by J. J. Thorn
Like everyone else, he had also confirmed his selection of General Energy Manipulation. I was convinced that this was the best Prep offered, so I was happy to see they had all taken my advice.
That left two.
His two stand-out classes last semester had been Body Anatomy and Meditation. To complement the idea that he could use his Skill on monsters, I also recommended Monster Behaviour. To this, he thought he would rather take Animals and Monsters.
We discussed Strategies of War, but he said that was primarily for people planning to join the military and nobles. Theory of Skills came up, but he had already done more research than all of us on what his Identify Skill could potentially do in the future. To him, traditional means wouldn’t help him discover his future path.
Trish was the one who finally got him excited about something. She had taken History of Dungeons the previous semester and thought it might help him in future planning for the group. Several Dungeons had been found over the years and several had even been lost to time or circumstance.
This took us down a new path where we brought history, theory, and application classes back into the equation.
Zane eventually picked Animals and Monsters and History of Dungeons. His backups were another course of Meditation, because he loved it so much, and Dungeon Economics.
The talk ended up taking hours as we discussed so many potential ideas for each person. The twins had even shown up briefly where they tried to get us to pick crafting courses with them. It didn’t work, of course, but we had been happy to see them after the break.
We all took our choices to the administration office and locked in our selections.
Class started again in the morning, and I was excited to once again see Professor Valk. The Guest speaker also started tomorrow, which I knew would be a fun way to start classes.
* * * * *
Dear Mom, Dad, and Elise,
I miss you terribly, but want you to know that I’m doing well here at Prep. I just got back from my trip with my friends and it was interesting…to say the least. I’m safe and no one got permanently hurt, so there is nothing for you to worry about.
Mom, I’m fine. Really.
I chose my courses for the second semester today. I’m super excited to continue learning and this semester looks like it’s going to be amazing already. I’ve got the Dungeon Dive coming up and even the tournament!
I know you’d both tell me to be safe, so please know that I’m working out every day to make sure I come back to you safely. On that note, keep this to yourselves, but…
I Ranked up!
Crazy right?! Take that, Elise! And you thought I’d be stuck at Rank 1 or 2 forever! HAHAHAHA.
Sorry, Mom, Dad, I needed to do that. I’ll leave the details for the next time I see you, but I’m basically a prodigy with how fast it happened. See, guys, nothing to worry about.
Beyond that, I can’t believe how awesome my friends are. Zane was a surprise, but the rest of the girls are also amazing. You absolutely need to meet all of them when you come for the tournament.
If you can, please try to come early. We’ll spend a couple days in Krader together and you can meet them all.
Anyways, I just wanted to let you know I was okay.
I love you all, and look forward to seeing you soon.
Terrence.
P.S. I saw Cousin John. Let’s just say we’re not going to be seeing each other too often in Krader, but you can let everyone know that he’s healthy.
P.P.S. Any news on Uncle Tom?
Chapter 21 – Crown Prince
“Hello, everyone, and welcome to your second semester! You’ll hopefully remember me, but I’ll re-introduce myself for the purposes of the exercise. My name is Erik Braun, and I am the Headmaster here at Krader Prep. As mentioned in last semester’s address to all of you, I am the sixty-fifth Headmaster and I have been here for twenty years. In fact, this will have been my twenty-first year as Headmaster.
“From my conversations with the staff and professors, I am pleased to see that your class has been one of the most well-behaved we have had in years. It may not be apparent for all of you, but some of the students who sat with you at the beginning of the year are no longer here with you today.
“I will be honest in saying that I do not enjoy enforcing the rule that you must participate and attend Prep as a newly baptized Affinity user, but it is my main role as Headmaster. Students who disobey are found and usually shipped to a more restrictive Prep School on the eastern corner of the continent.
“Students are given a warning, but some still do not comply. So far this year, we have only had to send away four students. This is a small number compared to previous years. I thank all of you for taking part and doing your best while within these walls. We provide every essential you need, free of charge, to make sure you can focus on your learning.
“Now, Professor Valk has not simply invited me here to ramble away, I am following through on another tradition we hold at Krader Prep. Just as Professor Valk did the first Guest Seminar of the year, the Headmaster must do the first in the second semester. This way I am given the chance to let you know about the upcoming semester, while also partaking in some of the fun that this task provides.
“So, a little about myself. Firstly, my Affinity is CLOTH. When I received the Affinity all those years ago, I was disappointed. You see, I was raised in a noble family where war and fighting were a way of life. My life was not destined to be one of Dungeon Diving, I was instead expected to participate in military exercises and help in defending our south-eastern border from the Tamber Kingdom.
“My CLOTH Affinity did not gain me any obvious favours as a lot of people automatically wrote me off as a lost cause. Professor Valk and I met because of our mutual colleagues in the war, but that is a story for another day.”
At this, Headmaster Braun tried to smile at Professor Valk, but she was not having it at all.
The room grew incredibly quiet at the awkward exchange between the two powerful Affinity users.
Headmaster Braun took a sip of water and continued. “Ehem, yes. Where was I, oh yes, the war. So, my Affinity did not dissuade my family from trying to push me into service. As Professor Valk would have told you, your Affinity does not determine your lot in life. As such, even though my Skills did not immediately correspond with military service, my family made sure to purchase the best tutors and mentors possible so that I could enhance my other abilities.
“Energy augmentation, for instance, is one of my strong points. Past that, I have a few general Skills, but I will have to keep those to myself as they are a family heirloom. Professor Valk will also be explaining more about those this semester, so I’ll leave that topic alone for now.
“Moving forward, I eventually joined the war. This would have been at least forty-five years ago, but when this happened, I was hopelessly nervous. I had gone to a Prep much like you all, spent another three years being tutored at my parent’s estate, and was then thrust into open battles.
“I am the sole male heir of my family, so they did not immediately send me into combat. Instead, I was placed in the company of generals, strategists, and other commanders looking to oversee the militia. This is where my Skills took a turn. You see, although I have some fighting capacity because of my extended service during a war, I would be categorized as an enchanter, first and foremost.
“Professor Valk told me that the topic of enchanting has not yet been broached, so let me give you a simplified explanation for those who won’t participate in any enchanting. At its core, Enchanting is something any Affinity user can do. The act of enchanting involves imbuing some of your Energy or the Energy of a monster into an object. There are other variations, but this is generally it.
“When this is done, the imbued Energy places special effects into the object. For things like armor, this is an easy thing to understand. An armourer with a knack for enchanting might try to enhance the sturdiness of a piece. To do this, they use
the heart of a monster who was known to be extremely durable in life. Depending on the monster, the effectiveness of the enchantment will vary.
“This method might also restrict users who are at that Rank or lower. Some Affinity users can even imbue their own Skills into an object. This is difficult and I would not recommend it to anyone without proper training. It is early in the day. If you intend to switch to Enchanting, I have notified the administration office that there might be some last-minute changes.
“Either way, both methods are difficult, time-intensive, and Mana intensive. Sometimes a single piece can take weeks to complete.
“I will now go through my Skills. At Rank 1, I received the ability to embed a signature of my own into the clothing I made. It is called ‘Signature Mark’. The signature is limited in use, but it allows me to see the pieces I have created. Additionally, it allows me to identify anything I had a hand in creating.
At Rank 2, the Goddess gave me the Skill ‘Track Signature’. This Skill allows me to have a map drawn that will then show me where every single signature of mine is. In a war where you need to know where all of your soldiers are, this was extremely helpful. It has its limitations. It does not work in a Dungeon unless I myself am in the Dungeon. It also does not work if a certain portion of the clothing is damaged. There is also a range to this, but I won’t mention what it is because of my next statement.
“I can check where my signatures are from the comfort of my office here on campus. What we did not tell you upon entry into Krader is that each of your uniforms have, in some small part, been created by me.
“This is not to intrude on you, and I apologize if this comes as a surprise to most of you, but we do this to ensure we know where our students are. This is also used to make sure you remain at Prep. The information I receive is limited to the name of the wearer and their current location only. Nothing more.”
Headmaster Braun stopped briefly to let the murmuring in the room run its course. Some people looked confused while others looked extremely angry at what they had heard. Based on his statements, anytime we wore any piece of our uniform, which was most of the time, we would be tracked and watched.
I knew I wouldn’t wear it all the time, but it still felt a bit creepy to think about. I knew I would be wearing it less often from now on, that was for sure.
Headmaster Braun and Professor Valk didn’t stop any of the murmuring. They let the students speak for a few minutes before he motioned everyone to quiet down again.
“If you come to me after class with a guarantee that you will continue participating, I will remove my ‘Signature Mark’ from all of your clothes. With that said, please keep in mind that you’ll be leaving your uniforms here at the end of school either way. Four months remain, after which you do not need to wear it any longer.
“Moving on, my Rank 3 Skill ‘Strong Fibres’ adds enchantments to clothing to make them and their wearer sturdier. Similar to my Rank 2 Skill, this was an amazing gift to have for thousands of soldiers. This will only work on clothing that has my signature.
“Lastly my Rank 4 Skill ‘Light Material’ enchants my clothing in a way that allows the user to move faster. This has the same restriction as my Rank 3 Skill.
“I continue to provide some clothing to the Kingdom, but the majority of my time is spent here at Prep. We have hundreds of employees who all live and work in Krader. The Dungeon subsidizes our activities, but there is a lot that requires managing.
“That is my life and my Skills. As is tradition, I will take any questions you have. But before that, I have two final announcements.
“The first is about the end-of-year tournament. You have a month to start signing up for the tournament. Initial matches start at the beginning of next month and are based on your class schedules. Participation is fully optional, and as I said at the beginning of the school year, I am not training soldiers. I have seen enough war in my life.
“Prizes will be announced in the finals, where others from around the Kingdom will come to watch. For aspiring Dungeoneers, this is sometimes a good opportunity to receive offers from teams.
“My second announcement is about a new student that is joining us this semester. We do not usually receive students this late, but we have made an exception based on special circumstances. Emmett, can you please stand up.”
The class looked at where Headmaster Braun was motioning and noticed a short, young man standing up from his seat. He was in a podium directly across from my own. His hair was brown and held in a ponytail. He wasn’t as large as I was growing up, but I would describe him as plump.
His clothes were immaculate, and he immediately stood out from those around him. All of them except for the person sitting directly beside him, Louis Fox. Somehow, in a sea of students, nobles, and regular people alike, he had already befriended the one person I didn’t get along with at school.
Emmett stood up and started to give a slight wave to everyone around him. He looked normal enough, with a slightly round face and normal-looking facial features.
“Who’s that?” I whispered to Zane.
“Emmett Prost, the crown prince.”
I was shocked to see that a prince was also forced to take part in Prep’s mandatory program. It also didn’t make sense that he was joining half-way through the year when the rest of us had to take part for the whole time. Prep had been the best thing I had ever done, but it seemed like another way for royalty to skirt the system.
“Some of you will recognize this young man as Emmett Prost. He is the crown prince and the son of our king, William Prost. While at Prep, Emmett is just another student, but since he is joining late, I would ask that you greet him with open arms.” He started to clap, which caused the rest of us to clap as well.
Even Professor Valk clapped, despite obviously looking annoyed at the whole display.
The prince’s introduction was obviously a political ploy to make sure the king knew his son was being treated well.
As long as Louis Fox left me alone, I was more than happy to do the same. Especially now that he was hanging out with the king’s son.
“Yes, welcome, Prince Emmett.” The headmaster beamed at him. “I’ll now take your questions about anything I have said today. Thank you for listening and I wish you a wonderful second semester at Prep. You are unique, do not forget that. We hope to see some of you again in the coming years.”
Students started to raise their hands around the room.
A few questions came first regarding his Skillset. Specifically, his ability to track students. They were obviously worried about the invasiveness of it all but were reassured that he didn’t get a lot of information. Furthermore, they were asked to come see him afterward for any additional concerns.
From there, questions came discussing enchantments, and his Rank 3 and 4 Skills. One boy, in particular, said that his Rank 4 Skill seemed relatively weak since his Rank 3 Skill did a similar thing.
The Headmaster had this to say to that student: “I understand where you’re coming from, but I promise you it is nothing of the sort. I’ll say this, a sturdy soldier is very useful for his ability to take a hit. He’ll last longer on the battlefield and his stamina will be better since he doesn’t have to wear armor that is as heavy. A fast opponent may not be as sturdy, but what does that matter if your opponent cannot hit you?
There are also other benefits to the Skill that I am not divulging today, much like all of your other guest speakers would have done. The Skill is similar to what other crafters might get, but I have found mine to be superior because of its higher Rank.”
I liked that answer. From our group, Jen was still the fastest, so I knew how effective speed truly could be. I could only imagine what that meant as one progressed through the Ranks and gained better use of their Internal Energy. For those that could, that is.
I raised my hand. “Do your enchantments work on people without Affinities? And if so, how, since they don’t have as much Internal Energy.”
Questions continued and his lecture ended up taking the entire class because of how many questions he was willing to answer.
He was a hard-looking man, but throughout it all, he seemed quite kind. His life had been hard, and he showed a deep passion for all of his students, which I appreciated.
A couple other answers had been especially interesting.
One, in particular, talked about ‘Formative Skills’ a concept that had come up briefly in the previous semester but hadn’t been discussed in great detail. He described them as the Skill that all of a user’s other Skills were usually based around. Whenever a user had a ‘Formative Skill’ the Rank Upgrades thereafter were usually a synergistic upgrade on the existing Skill.
In the Headmaster’s case, his ‘Signature Mark’ Skill was what he referred to as his ‘Formative Skill’. All of his other Skills relied on that Skill. In the case of someone like Professor Renault, his came at Rank 2 when he gained the ability to project his dog, Ottis.
I was only Rank 2, but it made me wonder if either of my Skills were my ‘Formative Skill’. Would I ever get one at all? Several people made do without one. All it meant was that their Skills were all slightly disjointed, with few obvious synergies between them.
Thinking about my Skill made me realize I would finally have time this evening to practice my Rank 2 Skill and I couldn’t wait!
The second answer that intrigued me was about our upcoming Dungeon Dive. He told us we would hear more details in this afternoon’s class but said that all professors were aware of the Dive. All students who were going on the Dive would be missing two weeks of class, which they would need to make up for in their own time.
Thankfully, this did not preclude them from participating in the tournament. All students would have a break from matches during this time.