AN: Hey - I will shoot you guys straight. I was late on this chapter due to being laid off during a big staff cut, and as a result I'm going to be looking for work and traveling around visiting family for a little while.
I have sufficient savings to last at least a month, so should be okay.
I may not update this story much at this time. During the last week of job hunting I've done very little writing here, since real life is choosing to take priority right now.
So I'll apologize in advance for that.
I'm considering opening a Pat re on, since an income source coming from this would allow me to move it up my priority list a good deal.
I will say I'm very happy to see that we're over 1k with followers and closing on favorites.
Everyone, keep it up! I genuinely never really thought my first real foray into writing would be so… good. Or well received. It's really what's keeping me going when I otherwise would have shelved this months ago.
So yea - thanks!
I really hope ya'll enjoy the chapter!
The duels I fight are uneventful - going exactly as I would think they would.
I won them all without a scratch.
In the Quarter-finals I was against Alessa. It wasn't close, I'm sad to say. I took her down with little more hassle than anyone else, and continued on my way - after a promise to help tutor her when I have time and see her.
I don't think I'll have much time. I'll still try to help if I can.
I hope she understands if it takes awhile for me to get there, though…
Then I took down the Semi-Final opponent, and was into the finals.
I can't say I'm honestly excited for this duel. Before I'd come, I had been. There were a lot of things to be excited about, then.
Someone who had proven to be better than me, was here. There was plenty to learn and an all-but-guaranteed quest.
There were a lot of things I could get done in such a place.
But I learned, by reviewing the quest I have for this tournament, that it didn't matter. I was so much better I wasn't getting growth like I had last time. Not in the things I did last time. The XP reward was good, and I could get skill points, but not in dueling.
They were all other things, like power-casting, or magical sensing, or similar. Nice things, but basically it was - in my mind - the system telling me I'm just too good for this bracket and I need to hurry up and go to the actual professional circuit with the adults.
So that's a wet blanket. I'm too high of a level and too high of a skill-level. Being here isn't really helping me much - barely more than going ahead and staying in school for self-study would have benefitted.
The only upside is I get a generous pile of XP from this - likely equitable to the Quidditch finals for Hogwarts or something.
All of this disappointment wasn't too oppressive, though.
I'm still going out shopping with the girls. I'm still learning. I'm still growing.
It's just not in a numeric way.
It's in ways you can measure without numbers. I'm growing in experience and knowledge.
So it is with glee that I get to do the most exciting thing - after the Semi-Finals.
I'm going out shopping with the girls. We're going out to the reclusive shops and districts. The things people wouldn't be able to find without help of a very thrifty local.
Which it turns out the De Niro clan is positively full of, at least according to Alessa. I am of the thought process that they're just old, and have been around long enough to remember when the useful shops came up…
Aside, I think it's good to know people who can put me in place to get a lot of supremely good magical information.
"These shops sell the basics of clergyman's magic for anyone interested. I figure any of us could make use of it, being from old houses like we are…" Alessa tells us as we pull up in front of what I'd swear is a normal townhouse, if she didn't seem so sure. Then she bounds on up the step and opens the door, and even from the front walk, the smell of old parchment reaches me.
A bookstore, for sure.
I walk in, and find a few interesting things. There is no teller - indeed, there seems to be an automated system there.
Secondly, the basket I grab to store books in gives off feelings - like emotions - as I peruse the isles, walking past a couple. I can feel the basket is excited? Did someone make a sentient basket?
Third, I can tell there are a lot - lot more shelves than I can see. My eyes slide from isle three to isle sixteen and I can't see the intermediary isles. I imagine -that- is in relation to either skill, capability or general usefulness to me.
So the store herds me to certain isles. The basics - as in there bare-bones stuff in isle one, I already have from France and the Room. Isle two has more of the same. Isle three has the bridge books - so I can go from my piddling 15th-level to a higher one easier.
I grab a few of the ones which seem most packed full of knowledge and move on.
The sixteenth isle?
It's about conducting rituals as a true priestess of a religion, specifically to gods who cover domains which involve art, divination or astral bodies. Since the three of those things are linked when it comes to the gods, I can assume that's just to keep it relatively simple. I grab a few of these, since I doubt sincerely my family has any good references to this type of thing, considering I've not ever even heard of it.
If we do and I've not seen them yet, then I don't think I need to see them- they're outdated, or they're wrong. Whichever one it is, I'll get myself these books, and figure it out from an unbiased opinion.
It helps that I have a power which directs me to which ones are most applicable to my situation - aka Observe.
Alessa seems not-at-all surprised when I buy seven books from the shop, and we go on our way to the next shop. Fleur, who bought three books herself, seems a bit surprised, though.
"What books did you need? I did not think the books in the store I could see were so interesting. Only the ones which could help me to advance my skill with the branch of magic, though, I must admit I am likely woefully limited in this style… the question stands. Why so many?" She asks as we're walking to the next store - apparently it has all kinds of druidic magics from before wands, rituals and the original stuff which the basics are based on.
"Well, frankly, I'm a priestess. Everyone in my family is, naturally. Most old families are. As next head of house, I need to know what that entails. My family has been neglecting that, I think. The patrons aren't too happy with some of us, and… ah." She appears to be lost - I don't blame her. I choose to cut to the chase. "I'd rather not get too deeply into it, but suffice to say, I want to fix the situation my family is in. The books will help."
"You are too cautious and too hungry for knowledge. Someday your hunger will get you in trouble." Is her response. I shrug.
"Maybe, but that's why I have friends. To help me when I'm in trouble, no? We all help each other and get stronger for it. Nothing too crazy…" I respond, and we round a bend.
And I slam into someone, knocking the taller - mid 30's - gentleman on his rear.
"Ah, apologies!" I call down to him. I'm surprised I knocked him over, really. I'd have figured it'd go the other way, even with my perks… This has happened a few times, and I'm the one who gets knocked over.
"No problem, miss." The man's voice responds. It's raspy and old. Far, far too old for a face such as his. I squint as I hit him with an Observe reflexively.
Potes De Kakost
High Priest of Olympus
?
?
?̴̡͉̩̮̻̲̹̫̈́́̽̓̿̅͌̌̈́̂͜?̴̛̖̜̥̦͕̦͇͚̗̱̇͂̉͛̂̍͝?̴̪̮̠̭̩̹̜̞̞͇̀̀̔
?
?̴̡͉̩̮̻̲̹̫̈́́̽̓̿̅͌̌̈́̂͜?̴̛̖̜̥̦͕̦͇͚̗̱̇͂̉͛̂̍͝?̴̪̮̠̭̩̹̜̞̞͇̀̀̔
I̷̢͈̼̝̦̻̱͕͌̾͜n̵̼͉̳͕͕͈̪̞̹̘̍̀͋̑̀̿͗͆̿͌̍̕͠͝ͅͅt̷̨͙͓͚̩͉̱̳̣̞̠̩̰̮̍͜ȩ̴̻̞͚̳̘͇͍̬͉̂̈́̾̃̐́̃̒͘̕͘ŗ̵̟̻͉̐̇̉̿̈́̓̍͆̈́͒͆ę̵̛̱̜̜̣͎̯̾͑̈́̾̓̉̃̇͑͌͆̊͐̈́s̴̠͐̿́͂̓̆͂̅̋̌̒̿͆̕ẗ̸̫́̈͌́͑̉̈́̒́̋̈̑͌̚i̴̡̤̫̼͚͙̱͇͖̥̔̅͗̽̿̆̑̌̏̉͋̒̀̚͠ͅň̶̡̠̝̪̦͔̭̹͓̙̃͐͝g̷̹̺̺̞̓̃̚͘
Ah, wonderful. I help the polite man to his feet.
The polite, very scary, man.
A high priest? What does that entail? Surely he's a higher level than me and most people in this world. It seems, from that headache-inducing observe, that he can detect my observation (like Gaelin) and interfere with what it says (unlike Gaelin).
So that's confirmation that the observation is Divine Magic, at least? Right?
When I touch his hand, I feel what has to be the most polite mental knock I've ever received, and I give the mental equivalent of a 'please come in.'
When faced with vastly superior force…
+1 Reputation with Potes for responding well to his mental query, proving yourself more than some average layabout witch.
+2 Reputation with Potes for recognizing him properly as a threat, and not showing any outward fear.
"I hope you don't mind the intrusion…" The old crackly voice I'd expect from someone much older than this guy says into my mind. "but it's so rare to meet someone who has any appreciation for how magic really aught to be. Rarer still for anyone who isn't part of the bigger churches to see the sixteenth isle in my shop. I decided I just had to meet the newcomer." He trails off, letting it sink in.
Who the hell is this guy?
"Further, you have a rather close tie with one of the Protogenetori! Which is very rare in and of itself. I figured I'd give you a heads up... I may like your style, but be careful with what you do, and where. There are many of the Elders of the Old Countries who will expect you to know the customs of the True Mages when you start learning the things in those books. Be sure to look up the customs before you go too far abroad." He warns me quickly.
Hasn't someone else told me something similar? Was it a book? To learn the customs of the magical regions and other sentient and sapient species? Especially in Asia… I think?
"Also, don't just try to assess someone without permission next time. It can get you in trouble. Oh, and don't forget. You know my name. Just send a letter. I'll be waiting."
And the mental tether snaps.
Who the hell is this guy, what does he want from me, and why did he bump into me?
Without another word, we part ways, and I go on with my shopping trip, Druidic magic is next, though I don't remember much about the shop, save for the four books I buy, each covering either offensive, defensive, supplementary or special magic.
Special meaning it doesn't really fall into one type or another, like the ritual to make your crops grow faster, but also make them attack people who aren't of your bloodline. It's a defensive and supplementary spell…
I clear my mind and wash my mind of the thoughts, when I'm alone.
They don't matter.
The old man? The High Priest of Olympus? He clearly matters. He's the high priest of a Pantheon, after all.
The mental connection hadn't given me much info, but I got a rough feeling for his mind, as I'm sure he got of mine. He felt old. Like, old as or older than Dumbledore Old.
You don't have a mental presence like that - which I had to bring my whole self to bear against - without being super old.
I know how powerful a mage can get in that time. You don't just run into someone like this guy on random chance or because they look interesting.
Well maybe you do. But normally you don't. It's not really - uh - nice. And older people usually like to follow the unwritten rules unless they're bored.
Which I know is a thing which happens. But alas. If I was that unlucky - or maybe it's lucky? Then yea.
He also seems to think Arcane Magic - or maybe it's just Wizarding magic in general? Is lesser. He'd hinted at it. Calling Divine magic True Magic.
So what did I - a novice in such magics - do to draw his attention? Surely seeing an isle in a store he owns isn't a good enough reason? He could have sent a letter, or done something else much less impression-giving than showing off how mentally and magically advanced he is for his relative physical age.
Elders of the Old Countries is another thing I'll need to look into.
When we say Elder, how old? 100? 200? The countries too! Are we talking about the Old-Old countries? Like over a millennia old? Places like Rome, China, Japan, India, Egypt, parts of Scandinavia… Greece? I'm sure I'm missing others, but still.
Do people like him just casually exist in places like that?
Does England have such a person? If so, who are they? Why does this guy approach me and not them? What about France?
Are they not old enough? Did the qualified elders die? So. Many. Questions.
And mind you, this is just around what I am calling 'divine magic users'
If Arcane Magic users have a community, and Divine Magic users have a community (like it seems they do... ) Do the Primal Magic users have a community too? If so, where? Will they come knocking on my door to tell me I've messed up some old law they follow?
Like c'mon. There's entirely too many parts and pieces I just don't have the knowledge to play with.
Then there's other questions, like if they're aware of each other, then why don't they deal with, or help fight the dark lord issues we have? Surely there would be tales of the Divine or Primal mages helping? Do they have their own issues we don't know about? Are the groups generally unaware of each other with few exceptions?
Why don't they deal with a lot of the issues?
This will be what my letter is focused around. Getting knowledge. As best I can.
'Just write a letter' indeed.
As I pen his name at the top of the letter, it bleeds into a blueish black hue.
Dear Potes De Kakost
This is the girl you ran into earlier and asked to write.
I'm not sure how the letter will find you, but I suppose with the magic on your name (evident by its color changing). It's probably going to be writing itself for you as I write it - or it'll charm whichever owl I give it to, so it seamlessly finds you.
Good way to be found. I'll assume it's the former and the letter I'm sending you is going to disappear - but I'll send it for posterity's sake.
I have a few questions - as I'm sure you can guess.
You mentioned Elders of the Old Countries. These things seem important. I have to wonder what those are, why I've never heard of them and of course, why you don't have an active hand in the magical community. You're clearly old. Lack of your mention in History books in spite of your skill is disturbing.
You walk like a War-Mage, so I think you must be a fighter of some sort - though this could be a bad read. I don't know enough about what the High Priest of Olympus entails to make a call here. You could be some warrior or you could be a completely normal healer, like most priests seem to be.
This is a guess, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I am very new to your whole… group.
Of course, there must be some sort of communication between you and the other elders. Or you'd probably not warn me about them. I'm curious as to why you did that, but I don't suppose I'll get an answer because where's the fun in that?
At least this seems to be the perspective of older people, and now it's starting to get annoying. I like knowing everything I can and I feel trapped with my lack of information which is decent or reliable.
So I suppose I'll like to ask - what are we doing here, why, and how can I help you? If it doesn't kill me, my friends or put us in danger, I don't suppose I'll have too much of a problem with it.
Either way, I'll be waiting for your response.
Best,
Aubrey.
With that, I sent the letter on the nearest owl-post I could find, ate dinner, and then went to bed.
I gave the excuse of the day's activities and the stress from the duels really tiring me out, when it couldn't be any further from the truth.
I want to know what the hell is going on, and I figure the fastest way to pass the time is sleeping.
Nothing productive to be done without answers. After all, I need to know if I'm under threat of these 'new' magicals. If so, I'll need to figure out how to hide, since clearly, fighting them is not an option.
Frankly, I'm too bothered to think about anything else.
I don't have time to be bothered by mysterious older-than-they look types.
I need to focus on the duel.
Fleur is the same type of duelist to me. Worse technically but more experienced applying what skill she does have in live situations against skilled - and probably superior - opponents.
So while I should win on paper, I shouldn't assume.
I go through my morning routine, quietly washing and then setting up my mind for the duel at hand. I erase every other though from my mind. At least as much as I can.
It's a temporary fix, but it'll do. The duel awaits, and I can deal with all else after.
My general strategy is to be too powerful, fast and skilled for her to stop - or slow - me down. I assume she'll have some kind of counter to some of these things, but denying all three of them is basically impossible.
My technical skill and knowledge of dueling tells me that flooding her with minor constructs which I make as I chant out a major one would be the best way to go - focusing on water and fire entities so I can counter her counters for the strategy.
This is a very good plan, especially if I have many foes I need to deal with at once, like I would in a real life pitched battle. The swarms I summon would force the groups of enemies to respond.
The issue with it is how brutal it is. You make the constructs with the intent to put down in whatever way they can whomever they're pointed at.
So I'm discounting the strategy, unless it's for a real fight or the person needs to be subtly dealt with. No one I've met has deserved such a thing in this tournament.
Next would be the simple railing from the start - fast hard and precise spellwork. This, too would emulate something of a real battle. Much more common than some fancy conjurations. Just try to subdue the enemy (so you can move to the next in as quick a way as you can.)
The main issue with this, is it relies solely on you being the better user of a wand. Particularly on being more skilled and generally more knowledgeable than your enemies. I'm pretty sure I qualify for both, in most areas which would be resolved with combat magics.
The final idea I had was the one which would be hardest to do - but the most exemplary of the skill difference. Using only her magic against her.
This would be the style I've been learning by its use against me recently. I'd be 100% dedicated to defense. It's a very showy way of winning a duel - and would be sure to earn me lots of 'points' with the people who judge these things to determine seeding.
The primary issue with this style is that I can't really win until she exhausts herself, and I don't know if I can counter some of the more esoteric things she could potentially conjure.
I'm going with option two, to be clear. I don't need to brutalize her with constructs, or embarrass her with with an utter deconstruction. I need to win.
My skill with dueling is implying I could probably do any of the three, and do them successfully, here.
Fleur deserves a straight-up duel. Option two is the only real option, unless she really pushes me.
Sadly I'm very convinced I will not be pushed, which leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I've cheated and it's just too easy. Boring. Sad.
I'm sad.
I don't really deserve this win...
These melancholic thoughts cloud my mind for the whole of the morning, as I sweep through my prep.
I may not deserve it - but Fleur would be most insulted if I threw the match.
She wants a fight - almost tangibly craves to find someone better than her so she can aspire to surpass them.
Being the best seems to be a heavy burden for her…
I suppose that's one good thing, from all of this.
I'm taking the crown, one which sits heavily, and clearly weighs its wearer down.
I choose to focus on this - and all too soon we're bowing.
Then the bang - we're off. Before the noise dissipates, I begin to close in.
The first step of a straight up fight is make it impossible to do anything too fancy. Best way to do that?
Cut distance - cut time to react. Be closer to them. Be faster than them, and just be better than them.
As I close in - tossing a banisher (which would send me spinning through the air, as opposed to just straight back) she grins in a positively terrifying way. Then she swats the first curse -then the second, third, fourth - which she swats into the fifth.
Of course it's not all defensive -in a true display of mastery of her art, even as she swats the curses she is casting back. So we enter what may be called a duelists imbroglio - more commonly called the 'back and forth' phase of the duel.
She's faster than me - obviously she's been training for speed and precision. Her Agility and Dexterity stats seem to be edging my own out. I'm more dynamically built, and I can counter physical attacks far more easily than she can.
I prove it by casting a physical enhancer (to harden the clothing on my hands) and backhand a large rock she banished towards me with my off hand.
This draws a gasp from the crowd, and a wide eyed stare from Fleur.
I'm better with the wand, too. I'm just vastly more efficient. This isn't super obvious - it's something like a 1.1:1 ratio of efficiency, but in a duel like this, that 0.1 is the difference between complete victory and utter, bitter defeat.
We both can see - and know that.
I throw a stunner from her into the follow-up explosive hex, tossing a blasting hex which is met with a banishing… we go back and forth. Back and forth.
I feel the stalemate crack suddenly.
I'm swatting a flame-conjuring curse - which is charmed obviously to behave differently from its basic form. This spell is commonly called the fireball. For obvious reasons, which I hear as I toss it over my shoulder. It hits the stage and explodes. I toss a fast lightning Javelin with the swing following, which I also grab her follow-up… transfiguration? This spell is tossed UP towards the ceiling of the arena as I focus back towards her - and grab the flame behind me. I feel its follow up - it's turning into a bird? I crush that with a burst of magic, and make the conflagration at my back into my flame whip.
She's really surprised, her mouth a tiny fraction opened in disbelief as I finish closing.
It's been 25 seconds since we started. I'm within 10 feet. My whip is almost 20 feet long.
I swing it, and her final curse along with her, go up in flames. It's all but over in one sweep of my wand.
The curse detonates on the flames of the whip, but it is purely magical detonation - and it's small because the curse was an enfeeblement curse, which means there's not a lot of power in there.
The whip, though, as it burns out, had struck her, and left a large burning rip in her bodice - thank god there are professional healers here - leaving her to finish her attempt to dodge. Even if it is pretty futile.
As she slides - too late but a good effort to avoid the whip - I stomp the ground and twist my wand, using basic earth elemental magic to do something I've not done in a long while.
The earth responds, and the pillar of earth slams into her back, sending her flying from the ring.
She doesn't get up. The reason is obvious. I broke at least a few ribs with that - and probably some sections of spine.
Thankfully the spell I used was basically just amped up transfiguration, and will leave no residue. So she'll be better before the night falls.
I breathe out slowly and relax as I'm declared the winner of the winter-cup, and roll my shoulders.
I have ⅔ of my mana, still. I'd just outplayed the reigning U-17 Champion. I still don't feel good about this win.
I'm not impressed with winning. I'd known for most of the week this would be the outcome.
I just had to make sure I didn't overextend and played my cards right. Easy enough.
So yea. The win is bitter.
I'm good - the best of my age - but I'm not good enough. The victory is hollow.
I'm still losing to non-prodigal adult duelists. They're good - but they lack Prodigy.
Voldemort, Dumbledore, Grindlewald… surely they're all better than those I lose to.
I have a long way to go…
I still put on a smile and wave to the cheering crowds. I can tell Flitwick doesn't buy my happiness, by the look on his face.
It doesn't help the mood when I get a string of notifications from the system. Surely congratulating me for becoming the best duelist for my age, giving me rewards - maybe bonus rewards even.
It feels like a loss.
Finishing my fanfare, I hop off the stage and follow the healers who'd taken Fleur off.
I'd like to be sure my friend is okay…
After ensuring she is what we will call 'okay' I head off to my room to decompress.
We have the awards ceremony tomorrow. Thankfully magic can fix compound fractures, internal bleeding and mild concussions within hours, and Fleur is fully expected to just walk out of the hospital tomorrow morning.
So at least I don't feel guilty.
But the quest had been completed, so I suppose I should look it over.
You've Completed the Winter Cup Quest!
Objective -
Come in top 8 of the tournament (Y)
Show everyone your first tournament wasn't luck (Y)
Bonus Objective -
Come in Top 4 of the tournament (Y)
Come in Top 2 of the Tournament (Y)
Win the Event. (Y)
Never get directly hit by a spell (Y)
Actually take no damage from anything the whole tournament (N)
Reward -
+12,000xp
Prodigal Duelist Title
Bonus Rewards -
10,000xp
12,000xp
25,000xp
"Reflex?" Perk.
You have leveled up (x2)
The XP is good - winning me more than double the XP for second place - which makes sense, I guess. It's nice to know how XP splits tend to go, after you measure stuff.
I decide to look over the title - I have the perk for dueling prodigy already, so I'm curious what the title does for me?
Prodigal Duelist
You are recognized as one of - if not the - foremost duelists of your age. You may not be the brightest or the best off in true combat, but when it comes to outright dueling with wands, you're considered the best for your age.
For better or worse.
+25% effectiveness with dueling.
+10% stat gains from training.
Enemies gain +10% effectiveness against you from your particularly well known fighting style. (As long as the combat is dueling only. If you include other forms, then this goes away)
+1 Political Visibility
Then The Reflex? perk.
Reflex?
You're unreasonably able to dodge things. People will ask you how you do it - for sure.
Really you just see- well more like sense - the world around you is so much slower when you're in danger that you can dodge and never be surprised.
+25 Agi
+20 in Perception.
+1 in magic sensing. (i)
+5 to Observe (i)
I pull up the (i)'s
Magic Sensing -
You have reached 10/10 - the highest ranking you can get in this skill passively. As a result each of your five senses will register magic, like any other thing, some magic will be smells, some will be tactile and some will be, of course, seen.
Observe -
You have Achieved maximum rank with "Observe". As a result, your skill has a potential evolution, choose two of the following which you would like it to follow -
Higher leveled people's stats. (+10 level cap)
More detailed information (Backgrounds, Personalities, etc)
More Subtle Observations (Make Observe absolutely undetectable to anything)
The option makes itself. Subtle and Higher Level. I lock it in.
Why?
Well, I've been getting attention from things/people seeing my observations. Like the old man I await a reply from.
And I want to see everyone I can. I'm happy with what I can see. It's good enough for me, anyways.
Being able to see level 85s and below now is going to help me immensely. I must be closing in on the top-tier people?
To test, I observe Flitwick - sitting with me in my room, filling out some papers while I ponder reality.
The results weren't shocking, but perhaps a bit odd.
Fillius Flitwick
Level 83
HP - 142,903
MP - 153,863
STM - 32,547
Age - 65
52 Str
272 Agi
283 Dex
202 Con
394 Int
288 Wis
222 Luk
Perks...
…
I'd known he was physically incapable of getting much of anything in strength - not like he'd need to. But it's still a bit nerve wracking for me to see such a disparity.
Truly being a Wizard is such a waste for your abilities.
Strength is an absurdly useful stat to have - as I'd just proven in my duel…
Observing Flitwick reminds me of the Personal Quest I'd got from him - to win a big dueling competition. Obviously I'd done that.
What was the next stage…?
A quick navigation of menus showed me that it was going to top 32 in the adults division after winning or getting top 3 in the U17 circuit for world-finals.
Seems relatively doable…
I'll have to be the best duelist U17 has ever produced - but I have few doubts I am already such a being.
The quest itself has no direct rewards, except the follow-up. It does unlock more fencing and martial training from Flitwick, but that's all tangential. It's like learning to walk, with a dagger or sword.
I'm just figuring out what I already know - and reminding myself of things.
I figure I'll get swordplay up to 150 if I can - just to see if I get the perk. Then get a Martial art to 150 too… Something nonlethal would be best, I think.
Judo? I'll look into what this world has to offer. Hand to hand has always been something of a personal weakness…
But that's a project for after mastering the blade and my body from a gymnast's perspective. Dance and gymnastics are merely one point off of 100 - and if I get them to that shelf, then I'll feel good.
Daphne is pretty upset I passed her up on dance, though, and is equally miffed I don't show our teachers.
I might be learning slower but I don't want to feel pressured - and the Room of Requirement can recall when Hogwarts taught dance, and from when it was a school for more than just children.
The amount of things you can learn from a wide selection is amazing - the only discernible weakness is the time dilation and the inability to transmute - and the other things I've thought of, but those are all minor.
Hm… probably fails as a ritual chamber too, considering the magic is 'spent' on fueling the room, and couldn't freely enhance the ritual as it would need to.
The only way around would be to fuel it with personal mana - a very risky maneuver. You'd want at least three mages of equal or greater mana than myself to attempt it for almost anything.
Well, I have the Chamber of Secrets - the Ley Lines are almost physically in the room, which is delightful. The lines are fully open at that depth - well most of them are. The three which go over the top - through the roof of the chamber and the ground under Hogwarts - those are tapped by Hogwarts.
The other 9 are under the chamber untapped.
Oddly there's one other line under Hogwarts which I've seen which purposefully curves in a U shape away from the chamber - people may mistake it for a 14th line, or think there are only 12 at Hogwarts.
Either way - if all 13 were used for Hogwarts alone - the school would doubtlessly have the best wards. We could probably double the charging or power of most of the wards with the 13th line.
And I'd still have 7 lesser and 2 major lines to work with for my rituals.
It's not the 23 lines of Stonehenge (which I for some reason think is a miscount. There's probably more..) but it's still good.
Anyways - yea. It's been a good haul.
Lots of quests completed. Lots of skills acquired or maxed out, and lots of plans falling into place.
"Hey." I address Flitwick. It's been awhile since we finished our end of tournament wind-down. "I think I'd benefit most from getting my skills with a sword and ability to move up there equal to my skill with a wand in a duel. I'm pretty far ahead with Dueling, but can work on it separately. I need to get all of my peripherals to a good standing so I can at least have a solid base for my style, I think. Fallbacks in case dueling can't answer the problem."
"Swordplay is a good option. So is better movement and footwork. We can work on both - I'll need to set up obstacle courses which resemble the half-destroyed stat of a battlefield so you can get decent practice, there." He mumbles towards the end.
Ah, he thinks this is war-training? Eh, I'll let him. Being ready for the worst is always the best.
"Oh! When my healing stuff starts winding down sometime next year - which is our rough estimate - can I go learn some more with Liliana? I'd love to get more knowledge on illusions - I think I've met her requirements. I'm just pinched for time." I ask imploringly. If she wants to start right away, I'll have to cut my time with Godric almost wholesale, along with a good brick of my little remaining alone-time.
"Probably. I'll ask her. I know she has some tricks though, so she may approach you directly to work on something for training sooner - seeing if you can work out some time." Flitwick responds, this time sounding a bit weary about her 'tricks'.
Either they're not something you'd consider normal or good, or they're a big secret and he can't really talk about it.
So she might be in some way connected to the Unspeakables or a group like them - who are VERY particular about their secrets.
Wonderful!
"I suppose we'll see, then." I reply shortly. I don't want to push and get an elaboration or pushback. I really don't need either, right now. I have an awards ceremony, then two and a half days free to spend with friends, here in a new country.
The new year should be interesting. I wonder if they celebrate any differently here?