Amun.

11 Septara, 1491.

***

While our little extended weekend was indeed pleasant, the majority of the time had been dedicated to the Butte's development. By the start of the new week, much of the landscaping and exterior work had been completed. Although, there was still much to do. Despite my absence, however, the work continued without pause; even as our studies resumed with the three parties meeting in the gym for class. Inside was Doyle, Olga, Zeff, and the elves I met just days ago, standing beside a slew of other individuals who ranged from halfling to orc.

"Good morning, Pages!" Zeff clapped as we entered and huddled around the lot of them. "Before we get down to business, we have a few announcements to discuss. First and foremost, it is as the Headmaster stated. Courses will continue as normal following this week with attendance being optional. However!" He clapped again. "It is mandatory that you create and submit at least one crafted item for Ms. Godzuik's class. So too must you heal at least two people in Mrs. Licht's healing course!"

"Additionally." Doyle cut in. "You'll find Camp Crystals to be available for purchase around campus. With them, bridges can be formed to any location you favor within the wilds. I highly advise you to look them over after class. But first comes introductions."

With a wave, our eyes were brought to the line of mostly inhuman instructors for the Classes standing with mixed levels of interest. They held or stood below signs that would give us an inclination as to what they were. But I could tell at a glance that they were strong. A few of them like Abbot Eiriol had spiritual bodies like Grandpa Lich's. Vessels filled with mana from core to skin. And somewhere deep inside were their mana wells. Mostly small in stature, but often surrounded by other growths and cores. Aside from those mutations, however, the only determining factor of their occupations came from their body language and dress code. There was a human dressed in the iconic robes of a wizard, for example. But no hat, unfortunately. And Titus, oh Titus. He was dressed in a dazzling suit of plated armor, minus the helmet to expose a lip curled ever so slightly into a sneer while he shot lasers through his eyes.

While he aimed those lasers at me, however, Toril aimed lasers of his own at him.

"Hi! Hi! Welcome! Welcome!" An unfamiliar voice paired with a familiar accent pulled my smirk away from Titus and towards a gnomish woman who was a mirror image of the man himself. "I'm Zoop!" She beamed with long, exaggerated words. "I'm an Artificer! A Grandmaster Enchanter! I’m the Guildmaster of the Bodhi Tree’s Artificer Subguild, Agnes Arcanum. Ranked 12th in the Optimus Regni if you were curious. Yes, we are! Yes, we are! We teach Novices how to take on the craft. Nice to meet ya! I’m sure to expect ya!"

After such a curious display of rambling and stalking away, next to step up was a burly man with dull gray skin and sharp tusks that protruded from his lower jaw. He was easily two meters and change, with thick bands of muscle bulging in his arms as he waved to us. "Um. Hello." He boomed in a monotonously bassy voice. "I'm Urodar. Barbarian Instructor. If you would like to rage, I will teach you."

The next was one that I assumed was a halfling. However, upon closer inspection, I realized he was another of the Fae version of halflings, like Zoop and Zook.

"Xalji Lammog, bard extraordinaire!" The Gnome sang. He was around a meter and change tall but dressed in a pristine two-piece suit of crimson and black silks that set him above the tanned leathers and rough hides of those to his sides. Chestnut skin and jet black hair tied into a ponytail exposed the pointed and pierced ears, giving me the impression of the many influencers and tube celebrities that existed across the web. But unlike them, he sold it well. Even as he danced in place and sang to the heavens. "I allow my Bards to Ball! To sing! To dance. To do all! So too, will I teach you! Any college that you please! Any path that you may need."

His bow led Corym to introduce himself as the Ranger instructor as he so claimed, and following him was another orc or half-orc woman who taught the Fighters in the Kasian Empire, Naki.

"I am Eiriol. Abbot of the Bodhi Tree's Monastery. Only four of you here have what is needed to become a Monk." She paused scanning her eyes around the lot of us. "Rua Nun. Veil of Shadows. Amun. And." She paused to smile greatly at the person next to me. "Peter Boyd. I expect to see you shortly."

While she backed away, Dende's dog stepped forward. Grumbling under his teeth, he turned his beady eyes over the crowd for a long moment. Then took a deep breath. "I am Titus Zlock, known by some as the Storm King. But here." He exhaled greatly. "I am the Paladin Instructor. If you have been trained as a knight prior to coming here, you are welcome to seek me out, come the appropriate time."

"Storm King," I muttered. "That's cute."

"Turpin Goold." A meek halfling waved to us after Indra gave her introduction. Dressed in a flowing cowl, all we could see of him was a gentle smirk that peered from under his hood as he said. "I'm the Rogue Instructor down in Brybs County."

"Bribes." Zakira laughed. "That's funny."

Even the robed human laughed. Though it seemed his chortle was more out of anxiety than humor, as he shied away from us further. Even while saying. "Coleman Carr, Wizard Instructor."

The last of the Instructors was a light-brown-skinned woman with the same golden-yellow eyes as Felicity, Lance, and Dende. Yet another of the many leaves, hailing from the Lux family tree. "Good morning, everyone. My name is Ferris Licht, I'm the Archwitch of the Chaulort Principality and the Witch Instructor for the Bodhi Tree's students. I'll be seeing you all here soon for your introductory healing course, so feel free to say hello, even if you don't plan on being a witch."

"Now that the introductions are underway, the rest of the day will be for you all to gain insight into the Classes you wish to become," Doyle said, stepping forward. "Each Class abides by its own lifestyle and has its own rules, both in and out of combat. Learning such ways should be your focus for today and tomorrow. You won't see the Instructors again until the evolution ritual, after all. So ensure you make the most of this time!

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"That said." He sighed. "You may choose to dismiss yourselves if you feel you've learned all you could. And, as Mr. Yurich said, attendance is optional going forward. You will still be required to return to campus and check in once a week, but you are hereby free to explore the wilds as you see fit. That is all."

Those last three words served to scatter the students like roaches. To Titus went Toril, Lucia, and Issac Galliard. Perhaps others as well, but I turned before they arrived to see Jaimess approaching Corym alongside Zohnos, Zaos, Rhot, and Smeal; with Twig, Duke, and Rebecca on approach.

Scarlett, on the other hand, surprised everyone by skipping off to see Ferris. She was joined shortly thereafter by the other Strifling, Phelia. They, however, were the only prospective Witches in the class. As for Wizards, Ash surprisingly stepped up to Carr, but he was the only one. Instead, almost everyone went to see Naki about Fighting. Including Samson, Kao, Slate, Winston, and many more. So too was the case for Barbarians, of which Roheisa was unsurprisingly a part of.

"So, I guess I'm a Monk?"

I snapped my eyes to Peter to see his eyes wide with excitement rather than uncertainty. "Is there anything you'd rather be?" I was going to ask, and so I did.

"I could maybe make a good Wizard." He shrugged. "But." He then sighed heavily and let out a small chuckle on the inhale. "I've never thought I'd be told I'm worthy of becoming a monk."

"You're worthy of becoming almost anything you put your mind to, Pete. All it takes is time and dedication." I gave him a pat on the back and stepped toward the bald Felipian and Rua standing next to the old drow.

"We are unlike the monks you may have heard of. We have a hunger for knowledge, wisdom, and peace, but will not abstain from war. We seek elegance and favor technique in our martial ability, rather than embody the destructive characteristics of the other martial classes. We are in tune with the spiritual forces of these realms. And within ourselves. Above all, we seek the perfection of self. If that does not describe you." Abbot Eiriol jerked her head to the side. "The way of the monk is not what you seek, for that is how all who call themselves an evolved monk can be described.

"Regardless of the way we choose to walk, we monks utilize the eclectic energies of life. What others refer to as, 'the emission of mana from all living things,' we call Ki. Now." She swept her eyes over us during a light pause. "I can see that all of you have formed the necessary paths within your spirits. This is good." She nodded. "Now, that they are formed, however, you must not inhibit yourself by wearing armor, as it will interfere with the circulation through your flesh. It is this." She raised her finger. "Circulation, that should be your focus. But not with mana. With this."

She raised her finger, and an ethereal, nearly transparent blue fire flickered to life around her nail. Then she reached up to flick Rua in the forehead. He reeled back in pain and I had to force myself from laughing. Then Veil of Shadows was hit and had the same reaction. Then Peter. Then, when she was standing before me, Abbot Eiriol's face curled into a wicked smile before a micrometeorite seemed to impact between my brows, and I too found myself rubbing my head, grimacing at the old drow as she giggled maniacally.

"Remember this feeling as you meditate." She sighed once everyone, including her, recovered. "For some, it helps to focus on the Ki of others rather than within themselves. Regardless, you have six months to grow familiar with this energy if you wish to obtain a Master Class. There is nothing for me to teach you until then."

Saying nothing more, she turned. Leaving the four of us rubbing our heads and staring indignantly at her back as she drifted away.

"Ki." Peter gasped in disbelief. "That power is unbelievable."

"Yeah." I snorted. "Now are you convinced?"

"I already was." He laughed back. Then turned to look up to the now-distant moon. "So I guess that's it for today then?"

"I'm going to talk to Zoop first," I said. "Then I'm going back to work."

Peter's brows rose incredulously. "It's still not done?"

"It's a big place." I shrugged.

"Excuse me." Rather than wait for us to turn, Rua stepped out in front of Peter and me and bowed. "My party members have told me much about you, Amun. I have been waiting to meet you to form my own opinion of you, however. My name is Rua Nun."

"I remember you. Well met." I bowed in turn. "I see you've been taking good care of my friend."

"Y- yes." He took a step back, hand twitching while his eyes darted down in surprise. "D-

"Don't get the wrong idea." I held out my palm. "He chose you. That's all there is to it."

"V- very well." He nodded.

"Alright then." I smiled at him and Shadows. "There's no better way for us to get to know each other than to meditate together. But first, I have to talk to Zoop about Artificing. Veil of Shadows, Rua." I motioned to them both. "Meet Peter."

As I expected, Ed was already neck-deep in conversation with Zoop by the time I arrived. And there were others as well. Mostly dwarven, plus one of the Epethians. Matthew Reid.

"Hi! Hi!" Zoop pushed past Els, Forgruna, and Thordrohilda upon seeing me. "Welcome, Welcome!" She took my hand in her comically small paw and shook it generously. "I heard all about you from me Pa. Yes, I have, yes I have! You and Ed here are both prospective Grandmaster Artificers! How exciting, how exciting!"

"Yes. Very." I nodded and watched her bounce up and down in joy before it faded with a sudden eeriness. "Well, I'm sure you know. But the Grandmaster Path entails all crafts, both magical and non-magical. If what you say is true and you've got an industry behind ya, then you'll be starting pretty high up the ladder. You’ll be needing to learn potions before you take on enchantments. So if you want to join these ones when you evolve, you'll be needing these." With a mere flick of her hand, a book flew from her sleeve and swerved as it hit my domain and fell into a slow orbit around my body.

Naturally, I plucked it from the air to begin flicking through the pages while Zoop asked the others about their intended specialties. I listened in if only to hear Els state he wanted to be a Grandmaster Weaponsmith and Forgruna Drakehorne wanted to be a Grandmaster Armorer. Much to my surprise, though, Matthew wanted to be a Demolitionist. For what reason, was beyond my scope of knowledge, but it served to get the main mind fantasizing about the potentially endless subclasses out there. More so, it left me with a hypothesis and an experiment that I wished to enact on my future officers.

The book, on the other hand, was an Alchemical cookbook that not only contained many rare recipes, but had extensive instructions on how to find and identify a long list of exotic ingredients and distill, synthesize, or extract them for storage or use. It was a veritable gold mine. A gold mine I added to the highest priority of things for my undead to find while the Bobs were continuing the work. For now, though, my business was done, so I left the gym and went across the hall for a quick pit stop in the shop to peruse the new contents.

As advertised, one of the many items now included in the shop was a similar type of seed crystal we used to create a portal within the Cove. In addition to that were tons and tons of materials that could be found in the mines or elsewhere. The common metals. Bones and a few magical monster parts. Even a few potion ingredients. Several thousand points later, I stowed the instruction pamphlet for my seed crystal and the other things in my shadow before skipping off through the cafeteria to grab a quick snack and taking flight towards the Butte.