Chapter 102: Feeling Classy (1/2)
Mike awoke next day feeling refreshed again, having slept in comfort throughout the entire night. The dorm beds, even the ones in the secondary bedroom were extremely comfortable, to the point he was beginning to suspect the presence of an innocuous magic item.
He dressed, and went out into the living room to join Tal for another quiet tea break. It was cut short this morning when she and Brenden dragged Sera out of bed. The beastman had apparently found a training yard that was available for student use, so the two, more experienced, adventurers decided to run the Oracle through some exercises prior to her first request.
Mike couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the Sera struggling sleepily as the pair carried her out the door.
He headed downstairs himself shortly after, only to be waylaid by the Dorm Manager who had a letter for him. It was from Broderick, inviting him to attend a small gathering at the end of the week. He made a mental note to let the rest of the group know.
After a quick breakfast, he walked back to the Magic Department, and spoke to the student on duty. Following the directions he was given, Mike eventually reached a set of double doors on the top floor. 'Emmanuel Garthun, Magic Department Chair' was painted on it.
[Department Chair? Am I in the right place?]
A pull cord was mounted into the door frame, seemingly attached to something inside. Once pulled it caused a high-pitched, ringing noise inside the office.
”Come in!” A deep male voice called from within.
Mike opened the door and walked into the office. The furnishings were high quality, if a bit garish in style and color. Shelves lined the walls, filled with a variety of occult objects and books. His eyes fell on a humanoid skull, and he wondered why a University professor would even need one.
The Department Chair himself was a short, swarthy man with black hair slicked back against his skull. There was an ageless quality to his face that made his age difficult to determine. He was dressed in the same outfit he'd seen Instructor Thomas in, save that the Chair's robe had four stripes on each sleeve. One was blue, two were a glossy black, and the last was grey.
”Ah, you must be Mike. Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss.” He spoke in a rich luxuriant tone that dripped with charisma.
Once Mike was seated, he continued. ”Allow me to introduce myself. I am Emmanuel Garthun, the Magic Department Chair of the University of Almirn. More importantly, I am a Tier 4 mage specializing in Elemental Magic, which is the reason I have been selected to be your advisor during your time at our school.”
A quick scan with Appraise verified the information shared.
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Emmanuel Garthun
Age: 76
Race: Human (Sun Elf)
Class: Dimensional Mage
Title: The World Strider
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[He somehow has a Sun Elf bloodline? Interesting, I wonder if that has something to do with his age.]
”It' honor, sir. I am Michael Rasmussen, but please call me Mike.”
”Likewise,” Emmanuel nodded, then brought out a sheet of paper and a quill. ”Now then, you are here to build your class schedule, so let's get started with a few questions to help make your decisions. First of all, tell me a little bit about why you came to attend this school.”
”Well, I'm an adventurer by trade, and I recently assisted a powerful noble in a matter. He gave me a letter of recommendation and offered to cover my tuition as payment. So, I took the opportunity to expand my knowledge and develop my skills.”
”An admirable goal. I hope you find your time at the University enlightening. As to your area of interest, I know you are an Elemental Mage, but what elements are you proficient in?”
Mike paused to consider his answer. He had been debating with himself about how much information he should reveal concerning his abilities. On one hand, if he hid too much, it might hinder his later education. On the other, if he revealed too much, it might lead to questions he would be hard pressed to answer.
After a quick internal debate, he decided to just hide his knowledge of Healing Magic, since that seemed to cause the greatest number of problems.
”I'm most proficient with fire and water, but I am capable of using earth and air as well. I recently learned to use light, but I have not had much of a chance to practice with it.”
The department chair stopped writing and gave the youth a hard look, ”Are you seriously claiming to have access to five Elemental Magic skills?”
[I may have miscalculated.]
”I am.”
Emmanuel continued to look doubtful.
Not wanting to sound like a liar to his new advisor, Mike lifted both of his hands, and created a ball of fire and a ball of water, one in each hand. After dismissing the fire, and drinking the water, he summoned a spherical rock and an invisible wind. Finally, he produced a small pinpoint of light, before setting the newly formed ball of stone on the Department Chair's desk.
The room was silent for a few moments, as Emmanuel simply stared at the ball as it slowly rolled across the surface of the desk before plopping into his lap.
He whispered, almost inaudibly, ”Dual Casting…..”
”I'm sorry?”
With a cough, the Department Chair cleared his throat. ”I see you were indeed telling the truth. I apologize for doubting you. Out of curiosity, do you perhaps have an unusual or unique class?”
”I haven't heard of someone with the same class as me. Of course, with how secretive people are about their classes, I can't say for sure whether or not it could be considered unique.”