Chương 96: Chapter 94 - Vargan & Valerius.

Veld led them with confidence in every step.

"Mmmm I'll be back tonight, don't worry" he said to yet another passing girl making odd faces.

"Veld, are you free this afternoon?"

"Sorry, I'm entertaining Trissa, how about the day after." This man is disgusting. No wonder they call it the Fortress of Unwanted Children, half of them are probably his. Nythera glanced at Rowen and found a strange look of admiration in his eyes.

"This is the cafeteria, well one of them, you can come here and get food whenever, they all are always open. Night courses and all, you know?" Veld led them straight through the towering hall, stuffed with round tables and counter seats.

"Each has a different arrangement and different food so try to find your favorite."

"These are the basic class wings, you'll mostly be in Wing 1, 2, or 3 so don't worry about the others. In fact it's better if you don't, each wing is giant and there's twelve? Thirteen? I don't remember, but a lot of them. If you need to get around fast, using the sunken arena courtyard is faster most of the time, often we just call it the AC." Veld went on explaining the intricacies of navigating the labyrinthine academy.

This school could probably fit Grandport inside of it and have space left for Halsbury and Amplewoods. The lights throughout the school were all the same, a dull-orange orb stuck into the ceiling, brimming with flux.

"Oh yeah, the lights are pretty fancy, aren't they? They are powered by the plants the weirdos grow on the roof." Veld said as if reading her mind. Out of all the rooms we pass, only maybe one in five even has anything in it, what's going on? Why are the central wings so empty?

"Veld, why are most of the rooms unused? You only explain a few of them and others seem locked shut." Nythera piped up.

"Uh, honestly I don't really know" Veld rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"It's kinda strange, ain't it? I think it's mostly storage or spare rooms. This place is really really old and not all the doors go where they are supposed to anymore, so don't go opening anything that isn't marked as in use, with a class or teacher sign on the outside." he pointed to one of the many placards above that indicated the room was a professor's office. Nythera glanced at Rowen to find his eyes pinned on her "Remember Nythera, unmarked means bad." he said slowly. I'm not some daft child!

If anything I'll need to make sure Rowen doesn't get into trouble. She made sure her elbow was aimed for his gut as she turned. Unfortunately Rowen's dexterity far outmatched her cunning. They went out yet another door to the Arena Courtyard, the sun shrouded behind cloud cover today.

"You'll figure out most of this stuff in a week, just try not to leave the academy. Battle magics for you should meet down there, Arena four." Veld pointed into one of the stadium-sized pits.

"Really though, do not leave the campus more than you have to, or they will get pissy. They will check if… you've been replaced, if you do so." Veld cautioned, his face showing rare sincerity.

"Replaced by what" She asked. He shrugged.

"No idea""Hey V!" A girl called out, waving "Can we uh, go to the uhh the pool is open on the 4th wing! Are you up for it tonight…."she began to giggle to herself.

"One moment babe, gotta show the newsquirts what's up. Wait by the entrance for me, will you?" she clicked his tongue and winked. Something within Nythera… died.

"Anyways, got to go guy, I have some really important studying by the pool. But yeah five classes is going to be tough, typical students take three or four. But if you get Tessetian down, things will be easier." He pulled two sets of five textbooks out of the satchel at his hip.

"Classes start tomorrow, early for you two. Schedule is tucked into the first textbook. If you need anything, ask. Well ask anyone that isn't dressed in a ton of artifacts, the nobles are not fun to ask for anything." he grimaced. He turned to face the arena, glaring down into the gargantuan pit of stone and earth "if you pass the dungeon midterms, you will brought into dungeons on a rotating basis to level, and that stat boost can really really help pass classes, so make sure you pass the test."

At this point the girl from before bounded up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Come on V, we don't have all day!" she whispered into his ear as he tried to shake her off "Wait a second babe, I'm almost done here! As I was saying your school uniforms should be in your room, keep wearing those, wait a second babe, not there, yet, and uh yeah they go over your artifacts so don't worry about that. But don't just a moment, no do not put a hand there" Veld turned to face them with an exasperated look as he defended himself from the onslaught.

"Do not wear too many artifacts, it's considered rude. Wealth isn't a skill after all and we can't all buy a ton, but you two should be fine if that's all you got." Veld smiled and then used his hand to seize one of the girl's wrists. She began dragging him off into the building.

"Bye! Good luck" he shouted. Rowen's eyes contained nothing but pure admiration.

"That man is amazing, I need to talk to him." She sighed "not you two, look the last thing we need is a dozen little stormbridges running around. We got a mission, remember?" she pinched his arm.

"Ow, yeah yeah. Still. What a man. What do we do now?" he asked.

"I don't know, walk around and memorize our class routes?" She shrugged. I could always try finding the fluxcutter classes.

"I'm going to check where my sword classes are, I'll meet you back at the room tonight, hopefully with our new roommates there." Rowen waved. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Nythera went straight to get food to placate her grumbling stomach. Snickers sounded from some groups in the hall as she passed.

"That arm is so boorish, could she not afford a healer?" one said. We'll see who needs a healer after I'm done with you brats. Is there anyone who isn't a bred and born brat around here?

"Hey, did you hear about the last midterms? 64% failure rate, one before that was 59%. They are making the tests harder!" One student hissed to another far louder than he thought.

"Pipe down! I heard they are trying to reduce the class sizes to focus on fewer, elite students. More students died this time!" the other one loudly whispered back, glancing around furtively. That dungeon test? Unless it's a strata three I shouldn't be worried. At least that flux-damned cult isn't here, haven't seen a ring since I got to Aelthyr. Nor a single sign of a Temple of Kronan's Assembly either. Gossip continued to flow like a river..

"Aaaaa" one girl fake-screamed to her friend "All the Tesset's are here! All of them! We are so lucky, time to snag myself a prince!"

"Marigrace, You should probably focus on the three classes you are failing and not trying to woo princes'" her friend advised.

"But the royals! Who needs classes when you can have princes!" Another group caught her attention when they brought up a familiar name.

"Did you hear? Julian is trying to unlock the next order of casting. I heard a rumor that he's experimenting with wildskills."

"Can't he already triple cast? How will wildskills help him further, it's all Centerrubbish." That's more than enough gossip for a day. Julian is some multi-casting legend? And the royals are here, good information, I can use this. Back at the room, Rowen was already reclining.

"We can talk with Lance on the array, and if anything urgent comes up I'm sure he'll tell us. If he needs to he can always come himself. That means you need to focus on your studies and not…" he glanced around the empty room.

"Myrraval" he whispered. Nythera looked at him like he was an idiot "I'm already three steps ahead of you, I'll figure out where the aetherite classes are and sneak in. Any advancements they make we can use. I was also thinking we could possibly try to adapt institutions from here for Myrraval… maybe." Rowen nodded "Good, very good. What about our roommates? I haven't seen them yet." Nythera shrugged, then stopped as they heard voices from the door.

"You fucking feline, you're lucky I didn't step on your tail again." a gruff, low voice said. As if in deliberate contrast an elegant, quieter voice responded "How dare you insinuate such, my fur is extravagant and my tail has a better lineage than your entire family line." The door flung open with force, slamming into the wall loud enough to hear the woodwork crack. A huge man with a white-grey fur coat and huge boots strode in.

Black hair and blue eyes, with the beginnings of a beard, but the skin under was deathly pale and his face gaunt. At his feet, walked a black cat with golden whiskers, it wore green robes and a small green barrette on its head. A cat? Really? Best roommate ever!

"Oh roommates! Chin up Valerius! By the center, it's jolly good to meet you!" Vargan took her hand and shook it in a vice-grip, then offered his other hand to her opposite hand, making a criss-cross, he shook them up and down 3 times before releasing her.

"Thank Center I ain't left with this damn cat anymore, I hope one of you has incense or meat because his fucking fish stink this place up every week." Vargan's barely contained excitement leaked out with every word. The cat scowled "How dare you, they are not mere fish, they are Feltonian's premier export you ignorant barbarian. You can't find them anywhere but the purest rivers." He strutted down the hallway, holding his head up in pride.

"While this barbarian has the manners of a West Edge merchant, I do not. Greetings, I am Valerius Hightail of Feltonia, student and ambassador to the Tesset Kingdom." he bowed his little cat head.

"Greetings, I am Rowen Stormbr-" Nythera scooped Valerius up into her arms "aren't you just the cutest little thing ever, aw these clothes are so adorable." she pet the kitty. Rowen's face distorted into disbelief, struggling to continue. Vargan was in similar shock. Valerius purred.

"How dare you! Unhand me… in a few minutes." Valerius' conflicted voice finally gave up "I will only allow this because you are clearly of noble stock." He settled onto her arm.

"So how does this cat talk?" Nythera asked. Rowen gasped, struggling to contain himself.

"Cat? Cat? You think I, Valerius Hightail, am a mere nonminded? How dare- yessss right there purrrrr." the kitty closed its eyes as it enjoyed the attention. She smirked. I know your weaknesses. You will be easy to manage. Valerius continued "Have you never met a proper Cat before? Surely you must have heard of us, we heard you were from the Far North, but that is not another world or anything. Even Vargan knows his Cats from his cats."

"Aye, I was surprised we had more guests from the motherlands, I was the only one on the east sea pass, did you take the West Edge passage?" Vargan asked with a strange look somewhere between doubt and curiosity.

"Oh, yes of course" Rowen coughed." We took the West Edge passage, but far in advance. We were preoccupied with admiring the scenery and studying this foreign culture." Vargan nodded, but doubt still lingered in his gaze.

"That is strange, I don't recognize your clothes, and your language is not one of the Farest dialects I know. Say, is it possible…" Vargan got lost in thought while Rowen watched with barely concealed dread. Welp, found out on the first day. Kronan damn it, I don't really want to have to threaten, bribe, or kill Vargan if we can avoid it. Vargan opened his mouth, Rowen held back a grimace "You must be from somewhere weird, I don't recognize people like you. What kingdom? Delot? Runespire? Abast? No, wait!

Don't tell me. Hmmm." Vargan's gaze intensified. If he reports us we are fucked. Royally fucked. I don't like murder, but Myrraval comes first. Valerius cut into the silence "As you know my family, purrr, is from the Eastern Edge, we are collaborating, purrr, with Tesset, but I cannot tell you any details, so don't ask me. Yes right there, good girl. Purrrr." He's painfully easy to read, what a prideful little cat. I wonder if I can take him home.

"Well it is time for me to retire." His eyes turned from pleasure to trouble. Flux built up rapidly within. And then he was gone. On top of Vargan's head stood Valerius, who seemed to be deliberately messing up his hair. Just as Vargan's fist came searching, Valerius was yet again, gone in a blink. Huh, Speed or teleportation? I've never seen flux like that before. I wonder how hard it would be to get some of them to move to Myrraval, I'll need to stop by Feltonia at some point.

Rowen sighed and shook his head "No, Nythera you cannot take it back with you."

"Get used to having nothing up past the floor, Valerius Lowtail will ensure that." Vargan cautioned, trying to fix his scruffed-up hair. Hisses came from Valerius' room "Vargan Dunsteel? More like Dunshit." Vargan growled "Oi, you slick-furred…" After much bickering, all managed to settle in their rooms for the night. Huh this bed is actually pretty comfy and the stonewalls are oddly nice….