Mirefield, 1 hour till nightfall.
I approach the city walls with an hour to spare. The walls are 5 meters tall and surround the entirety of Mirefield. Contrary to its name Mirefield isn't a swamp but a port, so the walls wrap around and stop at the waterside. Mirefield floats on(pun intended) on oceanic trade with other kingdoms such as the Virthage Kingdom to the north and Bevagria of the East. Nobles and peasants alike only real options are ship and trade working or try to survive the monster attacks, bandit ambushes, and other classmates that make up the expedition to Tredor academy in Ancesea. Yes, the kingdom offers carriages and knights, but their orders are to make sure the nobles don't kill themselves trying to start a campfire or if-no when a bandit ambush and/or monster attacks, this expedition has a death count of at least half of the starting group, which is around 50 since that's roughly how much the kingdom lent carriages can fit, especially because the noble teens need carriages for themselves so they don't "mingle with the peasant population."
I climb along the walls until I find my usual climbing spot, carefully climbing up the 5 meters worth of wall as I silently land on the top where the bored guards wall back and forth, doing jack shit. I look around and see no guards, fist-bumping the air for good luck. I can remember the guard shifts all I want(which I have), but bored guards are still unpredictable. I pull my bandanna over my nose and mouth, nothing wrong with being paranoid while illegally trespassing on kingdom property after all. I send my defective mana into the runes intertwined into my coat, cleaning the blood and dirt off it. I find some shade and take out my notes, thanking my past self again for spending extra on a runed notebook to read and write in the dark. I spend the next fifty minutes re-reading my notes on blacksmithing and runesmithing, grateful for the chance to expand my rather small knowledge on the subjects.
The sound of chattering and hooves hitting dirt clue me in that it's finally time as I pack my notes back into my backpack and silently scale back down the walls. I find the group of hopeful slumies, spoiled nobles, and peasants in between. I join my potential classmates as us slumies and peasants line up separately from the noble teens. I crush the thought of minging and talking with peers around me, memories of past "friendships" plague my head. Loud, these thoughts are too loud as I force silence in this battered battlefield of a mind. I pull my bandanna down from my mouth and breathe in the cold air, putting my thoughts and memories at bay. The sound of someone clearing their throat, rather loudly as well silences any conversations happening. We all look upwards, seeing a man, maybe 6'1 suited in black armor.
He waits briefly, waiting for any chattering to die down. "Hello my fresh pigs and piglets, I am Alanus, captain of our majesty's 5th battalion of the newly made mixed combat corp. I am personally overseeing this expedition since someone of our majesty's interest is here and I was personally sent to make sure she doesn't die, the rest of you are expendable and need to survive yourself if you're worth spots at our esteemed Tredor Academy. We give you a ride and nothing more, you have to camp, hunt, and shit yourself."
Alanus introduces himself and correct's the assumption that he was done talking by unleashing his bloodlust, cutting all conversation, and forcing everyone to their knees. 'Always a bigger fish in the sea huh' I grimace as it takes my undying focus and attention to not collapse to the ground. This goes on for five minutes as my whole body begs to give up and collapse like the 35 other students panting for breath on the ground. I try to picture Tredor academy in my mind, the knowledge I'll gain, the experience I need to be handled to me.
That works for four minutes. With five of us left Alanus decides to wrap it up by adding twofold the amount of pressure to his bloodlust. I hear one of us drop and Ieft my head up to see his shit-eating grin. If my biggest and only motivation won't lend me the strength I need, then the anger I spent so much time, effort, and pain locked away will give me the vehemence I need.
--Alanus POV--
"Hm?" I question as bloodlust enough to cause goosebumps on my skin viciously attacks mine. I turn and look at who's letting it out as I see a brat, no older than 15 in a white trench coat is fighting to stand up. It's as if thousands of needles are biting your skin already by kneeling, so I can't even fathom the pain he's feeling now. I add more pressure and he returns in kind, managing to stand up and look me eye to eye. "Interesting" I muse as I let out my whole bloodlust, he drops to a knee in an instant, blood pouring from bit his lip. After almost a minute he breaks, collapsing to the ground. He lasted five minutes longer than the others, even our "god-touched" cargo, and almost a minute bearing my whole bloodlust. If you compared his bloodlust to a coyote, mine was a tiger, snuffing his easily. "Looks like a coyote is lurking among the pigs and piglets huh?" I murmur, my second in command looks at me questioningly as I nod in reply and look to her. "Nothing, just this expedition got way more interesting."
--End of POV--
I spit blood out of my mouth, wiping it with my hand as I force myself up from the ground, channeling my defective mana into energy, fasting my recovery twofold than the average person. I can give myself in theory endless stamina, but I lose blood/mana twice as fast and can only channel it for maybe five minutes before mana loss kicks in. I sit there for maybe three minutes before cutting my mana off, ready for at least a marathon worth of running now. Everyone else is still gasping for breathe or getting their surroundings now, some try to ignore the newfound piss and shit in their pants. I steady my breathing and rise from the ground. I lock eyes with Alanus, defiance raging in my eyes.
"Now that you pigs and piglets have a taste of what's to come, let's move out. You have 15 minutes to pack your belongings in your respective carriages and get ready, the seats are free for all, if your unlucky enough to not have a seat then, we guess you'll have to walk." Alanus declaration incites moans from slumies, peasants, and nobles alike as the bloodbath is known as the seating regiment is about to begin.