Chapter 54
Lunch was a hearty beef stew packed with beef, potatoes, carrots, and more. Thick slices of french bread was served along with the stew and Jay slathered his bread with thick generous pats of butter. To drink they had a carbonated apple flavored beverage. It tasted like green apple and was slightly tart.
The three friends sat at their table, no one particularly excited to speak. Jay had already dried off thanks to his aura as had M'redith since she was closest to him when they had sat down. She slid to the side a bit to give Aiden a chance to dry off. Finally finished the three dug in to their stew, with Jay dipping his bread in his first and eating a bite of that.
“You dip your bread in your stew? Why?” asked Aiden, puzzled.
Jay shrugged, “Um, because it's delicious? Do I really need a better reason?”
M'redith laughed but Jay could tell her heart wasn't in it. Even now after Jay had helped her dry off completely she still felt a bit worn out from the morning's workout in the rain.
The three were quiet for a bit as they continued to eat.
“So just ten of us left, huh?” asked M'redith offhandedly.
Aiden nodded. “Imagine paying all that money to get in – or however they got in – only to quit. Not even get kicked out, but sent home because they quit. I mean, it was just some rain, was it really that bad?”
Jay shook his head. “It wasn't just some rain to some people though. If you have lived your entire life in luxury and suddenly you're faced with intense discomfort, some people just don't know how to handle it. Lack of experience I guess.”
M'redith looked up at Jay with a serious expression and tilted her head to the side. “Do you think I lived a life of luxury?”
Jay looked confused and briefly glanced at Aiden just to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Aiden looked back at him and shrugged, he had no idea either.
“No? Maybe? I've no idea honestly. But, I mean, you were there too during this morning's exercises. You seemed to take it well. You didn't quit. Why would you even ask?” Jay asked her with a confused expression.
M'redith nodded once and then shrugged and returned to eating her french bread. That was the end of that topic of conversation it seemed.
Aiden and Jay shared another look of confusion before they moved on to another topic.
“Ok, how about this. Has anyone else noticed that people have been staring at us for the past few minutes?” Aiden asked nervously as his eyes darted back and forth.
M'redith looked up, “No, what do you mean?” she asked as she looked to her left and barely caught the motion of someone looking away. “Ok, I guess I see it now. What's the deal?”
Jay smiled. “I mean, I could guess.”
Both of his friends looked at him. “Ok, tell us what's going on big guy.” Aiden said teasingly.
“Fine, I will. The other students from our class are all seated around us – we all arrived at the same time. They're all soaked and miserable, no one is talking to anyone else, and basically everyone looks like they want to go home.” Jay rambled off.
“So?” M'redith asked. “Everyone is miserable.”
Aiden nodded in agreement.
Jay shook his head, “Really? Do you two really feel miserable? I mean, we're all sitting here, us three, dry as a bone, talking with each other and acting like we're not soaking wet. Because of course, we're not. I think people are noticing that and trying to figure out why they're still soaked and we're happy and dry.”
Aiden gave that a moment's thought. “I'd be much less chipper if I was still soaked right now.”
M'redith shivered, “I'm happy being dry, thank you.”
“So that explains the stares. Hopefully. If I'm right we'll have someone approach us once we get to class and they notice us dry off again. Eventually someone is going to get up the nerve to ask us how we do it.” Jay said with a smile.
“Are you willing to dry off the entire class?” Aiden asked after a pause to think.
“Sure. At a very reasonable rate too!” Jay said with a laugh.
M'redith made a sour face, “You can't charge people to dry off!”
“Ok fine, I won't charge anyone today. It was you that told me I should get something in return for my services though wasn't it?” asked Jay with a mildly confused expression.
M'redith sighed, “Yes, but you don't have to be a jerk about it. A free dry-off and clean won't kill you today.”
Jay smiled at her, “Fair enough. I know just how to do it too.”
Aiden groaned, “Oh great, what are you going to do now?”
“You'll see.” Jay said. He refused to say more.
The small group finished their food and Aiden brought up their trays.
M'redith looked up at Jay approvingly with a tiny smile. “You have any plans for tonight?”
Jay nodded. “Library. Study. I need to see if we can get any information on the three items we need, or we each need. Figuring that out alone would be a help really.”
M'redith ran her fingers through her hair and shook it out, giving it some extra volume. Jay thought it looked good. “Ok. I'm sure Aiden would love to join as well.”
Aiden returned and she told him about studying that night. He agreed as he had nothing else planned.
The group left the dining hall and walked back in to the rain. A few of their fellow students watched them walk in to the rain for some reason and there was some groaning and exchanging of coin as they saw that the three friends did indeed get wet while outside.
Aiden shrugged as he noticed some of the activity. “They'll figure it out eventually.”
M'redith laughed lightly as she momentarily forgot about the rain.
When Jay was younger him and his friends would go outside in the rain and open their mouths, trying to catch the raindrops. That was fun at the time. The rain at that moment on Eden however was so intense that if Jay had tried that he may have drowned from the sheer volume of water falling out of the sky.
“Wet again.” said Jay. “Don't worry guys, we'll be dry soon.”
The three friends ran the rest of the way to class. When they arrived Jay stood with M'redith for thirty seconds until she was dry and then switched to Aiden. Once finished Aiden sat down while Jay walked up to the head of the class where T'lly was standing dripping wet. No one else was talking with T'lly so Jay had her all to himself.
“Hello Jay,” she said brightly as she looked up at him. Jay was almost a foot taller than T'lly but Jay was the one that felt small when he stood near her. She radiated a sense of impending danger that was hard to ignore. The students, Jay included, found her a bit.. frightening.
Jay smiled, “Hi T'lly.” He walked over to her so that they were standing reasonably close.
T'lly laughed, “I'm surprised you're up here talking to me instead of wooing M'redith.”
Jay coughed, “Er, I've been really trying to stay friends with M'redith actually.” Jay was caught by surprise by T'lly's comment and did not come back with the best answer possible.
“Sure. You two look like really good friends, Jay.” T'lly said with a lascivious smile.
Jay blushed a bit, “I..” he mumbled as he went quiet. Jay had come up to T'lly thinking they would casually talk for thirty seconds and he would surprise her with his aura. She had surprised him with her current line of conversation instead and Jay was absolutely unprepared for it.
“Didn't I tell you not to get involved with anyone during training?” T'lly said in a voice that made it sound like she was scolding a naughty child.
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Jay shook his head back and forth to clear his thoughts. “You did. Really, I'm working on it. Besides, I have a good feeling about M'redith.”
T'lly winked at him, “I bet you do.”
Jay blushed furiously before she changed her tone.
“Well enough of that. Why don't you tell me what your aura is doing now. It's considered incredibly rude to use an aura on someone without their permission. You're not trying to be rude to me are you Jay?” she asked in a dangerous sounding tone of voice.
Jay gulped and shook his head quickly, scared that she would misunderstand his intentions – or already had. “Just doing something nice.”
T'lly stared at him seriously as her eyes widened for a moment. “Well, as long as you meant well. Just remember, two can play at the surprise game. Keep that in mind next time you try and surprise someone with that aura. Great aura by the way! And thanks for the dry off.. and.. clean? It cleans too?? Gaia Jay.” she swore softly as she shook her head.
She looked back at Jay and sighed contentedly, “Remember – your aura tingles when in use. People will notice that – I noticed it right away. Keep that in mind in the future. And I'm not kidding about M'redith. Focus on your training – it will keep you alive.”
Jay nodded as he looked over at M'redith who was peering at T'lly and him conversing with a suspicious look on her face.
T'lly noticed and moved slightly closer to Jay and spoke quietly while watching M'redith. “Have you by any chance considered, oh, I don't know, TALKING WITH HER about it?” she said, her volume rising towards the end.
Jay winced and stumbled back a step surprised by her intensity.
“Women can only sort of read minds. You do still have to occasionally let us know what is going on.” T'lly said as she poked him in the chest with one perfectly manicured finger.
Jay had a brief moment of insanity where he wondered how she kept her nails so perfect in her line of work. It quickly passed and Jay refocused on the conversation at hand. “I haven't talked with her about it yet, no. We've been kind of figuring things out as we go along.”
T'lly stared at him unflinchingly. “Maybe try explaining.”
Jay nodded. “Ok. I will. Thanks T'lly.”
“Screw you Jay, I'm not going to go any easier in class just because you dried me off – and you're welcome. Go sit down and think about what I said.” T'lly said, her tone kind even when her words weren't, to Jay with a slight smile as she waved him back to his seat.
Jay had intended to show T'lly the aura and then dry out the rest of the class but T'lly started up the class before Jay could even offer.
The afternoon class was a strange one. Instead of running the Dungeon Room itself they discussed the different types of classes that exist within a class type. They started with Fighters.
“Can anyone tell me a type of Fighter? Anyone?” T'lly asked. The question was an easy one and a few students raised their hands at the same time.
“Tank.” said someone.
“Sure,” agreed T'lly, “Some Fighter classes are Tanks – designed to take hits and force enemies to focus on hitting them instead of the other party members. What else?” she asked reasonably.
“Melee.” said Jay.
“That's right.” T'lly said as the class wrote down her words, “Melee Fighters are a class designed to fight up close with an enemy. When you think of a Fighter you usually picture a Melee Fighter first. Anyone else?”
“Ranged!” yelled out Aiden.
T'lly sighed and didn't correct him for not raising his hand but did glare at him. He had the good graces to appear apologetic and quietly muttered sorry. “That's right – some Fighters attack from a distance using bows, darts, slings, even magic items at times.”
“What are Melee and Ranged Fighters, not tanks, called when referred to as a group?” T'lly asked. “Anyone?”
Carly, the red haired woman, sat in her seat still dripping wet, her red hair plastered to her scalp by the moisture. “They're called DPS.”
T'lly nodded. “Good! DPS – damage per second. That is their job, to put out as much damage as they can every second.”
A man towards the back of the class raised their hand. “What about archers?”
T'lly smiled, “Great question! Archers can be either a Fighter or a Scout based class. It depends on what the class focus is. Fighters are usually focused on doing damage whereas Scouts are usually focused on the utilities needed in a hunt. Sometimes doing damage isn't enough.”
Jay nodded in agreement at that. Damage was often not enough.
“How about Healers? What are some different types of Healers out there?” T'lly asked the class.
Someone in back raised their hand. “Religious!”
T'lly smiled, “That is a great answer. Healers are divided in to two main groups – Religious and Non-Religious. If the Healer is dedicated to a god or goddess they are considered Religious. Their abilities all depend on their relationship with their deity.”
T'lly picked up a glass of water off the table in front of her and took a sip before continuing.
“Non-religious Healers need no higher power and operate using their abilities alone with no divine guidance or intervention.” she finished up.
The class discussed various types of Healing. “What about wards?” someone asked.
“A ward is just a magical shield that can only take so many points of damage. When the shield runs out of points it disappears. It's a way of front loading healing on to a person before damage is even inflicted. Very handy if you can find a Healer that can cast them.” T'lly answered as the class took notes.
“How about a HOT?” asked Carly as she swept some wet strands of hair behind one ear.
“Ah, HOTs. HOT is just a fancy way of saying heal over time. It means that a spell is cast but the healing isn't immediate – it instead is applied gradually over time. A HOT for 50 health might grant 10 health every second for five seconds, or 10 health every 10 seconds for 50 seconds – the amount and length change depending on the ability. It is a way of taking the edge off of an enemy's attacks in advance before those attacks even land.”
T'lly took another drink of water. “HOTs are incredibly useful in combat, especially boss monster fights. Anyone else?”
The class went quiet. Class participation was usually decent but thanks to the awful weather and everyone's damp state of discomfort most of the students were merely listening.
T'lly sighed. “You're wet. I get it. You want to go home and change. Get warm. Be comfortable. Well you can leave right now and go do that. Go ahead, quit.” she said.
The class stayed quiet. “You don't have to participate if you don't want to – this class is for you, not me.” T'lly said calmly in to the silence.
“Ok, continuing on then. Scouts, what are some types of Scouts?” she asked.
More students raised their hands this time after her impromptu pep talk.
“Assassin.” said a dark haired student off to the left.
“Yes, that is one. Scouts are known for their stealth and utility. Outside of those two traits Scouts can be just about anything, such as an Assassin. Other Scouts are focused on scouting more than putting out damage. Some people divide Scouts in to two groups: The lookie-loos and the damage dealers. One is focused on gathering information or objects while the other is focused on mostly damage.” T'lly said calmly.
She walked about the room as the class discussed the various sub classes. They had covered the three main classes so far – Fighters, Healers, and Scouts.
“Mages.” T'lly merely stated.
Almost the entire class raised their hands. T'lly picked one especially miserable looking soaked student.
“DPS.” the student stated.
“Yes,” T'lly said. “Any class can be a DPS if their primary focus is on dealing out damage. This includes Mages especially as they often have a damage focus. There are others equally as powerful. How about non-combat types?”
“Portals!” yelled Aiden.
T'lly glared at him but nodded. “Yes. Some Mages are focused on the ability to open portals to different areas across Eden. Some can cast portals even beyond Eden. You might be surprised however to know that there are Portal Mages that can absolutely use portals offensively.”
Jay pictured a portal opening up bisecting a human, cutting it in half. Or a portal low to the ground where only the person's legs run through, leaving the upper half of the person remaining. Offensive portals would be insanely difficult to fight against Jay thought to himself.
They talked a bit more about Mages. Fire Mages, Time Mages, Earth Mages, Plant Mages, there was a Mage class for just about everything. Construction Mages for example were heavily sought after for building projects.
After they had finished going over some of the various types T'lly smiled. “Classes are confusing. Within any type of class there exists a myriad of subtle variations. Those four main class types are not even the only ones that exist, merely the most popular and numerous. There are specialty classes that require certain specific criteria be met first. Librarians, for example. Or Adventurers,” she said pointing at Jay.
The entire class turned to look at Jay who was sitting at his desk as dry as could be. Jay shrunk down in his seat slightly without thought and M'redith chuckled at him, she was seated off to his right.
“Why do you need to know any of this? When you finally join a group for good you'll want to understand how the various classes work. Some Healers require they touch a person to heal them for example. That Healer might not be a great pick for a group full of ranged classes. Tough to stay within touching range of everyone.”
“Knowing your class is important but so is knowing your group-mates' classes. Homework for tonight will be you learning about a classmates' ability you weren't yet aware of. You'll be asked to explain how the ability works as well as how it might interact with your abilities.”
Some of the class groaned but Jay shrugged. People would have been asking him sooner or later about how he stayed dry anyway, he might as well get homework credit for it, right?
T'lly dismissed the class in her usually nurturing manner and everyone reluctantly filed out of the building in to the furious storm which had not abated one bit. The sky was darkened even more than it had been that afternoon when they had started class and looked downright ominous.
Hungry and wet but armed with the knowledge they would soon be dry and clean Jay and his friends walked to dinner. Their classmates looked at them oddly as they ran past them to the dining hall in the semi-darkness of the torrential downpour.