Chuck headed into the ground floor of the massive building. There were doors situated on every flat wall of the tower on the ground floor. People were coming and going, most dressed in traditional mage garb. Chuck learned the robes were colored per their choice of specialty. The only ones not wearing robes were the younger students or those in the beginner classes.

Mages studying under the arcane wore dark blue robes, magicraft wore dark grey, spellcraft wore what they called silver robes but they were just light grey, and the warcraft wore a dark red robe. The higher up a mage was the more fanciful their robes tended to become. They always kept the base color though.

Harlo told him the reasoning behind the different colors, but mostly it was so you can easily identify another mage if you had a question that they specialized in. Chuck didn't really care for robes and there was no requirement to wear one. But just like the Vupon, it seemed to be a cultural thing.

Chuck found the boarding master after wandering around the first floor for twenty minutes. There were dozens of rooms with classes going on in many of them. Curiosity drove Chuck to take a peek into a few. Most were dull lectures on the theory behind magic or the base structure of a spell and what it meant.

Chuck just didn't see the point to these lessons, at least not for him.

Chuck walked into the room marked 'Boarding', an older man sat behind a counter.

"Hello, I was told to come here for a room assignment."

The man looked up from his work to take Chuck in. He glanced at his sword before replying. "You can keep your sword but if you draw it on a student be prepared to face consequences."

The thought never even crossed Chuck's mind.

"Do you have the slip you were issued?"

Chuck handed the man the slip he got when he first arrived.

"Hmm, warcraft... I guess the sword makes more sense then."

The man flipped through a book, running his finger down the page before he made a mark.

"You're dormitory is on the fifth floor, room 5D. You can choose any bed with an open footlocker. A robe will cost you ten silver if you wish to purchase one."

"I'll pass for now, where can we eat?"

"The mess hall is on the second floor, room 2A."

"Thanks, um... how do I know which classes to attend or when they are held?"

"There is a board posted in the mess hall with a listing of classes and times, as well as one posted in each dorm. As you are only an intermediate student you will need to attend at least four classes a week. If a teacher thinks you show no talent you may be ejected from the class. Three ejections and you must leave the Tower."

Chuck thought that was a bit harsh, hopefully, he measured up. He found the stairs and headed up to the fifth floor, glad once again for his improved stats. It was easy to tell which students lacked high endurance as they plodded up the stairs, huffing and puffing. A few gave him dirty looks as he hopped past them with ease.

Chuck wasn't even winded as he stepped off onto the fifth floor. It was easy enough to find his dorm room. About twenty small beds filled the space. He saw three with open trunks. He decided the one against the back wall was fine.

He set his bag down on the bed. When he opened the flap he was surprised to find a few items he hadn't put in there. He remembered the items though, Mellas had retrieved them from the mage's corpse.

There were two small mirrors, he wasn't sure what they were for, other than being a mirror. He doubted the mage was vain enough to carry a regular mirror around. The other item was a small bag. When Chuck opened it he found twenty gold, and five silver, along with the dead man's ring. A note was hidden at the bottom.

Make us proud. -E

Chuck teared up a bit, "bastards," he whispered, a smile on his face.

He quickly wiped the tears away. Nobody was in the room so he took his dagger and made a small cut in the mattress and stuffed the money pouch in there for safety. He kept his other money tucked behind his armor in a pocket. The strange mirrors went back into his bag and he shoved it into the footlocker. The only other item he kept on him was the weird pendant. It was small enough to tuck behind his armor as well.

At no point did it cross his mind to take his armor off or relinquish his sword. He did need to clean the armor though it was starting to get rank. He would have to look for a place to wash clothes nearby.

After Chuck was done storing his gear he headed down to the mess hall for some food. He would check out the class board down there.

The mess hall had a steady flow of people coming and going. It wasn't a surprise to Chuck, it was near lunchtime. He was surprised by the fact that he had to pay for food. It was high school lunch all over again he groaned.

He grabbed some fruit, a beverage, and some sort of meat on a stick. At first, he thought the stick was wood, but it turned out to be a hollow piece of reed, kind of like bamboo. The whole thing cost him, two copper. So at least it was a reduced price.

He found a seat away from anyone and sat down to eat and contemplate. A few minutes later someone sat down opposite him. When Chuck looked up to see who it was he was surprised to find Harlo.

"Hey, Chuck, how did your orientation go. Mine was amazing, they showed me the library and the theory labs. I could barely pull myself away to come and find you. So... which specialty and level did you choose?"

Chuck looked at Harlo, he was already sporting his new dark blue robes.

"Intermediate, warcraft," he mumbled between bites.

Harlo just stared at him in disbelief. "But...why?"

Chuck shrugged, "seemed like the best fit for me. If you are referring to the level, I think I annoyed the guy that signed us up and he sent me off without one. I was forced to prove myself before I got a placement."

"Well, I guess if that was what you wanted. Still, don't neglect the other fields of study. Warcraft might teach you how to fight with magic but without war, you will have little opportunity to put those skills to the test."

"I know. Oh, since you're here maybe you can help me identify an item."

"Do you have it with you?" Harlo asked excitedly.

"No, they just like two simple mirrors but I got them from a mage."

"A mage gave them to you?"

"Hmm... not exactly."

"You didn't steal them did you?" Harlo said, a horrified expression on his face.

"No, no, nothing like that. I won them... in a duel."

Harlo went white, "you challenged a mage to a duel already?"

Chuck sighed, "no, this was over a month ago, and the mage challenged me to a duel, he accused me of theft after he had someone plant an item of his on me. I was forced to fight in a shielded ring. The man was arrogant and assured of his victory. It allowed me a lucky attack that he failed to block."

"Well, for your sake I hope he doesn't seek retribution."

"Yeah, I don't think I will need to worry about that, he's dead."

Harlo just stared at him.

"What, he picked the terms of the duel. Can we go back to discussing the mirrors?"

Harlo shook himself, "yes you're right. Please excuse my prying. The mirrors, yes... well, they could be just mirrors. But I doubt a mage would have carried them into a fight if they were a simple bauble like that."

"That's what I thought."

"There are a few magical items that use mirrors. Looking glasses allow one to view a set area. You would only need one mirror for this though. A magic reflector uses a mirror to reflect spells at the caster. These are single-use items and only really useful against common spells. They are also expensive. The most likely thing that matches your description is a set of portal mirrors."

"Portal mirrors?"

"Yes, they are linked magical devices that allow one mirror to communicate with the other over vast distances."

"How far?"

Harlo shrugged, "it would depend on the quality of the item. Even a simple set of mirrors could run ten gold."

Chuck choked on his drink, coughing to clear the liquid from his throat. He had just tossed the items back into his bag like nothing.

"If you're done eating and getting your classes I can help test the items for you."

"I still have to choose some classes, give me a few minutes."

Harlo nodded.

It didn't take Chuck long to finish his meal and head over to the class board.

There were so many different choices.

'At least they are broken down by specialty.'

The first class Chuck picked was a history of magic. He was hoping for some foundational knowledge.

Next, he chose a class on spellcraft, figuring it might help him learn to combine more spells or even create some of his own.

The last two classes were from the warcraft specialty, counterspells, and positional advantage. Both were listed as 'hands-on'. Chuck figured this meant actual fighting like he saw this morning.

"Alright, I'm ready," Chuck said.

Harlo followed Chuck up to the fifth floor. There were a few students in the dorm room. A few looked at him but upon seeing he wasn't wearing a robe dismissed him. More were curious as to why Harlo was here.

Chuck rooted around in his bag until he produced the mirrors.

Harlo's eyes sparkled when he saw the items. "They are portal mirrors," he said quietly, "and not just the base item. I can't tell for certainty but these could connect over a fifty-kilometer distance."

"That's good?" Chuck asked, not having a clue.

"Oh yes, a basic set of mirrors might be able to communicate over five kilometers. The next step up maybe twenty-five. I would estimate yours at third-tier. Someone with the magicraft specialty could tell you more. Care to test them?"

"Eh sure, why not."

"Excellent, just feed a little mana into the item."

Chuck did as asked. While looking at the mirror, his reflection faded and was replaced by Harlo's. Harlo smiled and waved.

Harlo chuckled, this was picked up by the mirror and transmitted to Chuck's. The sound started to feedback until it became a cacophony of noise until Chuck stopped the flow of mana. He had to shake his head to stop the ringing.

"Ok, note to self, don't activate mirrors in close proximity to each other."

"Ugh, I agree. That noise made it hard to even think. If you're ever interested in selling them let me know, I would love to purchase an item of that quality."

Harlo looked around, the room had emptied due to the noise. "You may want to add a tracking spell to them to keep someone from wandering off with them," he said quietly.

"Tracking spell?"

"Oh sorry, I forgot not everyone has my knowledge. It essentially means tagging it with a bit of your mana."

"Won't that activate the mirror?"

"No, you're only attaching the mana to the item, not feeding it into it. Try picturing your mana doing just that."

"Ok," Chuck said with a skeptical look.

He concentrated on having the mana coat the mirrors. It was a weird sensation, having the mana just stick to something. It worked though. Chuck could see the mana as a blue haze around the object.

"That was a bit overkill, just a dab would have been plenty. Well, at least this way it will be nearly impossible to remove the signature without destroying the item. Now watch."

Harlo took one of the mirrors and left the room. Chuck waited for five minutes before he heard a cough coming from his mirror. He looked down to see Harlo's face.

"Now, come find me," the man said with a smile.

Chuck wasn't really in the mood for hid and seek but figured he might as well humor the man. This might be an important skill to learn.

Chuck followed an undulating blue line that only he seemed to be able to see, probably because it was his mana. People walked through the line without disturbing it, yet it floated on invisible currents. He was studying these currents when he felt his mind expand.

You have unlocked the skill Mana Sense. Would you like to train this skill? Y/N

He chose yes and looked at the skill.

Name: Mana Sense

Rarity: Uncommon

Level: 0-3

Status: Passive

Stat: Intuition

SP to next level: 400

Description: Ability to sense common spells being readied.

Chuck was ecstatic about learning the new skill. He recalled this was another skill that Ricardo had utilized. It would come in handy.

Chuck followed the rest of the trail until it ended in a room on the third floor. Chuck entered to find Harlo in a conversation with a grey-haired mage wearing dark grey. They both looked up as he entered.

"Marask, this is Chuck, Chuck, Marask."

"Ah, so this is the boy you mentioned. Welcome to my humble lab. I must say, your mirror is fascinating."

"How so?"

"Well for one, the quality is excellent, but more so I am referring to the ability to transmit sound. I believe this set of items belonged to a pupil of mine. He taught at this school until his hubris got the better of him and he lost in a duel against a former student. I'm told you are to thank for finally ridding the world of that monster?"

"I guess, although, I never got the mage's name."

"For the best, let him be forgotten in the annals of history."

"Can I ask something?"

"Go ahead, boy."

"How come you are in a third-floor lab and not higher up in the tower?"

"I used to be, but age catches up to us all and my skills have atrophied with time. Alas, I still have my mind and am a capable teacher."

"Wait, skills can atrophy?"

The old man chuckled," ah the ignorance of youth, of course, they can. Just like a muscle, they must be kept in use or they deteriorate over time. Your attributes will keep most of this at bay until the decline exceeds your growth potential. This varies from person to person depending on their base stats and if they have let them go over the years. You shouldn't need to worry about it for another few decades."

Chuck wasn't sure he would ever need to worry about it. With his high stats that would never deteriorate and the ability to train multiple skills at the same time, it didn't seem like something he would need to focus on.

"Thank you for the information," Chuck added.

"No, son, thank you. Now you two should be off to classes."

Chuck and Harlo nodded as they left the room. Harlo handed the mirror back and said his goodbye.

Chuck headed back to his room to stash the mirrors. He wasn't sure what to do with them yet.