When the world came back into focus, I saw that we stood in front of a doorway. And beyond was a world of wonder! I released the hands of my companions and walked into the store. The guild shop was full of mages examining the wide variety of wares, from scrolls to staves to exotic pets and even machines!

Suddenly, a gnome approached me. "Hello! Are you a new member?" he asked in a friendly tone voice.

I looked up at his caption and read his name as Voum'Tro. "Yes, I joined the Mage Guild today. My name is Lawrence Eugene Mulligan." I bowed deeply.

"Ah! Then you would be seeking to buy a spellbook?" the shopkeeper nodded knowingly.

"Yes, please show him your selection, Voum'Tro," Rijana said.

"Please follow me," the gnome replied and started navigating past the other patrons.

As I followed, I had to duck under a test swing of a staff by a mage, who never noticed I was almost hit.

"Good reflex," Bjouka giggled and earned a nudge from her brother's elbow.

The shopkeeper led us to a back room. The walls were lined with shelves containing spellbooks. "Please select the book that suits your personal style," Voum'Tro smiled.

I started picking up the spellbooks, one by one. But nothing really enticed me until I saw a black book. It was bound with a soft leather cover. When I picked it up, it felt just right in my hand. I turned and asked, "How much is this one?"

The shopkeeper smiled when he saw my selection. "You have excellent taste, milord. This spellbook is bound with hard boiled wyvern skin. It is impervious to flame and fire resistant. It costs a mere 35 gold coins," he said.

"35 gold for a beginner's spellbook? That's outrageous!" Rijana argued.

"If your apprentice cannot afford it, I could recommend another book for 5 gold. But it won't last as long if you're traveling," the shopkeeper replied.

"I'll take it," I said.

"Are you sure?" my master asked.

"It's fine," I smiled. I quickly counted out the coins from my sack and gave it to Voum'Tro.

"Thank you, milord," the gnome bowed deeply, hiding a wide grin. "If you are in need of a staff or a dagger, we have a fine selection available," he continued while eyeing the sack of coins tied to my belt.

"Maybe another day," I replied. "I think we should head out now." I left the back room and continued walking until we left the shop.

"I'm sorry," Rijana said. "The shopkeeper can be a bit greedy."

"It's fine. I can afford it. The spellbook is an investment in my profession. Is it possible for me to learn more spells from you by copying from your spellbook?" I asked.

"Sure! But we need to get you a quill and inkwell to write in your book," she reminded me. "We can get it cheaper at a general goods store. We will need to teleport to the exit and leave the building."

"Okay," I replied.

The five of us linked hands and Rijana teleported us to the exit.

After a moment to regain my bearings, I walked past the sliding door and left the mage guild.

"Too much teleporting," Kalistra muttered under her breath.

Once we stepped outside, Rijana led us to another store down the street. It was a general goods store, and the inkwell and quill cost me only 10 silver pieces. I bought a small leather pouch specially designed to fit the spellbook and writing tools in separate compartments for another 20 silver; I clipped the pouch to my belt behind my right hip. I could barely contain my grin as we walked back to The Wild Boar.

The church bell tolled five times when we returned.

I turned toward my magic teacher. "I know it's getting late, but can I copy more spells from your spellbook?" I asked. "I'll buy dinner for you and the twins," I offered as an incentive. While Bjoukin was very patient and understanding, I noticed that Bjoukia was growing more fidgety as the day passed by. The sooner I went back to The Wild Board, and STAYED in my guest room, the sooner she will be released from her babysitting duties for the day.

Rijana turned toward Bjoukia and Bjoukin. "What do you think?"

"As long as we can leave by the sixth bell, I think it will be fine," Bjoukin replied.

Bjoukia nodded in agreement. Eating for free always made her feel better.

Rijana turned back to me and nodded. "You can try to copy from my spellbook for the next half hour," she said knowing that I will probably end up taking closer to the full hour.

"We'll hang out in the dining room and have an early dinner," Bjoukin added.

When we entered the tavern, I walked straight toward the gnomish owner and pointed at my companions. "Please put their dinners on my tab," I requested.

Deun'Luye adjusted his small glasses to look more closely at my companions; the more accurate statement, though, was that the tavern keeper was reading their captions to confirm their names. "Okay," he nodded after the gnome made a mental note of their names.

"Should I hang out in your room as a chaperone?" Kalistra asked nonchalantly.

I couldn't help but wince at the implicit warning while Bjoukia giggled. Kalistra had a misunderstanding of my relationship with Jasla and reacted poorly when the mischievous succubus claimed that we were "lovers." Since I was now weaponless, it would not be prudent for my bodyguard to have a misunderstanding between myself and Rijana; if Kalistra decided to punish me for another supposedly Dishonorable act, I had no sword to block her attack. Thus, I chose the safest course and said, "Sure, if you don't mind." I nodded in agreement.

The cat girl grinned. Kalistra was prepared to insist on being in my room regardless of my answer. My acquiescence simply allowed me to save face on this personal matter.

I walked up the stairs, followed by Rijana and then Kalistra.

When I unlocked my door and entered my guest room, Rijana frowned at the sight. "Milord, this room is not suitable for a nobleman like yourself!" she blurted out loud.

With great care, I started a small flame with my Fire Bolt spell to light the candle inside the lantern. "Fire bolt SUCCESSFUL. +25 XP."

My magic instructor frowned at my use of the spell and said, "I'll pretend I didn't see that."

Kalistra entered my room, closed the door behind her, sat down, and leaned against the door. She closed her eyes and started meditating.

I gestured for Rijana to have a seat on my bed because there was no chair in the room and I preferred not to have my guest sit on the floor. I sat down next to her on my bed and we both took out our spellbooks. I bent down and placed the inkwell and quill on the floor.

"Okay, what first level spells are you interested in copying?" Rijana asked.

I held up my hand. "I'm going to check my character status screen and see if I have enough experience to level up first," I said. When I saw my teacher nod, I quickly recalled my screen. A picture of my player avatar was on the left column and right above that read: “Title: Pursuer of the Crown, Title: Finalist in the Melee Tournament, Title: Were-Hunter, Title: Avenger of the Town Judge Wachtel; Title: Liege of the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship, Status: Member of the Mage Guild, Status: Adept of the Church of Britannia, Status: Town Judge of Tregome, Status: Honorary member of the Tregome Bordermen, Status: True Friend of Burnhamm Village.”

The middle column read: "Name: Lawrence Eugene Mulligan, Race: Human, Alignment: Lawful-Neutral, Special Condition: Kissed by Lady Luck (Expiration 13:45:12), Permanent Conditions: Marked by Bane, Marked by Musa, Marked by Luck, Marked by Gaea, Marked by Jasla; Profession: Mage (Current), Swordsman (Former), Level: 1 / 6, Experience: 32,529/1,000, (15,000/15,000), Reputation: 10,302, Attack: 34, Damage: 6-8 (Unarmed), Critical Attack: 7%, Critical Damage: 250%."

On the right side of the screen were my player attributes: "Health: 66, Stamina: 46, Magic: 30, Strength: 20, Intelligence: 20, Wisdom: 12, Dexterity: 19, Constitution: 26, Charisma: 12. Abilities: Navigation-Sense (Level 5), Magic Sense (Level 4), Immunity to Electricity (Level 1), Negotiation (Level 3), Spirit Sense (Level 5), Reroll (Level X)."

At the bottom were four tabs. The first was marked "Skills." When I mentally clicked on the tab, I saw: "Professional Skills: Mage—Read Magic (Level 1); Swordsman (LOCKED)—[Charge (Level 4), Disarm (Level 3), First Strike (Level 2), Slide Step (Level 4), Duel Winner (Level 2)]." The second tab was: "Magic Spells: Fire (Level 1)—Fire Bolt; Water (Level 1); Earth (Level 1); Air (Level 1)—Magic Missile." The third tab was: "Divine Spells: Order—Unveil (Level X), Chaos—Veil (Level X), Charm Opposite Sex (Level X); Life—Minor Heal (Level X)." The last tab was: "Artifacts," and it revealed: "Truth-Stone of Order and Chaos—Truth-Telling (Level X)."

I paid particular attention to the profession section of my player status screen. I was currently a Mage at Level 1 and formerly a Swordsman at Level 6. My experience in my previous profession had been walled off at 15,000 because that was apparently the amount required in this gaming world to reach Level 6. I quickly asked Rijana to confirm a hunch. "I would not be able to regain access to my swordsman skills until my new profession's level matched my old one. Correct?"

"Correct," she nodded. "Once this occurs, you will have access to both professions and continue to advance in both professions. However, there is a huge penalty: Your experience will be split equally into both classes," she cautioned. "Also, you will not gain any new attribute points until your two professions are equal in level. This is why very few people are dual-classed."

I checked my available experience points. I had enough to jump to level 6 in Mage right away. "From my participation in the Melee Tournament, I gained enough experience to advance my mage profession to equal my previous profession. Is there any reason why I should delay doing so?" I asked.

Rijana's eyes widened in shock. Since I participated in the Apprentice division, I had to be at least Level 5. That required 10,000 experience points to reach. She was bewildered by this revelation. How much adventuring did I do with Kalistra to have an extra 10,000 XP on hand, unused? Of course, Rijana was aware that Kalistra was a Master Swordsman, meaning that the cat girl was at least Level 20. It would be easy for her to take on tough monsters and allow me to gain experience simply by joining her party.

A part of Rijana was very jealous of me for being able to gain experience so rapidly. However, the more rational and mature part of Rijana understood that Kalistra had very high standards and thus, rarely allowed others to party with her. Therefore, my bond with the fickle cat girl was a special one, with heavy duties and responsibilities falling on both sides of the bond. That was why I did not hesitate to buy the enchanted Cat's Eye as a temporary cure for Kalistra's stamina drain condition even though the cost of 750 gold coins was astronomically high for a lower tier magic item.

"Hello?" I waved my hand in front of Rijana's face. Her eyes had a faraway look and I was growing concerned.

My teacher shook her head. "Sorry, I was lost in my train of thought," she smiled with embarrassment. "To answer your answer, the only negative would be the slowdown in gaining new experience as your level increases," she answered.

"That's fine," I replied. Regaining access to my Swordsman skills was my top priority because I was feeling naked walking around without my sword at my hip. Furthermore, I had acquired the title of a "Finalist" in the Melee Tournament and this may lead to challengers asking me for friendly duels. Thus, it was imperative for me to advance my Mage profession to Level 6 ASAP; my life depended on it. "Okay, let's do it!" I tabbed on the "1" next to "Level" on my player status screen and increased my level until it reached "6." Immediately, the "1 / 6" turned into a simple "6." I checked my professional skills tab, and saw that the "LOCKED" notation next to "Swordsman" was gone! I smiled at my teacher.

Kalistra suddenly opened her eyes. She subtly unfastened the scabbard and then threw it at me. "Catch!"

Purely on instinct, my right hand flew out and I caught the scabbard before it smacked Rijana on the head. I shot the mischievous cat girl a dirty look and then laid the scabbard on the ground.

"So, what kind of spells are you looking to copy? If you're Level 5 now, you could learn magic spells up to Level 3," my teacher suggested.

"What would it take for me to learn to enchant magic items like you?" I asked out of curiosity. I was intrigued by the notion of creating powerful items of my own in the future.

Rijana's eyes blinked in surprise several times and then she smiled. "Are you looking to become a competitor in my business?" she joked.

"No!" I protested.

My magic instructor held up her hand to calm me down. "I was only joking. Enchanters are highly regarded within the Magic Guild and each branch tries to encourage more mages to specialize as Enchanters," she said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Enchanters have support roles rather than fight on the front line in a battle. They can create temporary solutions, both magical and mundane, like reinforcing a door being rammed in a siege or creating massive slick spots on the ground beneath the feet of an invading horde," she explained.

"What are the requirements to become an Enchanter?" I inquired. I could see how flexible this specialization could be.

"The core spells are Create Mundane Item (Level 3), Enchant Magic (Level 4), and Permanency (Level 6). To gain access to Permanency, the Mage needs to be at Level 11. Enchant Magic allows the temporary creation of a magic item and Permanency is the spell that binds the spell effect to the item," Rijana lectured. "To create the enchanted Cat's Eye, I bound the effects of a Potion of Stamina to the gemstone via Permanency. The bulk of the time I spent in making the item was to purify the stone in order for it to accept magical energy."

"Wow, I have a long way to go to reach Level 11," I noted with disappointment.

"Indeed," my teacher nodded. "Especially since you are now dual-classed."

I decided to change the topic slightly. "What spells would you recommend that I copy for now?" I asked.

Rijana placed her hand under her chin for a moment. "Since you are an adventurer, I would recommend these three spells: Light, Detect Trap, and Dispel Magic. The first two spells are Level 1 while Dispel Magic is Level 3; all three spells come from the General Sphere and should be easier for you to learn. However, I would delay trying to learn Dispel Magic until your Read Magic skill advanced a bit more," she cautioned.

"General sphere?" I asked.

"There are certain types of spells that are considered non-elemental in nature. Any Mage can attempt to learn these spells regardless of affinity. Affinity, on the other hand, limits the types of spells that a Mage can learn," Rijana explained. "Since we are pressed for time, I suggest copying Light and Detect Trap from my spellbook. It should take a half hour to copy both." My instructor opened her spellbook to the page showing the Light spell.

I started reading the page and became absorbed in it. "Read magic SUCCESSFUL. Level 2, +50 XP." "General spell LEARNED: Light. +100 XP." The pop-ups broke my concentration. When I looked down, I saw that I had somehow copied the Light spell into my spellbook.

"Congratulations!" Rijana smiled. She quickly flipped a few pages and turned to the page showing "Detect Trap."

I read the page and became absorbed with the explanation again. "Read magic SUCCESSFUL. Level 3, +50 XP." "General spell LEARNED: Detect Trap. +100 XP."

When I finished copying the spell, I felt weak and nauseated. A strong hand gripped my right shoulder and gently pushed my body down until my back laid on my bed.

"You should take a nap, milord," Rijana said with a smile. I was her first pupil in magic and she swelled with pride at my ability to learn from her. With my six elemental affinities, it was the start of my long journey to become an Archmage. She took my spellbook and quill from my hands and placed them on the floor next to my bed.

Kalistra rose to her feet and escorted my magic instructor out of my guest room.