Chapter 20

The Proposal

  I waited in class, until finally every other student left. Making it so it was just me and the overly observant introductory course teacher. Seeing my hesitation, she gave a cursory wave of her hand letting me know I was expected up front. With no other recourse at my disposal, I went forward and tried to figure out what exactly I did to stand out to the teacher.

  However, before I could make any headway, the professor beat me to the punch.

  “Just how far can you read, and what are your limitations?” The professor asked, no preamble, no beating around the bush, just a straight up question that seemed to speak volumes about how much I was giving away while in class. Honestly, with this, I almost wondered if this was a masters level class on how to conduct a proper spying interrogation rather than a magical theory class.

  Rather than getting caught up in a lie, or worse, getting caught up in telling someone the complete truth I decide to hedge my bets and answer truthfully in a slightly misleading way.

  “I can read up to the edge of my line of sight.” I say, stating the truth and letting the professor come to her own conclusion for what line of sight is.

  Hearing this the professor just nods.

  I am still a bit confused about the exact sex of the professor, again I haven’t had much interaction with orcs, which is why trying to figure out this persons status is odd for me.

  “Can you see through walls?” The professor asks.

  “What?” I ask, completely caught off guard by the question.

  The professor then waves their hand. “No need, I can see the answer. You know, a quick rule of advise for a Telepath, you leave your thoughts open.” The professor states.

  At that admission, I pause as I wonder what I can do to close off my Trait from others. I didn’t realize that I was leaving my mind open.

  “Ah, that makes sense. If it is a Trait then you likely never built up the disciplines on how to protect your mind from hostile invaders.” The professor said, and suddenly my mind went to the next logical conclusion that I had set myself up for failure by taking the shipment. Then realizing that if I had my mind open, did that mean that the King of Kelsik would have also been open had they gotten this alleged gift?

  Thinking about that, I had a lot more respect for the leaders of the treacherous Legrand Empire, realizing that this gift could also be a poison pill. Give a gift that shows complete trust, while likely having someone close to the Kelsik leader who could read their mind and denote any chances the Kelsik leader would turn. The plan was as ingenious as it was duplicitous. Gain a loyal ally, that you could move against the minute they tried to back out. Honestly I was impressed, especially if that was Legrand’s plan all along, which knowing them didn’t seem like it would be that much of a stretch.

  “Oh, so that was you?” The professor says with a note of respect to their tone.

  At that, I realize I am still bleeding my thoughts out slowly, letting this person know that I am a spy who did so many acts for my country.

  “Relax. I had thought you would be worth mentoring before, but now I am certain. Train under me, become my apprentice and I will not only teach you how to protect your thoughts from other mind readers like myself, but I will also cover your tuition and fees.”

  I pause at that last part, as I realize I am Broke, with a capital seven point flaw. This school costs money? If so what kind? Currency seems to be off the table, as this place clearly doesn’t hold themselves to any singular monetary standard, so if that is the case, then what?

  “You are smart. Yes, we do not have a monetary standard that we adhere to. Rather we require a certain number of magical creations to be made. Or for you to be vouched for by a professor. In the case of a mentorship, the professor would be the one who would cover any perceived costs to the university.” They state.

  As I think about it, this would solve a number of my concerns right off the bat. First, I would have monetary concerns taken care of, an obvious concern of mine. Second, I would have an instructor that not only knows what I am, but seems to be okay with it? I pause at that, expecting a response and getting one.

  “More than accepting of it. I will help you reach your true potential here. As that is what intrigued me about you so much to begin with.”

  I pause, then think back to my conversation with my familiar.

  “You heard that entire conversation I had with my familiar?”

  “Of course.”

  I try to think back to that conversation with Zero, wondering if I gave away too much information.

  “You didn’t give away too much information, but you did prove to have a set of magical talents that are both unique and can be leveraged. You can not only create a portal to the spirit realm, but also shield people from the damage that would come from being within the realm?” They ask.

  I nod.

  “Also, I am a female. I can understand how you would be confused by not having met many orcs, but I must say you are one of the few who do not find me exceptionally attractive.”

  Oh great, not only did I insult her by not knowing she was a female, but then she also is a narcissist who can read this thought. This is not going to go well.

  Chuckle.

  “Well, I guess that is one way you could put that last outburst. I apologize. You are correct, that must have seemed rather narcissistic of me.”

  And we are still at the mind reading portion.

  “I apologize, again. This is merely a formality because I want to make sure I get this correct.” The professor states.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  I pause, then speak my thoughts as I have them. “Can you even use Spirit or Shadow magic?”

  I know she is clearly capable of reading my mind, which is part of the Neutral set of powers. The only reason I can, is because of the Trait. I also try really hard at keeping my mind away from my other two traits.

  “Two others? Well, now I know I must have you for my own. To answer your question, the answer is no. I do not have an affinity for Spirit or Shadow magic. That said, you do not need me to be your mentor and have the same schools of magic. In fact, I would argue that such thinking would break your creativity and instill nepotism. Rather I will give you the basic understandings of magic, as I understand them and allow you to apply those understandings to your own development.”

  Hearing that, I couldn’t help but be impressed. She knew how to make a sale, though then again she did have the inside track of reading my mind and seeing what would motivate me the most. Free tuition, free room to grow, lessons on how to keep from letting everyone know I was a thief in training. You know, so many little things that all added up to one inevitable conclusion. Which was why I paused.

  “Teach me first.” I state.

  “What?”

  “You want to be my mentor, I want you to teach me first. Show me that you can trust me. Show me how to close off my mind, so I do not bleed out my thoughts before this goes any further.” I state, then keep my mind clear as I do not want to give away my thoughts on the matter.

  She pauses, staring at me intently for a bit. I make sure to turn away, though I can still see her entire face. Finally, after a long second, she nods to herself.

  “Very well. Telepathy, is by its very nature an open ability. Think about it as having hundreds of mental tentacles that are out constantly, that you then deploy to people’s minds to read them. Normally this would be fine, as most people don’t have access to magic to see these mind tentacles. But here, not only will people have magic, they will have wards and other precautions in place to prevent such overt acts. Furthermore, most people will have countermeasures in place to prevent just such efforts to probe people’s minds.”

  At that, I realize something.

  “That is why you want me as your apprentice, you intend to have me spy on your peers and rivals here?” I ask, knowing that in a school like this, competition between professors can be very cut throat. So having someone like me who could read the documents a person was working on with my reading Skill would make me an invaluable resource here. Especially to someone willing to get ahead by what would amount to magical espionage.

  The professor pauses, as they let out a little smirk at my thought.

  “Yes, that is another reason to choose me. I will help you hone your craft and skills to another level.”

  I hold up a hand to stall the sales pitch again, “the free lesson.”

  Chuckle.

  “Right, where were we?”

  “Countermeasures.”

  “Oh right, countermeasures. The way to prevent yourself from having your thoughts read is one of two ways. First, you can either retract all your mind tentacles and make it so you never use Telepathy again. Or you can mentally twist off the mind tentacles until you are ready to use them. Then once you are done, you will just close them off again.”

  “Do I need to say my choice?”

  Smirk.

  “No, you don’t.” She said with a slight pause, before continuing. “To keep your mind tentacles active, but closed you just need to focus your mind outward and see all the different minds that are around you. Focus on how easy it is to connect to any mind you find. Then realize that possible connection, that is a tentacle, focus on that possible link and close it off. Imagine twisting it off and having it so it could easily attach to someone, but it won’t until you tell it to. Then when you have done that with one, keep going until you are no longer able to mentally connect to any mind around you. That is when you know you are both cut off from connecting to other’s minds, but more importantly they are unable to connect to your mind.”

  Hearing that, I did as she instructed. I focus on how easy it would be to connect to the professor’s mind, then I instantly try to clamp down on that possible connection point. I don’t even dare try to read her mind, as I assume she likely has a few countermeasures in place for someone like me who would attempt such an act.

  Chuckle.

  “You do catch on quickly, another plus for you.” The professor says, and I realize I likely avoided a nasty headache by having that forethought. Maybe it was a way my Danger Sense was protecting me?

  “Danger Sense? How did you…”

  The minute she brings it up, I instantly remember the four day tour of the Legrand Empire and how I had to ultimately hide within the walls of the Mage’s guild to avoid being caught.

  “Oh, in the walls…”

  “Stop!” I say, as I mentally find the other tentacles and begin clamping down on them angrily. By the second such connection, I get a system message that lets me know I am on the right path.

New Skill Gained: Telepathy Shielding has reached level 1. Telepathy Shielding is an Endurance, Intelligence, and Willpower based skill.

  At that my professor all but jumps in surprise. “Oh, you got the skill so quickly.” There is a slight pause as I instantly realize the reason why I learned the skill so quickly, thanks to my Merit. “Oh, you are both Precocious, and Unbound, how interesting. I am liking this arrangement more and more.”

  “I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”

  “Oh, I know, but you will. You are a smart girl, wise beyond your years. I’d dare say you also feel a stronger connection to me, as I will encourage you to be you, probably more so than any other professor here would.”

  With that, I knew she was right. I also knew that if I was going to have any chance at an actual dialog where I could speak to her as an equal I would need to block off my mind. Then just as my Telepathy Shielding skill reached level three, I finally felt that there were no more loose connections. Then as if to prove my point, my professor spoke.

  “Very good. I can see this will be a lot easier than I planned.” My professor spoke, speaking as if I was already her protégé.

  “So you have shown that you are of value. I can tell by your methods, and the fact that you teach this class that you try to break people down from what they know and can help me truly understand the magical properties of this world, which I could apply to Spirit, or Shadow magic.” I begin.

  Though I know there is clearly so much more that I am missing. With my gaining a new skill related to Telepathy, that lets me realize that I am likely limited in my way of using my other two traits. Are there ways that I can gain more skills to help with Telepathy, or Teleportation? Also, what different skills I can learn to help with Spirit magic, I mean I already have three spells for that school of magic. Two of which are active all the time. Can I alter one of them to improve my Social Attributes? Or learn to fortify my body with Spirit Mana which will improve my body permanently? I mean I do have Mana Circulation that I have been working on for the better part of a year now, and that has improved some of my attributes. But can I do more?

  Having this professor before me, lets me realize the true purpose of this university. At least, I am seeing a new facet to this university that I never quite grasped until now.

  “So, what would the terms of my apprenticeship be exactly?” I ask, trying to make it seem like there is still doubt, though I know this is the only professor for me. First she knows all my secrets, so going to a rival would be out of the question, second I like the fact that she seemed to keen on attracting me in particular. I don’t know why, but that hard sell really made me feel appreciated, though I think there is likely more to it than she is letting on.

  “The terms will be simple. You will come to me when you run into a roadblock that you cannot solve. I will then help you through your roadblock by offering guidance, books to read, resources to utilize. In exchange, I will ask you to run a few odd errands. Acquiring different ingredients or items as needed for my own advancement.” She said in a calm tone. A tone that should anyone walking by not know our previous conversation, they might assume this was not a sales pitch to recruit a spy to work for her network.

  I pause, as I realize there is likely more to this transaction than just wanting a spy to steal information from a rival. “There is more to this, isn’t there?”

  Scoff.

  “You are perceptive, I will give you that much. Yes, there is also the fact that so long as you are my apprentice, I will not get pressured by higher ups to either take on more mentorships, or teach more classes.” She states.

  “So, this is a way for you to do less while focusing on improving your own fields of study?” I ask.

  “In a manner of speaking yes.”

  I pause, as I realize there is likely more to this than what is being stated here. “Also, I take it one of your rivals is an instructor for Spirit magic?”

  “Yes.” She answers.

  “So by siding with you, I am automatically putting my own future growth in contention, as I will effectively be placing myself directly against one of my professors I will need to gain further insight into my natural affinities for magic?” I ask.

  “Yes. If you want, you can go ahead and talk to them. Just know that I will have your secrets.”

  I wave a dismissive hand. “And here you were doing so well. You already had me, now you have shown that you are desperate as well. I take it I will be your only apprentice?”

  I ask, realizing that there was likely more to this whole exchange.

  “Yes.” She said, sounding even more distraught by the way this conversation was going.

  “Not so confident when you can’t read my mind.” I state, as a matter of fact.

  She doesn’t respond, but she leans back in a somewhat defensive posture. I realize this for what it is, she is seceding much of the ground she has already gained in our negotiation. “In fact, I’d dare say that what you did was borderline illegal, reading the mind of a perspective student to strong arm them into joining you for an Apprenticeship. I doubt your rivals would like that too much. Then threatening to blackmail said student with the information you stole. I don’t see how this would go that well for you.”

  At that, she visibly deflates even more. Most of her rigid posture bending under the new information she is getting. Seeing her like this, I all but smile to myself. “So I will say this. If I am to become your apprentice, there are a few things that need to be done.”

  At this, the deflated professor suddenly springs to life as I have completely changed the course of how this conversation had been going.

  “First, we are even. I have dirt on you. You have dirt on me. Mutually assured destruction of careers and future trusts if this information gets out. Second, that skill doesn’t count towards me owing you anything, as that was a free sample. From here on out, we start off with a clean slate. If I need something from you, I expect to be counted on for assistance in the future. Likewise anything you need I will gain, knowing that you will then owe me one.” I state.

  “Wha, yeah, sure.” The professor says, standing up and looming over her desk at me.

  “If you are good with that, then I just have one more question for you.”

  “Okay?” She says, sounding a bit flustered by yet another change in the conversation. Still I ask the question that has been plaguing me for the last little bit.

  “What is your name?”