Reed awoke late, around midday, to the sound of excitable, nervous voices- Nothing at all like the eerie silence of the near-empty campus he'd been stuck with over the last few days. Those eager voices marked the beginning of the semester, and for the first time in a while, Reed found himself grinning. He'd finally have something other than the looming bonding examination to focus on.
He was attending Stellar-Oak academy. Which wasn't the most prestigious beast-taming institution, But it was the only one he'd been able to get into. Plus, he'd already completed his first year, and now, second year would be his first chance to contract his own Mystical beast.
He was more than a little excited about the concept, though the possibility of failing terrified him to his core. The thought of leaving the assessment without a beast befitting his family name had been bouncing around his head for the few days he'd been on campus before the year officially began. It certainly hadn't made for the best few days.
Now though, He decided he could start his day with some people-watching while the majority of his peers trickled onto campus.
First years were easy enough to spot: Either commoners keeping their heads down at all costs, or the kids from noble houses wearing the most expensive new age fashion they could find in an attempt to compensate for the fact that they ended up at Stellar-Oak. Most of them knew deep down that the real prodigies at a more prestigious academy would have ran circles around them. Reed knew it too.
The returning second years were an example of what disappointment and resignation could do a group of people. The noble students had pretty much all given up on gaudy displays of wealth, fashion no longer a giveaway. Now, they were harder to differentiate from the commoner students, other than the inborn arrogance with which they carried themselves.
He spotted Atlas Emberborn strolling through campus, with his head held high and a smug look on his face, getting gasps and admiration from onlookers as he made his way to his accommodation, his bodyguard trailing behind him.
The reason? Beside him walked a meter tall cat, it's fur resembling the dancing flames of a campfire, made even more impressive whenever a slight breeze ruffled it's coat. It's eyes glowed orange with warmth, and Reed could quickly guess three things about it: Deadly, Rare, and very, very expensive.
Reed could tell that, from this point forward, the subtle battle for perception would be done with Mystical beasts.
"I wonder what it's called?" Reed wasn't an avid watcher of duels, not had he ever been allowed to attend a real battlefield with his family, so seeing a rare, powerful beast fascinated him.
More gasps and murmurs of excitement could be heard as a few other people he recognized began to trail onto campus. Anne Stormwind looked high on life, a beast that could only be described as a vulture dipped in mercury perched on her shoulder; Jed Dustrock entered the high-rise opposite Reed flanked by what looked to be a wooden training dummy, clad in polished metal armor.
Everywhere he looked, those from noble families of similar standing to his own seemed to each have beasts far more powerful than they had any right to own.
The reason for that was simple, They'd borrowed them from their family.
Reed however, despite being from the infamous Thorne family, didn't have a borrowed beast. Talent was what ruled in his household, and his father, the patriarch of the Thorne clan, saw any assistance given to his offspring as an insult to that notion of talent.
So Reed, the fourth child of the oh so great Thorne clan would not get the chance to borrow one of his family's beasts. He would not even get any assistance for the upcoming examination- meaning if he wanted to have an impressive mystical beast of his own, he would have to catch and contract one himself.
For the week prior, he supposed he'd just have to deal with the slight anxiety of being among the students that didn't have an immensely powerful beast by their side. He was good at staying out trouble, but he definitely didn't want to be in the one or two students per year that got turned into ashes, or an ice sculpture by a stray beast during their stay at the academy.
"Blegh- Enough thinking for now- I wonder if Mira is here yet?"
Again, mumbling to himself, he pulled his eyes away from the windows, silently praying that he'd manage to find a beast of a similar caliber soon enough.
Mira Ironclad was a good friend of his prior to attending the academy, and much like him, she'd been sent here in an attempt to save face, Though not for the same reasons that Reed had been sent, she was among the most talented students in their cohort after all.
The two of them, as-well as their friend Luca, Would often hang out in the abandoned close-combat training room, avoiding study, and talking about all kinds of amazing mystical and mythical beasts that they'd heard about recently.
And that was exactly where Reed planned on looking, Rummaging through his cupboard to find something to wear that wouldn't get him scolded if someone that knew his family saw him wearing.
"Yeah I guess that'll do"
Looking in the mirror on the back of his door, the boy got the chance to see the slight stubble and messy hair he'd accrued from the long journey to the academy, and few days he'd been staying there without putting any effort into his appearance.
It covered enough of his otherwise handsome face that, had he been a bit older, he'd have passed for a scavenger rather than an academy student.
Grey silk shirt and basic black pants offset the messy look a little, though it was hardly a very creative choice of clothes to hang over his thin frame.
He wasn't exactly tall either, standing at the equivalent of 184 cm.
The two were a combo that, had it not been for the surname Thorne he carried, would have left him to blend in pretty easily as he pleased.
He slid into basic black sneakers, looking into the mirror once more, before heading out of the dorm and onto the nearby campus.
The walk was entertaining for the second year Reed. He got to see the slow disappointing realization on the faces of the brand new students. The academy was famous as the place to send failing noble prodigies if they couldn't cut it with real competition that they were expected to be faced with.
And it looked exactly like a place that had never aimed or intended to be a proper, prestigious institute.
Student-dorm high rises bordered the path to the academy, out of place as soon as one saw the century-old architecture of Stellar-Oak.
Stellar-Oak itself was an odd place, Fourth age stone construction almost built out of the mountain that backed the academy. Some stained glass and sculptures might have made it more of a sight, but instead it had student dormitories to brag about, clearly built on a necessity basis, intentionality completely absent.
Reed himself had been pretty quick to catch on to the fact that it wasn't a place for them to become great beast-tamers when he'd got there, He'd resolved to do the best that he could, but he knew he wasn't the same level of talent as the people he heard about in the news, and in old stories.
"Reed!"
A voice cut though his thoughts as, Luca, his good friend from the previous year, spotted him at the Academy entrance and bounded over to him.
"Oh, How's it going dude? I was just going to see if I could find you at the weapons room."
Luca was actually a native student, rather than a noble, and his appearance was to match: Calloused hands from his work as a blacksmith with muscular frame that was out of place amongst coddled nobles. But his grin was contagious and the pair very quickly struck up from where they'd left off the previous year, entering the academy together.
"Dude, it's great- I've finally been allowed to work at the storefront of the smithy"
"Really? So your dad's finally started paying you too?"
"Ah, Not yet… But he's said once I'm more effective than a Forge-Beast he'll think about it."
"Luca, those forge beasts cost enough to bankrupt a small noble house- there's a reason for that too"
"What's with the doubt dude? I'll get there eventually"
"Okay, Okay-"
Reed's awkward nature was met with hearty laughter from his bulky friend as they spotted the door to the weapons combat room.
"Anyway Reed, I'm excited to see what kind of mystical beast your family set up for you"
A reminder about the test put a halt to Reed's excitement, but only for a moment.
"Come on Luca, You know how my family is about accolades- Examination's the only chance i've got for a mystical beast."
Luca looked thrilled at the idea though
"Damn, that sucks- But that means we're in the same boat- We can be the no-beast brothers! Or something like that, at least until the exam."
"Ahahaha, That doesn't sound so bad anymore, Thanks-"
Reed narrowed his eyes, slowing down as the reached the door to what used to be the derelict weapons lecture theater. What used to be a moldy old door, was now pristine, even freshly oiled by the looks of it.
The previous year, and probably for as many years as the academy had stood, the weapons training and lecture rooms were completely abandoned.
With the extreme reliance on beasts, but also the power that a well trained, high level beast carried, and traditional weapon and close combat techniques had begun to rapidly fade from use and memory.
Meaning even those rare instructors that did still hold a high level of skill in the field would only choose to teach at an academy with more prestige and budget.
"Nice, They must have cleaned it up for the new students to have a better impression"
Luca was less confused than Reed, quickly coming to a conclusion and opening the door for the pair to enter.
"Are we even in the right place?"
Reed had to double check the sign above the entrance one more time before following Luca in. The sign said it was the same place, even though the interior didn't match at all.
The many-decade old desks and seats, split weapon racks and rusted weapons that had started to make Reed feel at home were all gone.
Instead, in their place were a selection of bladed weapons, stacked in a sturdy looking wooden weapon rack.
Luca seemed entranced by the construction of the new looking desks and seats too, pausing beside the first one the pair passed and taking a closer look.
"Reed- These are hand made, that must have been expensive"
Luca's tradesman mindset was automatically riled up by the new, improved facilities. Upon closer inspection, he'd naturally see the slight imperfections of something made by a human.
Reed trusted Luca on his statement, Which added to his confusion about the sudden change in room. With machines and beasts making for much easier construction, why would a place like Stellar-Oak have made such a change?
"I guess we can look forward to a clean hang-out spot. The sign at the door is still 'weapons training' so it's not like anyone will be teaching here anyway."
Reed spoke with a grin, looking over at Luca for a second, noticing that his attention had switched from the desk he was at, to something clearly very interesting behind Reed.
"Luca? Did I miss something?"
Spinning around to see what had captivated Luca, Reed stumbled backwards, bumping into his friend.
"I am supposed to welcome new students, But I don't believe I had a lecture on today."
Standing between the boys and the entrance to the room was a man far too old in appearance to be a fellow student, but who's appearance didn't at all match what Reed had associated with the lecturers at Stellar-Oak.
His face was leathery, slight nicks showing that he'd shaved recently. Sunken, tired eyes met Reed's gaze, unbothered by the boy's observation.
In place of the usual button-up shirts and sleek pants, were a brown tunic and loose pants. The kind that wouldn't have looked out of place on a scavenger. Rolled up sleeves revealed scars and burns of all shapes and sizes littering his forearms.
The arming sword hanging from his belt didn't make Reed feel at ease either.
"Sorry sir, We didn't know that the room was in use- Are you a new lecturer?"
Luca offered Reed a stabilizing hand on his shoulder as he smiled and greeted the older man, taking the chance to apologize for the both of them.
"Manners, Good." Nodding at Luca, He spoke again. "Yes, I've been hired as the Stellar-Oak's new practical and weapons combat lecturer and instructor."
'Practical weapons?' Reed thought, almost laughing at the idea it seemed so pointless. Though he wouldn't verbalize his thoughts infront of the lecturer.
Without knowing what to say, Reed awkwardly smiled at the strange lecturer, moving to leave the room that he no longer felt welcome in. The older man took a step out of his way, not intent on keeping him in the room.
Without a place to hang-out and wait for Mira, Reed intended to find a space for the pair to start studying for their looming examination.
Sparing a glance at Luca as he approached the door, he saw his burly friend approaching the weapons lecturer to speak to him.
"Are those lectures for second years?"
'Damnit Luca'
Reed wasn't a huge fan of wasting a bit of time waiting for Luca to speak to a lecturer, but this man wasn't someone he felt he wanted to catch the attention of.
"The lectures and training sessions do not have year, stat, or class requirements."
Classes with no requirements just weren't a thing, making Reed even more confused- Even if it was in a lecture theater, this was starting to feel like a scam.
"Reed, you've got space on your timetable right? Let's give it a go."
'No chance' was Reed's immediate thought, but the excitement that Luca looked to him with made it hard to say no.
"Sure I guess, we can try it out."
"I'd rather you took scheduling discussions elsewhere."
The man said matter-of-factly, gesturing for the pair to leave. Reed was quick to oblige, and with his friend leaving, Luca quickly followed, pausing only for a second to introduce himself to the strange lecturer.
"Ah, sorry sir, I never caught your name, I'm-"
But he was quickly interrupted
"Luca Smith, I'm aware. I'm known as Alden, No surname."
With that, the pair was dismissed, now needing to find a new hang-out spot.
The second the door closed, Reed let out a breath of relief. Even if he seemed a little strange and unorthodox, 'Alden' had a strange stifling presence to him, as if he was totally aware of any movement the pair made, something Reed had only seen from the powerful beasts his family kept chained.
Luca on the other hand, was brimming with excitement, clearly life working as an blacksmith had gotten at least a little tedious for him.
"Wasn't that guy super cool Reed? He clearly made all the changes to the weapons room himself."
"Cool? More like terrifying, and insane- He actually thinks people are going to sign up for a weapons practical class when they have a taming exam to worry about"
"Well people are going to, we're going to, aren't we?"
Reed wasn't one to renege on something he said but-
"Luca if we don't get a decent contracted beast in the exam, we're never going to get through second year-"
'not to mention what my family will think of me' he added internally.
"Yeah but it's not like we can't just give it a try, plus isn't your ability something to do with knights? They use swords and weapons, maybe it'll unlock something for you?"
Reed winced at the mention of his ability. Swiping at the air to bring up his system interface.
Abilities were simple, Sometime between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, each person that was born in, or grew up in an area with the presence of any mythical or mystical beasts would have a special ability manifest within them- some scholars and researchers claimed to know more, but that was the extent of what Reed had bothered to learn.
The issue was, where Luca had the hereditary ability [Hands of the dwarven gods. - Uncommon] which gave the description [The forge god smiles upon you! Gain progressive levels of immunity to fire as your other stats increase.] and did exactly as it said, Reed's wasn't so simple.
Taking a second before speaking, Reed looked over the floating text infront of him, something he avoided doing too often.
[Name - Reed Thorne]
[Contracted beasts - N/A]
[Special ability - Heart of an errant knight]
[Stats - ]
[Strength - 3]
[Agility - 4]
[Endurance - 3]
[Wisdom - 1]
[Intelligence - 3]
[Talent - 2]
[Skills and abilities - ]
[Basic contract spells - Novice]
[Thorne contract spells - Beginner]
[Close]
Nothing new. Reed sighed, then focused on his special ability, preparing himself for the usual disappointment.
[Heart of an errant knight - Unique]
[Bound to serve, But who?]
Reed again, came face to face with the same, nondescript ability that he'd initially been super excited to obtain.
Unique abilities usually went one of two ways- Something rivaling that of a [Rare] or even [mythic] ability, separating the user from anyone around them; and then the category Reed's fell into, something so restrictive or strange that it was less helpful that a [Basic] unique ability.
'Maybe Luca's right, Knights use weapons- ' Reed decided to adopt a hopeful outlook on the situation for the time being.
"Yeah fuck it- let's find Mira and go enroll in the weird old man's lectures"