The hardship was that despite all that, Jackson found himself liking the man. Certainly more than the pretentious headmaster or boring Master Jurgen with his lectures on politics or even Master Simons teaching about magic. Who would have thought that learning magic would be boring? But in a world where it was more about assigning character points than actually training in magic, the theory of magic turned into snoresville for Jackson. He chuckled at the thought more than once, thinking that Mira would have eaten this up, as she had when he had last visited her. She seemed to want to talk about nothing else besides magic.

  “I’m sorry, Master Meyer, I didn’t know we were late. I believe that we have history class first period this morning,” Gianna said.

  “Quite right, Your Highness, and you along with Lady Milessa will be attending that class, but I am here for young Master Nelson.”

  “Me, why me?” Jackson asked, quite surprised.

  “It has been decided that some of the stronger students will be assigned out with professors to oversee them because a trio of missions came up. So you will be coming with me.”

  “Me too?” Tabor asked hopefully.

  “No, I believe that you have been assigned to Master Weber based upon your experience setting up fortifications. So, Master Eikhorn, go back to your room, gather what you need to be out of the city for a week, and then report to the front gate for further instructions.”

  Both boys looked at each other, bummed to be split up.

  “And why can’t Milessa and I go on one of these missions?” Gianna asked.

  “First off, because you are students here at the academy, and royalty or not, you will do as instructed. Secondly, because you are visiting royalty and these are real-world missions with real consequences. The king has strictly forbidden us from involving you. I would not be surprised if your griffon guard doesn’t take you home, as Konig may not be safe much longer,” Master Meyer said.

  Each of the four started to ask questions, but he simply cut them all off. “Now, follow me, Master Nelson. We have a mission to get ready for.”

  The instructor strode off with a purpose in his stride, so Jackson had to leap to catch up to him and then walk quickly. “Where are we going, Master?”

  “You will find out along with the other students. That is all you need to know for now. I want you to go and grab your gear. Pack light, as this is a combat mission, but bring weapons, any potions you have, as well as a change of clothes or two. You won’t be wearing academy uniforms or armor. Once you are ready, meet me at the duel ring.” After that Master Meyer veered off in a different direction, leaving Jackson to head for his dorm.

  Jackson’s mind raced. “Why the duel ring?” He would have been lying if he said he wasn’t a little nervous. Over the past couple of months he had begun to suspect that the hip injury had been a mere coincidence, but he couldn’t let his guard down entirely. Eloria played for keeps, and so did its residents.

  As he ran to his room, he couldn’t help but look at the fighting gloves on his hands. They were quickly becoming his favorite item. They looked balanced now with the fourth ring on them. He had gotten the extra magical ring for his reward for saving the city by alerting the king about the scree-fiend threat in the sewers.

  King Harold might be a bad person, at least by the standards which Jackson had been raised to adhere to. He might have cheated on his wife, and he might not do a very good job taking care of those he was responsible for as a king, but he knew how to give good gifts. According to the headmaster, who had given the four of them their rewards in public, the rewards were great treasures, and they needed to be very grateful for them.

  The sword that Tabor had gotten had belonged to one of the king’s ancestors and was quite a gift. The princess and Milessa both got a set of earrings with various powers. As awesome as Tabor’s sword, Planar Slayer, was, Jackson loved his ring. He felt that it was the best of the items, even if only for him.

  Apparently the king, or someone working for him, had done his research. Enough so at least that whoever did the digging found out about his gloves and the ability to wear multiple rings. At least that was what he assumed. Otherwise the ring he was gifted was nice, but certainly not on the level with Tabor’s sword. Gianna had commented that both the boys got better gifts, probably because they were the sons of important vassals and likely to play a part in the defense of the kingdom. She and Milessa were being thanked but were still outsiders.

  Really, he didn’t care why; he just knew that the ring was perfect for him.

  Ring of Duplication

  Quality: Epic

  Passive Effect: Duplicates the effect of any other ring that the user is wearing. The effects stack where applicable.

  Active Effect: 1/moonrise. May duplicate the effect of any ring being worn by targeted creature. This is in addition to the passive effect.

  As he was packing up his gear, Jackson realized that he still had four unassigned stat points and a bunch of character points. He had been thrilled a few weeks ago when he woke up to a notification of a bonus 100 character points as part of the patron’s blessing from Eris’ Rise. So far, though, he hadn’t spent any of them or the others he had stored up.

  Part of it was waiting for Tier 3, which was so close he could taste it. He hadn’t gained any XP since their sewer run; sparring matching and training classes didn’t apparently provide whatever was needed for XP. The other part was that the past three months had given him the opportunity to get used to his new body. That was invaluable in ways he hadn’t anticipated before.

  Now though, if he was going into a combat mission, he felt that he needed to spend the points. So he quickly assigned two points each to Strength and Constitution. With his gifted ring, he was now over 1000 health, and his Strength was climbing.

  For character points, he spent twenty on short blades since he already had a racial bonus of five. Then he added ten each to Blunt Weapons and Axes to max them out. His last skill to add to was ten more to Stealth, taking it up to twenty-five with his racial bonus.

  Jackson looked around his room. Thought about if he had overlooked anything or missed any skills that he should add to. Ultimately satisfied, he began to trot over to the dueling circle as butterflies built up in his stomach.

  When he got to the dueling circle, which was an area on the training field covered by a domed roof but without walls other than the corner pillars holding it upright, he found Master Meyer waiting for him. The master wasn’t alone, though. Michael Tornstadt and Gregor Nankin were also there. These had been his two biggest tormentors during the first semester.

  Both boys were now fifteen, and both were the sons of knights. Some here didn’t even consider them to be nobility, just little more than uppity soldiers. Jackson had never treated them like that, but from the very beginning they had been at odds with him, especially Michael. Jackson had never been able to figure out why either. At least not until the meeting he had witnessed with the cloaked man.

  Since returning from harvest break, Michael and Gregor had tended to avoid him. There had still been insults exchanged, and Jackson’s group had played some practical jokes on them, but nothing could ever be proven. Now both of them were limbering up like they were getting ready to work out.

  Besides those two, there was one other boy sitting off to the side with the luggage. It was Malten Schinhofen, his original roommate. Jackson looked around, trying to figure out what was going on, but he was immediately on guard. He ran through his options in his mind. He probably was faster than any of them there. Then he saw a couple of bows on two of the packs. That complicated things, but they probably couldn’t get them out before he could get away.

  “Well, now that all of you are here, we can get this unpleasantness out of the way,” Master Meyer said.

  “It’s only gonna be unpleasant for the half-breed,” Gregor said.

  “I will remind you to mind your manners. While here on the grounds of the academy, you are both just students here. To a limited extent we will act the same way once we leave the academy, but that is not legally true off of these grounds. Master Nelson is the son of a baron who is a direct vassal to the king. He is an heir to the largest barony in the kingdom and, in social terms, your better in every way. Socially speaking, he will outrank all of us, including myself,” Master Meyer responded.

  “That’s BS,” Gregor said. Meanwhile, Malten was busy studying the toe of his boot, and Michael was still stretching.

  “If we are going to be at each other’s throats, then how can we go on a mission together? And just what sort of mission is this, anyway?” Jackson asked.

  “We can go on the mission because we were ordered to do so. I answer to the headmaster. You may not have been the four I picked for this mission, but you are the ones who were assigned to me. Malten makes some sense, as his father will be our liaison with the royal forces we are working with. For now, that is all that you need to know…” His voice trailed off as another man walked into the dueling circle.

  The newcomer was dressed in the leather armor and insignia of Miromar’s Griffon Guard, but was not someone Jackson had ever seen around the academy. To his knowledge, only four of the guards here were griffon riders. Master Meyer turned to the man and asked, “Pardon me, but who are you, and what are you doing here?”

  As Jackson paid closer attention, he saw that this man was alert like a hawk and had a spring in his step like a lion ready to pounce. His hair was dark except for a smattering of gray on the sides, giving him a very distinguished look. He must have been at least as old as Jackson’s father, but was clearly fit and carried himself like a man used to fighting.

  The man turned and looked at each of them, lingering just a second longer on Jackson before nodding and then looking at Master Meyer. “I am Captain Naat’ha Aremay.”

  Master Meyer tensed just slightly, although Jackson probably only recognized it because he was accustomed to training with him for the past few months. The boys sucked in loudly, so apparently they knew who Captain Aremay was.

  “And to what do we owe the honor of your presence here, Captain?” Master Meyer asked. As Jackson paid closer attention, he could see the two men silently sizing each other up, but no matter how he evaluated them, the newcomer always came out on top in Jackson’s mind.

  “I have been sent to escort Princess Leonor home, as it is felt that Konig may not be safe for much longer. That and some other minor matters.”

  “Well then, don’t let us detain you. We are getting ready to depart for a mission, and I need to brief these boys, or rather young men,” Master Meyer said.

  Unfazed, Aremay asked, “And is one of these boys the son of Baron Nelson?” Even as he asked, he stared straight at Jackson.

  “Since you are staring at him, it seems that you know he is.”

  “And he is going on a mission?”

  “I have already said as much. Now I must ask that you leave so we can make our final preparations.”

  Aremay paused for a second as if thinking to himself before he said, “Unless the mission will take longer than a week, I will offer my assistance as an ally of Albia on your mission. That’s if you think me a worthy ally.”

  Malten burst out, “Praise the true gods. We get to go on a mission with Captain Naat’ha Aremay.” He blushed when the master glared at him, but still was smiling.

  Master Meyer said, “Why would you want to go on a training mission? And I would need to receive permission from the king to allow you to come on a mission.”

  Before anyone could say anything further, two more newcomers arrived. But they were people Jackson knew. Maxwell Smart and his lieutenant Leyna both walked into the dueling circle. Max said, “That won’t be necessary. If Captain Aremay is willing to offer his assistance, then we would be fools to turn it down.”

  The two men nodded at one another before Max continued, “I have been looking for you. The king assigned me to make sure everything went smoothly with transferring care for the princess over to you.”

  “You have found me, but another part of my tasks here will be completed by helping you on this mission. I am curious to learn more about some of Princess Leonor’s classmates, even if it is only a training mission,” Aremay said.

  “I think you know it is more than a training mission. There has been an incursion at Rostock, and the royal guard and local military units are already stretched thin. The king decided to use some senior students at the academy to make extra squads. It should be relatively low risk, but every extra sword helps. So, if you are coming, then I will join you all also,” Max replied.

  “Very well, my gear is with my mount, but I can be ready to leave in a few minutes.”

  “You won’t just fly overhead?” Leyna asked.

  “I’d certainly be happy to take you flying at some point, Miss Odegeiss, but for now, I think it would be better if I just travelled along with you. Just consider me another sword during battle and an observer outside of battle.”

  Max added, “Just so there is no misunderstanding, you will need to follow instructions from me, Sir Schinhofen, and Master Meyer during the mission if you are to come along. You are, of course, free to leave at any time.”

  When Captain Aremay nodded, Max turned to Leyna and whispered some instructions. Whatever he said made her giggle with a complete lack of military decorum, but then she walked away.

  “Now, Master Meyer, I presume there is a reason that you had the students meet here rather than the stables or front gate?” Max asked.

  “Well, yes, Captain Smart. While I respect you and will follow your instructions in battle, I am going to have to ask you to leave the running of my class to me. These young men may be about to go into battle, but they are still my students.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of intruding,” Max replied.

  With that, Meyer looked at each of the boys and said, “As I mentioned, I did not choose the four of you for this mission. Malten, I understand, but putting the other three of you together is silliness. I asked to bring Tabor and another instead of Michael and Gregor. When that was denied, I asked to bring someone else other than Jackson. For some reason, though, the headmaster was insistent that I bring this particular group.”

  The boys looked at each other with a bit of grumbling before Meyer continued, “That said, I am not going to put up with you all hating on each other. So we are going to have a little duel here and now. You all have been staring at each other for the last two months. Avoiding each other in our sparring classes.”

  Then he looked at Jackson and said, “I know what was done to you before harvest break, and I admire that you haven’t lashed out, but those feelings don’t just disappear.

  “As for you two, pretty sure that this was all on Michael. I get the feeling that Gregor just follows Michael, and I don’t really understand what either of you has against Jackson other than that he is the outsider and shakes up the power structure here.”

  “He is a filthy commoner who was raised overnight to one of the most important positions in the kingdom. And he is a half-breed. His father has mingled with a lesser race,” Michael shouted.

  Jackson felt a vein along his temple pulse as he clenched his fists. He took a step forward but was able to contain himself.

  “So let me get this straight. You are saying that the first Chosen of any of the True Gods in more than a generation is somehow lesser?” Max asked.

  Master Meyer looked at him and said, “Captain Smart, my class…”

  Max nodded and stepped back, showing he was giving the floor to the instructor.

  “It is exactly this sort of narrow-minded crap I will not tolerate. I don’t care what the headmaster says. You two will duel right now. This may not make you friends, but it will answer once and for all which of you is the strongest. It will decide your pecking order while on this mission. Then if afterwards you can’t pledge to respect the other, then I won’t take you into battle. My life is worth more than stupid prejudices.”

  Jackson’s head was spinning. If he was understanding correctly, they wanted him and Michael to fight. Probably not just fight, but beat the crap out of each other. Then the winner was gonna be top dog, and the loser was supposed to just follow orders. Call it sparring, call it a duel, call it whatever you want. It was still his teacher asking him to fight his classmate to see who was in charge.

  He remembered the anti-bullying assemblies and the lectures about how fighting was never the answer. He didn’t know why it was hitting him right now like this, but the truth of Eloria was made clear. It really was all about power. Maybe that was the way it had been on Earth too, but it was more subtle.

  Then, as those thoughts cleared his mind, he was left with the gleeful thought that he was going to get to fight his tormentor. Not only was he going to get to fight his tormentor, but it was being sanctioned by the school. More than sanctioned, it was an order.

  “To be clear, we are not going to use weapons. There simply isn’t enough time to set up proper healing, and more than that, if you are injured too badly, you won’t be able to go on the mission. This is going to be hand to hand. It ends when one of you is unconscious or taps out. Do you understand the rules?”

  Jackson nodded, and Michael said, “Let’s get this over with.”

  Everyone cleared the dueling ring to stand around the perimeter. Jackson felt the eyes on him, but then that voice that he hadn’t heard since the day in the sewers said, “There are no eyes on you. There is no one here but you and your foe. This is win or die. Show him what you are made of.”

  Jackson didn’t jump this time. He had almost expected the voice. It seemed fitting here at this moment.

  He heard the command to begin and jumped right in. This was something he had been waiting for, something he had dreamed about. It was actually better than that. Michael was a good bordering on great swordsman for his level and age. Hand to hand though, he was like almost all the other students, mediocre at best.

  Jackson, on the other hand, was beyond excellent. The Watcher’s preparation made it so his skill level was beyond anything else a Tier 2 could possess. Beyond that his health was high, his damage resistance was intense, and given his racial bonus to Agility, his mobility was greater than any human could hope to have at this level.