Black Magus

“Finally.” I sighed once the door was sealed shut behind me. Then took a moment to take in a deep breath and quell my excitement.

My dorm was what one would expect to find at a place of learning. A studio apartment with an en suite. Albeit larger than one would expect. A full-sized bed sat in the corner under some shelves with a nightstand to compliment it. A small desk sat across from that and the rest of the space was filled with the obligatory bookshelves, wardrobe, and trunk. With my bearings settled, I strode towards the desk and sat to skim over the documents before taking the dilated time to read them through my Eternal Eye.

The first was an explanation of the schedule and a summary of how our courses would go. Essentially, the year would consist of one month of vacation at the end of the year and twelve months of study. Broken up into four, three-month quarters. The first would consist of an introductory course to magic, combat, history, and an analysis of the other realms. In the second quarter, we’d begin practical training in magic and combat and learn of magical flora and fauna. As I understood it, a tournament of sorts would be held after that as a mid-year celebration. And then we’d move on to practical combat exercises, an introduction to magical ores and materials, and an introductory crafting course that would continue on into the last quarter. Along with the healing course. The weekly schedule was based on the usual ten-day week, with three courses in an A-B-C-A-B-C fashion. The seventh and eighth days would be spent on ‘venture time.’ Wherein we’d explore the wilds surrounding the great Bodhi Tree with either Doyle or our to-be-determined parties. Leaving the ninth day for duels and the tenth day off.

Calculated and distributed by the enchantments in our clothes, the points we would receive during our time here would be distributed primarily on an individual basis in accordance with our performance. However, they could also be granted or taken away based on the actions of the entire party as well. They were like the school's currency. They would allow us to get better food in the cafeteria, access different areas of the library, or purchase goods from the campus market. Each student was given a hundred points to start with, minus those who spent the fifteen points on a Sack of Containing.

The last and most extensive section of the pamphlet regarded the rules. In short, there were many things we were allowed to do, and few things we weren’t. It made a point to only mention restricted areas in passing. According to it, the tree would limit our area of accessibility on its own. Besides that, there was a bold warning against fighting, bullying, or fucking. Complete with a slew of repercussions for anyone who tried. Other than that, we were free to do what we wanted. We were still free to pursue relationships and could access the gym, cafeteria, and other areas at all times of the day and night. Most delightfully to me, however, was the fact that we could even drink and smoke so long as it wasn't inside and not during class.

With that taken care of, the first paper in my stack was cast aside and I moved on to the next one: a hilariously vague description of all the species present within our class. After skimming through the contents, I decided that was a good time to bed down for the night. So I hopped onto my bed for a quick round of meditation.

---

After waking, I decided against going to get some food in favor of reading through the rest of the material, which wound up being a pamphlet for each Class we could pick at the end of the year. Because of that, I actually took the time to read each of them and gather as much information as possible. In all, there were Artificers, Barbarians, Bards, Clerics, Druids, Fighters, Monks, Paladins, Rangers, Rogues, Sorcerers, Witches, Wizards, and Warlocks. And each of them had a slew of subclasses that were, in most cases, dependent on what species an individual was and the magical affinities they had, as well as any feats accomplished in life.

Much to my dismay, however, nine o’clock came around just before I finished reading through the last pamphlet. So I stepped out into the common area to sit in an unclaimed chair and compare my classmates to what I just read. In addition to me, the Epethian prince, and Peter, there were six other humans; or at least entities strongly resembling humans. Aside from us, there was only one dwarf. The two stone men were members of species from the borders of Nonus and the White Wall called Goliaths. Whether they were truly made from stone was up for debate, but their skin was so hard, dry, and ashy that they appeared like gargoyles, only formed like 2.5-meter-tall men dressed in furs and leathers. The cat-like humanoids were called Felipians, hailing from Betrarth. They were a bit shorter than the goliaths, at just over two meters. Boasting large cat-like eyes, tails, and large paw-like hands. The feathered one I spotted the day before was of a species collectively known as Sapiavi, as the species of humanoid birds called themselves a mostly indecipherable name of clicks and caws. They were reported to be everywhere but also hailed from Betrarth. Said to take on the qualities of a number of avian species, this particular one had a plume reminiscent of a harpy eagle. And was nearly as tall as the goliaths.

The last of them was the dragonborne I spotted before. He was a bit shorter than the goliaths and covered from horns-to-clawed toes in vibrant red scales. Evidently, they evolved directly from dragons and inherited some of their traits, including their infamous breath attack. Yet, they were enslaved by dragons. Thus few of them see the legendary beasts favorably. But, like many other things, that knowledge only posed more questions. Namely...

‘Do they lay eggs?’

I could do nothing more than compartmentalize the question once two loud thrums echoed from the door, announcing Doyle’s presence before he stepped down the stairs and greeted us with a jerk of his thumb over his shoulder.

With that, the fifteen of us followed him across the courtyard and into an ambiguous corridor to turn right and follow the roots toward the trunk. Along the way, he gestured to the doors and staircases placed sparsely along the walls and mentioned they were study rooms or gyms for individuals or parties. A place split between all students, but a place where we could train or study in peace. At the cost of points, of course. Continuing through the hall led us to the roundabout we were led to yesterday. It encircled the trunk like a ring, acting as a central hub for us first-year students. It was from this hub that the school was divided. Here, on the southern, innermost side of the ring, sat the library, gym, arena, and amphitheater. The outer wall contained the swimming halls, cafeteria, and accesses to each of the three dorms and their accompanying amenities. On the other hand, the northern half of the roots were reserved for the classrooms, in which there were four sections. Furthest to the right was Olga’s classroom, and next to hers was Zeff’s, with Doyle's on the far left, separated from the others by the entrance to the Wilds.

With that short explanation, Doyle stopped before the cafeteria and explained that the kitchen was linked to our clothes via enchantments and could essentially keep track of each student's dietary needs. Furthermore, the kitchen was magical like our rooms, and could produce anything from an extensive menu in an instant. And that menu could be updated by cooking our home dishes in our rooms or common areas. With that short explanation done, he pushed the doors open to reveal an expansive, open-ceilinged, elliptical room floored with stone tiles and left open to the elements through the missing ceiling and back wall. At its center was a thick tree that glowed softly with arcana from its canopy, giving some nice shade and I assumed some ambient light during the later hours. Its roots not only stretched throughout the room but they also rose in various places to form tables, chairs, benches, and other furniture. Looking past the southern wall, I saw the stone tiles drop off to a landscaped park area, filled with a similar arrangement of glowing furniture that’d been left to the mercy of the elements.

"With our tour finished, we’ll have our discussions during lunch. Then, I’ll dismiss you all for the day.” Doyle said, bringing my attention back to him, waving dismissively as he walked off into the yard. “So order your food and gather around."

Like many of the others, I turned from him to see a broad-faced boy with cropped hair rush to be the first to sit before a table and touch his finger to the crystal-like apparatus at its center. Upon doing so, he seemed to focus on something invisible to the rest of us before leaning back and looking up anxiously. After looking up, I was just as shocked as the others to see a steaming bowl of soup and a plate of bread descend from a thick pair of vines and land before him.

Such a sight created a wave of hungry students rushing to the nearest table for their meals. All but a few of us, at least.

Upon reaching a table of my own, I was shocked to find the surprises had yet to cease. All we had to do was touch the crystal and a reflection of our tag would appear as our mana was registered. Once done, we simply had to browse the grimoire-like menu or think about what we wanted to eat whilst feeding a bit of mana into the crystal. Then our food would be delivered. That aside, the dishes themselves were an eclectic mix of culinary delights I could spend hours analyzing. Not only were there a myriad of dishes that came from all over the Earth, but dishes that were deemed as favorites and staples for the likes of drow- and other creatures.

Going with something simple, I ordered a plate of steak, mushrooms, and scrambled insect eggs paired with wine from the drow menu and took my bounty to the huddle gathered around Doyle to take a seat near the rear.

“Alright.” He sighed moments later. “As your homeroom teacher, you’ll begin each week in my class. Our classes will begin with a roll call and a briefing on what to expect for the week. Our weeks will continue in such a way until your teams are formed and a leader is picked for your party. Now for the important part.” He huffed again. “For those of you that read it, you’ll notice that the rules mentioned duels, but didn’t explain them. That’s because the Headmaster insisted that we ensure you understand how important duels are in your first year. They are, first and foremost, a way to allow you all to deal with aggression toward one another. Hostilities are inevitable. So handle your business in the arena and move on to focus on your studies.

“Secondly.” He held up two fingers. “Duels are a way to increase points. Anyone can challenge another at any time. In fact, you’re encouraged to do so. As it’s a great way to build confidence and experience in those of you who are timid or inexperienced. If you’re the one who was called out, you can decline the duel at a cost of twenty-five points. If not, your names will be added to the schedule and you’ll fight at the end of that week. Variations in power levels will be handled with Negstone or magical equipment.” He explained to the worried murmurs hidden in the crowd. “As for the duels themselves, no killing is the only rule. Potions, weapons, or any type of ability is fair game. Our staff members aren’t there to just spectate. We’re ready to step in and stop the match at a moment's notice. And our Archwitch is a sorceress of light. So you needn’t worry about holding back.

“Now then.” He leaned forward with a curious smirk. “With that out of the way, we can talk about the more interesting things. I’m sure you’ve all read about the different Classes, but I’ll give you all a piece of advice.” He paused and allowed his smirk to creep further up his face after seeing many of the students lean forward in anticipation. “You should think about the different Career Paths available to you as much as you think about the Classes you want. Everyone knows about joining a military or guild for the sake of fighting for some king, emperor, or whatever else.” He waved his arms almost disgustedly. “But that’s one of many routes available to us Mystics. For those with no interest in such things, the Civil Services is but one of many paths available. Even Mystics can find work in governments or political courts as easily as they can in healthcare and wellness. If not, there is Research and Development, which is technically what the Bodhi Tree's staff is a part of. It consists of not only instructors but those who document their spells and knowledge as well. If you want to invent new things or develop new potions or test new equipment, this can be a lucrative path to explore.

“These are but a few of many paths.” He hurriedly said after watching the vines reach down and gather our plates at increasing intervals. “For every occupation that exists for the explored realms for the commoners, there exists one for us Mystics as well. Take the time to think about that and your classes over the course of the year. You’re dismissed until the dinner tomorrow.” He began to step off. “You’ll find letters in your mailboxes. Among them are your schedules and a list of your teammates. You’re dismissed.”

With that, most of the class departed and went their separate ways. I, for one, went to our courtyard and found a nice quiet corner to sit and smoke and contemplate everything I’d learned over the last couple of days. Particularly about Classes.

Based on what I learned, the Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Paladin, Rogue, and Warlock Classes were all definite no’s for me. According to the text and what I knew from outside, Warlocks were essentially magical wage slaves. They made compacts with a not-always-benevolent or kind being and went on deadly chases involving wild geese in exchange for slivers of power that they couldn’t develop on their own. Similarly, Druids were just magical tree-huggers that spent all their time trying to fight deforestation and talking to animals. I loved nature and would definitely be open to speaking with animals, but not to the point of wanting to transform into them myself. The Fighter, and Paladin Classes, however, had far simpler reasons for me declining them. I was a Sorcerer with reality-bending magic, not a Fighter. And Paladins were an occupation-specific class. One had to be knighted before they could become a paladin, making Toril and Lucia the only ones I knew who could even take the class. The former was self-explanatory. And the latter involved them making an oath, a magical promise basically, sworn to a deity or the universe itself to live under a certain conviction. In essence, it was essentially placing moral conditions on oneself in exchange for power. Something I couldn’t say I’d do even if I could.

Bards turned out to be interesting. I was fully aware of how powerful Bards were in various forms of fiction, but it was still something I couldn’t see myself doing. I had always enjoyed art of all kinds. So much so that I learned to play a variety of instruments, practiced a number of artistic crafts, and even learned how to sing. But I was more of a shower performer than a superstar that could bring the power of music to life. However, my appreciation would always remain. So I resolved to find a bard to add to my squad after the guild was created. But, I digress.

The Rogue and Barbarian classes were pretty much useless to me. My shadow sorcery made me far better at sneaking around than any Class could provide and my necrotic spells were superior to any poison one could create either with or without an affinity. On top of that, my Burning Soul Spell was basically the same as a Berserker state. It would’ve synergized nicely with the Barbarian class in that regard, but it wasn’t really my style to begin with. After a bit of pondering, I realized that mindset extended to the Ranger class as well. Although the benefits of animal handling and nature sensitivity were appealing, it was nothing that my senses and current knowledge base couldn’t already do.

Clerics were the only one among those cast aside that was different. It wasn’t that I didn’t want it, it was just that I was sure it was something I already was. According to my mother, I was already one. Just like her. They were like Warlocks, in a sense. Only, their power came from prayer and divine intervention. The result was that, unlike Warlocks, Clerics were more like magical sugar babies, which was basically what I was to Telin. I gave him entertainment, he gave me power. The cleric receives divine spells while their deity receives faith and worship. Only, I didn’t need to even acknowledge Telin’s existence. Not that I received any divine energy yet. But, if his words rang true, I wouldn’t need to pray or worship anyone to siphon divine energy from him. I was an Unproven Eternal Soul. Which translated to living god in this universe, according to him. Which begged the question. ‘Could I one day get a Cleric who prays to me? More so.’ I grinned wide after recalling everything I’ve learned about my lineage. ‘If I’m truly from a family of Devils, what exactly does that make me as a God?’

I quickly lost myself in searching for the answer and resolved to gain information from as many sources as I could. Obviously, there was the library. I was sure they had at least something about devils within its walls. Other than that and my ancestors, though, the only one I could think of to ask was the dragonborne. Not because I thought he had ties to a devil, but because he was the closest thing to the creature from my dream.

With those resolutions affirmed in my mind, my thoughts quickly wound back to deciding what Class I should pick. If everything covered thus far was correct, I already had two; Cleric and Sorcerer. And unless I was born with or subconsciously fell down the path of more classes, I could only see myself getting two more. Now, the pamphlet didn't mention a hard limit to the number of classes one could have, but they recommended we take only two, with a maximum of three. Any more and we may not have enough time to venture down each path next year, and the rewards may not even be compatible with each other. That aside, I for sure wanted to be an Artificer. It was advertised that we’d be able to focus on any one craft, such as Alchemy or Artificing. But I wanted what was advertised to be the pinnacle of the Class, the Grandmaster Artificer. Basically a magical engineer with proficiency in all crafts.

As for the two quintessential magical classes, they were both decided against as well. Witch was a genderless term used to describe those who used their magic for healing, rather than fighting. And healing was another definite no for me. My necromantic healing required a high pain tolerance and my usage of light wasn’t something I wanted known to the public just yet. That aside, I wasn’t altruistic enough to work in the medical field and my ties to the Underworld made me reluctant to even heal some people at all. Wizards were curious though. The paths were advertised to focus on different fields of magic that specialized in using magic in certain ways, such as spells that specialized in protection and defense or those that covered large areas at once. It was a class that few mystics chose, despite it granting spellcasting abilities to those without affinity cores. But it was one I wouldn’t choose either. It would be studied, most certainly. But not chosen as a class.

In all, that left the Monk to be the only Class I truly considered. Monks were said to specialize in imbuing Ki into their bodies. This energy increases their strength, agility, and constitution to super-human levels, thus causing their martial abilities to skyrocket. While I still had the intention to primarily use magic, the appeal to me was Ki itself. It was the greatest way to overcome the natural weakness of my elven heritage without stealing life. More so, it was a physical ability and thus was unaffected by anti-magic. My kryptonite. On top of that, it was a great way to maintain my combat skills. Not to mention I've essentially been living like a monk for all these years anyway. So it was more or less a done deal. I would become a Monk, Grandmaster Artificer, Cleric, and Sorcerer. Besides that, Grandpa Lich all but ordered me to take the optional summoning course to make the most out of my necromancy. I wasn’t exactly excited to see him next year. But I was excited to learn about what he meant by his words. I assumed it was more of how to train and organize my undead rather than summon them; as from what I saw, summoning them was no different than releasing my Doppelganger.

What made me hesitant about the course, however, was the reward that was advertised for its completion. A Familiar. Often a Fae spirit that possesses or takes on the form of an animal. I had a troop of almost twenty magical beasts hidden in my shadow and an undead army on the horizon. I didn’t exactly have a need or use for a Familiar. But I did want to take the course, so I decided to burn that bridge when I came to it.

With my data points settled for the moment, I halted the cogs in my mind and turned my limited attention to the sprawling forest before me, and lost myself in a sort of trance. Only to be interrupted not long after by a familiar face approaching with a girl hovering over his shoulder.

“H- hello, Amun.”

“Peter.” I nodded to the stammering boy.

“T- this is Zakira.” He hesitantly gestured to the girl beside him. “W-we’re in the same team. Us and two others. She knew I knew you and asked me to introduce her.”

“Hi!” She abruptly pushed around his shoulder and extended a hand to me with a smile wide enough to show me the most curious teeth hidden in her mouth. “I’m Zakira!”