The Academy Life (Part 4) Elective Scouting

"My teacher said the monster-taming class is usually taught by him, but they had to outsource someone new this year. Apparently, they're a former mercenary." Lacey explained to Lia and Sisha as they made their way to the Monster-Taming classroom.

"I wonder if they'll also teach about some of the vulnerabilities the more common monsters have. I'd take the elective if that was on the syllabus." Lia said offhandedly.

Lacey chuckled. "They might, but that's more likely covered in the adventurer course. That class teaches you about all manner of monster-hunting knowledge. From what monster parts are usually the most expensive, to their vulnerabilities and resistances, and even some general teamwork tips."

Lia thought about it for a moment. She wanted to see other classes before deciding to take that one specifically. 'It would feel like a waste to make hasty decisions. Perhaps I should've waited to sign up for the war class.' She shook her head. Truthfully, there was no use worrying about it now.

Sisha spoke up next. "It seems we're here. There's no-one around though."

Lacey nodded. "Odd. One would think this class would be one of the more popular ones."

The three of them entered the open classroom door. The teacher stood behind a desk. She wore a set of extremely lightweight armor. It was made of some silver-looking foreign metal and appeared to be Elven in design. A silver and red-colored rapier was strapped to her hip, and it rested in a rather ostentatious sheath. She glanced up as the three of them entered.

"Welcome. I'm Yuna, and I teach the monster-taming class. I guess you could also call it the summoner class." Just based on her tone of voice, Lia could tell she was a battle-hardened adventurer.

Lia raised an eyebrow. "Summoning?"

The teacher nodded. "Yes. Did your first teacher not explain anything about the classes to you?"

Sisha looked at Lia awkwardly, then moved her gaze to the teacher. "He did not. We had a substitute, and our class hadn't been briefed on religious practices or anything like that at the time. I assumed there wasn't time. It's not a big deal though."

The teacher sighed. "Class S then. Well, summoning isn't for everyone. Most people don't take this class because they're more worried about forging, alchemy, etcetera. Let's just do a demonstration so you can get a much better feel for what it is."

The teacher held her hand out as a neon green circle appeared on the desk. It was rather small, and the runes that accompanied it were bright pink. A small tornado of bizarre mana was released before it suddenly dissipated. What remained in the circle was a small humanoid with wings on its back. It was a fairy or pixie, Lia wasn't entirely sure which.

The fairy (or pixie) hastily began speaking in a completely foreign language, and the teacher reciprocated in kind. After a few moments of chatting, the fairy/pixie calmed down and sat quietly on the desk. Its eyes were glued to Lacey, and it watched her warily. The teacher began to explain.

"There are other realities separate from ours, and we call them the various spheres. We can't travel to them, but summoning focuses on drawing creatures from those places to us for aid. Most summons will end up being monsters incapable of speaking. That type of summon is bound to your will until you release them. However, creatures like this fairy are highly intelligent and can take some 'convincing'. It wasn't too happy that I summoned it." The teacher smiled softly as she looked down at the fairy, which promptly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sisha's eyes were focused on where the circle previously was. "I am taking this class. Are either of you interested?"

Lacey seemed to think about it. "I might be back, but I want to see other classes first."

Lia nodded. "I'm the same. I have signed up for two classes already, and I want to see what the others have to offer before making any decisions."

Sisha nodded as she strode forward and promptly signed her name. The three of them went on their way after that.

.....

The next class they wanted to see was the swordplay class. Lacey in particular was interested. Lia wasn't sure what level of swordsmanship they taught, but if it was high enough, she could gain some skill by taking it.

She wasn't holding out hope, however. Her swordplay was taught to her by royal tutors and some of the strongest vampire swordsmen, so she wasn't sure what she could learn from a first year class.

The swordsmanship class was being taught in the courtyard, and when the three girls arrived, they noticed twenty people standing around performing faux strikes over and over. The man directing them was one she had seen previously. He wore white armor with gold accents. He was one of the judges in the tournament.

He saw the three of them approaching and smiled. "Greetings. I am Shino, and I teach swordsmanship, archery, heavy weapons, polearms, and the holy magic elective.

Lia raised an eyebrow. "You're the school's weapon expert then?"

He coughed awkwardly. "Yes. That's kind of what my role is."

Lia nodded. "I'm a vampire, so I definitely won't be taking the holy magic class. Well, my aptitude for it is very low, so I couldn't take it even if I wanted to. I might be interested in swordsmanship though."

He nodded at Lia before turning towards the other two girls. "Are either of you interested in any of my classes?"

Sisha nodded. "I've mostly used axes and such, heavy weapons would fit me the best."

Lacey smiled awkwardly. "I have practically no experience with weapons."

He smiled amicably. He seemed to be somewhat excited. "I'll test each of you to see where your weapon skills are at. These classes are mostly introductory, but even if you're too skilled now, you can take the advanced classes next year."

He led the three girls to what seemed like a makeshift sparring arena. There were various weapons in different racks off to the side. Polearms, axes, swords, and even a few bows were there.

He began to explain. "I'll spar with each of you one at a time to see where you're at. The rules are simple. If you hit me once, you'll win, and if I hit you three times, you'll lose. Whether you win or lose doesn't matter so much as how long the match lasts. Just pick your weapon of choice from the rack and we can begin."