Chapter 242

An Aviary?

With my first official mid-term semester test completed for our school year, I decided to take the evening off. By that of course I meant I didn’t want to play around with my wildly fast ship, the Prankenstein.

Given how it can go from 245 to 300 in a matter of minutes, I figured giving it a night off would be for the best.

Also, that was far too much adrenaline to be healthy.

Also, no one wanted to go back out with me tonight, not even my newest assistant Charlaine.

So, I had the rare night by myself.

Sadly, the last student finished their test five minutes into Mallory’s jointly held Bloodline Evolution class.

A tragedy.

One that needs to be repeated for the rest of the week.

With that, and seeing the success of my students, all of them oddly enough. I decided that a slightly challenging mid-term exam is just what they needed to feel like they had learned something from my classes and to feel confident with what they are truly learning here. The fact that I can get them to take so much time that it ends up forcing me to get a substitute for the Bloodline Evolution classes is only a bonus.

That is why I now find myself here, in my suddenly comfortable office, working on my new favorite hobby, creating skill books.

Arcane Geomancy.

By focusing on a skill, and all the different actions, performances, and ways I found to push myself and my own understanding of a skill into a mana and Qi infused object. An object that ultimately takes on a form of sentience, is oddly entertaining and satisfying.

I’ve found that going for Skills that are roughly similar but different enough are easier to create all at once.

This is how I practically whipped out my skills that are pertinent to the Thieves Guild. Namely: Latins Manifest, Stealth, Camouflage, and Obfuscation.

From there, I decide to go with other Thieves Guild relevant skills. With this second group, I focused on Trap Detection, Disarm Trap, along with a few of the skills that help a thieve blend into society better. Thus, the focus on Survival, Polyglot, Courtly Etiquette, Acting, Proper Diction, Mimicry, and of course Gambling.

With these two sets of Skill groupings, I felt slightly better.

Not telling, but mentally communicating to each book on a fundamental level that while using my Telepathy ability, the level of connection I had to these books was far more profound.

These books were me, and I was tied to them.

Even though I mentally made a note for myself to assign hidden Thieves Guild quests to steal these books to learn valuable lessons, I also knew that they knew their job would be to ultimately come back once they were done.

New Hidden World’s End Thieves Guild Quest Created: Acquiring Sacred Knowledge (Ongoing): You have created some of the most advanced skill books in the world. Books capable of teaching students up to and through your current level of understanding of each noted skill, solely for them to be stolen or otherwise obtained covertly via your own Thieves Guild members. The results of which, would cause your Thieves Guild members’ skills to be unparalleled. Well played.

Rewards: Let’s see if anyone can actually steal these books from you.

Seeing the quest note, I can’t help but smile devilishly.

Yes, I’ve created items to be stolen from myself by my own guild members who could greatly use these very skills.

As a guild master, I find this to be the most entertaining quest I have assigned others.

For a moment I wonder how other Thieves Guild Masters train their own members, but I then decide against thinking like them. They likely have ways that have been tested and cultivated for generations. Most ultimately try to train people to be assassins, mindless killers who will face any foe if given a contract.

As for me, I want to be something different.

I want my members to be Thieves first and foremost. Then I want them to be survivors secondary. If their survival requires them to defend themselves then that is fine, but I want my students to be in a place where they never have to rely on sheer survival skills. That is my goal at least.

“Wow, you sure have created a lot of Skill books,” Zero states after seeing the newest cluster of books.

“Yes, I’ve been tying to group them. That way they have friends to play with while I am gone.”

“Friends? You think they are going to get bored?” Zero asks.

“I know so, just look at poor Aura Guidance over there.” I say, pointing out the one book that has been protectively staring over my shoulder this entire time.

“Yeah, what exactly is her deal?” Zero asks, staring at the book who just glowers at him.

“Well, likely she is bored in that I haven’t produced any other Magical Themed books for her to bond with.”

“Her?”

“Yeah, they have preferred pronouns, just like everyone.”

“Oookay.”

Silence.

There is a moment of silence, but then I turn back to Aura Guidance.

“I think I am going to make more protectors to help you.” I tell the book that has to this point just been perched on her shelf. Then after hearing my statement it seems to glow with light as it opens up its pages and flies down to join me as I prepare the next inanimate book to be used for this process.

“What do you mean by Protectors?” Zero asks.

“I’m thinking that there should be a group of guardians. You know Skill books that will kind of protect the others from harm.”

“Okay?”

“Yes, next I will work on bringing out Danger Sense, Alertness, and finally Magical Awareness. These will be the three guardians that will fall under Aura Guidance to kind of protect the others.” I sate.

“Okay,” is all Zero says.

I can tell he has questions, likely about my sanity, but he will see what I mean.

Thus, for the next hour I spend my time using Arcane Geomancy to bring to life the final three skill books of the night. Each one I mentally think of as a sort of knight in shining armor, which seems to be manifested in the pages of the text as each seems to take on deep golden and silver Qi hues of power as they are formed. These are also the skills that I am most proficient in, as I use them constantly and are some of the first skills to rise above my old level 175 skill cap. Not that these skills are at my new level 250 skill cap, though Danger Sense was the closest as it was one of my Legendary Bloodline skills that I managed to get to level 212 before the new bonuses that pushed its level limit to level 287, not that it was there, yet. But I was working on it.

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

Still as one of my most important skills, and one that I felt would help be able to protect my growing Skill Book collection the most, Danger Sense was the first of the three Guardian Skill tomes that I created.

After Danger Sense, I took a mental break, as writing books was tough. This was already my twelfth for the night, and I still had at least two more before I met my personal goal.

Speaking of which, I make a mental note to check on those Seventh Life Writers Club, or SLWC, members that I saved. With my creating fourteen magical skill books in a night, surely they could have written one or two books in the almost three weeks that they have been here, right?

Though knowing my luck, it will be two more trashy novels about sparkly werewolves in love.

Maybe I could have that be a hidden component for my Thieves Guild Quest, if the Thief manages to get a new book in any of my series that I follow, I will let them take a skill book. I fully expect the skill book to escape and come back to me first chance it gets, but I could see myself letting a thief borrow a skill book for such an exchange.

Quest Updated: New Hidden World’s End Thieves Guild Quest Created: Acquiring Sacred Knowledge (Ongoing): You have created some of the most advanced skill books in the world. Books capable of teaching students up to and through your current level of understanding of each noted skill, solely for them to be stolen or otherwise obtained covertly via your own Thieves Guild members. The results of which, would cause your Thieves Guild members’ skills to be unparalleled. New secret conditions for passing met. Calculating and applying new conditions now.

Guild Member Rewards: Experience, Access to Mythic Level Skill Training Tome, Badge, variable.

It was interesting to see that the quest had updated now that I had give a possible way of succeeding. Apparently, the system thought someone trying to steal one of my books without my permission might have been impossible.

At least that is what I assume happened.

Then to almost confirm that, I get another system message.

Would you like to have this quest available to all World’s End Thieves Guild Hall members now?

“Can you wait until I finish the remaining two guardian tomes?”

Quest release time updated. Requirements for release Future Guardian tomes (2 of 3 remaining).

“All right, this is easier than I thought.” I say to myself and to Zero, who knew being a Thieves Guild leader could be this entertaining.

“You do know that a few of your skill books have left the room?” Zero asks.

At that, I pause and do a quick scan to see that some of the older skill books, the group of books dedicated to moving around without being noticed are sneaking around the building.

Fortunately, only the creepy Lich is around, and I don’t think my skill books have to be too worried about him, as I don’t think he would notice them if they went out and performed a spot of mischief on him.

“They are just being little scamps, they know not to leave the building.” I state, then mentally connect with them letting them know that they cannot under any circumstances leave the faculty building with our Telepathic link.

“All right mom.” They all reply back, and with that, I let them go out and explore. Especially as I think they are about to pull a prank of that old lecher Rahul De’Gravitas, who was supposed to be helping me grade the final exams, but got lost when I had him try out the task on his own.

In fact, yep, true to form. He is still trying to reassemble the same testing apparatus that I provided to him as a test case.

I guess that’s the great thing about being undead, you never have to worry about getting tired from failure. You can just fail indefinitely without asking for advice. Oh well, his loss.

A quick note of his remaining parts indicates that he is almost out of circuit crystals.

Sad that I might have to get Penelope, a student he calls barely passable, to help show him what he is doing incorrectly.

That said, I know Rahul won’t come to me for advice, for whatever reason.

Pausing for a moment, I realize everything is fine, and thus begin pouring my next twenty minutes into creating my second guardian tome Awareness.

Awareness will be my catch all, and the one focused on noticing disturbances in the building and in particular my ever-growing library.

A library of flying sentient books.

Honestly, I’m still trying to wrap my head around how cute these books are and how they all take on their own unique personalities related to both my mental imprint provided from my memories of utilizing the noted skill, along with the intended purpose of the skill itself.

While the skills might be similar and able to get along due to having me as a commonality, they are all wholly unique and independent from each other.

This is why I am thankful that they are also grouping up into themes and packs. This means that should anyone come for them with malicious intent, they could group together and hopefully fend off the aggressor.

I know, creating books that are designed to protect themselves from the very people that I am going to instruct to steal them. That said, stealing is not the intended goal of this mission, it is a means to an ends. Which is what I as a Guild Master will want to instill upon my students. The fact that being a Thief isn’t the end, nor is stealing a quest item. Rather being a thief and stealing the item are just a means to a desired end.

After Awareness is complete, I feel it going to join Danger Sense, where it too bows and dips its spine low to show fealty to the queen book Aura Guidance.

With that, I am sort of shocked, but then feel that this is good as it means the order of command is observed. This way, just as I had hoped, Aura Guidance is the queen and all others are for her to help guide, protect, and care for.

At this point I also take a moment to scan and see that all four of my skills related towards quiet movement. This is when I realize they have seemingly taken it upon themselves to interact with Rahul. Well not interact with him, but are clearly watching the poor Enchanting focused Lich try and fail to recreate the device he took apart.

Seeing that they are safe, I decide to finish the last and final guardian textbook for this little living library I am starting in my office.

Magical Awareness is the third and final guardian textbook, and the one I figure to be the sleeping dragon of the set.

In a way, I expect all future magical related skills to fall under and be protected by Magical Awareness. Just as in time I expect all the thieving and mundane skills to fall under Awareness. With Danger Sense sort of taking on a catch all for all other skill times, which will likely include all of my Qi related skills. At least, once I start putting all of my skills down on paper.

For now, I am content to go with this limited run. Of fourteen. Well Fifteen total books, and one catch-all of a trap pamphlet.

Finally, when everything is said and done, I take a breath and relax.

Just as the third and final guardian comes to life and begins bowing in supplication to Aura Guidance as well, that is when I get the notification.

New Hidden World’s End Thieves Guild Quest: Acquiring Sacred Knowledge (Ongoing): The Thieves Guild Hall master has found out that a vast source of knowledge now exists. Your first step, find out where this new trove of knowledge resides. Rewards: Experience, variable.

Seeing the new quest message, I can’t help but smile to myself as I realize it will be an ongoing chain quest that will lead people to find out about this new library I have.

Fwoop-fwoop-fwoop.

With the last guardian book sworn in, Aura Guidance bows before her court of guardian tomes and then takes flight back to her perch. Right on the shelf behind me where she closes her eyes, and rests, though I know she will be ready to act at a moment’s notice.

Scamper, fwoop-fwoop, clomp.

I am ready to call it a day, when I first hear, then realize that Rahul is chasing my four stealth oriented skill books through the hallways.

To no real surprise, they apparently were caught stealing some of the items needed by Rahul for his mock mid-term exam test. Actually, a quick look showed that they carried the four exact items needed for the mid-term exam. The largest, Latens Manifesta was carrying the main body of the mostly intact magical testing device. While the other skills carried a working component for the crystalline circuits needed to complete the proper layout to have Rahul hear his own name played.

Flap-fwoop-flap.

The four skills books burst into the room, fly over my desk, dropping the components the way scared birds might drop a load in mid-flight, before flying over and around me. To hide behind my chair, before pausing to look around me as they quivered and looked at the door.

Then true to form, a second later, the cause for their evident concern made his presence known.

“Dr. Spiritlight!” Rahul began, his voice elevated in a way that somehow didn’t have his annoying nasally drawl to it.

Flapping-fluster.

At Rahul’s sudden interruption, the other skill books that had been lounging at different parts around the room suddenly burst to life and scattered in a ring around the upper part of the room. The same way birds would. Well all of the books, except for Aura Guidance who just seemed to open one of its lounging eyes to watch the activity that was going to happen.

While the Guardians Just stayed perched and stood up confidently on the desk, as they seemed to be arranging the dropped midterm exam pieces on the desk with seeming expert precision.

The four initial instigating skill books of course remain hiding behind me, though now they no longer feel the need to peer around me to look for Rahul. Instead, they all seem content to let me defend them.

“Yes, Mr. De’Gravitas?” I ask, in a faux elegant tone, while primly interlacing my fingers over my desk before continuing. “How may I help you at this late hour?”

“You, your books, they…” Rahul trails off, trying to put into words what exactly he is angry about.

“Yes, they been rather mischievous. Though, I think they are only doing this out of abundant concern for you.” I state.

“What, those things, stole my property.” Rahul states moving forward and pointing a boney finger at my three guardian books.

Angry ruffles.

Hearing the accusation the three guardian tomes suddenly ruffle their pages, and take on a menacing aura.

Seeing the way these tomes suddenly looked angry at the insults provided caused Rahul to pause for a moment.

“I believe you have mistaken these three guardians for the ones that performed you a mischief. Though know, I think those that did the act of theft, did so with good intentions.” I pose.

“Good intentions, for stealing?”

“Yes, let me ask you this. When would you have finally come to ask me for help?” I pose, while pointing to the items that are assembled on my desk.

“I was close.”

Hearing that I could only nod. “You were, but judging from what I can tell. You were down to your last try with these, am I wrong?”

Hearing that Rahul who had been blustering with rage a moment ago, suddenly deflated.

“Yes.”

“Well, since you are here. Would you like me to help you know the secret?” I ask.

Rahul just opens his mouth seemingly to protest, but then shuts it as realization clouds his aura.

“Yes please.”

“Well, you had it mostly complete, you were right that this part here was for your name to be called. Though I can tell you likely heard the success story of a few of the other students being called out.” I state, realizing that while Rahul’s name crystal remains intact, he clearly tried to use others.

“Honestly, I’m impressed that you tried this many times. That shows dedication.”

“Forty-nine failures.”

“Not so, you found forty-nine ways to prove that this time you would get the right answer. So let’s do it.”

And like that, I showed my colleague how to pass the mid-term exam.

Only after we were done did Rahul finally ask a question that had clearly been on his boney mind for a while.

“Go on, ask it.” I state.

“Okay, why did you decide to make flying books of all things?” Rahul asked.

Hearing the question, I pause and then answer honestly, “because Telekinetically pulling all books to my hands becomes annoying.”

Then to prove my point, I hold out my empty right hand palm up.

Flap-flutter.

A few books all take off, but one lands in my hand first, before fighting off the other books that arrived shortly thereafter.

Once the book is secure in my hands, I hold it and gently pat its cover.

Looking at me, Rahul picks up his now working but drained magical tester, and waves to me. Then as he leaves my office door I hear him mutter.

“And people thought I was weird for infusing my spirit with my bones for a chance at immortality. I can say, I’ve got nothing on her…”

And like that, I looked at the time and realized yet another day had ended, making it so we were now one day closer towards the wedding, child births, birth of a litter of little puppies, and of course the inevitable showdown with my ex.

But at least now I had some books to help pass the time.