by J. J. Thorn
“Now, let’s start with the fledgling crafters. Firstly, if you have not yet selected a specific craft to focus on, do not feel disheartened. General Crafting can be taken again, and may help guide you further towards a specific path. If you have already chosen your path, I recommend taking the class that best represents what you will be doing.
“For some, that might mean blacksmithing, engineering, alchemy, or another option. All can be taken multiple times and your professors can continue to help you as you progress through your abilities. My suggestion is to make sure you are also taking courses that compliment your craft that you might not have considered. For example, blacksmiths should aim to take Geology and Mining as well, at a minimum. Alchemists should be taking both Herbology and Animals and Monsters, at a minimum.
“For Dungeoneers, I recommend General Fitness if you have not already taken it. Weapons training will help, but not as much. If you haven’t already, I recommend taking Monster Behaviour and Survival as well.
“Now, the following suggestions are viable for all of you. This is not a sales pitch for you to return next year, but you’ll start to notice that there are too many classes for you to take. As such, you will need to be as specific as you can right now.
“So, the first suggestion is Dungeon Economics. Our world’s economy is driven based on Dungeons, and you would be remiss to not understand some of how that works. The class compresses a lot of what you might learn in the real world.
“The second suggestion is more controversial. General Energy Manipulation. For most of you, you will never have the option to use your Energy effectively. You can still be successful, but your chances in any career path increase as your proficiency increases. So, even though you won’t be able to use anything you learn until Rank 2, it will help you in the future to know this information.
“One final note is about the professor, Sarah Wilks. For those of you who think this class is only suited for Dungeoneers, you should know that she herself is a crafter. I would recommend looking into ‘Wilk Pots’ if you don’t believe a crafter can become successful through good Energy Management.
“The third and final suggestion is also related to Energy Management. Our class has so far spent a lot of time discussing the Skills you can or might receive through the advancement of your Rank. We have also touched briefly on the ability to create Skills that are related to your Affinity. One thing that we have not discussed is the creation of General Skills.
“General Skills are Skills that any Affinity user is capable of creating through repetition and competency. They are not common, of course, otherwise, they would come up much more often, but they are effective for anyone. Which makes them special.
“At Prep, we currently offer one class that focuses on one of those General Skills— Meditation. Meditation is my final recommendation because it is useful for everyone and it may help in unlocking the Meditation General Skill.
“We will discuss General Skills more in the second semester, but if you find yourself unable to pick a class, please consider Meditation. As a note, I have 3 General Skills. We’ll discuss what those are in the second semester.
“Those are my suggestions. There are countless other classes that are both helpful and well taught. You would be remiss to not reconsider the options you thought you would take before the beginning of this semester. Now, as I said, that is what I wanted to formally discuss for today’s class. You may now ask your questions.”
Professor Valk took a seat at the edge of the platform so she could see as many students as possible. Students started to raise their hands.
I knew that I was most interested in General Skills but knew I could wait until the next semester. I had enough to worry about already. Instead, my mind went back to what she had said about Professor Wilks. I knew she had a CLAY Affinity and was a crafter but had never taken the time to look into her.
I knew some crafters could be successful but didn’t believe she was one of them because of how young she seemed.
Slowly, the questions started piling up.
One guy even asked if he could pay a Professor to train him during the break. Probably a noble, but the Professor answered him either way – No.
“I’m stuck at twenty-five percent. Can you tell me what I’m doing wrong?”
“Why are you recommending Energy Manipulation when most of us have SWORD or SHIELD as our Affinity?”
“What can we expect when we do eventually Rank up? Will it hurt?”
“Is there any class that lets us spar with other students?”
“Can you tell us more about the tournament?”
“What about Evocations and Projections, are those good classes?”
“What about people who want to go down a more scientific or research-focused path, what do you suggest?”
“How much does it cost to stay at Prep after the year is over?”
Questions continued until the end of the class before we were dismissed for the next three weeks.
Chapter 10 – FINALLY!
“Over the last four months, we have spent a lot of time talking about ethics.
“We learned about ethical dilemmas.
“We learned about the humanity of sentient monsters.
“We learned about the concept of good versus evil.
“We learned about what it means to make a hard decision.
“We learned…
“We learn…
“Learn…
“L…”
Holy shit.
Get me out of this class.
Thirty minutes into class and the Ethics Professor has spent the full time describing…
Every…
Single…
Thing he has taught so far.
If he wasn’t boring and monotonous before, hearing him state the same thing constantly was bordering on torture.
Ethics was and continues to be, the worst decision I made all semester. The concept is interesting, and some of the readings we did were interesting, but this professor was not.
And to make things worse, this was my last possible class before the semester was over!
Two more hours of him droning on was almost worth it. Almost.
After Monday’s General Magic Studies course, Dungeoneering had also been mainly a recap of what we already learned. Dungeoneering 2 would pick up where Dungeoneering 1 left off for those who continued with the course. The whole group was going to stay in the course, thankfully, so we didn’t have to worry about finding a new teammate.
General Training had gotten back to our regular exercises after Grant and Albus’ classes. I planned to continue those drills into next semester, but would miss Gaunt and his motivation skills.
Monster Behaviour class still had us presenting until the very end. The book was massive, and the library was full of resources that could have made that class go on for years. Regardless, I still enjoyed learning about new monsters constantly.
General Energy Manipulation had been a lot of the same as well.
But Ethics was about to drive me crazy. So instead of listening to the professor, I decided to practice with my Skill. My progress was so close to Rank 2, but I hadn’t made it in time for the Hunting Trip.
Current Progress.
Affinity : Weight
Rank 1 – View Weight – 98%
Energy : 25/26
Even at 98%, I couldn’t believe how many ways I could potentially improve my ‘View Weight’ Rank 1 Skill.
I used it on Professor Dull. ‘View Weight’.
190 pounds!
He weighed slightly more than me but was shorter and in much worse shape. Regardless, his weight took a back seat as I considered what else I could do to advance my Affinity.
I started to write down the things I had been able to accomplish so far with just my ‘View Weight’ skill. So far, I had learned to:
Speed up how quickly the Skill could be used.
View the weight of larger objects.
Track
a person’s weight during movement.
Determine the weight of humans, monsters, projections, animals, and more.
Keep their weight up for longer.
There were more, but these were some of what I believed to be the most important. Five was my most recent accomplishment. When I used to use the Skill regularly, the weight would appear and disappear almost instantaneously.
In my practice, I realized that I could keep it there for longer if I used more Energy. Of course, this wasn’t useful for my Rank 1 Skill, but for future Skills, I knew it could be invaluable.
I currently had two main obstacles. The first was to try and view multiple weights at the same time. I could see the weight of multiple things in quick succession, but still couldn’t do so for multiple targets at a time. Despite trying for at least two months, it would never work.
Jen had given me some tips on how she was able to create two swords, but the concept didn’t seem to apply, and I hadn’t made any progress.
The second obstacle was trying to shorten the words I needed to say to initiate the Skill. So far, I also couldn’t figure this out. I knew it was possible, but I gathered that it might be akin to creating a new Skill altogether that did the same thing as my full ability. Not insurmountable, but not something I wanted to get side-tracked on right now.
Of course, I didn’t know how my Affinity’s percentage would increase, but it had been working well so far and I chose to stick to what I was doing for now.
There were other things I knew would be theoretically possible, but I didn’t think they would be possible until I gained a better control of either my Skill or my Internal Energy. The first was the ability to measure the weight of insurmountably large things, like the planet or air itself. While I didn’t think the air would have a weight, the concept was still unique and potentially interesting. But still, it would deplete my Energy and leave me with nothing every time.
Another was the ability to make use of the person’s weight, but I knew this might come at a later Rank. The ability to make a monster weigh more or less would have ample opportunities. It also seemed overpowered, so I doubted I’d get it at Rank 2, or even Rank 3.
That wouldn’t stop me from trying.
All things considered, I knew I was doing well and even when my Rank didn’t increase, my Energy supply would. This made sure my time spent practicing wasn’t entirely wasted.
Time went on as I kept using the Skill to check everything I could see in the room. Including the room itself.
130 pounds...100 pounds...5 pounds...12,000 pounds...
I zoned back into the professor’s last few words. Just in time to hear him finish.
“Thank you all for coming and listening. I hope you will think wisely before you go out into the world killing indiscriminately.” He finished, before waving off the class.
I could have cheered, but chose to keep my cool.
I also considered trying to talk to Amanda, but after a couple failed attempts, I knew that ship had sailed. We could hold a slight conversation now, but we were just too different.
It was a wonder how I was able to keep my friendships with Jen, Britta, and Trish so strong. And Cassie too, I guess. She was hard to read.
Semester 1, done!
FINALLY!
* * * * *
“Ren, it will be fine,” Zane said for the hundredth time that morning.
“You don’t know that, Zane. John has been terrorizing me since I was a kid. This one time, he pulled up my shirt and started to make faces with my fat rolls in front of a group of girls. The girls didn’t even laugh, they just looked at me with this weird look. Like a mix of pity and guilt for not saying anything.”
“But didn’t you say everyone was a fan of his?” Zane was putting on his leather armor and strapping on daggers.
“They were! Even after that, he took the girls aside and explained that I was the one who found it funny and he was just doing it to make me feel better. We were young and everyone just believed anything he said. Plus, his friends all backed him up, so it was them versus me.”
“Well, you have nothing to worry about. I’ve been around noble kids my entire life. He sounds just like them. Pretentious, conniving, and unnecessarily charming. If I can deal with those little brats, I can deal with your cousin.”
“But—”
“No buts, we’re done with this. Do you have everything packed? We have to get going so we can meet the girls and do one final check before we head to Britta’s house.”
I sighed, recognizing that Zane was tired of hearing me go over the same worry. And to be honest, so was I. But the concept of spending a couple of weeks with John still made me worry.
“Yes, I’ve got everything. I’ve been ready for twenty minutes. You’re the one who needed to do his hair. You realize we’re about to go on a trip where we won’t be able to properly wash up for weeks. Your golden hair is going to get just as dirty as the rest of us.”
Zane was incredibly intelligent, but he was also very vain. I attributed it to his parents’ need to present him as a perfect golden child growing up, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t annoying.
“We’re meeting Gavin for the first time. We need to make a good impression. My father taught me a good impression was sometimes the most important thing you could do in any relationship. Business or otherwise.” He grabbed his bag and opened the door for us to leave.
I could only shake my head and follow behind him.
We grabbed some food from the Dining Hall because it was free, then met the girls in front of the campus gates. Each of them was fully geared up.
Jen looked amazing in her blue-green leathers, with a real sword strapped to her hip. Her hair was currently down, but I knew she would put it up once we got closer to the lake.
Britta’s leather was cruder than Jen’s and only covered her in select parts around her legs and torso. She appeared to have some metal strung across her torso as well, for additional protection. Her pack was on her back, with her shield strapped directly on top. We hadn’t been able to find her a helmet or any stronger protection. Since she would be at the front, we hoped to do a bit better before the Dungeon Dive in second semester.
Cassie wore a simple robe with her pack strung on her back. Cassie also carried some additional first aid essentials that she had been able to take from her part-time job.
“Hey.” Zane waved to the group. His smile was wide, and his teeth were on full display as he reached them.
“Hey!” I said as well, stopping in front of them.
“Hey, guys! Are you pumped or what!” Britta practically jumped for joy.
“Sure, hey…” Jen said half-heartedly.
“What’s wrong, Jen?” I asked.
“Don’t mind her. Trish gave her a big lecture last night about how we’re doing something dangerous and need to make sure we stay behind the professionals. It really got to Jen, but she’ll be okay.” Cassie patted her on the back.
“Jen, you’ve got to remember that Trish is staying away from this stuff for a reason,” I started.
“She’s a coward. I know, I’m her best friend,” Britta said.
“What I meant is that she’s more cautious than the rest of us,” I continued. “That’s why she’s researching Dungeons and not entering them herself. Otherwise, she would probably try to be here with us.”
“And knowing what you are best at, or least capable in, is not cowardly. Trish has just chosen a different path,” Zane added.
“Okay, boys, no harm intended,” Cassie said. “We love Trish and know that she is made to be the brains of the operation. Enough with the small talk. Let’s do what we gotta do so we can get going!”
I caught a glimpse of Jen as she mouthed ‘thanks’ in both Zane’s and my direction.
“Okay, we’re just going to do a quick equipment check,” Zane said. “I’ve got the tent. Cassie, do you have the first aid stuff?”
“Yes, bandages, mostly, but some needle and str
ing as well, just in case. Plus, alcohol to clean the wound.”
“Were you able to pick up the food yesterday, Britta? Jen?”
“Yes, I’ve got most of it in my pack,” Britta said. “And Jen is going to give the rest to Terrence when we sit down at my dad’s.”
They were free, so we sent them to grab the food from the market. Britta and I were the strongest, so we had volunteered to carry the most amount in our bags.
“And I’ve got the tonics,” Zane said. “I’ll give one to Jen as well, since she’s our de-facto leader in most situations.” He handed over one of the tiny bottles we had purchased.
“Okay, that’s most of it. Let’s get going.”
We left the gates and started to walk to the Rolle residence.
* * * * *
When we got to Britta’s home, we could already hear voices inside, laughing. Her father and mother were seated at the table with a group of men and women, who I could only assume were our escorts for the trip.
A slim, older man sat next to Mr. Rolle at the table. He had a beard with patches of grey and his head was completely shaved. Like Britta’s family, his skin was darker than most of the residents I had seen in Krader. He wore expensive-looking gear, but I could not tell by looking if any of it was enchanted. His armor itself looked to be made of both leather and cloth.
He also had no discernable weapons on him, making me think he was Gavin, the supposed ICE Affinity user who would be leading the mission.
Gavin and Mr. Rolle could be heard from the streets as they roared like two great friends who had known each other for years.
“Good, they’ve arrived,” Mr. Rolle chuckled. “I can’t have this cheat in my house any longer or he’ll try to barter for the silverware as well.”
“Oh, you cheapskate, you know we’ve made a good bargain.” Gavin smiled at him. “Don’t have the students think I’ve taken you for anything more than what the mission is worth. Anyone else would have asked for at least twice as much.”
“Yes, yes, you’ve been very gracious in accepting the mission. You’ll remember to treat these kids well and keep them safe, right? You may be my oldest friend, and you may be Rank 4, but if any harm comes to my daughter—”