Chương 28: Chapter 26

Feeling better, Shaya stepped back into the central room and moved towards the bathroom. Bri still leaned with her back against the wall next to it, turning her head to shout into the room.

"Come on, Ren! I know it's magic, but you've been in there for an hour!"

"Do you have any idea how long it takes fur to dry, Bri?" a smooth, silken voice came from within the bathroom. A moment later, a tall, lithe man walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist while he used another to rub at his long, white hair with clawed fingers. Water glistened on ropey muscles and defined abs, his lean body covered from head to toe in jagged white tattoos, but what drew Shaya's attention was the big, fluffy tail that poked out from the lower towel and swished through the air.

Large, fox-like ears poked from Ren's head as well, covered in cloud-white fur that ended with lightning-blue tips just like his tail. She squinted, seeing static form between strands of his hair and wondering if it flowed in a wind that… wasn't there.

"Like what you see?" he asked with a smirk, tail twitching with amusement as he noticed Shaya taking him in. He lowered the towel and slicked back his wet, white hair with a hand. Shaya blushed and looked away.

"I haven't seen another demigol in a long time, at least not before coming here. And you're even the second Silanite I've seen, but air aspected."

"Suuure," he said, drying his hand on the towel around his shoulders before offering it to her.

"Cyren Rikat, I look forward to being your mate."

"My what?" Her blush deepened.

"You know—mate." His smile grew until it showed pronounced canines.

"A friend."

"Stop teasing the new girl, Ren."

"Jealous?" He turned back to Briariel.

"You're incorrigible, Ren." Bri glared down at him.

"My name's Shaya, by the way." She offered her hand.

"It's a pleasure."

"Pleasure's all mine." He smiled back at her, shaking the offered hand.

"Don't worry, my reputation is greatly exaggerated."

"Phew!" Shaya chuckled.

"A girl needs her sleep, you know?"

"Not in my experience." Damn it, walked into that one. Shaya took a quick—but wonderful—shower and, feeling refreshed, she moved to join the others for dinner. She noticed the other closed door was open, catching the glimpse of a neat and organized desk before she went down the stairs. The delicious smells had only intensified, and Shaya was unsurprised to see that the round dining table was set.

She went to the available chair and sat down, her eyes drawn first to the juicy pot roast sitting in the middle, atop a bed of various vegetables. Then she remembered her manners and looked across the table to her final Lancemate. He was a tall, thin man, clad in tight-fitting, high-necked robes of deep red with gold accents and filigree. What little skin was visible was obsidian, and Shaya was surprised to find that the otherwise soft, effeminate man had hands that were calloused and rough.

His white hair was swept back from his face and tucked in behind his pointed ears. Eyes burned with infernal light, flickering from yellow to orange to red, as they studied her from within a gaunt face. Shaya's eyes lingered on his gold badge and its Sapphicyte, but she forced them back to his eyes.

"Hey there," she said, breaking the silence that had fallen as the others waited for them to introduce themselves.

"I'm Shaya, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Indeed," he said, his voice surprisingly deep and strong for his size.

"I'm Oraeus Vehl, scion of Vynderwynd." Well, that's an odd introduction.

"So, Shaya," Briariel jumped in as Shepherd began slicing the pot roast to dish out to others, "I'm glad to see you cleaned up, but what the hells happened to you on the way here?"

"Maybe let her eat something first, Bri," Ren chided from her other side, arm thrown over the back of his chair so he could face both of them. Now that he was clothed, Shaya spotted his bronze badge, almost thankful to find that most of her Lance wasn't that far ahead of her in rank, and noted with interest that he had Jadecyte and Sapphicyte on it—the only other member of their Lance to draw upon multiple colours.

"No, it's alright," Shaya said, salivating for delicious, delicious meat and forcing herself to turn towards Bri.

"My group and I did a bit of monster hunting on my way out of Kelahk," she said, "then I ran into a spot of trouble on the boat to Arcadia."

"Monster hunting?" Samorn inquired from Oraeus' right, sitting prim and proper but somehow making it look easy and relaxing.

"Are you already a practiced mage then?" Shaya blushed.

"I'm afraid not, but I did have an instructor teach me what he could within the limitations of my Circle." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Is that where you got all of those scars?" Bri asked, poking Shaya's forearm.

"Thank you," she said to Shepherd as they served her a thick slice of meat.

"Yeah, more than a few of my scars come from monster hunting."

"I would love to hear more," Shepherd said from Oraeus' left as they continued to serve others.

"It would be valuable to become acquainted with our abilities, since we will be thrust into dangerous situations together before we know it. Our lives may depend on what others can do." Oraeus and Samorn nodded at this, while Cyren suppressed a yawn.

"Alright then, I'll try to be entertaining without embellishing too much then." Shaya launched into the stories of some of her monster hunts, focusing on the more recent ones where she was already a proven warrior. She had to catch herself from going over the top more than once, too used to entertaining sailors than debriefing other combatants. At least, that's what she told herself. While she talked, Shaya paid attention to her new companions to learn more about them.

Briariel and Shepherd both asked plenty of questions about the combat situations she'd been in, but the latter's were focused on squad cohesion, formations, and lessons learned. Cyren only interrupted to ask how attractive people in the story were, which made Shaya feel weird thinking of them in that light. Samorn asked questions related to culture and rulership, showing particular interest in the open county in Mangdae Duchy.

Oraeus remained silent for the most part, but his interest was piqued when she mentioned the architecture of Kelahk and its stoneshapers. She managed to consume the occasional mouthful of food while people asked her questions, but Shaya was thankful when the topic of conversation turned from her to others. The others didn't go into as much detail about themselves, Shaya assuming because they'd had a similar discussion prior to her arrival, but she still learned a bit about them.

Bri was an orphan raised in an Astorian fortress monastery in Zothiri, apparently the bastard child of some romance between a nephilim and a mortal, which was why her divine blood was diluted. Oraeus revealed little about himself, saying that he was attending the Academy as required of him by family and that Shepherd was the extra attendee that highborn nobles were allowed.

Samorn was likewise vague, noting only that her large family had no need of her and that she was looking to expand her horizons, with Cyren joining as her extra.

"I feel we should address the Titan in the room," Oraeus said, rather suddenly. He set his utensils down as all eyes at the table turned to him.

"While I appreciate the camaraderie and find it valuable to our cohesion, we find ourselves at a disadvantage compared to the average Lance at the Academy."

"How so?" Bri asked, frowning at him. Here we go…

"There are only two highborn nephilim at this table, instead of three," he stated flatly, gesturing to himself and Samorn.

"Even the usual tag-alongs possess more divinity than those present. Shepherd has been a loyal servant to my family since I was young, and their dedication to becoming a chaplain in the Imperial Legion helps off-set their weaker blood, but," he gestured towards Shaya, Briariel, and Cyren, "I don't see the same advantages to off-set you three."

"I do believe I just spent the past thirty minutes talking about hunting monsters," Shaya retorted, brow knitting in annoyance.

"Even if everything you said was true, it does not make up for the fact that you are the weakest member at the table." He pointedly looked at her Copper badge.

"I only see the faintest divine spark about you, you're mostly just mix-breeding between giants and beastfolk. Which is almost a plus, given your cursed progenitor." Shaya took a deep breath to still the rage in her blood. She was proud of how calm and logical her response was.

"I'm well aware of the 'deficiencies' I have no control of. Trust me when I say I don't plan on letting them hold me back." Bri cut in, heat behind her words, "Well, sorry for being such a burden on you, milord, but you're stuck with us now." Oraeus waved at her dismissively.

"I don't care about your social status or mine. I'm not speaking of the inequality of society—that is an unfortunate fact of our reality and you are far from the only victims. We are at a magic academy and you three will have a steep hill to climb, during which Samorn, Shepherd, and I will have to carry additional weight."

"Come now, Oraeus," Samorn said, "we should not judge their abilities before we have seen them."

"I'm not trying to be mean or rude, Samorn," Oraeus retorted, "just realistic."

"Well, I for one don't disagree," Cyren said, kicking back on his chair and putting his arms behind his head." I certainly didn't come here to work my tail off, so you can definitely mark me down as one very handsome burden."

"Why did you bring him?" Oraeus asked Samorn, a slight hint of exasperation entering his voice.

"My dear Oraeus," she replied levelly and with a vicious politeness, "Cyren has earned my respect a hundred times over, which is more than I can say for your actions this evening. While I appreciate your realism, there are better ways of conveying your concerns that do not offend those around you." Damn, girl, you are not as demure as you look.

"Speaking of realism," Shaya cut in, "as Bri pointed out, we are stuck with one another. If half of us are at a disadvantage—in terms of raw power—then we will need to find a way to make up for it. I came here to work hard and become as strong as I can be for my family back home," she continued, giving Cyren an annoyed look, "but we may have to adapt our strategies and tactics, since the common ones that are taught might not work for our composition."

"Well said," Oraeus replied.

"If your shields are weaker than the typical Amber mage, then we will have to rely on misdirection or deflection more than blunt force. And if Briariel's fireballs are less powerful, then we will have to grow used to fighting multiple opponents in melee since they will not be eliminated at a distance."

"My fireballs are great, thank you very much," Bri growled, "but I'm willing to entertain this notion until the three of us get to prove you wrong."

"We can only hope that is the case," Oraeus said, but his tone suggested he wasn't used to being wrong very often.

"Our first deployment isn't until the second month," Samorn noted.

"I suggest we not worry about the particulars until our classes have begun, at least."

"Sounds good to me," Shaya said.

"I want to get an early start on my studies and build a new routine here."

"If that routine includes working out," Bri said with a smile, "you can count me in."

"Me as well," Shep added, giving Shaya a knife-thin smile of support.

"Perfect." Shaya nodded and addressed the table.

"That's an excellent start. We can work up to studying overlapping classes and practicing together later."