A [Sorcerer] is one born with magic, who's command of it is as easy as breathing. A natural talent usually found among the magical races. A [Wizard] relies on sheer knowledge, composing spell formulae from various spellbook and theories. They are capable of niche spells and effects of the sort found nowhere else. A [Warlock] draws power from elsewhere, be it from rituals or other beings. A [Magician] is one who is quick-handed and misdirecting. Their magic is often small, in great number, and entirely masterful. And lastly, the [Mage] is a simple one. It references anyone possessing magical powers, regardless of how they attained it.

- 9th Wizard of the Greats, Seni Ny on various magical Classes

Foot traffic was light in the morning. Jayke had long ago made it a habit to wake up before the nightmares did it for him. Oz and Ercur had drunk their night - and consequently their morning - away. It left Jayke alone to run some errands which he was fine with. They were supposed to meet up later in the night so Jayke had much time to himself.

The morning breeze was chilly as the sun hadn't yet risen above the mountain. It led to a dim early morning light. He'd checked some stores in passing yesterday. "It should be around here somewhere. Ah, here we go."

The Brewing Pot was an alchemical shop that Jayke found particularly busy during the day. It was understandable though, mundane ailments were more common than injuries requiring healing potions. It wasn't surprising there were a lot of reasons for people to stop by. Jayke walked through the door, his arrival announced by the ringing of a small vial - a substitute for the everpresent windchime bells on most other shops.

Various herbs grew right there on the shelves, exposed to the sunlight that would no doubt soon be hitting them. Other than that, the shop was very much glass and liquid. Delicate and fragile, most shelves had a small railing to prevent anything from falling off.

The resident [Alchemist] and apparent owner glanced his way in acknowledgment before returning to his business. He was as most shopkeepers were, an ava. One of the locals. Jayke did a brief tour of the place, wondering if it sold any encyclopedias or books on herbs. It did, but the pricing was too high to justify the expenditure. The thick books were a gold each.

"Can I help you?" The middle-aged bird man asked politely. The store was practically empty aside from himself.

Jayke looked up from the encyclopedia surprised to find the shopkeeper nearby. "I'm trying to do some research on growing magical berries. Thought I'd try looking before I bothered you."

The ava shook his head. "Nonsense. The morning is the best time to annoy me. Right before the rush." He joked. "A magical berry, you say? You're looking in the wrong book." He chuckled, trading Jayke's with another thinner one.

"Ah, thank you." Jayke nodded. He looked at the growing plants around the shop. "Can you tell me anything about growing herbs? I see you have a handful of them around the shop."

"Herbs, yes. But you're trying to grow something magical, no? Magical things need mana, especially so for mana-charged ingredients. Magical berries among them." The ava was rearranging some items on the shelves, coming away with a watering can. Then he began to water his plants. "Do you know what its called? Perhaps you should start there. I may recognize it."

"A... now that I think about it, I'm fairly certain 'heal berry' isn't the formal name." Jayke said after a pause. Shrugging, he plucked one of the precious berries out of his belt pocket and showed the ava. "This one."

The [Alchemist] paused suddenly, staring at the berry. He faltered but caught himself. "That there, is a phoenix berry." He said immediately. "You'll not be growing a phoenix bush anywhere unless you have a number of lives to sacrifice, a mana-rich environment, and years to cultivate them all." He said in one breath. "How did you ever come across one?"

"Dumb luck." He responded ruefully.

"You wouldn't happen to be selling would you? The berry itself or the location of the plant." He tried.

Jayke wasn't selling the berries. "It probably wouldn't do you much good. It's not in the mountains and I'm not selling the berry." He said. "Thank you for your help though."

The ava nodded, graciously accepting the information and decision. "A shame then." He said. "And of course, if you ever have any alchemical needs please feel free to stop by."

Jayke left. There went his idea of starting a magical berry garden in his personal pocket dimension. The sentence wasn't one he'd ever have predicted himself saying.

Now he stood in that pocket dimension, having found a secluded area to step into it.

His [Safehaven] was an oddity of a Skill. He'd found mention of various spaces certain Classes had access to but never to the extent of his own.

The bathroom within was much like the filtration systems in the facility, but unfathomably more compact. It ran on a limited source of water. He'd found no evidence of this fact aside from when he'd tried testing the water. Eventually, the sink just stopped. Once he poured the water back down it resumed normal function. He was certain there was some background process he couldn't yet perceive so he left it alone. Water would have to be taken from an external source.

Somehow, it was also cleaning up his messes. After removing the monster parts, he'd returned to find much of the gore cleaned from the hardwood flooring. He absently recalled a time it did the same with his own blood.

He assumed it was just as complex as his code magic or protection magic. There was probably much more to the Skill that he was missing. Although, in truth, unlike his other abilities his [Safehaven] wasn't one he could practice more so that he simply put it to good use.

Aside from that, he was still unsure whether his [Safehaven] was magic or if it was just a Skill. In fact, he wasn't sure whether or not there was a real distinction between the two. Or maybe they weren't mutually exclusive.

Finally clean, he laid down on his own bed. He'd been hesitant to do so while dirty before but he was clean this time around. And he needed to test the apparent self-cleaning function of his [Safehaven].

Of the three Skills he'd started with, it was surely the most unique among them. The others had lead him to a Class but his [Safehaven] did not. But even Jayke was now aware of the significance of such things. A Class defined someone. Paths in life that someone walked. The formation of which was aided by the pertinent Skills. Coding and protection he could confidently say defined him in just that manner. The corresponding [Code Magic] and [Protective Magic], obviously contributed greatly to the formation of his [Code Mage] and [Protection Mage] Class but with his background perhaps he had already been on his way to attaining them. His [Safehaven] stood out in that regard, he didn't consider its function truly center to his identity or being and that might be making some difference.

He also had the sneaking suspicion that his leveless nature was something of an oddity, after all upon his arrival he'd gotten both Classes fairly quickly. It was his leading theory as to why he was attaining levels so quickly, and that now his leveling had somewhat stalled. Still, it was only a theory. He was going to visit the Coterie to research just that - the circumstances of his arrival. He hadn't made any progress in his [Mysterious Arrival] Quest, none that was recognized by the System or himself. It was high time he did some dedicated research.

Besides, it would be a good reprieve after his intention to train in the Coterie's own training rooms. He was simply curious after he heard some passing testers mention them. Maybe they had some benefits aside from the ones their location alone would provide.

He looked around. Both with his eyes and his [Lesser Data Sense]. 'Lesser' being the operative word here. His [Safehaven] was as confusing as anything else he'd tried to stare at. He couldn't even decide whether it was magical or not. None of the shifting data matched the data from the magical crystals in his memory.

One of the only other objects that did the same was in his hand. A rather ornate glass vial filled with an inconspicuous blue liquid, yet brimming with potential. He was down a lot of money, but something like this was as priceless as its Rarity entailed. The Epic [Decoction of the Mammoth]. Promising a massive boost to health and constitution - a description allowing many interpretations. Jayke frowned at that. Was it worth it? - that was the question.

He did some light exercise in his private home to weigh some of the benefits.

He tried to fathom the Rarity of things and what they really meant to him. An Unusual Item was already very valuable. The only thing he had seen higher than that - disregarding the vial in his hand - was a Rare consumable [Silvanid Ichor]. And that was enough to give an [Appraiser] pause. His decoction might very well indeed be a fortune.

What were the chances he ran into such things within a month?

No, he shook his head. He tempered his incredulity with the fact that all of those finds were indeed discovered on a floating mountain. The [Giant Pincer Shell Burrower] also, was found somewhere isolated and in a place Jayke would never have thought to find or look for. To Jayke, that told him that they were certainly not everyday occurrences. And surely, the method in which he encountered all of them was irregular.

Jayke sighed, twirling the vial in his hands as he sat to rest. With his [Traveler's Many-Pocketed Cloak], his breathing was barely pressed.

The problem then became if he wanted money, or trusted the value of the Item to pay for itself. He was in no rush, he had the whole day and until the deadline tomorrow. Still, the decision wasn't as easy as it initially seemed. It was an investment either way. Selling it, likely, would be surefire to set himself up in this world - if his estimation of its value was correct. Using it though might convey benefits his entire life.

Jayke furrowed his brows, rubbing his chin "I'll decide before the next test."

Sometime later.

Jayke reveled in his new cloak. The [Traveler's Many-Pocketed Cloak] was a constant wonder to him. The amount of stuff he could squirrel away was astounding. He could keep everything on his person. If his pockets were filled he would've certainly been weighed down but never in a way as to mess with his balance, as it was, he was traveling relatively light.

He strode through the halls of the Coterie. There were [Guards] posted about barring entrance to parts of the building. Coterie members moved throughout the building relatively small in number and uninhibited. He could sense a subtle power or some kind of eccentricity from those with the brooch.

He was let in weapons and all. No one seemed to mind and he was apparently identified as a tester somehow. A staff member without a brooch had helpfully come to him asking what his visit was for after he was found looking around curiously.

"I wanted to ask about the coming Coterie test. Is there any official announcement?" Jayke said.

"Tomorrow night at sundown." The lizard lady had a serpentine face but Jayke didn't even flinch. "There'll be an official announcement regarding anyone still in the running for tests." Like all their staff, the lizard lady had a dark flowing robe. The kind that trailed slightly behind one as they walked.

Jayke looked around at the big building. The 'lobby' as he'd come to think of it was largely empty. It's most prominent feature was the people moving about it, moving from various counters and help desks. Not for the first time, Jayke felt it similar to a high-class hotel with shiny floors. That was where things differed though.

The high-ceilings were painted with magic. The reflective marble floor shone with the reflection from above. Most that were walking across the floor were looking up occasionally.

"Was there anything else?" She asked him politely.

"What kind of services does the Coterie offer aside from special requests?" Jayke was looking at the many wings that made the place. The [Guards] posted there were obviously barring the general public. He wondered what was available to those that weren't members.

The woman nodded. "The library is public knowledge and the Coterie encourages everyone to visit it. Understand, however, that the Coterie reserves its more specialized stores of knowledge for members only or those willing to pay. Some services to Nubilum we offer free of charge such as the gathering and purification of water and yearly strengthening of existing structures. Aside from the city-wide services we offer a variety of magic classes - not Classes - for anyone willing to pay for them. These are strictly introductory but we have had many emerge a [Mage]."

"We offer the specialized enchantments of our resident [Wind Enchanter]. If you're in the market for unique specialized tools, alchemical equipment for example, we have a [Duplimancer] on hand capable of permanent copies - of course, this takes much from him so the service is priced accordingly. There are a number of other niche practitioners that offer their magic commercially here in Nubilum. To get into that list would take too long."

"Aside from those specific services unique to Nubilum's branch, we have the ordinary assortment of Coterie facilities. [Healers] have their place in our halls to treat serious injury or illnesses the [Alchemists] of Nubilum do not have the time or means to handle. A number of our [Wizards] are capable of long-range communication with other Coterie locations. You must already be familiar with our [Appraisers] as you seem to be from Hucobb's flock. The list goes on, were you looking for a particular service that I did not mention?"

"Actually I was wondering if you had dedicated rooms for practicing magic safely?"

"For experimentation or combat?" She asked back.

"Uh, both probably?"

"Apologies, for combat applicable magic or non-combat magic?"

"Ah, then both," Jayke responded ruefully. "I have both."

She gave Jayke a look then scanned across the lobby as if she was looking for someone. Her eyes squinted, blinking from left to right. Reptilian eyes. "You'll want to head over there." She pointed to another area with a handful of people going about their business behind counters. "The rightmost desk would be your best bet."

"Thank you."

As Jayke was walking up to the desk he bumped into someone.

A voice apologized. "Sorry, sir."

Jayke looked at the man and then realized he was looking at someone younger. And shorter. Large eyes but sharp and focused hinted at some racial aspect. Soft features had become a little more hardened. His face, once aged with trauma, now had some vitality to it.

"Hughanz?" Jayke blinked.

The boy looked at him and recognition struck him. "Mr. Cipher!" He exclaimed immediately. Jayke was surprised he remembered him. "You've made it this far then!"

"I have." Jayke chuckled.

"Are you here for the training rooms? I've heard they're quite useful. I thought I might see them for myself." Hughanz asked him eagerly. Jayke noted the spectre of death had stopped looming over the boy's mental state. "The Adventurer's Guild was too steep in price. Even after coming from [Mountaintop Heights]." He said, somewhat embarrassed.

"I am," Jayke responded.

Another voice spoke up, coming from behind. "The Guild does tend to charge exorbitantly if you're not a member. Cruel world we live in, eh?"

Jayke turned around to find the soft voice. Dressed in black form-fitting clothes, he looked no different than the first time Jayke saw him. A slightly lethal look about him, no matter how relaxed.

"Hush, good to see you."

"Glad to see you survived as well." He nodded with dark humor. Jayke hadn't noticed before, but between his moving lips he could make out sharp teeth.

The third voice came from the table. "If you're all here for one of the rooms, you can all enter one together if you so wish." The elderly ava sitting at the table had greying feathers but looked no less slow for it. "It's not advertised but we let testers use them free of charge."

"What's so special about these rooms anyway?" Hughanz asked the man.

"A safe place nearby [Healers] and skilled magical practitioners probably able to help in the case of something catastrophic." Jayke guessed.

"Warded against damage." The elderly man added. "And our training enchantments of course."

"Why not use the Guild's rooms then?" He asked Hush.

"Wanted to compare the two. Besides, if I'm practicing magic practice here, right?" Hush responded. Jayke couldn't argue that logic. "So? You two care to join me? I wouldn't mind the company at all. Aside from my own training I could use a spar before tomorrow." Hush said.

"No complaints here," Jayke responded, he simply wanted to get used to his new shields and develop something with his code magic. Both practices didn't hurt with the company.

"I will be more than happy to join you," Hughanz followed up.

Hush nodded and turned to the attendant.

The elderly man stood up from behind the counter. "If you'll follow me then." He said as he began walking. "Are you aware of our training rooms' functions? The enchantments?"

"More or less the same as the Guilds, correct?" Hush asked.

"Ah, you bear their insignia. Yes, you are more or less correct." The man led them down a wide corridor with open spaces. A number of people Jayke recognized. Testers. Were they here the whole time? "These are the open training sessions. You three have been designated a training room so simply choose one of the closed areas. I'll leave the explanations to your adventurer friend." The man turned away.

Hush strode forth and led the way.

"He's an adventurer?" Hughanz whispered.

"Apparently," Jayke responded.

Jayke stared around the training wing a little bit more before trailing behind Hush until finally entering a training room. It was pure white and empty. All three looked around for a few moments.

Hush began unprompted, approaching the only feature of the blank room, a stone pedestal. "First thing you need to know. Nothing any one of us are capable of will damage anything in this room. Don't be afraid to let loose with real power. Second, if it is similar to the Guild's then.... ah, there we go."

An illusory form, obviously unreal appeared. The form was slightly wavy and distinctly as blank as the room. Hush hummed. "Second, the room is capable of producing illusionary foes given slight substance - the training enchantment. These seem to be much more focused than any the Guild uses. We can set their behavior here. Aside from that, these rooms are monitored. Both the Coterie and Guild are upfront about that. It's motivated by safety in the event any of us injure ourselves. Don't expect anything done here to be private."

Hush looked around. "And that's really it. A useful tool."

Hughanz was staring at the waving illusory figure before it disappeared. Jayke, likewise, had been staring in wonder only slightly apprehensive due to the fact that the last thing that formed out of nothing was an abomination from Jayke's home.

"I'm assuming you're to practice your shields, Jayke?" Hush asked him.

"That and another one of my magics," Jayke responded truthfully. The sparring might expedite the practice of both.

"If that's the case then you'll be a good training partner for both of us. " Hush spoke. "For now, what was your name?" He turned.

"Hughanz," The boy responded, straightening.

Hush took his measure of the boy and his eyes slipped to Hughanz's scabbarded sword. "Care to spar with me, then? Hush, by the way." Hush asked him. "You seem to know what to do with that sword despite being a [Mage]. So you must be a [Spellsword]."

Hush gestured towards the middle of the room and drew his long daggers into a ready pose. Hughganz didn't answer but walked opposite of him and drew his blade. A straight sword that was as much blue as it was steely grey. "The rules?"

"We spar to first blood or surrender. All magics allowed, obviously. Fair?"

"Fair." The boy nodded.

Meanwhile, Jayke wished he had popcorn to munch on. He settled for inspecting the podium, finding it surprisingly bare. The training room, despite being able to miraculously create slightly substantial illusory forms. was surprisingly basic. Not enough to hold his interest, he looked at the two combatants.

He locked his [Lesser Data Sense] on the entire fight but came away with the usual uninterpretable jargon. The only thing that stood out to him was the magic surrounding Hughanz's sword. After having studied the crystalized versions, he detected traces of fire, lightning, and wind. The illusory form dissipated already but Jayke had sensed magic from it as well.

In contrast, Hush looked normal.

They circled each other cautiously, Hughanz taking more care than his opponent. Then Hush just disappeared in a cloud of smoke. A clash of metal signaled contact and Jayke's eyes darted to where Hughanz had caught Hush's daggers. His sword was angled behind him, having parried the seeking blades. Suddenly, Hush was giving off faint traces of magic.

Hughanz advanced in that window. His sword cut for Hush's torso. The swing came nowhere near enough for contact but Hush gave it a wide berth. A visible arc of wind dissipated against the far wall with a thump. Hush's hair whipped back as he ducked under it.

Then he twirled on his feet, crouched low, and lunged for Hughanz under his swing. The boy pivoted and his sword became wreathed in flames. It blurred and he yelled, "[Heat Slash]!"

Hush disappeared in a cloud of smoke. When he appeared behind Hughanz it was with perfect control that he brought the flat of his dagger to the back of Hughanz bare neck. The cold steel must've been enough because Hughanz sheathed his sword.

"I yield."

Hush nodded and found Jayke staring. The man had just teleported. More than that, the speed they operated in was astounding. None of it was outside the realm of reality except for Hughanz' [Heat Slash] and Hush's smoky teleportation but it was clear these people had lived in a world where this was a necessity.

Jayke still couldn't take his eyes off Hush. He'd seen him appear on the [Giant Pincer Shell Burrower] but he hadn't actually seen him teleport. It was an insane ability. Jayke gathered it was somewhat limited in use but the implications were astonishing. Idly, he wondered if at all it was connected to his arrival here but found the notion distinctly improbably. Whatever magic had brought him here, if indeed it was magic, would have to be on a scale much grander than singular teleportation.

Jayke then proceeded to get his ass handed to him by both Hush and Hughanz for the next hour. His [Traveler's Many-Pocketed Cloak] was allowing him deeper breaths and made everything from moving to striking cost less stamina than they were supposed to and yet he still couldn't land a single strike of his sword.

"You have no idea how to use a sword," Hughanz said curiously. He stepped over to Jayke who he had just disarmed. They were both looking at him curiously. "Why are you carrying one?"

"If I recall, you didn't flounder in the face of danger before." Hush twirled his daggers. "Have you been using a sword this whole time?"

"I've been primarily handling myself with magic alone." Jayke supposed the statement was true even prior to his arrival here. Coding defense systems and having them automatically unleashing hell on his enemies could be considered somewhat magical. "And I know how to use some weapons, just not a sword. I suppose I haven't used them in actual life-or-death combat though. Aside from the sword... "

Hush rose an eyebrow. "Shall we change up our sparring then? Bare-handed magic?"

"What's that?"

"No physical weapons. All magic goes." Hughanz chimed in helpfully. "Puts me at a slight disadvantage." He said, lifting his weapon. He looked to Hush's stance and daggers curiously.

Jayke turned to Hush. "Now that seems more fun." He grinned.

Oh, how wrong he was. Soon, it became clear that Jayke's regular discipline meant nothing against a unique style of bare-handed combat that was unapologetically aggressive. The reason the style didn't care about being too aggressive was the fact that Hush could just teleport out of a hold or submission. Consequently, Hush could also teleport in. Jayke had no time for an orb turret, not that he would've employed it anyway.

Jayke shot a forcebolt out with a straight punch, finding the motion and magic strangely compounding. His aim didn't go wide so much as Hush did. The forcebolt punched a hole through a cloud of dark-purple smoke. This time though, Jayke's armor enveloped him, something struck his back hard. Just as he was turning, another something picked him up from below and threw him. He caught sight of a tendril of shadow disappearing.

Then, Hush's fingers shot for the openings in his shielded visor, having appeared right on top of him. Jayke had a decent mastery over forming shields without any physical motions. Even as his arms were pinned a quick shield amplified by his [Mageglove] stopped the hand short.

Then Jayke twisted, leveraging his opponent's weight. Hush struggled to stay on top until Jayke felt something cold touch his neck. Right between the joints of his magical armor. He blinked, freezing. A tendril of shadow extended from Hush's back. It pressed against his neck, a moist sensation as alarming as the cold of a knife.

"Damn," Jayke said. "I yield."

Hush exhaled getting off of him. "No wonder you made it this far. The only thing stopping you is whether or not you get tired." Hush joked. He helped Jayke up to his feet as Jayke's armor dissipated. "Leaves you a little wanting for offense but you're pretty good hand-to-hand."

"Thanks, it's a problem I've been tackling."

"Those are efficient mana shields too. You're pretty good with them." Hughanz said from the side. Jayke had heard the term enough times to know that his magic was fundamentally different from a regular mana shield. He let the issue slide though.

"It's kept me alive more times than I can remember."

And then they dusted themselves off and did it again.

The practice was fruitful. Jayke had managed to get incrementally better with the sword given some pointers from Hughanz. The boy seemed to be well-versed in it. Hush was actually impressed with Jayke's skill at fighting barehanded, conceding the fact that without his particular brand of magic he wouldn't have gotten too close.

It didn't stop him from wiping the floor with both Jayke and Hughanz every time though.

Jayke's lungs were burning with exertion and his cloak did wonders to alleviate his body consumption of oxygen. He had been on nothing but defense the entire time sparring with both of them. He released his shield and slumped after Hughanz had him cornered and helpless, having disarmed him. The sword went for every opening in his armor and Jayke couldn't sustain it long enough to catch either one of them.

Both Hughanz and Jayke were tired out. He still couldn't believe the expertise with which the younger man held his sword. Every flick of his wrist or swing of his arm was with a perfect purpose. His sword was colored like brackish water, not the combination of grey and blue as Jayke's protective magic, but rather the color in between.

He must've been years younger than Jayke.

Hush, being the only one not breathing too hard, employed the training room's illusory combat. It was both for his practice and to demonstrate their usage. While the illusory forms lacked considerable substance and therefore risk, they matched his skill at combat with ease which was a feat in and of itself. Jayke watched them in astonishment, the wavey blank form of Hush's opponent struck out and scored a hit against the skillful man. It was obviously inconsequential but signified a loss by the rules of their sparring. Hush dodged and cut through the illusion with a dagger, ending the combat.

Jayke's attempts to make sense of their data were met, again, with indecipherable jargon. Of course, other than that they were somehow magical. That part was obvious though.

"They're better here than the Guild's." Hush said offhandedly. Something about his form and movement struck Jayke as inherently magical. No, he could sense the magic now. He just wasn't sure what it was coming from. It was different from the fleeting bursts of magic Jayke could focus on when someone cast a spell, this was more like a persistent effect.

"How's it work?" Hughanz asked curiously. His sword rested on his lap.

"Beats me, kid," Hush replied. "They'll only attack if attacked so they won't bug you unless you want them to. From the looks of it, " He was fiddling with the stone pedestal. "The room can support up to three of them. They'll match our skill at arms, within reason of course. "

"Can I try?" Hughanz asked. "Jayke did you want to?"

"Let me take a breather." He said lightly, waving the boy's concerns as soon as he saw them. "I'll be right here practicing my other magic."

While the two seemed curious, they were, in fact, still competitors. It was Jayke's business so they didn't ask about it. Jayke got the sense both were more concealing their true capabilities, which was understandable given the monitored nature of the training room. Too, Jayke hadn't been using his shields at full power and his armor wasn't as encompassing as it could've been - he'd left his joints open rather than a full-body envelopment. He didn't think it would've mattered anyway. He would've been tired out, physically and magically.

The two began to tackle three illusory forms together. Jayke watched the entire thing curiously. The 'difficulty level' seemed to be set to Hughnaz rather than Hush. They all formed an illusory copy of either Hush's daggers or Hughanz's sword. As soon as Hush struck the first one the battle commenced.

Meanwhile, Jayke had been devising another way to utilize his protection magic. The blurring strikes from Hughanz and Hush had left him no choice but to rely on his armor. He couldn't react to all their attacks reliably. And his armor was admittedly draining in long intervals. Even when at low power.

So then, could he automate his shields? The task seemed simple, yet the hurdles to jump through were nothing to scoff at. First off, his code magic needed to be able to act upon his mana pool and essentially cast protection magic. His orb turrets somewhat accomplished this but the code magic attached to them acted upon the battery of mana 'tied-off' and left with the protective magic.

He'd done more reading in his spare time - this amounted to every night he got the chance. According to The Feel of Magic, Tuuli states that mana is a universal energy. Allegedly. Jayke's world didn't have any as far as he knew. He paused, idly wondering if it did. Then he shook his head and focused.

Mana was an energy that permeated everything to some degree. Magic is derived from mana. A person created that magic in their own way. Sigils, runes, belief, logic and spell formulae, instinct, emotions, chants, belief, desire. A large load of mimic slime, as Tuuli had said. It changes according to the individual. Jayke's method was based on instinct, desire, and perhaps some emotion in the case of his protective magic. His code magic was closer to logic and instinct, an odd juxtaposition. He wasn't sure what spell formulae were but perhaps that was also applicable to coding.

Therein lied the problem. Barring the first hurdle of having magic actually access his mana reservoir, how was his code magic supposed to actually create that magic? He decided upon incremental development. First, could his code magic detect his mana pool and do anything with it at all? Was his mana pool a data member his magic could access?

He focused on himself and fell into the odd outward-inward and inward-outward awareness that came from staring at himself with his [Lesser Data Sense]. It was the combination of looking at an object filled with data and being the very same object in question. Everything he experienced, every breath or motion, every beat of his heart caused a ripple in the data he observed, tracking everything was impossible as many processes of the body were automatic and already outside his conscious awareness. The most he could identify with accuracy were somatic processes - voluntary actions. He'd long gotten the sense for his own limbs moving.

He got to work creating small applications of magic in his hand. A bubble of force. Small pointless algorithms that did nothing but look pretty. The combination of both.

Meanwhile, his sense of his mana pool became more acute. The flow of mana was still beyond him, but he could identify the changing variable within himself that corresponded to his mana consumption. His mana pool.

He opened his eyes and regarded both Hughanz and Hush. Could he...? He tracked their figures and came away with nothing. No, of course not. Complex beings like any living organisms were understandably indecipherable at his level. The most success he'd gotten was with his detection program and only then for visual data. Detecting the mana pools of other people would be too much to hope for. Additionally, the awareness of the movements of his limbs didn't translate correctly to other people. Curious. Without the benefit of being the subject in question, he'd never be able to detect something as complex as a mana pool.

Next, he expanded his sense of his magic and allowed it to reach towards his own mana pool. It was odd being the subject of his code magic - the object that it attached to. Aside from his limbs and his movement which he'd experiment with some other time, the one other interactable was that which he had just detected. His mana pool.

Jayke couldn't help but jump at the feeling. A sudden connection to something. Rather than a tether of magic that connected himself to an orb turret - a tether connecting something to him. The reversibility of the statement wasn't lost on him but nonetheless described the feeling. A tether went both ways, sure, but there was something inherently different when not the one who initiated the connection. He relaxed because he was that other connection, technically - his code magic.

Once the odd shock ran out a smile crept up his face and he got to experimenting.

Hours later, Hush and Hughanz hadn't let up. Both were eager to train and had been using the room to the fullest. Jayke, in need of mind breaks, joined them often. It was a good help for his experiments as well. He spent the time not only practicing his sword but troubleshooting his code magic's work on himself. Mock combat was an effective tool for both.

An illusory form lunged forward, no faster than Jayke would've been able to. He parried the first strike. The illusion's sword bounced back as if struck away, even though Jayke felt little actual impact. Jayke made to advance but found its guard already up. It cautiously approached before feinting left and striking down the middle.

He flexed his [Mageglove] hesitantly and a shield formed. Jayke blinked. Then he pivoted on his heel and countered in its moment of weakness, defeating the illusory training dummy by slashing through its form. He had just cast a shield. Without casting a shield. He'd done the magic through an intermediary. His code magic. And that singular achievement was what had been driving him most of the day.

The beginnings of automation.

"Yes!" He cheered under his breath.

He experimented with the newfound ability by hardcoding preset functions. Shields in the cardinal directions, for example. Simple flat planes were the current upper bound on what Jayke could manage to cast through code magic alone. A curved shield was... complicated, to say the least. Let alone a remote activation of his protective armor.

Simple shields like the ones he was bringing into existence from his code magic were easy to enough to do manually. The functions weren't meant to be entirely useful, just to flesh out the capabilities of what he could do. Provide a foundation so to speak.

They were, truthfully, more mana hungry than regularly attending to the magic. This was due to the overhead his code magic provided.

The goal was to eventually make these magical functions sufficiently complicated that they warranted the precise hand of code magic and likewise the price of mana. For the time being, that was beyond him. With practice however, it would eventually be doable. And then, the ultimate feat; to make the shields reactionary.

He wasn't so foolish as to think the two objectives would ever be done before the next test. Of course they wouldn't. No matter how much practice he'd gotten with cramming during his time in college. It wasn't realistic.

His immediate goal was to implement a number of basic shielding formats that could be independently activated additional to anything manually created. He'd put an emphasis on types of shielding that would normally require more focus.

He lifted his gaze from his thoughts and found Hush and Hughanz sparring. The latter, predictably, was on the backfoot. Hush was still forced to exert himself despite that, a head-on confrontation wasn't the man's style and he was still better.

"Nothing like sparring to get into the feel of things," Jayke said aloud. He'd rely on Hughanz and Hush to show him exactly where he needed to shore up his defenses.

He was grateful for the sparring partners. It expedited his learning process. A boon since there were still a lot of things he wanted to get through today and tomorrow. The decision regarding a certain Item being one of them.