Chapter 14
Despite the occasional run-in with Darren, the next two months passed quickly. Levi wasn’t sure what Nox had actually done to the canid, but given the way the man had limped around with an ice pack strapped between his thighs, he assumed it was brutal. Levi hadn’t actually known you could literally put a man’s balls in a sling. That kept him laughing for a few weeks… until the practical exams started up.
Nox had come back, cheerful as could be and dazed him with an explanation about how she couldn’t wait to meet his next girlfriend. He thought she was breaking up with him at first, then he found out her people practiced multiple relationships. Levi had quieted her with a kiss and said they’d talk about that more—after he got through his practical examinations. Nox was more than enough for him at the moment. The beautiful juggernaut had actually pouted at him! While that was odd, it didn’t stop them from getting together as often as they could. The privacy light in his room had to be recharged twice and some of the others in Raven House started making jokes about that, but he didn’t mind. Being with Nox made the whole “died and been reincarnated in a new dimension” thing a lot more palatable.
He failed his Interdimensional Geography class, which wasn’t a surprise to him. Levi just didn’t have the head for crazy four-dimensional spatial mapping, nor the right magic to build moving models of it to navigate by. He wasn’t disappointed at all to learn it meant he couldn’t progress down the path of a dimensional explorer or portal maker. He’d had no interest in that stuff anyway. Basic Spellwork was a pain in the ass, if only because he didn’t have a lot of practice with the variety of utility spells required. He did pass though, despite being submitted to tutoring once more. Introduction to Magical Creatures was a breeze, his tamer training making it easy to deal with the safe animals the intro class used. Professor Ramshackle actually automatically passed him for Taming 101—his bond with Flix had proven he had that down.
Mana Harvesting turned out to be disappointing for an entirely different reason. Levi actually found the technology they built up around mana vapor fascinating; unfortunately he couldn’t make heads or tails of the mathematics behind their designs. Tensile strengths, gas pressure, vapor volumes and stress tests—it completely boggled his mind. He understood the concepts well enough. When mana pooled in nature, crystals began to form. Combining special chemicals created a catalyst that then drew that mana into a gaseous form that powered enchantments on contact. Apparently, the big difficulty lay in not blowing yourself up when attempting to build and control a mana engine. That required math, and that meant Levi was not going to be pursuing any courses that required him to design, build, or maintain a mana device.
He was bummed, but mostly because he had wondered how much the mana technology resembled the stuff he’d known back on Earth. He got over the disappointment quickly enough as he started looking over the courses he would take for his second term. He was thrilled to learn that he was allowed to pick some of his own classes. Taming was a given, as was Creature Lore and Common Spellwork. He chose Potions, hoping he’d prove to have a talent for it. The school required him to take Introduction to Combat Magics. House mistress Goldenrod explained to him that, after seeing the results of his battle with the Horrors, the school had pushed to get him firmly onto a combat track—he had her to thank for letting him keep to his own interests.
Glint had started dating a minotaur, and while Beatrice was a lovely woman, Levi didn’t want to know how that worked at all. She was over ten feet tall if you didn’t include her horns. She specialized in defensive magics, building, and vapor engineering. Levi had been spending a lot of enjoyable time with Nox, but as an upperclassman, she was going to be away on several extended class projects this term. Levi was going to miss her, and he vowed to make the most of it when she was around.
The only part about finishing his first term that caused him to feel conflicted was Elizabeth Zephyr. Whenever they met to study in the library, she was cheerful, friendly, and apologetic when it came to the shit her House pulled. In public, she was an ice queen that didn’t seem to give a damn about others. He had trouble resolving which side of her was the true Elizabeth, but Zuzan liked her, which was enough for him. His little friend hadn’t led him astray about a person’s character yet.
Levi yawned as he woke up on the first day of the second term. He had studied late into the night, trying to get ahead for his new classes. When he tried to roll over, he found he couldn’t. A weight pressing on his stomach kept him from moving. He blearily opened his eyes to find a figure straddling him. He opened his mouth in surprise, a cough escaping him as he tried to sit up. “Who… what? Who are you?” he asked. He reached for his glasses, but didn’t find them on the end table next to his bed. Whoever it was felt familiar, which prevented him from worrying. When the shape slipped his glasses over his ears and settled them on his nose, he stared in surprise at the woman sitting on him.
She wasn’t quite five feet tall, but close. She was dark skinned and covered in lean muscle. That was easy to see… because she was stark naked. Levi opened his mouth to ask a question, but stopped when the woman clasped her fingers around his left wrist and raised his hand to place it on top of her head. The trilling sound gave it away. “Flix?” he asked in confusion. She smiled wide and her amber eyes glowed, literally. Black scales were covering her hands from the elbows down, and her legs below the knees. She had smoke-gray hair and a pair of silver horns sticking up from her forehead over each temple. He finally realized what she wanted, so he rubbed his hand back and forth over the top of her head. Her lips curved into a bright smile, and then she vanished.
The three-foot-long dragonet landed on his chest with a thump and let out a triumphant series of chimes. Levi straightened up on his bed and shifted her to his lap. She lifted her snout and licked his nose with a slender tongue while he scratched the top of her head. “How long have you been able to do that?” he asked with exasperated confusion. She just stretched her wings before flattening them against her body again. Then, she let out a snort and curled her tail around his arm as she squeaked. He chuckled and lifted her up onto the shelf above his desk, climbing to his feet and stretching to touch his toes.
“Yeah, how about you hang out up there while I get dressed. We’re going to talk about that whole… humanoid body at some point.” He eyed her as he got his pants on, and then he looked around for Zuzan. The cream-colored squirrel was curled in a ball on his desk, surrounded by the shells of nuts he had given her. He let out a laugh and stroked his finger across her fur, leaning over her to whisper in her round ear, “If you knew about this, we’re going to have a talk as well.” His only response was squeaking snores.
Once he had his uniform settled, he slipped a satchel over his shoulder. The baldric consisted of a strap that ran over his chest and a heavy shoulder pad for Flix to cling to. Levi had been delighted to discover that there were bags that distorted physical space and allowed someone to carry more gear. They were ruinously expensive, but he’d gotten a small one for his books and other belongings. This bag would fit comfortably under his overcoat if he were going on another field expedition, and the stasis lantern he had acquired would go over it. That single item had set him back nearly fifty percent of his earnings from the mana crystal. It was a top-of-the-line piece, however, holding up to seven beast plates and six vapor vials. The bandolier it attached to had a number of pouches for snacks, lures, and medical supplies. He had consulted Professor Ramshackle, who’d told him as long as it didn’t break, he might never have to replace it.
He lifted Zuzan up onto his shoulder and she snuggled into his neck with a chirp. Flix climbed down on her own, then looped her tail around his bicep so she could cling to him. He had gotten his uniform reinforced in the shoulders to make sure the dragonet’s claws weren’t constantly putting holes in his clothing. Apparently, that was a free upgrade for tamers.
Ready to go, he checked his emblem to see Potions class, morning block, then started walking. It was time to find out what alchemy in this magical world was going to look like. The trip didn’t take long, since the classroom was in Bear House. Levi was just as glad not to be going into Crane House for the time being, not until he could sort out the issues he was having with Darren. He couldn’t stand bullies, though vaporizing the man was technically not allowed. Not that he was entirely sure how to vaporize someone—his offensive spells were not something he’d consciously gained control over.
He set Darren out of his head as he came to the entrance of the Potions classroom. He ducked his head in to look around. “Zuzan, if you see anyone who looks like Alan Rickman, we’re out of here,” he muttered. The squirrel lifted her head and let out a tiny squeak as she yawned. She licked her twitching nose with a pink tongue, then looked at him. Her black eyes stared up at him like adorable, creepy, black pearls. Levi didn’t try to explain the joke to her, and instead just shrugged. “Trust me, that was funny,” he said defensively.
The sylvan squirrel let out a snort and climbed up onto his head, shifting until she was comfortable in his blue locks. Then she started looking around in earnest. Levi didn’t blame her—there was a lot to look at. Glass beakers, vials, and jars were covering the walls on wooden shelves. Some glowed, some glittered, and others looked like they had dead animals floating in them. A giant iron cauldron sat off center in the room and smoke drifted up from it. A long-handled wooden ladle was stirring itself, and the desk behind it had several big tomes lying open. Levi was in the middle of wondering what was piled on the desk, when the shape let out a snore. That was when he realized he was looking at a teacher.
Black hair was piled around her head and she was sleeping on crossed forearms. Levi caught a glimpse of cream-colored skin as he took in the fact that she was drooling on one of the tomes open on her counter. She let out another snore and Levi squinted in disbelief. “Do you think she accidentally knocked herself out?” he asked Zuzan. The squirrel squeaked, and then jumped off his head. Zuzan spread her front and hind legs wide and glided on the flaps of skin between her limbs. She landed on the desk with barely a sound and sniffed while padding closer to the sleeping professor.
Levi lifted his hand to stop Zuzan, even as his mouth opened while he tried to think of something to say—Zuzan saved him the trouble by patting the woman on the cheek repeatedly while letting out several loud chitters. The woman blinked her eyes several times and Levi saw she possessed a lovely, heart shaped face… albeit an ink-stained one. It appeared that half the text of a page she’d been lying on had transferred to her cheek. When she straightened up, Levi noted her blue eyes. Then she yawned again, trying to hide the movement behind one of the baggy sleeves of her dress. The brown dress had a leather coat over it; the sleeves ended at her elbows, and Levi caught a glimpse of dozens of small bottles in pouches sewn to the vest under the coat.
“Hello class, my name is….” she began, pausing to yawn again. “Julia Tanglewood and I’ll be teaching you how to brew potions and simple alchemical formula. Pardon my yawns, I had a late night working on a special tincture.”
She squinted down at Zuzan,, and when the squirrel scampered to the edge of the desk and hopped off, gliding to Levi in the process, the professor let out a squeak of excitement. “Is that a sylvan squirrel? She is darling! Oh, you must be Levi Walker! Tawny told me all about you. I was hoping to have you in my class. We’re going to have so much fun this term!” she exclaimed, clearly happy. The energetic enthusiasm she expressed was at odds with the sleepy persona and the bags under her lovely eyes, but Levi was more concerned with the way others in the class were staring at him.
“Uh, yes ma’am, I’m Levi Walker,” he managed, glowering at those who wouldn’t look away. Professor Tanglewood didn’t seem to notice any of it. She gave a little clap and smiled wide.
“Marvelous! Feel free to call me Julia. It is so nice to see Raven House growing. I’m a proud member myself, and… oh, we’re in class, right!” She stopped talking abruptly and turned back to the other students. Her expression remained cheerful, just slightly unfocused. “Alchemy is a crafting skill that predates vapor engines. It also one of the few practices that can enhance magic without requiring magic to perform. Now, that isn’t to say that alchemy isn’t easier for someone with magic, because it is. The original alchemists, however, had no true magic spark. They believed they could master the nature of the universe by seeing how things worked when combined in different ways. Over time their studies, notes, and recipes became a staple for a wide variety of things we use today. The catalysts used to make a mana engines work are created by workers with no magical gifts. In fact, attempting to use magic while creating a catalyst is a way to suffer a horrible death. Most of those ingredients will ignite or explode if magic energy reaches them before they’re properly stabilized. Keep that in mind if you ever catch yourself feeling superior to those who lack your gifts,” she explained—Levi found it fascinating.
He hadn’t realized that parts of the mana engine required those with no magic to work on them. Julia was the first person he’d run into who had even talked about the need for those without magic. He remembered his introduction to the Academy and how house mistress Applebottom had said the students here were special, yet everyone he ran into took magic as a given. He had lost perspective of the fact that he wasn’t alone in finding magic strange; the difference was, he was one of the few who had come from a world that used no magic at all.
He reached into his new satchel to draw out a ream of papers so he could begin taking notes. Julia Tanglewood might look like she was going to fall asleep at any moment, but she clearly had an agile mind, and he was already finding the class intriguing. He wondered how long it was going to be before they could actually start brewing potions. He adjusted his glasses to make sure he had a clear view of the professor as she began pacing behind her desk. She kept drawing small bottles from her vest and showing them to the class while she discussed various ingredients.
Levi decided not to take his eyes off her as he learned how to do this whole potion thing.
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