“Green! You floating ball of an eyeball. It’s so o see you. Have you e to shower me with numerous levels for my amazing ability to sughter a big muscur woman?”

  Green blinks once, unfazed by the words spewing from the mortal's mouth.

  Quasi sighs. “I don’t suppose I get a more advanced administrator? Something with a bit more personality? I’m just saying, I could really get used to being praised.”

  The floating administrator blinks again, pletely and utterly unhurried to fulfill its duty.

  “I guess not. Alright Green, how many levels have I gained?”

  “You have gained a single level. You have oribute avaible.”

  “One level? Really? I think two levels would be far more reasonable.”

  The ball of glorious floating eyeballness floats un-menagly in plete silence. Even the occasional blinks make no noise.

  “Fine. Just throw the attribute point intth and the me Red.”

  “Aowledged”

  Green disappears and is quickly repced by the eyeball in charge of system reized jobs. Red blinks and floats in the exact same way that green does.

  “Did I get any levels in [Captain]?”

  “ive.” Red answers.

  “Yea, figured as much since I had to call you over. Anyway, show me my crew page.”

  Job: [Ship Captain]

  Level: Level 17

  Job Skills: 2

  Ship Size: Frigate

  Primary Jobs Avaible: 8

  Support Jobs Avaible:5

  Maximum Job Capacity: 22

  Primary Jobs

  [First Mate] level 11: Irmgard Von Braun level 13 [Sword Officer]

  [Quartermaster] level 14: Cillian Walce level 19 [Mert]

  [Security Chief] level 10: Boriss Smirnov level 18 [Skirmisher]

  [Chief Carpenter] level 7: Emma level 29 [Rune Smith]

  [Head Chef]: N/A

  [Chief Physi] level 7: hes level 16 [Druid]

  [Artillery Chief]: N/A

  [Navigator]: N/A

  Support Jobs

  [Boatswain] level 1: Auranta level 37 [Air Mage][Gunner]: [Cook]:

  [Carpenter]:

  [Rigger]:

  [Physi Assistant]:

  Lets see, everyo me is leveling in their job. I guess delegating isn’t going to give me levels. Damhes got seven levels already. Seems like reeg spinal neurons is something to get a burst of levels over.

  As for Auranta, it’s good to know that she isn’t hiding her level or css. All that’s left is to make sure that she’s not actually a champion.

  “Aight, everything looks good. That's all I o know. Send me back.”

  “Aowledged.”

  ________________________________________________________________

  Like a dream, the white room is repced by my [Captains] and my body is repced to that of a kitten.

  “All is good with the world.”

  I hop off the bookcase and walk outside my room. The moment I stop, my head pivots to a moving bright light at the end of the hallway. Following it, I halt right outside Irmgards room. What I find is Irmgard and Auranta sitting on a bed with an open book between them. Auranta’s hand is extended palm up. Right above her palm is a floating ball of fire. Irmgard has her hand doing the same, though g iual ball and fme.

  “You two seem to be bonding pretty well?” I walk inside and startle the two women.

  “[Captain].” Irgmard nods iing. “Auranta is trying to teach me to utilize magic.”

  Auranta closes her palm and the ball of fme disappears. “Apologies if this is not allowed.”

  I hop onto the bed. “It’s only not allowed if you don’t teach me too. I want to see if I use magic.”

  Auranta tilts her mask to the side. “I was uhe impression that [Druids] are already experienced in the magic arts.”

  Right. People keep thinking I’m a [Druid].

  “Ever heard of the [Shifter] css?” I ask.

  Auranta quickly leans forward in i. “Only in writing.”

  “And what does the writing say about the css?”

  “It says that [Shifters] obtain the ability to transform immediately upon obtaining the css. It also states that the transformations differ from [Druids].”

  “How so?”

  She takes a moment to stare at me through the tinted gss eye-holes of her mask. “Where [Druids] cast spells to shift their forms, a [Shifter] repces their body with ahe transformation also does not restrict the ability tee mana, so a [Shifter] stay transformed indefinitely.” She waves her hand towards me. “That’s why you are stantly in that form. It costs you less to stay in that form than the speed of yeion.”

  Yea, that checks out.

  “Did that writing expin how [Shifters] obtain new forms?”

  “It mentions the accmation of willing souls.”

  Willing souls? So what I kill has to be willing to bee a transformation?

  “Care to expand on that?”

  She shakes her head. “The book doesn’t go into further details on that. I imagi is simir to [Druids], where the beast is raised, cared for, and on its death the [Druid] obtains the ability to transform into the animal.”

  Well, shit. That sucks. I don’t think I have the time to find a powerful beast, care for it, and then wait for it to die.

  “Good to know.” I sigh. “So, yes, I’m a [Shifter] and I transform not by spell but by skill. I have no training or uanding of magic, but I want to take a crack at it. So, teach me like you’d teach a plete beginner.”

  “A beginner? Are you able to sense and shift your internal mana?”

  “I , yea.”

  “Then you are not a beginner. Magid spells are all based on one's ability to manipute mana in desirable forms. Those forms are dictated by the formation of ruhe number of them, and the specializations that you are capable of wielding.”

  Auranta grabs the open book on the bed, turns to a page, and then pushes the book to me.

  Looking down, I’m met with five circur symbols.

  “What type of magic a mage is capable of depends on whid how many of these specializations they have mastered. The specializations are Materialization, Destru, Alteration, Transfiguration, and Mutation.”

  She flips to the page where the first symbol is shown ier detail. The symbol depicts a flowing gas. “Materialization is the ability to manipute mana outside your body. It is sidered the most basic specialization and a requirement to even be offered the [Mage] css.”

  She flips to the page where the sed symbol is located. This symbol depicts a ball of fire. Auraends her hand with palm up. Immediately, a ball of fire es ience. “Destru is the ability to ge the very nature of your mana into a different form. This is done by maniputing your mana into a specifiiation. Currently, the runiation I have produced is called Fehu- meaning fire. This ball of fme is a bination of Destru and Materialization specialization.”

  With her other hand she flips to the page, depig a symbol of what looks to be random objects.

  “Alteration is the ability to shift the qualities of objects, eveed ones.”

  She lowers her arm and thus the ball itself. As I stare at it, the fire shifts and morphs into a pressed javelin of fire.

  She flicks the book to the page. The symbol now is that of dozens of random direal arrows.

  “Transfiguration is the ability to add a force to an object. That force be applied to anything, including a spell.”

  The javelin of fire starts to move on its own. It twists, spins, and drifts around the room. Then it stops. She closes her palm and the magic disappears. She turns the page.

  “The st specialization is Mutation. It is the rarest and most difficult- ohat I’m not skilled enough to even attempt without appropriate skills. Mutation is the ability to ge the structure of the physical world. It is the realm of [Healers] and to aent, [Druids].”

  She flicks back pages until all five specializations are present.

  “The specializations are the very basics of utilizing your mana. You do not o know them all, but if you wish to even be offered the [Mage] css, then you must learn to use one adequately.”

  I nod slowly as I stare at the five circles on the book. “You’ve dohis before.”

  “Done what?” She asks.

  “Expining magic. You sound like a professor.”

  Her hands move a on the open book. “I rofessor] at Plidsonia Academy. Teag aspiring [Mages] is something I have years of experieh.”

  I perk up in i. “Why did you stop?” I ask.

  “My… mother required my assistance as a [Ship Mage]. My studies took a pause until my assistance was no longer acquired. I eventually returo the academy, only for my assistao be called up once again.”

  I lean back to allow my tail to around my legs. “Right. That’s vague as shit, but I won't pry. Back to the subject at hand. How would I know if I’m capable of magic?”

  “All are capable of magic, even Buxon to the most limiting sense. But, not all species are capable of learning all specializations. For example, Buxon and Gemma are not able to use Materialization. Their bodies ot naturally release mana, so they ever manipute the external world. This limits them to only learning the other specialization. Unfortunately, that poses detrimental dao the individual's well-being.”

  “Mistakes are lethal.” Irmgard answers.

  Auranat nods. “Correct. Aernally malfuning rune exploding a meter away may scar you, but an internal one lead to a loss of a limb.”

  “Or worse,” I add my two ts. “So, I just o first move my maernally, right? If I do that, then I fling spells.”

  “Correct.”

  “Alright, give me a moment.”

  I y eyes ahe mana c through my body? Odd, it feels disected somehow, but also there. Willing the mana to move, I feel it course through my body with ease. Only when I try to force it to leave do I notice that there is o leave to, like my mana is pletely enclosed.

  “Huh. Odd. Let me try something else.”

  I hop off the bed and cel my transformation. I am bato my Fenrimorph form and all that the form entails. Irmgard stares at me with her usual resting bitchface, while Auranata shows just as little rea now. Holy, she seems human, but in an uny valley kind of way.

  Looking away, I quickly foy mana. This time, the mana doesn’t feel disected, though it does feel different- as though it is stantly raging and shifting. The reason bees immediately clear as the mana is being sued into my gaus. As the mana is lost, my body recovers it. This new mana causes a stant shift of my internal flow- never allowing the energy to calm.

  With a strety will, the raging mana es under my trol. I even halt the flow into the gaus- terminating the runes for the moment. Then, I attempt to force the mana outside my body… and again. It refuses. After several more attempts, I’m forced to give up. With a thought, my form returns to that of a kitten.

  “Damn, I ’t do Materialization.”

  “Are you sure you attempted it correctly?” Irmgard asks.

  “He did,” Auranta interrupts. “Astoundingly so. I’d argue he is even mifted tha the manipution of mana. His ability to grab hold of his entire reserve is astounding.”

  When I look at Auranta, I find the woman's eyes are aglow.

  “You see mana,” I say.

  The glow immediately stops. “To aent. But, I agree with you, your two forms are not capable of Materialization. Do you have other forms you wish to try?”

  Now you’re just prying. “I’ll try my other forms ter. In the meantime, I think you were teag Irmgard something?”

  “Materialization.” Auranta flips to a page much ter on in the book where an image of a three dimensional runic image is superimposed o a ball of fme. “This is the rune for Fehu. It is one of the simplest Runes known and is ideal for training.” She extends her palm upward. A ball of fire forms directly above it. “Irmgards job is to surround the ruh her mana via Materialization. This training improves Materialization and teaches one how to create the ru the same time.”

  I stare at the rune in the book for a long moment, memorizing it to perfe. “How would one learru without Materialization?” I ask.

  “By creating the ruhin one's body. Of course, the runes effect would be active in one's body- which be detrimental to health depending on the rune.”

  I pout. “Something like Fehu would be a detriment, correct?”

  “For training? Yes. But, I heard [Monks] form Fehu close enough to their skin that the spell effect activates outside the body.”

  My spiraightens in i. “Why would they do that?” I ask.

  “[Monks] are known to release explosive spells on physical tact with any object. Think of a fist that bursts into fmes on tact with fles- are you alright?”

  I halt halfway out of the room. “Huh? Yea… I just remembered I have something to do. By!”

  I rush out with an eager grin on my face.