by J. J. Thorn
"A man needs to make himself look presentable at all times. We also didn't know where this building was, so we had to ask for directions a couple of times.” Zane responded.
“This place is huge though!" I added in.
"Ya, they use it for preliminaries before when there are too many people trying out for the tournament. It's one of the largest buildings on campus because of it." Jen responded.
She wasn't kidding, this place was as big as the market square in Huag.
Some paintings lined the walls, but for the most part, the building was pretty grey and boring.
"So have any of you heard what we learn in this class? Obviously Dungeons, but other than letting us enter the Dungeon next semester, the class list wasn't very descriptive." I sat down next to Claire, with Zane seated in front of me. We made a semi-circle, not knowing which side of the building the professor would be entering from.
Each of the girls shook their heads, not having heard anything more about the class.
"I do know about the Professor though. He actually owns a shop in town. He's an artist who also Dungeon dives when he can. Seems like a pretty busy guy; my parents and I have known him ever since we came to Krader. He's always offering to paint our family, but we've always declined." Britta started.
"Why decline? If he's got his own shop, he must be pretty good?" I asked.
"I don't think his shop does very well. Between you and me, we don't think he's very good. I think that's why he needs to teach and do Dungeon runs. His paintings are a little too weird for my family. A bit too many colours and shapes if you catch my drift." Britta's contorted her face as she tried to depict how the paintings turned out.
"But then why would he teach Dungeoneering? Is his affinity something else and he just paints as a hobby?"
"Who knows, I've never asked him what his affinity was. All I'll say is that my Dad has a shop in town as well, but his is in a way worse location than Mr. Renard's. And Dad always tells me that the cost to keep the shop running is HUGE. For Mr. Renard to be able to afford the shop, live in the city, and not sell a single painting, he must do pretty well. Either at Prep or with his Dungeon diving. That's what Mom says, anyways." Britta looked exhausted from having spoken so much. By her tired expression, she wasn't one for gossip and likely left it to the other girls when she could.
I was fascinated by the different types of people I would be meeting at Prep. In Huag, I hadn't spent a lot of time around Affinity users, but all students and teachers would likely have an affinity.
Would I know right away what that was, like with Professor Valk? Would their affinity be obvious or something completely separate from their life like this Mr. Renard Britta described.
As my thoughts drifted towards affinities and magic, the others kept talking about idle things. Eventually, a man in a purple robe walked into the room holding some pages in his hand. His robe had gold trims, similar to those of Professor Valk, but past that nothing else was the same.
His rob stopped at his waist, where he then wore orange silk pants. His shoes were pointed and green. His blond hair was covered by a painter's cap. I think I had seen them called a beret in some of the stories I had read. Usually worn by artists and jesters, his whole outfit really made him stand out.
If not for the purple robe, I would have questioned his being there, for sure.
"Everyone please come closer to this side of the building. I always forget how much of a drag this building is. Come closer to me so I can see all of your sweet and innocent faces." He made his way to the side of the building nearest to us. For most, they were already close to his position, but a few people shuffled their way towards us.
After a couple of minutes for people to reposition, where the professor made quips with the people in the front about the building some more, he started again.
"SO! My name is Luke Renard. While I'm on campus, students call me Professor Renard, but if you see me in Krader, just call me Luke. I took this gig as a way to finance my artist's shop, so come visit if you ever want to see some of my work. I would love to have some of you come visit! It would be so great! It's called RenArt and it's in the heart of the city, near the Guild Hall, you can't miss it! Isn't that so great! I mostly paint, but you can also commission clay sculptures and other things if you want. I've been here for a few years and most in town know all about the shop. It's a big hit actually." His hands were very animated as he spoke to the crowd of 300+ students.
"Any questions before we start?"
Luke said, addressing the crowd. Like me, most seemed confused.
Luckily, one of the students in the front said something for the group.
"Ugh, Luke, I mean Professor Renard, you haven't explained to anyone what they're supposed to do."
"Oh paint chips, I got so caught up in talking about my store that I forgot about the class again. Let me start over! This is Dungeoneering 1. This class needs to be taken to do Dungeoneering 2 in the second semester. If you come back another year, you don't have to take this class again, since it's an introduction. Isn't that fun! In today's class, we are going to talk about Dungeon formations and Dungeon roles. We'll actually be spending a lot of time on these two topics because the school wants you to be somewhat prepared if you enter a Dungeon.
I could talk your ears off, but I want this class to be more interactive. So, to start the class, can someone tell me what I mean by a Dungeon role?"
Luke addressed the class and the hands of some students started to go up.
What was a role? Didn't everyone just go in and kill monsters?
Finally, Luke picked a girl with pigtails to answer.
"A Dungeon role is the position someone takes on a Dungeoneer team. Like, the role they take while fighting back the monsters."
"That's very good, thank you. Yes, the role is an easy way to explain someone’s position on the team. Anything else, anyone?... Yes, you there."
He pointed at a very large boy seated to the far right.
"My da mentioned that the role doesn't always need to apply to Dungeons. That they also use a similar method for monsters in the field."
"Yes, and your father would be right. When fighting monsters in general, it's nice to have an idea of what role you play in the group. And to the rest of you, does that mean every Dungeoneering team always has the same roles?"
Students continued to put up their hands as more questions were asked.
"No, I remember hearing about a team where everyone could shoot fireballs!"
"That is right, there are teams who only have one type of affinity user. In fact, there are so many weapon-based affinity teams, that a lot of teams rely on that alone. It isn't ideal, but we'll talk about that a bit later. Now, last question for now. Can people list some different Dungeon roles for me? Just yell them out, and don't worry about getting it right or wrong."
"Tank"
"Damage Dealer"
"Healer"
"Crowder"
"Defender"
"Mage"
"Scout"
"Front-Liner"
"Striker"
"Disabler"
"Support"
"Tactician"
"Ranged Damage Dealer"
"Leader"
People continued to yell out words, but most of them had no meaning to me. The words went on for a few minutes as students kept coming up with different things to say.
Eventually, the professor put his hand up for everyone to stop.
"That's great everyone! Such a lively class, so great! I did this because I wanted to show how everyone has different names for the roles we'll be learning in this class. There are super-specific roles, and there are roles that only some people will ever fit. With that said, we have to remember that most people usually get a SWORD or SHIELD affinity, so we're going to base a lot of our time on those. Some of you will find this annoying, but you have to remember that most of you can't even use your affinities. This isn't weapons training, but most if not all of y
ou will be using a weapon of some type when you dive.
Now, we'll be dividing into groups of 6 in a moment since there are so many of you. In your groups, I want you to play around with the 3 roles to keep it simple. Everyone should try to think about how they would meet that role.
You're here, so you plan on entering a Dungeon, but remember what I said about monolithic teams before - the ones that only ever do one thing? They're not very versatile. Who cares if you can all kill something with a sword or everyone can use a fireball? What if you're against a flying opponent? Or an opponent made resistant to magical damage altogether?
Great, great. I see some of you are really listening. Super great.
Now, the roles.
First, Front-liners. These are your people at the front soaking up or putting out damage.
Second, Ranged damage dealers. Either physical or magical, doesn't matter.
Third, Utility. This is going to be your healer or crowd control. Probably the most versatile in the group.
Teams can usually range from 4-6. We have a large group so split into groups of 6. Don't be scared to meet someone new. You're young be free.
You'll be discussing your roles among your team. Don't only think about what you can do now. Think about what you want to be able to do in the future.
Now go be creative! You have 30 minutes."
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"Well, he's certainly interesting. I don't think your explanation did him justice Britta." Zane said as soon as other people started dividing into teams.
"I wanted to let you see it for yourself," Britta responded.
"Let's not worry about that for now, we should get started but we only have 5 of us. We need one more." Jen stood up, getting us to focus again.
She really will make a good leader one day, she seems to always know when to take charge.
"Ya, you're right, but we don't really know anyone else. What about you girls?" I responded, trying to be helpful.
They shook their heads, but Zane had a different idea. We all watched him as he went up to the large boy who had answered one of the questions earlier in class. He looked to be alone, which I guess Zane had picked up on. After a minute of negotiation, we saw Zane start to walk over to us with the larger boy in tow.
"There we go, we have 6 now. This is Todd Rugar, say hi everyone."
Todd looked away as the group said hello.
"Hey Todd, nice to meet you," Jen said last as she got right down to the assignment. "Alright, so with 6, let's start figuring out what role everyone wants to take. We have front-liner, Ranged, and utility. I guess I'll start. My affinity is SWORD and I'd like to be a front-liner. That's my plan, at least."
She really did seem to have a good grasp of what she wanted to do. Have they all thought about this before?
"My affinity is SHIELD. I also plan to be a front-liner. Trying to block for skinny over here as she runs into danger."
Britta smirked at Jen.
"I guess it's ladies first, so I'll go next. My affinity is HEAL. I plan on healing these two idiots." Cassie finished for the girls. It really felt like they had spent most of their lives thinking about this. They had a near-perfect team.
"Wow, you girls make a perfect team, damage, shield and heal." I envied their friendship.
"No team is perfect, Terrence," Zane started. "And besides, we're all Rank 1. Anyways, my affinity is IDENTIFY. I plan on being utility, but I also have some skills fighting."
Damnit, even Zane has thought about his role. Does that mean I'm next, what do I even say?
"Thanks for letting me join your group.
Todd.
I also have a SHIELD affinity." I had forgotten about Todd. Was it bad that we had multiple people with the same affinity? Everyone does keep saying that there will be a lot of SWORD and SHIELD affinity users.
"That means we have 3 front-liners so far and two utility. Here's hoping you can somehow go ranged Ren." Said Jen.
Crap, it's finally my turn.
"Ugh, I don't know I've never really thought about it. I've just always known I wanted to fight monsters and Dungeons. I never really thought about how. Ugh, and my affinity is WEIGHT."
"Don't worry about it Ren, that's why we have the class anyways. I think we all need to think about different variations anyways. I think that's the whole point of the assignment." Zane comforted me, giving his signature big smile. The girls also nodded along as he spoke.
"And besides, like Zane said, we're all Rank 1 anyways. This is an awesome time to think about what we COULD do in the future. I'll start again. I spoke with people in town and they think my affinity is actually pretty unique. I always used to play with pretend swords when I was younger. Me and the girls would always play Dungeons and I would always be the hero saving the day! My parents didn't like that and wanted me to join the family business. They're both LIGHT affinity users and they went into crafting instead. When I got my affinity, I think the Goddess wanted to give me the best of both worlds, so my Skill actually allows me to create a sword of light. It doesn’t do much now, but as I said, it's only Rank 1! So I'll go into the Ranged group, maybe I'll be able to throw my swords of light in the future."
Wow. Jen is so cool. Swords of light. Plus she's even willing to give up her dreams to try and make the team work.
I guess I have thought about my affinity a lot!
"Thanks, guys, that really does make me feel better. Well, I've been thinking about my affinity a lot since I got it. I can currently see the weight of people and things, so I'm thinking that I might be able to manipulate that weight eventually. Ya know, making things heavier or lighter. That makes sense to me!"
"Good thinking Ren, that would be mega cool. Maybe you'll get some abilities to slow monsters in the future. Or maybe you'll be able to throw objects and make them weigh a bunch!" Jen thought of more potential applications for my affinity.
Things I hadn't even thought of.
"Plus, I have a sword now, but I'm basically just a beginner..."
"Haha easy there Ren, we've got enough front-liners." Cassie and everyone laughed at my new enthusiasm.
"Ya, sorry, what about you guys. So I guess our first formation is Britta and Todd as front-liners, Cassie as healer and Jen is raining down swords of light on our enemies. I know you mentioned you would be utility before Zane, but how does that work with your affinity?"
"It's not just about my affinity. I have a lot of general knowledge that could be used in a fight. I see myself as a tactician or strategist, able to determine where my teammates are best used. My affinity has to do with knowing people, and I plan to use my brain to further that. With both Skills and skills. Past that, like I said, I've trained in both close combat fighting and with bows. I just think utility suits my future ambitions best."
Crap. Even Zane is hella cool. Those noble tutors really prepare you for anything.
"Off-topic, sorry, but why would a merchant ever need all of those skills?" I asked Zane.
"My father realized that paying people to guard him was good, but having the ability to defend himself was even better. He still hires guards, but he is a capable fighter who expected the same from his children as well. Stewart Teller would do anything to hold onto his fortune."
"Ok, let's talk daddy issues another time boys," Cassie interjected.
"You're right Cassie, sorry. So what about our two shield users. Do you see yourselves fitting any other roles?" Zane asked Britta and Todd.
"My dad was always the tank in his group. I've always wanted to do the same. Haven't really thought of anything else." Todd responded.
"Ya, sort of the same for me. Dad's got a shop and I've always wanted to protect them and my girls." Britta looked at her friends with fondness.
"Ya, and there's nothing wrong with being a good shield. Maybe we think about different applications for your shields then. For instance, a shield can take many forms. Some shield users focus on hea
vy armor, while some focus on quick dodges and deflections. Some shield users use magic to enhance themselves or others for greater protection. It doesn't happen often, but it's definitely been done." Zane said.
"I'll think about it. If skinny can get swords of light, I can be unique too!" Britta exclaimed with pride.
"Sorry team, I don't want to be stubborn, but I really don't see myself being anything other than a big tank at the front. Like my da." Todd let on shyly.
"And there's nothing wrong with that." Jen put her hand on his shoulder and gave him a nod of approval.
Afterwards, Todd seemed a bit less reserved as we continued the conversation.
We spent the rest of the time discussing other potential possibilities, but in the end, we chose the following roles:
Front-liners: Todd, Britta
Ranged: Jen, Terrence
Utility: Cassie, Zane
We were all pretty pleased with the decisions, even if it wasn't how we'd originally envisioned ourselves.
Professor Renault eventually yelled from the front again. He had also been walking around from group to group making sure people weren't stuck in the assignment.
"Ok, time's up - everyone come back to sit down so we can do the final part of class."
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"So great, great, great, great! Everyone seems to be back. Thanks for making today such a fun time!
We have one last exercise to do, but first I want 2 groups to volunteer. If you do, I don't want you to say people's names, I want you to say their affinity and their position. This is actually a way of greeting in some Guild Halls across the continent.
Do we have any volunteers?"
I thought of volunteering, but Jen was already way ahead of me with her hand straight in the air. Others around the room also had their hands up.
The professor picked a group of 6 further behind us. It consisted of 2 girls and 4 guys, but no one I knew.
"Front-Liners: SHIELD, SWORD.
Ranged: FIRE, BIRD
Utility: SWORD, ILLUSION"
A boy with red hair and a grim smile recited his team's roles, before sitting back down.
"Great, thank you. If you feel comfortable, I would like to ask you one question. What specific actions would your second SWORD affinity take in this hypothetical scenario."
