Vinny

Location: Stronghold Academy, Floor Two

Date: August 12th, 304 PS (Post System)

Time: 10:18 AM

I woke up today, ready for my first official day of school at Stronghold Academy. Connor and I have trained like crazy for the past week; we created combos for if we have to team up again. Still lying in bed, I opened mine and my monster’s stats.

Name: Vincenzo (Vinny) Hallow

Class: Aura/Rune Scratcher

Level: 4

Unallocated Stat Points: 0

HP: 300/300

SP: 120/120

XP: 4/300

Strength: 6

Intelligence: 16

Wisdom: 11

Constitution: 11

Agility: 13

Charisma: 12

Blessings:

Monka's Blessing — You have an increased chance of successfully enchanting an item.

Alondra's Blessing — You gain access to Alondra's secret tunnels in the dungeons.

Skills:

Rune Scratcher's Elements(Passive): You can imbue objects with any mana type you wish, except one cannot use those mana types for Skills that aren't Rune Scratcher related.

Rune Scratcher Etching(TBD): You can scratch runes into the air to create spells. The complexity of those spells will determine how much SP is required.

Telekinesis(1 SP)[Spectral]: You can lift objects with your mind.

Autonomous Limb(100%)[Life/Mind]: A rune pattern that can create a faux working limb

Mind Alter(30 SP)[Mind]: A rune pattern that allows the user to adjust the memories of a target

Meteor Shower(70 SP)[Fire]: Rain down a fire that specifically targets enemies

Skill Point Revitalization(55 HP)[Life]: Recover 55 SP

Vine Snare(13 SP)[Earth]: Ensnare an enemy with vines; prevent movement

Blood Boil(13 SP)[Life]: Thin a target’s blood and cause massive bleeding when the target is cut.

Astral Jump(250 SP)[Spectral]: You can leave your body and travel in the astral plane. You cannot take damage in your astral form, and if your body dies while in your astral form, you cannot leave the astral form.

Name: Impogon

Element: Life/Spirit

Breed: Imp-Dragon

Level: 3

Unallocated Stat Points: 0

HP: 150/150

SP: 200/200

Strength: 10

Intelligence: 11

Wisdom: 12

Constitution: 10

Agility: 12

Charisma: 10

Happiness: Loving (Your monster loves you)

Happiness Level: 3

Happiness XP: 23/40

Skills:

Spirit Cannon(40 SP)[Spirit]: Send 50 points of damage to a target

Life Absorb(20 SP)[Life]: Absorb a target's HP equal to your Intelligence stat plus your Wisdom stat

Electrical Trident(16 SP)[Lightning]: Send a jolt of lightning from Impogon’s trident

Trident Barrier(9 SP)[Basic]: Impogon spins its trident to deflect damage

Name: Rexaroach

Element: Earth/Venom

Breed: Dyno-Hybrid

Level: 2

Unallocated Stat Points: 0

HP: 260/260

SP: 55/55

Strength: 15

Intelligence: 8

Wisdom: 5

Constitution: 12

Agility: 11

Charisma: 8

Happiness: Passive

Happiness Level: 2

Happiness XP: 16/40

Skills:

Intimidate (Passive)[Plain]: You can frighten people into either getting out of your way or doing what you want

Sludge(12 SP)[Venom]: You can spew blobs of poison at your targets and possibly cause poison. This Skill can create an area of effect (AOE) damage

Bone Spikes(20 SP)[Basic]: Causes spikes to emerge from its body, increasing attacks by 20 points

Stony Skin(6 SP)[Earth]: The user hardens its skin and increases its Constitution by 5 points

I gave a smile when I saw my status screens. My monsters and I put in so much work. I can now fight with Rexaroach, and it will listen to me. Since I am at the academy, I can leave Impogon summoned; because of that, his Happiness raised to level three, and he loves me now.

I looked around at the empty dorm. Connor must have already left—he’s the only other person who stays in the room for now. The other Adventurers should be here around noon today. Most of the students will be first-year students, except there will be some who are entering their second or third years. The returning students have rare classes with unique Skills they are trying to improve.

Usually, being a student at Stronghold Academy costs hundreds of gold. Because my uncle works here, my tuition is covered; Connor’s cost of schooling is waived as well since his family runs the academy. Astrid and Beka continued to Lost Town on the other side of Floor Two. I tried getting the two girls to stay, except they couldn’t afford to be here. Astrid DM’d me four days ago when they arrived at their destination.

I stood up and opened the footlocker at the end of my bed. Having only two changes of clothes, Uncle Chris purchased enough outfits to fill the chest. I slipped my yellow shirt over my body and put on my grey pants that tapered at the ankles; my backward hat hid my unkempt hair. My bag sat on the floor to the left of my bed; I slung it over my shoulder.

I left the dormitory and entered the massive common room. The work desks along the walls sat empty and were decorated with pencils. Stocked on the counters were leatherbound journals with the school’s mascot, Valhallior—a winged centaur holding a single-sided ax, printed on it. I placed two pencils and a notebook into the pouch, strapped over my back, and turned to leave.

The portal to leave the common area is a tricky one. In front of me stood a brick wall, and to go, I had to place my hand on a scanner; the scanner flashed under my hand.

“Have a great day, Vinny Hallow!” A voice echoed in my head. Any time I scan my hand on one of the security pads, some kind of prompt reverberates in my mind. A blue, swirling vortex appeared on the wall. I walked toward the gyre, and it instantly teleported me.

I stepped into the atrium lined with hand scanners. When an Adventurer who is enrolled in Stronghold Academy places their hand on one of these scanners, they are transported to a common area shared with twenty-four other students. Directly ahead of me stood the exit that led to a spiral staircase made of stone.

I shambled down the stairway, but tripped over my feet and missed a few steps. I need coffee in the morning to wake up, and Stronghold Academy’s kitchen staff makes the best coffee I’ve ever drunk. I traveled down five stories until I entered an entranceway. The room had two sets of massive double doors, one set to my right, and another set on the wall in front of me. The gateway to the right leads outside, but the one ahead of me takes me where I need to be—the dining hall.

I expected Connor to be there eating breakfast, except the only people there were my uncle, a teacher named Jackson, a teacher I haven’t met yet, and a student I don’t know. Uncle Chris beckoned me over to him, and I did as he wished. Banquet tables filled the area; each table had an empty plate and a silver goblet with nothing in it.

“Hey, sleepy,” He greeted me and looked at the watch on his left wrist. “Breakfast is nearly done. Oh, Connor told me to tell you he’s in the library—he said something about finding a book about his class. Now, eat before the food goes away.” Chris stood up and walked out of the dining hall.

“He leaves as soon as I get here,” I commented aloud.

I sat down at the empty table and ordered my food. “Pancakes, eggs, and coffee with five sugars.” Pancakes and eggs appeared on the plate, and the goblet filled with a dark brown liquid. The cool thing about the dining room at Stronghold Academy is that a person can order whatever they want, as long as it is requested during meal times. I drank the magic elixir in my cup and felt its warmth cycle through my veins. I scarfed down the sustenance and hastened to the library.

I only climbed one set of stairs and ventured through two sets of hallways until I got to the passageway that leads to the library. Its massive bookshelves towered to touch the ceiling, and I could see Connor sitting against a shelf, a book resting against his thighs. He looked up at me and waved me over.

“I think I found something,” My friend told me as I got closer, then set the book in front of me and pointed to a spot. “Read these three paragraphs.”

I have a class that gives me the ability to use my voice. When I sing, I can make my allies stronger, and my enemies become weaker. Using my voice, I healed a sick man in the hospital. I don’t know how I did this, but Lemmonaide wants to perform tests on me. The nanites they injected me with are creating miracles.

Kai, another test subject, turned into water yesterday. When I asked him about it, he said that he lost control of his emotions. He wasn’t the only one who something like this happened to. Trevor, whose room is across from mine, was trying to lift some weights. When he couldn’t lift it, and his skin turned into stone, giving him the power to thrust the entire bar through the roof.

In my professional opinion, once these nanites are perfected, they can be used to extend life; maybe even put an end to death. When the new technology was infused into my bloodstream, I had an adverse reaction. I was glued to my bed, and my muscles refused to work. I used machines to breathe and intravenous tubes to hydrate and eat. If I can tinker with the nanites, I think I can adjust them to be able to fuse to my DNA more seamlessly.

“This book describes the tests Lemmonaide conducted before creating the System. Before they made the nanites airborne, they injected it, except it wasn’t perfect just yet. Some guy they tested, named Bradly Harmon, was able to do what I can do, except he couldn’t control it so well. This was before the System gave him more access to his abilities.” Connor looked like a madman who just discovered a fortune in plain sight. I nodded slowly.

“So you didn’t find anything new out, you only found out that someone else had something similar. Does he say anything about using the Skills?” I asked.

“I haven’t seen anything just yet,” Connor told me. “I’ve only read through the first twelve chapters of the book; I still have about ninety more chapters to go. I saw something about the Aura class, though. Read right here.” Connor flipped forward a few pages and pointed at a spot for me.

When we tested the System, the first class was one called Aura. Kayla Bowers gained the power to lift objects with her mind. After much training, she received a level-up. We instructed her to test her Strength and Agility before allocating any of her stat points. She did so, and after increasing her Strength and Agility by a single point, her abilities elevated ever so slightly. We then instructed her to purchase a Skill from the Skill Shop.

Kayla bought a Skill called Astral Jump, which gave her the power to leave her body—entering into a spiritual plane of existence. In the Astral Plane, Kayla was able to travel wherever she wished. In her spiritual form, Kayla phased through walls and flew through the air. While in her Astral Form, nobody could see the tester. Kayla’s soul returned to her after an hour of her body being motionless.

Kayla could lift more massive objects with her Telekinesis when she improved her Intelligence status. Eventually, the Aura could use her Telekinesis on herself and push herself into the air.

The tester’s abilities were tested the most when she added an ability called Mind Link. With the new Skill, she gained access to everyone's thoughts. With her Intelligence status in the mid-’20s, the Skill evolved to allow Kayla to adjust memories and thoughts in her target’s mind.

Kayla Bowers passed away four months into the test when she ran out of Skill Points while in the air. She worked out with her powers for an hour then tried flying home, but she didn’t pay attention to her SP bar. The System caused her body to disintegrate into millions of pieces—Kayla’s parents never received her body. Other than that mess up, Lemmonaide’s first attempt is a success.

“I have the Astral Jump Skill,” I told Connor. “I received it randomly while training. It takes two hundred and fifty SP to use it! I wish I could use it; it sounds like an amazing Skill.”

“Being able to travel anywhere without anyone seeing you would be useful. You would make the greatest scout. Imagine if there was another tower war like the one around 100 PS. You would be able to tell us where the enemy is and all of that. What if you could use Skills while you are in your Astral Form?” I nodded my agreement as a bell dinged in my head. From the look on Connor’s face, I can tell he received the notification tone as well.

All students must report to the Auditorium by 11:30 PM for the Opening Ceremonies.

“We should probably get to the ceremony, do you know what happens?” I asked Connor since his family runs the school. The redhead shrugged.

“I’ve asked, but nobody tells me what happens. They said it has to be a surprise.” Connor told me. My friend hid the book in his backpack, and we both stood up to head to the Auditorium. Hopefully, the Opening Ceremony doesn’t require me to do too much.