Quest Academy: Silvers, page 5
“First of all, don’t worry about Villa. Despite her fiery disposition, she’s one of the good ones. I’ve dealt with her on multiple occasions, and I’d happily do so again. She used one of her skills on you tonight…her aura skill…which is designed to weaken or terrify demons. She used a part of that to see how you’d react. I have my own feelings about the topic, but Quest Academy is different than the world I know. Maybe those kinds of horrible, barbaric tests are necessary to evaluate your mental state? I don’t know. What I do know is that you passed her test…and you surprised her.”
He sat down beside Sal and tapped the metal card. “This might be hard for you to understand right now, but this token is a huge compliment.”
Sal’s eyes widened, and Petro nodded.
“You were probably thinking that she wanted to recruit you for the Reavers? Maybe join them out on a hunt or two during your studies?” Petro laughed as he shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s more like a work order. Villa has essentially expressed an intent to work with you in the future. Now, if she was to give you a Bronze token, you’d be one of their contractors. They could come to you with an Appraisal request, or something like that.”
Petro tapped the token again. “Silver is a preferred supplier. It means Villa wants her people to go to you first. Any new items that come in, that they want Appraised…they’ll request you. Now, why is that a huge compliment? Well, you’ve never worked as an Appraiser in an official capacity, so it’s a huge show of faith in your capability. But…since you’re at the academy, the partnership with the Reavers will allow you to complete work orders and earn their custom currency. Quest was telling us about it while you were off running around the dorms. They have their own economy here, and it rewards hard work.”
Petro hugged his son with one arm as he tapped the card again. “Don’t feel defensive about the Support class. That’s what your mother and I do, but it doesn’t define you. You could use this token to earn money with your natural gifts, and maybe specialize in something you’re passionate about. You’re unique in the fact that you could walk into that room and replicate any skill you see. But we both know that’s not the full extent of your power. Is being number one important to you? Do you want to win the war? Reclaim territories? Do you want to save lives?”
Petro got to his feet and brushed his trousers with his hands. “Just know that whatever you decide to do, your mother and I will support you.”
Sal exhaled slowly as he also got to his feet. “Thank you for that. I think the aura thing messed with my head a bit.” Looking down at the card in his hand, Sal appreciated it a lot more, but a question popped into his head. “Wait, if silver is preferred supplier, does that mean they have exclusivity on my services?”
Petro laughed. “That’s my boy. Absolutely not, but let me explain why.” With that said, Petro led them back into the lobby. The corners of his eyes wrinkled as a proud smile crossed his face.
***
The leaderboard flashed a few times to indicate that all students had been accounted for. Many of the audience seemed to have forgotten that they were waiting on people, so the final applause, with everyone knowing their hands wouldn’t be subjected to it anymore, was thunderous and carried an air of relief. Countless white uniformed staff came out holding platters of champagne in celebration as Headmaster Quest took to the stage.
Congratulations to all students.
The preliminary rankings are complete.
I would like to now reveal a few things that we may have forgotten to mention. In the interest of keeping things fair, we gave you all the same assignment, to ensure that your motivations in arriving were pure. In truth, there was more at stake than we initially let on.
Many of your guardians may have informed you that Quest Academy has its own currency. None of your wealth or status will help you within these towers. Instead, we use Q-Credit. You’ll be given accommodations, meals, educational materials, and everything you’d expect from a university.
Q-Credit applies for extra-curricular activities like hunts, and field excursions…buying Crafting materials, using certain equipment, purchasing better gear. But most importantly, Q-Credit is vital at the start of your semester, because you can buy your spot in classes with limited spaces. For example, if we had Fury come in to do a guest lecture from the Inferno Guild, we’d limit that to a few hundred spaces.
Sal saw the crestfallen faces of the lower-ranked students. Whatever justification they had made to themselves that stopped them from trying to get there faster, it was meaningless in the face of not meeting Fury from the Inferno Guild. Sal grew up with Fury being one of the coolest Heroes in the war against the demons. That said, Sal thanked his brain for persevering through the pain of using that speedster skill.
That’s just an example of a class. If you have enough Q-Credits, you’ll be able to enroll in specialist courses that will develop you toward unlocking an Advanced class. We’ve already told you about the skill implanting…so now, we should tell you about skill imprinting. It costs a lot of Q-Credit, but we’re able to take a skill you already possess and make it inherent. For those of you with abilities you need to wrestle to control? Imprinting will make that ability feel like it’s second nature to you, as easy as breathing and blinking.
More than a few people staggered at that statement. Sal understood their reaction more than anyone because it’d been something he’d battled with for as long as he could remember. Headaches from seeing too many people’s abilities, having to wear sunglasses so he didn’t accidentally activate his powers. But worst of all, the constant reminder that he could potentially kill himself by accidentally replicating a destructive power. His mind raced at the possibilities that this would open for him. He needed to know how much it cost and what he needed to do to get there.
You will find full pricing guides in your dorm rooms, as well as a rundown of everything I’ve discussed this evening.
What I want to speak about now is how we’ve shifted to a more competitive landscape at Quest Academy. We’ve already informed you that we can’t provide skill imprints or implants to everyone who just shows up. We need to ensure that the best of the best are getting the resources they need to give us the best chances of taking control of this war.
So, how do we ensure we’re getting the best?
Well, as we’ve confirmed tonight…not everyone is motivated by the same thing. Recognition and attention from staff wasn’t a golden ticket for close to five hundred of you.
For the first time in Quest Academy history, we’re introducing an Elite class, called the Saviors. We’ve taken the name from the first generation of Heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our survival.
We hope to create the next generation of Saviors.
Thirty of you will be in the Elite class. We will select you at the end of your first semester.
If you’re selected, you will receive a free imprint and training toward an implant of your choice. Saviors are not bound by the progression paths we’ve set out for our other classes. They will be eligible to take all classes that further their development, in addition to specialist classes designed just for them.
Right now, all of you have an equal chance to become a part of the Savior class.
Discussions broke out left, right, and center. Everyone wanted to know more about this new Savior class. Sal noticed a few sour expressions from the stands that held the older students. It would make sense that they’d be bitter about not getting the same opportunity. It was as though Quest had read his mind, or maybe he read the room, as his next words addressed exactly that.
Our aim is to give as many resources as possible to the next generation of Heroes, but that’s not to say that we’re abandoning our current roster of students. First-years, as I’ve said, will have thirty places. Second-years, we will select fifteen people…but for third-years? There will only be five.
At the end of each calendar year, families will be invited to the Quest Academy Showcase. It will highlight the progress of our students and allow them the opportunity to challenge someone ahead of them in the rankings. This will also apply for the Saviors, but will be limited to those within the top one hundred rankings.
You’ll be able to find more details regarding duels in your dorm rooms.
Lastly, before we wrap up the announcements for the evening, please be mindful that we have a code of conduct, and violations of it will not be accepted.
Quest looked up at the leaderboard, which highlighted a single name at rank sixty-seven. Sal’s breath caught in his throat as he recognized the number of the guy who had punched him in the bathrooms. His place flew through the ranks until it landed at the very end, pushing everyone else up a single space. Quest smiled warmly as he looked back to the crowd.
I told you that this was just the preliminary rankings. We wanted to watch you carefully…and watch you, we did.
The entire leaderboard shifted and changed with names leapfrogging over others, while some plummeted down the ranks. It was an effort to keep track of the movements, so Sal looked around the room instead. Of all the eyes that were facing upward, one set looked straight at him. Sal waved awkwardly at Villa, who merely gestured at the board with a wide smile.
We invited some special guests to check out the new talent.
Some of you made quite the impression on them. While others failed to meet the mark. There will be other opportunities, but as it stands, these are the new preliminary ranks. Well done, to all of you. Your place on the leaderboard will determine the number of Q-Credits you’ll be granted, which you’ll find in your academy account back in the dorm.
Guardians, thank you so much for coming to support our new students.
It’s time for you to say your goodbyes, because in a few hours, each and every one of these kids will be starting their journey to become a Hero.
Sal didn’t even notice his mother’s embrace, or when Quest left the stage. His eyes were glued to the leaderboard, and to the position Villa had gestured at only a moment ago. His ranking had changed.
“Well done on breaking into the top twenty, Sal. I had to put your name forward.” Neuro leaned forward out of nowhere and grasped Sal’s elbow, a wide smile on his face.
Sal broke out of his reverie and returned the smile, but Neuro wasn’t done.
“They’d have called it favoritism if I voted for my own kid, but even without it, she got number one. Promise me you two won’t kill each other.”
Sal shook his head as he tried to glance over Neuro’s shoulder to see his daughter, but it was no use; he was too tall. Instead, he just thanked him earnestly. “Thanks so much, Neil.”
Neuro disappeared, and quite a few others made their way outdoors to say their goodbyes.
Sophia turned and looked at Sal as though he had two heads. “I spoke to Cynthia for an hour, and in that time, you managed to get a gig with the Reavers and you’re calling Neuro by his first name? I feel like one of us got the short straw here.” Her face was a picture of shock and happiness, which put Sal at ease.
When Petro joined them, he was shaking his head in surprise. “Who are you and what have you done with my son?” He pointed up at the leaderboard to clarify what he was talking about, but Sal was right there with him in absolute disbelief. Looking back up at the numbers, there was no denying it.
Rank 19: Salvatore Argento
Chapter 6:
Morning After
The first thing Sal noticed when he got to his room was that his door had been damaged from his earlier entrance. It could still open and close, but it just needed a little encouragement from his shoulder to do either of those things. In the greater scheme of things, it was a minor inconvenience and nowhere near enough to wipe the stupid smile off his face.
The evening had been an absolute whirlwind of emotions, and Sal was both exhausted and elated. He kept picturing the smiles on his parents’ faces. He was never one to throw himself into danger, or actively compete with others, so it was a definite surprise for them to see him go all out. Sal leaned his back against the door and shoved it into a closed position before he exhaled loudly. His mind was a flurry of activity and he wanted to do a thousand things all at once.
Q-Credit balance? Check the prices of the skill imprints? Find out what classes he’d have tomorrow and where they were? All of those things were at the top of Sal’s mind, but none of them got in the way of him and the bed. With the last ounce of power that existed within his muscles, Sal leapt triumphantly onto the bed, which welcomed his body with a soft embrace. Before he could so much as change out of his uniform, he was asleep.
Rise and shine.
Introduction will take place in the amphitheater in one hour.
Welcome to Day One of Quest Academy!
Sal’s eyes opened as the announcement echoed throughout the building. He didn’t see where the speakers were situated in the room but was grateful for the wake-up call. He hadn’t set any alarms and likely would have remained unconscious if left to his own devices. He knew himself well enough to know that he needed to get out of bed instantly, or there was a very high risk that he’d go back to sleep. The only problem with that scenario was that he could barely move from all the muscle pain he had accumulated the night before.
He cursed and winced all the way to the bathroom, where he turned on the shower. His clothes were creased and covered in what he hoped was his own drool, and getting out of them was absolutely torturous. He kicked them away and almost cried in relief as the hot water distracted him from the pain.
Opening his eyes, he realized he didn’t know if there were any towels. He hadn’t looked around much and was practically in autopilot mode as he tried to wake himself up. By some miracle, his arms were fine, and he was able to wash his coarse black hair and his face. He felt stubble on his chin but would be able to get away with it for a day or two before it needed attention. Turning off the shower was always a trial, so Sal turned the dial to its coldest setting. It had the miraculous effect of making him leap out of the shower, fully awake.
“Ugh.” Sal groaned as he shivered.
He flung open every drawer in the bathroom until he found a large gray towel. His body still ached, but the shower had definitely helped. Sal poked his head out of the bathroom and looked to the screen on his bedroom wall. He had fifty minutes to get to the amphitheater, so there was no need to really rush.
When the steam cleared from the mirror, Sal rethought his shaving strategy the moment he saw his face. Minutes later, his toiletries kit was unpacked as well as a few other essentials that he’d need. He’d wait until he had time in the evening to unpack properly. With a toothbrush in his mouth, Sal returned to the screen and tapped at the console below it. It wasn’t a TV and didn’t come with channels, but it was connected to the academy intranet.
Sal was met with a list of options he could choose from, and he glanced over the different titles in alphabetical order: Class Modules, Directory (Students), Directory (Faculty), Facilities and Maps, Rankings, Workshop, etc. He navigated down the list until he saw the option for Q-Credit.
Name
Salvatore Argento
Alias
[Unknown]
Profession
Student
Starting Role
Support
Rank (Student)
First-Years - 19th
Silver Cohort - 2nd
Ability
[Not Registered]
Essence
[Not Registered]
Academic Reports
Core Modules: (M = Mandatory)
(M) Skills: No Grade
(M) Survival: No Grade
(M) Combat: No Grade
Elective Modules:
None Selected
Reputation
Quest Academy: [Unknown]
Guild Association: [Unknown]
Hunter Bureau: [Unknown]
Affiliations
Argento Auction (Sponsorship: Tier 3)
Reavers Guild (Silver Token Holder)
Scout Status
N/A
Accreditations
N/A
Threat Level
[Unknown]
Wealth
600 Q-Credit
System Notes
[Unknown]
Sal had no idea whether or not that was good, but he assumed that it was on the higher end considering that he landed in the top twenty out of a thousand students. It was a competitive advantage to start with and might open him up to resources that the others couldn’t access yet. He’d need to look through the price list to understand his own position.
He tapped the console to bring up his schedule for the semester, but it looked as though the timetable wasn’t populated yet. His eyes flicked across to the different color codes and saw the names of the compulsory modules that he’d be undertaking.
Introduction to Quest Academy
Introduction to (Dungeons, Towers, Breaks, Portals)
Introduction to (Classes, Roles, Grading, Evolution)
