《The Misfits School of Magic - A Magic School LitRPG》 Prologue Have you ever been absolutely sure I that you were about to die? Well, that¡¯s where you¡¯re finding me right now. Here I stood staring down a massive cyclops. I¡¯ll also mention this particular cyclops was furious at me. He gripped his club just as hard as I gripped my wand. It was clear he was hell bent on smashing me into a thick paste right where I stood. It was only a few moments earlier that I¡¯d done the most idiotic thing. The most idiotic thing i¡¯d done today, I mean. I¡¯d been doing a series of idiotic things recently. It started with accepting an invitation to play a game from a sketchy old man and it had now culminated with me allowing myself into an arena with a cyclops I¡¯d insulted armed only with a wand and not a single offensive spell in my repertoire. ¡°Uhhh Nice cyclops¡­ Please no smashy. I¡¯m sorry for what I said about your smell.¡± I said meekly, my hands up defensively. The creature started a low growl from somewhere deep in its throat. It began to pace around the edge of the arena. ¡°I¡¯m going to suck the marrow from your bones, young Magi.¡± The Cyclops said bearing it¡¯s decaying yellow teeth at me. I was honestly surprised it spoke back with such a clear sentence. I turned to face the man standing behind me. The Teacher that invited me. He rested himself up against the bars of the gate, lounging and looking unfazed. ¡°What the hell is marrow? Do I need that?¡± I whispered to him. He smirked back at me and shrugged. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out.¡± He said back. ¡°What would I do? I haven¡¯t learned a single spell!¡± I pleaded. ¡°Just wing it. I¡¯ve been doing it for years.¡± He said. I stared back at him in disbelief. ¡°You told me you were a teacher here.¡± I said. ¡°I never said I teach magic. Just that I was a teacher at a school for magic.¡± He shrugged sheepishly. My anger was beginning to boil. ¡°So what do you teach?!¡± I said. The whole time I was making sure I kept one eye on the cyclops if he made a move. He was still pacing and it looked like he might even be amused by my bickering. ¡°Literature.¡± ¡°BOOKS?¡± I yelled. ¡°What am I meant to do? Read him a poem?¡± I saw the swing of the club out of the corner of my eye and ducked. I felt the wind rush past me as it narrowly missed decapitating me. I rolled away and took up fighting stance. My wand was raised pointing at the cyclops. I was secretly hoping they hadn¡¯t heard I didn¡¯t know how to use it. It looked back at me and smiled. ¡°Well, It looks like you do have some fight in you! Good.¡± It stood in a ready stance, club raised like a he was a baseballer up to bat. ¡°Cast your pathetic spells. I¡¯m ready.¡± I looked at my wand in my hand and then quickly at the teacher. He gave me a thumbs up sign and I narrowed my eyes at him in mild disgust. I decided something in that moment. I was going to absolutely throttle that man if I made it out of here.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Okay. I can do this. I¡¯ve seen the others before me use their wands. It can¡¯t be that hard. ¡°Just wing it¡­¡± I said. Screw it, I¡¯ve got no better ideas. I thought about the spell I wanted. Visualized myself casting it. I felt something warm welling within me. I closed my eyes and concentrated on that warmth and felt it move along my chest and down my arm. It moved to my palm and fingers that touched my wand. Then, with a swift flick of my wrist, I released it. A bolt of blue fire erupted from the tip and shot quickly at the cyclops. It also caused the wand to superheat and I dropped it as it scorched the skin on my hand. The act of me dropping the wand caused it to shoot off course. Instead of hitting the cyclops square in the chest it went wide and hit the wall beside his head. I shook off my burnt hand. I could feel it throbbing with pain. I quickly scrambled and reached down to test the heat of the wand. I was a bit confused why a wooden wand had burnt my hand like a hot metal pan handle, but I needed this if I wanted to have any chance to survive. I had to grab it and quickly tumble forward in a roll as the Cyclops swung again. I felt that rush of wind pass dangerously close again. The force behind that must have been incredible to push that much wind around. His club collided with the wall and got stuck about a foot deep. The cyclops grunted as he pulled on it and it didn¡¯t come out immediately. He tugged again even harder and it finally came free. A plan began to form a little. If I could get this just right, I might have a small sliver of a chance. I turned and ran for the opposite side of the arena. I slid in the sand and turned around with my back pressed to the wall. ¡°Hey Big fella! Come do your worst! Can¡¯t be nastier than your breath!¡± I yelled at him. The Cyclops turned and I couldn¡¯t see a smirk on anymore. His face was a shade of deep purple and scrunched up with fury. He snorted and kicked sand behind him like a raging bull. Then he lived up to the likeness and ran at me with his club trailing behind him. It used the momentum to swing it¡¯s club hard and with a split second left before it connected I dropped down. I felt the heavy thud of the club embedding itself deeply into the wall. This was exactly what I had hoped for. The cyclops tugged with both arms trying to free the weapon, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. I didn¡¯t wait for him to pull a second time. I was already moving as fast as I could. I quickly jumped up and landed on his bulky arm. It was about the size and thickness of old oak tree. I ran along it and felt that warmth again moving down my wand arm. I reached the cyclops shoulder intending to jump onto it¡¯s head. I pivoted as one of it¡¯s meaty hands swung to try and swat me. Instead of landing on the back of it¡¯s head I was now on the front. I didn¡¯t waste a moment. I punched my wand directly into the bulbous yellow eye of the cyclops with a squelch and released another bolt of fire from it. The creature¡¯s head exploded and I was flung backward landing in the sand below. All the wind was knocked out of me and I saw black spots floating in my vision. I was also keenly aware that I was covered in cyclops gore. I slowly sat up. I could hear the murmuring of the crowd of students now. I¡¯d been mostly ignoring their presence during the battle with the creature. I turned to face the gate which was now opened and the teacher was making their way in cautiously. He took a moment and paused to kick the body. It didn¡¯t react and he seemed satisfied with that outcome enough to fully move inside. He kneeled down to eye level with and placed a gloved hand on my shoulder. He smiled and this would be the moment where he might say something something witty or profound to cap off the moment. Instead, I punched him in his perfectly square jaw. He sprawled into a heap and I could hear the audible gasp from the students. I thought I heard one of them laugh, a small high pitched giggle. I stood and rested my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath. This was definitely not what I had signed up for. I, August Adams, was in for a hell of a first year of magic school. Chapter 1 - One Week Earlier Let me start by saying, I absolutely hated my situation in the normal world before I accepted that invitation to a magic school from a shady man saying he was a wizard. Also to be completely fair, he¡¯d just saved my life. I was 19 years old, working a job I hated, living on my best friend¡¯s couch in a city I could barely afford. My parents, rest their souls, were great to me. They supported me most of my life and but when they passed away they left me nothing. In fact, worse than that. They left me with their debts. At 17 I had to leave school and focus on making enough money to avoid unpleasant visits from loan sharks. I¡¯d taken up the tried and true method, scamming the shit out of people with more money than sense. To save as money as possible my best friend, Cooper and I had piled into a single bedroom apartment uptown. She and I were a great team. Our best racket was 3 card monty. We¡¯d take turns being the dealer and the other would come in and show the game could be won to sucker in potential marks. Most people think there¡¯s a bit of luck at play and they¡¯d win by chance. The reality is if you¡¯re playing against a really talented dealer, you actually don¡¯t stand a chance. Cooper and I never lost unless on purpose. Sorry, let me get back to the day I met my first wizard. I was riding the final train home after a late shift at work. I had my headphones on looking like I was listening to a podcast. I was doing that on purpose. I was actually waiting for something to happen. The only other person in the train car was a homeless looking man. I was looking down at my phone attempting to not make eye contact with him. Now, do you ever have that moment where you look up at someone and for some reason they¡¯re staring at you too. It¡¯s awkward right? This homeless man hadn¡¯t taken his eyes off me and we¡¯d shared that awkward moment at least 3 times now. He looked like he was definitely on something and I was way too tired to deal with it. That didn¡¯t stop them. The homeless man stood and moved to sit next to me. He stared directly at me. I could see the grim beneath his fingernails, smell the alcohol on his breath and what looked like crumbs in beard. He tapped my knee with his gnarled finger. I tried to shift away and ignore him, but he persisted. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have any money man. I¡¯m just trying to get home for the night.¡± I said sheepishly and trying to force a smile. ¡°No money.¡± The Vagrant said. ¡°Just a little game.¡± He reached behind him and swung a small table out infront of him. It hung around his neck like one of those people who sold food at a football game. He placed three white playing cards down. This was the moment I¡¯d been waiting for. I tried to hide my smile. He flipped each one up revealing that two were pure white cards and one had a solid black side. ¡°All you need to do is follow the shadow.¡± He tapped the black card. ¡°Find him and reveal him three times in a row and you win.¡± ¡°Those are the rules? Just flip over the card with the black side three times and I win?¡± He smiled, ¡°Of course. I¡¯m a man bound to my word.¡± Then he flipped them over and shuffled them. I followed the card with my eyes. He stopped after about 30 seconds of shuffling. ¡°Where is the shadow?¡± He asked. I leaned forward getting really close to his face to look him in the eye. ¡°Is this a trick so you can distract me and steal my wallet? Because I really don¡¯t have the patience for this right now. I¡¯d rather you just mug me without the theatrics.¡± I said sighing. ¡°JUST PICK!¡± The Vagrant yelled louder than I expected. I jolted in my seat. ¡°Okay, okay. Chill.¡± I said. I reluctantly tapped the card on the right. ¡°This one?¡± He flipped it showing the black card. ¡°Well done.¡± He smiled with a gap tooth smile. ¡°Now, a little faster.¡± He flipped it over and shuffled again. It was definitely harder for me to follow, but I tapped the left card and found the black card again.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Very good.¡± He flipped the cards again. ¡°But, now¡¯s the real test.¡± He removed the the left card. ¡°A real test of luck.¡± He began to shuffle the two cards unbelievably fast. Faster than any card shark I¡¯d seen in the city. Honestly, if I was following the cars by eye I would have had no idea where the black card was. But luckily I didn¡¯t need to. This had gone exactly like I¡¯d wanted. ¡°Where¡¯s the shadow?¡± He asked. I reached down and tapped the card in the middle. He caught my hand after I did. I looked at him. Did he know? ¡°Are you sure?¡± He said. ¡°You can only choose one.¡± I peeled my hand from his grip. I tapped the right card. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± He looked down. There laying on the table was the black card. Slowly he looked up at me. His eyes were unbelievably wide and a smile began to creep along his face. I saw his yellowed teeth peaking out beneath his matted gray beard. ¡°Was that just luck?¡± He asked. I tried to lean down and touch the other card, but he flipped it over before I could touch it. This revealed another black card. I sucked in a breath. Had he noticed the switch? He looked at me and his face with contorted with anger. I was about to speak and try and apologize. And then he laughed. He laughed loudly and for a good minute or so straight. He laughed so hard he was out of breath we he began to speak again. ¡°Well played. Very well played indeed!¡± He clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°You understood the first lesson. Luck is what you make it.¡± I was confused, he wasn¡¯t mad that I had cheated? ¡°And the second lesson too, always clarify the rules.¡± He chuckled again. ¡°Show me, show me how you did it.¡± He made eye contact with me and his eyes were sparkingling with joy. I could see the tell tale sign of wrinkles at the edges of his eyes from years of smiling. This cemented this for me. This guy is absolutely crazy. ¡°Go on, you won by sticking to the rules. You¡¯ll still get your prize!¡± He prodded me playfully and placed the two black card back down. He was practically giddy. ¡°It¡¯s not that impressive. I just switched it and palmed it when I distracted you in the first round asking if you were mugging me.¡± I did a small flourish with my right hand and produced the white card I¡¯d had palmed from the first round. It was then that I noticed it wasn¡¯t the white card, it was the black one. ¡°What the?¡± I looked at it slack jawed. The Vagrant smiled and flipped the cards back over and they were both white again. I looked at him and he continued to smile. ¡°When did you¡­?¡± He giggled. ¡°A Magician never reveals his secret.¡± He made a gesture of him zipping his mouth closed. He was even better than I¡¯d been told. I laughed as well. ¡°So, my prize?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah yes of course.¡± He said and rummaged through his coat pockets. He pulled a hand out and showed me his palm. It contained a small dog biscuit in the shape of a bone. I picked it up cautiously. ¡°A biscuit? For¡­ me?¡± I asked. He chuckled again. ¡°No, no. For the dog.¡± He said matter of factly. He stood and patted me on the shoulder. This was not what I was promised. ¡°Really? This is it?¡± I said to myself as I sighed again. Maybe this wasn¡¯t the right guy? I forced a smile. ¡°Thanks¡­ But I don¡¯t have a dog.¡± I said. He didn¡¯t stop or look back at me. I realized I still had his black card. ¡°You forgot this!¡± I called after him. ¡°That¡¯s for you to keep.¡± He called back. ¡°A Keepsake of our meeting. Don¡¯t lose it. I¡¯m betting on you, August.¡± I stared down at it and spun the card over. It had changed again. The front was still black, but the back of it was a design that seemed to move and undulate. Wait. ¡°How did you know my name?!¡± I called. Vagrant didn¡¯t stop. He just walked out the door at the other end of the card chuckling and muttering to himself. I watched him as the door behind him closed and I was left alone in the car. I sat there holding the biscuit completely dumbfounded. I had no idea what had just happened. I sighed and pocketed the biscuit. I¡¯d throw it out later when I reached my stop. I examined the card again, but the back of it wasn¡¯t moving anymore. Was this some kind of optical illusion? I shook my head and pocketed that card too. I must have been exhausted. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text message to Cooper. ¡®Hey Coop, Just met ¡®The Vagrant¡¯. I beat him, but he gave me a dog biscuit. I thought you said the other guys that won got a huge wad of cash. What gives?¡¯ I hit send. I saw the three little dots pop up like she was typing a reply. She sent a single reply. An Emoji of a dog¡­ I was going to kill her when I got back to the apartment. I¡¯d needed that money to keep me above water and it was her information that I pointed towards to this being an easy score. I leaned back, queued up a bunch of music to relax and closed my eyes. It was a long ride home. Chapter 2 - The Second and Third Wizards A large jolt of the train that shook me awake. I guessed I¡¯d dozed off and quickly looked down to check the time on my phone. It had only been about 20 minutes, half the time of my journey back home. I noticed some more notifications from Cooper sending me some more replies. I tried to lean back and close my eyes and listen to the music. I was enjoying it for a good few minutes before suddenly it started to sound like digital noise. It was dropping in and out. I breathed out of my nose in frustration. The last thing I needed was my phone or my headphones breaking now. I couldn¡¯t afford a new one of either of those. I opened my eyes again and removed my earbuds just as the far door to the other car opened and a far too large figure pulled their way in. I dropped the wireless buds to the floor as I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. It was an over six foot tall man in a trenchcoat and a bowler hat, but instead of a human head it had the face of a wolf with dark black fur. It sniffed the air and slammed the door behind it. It¡¯s shoulders were skimming the roof and it hunched it¡¯s neck forward. At the time I didn¡¯t know it, but this was the second wizard I¡¯d seen today. Yes, that homeless man was a real wizard. No, I won¡¯t explain that to you yet. We¡¯ll get there. Trust me. ¡°What the-¡± I began to say. Suddenly the wolf¡¯s head snapped to look directly at me, it¡¯s eyes burned like bright red coals. It began to snarl. It moved unnaturally fast as it dropped to all fours and was standing in front of me in a matter of seconds. I could feel it¡¯s hot breath on my face as it sniffed me all over. It smelled a bit sulfurous, like rotten eggs. It moved up to look at me in the eye. ¡°I smell it on you. Do not hide, Magi.¡± It said. Was this wolf man speaking clear english? My head was doing laps. Had I actually fallen asleep? No, this was all feeling a little too real. Had it called me a Magi? What the hell that? It sniffed me again and snarled. ¡°I smell something else. Putrid, but slightly sweet. He¡¯s been here too.¡± This time the wolf man was calling to someone behind him. I was petrified, but in my peripheral vision I spotted another figure. It was a handsome well dressed man in a dark green three piece suit. He strode into the train car with an ornate cane in one hand. He smiled as he saw the scene and walked casually over to me. Again, another wizard. A hat trick in one train ride. ¡°Can you calm down, professor?¡± He said. ¡°You¡¯ve been doing so well with your moderation.¡± His voice was thick with an upper class english accent.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°It¡¯s here. I know it. He¡¯s got it.¡± The Wolf man was frantically sniffing me. I remembered the words of the homeless man and shot a quick glance to where he slept. He was gone. I carefully reached down and pulled the biscuit out of my pocket and held it up in front of him. ¡°Is this what you¡¯re wanting?¡± I said. The Wolf man backed up and sat down like actual dog. I could know see a bushy tail protruding from his coat which was wagging furiously. His tongue began to lounge out and salvia dribbled out. The handsome man put his head in his hands clearly embarrassed. ¡°Gods¡­¡± He whispered. I moved the biscuit from side to side and watched the wolf man¡¯s eyes, which were more like smoldering embers now, followed and focused on my hand. ¡°Go get it!¡± I yelled as I threw the biscuit down the length of the car. The wolf man bounded down to the end excitedly and snatched it out of the air. I hear a crunching sound as it gobbled it down. Then it lay on it¡¯s back and began to rub it¡¯s back against the floor. Both the Handsome man and I watched the large over 6 foot fearsome creature as it writhed on the ground. Then when it became a little uncomfortable for the only sound in the room to be the sound of the wolf man sort of giggling there I turned to face the man. ¡°Can you tell me what just happened?¡± I asked him. He turned to me with a somewhat disgusted grin on his face. ¡°You just ruined my partner¡¯s perfect year of sobriety.¡± He said. I looked back to the wolf man and the reaction began to make sense. ¡°That was drugs?¡± I asked. ¡°For a hellhound, yes. For us it would have just given you the worst dreams of your life. Nasty things soul biscuits.¡± He said shaking his head. I felt sick. Had I just fed that thing a soul? ¡°Soul Biscuit? Soul like the music? Or¡­?¡± I asked dreading a response. ¡°Soul like human. A hellhound¡¯s favorite and for them, highly addictive. Like I said, Nasty.¡± He looked at me and seemed to assess me fully for the first time. ¡°They are incredibly rare too. Where did you get one?¡± I noticed he¡¯d placed both hands on his cane tightly. ¡°Uh¡­ Would you believe I won it in a magic trick with a homeless man?¡± I said sheepishly. He sighed and shook his head. ¡°Not again¡­ Did he give you a Black playing card or a White one?¡± He looked at me deadly seriously. ¡°Black.¡± I said as I produced the card showing it to the man. I was ready to jump out of the way if he swung with that cane of his. Instead he relaxed and smiled. ¡°Oh thank the gods.¡± He said. ¡°He¡¯s chosen another one, Dos!¡± He called to the Hellhound, Dos. Dos had stopped thrashing on the floor now and just lay on it¡¯s back staring at the ceiling. ¡°Is it going to be okay?¡± I asked. I really didn¡¯t want to be held responsible for whatever it was falling off the wagon. ¡°HE is going to be fine.¡± The handsome man corrected me. ¡°He¡¯s just going to need a few minutes. Which is fine.¡± He sat down and rested his hands on the top of his cane, which I could see looked like it was made of two snakes and a set of wings. I had feeling I¡¯d seen that somewhere before. He patted the seat next to him. ¡°It¡¯ll give us ample time to talk.¡± He said. ¡°My name is Professor Cyrus. How would you like to learn some real magic?¡± Chapter 3 - Due Date I¡¯ll skip the play by play of the conversation I had with Cyrus while Dos the Hellhound came down from his trip. I¡¯ll just give you the footnotes. The same footnotes I relayed to my roommate Cooper later that night when I got home.
  1. He was a professor that taught at a University for Magic.
  2. The man I had bested in 3 card monty was a mysterious figure in the magical community that appeared each year to test potential students.
  3. That black card was proof I¡¯d passed the first test to get in. The white card meant a fail.
  4. If I wanted to join all I had to do was meet them back on that train in exactly a week¡¯s time.
  5. Hellhounds like eating human souls like a addict.
  6. Oh, and the final thing, Magic is real.
Cooper sat on the bed, her eyes were wide. I stood there out of breath as I had just blabbered out the whole experience in the matter of less than 5 to 10 minutes. ¡°And what? Then they just left?!¡± She said. ¡°Yeah. Well. The Hellhound guy, Dos. He tried to bite me, but the professor guy told him off. I think he was still a little high.¡± ¡°From the Soul biscuit¡­¡± She reiterated. ¡°Yes. The dog biscuit containing a human soul.¡± I said. She continued to stare at me. ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t drop acid?¡± She finally said. ¡°Yes! You think I have spare money for drugs?¡± I yelled. ¡°This was the guy we¡¯d heard about giving out fortunes to anyone that beat him. I swear on my parents graves, I¡¯m not making this up, Coops.¡± I slammed the black playing card on the bed. She picked it up and flipped it over. She ran her fingers across the card. She looked back at me, her facial expression deadly serious. She knew that was the most extreme level of commitment. I never swore on on my parents unless I wasn¡¯t screwing around. ¡°Okay. I believe you saw what you saw.¡± She said handing me back the card. ¡°Buuuut?¡± I asked. ¡°But real magic, Auggy?¡± she said and I stood up frustrated. ¡°There¡¯s gotta be an explanation for it.¡± She continued. ¡°No one else who beat this guy we¡¯ve heard of got anything but a bunch of cash. Listen, maybe there was a gas leak? You said you were napping on the train, maybe you hadn¡¯t fully woken up? Like you were still partly dreaming. Maybe, that guy was just super hairy and that was like a special brownie you gave him?¡± She started to roll over and put her covers up around her. It was clear she was wrapping up the conversation. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out in the morning, Augs. Just sleep on it for now.¡± I huffed and stomped into the kitchen, which was still the same small room, but the floor was tiled. I knew what I saw. Despite the absolutely lunacy of it being true, I knew it had to be. Something deep down inside told me it was. I spent the next week or so in a bit of a malise. I would go to work running 3 card monte with Cooper and working on various other scams in the background. Truthfully, my heart wasn¡¯t really in it. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about that offer. I¡¯d done some research online, but I didn¡¯t find anything concrete that seemed to lend credibility to the offer. I found the original post in the chatroom I¡¯d heard about ¡®The Vagrant¡¯, a card shark that rides the late night train and gives you a lot of money if you win the game. The same night I¡¯d come home and posted my experience with winning was the same night I got banned from that same chatroom. I was so frustrated. That money was going to help me dig myself out from my family¡¯s debt. Finally the day of the invitation came. Cooper and I had spent the day together running monte. I was getting less and less focused as the time ticked away until the appointed time and she was beginning to notice. ¡°Shall we call it. It¡¯s nearly time for you to go to your invitation isn¡¯t it?¡± She asked me. We were packing up our stall and the plan was to move to our final location of the day. I was surprised. Cooper was just as broke as I was. She almost never gave up the chance to get some extra cash. ¡°What? No, We¡¯ve still got one more spot to hit today.¡± I said. ¡°Come on. You¡¯ve been somewhere else all day. You were so busy staring at the time earlier you nearly missed my last signal earlier.¡± She huffed. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a wad of cash in a clip and silver wristwatch that I¡¯d lifted from a business man in the crowd earlier. ¡°I still saw it didn¡¯t I?¡± I said. She still didn¡¯t look impressed. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll focus. I promise.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She said reluctantly. We continued packing up our gear. ¡°Well, Well, Well. Fancy seeing you too here.¡± A gruff voice called out to us across the park. Both Cooper and I turned to see a group of three men walking towards us. I immediately felt the blood in my veins turn to ice.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Finnal, we were just leaving.¡± Cooper said hurrying to clear up. ¡°Come on guys, put your gear down and stay a while. I think I fancy a game or two, Yeah?¡± The man in middle, Finnal, called out. His two goons nodded. He was a good foot shorter than both of them. He moved over and took a seat on the bucket we used as a stool. ¡°We¡¯ll get your money, Finnal. I just need a couple days.¡± I said as I moved in front of Cooper. Finnal chuckled and licked his lips. ¡°See the thing is, situation¡¯s changed. You know, market conditions, cost of living and all that.¡± He said grinning at me baring his teeth. One of his front teeth was solid gold. ¡°Interest rate has gone up, buddy boy. And payments come due early.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not fair, I¡¯ve nearly paid you back in full. I¡¯ve never missed a payment.¡± I said pleading with him. ¡°This ain¡¯t a charity kid.¡± He said and nodded. Suddenly the goon on his right grabbed Cooper¡¯s back pack and began turning it upside down. I moved to intercept, but an arm clotheslined me sending me sprawling on to my back. I heard Cooper scream and dazed I tried to get up and saw the scene in front of me. One of the Goons had Cooper pinned to the ground and she trashed and tried to break free. The other gathered our earnings for the day from our bags and was handing it to Finnal who was sitting there just flipping through it and counting it. That same Goon quickly moved over to me and began patting me down and found the wad of cash, the watch and also the black card I¡¯d gotten from the Vagrant. I tried to get up, but the Goon put a foot on my chest. I could hear Cooper screaming. I turned my head to see if I could see here, but I couldn¡¯t. She needed my help. This was my fault they were here. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I saw through my watery eyes the goon handing my things to Finnal who had stood up now. He looked at them and then he took the Black Card. He paused for a bit to study it and then tried to throw it away. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± I yelled and he stopped and looked down at me. I must have looked pathetic, tears in my eye and my face twisted with fury. He laughed and squatted down holding the card up in front of me dangling it in my face. ¡°What? Is this important to you? This card?¡± He said mockingly. He took the card and still laughing he tried to rip the card in half. He kept laughing, but the card didn¡¯t budge. His smile and laugh faltered a little and he tried a little harder to rip it. It didn¡¯t even flex or bend. He tried even harder and his face started to turn red. He huffed out frustrated when it stayed in tact. He turned to face the goon who had me pinned down. ¡°Rip this for me will you?¡± He said slightly out of breath. The Goon cocked an eyebrow and tentatively took the card. He too tried to rip the card and was met with the same resistance. ¡°Come on you big oaf. Tear that shit up.¡± Finnal egged him on. The Goon tried even harder and he couldn¡¯t make it budge. Fortunately for me this meant his focus lapsed and he wasn¡¯t putting all his weight on my chest anymore. I took that exact moment to react. I put all my strength into my arms and pushed the goon off me making him lose balance and he fell onto his back. I didn¡¯t wait for him to recover before I delivered a swift kick to his jaw knocking him unconscious. The Goon who had Cooper pinned down looked at me and his knocked out partner and Cooper took that moment to react as well. She delivered a swift kick to his balls and followed that up with a brutal headbutt to the front of his face shattering the goon¡¯s nose. Blood sprayed out across Cooper¡¯s face who managed to squirm out from under the hulking man as he writhed in pain. She too delivered a swift kick to the Goon¡¯s head and he collapsed into a heap on his front. She continued to kick him as he lay there and I left her to it instead turning to face Finnal. He was only just realizing what was happening fully, it had all happened in less than a few seconds that now the odds were not in his favor anymore. He reacted in a way that I didn¡¯t expect. He didn¡¯t run. I¡¯d expected him to lose his nerve without his backup but his face had twisted in one of amusement. ¡°Oh you¡¯re dead. You¡¯ve actually got some real stones to screw with me, kid.¡± He pulled out a switch blade and flicked it open. He then took a stance that made me chuckle. He clearly had seen one too many action films and was imitating a knife fighting stance he thought looked right. I tried to hide it my smile, but I Cooper didn¡¯t have that same level of decorum. Cooper laughed. ¡°Do you know who you¡¯ve messed with?¡± She said. ¡°Even I can tell you don¡¯t know how to use that thing. I¡¯m so over being stepped on by people like you.¡± She spat some blood on to the floor, I wasn¡¯t sure if it was her own or from the Goon with the broken nose. ¡°Just fuck him up, August.¡± Finnal took the first movement, but he¡¯d over extended his arm and his footing was terrible. I dodged my head to the side feeling the wind of the blade as it passed my ear. Then in a swift motion I grabbed Finnal¡¯s arm and bent it downward quickly. He screamed out in pain and dropped the switchblade. It hit the cobblestones below and I used my foot to kick it far away from us. Then without breaking momentum I swept his back leg out from under him and followed him down to the ground below. I felt his arm dislocate from his shoulder socket and I was sitting on his chest and pinning him down. He howled in pain. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to do this for years now.¡± I said and I absolutely laid into the man hammering him with my fists until Cooper had to pull me off him and his face was a bloody mess. ¡°That¡¯s enough! You¡¯re going to kill him.¡± She said and I hadn¡¯t noticed she was crying and shaking. The adrenaline had clearly begun to fade for us and the gravity of the situation began to dawn on me. I took Cooper in my arms and she started to weep. It was dark out in the park and the only sounds were her crying and the gurgling sound of Finnal as he coughed out blood from his lungs. I heard him whisper. ¡°When I tell the guys about this, you¡¯re dead and your bitch too.¡± I heard him say through a mouth of smashed teeth. Something in the back of my mind just snapped. I let go of Cooper who tried to grab on to me as I moved away. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s him or us, Cooper.¡± I said. She looked at me and she was terrified. I picked up the knife I¡¯d kicked away and gripped it tightly in my blood covered hand. I turned to head back to him, but I froze. There squatting over him was someone I didn¡¯t recognize. He wore a sharp tailored 3 piece black suit and I almost couldn¡¯t see him if the street lamp wasn¡¯t outlining him against the darkness. His features seem severe and sharp. I could see his nose was sharp and he adjusted a pair of glasses they slid down it as he looked downwards. He was looking down at Finnal who wasn¡¯t making anymore noises. I looked wide eyed at him and felt a sense of panic that Finnal had stopped breathing. Considering what I had just resolved to do, that feeling surprised me. The Vagrant looked over at me and smiled. He stood and straightened himself. He stood at around 7 foot. He spoke clearly to me. He said his voice measured and without inflection. ¡°Seems like you¡¯re in quite a pickle aren¡¯t you?¡± He looked directly at me. ¡°Shall we have a little talk?¡± Chapter 4 - A Deal ¡°What to do, what to do.¡± He began to pace around the scene as if he was pondering it. ¡°What are you planning to do with that I wonder?¡± He gestured towards the knife in my hand. I looked down and really thought about it. Was I really going to do this? ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice.¡± I said pathetically. It was the only response I could think of. ¡°We always have a choice, August.¡± He said. How did this man know my name? He moved to stand behind Cooper. I now realized she was frozen in place. Her face stricken with a mix of fear and anguish. I looked around and even in the darkness I could tell that time here was standing still. Finnal hadn¡¯t stopped breathing, but was frozen in place too. ¡°Do you think she would want this?¡± He moved faster than I could track and was now standing behind me looming over my shoulder and speaking into my ear. ¡°Would your parents?¡± I spun on him, but he wasn¡¯t standing there anymore. ¡°Tsk tsk. Are you just going to disappoint everyone again?¡± He spoke and I turned around again. He was standing in front of me. He stood with two arms up. I hadn¡¯t noticed it until now, but he actually had four arms. Two extra ones were tucked behind his back as he stood there. He was holding a white card in one hand and as he deftly flipped it I could see a symbol of the knife on it. The other hand held the black card i¡¯d been given by The Vagrant. ¡°How did you-?¡± I said realizing I wasn¡¯t holding the knife any longer. ¡°You always have a choice.¡± He sat at on the bucket at our table, his long spindly legs looked ridiculous. He put the two cards face down on the table. He shuffled them and looked up at me. ¡°Chose to pick up the path of Brutality.¡± He tapped the card on the right. ¡°Or choose to trust me and you could live up to your potential.¡± He smiled and tapped the left card. ¡°If you choose the white card, your debt will be wiped clean. I can promise you that. You¡¯ll walk free from here. But the price you pay will be his blood.¡± He pointed his gnarled finger at Finnal laying there and then he pointed at Cooper, ¡°But you¡¯ll lose her.¡± I looked at Cooper still frozen in anguish. I felt my stomach drop. ¡°She¡¯ll be changed by this act. She¡¯ll understand why you did it, but your relationship will be forever altered. She may forgive you, but she¡¯ll never forget. It will haunt her until her final breath.¡± I swallowed hard. To finally be free of that debt was everything I wanted, but to lose Cooper to get there? ¡°And the Black card?¡± I asked. ¡°What happens with that?¡± ¡°This one is an opportunity.¡± He tapped the card emphasising it. ¡°An offer¡­ But you¡¯ll need to trust me. I promise we¡¯ll clear your debt here and make sure she¡¯s taken care of too. But just know you¡¯ll probably never see her again.¡± I felt a spike of fear at that. ¡°She¡¯s going to forget all about you as will the rest of the world. You¡¯ll become someone new and you¡¯ll be working exclusively for us.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Us?¡± I asked. He smiled again. ¡°The Collective.¡± He said matter of factly. ¡°That¡­ Didn¡¯t explain anything.¡± I said. ¡°Get used to it. We¡¯re not exactly the most forthcoming group.¡± He said. ¡°And what would I be doing for The Collective?¡± I asked. ¡°Whatever we ask.¡± He said. ¡°And in turn. We make all of this disappear. That Includes your life here.¡± I sat there considering the offer for a second. ¡°And for how long?¡± I asked. He cocked his head clearly surprised by the question. ¡°Just trying to clarify the rules.¡± For the first time in our interaction he smiled slightly. ¡°I can see why he chose you.¡± He said almost under his breath. ¡°Once we achieve our goal, you¡¯ll be released from your service.¡± I attempted to open my mouth and ask another question, but he cut me off. ¡°No, I won¡¯t tell you what that is. I don¡¯t go about revealing our group¡¯s interests to someone I cannot yet trust.¡± ¡°And yet you¡¯re asking me to trust you?¡± I retorted. ¡°Yes. I could have let you have your way with this cretin, but instead I gave you a moment of pause and an offer of a better path.¡± He said, his smile had faded. ¡°Now. Choose a card, August.¡± I breathed in and out trying to calm my nerves. It definitely was a gamble. I reached down for the card on the left and he smiled again. ¡°A good choice.¡± The four armed man said. He handed me the Black card. ¡°You¡¯ll be needing this.¡± Another of his arms came out from behind his back and he looked at the wrist watch on it. ¡°We better hurry. You¡¯ve got a train to catch.¡± He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and produced a thin silver pointed rod. It looked like it had a handle and a carved design on it. He did a few swishs of it over his head and the two goons, Finnal and Cooper seemed to melt in the floor like they were made of black liquid and then they were gone as if they were never there. ¡°What did you do?¡± I said in shock. ¡°Cleaned up your mess.¡± He said continuing to swish the small rod around. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯ll wake up in their beds as if today never happened. They won¡¯t even remember you ever existed.¡± ¡°Is that a Wand?¡± I asked him about the rod in his hand. ¡°Yes.¡± He said, his tone making it clear he did not want to elaborate further. He leaned down and picked something small that glimmered and threw it to me. I caught it and realized it was Finnal¡¯s gold tooth. I considered it a moment. ¡°Keep it. As a reminder.¡± He said. I looked at him and I thought I could see a expression of pity briefly. It quickly disappeared and he stepped towards me. I pocketed the tooth. ¡°Now, I need you to think of everything you¡¯d need for a trip away.¡± I looked at him, confused. ¡°Just do it. You¡¯re already late.¡± I pictured my clothes and things I would need and he did another swish and suddenly a small suitcase appeared at my feet. ¡°Ah, you travel light.¡± The four armed man remarked. ¡°Grab it and take my hand.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± I said and immediately regretted the snide remark. He shot me a look of pure fury and grabbed my shoulder. Then I felt the whole world lurch as shadows formed around us and suddenly we were standing at a subway platform. He released me my shoulder and looked at his watch again. I could hear the rumble of a train approaching and could see it¡¯s headlights down the tunnel to our immediate right. ¡°Good. We made it.¡± He placed my suitcase down. ¡°This is where I leave you.¡± ¡°What?¡± I said. I was feeling a little sick. ¡°Get on the train. Show the ticketer the card and ride it all the way to the end of the line. If there¡¯s anyone else on the train, try not to make too much small talk.¡± ¡°How will I know what you want me to do? Like when you have a job for me.¡± I asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It will be very clear. You won¡¯t be the only one on the inside.¡± He smiled. ¡°One of our agents will make themself clear to you very soon.¡± He stood above me, but moved in very close to my face and leaned down. Now that he was close I noticed his eyes were pitch black without any discernible pupils. ¡°And don¡¯t even try to talk about any of this to anyone.¡± He touched his finger to my lips and I briefly felt it burn me. I flinched back and rubbed at the skin but couldn¡¯t feel anything there. ¡°If you do, I¡¯ll know and we still know where your little lady friend lives.¡± He moved back and a flash of bright white light obscured my vision. ¡°What did you¡­¡± I began to say as I turned back, but the four armed man was already gone. I stood alone at the station with just my suitcase. ¡°What the fuck just happened¡­¡± I said. Just as I did the train pulled up to the station and the doors slid open. I did the only sensible thing at that moment and I stepped inside. Chapter 5 - First Class I stepped onto the train just as the doors began to close. The car was thankfully empty and I collapsed into the seat closest to the door. I had a lot to process in that moment. I had to be honest with myself. Right up until the moment that time froze and the four arm man showed up I thought I might have been genuinely going insane. That morning when I woke up I¡¯d resigned myself to believing my subconscious had made that interaction with the two professors up. As some kind of way to escape the stress and anxiety of my daily life. Now, sitting here on my way to god knows where, I kind of wished that had been true. Had I really just taken a deal with a group calling themselves something as un-seriously as ¡°The Collective¡±. I laughed a little and let my head roll back as I breathed out. I let all the tension I was feeling wash away. I ran my hand through my hair staring at the ceiling. Well, I¡¯d really put myself in it now. I¡¯d made some bad decisions before, but maybe this might have been the biggest. ¡°Ticket please, sir.¡± A voice said. I made me jump in my seat and sit upright. Standing before me was something I never expected. Their body was human shaped and it had it¡¯s hand outstretched to take my ticket, but where I expected a human face I saw an orange tabby cat¡¯s face. He wore a conductor¡¯s hat and uniform. He spoke again. ¡°Do you have a ticket, sir?¡± ¡°Oh. Yes, sorry.¡± I pulled the Black playing card out of my pocket and showed it to him. His fur puffed out at the sight of it. ¡°Oh dear me. I¡¯m so sorry, Magi. You shouldn¡¯t be here in the common cars. Please, follow me to first class.¡± He said beginning to shuffle away to the end of the train car. I reached down to grab my suitcase. ¡°No, no. Someone will take care of that. Please.¡± He gestured to the door. He took out a key and instead of using it on the door between cars he put it in the wall next to it and it sank into a keyhole I hadn¡¯t noticed there before. As he turned it the outline of a brown door materialized and he pulled it open and it slid into place of the actual train car door. A symbol of a golden ¡®A¡¯ sat on the new wooden door. ¡°After you, Magi.¡± The tabby cat said. I approached the door and slid it open like normal, but instead of seeing the same kind of train car I stood in it revealed a what I could only describe as a really flashy speakeasy style bar. Polished wood and gold accents covered the walls here and expensive looking bottles of alcohol sat behind an ornately designed bar which housed and actual bartender behind it. He was in the middle of pouring a clear liquid from a mixing tin into a martini glass for an older man who lounged on a bar stool. I immediately recognized him as the man I¡¯d met on this train exactly a week ago. Professor Cyrus sat up straight as I walked in and waved me over. ¡°Good show, August! I knew you¡¯d make it on time. Fancy a drink before you make your way to your cabin?¡± ¡°Cabin?¡± I said, my eyes wide with surprise. ¡°I get my own cabin?¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s a long ride to campus. You¡¯ll need to get some sleep. Trust me.¡± Cyrus said. I sensed something more there to his words, but I was too tired to press him any further. ¡°So.¡± He handed me a menu. ¡°Drink?¡± I glanced at the list and didn¡¯t see any prices. I heard my father¡¯s voice echo in my head. If you have to ask, you probably can¡¯t afford. ¡°How much does it cost?¡± I asked through a slight grimace. ¡°It¡¯s free, of course.¡± He smiled. ¡°Anything your heart desires.¡± I looked across the list again. I noticed a common theme to it¡¯s setup and layout. Each of the lists of drinks was categorised as a poker hand. Full house was the boozy classics like negroni¡¯s and martini¡¯s, 2 of a kind had a lot set of shots, like lemon drops and a QF, which I noted didn¡¯t feel very ¡®first class¡¯ to me. Then it seemed like they may have run out of ideas and the non-alcoholics were under a category called ¡°Go fish.¡± I chuckled at that. A single thing jumped out at me near the final page under a section labelled as Joker with only one option called ¡°Dealer¡¯s Choice¡±. I thanked the tabby cat and sat down at the bar joining Cyrus who was now sipping a effervescent violet liquid from his martini glass. The bartender moved up to me quickly and placed a napkin in front of me. ¡°What can I get cha?¡± He said in an exaggerated version of a new york accent that I hoped for his sake wasn¡¯t real. He was also a cat creature, this time a mottled gray colour to his fur.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Dealer¡¯s Choice?¡± I said. The Bartender raised his brow and tilted his head slightly. ¡°Ya sure?¡± He asked. ¡°Why not?¡± I shrugged. ¡°A gambler, eh? I like the cut of your jib kid.¡± He said turning back to pull a bottle from behind the bar. It was covered in a thin layer of dust and didn¡¯t have a label. Then he presented a copper goblet to me placing it on the napkin and uncorked the bottle. As he poured the liquid it began to fizz. I tentatively sniffed it before taking a sip. It smelled like nothing. Like honestly, no smell at all. In fact it was more like it removed smell from the air just with its mere presence. I cautiously took a sip. Okay, I just have to cut in here to explain. I do not tolerate alcohol well. I remember the first time I took a sip of my dad¡¯s beer when I was a toddler. He wasn¡¯t paying attention and when he got up to go to the bathroom I grabbed the can and took a mighty swig. It came right back up as soon as it went down. From that point on any time I¡¯d drink even a drop of beer or alcohol I¡¯d have that same reaction. So it was really out of character for me to even attempt this sip. As soon as I did I realized this wasn¡¯t alcoholic at all. I immediately started to cry. Like full streaming of tears coming out of my eyes. Cyrus turned to me and looked shocked. He turned to the bartender who was bursting out laughing. ¡°What did you give the boy? Misery?¡± He yelled, furious. ¡°Naw. I gave him a bit of catharsis. I didn¡¯t know he needed a good cry now did I?¡± He said through his laugher. ¡°What the hell is catharsis?¡± I said in between sobs. ¡°It¡¯s a kind of relief. Usually a release of repressed emotions.¡± Cyrus pulled out his a rod similar to the one I¡¯d seen the four armed man wielding earlier. He went to use it, but the Bartending cat stepped up and stopped him. ¡°Hey, just give the kid time to let it all out. It¡¯s good for him.¡± The Bartender said. ¡°Tom. You can be one mean son of a bitch sometimes.¡± Cyrus said. ¡°Hey, I just pour em¡¯ like I seem em¡¯¡± His accent seemed to have changed to a southern accent now. Tom looked at me, his large yellow feline eyes studying me. ¡°Ya alright, kid?¡± ¡°Why did your accent change?¡± I asked, wiping the tears from my face. I did actually feel a lot better. Tom laughed and looked at Cyrus. ¡°I¡¯ll leave that one to you, Professor.¡± He said as he walked away from the two of us and receded into the back of the bar. Cyrus shook his head and cleared his throat. ¡°Listen, August. Things are going to be really weird for a while for you. Your body and your brain need to adjust to their new environment and that can take a minute. The accent on Tom there changing, that¡¯s a side effect of your mind trying to comprehend his speech. The train car does a good job of getting you most of the way there, but your brain still has to process it.¡± ¡°So, that bartender, he wasn¡¯t speaking english.¡± I asked confused. ¡°Ha. No, far from it. To be completely honest, neither am I, but your brain can figure me out because I look human enough. Tom and the ticket conductor are humanoid, but it¡¯s still a Cat talking to you, so it doesn¡¯t get it quite right. Don¡¯t worry, it takes a few days, but your brain can eventually roll with the punches as they come.¡± Cyrus said with a smile. ¡°Right¡­ Wait, you¡¯re not speaking english?¡± I asked. ¡°My boy, I¡¯m not even human.¡± He chuckled. ¡°So what are you?¡± I queried. ¡°That¡¯s a long story and one for another time.¡± He said. ¡°Trust me when I say you really should be getting some sleep. That will begin to clarify some things.¡± He stood up and walked down towards the end of the bar where there was another door. He opened it and a hall of more doors stretched out behind him. He turned back to face me. ¡°So all you need to do to access your cabin is place your black card on one of the doors that doesn¡¯t have a letter emblem on it. You¡¯ll hear a click, your initials will show up and then you can open the door to your personal cabin. Come on, give it a try.¡± He said as he beckoned me to follow him into the hall. We passed about 7 different lettered doors before we spotted one that seemed to be free. Cyrus stood next to it and urged me forward. I did exactly as he asked and I placed the card on the door. After a second the Letters for my name burnt into the door and I heard a click. I opened the door to find my suitcase sitting on the cot inside. There were no windows in the room and the cot took up half of the space of the room. It was already made up and set of pajamas sat folded up on the bed. Next to my suitcase sat a box that was wrapped in a silver bow. I looked at Cyrus who just smiled. ¡°An apology present from Professor Dos. Go on, open it. He won¡¯t mind.¡± He said nudging me. I moved into the cabin space and noticed the ceiling above was a swirling nebula of stars. I stared at it for a moment and Cyrus popped his head in to look. ¡°Oh, reminds me of those glow in the dark stars you¡¯d stick to the roof as a kid.¡± ¡°Yeah, but way better.¡± I said absentmindedly. I¡¯d always wanted them for my room as kid, but my parents were afraid they¡¯d mark the roof. We were always renting and never owned so that kind of stuff really mattered back then. ¡°You did that by the way.¡± Cyrus said nodding to the ceiling. ¡°The room reacts to your subconscious and adjusts. You¡¯ll have one just like it on campus. It¡¯ll be a little bit bigger though, I hope.¡± He smiled warmly at me. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll leave you to it. I¡¯m just down the hall if you need anything. See you in the morning.¡± He moved out of the room and shut the door behind him leaving me alone. I moved the suitcase and the gift box off the cot and on to the floor so I could lay down. I stared at the stars above me and slowly but surely I allowed myself a moment to drift off into sleep. Chapter 6 - The Guide I didn¡¯t sleep. Instead I was blasted immediately with a bright blue light and I found myself floating in a endless sea of blue. I looked around trying to get my bearings of where I was, but it confused me even further when I did. I also noticed instead of seeing my own body I was looking more at an faint blue outline of myself and in the center of my chest inside my ribcage sat a small white flame that flickered and burned. I tried to touch it with my weird outlined hand, but my chest was still solid. ¡°Pft¡­ Humans. Always so curious.¡± I heard a voice remark. It seemed to emanate from all around me, but I could hear it clearly in my head as if it was my own voice. ¡°Who said that?¡± I asked into the void. ¡°I did, little Magi.¡± The voice said back. ¡°Just call me The Guide.¡± ¡°Okay, Guide. And where are we?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in your soul ocean. Not bad for a human actually.¡± The Guide said. ¡°My what ocean?¡± I asked. ¡°Soul Ocean. It¡¯s what dictates your magical potential. Yours is quite vast for your species, but not uncommonly so. The colour however, that is rare.¡± ¡°Blue? Most oceans are blue aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Yes, if made with water. This is made of your mana, young magi. It can be various colours. Blue isn¡¯t rare. Most magi who come to me haven¡¯t developed a shade yet. They mostly show up in a white or black room devoid of any shade. It¡¯s rare that you¡¯ve already developed one without any awareness. Curious. Hold on a second.¡± The Guide said. I felt the air around me begin to thrum. It felt like waves of bass from a speaker hitting me over and over. Then I saw a figure begin to form ahead of me. Another outline of a completely bald human. It mirrored my proportions and while I couldn¡¯t see any specific eyes I could see the figure had a mouth. It also lacked certain ¡®equipment¡¯ much like a mannequin does. ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± The Guide said, it¡¯s voice now coming from the figure in front of me. ¡°I find you humans prefer the one on one interaction over the omniscient godlike voice. So, shall we get started.¡± The Guide swiped it¡¯s hand up in the air in front of me and a semi opaque window appeared. It looked similar to an old school character window from a video game. In the corner was a picture of me from the shoulders up, followed by my name, age, height and weight. I began to read it, but a lot of the other sections were covered in a small lock symbol and blurred out so I couldn¡¯t see past to the information listed there. ¡°This is your information page. Think of it like your ID here in the magical world. I¡¯ve adapted it to something your people might understand better. Now, if you could pull out your card please?¡± The Guide said holding out their palm expectantly. ¡°Just think about pulling the card out of a pocket in your mind into your hand. Go on.¡± I thought about the card and sure enough suddenly it popped into my hand with an audible ping. ¡°Whoa. How?¡± I exclaimed nearly dropping the card out of surprise. ¡°It¡¯s magic. I¡¯ve taken control of your ocean for a moment to simulate the systems you¡¯ll be using out there in the quote unquote real world.¡± The Guide said using his outline fingers to make air quotes. ¡°I¡¯m here to run you through the basics, so pay attention. Just to let you know, right now we¡¯re not actually using the real objects, just manifestations of them using mana, but they are still connected to the real thing. So, let me just simplify it for you and say if something happens here in the ocean, it can also have an effect on magical objects. You included. That¡¯s really important to remember.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I responded still a little awestruck. ¡°So, what you just accessed was what¡¯s called the inventory system. It¡¯s a sub-system of the whole system that runs things called ¡°The Quartermaster system?¡±. Don¡¯t piss them off or you¡¯ll regret it.¡± ¡°The System is alive?¡± I asked looking around the room. ¡°Yes. Magic is funny like that. It takes its own path most of the time. The Quartermaster was our way of applying rules and regulations to it, but over time it started to develop in unexpected ways.¡± ¡°Hold on, are you real? Are you part of the system?¡± I asked cautiously. ¡°I¡¯m not part of the system, but I am real. Or I was real at some point. That¡¯s not really important right now. Let¡¯s move on.¡± The Guide¡¯s face didn¡¯t have much in the way of an expression, but it was clear by it¡¯s tone this wasn¡¯t a subject it wanted to get into. It moved forward and swiped the ID window down and it disappeared into the black card I held. I felt a slight vibration on the card as it did. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll teach you how to navigate the system. Most of it involves using intention to focus on what you want. It¡¯s intuitive that way. Try bringing up the stat window yourself. Just swipe up while thinking of the window you¡¯d like to open and swipe down to close it.¡± The Guide said. I did as it said and the window appeared originating from the card in my hand. It hovered in place above the card and even moved in parallel with it in space as moved the card side to side. ¡°So, is the card where the system is? like installed on there? Like a computer¡¯s operating system?¡± I asked The Guide. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re half right. For an initiate magi like you, the card does the bulk of the work. It keeps track of things and filters it into this friendly user interface. It does all the calculations, keeps track of your stats and inventory without the need to do it yourself. Once you graduate, you should be able to design your own system that suits your needs. If you elect to do it, in your final year a large bulk of your class load is dedicated to designing a system. If it¡¯s good enough you can even license it out to a company. Most graduates either keep the using the Quartermaster system? with some minor tweaks here and there or they purchase a license to use another that suits whatever job they choose. Don¡¯t worry about that, it¡¯s years away for you. Here, let me show you your main tabs.¡± The Guide said. I nodded. It was beginning to make sense. The next 20 minutes The Guide went through explaining the basics of opening and closing different window tabs. After that crash course I was able to open and view my inventory, stats, and map windows. ¡°More features will unlock as you progress, but you¡¯ll have classes that teach you how to use those as they pop up. So, any questions about those before we move on?¡± The Guide asked. ¡°Just one. Does the inventory have any limitations?¡± I asked. The Guide smiled with it¡¯s transparent mouth. ¡°In terms of what can be put into the inventory? Yes and no. You can¡¯t put any liquids in there, but if they¡¯re in a sealed container it¡¯s possible. Food will still decay so don¡¯t leave an apple in your inventory and expect it to taste great a month later. You can earn or craft upgrades for that sort of thing, but they require discovery and I can¡¯t tell you the recipe. You¡¯re also limited by your carry capacity. You can overload yourself, but you¡¯ll become encumbered and move at much slower speed and won¡¯t be able to use a waypoint spell. That leads us nicely onto our next topic, Stats, Spells and Job Classes. Buckle up, there¡¯s a lot to cover.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready.¡± I said. ¡°First of all, pull back up your main stat window. Focus on the locked section right below your basic personal information. We¡¯ll unlock that first.¡± The Guide said. I did as I was ordered and as I focused the lock giggled like I was trying to force it open. A second window popped up covering the first. - Feature locked. Prerequisite: Complete Basic User Interface lesson #1 ¡°It says it¡¯s locked until I complete another lesson.¡± I asked. ¡°One moment.¡± The Guide seemed to be using their hand to navigate some windows that I couldn¡¯t see. Suddenly the notification window disappeared and the lock clicked open unblurring the rest of the section which merged with the rest of the window. I quickly started reading the information. NAME: August Adams AGE: 19 HEIGHT: 173cm WEIGHT: 70kg These pieces of information remained the same, but it added the following info underneath. LVL: 01 JOB: Initiate Magi CURRENT STATS - HP - 125 MP - 10 Strength - 5 Intellect - 3 Awareness - 3 Endurance - 3 Dexterity - 7 (+2)This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Huh, why is my Dexterity sat so much higher? And what does that plus two come from?¡± I asked. I knew I was quick, but I didn¡¯t think it merited being my highest stat. ¡°Usually humans average at about 3 to 5 on each stat with a spike in one or two. The stats are based on a broad range of things. Dexterity for example covers your your actual dexterity in general. I can see a couple skills you have that you don¡¯t have access to that contribute to that. The number there is your total current stat. So that¡¯s the base plus any bonuses from skills or items. The current plus two in the brackets seems to be coming from a skill called, ¡®Sleight of Hand¡¯. It¡¯s already at level 2. That¡¯s impressive.¡± ¡°Skills?¡± I asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll get there.¡± The Guide said waving me off the subject for now. ¡°Focus on the new information for now. I¡¯ll explain each stat. First your HP and MP. They stand for ¡®Heath Points¡¯ and ¡®Magic Points¡¯ respectively. Your Endurance will increase your HP along with another stat you can¡¯t currently see called SP, or Stamina Points. Most skills you¡¯ll pick up initially will consume your MP, however certain jobs you can pick up later will use skills that consume SP verses MP. These are usually more martial based job classes. So if you want to specialize into one of those you would focus on increasing your Endurance. Your MP is increased with your intellect stat. The stat also increases your reading and comprehension speed. Next is Strength, that one is pretty straight forward. The bigger the number the harder you hit. Like I mentioned before it also has an effect on your equipment and carry load. Dexterity is all about how well your body moves. The higher this stat is the faster you¡¯ll react and move. It also affects your body¡¯s flexibility.¡± ¡°My Flexibility?¡± I said suddenly intrigued. ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t expect you to suddenly become double jointed just because your DEX is high. It just means your joints would be less prone to injury. And you could probably do the splits without pulling a muscle.¡± ¡°Good to know. And what about awareness?¡± I asked. ¡°Awareness is largely what you might call a ¡®dump stat¡¯.¡± The Guide said. ¡°A dump stat?¡± ¡°Yes. Basically it¡¯s almost useless functionally for humans. Your senses are not able to take full advantage of it. The most you¡¯ll notice is that you can hear higher frequencies, differentiate different hues of a colour, levels of salt, acidity or sweetness in food and your sense of smell will be finer tuned. Trust me. That last one is not a blessing, but a curse.¡± ¡°So¡­ why is it even there? Why not a stat more useful?¡± ¡°The system wasn¡¯t created with humans in mind and it doesn¡¯t display all the stats that make you who you are. These are just the stats you can put your upgrades into when you level up. You¡¯ll get 3 points each level that you can allocate, except every 5th level when you¡¯ll receive 5 bonus stat points in a random stat or stats that¡¯s allocated for you. That¡¯s usually dictated by your job class at the time of that level up. When you take that job it will tell you so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°So, what does my current job do with my stats at level 5? Initiate Magi?¡± I probed. ¡°That¡¯s a starter Job. Most of your classmates will also start as that same class. For your first 5 levels you can¡¯t allocate your points. That¡¯s to avoid you making some silly mistakes and putting it all in Strength or Intellect. For those first 5 levels the Quartermaster will analyze you and usually at the fifth level your bonus stats will give you a hint to what the system thinks are the best stats for you. Your professors will cover jobs and how they work in one of your very first classes, so try not to worry about those just yet.¡± ¡°You said that most of my classmates will start as the same class? So some of them will be a different class?¡± ¡°Ah. You¡¯re observant aren¡¯t you? Yes. Some of your classmates will have an asterisk next to their Job title. That means they already have a Job that¡¯s be assigned based on pre-existing conditions, like being a different species, being under the effect of a curse or a family bloodline. There¡¯s a lot of factors that would cause that. Anytime there¡¯s an asterisk next to a word in the system pay attention. That means there¡¯s something additional you can discover. You may not always get the full picture when reading an item or skill description, but it¡¯ll give you a hint or rough idea of where to look for that secret. In recent years the Quartermaster has been¡­ creative with its descriptions on things. It used to just display everything about an item, but now these asterisks are popping up more and more. Here let me give you an example.¡± The Guide said as they waved their hand making the windows disappear. Suddenly two identical looking swords hovered in mid air about a meter away from me. ¡°Go ahead and focus on the sword on your right and think about wanting to examine it further.¡± The Guide said. I did as asked and a new window popped up hovering in space in front of the sword. - ITEM - Soldier¡¯s Standard Short Sword: +5 to Strength +2 to Endurance -1 to Intellect ~This sword once belonged to a soldier. ¡°Great. Now the other sword. But this time once the info window pops up, I want you to focus on the asterisk¡± The Guide said. I examined the other sword. It read exactly the same except for the asterisk. As I focused on it the view of the item changed slightly and further info displayed. - ITEM - Soldier¡¯s Standard Short Sword*: +5 to Strength +2 to Endurance -1 to Intellect ~This sword once belonged to an exemplary soldier who maintained it with absolute dedication. ¡°Do you see the difference?¡± The Guide said. ¡°Yeah, the description is slightly different.¡± I said. I moved closer to look at the weapons. ¡°Use that difference. It¡¯s a clue.¡± The Guide said. ¡°Can I touch them?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course, but be careful.¡± The Guide cautioned. ¡°Yeah, what happens in here can affect my real body right?¡± ¡°Exactly. You¡¯re a quick learner.¡± The Guide said and I thought I saw him moving his hands in a weird motion out of the corner of my eye as I examined the two swords. Was he typing? I picked up both swords holding one up in each of my outlined hands. While they had seemed identical at a glance now that I had them in my hand I noticed the one with the asterisk felt much better to hold. It¡¯s weight was slightly better and it¡¯s edge was far more honed. In fact the standard sword felt like it was in dire need of maintenance in comparison. I felt the item vibrate slightly and heard a audible ping sound in my head. A new window popped into my vision. - BONUS UNLOCKED - Soldier¡¯s Standard Short Sword: +5 to Strength +2 to Endurance -1 to Intellect ~This sword once belonged to an exemplary soldier who maintained it with absolute dedication. It¡¯s edge is honed to perfection and it feels more natural in the hand. +25% damage with all slashing based skills with this weapon. ¡°Wow! Even the item description changed.¡± I asked. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t the system just change the item name instead of putting that asterisk?¡± ¡°Your guess is as good as mine. But now that you¡¯ve revealed that bonus it¡¯ll stay active each and every time you look at the item. We call that ¡®Investigating¡¯. This one is a pretty simple investigation. Everything with 1 asterisk is usually pretty simple to unlock the bonus or reveal the hidden information. But eventually you might find items with 2 or 3 asterisks. Each one points to a different reveal and each asterisk will disappear once it¡¯s corresponding bonus is revealed. Anything with the scope of the Quartermaster¡¯s power to control can be assigned an asterisk and at the later levels you really want to prioritize options or items with an asterisk, even if their base stats or rewards aren¡¯t as good. The bonus is usually better overall.¡± ¡°So does that bonus display for everyone using the system?¡± I asked. ¡°No. If you give the item to anyone outside of your party, it will reset the item to it¡¯s base version. That person will need to investigate it from scratch.¡± ¡°My party?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a group you¡¯ll form later in the year, but we¡¯re getting off track.¡± The Guide said waving it¡¯s transparent hand dismissing all the windows. ¡°Finally, I¡¯ll teach you how to manage your equipment. Grab that sword again, the one with the revealed bonus.¡± The Guide said. I reached out and grabbed the sword. ¡°Now open up your main stat window.¡± I did and noticed nothing had changed. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t my strength, Endurance and Intellect have changed?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah ha. Again so observant. While you may be holding the sword, it¡¯s not equipped to you. There¡¯s a distinct difference. You can pick up any item and use it, like wands, swords, potions, bombs¡­¡± Bombs? I took note of that particular mention. ¡°¡­Armor, the list goes on. If it has a practical use, like a potion you can use it without the need to equip it first. Those are what we would call ¡®active¡¯ benefits. The plus values on the sword you see are what we¡¯d call ¡®passive¡¯ benefits and they only apply if an item is equipped.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ So what do I need to do to equip it?¡± I asked staring at the sword in my hand. ¡°For armor it¡¯s not that hard, just put it into your inventory and then from there you think about equipping it on the particular body part. It needs to be in that order for it to work correctly. Items like potions are the same, inventory first and then equip them in your quick slots, which you start with only having 5 basic slots. You can get items or skills that give extra slots for those later down the line.¡± The Guide said as it moved over to me. ¡°Weapons are a slightly different story. For most of them, you¡¯ll can only equip them in a safe zone. It¡¯ll be pretty clear when you¡¯re in one of those because when you try to equip the weapon outside of one, you¡¯ll receive a warning. It¡¯ll flash up over your whole vision. It¡¯s actually really annoying. There are a certain class of weapons you can equip outside of a safe zone, but only if you¡¯ve got the slot free. These have the identifier of off-hand in brackets under the name. As soon as you pick one up if your main hand slot is free or you have a skill or job that unlocks the off-hand slot, you¡¯ll equip it. So be careful to examine all weapons before you pick them up or put them straight into your inventory. Once you¡¯ve equipped a weapon you can unequip it at anytime and it¡¯ll land in your inventory. If you throw a weapon you have equipped it will still count as equipped unless you unequip it, but your passives won¡¯t work until you hold it again or it returns to your inventory. Make sense?¡± ¡°Mostly. So are we not currently in a safe zone?¡± I asked warily. ¡°Technically no, but it¡¯s an easy switch. I¡¯ll turn it on and you can try equipping.¡± The Guide made another hand movement and although nothing visually changed suddenly I heard the sound of a sword being sheathed. ¡°I think that worked. Does that sound change depending on what I equip?¡± I asked while quickly opening my stats window. The values had actually changed this time and I could definitely feel like I was a little bit stronger with that added strength and endurance. ¡°No. It¡¯s always the sword sound actually.¡± The Guide said. ¡°Weird.¡± I said. ¡°Maybe, when you¡¯re out in the physical world, don¡¯t say things like that out loud. The Quartermaster doesn¡¯t take criticism well.¡± The Guide said as it waved it¡¯s hand again. The sword disappeared and my stats returned to normal. ¡°Oh. Good to know. Soooo¡­ It can¡¯t hear us right now?¡± I looked around the blue void. ¡°No. Like I said, I¡¯m simulating the system here, it¡¯s not actually running yet. When you wake up I recommend acquiring your license as soon as you can. You want to get used to using the system by instinct. It won¡¯t come naturally for the first few days, but with repetition eventually you won¡¯t know how to live without it.¡± The Guide said. ¡°Can any of the functions work without the System?¡± I asked. The Guide tilted their head to one side and I could tell it was surprised by the question. I continued. I really wanted to know the answer. ¡°It¡¯s just you mentioned eventually we can create our own, right? And if I¡¯m thinking about this from everything you said, the system is there to help us use our innate magic, but in a specific framework and with restrictions and rules. Does that sound right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s basically correct.¡± The Guide said. ¡°So, we don¡¯t need the system then?¡± I finally said. The Guide smiled widely. ¡°I can see you¡¯re going to be trouble.¡± The Guide laughed. ¡°Yes. If you completely understood magic and it¡¯s use at a fundamental level, you wouldn¡¯t need it. But the system is there for students to learn and grow in a measured and manageable way. But let me be clear.¡± The Guide moved in close. ¡°Do not make the Quartermaster mad. Whatever you do. You don¡¯t want to test that. No matter how curious you might be, the consequences will be worse than the benefits. There¡¯s a reason you can¡¯t explore systems until your final year, August. Trust me on this one.¡± I wanted to ask more questions, but it felt like that was all I was going to get on the matter. ¡°Alright.¡± I said finally letting the subject drop. ¡°Good Boy.¡± The Guide said. ¡°Our time is nearly up here, so let¡¯s go through one final thing. Bring out your card again.¡± Chapter 7 - Ranked I mentally thought about pulling the card out and it appeared in my right hand. ¡°So I mentioned the colour of your soul ocean right?¡± The Guide asked. I nodded showing I understood. ¡°Okay, so this card, while also being what houses The Quartermaster System? it¡¯s also your ranking in the school.¡± The guide reached forward and swiped up on the card and several different copies of the card spun out of it. Each one was a different colour. They all lined up in a row from the black one I held to another at the end that shone in a solid gold. ¡°Your card will rank up as you complete classes and quests. It will rank up separate from your Job or Level. Each colour of card consists of 7 ranks, From the lowest rank of F to the final rank of S. Once you reach S rank on your current colour you¡¯ll be assigned an advancement exam by the Quartermaster. Different ranks offer different benefits and features. You¡¯ll discover them over time as you progress. Currently you¡¯ve not been assigned any rank. Your first task once you wake up, will be the entrance exam. How well you perform in that will determine your starter ranking. I¡¯m limited in what I can say about it, but I can give advice based on your personal situation. Don¡¯t hold back. You need to be aiming for any lettered Iron rank, that will give you access to your skill section. The professors will get the most influence to what rank you¡¯ll get, but after that it¡¯s up to the Quartermaster system¡¯s discretion. The higher you get your rank straight away the less exams you¡¯ll need from the Quartermaster, so aim high. Understand?¡± The Guide said in a serious tone. ¡°Got it.¡± I said. Honestly I wasn¡¯t planning on holding back much anyway. If The Guide was telling me to let loose, I was going to aim for the moon. ¡°Okay, there¡¯s one final thing I get to introduce to you now.¡± The Guide did another flourish with their hand and a small book appeared. ¡°So, this is me.¡± The Guide said as it reached out to hand me the book. ¡°What?¡± I was utterly confused. ¡°It¡¯s why I¡¯m called The Guide.¡± It laughed. ¡°When you wake up you¡¯ll find this book sitting somewhere nearby. That¡¯s how I was able to access your soul ocean and give you your first lesson. So make sure you keep me in your inventory.¡± I mentally examined the book before I picked it up. - ITEM - The Initiate Magi¡¯s Guidebook Vol #1*: (Off-Hand) ~This sentient guidebook provides all young magi with the basic starter knowledge needed to start their journey towards mastering the magical arts of arcana and wizardry. This tome of guidance, when equipped, gives the user extra tips and information about the magical world. Their main goal is to assist you in any way that it can.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. +1 to all stats +10% Spell Casting speed + Access to the Library of the Magi ¡°If you ever have any questions about anything you see during your studies you can equip me as a weapon and you can easily ask. You¡¯ll hear my voice as clear as day in your head. No one else will be able to hear my reply as an added bonus. I¡¯m also a special off-hand that you can equip in one of your quick slots and still receive the full benefits. I¡¯d recommend doing that as soon as you get system access.¡± The Guide said. ¡°Understood.¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s all I have to teach you at this point. You¡¯ll need to collect more volumes to learn more. Any questions?¡± The Guide said. ¡°I have one.¡± I said. ¡°Okay. Shoot.¡± The Guide said. ¡°Do you have a real name? You¡¯re clearly more than just some book to hand out to every student.¡± I said. The Guide smiled. ¡°What makes you believe that?¡± The Guide asked. ¡°Why would they go to the effort of setting all this up so we could talk? It would be a lot easier to read about this ourselves or have our professors run us through it.¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re right about that. But your reasoning is flawed a little.¡± The Guide said. ¡°How?¡± I asked. ¡°The biggest thing you¡¯ll learn about magic is it never takes the easy path. In your books and myths, magic might seem like the easy answer. It¡¯s powerful beyond measure, but it¡¯s also incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands. The system, for all its flaws, creates situations that are designed to push you to be better and test your limits. Nothing here is easy. Everything has to be earned. Remember that in your darkest moments. And don¡¯t forget, you always have a choice, August.¡± The Guide said and it sent chills down my spine. Suddenly, I had another question. ¡°Have you ever heard of the Collective?¡± I asked. The Guide didn¡¯t respond right away and the silence was incredibly tense. I thought for a moment that it had stopped functioning as it hadn¡¯t moved in nearly a minute. Just as I was about to speak it moved close to me. ¡°Can¡¯t say I have. And I think it¡¯s better if you say the same.¡± The Guide finally said. The Guide then swiftly tapped the middle of my forehead and my eyes opened and I was staring at a view of the stars again suddenly awake. I rolled over and next to me on the pillow was the exact copy of the book I¡¯d just been holding. I could have sworn I heard a shushing sound coming from it, but when I went to flip it open I couldn¡¯t hear it anymore. I sat up and there was a knock at the door. I heard the muffled voice of Professor Cyrus from behind the door. ¡°Rise and shine everyone! I hope you had a restful sleep! Gather your things. We¡¯ll be arriving at the station in 20 minutes.¡± He yelled from in the hallway. ¡°Meet me in the Bar car when you¡¯re ready. There¡¯s breakfast prepared if you¡¯re hungry. See you in few.¡± I heard a door slide close as it sounded like Cyrus had left. I stood up and realized I was wearing the Pajamas on my bed somehow. I really hoped that was something magical. I noticed a new pile was sitting at the foot of my bed next to the wrapped up gift. It looked to be my new school uniform. It included a dark green blazer, waistcoat, black slacks, a white dress shirt and a green tie. I held them up and they looked to be perfectly sized for me. I could get used to all these little conveniences. I turned to the gift that was sitting on my bed. Cyrus had said it was an apology from the hellhound professor, Dos. I untied the bow and opened the box. Inside was small vial of a dark crimson red liquid and something I hadn¡¯t expected. A long metal rod with a handle, a wand. I smiled as I picked it up and gripped it in my dominant hand. ¡°Now we¡¯re talking.¡± Chapter 8 - First Impressions I joined the rest of the group on the train in the bar car after stowing away my things and putting my new uniform on. It felt quite light and airy even though the fabric seemed quite thick. It also seemed to have a fair amount of stretch to it beyond what I thought should be possible. I also noticed it had and extra pocket on the upper arm that housed a small window cut out that I didn¡¯t know the purpose for yet. It almost looked like it was sized for the black card. I would have to ask Cyrus about that later. As I poked my head into the car I immediately caught the scent of hot coffee. Thank god, I desperately needed that caffeine hit. I also noticed a couple more people here than when I came in last night. Tom, the bartender was there still standing behind the bar and Cyrus was also sitting in the same spot. He sipped from a small cup with a tag hanging out which I assumed my be some kind of tea, until he pulled the tag up to dunk in the cup and I saw it had a small red frog attached to it. I guess it could still be tea¡­ All tea really contained was hot water and something to brew and infuse flavor in it. I tired my best to ignore it as I looked at the others in the room. A taller figure sat next to him, Dos, the hellhound. Almost comically he held a even smaller cup and was dunking the same yellow frog. Next to them sat the first student I saw. He seemed to a boy around my same age and wore the same uniform as me. They were dunking their own frog into a cup, but they seemed far less eager than the two Professors. Behind them, sitting at a low table sat 2 more students. Both were female and each had a plate of what looked like a standard full english breakfast and a cup of black liquid that I hoped was just normal coffee. They each wore feminine version of the uniform that had a slightly different cut of blazer and a skirt and no waistcoat. The one that was facing me looked up and smiled. She was quite pretty. The other one turned their head to regard me and just cocked an eyebrow and looked back down at their plate. Further back sitting alone at their own table was another student, again female. She had a large thick glasses on and was buried deeply into a book which I noticed was a copy of ¡®The Guide¡¯. She looked up from the book, made eye contact with me as I walked inside and quickly shyed away returning to the book. I looked around doing the mental math. Last night there were several cabin¡¯s occupied and if we didn¡¯t count Tom the bartender that meant we were likely waiting on one more person to join us. I wondered if they would be a student or professor. I zeroed in on the source of the coffee smell and found a small beverage cart in the corner near the bookworm girl. I moved over there and picked up the pot and began to pour. ¡°That¡¯s not coffee.¡± A soft feminine voice said. I turned to see the girl¡¯s emerald green eyes peeking up from behind the book. Her brown fringe hung just above the frames of her glasses making it look like she was looking at me through a slot in the door. ¡°It smells a lot like it.¡± I said holding the cup of the black liquid to my nose. ¡°It¡¯ll taste like it too, but it¡¯s produced from a special breed of lizard.¡± She said. ¡°It¡¯s lizard water?¡± I said recoiling from the cup. ¡°It¡¯s their saliva to be specific.¡± She started to ramble out an explanation. ¡°It¡¯s called a Hopp¡¯s Lizard. Usually their saliva is acidic enough to melt flesh, but they like to chew on a specific bean that¡¯s pretty similar to a coffee bean, but much much more potent. Deadly amounts of caffeine for a human. But the lizards don¡¯t swallow the bean, they can¡¯t digest it so they spit it out along with all their saliva. They absorb most of the lethal levels of caffeine and the resulting saliva is safe for human consumption.¡± She said. I stood there holding the cup. ¡°And one day someone just thought, ¡®Hey maybe I¡¯ll just drink some of that lizard¡¯s spit?¡± I asked. She giggled. It was actually quite a pleasant sound. ¡°Yeah. When you say it like that. Alexander Hopp, discovered the lizard, that¡¯s why it¡¯s called a Hopp¡¯s Lizard. Story goes he observed a group of birds sipping the spit and behaving differently. It¡¯s really no weirder than someone trying Cows milk for the first time if you think about it.¡± She said smiling at me. She¡¯d lowered her book slightly and was able to see her face clearly now. I looked back at the cup of liquid and shrugged. I took a sip. It was a lot thicker than coffee which would take some getting used to, but it tasted better than any other coffee I¡¯d had in my life. ¡°Wow. That¡¯s fantastic.¡± I said taking another sip. ¡°Beats starbucks for sure.¡± She giggled again. ¡°I¡¯m August by the way. Great to me you.¡± I stuck out a hand for her to shake. She lowered her book and took my hand squeezing it softly. ¡°Octavia.¡± She said smiling. I gestured to the seat across from hers. ¡°Mind if I join you?¡± I asked politely. She perked up and nodded. ¡°No, Please, go right ahead.¡± She cleared some of her plates from the table to make room for me to set down my cup. I took a further sip. ¡°What¡¯s it called? The lizard spit.¡± I asked. ¡°Hopp¡¯s Venom. You usually just ask for a cup of Hopp¡¯s.¡± she said. ¡°Cool.¡± I said. ¡°So¡­ Does no one drink coffee?¡± ¡°No they do. This is just more premium.¡± She said. She hadn¡¯t stopped looking at me since I¡¯d sat down. It was clear she was studying me intensely. ¡°You¡¯ve really never heard of it?¡± She asked. ¡°No. Why would I? I didn¡¯t even know magic existed a week ago.¡± I said. Her smile broadened. ¡°I knew it! You¡¯re a wild card!¡± She said a little too loudly. The other people in the bar car seemed to notice her exclamation. ¡°The wild card?¡± I said. ¡°It means you were picked by the school from the normal world. Basically, you¡¯re kind of like a scholarship student.¡± Another voice called out from behind me. The female student that had given me the cocked eyebrow look earlier had shouted that out to me. She had stood now and her and the other female student she was sat with were now making their way over to our table. ¡°There¡¯s one every few years, but I heard they never make it beyond the first year.¡± She smiled, but it was a cruel looking smile. I swallowed hard. The other female peeked out from behind her and smiled genuinely. ¡°Is it true that you¡¯ve never used a wand before?¡± She asked pleasantly. ¡°Yeah. Like I was saying. Magic wasn¡¯t even real until a week ago.¡± I responded. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so dead.¡± The cruel looking girl said chuckling. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°I was just saying, there¡¯s no way you make it beyond the entrance exam. You don¡¯t even know how to wear your emblem correctly.¡± She said and showed off the upper arm of her blazer which held a gray colored version the playing card I had. Hers had a stylized symbol of a B on it. I knew that card went there. ¡°Don¡¯t be mean, Julia.¡± Octavia said jumping to my defense. ¡°He¡¯s still learning.¡± ¡°Shut up. Nobody asked you asked. Piss off back to the library where you belong.¡± The Cruel looking girl, Julia, said. ¡°Jules, chill. There¡¯s no need to fight. Come on.¡± The other girl said trying to pull Julia away and back to their table. She huffed and obliged after shooting an angry look at Octavia who I noticed despite being soft spoken towards me hadn¡¯t backed down like I¡¯d assumed she might and was scowling back at Julia. ¡°Well.. Isn¡¯t she a delight.¡± I said attempting to defuse the tension. Octavia sighed and took a sip of her drink. ¡°She used to be a lot less¡­ abrasive. Recently she¡¯s just been so¡­¡± ¡°Bitchy?¡± I said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Octavia laughed. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my black card and moved a little closer to her. ¡°Could you help me put this in my sleeve?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want her to give me anymore reasons to mock me.¡± ¡°Oh, uh sure.¡± Octavia said. She had returned to her more soft spoken self now. She tucked the card into the sleeve holder and as she did I revealed a large minus symbol on it that I hadn¡¯t seen previously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get a your rank today after the exam. We¡¯ve only got them because we¡¯re Legacies.¡± She said and flashed me her arm which was a similar colour to Julia¡¯s and had the same B letter. ¡°We get a bit of a head start, but Luca and Krista are starting from black just like you.¡± She nodded to the boy at the bar who was now sipping the tea he¡¯d made. ¡°That¡¯s luca.¡± Then she nodded at the girl with Julia. ¡°That¡¯s Krista.¡± I took mental note of both of their names. I took another sip. Damn, this stuff was strong. I was already feeling quite a buzz. ¡°What¡¯s a Legacy?¡± I probed. ¡°Okay, so all students before coming to school spend their time in the normal world like you, but, unlike you, the existence of magic or the magical world isn¡¯t kept a secret from them. They¡¯re taught mostly theory and history and some minor practical uses of magic. It costs a lot of resources to train a single Magi, so the university needs to be certain it¡¯s worth the investment. Most people work their entire schooling career and don¡¯t make it in. Unless you¡¯re like me or Julia. We both come from a family that founded the school. We¡¯re basically promised admittance since birth. We get introduced to QuarterMaster early and jumped up the ranks as an added benefit.¡± She said quietly. ¡°That hardly seems fair.¡± I said. ¡°I agree with you, but I couldn¡¯t exactly say no to having an extra leg up.¡± Octavia said now avoiding making eye contact. ¡°Oh I can¡¯t blame you. I¡¯d have done the same.¡± I smiled. Octavia seemed to ease at that admission. ¡°So why are you reading the guide? Shouldn¡¯t you have that equipped by now?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve never actually used QuarterMaster until a week ago. I still like to read the physical thing. I¡¯ll have to break the habit eventually. But books are just so tactile. I feel more at ease with them.¡± She said with a somewhat far off look. I wasn¡¯t quite sure, but it seemed like there was a story to that look. I tired to focus on the main topic of QuarterMaster for the time being. ¡°Oh, so what about your dream last night. Was that your first time with it too?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, It¡¯s so exciting being in that void every night.¡± She said. ¡°Soul Oceans are so fascinating, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°That¡¯ll happens every night now?¡± I asked. I wasn¡¯t really sure why, but I really did like chatting with The Guide, But to be in that room instead of my own dreams each night would be an adjustment. I didn¡¯t feel exhausted physically, but I did feel like I¡¯d mentally expended a lot of energy. ¡°Yes, unless you opt to skip it, which you can now. You¡¯ll skip the white void and wake up straight away and any benefits will be displayed in an info window when you wake up.¡± She explained. ¡°Oh mine wasn¡¯t white. It was a kind of blue shade.¡± I remarked. She was suddenly alert. ¡°Your Ocean had a shade already?¡± Her eyes were going wide and it looked like she was starting to tremble. She started to fumble through her bag at her side and then she pulled out a small laminated piece of paper with over 100 different coloured squares. ¡°Tell me which shade of blue it was? Was it more of a sky blue or a cobalt? Or maybe closer to a turquoise? How bright was it?¡± She started to rattle off questions. Before I could answer her the door at the end of the car opened and another student entered the room. This was another male student and possibly the most handsome 19 year old I¡¯d ever seen. Something about him seemed familiar to me and when he moved over and stood next to Professor Cyrus I recognized the resemblance. ¡°Is that the Professor¡¯s Son?¡± I asked in a hushed tone. Octavia was still holding her soul shade cart and she looked up. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s Xavier. He¡¯s not a true legacy, but he¡¯s still got the same benefits we do.¡± She said. Damnit. He even had a cool name. I noticed the card on his arm was the same gray colour, but his was an S. ¡°Wait, why is the letter on his arm card higher.¡± I asked. ¡°Arm card?¡± She said confused. I tapped the black card on my sleeve. ¡°Oh we call them Emblems. And I don¡¯t know actually. It¡¯s up to QuarterMaster to assign the ranks. He¡¯s still in the Iron bracket, but he¡¯ll definitely move up to bronze after the exam today.¡± I stared at the symbol on his arm for a moment. ¡°And if I wanted to get into bronze?¡± I asked Octavia. She sat up straight and looked at me through squinted eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± She said amused. I returned her response with a completely blank unblinking stare. ¡°Oh, you are serious.¡± She sighed and opened up The Guide, which she¡¯d put down as soon as Xavier had entered the room. She flipped through a couple pages and slid the book over to me. ¡°This is the second volume of The Guide. You¡¯ll get a copy when you¡¯re ranked at least Iron C. This details a rough guide to ranks. It doesn¡¯t say how much experience you need to earn to reach each rank, but it does give a guide on what level you should be before attempting each rank entrance exam. When the professor turns your system on you¡¯ll realize how foolish that statement was.¡± She explained. ¡°Experience? Like you get points for completing certain objectives?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes. The harder the exam, the better the reward. They¡¯ll be ranked with letters, but their ranking is a little different. They go all the way to triple S rank and even then each quest has a difficulty rating from 1 to 5 stars and they come in all different types. The most common are bounty Exams where you have a target and all you have to do is kill or subdue it.¡± ¡°So what does The Guide say is recommended for a bronze rank Magi?¡± I asked wanting to know my odds. ¡°At least level 5.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m level 4 for reference. And Xavier is probably at least a few points away from to hitting level 5.¡± It was clear to me in the way she talked about him that there was some history between them and possibly a hint of¡­ was that reverence in her tone of voice? ¡°So what¡¯s his deal? Is he some kind of asshole like Julia or is he more of a sweetheart like you?¡± I asked probing for information. ¡°You think I¡¯m a sweetheart?¡± She stuttered and blushed slightly. ¡°Sure. You¡¯ve been nothing but friendly since I walked in here. You even warned me about the lizard spit.¡± I smiled. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I mean anyone would have done that I¡¯m sure.¡± She continued to blush and went back to hiding her face behind The Guide. ¡°Julia wouldn¡¯t have. She¡¯d probably have put her own spit in.¡± I said a little louder than I should have. I noticed Julia about to get up likely to stomp over here, but Krista pulled her back down as Xavier sat down and slid his arm around Julia and planted a kiss on her cheek. ¡°Ah, well that answers that question. Asshole for sure.¡± I said. ¡°No¡­ He¡¯s better than her. He¡¯s just a little misguided¡­¡± She said again with a distant look that was just asking to be explored. I tried to reign in my need for answers for the moment. As much as I wanted to explore their interpersonal relationships, I needed answers about these exams even more. ¡°So, what did The Guide tell you about the exam?¡± I asked. ¡°Huh? Oh just the basics really.¡± She said. ¡°The Guide¡¯s advice to me was ¡®don¡¯t hold back¡¯. It said I should shoot for at least the upper Iron ranks. I¡¯m going to shoot for Bronze.¡± I said. ¡°What? Don¡¯t be silly. The Guide can¡¯t give advice. It¡¯s not programed to allow for that.¡± She said. ¡°No. Mine really di-¡± I was interrupted before I could finish my explanation by Professor Cyrus standing and clapping his hands supernaturally loud. It seemed like it was finally starting. Chapter 9 - Making Friends ¡°Good Morning Students!¡± Professor Cyrus said. He waited for a moment in the silence, then repeated himself frustrated. ¡°I SAID, Good Morning Students.¡± This time the rest of the students, except for me chimed back, ¡°Good Morning Professor Cyrus.¡± they all said in monotoned unison. Julia scoffed at it and Krista giggled. I saw Xavier roll his eyes and I wasn¡¯t sure if that was directed to his present company or his own father. ¡°Ah ha very good. It¡¯s lovely to see you all so bright eyed and bushy tailed.¡± He said practically beaming. Professor Dos shot him a dirty look at the Bushy tailed comment. ¡°Ah sorry, Dos. I meant I hope you¡¯re all feeling refreshed and ready for the festivities today. For those of you who had your first night¡¯s sleep here, you¡¯d have been introduced to your new best friends here, The Guide and the QuarterMaster system. No doubt your heads will be swimming with questions and information, but that will all have to wait. Firstly we have to welcome a special student here in our midsts, August, if you wouldn¡¯t mind joining me up here.¡± He said gesturing to a spot next to where he stood up at the bar. I cautiously got up and wandered over there conscious of all the eyes in the room being on me. I made brief eye contact with Xavier who just stared intensely with the same blue gray eyes his father had. He was clearly sizing me up. ¡°This is August Adams. Now August is not like the rest of us. He¡¯s just only discovered all this magic is real. So I¡¯d like us all to take extra care of him and if he asks any questions about anything, while it may be second nature to you, He¡¯s experiencing it for the first time. And who knows, He¡¯s seeing everything in a fresh light, what you make take for granted every day may be revealed again for what it truly is, Magical.¡± I looked around the room. Octavia was hanging on his every word and nodding like she agreed. The three at the table were largely unimpressed and ignoring him. The other student at the bar, Luca, looked a little green around the gills and I noticed the string from his cup was dangling free with no frog on the end. ¡°Thank you, August, you can sit back down now.¡± The Professor said tapping me on the back. ¡°Now. Professor Dos will go around and calibrate your Emblems for full activation of the QuarterMaster system. That includes even you three Legacies. The system has undergone an emergency, uh, Patch over night. This usually happens before each school year commences. It removes any unforeseen exploits or interactions. When I first came here the way the system was providing potions was patched because it kept forgetting to give you the cork stopper. It wouldn¡¯t count them as contained vessel without one so you could only store them in your quickslots and not your inventory. The demand for bottle stoppers was never higher. Nevertheless, those kinds of things have been resolved now, but you still all need a reinstall. Take out your Emblems and present them to Dos if you don¡¯t mind.¡± I did as ordered and removed the card from my sleeve. Dos went around the room tapping each card and then with his wand he looked to be tweaking something invisible in the air in front of him. He started with Xavier and when the student slid the card into his sleeve I noticed his eyes flash briefly. He immediately began swiping in the air in front of him, clearly accessing his User Interface. Eventually after completing everyone else¡¯s Dos came over to me. The tall Hellhound looked at me and snorted. ¡°Did you get my apology present?¡± He said quietly. ¡°Yes, And I accept professor.¡± I said smirking. He sighed and tapped on the card I was holding out for him. ¡°Anything I need to know before I slot that thing in?¡± I asked as he tinkered away. ¡°Don¡¯t screw with the User Settings. You can very easily change the whole thing into a different language without meaning to. If you do, you¡¯ll start speaking that language too, but the system won¡¯t let you read or understand the language. While it makes for an amazing prank, I don¡¯t recommend it. Unless you can find someone who speaks the language, it¡¯s a bitch to figure out how to navigate and change it back.¡± Dos said with an air of someone speaking from experience. ¡°Duly noted.¡± I said. The Hellhound did a final swish of their wand and tapped the card a final time. It vibrated slightly in my hand and felt a little warm to the touch. ¡°All done. Good luck.¡± He said as he moved off and went to stand next to Professor Cyrus. I looked at the card. Other than the new warmth it didn¡¯t seem like anything at changed. That was until I slid the card into my arm sleeve. A rush of windows sprung up all at once covering one another and bombarding me with too much info. I recoiled slightly as I nearly fell out of my chair. I instinctually did the motion The Guide did last night to close all the windows and they went away. The first thing I noticed was everyone in the room now had text hovering above their head that showed their names underlined. I could only see their first names, except for Xavier who had his name listed as ¡®X. Cyrus.¡¯ If i focused on that name text a small symbol of an ¡®i¡¯ in a circle appeared at the end of it. I mentally tried to examine it and a window popped up displaying a rundown of his stats. NAME: Xavier Cyrus AGE: 19 SPECIES: Human* HEIGHT: 180 cm WEIGHT: 79kg LVL: 04 JOB: Initiate Magi* CURRENT STATS - HP - 255 MP - 100A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Strength - 8 (+5) Intellect - 15 (+6) Awareness - 4 (+2) Endurance - 5 (+2) Dexterity - 5 (+2) I looked at the stats on the Professor¡¯s son. I noticed a couple things that caught my attention immediately. Two of the entries held asterisks. I thought I remembered something about The Guide mentioning the one related to their Job Class and as soon as I thought of it that section updated. JOB: Initiate Magi - (Legacy benefits applied) Wow. So revealing is sometimes as simple as thinking about the info if you¡¯ve already been told it? That would be handy in the future. Next I zeroed in on the entry for ¡®species¡¯. Why did Human have an asterisk? I tried to focus on the word, but nothing changed. I popped up my own stat window to check against his. It looked exactly the same as previously except for my weight. NAME: August Adams AGE: 19 SPECIES: Human HEIGHT: 173cm WEIGHT: 71kg LVL: 01 JOB: Initiate Magi CURRENT STATS - HP - 125 MP - 10 Strength - 5 Intellect - 3 Awareness - 3 Endurance - 3 Dexterity - 7 (+2) Hold up, How had I gained 1kg overnight? Was it because I was wearing a shoulder bag that had a copy of the first volume of The Guide? It had to weigh at least 1kg alone. I place the bag down and sure enough the weight stat went back to 70kg. Another discovery. I remembered what The Guide had said and immediately took the book equipping it in a quickslot. I felt something change as it applied a +1 to all my stats. I watched as my mp and hp also rose slightly. I also went ahead and tried to equip my wand, but it didn¡¯t allow me to and a huge red warning window covered my whole vision along with an annoying siren noise. - WARNING! - THIS IS NOT A SAFE ZONE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO EQUIP A WEAPON HERE WITHOUT PRIOR AUTHORIZATION. ¡°Jesus.¡± I said as I hastily swiped the notification away. My ears still rang slightly as I yelled out, ¡°Hey Professor, Is this not a safe zone?¡± ¡°Ah, already trying to equip a weapon, August? Allow me.¡± Cyrus said as he flipped an invisible switch in the air in front of him. ¡°That should do it. Go ahead.¡± Immediately, I was able to equip the wand I¡¯d received from Professor Dos. - ITEM - Hopp¡¯s Starter Wand* Weapon Class - Wand ~A basic Magi¡¯s wand. Perfect for any new Magi to learn the ropes. +10% MP regeneration speed +3 Intellect -1 Strength Wow, another asterisk. Was I just incredibly lucky? I tried to examine the wand further, but I didn¡¯t notice anything about it that seemed to stick out. I examined my stats again. HP - 135 MP - 35 Strength - 5 Intellect - 7 (+4) Awareness - 4 (+1) Endurance - 4 (+1) Dexterity - 8 (+3) If I was doing the math right it looked like each 1 point I put into intellect added 5 extra MP and each 1 point into endurance added 10 health. Unfortunately the +1 to all stats from The Guide was being cancelled out by the -1 on my wand. I turned my attention back to that asterisk on the wand. I was thinking about how maybe I should go ask Professor Dos about it when a new window popped up into my vision. - NEW FRIEND REQUEST - Magi ¡®Octavia H. Q.¡¯ would like to connect. Accept request? Two buttons appeared hovering below the window, a green ¡®Yes¡¯ and red ¡®No¡¯. I shot a glance at Octavia who smiled meekly at me. I smiled back and pressed the Yes option. Suddenly I heard a ping sound and I could see a jumping speech bubble hovering just at the very edge of my peripheral vision. I mentally thought about opening it. It was a chat window and it had a single message from Octavia in it. I heard her voice clearly in my head as I read it as if she was speaking it right there and then. Octavia Q. - We can communicate here privately at anytime. The only thing that can read these chats are the QuarterMaster and anyone added in the chat room. You can even copy items into the chat and share their info here. :) I looked at her as she was only a few feet away from me. ¡°Sorry, I have no idea how to reply to the message Octavia.¡± I said, slightly embarrassed. ¡°Oh sorry. You might not have the feature unlocked yet as your rank isn¡¯t assigned. Usually there¡¯s a chat field and a keyboard will pop up. I use a modified interface for it myself. I can show you how to set it up after the exam.¡± She said smiling. ¡°Thanks, O. Do you mind if I call you O? Octavia is a little bit of a mouth full.¡± I said. She squeaked a little. ¡°You¡¯re giving me a nickname?¡± She said hiding and blushing again. ¡°If that¡¯s okay with you? You can call me, Auggy if you like.¡± I said. Octavia nodded furiously. I heard a ping pop again somewhere in my interface and I noticed her name in the chat had adjusted to just the letter ¡®O¡¯. ¡°I¡¯ve never had a nice nickname before.¡± She said smiling at me. ¡°You¡¯re very kind, August.¡± I tilted my head slightly and she noticed my confusion. ¡°Sorry, I think August works better for me. At least for now, but please call me O.¡± She said softly. She really was beginning to grow on me quite quickly. I was a sucker for the earnest types. ¡°Alright alright! I trust you¡¯ve had a through play around in your menus. Let¡¯s get down to business shall we?¡± Professor Cyrus announced. He then made a swish with his wand and several panels on the walls receded revealing glass windows behind. The light of the early morning sun broke in and I squirted as my eyes adjusted from the previously dim light of the bar car to the more radiant version we sat in now. Once they did I saw exactly what I was expecting to see. Almost all of us stood up and moved to one side of the train car attempting to get a good view. The only way to describe it was pure magic. We were cleary crossing some kind of bridge that was high above either a river or lake, but off in the distance sat a building built of impossible architecture. It was a castle, but several spires shot up from behind it¡¯s walls. A few of which seemed to float on their own. The university looked like it was a perfect mixing of medieval and modern. I saw typical castle turrets with windows of black modern steel design. Both Gothic elements to the style perfectly integrated with bizarre ambitious sharp modern angles. It was as if the past and the present were colliding in a single building, but also in perfect harmony. The only one not awed by it was Xavier who still sat at the table with his arms crossed with a sullen expression. I wondered how many times you¡¯d have to have seen this to not be awed by it. I also noticed Professor Cyrus looking at his son. His jaw was clenched. Was that a hint of anger I saw? He noticed me looking and quickly returned to his normal jovial expression. ¡°Spectacular isn¡¯t it, Students?¡± He said joining us up at the window. ¡°That will be your new home for the next year. I hope you¡¯re all just as excited as I am!¡± He clapped his hands loudly again. ¡°Now, who¡¯s ready for their first exam?¡± Chapter 10 - Opening Ceremonies We all filed out of the train on the platform once we¡¯d reached our destination. I noticed that this wasn¡¯t the same train I¡¯d boarded back in the city in that subway station. It had been replaced by a sleek train reminiscent of the bullet train I¡¯d ridden on in Japan when I was a child. Except this one ran on tracks. Let me clarify that fully. This train had at least 12 sets of legs instead of wheels. I turned to Octavia who was lugging a rather large suitcase down the stairs behind me. I helped her and realized the bag weighted what felt like a literal tonne. ¡°O, what the hell is in here? Bricks?¡± I said, straining under the weight of the thing. ¡°No, Just books.¡± She said hardly straining at all. ¡°Jesus. Did you pack the whole library?¡± I said finally getting the back off the steps and on to the platform so I could push it using its own wheels. ¡°Just a few essentials. Only the ones that I couldn¡¯t load into my inventory.¡± She said. I took a moment and examined her stats. NAME: Octavia H. Quinn AGE: 18 SPECIES: Human HEIGHT: 159cm WEIGHT: N/A LVL: 04 JOB: Initiate Magi* CURRENT STATS - HP - 200 MP - 100 Strength - 10 (+5) Intellect - 15 (+6) Awareness - 6 (+3) Endurance - 3 (+2) Dexterity - 3 (+2) I was surprised by her strength stat. It was sitting at double what I had. No wonder she wasn¡¯t struggling with the bag. However, it looked like her base Endurance and Dexterity were only 1 point. I was a little confused until I realized she was likely sitting on a bunch of points to spend, but she hadn¡¯t been given the option to allocate them yet. She was only one level away from gaining access to that particular benefit. ¡°Hey, what do you think you¡¯ll spend your points on?¡± I asked her. ¡°When you hit level 5, I mean.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I think I¡¯ll get a better picture when the QuarterMaster gives me my bonus points.¡± She said. She furrowed her brow. ¡°I think I might be a disadvantage for that.¡± she added. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, the QuarterMaster takes time to assess you as you climb those first 5 levels, right? But us Legacies don¡¯t actually get as much time being analyzed. We start automatically start with a boost to our experience earning rate for the first 5 levels. We earn twice the amount as a normal Magi. So, the system has far less time learning about us. I¡¯ve heard most of the time it just gives you a +1 to all stats.¡± She said with a somewhat sour expression. ¡°That¡¯s not the worst thing. Extra stats are probably always good.¡± I said trying to cheer her up. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right.¡± She said smiling back at me. We joined the rest of the group as Professor Cyrus led us up the path towards the main gate. He stopped just before it and turned to address us. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± Cyrus asked. ¡°Ready for what?¡± Luca asked, he sounded a little scared. ¡°For the first day of the rest of your lives! Once you pass through this gate you¡¯ll be heading to your very first exam that will decide how you kick off the school year.¡± He looked down at his wrist watch. Luca looked like he was about to throw up. ¡°We¡¯re actually running a little behind time.¡± Cyrus continued. ¡°Some of the students were a little late.¡± He looked directly at me when he said this. ¡°We¡¯re likely the final group to take the exam. That¡¯s a good thing aaaaand also a bad thing.¡± He said and crouched a little lower gesturing us to come in closer. All of us except Dos and Xavier huddled in.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Being last means all the Professors and students will be gathered to watch. All of those that passed will be there and eager to watch. Also a lot of your upper classmen will be there to watch too. They¡¯ll be scouting talent, so it¡¯s best to try and impress.¡± He said in a hushed tone. ¡°Great. Everyone can experience my brilliance.¡± Julia said. ¡°How¡¯s that a bad thing?¡± ¡°Its bad, Miss Wessel, because it means most of the easy exams will have been taken. We¡¯re likely going to be left with some of the hardest exams.¡± The professor said. Everyone looked nervous, even the over confident Julia. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We just have to pass whatever¡¯s left.¡± Xavier said. ¡°We¡¯re graded as a group right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Cyrus said, surprised. ¡°Xavier is right. It¡¯s a group assessment. So, if one of you isn¡¯t able to pass. It doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re out of the school. Another member can pick up that slack. So don¡¯t push yourself unnecessarily if you¡¯re not sure you¡¯ll make it through. Leave the harder Exams to the more capable of the group.¡± He placed a hand in the center of us. ¡°Hands in. Magi on three.¡± We all put our hands in. I looked at Xavier who just scoffed and rolled his eyes. If this was a team sport, he was going to particupate. I grabbed his arm and yanked him in placing his hand on top. He tried to pull free, but I just placed another hand on top keeping his in place. He shrugged and relaxed into it. ¡°One, two, three.¡± ¡°Magi!¡± We all yelled. We all seperated and most of us began looking through menus. I looked at Xavier and gave a smile. He just returned a blank expression back at me. ¡°If we¡¯re going to be a team, you should at least join in. We¡¯ll sink or swim together.¡± I said. He looked me up and down clearly considering me for a moment. ¡°Fine. Just don¡¯t ever touch me again without my consent.¡± He said. He walked over and stood close to me. ¡°I¡¯ll play along for now. Just don¡¯t get in my way.¡± He shoulder checked me as he walked over to the main gate ignoring the rest of the group, including Julia who scowled at me. Professor Cyrus walked up next to me. ¡°He used to be such a nice boy you know. Now he¡¯s just so¡­¡± He looked down at me and clearly realized he wasn¡¯t saying this to a college, but to a student and adjusted his expression. ¡°Are you ready, Mr Adams?¡± ¡°As I ever be.¡± I said, completely lying. ¡°Good, because you¡¯ll be going first.¡± He said as he slapped me on the back. ¡°I¡¯ll be doing what now?¡± I said. ----- Professor Cyrus and I stood at the gate with the other¡¯s standing behind us. He was findling with his menus as I nervously tried to not freak out. I knew I¡¯d be going through an exam today, but I sure as hell didn¡¯t want to go first. He looked at me and must have noticed how tense I was. ¡°Hey.¡± He said quietly. ¡°Just do your best. No one is expecting very much from you.¡± I assumed that was his attempt to try and deflate the situation and relieve the tension I felt. Instead, I started to get annoyed. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± I said with a slight edge to my voice. ¡°Oh no. What I meant was, you¡¯ve just learned magic was real less than a week ago. Everyone will be expecting you to fail. If you pick the lowest ranked Exam no one will hold it against you.¡± He said smiling, not realizing how he was being slightly patronizing. ¡°Right.¡± I said flatly, attempting to hide my frustration and rising fury. ¡°So what¡¯s your recommendation, Professor?¡± ¡°Pick anything below D rank. If there¡¯s only D rank Exams left, pick the one with the lowest stars. They usually put one or two fetch quest exams in there. Try to avoid any Bounty Quest or Boss Quest Exams. Did you have a wand?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes. Just a starter wand.¡± I said. ¡°Okay. You don¡¯t know it yet, but you can already use spells, but without a rank you¡¯ll have to cast them like our founding families did.¡± ¡°And how did they do that?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Cyrus said. I was about to lose it when he pushed open the gate to the entrance courtyard. A riotous cacophony of applause hit me like a wall of force as they open. I saw Cyrus waving and smiling as he walked down towards the main building like some kind of celebrity doing a red carpet walk. He turned and gestured to me and beckoned me to come inside. As I did I saw them, the hordes of students of all kinds standing in rows on raised tiered seating. I corrected my metaphor. Not a celebrity. It was more like what I imagined being a gladiator would have been like. I was dumbfounded. Most of the students in the crowd were human, but there were many that weren¡¯t. There were cat people like Tom the Bartender. Some looked a bit like they had tanks of water on their necks and blue skin. Maybe some kind of Mermaid? Then I zeroed in on a group of them looked like reptiles. ¡°Holy shit, are those dragons?¡± I said out loud. ¡°We don¡¯t use that word here.¡± Cyrus said. ¡°But are they?!¡± I said. This was easily the coolest thing I¡¯d seen so far. As I child I was absolutely obsessed with dinosaurs. That was until I discovered that dragons existed. From then on I was a massive fan of anything with dragons. Even later in my teens when it wasn¡¯t as cool, I was a closeted fan. ¡°Yes.¡± Cyrus said sighing slightly and pulling me towards the main building. I managed to peel my eyes off them and went back to taking in my other surroundings. I noticed several screens set up here like the kind you¡¯d see in a football stadium. I guessed these were probably about to display my exam for all the students out here to see. I turned back looking for the rest of my group and they too were slowly making their way down here. Julia of course revealed in the crowd¡¯s affections and acted like she was the star attraction and Krista bounced along close behind. She waved at a few of the crowd, but she wasn¡¯t nearly as enthralled. Xavier didn¡¯t acknowledge the crowd at all, clearly trying to keep up his bad boy persona. Luca came in next. He still looked like he wanted to puke. Finally, Octavia entered and something strange happened. I didn¡¯t think it was possible, but the crowd actually got louder. Julia scowled as all the attention was now focused on Octavia. She moved to join me and Cyrus in the main building¡¯s entrance hall. ¡°She thinks she¡¯s all that because her great grandmother is so famous.¡± She sneered. ¡°I¡¯ll show her one day.¡± ¡°Jealousy is an ugly colour on you, Ju Ju.¡± Krista said joining our group. ¡°Shut up, Krista.¡± She said crossing her arms. Krista kept nudging her and the two of them moved aside and headed further into the hall. ¡°Who¡¯s her Great Grandmother? Are the Quinn family that famous?¡± I asked Cyrus. He laughed back and realized I was being serious. ¡°Sorry, For us Magi, that¡¯s like asking who¡¯s JFK. Have you heard about Hopp yet?¡± He asked with a smirk. ¡°The lizard spit lady?¡± I said. His laugh was so violently loud that I actually jumped. ¡°That¡¯s her Great Grandmother. Alexandra Hopp. Her full name is Octavia Hopp-Quin. She basically Magi royalty. You see why I said no one is expecting very much from you? Your luck must be incredibly high. We can¡¯t see that stat by the way, but it¡¯s definitely there. You managed to be placed in the group with 3 legacies. One of which is Hopp¡¯s direct descendant. They¡¯re the real stars of the show.¡± He said. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go select your Exam.¡± Chapter 11 - The Exams Begin ¡°Go ahead and examine it, Mr Adams. Remember what I told you.¡± Cyrus said as we stood in front of a podium with a silver crystal hovering above it. I looked at the crystal and that circled ¡®i¡¯ showed up over it. I mentally focused on it and instead of the standard light green window opening a bunch of confetti and mini fireworks popped up in front of my vision and a new bronze coloured window slid open. - Bronze Triumph Completed - ¡®Call to Adventure ¡¯ (10 Bronze Triumph Medallions) You have interacted with your first Quest giver. Reward: Basic Potion Pack, Adventurer¡¯s Basic Supplies Pack ¡°What the hell did I just get?¡± I said looking to Cyrus. ¡°It¡¯s a Triumph. They¡¯re little rewards for doing things the QuarterMaster deems worthy of reward. I¡¯ve never seen one this early, but you are new to all of this so I guess the system has adjusted it for difficulty. I need to ask someone about this later. How many medallions did it award you?¡± Cyrus asked. ¡°10 Bronze. Is that a lot?¡± I said. ¡°No. But they¡¯ll start to pile up. Don¡¯t worry about them for now. You¡¯ll learn to spend them at level 10. Let¡¯s continue.¡± He pointed to the crystal. It was now glowing and I could see a bunch of windows that were stylized as weathered parchment papers hung in the air above it. Each one was meant to resemble a paper hung on a wall with a nail and they each had a title, a stylized portrait and a ranking underneath. ¡°Gods. There¡¯s nothing left below a D!¡± Cyrus shouted throwing his hands up in frustration. He breathed hard and smoothed his hair back clearly trying to calm himself. ¡°No. No. This is okay. We can still rank in the top 5. This is my year.¡± ¡°What?¡± I said. He looked up and I could see something had changed. His eyes had taken on a wild look. He rushed up to stand beside me and started swiping through the Exam Quest offerings. A saw one that caught my eye. I reached out and grabbed it out of the air. It was an S rank, with 1 star. ! QUEST ! Eye See You TYPE - Boss Quest RANK: S DIFFICULTLY: ¡ï It had the outline of a head and shoulders that looked human. It also stank like rancid meat and old milk. I gagged and held the paper away from my face. ¡°Oh god why does this smell like a rotten steak marinating in sour yogurt?¡± I said. Cyrus spun and looked at me. He hadn¡¯t noticed I¡¯d taken one of the papers. ¡°Like seriously, this smells like a crazy old cat lady died and was eaten by their cats and then they died.¡± ¡°Please tell me you didn¡¯t just grab that.¡± Cyrus said his eyes going wide. ¡°Uhh I wish I hadn¡¯t. It smells like-¡± I wasn¡¯t able to finish my thought as the world around me began to dissolve. It spun like coloured sand in a tornado around me drifting and eroding everything away. Even Cyrus who was reaching out to me dissolved with the same effect. Then it began to reform. I was now standing in a colosseum style arena. If I felt like a gladiator before, I had definitely become one now. Students began to file into the seats around the edge of the arena. I turned around looking to see any familiar faces. I only saw one. Cyrus began to materialize from that sand behind a metal gate behind me. I quickly ran over to him. He came in mid scream,If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°-CKING IDIOT. Why would he just grab one?!¡± He stopped and realized he was standing there in front of me. ¡°Oh. Mr Adams. You¡¯re here.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± I said panicked. ¡°Well, I was about to tell you that pulling a Quest will automatically accept it, but you¡¯d already made that particular discovery.¡± He breathed in and out. ¡°Now. Quickly, what type of quest was this?¡± ¡°A Boss type.¡± I said. ¡°Okay, Okay. As long as it¡¯s C rank or lower, we should be okay.¡± Cyrus said. He saw the expression on my face. ¡°It wasn¡¯t lower than a C was it?¡± ¡°uhhhh.¡± ¡°B?¡± He asked, I shook my head. ¡°A?¡± I didn¡¯t answer immediately. ¡°It was only one star¡­¡± ¡°S?!¡± He yelled. I nodded trying not to cringe too hard. Cyrus¡¯ face dropped. ¡°Oh my god. You¡¯re going to die. I¡¯m going to be the first one to lose a student in 5 years¡­ In the first exam¡­¡± He slumped against the bars. I began to panic. Then I realized something, why would they put in a quest that a new student wouldn¡¯t be able to complete? ¡°No there must be a way I can win this. They the teachers wouldn¡¯t put in a quest that would kill me right?¡± I said trying to bargain with him. ¡°You¡¯re right. The teachers wouldn¡¯t, but The QuarterMaster runs the exam, not them.¡± He looked like he had lost all will to live. ¡°But isn¡¯t the system meant to help us learn?¡± I said. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t-¡± I heard a large thud from behind me and that same rancid scent wafted into the arena. A large humanoid creature was stepping up from the sand materializing with that same sand effect. A single bulbous yellow eye protruded from the center of it¡¯s brow. It was at least 10 feet tall and incredibly muscular. It looked like there wasn¡¯t an ounce of fat on it. It held a large club that it had slung over its shoulder and it grimaced as it saw me. ¡°What did you say about my smell?¡± The cyclops said. I spied the info icon hovering over his head and examined it. - Gelston the Terrible - Boss Class Monster LVL: ?? ~This Monster is over 10 levels above your own. (I hope you know what you¡¯re doing!) ¡°I can¡¯t see it¡¯s level!¡± I yelled to Cyrus. The crowd of students had begun to chant and yell now. ¡°It¡¯s an S Rank Boss. It¡¯s easily level 50 minimum.¡± Cyrus said still deflated. ¡°Fifty?!¡± I said looking back at the monster. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I¡¯m dead.¡± I braced myself against the gate and closed my eyes. I heard a chime which made me open my eyes. It sounded like the opening broadcast of a news program, but played with medieval instruments. It was really bizarre. All of the students looked up and the cyclops froze in place. - THIS IS A QUARTERMASTER ANNOUNCEMENT - Hello Magi! This is your Quartermaster speaking. Welcome to our first S Rank Exam! All the student¡¯s cheered. I looked at Cyrus who suddenly he stood up. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I asked, but Cyrus didn¡¯t look at me he was fixated on the voice. ¡°Shh, shh, shh.¡± He looked like he was using his menus again. I didn¡¯t know what he was doing, but I guessed from the way he was tapping his right hand on his thigh he might be using his chat feature. The announcement continued. I am so excited that one of you had the moxie and bravado to pick an S Rank Exam straight away! What about you students? Are we all excited? They all cheered again. Good! Good. Here¡¯s the thing. With the way things are sitting right now, it looks like this exam will be over before I can even say go. And none of us want to lose such a promising new Magi do we? The crowd booed. This was starting to feel more and more gladiatorial by the moment. Okay. So, I¡¯ll make things interesting. Give me a moment to talk to our challenger. A window forcibly opened in my vision. The QuarterMaster wants to make a deal. Accept? ¡°I¡¯ll take anything at this point!¡± I said smashing down on the yes button. Well well well, it seems we have a gambler in our midsts! Our challenger has¡­. Accepted! Let¡¯s get things underway! Exaaaaaaam¡­. START! The crowd absolutely erupted as the cyclops unfroze. A timer appeared floating in the center of the room. It had 2 minutes on it. Underneath it was a single word. SURVIVE. I took out my wand and gripped it tightly. I felt something in it hum. A new silver coloured window popped up. - Silver Triumph Completed - ¡®Nobody Sends their regards¡¯ (100 Silver Triumph Medallions) You have encountered a Unique Cyclops Monster. Reward: Homer¡¯s Guide to Greek Monsters A book appeared in my hand and immediately disappeared into one of my quickslots. I looked to be a similar book to The Guide. I looked quickly at the Cyclops and noticed a new piece of text showing. Each of its body parts was highlighted with a multiplier. I saw that his arms, legs and torso had a ¡®x o.5%¡± with a symbol of a sword and a wand. For some reason I knew exactly what that meant. Physical and Magical damage are halved. Damn. I looked for any different number and finally noticed the eye had something that looked like it wasn¡¯t correct. It had a ludicrous ¡®x 400%¡¯. A plan began to form in my head. Maybe, I could do a little bit more than just survive. I turned around to face the beast. ¡°Uhhh Nice cyclops¡­ Please no smashy. I¡¯m sorry for what I said about your smell.¡± I was going to do this. Chapter 12 - Growing Pains stood victorious in the center of the arena covered in gore with Professor Cyrus out cold at my feet. I wondered if I¡¯d be expelled for knocking him out. Truthfully I was just happy to be alive right now. I looked around, the students were all stunned by what had just happened. All except one pink haired girl who was giggling with glee. I made a mental note that she was either someone I needed to avoid like the plague or the only truly sane one in this damn school. An announcement came booming from everywhere all at once and a Golden window popped up in front of me. - QUEST COMPLETED - Eye See You TYPE - Boss Quest RANK: S DIFFICULTLY: ¡ï REWARD: You lived. Isn¡¯t that enough?* I nearly screamed out loud when I saw the reward listed there until I noticed the asterisk. I focused on it and it expanded. REWARD: Okay Okay. Here¡¯s your real reward, but keep it to yourself alright. +5 to all stats, S Rank Star Medallion, Provisional Membership to the Association of Recognized Bounty Hunters (A.R.B.H.) I sighed and slumped down. I¡¯d inspect those items later. Suddenly the world began to dissolve into that sand effect and I found myself sitting in the Entrance hall. The other members of my group gasped as they saw me and the unconscious body of Cyrus appear. Even the ever stoic Xavier looked shocked. Octavia rushed up to me and knelt down to inspect my condition. ¡°Holy Shit, August. That was amazing.¡± she said embracing me tightly even in spite of the gore. I must have smelt awful because Luca finally vomited. He ran to a nearby potted plant and threw up a literal shit load of those yellow tea frogs. I was too tired to even care about that right now. All my muscles ached. ¡°O, I can¡¯t breathe.¡± I said as she was squeezing the life out of me. She released me and shuffled back embarrassed. ¡°Sorry. I was just didn¡¯t think you¡¯d make it.¡± She said. ¡°You and me both.¡± I said wiping some of the cyclops from my face. I looked up and noticed Xavier had moved in close. He was looking at my arm with an expression I couldn¡¯t really read. ¡°What?¡± I said to him. He just nodded. ¡°Well done. You¡¯re now the highest ranked first year student.¡± He said. I wasn¡¯t following. He must of noticed my confusion and he reached down and wiped my sleeve. That¡¯s when I saw it. My Emblem had changed from a Black Card with no rank to a Bronze card with an S. I blinked slowly. ¡°Well. That¡¯s definitely something.¡± I said, right before I collapsed. ---- I opened my eyes in floating in a blue void. Oh that¡¯s right. I forgot this was going to keep happening now. I looked around. Nothing had changed in here. It took a second, but I noticed the faint outline of The Guide sitting cross legged floating near by. ¡°Good Morning Sunshine.¡± The Guide said. ¡°You know, when I said not to hold back, you really took that advice to heart huh?¡± The Guide chuckled. ¡°Yeah. Lesson learned, read with my eyes not my hands.¡± I said. ¡°Well, it all worked out didn¡¯t it?¡± The Guide said as it floated towards me. ¡°It sure was exciting.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± I said confused. ¡°You¡¯ve got me in your quickslot so I can see what you see. Thanks for the reading material by the way. And you¡¯re welcome.¡± The Guide said holding a thick tome in their hands. I saw the title was ¡°Homer¡¯s Guide to Greek Monsters¡±. I started to connect the dots. ¡°You were the one that displayed those stats about what damage I would do on the Cyclops?¡± I asked. ¡°You betcha.¡± He said snapping the book closed. ¡°And don¡¯t worry. I can absorb any books in if you equip them like you did. So it won¡¯t use up any extra slots. Just keep me equipped at all times, alright?¡± Something didn¡¯t seem right. ¡°Octavia said that you¡¯re not allowed to give advice.¡± I said. The Guide didn¡¯t reply right away. ¡°She¡¯s right. I can¡¯t. Usually.¡± The Guide said. ¡°So what¡¯s different with me?¡± I asked. ¡°You didn¡¯t examine your copy of The Guide when you equipped it, did you?¡± The Guide said. I realized I hadn¡¯t. I¡¯d just equipped it right away. ¡°Can I access my items here?¡± ¡°Yes. Well, it¡¯s not a real version, just your soul ocean making a facsimile, a copy of the item. It¡¯ll match the actual item. And if you discover any asterisk secrets, it¡¯ll carry forward into the real item. I¡¯m not really sure how or why.¡± The Guide said with a shrug. I immediately pulled out my copy of The Guide. - ITEM - The Initiate Magi¡¯s Guidebook Vol #1*******: (Off-Hand) ~This sentient guidebook provides all young magi with the basic starter knowledge needed to start their journey towards mastering the magical arts of arcana and wizardry. This tome of guidance, when equipped, gives the user extra tips and information about the magical world. Their main goal is to assist you in any way that it can. +1 to all stats +10% Spell Casting speed + Access to the Library of the Magi Holy Shit. There were seven asterisks next the title. That definitely hadn¡¯t been there on the version I¡¯d seen here before. That only had 1 asterisk. I looked at the faint outline of The Guide who was floating like they were lying on their back and going down an invisible river. There was absolutely something different about their attitude this meeting. ¡°What is this?¡± I asked. ¡°Well the asterisks mean-¡± The Guide began. I cut them off. ¡°No. What¡¯s actually happening here? What are you? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re actually the real ¡®Guide.¡¯ You¡¯re doing a lot more than just telling me how items work and how to use my interface.¡± I said bluntly. The Guide began to chuckle. ¡°Well well. He does some kind of brain on him.¡± The Guide said. I felt the book in my hand humm and vibrate. The description changed completely and now had one less asterisk. - ITEM - The Collective¡¯s Manifesto ******: (Off-Hand) ~Don¡¯t let your mother find you reading this. This sentient book provides certain individuals with tips and tricks of the darker side of magic. This tome takes on the appearance of your average copy of ¡®The Initiate Magi¡¯s Guidebook¡¯ and will hold up to scrutiny of a rigorous inspection. When equipped it gives the user extra tips and information about the magical world plus a little bit of an extra down low on the shadier elements. Their main goal is to assist you in any way that it can as long as you stick to the plan.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. +1 to all stats +10% Spell Casting speed + Access to the Library of the Magi + Access to Apocalypse Apothecary stores worldwide The Outline of The Guide shimmered and it started filling up with what looked like dark black liquid. Suddenly a figure oozing black smoke stood in front of me. It billowed out at the bottom of the figure and seemed to pool around them in thick plumes of shadow. I was taken back by this sudden change. It smiled and it¡¯s bright while teeth were a stark contrast to black surrounding it. A single yellow eye opened in the center of its face. It started to all click into place. I suddenly remembered what the four armed man said, One of our agents will make themself clear to you very soon. ¡°So, you¡¯re the agent of The Collective?¡± I asked. ¡°At your service.¡± The shadowy figure bowed. ¡°You can call me Shadow.¡± There was a long silence. ¡°Really? Shadow?¡± I said incredulously. Shadow frowned. ¡°What?¡± ¡°A bit on the nose isn¡¯t it?¡± I said holding back a laugh. Shadow crossed their arms. ¡°That¡¯s a very elegant name for an Imp! You¡¯d be lucky to get a codename half as cool.¡± Shadow said pouting. ¡°I get a code name?¡± I said quickly getting excited. A part of me secretly really wanted a code name. ¡°If you play your cards right.¡± Shadow said. ¡°What did else did Avendhal say to you?¡± ¡°Avendhal?¡± ¡°Sharp dressed man. Four arms. A little too serious for his own good.¡± Shadow said making a stern face. ¡°And he¡¯s the Collective¡¯s leader?¡± I asked. ¡°Ha! He wishes. No, that¡¯s-Hey! Don¡¯t do that.¡± Shadow yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t try to trick me into telling you info. You haven¡¯t earned our trust yet.¡± Damn. I¡¯d really thought that would work. Playing dumb wasn¡¯t the way I would get information out of them. ¡°Aren¡¯t you meant to help me?¡± I said meekly. ¡°There¡¯s certain information I can¡¯t give out. At least for free. You¡¯re basically on probation.¡± Shadow said. They moved closer training dark smoke behind. ¡°Now I¡¯m meant to give you your first assignment.¡± They pulled an envelope out of somewhere inside their shadowy form and handed it to me. I shook it and felt something heavier than paper jangling inside. ¡°Do I open it now?¡± I said. ¡°Yes, go on. Go on.¡± Shadow said as it moved to hover behind me looking over my shoulder. I ripped the envelope open and tried to pour out it¡¯s contents into my hand. Instead as soon as I turned it slightly something small shot out of the envelope and climbed up my arm. It crawled up to my neck and down my back incredibly fast. I tried to shake it of, but I felt a searing pain burn in my lower back. It hurt like I was being poked by hundreds of needles. I looked down at my chest where the small flame was flickering and I noticed a set thorns had now wrapped themselves around it. ¡°What was that?¡± I said still looking down. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s a aether vine.¡± Shadow said. ¡°And what the fuck is an Aether vine?¡± I said my voice carrying an air of malice. ¡°It¡¯s technically a curse.¡± Shadow said. ¡°You put a curse in that envelope and then just gave it to me?¡± I said absolutely livid. ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°Firstly, I didn¡¯t put anything in that envelope. Even I have limits. Secondly, Aether Vines are harmless to you if you follow a couple rules.¡± Shadow pointed at the envelope. ¡°I think there¡¯s a letter you should read in there.¡± I quickly pulled out the letter and read it frantically. Hello Potential, I trust this letter finds you well. By now the Aether Vine will have taken root in your Soul Ocean. Do not worry. It¡¯s there as a last resort. If you keep your word you¡¯ll be just fine. In fact, if you regularly feed the vine it may sprout and even be a ¡®fruitful¡¯ addition to your magical studies. All you are required to do is keep the collective a secret and do anything we ask. If you mention anything about us the vines will constrict around that flame and your very soul will be shredded to pieces. Trust me when I say that¡¯s worse than any pain imaginable. Shadow here can guide you, but a word to the wise. Don¡¯t trust him. He¡¯s not a true collective member, he¡¯s here to repay a debt he owes us. He¡¯ll do anything to escape. But for the purpose of giving information about magical items there¡¯s no one better suited for the role. If you keep your goals aligned with his, he¡¯ll be your very best friend. But the moment you¡¯re opposed, he¡¯s your worst enemy. I¡¯ll be in touch soon, Avendhal - Liaison to new members ¡°So what does it say?¡± Shadow said. ¡°What? The letter? You can¡¯t see it?¡± I said confused. It was written in a cursive script, but it wasn¡¯t that hard to read. ¡°I might have an eye, but it¡¯s cosmetic. I can see your flame, but that¡¯s about it.¡± Shadow said. I stood for a moment and then put my middle finger up right in front it¡¯s face. ¡°I can¡¯t see it, but I can tell by the flickering you¡¯re doing something rude.¡± Shadow said. ¡°You can tell that just by the flickering of my chest flame?¡± ¡°Imps have to learn to see in a different way than you humans do.¡± Shadow said. ¡°I can see everyones flames.¡± ¡°Can you only see them in here?¡± I asked. Shadow paused and seem to consider it a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve never been anywhere else.¡± It said a hint of sadness to their tone. ¡°Have you ever wanted to leave?¡± I said. ¡°Every day.¡± Shadow said. ¡°What if I could help you with that?¡± I asked. Shadow froze. Even it¡¯s plumes of dark smoke stopped churning. ¡°Why would you help me with that?¡± Shadow said. It¡¯s mouth turned into a thin line. ¡°Because, you¡¯re going to help me too.¡± I smiled a plan forming. It was a flimsy plan at best, but Avendhals letter had given me just enough to go off. ¡°How?¡± Shadow said narrowing their single eye at me. I wondered for a second why they¡¯d do that if it was just for show. I pointed to my chest. ¡°The way I see it, we¡¯re both prisoners. Me with this vine and you with whatever you owe the Collective. And look maybe that¡¯s something we caused by our own choices, maybe not. Either way. We should be on the same team don¡¯t you think?¡± I tried being as charming as possible. Shadow went quiet for a good while. I could tell they were considering the offer. ¡°And what would that look like? You and I teaming up?¡± Shadow said with air quotes around the words teaming up. ¡°It starts by you telling me what you owe them.¡± I said. Shadow seemed to recede somewhat and looked like they were making themself smaller wrapping themself up in a blanket of more black smoke. They looked like a child or a small animal huddling in fear of a thunderstorm. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Shadow said finally their voice weaker and quieter than before. I sensed that maybe it was something painful for them and it was best to not push it. ¡°Okay. Maybe another night.¡± I said. I looked at the book again. ¡°So is this still you?¡± I asked. Shadow looked up and seemed to not understand. ¡°The Book? Last time, when you were ¡®The Guide¡¯ you said that was you. Is this book the same?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m bound to it.¡± Shadow said sullenly. ¡°So¡­ when I¡¯ve got it equipped¡­ what¡¯s that like for you?¡± ¡°I can hear everything happening at all times. I need to be available if you ask for any information.¡± ¡°But where are you? Like physically?¡± ¡°I¡¯m physically here in your soul ocean.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s some kind of connection from the book to you?¡± ¡°Correct. What are you getting at?¡± Shadow asked. I noticed his normal attitude beginning to return. ¡°Is there anything we could do to, I don¡¯t know, strengthen that connection enough that you could physically see as well?¡± I finally asked. I really wanted to use the Imp¡¯s ability to see other¡¯s flames. I didn¡¯t know how, but something in me deep down knew that would be an advantage. ¡°It¡¯s possible¡­ Yes! In fact, I know exactly how!¡± Shadow said bolting upright and floating over to me. ¡°We form a pact bond.¡± ¡°A what now?¡± ¡°A pact bond. It¡¯s what your kind used to do back before the system to help you control your magic. You were called Warlocks and Witches back then. Lots of people didn¡¯t take kindly to you using the darker arts. Resulted in a lot of people being very angry and a lot people being burned alive.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about the salem witch trials?¡± ¡°Yeah. It wasn¡¯t my finest moment.¡± ¡°You were involved?¡± ¡°Involved? I started everything. How was I meant to know your people were paranoid arsonists?¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡± I said dumbfounded. ¡°That would make you nearly 400 years old.¡± ¡°411 to be exactly.¡± Shadow said nonchalantly. ¡°How long do Imp¡¯s usually live?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never met another one, but I¡¯m easily the most successful.¡± Shadow said smiling. ¡°This is successful? Stuck in this room?¡± I said gesturing to our surroundings. Shadow seemed to deflate a little. I started to feel bad. ¡°So¡­ this pact? I won¡¯t be burned at the stake for doing it will I?¡± ¡°No no. We can make it far more subtle this time. I¡¯ve had about a hundred years to think about it.¡± Shadow moved closer. ¡°All I need is little bit of your flame.¡± They reached out a thin arm with a hand that had long claw like fingers. A single finger touched my chest and I felt a cold sensation spreading. I recoiled back on instinct. I could sense something dangerous behind the request. ¡°And what do you do with it?¡± ¡°I eat it.¡± Shadow said and I thought I saw it¡¯s tongue lick their lips. ¡°It¡¯ll be painless.¡± ¡°And then you¡¯ll be bonded to me instead?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll still be tied to the book, that won¡¯t change. But you and I will be connected directly. I¡¯ll see through your eyes and you can use a portion of my power. You can use my eyes.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± I asked. ¡°What else do you want?¡± Shadow said, eager to make a deal. ¡°Exactly what I asked. You help me with this.¡± I said pointing to the vine. ¡°Oh I¡¯ll do you one better. I¡¯ll help you make it bloom.¡± Shadow said. ¡°That vine doesn¡¯t need to be your curse.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°So the vine, it feeds on raw magical energy. That¡¯s what the flame is. That¡¯s what this whole place is. That¡¯s also partially what everything is made of. I am, you are, everything is. So the vine, when fed the right things, it¡¯ll grow, fed the wrong things it¡¯ll wither. That¡¯s bad. If it withers it constricts and it chokes the flame. It¡¯s a defense mechanism. So you can teach the vine to respond to certain things. Like how people bred dachshunds to be longer or pugs to look so ugly they¡¯re kind of cute. This particular vine has been grown and bred for a single purpose. It¡¯s one of the collective¡¯s greatest achievements. This vine responds to secrets. It loves when one is discovered and revealed. The more we uncover the more it will grow.¡± ¡°Okay, wait, what¡¯s a bigger secret than I¡¯m working for the Collective?¡± ¡°Ah but there¡¯s the catch. The Collective is too big of a secret. If you reveal that the vine grows rapidly and shreds your body and soul from the inside out. So we need to feed it secrets slowly so it grows inside you at controlled rate. And, if we feed it the right ones. It will grow fruit and flowers.¡± ¡°Inside my body?¡± ¡°Technically inside your soul ocean. Look, it already started when I told you about the witch trials.¡± Shadow said gesturing to somewhere behind me. Sure enough I noticed a section of the blue void had created a solid platform and I could see vines creeping along the surface and creating roots. It was a little strange, but also kind of beautiful. ¡°Welcome to your new soul garden my friend.¡± Shadow said whispering in my ear. ¡°So do we have a deal?¡± I turned to face them and without even thinking about it I plunged my hand into my chest and pulled a small mote of flame out holding it in my hand. Shadow marveled at it as I threw it into the air like I was feeding a dog a treat. They leaped into the air and devoured it whole. I saw it briefly as it was smothered by shadow¡¯s dark smoke form. I felt a coldness creep into a spot in my chest. ¡°It¡¯s a Deal.¡± Chapter 13 - The Headmaster I woke up lying down in a bed unfamiliar to me that cold spot in my chest still there. As I opened my eyes I saw a worried face looking back at me. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Octavia asked. I slowly sat up. I didn¡¯t feel as mentally exhausted as I did the first time I visited my soul ocean. I settled my back up against the back wall and looked at her. The first thing I noticed was her Emblem, it was now a shiny bronze colour like my own with an A on it. ¡°I¡¯m feeling alright. How was your exam? I can see you passed.¡± I said making a gesture at her arm. She looked down and she actually perked up. ¡°Oh! Actually, this is partially your doing.¡± She said. ¡°Mine?¡± I was confused. ¡°Yes. The points you earned on completing your S rank exam gave our whole group enough base points to pass on our own. We¡¯re all sitting at at least Bronze rank. Xavier is Silver D.¡± She said with a wide smile. ¡°Wow okay. I must be lucky, I guess.¡± I shrugged. ¡°No, no. That wasn¡¯t luck. We all saw it. You were smart enough to bait him into overextending and then you took the advantage to strike right at it¡¯s weak point. That was pure strategy. No-one was expecting you to kill him, most of us didn¡¯t even expect you to survive. Not even the QuarterMaster.¡± She was bouncing around excited in her chair when she was talking. ¡°So, what kind of exams did the rest of you do?¡± I wanted to know what everyone else had done while I was out. Without even blinking she began rattling off each person¡¯s exams. Krista and Julia had somehow selected a one star C rank exam that let the two of them team up. It was some kind of hedge maze where Julia had been blinded and Krista was transformed into pixie that had to direct her through verbal instructions. They managed to just narrowly avoid Julia falling into a spike trap when she refused to listen to Krista¡¯s vague directions. Luca had managed to find a 3 star D rank exam that made him compete in a race against a tortoise while he was dressed like some kind of rabbit. It had been exceptionally easy at first until he had to answer riddles to move forward. Octavia said he almost failed, but Cyrus, who had woken up before me, was able to come in and give some limited hints which gave him the right answers. Xavier had gone last and gotten into a minor fight with Cyrus because he wanted to pick an 2 Star A rank bounty exam. He was eventually convinced into a 4 Star B rank collection exam that saw him having to climb to the top of a unstable metal structure to retrieve an bird¡¯s egg. He¡¯d also been able to keep the egg afterwards and it had hatched into small gray owl that was now trying to make a home in his hair. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°And what kind of exam did you do?¡± I asked noticing she had skipped over her own exam. She stopping looking excited and started to look down and away. ¡°I picked a 3 Star C exam. It was a boss exam like yours, but different.¡± She said. ¡°Oh. Different how? What did you have to beat?¡± ¡°So¡­ Mine wasn¡¯t a kill quest. It was a test of knowledge.¡± She was squirming in her seat beside my bed. ¡°Oh, like a quiz?¡± I asked. ¡°In a way. I was presented with a set of ingredients on a table and the room was slowly filling with water. There was a timer like yours and I had to figure out how to make a potion to survive drowning before time ran out.¡± ¡°Oh hell. So you made some kind of like breathing water potion?¡± ¡°Well. That was what I thought, but I noticed it was actually a trap. It looked like the ingredients were there for a water breathing potion, but it wasn¡¯t quite right. So I modified it.¡± ¡°You modified it how?¡± I asked not sure what she was so uncomfortable about. She slowly reached up and pulled down the collar of her uniform to reveal she a set of gills in each side. She had a small water tank wrapped around her neck that I could see bubbling as she breathed. ¡°It not permanent, I hope. I¡¯m actually staying in the bed next to yours while they try and treat me. So don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll have company while you recover.¡± She smiled weakly at me and rested her hand on my arm. I placed my hand on hers by instinct and she didn¡¯t pull away. We made eye contact. Neither of us saying a word. Huh. I could feel that cold spot in my chest warming slightly. The door of the room slammed open and the most ostentatiously dressed woman walked through the door followed by a smaller woman with a clipboard. Octavia froze. This woman wore a powerful white pantsuit, a white pussy bow blouse and an albino white lizard sitting on her shoulder. ¡°Great Grams?¡± She said her eyes wide and fixed on the woman. The woman removed her sunglasses and handed them to the smaller woman who took them and placed them quickly in a small pouch. Her eyes were the same emerald green as Octavia¡¯s. She walked over to us and I could hear the clicking of her high heels on the marble floor echoing in the long hall of beds. She stopped at the end of my bed and stood there with her hands on her hips. She resembled an older, meaner Octavia. ¡°You¡¯re barely at this school a day and I¡¯m already visiting you in the medical hall, poppit.¡± She said making a tsk tsk noise. ¡°And who¡¯s this?¡± She looked at me. I looked awkwardly at Octavia then back to the woman. ¡°I¡¯m August. And you are?¡± I asked. Her jaw dropped and she looked like I¡¯d just slapped here in the face. ¡°Who am I? Who am I?¡± She looked to Octavia and the smaller lady with her, who¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t changed or faultered at all. ¡°Have you been living in a cave?¡± ¡°No. Just in Queens.¡± I said matter of factly wondering why she was so shocked I didn¡¯t know her. I tried to remember what Cyrus had told me about Octavia being famous. Who had he said she was? ¡°Oh! You¡¯re the lizard spit wizard!¡± I said. Octavia snorted and covered a laugh. Her Grandmother, who I now remembered as Alexandra Hopp, did not laugh. She puckered her lips up and squinted clearly annoyed. I tried to correct the situation. ¡°I really like your Coffee, Ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± She said her expression turing to a shade of furious. Somehow I had made things worse. ¡°Listen here, child. You can call me one thing and one thing only. That¡¯s Hopp. Headmaster Hopp. Understood?¡± Chapter 14 - Undercover My first official day as a student had gone both spectacularly great and abysmally bad. After I¡¯d accidentally insulted my new headmaster I was taken promptly to her office to be reprimanded for punching out my teacher. She was standing by the windows near the back of the room talking to someone. It seemed like she had an actual corner office. It looked out on to the school grounds and I could see the sun had set fully now. She¡¯d asked me to sit down and be quiet until she was done. After she¡¯d made a flourish with her own wand and a face of a man I¡¯d never seen before appeared out of a pool of water sitting on a stand that resembled a bird bath. I couldn¡¯t hear what the two of them were saying so she¡¯d probably cast some kind of mute spell. I was sitting in a large plush chair in front of a large desk. I had expected it to be piled with stacks of parchments or a melted candle or two, maybe even a feather quill and ink pot like an old wizened scholar would have. Instead the Headmaster¡¯s desk resembled a modern CEO¡¯s. It had her name on a small gold placard and it was sharp and angular. It didn¡¯t have a single stack of paper on it, but it did have a picture of a group of people huddled together in safari outfits posing next to a jeep. One of them looked a lot like Octavia, which I assumed must have been Headmaster Hopp in her earlier years. I didn¡¯t recognize the other 5 people in the photo, but suddenly I heard a familiar voice chime in. ¡°Wow. That Headmaster lady, She looks a lot like your little girlfriend from earlier huh?¡± Shadow said. I flinched hearing his voice talking directly into my mind. I had completely forgotten the deal we made. He was now able to piggy back off the signals from my optic nerve so he could see what I did. He still wasn¡¯t able to see exactly what I did, but more like an interpretation of the scene recreated inside my soul ocean for him. I actively had to hold back a response. Could I just think one back and he¡¯d know? ¡°Yes, you can.¡± Shadow said. I twitched again with the voice. This would take a lot of getting used to. ¡°Is there anyway to turn this off?¡± I thought back to shadow in response. ¡°Yeah, but where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± Shadow replied. Each time he did I felt that coldness in my chest swell. ¡°You¡¯re going to explain it to me later. For now, just be quiet.¡± I replied. ¡°So, I guess you don¡¯t want to know what she¡¯s talking about then?¡± Shadow mused. ¡°What? How can you hear them when I can¡¯t?¡± I asked. ¡°Because I can see flames as well remember?¡± He said. ¡°Right.¡± I said skeptically. ¡°So, what is she saying?¡± ¡°Well, that other man isn¡¯t physically here so I can¡¯t read his so it¡¯s only half a conversation. She¡¯s asking if there¡¯s any report? I think he works for her. She¡¯s listening mostly, but she¡¯s not happy with whatever he¡¯s saying.¡± Shadow said. ¡°Oh. Now that¡¯s really interesting. She¡¯s asking about you.¡± ¡°Me? Why?¡± I said a little taken back. ¡°Hmmmm. She wants to know your background. I think maybe this guy is some kind of private investigator. She¡¯s talking about your lack of a digital footprint and some kind of issue with tracking down your family history. Oh. She¡¯s finished, heads up.¡± Shadow said suddenly wrapping up as Headmaster Hopp dismissed the watery face and turned around to face me. ¡°Apologies. That was an urgent work call.¡± She said as she settled into her chair. As she did she reached up behind her and scratched the head of what I thought was an ornamental reptile carving on the chair¡¯s frame. The lizard¡¯s scales all changed colour and it climbed down onto her shoulders. It¡¯s scales shimmered again and it seemed to change into a scarflike texture and settled like it wasn¡¯t even there. It was a bizarre phenomenon to witness. It was like a chameleon that took camouflage to the extreme. The headmaster didn¡¯t seem phased. I would have to get used to really odd shit like this happening more frequently if I wanted to fit in. ¡°Well. Where do I even start with you, August?¡± Headmaster Hopp said as she sat down across from me. Her tone was one of exhaustion. ¡°Firstly, I¡¯ll need to address something with you that requires a touch of finesse. Do not take this as an endorsement of your behaviour. Because it¡¯s not. However, I do need to congratulate you on achieving one of the highest scores on a opening exam we¡¯ve seen for a new student. And certainly the highest score for anyone without a background in magical studies or no knowledge of the magical world.¡± She allowed a moment for the compliment to set in. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was meant to smile or anything so I just said the first thing that came to mind. ¡°I think I was just lucky, but thank you.¡± I said. She forced back a smile. It seemed she was struggling to remain stoic and authoritative. ¡°Luck isn¡¯t a stat we track here.¡± She said. ¡°But contrary to popular belief, it is indeed managed by the system here.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re saying you can see my luck stat?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, just like strength and intellect, you have a luck stat. It plays a lot into the system. If we¡¯re being honest, and I hope that going forward the two of us can be honest with each other, the luck stat was a by product of the QuarterMaster system trying to balance things between skill or knowledge gaps. It¡¯s colloquially called your ¡°Chaos¡± stat here among the facility.¡± She seemed to relax into her chair as she spoke. I wondered why she was being so casual now. ¡°So what¡¯s my luck at?¡± I asked. ¡°Well. We¡¯re not able see it anymore. The system removed all visibility of it. It led to unforeseen bias from the teachers here. A high luck stat meant the system preferred you over the other students when receiving items or bonuses.¡± ¡°So there¡¯s no way to know?¡± ¡°Well, August. There¡¯s certain tells we¡¯ve been able to identify. Firstly, with you. We¡¯ve already seen our first appearance of the personal announcement. You remember your fight with the Cyclops when the QuarterMaster spoke directly to everyone?¡± She said. I remembered that booming voice coming in right before the fight and announcing the special win condition. ¡°Yes. It was a little strange.¡± I noted. ¡°And doesn¡¯t usually happen until well into half way through the year.¡± She said. ¡°That¡¯s not the usual way we can figure it out. Usually we gauge it on the amount of asterisks you¡¯re getting on items. Yours was almost like a bright neon sign of the QuarterMaster saying ¡®here¡¯s my favourite this year¡¯.¡± She said with a pained smile. ¡°Wow.¡± I said a little taken aback. ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. That¡¯s always a double edged sword, August.¡± ¡°Being lucky?¡± I asked perplexed. I¡¯d always relied on my good luck. Headmaster Hopp sighed. ¡°The QuarterMaster isn¡¯t here at the moment, there¡¯s a few places in the school where it¡¯s not allowed to listen. So, I can say this openly. Have you ever been on a rollercoaster, but everything seems to be going a little too slow?¡± She said. I nodded wondering where this might go. ¡°The QuarterMaster is the architect here, I may be the headmaster, but my powers extend only as far as the system allows. The QuarterMaster is in essence a teaching system. It introduces a problem and pushes you to solve it. But it¡¯s self aware enough to tailor that problem in line with the individuals skill and ability to solve the problem. And if at any point it thinks the ride as been too smooth for you. It¡¯ll introduce a new twist in the track. Do you understand what I mean?¡± She said with with air of utter seriousness. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I understand.¡± I said, not really grasping the full extent, but I could see a warning where there was one. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s move on. I¡¯ve got a few questions about your background August.¡± She stood up and moved to the far window. She pulled out her wand and tapped the glass with it. It changed and instead of showing the school grounds it showed a scene I¡¯d never seen before of an old decaying mansion. It had vines covering a lot of the building, but I could see that it still looked like someone had been living there recently. ¡°Oh shit! Don¡¯t worry. Just repeat after me alright?¡± Shadow suddenly said. I tried not to jolt. Headmaster Hopp began to speak. ¡°So, this is where you grew up?¡± She asked. ¡°Just say, Yes.¡± Shadow said. ¡°Yes.¡± I repeated. ¡°And your father, you never knew him?¡± She said. I tried not to show my confusion. Shadow spoke directly into my head. ¡°I¡¯ll explain it later, just repeat the words. Trust me.¡± Shadow said. I repeated the answers word for word as he spoke them into my head. ¡°No. I only met him once as a child. What does he have to do with anything?¡± I repeated, trying my best to sound upset. In truth I was a little upset by the questions as I didn¡¯t like lying about my parents ever. ¡°Calm down.¡± She said. Clearly I¡¯d done a good enough job that she had bought the lie. ¡°There¡¯s very little here about your background so I¡¯m just looking for some clarity.¡± ¡°Fine. Go ahead.¡± I repeated shadows words again. ¡°So, you only recently learned you were the last remaining relative of the Tenebrion family, how did that make you feel?¡± she asked. I didn¡¯t even wait for shadow to respond before I spoke for this one. ¡°Confused.¡± I said genuinely. ¡°I was going to say relieved, but confused works.¡± Shadow said. ¡°But hey, try not to deviate too much, I¡¯ve got strict instructions on how this is meant to go.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± Headmaster Hopp said nodding. She tapped the glass again and the vision changed to a group of people who were huddled on their knees in what seemed like a old style wooden platform. I realized immediately where they were. ¡°Is that a guillotine?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes. This is a recording taken a year ago. These criminals are being readied to face the executioner.¡± She tapped the glass and the vision pushed in on one of the faces. They looked up and their expression was one of pure hatred and rage. Tears streamed down their face and their nose was caked with dried blood. Their face made my blood freeze. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ looks like my father.¡± I said shocked. Shadow spoke directly again, ¡°Keep it cool, August. Don¡¯t blow this.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s dead.¡± I said not listening. ¡°We thought so too.¡± She seemed confused by my reaction. I stood and moved closer to the screen. The recording continued as they placed the man into the guillotine and locked him in. He was shouting something, but no sound was being produced by the recording. We both watched as the blade fell and swiftly severed his head from his body. I shuddered as it fell to the floor and rolled away. ¡°Apologies. I thought you hated the man.¡± Headmaster Hopp said with genuine concern in her voice. I heard shadow shout something in my head and I did my best to repeat it. ¡°Family is complicated.¡± I repeated. Then I added something of my own. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know that.¡± She looked back at me and I couldn¡¯t read the expression on her face as either anger or regret. ¡°Moving on. This is another recording from three days ago.¡± She tapped the glass again and the vision changed to a blurry video of someone breaking into a bank vault using what looked like a wand to melt the lock away. They turned up to look directly at us and then used that same wand to destroy whatever was recording them. Headmaster Hopp slid her wand across the glass and the recording rewound to the moment just before the figure fired with their wand. It showed my father¡¯s face staring back at us. ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡± I said. ¡°And yet, here it is.¡± She said. ¡°This has to be fake. Somebody tampered with the recording of the video.¡± I yelled. ¡°That¡¯s a little hard to do. It¡¯s pulled from one of the vault gargoyle¡¯s brain directly. What we¡¯re looking at is their direct memory of the event. And to change something¡¯s memories takes tremendous time and effort.¡± ¡°Okay so someone was using a magical disguise then. My father is dead, I buried him myself.¡± I said. I heard shadow yelling to be quiet, but I was beyond listening to him now. ¡°I don¡¯t deny that. But we can¡¯t rule anything out.¡± She said and tapped the glass again. The recording disappeared and the view of the grounds returned. She turned to face me and looked at me square in the eyes with those same green eyes Octavia has. ¡°Are you here working for your father?¡± ¡°What? He¡¯s dead!¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked.¡± ¡°No, the answer is no. I am not working for my father.¡± I said. She seemed to relax. I didn¡¯t notice until now, but her grip on her wand had turned her knuckles white. She sighed and slumped back into her chair. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± I had my fists balled up as well and I let my grip go. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± I asked. ¡°I needed to know where you stood, August. You might not have been raised as one, but your blood is still Tenebrion. We couldn¡¯t take that chance. Please sit, sit. The hard stuff is out of the way now. We can talk about the real issue.¡± She said gesturing to the chair. I breathed out slowly and thought in my head a response to shadow. You and I need to talk. You¡¯ll have a lot to explain, I thought. I didn¡¯t get a clear response, but I felt like he was agreeing in silence. ¡°So, No one else, but a few of the staff really know your true name. For the time being, keep playing the part of August Adams.¡± ¡°Playing the part? August Adams is real.¡± I said matter of factly. She cocked her head and tapped her wand making it spark. ¡°That¡¯s interesting. You must really believe that.¡± She said. I looked at her confused. Of course I did. ¡°Sorry, the truth dome spell cast in here makes us both a little more forthcoming than we usually are.¡± I nearly stopped dead. ¡°Truth dome spell?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh yes, yes. It just makes it so no one inside can tell a lie, but it¡¯s based on the perspective of the person.¡± She said clearly not noticing the cold sweat that was creeping down my forehead. I heard shadow take in a sharp breath. ¡°Haha. Yeah. Weird.¡± I said not really sure of a better response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The really hard questions are over. We¡¯ll be moving on to your punishment for punching Professor Cyrus.¡± She said. I breathed a sigh of relief and I heard Shadow do the same. ¡°So, First things first. If we were allowed to we would demote you back into Iron rank, but the system doesn¡¯t allow us to revoke a rank once it¡¯s been awarded. So, we¡¯ve compromised. You¡¯ll be assigned special duty as a Professor¡¯s aide.¡± ¡°Not to Professor Cyrus, right?¡± I grimaced. ¡°No. That wouldn¡¯t be all that helpful. The man teaches literature for merlin¡¯s sake.¡± She said. I noted that she¡¯d used merlin as a curse word there. Did that make him a real guy? ¡°He¡¯s a bit of a big deal here.¡± I heard Shadow say in my mind. I really needed to find a way to turn this connection off when I wanted. ¡°The Professor you¡¯ll be assisting is his partner, Professor Dos.¡± She said. ¡°The Professor is in charge of your first classes anyway so it¡¯s going to work out quite well. The thing is he¡¯s recently had a bit of a relapse and is in need of a someone to be his sober companion. Professor Cyrus usually would take the class, but with his son as a member of the class we can¡¯t risk there being any bias or favoritism. So Dos will take charge of this year¡¯s class of new students. I think the focus will be good for him while he manages his condition. But you¡¯ll be there to assist him should anything go awry.¡± ¡°Me? Do you really think I¡¯m the most qualified for the position? I mean I¡¯m the one who fed him the biscuit.¡± I said feeling a small tinge of guilt. ¡°All the more reason to make it up to him then.¡± She had stood now and was making her way over to the other side of the desk. She motioned for me to stand and it was very clear the conversation was at an end. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my granddaughter will also be assisting you in these duties. So you two will be spending a lot of time together. So, it¡¯s not all that much of a punishment, is it?¡± She winked slightly as she said it. ¡°Alright! Astrid will see you out. I hope to never need to see you in my office again this year!¡± She promptly pushed me out of the door and without a another word she slammed her office door behind me. The Lady with the clipboard from earlier was standing waiting for me. ¡°Astrid?¡± I asked. The serious looking woman¡¯s face didn¡¯t change as she turned and walked down the hall. She turned back and looked at me. ¡°Do I follow you?¡± She didn¡¯t flinch or blink. ¡°Okay then.¡± I sighed and followed her down the hall to what I could only assume was my first class. Chapter 15 - The Semester Begins Astrid did not say anything as we walked to the classroom. It was perfect as the silence gave me time to press Shadow for answers. He started talking to me before I had a chance to ask him. ¡°Okay, Okay. Buddy. Listen. I may have forgotten to mention something last night.¡± Shadow began. You think? Who the hell are the Tenebrions and why am I suddenly being called their last remaining relative? I thought back. ¡°It¡¯s your cover story. This school, it¡¯s not all that easy to get into. Ya see they¡¯ve got this bee in their bonnets about students needing to be from a particular lineage. So we needed a way to achieve that. So, weren¡¯t we just absolutely ecstatic when managed to find a disgraced family with a missing male heir. Honestly, it was almost too perfect.¡± Shadow said. So, I¡¯m. playing the part of this forgotten son? ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the exact part. But don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s easily explained why you don¡¯t know magic even coming from this family. And like that hot old lady said, only a few people really know about it. Just keep playing the part of being an idiot about magic.¡± Shadow replied. That¡¯s not a part, I am an idiot about magic. ¡°Nice, then it will be easy.¡± Okay, but what the hell was all that with that man at the execution? I yelled into my head. There was a long silence before Shadow spoke again. ¡°That was the family¡¯s patriarch, Rufus Tenebrion.¡± Shadow said. ¡°I guess you¡¯d call him a terrorist. He¡¯d probably call himself a revolutionary. He¡¯s on the extremist end of our cause. Oh shit.¡± Shadow said immediately realizing he¡¯d said too much. I took a second to process that piece of information. Our cause? What does that mean? Is this guy a member of the Collective? I asked. ¡°Uhhh¡­ No. Not officially. But we share a common goal. It¡¯s just the values that aren¡¯t quite aligned¡­¡± Shadow said. And those goals are what? ¡°Rufus is all about breaking down the the rules around magic. They want to get rid of the whole system of the people in power making all the choices about who can use magic and how they get to use it.¡± And the Collective is after that same thing? ¡°In a sense. But they prefer to take less radical measures.¡± But like aren¡¯t you made of magic? The Collective has imprisoned you haven¡¯t they? ¡°That¡¯s not entirely accurate. If I hadn¡¯t made a deal with them I¡¯d be in a lot worse place right now. It doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t still try and get out. We both will.¡± Shadow said. I nodded. I felt like I¡¯d probably gotten a lot more out of Shadow than they¡¯d intended to tell me. Should I push my luck? ¡°What do you mean, push your luck?¡± Shadow said. Damn it. I keep forgetting you¡¯re in my head. ¡°Just ask it.¡± Shadow said. Why did that man have my father¡¯s face? I finally asked after a moment of silence. I could tell somehow that Shadow was trying to think of an answer. ¡°I don¡¯t actually know, Kid. Truely, that part is beyond my understanding.¡± Shadow finally said. ¡°Listen, I need to take a moment here to update Avendhal on our progress, so I¡¯ll be out of commission for a few. If you need anything urgent, bring out the book and I¡¯ll be pulled into the moment.¡± Shadow said leaving me with some things to think about. Thankfully Astrid still hadn¡¯t said a word or acknowledged me. We walked for another few minutes until she finally stopped. She just stood by a door briefly and turned to face me. I walked up to stand with her. ¡°Is this my class?¡± I asked. She didn¡¯t nodd or say anything. Instead she just stood there staring at me. I reached down and began to open the door and as I did she promptly turned and left. ¡°Bye Astrid, Thanks for all the help! Loved our chat.¡± I yelled sarcastically after her. She suddenly stopped and turned around. She nodded and then just as quickly turned back and continued to walk away. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. As I slid open the door I was immediately hit with the smell of sulfur and I saw the source of it standing at the bottom of the tiered seating of the lecture room. Professor Dos, stood slightly hunched and was writing something on the board with his wand. I looked around the room which was smaller than I imagined it would be. It had large tall windows across the top of the room which were separated by light gray columns. The walls were also half that same shade of light gray at the top, but half way down they became detailed wood panels that matched the colour of the wooden tiered seating which was arranged in a semi-circle around the pit at the bottom with the professor¡¯s desk and blackboard. When I looked up I noticed the ceiling looked like it housed an artificial sky complete with small clouds. The Professor turned to face me as I entered and his fiery red glowing eyes flashed. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was grimacing at me or if that was just how he looked as a hellhound. ¡°Mr Adams. Or do you prefer Tenebrion?¡± Professor Dos said in that low growl of a voice. ¡°Adams is fine.¡± I said. The professor nodded and seemed to accept that response as no further discussion was needed. There was a moment of nothing that passed between us just looking at each other before the professor turned back to the board and continued writing with his wand. It seemed he was writing in a language I couldn¡¯t read. ¡°I was impressed by your exam performance. Killing a grecian monster is no easy feat.¡± Dos said addressing me suddenly. ¡°It was definitely something.¡± I said not sure if I really wanted to be complimented on my ability to kill something. I did suddenly remember something. ¡°Oh I need to thank you for the wand. I¡¯d be dead without it.¡± Professor Dos snorted back a laugh. ¡°A wand is only as good as the one that holds it. That¡¯s your first lesson. Now, take a seat. Octavia will be here soon.¡± He said shooing me away. I moved and sat down at the back of the room. ¡°Not there. You¡¯re in the front row.¡± He pointed to the seat closest to the board at the front right. I sighed. I was definitely more of a back row student. I noticed that smell of sulfur had begun to dissipate the more I spent time in the room. There were a few awkward moments where Professor Dos wrote on the board in complete silence. I finally spoke after a good minute or so. ¡°Am I going to have to learn that language here?¡± I asked the Professor. He turned and seemed to be confused by this question. Then he chuckled. ¡°This? No, no. This isn¡¯t a language. It¡¯s a ritual spell casting.¡± The Professor said turning back to the board again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s not part of our first lesson today. I put this up on the board each year to see if anyone can complete it.¡± ¡°Oh like good will hunting?¡± I said. ¡°Who is will? And why is he hunting?¡± The Professor said. ¡°No, it¡¯s a popular film.¡± ¡°And this hunter named Will solves magic equations?¡± ¡°No, he, no, nevermind.¡± I said knowing when to quit. ¡°So how many times has it been solved?¡± ¡°Never.¡± Professor Dos said. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know right now because you seem like the type to try. It¡¯s not meant to be solved.¡± Dos tapped finished up writing and tapped the board. It spun around and revealed a new fresh one. I wondered why the professor would put up an equation that wasn¡¯t meant to be solved. ¡°So why do you write it?¡± I asked. Before he could answer a sweet feminine voice interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s to teach us a lesson in futility. About facing something impossible and realizing it¡¯s okay to give up.¡± Octavia beaming and walking up to join us at the front of the class. I smiled at her as she sat down at the seat next to mine. Professor Dos snorted. ¡°If that¡¯s your interpretation, Miss Quinn. That¡¯s neither right or wrong.¡± He said. Octavia seemed frustrated by that answer and made a face that I thought looked like a toddler being told they couldn¡¯t have ice cream for dinner. It looked like she noticed I was staring and she averted her gaze looking embarrassed. I held back a little chuckle and turned to the Professor who was attempting to sit down at the desk. It had a chair that was clearly not made for a large hellhound and he elected to push it aside and sit at attention like a dog. Again I had to hold back a chuckle. ¡°So Professor, I hope you teach actual magic and you¡¯re not some kind of art teacher.¡± I joked. Professor Dos smiled. ¡°Yes Mr Adams, I do. Although I am quite good with water colours.¡± The Professor said. It seemed like he wasn¡¯t as gruff as I¡¯d assumed. He even seemed to have a sense of humour. Octavia giggled at his joke and he smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s a relief she said. As much as I liked Mr Cyrus, I wasn¡¯t entirely interesting in learning about magical literature.¡± I said. Octavia¡¯s head snapped to look at me with a look of pure shock. ¡°You don¡¯t? But think of all we could learn! We could study the lost scrolls of the library of alexandria or The Hermes Alchemia or Homer¡¯s Unwritten Epics! There¡¯s such a rich world of words to explore there!¡± She said practically stumbling over her words as she rattled them all off too quickly. ¡°Uhh, Did you say Homer? Like from the simpsons?¡± I said. ¡°The¡­ The simpsons?!¡± Octavia said. She looked outraged and only noticed my sly grin a moment later. ¡°Oh you were joking.¡± She smiled. ¡°For a minute there I thought you might be a idiot.¡± She said returning with a jibe of her own. I laughed. ¡°Oh if there¡¯s one thing you¡¯ll come to realize about me, Octavia. I¡¯m most definitely an idiot." Chapter 16 - Untethered The three of us sat in the lecture theatre for a good 5 minutes talking and making conversation before the rest of the students began to file in. In that time I learned that Octavia had asked to be a professor¡¯s assistant and originally was assigned to Professor Cyrus. I also learned that he had been recently promoted to dean of our year as a result of ¡®exemplary performance¡¯ so she had been reassigned here. Octavia seemed to think my S rank exam completion had been a big contributing factor to that. As the rest of the students came in and took their seats I recognized a few of the faces. All of our group from the exam was here, Julia, Krista, Luca, and Xavier. Luca came up and sat next to Octavia and smiled at both of us. Krista tried to take a seat near us as well, but Julia dragged her to the back and sat next to Xavier who had already taken a seat in the corner of the back row. Julia scowled at Octavia as usual. Another face I recognized came in and made a beeline for a seat behind me. It was the girl with the pink hair. She sat down and I caught a heavy scent of vanilla that was almost too sweet. She leaned forward and whispered. ¡°You¡¯re August right? Loved your performance in the arena yesterday.¡± She said. Wait, yesterday? I didn¡¯t realize it had been a another full day. ¡°Uhh thanks. Nice to meet you, um¡­?¡± I stammered out not sure if I was meant to know her name. ¡°Hyacinth, pleasure is all mine.¡± She said extending an arm to shake my hand. I awkwardly turned to shake her hand and she smiled. I noticed she had long manicured nails each painted with a different small picture. She noticed I was looking at them. ¡°Cute huh? I got them done while I was in Japan last week. Have you ever been?¡± She said. ¡°No, I¡¯ve never even left New York.¡± I said slightly embarrassed. ¡°Well, now you have, hun.¡± She said. I was so taken aback by the use of the word hun that I nearly didn¡¯t realize the meaning of what she said. ¡°Wait, we¡¯re not in New York?¡± I asked her. ¡°Oh, You¡¯re cute! We¡¯re not even in America anymore.¡± She said laughing with that high pitched giggle. ¡°Can you two stop flirting for a second, Professor Dos is about to start class.¡± Octavia said quite sternly ¡°Wha-Flirting? We¡¯re not-¡± I began to protest. ¡°Shhhh.¡± Octavia said. Hyacinth just cocked and eyebrow at Octavia and put her hands up like she was saying ¡®Sorry, my bad¡¯. ¡°Alright girl.¡± Hyacinth said. ¡°We¡¯ll pick this up later, hun.¡± She said giving me a wink. I saw Octavia¡¯s fist clench. I didn¡¯t realize she really like school that much. *Author¡¯s note here - Looking back at this entry I¡¯m really starting to see how stupid I was. I mouthed the word ¡®sorry¡¯ to her and she just scoffed. I would have to apologize to her later. Professor Dos cleared their throat and the murmurs of the students in the classroom died down. Professor Does rose to his full height, or at least as much as the ceiling would allow, and began pacing across the pit at the bottom of the lecture theatre. ¡°Hello Students. It¡¯s great to see you all here this year. I hope that your placement exams weren¡¯t too stressful. I can already see a lot bronze emblems here in the class, which is an amazing start to your scholastic career here. You should all be very proud of just the fact that you are sitting in this room right now.¡± He stopped and paused letting that moment linger. I saw a few of the students in the room perk up. They seemed to realize the magnitude of their achievement now that it had been pointed out. Professor Dos continued. ¡°It¡¯s precisely why you did so well on the exams that you¡¯re in this particular class.¡± The Professor raised his wand. He lowered it and the walls began to change from their light gray colour into a darker gray. Blinds on the windows began to lower and the artificial sky above darkened into a night sky complete with stars. The Professor then swished his wand and a hologram of the earth appeared in the middle of the stage he stood on. It was semi transparent and glowed. It was showing the continent of australia and slowly spun. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Question, does anyone know what this is?¡± He asked. Nobody answered immediately. I looked around wondering why. ¡°It¡¯s earth.¡± I said out loud. The professor smiled. His fiery eyes were clearly illuminated in the darkened. ¡°Yes and no.¡± He said. He swished his wand again. The globe spun and zeroed in to the united states, except it the land mass was slightly different. There was a massive line of blue ocean that ran right through the center of the continent cutting it in half vertically. ¡°This is an alternate version of our world. It¡¯s tectonic structure resulted in their americas being split by an a strait they call The Meridian Ocean. The two nations that formed on either side of the the Meridian are wildly different. The West side was settled by French explorers and is called New Arcadia. The East was never conquered and is still governed by the Natives that call it Turtle Island. They are at constant war with each other.¡± Dos turned to look at us all again. ¡°So Is this some kind of fairy tale? And what does this have to do with you? The short answer is No. It¡¯s very real. In terms of what it has to do with this class. That¡¯s where I need the long answer.¡± He swished his wand and the room returned to it¡¯s daylight version. It was kind of like he¡¯d switched the room back to light mode. The gobe remained there still slowly spinning. ¡°Does anyone know where magic comes from?¡± He asked. Again there was silence in the room. I looked at Octavia thinking she might know the answer. She looked just as confused as I was, but she shrugged and her hand shot up. ¡°You don¡¯t need to put your hand up to answer or ask a question here Miss Quinn. We¡¯re not in grade school anymore.¡± Otavia hesitantly lowered her hand. ¡°Oh right. Umm is it our Soul Oceans?¡± She said genuinely unsure if that was the answer. Dos smiled. ¡°Very good, but not quite. That¡¯s where magic accumulates in our body and soul. But where does that energy come from?¡± He looked around the room. He seemed to spy someone in the back row. ¡°Mr Cyrus, care to contribute us?¡± He asked. We all pivoted to look at Xavier who lounged back in his chair with his feet up on the pew in front. The girl who was sitting there looked uncomfortable with his feet so close to her face and was leaning away. Xavier quickly put his feet down and stood up. It was clear he had been dozing off. He rubbed his eyes and stared at everyone looking at him. ¡°Sorry Sir, uh what was the question?¡± Xavier asked. A couple of the students snickered. Professor Dos did not look amused. ¡°If you plan to sleep in my lectures, Mr Cyrus, I suggest you at least know the material you¡¯re skipping out on. Now, can you tell me where magic comes from?¡± He asked. Xavier slowly sat down, but his signature air of on chalance returned. ¡°Oh, obviously it¡¯s our soul ocean.¡± He said. The rest of the students began to laugh out loud now. Xavier looked around confused. ¡°Thank you, But Mr Adams had already offered that response. Okay. If no one else knows I¡¯ll just move on.¡± Dos said shaking his head. I hadn¡¯t paid attention to the exchange. Something in my mind had me fixated on the spinning globe in front of me. It just felt¡­ off. ¡°It¡¯s dying, isn¡¯t it?¡± I said quietly. The Professor stopped and turned to look at me. I wasn¡¯t sure how he¡¯d heard me until I remembered he was basically part dog and must have insanely good hearing. ¡°What was that Mr Adams? Can you repeat that for the class?¡± He said. His busy tail had begun to sway a little like it was trying to wag with excitement. ¡°Oh. I said the world looks a little wrong. Like it¡¯s dying.¡± I said. The Professor clapped his hands loudly most of the students flinched. ¡°Well done, August. That¡¯s exactly right.¡± He said. He turned back to the spinning hologram and did a flourish with his wand. The globe started to blacken and decay like it was withering and dying. It continued to crumble and flake away piece by piece until all that was left behind was what looked like a cloud of nebulous gas. ¡°This is magic. When a universe with magic dies, it leaves behind all it¡¯s potential magical energy. That¡¯s then absorbed into the nearest aligned world. Usually that¡¯s world that¡¯s the closest match to that world¡¯s current state. However, if a conduit is present at the time of collapse that magic can be siphoned to another world instead. That brings me back to what our class will be handling. Welcome Class. Starting today, you¡¯re all on the path to becoming a Conduit.¡±