insistent that I help him get an interview.¡± Travis grinned, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯m just surprised Bridget even agreed.¡± Cordelia shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s not considered wise to ignore reporters. Better to get ahead of the story before rumors start to spread.¡± Jethro butted in, ¡°Plus, if you ignore the questions or accusations, they¡¯ll just assume that you don¡¯t want to admit the answer.¡± He smiled, then raised his voice so Bridget and Arvid could hear him, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right Bridget?¡± The Ashman girl gave Jethro a cold stare, ¡°What is?¡± ¡°That you inherited your guile and ruthlessness from your father.¡± Bridget glowered, ¡°Why do you keep insisting that my father is a commando? He works as an accountant, and even joined my mother and I on our caravan routes when able.¡± ¡°Yes, as cover so he could sneak out and assassinate the kingdom¡¯s enemies after tucking you into bed at night.¡± Bridget rolled her eyes, ¡°You¡¯ve been reading too many spy thrillers.¡± She then turned to see the bright-eyed look in her interviewer and sighed, gesturing for him to continue. Travis and the others shared a few chuckles, then turned from Jethro to Cordelia on each of his sides and waved them into whisper, ¡°Hey, since you¡¯re both here, can I ask you two a question about Lakelander noble traditions?¡± They both nodded, and Cordelia waved for Travis to continue. ¡°Thanks. I know it¡¯s traditional for Lakelander farmers to stop shaving after the Fall Harvest Festival, then to shear everything off the first day of planting and leave the hairs near the nesting birds. Is there something similar for your families?¡± Jethro scratched his chin, ¡°Depends if you¡¯re directly fighting in the military or not. The general rule is not to go unshaven until you fight in the Spring Flood.¡± He turned to the inner-ring noble, ¡°I think the meaning behind it is to physically represent the change you go through mentally?¡± Cordelia nodded, ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be the Spring Flood, there¡¯s plenty of inner-ring nobles who¡¯ll start growing beards after a Fall Expedition, it¡¯s just uncommon since usually your first major military operation will be during the Spring Flood.¡± She narrowed her eyes and moved her head closer to Travis, ¡°Can you even grow a beard?¡± Recoiling, Travis snapped back, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just¡­ taking a while to finish growing in.¡± Realizing that she hit a touchy subject with the still developing teen, Cordelia backed away and caught Jethro giving her a wink. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let him look like a clueless hedge knight.¡± Cordelia smiled, ¡°Good, see that you do. If Travis intends to court the princess, his appearance will need to be up to royal standards.¡± Travis groaned, ¡°Ugh, not you too¡­ shouldn¡¯t you be scaring me off or something?¡± She set a hand on the despondent teen, and gave him a serious look, ¡°Travis, my parents strongly urged me to flirt with you. Either to lure you away from the princess and make room for one of my older brothers, or to possibly add you to the Langhorne family.¡± Travis looked back in puzzlement, ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve been flirting with me?¡± Cordelia grinned, ¡°You haven¡¯t noticed? Perhaps I should hit on you harder tomorrow during sparring practice.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Travis, still oblivious, needed my help, ¡°She¡¯s doing a bad job on purpose¡­ I think¡­¡± --- Travis 3-4 Break Taking a load off, I pulled the quick releases on my backpack, set my poleaxe on the ground, then after a quick mental debate, decided not to bother taking off my armor and opted for lounging on one of the stone chairs resembling the wooden recliners I was used to back home. The surface was hot from the sun beating down on it, but a quick layer of Ice Mana cooled everything down by the time I leaned back to relax. My groans of contentment must have been overheard by the senior Water Mage in the next chair over, because she put her book down to point up in the air, ¡°Want some shade?¡± I looked up over her, seeing a disk of Shadow Mana, then above myself to see the sun still high in the air above me, ¡°Sure, I wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± She smiled, then raised a hand to help direct her mana to extend her shade, making the area underneath drop considerably in temperature and brightness. I gave her a thumbs up, then leaned back with my feet up to enjoy my fleeting moment between classes. ¡°So, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that you haven¡¯t told your friends about today yet¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­ after the whole debacle with the princess, I just wanted a quiet uneventful night. ¡°I can get behind that. Not everyone likes making a giant show of the event. Heck, I think the only reason Seleyna went through the hassle is because she¡¯s royalty.¡± I idly gave Arc¡¯s pommel a scratch, happy that he wasn¡¯t pressuring me today. He got really mad at me last year when I spent the entire day hunting or practicing on my makeshift obstacle course. ¡°Anything in the mail today?¡± Reaching into my backpack for the bundle of letters and flyers I pulled from my mailbox earlier, I started leafing through the pile, ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I got a thank you card from Percy and Lucia, they already went to see the show and¡­ of course, enjoyed it. This flyer has a listing of on-campus fall training camps that I could have signed up for. And¡­ ugh, another postcard from the Polearms Club¡­¡± ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯ve got classes during each training seminar again?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I could go to one next week, but I¡¯d miss supper and my private range time that night.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s definitely a no go for you then. Anything else?¡± ¡°Ooh, a letter from Trent¡­¡± Intrigued, I opened it up to read. Travis, Just wanted to congratulate you on becoming a ward for Clan Hopkins. Lancel¡¯s a fine soldier, and a good friend, I have no doubt that he¡¯ll take good care of you. (Do be careful though, he¡¯s got a younger sister he¡¯ll want to introduce to you that¡¯s about a couple of years older than you, so don¡¯t go fooling around at the brothels the second you turn eighteen.) I¡¯ve been up to my eyeballs in contracts since coming to the capital and it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯ll relent until it¡¯s time to bed down for Solstice. So big apologies, but I won¡¯t be able to stop by the estate to say hello. Be sure to give Lancel a slap on the rear for me, Trent, Grade 3 Witchhunter What the¡­? Has he been living under a rock? Also, did he not get my last letter at all? ¡°Umm, Travis, I think you might want to reread that with your mana sight¡­¡± Okay¡­ not sure why that would change anything, but I closed my eyes then amped up the mana in them to take a look¡­ Travis, Lost your letter in the fire when my apartment got ambushed. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine, got saved by an undercover Commando posing as a barmaid before the Witches of Barkmane could finish the job. She ended up press-ganging me into getting revenge and helping eliminate the rest of Eisaiah''s insane cult in the capital, and although we think we got them all, I¡¯d keep my distance from any covensteads if I were you. I¡¯m getting out of the capital before even more crazy nonsense happens, so if you¡¯re getting cold feet about joining the army, just tell any one of the recruiters when you¡¯re alone with them that you want out. They¡¯ll handle the rest and keep you safe, even book you passage on a ship to a fortress if you want. If you can, request to go to Coldspring Fortress, my covenstead is there, and in case the worst should happen to me, my coven will take care of ya. Just hand them this letter when you meet them. Trent, Grade 3 Witchhunter ¡°Whoa¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I know! Right? Assassination attempts, evil cults, hidden messages¡­ ooh, try holding your letter up to the sun.¡± Humoring Arc, I lifted up the letter, and¡­ sure enough, he was right. The light piercing through the sheet of parchment had the watermark of a duck standing atop a beaver. ¡°Whoa, I just saw that! A duck and a beaver right?¡± Smiling at Arc¡¯s joy, I reached down to give him a scratch right where his cross-guard meets his handle. --- 6-7 Supper Finally done with classes for the day, I slid my helmet on as I headed for the cafeteria, then [Messaged] Reidar, ¡°Reidar, do you copy?¡± Silence filled my helmet as I walked, leaving me with a prickle of anxiety, ¡°Copy Reidar.¡± ¡°Must not have his helmet on. I¡¯ll keep an eye out for him, he already knows where to meet you.¡± Nodding along, I tried not to let worry or disappointment creep into my mind. We didn¡¯t get to talk much in between matches this morning, so I was looking forward to catching up to him in person today. Unfortunately, those feelings were hard to stamp down when I caught sight of Adrian and Bridget waiting outside for me. I waved, ¡°Hey guys, by chance, have you seen Reidar? I haven¡¯t been able to Message him.¡± Adrian shook his head, ¡°Haven¡¯t seen him.¡± He turned to Bridget, ¡°Maybe the others spotted him inside?¡± She shrugged her shoulders, ¡°It¡¯s possible, maybe we should just get in line?¡± I hesitated but ended up agreeing. Maybe if Varguk was serving I could ask if he¡¯d seen him. We got into line, but there was no sign of either Spartan, and as I moved to sit with my loaded tray of food, I tried one more time to Message Reidar. ¡°Damn, not getting a response.¡± Mattius¡¯ head perked up with a possibility, ¡°Maybe he got called away last minute. He is a medic, maybe he¡¯s stuck doing surgery on someone?¡± Adrian nodded along, ¡°Could just be napping somewhere. There were a few major injuries this week, might be exhausted.¡± ¡°Or he¡¯s busy flirting with the princess.¡± I gave Arc a firm rap with my knuckles, annoyed that he¡¯d tell such an obvious lie, but his next words did give me pause. ¡°Don¡¯t believe me? Just ask him yourself. 7 o¡¯clock.¡± Turning around, I saw the green-striped Spartan approach, looking¡­ a tad off from his usual composed state. I gave him a wave, hoping to catch his attention, but he seemed almost in a dream-like state. Jethro didn¡¯t seem to notice though, ¡°Reidar! There you are. Come sit, or did you want to grab food first?¡± That snapped him out of his daze, ¡°Travis, friends of Travis, I apologize, I have already eaten supper tonight.¡± I let out a sigh of relief, ¡°That¡¯s alright, come join us anyways. Just a heads up though, we¡¯re going to break table manners and talk while eating.¡± Reidar nodded as he sat down next to me, ¡°I appreciate the forewarning.¡± Adrian, who was sitting on Reidar¡¯s other side, gave him a nudge, ¡°Where were you? Travis was getting worried.¡± Reidar turned to look at my embarrassed face, showing a few cracks in his stoic veneer, ¡°Right, an explanation for my failure to report is needed. After my duties concluded at five, I came to the cafeteria to order an appetizer from the carryout counter and finish the wait for supper outside on the green space.¡± He paused to take a breath, and even visibly gulped, ¡°The princess caught sight of me waiting in line and invited me to join her for supper. I then followed proper etiquette, accepting her invitation, and joined her table for supper.¡± Oh, rot, Arc wasn¡¯t completely lying. I held up my hands in mock surrender, ¡°I swear, I had nothing to do with it this time.¡± My friend leaked out one of his rare smiles, ¡°Seleyna made the same joke.¡± His eyes immediately widened, ¡°Correction, I meant to say Princess Seleyna.¡± I gave his backplate a pat, ¡°At least you were smart enough not to accidentally decline her invitation.¡± He gave his head an inquisitive tilt, creating chuckles at the table, and making me immediately regret saying so. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you know when Princess Seleyna¡¯s birthday is right?¡± ¡°Correct, it was this last Voltsday.¡± ¡°Well, this idiot,¡± I pointed to myself, ¡°didn¡¯t know that, and even doubled down on the stupidity by turning down the invitation to her birthday party.¡± Reidar¡¯s face swiftly dropped his neutral expression, shifting to an enraged one for insulting the crown, ¡°You atoned for your arrogant behavior, right?¡± Suddenly remembering his first squadmate¡¯s warning not to anger Reidar while wearing woodfiber clothes, I sputtered out my response, ¡°Yes. Yes, I did. I crafted a gift for her and apologized on her birthday.¡± The angry Spartan relaxed, then darted his eyes across the table and grew self-conscious, clearing his throat, but not saying anything. ¡°He seems a bit on edge, and has barely relaxed around your friends, maybe ask him about medical school?¡± Giving Arc a scratch with one hand, I gave Reidar a tap on his side, ¡°How¡¯s medical school going?¡± ¡°There was some initial difficulty, mainly due to my late enrollment, but my hands-on instruction from Major Medic Amabilis Sartre during the flood proved to be quite valuable.¡± Bridget leaned in, ¡°You¡¯re studying to be a field trauma surgeon right?¡± Reidar shook his head, ¡°Not a full one, since my job won¡¯t require it. I¡¯ll only be certified to lead medical treatment on mana users when I complete my initial required training. Normal soldiers are¡­ more fragile and require a higher knowledge base to prevent patients from going into shock.¡± Bridget chuckled, ¡°That¡¯s the gist of what I¡¯ve been told and read about the topic. How much non-surgery medicine are you learning?¡± ¡°Enough to provide general guidance and treatment if the situation is dire. I¡¯ll be expected to direct patients to a specialist or long-term care after I conclude they are no longer in an immediate life-threatening condition.¡± Reidar relaxed his posture some, and even set his forearms on the table, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, Travis has been writing to me about his experiences here, but I¡¯m curious about what it¡¯s like for someone specializing in a single or hybrid element.¡± That cheered me up, especially as Reidar started to relax even more as my friends took turns sharing their stories. He slowly started becoming more expressive and even smiled when asked what he thought about me carrying my poleaxe everywhere now instead of crafting a wand. ¡°I don¡¯t understand the question, why would you wish to wield an item that doesn¡¯t function as a weapon into battle?¡± That elicited some groans from everyone else, and I gave Reidar a slap on the back, ¡°Thanks for having my back bud.¡± Noticing that time was flying by, I pulled him in, ¡°By the way, do you know the spell [Earth Cleat]?¡± ¡°Yes, why do you ask?¡± ¡°Would you be up for a training session in my private spell range?¡± --- 7-9 Private Study - Spell Range ¡°Remind me never to piss off a Spartan!¡± I grin as Reidar dodges another [Rock Bolt] using his [Earth Cleat] spell, then counters my [Fire Bolt] with a held [Water Blast] in his right hand and knocks away my [Wind Bolt] with his shield. I¡¯ll admit, I was hesitant earlier when he told me to start casting spells at him, but after seeing him swat away my spells like they were flies, I grew much more confident in his ability. While launching Bolt spells in as erratic of a pattern as I could to throw him off, I try to watch his feet, seeing if I can glean some insight on how to master [Earth Cleat]. He isn¡¯t using it to leap high, more to slide across the ground, using the repulsion array on his toes to reduce his friction and condensing array on his heels to quickly stop. I cast another [Rock Bolt], and he angles his shield in front of himself while reinforcing it with an enchantment, then countercharges by shifting to his toes right as my spell hits, obliterating my spell¡¯s formation, greatly reducing the impact. We keep going for a while, but eventually stop for a water break. ¡°You make it look so easy.¡± Reidar wipes off his mouth after taking a swing from his canteen, then shrugs his shoulders, ¡°My Wood affinity provides instinctual guidance. It doesn¡¯t work with building things out of rocks, but it does help me root or unroot myself from the ground.¡± I sigh, ¡°Great, I was hoping you¡¯d be able to help me learn it. I received the spell diagram for it two months ago, but haven¡¯t been able to practice much, or even figure out how to walk around with it yet.¡± ¡°I can still assist with that, [Earth Cleat] is a mandatory spell all Spartans must learn. I¡¯ll teach you the movement drills we used to familiarize ourselves with the spell.¡± Reidar starts having me copy his movements while using the spell, jumping in place using only our toes, then having me modify my landings by rolling back to my heels in between each hop. Next, he has me switch to using only one foot, then back to using both, only with one foot touching after the other shifts my weight to my heel. ¡°Excellent, you¡¯re already softening your landings. Let¡¯s try going into a few common combat stances.¡± He demonstrated leaping back into a shield block stance, then hopped forward, pushing off with his right foot to mimic a spear thrust, then brought his right leg back to its original position while rolling back on his heels back into another shield block. That was more difficult, but the repetition of the familiar movement from daily morning drills, combined with my previous physical training under Arc before coming to the capital, helped everything finally click into place. I still needed to keep the power low and couldn¡¯t simply walk around casually without concentrating, but apparently that was normal. ¡°Walking is actually the hardest part to master with this enchantment. It requires long periods of moving while using the spell until it becomes an instinctual habit, otherwise one poor step will throw you off balance.¡± I let out an exasperated breath, ¡°So I was going about everything backwards?¡± Reidar smiled, and even gave my shoulder a pat, ¡°We all stumble from time to time.¡± He¡¯s making jokes now? This day is going great! Too bad my timeslot is almost expired already. Noticing me checking the timeclock, Reidar turned to look himself, and drooped his shoulders. Feeling the same, I gave his shoulder a pat, ¡°Random question, can you grow a beard?¡± He held up a flat hand, giving it a wiggle, ¡°Not a Lakelander one, despite the brown hair. I think my Northman half is strangling my facial hair¡¯s development, leaving it thin and barely covering more than my jawline. Braxton mentioned that it might continue to grow thicker as I get older though, so I might consider growing one in the future.¡± At least he has an excuse¡­ ¡°Do Spartans have any beard growing traditions? I just found out about the noble ones today.¡± ¡°Yes, but we adopted the ones nobles follow. Before the current Queen changed the law, Spartans were required to shave daily if possible.¡± Reidar grinned, ¡°Some of the older Spartans I¡¯ve talked to mentioned that it was one of the few changes that didn¡¯t receive pushback when our traditions were put under scrutiny by Queen Claudette.¡± ¡°Oh, were some of them problematic?¡± He nodded, ¡°Thankfully, only a few needed outright changes. For example, going on a solo hunt after your eighteenth birthday was changed to intoxication training.¡± Curious, I cocked my head, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°You gather with your first squad and consume a large amount of alcohol and greasy food. The purpose is to familiarize oneself with having their senses and wits no longer being reliable.¡± ¡°Huh, that sounds like one from my village. When someone turned eighteen, they¡¯d gather with their older friends at the Inn to celebrate being of legal age to drink.¡± I grumbled, ¡°Although, some would use it as an excuse to ride out to the nearby fortress and enjoy a night at one of the more adult establishments there.¡± I looked back up at the clock, seeing our time was up, and noticed I¡¯d built up an appetite, ¡°Hey, instead of meeting back up with my friends, do you want to go grab a bite to eat?¡± Reidar grinned, ¡°I¡¯ll never turn down food.¡± --- Arc 9-11 Free time / Group Study It was oddly hard to watch Travis and Reidar hang out together. One part of me felt happy to see the two introverts finding kinship, another part was envious of Reidar (for what exactly, I¡¯m not sure, I just was), the last sadly was that I couldn¡¯t join their conversations. Maybe I should encourage Travis to introduce me? No¡­ wait, not tonight. Tonight is Travis¡¯ big night. With this evening¡¯s shadow show concluded, Travis and Reidar had little trouble getting inside The Exotic Axe and were even directed to the VIP balcony lounge and bar after the bouncer recognized Travis. The two ordered food and drinks, and were soon chatting away the night, only getting disturbed by the place¡¯s owner stopping by. ¡°Sir Travis, Spartan Reidar, it¡¯s a pleasure to have you here tonight. Has everything been to your liking?¡± Travis glanced at Reidar, but after seeing no objection, turned back, ¡°Yes it has. I noticed a big crowd leaving on our way in, is the show still selling out?¡± The old man chuckled, ¡°Oh, we¡¯re sold out through the solstice now. Norvin is currently training a group of understudies just so he can have a night off. Plus, he¡¯s been approached by the Holawenys College of Arts to adapt the show into a live-actor musical.¡± Travis groaned, but Reidar looked quite excited at the prospect, ¡°How long till that goes into production?¡± The owner smiled, ¡°Not sure, the play should be easy enough to adapt, but there¡¯ll be a lot of pressure on making sure the songs are top-notch. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get invites to the premiere though, Norvin would be a fool otherwise.¡± Reidar looked out at the stage, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t host it here?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have the facilities for it backstage.¡± He made a deep bellied laugh, ¡°It¡¯s actually out of the ordinary for us to have such a popular family-friendly show here.¡± Travis became perplexed, ¡°Huh, what do you mean?¡± Before the owner could reply, The Exotic Axe announcer¡¯s voice boomed over the noise of the crowd, ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, Beards and Beardless, performing tonight¡¯s first musical number is Candace, the songstress of Moonwater Fortress!¡± Cheers, whistles, and even a few howls, shouted from the crowd towards the stage as a beautiful woman wearing a long fur coat stepped under a spotlight made with Light Mana. String and woodwind instruments began filling the hall with whimsical music, then switched to something jazzier as the brass section joined in, followed by a trio of metal poles extending from the bottom of the stage. I started mentally laughing my ass off at the shocked expressions on Travis and Reidar, and how both teenagers start to look very uncomfortable. Looks like it¡¯s called The Exotic Axe for a reason. The music hit a crescendo, signaling the rowdy crowd to quiet for the sultry voiced singer. ¡°When the springtime warm air arrives, he will leave my bed and then rise. He will kiss my cheek and then sigh, then greet her with his hungry eye.¡± Indistinct shapes made of Shadow Mana began to fill the back curtain, all dancing around a trio of lines meant to imitate the shadows of the poles. ¡°I¡¯m not jealous of the way he holds her¡­ or the way he grasps her firmly. Nor the way he grunts when thrusting, I¡¯m not one to be mistrusting. I¡¯m not jealous of the way he holds her¡­ how he¡¯ll show her off overtly.¡± Laughter and whistles arose from the crowd as three two-handed weapons descended from the ceiling on wires, a waraxe on the left, a spear in the center, and a warhammer on the right. Each one was twisting around the poles, gyrating to the music, and even sliding up and down seductively. Ok, I guess it¡¯s called The Exotic Axe for a reason¡­ I pulled my focus back in time to witness Travis and Reidar bent over the table in laughter, getting friendly nudges from the owner, and waving over a waitress to bring the teens a round of shots. --- After the musical number, and warning from the owner that the evening¡¯s shows will get more risqu¨¦ as the night progresses, Travis and Reidar stumbled back to campus, both still infected with a bad case of the drunken giggles. They somehow made it to the stables with little problem though, and 5751054 soon came down from his stall to give Reidar a ride back to his barracks. Reidar pulls Travis into a shield-brother hug, holding it for a long time, and even giving a bonus back pat that Travis returns in kind. His blissful expression fades into a melancholic one, and by the time both separate, he looks almost tearful. Travis gives Reidar a pat on the shoulder, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The Spartan lets out a sigh, ¡°I think I would have really enjoyed coming to school here with you.¡± ¡°It certainly would have been a lot of fun, but¡­¡± Travis traces his fingers over the zebra stripes on Reidar¡¯s armor, ¡°wouldn¡¯t you have to get rid of these?¡± Reidar nods, ¡°Did I ever tell you that these aren¡¯t just camouflage?¡± He holds up his left hand to point at the stripes on his right side, ¡°This side¡¯s pattern is my first squad¡¯s identification number and Braxton¡¯s name.¡± He then points to his left side, ¡°These lines are my personal identification number.¡± His fingers land above where his heart would be, ¡°These three are my name.¡± Travis stares at the stripes for a long moment, then looks back up at Reidar with teary eyes, ¡°You would have had to literally scrub away your identity if you came here.¡± Reidar nods again, unable to speak now, but does find the strength to dig into one of his side pouches. He finds what he¡¯s looking for, then with trembling hands, gives a small coin to Travis. Travis looks down, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°A copy of my identification number, my squad¡¯s number, and the Spartan crest for the barracks I grew up in. If you ever wish to come visit me at my home, show this to the gate guards.¡± Travis eyes the coin a little longer, then puts it in his personal items pouch before giving Reidar a regular hug. The two get nudges from Travis¡¯ now impatient mount, making them break the hug, and forcing Reidar to climb up. Before he leaves though, Reidar leans forward to whisper to Travis, ¡°I almost forgot, Happy birthday Travis.¡± Chapter 42 - Earning the Title Before I conclude with a short passage from the Journey of Apheros, let me explain my reasoning for writing this book. While many view the symbol of the three kingdoms to be a shield over an axe, spear, and hammer; a united front to eliminate the migrating monsters from the north each year, I believe the true symbol is a book. Before the discovery of the humans, dwarves and elves were merely trading partners, and our societies barely mingled together, let alone communicated. But that all changed when Oscar, the Chosen of Apheros crossed over into the Elven Kingdom, and pointed out that their churches to Apheros were constructed in a shape familiar to every human male. Things changed quickly, soon we were revising our calendars and standard measurements to create consistency. Elves and dwarves were learning the human tongue, finding it much easier to learn than each other¡¯s languages. And technology was being shared, the result in your hands right now. Ink from the human chemists, paper from the elven artisans, and a printing press crafted by the dwarves. One can only wonder, ¡°What else is out there?¡± Scientists have long concluded that we¡¯ve only explored a fraction of the planet we live on, and it¡¯s quite likely that other continents exist. Could there be other races that we don¡¯t know about? Perhaps a homeland of the orcs? Floating cities that didn¡¯t crash to the ground during ragnarok? Other gods? There is so much us mortals don¡¯t know, and according to the humans, much that the gods don¡¯t even know as well. Apheros closed their book as they finished recording their findings. The giant aquifer underneath the Northern Tundra extended downhill to this location, breaking through the surface, and forming a spring that fed into the nearby river. He reached to pick up his newly crafted spear that according to Adamanrion, could kill any monster with a single blow. Patted to ensure his new handaxe was still on his hip after using it to navigate the dense forests, and that his hammer was present as well, since they spent the night using it to create his shelter. He then stood up to sling his trusted wooden shield onto his back, stepping out of the loghouse and into the morning sun. He stood there for a moment, looking over the horizon, constantly wondering, ¡°What else is out there?¡± We hope that you enjoyed this book. For other published works from Falling Starlight Publications, including: A History of Northman Blacksmithing, Cryptozoology ¨C Human Insanity or a Legitimate Field of Study?, and How to Forge a Connection to a New God, be sure to visit your local library or wherever books are sold. --- Arc Burnsday, the 11th of Eighthmonth Princess Seleyna¡¯s focus at supper today kept seeming to wane, no doubt still unsure what to make of Travis¡¯ behavior. The lad was constantly sending her mixed signals, first by tricking his handsome friend into dancing with her, but secretly inviting her on a date using his friends as a smokescreen, rejecting her birthday party invitation, but then profusely apologizing with a beautiful handmade necklace, and now was seemingly ignoring her at her own table. Sure, it made sense last week why he¡¯d been so timid after angering Sir Asher, but why was he suddenly putting in so much effort to converse with the other inner-ring nobles? Was Travis playing hard to get? Or just trying to play the field like a certain antlered god? He does spar with that harlot Cordelia during morning drill, had lunch with her just the other day, and was now chatting up a storm with her and a few of the other boys on the far end of the table. She narrowed her eyes at the Farmboy as he made connections with the capital¡¯s inner elite, both happy and annoyed that he was taking advantage of the opportunity that she gave him¡­ That¡­ or she was just confused about why Travis set his sword on the table like the country hillbilly he was. It was probably the former, and definitely not me making up stories to stave off my boredom. Ugh, I need to find a better outlet for when I¡¯m unable to cast [Message]. Travis and I don¡¯t get to talk as freely as we used to before coming to this academy. Maybe I should urge him to introduce me to someone else? Madness might start to creep its way back into my mind once more if I¡¯m not careful. Cordelia Langhorne stared down at my sword-body, ¡°My dad used to tell me scary stories about these swords when I was little. My favorite was always the one where the Lakelander Knight killed his father to take control of the fortress, then covered up the murder by turning the body into a sword.¡± She switched to a spookier tone, ¡°The knight then kept hearing the word ¡®murderer¡¯ every time he unsheathed his sword during morning practice, approached a group of merchants talking, or randomly late at night when walking to the privy. He grew paranoid, thinking that his sword was whispering to everyone in the fortress, and was plotting to kill him in revenge. He then started wearing his armor everywhere, making his cat taste his food before eating, and barricading himself in a windowless room at night just so he could sleep, but the whispers continued, until one night he couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and threw himself off the tallest tower onto his sword.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Ansel Raycraft turned to Travis with a shit-eating grin, ¡°that explains why you¡¯re wearing your armor full time and carrying around that overcompensating thing you call a weapon.¡± Travis narrowed his eyes at the jokester, ¡°I grew up hearing that story too, what really happened was that the arrogant noble failed to notice a farmer in the field who saw the murder. They then told the merchant who bought their crops what happened, and given how much of an ass the knight was, the merchant wasn¡¯t too surprised. He then told the knight¡¯s servants when they sold their wares, who in turn spread the news throughout the entire fortress. The knight grew paranoid from witnessing the people quiet their gossip whenever he approached, thought the food was poisoned instead of poorly prepared or spit in, flogged a woman who was cleaning the living quarters he defecated in, and finally fell to his death when her guard husband pushed him off the tower.¡± Miller Bowitch wolfishly grinned, then spoke in a tone dripping with sarcasm, ¡°But Travis, how could someone as powerful as a knight be killed by a commoner? Surely the sword driving him mad is the more logical explanation?¡± That set off a round of laughter on their side of the table, only quieting down when Miller moved my handle closer to him for inspection, ¡°No decoration¡­ Was your ancestor a Hedge Knight?¡± Travis shook his head, ¡°Nope, no knights, witches, or even hunters in my family tree. A crazy old man in my village gifted me this before I left.¡± Ansel shared a glance with Cordelia, ¡°Gee, I wonder what drove him crazy?¡± Miller waved to two off as he leaned in towards Travis, ¡°I guess that explains why you have a Northman style sword. Do you know who¡¯s remains were used to create this?¡± ¡°Not a clue. I was able to do some research, and discovered that it¡¯s a prototype for The Fang of Voffer. According to the expert I met, it might not even have any human remains in it, but they¡¯re not sure since the original blacksmith¡¯s records were poorly maintained.¡± The Northman noble raised an eyebrow, ¡°Really now?¡± He looked down at me once more, ¡°Have you been meditating with your sword? Or perhaps tried to attune to it?¡± Travis shifted uneasily, ¡°Umm, no. Should I? I thought that attuning to adamantium was impossible?¡± Miller made another wolfish grin, and gave my handle a pat, ¡°It is. And no, you should let the dead sleep.¡± Gah, sleep¡­ I miss being able to do that. Maybe that¡¯s the real reason why I¡¯m going stir-crazy. --- Travis Woodsday, the 14th of Eighthmonth The line at the takeout counter during my break was short today, and even better, Varguk was serving customers. I got in line, and even let an elf pass me so I could hopefully get a chance to speak to the Spartan. ¡°Travis, let me guess, chef¡¯s choice?¡± I nodded, giving the burly half-orc the go ahead to grab a prewrapped sandwich and drink. Once served, and after checking to see if anyone was behind me, I leaned against the counter to whisper to Varguk, ¡°If I asked you a question, would you be willing to keep it from Reidar?¡± Varguk looked uneasy, but still leaned in, ¡°Umm, what kind of question?¡± ¡°A Spartan one.¡± I reached into my valuables pouch to pull out the coin Reidar gave me and showed it to Varguk, ¡°Reidar gave this to me the other day, and I could tell it was a big deal for him, but I¡¯m a little lost on the meaning behind it.¡± Varguk¡¯s eyes grew wide, staring back n disbelief at the coin, only startling back to the present when I pulled it out of sight, ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just¡­ uh¡­¡± He looked above my shoulder to see if anyone was approaching, then resumed our huddle, ¡°Reidar¡¯s never given one to someone before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still lost, isn¡¯t this just an identification tag?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more than that.¡± Varguk paused to find his words, then pulled a similar coin from one of his pouches, ¡°Twelve children can be a lot for even a veteran spartan to handle, so one of the ways to manage activities is to give these out to us kids. You can spend them to pick the game for the afternoon, request something different or extra from the cook, or you can give one to another kid to invite them over for a playdate.¡± The symbolism hit me like a charging bull, I know Reidar said he was shy growing up, but¡­ ¡°Yeah, none of us noticed it at first, since¡­ you know, being the quiet kid when he¡¯s got seven rambunctious bigger squad-brothers isn¡¯t a surprise, but I still remember the time Braxton gave Reidar a dozen coins and told him to hand one out to each kid he played with at the park.¡± The half-orc sighed, ¡°He only gave them to us squadmates.¡± I reached over the counter to give the spartan a pat, ¡°Thanks for telling me. Is there anything I should or shouldn¡¯t do with this?¡± ¡°Well, for starters, don¡¯t throw it away. You¡¯ll make an enemy of every Spartan and Spartan Recruit.¡± I smiled, ¡°And by extension the entire Logistics Corps?¡± ¡°Yep. And as far as what to do with it¡­ umm, I¡¯m not sure. Reidar¡¯s probably away from home even more than me. Maybe just keep it somewhere safe? I guess it¡¯s really up to you, just¡­¡± Varguk made a sharp inhale, ¡°please be a good friend to Reidar.¡± I nodded, noticed that a group of students was approaching, then thanked Varguk while I grabbed my food and walked outside towards the green space. After finding a spot to sit and eat, I held up the coin in my free hand, taking the time to commit every detail of the gold-plated coin to memory. It wasn¡¯t difficult, just Reidar¡¯s name in bold, followed by his identification number, and then in tinier print around the edge was his squad¡¯s number and the name Braxton. A small hole at the top gave access to the other side with its picture of an antlered deer. ¡°Something bothering you?¡± I set down my uneaten sandwich, ¡°Do you think I would have given any of these to my friends growing up?¡± ¡°To be honest, probably not. I had to beg you to play with the other kids after school, and only stopped when it became obvious that you were treating it more like a chore.¡± I sighed, unsure why I even bothered to ask a question I already knew the answer to. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you remember, but there was also an incident the last time you invited Ryan to your house to play.¡± I tucked in my legs to hug them, ¡°I remember¡­ they were fighting again, and didn¡¯t even notice us opening the door.¡± ¡°Ah, rot¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have dug that up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I just¡­ wish things would have eventually worked out, instead of just¡­ stagnating after calling an armistice.¡± ¡°Me too buddy, me too.¡± --- Snowsday, the 16th of Eighthmonth Lancel once mentioned that one of a soldier¡¯s greatest enemies was boredom. It could strike at any time, during a long shift, a featureless straight path on horseback, or even while fighting. That last one always seemed impossible to me. Afterall, how could risking your life while fighting monsters become routine? I thought that maybe for our final arena matches for the semester we¡¯d be pushed extra hard, but nope, my squad didn¡¯t even fight a new monster today. Yes, we did have to fight four honeybadgers instead of the single one that thrashed Adrian¡¯s squad in our first week, but even he didn¡¯t show any hesitation as he launched [Water Bolts] like a machine. The wet and sticky creatures fell one by one in exhaustion, covered in stone spikes from Mattius¡¯ and my [Caltrop] spells, and in pain from constantly falling over due to the persistent barrage of Air and Water Bolts. Our Fire Mages didn¡¯t even bother to attack with spells, opting just to throw rocks since our squad kept moving out of melee range from the monsters, and also to ensure that no one accidentally pulled a Bridget on the creatures. Even Hector looked a tad bored today. Our post-match debrief only lasted a couple of minutes, my squad¡¯s performance wasn¡¯t even out of the ordinary today, and the only injury in our entire training battalion of forty-eight students today, was a sprained ankle from tripping on the arena¡¯s steps. Things did get interesting after our matches for today concluded. ¡°I need everyone who will be participating in the Fall Purge to stay for an announcement,¡± Hector belted out to our battalion, ¡°everyone else is dismissed.¡± Curious as to who else would be staying, I looked around and was alarmed at how nearly everyone got up to leave. Mattius and Drozuk seemed just as surprised, and even more so since I was staying as well. Aside from us three, the only others I knew semi-well were the Lakelander twins. Hector motioned us to come to the front of the arena stands after everyone else left, since there weren¡¯t even enough students for a full squad. ¡°To answer your first question, mission assignments will be handed out on the 31st by Brigadier General Bassus during your scheduled drill time. As legal adults in the kingdom, you will be expected to defend it, hence the compressed basic training we¡¯ve been providing every morning. Compressed being the keyword. A regular soldier recruit will spend three months training, twelve hours each day, and is then sent out to fight under the command of veterans with multiple years of field experience. That¡¯s nearly triple what you¡¯ve been receiving.¡± Sir Felicity continued the speech, ¡°As mages in training, your provisional rank in the army is Junior Mage, the lowest of the officer ranks, but that still places you above Centurions and Soldiers.¡± She gave everyone a stern glare, ¡°This will be your only warning from us. Do not abuse your rank. I know some of your families have a history of military service older than the kingdom, but that doesn¡¯t mean you personally know more than the people you will be expected to lead.¡± Hector finished off the lecture, ¡°Your assignments will likely be varied, but all of them should involve nearly daily combat under the watch of experienced Knights or Spartans. This will be your chance not just to learn from them, but from the Logistics Corps retinue and soldiers that will be accompanying you.¡± He finished with a big smile, ¡°Oh, and also a chance to pick up some bonus pay while getting a head start on your first promotion after you graduate.¡± --- Arc An angry Jethro stood menacingly with crossed arms, Adrian on his left, and Bridget on his right in similar poses, ¡°So¡­, when were you three going to tell us that you turned eighteen?¡± The rest of the squad sat seated with their backs to the cafeteria table, all shifting nervously, Travis and Mattius both making additional nervous grins and chuckles, and Drozuk lowering his head in shame. Travis decided to face the music first, ¡°Umm, I was going to, but¡­ I ended up going to the pub with Reidar to celebrate.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon now, you can think of a better excuse than that!¡± Jethro bobbed his head in thought, ¡°Okay, I guess that¡¯s a valid reason.¡± What? No it isn¡¯t! Bridget nodded along, ¡°True. It¡¯s not like we would have been able to join you.¡± She then focused her attention on the other two, ¡°Well, almost all of us. What are your excuses?¡± Drozuk remained unresponsive, so Mattius spoke next, ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t want you to throw a party for me.¡± He shifted uncomfortably once more, ¡°You guys are already putting your social standings at risk by associating with me. I know most nobles say they won¡¯t judge a family as a whole, but mine¡¯s got a lot of bad cargo due to my dad.¡± Jethro ceased his intimidating stance to comfort the teen, ¡°Even a rotten branch can fertilize the ground once it falls off.¡± He then jolted, ¡°Wait, I¡¯m not suggesting you off your dad, I¡¯m¡­ uh¡­ rot¡­¡± Bridget moved in for the save, ¡°What he means is that every family has their problems. What matters most, is that you don¡¯t let the rot spread to you, and that you take steps to ensure your family grows healthier in the long run.¡± Jethro let out a sigh, ¡°Thanks, that¡¯s what I meant.¡± The group then all turned to Drozuk who was still looking small, despite being the physically largest of the squad. ¡°Drozuk,¡± Travis asked, setting a hand on the orc¡¯s shoulder, ¡°is something wrong?¡± Drozuk hesitantly voiced his thoughts, ¡°I¡­ turned eighteen during the last week of Fifthmonth¡­ a few days before we¡­¡± Travis gave the teen with tusks a comforting pat, then reached to pull in Mattius with his other hand, ¡°What matters is that we¡¯re friends now. How about the three of us hit up The Exotic Axe later tonight for a belated celebration? Most of the crowd clears out after nine.¡± A smarmy grin then plastered itself across Travis face, ¡°Plus, they have a great opening number for the evening entertainment.¡± Drozuk turned his head to Travis in surprise, ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t think you were the type.¡± Mattius shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Meh, it¡¯s always the quiet ones.¡± Jethro, no doubt feeling left out, turned to Bridget and Adrian, ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll have to do something fun tonight too.¡± The two shared glances, looking guilty, before Adrian finally spoke, ¡°Umm, sorry Jethro. We already have plans.¡± Jethro darted his head around, then lowered it with a sigh, ¡°Fine¡­ I guess I¡¯ll just study by myself tonight.¡± --- Steelsday, the 20th of Eighthmonth Travis and the gang entered the crowded exhibition hall, excited to watch Durinn¡¯s presentation that night, and were going over their newly acquired schedules for finals week. A certain young Elementalist Mage wasn¡¯t very happy though¡­ ¡°Ugh, I¡¯ve got a dozen exams to take next week.¡± Mattius gave Travis a pat on the back, ¡°I feel your pain, I have ten.¡± Jethro joined in on the whining, ¡°Nine over here, and I¡¯m only learning one element.¡± Bridget, who was comparing schedules with Adrian looked up, ¡°We both have seven.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Drozuk shouted a bit too loudly in the packed hall, making the embarrassed orc lower their voice to a near whisper, ¡°I only have six.¡± That garnered some angry looks from the group, especially from Bridget, but before she could voice her protest, a human Lightning Mage approached the group (and given the density of his mana pool, was an insanely powerful one.) ¡°Pardon my interruption, but I noticed the rainbow stripe on your shoulder, are you Initiate Travis?¡± ¡°Umm, yes, I am.¡± The stranger offered a hand, ¡°The name¡¯s William Raycraft, my son mentioned that I might bump into you here,¡± he tilted his head to see the missing item on Travis¡¯ back, ¡°though, he also said it¡¯d be easy to spot you from the crowd.¡± That elicited a round of light laughter at Travis¡¯ expense, who nervously scratched the back of his head, ¡°Yeah, I returned my poleaxe to the armory before coming here. I was a little nervous about bringing it into a crowded venue filled with dwarves.¡± Raycraft leaked an annoyed grunt, ¡°Damn, would have been nice to get a look at it. Nearly every single weapon made using aelderwood is locked up in the queen¡¯s armory when not in use. Even I can¡¯t get permission to have a mosey around the vault.¡± ¡°Hey, this guy is on the queen¡¯s weapons development council, you should take this opportunity to talk to him. Military contracts can be very lucrative, and he is one of the people controlling the purse strings. I bet we can learn a lot from him, maybe even put in a good word for Durinn¡¯s invention.¡± Travis gave my pommel a scratch, ¡°Ansel mentioned that you¡¯re one of the people in charge of the kingdom¡¯s weapons research; I assume that¡¯s why you¡¯re here?¡± The senior mage groaned, ¡°Yeah, I got stuck having to attend this year¡¯s artificer wannabe torture session.¡± As if to drive the point home on how miserable his task apparently was, he pulled a flask from his breast pocket and took a swing, shocking Travis and his friends. ¡°Are the presentations really that boring?¡± ¡°Oh, I wish it was only that. I can handle a dull technical overview of how modifying the cone length of an inscription¡¯s teardrop to such and such will increase efficiency by blah-blah-blah, but what I can¡¯t stand is how every single dwarf thinks they have the next major breakthrough in artifice that¡¯s going to change the theater of combat.¡± He scowled, ¡°It amazes me that any of them can walk around given how big they must think their trunks are.¡± Oof, this guy is going to be a hard sell. Jaded customers are nearly impossible to turn around if they¡¯ve been burnt too many times. Travis might not be up for this. Travis seemed willing to try though, ¡°What would pique your interest?¡± ¡°For starters, something that¡¯s actually practical to put into production for a field test. I swear, half of these dwarves act like mana crystals grow on bushes.¡± He took another drink from his flask, ¡°It doesn¡¯t even have to be a weapon. Last year, my colleague had to practically bash a few skulls in just to sign on a beardless who invented a high pressure steam shower.¡± ¡°A shower?¡± William Raycraft held a hand up, ¡°Hold on, I didn¡¯t get to the best part. Not only was it a mostly mechanical design that needed minimal mana dust, but it could run for two hours straight before needing the inscription amped back up by a mana user, could be operated by anyone, was portable, could hook up to a water pipe or open tank, could run soap through the line with a flick of a switch, and even insulated the inscription from discharging when turned off.¡± Not going to lie, that shower sounds even better than the one I had in my old universe. A chime echoed throughout the hall, signaling the start of the next round of demonstrations. ¡°Finally,¡± William jiggled his flask, ¡°was getting worried that I¡¯d have to get a refill if this day kept going.¡± Travis gave my pommel a scratch, ¡°I hope Durinn¡¯s doing okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can find them.¡± I sent out my focus, moving it through the crowd and over the runway to get to the staging area in the back, flying by a senior dwarf as they stepped on stage. ¡°Welcome to the final round of The Artificer Candidate Invention Showcase. Where applicants wishing to join the Artificer¡¯s Guild can contribute to the field of artifice in the form of an invention. Audience members are allowed to applaud and cheer during the unveiling; however, we ask that you remain silent during the interview with the guild panel.¡± My focus made it backstage, dodging the first invention to be presented¡­ Hold up¡­ is that a¡­? No, focus Arc, find Durinn. They shouldn¡¯t be too hard to spot amongst the other dozen bearded Metal Mages¡­ Ah! There they are. The dwarf was in full armor, helmet retracted, holding their invention in hand, along with a similar looking one on their back. I checked them over for signs of stress and¡­ oof, they weren¡¯t looking good. Their head kept darting around, feet refused to stay planted, and were breathing way too forcefully. ¡°Travis, I found Durinn. They¡¯re looking nervous and could use a pep talk.¡± My 360-degree vision saw Travis look around, then started tapping my handle to request help. ¡°If you want, I could impersonate you.¡± Travis wiggled his hand above my handle. ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. I¡¯ve personally known you for eight years now. All I got to do is nod my head and give their shoulder a pat, and they won¡¯t know the difference.¡± Travis¡¯ hand folded up, about to rap me with his knuckles, but grimaced instead and gave my pommel a rub with his thumb. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll output to both of you.¡± I sent out a [Message] spell, navigating it to Durinn, then channeled my inner teenager, ¡°Durinn, what¡¯s up bud, you¡¯re looking majorly stressed out.¡± ¡°Travis?¡± Durinn spun their head to my spell, ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to be back here.¡± ¡°Chillax bearded, I¡¯m out in the audience with the others, chatting up one of the top dogs with the bling-bling if you know what I mean, and telling him your invention is all that and a bag of chips.¡± Knuckles started rapping on my handle, making me chuckle at Travis¡¯ annoyance, but I ignored him since it looked like my plan had worked. Durinn began laughing hard, bent over with hands on their knees, then finally vented out enough accumulated stress to speak, ¡°Travis, was that even common? Those sounded like words, but they certainly didn¡¯t string together to form a recognizable sentence.¡± ¡°That was just some slang from where I grew up, but enough about me. Are you doing okay?¡± Durinn groaned, ¡°Not really, couldn¡¯t sleep much last night, and then this morning I found a gift in my workshop.¡± ¡°Really? Do you know from who?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know¡­ I haven¡¯t opened it yet.¡± Durinn reached into one of the pouches on their belt and pulled out a small box, ¡°But, given the pink ribbon on it¡­ I think I can make a solid guess.¡± ¡°Thramreat, huh? I was wondering about you two. You¡¯re a lucky dwarf, what with their chiseled jawline, strong cheekbones, umm¡­ hair that you want to run your fingers through, and¡­ uh¡­¡± Durinn raised an eyebrow, ¡°You have absolutely no idea what you¡¯re talking about. Do you? ¡°Honestly, no. I tried reading a book about how dwarves work, but I think I ended up with more questions than answers.¡± ¡°Yeah, I still remember being flabbergasted during my cultural integration course before coming here at how different humans are, even when compared to elves. Had to convince a Lakelander once to let me watch them shave, since I was adamant it was some kind of collective hoax.¡± ¡°Well, if it makes you feel better, I keep having to stop myself from calling every single dwarf a ¡®he.¡¯¡± Durinn chuckled, ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry too much about that, we¡¯ve gotten used to it. Just don¡¯t do it intentionally. ¡°Thanks. So¡­ are you going to open it?¡± The bearded dwarf looked down at the gift, then sighed, ¡°You do realize how inappropriate this is right? Thramreat could get into a lot of trouble if I report them.¡± ¡°Sounds like they thought it was worth the risk. I think you should open it.¡± Durinn gritted their teeth, then closed their eyes as they held the gift as far away as possible before opening. They then peaked open an eye, then slowly brought the gift closer to inspect, ¡°Huh¡­ it¡¯s just a piece of candy¡­¡± ¡°Is there a note?¡± ¡°Hold on¡­ oh, there is. Durinn, had to barter with one of the rangemasters to get this, so don¡¯t tell anyone. Take it right before you step on stage, and it should help keep you relaxed. Thramreat.¡± ¡°That really is a nice gift, a mild tranquilizer right before you knowingly do something stressful can help take off the edge.¡± Durinn drooped their shoulders, ¡°I¡¯m not even sure why I¡¯m stressing out. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to wow the panel or audience, especially since I¡¯m going next. How am I supposed to follow Horset¡¯s invention?¡± ¡°Umm, they¡¯re not doing as well as you¡¯d think¡­¡± Actually, I might be understating the opening presentation¡¯s reception¡­ The bearded showman started off strong, using their Light Mana to control the lighting and obscure their invention at the back of the stage, then spoke like a tech executive unveiling a new product. ¡°Beards and beardless, ladies and gentlemen, every era is defined by the artifice innovations that revolutionize the way we live. From the humble [Stonebreaker Edge] inscription that built our tunnels, to the machine lathe that upturned eras of traditional blacksmithing practices.¡± William Raycraft let out a deep sigh as he pulled another drag from his flask and elbowed Travis, ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard this exact same speech a dozen times already today.¡± Travis narrowed his eyes at the presenting dwarf, as they kept hyping up the crowd, ¡°If their invention is that amazing, then shouldn¡¯t they have gone to the Artificer¡¯s Guild directly?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± The weapons developer commented, then jiggled their flask and frowned, first at the vessel, then at the dwarf with the massive ego. ¡°A machine that will forever change not only how we transport troops and supplies, but how we fight monsters.¡± The bearded dwarf inhaled, extending a hand to the elephant-sized object hidden under a cloak of Shadow Mana, ¡°I give you, the Self-Propelled Armored Transport!¡± An avalanche of applause echoed throughout the exhibition hall as the Shadow Mana dispersed to reveal the magitech humvee being driven forward by a beardless assistant. The thing was quite impressive, with a heavy-duty steel frame, ceramic plating, steel wheels, and a roof hatch. I barely knew how to change the oil in my truck back in my old world, so I couldn¡¯t comment on the engine, but if the large number of mana crystals inside was any indication, then this thing must have some serious horsepower. ¡°Capable of outpacing a Cavalry Horse, able to withstand a blow from a charging thunderhead, and comfortable seating for five fully armored orcs. This vehicle is capable of quickly delivering a team of mana users to the frontline, even allowing the center-rear passenger to pop out of the top to cast ranged spells while on the move.¡± The dwarf continued to go over the features before the panel of skeptical looking judges (one of whom included the Quartermaster), but it didn¡¯t look like they and Raycraft were remotely as impressed as the audience. The senior Lightning Mage tipped back their head to finish off their flask, ¡°Well, this year¡¯s officially a wash, and¡­ I¡¯m out of creekwater.¡± He turned to give Travis a pat on the back, ¡°It was nice meeting you Travis, you¡¯ll have to come visit the estate sometime.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± ¡°This was the only invention I heard any good buzz about before coming here. Rot, I¡¯ll be shocked if they even let the bearded into the guild after wasting so many mana crystals.¡± Raycraft began to turn, but then was stopped by Travis grabbing onto his arm. ¡°Wait, at least stay for my friend¡¯s presentation, they¡¯re up next. They have an Assisted [Fire Arrow] Launcher that I know will be of interest to you.¡± William sighed, then let out in an annoyed tone, ¡°If it¡¯s just a fancy weapon inscription, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll see it on my desk at some point this winter.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s more than that, it¡¯s¡­¡± Travis stumbled to think of a strong reason, and began tapping my handle to request help. ¡°That line of reasoning won¡¯t work; you¡¯ll need to convince them to stay some other way¡­ I mentally died a little inside as I came up with an idea, ¡°I¡¯ve got a suggestion.¡± Travis listened in, then bowed his head in defeat, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that was rude of me.¡± He paused to let the older man turn, but then interrupted once more, ¡°Wait! You said you wanted me to come visit? I might have time next week if Ansel invites me, but it would be a shame if I were to visit while you weren¡¯t there.¡± William Raycraft made a knowing grin, ¡°Let me guess, it should only take until the next presentation finishes to compare schedules?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Travis grinned back, ¡°I am taking twelve exams next week, then going on a Fall Expedition the week after, I¡¯d hate for you to miss your chance to get a look at my poleaxe.¡± ¡°Ugh, twelve exams?¡± They shook their head, ¡°It might legitimately take us that long to compare schedules. Let me just [Message] Ansel real quick, and hopefully we can find a date.¡± Backstage, Durinn was directed to stand behind a sound barrier stage-left and was looking queasy. ¡°I think I¡¯d rather wrestle a sunbeaver naked than step out there.¡± ¡°I brought my adventure novel. Would you rather read that out loud?¡± Durinn groaned, ¡°No, I guess not.¡± They fumbled with their invention, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ what if the crowd hates my invention? I heard everyone applauding Horset¡¯s giant invention that they¡¯ve been teasing everyone about all month, and I¡¯m positive the panel is drooling over the thing right now.¡± ¡°First off, the crowd is a bunch of idiots who think that just because something is shiny, it¡¯s the bee¡¯s knees. The only people you need to impress are the panel and the one¡¯s itching to hand out military contracts. Case in point, your buddy Horset, who by the way, is not enjoying the harsh slap of reality.¡± I began outputting the questionnaire portion of the presentation that Horset was currently blowing. ¡°So, what you meant to say is that it can only transport three fighters to the frontline? Given that the inefficiency of the motor requires two average knights to power it.¡± The leftmost judge declared, ¡°Also, is this supposed to act as a replacement for Cavalry Regiments? Because I¡¯m seeing quite a few problems that haven¡¯t been addressed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?¡± The inner-left judge shouted, ¡°Are we not going to address the duck in the room? That thing has enough mana crystals to equip a squad of Knights! And this thing can¡¯t even transport a full squad of twelve. So, now we need three or four of these just to replace a team of horses?¡± Horset began to sweat nervously, ¡°Well¡­ yes it is expensive¡­ but¡­ it is fast. And¡­¡± ¡°How exactly is it supposed to navigate the field of corpses? You haven¡¯t spoken once about this thing¡¯s ability to handle obstacles. Or how you expect monsters to patiently wait for the transported knights to exit the vehicle.¡± The Quartermaster added to the pile of questions, ¡°How many Spring Floods have you fought in youngling? Response times for specialist teams have been already drastically reduced over the last era thanks to the human kingdom¡¯s growing number of knights, and now that Messaging inscriptions are standard for all mana users, it¡¯s common for a team to be lying in wait with an ambush once the spotted dragon enters the designated kill-zone. It seems to me that you¡¯ve solved a nonexistent problem with an inconvenient alternative.¡± Horset kept stammering, and tried to come up with responses, but in the end was denied acceptance into the guild. Two of the judges on the panel even ordered Horset¡¯s mentor to come over and explain why their prot¨¦g¨¦ was hell-bent on angering the Equine Union. Durinn began to chuckle as they listened in on the verbal beatdown, then reached into their pouch to pull out Thramreat¡¯s gift, ¡°Thanks for helping me Travis.¡± They popped the mild tranquilizer into their mouth, ¡°And not just on my public speaking, but for reminding me why I created this in the first place.¡± The dejected Horset exited stage-right with their invention, allowing Durinn to walk forward towards the end of the catwalk. They took a couple of slow, deep breaths to settle the butterflies in their stomach, and then began. ¡°Hello, this is my invention, The Assisted [Fire Arrow] Spell Launcher.¡± Durinn spun a full 180, crouching down into a kneel, then launched a [Fire Arrow] at the reinforced back wall, creating audible gasps from the audience. Durinn stood back up, then turned around to face the crowd, pausing to take a few more deep breaths and remember their next line, ¡°Unlike a standard [Fire Arrow] inscription that must conform to the weapon it¡¯s being applied to, this has the housing conforming to the inscription.¡± They paused once more, clearly forgetting their next line, and pulled out a set of notecards to quickly shuffle through. ¡°This provides many benefits; easier maintenance, better efficiency, more damage output, and can even act as a teaching aid.¡± Durinn took another deep breath, then switched to their next cue card, ¡°But those are only side benefits.¡± Durinn paused once more, closed their eyes, then gulped, ¡°I¡¯m different from the average dwarf. Unlike my classmates who could easily pick up the elves style of ranged spellcraft, I was, and still am, built more like a human.¡± The exhibition hall quieted, causing the dwarf to tremble, but they kept going. ¡°As a result, mana reinforcement was so simple for me to learn, that I was placed in the human¡¯s Morning Drill instruction upon entry to this academy and had to struggle alongside them to learn ranged magic. Even to this day, seven years after graduating, I still struggle with casting ranged spells. The sensation feels as if I¡¯m pulling a beard hair off my face each time my synced mana detaches from my membrane.¡± Groans of sympathetic pain could be heard from the bearded in the audience, even within the panel, and seemed to give Durinn a small confidence boost. ¡°This weapon provides a fix for my condition. A synthetic mana channel, composed of high amperage mana dust embedded into a wire, helps draw synced mana away from my body, and towards the inscription. Shaving the mana off instead of forcibly ripping it out.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Oohs, and awes could be heard from the crowd, and even William Raycraft was impressed. ¡°Oh, I see what you mean Travis. This actually looks feasible for a test run.¡± They pulled out a notepad from their pouch, ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to order a dozen from the guild this winter.¡± Durinn¡¯s demonstration concluded, and they stepped closer to the panel to answer questions. Up first was the right-most judge, ¡°How did you address the degradation issue that often arises when inverting the housing?¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention that part.¡± Durinn scrambled to point out the mechanical trigger mechanism, ¡°The array line that acts as the main pipeline between the payload and repulsion array only connects when this trigger is pulled. This also opens the shutter to allow the spell to exit, and the resulting vacuum not only closes the shutter, but prevents ambient mana from entering.¡± The judges all nodded, looking impressed. Well¡­ four of the five. The Quartermaster was keeping their face neutral. The second-to-the-right judge went next, ¡°Would it be possible to downsize this invention to a [Fire Bolt] inscription instead?¡± ¡°Yes, but the material cost in mana dust would still far exceed that of a gauntlet inscription.¡± Durinn admitted. ¡°Though the size would shrink down considerably, about to the size and weight of a smithing hammer, so there may be some value as a vanity artifice or training aid.¡± Nods and shrugs from the panel were shared, but again, the Quartermaster was seemingly unimpressed. It was their turn to ask a question though, and they grinned evilly before speaking. ¡°The manufacturing costs and amount of mana dust and crystals needed to create just one of these will be outrageous. For the same amount of materials, and combined manufacturing time, you could create a half-dozen weapon inscriptions. How do you justify the cost?¡± The rest of the panel grimaced, looking up at the¡­ smiling dwarf? Durinn chuckled, looking like they hadn¡¯t a care in the world, and making me worry that Thramreat gave too strong a tranquilizer, ¡°This is technically the frugal option.¡± They set down their launcher, then walked partway back down the catwalk before detaching the weapon from their back. I moved my focus in to get a better look at the wire that connected the weapon to their backplate as they set it upright on the stage, then returned to the judges, spooling out a trail of wire behind them. ¡°This here is the Remote [Fire Missile] Launcher. By using this mana dust-infused wire, I can have my synced mana follow the line to the launcher. Granted, it¡¯s not as fast as casting one regularly, but it does come with the benefit of not only needing little concentration to form the complicated spell formation, but also allows me to create said formation even while yards away. A feat I¡¯m told is difficult for even experienced elven spell casters to accomplish.¡± William Raycraft set a now sober hand on Travis, ¡°Travis, it was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for bullying me into staying. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m about to point a spear to the backs of those judges.¡± He then rushed through the crowd, shoving aside anyone too slow to move. A half-hour later, and Durinn was finally allowed to enter the exhibition hall and give Travis a hug. He in turn extended a hand after separating, ¡°Artificer Durinn, congratulations.¡± --- Travis Rocksday, the 21st of Eighthmonth ¡°Initiate Travis, front and center with your gear. Double time.¡± Hector ordered over the battalion¡¯s Messaging channel. Able to hear the urgency in his voice, I quickly tossed my poleaxe on my back in the 11 o¡¯clock position, then my backpack, my shield, and finally sprinted across the muddy training yard to where a Royal Knight was speaking to my drill instructors. Sir Felicity was looking furious at the knight, ¡°You couldn¡¯t have given us a heads up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sir, but we only received the change in schedule this morning.¡± She huffed, turned to give me an exasperated glance, then addressed Hector right as I saluted the two, ¡°Get him cleaned up, he¡¯s filthy. I¡¯ll take over here.¡± Hector nodded, then gestured for me to follow him and the Royal Knight at an alarming speed towards the armory. Growing worried, I gave Arc¡¯s pommel a scratch. ¡°You¡¯re not in trouble, but¡­ umm¡­ sorry, I¡¯m probably not going to be able to help you out with this situation. Just do your best to stay calm.¡± Once we stepped through the tall archway of the armory, all pretense was dropped when Hector spun on his heel and spoke in a dead serious tone, ¡°Travis, go fetch your formal arming jacket, we need to get you presentable.¡± Now a tad scared, my voice cracked as I spoke, ¡°Sir, it¡¯s¡­ upstairs in my room¡­¡± Hector groaned, then gave me a not so gentle push towards the door to the dormitory, ¡°Move it! We need to get to the arena six minutes ago.¡± In his rush however, he failed to take into account how much shorter that doorway was compared to the last one. Whack! The spike end of my poleaxe hit the doorframe, and I immediately fell onto my back with a loud thud. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t have time to warn you.¡± I groaned in pain as I was suddenly lifted back onto my feet by the pair of knights, then had the gear on my back forcibly stripped while I recovered from the shock. No apologies were uttered though, and I was quickly pushed forward again through the door and towards my room. What followed was a near repeat of the time I got ready to meet Seleyna for the shadow show. Hector and the knight both wordlessly took my armor off, then stripped my clothing before the knight rushed me into the bathroom to wash away my morning stink and mud. One aggressive scrub later, and I was already putting on a fresh set of underclothes Hector grabbed from my room while the Royal Knight gave my armor a quick clean and polish. Another minute later and we were already out the door of my room, formal arming jacket on, and fully armored with my poleaxe in hand. The three of us started walking towards the arena in a fast march, but suddenly stopped when the Royal Knight held up a fist with his left hand and held the other to his helmet, ¡°There¡¯s been a delay, she hasn¡¯t arrived.¡± The two knights sighed in relief, frustrating me further, and finally expending the last of my patience, ¡°Permission to speak sir?¡± Hector turned to me, looking embarrassed, ¡°Right, I suppose we have time now.¡± He gestured to the Royal Knight. ¡°Initiate Travis, I am Royal Knight Tracy, Envoy of the Queen. There¡¯s been a diplomatic dispute over you receiving the title of Elementalist Mage. As a result, instead of taking four separate practical exams for your elemental magic courses, you will be subject to a public assessment before the Queen and ambassadors from the elven and dwarven kingdoms.¡± Oh, rot¡­ I knew I¡¯d end up meeting the queen someday, but¡­ A hand shook my shoulder, ¡°Travis, I need you to stay with me.¡± I snapped back to attention, looking up at Hector¡¯s worried face, ¡°Sorry, was¡­ not expecting this¡­ this morning.¡± My drill instructor shook his head, ¡°From the sound of it, no one was.¡± He gave my shoulder a pat, ¡°Let¡¯s keep walking, Sir Tracy will prepare you.¡± The Royal Knight followed beside me, ¡°You¡¯ve met Princess Seleyna multiple times now, and the protocol for the queen is mostly similar.¡± He set his hand on my helmet, ¡°I¡¯m syncing your private channel to mine since we don¡¯t have enough time for instruction. Do as I tell you, do not speak unless asked a question, and you¡¯ll be fine for the most part. You won¡¯t speak to her unless you pass your test, so just focus on that first.¡± Hector gave my shoulder another pat, ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing nothing but praise from your instructors, and you¡¯re currently one of the top ranked students in your battalion for combat exercises. I have no doubts that you can do this.¡± ¡°Exactly, you got this bud.¡± I let out a deep exhale as we entered the arena. It sadly didn¡¯t help much, so I opted for a distraction from my possible impending doom, ¡°One of the top ranked? Who¡¯s first?¡± Hector chuckled, giving my shoulder a gentle shake, ¡°Your friend Mattius is currently in first, with Jethro right behind. You¡¯re in a three-way tie for third right now with the Creeksmith twins.¡± ¡°Really? I figured I was doing okay, but not that good. I¡¯m far from competent with my sword.¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯ve gotten your feet wet with live combat, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed that the fights aren¡¯t actually all that difficult, especially once you kids started to reliably hit with Bolt spells. Storms, an average squad of soldiers could win any one of your matches without taking injury. The only thing we¡¯re truly scoring is adaptability and responsiveness, and that¡¯s mostly just to make sure us drill instructors are doing our jobs.¡± The Royal Knight brought his hand back up to his helmet and led us towards the staging room. The noise of over a dozen people could be heard before entering, but my Wind Spells 1 teacher¡¯s voice sounded out the loudest. ¡°And then, after witnessing the most knightly looking future knight to ever get knighted blast apart not just the target, but the ironwood post holding it, he shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡®I thought it was a trick question, just attacking a target with spells seemed too simple.¡¯¡± Raucous laughter erupted from the crowd of elves and dwarves, which included my elemental magic teachers, my Artifice professor, and instructor for Mana Manipulation. Professor Quinsandoral saw me entering, grinned like a farmer bringing in a bumper crop, and then forcibly pulled me away from my escorts to introduce me to the crowd. ¡°Travis, you already know your professors¡­ these are the other seven heads for elemental mana, don¡¯t worry, you can properly meet them some other time¡­¡± He directed my attention to a bearded dwarf in a black robe with white trimming and a Sea Elf wearing a colorful full-body sarong, ¡°These are the only two you need to concern yourself with today.¡± The gold and silver-haired dwarf extended a hand, ¡°Avem Sandgust, Archmagus of the Dust Mages¡¯ Guild.¡± They turned to Professor Quinsandoral, ¡°I thought you said he was one of those dirt-stomper humans?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s the one I originally asked you to come meet, this one¡¯s that Lakelander I was going to possibly introduce to you as well before this whole debacle happened.¡± ¡°Lakelander?¡± The Dust Mage narrowed their eyes at me, turning their face into an entire irrigation system of wrinkles, ¡°I thought that breed¡¯s males grew beards?¡± Quinsandoral made a frustrated groan, ¡°When they reach maturity, you old brick, and even then, many of them choose to shave.¡± The bearded dwarf instinctively stepped away from me out of horror, holding their hands up to their braided beard, and triggering that annoying twinge in the back of my mind every time I was reminded about my lack of beard growth. My instructor shook their head at the dwarf¡¯s reaction, ¡°You need to stop sequestering yourself down in that labyrinth you call a burrow. Your assistant was shocked that they were even able to find you the other day. Do you even glance at the event invitations stuffed in your mailbox?¡± ¡°I do from time to time,¡± the bearded spoke in an evasive tone, fidgeting with one of the bead artifices in their beard, ¡°I was surface side for a whole week during the Human Queen¡¯s coronation celebrations not that long ago.¡± ¡°That was two calendar cycles ago!¡± The Sea Elf interjected. ¡°Did I say human? I meant uh, elvish¡­¡± The two elves stared in bewilderment at the dwarf, reminding me of how I was essentially a toddler compared to these three in age. Rot, I don¡¯t think Gramps was even alive yet when the elven High King got married. The brown-skinned elf eventually shook off her shock and extended a hand towards me, ¡°Elementalist Archmage, Maeralya Inazorwyn. I¡¯ll be adjudicating your practical exam today.¡± I shook her hand, ¡°Travis of Aelder Creek, Initiate Elementalist Mage.¡± Her rainbow-colored eyes peered down at me, then towards my poleaxe mounted on my back, ¡°We¡¯ll have to see about that. I¡¯m not entirely convinced that Evindal here hasn¡¯t gone native.¡± My professor crossed their arms and grinned, ¡°Oh, Maeralya, I¡¯m disappointed in you. Surely by now you¡¯ve learned not to question my judgement?¡± The two¡¯s impending argument was cut short by the Royal Knight¡¯s voice booming over the crowd, ¡°Queen Claudette and the delegations from the Elven and Dwarven Kingdoms have arrived. Anyone wishing to view the assessment will need to take a seat in the stands.¡± The room began to clear, until it was just me, the Royal Knight, Professor Quinsandoral and his dwarven friend, Hector, and the Elementalist Archmage left in the room. Quinsandoral gave my back a pat, ¡°Good luck Travis, not that you¡¯ll need it, but it would be entertaining to see you exceed even my expectations.¡± He then started walking out with the Dust Mage, but the dwarf stopped to give me a second glance. The bearded thumbed one of the black beads in their braided beard, ¡°Maeralaya, does the youngling need to carry a weapon for this test?¡± ¡°No, but I was informed that he built a mana scale into that¡­ thing on his back. So, he will need it.¡± ¡°Oh, right, I guess I was more worried about the sword he¡¯s carrying, since he won¡¯t be able to cast spells with it.¡± They gave me a wink, then turned to leave for the stands with Professor Quinsandoral. Before I could parse the dwarf¡¯s words, the Royal Knight held his hand up to his helmet and spoke, ¡°They¡¯re ready to begin the test.¡± He turned his head towards me, ¡°Hector and I will flank you as we enter the arena. We¡¯ll march onto the platform, then turn and bow to the private booth on the north side. You¡¯ll then begin your test.¡± I nodded, gave Arc a quick scratch to vent some of my anxiety, then took a big breath as the doors to the arena opened. The four of us began to walk out onto the dynamic field, the layout today being a completely new one, but still familiar looking. The simulated ravelin was smaller than the ones I¡¯d seen in the star fortresses that Lancel and I visited on our way here to the capital, but it still had all the important features. A sharp, but still climbable, slope led up to the arrowhead-shaped walls, providing cover for anyone not standing on the battlements. Rectangular stone walls with gaps, indentations, and murder-holes lined the outside edge, and a level platform for artillery in the middle was present, though it was currently cleared off. We marched up the slope and towards the platform, with me finding the quiet arena unsettling. Once I finished walking in step with Hector and the Royal Knight, I mimicked them as they bowed towards the private booth located at the top of the arena¡¯s outside wall. ¡°You may proceed with the first phase of the test.¡± The Royal Knight instructed, then whispered over my private Messaging channel, ¡°Just a heads up, they have magnification windows and [Remote Ear] spells set up. So, try not to pick your nose, or verbally cuss, or some other nasty habit that you wouldn¡¯t do if the queen was standing right next to you.¡± Perfect, the queen should be able to clearly see me quivering in fear. My Sea Elf exam proctor clapped her hands, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started. Your first task is to Message that elf in the stands holding the blue flag and speak the word ¡®turtle¡¯. You will then speak their response to me. I nodded, then wordlessly cast [Message] and sent the spell across the entire arena, needing to strain my eyes just to make sure my spell reached the flag carrier. ¡°Hawk.¡± She nodded, ¡°Good, now I¡¯m going to scream at the top of my lungs in six seconds, set up a [Sound Barrier] to suppress it.¡± I hastily raised my hands and shaped a small double-layered dome of Air Mana around her head, then shifted the mana into a pair of 20-sided wire-frame icosahedrons, creating a small vacuum of air between the formations before the mage could open her mouth and belt out a silent scream. The rest of the tests started moving by quickly, my nerves calming after completing each spell, and then moved on to Fire Spells. I demonstrated [Bonfire], a candle-sized [Fire Orb], [Fire Aura], and a few other utility spells. Water spells were next, and I was asked to move water from one barrel to the other using only the maze of pipes that were connected to them, make a small ingot of dwarven steel float using enchantment, remove the dirt and grime off a set of armor, and then a couple more minor tasks. The last portion of my utility spells segment was to repair one of the battlements. I started by using [Earth Slide] to pull the top half onto the walkway, channeled my synced Earth Mana around the broken bricks to cleave them free, mortared in fresh bricks from a nearby pile, then finished by sliding the battlement back into place and repairing the broken bricks. ¡°That concludes the utility portion.¡± My exam proctor announced, then turned to the Royal Knight, ¡°Are we ready for the offensive spells portion?¡± ¡°One moment,¡± the knight tilted their head towards the private booth, that had somehow been sneakily crawling along the outer rim of the arena towards where the ravelin was pointing, ¡°the queen wishes to get a better view.¡± The four of us watch the booth slowly work its way, allowing me to grab a drink of water from my canteen, and for Hector to give my pauldron a pat, ¡°You¡¯re doing great. Any knight capable of demonstrating what you just did is automatically promoted to Lieutenant, and already has their foot in the door to earn Captain when they turn twenty-four.¡± I raised an eyebrow, ¡°Really? I know knights prefer to use inscriptions for offensive spells, but I figured they¡¯d still learn first-year utility spells for each element.¡± ¡°It usually takes longer for us knights to learn spells, mainly because after hitting eighteen, the odds of a human retaining their affinity starts to sharply drop until they hit thirty, when it finally drops to zero. Then when you add in the fact that you can be as dumb as a rock, yet still be able to use mana reinforcement, don¡¯t often need to use any utility spell other than [Message] in the field, can just pay for a spell inscription by going on a few combat tours, and you end up with a bunch of lazy cloud-headed knights who can¡¯t tell the difference between a bison and a buffalo.¡± The memory of Lancel putting on his horse¡¯s saddle backwards one morning, despite his mount constantly trying to get his attention, resurfaced in my mind. Yeah¡­, that¡¯s not too surprising now that I think about it. The private booth containing the queen and other foreign dignitaries stopped moving, and after receiving the go ahead from the Royal Knight, the Elementalist Archmage led me up to a battlement so I could view the target range. ¡°Each one of those painted wood, straw, or stone targets represents a monster you must kill using a corresponding Bolt spell. Red for Fire, Yellow for Rock, Blue for Water, and Light Grey for Wind. Hitting an unpainted one will not penalize you, but I¡¯d recommend conserving your mana. You will be given twelve minutes, starting when you launch your first spell, to eliminate as many targets as possible. You may begin when ready.¡± I gave her a nod, then began syncing my internal mana with the mana in my poleaxe, feeling the connection grow like a third arm out of my back as I raised the mana to match mine, and slowly rooted its way towards the four mana scales. Once the connection was made, I compared the pulse rate of my mana pool with the inscriptions, then grinned at how my internal mana was only at the third or fourth note on my scale. Looks like there¡¯s a benefit to skipping morning drill. Orb spells of all four elements started to form around me as I analyzed the challenge I¡¯d have to face, and I did a doubletake. The targets were moving, sliding across the ground via [Earth Slide] in easy to predict patterns, and at a very¡­ slow¡­ crawl¡­ Okay, stay calm, they¡¯re probably just pulling an Arc on you, and will up the speed as you eliminate targets. The test hasn¡¯t started yet, so let¡¯s quickly calculate in my elevated height so I don¡¯t aim too high with Water and Rock Bolt, and¡­ My hand raises as I decide on my first target, a straw one painted red, then close it into a fist, launching the [Fire Bolt] through the air until it slams into the center of mass, engulfing the entire thing in flames. Now on a timer, I spot my next target, launch a [Water Bolt] at it, paying attention to see if my math was correct, then move onto the next after confirming the hit. I keep casting Bolt after Bolt, pausing only to find another target or confirm that the movement speed was increasing. My internal mana begins to ramp up, reaching the fifth note on my scale, then the sixth, the seventh, the eighth¡­ A deep growl escapes me. The last of the painted targets keep getting harder and harder to spot. What at first was only a few heartbeats before finding the next target is now turning into agonizingly long seconds. I launch another [Rock Bolt], this time at the edge of my casting range, and only manage to break off a corner of the stone target. Rot! I should have waited for it to get closer. An armored gauntlet sets down on my shoulder, violently startling me, and I almost instinctually converted the Orb spells floating around me into Blast spells. Luckily, I completely freeze at the sight of the bearded freak of nature Packer, making me instead gasp for air after my heart starts beating again. ¡°Sorry about that, but the test is over.¡± Hector smiles at me, ¡°I tried to get your attention, but you were a bit too focused on raining down divine wrath like an angry Chosen to notice.¡± I look around as my breathing finally begins to calm, seeing a laughing Royal Knight approach, but no exam proctor, ¡°Where¡¯d she go?¡± The Royal Knight clapped me on the shoulder, ¡°She stormed off after the first couple of minutes, ranting something about how those dwarves weren¡¯t supposed to move the targets that fast or erratically.¡± He let out another chuckle, ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to say you passed.¡± --- My stomach began to protest its lack of food while we sat in a private waiting room before meeting the queen. Hector was taking the time to taunt me with his beard once again, combing oil into it to ensure each strand was softened, then finished making himself presentable by brushing it until his entire beard flowed like a waterfall off his chin. Royal Knight¡­ Tracy sat by the door, helmet still on, and chuckling as he listened in on the private Messaging channels he had access to. ¡°Well, that was fun to watch. Those rangemasters need to up their game though. Their movement patterns were way too predictable, and you only outright missed three targets.¡± I smirked as I gave Arc a scratch in his favorite spot. If he hadn¡¯t been pushing me with his Light and Shadow creations during my private range time, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have performed nearly as well. He started making that comforting canine purr as I sunk back in my chair to try and ignore my angry stomach, then checked the time. ¡°It¡¯s not even 11?¡± I groaned, tilting my head back, and muttering curses to Apheros under my breath. Hector turned to see my sorry state, then nabbed the attention of¡­ Tracy, ¡°Want to see something even more shocking?¡± ¡°Ok, we need to add ¡®find an alternative way to communicate¡¯ to the quest log. I¡¯m not going to be able to whisper the queen¡¯s name to you on repeat.¡± Sir Tracy looked up with a grin, ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°You got a Mana Rich Edible on you for the kid?¡± He tilted his head in confusion, but still reached into one of his pouches to toss me a wrapped MRE. Taking back my curses to Apheros, and now mentally singing his praises for this tiny miracle, I bit into the layered multi-color bar, enjoying the waxy texture and buttery taste of cream cheese, garlic sausage, pickles, and carrots. Hector belted out a laugh as an audible gasp escaped from the Royal Knight, but I couldn¡¯t care less about their reactions. My stomach was calming down, so that¡¯s all that truly mattered. Sir Tracy suddenly brought his hand up to his helmet, then gave his head a nod, ¡°Alright, the foreign ambassadors and royal court have left. The queen will see us now.¡± I got up, dusted off the crumbs from my MRE, then followed the Royal Knight and Hector down the hall and into the room where the queen, a squad of Royal Knights, and Seleyna were standing. The three of us immediately took a knee, shoulders squared, and heads facing the queen as Sir Tracy announced us. ¡°Queen Claudette, I present to you Travis of Aelder Creek and Sir Hector Hopkins.¡± The queen was certainly Seleyna¡¯s mother, with her matching blonde hair, and large monolid blue-grey eyes, though her skin tone was much darker, looking more like a Packer¡¯s glossy bronze. She nodded at the three of us, ¡°Thank you Sir Tracy, you all may rise.¡± I stood up with the others, remembering Arc¡¯s coaching to retract my scapulas and flex my abdominals to ensure proper posture. ¡°Travis, I offer you my apologies for disrupting your studies here, and on such short notice. There were¡­ many complaints and accusations that I felt necessary to silence before they were allowed to fester.¡± She gestured to Seleyna, who was holding a decorative box, ¡°As a token of my appreciation for your patience in this matter, I offer you this Message Stone. Sir Tracy holds its twin, so should you find yourself in need of royal assistance or advisement, you may contact him at your leisure.¡± Seleyna handed me the box with a smile, tapping the side of it with a finger, and sneaking me a wink. Queen Claudette turned her head to one of her Royal Knights, received a nod from her, then turned back, ¡°I¡¯ll not take any more of your precious time. May the gods smile on you Travis, and show you favor.¡± A hand pressed on my back, signaling me to bow, then after catching Tracy tilt his head towards the door, followed him out of the room. We walked down the hallway and reentered the waiting room to decompress after the momentous encounter. I stood there, breathing heavily, before remembering there were chairs, and collapsed into one. Hector let out a deep sigh after joining me in one of the chairs, then looked up towards the Royal Knight, ¡°Does it ever get easier?¡± He smiled, ¡°Once you witness a royal slip in the mud after dismounting their horse, much of the mystique is lost.¡± He then gestured to the box I held, ¡°That artifice costs a small fortune, I strongly advise you not to lose it.¡± I nodded, not needing to be told twice, then opened the lid on the box. Inside was a polished orb of green granite, wrapped in a piece of silk. ¡°So¡­ this allows me to sync my private Messaging channel to yours?¡± ¡°Yes, Princess Seleyna suggested this gift, saying that you were having difficulty navigating noble decorum, and that you may appreciate it.¡± I grinned, ¡°So, for example, if I accidentally turn down an invite to a princess¡¯ eighteenth birthday party, I can use this to ask for advice on how to fix my mistake?¡± Sir Tracy chuckled, ¡°You certainly can. There is also some worry that you may become the target of certain noble families, now that their assumptions that you were going to fail here have been extinguished. Should you find yourself in trouble, call for assistance, I¡¯ll be able to provide aid both directly and indirectly.¡± I closed the box, then frowned after spotting the time, ¡°Ugh, do I need to report back to drill?¡± Hector waved me off, ¡°No. In fact, I order you to return to your dorm and relax before lunch, you¡¯ve certainly earned it.¡± I stood, saluted the unmoving Packer, then turned to the Royal Knight, ¡°Umm, is there a preferred time for me to Message you?¡± He shrugged his shoulders, ¡°From what I¡¯ve gathered, you¡¯re the one with the hectic schedule. If you¡¯d like, we can set up a weekly time to talk.¡± I nodded, feeling exhausted, then left the room to go lie down on my bed. A few minutes later, I was about to do just that, setting the box on my desk, propping my poleaxe against the wall, and collapsed in a heap, armor and all. ¡°Hey, before you fall asleep, could you check the box Seleyna gave you? There¡¯s something hidden underneath the Message Stone.¡± Curious, I leaned over to grab the box, then pulled out the stone and silk cloth to see a tiny silver earing and written note on the bottom. Travis, Sorry for the belated birthday gift, but it would cause a giant stink if I openly gave this to you. This earring has a tiny speaker inscription for [Message], and lasts up to two hours when synced. This should pair nicely with the gift my mother gave you, so I hope you enjoy. Seleyna P.S. - I¡¯d appreciate you not wearing this until you leave for your Fall Expedition. You¡¯ll draw attention to yourself and raise questions as to how you could afford such a thing. I smiled as I inspected the earring with my mana sight. The housing must be pure silver given the amount of Metal Mana in it, and it looked like the inscription was made using tiny mana gem slivers instead of purely dust. There wasn¡¯t any decoration, unless you counted the contours from the cone and inscription cap, but I didn¡¯t care. It was an amazing gift. ¡°This thing¡¯s perfect! Now I can talk to you all the time!¡± Oh, rot¡­ maybe not that great¡­ --- Arc Woodsday, the 22nd of Eighthmonth Travis grunted as he rode his nameless horse to Adamanrion¡¯s church, focusing like a powerlifter attempting a personal best as more and more of his mana synced with his poleaxe. I could see the concentrated Earth Mana in his bones ramp up first to accommodate the high volume of Metal and Wood Mana needed for the weapon as he kept going, eventually fully attuning to the entire thing, and letting out a deep breath as he tried to relax his now tense body.. ¡°What does it feel like?¡± ¡°Strange. My poleaxe feels lighter, but I can tell the mass hasn¡¯t changed. My body feels heavier, like I just overate, but my stomach isn¡¯t bloated. And¡­ hmm, when I initially sync with it, I feel phantom pains, like my poleaxe is inserting itself into my flesh.¡± ¡°I guess that explains why classes have you only use attunement on smaller objects for now. I assume once your mana pool grows, it won¡¯t feel as intrusive.¡± ¡°Yeah, this thing still uses most of my Earth Mana,¡± Travis paused to twist in his saddle and roll his shoulders, ¡°I might be able to cast [Earth Cleat] now with it though, so I¡¯m getting there.¡± ¡°Perfect. Sounds like you¡¯ll be more than ready for classes next semester. From what I¡¯ve overheard, there¡¯ll be a bigger focus on dwarven spellcasting.¡± Travis nodded along as we approached the church, ¡°That¡¯ll be nice, casting ranged spells like an elf isn¡¯t too bad for efficiency if I can keep switching mana types, but if I need to focus on a single element to capitalize on a monster¡¯s weakness, I won¡¯t have the endurance to fight for long.¡± He dismounted his horse, letting it go do its creepy cult worship at the horse shrine, then gave my pommel a rub, ¡°So, are you nervous?¡± ¡°To be honest, no. I¡¯m terrified. Especially with you needing to speak for me.¡± Travis kept caressing my pommel, the warm touch reducing my anxiety, but instead of delivering calm, guilt was taking hold. ¡°Travis, do you¡­ ever regret meeting me? If I hadn¡¯t tried to console you that one day, you wouldn¡¯t be exiled from your village, forced to mingle with scheming nobles, or even getting involved with gods.¡± He stopped walking, turning his head to look down at me, ¡°No, if anything, I feel undeserving. Everyone keeps going on about how I¡¯m a gifted savant since they don¡¯t know you¡¯ve been tutoring me, I¡¯ve met royalty and other influential figures despite being a farmer¡¯s son, and I received a blessing from a god for some seemingly unknown reason as well.¡± He let out a deep sigh, giving my pommel a pat, ¡°You know, I thought that if I could learn magic, that my life would become exciting, and that I¡¯d get to see the world.¡± A smirk grew across his face, ¡°Guess I underestimated the exciting part.¡± We both chuckled, and I felt my guilt dissipate as we made our way to the Altar of Rebirth. ¡°Oh, I forgot to ask, why did you bring your poleaxe?¡± Travis grinned, ¡°I told the cleric that I¡¯d bring it next time I visited. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°Did you? I kinda zoned out after you two kept talking about your poleaxe, ignoring the reason for meeting, and barely remembered to add me to the sword registry before you had to leave.¡± We entered the room with the altar, and after ensuring no one was present, Travis approached the large helmet, ¡°Blessed Adamanrion, we have come at your request to complete the exchanging of favors. We beseech thee to¡ª" Orange Metal Mana floods into the shrine¡¯s helmet as Travis continues his prayer, and it soon begins to pulse. Arcane! I had a feeling you and your paladin would be stopping by soon. Thanks a bunch for helping out Durinnsognir. Oh, by the way, can you tell Travis that he doesn¡¯t need to be so formal? Addy¡¯s fine. ¡°Uh, Travis¡­ they¡¯re here¡­ you can stop talking. Also¡­ they want you to cool it with the formalities, so¡­ feel free to call them Addy.¡± Travis looks at the altar with his mana sight, gives me the side-eye, then awkwardly speaks, ¡°Hello¡­ Addy, nice to¡­ umm¡­ well, I guess not see you, but¡­ be in your presence?¡± Much better. Now, don¡¯t worry Arcane, I¡¯ve done this plenty of times. I just need your paladin to set his hand on my altar¡¯s helmet so I can transfer my blessing, and we¡¯ll get this transaction taken care of. Oh¡­ okay¡­ ¡°Travis, sounds like we don¡¯t get to choose, they want you to set your hand on the helmet and receive their blessing.¡± Travis looks down at me, looking uneasy, but slowly moves forward, raising his hand. Now, just a fair warning, it won¡¯t be instant, but this blessing will kick in pretty fast. I recommend eating lots of shellfish, oiling every couple of hours, and using hot towels to keep the initial itch from driving him insane. What are they¡­? ¡°Wait! Stop!¡± Travis freezes, hand only a few inches away, ¡°I think there¡¯s been a communication problem. You don¡¯t need their blessing.¡± Travis recedes his hand, then looks down at me confused, ¡°Umm, ok¡­ why don¡¯t I want their blessing?¡± ¡°Not important, it¡¯s definitely something you don¡¯t need. Let¡¯s just uh¡­ take a couple of steps back, just to be safe, and uh¡­ see if we can get that Q&A session.¡± Travis, unfortunately, doesn¡¯t move. He instead narrows his eyes at me, ¡°Why? What would that blessing have done?¡± ¡°Not important, let¡¯s just¡­ uh, not do anything rash.¡± His eyes sharpen in their intensity, and instead of speaking, Travis lifts his hand back up and slowly moves it towards the helmet, leaking out an evil grin. ¡°OK-ok-ok-ok! The blessing will give you a full beard overnight.¡± Travis¡¯ drops the mischievous look, then slowly turns his head to see his hand that was only inches away from the helmet. His face soon grimaces in pain, eyes clearly broadcasting intense want. ¡°Travis, no. Your beard is coming in. You do not need divine intervention.¡± ¡°But¡­ but¡­¡± Travis pleads, breathing heavily as his hand trembles, ¡°this would count as proof right?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­ we both agreed to ask for the Q&A session first.¡± Travis pouts one more time before reluctantly lowering his hand. His head droops, and can barely mutter out loud, ¡°Sorry, but Arc and I were hoping to ask for a Q&A session. There is much we both don¡¯t know¡­ and we can think of no greater gift than your divine knowledge.¡± Really? Ah¡­ I¡¯m flattered. Usually everyone just wants a beard, or the opposite. Well, you¡¯ve certainly come to the right god. I have been around the longest¡­ I think¡­ maybe¡­ Iggy¡¯s always evasive about how old they are. Anyways, let¡¯s strike while the iron¡¯s hot, I can only maintain my connection here for so long. I repeat Addy¡¯s words to Travis, then hesitantly have him ask my first question, ¡°Why was I placed in this sword?¡± Your sword in particular? Hang on. The orange mana flashes in an unreadable manner, then resumes speaking. Ok, just checked your anchor with my Domains. There are a few things out of the ordinary about the creation of your sword. The big one being that you don¡¯t have any human remains floating around in there, just some unknown monster¡¯s that were given to Solveig the Blacksmith by Aelffled the Witch. That blade is actually the last prototype used to create Voffer¡¯s anchor, the high concentrations of Light and Shadow Mana were almost as high as Voffer¡¯s Shadow and Ice Mana, so it made the perfect final test. I start sharing the info dump with Travis, who perks up with interest, ¡°Monster that used Light and Shadow? I don¡¯t recall anything in the monster field guide that could use both.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because there isn¡¯t. It must have been some kind of chimera.¡± I do have one more tidbit about your blade. A Packer soldier once tried to offer it as a sacrifice to receive my Blessing of Rebirth, but I told him to hang on to it, and offer it to Apheros instead. Maybe that¡¯s what acted as the conduit? How long ago were you anchored? Travis smiles with amusement as I repeat how Novrin¡¯s guess ended up being pretty close, ¡°How should I reply?¡± ¡°Tell them that my oldest memories only go back 147 years, and I don¡¯t remember being anywhere other than being stuck in that Aelder Tree. Do they know anything else about my sword-body?¡± Hmm, Apheros must have had that Packer quite literally plant you into that tree a few years later then. Oh, and as far as getting more info about your anchor, you can always ask Torbolt for this sword¡¯s battle record. Though, I think you should talk to Apheros first, now that you¡¯ve figured out how to talk early. I know he¡¯s been busy lately, since he¡¯s got a new Chosen he¡¯s trying to train, but he¡¯ll make time for you. Well¡­ I guess that pretty much settles who trapped me in my sword. And from the sound of it, it wasn¡¯t done maliciously. Heck, they almost make it sound routine. Should I switch topics now? Maybe ask why my soul keeps getting bigger? Or what I can do to make more room? Or¡­ I turn my focus towards Travis, almost forgetting that I needed to repeat Addy¡¯s words to him. He¡¯s being extremely patient, doing his best not to fidget, but the lack of feedback and long delays between questions and answers is clearly making it tough for him to concentrate on our game of telephone. Ugh, we need an auto-translator or¡­ oh! I¡¯ve got an idea. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask the next question? I¡¯m not sure what to ask next. Plus, I think I can use my sword half to automatically repeat their words. Just give me a sec¡­¡± Travis gives my pommel a scratch, then awkwardly asks, ¡°Umm¡­ Addy¡­ What exactly is a paladin? Arc mentioned that you keep calling me one.¡± Oh, that¡¯s just a term us gods use to differentiate which mortals are acting on our behalf on the physical plane of existence. The churches intentionally muddle the definition by using the title for their mana users, even adding in the spellcaster focused title Cleric to aid in the confusion. Makes it much, much easier to do things quietly. Especially since Chosen have a difficult time keeping a low profile. Travis cocks his head in confusion, ¡°Okay, but¡­ which god am I in service to? I know I have a blessing, but I¡¯m not even sure if it was Apheros who gave it to me, or what it¡¯s supposed to do.¡± Well, that¡¯s simple, you¡¯re Arcane¡¯s Paladin! He might still be little but¡­ wait¡­ did you just say you received an unknown blessing from someone? ¡°Umm¡­ yes¡­¡± The Metal Mana flashes nervously. Ok, we¡¯ve got a newborn that needs attending to, and a paladin with a blessing of unknown origin. Think¡­ think¡­ oh, I¡¯ve got an idea! The glowing orange mana in the altar fades, leaving me unsure about what to do given their worried reaction, but my focus spins back to Travis after seeing him yelp. The Metal Mana on his poleaxe begins to multiply, making the weapon glow with an intense orange light. Aphy! Can you come here? I need your help. Travis grunts again as the amount of green Wood Mana in his poleaxe¡¯s shaft rises to meet the mana density of the metal portions. Addy, I swear to God, if the next words out of your mouth are, ¡°Can you please-please-please delay my Chosen from going into a breeding cycle again?¡± I am going to¡­ No-no-no-no! It¡¯s not that. I need your help with the new guy. New guy? Oh¡­ it¡¯s you¡­ The green mana slows its pulsing, giving off the impression of a stern glare. Young Master I¡¯m Going to Run Around and Nearly Ruin Everyone¡¯s Plans! Do you have any idea just how infuriated Torbolt is with you right now? Huh, would you look at that¡­ I didn¡¯t know my focus could tremble with fear¡­ Ha¡­ ha-ha¡­ ha-ha-ha-ha-ha¡­ Aphy! You¡¯re scaring him! Good! He should be. You¡¯re in a lot of trouble young man¡­ running off like that without telling anyone. Well, speak up, what do you have to say for yourself? He can¡¯t talk yet Aphy; his eyes are barely even open. He can¡¯t? Then how is he hearing us? I¡¯m not sure, I think he figured out a workaround? He¡¯s been using his paladin to speak to me, and¡­ oh, umm, speaking of paladins¡­ Arcane, yours is having a panic attack. Oh, shit! Travis¡¯ entire body is trembling, dripping in sweat as he breathes erratically, eyes wide in absolute fear, and has his hands gripping onto a nearby pillar for support. ¡°Travis, I¡¯m here. I¡¯m sorry, just umm¡­ try to take big, slow, breaths, and focus on my voice. I take it you can feel the gods¡¯ mana since you were attuned to your poleaxe?¡± Travis nods, still gulping for air as tears run from his eyes, but manages a pained whisper, ¡°I¡­ I can hear them¡­¡± ¡°Shit, ok¡­ grip my handle, and squeeze it as hard as you can.¡± Travis shakily reaches down, taking a few seconds to get a firm grip, ¡°Travis, I promise, I will not let these two, or any other god hurt you. Yes, these two have the ability to bend reality, and that can be downright terrifying, but even they have limits to what they can do.¡± Travis closes his eyes, and after a few minutes, eventually manages to somewhat calm his breathing as his body¡¯s tension slowly bleeds away, ¡°Okay¡­ should I¡­ say anything?¡± Apheros¡¯ mana flashes in a calm and relaxed pattern. Hey, don¡¯t push yourself. Take your time bud. I¡¯m sorry for scaring you. I was just¡­ upset is all. Torbolt had this great big plan to help out his next Chosen and nurture a new minor god, but then your sword went rogue and almost ruined everything. Adamanrion¡¯s mana pulses. Oh, so Arcane¡¯s not one of yours then? God, no¡­ I already have enough kids, and a dog, wreaking havoc all over the place. The last thing I need is another insolent whelp. Hey now, don¡¯t be so mean. Arcane¡¯s just a newborn, and Torbolt clearly wasn¡¯t taking care of him. He was bound to get curious and go exploring. Whoa there! I¡¯m not foolish enough to let Torbolt watch a newborn, I had Aelder babysit. The Metal Mana in the poleaxe pulses judgmentally. You had Aelder¡­ the Minor god of Childish Mischief¡­ babysit? Yeah, why would that¡­ Oh¡­ Ooooh¡­ I think I know what happened now¡­ Arcane was it? I¡¯m sorry, I should have noticed something was off with how giddy Aelder has been lately. Well, I¡¯m glad we could get that cleared up, but that¡¯s not the reason I called you over. Did you give Travis a blessing? He says he got one from someone but doesn¡¯t know who for some reason. No¡­ wait, why would he not¡­? Oh! Oh no. Travis, I need to check you with my Domains. It¡¯s possible someone might have cursed you. Can I have permission to look inside you? I turn my focus back to Travis, who¡¯s attempting to crush my handle once more, ¡°Hey, if you don¡¯t want to, we can stop and just leave. I still remember how traumatic it was the first time I met a god, and I didn¡¯t even have a physical body. I¡¯ll admit he sounds worried, and I am too, but we can always come back another day.¡± Travis lets out a slow breath, inhales deeply once more, then replies, ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s alright. He¡­ he can look.¡± Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be gentle¡­ Some of the Wood Mana from the poleaxe threads it¡¯s way through the connection point on Travis¡¯s back, going through Durinn¡¯s magnetism inscription, then through the armor and arming jacket, and finally enters Travis¡¯ body. It spreads out, until every inch of Travis¡¯s being has at least one strand in it, then begins to recede back into the poleaxe. Whew! False alarm everyone. No signs of any curses, not even a blessing. Travis and I both let out big sighs of relief, but as the last of the air leaves my lungs, I finally process that last bit. Travis must have realized the same thing, ¡°I don¡¯t have a blessing? But¡­ Arc can feel my touch¡­ and, see through my eyes sometimes¡­¡± Adamanrion¡¯s mana pulses cheerfully. Ah, that explains the confusion. That¡¯s just Arcane sensing you trying to establish a connection. He¡¯s still just a newborn god-wise, so he won¡¯t be able to respond back until he gets bigger. Just be patient, and keep doing what you¡¯re doing, it shouldn¡¯t be long until he speaks his first words. Huh? Why do they keep referring to me like I¡¯m a god? Travis looks just as baffled, ¡°But¡­ Arc said he wasn¡¯t a god?¡± Apheros¡¯ mana flickers in a fatherly pattern. He¡¯s probably just feeling self-conscious, especially since he¡¯s got so many accomplished older siblings. Why, just the other day, Phosei helped crush the armored skull of a deep-water behemoth the size of a bunker! One of my paladins saw that! I was surprised, wasn¡¯t that bearded anchored only a few calendar cycles ago? Yep, just goes to show how much better the new method is. They were pretty powerful as a paladin, and did a great job attuning their warhammer enough to turn it into a strong anchor after death. Plus, their paladin has been doing an excellent job caring for them. Speechless as to how to respond, I look over at Travis with my focus as he leans his shoulder against the pillar, looking more exhausted than panicked. ¡°Hey, are you still doing ok?¡± ¡°Yeah, just¡­ tired and¡­ hungry¡­¡± The orange mana flickers to comfort Travis. We¡¯re almost out of time, and I¡¯m already feeling my connection slip, so just hang on a little longer Travis. Aphy, what should we do with these two? The green mana ponders for a moment. So¡­ Travis¡­ you¡¯re a responsible young man, have been helping me get a head start on some of my projects, been stopping Arcane from making an even bigger mess, and are already establishing a connection to him. How about I pay back the favor I owe you by officially naming you the Paladin of Arcane? Travis perks back up, standing straight once more, but is having a hard time forming words. Apheros however, follows up his question before he could answer. Before you answer, Arcane is going to need at least two hours of exercise every day, a deep clean after every combat tour or flood, will need his little messes cleaned up, and you¡¯ll have to help him fix his housing. That necromancer left a number on his blade, scared off the poor little critter that was originally anchored to it. Travis smiles as he hears me groan about being treated like a puppy, ¡°So, what I¡¯ve been doing?¡± I figuratively roll my eyes, then whisper to Travis a quick request. Travis then rolls his eyes in turn and asks the nature god. Paladin of the Arcane? A bit full of himself is he? Addy chimes in. I like it, it adds to the mysterious vibe he¡¯s got going on. Well, I¡¯m not going to be one to stop a child from expressing themself. Paladin of the Arcane, it is. I take it that¡¯s a yes from you? Travis nods his head and gives my handle a scratch in my favorite spot. Woohoo! Adamanrion cheers as their presence begins to fade. Alright, I¡¯m completely losing my grip on reality now. Take care you two! The intense orange light in the poleaxe disappears, only leaving the original Metal Mana. Hmm, I¡¯m starting to lose my grip as well. Try to carve some mana channels for next time Travis, makes it much easier to hang on. Now, as for what to do with Torbolt, I have an idea. I know who his new Chosen is, so I¡¯ll send a distraction their way to keep them occupied. That should keep that sexy storm cloud at bay long enough to ride out the worst of his temper. Though, I¡¯d recommend not going into his church or bumping into his Chosen until Arcane figures out how to make amends. Travis gulps, ¡°Okay, umm¡­ anything else I should know or do?¡± Hmm, not sure if you¡¯d know this, but your great-great-grandfather was a goliath. So, don¡¯t feel like you have to sleep with or marry a human girl. Live a little! Experiment! Make some drunken mistakes at the brothel. I¡¯m serious¡­ please do. Warden and I went through a lot of trouble updating everyone¡¯s genetics so we could get viable half-breeds, but for some reason I can barely get humans to do the one thing that they¡¯re famous for! ¡°Umm¡­ okay¡­¡± Great! Now, I¡¯ve gotta get going, I promised Ignitious that I¡¯d help him pull the old ¡°have the schoolteacher call the pubescent boy to the front of the classroom¡± gag, so play nice with the other minor gods, and try not to cause too much trouble you two. The abundant Wood Mana in the poleaxe recedes to their original level and Travis slumps against the pillar once more. --- Travis Apheros severed the connection to his endless expanse of mana, leaving me with the realization of how tiny and inconsequential I truly was, and my insides feeling hollowed out. I leaned against the pillar, utterly exhausted, and desperately wishing for someone to hold me in their arms. ¡°Travis, are you going to be okay?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I just¡­ need to lie down for a bit.¡± I looked around the room I was in and shuddered, ¡°Not here though.¡± ¡°Okay, we can leave. We¡¯ll discuss what happened tomorrow, or even later if you¡¯re not up for it.¡± I gave Arc¡¯s pommel a rub, happy that he seemed to understand what I was feeling, and slowly, but carefully, started to leave the chamber I was in. Unfortunately, I immediately ran into the dwarven priest I met here last time I visited. ¡°Travis! Well, isn¡¯t this a pleasant surprise. You even brought your¡ªOh my, are you feeling okay?¡± The beardless dwarf moved up to me, ¡°You¡¯re looking as pale as a bedsheet. Do you want me to call a cleric to come and check you over?¡± ¡°No! I¡­ uh, need some fresh air. Can you help lead me to my horse?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The beardless wrapped an arm around me, and adjusted my elbow so I could lean on their broad shoulder. We then started making our way out of the church, eventually reaching the front entrance where 5751054 was waiting for me. I reached out to give my stallion a pat on the shoulder, but he opted instead to pull me into a hug by wrapping his neck around me, causing me to finally break out into tears. We stood there for what must have been a long time before my body finally calmed, and I felt well enough to ride back to campus. ¡°Whew, was worried there for a minute.¡± The priest of Adamanrion spoke, ¡°Want help getting on your horse? I can give you a lift.¡± I nodded, then felt my body rise into the air as a column of Earth lifted me, making it a simple task to get into 5751054¡¯s saddle. Turning to the priest, I gave them a nod, ¡°Thanks for the help. I¡¯ll try to come back again, though it might be a few months. I¡¯ve got a Fall Expedition to go on.¡± The beardless nodded eagerly, a huge smile plastered across their face, ¡°I understand. Should you find need of my services, don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± Nodding once more to the friendly dwarf, I gave 5751054¡¯s shoulder a rub and leaned forward, ¡°Let¡¯s head back to campus, but¡­ take your time. It¡¯s a nice day out.¡± 5751054 let out a friendly whinny. --- Reidar Voltsday, the 26th of Eighthmonth Reidar felt nervous as he entered the church and began walking towards the Altar of Protection, only taking a quick detour to wave to Sister Phoebe as she helped tend to the myriad of plants. Before entering the altar¡¯s hall though, he reached his hand into his valuables pouch, and gripped onto the idol Travis gave him. Okay bud, you got this. Another paladin already pointed him in the right direction, so all he needs is a gentle push. Once he starts walking, I think we¡¯ll be able to finally form a connection, and I¡¯ll be able to help direct him further down the line. ¡°I¡¯m still not confident that I¡¯ll be suitable for this task.¡± Reidar whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t you have someone more appropriate?¡± I do, but¡­ just trust me on this. You¡¯ll thank me someday. The spartan remained stoic on the outside, despite the inner turmoil, and entered the hall to approach the Altar of Protection. Once his initial prayer was concluded, he sat down on one of the benches, stealing a glance of the broad-shouldered paladin seated nearby. They kept fidgeting with the idol in their hands, occasionally mouthing a wordless cuss, and was clearly worried about something. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± The old man startled, clinging to their idol as if they were just caught making a vow of celibacy in the church, but relaxed after seeing Reidar¡¯s face, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. Nice to meet you again.¡± Reidar nodded, ¡°Same here, I wished to thank you for teaching me that technique, it has assisted me greatly in my study of medicine, not only in mana manipulation, but in helping me concentrate and relieving stress.¡± The silver haired Lakelander grinned, ¡°I¡¯m glad I could help.¡± ¡°Do you require assistance in a matter? You appear to be undergoing a large amount of stress.¡± They sighed, drooping their muscular shoulders, ¡°It¡¯s that obvious? Well¡­ I guess so.¡± He turned to look at the altar, ¡°I¡¯ve never been a loyal follower of Apheros, even when I first joined the order. Rot, I actually tried to leave a full calendar cycle ago when I got into an argument with the Archbishop.¡± He lowered his head, ¡°I¡¯ve been given a new task, one that I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m cut out to perform. I mean, there must be someone more qualified than this old meathead, right?¡± Reidar nodded, ¡°I have recently experienced the same emotion, and expect to feel it again next week while on duty. I¡¯ll be deploying with a mixed team of Knights, Mages, Spartans, and Commandos.¡± The paladin raised an eyebrow at the spartan, ¡°You¡¯re worried that your combat skills won¡¯t be up to par?¡± ¡°No, what worries me the most is that I will be unable to communicate effectively with my new squad. Both on and off the field of combat.¡± Reidar reached to pull out his idol, ¡°I have difficulty lowering my shield when in social situations, often preferring to treat each interaction as a mission assignment.¡± ¡°Sounds like you got assigned to the wrong division.¡± Reidar shook their head, ¡°I chose my current position. I will never escape the pot I¡¯m in until I shatter the vessel with my roots. The alternative is to remain forever stagnant in my growth.¡± The paladin smiled, ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve found time to study Apheros¡¯ teachings.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ received some assistance.¡± ¡°Well then, perhaps you can help this old man.¡± He took a breath, then checked to make sure no one else was present, ¡°I¡¯m about to make a life-altering decision, one that I won¡¯t be able to turn back on. I¡¯ll create many enemies, and likely only garner a few friends. This church,¡± The paladin raised their hand to gesture to the entire building around them, ¡°might not exist as it does now when you return from your Fall Expedition.¡± Reidar looked around at the numerous plants inside the building, each one in its own pot, and carefully tended to so that it doesn¡¯t become overgrown, ¡°Will that be such a bad thing? Shouldn¡¯t all living things yearn for growth?¡± The paladin rubbed the tiny idol in their hand, pondering the question, before lifting their head, ¡°You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t waste away my life, too afraid that I won¡¯t find soil when I breakout.¡± He stood up, then walked up to the teenager to give their shoulder a pat, ¡°Thanks for the pep talk.¡± He then exited the hall. --- Marceles Later that night Kolen, Cleric of Apheros, approached Marceles, ¡°I gathered as many trusted people as I could. Do you want to tell me why before we step out there.¡± Marceles placed a hand on Kolen, ¡°This isn¡¯t a speech I can easily repeat. Are you ready?¡± Kolen nodded, giving permission for the paladin to step on the stage in the pub. ¡°Brothers and Sisters of the Church of Apheros, I am Marceles, Paladin of Apheros. I come before you to deliver a message.¡± Marceles took a deep inhale, then tightened their grip on the idol in their hand, ¡°The Archbishop and High Paladin have been lying to you. Apheros has named a Chosen.¡± Silence filled the hall, though many where sharing nervous looks with each other. ¡°Rather than tell us, our leaders have tried to hide the fact that they have failed in their duties. Not only have they interfered with the Chosen¡¯s plan, but they also tried to seduce him with one of our own sisters, and have turned a deaf ear towards the criticisms he has spoken about our practices.¡± Hushed whispers spread across the pub, and a certain young woman was in tears as she turned to confirm the validity of Marceles¡¯ words. ¡°I have a plan that will endear us to Apheros¡¯ instrument, but I cannot do it alone. Who will join me to air our grievances with the church¡¯s leadership?¡± The sounds of moving chairs filled the pub, causing the Paladin of Apheros to let out a sigh of relief. Interlude - Lancel Hopkins, Junior Knight of the United Human Kingdom Undisclosed Location ¨C United Human Kingdom Raven 2 held up the steaming hot mug of brewed spikeleaf to her lips as she looked over the profile of ¡°Farmboy¡± on the board, then frowned after sipping. The thing was pathetically sparse, the only information bubbles in green were the most basic of information about the subject, and everything else had the dreaded red circles of uncertainty. ¡®This is straight up embarrassing. I¡¯m sure Ignitious is shaking their head at us.¡¯ She knew this job would be stressful the first day she was debriefed on Chosen, but this was not what she was expecting at all. The churches teach that the Chosen of the eight greater gods are powerful, able to channel the might of their god to perform miracles, are given the authority to act as the voice of their god, and can appear out of seemingly nowhere. What the churches fail to mention however, was the collateral damage left in their wake. Earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornados were often less disastrous than them, and no one was safe from their wrath, especially the queen. She shivered as she remembered being told the true story about what happened to Queen Atha, and how Ignitious¡¯ Chosen set the precedent for executions. Her barely of age successor was given a single year to correct for her mother¡¯s depraved behavior, before Ignitious returned to cleanse the palace of its cancer. No Spartan has shared a tent with a royal since. Thankfully, that was an extreme example. Many Chosen never even make themselves known to the public if possible, preferring to only intervene when necessary. They could usually be divided into two categories: temporary and long-term. Temporary ones were straight forward. A sudden threat appears, and a god answers the desperate prayer of their follower, then uses them as a conduit, killing the poor mortal in the process. During the formative years of the United Human Kingdom¡¯s capital, this type of Chosen would almost appear annually, using their might to give reprieve to the exhausted soldiers. The second type were the ones to truly worry about. A mixture of blessed birth and a nurturing environment could allow someone to create a personal connection to the god, and become able to tolerate the divine energies of their patron in small doses. These ones were less known for grand displays of magic and more for their temperamental attitude. Oskar, the uniter of the races. Trebellia, the founder of the Logistics Corps, and confirmed minor goddess. Torhild, the minter of currency, and creator of the stocks exchange. Each one a bringer of wide sweeping changes, using force if needed, whether the people wanted it or not. Travis, Chosen of Apheros, was dangerous. The kid was a master of manipulation. Gaslighting a newly sworn knight into ignoring the blatant evidence in front of him, making him believe that it was the humble Aelder Tree that performed the feat of magic, despite no existing records of any Aelder Tree ever casting spells. Made a public display of rejecting the church¡¯s recruiter to throw off further suspicion and even garner some hatred towards him. Then passed the entrance exam to the Mages¡¯ Academy with full honors, despite his proctor¡¯s reputation, and as if that wasn¡¯t garish enough, became the kingdom¡¯s first potential Elementalist Mage. It seemed contradictory on the surface. Why draw the attention of the entire noble caste when you wish to remain hidden while completing your god-ordained task? But every commando knows the value of misdirection, and Travis¡¯ persona of a humble farm-raised prodigy was the perfect cover to explain away any odd or eccentric behavior. Raven 2 turned her head to look at the yellow circle connected to Travis labeled ¡°father¡± and rolled her eyes. Nine months before Travis was born, his village was attacked by a monster and required a paladin of Apheros and his team to come eliminate the threat. It was such a common occurrence, that it would have been overlooked under normal circumstances, had that not been the only attack until those ¡°necromancers¡± showed up to kill Travis. She sighed as she wondered what the crown should do with him. The kid¡¯s mere existence put everyone around him in danger. Sure, he is a mortal, and thus can be manipulated or killed if caught off guard, but no one in their right mind would consider angering a god, especially Apheros. ¡®I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m feeling so stressed out. I¡¯m not the one risking my life or my loved ones.¡¯ Agent Charcoal was the one in the field, directly interacting with the walking embodiment of sealed away chaos, and the queen was placing her own daughter in a perilous position to act as a peace offering. Until Travis publicly declares himself a Chosen, he¡¯ll do anything to keep his secret from reaching the masses. Meaning no direct communication with the crown, no meaningless acts of valor for little gain, and will only allow those deemed worthy to join his inner circle. The reasoning why is unclear, but a Chosen of Torbolt once berated a queen for pestering him, telling her to focus on our war with the monsters, and let the gods concern themselves with the true threats to the kingdom. Raven 2 turned their head to the other board in the room, this one labeled ¡°Operation: First Date¡±. She still thought Red Feather was mad when they sent the order, but even she had to admit, the risk may be worth the reward. If they can plant P3 into Travis¡¯ inner circle, then the crown might be able to predict his next move, and possibly prepare for the impending disaster he causes. She tried to relax as she let out a deep breath, even if the operation doesn¡¯t succeed when it goes live in two weeks, maybe Travis will at least be kind enough to provide some guidance on how we should prepare. The attempt at calming her mind failed though when a [Message] began to broadcast over her headset. ¡°Princess Seleyna, my apologies for disturbing your lunch, but you have received a verbal invitation that requires an immediate response.¡± ¡°What is it Ash?¡± ¡°Travis of Aelder Creek has invited you to join his friends at The Exotic Axe for tonight¡¯s supper show.¡± Raven 2 loudly cursed, taking full advantage of no one being able to hear her, ¡°That black feathered, chaotic little bastard!¡± ¡°Did¡­ did he just ask me out on a date?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s his intention, he¡¯s obscured it quite well. Tonight¡¯s performance is that shadow show I briefed you on the other night, and Spartan Reidar will be in attendance as well.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ sounds like I can¡¯t really say no then, unless you have a security concern.¡± ¡°None at the moment.¡± Raven 2 kept cursing as she scrambled to grab the Messaging stones for the security teams. Operation ¡°First Date¡± was going to have to be enacted ahead of schedule, despite the lack of preparations. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s not too much trouble then, tell Travis I¡¯ll happily accept his invitation. I¡¯ll need a dossier of his friends though, I know that one girl is from the Mortymer family, and the other is a Bradshaw, but that¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have a debrief ready for you after class, and don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s no trouble at all for me.¡± --- Lancel Voltsday, the 18th of Fifthmonth Lancel reached his sore arms overhead to give them a long and satisfying stretch. He closed his eyes, allowing the cool breeze carrying the scent of the approaching storm to fill his lungs, and leaned forward on the edge of the barracks¡¯ roof. He felt good, really good. Better than a nap after a rigorous workout, better than a sit in the sauna, and if he was being honest, was far more satisfied in this moment than any trip to Lakewell ever left him. The long hours of training guided by the kingdom¡¯s Mages and Knights left his internal mana amped up enough to cause some mild discomfort, but the pressure from the ambient mana trying to burrow through his membrane only reminded him of the fact that he achieved his goal. He''d been able to sense mana for years now, but it always felt like he was trying to wrestle a cloud whenever he tried to grasp it. He didn¡¯t give up though, his dad was able to become a knight without any higher instruction, his older brother Gaward managed to trigger his mana before turning eighteen, and his other two brothers managed to become knights before turning thirty, so there was no reason he couldn¡¯t as well. He kept chipping away at that dam, year after year, flood after flood, until finally this spring it happened. The shield wall seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon, horns were blaring warnings that the bastions would soon be allowing greater varmints and lesser beasts to pass through the gates, and the knight overseeing his battalion was definitely checking out his ass. Soon the familiar bone-rattling rumble of heavy footfalls could be heard, and the monsters rushed headfirst right into the line¡¯s spears. Shields were shoved, spears were thrust, and a horn would sound right before the entire line back-stepped in unison, forcing the monsters to crawl over their dead. Thrust after thrust, slam after slam, grunt after grunt, Lancel and his battalion fought like a storm cloud, and he loved every minute of it. He didn¡¯t care that his body was brought to the brink of exhaustion every night, or that he needed the logistics corps to wash and clothe him, or that the MRE¡¯s he was forced to eat tasted storming awful, because he was so deep into battle lust that he sometimes secretly wished that the Spring Flood wouldn¡¯t end. He was bringing forth his shield when the dam inside him finally broke. A turtlebear¡¯s head met his shield slam, but instead of stunning the greater varmint, the head snapped back, exposing the armpit in its armored shell, and he instinctually thrust his spear to pierce the heart, boring far deeper than intended. His senses then began to go haywire, his ears throbbed from all the loud noises, everything reeked of rot and body odor, his brigandine armor itched like mad, and his eyes began to see a kaleidoscope of new colors. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. It was all too much to bear, and he soon began to scream in pain as every single muscle in his body began to cramp. He soon found himself in the fetal position on the ground, closing his eyes shut, covering his ears with his hands, and emptying the contents of his stomach from all the nausea. It thankfully didn¡¯t last long, and by the time he felt himself being drug from the frontline, many of his symptoms were already fading. What happened next, Lancel couldn¡¯t remember clearly, but when he came to, his arms were wrapped around the knight commanding him, eyes filled with tears from heavy sobbing, and was getting strange looks from his battalion. He, of course, was mortified, but the knight just chuckled, giving his back a comforting pat, and ensured him that it was a common reaction to consciously triggering one¡¯s mana for the first time. Lancel opened his eyes to see the approaching stormfront and let out a deep sigh of contentment. After that, everything changed. The knight helped him for the rest of the flood to flush out the remnants of the blockage inside him and learn how to conserve his mana reinforcement. He submitted himself for inspection, was tested, met the queen and was knighted, then celebrated with his family in the palace. It was a dream finally come true, but something felt ¡°off¡± the entire night of the celebration, and it wasn¡¯t until he was told that his replacement for Aelder Creek¡¯s Guard Captain was chosen that he finally figured out what was wrong. Travis, the little brat that he was warned about on his first day of guard duty for Aelder Creek, wasn¡¯t there to celebrate with him. Once the thought surfaced in his mind, he couldn¡¯t concentrate on anything else, and he soon found himself sneaking off to request leave to join the guards when they returned to the village. The sound of someone gagging pulled him from his memories, making his head twist to the side, and his throat to seize. That hunky Lakelander goliath who kept catching Lancel¡¯s eye every time they took off their helmet to give their tree trunk of a neck a stretch, was standing nude not even a full horse¡¯s length from him. Well¡­ not completely nude. But for all intents and purposes, he may as well been. The pair of fitted navy blue paddle board shorts did little to hide the heavily muscled pair of legs, or the pair of hams he had for a butt. He stood probably a full inch taller than Lancel, even in bare feet, and had the classical body proportions of an orc, with his long torso and arms over short legs. Locks of brown hair were tied in a messy bun, a well-trimmed beard offset the unkempt look, and a dusty coat of body hair seemed to accentuate every shadow on his sculpted physique. The big guy looked towards Lancel and nervously grinned, ¡°Sorry, bit into a fish flavored MRE, just about chucked the horrible thing back up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Lancel belted out a bit too forcefully, ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ don¡¯t¡­ blame you.¡± He then turned to face the oncoming storm once more, hiding his embarrassment, and chiding himself for this behavior. ¡®What the storm is wrong with you Lancel! You hang around a pair of awkward teenagers for a couple of days and now you¡¯ve turned back into one?¡¯ He could almost hear his mother scolding him once more for not paying attention to the church service and staring at the depictions of Torbolt. The Lakelander moved to lean against the edge of the roof, looking out at the oncoming storm as well, still smacking his lips in displeasure, ¡°Ugh, they wouldn¡¯t be so bad if they didn¡¯t melt in your mouth and coat the entire thing.¡± He let out a pitiful groan, then extended a hand, ¡°Name¡¯s Galehaut Mistgard, I think you and I are the only ones over two cycles old at this camp.¡± ¡°Mistgard?¡± Lancel echoed as he shook the giant mitt that was offered, too stupefied to make proper conversation with the descendant of the famous swordsman who once competed for the title of Knight King. ¡°Yeah, I know¡­ shouldn¡¯t an inner-ring noble-born already have been knighted long before turning twenty-four?¡± He slumped the upturned bowls that acted as his shoulders, then muttered, ¡°I¡¯m basically the runt of the litter, my baby brother is the one with the good looks and talent.¡± ¡®Say something you cloud-headed idiot. He¡¯s clearly desperate to talk to someone.¡¯ ¡°Umm¡­ yeah, I¡¯m¡­ kinda the same way. My brothers are the talented ones. Tristan is the smart one, Percy¡¯s never lost a duel, and¡­ Gaward¡­ was the prodigy.¡± Galehaut nodded along, then smiled, ¡°What does that make you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Lancel lamented, looking down from the barracks that housed the other fledgling knights, each one with an elemental affinity like him, ¡°maybe the lucky one? I sure as death know that I¡¯ve had more than my fair share lately.¡± He held out a hand, ¡°Lancel Hopkins.¡± The goliath grinned as the two men shook once more, then suddenly stopped mid shake to widen his eyes, ¡°Hold on¡­ Hopkins?¡± Deep rumbles of laughter escaped the oversized Lakelander, ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding about lucky. You skip going to a bunch of parties to go recruit some farm-lad from the cowflops, fight off a dozen and a half necromancers when you get there, come back to the capital with a Jarl¡¯s head metaphorically strapped to your belt, and then a few days later, that farmboy you rescued becomes the kingdom¡¯s first Elementalist Mage.¡± He leaned hard against the edge of the barracks, his laughs mimicking the approaching storm¡¯s, ¡°I¡¯ve heard more believable tales from bards at the tavern.¡± Lancel grinned, feeling his swagger finally returning, ¡°Try reporting such a tale to a general sometime, I was convinced I was going to get carted off to the mental ward at one point while they were busy Messaging the castle.¡± The storm winds began to pick up, chilling the air, and reminding the two men that rain will soon come as well. They both turned to see the storm front, activating their mana sight to see the masses of blue, silver, and red mana gathering. Galehaut broke the silence, ¡°Did you come to observe the elements too?¡± Lancel nodded, remembering the mage¡¯s words from earlier this week. ¡°The elves and dwarves are jealous of what every single one of us in this room have, an elemental affinity. It is the powerful advantage that counteracts our shorter lifespans. It is a paradoxical one though. Human¡¯s mana specialty is mana reinforcement, an instinctual ability that can amplify your strength, resilience, and speed. It requires you to use all four elements in concert though, so continual use will eventually scrub away your affinity if you fail to exercise it.¡± He paused to draw the room¡¯s notice towards a group of beardless Lakelanders, ¡°That means the younger you are, the more likely you are to still retain it. I am going to spend the next four months teaching you to exercise your affinity, starting with the most basic step, observation.¡± A crack of lightning boomed as it jumped from cloud to cloud. Lancel strained his eyes, hoping to make out the pink mana that he had hoped to observe, but all he could see was the red Fire Mana rubbing against the silver Wind Mana. Rain soon began to trickle down, frustrating the Packer, he wanted to get a chance to observe his element in the wild, and this rooftop was the best location. The rain slowly stopped, but only right above his head. He looked around, seeing the goliath standing closer to him, closing his eyes in concentration before they opened and smiled. ¡°Sorry, not very good at [Water Aura] yet, can only extend it a few feet around me.¡± Galehaut shuddered for a moment, goosebumps present all over his lightly tanned skin, ¡°Rot, should have dressed warmer though, forgot it was still Spring.¡± Lancel chuckled as he ramped up and shaped the Fire Mana sticking to his membrane, creating a [Fire Aura] to raise the temperature of the air, ¡°I¡¯ve got you covered.¡± Galehaut relaxed as Lancel surreptitiously scooted slightly closer to him, ¡°Lightning affinity? Don¡¯t suppose you can block the wind too?¡± Lancel grimaced but decided to try anyways. He synced with the Wind Mana attached to him, and tried to focus on his goal as he shifted his mana but was having difficulty. He glared at the approaching clouds, wishing that the storming thing would¡­ A patch of Fire Mana rose, forcing the Wind Mana to warp around it, grinding and grinding until¡­ an arc of pink Lightning Mana formed, followed by a bright flash. Inspired, Lancel modified his Auras, lacing the two together instead of keeping them separate, forming a pocket of still, warm air for the two knights as the cooler wind from the storm whipped around the bubble he created. Lancel started grinning, happy for not only his success, but for the fact that the handsome knight next to him was only inches away from their arms touching. The two stood there in silence for the rest of the evening, watching the storm pass overhead. --- Steelsday, the 28th of Eighthmonth ¡°And then,¡± Lancel blurted out in an emotional drunken state to the table of fellow knights while a dreamy-looking goliath sat close to him, ¡°when I finally banked up enough courage to ask the little bastard how he learned magic, do you know what he said?¡± It was the final evening of the training camp for the young knights, and as a reward, the trainees were treated to a feast and entertainment. Unbeknownst to Lancel, someone (most likely an inner-ring noble given the bribery involved), managed to arrange for Novrin the Shadowweaver to perform their highly popular shadow show. Lancel, of course, felt the need to correct the blatantly false tale. ¡°I learned from watching you!¡± Lancel shouted, his voice turning into a moan as he leaned over the table, prompting Galehaut to give the intoxicated Packer a backrub. ¡°Little brothers always know where to stab the knife, whether they mean to or not.¡± One of the Northman knights at the table, Oddvar Stensrud, cocked their head in confusion, ¡°Umm, can you elaborate? I¡¯m lost¡­¡± Galehaut gave Lancel¡¯s back a pat, ¡°I¡¯m just guessing here, so let me know if I¡¯m wrong about anything, but from what I¡¯ve gathered, it sounds like Travis didn¡¯t become a mage overnight. Unlike us, he started training at the age of ten, but since there were no mages or witches to learn from, he went with what was available.¡± The goliath patted Lancel once more with his large hands to direct the table¡¯s focus to him, ¡°Mages aren¡¯t the only ones that learn magic, knights do as well, and there just so happened to be someone training to become one in his village. Add in the fact that the kid¡¯s a genius, and instead of the usual fifteen years it normally takes for an unaided commoner to become a knight, the little bastard was able to trigger their mana consciously before turning eighteen.¡± ¡°Fifteen!¡± Lancel shouted as he bolted upright, ¡°He was fifteen when he triggered his mana. Early enough to make puberty sprint towards the finish line. I literally watched him grow four inches and add a couple stones of muscle in the period of a month, but somehow didn¡¯t think anything was odd.¡± Chuckles erupted from the table, but another Northman knight, Annette Ibsen, stopped suddenly, ¡°Hold on, if he¡¯s eighteen now, does that mean he was illegally staying in his village?¡± Lancel calmed himself enough to explain, ¡°No, it¡¯s the job of the local Jarls to do regular inspections of the villages and see if there¡¯s anyone luring monsters towards them. A kid under the age of eighteen isn¡¯t considered mature enough to overcome the instinctual need to not abandon their loved ones.¡± ¡°No wonder that Jarl is getting executed then.¡± Oddvar commented, ¡°Letting a mana-user squat in a farming village for at least two years¡­ he¡¯ll probably get his spear broken and everything.¡± Nods went around the table as the group went silent, but was quickly broken by a few wandering knights wanting to know why Lancel didn¡¯t propose to Trent. He groaned once more, leaning back in his chair this time, but cheered up after feeling a muscular leg rub up against his. Lancel turned his head to see Galehaut telling the newcomers to go duck around somewhere else, then sneak him a friendly smirk. Lancel grinned, showing off the teeth he inherited from his mother, and sneakily reached his hand under the table to massage the side of beef rubbing against his leg. Galehaut let out a low grunt, clearly not expecting the intimate touch, and tried to cover his expression with another pull from his flagon. --- Rocksday, the 29th of Eighthmonth Lancel checked his appearance in the tiny mirror that came with his kit, still amazed at how fast hangovers dissipated (if felt at all) now that he could use mana reinforcement, and made sure he looked proper before receiving his assignment. His friend Galehaut exited the room containing the Brigadier General, completely stoic upon exiting, but once the door closed, his expression changed to anguish, and he silently began to curse as he kicked the stone floor. ¡°Let me guess, sewer duty?¡± ¡°No, worse.¡± ¡°Worse?¡± Galehaut nodded, then approached Lancel to set a hand on his shoulder, ¡°You and I are both on babysitting duty.¡± Lancel swore. Chapter 43 - Updating the Quest Log Journal Entry #1 Heard the church bell ring while out checking the rabbit snares. Dropped the hare I was skinning and ran as fast as I could to the nearest gate. The town was in complete panic when I made it safe inside, and everyone was hysterical as they piled into the church. Mom spotted me as I entered, then grasped me tightly in her arms as her entire body shook with intense sobs. She kept trying to speak, but couldn¡¯t stop gasping for air as dad and Linn each put a hand on me, both with stern faces. A knot twisted in my stomach, and I swiveled my head around, trying to find Petter, but my little brother wasn¡¯t with us. I locked eyes with dad, too afraid to speak the words. He shook his head, then spoke the infamous words that plague the nightmares of every single villager, ¡°The monster got him.¡± --- Travis Windsday, the 25th of Eighthmonth The veil of sleep pulled away from my mind, replacing it with absolute bliss as my body registered the soft and warm comfort of my bedsheets. Although it was tempting to stay in there all day, the increasing blood flow in my body was already making me grow restless, and eventually I couldn¡¯t lie still. ¡°Good morning, I take it you¡¯re feeling better?¡± Looking over at the clock while I began my daily stretching routine, I noticed that it was the first time I¡¯d awoken early since my encounter with Adamanrion and Apheros. It was also the first night I didn¡¯t have nightmares waking me up in the middle of the night. ¡°Yeah, I guess so. Did I wake at all during the night? I can¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°Nope, you slept like a log.¡± The room suddenly grew quieter, indicating that Arc must have casted a [Sound Barrier] to keep our next conversation from being overheard, ¡°I know you¡¯re starting finals today, but are you ready to talk about what happened at Adamanrion¡¯s church?¡± I let out a deep exhale, found a comfy spot on the bed, then picked up Arc to hold him in my lap, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much I remember, and some of what I do went over my head.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be shocked if you managed to retain everything. You were a bit preoccupied. What with you getting some very hard proof that I was talking to Addy.¡± I chuckled, ¡°I think I would have preferred the beard.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t fault you for that, though I will say you handled it well, all things considered.¡± I looked down at Arc, and narrowed my eyes, trying to determine if he was pulling my line, ¡°You¡¯re joking, right? I thought my heart was going to explode at one point, my vision kept going dark, and poor 5751054 had to endure me bear-hugging him in full armor wile I made a river of my tears and snot. How is that handling it well?¡± ¡°You remained standing and conscious despite physically feeling the presence of two gods. I can¡¯t imagine what the overwhelming sensation was like for you.¡± Gripping Arc¡¯s handle, I thought back to the feeling I had when both gods invaded my attuned poleaxe, ¡°Attuning something small is like drinking a cup of water, not too difficult unless you¡¯ve already downed a few canteens. My poleaxe feels like I¡¯m chugging a gallon of milk when I fully sync with it. Those gods¡­ it was like my head was forced back, a waterskin was shoved into my mouth¡­ and¡­ when I looked up¡­ it was attached to an entire ocean of water¡­ the only thing stopping it was a hand pinching off the flow from drowning me.¡± ¡°That¡­ that sounds horrifying¡­ I guess that explains some of the night terrors you were having.¡± Neither of us spoke for a few minutes as we sat there, enjoying the silence, but after taking a meditative breath, I finally thickened my bark up enough to start asking questions. ¡°So¡­ you are a god?¡± Arc sighed, ¡°I guess I am? I¡¯m still having a hard time believing it. It¡¯s not like I can go around bending reality.¡± He paused, then sighed once more, ¡°Then again, it¡¯s probably a good thing I can¡¯t. I¡¯m already in enough trouble as it is.¡± I smiled, ¡°Things were simpler when I thought you were only a talking tree. I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re not being taken away from me.¡± ¡°Same here. Speaking of¡­ your list of titles is starting to grow, how are you liking the new one?¡± ¡°Paladin of the Arcane¡­ Why did you ask to include the article?¡± ¡°It sounds better that way. Trust me, it¡¯s all about the presentation, a little gravitas can go a long way when you¡¯re trying to make an impression.¡± I rolled my eyes at my sword, ¡°Great¡­ you haven¡¯t even been a minor god for a week, and its already going to your head. Are you going to start demanding I pray to you now too?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ about that¡­¡± My eyes narrowed at Arc, and I began to scowl, ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Well¡­ you see¡­ you kinda¡­ have been.¡± That wiped the expression off my face, leaving me baffled, ¡°Okay, please explain.¡± ¡°You know how we found out that all this time you technically didn¡¯t have a blessing? Well¡­ a prayer can be just about anything that you do to create a personal connection to a god, reciting prose, singing from a hymnal, practicing a divine tenet,¡± he made a quick pause, ¡°giving them a friendly rub on their pommel¡­¡± My eyes dawned with realization, ¡°So, when Adamanrion said that you were sensing me trying to form a connection with you¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ not sure if it counts as heresy, but if it does, Apheros didn¡¯t seem to care. Heck, he¡¯s the one who officially made you my paladin. Even gave you a to-do list for your first duties.¡± That sparked a memory, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, didn¡¯t Apheros say I need to help you fix your housing or something? What did he mean by that?¡± ¡°He did¡­¡± Arc paused to make the sound of a deep breath, ¡°Okay, before I can explain, I¡¯m going to need to give you some very basic information about souls. So, no heroic sacrifices*. Got it?¡±* Grinning, I nodded my head, ¡°No promises.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Well, for starters, every single sapient being, and a few non-sapient ones, have a soul. Souls expand in size and power by connecting to the physical plane of existence and experiencing life. Think of a plant sprout growing roots to collect the water in the soil. The soil is the physical matter your soul attaches to. For me, it¡¯s my sword body, and in your case, it¡¯s that growing meat sack you keep stuffing with food.¡± As if on cue, my stomach growled from the lack of breakfast, making us both chuckle. ¡°Okay, I think I¡¯m following so far, what do you mean by experiences though?¡± ¡°Anytime you interact with someone, something, or someplace, your soul will grow a little bit in size. Some experiences, however, will provide more nutrients than others. Remember back when you were training to trigger your mana for the first time? Challenging yourself by lifting just a little more weight, working hard to solve a tricky puzzle, exposing yourself to a new environment or culture, all of them are like adding liquid fertilizer to the soil for you to suck up.¡± I nodded along, finding a lot of similarities between what Arc was saying and Apheros¡¯ journey to obtain strength, knowledge, and wisdom. Which made sense, given the topic. ¡°Is that why Apheros no longer walks amongst us anymore?¡± His soul grew too big?¡± ¡°Probably. If your average person or animal is a flower, a minor god would be the size of a bush, and then a god would be the tree towering over everyone. Sadly, there is a downside to growing so large. Our bodies are like flowerpots, the bigger your soul gets, the harder it is to find a pot that you can fit in.¡± The still fresh memory of being connected to the two gods and sensing their ocean-like enormity sent a shiver down my spine, ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t imagine anything being able to contain that kind of power.¡± ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s why I didn¡¯t even consider the possibility that I¡¯m a minor god. Though, I guess it¡¯s possible that my definition is incorrect, given that it sounds like I¡¯m not the only soul trapped in a weapon. But, back to the original topic, my housing. It¡¯s not an immediate concern, but I am slowly running out of room for my soul in here. And I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s related, but I also think I¡¯m at my limit for mana density, I¡¯ve only added a few motes over the past month.¡± I activated my mana sight to give Arc a thorough look, but, like usual, his insides were a messy kaleidoscope of different mana types. Not just the blend of basic elements throughout, but a good portion of Metal Mana inside the fuller, a smudge of green Wood Mana near the tip, and even speckles of violet Ice and pink Lightning mana near the cross-guard. ¡°How can you even tell? Everything¡¯s a jumbled mess in there.¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t body-shame me. I raised you better than that.¡± Letting out an annoyed groan, I decided to get back on topic, ¡°Sorry. Do you know what we need to fix?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯m not sure¡­ I guess we should have asked. Apheros mentioned that a necromancer wrecked my sword, scaring off the creature that was originally in here, so if I can figure out what its original condition looked like, maybe I can start fixing things.¡± I frowned, ¡°How did they even damage your body in the first place? I literally whacked you against a pile of Order infused stone and you didn¡¯t even gain a scratch.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ That¡¯s a good question¡­ Maybe that¡¯s what I should focus on to fix my sword-body.¡± Arc began to groan, ¡°Ugh, so many questions¡­ And I never did get an answer to why it was my soul that was planted in here.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I assume Torbolt or Aelder were supposed to tell you why, but I¡­ kinda took you away before Torbolt¡¯s Chosen could come get you.¡± ¡°True, but that¡¯s not what¡¯s irking me. What really scrapes my boat bottom is, ¡®Why didn¡¯t they tell me before placing me in this sword?¡¯¡± That left me stumped. Admittingly, Apheros isn¡¯t known for being very intelligent outside of his domains, hence why he likely didn¡¯t think anything was amiss with having Aelder babysit. But although my knowledge of Torbolt is lacking, I know one of his domains is military tactics. Not giving a pre-mission briefing before deployment seems out of character for him. ¡°I have a feeling we¡¯re not going to find an answer anytime soon. Unless we figure out a way to ask Torbolt or Aelder.¡± ¡°Great¡­ our options are an unreliable perpetual child, and a war god who¡¯s super pissed at us.¡± I sighed, letting out a long breath, ¡°Oh yeah, we¡¯re also supposed to figure out how to make amends with Torbolt. I hope you¡¯re keeping track of all of this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I updated the quest log.¡± Light and Shadow Mana drifted off Arc, and into the air in front of me before swirling into a readable text. Quest Log: ¡¤ Buy posters and other decorations for room. ¡¤ Buy an apology gift for Issac ¡¤ Buy a secure lockbox for the aelderwood scraps Father Viburnum sent you. ¡¤ Get ear pierced so you can wear the gift Seleyna gave you. ¡¤ Help Arc fix his housing. ¡¤ Find a way to apologize to Torbolt. ¡¤ Carve mana channels into poleaxe. ¡¤ Make some drunken mistakes at a brothel, preferably with non-human companions. I read through the list, preferring it greatly over having them spoken aloud, but raised my eyebrow at the last line, ¡°Seriously, you added that?¡± ¡°He did ask nicely, maybe he¡¯ll even give you a blessing if you father enough future spartans?¡± I waved my hand through the list with a groan, disrupting Arc¡¯s mana, then changed into my uniform and made my bed. Walking out of my room, I overheard Drozuk¡¯s alarm going off, and was about to leave after grabbing my mail, but stopped when I noticed a wrapped gift in the wall-embedded mailbox. ¡°Who¡¯s it from?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ don¡¯t see a tag¡­¡± My hand began to reach forward to open it but was halted by Arc shouting. ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t open it. There¡¯s an object with a high amount of Metal Mana inside, and a glass container filled with something dense with Wood Mana.¡± ¡°You think it¡¯s something harmful?¡± ¡°Well, you did anger a bunch of nobles from all three kingdoms just the other day and are now establishing a personal connection with the crown. I might just be paranoid, but a gift-wrapped explosive sent by a jealous rival wouldn¡¯t be too surprising.¡± I examined the gift with my own mana sight, annoyed that I couldn¡¯t make out what was inside either, ¡°Great, what do I do now? I don¡¯t know how to disarm a bomb, I¡¯m not a commando.¡± ¡°You got your Messaging Stone? Maybe Sir Tracy can help.¡± Oh, that¡¯s a smart idea. I haven¡¯t talked to him yet, but he did say to Message him for help if I found myself in trouble. I reached into my secured valuables pouch, then touched the stone, syncing a newly formed [Message] spell to match the same frequency as the stone¡¯s, ¡°Hello, Sir Tracy? Are you there?¡± The sound of a groan, followed by a yawn emanated from my spell before the Royal Knight¡¯s voice could be heard, ¡°Travis? Is that you?¡± ¡°Yes, sorry for waking you, but¡­ umm¡­ I received an unmarked gift in the mail today¡­ and, I¡¯m probably just being overly cautious, but¡­¡± ¡°Ah, say no more. Just give me a sec, and whatever you do, don¡¯t open or disturb the package.¡± I stood there in silence, awkwardly still holding the gift in my hand, too scared now to set it down. ¡°Okay, just hang tight, I¡¯ve sent a commando to assist.¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Thanks, sorry again for the trouble.¡± ¡°None at all. I¡¯d rather be safe than sorry. Besides, you and all the other students on campus shouldn¡¯t be receiving unmarked packages. While we¡¯re waiting, was there anything else I could help you with?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ I do want to ask about what happened in the palace before I was suddenly forced to take four of my practical exams early and all at once, but I¡¯d imagine that to be a long tale.¡± Sir Tracy chuckled over the channel, ¡°Yeah, that could take a while. It¡¯d probably be easier for me to tell you in person, then I could bring in flow-charts to help disseminate all the political maneuvers and under-the-table deals everyone was trying to make. Speaking of, have you told anyone about the gift Seleyna gave you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve kept that hidden in my valuables pouch. Hey, I suppose I could ask you. I don¡¯t know anything about artifice piercings, is there a particular spot on my ear it¡¯s supposed to go?¡± ¡°There¡¯s some flexibility in where you place it, but I¡¯d recommend putting it in the inner conch of your ear. That way it will be difficult to see, even with mana sight.¡± A knock came from my nearby door, and I checked through the door¡¯s peephole to see a figure dressed in dark molded leather and cloth. I opened the door to allow them entry, and after they tilted their head towards the potential explosive in my hands, I handed the gift over to them. ¡°Okay, commando is here.¡± The commando whipped out a tiny razor blade hidden in their sleeve, stepped into my bathroom, then shut the door. The sound of my shower running could be heard briefly, then after a few more moments, they walked out and handed the gift back to me with a thumbs up. ¡°False alarm?¡± They nodded. ¡°Travis?¡± Drozuk shouted from his room, ¡°Is someone here?¡± ¡°Just Bridget¡¯s dad disarming a bomb.¡± ¡°What the?¡± Drozuk popped his head out of his room and frowned, ¡°Ha, ha, really funny.¡± He then shut his door to get ready for breakfast. Confused about his reaction, I turned back to thank the commando, but startled when I realized that they vanished. ¡°You still alive?¡± Sir Tracy¡¯s voice echoed out of my spell. ¡°Sorry, all clear.¡± I opened the gift¡¯s lid to look inside, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just a fancy shaving kit. I don¡¯t see a note or anything to indicate who it¡¯s from though¡­¡± ¡°Could it be a late birthday gift?¡± ¡°Maybe? I¡¯m not sure why someone would get me one, unless¡­ ugh, they were trying to get underneath my bark¡­¡± ¡°Underneath your bark?¡± ¡°Err¡­ parking the manure wagon a yard away from the pen?¡± ¡°What? No, I understood the first expression. Why would a shaving kit be a backhanded gift?¡± Groaning with embarrassment, I explained over the channel, ¡°My beard development has been painfully slow, and my friends are more than aware of my disdain.¡± I looked down once more at the insulting gift. Everything was included, there was a single-edged razor blade, a bar of peppermint scented soap, a thickly bristled brush, a mug to foam up the lather, and a bottle of oil to apply after finishing. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, it is a nice kit, the blade is even made of mid-grade dwarven steel.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s possible it was given in earnest. When I was training to learn Blade enchantments, one of the things we used were shaving razors. Since they¡¯re so small and thin, you need excellent mana control not just to create the spell formation, but to manipulate it afterwards. Trust me, you learn very quickly when even the slightest nick will make your neck spray out a geyser of blood.¡± I joined Tracy as he chuckled over the channel, ¡°Huh, you might be right. I heard we¡¯ll learn weapon enchantments next semester, so maybe the person who gifted me this knows that?¡± ¡°Sounds like a reasonable assumption.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that doesn¡¯t really narrow down who could have given it to me though.¡± I sighed as my stomach grumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll have to worry about that some other time though, I¡¯ve got more important things to do right now.¡± ¡°Right, it¡¯s finals week. You¡¯re up to your eyeballs in exams.¡± ¡°Actually, I was referring to breakfast, but you¡¯re not incorrect. My schedule is still packed full, even with four less exams. I¡¯ll try to find an hour to chat later this week. If not, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get bored while traveling for my assignment next week. Or are you going to be busy with your own Fall Expedition?¡± ¡°Sadly no, with the bulk of the kingdom¡¯s military outside of the capital, the city¡¯s defenses will be at their weakest, so I¡¯ll be on watch here. Feel free to Message me whenever though, especially during your return trip, I¡¯ll probably be just as bored. Monster attacks on the capital nearly drop down to zero towards the end of the Fall purge.¡± ¡°Okay then, it was nice chatting with you. ¡°Likewise.¡± --- Arc I impatiently waited for Travis to finish his second exam of the day, this one for Wind Spells 1, still irritated about how he made me repeatedly promise after lunch that I wouldn¡¯t help him. To add insult to injury, the little bastard even pulled out a pen to write down his answers! My focus hovered over the vexing test booklet, the trace amounts of Wood Mana in the ink camouflaged perfectly into the Wood Mana of the paper, making it impossible for me to read both the questions and answers. Honestly, the lack of trust really hurt. It¡¯s not like I¡¯d tell him the answers, just¡­ maybe make a subtle cough if he got something wrong, or¡­ Travis closed the exam booklet, gave his neck a good stretch before standing up, then headed to the front of the room where his professor and teacher assistants were waiting. ¡°Travis,¡± Professor Quinsandoral motioned the teen over with an enthusiastic grin, ¡°come chat for a bit while I have you. I haven¡¯t had a chance to congratulate you yet.¡± Travis walked over to the high elf, looking up at him with an inquisitive look as the professor waved their hands to weave their synced Wind Mana in the air into a formation. The mana lines formed a double-walled lattice, creating a [Sound Barrier], but there were a few additions to the standard spell. Professor Quinsandoral chuckled as Travis used his mana sight to also see the spell, ¡°A one-way Sound Barrier, really nothing too fancy, just attaching a Message spell to transmit sound through, but it does have a few advantages. Namely in that it prevents overly loud noises from entering.¡± He clapped a hand on Travis¡¯ back, ¡°Ah, look at me, already too impatient to wait for next semester. Let me start by saying how absolutely delightful it was to see the ambassadors teeming with anger after Queen Claudette teased that even if you were secretly a twenty-four-year-old knight, that it would hardly lessen your displayed skill.¡± Travis pulled his head back in surprise, ¡°People think I¡¯m twenty-four?¡± He chuckled boisterously, ¡°That was my reaction as well. I didn¡¯t even know you were eighteen until the registrar¡¯s office told me that you¡¯d be going on a Fall Expedition this year. Was quite upsetting actually, I was hoping to include you and Mattius in a¡­ oh! Speak of the duck.¡± His arms extended outward, then gestured as if opening a curtain to create a part in his spell formation, ¡°Young Master Tatian, come join us! I have something to give you.¡± Mattius, clearly uncomfortable from the sudden attention, scratched the back of his head as he entered the [Sound Barrier], ¡°You¡­ seem to be in a good mood today professor.¡± ¡°I certainly am.¡± The high elf beamed, ¡°Not only did I get to make Maeralya eat her words, but that advice you gave me worked like a charm.¡± ¡°Advice?¡± ¡°The suggestion to send my son on a camping trip.¡± Professor Quinsandoral paused to chuckle to himself, ¡°He finally found out my scheme this morning and stormed into my office, had a full-blown temper tantrum, and screamed obscenities at me for nearly half an hour. I think it was the longest conversation I¡¯ve had with him in months.¡± Travis and Mattius exchanged glances as their professor giggled to themself while reaching into a satchel, then pulled out a folder, ¡°Here we are.¡± He handed it to Mattius, ¡°This is your copy of exemption for the practical exam. You¡¯ve more than demonstrated competency in this semester¡¯s curriculum during the guided practices in the spell range. I do apologize by the way, this was supposed to have been submitted before schedules were delivered, but¡­ one of the elven consulates had to throw a duck into the works after they found out that Travis had the gall to perform well in classes.¡± Mattius turned to look at Travis, who gave an awkward shrug in return, prompting the Packer to shake their head, ¡°I guess nine exams are better than ten.¡± Quinsandoral grinned, ¡°Expect to receive a similar gift during your written exam for Earth Spells, Ingotborn has been very impressed with your skills, particularly in how you¡¯ve been exercising your affinity.¡± ¡°Oh, umm¡­ thank you. Your advice to keep a journal has helped out greatly, there¡¯s a lot of inconsistencies with my affinity compared to everyone else¡¯s.¡± ¡°That reminds me, how did your meeting with the Archmagus go?¡± Mattius scratched the back of his head, ¡°It was¡­ interesting¡­ They asked me a bunch of strange questions, then gave me this¡­¡± he reached into one of his side pouches to pull out a¡­ a¡­ A void of nothingness? I moved my focus in close to double-check, but the cube-shaped hole in the universe was still there. Huh, that¡¯s weird. I¡¯ve seen plenty of mana-dead spaces before (Wind spells often generate them when creating vacuums), but never an object that was completely void of mana. Even the least mana dense rock has enough traces of Earth Mana to still look like it¡¯s made of clear glass. Professor Quinsandoral looked down at the object and rolled his eyes, ¡°Oh, one of Avem¡¯s puzzle boxes. I take it for your initiation you¡¯ll be expected to solve it?¡± Mattius nodded, ¡°Yeah, they said I could take my time, but to preferably return it before I die of old age.¡± Quinsandoral shook his head, ¡°Well, keep that maddening thing away from me. Avem¡¯s warned me multiple times not to help anyone directly with those. It¡¯s supposed to be you and you alone who solves that.¡± Mattius turned to Travis, ¡°Actually, they said I could ask you for help, but you¡¯ll have to follow the same rule. No asking any person, god, or object for help, but we are allowed to ask the terrain.¡± Oh, that is just¡­ Travis looked up from the mana-less cube to give Mattius a grin, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll tell my sword not to help.¡± The professor and Mattius both looked down at me, then at each other, before Mattius whispered, ¡°He¡¯s been really stressed out the last couple of days. I don¡¯t think we need to worry just yet.¡± --- Voltsday, the 26th of Eighthmonth Of course, the one exam that I can see with my mana sight, is Travis¡¯ best subject¡­ Travis¡¯ hands moved with the dexterous precision of a watchmaker as he worked on the tiny cubic artifice, finishing the assembly of the outer metal casing, checked to ensure the aperture in the front opened when turning the dial, that the foldable legs on the other three sides seamlessly closed, the d-ring on top could be flipped up with a fingernail, and that the mount on the bottom could securely clip onto his helmet. Satisfied with his inspection, he began attuning to the item, raising the pulse-rate until the condensing array inside ramped up high enough to reach critical mass and form a tiny [Light Orb] inside the palm-sized cube. Travis smiled, taking a minute to play with his mana-powered flashlight/lantern, then proudly walked to the front of the classroom to submit his artifice for examination. The professor did a basic function test, pulled a slab of slate from a nearby pile, then began writing down measurements using an Earth inscribed stylus. Curious, I brought in my focus, and was able to see how the artifice pushed on the surface of the stone tile, creating a trench on the stylus¡¯ side and a protrusion on the other. Professor Oresword eventually finished marking down the measurements for minimum mana frequency input, Travis¡¯ military identification number, the current date, and then handed the flashlight back to Travis. ¡°Excellent work, you¡¯re getting full marks.¡± They chuckled as they passed the slate tile to the assistant next to them, ¡°Not going to lie, I was a little worried that you did a rush job with how fast you worked, but I¡¯m guessing you must be versed in tinkering? Clockmaker¡¯s assistant perhaps?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve taken apart a windup clock before, but I¡¯d say most of my skill comes secondhand from working with the woodworker of my village. He had a book on fancy wood joinery that he let me try out and did highly detailed wood burnings in his free time.¡± The professor nodded along as the assistant next to them placed the carved tile in a small printing press, pulled one lever to roll a coat of ink over it, then placed a card inside before pressing down. The beardless assistant then gave the still wet card to Travis. ¡°Here you are. Take good care of that lamp, should last you quite a few years before the dust needs to get replaced.¡± Travis stepped back, completely left a gasp, ¡°Wait, I get to keep this?¡± The entire table broke out into laughter. Well¡­ all but Durinn, who was shifting uncomfortably in their seat, fiddling with a puzzle box in their hands, and looking highly anxious overall. ¡°Durinn, are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Durinn snapped, ¡°I¡¯m not some youngling who can¡¯t keep their fingers clean.¡± Whoa, something¡¯s clearly bothering the new artificer. Even the table was stunned by the reaction. Professor Oresword gestured Travis to lean in so they could whisper, ¡°They might not be in their right mind. Us bearded sometimes¡­ forget about certain things when trying to meet a deadline.¡± They then took a piece of slate to carve out a picture of a shovel with one hand while holding up a finger to their lips with the other. ¡°Ooh¡­¡± / ¡®Ooh¡­¡¯ Travis and I both realized in unison. ¡°If they can burden the first eight hours, they¡¯ll have a week or two¡­ err¡­ actually, they''re braidless, so probably only a few days to get their affairs in order before the need to survey locations grows too strong. I¡¯ll send them your sympathies once their head finally clears up.¡± --- Travis Burnsday, the 27th of Eighthmonth Bridget and I sat down for an early supper, enjoying our brief respite between exams by discussing our future plans. ¡°My aunt is making me join the wards for a training camp.¡± Bridget complained, ¡°I know I need the martial combat training, but I just know they¡¯re going to spend both months trying to convince me to switch weapons.¡± ¡°You mean a family of commandos don¡¯t approve of you brutally smashing in an opponent¡¯s skull with your mace?¡± I teased. She glowered, ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s because Ahkazriel was a member of the Mortymer family.¡± ¡°Ahkazriel!¡± My grin dropped in exchange for a shocked expression, ¡°The minor god of healing? Ally of Trebellia, the Chosen of Torbolt?¡± Bridget picked up my grin, ¡°That¡¯s the one. Unfortunately, since I want to study medicine after graduation, I¡¯m expected to follow family tradition and use a staff.¡± ¡°Do you have to make one out of bound bushtail antlers and quill-dragon spines like he did as well?¡± ¡°Thankfully, no. I am allowed to change things up. Adding a spear tip, making it out of metal, attaching a flail for example, but¡­ it still has to be a ¡®staff.¡¯¡± ¡°Well, if you ever decide to give in to familial pressure, just let me know. I¡¯ll lend you the blueprints for the one I carry around.¡± Bridget started laughing, ¡°I might just do that out of spite.¡± She kept chortling as we finished our food, then made a show of looking around before leaning in, ¡°Have you¡­ umm¡­ talked to Adrian lately?¡± Puzzled about the shift in conversation, I leaned in to join her, ¡°Not really, I only see him during group study nowadays, that new girlfriend of his keeps squirreling him away.¡± She rolled her eyes at me, ¡°I was hoping that you could fill me in on why he¡¯s been acting so distant lately. I asked him last week if he¡¯d be interested in visiting my family¡¯s estate over the break, but he¡­ dodged the question, and didn¡¯t answer.¡± She paused, looking downtrodden, ¡°Do you think he¡¯s intimidated by my family?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll admit, it¡¯s stressful having to suddenly adapt to being around nobles. I was fortunate enough to get eased into it for the most part, but every now and then, I still have moments where I can¡¯t shake the strong feeling that I simply don¡¯t belong here. Maybe he¡¯s feeling the same way? I know I keep forgetting that you¡¯re from an inner-ring family, an invitation to visit might be too big of a step.¡± Bridget leaned back in her seat to mull over my words, giving Arc a chance to chime in, ¡°I suggest telling her you¡¯ll talk to Adrian, he¡¯s got a lot of things weighing on him right now, and has been hesitant to talk to anyone. I bet he¡¯ll open up if you have a private conversation with him.¡± I gave Arc a friendly rub for the advice, then reached across the table to give Bridget a pat on her shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ll pull him aside for a talk before I leave.¡± --- Steelsday, the 28th of Eighthmonth ¡°Drozuk,¡± Professor Lambertson spoke to my orkish friend as we turned in our exams, ¡°I¡¯ve got that list of books for you. The marked ones are the references I recommend you purchase; the others should be available at the library here.¡± Drozuk thanked him as we stepped out of Mage Civics 1 and made our way to the cafeteria. Just one exam left. I looked up at the tall orc, ¡°Doing some reading while you¡¯re on expedition?¡± Drozuk grunted with annoyance as he looked down at his list, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s for¡­¡± He waved his free hand around, hoping to grasp what he wanted to say, ¡°Remember last week¡¯s lesson on fortresses?¡± ¡°Yes, did something in particular bother you?¡± He nodded, ¡°Okay, so¡­ for context, my dad and uncle raised me at Coldwater Spring Fortress, located right against the Western Mountains and close to a mountain pass to the Elven Kingdom. We moved there because my dad wanted more consistent work that didn¡¯t require leaving for long periods, and because my uncle¡¯s coven is headquartered there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised there¡¯d be more work. Wouldn¡¯t the roads have higher security to protect the trade route?¡± ¡°You¡¯d think so, but the area off the mountain paths is both craggy and swampy, practically a breeding pen for monsters.¡± Drozuk placed the list into his side pouch, ¡°So, back to my point, the army only protects the roads; they don¡¯t venture out to eliminate monsters before they become a problem since that¡¯s the job of hunters.¡± He let out a huff, ¡°I used to have to sit in the fortress lodge, listening to the soldiers and spartans complain loudly about how the local hunters were slacking off, and I¡¯d grow furious because my dad would be on bed rest from nearly dying earlier that week.¡± I gave the big guy a pat on his shoulder as he wiped the snot off his face, ¡°So when Professor Lambertsen explained last week that any local Jarl can request an army battalion to come assist in eradicating monsters¡­¡± Drozuk drooped, ¡°Yeah, request. As long as the fortress and villages aren¡¯t breaking any laws, the Queen won¡¯t send out a battalion without being asked, and any Jarl requesting aid would get voted out the next election cycle by the hunters and witches for ruining their potential bounties.¡± ¡°Really? But¡­ you just said¡­¡± He sighed, ¡°I know¡­ I don¡¯t like it one bit. Especially now that I know why dissemination of magical knowledge is so restricted.¡± I let out my own sigh, ¡°Yeah, necromancers tend to ruin everything.¡± Drozuk snorted, ¡°Ha, not for you, that attack on your village has turned into a footnote for your life¡¯s story.¡± He turned to look at me, ¡°Speaking of, have there been other attacks? I¡¯ve haven¡¯t heard or read about any follow-up attacks on villages.¡± I shrugged my shoulders, ¡°Not sure, but¡­ I¡¯m probably not the best person to ask. I barely have the energy to read the school¡¯s paper every week.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t your inner-ring buddies keep you up to date?¡± he teased. ¡°No, they¡¯re too busy gossiping about their school clubs.¡± I switched to a sarcastic tone, ¡°Did you know that the captain of the Dark Drakes got caught cheating on his fianc¨¦e with the wicketrunner of the Copperdillos?¡± Drozuk tilted his head in clear confusion, ¡°Umm, what¡¯s a wicketrunner?¡± ¡°The ball carrier in Ruggleball. Their job is to grab the ball after the bowlers roll it back to them, then take cover behind the batters and listen to the captain shout movement commands. If they manage to carry it all the way to the opposing team¡¯s wicket and touch it with the ruggleball without getting hit by a pigskin, they automatically win the game.¡± My friend shook his head as we got into line for supper, ¡°Never mind, I can¡¯t be bothered to care. I just got my practical exam for Water Spells on Woodsday, and then I¡¯m finally done. How about you?¡± ¡°Just got my written exam for Water Spells left, and I¡¯ll be heading there after I¡¯m done eating.¡± I gave his arm a friendly nudge, ¡°Nice not having to take any general education exams, isn¡¯t it?¡± Drozuk smirked with his toothy grin, ¡°I¡¯m going to walk directly to the tavern after my last test. How about you?¡± A familiar voice called out before I could answer, making me turn around, and then down towards a pink-haired dwarf. ¡°Travis! I was hoping to find ya. Durinn and I are hosting a kegger in a couple of hours over at the burrow. Think you can stop by with that poleaxe of yours?¡± ¡°I got an exam in an hour, but I¡¯ll be free afterwards. I take it Durinn¡¯s feeling better?¡± Thramreat chuckled, ¡°Oh, you could say that¡­¡± They then pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote out directions, ¡°Here ya go. I¡¯ll save you a mug.¡± Drozuk and I watched the dwarf walk towards the carryout counter to rejoin the group they came in with, then pick up a massive order of boxes requiring half a dozen people to carry. I grinned, ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll be having fun tonight.¡± Drozuk twisted back to me, ¡°You¡¯re insane. You know that, right?¡± Taken aback, I stammered in surprise before finally asking, ¡°Umm¡­ no, I don¡¯t. Is there something I should know?¡± He shook his head at me, ¡°Be easier for you to see it yourself. Just don¡¯t eat any of the food, or drink from the punchbowl. Oh, and bring earplugs.¡± Chapter 44 - Getting Half-Naked with Friends Journal Entry #3 The funeral for Petter was today. I¡­ I couldn¡¯t stop crying. His coffin we presented to Pastor Elm was so tiny that we could barely each place a hand on it to say our last prayer before Pastor Elm took it beneath the church to begin the gruesome task of turning Petter¡¯s remains into compost. I sat alone in the church afterwards, wracked with guilt as I kept sobbing. The only reason he wasn¡¯t safe inside the village was because he went out looking for me. Dad came by later to try and console me, handing me a shiny new flask, and telling me that Petter helped pick it out for my upcoming birthday. I took a pull, not caring that I was underage. It burned the entire way down. --- Arc ¡°Now, don¡¯t forget that tomorrow¡¯s the last day of morning drill. So, go have fun, but don¡¯t go too wild. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll want to be hungover.¡± Travis nodded along, showing both signs of excitement and nervousness. After his final exam, he visibly debated for a solid minute if he wanted to go or not, but eventually strapped on his chest and back plate so he could mount his poleaxe. ¡°I¡¯m starting to regret not reading more from that book on elves and dwarves.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine, just be respectful to their culture, ask questions if you¡¯re confused about something, and if something does make you uncomfortable, pull Thramreat or Durinn aside. Worst case scenario, they¡¯ll find your ignorance tiring.¡± Travis gave my pommel a scratch with a grin, then perked his head up as he continued walking towards the dwarven housing complex, ¡°Do you hear that?¡± I tried to pay more attention to the vibrations in the Air Mana, but my ¡°patch¡± was picking up too much background noise, ¡°No, I have a hard time making out sounds when I can¡¯t see the source. Wind Mana is a tad too chaotic to reliably carry the same sound across a far distance.¡± ¡°Bet you can¡¯t wait to leave the city, your range will be much farther now, right?¡± ¡°Should be, though I better tell you now before I forget, there¡¯s a good chance my sword-brain will get overwhelmed from the sheer quantity of information. So, I might be a little sluggish the first couple of days.¡± Our destination finally began to render in with my mana sight, but the concentrated mana was so dense that my vision¡¯s range moved inches for every foot Travis progressed. Nevertheless, the trapezoid shaped building eventually came into view. Stone steps led to the rooftop on each of the corners, flat planes of glass made up the sides, allowing light to enter and get reflected into the tunnels below, and there were retractable Order-infused stone shutters that could bury into the ground between storms. For some reason however, they were partially covering the sides, leaving a crenelated opening near the rooftop and a few columns that were fully open to the night sky. Travis stopped to stare, completely slack jawed, and rested his hand on my pommel, allowing him to share his senses. Rhythmic thumping mixed with brass instruments, creating an industrial jazzy tune that penetrated deep into my bones, making my whole body shiver with excitement as bright multicolored lights flashed beneath the glass walls like a Vegas casino. Shirtless dwarves stood outside and on top the bunker, covered in neon glowing runes, holding glass mugs of beer, chatting the night away, and I even saw a pair of beardless dwarves stare at a bearded¡¯s ass as they climbed the stairs before the connection faded out. ¡°Whoa¡­ that vision lasted longer than the last one, and I even got to ¡°hear¡± the music inside.¡± Travis looked down at me briefly, before letting out a deep sigh. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s this whole ¡®prayer¡¯ thing¡­ It made more sense to me oddly when we thought it was a blessing. Like, just now, I wasn¡¯t thinking, ¡®Blessed Arcane, impersonator of trees, allow me to act as your eyes and ears as we venture into this dwarven kegger.¡¯¡± He slumped his shoulders, ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe I¡¯m overthinking it? It just doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯m actively doing anything to cause it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ you know, I bet ¨C" My speculation was cut off by a beardless dwarf hollering out to Travis, ¡°Oi! You ogling us human?¡± Travis snapped his attention forward, and with a choking voice let out, ¡°Sorry, was just umm¡­ uh, enjoying the quiet before I stepped inside.¡± The dwarf gave Travis a cock-eyed glance, turned their head to another beardless who shrugged their shoulders, then turned back to yell at Travis, this time with a more aggressive tone, ¡°Get lost skull-basher. Drink your pond scum somewhere else.¡± Travis gulped, looking very uncomfortable, which wasn¡¯t too surprising since the sheltered kid had never experienced someone acting racist towards him before. I wasn¡¯t going to leave him hanging though. I immediately casted a [Message] spell and had it follow behind my focus as I tried to quickly find Thramreat, hoping desperately that they were on the roof. Luckily only three of the dwarves up top were Lightning Mages, and two of them were bearded. ¡°Thramreat! Did you invite a human? There¡¯s a kid with a halberd on his back trying to get in, but there¡¯s a couple of beardless trying to shoo him off.¡± The beardless dwarf went still for only a brief second, before moving in a blur through the crowd and towards the steps, leaping onto the handrail, then grinded down it like a professional skater before bouncing off the end and rushing towards Travis with arms raised, ¡°Travis! You made it!¡± Travis and the self-appointed bouncers all looked on in shock as the shirtless Thramreat slung their arm around Travis¡¯ waist, giving his butt a slap, then urged him towards the steps past the guys harassing him. They led Travis part way up the steps, before finally braving a look back to ensure the two were alone, then let out a deep exhale, ¡°Rust, I¡¯m sorry Travis. I should have given you a way to contact me or¡­ something.¡± Another sigh escaped the beardless as we continued, ¡°Just stick close to me. I¡¯ll introduce you to some proper polished dwarves and keep the slag from clinging to ya.¡± Travis, finally shaking off his startlement, gave Thramreat a shoulder pat, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m just glad you spotted me. I¡¯m still pretty new to all of this, I never even met a dwarf before coming to this school, let alone gone to a dwarven party. Thramreat smiled, ¡°This is your first? Well, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure you get the full experience.¡± Travis returned a nervous smile of his own, ¡°Umm, I can¡¯t stay too long, exams might be done for me now, but I still have morning drill tomorrow.¡± The Lightning Mage nodded along, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll just stop for a drink at the bar before meeting up with Durinn and the others, then we¡¯ll sneak down to the dance floor for a few songs.¡± The two finished ascending the stairs as Travis assured Thramreat that he was fine with skipping out on the dancing, then moved through the crowd of barely clothed dwarves towards a makeshift stand made from ice chests. ¡°Two tunnel runners, no extras.¡± Thramreat ordered. The bartender frowned but took the time to show each ingredient they added, slid the two drinks over, then once Thramreat turned away, silently pantomimed to Travis to return later. Travis grinned as he took the offered drink, then mimicked Thramreat as they downed the contents in one go, crushed the glass into a tiny ball, then¡­ popped it into their mouth? What the? ¡°Mmm¡­ is this sugar glass?¡± ¡°Yep, gotta drink these fast, otherwise they start melting and get all sticky.¡± Travis enjoyed the treat as he took in the ambience. A good portion of the crowd kept sneaking glances his way, which given that he was a head and shoulder above everyone on the roof, wasn¡¯t too difficult of a task. Sadly, my ¡°patch¡± still couldn¡¯t decipher dwarvish yet, so I could only make out a few words here and there, but given the number of times I heard the words ¡°Travis¡± and ¡°poleaxe¡± spoken, it was easy enough to get the gist of what everyone was saying. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, why is everyone half-naked and covered in bioluminescent paint?¡± Thramreat scratched their head, ¡°It¡¯s an artificer tradition. I can¡¯t remember off the top of my head exactly how it started, but I know back when artifice was in its infancy, one of the ways we prepared for battle with monsters was to take remnants of previous kills, mulch them up into a fine paste, then painted spell formations on our bodies to help assist with casting.¡± Travis glanced down at Thramreat, giving their torso a thorough inspection, ¡°So I¡¯m guessing those runes on you mean something?¡± ¡°Yep, this big one translates roughly to academic artificer, since I earned my title by submitting a paper on using Wind Mana crystals to boost a Fire inscription¡¯s potency. This one on my shoulder means lightning, the one on my back is my name¡­¡± ¡°What about that one on your neck?¡± Travis teased. Thramreat nervously chuckled, and even I could tell, was clearly blushing, ¡°Uh, that one¡¯s Durinn¡¯s name¡­¡± Travis, moving swiftly to pounce on the exposed weakness, gave Thramreat¡¯s shoulder a friendly nudge, ¡°So¡­ have you picked out your gift for Durinn yet?¡± Thramreat started sputtering incoherent noises, before finally breaking eye contact, and waved at Travis to follow, ¡°We should¡­ uh¡­ go meet the others. No point in dallying around here.¡± Travis shook his head as he followed the dwarf through the crowd over towards one of the ledges. ¡°Careful, those guardrails are meant for dwarfs, not humans.¡± He didn¡¯t get the chance to reach one though, because Durinn sprinted from a nearby circle to give the teen a hug. ¡°Travis,¡± the topless dwarf nuzzled their beard into the teenager¡¯s stomach, ¡°you¡¯re so soft. Why are you so soft?¡± Travis and I both looked down at the clearly drug-induced glaze in Durinn¡¯s eyes then towards Thramreat who was awkwardly combing their fingers through their messy long hair. ¡°So, uh¡­ Durinn was having troubles relaxing, and uh¡­¡± They looked around, caught eyes with a bearded Wood Mage that was originally standing with Durinn, and waved them over, ¡°Travis, this is Artificer Orebeck Bonebrow, just recently earned their title like me and Durinn, and will be joining us on the same research team as well once Durinn is¡­ eh, feeling more like themself.¡± Travis tried to raise his hand to greet the dwarf, but it got pulled down by Durinn, bringing Travis in close so they could loudly whisper, ¡°Travis, there¡¯s five moons!¡± They started giggling to themself, ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to tell you.¡± Travis smiled at his friend, gave them a friendly shoulder pat, then looked up with a worried face towards the other dwarves. Technically, Durinn might be correct, Travis¡¯ textbooks mentioned that there was still some debate over how many moons the planet had, but the bearded was clearly dancing with the pink elephants in the room. Orebeck watched Durinn resume their loving embrace with Travis and sighed, ¡°I gave them a dose of neutralizer mushrooms, but they must have been swimming in hirsuterone, so when it started converting into dopamine¡­¡± they gestured towards Durinn, making a weak smile, ¡°They¡¯ll be fine by tomorrow once the neutralizer breaks down¡­ I think¡­¡± Thramreat shook their head, ¡°At least they¡¯re not designing death traps in their workshop anymore.¡± ¡°Death traps?¡± / ¡°Death traps?¡± Travis and I reacted in unison. ¡°It happens sometimes,¡± Orebeck filled in, ¡°if a bearded thinks they¡¯re going to or does get swarmed with gifts for their nest, they¡¯ll start making¡­ er¡­ tests of skill, to encourage only the most dedicated beardless to bring gifts.¡± Thramreat huffed, then spoke in a tone dripping with sarcasm, ¡°Yes, tests of skill¡­ swinging axe blades, floors that break away into lava pits, and door puzzles built by a mating madness addled brain.¡± They then deflated, looking heartbroken as Durinn started finger-painting runic lines over Travis¡¯ arming jacket, ¡°This is all my fault, I shouldn¡¯t have been flirting with Durinn so much¡­¡± ¡°Your fault?¡± Orebeck pushed back verbally, ¡°I¡¯m the one who told Durinn that we¡¯d be fine if we skipped out on doing extra earthworks projects this spring!¡± They slumped their shoulders, ¡°A couple of uninterrupted weeks for me to work on my research paper and for Durinn to inscribe their invention seemed like such a smart idea at the time.¡± Travis kept shifting his gaze between the pair of dwarves who were acting like Durinn was dead, instead of whispering to Travis saying, ¡°That one says ¡®bearded¡¯, this one says ¡®short-bearded¡¯, the one over here says ¡®red-bearded¡¯¡­¡± then decided to force the conversation into a more positive direction. ¡°So, why did you ask me to bring my poleaxe?¡± Thramreat elbowed Orebeck with a giant grin as the bearded looked over Travis shoulder in curiosity, ¡°Wait, is that the weapon the Quartermaster¡¯s been getting all worked up over?¡± Travis nodded as he detached his poleaxe from his back and offered it to the Wood Mage to inspect, ¡°Yeah, they were angry at me after I installed the mana scales, even though I didn¡¯t modify the weapon itself.¡± Orebeck raised an eyebrow at Travis while they ramped up the mana in their eyes, ¡°Over a simple weapon? Why would¡ª" The bearded dwarf stopped speaking as they looked down, opting instead to start shifting their feet anxiously, tensing up their shoulders, and began breathing heavily. Ugh, not again¡­ --- Travis Rocksday, the 29th of Eighthmonth ¡°Since some of you will be going on your first Fall Expedition in a few days,¡± Hector boomed to our battalion with way too much enthusiasm, ¡°we¡¯re going to celebrate by partaking in an old spartan tradition.¡± My drill instructor held up a crossbow for everyone to see, ¡°This is the standard issue Ullrivar Mark 3. The pump action underneath the barrel can draw back the string with a single stroke or up to twelve by adjusting this knob on the side here, allowing even an exhausted soldier to prep another bolt. The magazine can hold three crossbow bolts, and assuming the weapon has been maintained properly, will automatically load once the latch is locked in. A skilled marksman can easily hit a target at forty-eight yards, or possibly even farther if a friendly mage decides to enchant their bolts.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Hector smiled as he waved a logistics corps member over, ¡°Private Tomas, how many hours of target practice are logistics corps members recommended to partake in every week?¡± The gangly young Northman, who barely looked old enough to enlist in the army, croaked out a reply, ¡°Sir! An hour every day, eight hours total.¡± Hector nodded, then grinned malevolently, ¡°And how many hours a week do you actually get in?¡± The private shifted uncomfortably, but after getting a nod from Sir Felicity, answered the question honestly, ¡°Maybe an hour or two? If at all¡­ it depends how busy we are, and if the combat troops aren¡¯t already using the range.¡± Hector gave the private a pat on the shoulder and handed them the crossbow before addressing us, ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of if you¡¯ll be hit by a crossbow bolt in combat, but when. To prepare you for that eventuality, we¡¯ve gathered a medical team and some volunteers from the logistics corps who have been servicing your equipment.¡± I groaned as Adrian helped me strip naked down to my waist, partially because I was about to get shot by a crossbow (the reduced draw-weight wasn''t making it any less appealing), but more because Arc was still laughing hysterically when I put my helmet back on and got into line behind Drozuk. Mattius soon joined behind me, and we grimly watched as the Creeksmith twins each took turns screaming in pain as a crossbow bolt sank into their exposed back muscles. ¡°Do we have a volunteer to shoot Initiate Drozuk?¡± Sir Felicity innocently asked the logistic corps members with a fake smile. I think nearly two-thirds of them rose their hand, forcing them to draw lots as Drozuk dejectedly walked down range with his head held low. A few minutes later, it was my turn, and as I looked to see who was going to shoot me, I was surprised when no one raised their hand when the call for volunteers was asked. The group looked around, seemingly just as me, but a familiar dwarven voice sounded from behind the group. ¡°No volunteers? Well, that¡¯s a shame.¡± The Quartermaster mocked as they slithered through the group, ¡°Tell you what, I¡¯ll bear the burden of having to injure our favorite Elementalist Mage.¡± Ugh, I really should have seen this coming. I started walking down the target range, but suddenly recoiled in pain as a sharp piece of metal pierced through my skin and buried so deeply into my back muscles that I was positive for a moment that it was about to puncture a lung. My lungs kept gasping for air, tears were streaming down my face, and although I wanted to scream in agony, my throat was seized up too tightly to allow even that minor bit of relief. A medical officer quickly ran up to me. Said¡­ something¡­ I couldn¡¯t remember, then pulled out the crossbow bolt with a quick jerk, allowing me to finally scream in pain. Once I finished catching my breath, my brain finally processed that my wound didn¡¯t actually hurt much now that the invasive piece of metal was removed. And by the time the medical officer finished cleaning the wound and sticking a bandage overtop, I was already laughing at myself for being so overdramatic. ¡°Should be finished healing up in an hour. I put a bandage on to soak up the puss, but you¡¯ll still want to clean the area thoroughly before putting on a clean shirt.¡± --- The rest of morning drill wasn¡¯t as eventful. Our lectures today mostly covered what to do during our two months off or were used to provide Q&A for anyone who still needed to finalize a decision for their training camp. I paid attention, but my mind began to wander as I thought about my schedule for the rest of the day. So, when we were finally dismissed, and I was walking back to the armory, I tapped Arc on his pommel. ¡°Hey, could you help me find Ansel? I want to talk to him before I leave with Jethro and them to go shopping.¡± ¡°Sure, just a sec¡­ ok, his dormitory and armory is only one down from yours. Just head east, and you¡¯ll probably catch him before he hits the showers.¡± Smiling, I veered away from my friends, telling them that I¡¯ll be right back, then raised my hand and shouted when I spotted Ansel returning with his battalion. ¡°Ansel!¡± I waved, hoping to catch his attention. He turned his head towards me, suddenly jerked his head back in what oddly looked like fright, then nervously glanced at his battalion mates as he cautiously stepped forward, ¡°Travis, is this about tonight? I know you¡¯re busy, so if you can¡¯t make it, that¡¯s quite¡ª¡± I waved my hand to shoo away his train of thought, ¡°No, it¡¯s not that, I¡¯m looking forward to it even more now that I don¡¯t have to worry about my practicals tomorrow. I was hoping that we could sync private channels though. I¡¯ve got another friend who¡¯s about to drag me along on a shopping trip, and although he promised that we¡¯ll be done before five, I¡¯d rather not leave anything to chance.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ umm, yeah¡­ sure. Just a sec, let me¡­¡± He dug into one of his side pouches, then fished out a tiny green marble to hand to me, ¡°Here, sync to this. It¡¯ll vibrate if you start speaking on that channel.¡± I did as instructed, syncing my helmet¡¯s private channel to match, then handed back the tiny artifice, ¡°Thanks bud. You¡¯ve got both of your practicals after lunch right?¡± He stiffly nodded, prompting me to give his shoulder pauldron a firm pat, ¡°Best of luck to you then.¡± I quickly turned on my heel, briskly walking back to my dormitory, and tried desperately to stop my mortified face from showing. ¡°So, did I just embarrass Ansel in front of his friends?¡± ¡°No, I recognize that look of disbelief, he¡¯s genuinely shocked that you want to hang out with him.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Well, the only reason you¡¯re visiting his family for supper tonight is because you bribed his dad into staying for Durinn¡¯s presentation.¡± ¡°Okay, fair point, but it¡¯s not like we¡¯re complete strangers. I¡¯ve been sitting by him often when I join the princess for supper.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯ve barely talked to him. Do you even know what clubs he¡¯s in?¡± ¡°Cryptozoology and the Fortresses & Fighters clubs.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ not to be rude, but I¡¯m surprised you remembered that. You¡¯re not exactly known for being very sociable.¡± ¡°You make it sound like I barely talk to anyone.¡± ¡°Please, can you even name a dozen other students here? Wait, don¡¯t answer that, we¡¯ll both be disappointed if you can¡¯t.¡± --- After lunch, we waved goodbye to Bridget, then walked over to the stables where 5751054, Jethro¡¯s horse, and three more from his family¡¯s estate were waiting for us. Each one proudly wearing the Bradshaw¡¯s family crest of a double ended spear slicing a lightning bolt and snowflake in half. Before I could reach out to greet my equine friend though, I noticed that a nearby freight carriage also had the same symbol on it. ¡°Jethro, why is there a freight carriage?¡± He didn¡¯t answer right away, choosing to greet the guard protecting the carriage first, then finally turned back to me like I asked a stupid question, ¡°Travis, you and Drozuk need a complete basic wardrobe, and Mattius¡¯ closet wasn¡¯t much better. There¡¯s no way our horses can carry everything in their saddlebags.¡± I scanned the faces of my other friends, relieved to see I hadn¡¯t gone insane since they shared my same look of worry, then turned my head back to Jethro, ¡°Jethro, my allowance from the queen is generous, but it¡¯s not that generous.¡± He waved off my very legitimate concern like it was nothing as he mounted his horse, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I already did the math. If the crowds today aren¡¯t too bad, we should finish ahead of schedule and under the budget I told you all to bring.¡± ¡°Famous last words¡­¡± Not relieved in the slightest, I clutched my pouch containing the funds I withdrew yesterday as we rode to the nearby mall. I did bring extra, mainly since I wasn¡¯t sure how much I needed for my ear piercing, but that didn¡¯t mean I wanted to spend everything. The carriage separated from us as we entered the colossal multi-tiered complex. Jethro had pulled out a notebook and was double-checking something before he led us to the uppermost level towards one of the opulent stores. ¡°Okay, lets get the expensive purchases taken care of first, then we¡¯ll go shop for Travis and Adrian.¡± We dismounted and stepped inside, the densely packed forest of clothing stands, tables, and mannequins displaying popular items was still a very foreign sight to me. I think it was only a year ago that my mom was gushing to Mildred about how the crate of pre-cut shirt and pants patterns were such a huge time saver for her. Jethro marched us straight towards the back where the fitting rooms were, barked a command for all of us to enter and undress, then patiently waited behind the curtains for him to toss something to put on. I only managed to get my arming jacket and shirt off before a navy pair of board shorts flew over the gap above the privacy screen, hitting me right in the face, and almost making me fall over from disorientation. ¡°Better hurry, Captain Bradshaw seems like a hard-ass.¡± I groaned as I finished changing, stepped out to see Jethro eying me up and down before ordering me to squat a few times, then watched as he checked off something on his notebook, ¡°Looking good. That style is practically timeless at this point, so if you don¡¯t outgrow them before winter semester, you¡¯ll be able to wear them to the pool when we get sick of having to trudge through the snow all week.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a pool on campus?¡± ¡°Kinda, there¡¯s a few small ones around campus for spell practice, but the one I¡¯m referring to is when they flood the arena on Woodsday during winter for the optional naval combat courses. My sisters told me that they leave it open for the students to enter the next day before it gets drained Snowsday morning, and that sea elves often host luaus on the artificial islands inside.¡± ¡°That sounds like fun.¡± Mattius spoke from behind, making us spin around so I could see the glossy bronze skin of his bare athletic torso over a pair of pitch-black shorts. Jethro quickly got to work, making Mattius go through the same fit test, then moved on to Drozuk after him and Adrian stepped out. The orc had a pair of sand-colored shorts that were noticeably different in style from the rest of us, given how many buttons and seams were on the pant legs, and was looking quite happy with the choice. ¡°These are nice,¡± Drozuk spoke to Mattius and I, ¡°you can unbutton them to widen out the legs.¡± We gave approving nods as Jethro finished checking over Adrian¡¯s pair of ash grey shorts, ¡°Okay, they¡¯re a little too long and loose, but unlike those three you won¡¯t need them right away, and I got a feeling you¡¯re going to keep bulking up.¡± He stood back up, then checked off a few more things on his notebook before barking another command, ¡°Go change back and meet me at the register, we¡¯re done at this store.¡± A few minutes later, and we were already paying the cashier. Jethro grinned as he handed me, Drozuk, and Mattius each two pairs of knee-high woolen socks, ¡°An old Lakelander Knight trick, keep a pair of these near your boots whenever you¡¯re out of uniform and wearing boardshorts during your expedition. If you ever need to quickly gear up, just slip these on before putting on your boots and jacket.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t that break dress code?¡± Drozuk asked. ¡°Also, why would we be out of uniform when on assignment?¡± Jethro started chuckling, ¡°It¡¯s not a Spring Flood, you¡¯ll have some downtime. And don¡¯t worry about the boardshorts, there¡¯s a small loophole that no one¡¯s been eager to fix regarding minimum requirements for pants.¡± He then led us out of the store, down below what I originally thought was ground level (on account of the indoor park), and into a lantern lit underground. Jethro¡¯s family guard was waiting for him outside a shop titled Bulk Bargains and greeted us upon arrival. ¡°Young Master Bradshaw, I already spoke to one of the workers as asked, and they¡¯ve agreed to help assist provide a timely checkout.¡± Jethro grinned as he led us into what looked more like a warehouse than an actual shop for visitors, ¡°Perfect! Travis, we¡¯ll focus on you first, the rest of you pay close attention. Everything in this store is either unsold XXXL high end fashion or things so atrocious that the designers refused to let them even be sold in a middling market. As a thank you for helping me with my coursework this semester, I¡¯ll be providing tailoring services for you guys in my free time.¡± A store clerk soon greeted us with a clipboard then followed Jethro around as he started selecting various items from the stacks of clothing, occasionally asking the clerk about what they had in stock or making me hold an assembled outfit to ensure it coordinated with my ¡°summer complexion¡±. Jethro¡¯s guard kept carrying out stacks of clothes, making my anxiety about the incoming bill grow more intense with each delivery until the dreaded moment finally came and the clerk gave me the total. Arc was unable to remain quiet after the transaction, sounding just as unbelieving as I was, ¡°Holy gods and God, that kid just outfitted you with a complete noble-tier wardrobe on a shoestring budget. If he can translate those skills to his military career, he¡¯s going to make a lot of generals happy.¡± --- As promised, we finished shopping for clothes in record time, allowing us plenty of time to peruse a few shops as I searched for a lockbox and gift for Issac. Adrian came to my aid this time, recommending me a brand his dad used for securing valuable items, and pointing me towards a Cloudy Rainforest imports store, leaving only one item left on my shopping list. ¡°Okay, I can come back if there¡¯s not enough time, but I wanted to get my ear pierced before going on expedition. Is there a place to do that?¡± I got some weird looks from everyone as Jethro bobbed his head around in thought, then looked up, ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a place on the third floor I know of. I think they sell artifice jewelry as well.¡± The Northman with numerous tattoos and piercings behind the counter seemed disappointed that I only wanted the single stud put in my ear, trying to upsell me on getting my eyebrows or nose pierced as well, but he eventually agreed to the meager sale, and asked me to wait just a few minutes so he could prep his tools. Looking around the shop, I noticed Adrian was standing by himself inspecting the Northern Tundra imports while the others were checking out the inscribed items on display, and figured this was as good a time as any to get a private word in with him. ¡°How are things going for you?¡± Adrian turned his head in surprise, ¡°Umm, good. My practical is on Rainsday, but I¡¯m not too worried, Jakob¡¯s been helping me out a bit in the spell range, and he seemed confident that I¡¯ll pass easily.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know he was helping you out.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think he might be trying to recruit me into his family, he asked me to come visit his estate before he leaves for his Fall Expedition.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ are you interested in joining? I don¡¯t know that much about his family, but I know the Hopkins have a good opinion of them.¡± Adrian let out a sigh, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I haven¡¯t even given it any real thought¡­ I been too worried about¡­¡± He shuffled his feet as frustration grew on his face, ¡°Travis, if I ask you a question, will you promise to keep it a secret?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He calmed down with an exhale, then whispered to me, ¡°Do you think I should break up with Bridget?¡± The question kicked me with the force of a cow, leaving me stupefied, and needing to tap Arc for advice, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s ask him why he feels he needs to end things and go from there.¡± ¡°Why would you want to? Are things not going well?¡± ¡°No, Bridget¡¯s amazing, and I owe you big time for setting us up, but the problem is me. There¡¯s something I haven¡¯t told you¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡­¡± His whole body began to fidget, prompting me to help calm him with a gentle shoulder rub, ¡°You don¡¯t have to share. I¡¯ve got my own secret that I¡¯m still reluctant to share with you guys, so I know just how hard it is to open up.¡± Adrian locked eyes with me, then relaxed as I gave his shoulder another rub, ¡°Thanks. Umm, how about I just summarize and say that I¡¯d be causing a lot of problems for any family that I join. Whether it¡¯s through a wardship or marriage.¡± I nodded, ¡°You don¡¯t want to drag Bridget into the manure pit with you before it gets filled.¡± ¡°Yeah, pretty much. What do you think I should do? Jethro keeps teasing not to break Bridget¡¯s heart, since her dad will suffocate me with my pillow in revenge, and I know he¡¯s joking, but¡­¡± ¡°I think he should give Bridget a heads up that there¡¯ll be some complications if things get serious between them and let her in on the decision to stay together or not. He wouldn¡¯t have to tell her any more than he has with you, and if Bridget isn¡¯t satisfied with not getting a full explanation, then maybe it¡¯s best that they put a pause on things till trust can be built up.¡± Thankful for the advice, I gave Arc a scratch with my free hand and paraphrased his words to Adrian. He nodded along, then pulled me in for a half hug, ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll talk to her tomorrow.¡± ¡°You ready kid?¡± The Northman shop worker shouted. ¡°Yes, will this hurt?¡± ¡°Depends¡­ I¡¯ve seen men covered in battle scars cry like children and little girls shrug it off like nothing.¡± He scratched his eyebrow near one of his eyebrow spikes, ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re a mage, have you ever been hit with a crossbow bolt?¡± I groaned, ¡°Yes.¡± He smiled, ¡°Good, you¡¯ll be fine, only hurts a little less.¡± --- ¡°I can¡¯t wait to show you my Fortresses & Fighters figurines.¡± Ansel beamed as we rode our horses deep into the city towards his family estate, ¡°I just finished redoing the paint job on my Thunderhawk and one of my cousins wrote that they found a Dworkish Spartan Shield Bearer in a pawn shop. Oh, I bet we can get a game going with him after supper. Have you ever played?¡± He had been talking nearly nonstop after meeting at the stables, clueing me in that Arc¡¯s earlier guess was correct, and making me wonder exactly why he was so excited. ¡°Uh, no, I haven¡¯t. I had a few figures growing up but didn¡¯t even know there was a game involving them until I came here to the capital.¡± Ansel looked down at my arm and sighed, ¡°Right, you were probably the captain of the ruggleball team in your village.¡± That got me chuckling, ¡°Nope, we had a couple of kickball games we¡¯d play in the village, but I¡¯d only join in on occasion. I was usually off on my own, doing extra schoolwork assignments, picking up odd jobs around the village to earn extra food, or sneaking off to practice mana manipulation.¡± I gave his slightly taller but lankier frame a quick study, ¡°I¡¯d be up for learning how to play, assuming your dad doesn¡¯t pester me with questions about my poleaxe all night.¡± A guilty sigh escaped me, ¡°I am sorry for dragging you into my bartering with him by the way, I wanted to help my friend, and it was the only thing I could think of at the time.¡± Ansel grinned as he waved me off, ¡°It¡¯s alright, you were at least being transparent in your dealing, and to be honest, I would have been too scared to invite you normally.¡± That sent me for a loop, ¡°What? Why would you be scared to invite me? You¡¯re the direct heir to a family of knights and mages older than the kingdom, and not only grew up next door to the royal palace but had regular playdates with a princess.¡± I narrowed my eyes at the family crest on his horse, ¡°I¡¯m betting your family has some legend associated with them too, given that your family crest is a shield reflecting a lightning bolt.¡± He made a sheepish grin, ¡°Uh, yeah¡­ a blacksmith crafted a kite shield for a young knight who had to defend the fortress by herself after her father and older brothers were badly injured fighting a skull dragon. Every time the dragon tried to call down lightning to kill her, she¡¯d hide behind her shield instead of lying prone, allowing her plenty of time to dodge out of the way of its head slamming into the ground. She eventually killed it, and as a reward to the blacksmith, offered him her hand in marriage.¡± ¡°Exactly, and I¡¯ve seen you fight in the arena, I highly doubt your ancestors are disappointed in you.¡± Ansel shifted uncomfortably in his horse, ¡°Okay, but you¡¯re the one who¡¯s a living legend. Bards are already telling stories about you.¡± I let out a groan, ¡°Highly inaccurate ones claiming that instead of spending months planning and crafting this,¡± I pointed a thumb towards the poleaxe on my back, ¡°that it was gifted to me by a minor god, along with my ability to use magic. And don¡¯t even get me started on the whole love triangle I¡¯m apparently in with Seleyna and Reidar.¡± Ansel set a hand on my shoulder while barely suppressing his giggles, ¡°If it makes you feel any better, my own family¡¯s legend is most likely horribly inaccurate as well. The only known way to craft a metal shield capable of deflecting lightning is by melting down the bones of a skull dragon. So, unless there was a second dragon, there¡¯s a chicken and egg situation going on with the creation of the shield.¡± We continued down the road together, both still laughing about how we each were intimidated by each other. Chapter 45 - The Lakelander Estate Journal Entry #5 Potluck at the church was a struggle today. Everyone in the village had gathered, and anger kept swelling up inside me every time someone told a joke or smiled, forcing me to stew by myself, but that wasn¡¯t the worst part. Eliza, the most beautiful girl in the village, the one I hoped to dance with at the Fall Festival, approached my empty table with a steaming pan of hotdish. My anger washed away as she shared stories about her departed older brother that died when that plague came through half a calendar cycle ago, and I returned in kind with stories about Petter, but a new emotion began to creep into my soul as we moved onto other topics. Guilt. Had Petter never died, Eliza would have never given me a second glance, or grasp her hand with mine as we bonded over our shared experiences. --- Travis The Raycraft Estate was a sight to behold. While many of the large buildings I¡¯ve been in had an obvious dwarven influence with their sturdy sloped walls, columns, and glass ceilings, this castle had a distinctive Lakelander feel. The stone brick walls were the same type used for my own house¡¯s foundation, familiar steep pitched roofs ensured that snow couldn¡¯t accumulate, and the wooden navy-blue bay windows dotting the walls broke up the oppressive feeling that fortress walls gave off. The small, rounded towers on the corners of the buildings and single large one were a departure from anything my village has, but I have noticed that many of the Lakeland style homes here in the capital have a single wooden turret, so maybe the trend simply hasn¡¯t spread to us yet. I must have gone slack-jawed as we entered through the gatehouse and into the front courtyard. Maple trees, raised flower beds, a fountain spewing water into a pond, and ivy-covered trellises refreshed the air with their pleasant scents. There was also a bustling covered patio out front, complete with barkeep serving drinks, making it look more like I was visiting an inn or pub instead of a person¡¯s home. A middle-aged man wearing an emerald tailcoat ensemble approached Ansel and I as we dismounted our horses, ¡°Welcome home Young Master Ansel, did you and your guest have a safe and swift journey?¡± ¡°We did.¡± Ansel turned to me, ¡°Travis, this is my personal butler Balthasar, if you want to know anything about the estate, he¡¯s the one to ask.¡± The butler gave me a quick bow, ¡°A pleasure as always to greet one of Ansel¡¯s friends. Should you require assistance during your visit, my services will be available to you.¡± He turned to Ansel, ¡°Due to the influx of family members and guests this week, tonight¡¯s supper will be in the Grand Hall. Your father is currently awaiting your arrival in the main branch¡¯s private spell range and has asked me to encourage you to meet him right away.¡± Ansel made a light chortle, ¡°I¡¯m surprised he wasn¡¯t waiting outside to greet us.¡± He leaned towards me to gossip, ¡°Dad wouldn¡¯t stop babbling that night about how he now has all the pieces together for the project he¡¯s been trying to get off the dry dock.¡± He shook his head in aggravation, ¡°Of course, he still refuses to say what said project is¡­¡± Balthasar grinned as a small group of valets approached to escort our horses to the stable, ¡°He was showing some odd behavior earlier, greeting branch family members as they arrived and having his afternoon snack on the front patio for example, but your mother kindly reminded him that he should be spending his free time sharing his magical expertise and not acting like an impatient child on Solstice.¡± Ansel, without looking, handed his bag to one of the valets that approached while we were listening, then returned his own grin, ¡°Better not keep him waiting then.¡± He then gestured for the butler to lead the way, but before I could take my first step inside, one of the valets spoke up. ¡°Sir, would you like for me to carry your backpack inside?¡± ¡°Oh, umm¡­ sure, I guess¡­¡± I awkwardly pressed the quick releases to let the kid pull it off my back. My lack of familiarity must have been obvious to Ansel, since he smirked before turning to the valet holding my bag, ¡°Place it in my room with mine for now.¡± He then gave my elbow a friendly nudge, ¡°I just realized, is this the first inner-ring estate you¡¯ve visited?¡± ¡°Yeah, and my first Lakelander one at that.¡± My head swiveled around as we stepped in to see the intricately carved wooden panels on the walls, oil paintings depicting knights in battle, and copper molding on the ceiling reflecting the candlelight. ¡°This place is beautiful by the way, do all Lakelander estates have a similar look?¡± ¡°For the most part, yes.¡± Balthasar informed as we walked past dozens of people in the Grand Hallway. ¡°Nearly all the original castles built for the founding noble families were designed by the same team of architects. Over the eras, the numerous building updates and complete rebuilds have brought more variety but just as often have caused design elements to become copied. The estate¡¯s Stormwatch Tower for example, originally commissioned by Sir Michael after becoming inspired by elven architecture during his tenure as ambassador for the United Human Kingdoms, has influenced the creation of meditation chambers and spiraling staircases on the other noble estates.¡± My impromptu tour guide kept speaking as we exited through a pair of double doors into the main inner courtyard, but I didn¡¯t hear a word of it as my eyes took in a strangely familiar sight. It was like my entire village was squished down into a smaller area, or that our inn/tavern was multiplied in size by twelve dozen to accommodate a Fall Harvest Festival. Elderly relaxed in wooden reclining chairs on the enormous veranda in front of the Knights¡¯ Apartments, adults leaned against the balconies idly chatting or sat playing games on the terrace, and dozens of children were gleefully playing in the enclosed park. Homesickness swooped in like a hawk as I spotted a little boy reading a book underneath one of the trees, making my eyes well up as its claws sunk in deeply. The last few months had been a constant blur of sleeping, eating, and studying. Giving me little time to fully comprehend just how much things had permanently changed for me. A hand set itself on my pauldron, and I turned to see Ansel¡¯s worried face, ¡°Travis, are you okay?¡± I wiped my eyes, giving my face a quick massage to push aside the melancholy, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Was just¡­ shocked at the number of people. You¡¯ve got an entire village in here.¡± Ansel smiled at my obvious deflection, ¡°It normally isn¡¯t this crowded, but with Fall Expeditions kicking off in a few days, every single Raycraft family member is here.¡± He took in the crowd with his own eyes and pointed out a few knights who weren¡¯t wearing the Raycraft crest on their tabards, ¡°Since my family specializes in Lightning Mana, anyone born with a Fire or Wind affinity will often marry into an outer family or find a spouse that has the correct affinity to ensure their children will inherit a Lightning one, but some prefer to become hedge knights instead. My family does try to keep good relations with those who aren¡¯t granted formal admittance into the Raycraft family, so a lot of my distant cousins are dropping off their sponsored wards for the upcoming training camp.¡± My eyebrow raised at one of his off-hand statements, ¡°You can control what affinity a person will inherit?¡± ¡°Somewhat, you need to know what affinity a parent has first to even push the odds in your favor. For example, my dad is a Lightning Mage, and my mom is a Fire Mage, it was a coinflip for my brother and I which affinity we¡¯d inherit. If my mom married another Fire Mage instead, all of her kids would inherit her Fire Affinity, and if she married an Earth Mage, her kids would end up with Metal affinities.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just a simple genotype inheritance then.¡± I gave Arc¡¯s pommel a rub as we continued walking, heading towards the featureless back wall of the courtyard, a little surprised he was being so quiet. Must be too many eyes on him. A guarded ramp leading down greeted us by the wall, and Balthazar gave us a quick bow, ¡°Enjoy your time in the training yard.¡± Ansel nodded, ¡°Thanks. Send a few wards to come collect our armor and weapons shortly before supper, I assume we¡¯ll head directly there once it¡¯s time.¡± The butler acknowledged the order as Ansel gave my elbow a nudge and started grinning while we descended into the tunnel, ¡°My great grandfather was extremely meticulous about safety. As a result, the only way to travel between the different training areas is by this underground maze of tunnels. Great for keeping yourself from being hit by a stray spell, but really annoying when you¡¯re trying to find an open tumbleball court.¡± ¡°Tumbleball? What¡¯s that?¡± He gave me a shocked look, then shook his head as he led me up a ramp to look through a window into an enclosed space with a dozen Lakelanders shuffling about in the sand wearing boardshorts, ¡°Tumbleball. You skin and tan the hide of a tumblepig, stuff it full of wool, then attempt to hit it just right so it ricochets off the walls into the opposing team¡¯s basket. First team to thirteen points wins.¡± We watched for a few minutes as the opposing teams employed a mix of mana reinforced hits or [Air Bolt] spells to volley the ball from side to side until one team pulled off a high-speed combo. A female player jumped up to intercept the ball, putting a huge amount of spin on it, and causing the ball to cling to the opposing team¡¯s wall as it made a ¡°U¡± around the pillar holding the basket. One of her male teammates then launched a [Wind Bolt] at it, hitting it just right to undo the spin, catching the opposing team off-guard just long enough to let the ball bounce off the back wall and into the basket. Ansel and I laughed as the victorious teammates leaped past each other, and with a single swing of their outstretched arms, gave each other a high five followed by a butt slap. We then resumed our travel through the tunnels, past another pair of guards who greeted Ansel with bows, and finally walked up a ramp in time to hear loud cracks of lightning. Ansel¡¯s father stood before a dozen knights and mages, the strong features on his face he passed on to his son highlighted by a flashing Orb of Lightning, ¡°Now, as tempting as it may be to keep this [Generator] spell active as you progress up the scale in mana frequency, I highly recommend against doing so. This spell is not a perfect container for the energy inside, and as a result, can either discharge into the nearest ground (that would be you in this instance) or simply fail to create a conduit with your [Lightning Bolt], making it draw its energy from your body instead. Remember, ¡®Fire is energy, Wind is movement, and Lightning is transference.¡± The teacher closely observed his students, making sure they nodded along in agreement, ¡°Good. Any questions?¡± His face lit up with joy upon seeing Ansel and I, ¡°Can be answered tomorrow. I have a son to publicly embarrass in front of his friend.¡± The amused crowd watched a reluctant Ansel get hugged by his dad, then began to filter out of the spell range, though a few paused to give me a double take before getting shoved down the ramp with the others. ¡°Travis,¡± Ansel¡¯s dad¡­ William, extended a hand for me to shake, ¡°I never got the chance to properly thank you for bribing me that night. I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m a bit peeved that I need to wait another two months to start my mothballed project so my lead artificer can get lucky, but I¡¯ll take what I can get at this point.¡± I raised my eyebrow at his teasing, ¡°And what exactly is this project? I recall you going on a tirade about how important cost effectiveness was for approving the production of an artifice, but then ran off immediately after Durinn showed off their personal vanity project.¡± William let out a nervous chuckle, ¡°Sorry, but the entire thing is top secret. I haven¡¯t even told Durinn what we¡¯re making yet.¡± He then started grinning as he looked over my shoulder, ¡°Not to come off as rude¡­ but can I?¡± I rolled my eyes and detached my poleaxe from my back, handing it to the grown man bouncing on his heels like an excited dwarf, ¡°Alright, have at it, and yes, you can attune to it.¡± Ansel and I stifled our laughter as his dad made a quick grunt, then began swinging it around and occasionally casting a Bolt spell down range. We stood there for a while watching the child at heart play with his new toy, only stopping to say hello to Ansel¡¯s mother and grandfather when they walked up the ramp. My bout of homesickness returned as I watched Ansel¡¯s face grow beet red after his mother kissed his cheek and I shook hands with his grandpa. I¡¯m not exactly sure why, his mother with her deep red hair and matching fiery exuberance was the complete opposite of my own mom¡¯s calm and steady attitude, and the few memories of my only living grandparent before they passed away were hazy at best. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I let Ansel catch up with his mother after the initial introductions were made and joined his father and grandfather to share how I went about constructing my weapon. ¡°You forged the steel and hammered it yourself?¡± The old man, Duncan, gave an approving nod, ¡°Smart lad, intimate knowledge of its makeup and structure will make carving mana channels much faster and improve your connection once they¡¯ve been forged.¡± William handed my poleaxe back to me, only showing slight hesitation, then gave his whole body a quick shake, ¡°Ugh¡­ that thing is dense with mana, like swallowing a brick. On the downstream, your enchantments will stick like sap on bark, though you¡¯re definitely going to need to carve some mana channels into it if you want to swap enchantments on the fly in the future.¡± A tiny groan escaped me, having a god, a rooftop full of drunken dwarves, and now a senior mage all repeat the same thing wouldn¡¯t have been so bad if not for the fact that the process to do so doesn¡¯t get covered until the end of Artifice 3. A class I won¡¯t take until next summer. Duncan gave my back a comforting pat, ¡°No need to worry about problems years down the line just yet, focus on increasing your mana levels and magical knowledge for now. There¡¯s no benefit in you starting the process until your body naturally creates its own set of mature mana channels anyways.¡± William nodded along, although suddenly stopped mid-nod to peer directly at Arc, making my chest clench in sudden fear, ¡°Oh, that sword of yours is going to be a problem though¡­¡± I instinctively grasped onto Arc, trying to remain calm, but my voice betrayed me, ¡°Wwwhy, is that?¡± The two men shared a look before the elderly one started chuckling, ¡°Have you tried using mana reinforcement while fully attuned to your poleaxe?¡± Huh? I guess I technically haven¡¯t bothered to try since I couldn¡¯t use it in the arena. What are they getting at? The older man gestured for me to give it a go, so I decided to humor them as I began the slow process of attuning to my poleaxe. Ansel and his mom approached the circle just as I finished, and I walked down towards the nearest target dummy to give it a try. My arms raised up my weapon, attunement making it feel like half its usual weight, and took a quick breath before attacking. The mana in my body ramped up in a wave, starting at my feet, moving into my hips and core as they shifted, then ramped up in my back and arms before¡­ slamming into an abrupt halt as the wave hit my hands, instantly forcing my synchronization with my poleaxe to fail. The sudden increase in perceived weight completely threw off my swing, making me not only miss the target, but nearly fall over from the sudden lack of coordination. Ansel¡¯s mother shook her head at the old men as they let out deep bellied laughs, leaving Ansel himself looking very confused. ¡°What happened?¡± William set a hand on his son, ¡°This boy, is why that skull dragon spear I had commissioned for you is staying in the armory until you graduate.¡± I looked down at my poleaxe, trying to puzzle out why the weapon I crafted with my own hands suddenly failed me, ¡°But¡­ I¡¯ve attuned to other things while using mana reinforcement¡­ and those have never¡­¡± Ansel¡¯s mother was kind enough to explain, ¡°Your body¡¯s immature mana channels aren¡¯t large enough to accommodate such a densely packed object. Smaller, less mana dense items, will be much easier to stay attuned to at your current stage.¡± A deep sigh escaped me as everything finally clicked into place. Next semester (when we begin learning weapon enchantments), I won¡¯t be able to use my poleaxe since any enchantments I cast on it will immediately break in combat. And since Arc is made of adamantium, I can¡¯t attune to him either to practice the spells. I started walking back up to the group, my head lowered in defeat. I¡¯ll have to requisition a regular sword from the quartermaster when I get back from my expedition, forcing Arc to remain in my dorm room or armory most of the day. My hand reached down to give Arc an apologetic rub, ¡°Sorry bud, sounds like I¡¯ll need to use a regular sword.¡± It¡¯s ok bud, I understand. A hand set on my shoulder, making me look up and see Ansel¡¯s grandfather narrow his eyes at me, ¡°Hmm¡­ I have a thought. Take off that arming jacket. Let me get a better look at you first.¡± He directed Ansel to help me remove my armor, allowing me to strip off my wood fiber garments down to my waist. ¡°Hmm,¡± the old man¡¯s eyes lit up as he inspected my bare chest, ¡°that might work. You¡¯re about to go on a Fall Expedition right?¡± He paused to let me nod my head, ¡°Perfect, your mana level is already high enough to start stressing it into forming proper channels. Now, I¡¯m no expert on Elementalist Mages, but for Lightning Mages, you can speed up the development of your mana channels by maintaining different basic enchantments on each extremity for long periods of time. A common one I¡¯ll have our family members do is [Fire Edge] in one hand and [Wind Shield] in the other. You¡¯ll need to consume a lot of mana rich food to keep your body from wearing out as your internal mana shifts into neat little rows inside, but you¡¯ll be on a feeding frenzy anyways during your expedition, so you might as well take advantage.¡± Hope swelled up in my chest, ¡°I already have been practicing [Earth Cleat], and have the spell diagram for [Water Bracer]. Should I ask my professors for additional spells before leaving?¡± William¡¯s face scrunched up in thought, ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re not going to have much time to learn a bunch of new spells¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ assuming the strategy is to maintain four different elemental enchantments at once¡­ oh! For your head, you can simply attach your dust filter to your helmet and use [Message] to speak. That should only take an afternoon to get the hang of.¡± I nodded along excitedly, ¡°I can already do that. That just leaves a Fire enchantment.¡± Ansel¡¯s grandfather smiled at me, ¡°For that, you can just maintain a strip of Fire Mana down your spine instead of enchanting a proper [Fire Aura]. It won¡¯t be long till the autumn air starts chilling you, and you¡¯ll most likely be camping outside for weeks at a time.¡± Feeling extremely grateful for their guidance, I bowed in respect towards the senior mages, ¡°Thank you for the advice. I will put it to great use this fall.¡± The two smiled back at me as a pair of young wards arrived in the private spell range, announcing supper will be served soon, and to collect mine and Ansel¡¯s armor and weapons. --- Supper in the Grand Hall was not what I¡¯d come to expect from an inner-ring noble family. For starters, instead of being served, we were initially forced to wait outside the doors to the hall (Ansel¡¯s immediate family and their guests of course were first in line), and were only allowed to enter once the dinner bell rung and doors opened. Inside was a scene straight out of a dream. Four long rows of wooden tables and benches were piled high with food. Steaming roasts of chicken, ham, beef, and mutton acted as centerpieces. Bowls of mixed fruit, freshly baked bread rolls, and vegetables interspaced between them. And placed on top each table setting was a cast iron pot. My stomach screamed and rattled against its cage of abdominal muscles once the savory scents flooded into my nostrils, and the long walk down to the opposite side of the hall to sit at the elevated head table was straight up torture. It took every last ounce of willpower to not immediately begin shoveling food into my mouth as I sat down between Ansel and his grandfather Duncan, especially once I discovered what the main course was. Cottage bacon topped with Parmesan hash browns, scrambled eggs, rosemary onion gravy, sour cream, and green onions. A traditional breakfast bowl that would be delivered out to the fields in the spring and fall, giving farmers not only a nice hot meal, but allowing them to save a trip traveling back to the farmhouse. When I turned fifteen, delivering these iron crockpots was one of my most favorite tasks, mainly because I¡¯d often get an extra one to carry out for myself, but they were handy for practicing magic with. Running with a cauldron in each hand was more strenuous than the simple jogs I went on with Lancel around the village, and reheating the pots by hovering [Fire Orbs] underneath them was a challenge to master. Ansel demonstrated to me how the contoured designs on the cast-iron pot were more than just fancy decorations, they doubled as guidelines for a basic warming enchantment. I looked around the hall as everyone sat down and began to enchant their bowls as well, still a bit confused about the humble meal preparation for the main course. Sure, all the food inside was rich with mana, but shouldn¡¯t inner-ring nobles have a posher presentation? I still remember it being a huge ordeal to get my food choices agreed to by the caterer at my academy induction party. I debated asking Ansel, but before I could build up the courage to ask, a singer¡¯s voice rang throughout the hall. Every single Raycraft family member joined in with their voices as they sung what I assume was their family¡¯s unique prayer to Apheros and Adamanrion. The tune was familiar, but not quite the same as one my family or the village would sing before eating, and the lyrics about the sky coveting the shiny armor of the singer was certainly something new. Once the family finished singing, everyone began to eat in silence, much to my enjoyment. It didn¡¯t take long for Ansel and me to clean out our bowls. I then followed along as he wordlessly instructed me to gather regular food from the table to add to our pots, then cover the contents with the lid. Ansel smiled at me as we waited for everyone else at the table to do the same. A few minutes later, a bell rang, prompting every Raycraft to sing a quick follow-up verse, and then begin merrily talking to each other while our bowls began to warm up the food. ¡°Okay, I think I¡¯m lost now.¡± I admitted to Ansel and his grandfather. Duncan gave me a kind smile, ¡°We¡¯ll start the prayer for our second course once our food has reheated, then repeat the process two more times after that.¡± He nudged my elbow, ¡°Hope that singing voice of yours is as good as that shadow show proclaims, it¡¯s traditional to have guests sing the prayers for the follow-up rounds.¡± I did indeed get asked. It wasn¡¯t too terrifying, mainly since I had the foresight to check if the prayer my family often sung was appropriate, and by the time I finished eating my fourth helping of food, my stomach was bloated with deep satisfaction. --- ¡°Okay, I rolled a twelve for my evasion roll,¡± I peered at the stat block for the thunderhawk, ¡°so that¡¯s only two d8¡¯s of reduced damage from your Watcher¡¯s Ice Arrow spell.¡± I rolled the dice and cursed, a four and a zero, Ansel was going to get eight bonus points of damage for his attack. Sure enough, he rolled an eleven on his damage die, bringing his grand total to eighteen points of damage, two more than my thunderhawk had for remaining hit points. ¡°By the gods and God, you two are a pair of basement-dwelling nerds!¡± Arc groaned in my ear as I congratulated Ansel on his win. Now that it was just Ansel and I in his room, Arc was back to his usual inane commentary. I¡¯ll have to ask him what a nerd is later, I don¡¯t recognize that word. Ansel grinned as we placed the figurines back on his shelves, ¡°You did great for a first time, nearly lost three of my units after your last strafing run,¡± he grumbled the next bit, ¡°and didn¡¯t spend six minutes on your round deciding what to do.¡± I chuckled as I placed the thunderhawk between his icefang wolf and thunderhoof bison, taking a moment to admire the ferocious poses on the hand-painted Elemental Eight greater monsters. ¡°The monster field guide does not do these things justice.¡± ¡°Ugh, I know,¡± Ansel groaned in sympathy, ¡°the black and white reference pictures are purely anatomical, they don¡¯t show them in motion.¡± He pulled out a thick book to hand to me, ¡°I wish they¡¯d use the images from this painter¡¯s guide. It includes not just the common color variations for each monster, but also pictures of them attacking, resting, and standing next to an average human for scale.¡± I idly opened the book to a random page, impressed by the full color images of knee-tall rocktail beavers swinging their tails around to smash rocks into pieces. None of the books I had growing up had such detailed prints inside, usually only a second color to offset the dull black and white line art. I turned the page, wincing at how sunbeavers came up to a person¡¯s shoulder, apparently could spit lava out of their mouths, swim through underground magma flows, and also blind nearby opponents by slamming its tail against the ground. ¡°Oh, maybe you¡¯d know, is there a monster species capable of using both Light and Shadow mana in combat? When I researched the creation of my sword, I was told that the bones of such a monster were used to create it.¡± Ansel pondered while looking over his various figurines, before his eyes lit up, ¡°None that are ¡®officially¡¯ in the monster registry.¡± He excitedly waved for me to follow him out of the parlor and into his bedroom where he started perusing different cryptozoology books. While I waited, I took the opportunity to look at the different paintings he had up on his wall, hoping to get inspired for tomorrow, but his choice in artwork wasn¡¯t¡­ typical. One painting had a horned monster with spikes down its spine, tusks jutting out from its ox-like jaw, and cloven hooves kicking up ash in a burnt forest. Another was of some kind of fish monster, with an oval-shaped body, triangular tail fin, two eyestalks, and a weird looking proboscis that ended in a beak-like mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. And finally, there was a painting of a man leaping from a high tree branch, but upon closer inspection, he had multiple feline features, most notably a pair of triangular cat ears atop his head. None of these were real monsters. ¡°The cat-man of the Cloudy Rainforest¡­ I think he¡¯s my favorite. There hasn''t been a lot of sightings of him lately, so he might be dead now, but there¡¯s tons of stories about him saving groups of hunters.¡± ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s not just a mutated human?¡± ¡°Or a furry?¡± Ansel shook his head, ¡°No, what makes something a cryptid is how they break the established norms. For example, a bullcock can only live for three to five years before the different body parts begin to fight for dominance, but the catman has sightings stretching out over multiple calendar cycles. Even a strong-willed person will go insane over time and often commit suicide before monster flesh fully consumes their body to propagate. My hypothesis is that he was a sapient species that washed ashore from a different continent.¡± He held up the book he was searching for to bring us back on topic, ¡°This¡­ unholy creature keeps evading us at every turn. It¡¯ll dive into the murky water, coating itself in Shadow, disappearing for hours sometimes, then suddenly appear out of nowhere, attempting to inject venom into our ankles with its spurs. That¡¯s right, venom! Eleanor has been moaning in pain for hours now, and with James still blind from a bright flash it created earlier, I worry we won¡¯t make it out of this gully alive. Why in the name of The Hooded One does it keep harassing us? Was it because we found its nest of eggs?¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s not much to go off¡­¡± I agreed with Arc, spurs were a common weapon amongst bird-type monsters, ¡°Were there other entries?¡± Ansel shook his head, ¡°Afraid not, this was one of the few remaining pages from a damaged journal found on a team of dead hunters. There might be other monsters, that one was the only one I could think of at the top of my head, but¡­¡± he let out a deep yawn, ¡°I¡¯ll wait till tomorrow. You¡¯re welcome to extend your stay past breakfast if you want by the way. Though, fair warning, I caught grandpa playing matchmaker in his head during supper, so you might get roped into a blind date if you¡¯re not careful.¡± I started giggling at the irony, ¡°Sorry, but I need to get back to campus right away in the morning. I¡¯ve already made plans to go out on a date.¡± ¡°Date! What date? When did this happen!¡± My giggling turned into full-blown laughter, not just from Arc¡¯s reaction, but Ansel¡¯s shocked face as well. ¡°With¡­¡± his voiced cracked as he forced himself to speak, ¡°with Seleyna?¡± ¡°Seleyna? No, I¡¯m going on one with Caldia Hopkins. Though, ¡®date¡¯ is probably too strong a word, we¡¯re not courting or anything, just¡­ uh, getting to know each other better, and uh¡­¡± I nervously scratched the back of my head. Why am I suddenly sweating so much? Ansel leaked out a sigh before clapping my shoulder with a big smile, ¡°Sounds like you got a big day tomorrow. Thanks again for visiting Travis, I had a lot of fun.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± I returned the gesture with a shoulder pat of my own, ¡°I¡¯m really annoyed that I¡¯m about to leave for two months. We¡¯ll have to catch up when I get back.¡± Chapter 46 - Shipping Issues Journal Entry #7 A witch has just come into the village. She was easy enough to spot, what with her wide brimmed hat and spear with a bunch of monster feathers tied to one end. One of those hideous orcs is even following her around, got arms so bloated with muscle that they look more like tumors underneath his skin. Why the rot are they here? They¡¯re more than a little late. Petter died nearly a week ago, and the guards already avenged his death. Ugh, a town meeting¡¯s been called now. This better not be another recruitment drive. Rot! Rot, rot, rot, rot, rot! The witch was there talking to the guard captain as I approached, scanning the crowd with her eyes, until they stopped on me. I didn¡¯t even understand what was happening until the guards dragged me into their barracks and told me plainly why I was about to be exiled. It¡­ it¡¯s all my fault¡­ I¡­ I killed Petter¡­ --- Arc Woodsday, the 30th of Eighthmonth I knew this day would come, Travis is a teenager after all, but for some reason, I¡¯m still shocked that it¡¯s actually happening. Travis is going on a date. Travis, the kid who¡¯d find any excuse to flee from a pretty girl flirting with him, is going on a date. I¡¯m not even angry that he hid it from me. In fact, I¡¯d say I¡¯m proud of the sneaky little rascal. My focus shifted away from his friends studying for their general education finals in Jethro¡¯s living room, and swooped in as he finished changing into the borrowed outfit. Nothing complicated, just a long-sleeved shirt, a vest, and pair of knickers, but that didn¡¯t stop Jethro from fussing over Travis. ¡°No, no, no, that¡¯s not how you roll up your sleeves!¡± The tailor grabbed an arm to demonstrate, ¡°You start by pulling the cuff up just past the inside of your elbow, then roll up the excess, leaving a strip of the cuff showing. That¡¯s why the inside of your shirt cuff is a different color than the rest.¡± Travis copied the process on the other arm once his hand was free, getting an approving nod from Jethro once he finished. ¡°There, now I just need to get Drozuk ready for his date, and my mind will finally be at peace enough to get back to studying.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a date!¡± The deep voice of Drozuk grumbled as he fumbled with the strips of cloth he was supposed to fold and tie together into a garment, ¡°I¡¯m just visiting Xruul¡¯s family for supper.¡± Jethro rolled his eyes, ¡°Same thing.¡± Then let out a sigh upon seeing the orc, ¡°Did you not even read the instruction guide I gave you?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Drozuk bit back defensively, ¡°but it¡¯s missing steps or something.¡± Jethro shook his head, then started fixing Drozuk¡¯s outfit, ¡°How did two people who can¡¯t even dress themselves ace the entrance exams?¡± Travis grinned as he looked at himself in the mirror, ¡°Not sure. Maybe you should send a complaint to the church of Ignitious and tell them that your commoner born friends are embarrassing you?¡± The Lakelander noble finished crisscrossing the cloth over Drozuk¡¯s torso and tightly wrapped the remainder around his waist a few times before tucking the end into a fold, ¡°Ha, I might just do that.¡± He then checked the clock on the wall, ¡°You better get moving Travis, I need to get back to studying, and Apheros will get angry with me if I delay you.¡± Travis stiffened at the mention of Apheros, then turned to look at me leaning against the wall, ¡°Jethro, could you do me a favor?¡± ¡°Sure, what do you need?¡± ¡°Can you keep an eye on my sword while I¡¯m out? Make sure it doesn¡¯t go wandering off. I¡­ don¡¯t want to get into trouble.¡± ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon now! You¡¯re acting like I¡¯ll get into the trash if left unattended.¡± Jethro cocked his head in clear confusion, ¡°Uh¡­ sure, I have my history exam at four, but if you¡¯re worried about it getting stolen or something, I can carry around your sword instead.¡± Travis relaxed his shoulders, then clapped Jethro on the back, ¡°Thanks bud, I owe you one.¡± --- Travis I entered underneath the dome of a colonnade connected to a cluster of bakeries, restaurants, and art galleries, greatly relieved that 5751054 was able to help me find the place I was supposed to meet Caldia. The place was beautiful, with white marble columns creating an arc on the south side, dwarven made buildings completing the circle, various places to sit underneath the dome, and even a spot for my horse to grab some hay from a feeder. Despite spending months in the capital now, I have barely gotten to see any of it, and today was one of my last chances to do so before leaving. One of my previous letters to Caldia were about how fascinated I was with the frescoes in Adamanrion¡¯s church, and how dull my room was when compared to my friends. Since I now had the entire day free, she suggested a tour of amateur art galleries, even offering to purchase something I liked as a belated birthday gift. My hand reached out to scratch 5751054 behind the ear, hoping to relieve the nervous knot forming in my gut, ¡°This might be the last time we get to walk around the city together until I get back. I¡¯m going to miss you bud.¡± He nuzzled me after I dismounted, then pointed his nose at one of his satchels. Curious, I opened it up, finding not just his usual logbook of who¡¯s been riding him, but a couple of pamphlets as well. ¡°Equine combat training?¡± I looked up at the blaze stripe on 5751054¡¯s brown and white face in surprise, ¡°Are you sure?¡± He nodded, prompting me to read through the brochure and ask more questions, ¡°Okay, but I¡¯m not sure if I can cover the cost listed in here. Your taxi service has been covering your stabling costs, plus some extra that I¡¯ve been setting aside for any incidentals or equipment replacement that you might need.¡± He huffed and pawed the ground with one hoof, before bumping his nose against my hands. I sat there puzzled, trying to interpret the gesture, until I finally remembered that there was more than one pamphlet. The second offered a solution for how to pay. ¡°You want to enlist in the Logistics Corps?¡± I tilted my head back up to assess my painted draft horse. Sure, he wasn¡¯t a fast-charging destrier breed that Darius and other calvary knights preferred, but he was more than capable of carrying an armored knight or helping cart around supply wagons for long periods. (He was a farm horse after all.) Likely sensing my hesitation, 5751054 stepped closer to wrap his head around me, and gently rubbed my back with the side of his head. My mind still kept conjuring images of monsters ripping apart my steed, but I eventually let out a reluctant sigh, and begrudgingly gave his shoulder a pat. ¡°Alright, when we get back to campus, I¡¯ll talk to the stablemaster.¡± A familiar voice from behind suddenly made my back stiffen, ¡°And Lancel wonders why none of his horses like him.¡± 5751054 released me from his hug, allowing me to slowly turn and rally my confidence to greet Caldia. It didn¡¯t work. Caldia¡¯s golden-blonde hair and bronze skin reflected the sunlight, producing a halo that made my throat completely freeze up, and my mouth to grin like a blissful idiot. She smiled back at me, then dismounted her horse as I stood there too dumbfounded to provide aid. Luckily, she didn¡¯t seem to take insult, and reached out to readjust my vest. ¡°There, looking like a proper noble. Ready for your art lesson?¡± Dragonflies still buzzed around in my stomach, but I managed to find my voice, ¡°Lead the way.¡± --- Arc Jethro, making good on his promise to Travis, clipped me to his belt before heading down with the others for lunch and meeting up with Jakob and Xruul. I unfortunately garnered him some unwanted teasing. ¡°Careful now,¡± Mattius warned, ¡°Travis may have an iron will, but even he¡¯s been showing a few signs of madness.¡± Drozuk snorted, ¡°More like madness is what infects the lake around him. I for one am looking forward to being far, far away from his nonsense for a couple of months, where I don¡¯t have to worry about royals or their politics.¡± Light chuckles spread throughout the table, although I noticed Jakob¡¯s grin wasn¡¯t as jovial. Thinking back, his experience has probably been the biggest whiplash of the group, at least the others heard rumors about Travis before randomly getting to meet Seleyna. Bridget gave Adrian¡¯s elbow a nudge, then tilted her head towards Jakob, encouraging the lad to speak, ¡°Jakob, umm¡­ about your offer¡­ for the next two months I¡®ll be receiving private tutoring in mana reinforcement to help catch up with my training battalion. But if your offer to visit before you leave still stands, my last exam is in a couple of hours.¡± Ah, that¡¯s good, I¡¯m not sure if Adrian told Bridget he might be a political land mine, but they must have at least talked about some of what¡¯s bothering him, and decided to have him visit the Brekke estate instead. I know Travis was comfortable to the point of feeling homesick yesterday, given how many times I got to see through his eyes and even feel a dose of his melancholy (talk about disorienting, I couldn¡¯t even focus enough to talk to him, only whisper people¡¯s names), so having the Northman kid visit a Northmen estate should be an easier first step. Jakob¡¯s grin changed to a genuine one, ¡°It does. I¡¯ll be returning to my home to pack after receiving my mission assignment, so if you¡¯d be willing, we can leave after lunch tomorrow?¡± Adrian nodded, looking relieved as he grasped Bridget¡¯s hand underneath the table. A lull in conversation swept over the table, but Xruul seemed more than happy to break it. ¡°Speaking of estates,¡± he turned to give a toothy grin to Drozuk, ¡°you¡¯re looking quite spiffy. I noticed that half-orc chef was even checking out your arms, Travis better watch out.¡± Drozuk, recoiling from the compliment, tried to hide his bashfulness by curling into a ball over his food. I assume the smug look of self-satisfaction from Jethro was too much to compete with. Lunch continued, and the lack of pommel rubs or ability to quip was only slightly aggravating, but it was much, much better than sitting in Travis¡¯ room completely bored out of my sword-brain all afternoon. I¡¯ll have to ask him to make this a regular thing. Something strange did happen part way through the hour though. Sir Asher, Princess Seleyna¡¯s bodyguard, approached the table with a worried expression, ¡°Pardon my intrusion, but do you know the current whereabouts of Travis?¡± His hands clenched right before Jethro could reply, looking like he was expecting terrible news. ¡°Uh, not sure where exactly, but I know he was heading to the art district for his date.¡± The Royal Knight relaxed in his armor, causing a few of the plates to shift, but a second later he suddenly perked up with a new worry, ¡°Date? With who?¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Jethro smirked at the sudden lack of decorum, but decided to humor the knight, ¡°Caldia Hopkins.¡± He leaned in to speak conspiratorially, ¡°Though, don¡¯t tell Travis I called it a date, he¡¯s been trying to downplay it all morning.¡± Asher, suddenly remembering his position, stiffened back up and gave a curt nod to the group before striding off, ¡°Enjoy the rest of your day.¡± Huh, wonder what that was about? --- Travis I watched in fascination as the amused high elf barista used the large metal contraption to force steam through a strainer packed with stimleaf, then prepared a small pitcher of cream to add to the drinks, ¡°This, here human, is what should be the symbol of the three kingdoms. Stimleaf imported straight from the Rayavarious Valley (not that ditch-weed I¡¯ve seen some uncultured ducks drink), fresh cream from the local dairy, and a machine that only requires a single enchantment to run.¡± She poured the now frothy cream into the porcelain cups, using a knife to separate the liquid from the foam, then dolloped the remainder of the pitcher into the cups and sprinkled cocoa powder overtop. I paid for the drinks, carefully picking them up by the paper sleeves with green logos on them, then slowly walked over to where Caldia was already sitting with a plate of freshly baked croissants. ¡°So, where to next?¡± I asked a minute later while spreading cream cheese on my pastry. ¡°I was thinking of going to the Monetrenoir gallery, one of my friends who¡¯s actually majoring in art at the institute has some impressionist landscapes for sale there. Plus, I know there¡¯s a large selection of prints they have for purchase also, so you should be able to find at least something you like.¡± That reminded me of something I¡¯d been meaning to ask. ¡°Umm, sorry if it¡¯s a touchy subject, but is there a reason you didn¡¯t become a full-time art student?¡± She waved me off, ¡°It¡¯s not. I simply don¡¯t have the time. Mom¡¯s going to formally retire this solstice and name Marcia the clan¡¯s Matriarch. Since I¡¯ll become second-in-line according to our noble house¡¯s charter, I need to be prepared to take over in case Marcia becomes indisposed or worse.¡± ¡°Ah, that explains why you went to secondary school for accounting and legal assistance.¡± She let out a sigh, ¡°The basic accounting degree turned out to be a waste of time though. Lucia¡¯s way more competent than I am. Hardly a drain on her free time to double-check Marcia¡¯s records.¡± I shrugged my shoulders, ¡°Who knows, maybe it¡¯ll come in handy some day? I picked up the basics for a bunch of different trade and homemaker skills, not truly expecting them to come in handy, but my knowledge of cooking pot styles helped me answer a question my first day of Fire Spells 1.¡± Caldia started giggling, ¡°You¡¯re probably right, things have gotten busy at home. Dad¡¯s going to have the wards do some cross-training with the Quintillius clan next month, and then host one of his former squadmates along with their son the month after.¡± Her eyes suddenly lit up, clearly remembering something, ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. Dad offered to help you pack before you leave. Will you be free on Snowsday?¡± ¡°Should be¡­ I won¡¯t know my ship-out date until tomorrow morning, but the earliest I could possibly leave would be Windsday.¡± ¡°Perfect, we¡¯ll stop by shortly after noon. That should give us time to still make a last-minute errand if needed.¡± I nodded along before finally picking up my croissant, greatly liking that idea. An embarrassing moan of ecstasy soon followed as I bit into my food, the flaky and buttery pastry was immediately mouthwatering, but what really set me off was the sweetened strawberry preserves hidden inside. My hands fumbled when I caught Caldia giving me the Hopkins¡¯ signature grin, and I immediately swore when a glob of red hit the light-gray vest Jethro lent me. Caldia tried to lean in with a napkin, but I held up my hand, ¡°No, wait¡­ rubbing it in will stain it.¡± I stood up from my seat, ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m going to make a quick trip to the restroom.¡± She leaned back in her chair, picking up her drink to help hide her amusement, and waved goodbye to me with her free hand. A quick application of Water magic to wash out the jam, followed by a Fire Mana trick Jethro taught me to remove wrinkles from clothes, and I was walking back out only a few minutes later after checking myself in the mirror and re-calming my nerves. On the way out though, I saw a tall, broad-shouldered Packer Knight, wearing a black tabard embossed with the crest of a badger biting a snake over his brown arming jacket talking to Caldia, and given her friendly smile, must have known him. ¡°Oh, Travis,¡± Caldia spotted me approaching, ¡°this is Sir Arturius Dominicus. He¡¯s the twin brother of that friend I mentioned earlier.¡± The guy extended his hand, and I shook it, despite my gut telling me not to trust his handsome smiling face, ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Travis of Aelder Creek, Initiate Elementalist Mage.¡± His chest vibrated with a barely contained laugh, ¡°What a treat! I thought bumping into Caldia was a predestined encounter, but now I get to meet the famous mage her brother brought home.¡± He swung his slightly thicker arm around my shoulders and gave my whole body a shake, ¡°Come with, I was about to go surprise my sister after being gone for so many months at training, but with you two in tow, this will amplify our reunion up to thirteen!¡± I grinned nervously, hoping that Caldia would think of an excuse to separate from him, but my stomach dropped into my feet upon seeing her grab his other arm, gesturing for him to lead the way. --- Arc Travis is back! Not going to lie, it took every ounce of my willpower to not intervene when Jethro took his history final. Watching him quietly whisper the questions then relay misremembered facts to himself was soul-crushingly painful. Honestly, the only reason I didn¡¯t help was because he managed to eke out the equivalent of a ¡°C¡± from my old world. The second I was safely clipped back onto Travis¡¯ belt, and traveling back to his dorm room, I started Messaging him. ¡°So¡­ how did your date go?¡± Travis grunted, looking annoyed, ¡°It¡­ wasn¡¯t a date.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, did something happen?¡± He let out another huff, ¡°Kind of, we ran into one of Caldia¡¯s friends, and ended up spending the rest of the afternoon and supper with him and his sister.¡± Oh boy, I think I know where this is going¡­ ¡°Him huh? Let me guess, a handsome Packer boy¡­ smooth talker¡­ probably a knight¡­¡± Travis stopped dead in his tracks just outside his door, surprise written all over his face, ¡°Yeah, how did you know?¡± ¡°Well, given how jealous you obviously are, it was a safe assumption.¡± ¡°Jealous!?¡± Travis stammered, ¡°What? No, I wasn¡¯t jealous, just¡­ umm, had a bad feeling about that guy. Seemed too nice¡­ even bought supper for everyone.¡± I mentally shook my head at the delusional teen, so happy that he was dealing with normal teenager drama for a change. Not hearing a response from me, Travis entered his room while doing his best to ignore the elephant in the room, then stepped over to check his mailbox, pulling out a small notecard, ¡°My arming jacket that Durinn covered with bioluminescent paint needed the stitching removed to fully clean it. I need to head down to confirm it still fits before they reissue it.¡± ¡°You should probably do that now before they close up shop for the night. I imagine there¡¯ll be a run on them tomorrow once mission assignments are handed out.¡± Travis nodded in agreement, then turned around to head down to the supply depot. It ended up being a smart call. While it was only a fifteen-minute wait, it was obvious that all hands were on deck inside the warehouse. ¡°Sorry again for creating extra work for you.¡± Travis apologized as he stood on the fitting column, doing his best to avoid the Quartermaster¡¯s stinkeye as they fixed a dent in someone¡¯s helmet. The beardless overseeing his fitting started snickering to themselves, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re quite forgiven. We all got a good laugh when it showed up in our repair bin.¡± They looked up at Travis¡¯s face, then rubbed their chin, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, why was some permutation of ¡°bearded¡± written all over it in dwarvish?¡± Travis sighed, then startled back into proper posture once he noticed his spine was slouching, and explained, ¡°Well, one of my dwarven friends, Durinn, accidentally called me beardless when we were about to work on a project together, and although it¡¯s technically true, the real reason I¡¯m shaving my face is because my beard hasn¡¯t fully grown in yet.¡± He let out another huff, ¡°Oh, and because there¡¯s a Lakelander noble tradition to not go unshaven until after you fight in the Spring Flood.¡± The beardless grimaced as they confirmed everything was tailored properly, ¡°Oof, that¡¯s got to be stressful having to wait another seven or eight months.¡± ¡°Yeah, on the downstream though, I¡¯ll get to practice blade enchantments next semester with the fancy shaving kit some unknown person gifted me.¡± He mumbled to himself, ¡°Still haven¡¯t figured out who it was that gave it to me¡­ or why.¡± The Quartermaster suddenly froze, grabbing my attention, and making me zoom in with my focus. The beardless assisting Travis started to giggle, ¡°You know, if you were a bearded dwarf, a shaving kit would be considered the height of rudeness, due to it being such an inappropriate gift.¡± ¡°See, I thought it was an insulting gift at first, but after asking around, no one who knows about my beard frustrations admitted to sending it, and everyone else I asked was just as clueless.¡± He blew a raspberry with his lips, ¡°I¡¯m starting to wonder if maybe it was supposed to get mailed to a different Travis.¡± The beardless dwarf held up a finger, completely oblivious to their boss sweating bullets behind them, ¡°There was another Travis enrolled here a few years ago¡­ Woodburr? No¡­ maybe Woodbrush? Ugh, I can¡¯t remember, you humans come and go like hurricanes.¡± The two continued to chat while the Quartermaster stepped into the back room to hide the fact they were hyperventilating. Gee¡­ I wonder if the Quartermaster might know something¡­ --- Rainsday, the 31st of Eigthmonth Travis sat on a bench in the hallway just outside the room he would be receiving his assignment in. I didn¡¯t serve in the military in my previous life, so I¡¯m not an expert on the subject, but I¡¯m pretty sure things are done quite differently in this world. A few of my old high school buddies enlisted, so I have a vague idea of how earning ranks worked there, but with magic throwing a wrench into this world''s system, their military has had to make some adjustments. For starters, this first meeting Travis is about to attend is a reporting for duty ceremony with a brigadier general (one-crownwork patch on their shoulder). Generals, as my translation suggests, are the senior officers that plan operations for the lower ranks. There are five ranks, denoted by the number of crownworks on their shoulders, and although the number of officers in the first three ranks doesn¡¯t have a set amount, each division of the military only gets four baron generals (four-crownwork) and a single duke general (five-crownwork). They¡¯re also almost always made up of people who¡¯ve completed a thirty-year pledge to serve the kingdom, and instead of retiring, have decided to keep serving despite being restricted to desk jobs. Travis, with his provisional rank of junior mage, is the lowest of the ranked field officers, but oddly that still places him above even the most senior of soldiers. All because he can use mana. Which, I guess, kinda makes sense¡­ the average mana user could easily crush the skull of an irritating normal person like a grape, so their authority would be completely dependent on respect. Hmm¡­ I wonder if that¡¯s why only the Logistics Corps allows non-mana users to rise into the officer and general ranks? My musings were cut short when Travis¡¯ name was called, and he marched into the room. Inside the small room was a single table. Seated behind it was Travis¡¯ drill instructors, Hector Hopkins and Felicity Eastburn, and also an older gentleman who I¡¯m guessing is the brigadier general. Travis robotically saluted the three, then stood at attention. ¡°Initiate Travis, reporting for duty.¡± The general returned the salute, then held up a sheet of paper, ¡°Initiate Travis, I am Brigadier General Jonas Stalsworth, and will be assigning you to your field battalion for this fall¡¯s expedition purge. Your talents have earned you a spot in the Combined Arms Special Extermination Forces battalion that will be departing the capital on the gunboat UHKS Warden¡¯s Hammer the first of Ninethmonth, destination for combat exercises being Coldspring Fortress. Are there any conflicts of interest I need to be aware of before continuing?¡± Travis pursed his lips in thought, and absentmindedly tapped me with fingers. ¡°That¡¯s the same division Reidar is in, and Coldspring Fortress is where Drozuk grew up. Oh, and also where Trent told you to go to join his witch coven.¡± ¡°Sir, my only concern would be the local witch coven.¡± General Stalsworth nodded his head, ¡°Ah, if your concern is about one of their witches being a former ally of Jarl Eisaiah, then you need not worry. The Vanishing Gully Coven never allowed Eisaiah membership, and in fact, were instrumental in eliminating his insurgent organization. They also have a vested interest in ensuring that this mission will be a success.¡± Travis returned a quick nod, ¡°No other conflicts come to mind sir.¡± The general presented the sheet of paper to Travis to take, ¡°This is the current roster as of this morning. Read through and inform me of any personnel conflicts I need to be aware of.¡± Travis took the sheet and began to read the document, then visibly paused part way down. A sudden wave of color and emotion flooded my senses, allowing me to not just see through Travis¡¯ eyes, but also feel his jumbled mess of confusion, bewilderment, and downright disbelief at who he¡¯d be working with. Squad 1 ¨C Royal Knight Captain Adaline ¡¤ Initiate Fire Mage Princess Seleyna ¡¤ Novice Ice Mage Lord Vesril Quinsandoral ¡¤ Initiate Water Mage Drozuk ¡¤ Initiate Elementalist Mage Travis ¡¤ Junior Spartan Medic Reidar ¡¤ Junior Spartan Chef Varguk ¡¤ Junior Knight Lancel Hopkins And four more names I didn¡¯t recognize. Squad 2 ¨C Spartan Captain Aguk ¡¤ Initiate Dust Mage Mattius Tatian ¡¤ Initiate Steam Mage Thaddeus Creeksmith ¡¤ Initiate Steam Mage Zaccheus Creeksmith ¡¤ Initiate Earth Mage Treblana Sympronian And another seven I didn¡¯t recognize. There was also a squad of Commandos and a squad of Logistics Corps members, but Travis and I were way too focused on the first two squads. The sound of someone snorting with laughter made Travis (and me?) look up to see the almost painful looking smile creating new wrinkles on the general. ¡°Are there any conflicts I should be aware of?¡± Travis and I just stood there, mouth practically drooling on the floor, unable to rub two brain cells together enough to say something. ¡°Good, between you and me, I had a stack of transfer requests for this battalion as thick as my arm and am not in the mood to change it further. Though, I will admit part of that is because Baron General Zadock sent his on a dwarven slate stone for some Torbolt-only-knows reason.¡± He saluted Travis, ¡°Detailed mission briefing will be held at 11am in room ETH028. You¡¯re dismissed.¡± Travis, forgetting to salute back, listlessly walked out the door as his senses slowly disconnected from me. ¡°That does it! I¡¯m calling shenanigans.¡± Hearing my Message, Travis snapped out of his funk, and even started chuckling, ¡°You know, in hindsight, it makes sense that at least one person would abuse their privileges to mess around with what squad I¡¯d end up on.¡± I joined in on his merriment as we turned a corner, almost plowing into a panicking Mattius. ¡°Travis!¡± The teenage Packer grabbed him by the shoulders with eyes as wide as saucers, ¡°I need your help! She¡¯s in my squad, what do I do?¡± ¡°Huh? I thought you weren¡¯t in Seleyna¡¯s squad?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not talking about Seleyna, it¡¯s Treblana!¡± Travis tried to make sense of what Mattius was being hysterical over but had to tap me for help. Oh, right, Travis wouldn¡¯t know who that is, ¡°Treblana is that girl Mattius has had a huge crush on since the beginning of the semester.¡± Travis¡¯ laughter returned as he patted Mattius on the shoulder to help calm him, ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, just be yourself.¡± Mattius scowled at Travis, ¡°That¡¯s what Bridget told me. What else do you got?¡± Travis let out a sigh, then pointed his head towards the building¡¯s exit, ¡°C¡¯mon let¡¯s go get a snack from the cafeteria before the detailed briefing. I don¡¯t want to sit through a meeting with an empty stomach.¡± Mattius groaned, but begrudgingly followed. Chapter 47 - Assembling the Team Journal Entry #8 I left the village today. It will never be my home again. I managed to muster enough dignity to at least walk out with the hunters and witch. I¡¯ve seen plenty of sad sacks that needed to be hog-tied and thrown onto a wagon before, so I knew there was no escaping my fate. We walked and walked and walked, until my exhausted body fell to the ground when we camped that night. The sky was clear, and the largest moon Porta shone brightly. I wonder¡­ Do the gods even care that my life as I know it is over? --- Travis Mattius and I escaped the rapidly filling cafeteria with our precious cargo of sandwiches, then stood at one of the outdoor tables between the main walkway and green space, hoping to catch Drozuk or someone else before our mission briefing. Well, Arc was looking, I was busy trying to console Mattius while he routinely kept rechecking the squad assignments between bites of sandwich, the dread on his face growing more and more pronounced as it refused to change who he was going to be in a squad with. From what I¡¯ve been able to gather, Mattius took the advice I relayed from Arc to heart and hasn¡¯t done anything stupid. However, he hasn¡¯t done anything bold either. The only communication between each other so far have been short conversations during specialized weapons training a couple of times per week, meaning that they¡¯ve barely gotten past basic introductions at this point. ¡°Isn¡¯t this your chance to get to know her better?¡± I cautiously asked, ¡°You¡¯ll be in the same squad, so you¡¯ll have plenty of opportunities to talk.¡± Mattius didn¡¯t bother to finish his last bite of sandwich, opting instead to mope about, ¡°Please, like she¡¯ll give me the time of day. Especially when there¡¯s a pair of twins to flirt with.¡± I sighed in response to my friend¡¯s pessimism, and to Arc hinting with his snickering that he knew more than he was willing to divulge. I didn¡¯t even know how to empathize with Mattius¡¯ situation. Here he was with a golden opportunity, but all he could do was sulk. Exchanging letters with Caldia has been nice, but it couldn¡¯t hold a candle to how wonderful it was to spend the day with her. Well¡­ it was, until our¡­ sort-of-date got hijacked. ¡°Hey! Professor Quinsandoral is approaching with an elven Ice Mage. How much do you want to bet that¡¯s his son?¡± Welcoming the interruption, I perked my head up in time to see my Wind Spells professor walking along the main path with a young elf who, despite some obvious attempts to look different, was clearly his son. Unlike his dad who normally wore traditional high elf robes of varying colors and only carried a wand for spellcasting assistance, he was wearing the same uniform I was. Albeit his arming jacket was blue instead of forest-green, and had an additional leather bandolier across his chest filled with throwing knives that must have also acted as a mount for the oddly shaped shield on his back. The faces were what truly confirmed they were father and son, not just because they had nearly identical sharp and angular faces topped with platinum blonde hair, but because they both had matching looks of irritation furrowing their brows. The younger also had a dozen silver piercings to differentiate him, the most notable ones being a spike in each eyebrow, a pair of studs in his nose, and two more in his pointed ears. Something I haven¡¯t once seen in any of the other elven students, although I¡¯ll be the first to admit I¡¯ve barely interacted with the non-humans on campus. Raising my hand in greeting, I shouted out to Professor Quinsandoral, who to my delight, smiled upon seeing Mattius and I by the outdoor bar table. His son, however, visibly sighed and dragged his feet as they moved towards us. ¡°Young Master Mattius, Travis,¡± Quinsandoral greeted us with a gleeful tone, ¡°I was hoping to meet you before my son¡¯s mission briefing.¡± He gestured to his scowling child, ¡°This is Vesril, future Lord of V?reuh¨¢lsmyrdalsj?kull, or as you may know it by it¡¯s poorly translated name, Glacier-cut Edge.¡± Raucous laughter violently erupted from Arc in my ears so loud that I instinctively brought both hands up to my ears and winced in pain. My obnoxious sword at least had the decency to quiet down, but a hand on my pauldron and worried look from Mattius made it obvious that I needed to think of an excuse fast. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I massaged the sides of my head and back of neck to stall, ¡°just¡­ uh, tweaked my neck is all¡­¡± I made a show of relaxing my shoulders to help sell the lie, then secretly vowed to test Arc¡¯s heat resistance at the spell range later tonight. Vesril watched our interaction with his violet-colored eyes, completely cold and expressionless throughout, then in a sudden shift, looked over my shoulder and smirked, ¡°That¡¯s a gnarly looking axe.¡± Professor Quinsandoral tensed up, then spoke through clenched teeth, ¡°Yes, Travis does have an eccentric choice of weaponry¡­¡± Vesril huffed, ¡°Figures, it¡¯s perfectly fine for your pet human to wield a unique weapon, but if I want to¡ª" ¡°Travis isn¡¯t an elf!¡± Quinsandoral barked. ¡°And he doesn¡¯t have the legacy of his forebears to uphold.¡± Vesril rolled his eyes, ¡°Monsters haven¡¯t attacked the mountain pass in over six eras, that¡¯s hardly a legacy. Why do I need to use the same weapon my great-great-something wielded while cowering behind a wall and never using the thing?¡± My professor grabbed his son by the shoulder in a tight grip and cut into him with his glare, ¡°You are on the narrowest of branches boy. Your mother still sees you as a child, and your uncle may only be indifferent as of now, but I have final say on whether you can attend this academy. And let me tell you boy, self-expression isn¡¯t looked upon kindly at Krisneirous University. They¡¯ll rip out those piercings, burn away your tattoos, and snap that ridiculous thing you call a weapon in half before you take a second step on school grounds.¡± The tension in the air was near to boiling as the two stared each other down in defiance. Mattius looked just as scared as I was to say anything, knowing that this kettle was only a single bump away from exploding. Ironically, it was a student bumping into Professor Quinsandoral that broke the tension as they rushed by in a hurry, barely able to spurt out an apology. The father and son broke off their staring contest, and in unison with matching faces, cringed upon realizing they just had a very public argument. Mattius, showing way more initiative than me, pulled out his pocket watch to check the time, ¡°We should probably get to our meeting.¡± He forced a smile towards Vesril, ¡°Want to join us?¡± Vesril shrugged his shoulders while rolling back his eyes, ¡°Sure, I¡¯m heading there anyways.¡± --- Arc As the Ethics & Law building came into range, I decided to scout ahead with my focus and see if I could eavesdrop on anyone coming to the mission briefing or at least figure out where Drozuk was. I found him already in the room, seated with his arms crossed, and looking considerably grumpy. Hmm¡­ I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s not too thrilled about getting teamed up with Travis, a princess, and an edge lord. I watched for a few seconds, but after determining that no one in the room was saying anything of substance, I flung my focus over Travis as he entered the building and back outside to watch Princess Seleyna approaching with Sir Asher and another unknown knight. To my surprise, she looked just as grouchy, completely ignoring the unknown knight behind her as they quietly whispered to Asher. ¡°So, what¡¯s got her kindling snapping in the hearth?¡± Asher let out a tired sigh, ¡°She¡¯s convinced that I¡¯m the one who put her on a team with Travis and Reidar, and flat out refuses to believe I didn¡¯t submit anything.¡± The unknown knight raised her eyebrow, ¡°You didn¡¯t? I¡¯m surprised, even I requested a roster change.¡± Asher chuckled as they approached the building, ¡°Didn¡¯t have to, someone already did.¡± He then spoke louder to ensure Princess Seleyna could hear as well, ¡°Honestly, she¡¯s being a bit of a hypocrite, given that she submitted a request of her own.¡± Seleyna ignored the gossip as she stormed in and made her way to the meeting room. By this time, Travis had already sat down in the front row between Vesril and Drozuk, and Mattius took a seat in the second row next to the Creeksmith twins Thaddeus and Zaccheus, so when Seleyna saw Travis¡¯ smiling face and friendly wave at her upon entry, she noticeably relaxed and put on a royal smile of her own. Vesril nodded to the princess as she took the seat next to him, ¡°Princess Seleyna.¡± ¡°Young Lord Vesril, it¡¯s been a while¡­ last year¡¯s Spring Gala?¡± ¡°Sounds about right.¡± He gestured to Travis, ¡°Your parents pay off the general to put you on the same team with him too?¡± Seleyna stifled a laugh, ¡°Not sure, no one¡¯s admitted to it yet, but it¡¯s safe to assume. That shadow show about us does need a sequel after all.¡± She leaned forward to get a better look at the surly orc, ¡°Drozuk, it was quite the surprise to see that your father was elected Jarl of Coldwater Spring Fortress. Has he been able to settle into his new role?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± Drozuk growled, ¡°he hasn¡¯t told me a thing¡­¡± Jarl? Huh¡­ I¡¯m surprised Drozuk never spoke about that, unless¡­ ah, I¡¯m guessing Travis isn¡¯t the only one with a dad keeping secrets from them. The door opened to permit a dozen people in Logistic Corps uniforms, Mattius¡¯ crush Treblana, and a tall burly half-orc wearing half-plate. He stepped up to the unknown knight who walked in with Seleyna and reached to shake her hand. ¡°Captain Adaline, pleasure to finally meet you.¡± The Royal Knight took the offered hand, ¡°Same as well, Captain Aguk, it¡¯s nice to have a face and voice to put to your correspondences.¡± My focus drifted back towards Mattius, who looked just as nervous as ever whenever he tried talking to Treblana, but at least managed to hide it well and produce a semi-stoic nod of acknowledgement when she took the seat next to him. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll get to see you fight up close now.¡± Treblana spoke cautiously. Mattius smiled, ¡°Same here, umm¡­ I¡¯ll be counting on you to help overwhelm the opponent, since¡­ you¡¯re much more talented at Earth Magic than me. I don¡¯t even have the needed mana to mimic the [Earth Wall Slide] you used a couple of weeks ago to shove that muledeer into the arena wall.¡± ¡°Really? I think you¡¯re the talented one. Even from the stands I can tell every repeated structure you build is identical in dimensions and spaced out the same distance.¡± As usual, their conversation was cut short, right as they were about to build momentum, when Brigadier General Jonas called the meeting to order. ¡°This looks to be everyone, so let¡¯s begin.¡± The general reached to pick up a box in front of him, ¡°Your mission will be twofold; monster eradication in the Coldwater Spring Fortress¡¯ territory, and diplomatic relations with the fortresses you¡¯ll be harboring at during your journey.¡± He opened the box to pull out a very familiar looking baseball sized sphere infused heavily with Order Mana and a Wind Mana gem embedded in its core. ¡°This is a Master Message Stone. Unlike the private ones some of you carry or the inscriptions in your helmets, this does not vibrate or create sound. Its construction does have a unique advantage though¡­¡± General Jonas grinned madly as he let the orb roll off his hand and crash onto the stone floor with a loud bang, causing all the students to flinch. He softly chuckled as he reached to pick the extremely valuable artifice back up, ¡°It can maintain its paired frequency for a minimum of twelve years, despite how roughly its treated. Princess Seleyna will be presenting one of these to each fortress you visit, partially to build positive public relations with the populace outside of the capital, but also as part of a test run for the Queen¡¯s proposed long-range communication improvements.¡± Twelve years! Holy gods and God, I know the gift Travis received from the queen was expensive but¡­ wow! The inscriptions in Travis¡¯ helmet require daily resynchronizations for the private and squad channels to ensure they don¡¯t randomly cut out, the battalion channel needs a weekly reset (assuming normal amount of chatter), and the emergency channel can maybe last two months if he doesn¡¯t take a blow to the head to rattle the inscription. Travis must have had the same thought since I caught him stiffening up and gently placing his hand over the valuables pouch on his belt. The general continued with the mission brief, starting with introductions to the battalion¡¯s leadership, ¡°Captain of Squad 1, Royal Knight Adaline will have general command of the battalion¡¯s diplomatic and over all mission, Spartan Captain Aguk of Squad 2 will be acting lead for combat operations, and Raven Four will provide scouting and logistics security with their squad.¡± He paused to gesture to the back row of people wearing the double-breasted jackets of the Logistics Corps, ¡°Staff Sergeant Julien and his team, along with six horses, will manage supplies, field maintenance, and the camp. Keep in mind that they will be outnumbered three to one, so you will be expected to assist when needed.¡± I continued to listen in on the dry presentation, taking notes so Travis could consult me if needed, but I did take time to enjoy watching the corpsmen and mages struggle to stay awake as the general droned on and on. Honestly, two hours to basically state that everyone will take a gun boat down and up the rivers, stopping occasionally to overnight at some of the more prominent riverside fortresses on the way, then coordinating with the Jarl of Coldwater Spring Fortress to kill as many monsters as possible after arrival seemed like overkill, but maybe that¡¯s just because all Travis really needs to do is whatever his squad captains tell him to do. Eventually, the torture session¡­ err, I mean meeting¡­ ended, and Travis was preparing to leave with his friends for a late lunch when one of the logistics corpsmen called out to him. ¡°Sir Travis, can you spare a moment of your time?¡± Travis whirled around to face the approaching man and nervous teenager accompanying him, ¡°Uh¡­ sure, what do you need sergeant?¡± He saluted Travis, then reached into his satchel, ¡°This morning, during our preparations, we discovered to our dismay that one of the horses assigned to our mission will not be fully recovered in time from an injury to be cleared for deployment. As a result, we need a last-minute replacement, and Private Tomas has kindly informed me that your horse, 5751054, enlisted last night.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Heh, he almost makes it sound like Travis¡¯ nameless horse enlisted on his own. Travis pondered the request, ¡°Doesn¡¯t he need training?¡± The Staff Sergeant glanced towards the private, until the social pressure forced Tomas to speak, ¡°Sir! 5751054 is already trained to ride, haul, and self-navigate. He will not be required to know more for this mission given the limited need for equine support.¡± Travis shrugged, ¡°Well, if he¡¯s willing¡­ then I guess I am too.¡± Sergeant Julien smiled, then handed Travis a document, ¡°Just need your final approval.¡± Travis signed the sheet, handed it back, then addressed the private, ¡°Will you be in charge of the horses?¡± The corpsman saluted, ¡°Yes sir, I¡¯m Private Tomas, my main duty will be to act as stablemaster and coachman.¡± Travis nodded, then spoke in a stern voice, ¡°5751054 is precious to me. My parents saved up for two years to purchase him for my eighteenth birthday, and still had to do so on credit from my village¡¯s horse breeder. If something were to happen to him¡­¡± Tomas gulped, ¡°Understood sir, I will ensure he¡¯s properly cared for.¡± Super serious Travis gave another nod, but broke character instantly after taking two steps away, ¡°Oh, wait! When does he need to report in? I was going to take him to run a few errands this afternoon and might need to make a run to get some last-minute supplies tomorrow.¡± Staff Sergeant Julien smirked, ¡°As long as he¡¯s in his stable when you drop off your personal supply crate tomorrow night, you should be fine.¡± Travis exhaled a sigh of relief, noticed that his friends had already left for lunch proper, then rushed out the door to go catch up. Julien gave Tomas a firm slap on the back, ¡°See, I told you he¡¯d be amenable. Most mages are too preoccupied to fuss over small details, so the trick is to make it seem like you¡¯re doing them a favor, instead of trying to save your own ass.¡± Tomas grumbled, ¡°I still can¡¯t believe 5540237 did something so stupid.¡± ¡°Meh, it¡¯s probably for the best. You know how primes can be when told to pull carts in a team.¡± ¡°I know, but still¡­ prancing backwards down the exit ramp?¡± The Staff Sergeant could only shrug their shoulders in reply. --- Travis ¡°Your left one¡¯s drifting again.¡± I paused the warmup routine Reidar taught me to check over my [Water Bracer] enchantment and scowled. This spell was proving much more difficult to maintain than [Earth Cleat] or the [Message] enchantment I created on my helmet¡¯s dust filter. It seemed so simple when I got the spell at first too. Basically, just a trio of condensing arrays on the inside of my forearm to collect Water, and six evenly spaced lines at 60-degrees on my outer vambrace to create a thin layer of fast-moving water capable of deflecting small objects down and away from my face. I didn¡¯t even stumble much on the diagram¡¯s mentioned tricky part of getting the Water to jump over the gaps between my forearm plates, just having difficulty keeping the parallel lines evenly spaced and at the correct angle. ¡°Hmm¡­ it¡¯s a lot harder to keep my formation consistent without a flat surface, and I don¡¯t have anything to act as guidelines¡­¡± Trying to puzzle out a solution, I thought back to the serving pots Ansel¡¯s family used. They were rounded as well but had decorative indentations and ridges to help with spacing and line shape, similar to how I could use my boot treads as a reference for forming [Earth Cleat]. ¡°Ah, I think I understand now why the inscriptions senior students use are so different from the one on Lancel¡¯s sword and other knight weapons. When I got a good look at that shield Vesril carries, I noticed it had a lot of directionless Water inscription lines running along it. I¡¯m guessing any enchantment he casts will use the inscription as a skeleton to keep it from falling apart in combat.¡± I nodded along as I cast a cloud of Fire Mana off my palm and tried to squeeze it into as tiny of a ball as possible, allowing some of my frustration to bleed out, ¡°That makes sense. It¡¯d be like using graph paper to write out a formation. I bet it¡¯s a lot easier to invert or neutralize the direction of a line too if the core is made up of mana dust or gems.¡± ¡°Thramreat mentioned that dwarves used to paint spell formations on their bodies, maybe you can do something similar with your bracers?¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± I tossed the ball of Fire Mana above my head, reshaped it into a [Fire Orb], then nodded to Arc sticking out of the ground down range, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready.¡± Light and Shadow Mana pools around Arc as he starts playing music, until a wireframe statue of a bull¡¯s head emerges from the ground. Slowly, but surely, the rest of the creature appears, starting with a wattle, pair of giant chicken feet, bull¡¯s body and hind legs, and a chicken¡¯s tailfeathers. Bullcock, a single element monster, this stable hybrid of a bull and rooster is well known for their aggressive charges, fast swipes with their spurs, and ability to spit Fire from a distance, but mostly for their excellent tasting meat and valuable leather. I froze for a moment, eyes locked onto its claws¡­ this is the monster that nearly killed my dad¡­ Anger floods my body with battle lust, and I nearly forget to dodge when it starts rushing towards me, not even leaving a full foot between us. It digs one of its oversized claws into the ground after it misses me, then swings the rest of its body around in a 180 to quickly about face. I raise my hand to cast [Fire Bolt], but a horn screeches loudly in my ear, disrupting my concentration. ¡°You want friendly fire? Because that¡¯s how you get friendly fire.¡± I swear as the bullcock makes another charge. Idiot! You can only launch spells downrange! I¡¯ll get my boat axed if I damage the building or accidentally lob a spell into another person¡¯s private spell range. The bullcock angles his charge, so I can¡¯t safely launch a spell after dodging again, but that doesn¡¯t stop it from doing so. The wattle underneath its chin swells up, and a trio of [Light Bolts] fly towards me after the bullcock opens its mouth. I bring up my forearms to block, and manage to deflect the first projectile, but the second and third harmlessly splash against my chest, prompting Arc to start taunting me. ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon! I¡¯ve seen children with better reflexes than that.¡± Clenching my teeth, I try to block out all outside distractions, and focus solely on the task at hand. Using [Earth Cleat] to give my side-steps an extra burst of speed on top of my mana reinforced strides, [Water Bracer] to allow me to forgo a shield and deflect the spit attacks, and at every opportunity, I launch as many Bolt spells as I can downrange. Like usual, Arc keeps increasing the difficulty, first by making the bullcock move slightly faster, then having it extend a claw to try and swipe at me during its charge, and finally varying the number of Bolts he spits back at me. We keep fighting, long past the point where the monster or I would have died, only allowing short pauses for me to fix my bracer enchantments, but without any warning or fanfare, Arc abruptly stopped the music and dispersed his controlled mana. Confused as to what happened, I darted my head around, until I spotted Hector entering through the door. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to startle you again.¡± I released the breath I was holding in, then reached up to take off my helmet and shake away the sweat from my face, ¡°It¡¯s alright, just¡­ wasn¡¯t expecting company is all. You¡¯re the first person to come visit me here.¡± The bearded Packer made a nervous chuckle as he looked back towards the door, ¡°Yeah, I think the only reason the rangemaster let me pass was because I¡¯m your drill instructor.¡± My eyes perked up after finally noticing what was on his back, ¡°You got your poleaxe made!¡± Hector grinned as he handed it to me for inspection, ¡°Yep, did the final assembly with the polearms club this afternoon, and even demonstrated what I¡¯ve been teaching you.¡± I groaned with guilt after taking his weapon. I definitely could have made time this afternoon to visit the club, it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t know when they were meeting this week. Looking down despondently, I began to inspect Hector¡¯s re-creation of my weapon, seeing quite a few differences before even looking with my mana sight. Overall, the material quality and mana density was much lower, using the same mid-grade dwarven steel my armor was made of and ironwood, but it did have some good quality leather wrapping around the middle of the shaft and part way up the langets. ¡°What¡¯s with the leather?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m using right now as a workaround to improve my attunement connection to the weapon heads. Tristan and Percy are heading up north for their Fall Expeditions, so they promised to try and win an elmek horn or something similar to replace the shaft with.¡± I nodded along, checking over the structural build to see if there were any errors, ¡°Speaking of, I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re not at the Hopkins¡¯ estate. Aren¡¯t you on leave until classes start again now?¡± Hector scratched the back of his head, ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ didn¡¯t have any brothers growing up, so¡­ those three can get a bit too¡­ rowdy for me.¡± ¡°Ha, I can relate, I¡¯m an only child.¡± I finished my inspection, not finding any obvious flaws in the build, ¡°Alright if I attune to it?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± The mana inside the poleaxe ramped up to match mine in only a fraction of the time it took me to sync with mine, and unsurprisingly, I was able to maintain the attunement when I tried using mana reinforcement. It did feel a little strange however, like I was squeezing my body through a narrow gap in the fence each time, so I must have been near my limit for how large and mana dense an object can be for me to attune with. Hector watched me test out his new toy, but cocked his head when he noticed Arc planted in the dirt near the back wall, ¡°What¡¯s your sword doing down there?¡± ¡°Oh, umm¡­¡± I turned towards my best friend and had a spark of inspiration, ¡°Since it¡¯s indestructible, I like to use it for target practice.¡± Target practice? What do you¡ª Arc¡¯s words cut-off right as I hit his blade with a [Fire Bolt]. ¡°Ouch! That actually hurt a little¡­¡± Hector barked a few laughs as he placed a hand on my pauldron, then suddenly wrapped his fingers around the edges to dig painfully into my deltoid, ¡°Initiate, when in uniform, you are expected to keep your sword sheathed and on your person when not in use. I strongly advise you to do so in the future.¡± I gulped, ¡°Yes sir.¡± The pain stopped, replacing it with an affectionate pat as he gave me a sly grin, ¡°Now, when you say indestructible, do you really mean indestructible? Because I¡¯ve heard the stories and rumors about these blades, but never quite believed them.¡± Arc began to moan. ¡°Ugh, I knew this was going to happen eventually.¡± --- Arc Snowsday, the 32nd of Eighthmonth Travis looked down at his directions, then back up to the intersection in the artificer burrow and sighed. ¡°It just says left, not left-left or first left?¡± My bestest buddy in this whole world shook their head and frowned. We¡¯d come up to another intersection, but instead of the usual four-way cross, the left side hallway entrances were spaced 60-degrees apart. ¡°Well, logic would assume they mean the first left¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, but that one is newly constructed. There¡¯s no scuff marks or scratches on the walls, unlike the second one on the left.¡± I mentally groaned. That does it, I¡¯m putting a pin in the auto-translator upgrade on my soul¡¯s patch and am going to implement a mapmaking feature. Not like Travis really needs the translator anyways, humans all speak the same language, despite originally being four distinct cultures, and common is used as the international trade language between the three kingdoms. I still don¡¯t get how that¡¯s possible. I mean, nowadays you have the military shuffling soldiers all over the kingdom and congregating every year for the Spring Flood to help spread and reinforce the language, but according to Travis¡¯ history books, humans all spoke the same language before the four tribes united. Maybe the alphabet being phonetic helps prevent regional dialects from forming? These guys don¡¯t even have a word for homophone. Although, I don¡¯t get how that¡¯s possible either¡­ elves are the ones who invented paper, humans had to use good old-fashioned leather scrolls before Oskar made contact. ¡°Arc?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry, got lost in my head. Uh¡­ just pick a direction, if it¡¯s not right, I can replay my memory and help you backtrack.¡± Travis nodded, then took the first left, walking down the tunnel for a full minute before a couple of familiar looking dwarves, plus a human and an elf, came into view. Thramreat was pacing in full armor with an anime-sized war-pick on their back, glaring occasionally at what I now recognized was the entrance to Durinn¡¯s workshop as the elf held her ear up to the tumbler lock. The beardless dwarf kept mumbling, eventually letting their thoughts be heard. ¡°I still don¡¯t feel comfortable doing this¡­¡± Orebeck, also decked out in full plate, but with an extra bandolier of glass vials across their chest and a heavily modified crossbow on their back, was looking completely fed up, ¡°Well¡­ I didn¡¯t feel comfortable making an aphrodisiac so you could seal the nest with my best friend. So, we¡¯re all just going to have to pound sand for a while.¡± The brawny knight (who might have been a goliath, I couldn¡¯t tell for sure), looked down at the two dwarves with a completely baffled expression, then leaned towards the elf to whisper, ¡°Umm¡­ I thought he just mixed up a thing of beard oil?¡± The elf stopped her lockpicking attempt to lightly pound her head against the door and sigh, ¡°Yes, they did. But dwarves¡­ work differently when it comes to mating.¡± She snapped her head towards Travis as he approached and hissed at the party, ¡°Quiet! Someone¡¯s approaching.¡± Travis waved to the group, blissfully unaware of who they were at first until Thramreat began to panic. ¡°Travis! Umm¡­ it¡¯s not what it looks like!¡± Orebeck and the bow wielding elf both facepalmed, unlike the knight who grinned and waved back, ¡°Hi Travis! Are you coming back to the estate for the training camp?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ no, I¡¯m going on a Fall Expedition¡­ Do I know you?¡± Travis gave the Darius-sized knight a second glance. The knight padded their chest, ¡°Oh, sorry, don¡¯t have my tabard on. Thramreat said it would get dirty.¡± He extended a cheerful hand forward, ¡°I¡¯m Knight Lieutenant Evan Raycraft. You have a really pretty singing voice.¡± Travis shook the offered hand, ¡°Thank you.¡± He turned to look at Thramreat, but abruptly stopped part way to look at the door, ¡°Oh, this is Durinn¡¯s workshop¡­ Wait, why are you guys here?¡± Thramreat, still looking as guilty as a rat in a grain bin, quickly spoke first, ¡°Just passing through. That¡¯s all.¡± Orebeck rolled their eyes at the dwarf¡¯s pitiful attempt to lie, ¡°We¡¯re trying to break-in to Durinn¡¯s workshop. I know where they keep their hidden files, so we can use them to help prepare while we ride out to the nesting grounds.¡± Travis still looked confused, ¡°Umm¡­ why would you need that? Also, why are you all fully decked out and armed to the teeth?¡± ¡°Always smart to use protection when approaching a bearded¡¯s nest.¡± Thramreat replied, then grumbled, ¡°And as for the former¡­ Durinn is apparently a sinner in the eyes of the bearded.¡± Orebeck finally lost their temper, and unloaded on the beardless, ¡°Oh, would you quit being such a self-righteous beaver you orthodox piece of slag! Every bearded does it. It¡¯s perfectly natural.¡± ¡°Enough!¡± The elf shouted, forcing the argument to stop. She glared at each dwarf to ensure their silence, let out a huff of frustration, then smiled at Travis, ¡°Apologies, I haven¡¯t introduced myself. I¡¯m Watcher Ariawyn Famaris. Was there a reason you came to visit Durinn¡¯s workshop?¡± ¡°Oh, umm¡­ actually, I was looking for Thramreat.¡± Travis turned towards the dwarf, ¡°I¡¯ve been having troubles with a Water enchantment for my bracers and was wondering if dwarves still used monster paste to help assist with their spellcraft.¡± Orebeck let out a chuckle as they dug through one of their pouches to toss something dense with Water Mana towards Travis, ¡°Here, catch. Monster paste will just wash away after a few minutes. We use mana-infused wax nowadays for Water Enchantments. Just heat it up a bit to apply, but be careful not to let it melt off in combat, oh¡­ and make sure you wipe your armor clean every night. It¡¯ll corrode the rust protection if you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Travis gave a nervous wave goodbye, ¡°umm¡­ tell Durinn I said hi.¡± --- Travis A pair of golden eyes stared up at me, catching the sunlight from the patio door in my dorm¡¯s living room just right to make them look like they were glowing. I reached forward to tickle the baby¡¯s tummy and started grinning like a madman when Boris started to giggle and smile back. ¡°Ugh, I can feel my soul getting stretchmarks just from looking at the cute little guy.¡± I leaned back to relax in my chair, enjoying the sight of Gramps completely taking over not just the packing of my crate, but Drozuk¡¯s too. ¡°Waterproof cards, dice set, blank notebooks, charcoal sticks, barbecue sauce, sandals¡­¡± Caldia, to my surprise, came with her dad, but she was busy designing the family crest that Drozuk wanted to submit for reservation before leaving tomorrow and decorating our crates so they¡¯d be easy to identify. Oh, and Barry was here too. He brought up a crate of ¡°essentials¡± that every soldier needs, including a pair of paperback ¡°adventure novels¡± that he told me not to worry about if they get ruined or misplaced. I think my face was still red from blushing when he snuck those into the bottom of my crate. Everything was just so¡­ peaceful. With Gramps taking charge, I had absolutely nothing to do at the moment (other than anger Caldia by getting to hold the baby). The care package I spent my afternoon assembling yesterday was already sealed and labeled to ship to Aelder Creek, the aelderwood scraps I received from Father Viburnum were secured in my lockbox, and Gramps already agreed to store it in the Hopkins¡¯ vault while I¡¯m away. My respite eventually ended though. Gramps finished off the checklist that he brought, and closed the lid on Drozuk¡¯s crate, but stopped before doing the same for mine. ¡°Drozuk, would you mind taking the baby for a moment?¡± Not sure what was going on, I stood up so I could approach my roommate, and smiled as he went as stiff as a statue when I handed Boris to him. I then turned back to see that Darius was holding a blanket in his hands. ¡°Travis, if you don¡¯t mind, there¡¯s an old Packer tradition that my family would like to conduct with you, given how you¡¯re technically a former ward of our house. It¡¯s a very old one that dates back long before the kingdom was founded and is observed whenever a young man comes of age. It originally started as the final parting gift of a mother to her son before he went to become a spartan, a reminder of which clans he and his ancestors were descendant of, but over time, as our values changed, so has this tradition.¡± I nodded my head, not even considering the possibility of saying no, especially with how emotional he and Barry were becoming. Darius unfurled the blanket, allowing me to see the majestic work of art it was. It was a deep black, but the fabric shimmered with a swirling mix of violet, silver, pink, and blue light. The moons and stars were stitched into it, arranged into the constellations of the Elemental Eight greater monsters. Thunderhawk, the screeching death. Thunderhoof, the raging bull. Sunbeaver, the mountain shaper. Copperdillo, the invulnerable force. Diamondback, the walking fortress. Bushtail, the forest tender. Dark Drake, the unexpected disaster. And Icefang, the sun eater. ¡°In the Southern Plains, it¡¯s easy to get lost after fighting countless battles in the seemingly endless expanse of grass and gentle hills. Should you ever find yourself alone and in need of comfort, let the stars guide you, and eventually you¡¯ll find your way home.¡± I gazed up at Gramp¡¯s blubbering face through my own welling tears and reached forward to receive one of his legendary hugs. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. Thank you so much.¡± Chapter 48 - We Just Need a Rogue Now Journal Entry #10 We made it to Worthwood Fortress and a clerk sat me down to explain my options as they updated my paperwork. Turns out the cities and fortresses don¡¯t need many farmers, or teenagers to go out trapping rabbits. Who would have thought? The clerk suggested that I bunk in the hostel until I turn eighteen in a month, then enlist in the army since it¡¯ll be hard for me to get a trade-skill apprenticeship without a reference. He also added that since I needed to get exiled, that my odds of becoming a knight were much higher. I had to think on it, and was still doing so later at the tavern when that witch and orc came in and joined my table. She told me that she¡¯d be willing to teach me magic, was positive that I could be casting spells in no time even, but in exchange, I¡¯d have to become her party¡¯s mule. Great¡­ my options are: kill monsters for a living, or kill monsters for a living¡­ --- Reidar Eastside Wet Dock #42 Windsday, the 1st of Ninthmonth ¡°Seriously! We¡¯re never going to get there at this rate.¡± Varguk exclaimed as yet another warning bell rang out loudly over the noise and bustle of the corpsmen and sailors hauling cargo. The horse-drawn tram loaded with spartans came to a halt right in front of the extended safety rail, giving the passengers on board a front row view of the wheeled tracks lowering over the road in front of the river access. A deep rumble soon followed, building slowly, but growing louder and louder until the large troop carrier flew down the tracks, blasting everyone nearby with a wall of sound and splash of water as the ship dove into the river. Reidar found himself smirking at his squad-brother¡¯s annoyance, he¡¯s never been a patient one, well¡­ except when it comes time for meal preparation. The half-orc once smoked an entire hog over the course of three days during Winter Solstice, torturing not just the squad, but the entire barracks with its enticing smell. The tram soon lurched back into motion, and the two spartans resumed their search for their ship but did take the time to appreciate a nostalgic sight. Young spartan recruits, still with the vertical white stripes on their cloth uniforms denoting their fledgling status, were holding up signs and half-saluting with their shield hand as the tram passed. Older gangly-limbed trainees, sporting yellow stripes to denote they were old enough to begin physical training, could be seen helping the Logistics Corps and sailors load ships. And older, yellow-striped men and women clad in green brigandine were filing into ships to participate in the fighting. ¡®Unbreaking Branch, Rigid Arrow, Phymur¡¯s Lucky Staff¡­ Warden¡¯s Hammer.¡¯ Reidar tapped Varguk¡¯s pauldron, and the two hopped off the still moving transport towards the pristine-looking gunboat. The older squad-brother let out a long whistle before they approached the loading ramp, taking the opportunity to study the latest in naval advancements. ¡°We¡¯re getting spoiled; ironclad hull, artifice engine, miniature anti-behemoth cannon, and a roomy deck for combat, Braxton might finally crackle with lightning if he sees this.¡± Reidar fought hard to keep his diaphragm¡¯s insistence to laugh from overwhelming him, ¡°Had to row upstream and against the wind to not just the destination, but back to the capital if I remember right.¡± His eyes scanned the passengers already on board, and felt his merriment flip into dread when he spotted the gathering group of spartans, ¡°Were we supposed to requisition a set of mariner¡¯s armor?¡± ¡°Ugh, I hope not, nobody mentioned anything to me.¡± Varguk let out a sigh, ¡°Though it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if I missed something, my head¡¯s still spinning from getting scouted.¡± He gave Reidar¡¯s pauldron a tap with his held spear, ¡°Well, I suppose we should step aboard and find out.¡± He leaned forward to move, but paused mid-step to turn and give his baby squad-brother a knowing grin, ¡°Although, how about I go first? That way I can check and see if we need to make a last-minute run to a warehouse.¡± Before Reidar could even think about thanking his squad-brother for the excuse to prepare himself mentally, Varguk was already on deck, waving at the sailors and corpsmen, and confidently striding towards the gathered spartans. Letting out a jealous sigh, then taking in a fresh breath of the autumn air, Reidar tried to relax as he leaned his spear against a nearby stack of crates and reached into his valuables pouch for his idol to Apheros. Just a moment bud¡­ okay¡­ got that taken care of, you now have my undivided attention. What¡¯s got you feeling so glum? ¡®My apologies, is this a bad time?¡¯ I¡¯ll admit, I¡¯ve got a loaded banquet table right now. Things didn¡¯t go well for Marceles the other day when he confronted the Archbishop, but that¡¯s nothing you need to worry about. I¡¯ve already got one of my paladins helping him out, so let¡¯s just focus on yourself for now. I can tell something¡¯s bothering you. What¡¯s wrong? The sound of Varguk laughing drew Reidar¡¯s attention. He was talking to one of the spartans clad in the yellow brigandine armor designed for naval combat and needed to use his spear as a crutch to keep himself from falling over. His bout of laughter eventually calmed down, and he turned to give a brotherly wave to Reidar, followed by a thumbs up, signaling that the two weren¡¯t in trouble. Ah, I see¡­ Have I told you yet about how I also used to be a social recluse? ¡°You what?¡± Reidar blurted out, then chastised himself for speaking out loud, ¡®Sorry¡­ I don¡¯t recall reading about that in any of the stories about you.¡¯ Well, none of my chosen have ever shared it, not even Oskar, and he went through great lengths to record as many of my stories as possible. You know, I think you remind me of him the most, and not just because you both look alike. You see, back in his day, intermixing between the different human tribes was frowned upon, so being half Lakelander and half Northman left him feeling ostracized most of the time. Add to the pile that he preferred doing ¡°women¡¯s work¡± with his penchant for mapmaking and recording of history instead of going out on hunts with the other men, and we ended up making a strong connection. Reidar nodded along, able to easily see the similarities. Part of why he always got along the most with Varguk was because they took their support skills training more seriously, taking extra classes instead of joining the other recruits for additional combat practice. Where they differed though, was their reasoning for doing so. Varguk really likes to cook, so much that he prefers to solo monsters instead of fighting with a squad. All because he doesn¡¯t want anyone to potentially ¡°ruin¡± the prime cuts of meat on a monster. Getting to study field medicine at the medical university was an eye-opener for him in that regard, since it was the first time he¡¯d met a fellow spartan who didn¡¯t particularly enjoy battle. He still felt guilty over not making more of an effort to socialize with them outside of the organized morning physical training, but with the staggering number of classes he had to take, he needed to spend all available time he had studying. Although now that I think about it, maybe not. He had the opposite problem you have when it came to getting intimate. That breeding stud had a dozen children with just as many lovers before he turned twenty-four. Heh-heh, got himself into quite a bit of trouble before he finally settled down and married, so I bet you¡¯ll never see any history books mentioning that little detail. Can¡¯t be having the Chosen of the gods¡¯ reputation be besmirched with scandals now can we? A groan escaped from Reidar; he still didn¡¯t understand why the god of Fertility chose him of all people. Hey now, none of that, you¡¯re about to go on a fun boat ride with your friends! Reidar frowned, ¡®It¡¯s not a ¡°fun boat ride¡±, we¡¯re on an important mission for the kingdom.¡¯ Yes, yes, I know¡­ Speaking of missions¡­ I¡¯ve got my own for you; start creating your artifact. I can help you out if things get dire, but without a properly built artifact to channel my power, there¡¯s a high chance of you dying in the process. ¡®I don¡¯t know anything about weapon or armor crafting though, where do I even start?¡¯ Oh, it doesn¡¯t have to be a piece of military equipment, just about anything can become an artifact. One of Ignitious¡¯ Chosen, Borgakh, used a cooking cauldron for example, but regardless of what you choose to make, the first step is to collect some high-quality materials. Lucky for you, instead of getting a dull assignment with little chance of combat, you¡¯re about to get shipped out to a hotspot crawling with monsters waiting to get harvested. Once you¡¯ve got that done, you can have someone else physically build the framework of the artifact before you start carving mana channels into it, but you¡¯ll need it custom tailored to the point of it being a unique object. I recommend consulting with that mage friend of yours for ideas on what to create, that poleaxe he made for example, is perfect for turning into an artifact, especially given how iconic it¡¯s becoming. ¡®Hmm, collecting materials should be simple, the mission briefing stated we¡¯ll be using the nobles¡¯ system for splitting the battlefield salvage, instead of simply submitting everything to the crown for distribution.¡¯ Reidar smiled as he thought over the next step. Knowing Travis, he¡¯ll probably go a step further and insist on offering to help him build the artifact. It certainly was a blessing that their paths kept crossing. His eyes widened with realization, ¡®Hold on, did you interfere with my squad assignment?¡¯ Of course I did. What¡¯s the point of having a divine patron if they can¡¯t even help you get a good mission assignment? I even went the extra mile and got you into the same squad of that pretty girl you¡¯re enamored with. Plus, I¡¯m not going to let you turn out like Ahkazriel, secretly pining over Trebellia for years as they restructured the military, and never once expressing his feelings! Ignitious still taunts me to this day over how their Chosen beat mine at my own game. The young spartan¡¯s face began to blush, even as he clenched his hand around the idol in anger, ¡®That was highly inappropriate, and an abuse of authority.¡¯ Oh, don¡¯t be such a stick in the mud, there¡¯s a good chance you would have gotten assigned to her squad anyways. I barely had to whisper the idea into the general¡¯s mind before it sprouted. We¡¯ll have to be extra cautious the next two months with the princess and her guard around though, too many watchful eyes lurking about, it might be best if we don¡¯t directly speak to each other until you return. Reidar released his irritation with a sigh, ¡®Understood, anything else?¡¯ Hmm, quite a few of the knights and mages you¡¯ll be working with have orkish ancestry¡­ and you¡¯ll be visiting quite a handful of fortresses¡­ including one near the elven border¡­ maybe try and¡ª Reidar cut the connection and returned the idol to his valuables pouch; it was past the time he should have introduced himself to his new squad. He picked up his spear with his right hand and plucked his shield from his back with the left, then marched directly up the ramp and to Captain Aguk to give a full salute. Spear clapped over shield to signal that he was armed, armored, and ready for battle. ¡°Junior Spartan Medic Reidar, reporting for duty.¡± The half-orc captain returned the salute, then grinned, ¡°Welcome aboard spartan.¡± He paused to take a quick headcount, then bellowed with a mana reinforced shout, ¡°Spartans!¡± The spartan captain clanged his shield twice with his spear, then quickly pounded the blunt end on the deck three times. Moving more like machines than people, the green-striped orphans of the kingdom formed a circle, their spears held towards the center and shields protecting the exposed armpit of the spartan to their left. ¡°Today we welcome two new brothers to our circle: Varguk and Reidar. Guard their right, and they shall do the same.¡± ¡°Hoo! Rah! Hoo-rah-rah!¡± ¡°We are the Combined Arms Special Extermination Force. Our task is to provide our expertise in military doctrine and discipline to our non-spartan allies. Treat them the same as you would any eager recruit and use this opportunity to increase your own knowledge by learning from them. You¡¯ll be standing shoulder to shoulder with the knights as commandos draw in our prey and mages volley spells over our heads. It¡¯s in the best interests of not just the kingdom, but you personally to get along with our new brothers and sisters in arms.¡± ¡°Hoo! Rah! Hoo-rah-rah!¡± The towering captain raised his spear in the air to signal the end of the meeting. Clang! Clang! Thud-Thud-Thud! Reidar stood still as the other spartans dispersed the circle, some immediately racking their spears and shields near the ship¡¯s rails, and others breaking up into smaller circles to chitchat. Before he could decide on a plan of action and enact it, a voice spoke to him from behind. ¡°You lot done hooting and hollering on my deck?¡± The spartans turned to see a grizzled old Lakelander glaring at them, hands on his hips showcasing that he only wore a yellow brigandine chest piece over his brown arming jacket, but also that he had a helmet with a green crest clipped to his belt. Captain Aguk stepped forward, looking considerably smaller than he did just moments ago, ¡°Apologies for the racket ship captain, I will advise the spartans to reduce their noise.¡± Ship Captain Sampson shook their head, ¡°The yelling I can handle, my crew is just as guilty in that regard, but maybe try to keep the deck pounding to a minimum? We¡¯ll be ferrying half a dozen horses, and I¡¯d rather they not start cribbing on the fresh lumber.¡± The spartans nodded in affirmation, earning an amused grin from the ship captain. ¡°Good. Now, which one of you is the medic? I¡¯ve got two clueless corpsmen doing inventory in my state-of-the-art infirmary, and no senior medical officer on deck to sort them out before we launch in three hours.¡± Reidar saluted Captain Sampson, ¡°Sir, Spartan Medic Reidar. I¡¯ll go assist.¡± ¡°Good lad, let me know personally if I need to send a runner to the nearest warehouse.¡± --- Lancel Lancel inspected the mounted weapon on the raised foredeck, unease wriggling its way through his intestines as a blue-haired beardless performed maintenance checks on it. ¡®Couldn¡¯t settle for the standard ballista could they? No, the kingdom¡¯s engineers had to put a storming miniature anti-behemoth cannon on it!¡¯ A trio of full-sized artillery once made the ground shake hard enough for him to nearly fall off a bastion¡¯s wall. How easy will it be for a smaller one to succeed while fighting on a slick deck? ¡°Really wish I had a set of mariner¡¯s armor¡­¡± ¡°What was that sir?¡± Lancel snapped out of his dread to see a confused Barry, ¡°Oh, nothing important. Is my crate on board?¡± ¡°Just handed it off to a pair of spartan sprouts; it¡¯s as good as loaded now.¡± Barry checked to see that no one was in the vicinity and dropped the formalities, ¡°Are you doing okay? You¡¯ve been really quiet all morning.¡± The newly minted knight sighed, ¡°Not exactly thrilled to be going on this mission.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, didn¡¯t you get boat-sick that time you went to visit your uncle for the summer?¡± Lancel groaned, ¡°Yes¡­ but what made the trip miserable was that Tristan somehow convinced everyone to repeatedly toss me overboard so I wouldn¡¯t puke on the deck.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Barry did his best to not look amused, but he was practically Lancel¡¯s second father after all these years, and was far too easy to read. He at least managed to keep quiet while the overgrown child sulked. ¡°I promised Travis¡¯ parents I¡¯d keep him safe¡­ steer him away from danger¡­ How am I supposed to do that when he¡¯s heading into a hotspot for monster activity with barely any training?¡± The Hopkins family guard looked around, then took hold of Lancel¡¯s gorget, ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing you¡¯ll be there protecting him then. I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯d be more at ease with him under the care of someone you don¡¯t know.¡± Lancel forced out another exhale, ¡°Yes, but I keep having the same nightmare. I wake up with my face in the dirt, and when I look up, I see Travis foolishly rushing into battle. I manage to drag him behind the shield wall, but he keeps leaping forward, waving his sword around like a child, and¡ª" ¡°Hopkins!¡± A familiar deep voice not only caused his marching herd of thought to suddenly turn, but also filled his guts with a new brand of nervous tension. He turned around to smile at the jolly goliath, looking straight out of one of Barry¡¯s trashy romance novels, with his hair tied back with a braid to show off his handsome face, a finely stitched white tabard depicting a green island surrounded by mist flowing down his broad chest, and a massive zweihander mounted on his wide back. ¡°Galehaut¡­ um, you seem to be in a good mood.¡± The inner-ring noble gave his thickly corded neck a quick roll as he stretched out his beefy arms, ¡°Ahh, how can I not? It¡¯s a beautiful day,¡± he thumbed the sword pommel on his back, ¡°my father opened the weapons vault for me, and I¡¯m about to end my months long dry spell stranded on land by getting to ride a sexy new boat. Surely you¡¯re excited as well?¡± Lancel grinned, ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, although it has been a while since I last sailed, you¡¯ll have to remind me which side is port and which side is starboard, I always forget for some reason.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be happy to. In fact, I was about to step aboard and report for duty. Care to join me?¡± ¡°Sure, just a minute.¡± Lancel turned to view the cheesy grin plastered over Barry¡¯s face, then threatened his guard in a low growl, ¡°Not a word to mother.¡± Barry didn¡¯t react, merely saluting Lancel, ¡°May Torbolt¡¯s and Apheros¡¯ blessings be upon you, Young Sir Hopkins.¡± Lancel rolled his eyes at the smug guard, then quickly walked up next to Galehaut as they boarded the ship. --- Arc Huh, it¡¯s like they fused a classical Viking ship¡¯s hull with a Greek trireme¡¯s innards, but also glued on more modern elements like a raised fore and aft deck, then tucked in a propeller between the long spine of the keel and added a rudder. Hmm¡­ I guess that makes sense though. From what I¡¯ve gathered, Lakeland shipbuilding styles typically followed the same progression path Scandinavians did. Essentially using upscaled canoes that only sunk below the water 3-4 feet to make navigating the nearly endless chain of lakes and rivers easier, had lightweight frames capable of being carried or dragged by a couple dozen men, and included a single mast and sail to help reduce the need for rowing. I assume the other influences are courtesy of elven and dwarven influence, given that humans never had to fight rough seas or spend extended durations on water. My vision switched from pure mana sight into the full spectrum of reflected light of Travis¡¯ vision. He disembarked from the horse-drawn trolley the mages took down here, and was viewing the ship¡¯s majestic nose-art of a green-armored knight with flowering antlers on their back raising a hammer high in the air. Sadly, it faded away as fast as it arrived, but I managed to keep my spirits high. Travis has been able to share his vision with me more and more frequently this past week, and although he hasn¡¯t been able to do it consciously yet, we think the trigger is him subconsciously thinking, ¡°I wish Arc could see this.¡± Travis eventually got over his astonishment, then joined the other mages as they began to march up the gangplank towards their squad captain, keeping his eyes straight ahead and posture perfect enough to make a spartan proud. I¡¯m positive his overly strict military discipline at the moment was due to him about to begin his first official mission for the kingdom, but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Seleyna¡¯s presence right next to him was contributing, or if maybe Vesril¡¯s lackadaisical attitude was simply making him look good. The Royal Knight returned their salute after reporting for duty, ¡°Welcome aboard. Store your shields and additional equipment you don¡¯t wish to carry on the raised aft deck rails, Squad 1 starboard and Squad 2 port side, then wait for further instructions.¡± Travis nodded, then robotically did as ordered, but startled after removing his helmet when he noticed Seleyna was standing right next to him. ¡°Wasn¡¯t my intention to frighten you.¡± She teased, then unhooked the quivers she had attached to each hip before leaning her back against the rail, ¡°Excited to have a couple months off from classes?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ yes.¡± Travis stammered, then cleared his throat, ¡°It¡¯s my first time on a large boat, and I¡¯ve never seen a mountain before either, so I¡¯m anxious to set sail and see the sights. How about you?¡± Seleyna shrugged, ¡°Not my first time on a military vessel or yacht, and I¡¯ve been to most of the fortresses we¡¯ll be stopping at, but this is the first time I¡¯ll be traveling without a squad of Royal Knights looming over me.¡± ¡°Yes, just a squad of commandos instead. They¡¯re literally smuggling themselves on board with the luggage as we speak.¡± Travis rapped me on the pommel to shut my mouth, causing a bout of metaphorical laughter to escape me. He must have the nervous jitters about his first mission. Hopefully Seleyna hanging around him won¡¯t make matters worse, because I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s realized it yet, but he might be the only person Seleyna considers a friend onboard. Well, except for maybe Vesril, but I doubt she¡¯s going to get much conversation out of the brooding elf sulking in the shady corner on the exposed deck. The princess¡¯ gaze was drawn to Travis¡¯ helmet as he clipped it to his belt, ¡°Why do you have your dust filter attached?¡± ¡°I¡¯m using it as a spell formation base for training. I can¡¯t use enchantments on my poleaxe yet, or even stay attuned to it while using mana reinforcement, so I¡¯m going to train and fight while maintaining different elemental enchantments as long as possible every day to strengthen my mana channels.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I think Miller mentioned his family was going to force him to do something similar.¡± She smiled, ¡°Guess there¡¯s a few perks to only specializing in a basic element.¡± Travis nodded in agreement, ¡°I¡¯ve been able to maintain an Earth, Wind and Water enchantment at the same time with only minor hindrances, but I haven¡¯t tried adding in a Fire Enchantment yet.¡± He looked up at the sun high in the sky, and for the briefest of seconds, I think I felt its heat too, ¡°The plan Ansel¡¯s grandfather recommended to me was to use a simple warming enchantment on my back, but with how warm it still is outside¡­¡± Seleyna caught his meaning, ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about that. It¡¯ll cool down considerably once we arrive at Coldwater Spring. The mountain air is almost two dozen degrees cooler, and on top of that, it frequently rains and snows. By the time we head back, I¡¯m positive we¡¯ll have learned to maintain a [Fire Aura] in our sleep.¡± My friend finally relaxed, letting out a deep sigh, ¡°That¡¯s a relief. What about you? Are you doing anything extra for training?¡± ¡°Kinda, mostly just learning a few Wind spells early so I can train and build up a big enough Air Mana supply for Wind Spells 1. All of the high-end arrow enchantments require Wind arrays to reduce drag and increase flight speed, so the sooner I can add those into my spell formations, the sooner I¡¯ll get a nice damage boost.¡± The two continued to chat for a bit about what else they hoped they¡¯d get a chance to do in their downtime, pausing only to wave at Lancel trapped on the other side of the ship by a wall of horses and cargo being stowed away below deck, then moved on to the topic of Travis¡¯ original journey up to the capital. ¡°Hold on, you never left your village before that day? Not even to the capital for Solstice?¡± Travis swayed with embarrassment, ¡°My family could never afford to go. Plus, Lakewell is a three-hour trot away from Aelder Creek, and isn¡¯t connected to the Grand River¡¯s network. To be honest the only thing remarkable about my village was the aelder tree. Even the soil isn¡¯t all that good, rocks pop up out of the dirt and need to get picked every year, and if you don¡¯t have your fields tiled, your crops will drown after a heavy rainfall.¡± Seleyna winced at her faux pas of shining a light on the class disparity between the two, causing the conversation to slam into a grinding halt. They stood quietly for a while as they watched the other mages on the aft deck. Vesril was still being emo in his corner, the Creeksmith twins were flirting with Treblana, and Mattius was muttering his displeasure of the sight to an indifferent Drozuk. Travis chuckled, then leaned into whisper to the princess, ¡°Mattius has had a big crush on that Earth Mage for a while now and keeps whining about how he doesn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± The princess smirked, ¡°It¡¯s going to be an uphill battle for him to compete. Twins is one thing, but identical ones¡­¡± She let out a low whistle, ¡°Even I¡¯m a bit jealous.¡± A look of dread came over Travis¡¯ face, ¡°Is¡­ being a twin considered attractive?¡± Seleyna wiggled her hand, ¡°It¡¯s more of a Packer girl thing. Torbolt¡¯s famous for often giving tandem blessings to twins, often to represent the thunder and the lightning, the wind and the rain, the calm after the chaos, and the brutality of war¡¯s conflict with honorable discipline. So having a set in your family is considered good luck.¡± She turned her head in time to see Travis¡¯ expression, ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°Umm, no¡­ I¡­ uh¡­¡± Travis eyes desperately searched for a distraction until they landed on a corpsman stepping out from below deck. He raised his hand and shouted, ¡°Private! Any difficulties loading my horse?¡± Private Tomas saluted Travis, then replied, ¡°No sir, was quite calm actually. Acted like it wasn¡¯t his first time aboard a ship. I¡¯ll be keeping an eye on the horses once we depart, and you¡¯re welcome to come down and greet him, but it¡¯ll be quite cramped for you in your armor.¡± Seleyna rolled her eyes while Travis¡¯ back was turned, clearly as unimpressed with his amateur attempt at deflection as I was. Having to do political goodwill appearances with the princess might be good for Travis, he can be quite confident in social settings for a former loner, but he¡¯s about as subtle and graceful as that poleaxe on his back. Hmm¡­ now that I think about it, Seleyna is an archer¡­ even has a fancy quiver/scabbard on her back to allow for easy access to an arrow or her short sword¡­ And she is a princess, so it¡¯s almost guaranteed that she knows how to sneak around and pick locks. Add in Lancel the frontline fighter, Reidar the healer, Travis the paladin, and me the spell-casting sword, and we¡¯ve got ourselves a balanced adventuring party. We¡¯ll have to come up with some test though, see if she¡¯d be a reliable party member that would put the group¡¯s needs over her own¡­ While Travis stood there awkwardly, unsure of how to restart the conversation, Seleyna raised her hand to wave at Mattius¡¯ crush, ¡°Treblana, we haven¡¯t had a chance to properly meet yet.¡± The Packer girl gulped, obviously nervous to everyone looking, but managed to approach and give a respectable bow, ¡°Princess Seleyna, it¡¯s an honor to be in the same battalion as you.¡± ¡°Hey now, I¡¯ll be getting enough of that when we start meeting Jarls.¡± Seleyna tapped the side of her head, ¡°As long as I got my helmet braids in, no bowing, and simply call me Seleyna or princess.¡± Treblana stood back up, and made a visible attempt to relax, ¡°Apologies princess. My family might be one of the oldest outer-ring families, but we rarely interact much with the crown, so I¡¯m a little lost in the grass.¡± The princess pointed a thumb towards a smirking Travis, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re in good company.¡± She then leaned forward to whisper, ¡°Speaking of company¡­ How did you get on a team with that handsome Packer boy and a set of twins, while I get stuck with the farm-boy, an orc who publicly embarrassed himself the first week of classes, and young lord broody over there?¡± ¡°I have no idea!¡± Treblana cautiously exclaimed before darting her head around to ensure her squad was out of earshot, ¡°My family¡¯s political influence is mostly focused on agricultural commerce, not military accomplishments, so I don¡¯t think my dad could have turned in a favor to put me in this battalion. Unless¡­¡± She turned to Travis, ¡°You¡¯re friends with Mattius right? He wouldn¡¯t do something creepy, like bribing a general to put me on the same squad as him, would he?¡± Travis immediately put up his hands, ¡°No, no, I highly doubt it. He¡¯s been stressed out and complaining constantly about being in the same squad as you.¡± He winced at his poor choice of words once he saw her adverse reaction, then groaned as I started laughing in his ear. ¡°Just come clean and tell her Mattius has been girl-crazy over her. I have a feeling she¡¯ll welcome the news.¡± Travis let out one more sigh, earning him a friendly elbow in the side from Seleyna to spill the details. --- Travis The shouts and movements across the ship hit a crescendo as noon quickly approached, and we were called to the main deck for roll call. Captain Adaline and Aguk stood on the foredeck in front of the cannon, along with the ship captain, a blue-haired beardless dwarf, and the Staff Sergeant of the Logistics Corps. The rest of us were lined up into rows: spartans, knights, mages, then corpsmen, with my squad on the starboard side and Mattius¡¯ on port. Captain Adaline called the meeting to order, then addressed us, ¡°As of this moment, all crew, cargo, and military personnel are present and accounted for. We¡¯ll be leaving port on schedule, sailing straight through the night until we reach our first destination tomorrow afternoon, Little Rock Fortress. Sleeping space is limited, and we¡¯ll need to hot-bunk, so Aguk and I will be setting up a schedule.¡± She turned toward the heavily muscled half-orc captain to let him speak. ¡°For those not wearing mariner armor, dress code will relax to allow everyone to reduce down to your arming jackets once we pass the last bridge.¡± He paused to make a toothy grin, ¡°I know a lot of you are hankering to start cross training with your new squad-mates, so as soon as we leave the city proper, we¡¯ll start rotating the two combat squads on the main deck for formation drills. Then tomorrow morning, we¡¯ll rotate who gets the main deck space after morning physical training. Discussion of magic will only be allowed in the infirmary and on top the aft deck, so if any you non-mana users are found in those areas without permission, expect Raven Four to take care of you personally.¡± He paused to observe the nods from the corpsmen and sailors onboard, ¡°Good, now I believe the ship captain and artificer have a few things to add.¡± The old Lakelander gave everyone a discerning glare, ¡°The current forecast for monster activity is rated low, but given that this ship has not only a fortune in mana crystals aboard in inscriptions, but also has over three dozen mana users, expect to see action at any moment. Larger beasts that normally let the minnows swim by might take their chances on this ship. So, stay vigilant when we cut across the deeper lakes.¡± He stepped back to give the dwarf the floor. ¡°First Mate Artificer Volmaegar,¡± the beardless dwarf patted the cannon, ¡°only authorized personnel are allowed on the foredeck near this youngling, and below deck near the engine. Now, I know how curious you mage students can get, so I¡¯ll start giving tours to small groups tomorrow and will answer any questions you have then and only then.¡± A few more topics were discussed, but I could barely pay attention as the ship¡¯s crew began untying from the dock and pushing us off before the gentle lurch of the artifice engine kicked in. Not long after, we were traveling slowly down the river, and our meeting was finally dismissed. Seleyna let out a long sigh, ¡°Well, time for me to go be a princess.¡± She flashed a smile at me, then ventured her way towards the front of the ship. I let out my own sigh of relief, happy that I didn¡¯t need to join her, then reached forward to give Lancel¡¯s back a poke, ¡°Excited to be off on an adventure again?¡± He turned around to give me his signature grin, but it looked a bit off from what I remembered, ¡°Glad to see you haven¡¯t changed.¡± He then tilted his head towards the square jawed Lakelander knight standing next to him, ¡°This is Galehaut Mistguard, we were in the same training camp.¡± I extended a hand to shake and tried my best to grip onto the man¡¯s oversized forearm, ¡°Travis of Aelder Creek, nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Same here, been standing at the edge of the dock ever since I saw that shadow show.¡± He gave me a quick head to toe glance, but stopped halfway back up to linger on Arc, ¡°Whoa! Is that an adamantium blade! Lancel, how come you didn¡¯t mention that?¡± ¡°Strange¡­ could have sworn I did¡­¡± teased Lancel, ¡°It¡¯s not like you to miss a detail when it comes to swords.¡± The goliath scowled, but before he could retort, the sound of a clearing throat came from behind, ¡°Travis, are you going to introduce us to your friends?¡± I swung around to see Drozuk grinning at me, along with Mattius, and umm¡­ the girl he¡¯s enamored with, and¡­ the Creeksmith twins? ¡°Umm¡­ yeah¡­ just, uh¡­¡± I shuffled my position to the left of Lancel so I could include everyone within the new circle. ¡°You should call over Reidar, I can tell he wants to join you.¡± Perking my head up, I spotted the lone spartan looking out of place, and waved, ¡°Reidar, there you are.¡± He leaked one of his rare smiles, then came into range of my arm so I could give his backplate a firm pat and maneuver him to my right. ¡°Where were you? I didn¡¯t see you at all until final roll call.¡± ¡°Right below you in the infirmary. There was a shipping error I had to correct, and I also wanted to familiarize myself with the equipment before we set sail. It¡¯s much more advanced than what I worked with during the flood.¡± ¡°Really? How so?¡± ¡°The largest change would be the operating table, it¡¯s much more adjustable and easier to clean. There¡¯s also an artifice-powered shower inside to sanitize patients and medics instead of an enchantable boiler plate and sponges.¡± ¡°Neat, think I can check it out later?¡± ¡°Yes, but it would have to be under the purview of medical instruction.¡± I shrugged and was about to reply that I wouldn¡¯t mind, when Arc made a coughing noise in my ear. ¡°Travis, you were supposed to introduce people¡­¡± Instantly cringing, I turned my head to see the half insulted and half amused expressions on everyone, ¡°Sorry guys, this is Reidar, the friend that saved me from embarrassing myself on the dance floor with Seleyna, and this is Lancel Hopkins, or as you probably know him from the shadow show, Guard.¡± That reminded me¡­ I reached behind Lancel with my left hand as introductions continued and gave his butt a hard slap. The tassets on the back of his skirt unfortunately blocked me from giving him a sore rear, but it did echo out a nice metal ring. ¡°What was that for?!¡± I grinned, ¡°Trent told me to give you one for him. He said in his letter that he wouldn¡¯t have time to stop by your estate to catch up before Solstice.¡± Lancel stared at me with a confused face until a look of terror overtook it when his friend asked a question. ¡°Who¡¯s Trent?¡± Before I could answer, I got cut off by multiple horns blasting over the water. My head turned toward the bow of the ship where Seleyna stood proudly with her wavy blonde hair undone and flowing down past her shoulders. Behind her stood the squad captains, including the commando¡¯s, along with the Staff Sergeant, ship captain, and artificer. Multiple other ships had moved into formation beside us, one of them a multi-tiered troop transport that had three rows of oars powering the heavily laden vessel, another was clearly a fisher-type given the harpoon launchers on each end, and many, many traditional Lakelander ships that could only hold a squad or two. The noise of the horns sounding soon passed, only to be replaced by a cacophony of cheers, shouts, and singing as we turned onto the Erosathan river proper. There were so many people! Banners depicting noble houses were draped over the edges, people held up signs with the names of their loved ones, and flowers were being tossed into the water. I stood there, completely awestruck as we sailed underneath the first bridge. Graffiti that I was never able to see from above covered the insides of the stone arches, depicting scenes of sailors saying goodbye to their spouses and children, scripture quotes from the tenets of the gods, images of wounded soldiers fighting bravely against dragons, and dozens upon dozens of other themes. Tiny parachutes greeted us on the other side, and as I reached up to grab one, discovered a wrapped caramel hanging from mine. Lancel chuckled, making me turn towards him holding an unfurled poster of a naked woman, he caught my embarrassed look, and gave me a genuine grin, ¡°Want it? It¡¯s not to my taste.¡± I shook my head no, then immediately broke eye contact to witness the next bridge approaching and started waving with the people onboard the ship. We passed underneath even more bridges, my favorites being the one that tossed everyone onboard freshly picked apples, and another that dangled wrapped sandwiches from fishing lines. The whole experience was quickly becoming exhausting though, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much, and I noticed that Reidar¡¯s shoulders were drooping just as bad as mine. Unlike Seleyna, who seemed inexhaustible as she kept waving. I did get a second wind halfway out of the capital though. ¡°Look up, two o¡¯clock!¡± I perked back up, and started tapping Lancel¡¯s shoulder once I spotted a banner of a rabbit dodging a lightning bolt. Caldia was holding up a sign with the crest Jethro designed for me, Gramps towered behind the other Hopkins women with Silia sitting on one shoulder and Boris cradled in the other arm, and Barry with his wife and son were standing close by with the other guards and house staff waving their hands as well. Sadly, I didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to cast a [Message] spell before we went under the bridge, but I¡¯m not exactly sure what I would have said anyways, so I opted instead to give Arc a scratch in his favorite spot and whisper thanks to him underneath my breath. Chapter 49 - This Ship is About to Get Real Journal Entry # 13 Why did I choose killing monsters for a living? The witch keeps dragging me behind her on her hunts, forcing me to carry the dead carcasses of every god-cursed varmint through waist-deep swampland. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, I¡¯m also supposed to cook every single meal, do the laundry, inventory all the catches, hide the orc¡¯s money from him so he doesn¡¯t spend all his bucks on whores and liquor at the brothel, and somehow keep a lookout for incoming attacks. If she doesn¡¯t put out on teaching me magic soon, I¡¯m leaving to join the army. --- Arc Windsday, the 1st of Ninethmonth Erosathan River, Capital Agricultural Ring #5 ETA to Littlerock Fortress ¨C 23 hours Ah, the great outdoors¡­ or at least the equivalent of the capital¡¯s back yard, we¡¯re still within the outermost walls. I could already feel the cabin fever that I totally didn¡¯t have, ease away as my vision¡¯s range kept extending foot by foot. Getting to ride a boat for the first time since my death was making me feel nostalgic as well, but not necessarily in a good way. The plan was to go canoeing that day¡­ I sighed mentally and tried to shake off the melancholy. No point dwelling in the forelife. You¡¯ve got more important things to do, like enjoy watching Lancel getting peppered for questions by everyone, or giving a giant thumbs up to Travis as he sneakily acts as Mattius wingman. ¡°So, if I planted one of your family¡¯s sugar beets on my dad¡¯s farm, would it even survive?¡± Travis asked Treblana after her explanation of her family¡¯s farming operations scared away everyone but him and Mattius. The outer-ring noble wiggled her hand, ¡°Yes, but the roots would be small and hardly worth the effort to harvest. Symphronian sugar beets have been selectively bred for eras now to not expand in volume without reaching a minimum level of mana density. You could counteract the lack of ambient mana in the soil by setting up an inscribed condensing array, but then you¡¯d need to ramp up your mana daily for weeks to power the inscription and¡­¡± Travis completed the thought, ¡°Completely negate the purpose of growing a mana-rich vegetable to help calm your internal mana.¡± She shrugged, ¡°There¡¯s always the old-fashioned method of constructing planter boxes out of monster bones, composting the rest of the inedible remains inside with soil so the mana gets trapped, and then planting your seeds, but that¡¯s just a waste of good monster parts these days.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Mattius held up a hand, ¡°plants aren¡¯t sentient, so they don¡¯t generate magical membranes to retain their mana. Couldn¡¯t you just manually infuse the beet with lower-frequency mana then eat it later once your cultivated mana is ramped up to its peak? I¡¯ve heard a story in church about Apheros feeding an entire army once by using his magic to quickly grow potatoes, surely a mere mortal could do the same with a single plant?¡± Treblana started chuckling, ¡°Yes, but you¡¯d still end up only breaking even at best. To quote my dad, ¡®unless you got an excess pile of monster meat lying around, or a ludicrous amount of regular food, you¡¯re dismantling the west wall to repair the east, so just be patient, and grow them naturally.¡¯¡± She paused to let the boys nod, ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t forget there¡¯s also the risk of overtaxing the soil¡¯s nutrients and moisture, a high chance of screwing up your mana control and killing the plant if you¡¯re not trained, and¡­ of course, the big one¡­ forcibly infusing organic materials with anything but Wood Mana is about as hard as forcing Wind Mana into a rock.¡± Travis shook his head, ¡°So even if I did succeed with that method, my sugar beet in question would still have a pitiful concentration of Fire Mana compared to the ones your family raises.¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s why Wood Mages usually just stick to infusing a handful of mundane medicinal plants and spices,¡± she let out a tired sigh, ¡°or in my dad¡¯s case, his stimleaf plant.¡± That got the trio chuckling as they watched another strip of vibrant green fiberbrush pass by at a snail¡¯s pace. So many ships had launched at the same time, and were continuing to launch, that the waterway was packed tightly enough to leap from ship to ship at times, forcing everyone to reduce speed lest they cause a collision. There was still some time before formations drills were called, so Treblana continued talking about how different the farming practices in the capital were. The biggest being, that unlike villagers who care for the same plots and rotate crops nearly every year, farmers in the capital tend to specialize in a single crop and uproot their entire operations to a new field and worker outpost every year. It was quite the contrast from even my world. Speaking of changes¡­ I zoomed away from Warden¡¯s Hammer with my focus, wanting to get a closer look at one of the nearby fields getting harvested. According to Travis¡¯ textbooks, the willowy and leafy import from the Elven Coast (that looked a lot like hemp to me) was by far the most valuable crop the capital produces, able to be turned into the low-to-high grade woodfiber used for creating military uniforms, arming jackets, and ropes with a higher tensile strength than mundane steel. It¡¯s notoriously difficult to harvest if you don¡¯t have the right equipment though, so I was very keen to observe the pair of old men sitting on the horse-drawn mower. One had both palms pressed down on the machine, focusing hard to power the inscribed cutting blades, while the other was eating an entire tray of mana-rich hotdish and making sure the horses kept the rows straight. Hmm, wonder if they¡¯re retired knights¡­ or maybe centurions? Yeah, the later would make more sense, can¡¯t imagine a noble would lower themself to do physical farmwork, but a soldier that triggered their mana after missing the cutoff? ¡°Excuse me sir. Would you like for me to help remove your armor and stow it?¡± Back by my sword-body, Travis spun around to see the smiling corpsman saluting him and replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯d appreciate it.¡± He then turned to Mattius and Treblana, told them he¡¯d be right back, and headed to where the corpsmen had empty crates set out. A few minutes later, Travis had his chest, waist, neck, and shoulder armor removed; leaving just his gauntlets, greaves, and helmet. I brought my focus back to jealously watch him get in a nice stretch and enjoy his lightened load but interrupted him with a [Message] spell before he could return to his friends, ¡°Your plan worked, they¡¯re chatting with each other now. I suggest just leaving the two be, I¡¯ll keep an eye out if they need a third wheel to help re-steady themselves.¡± Travis froze in place, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, and reminding me that even if bicycles have been invented, he still wouldn¡¯t recognize the expression. His head eventually turned to see Mattius and Treblana leaning over the railing, then gave his shoulders a shrug before looking around and stopping his gaze on Vesril. The young high elf was using the Shadow inscriptions in his eyebrow and nose piercings to create a pair of floating shades over his eyes and seemed perfectly content to ignore everyone onboard. This for some reason didn¡¯t dissuade Travis as he approached to talk. ¡°Huh, maybe I should have gotten those extra piercings¡­ Are those inscribed, or just enchantment bases?¡± Vesril raised an eyebrow, causing the oval of Shadow Mana to stretch in unison, before speaking in an annoyed monotone, ¡°They¡¯re inscribed¡­¡± ¡°Neat.¡± Travis smiled, ¡°Do they only work for that one spell, or is there other enchantments you can use with them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Travis tilted his head, ¡°Sorry, yes as in only for that spell? Or¡ª¡± ¡°Travis,¡± Vesril interrupted, ¡°I have no interest in entertaining my father¡¯s attempt at making us ¡®friends¡¯. Now go away and find someone else to pester.¡± Travis flinched, then cautiously did as asked. Uff-da, going to take a while for that guy to warm up to Travis. --- To my surprise, Elfy McBrooderson didn¡¯t once complain during formation practices, even when told to stand shoulder to shoulder with Travis. Squads 1 & 2 spent four hours shuffling about on the open deck, the majority to shore up their naval defenses, but did practice a few ground configurations and were told what to do in the event of an amphibious assault on land. Practice eventually ended, and Staff Sergeant Julien stood near the fore deck with a crate of MREs and a sinister grin. ¡°Chow time!¡± Collective groans from nearly everyone on board were soon made, not from the captains of course, but they certainly didn¡¯t look excited as the wrapped packages were tossed to the two direct combat squads. Interestingly, Lancel quickly tapped Galehaut¡¯s arm and whispered in his ear to tell the knights to watch Travis eat his meal the exact same time Varguk spoke to a nearby spartan, only difference being him whispering for everyone to watch Reidar instead. The game of telephone quickly traveled, leaving a very self-conscious looking Seleyna, Travis, and Reidar in the middle of a circle staring at them. ¡°Umm, why is everyone staring at us?¡± Travis whispered. Seleyna drooped her shoulders, ¡°They probably want to see if royalty will actually eat one of these horrid things.¡± She then gritted her teeth as she opened the waxed paper wrapper, then took her first bite of the mana dense block of ¡°food¡±. Seleyna slowly consumed the bar as if it was her great aunt¡¯s haggis, eventually swallowing the last bite, and washed it down with a pull from her hidden flask. Audible gasps were soon heard from the crowd, causing Seleyna to sigh and raise her hand, ¡°Yes, yes, I know¡­ Even I think¡ª¡± She stopped mid-sentence upon noticing Captain Adaline pointing behind her, making her spin around and drop her jaw in disbelief. Travis and Reidar were both happily munching on their rations, ignoring everyone¡¯s shocked faces, and commenting on the taste like a pair of wine critics. ¡°Mine¡¯s got hints of pickled radishes, apple cider, turkey bacon, and¡­ I think cilantro?¡± Reidar broke off a piece of his bar, ¡°Want to try mine? It¡¯s got pineapple, garlic, oregano, tomato, mozzarella cheese, and butter-fried bread in its flavor profile.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Travis broke off a chunk of his remaining bar and passed it to the spartan to try. ¡°I believe that¡¯s parsley. It¡¯s missing the citrus twist.¡± ¡°Oh, you might be right. By the way, this one you got is really good, we should see if your squad-brother can make it into a real dish.¡± --- Travis I leaned against the railing on the corner of the aft deck, facing away from the sunset and my fellow mages so I could see Nightsun shining its reflected light over the approaching forest, then tried to take in a deep breath to calm my excitement before it was my turn to get some shuteye below deck. Trees! A whole forest of them. And not the strategically placed ones I¡¯d see passing by the Ashmen residential blocks or parks, but wild-grown ones that made me yearn to go hunting once more with Pippen¡¯s crossbow for rabbits or the occasional varmint. Also, hills! How could I forget about hills? Yes, I know the dwarves leveled off the entire capital¡¯s terrain to make infrastructure planning easier, but having the horizon broken up by a nearby hill or forest instead of a row of buildings felt more¡­ enticing. ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t get any ideas, I can see your legs twitching.¡± Feeling embarrassed over being so easy to read, I sighed once more and adjusted my arms so I could cover my mouth, ¡°You¡¯ve been quite talkative today, I thought your vision¡¯s range getting drastically extended would overtax your mind?¡± ¡°I forgot to consider the number of people in my vision¡¯s range not increasing though. I¡¯m still hearing less simultaneous conversations than I did in Aelder Creek, especially with most of the other boats pulling ashore for the night. As of now, I probably won¡¯t have to worry until we reach a fortress.¡± ¡°Great, so much for me getting a few days of quiet¡­¡± Arc chuckled, ¡°That reminds me, you should put your new earring in. It was a lot safer to whisper to you on campus when there was a constant flow of Message spells flying around, but now that there¡¯s only a handful of people in your battalion capable of casting it¡­ plus, you¡¯ll want to save your private channel on your helmet for your friends.¡± I blew a raspberry as I reached into my valuables pouch, pushing aside the Master Message Stone I received from the queen, and digging out the earring Seleyna gifted to me for my birthday. It took a few embarrassingly long minutes to get the thing secured, but at last, the tiny artifice was ready for use. Hmm¡­ maybe I should test it out? My mana began to sync with the dense silver, raising the pulse rate to match my internal mana, then felt the crystalized Air Mana come into my control. My hand returned to my belt, and a few heartbeats later, I was synced to the private channel I shared with Royal Knight¡­ umm¡­ It was¡­ ¡°Tracy¡± Right, Royal Knight Tracy, and shaped an input array for me to speak into, ¡°Sir Tracy, are you available to talk?¡± The Royal Knight¡¯s casual tone came in crisp and clear, ¡°Travis? Huh, wasn¡¯t expecting to hear from you tonight, figured boredom wouldn¡¯t have set in quite yet. But yes, I can talk. Glad you did actually, now I have an excuse to step out of court.¡± I chuckled, ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re the one who¡¯s bored.¡± ¡°Well¡­ more like having to endure listening to people spout vitriol over the crown¡¯s handling of matters for hours on end erodes your banks.¡± That shocked me, I couldn¡¯t imagine anyone storming into the palace to publicly criticize the queen. I darted my head around to ensure no one was listening in on me, then leaned forward to whisper into my spell. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°What were they complaining about?¡± It was Tracy¡¯s turn to chuckle, ¡°Oh, just the usual. The High Elven ambassadors are furious over the lack of progress in the investigation of those mutated elves that attacked your village, the dwarves think the kingdom is growing too lax in its enforcement of magical secrecy, Sea Elven merchants are upset that environmentalists are slowing down the construction of the southern shipping channel, and the royalists are accusing the nationalists of stoking anarchy.¡± ¡°Anarchy?¡± ¡°I might be exaggerating a little, the royalists are trying to justify the removal of elected jarls for crown assigned governors from the noble caste, claiming that the kingdom needs loyal servants that can be trusted. Your former jarl being sentenced for execution, along with a dozen fortress clerks for cooking mana users, isn¡¯t helping the nationalists¡¯ counter arguments.¡± He sighed, ¡°At least we determined that Eisaiah wasn¡¯t the one practicing necromancy. Although, I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a good thing, we still have no clue where those corrupted elves you fought came from. None of the bodies have been identified, the implanted mana gems had no distinguishing cuts, and as far as all the trackers can tell, they popped up out of the ground a few miles from your village.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ unsettling¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me.¡± He leaked a tired laugh, ¡°Sorry to unload the kingdom¡¯s woes onto you.¡± I grinned, hoping my reassurance would get heard over the channel, ¡°That¡¯s alright, I¡¯m not well informed when it comes to national politics, or international affairs, or¡­ well, news in general.¡± ¡°Glad to be of service then. Oh, was there a reason you originally Messaged me?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ to be honest, I just wanted to test out the earring artifice Seleyna gifted me.¡± He chuckled once more, ¡°Good as any other reason. That reminds me, I filed the ownership cards on that and the stone for you, so when you get back I¡¯ll hand you the printed copies.¡± ¡°What are you? My personal assistant now?¡± I teased. A deep bellied laugh sounded over the channel, ¡°Kind of, when I asked for clarification on my duties regarding you, I was told to always give you top priority, and essentially take on the role of bodyguard, minus the physically looming over you part.¡± That threw me for a loop, and even Arc was muttering in confusion before I finally collected my thoughts. ¡°Not to sound ungrateful, but why am I being given special treatment by the queen?¡± ¡°You know¡­ when I was assigned, I was told it was because you¡¯re a high-profile individual¡­ but after asking around, I¡¯ve got the impression that this is way out of the ordinary. Not to be rude, you are the kingdom¡¯s first Elementalist Mage, but you¡¯re still just a commoner-born farm-kid from one of the poorest regions in Lakeland and¡­ uh¡­ oh!¡± Sir Tracy started to laugh, first with a pair of huffs, then a trio of spasms, before belting out into raucous laughter. I had to wait a full minute for him to finally calm down before I could ask what was so funny. ¡°Care to let me in?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± he leaked another handful of chuckles, ¡°it¡¯s just¡­ so obvious in hindsight.¡± He finally calmed his breathing and cleared his throat, ¡°I think what¡¯s going on is that the queen is secretly pressing her finger on the scale to help put you into the running for Seleyna¡¯s future husband.¡± My elbow slipped from the rail, nearly causing my jaw to crash into it. One of the twins shouted to ask if I was ok, but I waved them off and stated I was just tired, then tried to recenter myself as I recast my disrupted input formation. ¡°You okay bud? Your spell cut out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ just¡­ uh, startled, is all.¡± ¡°I bet. Though, fair warning, this is just speculation on my part, so I could be wrong.¡± ¡°I hope you are. Eh¡­ not that marrying Seleyna would be dreadful, but¡­ umm, I¡¯m not sure I could handle the stress.¡± ¡°Bah, a little pomp and circumstance is good for ya, makes the private moments with your family all the more special. Plus, she¡¯s only third in line for the crown, and her second oldest sister is pregnant with a girl, I don¡¯t think you need to worry about becoming the Mage King if you do marry.¡± I yawned, finally feeling exhaustion settle in, ¡°Well, on that note, I think I¡¯m going to call it a night. My turn in the hammock should be up soon.¡± ¡°May Morpheremone lull you into a peaceful sleep.¡± ¡°And to you as well.¡± I completed the prayer to the minor god of dreams, then nudged the frequency in my earring up a notch to desync it, though that didn¡¯t stop Arc from speaking through it. ¡°This thing works like a charm, it¡¯s even smaller than the spell I cast. Should be safe for me to talk to you all the time now.¡± An aggravated sigh escaped me, ¡°Alright, alright, I get it. I¡¯ll introduce you to Lancel once we find ourselves alone.¡± I peered around, making sure no one overheard me whispering, then added, ¡°Any suggestions on how to tell him?¡± ¡°Maybe sprinkle some hints along the way before you fully break the news? If he suspects something is going on, he won¡¯t necessarily get completely blindsided when I say hello to him.¡± Nodding along, I gave Arc a scratch right where his cross-guard meets the grip, then smiled as Lancel conveniently climbed up the access hatch with a dozen other people. He caught me looking, then gave me a wave, ¡°Hammock¡¯s all yours.¡± I joined him down on the main deck, then unclipped Arc from my belt, ¡°Perfect. Here, hang onto my sword for me, he¡¯ll keep me up all night if I¡¯m not careful.¡± Lancel raised an eyebrow at me, but I didn¡¯t give him a chance to reply before I clambered below deck. --- Voltsday, the second of Ninethmonth Erosathan River, Shipper¡¯s County. ETA to Littlerock Fortress ¨C Four Hours Drozuk peered over my shoulder as I finished drawing the spell formation on my bracers, ¡°Forgot to ask, did you manage to get that spell to work?¡± ¡°Somewhat, I keep having problems stopping it from drifting.¡± I gave the tiny package of wax a wiggle, ¡°I¡¯m hoping this will help.¡± He gave me one of his toothy grins, ¡°Nice, I¡¯ve been wanting to see how yours compares to mine in function.¡± Drozuk weaved through the other members of Squad 1 on the aft deck so he could extend his long arm over the ship¡¯s wake, ¡°Shall we?¡± Catching his infectious grin, I hastily slipped my gauntlets on, tightened the straps, and reached to do the same. The Water Mana clinging to my membrane shifted to envelope my bracers once attuned, and the formation lines slipped into position like a wagon wheel into a well-worn rut. Water droplets in the air then flew up to collect inside my forearms then streamed across the outside to complete the [Water Bracer] enchantment. My grin grew even wider as I flexed, causing the flowing Water to speed up, I hadn¡¯t been able to get that advanced portion to work at all. No wonder knights are so dependent on inscriptions, if a simple set of guidelines was that big of an assistance, then having a full inscription¡­ My joy immediately capsized upon looking up and seeing the insane latticework covering Drozuk¡¯s arm. I¡¯d sneaked a peak at the spell diagram he¡¯d been studying for the past couple months but seeing the [Water Gauntlet] enchantment come to life was something else. There had to be quadruple the number of lines in just the bracer portion, and that was before you included the additional arrays on his elbow couters, backhand plates, and knuckle guards. He grunted out a deep giggle at my face, then demonstrated his enchantment¡¯s functions by effortlessly forming a [Water Orb] in his palm, firing it as a Blast spell when he made a fist, then launching what looked like an additional [Water Blast] when he punched the air over the water. His very punch-able face smirked at me when turning back towards me and the small audience we gathered, and of course, he had to gloat. ¡°Still just the most basic version, the refill rate for the [Water Strike] is about six seconds, so until I can up my capacity enough to add additional gathering arrays, I¡¯ll have to keep the punches to a minimum.¡± Up his capacity? The orc already had triple the amount of cultivated Water Mana compared to me, allowing him to not only entertain using an expendable enchantment, but compress his formation lines significantly smaller than mine. How much more does he need? My shoulders slumped as I sighed in defeat. I didn¡¯t even blanch at the thought of not specializing in a basic mana type, so there¡¯s no point complaining now. A hand I swear was bigger than a frying pan clapped me on the shoulder, and I looked up to see¡­ (I gave Arc¡¯s cross-guard a scratch) Galehaut commiserating with me. ¡°I know how you feel, my baby brother is a Water Mage. My advice is to focus on what you¡¯re good at.¡± He looked down at the enchantment on my vambraces, ¡°But I think you might already be doing that. That spell will pair nicely in combat when you¡¯re wielding your bastard sword two-handed or¡­¡± He narrowed his eyes at my poleaxe resting with my gear against the guard rail, ¡°whatever the rot that thing is.¡± I rolled my eyes, ¡°It¡¯s a poleaxe. It combines the slashing power of an axe, the brute force bludgeoning of a warhammer, and the piercing thrust of a spear.¡± Lancel groaned nearby and facepalmed as his goliath friend started laughing, ¡°Well¡­ if that was your goal, you should have just crafted a sword!¡± He reached behind his back with one hand to grasp his massive two-handed sword and shooed away our squad mates to make room. ¡°Everyone and their horse already know that swords are excellent cutting weapons¡­¡± He demonstrated an overhand slash, then ended his swing by bringing the blade to rest behind him, ¡°but they can also rattle the armor of opponents¡­¡± He thrust the pommel of his zweihander forward, ¡°and with skill can run-through the heart of dragons.¡± He finished the kata by raising his sword into a high guard and thrusted. Sunlight sparkled across the highly polished blade as he returned it, but my lingering mana sight caught a flash of violet before the clamshell opening on the scabbard snapped back shut. Before I could inquire about the blade, Lancel stepped forth, and gave the broad-shouldered knight a friendly pat. ¡°Maybe keep the weapon demonstration of the kingdom¡¯s preferred backup weapon to the lower deck?¡± Lancel grinned, completely ignoring the glowering look from Galehaut, ¡°We don¡¯t want to upset Knight Captain Adaline now do we?¡± The Royal Knight stood nearby with her arms crossed, ¡°No, you do not. Now if you¡¯re done showing off how big your sword is, I suggest planning what to do once it¡¯s our turn on the main deck for training.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Galehaut half-saluted, then turned back to point at my arms, ¡°Would you be willing to teach me that enchantment? I can give you sword lessons in return.¡± I did my best to hold back my grimace. I¡¯d already promised Lancel that I¡¯d help him learn [Message] and a few Fire cantrips. My mouth opened to turn down the offer, but before I could reply, Lancel cut me off. ¡°Yes, he will.¡± Lancel narrowed his eyes at me in a look I hadn¡¯t seen since I was a child. (I think it was the time I lied about hiding a rotten egg in the guard barracks?) Taking the hint, I figured I should at least warn my potential instructor. ¡°Umm¡­ just a heads up, I¡¯m a complete amateur with my sword.¡± Lancel scoffed, ¡°Travis, Galehaut is a Mistguard, everyone on this ship is an amateur compared to him.¡± Galehaut nodded along matter-of-factually, ¡°Yep, I may be the runt of the family, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not well-versed in my family¡¯s traditions.¡± My head snapped back to the largest member of our squad (and maybe the battalion, both him and the spartan captain had arms as thick as their heads). How was this guy considered a runt? --- Pelican Lake ETA to Littlerock Fortress ¨C 2 Hours Our ship finally veered off the Grand River and began sailing upstream before arriving in a z-shaped lake. Considering that Littlerock Lake connects to it via a short mile-long stream, we were making great time according to the sailors onboard. Sadly, that good news didn¡¯t extend to me as Galehaut gave me my first sword lesson. ¡°No, no, you¡¯re way too stiff, and you¡¯ve got your sword¡¯s hilt in a death-grip.¡± He grabbed me by the shoulders and tried to manually shake out some of my tension, ¡°Sword stances are just like dance steps, you need to let the rhythm of battle guide you as you grasp onto your lover. Now, stop trying to strangle her, and become one with your partner.¡± Galehaut¡¯s style of teaching was vastly different from Hector¡¯s, who had me practice simple cadences that I could execute depending on the circumstance. Instead, he oddly reminded me more of Mildred when she tried to teach me how to dance for the Fall Festival, since he started lessons off by showing me a half dozen poses, then told me to string them together in whatever order I saw fit. His equating of swordsmanship to dancing only reinforced the comparison. Arc was dead silent as I forced out a deep breath and tried to relax. I assume he was doing it to be polite, but his lack of quips allowed my mind to conjure images of people laughing at my repeated failures. Shifting my position into a forward guard, I was about to begin sparring again when Arc shouted, ¡°Travis! Get down!¡± My body hits the deck with a hard thud, echoing only a heartbeat before swooshing sounds fly overhead, and a loud scream of pain cries out. Keeping low, I look around, and see one of the bent-over corpsmen clutching their arm as it gushes out blood from the stump that used to be his hand. Horror paralyses me as I see the corpsman begin to hyperventilate, then begin to look pale as more and more blood oozes out of his wound. Muffled shouts and the stomping of boots snap me out of my torpor, and I crawl over to the corpsman to put pressure on the wound. ¡°Medic!¡± My eyes catch the corpsman¡¯s, the look of pure terror in them grips my very soul until someone presses up against me and pushes my hand aside. They place a palm on the upper arm of the corpsman, who screams once more when the fabric of his uniform suddenly tightens into a tourniquet. I look up from the striped gauntlet, then to the emblazoned pauldron depicting a red feather surrounded by a pair of green antlers, and finally up to Reidar¡¯s face as he shouts at me. ¡°Travis, put your helmet on!¡± My fingers fumble multiple times but manage to unclip my helmet from my belt and slide it on. ¡°Mages, keep low and set up blast spells a yard from the starboard hull. Knights, shout when they come into range.¡± ¡°Commandos, patient is stable, requesting extraction.¡± Reidar taps my shoulder, ¡°Do you know where his hand went?¡± I dumbly look around, not remembering even seeing it, but Arc¡¯s calming voice points me in the right direction. ¡°Seven o¡¯clock, one yard away.¡± I spin around, reach to grab the severed appendage, then twist back in time to see a pair of commandos sliding the corpsman onto a stretcher. Not exactly sure what to do, I place the hand on top, then turn my head in time to see Reidar¡¯s head nod. ¡°Pack it in ice, we can save the limb.¡± The commandos silently return the nod, then pull the corpsman across the deck and through the secure doors of the infirmary. Reidar grabs my helmet, then speaks over my private channel, ¡°He¡¯ll be fine for now, but I can¡¯t perform surgery until the battlefield is secure.¡± Right. I need to fight. Reidar pulls his shield from his back, then quickly flicks it in time to slam into a fast-flying fish coated in Water. The monster fish spins out of control, until it¡¯s pierced by an arrow, and plants itself into the wall of the foredeck. Now able to see what the rot is attacking the ship, I immediately swear. Lakeland Pike, a single element monster. By utilizing the dense Water Mana in their bones and spear-like protrusions from their heads, they can swim at extreme speeds while underwater, and will occasionally attack targets above the surface, launching themselves like a [Water Arrow]. They¡¯re highly sought after by hunters, not just for their bones that can easily be turned into mid-grade bowfishing arrows, but because their meat is extremely tasty and dense with Water Mana. I take cover behind Reidar and his shield as we move towards an open spot on the guard rail of the main deck. He draws his hammer from his belt as I cast Wind, Fire, and Water Orbs, then move them into position. Painfully long seconds pass, and my anxiety keeps rising as the sounds of shouts and spell detonations surround me, but I manage to keep my nerves steady enough to react when Reidar shouts over our private channel. ¡°Now!¡± I detonate all three spells, unable to see if they hit, but can see Reidar as he flicks his shield once more, sending a Lakeland Pike flying high into the air, then slams his hammer into the face of another, creating a red cloud of viscera. Feeling confident with the plan of attack now, I cast another trio of spells, and even catch Arc sneaking out a few spells, then wait for Reidar to call the attack. Three more waves of monsters arrive, and just as I¡¯m starting to get a grip on the battle lust surging in my veins, the swarm of Lakeland Pikes stop attacking the ship. Confused, I swiveled my head around, then felt a strange urge to laugh overcome me right before I heard Captain Adaline¡¯s voice screaming over the squad¡¯s channel. ¡°Acolyte Vesril, get back on the ship this instant!¡± Arc soon started giggling in my ear, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to want to see this¡­¡± Cautiously standing at my full height now, I was able to see everyone¡¯s heads all pointed in the same direction and trace their gazes to see an amazing sight out over the lake water. Vesril was standing on top his shield, zipping across the water, and carving a small trench while the remaining swarm of Lakeland Pike tried to attack him. He kept fishtailing, making tiny [Ice Walls] with his wake that slowed down his pursuers, but seemed to be more focused on the spell he was crafting in his hands. A [Water Orb] twice the size of his head began to form, and as I narrowed my eyes to trigger my mana sight, I could see a lattice weave of Air Mana surround the entire thing. He eventually stopped fussing over it, but held onto the spell until he carved a large circle, then used his own wake to become airborne as he dropped it. The swarm of Lakeland Pikes tried to follow, but Vesril pulled his legs up to protect himself with his shield right as the Burst spell detonated. Water erupted from the center, turning into sharp icicles once they passed through the Air formation that either blended the monsters into small chunks or severely wounded them. The concussive force made Vesril flip in the air, but he managed to recover and surf back towards the ship before hopping over the rail and come to a running stop. Captain Adaline marched over to him like a tornado, and immediately began dressing down the elven Ice Mage in front of the entire battalion. I couldn¡¯t easily see due to everyone having their helmets on, but given the way people were shifting uncomfortably, I could tell I wasn¡¯t the only one unsure of what to make of the situation. On one hand, he violated a direct order, but on the other, he singlehandedly countered the monsters by going on the offense. I turned to see what Reidar thought, and almost had to step back in fright upon seeing his scowl. He caught me out of the corner of his eye, then whispered over our private channel, ¡°That was reckless, his showboating could have gotten himself and everyone onboard killed.¡± Showboating? I thought over the battle tactically, and immediately realized that there was nothing stopping Vesril from casting that same Burst spell from cover. Given that he¡¯s a second-year mage, freecasting the spell to exclude the boat and allies should have been of little difficulty. I sighed, then nodded to fully agree with Reidar, ¡°At least the battle¡¯s over now, I assume you need to¡ª¡± ¡°Travis! Why would you¡ª¡± The entire world shook as something collided with the hull. Chapter 50 - Littlerock Fortress of Horrors Journal Entry #18 The witch finally gave me my first magic lesson today. Maybe she caught me talking to one of the military recruiters? Regardless, she had me follow her outside the fortress late at night and into a cave. Once we sat down and confirmed that there was no one present to overhear us, she pulled out four leather pouches, and asked me if I knew what they contained. I made a few guesses, but she told me to stop and only answer when I knew for sure. We ignored the bags as she explained the basics of how mana worked, and how us humans and orcs were at such a disadvantage. Not only did we have a quarter of the lifespan of a dwarf or elf, but the magical style we were most suited for was body reinforcement, hence why her companion could toss boulders at some of the monsters we¡¯d been hunting. She told me it wasn¡¯t a hard rule though. A smart and perceptive person could still learn the other styles. We spent many hours in that cave, peering through the darkness and isolating the sounds of animals as they entered and left. Before we exited, she pointed down at the bags, and asked if I knew what was in them. I didn¡¯t know. --- Arc Travis, you moron! Why would you invoke the wrath of the minor god Phymur? You know for a fact that gods are real. I helplessly watch as a mutant catfish the size of a gods and God damned whale headbutts the underside of the ship and violently shakes everyone onboard. Well¡­ not everyone. Reidar, steady as an oak, manages to grab onto Travis before he can potentially get thrown overboard. The two remain standing, despite the ship getting turned into a sketchy carnival ride, then get a clear view of the mudfish grappler sending up its whiskers/tentacles to grab onto the railing and start tugging. --Mudfish Grappler, a greater varmint (yes, that¡¯s right, it¡¯s only considered a varmint). This monster is often mistaken for a behemoth, mainly due to its immense bulk and impressive regeneration speed, but it¡¯s still just a single organism only capable of using body reinforcement. Hunter logs say they can wait at the bottom of muddy lakes for months on end, only surfacing to attack ships by latching onto them with their mutated feelers and dragging any unsuspecting sailors into its gullet. It¡¯s highly resistant to blunt and piercing weapons but will tire quickly in battle if unable utilize its secondary lungs to take in more air.-- The ship begins teeter-tottering, greatly upping the difficulty of everyone trying to stand, including Spartan Captain Aguk as he shouts new orders, ¡°Mages, move to the aft deck and target the main body. Spartans, knights, cut those tentacles!¡± Easier said than done, half the fighters are ass over teakettle getting tangled up by the grappler, the other half fully focused on extricating the mages from the main deck, and even the nimble commandos and sailors are stuck clinging to life. Reidar oddly seems to be the only one immune to the thrashing. Wait¡­ why is he immune? I take closer notice of his feet, then get my answer when I see his boots glowing green with an enchantment. Ah, that makes sense. [Earth Cleat] is a spell, why not a Wood Mana version? Reidar twists his head from the left towards the tentacles attempting to pull the fighters overboard, then to the right towards Travis, clearly unsure of what to do, ¡°Travis, can you make it to the aft deck alone?¡± They hold steady as the grappler tugs extra hard once more, and Travis gauges his odds of crossing the ship, ¡°Umm¡­ if you can get me to the opposite rail, I think I can make it.¡± Reidar nods, practically carries/throws Travis away from the monster, then turns to face the growing number of tentacles attempting to rip off a chunk of ship. Handaxe now in hand, he dances through the mass of smaller tendrils trying to snag him, then chops off one wrapping itself around Lancel¡¯s leg. The knight shakes the dead limb off his leg, flips over onto all fours to retrieve his spear, then tries to thank Reidar, but the spartan is already busy saving the other fighters. Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm his fear, he tries to stand, but unfortunately does so right before the mudfish grappler raises its bulbous head out of the water and spits up a tide of muddy water onto the deck. Not catching a break, Lancel slips on the now well-lubricated deck and crashes into the rail, inducing a loud grunt of pain and a clear look of disgust from swallowing down his own vomit. Okay, there¡¯s got to be something I can do to help¡­ Think¡­ Think¡­ Inspiration strikes as I see the Water and Earth Mana in the muddy water sloshing around. I crank up the mana in my sword to gather as much mana as possible, then cast it off while Travis stumbles towards the stairs. Keeping things simple (and explainable in case I get caught), I shape the Earth Mana into dozens of zig-zagging directionless lines, forming tread marks on the deck, but leaving gaps for directional Water Mana lines to weave through and pull the excess water back into the lake. It seems to do the trick, the non-fighters can at least crawl away from the edge now, despite the ship almost tilting below the water on the right. Hopefully it¡¯s not too little too late, because with the huge number of whiskers/tentacles of the mudfish grappler already latched onto the rail, including two larger ones as thick as the ship¡¯s mast wriggling their way towards the¡­ mast. Fuck! The ship captain, who¡¯d managed to hang onto the wheel like a badass throughout this fight notices the threat, ¡°Don¡¯t let it take hold of the mast! It¡¯ll tip us right over.¡± Springing into action, Lancel punctures the nearest large tentacle with a half-dozen stabs in quick succession but fails to get even a cry of pain from the monster as it tries to shove Lancel aside. Gritting his teeth, Lancel tries to think of an alternate plan of action, but only ends up swearing and hopping back when he sees Galehaut reaching for his two-handed sword. The hinges on the modified scabbard swing open like a safe to fully expose the sword inside, allowing the goliath to grasp it with both hands and immediately step his foot onto the rail for balance, and ramp up the mana in both his body and blade to attack. The massive zweih?nder swings down, cutting deep into the tentacle and seeping the collected Ice Mana into the open wound, not only preventing it from regenerating, but snapping off the remainder as it shatters. Heaving heavily from the overexertion, Galehaut fails to move in time when the screaming monster flails the damaged limb at him, smashing his head into the floor, and making me mentally sigh in relief that his helmet was on. He¡¯s definitely concussed though, but seems to at least be present enough to point to the second tentacle behind Lancel. Lancel spins around to see the tentacle Captain Aguk trying to chop with his handaxe, but between it wiggling extra hard to shake off the spartan and other tendrils snagging the spartan¡¯s feet, the half-orc fails to stop the tentacle as it begins wrapping around the mast. Eyeing the still partially severed portion out of reach, Lancel swears once more as he drops his spear and draws his shortsword. He crouches down, concentrating on his internal mana so it can match one of the preset frequencies in his blade, completing the screaming [Chaos Edge] inscription/enchantment, then leaps up to cleanly slash through the tentacle as if the thing was made of Jello. Lancel¡¯s concentration on maintaining the inscription fails immediately, but that¡¯s probably for the best, given that he ends up tumbling towards Captain Aguk. The half-orc catches him before he goes overboard and gives the Packer a friendly slap on the arm. ¡°Good hustle Hopkins.¡± The spartan then speaks over the battalion¡¯s channel, ¡°Volmaegar, are you going to fire that cannon sometime today?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t get an angle captain, its head¡¯s barely poppin¡¯ up. Mages aren¡¯t havin¡¯ much luck either.¡± That¡¯s an understatement, most of the mages only recently clambered onto the aft deck, and their spell options aren¡¯t really suited for the task. [Fire Bolts] inflict some damage to the monster¡¯s head, but without a direct line of sight due to the bad angle, the need to secure themselves to the railing, and the creature constantly submerging to snuff out the flames and regenerate; the twin Steam Mages and Seleyna aren¡¯t making any lasting progress. Not able to contribute, Drozuk and Treblana are hunkering down near the back by a trough of sand used for spell practice, each using a free hand to secure Mattius as he concentrates on a spell. I¡¯m not exactly sure what he¡¯s making¡­ some kind of spiky polyhedron made of sandstone? Nevertheless, my focus is drawn to Vesril as he uses his natural elven talent for spell casting. Effortlessly crafting three [Frost Bolts] a full horse-length away from the ship, and without needing to wave his hands around to connect somatically with the spells, he has them fly into the mudfish grappler¡¯s nose, penetrating much deeper thanks to the more potent hybrid mana, but it only causes the monster to finally let go of the ship and submerge. A few agonizingly long seconds pass by, my focus now hovering over Travis in case he opens his big mouth again, but instead of fleeing, the monster decides to throw a temper tantrum and begins head-butting the ship all over again. ¡°Uh-oh, I think we might have made it mad!¡± Thaddeus teases his twin brother. ¡°Think it¡¯ll give up?¡± Ship Captain Sampson, still a barnacle on the steering wheel, barks a manic laugh, ¡°Nah, we¡¯re too tasty of a treat, and if my eyes haven¡¯t failed me, it hasn¡¯t even managed a proper nibble on us yet to quell its rumbling belly.¡± Another body slam rattles the ship, and the old man speaks into his helmet, ¡°Captain Aguk, I can steer him into the shallows, but that fish might get smart and hit the rudder.¡± ¡°Hold position. All fighters, prepare harpoons; mages, focus on forcing the monster to surface.¡± ¡°Great¡­¡± Zaccheus mutters, ¡°How are we supposed to do that?¡± Travis strums the side of his leg in thought, then lights up with an idea, ¡°The gills on that monster can only sustain it while resting at the bottom of the lake and I don¡¯t think regenerate as fast. If we just wait for it to exhaust itself or damage the gills, it should come up for air long enough to let us kill it.¡± Another bone-shattering shake causes the mages to stumble or brace themselves, earning another groan from Zaccheus, ¡°Will the ship even last that long?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got something that might work.¡± Mattius calls out, pointing to his spiky basketball, ¡°Anyone else not finish their last MRE?¡± --- Now armed with a plan, the kids on the aft deck spread out while Mattius conjures the finishing touches on his spell. He drops the half-eaten MREs into the hollow center, then cranks up his internal Air Mana so he can compress as much air as possible into the magical depth-charge before capping it off with a stone spike. ¡°Done.¡± Mattius squeaks out, despite looking like he¡¯s suffering the world¡¯s worst migraine. Drozuk waits for the ship to get rocked once more, then gently picks up the [Shrapnel Burst] spell with both hands and tosses it over. It quickly begins to sink, and for a long moment I thought maybe the monster hadn¡¯t noticed, but it manages to sense the dense mass of mana. Tentacles stretch out to ensnare its meal, then shoves it into its mouth to bite down, breaking one of the spikes and signaling Mattius to trigger the spell. An explosion of compressed air and shrapnel tears into the monster¡¯s throat, damaging the unprotected innards and¡­ yes! Makes it burp up its held air and possibly even damaging the gills. Howling in pain, the mudfish grappler rises to the surface of the water only a few feet off starboard, opening it up for the soldiers on the deck to start throwing harpoons. Thaddeus, already leaning over the rail on that side with Seleyna, launches a [Fire Bolt] as the princess draws an arrow from the quiver on her back and turns to an approaching Travis. ¡°Hold my feet!¡± Barely giving the elementalist enough time to react, Seleyna leaps on top the rail, then extends her right foot over the edge to brace against the hull of the ship microseconds after Travis grabs her left ankle to give herself a better angle. Her gathered Fire mana then flows down her arms as she takes aim, molding around the wooden arrow into a somewhat familiar looking pattern. My connection with Travis reacts, letting me watch through his eyes as the arrow turns black¡­ then red hot¡­ then into a blazing white before releasing. The enchanted arrow flies into the monster¡¯s eye, burning, blistering, and boiling the soft flesh as it carves deep into the skull. Screams of agony erupt from the creature, and as more and more harpoons pierce its flesh, the horrid sound finally ceases when the limp corpse sinks into the depths. My link with Travis fades as a chorus of cheers sing out. He unfortunately is a bit too distracted to join in, given that Seleyna is hanging off the edge of the boat. Still breathing heavily from exertion and a sudden dumping of battle duress, Seleyna gasps for air a few times before reaching a hand out, ¡°Okay¡­ pull me back on board.¡± An alert Thaddeus aids Travis as the two boys manage to get Seleyna standing on the rail, but her attempt at balance fails when stepping down, resulting in her and Travis tipping over and falling flat on the deck. Travis groans from taking the full blunt force, seemingly ignorant of their faces being only inches apart. ¡°Sorry,¡± Seleyna hazards a smile, ¡°put too much into that arrow enchantment. Legs cramped up.¡± Travis sighs, then returns one of his own, ¡°That¡¯s alright, maybe next time¡ª¡± ¡°Princess!¡± Captain Adaline rushes up the steps, rips Seleyna away from the pair¡¯s meet-cute, and holds her up like a precious doll, ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ just exhausted. No pain, but I am a bit stiff.¡± She witnesses everyone staring at her, ¡°Can you put me down? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve fully entered Stage Two Mana Sickness.¡± The Royal Knight lets out a sigh of relief as she follows the order, ¡°Thank the gods, I¡¯ll requisition an extra MRE for you.¡± Seleyna holds up her hands, completely forgetting that Travis is still lying on the floor, and almost steps on him as she backs away, ¡°No! No, that¡¯s not necessary! I don¡¯t need any special treatment.¡± --- Reidar Gull Lake - Warden¡¯s Hammer Infirmary ETA to Littlerock Fortress - < 2 Hours Reidar placed his hand on the injured corpsman, wishing that he knew Travis¡¯ secret ability to calm someone with a single shoulder pat. Abner, the Lakelander who had his hand severed, was doing well (all things considered), but he was about to have a difficult choice made for him. ¡°We have two options.¡± Knight Lieutenant Medic Karianne Bjornstad stated to Staff Sergeant Julien. ¡°Option one, is the safest, we sew him up as is, then fit him for a prosthetic once we return to the capital. The cut was clean and low on the forearm, so he¡¯ll retain quite a bit of mobility and will be eligible for frontline operations once he¡¯s completed therapy.¡± Julien nodded, ¡°I take it option two is riskier?¡± ¡°Yes. Spartan Reidar has offered to attempt mana-assisted surgery.¡± She paused to carefully choose her next words, ¡°But he hasn¡¯t been certified to operate on non-mana users without receiving permission. Using mana to heal a commoner comes with many risks, including atrophy, cancer, advanced mana sickness, and death. The process can quickly overtax a patient if the surgeon isn¡¯t fully trained and even if successful, there are long term effects that can occur.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Julien released a tired sigh, ¡°Has Abner stated his preference?¡± ¡°He¡¯s agreed to the surgery. However, given the sudden trauma and loss of blood, he¡¯s susceptible to making rash decisions, and may not be taking the dangers fully into account.¡± Reidar felt Abner tremble under his palm and looked down to see the tear drenched face. The two locked eyes while the lieutenant provided more details, allowing Reidar to see the naked fear inside the corpsman¡¯s soul. The intimate connection eventually made the spartan feel uneasy, and he needed to look away, but it ironically seemed to do the trick in calming the patient. ¡°You¡¯re scared too?¡± ¡°Yes. I got to observe and even assist a major medic when she performed field surgery on soldiers during the last Spring Flood, but it would put my mind at ease to have her here supervising.¡± The Lakelander smirked, ¡°It would put mine at ease too¡­¡± He rolled his head back to stare at the ceiling, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be so bad if it was my left¡­ there was a hunter that used to patrol around my village¡­ had a fake hand with a hidden blade that would stab monsters when he punched them¡­ Think I could get one of those? That¡¯d be sturdy¡­¡± ¡°Reidar,¡± Karianne interrupted, ¡°we¡¯ve been cleared to operate.¡± She placed a hand on a surprised Abner, ¡°Blessed Ahkazriel, minor god of healing, and child of Apheros. Guide our hands as we tie together the broken flesh and invigorate new growth.¡± The lieutenant looked to Reidar, ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± Reidar nodded in agreement, then decided to reach for his idol to Apheros and make a quick prayer of his own. Great timing bud! No one¡¯s looking, and I got Ahkazriel on the other root with some advice. First, keep your Wood Mana threads as narrow as possible, and apply fresh Mortymer brand nutrient gel each time you wipe away the puss. Second, have your assistant do what she can to target and ramp up the Fire Mana in your patient¡¯s bones and stomach to promote more blood creation. And third, only prioritize connecting the bone enough to secure the hand in place, then focus on the blood vessels to prevent gangrene. After that, you¡¯ll be over the major hurdle, so just monitor for signs of Stage 2 Mana Sickness as you proceed to repair the other tissues and take breaks for the mana to discharge if he starts showing symptoms. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Reidar felt some of his stress dissipate; none of the advice he just heard was new information. So maybe he was more prepared than he gave himself credit? Then again, he had an optimal scenario before him. The cut was very clean (with minimal loss of flesh), his constant use of the technique that paladin taught him had improved his fine motor control with Wood Mana greatly, Abner was in good health and well fed, and most importantly, he¡¯d gotten to closely observe dozens of much more complicated surgeries during the Spring Flood. ¡®I¡¯m truly fortunate to have trained with Major Medic Amabilis Sartre. I certainly wouldn¡¯t have had the confidence to even offer to try otherwise.¡¯ I¡¯m glad you think so. I know you weren¡¯t happy about missing out on the fighting, but I didn¡¯t want you to miss out on the opportunity. Reidar paused as he was about to return his idol, ¡®Wait, you intervened to have me assigned to her? But¡­ that was before I¡­¡¯ Reidar, ever since your heartbroken father dropped you off at the guard barracks in Lakewell, I¡¯ve felt a connection to you. I¡¯ve been nudging things into reality ever since. Ever wondered why your Wood Affinity was so strong despite training as a spartan? The spartan was flabbergasted. Ever since he was a¡­ Wait, Lakewell? The fortress Travis grew up nearby? His river of thought got interrupted by a hand grasping his shoulder, ¡°Reidar, if you¡¯re having second thoughts, we can still cancel the procedure.¡± Reidar shook to head to bring him back to the present, ¡°No, let¡¯s proceed.¡± --- Travis Gulltail River - Warden¡¯s Hammer Storage Bay ETA to Littlerock Fortress - < 1 Hour ¡°The trick is to make your body language as readable as possible.¡± I spoke to Private Tomas as I demonstrated the technique my dad taught me. It was a bit difficult given the tight quarters, but I did what I could to mimic an oak tree, keeping my posture strong and flexible. My hand then reached out to steady the trembling shoulder of the horse, breathing steadily while my fingers caressed the tense muscles. 5751054¡¯s neighbor began to calm, and after a few minutes, eventually spit out the book they had stolen from the corpsman assigned to their care. A light chuffing could be heard from my horse, but that only earned a stink eye from me. ¡°Our ship nearly capsized, with you lot trapped inside. Being frightened is a perfectly reasonable response.¡± 5751054 flicked his ears in back, then drooped them along with his head to apologize. Not able to resist his sad eyes, I maneuvered between the horses so I could pet both of them and let out a sigh of defeat. Private Tomas picked up the slobbery book, ¡°Thank you sir. I think it¡¯s past saving, but at least I don¡¯t have to worry about anyone choking on it now.¡± ¡°What were you reading?¡± The Northman¡¯s pale face turned a deep red, ¡°Oh, umm¡­ just an adventure novel¡­ that¡¯s all!¡± ¡°He¡¯s lying. He¡¯s been reading that smutty book aloud to the horses to keep them entertained.¡± I chuckled, unable to ignore Arc¡¯s usual quips, then whispered to the stammering corpsman, ¡°Your secret is safe with me. If you need a new book, just let me know.¡± Tomas looked up at me confused, not comprehending my meaning until I winked at him, and it finally clicked. He then grew excited and whispered back, ¡°Thank you sir, you¡¯re too kind. If there¡¯s anything I can do for you, just let me know.¡± I grinned as I gave all the horses one final pat before moving topside. Lancel once advised me to always be respectful of the Logistics Corps. If they consider you a friend, they¡¯ll undress, wash, clothe, and even tuck you into bed when you¡¯re too exhausted to stand after fighting. But if they hate your guts, you¡¯ll be lucky if they even bother to toss you onto the straw pile in the stables. He might have been exaggerating, but since I¡¯ll be working with Private Tomas the next two months, and with him personally taking care of 5751054 for me, I figured it¡¯d be smart to make fast friends with him. Wait¡­ he¡¯s not going to start telling others that I enjoy romance novels is he? It was bad enough having Barry start sneaking his collection over every time he visited. Rot, I should have thought ahead more. Cleanup from the battle was still ongoing. The smell of rotting fish and lake bile was getting scrubbed by corpsmen while the knights and spartans remained on high alert. I carefully stepped past a group of sailors rerigging one of the lines for the sails, and I ascended the steps to join Drozuk and other mages on the aft deck. My green-skinned friend waved, ¡°The horses okay?¡± ¡°No injuries; just got spooked. Those claustrophobic stalls kept them from getting knocked around, but they don¡¯t really help to reduce stress.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, if we were on a regular cargo ship¡­¡± he shook his head to rid the bad thought, then pointed down towards the infirmary below us, ¡°Reidar got permission to perform surgery. No clue how it¡¯s going, but it¡¯s been an hour, and I haven¡¯t heard any screaming yet, so that¡¯s a good sign.¡± I idly tried to use mana sight to see through the walls, but peering through the thick ironwood was as difficult as seeing the bottom of a murky pond. Sighing, I looked back up to see Captain Adaline going over the visit to the fortress with Seleyna, and briefly watched the other mages playing cards. Well, not Vesril, he was over in his corner doing nothing. Wait¡­ not nothing. He has a [Sound Barrier] up and is occasionally nodding his head. Curious, I tap Arc to see if he knows anything. ¡°He¡¯s just vibing to some live dungeon reverb crossed with elven death echoes. I can¡¯t translate the lyrics, but I can tell they¡¯re full of teenage angst.¡± Not sure how to respond to that (or what the rot Arc was even talking about), I was left dumbfounded until Drozuk tapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Travis, you still there?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ yeah, sorry. Got lost in thought.¡± He chuckled, ¡°I feel you. I keep going over the battle in my head, wishing I could have done more. Hopefully next time we¡¯ll be fighting on land.¡± I nodded along, none of our training covered combat aboard a ship, so I felt lost throughout most of the fight. A few shouts came from below, and I turned my head to see a few people pointing towards the bow of the ship. Looking up, I see a forming column of pink smoke near the horizon. The spartan captain bellowed for everyone to put their helmet on, and I managed to get it on much quicker this time. ¡°Littlerock is under assault by monsters. All combatants, assemble on the main deck, prepare for an aquatic assault.¡± --- Ambient mana swirled around the ship captain as he steered Warden¡¯s Hammer at its top speed upriver, making the ship bob up and down as it tore through the waves generated by the north wind once we entered Littlerock Lake. I stood on the fore deck with my poleaxe in hand, glad that I only opted to remove my torso plating unlike some of the others, and already had all three of my combat enchantments active. The island fortress soon came into view, and given that it was a heavy trade hub, it took up most of the lake with its multiple ravelins acting as artificial islands in the water. Tension filled the air as the ship sped past the first arrow-shaped island, then sharply turned to veer away from one of the bastion¡¯s points towards the expanse of beach in front of the southern gate, all while the spartans on deck were chanting a battle cry to force the battle lust in my veins to pump. Going in prepared this time made it feel more like I was back in the arena at the mages¡¯ academy, and I was oddly feeling excited, though slightly disappointed that Reidar was going to miss out due to still being in surgery. A strange emotion overcame me though as we braced for landfall. The hairs on the back of my neck rose, my breathing grew erratic, and a sense of vertigo overtook me. It felt like I was hanging from the barn rafters with sweaty palms. Ewww, Ewww, why are there so many! Octopuses aren¡¯t supposed to turn into spiders! Clenching my poleaxe with my right, I freed my left hand and began to bang my gauntlet against Arc to shut him up and focus on the¡­ ¡°Travis,¡± Lancel grabbed me by the shoulder and gave me a hard shake, ¡°snap out of it! We need you to clear the landing zone.¡± Freed from whatever bout of madness came over me, I took a couple of deep breaths, then summoned Orb spells over my head to ready myself. Seconds later, our ship beached itself, and I joined the other Fire Mages as we launched [Fire Bolts] into the swarm of eight-legged monsters the size of goats. The spartans rushed past us, leaping over the ledge and into the sand below, then raised their shields up to protect themselves as we launched another volley of spells over their heads. The knights then took their turn to leap, but before Lancel did, he grabbed me once more to get my attention. ¡°Travis, promise that you¡¯ll stay behind me.¡± I nodded, partly because that was what the plan was, but mainly because the intensity in his eyes straight up frightened me. He grinned, then hopped over the edge and into the forming shield wall, making up for his delay by skewering one of the monsters with his spear and kicking it into the encroaching swarm. We then launched one last round of spells before jumping into the fray. My [Earth Cleat] enchantment softened my landing, saving me from needing to reinforce my legs or waste time recovering, and I was able to immediately start the framework for the combined [Earth Slide] spell that Mattius and Treblana were supposed to cast with me on the ship. I also managed to get a peek at what was attacking the fortress. --Octopiders, a single-element monster. Although they can be quickly killed with a precise spear thrust to the face, these chitin-covered cephalopods are as dangerous on land as they are in the water. Able to relax and extend their tentacles underwater to swim and entangle prey or contract them to join the plates into a spider-like endoskeleton, these semi-aquatic monsters can be quite persistent hunters. They have a set of sharp fangs capable of piercing light armor, and if allowed to reach full maturity, can grow to the size of a Clydesdale, and deflect weapon blows by coating their armored plates with Water.-- I didn¡¯t have to wait long for Mattius to mesh his spell formation with mine, and then have the two of us get humbled when the full Earth Mage exceeded the amount of mana we both used. The ship slid off the beach, and I shouted over my squad¡¯s channel for Vesril to freeze the water. A big [Frost Orb] flew over our heads as we ducked, crashed into the water, then expanded outward into a spiraling sphere that froze everything in an eighteen-foot radius. Okay, maybe not a regular Orb spell¡­ With our rear temporarily secured, we fell into formation with the spartans and knights, shifting into a double-sized diamond formation and slowly worked our way towards the gate. I went all out on Bolt spells, acting like the false arachnids were just another one of Arc¡¯s illusions, and aiming for center mass with each crawler, since even a [Water Bolt] would stun an octopider long enough for Lancel to stab it with his spear. Our trail of corpses eventually made it to the walls, where the damned things were climbing up in droves until us mages started knocking them down with our spells. Once that group was eliminated, we hunkered down with our backs to the wall. Mattius and Treblana constructed a tenaille, a simple V-shaped one that produced a knee-high wall to protect the knights, and a raised platform for us other mages to keep launching spells. All attention was drawn to us while we held our ground for what felt like an hour before the wave of monsters finally died down. --- Littlerock Fortress ¨C Entrance to the Grand Hall After the battle, the captains coordinated with the local soldiers to comb the beach for any lingering threats (and to extract any monster cores from the corpses), then had us march through the gates in formation once the local Logistics Corps were able to begin cleanup. People lined the streets on all sides, forcing the guards to clear a path for us towards the towering Northman-styled lodge found at the heart of every fortress. Once inside, room assignments were handed out, and we were informed that a warrior¡¯s feast was to be held in our honor. ¡°Marvelous! Simply marvelous!¡± A brown-skinned elf wearing a robe stitched with constellations proclaimed as he approached us while we waited for the Grand Hall¡¯s doors to open. ¡°Merikath the bard, I¡¯ll be the one chronicling your exploits during tonight¡¯s feast. I was standing atop the ramparts when the gods heard our fervent prayers and sent you sailing in like a hurricane.¡± He weaved through our gathering battalion, wanting to shake hands with as many people as possible, then shamelessly hooked an arm around Vesril, ¡°And don¡¯t you worry my fellow knife-ear, I¡¯ll be sure to highlight in detail how those frozen beasts shattered into pieces after falling to their deaths or were impaled by your Icicle spells.¡± The Ice Mage didn¡¯t move an inch, or even visibly react, but for some reason I could tell that he outright despised having this sea elf anywhere near him. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve got an idea¡­¡± I listened to Arc¡¯s plan, then decided to enact it by approaching the bard, ¡°Pardon me, but Young Lord Vesril values his personal space. I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m not familiar with elvish court etiquette, but wouldn¡¯t approaching him the same as you would a commoner without prior consent¡ª?¡± The bard¡¯s eyes grew wide, then swiftly removed his arm and prostrated himself before Vesril, ¡°My lord! Forgive this one for offending you in such a manner. Had I known¡ª¡± Vesril raised a hand, silencing the elf with an exhausted monotone, ¡°Quiet. Leave my presence this instant, do not draw near me for the rest of the night, and I will forget this insult.¡± The groveling elf stood and turned around, only pausing briefly to stuff their necklace of a black orb wrapped in a halo of silvery metal back into their robe, before walking away in embarrassment. Vesril turned to stare at me, then after a long pause, let out a begrudging sigh, ¡°Thank you Travis, it would have been¡­ unbecoming for someone of my status to cause a scene.¡± --- Lancel Littlerock Fortress ¨C Grand Hall ¡®Why are they doing the presentation before the feast!¡¯ Lancel sat at one of the elevated tables reserved for honored guests, his stomach roiling in pain from the lack of food (and the extended bout of boat sickness that he had to hide from Galehaut). Heck, he was so hungry that he was positive that he could finally beat Franklin at Aelder Creek¡¯s annual food eating contest. He still wouldn¡¯t win of course, there was no beating Travis. That bottomless pit never even showed the decency to not grab dessert after the awards were handed out. He let out a heavy sigh and tried to steer his thoughts elsewhere. Since he and the others were on display, no one was sitting across from him, allowing him easy access to look around. The building¡¯s layout was the exact same as all the other fortress lodges he¡¯d been to, with high vaulted ceilings extending almost the entire way up the center of the building, exposed walkways outside the rooms to give guests a view of the festivities below, and enough tables and benches crammed inside to seat entire villages. There were soldiers, corpsmen, local witches and hunters, traveling paladins and clerics, and even a squad of upset spartans that arrived after the battle concluded, all silently watching the princess make her speech. He unfortunately caught a whiff from the buffet table, making his stomach growl once more as he saw the servers filling iron cauldrons full of meat, potatoes, gravy, vegetables, and other savory items before placing them onto a bed of sizzling hot coals. ¡®Well, so much for distracting myself¡­ at least it looks like the princess is wrapping things up now.¡¯ Seleyna opened the decorated lockbox for the jarl to see the valuable object inside. The red-headed Lakelander picked up the green orb, raising it high into the air, and affirmed his commitment to protecting the people of the kingdom with a rousing speech. Cheers and applause were heard from everyone, and soon a loud bell rang out, signaling the beginning of the feast. Lancel inhaled his first bowl of food while the bard entertained the crowd with a retelling of the recent battle, proclaiming in great detail about how the ¡°defenders couldn¡¯t possibly fend off such a large swarm of monsters¡±, despite there being an entire complement of soldiers stationed inside. Sure, it¡¯s possible there would have been casualties had his battalion not arrived, but he doubted that the local garrison wasn¡¯t prepared for an attack by semi-aquatic monsters. Even he and the other two guards stationed with him in Aelder Creek had contingencies put into place despite the lack of monster attacks. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing too, if one more of those things broke off to attack Travis¡­ we could have ended up with a lot worse than a single injury and lost pig.¡¯ He pushed his cauldron forward, annoyed that he couldn¡¯t get Travis out of his head, and almost ignoring the red-haired serving girl coming pick to it up seductively with both hands, squeezing her arms together to accentuate her exposed cleavage. A deep chuckle rumbled next to him once she left, and Galehaut tapped his thigh to get his attention. ¡°Think we should tell her to try her luck elsewhere?¡± ¡°Maybe, see any handsome guys you want to possibly invite upstairs?¡± Galehaut chuckled once more as he squeezed Lancel¡¯s thigh, ¡°Just the one. Are we going to get any privacy tonight?¡± ¡°I doubt it. There¡¯s no way that Royal Knight will let us skip out on shaking hands with the soldiers, or passing out whatever it was that Seleyna brought for the children.¡± Lancel groaned as he spotted the princess seated near Travis, ¡°Speaking of kids, do you think Travis is okay? He looked pretty spooked there before I snapped him out of it.¡± The goliath shrugged the boulders he had for shoulders, ¡°Maybe it was just the jitters? I know it took me a few times to not quake in fear upon seeing the Spring Flood.¡± Lancel sighed as the server returned with a fresh bowl of food, most likely insulting the woman further since he didn¡¯t even bother trying to make eye contact or say thanks, ¡°Hopefully that¡¯s it. He seemed fine once he started casting, the little bastard barely even left any for me to stab.¡± ¡°He¡¯s still just a sapling, a little wind will do him some good, forces him to build a more solid base.¡± A devious grin suddenly spread across his lip, ¡°Oh, I think I just figured out how to help Travis with his swordsmanship¡­¡± He shoveled down his bowl of food, gesturing for Lancel to do the same, then smiled brightly at the woman serving them upon her return, ¡°Excuse me miss, but do you know if the jarl intends to open up the floor for dancing this evening?¡± ¡°He does.¡± She gently stroked the back of Galehaut¡¯s hand and grinned, ¡°Will you be needing a partner tonight?¡± The Lakelander blushed with embarrassment as he pulled his hand away and placed it over Lancel¡¯s, ¡°Afraid I¡¯ve already got one. But my friend over there with the auburn hair and rainbow stripe on his shoulder needs one.¡± He tilted his head towards Travis to direct her gaze. She nodded, then took their empty cauldrons, thanking Galehaut for the suggestion. Lancel shook his head once she left, ¡°It won¡¯t work, I once saw Travis turn down a table full of girls bringing him hotdishes, he¡¯ll weasel out of dancing with her somehow too.¡± ¡°Shall we place a wager? I¡¯m quite positive she¡¯s the jarl¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that bet, what are you thinking?¡± Galehaut rubbed his short beard in thought, ¡°How about this? If I win, you need to join me on the dancefloor for a couple of songs, and if you win, I¡¯ll pay for us to get a private room for the night.¡± Lancel raised an eyebrow, ¡°Alright, you¡¯re on.¡± An hour later, Lancel couldn¡¯t stop laughing at the horrified look on Galehaut¡¯s face. The big guy even ceased their southern two-step after a few minutes of dancing to apologize. ¡°Fleet-footed Zipporah, I need to go save that woman!¡± He broke away, then sprinted off, ¡°Travis, time for another lesson.¡± --- Marceles Capital City ¡°And there¡¯s a closet in the back with some extra blankets and a divider so you can separate the room into a beardless¡­ err, I mean a gentlemen¡¯s half and ladies¡¯ half.¡± The dwarvish priest, Atgras Magmabraid, concluded as they finished the tour of the unused hostel. Marceles could barely hear a word of it through the miasma clouding his mind. Where had he gone wrong? He knew the archbishop was a stubborn old hag but didn¡¯t think she¡¯d march them out of the church at spearpoint after reading their list of collected disputes. His shoulders sagged as the now excommunicated members he petitioned for help filed in, carrying in the few possessions they were allowed to keep. He didn¡¯t understand how they could be in such high spirits, with so many of them chatting about how they were happy to move out of the scattered inns they¡¯d been staying at. Kolen, the cleric that had been keeping him sane the past few nights, must have noticed his sullen expression and suggested that they move to the meeting room so they could finish discussing the living arrangements in privacy. He collapsed onto one of the short-legged chairs, the dwarven-made furniture withstanding the punishment without even a whimper, and he turned to the kind beardless of Adamanrion¡¯s church that reached out to him. ¡°Thank you once again. I¡­ I¡¯m not sure what we would have done without your generosity. I¡¯ll begin finding a permanent place for us to stay in the morning so¡ª¡± ¡°No need for that, this place is the overflow of the overflow when our paladins and clerics return to the capital for winter. It hasn¡¯t been used in years.¡± Marceles nodded his head, ¡°Is there perhaps something we can do in return?¡± ¡°There is.¡± Atgras pointed to a shelf of books, ¡°Back when I was first leaning to speak common, I practiced by translating the journals that my forebearers kept. The ones on that shelf should be of interest to you, they¡¯re from when the reformed branch of Adamanrion¡¯s church broke off. Maybe check to see if there¡¯s any errors that I missed?¡± Kolen studied the books with a critical eye, ¡°How convenient¡­ what game are you playing dwarf?¡± The beardless chuckled while they raised their hands, ¡°I¡¯m not playing you for fools like those paper-pushers over at Ignitious¡¯ church, just answering the call.¡± They checked to make sure no one was in earshot and leaned in, ¡°A month and a half ago, a curious human visited me to register and learn about an old sword he inherited. Nice young lad, was studying to become a mage, and¡­ also happened to be famous in the dwarvish circles for crafting a weapon out of aelderwood and high-grade dwarven steel, despite forging the ingots using an old human method.¡± Marceles¡¯ and Kolen¡¯s eyes widened... had they? ¡°We ended up almost forgetting all about his sword, and instead had a rousing discussion about the different ways to combine metal and wood to create something new. I didn¡¯t think much about the encounter at the time, but then two weeks ago, I happened to catch him walking away from Adamanrion¡¯s shrine of Rebirth, suffering a clear case of soul exposure.¡± ¡°Soul exposure?¡± Marceles turned to Kolen to see if he knew what they were talking about. ¡°A side-effect of having a major god¡¯s influence flow through you. According to the testimonies of Chosen, it normally manifests as a temporary bout of depression, usually including a feeling of hollowness or insignificance, and can be soothed by intimate contact with another person or pet.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± the dwarf confirmed, ¡°and once I realized that Travis was a Chosen¡­ well, I couldn¡¯t just stand by collecting rust after he went through the trouble of asking for my church¡¯s help now can I?¡± Marceles felt his mind drift, thinking about what Travis last said to him. I wish things were different. He was saddened to hear about a paladin who didn¡¯t get to spend time with their family, or how the laws of the kingdom don¡¯t allow¡­ ¡°Atgras, excuse my ignorance, but do the kingdom¡¯s treaties allow your dwarven clergy members to teach its human members magic?¡± The beardless tilted their head, ¡°No, no exceptions for us. It¡¯s a real shame too. I¡¯ve seen many human craftsmen come seeking to learn magic, with Metal Affinities so blatant that you can see them without mana sight.¡± They sighed, ¡°But, since we don¡¯t want them to get accused of stealing knowledge from us, we usually turn them away, much to their disappointment. They have no interest in becoming knights or mages, just want to become better blacksmiths, carpenters, or architects.¡± Marceles grinned, he could see the path through the undergrowth now, ¡°Do think your church would be interested in forging a new agreement with the three kingdoms?¡± Chapter 51 - Onward to Union Fortress! Journal Entry #23 Still don¡¯t know what¡¯s in the bags. It feels like the witch is tugging on my line. But to what end? I have no idea. She claims I¡¯m getting close to feeling mana, and that she sees it surging in me every time I create a trap to hinder or kill one of the monsters we¡¯ve been hunting, but I don¡¯t notice anything strange. Tonight, she brought in a boiling pot of water for me to observe in the dark cave. I of course, couldn¡¯t see anything, so I had to focus on hearing the churning cauldron and feeling the heat and moisture on my skin. It felt nice, but the sensations reminded me of home. Mom¡¯s stew slow cooking over the stove all day, steam wafting out of the sauna my dad built, Lin preparing the bathwater for me after helping in the fields, and Petter carrying over a canteen wet with condensation. I began to tear up, missing home dearly. The witch noticed my behavior, but instead of consoling me, told me to ¡°keep doing whatever it is that I¡¯m doing¡±. I stormed out of the cave. I¡¯ve had enough training for the night. --- Travis Burnsday, the 3rd of Ninethmonth Littlerock Fortress The cool and crisp morning air filled my lungs, invigorating my core as it worked to warm myself, and making me eager for the new day. Birds sang from the eaves of the multi-use buildings, hungover townsfolk shielded their eyes from the rising sun, cats were on the prowl for vermin, and the scent of fresh bread was wafting in from a nearby bakery. It was like the whole fortress was singing together in peaceful harmony. The fact that Arc hadn¡¯t woken up from his ¡°soul maintenance¡± he went into last night might have contributed. It certainly was a nice change of pace from last night¡¯s exhausting affair. Greeting dozens upon dozens of people grew draining overtime (the majority were simply soldiers wanting to meet a mage for the first time) and having the jarl¡¯s daughter ask me to dance unexpectantly certainly stressed me out, but what truly tired me out was having a goliath man-handle me for two straight hours on the dance floor. On the downstream, I got to sleep in an actual bed last night instead of a hammock on the ship, and even got to eat a proper breakfast from the buffet this morning. A few of the other early risers were joining me outside the fortress¡¯ main square (mainly just the spartans, the Creeksmith twins, and the beardless ship artificer), playing cards and taking advantage of the tables left out from last night, when a clerk walked by and offered to give us a tour of the archeological site inside the fortress. ¡°Archeological site?¡± ¡°Yes, a carved stone pillar that became this fortress¡¯ namesake.¡± She smiled brightly at me, ¡°According to the oral tradition passed down by local residents, the runes on it were carved by Adamanrion themself, placed here to ward away monsters.¡± The ship¡¯s artificer, a blue-haired beardless with a pair of braids running down the sides of their head, scoffed at her, ¡°Because having a dwarf chisel the thing would have been too mundane for you humans¡­¡± The elderly woman chuckled, ¡°This fortress predates Oskar crossing the elven mountains, and was used as a battleground for at least an era before the first building stone was laid. We had no clue that your people even existed.¡± She clapped her hands together, ¡°Now, were there any takers?¡± Intrigued, I stood up, then became disappointed when I saw that none of the spartans (not even Varguk) looked interested. The dwarven artificer at least shrugged in a ¡°sure, why not¡± gesture, and the twins seemed to be getting into a silent argument on whether to join. One of the twins eventually sighed, then stood up to join me, ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not getting the package deal today.¡± I smirked, then narrowed my eyes to try and figure out which brother he was. The two were identical in physical appearance, to the point of it almost being unsettling, with their Lakelander earthy-brown hair, green eyes, and cavalier expressions. But, just like how you can¡¯t replicate a perfect copy of an oil painting, their mana builds and configurations differed slightly. My eyes peered into the blurry haze of grey mana surrounding him, then sharpened enough to differentiate the colors as I ramped up my mana a little higher. Okay, he¡¯s the brother that originally enrolled as a Water Mage before they both became Steam Mages. That makes him¡­ umm¡­ uhh¡­ ¡°Zaccheus.¡± The apparent mind reader politely informed. ¡°Thanks.¡± I leaked a nervous chuckle as we gestured to the clerk to lead the way. A six-minute walk later, we entered the main atrium of the museum dedicated to the fortress¡¯ history, then looked up in awe at the not-so-little stone column on display. The thing had to be at least seventy-two feet long, with a three-foot diameter, and was supported in an upright position to allow easy viewing from the platforms spiraling around it. Zaccheus and I ascended the stairs as the clerk began to speak about the pillar, stopping occasionally to view the intricate carvings through the conveniently placed magnifying glasses mounted on the guard rails. ¡°When first discovered, the island was thought to be inhospitable due to the lack of vegetation and countless number of boulders, but early Lakelander pioneers discovered that one of the smaller rocks jutting out of the ground was covered in an intricate design never seen before.¡± She pointed to a painting of a small boulder surrounded by a ring of much larger rocks, ¡°At the time, they had no idea just how much was hidden underneath the sand. Oral stories about the rock claim that it glows a faint golden light on nights when the moons Porta or Nightsun aren¡¯t present, so it¡¯s no surprise they were too scared to dig it up, lest they anger the gods.¡± Golden light? Wait¡­ Order Mana? Zaccheus narrowed his eyes at the relic, then asked the question I was thinking, ¡°So¡­ I take it doesn¡¯t glow nowadays?¡± The clerk shook her head, ¡°No, any detectable Order Mana present in the stone decayed long before a dwarven archeological team could be sent to investigate. Given how intact the pillar is, despite the lack of maintenance over the eras, it¡¯s believed to have been infused with it during construction.¡± I nodded along as we ascended the stairs, stopping at a patch of carvings that were preserved much better. Long, tightly spaced lines ran parallel to the column, seemingly meant to go past the broken ends, but would regularly make sharp right-angled turns, and break up the flow of the other lines. They oddly reminded me more of the striped patterns I¡¯d seen on spartan armor, instead of the tiled squares containing dwarvish sentences I¡¯d seen decorating practically every surface of their buildings. ¡°What do the runes say?¡± The blue-haired dwarf chuckled behind me, ¡°Lad, those carvings are purely decorative. It¡¯s just a simple four-count sequence, nothing more.¡± The clerk shrugged, ¡°That¡¯s what every archeologist has concluded. The most agreed upon theory is that this stone was a support pillar for one of the floating cities the dwarves lived in before ragnarok. How exactly it got here is still up for debate¡­ ruins of the fallen cities have been difficult to find, but one of the more popular guesses speculated by Jasec Anvilcoat is that an explosion propelled it away from a collapsing city, keeping it from being buried deep below ground or worn away by Lakeland¡¯s countless rivers and forests.¡± Feeling embarrassed, especially after doing a doubletake on the pillar to confirm, I lowered my head, thinking that I should have kept my mouth shut. The artificer at least took pity on me and gave my thigh a friendly pat, ¡°No need to cry over a banged-up thumb. It was a reasonable assumption, given our modern building practices. Although not many dwarves worship Ignitious, we do take their tenet to preserve knowledge to the extreme. Hence why every brick, shingle, and tile gets stamped with a rune.¡± That caught me off guard, and made me raise an eyebrow, ¡°Every shingle and tile?¡± ¡°Aye. They place old printing press plates into the clay molds before getting filled and fired. I heard they¡¯re not even picky about getting dwarven scripts here in the human kingdom and will use whatever shows up at the factory¡¯s door.¡± Zaccheus, looking just as surprised as I was, held up a hand, ¡°Hold on, you mean to tell me that the underside of the floor tiles in my family estate¡¯s ballroom might have old encyclopedia entries?¡± The dwarf smiled as they scratched the back of their head, ¡°Perhaps¡­ if you¡¯re lucky¡­ Ignitious may be the god of knowledge, but they are also the god of trickery.¡± The Steam Mage could only shake their head, ¡°And your people call us humans crazy.¡± ¡°Well,¡± the beardless tilted their head towards the exhibit, ¡°it¡¯s that, or after the world ends, the only proof that your people existed might be a pretty little rock.¡± --- On our walk back to the lodge, Arc finally broke his long period of silence, announcing his presence with a sleepy yawn and smacking of nonexistent lips. ¡°Morning. Did I miss anything?¡± I didn¡¯t have my helmet on, so I couldn¡¯t directly answer, but I was able to give his pommel a friendly rub to welcome him back at least. ¡°Right¡­ you can¡¯t talk¡­ should have noticed. Wait, did I miss the museum tour?¡± Unable to hide my grin, I gave Arc a sympathetic pat. ¡°Ugh, at least tell me you got something good from the gift shop¡­¡± Gift shop? Why would¡­? No. Stop. Trying to peer into Arc¡¯s madness will only drag you down the rapids with him. ¡°Not sure¡­ what do you think Travis?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I turned my head in response, ¡°Sorry, I was¡­ lost in thought.¡± Zaccheus waved me off, ¡°Just wondering if you knew what was going on,¡± he tilted his head towards the growing crowd in the street outside the main square then winked, ¡°given that you and the princess are best friends.¡± ¡°Like hell she is!¡± Arc boomed loudly into my ear. Feeling a very strong urge to rip out my earring (and possibly toss Arc down a sewer vent), I balled my hands into fists, and sucked in air through clenched teeth to keep from doing anything foolish. The Creeksmith twin, looking frightful, held up his hands apologetically and began to stammer, ¡°Whoa! Whoa, sorry, wasn¡¯t trying to imply that you two tied your boats together. Just thought you might know¡­ umm, given that our diplomatic tasks will be revolving around her¡­ and¡­¡± A deep, slow exhale released from my chest as I tried to calm down and salvage my latest outburst. Why am I having problems ignoring Arc? It¡¯s like the last eight years of me learning to not react to him were forgotten overnight. ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s alright, I shouldn¡¯t have snapped.¡± I breathed deeply a few more times until an excuse finally popped into my head, ¡°Ever since that shadow show became popular, I¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on, are you Farmboy?!¡± The ship artificer Volmaegar interjected, making me grit my teeth in genuine anger this time. My irritation went unnoticed as they started babbling about how they should have known when I stepped onto the ship with my ¡°funny-looking halberd¡±. ¡°It¡¯s not a halberd! It¡¯s a poleaxe.¡± I barked, fully losing my composure, and drawing attention from some of the gathering onlookers, including a small child. The little brown-haired boy (with eyes opened wide enough to make me think he was part Ashman), began furiously tapping the head of the soldier¡¯s shoulder he was sitting on, ¡°Dad! Dad! Look! It¡¯s a mage!¡± The soldier fully kitted out in the human kingdom¡¯s green brigandine, a spear in their right hand, round shield on their back, and left hand supporting the child, turned around. Matching shades of brown hair, hazel eyes, and asymmetrical bumps on their noses made it blatantly obvious, even without the kid saying so, that he was the boy¡¯s father. He immediately took a step back in shock once it sunk in who he was in the presence of, and despite being overburdened, began fumbling as he tried to salute us. Zaccheus, with a big smile, held up a hand, ¡°At ease soldier. You¡¯ve got precious cargo, best to not drop it.¡± The Lakelander soldier bowed their head in relief, only to grow mortified when his son asked a question. ¡°Can you cast a spell please?¡± Unable to resist the cute kid¡¯s charm, I held up a palm, then formed a tiny [Fire Orb], earning me a bunch of oohs and aahs from the child. Zaccheus wasn¡¯t impressed though, and scoffed at me, ¡°Travis, that¡¯s not how you entertain children with magic.¡± Taking advantage of the cool morning air, he proceeded to launch a half-dozen fog rings from his hands, making the little boy start bouncing on his dad¡¯s shoulder in joy, then full on cheers when Zaccheus formed a tiny sailboat to fly through the rings as a finale. ¡°This Gandalf wannabe wants to throw down? Travis, pull me out. Let¡¯s show him what a real master of illusions can do!¡± I rolled my eyes, then knuckled Arc a few times to shut him up before he foolishly exposed himself. Seriously, it hasn¡¯t even been twelve minutes, and I¡¯m already missing the quiet. At least the dad seemed to relax, and even whispered thanks to me while his child started peppering Zaccheus with questions. I whispered back to the soldier, ¡°By chance, do you know what¡¯s going on here in the square? I wasn¡¯t told anything this morning.¡± ¡°Not sure, got pulled from wall duty without an explanation, then was told to collect my son and bring him here.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ The original plan yesterday, before everyone got attacked by monsters and the jarl called for a warrior¡¯s feast in celebration, was to host a semi-formal gathering for the stationed soldiers and their families. Seleyna and you mages were going to hand out toys to the children while the knights and spartans mingled with the adults. It would then end with her gifting the Message Stone to the jarl and a private dinner once the families had left. I¡¯m guessing Seleyna wants to salvage some of the original plan before we sail out in an hour?¡± I scratched Arc in his favorite spot for behaving himself and being such a good sword, then was about to repeat his words to the soldier when I overheard Zaccheus speaking to the kid. ¡°That¡¯s not true, anyone can become a mage. Take Travis here for example.¡± He made a shit-eating grin towards me, ¡°Why, it was only a year ago that he was feeding a bundle of straw to a bull, placing a bucket underneath them, and levering its tail up and down to pump out fresh milk.¡± Ugh, there was so many things wrong with that sentence that I didn¡¯t even know where to start. Luckily, I didn¡¯t have to. The boy was quick to correct Zaccheus, telling him that cattle eat hay and sleep on straw, cows are the ones that give milk, and that you do so by squeezing their¡­ well¡­ I would have used the terms ¡°teats¡± and ¡°udder¡±, but I guess he wasn¡¯t technically wrong. Zaccheus put his hands on his hips and returned an over exaggerated look of disbelief, ¡°Are you telling me that Sir Travis here lied to me? How can I be sure that you¡¯re not the one tugging on my line?¡± Unable to hold back a chuckle, I heard the boy¡¯s father join me in amusement as his son explained that he lived on a dairy farm in one of the nearby villages with his mother and uncle¡¯s family when he wasn¡¯t here to visit his dad, and proudly state that he got to help feed the baby calves. Loud voices shouted over the crowd, telling everyone to form lines, and to be on their best behavior since Princess Seleyna and the other mages will be personally handing out gifts to the children. Letting out a big sigh and knowing that it was only a matter of minutes before I was going to get ordered to hand out gifts too, I bid farewell to the soldier and his son, wishing that I could have spent more time with them. --- Arc Warden¡¯s Hammer ¨C Main Deck Despite the warm welcome everyone received, Princess Seleyna and her battalion had a tight schedule to keep. So, once she and the mages were done handing out tin soldiers to the children, it was back to the ship to continue their journey to the next fortress. Before the ship launched though, there was one last announcement to make. The entire battalion packed onto the main deck (even the commandos), all deathly silent as they faced the doors to the infirmary. Eventually, after what felt like ages, one of the doors swung open, and Knight Lieutenant Medic Karianne stepped out, followed soon by a bleary-eyed Reidar helping support the injured corpsman. The kid looked like he¡¯d just run a marathon after going on a hunger strike, but he managed to find enough strength to shakily hold up his formerly severed hand and wiggle his fingers for everyone to see. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Cheers and applause soon erupted from the deck, and the joyous Logistics Corps members quickly moved in to take over for Reidar and help their comrade find a comfortable place to rest. Reidar didn¡¯t resist, just stood in a zombie-like manner, not reacting to any of the spartans as they gave his shoulders and back congratulatory punches, but his squad-brother Varguk was able to get a reaction when he brought over a steaming mug of brewed stimleaf. ¡°Good job baby bro!¡± He held the mug under Reidar¡¯s nose, hoping to revive the teenager, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got the good stuff. None of that weak crap the elves import.¡± Reidar pushed away the drink, ¡°No stimleaf¡­ patient needs sleep. I need¡­ sleep¡­¡± Then, as if to prove that military training was as effective as advertised, raced his fingers down his coat with alacrity and started stripping off his uniform, despite the clear sleep deprivation. Varguk, starting to panic, handed the drink to Karianne, then grabbed his brother¡¯s hands before the shirtless spartan could unbutton their pants, ¡°Whoa! Hang on¡­ let¡¯s uh¡­ find you a bed first¡­¡± The half-orc darted their head around, doing their best to ignore the whistles sent his way, then spotted his concerned squad captain stepping forward, ¡°Captain Adalaine, requesting permission to take Reidar below deck to sleep.¡± The Royal Knight tried her best to remain serious, but once Reidar kicked off his boots and started wrestling with Varguk to free his hands, she couldn¡¯t help but leak a few chuckles before giving out orders, ¡°Spartan Reidar, go below deck and sleep for six hours.¡± Finally ripping his arms free, Reidar saluted the captain, then turned on his heel to march off, plowing through a few people until he reached the pedestrian entrance. The door soon became an obstacle as the single-minded spartan kept pushing on it, growing more and more furious at its refusal to open, but thankfully one of the commandos managed to sneak in and pull the door open before Reidar resorted to bashing it down. Travis, who had been watching the whole affair with his friends, tapped Mattius on the shoulder, ¡°Was I just as bad when I stayed up late that one night?¡± Mattius grinned at the memory, ¡°No, you were way worse. You ignored almost anything we said and either kept trying to run off or turned into a heap of dead weight.¡± ¡°Oof, that¡¯s disturbing. I barely remember walking down for breakfast that morning.¡± The Dust Mage shrugged, ¡°Far as I¡¯m concerned, it''s way better than Stage 3 Mana Sickness. At least you didn¡¯t grow violent or tried to gnaw our faces off.¡± Travis grimaced, no doubt remembering the time he got attacked in the spell range, then lurched in shock when Squad 2¡¯s medic barged into their conversation. ¡°Technically, mana-induced sleep deprivation is a type of mana sickness.¡± She informed, ¡°Although it deviates from the normal progression of hunger, pain, then disassociation, it counts as Stage 3 due to the lack of self-awareness.¡± Mattius scratched the back of his head, ¡°Can you prevent it then by eating mana rich foods?¡± ¡°No, without a period of inactivity to fully discharge one¡¯s internal mana and relieve their membrane of external pressure, the buildup of stress makes it impossible to focus on anything other than primal needs. Imagine carrying around a loaded pack all day. You can reduce the weight to slow down exhaustion, but eventually your body will refuse to go any further until the pack is removed, and you lie prone to properly rest.¡± Travis nodded along, then tilted his head, ¡°Okay, but then how come you¡¯re fully cognizant right now? Didn¡¯t you stay up late assisting Reidar?¡± ¡°I did,¡± the knight shrugged, ¡°but I barely needed to assist. Once I disinfected the wound and equalized the mana pressure, I was able to sneak in a few naps throughout the night." She took a sip of the latte Varguk made, groaning in pleasure as the coffee/tea substitute poured down her throat, ¡°Didn¡¯t have to burn away any forming tumors either. I swear, that kid must be blessed by Apheros, I¡¯ve worked with fully trained Wood Mage surgeons that have worse mana control than him.¡± --- Erosathan River ¨C Gull Lake County ETA to Ottertail Fortress ¨C 6 hours My focus floated into the infirmary to spy on the private meeting of the three squad captains. ¡°We should be behind the main wave from the capital now,¡± Spartan Captain Aguk stated, ¡°but it¡¯s not a guarantee we won¡¯t get attacked once we veer off the main river again to stop at a fortress. Does the princess want to deviate from the mission plan?¡± Knight Captain Adaline shook her head, ¡°Not unless a known threat is present, or inclement weather prevents us from sailing.¡± She turned to Raven Four, ¡°Any new intel that we need to be aware of?¡± ¡°Mathildis the pirate and her ship The Salty Pickle have gone missing. She was last seen raiding a supply carrier south of here on the river over a month ago, and rumors state she hasn¡¯t drydocked in her usual hiding spot this fall.¡± The spartan raised an eyebrow, ¡°You think she¡¯d dare attack us?¡± Raven Four shook his head, ¡°Unlikely, but any possibility is on the table for this mission, given who¡¯s onboard. There are a few other notable pirates that have gone missing, so I recommend running drills to prepare for a combined force attacking us.¡± Captain Aguk still looked perplexed, ¡°I¡¯m not against adding anti-piracy drills to the rotation, but aren¡¯t you being paranoid? I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m not an expert when it comes to political intrigue, but what could a bunch of pirates hope to gain by kidnapping or killing the third, soon to be fourth, in line to the throne?¡± The commando turned to the Royal Knight, who in turn sighed, then put up a [Sound Barrier] before she answered, ¡°You¡¯ve been cleared to know if the need arises, but for now, let¡¯s operate under the assumption that someone in the capital will be very happy if Seleyna were to meet a tragic fate on her mission, and may have put plans into motion to make it happen.¡± The half-orc scowled, his tusks making him look extra ferocious, ¡°I¡¯m a spartan. It¡¯s probably best if I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t knowingly ignore a threat to the princess, and not take action. I doubt I¡¯d be able to restrain myself.¡± Raven Four gave the spartan a friendly shoulder pat, surprising the other two, ¡°That lack of hesitation, along with your martial prowess and expertise, is why we need you. My team can handle the hidden threats, and Adaline will cover the social discourse, but if the three of us can¡¯t protect the princess, then we¡¯ll have to hope the gods will show mercy on us.¡± --- Ottertail Fortress ¨C Grand Hall Hmm¡­ not sure if I¡¯m liking the newest update to my ¡°patch¡±. I figured out how to output everyone¡¯s conversations that my sword-body sees into a chat box, limiting what I actively hear to just my invisible focus, and making it so I don¡¯t have to hear dozens upon dozens of conversations at the same time now. It removed a lot of mental fatigue, since now I don¡¯t have to tune out everything I don¡¯t want to hear, but I¡¯m back to that whole ¡°Do I actually want to know everything?¡± dilemma. Admittedly, I do enjoy snooping around with my focus (helps to combat the boredom when I can¡¯t talk to Travis), but with everything simply getting added to the log whether I observe the conversation with my focus or not spoils the fun. Well, assuming I do keep it, I need to figure out how to organize this chat log better. Everyone¡¯s recorded words in my vision¡¯s range are getting merged into one endless stream, making it completely unreadable once too many people start talking. Hopefully it doesn¡¯t take forever to fix. I didn¡¯t learn how to program in my old world, and my current method of giving a command to the unfinished layer of my soul to see if it works does have similarities, so I wonder sometimes if I¡¯m doing everything wrong. Mentally sighing, I sent my focus drifting across the fortress¡¯ reception dinner as Galehaut gave Travis another dancing lesson, Mattius worked up the courage to go talk to Treblana, Drozuk was asking Lancel about his older brother¡¯s pugilist fighting style, Vesril sat alone with his arms crossed, and Seleyna danced with Reidar while sharing a private conversation. Ooh, that looks intriguing. Ignoring the chat log, I move my focus closer to overhear the conversation. ¡°So, I put in the request to bring him on as a chef, I figured if he could make sewerducks taste amazing, then maybe he could do the same for anything we kill during our expedition. It wasn¡¯t until I saw that your military identification numbers were identical, save for the last digit, that I learned you two were squad-brothers.¡± Seleyna sighed as Reidar switched the tempo to keep in line with the band¡¯s song, ¡°I was positive that I got tricked somehow, but as far as I can tell, it was a simple coincidence.¡± Reidar shared one of his rare smiles with the princess, ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t a coincidence, Varguk is an excellent cook, has extensive knowledge of monster anatomy, and is quite deft with his cleaver. It¡¯s an honor to have him in my combat squad.¡± Seleyna closed her eyes as the two glided across the dance floor, then opened them to peer into Reidar¡¯s, ¡°Can I ask you a personal question?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Mom mentioned that you were among a dozen spartans who were offered exemptions from the law so you could study at the Mages¡¯ Academy, but none of you accepted. Why didn¡¯t you?¡± Reidar steeled his gaze as he contemplated his answer, then peered into her large eyes, ¡°Abandoning my family was unacceptable.¡± The princess was taken aback, ¡°Abandon? What do you mean?¡± ¡°My title of ¡®Spartan¡¯ would have been removed. Although my first squad assured me that they would still consider me part of the squad, I felt that it would have been a major insult to my squad-siblings still trying to earn their green stripes if I were to discard my recently-earned title.¡± Reidar paused to take a big breath, ¡°I understand that we¡¯re not bound by blood, but they have never once made me, or my siblings ineligible to begin training, feel unwelcome in their circle, despite our deficiencies.¡± Seleyna drooped her head, ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t realize how important being a spartan was to you. If it¡¯s any consolation, I¡¯m positive my mother meant no insult. I know she personally asked the Duke and Baron Generals to present the offers so that they would be easier to turn down.¡± ¡°I was not insulted. If the Queen had ordered me to become a mage, I would have done so without complaint. The needs of the kingdom outweigh my personal preferences.¡± A sad expression fell upon the princess, ¡°But¡­ you would have been miserable¡­¡± ¡°Possibly, but I could have just as likely grown to enjoy the experience. I know of at least one thing that would have made it so.¡± Seleyna smirked as she squeezed Reidar¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Oh? And what would that be?¡± Reidar glanced towards Galehaut¡¯s clumsy dancing partner and grinned, ¡°Getting to study and train with Travis. I got to join him in his private spell range once and discovered that my martial training complemented his academic abilities.¡± Rolling her eyes at the clueless spartan, Seleyna shrugged off Reidar missing her attempt to flirt, and joined him watching Travis comedically crash into another dancer, ¡°Is he getting worse?¡± Reidar¡¯s face returned to its neutral expression as he pondered the question, ¡°No, I believe Sir Mistguard is intentionally interrupting Travis¡¯ attempts to focus on his footwork.¡± --- Travis Ottertail Fortress Lodge ¨C Guest Suites ¡°Goodnight bud. I¡¯m going to do some more maintenance.¡± I reached down to give Arc a pat, but forgot that I put him in the weapons rack with the other swords, and had to hope that he read me patting my left thigh as a sign that I wished him a good night too. Mattius soon joined me sitting cross-legged on my bed, holding a blank notebook like me, then sat the strange puzzle box between us so we could start studying it. ¡°Okay,¡± I began, ¡°let¡¯s start with what the guildmaster told you.¡± Mattius nodded, ¡°They said no asking direct help from any person, god, or object, but that we could use the terrain.¡± I nodded as I copied down the words, ¡°First part seems straight forward, that covers just about any possibility of us cheating.¡± ¡°Agreed. I suppose we could overhear the answer or watch someone else solve it, but I¡¯d rather not test that method.¡± Mattius scratched the back of his neck with his pencil, ¡°The second part must be a hint to get us started. Any thoughts?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ nothing comes to mind right now. Ready to record initial observations?¡± Mattius picked up the cube, ¡°It¡¯s made of an unknown black material, showing both metallic and crystalline properties, and is completely void of any mana. Main shape is that of a four-inch cube, has square tiles of various sizes on its surface that can be shifted by sliding the columns and rows in unison, and if an unbroken line encircles the cube,¡± he twisted the top portion of the cube, rotating the side a full ninety degrees, ¡°You can move a row of tiles to a different side.¡± ¡°Wow, I¡¯ve never seen such a complicated puzzle before.¡± ¡°Me either.¡± Mattius marveled at the object, ¡°I took some time to study the tiles before tonight. There¡¯s two large tiles, four medium sized, twelve small, and the rest are tiny. Each one has a small cone-shaped divot with a hole in the middle, but as far as I can tell, no two tiles are the same.¡± I finished writing down my notes, then took the puzzle from Mattius so I could see for myself, ¡°I¡¯d have to grab a measuring tool, but I think you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Storms, I guessing that means each individual tile needs to be in the correct spot for the puzzle box to open.¡± My eyes widened with realization, ¡°There¡¯s no way we can guess the right configuration¡­ It could take years.¡± Mattius grinned, ¡°Well, I was given sixty years to solve it. The odds of us getting lucky at some point should be possible, right? --- Lancel Steelsday, the 4th of Ninethmonth Erosathan River ¨C Clearwater County ETA to Blackleigh Fortress ¨C 3 hours Galehaut palmed the pommel of his bastard sword with his left hand, using the right as a swivel to quickly change the angle of his swing to parry another of Travis¡¯ attacks, then shoulder-barged the poor kid to throw him off balance once again. Travis stumbled back a few paces, gritting his teeth, and finally showed some fire in his eyes as he tried to lunge at the goliath. Moving far too gracefully for a man his size, Galehaut sidestepped with little effort, then slapped the flat of his blade against Travis¡¯ rear and taunted the young man with his rumbling guffaw. Lancel sighed, his father had once gone through a similar exercise with him, though for him it was to learn how to control his anger, not to unleash it. He continued watching, growing entranced as sunlight danced along the bare steel of the two blades. Well¡­ danced along Galehaut¡¯s sword. The constant dull grey light bouncing off Travis¡¯ weapon appeared so lifeless compared to the flashing orange hue of the goliath¡¯s every time the edges clashed. ¡®Orange? Hang on, it¡¯s the middle of the day, why is¡­ oh.¡¯ He shook his head as his vision stopped hyper-focusing on the two swords, then expanded his field of view from his high vantage on the aft deck to include the halos of grey and cobalt light surrounding the two sparring. ¡®Figures. Was never able to see mana before becoming a knight, but now that I¡¯m not spending every free moment training, my mana sight activates without even thinking about it. If I knew all I had to do was watch a pair of swordsmen fight or simply take more lessons in¡­¡¯ Lancel cut off his stampeding thoughts. It was bad enough that he kept having lecherous thoughts about a sword-loving inner-ring noble, but second-guessing his commitment to mastering the spear? No, he was not going to regret that decision. ¡°Sir Hopkins.¡± A voice from behind caused Lancel to turn and see that the young Packer mage had approached him, ¡°Mathias?¡± ¡°Uh, no, it¡¯s Mattius. Mattius Tatian.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Lancel chuckled, ¡°I can be just as bad as Travis sometimes.¡± A puzzled expression crept across Mattius¡¯ face as he scratched the back of his head, ¡°Okay¡­ umm, back to what I was going to ask. Travis mentioned last night that he wanted to teach you a few Air spells, and¡­ since I¡¯m not teaching anyone right now¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯d be happy to receive your instruction. We only got to basic shapes and how to cast an Aura spell midway through the training camp before we focused on learning attunement.¡± The mage nodded, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start with the spell [Message] then. It¡¯s probably the most important spell to learn, and only requires two basic shapes to form each half of the spell; a hollow cone attached to a sphere.¡± Lancel raised an eyebrow, ¡°That¡¯s it? I thought spells were more complicated than that.¡± ¡°They can be. For example, if you want to hear a reply from the person or persons you¡¯re speaking to, then you need both an input and output cone on each instance of the spell you¡¯ve cast. You can also amplify your voice by adjusting the cone size larger or do the reverse to whisper. There¡¯s also a variant of the spell called [Remote Ear] that picks up sound omnidirectionally and is great for scouting with. Oh, and you can also¡ª¡± Lancel held up his hands to stop the young man¡¯s rambling, ¡°I stand corrected. Can we start with something simple though? Maybe learning how to speak over the Messaging channel in my helmet? Or is that too complicated?¡± Mattius chuckled, ¡°No, that should be doable. If your helmet is like mine, then it should have divots stamped into it to make enchanting easier..¡± Lancel grinned as the Packer mage reached for his helmet, he was secretly hesitant about Travis teaching him magic, so this should be a less stressful alternative. Plus, his mother¡¯s face when she discovers that he learned from a Tatian of all people was sure to be one for the era. For years she used Clan Tatian as an example of what not to do, given how the family was riddled with scandals and disappointments. If he remembered right, the first matriarch of the clan was irresponsible with her husband¡¯s income and was living beyond their means, forcing Mattius¡¯ father into volunteering for every available assignment to keep them out of debt. In revenge, he fathered at least a half-dozen bastards and legitimized all of them, prompting her to spread rumors about his unfaithfulness. Eventually, the downpour started when Mattius¡¯ father used a clause in their clan¡¯s charter to divorce his wife after she became incapable of bearing children, then remarried to a much younger woman. To be honest, Lancel was surprised the clan still existed. When he asked Marcia about the Tatians after getting the roster for this mission, she told him that while none of the older sons had become knights, there was some small hope for the clan. The youngest son had managed to trigger their mana before turning eighteen (most likely because his father had retired, thus able to train the boy full-time) and even managed to enroll at the Mages¡¯ Academy. ¡®I hope Torbolt is looking out for you kid. You¡¯re going to need it.¡¯ --- Arc Rocksday, the 5th of Ninethmonth Blackleigh Fortress ¨C Main Hall Yes¡­ Yes¡­ It¡¯s working! My chat window is sorting conversations into tabs, I can sort by person instead, search for keywords, and the best part of all, I can toggle it on and off. Arc 2.0, the indestructible magical talking sword with a built-in auto-translator, quest log, and note taking app! Mapmaker functionality coming soon! My focus dances with joy, and even Travis must have sensed my happiness, because he¡¯s grinning like an idiot while he stares at the¡­ six-egg farmer¡¯s omelet with two potatoes worth of hashbrowns and a pound of pork sausage being served to him. Right¡­ I somehow forgot that we have different priorities¡­ I watched for a bit as Travis dug into his food while joining Reidar and the other spartans eating similar sized dishes for their early breakfast, then decided to venture off to see if anyone else was awake yet. Drozuk was snoring loudly, ruining Vesril and the other male mages¡¯ attempt to catch a few more minutes of sleep. Galehaut was massaging beard oil into his chin. Lancel was practicing forming the [Message] spell and asking the Northman knight in Travis¡¯ squad if it looked right. Raven Four and his commandos were doing a final sweep of their room before exiting via window. And Captain Adaline was asking Treblana to step outside the women¡¯s room so they could talk. ¡°How are you getting along with Seleyna?¡± Treblana stammered, unsure of what to say at first before meekly answering, ¡°Umm, I think we¡¯re getting along okay. She¡¯s¡­ umm¡­ please don¡¯t take this the wrong way¡­ but she¡¯s not as regal as I expected her to be.¡± The Royal Knight chuckled, ¡°No, I understand what you mean. Her older sisters¡¯ constant attempts to one up each other as they fought over toys, academic accomplishments, and now political agendas soured her to the idea of being a prim and proper princess.¡± Her smile shifted to an uneasy one as her laughter took on a nervous tone, ¡°Speaking of political agendas, I have a confession to make. I requested to place you in my squad to use as a recruitment aid.¡± The young Packer woman was flummoxed, ¡°What? Why me?¡± ¡°Do you know what the male to female ratio is for spartans?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ not sure. I know it¡¯s not very high. If I had to guess, maybe one out of a dozen are women?¡± ¡°More like one out of eight. But don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s considered very good, given that orkish and half-orc women average about three boys and one girl in every litter, and the adoption rate for girls is much higher.¡± Treblana nodded along, ¡°Okay, but how does that¡ª¡± ¡°For Northmen and Lakelanders, the overall male to female ratio of knights and mages is three to one. With knights skewing more towards males and mages closer to breaking even.¡± Adaline paused for dramatic effect, ¡°Only one out of one-hundred eighty Packer knights are women and female Packer Mages are only slightly better at one out of one-hundred twenty. I¡¯m guessing your parents were about as thrilled as mine when you decided not to pursue the family business?¡± The Earth Mage shifted uncomfortably, ¡°My¡­ mom needed to be convinced by my dad to let me train with him. And I think he only accepted me asking him because I don¡¯t have any brothers.¡± The Royal Knight shared a knowing smile, ¡°When we arrive at Union Fortress tomorrow, I¡¯d like for you to join Seleyna as she tours the fortress. Since we¡¯ll be at the border of Lakeland and the Southern Plains, I¡¯m hoping that the public seeing an outer-ring mage carousing with a princess might encourage them to allow their daughters to pursue military careers outside of the Logistics Corps.¡± Treblana agreed to the request, then was about to head back into the room when she stopped the knight, ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ve got a couple of questions.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°If you wanted me to be seen being friends with the princess, then why not have us in the same squad as well?¡± Captain Adaline huffed, ¡°You were in the same squad, but the day before assignments were handed out, General Stalsworth swapped you and Travis unexpectedly. Really pissed me off too. Without you, Squad 1 barely has any Earth Magic support.¡± ¡°Oh, I was wondering about that. As for the other question, you didn¡¯t mention the metrics for Ashmen.¡± ¡°They¡¯re considered unusable, since the commandos refuse to publish their numbers. To be honest, I¡¯m not even sure if Raven Four is a man or not. They always speak in that affected gravely tone, and their leather armor hides any distinguishing features.¡± A deep, raspy voice echoed from behind the pair, ¡°How bold of you to assume you¡¯re speaking to the same Raven Four each time.¡± The two ladies startled as they realized a commando was standing only a foot away from them. Not reacting to their panicked breathing, the commando spoke once more, ¡°The premises are secure. It is safe for Princess Seleyna to head downstairs for breakfast.¡± They saluted, then leapt into the open gap the stairwell surrounded, catching the rail on a lower level, then darted through a room and open window. Captain Adaline groaned, ¡°Twelve years working with these guys, and you¡¯d think I¡¯d finally stop reacting whenever they drop in to report.¡± Chapter 52 - The Demonic Blade Journal Entry #24 So, it turns out magic is complete nonsense. Or at least that¡¯s what I¡¯ve determined after we returned to the cave the next night. The witch brought out the cauldron once more, but before we could start, she demanded to know why I ran off right as I was making progress. I tried to dodge around the question, saying that I was just frustrated, but she didn¡¯t buy my answer, and kept nagging at me until I finally told her that I¡¯d rather be at home with my family than here in this shit-filled cave learning magic. My outburst didn¡¯t phase her at all. In fact, she smiled and asked if I was thinking about them last night. I didn¡¯t answer, just scowled, but the witch must have taken that as a yes, because she excitedly started heating up the cauldron, and asked me to do the same thing tonight. My temper boiled over in sync with the cauldron, making my vision go red as I stood up and kicked the rotting cauldron away from her. The witch of course, was not happy with me, and sprung to her feet as well, then glared at me as the redness flooding my eyesight collapsed into a single ball in front of her hand. She must have tracked my eyes as they followed the light, because she raised her hand, then sent the red ball down the cave, cackling as I turned my head to follow it. Turns out ¡°seeing red¡± isn¡¯t just an expression. --- Travis Rocksday the 5th of Ninethmonth Bluerock Fortress ¨C Main Hall ¡°Liger, use Solar Strike Claw!¡± Thaddeus roared over the gathered audience for tonight¡¯s ceremony. I couldn¡¯t make out what was happening, but the sound of clattering of dice followed immediately by a chorus of cheers made it obvious that his attack was successful. Focusing back on what I was supposed to do, I smiled as the next little girl in line to meet Seleyna kept turning her impatient head around and tugging on her mother¡¯s skirt to ask if she could instead join the other children. Thankfully the princess was gracefully taking everything in good humor, so she quickly handed off the box containing the small Fortresses & Fighters figurine, then told the little girl to hurry and find a good spot to watch the conclusion of Squad 2¡¯s demonstration match, smiling brightly as they scurried off. After overhearing me mention offhandedly that I had no clue that the tin soldiers I had growing up were pieces to a popular strategy game in the capital, Squad 2¡¯s mages were appalled when they discovered that I was far from the only person not in the know. As a result, they decided to make it their personal mission to teach every single rural child we encountered on our Fall Expedition how to play the game. Now that we were on our fourth stop, their routine and presentation was well rehearsed, with the Creeksmith twins standing on opposite ends of a banquet table using their (by even Arc¡¯s standards) impressive control over Fire and Water to conjure cat-sized monsters to take turns attacking each other. Mattius and Treblana, not wanting to be overshadowed, crafted oversized dice for the children to roll, and were in no way at all fudging the dice rolls to keep the matches interesting. Safe to say, Squad 1 was getting upstaged. ¡°I still don¡¯t get how they can do that.¡± I commented as Zaccheus¡¯ summoned shadecoon leapt forward for a tail swipe. Drozuk snorted in reply, ¡°You humans and your affinities¡­ you¡¯re all a bunch of cheaters.¡± I gave my orkish friend the stink-eye, ¡°I don¡¯t have an affinity. Remember? I spartan¡¯d myself because I was too impatient to start training to become a mage.¡± ¡°I do. It¡¯s why you¡¯re one of the few humans I can tolerate.¡± A throat clear from Versil behind us alerted Drozuk to Seleyna¡¯s judgmental stare. ¡°Uh¡­ you of course are included in that small group princess.¡± Seleyna¡¯s stern look broke into a grin, ¡°Glad to know. Though you are right, having an affinity certainly feels like cheating at times. That [Fire Arrow] enchantment I used the other day, for example, would have been impossible for me to do otherwise.¡± She turned to Vesril, ¡°I assume a typical Watcher wouldn¡¯t be able to learn that in four months?¡± Vesril shrugged, ¡°Not sure. Watchers often spend an entire calendar cycle just to master mana reinforcement, then another learning enchantments, but their ranks are usually made from those who couldn¡¯t get into a university, so¡­ they¡¯re not known to be quick learners.¡± A fresh round of cheers and applause rang out, drawing our attention back to Squad 2. I could just barely make out Zaccheus doing a ridiculous victory dance with Treblana that included multiple hip checks, high-fives, and him picking her up by the waist to spin around. ¡°Ooh¡­ Mattius looks pissed, bet he¡¯s regretting scrubbing the high numbers off his damage die now.¡± I groaned; looks like we won¡¯t be making any progress on his puzzle box tonight. The guy was a paper beaver when it comes to girls, all confident and resolute when motivated, but the second he caught a potential whiff of himself falling short, he¡¯d turn into a miserable pile of insecurities. Releasing one last sigh, I gave Arc his usual rub, then turned my attention back to our group just in time to see an older man in formal Lakelander attire approaching us with an ornately armored dwarf. ¡°Princess Seleyna, before we begin the ceremony, let me personally thank you for visiting our humble fortress. It honors us greatly, especially given that your impressive ship could have merely extended today¡¯s journey by an hour to arrive at Union Fortress.¡± Seleyna smiled, ¡°No thanks are needed Jarl Clemet, your fortress is more than deserving of the crown¡¯s attention. Without you defending the territories north of Union Fortress, the kingdom¡¯s largest trade hub would be under constant attack.¡± She paused to briefly look around, then leaned in to stage whisper, ¡°Also, last time I was in Union Fortress, I didn¡¯t get a wink of sleep from all the noise. If I¡¯m going to walk around those overcrowded markets tomorrow, I¡¯m going to do it with a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± The two continued to trade pleasantries, but I lost focus once I noticed that the bearded dwarf accompanying the jarl was staring at me constantly through narrowed eyes. At first, I thought they were just trying to get a peek at my poleaxe like every other dwarf I¡¯ve met, but the long duration, along with a subtle growl rumbling in their throat, was making me grow nervous. ¡°This guy¡¯s making me feel uncomfortable too.¡± ¡°Speaking of renovations, allow me to introduce you to Aravruil Pebblefall, Paladin of Adamanrion. They¡¯ve been instrumental in helping us complete the refurbishing of our defenses ahead of schedule.¡± Aravruil either didn¡¯t hear or didn¡¯t care, because they ignored the jarl and continued to glare at me. Despite their short stature, I felt small standing before the dwarf. Their beard had two sets of braids, indicating that they were at least two eras (188 years) old, and if that wasn¡¯t intimidating enough, their armor compounded their presence. In a similar vein to their buildings, dwarves decorate their armor with runes to denote accomplishments in combat, crafting, and life. Unlike Durinn¡¯s and Thramreat¡¯s armor, which I recall only having a few sporadic decorations, this bearded was covered from head to toe in runes without a single bare spot visible. I couldn¡¯t even comprehend what it¡¯d be like to live for that long. Luckily, the jarl came to my rescue, giving the immovable object a hard jab in the pauldron to get the dwarf¡¯s attention. ¡°Aravruil,¡± the jarl spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°you must have zoned out again while planning the next step of reconstruction. Given that your church sent you here on a mission of goodwill, I¡¯m positive you meant no disrespect to my kingdom¡¯s princess.¡± The dwarf reluctantly broke their stare, then cleared their throat in a poor attempt to recompose themself, ¡°Apologies, Princess Seleyna, I was¡­ distracted by the unusual company you keep.¡± They briefly glanced towards me once more, anger still flooding their eyes, ¡°It¡¯s not every day I witness a walking paradox.¡± Seleyna plastered on a fake smile and attempted to diffuse the situation, ¡°I see rumors about Travis have reached even here. Though, I guess I shouldn¡¯t be too surprised. Being the first official Human Elementalist Mage is one thing, but to have such a humble origin as well¡­¡± Aravruil scowled, ¡°That is not what I was referring to.¡± They raised an accusatory finger at me, ¡°This child carries both a weapon blessed by the divine and an abomination of creation! Has your kingdom abandoned all propriety? I will not stand this insult to Adamanrion¡¯s domain of purification!¡± ¡°Travis, don¡¯t listen to this bigot. Your poleaxe is not an abomination.¡± Despite Arc¡¯s attempt to reassure me, I was paralyzed from the mix of fear, awkwardness, and general confusion over what was happening. The dwarf was overflowing with zealotry, now quoting scripture at the top of their lungs, and drawing in the entire hall¡¯s attention. Even Seleyna had dropped her jaw in utter amazement at the sudden capsizing of events. A blur of darkness blinked in front of me, and a set of leather armor covered in smoke-like tendrils of Shadow filled my vision. ¡°Sir Travis,¡± the commando spoke in a tone oddly reminiscent of my dad when trying to calm an angry bull, ¡°please stay your hand. I will dispose of this nuisance.¡± Raven Four raised his arm, sending the Shadow Mana clinging to his body into the air, and casting a curtain of darkness over the area. For a long second, I couldn¡¯t see a thing, but then the collected mana began to dissipate, revealing that the commando had disappeared, along with the dwarven paladin. Silence now filled the hall, the eeriness almost more unsettling than the dwarf was, until¡­ someone next to me started haughtily laughing. Turning my head, I was surprised to see that it was Vesril. ¡°That was the most entertaining thing I¡¯ve seen all week.¡± The hysterical high elf spoke in a complete reversal of his usual dower and unamused attitude, ¡°Honestly, you¡¯d think an official of the church would know better than to trust old bardic tales." They shook their head, ¡°Calling your sword an abomination of all things. Are they going to claim that it whispers to you in battle as well? Goes to show that even the brightest of dwarves can go senile with age.¡± He gave my shoulder a friendly clap, then moseyed up to Seleyna to gossip. ¡°Wait a sec¡­ he thinks the paladin was referring to me?!¡± Arc then started spitting a torrent of curses at the absent paladin, claiming their mother was a rodent, and their father smells like¡­ old man berries? Fully distracted, I didn¡¯t even notice Drozuk approaching me with a worried face until he jostled my shoulder. ¡°Travis, you okay?¡± ¡°Umm, yeah¡­ just a little shaken.¡± I sighed, thinking back to my previous encounters with paladins, ¡°You know, just once I would like to meet a normal paladin.¡± Drozuk beamed with a toothy grin, ¡°Well¡­ since tomorrow¡¯s Woodsday, and we¡¯ll be in Union Fortress, how about I be a good Apherosian for a change and actually go to church with you tomorrow? If we¡¯re lucky, my uncle Marceles will be in town, and I can introduce him to you.¡± I briefly hesitated at the thought of entering another church but was able to rationalize that Apheros was unlikely to try and talk to me, ¡°Sure, that¡¯d be great. Oh, we can find out for sure if he¡¯s the one that healed my dad.¡± --- Reidar Woodsday, the 6th of Ninethmonth Warden¡¯s Hammer ETA to Union Fortress Palace ¨C 12 minutes Standing patiently on the aft deck with the other spartans, Reidar waited for the mages and knights to finish their morning debriefing from Captain Adaline over expected behavior for today¡¯s shore leave. The Royal Knight¡¯s speech was oddly reminiscent of the warnings Braxton used to give his first squad before they went on field trips, and it was making him miss the old spartan. He hadn¡¯t gotten to visit as often as he would have preferred due to his studies. Thanks to the royal banner strung from his mast, Warden¡¯s Hammer was able to drift past the port authority¡¯s oxbow and bypass the heavy nautical traffic awaiting passage through Union Fortress. A few minutes later, the opened gates to the fortress were properly in sight, causing Reidar to frown at the structure. A carving of Apheros lounging in a stuffed chair surrounded by three beautiful women adorned the central tower dividing the flow of traffic beneath the two gates. Since the artist didn¡¯t include the ironbark helmet, the nature god¡¯s beaming grin of intense self-satisfaction was on full display as he was waited on by the goddesses. To the left was Philiadra, holding a book in her hands and reading the contents aloud, to the right was Erosathan, carrying away a tray of eaten food, and below at the feet of Apheros, Jormania was tying his feet to the legs of the chair. ¡°Trying to decide which maiden to visit?¡± The ship captain cackled, forcing Reidar to snap his head in attention. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Reidar tilted his head in the military standard gesture of inquiry, ¡°I will need more context to answer your question.¡± ¡°Come now, no need to act like your stripes are still drying. Even a sprout knows the adage, ¡®What happens in Union Fortress, stays in Union Fortress.¡¯¡± The grey-haired and darkly tanned Lakelander chuckled once more as he clapped Reidar on the pauldron, ¡°I was your age once¡­ headstrong and full of vigor, but remember, even Apheros couldn¡¯t conquer all three rivers in a single day. Best to just pick a single stream, otherwise you¡¯ll end up underperforming and disappointing the lasses or¡­ eh, lads if your boat drifts that way.¡± Still at a loss, Reidar remained as still as an oak, not saying a word while his mind raced to puzzle out what the sailor was talking about. It wasn¡¯t until Varguk crept up to whisper in his ear that light finally shone through the leaves. ¡°He¡¯s asking if you¡¯re going to visit one of the brothels.¡± One of the more irritating traits of being half Northman oddly wasn¡¯t that his skin burned easily in the summer sun. In fact, nowadays with him wearing his armor nearly sixteen hours a day, and classroom studies keeping him indoors, it had been barely a nuisance this past summer. No, the feature he truly hated about his skin was that his pale complexion made it vibrantly clear when he¡¯d blush with embarrassment. Braxton once joked that he could turn as red as a tomato. Wanting to hide his face, Reidar turned to face the knights and mages who just finished their meeting, and almost sighed in relief at the sight of Travis waving for him to come join. The temptation to leap over the banister onto the main deck and escape his snickering squad-brother and ship captain was strong, but he preserved, willing himself to march steadily down the steps to join Travis. ¡°Reidar, once we get settled in, a few of us were planning on going to church before getting lunch and exploring the fortress. Do you want to join us?¡± ¡®Hmm¡­ that¡¯s an intriguing proposition.¡¯ Despite being the Chosen of Apheros, Reidar hadn¡¯t yet gone to a church service dedicated to the nature god. He was assured that it wasn¡¯t required, and that it was actually easier for Apheros to communicate with him on Voltsday when he visited the Shrine of Protection due to there being less ¡°noise¡±, but he did feel some minor guilt about not showing proper reverence for the god who¡¯d taken a personal interest in him. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to accompany you. Is there anything I need to do in preparation?¡± One of the identical twins of the Creeksmith family barked a laugh, ¡°Yeah, get some vocal warmups in. If Travis is half as good at singing as everyone claims, we¡¯re going to need to break out the oars to keep up.¡± ¡®Keep up? What does he mean by¡­¡¯ A heavy boulder of dread sank into the pit of Reidar¡¯s stomach as he remembered that he was only half Lakelander. --- Arc Wow, these kids are spoiled. After skipping what should have been an hour long wait to go through customs, the ship sailed straight into the upside-down peace symbol that was the fortress¡¯ layout and arrived at the private dock for the local jarl¡¯s palace. Everyone on board, including the horses, had their luggage carted to their luxurious rooms while they got a quick tour of the Mediterranean (or maybe old Hollywood) styled mansions from my previous world. The kids eventually entered one of the white marble additions topped with red low-pitched roofs and arched doorways and got to work changing out of their uniforms. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be okay here by yourself?¡± Travis voiced as he put on his board shorts and tapered shirt. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I assured for the dozenth time. ¡°My range is much farther than it was in the capital, so I can entertain myself with people watching. Now, quit fussing over me, and go have fun with your friends.¡± Travis let out a nervous sigh, set me on the weapons rack next to his poleaxe, then exited the room. I mentally yawned as I let my focus drift around the palace grounds, hoping to find someone interesting to spy on. The small army of servants and corpsmen in the palace loved to gossip, so it didn¡¯t take long for talk about the visiting battalion to spread, including a spicy tidbit that Seleyna¡¯s oldest sister and Galehaut were once arranged to get married. After about an hour though, I got tired of overhearing vapid tales, so I instead decided to follow Private Tomas around as he personally made sure Travis¡¯ nameless horse was groomed and exercised. I did find it odd that he didn¡¯t take the local stable boys¡¯ offer to do it for him, especially after the other corpsmen tried to coerce him into joining them out on the town, but after watching him guide the nameless horse to a pen, I kinda wondered if he just liked the stallion. My musings, frivolous as they were, got interrupted when a pair of corpsmen approached to knock on Travis¡¯ door. ¡°Laundry detail.¡± The corpsman waited for a response, then motioned for his partner to enter the room while they remained outside, swiveling their gaze from one end of the hallway to the other. The partner, a lanky twig of a man that would probably look malnourished if he stood next to Travis or the even beefier knights and spartans, set down the laundry bag he was holding, then walked right past Travis¡¯ uniform, and towards his personal crate. It wasn¡¯t until the frustrated corpsman pulled out a set of lock-picking tools and tried to jimmy open the lock that I finally realized Travis was about to get robbed. Crap! What should I do? Thinking over my options, I couldn¡¯t come up with an easy solution that wouldn¡¯t rouse suspicion. Sure, scaring them with a Light and Shadow show would be child¡¯s play, but that might just send them running and screaming straight into the guards. Calling someone over wouldn¡¯t be an wiser, especially with all the mana users gone, someone might be smart enough to notice the discrepancy. Maybe I should just leave them be? Travis has his wallet, and the only truly irreplaceable thing in the chest is the blanket the Hopkins family gave him. ¡°Forget the chest.¡± The door guard snarled after a few minutes, ¡°We don¡¯t have time.¡± ¡°But the boss said¡ª¡± ¡°That I was the one in charge.¡± Door guy interrupted. ¡°Now, quit dicking around.¡± The lanky guy looked like he wanted to protest but must have given up internally after seeing his partner¡¯s vicious glare. He put his tools away, approached the weapons rack where I was displayed, then widened his eyes at my glorious form. ¡°Phymur¡¯s luck¡­ Shadow, this thing¡¯s made from aelderwood!¡± Ugh¡­ of course he falls in love with the poleaxe¡­ The door guy, or Shadow I guess (seriously, couldn¡¯t think of anything original?), looked as annoyed as I felt, ¡°Figures¡­ we finally find the motherlode, but we have no way to sneak it out.¡± He groaned, then checked the clock on the wall, ¡°Bones, quit dawdling. We¡¯ve got twelve minutes before the shift change.¡± Bones (ugh, again with the unoriginal names) nodded, then to my utter amazement, picked me up from the weapons rack and started stuffing me into the laundry bag. Well¡­ this is unexpected¡­ Oh wait, this is perfect! I¡¯ll just slink away once we¡¯re in an alleyway, then use Earth and Water magic to¡­ Shadow moved into the room, gently closing the door behind them, and signaled to his partner to hide behind the bed. Confused, I paid more attention to my surroundings, and discovered that Private Tomas, returning from his caretaking duties, decided to take an unexpected detour down the hallway containing the knights and mages apartments for some gods and God forsaken reason. The Northman, who I flat out refused to believe was older than Travis due to his late tweenager looks, was whistling a tune and doing a terrible job of looking nonchalant as he checked the name cards on each door. He eventually came across Travis¡¯ placard, made sure no one was nearby, then stepped inside. The thieves tensed as they heard the door open, prompting Shadow to cautiously reach towards the knife on his belt. Dammit, I need to do something. The threat to Tomas grew exponentially as the lad approached the chest, so I quickly weaved a handful of Air Mana into a [Sound Barrier] and [Message] spells, then sent them to the scared thief who wasn¡¯t contemplating murder. ¡°Stop him. That man will get you killed if he attacks that boy.¡± Instead of my usual voice that I based off an audiobook narrator I enjoyed listening to on long road trips, I channeled the gravitas of every single wise wizard that I¡¯d seen on the big screen and even added some reverb for added effect. My results were mixed¡­ As Tomas pulled out a key, Bones was darting their head around, trying to find the source of my voice. Panic soon flooded me as the other thief drew his knife and shifted his feet to pounce on the unsuspecting corpsman. ¡°You fool! Stop him! Now!¡± Finally listening to the word of god, Bones grabbed on to his partner with his scrawny arm, earning him a viscous sneer. Shadow, not seeming to care about the consequences of offing someone, soundlessly threw off the offending limb of his partner while Tomas opened Travis¡¯ chest, blissfully unaware of the nearby danger as he began rooting through it. The knife-wielding thief cautiously shifted back into position to attack once more but got interrupted by Bones bear-hugging him from behind. Now furious, Shadow wrestled free, and spun around with his dagger and held it up to the throat of Bones. With murder in his eyes, he mouthed to his partner that he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill him should he dare try and stop him once more. Thankfully, that was all the time needed for delay. Tomas pulled out a book, tucked it into a hidden pocket in his uniform, then locked the chest back up and exited the room while whistling, still doing a terrible job of not looking suspicious. Once the coast was clear, Shadow spun his dagger in his palm and struck Bones across the face with the pommel, ¡°Do that again, and I¡¯ll toss your ass over the wall.¡± Bones held a trembling hand up to his bleeding cheek and nodded, too frightened to say anything. He then picked up the laundry bag with me in it, cinched it up tight to completely hide me, and followed Shadow out of Travis¡¯ room. It was only later that I discovered a huge flaw in my plan. --- Reidar Riverbark Temple Reidar¡¯s elbow got nudged in the middle of yet another song he was trying his best to mumble through, and eagerly took the excuse to lower his hymnal to see Drozuk giving him a toothy grin. ¡°Lakelanders¡­ am I right?¡± He had to agree. The differences between this service and the ones he attended for Torbolt with his first squad were like night and day. For starters, the worship book for the service was an entirely separate tome, and needed to be followed closely so he could recite the numerous responses out loud. The rituals also changed depending on what month it was, so earlier when he forgot to mark his spot before swapping to the hymnal, he ended up completely lost and needed Travis to share his book with him. Then there was the sermon. Torbolt¡¯s pastors usually read anonymous accounts from soldiers fighting in the constant war with monsters, often pairing happier tales of victory with more humbling stories of strife. Apheros¡¯ pastors, on the other hand, seemed to prefer analyzing the various tenets the nature god established, and discussing how they can be applied to the audience¡¯s lives. However, those differences, and the countless other variances, were minuscule when comparing music. Each song in the Lakelander hymnals had eight separate parts! (SSAATTBB) And every single one was utilized by the congregation in perfect harmony. He didn¡¯t understand why they even bothered to have a church choir, until he heard a much more grandiose composition accompanied by a small orchestra during the distribution of bread and cider. The simple chants he struggled to follow along to the beat of a single drum in Torbolt¡¯s church seemed so infantile in comparison. The service eventually came to a halt, taking just under an hour, so once it finished, he and the mages were able to exit the main sanctuary and head towards a side hall containing a shrine dedicated to Apheros¡¯ Domain of Protection. Once there, Travis and Drozuk separated to speak with one of the clerics, leaving just him and the Creeksmith twins behind to pull out their idols for individual prayers. Hey bud! Can¡¯t talk long, barely able to grasp on to your thread, but I¡¯ve got some great news! Elafred¡¯s willing to offer you a boon. ¡®Elafred? Who is that?¡¯ Minor goddess of sapient critters, and one of my former Chosen. She¡¯s also the progenitor of all those stories about princesses saving hapless knights. If you can¡¯t make it to one of her shrines here, talk to Aelder when you get to Loggercliff Fortress, he¡¯s got a tree there and can fill you in. Reidar had a lot of questions of course, like what exactly a boon was, but it was not the time or place for that. ¡®Anything else I need to know?¡¯ Well¡­ if any of your friends consider partaking in the local¡ª Reidar looked down at his idol, unsure if he subconsciously cut off the fertility god, or if Apheros simply lost his connection. He sat pondering for a moment, before deciding it wasn¡¯t relevant to his current task, then returned the idol to his valuables pouch and stood up to walk over to Travis. His friend had a sly grin across his face, making him curious as to why, given that Travis¡¯ orkish friend was looking rather distressed. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Eh, more like something didn¡¯t happen.¡± Travis teased as he elbowed Drozuk. The green-skinned Water Mage groaned before reporting with zero exuberance, ¡°My uncle was ordered to report to the archbishop right after the travel ban ended and has been in the capital since.¡± He clenched his jaw, ¡°Which means I would have likely run into him at some point¡­ had I¡¯d gone to church.¡± Reidar nodded, able to easily understand the frustration, but was confused in one regard, ¡°Did your uncle not send a letter informing you of his presence?¡± ¡°I received a few but he never mentioned being relocated.¡± Drozuk groaned even louder, prompting Travis¡¯ grin to grow even larger as the orc¡¯s posture collapsed in defeat, ¡°He did, however, include a friendly suggestion to pray at the main temple when I got the chance.¡± ¡°Perhaps you will still be able to visit him once we return from our Fall Expedition?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ but that assumes he didn¡¯t tell my dad that I¡¯ve been ditching church, ¡®cuz he¡¯s going to kill me if he finds out.¡± --- Paulus, aka ¡°Bones¡± Shadow led Bones through the palace grounds at a brisk pace, hoping that they¡¯d be able to make up for lost time, but Phymur must have decided to keep gracing the thieves with his blessings and curses, because the hourly bell chimed right as the pair entered the warehouse. The two stood silent as they cursed their poor luck and ensured no one was in the vicinity, then moved on to plan their next move. Well, one of them did. Paulus, or as he was better known in the thieves¡¯ guild by his moniker ¡°Bones¡±, was having a bit of an existential crisis. Just minutes ago, a mysterious voice commanded him to stop his partner from killing an unsuspecting corpsman, and there were only two possible explanations as to who it was. Either a god had spoken to him or¡­ Paulus looked down at the laundry bag and gulped. Surely, those ancient stories about spartans going stark raving mad after claiming adamantium blades from marauding Lakelander knights were just old matriarch tales¡­ right? ¡°Quit daydreaming!¡± Shadow barked as he backhanded Bones, striking the still tender bruise from earlier, then pulled on his partner¡¯s collar to bring him to eye level and growl, ¡°Prep the disposal cart. I¡¯m going to find a spot for us to hide until the next shift change.¡± ¡°C¡­ can¡¯t we just exit normally? Our identity papers the boss gave us should get us past the gate.¡± Shadow rolled his eyes, then spoke to Bones like he was a child, ¡°If we exit during the shift change, the guards will only do a cursory inspection to keep the line moving. But since they¡¯re bored now, they¡¯ll take the time to properly rummage through everything.¡± Done talking, he threw his partner to the ground, then stomped out of the building. Paulus laid on the hard stone, eyes closed tightly, and breathing through clenched teeth as waves of pain rippled through his body. Once the worst of the tremors were over, he slowly checked over himself, then sighed in relief that nothing was broken. Limping into the free clinic was not something he enjoyed doing, especially since they liked to ask questions, and the guild¡¯s cleric refused to help anyone unless they were dying. Needing to grunt as he rose, he slowly got to his feet, then started walking to the small handcart filled with old rags and torn uniforms, and was about to toss in the bag when a voice in his ear made him freeze. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re just going to let him push you around like that?¡± Paulus darted his head around, silently praying that he and Shadow were merely spotted by a guard, but it appeared that he was alone in the warehouse. ¡°Who¡¯s there?! Show yourself!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t really do that¡­ You stuffed me into a bag.¡± Deep ragged breaths forcibly drew air in and out of Paulus¡¯ lungs as panic fully began to settle in. ¡°There¡¯s no need to panic. I harbor no ill intent towards you.¡± The deep voice reverberated in his ear. ¡°Now, how about you remove me from this bag so we can speak face to¡­ face.¡± Paulus¡¯ hands trembled as he peered down at the bag in his sweating hands. His grasp failed shortly after, and the overwhelming urge to run was screaming in the back of his mind, but¡­ then the sword said something that piqued his interest. ¡°Hmm¡­ perhaps a bargain is needed¡­ If you remove me from this filthy rucksack, I will in return gift you with the power to cast magic comparable to that of a master mage should you hold me in your grasp.¡± Paulus stared down at the sword¡­ Power. Magic. There had to be a catch¡­ right? ¡°What about your previous wielder?¡± ¡°The one who left me on a rack like a common soldier¡¯s blade?¡± The sword sneered. ¡°I sense much more potential in your left toe than he held in his entire body.¡± Grinning with avarice, Paulus leaned down to open the bag, but hesitated when his fingers reached the clasp, ¡°The guild won¡¯t let me keep you. We were encouraged to pilfer anything we wanted from that mage, but you were supposed to be delivered to the guild master personally.¡± The sword chuckled darkly, ¡°Don¡¯t see why we still can¡¯t do that.¡± --- ¡°This frosted mission¡­¡± Shadow muttered to himself as he reentered the warehouse. It was only by the grace of Mermes that corpsman didn¡¯t raise the alarm. He¡¯d have to arrange for an ¡°accident¡± to befall Bones for disobeying him once this job was done. He moved to the back of the building where the garbage cart was, but stopped mid step upon seeing Bones. The sword they were supposed to steal was in his right hand, and in front of his outstretched left was¡­ Bones grinned like a madman, ¡°Rock Bolt!¡± The world went black. Chapter 53 - Mischievous gods, and Cranky Old Ladies Journal Entry # 26 And so begins my ¡°formal¡± instruction of magic. Lesson Number 1 ¨C Even if you can see and know how they do it, don¡¯t ever let a mage, knight, spartan, or commando catch you copying them. Otherwise, you¡¯ll get a visit from the Queen¡¯s tax collectors. --- Lancel Temple Row ¨C Southeast Third of Union Fortress ¡®-reverberate our footfalls till they roar as thunder, then strike our spears like lightning through the hearts of our foes.¡¯ Lancel completed his prayer at Torbolt¡¯s outdoor shrine, then raised his head to study the bronze statue of a thunderhead leading of a herd of bison, buffalo, bulls, rams, boars, and even a stag, furiously with their heads lowered at an unseen enemy. It was a nice change from the usual depiction of Torbolt in his human form (no doubt taking influence from his Greater Domain of Comradery), and he knew that if one of his sisters were here, they¡¯d be going into a long-winded explanation over how each beast represented a different race or human tribe, then pointing out the intricate details his eyes couldn¡¯t see that marked the artwork as a masterpiece. Granted, he didn¡¯t need commentary to see how life-like the animals were. He could almost hear the pounding of cloven feet as powerful muscles flexed underneath hide, the hot and humid snorts of respiration vacuuming in and out, the shouts of ¡ª ¡°There you are!¡± Lancel gasped as a meaty palm clapped onto his shoulder, violently pulling him out of the trance he was in. He snapped his head around in high alert, heart pounding in his chest, until he spotted Galehaut. A smiling Galehaut, with a shit-eating grin. Letting out a sigh, Lancel reluctantly asked, ¡°What¡¯s got you all giddy?¡± ¡°Well¡­ while you were busy ¡®meditating¡¯ in front of the shrine here, I decided to take advantage of the Lieutenant offering to help babysit and made plans for tonight.¡± ¡°What kind of plans?¡± ¡°The kind we don¡¯t talk about tomorrow morning when our boat leaves.¡± Galehaut¡¯s grin changed to a more jovial smile and gave Lancel a gentle push, ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get moving. Travis and the others will be done with church soon, and I already see the others waiting.¡± --- ¡°See, I told you it¡¯d be easy to find.¡± Lieutenant Nikolai Fernrod, the second in command of Squad 1, reassured Mattius as they turned the corner off the busy street. Lancel wasn¡¯t sure if it was residual boat sickness, that a Northman of all people claimed to know where to find the best Southern Plains barbecue, or that Galehaut refused to elaborate about tonight, but whatever it was, something was making him feel uneasy. His hands kept shifting to reach for his sword, or to fiddle inside his valuables pouch like he forgot something, but whatever it was, he couldn¡¯t¡ª A large group of typical looking Packer men, blonde haired with shimmering bronze skin, were loitering outside the entrance. Each and every single one of them dressed like the villagers he¡¯d spent the last eight years protecting. ¡®Oh¡­ maybe that¡¯s what it is. I¡¯m out of uniform.¡¯ Instead of a traditional set of summer wraps, it seemed like everyone in the fortress (even the elves and dwarves), were wearing board shorts and short-sleeved shirts, leaving him the only one not wearing pants. Had he remembered that he was only at the northern border of the Southern Plains, and in the largest international trade hub, he probably wouldn¡¯t have thought Mattius a filthy traitor this morning when the group set out from the palace. His frivolous thoughts about fashion kept his mind distracted as they entered The Trampled Grove, resulting in him being caught completely unaware when a spear-thin sea elf in a sparkling tunic darted behind him to use his bulk as a makeshift shield. ¡°Back! Back you foul temptress!¡± The man shouted to an approaching woman while thrusting a strange amulet of silver filigree around a black gemstone over Lancel¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I will not let your promises of ¡®alternative¡¯ compensation lure me into betraying my bardic oath of celibacy.¡± The elderly Packer woman in question, who was nearly as frightening as his own mother when angry, exerted an intimidating veneer of dominance over the entire room as she slowly marched towards the entrance. She glared at the cowering man behind him with crossed arms, as if daring the bard to repeat their accusation. Feeling naked without a spear, Lancel searched the room for his companions, then frowned as he discovered that the cowards had all fled to the far wall. Letting out a tired groan over the realization he¡¯d have to fend for himself, he cleared his throat, and fell back on his guard training for diffusing civil disputes. ¡°Ahem¡­ Apologies for interrupting, but perhaps there was a misunderstanding? Ma¡¯am, could you begin explaining to me what upset you?¡± The matriarch turned her gaze to him, ¡°Before this bard here accused my establishment of being a shack of degeneracy on the Jormainian riverfront, I was attempting to explain that I not only own many of the eateries on this block,¡± her features narrowed into a sneer, ¡°but also the apartments above.¡± Lancel picked up what she was implying, ¡°So, you were offering to include room and board in exchange for a lower retainer fee to have him perform here?¡± The matriarch nodded, causing the bard behind him to start nervously chuckling. ¡°Oh¡­ uh, my bad.¡± He slinked out from behind Lancel, ¡°Umm¡­ if you''re willing to accept my apology, I would appreciate being able to move out of the nearby hostel. My bunkmates don¡¯t particularly like it when I practice the guitar when they¡¯re trying to get some sleep in.¡± The matriarch shook her head in exasperation and responded in a defeated tone, ¡°You¡¯re forgiven. Shall we return to my office to finalize the details?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll join you in a second¡­¡± The bard turned to Lancel, ¡°Thanks, I have a bad habit of wildly jumping to conclusions.¡± They forced the pendant they were holding into his palm, ¡°Here, without this gig, my visa will expire at the end of the month. Also, I technically don¡¯t worship this god, and so maybe someone who actually does should hang onto it.¡± Lancel looked down at the offered gift. It was an exquisitely crafted symbol of Torbolt¡¯s Domain of Comradery, a silver bison skull with forward pointing horns to denote it as a thunderhead, complete with a glowing pink crystal shining through the hollow eye sockets. ¡®What the¡­? This is way too valuable for such a minor¡­¡¯ He raised his head to protest that he couldn¡¯t possibly accept the amulet, but the bard had already vanished. ¡°Lancel!¡± Travis¡¯ voice shouted from behind, startling the man. He spun around to see Travis and the lad¡¯s friends had just entered. ¡°Sorry we took so long. Did you manage to get a table?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lancel stalled as he tried to regain his bearings, then looked around until he spotted a large table with a bashful looking goliath, innocently waving a hand while Mattius and the lieutenant snickered. He groaned, stuffing the gift he received into a pocket, ¡°Yeah, we got one, let¡¯s get some food.¡± --- Arc Jarl¡¯s Palace - Warehouse Whew¡­ that was close. Nothing like unexpectedly discovering a crippling weakness to get the nonexistent blood pumping. When I first got stuffed into the bag of old and damaged gambesons marked for disposal, I didn¡¯t think too much about my fabric prison. After all, it was just low-grade material (if that), and I could burn or cut through it with the simplest of spells. What I didn¡¯t consider was one of the basic principles Travis learned in Artifice 1, mana conductivity. Like the dust used in the creation of the mana scales on Travis¡¯ poleaxe, I was almost completely cut off from syncing with the ambient mana in the air due to the large amount of matter blocking my access. The annoying part was that I couldn¡¯t even bypass the restriction using dwarven magic. The scant mana in the fabric was too thin to properly attune to the material and connect to the outside of the bag, leaving me with only the tiny amount of Air Mana from my earlier spells still under my control as Bones and his pal tried to make their escape. Thankfully the stress of being forever trapped and separated from Travis forged my resolve into coming up with an ingenious multi-step new plan that I¡¯ve titled: When in Doubt, Blame it on a Commando. Step one went surprisingly easy as the gullible thief all but salivated at the promise of getting to cast spells, not even balking when I asked them to knock out his partner. Though, I get the feeling there wasn¡¯t much love to be lost between them. The next step, however, will be trickier. I was willing to push my luck with the last guy when I knocked him out, mainly because he was denser with mana and therefore more durable (and because he was going to kill Tomas), but given how malnourished Bones looks, I¡¯d rather take the time to trap him in a stone cage. Once he¡¯s secure, I can secretly scurry away using [Earth Slide], leaving a simple carved note saying to do better background checks next time and a [Message] spell to alert the guards. I¡¯m hoping that everyone will accept the more reasonable explanation of a snarky commando playing with his prey over a talking sword. Oh, he¡¯s almost done tying up Shadow. Time for my inevitable betrayal and for him to start cursing. Just need to distract him¡­ ¡°Excellent work. Make sure to secure him tightly, he¡¯ll likely wake soon.¡± Bones smirked a bit too eagerly as he looped the rope around Shadow a few more times to properly gag the criminal, then transitioned into a sneer as he gazed upon the unconscious thief, ¡°Serves you right. I told ya stealing adamantine weapons would bite us in the ass. But you didn¡¯t listen¡­ just told me to keep my mouth shut¡­¡± He leered in closer to whisper into Shadow¡¯s ear, ¡°Look who¡¯s keeping their mouth shut now.¡± Shadow jerked awake, and immediately started to squirm and snarl, but Bone¡¯s knotwork was on point, and the bonds only tightened as the prisoner struggled. My temporary owner merely chuckled as I weaved a honeycomb of Earth Mana into the ground to lay my trap. Yes¡­ almost ready¡­ just need you to hold still a little longer¡­ ¡°I wonder if the boss will send someone after ya?¡± He further taunted, ¡°I assume the noble prick hiring the guild will want to silence any loose threads.¡± My spell preparation finished, but to my annoyance, curiosity got the better of me after hearing that I wasn¡¯t the first adamantine weapon to get stolen. Plus, if I¡¯m going to impersonate a commando, I should probably play the part, and take the opportunity to question a talkative informant. ¡°You think a noble approached your boss?¡± ¡°It would have to be, the thieves¡¯ guild wouldn¡¯t bother to steal you otherwise. You¡¯re worthless on the black market." I did my best to contain my fury, I really did, but even with the ability to modulate my voice however I felt, the sound I made was still more akin to a tombstone dragging across gravel than anything human, ¡°I¡¯m worthless?¡± Bones stiffened up, then began to twitch erratically as they tried to figure out how to break the news gently to me. ¡°W¡­Well¡­ you see¡­ adamantine weapons are old family relics¡­ Blacksmiths don¡¯t know how to make them anymore¡­ s¡­ so they¡¯re highly coveted by nobles. If a commoner gets seen carrying one around¡­ th¡­ they¡¯ll get questioned¡­ or¡­ worse. I¡¯m not sure why.¡± ¡°Ah, I see your reasoning now. You¡¯re quite astute, unlike your partner. Any guesses as to who¡¯s hiring the thieves¡¯ guild?¡± ¡°A couple come to mind¡­ I know Fanny Marlinshore wasn¡¯t happy when she lost the election for Jarl to a commoner, but¡­¡± Bones turned his head to look down where I laid on the ground next to him, completely unaware that a spell formation sat in wait between us, ¡°only the boss would know for sure.¡± Hmm¡­ I wonder¡­ Apheros mentioned newer methods when he was comparing me to another minor god¡­ Is it possible that these other weapons have trapped souls too? My focus hovered over my gullible stooge. Maybe I should take this chance to do some more investigating? I mean, what¡¯s the worst that could happen? --- Travis Fleferd Bridge - enroute to Hadagwelf Market Street ¡°No, the southwest third of the fortress only contains the palace, stock exchange, and warehouses. The small markets and entertainment venues are all located on the northern peninsulas.¡± Lieutenant Fernrod answered my question as our group rode the trolley over the Erosathan River. I¡¯ll admit, I was hesitant when the onyx-haired knight invited himself, but his firsthand knowledge from being stationed here a few times in the past was making me come around. And a good thing too, because this fortress was massive! Lancel once claimed that all fortresses looked the same, and to a certain extent he was correct, none of the fortresses we visited before today really deviated from the standard square-shaped walls capped with a bastion on each corner and four ravelins floating outside to guard the flat portions of the walls. He forgot to mention, however, that there was a big glaring exception when it came to Union Fortress. The outer walls were a twenty-four-point rosette, with the inner land masses divided by the rivers into two large chunks and two smaller chunks. None of the tightly packed buildings were under four stories tall, elevated walkways bridged together the upper residential apartments, and horse traffic was only allowed on the main thoroughfares to prevent accidents. I couldn¡¯t help but gawk at the spectacle, and silently shudder inside. I don¡¯t think I could handle being constantly surrounded by so many people. ¡°Farm-fresh preserves! Straight from Creekstone Hill!¡± ¡°Starcap mushrooms! Guaranteed to give you a good time!¡± ¡° ¡¯Row, row, away from her! Pull up anchor and thank your bud. Row, row, away from her! Before she ties you to your bed.¡¯ ¡± We stepped off the trolley into a noisy street filled with cart sellers hawking their wares, small bands playing music for tips, and the general buzz from dozens upon dozens upon dozens of people talking over one another. Lieutenant Fernrod quickly led us away from the drop off and into a nearby textiles shop, exchanging the audible noise for a visual one. Inside were shelves piled high with vibrantly colored bolts of yarn against the walls, racks of knitted winterwear, and a trio of tapestries being worked on by an old lady. ¡°Alright, first things first, you two¡­¡± he pointed to the Creeksmith twins, ¡°are getting scarfs so I can finally tell you apart. I swear, whoever thought it was adequate to only stamp last names onto our chest plates needs to get dragged out of their paper fortress and tossed into a sewage trench.¡± ¡°Sir,¡± Reidar interjected before the lieutenant could break away to greet the elderly woman, ¡°uniform regulations state that we¡¯re not allowed to wear loose articles of clothing.¡± ¡°Addendum 3, subsection 2. Protection from hazardous weather conditions. Assuming we don¡¯t die from thermal shock when we get to the mountains,¡± Fernrod paused to pant and wipe the sweat from their brow, ¡°you¡¯re going to want one. Trust me, getting snow stuck inside your gorget while on the march is not a pleasant way to spend your afternoon.¡± ¡°But article 6 specifically cites choking hazards.¡± Reidar countered. Fernrod raised a finger, ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s why instead of those long dangly nooses that Lakelander civies like to wear, we¡¯ll be sporting the approved square ones the northern watch wrap around their heads when the wind blows colder than a¡ªAgh!¡± A bolt of thread collided with the lieutenant¡¯s head, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to the wrinkly old lady who threw it. ¡°Worthless nephew, first you don¡¯t visit for months, and now you don¡¯t even greet me when you walk in?¡± ¡°Auntie Vaf,¡± Fernrod opened his arms for a hug, ¡°I thought I explained before I left, I¡¯m assigned to special operations now. In fact, I¡¯m here with part of my battalion.¡± The old lady batted his hands away, ¡°Excuses, excuses. Your cousin Anita always finds time for afternoon tea on Snowsday.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t she get arrested for embezzlement?¡± ¡°Bah, they could never prove anything.¡± She waved for him to follow, ¡°Now, make yourself useful for a change, and help me pull your order from the back room.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Order? I didn¡¯t put in an order?¡± ¡°Exactly! I had to do it myself. You know, I have more important things to spend my time on. Those tapestries aren¡¯t going to weave themselves.¡± The two continued their back and forth, eventually fading out as they dived deeper into the shop and leaving our stunned group behind. Drozuk decided to break the silence, ¡°I like her, she reminds me of my uncle Brian.¡± Mattius raised an eyebrow, ¡°Is he duck-shit crazy too?¡± ¡°Oh yeah. If you run into him when we get to Coldspring, don¡¯t let him get started on one of his conspiracy theories. He¡¯ll rant for hours about why horses can¡¯t be trusted, or how there¡¯s a secret group of lizard-people trying to upend the kingdom.¡± ¡°Wait, lizard-people?¡± Galehaut chimed in, ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard that one. They burrow into people then puppeteer them around to blend in, right?¡± Not invested in where the conversation was going, I tuned the guys out, opting instead to join Reidar in getting a better look at the unfinished tapestries. Unlike the heraldry I¡¯d seen hung in the Hopkins and Raycraft estates, these were closer to the art pieces I saw with Caldia, though instead of showing time passing between the trio of banners, they focused on three of the kingdom¡¯s most famous heroes. The most complete banner was of Trebellia, Chosen of Torbolt. The golden eagle balancing on her shoulder with one leg holding a message scroll was a big hint, but her standing with one foot on a storage crate while holding a map and barking out commands provided confirmation. Given who was in the first, it was safe to assume that the second tapestry of an ebony-skinned man with glowing green tattoos was Ahkazriel the Surgeon. He was shown planting his staff in the ground amidst a lake of injured soldiers with his left hand and holding a small red flame in his right. Or¡­ at least I think they were supposed to be soldiers¡­ that part was still just a charcoal sketch on the fabric. The last one, a depiction of Hakon the Behemoth Slayer, I really, really hoped wasn¡¯t finished. The Northman was practically naked as he wrestled atop a tentacled chimera of epic size covered in toothy maws, flaming axe held high in one hand, stringy black hair waving free in the breeze, and with only a loincloth protecting his modesty. I turned to Reidar to comment but had to hold in my laughter as the spartan glowered at the hero. ¡°Not a fan of how they romanticized him?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s accurate.¡± Reidar growled. I did a doubletake, ¡°Seriously? I remember in school reading an entire book about how he led Trebellia¡¯s forces to pacify the Lakeland wilds enough to establish trade routes, but there was no mention of him doing it without a shirt, let alone pants.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first time Ignitious¡¯ church left out a significant detail. Though in this case, I think I approve. I¡¯d prefer not to sew up imitating knights covered in preventable injuries because ¡®their armor restricted their movements and made it harder to cast spells.¡¯¡± I chuckled, though had to pause when logic caught up to me, ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not an expert when it comes to armor, but technically Hakon is right about the spellcasting.¡± Reidar tilted his head, ¡°He was?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s one of the reasons High Elves wear flowing robes or dresses, and why we only wear half-plate. It allows ambient mana to follow airflows and contact our skin for easier synchronization.¡± ¡°Huh, I did not know that.¡± I shrugged my shoulders, ¡°It¡¯s a moot point once you learn the basics of dwarven magic. Attunement lets you use armor or a weapon to counteract that limitation.¡± ¡°Is that why mages often carry staves?¡± ¡°Yep. Easy to carry, plenty of room to stuff it full of mana crystals and act like a magnet, and enough surface area to shuffle through ambient mana quickly.¡± Reidar nodded his head, then turned to look at the tapestry of Ahkazriel, visibly deep in thought, ¡°I¡¯ll have to take that into consideration¡­ if the monsters will be as plentiful as Drozuk claims, I¡¯ll likely be able to commission a piece of customized equipment.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I forgot that you get included in the loot share. Is there anything you have in mind? I was thinking of trying to inscribe my sabatons or bracers once I get approval.¡± ¡°Not sure¡­ something that can conduct a lot of Wood Mana and¡­¡± Reidar tensed up before whispering, ¡°stands out from the crowd.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right. Since you¡¯re a medic, you¡¯ll want everyone within twelve dozen yards able to quickly spot you.¡± I grinned, ¡°I suppose I could make you a poleaxe, but you¡¯d probably just get mistaken for me.¡± Reidar grinned back, ¡°I¡¯m satisfied with my current armaments, learning a new weapon type would detract from my time studying medicine. But, if you have any ideas, I¡¯d be happy to hear them.¡± I scratched my thigh in thought, ¡°Hmm, nothing comes to mind at the moment. I¡¯ll let you know if I think of something.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯d appreciate it.¡± A loud thud drew our attention as the lieutenant set a large wooden crate down on the floor. ¡°Careful you oaf! I just installed new floors!¡± The owner of the shop hinged open the lid, then started tossing out the contents. ¡°This one¡¯s for Reddy, this one¡¯s for Bluey¡­¡± The Creeksmith twins each caught their scarves, a predominately red square with blue stripes and a black and white checkered pattern, and another with the red and blue swapped. Although, ¡°Bluey¡± looked quite annoyed at being given a nickname usually reserved for female infants. ¡°Doughboy, Dusty, Handsome¡­¡± Drozuk caught a navy scarf with black mountains bordering the edges with an irritated grunt. Mattius got a black scarf with a large white circle in the middle surrounded by four smaller circles: two silver and two gold. And a blushing Galehaut received a pattern-less light grey scarf, but it seemed to shimmer purple when it caught the light. ¡°Antlers, Hopper¡­¡± ¡°Antlers?¡± Reidar questioned as he caught a forest green scarf decorated with black and gold stags. Lancel however, smirked at the nickname, probably thinking about how it was the same one his dad was called, then transitioned to his signature grin when he looked over his pink scarf covered in silver bison. ¡°Last, and certainly least,¡± the old lady pulled out a checkered silver and white scarf, ¡°a replacement for the one you wrecked last spring.¡± She thrust the knitted item like it was a dead animal at the lieutenant, then spotted me awkwardly smiling after not receiving a scarf. She rolled her eyes, then muttered in a barely audible tone to herself as she pulled a rainbow striped scarf from the rack, ¡°Stop nagging, I¡¯ll give the troublemaker one too.¡± Troublemaker? Hold on, is this crazy-old-lady routine just an act? I stared into the wrinkled eyes at the woman, hoping for a hint, but she only glared back, then waved the scarf at me. ¡°Well, are you going to take it or not?¡± Hesitantly, I grabbed the offered item, taking a moment to study it more in depth. It wasn¡¯t anything too fancy, just a striped mana color wheel, but it did include the colors for the four higher mana types. And to be honest, I thought it fit perfectly, given how it was my goal to learn about all twelve mana types. A bit too perfectly¡­ ¡°Now, get out of my shop!¡± The shop owner started shooing us away, ¡°And get that boy some pants before the guards arrest him for indecency!¡± ¡°Boy?¡± Lancel stopped to turn around, ¡°I¡¯m twenty-eight!¡± ¡°Yet your cheeks are barer than a newborn!¡± Okay, never mind. She¡¯s as crazy as Arc gets on one of his bad days. I pushed Lancel out, despite him clearly wanting to protest something about how Packers don¡¯t grow facial hair, ¡°Just pretend she¡¯s a talking sword and ignore her.¡± --- Anita ¨C aka ¡°Boss¡± Ebony Thorn Thieves¡¯ Guild ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ not do anything drastic¡­ What do you want to know?¡± Anita held her hands up, careful not to make any sudden moves as a flaming orb floated in front of Bones¡¯ outstretched palm. She knew something had gone wrong when the kid showed up without Shadow, and carrying the sword they were supposed to pilfer out in the open for everyone to see, but having him suddenly start casting spells was not something she was expecting. Bones grinned maliciously, then failed spectacularly to affect a threatening tone, ¡°Who hired us to steal this sword?¡± ¡°Who hired us?¡± She narrowed her eyes at Bones, using the gesture to mask her mana sight. While not as skilled as the witches or cleric in her employ, her eyes were still sharp enough to see the grey light surrounding the sword, and the complete lack of mana around Bones¡­ excluding the signature small cloud of whiteish-purpleish-pinkish mana hovering near his ear. Frosted commandos! Some bug-eyed Ashman was playing Bones for a fool. She fought the urge to clench her fists, to snarl, or anything that would allow her to vent her frustration, but knew that if she didn¡¯t play along, that a swarm of hungry accountants would come to feed. ¡°Fanny Marlinshore. I assume you¡¯d like to know where she hid the other weapons?¡± Bones perked his ear to listen to the commando tugging on his line, then nodded, ¡°Yeah, yeah. Where are they?¡± ¡°The Marlinshores have a secret armory in The Crescent Moons Opera House. There¡¯s a hidden door in the broom closet by the ticket counter.¡± She paused to smother the snark in her voice, ¡°I assume you¡¯ll have no problem using magic to open it?¡± The idiot smirked, ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± He closed his palm to cancel his spell, completely oblivious to the full second delay for it to wink out, then turned to leave. ¡°Oh, by the way, I¡¯m quitting the guild.¡± Anita finally broke her composure to sneer at the back of Bones¡¯ head, then turned to face the hovering cloud of mana still floating nearby, ¡°Having fun with your mission?¡± A deep and gravely voice chuckled, ¡°Got to keep those stories about adamantine weapons driving people insane alive. Otherwise, someone might get it into their head that they can go around robbing innocent young mages.¡± Anita shuddered at the thunderous words and gulped, ¡°Consider me spooked. Was there anything else?¡± ¡°Just a small exchange of favors. You make sure that the jarl gets an itinerary of every adamantine weapon you were hired to steal, and I¡¯ll ignore the small pile of mana crystals you¡¯ve squirreled away in that copperdillo skull behind you.¡± Anita gritted her teeth, the only other person who knew about the stash was Rufus. She was going to have to exchange words with the lecherous old pig. Or daggers¡­ Yeah, lots of daggers¡­ Lots and lots of daggers¡­ Just to make sure he knew not to blab about the guild¡¯s secrets to those harlots on the riverfront ever again. --- Travis Gemstone Boulevard The sun fell behind the horizon, signaling the locals to start lighting the prismatic glassworks above the theatre district, and once again making me gawk at the wonderous sights. At least this time I wasn¡¯t the only one paying more attention to the spectacles than our tour guide as our group passed a few bardic street artists playing with Light Mana, an opera house with dancing lantern lights above the night¡¯s listed performance, and a fashion show with live models strutting up and down a catwalk. I wish Arc was here to see this¡­ Thaddeus at least had his priorities in order after spending the afternoon perusing the various shops, ¡°Are you sure we can get into a dinner show?¡± Lieutenant Fernrod waved off the question, ¡°We¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s probably too late to reserve a private booth, but it¡¯s rare for public seating to get¡ª¡± ¡°Sold out!¡± A nearby barker shouted over the crowd. ¡°Tonight¡¯s tickets for ¡®The Farmboy, the Spartan, and the Princess¡¯ are sold out!¡± ¡°On second thought,¡± Fernrod continued as we watched a disappointed herd of people begin to meander to different venues, ¡°we should hurry up. What are you guys thinking? Theater production, musical, comedy routine¡­?¡± Lancel tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention and pull me aside, ¡°Hey¡­ uh, Galehaut already bought tickets for ¡®Thunder on the Plains¡¯, and¡­ well¡­ uh¡­¡± I gave his shoulder a friendly pat, ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like we won¡¯t see each other for the next two months.¡± ¡°You sure? I could probably convince Galehaut to¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine dad. Lieutenant Fernrod is keeping an eye on us. Go have fun with your friend and stop hovering over me.¡± Lancel let out a sigh, ¡°Okay, okay¡­ I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just¡­ something¡¯s been triggering my anxiety all day and¡­¡± ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re in dire need of a distraction then.¡± I interrupted, then pulled him in tighter to whisper, ¡°Hey, if you can, come by my room tomorrow morning before we launch. There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you about, but¡­ I¡¯d rather do it when no one else is around.¡± Lancel nodded, then reluctantly left with Galehaut, leaving me open for Drozuk and Mattius to grab me instead. ¡°Travis, we need you to help us outvote Reidar and the twins. They want to see a musical!¡± --- Arc Gemstone Boulevard ¨C Exterior of The Crescent Moons Opera House ¡°So, let me get this straight.¡± Guard 1 spoke as he scratched his head. ¡°You want us to run to the jarl¡¯s palace, gather a bunch of reinforcements, then come back to arrest Fanny Marlinshore and some thief you¡¯re going to have locked up in a closet full of illegally obtained weapons?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How do we know that you¡¯re really a commando?¡± Fucking hell! This side-quest is never going to end at this rate! ¡°Okay, do you see me standing next to that scrawny Packer wearing the hooded cloak?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ no.¡± Guard 1 turned to confirm Guard 2 was also shaking their head in the negative. ¡°Exactly! The only times you ever see a commando is if they¡¯re delivering a message or assassinating someone. I¡¯ve done the former. Do you want me to do the later?¡± The guards flinched at my outburst, then exchanged glances before Guard 2 leaned into Guard 1 to whisper, ¡°No real harm reporting this in. They¡¯ll likely bump it up the chain anyways and have a knight take care of it.¡± ¡°Finally... You remember what to tell the jarl if he asks who sent you?¡± The guards nodded. ¡°Good. Now move it. Double-time! The opera already started.¡± I followed the guards with my focus for a distance to make sure they completed their task, doubled back to confirm Bones was still enroute, then scouted ahead to see if I could find the hidden storage space in the closet. It seemed like an odd spot to me when the boss of the thieves¡¯ guild first told me of its location, but now that I¡¯m here and have had some time to think it over, it makes a lot of sense. The semi-public location allows for people to come and go without rousing suspicion, the clerks managing the ticket counter have a direct eye line to see if anyone enters the closet, and a mana-reinforced support pillar that just happens to butt up against the tiny room is impossible for any normal mana user to look through. I mentally hold my breath as my focus passes through the wall and¡­ Yes! Five weapons in total. Two axeheads, two spearheads, and a Lakeland-style arming sword. Each one stuffed full of technicolor mana. Just like me. For the first time ever since coming to this world, I regretted not being able to cry. I took time to inspect the weapons, watching closely as the mana inside oscillated up and down in pulse rate, and feeding the data into my translator patch to see if they were saying hello. ¡°Sword, can you hear me?¡± My intangible heart skipped a beat, until I realized it was just Bones. ¡°Yes, I can hear you. What do you need?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can sneak in without the clerks noticing. Can you teach me a spell that¡¯ll distract them long enough for me to get into the room?¡± ¡°Of course, simply point your finger behind the person you wish to distract and whisper, ¡®over here¡¯. A loud noise will play from behind your target, giving you time to complete your task.¡± Okay, back to the weapons. My patch is picking up something¡­ but nothing¡¯s translating¡­ I do the ¡°soul equivalent¡± of banging my hand against the side of a space heater, and to my surprise, start hearing a strangely appropriate buzzing sound to match my analogy. It keeps cutting in and out though, almost like¡­ Oh, you have got to be FUCKING kidding me! How, in the name of the gods and God, are these assholes sleeping! Okay Arc, calm down, calm down. This is a good thing. You should be happy for these guys. They don¡¯t have to almost go insane spending literal eras with nothing to do but watching people pass by. ¡°Well sword, looks like the boss was right. I can see what brick to pull out, but there¡¯s nothing loose around the borders, or anything to grip to.¡± Dammit, we¡¯re already at the final step? I¡¯m running out of time. ¡°Step back, I¡¯ll get it.¡± Bones grinned as I pulled out the brick to open the small hidey-hole, ¡°You know, we make a good team. Once we get out of here, we should head north to the capital, there¡¯s lots of noble estates filled with treasure for us to rob, and you can teach me more spells along the way.¡± ¡°We could, but there¡¯s a small problem with that.¡± The thief¡¯s smile fractured ever so slightly, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know how to use magic.¡± ¡°But¡­ but¡­¡± ¡°Bones, this isn¡¯t a fairytale. It takes years for a mage or knight to build up enough mana to become a wielder.¡± ¡°But¡­ you¡¯re a magic sword!¡± ¡°Bones¡­ swords can¡¯t talk.¡± The thief stared at me in his hands, until the lightbulb lit up, dropping me on the floor and trying desperately to open the door before pounding on it and begging for help. ¡°You¡¯re too late Bones. I¡¯ve already jammed the lock with Ice and placed a [Sound Barrier]. You¡¯re just going to have to patiently wait in here for the guards to come and arrest you. If you¡¯re a good little minnow and cooperate, they¡¯ll go easy on you. Your only crime was to be bait for a much larger fish.¡± There, quest complete. Now, where was I? Oh, right. How do I talk to these guys? Think¡­ think¡­ Adamanrion mentioned that I was still the equivalent of an infant god-wise, hence why I couldn¡¯t directly speak to them¡­ If these guys are all minor gods too¡­ are they also infants? Or can they talk, but simply don¡¯t know that I¡¯m here? Wait¡­ but Travis could talk to Addy¡­ he didn¡¯t even have to do anything fancy, just speak. Although, he couldn¡¯t hear them until they moved their mana into his poleaxe. What am I missing? Think¡­ think¡­ it¡¯s got to be something obvious; I just know it. Wait a second¡­ I spin my focus around like I did for Adamanrion¡¯s shrine on a whim¡­ and¡­ yes! Some of the mana in the weapons disappears. Okay, so maybe that mystery mana that mortals can¡¯t see is divine mana¡­ or something along that line. And when it meets a person¡¯s mana or object they¡¯re attuned to, communication is possible. Now, do I have this mana too? The only way I can see myself is through my focus, so I have no way to reliably compare¡­ Ehh¡­ I¡¯ll just have to assume I do. If I don¡¯t have it, nothing changes, but if I do¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ How do I use that mana to make a conduit? Or even tell if I¡¯m using it¡­ The stuff¡¯s invisible¡­ My main sword body can¡¯t even¡ª Oh, dammit! I¡¯ve been using this strange mana ever since I was trapped in here! Taking a few mental breaths to slow my racing mind, I hovered my focus gently over one of the spearheads, then pushed it inside. Something¡­ happened¡­ I¡¯m not exactly sure what¡­ It kinda reminds me of what happens when I dive into my own soul¡­ but¡­ there¡¯s a grey energy barrier stopping me from entering¡­ Wait a sec¡­ I look around more closely, and it finally clicks. My focus didn¡¯t go into the spearhead, it stopped when it hit the metal. I was looking at an ultra-magnified image of the spearhead. That grey energy barrier I hit was the outer shell, and inside it is all the mana this guy absorbed. Hello. Can you hear me? The constant buzz of snoring (that I didn¡¯t notice until it stopped) ended, and a grandmotherly voice echoed out of the spearhead. Henrick? Is that you? I thought you¡¯d be dead by now. No, umm¡­ my name is Arc. Can I¡­ ask you a few questions? The woman¡¯s voice shifted to something sterner, Questions? Hold on, you¡¯re not of my blood. Skedaddle! Leave a poor old woman to her slumber and go pester your patron god if you got questions. A harsh kick hit me right in the chest, de-syncing my focus as it got sent flying backwards and breaking whatever tenuous connection I had. By the time my sword-brain stopped rattling around in my head, a heavy thud slammed against the closet door, busting the door off its hinges as an armored boot kicked it open. --- Lancel Gemstone Boulevard - Exterior of The Shouting Skies Theatre Lancel stepped out to breathe in a deep gulp of fresh evening air, still a bit miffed over Galehaut failing to mention that he also invited the princess, her bodyguard, that Sympronian girl, and the rest of the women from the battalion to the exotic dance show, but overall feeling like a brewing storm had blown past before it could start raining. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Treblana spoke in awe as she stepped out with the others, ¡°I did not know that identical quadruplets were a thing¡­¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you tricked me Sir Mistguard.¡± Princess Seleyna stiffly proclaimed, her eyes darting around to ensure nearby onlookers overheard her clearly, ¡°Surely, had I known what tonight¡¯s entertainment was, I would have declined your offer.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if it was good or bad that the daughter of the woman he pledged fealty to was such a terrible liar, but in either case, it was probably for the best that she wasn¡¯t the crown princess. ¡°Adaline, I¡¯ve got a question for you.¡± Galehaut coyly inquired, still looking intoxicated. ¡°Earlier when we were trying to help Lancel find a pair of boardshorts to buy, he got upset and claimed that ¡®true Packer men¡¯ wear kilts, just like Torbolt, but¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure the tight leather garments those Packer men were dancing in were pants.¡± Lancel groaned, he was going to need to start planning his revenge now to get even before the solstice. Maybe Travis had some unused schemes locked away? It had already been nine years since the kid last pranked him, but he still had a habit of checking his boots for bees on occasion before putting them on. Seeing his distress, Captain Adaline smiled back at the goliath and played along, ¡°I can see why you might be confused Galehaut, riding chaps do look like pants at a glance, but if you pay close enough attention to the crotch and rear, you¡¯ll notice a suspicious lack of coverage.¡± ¡°I did notice that. Thanks for enlightening me captain.¡± ¡°Anytime, but we should start heading back to¡­¡± Captain Adaline faded out, noticing the commotion happening outside, centered around a wiry lad and a half-dozen Lakelanders clad in manacles. She pulled out a symbol denoting her status as a Royal Knight and approached another Hand of the Queen overseeing the operation. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Not exactly sure¡­¡± the other Royal Knight began, ¡°We found a thief tied up inside the palace¡¯s warehouse just before noon, but no one knew who caught him until his partner here,¡± they pointed to the skinny Packer, ¡°claimed to do so before making off with this adamantine sword.¡± The knight held up the sword and scabbard they were holding. Galehaut quickly sobered up and saluted, ¡°Sir, I recognize that blade. It belongs to Initiate Elementalist Mage Travis.¡± The Royal Knight sighed in relief, ¡°Well, that¡¯s one question answered¡­ maybe you can help with the rest. According to Bones here, someone tricked him into thinking that this sword was talking to him and allowing him to cast spells. They then used him as a patsy to question one of the local crime lords and discover a hidden stash of other adamantine weapons, all without ever being spotted.¡± Lancel furrowed his brow, he¡¯d heard even crazier stories from the other Guard Captains whenever they met in the capital during the winter travel ban, but something about this story was ringing alarm bells in the back of his skull. Captain Adaline¡¯s thoughts must have been on a similar path, because she seemed just as skeptical, ¡°How did all these people end up arrested then? And where¡¯s this mysterious sword impersonator?¡± ¡°Well, according to the local guards, the commando who called for the arrest is under deep cover, unable to show themselves, only claiming to be ¡®Bridget¡¯s dad¡¯, and that someone staying at the palace would know who they were.¡± ¡°Bridget?¡± Treblana whispered to Princess Seleyna, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Mattius¡¯ and Travis¡¯ Ashman friend?¡± The princess nodded, then approached the Royal Knights, signaling for them to put up a [Sound Barrier]. Lancel sighed, then started chuckling as he watched Captain Adaline begin massaging her temples with one hand while pulling out a Message Stone with the other. It was nice not being the one in charge. Chapter 54 - Best Day Ever! Journal Entry #27 Lesson Number 2 ¨C You are a mortal with mortal limits. Divine retribution awaits those that try to remake reality. That one needed some context, but rather than explain, the witch had me learn the lesson intimately by having me cast off wave after wave of synchronized mana. Each time I felt a stronger connection to the world around me, and each time my ease of bending the heat or water vapor in the air became easier, but then the pain came. It started off small, just stiffness in my shoulders, but then it traveled down, and my muscles began to cramp. I got told to stop, but the power I felt was so addictive, and my mind somehow kept arguing that I could hang on just a little longer. Then I suddenly came to. I was bound and gagged, violently ill to my stomach, covered in dried blood and feathers, and had no clue as to what put me there. The orc was nearby watching me, and after asking me a few simple yes and no questions that a two-year-old could¡¯ve answered, removed my gag and bindings, then explained that I went feral, tried to attack the witch, and ate a wandering chicken. Raw. I immediately threw up. --- Travis Rainsday, the 6th of Ninethmonth Union Fortress ¨C Jarl¡¯s Palace My feet were unable to fully hide my irritation and exhaustion as they trudged alongside Seleyna¡¯s graceful steps when we exited our private breakfast with the jarl. Yesterday was a long day, even before I exited the musical to discover what was happening outside, and the subsequent ruckus at the palace while separated from Arc only turned up the heat on the pressure cooker that was my stress level. Seleyna checked to make sure we were actually alone in the hallway and away from her bodyguards for a change, then broke the silence with a sarcastic tone, ¡°It¡¯ll be pleasant meeting Myrtice when we get back. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll have some wonderful things to say to me.¡± My head turned in surprise, ¡°Why would she be angry with you? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re the one to blame for this mess.¡± She laughed, ¡°You clearly don¡¯t have any older siblings. If you did, you¡¯d know that the youngest always gets accused of being the favorite child. Trust me¡­ She¡¯ll find a way in her mind to justify blaming me.¡± Seleyna sighed before muttering to herself, ¡°They always do.¡± The princess then shook away the unpleasant thought and nudged me in the arm with a more cheerful tone, ¡°Did you get any sleep?¡± Taking the hint to change the subject, I waggled my hand, ¡°A little once I got done getting questioned, but it sure didn¡¯t feel like it when my alarm rang. How about you?¡± She shrugged, ¡°No true beauty rest on a bed for me, but I managed to at least sneak in a few naps on a chair. Mother insisted that I listen in on the interrogations and [Message] transmissions.¡± My bleary eyes turned to examine the princess as my sluggish thoughts worked to rationalize the disconnect between what I was hearing versus seeing. Seleyna looked as radiant as the day I met her, with sandy colored hair flowing down past her shoulders in waves, a sun-kissed complexion that contoured her entrancing stone-blue eyes, and¡­ a teasing grin that was having fun at my expense. She chuckled in chorus with my groan, then reached into a pouch on her belt to pull out a small vial, ¡°Here, give me your hands.¡± I did as instructed, then watched as a few drops of a strong peppermint scented oil were placed in my left palm. ¡°It¡¯s called Morning Refresher, an infusion of stimleaf and some other herbs. Rub it around your eyes and face. It¡¯ll help perk you up.¡± Eager for anything to relieve my bloodshot eyes, my fingers dipped into the oil, then massaged the tiredness away as the cool sensation pumped fresh blood into my skin. It worked wonders, invigorating every pore on my face, but sadly did nothing to penetrate the buildup of anger simmering deep below. We eventually approached my room, creating an awkward moment when Seleyna stopped along with me outside my room, leaving me scrambling for a polite way to ask her to leave, ¡°Umm¡­ sorry, but¡­ I¡¯m going to be a few minutes.¡± ¡°Oh, of course. I¡¯ll¡­ see you down at the dock?¡± I nodded my head, feeling bad as I entered my room, but knew it was the right call when a guttural growl finally cracked open the seal on my emotions. I was just supposed to do a quick check to make sure nothing got left behind by the corpsman when they came for everyone¡¯s storage crates, but I desperately needed the moment of isolation to finally vent the rage that had been building up ever since Arc was returned to me. ¡°Okay, I get that you¡¯re a bit upset¡­ but, hear me out¡ª¡± ¡°A bit?!¡± I barked, unclipping Arc from my belt so I could hold him in front of me and properly glare, ¡°Only a bit? You created a national incident last night while you were ducking around!¡± ¡°C¡¯mon bud, you¡¯re making a mountain out of a gopher hole; corrupt politicians crop up like weeds all the time.¡± My grip tightened, ¡°Were you not paying attention when the jarl was profusely thanking Seleyna and apologizing to me? That weed is from an inner ring family, was publicly endorsed by Crown Princess Myrtice before the recent election, and nearly won it. The Jarl took a huge risk when he assembled the guards, and only had the confidence to do so because that Royal Knight was available and willing to investigate.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯ll admit I got lucky there¡­ but you know how it is, no plan survives first contact, and even if that part failed, I still had options. It¡¯s not like any sane person would presume I escaped on my own into the night with the weapons.¡± I could almost feel him squirming in my hands as he tried to downplay what happened, but I wasn¡¯t having any of it. ¡°And what would you have done then? Left a pile of weapons on the front door of the palace with a written note? Smuggle yourself back in and leave me reaching to explain why my weapon¡¯s rack has extra armaments?¡± ¡°I¡­ umm¡­ uh, well¡­ no.¡± Arc¡¯s blustering finally ended, and his tone shifted into a morose tenor, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Private Tomas was about to get killed, and I panicked. Afterwards, when I finally was able to think of something plausible, Bones mentioned that they had stolen other weapons like me in the past, and well¡­ I thought maybe¡­¡± Arc faded out, unable to continue. I sighed, letting the billowing steam inside me vent out completely, then sat down on the bed with Arc laid out next to me. ¡°Were you at least able to talk to the other weapons?¡± ¡°No¡­ the first one I tried to talk to just got upset with me for waking them and told me to leave. The others¡­ they didn¡¯t even respond.¡± My fingers traced along Arc¡¯s scabbard until they found his favorite spot and began scratching. It must have been utterly disappointing for him to go through all that effort, only to find the venture pointless. We sat there for a minute, hearing the shuffle of armored boots exiting the neighboring rooms, the occasional whinny from a horse outside, and the ticking of the clock informing me of the time. I sighed once more, wishing the tiny respite could last longer, but at least I was able to think of something that might cheer up Arc. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure Lancel¡¯s figured out that something¡¯s off, and he might be growing a tad paranoid. Would you be willing to properly meet him?¡± ¡°Already? Umm¡­ yeah, I¡­ I would like that. Did you have a time and place in mind?¡± ¡°Well, I was originally hoping to do it this morning, but¡­ ugh, now that I think about it, doing it half an hour before we board a crowded boat might not have been the best idea.¡± Arc started laughing, ¡°No¡­ probably not. Let me think¡­ there¡¯s still stops at Brushstroke and Loggercliff before we start marching to Coldwater Spring. We might be able to find the time there, assuming nothing world-shattering happens along the way.¡± My head slowly turned down to stare at him incredulously. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You recently berated me the other day for tempting Phymur.¡± ¡°I did? When?¡± ¡°Right when that Mudfish grappler attacked. I remember because you called me something rude in that weird language you won¡¯t tell me the origin of.¡± ¡°I think your memory is playing tricks on you. I don¡¯t recall saying anything, and we both know who is more reliable in that regard.¡± I shook my head, happy that Arc was feeling himself again, but slightly annoyed that meant he was back to his half-mad state of mind. Checking the clock once more, and figuring it was time to get moving, I got up to open the door and step out but ended up lurching back uncontrollably to keep from crashing into a commando preparing to knock on my door. The leather-clad assassin held up their open palms, ¡°Apologies Sir Travis, it was not my intention to startle you.¡± My breathing must have taken a full minute to calm down, but the hooded figure was patient, and simply stood there motionless as I regained control of myself, ¡°None needed, umm¡­ Raven Four?¡± ¡°Yes, The Raven Four.¡± They folded their forearms into a formal salute, then did something unexpected, ¡°As the entrusted captain of this battalion regarding mission security, let me begin by extending you a formal apology on behalf of Squad 3. I should not have fully trusted the local palace guard to deter thievery.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ umm, thank you.¡± I stammered out, not quite sure how to react. Every commando I¡¯d interacted with before always spoke in a gruff monotone with no readable body language. This one was expressing genuine emotion, not just in his vocal tone, but with the way his shoulders slumped in defeat and how their eyes lowered in shame. Raven Four¡¯s demeanor didn¡¯t last long, however, and he quickly returned to his usual mysterious nature, ¡°I also volunteered on behalf of the captains to come and ask if you were satisfied leaving the investigation in the hands of Royal Knight Blavot, or if you will be remaining here to conclude the investigation.¡± Remaining here? What the¡­? I have neither the rank nor authority to change my own mission mid-assignment. Gods, I¡¯m not even a fully titled mage yet, just an Initiate. Why is he asking me that? I remained quiet, drumming my fingers against my thigh in confused thought, glancing occasionally at the commando, until the obscuring fog finally lifted. Ugh¡­ I¡¯m an idiot. Lancel used to complain about officers in the army springing competency tests on him. I should have known this was going to happen eventually. Hector literally stated that the purpose of these expeditions was to give us field experience. Grinning with satisfaction, I turned to Raven Four, ¡°Sir, unless I¡¯m ordered otherwise, my current mission for the kingdom still stands. I do not intend to abandon my squad over a personal matter.¡± Raven Four¡¯s large eyes narrowed at me for a minute, then suddenly widened enough to show the whites, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ eh, correct. We have not issued you new orders¡­ and complications aside, we still have a mission to complete.¡± He nodded as if to reassure himself, then resumed, ¡°If you have any questions regarding the investigation in the future, you are welcome to ask, given that you were targeted.¡± Arc whispered to me using my earring, ¡°Hey, can you ask him about what will happen to the thief?¡± I asked, then felt a tremble of anxiety run down my spine as the commando contemplated the question for a full minute before responding. ¡°That depends on the judges. Paulus has been cooperative so far, despite some clear agitation whenever a commando enters his cell, and is providing information on the local Thieves¡¯ Guild, so that will lower his sentence. What will hurt him is that Galoys, his partner, is claiming that they stopped him from killing a corpsman that entered your room, and was left bruised, bound, and abandoned in retaliation.¡± ¡°Uh-oh¡­ that¡¯s not what happened¡­¡± A deep pit of dread formed in my gut, ¡°Will that testimony affect his sentencing?¡± Raven Four nodded, ¡°Yes, by a great deal, full calendar cycles of indentured servitude in the capital instead of a few years if the judges believe him.¡± Rot! I¡¯ll never be able to live with myself if I don¡¯t figure out a way to help. My jaw clenched in agitation as my brain tried to think of a subtle way to inform them of the truth, but before I could, Raven Four audibly gasped and shifted into a defensive stance with both daggers retracted from his wrist sheaths. I stepped back from the twitching commando, wondering what the rot was going on at first, until a sneaking suspicion started tingling in the back of my skull. Raven Four stood there on the defensive, then after what felt like ages, turned his head my way before raising his forearms to return his daggers, ¡°Apologies again¡­ I¡­ I need to report something.¡± He then spun on his heels and ran out of the room. I waited a few seconds for him to get out of range, then rapped Arc with my knuckles, ¡°What did you do?¡± Arc cackled like the madman he was, ¡°Sent him a Message over his private channel. Given that all the commandos I¡¯ve seen so far sleep in their uniforms, he¡¯s probably panicking at the thought of someone skilled enough to touch his cowl without getting noticed.¡± I sighed, mainly because my earlier scolding failed to stick for more than six minutes, but also to cover the smile trying to creep across my face. --- Arc Philiadra River ¨C Hillstripe County ETA to Brushstroke Fortress ¨C 8 Hours My focus floated over the crowded main deck to watch in awe as Varguk¡¯s hands dexterously prepared stimleaf concoctions with the speed and flair of a Vegas bartender. And I do mean bartender. The typical lattes were getting interlaced with espresso poured into shot glasses, iced drinks shaken like cocktails, and one weird order where an egg was stirred into a mixture till it thickened enough to get slurped up like a Jello shot. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. It was quite the change from the typical morning aboard the ship, and I was curious as to why. Normally the cessation of morning drills would give way for individual training under a tight schedule to fairly divide the time. Though, I had a feeling my answer was walking up the steps to the aft deck. Spartan Captain Aguk carried a drink in each hand, paused briefly after the ascent to set his jaw, then approached his fellow Squad Captain Adaline, ¡°Good morning, would you care for a stimleaf beverage? Spartan Varguk added steamed milk for nutrition and infused caramel to provide a palatable flavor.¡± The Royal Knight slowly removed herself from the railing she was leaning on, then turned to smile at the half-orc with noticeably tired eyes as she took the latte, ¡°Thank you. I must admit, I was surprised to see you grant permission to the junior¡¯s request.¡± ¡°His reasoning was sound, given that you and many of the mages and knights were unable to get a full night¡¯s sleep.¡± ¡°Plus,¡± the half-orc paused to look down at the battalion as they mingled with one another while waiting for drinks, ¡°I felt it was an appropriate relaxation of military discipline, befitting the spirit of Union Fortress.¡± Adaline sipped at her drink during Aguk¡¯s explanation, then raised an eyebrow, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ err, I intend no offense, very un-spartan-like of you.¡± Aguk cleared his throat and shifted his weight to the other leg, ¡°No offense felt. And¡­ thank you for the compliment. Spartan attempts to integrate more with the other branches of the military haven¡¯t always meshed smoothly.¡± His hands readjusted their grip on his drink, ¡°On that note, let me thank you for filing a recommendation to have Varguk join the battalion. A skilled chef is always welcome, but a spartan that can take off their stripes along with the armor¡­ that¡¯s¡­ well¡­ Have you ever met some of the more hard-headed spartans who served under the previous queen?¡± The Royal Knight chuckled, ¡°Yes, I have.¡± She sipped on her drink, then had a moment of realization before looking back up at the tall and broad man with a nervous smile, ¡°I need to correct you, Princess Seleyna put in that request, not me.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡± Captain Aguk¡¯s chest deflated, ¡°That¡¯s twice I owe the princess now.¡± ¡°Twice?¡± Aguk nodded, ¡°Yes, back in the spring when I was scouting for talent, I heard the story about the princess attending an outer-ring party, and was surprised that the spartan she danced with was a potential recruit I dismissed. I grew curious, and after a little digging, I was able to find an after-action report that helped explain the glaring contradiction in behavior from what his psych profile suggested. I determined that if he was willing to push himself in such a fashion, then he would be an excellent fit for the Combined Arms branch, and perhaps even act as a role model for future recruits.¡± He gestured down to where his point was being actively illustrated; Reidar discussing possible equipment options with Travis the mage, Lieutenant Fernrod the knight, and Longspur Eleven the commando. ¡°I was still a sprout back when Queen Claudette came into power, and one of the first recruits to be subject to her push for cultural integration.¡± The half-orc sighed with a forlorn expression, ¡°I sometimes think I was the only one of my squad-siblings to earnestly try and find common ground with civilians and the other branches.¡± A gentle hand rested on the spartan¡¯s forearm, and he looked down to see its owner gazing up at him. ¡°I¡¯m glad you did, and that you keep trying.¡± The two smiled at each other¡­ until the moment lasted a bit too long and shifted into that awkward stage, resulting in them quickly shifting their attention back to their battalion. Adaline summoned the confidence to speak first, ¡°This social hour seems to be going well. If you¡¯re willing to adjust the morning schedule, I¡¯d be amenable to repeating it tomorrow.¡± ¡°I can do that. However, Staff Sergeant Julien will need your authorization to request supplies at the next fortress. Varguk donated his personal stock today, and I feel we should not take advantage of his kindness.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± --- ¡°Put me down, you mud-footed beast!¡± Private Tomas narrated in his terrible rendition of an elven princess. It was sadly much better than his attempt to lower his voice for the grizzled spartan covered in blood and assassin arrows. ¡°I cannot comply. My orders are to escort you safely to the capital.¡± Ugh, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m listening in for the plot¡­ With nothing better to do, I continued monitoring the corpsman (and the creepily attentive horses), discovering that after fleeing to safety, Drozuk collapsed onto the ground from blood loss, startling Princess Radelia. Growing worried, she removed the damaged armor from the muscular orc, then began to bandage his wounds with torn strips from her dress. Bowing out before things got steamy, I floated my focus up a level to where a pair of spartans were waiting for their turn to spar. ¡°Then after we had enough time to get a feel for each other, we started going at it like beasts for hours. It was exhilarating!¡± The half-orc paused to catch his breath, ¡°And¡­ exhausting, I almost slept through rollcall this morning.¡± The female spartan shook her head, ¡°You and your fetishes¡­¡± ¡°Hey, Fortresses & Fighters is a legitimate hobby. It¡¯s even on the list of recommended leisure activities to engage in with non-spartans.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a children¡¯s game¡­¡± ¡°Originally designed by a Baron General Knight to teach large-scale military tactics.¡± The first spartan argued. I mentally rolled my eyes, then kept floating along, finding it noticeably harder than usual to stave off the boredom. The anticipation of finally saying hello to Lancel must have been getting to me and was probably compounded by the small taste for socialization I had yesterday talking to Bones. I moved up to the aft deck where the knights were receiving magic instruction, keeping a healthy distance from the former guard captain to keep temptation at bay, and decided to be a more active help to Travis as he taught Galehaut. ¡°Condensing array number 2.¡± Travis gestured at the goliath to turn over his forearm, then briefly compared the inactive enchantment with the custom diagram he sketched for the man¡¯s large forearms before critiquing, ¡°Your diameter on this line end needs to be wider. If that pull isn¡¯t strong enough, you won¡¯t be able to recycle the water flowing over from the other side.¡± Galehaut grumbled, then glanced at the answer key before fixing his enchantment formation. Despite only using a trace amount of mana to create the equivalent of a pencilled-in sketch, the constant reshaping was clearly draining the man¡¯s mental fortitude as he kept practicing. ¡°You¡¯re making steady progress. I haven¡¯t even mastered this enchantment yet.¡± Travis reassured, then nodded when the corrections finished, ¡°That looks good. Switch arms.¡± The big knight relaxed as he let the formation disperse, then raised his other arm to start stenciling out the enchantment before tilting his head to the custom diagram Travis wrote up, ¡°At least I have you here to help with the hard part. Would have taken me weeks to make sense of all those calculations.¡± Travis looked up with a sheepish grin, ¡°Umm¡­ this is the easy part.¡± Galehaut locked eyes with Travis, then at the diagram, then with his arm, then back to the diagram, and finally back up to Travis, ¡°This¡­¡± his deep baritone voice cracked, ¡°this is the easy part?¡± My best friend held up a palm, then summoned a thin ball of Water Mana, ¡°Once you have this memorized, the next step will be to maintain the exact same structure and shapes while increasing the density of the mana enough to finally trigger the enchantment.¡± Travis flexed his fingers, forcing more and more mana into the sphere until the attracted water vapor condensed into a bead of water. ¡°After that comes the hardest part, not letting it fall apart in combat.¡± He demonstrated by gently banging his hand against the knight, causing the hovering thimble of water to ripple with instability. Galehaut sighed, then to Travis¡¯ delight, clenched his jaw and redoubled his focus on his next attempt. He still ended up with some lines out of tolerance, but the number of overall errors had gone down. Sadly, their allotted time for practice was almost over, and the goliath had to quit before his elevated mana amperage grew too high. Travis handed Galehaut the diagram to keep, then gave his neck and arms a quick stretch after the two parted, leaving me an opening to speak. ¡°You are aware that you just lied to him, right? His affinity should kick in to help once he tries activating it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Travis whispered into his arm as he brought it across his chest to stretch his shoulders, ¡°but that will only ever apply to Water spells, and if he cobbles his enchantments together haphazardly, they¡¯ll be underpowered and too expensive for reliable use. It¡¯s better for him in the long run if he develops a habit of learning spell formations properly, especially if he wants to expand his repertoire. Besides, he¡¯s been putting in a lot of effort to teach me proper swordsmanship, it¡¯s only fair I return the favor.¡± ¡°You know, I sometimes miss that little kid who¡¯d loosen the ink jar lids at school when no one was looking¡­, but then I get reminded that he never truly left.¡± Travis smirked at my comment, but my 360-degree sword vision spotted Vesril approaching, so I figured I better warn him, ¡°Heads up. Edgelord is coming to talk.¡± The elven Ice Mage sauntered in next to Travis, leaned against the balustrade with his arms crossed, then cast off the Wind Mana collecting around his shield/snowboard to form a [Sound Barrier]. ¡°Captain Adaline denied my request to go wake surfing. Said that boredom wasn¡¯t a compelling reason, and that I should be taking this time to ¡®become acquainted with my squadmates.¡¯¡± He rolled his eyes behind the twin lens of Shadow Mana floating in front of them, not even bothering to hide the snark in his voice, ¡°Hence why I¡¯m here. Talking to you, the social bee of the battalion.¡± Travis¡¯ face went from confusion over why the anti-social elf was talking to him, to full-blown gobsmacked after being called a social bee, and for good reason too. Despite his best efforts to be more outgoing, Travis was still an introvert at heart, preferring to hang over the railing and watch the scenery pass by (or sneaking below deck to coddle his nameless horse), instead of playing cards or sharing stories. Heck, it was only a year ago that Travis was turning down offers from the other boys in his village to visit Lakewell Fortress, actively ignoring Ingrid¡¯s attempts at flirting, and spending every waking hour training to become a mage. ¡°Figures¡­¡± The punk-rock elf covered in piercings muttered after Travis failed to respond, ¡°The one time I actually do what my dad wanted¡­ and you become tongue-tied.¡± He reached into an elongated pouch to touch a wand he carried, then cast a [Remote Ear] spell in sync with one of the frequencies to start listening to the fantasy equivalent of a gothic metal band. The dark atmospheric undertones crossed with harsh vocals eventually snapped Travis out of his stupor, and they listened in until the end of the current song. ¡°This is¡­ different. Does this band just happen to be performing right now, or do they take turns with others?¡± Vesril groaned, clearly annoyed that he¡¯ll have to actually talk, ¡°The band playing right now, Stonebreaker Tempest, is one of a dozen bands booked to play their set once per day on this frequency.¡± Travis nodded along, tapping the helmet clipped to his belt, ¡°Huh, I guess it never occurred to me that Message channels could be dedicated to music instead of long-range communication.¡± The Ice Mage shrugged, ¡°Not surprised. Used to be impossible to stop some duck-feathered asshole from adding their own inputs and shitting over everything. But about a calendar cycle back, some genius finally figured out how to make a relay artifice that didn¡¯t distort or pollute sound enough to make your ears bleed.¡± He gestured at the spell as it started outputting a new song, ¡°The channel jockey I pay manages a master feed with a dozen other guys, then distributes copied signals. Either a private one like mine, or a shared channel that only needs a couple dozen people to reset in case a mudfoot gets a hold of it.¡± The two kept talking, but I got distracted by a fast-approaching ship entering the outermost range of my vision and sent out my focus out to get a clearer picture. It was of an older Lakelander style (Viking longship from my old world), but what really caught my attention was the two mana users on board. A woman wearing a wide brimmed hat inexpertly using Wind Mana to fill the sails and propel the vessel faster, and a man with a very blatant Fire Affinity with matching inscribed sword manning the rudder. The unknown ship exited the river connecting to the lake we were on, and as if guided by fate, turned to face us. Artificer Volmaegar, standing watch at the prowl, spotted the target and called it in, ¡°Captain, unknown vessel on approach.¡± The beardless then flipped down the visor on their helmet, and pumped Metal Mana into the glass while triggering their mana sight, ¡°I¡¯m seeing over a dozen rowers, a Wind Witch, and¡­ Rust! Confirmed pirate, Verain the Scorcher.¡± ¡°Prepare the cannon.¡± Ordered Ship Captain Sampson. He then turned to face an approaching Captain Adaline, ¡°Normally I¡¯m obligated to pursue and eliminate any and all threats, but¡­¡± The ship captain tilted his head towards Seleyna. The Royal Knight nodded grimly, ¡°The safety of the princess supersedes that, plus¡­¡± she paused to glance at Travis and the other gathering teenagers before whispering, ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of having kids blooding their swords.¡± Volmaegar interrupted with an update, ¡°We¡¯ve been spotted¡­ they¡¯re turning tail.¡± Captain Sampson grimaced as he adjusted the wheel, ¡°I need orders¡­¡± Adaline clenched her jaw with indecision but got saved by Raven Four speaking over the Message channel. ¡°My team is willing to capture all targets, we only require the mages to disable the enemy ship.¡± I saw the tension bleed from Adaline, and after exchanging nods with Captain Aguk, messaged over the battalion¡¯s channel, ¡°All squadrons prepare for combat.¡± Taking over command, the spartan leader turns into a possessed man as he barks out orders in and out of everyone¡¯s helmets, sending the knights and spartans of each squad to the edges of the main deck; Travis, Vesril, and the Creeksmith twins to the foredeck; then assigning Seleyna, Drozuk, Mattius, and Treblana to guard the aft deck. This, I assume, doesn¡¯t go over well with the princess¡­ given that her fingers are clenching quite visibly around her bow as she prepares it, but she manages to hide her annoyance in time before her bodyguard turns around and gives a ¡°you will stay right there where it is safe¡± glare. Captain Sampson focuses on his attunement with the artifice engine, then begins to ramp up the crystal mana embedded into the gears turning the propeller, causing them to spin faster and faster, until Warden¡¯s Hammer increases speed enough to slowly begin catching up, giving everyone on board enough time to get into position before attack. Wanting to get a good view of the action, I moved my focus to sit behind Travis, who is looking like a proper badass wizard at the starboard prowl, poleaxe held in his right hand and his left extended to cast a mixed trio of Orb spells in preparation, waiting in anticipation for the action to start. A trio of [Fire Bolts] from the mages sounds off the attack, all three aimed high at the sails, but the Wind Witch onboard the pirate ship counters with a swipe of synced Air Mana through the spells to disrupt the formations. Her cloud of mana then raises high in the air before brutally slamming down to deflect a follow-up volley of [Water Bolts] targeting the rowers. Interesting¡­ I¡¯ve never gotten to see a witch use magic before. Well¡­ I guess I technically saw Brains back in the day, but he was showing off for a crowd, and wasn¡¯t exactly using a completely legal style. Now that I have a comparison, his spellcasting looked more like a halfway point between mages and witches. This lady isn¡¯t using spell formations at all, just using the natural pull energetic mana has on matter to force the air to do her bidding and summon strong gusts of wind. Her witchcraft seems effective too, the mages on the foredeck can¡¯t get anything past her, but¡­ as the onslaught from Travis and the twins continues, the more and more obvious it is that her strategy doesn¡¯t have staying power. Infusing her mana evenly into the environment is exposing it to getting discharged at a higher rate, which means she needs to keep pumping out more and more freshly synced mana to keep her dominance. Sure, the higher the pulse-rate of mana, the stronger the pull, and the more bang for her buck she¡¯s getting with each mote, but I can already see her internal mana amperage pushing into Stage 2 mana sickness. If she doesn¡¯t give up soon, she¡¯ll go feral. Warden¡¯s Hammer keeps a respectable distance as it pulls parallel to the pirate ship, letting the mages on the aft deck contribute, but despite the pounding the enemy ship is taking (or the looming cannon a very eager artificer is pointing at them), the pirates still refuse to give up. Growing irritated at having to contribute more than minimal effort, Vesril loses his patience, and pulls his weapon by the handle to lay atop his outstretched arm. Mana flows off his body onto the shield, levitating just off the surface to create three long condensing array lines to summon a cylinder of water in the center. He then adds in additional lines on each end to create forward-pointing triangular flanges, a wide and long set at the base to act as fuel for propulsion and a smaller set at the tip for stabilization. And¡­ I just now realized why they¡¯re called Arrow spells¡­ The Ice Mage chuckles as he extends his left hand and molds a trio of Wind Arrays into a wind tunnel before he calls out, ¡°Is that the best your feeble magic can do? Let me show you your place human.¡± The [Water Arrow] launches, and an eye-blink later, a thunderous crack erupts from the pirate ship as a shotgun spray of wooden shards assault the rowers on the other side. The Wind Witch screams in agony as she¡¯s hit with debris then looks up in horror as the mast holding up the sails topples over like a falling tree. Capitalizing on the distraction, the commandos launch their attack, leaping over the knights and spartans, and diving into the water. Except for Raven Four, who goes full ninja and sprints across the lake surface, using his summoned cloak of Shadow to leave behind a mana clone each time he zigs and zags. Beserking into a rage, Verian the scorcher draws his sword and summons a torrent of Fire Mana into his palm, crushing it till it concentrates into Light Mana, then launches it at the dozen Shadow clones leaping onto the ship. It¡¯s not enough to fully negate the spell with the opposing mana type, but it is enough for Verian to quickly spot the real commando and slash with his sword. Raven Four narrowly dodges by rolling onto the deck, then is forced to leap back when Verian continues his swing while activating the sword inscription to not only coat the weapon in flames but spew out Fire out the false edge like a gods and God-damned rocket, propelling his body to move in a fast 360 to try and finish his foe with an overhand chop. Holy crap! That is the most awesomest weapon ever! ¡°I know! Right?¡± Travis chimes in, fully in sync with my excitement. ¡°That¡¯s definitely getting added to the list of possible inscriptions for my poleaxe.¡± Really Travis? I get to watch a pirate get into a sword fight with a ninja, and you have to ruin the moment? I ignore the traitorous bastard, opting to watch closely as Raven Four continues the fight, weaving and bobbing through Verian¡¯s attacks by using his summoned cloak to obscure his movements, before creating a false arm with his mana, and tosses a dagger at an exposed limb. The weapon flies true, penetrating deep into the pirate¡¯s leg, and causing him to cry out loudly in pain. The distraction is more than enough for the commando to go on the offensive, who kicks out the legs beneath the rapscallion, palms the enemy¡¯s skull, then pulsates every mote of mana in his body at once to provide the force needed to bury Verian into the wooden deck with a heavy thud. A pained groan escapes the pirate, letting me know he wasn¡¯t dead (yet), but Raven Four takes no chances, breaking all four shins and forearms with heel stomps, then gently picks up the inscribed sword. He then checks his surroundings, nodding with approval that his team was able to successfully secure their onlooking targets by swimming under the ship and attacking from behind, then returns his attention back down. ¡°So,¡± Raven Four growls, ¡°care to explain why a well-known pirate is traveling on a main thoroughfare?¡± Verian wheezes but manages to get enough air to spit up blood and a single word, ¡°Behemoth¡­¡± Well¡­ fuck. That¡¯s not good. Chapter 55 - Eldritch Abominations Journal Entry # 32 Lesson Number 3 ¨C You are a danger to everyone around you. I thought I knew this one already, it is the reason I had to leave my village after all, but it didn¡¯t truly sink in until yesterday. The fortress was under attack. A salilipede, a half-salamander half-millipede looking greater varmint, was trying to climb the stone walls of the crownwork, but the guards seemed to have everything under control. That was until I peered over the wall to get a better look. Despite my poor mana sight, I could see how volatile the mana was inside the creature, and almost didn¡¯t notice when it jerked its head towards me. It went into an even greater frenzy, ignoring the crossbow bolts pelting it, and skittered along the wall straight towards me. I still can¡¯t summon Fire or Water to fight, so I ended up backing away in fear and had to let the orc intercept the salilipede when it crested the battlements. He crushed the head with a single blow from his club, then chuckled afterwards with his deep baritone when he saw my frightened form. We ended up splitting the kill with the local garrison, but the fact the monster ignored the soldiers hurting it in favor of me left a sinking feeling in my gut when I left to train with the witch that night. --- Travis Philiadra River ¨C Cattail County ETA to Brushstroke Fortress ¨C Unknown I stood nervously on the main deck with my squad, awaiting orders as some of the commandos and corpsmen secured the prisoners aboard the captured pirate ship (save for the one giving the ship captain directions), then rowed ahead on the vessel to warn Brushstroke of the potential threat. My gaze shifted to the miniature anti-behemoth cannon being fussed over by the beardless artificer, then to Lancel who was holding onto a pendant with one hand and muttering a prayer. ¡°Hey,¡± I gave his arm a nudge after he finished, ¡°have you ever fought one before?¡± ¡°No,¡± he whispered back, ¡°I¡¯ve always been assigned to line infantry behind the outer walls. The closest I¡¯ve gotten to one before was back during my first flood. I was on wall duty with the other privates getting acclimated when this massive¡­ thing¡­ quadruple the size of our ship here, crept over the horizon and sent the wave attacking us into chaos. I tried to pull out the telescope Tristan gifted me to get a better look, but before I could raise it up, the entire wall started quaking when the artillery on the nearby crownwork began firing, and I almost dropped the thing into the moat.¡± Lancel took a fresh inhale, then steadied his nerves, ¡°The worst part came next when my ears stopped ringing a minute later. The noise¡­ I¡­ I can¡¯t really describe it. Entire sections of the behemoth were blown to shreds, and it was spilling blood and ichor all over the field. It was then that every single monster in the area rushed the injured behemoth, and¡­ started clawing and chewing on its still living carcass¡­¡± ¡°Merciful gods and God, that sounds horrifying.¡± I heartily agreed. Professor Ulaphine didn¡¯t go into too much detail about behemoths in class, stating that we¡¯d go into more depth during our final year, but he did give us the basic rundown. --¡°Behemoths are the result of every chimera that manages to consume enough biomass. Their increasingly feral minds eventually lose all self-preservation to not consume the cysts of other monsters, leaving them even more vulnerable to developing infectious growths. Like a chimera, extra limbs, eyes, mouths, and other appendages can appear; regardless of whether it¡¯s in a functional location. Consequently, the numerous sources of different monsters will often turn it into a shambling mess, only able to crawl from meal to meal and lack any direct combat or magical ability. Do not for one second assume this to be the norm or that they can be dispatched easily from range. Older behemoths can gain a semblance of unity and will be able to reconfigure their bodies into a more efficient design.¡± ¡°What makes a behemoth particularly dangerous is two things; its ability to quickly regenerate via self-cannibalism and the way it draws in nearby monsters. Their high volume of low-grade flesh can trick monsters into thinking they¡¯re attacking a large group of weaker prey and will only grow more enticing scent-wise for carrion eater varmints after the behemoth gets injured defending itself. Stronger monsters, such as the Elemental Eight, will be intelligent enough to avoid them, but do take precautionary actions should you ever encounter one; behemoths are the preferred prey of dragons.¡±-- My attention snapped back to the present when Captain Aguk stepped off the aft deck and directed his focus at us. ¡°The purpose of the Combined Arms Special Extermination Forces is to counter exotic threats to the three kingdoms. Behemoths fall under our purview. In twelve minutes, we¡¯ll sail to the abomination¡¯s last known location. Intel states that it is young, and likely still in a proto stage, but all caution will be taken on our approach.¡± He gestured behind us to the large weapon on the fore deck, ¡°The overall strategy will be to lure the behemoth into range of the ship¡¯s cannon, then assault with magic. Novice Quinsandoral, step forward and present your helmet.¡± Vesril moved forward to do as ordered, pausing only momentarily to set his jaw. Captain Aguk placed a hand on the headgear, ¡°I¡¯m switching your private channel to the command group¡¯s frequency. As the senior spellcaster of our battalion, I¡¯m tasking you with coordinating the mages to formulate a response. The rest of us will be securing the battlefield and maintaining an exit route.¡± The elven Ice Mage saluted the spartan, ¡°Thank you for the opportunity sir.¡± --- Vesril snarled after us mages met up on the aft deck after the briefing, ¡°I had to complain about being bored¡­¡± ¡°See? Totally not my fault!¡± I rapped my knuckles against Arc, not in the mood for his jokes given the situation. ¡°Sword irritating you again?¡± ¡°No, just¡ª¡± I froze mid reply as I became aware of what I was about to confirm, leaving me too afraid to move my jaw or even breathe lest I say something incriminating. A hand landed on my pauldron, and a smirking Mattius gave it a good shake, ¡°Relax, I know you¡¯re not going crazy, but¡­ I¡¯ve noticed you have a habit of hitting your sword whenever you¡¯re frustrated. If you¡¯re not mindful, people might start spreading rumors.¡± A tension relieving sigh escaped me, ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll uh¡­ I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Cut the chatter!¡± Vesril barked, then looked over the gathered mages. ¡°We don¡¯t have the raw strength needed to overpower a behemoth, so our single option is to contain and chip away. Earth Mages, can you create a snap-jaw trap?¡± Treblana shifted her gaze to Mattius, ¡°I¡¯ve never made one before¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re not complicated,¡± he assured, ¡°basically just a support arch lined with [Caltrops] on the inside. If I stencil it out, do you think you can provide the mana?¡± The Packer mage smiled, ¡°I think so.¡± She turned back to Vesril, ¡°We¡¯ll make it work.¡± ¡°Good,¡± the elf nodded, ¡°Fire will be our primary means of attack, but we¡¯ll need to alternate different spell types to prevent it from adapting.¡± He then proceeded to lay out his plan, pausing only to ask the captains and artificer a few questions, then assigned us individual tasks for the mission. --- Yellowtail Tributary ¨C Goosepimple County I¡¯d seen some gorgeous paintings of Western Lakeland with Caldia when we toured art galleries on our¡­ outing¡­ and was not disappointed at all with the reality. Eras of erosion from the muddy river cut deep winding trenches through the grass covered hills, letting sunlight expose the vibrant shades of layered brown clay, but leaving dark patches of shadow. It was both awe inspiring and foreboding, and the knowledge that an abomination could be hidden behind the next bend was keeping everyone on high alert and my anxiety peaked. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on Mattius, but to be safe, maybe cool it on the jokes about me. He might misinterpret them as a call for help.¡± Oh yeah, there was also that additional piece of stress to pile on the shit wagon. I really need to talk to Lancel, if anything, just so I can finally unload on someone I can completely trust. Speaking of shit¡­ I sniff the air once more to confirm the noxious odor failing to blend in with the wet earth. ¡°Hey,¡± I grabbed Vesril¡¯s attention, ¡°do you smell that?¡± He raised an eyebrow, ¡°Other than the usual stench of stale sweat and flatulence you humans and orcs give off?¡± Vesril sniffed, then his eyes went wide before spinning on his heel to Captain Aguk, ¡°Sir, I believe we¡¯re drawing close, and are downwind.¡± The spartan nodded in acknowledgment, then shouted across the deck, ¡°Spears up!¡± Our ship seemed to float through molasses as we silently drifted along, but after making two more turns, sounds of fighting and chittering could be heard, and my heart stuttered when a dug-out quarry revealed our mission objective being assaulted by barrel-sized crayfish. The behemoth was technically undersized and might not be officially classified as one, if you went by the monster field guide, but that didn¡¯t make it any less disturbing to look at. The main body was a ball of oozing flesh and carapace six yards in diameter, tentacles on its back whipped around to ensnare prey, crustacean-like pincers and legs protruded out of the sides at odd angles to snip or stab, and far¡­ far too many mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth consumed everything with a ravenous vigor. It left a shallow rut on the beach coming from a half-demolished ship, indicating that it wasn¡¯t traveling fast, but given the number of monsters eager to feed it, the behemoth needn¡¯t worry about hunting. --Clayfish, a dual-element monster. These over-sized crawdads are best known for utilizing their high concentrations of Water and Earth Mana to fling mud at their prey to slow or trip them, then attack with pincers. Commonly found in muddy waters, their carapace is valued for its ability to filter contaminates from water, but their less than appetizing meat makes them only valuable to hunt when found in large numbers. Suggested method for disposal is to lure them into traps using rotten food.-- ¡°Uh¡­ Travis, you¡¯re going to want to cover your ears.¡± Huh? I peeled away from the monsters in time for an ear-splitting boom to thunder from the foredeck. Crickets sang in my ears, creating pain as the echoes bounced end to end through my brain, and tears wept from my eyes as I struggled to re-open them. The ringing faded after a couple of agonizingly long seconds, ushering in a bevy of orders that I needed to follow. ¡°Spartans, Knights, secure the beach! Squad 1 left, Squad 2 right. Mages, begin assault!¡± Lancel, Reidar, and the other knights and spartans leap off the rail in front of me, splitting off into groups of eight to form outward-facing shield walls, then part to showcase the rupture left by the cannon in the behemoth. The artillery round made of human-steel blew straight through, staggering the abomination, but the already closing hole lets us know it won¡¯t remain that way for long. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Full Fire and Wind.¡± Vesril commands over the squad channel, ¡°Earth Mages, get that thing pinned.¡± Mattius and Treblana jump over the water to reach the shore and start constructing the snap-jaw trap while I cast [Fire and Wind Bolts], grateful for our Aura spells concentrating the low ambient mana in this area around us. Our attacks do little more than annoy the behemoth as it tries to shake off the spells like a wet dog but are providing the needed distraction for Treblana to begin phase one of our strategy. In concert with her arms, four rows of rock twelve feet long raise from the beach to slide across the ground and surround the behemoth. The mandibles of the trap then bite into the monster, snapping shut with a clap of her hands, and trapping it in place. Jealousy rears its ugly head as she maintains her spell despite the creature¡¯s struggles creating fractures in her stonework, but I push those errant thoughts aside to focus on my contribution. ¡°Continue Fire. Wind Mages, vortex formation!¡± I cancel my next [Wind Bolt], instead sending the mana along with every other mote I can tear off my membrane after Mattius and Vesril¡¯s, merging with theirs into a multi-layer rotation array. The fires on the behemoth soon roar to life as they¡¯re fed fresh oxygen, and the shriek piercing through the noise lets us know we¡¯re putting on the hurt while we keep launching more and more fire spells. ¡°Cease Fire. Wind, smother.¡± The Wind arrays I created with Vesril and Mattius shift into a repulsion configuration, and although it doesn¡¯t completely stop all air movement, it is enough to starve the fires roasting the behemoth. Charbroiled skin soon reveals itself but given the amount of writhing the creature continues to make, I swiftly conclude that damage to only be skin-deep. Vesril commands us to release the spell, then launches a rotating violet Orb of Ice Mana. The spell greatly expands in diameter on contact, freezing the air, vapor, and flesh inside, and causing thermal expansion to carve deep fissures and cracks across the abomination. ¡°Retract Earth. Water Mages, move to standby position. Prepare for cannon.¡± I hop over the ship rail, taking advantage of my [Earth Cleat] enchantment to soften my landing in the knee-high water, then use it as a conduit to channel my Earth Mana and pull up fresh sand. Mattius and Treblana already started with repairs, so I prepare to help by replacing the teeth on the trap arms with modified [Caltrop] spells but must pause partway through and cover my ears when the artificer announces their warning. ¡°Launching round in 3¡­, 2¡­, 1¡­¡± Another boom vibrates through my body, but this time I¡¯m able to watch as the hunk of metal pierces through the behemoth like a needle though a rotten egg, sending blood and guts flying, and knocking the abomination back a yard. Sadly, it¡¯s only a needle and not a nail. Despite the gaping wound, the behemoth staggers back onto its legs, and I need to swallow down my own rising vomit when the abomination¡¯s tongues begin lapping up its own innards. Drozuk and the twins start drenching the monster with water to wash away its fuel, reminding me that I need to get back on task. I barely sneak in my portion of repairs right before Treblana clamps down again on the behemoth and manage to at least cast a respectable number of [Water Bolts] before Vesril commands us to switch phases again. I detach all my gathered Wind Mana once more to create the miniature tornado, wait for the behemoth to dry off, then join Seleyna and the twins in igniting the behemoth into a bonfire, starting the cycle all over again. Some of the terror I feel fades as I watch Vesril freeze it the second time, mainly because I¡¯m more ready to repair the teeth on the trap when its released, but seeing the artificer blast entire chunks off it with the cannon before I wash the gore into the river helps give me a visual indication of our progress. We continue our onslaught, trusting the knights and spartans to keep us safe, and I fall into an almost meditative rhythm as I rotate through the elements. Wind->Fire->Earth->Water, Wind->Fire->Earth->Water, Wind->Fire->Earth->Water¡­ I didn¡¯t even notice when I started humming one of Arc¡¯s tunes from the spell range, or remember when the anti-behemoth cannon stopped firing, but I didn¡¯t care; the behemoth needed to die. It kept thrashing despite its growing impotence, even as bones and glowing cysts became exposed, but it seemed like no matter how much magic we threw at it, it would not stop struggling. That was¡­ until it did. Vesril halted our attack, eyed the remains of the behemoth dubiously, then conjured a trio of icicles above the abomination before impaling it. Still no movements¡­ Vesril raised a hand to his helmet, ¡°Captain Aguk, target appears to be downed.¡± ¡°Copy that. Keep clear of the remains, I¡¯ll send a group to confirm the kill.¡± --- Reidar Varguk had a big toothy grin and was rubbing his hands together while the corpsmen brought out supplies from the ship and returned with clayfish remains. The chef clearly had a plan, and Reidar could already feel his stomach rumble in anticipation, although that might have just been the usual post-battle cravings he¡¯d get after a prolonged fight. The feeding frenzy sparked by the injured behemoth lured in what must have been every varmint in an eight-mile radius, turning the battle into a marathon, and forcing him and the others protecting the mages to keep using mana reinforcement to push through the exhaustion. Luckily, no one was injured, and the captains ordered the battalion to rest while they investigated the damaged ship, so all he had to do was pray that his next meal would be soon. ¡°I¡¯ve got good news and bad news!¡± Varguk shouted when he carried over a locked crate. ¡°The good news is that I¡¯ll be serving gumbo.¡± Only halfhearted cheers came from the crowd. No doubt everyone was as worried as he was about what the follow-up statement might be. ¡°The bad news is¡­ that it won¡¯t be ready till tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. Which means for now¡­¡± Varguk bent down to unlock the crate then gave the squads a sideways grin, ¡°mandatory double rations for everyone.¡± ¡®Oh, is that it?¡¯ Reidar watched as everyone but him and Travis collectively groaned with dissatisfaction, and almost allowed a smirk to form. It had been years now since he was reassured by his instructors and medical professionals the first time he tried a Mana-Rich Edible that he wasn¡¯t an aberration, but never meeting someone else with his quirk always made it hard to believe it wasn¡¯t just one more thing making him a weed among the grass. With those thoughts in mind as rations were handed out, he decided to follow his therapist¡¯s advice, breaking his MRE¡¯s in half, and making the conscious decision to walk over and see if Travis wanted to split. His plan encountered a snag however when a Message came over the battalion channel. ¡°Junior Reidar, Acolyte Vesril, report to the damaged ship.¡± ¡®That can¡¯t be good¡­ There¡¯s only a handful of reasons they¡¯d need a Junior Medic.¡¯ Reidar internalized a sigh, spun on his heel with a grace that only years of practice marching in formation could accomplish, then followed the trail of destruction the behemoth created towards the ruins of the ship. It was hard to estimate the original size due to the entire back third being in tatters, but based off the remaining raised foredeck for the ballista and the exposed benches in the lower deck for rowers, he figured the pirate vessel was close to the dimensions of Warden¡¯s Hammer. He kept at a sedate pace as he scarfed down his rainbow-colored treats, partly because he and the Ice Mage following him needed to be mindful of their steps, but more so he could finish his food before the inevitable occurred and he got his hands dirty. Vesril let out a long whistle as they maneuvered past a heap of splintered wood barricading their ingress, ¡°Must have snuck in as a small chimera, gorged itself on the sleeping crew, then grew too large and had to smash out.¡± The elf stopped to examine a damaged manacle then frowned, ¡°Do human pirates keep slaves?¡± ¡°Modern pirates do not. They will however take prisoners when raiding, then ransom them for supplies or drop them overboard as distractions to escape naval ships.¡± ¡°Sounds like they learned a few tricks from my kind¡¯s cousins. Do they bury collected monster cores on islands as well?¡± ¡°Not to my knowledge. Intelligence briefings state that they¡¯ll use hunters to trade their collected monster cores for supplies.¡± Reidar pondered for a moment as he took in the damage, ¡°That could be what lured the creature here in the first place, if they couldn¡¯t find someone to launder them, their stash might have become too large.¡± The Ice Mage nodded as the two approached the hole where Raven Four was waiting for them. The commando swore the two to secrecy, then led Reidar and Vesril inside. Dried blood covered the chipped and worn floor, a half-chewed arm was hanging from a hastily made patch job covering a split in the overhead rafter, and pornographic posters lined the walls, but what captured Reidar¡¯s attention was the captains surrounding Lieutenant Karianne as she knelt to examine a dwarven body. ¡°Reidar,¡± the senior medic waved him over, ¡°I need you to perform a non-surgical autopsy.¡± He nodded, then stepped closer to start a visual examination. Beginning with the bare feet, he noted the lack of boots and thick layer of dried mud, gaunt legs covered with a set of filthy torn trousers, congealed blood pooled around a simple carved javelin jutting out of the bony chest, and¡ª Reidar gasped as he took in the head. A set of antlers poked out of the tangled mess of green hair, thick varicose veins snaked down the temples and neck, and instead of a beard, what appeared to be plant roots were sprouting from the dwarf¡¯s chin. ¡°Zephoreas¡¯ bloody blade!¡± Vesril invoked. ¡°How does a mature dwarf develop advanced chimera sickness?¡± That was a good question. Simply becoming a mana user immunized a person from most parasitic infections and contaminations that could develop cancerous cells in the body. He placed a hand on the dwarf¡¯s chest, then closed his eyes to help focus as he sent tendrils of Wood Mana down towards the wound. ¡°There¡¯s fluid in the lungs, signs of persistent anemia, heart is misshapen, a ruptured skroben¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Karianne grunted with sympathy, ¡°that¡¯s probably what did the bearded in.¡± She shook her head, ¡°Poor thing, that¡¯s not a pleasant way to go.¡± Captain Aguk narrowed his eyes in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s a skroben?¡± ¡°Quickest way to describe would be a cross between a gizzard and a liver. It filters out toxic levels of heavy metals like lead, potassium, and mercury, then stores them in polyps attached to the organ. A simple case of ulceritis alone can cause severe abdominal distress, and rupturing one almost guarantees multiple organ failure.¡± Raven Four peered over the medics to analyze the javelin, ¡°Whoever did this must have been lucky or highly skilled. That organ is barely larger than a coin and well protected by the ribcage.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe a high degree of luck was needed.¡± Reidar contributed as he concluded his analysis of the wound. ¡°I¡¯d need to open up the body and consult with a specialist to be sure, but I estimate this bearded¡¯s skroben was the size of a fist when it got pierced.¡± That seemed to confuse Karianne, ¡°Are you detecting any foreign mutations in the immediate area? It normally takes a full cycle of consuming contaminated water and food for there to even be a noticeable increase in size.¡± ¡°Nothing obvious.¡± Silence fell upon the room as the group digested the information, allowing Reidar to continue his investigation further down the dwarf¡¯s body. He still didn¡¯t find any cysts or foreign tissues, but there were multiple signs of prolonged malnutrition. If it was caused by chimerism, he couldn¡¯t tell without performing a more invasive examination. He pulled his tendrils of Wood Mana back up, then snaked them into the neck and head, unsurprisingly discovering parasitic plant roots. He followed along them, eventually finding the expected mass of semi-hard tissue around a¡ª ¡®Oh no¡­¡¯ Reidar felt Apheros¡¯ grip on their connection tighten, sending a shiver down the back of his spine, standing up every hair on his body, and making every primal instinct in his body scream in terror. The nature god was furious. ¡°Captain Adaline,¡± Reidar forced out, ¡°this is not a natural case of chimerism. Someone implanted cut Wood Mana gems inside the temples of this dwarf.¡± The royal knight cursed, giving the interior of the ship a second glance through a fresh perspective, then swore once more before raising a hand to her helmet and speaking over the battalion channel, ¡°Lieutenant Fernrod, were there any cut mana gems in the remains of the behemoth?¡± ¡°Yes, I found two Wood Mana gems in the pile.¡± ¡°Separate them from the monster cores and advise the Staff Sergeant and Ship Captain that we¡¯ll be transporting a secure shipment to Brushstroke.¡± ¡°Copy that.¡± Captain Adaline took a deep breath, then turned to the group, ¡°Raven Four, have your team sweep the area. Vesril, medics, I want this body packed in ice and sealed. This is to remain top secret. Understood?¡± Reidar saluted the Royal Knight, ¡°Understood Sir.¡± --- Arc Well¡­ shit. I thought encountering a behemoth was bad enough, but knowing that it might have once been a dwarf¡­ My focus floated near Travis as he looked on in curiosity at the large storage chest being hauled aboard the ship by Reidar and Aguk, extremely grateful that he was being kept in the dark about this development. It¡¯s been half a year now since his village was attacked by elves who¡¯d undergone a similar alteration, but I¡¯d prefer not rolling the die with PTSD, or given that there were no other signs of necromancer activity in the kingdom until now, the false perception that he was responsible. Travis tapped me with his finger and whispered, ¡°What are they hauling?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say. You¡¯ll get in trouble for knowing.¡± He shrugged, and to my relief, went back to talking with Lancel and the others. I watched him for a bit as he discussed the battle but couldn¡¯t help myself from resuming my surveillance when I caught Adaline pulling out a Master Message Stone. ¡°Raven Two, this is Adaline, do you copy?¡± ¡°Go ahead Adaline.¡± A feminine voice I didn¡¯t recognize answered inside the Royal Knight¡¯s helmet. ¡°We¡¯ve stumbled upon a false necromancer that died attacking a drydocked Mathildis the pirate and crew in response to a behemoth sighting. This one¡¯s a dwarf with Wood Mana gems and complimentary mutations. I¡¯ve got the body on ice, and so far, only the command staff, the medics, and Acolyte Vesril are aware of its existence. Requesting orders.¡± ¡°Ugh, seriously Ada¡­ you couldn¡¯t even wait a full day before another incident?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just as much a pawn on the gods'' gameboard as you are.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know. Red Feather warned us that bizarre things might occur on this mission. I¡¯m checking on what we have for local assets. Just for confirmation, you have not directly informed P3 or Farmboy of the body?¡± ¡°Correct. To the best of my knowledge, they are ignorant of the situation.¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll stick to protocol for now then. I¡¯ve got a team in Union that can overnight to Brushstroke and repatriate the body. Secure the parcel until then. Codeword for handoff is ¡®axefish¡¯.¡± ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll orate a full report once we¡¯re settled in the fortress.¡± Huh, that¡¯s interesting. I wonder who Red Feather is? Well, obviously a spymaster, but if they¡¯re warning the captain that unexplainable things might happen on this trip, then maybe they¡¯re aware of my existence? Heck, it wouldn¡¯t shock me if they were a true paladin or even the Chosen of Ignitious given the name. Not to go full conspiracy nutter, but Ignitious is the god of Trickery, having their agent be the head of the kingdom¡¯s intelligence division wouldn¡¯t be that a big of a stretch. I¡¯ll have to keep an eye out for these guys. There¡¯s no guarantee that they¡¯ll be friends. Chapter 56 - Meeting the Minor god Journal Entry #35 I think I might be getting a handle on this whole, being a witch thing. I¡¯m still a long ways from immolating or drowning a monster with a single thought, but I¡¯m able to hurl small balls of fire and water now to distract our prey. The witch says I¡¯m learning fast as well, which is a relief, because there is no frosted way I¡¯d survive direct combat with a monster. The orc tried to teach me some basic martial skills yesterday, but it did not go over well. I kept flinching every time he¡¯d swing a padded quarterstaff, my stamina was completely shot after six minutes, and when he tested my skills with a crossbow, he discovered the reason I got so good at making traps. It¡¯s probably for the best that I never joined the army, knowing what I know now, I would have never been able to become a knight. --- Arc Snowsday, the 8th of Ninethmonth Philiadra River ¨C Pine Needle County ETA to Loggercliff Fortress ¨C 2.5 3 Hours ¡°Sorry about the holdup ma¡¯ams. One of the yearlings came into heat late and got the bulls all worked up. Had to send in Underbite here to stop ¡®em from goring each other.¡± The manatee rancher apologized to Captain Adaline and Seleyna as he used the butt end of his paddle to scratch his pet herder shark. The Royal Knight waved him off with a grin, ¡°Won¡¯t be an issue. Our vessel can make up for lost time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bet. That fancy boat of yours don¡¯t even got any rowers.¡± Seleyna smiled brightly at the rancher who had absolutely no clue who he was talking to, ¡°Where are you taking your herd?¡± ¡°Got a swamp ¡®bout two miles upstream this creek for their final graze, then after that we head north to Bellydrum Fortress for winter.¡± I mentally shook my head at the ridiculous scenario, unlike my world where they were an endangered species, manatees here were a major food staple in the Lakeland region. Their fatty meat made for excellent summer sausage, their leather was naturally water repellant, and their chambered stomachs meant they could freely graze across the expansive number of interconnected rivers, lakes, swamps, and creeks that put even my home state of Minnesota to shame. Then again, I might be translating their name wrong¡­ I don¡¯t think male manatees in my world had bull horns, and I¡¯m pretty sure didn¡¯t hibernate in the winter¡­ Maybe I should call them Lakecows instead? But¡­ they look so much like manatees¡­ I pondered the greater mysteries of the universe over the next hour, grateful that I had something to occupy my mind with while I eagerly waited for us to arrive at Loggercliff. Last night¡¯s attempt for Travis to introduce me to Lancel ended up being a bust, and I couldn¡¯t really blame the kid. The entire battalion arrived at Brushstroke late in the evening, nearly delirious from the lack of sleep, and barely had enough energy for a quick nightcap with the Jarl and staff. They at least got to sleep in this morning while the captains performed their covert operation to ship out the dwarven cadaver. Merciful gods and God, I seriously hope nothing bad happens today. Adaline might very well turn this boat around if she has to make another call to the capital. ¡°CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?!¡± Lancel shouted over his private Message channel with Mattius, causing the poor lad at the opposite end of the ship to uselessly bring his hands up to cover the sides of his helmet. ¡°No need to yell. A whisper should be loud enough to hear.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lancel sheepishly noticed the looks he was getting on the aft deck, then modulated his volume to match what it would be if he were standing next to the mage, ¡°Is this better?¡± Mattius sighed in relief, ¡°Yes, much better. Let¡¯s see if you got it down now. Dispel your enchantment each time you finish responding to me then re-enchant with a fresh formation.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ can you still hear me?¡± ¡°Yes indeed.¡± ¡°How about now?¡± ¡°Perfectly.¡± Lancel beamed with pride and even saluted Mattius with a rocking set of bull horns, ¡°Ha! Took my oldest brother months to get this down.¡± Mattius chuckled at the knight¡¯s exuberance, ¡°Not surprised, I¡¯ve been told by other mages that Wind and Lightning Affinities tend to kick in strongly for this spell.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t remember much from your explanation beyond cone width controls how much gets picked up and that tiny spheres are quieter. I¡¯m kinda just guessing and going off what feels right. Is it the same for you?¡± ¡°No, my affinity¡¯s¡­ different. Not sure if it¡¯s because I have a dual type or something else. I haven¡¯t figured out what assistance I¡¯m getting for Wind magic other than the normal ease in compression and retention, but for Earth magic I¡¯ve noticed that I have a much easier time estimating distance and dimensions compared to someone else with an Earth Affinity.¡± Lancel blew a raspberry, ¡°Sounds complicated, and far over the head of anything I¡¯ve learned so far about magic. We only got taught how to create Auras and practice maintaining our affinities at my camp.¡± ¡°Wait, that¡¯s it? They didn¡¯t try to teach you any other spells?¡± ¡°Our main focus was on getting retrained. Before I became a knight, the ability to suplex a bison was impossible, so yeah, that¡¯s a big shift in mentality for someone who¡¯s been fighting for almost a dozen years. You need to form completely new habits just to take advantage of all the boosted physical attributes from reinforcement. We can apply for further magic training in the future, but it¡¯s easier and quicker to ask a clan mage or an amenable squadmate. Plus, I¡¯m positive those courses are intended for prospective Royal Knights.¡± Mattius nodded, ¡°Ah, I guess that makes sense, the older noble houses would prefer to train their own as well. Easier to keep their secret arts hidden.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Lancel grimaced with a realization then slapped his forehead, ¡°Ugh¡­ storms, forgot to dispel and reenchant.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re okay.¡± Mattius chuckled as he checked the location of the nearby artificer, then turned to face away from the deck, ¡°Hey, since I¡¯ve got you on a private channel... Can I ask you something?¡± Lancel took note of the Dust Mage¡¯s shift in tone and found his own private corner of the aft deck to whisper back, ¡°Yeah, go ahead.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve known Travis a long time, has he always been¡­ umm¡­ a bit, uh¡­ off?¡± The former guard captain bent over with laughter, needing to grip the railing for support, but eventually calmed enough to respond, ¡°Oh, he¡¯s always been an armadillo amongst turtles, preferring to roll off and do his own thing instead of sitting still and blending in. He¡¯s the only kid I¡¯ve ever known to power through his daily chores just to pick up extras from around town.¡± ¡°So, he¡¯s always been an overachiever?¡± ¡°Yep, ever since he was ten and randomly decided one day to stop being the town bully.¡± Lancel sneaked a peak at Mattius, and upon noticing that his fellow Packer was remaining cautious, must have decided to cut right into what was clearly bugging the kid. ¡°Something got you worried?¡± Mattius sighed, ¡°I think all the stress he¡¯s under is starting to get to him. He¡¯s taking a ridiculous number of courses, barely has any time to relax with us, and nearly every instructor and noble on campus gossips about him the second he passes by. It got worse after Travis did his practical exam in the arena with the queen and diplomats observing. He collapsed in on himself the next day while going to church and was completely adrift. He only talked when we asked a question, barely ate anything, and stopped carrying around his poleaxe. He snapped back to his usual self a few days later, but¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m worried now, too. I¡¯ll try talking to him tonight.¡± Mattius smiled, ¡°Thanks, I don¡¯t have many friends, and would rather not have one snap and go on a murderous rampage because his sword told him to kill everyone.¡± --- Travis Loggercliff Fortress ¨C Flume County Nestled on a cypress covered hill (tall enough to make even the highest near my hometown closer to an anthill in comparison) and built with a contrasting rusty-red stone from the local quarries, Loggercliff was by far the prettiest star fortress I¡¯ve seen. The steep path uphill was lined with evergreens and bushes covered in dark purple huckleberries, trenches filled with river rocks sang as water trickled down, and instead of the usual claustrophobic crowding of buildings inside the inner wall, there was a large park with a spring-fed pond and an absolutely enormous Aelder Tree looming over it all. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I wasn¡¯t planted in this tree. You would¡¯ve broken your neck pulling me out.¡± I heartily agreed as I kept looking up and up, and up, and¡­ Was it taller than the lodge? My musings got interrupted by the rambunctious contingent coming to greet us; a deeply tanned Lakelander man in the lead with cinnamon and sugar hair, a pair of mages flanked by a dozen knights, twelve times as many soldiers, and a countless number of civilians. ¡°A fine greeting to you all on this auspicious day! I grew worried when word came upstream that a behemoth was spotted near Brushstroke, but it appears that Apheros has blessed you with his protection.¡± Seleyna, with her hair down and a regal smile gracing her lips, stepped forward with Captain Adaline and Aguk to shake forearms, ¡°This is quite the welcome.¡± She stepped back to view the crowd better, then elevated her voice so it could be heard by all, ¡°On behalf of the crown, I thank you all for hosting us this evening. Your fortress is a natural wonder with its beauty, and I deeply regret that our stay here will be so brief.¡± The Lakelander man, who I by now determined was the jarl, grinned back with barely contained excitement, ¡°I do apologize for our exuberance, it has been a few years since our last royal visitor, and well¡­¡± Seleyna cut him off with a casual wave of her hand, ¡°No need, the purpose of these Master Message Stones is to strengthen our limited communication with each other after all.¡± The jarl leaked a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck, ¡°In that case, if it will please you Princess Seleyna, it¡¯s local tradition to conduct all ceremonies underneath the Aelder Tree in honor of this fortress¡¯s founder Theodore, Chosen of Apheros.¡± The princess tilted her head in thought, allowing her to perceive the subtle nod from Captain Adaline out of the corner of her eye, ¡°I see no reason to object.¡± The entourage flanking the jarl broke off to begin setting up for the ceremony, leaving the elected official to mingle with our two squads while we waited. He was quite the charismatic man, taking his time with introductions to learn the name and a little about each person (even the spartans), though it apparently wasn¡¯t necessary for me. ¡°You must be the young man Travis I¡¯ve been hearing so much about.¡± ¡°Uh, yes¡­ I¡¯m Travis of Aelder Creek.¡± I stumbled over my words as we shook hands. ¡°You know who I am?¡± The jarl smiled as he looked over my shoulder at my poleaxe, sparking an odd sensation of jealousy in me before he leaned into whisper, ¡°My nephew was inspired after getting to inspect your weapon and tried to convince me in one of his letters to cut off a branch of our own tree to replicate you.¡± He shook his head, ¡°Had to explain to the boy why it¡¯s not wise to simultaneously anger a church, a minor god, and the god of Fertility, but I guess I can¡¯t fault him for trying. Hopefully he won¡¯t do something foolish and become another cautionary tale we warn our foreign guests with whenever they greedily eye our tree.¡± ¡°Who is your nephew?¡± ¡°Oh, where are my manners, I¡¯m Rufus¡¯ uncle, Hezekiah Crestwell.¡± Rufus¡­ who is¡ª? ¡°President of the Polearms Club¡± ¡°Oh, that clarifies things.¡± I intentionally sighed, ¡°I owe your nephew an apology, I haven¡¯t once made it to any of his club¡¯s meetings.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about that, schoolwork should always take priority, and if Rufus¡¯ complaints about classes have any value as a measurement, you probably have a larger than normal workload given that you¡¯re the first daft bastard to try and learn all the elements.¡± Hezekiah glanced once more at my poleaxe, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, how did you come across such a rare material?¡± ¡°The village I grew up in, Aelder Creek, has a tree as well. One evening, when I was simply standing underneath it, a large branch broke off above me and fell right into my hands. Scared me half to death thinking that I¡¯d get into trouble if the priest spotted me, so I woke up my town¡¯s woodworker and begged him to help me cover up what happened.¡± The jarl threw his head back in a hearty laugh, ¡°Oh-ho, do not tell my nephew that! The little brat would start camping out here every night in hopes of getting his own boon.¡± I politely joined in with my own chuckle, then nodded to the tree, ¡°The Aelder tree in my village is a sapling compared to yours in size. Do you have any idea how old yours is?¡± ¡°We do, to the date in fact, but its age is not the reason for its unusual size.¡± I raised my eyebrow inquisitively, inviting him to continue. ¡°It was the early years of the United Human Kingdom, necromancers were still running rampant, Oskar the Chosen had died protecting the fledgling capital from destruction, and our ancestors of this fortress had their home overrun by a wandering behemoth. Theodore, the only surviving knight, rallied as many fleeing survivors as he could, eventually setting up a defensive line on this very cliff.¡± The jarl paused after noticing everyone listening in and took a step back to allow them to hear. ¡°The attracted monsters were relentless, leaving Theodore and his people trapped with no access to water or food. Only a miracle could save them, and thus, Theodore prayed for one. The might of Apheros surged through him, allowing him to sunder this very cliff, tapping into the region¡¯s vast network of underground rivers to slake not just our ancestors¡¯ thirst, but fill their bellies with fish. He then shaped the stones, creating a crude wall to safeguard his people, and with the last of his borrowed power, saturated the hillsides with trees and fruiting bushes to hinder their attackers.¡± Hezekiah looked forlornly towards the Aelder tree, ¡°Tragically, mortals were never meant to wield divine forces, and the effort of performing the miracle caused Theodore to fall dead once Apheros ceased to use him as a vessel. The people he saved venerated his sacrifice by burying him next to the pond he created, and the morning after his funeral, this Aelder tree sprouted from his grave.¡± --- Galehaut stared down at me with disappointment as I washed out the beer drenching my formal arming jacket, peered towards Reidar and Seleyna as they darted about like a dragonfly across the dancefloor in time with the polka, then back to me with a shake of his head, ¡°I¡¯m starting to wonder if that bardic tale has more truth to it than fancy.¡± I glowered, ¡°My father is a dairy farmer, not a formal soldier, and I¡¯ve never struck a deal with Aelder or The Hooded One.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The large man held up his hands in surrender, ¡°I know, Lancel¡¯s told me as much, but¡­ a Lakelander that can¡¯t dance is about as rare as a brown-skinned orc or a bearded packer. What assurances can you give me that Aelder didn¡¯t broker a deal with you?¡± My anger was stoked, but before I could retort, Lancel barged into our conversation, giving Galehaut a comforting rub on the shoulder, and placating me with his signature grin. ¡°I think it¡¯s time to give up on the dancing lessons big guy. This one¡¯s a lost cause.¡± The tension broke, and I gave Lancel a friendly smile as he nudged his friend towards the dance floor, but quickly stopped him before departing to whisper in his ear, ¡°Hey, we need to talk. Can you come find me outside after a dance or two?¡± He nodded, and I gave a quick wave before dodging the wall of onlookers trying to make my acquaintance, then slid outside. The evening air was cool, crisp, and as still as a boulder as I strode into the empty central park. A pair of loons idly swam in the water, singing their haunting tunes, and added to the relaxing ambience as I drew in a deep breath. My mind felt more at peace as I took in the isolation, grateful that today was the last day of being crammed onboard a ship for a few weeks, and that I was finally ready to tell someone my deepest secret. ¡°Uh, Travis¡­ the tree is waving at us¡­¡± I sucked in a breath and looked up. Yep, one of the lower branches was waving in the nonexistent breeze. ¡°Just a sec¡­ activating my auto-translator¡­ got it.¡± ¡°TravisTravisTravisTravisTravis! Over here! Over here! Arc,¡± the child-like voice whined, ¡°tell Travis ¡®Hi¡¯ for me!¡± ¡°Travis, Aelder wants you to know he said hi.¡± I exhaled, bringing up my hand to massage the bridge of my nose, then stepped towards the tree to greet it, ¡°Hello Aelder, it¡¯s an honor to meet you.¡± ¡°Boo¡­ Arc, tell him to do it right!¡± ¡°Do it right?¡± I whispered to Arc. ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe he needs to be addressed a certain way? Or----¨C¡° Aelder interrupted, ''Ugh¡­ you dummy¡­ attune to my bark!'' Oh, right¡­ that makes sense¡­ that¡¯s how it worked¡­ last time¡­ ¡°Hey,¡± Arc whispered with reassurance, ¡°if you don¡¯t want to, you don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°Thanks, but¡­ we need to talk to him. He can maybe answer some of your questions.¡± I took a steadying breath, closed my eyes and extended my hand towards the tree, pausing only briefly before making contact, then felt my mana slowly synchronize with a portion of the bark as I raised the embedded mana to match mine. The Wood Mana was as dense and saturated as my poleaxe, making it sap up my concentration so much that I nearly leapt out of my boots when a toddler wrapped around my leg in a hug. ¡®Travis! I missed you! Whoa, you got huge!¡¯ My brain felt like it somersaulted inside my skull or something as I¡­ heard? the child speak, but¡­ not with my ears. I opened my eyes to look down, hoping that would help, but there was both no one there and a small non-descript boy or girl? A migraine started squeezing hard as I tried to focus on the child (Was it even a human?), but it grew too painful, and I was forced to close my eyes again. ¡®Sorry,¡¯ the now somber child apologized, then let go of my leg, ¡®Dad said I could talk to you now that you¡¯re a true paladin, and I got super excited.¡¯ ¡°Travis, you okay?¡± Arc whispered into my ear via earring. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not as intense now.¡± I whispered back then directed my attention to the tree, ¡°Was that you just now Aelder?¡± ¡®Yep! Sturdy, right?¡¯ ¡°It is. I¡¯m grateful that you grabbed our attention, I¡¯m not sure I would have thought to try and speak with you on my own.¡± Aelder giggled, ¡®You¡¯re welcome. I¡¯m just glad you came out here! It was funny watching you dance, you were all like whoa! and Reidar and the princess was like whee! You should have sang though, then it would have been just like the story! Oh, can¡¯t wait for the book to come out now. I bet Torbolt is gonna get even more grumpier.¡¯ A small pit formed in my stomach, ¡°Book?¡± ¡®Yep, Biblia told me preorders are even biggerer than the next Torbolt the Calf book!¡¯ The pit in my stomach turned into a cavern. Torbolt the Calf picture books have been a number one bestseller for the last two calendar cycles, even outside the Southern Plains. When I was at the Hopkins estate, Silia demanded that I read at least one story from her massive bookcase to her every day. ¡°I¡¯m adding ¡®talk to your lawyer when we get back¡¯ to the quest log, you might be owed residuals.¡± I let out a full four-count groan, drew in a fresh breath, and tried to steer the topic into something productive, ¡°Speaking of Torbolt, Apheros mentioned that we should do something to apologize to him. Got any ideas? Or should I ask him directly?¡± ¡®Don¡¯t talk to him, he¡¯s still mad at both of you, and me, but he won¡¯t shock me cuz my dads would beat him up.¡¯ I sighed, ¡°I did steal Arc from whoever his Chosen is.¡± ¡®No you didn¡¯t! I let you take Arc so you two could have fun. My Domain, my rules. Torbolt¡¯s mad about the other thing you took from his Chosen.¡¯ Other thing? I glanced down at Arc who¡­ shrugged? What the¡­ ugh, if this is some fever dream, I¡¯m not going to be surprised in the slightest. ¡°What was the other thing?¡± A mental image of a child grinning mischievously from ear to ear popped into my head, ¡®Uh-uh-uh, I already gave you each a boon, you don¡¯t get another!¡¯ ¡°Boon? Oh, you letting me take Arc?¡± ¡®Nope, Arc¡¯s was not smiting him when he cut a branch off my tree, and yours was letting you claim it instead of the church so you could make that super sturdy poleaxe.¡¯ ¡°Okay,¡± Arc tried to placate before thoughts of telling him off could surface, ¡°I¡¯ll admit that wasn¡¯t my brightest idea. Oh, I¡¯ve got an idea, ask if he¡¯ll take your poleaxe as an offering to swap out for a different boon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing that.¡± I glowered to Arc and thought back to my previous interactions with Adamanrion and Apheros. A realization suddenly hit me, and I looked back up at Aelder, ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but if I want something specific from a god, I need to do them a favor, right?¡± ¡®Yep. Do you want a favor from the almighty and powerful Aelder?¡¯ I thought it over. Asking for advice on how to make Torbolt not angry at us wouldn¡¯t help us much since we¡¯d still have to complete the task to appease the storm god, and it¡¯s possible that Arc and I can figure out something on our own. If I want help from a god, it should be something only a god could help with. ¡°Your dad mentioned that Arc¡¯s housing is damaged, could you help us fix him, or at least tell us how?¡± ¡®Hmm¡­ I was never anchored, so I can¡¯t help, but¡­ my Paladin is super smart. I know he could help you.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯ll work. Do you have a quest we can complete for you?¡± An image of a curious child flared in my mind, ¡®Quest?¡¯ Shaking it off I tried to refocus, ¡°Umm¡­ yeah, quest. A task we have to do to get a reward. I guess it¡¯s kinda like exchanging favors, but it implies that one of the parties needs to go on an adventure to fulfill their half of the bargain.¡± ¡®Ooh, that sounds like fun! Let¡¯s do that!¡¯ Alder cleared his throat, then deepened his tone to match that of a teenager, ¡®In Coldspring Fortress, there is a boy in desperate need of your help. His name is Steven, and when you meet him, you¡¯ll know what to do. Accomplish this task, and I will send my Paladin to help Arc.¡¯ I glanced down to check if Arc was onboard, but I didn¡¯t need to. I could already feel the excitement pouring out of him. ¡°Let¡¯s do this bud!¡± Nodding, I turned back to Aelder, ¡°Quest accepted.¡± --- Lancel ¡°Are sword lessons at least going better?¡± Lancel asked his irritated dancing partner. The wide-shouldered man was so personally affronted over Travis¡¯ lack of dancing skill that it proved without a doubt that, despite being a goliath, Galehaut was certainly a full-blooded Lakelander. ¡°We¡¯re making progress¡­¡± Lancel couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°That bad, huh?¡± The two paused their conversation so they could thread the needle and form an arch, then split off with three other couples to allemande, do-si-do, and finally end the song bowing to each other. Feeling flush from the exertion, the two decided to grab refreshments and move near an open window. Galehaut sipped on his beer as he gathered his thoughts, then finally lowered it, ¡°It¡¯s not that he¡¯s a bad student¡­ he¡¯s a great one in fact, does everything I tell him and self-corrects any bad form. The problem is when it comes time to spar. He¡¯s slow, constantly overthinking his next move, and the few times I get him to react instinctually, he falls into the same predictable patterns over and over again.¡± ¡°I think you need to ease up on the expectations. Travis didn¡¯t grow up swinging around a toy sword or playing ruggleball. Storms, he¡¯s never even gotten into a fist fight with another boy. It¡¯s going to take some time before he can build up enough experience to hold his own in a sword fight.¡± ¡°Experience isn¡¯t the issue, it¡¯s that he¡¯s not trusting his sword to--¨C¡± Galehaut cut himself off with a sharp inhale through gritted teeth, then released it all in a single huff, ¡°Never mind, you¡¯re right, I just need to be more patient.¡± ¡®Not trusting his sword?¡¯ Lancel narrowed his eyes at the handsome man as he took a pull from his stein. Was Galehaut hiding something? ¡°Hey, your family must own an adamantine weapon or two, right?¡± Galehaut grinned, ¡°I can only say that we own at least one.¡± Lancel rolled his eyes, ¡°Is there any truth to the rumors that wielding one will turn a person crazy?¡± The inner-ring noble hummed in thought, took a swing of his beer, then after a full minute, eventually answered, ¡°Men in possession of an adamantine weapon have gone mad, but it is just as often that they will become a hero. It¡¯s up to the wielder to decide their fate.¡± That¡­ wasn¡¯t the reassurance he was hoping for. Lancel looked out the window, he could barely make out the massive Aelder tree in the dim lanternlight but knew instinctively that Travis must be underneath it. ¡®I should go talk to him.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m going to check on Travis. Guard the fortress for me?¡± Galehaut agreed with a nod and grunt, allowing Lancel to slowly work his way past the crowd of onlookers obstructing the entrance, and ultimately exit the lodge. It was well past sundown, and although there were lanterns hung from the buildings, very little of their light seemed to penetrate into the park. He focused on the mana in his eyes, trying to only nudge the pulse-rate up high enough to help see better, but ended up overshooting and creating a somewhat uncomfortable pressure in his eye sockets. It wasn¡¯t crippling, so he plodded along the glowing yellow path, past the pond churning with blue light as fresh water bubbled up, and eventually found a gray Travis sniffling next to a wall of verdant green mana. The kid was rubbing his thumb against the pommel of his sword as he muttered just audibly enough for Lancel to hear, ¡°It¡¯s not as bad this time¡­ No, I¡¯ll be okay.¡± Travis abruptly stiffened, then slowly turned around to face Lancel, ¡°Oh¡­ uh, you made it¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, you wanted to talk¡­?¡± Travis swallowed hard, looking less like a man in this instance and more like the young boy he once caught stealing sweets from Mildred¡¯s store, ¡°I did¡­ umm, I¡¯m just not¡­ uh, not sure how to start.¡± The kid paused to think then nodded, ¡°Yeah, good idea. Lancel, do you remember when we left Aelder Creek, and how I told you that what we saw wasn¡¯t a miracle?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Lancel replied cautiously, ¡°you suggested it was the tree defending itself from open flames.¡± Travis inhaled deeply, then looked directly at Lancel in the eyes, ¡°I lied to you. It wasn¡¯t the Aelder Tree, it was my friend Arcane.¡± He then unclipped his sword from his belt and held it up by the scabbard, ¡°Arc, would you like to say hello?¡± Lancel stared at the old Northman sword in disbelief. Was this some kind of prank? He looked up in the hope of seeing a smarmy grin, but all he saw was an earnest expression on Travis¡¯ face. His blood grew cold as the seconds passed. Was Travis being serious? Did he grossly underestimate how much stress the lad was under? Has the kid gone mad? He reached up to grasp Travis by the shoulders, ¡°Travis, if this is a joke, it¡¯s not funny.¡± ¡°What? No, it¡¯s not. Arc¡­, say something.¡± Lancel closed his eyes as he tightened his grip. ¡®Torbolt, give me strength.¡¯ ¡°Travis, everything¡¯s going to be okay. I promised your parents that I¡¯d keep you safe, and that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do. I¡¯ll talk to the captains, we¡¯ll return to the capital on the next ship, and find a therapist or a priest that¡ª¡± The tense moment was interrupted by hysterical laughter. Lancel looked around, ready to stab the inconsiderate bastard eavesdropping, but grew confused after realizing the source came from between him and Travis. ¡°Sorry, sorry, couldn¡¯t help myself¡­¡± Travis growled at his sword, ¡°That wasn¡¯t funny. Lancel thought I was crazy.¡± ¡°I beg to differ. Besides, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to instantly believe you. Just look at him. He¡¯s staring at my spell, only seeing an output formation, and probably wondering how it is that I¡¯m able to listen in, despite hiding somewhere far off in the distance.¡± Lancel hadn¡¯t actually noticed that part of the Message spell was missing, but now it was the only thing he could focus on. Was there a hidden input somewhere? A talented commando able to read lips? Someone guessing? Or was it really¡­? ¡®No. That¡¯s impossible.¡¯ Travis reached up to pat Lancel on the shoulder, ¡°Lancel, this isn¡¯t a prank. You¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve trusted enough to share this secret with. To be honest, I¡¯ve been terrified of what might happen if someone found out. A thief already tried to steal Arc, and they only thought he was a rare sword. Can you imagine what would happen if people found out he could talk? Or even worse, could use magic?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m sorry Travis, but this is too ridiculous. Even for you.¡± Travis¡¯ shoulders slumped, but he held firmly onto the sword he was claiming could talk, ¡°Okay, extraordinary claims need evidence¡­ Arc, maybe tell him something only the two of you would know?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t work. I can tell him that he didn¡¯t pay his tab at the inn before he left your village, but he¡¯ll rationalize it away as you spying on him or an informant feeding you information to con him.¡± ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t pay my bill?¡± ¡°Eh, Rosanna didn¡¯t exactly go out of her way to remind you before you left. I think she might have done it on purpose to be honest.¡± Lancel felt a crack in his shield form, but still clung to it tightly, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s assume that you are a magical sword. Prove it. Cast a spell that Travis, or even a talented elf from a distance couldn¡¯t do.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ okay, I got something.¡± Motes of Light and Shadow condensed around Travis¡¯ sword, then poured off, swirling together to create tiny animals. Bison, cows, deer, pigs, goats, and even a cursed duck began to walk along Travis¡¯ arm. They rounded his neck, proceeding down the other arm to walk along Lancel¡¯s neck and shoulders, then returned to Travis via Lancel¡¯s arm. Lancel began to hyperventilate as the edges of his vision drew in and wondered why his knees suddenly didn¡¯t feel strong enough to support his weight. ¡°Lancel? You okay?¡± ¡°I¡­ I need to sit down.¡± --- ¡°So,¡± Lancel started as he sat leaning against the massive Aelder tree with Travis, ¡°you really did learn how to use magic by watching me.¡± ¡°Yep. I was stumbling in the dark trying to figure out how to teach Travis. I got lucky with you being so dedicated to becoming a knight, there wasn¡¯t any witches or hunters for me to observe.¡± Lancel took in another deep breath and exhaled as he listened to the story of how Travis met Arc, how the sword taught him magic, and what happened that fateful night when Alder Creek was attacked. It¡­ it recontextualized his view. Travis wasn¡¯t some genius prodigy that Phymur smiled upon, nor was he gifted knowledge by a god, he was a regular kid who happened to make the right connection at the right time. ¡°A few more things happened while we were at the Mage¡¯s Academy, but it might be best if we hold off on that for now. I¡¯m getting the impression that you¡¯re nearing your limit.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but it¡¯s more that I¡­ well, Travis secretly knowing magic all along was an ¡®ah-ha¡¯ moment. Knowing now that you were the instigator¡­¡± Lancel sighed, ¡°It corrects flaws I didn¡¯t even know about, but I think the implications are what¡¯s truly bothering me now. Gods really are real, and some of them are trapped spirits in swords?¡± Lancel thought back to his conversation with Galehaut, ¡®Hold on, does he know something?¡¯ ¡°Well, I think I¡¯m going to call it a night and let you two talk in private. Travis, Lancel, I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡± A pregnant pause filled the air before Lancel could build up the courage to speak out with Travis, ¡°Is he really¡­?¡± Travis patted him on the shoulder, ¡°I got a test. Swords are terrible, poleaxes and spears are clearly the superior weapons.¡± Silence filled the air, and Travis made a satisfactory grin, ¡°Yep, he¡¯s not present. I think I can tell now, it¡¯s like sitting in a common room with people, but looking up and discovering that the person sitting across from you disappeared without you knowing.¡± Lancel wasn¡¯t quite sure he got the metaphor, but was willing to trust Travis, ¡°Are you¡­ em¡­ I¡­¡± He took another deep breath to try and properly organize his thoughts, ¡°Do you trust him?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Travis stared up at the night sky in thought before explaining, ¡°He hasn¡¯t told me much about his past before he died, but as far as I can tell, he has never intentionally lied to me.¡± ¡°Why would he hide knowledge of his previous life?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, his knowledge is¡­ strange. He knows things that no one else alive knows. Like how all those stars up in the sky are distant suns, with their own planets revolving around them. I thought for the longest time that he wasn¡¯t even a hominid, but now¡­ I wonder sometimes if he¡¯s much, much older than he lets on. He¡¯s never added anything when I read my history textbooks to him, occasionally asks if something exists, and seems utterly confused about some of our customs.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ all the more reason to keep his existence a secret. If he was alive before Ragnar?k¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Travis looked up at him, ¡°You won¡¯t tell anyone, right?¡± Lancel shook his head, ¡°No, your secret is safe with me.¡± Travis let out a long breath, releasing all the anxiety he clearly held as he leaned against Lancel, ¡°Thanks, I¡­ I feel much better now.¡± Lancel wrapped an arm around his little brother, ¡°I¡¯m just glad you decided to share, your friend Mattius is getting worried about you.¡± ¡°Yeah, Arc mentioned that. I might need to tell him next.¡± --- Reidar Reidar gripped his idol in a vice as he snuck his way outside. He hadn¡¯t met any of the other gods yet and given that Aelder is often credited with being the first minor god, it felt like he was ordered to fight an Elemental Eight instead of working his way up the danger rating of monsters. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be fine. Aelder is excited to meet you. ¡®My interactions with children in the past have rarely gone well.¡¯ Then this will be good practice for you. Reidar held back his groan; Apheros had a point. He didn¡¯t want children running away from him out of fear or flinching whenever he needed to touch them to heal. Perhaps the nature god did know what he was doing. So, aside from the obvious, things going alright for you? I see you¡¯ve gotten to spend time with your mage friend, and have even been dancing with the princess almost every night¡­ ¡®Yes, Seleyna suggested it as a way to ingratiate comradery between the Spartans and nobles in the battalion.¡¯ Ah, is that the excuse she¡¯s using? Smart gal, you should definitely start courting her before some inner-ring noble or up-jumped farmboy beats you to the dock. ¡®We¡¯ve been over this; I¡¯m not allowed to engage in a romantic relationship with royalty. And I¡¯ve told you; it¡¯s a stupid law written as an overreaction to the queen taking advantage of Spartans who didn¡¯t have the choice to say no. Reidar actually let a groan escape him. Yes, he did have¡­ an attraction to Seleyna, but¡­ even without the law forbidding it, it was never going to be anything more than a dream. He was far too inept when it came to social gatherings, and she was¡­ ugh, she was everything he wasn¡¯t. Seleyna always knew what to say, could boldly do something aberrant and claim it was her privilege to do so as a princess, and to top it all off, was breathtakingly beautiful as well. Sorry bud, didn¡¯t mean to put you in a dour mood, I¡¯m just glad I got a chance to talk with you. ¡®That brings up a point of inquiry, I was under the impression that you were worried my connection with you would come under notice. Is that not the case right now?¡¯ Meh, there¡¯s a couple of commandos with eyes on you right now, but no one important. Reidar held back the urge to roll his eyes, ¡®And my late-night excursion won¡¯t garner unwanted attention?¡± Nah, they¡¯ll just assume you¡¯re performing a religious practice in private. You haven¡¯t exactly been overt in your worship of me. Reidar had to concede the point, it was moments like this that the god reminded him of Braxton. The old Spartan always seemed to have and endless font of wisdom to spare, he hoped that someday that he could do the same to a squad of initiates. The air outside was cool and refreshing as Reidar walked along the path to the Aelder Tree. He was still nervous, but Apheros¡¯ talk penned in his anxiety as he attuned to the tree. ¡®Reidar!¡¯ The sensation of a child glomping onto Reidar¡¯s leg filled his senses. ¡®Hello Aelder, it¡¯s an honor to finally meet you. I¡¯ve been told that you have a boon to grant me on behalf of Elafred?¡¯ ¡®Yep, Elafred¡¯s an anchored soul, so it¡¯s harder for her to give out boons in person, unlike me¡­ but I already sent you mine. You can thank me now for being so sturdy.¡¯ ¡®I was unaware you were blessing me with a boon as well. I thank you greatly, though, I must inquire what it is I was gifted?¡¯ ¡®Hehe, don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll find out eventually. Bird dad helped me set it up.¡¯ ¡®I will take you at your word then. Is there something I must do to receive Elafred¡¯s blessing?¡¯ ¡®Yes,¡¯ the minor god responded in a slightly more mature tone, ¡®to receive the boon of Elafred, you must complete a perilous quest that¡¯ll test all aspects of your being.¡¯ Reidar felt his spine straighten, ¡®What is this quest?¡¯ ¡®You must¡­ rescue a cat from a tree.¡¯ Chapter 57 - Time to Go to Work Journal Entry # 39 Got my first set of leathers today, and even better, they won¡¯t get added to my indenture! Turns out the witch and orc had a set commissioned for me using varmint hide and chitin from that sallipede. It doesn¡¯t offer much protection outside of preventing scrapes and cuts, but anything is better than the current linens I¡¯ve been wearing. I was worried that I¡¯d stick out even more like a flaring beacon when a monster uses mana sight, but the witch promised to teach me a technique to blend into the overgrowth in the future, assuming that I join her coven. I¡¯m still on the fence with her offer. On one hand, I¡¯d get to learn how she does some of her more impressive feats (like how she can scout out a monster den without being detected), but on the other, I¡¯m not sure if I want to pledge fealty to them. There¡¯s a Cleric of Ignitious in the fortress I¡¯ve been wanting to meet. I don¡¯t exactly worship the god, but maybe he can help me make a more informed decision. --- Reidar Windsday, the 9th of Ninethmonth Loggercliff Fortress ¨C Assembly Yard ¡°Quit petting the horses Private and get them hitched!¡± Staff Sergeant Julien commanded with a shout that any Spartan Drill Instructor would nod in approval of. ¡°Private Abner, put that crate down this instant! You are still on light duty; I¡¯ll hogtie you to the bench myself if I catch you again. We are scheduled to leave in thirty minutes corpsmen, and I will not be the one telling the princess of all people that we failed in our duty!¡± Reidar sipped on his latte, enjoying the fresh taste of huckleberries Varguk mixed in this morning as he watched the Logistics Corps make final preparations for the expedition. His battalion wasn¡¯t the only one setting out today. Another composed of just knights and a single mage for each squad was going to take a more eastern route parallel to his, a regular contingent of soldiers would be patrolling the main trade route to secure the harvest transports, and two squads of marines were sent to bolster Captain Sampson and his crew aboard the Warden¡¯s Hammer as they sailed to the rendezvous point. And those were only the groups leaving this morning. Other battalions had already assembled earlier in the week, a formidable number of hunters, witches, paladins, and clerics were going on final hunts before winter set in, and there was a rumor being spread last night that a Royal Knight and their squad recently passed through to investigate a possible shell dragon sighting A shadow crested over him, and Reidar turned to see Lancel standing next to him. The Packer knight looked exhausted, with deep bags underneath his bloodshot eyes, a firm posture that seemed more forced than natural, and a dozen minor blemishes suggesting that the bare minimum was done to prepare himself this morning. He was also paradoxically twitchy, hyper-aware of his surroundings, but failing to notice he was standing next to someone. ¡°Is something wrong Lancel?¡± ¡°What?¡± The bronze-skinned knight startled, ¡°Oh, uh¡­ no, I¡¯m fine. I uh¡­ had a difficult time falling asleep last night, that¡¯s all.¡± Reidar gave a single nod of understanding, ¡°Yes, the celebration did go late into the night, it was a genuine surprise to me that I awoke before first call.¡± He took another sip of his latte, then gestured with the drink, ¡°Varguk was still brewing stimleaf when I left the Main Hall twelve minutes ago. If you catch him before he packs up, I¡¯m positive he¡¯ll be happy to prepare a double-strength drink for you.¡± ¡°Oh, uh¡­ thanks. I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll go do that.¡± Lancel shook his head in an attempt to wake himself, then locked onto the lodge before marching in its direction. Reidar watched him leave with an odd suspicion that Lancel might have just lied to him. He didn¡¯t have much to go off, but he did see the man exhausted only a few days ago, the day they left Union, and they hadn¡¯t looked nearly as unkempt or distracted as they did now. ¡®I wonder if he¡¯s sick?¡¯ He¡¯d been warned that knights could be just as stubborn as spartans when it came to reporting an injury or infection since they didn¡¯t want to be seen holding back the group or potentially miss out on a military operation. Reidar would normally call their actions foolish, but even he struggled during his medical training on prioritizing his own safety over his patient¡¯s, so at least he had an understanding over how someone could get trapped in that mindset. He debated whether to use his authority as a medic to compel Lancel into an examination but decided to observe for now and report to his superior if his symptoms worsened. Besides, Knight Lieutenant Karianne Bjornstad was far more knowledgeable on diseases and infections, making her a better judge if Lancel was compromised. As an added bonus, she also outranked Lancel, that would save him from the potential awkwardness of having to order around one of his few friends. ¡°Hold on, if nearly all the civilians here live underground, how did you prevent people from accidentally mining into the spring?¡± Reidar¡¯s thoughts were rerouted by an approaching Travis accompanied by Drozuk and Jarl Cliffwell, already deep into conversation. ¡°Well,¡± the jarl replied with a sigh, ¡°the short answer is that we didn¡¯t. The long answer is that we have a witch¡¯s coven now to ensure it doesn¡¯t ever again.¡± Travis gave a knowing nod to the jarl, then silently waved a greeting to Reidar, letting Drozuk ask the next question. ¡°The crown doesn¡¯t object to letting a witch coven oversee critical infrastructure in your fortress?¡± ¡°The flood happened two eras ago (192 years), back when the underground was still an iron mine, and Sigurd the Archmage¡¯s Academy had only been graduating students for about a cycle; there weren¡¯t any mages to send. Thorns, I think it would have taken over a month just to send a message to the capital back then. The Jarl at the time, umm¡­ Eliab Cliffwell, didn¡¯t have much for options, so instead of letting the legacy our ancestor created fall to ruin, he agreed to let an offshoot of the Hidden Gully Coven build a covenstead here in exchange for repairing the spring. Mind you, this was recently after that coven¡¯s soaring reputation plunged into the manure pit for not eliminating a necromancer in their ranks, so it was a controversial decision at the time.¡± The old Lakelander grinned, ¡°Thankfully, it all worked out. The newly founded Wellwatcher¡¯s Coven restored the spring and helped our fortress become one of the first to have indoor plumbing. They¡¯ve also been sending a steady stream of mage candidates to the capital, many of whom my clan recruits, including my own mother.¡± Drozuk cautiously opened his mouth to ask for a follow-up but got cutoff before any sound escaped. ¡°Sorry, I got stuck rambling, didn¡¯t I? To answer your question, there¡¯s been an unofficial agreement that as long as no one¡¯s creating any problems, then the queen doesn¡¯t need to get involved.¡± Jarl Hezekiah gave Drozuk a friendly back slap, ¡°That was one of the first pieces of advice I gave to your pa when he got elected.¡± He paused to chuckle to himself, ¡°Didn¡¯t expect him to translate that as ¡®declare that there is a problem and ask the queen to get involved¡¯, but he¡¯ll probably end up vindicated once you lot clear out the infections that have been festering. I know my patience with Svend was down to the last leaf, nearly every caravan going to Glacier¡¯s Edge gets attacked nowadays, and the villages north of here under my jurisdiction have reported a few close calls.¡± The orkish mage responded with a solemn acknowledgement, leaving an open lull in conversation. Hezekiah, the master socialite he was, took the opportunity to greet Reidar with a hearty half salute, using his right arm to convey that this was an informal meeting of equals. ¡°Ah, a good morning to you young spartan! I expect you must be as eager as your brethren to end the pomp and circumstance and finally get to work.¡± Reidar switched his latte to his left, then in a move that raised the eyebrows of everyone nearby, balled his right hand into a fist, then slapped his right forearm parallel to his chest to give a half-salute in return, ¡°No, the less work for me, the better. Work for me is stopping my comrades from bleeding to death, or reassembling their innards back into the correct configuration. I¡¯d prefer to have fun killing monsters and protecting the citizens of the kingdom for the rest of our mission. It will be a nice stress reliever after this past week.¡± Hezekiah slapped him on the pauldron, giving him a friendly shake as the jarl belted out a laugh, ¡°Almost thought you weren¡¯t a real spartan for a heartbeat there.¡± Travis grinned along, bringing delight to Reidar that his friend enjoyed his attempt at humor, ¡°As pleasant as your company has been jarl, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m in the same boat as Reidar. Eliminating monsters along the western hunter trail is a straightforward objective compared to ¡®promote inter-kingdom relations between the capital and fortresses and inspire future generations to become knights and mages of the kingdom.¡¯¡± The Jarl of Loggercliff Fortress exhaled deeply with a shake of his head, ¡°Wish I had your attitude when I was your age, probably would have taken training more seriously.¡± He patted his right leg, ¡°Took a nasty monster spine to the knee when I was still a soldier, entire thing was torn to pieces. A Wood Mage by some miracle was able to fully heal it, but¡­ well¡­ I¡¯ll skip ahead and say that the day I turned Thirty-one, I was given two choices; join the house guard or move here and study under my predecessor so I could help preserve the family legacy.¡± Reidar could only return a grim nod after hearing the jarl¡¯s story. Healing magic wasn¡¯t kind to someone without a mana tolerance. Not sure how to continue the conversation, he turned to look at Travis and Drozuk, but they seemed to be just as much at a loss. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t needed. Hezekiah grinned and gave a head tilt to a woman outside the Main Lodge, ¡°Well, it¡¯s been nice chatting with you kids, but I¡¯m getting the stink-eye from one of my clerks. You three and your entire battalion will always be welcome here in Loggercliff.¡± The trio watched the jarl leave, then turned back to the frantic corpsmen when a fifteen-minute warning was shouted. Travis gave his orkish friend a nudge, ¡°Excited to finally head out?¡± Drozuk shrugged, ¡°Eh, more weirded out than anything. I mean look at me now, a novice mage, about to march down Coldspring¡¯s notorious western trail with three dozen other mana users, and¡­ everyone¡¯s acting like this is a standard mission for the Fall Purge. When I was a kid, I was constantly warned about how dangerous the local hunter trails were, and that I was absolutely forbidden from even entertaining the thought of going down one alone. I guess I never thought that this would be my life someday.¡± Reidar wasn¡¯t sure if he could relate. For him, becoming a spartan was a heavy burden off his back, an assurance that he¡¯d forever be accepted in their ranks as a brother, and trusted by the queen herself to defend the kingdom. Perhaps he could find common ground elsewhere? ¡°Was there anything you know about the route not included in the briefing?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess there¡¯s a few historical tidbits that weren¡¯t covered. The trails still connect to many of the villages, including a few that are nothing but ruins, but they stopped being used by civilians when the trade road was built. I think back when our route was fully maintained, you could make it on foot from here to Coldspring in about three to four days, and to Lake Swallowsnest in another five. Oh, and it¡¯s more a rumor than confirmed fact, but it¡¯s believed that The Insatiable Cauldron was created by Oskar, Chosen of Apheros, to destroy the hideout of the slavers that attacked Adifel¡¯s expedition.¡± A foreign sense of smug satisfaction crept into the back of Reidar¡¯s skull through his connection to Apheros, confirming that the fortress-sized sinkhole was indeed created by Oskar. His gaze shifted to the Aelder tree looming over the nearby rooftops, wondering if he too would someday create such a tangible impact on the world. --- Arc Ugh, not sure if I made any progress on my mapping ability at all last night. When I tried to pullup a blueprint of the local lodge this morning, the more mana dense materials got stretched and the low mana density materials shrank, leaving me with a funhouse mirror version of a building. I¡¯ll have to try a different approach next time. Mentally sighing to myself, I quadruple-checked my surroundings for any suspicious activity, maneuvered my focus over to the cause of my paranoia, and¡­ immediately felt guilty. Lancel is clearly not doing well, and I doubt drinking that double espresso is doing him any favors. I watch him grimace with disgust after each sip and decide that maybe I should sneak in a talk with him to see if I can break the ice and alleviate a few worries. ¡°Not a fan of huckleberries?¡± ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s too¡ª¡± Lancel froze, then swiftly darted his head around to check his surroundings to ensure he was alone, ¡°Arc¡­ why are you talking to me? What if someone sees us?¡± ¡°They won¡¯t notice if you stop making a scene.¡± I sternly replied, then switched to a more calming tone, ¡°Take a deep breath and exhale, you¡¯re wound up tighter than a fully pumped crossbow.¡± Lancel did the breathing exercise as advised, but instead of calming down he began to grow irritated. Okay, not off to the best start, but I can work with this, assuming he¡¯s directing his anger at me like he should be and not at himself. ¡°There, now put your helmet on and scramble your private Message channel. The Packer growled, but obliged and put his helmet on. His face then briefly changed to show confusion, ¡°Uh¡­ scramble my channel?¡± ¡°Bump up the frequency so it¡¯s no longer synced with Mattius.¡± Lancel did as he was told, letting me copy the now private channel with a fresh batch of Wind Mana. ¡°Perfect, now no one will suspect a thing.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t they get curious as to why I¡¯m not talking to someone in person?¡± I made an audible sigh, ¡°Lancel, you¡¯re a young knight who just learned his first spell yesterday. It¡¯d be suspicious if you weren¡¯t finding every excuse to use it.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. He gritted his teeth, forcing air out in a huff, ¡°Fine. Now, was there something you wanted to say? The call to assemble should be going out any minute now.¡± ¡°Well, I figured that you and I should have a private conversation now that Travis shared his secret. There¡¯s also something important I need to say to you.¡± Lancel crossed his arms, ¡°I have no intention of betraying Travis¡¯ trust if that¡¯s what you¡¯re getting at.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great to hear, but not what I was about to say.¡± I mentally took a breath, ¡°Lancel, I¡¯m sorry. I witnessed you dedicate countless hours to trying to become a knight and did nothing to help.¡± A crack formed on Lancel¡¯s stern expression, ¡°I¡­ appreciate the apology, but it¡¯s not needed.¡± I stared down the man with my focus, not believing him in the slightest. ¡°Really? You¡¯re not jealous of Travis? If I included you in on the training, you would have become a knight much earlier.¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m jealous.¡± Lancel growled, ¡°An all-seeing observer with inexhaustible mana sight? You¡¯re the perfect trainer.¡± He let out another huff, dropping his aggression, and let his shoulders sag, ¡°It¡¯s for the best that you didn¡¯t though. I would have been forced to exile Travis from his home. I doubt he¡¯d ever forgive me.¡± I wanted to say Travis wouldn¡¯t do that, but even that kid¡¯s rational mind wasn¡¯t infallible, especially when it came to his parents. A pause formed between Lancel and I, and I wasn¡¯t sure what to say next, or if there even was anything to say. I dredged up this topic so we could address it and move forward, but maybe this was a bad idea? Lancel seemed at a loss as well, staring blankly out towards the wagons as the horses all lowered their heads in prayer, idly sipping from his coffee-substitute despite clearly finding it disgusting. ¡°Hey, maybe you can explain it to me, why doesn¡¯t anyone get creeped out when horses gather to worship their god?¡± Lancel paused mid-sip, raised an eyebrow, then slowly lowered his mug before replying, ¡°They¡¯re venerating 1, the mother of their entire species. Why would anyone find that strange? Even my people pay homage to her shrines. 1 taught us not only how to ride, but to fight in unison atop her foals, forever making calvary the spear to our footmen¡¯s shield.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t find it unsettling that they¡¯re smart enough to worship her in the first place?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Lancel¡¯s face scrunched up as the gears inside tried to find purchase, ¡°horses are known for their intelligence. It¡¯s why they¡¯re man¡¯s best friend.¡± ¡°It should be dogs¡­¡± I muttered, annoyed that I was the only sane person on this planet. Lancel shook his head, and to my delight, cracked his signature grin, ¡°I guess a Northman could make that argument, but by that metric Lakelanders would argue cats are man¡¯s best friend and Ashmen would counter with ravens.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll allow cats, but only because they¡¯re proper snuggle critters. Horses and birds though? C¡¯mon¡­¡± The voice of Captain Adaline buzzed from the other side of Lancel¡¯s helmet, ¡°Squads One and Two, report to the assembly yard for departure.¡± Lancel forced down the rest of his drink and tossed the disposable ceramic mug in the trash, ¡°We¡¯ll have to resume our conversation another time.¡± ¡°Or¡­ you can keep your private channel private, and I can ask you questions while we¡¯re on the march. I¡¯ve been making a list!¡± I watched Lancel¡¯s grin fade, no doubt worried that he¡¯ll have a hard time acting casual, but he manned up for the challenge. ¡°Umm¡­ I guess I can answer a few.¡± --- Travis Shivering Hawk Trail ¨C Marker 192 Hurry up and wait. Hurry up and wait. It only took twelve minutes to assemble and complete roll call, but we spent an hour of standing at attention before finally marching. We then make it down the hill, only to immediately stop and let a caravan pass. Finally, we started our fast march along the hunter¡¯s trail, but we have to hold position almost every twenty-four minutes for Squad 2 to clear a road obstacle. And as if to add insult to injury, since Squad 2 is taking point, both varmint swarms we¡¯ve encountered have only attacked them, leaving my squad with nothing to do but form a defensive blockade each time for a nonexistent enemy. At least the terrain here was gorgeous. It alternated between dense coniferous woods and stretches of open plains as we meandered between rocky hills. Shallow streams added variety, as well as rocky gullies cleaving open wounds into the land and tiny swamps collecting water in bowl-shaped depressions. It was a refreshing reversal from the academy, but the prolonged peace and calm smothering me was almost overbearing. ¡°Company¡­ HALT!¡± Ugh¡­ what is it now? ¡°Varguk,¡± Captain Adaline ordered, ¡°assist the corpsmen in serving lunch. Everyone else, remain on high alert. Reports from local hunters suggest that there will be an increase in deadlier monsters further ahead.¡± Lunch? Okay, I won¡¯t say no to stopping for that. Varguk and a pair of corpsmen quickly worked to open two of the crates in the rear wagon, pulling out wax-paper wrapped MRE¡¯s and mason jars filled with what Lancel called ¡°soldier chow¡±, a thick mixture of meats, potatoes, carrots, onions, and other vegetables, all drenched in a thick brown gravy. The stew was cold, but a simple heating enchantment would fix that in the time it took for me to fully exit the line and regroup with my squad. Drozuk came in behind me, and I caught him looking downcast at his meal after he saw that Seleyna, Vesril, and I were about to enjoy ours hot. ¡°Want me to heat that up for you?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind.¡± Drozuk set his jar on top my offered palm and watched with interest as it soon came to a gentle boil. ¡°Is that a hard enchantment to learn? I never really dabbled with Fire Mana much.¡± Vesril, to my surprise, chimed in, ¡°¡®Can¡¯t keep their own tea hot¡¯ is a common phrase to use when you want to insult an elf¡¯s intelligence.¡± Seleyna snorted, ¡°And if you want to imply that they¡¯re an impotent lay-about as well.¡± The elven mage chuckled, looking out into the distance, ¡°That it does. I still remember the time I goaded Kyrenic Kelkalyn, he¡¯s the second son of Earl Kelkayln, into proving me wrong.¡± Vesril had to pause and get his laughter back under control. ¡°His father refused to let him make a public appearance for the next six years, even when the semi-cyclical archery games were hosted at their castle.¡± Drozuk side-eyed me as he took back his steaming stew, then leaned in to whisper, ¡°Would you be willing to teach me after we make camp? I¡¯ve already publicly humiliated myself once this year, I¡¯d rather not go through that again.¡± I gave him a friendly nudge with my elbow, ¡°Only if you don¡¯t mind having Lancel as at fellow student.¡± Our quick chat didn¡¯t last much longer, and we were soon on the march again. Well¡­ except for the continued frequent stops. It was only an hour later that I finally took notice of Arc¡¯s uncharacteristically long bout of silence. --- Lancel Shivering Hawk Trail ¨C Marker 379 ¡®How has Travis not gone insane?¡¯ Arc was a dozen curious toddlers fused together and cranked up to thirteen. How different was your childhood from Travis? What was the Military Preparatory Academy like? Have you ever travelled outside of the capital before becoming a guard? Ooh, what are the Southern Plains like? Wait, how many uncles and aunts do you have? Did you camp out on the prairie in tepees? What do you mean not all Packer tribes did that? And those were only the non-personal questions. What¡¯s your favorite color? What animal do you consider yourself personality-wise? Who was your biggest role model growing up? Where do you see yourself in five years? How many boyfriends have you had? Did you and Trent ever¡­? Thankfully, he didn¡¯t need to bare his soul for the day-long march, and the chatty sword was willing to take a growl for an answer, but Lancel was hitting the limits of his tolerance. Maybe he should try again at asking a question of his own? ¡°What exactly did you do for a job?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh¡­ uh, I¡­ helped merchants advertise their products.¡± ¡°What kinds of products?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ clothes, perfume, cologne¡­ other things. Oh, that reminds me, what is your favorite scent, and why is it sandalwood and bourbon?¡± Hmm¡­ Travis wasn¡¯t lying when he said that Arc was holding his shield firm when it came to his past. He didn¡¯t get the sense that they were lying, but the constant non-answers with minimal details made it apparent that Arc was carefully stepping around an important fact he didn¡¯t want anyone to know. Given how clueless they were about Packer culture and history, Lancel was growing confident that Travis was right about Arc being ancient. Could they have been a Sky Dwarf? Or something even older? Orkish history before their people migrated here was a mystery. If he wasn¡¯t human, that would explain a few things. ¡°Hey! Are you listening?¡± ¡°Sorry, what was the question?¡± ¡°I was asking what color the flowers on that bush were.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lancel turned to check, ¡°yellow.¡± ¡°Thanks. Now, back to our earlier topic, cake¡­ or pie?¡± Lancel felt a strong urge to slam his head into his shield, but got saved by the grace of Torbolt when Raven Four reported in, ¡°Campsite is compromised. Six visible monsters¡­ bear body, bird head with hooked beak, talons on forepaws, Metal Mana¡­¡± ¡°Crowbears.¡± Arc whispered in a clinical tone, ¡°Bulky creatures with durable feathers resistant to slashing and bludgeoning along their neck, spine, and outer limbs, but have soft underbellies susceptible to goring. Fully matured specimens have been known to pry open low-grade steel with their infused talons and beaks, and will nest high along cliff walls using aforementioned weapons to carve deep rends into the stone. Hunters recommend that you never encounter one in its den, and to only attack after isolating it from the pack.¡± Lancel chuffed as the battalion was ordered to a halt and to prepare for combat, ¡°Not surprised they¡¯d use that tactic.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Hunters have to make a profit off their kills, so they rarely have more than four members in their party.¡± ¡°Oh? Is there a better strategy?¡± ¡°Bait and flank. Crowbears are apex predators, so prey scattering before them won¡¯t draw any suspicions.¡± Their conversation was cut as Lancel moved into position with his squad and assembled within earshot of Captain Aguk. ¡°The convoy will remain here under the protection of the commandos while Squads One and Two secure the campsite. Mages, any suggestions on how we should proceed?¡± ¡®Why would a captain ask¡ª oh¡­ right¡­¡¯ He almost forgot the main reason he was out here babysitting. His brother-in-law Hector was an excellent instructor, but no amount of yard exercises can replace field experience. Last he checked; mages didn¡¯t even have a squire program to act as a half-step. Travis stepped forward with a salute, ¡°Sir, I suggest we draw the crowbears into an open field, then use a bait and flank maneuver to target their vulnerable areas.¡± The half-orc grinned with approval before engaging with the other mages to expand on the plan, but Lancel couldn¡¯t help narrowing his eyes at the sword hanging from Travis¡¯ hip. ¡°Did you tell Travis what formation to use?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ if I say no, will you believe me?¡± Lancel could only sigh in response. --- The bright rusty orange rock of the cliff outlined the shadowy recesses of the unnatural caves, making them easy to spot as Squad 2 crept forward to initiate the plan. Travis and Drozuk launched the opening salvo, splashing [Water Bolts] at the cave mouths followed by Princess Seleyna sending [Fire Bolts] further in. Deep gravely caws echoed out in response, and it didn¡¯t take long for the lumbering shadows to appear. Vesril made his move then, freezing the wet surfaces with Ice Magic, and sending the monsters tumbling from their own fortresses. Seleyna fired an arrow of opportunity at one target before retreating behind Lancel and the other knights, searing a hole cleanly through the belly. It sadly wasn¡¯t a deathblow, due to the wound getting cauterized, but given that the goal of this first phase was to merely rile up the monsters, things were going better than expected. Not wanting to linger (or get rundown by the spartans following him), Lancel moved quickly, dashing through a copse of trees and onto a rocky sloped ledge, then deftly leapt over and around the traps set by Squad 2. A series of thuds, followed by ¡°pained moans¡± from the spartans faking helplessness signaled the start of phase two. The fooled crowbears, confident they were about to rush in for the kill, broke right through the thin sheets of stone, then cried out in pain as the hidden spikes impaled their legs. Squad 2 then leapt out from cover, bolstering Squad 1¡¯s spartans with their own, and cutting off the only easy escape route for the monsters with their knights and mages. The rest of Squad 1 kept their heads down as they crept along the hidden trail hanging off the premade edge courtesy of the mages. Lancel could barely keep up with Travis as the kid all but flew across the outcropping, nearly losing his footing at one point, but didn¡¯t let it stop him from leaping back up onto the shelf and bringing his shield forward to intercept anything that might harm the mages. Now at an optimal attack angle, Drozuk and Travis pelted the monsters along their heads and feet, casting bolt after bolt to disorient the crowbears, and opening up Vesril and Seleyna to use their more potent spells. Collected water slid off Vesril¡¯s shield, forming three liquid javelins that froze in tandem with the elf¡¯s clamped fist, then with a thrust of his arm, launched into the nearest crowbear. The trio of icicles dug in deep, making the monster bleed profusely, and slowed its reactions enough for Seleyna to prepare her [Fire Arrow]. The princess drew back her bowstring, then expertly released her payload to target a vital organ this time, and got rewarded with the sight of the crowbear vomiting up blood before collapsing. Lancel kept his eyes and ears on high alert, listening as Seleyna and Vesril called out their targets, and spotted one of the more intelligent monsters trying to flee. Mattius and the Packer girl were prepared though and stopped the crowbear from advancing by shifting the ground beneath it. The Creeksmith twins then followed up with an explosion of steam, irritating the monster, and forcing it to cover its eyes. Seeing an open target, Lancel flipped his spear into an underhand grip, breathed in deeply as he pulled his arm back, then threw his spear at the crowbear. His body was like a tightly wound crossbow as the mana in his body snapped, pulsing through his legs past his shifting hips, then into his back and chest as every muscle, tendon, and bone in his body worked in tandem to deliver every ounce of force his body could muster. He exhaled with a loud grunt as his spear left his hand, and was genuinely shocked that he could barely track it as it plunged deep into the crowbear with an audible crack. The crowbear screeched and howled as it clawed at the ground in a desperate attempt to move, surprising Lancel since he couldn¡¯t have possibly paralyzed it with that attack. His query got answered shortly after when the monster¡¯s struggles tore open its belly, field dressing its innards as it took a few steps before collapsing in death. It turned out that the loud crack he heard was his spear-tip piledriving into the stone. He could only pray to Torbolt and Adamanrion that Franklin¡¯s smithing held up enough to keep his weapon intact. Bringing his attention back forward, Lancel drew his gladius and almost rushed forward to engage the sole remaining crowbear rushing their way, but held back as Captain Adaline and Lieutenant Fernrod ordered the squad to remain behind. The Lieutenant was light on his feet as he intercepted, flitting in and out of range while lightly jabbing with his spear to distract and trick the monster into overextending, setting up the captain for the kill. She crept along silently, activating an inscription in her spear to engulf the tip in a blazing inferno, and patiently waited for her chance to strike. The moment came soon, and she thrust forward with a devastating blow while its back leg was extended, piercing straight into its lungs and heart via the gut, incinerating everything in its path. The felled crowbear¡¯s silent death rattle signaled the end of combat, and after confirming that all monsters were killed, Captain Aguk called up the Logistics Corps to handle cleanup. A few minutes later, Lancel braced himself for the worst as Travis worked their magic to free his spear, then let out a huge sigh of relief that only a few scratches marred the edge. ¡°Uff-da,¡± Travis joined in with his own sigh of relief, ¡°thought for sure that you¡¯d need a replacement.¡± ¡°Yeah, lucky me. I¡¯ll have to get a new one before the embedded mana leaves though, I doubt this will last into the spring.¡± Lancel replied before grinning, ¡°Too bad Franklin¡¯s quality has dropped, I heard his spears don¡¯t last nearly as long as they used to.¡± ¡°Hey! How was I supposed to know that human-grade steel was better for general use? I thought the Non-Metal Mana was contaminating the steel, not temporarily strengthening it.¡± ¡°If only you had an indestructible sword to provide as an example¡­¡± Travis glared at Lancel, earning them both a chuckle from Arc, ¡°Ooh, you¡¯re gonna need some ointment for that burn.¡± --- Marceles Auxiliary Dormitory of the Beardless ¨C Conference Room The bleary-eyed paladin set the journal down with a groan, cursing his growing headache, and questioning why Apheros gave him this task. Kolen finished scribing a note, then looked up, ¡°Find something?¡± ¡°No, just another reason for the restrictions on teaching us magic. Did you know there was a group of cannibalistic knights at Burmstone that would regularly sacrifice a serf every moonless night?¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yep, says here that in preparation for their necromantic ritual, the sacrifice would spend a week in ecstasy, feasting on the finest foods, sung to endlessly by minstrels, and comforted in bed by whomever the sacrifice chose. Those monsters convinced the people that it was the highest of honors to be chosen, and that their essence would live on in their ¡®protectors¡¯.¡± Kolen set his pen down and leaned back into his chair, letting out an elderly grunt of his own, ¡°I¡¯m starting to see why our god waited so long to push this issue, we needed all of the dwarves and elves helping us with unification at the time to die off first.¡± Marceles nodded in agreement but had to stop when a sharp pain raced down his neck. He spent the next six minutes massaging out the muscle cramp and dreading the thought of spending another afternoon researching. ¡°You¡¯ve been cooped up in here for too long. Go take a break and mingle with the kids. Duncan and some of the younger combatants have been pestering me nonstop to let you teach them. You¡¯ll be doing me a favor.¡± Marceles raised an eyebrow, ¡°Are we even allowed to train as paladins and clerics now?¡± Kolen shrugged, ¡°Eh¡­ not sure, but if anyone asks, just tell them you¡¯re training them as hunters. You¡¯re still registered, right?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yeah, ranked up to Grade Four two summers ago.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Kolen¡¯s smile shifted to a contemplative expression, ¡°Rot, we might have to seriously do that. Without funds, we¡¯re not going to be able to stage a protest, let alone feed ourselves.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you worry about that then.¡± Marceles chuckled as he moved to exit the room, but stopped before he cleared the threshold, ¡°Oh, which one is Duncan? I can never keep everyone¡¯s names straight.¡± ¡°He¡¯s that burly red-haired lad with all the lasses hanging off him.¡± Kolen joked, then switched to a more serious tone, ¡°Spend some extra time one-on-one with him if you can, it would mean the world to that kid.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ uh, okay.¡± Marceles nodded before exiting, completely missing the cleric shaking his head in exasperation. Chapter 58 - Setting Up Camp Journal Entry #42 Finally got to meet that cleric, and befitting a follower of the god of knowledge, he was able to answer my questions on just about everything. That was, until the encounter grew weird¡­ To start with, he clarified that without a network of other casters supporting me, I¡¯d be on my own when learning new spells, finding a reliable hunting party to make ends meet, or defending myself if I get accused of breaking the laws. I wasn¡¯t too thrilled with that prospect, so I thought I should ask about the possibility of becoming a cleric. Never hurts to check and see if there are other options, right? In response, the guy started laughing hysterically at me, saying that there was no way Ignitious or even Apheros would ever accept me as a follower, then set a hand on my shoulder to give it a pat. He suddenly stopped to stare right into my soul with his creepy huge Ashman eyes and whisper, ¡°You¡¯ve got a rare affinity, a kind heart, and a mind full of imagination. No one will force you, but you¡¯d be squandering your potential if you don¡¯t enter the hidden gully.¡± He then sent me away, claiming that he had a favor to go cash in. Here¡¯s the thing though¡­ I never once mentioned what my affinity was, or even what coven the witch belonged to¡­ How did he know that? --- Travis Shadecaster Valley ¨C Campsite #1 Night was falling fast with the nearby mountains raising the horizon, and our delays left us with barely any time to set up camp. ¡°Mattius, Treblana, and Travis; report for duty.¡± Captain Adaline ordered over the channel after speaking to the logistics officer. I waved a quick goodbye to Lancel, then hurried over with the others to my squad captain and the corpsman standing next to her. ¡°This is Corporal Gerrard, you¡¯re to assist him with setting up our Forward Operating Base.¡± She turned her attention to the corpsman, ¡°If these three give you any trouble, report to me and I will ensure that disciplinary measures are taken.¡± Gerrard saluted the captain before she left, then shrugged and turned to extend a friendly hand to us, ¡°I doubt there will be any need for that. It¡¯s always been a pleasure to work with Earth Mages.¡± Mattius shook hands first, ¡°What do you need us to do?¡± The corpsman finished greeting us, then pulled out a binder and turned to a wax-coated page, ¡°I need to take some measurements first¡­ this might be a tight fit¡­ but, with you three able to create stone pillars for us, we can save time putting up walls and even get a little fancy.¡± I took a look at the diagram with the Earth Mages, and almost thought I was looking at a mansion layout for a second as I scanned over the details. The main entrance to the tent was a rectangular mudroom/armory with a wide entrance door on one long side. Three vertical rooms then connected perpendicularly, two longer ones on the right for the men¡¯s dormitory and gathering hall, then a shorter dorm on the left for the women. A kitchen was tucked into the remaining back left corner, extending out past the gathering hall, then squaring off the structure with a connected washroom and utility space. Mattius looked up, sent a few nearby rocks skittering across the ground, then nodded his head right as the corpsman pulled out a measuring tape, ¡°It¡¯ll fit once we shave off the cliff face for the pillars. Do you want us to flatten the ground as well? There¡¯ll be a six-degree slope to the front left corner if we leave it as is.¡± Gerrard (¡®Thanks Arc!¡¯) gave my Packer friend a bewildered expression, looking back down at his measuring tape, then back up, ¡°Has every Earth Mage I¡¯ve worked with just been humoring me?¡± Treblana belted out a laugh, ¡°No, he¡¯s just an armadillo. Can¡¯t tell you the compression limit of a brick or survey ground layers using mana like a sensible Earth Mage, but¡­¡± she paused to playfully smile at Mattius, ¡°he can save us a few minutes measuring things by hand. So, I guess he won¡¯t be completely useless.¡± ¡°Well, in that case¡­ I suggest we leave it at is. If it rains on us, I¡¯d rather leave a direction for all the mud and water to drain. Heck, if you want to cut a step between the armory and the rest of the tent to stop us from tracking in outside, I won¡¯t stop ya.¡± We quickly discussed a few more details before splitting off. Mattius walked with the lead corpsman, marking off where each pillar was to go, then joined Treblana in pulling off chunks of orange stone to salvage materials before erecting the columns and supports. I ended up hanging tarps and was fascinated by the engineering put into them. Each square of canvas had reinforcing webbing sewed onto both sides in a spiderweb pattern, allowing the front and back of separate tarps to sew together with a small overlap. I could only imagine the countless number of configurations that could be made. My job ended up quite simple, since I only needed to make eyelets out of stone for them to secure the assembled canvas, then slide them up into position. It took a full hour for us to finish, going past sundown and requiring me to pull out my artifice lantern and float up [Fire Orbs] for light, but we managed to finish in time. The interior of the finalized tent looked like someone cleaved a church sanctuary in half, cut down the pillars to force the taller people entering to keep their heads low, then slapped it against a bare rockface. Not the most elegant of designs, but the practicality more than made up for it as the interior dividers were put up and collapsible furniture was brought in. Mattius and Treblana even went the extra mile digging out drainage trenches for the washroom and armory, smoothed out the floor, and added a few fire pits. ¡°So, this is what medieval glamping looks like¡­¡± ¡°What what looks like?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, uh¡­ I meant to say magical camping. The fanciest tent I ever owned was a rooftop tent for my¡­ carriage. I was expecting a dozen smaller tents, not a single giant one.¡± I tried not to give Arc a side glance but found myself doing so regardless on the way to collect my storage crate. The way he paused before saying carriage made me wonder if a bad memory got roused. Arc never went into detail, but did say he died in a traffic accident. It¡¯s probably a safe assumption that he died while driving his cart. Not sure if I should say anything, I kept quiet as I stepped into the night. Lanterns on the ground and a small bonfire lit the area, their light reaching just far enough out to see the outlines of people on watch and make my pathing a simple affair. Finally reaching the wagons after the short walk, my unassuming crate was easy enough to find, being one of the few remaining, so when I reached forward to pick it up, I was completely unprepared for a coarse wet tongue to suddenly slobber my neck. A very unmanly shriek escaped my lips before I spun around to defend myself, but relaxed when I heard a familiar equine chortle. ¡°You scared the crap out of me bud.¡± 5751054 stepped in closer to nuzzle me, not seeming to care in the slightest that I was fully armored or peeved at him. His affections were too strong, and after a brief internal battle, I reached out to give his neck and shoulder a friendly rub ¡°You¡¯re in a good mood. I figured you¡¯d be dead on your hooves after today¡¯s march.¡± I raised an eyebrow at him, ¡°Or did you slack off and let the others haul your weight?¡± 5751054 pulled his head back, then flared his teeth and swiped his ears back before growling. I belted out a laugh, ¡°Just teasing ya, I know you¡¯re a hard worker.¡± My horse dropped the mean expression, then scooted back in to get more shoulder pats. Sighing, I comforted my starved-for-attention friend, ¡°I¡¯m glad you were able to come with. I haven¡¯t been able to see you nearly as often as I should.¡± My horse tilted his head side to side, flicking their ears irregularly. ¡°Yeah, but I still feel guilty.¡± 5751054 whinnied, giving me a shove towards my crate. ¡°Okay, okay¡­ I¡¯ll stop moping. Let me haul in my crate real quick, then maybe we can get something to eat and relax by the fire?¡± 5751054 nodded. --- Arc Okay¡­ What am I doing wrong? I look over the ¡°patch¡± on my soul, taking full advantage of not having a physical body to conceptualize it into something even my idiot mind can comprehend, and check to make sure the artificial layer is still allowing my memories and experiences to filter through. Bringing up a happy memory of Travis falling asleep in his childhood home by counting mana clusters, I watch the stream of images flare out of the tiny sun of my soul into the orbiting clusters of eggshell fragments. White threads from the flare fan out, touching various bits, and making them glow blue for my language translator, red for my notetaker, yellow for the chat log, and finally green for my mapper. Focusing on that final section, I observe the threads containing information about the house, instinctually getting a feel for what individual aspect each contains, then mentally ask which one is the memory of how far apart each mote of mana was. A glowing thread not touching anything begins to wiggle, essentially waving at me and going, ¡°Over here! I¡¯m the one you forgot!¡± Wishing I could sigh, I construct a new shell fragment, imbuing it with the instruction ¡°record the mana density, and if asked, adjust map line thickness to represent value¡±, then watch as the wiggling thread shifts to touch and light up the new fragment. The instant it does, however, other green shell fragments begin to flicker. Okay, that part I expected¡­ Why is a yellow fragment blinking now though? --- Reidar Voltsday, the 10th of Ninethmonth Shadecaster Valley ¨C Campsite #1 Things were not going well for Reidar. He hadn¡¯t made any progress on his quest from Aelder, was further stymied today when his squad was put on guard duty for the camp while Squad 2 went on patrol, and to add insult to injury, he and Travis were getting trounced in their game of whist. ¡°That makes the score 12-3¡± Spartan Rinle declared, before cracking a wide grin at Spartan Moclo. Had he not been in uniform, Reidar would have begun to frown as the cards were shuffled. Blaming poor luck would have been a welcome excuse, but no, it was regrettably his poor communication with his partner Travis that made them lose. They both kept misreading each other¡¯s tells. Granted, the rules of the game prevented verbal and hand gesture communication, but that was the entire point of this training exercise. A skilled squad should be able to communicate internally with simple head nods and body language. Speaking could get you killed in combat or ruin a chance at ambushing, and sign-language was useless with weapons in hand. Bracing himself, Reidar picked up his cards and prepared for the worst as he started sorting them. Yeah, not great¡­ admittedly, he had a large number of wood cards, including the god and chosen, but those were his only two face cards aside from an icefang. Travis¡¯ grimace indicated that he didn¡¯t have a great hand either before setting down his bid. Reidar debated for a moment but decided to play it safe and set down an odd numbered card to announce a low bid. The other players had already set, so once his fingers left his card, Travis flipped up his facedown 1 of metal. Rinle revealed his card next, a 4 of ice, ending the round of bidding. Travis had dealt, so Rinle played the first card of the trick, a 3 of lightning. Reidar followed suit, playing a 5, watched as Molco dropped a skull dragon (11 of lightning), then heard a triumphant grunt from Travis as he took the trick with his chosen (12 of lightning). His partner studied his cards, clearly not sure what to play next, but eventually decided to open with a 5 of metal. That ended up being a poor guess, given that Rinle had the armadillo card (9 of metal), Reidar didn¡¯t have any high cards in that suit, and Molco grinned as they set a 7. Trick two went to their team.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Rinle played a 4 of ice, infuriating Reidar since his icefang card (9 of ice) was the only one he had for that suit, and because playing a low card after taking a trick was a common way to signal to your partner your strongest suit. Molco surprisingly couldn¡¯t beat his card, resulting in Travis playing an additional low card and his team taking the trick. It was his turn to begin, and after making eye contact with Travis, he played his 1 of wood. Molco played a bushtail (9 of wood) with a grin, but instantly frowned when Travis unleashed his magician (10) of wood and Rinle groaned after dropping his 6. Travis played his 8 of wood next, smiling when Rinle was forced to sluff, then cackled when Reidar dropped Apheros (13 of wood) and Molco played a 7. A quick count of the played wood cards gave Reidar the confidence to open with his chosen (12) of wood, forcing Molco to play their remaining spore dragon (11 of wood) and the remaining players to sluff. The next four tricks went to him and Travis since he was the only remaining player with wood cards, bringing the current total of taken tricks 9-1. Rinle was furious at this point, not only had he and Molco lost their chance of winning this hand, but as a consequence of bidding high, their opponents would get double the points after taking more tricks overall. Remembering Travis¡¯ earlier opening and seeing them sluff magicians (10) of ice and lightning without showing any visible discomfort, Reidar decided to trust his partner and opened the eleventh round with a 6 of metal. Molco followed with Adamanrion (13 of metal), leaving Travis¡¯ only play to set an 8 while Rinle sluffed a chosen (12) of ice. Molco only had two cards remaining in her hand, and after a short internal debate, opened with their scale dragon (11 of metal). Travis crushed any hopes she had with his chosen (12 of metal), leaving Rinle to sluff a Torbolt (13 of lightning) and Reidar to discard one of his remaining junk cards. Travis then played his magician (10) of metal, and with no one else having a remaining matching suit, Reidar allowed a grin to settle on his face as Rinle played a useless Hooded One (13 of ice) and Molco flipped down a thunderhead (9 of lightning). ¡°13 to 12,¡± Travis announced, ¡°we win!¡± His friend then held up a palm, and social anxiety be dammed, Reidar leaned in to perform a high-five with a cheer. The post-game discussion was raucous, with Molco scolding Rinle for not playing more aggressively, and Rinle over her not remembering there was still a chosen left to play. Travis admitted that he was keeping tight track of the face cards and knew the only way to take another trick or two was to not let Rinle open. It turned out Reidar did in fact read Travis¡¯ actions correctly. The group decided to break up for now, Travis grumbled something about sword lessons, and the other spartans were to start a shift on active watch soon, so it wasn¡¯t long before Reidar found himself on the edge of camp, looking out over the canopy of trees. ¡®Aelder warned me that I only had a few days¡­¡¯ He felt the temptation to walk out and start looking, but it was a tiny thing he could barely sense. Ignoring how it would be a gross dereliction of duties, and almost certainly result in him being dishonorably discharged, the simple fact was that he had no clue where to start looking. Even with help, there was too much forest to comb through in a reasonable time. Reidar reached his hand into his valuables pouch, and grasped onto his idol, hoping that maybe Apheros will be able to provide guidance. A whinny interrupted his prayers a minute later, and Reidar turned to see Travis¡¯ horse behind him. ¡°Hello there. Did you need something?¡± 5751054 nodded their head, then pointed their nose towards the forest. Reidar looked behind him, before turning back, ¡°Sorry, but I highly doubt Captain Adaline would grant us permission to leave camp.¡± The stallion snorted, then tapped their muzzle against his hand before looking him in the eyes. Confused, Reidar took a moment to ponder what they were trying to say, and watched as sunlight twinkled off the horse¡¯s eye, hinting that there wasn¡¯t just a spark of intelligence, but a full flame of something more. It all came at once to him. Yes, Aelder had given this quest, but he was simply acting as a middleman. Elafred, the minor goddess of sapient critters, was the one offering the boon. Who would be better to help him find a lost cat than an animal under her domain? In his best imitation of Travis, Reidar reached out to give 5751054 a friendly pat. Things were looking up. --- Travis ¡°I think your horse is conspiring with Reidar¡­¡± ¡°Not now Arc¡­¡± I muttered through clenched teeth as I swung to parry an overhand slash from Galehaut. Or¡­ at least, tried to parry. Befitting of a goliath, the man had an insane amount of strength, and didn¡¯t seem to be metering any of it as we sparred. Rather than completely deflect the blow, I found myself using it more as a point of leverage to sidestep before leaning in for a diagonal counter-slash. Galehaut was a step ahead though, releasing his right hand¡¯s hold to deflect with his bracer while thrusting forward with his left. Instincts took over, and I leapt back out of range before resetting with a neutral guard. ¡°Better¡­¡± he growled as his eyes no doubt fell upon every single hole in my defense, ¡°but if you¡¯re going to banter, make sure your opponent can hear you. What were you even trying to say?¡± Rot, he heard me? ¡°I¡­ wasn¡¯t trying to psych you out. I was¡­ berating myself.¡± Galehaut¡¯s eyes narrowed, and I swear his guard relaxed a hair, ¡°Sure you weren¡¯t cussing at your blade?¡± ¡°What! No¡­ that¡¯d be¡­ umm, crazy of me.¡± The big man twitched, forcing me to harden up my stance, and sending a fresh rush of battle lust down my veins to slow down time. It was only a feint though, and my reaction merely triggered a wide grin to spread across his square jaw. ¡°It would, wouldn¡¯t it? Long before you were born, when this land was ruled by fiefdoms, and the only reward for surviving a cold and brutal winter was a swarm of monsters in the spring, the ashes of a revered hero who died protecting their family were laid to rest in your blade. Their sacrifice of blood, sweat, and tears were the only things keeping our fragile people from extinction. Why would the prattling of a child stir their ghost?!¡± Galehaut moved, and a primal fear screamed in the back of my mind, warning me that he wasn¡¯t about to hold back. The air felt heavy as he swung, feinting a downward slash but converting it into a forward thrust. My backstep in response was the wrong move, forcing me to parry with an upward diagonal, but he of course long foresaw my mistake. I failed to notice that he¡¯d stepped forward with his left foot, giving him free reign to sidestep my sword and slam into me with his shoulder. I managed to brace in time, so I wasn¡¯t completely sent flying, but the impact still stunned me long enough for him to charge in with a horizontal slash. My hands swung down to swat away his sword, but the blatant attack was yet another feint. Using the pommel of his sword as the end of a lever, and his right hand as a fulcrum, Galehaut pulled back the blade of his bastard sword to escape mine as it crashed to the ground, then raised his hands, and slashed for real right at my head. My body seized up as a Clang! rang from my gorget, then went completely limp. Arc slipped from my grip, and I fell to my knees, panting heavily as my heart tried to escape my chest. Galehaut slapped me on the back with his pan-sized hand, ¡°That¡¯s enough for now. Your nerves are probably shot anyways. Oh, if we got time later, we should go over that [Water Bracer] enchantment. I feel like I¡¯m close to having it down now, and it¡¯d be a great addition to our sparring practice. We could really up the intensity then.¡± Still gasping for breath, I looked up incredulously, expecting to see a sarcastic grin, but¡­ no, he was dead serious and completely nonchalant about almost chopping my head off! A new panic blossomed in my gut. Oh no¡­ was this how his family trained all their young scions? How did this man make it to adulthood? Utterly defeated, in both body and mind, I collected what remained of myself and thought over the battle as I returned Arc to his scabbard. In hindsight, that last attack of his was aimed right at the crook of my neck armor, and wasn¡¯t able to throw his shoulders and back into the blow. He probably meant to scare me, not kill. Eh¡­ hopefully probably. Ugh, great¡­ if these lessons continue, I¡¯m gonna need to thicken up my bark. --- It was only a few hours after my swordsmanship lessons with Galehaut that I was once again facing off with one of the deadliest foes to all adventurers. ¡°You know,¡± Arc opened after I¡¯d shifted positions multiple times in the span of a minute, ¡°I¡¯m starting to get the impression that you don¡¯t know how to relax.¡± I sighed, letting out some of the tension that had built up during my turn on watch. Our high perch against the rocky cliff made for an excellent overwatch of the easily accessible woods and river below, but with Arc and his extensive mana sight by my side, staying alert for monsters was essentially pointless. Leaving me completely and utterly bored. ¡°You could try talking to your friends¡­¡± That was an option. The private channel on my helmet was currently synced with the other mages in Squad 1, but¡­ simply making conversation for conversation¡¯s sake wasn¡¯t something I was comfortable with over a long period. I needed some sort of activity to keep my hands busy or a project to work on in the background. ¡°Or, maybe message Sir Tracy? It¡¯s been a week.¡± Okay, that I can handle. I¡¯ve never been up to date on news in the capital and listening to him for the remainder of my watch before lunch wouldn¡¯t be so bad. There was a small problem though¡­ My Master Message Stone was in my backpack. (The thing was taking up too much space in my valuables pouch.) ¡°Hang on¡­ I gotcha¡­¡± Wind Mana swirled near my head, coalescing into a spell formation. I gave Arc a friendly rub then spoke, ¡°Sir Tracy, are you available to talk?¡± ¡°Just a sec Travis¡­¡± The horrid sound of flesh being ripped came out of the spell, followed immediately by a bestial cry of pain. ¡°You guys got this right? Good, I gotta take this Message.¡± ¡°Did I¡­ interrupt you?¡± ¡°Not really. It¡¯s been a slow day, so I decided to wrestle the lone bat-lion that flew over the wall instead of outright killing it.¡± ¡°Uh-huh¡­¡± Was the only response I could come up with. I¡¯m starting to wonder if all knights are secretly masochists. ¡°Glad you Messaged me by the way; I¡¯ve got a list of questions I¡¯m supposed to subtly weave into conversation with you.¡± ¡°What?¡±/¡°What?¡± I blurted out loud in time with Arc in my ear. Tracy laughed in response, ¡°The upper echelons have been clamoring to get intel on you, and now see me as a point of entry. You¡¯re a bit of a duck to them, given your humble origins, and since you¡¯ve been leaving behind a wake of scandals and broken social conventions. I think they¡¯re worried about what will happen if your profile gets raised even higher.¡± Okay, I guess that makes sense. Especially if¡­ ugh, the queen is trying to set me up with her daughter. I took a deep breath, then exhaled in resignation. Might as well get it over with. ¡°Alright, what do they want to know?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve been told yet, but those stolen adamantine weapons that got dug up with your sword have mostly been identified, and they do have a shared trait. Each one of their most recent owners were active members of the nationalist movement. Now, we¡¯re pretty sure you only got targeted to make the Jarl of Union Fortress look bad, but that hasn¡¯t stopped people from questioning if you yourself are a nationalist.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ I read the flyers those protesters were passing out a while back, but to be honest, I don¡¯t feel that strongly for them or the royalists. I¡¯m in favor of establishing a parliament, especially if these Master Message Stones Seleyna are handing out make it to every fortress, but asking the Queen to relinquish all authority seems short-sighted.¡± ¡°A very prudent answer. Sadly, not extreme enough on one end or the other to please anyone, but¡­ that¡¯s just politics. Speaking of¡­ any political aspirations in your future?¡± I groaned at the thought of networking with countless individuals to construct a proposal for the queen, ¡°No, the only thing I currently care about career-wise after graduating is that I don¡¯t get stationed in the same place over and over again. I want to explore all four territories of the kingdom, and the elven and dwarven lands as well if possible.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ if you stay in the Special Extermination Forces, you¡¯ll definitely canvas the human lands after a calendar cycle. They get sent all over when not on standby in the capital. But, if you want to get deployed outside the country, you¡¯ll need to transfer to the Diplomatic Corps.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Anything else you want to¡ª¡± ¡°Look alive Travis!¡± Drozuk shouted from behind, ¡°I¡¯m here to take watch.¡± Remembering that the end of my shift meant lunch, I turned to the spell formation, ¡°Sorry Tracy, something important just came up. Gotta go.¡± Then slapped Drozuk on the pauldron as I passed him on the way to the tent, ¡°Try not to get bored.¡± He tapped his helmet in response, ¡°Already a step ahead, Vesril let me copy his concert channel. Haven¡¯t got a clue what they¡¯re singing about, but it¡¯s something at least.¡± I nodded, then once I was out of sight, rapped Arc with my knuckles. ¡°Ouch! What was that for?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you think of that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Why are you blaming me?¡± Lacking a proper rebuttal, I merely growled as I stepped inside the shelter and entered the mess hall. Lancel and Reidar were already seated, along with Seleyna and Lieutenant Fernrod, so I quickly found an open spot and pulled out my silverware. I was just in time. Right as I sat down, Varguk and an assisting corpsman carried out tiered serving trays, each loaded with a trio of steaming pans. The scent of herbs and savory cheeses flooded the area, and I was almost left salivating when an entire mana-rich hotdish was set down in front of me. Clarity snapped back into me though when I noticed that everyone else seated was also getting a standard 8¡±x12¡± baking tray of the heavenly sustenance. ¡°Hold on, I get this entire tray to myself?¡± Varguk lowered his head, but not enough to hide his smirk, ¡°My apologies, only had enough varmint meat for a single course, and I had to send off the first batch of crowbear chili with Squad 2. You¡¯ll be able to eat your fill for supper.¡± Lancel sputtered out a laugh, ¡°Careful now, Travis might take that as a challenge.¡± The half-orc chef rolled his eyes as he gave Reidar a loving pat on the shoulder, ¡°Unless he can outeat my baby brother, then I doubt I need to worry.¡± I locked my eyes with Reidar, and after a second of consideration, he raised an eyebrow at me. I nodded in response. It was on. Seleyna, who must have saw our exchange, turned to the lieutenant, ¡°Nikolai, before you ask, I should advise that it would be highly inappropriate of me to participate in a betting pool.¡± The Northman knight smiled in response, ¡°Right you are Princess. Can¡¯t have you playing favorites.¡± --- After my shower, I burped for the fifth (or was it sixth?) time after supper. The spicy chili was more than worthy of a second and third taste, but my bloated abdomen sticking out past my chest had a different opinion. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t need to put my arming jacket or armor back on (not like I would have been able to synch it tight anyways), so the only struggle getting ready for bed was changing into clean clothes. Bending forward was not an option; I had to get creative. ¡°Ready to admit that tying with Reidar was not worth the effort?¡± ¡®Never!¡¯ My mind internally shouted, before commanding my mouth to speak something less childish, ¡°I will admit that I underestimated how much my Fire Mana¡¯s agitation would calm down, even after spending the afternoon sparring and casting. Although, I can¡¯t remember if I¡¯ve ever had multiple servings of mana-rich food before¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯d have to check, but¡­ the fact I¡¯d have to check is probably enough to give you a pass on that front. Just don¡¯t complain to me when you need to rush to the latrines in the middle of the night.¡± Figuring I¡¯d already wasted enough time, I stepped out of the washroom, waved to the knight in line behind me, then made my way into the men¡¯s dormitory. Lights out was still an hour away, but the dimmed lanterns and quiet murmurings all but shouted at me to be respectful to the people trying to get a head start on sleep. Feeling a bit lethargic myself, I flopped onto my cot, tucked into my sheets, and pulled up the beautiful blanket the Hopkins clan made for me. As my mind drifted, I idly noticed that I wasn¡¯t the only one with a personalized comforter. Lancel had a pink quilt with line art of bison prancing across a field, Mattius¡¯ was a complicated pattern of white feathers on brown, and to my surprise, all the spartans had individual blankets as well. Granted most of it was a simple yellow background with green stripes in the middle, likely a match for the stripes on their armor, but Reidar¡¯s had deer along the edges and the spartan I played cards with earlier I think had lions. Even if they were mass produced, someone had to go through the trouble of customizing each one. That¡¯s nice¡­ They¡­ deserve one¡­ way more than¡­ I¡­