Chapter 2: The First Class

After what had been hours but felt like minutes, Idel lazily opened his eyes, and stretched. He yawned, dreading the fact that he would need to go to class today, and out himself as the talentless hack he was. He grimaced as he thought about the humiliation he would face.

 

Slowly getting up and walking over to his cupboard, then opening its door, he saw that his trunk had been placed on a small shelf at its bottom. Taking it out, he opened it and reached inside, his whole upper body magically fitting in. A look of frustration crossed his face as he tried tugging on something inside the trunk. After a moment, Idel coagulated all the strength in his body and heaved, pulling out an assortment of items from the trunk’s seemingly infinite depths. These ranged from books and stationary, to his entire wardrobe and small pieces of furniture.

 

He then started moving things around, trying to make his room more homely. After much deliberation, he decided to just unfurl a wall-to-wall carpet across the floor, put some basic stationary on his desk, and build a make-shift personal library by piling up the books he had brought onto a table.

 

After having done all of that, he finished by gingerly taking out a velvet covered case, similar to that of a violin, and placing it on his bed. Getting up, he surveyed his work, and gave himself a little smile. “Nothing better than the satisfaction one gets after lookin’ at the fruits of one’s own labour”, he thought. As he did so, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something.

 

Walking over to look beneath the entrance to his room, he found that some documents had been slipped under his door while he was asleep. His first item was a timetable, followed by a map of the school, and finally a guide to schooling with information ranging from the curriculum to the minimum passing grades. All were printed on glossy A4 paper. After quickly flipping through the papers, he headed to the bathroom.

 

He quietly took a shower and changed. He then walked to the mirror, and gave himself a once over. His uniform consisted of a white t-shirt with rough brown pants, leather boots and a belt with a large loop for a scabbard, as well as smaller loops for other purposes. His clothes were well-fitting, however, this only served to embarrass Idel, as they were a few sizes smaller than what would be expected for his age, making his scrawniness clear for all to see. Otherwise, Idel thought he looked less pathetic than usual, which was a definite plus for him. He took a roughly-made leather bag and slung it over his shoulder, stepping out of the room.

 

He held himself higher than usual, gaining a bit of dignity and gravitas from having worn his uniform. Looking down at his map, he traced the way to the cafeteria with a finger, memorising it. After a meander down several flights of stairs, he spent several minutes briskly walking through multiple labyrinthian passageways. After reaching the mess, he took his food, sat on a seat in the corner and ate in silence, absorbing the surrounding ambience.

 

People from all ages and backgrounds were sitting and chatting, enjoying themselves as much as possible before the tiring school day that lay ahead. Idel even noticed some nonhuman students, such as Ratmen, lamias, and even a faerie. He tried not to stare, however he had never met a non-human before, with the sole exception being his personal tutor, who happened to be a centaur. Therefore, he kept subconsciously stealing glances.

 

Idel eventually finished his breakfast, still in solitude, and looked at his timetable to see what his first lesson was. Written there in a clear, black font was “Applied Magic and Swordsmanship''. At this, Idel internally cursed, his social standing would be taken away from him on the first lesson of school, as he probably would not be able to worm away from using magic in a practical class.

 

He then finally took the time to look through the documents provided to him. As he eyed the lessons, flipping between the timetable and the guide, absorbing information, a plan began forming in his head. He knew his limitations well, and so, could tell which syllabuses he would, and would not be able to do. If he were able to achieve an above-average level of success in subjects that don't require much magic, he would probably be able to earn enough credits to pass the school. If he did well enough, he might be able to convince his parents that he has talent in other areas and enrol in a different school. In other words, become a non-magical savant.

 

Idel rechecked his mental maths, before grimacing when he realised he would be short a single point for the passing minimum, even if he got perfect grades in all the non-magical subjects. “Of course they’d make magic a requirement in a magic school”, he bitterly thought. He only had a chance of getting through the school year if he scored well in at least one magical subject, something that was an impossibility for someone with a magical score as low as his. This meant that getting kicked out of school was a real and tangible possibility.

 

Putting that depressing thought aside, Idel realised he was simply sitting in the middle of the cafeteria, and staring blankly at his timetable, something which was not exactly the most normal of behaviours. His face going a scarlet red, he briskly walked into one of the tunnels that lead out of the cafeteria and, following his map, towards where the Applied Magic and Swordsmanship class would be.

 

Only half-way there did he realise the fact that he would need his sword in a class on swordsmanship. Facepalming at his own absent-mindedness, and sending a small prayer to The Great Ones that he would reach on time, he turned around and began running towards the dorms. He passed by multiple of his peers who had not been so forgetful, some of which even snickered when they saw his distinct lack of a weapon.

 

Eventually, Idel reached the top of the building, and began rapidly ascending its many stairs, seeing many who had made the same mistake as him but lived on lower floors dash down on the way. “Weird”, Idel thought, before remembering the strange man’s words from yesterday, “He had said something to the lines of ‘Since you are new, you’re stuck with the room on higher floors’, maybe we are allocated rooms based on ability”, he grimaced as he thought of the Darwinist implications and natural conclusions that possibility presented.

 

He finally made his way to his room, and dashed inside. He walked over to his bed and delicately opened the case, slowly taking out a rapier.

 

It was constructed out of a silvery metal, its shaft cylindrical, thin to the point where it seemed almost invisible. Its end was pointed and sharp. Its tightly bound handle was covered by an intricately carved concave guard, with the words “The Needle” engraved finely on it.

Miniscule runes had been carved on the tiny surface of the blade to ensure that the tip stayed sharp no matter how much it was used, creating a deadly weapon that was perfect for a lightweight like Idel.

 

It had been a gift to him by his mentor before he went away for school. He smiled a little as he admired the blade’s wonderful craftsmanship, and reminisced about the harsh yet constructive tutoring he was subjected to. Idel quickly put it into its thin scabbard and hung it across his hips. He then rapidly turned around and darted out of the room, shooting down the stairs of the gigantic tower.

 

After a few minutes, Idel reached the bottom, and ran through the now deserted corridors of the school. “Shoot”, he thought, ”I’m late”. Taking multiple turns through the now completely silent complex, he retraced his steps.

 

As he turned the last corner, he was momentarily blinded by the light pouring in from the opened doorway. Unfettered, he continued onwards, inelegantly stumbling into a roofless building. As Idel’s eyes adjusted to the light, he took the structure in.

 

It was a gigantic stadium, with a circular stage with a floor made of sand at its centre, and step-like seating areas made of sandstone expanding outwards till it created a massive open circle. The sun bore down on Idel, heating the air. The stadium was significantly grander than the auditorium where the entrance ceremony took place, with a lot more character as well.

 

Inside the stage, Idel could see that a group of people had clumped up at its middle. Shyly, he took a walk of shame towards the crowd, before realising, much to his horror, that who he presumed to be his teacher was standing among them, making him officially late, and that his presumed teacher was the man that had given them a tour yesterday.

 

The teacher, noticing Idel’s approaching figure, stopped, making an annoyed gesture for him to join the group, before continuing on with his spiel.

 

“What was I saying, before that tardy boy oh so graciously made me forget”, he said, furrowing his eyebrows, before snapping his fingers, “Oh ya, introductions, well, you lot will refer to me only as Mr. Ebarin”, he started pushing his way through the group, trampling over students as he did so, “Now in this class, you will be learning how to apply your magic skills to your everyday life. This class would normally be a combination of theory and practice, however, this year, we are going to deviate from the syllabus, and start going over combat instead. Partially because our nation is out of soldiers, you know, after the war, and partially because I’m bored with the wuss stuff. Now, let's warm up, with some duels!”, he smacked both his hands together, “First up we have a duel between the last two people to grace us with their presence. ‘Cause I am angry at the both of ya’!”

 

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He raised both hands in the air and guffawed. The people around Idel, and the people around, much to Idel’s chagrin, the nice boy who had helped him yesterday, evacuated the area, leaving them to look at each other with wide eyes.

 

Idel furrowed his eyebrows as he noticed the fact that the boy had a gigantic, chipped broadsword strapped behind his back. He gulped at the thought of needing to fight that.

 

“Well, get to it then”, Mr. Ebarin said

 

Idel’s gaze shifted between the gigantic broadsword, and Mr Ebarin frantically

 

“Oh, you're wondering about hurting each other, ay?”, Mr. Ebarin said, following Idel’s gaze, “Well don't worry, I don’t care much about you but if you got killed, I would get fired, right? I have had the school nurse observe this class. I even asked ‘im in advance”

He stopped as if to think for a bit, then said, “Actually yes, Martha you should probably reveal yourself.”, while gesturing in a beckoning way.

 

Suddenly, Idel heard a loud scuttling noise. Looking around himself curiously, he realized a gigantic swarm of rats had appeared from the many rafters and holes in the stadium. They darted in between student’s legs and even climbed over some. Loud screams being heard from boys and girls alike. Eventually, all coalescing on a single spot in front of Mr. Ebarin, piling on top of each other. The pile of rats shifted into a vaguely humanoid, before a flash of light emanated from them, leaving the figure of an extremely muscular and bearded man, in a bright pink nurse’s outfit that fit tightly around his massive body, behind.

 

“Goddammit Archibald”, he said in a gravely voice, giving Mr.Ebarin a slap on the back, “You know I don't like being called by my alias”

 

Both went into rumbustious laughter before ‘Martha’ turned to the group and said, waving his hand in a dismissive manner, “Yes, Yes, I am indeed the head nurse, yes I am a man”. He then turned to Idel and his opponent, saying “Get on with whatever this brain-dead idiot is making you do, don’t worry, you’ll be safe, I can completely regenerate limbs, ya know”

 

Idel whelped in fear as the boy began charging at him, Mr. Ebarin, seeing his hesitation screamed, “You heard the man, GO! ATTACK !”

 

Idel realized it was probably in his best interest to fight back, and so darted at his opponent. Idel drew his rapier as he ran, while his opponent drew the massive broadsword off of his back.

“Bad Matchup”, Idel thought, his mind racing through possibilities for the fight, “Gotta be wary”.

When Idel reached his range, his opponent began a gigantic, arching swing. Idel dodged, rolling on the ground to be underneath his assailant’s left hand. The sheer force of the blow caused a gale to pick up and create a miniate dust storm.

 

Forcibly turning his Analytics on, he kept his eyes on his opponents body. Deducing the opponent's mind's eye and mental ability would be key to winning. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to overcome the amount of muscle being put into every swing.

 

Still under his opponent, Idel readied his rapier and feigned a thrust. Instead of blocking, like Idel expected ,his opponent swung the side of his broadsword around. It connected, roughly whacking Idel. He flew into the sand.

 

Idel raised an eyebrow as he jumped back onto his feet, “Interesting”, Idel thought, “Either this kid called my feign, or he used his mental ability”. Dashing forward, Idel used his Analytics to realize that the muscles on the boy’s left hand were flexing. He expected a downward slash, but instead was hit on the side by another arching swing. “He should not have been able to predict where I would go, considering the size of his sword and the fact that it would carry a lot of momentum. , he thought, while nimbly turning and blocking the swing with his rapier. He got thrown back into the sand in the process.

 

He quickly jumped back onto his feet and dashed forward to re-engage his enemy. His opponent moved into a defensive stance, blocking his body with his blade. Idel attempted to use his opponent’s sword as a platform to jump behind him. However, his opponent switched from the blade's blunt side to its sharp side, forcing Idel to awkwardly land next to the blade. He earned another sharp wack from his enemy’s sword, flying away again. Idel created a mental list of possible abilities his opponent could have, trying to ascertain his mental ability as fast as physically possible.

“Could it be a mental ability related to reaction time? Or maybe one like mine that allows one to get more information?”. He though as he ran forward yet again. He feigned to the left, but was kicked in the chest and thrown back. His body screamed in gnawing pain as he attempted to fight back against his instincts and maintain rational thought.A small smile tugged the edges of Idel’s mouth. His Analytics had helped him notice how his leg got ready for an attack before he attacked.

 

“That rules out reaction time”, Idel thought, as he readied for a thrust, “Reaction based abilities are reactive, while his movements are proactive. All I need to decide now is what kind of information ability he has.” Idel darted at his opponent, beginning a thrust, while his opponent began to move into a defensive position. He quickly jumped, pointing his rapier downwards, as Idel stared into his opponent’s eyes, he noticed how they were looking above him, not at him, causing him to have an epiphany. He was punched badly by his opponent’s fist, getting thrown back into the sand. Idel slowly got up, with a small smile on his face.

“I’ve got it! I’ve managed to deduce what this guy’s deal is! The way he counteracts all of my attacks, the way he reacts to things, his eyes! They all point to one thing and one thing only, he can see into the future!”, he thought as his grin was replaced by a frown. “Now how do I win against him. I can’t trick him, I can’t beat him when it comes to swordmanship, heck, I can barely get near the guy. ”

 

Idel and the boy eyed each other for a second, both clearly tired, however with Idel significantly more battered. As he stood, an idea began to form in Idel’s head.

 

He suddenly jumped towards his opponent, pointing his rapier at his shin, however he left his entire left hand unguarded. His enemy took the opportunity, utilizing a wide, arching slice to tear it clean off. Idel responded by pushing his needle clean through his leg. He then pulled upwards, leaving a gigantic gash. He then shot around his enemy, moving behind them. Taking his rapier, he repeatedly thrusted at his enemies back, leaving it looking quite like cheese.

 

“By giving him a trade of body parts that seems to be heavily in his favour on the surface, I can cripple him in a way where he won’t be able to react to me as well, essentially nullyfing his mental ability. I can then attack him to my hearts content”, he though.

 

He, as his crescendo, then crouched down and tried to drive his sword into his opponents eye, only for it to harmlessly bounce off its white. And shattering. His eyes widened, as his opponent gave off a deep laugh and punched him in the face.

 

His body, having had gone through enough, finally gave out. All he could hear before he fainted were loud laughter coming from all directions.

 

“Shoot, forgot he could use magic”, he though, as he gently ebbed out of consciousness

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