Jeb knocked on the door to Dean Aquam’s office nervously. He knew that the Dean had said he was welcome to stop by at any point, but Jeb was still worried that the Dean would think badly of him for coming so soon. It hadn’t even been two hours since the two had left from their impromptu breakfast meeting. Still, if the Academy told him that it was time for him to meet with the Dean, Jeb was not in a place to question it.
Just as Jeb was beginning to consider turning around, the Dean opened the door. “Jeb?” he asked, seeming a little confused.
“Yes sir,” Jeb replied, stepping into his office.
When the Dean was seated back behind his desk, he coughed and paused. As the silence stretched between the two, Jeb found his gaze wandering all around the Dean’s office. He had never noticed quite how much decoration Dean Aquam kept on every wall. Even though Jeb couldn’t name every material that was used, everything was in cool tones that seemed to scream water. Looking with his Magical sight, Jeb saw that more than a few of the wall hangings actively gave off the Magical impression of Water. Before he could look harder, the Dean spoke.
“I presume that you are here to receive your grades for this past term?” When Jeb nodded, the Dean reached down and pulled out a folder. “I am completely unsurprised, though still proud, to tell you that you have passed all of your courses with flying colors. Instructor Thistle, in particular, has requested that you join the College of Music full time.”
“Oh,” Jeb replied, “I um-”
The Dean cut him off. “I have already sent a missive explaining the reason for your continued enrollment in the Remedial College. That being said, if you would like to continue in your piano coursework, they would certainly not mind.”
“I didn’t think that piano fit into my course schedule for next term?” Jeb replied.
The Dean shrugged. “It does not. If you would like it to, though, we can make it fit. None of the courses that you are enrolled in need to be taken next term.”
Jeb shook his head. “I did enjoy my Introductory Piano course,” he admitted, “but I don’t think that I enjoyed it enough to replace any of the other courses I’m taking next term with it.” He paused, thinking for a moment. “Well, that isn’t entirely true. Is there any chance that-”
The Dean cut him off again, smiling this time. “You can not take Intermediate Piano instead of Remedial Civics.” He handed Jeb the folder he had been reading from, and Jeb quickly paged through his final examinations and other end of term feedback. As the Dean had said, every one of Jeb’s grades was at least “sufficient.”
“Thank you!” Jeb said, handing the folder back. “How do I claim the changes to my Status from the term?”
The Dean hummed. “You should be able to claim it now.”
Jeb looked at his Quest Log and found a new Notification.
Congratulations! You have completed your First Term at the Academy. New Skills Gained: Piano
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Skills Lost: Piano, Singing, and Lute Playing have been consumed by Musician. Spell Glyphing has been consumed by Magic Rewards for Suppressed Quests and Term Performance: 30 Intelligence, 30 Willpower, 30 Magic Affinity, 30 Mana Depth, 30 Charisma, 50 Presence, 200 Mana.
As the wave of Statistics hit Jeb like a wall, he passed out. When he woke, he saw that he was still in the Dean’s office.
“How long have I been unconscious?” Jeb asked.
The Dean shrugged. “A few minutes at most. I am a little surprised that you were unconscious that long. What did you get for your end of term rewards?”
Jeb read out the changes to his Status, and the Dean’s eyes widened. “How many Quests did you complete?” he demanded.
Jeb shrugged. “In the one day that I had my Status active during Theoretical Enchanting laboratory, I completed five. Extrapolating...” Jeb tried to go through the list of Skills and Quests he had, thinking about how often he could have finished a Quest. “I’m not entirely sure. It’s a little annoying that the end of term Quest Notification doesn’t have any details.”
The Dean nodded. “I suppose that your Tier also likely has something to do with that. As a Second Tier student taking primarily Fourth Tier courses, I suppose that the rewards are bound to be comparatively greater.”
Jeb nodded, still struck by the changes to his Status. With his Mental Statistics staying constant through the entire term, he had grown very used to the feeling of his Magic. Now that all of his Statistics had skyrocketed, it felt like his Magic was almost bursting out of him. Even more than that, though, his Presence had gone from his lowest Statistic by far to his highest Physical Statistic.
He assumed that the way he saw the world was a consequence of that more than anything else. Jeb felt as though the world was suddenly far less solid. As he looked around, the walls around him seemed almost transparent, as though he could see through them if he just focused.
The Dean seemed to notice and coughed. Jeb missed what he said, too distracted by the changes to how the Dean appeared.
Dean Aquam had always seemed somewhat cheerful, if generally a little aimless. Now, though, it seemed as though he was the only real thing in a world of make believe. Jeb felt the same way that he had when he first had met the Headmistress.
Where she had made him feel as though he was suffocating under the weight of the world, though, the Dean made Jeb feel as though he was drowning. The parts of him that still remembered being a Mud Mage almost reveled in the feeling, as though it was trying to ingratiate him with whatever monster was made so purely of water. As Jeb gasped from a lack of air, the feeling quickly faded.
“Sorry, what did you say?” Jeb asked.
“I asked how the change in Presence was affecting you. The way that you were looking around the room seemed to explain most of it, though. I do apologize for failing to mask my own Class.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Jeb replied honestly. His mind still hadn’t recovered from staring at a vast and untamed ocean.
The Dean nodded and began explaining. “Before you came to the Academy, your Presence was, for all intents and purposes, nonexistent. If I recall correctly,” Jeb felt the water in his body vibrate for just a moment, “the only time that this came up was when the Librarian used a Class Skill on you. As your Presence increased with your new Class, I am sure that you noticed the external manifestations of Class Skills more easily. With as high as your Presence is now, it appears that you are now able to read Classes, if only slightly.”
“I’m not sure if I understand,” Jeb replied honestly.
“Your mind and soul are still recovering from the changes you have undergone. I can explain this again another day. For now, go and get some rest.”
Jeb took the dismissal and left the office. As he opened the door, Jeb felt as though he could see the Academy rewriting its own structure to change where the door came out. It led to the Remedial Dormitory, as he had expected it would. For whatever reason, the walls in this building felt no less solid now than they had this morning. Jeb made it to his room on instinct more than anything else before collapsing in bed.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
He slept dreamlessly, as though he had simply blinked and woken up hours later. As the bells tolled out the hour, Jeb realized that he had slept nearly a full day. He did feel much better for having rested, though. His Magic had settled down, and he no longer cringed when thinking about the Dean.
Oh no, a thought came to Jeb’s mind, I forgot about the Weaving Workshop. Jeb quickly gathered all of the Managrass he had harvested, debating whether or not to grab the Firegrass as well. After a moment’s consideration, he left it behind.
The door to his room led out into the blank expanse that made up the Academy hallways. As Jeb walked through the half formed walkway, he noticed just how insubstantial they really were. He was certain that he could break through them if he tried. A voice in his head urged him to try, but he silenced it. Regardless of what happened, he was certain that it would not lead him to the Workshop any faster.
When he made it back to the Workshop, the door to the Weaving room was directly in front of him. Relieved, Jeb opened the door. The room screamed of reality in a way that even Dean Aquam hadn’t. Unlike the overwhelming pressure that the Dean put out, though, this room just felt completely solid. As he looked more closely, Jeb felt like strands of reality itself might have been woven into some of the tapestries on the wall.
He was broken from his musing when the Weaver came out of some side door. “Ah, I see that my newest student has returned,” he said, gesturing for Jeb to take a seat. “I would normally say that we should begin by bleaching the Managrass, but it looks as though you have already taken care of that.”
Jeb’s Status Sheet at End of Chapter:
Jeb Humdrum Human Age: 16 Class: Wizard Level: 3 Experience: 1092/204
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Total Statistic Load: 642 ->842 Physical Load: 228 ->278 Strength: 52 Dexterity: 53 Endurance: 54 Vitality: 55 Presence: 14 ->64
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Mental Load: 414 ->564 Intelligence: 88 ->118 Willpower: 89 ->119 Magic Affinity: 89 ->119 Mana Depth: 74 ->104 Charisma: 74 ->104
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Mana: 1775 ->1975
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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 Gift of Gab Identify Soil Savvy Animal Handling Fertilizing 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)