Prismatic Education Begins With A Spark 22 (MTG/Multicross)

Prismatic Education 22

Almost there…! Just one… last… stroke…!

The quill in my hand felt like a heavy metal bar with a boulder at the end, and my fingers were trembling as I struggled to maintain my grip on it. The rest of my body felt much the same; I was dripping sweat as I resisted the crushing weight on me, every muscle in my body screaming from the strain.

I finished that last stroke and lifted the point of my quill off the paper, completing the spell for the first time. Blinking away the sweat that had gotten into my eye, I watched as the poem’s glow pulsed for a moment. That was part of the framework it was designed with; words alone might have strength, but an entire sentence was even stronger than the individual words that made it up. 

With a flash, the entire written text dissolved into sparkling lights, which flowed into my body and filled up the vessel within by a significant amount. I breathed a sigh of relief as I felt the heavy gravitational pressure ease up on me.

Damn, that was seriously tough… I had no trouble lifting my limbs now, but they still trembled from the intense exertion I put them through. At least this finally proves that the spell works as designed. Though the difficulty curve definitely needs adjusting.

I glanced at the empty potion vial nearby. It had contained a high-quality potion of strength enhancement, and I had taken it just before starting to write this [Body-Tempering Poem]. Without it, I probably wouldn’t have been able to finish writing out the entire thing, and even then it was a close thing. If that was the case, then if I wanted to write the full poem out again, I would need another potion of that level. That would drain my funds pretty quickly, faster than my staff-making commissions could earn back.

Or at least until my body gets strong enough to endure the entire process. Now…

I drew on the Blue mana from the Vineglimmer Snarl, weaving it into a spell with a long sequence of gestures and muttered words. Glowing patterns appeared around me, the magical programs analyzing my body and displaying the data on a floating screen. After the Applied General Magic field trip, I went to research further into the spells that were being used, and updated my monitoring processes accordingly. Casting this new analytic spell was harder, but the information it provided was more comprehensive.

As expected, my body was now stronger and sturdier, and would likely continue to develop further the more I did it. Typing gestures interfaced with the spell, and the data was plotted on a graph. Another flick of my fingers, and I had predictions of my own growth to compare to.

Huh? Is it me or is there a larger boost than expected? I did account for the supposed jump when I completed writing the whole thing, Unless…

I glanced at the potion vial again. The effect was supposed to be temporary, but it seems like the internal component of my body-tempering spell had an unforeseen benefit. If I were to describe it in MTG game terms, it was like an enchantment that put a stat-boosting counter on me whenever I gained a stat boost that would only last until the end of the turn. As for how far that would carry me… well, that would take a lot more research.

Sighing, I dispelled the magic with a deft flick of my wrist, and went to take a shower to wash off the sweat. I wasn’t looking forward to what came next, even though I did it many times before already.

Documentation and report writing.

The weeks slipped by remarkably quickly, as I devoted my focus to my project. Reluctantly, I abandoned or postponed some of my other activities, like the dungeon staff’s analysis, research into further applications of the Spin, and even my arbitrary research into topics that interested me. I even went so far as to take a short leave of absence from my extracurricular clubs. Apart from classes and practical labs, and the occasional meetup with my friends, I was working on the dissertation for my project nonstop.

I could count myself lucky that I had good guidance counselors, who provided good feedback on the drafts I submitted for review. Sometimes, when I passed by the tavern or the cafe, I could overhear some students bemoaning their professors not responding to them quickly enough, or being vague with their reviews.

However, that wasn’t the only reason I had to interact with them.

As I thought about the latest school document to land on my desk, I couldn’t help making comparisons to the vague memories of my past life in a university, because there was a good amount of similarity in the way the lessons were approached.

I think a lot of the material taught was related to stuff we’d use once we start working. Makes sense, since it’s easier to recall when it’s only been recently taught. I tapped the point of my quill on the document before me. So I don’t know why this took me by surprise.

A career fair for graduating students, with recruitment agents from all over Arcavios hoping to procure talented mages for their organizations. The form was for submission to the guidance counselors, who would then forward it to whoever was in charge of making recommendations to the agents for shortlisting.

Thinking back, I did come across such things before while learning about Strixhaven, but somewhere along the way that memory had been relegated to the backlog, because to me, it was more along the lines of ‘not really related to Strixhaven’. Then the previous fourth-years, I didn’t interact with them that much because they were busy with project work, and me with my own year’s events, so I didn’t look too deeply into it.

Plus it was a smaller event than the recruitment fairs in my past life memories, as there weren’t that many big corporations needing more manpower or multiple startups hoping for fresh talent to help them grow.

So what is it I want to do after this…? I know I enjoy learning and teaching, but somehow I don’t feel like it’s the path for me yet. Plus, I really want to Planeswalk to experience what other planes have to offer. 

“Nothing wrong with that,” Professor Frois said to me when I turned in a blank form and told him of my plans to go traveling, “According to statistics, most students who diversify into courses from multiple colleges like you don’t immediately enter employment.”

The halfling Quandrix professor of Theory’s office had several tubes of water standing vertically in his office. That was the reason why he didn’t have as many books on the shelves as other professors. But they weren’t there for aesthetics; abstraction allowed other things to be stored within the water, such as data, and he had a whole database available to draw upon. He summoned a small quantity of it from one of them, reshaping it into a slowly rippling flat plane which he sent to float in front of me. 

“Have a look,” He told me cheerfully. 

I studied the data that was displayed on the water screen, which was depicted as a pie chart of post-graduation employment for students with multi-disciplinary studies like me. Nearly half of the circle was taken up by those who were undecided or not intending to work just yet. According to the description, this data covered the past decade, but I knew better than to trust it at first glance. 

Professor Frois’s specialty might lie in abstraction, but he also held a high level of skill with illusions, which was how I learned a few of my tricks. His usual method of doing so was to substantiate the illusions with gathered data, all of which was in the water columns, and could be carried around with him in the flasks on his person. 

As somebody once said, there are lies, damned lies, and statistics. Except when it comes to magic, the ways you can apply statistical maths get even crazier.

“From what I know of some of these students, they did find engaging work afterwards, just not right away. So go ahead and search for what you want to do after you leave Strixhaven,” The halfling encouraged me.

I nodded. “Alright. I’ll do just that.”

“But!” He raised a tiny finger, which looked more imposing than it should. “I recommend you pay a visit to that career fair nonetheless. It’s always good to be aware of your options.”

And so, I cleared my schedule and headed down to where the fair was being held. The venue was on central campus, making use of one of the training fields normally meant for Mage Tower teams to train. That meant that I wasn’t too familiar with how to get there. Fortunately, I had the pleasure of my friends’ company, and Dyna was willing to lead the way.

“Where’s Vyse?” I asked, noticing that my usual friend group lacked the elf.

“He couldn’t make it, because of his project,” Nivali answered, “Besides, he has his family’s estate to look after, so it’s unnecessary for him.”

“Oh yeah, the Ryddesas family is quite rich,” Dyna recalled, “Anyway, here we are!”

The normally empty field of this small stadium was now covered with several stands and booths, with students from all five colleges wandering among them. We decided to split up and look at the ones that interested us individually, with me accompanying Nivall as she went to look at the Prismari-targeted ones.

“Did your counselors recommend you to come to this too?” I asked her as we walked to the biggest one.

“No, but several of my seniors did,” The genasi replied, “For Prismari artistes, fairs like this are how one finds patrons.”

I glanced at the items she carried, pictures of herself in dancing poses, and magic devices that would replay scenes of her dancing. “So that’s your portfolio then.”

“That’s right.” Nivall wore a serious expression.

“How’s your performance preparation coming along, by the way?” I inquired, “Using what you’ve been learning from your show management course?”

“I’ve already reserved a performance slot at the Rose Stage, but I’m still working on the choreography with my counselors. Once it’s done, I can start on arranging the other parts.”

“Let me know when your performance is, I’ll go there to support you.” 

“How sweet of you.” She smiled at me, then focused on the booth we arrived in front of. “Hold this for me. Wish me luck.”

Holding onto the spares of her portfolio, I watched as Nivall introduced herself to the people manning the booth for a famous dance troupe, before turning to observe the other booths around the area. As always, the variety of things to see left me entranced.

Making a career out of the magical arts didn’t seem like an easy task, but there appeared to be no lack of groups that made use of it. Dance troupes, musical orchestras, art galleries who sought to advance their countries’ culture, it was an encouraging sight to see. There were also openings for those who preferred to work backstage; playwrights, costume creators, stage managers, et cetera. And for those who were more flexible, there were many places that would take those with the power of elemental expression.

As expected, magic has its uses in the military as well… I observed the orc in a uniform calmly explain the benefits of joining up with his nation’s military mage corps.

Now that I was paying closer attention, I could see other military-focused booths around, carefully spaced away from each other. Not all of them were seeking mages who could wield destructive magic like the ones from Prismari or Lorehold; some offered training as tacticians or logistic officers, depending on the skillset an interested applicant brought to the table. Engineers and medics were also in demand, so Quandrix and Witherbloom students were welcome as well.

Some of the booths belonged to trading companies; jobs for economists, salespeople, and investors were the most common ones I could see, but there were some that sought appraisers or artificers. The latter role interested me, but they didn’t seem to be seeking a magical focus maker at that point in time. Other booths were smaller in scale, like the one that dealt with perfumes. I recognized a few of the students at those booths as fellow members of the Entrepreneurs club, exchanging nods with them when we made eye contact. Their business expertise would certainly serve them well.

Nivall returned to my side. “They said they liked what they saw, and asked me for the date of my performance.”

“Congrats! Where to next?”

“There are other troupes to apply to, and then there are the patrons too.”

While I mainly followed Nivall around the fair, I did get the chance to interact with some of those booths. A few of them were only after students from a specific school, but they were happy to answer my questions even if I didn’t qualify. I got to hear from a paralegal how Silverquill students could serve as magical contract enforcers, and I observed Nivali as she engaged the representative of a bioscience company in discussion, wanting to know more about the new types of plants they sought to develop.

Magic truly was incredible, and there were so many ways one could make a living and a career out of it. I made a mental note to convey my thanks to Professor Frois the next time I saw him.

Some time later, I sat with my friends in a nearby restaurant as we had a late lunch together. I was enjoying a nice plate of spaghetti. Nivall’s portfolio materials had been fully distributed, so she was treating herself to a luxurious fish fillet.

“So what did you guys apply for?” Dyna asked us, nibbling one of the crackers that went with her thick soup. “The two Nivas, I already know, plant cultivation and dance, but what about Hofri and Roy?”

“Well, that’s the first time I’ve ever been called that.” Nivali murmured as she ate her salad.

Hofri finished chewing his bite of steak and swallowed before answering, “Actually, Dean Tullus herself asked me if I would be interested in becoming a professor after graduating.”

“Seriously!? That’s amazing!” 

He nodded. “Yes, I’m thinking of accepting it.”

“So we’ll be calling you Professor Ghostforge in the future!”

We congratulated him, before everyone focused on me next. Before I could say anything, Nivall spoke first.

“You didn’t apply at any of those booths. What are you intending to do, Roy?”

Well, might as well admit it. “You all know that I have my… extra memories, right?” I tapped my temple with a finger. “I’m thinking of traveling, to see if I can find out where they came from.”

“That’s… do you have to?” She asked me.

I nodded. “It’s what I want to do.”

I spoke the truth, even if it wasn’t the entirety of my motivation; if I were to be perfectly honest, it was what the Blind Eternities had to offer me that attracted me more. But it served as a good enough excuse. 

Nivall narrowed her eyes at me. “Is that so.”

“You do have a lot of interesting memories,” Nivali agreed, “I’d be interested if I were you.”

“Me too,” Hofri agreed.

“But don’t worry, I’ll be sure to come back to Strixhaven sometimes, and when I do, I’ll try to meet up with all of you.” I promised.

“You better.” The dwarf said gruffly. “Alright, that just leaves you, Dyna. What did you apply for?”

“Backup performer in a military band!” The fire genasi declared proudly.

“...what.” 

That last statement summed up everyone else's reactions.

Later, when we split up to go back to our respective dorms, I decided to accompany Nivall back to hers. Instead of using the teleportation circles, she chose to ride the shuttle back to Prismari campus. I noticed that she was oddly quiet the whole ride, though I caught her giving me looks every once in a while.

Just before we arrived at her dormitory building, I decided to speak up.

“Nivall, I-” A finger on my lips stopped me.

“You don’t need to say anything,” She said softly, meeting my eyes with a soft emotion in her gaze.

I tried to open my mouth, but she moved her finger to my chin and pushed upwards, keeping it closed.

“Just… be sure to come and watch my dance, okay?”

I blinked, but nodded. 

Nivall leaned in and gave a quick peck on my lips, before turning on her heel and fast-walking away. The sight of her hips swaying as she left distracted me, and it was only after she was out of sight that I finally realized something.

Wait, didn’t she say she was still working on choreographing it?

Afterword: Ahh… how many of us have wished that fun times at school would last forever? However, the sad reality is that all of us need to grow up, and that was what led me to the idea of a career fair for graduating Strixhaven students. There are so many magical disciplines, so naturally there must be many ways a mage can make a career out of them too. I wanted to explore the possibilities more, but my muse ran out partway.

The ending part was tough to write, because relationships aren’t always smooth going either. That’s just life…