Having much to learn was an understatement.
Their very first lesson included an overview of the kinds of components they would be learning over the year. There were storage fractals, that held large amounts of arcana for the main body of the spell. Timing patterns, that controlled the flow and release of arcana into the rest of the spell components. Containment patterns, for holding the spell together even while moving. Not to mention trigger components to start a spell, targeting for helping some spells to hit a target, anchoring to keep spells in place and propelling to enable a spell to travel to its destination.
None of these were brought up for the students to learn in that lesson. They were merely examples of the components that they would be learning over the next few years. Many spells only required a few components, which Emil assured them they would learn when possible.
Their current augmenting spell was covered as well, which, as Lloyd had already indicated, was just a component itself. Its only function was to fortify and enhance any current aspects and functions. Most spells relied heavily on intent, which this did as well, but it had the additional benefit of working with the users instinctive understanding and natural feeling toward any object being augmented. It was very easy to enhance muscles or bones, as any arcanist already perceived their muscles as providing strength and power with their bones providing rigidity and support. There was no complicated intent involved. Li Na in particular was taking advantage of this, already being able to augment her weapons as well as herself.
Some of the most complicated aspects that Emil covered was the construction of the spells, since each component had to be connected to form an actual spell. How and where those components connected was critical. The order of the connection was perhaps even more so, as certain sequences were essential.
This was also where the biggest danger lay. No one would be casting proper spells for a long time, but Emil still saw fit to continually reinforce the dangers of improper spell casting. His demonstration had not been for safety when casting spells, but for safety when practicing spells.
Every few years someone tried to build their own spell before they were ready, or worse, got hold of an actual spell. If a nonfunctioning spell was attempted, it would usually just collapse and harmlessly release the arcana held within. If someone tried to create a proper fireball, and a component managing the containment of the fireball distorted or collapsed, the results could be devastating. The same was true if the spell was improperly anchored, or fueled incorrectly.
And every single student was capable of messing around with spell components wherever they were, and at any time. Even Emil acknowledged the temptation to start trying to cast a proper spell.
“By the time each of you have become Apprentices, you will be using most of your Academy credits for booking time in the Tech Duinn. The reasons for this are not released to any who are not yet Novices, but suffice to say, its entire purpose is to allow safe training and practice. Studying magic without such a support system would be exceptionally dangerous, and severe injuries or death would only be a matter of time. Remember, you will be learning completely new spells, and there are many ways for these spells to go wrong. Particularly when you’re pushing yourself to learn something more complex.
“Don’t forget the work involved in learning to use your lighting stones. Imagine how that would have gone if each failure came with the risk of the stone blowing up in your hands. Remember the work that went into learning to augment yourselves, and the effort you put into using it properly. Each of you managed to build on your augmentation as well, pushing yourselves further and further. What would have happened if those lessons carried the risk of setting yourselves on fire?
“Never forget that the power you learn to wield, the power contained in your spells, is also power that needs to be harnessed and controlled. Do NOT take risks!”
The excitement everyone felt after the High Wizards earlier demonstration had continued throughout their lesson, only to come crashing down with the warning that same demonstration had carried. The last spell had been devastating. Everyone wanted to learn how to cast a spell like that, but they now also realized that they would literally be holding that spell in the palms of their hands. No one wanted a spell like that anywhere near themselves if there was even the slightest chance that something could go wrong.
“All right, now I need each of you to pay attention. This is the first component that you will be learning, and it is a vital part of many spells.”
A glowing shape appeared before every student, made up of multiple repeating spirals and swirls. It was twice as complicated as their augmentation spell.
“This is the most basic storage fractal, simply called ‘the sink’. It is capable of holding large amounts of arcana in a never-ending cycle. Break that cycle, and the arcana is released. Best of all, widening the pattern dramatically increases the amount of arcana that it can hold, and many spells can hold multiple sinks. A sink is usually used when stored arcana needs to be released over a short period of time, which is common in many types of spell.
“It is critical that you all practice this component with narrower patterns as well as wide ones. If you make the pattern too wide, you will need to fill it with a lot more arcana for the fractal to be effective. It can store more, yes, but it will also need more arcana to function. We will often be discussing the flows of arcana, so keep that in mind. If you make a river wider but keep the same volume of water, the river’s level will drop, and the currents will slow. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that wider is always better.”
The whole class spent the rest of the lesson trying to get the pattern down. Much like the augmentation spell they had already learned, this pattern was much easier to get right if you did the entire pattern at once, instead of following the lines. In fact, it was an even bigger difference.
Yaric was the first to get it right, managing to get arcana flowing through the pattern just 20 minutes after starting to practice. It took most of the lesson before he could hold it long enough for the arcana to flow all the way through, creating a fully charged fractal. Nothing happened when this pattern broke down, other than harmlessly releasing all of the arcana he had channeled and forcing him to start again.
“Excellent! We have one student creating a full charge already, and several more of you are close. Keep going!”
Working with the affinity stones had been a massive boon. Yaric was not significantly better at forming the fractal, but he was far more experienced at channeling the arcana. One of his biggest advantages had been due to boredom. Sitting for half an hour each morning and each evening was not too bad over the first year, as he had to focus hard to keep the exercise going. But as he got better and better, he had found that he could keep channeling without too much effort, and quickly started getting bored. That led to experimenting with reading while channeling, and after several months of effort he could channel arcana while focused on reading. No one else was able to focus exclusively on the pattern while channeling arcana as an afterthought. Not yet anyway.
“I never knew how hard casting spells would be,” Lauren whispered, her face scrunched up in concentration.
“It’s not that bad,” Yaric whispered back, pausing between collapsed fractals. “This is only the first day.”
“Don’t forget that connecting these patterns will mean making all of them at the same time.”
Yaric froze. Even simple spells would need at least two components, and more complex spells required dozens. All of which had to be held at the same time.
‘Damn…’
Several students managed to fully charge their fractal before class ended, though none had managed to hold their charged fractal for more than a minute. Emil was still very pleased, however.
“Excellent! You are all making fine progress. Keep practicing for your next lesson, and I’m sure everyone will be able to charge their fractal before the end of the day tomorrow.”
Their next lesson was chemistry, and even this now changed. Before, all lessons had been on paper, but their instructor now started supplying them with basic chemicals to experiment with themselves. They needed to have practical knowledge as well as theoretical if they were to be able to use or design spells.
Yaric found that the entire experience drove home just how privileged they were. Arcanists could produce the chemicals whenever they wanted, so long as they knew the relevant spells. Anything from basic elements to complex chemicals could be produced if you had the technical ability.
On one hand, that made getting hold of those chemicals exceptionally easy. But on the other hand, it also made many of these lessons something that was only possible for arcanists. Unconnected had no way to procure something like hydrogen, so they had no way of working with it. Sure, some arcanists did work to supply needed elements and chemicals, but no arcanists spent hours every day trying to supply an entire kingdom.
Knowledge of atoms and molecules, and everything that made them up was widespread throughout the Academy. Magic enabled arcanists to probe the deepest mysteries of reality, including its most basic building blocks. Thousands of years of study had revealed almost all of those inner workings, and there was very little still to discover.
Arcanists were able to produce chemicals that helped crops grow, even if no mages were present to enhance their growth. They could create complex dyes, allowing clothing of almost any color to be commonplace. Some chemicals were critical components in machinery, enabling metal parts to move together without noise or damage. There were even metals that had been discovered in ores, but had no known method of extraction. These metals were simply conjured by arcanists whenever they wanted.
But this quick and easy supply was almost entirely cut off from the masses. There simply weren’t enough arcanists to produce these chemicals and materials for everyone, even if arcanists had the inclination. Only arcanists had deep knowledge of these chemicals, yet their easy access also meant that none had the motivation to find non magical methods to process them. Why spend years researching ways to extract aluminum from ores? You had to find the ore, extract it, and then transport it for processing. It would be heavy, difficult work, often located in remote places, and would require entire networks to transport the large quantities of heavy ore. Then you needed an entire process to remove the pure element from the ores and would generate lot of waste material. Everyone involved would need to be paid, including those who built and maintained the infrastructure. Then that extracted aluminum still needed to be sent to wherever it was needed.
Or, an arcanist could just conjure 100% pure aluminum whenever they wanted, in the exact quantity they desired, and in the shape they chose. No work required. It was almost as simple as waving your hand once you had experience with the necessary spell.
Yaric also learned about the industries that created, and how much wealth that generated for the Academy. Numerous lubricants were produced exclusively on campus, to be shipped throughout the Kingdom. Dyes and inks were especially lucrative.
Many weapons of war were also controlled almost exclusively by the academy.
Arcanists favored weapons that required arcana to use, due to the simple benefits they provided. A lot of energy could be easily and safely stored in magical equipment, having no mass or volume, but still creating vast amounts of material when needed. While mundane arrows needed incendiary materials attached to them, simple runes inscribed on arrows could be charged before firing, producing even larger quantities of the incendiary materials on impact, and setting them alight. This meant there was no extra weight, no impact on the arrow’s trajectory, and no danger in storage or transport, all while being more powerful and more effective.
That did not mean that armies didn’t use mundane weapons, however. Large kingdoms like Malvec had entire units dedicated to explosives and incendiaries, none of whom could channel arcana. There were even weapons that used highly reactive chemicals to propel themselves, allowing them to target units beyond the range of their archers. The vast majority of which required chemicals exclusively produced through magic, and much of which had a shelf life.
Lekton was critical for the defense of the Kingdom.
Besides training combatants that were far more capable than any individual unconnected soldier, Lekton was able to provide support in healing and logistics that would otherwise be impossible. Soldiers could be healed entirely from non-fatal injuries, and quickly sent back to the front lines. Instantaneous communication could be established over large distances with proper preparation. Logistics could be sped up greatly. And critical supplies could be conjured as needed.
Wizard Golding, their instructor, took great pains to emphasize the number of career paths open to any arcanist that pursued chemistry in the future. While the spells were complicated and difficult to learn, those that did found themselves in critical, highly influential positions, and making a lot of money with relatively little effort.
Neither Yaric nor his friends looked particularly interested in conjuring chemicals all day, though they were interested in learning how they worked. Understanding how materials reacted was crucial across almost any field, from healing to crop growth, construction to destruction. And every single student just had the need to start considering career paths drilled into them over the last week.
While practical lessons during their chemistry class had been very interesting, they also had entirely new classes that day. The first of which was Law.
“Good afternoon, I am High Mage Sniders, and I will be your instructor for the next few years. Here you will be learning the laws of the Kingdom, the laws that govern arcanists, and the duties and responsibilities held by each arcanist.
“Never forget that once you are promoted to Novice, you will become full students at Lekton. Each and every time you leave the campus, you are representing this Academy. Your actions can have serious repercussions, and your decisions can have far reaching effects.
“In the not too distant future, you will be required to fulfill requests made by citizens of Malvec. In order to do this successfully, there are many laws and codes that you will need to properly understand. In some cases, you may even be sent to enforce those laws.
“Many situations will require knowledge of your obligations and authority, as well as that of other people you interact with. And I am not only talking about situations in cities and towns around the Kingdom, but within courts as well. You also have to consider industries, and how you make a living.
“For example, any full member of this Academy is required by law to announce themselves to the relevant authorities, whenever they enter a town or city while on official business. It’s also considered proper to do so when not on official business. You are then to make your assistance available to whomever should need it.
“You are not to take any hereditary position, be it amongst the nobility or within business through inheritance. Many occupations are barred to arcanists, usually for obvious reasons.
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“And, of course, every arcanist is expected to assist in the defense of Malvec during times of war. Failure to fight for the Kingdom is considered treason.
“The textbook we will be using is specifically designed for members of this Academy, and as such are tailored to explaining the Kingdoms laws and customs as they pertain to you. We will begin with an overview, but before we do, a warning.
“As you all know, there is very little in the way of examinations here. Failure to comprehend your lessons is no issue, so long as you recognize that failure and take corrective measures. Your studies will directly affect your performance in your duties, and your ability to progress. All of which is on you, we will not hold your hands. There is no way to help you with more advanced magical studies. Those are all unique to the individual. Learning to take responsibility now will be of great benefit to you in the future.
“That said, this class is different. You will have a detailed examination before acceptance as a novice, and failure in this exam will automatically bar you from advancement. Anyone who fails will be required to repeat the year – there are no exceptions. I would also add that the requirements for passing are stringent. You will need a far higher score to pass this exam than in any test you had before joining the Academy.
“Chapter 1 is an overview of this class, so turn quickly to chapter 2, the first detailed lessons in this course. You will note that the first part of the chapter has a red header. This is critical information with very serious repercussions. All laws and responsibilities detailed here are to be known in their entirety. Any errors in your answers regarding this information will be an immediate failure.
“The next section has an orange header. Questions on these topics will require at least 90% to be considered a pass. The remaining section has a green header, and you will need a minimum of 75% in those questions to pass.”
No one was quiet after that. The entire class erupted into protests and angry muttering, with most students scowling or talking angrily with their friends.
Yaric wasn’t surprised. This was only one aspect of their studies, but they could lose an entire year with a few simple errors. Lauren didn’t look concerned at all, and Sven just looked a little surprised. Only Li Na seemed to share Yaric’s concern.
“This is so stupid. I have to be good at reading books to become a mage?” Li Na whispered angrily.
“No Lina,” Lauren replied patiently, “you just have to understand the laws of the Kingdom. You should want to do that anyway.”
“But there are going to be stupid laws about not using magic sometimes, and laws to stop me from doing things I should be allowed to do! There are always lots of stupid laws that make no sense!”
Lauren stared down for a long moment, looking very conflicted. She opened her mouth as if to answer twice, catching herself each time, before letting out a long sigh.
“Lina, you have to know these laws, but the test isn’t about following them.” Lauren looked very uncomfortable as she spoke, almost as if she was in pain. Li Na, meanwhile, froze, staring into space with a look of shock, before grinning widely.
“Oh yeah, I just have to say I will follow these rules. Once I’m in, I’m in.”
“Lina! That’s not what I meant!” Lauren exclaimed, exasperated.
“And the test isn’t going to ask if you will follow the laws, that shouldn’t even be questioned. It will be about understanding them,” Yaric added.
“That’s easy,” Li Na replied confidently. “Why is everyone so worried? This won’t be hard.” Li Na was now the only one in the class who actually looked happy. Lauren looked frustrated, but that was entirely due to Li Na.
“You aren’t worried about this subject?” Yaric asked her.
“No,” she replied, shrugging. “Like High Wizard Spyros just showed us, getting spells wrong can have horrible results, this is no different. We just need to study. Besides, most of it will probably be common sense.”
Yaric looked across to Sven, who also shrugged in response. “I’ve been learning a lot of this stuff since I was seven, my workload will be smaller than anyone else’s. You aren’t worried about failing, are you?”
“No, not really. I’m mostly just surprised by how seriously this subject is taken compared to others,” Yaric answered.
He didn’t get the chance to say anything more, as their instructor decided that the discussions had gone on long enough. She also unintentionally answered Yaric’s question for him.
“That’s enough, I’m sure you’ve all had a chance to make your feelings known. This might have been a shock to some of you, but I cannot overemphasize just how important this subject is. And I am not only referring to your advancement within the Academy.
“Think of what you would do if you encountered bandits attacking some merchants. Can you use lethal force? What if you were to cause damage to their goods while defending them? If the bandits heavily outnumbered you, can you leave for backup? What would happen in the case of friendly fire? How are you to treat any who surrendered? I can give you a thousand different scenarios and each would have dozens of questions. Getting some of those questions wrong could leave you facing charges yourself. And worse, the Academy would be liable in some cases as well. Understanding of this subject is critical. Now, turn back to chapter 1, and let us begin.”
The next hour was spent examining the types of laws they would have to know and understand in order to become Novices. The workload was significant, but they would have some time. Their 6th year wouldn’t even technically start until after the Winter Solstice Tournament, but they would also have their 2nd and last competition to take part in, this time as 6th years. Yaric was even more determined to claim a full victory this time, because finishing the competition early would give them more time for their studies.
Yaric said goodbye to his friends after the class ended, as he had a few appointments to keep. First up was his follow up appointment with Apprentice James. James had helped Yaric with his atrophied affinities in his first week at the Academy, and he still had appointments with him every 6 months. Every appointment so far had been very disappointing.
“Prospect Yaric,” James greeted when Yaric knocked on the door, “I’ll be right with you. Let’s go through to the testing room.”
James put his documents away in a desk drawer and walked out of his office, joining Yaric in the corridor.
“This way,” he gestured, leading Yaric into a room identical to the one he had been tested in on his first day. He had repeated the tests every 6 months since, hoping to see an improvement, but always ending up disappointed.
“Take a seat,” James instructed, moving around the table. Yaric knew exactly what to do by now, and immediately moved to sit on the stool in front of the large, crimson block of stone. Swallowing nervously, Yaric placed his hands in the indentations.
“I know that this has been stressful, but I need you to relax,” James said understandingly, noting how quiet Yaric had been since his arrival. “There’s no pressure. If you still aren’t showing any improvement, we will keep working on it. Nothing changes. I want you to remember, even though your tests haven’t shown any recovery yet, the affinities are still being detected, even if atrophied. There is still hope.”
Yaric gave a weak smile in return and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. James nodded when Yaric eventually opened his eyes again, and Yaric began channeling into the stone.
Light appeared instantly on the other side, where James was now sitting, and began to move along the slab of stone. The stone responded by seizing hold of Yaric and starting to pull, which Yaric did his best to allow. There was only so much he could do against the invasive feeling however, but it didn’t matter in any case. There was no way he could resist the pull even if he didn’t want to allow it.
The light moved most of the way across the slab, and then the real test began.
Multiple sensations flowed through his body, from feeling like he was full of energy to feeling like sand was scrapping through his veins. He felt both heavy and light one moment, then frozen solid the next. The only sensations that really stood out were the now familiar burning feeling he experienced near the beginning of the test, and the full body tingle a minute later, both of which lingered several moments longer than the others.
James was furiously making notes while the test continued, looking down at the readouts on his side of the slab.
The test paused twice more before it ended. Once when Yaric felt larger than the building he was sitting in, and once when he felt sheltered and safe, sitting at the table as if observing everything around him while hidden from the world.
Then all sensations ended, and Yaric felt the hold from the table release.
“Excellent,” James said, smiling. “I don’t want to get your hopes too high, so I will start with saying that you still have a very long way to go, but…” James smiled wider, almost laughing at Yaric’s look of disappointment, “for the first time, I can see some improvement. I can confidently say that you are starting to recover.”
James paused for that to sink in, and Yaric visibly slumped down on the stool.
“So, it’s working?” he asked hopefully.
“Definitely,” was all James said in reply.
James led Yaric back to his office, where he started transferring his notes. He didn’t take long.
“Alright, all you need to do is keep doing what you’re doing. The treatment has been effective so far, and it looks like continued use of the affinity cubes will allow you to recover your affinities. I need to see how you progress before making any definitive statements, but there is a very real possibility of a full and complete recovery. Well done,” James added, holding out his hand over the desk.
Yaric reached out to shake his hand, smiling self-consciously. There wasn’t much more to say, and Yaric soon left, this time saying goodbye properly and thanking James for his time.
There wasn’t much time left before his next appointment, and his destination was some distance away, so Yaric began running toward the training fields. The frigid evening air had a bit of a bite to it, and Yaric’s augmented running speed was enough for the cold air to bring tears to his eyes. Not that he cared, as he felt lighter than he could remember feeling for a very long time.
Despite his increased speed, it still took 15 minutes for Yaric to reach the training fields, and he only just made it on time. Of course, there was only one person who would arrange for a meeting out on the fields.
“Good! You made it on time,” Hiawatha greeted, having watched Yaric’s run down the hill.
“Good evening, Instructor,” Yaric greeted in turn, earning a nod from the large Battle Mage.
“Come, I have arranged a brief demonstration,” Hiawatha said, immediately turning on his heel and striding toward four students who were talking amongst themselves. They immediately stopped and waited quietly, watching Hiawatha as he made his way over.
“These students have agreed to put on a brief display, to show some of what I would like you to learn.”
They had obviously discussed everything in advance, because the four students immediately paired and began to spar. At first, everything seemed very familiar. This was the same style that Hiawatha had begun teaching Yaric near the end of his private lessons. The style that he had used to get most of his victories in the Tournament he’d taken part in, not so long ago.
Each student worked to get inside the guard of the other, mostly using wide and low stances and often striking with their elbows or even shoulders, from very close range. The movements were explosive, with significant force behind the strikes, and the students would often stand straighter to land multiple strikes higher up, before dropping to add their weight to their next blow.
Then they pulled back and began sparring using a style Yaric had never seen before. In many ways, it was the complete opposite. Now they stood with their feet much closer together, with only a slight bend in the knees, and moved with much slower and shorter steps. Their arms, however, moved much faster and much further. Where the previous style was close and explosive, this style focused on striking from range, and most strikes were delivered with their hands.
“You should already recognize the first martial art,” Hiawatha pointed out. “I have already taught you some of the basics, and it suits you very well. I want you to continue with it. The style you are watching now is very complementary to it, and they are almost always taught together. Not only do they cover the biggest weakness in the other, but they also enhance the other.”
Yaric continued watching the display for another minute, after which the students disengaged and turned to face Hiawatha. The Battle Mage nodded, dismissing them, then turned to face Yaric. There was now no one else around.
“Are you willing to give these two arts a try?” Hiawatha asked, sounding uncharacteristically nervous.
“Yes Instructor, I just don’t know for how long. I’ve never used any credits before, and I haven’t had a chance to find out how many credits I’ve accumulated so far. I also don’t know what this will cost,” he added lamely.
Hiawatha smiled widely, looking oddly relieved. Then he started laughing.
“Ha ha ha! You don’t need to worry about that. Did you forget the compensation you were promised when Lloyd found you?” Hiawatha asked.
“Uh, no… it was never explained to me. I get it when I graduate, right?”
“Something like that,” Hiawatha agreed, “but part of your compensation includes credits for training. There are limits,” he immediately added, looking pointedly at Yaric, “but something like this will be fully covered. There is no risk, and no loss if you decide that it isn’t for you.”
Yaric smiled weakly, unable to keep the reasons for why he was awarded compensation from intruding on his thoughts. Hiawatha seemed to notice.
“Come. There is something else I must show you.”
Following behind the Battle Mage felt like walking behind a wagon, so Yaric quickly jogged to catch up and walk beside him. Hiawatha led him straight to one of the weapon racks.
“You have been more than adequate with most weapons. Your staff and spear are good. I would also highly recommend that you learn to at least be competent with hafted weapons like axes and hammers. But you certainly seem more comfortable with swords than with any other weapon.”
Hiawatha reached over to the rack, picking up a short sword, before walking slightly further along and picking up a longer one. Neither were weapons that Yaric had ever used before.
“This one is a weapon I suggest you gain some experience with. We tried scimitars once and you were surprisingly poor with them, but I want you to have exposure to single edged swords. Swords like the falchion, kopis and falcata are a good middle ground for you. They only have a single edge but are designed to make better use of that edge. At the same time, they are still more than capable of making thrusting attacks. The scimitars we tried were more limited to cuts and slashes than these are, and I believe that was where your issue lay. I only want you to learn how to use these in order to expand your horizons, however.”
Hiawatha put the falchion back on the rack, before turning back to Yaric and handing him the other sword. “This is a hand-and-a-half. It has a moderate length blade and can be used just as easily with one hand as it can with two. I’ve noticed that you like to be flexible when you fight, and this will certainly help.”
Yaric noticed that the blade was definitely longer than what he was used to, but somehow the balance was still perfect, even if the sword was heavier. It did feel odd to hold a sword with two hands, however.
“Now I am not suggesting that you focus exclusively on this weapon, and you should certainly practice with more typical long swords, great swords, sabers and the like, but I would suggest that we put some special emphasis on this particular weapon for now and see where it takes you. Almost every other blade will have some cross over with this, and that goes both ways. Practicing with a normal long sword will also benefit this, for example.”
Yaric looked up at Hiawatha, feeling a little uncomfortable. Hiawatha had never explained things in this way before. He sounded almost nervous, perhaps worried that Yaric wouldn’t agree. Not knowing how to react, Yaric simply nodded and handed the sword back.
“Good!” Haiwatha boomed, smiling widely. “I will have you signed up. I’m not going to bother discussing the bow, I believe your sponsor has already arranged for your archery lessons,” Hiawatha added to Yaric’s surprise.
“Don’t look so shocked, of course he did. Your archery lessons start next week, with Mage Fletcher. And yes, he does come from a family with a long history in archery, hence the name. You will be in good hands! I will have your updated schedule for you tomorrow.”
There was nothing more to say, but Yaric was certainly feeling overwhelmed. This was a lot to add on very short notice, and despite the fact that he would have definitely wanted the archery lessons, Yaric wasn’t sure how he felt with Lloyd making those decisions for him. And without any discussion.
“Come, you should catch up with your friends and get something to eat. You are going to be very busy soon. Who knows, perhaps you will even have time for me to teach you how to use throwing darts and spikes,” Hiawatha informed him, drawing a look of confusion.
“You once asked me if I would teach you, back when you watched your first ever Tournament. Well, you have progressed enough, and the instruction would be effectively free, so if you have the time, we can squeeze it in.”
Yaric thought back, remembering the student who had won her fight by throwing a vicious looking spike at her opponent’s head. It had been so sudden and so quick, Yaric had immediately wanted to learn. An attack like that seemed unavoidable.
Smiling, Yaric said goodbye, and once again started running, this time to meet his friends for dinner. No one asked about his affinity test, knowing that every test so far had been disappointing, but Lauren soon noticed the smile that Yaric was trying to suppress. Trying and failing miserably.
“Your results were good?” she suddenly asked excitedly.
Grinning, Yaric nodded. “They were ok. My affinities are starting to recover now.”
“Well, you still only have two,” Li Na said teasingly, bumping into him while they walked to the food hall. “Pretty pathetic really. I have four,” she pointed out once again.
“Soon he’ll have four as well, Lina,” Lauren interjected, defending Yaric.
“But until then, I’m better than him!” Li Na announced proudly.
“Lina! That’s not how it works, and you know it!”
Li Na just skipped along beside them, completely ignoring Lauren while humming to herself with a big grin on her face. Yaric knew better than to try and reason against Li Na logic. Instead he just breathed in the crisp, cold air, taking in the campus grounds. It was already getting dark, and the scattered clouds high above them were now red streaks across a darkening sky. Red and orange leaves scattered in the wind below the bare branches of trees, while the branches of evergreens rustle above them. Everything seemed calm and quiet.
Sven joined them inside, along with Anton and Gerrick, and soon Cormac, Chelsea and Delmar arrived as well. They all toasted Yaric repeatedly, embarrassing him and causing him to turn red. That didn’t go unnoticed, prompting someone to repeat the toast every few minutes, bringing a lot of attention to their table and leaving Yaric blushing so much that he looked like he was going to pop.
Despite her teasing, Li Na looked just as happy at the news as Lauren, as did Sven once he’d been caught up. No amount of toasting and calling attention to Yaric could take away the relief he felt at seeing his atrophied affinities begin to recover. Yaric hadn’t even been aware of the pressure he’d felt, only noticing once it started to lift, but now that it was gone, it felt like he could breathe more easily. Yet another shackle from the past would soon be behind him...