"It is almost 16," Master Sendrin said. "I told my staff not to expect me back until late at night, around 17 here, 19 there." She told us that she had covered the pre-planned topics. With the refreshments here, she suggested that the remaining time be spent more informally. The Mayor agreed, and they both grabbed chairs from the stage area and sat them down on the main floor facing the pews.
We teens got up for hugs, excited that we would be students at the academy. The caterers had laid out their snacks, pitchers of water, and glasses at the back tables. We all went back there to get something to eat. Dad told them we would clean up and bring the cart and all the inn’s property back later this evening. They acknowledged and left. I’m sure they were curious about what was going on, but it would be a distraction to explain everything. They’ll learn soon, as will the rest of the village.
Conversation ensued as we were milling about. Dad said, ”Master Trillet, I am curious as to your immediate thoughts on all this.”
He replied, “I feel worried, honored, and hopeful. If gods choose here and now to begin a new age, so be it. I do not expect all matters to proceed smoothly, but I choose to be an agent of this change, and not an impediment. I plan to apply as one of the instructors. I like the mixture of discipline and flexibility we have seen from Master Sendrin, and believe it will work well for this school.”
Master Thorm added, “I feel very similar. While I am used to a less formal atmosphere than we saw earlier with the ‘Yes Sir. Thank you sir!’ thing, it makes sense among a group of young people, most of whom will be far away from home. Earlier today I did not feel like I could contribute very much, but you all have convinced me otherwise.”
“I have been thinking about the 40-student size,” Grandma said. “I was wondering why not bigger for a world-wide school? Then I realized, some could view a large school as us training an army. They could become suspicious, and perhaps even militant. Forty won’t be seen as a threat. Still, I expect some jealousy from around the duchy regardless. Apparently Einvigi runs other schools in other duchies, so jealousy from outside should be limited. I’m sure some will be very happy to have the Trichynas far away from them. Starting with just four Trichyans was a good idea too – less to fear. Over time, the ratio of tripedal to bipedal students might become more equal, but starting small is the way to go.”
Master Sendrin replied, “I had not thought the numbers through as you have, Rhonda Silverstone. You make very good points.”
“A question the duchess might ask, “ asked Guardsman Yon, “is how your school compares to this proposed one, Master Sendrin?”
“Ours was Einvigi’s first school in the kingdom. It has 60 students, also from ages 13 to 19. Although we have made exceptions before, such as accepting Onre at 12.”
“I was an exception?” interrupted Onre.
“Yes you were. Those who had been fostering you said that you had been under constant threat of murder since the age of six. Was that not accurate?”
“Well, my foster father in Circles was murdered when I was 10, and I’m sure the ha- hybrid that did that would have murdered me too. I was fortunate in that the knife blows which killed him were not immediately fatal, because Bren was able to kill him before succumbing to his own wounds. The hybrid was part of a gang targeting me, four years after they had murdered my actual parents in Cycles. So me being a target for so long was likely.”
Through shit, check.
My Mom said, “I’m sure there is a story behind that, Onre. Do you believe they are still after you?”
He thought for a second. “Maybe, but they have their own problems. Their gang, The Grease, has been in an on-again, off-again war with Daddy Large’s organization for a long time. He had been the one behind Bern Statz fostering me, beginning when I was six. I was the one who found my parent’s murdered bodies, and Bern told me later that I had gone catatonic. I only remember the briefest glimpses of my life with them, but not even what they looked like.”
“I was 10 when Daddy Large died, and that is when their war went on again. The Grease lost that round also, but burned down a lot of Circles beforehand. Whether they still want me dead, I do not know. However they have no clue where I am now, with Einvigi moving me across the continent.”
“Only two others at my school know where you are,” Master Sendrin assured. “I shall make it clear that they will not discuss it with others. I have known and worked with them for years. They will keep their silence.”
Dad said, “Let us not discuss the details of Onre’s past with others in Cottages. The less extraordinary Onre seems, the less likely anyone will mention him by name outside the village. We are a long way from Cycles, so it is very doubtful word would reach there anyway.”
We all agreed. Asha said he would keep Onre’s name out of reports to the guard and duchess. “I may mention Arrjee though, in case they wonder on whom Forrest demonstrated his healing.”
“That will even be accurate, if not complete,” Arrjee agreed. “I am the first one Forrest ever used it on. Einvigi was aware of that; she had known about its effect on me. And Forrest did in fact heal me in her presence this morning, using both his skills.”
Master Sendrin restored the conversation, “The obvious difference with my school and the one to be established here is the international nature of yours. Almost all our students are from the First Duchy, and all are from the kingdom. A few of the older students live outside the barracks, in town. Other than that, I believe that the schools for young adventurers will be very similar.”
“How many such schools does Einvigi have?” Guardsman Yon asked.
“This will be the third. Most people who know of them do not realize they operate under her auspices. It is not a secret, but it is not necessary to stress, either.”
Teacher Marson clarified, “So they are in the First Duchy, the Fourth Duchy, and now the Fifth. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” she responded. “I do not know what criteria she used in choosing where to establish the first two, however. Once she chooses, she has local craftsmen build the school and makes sure local Masters are among the staff.”
I asked, “Does she provide any guidance as to the architecture and layout?”
“No. We know how many students and staff, and the locals build to meet that criteria. There needs to be barracks, apartments for the staff, training grounds and facilities, and one classroom for each teacher, with a few extra for flexibility. Oh, a cafeteria,” she smiles, “but only if people eat.”
----------------------------------------
“Grandma,” I ask, “can I borrow your pad and pen? I want to get this written down, and maybe draw a quick sketch of what we might need.”
She removed the pieces of paper she had written on, and handed me her clipboard and pen. “It looks like this has caught the interest of the old builder within you.”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
I accepted them. “Well, yeah, plus getting it all on paper will help me envision it all. This obviously won’t be anything formal, just quick ideas.”
Dad suggested that we move back to our seats. We did so, some of us grabbing something else to munch on first. We ended up sitting back where we had been, except Dad and the First Duchy Master were sitting in the chairs, facing us.
As the others began conversing, I started writing..
40 students, 8 staff …
“Onre, did you have large open barracks, or smaller rooms? And were there bunk beds or singles?”
He was surprised at the sudden questions. “You are really interested in this, aren’t you? We had no beds at all, just sleeping pads. The rooms slept five students each. That is the size they used for adventuring parties, although some of us were not on a permanent party. Until you reach Level 1, you were a bottom-level cadet, assigned to various tasks and parties by staff.”
Good. Open bay barracks would remind me of a boot camp. Five per room is not exactly privacy, but only a few people will ever see you adjust your balls.
“Couldn't you even choose friends to room with?” Kossa asked. “Like us – only Forrest has leveled, but I would like us all to one day be in the same party. We’ll all have levels soon, right? I’ll be Level 1 in two months.”
Onre said one month for him, and Arrjee said three. Master Sendrin responded, “I see no reason why you four would not form a party. It will be about five months before the school starts up anyway. With Einvigi already accepting you as students, she very likely expected you four to form a party. You’ll just need to find a fifth.”
Master Trillet had been following our conversation. “You are starting with a martial artist who heals. Onre will be able to heal also. But now consider what classes might best provide your party with robustness and flexibility. Five healers would not be optimal, for example.”
Kossa laughed. “Yes, you are right. I know I’m going to be a bard, probably specializing in flute and drum. I haven’t decided on a second class yet.”
Arrjee added, “I am going to be a swordmaster. I have been thinking of choosing an offensive mage class as my secondary, but I have been thinking of a lot of other things also. Choosing from what our party needs will actually help me decide.”
“For many years, I had planned on being a bard vocalist and cleric. I have been told my father was such a bard, and Bren was a cleric. But with Ki Healer I won’t be able to have a bard class.”
I told him, “Well you could. I asked my interface earlier. You could choose a non-magic bard class, but that class is mainly for entertainers. It would not be very useful for adventurers. But we can slow down. We do not need to decide anything now. You guys have at least a month to make a decision, and we don’t even know what our fifth member will want.”
“Einvigi will want us to choose a Trichyan,” Arrjee deduced. “Think about it. She more or less chose us as the first party and has expectations of us. If we are unwilling to integrate, who will?”
“Arrjee’s reasoning is sound,” Onre said. “I am already abandoning my negative feelings toward hybrids. Accepting a Trichyan is just the next step. Besides, I have never really known enough about them to be truly biased. Feared maybe, if I thought about it, but nothing beyond that.”
“Okay, it sounds like the price of being with you three will be accepting a Trichyan also,“ Kossa added. “Worth it.”
Master Sendrin told us, “You may be somewhat premature in this conjecture, but I do see a lot of merit in Arrjee’s logic. Mostly plan on adding a Trichyan, but be ready for something else, too. For example, a Covargh or Human from the Trichyan continent could be a possible fifth instead.”
Arrjee did not disagree, but said his gut tells him we will adventure with a Trichyan. My gut did too, and I said so.
With the discussion of our future party over, I went back to the pen and paper.
5 per room, 8 rooms. Leave extra space for expansion. Maybe build two extra rooms right away. Good for storage if nothing else. Cafeteria for at least 50. No, 60 with room for guests. Several outhouses, at least one bath house.
“Master Sendrin?” I ask, “will there be walls, like a fort? And does all your staff live at the school?”
“Yes, young Forrest, a fort is a good analogy. In this safe area, the walls need not be truly robust, but I believe it is good to give the students a tangible sense of structure from the very moment they arrive. As for my staff, most live in town. All with children do so. You can expect the two wraiths to live at the school, and you might plan to have at least 4 small apartments extra. They could serve as guest rooms if not needed by permanent or visiting staff.”
“Wraiths. Do you know what sort of living environment they will want?”
“I would start with the same apartments as the living staff. If they need modifications, you can do so once you know what they need.”
Teacher Marson adds, “I believe many of the wraiths live underground. Some do have above-ground dwellings, though. Perhaps it depends on how much they still relate to their once-living selves.”
“Thank you.”
Two apartments with rustic basements. An administration building …
I start sketching a rough draft of how it all might fit together. After about 10 minutes,
Learned Skill: Drafting and Sketching, D
“Wow, Interface, really? I am not even using any drafting tools. Thank you.”
Jacques’ experience in both drafting and architectural sketching formed the basis for this merged skill. The fact that you are only using a pen at the moment does not detract from his drafting experience. You can only gain one more nascent skill at a rank higher than F.
“What do you mean? Why?”
Awakeneds, and you by extension, can learn four nascent skills at an initial rank above F. That number will eventually grow for you. Immortals are allowed one “plussed” nascent skill per remembered life. So you might eventually gain 18 such skills in one lifetime. Note that there is no limit on how many nascent skills you learn, just on how many begin higher than F.
So far that is First Aid and this new one at D, and Swimming at E. I’ll have to be careful and make sure the next plussed one is something important. What did I know best that will suit this life well? … Tactics I guess, from chess and other games.
“Is Tactics classified as a learnable skill?”
Yes.
Back to the pad, I realized with both the writing and sketch on this first sheet, I won’t have room. So I started the sketch over on a second sheet. I probably spent 15 minutes on it, partially listening to what people were saying, but mostly focused on the drawing. When I was “done” I got up and waited near Master Sendrin. When there was a break in her conversation, I handed her the sketch and asked, “What do you think? Have I overlooked anything major?”
“This is an impressive sketch, young Forrest. Well done. What I notice right away is that you will need some sort of meeting room, like we are in now. The parade grounds will sometimes be appropriate for a group meeting, weather permitting, but for many formal occasions it is best to meet indoors.”
“Yes, I did not think of that,” I admitted. Could the cafeteria be used?”
Dad said, “It could be, but the cafeteria would have to be designed to be multi-purpose. It could never feel ‘formal’. I agree with Master Sendrin that a dedicated meeting room would prove very useful. I also agree that your sketch is quite impressive.” Directing his voice elsewhere, “Rhetta, come and take a look at this.”
Mom came over, and grandma, and then everybody. They all seemed to appreciate it, and as a preliminary visualization, I did too.
Master Sendrin addresses everyone, “Our timeframe to open the school is approximately five months. Use the talents from Cottages and throughout the Duchy to get it built. The wraiths will likely be here in two or three weeks to begin planning from the administration end. They are waiting for the duchess and other significant parties to adjust to the idea that there will be a school here at all. Now, are there any other questions, ideas, or concerns before I head back?”
“What if the duchess desires to have one of her own people at the school?” the Guardsman asked.
She answered, “If she wants to send a teacher or student, they should go through the same application process as anyone else. Make it clear that any royal titles cease at the school’s gate. If you start with favoritism, it won’t end. If she would like a military representative, the school could establish a man-at-arms position. For some other type of functionary, they could be a formal attache. I advise flexibility, except that, as her appointment, she pay their salary. Let her know up front that her employee will be welcome. They may advise and will be kept informed, but they will have no authority. I hope you will not need to state it bluntly, as I once did, but this is Einvigi’s school, not hers.”
The Guardsman and the Mayor agreed with that approach. Then there was silence for a moment. No one could think of anything else. The Mayor spoke, “Thank you, Master Sendrin for taking the time to meet with us and explaining what this school will entail. I for one look forward to its opening and believe Cottages will benefit greatly due to its presence. I also thank Einvigi and any other unseen visitors for your help and guidance in moving our civilizations closer once again.”
Almost immediately there were three differently colored flashes from above us, red, yellow, and blue, spaced about a second apart.
At a guess, three gods were acknowledging my father’s words. Einvigi had used a blue flash before. I wonder who the other two were. She said she was in service to Honor and War. Them, maybe?
“I look forward to seeing you again,” Master Bustel Sendrin said. Then she vanished.