“I don’t get it,” Ellis whispered to himself as he selected a plate of fish from the cafeteria’s assortment of food. “Why would you want to get lunch with us over a Cohee?”

Orrin frowned at the plate of seafood before grabbing something meatier on the next shelf of protein options. He’d already piled his tray up with a small salad, a bowl of cut-up fruit he’d never seen before, and fries. At least he thought they were fries. He munched on one and coughed in surprise. It tasted like watermelon.

“Willa might be a Cohee but her family is on the periphery,” Luca said quietly. He picked three different meats, balancing a second tray on top of the first. “It was still a mistake to embarrass her like that. You flustered her in front of her friends. She’ll retaliate.”

Orrin sighed as he grabbed a jiggly desert and turned around. The cafeteria held traditional tables, each holding up to six seats. It could easily house three or four hundred students. He nodded his head to direct his new friends to one nearby and led the way as he thought about what he’d done.

Orrin planned to keep a low profile. He’d purposefully misunderstood a fellow student’s invitation and invited along two classmates he’d already pegged as low on the social ladder. Ellis was a new student like him and followed him around like a puppy. The [Glamour] that Anabella cast on Orrin made him attractive… to the point of distraction in his opinion. Ellis was clearly smitten.

Luca placed his two trays of food on the table and dug in immediately.

“I didn’t turn her down, which would have created more problems. I accidentally misunderstood her as inviting us all,” Orrin said, pointing his fork at Luca. “She could have clarified she just wanted to go on a date with me but she left in a huff. That’s on her. She should know how to act in polite society.”

Luca scoffed then began popping little sardines into his mouth one after the other. “If you’d kept that smug look off your face, people might have believed you made a mistake but you asked where she was going when she left. You made an enemy there.”

Orrin scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. “I’ll apologize to her next time I see her in class.”

“She’s not a novice like you two. She graduated most of her classes and is officially a second-term student. You won’t see her in class.” Luca spilled a bean soup across two pieces of bread and inhaled the sandwich.

Orrin glanced at Ellis. The younger boy poked his fish but watched them talk like a tennis match, his head bouncing back and forth.

“You realize the food is free,” Orrin pointed out to Luca. “It’s like you haven’t eaten in days.”

“I haven’t. I had to save every copper for admission. Some of us have to pay our own way and don’t have a rich aunt to pay for our classes.”

Orrin took in Luca’s worn clothes and remembered the way he’d clutched his broken pen in anguish. He was doubly glad he’d healed the man. Having an older friend who knew the ins and outs of the school would be invaluable.

“If you need some help, I’d—”

Luca put his fork down. He made no more noise than most of the students eating around them but the gesture was made with a finality that stopped Orrin in his tracks.

“I am not for sale. I do not need nor want a patron. Thank you for healing me and the conversation. I wish you luck at the Sanerris School. You’ll likely need it.” Without another word, Luca stood and returned his nearly empty trays.

He stopped at the exit and rushed back to Orrin and Ellis. He held Ellis’s pen in his hand. “I almost forgot. Thank you for letting me borrow this. Here.”

Ellis bit his lip in thought and tilted his head. “But the one I lent you was broken. I would like mine back, please.”

Luca hesitated and gave a curt nod to Ellis. He dropped his broken pen on the table and left without another word.

“I’m so confused right now.”

Ellis smiled after Luca’s retreating form. “He’s unbound.” He noticed Orrin’s face and explained further,” “Someone who pays his own way to go here. He’s not a novice like you and me. Some of the students spend months saving up the money for classes.”

“Are you unbound?”

The smile faltered. “Partially. I’m taking four classes for someone and get to take one of my own. If I pass those four, I’ll likely be back next semester.”

“Why? Who would pay you to go to school?”

Ellis chewed slowly as he looked at Orrin. “You’re unbound?”

“I’m here because my grandmother sent me, but I’m taking classes I want to.” At least that’s what I have to say. Damn it, Anabella. You didn’t tell me anything about this.

“Sometimes a person wants to take a few classes but can’t spend the time away from whatever responsibilities they have to attend. They pay a student to take classes for them. If I’m able to pass my classes, I’ll spend a few months teaching my patron the specifics of the class. Then I’ll come back and take the more advanced classes if they want to know more. If they don’t, I can offer my services to someone else but with the added step of having the base courses out of the way. Some of the people here are professional students.”

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Orrin considered that for only a minute before seeing holes. “Why would the school allow that? No offense, but you aren’t going to be as good at teaching as the professors are. Plus, you could just teach anyone. Take a class one time and teach it over and over.”

Ellis laughed. “That’s not how it works. If I pass a class, I can only teach the person who paid for it. We have a contract. I can’t teach anyone else unless I retook the class. The school looks down on that. They get a bunch of people who want to learn, the rich get the basics without having to spend weeks stuck on campus, and us bound students get to learn for free. If our employer isn’t satisfied, we just stick around teaching them until they are.”

Orrin took a sip of his juice. It was a weird set-up but Luca’s response was disproportionate to his offer for help. “Why’d Luca react like that if it’s a good gig?”

“If a bound student has an epiphany or creates something new, it belongs to the patron. It’s sort of like I’m not really here. I’m just an expression of my patron’s will. I figure I’ll be taking only basic classes, so what’s the harm right now. I want to take more advanced classes once I’m rich. I’ll be a regular student then. Luca’s been a student for a few semesters, I think. He’s probably just wary. There are rumors of people catching students in contracts and stealing their inventions.”

Orrin wanted to ask more questions but he was already treading in dangerous territory. Too many more direct questions and Ellis would get over his crush and realize everyone who attended the school should know this shit.

“I’m lucky my grandma wanted me to attend. I don’t even know how many semesters I’ll be here but I promise I won’t steal even a pen from you,” Orrin said, trying for a joke.

The flash of horror that crossed the young man’s face told Orrin he’d failed. “You don’t think that was stealing, do you? I have so many pens, I just thought it would be ok if one was broken.”

“Hey, it’s fine,” Orrin grabbed Ellis’ shaking hand. “I’ll cover the pen. It’s not a big deal. I need to get some of my own notebooks anyway. Let’s check the schedule and hit the library. We can meet up again for dinner.”

Ellis jabbered something affirmative and blushed the entire walk across campus.

Battle Class.

He ran his finger over the class schedule posted near the library and sighed. Orrin’s first class on the first day of school was a dumb fighting exercise.

He bought his books for his other four classes and dropped them off in his dorm. Ellis shadowed him and thanked him for his new pen. Orrin tossed the wrapped parcel the girl behind the counter had wrapped up with his new notebooks, loose-leaf paper, and about ten writing utensils.

He glanced at the clothes he was wearing and decided not to change as he looked out his window. Battle Class was located at the southern end of the courtyard. A few students stood waiting already, even though class wouldn’t start for another ten minutes.

Orrin was the second to last to arrive. Half the class wore robes, a quarter had on armor of some variation, and the remaining students were like Orrin, dressed in normal day clothes. Only one had a weapon strapped to his side but Orrin saw plenty of wands and staffs.

The courtyard was several hundred yards long but only about a hundred or so yards wide. Nearby, a circle of sand marked out what Orrin guessed would be the fighting ring.

“I’m Professor Galina and this is Battle Class. If you are not registered for this class, get off my pitch.” A woman with short-cropped hair and the build of a weightlifter pushed her way to the front of the class. Two people left in a hurry and Orrin counted about twelve people in total remained. For a school boasting under a hundred students, this must be a popular class.

Professor Galina folded her arms, pushing out her impressive biceps. “This class is simple. We fight. You all get a chit.”

An older student stepped out of the lineup and placed a basket with small golden squares inside on the ground. Galina nodded her thanks before she ordered them to move, “Each of you take one now.”

Orrin waited for most of the students to take a golden square before he moved. The guy who had been carrying the basket was near him though so he still beat the people at the other end of the line. A quick count confirmed his worry. Orrin snatched up his chit and moved back to the line.

The last two students realized at the same time there weren’t as many chits as students. Both lunged for the last coin but the girl was quicker.

The last guy frowned but turned to the teacher and pointed. “We need one more. I didn’t get one.”

Galina smiled. A faded white scar ran along her chin and up the corner of her mouth, giving her a bigger smile than normal. “The rules for this class are simple, as there are only two. Don’t kill your opponent. That is the first and most important rule. If you haven’t noticed, my assistant is a [Healer]. He’ll be able to keep you from dying but if you’re squeamish about being injured, drop my class. You will get hurt. Don’t worry about scars or permanent injuries. The infirmary is right there.”

She pointed to the door directly behind the group. “The winner of any fight has the responsibility to get the loser healed. If you win a fight, you get another chit. If you lose a fight, you turn your chit over to me. If you don’t have a chit at the end of the semester, you fail. The person with the most gets bragging rights. That young man in the back is the current champion.”

Orrin and the class turned as one. Orrin caught his first glimpse of Finley. He wore tight fighting dark clothes with just the hint of armor underneath. Blond hair was tied back into a small bun and he smiled and waved to the class. Orrin was surprised. He’d expected someone beefier from the way Anabella had described his fighting prowess but Finley wasn’t that much bigger than him.

“I don’t have a chit,” the student up front interrupted. He hadn’t moved and stood a few steps in front of the other ten students. The teaching assistant took a step but Galina held up a hand, waving him off.

“You get the honor of picking the first match. Everyone will watch. You must give one piece of advice to the loser on how to improve and remark on one thing the winner did wrong. I won’t call on every one of you after each fight but if I do and you don’t satisfy me, I’ll take a chit from you. You will fight every class at least once. Go ahead and pick someone. Introduce yourselves and get your asses into the circle there.”

Everyone listened and Orrin felt the hair on his neck stand up. Don’t pick me. Don’t pick me.

“I’ll fight her.” Orrin sighed in relief. A long finger pointed out the girl who had beat him to the last chit.

The smaller girl walked forward. She wore a robe and was one of the few with a holstered wand on her hip. “Cora Ignacius. You said there are two rules, right? What’s the second one?”

“Don’t die.”