“A moment!” Rolling over, throwing the covers off, Ty checked her timepiece. There were still three hours before her first class of the day—who in the world was it?
She stumbled out of bed and walked out of the back section of her room, grabbing the sweater hanging on the side of her desk near the front. “What is it?” she asked, hastily putting it over her nightclothes and opening the door only to see the figure of Selene rushing away and down the hall.
Scrunching her eyebrows in confusion, she looked around, eyes falling on a small cream card on the ground in front of her door.
Official Department of the Administrators, she read as she closed the door and brought the slip back in. Delivery. Available 15h00. Lecture hall, floor 9. Box 21. Book.
She shuffled back to bed and slapped the card on her nightstand, throwing the covers over her head and closing her eyes.
* * *
An offensive caster running down a straight path at 6m/s is wounded by a Grade V Cosmic piercing spell and begins bleeding out 50m from where they started, Ty read while absently finishing her bread roll. If you must cast a basic five-second Heal, taking into consideration two seconds of reaction time after the individual gets hit…
“Three more laps, lets go!”
Looking up from her spot on the grass, back resting on the library building and knees tucked up to her chest, she watched her Fieldwork professor clap several times to encourage the last group of students. She had already finished her laps and could leave, but she wasn’t in a rush. Besides, she had her exam from her morning tactics class to review.
97. She looked dully at the red number on exam again, mind drifting off to her last interaction with her tactics professor, Araminta Levyarn.
Her stark-white, shoulder-length hair. The way she spoke slowly and with such weight that it felt like every word held some secret meaning. The plain brown walking stick she carried around but barely used. How nice and lax she was compared to some of her previous tutors, probably even more so than the Headmistress, who taught only third- and fourth-year tacticians.
That last class, after going through the renowned Tactician’s tome they would receive soon, the thing that would allow them to communicate with and control their classmates, the professor had left them all with a few words.
It was a pleasure, all five of you. We likely won’t meet again. Class dismissed.
And her own impulsive words as she left, the words that had felt right—the prodigious word: I’ll see you later, professor.
Ty exhaled and rested her forehead on her knees in embarrassment for a few seconds before returning to her notebook.
While explaining the reasoning for the Heal, what’s the best course of action guaranteeing your caster’s safety if they are not bound to you, and another offensive caster from 100m away begins to cast a Grade V Seize?
“Here you are.”
Ty looked up.
“Alone again?”
She nodded to the out of breath Cyril before returning to her notes.
“Class is over, what are you doing still here?”
“I’m reviewing a question I got wrong for my morning class.”
Cyril almost gasped, but then remembered who he was talking to and sat down beside her. “Would you like some help?”
“I—” she began before realizing that he might be the perfect person to ask. “Why would you cast a basic Heal if someone is bleeding out?”
He put a finger to his mouth in contemplation. “I mean, there’s always anima reasons. Authorizations.”
“But what if those weren’t issues? Wouldn’t the effect be far too small to even make a difference?”
“Maybe it’s all you could do? There are some special curses that restrict what healing goes through. Or…or maybe you’re healing something else and only a Heal works?” Cyril answered with an upward inflection, a perplexed smile on his face.
Ty rested her head on her notebook in front of her while squinting at her healer.
Before she could even finish mulling over the idea, he shrugged indifferently, the same disillusioned smile on his face. “Ah, let me say it for you, ‘You’re no help, Cyril.’” Then he laughed and gave her a kind smile, despite his words being an insult to himself.
Unable to help herself, she smiled at his carefree attitude, his light-hearted, infectious mischievousness. She liked that about him—he could always make her smile. “Here, wait.” She flipped in her notebook to the page where she had transcribed the mysterious answer Levyarn had written beside the question she got wrong—a confusing diagram of three long lines going horizontal, two vertical near the right hand side of the horizontal lines…and then three randomly-placed plus-marks on each horizontal blank space. “Do you know what this is?”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Dropping the silliness in his voice, Cyril studied the sideways picture seriously. “That looks like a treasure map. Y’know, like ‘X’ marks the spot?”
Ty turned her notebook back to herself. A treasure map was the last thing on her mind. “What would…” she thought aloud for a second before stopping and trying to think.
“While you think about it, I’m gonna head back to the dorm and give my sore legs a good soak,” grimaced Cyril, getting up and patting Ty on the head.
“Mm,” Ty answered, looking up just as the school bell rang, officially ending mid-afternoon classes.
Ty checked her timepiece and put away her notebook, setting her exam aside for now and walking back to the lecture halls again with a heavy heart. Her steps were slow, full of dread as she headed up to the fourth floor’s support department, the usual question on her mind.
Is Elias finally going to listen this time?
After Callie had approached her about the first few absences and no-shows, she took it upon herself to make it clear to Elias that she’d start paying them visits to make sure he was actually showing up. Yet in spite of the fact that he always looked ashamed and mortified at being scolded by someone far smaller than him, it had absolutely no effect.
Still, she did not stop showing up to try and relieve Callie from her duties, letting her know that she could leave instead of waiting out the whole hour and a half alone in a room. Callie never minded, though, and kept her word—Elias or not, she never left before the time was up. On some occasions, if she had the time, Ty would join her.
Today, the feeling in her gut told her that he wasn’t going to show, especially since it was review week. How was he going to do second semester classes if he only barely passed his first ones?
Arriving at the fourth floor, dreading seeing Callie all alone in a room, Ty took a sharp right while dodging some other students. The general study area for support students was about a third occupied, but she couldn’t spot either classmate among them, so she headed to the private study rooms near the back. Every floor’s layout was somewhat similar, with exception to the research floor on the fifth, the administrators’ floor on the ninth, and of course the Headmistress’s—
She stopped.
In one of the private study rooms, right before the corner, were Callie and Elias. Book in hand, Callie sat beside Elias, who nodded every few seconds at something the studious student stated, the exam sheet in his lap revealing a paper smothered in red marks.
Then, saying something she could not hear, he wrote something on the sheet, which Callie then examined and then swayed side to side with indecision. Okay, I’ll let you go this time, her suspicious look seemed to say.
Rushing out of the fourth floor’s study area in case her presence interrupted their study session, the tactician felt a bit empty. A part of her wished she could have stayed and watched, listened to them study and banter even if she had no part to play.
As she passed the fifth, sixth, and seventh floors, she realized how much she wished she were among the small makeshift family that was her class. Instead of doing tasks alone as the lead, she wished she could have been with the people who looked to her and placed their trust in her. Looking over reports together, making comments about their professors’ notes.
Alone, the word echoed in her mind.
Stepping onto the ninth floor, Ty took off her grey and red-lined student pin—grey for tactician, her primary discipline, and red for caster, her secondary—and showed it to the person behind the desk at the front.
“Hello, tactician,” he verified, checking his sheet and rummaging through a stack of papers on the shelf behind him. “I’ve got a few for you today.”
“Thank you,” mumbled Ty, eyeing the small study space to the side where barely a handful of students sat by themselves at tiny tables. Quiet and still, the only sounds to break the silence were the flipping of pages and pens scribbling.
Do they all feel the same way? she couldn’t help but wonder.
“Right, then.” The report handler held out a small folder and gestured to the tables. “Remember to return them before you leave.”
Ty nodded courteously, taking the folder and putting down her coat and belongings on the table before heading to the small kitchenette.
A few times every week, she did this. Reading reports from professors, notices from MATS and administrators, important news on some occasions. Sometimes there was little, sometimes a lot. But there was always something, and she was responsible for letting her class know what was happening and what was expected of them.
Picking up an empty mug, Ty peeked into a small pot of dark liquid sitting on a heating mat. Steam was still rising from the top.
Gently pouring some into her mug and carrying it back to her table, the tactician took a sip.
Mmm. Coffee.
She opened the folder.
Report 11.30 – News [submitted 05h55 by Admin]
Officials on the western and northern fronts have received confirmation that a temporary cease-fire will not be in effect at the end of this year. Stationed squads are expected to keep their posts until further notice, as tensions have been high due to undergoing election campaigns in several major townships. See accompanying list for full details. Further instructions will follow at a later date.
MATS is currently accepting submissions for research papers on translations of Ancient script under context number 24.9867. It must be reviewed by an individual of at least the 3rd order. Please visit the MATS Western headquarters, 1765 Bell Ln, Syarktos for more details.
Report 11.30 – Notice 1 [submitted 06h01 by Admin]
All libraries will be closed 12.02 for maintenance and reopen 12.03 at 06h00. The following new exam hours will be in effect from 12.03 until Blessing Day’s eve: Sunday–Thursday 06h00 to 23h59. Friday–Saturday 08h00 to 01h59 the following day.
Report 11.30 – Notice 2 [submitted 06h02 by Admin]
Floor 5 of the main library will be inaccessible pending Academic review, effective 11.30 at 23h59 until further notice. Bookings made in advance for study rooms on this floor after the date/time listed above have been canceled as of the issuance of this notice.
Report 11.30 – Theo [submitted 11h49 by Prof. Wickers]
Dismissed from class early at 11h48 to be admitted to infirmary. Please see supervising physician for details.
Report 11.30 – Elias [submitted 12h00 by Prof. Sen’a]
Absence from class. No reason given.
Report 11.30 – Theo [submitted 12h05 by Prof. Moriya]
Absent. Slip received from infirmary.
Report 11.30 – Faris [submitted 12h37 by Prof. Moriya]
Late arrival to class. Will not penalize. Reason withheld.
Report 11.30 – Korinna [submitted 13h56 by Prof. Lys]
Improper conduct during class. Conflict with student from 1-D, broke several pieces of lab equipment. Require signed slip of apology and 3 gold, due latest 12.07.
Report 11.30 – Theo [submitted 15h10 by Prof. Trissel]
Absent. Slip received from infirmary.
And then a small, cream-colored slip.
Please come see me at your earliest convenience. Floor 5, same study room. Monday and Thursday evenings — Headmistress Zoi.