Chapter 161: Connections

Chapter 161: Connections

New Skills Unlocked!

Tier 1:

Drill (0 ->7)

Tutor (0 ->6)

Tier 2:

Teach (0 ->4)

Skills Leveled Up!

Tier 1:

Aim (32 ->33)

Athleticism (49 ->50)

Dancing (22 ->27)

Horsemanship (11 ->16)

Light Armor (10 ->12)

Marching (25 ->27)

Memorization {Social} (15 ->18)

Observation (50 ->51)

Ride (14 ->18)

Running (48 ->49)

Rhythm (23 -26)

Tier 2:

Alcohol Tolerance (7 ->9)

Eavesdropping (28 ->30)

Evasion (49 ->50)

Gab (13 ->18)

Mana Absorption (52 ->53)

Mana Circulation (37 ->40)

Meditation (35 ->38)

Sense Mana (62 ->64)

Silent Step (11 ->14)

Strategy (26 ->29)

Tactics (30 ->32)

Tracking (7 ->9)

Tier 3:

Ambush (6 ->10)

Battlefield Awareness (38 ->40)

Blind Fighting (20 ->23)

Command (42 ->43)

Commanding Shout (24 ->25)

Danger Sense (25 ->27)

Detect Lies/Truth (7 ->10)

Inspire (38 ->39)

Mana Sight (51 ->52)

Night Vision (22 ->25)

Poison Resistance (1 ->3)

Sense Threat (11 ->13)

Silver Tongue (8 ->10)

Sure Step (14 ->15)

Tier 4:

Dreams of the Past (16 ->17)

Dual Casting (39 ->43)

Mana Weapon (34 ->36)

Spatial Awareness (46 ->50)

Tier 5:

Heroic Bearing (16 ->18)

Mana Drain (4 ->6)

Mana Healing (2 ->5)

Mana Reinforcement (5 ->10)

Multi-Casting (2 ->6)

Tier 6:

Weapons Master (70 ->72)

Regeneration (6 ->8)

Tier 6.5:

Divine Sense (4 ->6)

Reivyn perused the progress he had made in his Skills over the past several months. It wasn't the first time he was seeing it, but he hadn't dismissed the screen. He had let it accumulate into an in-depth picture of growth over time. There were a couple of things that stood out to him.

It seemed that his Divine Sense not only didn't hinder his other Perception Skills from Leveling Up, but it also accelerated their growth rate. His Night Vision was perfect within his Divine Sense Range, and yet the ability to "see" everything in near-pitch darkness had helped the lesser Skill increase. That effect translated into his ability to see things outside of his Divine Sense range, as well. The greatest beneficiary of this synergy had been Spatial Awareness.

Refix stepped out of the void corridor with his wife and daughters in tow. They had learned their lesson from the time they had been briefly separated when the void corridor had collapsed on them, and they had traversed the way holding hands. Each of the members of Refix's troupe had made the journey with four or five similarly holding hands.

They weren't going to take the chance of everyone getting split up again. Refix had remained calm on the surface, but there had been some real terror when he witnessed his wife and children get flung into Space.

"So this is Willowan," Ameliyn said, looking around. She took a deep breath. "This place is a bit superior to the other Tier 4 Regions we've traversed to get here."

"What do you mean, mom?" Kailey asked.

"The Mana density feels the same to me," Riley said.

"It's the purity," Ameliyn clarified. "Each Tier Region has almost an identical amount of Mana density, but the level of purity varies. Some of it has to do with the climate. Some of it is due to the natural resources present. I've also heard that the people can have an effect, as well, though I don't know how true that is."

"Reminds me of home," Refix said wistfully. Ameliyn gave him a small smile, but Kailey and Riley just looked at him in confusion.

"What home?" Kailey asked.

"Garoq?" Riley quirked an eyebrow.

"No, no," Refix said with a chuckle. "I'm talking about a long time ago. Your mother and I weren't born in Garoq, I'm sure we've told you that."

Kailey and Riley shared a look, frowning at each other. They looked like someone looking in a mirror to Refix. Their facial expressions loosened at the same time as they had an epiphany.

"Princess Amily," Kailey said.

"And Brave Sir Fenrix," Riley added.

The two turned to look both Refix and Ameliyn up and down, thoughtful expressions on their faces.

"I don't see it," Kailey said.

"I thought Sir Fenrix would be more dashing," Riley pouted.

"Hey!" Refix said, holding his hand to his chest.

Kailey and Riley burst out laughing. They giggled together at the look on their parents' faces for a moment before they calmed down.

"So you've kind of been hiding it from us." Kailey gave Ameliyn a pointed look.

"Pretending to tell us a fairy tale," Riley said.

"We were going to tell you, but, you know, life happens," Refix said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Now's not the time for a history lesson," Ameliyn said, taking charge. She picked a direction and started walking off. "We need to locate the Magic Academy, find lodging, investigate the situation, and try to contact Reivyn.

"We have a lot to do, and I expect to meet my son as soon as possible."

"Alright, lead the way," Refix said. He motioned for Kailey and Riley to follow their mother as he stepped up to his Party mates. "Drok, Go find suitable lodging for everyone and send some people to mix with the pedestrians. Let's get a feel for the people here so we know what to expect."

"Yes, my lord," the large man who usually acted as Refix's vanguard said. Even though he wasn't wearing his heavy armor, it was unmistakable what his profession was. Nobody would look at him and think anything other than a frontline warrior.

He had a bit of an irreverent attitude, but that was something Refix actually appreciated about the man. Whenever the Party was split from being under his direct leadership, he was the man to take charge of the team. Having delegated a mission to his followers, Refix quickly caught up to his girls.

Ameliyn didn't waste any time. She immediately asked the first person she came across for directions to the Magic Academy, and she set off with purpose. Refix and the twins kept an eye out for the surroundings, taking everything in, but Ameliyn was razor focused on her mission to find her son.

The teleport circle was located on the outskirts of the Inner City from what Refix could tell. There was a wall nearby that separated the city from more city, so it wasn't on the outskirts. It was typical for the teleport circles to be located near the more prosperous center of capital cities. Only rich people, even by Tier 4 Region standards, made use of the teleport circles.

They didn't stand out from the crowd much. Other than hurrying along and looking around wide-eyed at everything, they seemed to fit right in. They had gotten lucky in the rotation of the teleport circles, and they had only had to spend four days before they reached their final destination once they had trekked across the land for a month to reach the neighboring empire capital. It was plenty of time to wash off the travel dust and get some much-needed rest.

It wasn't long before they were standing at the gates of a luxurious campus, and Ameliyn marched right up to the gate guard. The man held up his hand and stepped in front of Ameliyn, blocking her path. He wasn't hostile, or anything, but he was clearly barring them from barging through.

"May I inquire as to your purpose?" The man asked with a smile on his face.

"We're looking for our son," Ameliyn answered. "He's a student here."

"Certainly, certainly," the gate guard said, nodding his head.

He motioned for Ameliyn and the others to follow him to the office next to the gate. Another gate guard took up a position where he had left off. He walked to a counter and pulled out a large book from underneath.

"What's your son's name, and what year is he in?"

Ameliyn turned to Refix and frowned, flustered at the question.

"His name is Reivyn, but I don't know if he's a second-year or a fourth-year," she answered.

"You don't know?" The guard asked, skeptically.

"He was absent from school for three years," Ameliyn explained. "We got a notice from his previous Academy that he had transferred here, but we don't know any other details."

"I see." The guard flipped through the large tome and scanned the list of names present on each page. There were thousands of names, but the man went through them very quickly. He was apparently familiar with the task.

He flipped through several pages before putting the tome aside. He pulled out another one, and he once again began flipping through the pages. A frown appeared on his face, and it only deepened as he continued to search. He finally set the second large book aside, as well.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but there's no student here by the name of Reivyn." The guard said. He gave a little shrug and had an apologetic look on his face.

"What do you mean by that?" Ameliyn asked. Her own frown was beginning to deepen.

"Exactly as I said," the guard answered. "I'm sorry. Did you get the wrong information? You said he was transferred after several years absent?"

Ameliyn took a deep breath. Refix could see the fire building in her, and he quickly stepped forward, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

"The message of his transfer was very specific," Refix said. "The Willowan Magic Academy in Wispan. Is there someone we could meet within the administration?"

"Oh, sure." The guard nodded his head. "However, they're all very busy, so you'll have to make an appointment."

"That's fine," Refix said. He leaned over and whispered to Ameliyn, "It'll be alright. Just stay calm."

The guard pulled out another booklet, this one much smaller than the other ones that contained the student rolls. He flipped to the most recent entries and scanned the page.

"How does the afternoon mid-week sound?" The guard asked, looking up at Refix. "Two days is the earliest I can squeeze you in."

"That's perfectly fine."

"Alright, I'll put you down." The guard bent forward and made a notation. "When you come by, I'll be happy to escort you where you need to go."

"Thank you. You've been a big help."

Refix and Ameliyn turned around and pulled their daughters along with them. They stepped out into the street and turned to look at the Magic Academy.

"We're so close." Ameliyn sighed. "He's right on the other side of these walls. I can feel it." Ameliyn gave Refix a sideways glance. "Do you think you could..."

"I'm going to stop you there, honey," Refix said with a tight smile. "There's no reason to do anything foolish like breaking into the grounds. Yes, I could do it, and I could probably get away with it, too. It doesn't make sense to take the risk, though.

"It's only three days before we can get an answer from the administration. Let's just be patient."

"You're right. I'm not thinking clearly." Ameliyn leaned forward and gave Refix a quick peck. "We can wait another three days, but they had better have some answers!" Ameliyn gave Refix a stern look.

"I know, I know."

Reivyn suddenly stopped outside the doors to Kefira's mentor's office. He had a strange sensation in his gut.

"What's the matter?" Kefira asked, pausing her grasp toward the door knob.

"I don't know," Reivyn said, shaking his head. "I suddenly felt that I've forgotten something back at the palace. I got the urge to hurry back to look for something, but I can't think of what I could have forgotten."

"Is it important?"

Reivyn gave her a wide smile.

"How could it be? I'm not going to let whatever it is I forgot to intrude on our little bit of time together. I'll go look in a bit once you're busy."

"Alright, if you say so."