POWERLESS: The Reborn Saga (NaNoWriMo 2017)

1.2 - The Noob Academy, Lesson 1

Schmendrick walked behind Malkus as the two went through the blue portal. While the two weren't exactly friends, Schmendrick felt that the other boy was someone Schmendrick could be partners with at this place and watch his back. Schmendrick didn't know what his old life was like but his gut feelings were kicking in now. It was telling him how to act and what to look for. He had to keep a low profile and blend into the crowd while carefully observing his surroundings to gather more information.

They were transported to a classroom furnished in the style of a lecture hall, with each subsequent row of tables and chairs elevated so that students would have unobstructed views of the lecturer standing at the podium on the stage. The two boys took their seats toward the back of the hall. It was more of Schmendrick taking the lead and Malkus following.

Again, Schmendrick was simply following his instincts. Sitting further back would provide a better view of his surroundings, particularly when the seats were elevated in this manner. Furthermore, he wanted to avoid interacting with the lecturer at the podium and needlessly draw attention to himself. There were too many unknown variables at the moment and his instincts were telling him to step as far back as possible. He took a quick count of heads; there were twelve of them in the classroom. Factoring in the catatonic boy killed in the rebirth chamber, this meant that there were twelve girls in the other classroom.

When everyone was seated, a man suddenly appeared on stage. He was a middle-aged looking black man who wore a light tan and sleeveless shirt which displayed his thick arms, a green camouflaged pair of pants, and black boots.

"Listen up! I am your instructor at The Noob Academy. You will listen. You will pay attention. Or else, you will be dead. Just like that sorry SOB who got nailed on his own altar. Your past lives are over. You have been reborn in a new world. And you will do your part to help us survive," the man lectured while pointing his fingers at the students for emphasis.

"What's your name, sir?" someone called out.

"I didn't give you permission to talk," the instructor replied angrily. "You!" he pointed at the boy who spoke up. "Come down here," he ordered.

The lanky boy with long brown hair casually rose from his seat and slowly descended to the stage.

The instructor's eyes burned with fury but kept silent. When the boy finally stood in front of the man, the instructor punched the boy in the nose.

The boy immediately collapsed on the stage; he was out cold.

"You can't do that!" someone yelled in protested.

The instructor offered an evil grin. His eyes roamed the rows and he looked at every single student sitting in the classroom. "I'm your instructor. You are my students. I can discipline you however I want." He kicked the downed boy's right foot. "This little prick took his sweet time in coming down. He made me wait and wasted my valuable time. He was punished for it. Now, someone please drag this little shithead off my stage!" The bulging veins in his neck were threatening to pop.

The student seated closest to the stage ran toward his classmate and dragged him off.

A few more boys left their seats and helped put the unconscious boy in the nearest chair.

"I am your instructor. That is what you will call me. You scrubs haven't earned the right to know my name." The instructor typed into a transparent keyboard in front of his chest. A map appeared in the thin air before him. He put his hands together and slowly spread them apart. The holographic map began to expand in size until his hands stopped moving. "The green dot is where we are now. It's a city built by the reborn and it is called 'Rezdi City.' The center of Rezdi is a resurrection chamber similar in appearance and function to the chamber where you first appeared. Whenever we die in the Sanctum, we will be resurrected in the resurrection chamber. This is why it is crucial that we must protect that chamber at all costs."

The instructor spread his fingers and the map zoomed out. "The area beyond the city is where we hunt, gather, mine, and farm. We call it the 'Recovered Land.' It is surrounded by bodies of water. The area is relatively safe compared to another region we will discuss in a moment. Depending on your Class and Skills, you may be assigned by the system to work in the Recovered Land." The map was zoomed further out. "Beyond the water, though, is a dangerous region. It is a wasteland known as 'The Shar.' It is a vast desert. Water is scarce. Shelters are the rocks and sand. There are ruins of an ancient civilization buried within The Shar. Brave scavengers explore these ruins and, on occasion, recover relics containing technology far superior to anything we possess in Rezdi City. Our best tinkers work day and night to unlock the secret of these relics and incorporate these recovered technologies for the betterment of our city."

With a wave of his hand, the instructor closed the map and posted a picture. It was a monster.

The students were alarmed when they saw it. It was a giant earthworm with yellow-orange colored scales and a wide mouth that could devour a whole person.

"This here is a dune worm. The Shar is where these suckers live. They are blind but their sense of hearing is excellent. They can detect vibrations from deep within the ground as well. If you ever encounter one of these worms in the wasteland, your best bet is to stay still and pray that they can't hear your heart beats. We don't know how far the Shar extends, or whether there are any other Reborn settlements beyond the Shar. It is our hope that we will discover technology within the ruins that we can adapt and utilize to fight off the dune worms. That will pave the way for further exploration within the Shar."

The instructor put his hands together and the hologram collapsed. "Okay, that's the end of the first lesson. We'll take a five-minute break and then continue on with the next lesson. You can sit, talk, stretch, or do something else. I don't care what the fuck you do because you ain't leaving this room until my lessons are finished. And the break starts NOW!" The man stepped through a portal and disappeared from the classroom.

When the instructor was gone, a hologram showing "5:00" appeared onstage and it started counting down.