>>5618051
>>Give me a choice of pre-made characters (I've got 4 for you to choose from on a scale of difficulty.)
I know nothing of the world so let's to with this

Ah, I should put a time limit on voting. We'll go with 30 minutes from now

>>5618051
>Create a new character from scratch. This will involve rolling and voting on Talents, Aptitudes, Traits and such, which will determine what supernatural powers you will be able to learn. You can choose to be a human or a demon spy if you want.
I know nothing of the world, so I'm going to pick this.

I'm going to give a few more minutes if anyone wants to change their minds, otherwise I'll be rolling for it.

>>5618074
Show the pre mades, if none of them are interesting we do it from scratch.

>>5618051
>Create a new character from scratch. This will involve rolling and voting on Talents, Aptitudes, Traits and such, which will determine what supernatural powers you will be able to learn. You can choose to be a human or a demon spy if you want.

>>5618077
Easy: an Upperclass commoner named Craig with a generally average build. You've had an easy life. Talents: Weapon Mastery (Expert use of all melee weapon types), Magic Sensitivity (The ability to sense your own magic power, and gather it within your body), Magic Manipulation (The ability to control internal and even external magic power with enough effort). Aptitudes: Divine Power (Following the path of Towan, the God of Purity, which will allow you to heal quickly amongst other things) and Researcher, which will allow you grow slightly faster than other people. With these you can become a Swordmaster or Paladin, perhaps both. Your traits are about increasing your physical potential.

Normal: You are the son of a Baron, barely one of the nobility. Named Mortimer Crauch. You hold Talents in Destruction Magic and Spatial Magic, with Aptitudes in Magic Sensitivity. You were a born mage, with the eventual ability to teleport and launch spells of incredible destructive power. However, magic is hard to learn, and requires time to cast. You have a sole trait which means you will be able to pick up new spells quickly.

Hard: You are a Demon spy. A Wraith. With a new, human name: Annabelle. You are sent to infiltrate Temple and gather information on the current crop of prospects within the empire. You are older than you say you are. You have the Demonic Ability: Intangibility, but because of a magic artifact, you cannot use said power. Posing as a human with a limited form of Polymorph allows you to blend in. You have been raised as a killing machine. You have a single talent: Auxiliary Magic, which can increase your stats or other people's abilities when cast. However, you have very little aptitude. You will have to work harder than other to learn spells. Your talent will allow you to learn magic, but you may not get very far. They possess a trait which makes them able to tolerate extreme situations, and they will never panic.

Extra Hard; You are a new student of the Orbis Class. You were born from a low-class family from a place no-one has ever heard of. You have no aptitudes or talents. You will have to put in effort every single day. You have no traits. Your potential will be limited unless a genuine miracle blesses you. However, you have grit and determination. You got into Orbis with your own effort, and you'll be damned if anyone's going to take that from you.

WELL THOSE WERE YOUR OPTIONS

We're going with character creation, give me a minute.

For character creation, we're going to roll for your talents and aptitudes first

Talent: You are blessed with potential in this aspect, and the right combination of talents can produce miraculous results
Aptitude: A lesser version of this talent. It will take you longer to grow, and you will be capped on how far you can get

Please roll 2d6 Bo3 to determine your Talent Points and Aptitude points. There will be a list of talents and aptitudes you can purchase for your character posted soon.
Generally, less important talents will be cheaper. However, you can do well with even one talent, so long as you choose the correct one.

>>5618095
>Normal: You are the son of a Baron, barely one of the nobility. Named Mortimer Crauch. You hold Talents in Destruction Magic and Spatial Magic, with Aptitudes in Magic Sensitivity. You were a born mage, with the eventual ability to teleport and launch spells of incredible destructive power. However, magic is hard to learn, and requires time to cast. You have a sole trait which means you will be able to pick up new spells quickly.
'ate Commoners, 'ate Aristocrats who outrank me.

Rolled 4, 6 = 10 (2d6)

>>5618098
Ok boys let’s hope Lady Luck is on our side.

Rolled 1, 4 = 5 (2d6)

>>5618098

Rolled 4, 3 = 7 (2d6)

>>5618095
Craig sounds fun
>>5618098
But let's give this a try

>>5618095
>Hard: You are a Demon spy. A Wraith. With a new, human name: Annabelle. You are sent to infiltrate Temple and gather information on the current crop of prospects within the empire. You are older than you say you are. You have the Demonic Ability: Intangibility, but because of a magic artifact, you cannot use said power. Posing as a human with a limited form of Polymorph allows you to blend in. You have been raised as a killing machine. You have a single talent: Auxiliary Magic, which can increase your stats or other people's abilities when cast. However, you have very little aptitude. You will have to work harder than other to learn spells. Your talent will allow you to learn magic, but you may not get very far. They possess a trait which makes them able to tolerate extreme situations, and they will never panic.

Rolled 3, 6 = 9 (2d6)

>>5618098

>4 Talent Points
>6 Aptitude points
oh boy, there's a lot to cover. Congrats, you have a pretty great potential. You can pay for things in either Talent points or Aptitude points at the same price, barring a few exceptions.

Psychic Powers;
>Latent Psychic Power (Your choice, I've got a list of examples): 4 points You will not be able to use it, and you have no idea you even have it. You will need to unlock it somehow...without knowing it exists.
>You are unable to spend Talent points on Psychic Powers as you only have 4 available.

Combat:
>Any Singular Weapon Talent (Swordsmanship, Spearmanship, Archery, Amour, Shields etc): 1 point (no guns in this setting)
>Martial Arts (Combat without a weapon): 2 points
>Weapon Master: 3 points
>A job related to combat (Gladiator, Exterminator, Executioner, Reaper etc. write-in's are appreciated) 2 Talent Points, and CANNOT be purchased with aptitude points
>Physical Resistance: 1 point

Magic
>Any of one of the Magic Systems (Destruction, Healing, Spirit, Blood, Spatial, Illusion, Black, Alchemy, Enchantment, Summoning, Auxiliary, Magic Engineering): 1 Point (Write-ins are not applicable, it's one of these)
OR
>Magic Sensitivity (A requirement to use magic and use higher-ranked weapon techniques): 1 point
>Magic Manipulation (a requirement to use magic and higher-ranked weapon techniques): 1 point
>Magic Growth (Your magic power will grow faster and higher than a normal persons): 1 point
>Magic Resistance: 1 point
>Magic Domination: 4 Talent Points, cannot be purchased with Aptitude points.

Academic (Affects skill growth)
>Academic: 3 Talent points (Cannot be purchased with aptitude points)
>Fast-learner: 1 point
>Learning Capacity: 1 point
>Insight: 1 point
>Write-in, related to intelligence, more valuable concepts will be more expensive

Divine Power:
>Divine Power is 2 points, you have no idea which God you will pray to for now. It is the only item in this category.

Misc:
>Spiritual Sensitivity:1 point
>Any skill that is not supernatural in nature, like sewing or stealth: 1 point

I'm going to give you a long time to vote on this, an hour, probably. Please use 4 Talent points and 6 Talent points as you please. I'll tally up everything and we'll work on it from there.

Please feel free to ask any questions in the meantime, such as write-ins or what all this stuff does.

>>5618143
*6 Aptitude points
dangit

>>5618143
Quick question, are we allowed to pick a single trait multiple times? Like buying four Physical Resistance‘s?

>>5618155
No, sorry. You can buy multiple magic systems or multiple different kinds of weapon talents but not multiples of the exact same talent

>>5618143
Combat
>A job: 2 Talent Points
Battle Mage (Good with blunt weapons likes Staves and Maces, used to moving around in Armor, knows how to concentrate on casting while fighting in melee at the same time)
>Physical Resistance: 1 point

Magic
>Magic Sensitivity (A requirement to use magic and use higher-ranked weapon techniques): 1 point
>Magic Manipulation (a requirement to use magic and higher-ranked weapon techniques): 1 point
>Magic Growth (Your magic power will grow faster and higher than a normal persons): 1 point
>Magic Resistance: 1 point

Academic
>Fast-learner: 1 point
>Learning Capacity: 1 point
>Insight: 1 point

>>5618158
You've got your point totals all whack.
What would you like to be Talents and Aptitudes? I can see at most 7 points of aptitudes there, which you cannot afford.

>>5618164
I may have forgotten to delete Insight when I changed Armour to Job

>>5618172
I see. You have 2 spare Talent points left to allocate.

>>5618174
Which I highly recommend you do, because you have no talents in a magic system, which means you'll be a battle mage who will be able to use mid-level magic at most

>>5618143
Combat
>Any Singular Weapon Talent (Polearms): 1 point
>Physical Resistance: 1 point

Magic
>Magic Sensitivity (A requirement to use magic and use higher-ranked weapon techniques): 1 point
>Magic Manipulation (a requirement to use magic and higher-ranked weapon techniques): 1 point
>Magic Growth (Your magic power will grow faster and higher than a normal persons): 1 point
>Magic Resistance: 1 point

Academic
>Fast-learner: 1 point
>Insight: 1 point

Misc
>Speech: 1 point
>Beauty: 1 point

>>5618172
>>5618174
No wait, what I deleted was a suggestion for a Misc called Agility, this does work because it costs 10 points total, I only had specified the job because it had to be bought with talent.

Here's it in detail

>Battle Mage job: 2 Talent Points
>Physical Resistance: 1 Talent point

Magic
>Magic Sensitivity: 1 Aptitude point
>Magic Manipulation: 1 Aptitude point
>Magic Growth: 1 Aptitude point
>Magic Resistance: 1 Aptitude point

Academic
>Fast-learner: 1 Aptitude point
>Learning Capacity: 1 Talent point
>Insight: 1 Aptitude point

>>5618192
In that case I'll need to change it a bit
What does Learning capacity, Fast Learner and Insight do exactly?

>>5618195
Learning capacity allows you to learn more than usual. With magic, it raises your skill potential. Without a magic system talent, you would be limited to low-rank magic, but with Learning Capacity, it's mid-rank for example.

Fast learner will give you a bonus when learning skills of all kinds, which will mean you can reach your potential faster

Insight will allow for a critical system to apply, if you roll well enough, you will grow more through your insight instead of memorisation and normal learning. It will also have plot relevance in specific situations.

>>5618193
Please specify which of these are bought with talent points or aptitude points.

>>5618205
Does it matter? None of them are talent or aptitude exclusive.

Oh shit nibba I love Demon Prince (tragically there's some shit going on with the TL group so no updates in forever), was going to reread it but this is good too

>>5618217
Yes.
We'll be rolling 1d100s Bo3 for training
Skills will be ranked F, E, D, C, B, A and S.
An Aptitude will limit you to C rank in potential.
A Talent will limit you to B rank in potential.
If you want to achieve higher, look for hidden combinations. Magic sensitivity, manipulation and a combat talent will give you the qualification to become a combatmaster if these are all talents.

If you lack both an aptitude and learning capacity for a skill, you will be limited to F rank in potential. An aptitude in Learning Capacity would raise your skill potential by one rank. A talent in learning capacity would increase this to D rank, by two ranks, but an aptitude will only put you to E rank. It will also allow you to get higher than B rank without secret combinations, but doing so will come at significant effort.

If you have a swordsmanship talent, you will grow faster in swordsmanship and have a potential of B rank without any special advanced techniques. However, obtaining Learning Capacity will give you the chance to aim higher. Also, some talents have combination bonuses

Faster learner as an aptitude will have a bonus to your learning rolls of 10. As a talent, 30.

Insight as an aptitude would make 100s criticals, and a talent 95s and above. A critical to skill growth would increase your skill growth by twice the original value.

I think we'll need more time. So I'll tack on another 30 minutes for the voting. Although, it looks like we may have a certain combination already.

>>5618232
Alright
Combat
>Any Singular Weapon Talent (Polearms): 1 Talent point
>Physical Resistance: 1 Aptitude point

Magic
>Magic Sensitivity (A requirement to use magic and use higher-ranked weapon techniques): 1 Talent point
>Magic Manipulation (a requirement to use magic and higher-ranked weapon techniques): 1 Aptitude point
>Magic Growth (Your magic power will grow faster and higher than a normal persons): 1 Aptitude point
>Magic Resistance: 1 Aptitude point

Academic
>Fast-learner: 1 Aptitude point
>Insight: 1 Aptitude point

Misc
>Speech: 1 Talent point
>Beauty: 1 Talent point

>>5618232
So would a talent in Magic sensitivity, manipulation, growth and capacity let us cast anything as a A tier?

>>5618194
Changing my vote to

Combat
>Physical Resistance: 1 Aptitude point

Magic
>Destruction: 1 Aptitude point
>Healing: 1 Aptitude point
>Summoning: 1 Aptitude point
>Magic Sensitivity: 1 Talent point
>Magic Manipulation: 1 Talent point
>Magic Growth: 1 Talent point
>Magic Resistance: 1 Aptitude point

Academic
>Fast-learner: 1 Aptitude point
>Learning Capacity: 1 Talent point

>>5618250
You'd be able to learn any magic to E rank, but over a span of 6 years.
A talent in a magic system is paramount to obtaining decent magic in any system. Just because you can manipulate your mana well doesn't mean your body can follow along. Magic is prohibitively expensive to obtain in canon. You need at least an aptitude for the system, magic manipulation, magic sensitivity and decent intelligence. If you lack an aptitude for the system you won't get very far.

>>5618257
Sorry, not E, D rank

>>5618257
I see, so putting a talent in one of the magics schools is important
Could you explain what each schools does? Does summoning involve demons or is it elementals? Is spirit only holy damage? Things like that

>>5618262
Destruction: Offensive magic of all elemental types. You cast fireball, lightning bolt. Very simple.
Healing: You can heal yourself and others, perhaps even from the brink of death
Spirit: You can cast magic on and with spirits. Animal spirits, elementals. Beings of ephemeral magic power that most people cannot sense, but exist none the same.
Blood: Burn stamina and blood to create incredible displays of power and ritual. Sacrifice is the key element to this system. Although it is not a directly combat oriented one, and you will need to rest after every training session.
Spatial: Determine distances, astral projection. Various kinds of teleportation. The best A rank spell in this system is Mass-Teleport, which allows you to teleport multiple people at once at any distance
Illusion: Cast illusions, fool your enemies, disguise yourself. At higher ranks, you might even be able to fool yourself
Black: A restricted form of magic that has tight controls on it. The magic of death. You will need corpses of creatures to even use this magic. It is a path to necromancy, and the empire does not approve, and neither does the church. However, with heavy investment and the right research, you can achieve truly great things. Ghosts and other such things will also be available to you in specific locations.
Alchemy: The magic of life. Create potions, surgeries etc. You are a magic doctor, so use your skills well
Enchantment: You can create enchantments. Temporary or permanent, you can make small magic items
Summoning: Summon monsters and demons from another realm.
Auxiliary: Boost your strength, and weaken others. This is a support system
Magic Engineering: You might not be able to use magic, but you are more valuable to the empire than any mage. Create schematics to create giant magical contraptions that use mana crystals or pure mana to function. You use principles from every other system to create items of unbelievable power, but you yourself will probably not cast magic on your own.

>>5618254
>>5618238
Right, unless we have anyone who wants to change their votes, we have two valid suggestions

Option 1
>Talents: Polearms, Sensitivity, Speech and Beauty
>Aptitudes: Fast-Learner, Insight, Manipulation, Growth, Magic Resistance and Physical Resistance

Option 2
>Talents: Learning-Capacity, Magic Growth, Magic Manipulation, Magic Sensitivity
>Aptitudes: Destruction Magic, Healing Magic, Summoning Magic, Magic Resistance and Physical Resistance

I'll give 10 minutes for voting, and if I don't think we have a solid conclusion I'll roll for it

>>5618282
>Option 1
Spear dancer

>>5618282
>Option 2

>>5618282
>Option 2
I think we can't reach the top with either build

>>5618282
>Option 1
I'll vote for my own of course

>>5618288
Ehhh, aptitudes are weird. There's a reason Latent Psychic Potential is bought with aptitude points, both are fine, really.

>>5618282
>Option 1

>Option 1 has been locked in!
Alright. Now for the last bit before we actually get to who you are.
Traits. These are what make you different. Other people will have combat talents, but what makes you, you?

>Roll 1d20 Bo3 for a trait. The higher the number the better trait I'll give you
>Do not be concerned, as we play, you might gain certain traits.

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>5618295

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>5618295

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>5618295

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>5618295

>>5618282
Can I atleast propose a change to option 1 so we can atleast become a spear master? We need only one talent in magic manipulation

>>5618295
Ah, I was too late.
We should have just gone with Craig

>>5618304
+1, spear master seems nice

>>5618304
Anon, don't worry about it, you can still make it to the master realm but by god it's going to take some damn effort. Your aptitude is in manipulation.


>You have gained the Trait: General's Blood. Your physical potential is higher than most men, but it doesn't change how quickly you grow. +7 to Physical Stat potential. (This is a significant increase)

Alright. Now that's over, we can move onto the more intrinsic parts of you
Are you
>A normal commoner, from a normal family
>A low-ranking noble, they have expectations
>A high-ranking noble, but your rank means nothing in Temple, so...good luck not getting caught for abusing it
>A hobo who took the talent test and got really damn lucky.

Also
In times of stress and of bad times, are you
>Angry
>Hateful
>Fearful
>Sorrowful
>Prone to self harm

Also, I'm setting you as male. You'll be of an average build, with brown hair and eyes. Your age is 17.

>>5618317
>A high-ranking noble, but your rank means nothing in Temple, so...good luck not getting caught for abusing it
>Angry
Classical hero mode, prone to great fits of rage

>>5618317
>A hobo who took the talent test and got really damn lucky.
>Angry

>>5618317
>A low-ranking noble, they have expectations
>Angry

>>5618317
I'm not sure, I think something like this would have been better

>Any Singular Weapon Talent (Polearms): 1 Talent point
>Physical Resistance: 1 Aptitude point

Magic
>Magic Sensitivity (A requirement to use magic and use higher-ranked weapon techniques): 1 Talent point
>Magic Manipulation (a requirement to use magic and higher-ranked weapon techniques): 1 Talent point
>Magic Growth (Your magic power will grow faster and higher than a normal persons): 1 Aptitude point
>Magic Resistance: 1 Aptitude point

Academic
>Fast-learner: 1 Aptitude point
>Learing capacity: 1 Talent point
>Insight: 1 Aptitude point

Misc
>Speech: 1 Aptitude point

Voting will continue for another 10 minutes

GAH FUCK ONLY JUST HAD THE TIME TO CHECK IN
DID WE GET SELF-HYPNOSIS OR ARE WE BRICKED

...WE DID NOT GET SELF-HYPNOSIS
WE ARE DOOMED TO MEDIOCRITY

>A hobo who took the talent test and got really damn lucky.
>Angry

Fuck it, we'll at least build up a legacy of undergrads grabbing their uppity seniors by the balls if anyone tries some bullshit hazing. Verily, Reinhard shall follow in our footsteps.

>>5618332
Actually, you all fucked up if you wanted to go for a meta build. You could have been a master in three systems with your points spread, but....
But this way is more fun. Speech and Beauty are interesting Talents that will prove useful, trust me

>You're from the streets
>You get angry in tough situations

Alright people, give me names. He's only got one name, no surname, and it's got to sound rough as hell. He may be good at speaking but his absent parents sure weren't.
You've got 20 minutes for suggestions

>>5618351
>SELF-HYPNOSIS
Was that even an option? I don't know anything about the setting

>>5618356
>Kushim

>>5618351
>Hearl

>>5618356
Eh, it was quite hard to make a build when we only knew what most options meant after we asked. But sure, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

And the reason I was worried about it is because the combination of talents in sensitivity, manipulation and a weapon was one of the few that you told us to aim for, so I thought it was important enough that if we didn't have it in a melee fighter we would be crippled in combat

Alright, I like Hearl. We're done with character creation, thank you for sticking with it. I'll be writing the first scene now. For anyone concerned about our build, don't be. You've got the potential to achieve something truly special.

>>5618385
I think it's just me, but I'm always worried about everything
Are the 4 pre-mades going to make an appearance by the way?

>>5618387
Two of them certainly will.

How does physical potential work, what doesn't entail, and what is the total number it can reach?

>>5618388
I'm going to guess the two are Craig and Mortimer, since the Orbis Class doesn't have a name and we would know Annabelle's secret, so it's no fun.

I feel cheated we weren't given the option to be a demon spy as promised though

>>5618359
The thing about psychic powers is that they can be trained directly for actual, visible improvement, and also undergo evolution. Self-hypnosis is a totally bullshit psychic power that basically translates to "it is not a matter of if you believe you can or cannot. You WILL. You ARE."
It's a bit like your typical shonen "remove your limiter" thing that's supported by sheer bullheadedness; think you're faster? Now you are. Will you really be able to beat up someone superior to you in every respect? Abso-fucking-lutely.
It's based on the idea of hysterical strength iirc, and can end up being pretty self-destructive, but its real strength is the ability to evolve it into full-blown reality-warping. It's such a fucked up ability that in the original story (which is an "author gets isekaid into their own novel" setting) the MC never gave it to anyone in the original timeline because it was too broken and made him feel really dumb for coming up with it.

>>5618398
Sorry, let me rephrase:
You might not be able to beat up someone superior to you in every way, but you will certainly be able to keep picking yourself up and trying, up until you disintegrate.
You need to be a little fucked in the head to use self-hypnosis to its full potential, but sheer anger is a decent source of momentary focus.

>>5618390
You'll learn more about it later. You can go beyond normal human limits if you train.


"Hearl, come the fuck on, you're gonna miss it.", said a small, wiry boy. He must have been 15, but severe malnourishment had stunted his growth.

"I get it. I'm not in a good mood, so just lay off." Hearl examined himself. He was in something that resembled decent clothes, hand-me-downs from generations ago. They didn't really fit his body. He was pretty built for a street rat. He had managed to get more from begging than most. He was handsome and could speak good...or well. Got deals from the merchants and scammed a few ladies out of a few drinks. He was getting a small living with this.

This? This was different. He was going to try and get into Temple. This was his one shot to get an education. He wasn't any good at fighting, but he knew how to look after himself. Trying to get into that damned Orbis class would be suicide. Royal? It was a shot in hell, but he had to brave it. The line for the talent gizmo and the guy who managed it was practically swamped. It took hours, actual hours to get to his turn. The clerk looked like death.

"Name?"

"Hearl, no surname."

"Age?"

"Seventeen to the day."

"Place of birth?"

"Here. In the city."

"Address?"

"...none currently, if you catch my meaning."

"...alright. Homeless. Put your hand on the scanner, talent registration is completely free, and it'll only take a moment. We will however keep a record of this for future use.". Hearl didn't give a damn about that, he wanted to enter Temple somehow, and they could keep his info. The blue stone tablet hummed for a bit, and the worker's eyes went a little wide.

"Uh. Sorry, what's your...current place of living?"

"Why're you asking?"

"I-I have to offer my congratulations Mr. Hearl. 4 Talents, 6 Aptitudes...that's astonishing."

"....4 Talents?"

"Yes. Can you read?"

"A little?". He was given a small piece of paper. His Talents were [Spearmanship], [Magic Sensitivity], [Speech] and [Beauty]. Magical words for him at this time.

"Holy 5 Gods...so...uh...what does this mean?"

"Well, I'll have to put this to the higher ups. Even one Talent as this machine defines it is enough to get you in to Royal. You have 4 of them. I need to know where you live so Temple can send you a letter...do you have parents?". Hearl was starting to breath heavily, he had fucking done it! He was lucky enough to get in! No bribery! No lies! He was free of this damn life!

"No. I'm down by the park, with the Blue Ringer guys?"

"Shit, you're a-"

"You wanna say any more, clerk? I'm not a patient boy, you know?". He wasn't. Despite the elation he felt, he also felt angry. He had been denied an education and a decent home for years, and now, arbitrarily, he was going to be a member of the elite? It made him a little pissed. What about everyone else? Piece of shits they may be but they were still human.

1/?

"No. Just...take this card, we'll send some guys over...man, good luck in Temple. Alright, now I need to see the next one.". Hearl left with the piece of paper and a small metal card. Not wooden like he thought it was supposed to be, but steel. It was valuable, someone would steal it. It was his face, his name, his age, and that was just about it.

There were three ways to enter Temple. Pay up. Go for Orbis or go for Royal. There were tens of thousands who just paid the fees. Not him. He was so special to the Empire that they would pay for his education. He was home free for 6 years of his life.

He now had choices. From what he knew, Temple would send a letter to his location. Which was basically a few tents next to a small park, it was home to him. Thing was, did he tell the lads about his success? The other boy who escorted him was back at home base along with a few other lads. They were a team, mates. Friends. If he went to Temple he might never see this lot again. He was different from them now. They would get jealous or something. He had made it, and there was nothing more a street rat hated than someone else making it. On the other hand, if he did tell them, and they did still like him, he would have friends outside of Temple. A home away from home. People of his own kind he could be around after school had ended. Give money to or something. Steal some food and give it out to his mates, be a top lad. The Blue Ringers would hound him for cash if they knew he was a Temple student, but they would also never hurt him again. He was too special to the Empire for anyone to actually hurt him and get away with it. Even if these guys did know, what could the gang do about it?

"Yo! Hearl's back. What's the sentence? You a genius now or what?". It was the same boy who led him to the testing centre.

>Don't tell them you got admitted to the Royal Class, and just disappear when you get the letter
>Tell them that you got admitted.
>Write-in

>>5618410
Sorry, voting will be 15 minutes

>>5618410
>Tell them that you got admitted.
We got the speech, so let's start work on our our gang

>I'm in

"Well, I'm not sure about genius. You know what I am though? I'm one lucky son of a bitch. Take a look at this.". Hearl took out the piece of paper with his talents on it.

>Speech applies
There's a small silence as the others looked at the paper. He coughed, and prepared to tell the truth.

"So, uh. I'm supposed to be good with spears, polearms and the like, supposedly. I'm also sensitive to magic, no idea what that's 'bout. I'm good at talking and uh...that last one's weird?"

"Nah mate, we knew you were good at scamming the old broads. Silver tongue on you. Makes sense to me"

"Heh. Beauty. Some guys get all the luck. You gonna be a good boy and give us some shit, right?"

"I'll come back to see you lot when I get the chance. Temple's not that far from this place. Not sure about the Royal areas."

"Damn bro. You've made it. Shit, that means the ringers-"

"What are they going to do? Hit me? Bitch, I'm an elite now, a genuine semi-noble."

"What about us though? We know you."

"Keep to the deal. Pay the protection money. They'll piss off if they get more money. It'll be rich shit from the very top. If they complain that's their business. Some money, food, knowledge. You name it then I'll have it."

"Shit. I mean, it's as best as we're going to get. Alright, are we all in agreement, bros?", the ringleader of their small group organised an informal vote, only for an older man to walk over from his own spot.

"He's one of us, and we knew he was different. As long as we don't get our shit kicked in then he can go be a special snowflake all he wants.". The eldest of the group spoke out with that. Age was everything in this community. He had lived like the rest of them for decades. His word was law.

"So, I have a blessing?"

"Sonny, if you can get rich enough to become something that can support us, I'll be your goddamn butler. When are you going?"

"Whenever I get a letter, supposedly?"

That letter arrived the next morning. It gave him directions to the Royal Class building. it was much further away than he thought it would be. When he arrived, he got some odd looks, but he kept going. He eventually came to a large series of gates in the good part of town. This place was clean, safe. No magic scroll sellers, no random cults begging him for attention. He was stopped by one of the guards.

"Halt. This is a restricted area."

"I know. I'm Hearl.". He handed over his letter and the metal card to the guard. He saw his face go a little taut.

"You're a Royal Class student?"

"That I am."

"...just need to use some magic on you. Won't be a second.". Hearl saw as the man took out a small metal tool with a green orb at the top. A small light was glowing from it as it passed over his body. Nothing happened.

"Welp, you're not in disguise or a demon. Mr. Hearl was it? Come right in. The school term will start in a few days. We'll get you set up with your room, uniform, a copy of our rules. We expect high standards from you."

1/?

It was a smooth process to get to his room. The place was beautiful. Gardens and statues and magic enchantments glowing all over the place, it felt like a real temple with all the marble and...gold? Surely not. The actual Royal Class dormitory was about 6 floors tall. One for each year. He was speaking to one of the attendants who was showing him around the place a bit.

"We've checked in with the records and the other students. You're the last spot we have for the Royal Class. 22 students this year, that's a considerable number. You're in room number 1-A-4. There's guidelines and such, but I'm sure you'll be fine. Term starts in three days, on the Monday next week. You'll be introduced to everyone else then. You're the only...homeless person in your year, and the others all have homes they're moving from. This is a boarding school after all. This building is your home now, ok?"

He was led to his room. He just couldn't get over how clean everything was. They had people to clean the building, or magic maybe? He would have to ask someone. His "room" was more like a small house. It had a real bed, cabinets with uniforms, a shower. A SHOWER! He could order food in, ask for special training equipment, the lot. It was a lot of privilege to be exposed to. Searching his room, he found a series of documents. He couldn't read all of it, but he got the general gist.

>Welcome to Temple, A-4 Hearl
>You will be given a health exam on Monday morning, so please be dressed and presentable before 8AM.
>Please get used to the environment, as we understand this is a significant shift for you
>A copy of the rules (Don't do dumb shit, ask for things, respect the faculty members, status means nothing here so don't let nobles bully you. Don't carry around weapons)

Well shit. He was home free! The very first thing he did was try and take a shower. He didn't know how to use it but a few prods and presses and he got cold water flowing from the head. 30 minutes later, he felt like a new man...or boy. In the street rat world, you were a man at 16, 'cause you were old enough to fight. In normal society, the age of adulthood was 21. And you weren't able to drink booze until 18. Goddam misers. So what if he got drunk? He put on his new uniform, he didn't really know how to do the tie so he just put it in his pocket.

He had this whole complex to explore...three days to learn as much as he could until he was supposed to be an elite member of the world.

>Roll 1d100+10 Bo3 for examination and encounters (+10 bonus from Fast-Learner. You ARE learning about a new place and new concepts after all, note that Insight criticals ignore bonuses. You're going to have to roll a nat 100 to get that.)
>What else do you want to do, specifically? (Write-in)

Well lads, I'm going to leave this vote up overnight. I need to go to bed. Quest will start up again at 15:00 BST, which should be around 09:00 EST.

Thanks for playing, thanks for sticking with the character creation and goodnight.

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>5618465

Rolled 88 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5618465

Rolled 93 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5618465
>1d100+10

>93+10=103

Safe to say, things go very well. By Sunday Hearl has a complete mental map in his head of both the Royal campus and the general campus connected to it. He knows the tram links; the facilities available to him. He learns how to tie his tie properly and even how to get hot running water from the taps and the showers. If you didn't know his past it would be like if he had been living here for weeks already. He gets to know the appearances of some of the staff members and such. He discovers that his class are actually separated into two further classes. Class A and class B.

By Sunday, more students are turning up. Older students. Many returning home for another year. He spots a young man, tall, with piercing grey eyes among the few that turn up in the morning.
>Insight applies
This guy is important. Hearl can see the others look towards him occasionally. He's older and stronger than most young men he's met. He takes a deep breath, and walks forwards to introduce himself.

"Morning. I'm new here, are you one of my seniors?". The young man doesn't look too disturbed by the introduction.

"Yes. I'm Gavin, I was last year's student council president. I don't recognise you, are you new here?"

"Yes. Hearl, with an ea. A-4?"

"It's very nice to meet you. If you've arrived here so early, you must have come from far away, or...you're from the streets."

>Speech applies

"Well, I hope my background doesn't unsettle you. I was born here in the city; never got picked up by the system."

"That is a shame, but do not feel concerned. I'm a 6th year, and the only rank you need to pay attention to is seniority. Your background should not hold you back. This institution only cares for one thing: Talent. I myself am a user of magic, but when I joined with the academy, I was next to useless. Have confidence."

"Thank you, senior. You don't happen to have any tips for me? I'm very new to all this clean living stuff."

"...you are a first year. Every other student in the older years is above you. If they want you to do something, you should do it, even if you might find it personally distasteful. For example, members of the nobility still think that their status applies here. They will be taught otherwise. Your admission to Temple is proof that you are not a commoner. However, you will be subjected to treatment you might consider unfair, it's just a fact of life here. Each one of us is capable of superhuman feats, and that can lead to egos forming. Don't get rattled, and just get on with your studies. Also, pay attention to your teachers. Each one of them were former Temple students who wanted to pass on that knowledge to our generation. If they recommend something, you should do it.". Hearl takes the message to heart. Don't get rattled and remember why he's here. Good to know.

>You will be able to keep a clearer head when faced with unfair treatment from seniors.

1/?

"Thank you, senior.". Gavin simply smiles at that, and walks up the stairs to his floor, the top floor.

That afternoon, more and more students start to arrive. The school is gearing up to start a new term. Hearl can hear the buzz of life from outside the building. This one building is home to roughly 120 students. It's easy now to see which year people belong to. The uniform provided by the school comes with coloured ties to represent one's year. Mentally organising things gives Hearl a better outlook. He even spots a few people with ties that match his own colour. And he starts to take some mental notes. He doesn't want to introduce himself now. These kids are already in a stressed situation, no need to bother them now.
So, that Sunday afternoon was spent resting in his new room. Or well, until he got a knock at the door. He opened it to find the Head of Year. A wisened old man, a bit plump but with eyes like storms.

"Good afternoon, A-4. Everyone from your year is here and present. Please follow me to the foyer. A small speech must be made to you all, and it will give you an opportunity to meet your classmates before the school term starts tomorrow morning.". Hearl didn't have much choice, and he was led to the foyer, a place which he now knew was the part of the building just after you entered through the front door. There were two columns of 11 chairs each facing towards each other in the middle of the space. In each was a different first-year student. Hearl took his spot, which was even labelled with "A-4", and waited. Everyone else looked a little nervous, excited. He saw some that were nonchalant or bored. It was a real mix of people. He couldn't help but be drawn to the girl, A-11. She had...pink hair? Her eyes were a strange shade of blue, or green? It was hard to tell. She was utterly beautiful, but he moved on from her.
>Insight and speech apply

Also, someone in this room had dark red hair. A cursed girl, ey? It was best to just ignore her. He saw the Head of Year stand at the head of the group, closest to the A-1 student and the B-1 student.

"Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to Temple. This institution is a trusted and respected place of education and learning. It is our job and duty to train you to be the representatives of the Empire. We have even taught members of the royal family. Please introduce yourselves, starting from A-1, and ending at B-11. A-1, begin."

2/?

"Good afternoon. I am Candice von Amstra, A-1". A tall girl with black hair and blue eyes. He could tell that this girl was sharp. She was obviously a noble.

"Hello! I'm Christopher Lamitas. Future Paladin, and A-2!". A good-natured boy at heart. A good person, if easily manipulated.

"Hello, I'm Bardon, A-3. It's a pleasure to meet you all.". A plain boy, introverted. Had deep blue hair and black eyes. He looked way out of his depth

"I'm Hearl, A-4. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances.". People took a look at him, he was wondering how much his Beauty talent was aiding him with first impressions.

"A-5, Sheila. I'm a psychic.". Blonde, blue eyes. This girl was bad news. She had this permanent look of disdain on her face. A haughty bitch, then.

"I'm Charlotte Ederin, another psychic. A-6.". This girl could be defined by her timidness. She looked like she wanted to curl up and be as far away from here as possible. He could see her hands shaking as she spoke.

"I'm A-7. Ruby.". The girl with dark red hair. Had these pink eyes too. She held herself with confidence, but it was obvious that the others were a bit startled by her appearance.

"I'm Gareth Albion, I can use telekinesis. A-8."

"Celica Matrin, expert baker and future owner of Matrin's Bakery Emporium at your service! Oh, and my code is A-9.". A cheerful, but dainty looking girl. A baker? Her hands were completely unscarred. All bakers got burns, even Hearl knew that. She looked like a kind girl though, another blonde.

"A-10. Claude. Pleasure to meet you.". Ah, just a normal guy then.

"Good evening, everyone. It is my utmost pleasure to meet you all, my name is Juno, and I am A-11.". This was the girl with pink hair. Yep, everyone just sort of stared at her for a little bit. There was something unnerving about her, Hearl didn't really know what.

"Hi. I'm Heather, B-1." Ah, now that was a strong-willed woman if he ever saw one. He could see fire in her eyes. Evidently, she must have had an interesting history. He could see small scars along her wrists that she didn't bother to hide. Ginger too. No freckles.

"R-right. B-2. Finn. Pleasure to meet everyone.". He looked foreign. Northerner perhaps? He was slightly too pale, and slightly not of here. He wasn't a city-dweller, that was for sure.

"Adam Brewn, B-3.". Ah...Hearl knew his type. He could see it in his posture, in the slurred voice. That boy was someone struggling with an addiction. He kept inwards, and his eyes were glazed. Like all his responses were practiced in the mirror.

"Kamuro Haruka, B-4. Good tidings, it is my duty and resolve to meet you as equals. I greet my comrades.". What the fuck? Albino girl. Solid red eyes and all. Apart from her skin, it was too dark to be of the city. Her accent was unlike he had ever heard. What was that way of speaking? Another foreigner.
3/?

"Hello. I'm Eve, a follower of Towan. I hope our joined faith will bring us closer as students. My designation is B-5."

"I'm Forsyth Redmond, you can just call me Redmond, I'm B-6.". This man was a noble. He looked the part too. Good posture and manners.

"Oh, uh...I'm Desmond, B-7.". Ah, Hearl could tell that there was something off about this boy. He didn't seem to pay attention to his surroundings that much.

"I'm Gregory, a self-professed expert on all things psychic. B-8!". Ah, shit. A know-it-all. Best to avoid him.

"I'm Layla. I have the [Cooking] talent, B-9 It's nice to be here and to meet everyone.". Cooking? They accept that as a talent? Hm, she might have trouble being around a bunch of wizards and swordswomen.

"I'm B-10, Astrid. I'm fast, that's it.". Shorter hair, silver, toned body. This woman was already an athlete in physical ability.

"Afternoon. I'm Darren. B-11.". The last of the group. He looked like a tough lad, dependable in a tough fight. The Head of Year motioned to the classes.

"Right, now that's all over. Remember, you all have a health exam tomorrow morning. We'll heal up any minor wounds and measure your status, and post your talents for the rest of the year to see. Now for the important bit.". The man cleared his throat.

"Let it be known that as of this day, none of you are important. You are children and students. Anyone found abusing their position will be treated with harsh punishments. We have a commitee for hearings. Do not perform acts of wanton violence, supernatural abilities or otherwise on other students or staff members. You represent the future of the empire, and I expect you to act like it! I will be seeing you all just before the mid-term exams. You are all dismissed.". The man left with that, the children were just left to their own devices.
Hearl saw Charlotte, Bardon, Adam, Claude and Finn leave immediately.

>Who do you want to talk to? (You can only pick one, or you can just leave)
>Wait for someone to come talk to you instead
>Write-in

Voting will last for 30 minutes.

>>5619049
>Darren
That's a lot of people to throw at us. Insight, speech, and the 93 see paying off.

>>5619049
>Who do you want to talk to? (You can only pick one, or you can just leave)
Ruby
I'm curious about curses

Welp, I think I can actually fit both of those people in. Your beauty talent's putting in the work here despite the current circumstances. Writing now.

>>5619057
>beauty talent's putting in the work
So damn handsome, huh?

>Darren

Darren looked like a reliable lad, let's meet the runt of the group. Hearl walked up to him, and noticed everyone else flock towards Juno. She had this aura of sorts. Even Darren was about to go over to her, but Hearl distracted him.

"Darren, was it?"

"Ah, yeah? Sorry. I just...Hearl...was that your name?"

"Yep. I know it's weird. What's your Talent?"

"Just one. Physical Resistance. Always been good at taking hits, now I know why. I was part of a small boxing club you know?"

"Haha, I imagine coming to Temple must be a bit of a shift then?"

"Yeah. Just not built for all of this. What about you?"

"Spears. I've used a wooden halberd once, I think I like them."

"Spears? You're A-4, right? What else is there to you?"

"Oh, I've got 4 Talents. They're going to put up a list tomorrow on everyone. Mine are...a bit weird. I ain't no psychic but there's some stuff in there..."

"I getcha. A weirdo just like me. Don't let the class divide make you a stranger, alright? I can take a few spear thrusts, trust me.", a small smile on his face and a handshake. A good first impression. Hearl was just about to leave the room, but he was stopped by another A class student. Ruby. Red hair was the sign of the devil, supposedly. The Demon King, some big bad fucker in the Darklands had red hair. This girl was...cursed. Maybe even part demon, as horrid as that sounded. Even someone like Hearl knew the superstitions.
>Beauty applies

"I'm sorry, I just had a question. Please don't let my presence disturb you."

"Sure. Go on?"

"...are your parents dead?"

"...yeah?", that took him out of his rationality for a second, who asks that kind of thing on the first meeting?

"We're the same, then? It must be Hearl with an ea, yes? I-if I ever...I don't have a real home to go back to, so I'll always be here in the building. If I ever need a...a brother of sorts to rely on, I'm going to come to you. Don't take this the wrong way, but you look reliable, and we're part of the same class, so uh, see you tomorrow?". She dashed off to her room after that. Shit, that might be a problem. Hearl was just about to contemplate his options when there was a small clap which sounded through the hall. Juno had just called for everyone's attention.

"My apologies. I just thought I would sing something for you all. I'm a trained member of a choir for the church of Mensis.". She motioned for the others to back off a little, and began to sing. It was a wonderful thing. Her technique was...ok, but she had a quality of voice like no other.
>Insight and Magic Sensitivity and Magic Resistance applies

1/2

However, Hearl felt it, FELT it in the air. He couldn't see it, but it was like his body was shivering along with the air as the girl sung a hymn. It was taking all his will to not stare at the girl as she performed. Almost everyone else had their eyes on her and ears trained on her voice. When it was over, it was like coming back down to earth. Hearl shook his head, and prepared to walk off again, but he was stopped by another person.
Candice, A-1.

"Hey, you felt that too, right?", she whispered to him.

"Yeah. Something in the air?"

"Yeah, she was unconsciously using some kind of magic. Don't hold it against her, please."

"...you can see it too?"

"I can see more than you, I've got Insight as a talent. I can even tell what you are, hobo.". Shit, origin's out already. He knew she was sharp.

"How can you tell?"

"Posture, teeth, the fact you went to Darren first, he's a rough type like you. Overheard that conversation with the redhead. I can put two and two together."

"And you're a noble."

"Duh. I hope we get along, Hearl. You look like one of the few here with an actual head on his shoulders. Give you a little makeover and you could even pass for nobility.". She left with that. Everyone dispersed to their rooms. Hearl had the evening free to do...something?

>Write-in. Now that you know why that girl is so captivating, what are Hearl's feelings on being exposed to magic for the first time
>Does he do anything for the evening before school starts or is it just getting some rest?

Sorry, I keep forgetting. 20 minutes for suggestions

>>5619071
>Paranoia
Perhaps some physical training/warmup, the grind never ends

>>5619071
>Worry
Someone that gets attention of everyone, and applies magic on all of them? Seems like the scams he done before. Juno is someone to keep an eye on

I think we can take a rest for now, enjoy what we can before we have to put in the effort

>Paranoia
>Some light training

Hearl laid in his bed. He thought back to the girl with the athlete's body, and how of the top talent of their generation all but a few were completely enraptured by one girl. It scared him. What if he hadn't seen the revererations, what if he didn't know he was being affected by magic? What if that kind of thing was possible on the battlefield? What was that girl? Unintentional? That was instinctual magic? Magic was a learned and taught discipline! It wasn't something you just did. Now he knew was unnerved him. That girl was bad news, and she was in his class. He had to get better at resisting magic. Or something? It was almost like a psychic power...but Candice had called it magic. If something like that wasn't a true psychic power then what could the real deal do? No, he needed to get stronger, ahead of the curve. That kind of thing could strike from anywhere at any time. It also worried him. That girl was a born scam partner. Have her sing in a crowd and get a few guys to pinch some items whilst they were all distracted. He needed to keep an eye on that girl. She was a danger to her classmates.

He slowly took off his clothing and spend the evening before bed training. He was decently fit considering he was a fucking malnourished street rat, but a little work couldn't hurt.
>Your paranoia and worry fuel your training. Your stating status increases slightly.

He woke up the next morning at sunrise. All homeless did this. If you weren't awake at the crack of dawn then you were going to live poor. He had a shower, got dressed, and made his way to the infirmary for health inspection. There was a male nurse and a witch there.

"Morning? Health inspection?"

"Ah, yes. First thing's first. Healing Magic. I'm going to fix up any scars or deformities you might have. My apologies for saying, but you have a natural quality to you that is somewhat marred by your lifestyle.". He heard her chant magic words, and became on guard. Nope, hell no. The nurse saw this and reassured him. Over the next few minutes, he felt his jaw get rearranged, his old scars heal, his body return to form. It was like being born anew. It felt good. It took all of about 20 minutes.

"See, isn't that better?" She moved a mirror in front of his face. Holy shit. He looked like a completely different person. Like some damn playboy with money to go around, who was this bastard? Oh right...him.

"Now then. We've cleared you of diseases and infections and your more troublesome elements, and now for the physical exam. Again, it's more magic. Please stand on the scales, you'll get a copy of your status and current talents. We do this after every exam and at the start of the year. Talents are a strange thing. Just out of the blue, or after stressful events, people can awaken new talents, it's rare, but no so rare that we can ignore it. A good chunk of your fellow students will gain more talents as the years progress, and we want to record that.".

1/?

Hearl saw a blue light scan over his body. After a few minutes, he was given a piece of paper.

Name: Hearl
Age: 17
Strength: 4.4 (F+)
Agility: 5.0 (D-)
Dexterity: 4.2 (F+)
Stamina: 4.1 (F+)
Magic Power: 6.2 (E)
Skills:
N/A
Talents: [Spearmanship] [Magic Sensitivity] [Beauty] [Speech]

"Ah, I suppose a small explanation is in order. What do the numbers mean? Well, it's our way of recording your strength. Most people have stats that hover around 5. Less than this, and you're considered unfit. At about 10, you're what we call trained. At around 15, you're like an athlete, at 20 and above, we consider you on the level of a trained professional athlete. At around 30 is where we would put "Human Limit". The letters are there for those who don't really get all that maths stuff. Above 30 is certainly...possible? But it's most certainly not common. Unfortunately, we can't predict your actual limits, but most end up if they train considerably at around 25, excluding Magic Power. Magic Power is special, and you need certain aptitudes for it to grow. Luckily, you have those."

"Where do I measure compared to the rest of the class?"

"Current ability? Completely average, although your Magic Power is decently high for your age. We've had some oddballs though. Miss A-11 has a magic power that is greater than you. Someone in Class B has a talent that raises her Agility to 30, the human limit."

"Any recommendations?"

"Well...you're a spearman...everything?"

"Even magic power?"

"Especially magic power. You might learn more about it next year, maybe not. Well, just don't neglect your magic power."

"Thank you."

"Right, now head off to your classroom, and call in the next person.". Hearl followed instructions, and went to the classroom. Ruby and Candice were already sat. After about 10 minutes, all 11 of class A were there. After a little bit, there was a new entrance to the room. A middle-aged man with a slightly scraggly appearance appeared.
>Insight applies

Ah...now this was someone to be worried about. Thin arms and a lowered demeanour betrayed a true confidence. Hearl could almost see the battle scars healed by magic underneath his skin. Hearl felt a few people's glances on him. Yeah, he looked different, so what?

"Morning class. Today's task will be simple. You're going to choose what classes you take. My name is Mr. Docram, and I am a former Battle Wizard. I teach Destruction Magic, but will be your homeroom teacher for the next 6 years. Today is going to be a real culture shock. There are three kinds of classes in Temple. You will have three lessons a day, as you are first years. Over 5 days, and that makes 15 lessons, each an hour. Let me break that down for you. You have 6 common lessons that you share with the rest of Temple, 4 hours of Physical Education, taken on two mornings in the week, and 5 "chosen subject" lessons. It will be up to you to choose what lessons you take. I have a list available if you want."

2/?

"But before all of that. Welcome to Temple. Today is a Monday, and that means P.E. But, it will be delayed so we can get this important issue done. For some of you, those chosen subject lessons will be obvious, others? Well, you might need more time. Submit by the end of today. You have a whole day to think about it. These choices cannot be re-done. Term will be 10 weeks, that means you will get 10 chosen subject lessons a term, do not make these decisions lightly. On that note. A-4, A-10, both of you see me in my office, now.". Ah shit, that can't be good. The two boys were led to a small room filled with documents. It was a little messy, but it didn't matter.

"A-4, enter first, A-10, wait for me to call you in.". Hearl went into the man's room and sat down on the available chair.

"So, we've got a homeless in our batch. It's nice to meet you. I'm not going to discriminate against you, promise. However, there is one matter we need to discuss. Your education. Every other student in Temple. mostly, has been to middle school. They've all had common classes, even A-7, Ruby. You however...haven't. Luckily, your talents are easy to work around. I've got a suggestion on what subjects you might want to take for this year. I hope you're not offended, it's just that...being of your origin, your educational standards will be lacking. He handed over a piece of paper.

>Spearmanship Theory
>Spearmanship Practice
>Remedial Common Class
>Alternative Power Class
>Magic Sensitivity Training

"Explain what all of these are, please?"

"Right. Spearmanship theory and practice are two halves of a penny. You can't really have one without the other if you want to learn how to use a spear. You'll learn how to use a spear or polearm and then put it into practice. (OOC notes, not taking theory will decrease your gains by 20 points per session). Remedial Common Class is there to give you an actual education and ensure you can keep up with the rest of your year. These grades will help you when you graduate, and will help you develop your Speech talent as you learn more words and concepts. Magic Sensitivity training is a special class only given to Royal and Orbis class students. You will be taught and mentored on a method to increase your mana capacity, by using your natural sensitivity. I highly, highly recommend you take this class, Lastly, is a bit of a weird one. We have many students who have abilities and talents that fall outside our common ideas on the 4 Systems. This class is for that. A-11 has Charisma, which is a comprehensive talent which includes Beauty. Remember, with the right combination of abilities and talents, all sorts of things are possible. You can learn to be supernaturally beautiful with your Talents and Aptitudes."

>Insight and Speech activate.

"About that. The Health Examiner told me that some people gained talents, what's that about?"

1/?

*2/? AHHHH

"Well...ok. There is a risky gamble you can take for that. Your talents are pretty great, but you're missing a key component for something important. If you want, I can offer a special course dedicated to trying to blossom that Magic Manipulation Aptitude. I don't entirely recommend it, as there's no established pattern for talent awakening, but if you want to take the risk and have your common class subjects take a hit. That's your choice."

>Alternative Lesson Plan. Taking this will decrease the chances that your Magic Manipulation Aptitude will awaken into a Talent if you follow through on some other pieces. Trust me, when we get there, I'll make it obvious. It's not a 100%: Taking this class will allow me to awaken the talent, but if you don't think Hearl cares about normal studies then go right ahead. Not taking Remedial Class will decrease your common subject growth by a whopping 50 point malus, because you'll be someone trying to learn high-school level material at 17 with no prior education on anything, including how to write. Common class material is basic stuff, like Geography, or History, or Science and mathematics. Getting high results in these will also net rewards.

>Spearmanship Theory
>Spearmanship Practice
>Magic Manipulation Class
>Alternative Power Class
>Magic Sensitivity Class

"Or, you can choose something completely different. Here's the form. Take it, think about it. Fill it in by the end of the day and if you have any questions come see me in a bit. Oh, and send A-10 in would you?" Hearl did just that, with the form in hand.

>What 5 chosen subjects would you like to do? (Write-ins appreciated, of course.)

3/3, I'll give 30 minutes for discussion

>>5619108
Did you mean that it would increase the chances instead of decreasing? Because otherwise the alternative is strictly worse in every way

>>5619110
Sorry, yes. Increase

>>5619108
Voting for
>Spearmanship Theory
>Spearmanship Practice
>Remedial Common Class
>Magic Manipulation Class
>Magic Sensitivity Training

>>5619114
+1, we got learn how to write

>Spearmanship Theory
>Spearmanship Practice
>Remedial Common Class
>Magic Manipulation Class
>Magic Sensitivity Training

Hearl thought about things in the background. Magic Manipulation appeared to be key for "something important", and the witch from earlier said that keeping his magic stat up was important for a spearman too. He would at least want to try, right? Taking a remedial class was par for the course. He wanted an actual education, dammit. Just learning how to write and do maths would give him some options for work. Specialising was always a good option. Beauty? Eh, he could live without that for now. Even if Juno did give him the creeps. On that note, money. He would have to get some spare cash from somewhere...

As he went back to the classroom, he saw a piece of paper tacked onto the wall, entitled. "Royal Class Talent Information.". Oh shit. This will be interesting. It didn't include their aptitudes, but it was something. The academy would have taken those into consideration when ranking their talents though.

A-1: [Destruction Magic] [Magic Sensitivity] Magic Manipulation] [Insight] [Archery]
A-2: [Divine Power] [Psychic Power: Multi-Path Faith]
A-3: [Weapon Mastery] [Divine Power] [Magic Growth]
A-4: [Spearmanship] [Magic Sensitivity] [Speech] [Beauty]
A-5: [Psychic Power: Light Manipulation] [Magic Resistance]
A-6: [Psychic Power: Spirit Manipulation]
A-7: [Auxiliary Magic] [Spatial Magic] [Black Magic]
A-8: [Psychic Power: Telekinesis]
A-9: [Divine Power] [Baking]
A-10: [Enchanting] [Gladiator]
A-11: [Magic Manipulation] [Charisma]
B-1: [Swordsmanship]
B-2: [Divination] [Sacrificial Rites] [Blood Sorcery] [Mental Strength]
B-3: [Psychic Power: Medicinal Power]
B-4: [Martial Arts]
B-5: [Divine Power]
B-6: [Alchemy]
B-7 [Illusion Magic]
B-8: [Fast-Learning] [Learning Capacity]
B-9: [Cooking]
B-10: [Agility]
B-11: [Physical Resistance]

>Insight
There was a significant difference between A class and B class. He had a single talent in combat, as did B-1, but he was A-4. Not only that, but Ruby had Black Magic as a talent. What was up with B-2, he had 4 talents but he was in B class? There was a psychic in B class too. Maybe there were issues with his power.

Either way. The work was done. His classes for this year were set. Monday: 2 hours of PE, followed by a Remedial Class. Tuesday would be for Language, Mathematics and Science. Wednesday would be for Geography, History and Divine Studies. Thursday was P.E, followed by Magic Manipulation, and lastly, Friday was Magic Sensitivity followed by Spearmanship Theory and Spearmanship Practice.

They didn't have lessons today, which sort of left him despondent. Until Candice came over to him.

"Hi, what classes have you got?"

"Spears, a few magic related classes and a remedial class."

"Smart. I've got Archery Theory and Practice, Magic Sensitivity, Destruction Magic and Magic Theory. See you in Sensitivity Class.". She left with that.

>Afternoon activities (Write in) 20 mins

>>5619134
>Talk to Candice
Makeover time? Insight meets insight, also she got a lot of talents.

>Talk to Candice

There was something off about that girl, she seemed heavily focused on a nobody like him. There was probably a reason for it. He knocked on her door, which she answered.

"Oh, hey. What's up?"

"You mentioned something about a...makeover?"

"Ah? Oh. Straight to the point. Come in.". Her room was fairly plain, but she had decorated it with magic research equipment and about a dozen books.

"Miss Candice?"

"Hm yeah. So uh. You're right. I want something from you, or not you but the organisation you're connected with. Blue Ringers, small-time gang with big time backers. Now, you may not know all of that, but I do. Here's my deal. I can teach you to act less like a beggar, speak with more refinement, stand up straight, dance for special occasions. Things like that. You need a haircut, I would say. In exchange. I want you to me my man on the inside. They have something I want, and I want you to give me information about it."

"Information about what?"

"A book. A rare book. A grimoire. Now you may be thinking; "Why not just bully it out of them?". Well...it's not a normal book. Destruction Magic is not well researched, and a lot of it is considered bad news to own if in the wrong hands. If I went out there as a stranger to a group supported by the Thieves Guild to get a...restricted magic book, I'd be in very deep trouble very quickly. They in turn stole it from some demons a few months back and have been keeping the knowledge that they own such a thing with pretty decent secrecy. Not enough for a Count's' daughter to find out if she tries, but enough to keep the Empire looking away from them.

>Speech

"So, I'd be the fall guy if I get caught with it? How is that fair?"

"...alright, I'll pay you for the job. 50 Gold. I can't go after this with my own people.". That was a lot of money, 50 Gold was like a month's wages for the people he knew who had jobs.

"Is it that valuable?"

"It's Demonic Destruction Magic, and they focus hard on that discipline. For us, other systems are preferred. Enchantment and Magic Crafting."

>Accept the deal Y/N
20 minutes for voting

>>5619157
>Y

>>5619157
>No
Sorry about that Candace, but it's not me that's going to get punished if the Blue Ringers finds out, it's the people at the park. And they don't pull their punches when they want to make an example

>>5619163
Good point, I'll support this instead.

>N

"Nah, I can't do it. It's not just me on the line if I get caught. I've got people relying on me to keep them safe."

"It's Demon Magic, getting it back from a gang would keep dozens safe."

"Then tell the Empire."

"How do I explain that I even know they have it? What it is? I've been tracking this for months, and somehow I keep losing sight of it for a while when it changes hands. I was the only one I knew who cared that Demons were spotted within the Empire's borders, so far in that somehow, a gang within our Capital City now owns something like that. The rest of the Empire either doesn't care or is completely ok with a Demonic artifact being inside our heartland. It's madness. The only reasons I can see them Empire ignoring it or not managing to find it is if they want someone to cast that magic, which will be Demon in origin or a Magic Tower's going to extreme lengths to obtain that magic. Which is also bad news. Bloody idiots! They'll trigger an international incident and the Empire's covering it up!". Her face was in her hands. Her hands were obviously tied here, but his friends were on the line.

"Yeah, but...how does that affect me? If it's demon magic, how are they even going to find someone to cast it? I think you're just paranoid. Either way, I'm not doing it."

"Tch. Alright. I'll...I'll figure out a way. Just get out.". Hearl took that moment to leave. Ah, nobles. He knew they were a bit nuts, but that was going a bit far. It was the first day of term and already someone was trying to get him into some shady shit. Hopefully this wasn't a pattern. He handed in his form to his homeroom teacher with his class options

"Ah, a mixture of everything. I see. A shame about that special class, but A-11 will benefit greatly from it. I'll see you in Magic Manipulation. Your test criteria will be solely on your magic power increase, the same as sensitivity. Don't worry too much about it."

He didn't sleep that peacefully that night. He woke up at 8AM, ready for his first day of learning...or rather, torture

He had three classes today. Language, Mathematics, and Science, and oh boy was it a hurdle.

>Roll 1d100+10 middle of three, because you never got a remedial class on Monday

OK. I've got to go do something this evening. So this will be the last update for about 2 hours?

>>5619194
>middle of three
What?

>>5619197
Roll three 1d100s, say you get
>72
>33
>44
44 is the middle result

Rolled 33 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5619194

Rolled 88 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5619194

Rolled 3 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5619194

Right sorry lads for the upbrut and sorry update but the QM curse has hit me and I need to go the hospital. Was doing something and just about near had a heart attack holy shit
Uhhhh updates when I can? Quest will begin again at 15:00 BST

>>5619271
The curse strikes again
Good luck Temple

>>5619271
Good luck, QM.

So, good and bad news?
Chest infection. Heart was basically trying to pump through a layer of bacteria within my lungs. Got antibiotics. 8 hour wait from when I called the hospital for advice to getting my meds. No exercise for me for the next week and probably no work. More time to run the quest I say. Quest will start at 15:00 BST as promised but since I'm awake I'll do the next update now.

>33+10= 44, not great, not terrible.

Hearl came into class the next morning with an avid mind but an exhausted spirit. He recognised many of the students in his class reacting with pure boredom at the idea of an entire day of normal classes. Not him. All of this stuff was completely new to him. He didn't get a remedial class, but the upshot of this being the first week is that it won't be all the harder stuff. In fact, he even "gets" some of the material. New words fill his mind, the concepts of books and literature. The art of the written word. He sort of gets how writing works, but his technique sucks.

Maths...well, he's never done this. Numbers up to 50 was all he really needed. This was completely different. Algebra, geometry and trigonometry are all words he's never heard of before, and all of them have uses within magic. But, he learns what "+" and "-" mean. Those were simple enough to get. A class had three mages, and all of them were studying. Hearl just tried to hang on. He saw Candice with some extremely gloomy eyes buried in her notes. The subject was taught as a class of ten, which meant that Hearl could pester the teacher for questions whenever he wanted.

Science probably went the best. He wasn't a genius, but he was getting to know his own world a little more. There wasn't anything on magic or divine power here either, just normal, boring reality. It was like heaven. He was also starting to get a grasp on who were the smartest and the dumbest in this class. He ranked...well, at the bottom. A few more lessons and he would get a better idea.

After classes were over, he wanted to get to the cafeteria for some food. It was good food here, real food. He had been taking extras from the kitchen in case he ever needed to go back to his mates. However, before he was allowed to leave the cafeteria with his food, there was a guy at the door. Tall, well-built. Guard material if he ever saw it.

"You, 1-A-4?"

"Yeah? What's it to you?"

"This evening, you and all of the first years are gonna need to get to the gym for something."

>Speech

"Fuck that, stop being vague. Unless you tell me what I'm in for I'm not coming."

"Just a little tradition. More of a formality. You're a noble's son, right? You look the part."

"Nope, sorry to disappoint."

"Hah! Then you'll get a kick out of it instead. This evening, 7PM, alright?"

"What if I don't come?"

"Then the higher years are going to step in. Those guys are knight material.". Shit. The older boy, a second year, left after that.

>Hearl's evening activity? Write-in

>>5619865
>Attend the gym event
>Practice reading and writing

>>5619872
I'll support trying to become literate

Don't die QM, best of luck

Hearl thinks for a hot second. He remembered what the Student Council President told him. It would be much safer for him to go to this stupid thing. He hadn't experienced any bullying from the few nobles in his year. There were 7 of them, which was pretty significant. A-1 was a freak occasion, really. Hearl decided to just take things as they come. No need to cause problems this early into the year. He had heard around that Juno had inadvertently caused some issues. She had just been told about her special gift and it had not gone well. She thought people genuinely liked her for much of her life, but it was in fact the result of some special talent she had. There was some other stuff with B class, but there simply was no time to care.

Hearl spent his afternoon working on reading and writing. He did like Languages, but he struggled with the basic concept. The language of the Empire was called Common. It was a whole mixture of about 9 different languages from the kingdoms that agreed to become the empire a few hundred years ago. Hence, there were all sorts of carry ons. Words were spelt in one way but pronounced another. Most words made sense. Memorisation and practice and repetition would be his road to fluency. He could speak well enough, but using punctuation and following the correct rules of grammar was him trying to break through 17 years of bad habits. It was his to his benefit that he even had Speech. Without it, he would have had to learn Common from scratch. Luckily, he had a foundation to work on. If he continued to work on it, he thought he would be up to a reasonable standard for his age in about 2 or 3 weeks. Not too shabby. That Fast-Learning aptitude must be doing most of the work.

If there was one thing Hearl was good at it was persistence. He knew he got angry easily, but anger was just a way to regain determination. If he got tired then he got angry and kept going out of spite. He needed to form good study habits now, whilst he was still young. He had seen dozens of guys just give up one day and stop pushing for more. A life of booze and stolen food and begging. That wasn't life. Hearl managed to do something he had never done before. He spent a good hour planning and composing a diary entry. He wrote down his thoughts. Then, he worked on "Summarising" them, shortening them. New word, useful word.

>Nobles are a different breed of people.
>Candice is looking for a Demon Destruction Grimoire that the Blue Ringers have
>Red hairs are cursed, or probably freaks. She didn't have poor intentions, but she was a weirdo
>Need some way to protect myself against magic
>Aptitudes can awaken or blossom into Talents

Hearl put down the notepad. There were a few ink blotches on the page. The tool he was using was made of stone or something. "Grafight"?. He would need to ask someone for the real word. It was time to meet his seniors. He fixed up his uniform and went to the gym.

1/?

From there, he saw all the members lined up on the floor of the gym, kneeling, with their heads planted firmly on the ground. It was already night outside, and the lights had been left off. It was oppresive in this place. Hearl took a spot, assuming the same position. There were two people ahead of them. Two very stern looking guys.
The first one was the same second year who asked him to get here. The second one was...different. He looked like a predator. He was a head taller than any man Hearl had ever known, and built like a truck. Knight material he was. He also appeared to be the ringleader.

"Now listen up! The academy has their rule that status doesn't matter, but we all know that's bullshit! When we graduate, nobles will be nobles and commoners will be commoners. Some of you nobles might resent that you're in the Royal Class along with us peasants, and that's why we're here today!".

He took a step forwards, the lad's boots striking against the ground.

"We're going to teach the dumber of you to keep your thoughts of superiority in the ground! One student at a time!". He went towards the end of the line, where the B class were.

"Forsyth Redmond! Our most esteemed member. A son of a Viscount, and the heir to the family title! Yet, only one Talent to your name. Alchemy, is it?"

"...yeah."

"Good luck with researching that discilpine. You would have had servants to do all the work for you, but now you'll have to crush ingredients by yourself. You'll have to care about how much money you spend on materials. You have one talent, and you only just barely have the aptitudes to use magic. You ain't shit!".
The predator boy places his foot on Redmond's head. Hearl can hear a few of the more timid students breath a little more sharply. He must have been pushing hard, because they heard a moan from the boy, at which the boot left his head.

"Kamuro Haruka! You barely even count as nobility within the Empire! I know your culture cares about honour, but you had best give up on those notions of self-respect. You're a stranger to everyone. You're a noble in name only. Got that?"

"Undersood, senior.", again, the third year repeated the boot press. Hearl could see Haruka's fists clentched in rage and hate, her eyes becoming redder as the semblence of tears formed around them.

"Adam Brewn! You're not even worth my time. A junkie who awakened his power after almost dying, you're not even the firstborn. Your title is a waste on someone like you.". Adam didn't respond, but elected to just take the hit.

"Celica Matrin! Your family business is a sham! You've bullied the other bakeries out of your area with your noble title. Who would ever try to compete with the Earless' favourite daughter?"

"You take that back you bas-aaaayghg!". She's the first one to crack. Her voice is cut short as the boot slams into her head.
2/?

"This is the only strength that matters. This is what makes us different from others. Not your fucking bakery. You're a divine power user!." He kept his boot there until she shut up, but she's the first to crack. Hearl can only see a visage of fear on her face.

"Gareth Albion! Hah! Some dragon you are. How good is that psychic power? Do you remember how you awakened it? I bet you can't even lift me up.". Gareth manages to retain his composure, but Hearl can see the windows of the room start to shake...somehow? Something makes them vibrate when the boot lands on his head.

"Little missed curse, aptly named. I suppose. You already have a reputation. Black Magic on top of that? No wonder someone like you would be good with death. Stay out of people's way, y'hear?". Ruby doesn't respond, but her eyes are blank. Out of everyone here, she's probably been through this kind of thing before. She doesn't even flinch as the boot hits her head.

"Charlotte Ederin. I know how you awakened that power. Even when you graduate and go back home, that's all people will remember you by." That makes her flinch, and she tries to get up and out of the room. However, the second year dashes over and puts his weight on the girl, allowing the boot to hit home.

"Christopher Lamitas. Another Earl-born! What do you think you can do right now? I know you see yourself as a hero. Want to protect everyone? Speak out for them? Go on, speak up!"

"This is pointless...you're fucking mad."

"It's just business. Now all of you know where our esteemed nobles will stand. The outcast, the fake, the bully, the hero, the forgetful and the privileged. Some of us know what it's like to struggle, but none of you have never been told "no", well not today. No. You've got to understand the gap between years, why it's stupid of you to throw status around. I know one of you has already tried to use it. Speaking of..."

The boot rests above the last noble.

"Countess Candice von Amstra. You might be the only one here with actual ruling experience. But remember, don't engage in any politicking. This is a place of learning. And today you will learn your place!". The boot slams down especially hard on her head. Her body twists and contracts in pain. She doesn't speak up.

"And don't forget, we've got hobos in our midst too.". Oh fuck, him too? Why?

"You think you're hot shit, one of the lucky ones who made it? Someone special because you have a few talents? Get real. You have no backing, no foundation. When you graduate you'll end up joining the military or serving one of the nobility. That's all you'll ever amount to, parasite." That gets him. He was special, he was going to make something of himself here. He spent hours practicing to read and write earlier today. Who was this self-important bastard to try and kick him down a peg, he was already at the bottom!
3/?

>Roll 1d100+10 Bo3 to resist giving in to your anger. DCs 50/70/90. 50 to avoid going into combat. 70 to avoid verbally berating the man whilst in your position and 90 for keeping a cool head.

4/?

Rolled 68 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5620091
We’re going to REE!

Rolled 17 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5620091

Hazing, tale old as time.

Fuck it could someone roll a third 1d100 please?

Rolled 45 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5620104
Hope

From now on when we do rolls of 1d100 I'll just as for a 3d100 instead.

>78, you're losing your cool

Hearl feels rage bubbling up within him. He understands this is just hazing, it's a process. Tradition. He's seen the Blue Ringers do it. He's been through it before. The worst thing to do right now is lash out, as it marks you for further bullying. So, he keeps his mouth shut and his body on the floor.

It doesn't stop him from getting mad. His fists clench and his eyes stare daggers as he turns his head to the side to see the third year standing above him. Then the boot hits his face. His skull and jaw get slammed into the wooden floor and his eyesight becomes a little blurry. He could swear that he felt something crack. The boot left as soon as it came.

"You all get what I'm trying to say, right? Duels may be a thing, sure. Don't even fucking try it. Welcome to Temple!". The two boys left, leaving the 22 kids alone with the thoughts on what just happened. There are various reactions. Ruby gets up and leaves. This was just formality to her. Others are more visceral. Haruka looks like those guys murdered her family right in front of her, with her teeth grit together. There's a small clap sound as Heather gets everyone's attention.

"Alright people. It's over. Do we have a priest of Towan or Mensis here?"

"Y-yes. I can use a little. I am a faithful of Towan, but not an ordained priest", Eve says.

"A-4, A-1. A-6 and B-4 need healing. Haruka, get it together-"

The next few minutes involved Hearl seeing the first use of Divine Power he had ever seen. There was a pale yellow light streaming from the girl's body as she prayed. He felt the energy seep into his body, that small crack in his jaw healing up. The power of Towan even appears to affect some mental aspects, because Haruka calms down almost immediately. It's like she was doused in cold water. She slumps into Eve, head lowered. The priestess in training looks exhausted after using so much divine power. She won't have much in her body, after all. Even if these were small wounds. It's Christopher who complains the most about the situation.

"What was the point in all of it? It just felt like sadism!"

"You have to see it from his point of view, he would have gone through this. You also don't have to go through it again.". Darren speaks up.

"If he's gone through it, why did he do it to us?"

"It's a military thing. My dad said it's about making randos into comrades. This is your new life, I guess. Just get some sleep, you'll get better in the morning.". The stocky lad leaves with that.

"Feels like some Orbis Class bullcrap to me.", Christopher replied. Hearl tried to stay out of the conversation. No-one commented on his less than stellar origins. They were all focused on other people. He was simply not important. Juno had gone over to Charlotte, trying to sooth her. The poor girl looked utterly terrified.

"You didn't hear anything! I-I don't know what he was talking about.".
1/?

"It's ok sweetie, you don't have to tell us. It appears we all have secrets.", Juno was just trying to pat her back. Something the shivering girl appeared to only half appreciate.

"What was that about you being a hobo?". Gregory walked up to him. He had surprisingly managed to stay fairly lucid throughout all of that.

"I guess that's out of the bag. Yep. No parents, had to scrounge. I'm in this place now though. As the fucker said, I made it."

"...Uh, are you doing ok in class? The stuff they're teaching us is fairly high level."

"I've got a remedial class, I'll be fine."

"Alright, but I'm the guy with two intelligence talents. If you ever want help with your common subjects, I'm sure we can make an arrangement."

>You can go see Gregory in the afternoons for some private tutoring on school days if he's not busy.
>Insight

After about 15 minutes, people had managed to calm down. However, Hearl had noticed something. That shaking of the windows should have triggered one of the enchantments in the walls. Those cries of pain would have been heard by staff. Someone from this class will tell a teacher about this. The faculty will know this happened. They know it happens every year. Which means they support what happened today or don't see it as serious enough to interrupt. Someone at this academy felt that hazing was a reasonable action. It had its place, but in Hearl's experience, kicking in the heads of a bunch of kids was not the best course of action. It just made them mad.

He decided to throw those thoughts in the back burner for now. Bed, sleep, then another day of common classes. He might even be able to read more than half of it this time

>You already rolled 44 for common subjects this week.
>Bonus 5 for your extra study session

Well, you get a little more. He learns about the Empire, about what the nobility are. What they were. Why the empire formed. In short: Demons. He's shown a single large continent surrounded by islands split almost exactly in two. There's lines drawn and maps shown of the empire as it stands. A few duchies and several other noble-controlled areas all banded together under the guise of the Emperor. New warp gate technology invented by Saint-Owen has allowed the Empire to expand further and further. The teacher mentions recent tensions with demonkind, but it's brushed over. Hearl is given a map of the empire with both the domains and cities contained within and named. Just more stuff that he needs to know. Geography and History appear to cover similar things for now.

The last lesson of the day is Divine Studies. Here, he learns more about the 5 Gods, and what Divine Power actually does

2/?

>Towan, the God of Purity. Healer and smiter of undead
>Als, the God of War. Battle-focused in nature
>Salaam, the God of the Sun. A cloak of fire protects those who ascribe to him
>Mensis, the Goddess of the Moon. Moonlight is still light, and those empowered by her can move through space as if they were beams of light
>Liter, the God of Courage. A vague power. Those blessed by Liter will have things go well for them, sometimes. It's not a battle-focused power.

In that sense, those with an aptitude or talent with divine power may devote their faith to the gods, and the gods will grant them power. There's a catch. Only one god's power can ever be used by someone. You use the power of Towan only. You are a priest of Als. You can't have all of them.

Except for one person. A-2 perks up after the teacher asks him to explain his Psychic Power. It's a strange thing that wouldn't even function if he couldn't use divine power. He has the potential to use the divine powers of all 5 gods if he trains the thing well enough. A shield to protect him, the blessing of Als to increase his strength with the blessing of Towan to mitigate the cost. The blessing of mensis to make him as fast as an arrow and the blessing of Liter to increase his luck. It's something completely unprecedented.

For Hearl, he doesn't have to worry too much. He doesn't have the aptitude for such a thing. It's not like using a sword where even everyone can pick it up and swing it. Divine power is special. Given by the Gods.

The topic is a welcome distraction from yesterday evening, and most of the student body seem to have gotten over it. Christopher looks almost emboldened.

"In Divine Studies, you will memorise mantras and prayers, hymns and philosophy. These are not fake gods or cults. Their divine power strengthens our bodies, the 5 Divine Relics are proof of their existence. To even use Divine Power legally, you have to become part of the church. It is not just a special kind of magic, but proof that human life is special. That's the end of the lesson everyone."

Hearl feels fairly accomplished. He knows he hasn't been doing the best, but he's getting the basics down. He can hear someone shouting in his homeroom teacher's office, but the voice is muffled, no matter how well he tries to eavesdrop. The voice is male, that's for sure.

>What is Hearl doing this afternoon? Remember, you have PE tomorrow morning.

3/3

>>5620133
You've got 20 minutes for voting

>>5620133
Keep studying to catch up.
The earlier we finish this, the earlier we can start reaping the rewards

>>5620133
>study remedial courses

>Remedial studying

Hearl knew he needed to catch up, the longer he went without some kind of knowledge base to work on the less he was getting out of his classes. He went to the library and picked out a series of books that were more suitable for children. He could read them now, which was new. He also got some looks as people recognised a Royal Class student. Most of them were filled with confusion, if not a little awe.

So, that was his evening. Trying to get a better foundation to work on. An hour in remedial class wasn't enough to to well in the common subjects, no, if he wanted to do well in the mid-term exams in the 5th week, then he was going to push himself.

The next day was the Royal Class' first day of P.E. No, that wasn't it's name. This wasn't education, this was torture! The worst thing was that the status was only recorded during the mid-term exams, so he didn't have a concrete way to know if this was even effective for weeks.

"PUT YOUR BACKS INTO IT! EVEN MAGES NEED TO KNOW HOW TO RUN! THAT'S IT B-10! SHOW THEM HOW IT'S DONE!"

>Roll a single 3d100 Bo3 for Physical Stat improvement, there will be a running total that I'll take a mark of and you'll know about any changes during them
>There are no rolls for Magic Manipulation, just taking the class will open up stuff later on

Rolled 5, 3, 83 = 91 (3d100)

>>5620148

>83, nice

I mean, Hearl didn't do the worst out of the bunch. There were stellar performers from the group. Astrid, a few of the Divine Power users, Darren. The nobles were fairly fit, at least the men were. There were those who lagged behind. Desmond, Adam, Finn, Juno and Gareth were all completely shattered by the end of it . Sheila, despite being a Psychic Power user, doesn't seem to break a sweat. Hearl managed to stay with the pack and even do well in some things. Weight-lifting, running. It was basically just 2 hours of military drills...which is not something most children are prepared for. By the end of it, none of the guys cared about sharing a shower. Of all things, Temple didn't have enough water to go around. They scrimped and saved in some areas, it seemed.

Then it was his first lesson of Magic Manipulation. Taught by his homeroom teacher.

"Welcome A-4. This is going to be a strange hour for you. In order to even manipulate mana, you need to sense it. You can do this very well, and you're going to get better at it as time passes. Then, you just need to move that mana. Here, take this.". There was a large, clear blue orb in the man's hand.

"What's this?"

"It's a magic tool. It does nothing. However, it will allow you to train your ability to move mana. As time passes, I'll make it harder and harder for you to do this. Eventually, your aptitude will blossom. Don't overdo it, either. Only an hour a week, or your magic circuits will probably get hurt. This is the foundation for Magic Power Reinforcement, after all."

"What's that?"

"You can directly strengthen your body with your magic power. The more power you have and the better you can use it, the stronger you can become with the technique. If you awaken the talent, you'll be taught how to do it, safely, with the correct "Vision" as it's called in second year. Magic Power Reinforcement is a rare ability, it's like a physical form of magic that only a rare few can use. Even I, someone with talents in Sensitivity and Manipulation can't use it despite being a mage. That something important I mentioned is the requirements to become a Spearmaster. There might be...70? 75? Combat masters in the world? It's a rare characteristic. And if you awaken this talent, you will be guaranteed that level of power."

>Insight

"Is there a stage after that?"

"Yes, but don't even think about it. You're not even able to become a spearmaster at the moment.". Hearl decides to go along with this sentiment, and focuses on the tool. It's a mental exercise to use the tool, but he sees a swirling torrent of magic power within the orb following his commands. He can't do it for very long, and it feels like his mind is burning, but he's doing alright?

"So, this should awaken it, right?"

"Maybe. Just doing this alone isn't enough. You need something...explosive, a catalyst of sorts. No, what's the right word...a moment? You need the right moment.". Hearl puts down the orb as the lesson ends.

1/2

His head is burning something fierce. The teacher was right, doing this for too long would probably injure him.

After all that exercise and the mental training of using mana for the first time. Hearl could only collapse in the bed. His body was gone, his mind was shattered and there was something else within his body which just felt...strained. It was an entirely new sense to worry about.

>You will not be able to utilise the afternoon for studying or training on Thursdays

Then, the last day of the week. the real one he was looking forwards to. Spearmanship and Sensitivity!

>Sensitivity training will be an automatic success because of his talent
>However, please roll a 3d100, with a 10 point bonus because of fast-learner for spearmanship training (You'll be using a polearm of some kind)
>We will also be having our first experience with combat, and how that's going to work.

Rolled 8, 13, 15 = 36 (3d100)

>>5620173

>>5620203
Oh, that's bad

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>15+10
>25

Maybe Hearl's still tired from yesterday, or it's the stress of learning how to kill someone else. It doesn't go too well. He learns some, but not a lot. The weapon slips out of his hands, the techniques mostly failing to get into place. The teacher recognises that he's not doing so well. Good thing too. He's the only Royal Class student studying the spear. All the normal people see him just struggle to do something he's supposed to have incredible talent in. At this stage in the year, Royal and Orbis class students are taught separately.

"Alright people. That's enough, get a partner and get ready for combat.". Hearl, being in his unique position, is assigned a partner instead. A normal looking girl. She snides at him.

>Combat has started!

>Your Agility exceeds your opponents!
>You strike first!
>Your combat techniques are both equal (lol you both suck)

>Strength of 4.4 + 2 Training Spear damage! You attempt to strike with 6.4 damage!
>The opponent will roll 1d100 with a DC of 96 (100-Dexterity) to dodge the attack!

>>5620211
>86
>Opponent fails to dodge!
>You make a successful strike of 6.4 damage!
>The opponent takes a minor wound and loses 2 Dexterity and Stamina!
>With no ranks in Spearmanship, you do not lose Stamina!

Hearl doesn't want to waste any chances, and lashes out with his spear, the girl attempts to dodge, eyes going wide, and meets the training spear to her abdomen. A yelp and the motion of surrender later and the fight is over.
>You have won your first Spearmanship duel!
>You gain 20 more skill points!

"Alright, A-4? I can see you're back on track. Now let's see how you do against someone who knows what they're doing. Carl!". Ah, a much larger man. The teacher themselves is this mountain like warrior, in his mid-fifties. He's a war veteran and all.

"See, we like to rank our weapon technique. A simple letter system. For example, all the first year Orbis Class students, if they're weapon users, entered with a rank of E. Yes, they may have been using a sword since they were 5, but E rank none-the-less. This student, Carl, has F ranked swordsmanship. Each increase is a...mostly subjective way of looking at it. F rank means you can beat up normal untrained guys, E rank means you can take on other trained users and win. D rank is when you might be able to take on a demon, and so on. A-4, prepare yourself." Carl looks like a serious lad, maybe a bit too eager to take on a Royal Class student.

>You opponent has a greater Agility than yourself!
>They strike first!
>Their Combat Technique exceeds your own! You cannot attempt to dodge the attack!

>Strength of 7.5 + 2 Training Spear = 9.5 Damage.
>Successful hit!
>You have a Physical Resistance Aptitude, but no ranks in how to use it! The only way you can train this skill is by getting hit!
>You take 9.5 Damage, and a significant wound! You lose 5 Dexterity and 5 Stamina!
>65 point increase to Physical Resistance skill!
>You black out!

This time, things go very differently. There is no dodging, there is no way to counter attack. The spear in the other guy's hands whips around and strikes at Hearl's head. Almost immediately, there is a sharp pain, followed by pitch black. A few minutes later, a woman in the robes of a priest of Towan is using her divine power on him. He can hear the instructor shouting at Carl, berating him for not holding back.

"What was I supposed to do? He didn't even try to dodge!"

"That's on you, and you know it. You almost killed the boy. You get one second chance, that's it!"

Fuck. Fucking hell. One strike was all it took? Seriously?
>Insight
No, there was something else there. Like his body...bounced back? That should have killed him, but it didn't.

Luckily, the afternoon was much more comfortable. The "teacher", was a frail, hobbling waste of a woman.

/?

"Yeeees, let the universe enter your body. See into the spaces within. You are the word and the world is you...the mana within the world is the mana within the soul...". It was an hour of meditation and such, listening to this old bat murmur to the considerable number of Royal Class students in the Magic Sensitivity Class.

It takes all of his willpower to stay awake, until the woman's cane strikes the ground, waking them all up.

"Thank you for your hard work today, many of you can expect to achieve great results in this class. Have a magical day!". She leaves like lightning after saying that.

"...that's it?", someone asks, Hearl can't tell who

"What was that? Yoga?"

>Insight

"No, I think we're taking the Magic Power in the air and absorbing it. Our bodies do it naturally, but we're learning how to make that process better.". Hearl sees a nod from Candice. The two of you can both tell what's going on, but the others can't quite believe you.

And that was his first week done. A request from a Countess, getting beaten up in Spearmanship, learning to read and write some...it's been too eventful already. Well, at least there are no classes on the weekends to worry about

>Weekends are free time
>You get two actions, one for each day
>This includes physical exercise (You can select a stat to specifically train in if you want)
>Spearmanship theory and practice by yourself (You will get guaranteed growth, if minor, because you have a Spearmanship Talent)
>Common Class Study
>You CANNOT train your Magic Manipulation or Beauty Talents. You can train your Physical Resistance in a safe manner if you so wish.
>Try and spend a day with someone (who?)
>You can double up if you want
>Write-ins are appreciated

Suggestions and voting for 20 minutes

>>5620240
>Try and spend a day with someone (who?)
Let's see what Gregori wants to help us learn
>Common Class Study
We will catch up!

>>5620240
>This includes physical exercise (You can select a stat to specifically train in if you want)
>Spearmanship theory and practice by yourself (You will get guaranteed growth, if minor, because you have a Spearmanship Talent)

What stats can we train in?

>>5620272
You can train in Strength, Stamina, Dexterity and Agility. You cannot yet train in Magic Power, but it will become a possibility in the future.

10 more minutes, then I'm rolling for it.

>>5620272
Stamina

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Rolling 1d2
>If 1, then we're doing a day with Gregory and a day for common class material
>If 2, it's a day of stamina training followed by a day of spearmanship practice

After getting utterly thrashed around by the spearmanship lesson the day prior, Hearl thought it might be best to focus on more academic pursuits. He even had a helping hand for that. Gregory was welcome to be the know-it-all Hearl pegged him as. However, his area of expertise was in psychic powers. This didn't make him a slouch.

"All I'm saying is that I'm going to get number one in our entire year on Common Classes."

>Instinct, he's not lying. You're never getting first place with him around. Doesn't mean you can't get a high rank, though.

"Where do you think I would rank?"

"At the moment? Well, there are more students in the lower years because the higher grades have more and more people drop out . 25,000 first year students...maybe 18,000 place?"

"That low?"

"Considering your origins, that's an impressive feat."

"What about in the class?"

"You'd be surprised. 12th, slap damn in the middle. No-one in our year's a slouch mind you, it's just that you're smart. Now let's get back to the formula. Language is just another kind of maths, and understanding grammar is key."

The two spend the entire day working on problems at the peaks of their respective abilities. Hearl takes this day to heart and memory, with someone like Gregory who was a fountain of knowledge and a sponge. He was curious about everything.

"I know it's insensitive of me, but can you tell me about what life is like under a gang? Nothing too important, mind you, but psychic powers awaken in moments of intense stress, and I would say that your life has been nothing but stressful."

"Well, they don't bother us unless we go out of line. Just have to be smart about it."

"Out of line?"

"Anger another gang, anger the boss, steal shit. Get in trouble with the law. Hurt the wrong person. It's not life, that's for sure. I wouldn't call it extremely stressful. Dangerous perhaps."

"And have you ever met someone with a psychic power before you came to Temple?"

"Never."

"Fascinating. That makes the city the most accommodating area for homeless people. Low-class environments and gang warfare tend to result in increased psychics. Temple raises about 5 a year, roughly. That adds up. Not only that, some psychics need to be killed off. A shame, but it's not my decision.

"Killed off, why?"

"Psychic powers are not understood. There is no chain of logic. Imagine one day you could just throw lightning or control minds. There's no rhyme or reason to them. Some people can't use their powers very well. Other powers are too destructive. There are theories these are remnants of demon heritage, but that's unfounded. Others say that every person will have a psychic power in the future. It's a recognised and detectable talent after all. Did you know people can gain aptitudes? I didn't! At least, until I got one before I entered Temple."

"What did you do?"

"I just...had an epiphany. Like my world looked different. I can't explain it. It was like my mind opened. I got an aptitude in Insight."

Rolled 75 (1d100)

"I thought aptitudes can become Talents, isn't that the limit?"

"Apparently not. There's ways to give people aptitudes, and that includes Psychic powers. One day, I'll figure out how to do that. Or, that's the dream at least. Imagine procedures that could give a normal person the talents to be a Swordmaster! We could take on Demons as an entire race!"

"I dunno. There's bound to be drawbacks."

"You're too pessimistic. Talents can evolve into higher-order talents. Comprehensive talents, they call them. There's tales of Swordmasters awakening Weapon Mastery, and I want to know how on Earth that happens."

"You seem like the kid for the job, can we get back to the problems?"

"Oh? Ah yes, yes of course."

The following day was solidifying what he had learned with Gregory. It was rough, but he felt the gap between him and his fellow students decreasing by the day. Like the undeveloped parts of his brain were being oiled and greased.

>Because of your continuous efforts in studying, you will gain a temporary additional +20 bonus to Common Class rolls for next week including your remedial class

You wake up on Monday morning refreshed to start a proper school week....with P.E

>Roll me a 3d100 for Physical Education Bo3 and a 3d100+30 Bo3 for your remedial class (+20 Gregory Bonus, +10 Fast-Learner).
>Rolling 1d100 for stuff

And on that note, I want to end it here for today. Thanks for playing. Now that we have the gist of everything, I'm planning on running a week in game per session/IRL day. There will be events throughout the year to pay attention to, and variable events involving your other students and organisations outside of temple. The quest will begin again tomorrow at 15:00 BST.

Rolled 20, 36, 44 = 100 (3d100)

>>5620312

Rolled 76, 92, 55 = 223 (3d100)

>>5620312

Rolled 78, 76, 14 + 30 = 198 (3d100 + 30)

>>5620312

Rolled 59, 69, 7 = 135 (3d100)

>>5620312

Rolled 9, 61, 55 + 30 = 155 (3d100 + 30)

>>5620312

Rolled 10, 15, 38 = 63 (3d100)

>>5620312
Rolling rolls

While waiting for the final roll. I have to admit my ignorance of the story this quest is based on, but would you looking into that work help in planning what to do, or does it not matter?

Boy, I worded that poorly
Sorry, I only needed two 3d100s. My mistake, I'll be taking the highest numbers from your current rolls as penance.

>92 for P.E
>78+30= 108 for Common Material
No more rolls needed for now

>>5620922
Eh. This is set before the original story, something like 20-35 years? The Demon World War in the original story doesn't have a timeline, so I'm left to assume a whole lot. Key elements will remain the same. The 5 Divine Relics, the Darklands. The Demon King is alive in this time period. There's some aspects from the story I will be using as they become relevant, but not everything.
The original webnovel leaves a lot of questions unanswered, and that's where I want to explore. I would recommend the book, and I personally loved it enough to write this story using the world...but the current translation is of less than stellar English. There is a manhwa, but I would personally rate the art as only middling, and would recommend the webnovel over the manhwa. I would describe it as a drama first and foremost, with elements of comedy and tragedy in equal measure. You can see the trainwreck unfold, each torn piece being locked into place as the choices of the main character show their true consequences.

>75 oh no

Much of next week passes fairly peacefully. Where failure is expected, success is found. P.E is still tiring as all hell, and Hearl knows that several members of the Royal Class have started to work out in their free time to avoid that kind of pain, he doesn't have time for such things. However, he's still able to keep with the pack, apart from Astrid. She has a normal amount of stamina, but her sprinting ability is unparalleled. It's to the point the instructor tells her to stop sprinting all the time and just train her stamina instead. Hearl is praised by the instructor for his good efforts. He's not the best in the class, however. That goes to A-2, who has started to get a handle on divine power and his psychic power. Towan's power to regenerate his stamina, and Als' power to increase his physical ability. He's a real monster when compared to the rest of the class.

Hearl believed he must have overdone it with the studying, especially over the weekend. Again, he even surprises the teacher in charge of remedial classes. It's not just him in this class, mind you. There are about two dozen others from his year. People with especially good aptitudes or support from rich backers would still benefit from going to Temple, but might not have the education. Orphans without donations to survive on, low-class houseolds and such. The Empire doesn't have a regular education system. You go private or you get zilch, and Temple has the resources to achieve the best results. They get the best intake of students and use them to show off to the rest of the world what's possible within their walls. There are obvious flaws. The Orbis class selects for ability over talent, and Talent gives people greater potential. Most people who graduate from the Royal Class go on to be the best of the best, and that leaves all the normal people somewhat in awe of them.

So, about a dozen kids watch as one of these elite students walks into their classroom, snazzy uniform and all, and doesn't talk down to them or take the teacher's podium. No, he sits down, opens up a book, fuddles with his pen and ink, and starts to prepare for class. Hearl just nods to them, a grim smile on his face. More than anything, his worldview is limited if he doesn't take this class. He does extremely well. Much of what will be taught is material fit for a real child, someone in middle school. Now, Hearl's not an idiot, so he's able to absorb everything. Such that the teacher is able to stretch him a little. It's a gratifying feeling. Where previously he might have been missing several years of material and knowledge, now it might be only a few years. Concerning his current common class material, however, it will take a few more weeks like this.

"I hope you're all aware that this class will come with an examination, such as with your other subjects. If you perform suitably, we can even offer certificates for your performance.", this was only good news to Hearl.

1/?

He spent the evening spending more time going towards a more educated future. An hour a week was simply not enough to learn years worth of material. Hearl came into homeroom the next morning ready for Common Classes.

>Insight

There was something...off, today. It was with Ruby. She had tried her best to hide it, and her face was passive, but Hearl had seen her limping into the classroom. He could see small marks in the areas of skin she hadn't managed to cover with an overcoat. Where she usually wore the normal girl's school uniform, she had elected to wear long-legged trousers instead. It wasn't just Candice who had managed to take notice, but Celica, who had offered to try and heal it. Ruby had told the girl to fuck off, and stay out of it. She didn't even come see you. Either this wasn't a problem she thought she needed a "brother" to rely on, or it was more personal than that.

Common Classes went surprisingly well this time. He would need to perform a lot of revision, but no longer did his hands tremble when holding a pen, and he could freely take notes. Repeated words and subject matter allowed definitions and uses to bleed together. He was just about keeping pace with everyone else in the classroom. Most of the other children didn't take much notice, but Hearl kept his glee to himself. It was a cathartic feeling. He wasn't some lazy asshole, and he wasn't deprived. His effort was paying off. With an evening spent on a mixture of light exercise and writing practice, he felt confident in himself.

That Wednesday morning, as Hearl was entering the classroom, he was stopped by Ruby. This time, the bruises were more evident. He could see evidence of makeup on her face, and on her neck. Some of her hair looked...shorter, thinner? It was hard to tell. Red eyes pierced his own, a twist of defeat and desperation on them.

"Uh...I need help, please. After day's over. Juno gave me some stuff to cover...everything."

"What about telling the teachers?"

"...I don't wanna be a snitch. It's not that bad...it's just some bruises. Don't I deserve it, anyway?"

>Speech applies, somewhat...

"Did you even attempt to fight back?"

"That makes it worse. I did that yesterday, and I just got hurt more for it...fuck. I thought this would be over now that I'm here..."

"What does the curse even do?"

"I dunno. It's stupid."

"At least go see the priest to get healed up."

"Fine. I'll just tell them I went to0 hard on Auxiliary Magic research.". That doesn't seem to solve the core issue, but she's adamant that she doesn't want to speak to the teachers about it. She doesn't trust them at all. For all of that mess, Common Classes proceed well, and he can name the Divine Relics by now.

>Alsbringer, the Sword of War
>Tiamata, the Sword of Purity
>Lapelt, the Cloak of Flames
>Alixion, the Spear of Courage
>Lament, the Sword of the Moon

These 5 Divine Relics are proof of the god's existence.

2/?

Currently, none of them are owned by humanity. Alsbringer, Lament and Lapelt have been missing for generations, Alixion is a fickle weapon that only shows itself in dire situations. A religious civil war or cult hunting or defence of the people from some nebulous threat. Tiamata however, was last recorded showing up around 300 years ago, and has not been seen since.

"To summarise, everyone. We live in a world without the true presence of the gods' will protect us. However, somehow, whenever humanity or the world encounters a great danger, these 5 weapons turn up. It means we have been living in relative peace for centuries, ever since the Empire was founded. The people who have owned these weapons varied greatly, but there are shared characteristics. Wielder's of Tiamata were all priests of Tiamata before gaining the weapon. Alixion has favoured the stupidly courageous. Alsbringer has been seen as the sign of a true hero. Hopefully, despite our shared faith in the gods, you should understand why I don't want these weapons to be discovered by anyone."

That afternoon, Hearl decided he wanted to set his thoughts straight regarding the divine. He now knew about the gods and the key reasons they were prayed to. Divine Power was real, and so were the relics. Yet, in his daily life, he found no evidence of any divine being. He and his friends suffered in squalor. Yet, on the other hand, he was here at Temple...

>What are Hearl's thoughts on the Divine? They don't have to be too complicated, but this will be used as a foundation as more information about the gods and the faith is made available to him
>30 minutes for voting, but it's not a critical decision, so I will be moving on.

Hearl put his new library book down, a book on the sciences which he was using to get to grasp with new terminology. The intersection between maths and science was obvious to see, and learning one would also benefit the other. He got dressed for bed, something that used to be a rare privilege, and fell asleep to prepare for P.E the next day. He was awoken in the middle of the night to the sounds of screams.

"Shit! She's going out of control! Someone get the seniors!". Hearl wanted to investigate, and rushed outside to see what was going on. In the centre of the corridor, shivering and trembling, eyes white, was Charlotte. Surrounding her were these ghostly images. Spiders, cats, even a few people figures. Finn was staring intently at her, shouting out something in a foreign tongue. Whatever he was saying was drawing the attentions of many of the humanoid things, but not the animals.

"What the hell are those things?" Hearl heard Claude cry out. More and more students were being woken up, and he could see the small crowd of spirits was getting rowdier. Snarling and howling at those around them.

"They're spirits. She's lost control! I think we can still hurt them but they can go through walls! We need to take them out or students in the other classes will get hurt!"

3/?

That was Sheila.

"Fuck, my power's useless at night!"

"Everyone, battle stations!". The commanding voices of Candice and Heather rung out through the halls.

"Melee units, up front! Magic Resistance will tank whilst we wait for a teacher to get here! We need to keep them within the building!", Hearl saw flashes of Divine Power and saw others attempting to cast magic. He saw Darren immediately take point on one side. Yes, those things could be punched. Claude took another side, performing some kind of chant as his body appear to glow with a confident aura. Ah, Gladiator, that must be it. He saw Astrid running from the scene, she would be looking for a member of staff that was awake. Security would get here within a few minutes?

"I-I can communicate with them a bit! You won't have to worry about the intelligent ones! Just get the animals!"

>Follow orders and get up front to hold the mainline
>Go back to bed, you're not equipped to handle ghosts
>Try and call for help and search for someone, like Astrid
>Write-in

30 minutes for voting, same as the religion question

>>5621214
>Follow orders and get up front to hold the mainline

>Follow orders

>Insight
What the fuck does she mean Magic Resistance? These things are spirits, that's definitely different! No matter, if they can be punched then they can be body blocked. It was himself, Haruka, Darren, Claude, Heather, Bardon and Christopher taking up the front line. 6 people? Doable.

For animals, they weren't predators, they were just random animals in spirit form. Hearl knew very, very little about spirits. What he did know was that these ones were small and weak. In other words, easily handled. The next few minutes didn't go without injury, but poor Finn managed to get one of the humanoid spirits angry at him. Haruka fainted halfway through after one of the spirits screamed at her. More and more people were waking up. Ruby took one look at the scene and shut her door as fast as she could. At least her bruises were gone.

The star of the show were the Divine Power users. Their power could counter undead, and whilst these things didn't really count, a lot of them appeared to be frightened by the energy that emanated from the few who could use that power. Hearl focused on ramming his body into the smaller beings as Darren and Claude rushed the larger ones. He could feel that with every hit he took, it was like something was being taken from him. These spirits were cold to the touch, or something like that. However, he managed to hold on. He didn't feel like he was too injured, and the Psychic Power instructor for their year just rugby tackled Charlotte to the ground. Hearl saw the woman use her own Psychic power, something he later found out was called "Astronition". She started to carve symbols and runes out of starlight that emanated from her body. The shapes binding to the squirming figure beneath. In a rather anticlimactic fashion, the teacher stuffed a small pill down the girl's throat, and she quickly went limp, and the manifestations of her power disappeared.

Haruka was out for the count, Finn had taken some heavy damage along with Darren. Hearl had some minor wounds. Bardon, who had a Talent for Divine Power, hadn't yet been able to gather that power within his body, he also didn't have an aptitude for resistance. Therefore, he also took some solid hits, but his Weapon Mastery applied to Close-quarters combat as well.

"Thank you, students. I just...I need to examine you all. You might have soul damage, or something like it. For most of you, sleep is the answer. Her power itself isn't supposed to be dangerous, but as you can tell...she doesn't have the best control over it currently. I'll need to take Haruka and Baron with me for the rest of the night. I assure you, there's been no permanent damage to anyone."

"That won't happen again, right? Heather asked."

"I can't promise anything. Her mental state is...ah, no that's confidential. Just please be careful with her for a little while. She's been on edge recently. I'll try and get the best".

She stops to think a bit.

"No, sorry. I'll give everyone who participated in this a merit point. It's unusual, but you all responded well to the situation, even if A-10 was panicking when she found me. Back to bed, you all." She used some more of her power to help levitate Haruka. Finn and Bardon could still walk, but they would need to be seen by a priest. Hearl felt exhausted in an area of his body he had never felt before, like there was something less within him.
>Insight
Ah, that must be spiritual damage. Huh, there were things out there which could hurt his soul. Good to know. How the fuck do people guard against it? Was it even possible? No-one apart from Charlotte had a talent related to spirits after all. He would have to ask about that. In the end, he did manage to get to sleep. His body was sort of fine, it was everything else that hurt.

The next morning, they weren't afforded a break. It was back to lessons. Haruka had managed to rejoin the fold, as it were. People kept bugging her about it.

"I cannot say about Miss Charlotte. She was very much still unconscious when I last saw her. When that ghost cried out at me, it was like my entire world had become that sound. There was nothing else. It was more mysterious and vast than anything I had ever known.".

"Even with all the stuff we learn about the gods?"

"Yes. It was unexplainable, I could barely comprehend it.". Hearl had come to some conclusions regarding the Divine. Namely, that he knew jack shit. He had no strong feelings about it, how could he? He had seen those spirits recoil at the sight of divine power, but that was probably just a general fear reaction.

>92.

The good thing was that P.E went quite well, again. He tried to focus on exercising. The others were working at it silently. Juno was not very pleased about it all during the break.

"How can they let a girl like that into Temple. So many of us were hurt because of her."

"I'm a psychic too, it's just part of the condition. If you have a mental breakdown, then your power does too.". Gareth was trying to calm her down. Sheila was having none of it.

"That's so dumb! I can't even use my power without sunlight, if it were a mental thing, then shouldn't I use it whenever I want?"

"You've got to want it, that's what I think.", that was Adam. He was the only psychic in B Class. His power was a strange one, from what Hearl had heard in passing.

"Shut it, runt. You can't even use your power without free access to potions. How expensive is that? You should feel glad you're a noble, or else you'd be stuck like this."

"I've been told it will change in time. I think Charlotte's going to be fine if we give her space. That might happen again if she has another panic attack."

"I can't coddle someone like that. Hmph! That girl needs to learn a thing or two about being an adult."

"She's only 17."

"Where I and all us commoner's come from, that is an adult.".

>>5621210
Forgot his opinion on the gods.
Maybe see them as just some sort of spiritual nobles? They only interact to give blessings to people that they like the look of, but they don't even interact with them. And they are so high and might, but only give tools to others to solve the problems instead of doing things themselves.

"That's not fair, you know? All of us awakened our powers after experiencing trauma. Hers was more recently than ours, she still hasn't recovered."

"Damn that girl. At least we got a merit point for it. I asked our homeroom teacher about it. Apparently it's something for the end of the year. They'll give us rewards for earning them."

"Pardon, but how does one do that?". For what happened to her, Haruka's very alert. She's also one of the first to cope with all this regular exercise after being only middle of the pack.

"I dunno. He said "show merit", like that's clear."

"Sheila?"

"What is it now, Juno?"

"You're glowing.". She was right. Hearl could see the sunlight form around and on her body, like a second skin. It was faint at first. Apparently Juno had some really good eyesight.

"Ah? AH! SHIT!". Within an instant, all of the light she had unconsciously gathered scattered. It was warm to the touch, and all of the remaining students looked at her.

"Dammit. I concede. It is linked to emotion, alright?"

"If I may...", Ruby had raised her hand.

"What?"

"I know how to control one's emotions. Do you think miss Charlotte would...uh...want..."

"What is it? Speak up?". Everyone had turned to face Ruby, and her voice had cut off with everyone's attention on her.

"Don't seize up now, compared to last night, I don't think your curse is anything to worry about.", Candice said.

"R-right. Do you think she would appreciate my guidance?"

"It's an idea. I think all of us would benefit from something like that. A way to control our emotions before we can control our powers the normal way like the teacher can."

"No, not control. Just repress. Control is harder."

"...maybe? After this you and I should meet with the psychic class instructor, anything might help at this rate.". Sheila just pat her on the back. Gregory, for all of his interest in the subject had elected to remain quiet. Perhaps he wanted the knowledge about using a psychic power from the user's perspective? Hearl examined his face with a little more scrutiny. Sadly, there wasn't the look of fascination on there, more...fear? Worry. Hearl decided to keep his observations to himself. he could tell what the boy's feelings and thoughts were. Dangerous psychics were killed, simple as. If Charlotte failed to control her power then she would be offed.

The afternoon was his weekly Magic Manipulation class with his homeroom teacher.

"Sir?", the man nodded in response.

"How does one defend against an attack on the soul?". He was quiet for a second, mulling his answer over. Even for a battle wizard this appeared to be a tough subject to talk about.

"There are three known ways. Firstly, is to have the Spiritual Sensitivity Talent, which gives you the opportunity to view one's own soul, and change it's properties with the right training. It's a rare ability, rarer than Magic Power Reinforcement. Forget about learning it-

-because only one person in the entire Royal Class across 6 years even has the chance of a potential to awaken that kind of ability. The second way is with certain very rare and unique magic artifacts, there might be a few dozen? Some people are naturally resistant and resilient to soul attacks, but never to the level of a Talent or Aptitude. However, there is a third way. It's taboo, and considered illegal to research, use or generally experiment with. Black Magic is the magic of death. When we die, the soul remains. Hence, Black Magic deals with souls. However, magic that involves the soul is necromancy. You would never in a million years get permission to have a Warlock experiment with soul magic. Even then, the few magic artifacts we have are...restricted. A-7 has a talent for Black Magic, mind you, but she lacks the other talents needed to become an Arch Warlock. There are no good ways to defend against soul attacks apart from dodging them. Just don't get hit too much or too hard?"

"What if I can't hurt my opponent, like my spear just goes through them?"

"Ah, there's a species of Demon which can do that. If you become a Spearmaster then you'll be fine. Mana interacts with mana, and spirits as we see them are just mana that has will bound to it. A-6's ability is to manipulate the spirits around us that we can't see. Or rather, change the wills that bind the mana of the spirit. She's that low in rank because her own synergy with the skill is poor, as you saw last night.". Just become a Spearmaster if he wants to defend himself from spirits?

"Yeah I know that expression. There are some things in this world that you will never be able to fight or counter. Psychic powers have their own internal logic, the key to fighting someone with one is to understand that logic. Their perception on their own power changes how it works. If a pyrokinesis user thinks that he can one day start fires in the middle of the air, then he can. If you can make a psychic power user believe they can't use their power in a particular setting, they can't. Hence, her lack of self-confidence brings her down. If she does gain that confidence, then we will raise her rank, and lower yours."

"What the fuck?"

"Ah ah ah, if you awaken Magic Manipulation then you can maintain your rank."

"What about Bardon? He doesn't have talents in Manipulation or Sensitivity."

"No, but...just like you, he has them as aptitudes, and Weapon Mastery and Divine Power as talents. He has more potential than you, currently."

"Tch, and here I was listening to Gregory about gaining Aptitudes."

"Ahh, shite. Don't tell me you want to try that too? No, hell no. That's academic suicide, and probably just normal suicide. I don't even know how he knows about that. I mean..yeah there's been some fringe cases. People have been known to gain aptitudes after strange events. A communion with a spirit, a life and death scenario, a survivor of war. I gained an aptitude for Animal Ken, if you'd believe it."

Rolled 44 (1d100)

"Animal Ken?"

"I almost got mauled by a bear, but then I didn't? When I came home I just...had it. I don't know how else to describe it. Anyway, enough of this. Back to work."

Hearl spent his evening trying to organise his thoughts on the gods a little more. He had heard about their power, and that only a select few could use it. There were pious ones like Celica who obviously appreciated her power, but then there was Christopher. He was destined to be the most powerful Paladin in the Empire, possibly ever...but was he a pious man? He could only see the gods as these mega nobles. They were too far above the normal person to get close to normally. They never seemed to directly interact with the real world, either. There were organisations and artifacts and wars, but these were all actions led by people. When had the gods ever done something for themselves? It was best to keep these thoughts to himself. He had learned that the Church of Towan, the most populous branch of the divine, had an organisation called the Inquisition. Their job was to take out cults and heretics. They held themselves to a strict series of codes. He had spent the time to look it up, and all the previous owners of Tiamata had been inquisitors.

They seem so high and mighty, with their blessings and divine power being one of the 4 major superpowers that humanity had access to, but were they? What about demons? Did demons have divine power? If the gods were real and their power also real, why did the church have an organisation to deal with cults and heretics in the first place? It all reeked of the politicking and manipulation of the nobility. The people had to police the use of the power. It was freely given and freely used by those chosen. Importantly, with what he knew, if Divine Power was a Talent and an Aptitude, then wouldn't there be a way to gain it? There was certainly a way to blossom a Divine Power aptitude into a talent. What even was the favour of the gods?

It was all just too far above him for now. He went to bed, hoping that he wouldn't be interrupted again. Which luckily, he wasn't. Charlotte had woken up by now, and the first years had all recovered. Friday was a day all about chosen subjects, though. She sort of trudged into the homeroom, waiting for roll call. Ruby was supporting the girl, at least mentally. Charlotte was pale, and still unsteady. Today would be her psychic power class, that would be fun to hear about later. Most of the students had decided to not bother her about it, for now.

>Please roll a 3d100+10 for spearmanship training
>Rolling 1d100 for the standard of your opponent

Rolled 52, 91, 65 = 208 (3d100)

>>5621290
+1, give me more class struggle.

The power that Hearl’s peers are incredible and all, but it seems the issue of control brings out the double-sided nature, whereas his abilities are pretty straightforward. He won't accidentally telekinetically tear apart people or have spirits run wild when having a mental break. I get the feeling that's a valid tactic or magic of inducing a mental break for enemy users.

Wonder if the general's blood might mean actual ancestry to look into.
>>5621316
Rolling spears.

>>5621293
Ah, spiritual sensitivity could been useful. Didn't expect it would be used for soul defense.
We will just have to find our own way of doing things

Rolled 46 (1d100)

>>5621322
It's something I added in, because one of the MCs in the original novel has that exact talent and it's never mentioned at all. I thought I would give it a use.

>91+10=101
>44, an average opponent.

Instead of last week's disastrous display, Hearl was holding his own and doing quite well with his spear. He had moved into using a Glaive for this week.

"That's it. The great thing about your Spearmanship Talent is that any gains you make with this weapon will be stuff you can apply to a normal spear too and visa versa. That's the supernatural aspect of the talent. Glad to see you're in form today, Royal Class!". He was getting praises from the instructor.

"How far am I from F rank?"

"Still very far, I would say. At this pace...you might get it by the end of the school year?"

"...are you serious?"

"That's a considerable rate of improvement, mind you."

"It's just the level of beating up an unarmed man, right?"

"Yep. What are you gonna do if he grabs your weapon? What if he's faster than you? What if he can dodge all of your attacks? Remember, this is a foundation for killing demonkind, and even other people. Not the average joe who might know how to throw a punch or two.". Sheesh.

"Fine. If it makes you better, there's a sub-concept of a rank. It's still hard to get there, but when you reach it, I'll tell you. You''ll be on better footing against trained unarmed guys then. Here, let's give a demonstration. Derrick?! Get over here and beat this lad up.". The boy is a spindly looking thing, must be from a rich mercantile household. Hearl has to test his own strength first, he feels...considerably fitter. Noticeably stronger than last time. Shit, he doesn't know what his current stats are, and unless he pays for it, it's going to be another three weeks before he knows how much he's improved.

>Combat time!
>Your Agility exceeds your opponents!
>You strike first!
>??? Strength +2 Training Spear = ??? damage!

>Opponent rolls 1d100 DC 95 to dodge!

>46
>Opponent fails to dodge!
>Hearl deals ??? damage, a significant wound, as the opponent does not possess Physical Resistance!
>Their Dex and STA drop by 5!
>You have won!

Hearl pushes forward, instead attempting to swing the glaive through to the boy's side. He sees the boy's spear handle respond, and he both attempts to dodge and counter with his spear, but he's not fast enough to get out of the way of the attack, and the glaive head goes thundering into the boy. A loud but short cry of pain later, and he's on the ground, clutching his side.

"Damn it, A-4, I wanted you to let him beat you up! Dammit, he's not unconscious. Derrick-"

The on-site priest merely sighs, looking at Hearl's uniform with something like acceptance.

"I have to protest, I understand he's the only one in his class learning how to use a spear, but the normal students are going to quickly find themselves at his mercy in every combat encounter. What are you teaching the boy for him to be capable of this after two weeks?"

"He's got a talent. Hearl, what's your strength?"

"4.4, last I was told."

"...and that was two weeks ago?"

"Yeah."

"Hmph, must be something in the food. Well, as long as you don't go overboard. We do have priests here and all."

"How am I supposed to control my strength if I don't know how strong I am?"

"Good question. I dunno. But next week I'll give you an opponent with a shield. If they get knocked out after that then it's their fault, not mine.". Wasn't that kind of irresponsible? Eh, it was best not to worry about it.

>What are you doing on the weekend? Pick two actions, one for each day. 30 minutes for voting.
>Certain characters will be unavailable this weekend if you wanted to speak to them. Haruka, Candice and Gregory are all busy.

>On Sunday, there is a special event: Communion with the Church, which all Royal Class Students will be required to attend. Going to this will not count as one of your choices.

>>5621349
>Physical training
If one is fast and strong enough, it can makeup for a lack of finesse.
I don’t know what else to do or who to talk to, so I leave that to others.

>>5621349
Let's go talk to Ruby, see if everything is alright with her

Hearl spent most of his Satuday training. He wanted control, and that would only come with practice. He spent hours hitting a test dummy and punching a bag, trying to determine his new limits. That instructor was right, he was stronger. Years of malnutrition were being swept away by all of the good food he was eating. Namely, he found the source of his plight. His Dexterity was poor. Stamina was raised with every physical action he did, but his Dexterity really only improved if he trained with his spear. Quite literally, his spear technique was growing faster than his Dexterity could keep up. He spent most of the day on that.

There was one more thing. He saw Ruby with some bruises earlier in the week. She had obviously been to the priest a few times, but what about the core issue. He knocked on her door.

"Hm? Oh. Evening.". Shit, that was a black eye.

"What happened to you?"

"...tried to cast Blink; teleported into wall."

"I was worried for nothing. What happened with those marks?"

"Ah? Oh. You know Finn? He's got a Talent called Divination. He can find out things you're not supposed to, tell the future, things like that. I went to him for answers about my curse. No, wait! Context. Apparently some of the senior years are getting antsy about demons or something. Some new revelation about their society? They got mad about it and saw me as the nearest demon around. Managed to get some protection."

"What did you and Finn do?"

"Well, with a weird ritual, and some of my blood, Finn found out where those bastards live and the names of their mothers and fathers. After I got healed up and sorted, I told them that if they ever touched me again, it wouldn't be them on the receiving end of the curse."

"You might get Finn hurt for this."

"He was mad about the way they treat me too. Where he's from, the whole rumour about the colour red doesn't exist. He's tougher than he looks. Now I just have to worry about the few Warlock teachers they have here. They all want me to study black magic, but y'know... a read haired warlock? I'd never get hired. Plus, Spatial Magic is super convenient. Might take an eon to cast, but absolutely worth it."

"What were the answers about your curse?"

"Dumb luck. I just have red hair. Fucking wow. I hate this shit, I should just dye it. Why it is Desmond with Illusion Magic? I don't even have the fucking cash for an item like that..."

"I think Temple offers some students jobs?"

"Maybe. I'd have to prove myself first. I don't know how Juno lives with it. Or-....nah, she's fine."

"Juno?"

"Dude, seriously? She's obviously part Demon. Who the fuck is supernaturally charismatic? That's totally a demonic ability."

"...I have it too, you know?"

"...you're a dem-"

"No, and neither is Juno. It's a Talent. Just...think of it like a sub-concept of magic."

"What's the formula? If it's magic then I might be able to replicate it with Auxiliary Magic."

"Ask Juno. I'm not learning the technique."

1/?

"Fine then. I managed to get it sorted, that's all. Thanks for the support though, it means a lot. If and when I learn Teleport, I'll give you a ride to wherever the hell you want. Hell, I need protection and friends anyway. Auxiliary Magic and melee users go hand in hand. If you ever get the desire to do something weird in the winter holidays, count me in."

>You've got a favour from Ruby you can call in during the Winter Holidays. It has to be related to her usage of Auxiliary Magic or Spatial Magic, but there are limits

Their conversation ended amicably, it seemed. Ruby was becoming more and more aggressive, but it was working in her favour. Then everyone in the building got a message to report to the church on Sunday morning. Everyone. About 200 people, staff included, were huddled into this one church space. He saw 5 old folk sitting in chairs at the head of the church. He motioned the room to fall silent, and began.

"Good morning, faithful of the Empire. I am the Archbishop of Als, and the Head War Priest. I have gathered you all here today for a most important reason. Our oldest enemy, demonkind.". That sent a small murmur through the crowd.

"Recently, members of our Paladin Order have taken upon themselves to research Demons as a society and people, instead of as enemies. As the best way to defeat one's enemy is to first understand them. As a church, we were most interested in how Demonkind practices their faith, and we have come to some horrifying conclusions. Firstly, they recognise the existence of the 5 Divine Relics. However, being on the receiving end of them for much of their existence, view them with derision and fear. Some however covet their power. We have also determined that...in more worrying news, they do have their own dark religion. The Priest in me wishes to not expose you to their names, but the man I am compels me to. They pray to 5 "gods", as is their term for them. They also appear to possess something akin to Divine Power."

That little mention sends more than murmurs throughout the room. It's more like a wave of shock.

"These Demonic God's names reflect the evil they practice and aspire to. Kier, the God of Corruption, Suiran, the God of Slaughter, Nox, the God of Darkness, Tallard, the God of Conflagration and Egrsian, the God of Hatred. They each have divine powers appropriate for those names. We have reports of Demons using the powers of these Gods. We also have evidence of...may Als protect me, humans, using these Demonic Divine Powers."

That puts a few people, probably the devout members, scowl and curse. Eve, their most devoted member, has her fists clenched, and eyes...no, no she's not angry? She looks...remorseful. She just hangs her head a little.

"To that end, everyone in the Royal Class will be going through the Rite of Assignment. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's nothing too serious. Each person can only use one kind of Divine Power, today, we will discover which that will be, if you have access to Divine Power, this will be your path. For those of you without divine power, we will provide the same service. We will give you an honorary membership to the church and will in turn offer our services to the Empire. Because of these revelations, we, the Five Churches, have unanimously agreed to join hands with the Empire and its forces to strike out these Demon God Cults. Whilst the Empire and the church have always been connected, never has the Empire participated in the subjugation of cults. This is a landmark moment, and you are all to bear witness. You will be accepting membership into the Church because the Empire deems it to be necessary."

He ends the speech there. Some members of the room are silent, but others are very much not. One by one, the Royal Class students are filed into a smaller room, and subjected to a ritual. Here, a priest performs a sacred ritual to anoint a person as a member of the church, and then, will determine which aspect of Divine Power they are best suited for.

>Please roll a 1d100, DCs 95 for Eve having a moment, and 100 for ???

Rolled 9 (1d100)

>>5621412
Hearl is probably feeling smug about the whole demon god revelation.
This is just noble and political bullshit, all the way to the top of the heavens

Rolled 49 (1d100)

>>5621412
Ain’t no choice but to be in the church

Rolled 26 (1d100)

>9

Hearl walks into the room. Fucking dammit, this has bullshit written all over it. What was with those names? Slaughter, Hatred?
>Insight
Shit, those were all related to the other gods in some way. Nah...Corruption and Purity. War and Slaughter. Most of it fit. He sighed, and let himself be subject to the ritual.

"Oh, no, that's fairly obvious. If you were able to use Divine Power, you would be aligned with Towan, the God of Purity.".

"Why?"

"It is what you hold the clearest faith in."

"I grew up on the streets, I didn't have time for faith."

"Yes, but the power of Towan responds to your soul in the greatest respect. So if you were to ever awaken a talent for it, that is what your divine power would be represented as."

"Understood. What does membership do for me, again?"

"For you? Hopefully nothing. This membership is about...uh, no I..."

>Speech

"You don't have to be afraid to tell me, I'm a spearman, I'm sure it's relevant."

"...fine. The Empire is planning to go to war. The Demonic Cults are more aggressive than the Demon King himself, but the two are allies. This membership will give you and every other trusted elite of the Empire permission to use monasteries and nunneries as makeshift fortresses and bulwarks if needed. You will not be required to give anything to us. You must keep this a secret, but I think the Archbishop of Towan is just a tad paranoid. Sure, we have evidence of these evil cultists, but we've killed hundreds of cults before, these ones just happen to made of demonkind and not humanity. We can deal with this issue religion to religion, surely? Bah, I'm just babbling. That little speech was for the Empire to hear, I'm sure you don't care too much. Have a nice day now." Hearl's name was put on a list, and he was free. Eve had managed to compose herself in the time she went through the ritual. Bardon had been told that he was a user of the power of Mensis.

The ripple effect of that one announcement was a lot more significant than the immediate effects. The empire was planning for war? When? Against the Demon King? In any case, this was just some pseudo-political bullshit. Divine Power didn't even make sense. Demons could use it, humans who believed in demon gods could use it. None of this made sense. It just felt like the gods didn't give a damn about this world anymore or maybe they favoured the demons instead. Maybe they used to, but not now.

>Progression towards ??? made

The rest of the day was spent training. He really wished he had some kind of money. He wanted to find out what progress he had actually made. With the threat of war looming over the empire, the world even, he just wanted some kind of protection.

Alright, week over people, and that's the end of the session! Week 3 next week, going to be a quiet one, hopefully...again, we start at 15:00 BST.

>Roll a 3d100 for P.E gains
>Roll a 3d100 for Common Class gains
>Roll a 3d100 for Spearmanship gains
All Bo3
Rolling 1d100 for stuff

Rolled 21, 87, 47 = 155 (3d100)

>>5621429

Rolled 74, 11, 36 = 121 (3d100)

>>5621429

Rolled 73, 25, 27 = 125 (3d100)

>>5621429

Wonder if we can get Hearl to play an instrument to improve his dexterity. Though, I doubt it would be an idea Hearl would come up with himself, to be entirely honest.

>26, not very much is happening this week
Hearl woke up that Monday morning with a grim outlook. He was hoping to get a real education here, get hired as something worthwhile, maybe even send some cash and help the others get something like a proper life. That was the way this world worked. You had to claw your way from the bottom, sometimes. But the world was conspiring to end the hundreds of years of peace the Empire had created. The last major war was the civil war that generated the Empire, and the royal family had ruled for generations. Expansion into the wintery lands far north and parts of the darklands made possible with new technology had signalled the start of a gold age. Plans for new "mana trains", new systems of magic, the loosening on the controls on Black Magic and some kinds of Alchemy...it was looking like a new era.

Well, a new era it would be, certainly. The average person, including Hearl, knew very little about Demons. He knew that they lacked intelligence; they had supernatural abilities but were not considered true monsters. Many of them were very similar to human beings. They could learn how to use magic, and apparently had a greater talent for magic power than humanity. However, Demons were part of tribes, and each tribe needed different things to prosper. For the last few hundred years, the Darklands had been relatively silent, only for the Demon King to build the largest fortress known to man in the heart of the Darklands. The empire probably saw this as a provocation, and the discovery of Demon Gods threatened the church's existence. Hence, the Empire wanted to go to war to stamp out the problem before it became too difficult to deal with. Hearl imagined that there were many people opposed to the idea. Demons had not been at war with humanity for a long, long time. Not only that, but the empire was about to have a new wave of progress and expansion. Why go to war now and waste all of that? Hearl shook those thoughts aside. He was still a kid in the Empire's eyes, and even if war broke out, he wouldn't be drafted because of his elite position. He would still have his 6 years here, right?

Homeroom was tense. He could tell that Candice was not alright. Most of the nobility were not normal. Charlotte had managed to recover, but he could tell that some of the others in the class were looking at her a bit weird. She had apologised, and said that she would be spending her weekends learning to control her ability more reliably. Hearl noticed that whenever she looked at someone, she averted her eyes occasionally to look behind them. She had this look of apprehension on her face. Like she was never really looking at someone when talking to them. Hearl saw fear in her eyes when she looked at him, or well, not him. Something behind him. Probably some spirit mumbo jumbo.

>87
PE went well again. So well in fact that Hearl thought that he wasn't making as much progress as he thought he should. This level of exercise was definitely straining, but not as much as it used to be. Hence, he guessed that the gains from trying to stay with the pack would peter out over the next few weeks. The class instructor had recognised that the class had all grown used to the training regimen, and would be increasing the standards of the exercise for the next week. Week 5, their first week of midterms, would not be for exercise, but instead would be a physical test of sorts. During the break, Hearl wanted to ask the instructor about his dexterity deficiency problem.

"Oh, that'll sort itself out over time. What we call Dexterity is a dexterity of the whole body. Gymnastics and dance and martial arts all help train it. After the midterms I can put some things like that into the course, you're not the only one suffering from some kind of stat deficiency. I'll have to specialise the training the class does a bit more."

"Dance?"

"Yes. As a warrior, you will be using dexterity to dodge attacks and sometimes make tricky movements with your weapon. Dancing is a way to do it, but gymnastics is the traditional method if your dex is lagging behind."

"Alright, but what do I do for this week before that kind of training comes about?"

"I'll tell your spearmanship teacher about it. Old man's a good warrior but kind of a knucklehead, he probably pitted you against a normal person last week." The teacher ended the conversation with that, and the rest of the class passed peacefully. Divine Powers were banned during these sessions. The instructor called them supernatural steroids, and using them for something like this was considered poor form. That left people like Bardon, who was destined to become a Paladin, at a complete loss. He has just found out which divine power he was suited for and couldn't use it until Friday, which was when swordsmanship classes were held.

>74+10=84
He made decent progress during his remedial class.

"I predict that out of the 12 of you, our Royal Class student will get first place in the midterms. He appears to be the only one to put in work outside of the class. Take notes people, this is how you actually learn."

"That's not fair, miss. I looked it up, he's got like 2 aptitudes for studying!"

"And if he keeps it up, probably three! Focus on your own progress more.". Hearl also took this advice, and decided to spend his evenings studying. He was getting closer and closer to a more reasonable level. He wasn't confident in giving up the class after the midterms, but he could probably ask for a chance after the first term was over. His options would be very limited, and if he didn't do well enough in the end of term exams then he would just have to stick with it. There wasn't a commotion that night. He woke up as usual, ready for Common Classes.

He was finally getting to a point where more of the class was making sense. Where concepts like geometry confused him, he was now realising how fundamental it was. The way the building was constructed, for example. Writing no longer eluded him, either. He could write coherently, he wasn't very fast, but he was consistent. This week, the class was put under their first mock test questions. The things were graded in class, and the results put on the board. Out of the 11 in A class, he had landed 8th. Not...great, but considering he was a dunce, he was pretty proud of himself. He didn't have a speciality like some of the other students had. Someone like Layla had proven herself to be a genius with chemistry, and she said that it was aiding her own cooking talents. She had wanted to give everyone something to try that she had cooked herself. She had no supernatural talents, but boy could she cook.

So, after class was over, just about everyone in the Royal class had been huddled into one room, and a plate of food was put in front of them. It wasn't a simple thing to Hearl's eyes. Beef steak with roasted vegetables, sliced potatoes with cream and herbs all baked together and a berry sauce to accompany some gravy. It wasn't entirely a recipe of her own creation, but she felt confident enough to serve it to everyone, including the nobles. It was alright. Many of the nobility found issues with it, which Layla took in stride. Taking notes on the reviews each person gave. Hearl realised that he definitely didn't have a critic's tongue. It just tasted nice, and it was free food. How could he complain? They were all freed after the food was finished, and Hearl spent more of his time revising. The more work he did on this, then more he could get out of his normal classes.

The Wednesday morning, Hearl got...a letter? He didn't know anyone who sent letters to people like him. Or well...that was until he recognised the sigil. It was from the Blue Ringer gang. he boss of the gang was praising him for his admission to the Royal Class, and had not so subtly said that as long as Heal didn't get any official attention on the gang, his friends would be safe. Then, there was the more worrying part. The letter wasn't coded or anything, so Hearl would have to burn it pretty soon. Just living in that area of the city made you associated with those guys, there was no avoiding it if you were old enough.

>"Hearl, one of your classmates is looking into us, and we don't know which one of them is doing it. We managed to get one of their guys and got some information about the client before he bit the dust, but it's not enough to conclude who sent these pricks looking all over our turf. We've got some risky cargo on our hands, so that would explain it. It's probably one of the nobles. We're selling the thing, it's too dangerous to hold onto. So, if you find out who was looking into us, tell them that we've given it to some different guys. All of this is being done anonymously, so we don't know who's buying the thing either. Just get them off our backs, soon."

Well shit, Candice had decided to take more drastic measures, and had gotten one of her detectives killed for it. This girl had a talent in Insight, there was no way she wouldn't know what was going to happen. If he didn't tell Candice to back off, then what? The book was being sold off to a different buyer anyway. She would follow the book, not the gang, unless she was a petty bitch. He could just leave the problem alone if he wanted. Even if he did say that the item had been sold, even the ringers didn't know who they were selling to. They wanted to get rid of something dangerous, that was it. Telling Candice that the Blue Ringers were in direct contact with him might be a bad idea. He hadn't left the campus in weeks, which should have shown his separation from that kind of life. Someone like him, without any influence of his own was very easily pushed around. If he did tell Candice the truth, she might reward him for it? The earlier she could move her investigation or make it more pointed, the sooner she would fuck off from the gang's territory and the safer his mates would be. Choices, choices.

>Go give Candice the news
>No need, this problem will sort itself out according the boss.

>>5622380
>Go give Candice the news

It would be safer to tell her. Hearl knocked on her door, which she answered. She looked...ill. Her eyes were dark, and her expression was pulled into one of nicety.

"Evening, Hearl. What do you need from me?"

"I need to get inside. Ringer news."

"...get in.". Hearl entered to see about a hundred scattered documents strewn over the room. He could tell what they were about. Correspondence between herself and her men concerning the search.

"What's your news?"

"They're selling the book soon. They don't know who the buyers are and they know you're looking for them."

"Of course they know, they killed one of my men. I didn't think they would do that, they were small, even if they do have support. Fuck, they're seriously not confirming the buyer? That's...dammit, I feel like I'm just being used as a pawn by the final owner of the book. I'm grasping at straws... Well, thanks for telling me. I thought I was so close to intercepting the thing...just give me a minute."

She rummaged around her room, and procured 5 small yellowish coins.

"A small token of my appreciation. In all likelihood, they're either going to be selling the thing back to demons or to a mage tower. I can't think of anyone else who would want the book."

"Are these gold?"

"Yeah, it's not a lot, but you were hesitant of feeding me info beforehand, so here's a reward for doing the right thing. If you didn't tell me about this I would have probably sent in more men to their deaths. That asshole in charge of the gang is getting paranoid. "

>You have gained 5 gold coins. These can be used to buy whatever you like. A status examination costs 3 Gold if you want to do it outside of exam week.

Hearl was shooed away with that. That should keep the gang leader off his back unless the Thieves Guild was involved. Which considering a man had just died, they would be soon. It wouldn't concern him in the slightest, it would all be backroom deals. The Thieves Guild would take responsibility for the death of a citizen on their turf and cough up some money to the authorities to slide things over. Like a well-oiled machine, really.

Thursday was more P.E. Again, Hearl was performing admirably. Having two days of common classes in between P.E sessions was a good idea. He found out that generally, stamina was the stat that was raised the most. Humans were distance hunters, and almost everyone had high stamina compared to the rest of their stats.

"To give you all an estimate, I would say most of you have 7 or 8 stamina right now? Those with Divine Power have an effective stamina that is larger than that. We'll find out in a few weeks, but keep at it everyone!". Hearl knew that many of the students had early morning practice sessions. Before the day started, even. It was because of how the Orbis Class lived their lives. It was nothing but training and practice for them. Hearl honestly would have found the idea appealing, but...they didn't have special chosen subject classes.

The Orbis class was the direct counter to the Royal Class. Objectively, all of them were superior to the current Royal Class. They entered the school with E rank weapon skills, for fuck's sake. E rank magic probably too? They had no psychics and few divine power users, but they had an awfully high number of warriors. The school tended to keep the two elite classes separate, but Hearl had heard from a few seniors that eventually the two classes would face each other. Sheila, being the haughty bitch she was, was incredibly smug about it.

"Yeah, so what if they're good now? Can they blast light at them from far away in an instant? We'd mop the floor with them."

"Sheila, y-you can't say that sort of thing. They're strong in their own way, you know?". Celica said.

"Their own way? Wow, way to put them down. Hey, you've got a talent with Divine Power, and can even use it. Can you work hard at Divine Power?"

"The existence of Orbis Class members who have access to divine power without a talent proves that you can. However, faith is the most important component, as is and will always be the case. Some people, even if they have a talent, are simply not faithful."

"What about those Demon Cult worshippers then?"

"I am at no liberty to discuss that."

"...why not? Aren't they the enemy? Demons and a few traitors."

"It's...complicated. Their divine power is not normal. I've been privy to the actual reports the Church of Als made. Necromancy, which was thought to be the domain of Black Magic, is a key aspect of this new manifestation of divine power. I can say no more". Sheila stops questioning after that, but Haruka takes over.

"Miss Eve?"

"Yes?".

"...why would a human being work with demons against us? It is a dishonorable thing to betray."

"We don't know. Many of them just appear to be...mad. Some humans were promised the gift of immortality. Others of the poor and downtrodden see it as a way out. The creation of the religion was because of dogmatic demons, but the adoption of the faith by other people was a failure of the church.".

"I see..then, where would you put the blame?"

"Blame? No, I can't blame a singular person. If you think about things from a Demon's perspective, then it makes sense why they would believe in their gods. The divine weapons slaughtered them in the past, burned them with hate and drove them to cowardice in fear. Over time, there would be demons who would come to see these as evil gods. Why some would then choose to pray to evil gods is beyond me."

"Truly, Demons are a source of evil. To reject the gods and make their own."., Christopher says.

"No, they're not...it's more complicated than that. They don't reject the idea of our gods, you heard the Head War Priest. They understand the significance of the 5 Divine Relics. Imagine if for centuries, 5 indestructible weapons worked to destroy humanity, what would you think about them?"

"That they were powerful."

"And annoying. Annoyance becomes hate, hate clouds their judgement. We used the Divine Relics as tools to protect ourselves and destroy the evil within. But would a demon be able to see that side of things?"

"Why're you defending them so much?"

"You asked for my opinion. A human being in a sorry state would happily believe in a false god. The power their divine power users hold is real."

"How is that even possible?"

"Divine power is shaped by faith. If you have the talent for it, you can use Divine Power according to that faith. They just believe in evil gods, and the powers they hold are taboo and evil in nature. Hence, they and their ideas must be eradicated from the world, so that the people are not put in danger. This is why the church exists today. Why people with divine power are raised in accordance with good principles.". Hearl raises his hand.

"If your Divine Power changes on what you believe in, why are there 5 kinds of divine powers in the first place?"

"There's a key idea which shapes each aspect of Divine Power. If you have a particular faith, it will fall under one of those 5 branches. Towan's divine power smites undead, for example, but Kier's Divine Power raises undead. I would be a fool to not spot the significance of that. They are using something which falls under Towan's purview. It's just...changed and deformed."

"Aren't the Gods a little negligent, then? Someone like that has their blessing, after all.", Ruby speaks up out of nowhere.She looks almost miffed.

"Now now, the inquisition would normally make you disappear for those kinds of thoughts. But yes, the idea that someone with less than pure intentions can use Divine Power is not a novel one. It's why the inquisition exists, to kill those would use this power for evil. Like these new Demon Cults. Celica has the blessing of Liter, which makes her extremely lucky when she uses it. That can be used to cheat in gambling parlours, but...will she?"

"No, of course I won't. Gambling is a waste of money in the first place. It's money I could spend on the business."

"And Bardon, you hold the power of Mensis, the ability to travel through the moonlight and other such things related to the moon. What do you want to do with this power?"

"I don't know yet. I might become a Paladin, but I might get hired as a Knight?"

"But, nothing underhanded. Our institutions bind those who would abuse the powers freely given to them by the Gods. It is our duty to deal with those who are not respectful. It's a necessary evil, if you must think of it that way."

Hearl attends his Magic Manipulation class with a heavy heart. The mechanics of Divine Power elude him.

"Oh. Lad, are you all right?"

"Not really. Can you give me advice on how to take on Divine Power users?"

"There are no easy answers. Their powers work independently of anything else. Bardon will grow to be someone who has both Divine Power and Magic Power Reinforcement on his side. You just have to out last or overpower them. You can't just cancel Divine Power. They can run out of it. Meditation and pray restore divine power, and that does link to it mentally. But the control and use of the stuff is mostly physical. Forget real zombies, the users of Towan's power are the most dangerous zombies around. They can take hits and heal them in seconds. The power of Salaam protects the user from harm, and so on. The best way to counter a divine power user is to send a divine power user at them, or tire them out and make them waste their power. It does require skill to control."

"What are your thoughts on all this Demon Cult stuff?"

"I have no thoughts. I am a mage, after all. All of my power comes from study and practice, not faith. I do not believe, I know. Magic Power Reinforcement is in fact a kind of magic...but also not. You will learn how to perform it via instinct. I know the theory of the power. You do not think, only do. It is the most vague of the 4 powers, but also the easiest to research. Once you have Magic Power Reinforcement, the path to train it is obvious, but awakening it is the hard part. Divine Power is hard to grasp at first, but when someone does have a hold on it, there's just time between them and a new realm of power."

"Which divine power is the most dangerous to fight against?"

"Als. They can directly add their divine power to their strength and attacks. It comes at a sharp stamina cost, though. Your strength must be around 5? If you had Divine Power, then you could strike for double that for one move. That adds up over time, and that's not including the masterclass users of divine power."

"They have a masterclass?"

"Yes, but the users of those powers are extremely rare. Off the top of my head, about 15?" Each of the Archbishops are masters, the Archbishop of Towan will turn 240 this year, for example. He looks a day over 70."

"...that's..."

"Unfair? Well, so is Magic Power Reinforcement. Masterclass Warriors can live to 200, Grandmasters 500. Grandmasters age in reverse back to their peak forms for all of that. You can think of it like...reshaping your body with mana?"

"...what about a divine Grandmaster?"

"We've yet to see one. The theory goes that only a Divine Relic user would even be able to reach that kind of power, and I believe in that idea."

Hearl does through the rest of the lesson a bit distracted, but in otherwise good shape. He's able to move mana more and more, ever so slightly.

"Yep, that's an aptitude for you. It responds to hard work. You're a determined guy, that's for sure. Unlike a lot of the class I teach, you're one of the few who's working hard."

"Is this increasing my magic power?"

"Absolutely. You can't tell, and I would need a tool to tell, but with sensitivity training and this and Magic Power Growth as an aptitude, it just might be your highest stat."

"A useless stat is my highest one. Fantastic."

"You won't be saying that next year, trust me."

>Hearl's stamina and physicality have been improving, and his mental strength is coping with the regular training sessions.
>As such for today, you have a spare action for Thursday evening, what would you like to do?
>Write-in

>>5622485
Keep on improving our remedial studies

>Remedial studies

Hearl is not tired as he would normally be on a Thursday, and he knows that it will not last. Both his Spearmanship instructor and the P.E instructor are going to increase the difficulty of the training they perform. So, he rushes to get some more work and revision done for his remedial class. The teacher has recognised his performance and has given him a lot of extra "homework" to complete. Namely concerning a new concept called algebra. He's sort of understood the foundation of the idea in his mathematics lessons, but now his remedial class is going through the various techniques that algebra is actually used for and their flaws.
>Bonus gains to Common Class proficiency made.

The next day is Spearmanship class.
>73+10=83

The instructor focuses on the issues you were having last week. He understands that Hearl's made some improvements, but it's here when those improvements are finally coming together. The long and short of it is that at least for today, he will be able to hold back when fighting.

"Ok, so this time I'm not going to have you fight another spearman. Instead...I organised something with the Swordsmanship teacher, come in B-11!". In walks Darren. He simply nods at Hearl in acknowledgement. He has both a training sword and a shield on him.

"He will be your first opponent, and then we're going to do the usual mix-up.". The entire class stops fighting and training to come watch two Royal Class students fight.

>You are in Combat!
>The opponent's speed exceeds your own!
>They strike first!
>Your Warrior Skills are roughly equal, but Darren has slightly more training under his belt!

>Darren B-11 attempts to strike with 8 STR+2 Training Sword = 10 Damage!
>Hearl attempts to dodge!
Please roll a 1d100 DC 94 to dodge!

>>5622485
Study
After we get finish our remedial courses maybe we should specialize in something academic

Rolled 97 (1d100)

>>5622511

>>5622515
holy shit!
>DC Made, you dodge the attack!

>Hearl successfully dodges!
>Hearl attempts to strike with ??? + 2 Training Spear = ??? Damage (controlled)
>Darren does not attempt to dodge, and will instead attempt to block the attack with his shield and body!
>The attack is an automatic hit! His shield holds back a portion of the damage!
>[Physical Resistance] applies!
>Darren suffers a minor wound, losing 2 STA and 2 DEX!
>He does not surrender!

>Darren will attempt to strike again!
>Roll 1d100 with a DC of 92 to dodge!

Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>5622519

>>5622537
Hearl is on fire

Rolled 44 (1d100)

>DC made!

>Hearl successfully dodges!
>Hearl will attempt to strike!
>Darren will attempt to dodge!

Rolling 1d100 DC 92 for Darren to dodge the attack!

Rolled 41 (1d100)

>>5622545

>No dice, he gets hit!
>As Darren has no skill with a shield, his attempt to both dodge and counter fail!
>Physical Resistance applies!
>Darren takes a significant wound!
>Darren has lost!

For that impressive display, you're getting an extra 50 points to your Spearmanship skill

The fight begins with Darren striking out with his sword, shield kept close to his body. Hearl deftly manages to dodge the attack, but in attacking, Darren is unable to pull back fast enough, and takes the spearhead to his shield, the shock travelling up his arm. Hearl can tell that he did not go unfazed by that attack, as the next sword strike is more sloppy than the last, and again, Hearl dodges it. In a mighty swing, and in a controlled strike, Hearl whips the spear into Darren's arm, the one holding the shield. The spear bends over the shield itself and crashes into his upper arm. The boy is unable to dodge or defend with his shield, and goes flying backwards and to the side. He's conscious, and with a banged up up. The fight is short and sweet, and Hearl can feel that this victory was not a sure thing. The instructor starts the applause for the fight. Darren gets up, and refuses the help from the priest for a little bit, before assenting to the treatment. Healing Magic is also an option, but it can take minutes to cast, so Temple relies on the priests of Towan to heal wounds in a flash.

"Nah, he got me fair and square. Need a bigger shield next time."

"Armour would be safer, and you'd be able to carry heavier weapons than that training sword. Your strength is not too shabby." The instructor starts a round of applause for the short fight that just happened.

"Congrats on the win, kid. I think I'll be able to raise the standard of your opponent today, none of this random opponent stuff. Get ready for your next fight."

Rolling 1d100+20 for the next opponent in line.

Rolled 10 + 20 (1d100 + 20)

>>5622554
Whoops, not sure what went wrong there.

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>5622555
>30
lol, bloody AI April Fools

"Ah shite, I think they're all busy. Erm, Emily?"

"I'll try my best, sir."

She's weaker than Hearl expects, evidently.

>Hearl is faster than his opponent, and strikes first!
>Hearl attempts to strike with ??? +2 damage!
>Rolling 1d100 with a DC of 97 for your opponent to dodge!

>She fails to dodge!
>Hearl strikes with ???+2 damage (controlled)
>They suffer a minor wound, and surrender.

It's not even a contest as Hearl bats her spear out of her hands and puts his own in the middle of her chest with a slap.

"I surrender!". The girl is visibly frightened, and drops her spear in a hurry.

>Gained 10 points to your spearmanship skill for your victory

The class is ended there, with Magic Sensitivity training in the afternoon. Members of the Royal Class are fed into the small, windowless room. Again, the old woman spits out some mumbo jumbo about feeling the universe and becoming one with nature. Hearl can't really tell if it's having an affect, but this woman was hired by Temple to do her job. She can't be a fraud, right?

"Alright, have a magical day everyone, bye bye!". She hobbles out, just like that.

>It is now the weekend
>Please choose two actions you would like to perform
>No student is unavailable this weekend.
>Write-in

>>5622563
Train gymnastics to level up dexterity.
As for the other, I'm torn between seeing if Charlotte is better now since a week might be enough space, or Gregory to study more and talk about what teacher said about aptitudes

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>Go try some gymnastics (Train dexterity)
Rolling 1d2 for either seeing Charlotte or Gregory

After Friday's performance, Hearl felt like his Dexterity might not be able to keep up. So, he organises a private training hall. He knows that he needs some mats, and that gymnastics is an art about moving the body. It's an action of stretches and jumps. Many warriors would laugh at the idea of doing it, but if you're not wearing armour, dodging is your only choice. He could start using a shield too, but...he doesn't have an aptitude or talent for using them. It would be a pretty shitty defence.

So, he has to experiment. Testing the mats, and then starting to try some simple moves he was reading about in a book. To roll forwards and roll backwards, to jump properly with the knees going to the chest. Learning these simple skills is a mental task, not a physical one. By the end of the day, he's sore all over, like new muscles and tendons are just now coming to the fold. Fuck, it hurts like a bitch. It was just some rolling and balancing, how can it hurt?

He pushes those thoughts aside, and by the next morning, he's moved onto a different subject. No aptitude for shields or gymnastics...aptitudes. He would need to talk to Gregory some more. His Magic Manipulation instructor said that a person can gain something like that through surviving an intense moment, but Gregory had a completely different outlook. He wasn't in his room, but Hearl found him reading through some of the books in the library.

"Can we talk for a bit?"

"Sure! More common class studying?"

"Yeah, and something else. We can save it for later."

"Sure! Just let me get my notes."

For this week, the two boys understably want to focus on Divine Studies, it's been a talking point for most of the school. The actual lesson Hearl got on the divine covered the general structure of the church. There were 5 separate churches for each of the 5 gods, and they had an archbishop, followed by bishops who ran churches, and priests who used the divine power of the gods to benefit their congregations. Then there were Paladins, warriors of the church who would fight their enemies. Demons were a primary source of that antagonism, even during the relative peace in recent times. The church then had priests, who were people with divine power who were given permission to use it freely in society. Unregistered priests were considered heretics, and were taken to be taught about their gift.

"Right, I think we're done with that. What else did you want to talk to me about?"

"How did you awaken a new aptitude?"

"I don't really know. It was just...like could do more. I felt new."

"What were you doing when it happened?"

"Studying some of the old papers on a psychic power called Magnetism. It was dense, and took me weeks to understand all of the physics. If I tried to read it now then I'd have a better time because of all the physics we're learning about."

"My instructor told me that aptitudes only awakened in moments of crisis."

"Ah...crisis? I mean, I guess you could call it that. There's only one physical copy of the report, and it's owned by someone else. If I didn't get it, then I would have been unable to read the report for another 6 years! It was a rare opportunity. If I missed out on getting the material just as I was about to lose access to it, that would have killed me. Nothing you can empathise with, I assume."

"If you didn't get that aptitude, would you have failed to understand the report?"

"Probably. It's an almost infamous piece of work. It was written by the owner of the power, who was sadly executed in his later years after-, no it doesn't matter. It's not something someone my age should have had access to, but the owner let me have it for a few weeks as a reward for getting into the Royal Class."

"You got an aptitude when trying to process new information that you weren't ready for, and that if you failed, you might never have access to that information again."

"That and the aptitude I gained was related to my other Talents. If I get all three as Talents, I might be able to gain a comprehensive talent called Academic! I'd be one of the smartest men alive. Hah!"

"I wonder how I could gain an aptitude?"

"Hm, it would have to be related to one of your Talents, or on something you're passionate about, I would think. Then...put yourself through a crisis? No, I wouldn't say that's safe. If I failed to understand the power I would have done something horrible to myself in despair. It's just my personality."

"You're passionate about psychic powers, right?"

"Yes, but I don't think I want one. For every psychic that is born, another is killed. We do not understand their powers, and their mentality affects their growth. What if someone awakens the power "World Destruction" or "Flames of Annihilation"? Dangerous, too dangerous. At least the ones we have in this class are fairly mild."

"Even Charlotte's power?"

"Yes. She came to me for advice, which I appreciate. She suffers from nightmares. At the moment, she's suffering from a form of PTSD...uh, no, she's gone through trauma, and her nightmares affect her use of her psychic power. That's usually not possible, but it is for her. Curing those nightmares and getting over that trauma is key. It will simply take time, and time to gain confidence. I've asked her to use the aspects of her ability that she's most afraid of. She can see spirits when she focuses, and I want her to get used to their presence."

"Right. You're smarter than me, what sort of aptitudes would be related to my own Talents?"

"From Beauty and Speech, there's a third one called Presence. Those three form the foundation for Charisma. From Magic Manipulation...well, anything is possible. A Magic system, maybe? It's too vague for me to guess. Magic Domination and Control only exist as Talents if I remember correctly?"

"What about Divine Power?"

"Hm. Our only enigma. Even Psychic Powers have Talents that relate to it. There are people who are resistant to them, even immune. A fascinating area of research, but no-one in our class has them. Divine Power stands on its own, I guess. I have no idea how someone might awaken an aptitude in it. There would be people out there like that, but their stories would be chalked up to "They always had an aptitude", because of how expensive talent analysis is. Let's look in to it. The library has just about everything in those shelves!"

Hearl and Gregory go hunting for books on aptitudes and divine power in the Library

>Roll a 3d100 for finding the correct books. DCs 50 and 90 for stuff.

Rolled 94, 49, 60 = 203 (3d100)

>>5622659

>>5622663
>94, hot damn

It doesn't take too long. History section, search by topic, a keen eye. They find a book on the mechanics of Divine Power, and within that is a section on how people can mysteriously gain the aptitude for it.

"Commonly, it is assumed that one's Talents and Aptitudes are products of their birth. Divine Power is a gift from the Gods, such that even those with poor intentions can utilise it. However, several case studies show this is not the case. We move to the case studies listed below-"

Hearl summarises the case studies.

>All those who gained an aptitude were not of the devout sort, but were instead scholars and a few who were eventually arrested for crimes of theft. Stealing from the church and their research held within.
>These aptitudes worked exactly like normal aptitudes, and there was a case of someone awakening theirs to a Talent
>In each of these cases, the person in question felt a crisis in faith. They worked through this and gained an aptitude
>Joint study by "Pearl's Eye". a now defunct Magic Society with the Church of Liter revealed that Divine Power utilised the body, mind and soul as a medium. It was generated in mind, stored in the soul and used by the body. Hence, by comparing a normal person and someone with an awakened Divine Power Aptitude, they discovered that there was a distinct change in the structure of their minds and bodies
>Methods to create an exercise regime to develop these specific muscles and surgery to change these with magic were created
>Then, a sense of crisis changes the nature of the soul, which is the most key component
but then the Pearl's Eye were discovered to be utilising Black Magic, and the Empire punished both them and the Church of Liter for practicing necromancy in secret. The effects of these still remain today

Hearl then starts to look around for a copy of that same research paper, Gregory finds something like it. It's a redacted version, the real one would be restricted by the Empire. It's supposed to be something that Black Magic students would take a look at in their later years, but Gregory's trusted by the library staff, and they don't take notice of him taking out a redacted research paper.

>Spearmanship, Magic Sensitivity

Hearl can tell where the gaps are, he can feel a weird pulse from the page. Wait, this was a magic book? Gregory doesn't notice a thing, but Hearl can see the exercises Pearl's Eye thought were needed to prepare the body for Divine Power. He also noted down that a change in the mind was also necessary
>Insight

If he wanted to awaken Divine Power as an aptitude, he would need to perform these exercises as written down, and then...perform scholarly work and investigation on Divine Power itself and then experience a crisis or epiphany of faith? No wonder his instructor called it academic suicide. Importantly, the change in the mind and soul, created by that moment of crisis, was the most important aspect.
>Progression towards ??? made