“Because historically," someone said, drawing a colle of eyes her way, “powerful adventurers end up as tyrants.”

  It was a faatalie reized: the girl with long, straight red hair, who Natalie had formed a poor first impression of ba the barracks. She had had a certain arrogao her face, even still. The amused quirk to her lips almost said that this question was ridiculous—but she’d answered anyway, because who else, if not her?

  “Exactly,” Harper said. “And ‘historically’ might eveoo gentle, as if it’s a trend that’s done and over with. Fun fact. How many tries, any of you tell me, are ruled by dictators?”

  “Individuals, or oligarchies?”

  Natalie’s head turhe speaker this time was a girl with short, bck hair and round spectacles. Her response was timid, and she quailed when everyone’s attention turo her. At a guess, she hadn’t eve to answer, but was intrigued enough by the question she’d responded instinctively.

  “Mm,” Harper said. “Let’s rephrase to, totalitarian rule enforced by an overwhelming power advantage, granted by their css. Groups or individuals, either or.”

  “Twenty or so?” the same girl said.

  “Of?”

  “Forty seven nations?”

  Harper seemed impressed. “That’s right. Twenty-two of forty-seven. Nearly half of all natioe the me—are ruled by individuals, roups of individuals, who abuse their gods-granted power.”

  She raised her eyebrows.

  “You see the PR nightmare, yeah? And Valhaur, and most of the Tas ti, have of course e to uand the monstrous, uhiature of such rule. But, we have millennia of distrust to work past … and even our nations don’t have hands in that regard. Not even i history.”

  That was true enough. Natalie’s thoughts flickered to, as most of the student’s surely did, The March of Three Kings—that bloody event only four decades back.

  “So, it’s an uphill battle we’re fighting to make people trust us. Which is why,” she emphasized the st word, “Teudents—the best of the best when it es to adventurers—ot be seen by the general popuce abusing their powers, or ag an idiot.” Harper leaned back. “I’m side-trag. The point: public retions quests. Te seeks to food will from the general popution. They don’t pay the best, but they’re great from a difficulty-to-pay standpoint. Maintenance, ing, public events, holy sometimes just showing up and looking pretty. Worst these sorts of quests get are monster exterminations, and only ones you’re overqualified fain, to improve fidence, and the general popuce’s image of us.”

  Harper breathed in.

  “Kay! Taking too long on tokens. Lots more to go over—check out the quest boards, or chat your friends up to get more ideas. There’s all kinds of shit you do. Extracurricurs, tours, research assistance, and some you wouldn’t expect, ‘specially if you’ve got a weird css, something helpful in, like, stru, or,” She shook her head. “Whatever it is. Okay. Moving on. Csses and daily life.”

  Natalie sat up straighter. Though the brief on tokens had been iing enough—surprisingly so—css would be the most pervasively relevant topi her life. And more than her cssmates, Natalie didn’t know what she was in for, not besides in a general sense.

  “You’ve all taken a look at the schedule on the pamphlet, I assume?” Harper asked.

  Natalie had. They’d been given tri-fold papers filled with all sorts of information. She hadn’t had a ce to read it ih, but she’d sed the tight-cramped text. Natalie idly opehe pamphlet up and took a sed look at the schedule.

  ~~~

  7:00 AM - Wake Up

  8:00 AM - Training Facility, ditioning

  9:30 AM - Spars

  11:00 AM - Lunch

  12:00 PM - Academics

  3:00 PM - Extracurricurs

  5:00 PM - End Academic Day

  11:00 PM - Lights Out

  ~~~

  “It’s self expnatory,” Harper said. “But there’s a few things worth bringing up. First, eight a.m. ditioning. It’s less structured than you think. This is your warm-up and exercise time, for the fighters, or your mental training time, for the casters. You won’t have an instructor assighat said, plenty are avaible, should you want or need one. Or do your own thing. All you’re required to do is sign in ahere.”

  “, academics at noon. You’ll have your own schedules for that—some of you are exempt to certain css, some of you aren’t. Most likely, expect to see public retions, intro to delving, and monster 101. You’ve gotta really try to fail these courses, but it happens. But really, just give it an effort. Not even your best effort … just an effort. That’s really all it takes. Te’s not expeg geniuses. Don’t be the sed year retaking 101s.” She shrugged. “Or, like I said, do. I’m not your mom. But it’s pretty embarrassing.”

  “Five p.m. is the end of the academic day. Now, I hope this doesn’t mean you’re done—have some ambitiora training, spars, whatever, but if you’re do five each day, you’re not going far. Assuming you’ve made it to Tehat probably won’t be an issue.”

  “Finally,” Harper said, “eleven p.m. Lights out. That means curfew. Yes, you have a curfew. But, it’s only for being out in Aradon. Ie’s walls. And like I’ve been saying—don’t fuck around when it es to this. If you break curfew and make it back without i, it won’t be the worst thing in the world, even if you’ll be getting unity work for it. But, break curfew, and do so while making an idiot of yourself …” Harper grimaced. “Just don’t. I’ll leave it at that.”

  Harper breathed in. “And finally … one of the real reasons I’m giving this briefing, rather than the faculty—the fact I be did. Everyone ready?”

  Everyone looked around, perplexed. Natalie didn’t know where Harper was leading with this, either.

  Harper put her hands on her hips and frow the colle of students.

  “Don’t get someone pregnant,” she said sternly, “and don’t get pregnant. Use s.”

  A stir went through the crowd, obviously not expeg the turn in subjeatalie just smirked, amused—then paused, because, uh, that was actually a more applicable warning to her than most. She’d already mused over how she would o be careful in that regard, but damn, with the thiween her legs, she had to worry from both ends, didn’t she? Both getting someone pregnant, and being.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Harper said. “It’s awkward, I know. But we’re talking about it. If there’s a quick way to tank your career, it’s getting knocked up. Guess this is more for the girls, because boys are—well. Boys. Hopeless. So, dies, please. Unless being a mom is what you’re aiming for—and, go for you, if it is, but since you’re at Te, I doubt it—then make sure your partner’s wearing a . There’s stations where you get them for free, too. Like, everywhere. Uand? Cool.”

  Harper brushed forward. Natalie remained amused. As Harper had said, this must be why they had a fourth year handling this portion of their orientation. It would be inappropriate for a faculty member to be this frank. Harper had hahe awkward topic well, but scolding a group of adults about wearing s was enough to break evehus-far irreverent demeanor. She was blushing.

  And, it made sehat Te had a problem with an … overly active student base. As a colle of young adults starting a neter in their life in a stressful, petitive enviro—and with fitness being a general requirement, resulting in sistently active, fit body types—some, well, ‘stress relief’ was aability. It actually fared well for Natalie, viewed that way. You know, seeing how she would be needing to find partners, just to advance her skills. And while for now that only meant kissing, Natalie doubted that would st.

  “Now, role guilds aracurricurs,” Harper said. “Almost dohen we’ll set you free to lunch.”

  “Guilds are simple. They’re a stick-around from the old days, and really, don’t matter much. Just don’t be caught saying it. Some people are bristly about guild allegiances.” She fshed a griher way, you’re required to pick, and there’s bes to being in the right one. Lets you work with peers, fiors, both faculty and students alike, and, y’know, it serves as a hang-out pce, too. I’m sure everyone’s heard the stories.”

  Even Natalie had, and she was less informed than probably anyone here. The guild’s parties were legendary … in both good and bad ways. Another byproduct of that ‘stressed enviro’ she’d mentioned. Natalie hadn’t e here to party, but she doubted anyone did. She’d probably chee out, eventually.

  “Some people fit several roles, obviously,” Harper tinued, “and don’t worry, you qualify up to two, if your css fills several. It happens. Plenty of, say, priests are in both the healer and mage guilds. Or a more obvious example, lots of brawler csses dabble in both tanking and fighting. So feel free to check out several guildhalls … though I reend you stick to one. Getting fortable is important. That said, don’t get stu your ways. Your css might be a healer now, but you might find fighter fits you better, five levels from now. Stay flexible. Keep your options open.”

  “And st ent, though it might not even be necessary. The divergent guild. If you’ve got a css that doesn’t fit into any of the guilds—it happens, surprisingly—then that’s the one you’ll be slotted in. For those of you that applies to … well, you know who you are. Hard to not.” Harper sed the crowd, as if seeing if anyone would give themselves away.

  Natalie was intrigued, also looking around. She’d never heard of a ‘divergent’ guild. Someone who fell outside all five roles? How would that happen? Wouldn’t that just be a … craftsman css, or something? How could someone be her a fighter, thief, mage, healer, or tank? Not even in a peripheral way?

  Natalie brainstormed. She realized she could think of a few. An explorer css, maybe, with no bat specialties, but useful in delving, or adventuring in general. Someone who could navigate the dungeon, disarming traps, leading the party to treasure … even if they didn’t have any bat prowess.

  Though, why be trai Te, in that case? To operate funally in a team?

  She didn’t get a ce to think too hard about it, because Harper was moving on. Like for the rest of orientation, she kept an expeditious pace.

  “Last item of business. Extracurricurs. The fun stuff.”

  For a few minutes, Harper went over the options avaible to them. Dueling was the most popur extracurricur, with a close sed being the harvesting disciplines. Besides that, there were more muions, like drama or band. Natalie hadirely made her mind up on which she’d pick, since everyone was required to be in at least one. As Harper went on, Natalie’s eyes gzed over. Extracurricurs were one of the things she already had a good idea of, ing to Te.

  Harper breathed in, g her hands together, bringing Natalie’s attention back. “That’s it! We’ve made it through. Just o quick thing, before I get to questions … it’s time for yeneric words of encement.”

  Natalie’s lips quirked at the tinued irreverence.

  “Remember, not everyone be the Dimming Herald,” Harper said. “That’s fi’s what Te wants you to be, but that doesn’t mean they want to get half the school killed trying for an impossibility. The one pert might provide a third of all monster cores—by energy—but the other two thirds … that still es from us mortals. We aren’t wholly expendable, a doesn’t want you to get yourself killed trying to be something you aren’t. You have to realize—some of us are pying different games from each other, and that’s the reality of … well, reality.”

  Natalie frowned. She didn’t like that perspective. Anyone could be the Dimming Herald if they worked hard enough. She didn’t believe a special set of people were simply born into fates like that. They earhem.

  “So,” Harper said. “Work hard and have fuhe best you be, but avoid croaking it. That’s it! Any questions?”