Sam woke up early the next morning. It was still early but his excitement was at an all-time high and he was looking forward to meeting some of his fellow students as well as getting to have a look around the school. He had a light breakfast from his remaining food supplies from his journey to the academy before doing a light workout to loosen himself up. He washed himself off in the huge bathroom and changed into one of the nicer sets of clothes he had.
Sam was going to wash his clothes before going to bed the night before however he found a book in his bedside drawers with a list of services offered to him as part of his dormitory room. This included a laundry service that would collect his dirty clothes and wash and returned them upon request. This was quite good for Sam as he hadn’t really washed his clothes before himself so he was glad that would be taken care of by someone who actually knew what they were doing.
Sam left his dorm room and headed downstairs to the courtyard between the two dormitory buildings for the academy orientation. When he arrived he spotted a group of five kids around his age and one who looked to be a couple years older. He assumed the older one was the one running the orientation.
Sam was heading over to the group when the older looking student spoke out to him “Heya, are you joining the orientation this morning?" called the student. “I am, my name’s Sam” he replied. “Nice to meet you Sam, my name is Elizabeth Rosenfall. I’m a third-year student and will be running today’s orientation” she said with an energetic smile on her face. Elizabeth withdrew a pocket watch and checked the time “Okay, we will wait five more minute for anyone who may be running a bit behind and then we will begin the orientation” she said to the group.
“Alright I think that was enough time to allow everyone to arrive. Let’s begin the orientation” Elizabeth said excitedly. “Firstly, my name is Elizabeth Rosenfall and this will be my third year at the academy. Now please raise your hand if you’re from the city” she said. Out of the eight students who had gathered 5 of them raised their hands. “Okay that’s five to three. Since there are those with use today who aren’t from the city I will have to give a bit of further context with my explanations but that’s okay, I’m also from outside the city and wish someone had properly explained everything to me as well when I first arrived here”. Sam was surprised more than half of the people there lived within the city yet were still staying in the dorms. He supposed the city was huge and travelling from home to the academy might be quite inconvenient, he also thought it might be an independence thing where they want to try living by themselves or something. It was quite common for those around his age to start wanting to shake off their parents after all he thought thinking back to a couple of the others his age from back home.
“Now we’ll start with where we currently are. These are the dormitory buildings for both Male and Female students stay here at the academy. As I’m sure you’ve all be made aware entry into the female dormitory building requires written permission from one of the ladies you want to visit, and you’ll be escorted to the room in question. All requests go through the dormitory manager and if you are caught attempting to sneak in you will be severely punished. This courtyard area is the best place to meet up outside of the dormitories and will have benches put in just before the start of school. Now, next we will move on to another building you should all be familiar with already the administration building” she said point into the distance from where Sam had come from the day prior.
They all walked as a group across to the other side of the academy. Sam wasn’t quite sure why Elizabeth had chosen the administration building on the opposite side of the campus as the first building to visit rather than one of the ones that were closer, but he wasn’t going to complain about it. “This here is the administration building” Elizabeth said as she came to a stop about five metres from the entrance. “This is where you go to make any requests for equipment or services that are required. You will be handed lists of equipment and utensils that are required for each class and must come here to request them. You will receive these on your first lesson for each class, and they must be submitted at the end of the day so they can be prepared for your next lesson. Your textbooks and uniforms normally will arrive two days after you handed in your class selection forms so I’m sure some of you already have yours and some of you will be getting them tomorrow. The notice for these to be collected will be delivered via the box in your rooms. The light above the box will be blue to signify that you have a delivery waiting in your box” she said.
After the long explanation about the admin building they moved on to one that Sam was much more excited about, the library. Sam and the group of new students followed Elizabeth down a path behind the admin building where a large, long building stretched out before them. “Now I’m sure you’ve all heard the stories about the academy’s great library and while the building looks big on the outside it’s even larger inside. The library descends down into the ground where the higher-level and restriccted information is kept. Some of you won’t currently have access to the library as it requires your student identification card to enter. Some of you will know about the student identification cards already and some of you won’t but you should receive them along with your uniforms and textbooks for those that don’t already have theirs along with information on what the student identification card can be used for. Before classes start you will be able to access the general information section of the library which is on the first floor of the library. Once your classes begin you will have access to other sections of the library relevant to your classes. Once you’ve become a third-year student like me you will gain access to the library sections for classes you haven’t taken. There is also information that is restricted based on your general level as well so keep that in mind when searching for information. Now if you will all follow me, our next stop will be the events hall” Elizabeth said before making a 270-degree turn on her heels and heading off back down the path they had just followed. This girl is a bit eccentric Sam thought as he followed along behind her.
They walked back around to the front of the administration building and took a left hand turn down toward an oval shaped building. The building looked to have two entrances at the front and there appeared to be some work going on inside as there was a sign on the front doors saying, ‘Authorised Personnel Only’. “This here is the events hall” Elizabeth began. “This is where the opening ceremony will be held in a few days’ time as well as award ceremonies and other whole school meetings. It is also used as the dance practice classroom so those of you taking the dance classes take note.”
Elizabeth turned back around and continued down the path to the large building that was at the front of the central courtyard at the end of the road leading from the entrance gate to the city grounds. Stopping just in front of the building she turned away from it and faced towards the entrance gate. “Alright now we won’t head over there but the building by the front gate that you all would have passed through is the security building. It is where the campus security is based out of as well as where any additional security will work out of. This will include members of the Royal Guard as there will be three members of the Royal Family attending the academy this year” Elizabeth informed them. Sam looked around surprised with this revelation that members of the royal family would be attending the academy as well however he was surprised to see little to no reaction on the faces of those standing around him.
Turning back around Elizabeth pointed towards the large building at the end of the road in front of them. “This here is the main academic building. This is where you will all meet for homeroom every morning before classes. This is also where a lot of the non-practical classes will be held. There are about 9 classes in total that use this building so you will all end up spending large amounts of your time here” she said. Pointing towards a big intricately deigned door Elizabeth spoke again “This here is the front entrance to the building however you are all more likely to use the entrance on the back side of the building as it is opposite the dining hall and faces towards the dormitory buildings”.
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Elizabeth turned and began walking again towards another building that had a tall fenced off area behind it. Once they arrived next to it Sam noticed he could smell a variety of fragrances in the air. Just as he was beginning to wonder where the smell was coming from Elizabeth spoke again. “This here is the Alchemy and Enchanting Labs as well as the Alchemical Gardens where the academy grows medicinal and magic plants which is likely what you can all smell” she said with a cheeky grin as she read the curious faces of the younger students in front of her. She reminded Sam a bit of Emily Porter a girl a few years older than Sam who acted as the village big sister. She had recently moved away with her family when a good job opportunity had come to her father. She always used to tease the younger kids but would always help them out when they needed it as well. Sam cut off his reminiscence and focused back to what Elizabeth was saying.
“The Alchemy and Enchanting Labs are strictly off limits to all those who aren’t taking the Magical Arts Class. Please keep that in mind when wanting to take a look at the alchemical garden. In the past students have been expelled for entering without permission” she said letting out a slight sigh. “Now as you can see we’re back near the dormitories. Now as you can see across the courtyard there is the dining hall” Elizabeth said as she pointed to the building they had passed on the way to the administration building. “For those staying on campus you can eat your breakfast, lunch and dinner there. For those commuting you can only have lunch there unless invited by a student stay in the dormitories. This is once again another place that uses your student ID so do make sure you keep it on yourself at all times when on campus”.
“Now this is where things get a bit more exciting. Follow me” Elizabeth said before she quickly headed off walking perpendicular to the dormitory building. Sam and the other students in the orientation group quickly followed after her their own excitement growing as they followed at an increased pace.
As they passed by the end of the dining hall building a huge arena came into view. As they continued walking towards the arena Elizabeth started to explain what the building was. “This here is one of two arena’s we have on campus. This one here is the magic practice arena which when in use has a magic shield around it to stop any rouge magic spells from flying out and doing damage to the surrounding area”. As she finished the explanation she stopped in front of the arena. “They will also hold magic tournaments and other events here as well. This however is the smaller of the two arenas on campus”. Sam looked up in amazement at the huge arena standing before him. If this was the smaller of the two how big was the other one he thought.
“Next to the arena we have the stables and a fenced off horse riding area” Elizabath said as she began walking towards a wooden building to the right of the arena. “This is where the horses are kept as well as where those who own their own horses that they want to use during class at the academy keep their horses. This is quite a large stable and can hold around 200 horses at a time. There are around 30 stable hands that work around the clock to tend to the horses at all times. All students are welcome to visit the stables to see the horses but please make sure to get permission from the stable master beforehand” Elizabeth said as she took a turn down the pathway between the sables and the arena.
After a few steps off the pathway and onto the grass Elizabeth explained what was now in front of them. “This here is a huge plain as you can probably see. Here is where the battle tactics and strategy classes fight mock battles as well as at the far end where the obstacle course for the advanced equestrian class is located” she said as she pointed off into the distance.
Sam squinted his eyes peering into the distance to see what she was pointing towards but could only see the empty grassy plain. Sam suddenly had a thought. The whole academy is surrounded by a wall so where is the wall here? He decided to ask. “Um excuse me, I have a quick question” Sam said. Everyone turned and looked towards him. “Sam, of course ask away” Elizabeth replied. “Well, the whole academy is surrounded by a wall so where is it here?” he asked. Some of the other students nodded in agreement with his question as they all looked towards Elizabeth for an answer. “Well, it’s there beyond the field. Which isn’t going to answer your question. In truth the academy grounds are actually built within a pocket dimension kind of like a dungeon.” Everyone looked around in shock at the revelation. How did he not notice he had entered another dimension Sam thought as he looked around and up at the sky. Nothing seemed different to normal. “Let me explain” Elizabeth finally said after letting everyone look around in confusion for a few moments.
“While it’s a separate dimension it is one that has been fused into our world so instead of it being a completely different dimension it has bled out into the world and fused with it making it more of a distortion rather than its own dimension. It was actually a dungeon at one point but due to some stuff that happened that you will all learn in class in due time it was eventually turned into the academy. Sam was shocked at learning all this. His lack of knowledge on the subject made him think that this was something crazy but as far as he knew it could have been fairly common. It was, however, a bit unnerving that this used to be a dungeon. He, however, put his worries aside as the excitement at what he had learned took over.
“Now, enough of that. Let’s move on to the next building” Elizabeth said as she led them back down the path back to a building that was opposite the stables. “Now, this building here is a one of a kind. This is a mock dungeon designed to imitate a real dungeon for training students taking the Dungeon Diving Class” Elizabeth said enthusiastically. Sam was once again amazed at what he had just been told. How did they replicate a dungeon in a building. Sam tried to come up with an answer but fell short. He thought that maybe the fact the academy was in another dimension that used to be a dungeon was related to it. Perhaps, but he didn’t have enough information to come to a conclusion. Maybe they would learn about how it was created during class he thought. “Come on Sam keep up” Elizabeth called to him. Sam snapped out of his thoughts and saw that the group have moved on. Sam quickly jogged over to them to catch up.
“This building here is the archery range. Weapons combat and advanced combat classes will be taught here. Is anyone familiar with how to shoot a bow” Elizabeth asked. Sam raised his hand while only one other student a girl with light brown hair tied back into a ponytail raised her hand. “Only two of you, I see. Well, if either of you aren’t in the combat classes you can still come here to practice. The archery range is one of the few places you can come to if you’re not in an associated class” Elizabeth said.
“Alright, let’s move on. Just on more building to go and then we can go and get some lunch in the dining hall” Elizabeth said as she turned towards a walled off area. After they passed through the archway leading through the wall Sam saw a giant arena rise up in front of him. It was nearly four times the size of the other one. “This here is the Melee Combat Arena. Unlike the other one this one doesn’t have a magic shield around it but rather a wall to keep it separate from the rest of the academy. As you can guess combat classes are also held here as well as melee tournaments and a couple of other events”. Elizabeth explained.
Sam once again reflected on his situation and how on earth he had managed to get a scholarship to such an amazing place. There was absolutely no way, he couldn’t think of any reason for it. After a quick walk around the perimeter of the building they all headed back towards the dining hall. As some of them Sam included didn’t have their student identification cards Elizabeth was able to vouch for them to get them lunch. Apparently it was because she was a member of the student council or something like that. Sam expected they would get more information on all of this after school began. Sam ordered a simple meal from the dining hall, even though it offered much more high quality and expensive meals he wasn’t feeling all that hungry and chose a chicken salad sandwich which was pretty tasty.
Once Sam had finished his lunch he returned to his dorm room. He was once again feeling quite tired. The walk around the campus was quite long but that wasn’t really what was making him tired. It was the amount of new information he had to take in that was taking a toll on him. There was so much he didn’t know that seemed commonplace here. Resigned to feeling like this for the foreseeable future Sam spent the rest of the day in his room reading. He finished off his leftover rations for dinner and went to bed early.
