After shaking off his lingering embarrassment, Jeb silently finished his lunch and moved back to his room to pick up his lute. Even if I’m not going to be using this for any of my courses, he thought to himself, it was uncomfortable to be separated from it for so long. Jeb quickly slung his lute onto his shoulder, grabbed his travel sack so that he would not have to awkwardly carry all of the books and papers he was beginning to accumulate, and gripped the well oiled wooden handle of his door. Before opening it, Jeb realized that he had never tried to exit directly from his room in the dormitory to somewhere else in the Academy. But, as far as he could remember, exits had never been fixed for any other doorway. There were fixed entries, if he believed Dean Aqam, but that explicitly did not require a fixed exit.
“I would like to go back to my study space in the Stacks,” Jeb said. He didn’t hear any changes, but that didn’t really mean anything. Shrugging, Jeb opened the door.
To his slight surprise, the door actually did open to what he was privately beginning to think of as his desk. Jeb looked around, hoping for some way to keep track of the passage of time. He knew without a doubt that he had just gotten lucky with not missing the first day of courses. There was no clock, which made him concerned.
After deciding that he would look for an exit after doing all of the readings for his next Theoretical Enchanting class, Jeb began reading and taking notes on the second chapter. A few pages in, he realized that he did not need to worry. The pages around him started rustling as he heard a bell toll out the hour. Listening and watching carefully, Jeb observed the pages on higher and higher books start rustling as the tone traveled.
Just as the rustling faded past the edge of inaudible, the second tone started to ring. On the bright side, Jeb thought when the ringing stopped, “I won’t lose track of time.” He shoved down the voice in his head that told him the bell might only toll while classes were meeting. After finishing all of his Theoretical Enchanting homework, Jeb looked at the Syllabus for Introductory Music Theory. While he was not required to have read the first chapter until after the second week of classes, the Professor advised students to stay ahead of readings.
As he rifled through his papers and books, Jeb realized that he had forgotten to go pick up the Music Theory textbook from the Library. “It would be really convenient if I could leave notes here,” he said aloud, looking at the desk filled with all the papers he had been referencing while doing his Theoretical Enchanting homework. Since he still wasn’t sure if he kept coming to the same desk or not, Jeb debated how he could test. Ultimately, he decided to leave a page of notes on the table.
It wouldn’t be the end of the world if I lost these, Jeb thought to himself as he began walking down the dark corridor that led to the front of the Academy Library, especially since it was a derivation that wasn’t asked for in any of the questions. It would be nice to be able to refer to it again, though, since I’m sure that the content in chapter two will continue to be relevant afterwards. Nodding to himself, he started paying more attention to his walk to the front of the Library.
It was not, as he had thought the first time through, completely dark. There was just barely enough light for him to see the faintest outlines of the shelves and books within them. Even though the cases looked physically the same distance apart, Jeb could not help the feeling that they were slowly closing in on and around him. Some voice deep in his head told him not to turn around, and he quickened his pace.
Quickly, the path became brighter. This time he saw Margaret before he ran into her, and so Jeb stopped and waved. She didn’t see him, eyes focused high up on the shelves, but Jeb didn’t realize that until the moment she collided with him.
“Sorry!” she cried out as they disentangled themselves from the floor. “Jeb?” she asked as she put her glasses back on. “What are you doing back in the Stacks?”
“I have a desk there that I’ve been studying at!” Jeb replied. “And it seems like the best way to the front of the Library from there is through whatever path we’re both in. Sorry that I keep running into you, though.”
“It’s no problem at all,” Margaret replied, tying her hair back up behind her head, “though I would rather not make it a habit.”
Now that they both knew the other was there, the hallway was more than large enough for them to pass side by side. Jeb frowned as they did. It hadn’t felt like there was space to either side for him to avoid running into her just before they had. That frown stayed on his face as he walked into the light of the Library entrance.
“I assume that you are here for your Music Theory textbook?” Kaitlyn said from behind her desk. Jeb didn’t respond, still thinking about what caused the hallway to suddenly widen. She looked up and coughed.
Jeb jumped, startled out of his ruminations. “Sorry, what did you ask?”
“Are you here for your Music Theory textbook?” she asked again, holding out a brightly embellished book.
“Oh, yes, thank you.” Jeb stammered out, taking the book.
“What were you thinking about?” Kaitlyn asked as he turned to leave.
“I ran into Margaret again,” Jeb replied, “and it was strange, but I feel like the hallway got suddenly wider when we stood up.”
Jeb watched Kaitlyn tense up at that. It was clear that he had gotten close to some sort of dangerous truth. After a few moments, she relaxed. “As a Librarian, Margaret has some control over the exact spacing of the shelves as she walks through them.”
Jeb nodded. That made a fair amount of sense, given that not every Librarian would be the same size. “So when she noticed that we were both there, she was able to make the shelves far enough apart that we could walk through them?”
“Does that seem reasonable to you?” Jeb nodded and walked back to his desk in the Stacks. Only when he got there did it sink in that Kaitlyn had not explicitly confirmed his idea. He stood at his desk for a long moment, debating whether or not it was worth going back to get a better answer.
When he remembered their conversation about the fact that his voice was still echoing in the Stacks, he shrugged and sat down. If she could not give him an answer then, it stood to reason that she was not withholding information out of some sense of petty malice.
Music Theory, unfortunately, did not take very long at all. The introductory chapters were focused almost entirely on how to read the staff. Jeb was sure that it would have been useful information to him before he had gotten his Musician Skill. With it, though, the reading was painfully easy, and the homework was even easier.
Even after he rewrote his Music Theory homework, carefully drawing each staff line and marking each note absolutely perfectly, he still finished the entire assignment and reading before the next bell. Jeb considered the ways that he used to fill his time on the farm. After quickly checking that the derivation he had left on the desk the previous time was still there, Jeb bolted to the front of the Library again.
“You mentioned that I could check out books related to Skills I might be working towards?” he said, hoping that it sounded more like a question than a demand. Kaitlyn nodded. “Is there somewhere in the Academy that I can practice my Skills?”
Jeb had the feeling that there were pages rustling somewhere in the distance. He quickly realized that it was Kaitlyn Identifying him, which made him realize that there were no books in her office. For a Librarian, that seemed strange.
“So,” he said, voice intentionally casual, “do you not keep any books in your office out of hopes that it will make your Identify Skill less obvious?”
She blushed a little before frowning. “How many people have you dealt with that can Identify Classes for you to have already picked up on cues like that?” she demanded, voice stern.
Jeb shrugged. “Let me see,” he said, going through his memories, “in retrospect, Dean Aquam and Headmistress Petra were certainly doing so. Other than that, though, the Librarian and the Bard in my hometown are the only two that I can think of. The Bard taught me to recognize it, though.”
“What was the Bard’s name?”
Jeb gave a sheepish grin. “I’m not entirely sure. He wrote me a letter of recommendation for entrance to the Academy, though, if that helps.”
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“It does.” Jeb heard the papers outside the office rustle again and watched as Kaitlyn picked up a piece of paper. He was certain that the page hadn’t been there a moment ago. She muttered something like “why would he go there? Oh, of course he would know that-” she glanced up and Jeb and seemed to think twice about saying anything more.
“To return to your initial question,” she said, breezing past her muttering, “there are spaces where you can work on a number of Skills. I do notice that you have an unclaimed Quest. Is there a reason for that?”
Jeb frowned. “There shouldn’t be. I haven’t done anything recently.” Nonetheless, he checked through his Activity Log. When he saw that he had completed part of his Major Quest, he remembered the day that he had last updated it. Thinking about the day with his grandfather brought a smile to his face, tempered as it was by the realization that he would not talk to his grandfather again, likely for years. Even though he’d come to terms with the fact, the memory still made his chest ache slightly.
Shaking away the memories, Jeb accepted the Quest Notification.
Congratulations! You have completed the Major Quest Slay the Dragon of the West Second Tier “Enroll in the Academy”. You have taken the second step on your journey to bring glory to the Republic. Recruit others to your cause and learn what you need to defeat the Dragon. Rewards: 478 Experience, 5 Strength, 5 Dexterity, 5 Endurance, 5 Vitality, 5 Presence, 5 Intelligence, 5 Willpower, 5 Magic Affinity, 5 Mana Depth, 5 Charisma, Slay the Dragon of the West Third Tier Quest “Graduate the Academy.”
Even though Jeb still didn’t want the Major Quest, he could not deny the benefits. Completing the second Quest in the series had given him five points in every Statistic. “How do I get to wherever I can work on the Skills?” he asked as the pain of new Statistics set in.
Even through her darkly shaded glasses, Jeb could tell that Kaitlyn was staring at him unamusedly. “Right,” he said, “I ask the Academy to take me there. Can I leave my schoolwork in the Stacks, or is that only okay while I stay within the Library walls?”
“You should not leave anything in the Stacks that you wish to keep,” the Librarian replied.
“Only while I stay within the walls,” Jeb nodded in understanding as he left.
“That’s not what I-” she shook her head, “never mind.”
Jeb’s Status Sheet at End of Chapter:
Jeb Humdrum Human Age: 17 Class: Wizard Level: 3 Experience: 1253/204
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Total Statistic Load: 623 ->673 Physical Load: 228 ->253 Strength: 52 ->57 Dexterity: 53 ->58 Endurance: 54 ->59 Vitality: 55 ->60 Presence: 14 ->19
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Mental Load: 395 ->420 Intelligence: 78 ->83 Willpower: 85 ->90 Magic Affinity: 84 ->89 Mana Depth: 74 ->79 Charisma: 74 ->79
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Mana: 1755
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Glyph Attunement: 31 Least Shape Earth (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Hold Earth (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Create Earth (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Destroy Earth (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Shape Earth - Efficient (Modified) Tier 3 Spell Lesser Shape Earth (Modified) Tier 3 Spell Least Shape Water (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Shape Water - Efficient (Modified) Tier 3 Spell Lesser Shape Water (Modified) Tier 3 Spell Least Hold Water (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Create Water (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Conjure Water (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Conjure Water - Efficient (Modified) Tier 3 Spell Least Destroy Water (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Move Air (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Hold Air (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Create Air (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Destroy Air (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Move Fire (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Hold Fire (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Create Fire (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Destroy Fire (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Least Create Mud (Modified) Tier 2 Spell Attune Earth Mana (Modified) Tier 0 Spell Attune Water Mana (Modified) Tier 0 Spell Attune Water Mana - Efficient (Modified) Tier 2 Spell Attune Air Mana (Modified) Tier 0 Spell Attune Fire Mana (Modified) Tier 0 Spell Attune Sand Mana (Modified) Tier 0 Spell Least Create Sand (Modified) Tier 1 Spell Attune Sand Mana - Efficient (Modified) Tier 2 Spell
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Bard Songs Known: 1 Lute Enforcement
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Skills: Meditation Spell Glyphing Gift of Gab Identify Soil Savvy Animal Handling Fertilizing Lute Playing Singing Musician Pollination Brewing Distilling Smithing Wood Identification Woodworking Soil Improvement Glassblowing Magic
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Achievements: Focused Meditator Student of Magic Glyph Specializer
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Quests: Major: Slay the Dragon of the West (Progressive)