[Graduation]

Your training has taken you far. Having hit level 40, your [Apprentice] skill is no longer in effect.

Your training is complete. Unlocking full benefits of the system now…

Loading….

…..

Loading is complete. Prepare for immediate removal of this system. Thank you for sacrificing your peace and time to aid the world of Ahya. May the Mother watch over you.

Eric stared wide-eyed at the system message, letting it sink in. Just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. So did the status on the top-left of his view, where he’d gotten used to seeing his level and health, as well as any active effects. Then the map disappeared from the top-right of his view, along with the quest he’d had active. He couldn’t even remember what that was now, having become so used to seeing Ahya through what felt like a screen.

There was nothing in his vision now, he noticed. Lifting one hand in front of his eyes, it looked as normal as could be expected. But he couldn’t help feeling, with a sense of elation, that he only felt more… connected to it. The removal of the system might have panicked anyone else, but all he felt was the fierce exaltation racing through his veins. He’d always been average at one thing or another in his life, never truly excelling. Here was something that he’d finally put pride into, and gotten really good at.

Now came the part he wasn’t expecting. A few seconds after the system faded from his existence, or perhaps minutes later, something in his mind snapped like an over-tightened string. It wasn’t painful, but he felt as if pressure had been building up, and only now let loose. Energy rushed from some part of him that had lain hidden, filling his limbs with new strength. A tingle like electricity was racing through his body, jumping from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Simply put, he felt unstoppable.

He stood relishing the feeling for a few moments as it faded, leaving only a core of strength behind it. It hadn’t drastically increased his power or anything earth-shattering. It simply felt as if a chill had run down his spine, or he’d jumped into a hot bath after being outside in the cold for a while. It was a nice feeling, he thought, curling his gloved hand into a fist again and again.

“Eric!” A voice came from somewhere in front of him, startling him out of his thoughts. “Where the devil have you been, friend? I thought you’d died or moved away!”

He looked up to see a man in full plate mail approaching him from down the otherwise deserted road. He was at the head of a small group of people, all traveling together and looking intensely curious. It was Sergeant Alex Moran, he realized. In the year since they’d last met, Moran had acquired a new weapon, armor, and even two little scars. Eric could see the small amount of growth he’d gone through in their time apart, making him seem a little more different, more dangerous.

“Hey,” he said brightly, grinning as he and Moran gripped each other’s forearms in greeting, then embraced. “I’ve been away, working my ass off. Got back to Milagre just in time for this war.”

“Man, interesting events just follow you, don’t they?” One of the figures beside Moran spoke up now, moving forward with his hand outstretched. Eric recognized Johan and embraced him warmly. “I tell you, we had a much more peaceful life after you disappeared.”

Eric laughed at the jibe, clapping Johan on the shoulder. It was as if they’d not been apart, and were just on another mission. “Thanks for coming, guys. You’re the best fighters I know who could help me.”

“Right,” Moran said, putting his business face on. “What exactly did you want us to do? The message from Bragg wasn’t exactly clear. He just asked us to report here, to you, and that it was extremely urgent.”

“It is, I promise,” Eric assured him. “But who are these other people? I see some new faces.”

“Ah, yes,” Moran replied, a grim light of humor in his eyes. “Well, in the past year, I’ve started my own company. Got a base and everything. These are my men.”

“Ahem,” one of them, wearing a deep hood, coughed for attention. “We’re not all men, here.”

“Not like you look particularly feminine, Sora,” Johan said. The woman glared at him but didn’t comment. Johan turned back to Eric. “Moran convinced me to work for him permanently. Money’s good, but it’s nice to be with a steady group.”

“I get that,” Eric said, with some feeling. “I haven’t been doing much work myself. Just training.”

“I’ve heard,” Johan said, raising his eyebrows. “Rumor is you’re the first person to ever get that stubborn guy Ehran to teach you. Not only that, they say you’re actually learning his style. How did you manage that?”

“Stubbornness and a lot of hard work,” Eric said with a laugh.

“We’re getting off-topic,” Moran interrupted. “Why do you need us here, Eric? You know we’re not a registered militia. We can’t do any work with the city surrounded, sure, but we also don’t work for free.”

“You’ll be paid,” Eric said. He’d expected this question and wasn’t thrown by it. He did a quick head count. “There are nineteen of us in total, and we’re each getting three hundred gold for the trouble.”

He didn’t add that the gold was coming from his own pocket, not that it made any difference. The others perked up at the number he threw out, and smiles were visible on each one of them. Only Johan and Moran seemed less than satisfied. Johan simply shrugged, content with whatever happened, but Moran was frowning as he thought that through.

“That’s a lot of gold,” he said. “What’s the job?”

“We’re defending the palace,” Eric said. “There’s a risk that invaders might get in. If they do, we’re to stop them.”

“Ah,” Moran said. Now there was a grin on his face. “Of course this job comes from the Crown. You’ve got some useful connections, alright.”

“Hey, it’s not like they make my life stress-free,” Eric retorted. “Are you in?”

“Of course I’m in,” Moran said. “Shame. I wanted to hire you once I made my new company. But clearly, you’ve got better conditions here than anything I could offer you.”

Eric’s eyes widened at the statement. From Moran’s perspective, he looked like a royally commissioned soldier, with elite trainers and unique skillsets that put him in a tier far above the man’s budget. But Eric was more surprised that his old sergeant had thought highly of him, and even wanted to keep him around. “Well, I don’t think this job will last long, and I got money. I’m always willing to fight with you if you’ll have me.”

He and Moran locked eyes for several seconds, and the older man grinned. “Still as basic as ever, eh? Alright. Once this damned war is over, I’ll keep you busy.”

“Megan, are you alright?”

They were seated around a small fire a ways away from the road, sitting cross-legged while Jordan and Rachel split the duties of preparing a quick meal for them. They’d agreed to take a short hour break here, about halfway between Milagre and Rabanul. They weren’t speaking much due to a mix of tension and exhaustion. Now Michael’s voice broke into her thoughts, and she looked up in surprise.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She said. “Why?”

“You looked overjoyed for a moment,” Michael said quietly, leaning closer so that only she could hear his words. “Then you just had a weird flicker in your mana.”

She looked at him in some surprise, wondering what he was talking about. She’d just gone through the same process as Eric, watching all signs of the system that had been guiding her vanish from view. She’d just been looking at her character sheet, pleased with her progress. Since her arrival in Ahya, she’d gotten all the way to level 44, just past the threshold for Apprentice. It was nothing however to the feeling that now she was truly connected to Ahya. She wasn’t to know it of course, but her thoughts had been in line and in time with Eric’s own on the subject.

“A flicker?” She queried, raising an eyebrow. “How do you mean?”

Michael frowned slightly at her confusion. She could easily identify the glow in his eyes that symbolized Truesight now and knew he was using it. It was becoming more and more common. Instead of once or twice a day, she was spotting the change several times. Maybe he was truly mastering the ability, she thought. That made sense. Michael was easily the most gifted student out of their group.

“It was like you got a little more powerful just sitting there,” Michael said quietly. “What happened?”

“Well,” she said quietly, checking to make sure that Rachel and Jordan weren’t listening, then turning so her lips were close to his ear. “Ever since I came to Ahya, there’s been a… system I guess.”

“A system.” He said it simply. It wasn’t a question. “Okay. I won’t pretend to know what that means.”

“Right. Well, it’s a sort of magic that came with my teleportation here. It’s been giving me advice, helping me grow, and tracking my progress in training. It just vanished.”

“Oh,” Michael said, leaning back now. He looked perplexed. “That sounds like a bad thing, but you looked so happy for a second.”

She didn’t pause to think why he’d bother to notice or comment on her emotional changes. “No, it’s actually kind of awesome. It means that I’m fully connected to Ahya now. I feel like a normal person at last.”

He held out one hand. “Let me feel.”

She was confused at first, but put her left hand in his right, watching as he closed his fingers around her significantly smaller hand. His mana coursed through her for a brief moment, washing from her arm to her head, then her feet, and back out. It was like being x-rayed with magic, she thought. His confusion seemed to deepen.

“What is it?” She asked, pulling her hand back. He seemed frozen, taking a bit longer than was polite to release his grip. “Did you sense something wrong?”

“Well, not exactly,” Michael replied. “But I think you’re right. You don’t feel… different anymore.”

“Well, thanks for that,” she retorted, a hint of annoyance entering her voice. “Glad to know I finally fit in.”

He looked apologetic at her reply, which definitely wasn’t his style. In times past, this kind of exchange would have sparked one of their many arguments. Maybe he was more tired than he appeared, she thought. She knew that, before joining them on their trip, he’d been taking a big part in the initial fighting before going to the armory to get a new weapon.

“That reminds me,” she said before he could reply to her sarcastic barb. “Samuel said you were visiting the armory. He mentioned something about a new weapon. What did you get?”

A slight smile spread across his face at the words, and he put a single finger to his lips. “It’s a secret. You’ll find out soon enough.”

She frowned at him but decided not to press the issue. Instead, she returned to the previous subject. “Okay then. Well, it seems that I’m no different from anyone else here, now. Not sure if that’s good or bad in the long run, and it’s not something I’ll be able to figure out quickly. I have a feeling this is a unique type of magic that only Samuel knows how to use, and it’s probably new even to him.”

“That figures,” Michael said with a quiet snort. “That man is known for creating a new spell every week, and a new type of magic every few years.”

“That’s what you get when you’re an actual genius,” Rachel said, making both of them start guiltily. She’d apparently heard this last comment as she came over with two bowls of rich stew. “He’s not the Paragon of the Arcane for nothing.”

“Gives you a good idea of what your future will be like,” Jordan said to Megan, sitting to Michael’s left with his own bowl. “Since you’re his apprentice, I mean. After all, he’s teaching you about that unique magic you have, right?”

She’d told them all about Alice, the infernal who even now snoozed in the back of her mind. She couldn’t think of a way to conceal the news from them, and besides, she trusted them enough to have no secrets. Well, she’d still not clued them in to her real identity, she reminded herself, so maybe some secrets. Even now, she wondered why Michael was okay with keeping that part of her secret. Nothing was stopping him from telling everyone the truth.

“Right,” Megan said with a heavy sigh. “I’m destined for great things, being his apprentice. Great things like paperwork, meetings with important people, and some damned heavy expectations.”

They all chuckled quietly at that, then dug into the stew. It was simple food, but it was also hot and nourishing. They all finished their portions quickly, then leaned back on logs or packs with contented sighs, enjoying the revitalizing food. Megan was sure that they were dreaming of the time when they were just students, with only the minor stress of homework and revision to worry about. None of them, apart from Megan, had expected to be thrown into the chaotic progression of war.

“Can’t believe what we’re about to do,” Rachel said, echoing the thought that was in all their minds. “Think about how much rests on this mission.”

“I’m trying not to think about it,” Jordan commented, with some spirit. “Best not to let fear cloud our minds.”

That sentiment, coming from the quiet, unshakable, and brave figure of Jordan, resonated strongly with the others. It was the simplest expression that, while contradictory to the image they all held of him, spoke of their deepest thoughts with frightening clarity. There was indeed a lot riding on this mission, and their ability to complete it. But there was also a good reason not to let that pressure affect them. Megan was confident that they’d succeed. They were a good team, and they had Samuel’s help.