TBATE - Not Bound By Fate

Part 48

Of all the things I expected when arriving in the territory of the Mapellia, which no one has told me the name of yet, attending classes in a normal school was not one of them. As normal as an asuran school can be from my perspective anyways.

When I was told this part of my training was all about survival skills and taking advantage of the terrain, my mind immediately went to something like the previous timeline. Surviving in a forest while having to hunt specific animals, each one teaching me something new about mana manipulation or how to make better use of limited resources.

So pardon me for my confusion when I was told to attend six hours of biology class every day with other children of different Hamadryad clans.

The classes were actually very easy to follow at least and encompassed more than just the life that can be found in Epheotus. On the days where the fauna and flora of Dicathen were the main focus the teacher actually turned to me and Sylvie to have us help paint a better picture by asking us to retell some of our own experiences.

It has honestly been very pleasant to attend these classes as none of the kids showed even a trace of superiority like most of the adult Asura I've met so far. They were very earnest with their questions and would usually crowd around me and Sylvie after class just to ask what life outside of Epheotus was like. At first they were very surprised by how different it all was from what they were taught and after a few days most of them expressed how excited they were to visit and see for themselves another continent. Especially the Elshire Forest.

Seeing these kids being genuinely curious about a different culture and people, the actual desire to learn more about the world and its inhabitants without a shred of the racism I came to expect from Asuras gave me hope for what the future could look like. One after the defeat of Agrona the people of Dicathen and Alacrya won't have to live in fear of the Asuras ever being hostile, but rather allies who help them create a better world.

Perhaps my plan to become a voice for us lesser beings in the Great Eight to achieve peace between the three continents is much more likely than what I initially thought.

"That's great Arthur, but don't let your thoughts for the future distract you from the present. Now finish your homework." Sylvie interjected through our bond.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm almost finished with it, just got a bit sidetracked."

"For an hour? I thought you were a diligent student with how you behaved at Xyrus Academy. You were always quick to finish assignments, usually on the day they were given."

"Everyone gets distracted sometimes. And I'm taking my time with this one because it's already fifteen pages long, I want to make sure I get things right the first time." I explained to her.

"Fifteen pages? Are we talking about the same thing? Mine was only five."

"You are talking about the homework on the difference between freshwater mana beasts and saltwater ones, no?" I asked, a bit confused.

"Not at all, that's for next week. I was talking about the one that's due tomorrow, the one about how to identify poisonous plants." Sylvie clarified what she was referencing.

"Oh that one. I got it done ages ago, no need to worry."

"I see." There was a pause. "Is it really that long?" A hint of worry and dread present in her tone.

"Sort of. You can definitely make it shorter, I just got interested in the subject and ended up doing more work than needed. You can take my notes for it if you want, it should be better than using the textbooks in the library."

"Thanks, I'll grab it tomorrow. Anything to not have to sit through those walls of text the teachers call books."

"That is the one thing we so-called lessers do better than the Asuras."

"Just don't tell the teacher that or they'll throw a fit." Sylvie advised jokingly.

"Maybe they should consider making readable books instead. It's like they don't know what a paragraph is."

"Maybe they don't, but enough about that. When do you think the more practical aspect of our training here will begin?" Sylvie asked.

I knew she was getting a little impatient with the way things have been progressing under the tutelage of the Mapellia clan, and so was I if I'm being honest. I understand the importance of having the knowledge they are trying to impart us with but if the objective is to get us ready to fight a war then their methods are too inefficient. Was this just poorly planned or is there something else I'm missing here?

"I don't know Sylv. But I have a feeling it won't be anytime soon." I answered.

"I'll ask one of the teachers tomorrow. Surely they've planned something more than just theoretical classes."

"I leave it to you then. Let's just hope it won't take too long to start. As much as I like these classes they are giving, a lot of it is useless to us."

"And a waste of time for us." She said what I left unsaid.

We talked a bit more after that and eventually we turned in for the night. When I laid down on the bed of the apartment that was provided for me, my thoughts went to Dicathen and the war.

I was worried, very worried about the current situation. Gramps helped me prepare the continent the best he could, and having the detailed plans of Agrona helped a lot, but for how long would that be the case? How long until the basilisk decided enough was enough and sent more than just one or two retainers at a time?

The Lances had their limeters removed not long after I came to Epheotus so they should be able to deal with the retainers by now, especially after I crippled Uto. But what about the Scythes? Even Nico was able to handle them easily and he was the weakest. If Cadell is sent early it would take all of the Lances combined to deal with half blood, leaving other areas vulnerable.

And that's not even taking into account how Olfred is possibly still a traitor. With Rahdeas disappearing there is a chance he gave up working with the Vritra, but without knowing what happened to the old dwarf there was no way to tell.

Which leads to another problem, Nico. Him disappearing means Agrona brought him back to Alacrya over a year earlier and that is a lot of time to build strength. While he won't be a threat to me, he still is to everyone else.

So many imminent problems and there is nothing I can do from here other than trust Regis to do what I asked him to. Hopefully that will be enough of a hindrance to delay whatever Agrona is planning.