HoN: Chapter 14: Disciples

Chapter 14: Disciples

 

“It would appear they all managed to arrive on time,” Raimund said as he entered the courtyard, followed by the female Disciple the Sparrow had met the night before. “Welcome new Initiates to the Arcane Mystic Academy. I’m afraid Master Nicodemus is occupied this morning with an assessment involving your two remaining classmates. In the meantime, we will provide you with a brief tour.”

“If you’ll gather around me, Initiates,” Sasha called out with less enthusiasm, gesturing to the buildings that surrounded them. “The Academy consists of three floors. As Initiates, you are allowed access to most of the first floor, but the second and third floors are off-limits.

“Do not wander into any room you have not been granted permission to enter. Do not open any mysterious doors that might appear out of nowhere, no matter what delusional promises they whisper to you. And do not—for the balance of the realms—offer your blood or name to any unknown being you might encounter in these halls. Is that understood?”

The wide-eyed initiates all nodded in silent agreement.

“Good. Because if someone were to catch you straying out of bounds onto the upper floors, it will get reported to the Headmaster immediately, and you should expect to face disciplinary action with a very high likelihood of expulsion. Is that clear? Wonderful. To your left, we have the west corridor of the Academy and the first-floor washrooms for those of you who still require them.”

The albino frowned as she listened to the female disciple, still caught on the mention of magic doors and beings that reminded her of demons her step-father once spoke of. She glanced away when the ginger Disciple tapped her shoulder.

“How goes your reading progress?” Raimund whispered.

“Slow,” Mercedes answered, tightening her grip on the primers tucked against her side. “I only got through the first two lessons of [Awakening the Arcane].”

The Disciple raised a brow while his gaze remained focused on Sasha and the other Initiates. “That’s not a bad place to start if you had more time, but it’s not ideal preparation for today’s class. Once we finish the tour, you’ll have what’s left of the first period as free time. I would spend that valuable time on the first [Pathways to Power].”

“But—I wanted to learn how to harness magic energy!” she protested, nodding to the stack of primers she carried. “So, I can use the inventory function in my ring.”

“You’ll have a much easier time grasping how to control your power core when we review the material and meditation exercises tomorrow.” His gemstone-green eyes turned in her direction with a hint of amusement. “Carrying your books around for a couple of days will be good for your endurance, Initiate.”

The Sparrow scoffed. “They’re not that heavy.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Mercedes decided to drop the matter. If both Raimund and Sasha thought she should start with the same book, she would give it a go when the tour ended. The albino turned her attention back to the female Disciple still rambling out helpful information about the Academy’s layout.

“There are four classrooms on the first floor, each of which belongs to a Master ranked Professor,” Sasha explained and then tapped the jade badge pinned to her bodice. “This is Professor Nicodemus’s sigil, the Basilisk. You will find it marks the door of Classroom A and the Professor’s private office. You’ll also see three other symbols belonging to the other professors: a Chimera, Sphinx, and Hydra. Apply the valuable knowledge and experience the Academy has to offer, and you may yet have the opportunity to earn a badge yourself in the future, should you prove worthy enough to be chosen by a Master.”

“Just keep in mind,” Raimund interjected as he left the Sparrow’s side. “Should any of the other Disciples attempt to order you about, you are encouraged to ignore them. Only Professor Nicodemus and the two of us can give orders to the Initiates in his class.”

“Why?” Hestia inquired with a perplexed frown.

“The Professors tend to get a bit competitive,” Sasha answered with a notable wince. “The success and failure of each Disciple and Initiate reflects their ability to teach at the Academy. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for their Disciples to take things a step further to ensure their Master’s victory.”

“And because they have their Master’s protection, the Academy tends to brush such incidents under a rug since loyal Disciples are more valuable than unproven Initiates,” Raimund added with a hint of bitterness. “If you want to avoid trouble, avoid being alone or loitering about in the hallways.”

“Once you become Novices, you will have the opportunity to work out any grievances with your fellow Mystics in the training grounds for the Academy’s Rank Matches,” Sasha said with a bit more enthusiasm than before. “These events are meant to help you pinpoint and correct any weakness in your offensive and defensive magic while preparing you for the annual Realm Arena Rank Competitions.”

“The Realm Arena Competitions are not mandatory, but they are the only method you have of earning a Ranked Arena Token. You need at least 3 of these tokens, so three match victories, to graduate from the Academy and be recognized as a Disciple.”

“These matches and competitions are also your best chance to attract a Master willing to oversee your growth and continued development after you leave the Academy. But that is a long way off,” Sasha said as the younger Initiates exchanged glances of nervous excitement. “Though the journey will be longer for some of you.”

The Sparrow blinked as the Disciple’s crystal blue eyes flicked briefly towards her. ‘Why do I feel like she has very low expectations for me?’

The Disciples led the four mystics on a quick tour around the courtyard, starting with the Dining Hall to the south, a brief wave southeast indicating the direction of Classroom A, then Classroom B to the east, and Classroom C and D north and northeast.

“The training grounds are at the end of the corridors to the north,” Sasha continued in her monotone voice. “Bear in mind that Initiates are not allowed to perform magic outside the classrooms, training grounds, and tutorial dungeons, and even then, will require the permission and supervision of either a professor or disciple.”

“When do we get to try out the tutorial dungeons?” Lorcan inquired eagerly.

“In about a week,” Raimund replied with an acknowledging smile. “Your first run-through will be a group effort with the entire class.”

“So, if one of your classmates is struggling to keep up, be sure to help motivate them when and where you can,” Sasha added with a faint smirk. “Let’s see, you’ll get to visit the Dining Hall in person after the second period, and we will show you the Library and Nexus later following the third period. As for the training grounds, you’ll begin your daily combat drills and practical magic training there after you pass your Citizenship Test.”

“Not to worry,” Raimund said as the albino and the two Initiates from the Elemental Realm exchanged worried glances. “It’s a simple exam to ensure you are familiar with the laws of the Arcane Haven since you will reside in this city until you graduate.” He clasped his hands together with an assuring smile before turning to his fellow disciple. “That should be it for the morning tour. Shall I take them back to the classroom until the second period begins?”

“Yes, I should check in on the Professor and those two headaches he’s been stuck with,” Sasha affirmed with a faint grimace.

“Can we watch the evaluations?” Lorcan blurted out, his hazel-gray eyes practically sparkling with hope. “I heard one of them is a prodigy from the Soul Realm.”

“That—” the female Disciple shot her companion an irritated look.

“Let them observe,” Raimund said with a shrug. “Initiate Mercedes needs some quiet time to catch up on her reading.”

“Fine,” Sasha retorted, turning to the three younger Initiates. “If you’ve finished with all the class reading, you may come with me to watch the evaluation. However, you will remain silent and in your seats so you don’t create any unnecessary distractions. Understood?”

All three nodded enthusiastically.

“Have fun!” Raimund called after them with a mischievous grin as his fellow Disciple led the three bright-eyed Initiates off to the north exit of the courtyard. “Initiate Mercedes, if you’ll follow me.”

The Sparrow sighed, somewhat reluctant to miss the opportunity to see this prodigy in action and slightly suspicious that the Disciples might be intentionally keeping her away from the training grounds.

An impressive metal sculpture of a sinister Basilisk with six venomous green eyes that gleamed with arcane magic guarded the door of Classroom A. The albino studied the metalwork in awe as the ginger Mystic announced himself. “Disciple Raimund requests permission to enter the Basilisk’s Lair.” He paused for a moment, then turned to the Sparrow. “Your turn, Initiate.”

Mercedes furrowed her brows as she offered him a dubious look. ‘Is he messing with me again?’

“It might seem eccentric, but the Basilisk won’t open to strangers,” he explained with an encouraging nod toward the waiting, menacing guardian.

‘If this is another prank.’ “Initiate Mercedes—requests permission to enter.”

[Unauthorized Mystic detected. Access Denied. Please provide the necessary override credentials from the appropriate authority for registration and future entry.]

“The appropriate authority is here. Disciple Raimund grants Initiate Mercedes permission to enter the Basilisk’s Lair.”

[Registered Authority Acknowledged. Please proceed with the registration of Initiate Mercedes.]

“Good, now hold up your ring like so.”

The Sparrow observed as the Disciple raised his right hand so that the larger of the two rings he wore was placed directly before the metal sculpture’s sinister jeweled gaze. She mimicked his movements and glanced around warily as an ominous hiss echoed from the hallway’s stone and mortar walls.

The Basilisk’s emerald eyes glowed even brighter as the sound of a heavy bolt clicked free with a deep, dull clunk before the door swung open to welcome them.

“This much security just to enter a classroom?” Mercedes murmured as she followed her guide inside.

“The Academy takes the safety of its students seriously,” Raimund retorted with a hint of humor. “Once you’ve been recorded, you’ll be able to enter freely simply by announcing your identity and presenting that ring which holds a record of your blood and magic essence.”

“What if I forget my ring? What if someone takes it from me?”

“There’s a reason obtaining a bank ring was part of your registration requirements,” he deflected with a shrug. “The reason your ring was crafted with your blood and magic essence signature is to prevent it from being used by another. In many ways, that piece of jewelry is similar to an Artifact in that it cannot be forcibly removed from your person unless you’re dead.”

“That’s–comforting…”

“Don’t worry. Inside the Realms, all Mystics have a six-hour death delay that allows for a Primordial or Titan to intervene and offer a resurrection.” The ginger Disciple hastily raised his hand, cutting off the Sparrow’s building questions. “More on that later. For now, welcome to the Basilisk’s Lair.”

He stepped aside and gestured to the spacious, two-level classroom structured with twisting, dark wooden beams and moss-green walls. Six long desks on the bottom floor were arranged in two neat rows that faced an ornamental hearth along the north wall framed by two elaborate blue-tinted, full-length windows. Above the hearth’s flickering arcane flames hung a black tapestry embroidered with six gold eyes and the dark purple and green scales of the same serpentine creature that guarded the door.

‘Why a Basilisk?’

From what little Mercedes could see of the second floor through the open railings that looked down to the classroom below, it appeared occupied with several neatly arranged bookshelves and at least two quiet reading nooks. The ceiling above swirled with realistic clouds and sky rippling with fathomless blue magic that resembled space, glimmering golden constellations, and shimmering arcane runes.

“Since you’re the first one to enter, that means you get the first choice,” Raimund prompted as he rapped his knuckle against one of the empty desks to grab her attention.

The Sparrow nodded and set her books down to claim one of the desks at the back of the room. She noted with interest the elemental hieroglyphs carved along the desk’s wooden frame as she sat in the surprisingly comfortable wooden chair.

“The Basilisk’s door records every entry and exit,” Raimund commented as he pulled the [Pathways to Power I: Understanding Basic Primary Stats] from the albino’s stack of primers. “Read as much as you can before the second period begins. Today’s lessons will likely summarize what you don’t get to. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me once the afternoon tour ends.”

“Alright,” Mercedes said as she thumbed the book open. The [Quest Insight] prompt appeared as expected, but the Sparrow waited to confirm her choice while the ginger Disciple lingered beside her. “Was there something else?”

“You—” Raimund leaned his weight against the desk as his gemstone green eyes focused intently on the albino’s face. “—didn’t happen to leave your room at the Inn last night, did you?”

“What?” The albino tilted her head in confusion. “No, I stayed up for a bit to read but went straight to bed afterward.”

“Are you sure about that?”

The Sparrow scoffed. “I think I’d remember leaving the inn, especially after dark. If I wanted to explore more of the city, I’d do it during the day.” She turned in her chair to face him, perplexed by the worried look he offered her. “Why?”

“No reason,” he deflected with a shrug. “But it would be best if you—and the other Initiates remained indoors after sundown.”

Mercedes furrowed her brows but shrugged in response. “Sure. I’ve got plenty of homework to keep me busy.”

“I’ll let you get to it,” Raimund replied, chuckling as he headed for the door. “The evaluation shouldn’t last more than an hour. Use that time well.”

The Sparrow suppressed a groan and turned back to face the waiting primer, activating [Quest Insight] as the classroom door opened and closed again behind her with a subtle click and hiss.

[Lesson One: Vitality]

One of the most basic Primary Stats, Vitality (VIT), represents a Mystic’s physical health, resilience, and overall combat endurance. As each Mystic gains experience and grows, their Vitality evolves with them. The more a Mystic cultivates their Vitality, the greater its influence over the following:

• Maximizing Life Essence. Vitality determines the size and overall resilience of a Mystic’s health or life essence. Naturally, a higher Vitality stat results in a stronger power core, allowing the spellcaster to withstand more damage before being defeated or dying.
• Environmental Adaptability. Vitality also provides greater resistance to environmental hazards, such as poisons, exposure to extreme temperatures, or other adverse physical conditions. This enhances the Mystic’s adaptability in different combat scenarios.
• Health Regeneration. Higher Vitality contributes to a Mystic’s passive life essence regeneration over time, allowing for a swift recovery while at rest between battles.
• Enhanced Nutrition Absorption. Mystics with a high Vitality stat can absorb beneficial boons from energy infused, well-balanced, and nutrient enhanced meals provided through the [Mystic Nourishment Diet] skill obtained at Journeyman level cooking. Following a strict diet of vitality-infused food such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, dairy, nuts and seeds, fats and oils, herbs and spices helps to actively increase the Mystic’s Vitality over time while providing additional temporary buffs, such as increased Stamina regeneration, improved Resistance to certain conditions, or heightened Primary and Secondary Stats for better combat performance. Other Vitality-boosting potions or herbs and brews may provide similar training benefits.
• [Vitality Essence Absorption] This active training spell allows a Mystic to draw upon the life essence consumed from Vitality enriched meals, allowing the Mystic to absorb this vital essence to replenish and increase their Vitality Stat, which contributes to their overall health and resilience.

[Here ends Lesson One. Do you want to continue?]

‘Well, that explains the stats I earned from the soup last night,’ Mercedes mused as she pondered the provided information. ‘So eating this Mystic Diet and using this training skill is another way to train Vitality? Not sure I’ll be able to take advantage of that—but maybe vitality potions and herbs will work instead?’

[Lesson Two: Stamina]

Another Primary Stat, Stamina (STA), plays a significant role in shaping a Mystic’s abilities, endurance, and combat capability. While this Stat evolves similarly to all Primary Stats as the Mystic gains experience, it is often overlooked when it comes to active training in favor of other more immediately beneficial stats.

The following are two key areas where Stamina can influence a Mystic’s ability in combat.

• Physical Fitness:
  • Stamina contributes to a Mystic’s physical fitness, agility, and overall physical prowess. A higher Stamina allows the Mystic to possess greater physical strength, speed, and dexterity.
  • When it comes to Physical Combat, a Mystic with higher STA can engage in physical combat more efficiently as this Stat improves their weapon proficiency, capability to dodge attacks, and the ability to perform physical maneuvers with precision. Such training can come in handy in situations where the use of magic has been neutralized or blocked, a Mystic’s magic essence has run dangerously low due to spell fatigue or drained magic essence, or when facing an opponent capable of reflecting magic attacks.
  • Regarding Physical Resistance. A higher Stamina provides a Mystic with increased resistance to physical injury or ailments. This increased physical resistance enables a Mystic to endure the mental trauma of a physical attack, reducing the impact of a severe injury on their overall health.

‘Well, that’s interesting.’ Mercedes rubbed her temple absently as she pondered how much Stamina it would take to remain conscious while being ripped apart by the void. She shivered as she recalled her first unpleasant entry to the Mystic Realms. ‘Still, if training Stamina will make the trip back easier, all the better for me. Besides, I am much more comfortable with physical combat.’

• Spell Efficiency:
  • Stamina also impacts the efficiency and effectiveness of a Mystic’s magical abilities. This includes factors such as spell duration, range, and area of effect. With proper training and spell implementation, Stamina can influence the following:
    • Spell Duration and Range: A higher STA stat allows Mystics to cast spells with a prolonged period of sustainability or extend the range of the spell’s influence. Modifying the range and duration of a spell can increase the versatility and effectiveness of a Mystic’s attack.
    • Area of Effect: Stamina can affect the size of the Mystic’s Area of Effect (AoE) spells by allowing them to channel and direct the spell to cover a more significant impact area, affecting more targets within their vicinity.

‘Okay, I can see why you wouldn’t want to overlook this stat. Being able to wipe out a large group of enemies from a distance would be pretty advantageous,’ Mercedes mused as she continued reading.

• Energy Recovery and Endurance:
  • A higher STA stat enhances a Mystic’s Energy Recovery Rate, allowing them to replenish their Vitality, Stamina, Magic Energy, and Spiritual Energy faster. A swifter recuperation period enables Mystics to recover more quickly from physical and mental exertion, providing them with sustained combat capabilities.
  • Stamina also determines how long a Mystic can remain in combat or engaged in continuous spellcasting without succumbing to mental strain or Spell Fatigue. A higher Stamina stat would allow the Mystic to endure prolonged skirmishes, maintain focus while meditating, and battle through mental fatigue, ensuring their magical abilities remain effective for longer durations.
• A Mystic’s STA stat can be trained passively through experience gathering or actively through Cardiovascular Training or Interval Combat Training.

‘Looks like Stamina is beneficial all around. Especially if it helps fight off this spell fatigue. So why would Mystics overlook the obvious benefits?’

[Here ends Lesson Two. Do you want to continue?]

‘Not particularly, but let’s get on with it.’

[Lesson Three: Magic Energy]

Magic Energy (M.ENG) represents the Mystic’s reserve of magical essence in the form of a Power Core and the Mystic’s ability to draw magic from this core. One of the most vital Primary Stats for Mystics, M.ENG influences the following:

• Maximum Magic Essence:
  • Magic Energy determines the size of the Mystic’s power core, which represents their internal reserve of magic essence. A higher M.ENG stat would result in a larger power core, allowing the mystic to cast more potent spells before running out of magic energy.
• Mystical Meditation:
  • One way to replenish and actively train Magic energy is through the skill [Mystical Meditation]. This introspective and focused exercise trains a Mystic to attune their mind to the magical energies around and within them, enhancing their intuition to harness and control these powerful energies.

‘Oh, I see. So, I need this meditation skill to unlock my magic powers. No wonder they told me to start with this primer first.’

• Magic Essence Absorption:
  • Another method of active training and replenishment unlocked through higher Meditation is the ability to absorb the energy of magic essence from a naturally occurring source, such as a magic crystal, using the skill [Magic Essence Absorption]. Unlike a Magic Energy Potion, absorbing essence from raw materials allows the Mystic to recharge their magic energy and expand their inner power core to contain more readily available magic essence to cast even greater spells.

[Here ends Lesson Three. Do you want to continue?]

‘I think I’m getting some of that Mental Fatigue right now,’ Mercedes groaned as she ignored the prompt and scanned the section on Magic Essence Absorption again. ‘This confirms the information I read yesterday. Magic Crystals may serve as currency in this world, but they are quite literally a direct means to grow stronger. That gives a whole new meaning to “Money equals Power.”’

The Sparrow’s pink eyes shifted to the account ring on her right hand before she let out an exasperated sigh. ‘If it takes us a week to access this tutorial dungeon, I wonder how long it will take to gain entry to a real dungeon where I can farm more of these crystals?’