Orrin’s mind raced as he sat through Surviving Spell Attacks. There was so much to unpack. Professor Hugh taught him more in two hours than he’d learned since arriving here.
Beyond the basic formulas that Orrin already knew, Professor Hugh wrote multiple equations with different variables for them to study on his board. Equations for knowing exactly how much mana you needed to increase a variable spell to do a specific amount of damage. Each separate type of magic interacted differently against other types, so knowing that a [Fireball] spell was targeting a [Water Mage] or a [Wood Mage] was crucial. It was the difference between doing almost no damage and killing someone outright.
On top of that, a target’s constitution made the math even messier. A higher base constitution gave a person more health points but also could bolster natural defenses against a contradictory magic type.
Orrin’s thoughts ran deeper than just damage. If I use [Identify] on a person and know their constitution, I can use those equations to figure out exactly how much mana I need to use to heal them. He was almost out of class when he thought of [Analyze] as well.
[Analyze] was a mostly obsolete skill according to most books and class builds that Orrin had read. However, Tony made him get it long ago. The skill would tell Orrin what an object was in the most basic form. If he tried it on a cup, he’d be able to read cup. The more he worked on the same object the more descriptive it could become. The more he learned about the cup from outside sources, the more descriptive it could become. It could also be used to give more details on specific processes, including spells, status changes, and even the length of a person’s foot.
Orrin was bored one night. He measured a lot of stuff with [Analyze].
It was also how he’d built the little subskill indicator that told him how much mana he could blood cycle in a day before he died.
Orrin’s combination of [Mind Bastion], [Blood Mana], [Meditate], and [Heal Small Wounds] gave him limitless mana. He could use his already-regenerating mana until it was nearly gone, use [Blood Mana] to sacrifice his health for more mana, and then cure himself using the same newly acquired mana while coming out net positive. The only drawback was once he turned off [Mind Bastion], he’d die.
He’d gotten lucky the first few times and drawn enough to get violently sick. Tony, a mage in Dey, saved his life. He’d cautioned Orrin against overextending himself again and Orrin was slowly learning.
But now… Orrin thought, writing down as much as he could. Professor Hugh was going on about how using this information against monsters was easy but harder against other people. Since monsters’ stats were well-known and mostly static, a little research before a fight was invaluable.
Orrin really liked this teacher.
[Identify] would let Orrin find out the name of any monster he encountered but with his upgraded version, he could also read most people’s constitution.
If I combined the two…
Orrin’s thoughts were interrupted by the whispers around him. His fellow students were arguing amongst themselves and the professor had to put down the chalk. He turned and stood silently, waiting for the loudest fights to simmer.
“I believe you have questions?”
Orrin noticed Rhys shake his head at Iona. An older man sitting on the opposite side of the room as Orrin stood up.
“Professor, you are advocating for a balanced approach to stat building with a constitution focus. Multiple texts on class leveling dispute the method. The Sanerris family disputes the method. What use does any of us have for more constitution when increasing my will would make my [Icebolt] do more damage? This class is supposed to be teaching us how to survive spell attacks and recognize basic threats, not tell us our planned routes to greatness are wrong.” The man’s robes moved as he waved his arms, getting more excited as his voice raised in volume the longer he spoke.
A few students nodded.
“I am teaching you the math, not advocating,” Professor Hugh growled, crossing his arms again. “At this point in your life, you would be a fool to make changes from one class lecture. If you want to only know the basics, read the class book. It has all the information you will need for the tests. If you want to learn to survive and be able to succeed in any situation, shut up and listen. Does anybody else have a comment?”
Professor Hugh’s gaze landed on Orrin. A few students turned to look when he didn’t turn or talk.
Orrin looked at his raised hand in terror. He’d had a question but didn’t remember putting his hand in the air.
“Go ahead.”
“What happens in the fourth equation when there is an equally high constitution between the target and you?” Orrin finally got the words out by reading the question he’d written down.
Professor Hugh’s smile made two students scoot their chairs back from the front in alarm. Too many teeth. He started explaining and Orrin sighed in relief. He wrote down the answer and put his offending hand in his pocket so it wouldn’t try to ask any more questions.
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Rhys sought him after class and they made plans for lunch after their next history class. He wanted to bring Orrin somewhere fancy but relented to pick something local. Orrin ate dinner with a quiet Ellis and then ran back to the library.
His second night researching was another bust. He made his way back to his room and recapped his day in the Twin Book of Sending for Anabella. He also requested access to the second floor of the library. He reasoned that Maeve had multiple years under her belt at the school and Orrin might need to impress her.
His eyes were closed before his head hit the pillow.
In the morning, he found Anabella denied his request. She told him to work faster again.
Orrin’s first class of the day was Defensive Earth Magic. His table at the cafeteria was still just Ellis, although Luca would occasionally wave at them as he devoured multiple trays of food from another table. So, it was a surprise when Rhys and Iona sat down, making Ellis jump in surprise.
“Mind if we sit here?” Rhys asked with a smile, completely sure he would be welcomed. “My name is Rhys and this is Iona. We have a few classes with Casimir. What’s your name?”
“I— I’m…” Ellis floundered.
“This is Ellis,” Orrin answered for him, holding his cup of coffee close. “His dorm is near mine.”
“Well met, Ellis.” Rhys smiled, those dazzling teeth disarming the poor boy. “What classes do you have today, Casimir?”
Alarm bells rang in Orrin’s head for a moment. Rhys was too friendly. People didn’t act like this unless they wanted something from you and then you usually ended up in a trashcan.
“Are you looking for someone?” Rhys asked, craning his neck around.
Orrin hadn’t noticed he was trying to find Daniel. He’d always saved him from these situations at school.
Get a grip, Orrin. He chided himself. He hesitated between casting [Calm Mind] and [Mind Bastion]. In the end, he cast neither. I need to get better at talking to these people. That’s the entire reason I’m here.
“Sorry, I thought I saw someone I know,” Orrin lied and sipped his coffee again for a moment to think. “I’ve got an earth magic class this morning then Mana Signatures this afternoon.”
Ellis dropped his fork. Iona stared.
“Mana Signatures as a novice?” Rhys raised an eyebrow. “That’s… impressive.”
Orrin heard the question Rhys wanted to ask but didn’t voice. Instead of answering, he asked his own question. “What about you two?”
Rhys took a bite from his plate of food and nodded at Iona. She rolled her eyes but answered. “Our first class is Sensing Magic. He has Offensive Metal Magic this afternoon as well.”
“Are you both [Metal Mages], then?” Orrin asked, curious. It was one of the last types of magic he hadn’t bought a spell for. It cost too much to be properly useful to him, even though he’d seen one of the Dragoons use metal magic to destroy monsters.
“Mine is something like that,” Rhys answered with a smile. “Iona has a different class but she’s being allowed to accompany me, even though she doesn’t have all the requirements.”
Orrin read between the lines. Rhys had a powerful class that he wasn’t about to advertise and Iona, his bodyguard, likewise wasn’t going to tell the new kid they just met her class. He could always cast [Identify], a spell he was learning was criminally underutilized by anyone but guards. Of course, Madi had warned him that it was impossible to know beforehand if someone had a skill that let them know they were being scanned. It wasn’t worth the risk.
They exchanged more pleasantries, with Orrin drawing Ellis into the conversation. They parted ways, heading down different halls to their classes.
Orrin found his class on the ground floor. Two large doors were open on the far side of the classroom, opening to the center courtyard. Cairns of stone had been built with more piles of rubble stacked up against the inner wall. An older professor was moving all the chairs and desks to the side of the room. Orrin helped, along with three other students who were a bit early. By the time the class filled out with all eight students, the classroom was a wide open space leading to the outside.
Orrin spotted Maeve when she entered a few minutes after him. Her brown hair was parted in the middle and pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her eyes darted from corner to corner, noting everything before focusing solely on the professor. She wore a flowy yellow shirt with sleeves that hid her arms and a pair of rough canvas pants that were slightly too long for her.
She was also barefoot.
“I think this is everyone,” the old man said, clapping his hands. His brown robe had a belt made out of rocks doing its best to hold together around the portly man. His wispy hair would have been grey but Orrin saw streaks of what he hoped was mud throughout his beard and on his head. “I’m Professor Cade. I hope you have all read chapter one. Please pair up and discuss it. In twenty minutes, you will attempt to block or evade an earth attack from your counterpart so choose well.”
Orrin kept his eyes forward for a moment too long on purpose. He tried to look confused when he turned as well, giving the other students time to pair up.
His report on Maeve was the most comprehensive of the three. She’d been a student at the Sanerris School for years. The notes about her physical description were accurate enough. The other students quickly paired off, leaving Orrin and Maeve as the last two to choose.
I guess the part about her being a bit of a social pariah is also true. Orrin smiled and waved her over. “I’m Casimir. What did you think about chapter one?”
The first chapter of Professor Cade’s book, titled “Earth and You” was a simple introduction to earth magic. It regaled the reader with how strong an [Earth Mage] could be with the proper training, becoming both the perfect offensive and defensive spellcaster. In other words, it was propaganda. Orrin had flipped through the next few chapters as well and noticed most of the book was about how much better earth magic was than any other type.
“It was droll, but since Cade wrote it, I guess I should say it was fascinating,” Maeve answered but refused to look in Orrin’s direction. She stepped by him and walked out the doors to the cairns. “Do you think he wants us to throw these at each other? What could we learn from that? A simple [Earthshield] would stop any form of thrown earth or stone attack. Perhaps, he wants us to use different spells?”
She completely ignored him as she talked. Orrin checked but the rest of the students were talking with their backs to Maeve. Even the Professor was doing his best to look busy and talk with other groups.
Orrin stepped out the door as well and hefted one of the stones from the top. “It is called Defensive Earth Magic. I bet we have to throw the stones at each other and test what the best defensive spell is. I’m sure he’s got a favorite one but… what was that for?”
Maeve had grabbed a stone from the pile and thrown it at Orrin. He hadn’t been paying close enough attention to her and she’d beaned him in the side.
“You didn’t try to defend. Try again but this time I’ll throw harder.” Maeve set up to pitch another stone and Orrin felt the mana coalesce around her hand.