The Forgotten Legacy

The next day went by quickly, after their chat they did some light training, mostly cardio but also some strength training. The night passed with no issues and Shaun spent most of the time while Eli was sleeping going over his skills and what he needed to work on, both from a level’s perspective and also from a versatility perspective. He also did a good look through of his inventory to see what he could potentially craft now that he had the time.

When Eli woke the next morning they had a quick meal and then went straight back to training. This time it was a continuous jog through the woods all the way to the dungeon area. It was a decent workout, for Eli at least, but the boy needed to start building his endurance and strength and this was the best way to get started.

By the time they had arrived at their destination the 12 hours had already passed. The sight that greeted them first was the huge mansion that he had built, even to his eye it was a lot. Eli though just stopped the moment he saw it and was in shock. Shaun really had gone all out in building the area up, it was everything he would want if he was in the situation Eli was in.

They spent some time exploring every building and then all the training areas. The entire area spanned at least a kilometre including all of the training grounds and housing, and to Eli’s surprise Shaun had even terraformed in a large lake for people to enjoy in the warmer months. The training area also had an obstacle course designed to aid in boosting dexterity and movement skills, another fun thing that he included when terraforming.

When they had both finished exploring they got straight back into training, they had done their cardio for the day and now it was one to strength training in their new outdoor gym area. The hours passed quickly and not once did Eli complain about the rigorous routines that Shaun was putting him through, although considering the results Eli was happy to push himself.

Over the course of the day Eli told him he had gained a point in both strength and endurance, something that had never happened to him before. Pushing yourself and getting the free stat points now was half of the point for the training, but also to get used to the feeling of draining your stamina over and over.

When Eli physically couldn’t do anything but lay on the ground he pivoted training and now had him focus on meditation work. Getting a teenager to calm down enough and stay still enough to fall into a meditative state was no easy feat and it would take a lot of time before he got the hang of it.

Eric ended up contacting him at the end of the day with news that was both great yet unexpected. During their travels here they had stopped in at a few different homes, all of the kid sin them wanted to join him, and after having vetted a number of the caretakers and their families a number of them had decided to follow.

Apparently word had spread around regarding what Shaun was doing and there was a number of families with kids in their teens that although weren’t part of the group homes also wanted to join. Eric had made the choice to let them pack up their stuff and come, excluding kids just because they had families didn’t sit right with him. Shaun, although hesitant at first agreed that it was the right decision. The only issue was that although the kids were more than happy to live with the other kids, the families wanted their own space. They had promised to contribute though, some of them actually having decent skills and professions that would help out long term.

It was a few hours longer before Eric arrived and when he did he had over 100 kids with him and another 30 people from their families. What followed was absolute mayhem, getting the kids sorted and rooms assigned was handled well by the existing care takers, who after questioning, Shaun approved of. Half of the caretakers actually had their own kids with them, the other half also seemed like decent people. All though shared the same opinion as Shaun, this was a new world and they needed to make sure that no child was left behind. Training and focus was going to be what helped them make it through this new reality.

While all of the kids got situated Shaun took aside all of the adults that came here with their families. After a lengthy conversation he had a good idea of what he had to work with. Of the 30 people he had a Chef and two cooks, a black smith and a weaponsmith, both focused on crafting over fighting. He also had a general crafter which was interesting as well.

On the Class side he had several warriors, archers and mages, one rogue and one healer. They were all still F grade but that was to be expected. One of the warriors used to be a teacher which would be helpful as well considering that he had never taught anyone before.

Rather than take everyone to their new homes he instead got straight to business. He started with the chef and cooks who all agreed to cook for everyone, only if food was supplied. He showed them to the massive dining hall and then to the giant kitchen he had created where they immediately fell in love. He told them that they had 20 minutes to explore the area and come up with a list of everything they needed and then to meet him outside.

He did the same thing with the Blacksmith and weaponsmith, showing them to the forge, as well as the crafter to the other remaining buildings. Then he took the others who were planning to be more fighting focused through all of the training areas.

Eric followed him the entire way, until finally they were alone and waiting for everyone to meet back up when they were done exploring.

“You have outdone yourself, you know that right? As soon as people hear what you have done here people will want to move out of the cities and to this place.”

“Not happening. This place is for the next generation only. I want it to be a place that kids can grow up around each other and not just some city like all the others.” He though for a moment before continuing. “It’s going to be like a school, I guess.”

“A school where you are trained in weaponry, crafting, killing monsters and the system. The multiverse as well eventually. I like it.” Eric got quiet for a moment before continuing. “I spoke to Viv and Gabe. They were in one the cities we passed through. She agreed to let me take a step back, Gabe as well after you finish the ward. She wasn’t happy about it but I think on some level she knew we weren’t cut out for what she wanted us to do. If you will let me, I want to take on a bigger role here. But I need a way to find my kids.”

It didn’t take long for him to come to a decision, he could see how much Eric wanted this. “Okay, you can take a bigger role in this place, you know I won’t be around forever, I have a lot I still need to do. I can also see what I can do about finding your kids. I might be able to come up with something. Who knows, I have done crazier stuff before.”

After everyone eventually met back up with him, having finished their own tours around. He felt the excitement from everyone present. Shaun assigned them all homes that he had built for trainers and then moved on to the stores. He purchased enough food that could feed everyone here for a month, the kitchens being able to store it all easily. He also bought materials for those wanting to focus on professions after getting agreements from all that they would either need to pay it back or they would need to take up roles here in training kids in specific professions if they wanted to learn. All agreed immediately to his relief.

Once he was done with them, they all ran off to do their own thing, tonight there would be a feast to celebrate, in the meantime they had to put a plan in place on how the days would be run and how it would all work. His plan for 20 kids had grown exponentially and now he actually needed to do more than wing it as he went. Thankfully Eric had already come up wit some ideas while he been traveling and after seeing the training grounds, he had a good idea of how to start this thing off.

What followed was hours of planning, not just Shaun and Eric, but anyone who was going to step in and help out. For once he actually enjoyed it, at the start Shaun would assist in every class, getting them up and running, training the trainer so to speak. His focus was on swords, daggers and magic. One of the archers agreed to teach basic archery lesson, and one of the warriors used to be a PT and was more than excited to lead classes on strength as well a dexterity and endurance.

That night everyone was in high spirits, the food was better than anything they had been getting in the cities and it was great to see all of the kids making new friends and bonding. The caretakers gushed to him when they saw him about how much better this was and how grateful they were that someone was thinking of not just caring for the kids but truly helping them grow.

During the feast he caught Eli’s eye, the boy had found a group of people his own age once all of the younger kids had found new friends, as well as people they used to know. Eli smiled at him from across the room and gave him a thumbs up. Yeah, I did the right thing here.

The next day started off well enough, everyone was gathered in the large dining hall and all of the kids were split into age groups for ease of seeing what the numbers were really like in each. Both Eric and Shaun stood at the front of the room and went through how everything would be run.

“For those who don’t know me I am Shaun and this is Eric.” He gestured to Eric who stood next to him, dressed in full armour and looking ready for combat. “I created this school” He got groans from the kids which made most of the adults gathered laugh. “Yes, it is a school, but not one you have ever been to before. Everyone here knows the world has changed, magic is real, we have a system that lets us do incredible things. But if you a really going to take advantage of that, you need to dedicate yourself to it. There will be classes dedicated to weapons. Swords, daggers, bow and arrow, and magic. There will be classes dedicated to crafting. And there will be times where you will need to work on building up your body and mind.”

He had everyone’s attention now, the kids had gone form groaning about being in a school to looking eager the more he spoke. “Eventually, you will find something that works for you and the chances are you will specialise in it. I started off as a rogue, stealth and daggers were my go to moves. Now I am an Elemental Blade Slinger, I focus equal parts magic and blade. Both are important to my build, and when combined lets me take out monsters that are a much higher level than me.”

“He can also fly!” One of the kids that he had met originally yelled out which got all of the kids talking.

“Okay, quiet down.” It took a moment to get control over the room again, damn kids. “Yes, I can fly using my affinity. It’s something you will learn about here, eventually. What I am trying to say is that your path is your own and as long as you dedicate yourself to getting better, to truly giving everything you have to improving, even when it gets so hard you want to quit! You can be anything you want to be. Any questions?”

So many hands went up that he had trouble picking one, thankfully Eric stepped in and pointed at one of the kids to ask their question.

“What level are you sir?”

He nearly let a sigh out at the question but managed to hold it back. “I am in the mid to high E rank.”

There was some muttering at that but Eric quickly moved on to the next question.

“Do you have a profession too?”

“I do, it’s a full crafting profession that has a very broad scope of things that I can do from making weapons, enchanting and even rituals.”

Eric picked one more kid and said for now it would be the last question.

“Can you show us one of your skills?”

Eric gave him a questioning look at that one, but the kids just cheered for him. Looking through all of his skills he picked one that he thought would motivate the kids to work the most.

“Okay, everyone meet Spike.” He summoned his Flame Hound and he quickly appeared standing next to him. “Hey boy, say hello to everyone.” He said to the hound while also giving him a head rub.

Spike barked, in the cutest way possible. He was majestic in Shaun’s eyes and after only a moment of shock the kids, and the adults present, went crazy. They shouted questions at him, even asking to pet him. He let it go for a moment and then raised his hand to calm everyone down.

“I have a skill that lets me summon a creature to help me. Spike here is a Flame Hound and is one the best creatures you will ever meet. This skill is one that comes from the magical side of my Class. Everyone say goodbye.” A few moments later he gave one more head rub to Spike and then dismissed him. “Now who is ready for training?”