Fate Alchemist - A Regression Academy LitRPG

Wulf looked Umoch straight in the eyes and said, "As it happens, I was just going on my way. I didn't really expect someone like you to actually fight me. You wouldn't, before, and"—Wulf motioned at Umoch's rank badge, which was coal-black with three lines across it—"it seems you've made it two tiers higher than me already. Wouldn't be fair, still, now would it?"

Didn't change the fact that Wulf almost certainly had more Marks than Umoch, but he wouldn't say that.

"You talk tough," Umoch snarled, "but without a golem, what are you?"

An alchemist.

"I dunno, but without your friends to back you up, what are you?" Wulf asked.

"Wulf…" Ján warned.

"I have to do this," Wulf whispered back. "If you want out, you're welcome to run away now."

"I have a feeling I'll be safer here than whatever you're doing…"

"Correct."

Ján cleared his throat and raised his voice. "I, for one, know that I stopped taking Umoch and the Fletchers seriously after Wulf beat them up outside the golem labs. Heard it was an amazing brawl! Heard he took out the Fletchers single-handedly, except for Umoch! But he's just going to run this time, too."

Umoch growled, then threw a punch at Wulf's head. Wulf turned slightly. He could dodge it, but there'd be no point in that. Let Umoch get the first satisfying hit, but take the blow, turn himself slightly to deflect the force.

It still stung, and he took a step to the side, cheek burning from the impact, but it didn't harm him.

"Be thankful I didn't use a spell Skill," Umoch snapped. "Apologize, give us a quarter of your ration chits for the week, and we'll let you go."

"Oh, I'm thankful." Wulf staggered back, exaggerating the hit a little more, until his back came up against a lanternpost. In the early morning, the lanterns were still lit, and last night, he'd weakened one of the lantern-hooks before he went to sleep. It was ready to snap. Below it was nothing but a field of dry autumn grass.

"That was the best you could do?" Ján egged.

"Stay out of it, Middle-Wood," one of the Fletcher boys sneered.

"Need another hit, then?" Umoch snapped. "Or you gonna apologize?"

"What?" Wulf asked. "Sorry for showing everyone how weak you are? Sorry for stopping you from hurting my friend for no good reason? At least I have friends, not sycophants."

Letting out a shout, Umoch threw another punch at Wulf. This time, Wulf ducked, and Umoch's hand smashed into the lanternpost. The post shuddered and swayed, and…a lantern snapped off a hook. It fell and smashed into the ground, scattering sparks and fire everywhere.

Immediately, the field lit up with a whooomph. Flames crackled waist-high, and a column of dark black smoke slithered up into the sky.

"Ján," Wulf hissed. "Get Dr. Langold here, and as many professors as you can find. Get them away from the Oronith docks."

"What?"

"Just do it! Please!"

Ján chewed his lip for a second, then nodded. Before any of the Fletchers could stop him, he bolted off to the side and sprinted across the fields, away from the fire.

Wulf stepped to the side, unhindered by Umoch, who was staring at the flames. "I don't have any spells to put it out!" the Fletcher boy shouted. "Someone get water!"

But it was too late for just buckets of water to put it out. They'd need faculty Mages to put up a barrier, or some kind of stronger magic to contain it with.

Wulf stepped behind the Fletchers, then drew the invisibility potion from his haversack and gulped it down. As usual, it tasted terrible, but he tolerated it. A sheen of rippling air rolled over his vision. His skin tingled, and a faint vortex whirled around him, blocking him and his close personal belongings from sight. When he lifted his hands, he couldn't see anything, and that meant Umoch couldn't either.

The faculty members might, if they were looking closely, but only if they were looking closely. They'd be more focused on the fire.

Wulf patted himself down, hunting for his haversack. When he found it, he pulled it open, and tucked his empty flask into it. He carried his splatter potion in there, but the rest, he kept in his jacket pockets.

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After all, he'd needed the space in his haversack for Oronith hijacking ingredients.

Wulf set off toward the butte, leaving the Fletchers to deal with the fire. When he crossed the causeway over from the hills to the central butte, he passed a cluster of sprinting professors—with Dr. Langold at the head. Wulf tucked to the side of the stone bridge, and they ran straight past him.

Still invisible, he broke into a run. He wound up the side of the butte, sprinting through academy building hallways or crossing walkways, until he arrived at the edge of the Oronith docks.

It was an enormous cobblestone wharf overlooking flat fields, shaped like a semicircle. The Oroniths, all plain stone, stood with their backs against the wharf, unmoving. If Wulf hadn't known better, he'd have said they were statues.

In the morning, the docks were practically empty, save for a few non-Ascendant guards keeping watch. Their armour clanked as they patrolled back and forth, and they tapped their spears on the ground. Not a huge threat, but typically, there would've been a few professors keeping watch.

But putting out a massive grass fire was more important, and the non-Ascendants could keep watch for a few minutes. Or so they thought.

Wulf arrived at the meeting spot he'd discussed with his crew—a landing on one of the many staircases leading down to the docks. Kalee, Irmond, and Seith stood there casually. Irmond wore his uniform, but with a quiver of arrows and bow over his shoulder. Kalee wore her regular uniform, just with a cloak, and Seith was in her tournament attire. She carried a bag of tools at her hip.

"Ready?" Wulf asked them.

The three others nearly jumped out of their boots.

"Sorry," he whispered. "Invisible."

The others calmed down when they recognized his voice. He picked up a loose rock from the ground to show them where he was, then walked over to the railing and looked down over the docks.

There were plenty of supply crates and tool racks to hide behind. Smaller loader golems stood inactive in the early morning, their Pilots having not arrived for their shift yet.

"So, which one do you want?" Kalee asked. "You're the Pilot—it's up to you."

"We're taking Emerald Vanguard," Wulf said, pointing at an Oronith on the side of the harbour closest to them—only a few berths down. It was a half of a head taller than the other Oroniths, with wide shoulders and carved stone plate armour overtop sheets of suspended gravel that, from a distance, looked more like a king's flowing robes than armour. Its head had been carved in the shape of a horseman's helmet, with a nose-guard in front of its cockpit visor and fins out the side.

And most importantly, Emerald Vanguard held a warhammer upside down, the blocky head biting into the dirt below, and the giantwood shaft rising up to its chest. It wasn't fancy, but the Academy expected the crew who took it over to craft its own weapons for it eventually.

Ultimately, Wulf wasn't sure if Emerald Vanguard was going to be his Oronith forever. His abilities were changing, and a warhammer didn't seem like the best weapon for an alchemist or his Oronith. Still, it was what he knew, and for now, it would work.

"You want that one?" Seith asked. "It's an antique. Its crew died raiding a dungeon a few years ago, and they've been looking for a new crew for it ever since."

"Could've at least let us keep the old hammer, then," Irmond said.

"They want us to make our own gear," Kalee provided. "Gear better suited to ourselves. They might give us starting weapons, but they're just that. Starting weapons."

"Don't worry," Wulf said. "We'll get a better one sometime. That's a promise. But for now, this is our best shot. I know how to use a hammer."

"You?" Seith exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down!" Irmond hissed.

"Yes, me," Wulf said. "And, better yet, none of the current top fourth years have claimed it. We won't have to override any system settings and convince it to let us pilot it."

"You…have to do that?" Irmond whispered.

"Yeah. Now, come on. We don't have all day. The attack is coming in the morning, and we're running out of time."

The four of them crept down the rest of the stairs, then navigated across the dock platform. They dodged patrolling guards and dipped behind crates and barrels, or heaps of deepstone for repairs.

When they were only a few paces away from the ladder up to Emerald Vanguarg's entrance hatch, Wulf's invisibility potion wore off. He shimmered back into existence, and immediately, ducked down behind the stack of crates.

"Go!" he whispered, pointing to the ladders leaning up against the back of their Oronith's head. "Irmond, Seith, Kalee, wait in the cockpit and prepare the startup sequence. I need a golem."

"What?" Kalee whispered.

"You know how to start the Oronith, right?" Like him, she was a Low-Coal, and she should have at least some Skills or Marks to let her transmit mana into stone and wake up the Oronith's main systems.

"Yes! But you're stealing a golem?"

Wulf tilted his head toward the small transport golems. "One of those. I need to be in a little golem to transmit information through the dream socket…to a big Oronith. It's complicated."

"You're going to have to explain to me how this all works," she said.

"Yeah, but when we get back. Alive." Wulf held out his hand.

She nodded. "Alive." They clasped each other's wrists for a second, then pulled away.

"Seith," Wulf said. "If you have any diagnostics to complete, now would be a good time. I'm trusting you to keep us in top condition."

"Got it." She patted her tool bag.

"Irmond, keep an eye out. If you see anyone coming, warn Kalee."

The elf boy gave a dutiful nod. "Will do."

Wulf reached into his haversack and pulled out two Yeti's Might potions for both of them. They were both still Middle-Wood, and he needed to remember to be realistic about their capabilities. "Use these in an emergency. Kalee has her own supply." He pressed one into each of their hands. "And remember, I'll get a boost in my strength and durability if you use them. I'm transmitting my physical capabilities through the Oronith, so it'll help us all."

Without another word, Wulf vaulted over the stack of crates, then crept across the dock toward a small loader golem.