The Ranch

Classes (1)

Once the group was huddled around the screen, Private Scott took out his ID and held it on the wall. The ID was screened before a user interface popped up.

"This is the lecture hall. Different kind of classes are taught here. Each class lasts a month and costs a small fee with is given to the lecturer. The topic of the class depends on the professions of the instructors that sign up to teach. Usually, instructors decide to teach here for some side cash, to look for promising students, and/or earn a higher reputation. Since the soldiers being taught aren't direct students of the lecturer, the instructors tend to only teach the basics of a profession. Classes aren't mandatory, but it's recommended to take a couple. To earn money on this island, you'll have to either sign up for quests or get a job. The latter pays better, but most jobs require knowing the basics."

The soldier started pointing at different things on the screen, explaining their purpose and the purpose of the entire lecture hall."You can look at the available listings here and sign up for one if you want to join. But be warned, there's no refund option, so sign up for classes wisely."

He moves on to talk about the economic system on the island,"The currency we use is called Kquil. Money is transferred electronically through your IDs, so I will repeat, you do NOT want to lose your ID. It's basically your lifeline and support on Ranch Island. You need it for almost everything, as you should have already noticed. Anyways, credits can be earned by getting a job or taking quests, we'll come back to quests later. You'll need money for basic necessities, tools, weapons, food, etcetera."

"Eh? But we didn't have to pay for lunch at the cafeteria earlier?" A child at the front questioned.

"That's because we were nice enough to let you have all meals free of charge during your integration period."

Kai remembers Instructor Maddox saying something about that too, he spoke up,"Oh yeah, what is the the integration period?"

"It's the first two days after all the new recruits arrive. It basically allows you all to settle down and become accustomed to your new surrounding." While he's talking, Private Scott touches the electronic board on the wall, which opens up a 2-d bulletin board pinned with different classes.

<Military Strategy>

<Muay Thai Theory>

<Wilderness Survival Training>

<Culinary Fundamentals>

<Archery basics >

<Jujitsu 101>

<Beginners Philosophy>

<Biomedical engineering>

<Psychology for dummies>

<Sword Wielding>

"Class options will depend on who decides to teach and when, so you'll always be able to find new classes when you come here."

He clicked on a couple classes, to which a short introduction, number of students participating, room number, and price would appear on screen.

"Why are some more expensive than others?" A child in the back asked.

Private Scott answered the newbie's question with,"Ah, that's because of the different ranks in profession. A higher ranked instructor would ask for more money."

"Why do the combat classes have more people attending?" Another question followed.

"That's because the combat classes tend to always be in demand. Physical professions are the most popular of all the professions on the island. Actually, we even have a training ground and regularly hosted events for soldiers and instructors to compete in. We'll be going there tomorrow to check it out." Once he finishes saying that last part, he closes the information on the screen. "Let's go visit some of the rooms so you can see what the classes are like."

He led the group down the hallway with doors mirroring each other on both sides. Each door is spaced apart by about twenty feet. They would all look identical if not for the metal plate on the doors that are numbered. "We'll check out an empty one first so you can get a good look around."

He walks into the nearest room on the right, room 2, and opens the door to let the children in. Kai recalls the information he just saw,"Wait, Private Scott, isn't this the room for Jujitsu 101? Why would it be empty?"

"Ah, that's because most of the combative classes do a lot of practical training, which they need a lot of space for. They can't really do that practical stuff in these classroom so the instructors bring them somewhere else when teaching." The soldier walks through the door and the children follow.

The room opens up into a medium-sized space. Chairs lined in rows get lower the closer they are to the podium. Steps line one side of the room to create a pathway from the door to each row and the front of the stage. The room is illuminated by the ceiling windows.

"Oh! It kind of looks like a college! I've read about these." Kai starts pulling out all kinds of random information from his memory the moment his eyes landed on the room. He started spouting random pieces of knowledge and information the silent Tih that was observing the room while listening to Kai.

Tih hears the word college and memories start to resurface. He recalls that once they got old enough, the orphans would go to the city to look for a job or become a volunteer at the orphanage, but some would go to a place called college. He had only heard the word and had not been to one before. With no frame of reference, the child believed Kai words to be very interesting and deemed them important to listen too.