by Lars M.
The elf rolled her eyes and flung her hands into the air. "Deal with it," she snapped and strode away, brushing past me.
Taken aback, I gaped at her disappearing form and turned back to the owner of the other voice. He was a human and... well, I had little doubt he was the 'slick' one to whom Carth was referring. If I had met him in real life, I would've figured him to be either an actor, politician, or both. He was tall, well toned without being buff, and his tan face sported a full head of hair, which he wore slicked back. Currently, he was massaging his temple and trying to avoid looking me into the eyes. "Erm. Is this a bad time?"
He looked up at me and a burst of snorted laughter escaped him. "I - yes. Or, well, any time would be a bad time, lately."
"Want me to come back later?"
"No. It's not you, it's just... urgh.” He snapped his fingers. ”Come. That woman just unloaded a ton of extra work on me, and we'll need to foist it off on somebody else."
I followed Benjamin as he stalked along the hallway past Mrs. Gladestrider's office and ventured deeper into the building. He then bade me wait as he entered another tiny room, and more shouting followed. Moments later, he closed the door behind him and exhaled noisily - and then a large smile appeared on his face. "Marren, but that was annoying - glad it's over and done with.” He stood for a moment, before shaking his head and turning back to me.
”Name’s Benjamin Earnest, by the way, and I usually make a better first impression. Come on. We'll get you introduced, talk along the way." We moved on again, slower this time. I had some time to take in the place, which was… special. Yeah, special, was about right. The division of rooms, construction, and material choice was entirely like the Academy itself - logical, school-like to the point where it hurt, and utterly boring. The decoration, however, was anything but. I blinked at a particularly garish example of the presented art, and my guide chuckled.
"Yeah, that's one of Glitterspur's creations. As you can tell, he's particularly fond of purple. Fortunately, it's not like that everywhere around here. You should check out the smaller Sonic magic classroom. Borthen did a wondrous job there. Hey, if you're artistically inclined yourself, just tell me. I can get you in touch with somebody who can get you some art supplies." He beamed a smile at me. Flawless, pearly white teeth. Of course.
"Pits no. No need to inflict that on Aeion." My mind went back to my arts and crafts classes and promptly fled.
We shared a laugh and slowed down as we drew nearer to a large bulletin board. "Alright. I'm betting nobody's told you what we do for work here? Figures. Well, the bad news is that we do need to work. The good news is that we get all sorts of interesting choices."
"That sounds fair."
"Yup. Well, the really bad news for you is that you're the lowest in the pecking order, meaning, in addition to the interesting choices, you also have to deal with some real crap assignments." He shrugged. "We've all been there, my friend. It sucks, but it's doable."
"I don't have to clean latrines, do I?"
"Hah, no. That's for the sorcerers. Water and earth manipulation of the lowest sort." He barked a laugh. "Whoever thought that up must've been a real bastard. Still, it gets us to the point, sort of. We've all been on the receiving end at this speech at some point - so bear with me. Ahem. Here in High Hold, we don't care where you're from. We don't care what you did, which class or race you are. We only care that you work for the better good of the city. Do this, and we will, in return, provide for you. Fail, and you are left to fend for yourself." Benjamin brushed his hair back. "That was from memory, but you get the gist. If you want protection, equipment, and materials, you will do your part. Here in the Academy, that means working and running errands based on your skills. Sorcerers manipulate earthwork and water to aid in construction and farming. Clerics tend to the well-being of the flock and provide blessings for patrols. Demonologists do... whatever it is they do."
I stopped and stared at him. "Wait - you have demonologists here? I thought they were, I dunno, hated and feared everywhere?"
He sneered. "Pfah. Like we care. You tell me what's so wrong with their class. Lilian fled from the Cradle, and now she's spent the past two years working alongside me. No issues. Just yesterday, she managed to trick a new demon into doing her bidding - some fire being that's going to provide heat for the entirety of their wing. Does that sound evil to you?"
"I guess not." Thinking back to Othell and all his misguided deeds, I was saddened to think that there would've been a place for him, mere days from our village. "But... in Grant's Crossing, it sounded like your patrols attacked anybody on sight?" Also, I was attacked on sight, but I chose not to linger on that.
Benjamin shook his head. "Yeah, it's a common misconception. It's like this: High Hold used to be a whole lot more defensive, and there may have been a few incidents like that. After agreeing to host the Repository, however, they realized how much they gained from opening the city to knowledge from the outside. So today, if our patrols chance upon somebody, they're hailed and questioned. Only then, if they don't cooperate, there's a chance things can turn ugly."
I held out my hands in surrender. "All right. Sorry for the interruptions."
That smile again. His teeth gleamed white enough, it almost had to be a feat or something. "Don't be. It's good to get these things out in the open right away. Now. Work. And just for the record, I was being, what's the word, facetious about demonologists. Not only do their demons do a lot of work around here, they also excel at handling agreements and arguments. So. Everybody chips in - and the same is expected of you. On this bulletin board, you will need to choose one daily task from the bottom hierarchy and of course, you are free to choose whichever additional tasks you should be interested in. Be aware that the higher on the board the task is, the more difficult it will be." He smirked. "Obviously, the reward is also proportional to the difficulty."
"Wait. Let me get this straight. I need to do one of these daily?"
He nodded, all smiles gone. "If you don't pull your weight, somebody else will - and you're free to see how you can fend for yourself dirtside."
"Oh. No, thank you; just trying to understand everything.” I scratched my neck. ”So, once I become a Probationary Citizen, I won't have to do any of these daily tasks anymore?"
This time, he howled with laughter, throwing his head back. Once he had composed himself, he wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, you couldn't be more wrong, my friend. The Peak delivers, and the Peak demands. When you become a Probationary Citizen in High Hold, you will find that the tasks change nature. You might find that you only have to handle a single task a week or month, but it will be all the harder for it. Obviously, your benefits from the city will increase accordingly."
"Oh. Got it. How does this work then?"
He waved at the billboard. "Pretty self-explanatory. Each task on the billboard has a plaque attached, showing the description. If you decide you want to choose that task, just touch it with your key gem. Once you've completed the task, touch it again and your effort will be recorded. Some of these, you can select several times in a row, should you so choose."
"Hmm. What if I fail to complete a task?"
"Most basic tasks come with a timer. It'll say right there if there's a penalty to not completing. They do check on these things, though. Oh, that reminds me. Everybody's progress is monitored weekly, and you can ask Carth for details, so don't fret if you miss a single day. You'd be better off working hard for starters, though, so you're not at risk of being kicked out."
"Fair enough. I think I've got this."
The charismatic bard stepped back, allowing me to peruse the billboard on my own. The plaques were small, and the billboard held maybe 50 different ones. Discolorations on the billboard indicated… "Hey, Benjamin. How often do we get new tasks?"
He shrugged. "It's all in a flux. Depends if some of the old ones are completed too. Some weeks, we get ten new ones, others two."
I nodded, returning my attention to the
plaques and skimming the headlines. I started at the top. 'Increased rewards' sounded like just my jam. Within moments, however, I realized that these tasks were completely out of my league.
- Figure out a way to send sound from one side of the city to the other, one-way.
- Improve the current techniques for adding Sonic magic efficiency with non-bard assistance.
- Restore ruined relations between the demonologist faction and cleric faction of the Academy.
I turned towards Benjamin, raising my palms in supplication. "Really?"
He chuckled. "That's about the same face I made. You may want to start further down."
Groaning, I did just that, starting from the bottom.
- Play music in the cantina during one of the Academy meals or in the amphitheatre during a break.
- Act as an intermediary on inter-Academy business (apply to Carth for further details.)
- Run messages inside High Hold on behalf of the Academy.
I raised an eyebrow at the blonde male. "Running messages? How's that bard work?"
He smiled. "That used to be my go-to job, actually. It's never just messages, you know - there's always a social aspect to it. Plus you can end up with connections everywhere."
I grunted. "...and the intermediary thing?"
"Catch-all phrase. People always wind up disagreeing over the dumbest stuff. We help people meet in the middle, reach an agreement, remove hostilities, whatever it takes."
I nodded and went back to the board. A few minutes later, I made my decision and touched my key gem to three different plaques, watching the relevant quest notifications pop up. I'd taken one task from a bit higher on the billboard, because it seemed more or less within my reach. Also, I wanted to figure out how difficult it would be to gain reputation here. Running messages, though? Hell no. My stamina-starved behind would take forever to get anywhere.
You have been offered a quest:
Cantina Band
You need to provide entertainment during the noon or the evening meal break, either inside the cantina or in the amphitheatre.
Reward:
50 reputation with High Hold
100 experience points
Time remaining for completion: 8 hours, 7 minutes
Accept/Decline?
You have been offered a quest:
Intervention
You have been tasked with improving the social well-being in the Academy. Carth will have the details for you.
Reward:
50-100 reputation with High Hold, depending on difficulty and result
100 experience points
Accept/Decline?
You have been offered a quest:
My Kind of Push-Up
Sonic Push is known for versatility, as well as handiness in combat. The bard faction of High Hold would like to have additional details on the specific possibilities of the spell. Report to Tyler Cavanaugh with a written detail of your observations and thoughts.
Reward:
50-150 reputation with High Hold, depending on the details and usefulness of your results
300 experience points
Accept/Decline?
Damn. This was going to take a while. I accepted all three and checked my character sheet - 1600 reputation (liked) with High Hold. If I didn't remember wrong - yeah, I'd have to hit 6000 to become revered with them. That was about 70 beginner quests. Ah, well. I might find some additional possibilities later, and I didn't have anywhere I needed to be. Except back with Darya - and I had better put that out of my mind for now.
I nodded to Benjamin. "I believe that should do it. I know where Carth is, and I've seen the amphitheatre."
"Great. In that case, I'll just give you a general tour of the premises and show you some of the classes. You're free to join whatever suits your interest."
"Classes. D’oh. Of course an Academy has classes." I'd been so focused on my goal, I had completely forgotten to take into account that I might have a possibility to improve a lot here.
Benjamin was true to his word and gave me a grand tour of the Academy, adding his own commentary on everything. He was decent company, but I couldn't help but feel that Carth had hit the nail on the head with the word "slick." Everything he said sounded positive, lovely, and entirely calculated for effect. It might also have been my pet peeve against people who call you "friend" from the first moment they meet you.
Unsurprisingly, the bard wing was focused a lot on music and Sonic magic. Apprentice classes were in the afternoon, and I fully intended to not miss a single one. Inflated opinion of my own value or not, I decided to forego any violin classes. I was eyeing the beginner singing lessons, however. On top of these, there were a few classes I had not expected to see inside a school. Crowd mentality, for instance. A much-beleaguered halfling was in charge of equipment for the bard wing and grudgingly passed me a rack of papers for my task with the research on Sonic Push. "Make sure to bring back all the unused papers. Who am I kidding? Nobody ever does."
The size of the Academy itself hadn't really made an impression on me before I’d taken the full tour. There had to be at least 20 different classrooms, and that was only on the first floor. The cantina was everything I'd expected and loathed from my days back in school in Copenhagen. Cliques, laughing crowds, mockery and food that reminded me of... well, cantina food. I promised myself I'd minimize my time here and moved on.
All told, the place was vibrant, thriving and buzzing with activity, and my initial dislike at having to possibly spend weeks in the place turned to optimism. The main building sported a long list of ongoing classes - enough to overwhelm. You'd have to have some sort of super power and superhuman intellect to be able to join every single class. Maybe even be named Jade.
With utter distaste at having to choose, I decided, almost at random, where I would start. Then I could always try something else later. General lore and magic lore class, it was. I had to admit, it would be pretty nifty to raise my lore skill enough that I could always identify everything. I spotted Lyle in the hallways and waved. He was carrying around three boxes that seemed to weigh the same as myself. Turning back to Benjamin, I asked, "So, this is all a bit much. If you don't mind, who do I ask for help if I need something repeated or need some help after today?"
He sighed. "I guess you can ask me if it’s bard-related. It's not like Mrs. Gladestrider gave me a chance to weasel out of this one. Or Carth, if it’s something general."
"Thanks. Erm. If you don't mind me asking, what was with her? Is she always like that?"
"Just stressed, from all her responsibility." He paused and then shook his head. "Sorry, that was a lie. Force of habit - keeping up appearances and all that. To tell you the truth, Mrs. Gladestrider cares more about her research and self-advancement than the well-being of the school. I'm trying to manage my own work load on top of most of hers, but it's a bit much."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Shouldn't somebody look into that? I mean, it's got to be tough on you."
He fended off the idea. "No. Please don't say anything. It'll just make me look bad."
Whatever his opinion, the system had a differing one, and I was rewarded with an intriguing pop-up.
You have been offered a quest:
Change In Charge
You have been made aware that the current leadership of the bard wing of the Academy is less than optimal. Figure out the full story behind the current situation.
Reward: unknown.
Accept/Decline?
Before I knew it, we had stopped before a large staircase leading to the second floor. Benjamin gave me a weak smile. "So, I hope that you have a better idea of where everything is. If not, I'm usually over at the bard wing. I have my own tiny closet for an office. Ask for Mr. Jorantyr up there - he's in charge of Chronicler initiations."
"Thanks a lot, Benjamin. It's been educational. Hey, one final question: am I expected up there right now? I was thinking I might go complete my task to play for everybody in a bit." Also, I
really needed a break – and some food.
"Already working to get ahead? That's the spirit.” He waved off my concern. ”Nah, there's no rush. Introducing yourself any time today should be okay."
We parted ways, and I ambled about a bit, getting a feel for the mood of the place. Even with the age differences and tons of different races, the overall feel of it was exactly the same as any university. It had all the usual social games and bullying, and the occasional bout of learning. I walked past a handful of pretty girls of all races who were mocking a half-elf girl and scowled. Like hell was I going to get mixed up in the local bickering. Before I knew it, I'd be spending my time getting back at Biff because he'd, like, been totally mean to Jennifer.
The amphitheatre was an impressive construction, and I suspected that sorcerers had been involved in the creation. It was carved into the ground in levels. Each level of the amphitheater had a row of rock benches surrounding the entire structure, only interrupted by stairs at each corner of the compass leading down to the very center that held a large stage. The most impressive part, however, was the half-roof covering the stage of the amphitheatre in a dome. The roof rose from four stone pillars to a great height, ensuring a dry stage for those below. It was made from what seemed like hardened mud covered with some protective shell and decorated with elaborate engraved whorls and symbols. A scattered handful of people were lounging about, speaking, joking, or eating in solitude. The stage was large enough to hold half an orchestra. A trap door leading into the ground attested to the possibility of equipment and props being hidden down there. Perhaps they had both plays and larger groups performing. I'd never tried playing with a proper orchestra, but it might be a good experience.
