Mystic Rabya returned Fourthday. “Okay, future High Archons,” she said, “today we’re going to be talking about the Abhorrent.

“And coincidentally, I have news about the invasion. We’ve had some resurgences. A few starisles that were previously believed to have been cleared, have had further problems.”

Everyone tensed in response to her words.

“Calm down,” she said. “None of the Humusi starisles were affected. However, the news is something… to keep in mind. Although our accelerated curriculum is only supposed to last six months or so, there’s no guarantee you’ll have that much time to train. If things get bad, you could very well be deployed at a moment’s notice. The point is, be ready at all times.

“Now, let’s get to the lecture.

“We’re going to talk about Abhorrent classification. One way to get an idea of the kind of monster you’re dealing with is the size. Stage one spawn can be as small as an insect, but won’t get any larger than a horse. Stage two spawn don’t come smaller than cats, but could be as large as a big mammal like a rhino. After the spawn are the juveniles. Who can tell me how many stages of juvenile growth there are? And by the way, I checked your assessment test results, and I know that at least half of you got this question wrong.”

After that comment, nobody raised their hands.

Rabya rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Okay, clearly I shouldn’t have said that. The answer is six. There are six stages of juvenile growth. Now let’s talk size. We’ll start with the minimum. The smallest stage one juvenile is equivalent to a small dog. Stage two, a big dog. Stage three, a predatory cat such as a leopard. Stage four, a horse. Stage five, a rhino. Six, an elephant. Got that?”

Nods could be seen from about half of the students, especially the note-takers of the class, who included the ‘smart kids’ Katayoun, Arwia, Kuri, and Ningal. Of the Humusi Swordsmen, only Teucer liked note-taking, and had been nominated as the group record-keeper.

“Good,” Rabya said. “Abhorrent sizing is something you need to commit to memory. If you suddenly face the things on the battlefield, possibly with no advance warning, you need to be able to judge what you’re up against.”

Xerxes saw some motion ahead of him as short-haired Arwia raised her hand.

“Yes?” Rabya said.

“What about the large end of the scale?”

“Good question. Stage one juveniles can get as large as elephants. Stage two, as large as a small whale. Stage three, a large whale. Stage four… a mountain. They get even bigger.”

“Bigger than a fucking mountain?” Enusat blurted.

“Language, Seer.”

“Sorry.”

“And, yes. Based on our understanding, those types are rare. What’s more, such juveniles are slow and have many weak spots. In some ways, the incredibly large types are easier to deal with than the smaller ones.”

Another hand flew up.

“Yes, Katayoun?”

“What are the size classifications after the juvenile stage?”

“After that, you get the mature Abhorrent. That kind are generally classified along with the Anunnaki, and there’s no way you’ll be facing anything like that in battle. Later come elder Abhorrent, which are generally placed alongside the most powerful Annunaki. So again, nothing you’ll ever see.

“Now, let’s focus on some of the specific types of Abhorrent we know about. Later on, we’ll have full classes covering tactics related to the oversized variety. For now we’ll deal mostly with the small- and medium-sized type you might need to deal with while on the battlefield.”

The rest of Fourthday went by in a blur. Lunch. Training. Meditation. Rune study. Sleep.

Fifthday was much the same, with the exception of a moment in the halls in which Xerxes nearly bumped into Gandash. His friend was hurrying along with an armful of books, an expression of deep concentration on his face.

Xerxes swerved out of the way just in the nick of time to avoid him.

“Gandy!” he said.

Gandash stopped and turned to look at him. A smile broke out on his face. “Hey, Xerk! How are things?”

“Busy. You?”

“Same. How’s your chamber doing?”

“I’m making progress.”

“Good. I gotta run, I’m gonna be late.”

“See you.”

On Fifthday after rune study, Xerxes fell deeply asleep in the middle of the other Humusi Swordmasters arguing about a new fashion trend that had popped up out of nowhere among female students, involving choker necklaces.

There were no lectures on Sixthday, nor any formal training. Instead, it was a time for meditation. And it was the first day that students were given access to the spell formations that Mystic Rabya had mentioned at the beginning of the week. There were ten such formations on campus, one of which was clearly permanent, and the other nine of which were recent, and temporary, constructions.

Each student was given a twenty-five-minute slot to use a formation, with the time slots beginning early in the morning. In that manner, it was possible to efficiently allow the entire student body of roughly two hundred students to have access to the formations in one day.

Given the numerous recent days of ordinary meditation, the spell formation session was all Xerxes needed to max out his chamber. By the end of Sixthday, he was ready for a Flush.

However… there were more important things to handle on Restday.

The rumors were true. Students were allowed off-campus on the final day of the week, not just this time, but every weekend going forward.

“Do not get into fights,” Archon Shabadras announced. “Do not break any laws. Do not….” He went on and on with a whole host of rules. Xerxes eventually stopped paying attention, until the Archon started talking about religion.

“I already made it clear that students must follow all laws of the empire. Given that you represent the Sin-Amuhhu Combined Armed Forces, that applies doubly to matters of faith. Under no circumstances participate in any heretical or unorthodox services. Members of the One Faith can find a temple to the south, but other than that, the only authorized form of worship is to attend the Church of the Pontifarch. I can’t emphasize this enough. Any student found associating with heretics or cultists will be promptly expelled and punished to the full extent of the law.”

Jad, who was standing next to Xerxes, whispered. “Blah blah blah. Let us go, already.”

Once the rules had been stated and restated, they were free.