After turning their quest in, Sen and Milim held spots eighteen and nineteen, respectively. Many students were rushing to gain rank on the last day, but they’d chosen a hell of a final quest to submit. When they returned with proof of the gigantic monster they’d defeated, the jump in ranking had been almost immediate. It was worth more because the creature was a major threat to humans, and had it wandered into any small towns, it could’ve caused havoc. They’d helped Bright Sail Academy boost its reputation two-fold. First in completing the quest itself, and also in bringing down such a powerful monster.
Sen loved it when things all came together. Now, he and Milim were moving through the academy, bolstered by Mana Encapsulation, in a race to reach the minor artifact collection. It was on the third year floor, and when they arrived, there were already at least ten people in front of them. The top five highest-ranking members would enter first, one at a time. After that, it was first come, first served, so Sen and Milim had every incentive to beat the other students there. Luckily, Susanna and Girch were already waiting in line. She’d probably dragged the larger man to wait with her. Since they were both top five, that meant there were fewer people who would show up and move to the front of the line. Snake and the other top members hadn’t arrived yet.
Professor Ladia walked past them, moving quickly, and most of the remaining members of the top twenty-five showed up with her, falling into line behind Sen and Milim. “Alright everyone!” her voice was even perkier than usual. “With special permission from the dean, a few members of the top five were allowed to get their artifacts early. So it looks like, more or less, this will be the order you receive your artifacts in.” She beckoned Susanna and Girch forward, and they took their place at the front of the line.
Sen frowned at that. The minor artifact collection wasn’t supposed to be open to anyone before now. But if the dean had made an exception, surely there’d been a good reason. Besides, it wasn’t like anyone was close to toppling the top five. He still needed a few more weeks for that. For now, he’d focus on the top ten.
He was ninth in line, and Milim was just behind in spot number ten. He overheard some of the higher-ranking members they’d passed on the way grumbling, but no one said anything to them directly.
[They’re all aware they’re within dueling distance. Hey, that might be a good idea. Let’s just duel everyone here immediately and move up the ranks!]
Sen sighed. He’d learned from experience that as soon as he challenged one of them the others would flee, whether their minor artifacts were in their possession or not. For now, he’d let everyone take their prize and go home. There was plenty of time before the end of the year.
About thirty minutes passed before Sen was finally next in line. He spent the time making small talk with Milim, theorizing what kind of artifacts would be best. Sen wouldn’t necessarily know what he needed until he found it, but Milim was looking for something that added to her combat potential. He promised to keep an eye out; he couldn’t browse with her, as they were only allowed inside one at a time, but he could peruse the room and then offer some advice. He’d be looking for both of them.
The student in front of him left the room, and he heard Professor Ladia call out. “Next!”
“Good luck, Sen! Get something good!” Milim said excitedly. This was a rare occasion. She had every right to be excited. She was about to get her first magical artifact.
He entered the room and was reminded of the special library. The room resembled a mid-sized museum. Hundreds of artifacts sat housed within glass cases. Thirteen of them would be empty, and he’d already been informed that their descriptions would be removed to protect the privacy of the previous students. Since they dueled and competed with one another to climb the ranks, it was well within their rights to keep their prize a secret. They could study the effects of the other artifacts in the room, but with so many choices, it was impossible to guess what other top-ranking students would pick.
The cases were labeled generously, and many of them actually had names on them. Unlike spell tablets, you couldn’t simply replicate an artifact from seeing it. The power was within it, and even if you read a description, you wouldn’t gain complete understanding of the item’s potential.
Professor Ladia waited for him in the center of the room with a smile. “This process is completely up to you. I can walk you through it and act as a guide, or stand here in silence and only answer questions when you have them. This is your reward, and how you experience it is up to you. I won’t be offended regardless of your choice, Sen! I just want you to leave happy with your prize.”
Sen nodded. He was grateful for that. He wanted to take time to study his options, and small talk might get in the way of that. But he would be mindful that Professor Ladia’s unique perspective might be an asset to him. If he had a question, or needed to bounce an idea off of her, he would.
“I’ll browse for now, thank you, Professor.”
She smiled and nodded. With a wave of her hand, a chair behind her scooted up, and she took a seat. She pulled a tiny book from her pocket and started reading.
[Shall I begin a sweep of the artifacts in the room?]
Sen nodded. I’d like to look at artifacts with broad utility, something flexible with multiple use cases, or something uniquely advantageous to us.
Many students would choose offensive artifacts to bolster their own strength, but Sen wasn’t in need of anything like that. He already had a plethora of powerful spells under his command, and the Artifact of the Stone Tomb was already part of his arsenal. An item or artifact that he could use in various scenarios and situations would help his research on magic progress far more than something of a more fixed nature. He didn’t have time to scan the entire room personally, so he left that to Tutor. He did, however, look around while he waited.
There were artifacts that allowed someone to temporarily summon ghostly versions of small animals, simple artifacts that unleashed bursts of different elemental attacks, and even artifacts that allowed you to negate or repress the effects of another magician’s spells. That last one in particular was one many students would benefit from. He would be surprised if it were still within the room after all the students had chosen a prize.
He found an artifact that resembled a small stick; when planted, it grew into a tree that would fight alongside you. There was another artifact that resembled a cup. It could purify water for drinking and filter the essence of nature magic to allow you to create weak versions of magic essence spheres.
Low-grade magic artifacts weren’t always useful in an obvious way. But if you were creative enough, you could find ways to make seemingly useless artifacts extremely potent during battle. The cup that could create weak versions of magic essence spheres, for instance, would pair nicely with a spell from the special library he’d seen that allowed you to turn magic essence spheres into bombs. Finding ways to pair them with other spells or artifacts opened up a wide variety of doors.
[I’ve found a handful of artifacts that meet your criteria. Flagging them now.]
Several exhibits lit up a deep purple, and Sen wondered why Tutor had chosen that color, but he started with the first of four objects. He read the name. Mimic Staff. It was a short wooden staff that could be charged a single time with any grade of magic essence sphere. Depending on the type of magic within the sphere and the sphere’s grade, the staff would permanently resonate with that element and evolve accordingly. Though he already had a weapon, this was an interesting item. It could allow him to resonate with an element he wasn’t as practiced with. Shadow, for instance. But the fact that it would only ever resonate with one element was off-putting to him. He scanned the room for the next artifact.
Pebble Boulder. It looked like a rock someone had picked up off the street. He read the description. “A pebble that can transform into a large boulder.” He frowned. “Tutor, why?”
[Imagine if we threw this at Snake! It would be glorious!]
“You’re in timeout.” He activated Adamantine Mind and silenced his mind spirit. “These last two better not be jokes.”
He sighed as the purple lights disappeared, and new ones formed elsewhere. They had been equally silly then. He approached one of the two new glass cases.
This one made him arch a brow. A grimoire. He’d never thought to use one. A grimoire was a magic artifact that acted as a filter. When you bonded with one, it gained all of your knowledge, and you could use that in many different ways. It would move according to his will, even floating around a battlefield, and with it, he could attack using multiple spells from separate directions. One originating from his body, and the other from his grimoire. It would increase the precision of his control, which wasn’t necessarily something he needed, but there were useful applications. Priming a spell in the grimoire and leaving it to activate under certain conditions, or upon a mental trigger. Temporarily passing his magical knowledge on to a trusted companion. Even having his grimoire consume spell tomes to learn spells on his behalf. The applications were nearly endless, and he realized why Tutor had marked it.
Now that he’d seen what magic weapons could do, a grimoire might be exactly up his alley. He could even think of applications that would work with his weapon, Malleore. Before deciding, however, he decided to check the last item. He glanced at Professor Ladia and realized she’d noted him studying the grimoire. She looked away when she felt his eyes on her and pretended she’d been looking at the clock on the wall.
He didn’t really mind, it wasn’t like she was bothering him. He finally reached the last glass case and leaned forward to inspect it. At first, he’d thought it was another gag artifact.
Elementless Shell.
A conch shell. The magic artifact Tutor had marked was a conch shell. He felt Tutor pressing against the edges of Adamantine Mind with all his might. With a sigh, he released the spell.
[This one isn’t a joke! Read the description!]
He squinted. “A shell capable of exchanging the elements of two separate objects with one another.” His breath caught. That was interesting. He turned to look at Professor Ladia. “Would it be possible to try an artifact out before deciding?”
She shot up out of her chair, and it was clear she’d been waiting for an opportunity to speak. “Hm, I don’t think we can do that. But…I might be able to answer your questions about it, if you’d like?” she asked.
It was better than nothing. He waited for her to hurry over and join him. “The word objects…what all would that apply to in this case?” he asked her.
She frowned. “Well, it’s vague, probably intentionally. Vague is usually good. It could mean it’s up to the wielder, or it could be a poor description. Objects could mean purely physical things. But—”
“It could also apply to a desire, or something you’re focused on. An object of attention,” he mused. Could this artifact change the very element of a spell? From fire to water? And what about other artifacts? Could he use this to alter the stone tomb? If that were the case, it was an obvious choice.
Ladia was deep in thought, considering what he’d said. “It’s possible.”
[Do you think this is more valuable than the grimoire or the pebble?]
Sen ignored the stupid pebble. But the question was valid. A grimoire could help him. He’d already grown excited at the prospect of one, but there would be other opportunities to get one. For now, he had the chance at an object that he’d never even imagined before. “I’ll take this one,” he said.
The glass guarding the artifact faded from existence, and Sen grabbed his new minor artifact.
The Elementless Shell.
Professor Calabari
He sat in his office, staring at the clock. Time moved slowly, as if the clock hand was scraping against the wheel of destiny itself to pull itself forward. His padded chair felt made of stone, and his hands shook. A dryness settled in his throat that wouldn’t pass no matter how many cups of water he drank to soothe it. What if this was a mistake? What if he’d got in over his head?
The memory of his conversation with Dean Withershade came burning back to his mind, and he closed a fist. The pen in his hand snapped. He took a breath and stood. He looked out his window at the gates surrounding Brightsail Academy. Tonight they would fall, and he would be the one responsible. Tonight there would be no going back.
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