“Okay, everyone, settle down. My name is Tess, and I’ll be your instructor this m.” Her words were loud and clear, cutting through the two pockets of chatting students. “Just to make sure everyone is in the right pce, this is an introductory session, where we’ll be doing a quick overview of the fuals of spellcasting before moving to self-guided practice, where I’ll walk around and help where I . Good?” Tess surveyed the crete pad with a slow gaze, making sure nobody had ended up in her lesson by act. “Good. Now, line up, will you?” She waved her hand in a swishing motion, indicated for them tanize in a half circle.

  They did so.

  “That’s better,” Tess said. “Now, let me preface this by saying there’s only so much I do. A general lesson is impossible. Everyone’s system is unique, and it’s on you to discover your spells' quirks and most effit uses. I’m here to help where I , but there’s many of you, one of me. This is assisted self-learning, as I said. Not a one-on-one apprenticeship.”

  Cool grays eyes sed over the assembled first years. Tess had a stern, though not unfriendly, demeanor. She stood with her hands behind her back, tilted slightly up, and wearing an impassive expression. She had bck hair done up in a tight bun, and brown skin—a darker shade, the sort of color found more only in Lir than Valhaur. Her gsses were thin-rimmed, round, and rge.

  Though she was an instructor in an informal way—a student volunteer—she had the air of someone who did this for a living. The red badge on her shoulder indicated ‘third year’. Obviously, the badge oher shoulder bore the i and color of a mage: blue, with a wizard’s hat. Engraved on the same badge, a bold, noticeable ‘II’. A mid-ranker … likely somewhere from level six to ten. As expected from a Tehird year.

  “But,” Tess said, “despite that each of our methods of spellcasting will have their own quirks, there is a onality in all processes. First, the focus state, and sed, the drawing of mana. The third stage—spell activation—is where we diverge. For now, let’s focus on the first two.”

  Unfortunately, Natalie was a disaster at all stages, not just the portion of spellcasting specific to her css. She khe basiagid nothing Tess had said had e as a surprise. Natalie had learned years ago that she was awful at the intense focus required to start drawing mana—and even worse at unstructured magic, the portion of spellcasting where skills and csses weren’t required.

  For that type of casting, it took Natalie immense effort and energy to even mahe simplest of spells. Fortunately, skill-based spells were much easier. She could get [Illusion] ter, but not fluidly, not as potently as she’d want, and not in chaotiviros where her attention was focused on more important things, like an oppo swinging a sword at her. Which meant it was fairly useless, as things stood. Seeing how spars were ing up in just an hour and a half, that wasn’t great.

  Tess talked the group through the first two stages. The usual advice was given: steady her thoughts, breathe evenly, focus on the enigmatic core of energy deep iomach. Then, form an image in her mind of extrag and molding the energy.

  Natalie did poorly, as usual.

  After a few rounds of that, Tess indicated for them to practice the full process themselves, stating that she’d go around and help in the finer details of the st stage.

  Time passed. Before Natalie k, she’d worked up a sweat. She mao get [Illusion] ter a few times, though to typical mediocre results. She was halfway through stumbling through the process the fifth or sixth time when Tess arrived at her side.

  “You shouldn’t close your eyes,” she ented. “It doesn’t help as much as you think, and isn’t something you get away with in a fight.”

  “Gee,” Natalie she spell fizzling at the break in her tration. “Never would’ve guessed.”

  Tess raised her eyebrows, and Natalie—though insed—immediately felt bad.

  “Sorry. This is just—“ she huffed, and threw her hands up. “Well. You know.”

  “Not your specialty, I’m taking it.” Tess didn’t seem upset at Natalie’s irritation. She mostly seemed amused, and a tad sympathetic. “Hybrid css?”

  “Padin,” Natalie answered.

  Tess hummed. “You’ll get the hang of it. You just have to bash it into your skull until it’s sed nature. It’s a process we all gh.”

  A thought flicked through her head, oalie reized as arrogance. She wasn’t used to having to wait for something to be sed nature. Which wasn’t to say she was good at anything she tried to do, but the path she’d chosen—fighting—she’d never had tle with. She’d pushed to be the best she could, of course, but it hadn’t been a struggle for adequacy. Rather, excellence.

  Struggling to not be horrible was … kind of frustrating.

  “If you want to share the skill,” Tess said, “I might be able to offer some tips.”

  “Illusion,” Natalie said. No point in keeping su obvious skill a secret. And, she desperately did need some tips. “Visual and auditory, but only small.”

  Tess sidered this. She gestured for Natalie tain. “Let’s see it.”