Chapter 27 — Friends To Rely On

“After lunch, we’re meeting up in practicum room B for dissections. If you’re the squeamish type, you might want to skip lunch. On the other hand, if you get light headed and fall on your knife—or worse, your bucket of harvested organs and materials—that could be a problem, too. I’ll leave such important life decisions to you all’s superior mage intellects. Heh,” Instructor Harnsworth said, dismissing them, amusement showing in both his voice and on his face.

Ria found herself impressed by the grizzled old adventurer who was teaching the class. His focus was more on how to kill things without damaging valuable materials than healing and saving lives, but Ria supposed that knowing what damage would kill a creature—or, theoretically, a person—would be critically important in deciding which wounds to heal first.

Overall, the day’s class had been rather more interesting than expected and for so many useful materials to be harvestable from elementally attuned worms, frogs, and slimes was a surprise. Though maybe not as much of a surprise as just how hard worms were to actually kill… assuming the materials were needed intact. Otherwise, her normal strategy of fire would be plenty adequate to the task.

“Ria?” Keira prompted and motioned for her to get moving. “Iselyn’s already left us behind. Seriously, what’s with that girl always wandering off?”

Iselyn was indeed already halfway to the door, following the flow of other students leaving for lunch.

Ria shrugged and quickly stored her notes so they could hurry after their friend. “Maybe Orlisi is going to be helping her with the Moon Elf mystery again and she doesn’t want to be late?”

Keira rolled her eyes and huffed, “Maybe she just finds us embarrassing and dangerous to be around.”

Ah… that was probably closer to the mark… and made it all the more enjoyable to glomp onto the reticent girl when they caught up outside the room.

Though, Malleron puffing disorienting spores into her face and making everyone nearby stumble around like drunks after their weekly payday wasn’t part of the plan.

Ria fended off Keira’s inquiries about what happened to make her late, insisting that everyone at lunch would probably also want to hear. Instead, she redirected Keira by asking how her studies into the healing arts were going.

As Keira began to grumble about how dispelling was a must before even attempting healing for magically incurred diseases and injuries and how shadow attunement was much more suited compared to her light attunement, Ria couldn’t help thinking back over her walk with Desi while companionably nodding along.

The third-year member of Twilight’s Cloak had latched onto every one of Ria’s evasions like a Valgorian swamp leech. Matters related to Shadewood were particularly thorny questions.

Whether talking about her humble peasant origins was a good idea, Ria wasn’t sure. If it became common knowledge that, not just a foreign girl, but a cobbler’s daughter had demanded a Vesali to accompany her on her debut… probably nothing good would come of it. There was also the issue of how to describe the fate of her family and her village. Ria wasn’t looking for sympathy. Fortunately, the older girl didn’t press further when Ria said she didn’t want to talk about it.

Other topics however, Desi plumbed for every pertinent detail she could glean in the limited amount of time: how Ria was involved with the Vorshans and Novidus families; the dangers of the trip through the wilds; the siege of Vorshan’s Hills; her interest in Archmage Luventi; even her relationship with Hulle Novidus and ambitions to compete in the Grand Games.

In the end, Ria had to promise to sit down with Desi later for a more indepth follow up interview that would occur after the second-year had some time to research the information already given. It was enough to make Ria’s stomach twist with worry. But… Ria felt confident that having a friend like Desi would make her time at the Grand Academy much easier to navigate and more productive toward her goals.

Lunch was a troublesome affair. Her friends, with the exception of Iselyn and Malleron, were all outraged that Ophesia’s goons would stoop to such dishonorable ambush tactics. Ria was encouraged that her new friends were upset on her behalf and worried for her, but the way they started planning and arranging who she would be accompanied by at all times was a bit stifling.

Orlisi volunteered for much of the afternoon escort duty since joining them for lunch wasn’t a problem, especially if she was going to be at the library to help Iselyn anyway.

The main problem was the time after her daily class on elemental magic. Her elemental magic class was an introductory class intended for first-years. And even if she could make more friends there, none of her classmates were likely to be much help if she was ambushed again. Having Ellen and Jax escort her might just create more victims.

Ranger woofed that he would get strong enough to protect Ria. A solution that all agreed was a good long-term goal but didn’t address the short-term problem.

When no other solution seemed forthcoming, Zena made a smirking proposal. The hero’s daughter offered to meet her at Parthanex Tower after her elemental class in exchange for Ria taking up her earlier offer to form a Divinesday arena team with her.

Ria grimaced. “It’s not that I don’t want to; I can’t right now, Zena. Hulle doesn’t want me showing my skills in public until the Grand Games…”

“That’s stupid,” Zena scoffed. “How is a first-year going to be of any use against fourth- and fifth-years without combat experience in the arena? You need as much practice as you can get between now and then.”

“Speaking of Hulle Novidus, couldn’t you ask him during your private outing this evening?” Orlisi coyly suggested, and several eyes widened in Ria’s direction.

Zena lit up with mirth. “Oh-hoh, one Novidus and a Vesali aren’t enough for our overly ambitious foreign girl, is it?”

“It’s not like that,” Ria denied and shot the grinning elf girl a glare as she clarified for everyone else, “Hulle is my sponsor for the Sages of the Nine Circles and our Grand Games team. He’s just taking me shopping to get something related to my affinity.”

“An unchaperoned outing with just the two of you—I wonder what his family would think?” Orlisi continued to tease.

Hulle did have a bad reputation…

Ria huffed, “I’m sure there’ll be a carriage driver, at least.”

“I’ll join too,” Iselyn spoke up to everyone’s surprise, then she hurriedly clarified, “The arena team. If Hulle isn’t against it.”

“You want to fight in the arena, Iselyn?” Faris asked, disbelief plain on his face.

Iselyn shook her head. “No, but... I need practice fighting together with Malleron.”

The spriggan made a disagreeable noise that sounded like a fart and stood tall as if to say that he was already plenty good enough, drawing amused smiles from around the table.

Keira sighed. “I know I’m going to regret this, but if I’m going to be the future heir of Vorshan’s Hills after my father, then I’ll need to be strong enough to defend it, and there’s little chance my Order will let a first-year member fight for one of their teams. I’ll join Zena’s new team—in Ria’s place, if I have to.”

Zena raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You would go that far? Aren’t you focusing on healing arts?”

“I am. But my wand and sword skills should be adequate for the newcomer events. Like Ria, I’m a C-rank adventurer,” Keira asserted and held up her guild card.

“Well, well, well. Isn’t that a bit unexpected,” Zena said with amusement. “The offensive synergy between our favored elements is poor, but defensively, we should be quite strong. If you’re free after classes today, we might have enough time to prepare for this week’s event.”

“Assuming Ria doesn’t need me to come with her on her outing…,” Keira hedged.

Ria shrugged. “I should be safe enough even if someone attacks us. My guess is that Hulle might be of comparable strength to Welkin, our Order’s acting student tower leader.”

“Alright,” Keira agreed. While Keira was confirming arrangements with Zena, Faris stared at his chubby cousin and blinked a few times before glancing back to Iselyn and Ria and maybe reevaluating his place among everyone present.

Arthur made arrangements with Keira for transportation after she and Zena finished.

The bell for the end of lunch sounded.

“So, Ria, do you know when and where you are meeting Hulle?” Orlisi asked.

“Ah… I think I might have that,” Iselyn said, looking up from the reference book she was reading and digging a sealed letter out of a pocket. “Hulle said to give Ria this.”

While quickly opening the letter, Ria rolled her eyes at the same pretentiously fancy writing as last time. The contents were indeed instructions on where to meet. “Says he’ll arrange for a carriage at the academy’s east gate after classes and to meet there.”

“Okay. Ria, meet me in Parthanex Tower, changing room C on the second floor, and I’ll help you get ready for your outing,” Orlisi stated with a mischievous enough grin that Ria doubted the wisdom of agreeing but agreed anyway.

“We’ll wait for you, Iselyn,” Keira made a point of saying, motioning to the books.

“I can help,” Faris added and moved to pick up a few of the books, seeing an opportunity to win some favor with the girl he wanted to notice him.

“No need to worry, I got this,” Orlisi interjected and pulled out a wand with a smirk. “There’s a fun spell the Library Guild teaches. Watch and learn.”

As Ria watched a divination assisted air magic formed on each of the books, causing them to float off in different directions. The spell really was impressive, but…

Zena snorted. “The library sells those wands for 2 silver if you ask.”

“Awww! Don’t give away the secret!” Orlisi complained. “They were so impressed before you said anything!”

Stone-topped tables arranged in rows greeted Ria when she arrived at ‘practicum room B’ for the anatomy class’ practical learning together with Iselyn, Keira, Malleron, and Ranger.

“Form groups of 4 and claim a table,” Instructor Harnsworth said each time enough students entered the room.

Ria didn’t want to be near the front, so she quickly grabbed Iselyn’s hand and dragged her along to the last remaining table near the back wall.

“We only have three in our group,” Keira worried.

“Woof?” Ranger queried.

“Sorry, boy. Instructor Harnsworth meant students,” Ria clarified.

Keira was right, and so Ria watched her classmates enter, hoping for a girl that would look their way before getting invited to a different group. An all-girl group would surely be less awkward when they got to the uncomfortable dissections of dead people.

Ria’s efforts were not going well as everyone seemed to be finding groups by the entrance, and worryingly, a group of four girls was eyeing Ria’s table.

A familiar face entered the room just as the group of girls started walking closer with twisted grins, and Ria couldn’t help calling out to him. “Jax! Over here!”

She knew it was a mistake as soon as he started sauntering over with a creepy smirk upon eyeing her friends. At least the girls that were up to no good settled for a nearby unclaimed table as if that was what they intended all along.

“Ranger. Ladies. Ria,” Jax greeted a bit too smoothly as he took up the fourth spot at the table, and Keira gave Ria an uncertain glance before welcoming the newcomer.

“Woof.”

“Welcome, Jax.” Ria couldn’t turn him away now. That would make things awkward in her elemental magic class. Instead, she motioned toward her friends. “These are my friends, Keira and Iselyn.”

He nodded to Keira and tilted to the side to get a better view of Iselyn who was leaning over one of the enchanted buckets of dead monsters for some reason. “Hi, need some help?”

“No,” Iselyn said flatly and Malleron made a raspberry sound at the new arrival.

“Well, okay then.” Jax stood back straight and gave Keira a smile, which Keira awkwardly returned in a way that made Ria mentally groan. “So, how’d a pretty noble girl like you end up friends with someone like Ria?”

“At a tea shop,” Keira answered and added, “Oddly enough.”

“I can’t even imagine.” Jax chuckled.

Oy! What’s that mean?

“Now that everyone is here. You can begin processing the carcases for materials,” Instructor Harnsworth announced. “Hopefully, you were paying attention during the lecture. Your lab fees paid for what you see in the buckets. The guild will buy materials that you successfully process. If you’re good enough you might even be able to make a nice little profit.”

The instructor chuckled at the mixed reaction from his students. “I’ll be coming around to the tables to see how you are doing and provide pointers on how to improve. Keep in mind that these are skills that require substantial practice to achieve competency.”

Ria looked down at the bucket nearest her to see Ranger breathing deeply of the energy wafting off the dead worms inside. “Ack, don’t do that, Ranger. You’ll lower the material’s value.”

“Warh?”

Sighing, Ria dug two of the snake-sized worms, placing one in front of herself and one in front of Jax. She summoned her trusty magic dagger and started making incisions on the worm, quickly slicing it open and extracting the valuable organs.

After pulling out a second worm, Ria noticed that Jax was staring and, other than having placed a knife on the table, hadn’t even started on his first.

Ria took a look at how her friends were doing, and each seemed to be making good progress.

Keira had gloves on and was draining the fluid from a slime into an empty bucket enchanted for preservation. The cut was neatly done. An already drained slime was sitting nearby for further processing.

A pair of frogs lay in front of Iselyn on top of a wood board. She was cutting one open with a small enchanted blade and pinning the skin back with small pins. Mushrooms grew from the other, desiccating it. When Malleron cleared his throat with some smugness, Iselyn plucked off the mushrooms and sliced open the desiccated frog and peeled back the now leather-like skin to reveal the organs she wanted to harvest and the bones perfectly clean and preserved. Everything else inside was either gone or reduced to a fine powdered crystal.

Wow. Malleron’s abilities were really impressive for this sort of work.

At the rate they were going, Ria was beginning to think they would finish processing everything early and have some free time. Ria gave Jax an encouraging smile and returned to butchering the second worm. She was confident that he would get a handle on things with a bit of practice.