Summoner Summer Camp ch. 3-4

Chapter 3

Magic, as it turned out, was kind of bullshit. I don't know why, but for some reason I half-expected it to be all math, or maybe a new form of physics that hadn't been discovered by regular people.

Nope, none of that.

It wasn't even a recognizable language with standard grammatical patterns. Common incantations drew partly from Latin, though, so I wasn't entirely at a disadvantage. My prep for law school came in handy as I worked my way through An Introduction to Magical Latin.

Real magic was a combination of focused intention, magical potential, and words arranged in a specific order that made about as much sense as a crap sandwich. If I had to compare it to anything, magic resembled coding more than mathematics.

Latin phrases and rhyming incantations functioned as logic blocks. You combined them with wand gestures and occasionally ritual circles or sacrifices. The result would be completely incomprehensible to anyone who wasn't a Wizard. Code looks exactly the same to non-programmers—all those brackets and semicolons that somehow create a working program. The main difference was that when programmers mess up, they get error messages. When wizards mess up, they might accidentally turn their cat into a toaster or blow up their kitchen.

Maybe because of the familiar blend of Latin and programming analogs, I caught on fast. By the end of the first day, I felt confident that I was beginning to get the gist of things, and a lot of my nerves around getting through the material on time started to dissipate.

While I puzzled through the books, memorizing everything as rapidly as humanly possible, especially the bits that didn't make sense right away, I applied myself to my other pursuits.

Exercise wasn't anything I naturally avoided; it had just been an afterthought to everything else in my busy life. You don't manage multiple businesses and take care of your depressed widower dad while going to the gym for hours every day.

Things had changed.

Consuming as many fitness tutorials and protein shakes as I could in a couple hours and downloading a simple workout app wouldn't be enough, so I got myself a gym membership. The first few days were brutal, with my body voicing its disapproval with enough soreness to make getting out of bed my second or third choice, right behind downing a bottle of Tylenol.

Lying in bed at the dawn of the third day, I discovered a solution to that problem. It was in the appendix of Alchemy and You. Laid out in the style of a player's handbook for Dungeons and Dragons, I discovered a whole list of magical potions and tonics. Even better, the book directly referenced bits of the other manuals, particularly Basic Spellcraft.

Potion Name: (Lesser) Physical Adaptation

Complexity: Simple

Brew Time: 1-Hour

Duration: Instantaneous; see details

Material Components: Paprika, lemon zest, 3 unfertilized chicken eggs, 23 hairs from the target's head.

Activation Spell: See Basic Spellcraft page 205 under the 'Alchemical Activations: Biological' section.

Serving Size: 6 fluid ounces; see also Mana Costs on page 27 of this textbook and Casting Your First Spells! In Basic Spellcraft, page 87.

Details: This potion helps the imbiber to adapt to an ongoing physical stressor or adaptive pressure. The most common use is for fitness, as it can accelerate the recovery time by up to 99%.

Limitations: The (Lesser) version of the potion has a maximum adaptive capacity. See the notes on page 107 for additional information.

Caloric Requirements: This particular concoction may have caloric consequences. Be prepared to eat a lot!

Having discovered a solution to my problem, I forced myself to get up. Dressing in jeans and a shirt, I grabbed my wallet and headed out.

Dad, slouched on the couch in front of the television, called as I walked past. "Can you cast Magic Grenade yet?"

I paused as my brain rebooted. "What?"

"You know, Magic Grenade. Look, I may not be a proper geek, but everyone knows that Magic Grenade is the best spell in any fantasy world."

"It's been days, Dad. I'm going to the grocery store to get ingredients for a potion. If you want to come with or watch, you're more than welcome to."

"But...but," his expression was positively forlorn. "Magic Grenade?"

"As far as I've gotten that isn't even a spell. And you're thinking of Magic Missile which also isn't in my textbooks. I checked. Dad, I'm going to some kind of Summoning Summer Camp, not Dungeon Mage Badasses for Beginners."

A playful lightness entered his expression. "You know, I'll bet you a hairy frog nut the second is more fun than the first."

I almost mentioned the possibility of hot co-eds but held back. The last thing I wanted was to tempt my father down a dark path. No one, especially not me, wanted PervDad™ to make an appearance.

Waving him goodbye, I left the house.

Creating my first potion ended up being pretty simple. According to the textbook:

Mixing Your First Potion!

Mixing potions is a lot like cooking. Well, it is cooking. Only you'll also need the right words and intention. As you move into advanced practices, you'll need rare ingredients and (sometimes) special ceremonies to complete them. Just follow the recipe closely!

The recipe was incredibly simple. I put the ingredients together on the stove, waited for it to boil, then said the words.

"Musculi relaxent et recreentur!"

The first time I tried it, I must have mispronounced part of the incantation, or not had the proper focus, because nothing happened. I tried again, and again.

Still nothing.

Then I realized what I was missing. It was the intention component. I'd been so focused on getting the cooking and pronunciation correct that I hadn't considered the last part.

Intention was an intangible concept, and as such, a bit elusive at times. The textbooks made clear that struggling with forming the correct intention in one's mind for the entire duration of spellcasting could indeed be a challenge for beginners and even intermediate mages. It required a meditative sort of focus on a single thing, which was a learned skill. I didn't have a history with meditation, but merely understanding what my weakness was made it a lot easier to adjust my approach.

Brows furrowing, I envisioned a potion that would end my muscle soreness and leave me jacked. Well, not jacked. But ripped. I saw myself more as a really fit swimmer versus a bodybuilder or sprinter.

Ziiip!

On my fourth attempt a thread of blue energy shot in vapor form from my mouth and into the churning pot. Along with it came a sense of exhaustion, as if I'd just run a marathon after an all-nighter. Kind of the opposite effect of what I was hoping the potion was going to achieve.

Slumping, hands shaking with fatigue, I checked the contents of the pot. To my delight, there appeared to be enough for five or six doses, so assuming the potion worked as intended, it would more than make up for my temporary weariness.

I poured the contents into six small cups, capped five of them, then downed the first as soon as it cooled enough to be safe. The effect was immediate. All of my aches and pains evaporated. Better yet, a glance revealed my forearm had become very, very slightly more muscular.

The transformation left me feeling a little hungry, but it wasn't too bad. Remembering the note on caloric consequences, I made sure to eat a double helping of lunch and went on my way.

It didn't take me long to fall into a new routine, one involving reading, exercise, and drinking one of my new potions to accelerate the recovery. Now that I knew about fatigue and hunger, I made sure to do it in the evening, right before bed and after I'd had a big meal.

I became the protein shakes and eggs guy for a while. Not that I minded. The benefits made every bit of it worthwhile. By the end of the first week, I felt confident I had a good grasp on magical mechanics, including why my first potion had left me so tired.

I'd accidentally over-estimated the amount required for my recovery potion by a decent amount. Since each batch cost magic to imbue, I'd completely drained the natural reserves inside my body to create so much all at once.

Another awesome thing I discovered that week was a spell called Analyze Self. I couldn't cast the spell until I figured out how to use the wand, however.

As quick as I was at absorbing textbooks, I was much slower at mastering the art of the 'basic flick and swish' from Grip It and Whip It: Wands For Beginning and Intermediate Wizards.

With spells, at least some of the basics of human languages and basic logic applied. Using a wand felt more akin to being an orchestral conductor without music.

It took me an entire day and a half of regular practice before I got my first results with the wand. After that, it took another entire day to channel an actual spell that didn't fizzle out.

It felt incredible.

Unlike making the potion, casting a spell with my wand felt as if bubbly, gleeful energy flushed through my entire body. Only at the very end, once the spell took effect, did I feel the familiar drain of mana usage, but it was more subtle.

I started with Analyze Self and chose to draw on Dad's love of roleplaying games for my focus. Before starting the spell, I re-skimmed my textbook on the output for this type of incantation.

Revelatory Spells, Intention, and You!

Most revelatory spells will provide insight directly into the caster's mind, although they may also be directed to output on standard material (paper, not a digital screen).

These spells will manifest in a templated way; however the wielder's intent may customize them slightly. In almost all cases, this information will be easily translated between practitioners, so it's best not to worry. Enjoy your casting!

Pleased with the details, and being familiar with RPGs thanks to my dad, I used that as the framework for my intent. It took a few extra attempts, but I finally got it to work.

When it did, it proved to be an enlightened choice, as information flooded directly into my mind in neat, concrete terms I could understand. The spell revealed what I'd already suspected about myself—I was generally above average, though not by much. But where it mattered most, my intellect, I was off the charts.

The analysis showed my Intelligence at 18+, labeled as "Genius IQ," with a note explaining that this substantially boosted my mana generation and magical learning rate. That matched my own experience. Not to make myself out to be a special snowflake, but I'd always stood out from my friends and peers ever since junior high.

That's not to say I was better than them at everything, necessarily. Just apart, standing outside of events more often than not. Maybe this meant magic was precisely what I needed to find my place in the world. Then again, maybe I was just a narcissist with a stealthy case of the 'tism.

The magical readout was fascinating. According to the spell, I had a 50% boost to mana capacity due to my intelligence, plus an ability called a "Special Classification" that gave me 35% mana regeneration every hour. Most intriguingly, my class was listed as "Warlock" rather than the "Summoner" I'd expected. I made a mental note to ask about that when I got to camp.

The spell also showed the physical improvements from my training regimen. My Strength had jumped from 9 to 14, and my Constitution from 9 to 13, with notes about how these would influence spell power and durability. The analysis even revealed an advantage called "Human-Type" benefits—apparently I could cast any spell regardless of typical racial restrictions, which sounded incredibly useful.

Pleased with what I'd discovered, I focused entirely on getting the fundamentals down. I even started practicing basic creature binding in the backyard, which turned out to be a lot closer to catching Pokemon than I'd have expected. A review of my textbook gave me the basics.

***

Summoned Creatures - Categorization and Acquisition

Conjured creatures come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. We loosely categorize them based on rarity as follows:

Common: These entities are "free" for anyone with the right incantation and ritual knowledge. Think of them as being part of a creature "type" rather than specific entities. Binding them once connects them to the spellcaster, making it easy for them to be called again. Anyone may conjure these creatures, regardless of species or affiliation and there is no limit to the number of people who may bind them at a time.

Uncommon, Rare, Epic, and Legendary: These entities must be encountered and bound with magic. This process usually requires either a willing binding (via negotiation and ceremony) or unwilling capture (usually via combat). Each of these entities is unique and may feature talents or features that differentiate it from others of its kind.

***

There was even a list at the end of the book. The bad news was that, according to the texts, getting specialized bindings wouldn't happen unless I was on school grounds, or in another magic-rich environment.

In addition to everything else, by the end of the first week, I was ready to try riding my first broom.

Going out to the tiny, fenced-in backyard, I looked at the device. By all appearances, it was just any other broom, albeit a red one. As I closed my hand around a golden band near the middle, however, the wood morphed and flexed, subtly changing shape. The middle, right where I'd sit, curved to one side.

A quick consultation of my textbook filled me in. The curve was so I could put my groin in the right place and not suffer the entire time I was in the air.

That was only mildly mollifying.

Muttering the words of activation, I straddled the broom. I brought it up, tight between my thighs, then adjusted my manhood so it wouldn't be crushed.

With a deep breath, I said the command to hover. The broom heeded me, slowly lifting me several inches off the ground. As promised, the training broom operated at less than half-speed, a fact that I appreciated.

Ultimately, I came to realize that piloting a broom had more in common with steering a motorcycle than actual flying. The front was for direction, and my body position allowed me to veer one way or another. There was also a pressure and twist component that allowed me to manually adjust the speed.

Things got interesting when it came to the spells. Broom-flying spells acted a lot more akin to cheat codes. One could double my speed, or bring me to an abrupt halt. Another would transition my velocity from one direction to another. None required the use of my wand and instead channeled through the broom itself.

Better yet, because intention and focus were a factor, if a person had enough practice and mental discipline, all those spells could ignore physics to some extent.

I was going about twenty miles an hour on the fifth day of practicing when flying became even more fun than I'd hoped. I figured this thing could go a lot faster, but it was harder to master than I anticipated, and I had already fallen off once—thankfully while still low to the ground.

With my focus firmly in place, I cast a trajectory-altering spell. In an instant, I went from flying one direction to another, all without a loss of momentum or any jarring or jerking. I'd gone from north to west with zero cost other than a little mana.

That was cool.

At the end of the fifth week, the day before I was due to head to Camp, I spent some time checking out the bathroom mirror after my shower to see my body's progress.

I was still tall and lanky, but I was a lot closer to my goals than would have been possible without magic. The man looking back at me had the lean muscularity of a martial artist, complete with a little six pack. When I closed a fist, veins formed in my forearms, and there wasn't a hint of visible flab leftover.

Better yet, I felt confident that I'd mastered nearly everything in the books I'd been granted. Aside from my fairly rudimentary level of skill with broom-riding, the only other one I had yet to get anywhere with was The Joy of Sex Magic, as nearly every spell required at least one, and sometimes more, partner. There was also a good bit of lore around various species, and different types of magical bonds, and so on.

Deciding that it might be the one book I'd want some guidance on, I did my best to memorize the spells and made mental notes to ask a teacher about the rest. I only practiced a few masturbation spells once each, frankly, because it seemed... weird. It was also a bit more intense than I needed a jerkaroo to be---but I did manage to temporarily turn my dick into some kind of arcane metal for a bit.

Not gonna lie, that was terrifying.

"Guess we'll see how things go after tomorrow, eh?" I told myself, more than a little curious about just what sorts of women I was about to encounter.

That night, I had a late dinner with my dad. We went over financials and expectations while I was away. As we'd discussed, I arranged to have the house paid off in full and built a fund with plenty of money for groceries. He would keep what businesses he could alive and consult me if he ever needed to go over budget.

"What's this meal delivery crap?" Dad asked, looking at a list of notes I'd prepared for him.

"I'm going to be gone for a while. I figure it wouldn't hurt for you to at least try eating healthy for a while."

He gave me a sour look. "The last time I tried that, I woke up three blocks down the road, in a neighbor's house. Remember?"

Returning his gaze, I shook my head. "That's because you drank an entire bottle of wine. Plus, that was Fred's house, and you were raiding his fridge."

"Still, my point remains. What's good for the goose isn't always good for the baby goose."

"Huh?"

"Just because you're getting all healthy and fit doesn't mean I will be."

I rolled my eyes. "The service is ordered. Take it or leave it. I'm going to bed. If I'm not here in the morning, it's because I'm learning magic at Summer Camp."

"Sure. Have fun."

New Spell Entry — Analyze Self

Spell: Analyze Self

Casting Time: Short-Standard

Mana Cost: Low

Output: Varies

Details: This spell provides the caster an objective diagnosis about their current state, including any active benefits or maladies impacting them. See also Analyze Other (Willing), Analyze Other (Unwilling; Restricted), and Analyze Creature.

Starting Character Sheet — Reggie Hickson

Name: Reggie Hickson

Age: 21

Class: Warlock

Health Score: Above Average

Mana Score: High (150% over standard)

Innate Attributes

Innate attributes are a measure of what you've grown organically. They can change, but only with deliberate, regular training. Magic can temporarily (or permanently) enhance these, but counter spells or other effects could remove the boosts.

As a [Human] your attributes scale from 1-18, with 8 being the average for your species.

Strength: 14 (up from 9 due to recent training; in magical spells and rituals, your physical strength may influence the overall power or capacity of some spells such as creature summoning)

Agility: 10 (your natural dexterity and reflexes; in magical spells and rituals, your agility may influence casting speed and your ability to maintain complex ritual movements)

Constitution: 13 (up from 9 due to recent training; in magical spells and rituals, your constitution may influence the overall durability of some spells such as creature summoning)

Wisdom: 12 (your ability to perceive and understand the world around you; in magical spells and rituals, your wisdom may influence your intuitive grasp of magical theory and your resistance to mental effects)

Intelligence: 18+ (You have a genius level IQ, with a near photographic memory; your ability to solve puzzles and understand complex topics at a glance is likely a contributor to your recruitment to Thistlewick)

Charisma: 10 (Charisma is a measure of your ability to socialize and positively influence others. Yours is above average due to your experience interacting during business transactions. You may "train" this attribute by interacting with others at the school. Be aware that manipulating others for nefarious or selfish outcomes is highly frowned upon.)

Magical Advantages

Human-Type: Humans can cast any spell, regardless of its nature, alignment, or standard racial restrictions. You could, for example, cast Demonic spells without being a demon. Other races do not have this benefit.

Genius IQ Benefit: Your incredible IQ has granted you a 50% boost to mana capacity.

Warlock Benefits: Your body has been suffused with magic. You recover [35%] of your total mana pool per hour. There may be other benefits, such as warlock-specific rituals, alchemical potions, etc. that only your class can generate. As each warlock is subtly unique, research is required to quantify these variables.

Chapter 4

The morning I was due to depart for Summer Camp, I discovered a tiny weight against my chest. Opening my eyes, I was rewarded by the diminutive, but quite attractive, form of Wimbledip Thistletop sitting atop my pecs. She had her legs splayed out, crouch-style, and the lace hem of her dress crept up just enough to hint at bright yellow panties.

Blinking a few times, I said, "Uh, hello?"

She waved at me, entirely unaware or uncaring that she was borderline flashing me. "Hello humie! I volunteered to help you get to camp. Are you ready to go?"

"You volunteered?"

"Mhm. Sure did. We got along super well when we met, so I figured why not come back? Once you're busy with school stuff, I doubt we'll have much of a chance to talk."

I didn't quite know how to interpret her explanation. The tiny woman's behavior struck me as unusual for a professional messenger. Was the ground fairy actually flirting with me, or was this simply her way of avoiding some other assignment she'd prefer not to handle? Either way, I didn't mind the thought of having the adorably sexy little woman around.

"Do you mind? I need to get dressed."

"I don't mind at all." She gave me a little wink and rolled to her feet in a sort of cat-stretching motion, then walked off my chest.

"I don't sleep with any clothes on."

"Mhm. I couldn't help but notice. Don't mind me. I won't peek, promise." She giggled in a tone that clearly read as, I'm totally and completely lying right now.

Despite my relatively solitary past, I was not a shy person. With her off my chest, I got out of bed and made my way to the clothes I'd set out the previous night. As I dressed, I was all-too aware of the fact that she was looking at me. Once I had my pants on, I turned to see her entire face was a bright pink blush.

Smirking, I finished pulling a collared polo shirt on, tucked it into my khaki pants, then grabbed the bags I'd packed. Fortunately, the magical kit she'd delivered five weeks ago was supposed to meet me there somehow. I didn't know how that was going to work, but I figured I'd figure it out soon enough. "Where to?"

"There's a taxi waiting outside. It'll take us to the bus station."

"Bus station?"

"Yup. We have a magical bus that comes around for the students."

"Huh. Okay."

"Why? Did you expect something else? A helicopter, or train or another mode of transport?"

I shook my head. "I'm pretty open minded at this point. I certainly didn't think a magic school bus would be on the docket, though."

She waved me over and gestured for me to hold my hand out. When I did, she took a running leap, then did a little summersault up my arm. It was impressively acrobatic. Planting on her feet, she climbed my arm and straddled my shoulder.

I tried to give her an accusatory look. Her position made that difficult. "Was all that necessary?"

"Necessary? No. But fun, yes." Taking a deep breath, she shuddered, adding, "Humie, you smell so good. Part of me is jealous I can't go back to school. You know, they invited me to teach a summer class if I wanted? There's all sorts of magic my people know that's pretty rare." She made a gentle hmm sound. "Maybe I'll consider it. Next year."

Part of me wanted to indulge my curiosity and find out more about the fairy, particularly what she found so appealing, but I held off. At this rate, I'd never get to the camp, much less start the real work of coming out as the top of my class.

With her making small talk at me, I made my way through the house, luggage in either hand. Dad was asleep on the couch, his blanket having fallen to the floor. Pausing, I took in the old man, seeing all the wear and tear he'd gained over the past few years. He was doing much better these days, but there was still a sadness about him, a weight that I found difficult to identify with.

Lowering my bags, I walked over and pulled the blanket up, careful not to wake him. As the thick wool settled across his chest, he snorted and rolled over, putting his back to the door.

I left the house, suddenly less worried about my scholastic performance than whether he'd be able to keep himself together without me there. The plain yellow taxi was outside, next to the brick of the curb just as promised. When I moved to the rear, the driver popped the trunk.

Once we were in the back seat, I realized the driver wasn't human. He had big, broad shoulders, and a slouch hat that mostly concealed a pair of horns and curly hair. Thinking back to my textbooks, many of which casually mentioned fantasy species in the same way Earth books might have mentioned people of different ethnicities, I guessed the guy was likely a satyr.

"Humie, if you'd like, I can check on him," Wimbledip said against my ear. She brushed my cheek with a tiny hand. "Your father, I mean. He's family. It's allowed. If you'd like, that is."

"Why?"

"You put the blanket on him. I got the feeling he means a lot to you."

I considered the offer as the car pulled down the street. The driver merged with traffic with the smooth, polished practice of an expert, then accelerated to a speed that terrestrial law enforcement would have labeled a definite crime. All the practice I'd accumulated with both brooms over the past few weeks proved invaluable now. My stomach had already grown accustomed to the unique sensation of magical acceleration, preventing the nausea that might have otherwise ruined this moment.

"That would be good," I said once we were on the freeway, dodging traffic in a manner that defied physics. "He's been self-isolating a lot since mom passed."

"Oh. I didn't know. I'm sorry."

The fairy's mood dampened from over-the-top flirty to compassionate for the trip, which lasted all of five minutes.

Our destination was a bright blue bus idling at the station just outside city limits. It had a sign with the word 'Thistlewick' stenciled on the side.

I collected my bags and made my way to the bus. As I approached, I noticed that none of the other people nearby appeared to react to the bus being there. One or two glanced at me, but that stopped once I was within about ten feet of my destination.

Wimbledip kept me company, remaining quietly on my shoulder as I climbed aboard. The bus driver was a grizzled old woman with a nametag that read, "Falerie Drizzle." She looked just shy of being so ancient she couldn't have been human. I didn't ask what she was. She took one look at me and the fairy, then pulled the lever to close the doors.

There was no one else on the bus, leaving me my choice of comfortable, cushioned seats. I put my bags in an overhead compartment, then sat. Wimbledip finally came down from her self-appointed perch, rearranging herself on my thigh.

"Why isn't there anyone else?" I asked, deciding to take advantage of her presence.

"This is a humie-only bus. There might be others at the Camp, but I wouldn't bet on it. Regular semester students don't usually take remedial classes unless they have to. Plus, there's the shortage issue."

"Shortage issue?"

"Mhm. Humies with magic are getting rarer and rarer every year. I don't think there were any new ones last year," she said somberly. "I blame social media, but who knows? There's all sorts of serious people debating it."

Having zero interest in debating social media's impact on magical humans, I deliberately steered our conversation elsewhere. That particular rabbit hole could wait for another day. "What can you tell me about the Camp? Do you have a map, or insights into the professors or the classes?"

"Oh yes! I can absolutely help with all of that." Reaching into a pocket so small it might have been microscopic, she unfolded a sheet of parchment. It eventually expanded into a glossy, flat, poster-sized surface depicting a map of the school grounds. Next to the map appeared a list of names, along with the classes associated with them.

"There'll be a more detailed map on the bulletin board outside the camp when you arrive. You'll be staying at the Camp, obviously," the fairy explained, pointing. "The grounds there will have everything you need for practice, study, and whatnot, and you can spend the first three days exploring."

"And then what?" I asked.

"This term's failing students will take their tests to prove they're ready for summer courses or, in rare cases, test out of them. As a transfer, you will take a placement exam presided over by multiple professors to see which, if any, classes you need to enroll in for the summer term. All coursework will take place on the school grounds in locations that will be made clear to you when relevant."

"So until exam day, we just kind of chill and prepare?"

"Summer Camp is more relaxed, remember?"

"Ah. Yeah. Got it. Are the Summer Dorms separated by gender?"

She gave me a playful wink, shaking her head. "Not at all. The school is only for adults. Since our students are magical, most have all sorts of romance and breeding limitations. Hell, the majority are virgins. Fraternization isn't even in any of the policies."

"Romance and breeding limitations?"

"Mhm. Most species only want to mate with others of the same, or a comparable species, and with the birth rate problem, well...let's just say it's rare for two or three of the same species to end up in classes with each other these days. It's silly, really."

Intrigued, but also a little taken aback, I decided not to press for further details.

Wimbledip went on anyway, saying, "Years ago, the Dark Lady came up with some proposed solutions for our breeding problems, but that didn't go over well at all. We don't speak of it, just so you know."

I blinked. "Huh? Dark Lady?"

"Shhh! We don't speak of it."

"'Kay, but you brought her up," I protested, only for her to wave it away.

"We really should move on." She pointed at the list of names. "These will be your instructors. It's a truncated list, since it's just for summer classes. The semester will be broken up, with some basic classes offered in the first half and more advanced ones in the second. You'll also have a chance to test out of classes if you've got the basics down. That could give you more free time for studying or," she winked at me lasciviously, "other pursuits."

Ignoring the wink, I focused on the advantages of getting ahead using those skip tests. "That should make things a lot easier."

"That it would."

I looked out the window, noticing for the first time that we'd gone from driving down the roads to soaring through the sky. It was a novel experience, particularly given that I hadn't even noticed our take off. As I swept the horizon, I noted that we were moving fast, as in superjet speeds. It was exhilarating, making my palms tingle for the comfort of my broom and my newly developed flying skills.

The flight was uneventful, with my fairy companion helpfully answering my questions in great detail. She appeared all too happy to help me align classes and study times and even pointed out locations near the Camp that had special features that could become useful if I felt inclined to explore.

"The campus is littered with magical nooks," she elaborated when I asked. "There's a few different types of mazes, an underwater observatory you can only reach if you have specific spells prepared, and groves for druids and dryads, and well...a ton of stuff. They may not tell you about it during the summer session, either, so you'll need to go explore on your own. Oh! Here. Let me mark a few for you. They'll be perfect, especially if you find a cutie or two you want to take with you."

With a playful wink, she conjured a quill pen and did just that.

Finally, the bus began its descent through the clouds and I had my first real view of where I'd be spending the next few months.