|Class Level Raised: Mage|

|Class Level: 7|

|New Skill:|

|Lesser Stamina|

|Spell Received: Shield|

So that was new. It was about time too, for a Level up. Yet Michael didn’t know what to feel about his new Skill. Apparently, after some subtle asking around, he learned that Stamina related Skills aren’t usually |Mage| Skills, more often found in other Classes like |Warrior|. Yet the occasional magic user can still receive it. Also, apparently most mages who had Skills like that at Gnosis were focused in the Martials faction. Which was… not really surprising.

As for his new Spell, it was apparently a smaller, more durable and more mobile version of |Barrier|. Michael personally thought he received it after charging that rock make the day before.

What came next was… interesting. Not regarding the actual failed class. No, Michael pretended the event never happened, when it came to their teacher. The winged woman pretended she had just been busy their entire lecture and didn’t notice the classroom wide hunt the other students decided to start on Michael, Bob and Micah.

Which might have been believable. Such things happened. But three older students wiping out more than three quarters of her Class? Followed by them starting a sort of magical death match against a trio of undermatched freshmen? Or the magical blast that came from that durmo biting down on a magical artifact.

That was his race, by the way. Durmo. The things you learned.

Well, Michael learned that Gnosis was not above corruption, if he could call it that. And that meant that if he was not the teacher’s pet, he was open game. As much as he hated that position, he had to be real here. He was in a whole new world. Filled with magic. And danger. Preconceptions be damned.

At least his friends hadn’t been majorly hurt. Micah only had a concussion, but recovered quickly after a Healing Potion. Bob did require a visit to a |Healer|, but also made a quick recovery. It seems a Gaindel’s natural hardiness made them hard to hurt. Which was a blessing in disguise, since while Michael had been fighting the durmo, Bob had got completely wasted by the ascentionalist mage. It didn’t show, but his friend told him the other mage grew frustrated and started to use Spells that would have killed him, had the been almost any other race.

Speaking of their opponents, the mage Micah practically gutted was alright. He even came by the next morning, to congratulate the lycan and tell him there were no hard feelings between the two of them. The Naturalists were weird, as Michael learned Ravena’s faction was called.

However, weird as it was, it didn’t hold a candle to the durmo coming to meet him. Michel originally thought he was going to pummel him, but the rocky mage just laughed and slapped Michael on the back. Told him he had ‘good spirit’. Again. He even gave him a new wand to replace the one he munched on…

The only sign of yesterday’s blast was a set of blackened rocks near his lips, but he said they would fade. And that it would do him good with the ladies while they lasted. Michael was flabbergasted enough that he almost missed the mage telling him to pick the martials again. Since he was, you know, ‘born for it’. But he didn’t miss the mage encouraging Bob to join the same faction. He’d even sponsor him.

Good.

The last important event of the morning came just as he was finishing his breakfast. The mage from the Acentionalists came and handed him a sealed scroll.

“The Blood Contract.” He said. “It can hold you and up to four others in its bindings. Even Regitris himself would have trouble escaping its clauses, if he entered the accord willingly. Will you swear your own promises or just extract them from others?”

“Does Regitris want to know that, or do you?” Michael asked.

The mage simply scoffed and walked away.

And to think I almost wanted to ask him his name.

And that was all hell broke loose. It seems that yesterday’s event was known throughout Gnosis, since the grapevine was going strong. But mostly everybody assumed it was a trick. Michael couldn’t really have asked for a Blood Contract, right? I mean, who would dare bind an entire faction like that? And even if the young mage did dare, why would the Ascentionalists agree?

No. It must be a ploy. Either on the boy’s part, on the faction’s part or on both parts.

Yet, the mage bringing Michael the Blood Contract and publicly informing him of what it was made everyone lose their heads. Everybody wanted to speak with him. And not only because they wanted the real gossip, straight from the source. No, there was a decent portion of those that approached him that wanted to exchange favors, before he got affiliated with a faction. Gifts.

Did he want a special tutoring session? No? How about a new wand? Oh, he already got one. Perhaps an amulet, like his friend had? Magical armor? A Spell Tome? Anything?!

Michael refused them all. If he was doing this, if he was really picking a side against all others, then he wouldn’t debase himself with lesser deals. Not yet, anyway. Not until he learned of what was to come and what the faction he chose would want of him.

It got so bad that his teachers actually had to instruct the students not to pester him during their lessons. Which was nice of them, but only really stopped the most obvious among them. The subtle ones still sent him communication Spells, enchanted notes, floating messages and the like. It got so bad that Michael barely had the chance to find a place to talk with Micah and Bob at lunchtime. They even had to find a deserted classroom for that, since the lunch hall would have been too public.

Yet, the day passed. Slowly and annoyingly, but it passed.

And at the end of the day, as walked in the large hall he had first dined at in Gnosis, right as lunch was about to end, he found that every mutter stopped and all eyes were on him. Micah and Bob went to a separate table, since only Michael walked to the end of the all.

Straight to the teacher’s table.

It was both amusing and daunting to see that all the teachers were looking at him. Not even during the testing did that happen, as he learned that there was quite a number of them who were disinterested in such events. Yet now, they were. Some were looking straight at him, while others were being more subtle, only glancing now and then.

From a table, Regitris himself stood up and walked towards Michael.

“Michael.” The old elf smiled. “I understand you have come to a decision?”

“I did, sir. And I’m ready to make it public.”

“I see” he said, sounding pleased. “Well, no doubt your faction will be happy with this public show of allegiance.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And the Blood Contract? I imagine you wish to extract a few promises.”

“Oh, no need, sir. I thought about it and found it better to start from a position of trust. Though I do thank you for that artifact. I found it to be quite valuable.” He smiled.

The elf looked very pleased to hear that. A public show of allegiance without any concessions gained by Michael? Why, the Ascentionalists were practically having a field day.

“Oho! Quite the businessman, aren’t you, Michael? That is all well and good. A good mage must sometimes be a savvy merchant as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, I am happy you are happy with what you received.”

Oh, you have no idea.

***

Earlier that day.

“So, no offence, but why did you want to talk to us? I’m missing lunch here.” Micah complained.

“I admit I am also interested.” Bob mentioned.

They were situated in an empty Classroom. Michael couldn’t be sure there were no hidden eavesdroppers, but he did his best to find this location. It was on a semi-upper floor too, for extra security.

“This is about joining a faction.” Michael said.

“Yeah, already picked one.” Micah laughed. “Not changing it.”

“I am unsure of what faction I should pick. Though I see that the Martials favor me.”

“That’s just the thing.” Michael said. “I don’t like the idea of joining just one faction. You see, I’ve thought about it. A lot. And I think picking any one side would cost me the information and… well, benefits I could gain from the others.”

“You’re thinking about joining multiple factions?” Micah asked. “Don’t! Maybe you could get away with being part of a string faction and a weak one, like those artsy types. But you can’t be part of both Ascentionalists and Martials at the same time.”

“I was actually thinking of being part of the Naturalists on top of those.” Michael smiled.

“…are you insane?!” the lycan shouted, losing his easy grin. “Ravena would have your hide! Mine too, for being your friend. And that’s not counting on those battle freaks counting this as high treason or whatever.”

“Regitris might take offense as well.” Bob warned.

“Maybe. But here’s the thing. I wasn’t thinking about me personally joining all three factions. I was just wondering about obtaining the benefits of all three.” Michael said.

He could see the gears turning in his friends’ heads, but they still seemed confused. He had to sell this.

“Look. I’ll come out and say it. I’m not satisfied with just one faction. I want it all. I want all top three and maybe others down the road. But for now, I don’t plan on getting just the Ascentionalists’ knowledge. I want that and the Martial’s battle training and the Naturalists survival skills. I want it all. And if I can’t physically join three sides at once… well. There’s three of us, right?”

“What do you mean?” Micah asked.

“I mean, we can do what we did in the fight. We can each carry a part of the greater burden and come out on top. I know there’s rules against disseminating valuable information, but we can work around that. And I know trust alone is not sufficient, but I bartered an artifact for that.”

“So that’s what it was really for.” Bob said. “The bindings you wish to make are between the three of us. Not between senior mages and yourself.”

“Eh, I figure they know ways around it. With or without it wouldn’t make much of a difference at their level. But for us? It’ll work like a charm.” He grinned.

“I’m still not getting it.” Micah complained.

“Look. Tonight, I’ll join the Ascentionalists. You’re already a Naturalist. And Bob here was practically invited into the Martials. With me so far?”

“Yeah?”

“Normally, there factions don’t share information. There are probably even Spells against that. But we will swear on a Blood Contract, between ourselves, that we will do everything in our power to circumvent that. Anything of value we can share, we will. Anything we can’t, we’ll find a way to do it anyway. It doesn’t matter if a magical compulsion will be placed on us to make us stick with our groups. This will supersede that.”

“…damn. I- I really don’t know what to say.” The lycan muttered.

“Bold.” Bob said. “Perhaps foolish, but bold. And if they catch us?”

“Then we’re screwed. So better make sure we get powerful enough to not care before that happens.” He said, making the gaindel laugh.

“I did not join this academy to take half-steps. I’m in.”

Michael smiled, nodding. Now there was just Micah to decide, his first friend in this new world.

“Damn… you know, I really wanted to make my time at Gnosis an easy one. Make friends, make connections, barter information and goods. This path to power stuff isn’t really my whole deal.”

“No.” Michael said, smiling at his greedy friend. “But now that’s in front of you, are you gonna say no to it?”

“…argh, I so hate you right now. Fine! Deal. Let’s do this already.”

That was how they spend their lunch break. Signing a magical Blood Contract, promising to always share information among themselves, to always try their best and get whatever benefits their own faction had to the others and to never speak of this to anyone.

Their own secret faction, hidden in blood and magic.

***

Now.

“I welcome you Michael, to the Ascentionalists. Ever higher!” he said.

“Ever higher!” a chorus of voices spoke, from the teachers and student both.

Michael got to sit at a teacher’s table, just this once, for his extraordinarily public inclusion in Regitris’s faction. He smiled and accepted compliments and questions alike. He really was happy, but not because of where he was dining.

He was happy because he saw Micah sitting at a table with a few of his fellow mages. The lycan have him a discrete nod. He was happy because he saw Bob talking with Erea and Alex, a stony figure standing behind him, a hand on his shoulder.

He might have been forced into choosing a side publicly, but Michael smiled, knowing that just this once, he had managed to beat the game.

He got to choose all sides at once.