Project Seraphina [LitRPG, Magitech, GL]

Monday gives way to Tuesday. Still no sign of our informants. Still no contact from the kidnappers; if they had demands for the two of us, I figure they would have sent them to us by now. That, in turn, lends more credibility to the notion that whoever was responsible really is after Mr. Jacobs, not us. And that tells me that whatever he’s been working on these past however many months or years, is a far, far bigger deal than even my current speculation.

Whatever it is, I know it has everything to do with both me and the other Seraphina out there, currently rampaging along the east coast.

For now, though, it’s time for Introduction to Ethertech, the one class that I’ve actually been most looking forward to teaching. Spreading the knowledge of glyphs and Ethertech is my civic and moral duty, for the betterment of technology for all humankind. By doing so, I promote the democratization of power away from being held exclusively by Chloe, me, and the handful of others able to leverage advantages in the early days of the System into higher levels and stronger Skills today.

In contrast to my other two classes, taking place in a literal auditorium and the track field, and in front of audiences of hundreds and thousands, there are only twenty-one students enrolled, as well as two students auditing. And it’s in a small classroom, with actual desks and a limited amount of room, and none of the equipment needed to broadcast the lectures online. Did I for one second think that none of the students would surreptitiously record on their phone or laptop? Not a chance in hell. But that wasn’t my monkey and it wasn’t my circus either if I could help it.

What does surprise me is that there are no fewer than four of my fellow professors in the class, interspersed among senior undergraduates and a few grad students. Technically this is a three-thousand level class, but the fact that this is a new discipline means that there’s no body of experience or expertise to draw from. So maybe it shouldn’t surprise me as much as it does.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” I say right as the clock strikes two. “I believe this is room 217?”

Everyone nods.

“Good. Well, if that’s the case. I’m Seraphina Mortensen, this is Introduction to Ethertech, and if you are not in the right place, now is the time to make your way over to whichever room your class is taking place in.”

No one moves.

“Now then, I want to apologize in advance.” I pull a stack of syllabi out of my [Inventory] and hand them out in the blink of an eye. “I am going to be the first to admit that I am not an expert in the field of Ethertech. No one on Earth is an expert, and anyone who says they are is lying, either to themselves or to you, or both. I am learning as much as you are, and what I will teach you will be a combination of my own personal experience and the insights I have been able to glean over the past five months.

“As for what Ethertech is, it is a combination of two subdisciplines. Enchanting, and spellcraft. Spellcraft is exactly the wizardry the name would suggest. Those of you with magic-focused classes gain certain spells, beamed directly into your conscious minds by the System as you gain levels and Experience and fulfill certain other conditions. One might liken this to ‘sorcery’. It’s innate, efficient, powerful, and utterly inflexible. Beyond that, it requires the right classes and Skills to function at all. If you chose the wrong class, well, tough toenails.

I have the class fully attentive now, and I continue. “In contrast, the spellcraft I am going to teach is the other side of the coin. Wizardry, magic which requires studying, discipline, mental fortitude, and hard work. While not as elegant or as simple as getting the knowledge beamed directly into your head, it does allow unparalleled flexibility, far more than twelve or eighteen Skill slots and a couple dozen known spells can provide.”

“Can you give a demonstration?” one of the younger-looking students asked, one who gave the impression of trying to fight off the mid-afternoon doldrums after spending the morning thoroughly buzzed on caffeine.

I start tracing out the glyph of [Fire] in the air, allowing its resonance to permeate and perturb the ambient Ether in the air around me. I then channel a dozen points of [Ether] into the spell and allow a gentle orange flame to emanate out of the air before me. By increasing the flow rate slightly, I allow the flames to expand outward, stopping right before the older gentleman in the front row starts to sweat.

“This is the most basic form of [Glyphcasting], the magic that I, personally, employ. Now, casting in this manner is difficult on the field of battle, where a conflict can last mere seconds and minutes might as well be millennia. However, by imbuing these spells onto a proper substrate, we get into the realm of enchantments, the precursors and building blocks of the new technology being developed across the world over the past several months.”

A young woman in the back raises her hand. “So, um, Professor, does that mean that we could store up a whole bunch of spells on pieces of paper and cast them as needed in the middle of a fight?”

A good question, which I acknowledge. “Yes, in theory, but in practice, it is not so simple. A simple spell like the basic [Fire] glyph is easy enough for almost anyone to cast. But casting something far more complex requires sufficient [Ether] and a strong enough [Mind] stat to handle the mental strain of channeling so many different glyphs. A strain which, from my experiences, increases superlinearly as the number of different glyphs involved increases as well. Especially once all the various runic links are embedded into the structure.”

“Runic links?” an older female professor asks before I can explain further.

“Enchanting and spellcraft is a language all its own. We have glyphs for various concepts, elemental magics like [Water] and [Fire], concepts like [Straightness] and [Compression], and can invert a glyph— in the literal, physical sense of turning it upside down— to negate its meaning. However, without the additional runes interlacing and connecting those glyphs, you’re getting the equivalent of a toddler throwing a tantrum. Throwing around [Ether] for catastrophic and potentially explosive effect… Which usually isn’t what you want to be doing, and isn’t how or what I intend to teach everyone in this course.”

I continue after giving a few seconds for my students to finish jotting down their notes. A few enterprising individuals even manage to sketch most of the [Fire] glyph I demonstrated moments earlier, although not without slight imperfections. I make a mental note of these overachievers; their dedication will serve them well down the line.

“Now, I’m sure some of you are wondering the obvious question: If it takes all of this work to conjure a simple flame, how is it that we have flying cars and bracelets that produce barriers worn by people who’ve never learned a scrap of spellcraft in their life?

“That, fundamentally, marks the difference between spellcraft and enchanting. Spellcraft is all about creating temporary effects through glyphs, shaping spells and powering them with one’s own [Ether]. Enchantments, on the other hand, apply to an object and fundamentally alter the structure and function of the constituent components. A sword enhanced with the glyph of [Sharpness] will be able to cut through solid stone. One enchanted with [Durability] will cleave against a whetstone a hundred times without so much as dulling its edge. Impart it with [Ice] and it will unleash cryonic energy with every swing, or perhaps [Light] and blind one’s enemies.”

“And how do we get from simple durability charms to flying cars?” a guy in the back asks. “Not all of us are cut out for combat.”

I take a closer look at the guy. Slumped posture, skinny arms, furiously taking notes. One of the overachievers from before, already iterating on the [Fire] glyph. Probably had some sort of [Enhanced Insight] Skill not unlike my old [Tinkerer] Skill from way back when. An absolute prodigy in the classroom, if I had to guess. And if I were a betting woman, I’d put good money on the fact that I’m the first girl his own age he’s talked to in half a dozen years. Just needs a bit of confidence, really.

“I agree. Not all of us are cut out for combat, and yet combat may come to our doorsteps nonetheless. Fornieth, that demon menace from last week, wasn’t just going to sit by and spare you for no reason other than because you ‘aren’t cut out for combat’. Had we not properly exorcized him back to hell where he belongs, we’d all be dead right now.

“However.” I pause for emphasis, waiting for him to look me in the eye. I give him a slight smile. “Knowledge is its own form of power, and never has that been more true than today. A little bit of insight and guidance on how to use that knowledge never hurt anyone… unless of course, they needed to be hurt.”

I coughed; those last few words probably weren’t the most appropriate in a classroom lecture with faculty members perhaps less inclined to the thrill of battle than I. “Anyway, I hope that answers the question satisfactorily. Now then–”

Another hand goes up, this one from one of the professors, one I vaguely remember speaking to back at the first lecture unceremoniously dumped upon me like so much high school cafeteria chum. Sadly, my [Mind] isn’t quite high enough to recall his name and department. It was months ago and I was extremely tired after a four hour seminar with less than ten minutes of prior warning beforehand.

“Will you go into detail as to the schematics of your left arm? I tried to read the working paper you and your colleagues published, but there were a lot of questions I had regarding my own forays into design.”

Dr. O’Neal had warned me that this would be a challenge, given the unique nature of the course and subject matter. There’d be undergraduates taking the course as an elective, as well as professors already working on their independent research in the area. I would have to steer the course more toward the former for accessibility, but I was offered a helpful trick of rhetoric for these sorts of challenges.

“In a couple of months, circumstances permitting. Probably in week ten or so? Remind me after we cover logic circuits on the syllabus and I can see about getting in half a lecture on the subject. Though if you have any particular questions, we can discuss the topic in greater detail after class.”

The professor looks mollified by the words.

The rest of class continues largely without incident, right up until the very end of class when I sense an incredibly high power unmasking its presence just outside the door. One I both am relieved to see again so soon, and not at all enthused to talk with. Though it is good to know that Clara has some sort of ability to mask her [Ether] signature from my [Valkyrion’s Perception]. One never knew when an ally of convenience could turn into a bitter adversary down the line.

“Alright, that’s all the time we have for today,” I say at 2:15 on the dot. “I’ll be around for just a few minutes for brief questions, but then I will have to head out on another matter. Thank you all for the wonderful comments and discussion, and I hope to see you back here on Thursday, same time, same place.”