"We've gotten a little familiar with germinating seeds in the previous lessons, so hopefully you won't have any more problems with that. It's time to move on to more serious matters. Those of you who have reached the third round of the tournament have had to deal with the necessity of establishing contact with stursh. Animal taming is certainly one of the most important topics in Nature magic, but most textbooks recommend starting with birds rather than animals. I know from my own experience - taming birds is really easier and requires less amount of mana. Here, look! Naenni tillae emnippi!"

  Immediately a flock of okuks and pinniks flew down from the trees surrounding the clearing and landed in front of the students, chirping happily.

  "If you use a general summoning formula, as I did in this case, all the birds around you will respond," Master Nimikel explained. "If you want to tame a specific one, you must use an individual summoning formula that differs from the general one by the last word: liappi instead of emnippi. Then it is desirable to give the pet a name - then next time you can simply call it. Well, when a strong connection is established between you, a mental appeal will be enough and it will respond, no matter where it is. Who exactly you wish to tame, entirely depends on you. Everyone has his own preferences: some will like a nimble ungun, some - a sweet-voiced tpit, and others prefer a kagzr with sharp claws and a long curved beak, with which it can cause deep lacerations. Just remember: the smarter the creature, the harder it is to tame. And now, would you like to try summoning any of the birds here?"

  Of course, the elves were the first to volunteer (who'd doubt it!). Iwiel said the general formula, and three birds flew up to her at once.

  "Is this the result?" Faelinn said mockingly. "I can summon five at a time!"

  But he could only two of them, which caused smiles on the faces of those around him.

  Eliavel and Eliavin argued about which of them would get the vaetk with the bright green plumage and blue scallop. However, the vaetk did not wish to fly to them or anyone else, and eventually flew away.

  Taeron was the least fortunate of all, for he would not be approached even by a scrubby volpusa, the most unattractive and at the same time the most insolent bird of the locals, who could not sing, but was the first to come for a treat. And so he decided to do something unworthy of a true elf - and of non-elves, too.

  "If not for me, then let no one!" He growled, gripping the wand tighter. "Niest tiair blutug zash!"

  And right in the middle of the glade a huge bird with reddish-black plumage materialized, remotely resembling an Earth vulture. The frightened birds took off at once and flew away, chattering anxiously as they flew. Even some of the pupils, those who were closer, instinctively drew back.

  "Why did you do that?" Master Nimikel asked reproachfully, dispelling the monster in the wind, which turned out to be an illusory. "With a little effort, you could have achieved your goal."

  "And I've already achieved - but my goal!" Taeron replied defiantly, and got some surprised looks - what the hell had gotten into him? Tim, however, noticed the triumphant smile on Shin'Ye'Het's face. Couldn't have done without her? But how?

  He didn't get a chance to think about it, as there was a lot of chatter and the teacher had to remind them that the lesson wasn't over yet. A flock of rzukts flew over the glade, right above the heads of the pupils, and it was no time to talk, just waving them away and making sure that a particularly dangerous insect didn't crawl into the wrong place. When the rzukts had flown away and a semblance of order had reigned in the glade, Master Nimikel took the floor again.

  "There is no doubt that each of you is free to do as you see fit. True, while you have not yet left a young age, you must obey the established rules and restrictions. But sooner or later there will come a moment when you and only you will determine your own destiny. And you'll be fully responsible for your actions, fully aware of the reward or punishment awaits you in the end. Do you find moralizing boring? Believe me, I once thought so too. But now I remember with gratitude the instructions of my teacher Master Tasilien. I hope that someday you will remember mine as well. Now, let's get back to class."

  And, making sure that she was listened to attentively, she continued:

  "Druidism is not just about sprouting seeds and controlling animals; experienced druids can, for example, transform into animals themselves. Yes, yes, I know there are the lycoses among us who can transform themselves almost from diapers. But that is a special gift, and lycoses are not allowed to change the form of their second selves, while experienced druids can turn into almost any beast. However, there is no point in discussing the subtleties of transformation skills now - your level of training is not enough yet. Let's talk about the Super-Qualities - similar to the Super-Abilities studied in the course of Light magic, they can give you the special abilities that our lesser brothers possess. For example, ortats can see every blade of grass, hovering almost beneath the heavens. With the Ortat Vision, you can do the same, even when you are not in the air. Pururgs can detect hundreds of scents and sense them from afar, so it's almost impossible to catch them off guard. It's just as hard to sneak up on an olkunt, who can detect the slightest rustle. Betrafs, who have no sense of smell at all, hardly notice motionless objects and, in addition, have poor hearing, hunt in a different way - they have access to the vision of the aura of living beings, according to which they choose their prey. A closely related spell called Infravision allows to see objects with a higher temperature than their surroundings, even in total darkness. There are other Super-Qualities like the ability to regrow lost limbs, but that's not for you yet either. And, not to be unsubstantiated, I can apply one of them, namely, a keen sense of smell, which will allow you to smell the world with the nose of a pururg. Would you like to try it?"

  "Of course!" exclaimed several of them at once.

  "Well, let it be, then! Scllalsh dine tuptirr!"

  And Tim was literally flooded with a wave of a wide variety of smells - so powerful that it took his breath away, forcing him to take several breaths of air with his mouth. The others, however, felt no better - some tried to pinch their noses, others hid them in their uniforms or tried to crawl away. Not at once, but they realized that each of them had a specific odor, and when combined, the odors formed a unique "fragrance" that literally knocked the pupils off their feet. Fortunately, Master Nimikel did not torture them for long, less than a minute later canceling the effect of her own spell.

  "I don't envy the pururgs," Heen-Lun commented, catching his breath.

  "No one of them would actually go near such a cluster of living things. They'd smell any of us from across the forest. Of course if the wind blows in their direction. But in other situations it is hardly possible to get close to them unnoticed, too. Do you see how useful it is to have Super-Qualities? Here's your task for the near future - to train them. You can get the formulas from Aoremyo, his manual is called "Lost Opportunities". And at the same time, you can try to tame some of the local animals. That's probably all for today. Any questions?"

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  "Yes," Elsingor rose. "Tell us, please, is it possible to tame the unicorn that lives in the forest here?"

  "Try it," Master Nimikel grinned. "But he likes freedom."

  "Depending on how strong your magic is," Germeht gritted through his teeth.

  "Is there a skill of silent movement among Super-Qualities?" Ivliar was interested.

  "Yes, it's called Yamtur's Step. Yamtur is a predatory beast that can occasionally be found in the Gallaeri steppes. Yes, Shugiz, that's right, a successful hunting it would be an honor for any orc, because yamtur is able to move quickly and silently, and in case of unfortunate circumstances the hunter risks becoming a prey himself. In principle, the same effect is given by Super Dexterity - some spells may overlap with each other, but there is nothing strange about it, as there are no hard barriers separating different types of magic from each other."

  Two more questions followed - about the ability to swim underwater like fish (the corresponding spell did exist, and even in several variants, but there was no place to test it) and to jump high up (such magic was described in the textbooks on Nature magic, too). And at the very end, when the teacher was ready to announce the end of the class, Selkise got up suddenly.

  "Please, Master, would you say, what kind of bird could this belong to?"

  She showed the New Year's gift she had taken out of the grimoire.

  "Is it the feather of a grauch?" Master Nimikel did not hide her surprise. "Where did you get it?"

  "From Joz-Keragg."

  "Hmm, then there's no point in asking for details. According to the legend, it was on this bird that Naergin, the founder of our school, came here. After his death, the graukh flew away - where, it is not known, and no one ever saw it again. But don't ask me where the bird with the colorful plumage came from - there are no graukhes in any of the worlds I know of."

  That's the answer to your question, has slammed into Tim's mind. Selkise continued to stare at the teacher, but a Mona Lisa smile wandered across her lips. But how did she manage to... once again he's being obtuse, with the help of the Directed Thought spell, of course!

  Thank you, he transmitted back, but whether she received the message remained unknown.

  "What planet did Naergin himself come from?" Yantau inquired.

  "I can guess where you're going with this. No, there are no graukhes on the planet Nartseo, where he comes from. But there are sentient stones; not without reason the nickname of the first Principal of the school was 'Stone Talker'. By the way, that's where the Academy is located, where the best students go after graduation.

  The questions came again; Master Nimikel barely had time to answer them.

  "How do you get into the Academy? Actually, you have to graduate from the school first. If any of the students shows outstanding success in one or another kind of magic, they can apply for a letter of recommendation to the Academy. I have issued two such letters during my time as a teacher; I hope their holders have succeeded in learning the secrets of Nature magic. How long does the Academy last? It varies, some students study for a lifetime. No, not because they are too stupid, but because the process of learning is infinite, and generations of magicians are working over some mysteries of magic. Formally, the title of Master is enough for graduation, but those who claim the status of Great Master remain within its walls, at the same time taking newcomers to their training - this is a prerequisite for gaining this status. What else is interesting on Nartseo? Well, it is impossible to describe in two words. I can recommend the book 'At the Crossroads of Magical Worlds' - there you will find a description of both the planet and the Academy. What do sentient stones look like? They look like small cobblestones, capable of changing their shape within limited limits and even moving, but very slowly. To be honest, I've never seen them up close, but that book describes them in detail."

  The question about the stones was asked by Zhu-Fi, and Ri-Bo glared at her. Somehow it seemed important to talk to her... but about what? The easiest thing to do would be to ask her out on a date, but would such a pretty girl want to be with him? Even the elves look at her, and those who do not give their preference to anyone. But she makes eyes at Tim, who, of course, pretends not to notice, but that's for the time being. Although he could have blown her off right away, he's got no shortage of girls. What a friend!

  Ri-Bo turned to look the other way and met Virda's eyes. She had a strange look in her eyes, both understanding and judgmental, and it gave him goosebumps. It was as if he had done something wrong, but it was unclear what it was. Yes, there were thoughts of informing the anzimars, but only if the circumstances forced him. Someone must have blabbed, for her artistic talent was known to many. However, during the night, while she was in the punishment cell, the drawing appeared again. Germeht was furious, personally smashed Zur'U'Fez's nose and yelled at his assistants, calling them stupid brukkuses. It was a good thing Ri-Bo wasn't around, but he would be in trouble if he doesn't figure out a way to catch the mysterious artist. The simple and original way, with minimum risk and maximum efficiency. This was soon found: it is enough to sprinkle the entrance to the tunnels with some kind of powder, and then traces will be imprinted on it. Even if the "criminal" could not be captured, it would be clear from which tunnel he came. And neither Invisibility nor Blurriness nor any other magic would help him, except Levitation, but hardly any of them could do that. That's a very productive idea, he just need to work out the details!

  Ri-Bo was so absorbed in it that he didn't hear the announcement of the end of the class. He woke up only from Ivliar's clap on the shoulder - enough to sit with a smart look when the others go home.

  He got to his feet, shook himself off and was about to follow the others, but was stopped by Taeron.

  "Wait a moment, there's something we must discuss.

  "What is it?"

  "Let's step aside, in case someone outside hears."

  Ri-Bo looked around. The anzimars and the 'princess' and her 'maids' had already left the glade, heading toward the school.

  "Okay, let's go, but hurry up," he agreed grudgingly.

  Fingor joined them, and the tilfing was a little worried. What could these two want from him? They would have spoken directly, and not dragged him to where the thickets were thicker. No, whatever they were up to, they can do without him. That's what he said when they finally stopped.

  "Relax," Taeron whispered hastily, "we're not up to anything bad. Has Germeht spoken to you yet?"

  "Why would he talk to me?"

  "About the new task..."

  "You're working for him now, too?" Ri-Bo replied with hostility.

  "And so are you, why are you angry?" Fingor grinned. "Don't you remember?"

  "What exactly am I supposed to remember?"

  "It looks like Shin and Drega overdid it a bit. However, it does not matter - you said a lot of interesting things then, so there is no turning back for you now."

  "But you'd better keep quiet about our participation in the affairs of the squad," Taeron said threateningly. "If you don't, your friends will know at whose instigation Virda was placed in the punishment cell."

  "It wasn't me!"

  "Who was then, Uncle Poopsik? You also told the squad about your trips to the lower tiers. And complained that your friends don't appreciate you, always trying to hurt you."

  "But now you have friends who won't hurt you," Fingor chuckled. "We'll work together. As for the new task, Germeht strongly advised to put all other matters aside and concentrate on finding someone who practiced unusual magic."

  "Which one?" Ri-Bo wondered.

  "We didn't really understand it ourselves. In general, if you see or hear about magic that is beyond the school textbooks, run straight to us."

  "Then it's easier for me to go directly to Germeht - I won't have to divide the reward among three people," the tilfing couldn't resist mockery.

  "Wow, how did you talk. We're with you with all our hearts, and you... We'll have to tell the classmates who made Virda get hurt."

  "Come on, I was kidding," Ri-Bo backed off.

  "It's a different matter. Anyway, we'll keep each other in the loop. Now let's get out of here before anyone notices."

  Ri-Bo was glad to end this unpleasant conversation. Had they been right, and had he really blabbed all to the anzimars? A strange amulet that looked like a snake pierced by a spear suddenly resurfaced from the depths of his memory. And then the name Zhu-Fi. That's who really put Virda up to it! And that's who got him trapped! What he had been asked about was still a mystery, but the old zirz and the enemies around him came vividly to mind. Well, she'll get a 'present', and soon.

  And, feeling something like satisfaction, he took a quicker step towards the school.