Bookworld Online: Marsh Man

Bokuboy

I worked hard after supper and managed to get the errors I had made in the theory part of converting the waterproofing potion worked out. I made one successful batch before needing to go to bed. I crated it up and set it aside, clearly marked as the inferior version.

I had a quick bath with Sara and Hope's help, then Sara performed the after bath ritual and I was tucked into bed. She was just as sad about leaving this time as she was each other time, and she bid us a sorrow filled farewell and left.

The morning arrived and after a quick breakfast, I was off to the academy's main class building. I had History and Geography classes in the morning and we all went to the right classroom, noted the change for the extra class, and the girls followed Vanessa and I there.

“I'm not one for strict procedure, so you can sit where you want, even if it's with your friends.” The teacher said and that made the girls happier. “My name is Mage Victoria Ridge and I am both the History and Geography teacher.”

“We have you all morning?” One of the girls asked, surprised.

“Yes, qualified teachers are a bit difficult to come by on short notice and I've been tasked with two subjects.” Mage Ridge said. “Luckily for you, I am well versed in both of them.”

“You're giving us a test, aren't you?” Vanessa whispered.

“Vanessa is asking if you're giving us a test.” I said out loud to the teacher.

“Yes, except you don't have to worry. Unlike the entrance exam, this will be short and easy.” Mage Ridge said and looked right at me. “Mr. Drake. I know you have a pass in this class already. However, I expect you to participate and to perform well. If you do, perhaps that 65 you automatically get might have a few extra points on it.”

“What if I'm not interested in history?” I asked.

“Then you are doomed to repeat it, both figuratively and literally.” Mage Ridge said. “As long as you are paying attention, provide some effort, and at least contribute to any discussions the class has, I will be satisfied that you're not the complete waste of space that I have been warned about.”

“Have you talked to the teachers he's had so far this week?” Vanessa asked in a whisper.

“Vanessa wants to know if you've discussed me with the other teachers I've had this week.” I said.

Mage Ridge smiled slightly. “I have. If you must know, you have mixed reviews. Their first opinions of you are...” She sighed. “I do not like disruptions in my class. Normal interactions are fine, since that is what's needed for information to be conveyed. I will not tolerate any outbursts or arguments that are not concerning the subjects I teach. If there are any such incidents, you will be asked to leave.”

“Even if I'm not involved?” I asked.

“Mr. Drake, you are the only male in a room full of women. Of course you are involved, even if it's not directly.” Mage Ridge said. “You need to understand how much you influence your classmates.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I won't get into it right now, as it's not relative to the material I am teaching today. However, next week we are going to be discussing the Grand Mages and their influence over the course of our people's history. I'll gladly talk to you about this then.”

I nodded and she picked up a stack of papers. She walked around to each student and handed them a paper. She didn't say what to do with them or when to start writing, so as soon as she handed one to me, I put it down and read it, then started filling it out. She gave Vanessa a sheet and seemed to pause as she looked down at my sheet, then she moved on.

The other students seemed to take my writing as their own permission to start writing, so they started filling out the answers as well. By the time the teacher made it back to her desk, I was right behind her and passed her the sheet. She looked a little surprised as she accepted it. I ignored her reaction and went back to my seat beside Vanessa.

Ten minutes later, everyone else was done and passed them to the teacher. Mage Ridge sat down and quickly graded them all. She had a smile on her face when she was done.

“I see that the majority of you haven't neglected your history.” Mage Ridge said. “I believe I'm going to have a great time teaching this class.” She stood up and picked up the course book. “This thing is... well, to be honest... it's so dry and lacking of emotion that it's almost the world's best sleeping aid.”

Most of the girls laughed, Vanessa included.

“I won't be requiring that you read a chapter ahead for each class. That would crush any passion you might develop for the course material. Instead, I'll spend the first fifteen minutes or so of each class and I'll summarize it for you, while also adding in the required emphasis for the events that it's telling you about.” Mage Ridge said and opened the book. “Believe me, you'll be thanking me in a few weeks when we have the first official test.”

“I thought we had weekend tests to complete to prove that we were doing the work and know the material?” Lorna asked, confused.

“You mean Crunch Time on Saturdays?” Mage Ridge asked and she nodded. “I won't be providing a test until the end of the month. Testing students after each class doesn't gauge their retention or extended knowledge. If you learn something new each class and are tested only on that knowledge, how does that tell me if you learned anything from any of my other classes?”

Lorna didn't respond, because there wasn't really a good answer.

“I've already brought up my concerns with the other teachers and I'm sure that they are going to do the same as I am. In fact, we have a meeting with the director and will be discussing the waste of time and resources that testing every Saturday is costing the academy.”

“But, hasn't the academy always done this?” One of the girls asked. “Isn't it a part of history?”

Mage Ridge smiled. “Remember what I said to Mr. Drake earlier about being doomed to repeating history?”

The girl smiled back and nodded in understanding.

“Just because something has always been done, that doesn't mean it should continue to be done.” Mage Ridge said. “However, that doesn't mean all repeated practices need to be examined. Some things should always be taught to students, even if they have previous knowledge of those subjects.”

“Why?” Someone else asked.

“Getting a fresh perspective on something you already know to be true, might just make you question exactly how true something actually is.”

Everyone seemed to fall silent as they thought about that.

“I'll skim this first chapter of the introduction of the Gulf Kingdom for a few minutes, since you all seem to grasp where you live fairly well. The second chapter I'll need to spend several classes on, because it concerns the first war with the Eastern Empire. That's not something anyone should skip.” Mage Ridge said and then she started to half-read and half-talk as she split her time between looking at the pages in the book and looking at the students.

She gave us some exposition about the state of affairs in the Gulf Kingdom and then moved right into the first war with the neighbouring country that wanted to impose their values onto us and to get more people for their slave trade. By the time the history class was over, nearly all of the girls had been listening intently to Mage Ridge's melodic voice. When the bell rang, they all seemed to jump at the scare.

Mage Ridge laughed. “I'm glad you're all so interested in the subject.”

“It's more interest in you personally.” I said and everyone turned their heads to look at me. “They haven't had anyone actually talk to them about things like that.”

Mage Ridge closed her book. “Please explain what you mean.”

“Do you want me to give away one of your teaching techniques so soon?” I asked and she smiled.

“Perhaps not.” She said. “I assume you've been subject to something similar?”

“A much superior version, yes.” I said and her eyes widened. “I retained everything she taught me.”

“E-everything?” Mage Ridge asked, clearly surprised. “How?”

“I won't say for the same reason.” I responded and took out the geography book. “Unfortunately, it won't work with the next subject.”

Mage Ridge nodded. “There's almost no way to adapt the technique to material this stark in contrast. Stats and numbers can't be conveyed properly, because they have to be read and repeated.”

The girls in the class seemed a little confused over what was going on.

“It's all right, everyone. It's just something Mr. Drake and I seem to have shared knowledge of.”

“Not you, too.” Lorna said with a sigh and a few of the girls around her covered their mouths to hide their smiles.

Mage Ridge laughed softly. “It's not a bad thing to have something in common with a man you barely know. It allows a bridge to be built and the possibility of peace talks to negotiate a successful friendship. From that, you can both get to know each other better.”

Her words seemed to make them even more confused.

“It seems you are a bit less versed in Common than I thought you were.” Mage Ridge joked. “I mean, once you have a common thread of knowledge between you, it's easy to expand your communications with each other. You can learn more about the other person by talking to them.”

The second bell rang and she sighed.

“Now we have to move on to the less than ideal subject of geography. I'll start off with a very general overview, with references to the current countries, kingdoms, and empires that exist in our world, as well as the unexplored areas. Our world has a varied ecosystem that crosses all land borders and human imposed divides.”

The girls settled back in their chairs and listened.

“Unlike people, the land doesn't care who you are or what you're planning to do with it. It just is. It's been here for as long as people can remember and will be here long after we forget.” Mage Ridge said. “We've formed and reformed the land to suit our needs, all the while knowing that as soon as we stop our efforts, it will easily revert to not showing any signs that we were even there.”

One of the girls raised a hand.

Mage Ridge laughed. “You don't need a hand raised in my class. Just speak.”

“You're talking about Cone Island, aren't you?” The young woman asked.

“Yes, a perfect example. Thank you.” Mage Ridge said. “Fifty years ago, the capital city was located on Cone Island, right in the middle of the harbour. It was the best location for a sea port that relied heavily on sea trade and imports, so it prospered... right up until the first war. The city suffered heavy losses in the opening salvo from the enemy and the city was quickly abandoned. It was levelled soon after.”

“My family and I visited there two years ago.” Lorna said and a few of the girls gasped. “Under heavy guard and with boats at sea.”

“It looked like a completely unclaimed island, didn't it?” Mage Ridge asked and Lorna nodded. “I'm sure if you had landed, you would have found some of the building foundations that were embedded in the bedrock.”

“They didn't even have a lighthouse there anymore.” Lorna said.

“There's no need, since no warships or supply ships are allowed in the closed waters.” Mage Ridge said. “I'm surprised your family gained permission to tour the island.”

“My father petitioned to join the survey crew.” Lorna said, a little proudly. “He wanted me to see several different places before he would let me attend the academy.”

“You're so lucky!” One of the girls said and Lorna blushed a little as she nodded.

Mage Ridge smiled and walked over to the chalkboard. She drew out the general shape of the Gulf Kingdom, which resembled an upside down 'G', and she circled a small land outcropping near the middle lip of the 'G'.

“That's where the old capital used to be. Can anyone tell me where the new one is in relation to that?”

A few of the girls said answers and Mage Ridge only smiled and didn't move from where she stood beside the board. Her eyes found me and nodded.

“Using a compass as a guide and your general map outline, it's fifteen degrees from true north to the left and approximately six inches away from the island.” I said.

Mage Ridge turned to the board and quickly wrote out what I said, then without instruments, drew a compass, marked the fifteen degrees, then used her thumb (from knuckle to tip) to measure six inches and made a big dot. I thought it was neat that she used the same technique I did to draw plans.

“You learned a lot in the army, didn't you?” Mage Ridge asked and turned back to the class.

“I learned from Staff Sergeant Donna Simms, now retired.” I said.

“You know Donna?” Mage Ridge asked, clearly surprised, then she gasped. “Wait! You're that David?”

In the next moment, she was at my desk and had one of my hands in a death grip.

“Thank you very much for bringing them back alive after all of that.” Mage Ridge said, to the surprise of the other students. “If you hadn't taken command and had the more serious wounded treated first...”

“How are they?” I asked and didn't try to make her let go.

“Miserable.” Mage Ridge said with a laugh. “Being forced to retire when their minds are still perfectly fine has made them quite angry at army command, especially since you couldn't be discharged with them.”

“You really do know them.” I said and she nodded.

“Donna's my first cousin and I would be Mage Simms if I hadn't been married off to the Ridge Family.” Mage Ridge said and pat my hand. “She told me all about what went on there.”

“Do you know where they are?” I asked. “None of the letters I sent in the army have been returned.”

“What letters? She never said...” Mage Ridge stopped talking and let out a sigh. “I suspect the Colonel's hand in this, the stupid idiot.”

A few of the girls gasped and she looked around the classroom.

“Oh, don't be surprised. The colonel... only first princess now... is just as human and fallible as you or I.” Mage Ridge said. “She has emotions, temper tantrums, and a bit of a mean streak if you cross her.”

“Or thinks you crossed her.” I said and she nodded.

“I'll send Donna a message and you'll either hear from them yourself or you'll hear from me.” Mage Ridge said. “I think they would both like to see you after all this time.”

“I'll remember to not ask Alex to shake hands.” I said and she looked surprised for a second, then she laughed.

“Y-yes, he... he definitely needs to see you as soon as possible.” Mage Ridge said, humor on her face and in her voice. She let my hand go and walked back to the front of the class. “Now back to the lesson. Can anyone tell me what this little jutting of land out into the main harbour is actually called? I mean the geography term, not the land's actual name.”

“It's an isthmus.” Lorna said.

“Correct. They come in all shapes and sizes...” Mage Ridge said and explained about different geography terms for land, soil, rocks, outcroppings, hills, mountains, valleys, plains, crevasses, and every other land feature that existed and drew them within the map she had already drawn.