Olivia waved her hand before her face while looking into the mirror. She didn’t quite know how to feel about what was happening to her. To his credit, Professor ap’Gravin hadn’t skimped on his award. The Botner’s tincture had been even more potent than Radasheen’s Hereditary Delver, at least for Olivia, giving her four full racial ranks. Some of her improvements were superficial, though nice—she’d gained about an inch in height, her hair was thicker, more lustrous, her skin had gained a certain luminosity that she would have said was impossible without digital special effects, and her scars and blemishes were almost totally faded. Even the scar over her eye was just a very faint line. These changes were welcome, but the bright flames in her eyes and the phantom flames that seemed to limn her body whenever she moved were a little disturbing.

It was like she had a fiery aura that rested when she was still but sprang to life whenever she moved. When she walked, when she waved her hand, every movement was accompanied by flickering blue flames that bore no heat. She had no control over it, and though it seemed harmless, what it portended for the future worried her. Would she grow more and more like an elemental as she advanced her race?

Adaida, sitting next to Veena on the counter behind Olivia, said, “It’s rather incredible, isn’t it?”

“I guess so, but I don’t like the idea that I’m becoming less human,” Olivia replied.

“You aren’t, though. You bonded with a small part of an elemental, and that’s growing in proportion with your original race. Your Human portion has changed and grown just as much. Some are visible on the surface, but much of what’s changed is under your skin,” Veena said.

“So you think that my human portion will always stay dominant as I advance my race?”

“Yes, silly, you’re mostly human, and that won’t change—not without you knowing it.” Adaida moved forward and took Olivia’s hand, waving it up and down, so the flames sprang to life. “They’re so pretty! I can’t feel them at all, though.”

“Well, that’s good; I wouldn’t want to go around lighting everything on fire,” Olivia laughed. “I can’t imagine racial upgrades are cheap, and the ap’Gravin didn’t skimp—why wouldn’t he use this tincture instead of giving it up?”

“He’s probably at the improved rank, and strong tinctures for base rankers like us wouldn’t do much for him,” Veena replied.

“He’s not particularly handsome or ‘improved’ looking, though,” Adaida said, echoing Olivia’s thoughts.

“True. He must have been a real toad before he got started.” Veena laughed wickedly, and the others joined in.

“Alright, alright, we better get going. You’ll be late for class, and I need to hurry to the library. Thanks for keeping me company, though.” Olivia smoothed her uniform straight, and the three of them hurried out of the bathroom and through the now-empty dormitory to the hallway. The rest of her cohort had already left, and Veena and Adaida hurried off to catch them. Olivia moved through the hallways to the library, self-conscious about the flickering flames that limned her body as she walked.

At that time of day, the hallways were busy, and she garnered a lot of sidelong glances from the people she met. Part of her wanted to shrink away from the attention, but that fiery sliver of her soul relished in the scrutiny, and she felt that familiar heat in her chest, urging her to stand up straight and meet their glances with her fiery glare. A shiver of excitement ran through her, almost like she’d won a competition as she did so, and her smile grew with each person that looked away from her and hurried by.

Oylla was in the library, though she didn’t seem peeved at having waited. Olivia didn’t think she was late, so she didn’t apologize. “Good morning, Professor,” Olivia said, aware that other students were nearby.

“Good morning, Olivia. Follow me; let’s go out to the commons. It’s a beautiful morning.” Oylla led the way through the library to a doorway that Olivia had never been through. It led to a short hallway that stretched into a glass-walled sunroom. The sunroom had doors that opened onto the commons, and Olivia followed Oylla out. They walked around the academy building until they were in a far corner of the manicured lawns, devoid of other people. Still, not too far away, Olivia could see some student cohorts exercising together and, here and there, people lounged in the morning sun, drinking tea or eating breakfast.

“Alright, Olivia, tell me, have you any unassigned attribute points?”

“Yes. I had five when I reached level ten and gained sixteen more after leveling to twelve.”

“Very good. What are your intelligence, will, and vitality attribute scores?”

“Um,” Olivia called up her status sheet:

Status

Name:

Olivia Bennet

Race:

Human - Base 8

Class:

Elemental Archon

Level:

12

Core:

Prisma Class - Base 6

Energy Affinity:

9.1, Fire 9.6, Earth 9.6, Water 9.6, Air 9.6

Energy:

1744/1744

Strength:

6

Vitality:

12

Dexterity:

8

Agility:

6

Intelligence:

55

Will:

45

Points Available:

21

Titles & Feats:

Elemental Heritage, First Elemental Archon

Skills:

System Language Integration - Not Upgradeable, Animal Taming - Basic, Stealthy Maneuvers - Basic, Prisma Core Cultivation Drill - Basic Orb Manipulation - Epic, Icy Shards - Basic, Fiery Burst - Basic, Stunning Ice Shards - Basic, Wind Gust - Basic, Arcfrost Cascade - Basic, Magma Ray - Basic, Elemental Form - Basic

“Fifty-five, forty-five, and twelve.”

“Outstanding! And you’re only level twelve! Hmm, I know you’ll want to improve some of your other attributes, but for now, at your level and with your ability with Energy, I think you should focus on those three attributes. You’ll have the most immediate increase in power that way. I will help you practice spells that will make your other physical attributes less important.”

“So, should I put all my free points in vitality?”

“No, no. Perhaps bring your vitality up to twenty, then split the remainder between intelligence and will. At level twelve, twenty is an excellent vitality for a mage.” Olivia nodded, happy to have some solid advice, and did as Oylla suggested. She put eight points into vitality, six points into intelligence, and seven points into will.

“Wow, that gave me almost another two-hundred Energy,” Olivia said, but then she caught her breath, feeling a ripple of Energy or something related to it that pulsed through her body.

“It feels good, doesn’t it? Gaining such a boost to your vitality all at once?” Oylla smiled knowingly. “Your Energy attribute is derived from your will, intelligence, and Core strength. Improving any of those will increase your pool.”

“I knew that was the case but didn’t expect such a jump. I wonder, has anyone figured out the exact formula?”

“It seems to vary a bit from race to race, but yes, there’s a pretty solid understanding of the mechanism. I can lend you a relevant text if you’d like to do some experimenting.”

“Thank you, Oylla, that would be nice.” Standing before the woman, Olivia felt her usual awe and urge to be polite, but she couldn’t help noticing that she wasn’t as imposing as she had been just a few days ago. Olivia felt like it was a combination of her own physical growth and her growing familiarity with the tall Shadeni woman that made her feel more relaxed in her presence.

“My pleasure. Now, I’ve seen you perform some interesting feats with meta-elements. Your demonstrated spells will be very effective offensive abilities, but do you have any defensive spells?”

“No, I haven’t learned any yet. I have my Orb Manipulation spell, which allows me to perform many useful actions, but nothing specifically defensive.”

“Hmm,” Oylla nodded, tapping her chin with one long, black nail. “I think that will be a good place to start. Please summon forth your orbs.”

“Actually, Professor, I just thought of something. When I got my class, I learned a spell called Elemental Form, and I haven’t tried it yet.”

“Oh? By all means, let’s see what it does.” Oylla stepped back a couple of paces and watched Olivia intently. Olivia, for her part, nodded and concentrated on her Elemental Form spell, activating it. Something strange happened then, something she hadn’t experienced with her other spells: she felt the pattern of Energy start to build in her pathways near her Core, but she felt an anticipation like the pattern was waiting for her input, and she knew it wanted her to choose an element to direct into it. She quickly pulled a thread of fire-attuned Energy from her Core and fed it into the pattern, and the spell took shape.

Olivia had never cast a spell with such a high Energy cost before, and she felt the surge of power flood out of her Core and into her body. Her vision was the first noticeable thing to change—everything she saw was washed out in bright shades of sepia. She held a hand in front of her face, and rather than flesh and blood, her limb seemed to be made of licking, seething, red-yellow flames. She made a fist and saw that there were digits under those flames, but they looked like smoldering embers. Oylla had taken another step back and held a hand up to shield her face. Olivia looked down and saw that the grass had blackened under her feet, and the blue-green blades were wilting, turning brown, and smoking in an ever-widening circle around her.

“Hold still, Olivia; I’d like to try something,” Oylla said, pulling her sword free from its scabbard. It was a lovely silvery weapon with a long, slender blade. “Hold out your arm, Olivia; I won’t harm you more than a scratch. Tell me what this feels like.” Olivia lifted her arm, enthralled by the waves of heat that shimmered into the morning air. Oylla gingerly stepped forward, and then, quick as a serpent’s tongue, her sword flicked out and sliced along the top of Olivia’s forearm.

“Ouch!” Olivia yanked her arm back, reaching with her other hand to rub at the wound, but she couldn’t feel anything that hurt when she touched it. In fact, she hadn’t experienced pain so much as surprise when Oylla’s sword had touched her. “Huh, I don’t know if it really cut me.” Olivia’s voice sounded strange in her ears; it was loud and poured forth like it was carried on a hot wind. She was about to ask Oylla if she should allow the spell to drop when it began to fade on its own. She had a sense that she could extend the life of the spell by pouring more Energy into it, but she let it die out, and the flames began to dissipate; her pale flesh began to reclaim her limbs as the black and orange embers faded away. Soon, she stood, her usual self, none of her clothes or belongings any worse for the wear. When she looked at her arm where Oylla had cut her, there was a thin, white scar.

“I did hurt you, but your regeneration is much greater when in your fire elemental form. We need to try your other elements. You can take other forms, yes?”

“I think so; I just need to feed the spell differently attuned Energy.”

“Do you need to rest?”

“No, I have enough Energy to cast the spell a few times, and I’ve already regenerated half the cost of the last casting.”

“You’re going to utterly dominate the Proving Grounds, dear.” Oylla had such a grin on her face that Olivia couldn’t help smiling back. Something in the back of her mind set off little alarm bells, though, and she had to voice her fear.

“I don’t want to kill other students, Oylla. Even if it helps me to become more powerful.”

“I know, Olivia! That’s why I’m helping you; you’re not a monster. You’re humble, kind, and willing to listen despite your potential. I know you care for your people, and that sense of duty makes me want to support you. I’m not trying to say I have altruistic motivations, though. Of course, it will result in a lot of esteem and funding for Fainhallow if you perform as well as I’m hoping. Now, listen to me: I’m not sending you there to kill all the competition! I want you to defend yourself and hopefully display such power that you can make aggressive entrants back down. With any luck, though, you’ll move so much more quickly through the challenges that you’ll never run into any other students.”

Olivia nodded and swallowed her objections. It wasn’t really an option to not go to the dungeon, and the best way to avoid hurting other students was to make sure they knew they shouldn’t mess with her. She concentrated and began to cast her Elemental Form spell, but when nothing happened, she said, “Oh, it’s on cooldown. It feels like I need to wait a little while still.”

“It’s a powerful spell, so I’m not surprised it has a cooldown. Let’s see if we can work out another defensive spell while we wait. Let’s see here; go ahead and conjure your earth orb.” Olivia nodded and complied, effortlessly summoning a softball-sized ball of stone to float above her outstretched palm. “Good, you can manipulate its movement and size, right?”

“Yes, it’s pretty easy when I have only one orb out.”

“How quickly can you move it? Do you have to have your hand out like that?”

“I’ve never really tried,” Olivia said, frowning in concentration. She lowered her hand, and the orb wavered for a minute, but she just concentrated, focused her will, and it stabilized. Oylla nodded and moved to stand in front of Olivia, holding her two hands about a yard apart in front of her.

“Move the orb to my left hand,” she said and waited while Olivia complied, slowly moving the spinning orb of rock to Oylla’s outstretched hand. “Good, now to my right hand.” Olivia pushed the orb with her mind, sending it to Oylla’s other hand. “Yes, now back and forth as quickly as you can.” Olivia, slowly at first but then with greater and greater speed, sent the sphere of stone back and forth between Oylla’s hands. After a while, when the stone was a blur in the air, Oylla started moving either hand up or down, and Olivia had to adjust the stone’s trajectory.

“This is fun!” Olivia laughed as Oylla kept spreading her arms further and moving her hands up and down more rapidly.

“You’re a natural! Now, imagine knocking aside swords or thumping bandits on the head. You’ll be fit to defend yourself in no time!”