Soul of the Warrior

"Step forward and demonstrate the weaves that you've learned so far," the teacher, Master Feld, said. "You're all in the Elite Class, so I imagine that all of you have been able to master the weaves to the basic Spells your Class provides at the very least. Most of you have most likely gained some proficiency in other elements as well. I need to have an understanding of your standards so as to appropriately guide the class moving forward."

Master Feld was a middle-aged man dressed in a dark robe. He had long graying hair with a medium-length beard, and his appearance matched his serious demeanor well. He looks exactly like how I imagined a professional Magic Academy teacher would look, Reivyn thought.

The man had swept into the class and immediately opened by testing the students on their mastery levels of the weaves.

It's not a way to put the students down and show them how little they know, but it instead appears that this man has no tolerance for wasting time.

Basic Magic Weaving was the first class that the Elite students attended once the first week of instruction began, and they would attend the class three days a week. Reivyn had asked his roommates about the schedule as soon as they had received it.

"Every class can't attend the same lessons at the same time, obviously, as there are only so many teachers that specialize in teaching each class," Tom answered. "Weaving is one of the fundamental ways that Casters are able to advance their personal magical capabilities, so the Elite Class will focus on this one more than the other classes as one of our benefits.

"The other classes are all important for various reasons, but we'll be spending the majority of our active efforts on learning and mastering various weaves. So we'll get the class three times a week. Practice will be immediately followed by the lecture. Weaves will be followed by Mana Theory, and that will also be attended three times a week. The more non-magical classes: history, philosophy, and politics aren't as important to us, so we'll be attending those three classes on the off-days of the week."

"The top 10 classes have a similar schedule, with the Elite Class having access to the better teachers and more instruction time allotted to us," Vane said. "The lower 10 classes have their schedules flipped, though they still only take the non-magical classes two times a week, and they have free practice on the last day of the week."

"The smart, ambitious students will take that last day to actually practice," Trick added. "It's basically a consolation prize to the students to give those with determination to advance in their Ranking an opportunity. It's not as good as getting on-hand instruction from the teachers, but it is an opportunity."

Reivyn lined up with the other students and watched the first in line perform their weaves as he pondered the schedule. Most of the students in front of Reivyn were only able to create one permutation of the weaves from their Class Spells, but a couple knew another element to add to their mastery.

Lorin told me he was 16 years old by the time he mastered all four basic elemental weaves, Reivyn thought, stroking his chin. Most of the other students are 13 with a few being close to 14 years old, and they've only been in their Tier 2 Classes for a short time. If they followed the same path as I did, focusing on the Affinities and fundamental mana control Skills before experimenting with weaves, then their level of progress makes sense, even for Elite Students.

I have no idea how talented Lorin was when he was learning, but it took him three years to learn the four basic Elements. Melissa told me it took her and Larissa about a year to master - not learn - the weaves for their Class Spells, but they never said when they mastered those weaves. And Melissa's Class is based on a Tier 2 Affinity.

The classroom the Elite Class had their class in was one of the smaller rooms for teaching, and there wasn't really a space set aside for casting Spells inside. Reivyn had wondered about the situation, but he noted that the teacher had set up some sort of magical barrier and target for the students to use for their Bolt Spells - Everyone is using the basic Bolt Spell, Reivyn chuckled - and there was no harm to the classroom or any of the people present.

The Elite Class was pretty small with only 30 students, and everyone was able to move through their weaves pretty quickly, so it was Reivyn's turn before he even had a chance to banter with his roommates.

Reivyn stepped up to the small, raised platform in the front of the class, the teacher standing just to the side maintaining the barrier. He faced the target and summoned the shell of the Bolt Spell like everyone else. This is only to show that we've learned a weave and gained some proficiency in its use. I didn't see anyone else use more than two weaves, one each consisting of the Spell, so I'll just do the same.

Reivyn infused the Fire Affinity into his mana and expertly wove the braids inside of the mana shell before releasing the Spell. The mana cost was still more than using his Class Skill to cast the Spell, but because of only using the bare minimum requirements, the power and cost were greatly reduced. Reivyn noted that he had plenty of mana to go through all of the weaves he had learned. After all, I haven't learned any Tier 3 or 4 weaves, and not all of the Tier 2 Affinities.

The teacher nodded his head as Reivyn quickly cast the Fire Bolt Spell by hand and continued to watch with interest as Reivyn didn't move aside. Reivyn gathered his mana again and quickly sent out the Air Bolt. He quickly followed it up by casting the Earth and Water Bolts as well.

All quiet chatter from the other students stopped as Reivyn managed to perform all four basic Elemental Bolt Spells. The teacher nodded his head in appreciation.

"Excellent!" He exclaimed. "A newly admitted Novice, and you've already learned the four basic Elemental weaves. Learn just a few..."

The man's words cut off mid-sentence as Reivyn once more gathered his Mana and constructed the Ice Bolt. Reivyn wasn't especially paying attention to his surroundings and was entirely focused on his task. Despite his one-track mind in performing the task, extensive experience and his Battlefield Awareness Skill enabled him to fully focus on his task and still understand what was going on around him.

Seems like I'm making a big splash on the first day, Reivyn chuckled internally. He continued his display of weaving as he sent out the Bolt Spells for the Tier 2 Affinities he had learned from his training with his mother after arriving at the Capital. I didn't spend all of my time unlocking Affinities and working on the control Skills. I practiced a couple of the Tier 2 weaves, as well, whenever I had the chance.

"All four basic Elements, plus Ice, Metal, and Plasma from the Tier 2 Affinities," the teacher said, still looking at the smoking target. "What's your name, Novice?" He focused his attention back on Reivyn.

"Reivyn, Sir," Reivyn answered.

"Good. Come see me after class."

"Yes, sir," Reivyn nodded and returned to his seat. All of the other students watched him wordlessly as he made his way back. Only Tom had gone ahead of him, and his other two roommates had been standing behind him in line. Reivyn hadn't revealed his abilities to his new friends yet, so they were just as stunned as everyone else.

Vane stood rooted to his spot standing just below the small platform, his mouth open as he stared at Reivyn. A cough from the teacher brought him, and everyone else, out of his stunned state and he mounted the platform to demonstrate his weaves.

"I know you said you were confident in making it to the Elite Class when we first met, but man did I underestimate just how confident you meant," Tom leaned in and whispered. "Have you actually mastered any of the weaves, or have you spent all of your time learning the various elements?"

"I wouldn't say I've mastered any of the weaves," Reivyn said, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm probably pretty close to mastering Fire, as I've used that Element more than any of the others, but I spent my time diversifying. Why?"

"Oh, thank Mierna," Tom said with a sigh, hand on his chest. "If you had actually mastered all of those weaves instead of just learning so many already, I would have to question life. I've heard of people - very, very rarely - having learned all four Elemental weaves before enrolling in the Academy before, but none of the ones that had had also learned any of the Tier 2 weaves. You've learned seven weaves before entering the Academy."

"I told you," Reivyn shrugged, "I like to train. That doesn't include just my Martial Skills, either."

"I can see that," Tom chuckled.

"What was that?!" Trick hissed as he and Vane resumed their seats. They leaned forward and fixed Reivyn with their stares.

"The boy likes to train," Tom answered. "He told us that already."

"Yeah, but isn't this a bit excessive?" Vane asked. Reivyn shrugged once more.

"My mother's a Weaver, and she has a Light Element focus in her Class. Maybe weaves just come to me easier because of her?"

"A Weaver with a Tier 3 Elemental specialization?" Tom raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I can see how that would make sense."

"Man, you're going to have to take us to your house so your mother can give us some tips," Trick said with a chuckle. "With insights from her, we should all have a good chance of advancing to the Tier 2 Academy. Who's gonna stop us?"

"Yeah, you've definitely painted a target on your back," Tom said.

"A target on my back?" Reivyn asked skeptically.

"Not in the sense that people are going to want to take you down, or anything like that," Tom explained with a placating gesture. "You've just demonstrated that you're likely going to be top of the class, and since this is the Elite Class, everyone is going to be using you as their motivation."

"Expect a bunch of people asking for tips and tricks in the future," Trick said. "If any of the pretty girls ask you for help, you gotta say yes, and don't forget to bring your best buds along with you."

"Some of the more confident students, the ones with better Classes, might ask to duel you in the school arena, too," Vane said, elbowing Trick lightly in the ribs. "They can challenge you to a normal, magical duel where you basically pit your Classes against each other, or they can challenge you to a free-for-all, which is designed to test your weaving abilities against each other directly."

"Oh, there's such a thing?" Reivyn asked, his interest piqued. I've never been able to participate in a proper magical sparring session before, for fear of injuries. If the school has a way to make it possible, this could be an interesting experience.

"Yup, the school has a double-shield system to protect the students from harm," Tom explained. "You'll wear two sets of magical items that provide a shield. The inner shield is extremely brittle, but it can block most of the power someone in Tier 2 or 3 could muster. The goal is to whittle down the outer shield to reach the inner one and shatter it. Once it's broken, that indicates victory and loss."

"What about someone's personal Mana Shield Skills?" Reivyn asked.

"Oh yeah, anything can be used in the normal challenge, but if you're in a weaving challenge, you have to be able to construct the shield by free-hand. No System Skills allowed."

"Got it, thanks," Reivyn said. Their little conversation ended just as the last student performed her weaves on the platform for the instructor.

"Good," Master Feld said, resuming his position at the podium in the center of the dais. "I'm glad my expectations weren't off, and all of you from the Elite Class has learned at least your own Elemental weaves, and several of you have gone beyond that." Several of the students shot a glance at Reivyn. The teacher nodded his head.

"I know what all of you are thinking. Novice Reivyn is a bit ahead of the pack, but his ability to form so many weaves is not an exception. The entire point of this class is to teach all of you to be able to do the same, and with my help, all of you will be able to perform all of the Tier 1 and 2 weaves by the end of the first year.

"Now that I have a basic understanding of where all of you stand, we can begin the lesson immediately. I'll only be focusing on one Affinity per week each month. There are four basic Affinities, and there are four weeks in a month. At the end of the month, we'll cycle back to the first Affinity. That doesn't mean you can't work on whichever Affinity you want, though, you're free to pursue your own path to learning.

"Today, we'll be starting with Fire. Most of the students in here have a class for the Fire element, which is not uncommon. Even though all the basic Affinities are equal, Fire Mages make up the majority of Elementally focused mages in society at large. That topic will be discussed in Magic History. Just know that it's not favoritism that I choose to teach the Fire Element first. It's pure numbers."

Reivyn paid attention to the lecture as the teacher demonstrated the braids associated with the Fire Bolt Spell and described their natures. Reivyn had already learned the basic information from his own experiments and practice with Larissa, but this was an older teacher who specialized in Teaching weaves. He was confident that there were still things he could learn to help him fully master the weaves.

I don't know if it's his own personal mastery of the topic, or if it's his Teaching Skill, Reivyn thought as he listened to the lecture, but I can feel my understanding of the weaves improving at a marginal rate just from his verbal instruction.

The teacher continued the lesson, going into further depth than Larissa ever had, for another half an hour before he ended the lesson.

"There's a training ground behind the classroom for everyone to get practical experience," Master Feld said, indicating a door off to the side in the front of the classroom. "It's fine for me to make a barrier and target for individual displays, but everyone's going to be practicing at once, so we'll change venue.

"Reivyn, you stay behind for a moment."

Reivyn was expecting to stay back after class, but he had thought the teacher meant after the practice. He nodded to his three roommates and remained in his seat as everyone else filed through the door in the front of the class.

"Come up here," Master Feld beckoned. Reivyn stood up and approached the podium where the teacher had remained.

"The first semester of the class is to teach all of the students the basic weaves for the basic Affinities. The second semester is focused on the Tier 2 Affinities." Master Feld said once Reivyn had arrived in front of him. "You have two options available to you: You can remain in this class, piddling along during the first semester and seeking out your own knowledge on the remaining Tier 2 Affinities. Or, you can move up to the second-year Weave class.

"I will still be your teacher, so I'll know your situation. I won't let you slack off, though. You'll have to learn the Tier 2 weaves while also learning the second-year curriculum. If you don't have good results by the end of the first month, I'll kick you back down to this class and not let you move up early again.

"You don't have to decide right this moment, but the sooner you decide, the better. Right now you'll only miss out on today's instruction, which I can summarize for you. The longer you wait, though, the harder it might be to catch up."

"I don't have to think about it, Master Feld," Reivyn replied. "I like to push myself, so I want to move up to the second-year class."

"Decisive," Master Feld said with the first smile Reivyn saw on the man. "Ok, I'll give you the summary of the second-year lesson."

Master Feld held out his hand and created the most basic weave out of pure mana. He simply made two threads and looped them around each other.

"You understand the basic concept of the mana weave. None of them are as simple as this example, here, but this will work for the demonstration.

"What is this?" Master Feld watched as Reivyn contemplated the question he posed.

This likely isn't a trick question, Reivyn frowned. This is the simplest weave possible, but what is it? Since we're dealing with a mixture of the literal and metaphorical, I'll go with the most obvious answer I can think of.

"It's a string," Reivyn answered. Master Feld smiled once more.

"Yes, it's a simple string," he nodded. "So then, let me ask you this: What are strings used for? Keep it simple."

Reivyn once more entered into contemplation. Strings are used for a lot of different things. They can make rugs and tapestries, clothes, ropes... Ropes! It's the same structure as a string, just more string woven together. That's probably the correct answer.

"Based on the usage of the mana weaves for Spellcraft, I would say you could use more strings to create a Mana rope."

Master Feld produced two more threads, turned them into another simple weave, and then he wove the two weaves together to create a thicker rope.

"Just so," Master Feld said. "The main instruction of the second year is turning the mana weaves into mana ropes. You can mix and match weaves, and that, as well as compressing them to better fit inside your Spells, is the main focus of the first semester in the second year. When we go to the practice area here in a moment, you can practice this technique. As I am able to during supervising the practice sessions, I will also impart the weaves of the rest of the Tier 2 Affinities.

"Your thought process was on the right track with converting string into rope, but there's another aspect that is intrinsic to both strings and ropes that you didn't consider. Think about it, and see if you can figure it out before I bring it up in class. Now, to the practice yard."

"Yes, sir," Reivyn said.

He walked through the back door, turned down a short hallway, and exited into a wide-open space between a couple of buildings. Reivyn looked around the practice area as he approached where his class was located.

It looks like we're the first class to get out of the lecture, Reivyn thought. That makes sense, as we have the least amount of students, and classes 11 through 20 aren't going to be using the practice yard today. At least not during class hours.

Reivyn looked further down the range. It extended beyond where the classroom buildings ended and continued on behind the administrative building. It looks just large enough to contain year 1 and 2 students on a rotating schedule. I imagine the third-year students have a different practice area.

"So, what did the teacher want?" Tom asked as Reivyn joined them on an open target they had reserved for him.

The range between where the students were lined up and the target wasn't very large, only about 20 yards, but the lines were clearly defined. There was a wide line for the students to stand behind to practice their Spell casting. Reivyn looked over to a raised platform and read the large sign on it.

No Spell Casting Without Supervision

Do NOT cross the Spell Line During Exercise

A scene of a huge, open space with berms, lines, towers, and targets flashed through Reivyn's mind as he took it all in.

Safety first, Reivyn thought. Wouldn't want any stray Spells flying towards a target while someone is inspecting a target. The Spells are likely to be weak, especially for the Novice students working on their non-Skill Spells, but why take the chance.

None of the students had violated the rules listed on the sign, and everyone was waiting for the teacher to arrive and take his position on the short tower.

"He offered to let me move directly up to the second-year class for Mana weaves," Reivyn said.

"Well?" Trick asked. "Don't leave us in suspension. Did you accept?"

"Yup," Reivyn said. "And then he showed me the summary of the second-year lecture. He told me to go ahead and work on it right now, and he'll help me with the other Tier 2 Affinities as he's able."

"Hmm, it's not unheard of for students to skip a Novice class, or test out of it," Tom said. "But I've never heard of it happening for Basic Mana Weaving. The same rules will probably still apply, though. Your performance in the second-year class represents your Ranking scores for this class. You won't get any bonus points or anything, though."

"That's fine," Reivyn said. "I'd rather have to work harder and not get any bonus points towards the Rankings than twiddle my thumbs the entire semester, anyway."

"That's true," Vane said. "I'd make the same choice, actually."

"Yeah," Trick said, "and if you're going to help people - as in, us - with weaves, then you can also give us a leg up on the second-year techniques."

"Don't you have older friends who could do that?" Reivyn asked.

"Yeah," Tom said, "but they told us not to worry about it until we get the first year down. With you around, you can use your judgment to decide on when to teach us instead of having us wait until next year."

"No problem," Reivyn said with a smile. "I'm happy to help. I've found that helping others also helps to increase my own mastery and Skill Levels. I mean, you have to approach the same problem from a different perspective. That's something to keep in mind if you guys ever hit a wall with your practice."

"That's not a bad idea," Vane said. Tom and Trick nodded as well.

"Alright, it's time to begin your practice," Master Feld said as he assumed his position above everyone else. "There will be no Spell Casting if I'm not up here, and you will wait for my order. Once everyone has had time to practice for a bit, I'll come down and offer some one-on-one pointers to everyone who wants it.

"Let's begin."