Spirit Wars Saga: Echo Mage

Chapter 11

"Santae," whispered Rygic. A vivid scroll materialized in his mind's eye, unfurling to reveal his current level of four, which was based on a set of numerical values associated with his mana pool and physical attributes. The spell, formally known as Status, was a very useful spell to gauge one's abilities. It had been six months since their first day at the Academy, and during that time, most of his classmates had also reached level four, progressing steadily in their training. A few, however, managed to make it to level five, including his friend, Dreck. Although Sage Endo warned that the spell didn't directly correlate to how powerful you were, Rygic couldn't help but feel his strength, speed, and overall abilities had improved since his first day on Terra. The classroom buzzed with anticipation as students filled the space, their voices mingling in conversation as they made their way to their desks, eagerly claiming their spots in the pocket dimension that housed their unique classroom. As usual, the weather remained perpetually ideal, and the sun cast a warm glow upon the neatly arranged desks and chairs. Voices began to hush as the students settled into their seats and prepared for class to begin. Rygic, willed the image of the scroll away as Instructor Endo entered the classroom followed by Instructors Artrock and Podaton.

"Good morning. Today marks the halfway point in your first year here at the Academy. As such, it is now time for your first mission, or quest, as the Adventurers Guild calls them. Since the majority of you will most likely sign up with the Adventurers Guild, we'll stick with calling them 'quests.' You are tasked to form your own five-member team comprised of other students at the Academy. I highly recommend you prioritize finding a capable tank and healer as they are rare. Your first quest is to go down to the city sewers and clean out the rat infestation." Students exchanged glances, their expressions ranging from excitement to a mixture of disbelief and disgust. Instructor Endo, seemingly unphased, slightly lifted her hand and paused briefly for the class to quiet down before continuing without care. "Signup boards have been placed in front of the academy to aid you with finding team members. Once you form a team, you are to report to the guards stationed by the gated entrance to the Academy grounds. You have three days to complete your quest. Should you fail, you and your teammates could face repeating the first six months," announced Instructor Endo. "Any questions?"

"Surely the city has... people... who are assigned to do this," questioned one student who was obviously a noble, his voice was laced with an air of entitlement. Many of the classmates nodded in agreement, some voicing their reluctant concurrence.

"They do, but as you can imagine, few take that job. As such, the rodent population swells and could cause major problems if left unchecked. Seeing how this would be a good opportunity for our students to undertake their first quest in a somewhat risk-free environment, the Academy has volunteered to handle the issue – a problem the Academy has been taking care of for several decades," replied Instructor Endo in a neutral voice. "Now, if there are no more questions, good luck. Class dismissed!"

Discussions among students filled the room as they began to connect with fellow classmates and gradually come to terms with their new assignment, their first quest. Rygic looked over to his two friends as he stood up from his desk. Dreck held an eager look on his face while Quart looked particularly fearful. "You okay Quart?"

Clearly deep in thought, Quart slightly jumped at Rygic's question. "Me? Yes! Why wouldn't I be?" he quickly replied. "Do you think there's a lot of water down there?"

"Water? Of course, there's water. It's a sewer, Quart," answered Dreck in a manner as if the question asked was an obvious one.

"Yes, but do you think the water will be very deep?" questioned Quart.

"Ah, I see. Don't worry, my friend. I'll carry you if we encounter any particularly deep areas," assured Rygic.

"And you both know that it's going to be unpleasant down there as it is. I only hope we can deal with the smell," added Dreck.