Chapter 6.4 - Adventurer's Prep Class

Among the numerous changes that took place over the course of a few months of having Veronica Seven Blades come in as the newest member of the Academy faculty, none was more showing that the further specialization of the oldest class, and the implementation of the Aventurer's Prep Class.

The eldest school, meant for those within 5 years of plating, was further divided into levels depending on how soon the plating would be. The three levels were soon to be or already plated, Less than 3 years until plating, and 3-5 years.

By the middle group, younglings were divided based on what they wished to specialize in. Specifically, if they wanted to live a life that included danger of combat or combat support, or if they wished to contribute to society in one of the numerous sustainment activities.

The Academy did not bar any student from taking whatever classes and training they wanted for, and many of Haven's most successful citizens fulfilled both purposes, such as Timot and Farrah, the Demis Ranchers that also happened to be successful dungeon guides.

And it wasn't that the protectorate was choosy on what path a youngling chose. Any youngling was welcome to apply once they plated. It wasn't mandatory, but the sense of national pride was strong at the school. Plus the benefits of joining basically set you up for life.

So for quite a few young adults, there was a combined class that acted as their once a week meetup to discuss the various aspects of work outside the confines of a city, and that was the Adventurer's Prep Class.

Members of this capstone class were usually already plated so it was an optional course, and it worked as more of a job placement and team development than an actual class. But since it was all new and recently plated there were no other school requirements

At the front of the class sat an older skygge boy, listening to the announcement from their adjunct instructor, Jasper.

Jasper was not wearing the professional uniform of an instructor of the school. As an Adjunct instructor he was brought in to teach his subject of expertise, and then in his case, be politely yet firmly escorted out lest he corrupt the youth with his volatile personality.

Jasper stood in a full combat kit, artfully dyed to match colorful floral patterns. Not at all the expectation of a Ranger and scout by class. As he spoke the students could tell that their headmistress, Lady Veronica, had him on a short leash.

"Alright kiddos, I am sure the other instructors would not want me to go off on a tangent. And I was brought in for a specific purpose. That is because today, you will be going through a meet and greet with the other Adventurer's Prep classes newly plated and working together to form a Party. You have learned about battle tactics and team balance, but I am here specifically to teach you about another aspect. Team dynamics. You can have the most balanced and well crafted team led by an expert Battle Tactician, and if your group hates each other, you will all die."

Jasper smiled, "I was brought in specifically to inform you of this. Your headmistress Veronica, she hates me. Not that I have done anything specific that I can remember, she just doesn't like who I am as a person."

The skygge boy sitting up front saw as Lady Veronica's composure broke and she looked defeated.

Jasper continued, "That is why I am here to tell you just one thing. It doesn't matter how balanced your team is. You should pick people who can get along, or at least not want to kill each other. That said, strength is important, but today, You will each be given a sheet and all of the classes will be sent into a large banquet area for the afternoon to get to know each other. In the end, the names you write down will be used to form your parties."

A student in the middle rows raised their hand, "Lord Jasper, why not just let us form our teams without this overly complicated process?"

There were murmurs. Jasper nodded, "Alright. I see your point. Lady Veronica and I discussed the benefits and drawbacks of this idea and in the end, our nation prides itself on freedom. So if you want to make your own parties with the people you have made friends with here, don't let me stop you. You can simply fill out a party form and turn it in and have the rest of the day off."

With that the majority of the students got up and went to fill out forms.

Jasper looked a little disheartened, that at the end there were 2 people in the classroom. The first was a small elven girl in the back, and in the front, a skygge boy, his horns barely visible past his curly black hair.

Jasper then looked at Veronica, who nodded and left the room. While Veronica was out Jasper smiled, "Vivi is out checking on something for me while she is out do you guys have any questions?"

The skygge boy raised his hand, "Why do you wear such a colorful combat outfit if a Ranger's job is to not be seen?"

Jasper smiled, "Because it matches my personality. Don't worry, it is more than suited to combat." And with a waive, the outfit changed color, and the various floral patterns blended in with the background of the classroom. "It looks better in the woods. Urban sprawls aren't really my thing."

The girl in the back spoke, barely a whisper. "Why do you call Lady Veronica 'Vivi'?"

Jasper laughed, "Because she hates it. Been trying to get it to stick for years."

With that Veronica came in and the Skygge boy saw that she sent Jasper a message. Jasper nodded, "Guess schools haven't changed in 50 years. Alright, looks like you are going out to meet your team."

Jasper motioned for the two younglings to stand and follow him. The banquet hall was setup for hundreds of students, however due to the fact that most had already had their parties formed before arriving at the Adventurer Prep class there was entirely too much food.

As they arrived, the site was disheartening. Including the 2 from Jasper's class, there were 7 newly plated adventurers.

Jasper smiled, "Meet your new team! I know everyone stayed with this program until the end so they could become adventurers. Sure you might not have made a group of friends, but it doesn't matter. The 7 of you stayed with it, so you have that in common. Why don't you introduce yourselves. And please, eat up! There is more than enough food."

The group huddled together. Mostly timid and nervous, everyone kind of stood there. The Skygge boy smiled. He hadn't ever thought of himself as a leader, but he would at least break the tension in the room. "Hello, my name is Emil! I am a proud member of the skygge people. Although my class is Duelist, I am proud to say that with the legacy of my people I am an intermediate pilot, and able to use a variety of ships and wagons. I recently had a chance to try out the new wind cutters and I am pretty good on one of those too." Emil was referencing the small reconnaissance vessel model that was being produced for transport between regions and countries.

Emil smiled and then said, "How about to make it easier, we let the person to our left introduce themselves next."

The next up was the forest elf girl from Emil's orientation class. "My name is Vena. My class is Druid. It is fairly common from our lands. It focuses on Nature magic to heal and restore our allies, but I can also ask animals for help. I am glad to meet everyone here, and my family is looking forward to meeting you all as well."

Next was an odd human male, who seemed to be thinking of something else. Vena bumped him. "Oh yes, sorry. My name is Mitch. I am a Merchant by class. Although my combat skills are far from acceptable, I know my ability to appraise, identify, and categorize items found on adventures will greatly help the team." There was a blond girl standing expressionless behind Mitch. She was dressed in pants, tunic, and a shop apron. Her hair was braided down her back and ended midway down her back. "Also this is Evie. She is a Construct registered to me."

The group was shocked. They had not seen anyone that was not an established member of town with a Construct. Mitch answered their unspoken question. "I picked up Evie for the Demis family that had taken me in. I work in their shop as an apprentice, you see. Anyways I was with Evie and I was teaching her about the shop while my boss was out haggling with the adventurers for a Gold dust mushroom. Anyways he didn't have time to register Evie before the announcement came out. Man was his mate relieved, as I was sure my boss would have been in for a long night had he registered a construct. Demis are highly territorial. Anyways, since we had already promised to take her in, Evie was given to me to register and we still work in the shop. Although I am looking to strike out on my own."

Evie the Construct seemed quiet during all of this. Most of them had heard rumors of the Battle Maidens, but they hadn't seen one up close. She looked like any other young human girl, except the lack of expression was almost like the Content. Mitch motioned to the next person, who stood, pale in amber glow of the banquet hall's numerous lights.

Besides not looking attractive, he seemed to just radiate bad vibes. He spoke, "My name is Alexi, and I am a human. Despite the instructor's better judgement, I have classed as a Necromancer, and until I can control my aura, I am required to wear this." Alexi showed off a strange bracelet. "It hampers my ability to control the undead, but it also dampens my aura so I am not a danger to anyone in town. Also, it has been advised I apologize for any strange looks or demeanors I have. I thought I was going to be cast out of the city, so I dropped my charisma to bump my other stats to aid in survival. Now it seems, I may have made a terrible decision quite hastily." Emil took in his words and would have bet that Jasper was stifling laughter.

Then there was another girl, with neon pink hair and a crystal embedded in her forehead. "Hello, My name is Arte. I am a Lancer Gole. My expertise is in fighting against sapient creatures but I can also assist in boosting my team's willpower and mana regeneration." Arte then sort of feigned laughter, "However I am not the best suited for severe climates, and the majority of my mana is being used to fuel an advanced version of the endure elements spell."

Last was a hooded girl, she raised her hood and the solid black eyes were a giveway. A bright smile was on her face. "Hello! My name is Nira. I also was lucky to be classed as an aberrant mage." Nira smiled, and everyone smiled back. Aberrant mages were rare, and Emil was surprised she wasn't picked up by another team. Then again, aberrant mages were known for their insatiable drive to taste the species of the world. It had caused a few groups trouble in the past.

Jasper was listening to the team and was shaking his head. He thought to himself, 'The normal team makeup should consist of a few frontline fighters, a few backline fighters, some combat support, and MAYBE 1 sustainment person. This group of 7 had an Aberrant Mage, Duelist, and Battle Maiden for frontline fighting, No backline fighters, a Necromancer and a Druid for Combat Support and magic, and a Lancer Gole and Merchant for Sustainment.'

Regardless of how well a team works together, Jasper realized exactly what kind of a hard road this team was in for.

As they were speaking, Jasper came up. "Before you guys decide to tackle any serious quests, why not try to beat the record at the training dungeon?"

A few of them had been into the training dungeon. A few hadn't. Mitch raised his hand "Is that the new dungeon that opened up? The one for children?"

Jasper exhaled, "It is not just for children. Sure, the first few levels are relatively easy for an Middle Youngling to fight in, but they only get harder. Right now the team record is level 37."

Arte then said, "Isn't it true though that the 35th level of the training dungeon is about as difficult as the 1st level of the standard dungeon? What is there to gain in going past it."

Jasper smiled at them. "Well, for one, even the non combat people in your party will be able to improve their combat capability, and you can prioritize their learning on the first few levels. This is because no one, not the merchants or the healers, is exempt from learning to defend the party. You cannot just depend on the battle maiden to take care of business, because her skill is locked until your merchant levels up."

Jasper continued, "Second, A group of misfits like you will need to work on your battle rhythm and teamwork. Take the quests to improve your base stats around the capital, and when you are not working on that, improve your teamwork in the Training dungeon."

"And finally, the line to enter the normal dungeon is a 3 week wait. The Training Dungeon is free to enter and has no line, and since the creatures seem to spawn endlessly on each floor, you won't have to worry about timing. This way, when you have worked through dozens or hundreds of floors in the training dungeon, you will be able to go quite a few levels down in the normal dungeon. The standard dungeon in the capital is really only better than the training dungeon if you can get down more than 2 or 3 levels. Otherwise, very little in the form of monetary resources is claimed. The other groups have saturated those markets."

Jasper was making sense. He was making sense to the fact that most of the monsters from the first few levels were worth no more than their farmed counterparts.

Emil looked to the group. "Alright, so how about on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we meet up at the adventurer's guild to work on quests towards joining the protectorate, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays we work on going into the Training dungeon. We can start at 8am in the morning and head down until we get ejected out."

The group nodded in agreement. Jasper would be worried about the groups that did not attend the banquet missing out on his sage wisdom, but if they were qualified to make their own team, they would probably brush off what he had to say anyways. Willful youth will be willful.

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