Jeb tried to remember what other questions had been in his mind before he had seen the Professor glowing. Let’s see, he thought to himself, reconstructing the conversation, why did we come back here to look at the Essence Stone? The answer was clearly because Jeb wanted to know how an Essence Meter worked, but why did that come up in conversation?
I came to ask him about Alchemical Manuals, he thought, trying to rebuild the conversation from the beginning. After he justified why I wasn’t allowed to use Alchemical Manuals, we talked about Alchemical Fire.
Jeb suddenly remembered where the conversation had detoured. “Professor Quicksilver!” he called, “why did you put my Distilled Water into an Essence Meter?”
“I had been wondering how we got on this conversational track,” Quicksilver admitted. “Thank you for reminding me. As I said, you can tell the Essence signature of an object by placing it in an Essence Meter. There are a lot of ways to make it quantitative, but for Distilled Water, a qualitative measurement is more than sufficient. Your Distilled Water emitted Essence, which means that it was not truly Distilled Water.” He paused, stroking his chin, which Jeb now noticed was covered in a light dusting of what looked like liquid steel. At least, the way that the Professor’s stubble moved reminded Jeb far more of liquid poured onto a surface than anything as mundane as hair.
“Well, I suppose that isn’t fair,” he said after another moment. “There is significantly less Essence in your liquid than in a standard distilled water, so it is not inaccurate to call it Distilled. This is one of the rare times that I agree with the Professors of Analytical Alchemy.”
“What is Analytical Alchemy?” Jeb asked, curious.
Quicksilver looked at him quizzically, as though he did not expect that question. After a moment, though, he nodded. “With the questions that you ask, I tend to forget that you are only enrolled in Introduction to Alchemy. Alchemy, as with every other discipline, has subdisciplines. Though, as with most other disciplines, the borders between them are somewhat nebulous. Alchemy is traditionally broken into Synthetic and Natural Alchemy, though both of those classifications have fallen out of favor in recent generations. These days, Theoretical, Synthetic, and Analytical Alchemy are the three areas an Alchemist can focus on up to their Mastery at the Academy. After Mastery, the options open up slightly more, but that is neither here nor there. Do you follow so far?”
“There are three kinds of Alchemy: Theoretical, Synthetic, and Analytical,” Jeb parroted back.
“As with most of what I have taught you this term, that is wrong in every specific sense but right overall. I am generally classified as a Theoretical Alchemist, because my research focuses on understanding the way that Essence works on a fundamental level. Synthetic Alchemists are generally concerned with either producing new Alchemicals or finding better ways to produce existing Alchemicals. Analytical Alchemists work to standardize and define everything that they do. In a world of grey, they seek to find black and white by sorting with ever finer sieves.”
“So why do you dislike Analytical Alchemists? It seems like they have a similar goal to you.”
“It really does. The issue is really the direction that we work from. I, as a Theoretical Alchemist, try to find words to describe what happens. Analytical Alchemists, on the other hand, try to describe what happens by finding words. It is a subtle distinction, to be sure, but one with long reaching consequences.”
Quicksilver worried his lip between his teeth for a moment before continuing. “Where was I? Right! Analytical Alchemists proposed a naming system for Distilled Water based on how much physical impurity remained and how much Essence impurity remained. The broader Alchemy community could not really think of a use for that nomenclature. After all, every Alchemist with voting rights has access to an Essence Meter, so they can always make sure that whatever reagent they are using is good enough for the task at hand. More than that, though, every Alchemist worth their salt is able to make almost perfect Distilled Water with the same amount of effort it would take them to make an inferior product.”
He seemed to realize what he was saying and hurried to add, “not that you are inferior for making objectively bad Distilled -”
Quicksilver seemed to realize there was no way that he could spin the statement to something positive. Rather than continue to try, he simply closed his mouth and nodded.
“I think I understand,” Jeb said. “Even though I got rid of a lot of the Essence when I tried to make Distilled Water, I didn’t get rid of all of it.”
Quicksilver nodded, as though he was trying to move the conversation on. “Exactly! I am certain that if you continue working to make Distilled Water, you will find that you will continue to produce purer and purer Distilled Water.”
“I assume that the blue light I saw coming out of the Essence Meter was Water Essence,” Jeb said, “but what were the other colors.”
“Be careful with your assumptions,” Professor Quicksilver warned, “but, in this case, you are correct. The blue colors were different shades of Water Essence, and the other colors were likely shades of Essence from wherever your water came from. I did not have any of the specific analytical equipment activated, so I cannot say for certain exactly what other Essences your Distilled Water contains.”
“Out of curiosity, what would good Distilled Water look like in the Essence Meter?” Jeb asked.
“You know what they say about curiosity,” Quicksilver said, tone much lighter. Seeing Jeb shake his head, he chuckled, “it is best sated with answers.” He grabbed a vial from one of the drawers in his desk and poured it out onto the Essence Meter. When he had sealed the Essence Meter, Professor Quicksilver started turning a knob.
No light started pouring out.
“I am afraid that this will not be interesting,” Professor Quicksilver said apologetically. “Distilled Water was a specialty of mine at one point, and I have learned how to keep any traces of Essence out of it when sealing the container.”
Jeb nodded.
“Did you have any other questions?” Quicksilver asked, gesturing to Jeb.
“I don’t think so!” Jeb said, taking the hint and standing to leave. “Thank you for answering my questions, Professor. I will see you in class!”
“I look forward to it,” Quicksilver said, waving Jeb away.
As Jeb started to close the door, Professor Quicksilver popped his head out. “Remind me, where are you from again?”
Jeb frowned, unsure why the Professor was asking him that question. “I’m from Humdrumville,” he said, “why?”
Quicksilver’s brows furrowed in concentration. “That is in the middle of the Republic, correct?”
Jeb nodded.
“Do you have any memories of Magical Creatures from growing up?”
“What do you mean?” Jeb asked, confused.
Quicksilver coughed slightly. “Technically this is confidential, but the Academy has begun to receive reports of Magical Creatures heading towards the Capital. They appear to have originated from the center of the Republic, but there are no records of any significant populations. I was simply wondering whether the records are incomplete.”
“What’s a Magical Creature?” Jeb asked.
Quicksilver sighed. “I had expected you to say that. Thank you anyways.”
He closed the door, and Jeb walked back to the dormitory with a brand new set of questions.
After the admittedly strange conversation with Professor Quicksilver, Jeb felt like the rest of the term passed in a blur. He studied for all of his examinations and spent extra time in the Workshop, hoping that he would be able to gain the Weaving Skill. When the final examination for Introduction to Alchemy came along, he quickly made some Distilled Water and added the Essence of Fire from Fireleaf to it. His Alchemical Fire did not continue to burn after eating through the paper this time, and he saw Quicksilver give him a nod of approval.
As the term break started, Jeb prepared the fields to plant Fireleaf. He felt like he had read enough to explain what, exactly, he needed to do to make suitable conditions for the plant to grow. Watching the plants grow day by day, he thought about how much nicer Managrass was, since he could grow it as quickly as his Mana allowed.
About halfway through the term break, Dean Aquam called Jeb into his office. “Are you ready to receive your grades?” he asked.
Jeb nodded eagerly. As he had expected, he had passed all of his courses. There were two supplementary notes attached, which he was confused about.
Dean Aquam explained, “sometimes Professors will attach a note if they believe that there is something specific that a student did that stood out to them over the term. Often, it is a form of commendation, but occasionally it is a statement that they worry about a student’s future success in the field and advise them to work to shore up some weakness.”
The two letters came from his Intermediate Lute Professor and Professor Quicksilver. The Lute Professor simply noted that he was pleased to see that Jeb tried to work without accessing his Lute Skill, though he advised that Advanced Lute and on would require full use of his Skill and skills. Quicksilver wrote a glowing review, where he expounded on how excited he was to have a new Research Assistant.
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“Have you already read these?” Jeb asked the Dean.
Dean Aquam nodded. “Professor Quicksilver is known to be a little over eager when he finds students that he likes. Do not worry, you will not be required to work for him, though that would be a good way to pay for your tuition, assuming you ever stop wishing to make Manaweave.”
“Thank you, Dean,” Jeb said.
“Did you unlock the Skills you had hoped for?” Dean Aquam asked.
Jeb checked his Status, looking for any updates. Blushing slightly, he realized that he had forgotten to accept the rewards from his second term of study.
Congratulations! You have completed your Second Term at the Academy. Rewards for Suppressed Quests and Term Performance: 30 Intelligence, 30 Willpower, 30 Magic Affinity, 30 Mana Depth, 30 Charisma, 30 Presence, 250 Mana.
Once he had accepted that, he accepted the next Quest, hopeful that he would get the Skills he had worked for.
Congratulations! You have completed your Second Term at the Academy. New Skills Gained: Weaving Alchemy
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Rewards for Suppressed Quests and Term Performance: 30 Intelligence, 30 Willpower, 30 Magic Affinity, 30 Mana Depth, 30 Charisma, 30 Presence, 250 Mana.
Congratulations! You have completed the Minor Quest Learn a New School of Magic. You have delved deeper into the realms of Magic. Rewards: 2 Intelligence, 2 Willpower, 2 Magic Affinity, 2 Mana Depth, 2 Charisma, 96 EXP
“That’s strange,” he said to the Dean.
“What is?” Dean Aquam asked.
“My Wizard Class told me to learn new kinds of Magic, and it absorbed all of the other Magical Skills I knew. I unlocked Alchemy, though, and it still shows up as its own Skill.”
“That is interesting,” Dean Aquam agreed. “It is not uncommon for Classes to avoid merging Skills, however. For some, Skills are merged at Level increases. Others wait until the next Class Change. Since you are Third Level, I suppose that the point is moot. I expect that your Class Skill will consume Alchemy whenever you choose to Level Up.”
“I guess that is another question I have,” Jeb replied honestly. “When should I Level Up?”
Dean Aquam looked at him, as though he was unsure what question Jeb was asking. After a moment, light seemed to spark in his eyes as he remembered where Jeb was from.
“Right, I had forgotten that your family does not generally Upgrade their Classes as often as is common in the Capital. I cannot think of a reason for you to wait to Level Up, unless there is a Skill that you think will be essential to your Class development.”
“I got a new Magical Skill, so I feel like I should be fine,” Jeb said, feeling around his Status for confirmation. It seemed to agree. “Is there any chance I can get another tuition waver for sharing the results of this Class Upgrade?” he asked hopefully.
Dean Aquam considered the question. “I will have to ask Headmistress Petra. That is one reason to delay, I suppose. I will let you know by tomorrow what her response is.”
The two chatted for a few more minutes, and Jeb left just as he was starting to feel lightheaded. When he looked at his Status, he understood why he felt so bad. His total Statistic Load had grown by half. Laying down on his bed, Jeb felt the darkness take him as he slipped into sleep.
Jeb’s Status Sheet at End of Chapter:
Jeb Humdrum Human Age: 17 Class: Wizard Level: 3 Experience: 1246/204
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Total Statistic Load: 858 ->1228 Physical Load: 278 ->338 Strength: 52 Dexterity: 53 Endurance: 54 Vitality: 55 Presence: 64 ->124
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Mental Load: 580 ->890 Intelligence: 126 ->188 Willpower: 127 ->189 Magic Affinity: 119 ->181 Mana Depth: 104 ->166 Charisma: 104 ->166
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Mana: 2015 ->2515
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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 Alchemy Weaving
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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)