05: Orientation Part 2

Going on to the next place the guide told them “The top people in charge like to test people by giving them opportunities to succeed or fail. For them, everything could be a test. Remember that. You often won’t know what the tests are, and that’s how they like it. Pass the test and things will be better for you. Fail and it will be because of your own failings. They won’t rig things to make you suffer, but if you don’t make the cut because of your own failings, it’ll be considered your own fault! They also like to layer schemes over each other so they reinforce each other, yet each is worthy in its own right. That way if you spot one you might not spot the others. You could catch a whole bunch of them and still miss the main focus of their plans. It also means that if one fails, the others can carry on unimpeded.”

Soon they came to what looked like a reasonably sized 3 story building. Their guide told them “These are the dorms. Consider this an example of how they screw with you.”

Opening the doors, everyone could see things were not as they seemed. There was a large stairwell and elevator heading up with no end in sight. Instead of apartments, or even rooms, the floors had thick walls running most of the length of the room. The walls were covered by doors, and each door had a number. There were 5 of these corridors with 10 doors on each side of them. That meant there were 100 doors there.

A quick check showed that the numbers started with 000000000 and went up to 000000099 on the ground floor.

“Right! These doors are actually portals to where you will be staying. Each floor has 100 doors. Ground floor starts with 0 and ends with 99. Floor 1 starts with 100 and ends with 199, and so forth. You can tell which floor you will be on by looking at your dorm number and ignoring the last two digits.

He took them to room 00 and told them “I am allowed to show you this as an example of what you will be getting.”

He opened the door and everyone entered. They were in a large room on a massive hill sized chunk of rock floating in some misty space, and they could see other such chunks of varying sizes also floating around.

“This is what is called an Earth Mote. We are currently in what is called the Astral Sea. You will be able to shape your Earth Mote as you desire it to be after a couple of days. Even merge them with each other. However, it would be best if you learn what you need to before you mess around with them.”

After that was the library. It seemed like a large building, and it was. They were about to enter when the guide told them “Be very careful here. We have books here from many different realities, and magic allows us to understand most of them. However, some contain knowledge that will destroy your minds if you read them, and other books are dangerous in other ways. If you come across a book that is chained in place near a desk, don’t mess with it. It might consume you.

“There is a restricted area guarded by what was the most fearsome book here. Well, it was until someone introduced it to some skin mags. Don’t ask for details. All I know is it has mellowed out a bit and there are now growling pamphlets there. That is all I need to know. You spot one: leave it alone for all our sakes. The guard book can actually release and command the other books.”

They were shown up to the restricted area and saw the guard book. As they watched a skin mag came out and had an attachment inside almost ready to be detached. There were small pamphlets, and even one that was almost a small mini-magazine in its own right.

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Suddenly one of the more impulsive students snorted, unimpressed at that. He seemed bored and Garion was going to ignore it, but arrogant bored people used to being powerful can be very dangerous. Expressly in what they were warned was a dangerous situation already.

Garion saw him form fire in his hand and was just starting to throw it when Garion managed to knock his arm up, making him just miss the small book family.

The mood changed and everyone moved away from them.

Garion growled out, “What the fuck do you think you are doing man?”

“Relax; it was just a bit of fun. So what if some paper burned?”

Suddenly a loud growling was heard and everyone turned to face the guard book.

Before they could grasp what was happening the guard book leaped out from its area and opened its pages wide. It bit down on the snobs arm, breaking it, before twisting and throwing the git into the book’s enclosure.

Everyone watched in horror as the git was devoured alive by the books. As his flesh was torn off, the guide nodded to himself “So that’s how they get the parchment to grow. Ooh, draining knowledge from his mind to give them info! Blood for ink. Nice!”

When that was finished, the guide said “I suggest we leave now. The scent of blood is in the air, and the guard book might be willing to let the others feed for a little while.

Everyone hurried out in fear. They could feel the other books watching, and some even moved closer on the shelves, eager to be let loose.

Even the most dedicate book lover knew to fear that place!

Regrouping outside the library, their guide told them “This is why you should pay attention! That moron could have gotten everyone here killed.” He nodded to Garion and said “If he hadn’t thrown that guy’s aim off, we would not have managed to get out of there alive! You will notice I did not try to save the idiot. Firstly, all of you had the chance. Secondly, if you had tried, you would have died!”

When people had time to let that sink in, he told them “One last place to go: The main building.”

As he led them “The main building contains the great hall, a cafeteria and classrooms. It also contains study room labs and clubroom. You can have clubs for anything you can think of.”

Someone called out “Overthrowing the administration and staff?”

“The Headmistress has already booked herself as the faculty advisor for any such club.”

Someone else called out “Murder and rape?”

“That’s up to you, same with people making a club to kill such clubs.”

Then they came to the main building.

It looked like a one story building that was pentagon in shape, and deigned so a flat side was facing each of the paths leading to it.

As they approached it, the guide told them, “The more observant of you may have noticed the plants. Every access to an area off the main circle has plants over it, sealing the circle. Some of you might have even paid attention to what the plants are. Some plants have magical properties. Knowing the designer, it could also be a secret flower language telling you to do lewd acts with a cheese grater, or both.

They entered and the guide pointed out the map on the walls near the entrances, and passed by the class rooms, the cafeteria, the club rooms, and some “we don’t want to know what happens here, so have fun” rooms, before reaching the main hall in the center of the building. He pointed out the direction of the office, and told them, “Hope you are never called there for discipline. You won’t be suspended or expelled. Tortured and killed are possible. Manipulated and mind fucked is a certainty, even if you never go there. They like to use punishments subtly and always keep people wondering if they are over, or some new torment is unleashed as they suffer to further the bosses designs. An outright punishment is only used when they have to show they that someone is being punished. In that case they tend to make examples that even Demon Lords of torment fear crossing them.”

He paused outside of the Main Hall, where there were many people already. He said to them “Just remember, if you think you understand how this school works, you are probably wrong. Things will change because there may be a good cause for it, or because they want to keep you guessing.”

With that he stepped aside and let his group enter.