Chapter 16: First Day of Class

Chapter 16: First Day of Class

The goblin and drow ate and drank the evening away. After several shots of Fire Breath, the taverns most notorious drink, Rorik had been forced to admit defeat. He would have never guessed a goblin could out drink him. Stryg on the other hand had never guessed what it meant to be drunk. His vision swam throughout the room. He vomited in the alleyway behind the tavern. It was a good time. A wasted Rorik barely managed to help him back onto the carriage. He dropped a drunk Stryg off at the academy dorms.

Stryg stumbled his way to room 11 on the second floor. It took him a few moments to fish out his key and fiddle with the lock. After what seemed like an hour, he finally managed to open the door. For his first time opening a locked door, Stryg considered it a resounding success. The room was quite small, large enough only to fit a bed and a petite storage chest.

His mind faintly noticed the stack of folded clothes that sat in the open chest. He closed his door and fell into the bed. Beds had to be one of the greatest discoveries Stryg had found in Hollow Shade. He sighed in sweet bliss and fell into a deep sleep.

Stryg woke up the next morning to the sound of bells ringing. His mind tried to understand what he was hearing. His head felt like it had been split open with an axe. He groaned in pain from the battering sound. What on earth was making that horrible noise? His eyes opened in alarm as he realized the significance of the bell, the sound of classes starting. He lurched to his feet as his bleary eyes searched for clothes in the wooden chest. His pupils dilated and contracted repeatedly in a sporadic cycle. Mornings usually came easy for him, but today he felt like had just been beaten up and thrown off a cliff.

Gods above, I hate alcohol, he mumbled.

---

Kithina tried suppressing the butterflies in her stomach. It was the first day of class and she wasnt quite sure what to expect. The classroom was already full of chattering first years, but the professor had yet to arrive. She couldnt believe she was actually here, it was like she was living in a fairy tale.

Kithina had turned eighteen in late spring. She recalled the day she visited her dad at work. When the papers in her fathers office had gone flying everywhere, they had both held suspicions. When her parents had her tested, their suspicions had become fact, and eventually hope. Kithina was a mageborn, a being blessed with the power of magic. The prospects of her commoner family had just soared. Hollow Shade would pay for her education to study and become a mage. As a mage shed be able to make enough money to help her family live more comfortably and not have to worry about the yearly nameplate tax.

Like the majority of people in Hollow Shade, her family arrived at the city in the hopes of avoiding the raids that had claimed the lives of so many others in Dusk Valley. The family had spent all their savings to buy iron nameplates. Kithina had just been a little girl at the time, but she remembered seeing her father toil away at work, trying to make ends meet for his wife and two children. But, above all, like all commoners, making sure he had enough coin to pay the nameplate tax.

Kithina supposed they had been lucky to be dwarves, humans had a difficult time finding decent work in the city, goblins even more so. Of course, had they been orcs their father probably could have enlisted in one of the garrisons and worked as a low ranked guard. If they had been drow or vampires, they probably would have had connections in the city and gotten by just fine. But, no, instead they struggled to get by. Kithina had plenty of memories of cold nights and empty stomachs. They only managed to survive in the callous city thanks to their father being a trained scribe fortunately.

Stryg eyed the class and glanced at his curriculum paper. This seemed to be the right place and clearly he had arrived late. Everyone was watching him and judging by their stares, not with any good intentions. Stryg looked at the drow who stood in the front, he guessed he was the teacher. Stryg bowed his head to Rime and made his way to one of the front seats. He wished he could have hidden in the back, but he wouldnt have been able to see past everyones shoulders and heads.

Rime presented Stryg with a magnificent death stare throughout the entire walk. Kithina observed in horror as the goblin sat next to her. He smelled. A rancid scent, mixed with alcohol. Did something die and had the goblin decided to bathe in its guts? Kithina cursed her luck, she didnt want to sit next to him, didnt want to be associated with him. Goal number three, make friends with the elite. Elite. Not a back alley hobo goblin. She needed to put as much distance between herself and the potential threat to her future dreams. But she couldnt quite well get up and risk angering Rime.

Strygs sensitive ears picked up on his other classmates whispers of how he smelled. Stryg cursed in his mind. He had forgotten to bathe. Great, second failure of the day. In record time I might add, Stryg thought to himself glumly.

Any other interruptions? Rime asked with a brow raised.

After a few agonizing long seconds Stryg realized he was talking to him. Oh, uh, no.

You should hope so, otherwise Ill have you out of my class, Rime admonished.

Most of the class snickered at Strygs predicament. Kithina really hated being next to the laughing stock, it was one step away from being his partner in crime. She tried her best to ignore his existence.

Silence! Rime declared. What is this? I thought I was teaching a class of adults, not children!

And there it is, partner in crime, Kithina lamented.

Rimes domineering voice silenced the class. He adjusted his robes. Now, today is simply supposed to be an introduction to the academy for you first years, hence why it is the only class you have listed for the day. But, clearly, you all have enough energy and idiocy to require a change of plans. Listen well, you will later be quizzed on what I say next. Your first lecture begins now.