"Next," the bored clerk called to the roomful of bored people. I stood and walked forward. He looked at me expectantly. "How can I help you?" he asked impatiently. I don't know why he was impatient. He had not been standing in line at the Student Support office in the Administration building of the Mages Guild for the last two hours. He was not under the effect of a skill that made this tedious place worse.

You are under the effects of Weight the Wheel. 20% increase in time perception. Reduced cognition for bureaucratic tasks. Increased chance of making errors.

"Hi Jed, "I started, "I would like to talk to a Senior Mage Path Counsellor about my training pathway" This was the fourth time we had gone through the same introductions. At least he was better than Benjamin, who had dealt with my enrolment.

It was the same request as the last few times.

He looked at me properly for the first time. "Oh, you again. I am sure, just like last time, you are not eligible for pathway training and or consultation until you pass the tests or show justified cause. Your submitted paperwork is still under review, and you will be contacted when …"

Who uses 'and or' in a sentence? Damn, Bureaucracy at its finest.

"Well, no one seems to be able to tell me what justified cause is, so how can I show it? The tests are not for another six months! I could pass them right now. All I need it …" I finished weakly. I could not tell him I had only a minimal amount of time left before my deal with the Steward kicked in. I had not seen anything significant that I was making waves about. But I could feel the weight of my Title starting to become restless.

Augury of Chance and Change

"I am very sorry, Sarah Owens, Provisional Junior Mage First Year. All you NEED to do is follow the regulations, which are quite clear. There is no one here who can help you today. You must attend classes, pass your exams, pay your fees and get certified before undergoing specialist path training. Imagine if anyone could walk in and do any training! How would anyone know if a Mage Guild Mage was up to standard if we let anyone do what they wanted? Please go away, and do not return until you pass your exam or show justified cause. I can blacklist you, and then where would you be?"

I growled. I could hear the capitalisation in Jed's words. This was not the plan. This was so far from OK.

Solace: Calm, Sarah Owens. You need them more than they need you right now. Maybe if you showed them your power, this would be solved.

I can't. It would put Earth and Rach in danger, and Claudia would not appreciate it. She specifically asked me not to use my higher-tier skills. However, it is getting harder to justify putting up with this.

Solace: Even I am getting quite peeved.

Lovely word, Sol. Perfect. But until I have some training, I am not strong enough to protect them. We have time—not that much, but we have time. How will you find anyone who can teach me along the Spell Dancer path? I do hope that Claudia comes through when I bail on this place. I feel like I have less than a month before things get frantic for me.

Solace: Not good. Maybe we could buy the information from the shop. It will be expensive. I know you don't care about money. But you don't want money to be a crutch to solve every problem.

I know. I know. I'll check the shop and then see where we can go.

It was not like the last three months were a waste of time. It was just not what I needed most. Still, I had learned a lot and still wanted to know more. It took three lessons on Mana Manipulation to understand where I had gone wrong with my experiments. It would take quite a few more before I would be confident to try again. Now that I knew how to create a mana affinity and the dangers, I was reluctant to do anything so unscripted. When I realised how close to death I had been, and even wiping out half the coast of Queensland, I felt sick.

I was gaining knowledge and was quite excited actually to understand some of the basics. It was also some dedicated time for Solace to pump my Mind stat too. With all the learning and extra work she was doing, I was sure I would see massive gains. We had seen some significant improvements already, and the hack was becoming increasingly efficient at the rate we were going. The downside was that I was also so far out of the loop and unable to contact Min Min. Claudia had been adamant that I should remain out of contact with them. I had heard some rumours and seen some news about Rach. I was missing her significantly. I took Solace from our bond and could concentrate on feeling her. I am not sure if she knew, but when I concentrated, I also sent my feelings for her, as confused as they were. Still, until she returned to the Imperial City, there would not be a significant change to the daily life of your average Imperial citizen. It was all just rumours and intrigue that meant more to those with power than those who just wanted a quiet life.

The best positive I have taken from the last few months was that I had managed to increase all my class spells to Tier 3. This was both through practice and study. I may have paid a small fortune for some when the frustration got too high, but it was mainly hard work and diligence. I was also becoming a master of meditation; my mat and the turtle were becoming my fortress of solitude, away from the frustrations of this place.

"Next", Jed, looking even more bored, if possible, said, dismissing me. "Move along before you create another scene, and remember the consequences, which are clearly laid out in the relevant sections of the Mages Guild Charter, which, if you had studied and read, you would not be wasting my time."

I growled again, "Which is a multi-thousand-page document and not indexed cross-referenced. All library material relating to the Mages Guild, its history, and the Charter is restricted. Almost as if no one wants us to know any of it! The abridged version you get on joining does not cover anything other than how to pay fees and has no references to consequences for disrupting minor bureaucratic processes. So, unless you have a clearly displayed sign with said consequences, you can ….".

I stopped before I got too carried away.

"You must follow up with the Academy Librarian and enrolment officer. You should have negotiated a full copy and read it before you paid your dues. You should know that the contract you signed to attend the Training Academy is magically binding and sanctioned by the Systemu made a choice. Would you like me to make an appointment? The Librarian can fit you in …' he paused to consult his HUD...' well, he is on sabbatical, so no decisions can be made until he returns next year. The sub-librarian is not licensed to see Provisional Mages. You can see if anything has changed if you come back tomorrow after lunch. I have made an appointment. Remember, not showing up may incur a no-show fee. Good day."

I unleashed a fraction of my aura, and he flinched, "Opps if only I had lessons or counselling in Aura Control."

I smirked and stalked out, not even flinching at the automatic fine.

Solace: Low profile!

Shut up, mum!

I had come to the conclusion that the entire function of the Mages Guild was to make money and slow the learning of mages to keep the power concentrated at the top, to keep those in power with more power, and to stop people from gaining power. Everything cost. Classes, meetings with senior mages, materials, board, food, and even access to the library cost—everything.

Sitting exams cost money, the certificate cost money, and my trip to the clerk cost money. It was my fourth attempt to see someone who could fast-track me. Evidently, I needed to show a justified cause, which was not documented what that entailed, and no one seemed to know how or to whom. I had blown a fortune so far. I had some value for money, but looking at rarer information costs more than I was willing to spend at the moment, especially when it was not guaranteed to be accurate or up to date.

I had paid a small fortune for a peek into the first level of the restricted section, and while interesting, it was a bust. I would need to look in the Epic section, at least, and I was not going to drop that kind of credit on non-guaranteed information.

Not that I could, as my current cover was not Epic. I could have hired a scholar to assist, but then not only would costs blow out further, but I would have to explain some of my situations, which I had agreed with Claudia and Rach to keep quiet.

It was frustrating. I was so close to exploding and blowing all of Rax's gifts to solve my problems. As Solace kept reminding me, I didn't want to develop the habit of throwing credits at a problem, as it would weaken me in the long run.

Let's head to the shop. I'd like to see Hydrox again. It has been too long. Do I get the upgraded shop like Mike? I really hope not. I am not up to more Bureaucracy.

Solace: I can make sure we get to the correct store.

Thanks.

Solace put a HUD arrow up, and I followed it to the shopping pillars. There was a small surcharge for using them, and the Mages Guild took a tax for using them. I was exempt from that since I was going to the Karmahouse Emporium.

Hydrox's store, or the Karmahouse Emporium, had undergone minor changes when we arrived, mainly around comfort. Sampleses and promotional materialwere s on display. Hydrox was still there and looked slightly larger than I previously noticed.

"Hey, Hydrox, how's it going?" I asked with a smile.

"It is going very well. Thank you for asking Sarah Owens. Or should I say Imperial Consort, Sarah Owens? I am surprised to see you here; you should be at the VIP store. I have been asked to see if you guarantee that you will not take advantage of my lesser status in our negotiations."

"None of that crap, please. Of course I wouldn't, you have done well with me, and I like shopping here with you. The VIP store doesn't have you there. I came to see you as much as go shopping."

"Why, thank you very much. That means more than you could know to me. I get a big bonus for selling to you even at a loss because of your standing. Please don't take advantage of that; I wish to remain on friendly terms. What can I assist you with today?"

"As if I would Hydrox. Today, it is mainly information. I am getting blocked and from advancing. For whatever reason, I cannot show them my true power. Yet, they are unwilling to provide me with information regarding how to get through the Bureaucracy. I want to sort this out. I need a trainer and a way to meet the higher-ups in the Mages Guild. As you know, the cost is not a problem." I sighed.

"Hm. Let me think. I will have to call upon some information-broking resources from my collective. Then I should be able to assist you. I have some food for you in the meantime." She said, producing the now-store staple, a burger and fries. It was terrific that Uber Eats could deliver so far.

I sat in one of the chairs and ate, not that I needed to, but sometimes the smell was enough to trigger the need to eat for comfort. I washed it down with a robust single-origin black coffee. I was in heaven.

"New supplier of coffee?"

"Indeed, we have access to some of your Earth markets and resources. I must say I find the beverage's appeal quite confusing, but it is a great seller."

Not long after I finished the meal, Hydrox spoke in a hushed tone, "Sarah Owens, I may have a couple of options for you."

I whispered back, "Why the secrecy?"

She spoke at normal volume, "It just felt appropriate when discussing clandestine topics. I have been trying to include more cultural references, and I thought a low voice was required when discussing covert operations."

I laughed, "Nice one, Hydrox. So, tell me what you found out?"

"I have not found anything, but some information is available. There is also another way you could approach this. My information brokerage resource, Acto, whom I have successfully integrated with, has some things for you to consider. I have managed to secure a favourable deal and a discount for you based on Acto providing services as a contractor if you are willing to operate in your Imperial capacity or if you can act on behalf of your organisation. Trust me, this is a good thing. "

"What do you mean?"

"If you engage Acto as either your personal Imperial Information Broker or for Earth Inc. He is favourable to either."

Solace: This could be a good thing. A dedicated information broker can be quite powerful. Hydrox must be doing well if it could negotiate such a deal. It is not quite a dedicated spy network, but it is a good starting point for information gathering, and having the same someone on staff, so to speak, means fewer leaks.

"OK, what has Acto got for me? I will pass this information on to Mike. He will be the one to finish the negotiations, and if that falls through, then I'll take on Acto's services." I was genuinely impressed and surprised. It sounded cool. I am sure that Mike was all over something like this. I think Hawk was doing something similar. I would put money on Rach having a spy ring, or maybe not since she had been out of action for so long.

"We will start with the most legitimate pursuits, which suggests that you purchase the bureaucracy skill and other skills that are opened up from that skill. Also, you can purchase the Mages Guild Charter as a knowledge dump. This, combined with Bureaucracy skills, could help you with some of your troubles. Or at least it will counter some of the negative Bureaucracy you seem to be facing. It is not guaranteed to produce results and may take some time to integrate. However, longer-term, this would be a good option."

"OK, I think that I will purchase those anyway. That way, if I don't like the other options, I can use that as a fallback."

"It took quite a bit of digging for Acto to get a copy of the current and valid Mages Guild Charter. He didn't elaborate, but it was a challenge for him to find, and it was costly!"

I'll feel sick getting that skill. I hate Bureaucracy. Maybe I can get you to use the skill on my behalf?

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Solace: Who said I like it either? Maybe you need to use it, and perhaps you should be the one to suffer through it. I wonder if I can get skills, that would be kind of cool.

"What is the other option?" I asked.

"As you know, the Mages Guild controls most of the specialty training for Mage Paths. The rarer the path, the more they like to control the flow of information. Some of this is System-sanctioned, and some are just tradition, greed and power. If you dig deep enough, you could find the original system contracts that limit the information to the Guild. You are looking for Spelldancer training to unlock your class skills and open up other options for your classpath. Buying the skills from a class trainer is not the only way to learn skills."

I hadn't really thought about that. Most skills were given automatically by the System purchased as skill cubes. Some skills were limited to being only available from system-sanctioned class trainers. But when you think about it, there must have been ways to learn skills. How did the original skills come about? There must have been some way to learn by yourself. How about some new skills, some unique to a race or class? For that matter, how did a class come about? Thinking about this was starting to get on my nerves.

"OK, what does this mean for me?" I asked.

"Think about it." Hydrox waited a few minutes, "How did the original skills get encoded by the Original AI? What about races that don't have access to the System or AIs? How do they interact with skills? How do other species who are not part of the Empire also manage to operate? As all-encompassing as the Empire and the Karass Collective are, they are just small fry in the greater scheme. Even though our species are only partially embedded into the System, I had not really thought about this in the broader scheme of things. "What do you mean? I thought all species were part of the Empire or Karass systems."

"No, not at all. The universe, or the multi-verse, is vast and wonderful. At some level, we all implement something similar. Most species use what you call Mana and have learned to adapt to what you call skills, titles, and perks. For example, let us say that you learned a spell fireball. When you use nanites, you connect to the Mana, which manipulates energy and passes the details programmed into the System. Say someone outside the System has the spell fireball, they can learn through various means to manipulate the Mana; spell words, material components, gestures, rituals, sigils and runes, prayer, and willpower. There are many ways to interact with Mana, Essence, or Energy. Once you learn a method, you can manipulate it within that framework. True powers transcend those. These are the ones who create new skills and new powers. They transcend mortal limitations!"

Solace: Be careful, Sarah. Some information here may harm you if you pursue it now.

Hang on, are you holding back on me?

Solace: Not at all. I am urging caution and concentrating on one thing at a time. This is fascinating, and I am learning about it, too. As a product of the Empire System, I am bound by it, but perhaps not!

OK, I was just worried that you may not want me to learn things outside the System.

Solace: Not at all.

"OK, OK, so how does this help me?" I asked.

"Well, are you familiar with how Luke got his powers?" Hydrox answered with another question.

"Mostly, but what has that got to do with anything now?"

"Well, if we can convince Tasar to let you into his time-compressed training facility, then we can send in an instructor who will not teach you the skills as such but how to learn them from scratch."

"So, I should learn all my Spelldancer skills from the first principles, from the ground up?" I asked. This sounded quite what I needed.

"Yes, I am only suggesting this. You have the Eldest's favour and can also afford it. It won't be cheap, but I promise I will only take the minimum commission!" Hydrox said with a grin.

"OK, but I still have to find an instructor. We should make the most of the time, too. I would like to learn how to defend myself, and maybe some good old study too, some of those things you were talking about, runes and sigils, maybe I can learn some of them?"

"We should contact Tasar first and then see what we can do. I have a lead on someone to help you."

"All good. I'll grab the crystals, and you can message me with what I need to know when it is sorted", I said, grabbing the crystals for all the Beuromancy skills and leaving, "See you later."

I transitioned back to the Mages Guild Academy in a somewhat lighter mood. The large sprawling complex was a hodgepodge of all manner of buildings and architectures that, despite seemingly random, worked well and gave the Academy an air of mystery and intrigue. It was dominated by the inner tower where all the Mage Masters lived and researched. The main corridors and walkways were a hubbub of quiet noise of people moving. I quickly returned to my dorm to use the crystals in peace.

I was staying in a deluxe duplex dorm room in the Mages Guild Academy. It cost quite a bit but was better than sharing a dor. However, six to twelve other student mages, but the added privacy was worth it. The only people who shared a boarding room were those on scholarships, wild and talented mages with deep pockets, and those in disgrace with their factions, who were not allowed to stay at their main Faction houses. I learned quickly that large and important organisations kept their own residences and staff on campus, paying a premium for the privilege. Like any place of power, there were haves and have-nots. Despite my better accommodation, it was definitely in the have-not and misfit camp. As Solace kept reminding me, I was trying to keep a low profile, so a solo room was necessary. Even though I was masking my aura and my class and level, it was not perfect, as I still had to curtail my skill usage. A Tier 1 or 2 person would not have a dozen skills, so I had to make sure I was consistent with what I demonstrated in public. Still, there were just too many risks around the Academy campus. Despite Claudia's skill, I was worried that her charm would not hold up around the clock to close scrutiny.

The agreement on my room said I could decorate however I liked, yet I had not done much in my room as I had not intended to spend much time there. I was just three months in and quite disappointed at my lack of progress in my class path. I attended seminars and practical classes as part of the General Mage Studies or GMS. This course was required before you could become a full member of the Mages Guild and the major bottlenecks into more advanced studies.

I was a Junior Mage—provisional 1st Year. GMS was a three-year program that guaranteed people an upgraded Mage pathway and grounding in one school of magic. Unfortunately, you had to be a Junior Mage—provisional 2nd or 3rd Year. The astronomical dropout rate made the Academy and Guild think it was not worth a Master Mage's time to talk to potential failures.

I lay on my bed. I missed the others and felt guilty about not thinking about them much, but I sent my feelings of loneliness and longing through my bond to Rach. She would know exactly how to get me out of the funk I was feeling now. I imagined her holding and stroking my hair and just holding me and making me feel safe and OK; I also sent those feelings through our bond. As usual, this led to some guilt and frustration. I did miss Luke. Despite his clumsy and laid-back attitude, he was a solid rock in my world, and I had ed him badly. I belatedly realised that I missed what we had and where it might have gone.

With a sigh, I realised I was procrastinating.

Bureaucracy.

With all my new Beauromancy skills and spell crystals, I would gain some skills that were the antithesis of what my soul needed now.

The first crystal was a straight-up knowledge crystal, Mage Guild History and Charter. For some reason, this had been very expensive. I did suspect that the senior mages did not want people actually using the documents, as the hoops to jump through just to get this copy were quite elaborate, according to Acto. It was a cool concept. An information broker liked having one on call; I hoped that Mike would ensure that he got the contract, or if not, I'd make sure I had access to him.

For once, the knowledge was imparted without pain or any effort, slotting in, and I could feel it connecting to my existing knowledge, updating, correcting and filling in the gaps. I did a few quick tests and found that I had a nearly perfect recall of the entire document. It was pretty disturbing and quite refreshing at the same time.

Solace, do you have access to the information, or should I have also purchased it for you? It would be good to get a second opinion or even a second set of eyes looking over it.

Solace: I am unsure if I can consume crystals like you, but it may be worth asking next time we go to the shop. I can filter most of the information as you do, so I should be OK piggybacking on some of yours. However, I would like to see if I can learn with scrolls and crystals.

Just send a message to Hydrox, and if it is just data, and you can get it, get whatever you want. We should also see if you can learn skills and stuff. Hey, can you access Mana?

Solace: That is something we should investigate, not now, but it would be worth following up on. I am running some simulations, and I believe that we should be able to work something out. I may not have access to Mana, but I am working on tools to help me visualise and manipulate the energy directly.

That would be cool.

Solace: I have ordered the knowledge and am getting it as a data dump.

Cool. I'll learn the skills, and then we can see what happens while we wait for Acto to get us some trainers. I also need to contact Tasar. Can you organise a meeting for me, please?

Solace: Yes. I have messaged him. I will inform you when we get a response.

I grabbed the crystal. This was very expensive. It was a package and learning pathway, something that combined several skills and built up the knowledge to a level where it would trigger some extra class changes at the next offerings. I had not realised it was a thing. Some common organisations packaged them to make it attractive to join them.

Complete Bureaucracy: Bureauromancer (Tier 1)

Dip your toes in the water on your way to becoming a Bureauromancer. This skill package contains all the prerequisite skills and spells to become a Bureauromancer when all skills are levelled to Tier 3. Using this skill package is illegal in the Oflaron Hegemony.

Activating the skill once again caused no pain or discomfort. A high Mind stat seemed sufficient to overcome the impact of learning skills in quick succession. With my mana control and previous insights, I felt the pathways forming as they were laying the foundations for using the skill. The spells slotted into what I thought of as my internal spell book. The feeling was almost brain freeze, ice cold behind my eyes and running around the side of my head and down the back of my neck. Not pain, more euphoria mixed with post-workout muscle tension. My vision blurred, then sharpened as the skills fully embedded into my mind.

Skill Package Received: Bureauromancer (Upgradeable, Trainable) Tier 1.

Passive Skillset. Aura Nobody likes Bureaucracy: Permanent -25 Charisma.

Bureaucracy: (Tier 1)

This skill grants you the mental fortitude to navigate the realms of Bureaucracy.

This skill grants bonuses for dealing with Forms, procedures, policies and meetings.

Active Skills: Grease The Wheel, Helpful hindrance.

Spell: Weight The Wheel.

Correspondence: (Tier 1)

Your written communication is now more effective.

Active Skills: War of Words, It's In the Mail.

Spell: Confusion

Economics: (Tier 1)

This skill gives you insight into the supply and demand of resources within larger organisations.

Active Skills: Wage War, Dirty Laundry,

Spell: Disrupt.

Patternicity: (Tier 1)

This enables you to see patterns. Warning: Low Mind or Karma may result in Apophenia.

Active Skills: War of Connections

Spell: Create Apophenia

Contracts: (Tier 1)

This skill allows you to read and write favourable contracts to yourself, both parties or neither. Can identify unfavourable clauses and how to fix them.

Active Skills: Pact Breaker / Pact Binder.

SYSTEM: You have 5 skills that are eligible for upgrades. Fees will automatically be deducted from your accounts. Do you wish to upgrade them (Y/N)?

Yes.

SYSTEM: Please complete form 27, Revision 6 and submit it to the nearest sales office.

SYSTEM: That was a joke from the makers of the skill. Due to Bureaucracy skills, humour is now enabled to counter deficiencies, and jokes will now be explained.

Bureaucracy upgraded Tier 2

Charisma -10

Bureaucracy upgraded Tier 3

Charisma -10

Bureaucracy upgraded Tier 4

Charisma -15

What the fuck! I guess it was about right, but a drop of 60 points of charisma!

Undo. Stop. Reverse.

Correspondence upgraded to Tier 2

Correspondence upgraded to Tier 3

Economics upgraded to Tier 2

Economics upgraded to Tier 3

Patternicity upgraded to Tier 2

Patternicity upgraded to Tier 3

Contracts upgraded to Tier 2

Contracts upgraded to Tier 3

Contracts upgraded to Tier 4

Title Awarded: Bureauromancer.

Gain Tier 3 in 5 or more Bureaucratic rated skills. Depending on your outlook, this may not be a good thing.

Title effects: all interactions with Bureaucratic processes are more likely to favour you.

You may use your Aura of Bureaucracy to subtly influence the process.

The use5 Focus, +25 Perception, +20 Karma.

The use of these skills for adverse effects on lower-tier individuals may result in harsh Karmic Penalties.

This time, my brain did hurt. Fire and ice. Agony. It passed when I thought I would collapse and pass out or at least vomit. My breathing was ragged, and I was sweating.

SYSTEM Maintenance: This confluence of skills at Tier 4 grants you access to Advanced Empire System Features and the opportunity for employment within the Empire System. Do you wish to have further information regarding these opportunities? Y/N

Hey Solace, is this legit?

Solace: More information is required before I can make a judgement. I will make some enquiries. Maybe Acto or my siblings may have more information. I am not sure you would be suited to looking behind the veil of the System yet.

Solace was right.

No.

After all that, I needed to sleep. Even though I didn't really. Sleep seemed the best way to acclimate and consolidate new skills and knowledge before using them.

Wake me up if anything happens. Otherwise tomorrow.

Solace: Sure thing, Sarah. Some exciting new skills.

Yeah. Exciting. -60 charisma is exciting.

Fuck I double hated Bureaucracy now.

It was not long before I fell asleep.