The cable carriage ground to a halt outside the Adventuring Academy. Kanita ushered everyone out with a wave of her hands as they gathered before the archway into the Academy. Patrick stared up at one of the most impressive buildings he had ever seen. He was nudged forward by Svenja as he realized the group had begun walking through the archway. Trying to push the information about Jax out of his head, he followed through, before almost falling over himself. Instead of walking through to find himself in a courtyard, he found himself at the apex of what seemed like a giant university from his home.
Patrick backpedalled through the archway, and confirmed there was not the space for a whole university campus on the far side of the wall, before returning through the archway to confirm that there was in fact a giant university campus. He looked at Ulman in shock who just nodded.
“Dimensional Expansion magic.”
“It’s… it’s... bigger on the inside!”
“A novel way to put it but inherently correct.”
Before any further explanation could be provided, they were greeted by an awaiting assembly. The group was led by a tall, broad shouldered stern looking woman. She wore simple brown robes that would have seemed more in place at the docks than this high up the mountain. She was joined by a short bespectacled human man with hair that seemed to stand in all directions, and a heavily armoured male dwarf with a finely braided beard. They all bowed as the woman spoke.
“I welcome you all to the Academy, both returning and new. Our halls welcome back those it has raised.”
“Headmistress Shrath, we are honoured to return displaying the outcome of your tutelage.” Marius responded with a bow.
Headmistress Shrath cast her eye over the group, and Patrick got the distinct impression that this woman was someone who when they said something, others would do it. He even saw out of the corner of his eye Grunt and Svenja straighten their backs as she looked at them.
“Allow me to introduce you to Harrigus Tick, our current department head for Wanderer Studies and Social Supports.”
The short man jumped at the sound of his name as he twitched nervously as he nodded to the group.
“And Thod Stoneborne, current department head for Combat Training and Dungeon Mechanics.”
The Dwarven man just grunted and nod.
“Excellent.” Kanita clapped her hands. “We would like to introduce you to Patrick Kavanagh, a Wanderer who has only just arrived, and a claimant of the World’s First title.”
“I’ve read the reports.”
A tense moment followed as something went unsaid between Kanita and Headmistress Shrath.
“.. and we shall welcome him to the Academy.”
As that was said, an invisible breath seemed to leave everyone.
Kanita smiled. “Wonderful, now I am afraid we are on a tight schedule-“
“Lady Kanita, it would be the honour of the Adventuring Academy for our group of heroes to stay a moment and observe the final qualifying round for the upcoming tournament. The two competitors have both just reached their Level 30 milestone. We have asked the contestants to wait for your arrival.”
The collective breath that had been let out seemed to suddenly be inhaled again. Patrick was getting the impression there was something more implied by exchange.
Kanita’s smile thinned.
“It would be an honour for us to observe the final qualifying round Headmistress Shrath.” Marius quickly interposed himself into the conversation. “Please, lead the way.”
Shrath bowed and gestured for the group to follow.
Patrick fell in behind Ulman, and whispered “What was that about? You could cut the tension with a knife.”
“Politics my fellow. Shrath runs an incredibly tight ship here and was not happy by all accounts of accepting you to the Academy without going through any of the trials.”
“And what’s wrong with us staying and watching the fight?”
“The optics of it. I’m sure one of the combatants is a favourite of Shrath’s for the tournament. Having us watch the fight, and have arcane images taken of us watching, will raise the profile of the combatant significantly.”
“Ah. I see.”
“The issue is Shrath has now gotten one over on Kanita. Kanita won’t act overtly against her considering Shrath’s position and status, however there will be retaliation, and so Shrath must believe strongly in the candidate for some reason.”
“She mentioned the level 30 milestone. Is that a big one?”
“Very much so. Level 30 is generally the point where you become a true Adventurer, as a significant number of Dungeons open for you. At that point, most have chosen their specialisations in both their Skills, and potential role in a party. It should be an exciting bout.”
As they reached the far end of the apex, the green fields turned to tiled stone containing a large arena. A crowd had already gathered, that parted before them.
“Good afternoon, everyone. We are honoured by the attendance of the Tyril team who are the first Tyril team to achieve a World’s First in well over a century. They are here to watch the bout between Hexil Cydan, and Kalor Pruth.”
The crowd cheered and began stamping their feet as they began chanting Hexil’s name.
“I take it that’s the favourite?” Patrick asked Ulman.
“Quite so. I do vaguely recall the name. A [Spellsword] of some renown, although the name of his opponent is one that escapes me. There, that is Hexil.”
A figure emerged from the crowd, slight and wrapped in a dark robe. A discrete longsword hung at his side.
“That must be Kalor Pruth.” Ulman said nodding towards the other side of the arena where another figure emerged.
The second figure shuffled out into the arena, before stumbling and falling to his knees. It explained the extremely dirty and ragged tunic he wore. From the looks of him, he hadn’t bathed in a week.
“Is... is he alright?” queried Patrick.
Marius strolled over as Patrick spoke.
“Oh, he’s fine alright. Kalor was the year behind me when I was in the Academy. He is very… irregular, and as a result is now an Irregular. The last I heard, he naturally evolved his Class into [Drunken Druid].”
Patrick stared at Marius who just shrugged.
“Look, it is what it is. The guy is a savant when it comes to druidcraft and is of the belief that inebriating himself brings him closer to the source of his power. His ‘beliefs’ disqualified him from formally being assigned to a licensed Adventurers Group, which is why he is pursuing the Duelling circuit.”
“I’m understanding maybe a third of that.”
“Which part?”
“He likes to drink. The rest… Wanderer remember?”
Marius laughed. “Correct. Long story short, when you graduate from the Academy, you get licensed to be a part of a party, which earns you the ability to earn reputation with the Guild. You have an all-rounded skillset and can play well with others. Others, become Irregulars. They either don’t play well with others, or spec into incredibly niche or situational skill sets which makes them a challenge to have in a party. The best way to earn money with those is doing the Duelling circuits, and when it’s wartime, you might only be deployed into very situational operations.”
“I get [Drunken Druid] being niche, but Hexil being a [Spellsword] sounds like it would fit into a party pretty well?”
“Just watch. You’ll see.”
Headmistress Shrath took this moment to address the crowd, her voice booming, having been amplified by magic.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the final bout to qualify for the Kings Tournament. The tournament that was requested to be hosted in celebration of our own achieving World’s First and honour us by attending.”
She paused, waiting for the applause to die down.
“The tournament is for us?” hissed Svenja. “Marius, please don’t tell me we need to attend the fights.”
Marius could only shrug in response. “I didn’t know it was for us either!”
Shrath continued. “Two of our... stand out students shall be competing today, both on the cusp of their graduation, and just having achieved their Level 30 milestone.” She held up her hand to pause the applause.
“Hexil Cydan, Level 30 [Spellsword]. Currently ranked first in the Duelling rankings for his year. Holding a formal duelling record of 14 wins, and 0 losses.”
Hexil walked to his starting point with only a nod to the crowd.
“Kalor Pruth, Level 30 [Drunken Druid]. Currently ranked third in the Duelling rankings for his year. Holding a formal duelling record of 26 wins, and 3 losses. He has thankfully showed up relatively sober this time.”
Kalor stumbled forward as the crowd laughed.
“Duellists, it is until incapacitation or forfeit. No deliberate killings blows. Do not disappoint me.”
Patrick looked at Marius.
“No deliberate killing blows?!”
Before he could get a response, a whistle blew.
----------------------------------------
Kalor fell to his knees immediately as he stumbled to move forward. Hexil did not waste a moment, lunging forward holding his hand outstretched as a glowing blue sword materialised in his hand. Each step took him far further than it had any right to logically be able to. Hexil reached where Kalor was kneeling and swung at him with his sword.
Patrick covered his eyes before he could see someone be killed in front of him, and an explosive force came from the impact that blew dust out to the crowd as people cheered. Patrick uncovered his eyes, to see Hexil standing over the bisected body of Kalor. He went to cover his eyes again before he heard the crowd gasping. Looking closer, the body seemed to be made from wood, with Kalor nowhere to be seen.
"What did he just do?" Patrick exclaimed.
"I think that's a Skill called Return to the Earth, he'll be underground somewhere!" Ulman replied giddily bouncing on his feet.
The [Spellsword] paused for a moment, before leaping to the side as a giant root shot up from the ground trying to impale him. He landed nimbly on his feet, just for another root to shoot up to spear him from the side. Dozens of roots began rising from the ground trying to grasp Hexil as he barely managed to dance out of the way of each one. Swings of his sword caused explosions of force at each impact that would take chunk out of the roots, with the shockwaves even reaching the crowds, forcing them to flinch each time. Kalor was still nowhere to be seen.
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Hexil changed tact, and after a moment his sword changed from a deep blue to an intense red, as each impact still emitted a shockwave of force, but also an intense burst of heat. Instead of taking out the chunks of root as he had before, he would cleave right through them as they burst into flames, as the heat in the arena grew.
“Do you see why he has to be an Irregular?” yelled Marius over the sound of the explosions.
“Why?” Patrick yelled back.
“Imagine trying to fight alongside the guy, only for you to be injured, or worse, by his explosions.”
After severing several roots, the remaining roots screeched, and began emitting spores into the air. Hexil backflipped out of their range as he circled back near his starting position. The air began to fill rapidly with spores, before a current of wind began pushing them around the arena.”
“Cover your mouth and nose!” Ulman yelled.
Some of the spores reached the crowd, and Patrick felt instantly lightheaded and nauseous before pulling his shirt up to his face.
“Fermented spores, disgusting.” groaned Marius. “We had to deal with them in the Dryads Forest. I felt sick for a week.”
Kalor finally appeared again, rising out of the ground, gesturing his hands as he controlled the wind. He didn’t sway like he did previously.
“He must have put a lot of his inebriation into those spores. If this doesn’t work, he’ll be in trouble.”
Hexil had reached the edge of the arena where the spores were at their weakest, trying to pre-emptively dodge the gusts of wind as they dragged the spores closer to him. Every now and then, he would stumble as they affected him more and more.
Kalor upped the intensity of the wind as much as he seemingly could, before once again roots began shooting out of the ground towards Hexil. He couldn’t dodge them as well as he did previously, as they began forcing him into a particularly dense cloud of spores.
Patrick watched amazed at the sheer display in front of him, these hadn’t even graduated from the Academy yet, and were able to display such incredible feats. As he watched Hexil avoid the roots, he saw the mistake that was going to happen. The roots had begun to corner him against the dense cloud, with only one gap to the side that was free. As Hexil moved towards the gap dodging a root, another shot from the gap as he leaped, catching him off guard.
Hexil was thrown into the ai-
Wait
Patrick frowned as he swore he saw Hexil deliberately push his feet against the root as it shot from the ground, throwing him into the air.
He was proven correct as Hexil flipped up into the air, well above the crowd, and seemed to hang there for a moment. He turned towards Kalor, before pointing his sword at him, and shot through the air like a meteorite towards him. The crowd gasped as the impact forced everyone back a step, with Patrick being caught by Marius.
The dust hung in the air obscuring the arena as people crowded forward to see the result. Patrick heard people muttering.
“Cataclysmic Leap? When did he get that Skill?”
“That wasn’t Cataclysmic Leap, that must have been Meteoric Grace.”
“Was that a deliberate killing blow?”
“Shrath will have his head if it was.”
The dust began to settle, as it revealed a giant crater in the middle of the arena near where Kalor had stood. Kalor lay fifteen feet away, as Hexil stood over him with his sword pointing down at him, before a whistle blew announcing an end to the duel. Hexil began limping away as Kalor continued to lie there as [Medics] ran over.
Marius shook his head. “Incredible finish. That was a Skill called Lambath’s Impact. It probably would have killed him, but it looks like he deliberately impacted beside him, throwing him across the arena.”
Ulman turned towards Patrick. “What a display old chap. What a display. You have just witnessed your first duel! What do you think?
“I... It... I don’t know what to say. It was incredible to watch. I thought Kalor had him there at the end and I barely caught Hexil deliberately using the root to launch himself into the air.”
“Remarkable observation, but take note, as these will be your peers in due course.”
“How am I meant to match that Ulman?” Patrick said as he pulled open his information. “[Brawler] may seem pretty tame compared to what they can do. Am I going to be able to fall from the sky like that? Or shoot roots up from the ground?”
“Patrick, Patrick. Don’t get Class envy. Admittedly yes, [Brawler] is a relatively basic Class, yet you have the option to evolve it in a multitude of different ways. You have not even been here a week, so you must take it a step at a time.”
“Yeah, I just don’t know how I’m going to be able to compete with people who have so much more experience, and potentially better Classes than me.”
“Shut up Patrick.” barked Svenja.
Her aggressiveness shocked him out his self-pity as he looked at her.
“There are no ‘better or best Classes’. There are no shortcuts. There are just people who are more committed than others to their path.”
“Svenja I wasn’t try-“
“You can pity yourself all you want, but that will just hold you back. You have a World’s First. Live up to it” as she stormed off.
Patrick turned to Ulman. “I didn’t mean it like that, I just mea-“
“She is right Patrick. It is what you do with your Class and evolutions that define you, not what the Classes do for you. For example, Shrath is a fearsome woman, yet her Class is [Prizefighter], and she would beat almost everyone in her level range, and ten levels above.”
Patrick sighed. “You’re right Ulman. I’m sorry.”
Kanita came over with Shrath in tow, both looking oddly pleased.
“Right, we are behind schedule so we must move on.”
“Lady Kanita, I beg only one more moment of your time. I merely wish to speak with Patrick here regarding his… curriculum.” Shrath asked with a small bow.
Kanita sighed and waved her hand. “Patrick meet us back at the cable carriage. Everyone else, we’re going.” as the group departed leaving Patrick alone with Shrath.
He turned towards her, as she just stared at him. An uncomfortable silence followed before Patrick tried to break the tension.
“That was a fantas-“
“Be quiet.”
Another silence followed.
“I thought you said you wanted-“
“Quiet.”
She eyed him over, before she stalked in a circle around him.
“You are unfit. You are a Wanderer which means you have little to no knowledge of this world. The way you currently are, you will not survive.”
“I know, I didn’t ask to come here.”
“I did not give you permission to speak. I have been asked to admit you to the Academy, when you have not proven yourself. You may have a World’s First feat, yet I have not yet been given access to the reports to demonstrate your achievement of it. You are unproven, when many deserving applicants were turned down from the Academy.”
Patrick gritted his teeth biting back a response, feeling the anger rise in him.
“You will more than likely fail the Academy, or even worse bring disappointment to it. I do not tolerate disappointment of the Academy.”
Patrick went to speak before being silenced by a finger.
“You will be targeted by both your peers, and the staff. Your peers will do it to make a name for themselves. The staff will do it so you make a name for yourself. They are two different things. Do you understand?”
Patrick nodded.
“Good. Intake is not for a week, but you are to present yourself here first thing in the morning. You will have early lessons with Harrigus Tick and Thod Stoneborne to get you up to speed. You are not to be hungover, or in any way impaired by any of the celebrations. Do you understand?”
Patrick nodded again.
“Good. Finally, you are to acquire appropriate gear and equipment for your Class. I do not accept students buying Skill stones, or any form of magical shortcuts. You will earn your Skills and Classes. You are dismissed Patrick.” as she turned away.
With his ears burning, Patrick followed the group to the cable carriage.
----------------------------------------
Ulman politely enquired as to what Shrath discussed with him, but relented as Patrick just deflected the question. The cable carriage screeched again as it began to rise towards the top of the mountain. Patrick didn’t look out the window this time, but just stared at the floor deep in thought. Shrath’s words echoed in his ears as they reflected what he had said to Ava the other day. What if he wasn’t good enough? He had only been content because everything was okay. He hadn’t had to try in a long time, and what if he failed?
He pulled up his statistics screen again as they rose through the city.
[Name: Patrick Kavanagh]
[Race: Human (Wanderer)]
[Level: 14]
[Attributes]
Strength: 32 (-3)
Vitality: 32 (-3)
Endurance: 32 (-3)
Intelligence: 14 (-3)
Dexterity: 22 (-3)
Luck: 23 (-3)
[Skills]
Quick Flurry
Glancing Strikes (Passive)
Second Wind
He went over each line multiple times, dwelling on the information provided. There was an improvement from the Fatigued and Weakened conditions reducing, but it still felt less compared to the display in the duel he had just witnessed. The rational part of his mind told him that the two competitors were 16 levels above him, so of course they would be stronger, but the other part told him he was completely out of his depth, and if he really wanted to survive in this world, he needed to be able to match that.
A shiver ran through him at the thought of what people at higher levels could do, and he marked that as a topic of conversation with someone later.
His spiralling was only broken by the cable carriage screeching to a halt at the top of the line, as they arrived at the entrance of the palace. It was visible from the airship but seeing it up close was still breathtaking. Giant pillars that would shame anything from his world lined the entrance to the shining palace.
Kanita wasted no time ushering them out of the carriage, as they were greeted by [Servants], who hastily began taking any bags or luggage offered. They were ushered into the entrance, and through a large domed room. Races of all shapes and sizes were busy milling about the room, most dressed in bright and colourful clothing, and others dressed in either military, or guard garb.
They didn’t have time to dawdle, as they were lead directly through this room as heads turned to look at them, before they entered a well-lit passage. Kanita stopped and turned to the group.
“You all have rooms in the palace for the duration of the celebration. They are down the corridor just before the [Servant] quarters. You will not have access to the Throne room, or Hall of the [King] unless it is for the events. You have free time until sunset, at which point you will attend the Hall of the [King] for dinner. You will be representing Tyril as there are a number of foreign dignitaries present currently. You are all dismissed.”
As she turned to leave, Marius called out. “Lady Kanita, if I could have a brief moment of your time?”
She nodded and gestured for everyone else to leave.
Patrick went with the group, and a brief look back showed Marius leaning forward in an intense conversation as Kanita had a finger on her lips deep in thought, before Svenja pulled him on as he was falling behind. They were greeted by a [Servant] at the end of the hall, who bowed and directed them directly to their rooms.
The room they were directed to was a giant semi-circle room that acted a communal living space, with lead to a giant balcony looking out of the mountain over the lake below. Airships could be seen in the distance drifting through the sky, with several cable carriages traveling in either direction. The sheer drop from the balcony made Patrick’s knees weak, however as he got close to the edge, he noticed a shimmering barrier that was solid to touch preventing anything from going over, or coming into the balcony.
There were six adjoining rooms to the main room that served as bedrooms, with Patrick taking one of the remaining options that weren’t immediately claimed by Ulman, Svenja, or Grunt. Dumping his single small back on the bed, he sat there for a moment before heading back out to the communal living space. A brief moment later, Marius entered the room and waved to Patrick.
“Pretty nice space! Hey, look they have a drink cabinet… and Golem Tears! That’s dangerous.” laughed Marius as he began opening and closing all the cupboards. “What a day, it feels like it should be way later than it already is, and we still have a dinner to go to. You best get a rest in because it’ll be a long night I imagine!”
“Yeah, I think I’ll be taking it pretty easy tonight.”
“I imagine the hangover will be worse than the oth-“ he paused after hearing Patrick’s response. “Everything ok Patrick? I know it’s a lot to take in but it’s a celebration!”
“No, everything is fine. Shrath told me I needed to be at the Academy tomorrow and she expects me to be as able as possible.”
“Ah, Shrath can be rough at times.”
“I want to talk to you about the Academy” they both said at the same time, before pausing to let the other speak. Patrick gestured for Marius to speak.
“I know this is a lot to dump on you all in the one day, and I’ve been meaning to chat with you about it but haven’t found the chance. I don’t want you to think you are being forced into any of this, but I wanted to make sure you had the best opportunities available to you once we got to Tyril. I didn’t want to make the decisions for you.”
“It’s fine Marius, honestly, it is. It’s just..”
“Just what, Patrick?”
“I overheard you and Ava talking about it last night, and man, I don’t know. I didn’t expect to travel with you and the group forever, but between the fact the decisions were made behind my back, and I’m going to be left alone in a city I don’t know when you head off again, and continue to be out of my depth, it hurts. I would have appreciated the heads up a little sooner.”
Marius cringed back as he said that. “You overheard me and Ava? Patrick, I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have wanted you to find out like that. Honestly, I should have spoken to you about it first. It was only when Ava said it to me yesterday, I realised that you wouldn’t have benefitted from following us around and just staying on the airship while we cleared Dungeons. You wouldn’t level from it and get the experience you need. I sent an urgent message yesterday to call in a few favours, I thought I was doing the best thing for you. If I had thought about it sooner, I would have, and I forgot to tell you in the excitement of this morning.”
“It’s fine Marius, I get it’s all about levelling, and I want to level after what I’ve been told and saw today. It’s just daunting. I’m going to do it, and I want to do it, but it’s just… you know..”
“It is daunting, but I’ll make sure you’re set up correctly. I’ve already spoken with the group and you’re getting your full share of the Dungeon guide royalties, and I’ll speak with some people before we head off again to make sure you’re looked after.”
“I didn’t consent to the full share, but I was overruled.” Svenja called out from her room.
“Damn Half-Elf ears.” groaned Marius. “If you’re listening you, might as well come out. That goes for everyone else.”
Svenja and Grunt came out of their rooms.
“Now that everyone listening is here, as I said you’ll be looked after, Patrick. You’ll be a high profile enough name that will garner you from favour, your royalties from the Dungeon guide for steady income, and I’ll extend you a line of credit from my family for anything additional.”
A grunt.
“No Grunt, you don’t need a line of credit considering you would just spend it on axes, and Svenja, you definitely don’t get a line of credit considering how you lowballed Patrick” he cut in as Svenja threw her arms in the air.
Svenja turned towards Marius. “Actually, what was that about Ava telling you what to do in relation to Patrick? She’s a bitch, and you know it Marius. She’s playing you again.”
“Svenja, stop it. It was the right suggestion, and you know it. Patrick wouldn’t benefit from travelling with us, and not being able to clear the Dungeons.”
“Yes, but we would benefit as we would have someone to mind the airship.”
“Svenja…”
“Someone to cook dinner so it’s ready when we get back.
Patrick raised his eyebrows in shock. “Hey, I’m right here, Svenja.”
“I know.”
Marius cut in between them. “Look, decision has been made, and it’s done. He gets full shares, and we’ll support him in the Academy in any way we can.”
“There actually is something I need help with now that you say it…”
Marius turned back to Patrick. “What’s that?”
“Shrath said I needed gear and equipment fitting for my Class… but I don’t know what I need, or where to get it. I don’t want to arrive tomorrow without it in case that’s what she was expecting.”
Svenja turned to Marius with a look of horror on her face. “Marius, please don’t.”
He returned a toothy grin.
“We said anything Patrick needs. Sounds like he needs a shopping trip, and what better place than Mezino’s Emporium. Get Ulman, we’re out of here in ten.”