Published at 16th of February 2024 2:20 pm

Chapter 11. Heavy Course Loads

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Nox went to bed and woke up in darkness. He didn’t know the time or how long he slept but felt reinvigorated. He struggled to tell whether it was the environment or his new core. He had read that certain star advancements improved the practitioners’ vitality.

Typically, it happened at the Adept rank, where the distinctions between Aether Warriors and Mage became more distinct. The first benefited from body enhancements, while the latter enjoyed an enhanced mind. Nox wondered whether his unique focus had affected his body at all. After all, it contained a three-dimensional spell form.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Nox told himself as he climbed out of his hammock.

Lillin hadn’t thought to pack a cot but had stolen several rolls of fabric from a tailor down the street. The family used Nox’s status as a disinherited son as an excuse to treat him poorly. She considered the theft retribution. Nox wasn’t a tailor and didn’t recognize most of the fabric. He picked the lightest and strongest of them and anchored them to the storeroom’s walls. Despite the lack of sturdy support, it was more comfortable than the airship’s fluffy cots.

The hammock took no floor space, leaving room for furniture in the six-foot by eight-foot storeroom. Chests sat underneath it, and Lillin happily gave him one of her bedside tables. It would feel less like a prison cell once it had a couple of light sources and perhaps an air circulator.

“Good morning,” Lillin whispered in his ear, making Nox jump. He hadn’t expected her to wait for him in the dark workshop.

“You need to stop doing that!” Nox exclaimed. “You might be a—”

Lillin slapped a hand over his mouth and nodded over her shoulder. A pallid figure with long, slicked-back hair stood behind her. “Can you start a day without yelling at me, please?” She put on an almost saccharine voice. Then Lillin turned to the man accompanying her. “Nox isn’t a morning person. Please don’t let Nox’s rude greeting shape your first impression.”

“That’s quite alright.” The man chuckled, stepping around Lillin. “I have sisters. I know how annoying they can be.” He offered Nox his hand. “I’m Vys. Venom mage and journeyman alchemist.”

“Nox Ratra.” Nox shook the man’s hand. “I don’t have enough accomplishments to add to my introduction.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. I bumped into Professor Kris on my way home last night. She told me you’re an excellent alchemist, too.” He looked around the workshop. “I always intended to use this space but never got around to it. The School of Alchemy accommodates my needs. I understand you intend to start a business?”

“I’m not sure whether I’d call it a business. Professor Kris kind of sprung this whole thing on me. I didn’t have the coin prepared to pay my tuition and don’t have familial support either. Alchemy will pay for pretty much everything.”

“Huh. People who live in the wall accommodations aren’t the most well-off, but I didn’t realize things were so dire for you. I have a few contacts in the city. I’ll see if they’d be willing to work with a newcomer and unknown.”

“I appreciate it, Vys.”

Lillin pulled a mana lamp out of her spatial storage along with fruit and pastries. The trio sat around a dirty workbench and ate. Now that Nox got a better look at the pale man, he couldn’t help but think Vys matched the description of vampires from old storybooks. He had an almost sickly slender frame but a handsome face. The shiny hair and sparkling amber eyes didn’t help either.

The concept of a venom mage intrigued Nox. He had considered the path, but the only base-tier poison or acid cantrips he could find were long-range. The Toxic Touch and Acid Armor Spells were first and second-tier spells, respectively, requiring advanced stars and mana systems, making them unsuitable for the core foci. Nox still had plans for working toxins into his fighting style but needed to master Shaping and to advance his star further before executing the idea.

“Before I forget—” Vys fished two envelopes from his coat pocket. He handed one to each of them. “Professor Kris asked me to give these to you. They’re your curriculum. She wanted to hand them to you herself and talk you through them. Unfortunately, a handful of students disappeared after returning for the semester. They’re mostly commoners, and the guard isn’t giving the search adequate effort. So, she and a handful of other professors are heading the investigation. Professor Kris said she’ll just meet with you next week.”

Nox and Lillin eagerly opened the letters. The long list surprised Nox.

- Beginner Dungeon Theory

- Intermediate Mana System Theory

- Intermediate Spell Weaving

- Advanced Alchemy

- Beginner Essence Shaping

- Intermediate Dungeon Combat

- An Introduction to Barriers and Shields

Besides the regular classes, Nox also had hour-long mentor-apprentice sessions with Kris. The letter listed his schedule, too. He had all but Beginner Shaping and Intermediate Dungeon Combat classes no more than twice a week. Nox imagined the rest heavily relied on a lot of self-study.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Vys whistled. “That’s a heavy course load. If I were you, I’d delay a couple of those until the next semester.”

“Is it that bad?” Nox asked.

“Most students only take on four or at most five modules per semester,” Vys answered. “You’re either really behind, or Professor Kris trusts you to finish some of these early. Not all professors adhere to a rigorous mid-and-end-of-semester examination system. If you display reasonable competence, they’ll pass you early and leave you to your devices.”

Lillin showed him her list of classes.

- Beginner Dungeon Theory

- Beginner Mana System Theory

- Beginner Spell Weaving

- Beginner Essence Manipulation

- Intermediate Dungeon Combat

She had no private lessons with Kris or any other professor.

“I’m Professor Kris’s first apprentice,” Nox said. “She wants me to get caught up so I can start delving as soon as possible.”

“If you’re in the Intermediate Dungeon Combat, you’re ready for rifts. I’m unsure about dungeons since I haven’t risked them myself.”

After breakfast, Vys helped the pair clean the basement level. Nox guessed the pallid man would eventually request occasional access to the workspace. He didn’t mind as long as his secrets remained secret. Queen Mercer’s people had apparently shown up while Lillin was packing his belongings. Since Nox developed his concoctions while living under the trade empire’s protection, the recipes belonged to the trade empire. They owned the patents. Lillin let them have Nox’s recipe book.

Not even Mou knew that the contents were incomplete. Nox only shared his alchemy secrets with Lillin. The recipes listed all the ingredients, but he left the quantities and processes encoded. Anyone without his memorized codex would end up with incorrect values and steps, creating incorrect or inferior products.

Around mid-morning, Vys left to meet with his mentor, giving the pair privacy. Nox used the time before his first classes to plan how he’d start his moneymaking endeavor. A few necessary obstacles stood in the way.

“You need a brew to ward against mind magic and divination,” he told Lillin. “We’ll be in trouble if anyone discovers your secret.”

“I can take care of myself,” she replied. “Focus on your insane course load. I promised that I wouldn’t do anything stupid.”

“True, but a powerful enough mind mage or diviner—”

“I’ll be fine.” Lillin’s tone turned short and cold. “It’s not an immediate concern. We have two months to pay for the rest of the semester and then gather money for the next. Don’t waste coins on ingredients for an expensive, unnecessary brew.”

“It’s not unnecessary.” Nox sighed. He counted out the little money they had. “Thirty-three gold. Fortunately, we don’t need equipment. The alchemy kit and the ventilation system need power. That’ll set us back fifteen gold, at least. I’ll have to spend a bit on vials, but the rest can go toward ingredients. Keep your eyes open for what brews your classmates use the most. I’ll visit the shops and conduct a price analysis.”

“And then sell the in-demand product cheaper than them?” Lillin asked.

Nox shook his head. “Undercutting the production department and local merchants will only get us in trouble. We need to find holes in the market and exploit them either with potions not widely available or better quality product that doesn’t cost much more.”

“I’ll keep my eyes open.”

Each envelope also contained a triangular pocket watch. The back featured an embossed ash leaf with a brick arch at its heart. Each corner had wide, padded buttons. When Nox squeezed them all at the same time, the clockface disappeared. It took on the same glow as the glass walls in Queen Mercer’s arena.

“It’s a manameter!” Lillin exclaimed.

“It’s not the most detailed, though.”

Nox Ratra

Apprentice

Custom Slow

48/40

“That’s a nice jump in star mana,” Lillin commented.

“I’m still twenty-four away from the next stage. I hoped I’d start higher after stagnating at thirty-one for so long.”

“When you reach sixty-four, you’ll be displeased about how far you’re from one-twenty-eight.” Lillin sighed. “You have enough overflow to start a planetoid, too. Any idea what you’re going to do with it?”

“Kris asked me to wait until she’s done the research, but the curriculum tells me enough to get started.” He tapped Beginner Essence Shaping and An Introduction To Barriers and Shields on the list. “I’ll make Shaping the planetoid’s focus.”

“Are you going to have them add Crystallize Essence to the registry?” Lillin asked. “Or will you let the display just say Custom Slow?”

“I intend to leave things as they are unless instructed. What about you? These things will probably serve as our student and delver identification.”

Lillin showed him her manameter. It exposed one of her many lies.

Lillin Grey

Apprentice

Spatial Shaping | Gravity

36/42 | 19/20

“When Kris sees this, she’ll know I lied about starting with Heavy,” Lillin said.

“Then she’ll question how you made something as complex as Spatial Shaping your star’s focus.” Nox sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. “Delay showing your manameter to professors or anyone from the research department. We’ll figure something out in the meantime. Kris already knows I’m great with spell forms. Perhaps we can convince her that I helped you develop a three-dimensional script for your core.”

“We need to think of what the base was, though.”

“Leave that to me,” Nox said. “I’ll think of something. Just think of convincing excuses until then.”

“Will do.”

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