by John Gold
With the lecture over, I stand up and get in line to pick up my mage class. My heart is pounding, there’s an enormous grin on my face, and my eyes are sparkling happily. I think back to the long journey I’ve taken so that I could one day end up here in the academy. My first spell, the first skill I learned from the book, my first ritual, my first artifact, my first tattoo. Finally, I’m standing here, ready to get my class.
The line gets to me.
“Young…young man, would you like a mage class?”
You have a class offer: Mage
Accept: Yes/No
“Yes.”
***
Leon, Merlen, and Rebecca Ruzh were watching the recording of the tournament in Kkhor. The young man in the cat outfit was drowning his opponent in liquid glass, the most violent death of the competition.
“Rebecca, is that him?” Leon asked, worried.
“I can’t say for sure—it’s been eight years since we last saw each other. It’s hard to even compare him to the last recordings we have. The clothes are different, the battle style is different, and I don’t see any particular magic skills.”
It had been five and a half years since the battle for Airis Castle. Nothing but ruins were left of the fortress itself, despite all the defensive measures that had been taken, though Leon rebuilt the citadel stronger than ever. Airis was a city that time around, one of the few built for players and by players—the largest of them, in fact. After the fall of the two dark gods and Margul’s death, more than thirty dungeons appeared in the area, all varying in their degree of difficulty. The field of battle and the surrounding lands became a middle place of strength, the perfect place to do some leveling-up.
Still, all that paled in comparison with what had been expended on the search for Sagie. The gods all scoured the world for him. All respawn points around Airis were guarded by Golden Hand troops, and there were even wanted posters hung in every city, every village, and every rundown, roadside tavern.
To the entire world, Sagie had helped the dark gods—all the videos from the battle showed how Sagie and Femida had let the undead forces in. As soon as the two were within the fortress shields, the dark gods had begun their attack. The unusual kids, in fact, were branded a diversionary force. The next second, a meteor smacked into the little house next to the citadel, the world was enveloped in a red cloud, and Sagie summoned another enormous meteor. It destroyed the castle, killed the defenders, destroyed the attacking army, and defeated the dark gods.
Sagie returned a minute after the attack as a lich to heavily damage Margul. Death itself then appeared on the field of battle to take the boy’s soul back to Hell, and the result was Margul’s death in the crossfire, Sagie being decapitated, and all the undead trying to kill the lich going up in flames. Grass still didn’t grow on the spot of the battle. Bots didn’t appear, and birds gave it a wide berth. A few dungeons did appear directly beneath it, but no life came back.
The world considered Sagie an enemy, the most wanted criminal anywhere. The young gods announced a reward of a hundred million credits for information as to who the person hiding behind the screen name really was. Another twenty-five was promised for anyone who caught him in the game. Everyone with the name Sagie in Project Chrysalis was hunted down, the persecution continuing until none of them were left. His friend Femida had been thrown into jail twice; twice, she’d broken out. She was accused of aiding and abetting mass murder, the murder of the people living peacefully in Airis at the time of the battle. Her sentence was extended after she broke out, but nobody could figure out who she or Sagie was. They even sent clones of the boy after her and offered several times more than the official reward. But she refused. She refused to so much as talk.
Leon pulled himself away from his memories. Back then, they needed a respite from the war, and a little sacrifice bought them exactly that. But at what cost! After the battle for Airis Castle, he couldn’t sleep for almost a month. The doctors had to force him into it. The other young gods had the same problem, all of them terrified that Sagie would kill them and take away everything they’d achieved in the game. The prospective was so horrifying, in fact, that they all used any means they could to look for Sagie in real life. Rebecca Ruzh was grilled for three days straight in an attempt to find out every last detail she knew about the boy. They even hypnotized her in their effort to build a psychological portrait. The information they gained was passed on to the Union of Gods, which kept track of Sagie’s movements around the world.
The portrait was matched up against every database they had, spitting out about a thousand possibilities. None of them worked, however, as none of them had a character named Sagie. Some died, and others refused to cooperate, but in the end, they checked all of them and still couldn’t find the boy. The optimists among them said he’d walked away from the game, though the young gods thought that was a scary option. Nothing much could be worse than knowing there’s a person in the world who can stop by, take everything you have, and disappear.
“Did they interrogate him?” Leon asked Nate, who was personally in charge of the hunt for the boy.
“No. He left the Coliseum and hid in the sewers. Nobody’s seen anything of him since then. There aren’t any tracks, and we don’t have anything for the seeking spirits to latch onto.”
“Announce a reward in the headhunter guild for their heads and send a request to the League of Hunters.”
“Got it.”
It had been nine years since the beginning of the project. An incredible amount of effort and money had been poured into building the foundation, and the plan was only 13% complete. Only people like Leon could cope with such a labor-intensive job, one that demanded they step across the bodies they left in their path. He forewent principles, declined morals, and sacrificed the idea of having a family in favor of his goal. And they were just 13% of the way there. Nobody had yet gotten to Tanatos.
***
After the lecture, I go back to my seat and wait for the next one, the one about body modification. It’s already late in the evening, the sun has set, and a light snow swirls around the window. There’s no point going outside when it’s warm in here, so I drift off.
I wake up when a mage walks in. Judging by his clothing, he’s a life mage. My view is partially blocked by the bush, however. Wait, what bush?
“You’re also a life mage, I see.” It’s the kolobok from the administration desk. “And you’re strong enough to get your desk to sprout.”
A minute spent swearing like a sailor later, and the bush is gone. I drop the remains carefully in my bag.
“I’m sorry, it was an accident. It won’t happen again.”
The kolobok smiles happily. Apparently, he likes the bush more than the fact that I cleaned up after myself.
“Anri Diuval, dean of the Life Magic department. We met at the administration desk today, though you weren’t a mage then. It’s just odd that a person with your Life Magic skills is dressed so…modestly.”
Human, Anri Diuval, Level 514
I look like a kid from a very, very poor village family. Actually, that’s exactly who I am, but the point is that people like that don’t draw much attention in the city. Players think you’re a local beggar dropping in on the lecture to warm up. Even the lecturer stammered when he offered me my class.
“I have very modest skills. My strength isn’t that good, either.”
Anri smiles slyly. Now, with my advanced perception, I can sense the distortions in his aura. To be more specific, I can see that it’s the illness in his body that’s creating the aura. I’m looking straight through a sick man.
“The desks are made from petrified Gvish wood, which grows in the troll lands. They’re also enchanted to make sure they don’t sprout.”
“This one’s broken.”
Anri’s smile widens—even from thirty meters away, I sense his emotions clearly. He’s having fun.
“Perhaps you’re a broken mage.”
Diuval puts his
papers on a desk and sits down. There’s still some time before the lecture starts, so he closes his eyes and waits for the attendees. The hall slowly fills with people. As they take their seats, I notice that most of them are accomplished, high-level mages with great equipment. Half an hour later, Anri opens his eyes and begins talking.
A pair of sprouts appear on his chair, the same as the ones that grew out of my desk.
“Good evening, colleagues. Today, I would like to talk about body modifications for living beings,” the professor says, casting his eyes around the room. “We’re all mages, so that’s where we’ll start. As you know, our apprenticeship is divided into ten levels and five grades, from apprentice to grand master. The first ten levels establish how well you can modify your own body. You can, for instance, create a hybrid with a diamond golem or a fire elemental. The modification effect depends on what level your skills are. Earth, Fire, Water, Air, and Life are all different ways we can change our body materially or semi-materially. Magic grades offer access to special abilities that change the character of the modifications. For example, a fire mage with a lava body needs to walk around naked, as any clothes he might be wearing would instantly be destroyed. Indestructible clothes are dumped into your inventory. Because of that, mages in that state are highly vulnerable to physical damage, as they no longer have access to the attributes their clothes offer.”
A couple of girls blush heavily when they hear what happens as a result of that particular modification.
“On the other hand, once you acquire the rank of apprentice, you get an ability that lets you exchange the lava body of a human for that of a lava golem. Their entire body is then covered with red-hot rock in the form of light plate armor. Once you use the battle transformation, you need some time for the rock plates to grow. Modifications like that are all designed to protect you from your own magic. Many of you have seen mages use a fire or lightning aura, automatically turning on their modification in order to avoid killing themselves with their very own aura.”
I’m sitting at a desk at the back thinking about the advantages of a hybrid body. There’s no point picking a hybrid for fire, air (lightning), water, or land—I’m much better off just boosting my resistance to that kind of damage. There are some benefits for life and mind mages, however. After my first battle with Talamei, I realized that complete resistance doesn’t give you immortality. The only absolute defense out there is the bubble that paladins have. They use divine strength to create a space completely cut off from the outside world, but the most important thing there is that only paladin players can create them. Gods don’t get bubbles—their body is always tied to the source of their strength in the astral. Using a bubble would mean cutting off their own head.
My parents are in the Gray Lands, the land of death, where life can’t exist. The mental damage there is so high that living beings are killed the very first second without the right to respawn. I’m going to have to max out my resistance to mental damage.
Anri continues speaking, moving on to the Life and Mind primary elements.
“There are also modifications that use the primary element Life. You can boost your survivability, health, and stamina to do enormous damage in close combat, though that isn’t a modification that’s often chosen—it’s more for strong lone wolves.” Anri gestures actively. “It’s something like monks, only you use spells instead of combat equipment. Instantaneous healing and mana take the place of body amplification.”
After pausing, he continues. “Finally, there’s the last option for modification: the primary element Mind. It strengthens the mental body, boosting your resistance to mental damage and accelerating your mana restoration speed. This modification has undeservedly fallen out of favor, as only Dark and Mind Magic do damage—and they’re rarely used by battle mages. Wanderers use them even less, as they don’t increase the damage you do.”
A body is carried into the auditorium on a stretcher. Judging by the clothing, it’s a low-level earth mage.
“And now, let me explain the difficulties inherent to the modification process.” The body of the mage is placed right on the floor, and Anri creates two projections that hover in the air at the front of the auditorium. “As you can see, these are the mental and physical bodies of this mage. To modify them, you need a life mage and a mind mage to simultaneously change the patient’s mental and physical bodies. If there have been elemental modifications made, you need a mage for that element. In a word, two or three specialists with advanced skills. For the first stage, your skill needs to be at 50; for the tenth, it needs to be 500.”
A noise breaks out in the room as the players express their surprise at these numbers. Anri stomps.
“Please, be quiet! You’re at a lecture, not a bazaar. I know there aren’t many mages in those disciplines with skills that high, and that’s why we always have a group here at the academy to offer their services. It costs a thousand gold for each specialist.” Just a few people continue to make a noise; the rest are too shocked to speak.
I’ve already figured out that I’m going to be a life mage, and I’m going to make a mind modification. Just the thought of doubling my mana restoration speed makes my breath catch in my throat.
Thinking back to the fire mages who battled the demons, I start to realize why there were only two of them. At least two thousand gold, and that’s just for the base modification! The problem is mind mages—they’re too narrowly focused, and so there aren’t many people who become them. And that 500 requirement… You have to pay for the trials, the spells, the equipment, and much more, too. Lunar must rake in money hand over foot from mages. I make a mental note to see what it’s like to be a swordsman, and if they get fleeced like this, as well. Maybe, it’s even worse for them.
I’m a mage now, and I figured out what specialty I want, so it’s time to go talk with my dean. With the way things turned out, that kolobok is him. I wait until we’re the last two people in the room, just in case.
“Mr. Anri, I’d like to pick Life Magic as my specialty. Can I do that right now?”
Anri smiles again, his happiness and the interest he displays toward me are flattering. That damn empathy!
“Young man,” Anri says, looking me over, “I was sure that you were already a life mage. I thought the desk you made sprout was proof enough. Anyway, you’re very…gifted if you can do that even without a specialty.”
“No, I’m just a simple mage who stumbled across the path of power. So, can I pick Life Magic?”
You have a specialty offer: Life Magic
Price: 1000 gold
Accept: Yes/No
I certainly didn’t know that picking a specialty was a paid affair. There isn’t much money left in my wallet, and I need to hang onto it. Sure, I know how I can earn some money for food, but earning enough for that modification? Hard to say. Anri notices my hesitation.
“Is something wrong? Did you change your mind?”
“No, it’s just that I didn’t know you had to pay for your specialty.”
“Hm,” he replies, going through a whirlwind of emotions yet again. “Surprise me, and it’ll be free for you. I want to see what you can do. Just remember that people come here every day. They certainly aren’t all interesting.”
I’m supposed to surprise a life mage who’s probably been teaching for umpteen years.
“I can, but do you mind if I use that chair? The one you were sitting on.”
The mage glances over to where he’d caused a couple of sprouts to pop up, the first leaves already opening. He nods.
What can you do with a chair made out of petrified wood in just a minute? What if you have your Life Magic up to 811, not to mention eleven streams of consciousness and 4000 intellect?
The chair grows into the wooden floor, dozens of green shoots spring up, and they all start to braid with each other. The air is filled with the smell of a rain-soaked forest, the leaves tickling my face as if to thank me for my help.
Anri is thrille
d. I don’t even have to listen in on his emotions to tell that I got him.
“You know, young man… Just a month ago, I heard about a very interesting place in Kurg. They say a tree appeared that lets you resurrect dead pets and even mounts. As a life mage, however, I’m more interested by the keeper of the tree—he was able to grow it to a height of three hundred meters in just five months. I’ve heard he’s a young man in a cat costume who never talks with anyone and doesn’t stray far from his field. The animals respect him, esteeming the place under the tree as holy, and coming there when they need help. I headed to Kurg as soon as I could, but the keeper wasn’t there. Nobody’s seen him since he left his tree.”
Anri, I respect you as a specialist, of course, but I’m not about to tell you anything.
“Could it have been an elf? Maybe, he used the cat hat to hide his ears. Or what about a druid? Or even a manifestation of divine strength?”
For another minute, we eye each other in satisfaction, neither of us saying a word. The mage is running the gamut of emotions. Happily, all of them are positive—he loves Life Magic, respects it, prays to it, lives it. I worship all magic; he worships Life Magic.
Finally, he looks back at the flowering chair.
“You know, Life Magic is disappearing quickly, and you need highly concentrated magic to create a big effect.” The mage points at the chair, thinks for a second, and sighs heavily. “You surprised me! Do you still want to pick Life Magic as your specialty?”
