Sitting up in my bed the next morning, I gave a yawn and stretched, rubbing my eyes with my hands before standing. Glancing at the window, I noted that the sun had only barely begun to creep above the horizon. That left around an hour until I needed to meet with the rest of the students. If I moved fast, that should be plenty of time to get in a short workout.

Dressing myself in my traveling clothes and armor, I made my way down to the lobby, already finding dozens of men and women milling around and drinking. It seemed like the parties in Colkirk never stopped, and I wondered if there was something in the food or water here that let them continue without any rest. If there was, maybe I could buy some of it? I only slept around four hours a day, but if I could go without sleep entirely, that would be fantastic.

Stepping out of the inn, I began walking down the streets, remembering a large, forested park that we passed the previous night. I had noted its location if I wanted or needed some privacy, like I did this morning.

Asking several passing revelers for directions, I made my way to a small clearing, hidden from the street view. The trees were thick with bright green leaves, almost surreal when I remembered that the trees back in Volaris or on the Duke's estate would be bare in preparation for winter.

Taking a moment to scan my surroundings with my mana sense, I retrieved my sword-staff and held it in one hand before opening Sig's notebook. To my surprise, rather than illustrations or notes on the first form, I saw a letter written across the first page.

Vayne,

You have improved by leaps and bounds over the last few months, and I decided you were ready for the next step. Study the sequences in this book, and practice them often. If you become proficient in them, I'm confident you'll see a noticeable improvement in your skills. It might even be enough for you to keep up with Amelia, though I wouldn't' get your hopes up.

Stay safe, or I'll kick your ass,

Sig

Chuckling, I flipped through the next few pages before finding details on the first few sequences. So far, my training had heavily focused on proper footwork, balance, and simple strikes or blocks. Sig had called it the foundational skills that all warriors needed. But these techniques were far more advanced, featuring dozens of combinations of parries, dodges, and strikes that flowed from one move to another.

As I stumbled and almost dropped my weapon, I regrouped and smiled, ready to rise to this new challenge. And of course, optimistic that I may be able to catch up to my peers, or even surpass them in this regard.

A half-hour later, I sat onto the ground, my breathing heavy and my arms burning. I had managed to memorize several sequences of moves, but I still needed hours more practice before considering using it during a sparring match or real combat. I took a few minutes, carefully stretching and feeling my body cool off before standing and sheathing my weapon.

I needed to make my way back to the group, but before I could, a gust of wind swept towards me, and I detected a sour smell. It only took me a second to realize I was the source of the horrible stench. As I lifted my arm, the smell worsened, and I grimaced, realizing I did not have enough time to take a bath. Maybe I could rush back to the inn and splash some water onto my face, if only to spare my riding companions from suffering.

Suppressing an urge to laugh at myself, I realized that I did not need to take a bath since I had Amelia's parting gift. Looking down at the ring, I closed my eyes, stretched out with my mana, found the enchantment, and activated it with a quick thought.

The sensation was bizarre, and felt like a gentle force was squeezing and massaging my entire body, starting with my feet and moving up to my head. I watched in interest as an orb of brown liquid gathered above my head in a sickening mixture of dirt, grime, and sweat. After a second, the sphere vanished in a burst of green mana.

Raising my arm to my nose, I inhaled deeply and found that I smelt like nothing, not sweat or bodily odor. My entire body was clean and dry, and even my clothes looked spotless and stain free. Smiling, I resolved to thank Amelia profusely when I returned to the Academy.

Returning to the inn, I saw that several students were already waiting outside and mounted on their horses. Glancing around, I did not see the Esttons, or Simon and walked closer, scanning the crowd with my eyes and mana sense.

Suddenly, a hand landed on my shoulder, and I whirled, my hand dropping to my waist and my mind reaching for my mana, preparing a Flicker Step.

"Whoa! Easy there, Vayne. It's just me." Leon said, taking a step backward and raising his hands defensively.

"My apologies, my lord," I said, bowing my head and dropping my hand off of the hilt of my weapon. My heart was hammering in my chest, and I felt a sting of embarrassment at my overreaction. It seemed I was a little more paranoid than I had realized.

"Where did you go? Sophia and I were looking for you, but when we went by your room, you had already stepped out. " Leon said, staring at me with his arms crossed.

"I woke up early, and I decided a short walk before we left to wake myself up. I am sorry if I worried you, sir. That was not my intention. " I replied, bowing my head to punctuate my apology.

"Not a problem, though I would ask that you invite me along in the future. I almost overslept, and Sophia damn near blew my door off its hinges, trying to wake me up." Leon said with a laugh, turning to his sister, who rolled her eyes.

"I would prefer that we not get kicked off our trip because you had too much to drink and barely slept," she replied, glaring at Leon.

"In my defense, I was having a good time. If I went to bed as early as you, I might have missed something fun." Leon replied, a devilish grin on his face.

Smiling at the bickering, I glanced at Sophia before recalling our tense conversation last night, where she expressed suspicion of me. Immediately clamping down on my emotions, I put on a stoic expression and made my way to the stables to retrieve my mount.

If I planned to succeed, I would need allies, and the Esttons were my primary choice. They were wealthy, morally upright, and well-connected. More than that, I knew that the Duke, and his children, would gladly help me defend Ferris from invaders. But I also doubted they would allow me the total freedom I needed to travel the continent and seek new abilities, particularly if Sophia disliked me.

Returning to the group, the masters began leading us out of the city at a quick trot, heading out of the east entrance and back onto the Sunrise Way.

Once we began moving into a steady gallop, I reached into my pack and retrieved my notebook, flipping to the page on telepathy.

Sophia appeared suspicious of me, and I needed a way to decipher her thoughts and intentions. What better way than to simply peer into her mind and see for myself what she planned?

Archmagus Alexandria often wrote about the dangers of telepathy, and how fragile the psyche was to external influence. In her words, a mind was like a thread. As you applied force to it, it frayed and wore out. And if you pulled too hard, it would snap, and permanent damage would result.

Sensing surface emotions like Master Julian, was the safest technique to use, with almost no risk of permanent injury. More advanced techniques had the risk of damaging the mind of the target, but empathetic powers only scratched the mind's barest surface. And there was another part I appreciated about only sensing, rather than altering the mind.

The most potent abilities covered tricks like implanting compulsions or false memories, controlling the body, or permanently altering the mind. While they were undoubtedly useful and dangerous, something about twisting others' thoughts to suit my own needs was deeply unsettling. I would still study the techniques, but I decided that I would never use them unless I had absolutely no other choice in the matter.

But that was still far away, and I needed to focus now on learning the basics. A smile crossed my face as I realized I had a significant advantage over most would-be telepaths. I had felt Fortuna's mental touch before, and that sensation gave me an idea of how telepathy should feel, at least on my end. All I needed was focus and the willpower to push my thoughts towards another's mind.

Glancing over to Simon, I focused and pushed my mind out, feeling my way towards him. In many ways, it was the same as my mana sense, and due to this, I found myself instinctively searching for mana. A half-dozen times, I had to stop my attempt and gather my thoughts again, feeling a headache grow with each failure.

On my eighth attempt, I thought I could feel something on the edge of my mind. It felt almost like anger, or annoyance of some kind, though it was impossible to be sure. The sensation was so unexpected I immediately lost control, the rebound of the effect slamming into my head and worsening my headache from a dull throb to a sharp stabbing.

Breaking my concentration was swear and muffled groan from Simon.

Glancing over, I watched as he rode on his mount, a chestnut-colored mare, holding his head and visibly wincing as we went. Large bags hung under his eyes, and his face had a pale complexion to it, while his jaw looked to be clenched shut.

"Are you okay, Simon?" I asked, holding back a smile at his demeanor.

"Next time you invite me along, make sure I don't drink too much. Or at least have the decency to put me out of my misery. I think I drank a little too much." Simon replied, reaching down and retrieving a canteen of water before taking a sip.

I chuckled for a moment before reaching into my saddlebags and grabbing two glass vials, holding one out towards Simon.

"Here, drink this and you will feel better," I said with a smile.

"A healing potion? Where did you get this?" Simon asked, not waiting for an answer before uncorking the bottle and drinking it in a single gulp.

"I earned extra money in my free time, and bought a few potions just in case. You looked miserable enough that I thought it was as good a time as any to use one. On the condition that you are smarter next time." I replied, sighing before slipping my potion back into my pocket. I wanted to drink it now, but I still needed to do some tempering before I could use it to heal my injuries.

Simon smiled, saying, "Thanks, Vayne," before looking forward again.

Hours passed in calm silence, and I finished my practice before drinking my healing potion, feeling the minor aches and pains of my body vanish in a few seconds. Tempering had gone far enough that I was almost ready to begin using Iron Forging, and I was optimistic I would reach that stage in the next few weeks.

"Do you know where we are going, Vayne?" Simon said, turning to me in his saddle.

I shook my head, replying, "Not a clue. The masters seemed to imply yesterday that we would spend the night in the wild. I wonder if they have defensive spells or enchantments to deter predators. Something tells me some cloth and sticks would not deter a magic beast."

Shaking his head, Simon laughed loudly, his headache long forgotten.

"You have never seen a nobleman spend the night in the wilderness, have you? Well then, you're in for a treat when we stop for the night."

Despite my proddings, Simon remained silent, and I got the sense he was eager to surprise me and was enjoying keeping a secret. I debated trying to use telepathy to scan his thoughts, if only to solve this little mystery but dismissed it immediately, knowing it was a dangerous idea.

Like the previous night, we came to a halt near sundown, this time stepping off the path and following the masters into the forest. Several minutes of walking later, we entered a clearing that looked large enough to house a group three times our size. I did not think it was natural, and after I looked around the clearing, I spotted the remnants of fires and old campsites.

"We are making excellent time apprentices. Set up your shelters for the night, while we prepare additional defensive measures. We have scouted the nearby area, but I would still caution you all to not wander from our campsite." the bald master said before turning and walking towards the clearing's edge.

I watched them work for several seconds, observing the mana as it twisted into unfamiliar forms, before turning and walking towards the Esttons. As I approached Leon and Sophia, I saw them pull out two large, heavy-looking canvas tents from their packs.

"May I help you, sir?" I asked, smiling and holding out my hand to grab part of the shelter. I had packed a tent, but I still knew I should offer my assistance to Leon. After all, he had paid for most of my supplies, and it was the least I could do.

Snorting, Leon shook his head and replied, "No need, Vayne. Just take a few steps backward and keep an eye out. These things are usually safe, but if you're too close, you may get clipped with a rope or stake."

Doing as he instructed, I moved back ten feet and watched as Leon laid the tent down onto the ground, before kneeling next to it and closing his eyes. A small surge of mana traveled down his hands, and as it absorbed into the tent, a minute wave of energy moved along the cloth.

An instant later, the entire structure popped up as if it was alive. Metal stakes drown into the soil apparently on their own, pulling the cloth tight and the ropes taut. The canvas inflated, rising to a full ten-foot height, and in seconds it stood fully assembled.

Stepping through the draped opening, Leon poked his head out before gesturing to follow his lead. As I entered the tent, my jaw dropped open, and I moved in a slow circle, marveling at the interior.

The interior was warm and dry, much warmer than the outside, and I realized that I suddenly could not hear any noise from the rest of the camp. Two cots sat on opposite sides of the room, with matching tables and footlockers.

"Enchantments to retain heat, push out moisture, and block noise. When it's folded up, the entire thing acts like spatial pouches, holding all of this furniture inside. If you close the entrance, it locks and becomes tough enough that even a mage would have some trouble cracking open quickly. While it's not nearly as nice as a room in a house, it's a far cry from a patched piece of cloth flapping in the wind. We call them "instant shelters," which is not a very original name, but accurate." Leon said, smiling at my reaction.

"Agreed, sir," I said simply, turning at walking over to one of the cots, pressing my hand against it. I pushed down and smiled, happy that the bed felt far more comfortable than I expected.

"Well, what do you think?" Leon said, turning to me with a laugh.

"I will have to see about purchasing one for myself when we return to Volaris, sir," I replied with a smile.

Returning outside, I saw that a small dome of translucent yellow mana now surrounded our entire camping site, and several dozen tents dotted the clearing. A few fires roared softly, and groups of nobles looked to be eating their dinner already.

"You hungry?" Leon asked, not bothering for an answer as he walked past me and grabbed a pack from his horse.

Our meal was hearty, a thick soup that Leon stored in containers designed to keep it from spoiling. Sophia and Simon joined us, and the night passed quickly enough, with speculations about what the masters planned for the rest of our trip. If my calculations were correct, by the end of the day tomorrow, we would be outside Ferris and into the wilds.

"I'm hoping we get a chance to try our luck against a magic beast by ourselves. My father took down his first by seventeen, and I want to beat his record." Leon said with a smile, turning towards the rest of us and mimicking shooting a bow.

"You may get your wish, Apprentice Estton." a voice said, and we turned to see one of the masters standing nearby.

When none of us replied, he continued, "We won't head into the territory of the true monsters, but even a weak magic beast can tear a human limb from limb. Our job is to keep you all safe, but even we cannot be everywhere at once. Keep your eyes open and your guards up at all times. We have lost students before out here, and I would prefer not to lose more due to carelessness."

Turning and walking away, we sat silently, any cheerfulness lost at the man's grim words. Even an hour later, when we laid in bed and attempted to sleep, I still thought about his warning. When I finally fell asleep, it was only after glancing outside a dozen times, verifying that the master's shield was up. And before I closed my eyes, I double-checked that the door to our tent was closed, just to be safe.