System Scribe Academy Book 2 - Chapters 31,32,33,34,35

Chapter 31

Professor Halfhoof

Ethan got about an hour of sleep after his ordeal back at the cottage. He didn't want to sleep for too long, for now he feared he would slip into a dream and meet the purple lizard once again. When he returned, he laid eyes on Avalara and was immediately guilt-stricken for not working on that project. The only bright side was that the version of her at the center of the planet spoke the truth. The ghost haunting his cottage didn't know anything about what was going on there, although he suspected she had hints of something being amiss.

Instead of engaging, he had retreated to his back garden and got right to work on fixing his current problem. The point of making another ring was to increase his capabilities as a mage. What he had instead done was strip them away entirely. Before getting to his meditation, he practiced casting barrier spells by emulating the X-13 system. It wasn't as good as his own version, but in an emergency it would do just fine.

Ethan ceased his practice at 2 a.m., gathering Tenalia, who was training with her sword alongside the house, and headed off to the worst scheduled class in the history of the Academy. His meeting with the Dream Lizard was concerning, but the most frightening part of it all was her claim that access to the Fractal Anomaly classified him as a cataclysm-level threat. It was not difficult to infer what that meant.

With Sam's help, Ethan studied the array they had recorded from the fractal. It was incredibly complicated and belonged to a very specific subset of Dimensional Magic that he could only pretend to understand. However, there were pieces of it that he could grasp. He understood that was the bad part. He could incorporate it into a spell and cast it through his system. He had certainly learned his lesson from messing with Spatial Magic and would not put this one to direct use.

“Best not to anger a God of Fractals, if such a thing exists.” Ethan chuckled to himself. He waited for the Avatar of such a god to appear, slapping him in the face in an infinite loop. When it didn’t happen, he shrugged.

Esoterica 1 was held within Luminarum House City  in a graveyard, which seemed quite grim. The city around him was almost completely still. There was always a little bit of nightlife going on, but as the wee hours of the morning marched on, fewer people appeared. The groggy gate guard allowed the scribe through without a question, and he soon appeared at the House of Healers, finding a similar scene there. It was far more difficult finding Hallowed Graveyard 13. But the scribe eventually bumped into a pleasant surprise outside some cemetery gates.

"Hey, Nir," Ethan said, waving as he approached his classmate from behind.

The man let out a yelp, turning and clutching his chest. “As if it wasn't creepy enough skulking around the graveyards in the middle of the night… You've gotta come up and scare me."

"Not that I meant to. Is the professor here yet?" Ethan folded his arms, feeling rather unprotected without his spells. Just to be safe, he emulated the X-13 system on the spot. Better to have it and not need it.

“No. Just look for a devil lurking in the shadows.” Nir looked all around as though he expected to find that exact thing.

Ethan didn’t sense anything. Neither did Tenalia or Sam, which meant the area was likely clear. Or Professor Halfhoof was fantastic at hiding. “Where are the other students?”

Nir shrugged. “In the graveyard, maybe?”

“Sally forth, brave sirs.” Tenalia pushed through the gate first. It swung on rusted hinges, squeaking the entire time before eventually slamming against the stone wall and startling the frightened mage.

“Why would anything scary be in a hallowed graveyard?” Ethan asked, placing a hand on Nir’s shoulder. “This place has to be blessed up the ass. And anyway, I don’t sense any undead.”

“You can sense the undead? You’re not secretly a cleric, are you?”

“No, but I’m studying Undeath right now. There are no undead in there, I promise.”

Ghosts, on the other hand, weren't guaranteed. Ethan felt a slight tingle that reminded him of the sensation he got when he was around Avalara. More than likely, the souls of the dead did haunt this place, but he didn't expect them to have enough energy to manifest. If they did, then he guessed Nir would likely have a heart attack, which meant they were in the perfect place for such an event to occur.

“Ahead, you fools.” Tenalia gestured through the gloom of darkness. “I see candlelight.”

With the puppet leading the way, Ethan passed through the threshold of the graveyard and went forward. It didn't take long for him to feel the tug of Nir on his combat robes. The poor mage held on for dear life, as though there was anything the scribe could do to help him right now. Nir had a lot more firepower than him, even if he was a support class. That made Ethan laugh. Eventually, he spotted the candlelight Tenalia had spoken about. It hovered in the gloom as though dancing on the wind, and it didn't take long for him to catch sight of Professor Halfoof.

“Guess we know how he got the name,” Ethan muttered.

Even from a distance, Ethan could make out the demon-like features of his newest professor. He had a shaggy mane of hair and a beard to match, with twisting horns that went straight up. His namesake came from the fact that he had only one leg. The other ended in a cloven hoof, reminding the scribe of the satyrs from Earth lore. From what he understood, the professor was at least part devil, which was a distinction from demons he didn't truly understand yet. But it hardly mattered. The man beckoned them over when he spotted them through the darkness. The closer they drew, the more of the class they saw. Again, it was a small one, maybe ten students in total.

"We could wait, but that's all the students," the professor said, his voice a drawling rasp that seemed to carry through the graveyard and echo over the tombstones. His lantern sat atop a gravestone, powered by a mundane candle, of all things. "There is an excellent reason we're meeting here at such a hallowed hour, but we'll get into that as the semester goes on. For now, we're using today as an introduction. A way to get to know each other and see if you're willing to stay within my class."

Professor Halfhoof cleared his throat, passing his hand through the air and projecting a bunch of information. There were snippets of obscure types of magic, crafting techniques, topics on exotic monsters, and so on. The definition of esoterica was broad in the context of a class and even broader under the professor's interpretation. His eyes scanned the class for a moment, finally landing on Ethan. He snorted.

“We’ll need to have a word after the first lecture Mister…” He trailed off, squinting to read Ethan’s badge. “Walsh.”

“That’s typically how it goes.” Ethan nodded along, far too used to the way things went for him.

"Now on to the essence of the Esoterica 1 class. For those of you who are unaware, or who did exactly zero research on this class, this is what's considered a special instruction lecture. That means that classes are irregular. You work at your own pace. And the topic is of your choosing." Professor Halfhoof scratched at his scraggly beard and shook his head. "That's only half true, of course. I will present a list of topics to you, but I will very likely have a direction I want you to steer into for your best development. Mister Gale over there, for example, will probably be studying monsters more than anything, while Miss Gleritel will cover Arcane Constructs.”

Ethan's eyes dragged to the first person the professor had mentioned. He didn't know why he hadn't checked his newest friend's badge, but Nir's surname was Gale. Maybe the scribe should’ve read his name when he saw the man’s badge the other day… It was unlikely to be a coincidence that he bore the same name as Gale House. A sly smile spread across the scribe's face, and he turned his attention back to the lecturing professor.

"The reason why this class takes place at such a late hour is the fact that, without a doubt, at least one of you will select a topic that is less than savory. It isn't illegal. It doesn't violate any rules of the system. But you will invariably select something that someone takes issue with, which is also, coincidentally, why we're in Luminarum House. You may be shocked to learn that they're more progressive than our own House of Sorcery."

Ethan was the only one who nodded at that. Professor Halfhoof tilted his head to one side.

“Ah. Experience with Undeath?”

Ethan nodded again, looking between his classmates to gain absolutely no reassurance. They all had heads tilted, brows raised, or otherwise interesting looks on their faces.

“I’m working with some undead at the moment.” Ethan was unsure how much information he wanted to share. This wasn’t exactly big news, as True Undead existed elsewhere, but from what he understood there hadn’t been any out in the open at Tariat Academy.

“Your reaction means that Luminarum House is helping directly with the project.” Halfhoof nodded with approval, gesturing to Ethan. “This is the kind of stuff you can expect from this class. Work outside of class trumps anything else, don’t you think Mister Walsh?”

"I suppose it depends on your path, but in my case that's very true." Ethan nodded along as he thought about Amelia. She was much more comfortable on the academic side of things. "As long as you're not interested in the academics of it, I would say the best way to learn your class, if you have one that leans towards practical things, is to engage in activities outside of class."  

Professor Halfhoof laughed, throwing his head back as though he were barking at the stars themselves. "What a diplomatic way to put it. You must have gone through some trials with your class. But there is value in serving information tactfully. If you’re like me, you hate politics. Which might be why we’re meeting in the middle of the night… Hmm, some self-reflection might be in order. Does anyone else have an example of magic that might be deemed unsavory by our academy?”

Nir’s hand shot up in an instant and Halfhoof called on him. “Dungeonmancy,” he said without hesitation. “No matter the school, if someone can control dungeons in any way, they get looked down on.”

“And why would they?” Halfhoof said, apparently offended for his student. “Your class is the reason the trials work. Without brave mages like you, the future of the universe would be poorer for it. How about Necromancy? Is that evil?”

Another student’s hand shot up, this one a lizard-person from a race Ethan didn’t recognize. Halfhoof called on him. “Necromancy as an evil art is a trope as tired as any. Gale House should reform yesterday. My class communes with the spirits, which is a cousin to Necromancy. Yet, I’m labeled as such.”

“Exactly. Many times, the schools don’t give enough context.” Professor Halfhoof tapped his bearded chin. “I don’t suppose you know a thing about Vampires or True Undead, do you Mister Walsh?”

“I know a bit, although I’m eager to learn a lot more about Vampirism from Professor Lok this semester.”

“How would you do that?” Nir said, fear in his voice. “Are you going to become a vampire?”

Professor Halfhoof shook his head. “No. Mister Walsh can take on the system of others, which means he can break apart Victor Lok’s Vampire System and piece it together.”

“My class is supposed to be a secret, by the way.”

Ethan chuckled. Normally, he would be mad that somebody revealed his system. When he had first arrived at the academy, he forced the headmaster of Gale House to swear himself to secrecy. As time had gone on, he realized how stupid that was. Maybe it was his exposure to the True Undead or his adventures through Voidspace, but he had decided that it wasn't a secret worth keeping. He moved with the protection of the Grand System, and if there were others around him who had classes that were similarly considered to be strange or on the fringe of what was acceptable, he was happy to hold his banner as a system scribe high.

“Nonsense,” Professor Halfhoof shook his head in disapproval. “Most people are drawn to Esoterica because they have strange classes. Just because you have a different line of the system, doesn’t mean you need to hide. Now, let’s go around and describe what our weird classes do. I’ll go first…”

Chapter 32

Comet

Ethan should’ve expected that the people who were drawn to the Esoterica had strange classes. He paid attention to everyone else as they talked, but after Nir spilled the beans about Dungeonmancy, which was a word the scribe thought he’d never say or think, he was hooked. Managing dungeons was one thing, but interacting with them in such a way that they were changed? That seemed like the peak of Dimensional manipulation, and something he wanted to get his hands on right away.

The only problem was that Nir’s system was still out of his reach. Even with a Rank 3 ring, Ethan couldn’t touch it. Although that led to frustration, the pain he remembered from passing out at the Infinite Ocean Academy was a keen reminder of how important preparation was. That meant when the class ended, the scribe had a new bestie.

“What are you doing today?” Ethan asked.

“Practice… I guess?” Nir asked his response. “Why?”

Ethan scratched his chin. His entire day was open. His next class wasn't until Wednesday when he had to go to Professor Victor Lok’s Special Concepts class, which was bound to be interesting at least. He wanted to pick Nir’s brain about Dungeonmancy, but he really couldn't. His Mind Ring came above everything else, seeing as his was currently hobbled with his spellcasting. The scribe could’ve kicked himself for being so hasty, but pushed those thoughts down. He didn’t want his bracelet to develop a complex.

“Damn. I need to meditate.” Ethan sighed. “I wanted to ask you about dungeons, as it relates to something I’m studying, but if I don’t increase the power of my Mind attribute, I can’t cast my spells.”

“Wow. Is it that bad?” Nir laughed nervously. His eyes still darted in every direction, as though a werewolf would jump from the bushes at any moment. “Your system sounds very strange. And difficult, especially if it lets you advance to a point where you could harm yourself.”

Ethan could only nod in agreement. 

“We can compare notes after you fix yourself.” Nir laughed nervously.

“Mister Walsh?” Professor Halfhoof asked from afar.

Ethan actually did kick himself this time. “Right. Forgot about that…”

“Yeah, good luck with that.” Nir produced a snappy salute. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to get some sleep.”

Ethan waved weakly, watching as the man who held secrets about dungeons departed. The first week of classes was bound to be busy. He knew that, but he didn't think it would be this busy. If he had extra time, he would dedicate it to solving anomalies. That was something he had expected to get away from him. But with his Mind Ring in desperate need of upgrading, it seemed like the fastest method. Worst of all, he had accepted Professor Halfhoof’s offer to inspect Zeal and Solace.

"Let's go." Ethan tilted his head to one side, leading the way forward for his newest professor. "I realize this is likely an academic endeavor for you. I don't imagine you'll have that much information on True Undead… Will you?”

“Depends. My studies are on all fringe magics. I’ve seen a few True Undead before, and interacted with more Lichborne morons than I care to recall. With the recent expulsion of the Primal God of Undeath, I think we’re seeing a shift in the art.” Professor Halfhoof smiled to himself as they walked along. It was still pitch dark in Luminarum city, even if the class had gone on a bit long, but people were waking up. “At the very least, this will count toward my seal of approval. Almost everyone gets it, mind you. This is a self-study class.”

"I'll be honest, I didn't really expect you to be the undead expert I found. I was banking on Professor Lok."

“His system is a variant of the standard Vampire System. He’s accepted far and wide because he feeds on the proto-souls of monsters, rather than the blood of mortals.” Professor Halfhoof chuckled. “If you’re taking both our classes this semester, you’re bound to learn at least a few things. Perhaps even some stuff you’re not meant to learn.”

When Ethan approached the church, he was met at the door by some burly guy wearing armor. It took a bit of talking, but they were eventually let into the cloistered garden, where he was unsurprised to see both Solace and Zeal awake. Undeath meant living life without sleep, food, or water. Just the energies of the world to propel them forward. Well, the energies of Undeath, which had been difficult for them to get ahold of.

“Ethan!” Zeal shouted, bounding over and slowing his pace half-way. “And some goat dude.”

“Professor Halfhoof.” He performed a deep bow, rising and clapping his hands together. “And what a specimen you are.”

“Back off, devil.” Solace was quick to check the situation, doing her best to look large.

“Are you under the care of Nultan?” Professor Halfhoof looked between the pair. “Ah, Mister Walsh’s machine to keep you alive. No longer supping on Death energy, are we? Right. Undeath energy is exactly what you two need.”

“Ethan, who is this guy?” Solace asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ethan cleared his throat. “This is one of my professors. He teaches the Esoterica 1 class, and is very knowledgeable about Undeath. I hope you guys don’t mind that I brought him on board.”

“Is a professor trustworthy?” Zeal asked.

“I think so. He has a Demon System, so you guys are all outsiders.” Ethan. thought about it for a second. “I guess I’m an outsider, too.”

"I dare say there might be nothing I can do for you two," Professor Halfhoof circled around them, chin cupped in his hand as he hummed to himself. "You've done an excellent job realigning their systems, and I wouldn't be surprised if they made a full recovery sometime soon. Yes, this is quite interesting.”

Before Ethan could do anything about it, fiery circles appeared on the ground beneath both Zeal and Solace. Instinctively, they jumped out of the circles, which garnered a confused look from the professor.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Solace asked, looking as though she was about ready to tear the man's head off.

"A simple analysis spell. I was trying to hold you in place as you would have used the appropriate incantation." Professor Havreff folded his arms, looking slightly offended. "Now please step in the circles. It will do you no harm."

Zeal jumped back into his circle without a second hesitation. Solace gave him a look as though to declare him a complete moron. "What? Ethan hasn't steered us wrong yet. Here, cast a spell on me, Mr. Demon Man. I'll show her that it's safe."  

"As you wish." 

Ethan tried not to laugh as watched Halfhoof cast the spell. Sam spoke into his mind, confirming it was just an analysis spell. She based that on latent energies, since the sigils used within the spell were Demonic in nature. Apparently, in this world, Demonic Magic wasn’t exactly bad. But Halfhoof had told him a lot of them were geared toward nasty things, so that school of magic deserved its reputation.

When it was finally done, the professor nodded with approval and smiled. “Very interesting! Mister Walsh, when I used my analysis spell, it revealed the nature of his system. The output it gave me was ‘Incomplete True Undeath System.’ Isn’t that interesting?”

Ethan nodded. “That’s accurate.” He withdrew his pen, opening his sight and tracing what he could see of it. “The section that they have functional relates to processing mana, which isn’t surprising.” He pointed out a few sigils and explained what they did, since no one could understand System Sigils but him. “Latent mana processing just popped up since last I visited. You guys should be able to produce your own power source at this point.”

“Can you feel such a thing?” Professor Halfhoof asked.

“Kinda. Hard to tell since we’ve been using Ethan’s machine.” Solace still looked uncomfortable and he doubted she would willingly jump in the circle anymore. Hopefully Halfhoof got what he needed. “We had a form of Celestial Cultivation before, but neither of us were very good at it.”

“Just feels like our bodies don’t want to work with us anymore.”

Ethan placed a comforting hand on Zeal’s shoulder. “Maybe because you were asleep for 400 years.”

“That might do it.” Zeal chuckled.

Halfhoof continued circling around the pair and making declarations about their system. The funny thing was that it wasn't anything Ethan couldn't see himself. In fact, the scribe could glean far more information at a glance than the professor could with all his ritual castings. Of course, the tactful thing to do would be to keep this information to himself, which Ethan wholeheartedly intended to do. After the testing was done and a bit of pleasantries, both the professor and the scribe headed off to have a private conversation on the street outside.  

"It's very interesting to see the development of a system like that, but I'm afraid there's almost nothing we can do." Professor Halfhoof looked apologetic about the situation, but Ethan just shrugged. 

"I kind of figured that would be the case. I think this is more of a wait and see situation than anything else."  

"Right you are." Professor Haffhoof scratched at his beard, looking up to the sky, which was stained the colors of dawn. "I'm afraid if I don't get back and get some sleep, I'll be dead on my feet for classes tomorrow. Well, we should do more like this, I think." 

“Agreed. You didn’t give me any answers, but you gave me a new perspective.” Ethan bowed his head. “Thanks, professor.”

“They pay me for it, so why not?” Halfhoof winked. “Have a nice day, Mister Walsh. I look forward to the things you’ll do.”

Ethan watched as the devil left, shaking his head. That was the closest he had gotten to the ‘you’re a genius’ proclamations Nir warned him about. With a heavy sigh, Ethan summoned his Fragment System and checked it out. There were a crapload more entries compared to yesterday, so he had his choice of which ones to do. The scribe sorted his list by complexity, which was apparently an option, and picked a few easy ones to get his feet under him.

Spending the entire day solving anomalies wasn't time wasted in Ethan's mind. He had fun going from place to place, sorting out simple anomalies and occasionally gaining the praise of locals. Although it wasn't in his nature to readily accept such things, at a time when he was rather confused about the way things were going, it felt good. It also made him feel as though he hadn't missed much during the trials, even if he most certainly had.

The strength of his Mind Rings grew by the anomaly, and Ethan felt great satisfaction when he ticked each one off. The simplicity of those anomalies only provided a trickle, but both Tenalia and Sam claimed the load on their end was lessening. There were a few interesting anomalies near Luminarum House City, but Ethan knew better. Those ones that were interesting most certainly had to do with divinity.

He had learned his lesson about that.

Ethan’s day had been one of solving anomalies, and healing himself. He felt his Mind Ring about to spit out a new level of itself when he heard something strange. At first, he assumed it was some errant bird flying and squawking in the sky. He squinted against the sun, spotting the dark shape and tutting.

“Did someone let a monster get too close to the city?” Ethan asked. But he knew better. Luminarum House was famous for its defensive prowess. But then he spotted it dive-bombing toward him.

Ethan barely managed to create the Lesser Barrier spell from the X-13 system before a figure hurtled toward him. He braced for impact, digging his feet into the cobbles and wincing. But a puff of air revealed that whatever it was didn’t intend to attack. It instead fell onto his barrier, adding unneeded weight.

“Ethan! Where can I get more of these coins?!” Luna shouted, her face pressed against the sizzling barrier.

Chapter 33

Rank 3

Maintaining a barrier while emulating a system wasn’t exactly hard. But Ethan didn’t typically emulate a system to cast his spells, he adapted them to his own system which made them effortless to cast. The blue barrier above him, currently holding Luna back, her eyes a swirling maelstrom of purple and pink, fizzled. A moment later the woman came crashing down, collapsing onto the scribe and squashing him against the ground.

“Where do I get them?” Luna repeated.

Ethan stared up at Luna as she had him pinned to the ground. For some reason, Tenalia was not delivering the death stroke, but it gave him a moment to think. His first thought was that maybe this was just her turning over a new leaf. Maybe she did not want to suffer the same fate as Alex. That might have been the foundation of the fire that currently burned in her belly, but it was not a source of the out-of-control flames. He realized that in Luna's form of advancement; she did not have system interfaces. All the cultivators did everything by feel, recording stuff through blind experimentation and passing it on to the next generation. Could this have been the first system interface she had ever seen?

"Don't worry, I can make a device that allows you to create your own." 

Ethan was extremely uncomfortable with Luna's face so close to his, but the swirling purple and pink faded to a cool blue color after a few moments. She seemed to blink away the confusion and back off.

Luna pushed herself to her feet in one smooth motion, clearing her throat and dusting off her combat robes. "Ah, of course. It's just, I saw the screen and I got excited." She offered her hand to Ethan.

"Of course you should have been excited. This is big."

Ethan accepted Luna's help, grabbing her hand and feeling himself being hoisted up high enough that he did a little hop. "I'm just heading back to Gale House right now. If you want to join me, I'll craft one for you and Finn." 

At first, Luna looked excited about the prospect, and then her expression dropped. Her head tilted to the side, and she circled around Ethan as though she was inspecting livestock. Eventually, she shook her head vigorously, enough that she might as well have been clearing water from her ears.  

"What's wrong with you? Is there an incredible imbalance of qi in your body? I mean mana, sorry." 

Ethan patted her on the shoulder and then nodded in the direction of the nearest gate. "Don't worry about that right now. I'm working on it, and I almost have a solution. Mostly thanks to Tenalia, actually."

“I helped.” Tenalia smacked herself in the head with her stick appendages. The sound of metal on metal resounded through the street… As if there wasn’t enough of a crowd already.

Luna happily joined Ethan on his journey back to his cottage. He explained the situation to her, and she had quite a few tips from the cultivator tradition. Balancing aspects of oneself was standard practice. It was just a practice that apparently hadn't been expressed to the scribe. He found it hard not to smile at the idea that he had taken so much from their traditions and yet left out the most important lesson. That was par for course for him, reflecting oh his previous life. But that was why he had people like Luna around him, so they could help him clean up the mess before it got too out of control.

With Sam's help, crafting the coin device was effortless. Ethan slapped a few things together, not even bothering to include an onboard power source, and handed it over within half an hour. Luna had barely gotten comfortable on his couch, idly chatting with Barry, when he came back to hand it to her.  

"You're already done?" Luna looked surprised. Her gaze shifted between Ethan and the glass of whatever Barry had served her in her hand.  

"I told you it would be quick," Ethan shrugged, allowing the device to drop onto the couch and moved away. He lingered in the overly large space of his living room. His eyes caught Avalara in the kitchen. He bit his lip, feeling some ‌guilt that he still hadn't solved that problem. 

Ethan didn't know when Luna had moved or when she had placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, but he looked up and saw the swirling galaxy of blue stars in her eyes and nodded. "You can't fix everything right away," Luna shook her head. "If the benefactors thought you could fix this overnight, then they were mistaken. Remember, we're creating our own path now, right?"  

"That's right," Ethan nodded in agreement. But with so many things to do, it was hard to think about anything else. A mental kick to the ass was enough to bring him out of his stupor, and soon he was sitting with the others in the sparse living area. Amelia was there, chatting about some research she had been inspired to conduct. Barry had new Magitech devices he was working on, and Tenalia quizzed them all on etiquette.

Ethan was quick to recognize the sensation of being a passive observer in a conversation with people who should have been his peers or at least co-workers in some regard. He booted himself out of that mindset right away, going into great detail about the research he was doing and the overabundance of his projects. That got some advice from his friends that he didn't expect. It was altogether just a great reminder that he should take things slow, at least on occasion.

The conversation actually rolled on for hours despite Luna's eagerness to get coins and distribute them to literally every living thing on the planet. During that time, the scribe had the wherewithal to create another so that she could distribute it to Finn. As far as they were concerned, logging the anomalies was half the battle. If there was an automated system to handle that, their job just got a lot more feasible.

What would Barry be at the end of his education? An outsider, just like Ethan, he had to scrape together pieces of both knowledge and scrap metal to make his creations. Amelia seemed no different, embedding herself with a bunch of practical people when her heart was in research. Luna was the biggest mirror of all, reflecting both Alex’s failure and Ethan’s potential with stark clarity.

One thing the scribe had above them all was endurance. System’s Perseverance meant that when the sun had set, and the others were constantly yawning, he still felt fresh. He watched as they departed, one by one, and sought to recenter his thoughts. When the living area was finally empty, he felt the familiar sensation that Avalara was approaching from behind. It was a chill that only ceased when she placed a ghostly hand on his shoulder.

“I’m glad you’re my house ghost, Avalara.” Ethan nodded to himself.

“Really? I thought you were trying to get rid of me.”

Ethan turned to find concern plainly etched on the ghost's face. She was less incorporeal than normal, and the scribe could almost swear he saw color in her hair. He shook his head, both banishing confusion and dissuading her from such a strange line of thinking. "What would make you think that?"  

"You've been doing research into the undead. You're not trying to hide it. And with somebody like you that typically leads in one direction… the permanent banishment of some annoying house ghost."  

Ethan simply couldn't hold back his laughter. He threw his head back, barking a laugh loud enough to scratch his throat. "You think I'm trying to banish you? No, I'm working with some True Undead that need to rebuild their system. If anything, I would just make your binding to this house more secure, which is a project I'm working on, I promise you."

“Why would you want to do that?” Avalara asked, going beyond confusion and dipping into outright concern.

“Because the cottage wouldn’t be the same without you.” Ethan smiled to himself, averting his eyes from the ghost. “Because this place is going to get a lot bigger soon.”

Avalara produced an amused chuckle. “And how do you plan to do that?”

Ethan snapped his fingers. “Pocket dimensions. But that’s something for another time. I need to solve some anomalies.”

Ethan didn't want to add any more than that to his statement. He wanted to leave the house ghost feeling as though she wasn't being neglected, but he also didn't want to slip up and reveal something to her. He headed out, spending the entire night on Tuesday solving anomalies. He wanted to do the ones that were more interesting, but instead focused on those that would give him the most energy for his Mind Ring. His class tomorrow was at 10 a.m., which seemed like an interesting time for a vampire to hold a class, but he wouldn't question it until he met the man.

It was sometime just before dawn when the dam finally broke. Ethan had just solved a fairly simple flame anomaly in the middle of nowhere when Tenalia released a surprise yelp. He spun, finding that the puppet had been blown back a fair distance from some feedback, and it actually took him a few moments to realize that his Rank 3 Mind Ring had appeared. A weight the scribe hadn’t been aware of lifted from his shoulders in an instant, the shared load between him, Tenalia, and Sam eased to nothing in a blink.

“You good?” Ethan asked, rushing over to his puppet.

Tenalia raised her rounded arm, and for some reason, Ethan knew she was doing her best to produce a thumbs-up. “I suggest you warn me next time.”

“Hopefully there won’t be a next time.” Ethan helped the puppet to her feet, brushing the dirt from her armor and checking her over. “We’ll have to ask Trex if you’re good.”

“More importantly,” Sam cut in, “Check your Mind Ring.”

[Mind Ring]

Rank 1 Mind [2 Slots] (Deep System Meditation(Mind))

Rank 2 Mind [2 Slots] (Mana Siphon)

Rank 3 Mind [1 Slot] (Empty)

Ethan drew in mana with his Rank 2 version of the Mana Siphon ability and felt an unbelievable surge of power in his chest. He knew now that his Affinity Ring wouldn't function when he used it. His Mind Ring was now powerful enough to create a base of support. Something instinctual told him that if he wanted to rank Affinity again, he needed to do Mind first. That was logical. He was just overeager, as was Sam.

"Much better. Now we can cast some fun spells, right?"

"Fun spells…" Sam chuckled into his mind. "More like spells that break the fabric of reality. That sounds fun, right?”

“As eager as I am to garner the attention of the gods… I’m good.” Ethan laughed.

“Oh, they’re far too impotent to stop us now.” Sam cackled.

“Is this where we do the world domination thing?” Ethan groaned.

“What? No. What’s wrong with you?” Sam scoffed. If she had a head to shake, she would do it. “We’re going to revolutionize the way people fix anomalies.”

“Haven’t we already done that?”

“Not like this.”

Skynet had a plan, apparently. Ethan didn't know if he was eager to see what that plan might have been, but at some point, he felt as though he was just along for the ride. All he could do was shake his head and do his best to ensure his bracelet didn't take over the world. As long as her sights were set on small things, he had absolutely no objection to it. But before any of that business related to subjugating humanity or creating an army of robots, he had class to attend at 10 a.m. and just enough time for a quick nap and a hearty breakfast.

Tenalia hobbled along behind Ethan. He scooped her up, putting her on his shoulder.

“Think I broke something.”

“Trex will fix you up.” Ethan nodded, hoping he was right. “If she doesn’t, I’ll just learn Golemancy.”

“That’s the spirit!” Sam shouted.

Chapter 34

The Artist and the Vampire

There were many small towns that dotted the outskirts of Gale House City. When Ethan had vanished in the middle of the trial, he had expected to come home to wanton destruction. Something about his position as a System Scribe had led him to believe that without him the entire world would stop turning. It was a humbling thing to fly over those outskirts and see that each town he had knowledge of had been rebuilt to perfection. People were back to living their lives as though the entire monster wave had never even happened.

It was a humbling experience.

Gardreth Town was more on the fringe outskirts than most small towns Ethan had visited. It had a few local tamed dungeons, whatever that meant, and an economy that lived on visitors from all throughout Tariat academy, not just Gale House. The reason why Professor Lok picked this place was pretty obvious, though.

With about an hour left before class started, Ethan landed on the edge of one of the many flying islands. He looked down at the tiny town of Gardreth and shook his head. Of course, the vampire would have selected a heavily forested area with a bunch of flying mountains to block out the sun. While the scribe was there, he studied the mechanism that kept these things aloft and smiled to himself. He felt a familiar mixture of both Wind and Gravity magic. The more he studied the magic, the more he realized the first element was something closer to Air, rather than Wind.

“Another branch, huh?” Ethan asked, shaking his head. “Maybe we can incorporate this to make a better flying spell.”

Ethan nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice came from behind him. It was a cool, breezy kind of voice that scared the crap out of him and put him at ease at the same time. Which was a weird sensation. “Lovely, aren’t they?”

Ethan whipped around, spotting an elven man approaching. Silvan, from his estimation, with long blonde hair and angled features. The green in his eyes was the biggest giveaway that he wasn’t one of the morbid Kuzanite Elves. But there was something of a wrongness to the way he approached, and the scribe couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Yeah, I like the flying islands.” Ethan stood, back foot nearly hanging off the island’s edge.

The man chuckled, politely putting his hand over his mouth. “If you were to be dead, it would be done. Well, perhaps if you didn’t compliment my islands, I would’ve done the deed… Ah, sorry. So impolite.” The man bowed, his loose-fitting white toga-like robes catching an errant breeze. “My true name is Gaoth, although a mortal named me Percival. Take your pick.”

“Percival,” Ethan said. He couldn’t produce the guttural sounds required for the first name. The fear he felt had faded the moment the man mentioned being the creator of the islands. Making himself fly was one thing, but an island? Now that was impressive. “Yeah, I like your islands a lot. Did you make all of them in the region?”

“I made all of them on the planet,” Percival corrected, wagging a finger. “And there are very few who can come to appreciate such a thing. One needs to fly, of course.”

“He’s a dragon.” Sam said the words without hesitation and Ethan felt himself tense. “No worries. Air Flight. They’re a bunch of hippies.”

“What was that?” Percival said, raising a curious brow. “A small burst of Electric magic? That’s an odd subset of Lightning.”

The last time Ethan had encountered a dragon, it had tried to kill him, but this one was in the form of a person, and it was very pleasant. He cleared his throat, deciding that kindness was likely the best way to earn favor with people like this. It wouldn’t be the first time he disarmed a situation by following protocol and being kind. The scribe bowed his head low and kept it there for now.

“Apologies, my bracelet is a Mind Spirit, and she has a thirst for knowledge. I think she may have cross-referenced some information we have on the world and discovered that you’re a dragon from the Air Flight.”

Percival clapped with excitement, “A mortal who isn’t shivering or cowering, and you’ve already discovered my secret. What gave it away?”

“Your name is in some records I have as a general of the Air Flight.” Sam sounded slightly nervous as she said the words aloud, but Percival seemed nothing but pleased at the revelation.

“Absolutely lovely.” Percival clapped. “Tell me truthfully, mortal. Do you like my islands?”

Ethan was caught off-guard. He wasn’t prepared for that kind of question and he thought about it for a moment. He had found the islands outside of Gale House City when working with the Anomalous Materials Group. Seeing them floating like that had been an inspiration to him.

“I felt like… If those islands could float so high without help, why couldn’t I?” Ethan asked with a shrug. His sentence came out from his thoughts directly, and it was his most truthful impression of the islands.

Percival practically squirmed with delight, which was kinda yucky.

“Inspiration!” the dragon shouted. “Pure, unfiltered art. You, my dearest friend of all mortal kind, get it.”

Ethan cracked a smile, unsure if he actually ‘got it’ or if he was just about to pee himself from fright. Percival crossed the distance between them and clapped a hand over either shoulder. “You… are my number one guy.”

“Thanks, Mister Dragon,” Ethan said awkwardly. “But I think my class is starting soon.”

“And by all means, I wish for you to attend it. And if you ever require more inspiration, please look to the clouds.” Percival winked. “That’s where you’ll find me.”

Ethan stood there, dumbfounded as the dragon did a twirl and then a little hop. Then he vanished in a puff of smoke, which was even more weird somehow.

“Did I just hallucinate that entire interaction?” Ethan looked around, trying to find something to ground himself.

“No, that happened.” Tenalia tapped her armored arm against her leg. “I just don’t know if anybody’s gonna believe you.”

“Yes, let’s go attend the class offered by the vampire, which is a completely normal thing to do after meeting a friendly dragon.” Sam’s chuckles echoed over the floating island. “Stranger things have happened.”

Since arriving in this new world, switching from talking to the dragon to considering attending a class taught by a vampire might have been the biggest switch-up Ethan had experienced. He floated down, finding the cluster of students in a semi-circle around a man clad in what could only be described as stereotypical vampire garb. It wasn’t quite on the level of classic silver screen Dracula’s but close enough that the scribe would welcome him back for a new movie if he so desired. Landing nearby was slightly awkward as it drew the attention of the 15 students gathered there, including Nir, who waved awkwardly.

Professor Lok had stopped mid-sentence, casting his pale gaze to the scribe. “May I continue, Mister… Walsh?”

“How does a fantasy vampire have a transylvanian accent?” Ethan muttered to himself. He cleared his throat. “Apologies, professor. I got excited about the floating islands.”

Professor Lok pointed a clawed finger in the air. “Beware of dragons, young man.”

Ethan nodded his agreement. Nir edged closer to the scribe, eventually bumping his shoulder into him as his eyes scanned the sky. It was no surprise that the mage was scared. If ghosts were a threat for him, dragons would’ve been even more horrifying.

“As I was saying,” Professor Lok cleared his throat. “Special Concepts is a broad class. We are not a traditional lecture, but we aren’t a freeform class like Special Instructions classes. We’re somewhere in the middle. The point of this class is to understand magical families, not master them. Our classes will take place here, because I do so enjoy the islands.”

“And the shade,” Nir whispered, giggling to himself. He then screamed and grabbed Ethan’s arm when a bird squawked in the distance.

“That one is very jumpy,” Lok said, looking around as though someone would do something about it. He eventually cleared his throat. “Unlike some of my brethren, I have a special Vampire System that allows me to subsist on monsters and dungeons. For those of you so inclined, could you identify the branch this system might be related to. Raise your hand if you have the answer.”

Ethan felt a flash of excitement in his chest. They were getting into it right away. This was the exact kind of class he loved, and from the outset, he knew that Sam had made a good pick. But the question was difficult, if not impossible, to answer. Vampirism was, as far as the scribe understood, loosely related to concepts of undeath. But it didn’t fall into the realm of that domain, meaning he was outside of it. He looked around and saw that no one else was raising their hands. So he did.

“Mr. Walsh, I hope you have a decent answer and not just a stab in the dark.”  

“I don’t actually have a guess as to which branch it belongs to, but I can tell you which branches it does not belong to. I don’t think it’s in the realm of Undeath or any of the related domains.” Ethan thought for a moment, and the floor remained his. He opened his senses, pulling his pen out to get a better feel for the system.

“Gadzooks!” Sam said. “I can’t even guess what rank that is. But I can taste the flavor. Completely unique to anything I’ve experienced so far. Feels kinda… tainted.”

Ethan swallowed hard. “Sorry. I can copy classes, but you’re… Really high-Ranked.”

“Astute ability.” Lok nodded in approval. “Since your attempt to copy me has failed, I shall tell you about Vampire Systems. We exist in a domain and branch all our own. The main branch, of which I don’t know the system designation, is considered a blight. This curse sprung from near the base, and has remained there for uncounted years. Vampirism, as a school of magic, a domain, and a branch, is therefore unique. Yet mine is a subset of all that, a unique system among unique systems. Can anyone explain?”

Nir’s hand shot up and he was called upon. “Outside interference. Maybe a merge of schools, or the blending of concepts, making your system a branch of the main Vampirism track, with some unique element… Your monster-eating ability.”

“Correct, but not accurate enough.” Professor Lok shook his head. He wasn’t disappointed that Nir had missed the mark, but that there was still information to uncover. “Stretch your minds, children.”

Another student’s hand shot up, a human this time. Ethan didn’t recognize her, but her badge said she was in her 5th year at the academy. She was called upon. “If Mister Gale’s assumption is correct that there was outside influence, I think you’re steering us to a conclusion. The influence is literally outside. As in, outside of the Grand System.”

“Correct,” Lok said with a toothy smile. “I’d give you candy, but I don’t have any. Not since the last time… Anyway, I hope your brains are exploding right now.”

Ethan’s brain was exploding, because he didn’t think there was anything outside of the Grand System. Everything was branches from Primary, or a flavor related to the other branches. Domains, or families were just overlap that existed, like how Ice and Water Magic were similar. But for there to be something outside of the system made it, by definition, Eldritch.

“Eldritch magic?” Ethan asked. “That’s not possible. The Grand System covers the entire universe.”

“Does it now?”

“Yes.”

Professor Lok smiled, pointing at Ethan. “Each of you needs to gain this level of conviction. There are things outside of the universe. Sometimes, those things are drawn in. Now, this isn’t a normal occurrence. I know of only one such time, and it caused the fragmentation of the universe.”

Ethan scratched his chin. This was some history he had never heard about. Not directly, anyway.

“So…” Professor Lok settled his gaze on each member of the class in turn. “What can you tell me about the Twilight?”

Chapter 35

Get Out of My House

Ethan was frozen in place after Professor Lok mentioned the Twilight. He thought it was a place that very few had gone and even fewer were willing to speak about out loud. His mind went back to Arthur, still down there waiting for people to serve coffee to, and another pang of guilt fell over his heart.

“Mister Walsh?” Lok asked, raising a brow. “Your heart rate increased, and you’re sweating quite a lot. Perhaps it is affection for the creature clinging to you, or you know something about the Twilight.”

Ethan looked down, spotting the ‘creature’ Lok was talking about. He patted Nir on the head and chuckled. “I’ve been there, actually.”

This was all part of Ethan's new plan. Of course, he figured that he had gathered enough power to know which toes he could step on, so letting people know what his system did wouldn't be detrimental to himself. This wasn't a world where people got abducted for their powers or anything weird like that. Instead, it was a place where those who had strange abilities could mingle and improve themselves drastically. It felt good to finally be in that place. The scribe felt his guilt fade into pride.

"You must have a very curious class if you traverse the Voidspace without dying or losing your mind." Professor Lok paced closer, the irises of his eyes flashing red. Eventually, he nodded. "I wouldn't believe you if you didn't stink of the place. No matter how you try to remove yourself from it, a piece always returns with you."

All eyes were now firmly locked on Ethan, and it was hard not to feel awkward about the entire situation. He stood with upperclassmen as a first year, feeling like a baby seal in a pot of killer whales. When it was clear the professor wanted him to continue, he cleared his throat.

“It's hard to talk about the Twilight without Voidspace.” Ethan took a deep breath. “But the Twilight is the place between places. A giant river that splits this universe and… Something else on the other side. I’m not really knowledgeable on the topic, I just happened to have been there a few times.”

“So, you know Arthur?”

“Yeah. We have coffee sometimes.”

Professor Lok nodded with approval. “The Twilight is a Conceptual Space. It strains the definition of existence. Technically, it isn’t there. Technically, Arthur doesn’t exist, nor does anything else when it inhabits that place. But that is hardly the point, and I'm afraid if we linger on this for too long, it will encompass the entire lecture. The River is what we're interested in. Beyond that is the Eldritch influence I speak of.”

Nir raised his hand and was immediately called upon. He was still clutching Ethan, and his grip had only grown tighter since they started talking about some aberrant space. “If this is to be believed, we're talking about a river in the void that leads to a place outside of the universe. Conceptually, it makes sense. I guess that if there was something with the power to influence the Grand System, it could be changed. But wouldn't that assume that the thing had a system of its own? Is this just a mirror universe or something?”

Professor Lok shook his head, looking between the students for another answer. The girl who had spoken up earlier raised her hand and was called upon.  

"You were very careful with how you described the River, Ethan. If my instincts are right, you're talking about another version of our universe on the other side of the river and something completely Eldritch on the other side. The Dual Universe theory might not be widely accepted, but I believe it. I suspect that the professor is claiming that Eldritch things can come through the River, and when they do, they are adapted to our system, which would explain the corrupted nature of vampirism as a magical school." 

“The quality of something to be adapted makes sense to me.” Ethan shrugged. “I’ve seen an old version of a system be reformed to adapt to new circumstances.”

Nir spoke up next. “The question is: would the Grand System see something like an Eldritch entity as an enemy? Or would it adapt that entity as part of a system? Professor Lok is implying the Eldritch influence gets adapted into someone’s existing system, and Ethan supports that theory.”

Professor Lok produced a dry laugh, clapping his hands. “This is the most spirited group I’ve taught for a long time. Did you expect to come here discussing such deep topics of magical origins? Study of the Grand System’s design, and the many branches and domains we have available is an expansive topic. You see, I started this line of questioning with an idea, and now you three have gone and blown it up.”

“Sorry,” Nir said.

“Never be sorry for academic interest, young mortal.” Lok looked proud, throwing his shoulders back and sweeping his cape across the ground. “I can see our three prodigy students, and I ask them to ask fewer questions. Until the others in the class have a chance to answer, anyway. Now, the important thing here is that systems aren’t the only thing that can change. Domains, families, and branches can all merge, and diverge. The example of my system is a divergence. While I cannot fully explain it, I suspect an Eldritch thing infiltrated our world ages ago, corrupting another system and giving rise to a family of monster-eating systems. We gain strength and even subsistence from eating proto-souls, typically that of monsters.”

Ethan smiled to himself, getting a warm fuzzy feeling in his gut. He thought Halfhoof’s class was going to be something like this. But he wasn’t disappointed. If anything, he was inspired by the way the other students jumped in. But there was a gap in knowledge between the three who had piped up, and those who remained silent. The scribe recognized the need to ensure everyone knew what was going on, and would respect the professor’s wishes to minimize the chatter.

The entire class was apparently modeled on this format. The professor would pose questions about the origins of magic, and the class would have a discussion. This was just for the first class, of course. The discussion might continue in the future, but practical applications were where they would really apply themselves. Overall, the scribe considered this to be one of his most useful classes from the outset. That might change as the semester went on, but for now, he was very pleased. When they were done, he walked with Nir toward the nearest Gate, realizing that people didn't really like it when he floated around them.

"That was one of the stranger classes I've ever attended," Ethan scratched his head, trying to come to terms with how much he liked it.  

"What's wrong with your puppet?" Nir asked, gesturing toward Tenalia, who had been limping behind them for part of the journey until the scribe scooped her up and put her on his shoulder.  

"She got injured during some magical backlash. I'll have to wait until I meet with Trex. She's the one who built her."

“I signed up for that class, but when does it meet?” Nir asked. “Kind of confusing how it says ‘whenever.’ And I’m not really sure what shack they mean.”

“I’m expecting a letter from her. Or, she’s just going to show up out of nowhere like she normally does. If I had to guess, she’ll do the class on Friday.”

“What a strange class. Anyway, what did you think about Lok?”

Ethan and Nir discussed the vampiric professor. They both liked him, but for different reasons. While the scribe didn’t mind the man’s strange appearance, it gave his newest friend the creeps. Which wasn’t surprising, since he was a vampire. Half-way back to the Gate, which was a few miles from the town, Ethan stopped in his tracks, a broad smile spreading across his face.

“You know, Trex’s house is nearby.” Ethan felt out into the nearby Voidspaces. He had sworn off taking long journeys through it, but this would be quite short. Sam confirmed the map she had made covered their current region of physical space. “Wanna see if she’s home?”

Nir looked around, confusion spreading across his face as he spotted absolutely nothing. “Does she live in the forest?”

Ethan laughed, reaching out a hand to grasp an invisible doorknob. The moment he did, an oak door with a brass knob appeared. He winked before turning the handle, opening the door to reveal Trex’s manor within. “Ah, there it is. Just where I left it.”

“What in the hells is that?” Nir asked with a scoff. “What am I looking at?”

“A Voidspace.” Ethan entered the door.

But Nir was hesitant. He fidgeted with his pristine robes, studying the edges of the door as though it would reveal some secret. Eventually, he danced on the spot, then screamed before throwing himself through the threshold.

“Oh. That was easy.” Nir looked around, studying the well-manicured lawn and the beautiful stone pathway leading to the front door. He jumped when the Voidspace door snapped closed on its own. “Hanging around with you is going to reduce my lifespan, I think.”

Ethan was already walking toward the door. When he knocked, he found himself standing awkwardly, waiting for Trex to answer. At first, he thought they’d be leaving empty-handed. But eventually, the demon threw the door open with a snarl.

“Get off my lawn!” Trex shouted, her eyes shifting between a glowing hue of purple and blue. Eventually, her gaze locked onto Ethan, then dragged over to Nir. “What do you want, kid? Class is tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Ethan asked. “You didn’t list a date or time on your class listing.”

“Everyone knows class is Friday.” Trex leaned on the frame of her door. Her eyes soon fell upon the doll, and she released a series of curses. “What have you done to my baby? What did he do to you?”

“I engage in combat, creator. Injuries happen.”

“Not to my baby!” Trex said, rushing inside the manor to leave Ethan and Nir standing there like idiots.

“Guess we can go in.” Ethan shrugged as he entered. There was a pleasant fire burning in the fireplace, and the smell of something cooking lingering in the air. The scribe wasn’t sure what his plan was. He had assumed Trex wouldn’t be at home, and had just planned to use his strangest travel power to bring his friend home without much walking.

Instead, Trex was there, and she was fussing over the broken doll. For some reason, Tenalia absolutely loved the attention, hamming it up to get more care from her creator. Ethan couldn’t hold back his giggles, and just shook his head as he found the most comfortable looking chair. He gestured for Nir to have a seat, and they settled in for the long-haul.

“I could study this place for years.” Nir’s eyes sparkled as he looked around. “What kind of magic is this?”

“Some variety of Dimensional magic, I think. That’s my primary focus of study for this semester.”

Nir nodded. “That explains your schedule. Can anyone just go here, like you did?”

“I don’t think so. I can traverse Voidspace because of my direct connection with the Grand System. Which implies that Voidspace is a feature of the Grand System, despite what some Guardians might tell you.” Ethan dug through his bag, but didn’t find any snacks. He usually carried around some dried food so he could work on increasing his class while he was idle.

Instead, Ethan engaged in conversation with Nir. Once the scared elf got used to it, he was quite pleased to be hanging around in such a nice place. It was only missing coffee and snacks. Only then would it be perfect.

“Papa, I’m healed.” Tenalia came trotting out, giving her repaired leg a test.

“Yeah, be careful with her.” Trex shook her head. “Someone disabled her limiter, and I’m guessing that’s not you. Whatever the case, she’ll be fine. And she’s close to evolving so that’s good.”

“Evolution?” Ethan asked, raising a brow. “Is that a thing?”

“You really didn’t study any Golemancy, did you?”

“I’m working on it… Okay, I’m not working on it. But I could be. Should I?”

“If you have to ask, the answer is ‘yes.’ Now, if you would kindly GET OUT OF MY HOUSE. Meet me at the spot Friday at noon or something, I don’t care. You’re just gonna come bug me here, so why bother?”