I squinted- stopped as we egressed from the shade elevator and took our first steps onto the savanna-like 50th floor: A green plateau as wide and spacious as any other floor in Corvus Academy. A vast, vacant space lined with annexes and catwalks and alcoves on the walls to either side of the shade elevators that replaced the doorway. Giving unbridled views of the gelid plains and western coast lying beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows on the far wall and illuminating the entire space in the white and blue-green glow of the early morning ambiance.
Once my eyes had readjusted, I caught up to a waiting Jaimess to begin moving towards one of the many side paths spaced throughout the place. "Any idea as to what my grandfather wants?" I turned to him as we rounded the corner.
Jaimess chuckled lightly to himself before answering. "It seems that the word has gotten out that you're looking for a new vassal, Your Grace."
"Is that so?" I rhetorically chuckled. In truth, I only needed around five or six vassals to achieve my goals. I needed highly skilled individuals who specialized in different things; who'd later become the chief of a particular aspect of my future guild and oversee their own subordinates. Toril was intended to be my general, so to speak, Jaimess would oversee more domestic and diplomatic relations, while Jonet would eventually lead a secret organization of her own. On top of that, I needed both a chief engineer and a surgeon general.
Regardless of what my vassals did, however, I planned to have us all cross-train in recovery and healing magic. The surgeon general would simply be a full-time medical worker in the guild's headquarters- something that wouldn't exist for quite some time. On top of that, I was heavily inclined to have the surgeon general be some type of undead; if that were even possible.
All things considered, that naturally pushed the priority towards finding a few tinkerers.
And I had plenty of time to test them.
"I'll take a few of them back with us." I amiably commented after a few moments of companionable silence. "So long as they meet my standards."
Jaimess took on a curious expression but otherwise said nothing before trotting off to the end of the street-like corridor to hold open the ornate pair of double doors at the dead end.
I nodded my thanks and moved through the threshold to see my grandfather sitting crossed-legged on an elevated stage just opposite the door, his hands crossed before his chest like a gang leader overlooking his crew.
Spread across the padded floors before him, were a dozen or so clusters of five students each. Maintaining a similar posture: legs crossed, hands resting on their knees and their eyes resolutely focused on my Grandfather, creepily showing a few capped teeth through a grin like that of the reaper's lipless mouth.
Following Jaimess' actions, I took off my shoes then moved around the perimeter of the room until I came upon the stage and sat next to my Grandfather.
Like my 'room' and many other places within the boarding school, the dojo was a single room within the Tower that'd been constructed on the scale of a large home or small warehouse. The dojo itself was then a part of a much larger wing, filled with many auxiliary and supplementary buildings that surrounded the main attraction like houses in a neighborhood.
The room we were currently in had been furnished with only a stage and padded floors. Allowing for an environment devoid of anything that could be considered a distraction or nuisance or an attractor of one's attention.
Grandpa Lich leaned to his left and smiled back to me with his peripherals as he proudly declared. "These are my fifty-five best students."
'Uh-huh.' I nodded to myself as I scanned each expectant face in the crowd; committing them to memory, then snapped my inquisitive eyes back toward my Grandfather. "Best in terms of what?"
"Let them show you." He grinned and clapped his hands. Signaling his students to scramble without a word and line up along the far walls of the dojo, revealing several large rings that'd been painted onto the floor at regular intervals.
Suddenly, students began yelling in pairs. Shouting and screaming indiscriminately or inaudibly. And two-by-two, students began yelling out indiscriminate words or indecipherable orders to one another as they sprinted to the center of the nearest ring and assumed their stances. They then spent the next hour and a half dueling each other for a few minutes, before seeking out a new opponent to reengage with. And I spent the entirety of that time allowing my mind to wander in lieu of getting annoyed.
While they weren't bad in the slightest, they weren't nearly as good as my vassals and I. Especially after considering the level and intensity of training we'd been putting ourselves through for over five years straight at this point. Why Grandpa Lich assumed I'd want or need another fighter was my biggest question, yet he seemed all too eager to turn back to me with cheery eyes to gauge my impression after each notable engagement had been concluded. A gesture that only caused my mounting frustrations to rise.
I could've been reading, after all.
After two hours had passed, fewer and fewer students were taking their places in the rings; giving me my cue to personally address both the students and my Grandfather to set the record straight.
With a sigh, I rose from my seat and silently stepped to the edge of the stage to center myself and once again scan the crowd of expectant, anxious, or indifferent faces before I began.
"While I am honored to have so many of you willing to serve me, I have no need for more fighters. Toril O'Connell is my knight." I declared, eliciting a few disgruntled faces and scowls within the crowd and forcing an amused rumble from my Grandfather behind me. "What I do have use for, however, are a few artisans." I continued without pause. "I need a watchmaker and a tailor. And most of all, I need someone who can build things of both mine and your own design. If any such person is present, stand before me now." I gestured to the padded floor below my feet.
It took a moment. But eventually, someone stood. Someone in the group was designated as the five weakest students that were of my age. The socially awkward one I'd met in the library, in fact. Whose courage seemed to inspire another to stand. Followed by another. And another, until over a dozen or so students were standing tall below me.
I waited a few more minutes to ensure no others would approach before motioning for them to stand off to the side of the stage.
"As for the rest of you." I turned back to the crowd with a calm, reassuring demeanor. "If you truly wish to serve me, then become as physically, magically, and intellectually capable as possible. Find a skill to master. Awaken your affinity cores if you are able to. Attend the magic academy if you are able to. Regardless of what you do, continue to cultivate your body, magic, and mind. And wait until I return to Odissi in nine years' time. If I am able to, I will send for you personally. Otherwise, be on the lookout for the formation of a new guild- my guild. At which time, we'll see if you all are capable enough to assist me."
"Assist you in doing what, Son?" A devilish laugh rumbled through the air from behind me. "What is it that you need my students to be capable of?"
I turned, throwing a quick and nigh unnoticeable scowl to my Grandfather through my peripherals before turning back to the students with the same aura as before. "My goal is to cross the magical barrier and liberate the continent of Ulai from the creatures who've surely settled there. From there, an empire will be formed. And we will move on to explore the Mortal Plane in its entirety.
"I hold no ill feelings towards those who wish to follow other endeavors in life," I assured them. "However. If my cause is what you chose to dedicate your lives to, then do as I asked of you, and continue to train yourselves until I say otherwise."
With that, I stepped off the stage and guided the dozen or so contestants into a back room and deposited on them the thickest book I'd transcribed to date: an in-depth training manual and step-by-step guideline on the art of horology. As well as a much smaller book about classical mechanics and simple machines, and a blueprint for a particular item that I designed for Toril.
"You all have four years to make the best version of each of these items," I explained. "As I said before, I need a watchmaker, a tailor, and an engineer to come back with me to Deap Ridge. But only the best that this school has to offer. Thus each of these bills will be graded independently. You may choose to put more focus into one over the other if you're confident in your skills. But keep in mind that I'll be choosing the best of you in these three professions. So, take your time and do your best."
As one, the twelve or so students clutched their books tightly to their chests and bowed resolutely, screaming. "Yes, Your Grace!"
Though there I knew there were inherent flaws with this plan, I could only smile at their enthusiasm as I started for the door and gestured for them to file out. "I'll go over the specifics with you all at a later time. Let us return for now."
Frustratingly, I couldn't even focus on a solution, as a great fuss could be heard echoing through the halls the moment we left the little room. A cacophony of jeers, complaints, and pleas bounced through the door leading to the main training grounds. Only to immediately quell to a blistering silence once I pushed through the door.
I calmly returned to my place behind and to the left of my Grandfather before subtly leaning towards him and asking. "What seems to be the issue?"
"Evidently." He chuckled. "There seems to be some students who're upset by the fact that you don't want any more fighters. That they weren't given a chance."
"Well?" I turned back to the crowd without delay. "Is that true?"
Many of them seemed to be too stilled by fear to respond; trapped in an uncomfortable silence, while the more timid or brazen of them threw disgruntled, yet hesitant gazes at me or hateful, jealous scowls at those behind me.
"Let me guess." I sighed after the long pause. "Some of you are under the impression that you're a better match than Toril? That you're stronger than him. That you can replace him as my knight?"
My grandfather seemed to get a laugh at that. From such a reaction and his actions thus far, it was obvious that he intended to allow me to handle the situation as I saw fit. As a way to test my leadership abilities, I was certain, by figuratively throwing me to the wolves.
"Jesus fucking Christ," I muttered through my teeth, displacing my annoyance with some meditative pacing across the stage. "Magical ability. Physical prowess. Intellect. Those are the three things I've told you all to focus on, correct?"
"Yes, Your Grace!" They shouted as one.
"Ah, good." I nodded, turning about to pace to the other end of the room. "I assumed you all only heard the first or second focus, seeing as how you're all so centered on being nothing more than knuckle-dragging troglodytes who do nothing but throw punches and fling spells at whatever moves. So." I stopped center-stage and turned to face them once again. "If that's all you want to do, then that's what we'll do."
They seemed to grow confused or rightfully intimidated by my words. Conversely, my grandfather unfolded his arms from his chest and eagerly leaned forward, an anticipatory grin wrapped around his ancient face.
"Each of my vassals will occupy the floor for five minutes at a time." I declared. "If any of you can beat any of them in a duel, you'll have earned their place as my vassal. Understood?"
They again chanted their affirmations as I turned about to approach my vassals and gather them in a huddle.
"Listen," I quickly said in a hushed voice. "From now until further notice, the rules of force escalation are as follows: Martial combat is always the first to be used; with or without weapons is up to your discretion. If that fails, switch to elemental manipulation and fusion. Your attributed magic should only be used last, that way your mana will be preserved for the greatest amount of time. The only exceptions are for defense from lethal attacks and maneuverability."
"Acknowledged and understood, Your Grace." Toril nodded quickly.
"Toril, you'll go first. Followed by Jaimess and Jonet last." I looked at each of them in turn. "Everyone here is aware of Toril's physical prowess. As such, only the most confident students will challenge him. However, I assume many of them will go after you two." I nodded towards Jaimess, then to Jonet before explaining further. "Jaimess, you and Toril are sort of infamous here, it seems. That speaks for itself. Leaving the majority of them to go after the one they underestimate the most. The one who appears to be nothing more than a caretaker who follows her master around wherever he goes." I turned to meet Jonet's ice-blue eyes to make sure she understood how that truly made me feel inside. To ensure she understood how upsetting it was to know that someone would think so lowly of and try to take advantage of one of my precious vassals; someone I've spent years training to be as self-sufficient and reliant as possible. "Make sure you prove to them how deep their naivety runs."
"I wouldn't dream of doing anything less, Your Grace." She bowed, hiding the sadistic scowl that'd spread over her face over the last few seconds.