by J. J. Thorn
Instead of the first red-haired boy standing up, one of the girls stood in the group. Likely the one with the SWORD affinity.
Her voice shook as she spoke, but she looked directly at the Professor while speaking.
"W-We talked it over and r-realized that we were better off having the s-shield up front, as opposed to two swords. T-the second sword would be a scout. Also, some sword users get movement skills, so they could be on reserve in case something went wrong."
"Thank you, great. I think you made a good decision. One other thing I'll have you consider is that a lot of leaders in the army started out with a SWORD affinity. As part of their progression, they gained Skills that would help enhance the speed, agility, and strength of their squad. Enhancing Skills on others is rare, but very powerful in groups, especially in larger squads.
Anyone else? Let's get one last group. Yes, you with the black hair."
The professor picked Jen and she stood to speak.
"Front-liner: SHIELD, SHIELD
Ranged: SWORD, WEIGHT
Utility: HEAL, IDENTIFY"
Jen remained standing, anticipating a question.
"Yes, great, great. I see a lot of versatility in your group, despite getting 2 shields. That is not uncommon, especially at Prep. Ok, I see you want one question, so eager, great, great. OK, I will ask this. If I asked you to switch one shield with the weight ranged user, would you be able to do so?"
Jen considered the question but ultimately looked at both Britta and me for guidance. Britta did not hesitate and gave a nod automatically. I hesitated, but Jen's face put me at ease and I also nodded.
She smiled at both of us and looked back at the professor.
"Yes, if we needed to, we could do it."
"Great, I'm happy to see you're already getting along. You may sit. Great stuff today all.
For today's last assignment, we're going to start going over the different formations with the roles you've currently thought of. These are all hypothetical, of course. Do not be worried. You will have more opportunities to try other formations moving forward.
For today, you will have one opponent, but this will get harder as time goes on. Also, you are forbidden from using your affinity at this time. This is to practice formation only. Take a piece of paper from me before taking a corner of the mat. When the clock strikes for class to end, you are free to go. Thank you again, and see you next Monday."
Professor turned around and started making sure the pieces of paper were visible to the class.
Once again, we were all left confused - who was our 1 opponent?
"Ugh, professor, who are we using as our opponent?" Someone finally said, again.
"Great, great. I forgot to even show you Ottis and the hounds."
He smacked his head, making an incredulous face for us all. Some laughed, but others just stood there in disbelief. I can't believe this guy is going to be our Dungeoneering teacher all year!
As I thought more about how his forgetfulness, he started to speak again.
"So we have about 57 groups, give or take. Shouldn't be an issue. Kennel - 58."
As the professor spoke his final words, what looked like a void started to appear to his left and right. From the void, dogs started to jump out!
Each dog looked slightly different, some big, some small. Some wore clothing, while some had nothing on them. They continued to stream out in rows.
As they came out, each dog would run up to a group, sitting in front of the closest person.
Some were shocked at what they were seeing, while others were thrilled to be able to pet their cute dog.
I had no idea what I was seeing.
"Please do not be alarmed at my hounds. They are simply the manifestation of my DRAWING affinity. I am able to bring to life any animal that I draw well enough. Since I was a child, I loved drawing my dog Ottis, and this familiarity made him the easiest for me to visualize. All of my current Skills are based around this power.
Each of you will be assigned one hound. Treat them well. If you do, they may remain with you when you go into the Dungeon next year. This is the reason I've been chosen as your Professor, each dog will protect you as best as it can, but I'll also know if something wrong has occurred. Dungeons are dangerous places.
More about that later. For now, take your hound and begin practicing your formations.
There, that should be all now - great, great."
Chapter 17
Busy
As it turns out, we were terrible at the formations. We would bump into each other constantly, lose track of the dog's position, forget to communicate, among other issues.
After looking around the room, we realized we weren't the worst, but by the end of the class, we were eager to come back the following week and try again.
Several of the groups had even been distracted by their dog companions. The formations took a back seat to the petting, which Professor Renault hadn't minded as he also showered his dogs with more affection.
Luckily, we had Jen to keep us on track. She made sure we practiced, and because she knew we had nothing else to do after class, we even stayed a little bit later.
Eventually, Zane, who had actually been the best at it, decided that he had had enough and called it off.
Most of the other groups had left, so we were all pretty content to do the same.
The professor had not stayed behind to see all the students leave, so when we finished the dog just left the building. Zane reassured us that the dog would be fine.
Speaking of Zane, he had used his Skill on the dog, finding out that it's name was listed as Ottis.
In fact, they were all listed as Ottis.
We made a commitment to think of a more unique name the following week. Using the Skill on Ottis had apparently even increased his Rank percentage. He had never used it on a Skill creation or manifestation beforehand, so he was pleased to know it would work.
I tried the same but wasn't able to see anything weird. Each dog weighed a different amount. Most were between 50 and 80 pounds, while a couple were 30 pounds and one especially large dog was over 100 pounds.
After calling it quits, the girls left to go do their own thing for the rest of the day.
I was really starting to appreciate their different personalities. Jen was beautiful and extremely driven. Britta was stubborn, while also being extremely caring at times. Cassie was the hardest to get a read on, but she had a sarcastic sense of humour that was really engaging.
Todd had even started to become more comfortable with the group, committing to joining our group again the following week.
I left the first day's classes overwhelmed by the number of different things I now had to consider.
Zane and I decided to take until Dinner to try and teach me how to see my internal energy. He reassured me as I struggled, saying that it wasn't something that would happen automatically for some people. Professor Valk gave it as an assignment for the next week, but some students might not even see it until their next semester.
After dinner, we met up with the fire twins again, Noah and Trevor, swapping stories from the day. They had been in the morning's General Magic Studies class but hadn't seen the argument I had with the Foxes. They'd had the afternoon off, taking the opportunity to start checking out some of the crafting facilities on campus. Apparently, there was also a huge library that we had access to as part of our studies.
We spent the night hanging out and talk eventually went to the girls. Trevor, especially, was keen to meet them, but we delayed that until another day.
Our first day at Krader's Prep had been a success. Back in Huag, I'd never had a lot of friends, so the constant talks were draining. It was good to have friends, but I couldn't keep up with Zane, who seemed to thrive in the social environment. As I laid down in bed, I couldn't wait to finally start working out my body after all of the discussions I'd had for the day.
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Zane and I had breakfast before walking over to the training fields we'd passed by the day before. We made sure to use our Skills until we ran out of energy before and after breakfast. My progress had slowed quite a bit, as my Rank remained at 69%.
A muscular man in shorts stood surrounded by a bunch of students. His purple and gold robe was tossed over his shoulder.
Like yesterday, we noticed a significant number of people around the fields training. My hope was that after today I would be able to do the same in my free time.
We walked up to the group of students, noticing that the group was much smaller than the two from the previous day. Apparently, most other classes happened multiple times during the week. Zane and I had just been lucky to get the same timeslot. For now, we couldn't see anyone else we knew.
"Good morning, I am Professor Gaunt, you can just call me Gaunt. This is Tuesday's General Training class, and I also have the same class tomorrow and Thursday. If you have any conflicts, feel free to take one of the other time slots.
This class is purely about assessing your physical abilities and helping you improve. Whether you choose a life in the military, as a guard, or as a Dungeoneer, your body will be put to the test constantly. Your affinity may help, but eventually, you'll run out of internal energy and only your body will remain.
We're going to start class by running laps around the field. I'll set the pace, try to keep up. And class, don't use any internal energy. I doubt most of you can at this point, but for now, nothing. Clear, ok, good. Let's GO!"
Zane and I looked at each other hesitantly as Gaunt started running towards the other end of the field.
The next three hours were a whirlwind of different exercises. At several points, I needed to stop, and many other students did the same.
Throughout it all, Gaunt would yell at us to continue, making sure we were ready for the next thing. We were given breaks between large exercises, like the laps, where we were given a piece of paper and some pencils to track how we had done.
After running, where I was happy to know I wasn't the worst of the bunch, we did pushups, situps, and other types of exercises I'd never actually tried before.
At every step, Gaunt would remind us to not use any internal energy.
Since I could only use it on my eyes so far, I didn't think about it much.
Despite my workouts in Huag, my physical abilities were still limited compared to some of my classmates. I wasn't able to run for as long, and I found myself waning in other areas as well.
Zane was actually one of the best, able to keep up with the Professor for half of the run and putting up some of the best numbers for everything else.
We ended the class completely exhausted and drenched in our own sweat.
From the looks of the other students, we all felt the same way.
Before leaving the field, I walked over to Gaunt, who was sitting down on the grass waiting for all the students to leave. I asked Zane to wait around, while I went to ask him a couple questions.
Gaunt's shirt was damp, but he looked no worse for wear. To him, this had looked like a morning exercise.
"Hi Gaunt, do you mind if I ask you a couple questions? I'm Terrence, by the way."
"Ya, no problem Terrence. What can I do for ya? Not hoping to drop class I hope. I know the first day is rough, but it gets better."
"No sir, I found it hard, but I liked that. I was just wondering if we would be doing anything with weapons in this class? I want to become a Dungeoneer like you mentioned at the beginning of class, but I realize my skills with a weapon are lacking."
"Glad to hear you're sticking with it. As for weapons, we don't really bring them into this class. I'll tell you that what we do definitely helps, but if you wanted to train with weapons specifically, I hope you also took the weapons course."
"No, I didn't." Once again regretting that I had taken Ethics over weapons training.
"That's ok. My other recommendation is to train outside of class. You won't have a teacher with you, but there are training weapons and dummies on Field C, right over there" He started to point towards another field behind us in the distance. "There you'll be able to do your own thing, maybe even train with other students. Everyone isn't new to school like you guys, so you might even get lucky and find someone willing to help you out who's already out there Dungeoneering."
"Thank you, Professor, that's a great idea! Exactly what I needed!"
"Ya, no problem Terrence. And call me Gaunt. So, anything else I can do, I was just going to head into town after this anyways."
"Sure, one more question. My Dad created these iron things for me, I sometimes called them 'weights'. I lifted them and used them to help train. I was wondering if you had something similar."
"Haha, ya, we have weights. I'm guessing your Dad just took the idea from his time at Prep. You'll find them in the same building. You can bring them out to the fields, but just remember to put them back. It's a pain to request more to be made by the school's blacksmiths."
"Thanks a lot, Gaunt. No, that's good for now. I'll see you next week for class."
I walked back to Zane, who was stretching on another part of the field.
"What'd you end up asking him?" He straightened up as he noticed me coming back over.
"Mostly about other types of training that I can do. I need to practice with a weapon and I also had some weights at home that I used regularly."
"Ya, we had those at home as well. They must have a place for them nearby, they're really popular. We had a training room in our basement for all of that, one of my tutors swore by their use."
"Ya, both things are actually available in that building over there. He said it was near Field C. I guess this must be Field A or B. And is that how you were so good today?"
"Haha, I don't know what you mean by good, Ren. I am dead on my feet right now. Gaunt really put us through a lot that class, he and my tutor from home would have been great friends."
"Ya, but you kept up better than most. I'm going to come here a few times during the week, I have a lot to do to get to your level at least. Not even considering Gaunt's."
"You've gotta cut yourself some slack man, Gaunt has probably been doing this for years. It all takes time. I'll train with you though, I was definitely humbled as well."
"Thanks, Zane. Now, let's go get some food. I have class soon. What will you do while I'm in class now?"
"I think I'll check out the library, actually. The Teller estate had a massive library, but I didn't spend much time in there looking at books on affinities or Dungeons. I realized yesterday that I have a lot to learn, especially if I'm going to be our group's tactician."
"You're really sticking with that idea! Did you not want to go back to the merchant life with your family?"
"No. My Dad has made it pretty clear. I will never be able to go back unless I make something of myself. Even then, who knows. That doesn't mean it won't ever happen, but for now, I need to find my own way. My siblings and I have always had a rivalry, so I can't really reach out to them either.
And the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I just feel like I need to be going into Dungeons. And since you, Jen and Britta are all muscle heads, we need to have some brains to back you up." Zane joked as we continued to walk towards the dining hall.
While I didn't like being reduced to a muscle head, I couldn't discard the fact that Zane DID know a lot more about me.
Plus, during our formations, he really did a great job at trying to position the group. His spatial awareness seemed pretty good, probably from keeping track of people around him his whole life.
We reached the dining hall, got our food, and were happy to see that the girls were eating at a table.
I was able to let them know about the training rooms near Field C, but they were quick to let us know how much we stunk from our previous class.
Embarrassed, and completely having forgotten since my mind was elsewhere, I devoured my food befor
e leaving to go clean up.
Jen had been thrilled to hear about the training grounds, but I didn't stick around long enough to discuss anything more.
I rushed back to the dorms. Zane had the rest of the day off, but I had Monster Behaviour soon.
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By the looks of it, I was probably going to make it to class on time, but I was cutting it close. Showing up to class at the last minute was becoming a habit I hoped to break next week. I had usually been a punctual kid, but that was probably because Mom was there to help.
I wonder how she and Elise are doing right now. Elise would have been in school, probably making trouble for her teachers, while Mom was probably working hard.
I would need to figure out where I could send them a letter at some point. Maybe during my trip into town with Jen and the other girls over the weekend.
I walked up to a different building I hadn't been to as yet. Each of the buildings on the campus was impressive. Compared to Huag, where most places were only one or two stories, it was crazy to see some buildings with 10 floors.
I walked up the steps to the fifth floor, where I walked into a packed classroom.
As expected, I was last to arrive, but thankfully, I found a seat.
The professor wore the purple and golden robes in their full. No quirks this time.
I was glad to see that not all of the professors would be outlandish or weird.
The professor wore glasses and their hair was well kept. Their face was fairly plain, with no defining features.
He stood at the front of the class beside a gigantic book. The book was larger than any I had ever seen before.
"Look at that, a full class." The professor started. "I'm thrilled to see so many people interested in monster behaviour.
To start, my name is Lance Drower, so I guess you'll call me Professor Drower. I spent a lot of my life working with the Guild, but I chose to take a different path about 10 years ago.
