A First-Hand Report of an ecounter with the Svirfneblin

These small grey-skinned creatures, probably only two or three feet tall, display the most fascinating apititude for mechanical manipulation. I could barely believe my eyes as I watched a child of no more than four years harness the power of a Mana Gemstone and use it to power a creation. Were they not a isolated people, I would be worried for the fate of craftspeople everywhere.

The star filled night sky twinkles above me as I wander through the streets of Everwall. The ripped concrete has been removed, replaced with cobblestone. My heels make a satisfying click sound as they strike against the cobblestone with each step, the noise echoing into the night. An aimless wandering trail of sound as I lose myself in my thoughts.

If Everwall is on track to finish the requirements of the Third Trial in the next few weeks, then that means I have three months where I don’t need to be singularly focused on the Primus Trials... What should I be doing with my time?

My thoughts carry me down moonlit streets and and slowly I find myself drawn towards the docks, listening the gentle lapping of water against wood. I inhale the unique smell that is ever present around this area; an earthy odor of fish, wood, and water.

I walk out onto the docks, the wood gently swaying beneath my feet, and quickly reach the water, lowering myself down until my legs hang over the edge. The small waves lap at my feet but I barely notice them, lost in my thoughts about the future.

I could spend the next three months training my Skills but that feels … somewhat selfish. To succeed on the backs of others, with no work on my part, puts a bitter taste in my mouth. It strikes me as something Peter would do.

I can feel my muscles clench at the sheer thought of him and the memories of our final encounter. It’s been a little over three months since our fight and I can still feel the weight of my actions weighing heavily on my conscience. Logically, I know that there was no other way. Emotionally, I doubt my own actions. What if there had been a way to convince him, a way to get him to surrender without dying?

No. I can’t let myself fall prey to these thoughts. Just as I am my own person, so too was he. He knew what he was doing and I shouldn’t blame myself for the choices he made.

Now if only I could convince myself.

It takes a while to clear myself of all thoughts of him but I finally manage to refocus on my plans. I want to do something that helps Everwall. Reaching our goal this quickly is fantastic but a victory without any effort on my part would feel like a hollow one. They may have reached the percentage of Classed citizens required by Genesis but I need to continue to provide these people with opportunities and chances to grow.

But how can I do that if they are already discovering ways to get Classes on their own? What can I bring to the table that no one else can? I don’t begrudge those who have decided to take non-combat Classes, as I know that not everyone has the right mindset for battle, but their choices will impact the city in ways we can’t even comprehend/

The Council and I had planned on the city rising to power based on two pillars, military power and economy. The former would allow us to maintain our position and defend ourselves when necessary while the latter would allow us to spread our influence to other towns. The hope was that we would eventually be able to create a unified set of cities under a central government.

The choice to achieve a non-combat Class massively helps out one of the pillars but does nothing for the other, thus throwing them out of balance. We need some way to improve the other pillar so that the two of them can remain equal.

It’s only then that I realize what I need to do. The expertise that I bring to this city that no other individual can provide.

I need to start a school.

“Not a chance in hell. We just finished this building and it’s gonna make us rich. You’re not getting it.”

“I’m sorry Elias, I don’t think you understand. It’s already decided. The economy will survive.” I keep my gaze even with Elias, the full weight of my Passive Search rifling through his mind. It is still almost impossible to control the scope of my search but I’m able to get the occasional flash of what is going on in his head.

It isn’t very flattering.

“We spent two months building this hall! A headquarters for a Guild that is going to drown us in money! You can’t just take it away right before they move in.” He responds, his brown hair bobbing with each motion of his head. His arms cross, showing off some impressive muscles for someone who spends most of his time in meetings. His grey eyes, radiating frustration, stare out from a scrunched and red face.

“Look, Elias, They are building a replacement Guild Hall in the market next week and it should be finished in a month. They survived before this building, they’ll survive after it.”

“The rest of the Council can kiss my ass! I got the Guild to agree to a twenty, a twenty, percent cut for this building. Do you have any idea how much money that can make us? No, obviously you don’t because you’re taking it from me to teach people how to wave their hands and wiggle their fingers!” He yells, throwing his hands in the air.

I respond in an even tone. “There’s more to Mana than that and you know it. Now listen carefully when I say this; Julian has assured me that you’ll get your building and the Guild will keep the same cut. This is more important than money.”

His hands come up and grasp at his hair, eyes staring at me as if I’ve spoken sacrilege. Passive Search picks up on the rant that he intends to release and I quickly bring forth Sound Mana, covering his mouth with it. His face goes red as he launches into his tirade but no sounds come out.

“I didn’t come down here to be yelled at, Elias. Come back when you’ve calmed down” I say, keeping my face as impassioned as I can.

The young Fisher stares angrily at me for a few seconds before he tries to yell again. The only sound that it makes is the light tap of his foot hitting the wooden floor. He stomps out of the hall, reaching the end of my range as he walks out the door. Curses and swears instantly erupt but the doors have closed behind him and I have no intention of letting him back in.

Finally able to focus on the school, I get the first good look at the space that is to be my new school. It is a large building built out of a combination of wood and hand-mixed concrete. The first floor is an open space with only a few rooms separated from the main area. Dark wood floors stretch two hundred feet to the back wall to the front, interspersed with stone pillars to hold the weight of the second floor. The few rooms that do exist on the first floor were clearly designed as offices, as a few scavenged file cabinets accompany desks.

The second floor is far denser; a dozen individual rooms are carefully laid out in the space to maximize efficiency while also allowing for privacy. They appear to be a strange assortment of offices and bedrooms, most likely to give the guild members a place to sleep if their work ran too late.

The thought of what the Guild, let alone Elias, will think of this fills me with slight apprehension. They had worked hard on the design, invested a decent amount of money to convince the builders to complete it quickly, and I had come in and stolen it at the last moment. I’ll have to figure out some way to appease them or I’ll be making an enemy of people who have the potential to become very influential. Power may be more overt in this world but some old principles will still apply. There is truth in the phrase, ‘money talks’.

Of course, I had only taken the building because I’d received permission from the Council. Their eyes had stretched wider than I thought possible when I mentioned passing on some of my Mana Skills. They had obviously assumed that I’d be keeping the origin and methods for my power secret.

And, they were right, I had. Mana is an extremely potent source of power and could be dangerous in the hands of someone not prepared to handle it. The collateral damage from the Skills are only a portion of what they could wreak; an unhinged or unstable person with access to manipulate Mana could create untold havoc.

The only reason that I’m even here is because I made them guarantee that they would never try to influence or change the curriculum or the students I accepted.

Making a mental note to ask Julian about methods of repayment to the Guild, I throw myself into the work of preparing the space for the next day. Removing all the file cabinets and leaving only one bedroom untouched to serve as my office is just the beginning; I also clean the entire building. The physical labor allows me to lose myself in thought and I spend the entire time coming up with a curriculum.

I only want to be here part-time, which means that I need to find a few individuals who are able to teach in my absence. Maybe the Teacher that Andrew had told me about. He had been out with one of the combat squads but maybe I could convince him to take a position here.

The curriculum itself needs be focused on the basics. Manifesting their Mana and unlocking Mana Manipulation will be the first requirement for being able to continue in the school. I don’t want people wasting their time if they don’t have the necessary proficiency so I need to impose some sort of deadline.

A little bit of back and forth mental arguing ends with my deciding that the time period will be one week. All prospective students will have a full week to manifest and manipulate their Mana. If they aren’t able to do that, then they aren’t worth my time.

The next focus will need to be on learning the basics of Elemental Mana, which will be the focus of what I’ll be trying to teach. Once they’ve mastered the basic Elements, a process that should take the students at least a few months, then I’ll let them discover their own paths. Higher Energies are too broad to be constrained by my way of thinking; I want individuals to develop in their own unique ways and help support Everwall.

And if any of them steps out of line or uses their Skills for something else, I’ll be waiting.

I lose myself to the cleaning and find myself outside the building as the sun begins to rise. The exterior of the building looks even more imposing than the interior. Pillars of painted white stone line the front, giving the school a certain majesty.

It is easily the most striking and eye-catching building in all of Everwall, which suits my purposes. I want this to be a center of learning and discovery where people with the right temperament can learn the Skills that allowed me to survive.

It’s only staring at the building as the first rays of sunlight begin to hit it that I realize something. The only reason I’m supporting and creating this school is because of Peter.

He had shown me the other life that I could have lived had made a few different decisions, a life that had seemed to only focus on personal power. I know that strength is important in this new world but I don’t want it to be the only thing that matters. Humanity is great because we are complex. We are motivated by hundreds of different things and each of us carries with us a unique history.

There has to be more to life than just power.

I hear the stirrings and movements of a city slowly coming to life. A quick word to a few young children passing by sends word flying out through the streets, carried all over town by my tireless messengers. Today is the day that I become a teacher.