The hours were counting down until Suria had no choice but to settle on her final decisions. Maut-mai had told her that Convocation Hall was least busy over the noon hour, so she had an excuse to hold off until then. But Suria had promised herself that she'd lock in her decisions today, so she couldn't delay for much longer.
At the moment she was avoiding looking at the course catalogue, instead sitting against her wall and considering her newest talisman. After reading the basics of Elemental Inscriptions in the New Age, she had begun practicing the inscriptions it contained. She focused first on fire, since it was said to be one of the easiest to learn for most mages.
Now she had a new talisman with a runic square, filled with what felt like an effectively-made fire inscription. The problem was, she didn't dare try to test it out, at least not in her own room. As she had just reminded herself with her healing spell, being able to construct an effective glyph was different from being able to cast it properly. Even if the book hadn't warned her about it, she would have been concerned about burning herself or the whole building.
Still, it was progress. If she was attacked, she had at least a desperate option for fighting back. And with that done, she couldn't justify procrastinating any further.
When Suria picked up the course catalogue, there were just too many promising options. She was required to take Foundations of Modern Spellcraft, and though Maut-mai and others seemed to view it as a bore, she thought it would actually be useful to her. Since she wasn't sure how difficult it would be, she resolved to take two other courses, and do additional reading on her own if she proved more than equal to the challenge. A mere two classes out of hundreds...
There were multiple courses that sounded extremely tempting and her eyes ran over them yet again. Some descriptions were written in formal language:
Exploration of Runic Capacity: Explore runes not merely as a capacity, but a field in their own right. Students will be expected to learn the fundamentals of how both the body and soul limit runic capacity, as well as the underlying mechanisms that promote growth. No minimum runic capacity, but academically rigorous.
That one could be very useful for building up her fundamental strength. Another in the same category was a popular class with a well-liked professor, which had an entirely different sort of description:
Greater Spells and Greater Glyphs: Wondering just what a great spell is? Tired of confusing and arbitrary tiers of spellwork? Join now and learn the secrets of taking your craft from gooder to greater!
Despite the informal course description, Maut-mai and others said that it was always a full class, and potentially useful to students in different years. Her only hesitation was that it said nothing about a minimum runic capacity, so she didn't know if she'd qualify.
Another course that sounded intriguing was called "Combat Perception" and it had caught her eye because Orinyan Gessalsah was apparently teaching it. She had checked carefully and it was the only class he was teaching that term aside from a more specialized librarian training course. Just having a professor who she knew was friendly and a good instructor could count for a great deal.
There were also several classes that she considered primarily because they were taught by one of the head professors but still open to first year students with few qualifications. Lia Huen Rei taught a course called Magical Analysis In Depth, though the description made it sound extremely challenging. By contrast, Nulphus Abouric made his Fundamentals of Arcane Elements sound welcoming, and she saw that it was a requirement for most interesting classes in the Naturalism department. A class called Self-Transmutation for the Practicing Mage sounded fascinating, but it was taught by Tollvard Rhamsolk and she wasn't sure she wanted to get close to him so soon after he killed Lirngelf.
When she was honest with herself, she sort of wanted to study everything. There were numerous courses under Alchemy that sounded like they would complement healing abilities perfectly, for example. Many Enchantment courses looked useful, though Professor Eortrax had such a mixed reputation that she shied away from them. Even many of the purely academic classes would be fun: she could learn about magical cultures, history, or trade across the world.
Of course one of her main objectives was to gain basic competence in self-defense, so she needed to take an appropriate class. Though most fields could be used in combat, Evocation was the most obvious choice, and the listings were clearly written for students with that goal:
Basic Combat for Mages: Spellcraft must be used carefully on the battlefield, particularly in an age of projectile gauntlets. This course focuses not on combat spells, but on the tactical questions that can transform a mage from a liability to an asset. Essential for any mage on a combat track.
Introduction to Glyphic Combat: Learn the fundamentals of crafting glyphs useful in violent conflicts. Students will internalize a variety of combat-focused inscriptions and then display mastery in practice sessions. Final examination includes both academic and physical components.
Material Evocation: Master the ability to apply elements and other effects in conjunction with weapons and armor. Class eschews Enchantment or extended preparation in favor of instant effects. Students must bring their own equipment.
She didn't think she would actually take the weapons-based class; she was just fascinated to learn that it existed. The other two were both high on her list of potential choices, since they seemed like good foundations. Her attention kept wandering past them to the later sections, however. There were classes with names like "Magnified Application of Runiotic Spellcraft in Warfare" that seemed so technical she wasn't sure what they actually taught, alongside a simple name like "Battlefield Evocation" that promised spells that could turn the tide of battle.
Every time she let herself look at the higher classes, Suria became dizzy at how much there was to learn. Thaumatic Calculus, Leximancy in Advanced Glyphcraft, Deeper Runiotics, Integrative Orthomancy, Tomograthurgy... she wasn't even sure what some of those words meant. There was a whole section of classes with "Inscription Construction" in the name that promised to teach how to create fundamentally new inscriptions.
Suria realized that she had let herself become distracted again when Maut-mai returned. Her roommate groaned and dropped onto her own bed in a sulk.
"Greater Spells and Greater Glyphs is already filled," Maut-mai explained in a muffled voice. "I should have signed up for everything earlier."
"That's too bad," Suria said, though a part of her was glad that her choice had been simplified. She probably wasn't ready for a class like that, anyway, so she should take one of the other foundational classes.
"You still haven't signed up?"
"No, but I will at noon, like you advised."
Fortunately, it didn't seem like Maut-mai wanted to chat much after that, leaving Suria to all her worrying. She really needed to make a decision soon, and she recognized that she was going in circles, so she returned to her list of objectives.
Alchemy and other supportive classes could be deferred until a later term when she officially joined the Medicine program - the professors might even be able to advise her on which of the many courses would be most useful to her. After a while, she reluctantly crossed out Orinyan's class, judging that she was biased toward taking it because she liked him personally. She couldn't afford to make a decision that way until she had a stronger foundation.
It took her longer to give up on the classes taught by the thrones. She might be able to get closer to them and learn more about them in a class, but the truth was that she would be one of many students and trying to get information from them would stand out. Better to understand a few more basics about the conspiracy before she began pursuing information on individual professors.
As she looked over her list of objectives, Suria realized that she was being overly optimistic. It would be easy to make a schedule of years of classes for herself, all of them neatly building on one another, but reality might not cooperate. If her plans only considered best case scenarios, they would be terribly brittle.
When she was honest with herself, she seemed less likely to be threatened by a direct attack than by her limited funds. Without the scholarship to Darkmoon, she would be in a terrible situation in an unknown city, as her venture there had taught her. For that matter, she wasn't even certain that her scholarship would cover her during the breaks during the year, and she certainly couldn't afford to go back home. Even if she managed the trip, she would be imposing on everyone who had sent her off to study.
So she spent some time examining the humbler courses in the catalogue, those that nobles would never dream of taking. There were classes involved in magical farming or textiles, of course, as well as practical skills-based classes in just about every subject, especially Enchantment and Alchemy.
Resolving not to spend any more time dithering, Suria made herself leave for Convocation Hall before she had made a final decision. It was just as well, because even at noon there was a line. She waited, eyeing the tapestries in case one of them did anything time-loopy, and considered her choices as her turn came closer and closer.
Now that she was looking at the less theoretical classes, some of them sounded more interesting than she expected. With just one person ahead of her, Suria suddenly laid eyes on an interesting-sounding description:
Commercial Application of Talisman Artificing: This course teaches practical skills and formations required to craft market-ready talismans that can be used by other mages. It is primarily a laboratory course, but includes lectures on viable talismans in the modern age as well as production methods.
Until she could afford a runebook, talismans were her primary tools, and the practical skills from a course like that could improve her abilities from a different angle. The fact that it focused on hands-on work would balance out her more academic courses, plus it would give her access to a lot of supplies that would otherwise drain her funds. And ultimately, it should give her a way to make money for herself if it was ever necessary.
And, to be perfectly honest, she really wanted to know how someone could make a glyph that could be used by someone else. She knew it must be possible, due to the existence of combat gauntlets and many other devices that were mass-produced, but the general law was that mages could only use their own glyphs. It would be nice to solve a smaller mystery instead of facing the big questions.
When it was finally time for her to enter the offices, Suria had no idea exactly how it would go. She had seen Houdon Droucet earlier on, though the secretary didn't so much as look at her. Later she'd been startled to see that Shuguja was back, pale but apparently healed.
Instead, Suria ended up in an office across from a younger woman who she'd never seen before and who didn't seem inclined to chat.
"First year, first term, scholarship." The woman read off a paper without looking up. "You've decided on your classes?"
"Yes, I'll be taking three," Suria said. "Foundations of Modern Spellcraft, Introduction to Glyphic Combat, and Commercial Application of Talisman Artificing."
"Alright." The administrator jotted a few things down on her paper, then set it aside. "That's it, you're done."
After so long pondering, Suria was almost disappointed. Somehow she had expected that someone would talk to her about her decisions, perhaps give her some counseling regarding her future as a mage. Even in their brief interview, Professor Gwaslos had been far more personable.
Then again, Darkmoon University had thousands of students and she hadn't distinguished herself as any great genius or wealthy noble who needed to be catered to. Just being able to attend on a scholarship was amazing enough - everything else she would need to earn.
~
Now that she was completely enrolled for her first term, Suria was determined to spend all her time inside the Taedric Building. She only had to walk down to the cafeteria to eat, and books were common there, so she could spend nearly 100% of her time reading to prepare. Given how challenging the coursework was rumored to be, she needed it.
As far as she was concerned, there wasn't even any sacrifice involved. There were no more ceremonies, so the rest of campus was just boring gatherings and students wasting their precious time in revelry. She was happy to avoid all of that and just glad that there wasn't too much noise in the main dormitories.
The first volume of the Classical Glyphos Primer series was more interesting than she expected, even if languages had never been her forte. So many of the terms were related to the fundamentals of magic that she was still learning things, like how "kan'tin" was a part of the soul, or the modern words for "rune" and "inscription" were legacies from the Glyphic Imperium.
Just when she was beginning to think that her plan would go perfectly, Maut-mai entered their room and frowned at her.
"Suria. Suria." She shook her head in dismay. "Do you intend to spend all your time inside? This is a critical week for social engagement."
"It's my last chance to prepare for classes." Suria pointedly didn't look up from her newest book.
"Believe me, you'll regret it if you spend your entire time at university just studying." Maut-mai sat down on the bed beside her and regarded her seriously. "They're having a krashorb tournament today. Try it, you must."
"Krashorb? That... does not sound like something I'd enjoy."
"It's a new sport from the Akrashic Union, and it involves heavy use of glyphs. I think you'll like it. If you don't, I'll never bother you again, I promise."
"Well..." Suria reluctantly placed her book into her satchel and let herself be coaxed upward. "Do you suppose the 'krash' in the name has the same etymology as the nation's name?"
"I don't know," Maut-mai said as she steered Suria out the door, "but I imagine there will be people present who care about that sort of thing..."
Suria had been afraid it would be some sort of sporting event where people carried an orb around and smashed into one another, but krashorb proved to be more diverting than expected. Instead of taking place in the grand arena in the western side of campus, it was a more informal event taking place in the field of broken arches. There were crowds, yes, but they seemed surprisingly academic.
The rules weren't too hard to grasp, even without anyone explaining things to her: two sides created a magical orb and then the orbs struck one another in the air. What interested Suria was that they weren't being controlled by mages - both sides had to build the rules into their orbs before the start. Victory was usually determined by better controlling glyphs, which looked amazingly complex to her.
Even if she wasn't enraptured by the sport itself, she immediately understood how useful those techniques could be. Maut-mai didn't know any of the details, so Suria began roaming around the field in between matches, trying to listen in on the expert groups. They were all older students and their discussions made it sound like krashorb made heavy use of the same magical techniques as golems or other automatons. She was tempted to ask for details, except she doubted they would want ignorant questions from a first year student.
Could she ever imagine herself participating in such a sport? Suria doubted it, but she did want to attain enough mastery to be able to understand it. The ability to encode instructions into a device was a fascinating bit of magic that could be useful for so many different things.
Just as she was starting to relax and enjoy herself, Suria overheard a different sort of conversation.
"The Red Flames just lost. They definitely won last time."
"It didn't come down to luck at the end, either. I don't know what to tell you."
"Are you sure someone didn't interfere? Wasn't Gerial betting on matches before?"
"Definitely not, I've been watching. That was the whole point of the experiment, wasn't it?"
"But what does that mean? If all the conditions are the same, does success come down to pure chance?"
"Well, we've been walking around differently, maybe that causes small changes."
Suria froze for several seconds as she listened. The speakers were two students about her age, yet there was something ominous about them. One wore glasses that completely hid his eyes, while the other was a man from Febek-Rai, who saw her gaze and responded with a scowl.
She pivoted away, refusing to look at them again, telling herself that she must have misunderstood. They were probably just two krashorb enthusiasts arguing about the role of luck in their sport, nothing else. Teams played matches against one another multiple times under different conditions, so that was an ordinary sort of thing to discuss.
Normally Suria thought that she was bluntly honest with herself, not prone to self-deception. Now she desperately wanted to deceive herself, to go to classes and learn magic and forget all about the time loop. She might be able to do that, but she was just honest enough that deep down she knew that, if she'd heard right, it wouldn't matter whether or not she believed it.
-
I know some readers want there to be only one person in a time loop, but the part that interests me is the interplay of manipulating the timeline, otherwise it's just an OP protagonist with extra lives. Lirngelf shows up early to signpost that other loopers exist and that none of them are invulnerable, but is that enough? I guess we'll see.
Speaking of other readers, Throne of Time is up on RR now:
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/172653/throne-of-time
If you're here, you're always going to be ahead of the public chapters, but if you want to support the story, would you consider clicking over? I'm hoping to get enough momentum that new readers find the story. The following help:
1) Reading the chapters supports the algorithm.
2) The big popularity lists are based on numbers of followers and favorites.
3) Comments might help, but I'm not sure how much.
4) Reviews and ratings are actually less important at this stage, since the story is so new there's not much to judge. The story could use them eventually, though.
Regardless, I'll continue posting chapters on the MWF schedule, but I hope to have an increasing number of people here with us. ^-^