The next day didn’t come soon enough. Hump spent the night on edge, the brief moments of sleep he caught interrupted by nightmares. His waking thoughts twisted by the creaks of the old inn and distant voices of the city. He gave up come first light, heading down to the tavern where the kitchen staff were already at work. He didn’t feel much like eating, so sat on a bench outside, wrapped tightly in his cloak and basking in the morning sun.

Gods, I feel awful, he thought, clutching his cloak around him a little tighter, the pale green cloth soft and warm.

They ate a long breakfast that morning, and then the four of them headed to the Upper City, leaving Vivienne to her own plans. She was to pass on news of their attack to Countess Daston, though Hump suspected news of the captured thug had likely reached her already. A part of him wanted to go and see what they’d discovered so far about the black stone artifact. It was one of those times he’d wished he’d paid more attention to his formation and runic studies, rather than focusing so much on the simple but explosive spells.

Another thing for another time. For now, he had enough to focus on with his new spells, and he’d also decided to start working on some of the cantrips his master had tried so hard to make him practice. He was never much good at finicky alarm spells and traps, but he’d come a long way since then. He’d grown stronger.

For today, they had Bud’s new blessing to test out, and the academy grounds would make the perfect place to practice. With a bit of luck, their new assignment would be ready for them too. Ricard’s second, Natalie, had told them they would likely be patrolling the other regions of a dungeon this time. A dangerous job, and one they needed to properly prepare for. The sooner they found out, the better.

When they arrived at the academy grounds, Hump was surprised at how busy it was. Those too young to take on quests were hard at training, and many of the older students had already returned and were taking advantage of their break to get some practice in. There was a seriousness to their practice now that Hump hadn’t picked up on before. Fewer smiles, and more intense training.

It was interesting watching the younger students. Most were practicing with their weapons or training with their first blessings under the tutelage of instructors, for not even the most fortunate Chosen would reach their second circle until their teens. They wielded small slivers of power, hardly enough to do anything, let alone be useful in a fight. Hump had always envisioned Chosen with sudden strength, but seeing them now in training, it seemed there was at least some hard work to it.

Ricard had yet to return from his expedition beyond the city, so they met with Natalie once again.

“We’ve assigned you an Iron 4 patrol quest,” she told them, handing them the assignment. “It should be quite an interesting one, and from your party combination, one I believe you will be well suited for.”

Hump looked through the request. They’d been assigned to the Dungeon of Stonebark Forest—one of the three dungeons that had opened around Sheercliff and was currently the only one still classified as Tier 3. The others had already risen a tier higher.

Still, a ranking like that was enough to make Hump apprehensive. Reading through the details, their role was to work with several other parties to protect the villages closest to the dungeon while the main expedition force, made up of mostly bronze ranked adventurers, would attempt to reach the dungeon core at the centre of the forest. The expedition attack would likely cause many monsters to flee the forest, which is where the iron ranked parties would come in.

“Is this an academy expedition?” Bud asked.

“Yes, Ricard will be leading the expedition,” Natalie said. “We will be working closely with the Pantheon, who have provided a force of Chosen as support.”

Bud nodded. “Understood.”

“Good luck to you all,” she said. “Marcela has been put in command of the iron ranked patrols. She can provide you additional details on the known monsters in the area, along with details on how to best prepare to face them.”

Hump wasn’t sure how to feel about the decision to put Marcela in charge. An academy education might be useful, but it didn’t make up for experience. Not that he could complain. She was Countess Daston’s daughter, and from what she had seen of her so far, she seemed like the kind of noble he wanted in charge.

“May I see that?” Dylan held out a hand and Hump handed him the quest paper. “I can’t believe Stonebark Forest has turned into a dungeon.”

“Do you know it?” Celaine asked.

“Not very well,” Dylan said. “My master and I passed through it early into my apprenticeship. It’s a fascinating place. Most of the plant life there has a powerful earth affinity, making it incredibly durable.”

Hump groaned. “Locations like this are always the worst.”

“Why?” Bud asked. “Sounds interesting to me.”

“Essence-rich environments are full of monsters,” Hump said. “They’re the only things that can survive when plants are tough as rock.”

“From what I’ve heard, most of the beasts there also possess an earth affinity,” Dylan said. “Lots of poisonous creatures too.”

Bud sighed. “Well, that’s just great.”

“We’ll just have to stock up on some potions,” Dylan said. “I’m sure we’ll be fine in the outer regions at least.”

“Bud had a bad experience with poison in our last dungeon,” Hump said quietly. “It ended with a rather hard slap to the face."

Celaine snorted.

"Ah," Dylan said. “Hopefully it won’t come to that this time.”

They found Marcela in the rearmost training ground, built with a view of the far side of Sheercliff, away from the city, and toward the distant mountains. The space had been reserved for students that were part of the expedition, with constructs and instructors giving priority to the students here. Half a hundred Chosen sparring and practicing together was quite a sight, their blessings tearing apart the self-repairing grounds as they fought. Though, watching them, Hump didn’t feel inferior. Most were a little older than him, though it seemed few had reached their third blessing, and even fewer the third circle.

Marcela was toward the centre, training with her five-man party against three mid-tier constructs. She wielded a single-edged sword, curved to the tip, moving with speed that could match Celaine. On the frontline with her was a shield-bearing axeman, using some sort of suctioning power to force the constructs to remain close to him. There were two ranged attackers, one using water to restrict the movement of the golems while the second peppered them with arrows. The third was dressed as a priest and wielded a sceptre to cast some sort of protection magic. It flashed over Marcela each time the constructs attacked her, creating barriers that guarded against their blows, driving them back with force and creating openings for her. It seemed like a more effective form of Parry Shield, though that was often how it went with blessings.

As Hump watched, the constructs started to slow down. They were tough—too tough to take any serious damage—but they were enchanted to weaken at an appropriate pace. Their essence draining as they were beaten back, reflecting how a foe might act in real combat. Not perfect, but it was a training tool Hump was almost jealous of, and one he was certainly keen to try out. Sparring was good, but the ability to go all out against constructs that could repair themselves gave room for experimentation.

Marcela’s party made short work of the fight, their skill clearly far beyond the fight. They were coordinated, communicative, and well-focused—Hump got the impression they were training some specific. Each member worked together to create opportunities and cover one another’s weaknesses. When the battle finished, Marcela cheered.

She turned to her companions, grinning. “That was fantastic. Len your shields are getting more and more precise. It was the right call to have me attack more aggressively, though it’s still difficult to get used to. I keep expecting a fist to the face.”

The spellcaster smiled. “It’s a good way to make better use of your strength, though probably not a good idea to get too used to it.”

“Indeed, though it makes a world of difference if I don’t need to focus on staying alive myself.” Marcela looked over and saw them, a smile forming. “Give me a moment, everyone. These are the ones I told you of.” She greeted them fondly as she walked over. “So, what did you think?”

“Impressive,” Bud said. “Everyone here is. And so focused.”

“I’m glad to hear so. The deaths of those we lost in the field were a wakeup call. I think everyone here is motivated to make sure that doesn’t happen again. I take it you’re here because of the assignment?”

“That’s right,” Bud said. “Natalie told us to speak to you for additional quest details and monster information in the area. We’re here for our own practice too, so perhaps it would be better for us to regroup in a couple of hours?”

“Fantastic, yes. Let’s do that,” she said. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you working on today?”

“Well,” Hump said before Bud could answer, grinning. “Bud just received his third blessing. We’re going to do some experimenting.”

Marcela’s eyes widened a little. “You are how old again?”

“Seventeen,” Bud said.

“That is… impressive.”

Bud laughed. “It’s nothing really. Celaine is younger than me and she’s already reached her third circle. And Dylan’s nearing his fourth.”

Marcela took another moment. “It is no wonder my mother is so fond of you all. Well, congratulations. We shall speak more later.”

***

“I do not like this,” Bud said.

“You never like any of our tests,” Hump said.

Bud glared at him. “That’s because the overwhelming majority hurt.”

“Oh, stop being such a wuss,” Celaine said. “We all want to see what your new blessing can do, and there’s only one way to test armour.”

Bud stepped out into the field. “Fine, but I want Dylan to do it. I can trust him.”

“I am hurt!” Hump said. “Wounded, in fact.”

“Need I remind you of the near constant barrage of Rock Missiles all the way back from Milton?”

“Ah. Right. Yes, sorry about that.”

The druid smiled softly. “I’d be happy to help.”

He joined Bud in their section of the training grounds, staff in hand.

Bud grinned. “Then let us begin.”

He closed his eyes and started to chant. Hump felt a cold escape him, his essence manifesting over his body in streaks of icy smoke. Frostfire flickered over him, like a gently simmering fire. Cold exploded from him. His power rose, escaping him in waves, building. Slowly, the frostfire over him formed layers of frost, building upon each other, crystalising over his existing armour. It formed intricate plates of ice, shimmering like crystal, radiating blue light. His helmet took shape last, covering his entire head, a visor forming over his face. Only his eyes were visible within, burning with frostfire.

And then before them was no ordinary knight, but a Chosen armoured in ice. A paladin of Kelisia, radiating her likeness.

“How do I look?” Bud asked.

Hump swallowed, an instinctive fear welling in the pit of his stomach. He knew it was Bud, but helmed and hidden within armour, he was obscured. A being like fae from a tale.

“Like someone I wouldn’t want to mess with,” Hump said.

Celaine walked around him, inspecting his armour. “This is amazing. I wouldn’t even know where to shoot, other than your eyes.”

“Please don’t shoot my eyes,” Bud said.

Hump snorted. “What’s your visibility like? You don’t normally wear a helmet.”

“It’s good,” Bid said. “Better than a steel helmet with this kind of visor. Hold on.”

They watched as Bud took a breath, and then his helmet faded, disappearing on the wind like stardust. “That’s better. I don’t really want you beating me around the head anyway.”

“You can manifest pieces individually?” Hump asked.

Bud nodded. “I think so.”

“Interesting. I wonder how far you can push it. Can you change the shape at all? You might be able to shape spikes from the armoured pieces. A spiked gauntlet of ice would be pretty intimidating.”

“I’m sure my master would advise on some suggestions,” Dylan said.

“I’ll try some ideas out now and we’ll speak with her,” Bud said. “I’m still getting a feel for it.”

“Shall we properly test it out then?” Dylan said, hefting his staff.

Bud smiled, spreading his feet into a balanced stance. “Hit me.” He pounded his chest plate.

Dylan stepped closer. “My ordinary strength first.”

He drew back his staff, gripping it near the base of it so that he could swing with the entire shaft, then he swung with his entire body behind the blow. There was an explosion of icy mist a fraction of a second before impact. The sound of glass shattering.

As the mist cleared, the armoured piece was still intact, and a layer of ice had formed over the edge of Dylan’s staff.

The druid frowned. “Interesting. It felt like that explosion cushioned the impact. Did you do that, or did the blessing react on its own?”

“All I did was brace,” Bud said. “Try it again. Harder this time.”

Dylan did so, fuelling his body with essence, but even that left no mark. It was only when he used his Aspect of the Ape that Bud’s armour showed cracks, the cushioning ice unable to keep him from staggering back from the blow. Bud gasped, nearly falling to his knees but somehow keeping his balance. The crack in the ice worsened, essence leaking from the plate. After a few seconds, the piece shattered, essence fading into the air.

“Well, you just took a blow from a third circle druid and it hardly winded you,” Hump said.

“That was almost at full force too,” Dylan added. “I suspect my Aspect of the Bear would cause damage though.”

“Maybe with this, you could shrug off even a blow from a monster as powerful as the gorger,” Celaine said. “You’re going to be tough to kill.”

“A bastion against the monsters of the dark,” Hump said with a grin.

Bud returned the smile. “I like the sound of that.”