Chapter eighteen G.

We left the adornments of the master cabin and made our way once again through the hallway past the galley and up onto the stern of the ship. The main deck had an overhang in a table laid out underneath it that allowed for an outdoor dining experience. The table had been shortened to allow the three of us to eat closer together. The silence that pervaded our conversation as we were guided to our seats by two young Nymphs dressed as serving maids allowed us to digest what we had just learned. By the look on Ashley's face, she was absolutely horrified to discover just a fraction of the abuses suffered by her favorite race of slaves. Rachel had a similar quiet countenance, but I could tell that she was thinking far more critically of what had happened, and though she was disgusted by it, there was an undertone of a desire for change as well.

We were sat at the table, and the meal began. My slaves diligently filled wine glasses and brought out the first course of the meal prepared by May. As the night air had a chill on it, I was happy to note that the first course was a warm soup of some kind, thick with cream and starchy as if from potatoes.

"This is wonderful, your cook is quite accomplished." Ashley said.

"May is wonderful, and I must admit I am said I do not get to eat her food every day now that I am at the college."

"That complaint is the one most nobles give when they start life at the college. The college cafeteria is exceptional but feeding a few thousand mages and staff...well the food can never be as good as we are most accustomed to." Rachel added with a smile.

"Speaking of the college, what are the classes like?"

"Oh, dull. Its all mostly basic information on spell theory and how important mages are to the Empire. There is one class a day, the main lecture which is held every Mundness (mon) at noon. Then Tamuss (tue) threw Harness (thu), you choose which elemental class to sit in on, or enchanting and alchemy and the like. You must go to one class a day, but you can sit in on as many as three a day, Goddess forbid. Lastnuss (fri) is reserved for new arrivals and thus no classes except for during the exams." Ashley said.

"I take enchanting on both Tamuss (tue) and Harness (thu), along with my other affinity classes." Rachel added, sounding proud.

"Yes, and she is one of the few who do. Why stress yourself? We are all here just to get the title and then pay back the Empire and become good little overlords and help fight of the beast kin clans to the south." Ashley added in an overly dramatic board tone.

"Well, I love me a smart girl." I said, winking at Rachel, whose lip smirked.

"Me to, her brain can be so creative." Ashley added teasingly.

"So how often are the exams and what are they?"

"They are really only there to insure that the mages know how to fight and to help them gain levels. There is an entrance test that is held a month or so after entry into the college. Then the solstice exams and mid feast exams, those total eight through out the year. As to what they are, you go into the dungeon and see how far you can get with your group. Your group will consist of Rachel, you, and me along with a selection of experienced non mage dungeon divers. They help but not a lot, their there more to keep us from dying." Ashley said.

"Is that the only time we can go into the dungeon?"

"No, you can when ever you want as a student at the college. But why would you want to go more. The best thing to do is only go one or two floors per solstice test at a time. That way when you only have to make it to level 12 or 16 of the dungeon." Rachel said as if she was revealing a common methide of cheating on a test.

"And that's the only test the dungeon? Nothing for homework or for classes?"

"Work for the classes, why?" Ashley asked, genuinely curious.

"No, though those of us that wish to become powerful mages do tend to study more. And practicing enchantments if you want to be an enchanter is always a worthwhile idea." Rachel said while glaring at Ashley. I could tell she had fruitlessly tried to get her friend to study more.

"If you go in by yourself, do those count against your test levels?"

"No, just how far you go when you take the solstice test." Rachel said.

"I hope this is not rude, but what are your levels, or the general levels of the mages...I guess?" I asked.

"I'm level 29. Do you know the average Rachel?"

"Yes, most of the mages range from level 35 to 40 after graduating and serving the Empire. I am level 32 though I am somewhat more dedicated."

The courses of the meal passed as we talked; May's wonderful cooking, providing a delectable backdrop to our conversation.

"Your ship, it is quite unusual." Rachel said, giving me a knowing look.

"That's because I made it." I said flatly, letting the words sink in. Rachel stopped eating and stared at me, her brain running through some form of calculations.

"You're a nature mage then?" Ashly asked, impressed at the discovery.

"Yes, though I have high affinities for a lot of magic."

"Well coming from another world must provide some benefits then; high affinities are rare and to have multiple...you will be in quite high demand when you leave the college." Rachel added.

"Sippsie has truly blessed us, a power full mage as an acting husband. This is so exciting I am sure that father will be ecstatic when he finds out."

'I hope so. The last thing I want to do is piss off some duke.' I thought. "So distributing stats...?" I questioned, trailing off.

"That...most mages put there points into mana but neglecting the other stats can be detrimental as well...or so they say." Ashley said.

"It really depends on what you want to do, many mages focus solely on mana, but that only allows them to use a few dozen spells in a fight normally before they have to recoup their mana. There are spell fighters though, that focus on physical combat and only have a few spells they can use in a fight. You carry a sword, are you any good with it?" Rachel asked.

"I am decent, what's the main drawback of mana?"

"Well, it's a balance between capacity and recharge. Some spells require more mana to cast, so if your capacity is low, you won't even be able to cast some spells. If your recharge is to low, then your useless in a dungeon. Using a lot of mana quickly can leave you incapacitated as well, so your capacity should never fall below 20 percent, or use more than 50 percent of your mana at once. It will leave you feeling quite sick, or you can pass out."

"Interesting, thank you." I said while thinking about the points I had to spend. I currently had 28 attribute points to spend from reaching level 26. The amount of mana I could recharge was not a problem being able to recharge my whole mana pool in 13 seconds when I had used it on the Unagi though I had felt the sickness. Even though I had recouped my mana in a few seconds, I still had the lingering effects for half an hour or so. That would be a problem in real combat.

Coming to a decision, I was going to focus some of my points on mana capacity but was not going to neglect the more physical attributes as well. I began to slowly apply the points.

"Timmothy where you able to find houses?" I asked.

Timothy moved closer from the edge of the room and answered, "Yes Lord Grayson, there are currently three properties that are for sale from fallen nobility in the manor district."

"You are going to buy a house? Can I come and see them with you? I have always wanted to go house shopping." Ashley said in an excited rush.

"Yes, though the ship is wonderful I can't have everyone stay on board for years. I would be delighted to have you along."

"When can we view the houses?"

"We can look at them at your leisure, two are vacant and the steward of the last assured me that the Lady of the house is accommodating to buyers." Timothy said.

"Wonderful, Rachel did you want to come as well?"

"No... Thank you...Ashley will be much more fun to have along." Rachel said, trying not to sound rude but clearly thoroughly uninterested.

Once the meal was complete, Ashley, Rachel, and me, along with Sasha and Brie, made our way back to the college along the surprisingly well-lit streets.