Fate Alchemist - A Regression Academy LitRPG

The expedition into the Titan's Forest was a joint field study for all four faculties. Pilots studied the natural, protective golems. Rangers practiced spotting and hitting ranged targets, Artificers practiced chopping the trees and working with giantwood, and Mages got combat training from the local beasts.

A convoy of wagons rolled away from Centralis City, passing through the gate and the ever-expanding anti-fiend wall. Wulf looked up, craning his neck to see the sky-scraping scaffolding and stacked bricks. It'd never been truly tested, yet, but they'd bought a little more time for the builders by defeating the attacks from the sea.

"They're not going to finish it," Athllas mumbled. He hung his head and seemed very interested in the floor of the wagon.

"Pardon?" Wulf asked.

The five of them were sharing an open-top wagon, meant for long-distance travel on the bumpier countryside roads. Dr. Arnau sat at the front, beside the coachman. These wagons used regular work horses. Didn't require as much mana, and though they were slower, they were more reliable.

When they arrived, they'd split up into a couple teams, but Wulf, Athllas, and Seith would stick with Dr. Arnau.

"They're confident," Athllas said. "But it's not going to be enough. They have no idea how to finish the wall in the harbour, which is why they're waiting to start it." He kept his voice low so no one would overhear—not even the non-Ascendant coachman.

Wulf hadn't heard anyone say this before, and certainly no government officials. It was obviously not something they wanted the general public to know.

"That wouldn't be good if word got out…" Kalee breathed. "People already aren't happy with the Academy, and considering some Academy Artificers are working on the project…it'll only make things worse."

"It'll also put blame on my father, which is the last thing he needs."

Wulf scratched the back of his head. "Well, what's stopping them?"

"The seabed keeps shifting," Athllas said, "and they can't build the wall's foundations without the earth sloughing in. At least, that's what I've gathered from eavesdropping on meetings. They need a special stone from the dark elves, something that anchors to the dirt, but the elves don't want to ship it without a formal alliance, and talks are going nowhere." Athllas rubbed his forehead and breathed out a long sigh.

"And that's why you're with Varl?" Wulf asked, though he was pretty sure he knew the answer. But better to let it be known that he knew what Athllas was trying to do, than to let it fester.

"Yeah."

"What can we do to help?" Seith asked.

"Not much, not at the moment." Athllas crossed his arms. "They're asking too much. They want the Byrantese Guilds to pull out of their trading zones, but my father made a Field Pact with the head of the Centralis Watermen Guild, and he can't dictate terms to them anymore."

"Why would he make a pact like that?" Irmond exclaimed, then covered his mouth in shock. "Sorry, I'll be quiet. Lips are sealed."

"He made the pact to secure a source of clean water for the city as it grew, and the Watermen were able to do it cheaply—they'd give him a contract that was cheap enough that he didn't have to raise taxes."

Wulf closed his eyes. All the maneuvering these people had to do…

It'd be so much easier when he could solve everything by punching it. Soon, he promised himself, he'd be strong enough to do just that.

"But we'll make progress on the wall if you can get Varl on your good side?" Kalee asked. "How much sway does Varl actually have?"

"I…don't know." Athllas shook his head. "It was an ill-conceived plan between me and my guard—I mean, my other friend. But it was the best we could think of. But the more I learn, the more it sounds like the dark elves aren't fond of Varl or his father at all. He's done a terrible job as a foreign minister, and part of a legacy family."

"We'll figure something out," Wulf promised. "But we should quiet down—we're almost there."

He pointed out over the dusty shrublands. A tall forest sprung up from the ground. At first, it was just a dark line on the horizon, far enough removed from the city to be out of most people's attentions. But as the minutes went by, it grew into a wall, then Wulf picked out individual trees from the mix.

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They were each nearly twice the height of an Oronith, though they were only about as thick as an Oronith's leg. The perimeter fence around the bottom, where Centralis guards patrolled, looked laughably small in comparison, but it wasn't to keep anything it. It was to prevent scavengers from chopping and hurting a well-maintained forest.

And the Centralis Academy's main source of giantwood.

The convoy approached a gate in the fence. Two regular-sized tree trunks flanked the road, with a single beam across the top. Two Centralis City guards stood beside the gate. Both were non-Ascendants with spears and shields, which would be more than effective against any ruffians they encountered, but just in case, there was a wooden watchtower with an Iron-Tier ranger in it.

As soon as they entered the forest, everything got darker. The canopy above was a mix of orange and magenta and yellow, being the fall, and it was well and truly fall. More than half of the leaves were on the ground. That meant midterms were coming up, but with the time they'd been spending on their studies, Wulf wasn't worried.

That wasn't the hard part.

They continued along the road. The paving stones ended, replaced with a peaty trail that smelled fresher than anything Wulf had smelled in the city for the past few months. There was still a faint whiff of city smoke on the wind, but nowhere near as bad.

As they rode, Athllas seemed to have the same concerns as Wulf. He whispered, "How's your advancement progress?"

"It's…going," Wulf said. "I know I can make it in time. Seith got to Low-Copper working on Wraith's swords, Irmond is a Middle-Copper now after his tournament fight. Kalee's still Low-Bronze."

"That's incredible for people of your standing," Athllas whispered.

"It won't be enough."

"True enough." He crossed his arms. "You need more combat. Any more dungeon runs?"

"That trick only works once," Kalee said. "And then we'd really get in trouble. Azanthius would have our heads."

"Maybe even literally," Irmond added.

"We're not going into the dungeon again until next semester, with the delving class," Wulf provided. "And by then, it'll be too late."

"The Academy guards," Athllas said. "There are always missions posted in the guard office, if they want a quick buck or two. They can go and help out the city guard in their off-hours. Maybe if you lent them a hand, that could help you with some of the combat missions you need." He grimaced. "They don't usually let strangers help."

Wulf glanced at Kalee. "What about Captain Basil?"

She nodded. "That could work. Thanks for the tip."

Athllas only nodded. "I'll help those who help me."

The wagons stopped in a clearing. There was an old rotten stump in the middle, but it was tall enough to oversee the entire convoy of second-years. Dr. Azanthius stood on the very edge of the stump, his sandals balancing on a shard of rotten wood. He'd accompanied them for their first field study.

"Break off into your groups, if you will. Find your professor, and remember to make a good impression—most of you don't have sponsors yet, and you will want to find one. Be wary of the golems and other wildlife, and find a good tree. Good luck, and be back here by the end of the day!"

It took nearly an hour before everyone had gotten all sorted into their groups. Wulf, Athllas, and Seith stuck together, but Irmond and Kalee went with other groups.

"My group!" Dr. Arnau proclaimed, standing at the edge of the clearing. "Over here! You lot are the students who the Academy deems best suited to study the internal spirit of golems and Oroniths, so you're with me. Understood?" She paused, then pointed a finger and swept it across the crowd. "I suppose I should say, I'm speaking to the Pilots among you. The Artificers? You are coming along to find trees that have an affinity to golems."

There were about thirty of them—much smaller than the other groups—who nodded. The group was a mix of Artificers, who usually sticked in pairs with the Pilots. They were crews, working together.

With that, Dr. Arnau led them off into the woods. They navigated away from the clearing until they couldn't hear anyone else's voice, and hiked in silence until noon, when they stopped to eat lunch. Dr. Arnau insisted on silence. They didn't want to startle any golems they found.

Finally, halfway through the afternoon, they came upon another clearing. This one was more natural, with no roads leading to or away from it. The sun bore down on them, making the grass shimmer in the wind.

Most importantly, there were three natural golems in the center of the clearing. They were made of rough stone, and though they were vaguely humanoid in shape, they had much wider shoulders, a low-set head that had no face carving—only two glowing blue eyes—and moss grew over their every surface.

"Now," Dr. Arnau whispered, "be silent. Observe, watch. Artificers, remember your runes. Golems are protectors, and these trees are under their watch. You must carve a proper disruption rune into the giantwood tree of your choosing, severing the golem's connection with it, before using the proper severing tools. You should each have your picks, and you should all have a skill to resonate with wood by now—some way of felling the tree without a giant saw."

The Artificers all gave hesitant nods.

"As for the Pilots? You have worksheets to fill out, which me and my TAs prepared for you. Answer the questions with your observations of the golems, and you should improve your understanding of golems and how they work. Am I understood?"

Everyone gave a small nod now."

"Very good, then. I have a quick excursion to make, but I will return. If any of you are in trouble and need help, shout for me, and I will come."