Fuck me, this is like finals all over again.

Not even one week had gone by and all the students had gone mental. Students stealing books, paying in gold for each other’s notes and helping a newfound market of study-enhancing potions thrive. Each day was worse than the last. By the end of Thursday people were already losing their moral compass over it.

“Because no!” Melissa half-shouted.

The boy tried to make another go at it, but Bib interposed himself in front of her.

“Mage Melissa had said no. And that is final.”

The student looked as if he was deliberating risking the ire of the huge Martial, but chose against it and left. His group of friends that had been waiting for him looked just as downcast as their messenger.

“I don’t even know why they want my notes.” Melissa complained. “I’m in an advanced group and I study runework. Roda just taught theory.”

“They either don’t know or they’re desperate.” Michael said.

“I’m betting on the later.” Micah quipped.

Study groups had formed and never before had Michael’s little conspiracy been more useful. Sure, he hadn’t put it together with this goal in mind, but his group worked just as fine for helping each other study as it did for ferreting out faction-only information. Better, if he was honest.

To that group they’ve added Erea and Alex. Quora and Laen sometimes attended, but they had their own groups and Mihli was apparently a fiercely independent Volpix. Good for her. And they all had their own strengths. Michael was a generalist, but had a knack for quickly picking up Spells, even if he didn’t always explain them properly. Melissa excelled in Bound Magic and Bob was the most studious of them all, which helped with the theory part of their lessons.

Erea and Alex helped too, them being upper-years, though that was also part of the reason why they couldn’t attend all their study sessions. Besides, Alex was almost as studious as Bob and Erea… well. Firebrand she may be, but no one topped her in applied magic, specifically the combat type of it.

Which just left Micah.

“And what had you so happy?” Michael inquired.

“Oh, you know. It’s nice to see others fail where you succeeded.” The lycan grinned.

“Wait.” Erea said, stopping in her tracks. “You mean…?”

“Yup.” He said, grinning even more. “I got the notes for ‘Applied Magical Workings’ Class. Paid and arm and a leg for them too.”

“Which means…”

“I bribed the professor’s helper.”

“How?” Alex asked, looking more interested in that than in the notes.

“Eh, just natural charisma, I guess.”

“She required that Micah go on a date with her.” Bob graveled.

“Bob!”

“Ooooh!” a couple of voiced chorused.

“If we can put Micah’s love life aside, perhaps we should focus on the mission.” Alex smiled and steered the conversation to the focus at hand.

Which had the lycan shoot him a deeply thankful look for.

Friday had come and with it a mission. A mission! It felt like a long time since they’ve had one, but Martial or not, Alex pulled through and secured one for them. It was even a special one, since it had been specifically requested by a high-mage of Gnosis.

Sinestra.

Michael was very interested in the mission once he heard that and he worked hard in assembling the entire group for it.

She must have known that if she requested it, chances are it went to Alex. And to me by connection. This… this has to be her way of asking for help. But why not ask directly?

Apparently, their mission was directed at one of the upper floors and it was an artifact retrieval one. A book, specifically, a magical tome of which they didn’t know any details save that it wasn’t dangerous. Not that it couldn’t be trapped, though.

That was where they were headed right now walking on a flight of stairs that hadn’t been there a few days before. Because it only appeared on days that started with the letter ‘F’. Like Friday… and Friday.

Actually… if Monday in another language starts with F, would this stairway open for the speaker of that language?

But everyone speaks English here.

Wait. Noooo- How- How did I-

–

Huh? Oh, we’re here.

“We’re here.” Alex confirmed.

They entered an antechamber and peered inside a room without a door. Like a lot of rooms in Gnosis, the chamber was large. Huge, even, if not as much as the minotaur one. It was empty too, save for one object floating five feet off the ground in the center of it, illuminated by a single beam of light.

With no apparent light-source.

“This is the most blatant trap I have ever seen.” Michael almost laughed.

“Doesn’t mean it didn’t catch any flies.” Erea said.

“And by flies you mean…”

“Idiots.’ She grinned.

“Which we will not be.” Alex stated, looking serious. “Bob and Erea, front and center. Be on the lookout for any enemies. Melissa, try and get a feel of the room. Michael, protect her. Micah, you’re my backup in case we need to move forward.”

“Wait. Why don’t we all move forward?” Micah complained.

“Because if the room is sealed, we need someone on the outside to break the seal.” Alex answered. “I try to learn from my mistakes.”

Yeah, fair point.

Melissa gave them the green light a couple of minutes later and in they went. The rest of them held their breaths, but nothing happened. Tentatively, the two walked ahead, until they stood a few feet away from the floating tome.

“Alright.” Alex called out. “Bob, you stay with Melissa. If some barrier drops down, I want Melissa to try and subvert its magic while Bob brute forces it. Michael and Erea can enter.”

“He means he wants you to smash it!” Micah unhelpfully added.

Michael abstained from laughing after hearing the long-suffering sigh from the gaindel. He was a good friend like that.

Him and Erea walked towards their friends, until all four of them stood around the book. Alex started to debate the best approach at retrieving it, but Michael only half-listened. He hadn’t really felt it at first, which was alarming in and of itself, but Gnosis felt like it was wriggling around him. Reacting frantically. It felt muted until he entered the room and then it increased in intensity. By the time he reached the book, it was like an alarm going off inside his head.

“So, not snatch it.” Micah said.

“Not unless you want to put yourself in danger, no. Perhaps hitting it with a low-Level Spell? It’s probably enchanted against damage.” Alex reasoned.

“Seems easy enough.”

“If it works.” Erea shrugged.

“Guys?”

Alex turned to him and immediately frowned, seeing his expression.

“Michael! What happened.”

“I’m not sure. I just have this uneasy feeling. I get it sometimes.”

“Is it about the tome?”

“I… can’t be sure.”

“Should we make a run for it?” Erea asked.

“Mmm… no. I just think we need to be careful.”

“Got it. Then we should raise-“

“|Bolt|.”

Everyone turned in shock to stare at the grinning lycan and the magical tome which had just gotten dislodged from the ray of light and now lay peacefully at his feet.

“What? It worked!”

“Micah… safety measures are there for a reason!” Alex exasperatedly said.

“Yeah, but… it worked.”

“I admire your spirit, kid.” Erea grinned. “But you know, it’s gonna kill you one day.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re not that old.”

“And how would you kn-“

“Enough.” Alex cut through. “Michael, your feeling. Is it better or worse?”

He had gotten distracted by the book, but now that he focused on it again…

Huh.

“It’s the same. Not better or worse. And… now that I really focus on it… I don’t think it was about the book at all.”

He looked up, feeling deeply at Gnosis and found that the book or even the room itself wasn’t what made him feel uneasy. No, whatever it was, it came from above.

“Alex, what floor did you say we were on?”

“Fourth.”

“Fourth?!” Micah almost yelled.

“It’s a designated safe zone on the fourth floor. Haven’t you listened to my debrief?”

“Alex.” Michael said again. “Safe zone or not, I think we should move.”

He looked at him and nodded.

“Right. Micah, on me. Erea be on the lookout. Michael, watch her back. I’ll get the tome. When I give the signal, run for the exit.”

They confirmed and Alex retrieved a special bag. Special in that even if it wasn’t a bag of holding, it still had a number of enchantments on it designed to protect the holder from whatever it was that they were carrying inside. It had even a small enchantment that sucked anything that was close to it inside, which allowed the holder to refrain from touching the object.

“Ready…” Alex said, tensing up. “GO, g- Fuck!”

“What happened?” Erea shouted, mid-step.

“Damn- Nothing. Nothing, keep going!”

They ran for it, even if nothing chased them. Michael’s heart was pumping as they crossed the threshold and Melissa raised a barrier behind them. Yet, nothing came. Nothing happened.

“What has happened?” Bob graveled. “Alex, I’ve heard you shout.”

“Yeah, you scared the shit out of me.” Micah rasped. “I thought it was the minotaurs all over again.”

“No, it wasn’t dangerous. I think. It just surprised me.”

“What did?” asked Michael.

“The book. It’s not a tome. It’s a Primer.”

“A Primer.” Melissa exclaimed.

Micah just looked confused.

“It’s a book that either helps you get a Class or straight up gives you one, if it’s powerful. This one was of the later variety. It offered me one and I refused it, but given the situation, it surprised me.”

“Surprised.” Erea grinned. “You mean scared.”

“Let’s keep going.” Alex rolled his eyes. “We’ll talk as we move.”

What followed was a short discussion on primers. What they were, what they did. Michael knew a little, from his adventure with Narh, but as always, every mage knew different details.

Primers were apparently of the rarest and most precious of books. |Librarians| had literally killed themselves over them. Because a Primer could, as Alex said, help one get a Class. Affect a person’s mind and magic, guiding them, until with enough effort they managed to obtain the Class the Primer contained knowledge off.

Or, like Alex said, just give it to you. A complete transfer of knowledge and will within a second of touch. It couldn’t force the Class on you, but it would give you the offer instantly. If you accepted, that was up to you.

And something that Michael didn’t know, but was logical when you thought about it, was what Melissa told them next.

“Primers aren’t valuable just because they impart a Class, even thought that’s a great part of it. They’re important because of the type of Classes they impart.”

“What do you mean?” Michael asked.

“Well, think about it. Why go through all the trouble of making a Primer just to have it give someone a |Mage| Class. Or |Laborer| or |Farmer|.”

“Did you just equate a |Mage| to a |Farmer|?” Erea asked, honestly surprised.

“I know it’s sacrilege, because Gnosis and all, but… yes. A |Mage| is a simple Class. Just like |Farmer|. At low-Levels, they’re not that powerful. And we can cast magic, that is true, but a Level 40 |Farmer| can have a crop grow in a day. A |Mage| can’t create food until…. I’m not even sure if it’s possible. Mythical Levels, if it is.”

“Point taken.” Michael said. “So, what’s the catch?”

“The ‘catch’ is that virtually all Primers are designated to provide a special Class. One that can only usually be obtained by merging other Classes or after several specializations.”

“Huh. Then what Class did it try to give you, Alex?” Micah asked.

“|Enchanting Dancer|.” The young man seriously said, after being silent all this time.

Silence descended over the group for a few moments after that revelation.

“Alright. I confess I do not understand.” Bob said at last. “Anyone else?”

“Nope. Why would Sinestra want a Class like that?” Erea asked.

“Maybe she doesn’t want it for herself.?” Melissa tried. “Maybe she wants it so she can barter it. It’s worth enough, surely.”

Michael shook his head.

“We retrieved it for her, sure, but the cost she must have paid to ferret out its location… and to keep others silent about it. It must have cost a fortune.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Alex breathed.

“Wait. Wait, I’ve got it.” Micah grinned. “Ready for it? She wants it to woo Kelunad.”

‘C’mon Micah. We’re serious.”

“No, really. She wants it so she can slither rhythmically all over that big, green- oh.”

They discussion had taken a while, long enough for them to reach Sinestra’s chambers. Only it wasn’t Sinestra that was waiting for them.

Kelunad stood in front of the closed door, looking all mighty and healed from his previous injuries.

“Big, green what, if I may ask?”

“Uhm… uh… dancefloor?” Micah winced.

“Big, green dancefloor.” Kelunad repeated. “I wasn’t aware of this room in Gnosis, but the academy holds many surprises. Now, I am here to retrieve the Primer you hold for Professor Sinestra. She is currently indisposed.”

“Uhm, no offense, sir. But we’ve been instructed to give it to her directly.” Alex said.

It was the first time the two met after Kelunad kicked Alex out of the Martials. Which explained the young man’s reserved tone. The orc? He looked just as serene as always.

“And I am instructing you differently. Give it to me.”

“Sir, we-“ Erea started.

“I will not be swayed.” Kelunad simply said.

“Kelunad, I don’t th-“

“I remember telling you not to intervene, Michael.” He said, without looking at him, before sighing. “I will make this simple. I am currently the leader of the prime faction in the Martial-Bloodlinked-Artificer alliance. As such, I can command whatever I wish. More than that, that artifact you are carrying is not currently one of Sinestra’s possessions. As a member of this academy, I am within my rights to retrieve it for inspection of possible harmful effects. And even more? I am Kelunad of the Martials.”

He took one step forward. Just a single one.

But the weight on them grew massively.

“I can command you, as top Mage of this Academy. I can request it from you, as Academy member. And I can simply take it. Will you resist?”

Once again Kelunad strong-armed Michael and once again he fell deeper in his eyes. But he was right. They couldn’t deny him. So Alex gave him the bag, from which Kelunad retrieved the Primer.

“I see.” He said, after holding it. Smiling. “Amusing, if ineffectual. As my thanks, I will give you all a warning. Try to abstain from taking any more of Mage Sinestra’s requests for the foreseeable future. I believe they would bring certain… danger with them.”

And with that, he walked away, leaving them to stand still, wondering what just happened.

“So.” Micah spoke first, after a while. “I guess they got into a fight.”