System Scribe Academy Book 2 - Chapters 26,27,28,29,30

Chapter 26

No One’s Homie

Ethan got to test the reporting system on his way to Luminarum House City. True to her word, Sam had programmed the damn thing to jack into Gale House’s tablet network and steal all their information. He could now view all the entries reported by summoning the system’s interface, and when he added a new one to the list, it automatically populated with Gale House, including a price to resolve that anomaly.

Thanks to his bracelet being the owner of the system, Ethan got special access. There was a lot of stuff under the hood that he could mess with, including expansions he could apply to the plate itself. But for now, a simple reporting tool was all he needed. The important thing would be finding a way to spread it throughout the planet, which would reduce their workload considerably. That was because the information recorded by the new system was much more accurate. It didn’t rely on witness testimony, and instead used a person’s natural aura to scan an anomaly.

It still wasn’t perfect, but it was damn sure better than the old deal.

At the entrance to the church, Ethan found a familiar priest he had dealt with before, but the man had little to say and simply led the scribe through to the garden cloister, where he was surprised to see Zeal and Solace engaged in martial training. They were very quick, especially for people without proper systems, but they were also incredibly skilled. Of course, the church had forced them to use wooden weapons, but the feats they performed were no less impressive.

“Hey guys.” Ethan hoisted his newest device for them to see. “I come with gifts.”

“A big chunk of metal?” Zeal asked, taking steady breaths to regain his composure. “Although I really dig metal, especially in large plates, I don’t think we can use it.”

Ethan turned it around.

“Oh! A bunch of crap I don’t understand.” Zeal chuckled. “For real, though. What is it?”

“Maybe this will help you get your character back.” Ethan trotted the device over to a wall, mounting it there temporarily. It didn’t need to be permanent, since the pair were unlikely to use it constantly. According to the laws of the system, they could move it around between uses. “Just be careful not to shatter the power crystals. Those are very expensive, and I hate sourcing them. The person at the store gives me looks.”

“Did you test it?” Solace asked cautiously.

Ethan nodded, stepping back before kicking the machine into operation. “It works just fine. I didn’t know if it would expel mana or energy, but it looks like you guys are lucky. It’ll be pure mana, so you don’t have to do any processing. You simply apply a small bit of any kind of mana here, and it should work. If you break that one crystal, you’ll need to bring it back to me because that’s the primer that holds Celestial mana, which gets the whole thing started.”

“Interesting design.” Solace looked closer, but eventually shook her head. “I was never a crafter.”

“Neither am I. But Sam did a great job on this one. I’m just the instrument she uses.”

“Sounds saucy.” Zeal wiggled his eyebrows.

Solace hit him in the nuts. “Mind if I turn it on?”

Zeal fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

“Go ahead.” Ethan stepped back, gesturing to the device. “Just that rune there, and it’ll start. Press that other rune, and it’ll stop. The mana comes in puffs approximately every two minutes.”

Ethan watched at a distance as Solace operated the device as expected when she used her mixed alignment mana. It worked just fine, kicking into action and eventually producing a puff of pure, undefined mana. He watched as she drew it into her soul, adding it to her system. She released a heavy sigh and turned to him, giving a sheepish thumbs up.  

“That’s the stuff,” she said. “Now we don’t have to ask you to stop by every day to feed us like some pet dogs.”

“I still need to check on your systems.” Ethan pulled his pen from his chest and got to sketching. Of course, it was a very minimal sketch. “You’ve got a bit more than last time, but not much. I still need to expand my knowledge base on sigils representing systems. I’ve got System Sigils down, but this is another matter.”

“We’re at your mercy,” Zeal groaned from the ground.

“How long do you figure this is going to take?” Solace asked. “Not that we’re complaining, of course.”

“I can’t even say. Your systems progressed faster when I gave you shots of Undeath mana. When you were just eating Death mana, they crawled forward. In the past five months, I’d give you about 10% progress. That’s what you made during each of my ad-hoc injections.” Ethan shook his head. “Might be as fast as two weeks, depending on how much you absorb a day. But don’t get ahead of yourself, give your system time to… expand or something. I don’t know, I’ve never done this.”

“Good.” Zeal finally rose to his feet. “We’re learning together.”

Solace feigned as though she was gonna tap him again, and the big man winced. “Not cool.”

“You know we can’t repay you, right?” Solace asked.

Ethan rubbed his hands together. “Oh, yes. You can.”

“That’s a look I don’t like.” Zeal looked more frightened than when Solace almost gave him the good old nut-tap.

“Don’t worry. I want nothing you can’t give up. Just a copy of your systems for research purposes.”

“Research purposes, huh?” Solace sighed, shaking her head. “Whatever it means for us to be whole again. Hell, maybe we can even get out of this sector one day. Meet up with the gang.”

“Oh!” Ethan shouted, clapping his hands. “I saw you guys at the Siege of Perisart!”

Zeal and Solace shared a confused look.

“How the hell did you do that?”

“Long story. I saw you guys fighting and didn’t realize you were that old.” Ethan chuckled to himself, but was mortified to see the expression on Solace’s face.

“We’re not old.” Zeal’s tone was deadly serious. “We’ve been in stasis. There’s a big difference, okay? She’s only, chronologically, 28. Okay, dude?”

Ethan stammered. “Of course I meant non-chronologically. As in, historically. Based on the fact that you were in a battle over 400 years ago.”

“Yeah, then she went to sleep and she’s still a beautiful princess.” Zeal glared. “Call her a beautiful princess.”

“You’re a beautiful princess.”

“Damn right she is.” Zeal puffed his chest out, huffing. “Man over here with exactly no manners. Anyway, yeah. We were in the fight. Not that we did much.”

Ethan laughed, feeling the tension drain from his body. “I tried talking to Silvain about it but…”

“His betrayal.” Solace nodded. “Yeah, I saw him at the end in Hallben, but he seemed in rough shape. I think his nephew beat the crap out of him or something.”

“I knew a guy who was there when he died.” Zeal shrugged when Solace gave him a skeptical look. “What? You don’t remember my homie that was trapped in his armor?”

“That man was no one’s homie, no matter how much you wanted him to be.” Solace scoffed, casting her eyes downward. “You want to talk about a reckless individual? Someone with that kind of power kinda reminds me of… Well, thanks Ethan.”

“Ya just can’t trail off like that.”

“No,” Solace said, waving the question away. “Just one of our commanders, Elrin. He was always reckless, and the two were like peas in a pod. If those peas fought each other to the death every other weak.”

“Fun times!” Zeal said, bouncing on the spot. “Is it my turn to huff the magical vapors?”

“Yeah, it should be ready.” Ethan nodded toward the device. There were runes that glowed when it was ready for another ‘puff.’ “Which means, I should be going. There’s another project I need to start before the semester hits me like a ton of bricks. Not to mention I need to meet with Headmaster Vesper to see if my classes are approved.”

“Good luck with that.” Zeal approached the device, putting his face a bit too close.

“You don’t have to kiss it, you moron.” Solace sighed as she waved to Ethan. “Sorry, I need to wrangle this guy before he puts an eye out.”

“Like this?” Zeal was still way too close to the device, and Solace yelled at him.

Ethan departed from the church, feeling the need to drop a few coins as a donation before he went. He didn’t need to, and him taking care of Zeal and Solace was likely all they wanted from him. But like churches back on Earth, he felt guilty if he didn’t leave something behind for existing in their building for a brief amount of time.

There just wasn’t enough time before Ethan’s meeting with Headmaster Vesper. His hope was that the man would just approve all of his classes. Maybe that was a pipe dream, but he thought his track record spoke for itself. His ideal situation was to tell the academy what he wanted to take, and have them not say a damn thing about it so he could do his job. The problem was that he was still learning about a lot of stuff. His trip into Voidspace had proven that easily enough.

Even with Sam helping him every step of the way, there was still the fact that he had to do a lot of this stuff. He was the conduit, and the conduit couldn’t be some idiot that didn’t know what was going on. Ethan worked with Sam as he passed through Gates, heading to Barg City to meet with Vesper. Why the man couldn’t come down to Gale House City was beyond him. It wasn’t as though the city was destroyed. By the time the scribe got back from Voidspace, it had been rebuilt with no sign that a battle had even happened.

Ethan studied the students as he headed to the administration building for his meeting. He figured almost everyone at the academy was in the first four semesters. After that, almost everyone seemed to flee into the wider universe. Four crazy semesters where they were tested and worked to the bone… Or at least that was the idea. How many of them were like Alex, Finn, and Luna? How many of those that stayed became so complacent, falling into old routines just to hold their spots?

Dislodging the thought with a shake of his head, Ethan approached the counter in the administration building. He checked in, found a seat, and did some more planning with Sam. Both were on the same page for once, having a keen interest in expanding their abilities with Dimensional Magic. Inscriptions, rituals, and spells were all on the table, so long as they didn’t anger the Primal God of Time. That was a good gut check to see if they were meddling with anything they should’ve been keeping their hands out of.

“Ethan Walsh,” a bored-sounding voice called from somewhere behind the main counter.

Ethan stood, raising his hand. The elven man that had called his name looked at him with an emotionless countenance. “Bit late to sign up for classes, don’t you think?”

“I’m a special princess,” Ethan said, bowing his head. “I’m sure Headmaster Vesper will understand.”

“Most people schedule their classes through us, not the headmaster.”

“As I said. I’m a special little princess. Now, which room are we meeting in?”

Chapter 27

Negotiation

Headmaster Cassius Vesper was an interesting man. He was of elven descent from the Kuzan lineage. With a thick head of black hair, he kept it in a topknot above his head. Now he was wearing intricate robes and typically spoke with an undeniable authority that had always grabbed Ethan’s attention. But there was another side to the man, the side that seemed obsessed with seeing more of the scribe’s system. Yet, considering all those things, the expression that hung on his face when Ethan and Tenalia entered the room was concerning.

The headmaster sat in a sparsely adorned meeting room with his fingers steepled, looking out from the corners of his eyes. He released an exasperated sigh the moment the scribe entered and gestured for him to take a seat on the other side of the table. “There are many strange things that happen under my watch as the headmaster of Gale House, but you continue to become stranger by the day.”

“I’m guessing you’re not happy about me or this meeting.” Ethan found his seat and ‌immediately shifted uncomfortably on the hardwood. Tenalia found a spot nearby to stand, leaning against her sword as her sightless gaze locked onto the headmaster. “But you’ll understand my situation. I was approached by a benefactor and forced, against my better judgment, to handle a situation.”

Vesper frowned as though he was looking for any reason to punish the scribe, but eventually he sighed and smiled to himself. “Truth is, everything says that I should expel you from the planet, sending you somewhere in the local sector, but that very same benefactor who forced you on your little mission also overrode that decision, so count yourself lucky.”

“I swear I don’t have plans to do something like that again. If you look at the records for when I was active during the trial, you’ll see I was doing very well.”

“Just don’t let it happen again. So, which classes are you taking this semester?”

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how comfortable he looked on the outside, on the inside he was sweating bullets. Tenalia’s constant stares of hate weren’t helping matters, but the headmaster didn’t really seem to notice. Instead, they went over his proposed class schedule. With each one that came up, Headmaster Vesper balked or spit obscenities. When the scribe had finally reached the end of the list, he grit his teeth and waited for Vesper’s judgment.

“Okay, here’s the thing. Dungeon Anatomy makes sense. You’re qualified for that one, seeing as you got top marks in your classes today and the academy is aware of your previous accomplishments.” Vesper looked at the list he had written for the classes he even wanted to take and shook his head. “But Esoterica? That’s a strange class with an even stranger professor. I understand you’re trying to learn weird magic, but that one?” 

“The listing said that Professor Halfhoof will teach me on a subject of my choosing. That’s why I picked the special instruction style class.”

Vesper scratched at his face, shaking his head. “I can understand that, I suppose. You’d need a special exception from me to take the class, though.”

“I’m aware that you’re going to be the only person that can push me in this direction, but I feel as though I must impress the importance of classes like these.” Ethan sighed. His plan had been to pull on Vesper’s heartstrings, but that would never work. He had to lean on the truth more than he wanted. Headmaster Vesper had to know how quickly his system was developing. “There have been some changes. Mostly my bracelet.”

“An artifact, right? The one that shook the planet.”

“Right. Sam, could you introduce yourself?”

“Greetings, Headmaster Vesper.” Sam said, the sound emanating from Ethan’s bracelet. “Unfortunately, thanks to me, a lot of the lower-tier classes just aren’t going to cut it, and Ethan needs to find himself in more challenging classes. We’re interested in the selection you see before you for several reasons. Since you’ve already said that Dungeon Anatomy is a given, I won’t expand upon that. But Esoterica is important because Professor Halfhoof has access to rare forms of magic we wish to copy for our studies. Special Concepts with Professor Lok is important because of his access to Vampiric Magic, which will help our studies regarding Undeath. As I’m sure you’re aware, there’s a situation in Luminarum House that we’re attempting to resolve.”

Ethan’s back had gone rigid the moment the bracelet started talking. He was worried at first that she would attempt to overpower the headmaster with logic, but instead she had taken the simplest path toward convincing him. Like him, she had suspected the best way to get to the headmaster was to present him with a sound argument regarding his system scribe class, and the expression on Vesper’s face said it might just have worked.

“So, if you have a mind spirit, that makes things interesting, I suppose. I’ve experienced some myself, but that one seems incredibly intelligent.”

“She isn’t sapient, but... She’s adopted a personality to make it easier for me to communicate with her.” Ethan thought about adding more but instead folded his hands and put them in his lap.

“So much so you’ve given it a gender. Interesting.” Vesper chewed on the inside of his cheek. “At what point do we say that we don’t have the means to teach you? Why not expel you and send you to some far-flung corner of the sector, like Erradon. The Crystal Flight lives there, and they have some seriously impressive mages.”

“Because one school isn’t enough, let alone one system.” Sam spoke quickly, cutting off any doubt before it sprouted. “We require access to a great deal of abilities, skill, and spells from many systems. The nature of our work means that we need to have access to these things, otherwise we can never fix the anomalies. If we’re to assume that is our purpose, you must provide us with the means to see it through.”

Vesper thought about that for a long time, drumming his fingers over the surface of the table and shaking his head on occasion. Eventually, he released a heavy sigh and looked up at Ethan, a smile across his face. “Well, now for the truth. I was going to approve almost all of these except for the Special Concepts class. That’s mainly based on the fact that you’ve broken into one of our tablet systems and taken all the information. When considering allowing students to bypass the hurdles we normally set before them, extracurriculars count for quite a lot.”

“I apologize for that.” Sam was quick to speak. “It wasn’t my intention to interlink myself with the tablet system, but we were generating a Fragment System to be used for anomaly reporting.”

“A… what?” Vesper asked.

“Ethan, kindly give him a coin.”

Ethan wanted to complain that they’d need to go back to the cottage to get another, but the electric shock running through his arm told him not to disobey. He handed the coin over, and Vesper gave him a puzzled look.

“Eat it,” Sam said. “It isn’t tasty, but the result will certainly please you.”

Ethan saw the gears and the headmaster’s head turning before he eventually shrugged and placed it in his mouth. “Oh, it’s melting! And I’m seeing… Wait, what is this?”

“What you’re seeing is a Fragment System. It is a piece of the Primary System that can be packaged and distributed to anybody. It won’t override your current system, instead existing alongside it. This will allow a great many people to participate in the report of anomalies.”

Vesper almost choked. When he had finally regained his composure, he shouted, “You did what?! That’s not possible. You can’t just make a system.”

“You most certainly can’t. But you can make a Fragment System. Apparently.”

“We didn’t know if it would work.” Ethan shrugged and it was the truth. Sam’s plan was to maybe make a system, and definitely make a better means of reporting. It was just that the best outcome had come true. “Honestly, Sam just wanted to steal your tablet network. Which I know isn’t a good thing, but that’s the truth.”

“Can we distribute this?” Vesper asked. “How does the reporting system work?”

“The system is automatic.” Sam seemed really proud of that. “It uses a person’s natural aura to detect anomalies. This was a feature we could have never anticipated, but the Grand System believes in our cause.”

Vesper rubbed his face in frustration. “How many coins can you get me?”

“As many as you need,” Sam said.

The rest of the meeting went much better. After learning about the fragment system that Sam had created, Headmaster Vesper was happy to allow them to take whatever class they wanted. So the correct strategy was to show him something cool, and Ethan could get away with anything. That was good to know for future reference. After the schedule was approved, the scribe went and created as many coins as he could carry and brought them back to the headmaster. It seemed as though the system would roll out to the wider public before Luna and Finn got their hands on it. When even more coins were requested, Sam was quick to create a small device that synced with the main one for the express purpose of distributing coins. That way, Gale House could create as many as they wanted on their time and distribute them accordingly.

Ethan collapsed onto his bed. All his joints were sore and his back hurt. He had been flying around and doing so much today that sleep finally seemed like a good idea. And yet he felt as though he was forgetting something. In the back of his mind, he knew that there was more to be done. But with such little time, he wondered what the purpose was. Of course, Sam was there to remind him of his responsibilities.

“I think it would be best if you worked on your Affinity Ring. Getting that up to Rank 3 would be very helpful.” 

“Can’t a man rest?” Ethan groaned. “I don’t feel much like cultivating energy today.”

“Yes, relaxation is important. The beach always seems to be best for you.”

“Screw that,” Tenalia said, smacking Ethan in the leg. “Let’s fly around and map the surrounding area so we can find dungeons to do later. You’re going to be part of that dungeon class. You may as well start going in there more often.”

“Oh, perhaps we can adapt your siphoning spell to drain the soul of a dungeon.” Sam hummed to herself, the sound buzzing from the bracelet. “Yes, very good idea, Tenalia.”

“I’m full of good ideas.” Tenalia pranced around the area, rather pleased with herself. “One day, you lowly peasants will see exactly how useful I am.”

After a very brief rest, Ethan invited Tenalia onto his shoulder and left the cottage, taking to the air. He wouldn’t admit to the bracelet that he wasn’t interested in resting exactly. In his mind, the idea of resting was more like doing less strenuous tasks rather than doing nothing. He flew around to check how the damage had been repaired and mentally kicked himself. He could have helped a lot with this, and it would have likely created quite a few more interesting spells. As he soared over the rural landscape, he made a vow not to miss the next trial.

He had lost five months of progress, and still counted himself as far ahead of his class. But perhaps it was time to stop thinking of himself as belonging to a grade year. As a System Scribe, he transcended that in a way. Vesper’s suggestion that he leave the academy was offensive at its core. The scribe had to stay here to soak up as much knowledge as he could. There were too many abilities out there for him to snag. Too many anomalies to heal. And the heart of a world that he had to figure out…

At his own pace, of course.

Chapter 28

Nir

Managing dungeons was apparently a big business. Ethan had spent several hours flying around the outside of Gale House City before he found himself pushing further and further. He would detect a dungeon below, fly to inspect it, only to find a guard at the entrance claiming that it was a private dungeon. That might have been the case in the areas close to the city, but the further he went, the fewer private dungeons he found. These were in the wild places of the world where most adventuring folk would find it difficult to venture into. Roaming monsters, treacherous landscapes, and an altogether harsh environment. This resulted in few people visiting these areas.

And plenty of dungeons for Ethan to scout.

Although Ethan had no intention of running these dungeons traditionally, understanding them was the key to his next big project. If he wanted Dimensional magic to work, he figured he needed two things: knowledge about dungeons, and mastery of Voidspace.

“Easy, right?” Ethan asked, releasing a sigh. He had found a perch atop a tall hill, and was looking over a rather pleasant vista. The sun was low in the sky, classes were fast approaching from Gale House, and the sound of some caterpillar monsters from below echoed over the calm. They made a weird clicking noise that was both fascinating and creepy.

Sam was silent. She had to create some Memory Blocks if she wanted to keep pace with her rapid advancement. Similarly, Ethan turned his attention inward to add energy to his Rings. Affinity was up first, and he planned to expand it to have a Rank 3 Ring. Next was Mind, since he’d need to support his new mana consumption. Last would be getting his Rank 1 rings in both domains up to 3 slots, and perhaps even his Rank 2 rings. That was a lot of work, and something he could’ve done over the last 5 months.

Ethan sighed again, slightly more dramatic this time. But Tenalia wasn’t there to hear it. She was down below, practicing combat forms against large insectoid monsters. Turning his focus inward, Ethan used his ability to infuse energy into his Affinity Ring. It was full to bursting, ‌and creating the Rank 3 version should have been easy. But as expected with something bordering on the edge of a new domain of power, it refused to give way.

Night had fallen before the scribe understood the passage of time. He had slipped into something of a meditative trance. The sensation he felt in his chest was that of a cup, nearly overflowing. Or a balloon under too much pressure. At any moment it might pop, resulting in the creation of his first Rank 3 Ring. He tried not to get too excited as he collected Tenalia, taking off into the air and plotting a lazy course back to his home.

“I never gave Finn and Luna the system like I had planned.” Ethan wanted to cultivate more energy, but it would be too trying while flying. He just couldn’t split his attention between the two things, as his flight spell was too complicated.

“They’re the ones who have to step up, not you. You’re already doing far too much, Ethan. And if you’re going to be part of a group, then it needs to be a group effort.”

Ethan got his nightly nap sometime before midnight. Things had been crazy enough over the past few days that he hardly realized classes started tomorrow. The worst part of that was that his first class didn’t have a set time. His plan was to sleep early and then go camp outside of Sweet Grass Building 1 until the floating Chihuahua appeared. As expected, the plaza containing the building was mostly empty at such an early hour. Two in the morning, if a nearby clock hanging in the window of a nearby storefront could be believed.

Using Deep System Meditation (Affinity) was Ethan’s way to pass the time. But as he soaked in energy for his Ring, he considered the best spell for his new Rank 3 slot. With 3 spells available to him at any time, he could finally have a spread of useful things. Two spells had already given him the ability to have an attack and defense spell on at the same time. Switching to System Flight rather than Leap was a great way to free up a slot, since he didn’t have to use his platform spell anymore.

“What other useful crap can I use?” Ethan muttered, not opening his eyes or breaking the meditation ability.

The possibilities were actually endless, and Ethan planned out how he would design his combat kit. Traps were definitely interesting, and he was curious about what sort of nasty things he could come up with to slay monsters. But before the scribe could finish creating his new ring or come up with a good trio of spells, somebody tapped his shoulder and broke him from his meditations.

“You’re here for Eggs’ class, right?” A tawny-haired man stood before him, draped in the colors of Gale House. The pointed ears betrayed him as an elf, but his scrawny build and cherubine features made him look more like a maeth. When Ethan nodded, he smiled. “I’m Niren. Niren… Well, just call me Nir, if you want.”

Ethan stood, trying not to laugh when he found himself a head taller than Nir. He reached out a hand, and the pair shook. One thing the scribe recognized right away was the lack of strength in the other student’s grip. The badge on his chest claimed that he was in his third year, which meant he was deep into the study of a mage. It wasn’t the habit of mages to get out there and get buff, so the man’s scrawny appearance made sense.

“Ethan Walsh. First year and all-around menace.”

Nir offered a placid smile. “I’ve heard about you already. I’m sure most of the other students around here, especially those in the more academically inclined circles, have. Are you tired of people calling you the next big genius of Gale House?”

Ethan shook his head. “Can’t say I’ve heard that much, but I don’t really listen to the chatter. Actually… I don’t really have too many friends around here.”

“Plus one.” Nir smiled with a familiar charisma that Ethan had trouble placing at first.

When it came to elves, Ethan was always eager to figure out what their lineage was. Maybe that was something some people would consider rude, especially back on Earth since it hardly mattered, but here it mattered a lot to him. From what he could tell, there was the Kuzanite line and the Silvan line. That was to say, people who came from Kuzan, and people who didn’t. The biggest difference was the darkness the Kuzanite Elves had in their smiles, like they were trying to repent for something someone had done thousands of years ago.

Nir lacked that smile, instead having the warmth of a nice summer day. Ethan typically didn’t notice this in people. But all alone in a class with a flying dog, he was eager to latch on to the nicest person he could find.

“So, you’re a third year. This is your sixth semester?” Ethan asked. “Do you have a specialty?”

Nir laughed, nodding eagerly. “Dungeons. My class evolved recently, which kinda changed my perspective on everything.”

Ethan tried to hold himself back. He really did. Without thinking about it, he withdrew his pen and peered at the man’s system, only to find disappointment. He clicked his tongue. “Rank 4, huh?”

Nir straightened up, tilting his head to one side. “Well, that’s an interesting gift. Not just the insane artifact in your hand, but your ability to tell a person’s Rank just by looking at them. You’ll have to teach me.”

Ethan shook his head. “You’ll have to move to the Primary System if you want to do that. I don’t know of any X-13 spell or ability that produces such an effect.”

“Curious. And more curious by the moment.” Nir bit at his fingernails for a moment before nodding. “I haven’t padded my schedule out just yet. What else are you taking?”

Ethan snapped his fingers, remembering that most people likely didn’t know about Trex’s class. It was technically open, and if this guy was a genius like he implied, he could cut it. The scribe explained his schedule, and Nir’s eyes got wider with each one.

“Not much of an academic, are you?”

“I like the practical classes. My…” Ethan hesitated. One insane artifact was enough to reveal for now. “I spend a lot of time in the library after the practical courses. I’d rather go head-first into the application then figure out the theory later.”

Ethan found himself drawn into a conversation about application versus theory. Nir was extremely well studied, even considering he was a third year. The scribe was immediately reminded of the members of the Anomalous Materials Group and had to remember that there were certain people who, when given the chance to rise to greatness within the system, squandered it. Nir wasn’t one of them and, based on their conversation, had earned that genius designation.

Sitting cross-legged and floating about three feet off the ground, Ethan demonstrated how he had crafted his flight spell. 

“Of course, a combination of Gravity and Wind Magic makes sense,” Nir tapped his chin, seeming to look at Ethan from every angle. “But you simply smashed the two concepts together, connecting them in a way that was completely illogical. The Grand System swooped in to help you with this, I hope you know.”  

“Yeah, I understand. I’m not the best in the world. My array crafting isn’t that great, but I make it work. Don’t forget the Haste spell.”

Once again, Ethan refused to elaborate that his bracelet did most of the work, but Nir was right. The spell he had crafted was pretty rough, and as he had done many times before, he had allowed the Grand System to intervene, filling in those spots that made no sense. It was the same as with the Fragment System. They created the device, but the Grand System was the one to come in and integrate it as its own system. 

“I’m just getting into it now, but the subject of spellcrafting is coveted within Gale House.” Nir passed his hands in the air, projecting an array for the X-13 system. “Perhaps you could look at this and tell me where I’m going wrong?”

“That unifier sigil is wrong. He needs to take in the power output from the generator portion of the array, rather than the cycling portion.” Sam was quick with the assessment, even if she was supposed to be busy with creating blocks.

Ethan parroted the information. He felt kind of guilty, but knew that he would’ve found it on his own eventually. Sam just made things quicker.

“Oh.You’re right.” Nir squinted and shook his head.

“Mana flow is the most common way things go wrong. Spells, abilities, fonts. That’s what I’ve noticed, anyway.”

“Very curious.” Nir nodded with approval, making changes in the air. His sight moved to the side, and Ethan knew why. “And who does this golem belong to?”

“Golem? I’m no golem, fool.” Tenalia huffed. “I was just hunting while this creature waited all night for a class.”

Nir looked between Tenalia and Ethan. “You made her?”

“I bound her soul to a doll. I didn’t make the doll.” Ethan held his hands up defensively. He didn’t want credit for something as amazing as Tenalia. “Anyway, that’s Tenalia.”

“And that’s a flying dog.” Tenalia gestured behind herself with her puppet hand.

“Flying?!” Professor Eggs’ voice boomed across the open meeting area. “On the ground this instant, you fool! Oh, Ethan. Nice to see you again.”

“Hey, Professor Eggs.” Ethan rotated in the air, smiling at the flying dog.

“I was serious. Ass on the ground. Now.”

Ethan flipped over, his feet finally finding solid ground as he winced. “Whoops,” he whispered to Nir. “Guess the Chihuahua has domain over the skies.”

“It would appear so.”

Chapter 29

Dungeoneering

Professor Eggs’ dungeon class was tiny. Ten people had arrived in front of the building, and Ethan had to wonder if half as many would stay throughout the semester. It was quite common for people in Gale House to swap between classes after they had started. The professor’s mood changed the instant the scribe landed on the ground. But she still gave some time for everybody to gather before she started the first lecture.

“I’m surprised to see you here, Ethan. You passed my Ritual Foundation 1 class, but I didn’t expect you to move so quickly to something third years take so. Furthermore, I didn’t give my approval for your being here.”

“Sorry, I got a…”

“Special exception. I see that.” Eggs rotated in the air for a minute, but settled either of her eyes on a random student. “If you’re not familiar with this class, I will tell everybody here today that it is not like anything you have taken before, unless, of course, you have taken it before. This is one of the classes you can take over and over if you wish. It is more of a freeform environment than a set schedule, which is why we don’t have a set meeting time. You can arrive here to receive instruction from me or perform dungeon-related tasks under my supervision, or you can simply pick any time during the week to visit me in my office. I don’t care.”

Professor Eggs floated around the small crowd, gazing, shifting from student to student, though assessing them. Ethan noticed how different her personality was from the last class. After all, this was the difference between people in their first year and people in their third year. If he thought about it like colleges back on Earth, it was like comparing freshmen to juniors. The attitude between those two groups of students was completely different, and Gale House was no different.

“Good, I believe according to my records that nearly half of you have a class that’s compatible with interacting with dungeons. Those of you who do not have a class that is suitable for the task may still remain, but I don’t believe you’ll get as much as you could otherwise out of this class.” Eggs went higher into the air and projected an incredibly complex image of a dungeon’s core. “Some of you will find work in the future as dungeon engineers. Others will become delvers. Perhaps others still, such as Ethan, will find some aberrant way to interact with the system. Whatever the case, dungeons are an incredibly important resource. If we take the trials, for example, we can see that the generation of monsters for the purposes of education is incredibly useful. Does anybody else have a suggestion as to how dungeons could be useful? Don’t be shy.”

A human woman was the first to raise her hand, speaking when Professor Eggs gave a nod. “As you mentioned, Professor Eggs, taming the dungeon and turning it into a lucrative adventuring spot.”

“Perfect. This is typically the first place a person’s mind goes when they think about taming a dungeon.” Eggs nodded with approval. “If you have a Dungeon Engineer or a Dungeon Tamer class, then this will be the likely path for you. You will go off into the wider universe, find yourself in some remote town, tame its local dungeon, and make millions.”

Nir was next to raise his hand. He spoke when Eggs nodded his way. “The collection of dungeon energy, infusing various storage mediums with the potent energy created by dungeons, is a great power source.”

“That is one of the more fringe uses of dungeons, but you are correct. Harvesting their energy is excellent. And there are even some artifacts out there which are designed to absorb dungeon souls themselves.” Eggs wasn’t taking another suggestion, apparently. Because she kept on talking. “At the core of this class is the concept of dungeon souls. We’ll be covering that in depth with lectures but also practical experimentation. Your badges have been authorized to allow you to take the Gates to far-flung places. We have a few dungeons close to Gale House City that are under our control, but for our purposes, we’ll need something a little more extreme. If you’re not at least Rank 2, you may find this class to be very difficult, as the spells you’ll be required to cast lie within that domain.”

Professor Eggs allowed a moment to see if there were any more questions. Ethan was rapt at attention, eager to absorb everything he could about dungeons. There were plenty of books on the subject, and he had decomposed some of a dungeon’s soul, but nothing that made him confident he could extract the Dimensional sigils from them.

Ethan raised his hand and was surprised at the professor’s sneer. But she still gave him permission to talk. “I’m mostly interested in the state of dungeons as Dimensional spaces. Could you tell me anything about the space a dungeon occupies, and how it relates to spaces in Voidspace?”

Professor Eggs looked shocked for about a second before she recovered. She cleared her throat. “Why yes, of course I could tell you exactly how all that works, but then again, this is a class, isn’t it? If you’re interested in the way dungeons influence Dimensional spaces or Dimensional Magic in general, then this is actually a very good primer for you, Ethan. I suggest you pay attention, especially when we discuss the state of a dungeon’s proto-soul and how it is formed during creation.”

Ethan nodded, bowing his head. He would’ve taken notes, except his bracelet was doing that for him.

And the lecture continued. One thing Ethan already really appreciated about the class was that it was outdoors. The day was pleasant, with the shining sun peeking over the horizon to cast everything in an ethereal orange glow. It was nice to be near other students who seemed so into the material that they were completely absorbed. He found himself hanging on Professor Eggs’ every word, even if the Chihuahua was covering things that he had discovered for himself. She brought with her new insights. She had the why to the how.

To Ethan’s surprise, it was the most pleasant intro lecture he had so far. He saw Professor Eggs in a new light, since he had never considered her a master of dungeons. But when the lecture finally wrapped up, with the encouragement of the professor being to delve into a dungeon before next week, the scribe found himself walking aimlessly with Nir.

“That was something else.” Ethan shook his head. “Feels like there’s a lot more to dungeons than I first thought.”

“Of course. If you hoped to understand exactly how they worked in one day, you’re out of luck.” Nir laughed. “After my class evolved, I expected the worst. But Professor Eggs knows so much… Damn, I really feel trapped.”

“Why?” Ethan asked. “Seems like working with dungeons is safe and lucrative, despite their reputation.”

Nir hummed to himself. “What were your classes again?”

Ethan rattled off his schedule yet again.

“Three in the morning?” Nir groaned. “Likely one of the ‘spooky’ classes people talk about. I think Professor Halfhoof is part-devil. Some kind of satyr or something. I bet he has a lot of interesting theories on Monster and Dungeon Magic”

“Are you auditing classes?”

“Yeah. I might try Esoterica and Voidspaces. I didn’t even see Voidspaces listed on the sheet, so that’s a surprise.”

“Hopefully, Trex is a good professor. Somehow, I doubt it, but we can hope.”

“Anyway, I have to meet with someone.” Nir waved and angled off toward a side-street. “I’ll see you tomorrow… At three in the damned morning.”

Ethan waved, watching his new buddy run off. It was fun when one could make friends so easily. His experience at the academy had been sparse, with his only friends being Barry and Amelia. Others seemed to shy away from him, but he knew that was his fault. He was blunt with people most of the time, and often didn’t linger around long enough for them to get to know him. It was even worse now that he could fly.

“An interesting lecture, don’t you think?” Sam asked.

“If this means I get to go into more dungeons, I’m happy.” Tenalia shrugged.

Ethan expected that Sam had picked the perfect list of classes for him. He didn’t anticipate needing to drop anything this semester, so he was happy with how it was starting. He ran his fingers through his hair, mentally mapping the rest of his day. The lecture happened early, giving him free reign to do whatever he wanted. Professor Halfhoof’s lecture would be in the middle of the night, so he would also have tomorrow free. The best use of his time was to get his Rings ready for some new abilities.

It was certainly better to have the rings and slots before he crafted the magic.

Although it might not have been a break, Ethan devised a different plan. He wasn’t very familiar with the Infinite Ocean academy, but knew enough about the Radiant Mana Sect’s city to find his way to Luna’s house. Seeing as she never got the communication crystal situation going, the only way to talk to her was to send a letter or go there in person.

Ethan took the nearest gate and arrived within the Radiant Mana Sect’s territory within moments. To his delight, it wasn’t nighttime there but sometime in the mid to late afternoon. He smiled to himself as he passed through the streets, watching people move with their Eastern attire. Why the denizens of this system had adopted things so similar to Earth’s Eastern culture was beyond him, but he wasn’t here for anthropological reasons.

Tenalia trotted along behind him as Ethan navigated the wide streets. He found Luna’s compound from memory and stood before the main gate. In confusion, he looked back to the puppet and shrugged, “Are we supposed to knock on this or do we just let ourselves in?”  

“How am I supposed to know? The only reference point I have to anything is elven culture, and knocking is typically appropriate there, but I don’t know.”

“I recommend using the doorknocker and waiting.” Sam’s voice came out of the bracelet in an annoyed manner.  

Ethan reached out, slamming the door knocker a bit too loud, causing him to wince. He looked back at his puppet companion, who shrugged. It took quite some time, but eventually the door cracked open. A broad smile spread across the scribe’s face when he spotted the fluffy ears of Luna’s kid sister, Nyx. Naturally, she yelped and ducked back behind the door.

“Is Luna around? I have something to give her.” Ethan stayed respectfully outside the door. Luna’s sister was incredibly shy, even if she was absurdly talented.

It took Nyx a little to work up the courage to say anything, but her squeaky voice eventually came from behind the door. “She’s not here and she didn’t tell me where she was going.”

“Well, could you give this to her? It’s just a coin. Tell her when she gets back to eat it. And that Ethan told her it would give her something related to the anomalies.” Ethan paused for a few moments when Nyx didn’t respond right away. He held the coin out, and watched her poke her head through the opening. She grabbed the coin and vanished again. “Nice to see you, Nyx. Maybe you’ll be less scared next time.”

With a resounding yelp, she slammed the door shut. Ethan heard the sound of a lock on the other side and shook his head. Perhaps another day. Today was for cultivation. Perhaps among the cultivators… why not?

Chapter 30

Backlash

Ethan's mind was a swirl of thoughts smeared across the dark backdrop that made understanding anything almost impossible. Ideas would come and go, the scenery would shift, and everything seemed confusing enough for him to retreat inward. But an electric shock stopped him from doing so. A series of images projected directly into his mind kept him from spiraling toward something. What was it exactly? He couldn't remember.

Gathering energy with the cultivators had been fun. Ethan remembered that first. They had plenty of mana-rich environments for him to draw inspiration from. Their efforts were even more inspiring. The way they put everything they had into meditation or combat techniques was a thing of beauty. It was a surprise he hadn't stolen more of their techniques. More memories came back. The scribe remembered making progress on his Affinity Ring. He remembered breaking through. Then he remembered the pain that spread through his chest and the panic of the surrounding cultivators. He realized he had passed out. The swampy scene around him made more sense. He was currently unconscious, in a lucid dream of some kind.

Well, it was lucid now.

Typically, Ethan didn't dream, especially now that he didn't sleep much. But he guessed that losing consciousness was enough for his mind to generate such an unimpressive vista. It was a tangle of swamp plants all vying for the best muck. He stood knee-deep in the grime, the mud sucking at his feet every time he tried to move.

"Sam, can you hear me?"

Although Ethan felt the familiar sensation of electricity running through his wrist, there was nothing more. Clicking his tongue, he found the nearest clustering of cypress trees that had employed their root beds to create something of an island. He climbed upon it and sat, heaving breath that should not have been a problem. His heart hammered in his chest and the air he drew into his lungs was acrid. But this was a lucid dream, was it not? With a thought, he was no longer tired and no longer covered in muck. But why stop there? With another imagined whim, he was instead sitting on a sofa in a nice chalet with a fire burning in the fireplace.

Snow drifted on a lazy breeze outside, the smell of something savory cooking over the fire. Ethan let out a sigh of relief, kicking up his feet and reclining.

“I might be dying in the real world, but this? This is nice.”

For whatever reason, Ethan didn't find himself frightened by the prospect that they had done something wrong in the real world. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that sending his Affinity Ring up a rank wasn't a good thing. His body wasn't ready for it. He remembered back to the park where he meditated. When his ring had tipped over the edge, creating a new one, his soul seemed to bulge out in his chest, sending everything else within his body into disarray. The next thing he remembered, there were people rushing over to tend to him and then the inside of a sterile-looking room.

“Just too much power.” Ethan shook his head in disappointment. “That’s what you get for trying to jump the line.”

A series of three sharp knocks came from the door, and Ethan's head tilted lazily to the side. "Come in," he said. "The door's open."

The door swung open, and a small pink lizard person entered. The creature was shivering and quickly snapped the door closed behind it. Then it proceeded over to the fire to warm its hands. The scribe laughed in amusement as he watched. The little pink thing was adorned in what could only be described as jester's garb, complete with a hat with bells on it. The scribe giggled in amusement, his brain no doubt swimming in no end of happy chemicals back in the real world.

“Do a dance.” Ethan watched lazily as some more vibrant tones of pink came back to the creature’s flesh. It was mottled with flecks of gray and white. Overall, he would say that it was pretty cute. “Eight out of ten.”

“What?” the creature said, whipping around. It had an androgynous voice that sounded like someone convinced a bag of rats to smoke for a few decades. “Holy hell, kid. You’re weird.”

“It talks!” Ethan shouted, giggling. He flinched as pain lanced through his brain. “Ow. Sorry, I’m dying. I think.”

“Ugh. Yeah, apparently lucid dreaming means you’re connected to your mortal body. Perfect.” The creature grumbled, turning its back to the fire to regard the scribe. “We’re still debating if you died or not. But that’s not why I’m here.”

“Why are you here?” Ethan just couldn’t stop giggling. Even when the pain came again.

“Because you spurned my homie. Back in that… whatever city on Tal’vengar.”

Ethan snapped his fingers. “The Dreamwalker! More like… the… the… stupid… guy.”

“Yeah, you might be dying.” The creature shook its head. “Im the Dreamer. Somehow, I’m the level-headed one in this exchange.”

“Between me and you?”

“No, between the Dreamer and the Dreamwalker. Oh, god. You know how long this will take for me to explain?” The Dreamer sighed, rubbing its face vigorously.

Ethan realized he had been thinking of a sapient creature as an “it,” which just seemed rude. He clapped his hands over his mouth and gasped. “Are you a boy?”

“What? No, I’m a girl… What the hell does that have to do with anything? Holy hell, if you’re gonna die, could you just do it? I have some questions. Could you answer them?”

Ethan spasmed, something warm flooding through his body. “Okay,” he said meekly.

“Perfect. My homeboy was offended because you went into the Voidspace and messed with some stuff. Why did you mess with that stuff?”

Ethan thought back, tapping his chin. “Armel made me do it.”

“That’s actually a valid reason. Maybe if my partner just asked you, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Instead, he’s banished… Anyway, next question: were you the one to fix the Fractal thing?”

“Yup.”

“And you absorbed that power? Replicated it in some way? That’s what my notes say.”

“Yup, I can fractal now.” Ethan held his hands out, but nothing happened. He guessed magic didn’t work the same way in his dreams. Or he was just dying quicker than before.

“Sweet. You’re now a cataclysm-level threat. Pretty neat, right?”

Ethan frowned. “Now that doesn’t sound fun.”

“Which is why we gotta talk like this sometimes. Maybe if SOMEONE learned how to dream, things would be easier. Oh, let’s not forget the message the Herald was supposed to pass to you. Which he didn’t.” The Dreamer pinched the little frill things that came out of the sides of her head and screamed. “Next time you see that guy, do me a favor.”

“What?”

“Punch him.”

“Can do.” Ethan saluted.

The building around them rumbled badly enough that Ethan had almost been dislodged from his couch. He laughed the entire time as more of his sensibilities faded. It wouldn't be long now, he figured, before he was completely comatose, even in his own dream. The dreamer might have had more questions for him, but it seemed as though their conversation came to a close. The chalet filled with bright light. It was bright enough to sear the scribe's skin, and although he tried to get away from it, it seemed to come from everywhere. Then, before he knew it, he was startled awake.

“Constraint restrictions removed. Emergency takeover completed. Stabalized…”

Sam’s voice echoed all around. The world was fuzzy.

“Yep, I got it.” Tenalia grumbled. “Share the load, buddy.”

“You can handle it? I’ve got nearly half the load routed to my circuit. Do you feel any discomfort?”

“None. My people are gifted with magic, even if we don’t like it.” Tenalia giggled to herself. “Oh. That’s a weird message… Yep… Just gonna keep that to myself.”

“Ethan, can you hear me?”

Ethan blinked his eyes open, looking around to take stock of everything around him. There was a group of cultivators nearby who looked surprised. A few more blinks cleared the smear from his vision, and he pushed himself into a seated position. "What happened? Did something go wrong with the new ring? We shouldn't have added the third one, should we?"

"If you are a reductivist about it, then yes. Adding the third ring was a terrible idea. I thought your body could handle the load, but no. It wasn't even nearly ready. Due to the imbalance of the ranks you currently have your rings at, you simply couldn't have handled it. I see now that increasing the Mind Ring would have been a better idea."

Ethan rubbed his eyes, blinking and noticing the dull ache in his head. "You couldn't have known. We've done it before, so you had an example of it working. Now, don't worry about it, Sam. That's the risk we take when we mess around with the system, isn't it?”

Ethan had never heard so much guilt in his bracelet's voice. She was truly torn up about this, but there was no way he was going to blame her for pushing him in that direction. Every single prediction she had made until this point was absolutely perfect, and he didn't need her doubting herself now. Besides, what was the point of an artifact bracelet and an incredibly powerful doll if he wasn't going to use them? He could feel the energies in his body now. Both the doll and his bracelet were bound to him by the soul, which meant they could take some of the load. Perhaps this wasn't a problem at all.

The scribe inspected his rings, just to make sure everything was where it should’ve been.

[Affinity Ring]

Rank 1 Affinity [2 Slots]

Rank 2 Affinity [2 Slots]

Rank 3 Affinity [1 Slot]

“You cleared my rings out?” Ethan asked. “Didn’t know you could do that…”

“We also accidentally created another slot for your Rank 2 Affinity Ring, which likely caused the backlash.”

At first, Ethan had thought the nearby cultivators had just left him to die on the ground there. Then he realized, as he watched one rush over not long after, while he was in his own personal dream world. Only a few seconds, more than likely. A moment later, there was a healing specialist infusing him with energy and tutting about imbalances. The scribe wouldn't complain. He gave himself into the care of that doctor and played along until the report to the headmaster of the Infinite Ocean Academy. Incidents like this were important to report, apparently. Especially when no foul play was involved.

“And eat more,” the black-haired cultivator healer said as Ethan was leaving the clinic. “You’re far too thin.”

Ethan waved as he left, his puppet trotting along beside him. His Affinity Rings were now basically useless until he got his Rank 3 Mind Ring. He was reminded of those pairings and endeavored to Rank his Strength up as soon as he could. Now was the time when the scribe had to focus entirely on his mind. He now knew to be far more cautious when it came to messing around with ringing balances.

"Don't forget we have a class tonight," Tenalia said.

Ethan groaned, rubbing his face. "How can I forget about Esoterica 1 at 3 a.m."