The west gate was as crowded as Sam had expected. With classes having ended for the day most of the first year students had decided to take advantage of the rare free weekend to go hunting in the west woods.
First year students didn't typically have many freedoms, to prevent stupid accidents that could easily be prevented. By their second year however, it was usually assumed they knew enough to stay out of trouble for the most part and the many of the restrictions were removed.
Naturally this meant the one weekend a month first years had to themselves was often spent in the west woods 'hunting'. Everyone knew there was more than hunting going on but, considering other activities were generally considered safer the teachers overlooked it in favor of keeping an eye on the students hunting.
Much to Sam's relief the crowd dispersed quickly as soon as the gate was opened since the students didn't wish to spend any more time in the city than necessary. By the time Sam reached the gate only a few stragglers remained still trying to find a group.
Amber stood off to the side with two others waiting for Sam. It would be nice to say it was patiently but Amber seemed to be the only one being patient. Amber seemed the most colorful of the lot with a cherry red short skirt and armored chest making up her outfit
"SAM!" Amber waved wildly calling out to Sam much to Sam's displeasure. That girl had absolutely no sense of discretion. Sam had no doubt that Amber would stand out anywhere, and sneaking up on anything in the woods was clearly out of the question.
Sam was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea after all when one of the other members stuck their hand in Sam's face in greeting.
"My name is Cheech. I specialize in healing magic and druidic summons." The female goblin with her hand in Sam's face was a rather rare sight in the hero schools, even more so in the summoner hero schools.
This was because most goblin's still lived out in the wilds and preferred to not follow the laws of society. One village however had taken to civilization a few hundred years back. They now competed with the dwarves and gnomes in creating new wondrous gadgets and inventions. As such they were most often known for putting out technomages and alchemists. Neither of which typically took much interest in leaving their labs or research halls.
Sam took Cheech's hand, and awkwardly shook it as the other member rushed over to say hi as well. This time the greeting resulted in a sharp bow and salute instead. The female elf wore a sharp uniform and clearly came from the elven kingdom's military branch.
"Mira. I specialize in fencing and artifact summons." Sam was a little surprised by that one. Artifact summoners were extremely rare. They specialized in summoning sentient artifacts, which in themselves were even rarer.
Artifact summoners started out rather weak and more often then not went unnoticed their entire lives. It was difficult to show an ability for something they never encountered after all. Their potential for using sentient artifacts that were held as national treasures however, also meant that those with talent were rarely allowed to leave their homelands.
Sam nodded politely in response just as Amber came bounding up.
"We already met... but I specialize in sword and shield combat!" Amber bit her lip nervously as she shuffled her right foot in small circles on the floor.
"I um... I summon poofs..." Sam stared blankly at Amber for an uncomfortable moment making her blush harder. Sword and shield really wasn't a bad choice. It was a well rounded combat style used in many armies for its strength and versatility. Summoning poofs however just didn't add up. Well, actually considering Amber's personality it made more sense.
Poof's were exactly as they sounded, small balls of fluffy fur. Their existence was an enigma as they seemed capable of defying all the laws of physics and magic. They appeared where they wanted, whenever they wanted. Magical wards couldn't stop them. Nothing even seemed capable of harming them. If it weren't for their lackadaisical attitude and lack of any means of causing damage every army would have already sought a way to turn them into weapons for that very reason. They were to unreliable to be used as spies either so they ended up being left alone by the various governments and armies. What they had been found to be good for however was as a form of medical treatment. They seemed capable of sensing emotions and would often comfort those most in need. As such they were often found in clinics, schools and children's homes.
Sam didn't mind the strange collection of abilities and simply demonstrated some wards. They had all seen Sam's summon in the duel so none of them doubted Sam's abilities. However, it was commonly taught in every class that knowing your allies abilities allowed a group to perform better and improved survival rates. So, sharing specializations was something of a tradition when student groups went out.
It didn't mean you couldn't still keep secret skills and aces hidden, however. After all there still needed to be surprises or duels and tournaments would get very boring.
"Great! Now that the boring part is over lets see if we can go find that water hole!" Amber was excited. The month prior they had found a water hole beneath and underground waterfall. There had been a multi colored glow coming from below.
Sadly they had run out of time due to fighting too many tough monsters and had to return before they could check it out. With Sam's strength added to theirs they were really hoping they could cut through the combat time and still have time to explore that underground chamber.
The groups spirits were high as they left through the open gate. Amber feeling more comfortable than before was already chatting up a storm as they left. No one seemed to notice a shadowy figure following them from a distance as they trekked forward.
The west forest was considered relatively safe for first year students. Each school had been built in cities located out in the wilds. This gave the schools good areas to train new heroes, and in return they helped to thin the local monsters and keep the city safe. In this particular area the city had been built where three different wilds intersected.
This was was advantageous as it allowed them to send students to different tiered regions without having to travel far. In order to leave through any of the wild's gates one had to either reach the pertaining rank or be accompanied by someone who was the proper rank.
Should civilians need to travel however they were asked to take the merchants road gate or take one of the weekly airships out. While civilians weren't forbidden from leaving through the wild's gates but it was highly discouraged.
As they moved through the forest Sam could only smirk beneath the bandages. The year one wild's was nothing compared to the areas Sam's mother had used for training, and it showed in Sam's relaxed posture. It wasn't like there would be anything out here Sam couldn't handle after all.
"Hey guys, we're getting close. We should pull out our summons." Cheech said while taking a leaf sample from a nearby tree.
Nearby wildlife often absorbed the residual energy from summon stones over time. Being a healer and a druidic summoner made Cheech exceptionally capable of identifying those traces. It was actually how they had found the underground caverns in the first place.
The other nodded in agreement as the three women began to call their summons out. Summoning typically took time to perform. Only summoners with years of experience or exceptional geniuses were typically capable of instantaneous summons.
Sam stood there watching with a raised eyebrow. The area they were in hadn't seemed dangerous enough to bother wasting the mana to hold summons. In fact the few monsters they had encountered had been easily dispatched without even using any skills or magic.
"The creature's in the caverns are much stronger. It's why we couldn't finish exploring before." Amber explained after noticing Sam's confusion.
"Class E monsters." Mira stated matter of factually as a a gleaming pistol appeared in her hands. It had gear mechanisms to fire the slugs used as well as a pressurized water canister to provide steam power for force. It was pretty rare to see firearms outside of technomages and city guards. A wild eye on the side of the pistol glancing around however explained it a bit more. It was her artifact summon.
"Yo dogs! Let's bust some kneecaps!" The pistol cried out much to everyone's surprise. "What? Y'all never see a boss ready to throw down before?" None of them really knew what to say to be honest. Mira just shrugged at a loss. It was clearly a battle she had given up on a long time ago. As Mira quietly talked to the obnoxious artifact summon, the other's finished summoning their own.
A small white animal that looked like a cross between a ferret, a fox and a flying squirrel had appeared calmly on Cheech's shoulder chittering softly. It licked its paw and rubbed the small nub shaped horns on its head before curling up to nap with one eye open. Meanwhile a poof appeared on both of Amber's shoulders to Sam's surprise.
Amber blushed when she noticed Sam staring at her poofs. "They notify me when they sense hostile intent."
That was an interesting use actually. In that way it served similar to a territory sense that high rank fighters often had. Sam's opinion of Amber's abilities improved greatly at that. Getting a weak ability wasn't the be all end all in Sam's opinion. It was what one did with those abilities that mattered most. Pet was a prime example of this.
While thinking of Pet, Sam performed a quick summon. Sam could summon instantly thanks to the harsh training Sam's mother had given. However Sam was still to low ranked to be considered capable of such a feat so Sam made sure to extend the summon out enough to seem like a genius or a lucky caster. It was still considerably faster than the others in the group however, bringing out gasps of shock from them.
"Amber told us you were strong, but she didn't say you were a genius." Cheech exclaimed with unbridled awe. Sam and Amber both blushed at that, luckily Sam had the bandages to hide the fact.
Jack looked much the same as the last time he had been summoned. However, now he stood with more confidence.
His recent training and new skills he obtained during that brief time had really improved his confidence by leaps and bounds. Not to mention winning the fight with that fire elemental had done wonders for his confidence in the first place.
Jack grinned as he thought about the last ability he had obtained from the skill candy. He couldn't wait to try it out in combat.
Sam kneeled down to rub the top of Pet's head causing him to tense up again.
'Oh no is my pervy summoner finally planning to act out their fantasies?' Was the first thought that ran through his head before Jack noticed the other individuals standing around.
They didn't put of any aggressive intents towards Jack or his summoner so he didn't rush to attack. He still kept his guard up however as they all seemed ready for combat.
"It really does look like a Rag Doll." Cheech commented with some trepidation. Amber had told them about the whole battle at the duel, even how the instructors thought Sam had summoned a Rag Doll.
Cheech knew better however. She wouldn't have been able to tell at a glance or from a distance. But up close like this with her focus fully on Pet she could sense the necrotic energy emanating slightly from beneath the bandages. She looked up at Sam with shock as she noticed the similarity in the bandages. Her eyes widened in realization.
Cheech's discovery didn't go un-noticed by Sam who simply put a finger up in a shush gesture. It wasn't that it was a dangerous secret or anything. But being discovered as a necromancer class summoner would make life infinitely more difficult for Sam. Cheech seemed to understand and simply nodded with a small smile.
"Found it!" Came Amber's cheerful cries from behind a pile of bushes interrupting Cheech and Sam's little moment.
The entrance was surprisingly well hidden. Even knowing where it was it from before had taken her some time to find it. The rest of the group gathered at the entrance as Amber pushed the bushes aside. Even with exposed the hole blended in well with the shape of the rocks making it difficult to see in passing if you weren't aware it was there.
Suddenly, Jack's eyes widened when he noticed the symbols over the entrance. He recognized them instantly. And what he remembered made every bone in his tiny goblin skeleton shiver in fear.
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