Aeres Academy - Chapter 31 preview

The rest of survival class was more of the same, a theoretical discussion about the world, the dungeons and the faults that we moved through. As Dario later explained, we were not going into the dungeon itself till the fault itself reset and so it was time to cover as much of the theory as we could. 

That meant understanding all the various portions of a dungeon, the different kinds that had formed all through the world, the types of faults and the reasons for their creation as well as the kind of floors we might expect to come across. Early on, especially in a fault, the variety was low – but that would change, as we reached deeper levels. 

It was all theoretical, with practical examples to be shown when we were within the fault itself. At least, as much as he could showcase to us with the limited on-hand levels that we had or the dungeon floors that could easily be accessed. 

More importantly, while the knowledge imparted was theoretical, it was only so because it was unimportant to our everyday existence – at least until we journeyed deeper and became true delvers. Only Later on would it matter why each type of dungeon was made, though the knowledge now could help us bypass problems in the future.

For example, certain dungeons – formed by the pressure and traversal of dungeon monsters deep within the earth – were more structured than others. Others were filled with water, or certain type of elements or drew certain types of monsters, such that one could find a dungeon that might better suit certain skills. 

The classic example, the Lightbringer, whose Skill allowed her to intensify light around her. A poor adventurer in the city of Adrastos, until she had moved to the city of Korax. There, the structure of the dungeon, with its crystal walls and routes lower along with the plethora of fire moss allowed her to blossom, to become the famed, named delver that she was.

Luckily, for all that Dario had to say, much of the information he provided was not unknown – even to a latecomer to this world like me. Tavern tales and bardic songs spoke of such dungeons in great detail, and it was only the presentation of the information – pulling together and clarifying numerous tales we had all heard – that made the presentation itself illuminating.

After class, and more training time, it was not surprising when the kids waved me over to join them during dinner. At this point, I had to admit, I’d given up on the possibility of avoiding them all, and so, reluctantly joined the group.

“So, what are you going to do?” Brand was the first to ask, always the first to breach a topic.

“Eat my dinner.”

“Not now, idiot. Tomorrow.” His grin widened. “Our first rest day.”

“Are you sick of the academy already?” Kira teased. “It’s only been four days.”

“Four days of being tortured by that sadist in the morning and then getting our heads stuffed with words,” Yorrick said. “I’m with Brand. I can’t wait for a day off.”

“So what are you going to do?” Sophia said, eyes crinkling. 

“Me?” Yorrick hesitated then, looking sideways and away. “Nothing…”

“And if that wasn’t suspicious, I don’t know what is,” I muttered. Yorrick shot me an aggrieved look of betrayal, even as Sophia prodded him with a finger. 

“Well, broken cores. You got plans, tell us.”

“I don’t have to. It has nothing to do with you all.” 

“I know that!” Sophia rolled her eyes. “What kind of faulty rune do you think I am, that I think you have to tell us.” She pouted, doing the big doe eye thing at Yorrick who folds like a serviette before a waiter.

“There are some people who owe me, now that I’m in the academy. Bets to collect, you know?”

“Ooooh… sounds exciting!”

“What are you planning to do?” Brand asked, curiously. 

“I got no plans.” Sophia wrinkled her nose. “My family are Panji, they’d have already left for the next city.”

“When will they be back?” Kira said, worry in her tone.

“Eh, maybe nine months?” Sophia shrugged, unworried. “Depends on the roads and what’s for sale, you know?”

“Not really,” Yorrick replied. “None of us are Travelers.” 

There were nods from the others and Sophia lets out an exasperated huff. “It’s not that different. We just travel, is all. Taking cores and monster parts and anything else small and valuable between cities.”

“Why didn’t you stay with them?” Brand asked, blithely.

That caused Sophia to hesitate, just a moment, before she replied a little too fast. “Oh, I just wasn’t really suited to that life, you know? I wanted to settle down a little. Dig into the earth. I wanted to follow the teachings.”

“Delve,” Yorrick corrected.

Ignoring Yorrick, Sophia eyed Brand. “What about you?”

“I have to check on my family,” Brand said. “Make sure my brothers are fine.” Something dark flickers in his eyes as he said that, but his tone continued to stay light. “I also have a half-shift at the tanners.”

“You’re working?” Sophia said, shocked. 

“What’s wrong with that?” Kira asked, straightening a little as she stared at Sophia. “I’ll be working too. At my family’s store.”

“Well, that’s acceptable. But tomorrow’s the fifth day.” Sophia looked from each of us, one after the other as she said that. Not getting the reaction she expected, she stressed again. “Fifth day.”

“You’re a Fifth Day Turner, aren’t you?” I said, softly as numerous clues like the ring she wore on her pinky and the colours she wore clued me in. A subset of the Centrist, one of the more fanatical one. “A devout one?”

“You aren’t a believer?”

“I’m not a practitioner,” I corrected, gently. “I worked in a restaurant before joining the academy.” 

That seemed to mollify Sophia a little, as I knew it would. The Turners were one of the more fanatically focused on the Core, the flow of Mana and how it affected the world. Unlike other Centrists, they did not focus on the pantheon at all and had a variety of other esoteric beliefs that I had never bothered to get into with any detail. 

More practically, most believers left those of us who had to work in the hospitality industry alone, even during their rest days like fifth day. After all, they still had to get their food, and while it might have been possible to avoid cooking, a major portion of their religion included a worship of the bounty created by the core. Put another way – believers were generally foodies.

"Still..." she looked disturbed, staring at the rest of us. 

Kira, eventually, shrugged a little uncomfortably. "We're Reformationists. My family tithes to the church every fifth day and prays every morning and night; but we don't feel that the turning requires a rest on the fifth day." A hand turned. "Though, we observe the Five Day gap religiously."

A lot of nods came from that, which was no surprise. After all, the five day 'leap year day' every five years was a massive party. The only people who found themselves working, were, as always... well, food operators. 

"I didn't realise you were a chef," Yorrick said, looking at me curiously and interested. "Which restaurant?"

"You might not have heard of it." I waved my hand, dismissing the fact. "It was just for the last few years, and to answer your question, I'll probably be visiting the restaurant and my friends there."

No one found that particularly surprising. With the heavy emphasis on food that the society had, food operators - restauranteurs, food stall owners, tavern keepers and the staff who supported them - and suppliers - farmers, fishermen, dungeon cleaners - were generally considered a whole caste of their own, a tightly woven group.

It helped, of course, that there were multiple, very powerful cores supporting each of those professions that many could link to. I had linked to them too, when I first began practising and only unlinked before coming to the Academy because of the guild’s strict professional requirements. Though I guess, looking back, it might have been a little arrogant to do so before I started. As much as the advantages they offered were significant, I had no desire to spend all my fifth days working the restaurant again, no matter how well I might be paid.

"Are you still linked to your guild core?" I asked Brand, curiously. 

He nodded and the others glanced at him, surprise registering on their face. 

"How many?" I asked, curiously. 

He looked uncomfortable for a time, and I almost expect him not to answer. He proved me wrong moments later. "Seven."

"Seven!" Yelped Yorrick, shock and admiration mixing in his voice. Seven cores would give him a significant bonus in a variety of attributes, but it would drain him too. Or should have, such that he should be suffering from overdraw. Especially considering two of those we knew - the Aeres Academy and the Leatherworkers Guild would both draw significantly on him. "How are you standing?"

"One of the skill copy's I have is from my brother," Brand replied. "It's not a powerful Skill by itself, but it lets me constrict the amount pulled by each core." He turned his hand slightly. "However..."

"It doesn't stop you from getting the benefits of the cores." Kira said.

"That's so broken! How can you say it’s not powerful." Sophia crossed her arms, glaring at the others before turning to me. "So, are you a cheater too? Do you have some powerful, amazing Skill that lets you cheat?"

"Not exactly." I raised a finger. "One Skill too, like Brand. But it's not particularly strong." Then, knowing I'd need to tell the truth later, I added. "Yet."

"So. One of the gifted as well," Kira said, a half-smile on her lips. "Guess that leaves you out."

Sophia sniffed, tilting her chin up. "Just you wait... Mine's pretty good too."

"Yeah...." Brand muttered, a slight shudder the only other answer.