Stonetoe ordered the first years to meet in the classroom after lunch. The knight did not look comfortable standing behind a lectern. He was an outdoorsman who preferred physical education over literature. The nap he took didn’t feel long enough and he didn’t enjoy discussing today’s topic. His overall mood hadn’t improved much as a result.
He let out a grunt as he gestured to the slate board behind him. “From now on, twice a year, we’ll do rankings based on your physical combative strengths. It's a stupid ritual meant to encourage you all to learn how to fight better. None of it applies to how successful you will be in the future nor will it affect your future employment opportunities.
This ranking- Put your damn hand down Krogastein. I'm still explaining everything.” Zaniyah slowly lowered her hand and sulked in her chair. “As any of you with half a brain can see, Cully is the number one spot in your class. He has mastered the use of terrain and has a far more effective range than most elementalists. Similarly, Byer's ability to use traps and to flawlessly switch between close and ranged combat have put him in the second seat. Despite his inability to use any mag- What is it Maplehammer?!”
“Oh, uhm...” Tish lowered her hand and poked her fingers together. “I didn't see Luca on the list, and he's one of us now, so...”
Stonetoe turned around and wearily stared at the board for a moment. He then wrote “Atwater” right above Anais' name. “Atwater's abilities haven't been fully tested yet, but he ranks above Reese because the only thing she can do well is talk to animals.” He let out a low growl as Zaniyah raised her hand again. “What?!”
Zaniyah stood up and pointed at the board. “Why am I ranked ninth? And why is my name right next to Ivy's? And how in the core did Vex get third?!”
Some names had been listed as the same rank as others. Ivy, Zaniyah, and Evan were all tied in ninth place. Right below their names were Gwyn and Basil at twelfth, with Mila, Emery, and Peter being ranked fourteenth. Above them was Vincent at fourth, followed by Sybil at fifth, Tish at sixth, Alton at seventh, and finally Chester at eighth.
Alton would feel the need to complain that he should at least be tied with Sybil, but that sword of hers easily would’ve put her at first if she bothered to use it more often. He also wanted to make a joke that Tish in was the one on top of Veximarl but kept that in his pocket for now. Along with all of his other inappropriate jokes. In his opinion, it was rather mature of him to not say anything at all.
“Ranks were ordered this way because one of you has an ability that can automatically win himself a duel.” Stonetoe drew a square around Alton’s name, and the squire immediately straightened up in his seat. “Everyone above Toval has found a workaround for his singing magic. Everyone below him hasn't. If you want this to be a fair ranking, the rest of you need to figure out a way to beat Toval.”
Sybil looked over to Zaniyah. “That’s why Irving always cuts open his throat first before initiating in our group fights.” Zaniyah gave a nod and smiled at Alton in a way that made him feel uncomfortable.
“Don't help her!” Alton shot a glare at Stonetoe. "I don't want to play the victim here, but you're making it seem like you're okay with everyone going after my head.”
“That’s the honest truth to how the rankings were done. I’m not the only one who comes up with this stuff.” Stonetoe gestured to the fact that Alton had his arm around her waist. “But I also don't like the fact that you two are cuddling when I'm wasting my time talking to you all.”
Zaniyah waved a hand about. “But why am I tied with Ivy?!”
Stonetoe folded his arms impatiently. “Because you, Nox, and Cress have nothing to distinguish yourselves from each other. All three of you use large weapons, magical augments, and hit things hard. You may move a little faster and hit a little harder than those two, but they outrank you in common sense, which makes you even.”
“But I can do magic!” Zaniyah started to flick her fingers forward. Little sparks of light started to shoot from them. Stonetoe stared at her display with a blank face. “No! I'm serious! I really can! Give me a minute!”
Without caring much for what she was doing, Stonetoe continued, “Again, these rankings don't matter much. It's more important to reflect on your own talents and improve upon them. If you have the talent, you need to learn how to effectively incorporate it into your fighting sty- What is that?!” Stonetoe pointed to the shield that Zaniyah had suddenly conjured.
“Yeah! I'm a Pali-AAAHH!”
Stonetoe had abruptly leaped on the front table where Baron Squad had been and both Ivy and Anais let out a squeal of surprise as he continued onto the next table. He slammed the heel of his boot into Zaniyah's shield, shattering it as though it were nothing. Zaniyah fell back into her seat with a yelp as Stonetoe squatted on the table.
“Did you think I would care about your silly little light show when it can't even hold up to my foot?!” His brows furrowed forward. As she moved to stand up, his hand darted out and grabbed her by the ear. “And where did you even learn to do that?! That ain't listed on your application and you never mentioned it before!” He let go of her ear and tapped his palm against the side of her head. A much lighter hit then the normal cuffs he had given her in the past.
“Well... I-I'm going to tell you now!” Zaniyah stamped her foot on the ground. “I'm a paladin and I'm going to train hard and be the best damn paladin this barracks has ever seen! Or at least good enough that I'm not tied for ninth on your stupid list!”
Chickadee could only blink as a response. He had spent years attempting to talk Zaniyah into accepting her magical abilities and all it took was for Zaniyah to be told she wasn’t any better than Ivyverine Nox. Looking over to Sybil, he could see that she was equally in shock about this. Zaniyah was so stubborn that Sybil had given up on it completely. Apparently, she just needed something to be more stubborn about.
“I'm going to go find Shaw, because he’s my bro, and he's going to train me to be super strong, and I'm going to be awesome at it!” Zaniyah started to aggressively make her way to the door. “And none of you are going to stop me!” She slammed the door behind her while Stonetoe pinched the bridge of his nose.
Sybil let out a sigh. “Shaw is in Fogbloom.”
"There are four paladins assigned to the barracks at the moment. The only one she'll find out there is Sir Buttonweed," replied Stonetoe. "You're going to have to work with her on this one.” Stonetoe shuffled over on the table and flicked Veximarl's forehead.
“I wasn't even aware that women could be paladins,” replied Veximarl.
At least, Tish had told him as much. He glanced at her and she replied with a nod. Veximarl then realized that Stonetoe had included him when counting the barracks paladins and frowned at the thought of being put in charge of managing Zaniyah. She was more intense than what he felt himself capable of dealing with.
“Magical apocalypse,” replied Sybil.
“What?” Veximarl tilted his head.
“It was something that Professor Rosethorn said,” replied Sybil. “I’ll explain later.”
Alton slowly nodded his head. “I don’t know if it means the end of the world, but it makes sense that Zaniyah is a paladin. She didn’t seem to get anything from her mother.”
“What are you talking about?” Sybil looked over at him. “She looks exactly like her mom. Her mom might be a little shorter, and she has purple hair, but they're a lot alike.”
“In the face, yes, and in the fact that Miss Zoe still looks rather young, but she also has those... I mean... Don't take this the wrong way, love, but Miss Zoe has an absolutely amazing body. Her breasts alone...” Alton cupped his hands in front of his chest to indicate their perfect size and curvature. “That is to say, I was shocked when I found out she was Zan’s mother.”
Sybil scooted her chair away from him. “Why would you even say that?! We're in the middle of class and Miss Zoe is like a second mother to me!”
“Shut up, Twist. This is important.” Stonetoe crab shuffled along the table and sat down in front of Alton. “... Go on.”
"They're not too big, but they’re not small either. I’d say that they're the perfect size where they would fit in your hands comfortably with a little more to spare,” replied Alton. “And her ass is just as supple. She wears the same type of style of clothes Zaniyah does, so it’s impossible not to notice how gorgeous she is.”
Stonetoe then nodded at Veximarl. “And what do you think?”
Veximarl felt exceedingly uncomfortable being put on the spot like this. “I would say that I was also surprised when I met Miss Zoe, sir. I had heard she was a successful acrobat in her youth but she retired shortly after Zaniyah was born.”
“So she’s flexible, huh? And Krogastein's brother moved Tilrey recently?” Stonetoe tilted his head as Alton nodded. “That has to be rough, being away from her kids and grandson like that. Do you think she'd like it if I found her a job at the barracks?” He bobbled his head in thought. “Plenty of jobs at the barracks that need filling.”
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Sybil's jaw tensed up. “Sir, not only are we still in the middle of class but I am certain that your wife would not appreciate it if she learned what you were doing instead of teaching us.”
Stonetoe stared at Sybil blankly for a moment. He then stood up on the table. “Cully! Byers! Thistleweed! Take an hour and do whatever you want to the outer field. Make it nice and fun. You'll be in charge of running the fight. Everyone else, split up into two groups and figure out your team captains. I'm going to go take a nap. No one bother me until setup is done."
He left and the squires set about doing their individual tasks, which mostly involved sitting around and doing nothing. For Sybil, it was being mad at Alton. She decided to retreat to the rooftop of the dorms in order to gather her thoughts.
Memories of Carapace were still fresh in her mind. It was difficult for her to believe that she’d be able to relax for once rather than worry about attending a sudden party or having yet another surprise quiz on theology… Rosethorn really liked his theology.
Though the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she hadn't accomplished much within Carapace. The only thing she did was enter the core without permission and release a golem army. One day’s effort didn’t make up for the weeks she had wasted away while following Duxton’s whims.
Stonetoe was right. She truly was bad at this knight thing.
From her perch, Sybil could see that Zaniyah stalking Paladin Dorian Buttonweed. She wasn't fond of the paladin, as he was strict and followed the Grand Temple code closely. He was also a reminder of how little power Till had over her barracks.
King Howell had ordered Till to fire several of the third year knights, with the exception for Trewarne. They had objected to the enlistment of the squires before their graduation. Buttonweed had been assigned here by royal decree as a result and he would be taking over one of the new first year squads. He was around Stonetoe's age and had been a paladin instructor at Grand Temple.
Shaw had mentioned to Sybil that several of the Grand Temple paladins and elementalists had been assigned to the war effort. Buttonweed’s family had been a part of Grand Temple for centuries but he was not of any noble family. Thus it seemed odd not to assign him a role in the army. He also didn’t particularly enjoy his job here. He certainly didn’t go out of his way to interact with any of the current squires.
Zaniyah didn’t care about how weird it was that Buttonweed was here. She thought that her strategy of following Lady Marjoram around until she agreed to teach her had worked well enough in the past. What would be wrong about trying that again? She continued to walk fast paces behind the paladin as he sought to be any location that was away from her.
“But I swear I'm a paladin and everything!” Zaniyah pleaded with him. “I'm, uhm... I-I'm a member of the Arbutus family! Really! You came here as a paladin teacher, didn't you? I'm a squire here so you have to teach me! That's the rules!”
Buttonweed turned on his heel and folded his arms. “To be recognized as a Grand Temple paladin, one must begin training at the age of five. It is a lifetime dedicated to following the practices set forth by Iath and mastering the art of discipline. You are a hyperactive barbarian heathen who is incapable of learning the basics of footwork.”
She pouted. “Okay, so maybe I hit things without much thought and didn't study enough in school about the gods… Whatever. What I do know is that I try my hardest at whatever I set my mind on. I can do this!”
“Child, I am in the midst of going through hundreds of applications in an effort to find those who might be worthy of my tutelage. I will look at children who have spent their lives dedicated to their craft only to tell them they are not good enough. One who has worked as hard as you have to shun Iath's gifts is not worthy of my time. Good day.” Buttonweed looked her over, scoffed loudly, then turned to walk away.
Zaniyah felt dejected. Yes, she had denied her magic before, but that's because she thought her dad came off as a jerk who cared more about her abilities than herself. Shaw seemed to be the same. The family name is what needed to be upheld, along with the duties that came with that. Who she was and what she wanted were nothing compared to that.
She moved to lean against the wall so that she could have a moment to herself. Zaniyah had thought things were fine before, but Stonetoe’s rankings proved that she was the weakest in her squad. Everyone else had different mentors that they could go to specialize their skills and make themselves well-rounded and stronger. She just had Stonetoe.
Zaniyah turned around and punched the wall, chipping the stone in the process. Being able to hit things better than others... It wasn't satisfying anymore. At the end of the day, she was just holding everyone else back.
“You shouldn't damage the buildings.”
Zaniyah's spine nearly leaped out her back when she heard Beat's voice. No wonder he was head of Bronzescale Squad. She didn't even catch his scent before she heard his voice. Stooping down, she picked up the part of the brick that had fallen off and pressed it against the wall. It immediately fell back out the moment she let go.
“... I'll get some paste to fix it later. Happy?!” She used a bit of snark when she spoke.
Beat stepped out of the shadows and folded his arms. “Your hand is bleeding.”
“So? I'll get-” ... Vincent was still in Carapace, not to mention that they weren’t exactly on good terms anymore. “I’ll go to the infirmary.”
He held out his hand and she hesitantly offered to let him look. His thumb pressed into her flesh and she inhaled sharply through her teeth. “You’ve fractured it.”
She yanked back her hand with a scowl. “I said I'll go to the infirmary! And then I’ll fix the wall! There’s not gonna be a problem, so just go away!” Zaniyah knew that Beat probably wasn't a bad guy, but she didn’t want to deal with anyone right now.
“Let's have a lesson.” Beat tilted his head towards the barracks entrance.
“... I'm supposed to be in Mama Stonetoe's class at the moment and I don't think he'll be happy about the fact that I stormed off.” There were laps waiting for her to run the moment she went back.
Beat shrugged apathetically. “Then perhaps you were not as serious as I thought you were about your paladin training.”
“... What's that supposed to mean?” Zaniyah followed a short ways. “Hey! I am serious about being a paladin! Don't start talking like you have all the answers then walk away! That's super creepy!”
She continued to follow him until he left the barracks. He then began to climb a hill before he sat down on the other side of it. Beat blankly stared out at the terrain. From this side, there were no roads or signs of human constructs. Just fields of grass, small gatherings of trees, and spots of fresh wildflowers.
Giving a nod to her as she sat down next to him, Beat fell back into the grass. He folded his hands upon his stomach and closed his eyes. Zaniyah stared at him for a few moments and then looked down at her hand. The bleeding had stopped, but her knuckles were sore and it was beginning to swell.
“Relax.” Beat inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.
Zaniyah felt to tense to do so. “I thought this was going to be a duel or something when you mentioned a lesson.”
“No.” He fell silent for a few more moments before speaking again. “Do you know why my name is Beat?”
“Because you beat things?” Tilting her head to the side, she thought that the answer was obvious.
A smirk appeared on his lips. “Clay Region names often have a deeper meaning. My name translates to, ‘Voice of the General.’ Drums are often used to relay orders over a battlefield. Beat is the type of name given to one who is destined to be a tool of war, but not a hero of it.”
“... My mom told me that she was going to name me Zandra, but I bit down on her nipple when she was telling the midwife that so it came out as 'Zan-YIAAH!'” Beat's eyes snapped open. He then gave her a stern look. “... I like my name. I guess your name isn't bad either... It's kinda depressing how your parents envisioned you as a grunt rather than the general but I guess, you know, aim for your status, right? That seems to be what a lot of-”
“Shh.” A finger was placed against his lips. “Be quiet. Relax. Listen to nature.”
Zaniyah pouted. Beat ignored her and closed his eyes again. She laid down in the grass and matched his position... This was boring though. It was extremely boring. There were better ways for her to spend her time rather than doing nothing. In the distance, she could make out Chester attempting to speak with Chickadee and Irving, as well as becoming frustrated when neither excelled at communication. She giggled to herself at the thought.
After a few moments had passed, Beat spoke up again. “How do you wield your weapon?”
“I just do.” She shrugged. “Mister Dodo, Chi's dad, he said that a weapon is an extension of your body. It must move as easily as your feet do to music.”
“Elementalists are no different in their casting. The world is their body, and their will allows them to communicate with Eishur. For an acolyte, our magic is our soul. Feeling joy from seeing a friend, sadness when you see them hurt, or resolve when you wish to protect them... These are all one and the same.”
“That don't make much sense. I've seen random things around Chi catch on fire or even explode whenever he lost control of himself.” Zaniyah lowered her voice. “It used to get so bad that he'd lock himself away for days out of fear of hurting anybody if he was having a problem.”
“There is no denying that our emotions have physical outcomes. Laughter from jokes, tears from pain, increased heart rate at the sight of love, or punching a wall when a man says that you are not worthy of being taught.” He glanced over at her with a single eye before shutting it again. “The reason why acolytes are taught so young is that they need to intimately understand their relationship with themselves.”
Zaniyah opened her eyes and blinked a few times as she stared up at the clouds. “... I don't get it.”
“Shaw had mentioned to me that you were able to maintain a shield for several minutes, even though you are inexperienced. What was going through your mind then?”
“That I was mad at Sybil but I also didn't want to see her die,” she muttered. “It's hard to describe. I was angry and scared and I knew I needed to do something otherwise we were all going to be in trouble... Everything was so big in my head that my mind went completely blank.”
“The resolve that you showed in those moments is what kept your shield working,” replied Beat. “You should spend at least an hour every day in meditation. Acolytes meditate not to understand
the way the world works, but the nature of our souls.”
Again, she didn't understand what he was talking about. “So just... Lie here?”
“You can do that, or you can ask Tuton for advice. You may have an easier time being trained by your squad captain.”
Zaniyah sat up with a start. “That's right! Vex is a paladin!” She slapped herself in the forehead as Beat shook his head. She then beamed at him and he hesitantly nodded approvingly. “He's so bad at it that I always forget!” She suddenly grimaced at the idea. “... I don't know though. I'm thinking you might have more experience with this sort of thing than he does, considering how bad at it he is.”
Mulling it over, Beat relented to the thought. “Then lie back down and meditate.”
“I don't know if that's a good idea to try now. If Mama Stonetoe found out I ran out of class just to take a nap...” Beat stared at her blankly. “... I mean, I guess he'd understand, so it's not completely a bad idea?” He didn't respond. “Yeah, okay. Good instructing there... Just gonna... Lie down and close my eyes then.”
Trying to make her mind devoid of thoughts while wasn't easy for her. Zaniyah's brain was always buzzing with different thoughts and impulses. The idea of shutting them out felt unnatural. If she thought really hard about the buzzing sound of bees, that seemed to sort of work... But then all she could think about was bees...
After a few minutes of attempting, she fell asleep. Zaniyah sprawled out in the grass, snoring loudly as Beat sat up. He stared at her with a flat expression for a moment, then the corner of his eye twitched as she let out a snort. It wasn't difficult for Beat to believe that she had potential. He wondered if she would ever amount to anything without the help of divine intervention.