It took much longer to go up the mountain than it did to come down earlier that morning . . . or was that a month ago? Time felt . . . strange coming out of the lair. I spent a month inside the lair but only an hour passed on the outside.
Staring out the window of the carriage as the mountain loomed large above us, I wished we had a chance to go home and bathe before seeing the dean. I was still covered in mud and blood. I could feel it caked on my skin and matted into the fur on my back and forearms.
Soon enough, we pulled onto the academy grounds and were ushered into the lower level where healers waited, two for each of us. We were poked and prodded. Healed multiple times in multiple ways before we were ushered into a locker room where baths waited. It was with great satisfaction that I finally got clean. Thankfully, the academy provided some basic clothing for us. By this point in time, anything I had brought with me into the lair was covered in filth. I almost felt bad for the laundry service we were offered.
After a few hours of that, we were guided up to Dean Weber’s office, or rather a conference room just next to her office.
The old goatwoman studied us for a while, no doubt using her mental skills to peek inside our minds. When she spoke, she sounded tired, “I am very glad to see all of you here, alive and mostly well.” Her eyes cast about the room, giving each of us a tired but apologetic look. I couldn’t help but notice her gaze lingered on Al a little longer than the rest of us.
“I am sure you have questions and probably more than a few valid concerns. First, let me tell you why the lair became more difficult,” Dean Weber said, pausing to look around the room. “As Coach Liv has explained, the welcome message to the lair changed from its usual message to one informing you that a heroic presence had been detected. That is because there is a hero among you. I will not tell you who it is. You each know if you are not the hero but don’t know if the person next to you is.”
That was a somewhat smart way to play it. I still took note of my teammates looking around, a couple focused their gazes on Al. It was more surprising to have some of the gazes from my teammates focused on me. That was worrisome.
“I bring this up for two reasons. First, with the presence of the hero on this team, it is likely, any lair your team enters will have its difficulty increased. Second, due to the first, I will give any of you an opportunity to change teams if you so wish,” Dean Weber offered.
Seth immediately raised his hand, “Sam and I want a new team. Our families are depending on us. Let someone foolish and stupid take our places. There are bound to be some among the less fortunate.”
The dean didn’t sound very happy when she replied to him. “Very well, Mister Sarong, I can move you to another team. However, your cousin will need to make his own decision. What do you say, Mister Sarang?”
Sam looked conflicted. With a sad look, he turned to his cousin, “Seth, I’m sorry, but . . . I’m staying here. “
“What?” Seth demanded. “What are you talking about? Why would you do that?”
“It’s the Hero,” Sam said. “Like, The Hero. This opportunity will never come along again. I have a chance to become a companion to the Hero.”
Seth frowned and almost snarled as he said his next words, “And tell me Sam, what happens to the Hero’s companions in the stories? How many of them make it out alive? How many sacrificed themselves to save the Hero? Do you really want to die for this?”
Sam seemed resolved and determined, “Yes, I’m willing to die for it. Because you’ve forgotten why the Hero comes into the world in the first place. If there is a Hero, that means something horrible is coming into this world. It means a lot of kin will die. Joining the Hero is a chance to save a lot of lives. If my death saves the lives of our family, then so be it. I say again, yes, I’m willing to die for it.”
Seth turned away from his cousin, “So be it. You can die if you want to. I’m out.”
Dean Weber nodded and smiled kindly toward Sam. “Anyone else?”
“Count me out as well, my . . . let’s just say my family wouldn’t like me palling around with the Hero,” Leonardo stated with some bravado.
I was surprised when Liam spoke up next, “Yeah, I, uh, look, I like you guys. Probably like the hero whoever it is, but, uh, I don’t want to die, mates. I came here to get a little bit of fame, go back home, marry the prettiest boargirl in town and have a litter of kids. This hero business just isn’t for me.”
It was a little too much information, but at least he had an almost good reason.
“I’m staying,” Robin stated firmly. “And trade Liam for my brother, Rober. I know my brother, he will not pass up this opportunity.”
Dean Weber smiled at the beargirl. “I will make the offer to your brother. But is there anyone else?”
“I’m staying,” Al said, masking his worry of being outed as the Hero as best he could.
Sam was obviously staying, which just left me. “I would not dare leave my comrades behind. Besides, my father would disown me if I passed up such an opportunity to get stronger. Which reminds me, Comrade Alphonse, I lost count around two-thousand six hundred, do you remember where you were?”
Al snorted, “Let it go. It doesn’t matter who killed more beasts,” he paused then added, “It was me.”
“Then you know how many?” I challenged him.
“I don’t know, three or four thousand,” Al said.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“Ha, I don’t think so, Comrade Alphonse,” I said with a dismissive laugh.
“Both of you, that's enough,” Coach Liv interrupted. “I killed more than twenty-five thousand rodent beasts alone. Come back to me when you come close to that.”
Dean Weber had to fight to hold back a laugh, though her eyes did meet mine briefly, expressing mirth at my ridiculous timing. She looked to the Coach next and asked, “And you Coach Liv, do you want to stay with your team? I will understand if you feel like it is too much.”
Coach Liv shook his head and stated, “I am willing to stay, however, it is too much to handle alone if we are going to be challenging Heroic Lairs. I would ask for a second and possibly a third Coach to assist.”
“I will see what I can do,” Dean Weber promised. “As for replacing four of your numbers, give me the week. All of you will attend the same class until I can find you new replacements. Coach Liv’s instruction will be vital to the next lair. More so for those of you remaining at the hero’s side, whoever that is.”
“For now, go home, rest, recuperate. Classes will resume before you know it,” Dean Weber said, ending the meeting, but before we all could leave, the Dean added, “Mister Romano, Mister Belov, please stay, there is another matter to discuss.”
More looks from my teammates were directed toward each of us, throwing more suspicion on to both of us.
“How may we be of assistance, Dean Weber?” I asked as soon as the door closed behind us.
The Dean gave me and Al an appraising look. “Would either of you mind telling me what a Hero Skill is and why you each have one?”
Al gave me a sharp look that was equal parts suspicion and surprise, “How do you have a skill like that?”
I, however, glared at the Dean. Did she really need to do that? Was this just a precursor to her outing me and my Job to Al? What would such a thing do to my mission here? It would most likely mean the end of my mission is what it would mean.
“I am not a hero,” I stated calmly, a true statement that would pass any lie detection skill. “I was given a reward from one of the lair chests that gave me that skill.”
The Dean narrowed her eyes at me, clearly weighing her words before she spoke. “And you expect me to believe that?”
I nodded. “You have scanned me. You undoubtedly already know that nothing has changed except that I have grown stronger. For all I know, the presence of the hero made that reward drop for me.” Which I believed was completely true. She just didn’t need to know if it was my heroic presence or Al’s.
After staring at me for a while, the Dean shifted her gaze over to Al. “And you, Mister Romano? Care to share?”
I admit, I was interested to hear what he learned. I was going to be disappointed. “Just like Belov said, the lair gave it to me.”
The Dean snorted derisively at that and shook her head. “Fine, fine, keep it to yourself. But, we do need to discuss the Ancestral Orb you each received.
“What about it?” Al asked, giving me another sidelong glance, more surprise on his face that I also received one.
“Those orbs . . . they are rare. I have only heard of one coming out of a lair in my lifetime, and yet here we now have two. This Hero business really is interesting. Anyway, about the orbs. I know of them but have never seen one. There is little documented,” the dean answered.
Patience wearing thin, Al interrupted, “So, what can you tell us?”
The Dean sighed, “Have a little patience, Mister Romano. I will tell you everything I know, which unfortunately isn’t much. Those Orbs are said to be the solution to our curses and our boons. True understanding of what we are and where the kin came from. This is knowledge that nations would go to war over, much like some nations would go to war to claim the hero for themselves.”
It was my turn to ask a question, “What do you mean ‘solution to our curses and our boons’? How does it do that?”
“I do not know all the details,” Dean Weber answered. “I just know that it teaches you about them, about the origin of your race. And that is more rumour than anything. The only detailed document is said to be secured in a vault deep inside the Rychanian Palace, kept under constant guard.”
That got me a questioning look from Al, to which I could only reply with a shrug.
The dean continued, “I am hoping you will both tell me how it works. It would be nice to have the information properly documented. If you both would be willing, I have a request. Use the orbs here in the safety of this building. Allow me to observe you both and then question you when it is finished. Allow me to document it and share the knowledge with future generations.”
“And what’s in it for us?” Al asked before I could. I was fine letting the dean observe and ask us questions but there needed to be compensation for that kind of knowledge. After all, if nations would go to war for it, then it must be valuable.
Dean Weber smiled gently, “I am willing to give you skill stones the Academy possesses and purchase those the academy does not. For example, I have skill stones for almost every element known to kin, both the attunements and the manipulation. I have many of the subskill stones for the Cooking skill. I have combat skills you could only dream of and I have friends that can acquire the ones you don’t even know exist. I am willing to part with many of these in exchange for the knowledge you both will soon possess.”
That didn’t sound like a bad deal to me. Skill stones were not cheap. Even the most basic of skill stones had costs that started in gold.
Al surprised me when he asked, “How many? How many stones are you willing to part with or acquire on our behalf?”
“For you Alphonse, I am willing to give you enough for your storm attunement, that’s six stones right there. Three more for Mind Attunement, Manipulation, and Protection, we’re up to nine. A skill for each element, that gets us up to twelve stones. And three more of your choice, that makes fifteen total stones,” the dean offered.
I could feel the greed building up. That was a small fortune on offer. If Al just took the stones and sold them, he’d be wealthy enough to live out his days doing nothing, not that I thought he had a choice in the matter.
It surprised me when Al shook his head. “I need to gain the storm on my own, but the rest sounds good, just . . . add those six for my storm attunement to those of my choice.”
“Are you sure?” the dean asked, almost sounding confused.
Al nodded. “I’m not sure how I know, but I know that an Attunement and Manipulation earned is stronger than one given.”
“Interesting,” the dean said, rubbing at her chin. “Very well, I agree.” With that, she turned to me. “I’ll make you a similar offer, fifteen stones in total. Light Attunement and Manipulation if you want them. The same three Mind skills. A Shadow and Light skill. Six Cooking subskills. And four skills of your choice.”
I was tempted by the deal as it was, however, I had the same impulse as Al. Learning the Light Attunement and Manipulation through a skill stone was not the right path. I knew it would be stronger if I learned it on my own. I couldn’t let the dean know that I felt the same. It was time to blame it on my rival.
Decision made, I answered, “If Comrade Aphonsel can learn three attunements and manipulation skills on his own, then I can certainly learn one on my own. Increase the four skills of my choice to six in addition to the rest, and you have a deal.”
“Deal,” Dean Weber replied. “Now, do either of you mind sharing the information with the other? And who wants to go first?”
I wasn’t sure about sharing my results with Al, but as a sign of trust I volunteered. “I’ll go first. I am eager to see what it has to show me.”