With the chillier winds and rains of fall came the start of the school year. The residents of each house groggily left their dorms with umbrellas, magical tools, or some kind of spell springing from their wands or staffs to keep the rain off their robes. They either bee-lined it for the cafe or the cafeteria to get something to wake themselves up like coffee, tea, or some form of energy drink to go with their early morning meals or to take to their early morning classes. 
	Shanessa had prepared some coffee for those in her house that needed it and was handing them out as people headed out the door. Most left with a disposable cup in one hand and an umbrella in the other, “Need a drink, dear?” The lamia asked as Galahad moved toward the door dressed in jeans, boots, and a thick coat.
	“Nah, I’ve got something already,” He shook his water bottle before rubbing his face, removing the last of the sand from his eyes. 
	“Most professors will think you aren’t taking your classes seriously dressed like that,” The lamia scolded as she reached out instinctually and adjusted the collar of his coat.
	Galahad sighed and thought nothing of her grabbing his clothes gently, “I had to leave my robes behind when I left home,” He sheepishly explained.
	“Oh, you poor thing. Do not worry, I shall source something for you,” She grinned as she handed a cup of coffee to another student who strode past the two.
	“You really don’t need to do that for me…”
	“Nonsense. It will not be fancy, but it will keep you warm and protect you from some lower level mishaps that seem to happen every year,” She smiled again and pushed him out the door, “Better hurry! You might be late!” 
	“Thanks, Shanessa!” He called back as he hurried through the rain to the transmutation building. The load in his bottomless bag had been lightened after he had removed all of his clothes and other non magical components from it but the weight had come right back due to the books that now sat snugly inside its vast space. Although he didn’t feel the full weight of the books due to the magic, he still felt a fraction of it and the strap on his shoulder tugged down against his collar. 
	 He watched as other students filed into their respective buildings, eager to get to their classes and get out of the rain. Galahad stomped across the puddle filled parking lot across the street from the dorm towers and pulled his hood up, doing his best to keep the water off his face, “Galahad! Hey!” A voice cried before they sped up to his side, “I knew it was you! Not many around here wear plainclothes like you do,” It was the gnome, Suzie, who was on the council of house Karak-Albrac, “Ready for your first day of classes?” The gold and silver ornaments hanging from her hat clinked together like a dull sounding wind chime.
	“Ready as I can be,” Galahad wiped his face off, wishing he had a wide umbrella like the witch did, “Real anxious about it, especially after that failed aptitude test.”
	The purple cloaked gnome giggled, “Ah, you’ll get over it! If Fredrik wasn’t pulling my leg, ya seem more than competent in other fields!”
	Galahad grimaced, unsure if them talking about him was a good thing or not, “I’m afraid said knowledge won’t help me turn water into wine.”
	“Don’t sweat it,” The two stepped into the building, shaking the water off themselves before starting down the hallway, “You obviously know how to cast any magic at all and that’s half of what you need to know in the one hundred classes. And who cares if you splash a little water around? That’s all part of learning, as Headmaster Crixx would say.”
“Headmaster Crixx?” Galahad said the name as if trying to remember if he knew them.
“She’s our transmutation headmaster. You should be meeting her sometime this week! Looks like today might be the day,” She pointed at a woman standing at the front of a classroom.
 “Looks like that’s my class,” The first-year’s voice was full of anxiety. He could feel the butterflies in his stomach too, “I’ll see you around, Suzie.”
	“Yeah, bye, Galahad. And good luck!” The gnome gave an impish smile and a wave before heading to the stairs.
	Galahad stepped into his Transmutation 101 classroom, closing the door behind him. When he gazed around the small classroom, he saw only a few other students. He was unfortunately the oldest, but what caught his eyes were the two women at the front of the room. The first was Miss Manus in her usual fluffy fur cloak and fuzzy hat. The other woman had a body made of a white, glimmering stone. When she turned to glance at Galahad, he realized she was one of the headmasters but she had been made of a dull gray stone when he last saw her at the orientation. It had to be Crixx, he assumed. She smiled at him, “Ah, good morning. Another prospective transmutation student?” She was wearing black robes with golden, flowery designs at the hem of the sleeves and the midsection on her hips; it drew Galahad’s eyes to both of these areas. Her face looked like it was chiseled out of stone, and her hair did too, though it was much darker and came down to her shoulders. Her eyes were made of precious, semi transparent, blue stones with no iris, making it difficult to tell where exactly she was looking.
	“Yes. That is Galahad. Though he had an unpromising aptitude test, he clearly has knowledge of magic beyond most in this class,” Miss Manus’s stoney face didn’t let on how she felt at all. 
	“U-uh, good morning, Miss Manus,” He approached the front desk nervously. 
	“This is Headmaster Jasper Crixx,” The witch gestured with one arm at the construct, “Her primary role is to teach transmutation but has delegated a few of those classes to me and other, more experienced teachers. She was here to check on me before I begin teaching.”
	“What a pleasure to meet you, Galahad,” Miss Crixx put out her hand, “As Manus just said, I am Headmaster Crixx. I have been teaching at this academy ever since it was rebuilt in this world. I look forward to seeing your progress in the coming year.”
	“Uh, t-thank you,” Galahad’s handshake was a little loose as he shook her rocky hand. It was strangely soft and warm, unlike anything he had ever experienced in a construct, almost making him forget to break off the handshake.
	“Are you planning on getting a degree of any kind?” Headmaster Crixx asked, “You dress like someone who is not planning on spending much time here.”
	“W-well,” He scratched his head nervously, “I’ve got some robes on the way. I hope,” He quickly added, not wanting to deal in absolutes, especially with a figure who had authority over him.
	“You did not bring any with you?” 
Galahad watched as the construct’s body changed from bright stone to multicolored quartz that jutted out wildly in every direction. The sight stunned him for a moment before he realized he needed to respond, “I-I could only pack so much. It seemed the least important to me. I had no idea the dress code would be so strict.”
	Professor Crixx smiled at that, “I see,” The old construct creaked as her form changed to a gray, smooth stone, “It is understandable. It is nothing to be embarrassed about,” She pulled a silver pocket watch from her robes and her body turned into a semi transparent, frosted glass as surprise crossed her face, “Ah! I am going to be late! Have a magical day everyone!” She hurried out of the room.
	Galahad turned back to Miss Manus, “I presume Fredrik and Suzie told you about my test?”
	“Of course. It is their duty, afterall. No need to look so down. I do not expect everyone to pass our test, Galahad. It is good that you are still in this class despite the obvious frustration it caused you,” Miss Manus coldly explained before pulling two books from a bag, “You may sit down, Galahad. I intend to start when the bell tolls. If you wish to speak to me about the class we can do so afterward.”
	“Ah, right. Sorry,” Galahad found a seat and plopped himself down. The class had fifteen places to sit in three rows of five each. The front of the room had a blackboard that was surprisingly spotless. To the left side of the room– from the student’s perspective– was a set of windows that went from about halfway up the wall to the ceiling. The right side of the room had blank walls and the door leading in and out of the room. 
	Miss Manus stared up at the wall where an analogue clock ticked quietly, barely audible above the few conversations that echoed around the room and the rain that pitter pattered on the thick windows. She glanced at Galahad who nervously tapped on his wooden desk. He had the correct text book in front of him for the class along with a notebook to write in. He looked unfathomably uncomfortable and nervous. The tiniest of frowns spread across her lips as she wondered if she was placing too much pressure on him. He was easily a knowledgeable wizard, but would he really struggle in her class? She shook her head. He could handle it. He would need to be able to if he was to join her house, or any for that matter. This was merely a beginner’s course for transmutation, if he had trouble with that there was no hope for him. 
	The belfry donged, once, twice, and more to a total of eight times, “Welcome one and all,” Miss Manus greeted, snapping the ten person class to attention. She gazed over all of them with her black and blue eyes as if coldly examining every student one by one, “I am quite glad to see students of all ages in my care. Grade school, high school, college, adults, all of your teaching is in my hands,” As if to prove how capable her hands were, Miss Manus pushed her soft fur cloak open to reveal them, all six arms fanned out in a small circle in front of her. Most of the younger students and some of the older, including Galahad, were shocked by her reveal. Underneath the cloak Galahad could see she wore a teal, silk dress that flowed gently over her lithe body, leather belts hung from her hips adorned with a book clasp, pouches and even potions. Her legs though pale were adorned with sheer, dark blue leggings and black shoes with brass buckles. Galahad watched as she interlocked all of her fingers so she had three sets of hands resting against her torso, “Welcome to Transmutation one-oh-one. I am The Multifold Manus of Alderia,” She said, placing one hand on her breast while its partner pointed at a piece of chalk, picking it up with a magical, near invisible hand that began writing her title upon the blackboard, “In this class I will be teaching you the basics of transmutation, alteration, and metallurgy, all of which follow the same rudimentary principles.”
	Miss Manus pulled a small block of lead from under her cloak and sat it on the palm of one hand: her left, middle hand. Her right, middle hand was grabbed by the two above it and soon after the skin started to crack as it turned a deeper blue than before. After a few seconds it broke apart into a beautiful crystalline pattern that glistened in the lights overhead. It glowed with magical powers, “Wow…” Galahad gasped in awe.
	“Take a look at this block of lead,” Her four unoccupied hands gestured to the cube, “It has certain properties. It melts at three-hundred and twenty-seven degrees celsius, or six-hundred and twenty-one degrees fahrenheit. It conducts electricity, and can be poisonous in large quantities. From the dawn of time, in this world and the old world, alchemists and transmutationists have both striven to change lead into a precious metal. Who can tell me which one? Galahad?” Miss Manus didn’t give anyone else a chance to even raise their hands.
	“Uh,” He blinked, hand already scribbling furiously as he took notes, “Gold, right? Gold and silver?”
	“Gold primarily, yes. When I mentioned this material's properties earlier, I left out something important: its magical properties. Lead works quite well as an antimagic material, but it is transmutable still,” She explained, “With the right spells, materials, and mana, you can change it into a more desirable material,” To prove her point, she brought out a handful of magical herbs mixed with blue mana salts. She mumbled her incantation and the little block of lead turned to gold, consuming the salt and herbs in her hand, putting the scent of ozone in the air.
	An older student about Galahad's age, a dwarven lady with meticulously braided orange hair, raised a hand, “How da hell does this kinda magic not crash da gold market?”
	“In the old world it may have fooled the mundane masses,” Miss Manus set the gold down, “And it most certainly did, but with modern science along with magic they are able to very closely scrutinize the gold and tell with the help of a specialized acid test whether the gold is genuine or not. For more magically inclined individuals such as ourselves, genuine gold can be tested by how well it absorbs magicks applied to it. This is why gold is so valuable to enchanters. The term transmuted gold is used to describe the gold we can make, and it does not hold magic well, if at all. For example, transmuted gold jewelry will not be able to hold more sought after and valuable high level enchantments. Powerful enchantments break them. Still, transmuted gold is valuable both to low-level enchanters and the mundane peoples who can use it for machinery.  The most obvious factor limiting its production is just how difficult it can be to turn materials into gold. Usually only those on the path to mastery can do it.”
	A highschool-aged student raised his hand, “Is changing your arm like that transmutation?”
	“Yes. Bodily modifications, on yourself or otherwise, is another school of transmutation. She grabbed her cloak and pulled it around the front of her body before pushing it away to reveal that she had changed four of her arms. Her bottom two arms, now that of a blue, scaled lizard or dragon claw and the other a blue, furred and fuzzy paw-hand. Her top two arms were an icey blue feathered wing and the other was a tentacle, “This is what I specialize in. Transmutation is all about changing the properties of objects. The mass, the color, the speed, the shape, the very composition of the object is what we strive to control.”
	“Can I turn someone into a frog!?” A much younger student excitedly inquired.
	Miss Manus nodded, “Of course. Polymorph is the other well known spell in this school. Just like every other school of magic, you will need to figure out your own style for how you will cast spells. To make this harder, transmutation spells are much more formulaic than other schools. You need precise spells, targets, mana quantities, and specific words.”
	She gazed around the class for a moment. Most students looked nervous, yet determined. Galahad looked mostly nervous, but he furiously wrote everything down. Miss Manus quickly realized he was already theorizing how his spells would be formatted, what physical materials he would use, what words he would utter, and was guessing how much mana he would need. All of his numbers were quite high. He has been studying already, Miss Manus silently noted to herself, but the mana calculations were way off.
	“Now,” She continued, picking up the Transmutation 101 book, “Flip to page thirty-two. We will begin with transmuting water into other liquids. Read through the next ten pages on the necessary components and then theorize a spell in your own style that will allow you to cast this simple transmutation.”

	Galahad’s hands moved slowly as he packed up his things, watching Miss Manus as she talked to some of the younger students. They were asking her a few questions about the homework she had handed out at the very end. All they needed to do was transmute a cup of water into another liquid in the next class. He had all day Tuesday to figure it out as the next class was on Wednesday. 
	With a sigh, Galahad decided against waiting around to make idle chat with Miss Manus. She was occupied anyways, so he decided it would be best if he’d ask her any of his questions later. He reshouldered his bag and gave Miss Manus a smile and a nod before exiting the classroom. Just under two hours had passed since the start of his Transmutation class and next was his Beginner's Alchemy course. His head was spinning with all the research he had done as well as what he had learned in class. He shook his head, rubbing his eyes, wishing he had more of his caffeinated beverage before his second class.
	Room 116 was the alchemy classroom, one of the bigger rooms in the building due to being set up to do labs in class. The tables had all sorts of alchemical equipment placed on them. Beakers, bunsen burners, mortars and pestles, and numerous other things that Galahad could not remember the names of. A woman in heavy looking robes and thick, leather gloves held a clipboard in her hands. Her witch’s cap was covered in old scorch marks and had a flip down welder’s mask attached to the brim. She looked up at Galahad, letting him see her long, pointed ears and short blonde hair. She was definitely an elf, a rare sight for them to teach at a non-elf run magical academy, or so Galahad had heard, “Name?” She barked at him.
	“Uh, Galahad,” He quickly replied, a little startled at how loud she was.
	“Galahad, Galahad,” She ran her pen down the page and pointed back, “You’re at table six. Go now.”
	He left without a word, taking the seat on the left as he found the table labeled with a big red six. There were a total of twenty tables, five rows of four. Number one was on the right side of the room by the door, going to the left up to four before restarting on the right side one row back at five. This continued all the way up to twenty. Number six put him in the second row on the middle right. He took a deep breath and grabbed his books from the depths of his bag. He downed the last small swig of his drink before switching to water. In front of him was his Alchemy textbook, the water bottle, and a small leather bound journal.
	Galahad looked up as the professor continued assigning seating seemingly at random. He tried to listen in and see who would be his partner, “Hm, you are at table six, right next to that man in the plainclothes.”
	The wait for his partner felt a little long and he didn’t end up seeing them coming at all as they climbed up onto the stool next to him, “How’s it goin’?” His partner asked. They smirked at him with a green face. A goblin. An average sized goblin, a little under four feet tall wearing a black sleeveless cloak with a red and brimless conical hat. With a high, nasally, and gravelly voice, he looked at Galahad and grinned, “What? Haven’t you ever seen a gobbie before?”
	Galahad shook himself, realizing he was just staring, “O-of course I have,” He stammered as he prepared his work space.
	He could feel the gaze of the goblin on him as he tried to stay busy, “First day?”
	Galahad nodded slowly, “Yeah. I-I’m really not used to this.”
	“The whole magic thing?”
	“The whole being in a school thing,” The man corrected as he rubbed his forehead, “Since we’re partners, I’m Galahad.”
	“Gala-what?” The goblin groaned, “Now how in the Hell am I supposed to shorten that to something with a single syllable? Humans and their long, dumb names. What’s the rest of your names? You gots more than one, right?”
	“It's not… That long, is it?” Galahad eyed him, “Uh, Loxley?”
	“Lox? Gal? Had? Ley? Mh… Lox,” The goblin nodded, “That’ll do.”
	“Lox sounds fine to me,” The human quickly relented as he thumbed through his leather bound journal.
	“Got it, got it,” The goblin too pulled out his books and writing material, “Name’s Blud, by the way.”
Galahad did his best to smile, “Nice to meet you. What are you studying?”
	“General magic stuff,” Blud replied, lifting up his hat and scratching a wart on his otherwise smooth, bald head, “I come from a long line of goblin thaumaturges.”
	Galahad nodded. Thaumaturge was the name given to well rounded practitioners of magic, those that did not strive for mastery but still spent years in every school of magic, “I see. Shamans too?” 
	“Eh, they’re one and the same, really. Though they used to learn from nature and dung and bones, now it's illustrious academies and apprenticeships. What about you, Lox?” 
	“Well,” He sighed sadly, “I’m trying to figure that out. It's my first day studying at an academy so I’m just putting out some feelers as to what I like.”
	“So you’re a complete newbie when it comes to casting?” 
	“I wouldn’t say that. I can sling a spell or a dozen or so,” Galahad gave a little smirk.
	“Alright, class!” The elven professor hollered and stared everyone down until they stopped their conversations, “I am Professor Sh’Lak. Yes, yes, that Sh’Lak. The great disgraced elven prodigy of alchemy. We needn’t dwell on that right now when there are potions to brew and explosive mishaps to be had!” She cackled, her spine arching back as she belly laughed. The sudden motion jostled her blast visor, making it come down on her face and slam against her face. She shuddered and pushed it back up, blood oozing from her possibly broken nose. The dazed look in her eyes slowly faded as the class started to chatter with one another, “Quiet!” She suddenly hollered as she shook her head, blood still dripping down her upper lip, “All part of the plan, I assure you,” She declared as she pushed her robes aside and grabbed a near empty bottle of a manilla cream and dumped some of the thick liquid out her fingertips and jammed it up her nose with the sound of cracking bones making half the class shudder and gag. 
	Galahad and Blud both stared in awe as the potent potion’s power took effect, mending the broken bones and stopping the bleeding and bruising, “Nice,” Blud nodded as he wrote down what happened, “That looks useful, don’t it Lox?”
	“Yeah, it does,” The man nodded in agreement.
	Professor Sh’Lak grabbed her nose and yanked it into place as if she had done this a million times without even flinching. She wiped her forehead with a rag and her bloody nose with the sleeve of her robes. Afterward she put her hands out, palms toward the class as everyone stared in total awe and abject horror. Blud just grinned and nodded. The elf took a deep breath before tightening the screws on her metal visor’s hinge. She cleared her throat, “Okay, from the top. My name is Professor Sh’Lak. Welcome to Beginner's Alchemy. Yes, I am THAT infamous Sh’Lak, the one that blew the roof off of Castle Drung’rla. Or as I call it, Dung-Ruler. Anywho, that is neither here nor there. As we are sure to have at least one person who is unaware, let me explain alchemy to you all. Alchemy is the process of using raw magical reagents and refining them to suit a specific purpose, usually to mimic a spell or another magical effect. Healing is the most popular, but poison, ironskin, and many others are all within the realm of alchemy. It has many overlaps with transmutation, so if you are familiar with that, you will feel right at home here. Any questions?”
	The entire class was still too stunned to reply from the nose break. Galahad raised his hand, “Are there any schools of magic that are never used in alchemy?”
	“Good question!” The elf snapped her fingers, grabbed her visor as it nearly fell down, and started to speak in a very high pitched tone, “Most have some use in the alchemy process, but you wouldn’t really be making abjuration, divination, or evocation potions. Enchantment has the ever sought after love potion, and conjuration has teleportation potions. Still, if you don’t like the idea of falling in love with a shrub or rock, teleporting to the bottom of the ocean or a thousand feet in the air, I suggest not bothering with those. I’ve seen it so many times and it’s always good for a bit of a laugh!” She began to cackle again as she seemingly thought about someone who had done this before.
	“I think the teach’ is nuts,” Blud mused aloud in a hushed tone.
	Galahad nodded, “Thank you, Professor,” He quickly turned and lowered his voice to match Blud’s, “And keep your mouth shut. Last thing I want is for her to lob an explosive potion at us. Or God forbid, a teleportation potion into an active volcano.”
	“Alright, enough dawdling, we are already down a bit of time and we need to get going. I am going to hand out a form, please read it over and sign it if you are comfortable. It just says that me and the academy are not at fault if you lose some fingers, limbs, or your life.”
	“M-My fingers!?” A younger student went pale as they looked at their ten splayed out digits on their two hands. 
	“Oh, calm down! I will PERSONALLY brew you a regeneration potion so you can grow some new ones or I shall call upon your choice of magical medicine man to magic it back on with whatever brand of mumbo jumbo they subscribe to!” Professor Sh’Lak was unflinching as a student went down, completely out cold as they collapsed on their lab partner. A bit of a panic started to spread through the room, “Heavens above and hell below! I've seen more daring pixies than you lot. Alathorne, give me strength to deal with this round of students. I am handing out the papers now. Just lay that kid on the ground, she should be fine.”
	“I think I’m gonna love this class!” Blud decided, signing the papers without even thinking about it. 
	“Once you’ve signed your papers! Bring out your textbooks and we can get started. Our first project will be a minor healing potion. Take a moment to read your book and then go to the cabinet to get your reagents! Everything else you need is on your desk!”
	
	Another class down. Galahad’s lab partner, Blud, rubbed his face, “Well, we didn’t die,” The goblin grumbled, “But I never expected using a mortar and pestle to hurt so bad.”
	“You were over grinding the herb leaves. Plus you shouldn’t have been grinding up the mana salt that much, it lets the mana out,” Galahad explained, “We’ve got until Wednesday to get it down.”
	“Gimmie your number, Lox,” Blud demanded, “We’ll try ta get this done before that class, aight? You live on campus?”
	“I do.”
	“I live in town south of here. I can take a bus to campus to meet up with ya or hitch a ride with someone,” The goblin explained before whipping out his phone. Galahad handed his phone number over and put Blud’s in his phone, “Alright, we can get this done in the lab. I’m part of the Seeker’s House too, so we should be able to go use the labs whenever.”
	“Alright, good,” Galahad nodded, following the goblin out of the room.
	“Hey, Blud,” Another goblin approached the pair, “Make yourself a friend?” 
	“I dunno, Lox here is pretty cool for a human. Lox, this is my sister, Rald,” Blud gestured to the goblin who wore a matching outfit to him with the addition of a full head of wild, raven-black hair. Her face was a lot rounder than Blud’s sharp features and where he was scrawny she was more shapely. Their noses and cheeks were the most different along with Rald’s almost cat-like mouth.
	“Lox, huh?” Rald walked in a circle around him, “I like your jeans. They look a lot more comfy than what guys usually wear.”
	“Uh, thanks,” Galahad gave a little, awkward smile, “My actual name is Galahad, if you prefer that.”
	“Nah,” Rald smirked, “Human names are pretty dumb. Got some time to sit down? I need to do some divination practice before Wednesday.”
	“Ahh, well…” A concerned look flashed over the first-year’s face. The goblin woman looked up at him with big pleading eyes. Galahad shrugged and nodded before following the two to a small common area in the transmutation building with some vending machines, tables, and a drinking fountain. Blud went over to a vending machine while Galahad took a seat across from Rald at a table. In stark contrast with Blud, she was admittedly cute, her green skin was bright and without blemishes, the yellows of her eyes glistened in the overhead lights and she stared at him with a row of sharp, grinning teeth and ruby irises, “So what do we do?” Galahad quickly asked.
	“Gimme your hand first, Lox, I’m not very good at palm reading but maybe I can see something,” She put out her hands and Galahad slid his left hand across the table. The goblin gripped his fingers, pulling them taught before running her fingers over the folds and wrinkles of his hand, “Huh.” 
	“What is it?” Blud grunted as he returned with a Gryndle’s Caramel and Mana Salted Peanut chocolate bar for himself and a small pack of multicolored Gummy Ghoulies for his sister.
	“These hands have seen some use.”
	“Well, duh, he’s like, twenty five or something. That’s twenty five or whatever years of use on his hands?” Blud looked at his sister like she was an idiot.
	Rald looked daggers back at him, if looks could kill her brother would have burnt up instantly, “Shut up. He’s been casting for a very long time! Look at this, you can see crystalline buildup under his skin here and here,” She jerked Galahad’s hand over to show her brother, “Or at least he’s used a lot of mana salt.”
	“How the hell does that work?” Blud scratched his head.
	Galahad sighed, “Salt naturally sucks up mana in the air, once it has its fill, it turns blue. It's a physical form of mana like aether crystals and can be used in casting as a reagent or consumed to help regain mana like that Gryndle’s you’ve got, Blud. You can absorb bits of it for mana or use it in your casting but if you do this you can get little grains of salt under the skin that can absorb more mana and get bigger.”
	“Hells! Does that hurt?” Blud poked at Galahad’s pink flesh. It wasn’t really something he could see, but the salt particles underneath the skin moved around when poked, thankfully not cutting the skin they sat under.
	“Not really. You can get it removed pretty easily, but it’ll just happen again. Once it's painful to close my hand then I’ll get that procedure done,” Galahad chuckled, “Does my palm say anything else?”
	“Oh, right, um,” She put one hand next to her head, pressing two fingers to her temple before casting a divination spell, running her fingers over the folds in his palm again, “I see… a fight. Maybe a few of them. I'm not sure if it's the past or the future. I can’t really see who, but he’s… a rival? Big adversary? But why are you fighting…? I–I–” Her eyes flew open and she made a pained expression, “Jeez. I don’t know why, but everything is a lot cloudier than usual.”
	“What does that mean?” Blud wondered, “Look, I might be a thaumaturge but I haven’t looked into divination yet.”
	“Well, Headmaster Lysteria has said–that’s the divination house’s headmaster,” Rald explained quickly, “She says that the future you see can always change. That could be why it's so obfuscated. Maybe you won’t be fighting? Or some kind of magic could be keeping it hidden? Who knows, I’m not good at this stuff despite how much time I spend on it,” She sighed in a disappointed fashion as she pulled away, opening up the candy her brother had bought for her.
	“Hey, you did fine,” Galahad assured her, “Better than what I could do.”
	“Thanks, Lox,” The goblin gave a little smile, still looking sad, “But unless you gave up divination on your path to mastery, I doubt it.”
	“Oh I did. That and illusion,” Galahad smirked, “I gotta get to my next class. I’ll see you around, Blud and Rald,” He gave a little wave and left after the goblins returned it. 
	“Stop looking at him like that,” Blud chastised his sister.
	“Hey, you’re the one that introduced me to him. Like you said, he ain’t bad, for a human at least,” Rald grinned, “Most humans wouldn’t let me do a palm reading like that or be so nice about it.”
	“Yeah, well, don’t come cryin’ to me when he turns you down.”
	“I dunno if I’ll try. I saw ‘love’ when I read his palm with a lot of pain close to it. Pain for him or them? I can’t really say,” Rald sighed and shook her head. "What a shame…"
Her brother gave an incredulous look, “So what, you’re gonna swoop in if he gets hurt by her and ask him out?”
	“Oh, shut up. That’s not a good look for anyone involved. Not that my idiot brother would understand romance.”
	“Do you understand it? Those goblin woman and human or dwarf man dramas you watch aren’t exactly accurate, are they?” He scoffed.
	“Well, I’ve got more of a grasp on it than YOU due to that, so shut it!” She grumbled, turning away and eating the sweets slowly as she watched Galahad walk to his next class.

	Galahad’s third and final class of the day was Conjuration 201. While he knew some stuff about summoning small, non living things, he knew nothing about the teleportation half of conjuration nor the portion of summoning that brought living creatures from other existences into this world. He had decided to skip the fundamentals and move onto a more advanced class. The rain had let up and had given way to a blue sky with white fluffy clouds heavily breaking it up. The short trek across the parking lot to the conjuration building was simple, only needing to dodge a single horse drawn carriage that was being pulled to the far end of the lot to pick up a very posh looking white-haired cat witch. 
	He climbed the small set of steps and went in the main entrance to the conjuration building and easily navigated to room 105, walking past witches and wizards milling about in the halls as they waited for their classes to start. He walked past a few wizards thumbing through their spell books, witches showing off their familiars and a griffonite, a hobgoblin, a wolfman, and a dwarf playing a trading card game in the common area. Galahad didn’t recognize it at all, but their cards all looked well played. Maybe the game was from the nineties with a very niche audience? Galahad looked at the griffonite, a demi-human with features like that of the mythical creature; wings, talon-like hands and legs like that of a lion. He had even styled his hair to look like a lion’s mane. If it weren’t for his human-like face, Galahad might have mistaken him for a monster. The griffonite’s long, furred ears tilted back and forth in irritation as he considered playing a newer looking card. Galahad got even more confused at the group’s reactions when they all nearly flipped the table after the griffonite slapped the card down. He swiftly moved on before spells could be slung, he didn’t have time to gawk at old card games or mage fights. 
	He ducked into room 105 to dodge a small lightning bolt, sighing as he prepared to locate somewhere to sit, “Take a seat,” A deep voice ordered. An older, gray bearded and well trimmed wizard impatiently tapped his fingers on his desk with one hand while stroking the chin of one of four cats lounging on his desk with the other. Galahad simply nodded and found a spot to sit in the middle of the room before grabbing his bag and starting to pick out the books he needed. 
“Meow,” A muffled voice cried from inside the desk. Galahad stared for just a moment before lifting the top of the desk. There was indeed a cat inside, it seemed like it had climbed in through a decently sized hole in the back of the desk. The cat yawned and stretched before hopping onto Galahad’s lap and rubbing its face against his chest while purring loudly. A quick glance around the room revealed there were cats everywhere. Under chairs, on desks, on the windowsills and even on the shelves on the right side of the room. The classroom had twenty or so desks, most being filled by students young and old. Most were trying to ignore the cats that batted at their hats and robes, some pet the cats or held them like babies as they waited for class to start. Galahad patted the cat that was being affectionate toward him and tried to get his books out. As soon as the books were on his desk, the cat climbed up and started to doze off on his Conjuration 201 tome. He sighed as the bell tower chimed, it was noon now and Galahad was starting to get hungry. The professor at the front of the room looked like he was silently counting each dong of the belfry. 
	“And twelve,” The professor grunted as the last of the dongs rang, “Good afternoon. Welcome to our Conjuration two-hundred and one course,” He sounded almost annoyed as he spoke. With the wave of his wand, he blew all the cat hair off his robes before adjusting his brimless wizard cap, “I am Professor Qualintry, a master of conjuration specializing in summoning magicks,” The wizard waved his wand and said a single word under his breath. Every cat in the room hopped up and hurried to his side, each of them sitting in a neat and tidy row beneath the chalkboard at the front of the room. A few younger students giggled as each cat in unison started to bat at the tail of the cat next to them, “Are they not the most precious things you have ever seen?” 
	“They’re just purr-fect,” Someone giggled.
	“Yes, yes…” Professor Qualintry cleared his throat and wiped the smile from his own face, “Ahem. In this class, we will focus on the summoning and control of earthly summons. In the three hundred level classes we will start to summon non-living things from other existences and finally in four hundred level courses you will learn to summon low-level other worldly creatures like imps, elementals, and the odd cherub. Push those visions of grandeur from your mind for now.”
	“When do we learn about teleportation?” Another academy-goer asked.
	“Teleportation magic is in its own class due to being so different from the rest of conjuration. Conjuration one-hundred and seven will aid you in learning the teleportation magic as you learn the fundamentals of it all,” The professor explained dismissively, releasing his grip on the cats and letting them wander around the room again, “Conjuration two-hundred and four will delve into it. two-hundred and three delves into making a creature your familiar and two is an extension of this class. You should all have experience in conjuration by now, so let us not waste any time. Who here has been reading their tome before class?” A few hands went up. Professor Qualintry nodded and folded his arms, “Those of you who do not wish to try their hand at a spell they are mostly unfamiliar with, put those hands down,” Galahad kept his hand up while nearly everyone else put theirs down, leaving only him and two others with theirs up, “My. We usually have no volunteers for this portion. You, in the back. Come to the front,” He pointed to a half-elf, as signified by their long and somewhat round tipped ears. She had brown skin, all black eyes, and small goat horns coming out of her scalp. A half-breed wild elf, a rare sight to behold but there was very little confidence in how she carried herself as she made her way up and waded through the cats, “Name?” Professor Qualintry demanded.
	“Um, Penelope,” She whimpered.
	“Last name.”
	Oh, uh, Wolf. Penelope Wolf,” She quickly and timidly added. 
	“Miss Wolf, I assume you have done the studying I requested otherwise you are going to make a fool of yourself in front of the class,” He grumbled, eyeing her down.
	“O-Of course I have. What do you want me to do?” The wild elf nodded and produced her wand and spell book. The thick tome was bound in dark brown leather wreathed in green leaves and brown roots.
	The professor nodded and gave her a small leather pouch, “Conjure an animal,” He stepped back and gave her a bit of room. 
	The elf nodded and waved her wand, the roots on her spell book grew until they touched the floor, forming a natural looking lectern made of winding, gnarled roots and leaves, “Summon… squirrel,” She mumbled aloud as she thumbed through her book and found the spell she had already written down. She took a few deep breaths, bringing a semblance of calm over her being so as to not cause a miscast due to her anxiousness. Digging through the pouch she grabbed some nuts, berries, and a tuft of fur. She began by crunching up the ingredients in her hand and said some words of power in another language. It wasn’t the language of dragons like most wizards would use, it was something elven sounding, but seemingly almost just as ancient as she started to mumble and whisper the words. Professor Qualintry waved his wand and opened one of the windows. The books and tomes of everyone in the front row rattled as the elf began to suck in a bit of the aetheric winds around her. She waved her wand over her head and pointed it out the window as her spell came to a crescendo, a green glow emanating from her wand before shooting out the window and up a tree.
	The materials in the elf’s hand, minus the fur, were dropped gracefully to the floor in a ground up pile. Soon enough, a squirrel from the outside world climbed inside and dashed for the food that Miss Wolf had dropped for it. She knelt down and petted it before picking it up and placing it on her shoulder. The class clapped politely while the professor nodded in satisfaction, “Good. Good. Most don’t get that in one try. Are you sure I shouldn’t be moving you up to the three hundred level courses?” He joked as the now sweating elf sat back down, “What she just did, those of you who are unsure of your abilities will do by Wednesday,” He cast a spell to reel in the cats that were hungrily eyeing the squirrel before clearing his throat again, “Now, let us begin the lecture. Take notes if you need it but this class’s assigned text book has more than enough information for you to succeed in this class. Let us begin at chapter three, the first two chapters are about mana control, spell basics, and such. To reiterate, all of you should be familiar with these concepts at this point. Now, when attempting to summon a creature…”

	Galahad left his conjuration class with his head chock full of new information. Anything more and he would probably have a headache due to how much he had learned in just one day. As he understood it, most of his classes would be class time on Monday and then lab time on Wednesday to show you had been working on the homework. By Wednesday he needed to be able to summon an animal, turn water into another liquid, and create a minor healing potion. Easy enough, Galahad thought to himself. He left the conjuration building and started to trek across the campus ground. It had been a long day, even if it was only six hours total, trying to retain every little piece of information was difficult along with taking notes and following along with the Professors. Especially with how difficult it had been to take notes in the conjuration class with all the cats that were climbing on him during the class. But like Professor Qualintry had said, the textbook had more than enough content in it to guide him through the lessons. The summoning spell seemed easy enough, it was definitely shoved to the back of his mind for now. He would get the potion components down and then work on his transmutation homework. Perhaps the summoning would be winged during class, he wasn’t sure yet. 
	With the rumbling of his stomach, Galahad stopped and looked north up the road he was about to cross. The cafeteria loomed nearby, tempting him with the promise of food– at a cost. He had money, more than enough to feed himself, thankfully. With a sigh, he started to trudge toward the building. He stepped through a set of glass double doors and was face-to-face with a small collection of little restaurants and multiple rows and columns of tables. Galahad saw a pizza place, a sandwich shop, a fast food burger joint, a tiny smoothie place that also sold soft pretzels and a sushi restaurant. With a rumbling stomach, Galahad went to the fast food place and ordered two burgers and some fries. 
	“Galahad! Galahad!” A voice called. He spun around, glancing around the room trying to figure out who was calling him. Over in the corner, near the smoothie joint was a table with four familiar faces sitting around it, “Come on! Come sit!” It was the gnome, Suzie Hillbottom shouting at him. 
	He made his way over as he saw Miss Manus was sitting with her along with the two dwarves, Holmit and Angerdese. The only one in the higher ups of house Karak-Albrac missing was Fredrik for whatever reason, “Hey,” Galahad casually greeted.
	“Sit, sit,” Suzie ordered and didn’t wait until he had taken a seat between Miss Manus and Holmit, “How’s your first day going?”
	“It's going well,” He replied as he rubbed his head, “It’s gonna take some time to get used to this, to be honest.” 
	Holmit gave him an unsatisfied look, “Is it really that tough for you?”
	“He was not shipped off to the boarding school like some of us were,” Miss Manus reminded him.
	Suzie shrugged, “We’ve seen a lot of people do poorly despite being in the boarding school. But it really does help set you up for success.”
	Miss Manus glanced at Galahad, “Are your professors competent?”
	“Uh,” He quickly recalled their names by thumbing through his journal, “Professor Qualintry comes off a bit grumpy but he seems like a good teacher. Miss Manus y-you're doing well, of course. I can’t really say for Sh’Lak, she’s a wild card at this point but the class seems fun, to be honest.”
	“I like Professor Sh’Lak!” Suzie announced as she closed her book, “If you need help with her class, come to me and I can petition for you.”
	“More dangerous than fun,” Holmit scoffed, “All entry classes? Are you sure you have been working with magic for a time?”
	“I-I’m just trying to get a feel for everything right now,” The first year student sank down in his seat, “A-and the conjuration class is two hundred level!” 
	“Don’t humor him…” Suzie groaned.
	The dwarf shook his head, “The manling’s whining only shows me lack of confidence."
"W-well, that may be, but–" 
Galahad began to protest, but the dwarf shrugged and turned to the others, "I doubt he’ll make it four years at this academy. How disappointing, Fredrik’s ramblings made you out to be something of a potential prodigy. But I guess that bloodhound’s nose has gone bad,” Holmit sipped from his flask before adding something unknown to most in his native tongue, his words oozing with contempt.
	Both Manus and Suzie turned to rebuke him, but the slamming of Galahad’s hands on the lunch table nearly made them and Angerdese jump out of their skins, “You–” His muscles tensed up and his face turned red, his eyes opened, glowing with the flames of rage unseen in any wizard. Galahad spoke to Holmit in the dwarf’s tongue. Three words left his mouth drenched with venom before he stood and stormed away from the table.
	Miss Manus turned to Holmit, “Holmit.”
	“What did he say?” Suzie interjected, “What did Holmit say!?”
	Angerdese cleared her throat, “Ah, master Drak-hide, to summarize, called the manling a disappointment. And Galahad, in flawless dwarvish might I add, called him… A snobbish, fat prick.” 
	“That manling…” Holmit scowled, “Needs to be taught a lesson in respecting his elders! Why, I ought to–”
	“You will do no such thing,” Miss Manus coldly stared him down, “I do not enjoy listening to you badmouth potential students. You forget that I know dwarvish as well and I understood the awful insult you dealt him. Angerdese made you and the boy's words more polite than they truly were.”
	“But that boy should not be talking back like that! I would have gotten thirty lashes if I had said that to my elders!” 
	“Bite thy tongue, master Drak-Hide,” The woman’s skin was turning a light violet, “Your elders are not here and we are many miles from your hold. I do not want to hear you whinge about your bruised ego. It is not your choice alone as to whether we will induct him. Am I clear?”
	Holmit took a long drink from his pocket flask, “Aye. Clear as diamond.”
	“Good,” Miss Manus’s skin turned pale blue once more, “I understand your love of our house and desire to make us look good despite our less than great past. We will accomplish much more if we work together. You are a valuable member of this council, but you need to stop pestering some of these students who did not place into three hundred level classes.”
	Holmit was quiet. He simply nodded as he sulked in his seat. Suzie cleared her throat, “May I be excused, President?”
	“You need not ask, Suzie,” Manus reminded her.
	The gnomish woman shrugged and pushed her chair in, “Just felt appropriate. I’ll talk to you all later,” She gave them a nod and hurried away, depositing her now cleared plates near the trash bins before stepping outside. Suzie pulled a small, pearlescent plate inlaid in swirling silver flourishes from her waist bags and bathed it in the early afternoon sunlight as she muttered magic command words to it. The magical device glowed before an arrow appeared in its shining surface made of ash and dust. Suzie blew it away and followed the glowing particles towards the central oak. Amongst the leaves and students, she found Galahad sitting on a bench, his head hung low and his elbows resting on his knees. Suzie climbed up on the bench and sat next to him, “You doing okay?” She asked quietly.
	Galahad took a deep breath and stretched his arms upward, “Better now. Did I blow it?”
	“No, you haven’t,” Suzie gave him a gentle knock on the arm, “He started it anyway,” The first year’s head hung again as he stared at the leaves underfoot. Suzie nudged him again, “Hey, you handled it fine. Touchy subject?”
	“A bit. I got my mom’s short fuse which doesn’t help. I don’t want to make anyone feel like I’m a disappointment, and I shouldn’t be made to feel like one for no reason.”
	“Well, yeah,” Suzie sighed, “Holmit can be a real piece of work, but he’s good at what he does. Invaluable to Manus too. Anyway, keep your chin up, pal,” She dug around in her bags before handing over a little piece of paper and some cash, “And go get some lunch. Some noodles, chips, icecream, whatever you want.”
	Galahad flipped it over, the ‘five off when you spend’ coupon stared back, a little crumpled and discolored but still good. The man smiled, “Thank you. Maybe I’ll make my way over to that convenience store and get some snacks for the week.”
	“That’s the spirit!” The gnome smiled back, “Have a good night, Galahad. I’ll see you around.”
	“Yeah, see you,” Even though he knew he should get food, Galahad’s heavy feet and heavier eyelids made him stomp to the Seeker’s house and push the door open. The inside of the tower was warm and full of other exhausted looking students. Galahad took his coat off and rubbed his eyes.
	“Sandwich?” The sudden question roused him from his groggy, absent-mindedness. Shanessa, the long lamia had managed to sneak up on him and was holding out a selection of simple sandwiches in little baggies. Galahad nodded wearily and took a peanut butter and jelly, “Long day?”
	“That and–” He shook his head, “Y-yeah. Long day. Thank you.”
	“If it was any later I would suggest going to bed, but there is still daylight out!” She chuckled, “Please let me know if I can help with anything. Including brewing another pot of coffee.”
	Galahad nodded, “Of course. Thank you very much,” He stretched before trudging upstairs. Gripping the crystal next to the passageway to the dorm rooms, he spoke his name softly, “Galahad Loxley,” With a click of the lock, he turned the handle and stepped inside. The sandwich was tossed onto the desk and his bag onto the floor before the man laid face down on the bed. He groaned, hugging his pillow against his face, “Just a few minutes…” He mumbled.

	Hours later, Galahad sat on the floor of his room. Two books sat in front of him with a few reagents in a bowl in his lap. A cup of water sat off to the side along with a damp towel and a jug of water. The floor was just as damp as the towel. Galahad grimaced as he refilled his cup and poured over the tomes before him. He rubbed his face, the sweat was already staining his brow, his mana reserves were low, and he kept struggling through it. He held a wand in his hand, small, straight, and removed of all bark. He waved the stick slowly as he touched the rim of the glass. He made a sigil in the air with the tip of the stick, envisioning the clear liquid to turn yellow, sour, and lemony. He willed it, pouring mana into it from his fingertips. His lungs cried out for air as he struggled to form the magical words. As soon as the water began to boil and bubble, he stopped, panting heavily as he caught his breath. With an angry growl, Galahad tossed his wand, watching it CLACK loudly against the wall of his pocket realm room. He collapsed backward to lie on his back, staring up at the stained wooden ceiling. With an exasperated sigh, he put her hands on his face to rub the weariness from his skin. A moment passed before he rolled and got up from the floor to finally take a bite of the sandwich he had been given, “Dammit,” Galahad checked the clock and deflated as he saw how late it was. The lack of progress was deterring, but not enough to make him quit. Maybe he needed more help. With a weary sigh, he took his phone and punched in a number, knowing only one who could help him. 
	It rang a few times before the person on the other end picked it up, “Galahad! My friend! What can I do for you? Do you require the illustrious Fredrik’s help?”
	“Well, I do. I need a favor or a solid or whatever you want to call it,” Galahad continued.
	“Between you and I there are no favors. Just friends helping friends. What is it?”
	“I just need a hand with my studying…”
There was a sharp sigh on the other side of the phone, “I unfortunately will not be much help. Beyond my secrecy, I struggle to teach others.”
	Galahad frowned, “What about Suzie?”
	“She’s a busy little bee. Between clubs, work, schooling, her own studying, and whatever else she occupies herself with, I doubt she has time for it,” Fredrik explained, “I am sure that you agree that Holmit is not a good choice for this either.”
	“Right. Maybe I can find someone else in your house to help?”
	“I may know a good choice,” Fredrik declared quietly, “I need a few minutes but will call you back with their schedule.”
	“Got it, thanks.”
	As the line went dead, Galahad laid back out on his side, “Maybe just a few more minutes…” He mumbled before dozing off for another nap.
	

Chapter 4