Chapter 5 — Licenses and Class Selection

“I have good news and bad news. The good news is your temporary Enchanting license was approved, contingent on concurrent enrollment in enchanting classes, good standing with your instructors, and continuing progress toward certification,” Administrator Charise announced, handing Ria her documents.

In the stack of documents was a new letter signed by Administrator Charise noting temporary approval to study and practice Enchanting.

“The others, unfortunately, turned out as I expected,” the administrator continued. “Researcher Shadwich feels that there will be plenty of time for you to continue your studies into shamanic magic later in your schooling after you’ve gained the prerequisite knowledge in Abjuration and, ideally, Spirit Magic. As for the Spirit Magic, Soulkeeper Renard was more blunt, saying, ‘There’s no need for a first-year who doesn’t have a Spirit affinity to learn Spirit Magic unless the student plans to join the Order of Soulkeepers.’”

“Ah, that’s disappointing,” Aldri summed up, and Ria had to agree.

“Um, Administrator Charise, what’s the difference in restrictions between the temporary Enchanting license and the Shamanic license?” Ria inquired.

“You can make inscriptions and perform certain rituals for empowering materials, but for enchanting effects involving restricted magics, you need to have the supervision of a licensed mage and all restricted materials including items, books, and research must be kept in supervised storage and only used under supervision—consult with the Enchanters Guild or your Order to make arrangements,” the woman carefully explained, keeping eye-contact to make sure Ria was listening, then thoughtfully added, “I would recommend taking the introductory materials enchanting course to become educated on the specifics.”

Ugh.

“Guess I’ll have to buy a new grimoire…,” Ria sighed, feeling a bit depressed. “And a new study journal.”

Aldri clapped her supportively on the shoulder. “If you’re lucky you might still be able to borrow a grimoire or two and books for your classes from the library. And I know a good bookstore, if you’re interested.”

Ria was supposed to meet up with Keira and Arthur at the library next, so that was a pretty good plan. “Thanks, Aldri.”

“Don’t forget to have your spells and items checked for compliance,” Administrator Charise cautioned. “I’ve given you a short grace period, but be aware that—just as Lord Vorshan forbid you from performing the familiar binding ritual—you are now forbidden from casting any spells that make use of any restricted magic not currently allowed under your revised temporary license. And you already have one warning.”

Ria gulped and nodded.

After handling Iselyn joining the Order—which resulted in Hulle getting a rebuke for soliciting new Order members in a designated no-soliciting area—Ria, Iselyn, and the two upperclassmen sat down and discussed class progressions to achieve their desired licenses.

The books on the table detailed the requirements for the different levels of certification and contained the currently offered class lists.

A quick glance over the content listing confirmed that even with Luventi gone for so long and magic having changed so much, the nine circles were still the same as in her grimoire: Elemental Magic; Spirit and Divine Magic; Summoning; Enchanting and Alchemy; Alteration and Transmutation; Illusion, Charm, and Mind Magic; Divination; Nature Magic; and Abjuration.

According to Hulle, the two things Ria needed to decide before she could even begin to form a course progression was what certifications she would need to reach her end-goal as a mage and what certification she would pursue first. Choosing an easy first certification that could be completed in a single year would allow her to progress to the temporary restricted licenses the most quickly.

She was fairly sure the Elemental Magic certification would clearly be the easiest for her considering her growing skill with air magic thanks to the new air magic grimoires from unlocking Jeni’s magic pouch and her natural talent with fire, earth and shadow.

But, while Ria would love to learn new modern spells and did need the improvements to casting and control that the applied magic classes would provide, the thought of practicing and refining the same spells over and over again didn’t particularly appeal to her. She was more interested in the spellcraft theory behind the spells and learning techniques for intermediate and advanced spell construction. Unfortunately, those were advanced courses intended for master-level certification and not normally available to first-years.

When the smoke boy finished with the counselor, something must have been said to him, because he only glared as he left, instead of continuing to cause trouble. Ria wasn’t thrilled with likely having made an enemy on her first day.

“Hulle, did you and Aldri also get regional sponsorships?” Ria asked after Tensley had left.

“As a Novidus, I was admitted on merit,” Tulle answered as if such was to be assumed then motioned toward Aldri. “This guy here who barely made Initiate of the First Circle after his first-year exams, he was lucky to squeak through with general admission.”

Ria tilted her head. Wasn’t achieving a license after just one year of study considered good?

“Don’t make it sound like a bad thing!” Aldri complained. “You’ll give the girl the wrong impression, oh great Initiate of the Third Circle!”

Wow. Three certifications already? That was a certification a year! No, three certifications in two years! Since he was in his third year now.

“Isn’t three certifications really good? Then why did Tensley call you a…” Ria trailed off when realizing that her question was probably rude and insensitive.

“A ‘discarded spare’?” Hulle finished for her with a face showing faint amusement. “My cousins are stronger. It’s as simple as that.”

Ria doubted anything about the situation was simple. Something about Hulle’s demeanor after the question suggested deeper emotions, and Aldri quickly assisted in changing the subject.

Iselyn fairly quickly decided that Alteration and getting a familiar would be best—at least until she had proven herself. So, Aldri and Hulle were helping her find classes that might help with preparing for the Grand Games. The two boys also had opinions about the different instructors, and Aldri related a few amusing stories as the search for classes to choose progressed.

The familiar training course was obvious—for both Iselyn and Ria. And the respective introductory courses for their restricted specialties as well. And for Iselyn, her class on basic Alteration Magic. After that it was less obvious.

Ria thought about joining the class on Alteration magic since Keira would probably be in it, but there were so many other interesting classes to take that she wasn’t sure if her time could be better spent on other things.

“I guess a class on anatomy would make sense,” Ria mumbled as she considered the listing of classes targeted toward certification in Healing. It was a course shared between all three major healing approaches—Alteration Magic, Nature Magic, and Alchemy.

“Oh? Anatomy and Battlefield Triage?” Aldri inquired with a wry smirk. “That’s a rather infamous class, known as ‘the cutting up animals and dead people’ class.”

“Are insects studied too?” Iselyn asked, looking over at the entry with surprising interest.

Aldri’s chuckling smirk slipped into astonishment. “Well, yeah. But aren’t you two grossed out?”

Iselyn hesitated for a moment before nervously admitting, “Studying how scary things actually look helps make my illusions more believable.”

The stunned ‘o’ face on the red-headed boy was enough to set Ria to giggles. She contributed, “That doesn’t sound all that different from what I did as a hunter’s apprentice and working at a butcher shop…”

Ria trailed off as she remembered the blood-soaked and burned villagers brought to the shop by desperate family members. She still remembered the ones she couldn’t save… and Guardsman Ravini who had died beside her while manning the wall, died while protecting her from a lightning attack. He had been dependable, and she liked him.

“Hunter’s apprentice?” Iselyn queried, eyebrow raised.

“Yep,” Ria confirmed, returning to the present. “I learned how to hunt and trap at the side of an expert hunter last summer when we crossed the highland wilds together. I’m fairly skilled at gutting and skinning my kills. Bear meat does take some getting used to though.”

“You’re just saying that to make fun of me, aren’t you?” Aldri objected.

“A little,” Ria admitted with an amused smirk.

Aldri shook his head in bemusement. “I was all ready to tease you girls for being naïve, but both of you might be on the scary side of coldly practical… sort of like a certain glasses-wearing someone…”

Though feigning disinterest, Hulle’s gaze was sharp during the exchange, and he eventually added his thoughts, “The anatomy class might not be a bad idea. If we encounter beasts during the team mission event, being able to more quickly dispatch them could be important, and knowing how to avoid fatal injuries would allow use of more dangerous magic in the arena battles.”

Aldri nodded at the logic.

“Iselyn Jayre.”

“Xander’s luck,” Ria encouraged her new fellow Order-member as the girl left for her turn with Counselor Ledine.

With Iselyn gone to select her classes, Hulle and Aldri turned their attention to Ria.

“Have you come to any decisions?” Hulle asked.

No. Not really. She was still undecided. But that was clearly not the answer Hulle wanted. It wasn’t really a question. More like, you should have had enough time now, so choose.

“Abjuration is the certification that is keeping me from getting permission for the other restricted magics. If I can gain that certification quickly…” Ria tried.

Hulle nodded. “Indeed. Finishing an Abjuration certification in a single year is difficult, but as Aldri has demonstrated, it can be accomplished even by an untalented student when there’s sufficient motivation.”

“Sorry us common folk can’t compare to the expectations of a Novidus genius,” Aldri snarked.

Ignoring the red-headed student, Hulle continued, “Without recommendations or relationships with the instructors, you are mostly stuck with only being able to take the introductory classes this spring, so getting the key ones out of the way is the best approach. This way, in the fall, you can switch to targeting any certification that you’ve completed the introductory course for.”

The approach did make sense, and she started to nod before remembering what Master Marlow had written in his letter! “Wait! I do have a recommendation! For spellcraft!”

“Really?” Aldri asked with raised eyebrows. “That’s an unusual recommendation.”

“That unorthodox spell you used in your duel… you made that,” Hulle realized and looked mildly impressed.

“What?!” Aldri exclaimed in surprise, his head swiveling between her and Hulle. “There’s no way.”

Ria nodded enthusiastically and handed Hulle the letter. “I made lots of new spells while I was in Vorshan’s Hills. Divination-based locating spells, divination assisted targeting for healing and divination assisted targeting for lightning mines, an earth spell for making armor tougher, long-range fire magic. Lots.”

Aldri’s eyebrows had disappeared into his hairline by that point, and Hulle seemed to be thinking deeply as he read.

“This could be enough,” Hulle evaluated as he handed the letter back and deftly flipped the pages in the book laying open before Ria. “This class with Shadwich could solve several of your problems.”

Ria looked down at the Advanced Studies entry Hulle indicated with his finger.

Basic Spellcraft — Instructor: Researcher Shadwich

An introduction and overview into the functions and meanings of glyphs, relational geometries, and control structures with a focus on creating and customizing spells. Meets every Waterday. Independent research required. Successful independent project required for completion. Recommended prerequisites/co-requisites: Geometry and Trigonometry of Purpose; A Generalist’s Survey of Elemental Magic. No additional fees.

There were several things to like: it was a class with Researcher Shadwich, who she needed to build a relationship with for her Shamanic Magic license; the class would be a welcome break from the tedium of practicing modern spells; and it only met once a week, which would leave her with significant flexibility to add more classes.

The two recommended co-requisites were also desirable courses.

All of her advanced math knowledge came from the primer included in Luventi’s beginner grimoire, but it was mostly basic principles and had required her to find specific solutions on her own. Receiving proper instruction in mathematics would surely prove valuable.

A quick flip back to the section on Elemental Magic confirmed that the other co-requisite counted as an introductory course toward her Elemental Magic certification.

With that her classes were likely decided, assuming no scheduling conflicts…

“I got the Anatomy class. Instructor Harnsworth’s,” Iselyn eagerly reported when she returned. “Counselor Levine said Harnsworth is an ex-adventurer and most of the class is focused on monster anatomy and material harvesting, with only a few weeks spent on human anatomy.”

Ria had initially thought about taking the class to improve her healing skills, but if it also improved her knowledge of monster materials that would help her enchanting too. She gave Iselyn a thumbs-up. “I’ll make sure to ask for the same instructor so we can go together.”

Iselyn lowered her gaze for a moment then gave a nice smile before motioning to the empty couch. “So, the upperclassmen left?”

“Yeah. Hulle seemed satisfied with our choices and left to resume his recruitment effort. Said we need at least one more first-year with adequate potential to compete in the Grand Games.”

“I see.” Iselyn’s eyes went to Ranger still pretending to sleep under the table. “Say, since I need to go shopping for a familiar later, want to come along and help me choose?”

“Sure!” Ria immediately agreed. Seeing the different kinds of familiars available would be fun and help her understand more about how Ranger compares to the others. “I need to meet up with some friends at the library first though. Did you want to wait around and come with me or meet up afterward?”

Turned out that Iselyn didn’t have anywhere else to be for the day and readily offered to keep her and Ranger company as thanks.

While they were talking, a brown-haired boy in a black robe with sprays of silver lines walked into the room and moved to the counter after taking stock of the situation within the room. For her trouble, Ria did get an acknowledging nod in response to her friendly hello.

Other than Iselyn, the other first-years were so difficult to converse with!

Ria decided that, even if she was annoyed about the two girls from before making fun of Ranger, she would try to have a proper conversation with the curly-haired girl—Phoebe, was it?—when the girl finished her counseling. The girl’s family name… Ria had been too distracted by Iselyn’s return to remember.

And when Ria was called by Counselor Ledine, as planned, she made a point of directly greeting and introducing herself to the pink-wearing and curly-haired girl, the last of the elite-trio from when Ria first entered the room, and was rewarded with a return greeting and the girl’s full name: Phoebe Evaldi. She also managed to learn the girl was from Orrinth province and specialized in divination before an annoyed throat-clearing by Counselor Ledine ended the conversation and allowed Phoebe to escape.

Away from the others, Pheobe was surprisingly personable and pleasant—bubbly even. Considering the success of her determined ambush, Ria felt optimistic that the girl would make a good target for friend #2. Er… #3, no, #4–if she counted Keira and Arthur.

Having prepared her list of classes and planned certifications ahead of time, the meeting with Counselor Ledine went quickly. He was skeptical about what Master Marlow’s letter purported and about letting her enroll in Shadwich’s but was successfully convinced after allowing Ria to demonstrate her ability to construct and actively modify spells just as Lord Vorshan had her do when she met Master Marlow the first time.

Counselor Ledine was concerned with the number of courses she was committing to, cautioning her that first-years often overestimate their capability to manage their time and effort. After reassuring the counselor of her determination to see the courses through (and her ability to pay the extra fees for ‘class materials’), her courses were confirmed as:

Enchanting — A Survey of Materials, Their Properties and Uses (Master Enchanter Temiere, Enchanter’s Hall) Elemental Magic — A Generalist’s Survey of Elemental Magic (Master Elementalist Genwald, Parthanex Tower) Abjuration Magic — Introduction to Barriers and Properties of Magical Resistance (Master Abjurer Dolerin, Hall of Defensive Magic) Familiar — Familiar Empowering and Combat Training (Caretaker Etrelle, Farenthil Hall) Mathematics — Geometry and Trigonometry of Purpose (Researcher Vimlov, Serenity Hall) Healing — Anatomy and Battlefield Triage (Instructor Harnsworth, Seeker’s Hall/Healer’s Hall) Advanced Studies — Basic Spellcraft (Researcher Shadwich, Parthanex Tower)

The covered walkways leading to the Grand Library were easy enough to find thanks to Aldri’s directions. Ria took him up on his offer about the bookstore as well and was planning to head there when they went out shopping later.

“So, you are in the military already?” Iselyn asked.

Ria vigorously waved a denial. “No, no. It’s nothing like that. More like the militia. If there’s an emergency, I have an acting rank of lieutenant and can direct lower-ranked soldiers and mages.”

Receiving the rank was a moment of deciding for Ria. Naturally, gaining even an honorary rank required her to commit her loyalty fully to Crysellia, and as such, an oath of loyalty before the gods was required. Though initially hesitant, Ria was determined not to be a traitor twice. And with what she wanted to ask of Crysellia in the future, and with the opportunities being provided to her by this country, she committed her future loyalty.

The honorary role had advantages toward her goals as well. It allowed her to build connections with the military without being tied down by a command structure above her. Even if she was able to become powerful enough to enact her revenge, truly cleansing Revant of those involved in the atrocity would require a force behind her. If that meant Revant becoming part of Crysellia, so be it.

Ria realized Iselyn was staring at her.

“Something you want to talk about?” Iselyn asked.

“…maybe,” Ria hedged then smacked her cheeks for motivation and gave a bright grin. “But today, we are students at the Grand Crysellian Academy of Magical Studies!”

Iselyn grinned a bit in response. “Yeah. We actually are, aren’t we?”

“And the future is ours for the taking!” Ria added with a contagious enthusiasm that made Iselyn laugh.