Ethan looked on as the student shot arrow after arrow at the targets. They were decent but needed four days of practice. He could see five elves that looked like experienced hunters, and their skills should give them a pass in this training. Their experience would be enough. The rest would die if they did not improve their skill levels with the bow.
Ethan stared in fascination as the magus, with their wands. Stepping up to the line before the targets. Fireballs flew all over the place, not hitting the targets.
The professor waved his wand; the air became cold, and snow doused the fires that had started.
"Come, big man, show me what you can do."
Ethan took the bow. It was flimsy and made from an inferior wood, so he must be careful to keep academy property intact. His silver coins were dwindling like mist. He preferred his long bow and would have preferred it to this compound bow. Ethan placed four arrows in the ground. He took a deep breath. Ethan had to make a show of it. He could not just shoot the targets. He breathed in and out for five seconds.
The professor stared at him. He tapped his foot, arms crossed. Ethan's skill was well-honed from years of practice as arrows were plucked from the terrain. The twang of the bow and thuds rang out in the silence four times. Four arrows lay deep into the targets, each a bull's eye. The thuds came in rapid succession.
The professor stared. His wand lay on the ground, and his jaw worked. He made strange sounds. After a minute, the professor composed himself and picked up his wand.
"You may go. I can teach you nothing."
Ethan waved as he disappeared into the forest. He wanted to see how Wendy and Lucy were faring. Ethan walked briskly around the campus, enquiring of students where the tanks and rogues were. He felt relieved when he heard that the training fields were close to each other.
Ethan walked to the middle, where he could watch both fields from a tall tree. The professors separated the demi-humans. Ethan could see that the human students used the demi-humans as test dummies. The more affluent students who had tutoring would bash them around like toys. The professors said nothing, just looking bored.
A professor pointed at Wendy, saying it was her turn to fight. A man twice her size walked up, his wooden daggers ready.
The fight lasted three seconds. Wendy limped off the field. She was severely injured. Ethan could feel the bile rise in his mouth. Wendy fell, rubbing her knee. Lucy got the same treatment ten minutes later as she withstood an assault by a man with a massive shield and club. He backhanded her, and she rolled on the ground. Lucy lay still, not moving.
Ethan wanted to run to her. He would not shame her before the other students. He sat and watched as the professors trained the humans but neglected the demi-humans training. The professor did not even spare a glance at the hurt demi-humans. They did not look surprised at all.
Wendy sat on the ground, nursing her knee. She used her other leg to kick a root in the terrain, and her fists were clenched. Her speed had saved her knee from being broken. The training had ended, and the human students had injured the demi-humans. The demi-humans sat in the clearing, nursing their injuries with disheartened faces. They had two weeks to practise, and then they would get another lesson from the professors. Ethan could see that it would be another thrashing from the human students, and it would only escalate till they dropped out of the academy.
Ethan walked out of the clearing towards Wendy.
"Alas, come with me. We need to talk."
The two catkins looked at Ethan, and they pulled Wendy to her feet. They followed Ethan to the tank training field. Lucy turned around, her left eye swollen shut and turning an angry purple. Like everyone else, she had bruises. Ethan made them sit. Ethan seated himself with his legs crossed.
"Alas, we have two weeks to make you strong fighters. I will train you to come here tomorrow morning if you are interested. Bring the academy gear and be ready to sweat and work hard. This training course reminds me of dragon shit."
Ethan spat to the side. How could they treat people like this?
"Alas, we will show them what real training can do."
Ethan gave them a thumbs up.
"Alas, eat well and rest, sleep sound tonight. Tomorrow will be a gruelling morning; be prepared."
Ethan counted seven demi-humans. He could manage that. The training would be challenging, but he would teach them the basic skills. He thought back to when Heather and he joined the imperial army. The basic training they had endured, and then the day they asked him to leave because he had no cultivation. Ethan thought he would feel sad remembering, but he did not. His heart soared as he looked at Wendy and Lucy hobbling beside him towards the gate. Wendy and Lucy would be healed by tonight with their regeneration skill. The other students would still be injured tomorrow. Ethan needed to consider that after they were out of sight of the group.
Ethan picked them up, one in each arm and their legs around his waist. Each had a hand on his back and held onto his robe's hem. Ethan had this warm feeling inside his chest.
"Hail, Ethan, you carry us like small children."
"Alas, hold on, we will be home soon."
Wendy and Lucy held on tightly. Ethan wanted to kiss their cheeks and make the pain disappear. He would love to cuddle and hug them if he could, but he had to restrain himself. Ethan walked into the portal, and they disappeared. He flew up into the air, landing behind the Shepherds Inn. The girls had fallen asleep, their cores hard at work healing them. It only started working when they slept, and he had to remember that. A wound would stay unhealed until they slept. The cores did manage pain while awake, but only to a certain degree. He was a little disappointed that it was not an instant healing ability. The cultivators had terrific skills that could heal instantly.
Sophia answered him.
"Alas, the wounds are severe, and essence is required to facilitate the process. The system can only mend wounds once the person has fallen asleep when the body's natural healing kicks in, and the cores boost that process. It is not just minor cuts and bruises. Most of the demi-humans had seriously been injured."
Ethan walked around the inn, bent down as he entered through the door, and sat at their table. Penny saw the two banged-up and bruised girls and rushed over.
"Alas, give them meat and bread when they wake up. I will leave them here. They will not be able to make it up the stairs now."
"Meow, we will care for them, so do not worry. I have packed a meal for you and Grace. Good luck on the hunt. Be careful out there and look after Grace. She is special."