Quest Academy: Silvers, page 22
Sal flinched as Professor Rust grasped his hand, and he couldn’t hear a word the lecturer was saying to him. The shaking in his body continued until the professor guided him out of the cage, where his essence was no longer blocked. It rushed around his body like a warm embrace, and clarity finally returned to Sal as he turned back to look at Dominic.
An attendant in a white uniform knelt at his side with a single palm resting on his rib cage. Everything seemed silent until Sal’s ears finally started to register sound from all around him. His eyes widened as he saw many of the Silver cohort giving him a round of applause. Professor Rust was also clapping, and it took Sal a few moments to realize that it was for him.
“Well, Mr. Argento. It looks as though you’ve made a few new fans today. You can count me as one of them.”
***
It took about an hour for Sal to calm down from the adrenaline high of fighting without his power for the first time in his life. He had numbly gone through the motions of watching the next six fights. Some lasted only a few minutes like his had, which he was initially shocked to hear as it had felt like an age to him. But others took much longer when there were pairings that were either cautious or cowardly. There had only been one fight that took a while and that was filled with action, and Sal gripped the terminal as he watched the ferocious display of punches and kicks. Combat class was scheduled for the entire day, so they were likely going to see everyone in the Silver cohort duking it out against each other.
“Victoria, by the way.”
The girl beside him introduced herself out of the blue when the tenth fight finally concluded. Sal was busy inputting his analysis of the fight and didn’t register what she had said for a moment. He glanced up and saw her giving him a warm smile.
As if to justify her reasoning, she gestured at his face. “You didn’t look like you were with it the first four times I introduced myself. Happy to see that fifth time was the charm.”
Sal apologized, but she raised her hand to stop him. “Don’t. It was refreshing to be ignored by a guy for once. Was half-tempted to charm you into answering after the third attempt.” She spoke as she inputted her own results, shooting him a smile between sections. “I have to say, though, your fight was not what I was expecting…or anyone, really.”
Wincing a little, Sal scratched the back of his head. The fight felt like a dream at this stage, and he was happy to put it in the past and forget it. Victoria, on the other hand, seemed eager to discuss it.
“Like, Dominic is a strong guy. He’s a pretty sure bet for the Savior class, but you beat him?” She shook her head as though it made absolutely no sense, but her attempt at getting a clue out of Sal wasn’t getting her anything either.
The best he could do was shrug, which only caused her to laugh more.
“Aren’t you going to brag or boast a little? You took down someone from the Defense class.”
Sal paused at those words. He had spent the whole time thinking of Dominic as an Offense class fighter and hadn’t considered that he might have been from one of the different disciplines. Was it because he was strong and fast? Sal made a mental note to research the people in his cohort more. It wouldn’t serve him well to constantly think of people in only Offense or Support roles.
“You’re aiming for Controller class, aren’t you?” he asked Victoria.
Victoria’s smile turned wide. “Bingo. There are a few strong Controllers in our year, though, but I’m the best out of the Silver cohort.”
Despite her words, Sal didn’t think for a moment that she was boasting or bluffing about her capability. It felt more like she was explaining a simple fact.
Victoria tilted her head as she looked back at Sal. “And what about you? Can you really call yourself a Support after that? They might end up putting you in the Offense class if you keep that up.”
Sal shook his head as he looked back at his terminal. “Definitely a Support class. That fight was just years of adrenaline being let loose. I don’t think I could do it again. I’d lose in a heartbeat,” Sal answered honestly as he watched the next combatants enter the ring.
Victoria didn’t press the subject, and they continued to monitor the fights in silence for the next while. Another five or six fights passed before Victoria finally spoke again.
“Did you really fuck Hannah?”
Sal whirled around in shock and saw a wide smile on Victoria’s face, despite the fact that she wasn’t even looking at him.
“Oh, I’m one hundred percent taking that as a yes.”
Sal tried to find words to explain. He didn’t know whether he should deny or acknowledge it. The only way she could have known was through Hannah herself, but how did Victoria even know Hannah? Sal’s mind was a torrent of conflicting thoughts, but Victoria didn’t let him stew in them for too long.
“We’re planning a party for tonight…which you’re invited to, by the way. Mixer for the different cohorts and stuff. Met a few girls at the canteen from the different cohorts and got talking to Hannah…admired her new equipment.” Victoria wriggled her fingers in reference to the gauntlets. “And would you believe that she was dying to tell someone about how amazing her new Crafting friend is?”
Victoria’s voice turned conspiratorial as she grinned at Sal. “Apparently, he’s super attentive to the little details. Really understands how to handle equipment and doesn’t finish until the job is done. Sounds like a very reliable Crafter to me.” Victoria’s eyebrow cocked as her grin curled around her words. “So, tell me, Sal…how do I get myself a set of gauntlets?”
Sal looked between Victoria and the cage, and considered going for another round with Dominic to escape this conversation. He had no idea whether she was just teasing him or actually flirting, so he decided to play it safe with what he did know.
“Bring me materials and what you want made, and I’ll give you a quote.” He was proud of himself for keeping his composure. Even if she was teasing him, he wasn’t going to let her completely disarm him.
Victoria looked a little disappointed but shrugged in defeat. “You’re no fun.”
Sal did his best to focus on the matches still taking place. It was great research on one hand, as he was able to see the combat capabilities of his cohort, but on the other hand, it left him none the wiser about what their actual powers were. Their rankings didn’t mean much to him, either, as he didn’t feel that the race was a fair indicator of everyone’s potential as a Hero. His eyes still couldn’t pierce through the barrier, despite him trying more than a handful of times.
The only reward he got for his efforts was a blueprint on how to Upgrade the terminal in front of him, which was a funny surprise when it happened. Victoria, on the other terminal, hadn’t engaged in any more conversation, which put Sal more at ease. He couldn’t help but wonder what Hannah had told her, but he knew he’d need to set things straight with her at that party later.
“Attention, everyone! We’re going to take a pause here between the sparring matches,” Professor Rust called out as he stood in the center of the ring. “We’ve seen some great scraps, and I want to reiterate why this is so vital for your own development. In our first class, you got to use your abilities against each other, and you were ranked accordingly…but are you only as powerful as the abilities you were born with?” He paused as he looked around at each of the faces at the terminals.
“What happens when you run out of essence on the battlefield? Do you just give up? The essence that grants us our power is seeping into our atmosphere through dungeons, portals, and towers. When demons die, they release their accumulated essence. Every generation that came before you…was weaker than you are now. They didn’t have flashy powers or custom weapons…they had their wits and their bodies. You are all here because your families survived through limited means.”
Professor Rust raised his arm and pointed at a group of students before slowly rotating, gesturing at each person. “Each and every one of you came here to learn how to be a Hero. Who are you without your powers? Do you feel crushing defeat and weakness? Because if you do, you have a lot of work to do. If you feel strong and capable? Well, you have even more work to do, and I’m sure Sinclair will manage to beat that hubris out of you.” Rust smiled as his hand fell back to his side.
“To truly learn from the ground up, you need to understand your weaknesses. I’ve looked at some of the reports, and halfhearted is being kind. Treat this assignment seriously and help your classmates. You’re able to help them see their faults that they don’t even know exist! We’ll resume shortly. And if you need even more incentive to help your fellow classmates…I’ll award Q-Credit for the best Combat analysis reports at the end of the day. Understood?”
A chorus of affirmation swept across the room as a hundred students answered at once.
Rust nodded and left the cage. “Right, let’s get this show on the road!” And with a clap, the next participants entered the stage.
Chapter 30:
Respite
“You’re serious?” Sal asked in shock, but Divinity was still laughing as she tried to explain it properly.
“Yes! You got knocked unconscious almost immediately in my vision! I don’t know what changed, or what the catalyst was…but something happened at the start of the fight, and I could suddenly see you leaping!” Divinity’s laugh interrupted her explanation as she raised her hands to mimic the action. “Into the air to do that elbow slam thing!” Shaking her head, she looked back at Sal in disbelief. “You were like a man possessed!”
Divinity’s spar had been pretty one-sided, but Sal had to do a double take when he watched it play out. His new friend had kept a few secrets of her own. She had launched into a full spinning kick, knocking her opponent out cold. The fight had barely lasted a few seconds, then Divinity was back at her terminal, grinning at Sal’s dumbfounded expression across the gym.
“Are we going to talk about those martial arts skills?” Sal asked after she stopped laughing, but Divinity shrugged off the question and switched the topic back to Sal.
“Will I meet you at Survival class after the break? I’m skipping lunch to get a shower. It feels like that gym is all over my skin.” She shuddered for added effect, but Sal shook his head in confusion.
“I have Administration class next. I didn’t think there was a split of classes in induction week?”
“Oh, well…I’ll see you later at the party? Victoria invited me. She said you were coming along, so I said yes.” Divinity paused. “You okay?”
Sal shook his head with a reassuring smile and gestured that it was fine. “Yeah, Victoria is a hard one to figure out. She was teasing me earlier about some stuff and I’ve no idea how to talk to her.”
Divinity’s eyes lit up and she grinned. “Ah, I finally understand that vision…See you later!”
Before Sal could say another word, Divinity was on the way to her dorm with another laugh, and Sal couldn’t help but feel that it was at his expense.
Sal stood in the lobby outside the gym and wondered whether he should go and get food, or get to the classroom early for the next lecture. He eventually decided with his stomach and walked toward the canteen near the dorms. Apparently, the Combat reports would be sent to each student after being vetted by Professor Rust.
He wasn’t too hopeful about what they might say as his entire fight was the result of panic and fear. He started to go through all the different fights in his mind and was surprised to see that most students had some form of formal martial arts training. There were different styles that got in super close and took opponents to the ground, and there were flashier ones like Divinity’s kick. Victoria’s fight had been one of the most confusing as her opponent tapped the ground and surrendered immediately. Sal wondered whether she had threatened the student beforehand, or if there was more to Victoria than he understood.
Stopping abruptly, Sal shook his head and cursed inwardly. Why was he still thinking about her? Maybe going to the party tonight was a bad idea. He didn’t want any drama, and having Hannah, Divinity, and Victoria all in one space? It felt like it was going to create some form of melodrama that he wanted nothing to do with. Putting those thoughts out of his head, he decided that steak would cure all his current woes.
***
Sal was relieved by the simple fact that there was no cage in the classroom. Obviously, it would make no sense for there to be one in an Administrative class, but he was still grateful that his body wasn’t going to be taking any more punishment for the day. As the other students streamed in, Sal was surprised to see that many of them were completely unfamiliar to him. Was he in the wrong area? He walked along the connected aisles that made up the lecture hall. At its base was a huge screen, accompanied by a desk and an empty chair.
As the area where the students gathered, they didn’t have spaced-out desks like the workshop or the terminals. Instead, this room had screens embedded into the surface of the curved wooden structure. Sal guessed it was wrong to call it a desk as it resembled more of a carved semi-circle that elevated up in tiers toward the ceiling. He climbed the stairs and shuffled through an empty aisle of seats, and his anxiety spiked when he saw that it was assigned seating.
Off to one side was a cluster of staff members wearing white uniforms. But rather than helping the students, they seemed to be engrossed in conversation with one another. A few of them shooed and dismissed the students who asked for help. Eventually, one of the slightly more helpful staff members gestured to a place at the wall, and Sal’s eyes followed the direction to where a clump of students stood. It looked like a notice was placed on the wall to indicate the seating arrangements.
Even with his incredible eyes, there was a limit on how far he could read writing, so Sal sighed and resigned himself to trudging back down the stairs to find his seat. Before he managed two steps down, a light whistle pierced out from behind him, low enough to only be heard by a few people, but enough to catch his attention. Kane sat on one of the chairs and gestured to a seat on the aisle in front of him, two seats into the section. Sal turned back and moved into the aisle and saw his name written on the screen portion of the desk. When he turned to thank Kane, he paused at the sight of crutches propped up beside his desk.
“I heard you got hurt, are you feeling any better?” Sal asked, but rather than answering, Kane moved the crutches so they sat underneath the desk.
Sal didn’t miss the wince of pain that crossed his features. When it became apparent that Kane had no intention of answering, Sal thanked him for spotting his seat. He didn’t know Kane well enough to pry, and it was obvious that he didn’t want to talk about it. Sal wondered whether he’d be able to recall the weave the Healer had used so he could replicate it and maybe help, but he dismissed the idea almost immediately as he had no idea how to control that power outside of healing himself.
When Sal looked down at the desk at the front of the room, an imposing figure leaned against what looked like a bladed staff. His smile was a mixture of friendly and menacing as he watched the students hurry to their seats. Sal couldn’t help but feel that he was quietly telling everyone to hurry the fuck up.
He waited for a few moments before barking at people to sit anywhere for the moment. “Right, so…let’s use this.” The figure placed a device around his ear. “Is this better? Can you all hear me now?” With the last few words, his voice sounded out from unseen speakers around the room.
“Don’t just sit and stare at me. If you can hear me, tell me!”
Sal and the rest of the class answered at different times that they could hear him, which seemed to be enough to sate their new professor. Clearing his throat, he placed the bladed staff on the desk and moved closer to the nearest aisle of students. Dark-brown eyes inspected each of them as he shook his head in apparent disappointment.
“How many of you picked the Administration class because you want to make money? Hands up!”
Most of the students looked at one another in confusion, while Sal’s hand shot into the air immediately. He was only one of maybe a dozen who hadn’t hesitated.
“Oh, thank fuck we have a few honest ones! Then let me ask you this. When people think of Administration, what do you think comes to mind? It’s menial clerical work, isn’t it? Do they think we’re the people who file reports and pile up stacks of paper every time there’s an accident or an outbreak? That’s not what the Administrators do. Not even close.
“We’re the titans of industry, because we know how this new world works, and we provide a structure for others to follow. Throughout your time in this class, I’m going to teach you how to treat your Heroism as a business. You’re going to learn how to manage yourself within a guild so you rise to the top, and how to negotiate your contracts like a pro.
“Some of you will come out of this class with little more than a whiff of commercial capability, but that taste of knowledge will put you miles ahead of your peers. But if you pay attention, and you learn what I have to teach? Then you could very likely be the next generation of guild masters.
“My name is Jez, and I’m the leader of the once-prominent Bastards Guild. Judging from some of the haunted looks, you’ve likely met Sinclair and maybe even Lars? We were one of the finest front-liner squads in the city, and the Reavers are still trying to beat the records we’ve set. Why is this relevant? Because we were the most profitable Guild in operation, with no government funding and no investment partners. Everything I’ve learned over the years is going to be presented to you over the next few months. Our Bastards Guild hung up the Hero gloves to come here and teach you lot how to be better than us. And may I just say, it’s going to take a lot of fucking work on your part to even come close.
“In front of you is your new best friend. It’s a folio that contains an idiot-proof guide to progressing in this class. Just by opening it, you will have achieved your first rank within this course. As you complete tasks and assignments, your rank will increase. Ah, a hand up already? Likely wondering what ranks have to do with Administration? It’s a good question.”
