Karl and Dana returned to their rooms, while the guide led the others back to the dorms that they were sharing. Normally, that would have led to envy, but when they saw the broom closet sized rooms that the more powerful pair were staying in, suddenly the dorms didn’t seem as bad with their bunk beds.
Until the snoring started.
Karl joined the group of bleary-eyed students outside the dining hall the next morning, and realized that they were possibly even more tired than they had been before they went to bed.
“I thought that we reminded everyone to sleep early? It’s a travel day, so you can sleep on the bus, but still, you’re Elites in the wilderness, you should be ready at any time.” Karl reminded them.
“I know you said that, but once we got to those nice, comfortable cots, we learned a valuable lesson. Thor is not the member of this team that snores the loudest. Gerald is. How it wasn’t a problem in the woods, I have no idea, but we should get him checked or something before we leave.” One of the mages joked halfheartedly, still mostly asleep.
The girls all nodded in agreement.
“We were across the hall and I thought that he was going to shake the pictures off the walls.” One of them agreed with an annoyed glare at Gerald.
As they were arguing, one of the local clergy came over with the gentle smile that Karl was beginning to learn meant that someone was in trouble.
“They may have forgotten to mention that we were forced to intervene when these young ladies very inappropriately stormed the boys’ dormitory and began to pummel their teammates.” The young man calmly informed them.
“It wasn’t that bad, really. We were just trying to make him stop snoring.” One of the girls offered.
Karl nodded. “While making him stop breathing will make him stop snoring, it is not the best option. We will discuss this on the very long ride back to the Academy. Thank you, Friar, I will take care of the situation.”
The cleric smiled at the proper use of his rank within the church. These days, it wasn’t used as much as their strength ranking, but the Friars were clergy who didn’t have the gift for Holy Magic. Some might be warriors, but mostly they were the common preachers, the ones that those in small towns and villages went to for matters of faith and not matters of healing.
With one last warning look at the others, Karl headed for the second dining room, and found that while he was at the same table as before, it was a different spot, and all the people seated around him had changed.
He took his seat, and the girl beside him, taller than him by a head and with arms roughly the size of his legs, smiled down at him.
“We put the names out at random. Or at least we’re supposed to. It appears that someone made the order not so random yesterday. You can call me Sister Betty, and I will be accompanying you back to the Academy today.” She greeted him.
“Good morning, Sister Betty. What brings you to the Divine Golden Academy?” Karl asked.
“A group of final year students wanted to take on a level five mission to push for the Commander Rank. They have found some evidence of Commander Rank resources that they think will allow them to advance, but they needed an appropriate healer.”
Betty actually seemed excited to be going on a mission that dangerous, but Karl was thinking of the Locust Swarm that he had encountered in the south.
“Well, I hope that it’s nothing you can’t handle. I went to the South to look for suitable partners, and we came across a monster attack on an outpost. Even with the team I was assigned to assisting the town’s defence, it was a bit dicey.” He explained.
Betty nodded. “I am a Priestess of the Red Dragon, The Dragon God of War. Healing is secondary among my abilities, as my Goddess grants me various abilities relating to combat buffs and Holy Light attacks. It makes me uniquely suited to this sort of mission.”
A young man, shorter than Karl despite being ten years older, and with a balding hairline that didn’t match his youthful features, walked up behind her and patted her on the shoulder.
“What she’s saying is that she’s probably a better fighter than their warriors, and she’s always happy to get away from the sound of children crying.” He laughed.
“You work with children?” Karl asked in confusion.
Betty smiled fondly at some memory as she replied. “War creates orphans, so the Dragon God of War charges her Priestesses with the care of them. When I’m here, I am the physical education teacher for the orphan children under age twelve, when they get sorted by the Serum and their aptitude for magic.”
Karl’s gym teacher in primary school was a paunchy and balding middle-aged man who couldn’t even keep up with the kids. He just stood in the middle of the field and yelled orders.
“You seem like you would be an excellent teacher. I can see that you have a fondness for children.”
She nodded happily. “All Dragons do.”
Karl froze in shock.
“Back up. Did you just say Dragon?” He stammered.
“Oh, it’s so cute when they don’t know. Yes, all the Chromatic Dragon Priestesses have at least some Dragon features, either by birth or as a result of the Divine Serum.
I am technically a dragonkin now, as I have no tail or wings and can’t transform, but I did gain some dragon instincts and senses. It is a result of the Serum Awakening, and lets me use magic much more easily than most humans, and gives me an affinity for my Goddess.
You can think of us as something like the Berserker Class of the Cleric world.”
The boy beside her shifted his voice to a whisper in anticipation of the Matron entering for breakfast.
“All clergy in the Golden Dragon Nation work together. It’s the same set of Holy Books, after all, and with the Serum, many Clerics now awaken to the powers of other Gods and Goddesses within the Pantheon. I am a Priest of the God of Magic, and the one who just sat on your other side is a Priestess of the God of Nature.
It’s not really necessary to separate us most of the time, but like the mages and warriors of your Academy, we have slightly different powers.”
“And that is why we all use Brother and Sister as titles. Because it doesn’t really matter unless you have some personal business with our God.” Sister Betty whispered.
Karl had only known a little bit of that, and the details of how the inner relations of the Church, and the way that the Serum enforced loyalty to the different Gods and Goddesses of the Pantheon, was an intriguing topic. They were all part of the same group, so maybe he could consider it more like a researcher’s specialties.
Like how the mining town had four geologists, but they all specialized in different things.