Overall the meeting went a lot better than expected. Once Brittany accepted Cassie's choice my friend was smiling a lot. We enjoyed a nice meal and when we left there was even a hug between mother and daughter.

Over the next week more and more students arrived. Eventually the new year began and we found ourselves on the parade square, listening to the headmaster's speech.

"Students, I welcome you to the Royal Military Academy! A lot has happened in the last year and there will be some changes in the curriculum to reflect that. As you might know, we have a vampiric nightshade infestation inside our kingdom. It makes field trips a little bit more exciting than they are supposed to be. It also means there might be opportunities for students to accompany the military on extermination trips."

Erik paused and let that sink in. Some people looked excited.

"Besides that, there is also another point I have to address: Koyuki." Erik said, and I stiffened. What was that about?

"She is a second year student and a very gifted necromancer. As such she has a number of undead, a number that will likely grow. That includes a tier three vampire. She is also a senior mage and has all the necessary permissions to control tier three undead. I do not want to see any incidents."

Some people looked uncomfortable when a vampire was mentioned. Some looked intrigued. Archibald just sneered. Sadly, he had not been eaten by a monster during the break.

"Now having said all that, let's give you the basics: I expect everyone here to behave respectfully. I don't care what title you have, you are all students here. You will find a schedule with your mandatory classes in your rooms. You can pick multiple advanced classes if you want. At the end of the year you have to pass one advanced class and all basic classes. Talented students might get the opportunity for additional lessons. Last year we had two students who qualified as senior mages, two first year students. Work hard and you will be rewarded. Dismissed." Erik finished his speech and the students immediately began talking. A lot of them were looking at me and pointing.

I ignored them, we had a class to attend! It was about specialisations and combat roles.

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Interestingly Skadi, Helena and Cassie had the same class as me. I wondered if someone made sure we were all together. Sadly, Archibald, Florence, Valeria and Leo were here as well.

Our teacher was Alwin, I already knew him from our group training last year. We all stood as he entered.

"Be seated. I am Alwin and this class is going to help you choose a specialisation. By the end of the year everyone needs to know their path but you can make your choice before then. This choice will determine your classes but also your future role in the military. You all know about spellblades at this point. It is a lifelong commitment and has steep requirements."

Shin raised his hand.

"Shin."

"What are the exact requirements?" He asked.

"You need an above average core size, you need to be skilled in close quarter's combat and you need to commit to a 5 year service. There will be an exam for everyone who applies."

"Five years of service? That is outrageous!" Archibald complained.

"You will properly raise your hand if you have a comment. As for the mandatory service, spellblades are a valuable resource and not that easy to create. You need special ink for those tattoos. The nation is not going to offer this lightly."

No one else commented so Alwin continued: "Now for the less complicated specialisations. There is artillery, essentially long range area magic. You need a sizable core for that. Then we have the scouts. They prefer light or air magic. We have the healers, light, water and earth can all heal to an extent. We have the engineers, they construct battlefield fortifications. We have logistics, they take anyone as long as you have some organisational talent. Then there is the regular infantry or cavalry. We also have the special forces. Those include rarer categories like necromancy."

Skadi raised her hand.

"Skadi."

"Are spellblades not part of the infantry? Or special forces?" She wondered.

"Spellblades can serve in many functions, depending on their affinity. They will be assigned based on their talents after they have mastered their runes. There is a book of all subcategories and their requirements. Take a copy when you leave and go over it. Once you have narrowed down your choice there is a chance to sit in on one of the third year classes to get a better idea. I can also encourage you to talk with other students. Also a word of warning, slots for some categories are limited."

After the lesson I eagerly grabbed a book. We had not learned too much and I was looking to find out more. Not that there was much doubt about my future. I was a necromancer, after all.

"I think I am going to apply for a spellblade immediately." Skadi mused.

"You are ok with the mandatory service?" Cassie asked.

"Sure. Koyuki has to serve even longer. Five years is not going to be that bad." Skadi replied.

"I need to pick something so I can stay close to you…" Cassie mused.

"What about you, Helena?" I asked her.

"I was considering artillery but I will have a look. I was hoping for something more flexible. I don't want to be a spellblade because it would limit my ability to do large scale area magic…" Helena replied.

I looked at the book in my hand. We would have some reading to do. Hopefully we could find something that would fit Helena. Something that kept her close to me.

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