The Dragoneer Manual

Chapter 11 - Orientation

The cathedral was quite full since Rory and Teak were arriving right on time. 

The tables inside were filled with new students. Teak pulled Rory onto the bench facing a table on the left side. They were pretty far back but Rory could see that at the front of the room, by the altar adorned with dragon imagery, stood four professors. 

To the right side, sitting in a chair and looking a tad bit bored, was Jay. 

Professor Flame stepped forward.

"Thank you all for coming. I would like to extend you all a warm welcome to the Dragoneer Academy. You have all met me before. I am Professor Flame. Today you will meet your three other trainers: Professor Fang, Professor Scale, and Professor Taylor."

Rory furrowed her brow. Why did Professor Taylor have such an ordinary name? Did he not get the memo?

"To begin the orientation, please give a warm welcome to Professor Scale."

The recruits all clapped, filling the echoey Cathedral with sound. Since Rory and Teak were at the back, they could hear the door open behind them despite the commotion. A young man stepped in.

He was wearing the recruit uniform, but he had disheveled hair and dirt stains on his cheeks. He tiptoed to the empty table to the right, making eye contact with Rory, clearly a bit embarrassed. 

He had grey eyes, and had hair so light it was almost white. Although he looked a bit of a mess, there was something charming about him. The professors didn't notice his late arrival, to which he seemed relieved. Teak covered her mouth with her hand and suppressed a giggle.

"Who's that?" Rory whispered to her, but Teak only shrugged.

The elderly professor stepped forward. He was well put together and wore an all black uniform, which was simple but well tailored. He had a thinning head of grey hair. He had a quiet voice but something in the room seemed to be amplifying it. Rory couldn't be sure if it was some kind of magic or just a speaker system.

"Greetings to all," he began. "Your arrival here marks a very important moment in your lives as well as ours. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge how commendable your ability to find our sanctuary has been. All of you come from a world where money, power, and politics are most valued. But that is not the truth of the universe in which we reside,"

"The reality of our worlds is much more complicated, but many fail to see it for what it really is. The world you come from makes films and writes stories about the knowledge that is deeply ingrained into all our inner knowing, and calls it 'fantasy.' It is not a fantasy, and it is not something to be trifled with. You are all embarking on a journey that is going to be more difficult that any career path you may have chosen in your previous lives. But although it will be difficult, it is what fate has chosen for you."

The atmosphere of the room had turned serious. The recruits, who had previously been bursting with excitement, now became hyper focused and determined, with their gazes fixed on Professor Scale.

"I regret that I must break somber news on your first day of orientation, but time is of the essence. For the first time in a thousand years, our sanctuary has been breached. It has been discovered by forces far stronger than the most powerful human beings in your world. These forces are not human, and they are not from either of our worlds."

The silence in the room was so palpable it felt like a weight on Rory's chest. She had to remind herself to breathe. 

Professor Scale continued.

"If we do not take action, the darkness will soon spread across the land. And I want to be clear: it is not only our world of Aerland that is at risk. The problems of this world will bleed into the world you left behind, and all of humanity, dragons, and magic spirits will be in grave danger. Only we can fight to restore normality. I do not want to underplay the severity of this situation. This is a battle between the darkness and the light."

The silence dragged on as everyone absorbed his words. Rory felt frozen in her seat. But, her train of thought was interrupted by Teak whispering in her ear.

"He says the exact same thing every orientation," Teak said. "I think he has it memorized."

Rory smiled, grateful for some small relief from the tense situation.

Professor Scale stepped back and let Professor Fang take the stage. She was petite woman with sleek and shiny black hair. Her uniform was similar to Professor Flame's. She smiled sweetly at the audience of recruits.

"Now that we have that out of the way... Hello, new students. I'm Professor Fang, and I'm looking forward to teaching you all. My specialty is in sword skills, so I hope you will all come to class ready to improve your techniques. Your first assignment from me will be to choose your sword, or rather, let your sword choose you. The sanctuary uses a different currency than the one many of you have brought, so you will all be starting from scratch, you understand?"

There were some audible gasps and groans from the audience.

"Yes," Professor Fang said, nodding. "No one here comes with more of an advantage than another. Your determination and hard work will be what sets you apart. After the orientation, I will be distributing your allotments. Please use them wisely, as making money is not simple here, and especially at your levels. Thank you."

She bowed forward and stepped back.

"And that concludes the orientation," Professor Flame declared.

Rory furrowed her brows and turned to Teak.

"Isn't the last Professor going to speak?" Rory asked.

Teak shook her head.

"Nah. Professor Taylor doesn't like this kind of thing." Teak replied.

Rory turned her gaze to the tall, serious looking man who was standing in the back. He, like Professor Scale, had an all black uniform. Although he was young, his hair was completely silver. Throughout the orientation, he had been sweeping his eyes over every student, as if he were analyzing them. While Professor Fang was distributing the students' allotments, and the others were engaging in one-on-one conversations with students, Rory watched as Professor Taylor stepped down from the altar and exited through a side door. She squinted her eyes at the empty space where he had been standing. 

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A/N: What are your first impressions of the Professors? <3 leave a comment below!