Sharp

“I am not going back,” Val declared.

“You will have worse happen when you are out adventuring,” I said.

“I am prepared for it when I am out adventuring. Having someone throw up all over me when I was helping is not my idea of a fun outing. You live a strange life, Theo.”

“I suppose I do. It is certainly not the life I had planned. You are cleaned up, OK?”

“Yes, but I am never wearing these trousers again.”

We parted in the Temple District. It was dark but not late because Val had her unfortunate experience. I did think she was overreacting. We will see each other next week back in our student accommodation.

I suppose I do lead a strange life. I am an orphan with no relatives anymore, not even extended relatives that I know of. I live in the Temple of Death and work in the Temple of the Lost and Outcast. I guess I never thought about normal people and their lives and families, like my village, before the undead came. I was avoiding it, I suppose.

At my entrance interview, I told the interviewer that I had lost my focus and wanted to regain a direction for my life. I have time, but it might be something to start considering. For now, I want to keep my options open, and one of those options will be to gain Adventure Society membership.

The Adventure Society stands between ordinary people and the monsters, including the undead. This is what I want to do. It did not escape my notice that they had led the response to the Undead in Ironwood. Even the churches followed their lead.

When I was young, adventuring looked exciting and prestigious. That has all gone for me. Adventuring is now about protecting those who cannot protect themselves. It is a part of being a Tranquil Garden to those around me, a way to bring and maintain peace. Standing up to the monsters, whether they be people like those who attacked me in the alley or magic monsters, is a key part of bringing peace.

This semester, I have Summons Management and Wilderness Awareness. Wilderness Awareness is the initial course that leads to more hunting, tracking and scouting specialisations.

“Theo!” Melor greeted me as I arrived on campus on the first day.

“Morning,” I returned.

“I’ve been waiting for you. My father wants to meet you.”

“Oh?” I asked warily

“He wants to do something to say thank you for helping me in the assessment last semester.”

“We all helped each other. None of us would have made it without the others. Akemi was the one who rescued you from the river.”

“Yes, he wants to do something for her as well. My father is a tailor with a shop in the northern markets. He wants to make you both something.”

“Oh. I don’t think it is really necessary, but I can discuss it with Akemi.”

“Good, great,” said Melor, “I can arrange it for our next free day.”

“OK, I guess,” I said uncertainty.

Val was in our room unpacking, although Akemi had not arrived yet.

“This semester, we start on my favourite type of fighting,” Val said.

“Oh?”

“In group tactics, we alternate team-on-monster scenarios with team-on-team arena-style fights! Have you watched the arena fighting in the city? It is fantastic.”

“No, I haven't.”

“You should come. My family has its own box seat, so I can get you in. We also sponsor the Steel Balls in the silver-level competition, and they are doing fantastic this year. They are one of the favourites to win the silver championship. We also sponsor the Slice and Dice in the bronze arena. That's my goal. Once I graduate, I want to be good enough to get into the Slice and Dice team.”

“OK,” I said, not really knowing what she was talking about.

“I know I won’t get into them until I am late bronze, as they fight in the top level, but we have junior teams fighting in the lower ranks, and I can work my way up from there.” She looked at me, “You really don’t know what I am talking about, do you?”

“Not really.”

“I’ll take you to see. They have all sorts of fighting, but team-on-team is the most popular. There are solo fights, solo-on-monster fights, and team-on-monster fights, but the real money and fame are in the team-on-team fights.”

“OK. The whole concept of fighting as a sport seems strange to me. I guess no one is harmed in the mirage chambers.”

“You really are a …. Newbie to the city.” She was obviously going to call me something more derogatory. “You never saw the signs advertising the competitions last semester?”

“Probably, it is just not relevant to me.”

“I have wanted to be an Arena Star since I was little,” Val said.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to go adventuring to get away from your family's influence?”

“Yes, of course, but all the top stars are also adventurers. Real adventuring gives you an edge in the arena, and I need to get to mid-bronze in most of my skills.”

Becoming an adventurer as a means to an end seemed strange to me.

“Morning,” Akemi said as she entered. “Did Melor talk to you?” she asked me.

I nodded.

“I don’t think it is right,” Akemi went on. “His needles kept us out of trouble several times, especially keeping the bats from breaking through the nets.”

“I know. I tried to say the same thing.” I shrugged.

“What’s going on?” Val asked.

“Melor said his Dad wants to make us some clothing as a thank-you gift for helping him in the assessment,” Akemi explained.

“You should totally accept that,” Val said. “He did my ball dress two years ago, and I wanted to go to him again last year, but Mom said we had to support Lily.”

“I suppose I could get a nice dress,” Akemi said.

“Theo needs some nice clothes as well,” Val said. “Aren’t you bored just wearing fur?”

“No,” I said. I found it very convenient, actually. After washing and a quick brush of my mane, I was done.

“Well, we get bored looking at you,” Val said, only half joking.

“Val!” Akemi admonished.

“He needs to add some colour,” Val said defensively, “Even if it is just hair dye or beads.”

“Thant’s my cue to leave,” I said, going into my room.

I could hear Akemi telling Val off but tuned it out. She used to be such a quiet girl.

My room was comfortable. It also sort of felt like coming home. I didn’t anticipate that feeling. I haven't felt like having a home for a long time. I raised my arch in the corner. My Tranquil Garden was my only home, but this now felt a bit like I belonged. Finally.

It is just student accommodation. Still, it was my home for now. That was a step forward.

I went down to the food hall for lunch, and there were new faces around who were the intake for this semester. Did I miss the starting assembly?

I checked the timetable, and no, that is tomorrow. It was delayed a day for some reason. They must have just assigned accommodation to the new people, and maybe they were doing their assessments.

I sat eating a plate of vegetables, watching the new people find their way around, and the existing people settle in. After the initial start, there were a couple of days of orientation and then the lectures restarted.

A shadow fell over me. I looked up, and a massive Leonid stood there. He had the latest in styling and colouring, complete with beads. He had on a fancy unbuttoned vest showing off the swirling chest patterns in his fur. If Val wanted me to look like this peacock, she had another think coming. Beside him were two well-dressed female Leonids, and when I looked, I noticed that they had matching fur stylings and beads.

“Can I help you?” I asked and then took another mouthful of carrot.

His voice was like a low rumble, “I heard a rumour you beat the first Semester assessment.”

“You really shouldn’t believe everything you hear. A lot of pranks are played on the newbies.” I took another bite.

“Nobody would prank me. Is it true?”

I looked him up and down from my seated position, “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Then I turned and took another bite.

He leaned down on the table, not quite slamming his hands down on it, and got in my face, “I asked if it was true.”

“And I ignored you because you seem to have lost all manners and are just coming across as an arrogant bully.”

The Leonid to the left spoke up, “You should show respect to his Highness Prince Zesiro.”

“Why?” I took another mouthful. The prince had to move, or I would have got food on his face.

“He is the Prince.”

“Not here, he is not. Here, he is just a student, like me. Are you two students as well, or are you here because the prince can’t do things for himself?”

The prince growled. I chomped on another carrot.

“We are his wives, the start of his Pride. Of course, we are qualified to be students. We will form a great team.”

“You might want to teach him some manners then.”

“Manners!” the prince exploded, “from a barely dressed peasant like you? A Vegetable eater?” he said that like it was a dirty word.

“Without manners, you won’t last long here,” I saluted him with a bean, “Have a nice day.”

I wasn’t sure whether he was going to explode, but the right-hand wife put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Come Siro, let's leave the peasant to his meal. We were obviously misled.”

As they walked off, Val slipped into the seat opposite me, “That was hilarious. I wish I had a recording crystal.”

“Glad to have brightened your day.”

“You have no idea who that was, do you?”

“Prince somebody or another, holding to the old ways by building a pride. It is pretty old-fashioned.”

“He is the seventh son of the Diamond King of Kekie. He is also from the seventh wife, which means something special in their culture. The number seven is a special number, so there are rumours of a prophecy about him, but I don’t know the details.”

“If there were seven sons, did he mostly only have daughters? Who was the seventh daughter?” I asked.

“No idea, but if you had stayed with me over the break, you would have met him and his father. There was a big reception for them.”

“I am rather glad I didn’t then. I hope that was not what you had in mind for some colour in my wardrobe.”

“Meeting them did give me some ideas,” Val smirked.

“Did they throw their weight around before as well?”

“No, they were very polite. Roland Remore was there, though, so they needed to be.”

“So his daddy, diamond ranker, talked to the diamond ranker in charge of the school and got him in?”

“Yeah, although I remember Lord Remore saying very specifically about obeying the rules and customs of this place. I got the feeling the prince has been a bit sheltered. They haven’t tried throwing their weight around anybody else that I have seen. Do you think it was because you are a Leonid?”

I shrugged, “I am just a barely dressed, vegetable-eating peasant.”