"This way." Sapphire directed me through the hallways of the space station not giving me the chance to look at a group of four legged woman that still possessed their arms. They reminded me of a centaur except instead of a horse their lower half resembled a lion with a vast range of colours. The one that took my attention had a gray coat as she waved to us.

  Simir to Sapphire I guess as her sister was white and her guard was orange.

  "We're here. Now please John."

  "I know don't try and sleep with anyone even if they offer." I interrupted Sapphire trying to pacify her doubts as she stopped us in front of the doors I presumed led to my css.

  "Thank you."

  Sapphires tail curled around behind me as she entered first nudging me slightly when she'd given the room a once over. I now saw a problem with only one guard as she couldn't fully search the next room without leaving me alone and that wasn't going to happen.

  Once I was allowed inside I was actually surprised when the room resembled an auditorium that was simir to when I went to university, with chairs in groups of six that got progressively higher the further from the front they were. Each grouping of chairs was meant for an Acolyte and their guards with about a meter gap between each group. There was a few groupings of chairs around the edges that had bigger chairs or just rge openings for some of the rger species and the ones with four legs who couldn't use the seats at all.

  As we entered it seemed like everyone stopped their conversations to look at us or more likely me.

  Yeah should have seen this coming.

  Luckily or unluckily for Sapphire one of the lion hybrid women close to the door approached up as she was fnked on either side by simir species women. My guard flinched slightly but didn't make any obvious moves to stop them. She even moved enough that the one in front that I could tell from the symbol on her chest was another Acolyte could talk without having to talk around Sapphire.

  "Well I see the rumors about there being a male Acolyte were true." The Acolyte said as her guards both came around us creating a small protective half circle that included Sapphire with the wall making up the other half. "Come sit with me. I've never seen one of your species before and would like to increase my knowledge."

  Her accent was almost English from Earth, if you also added a slight cats purr to the end of each sentence. I was expecting something deeper in all honesty just because of the added body mass but I was mistaken.

  I gave Sapphire a look before I answered but the lion hybrid women caught me. "She will prefer this Acolyte. It will allow her to be assisted by my guards for our css. That is unless she wishes to be solely guarding you against everyone here."

  It wasn't a question as I could already see a few others trying not so subtly watch us. Sapphire gave a nod to my silent question.

  "Lead the way then. My names John by the way." I offered up my hand to shake.

  "Tayatt." The lion woman offered, taking my hand and shaking it.

  I should have thought this through a bit more as her hand dwarfed mine slightly and had very sharp nails that protruded a bit from her fingertips.

  She then turned around and led the whole group over to the side of the auditorium where she'd previously been. A third guard of hers popped up from her position holding the area quickly, this one a bunny girl and the only one of them that didn't have four legs. The bunny grabbed a couple of seats pcing one besides where Tayatt sat down on her haunches for me and the other a little bit further out for Sapphire.

  My mia shook her head slightly at the offered chair and instead coiled her tail around until it was comfortable for her. The tip of her tail still stayed close to me however.

  "So Acolyte John. I hope it's not too rude to ask but what are you?" Tayatt asked once we were all seated. A lot of the other Acolytes and their guards had silenced their own conversations to listen in.

  "It's only rude if I can't ask the same in return." I said back. "But I'm a human from the pnet Earth. Ummm it's like the third pnet in the Sol gaxy if that helps at all."

  Note to self look up if the names are different for anything I already know.

  "Huuuumaaan." The lion woman mouthed trying to properly sound it out. "Humaaan. Interesting. We are Vattares, or a subspecies. I am of the lions decent same as my guards. There are many of us, is it the same for you?"

  That struck me as odd. Vattares was a completely new name but when it actually got down to it they used the same names as the creatures I was familiar with on Earth for their subspecies. I'd need to find one with a horse half and see if they call them centaurs or horse decent.

  "Umm humans don't really have a subspecies. We come in different colors and sizes but we just call each other humans." I could feel that wasn't really true but trying to expin Chinese, English or even Australian as different human subspecies didn't quite make sense.

  "Very interesting. And there's a rumor that your human species has an even ratio of males to females is that correct?" Tayatt asked very eagerly. In fact the entire room fell deathly silent at this question. Enough so that I could have heard a mouse run across the floor.

  "Yes. Humans practice monogamous retionships so I'm trying to adjust to the new normal I guess." I responded feeling a little awkward.

  "Could you imagine that? Not having to share....."

  She was interrupted by a puff of golden smoke from the center stage as a multitude of bright lights shot out aimed for each of the Acolytes. Due to the distraction I had unfortunately created the bright lights impacted the majority of them with only myself, Tayatt and another woman who looked to have deer antlers having our shields active to stop them.

  Those that got hit were knocked back slightly but not enough to fall off their chairs with most of them looking more embarrassed than upset. That was until a voice boomed across the auditorium.

  "If all it takes to make you Acolytes forget even the basics of your training is a single dick we're going to have a problem!"

  With the golden smoke clearing from the center of the auditorium I could make out Liliana and her two elf guards to one side as well as a new woman with her own guards that were the same species as herself.

  Now I say woman but that's only because her voice had enough feminine quality to it. There was now way in hell I'd have guessed it myself.

  Standing at I'd guess seven and a half feet this mountain of a beast drew her fangs into a sneer that made everyone in the auditorium try to look as small as possible. Well everyone but me that is. I was too busy trying to put the fact I was staring at a real life wearwolf through my admittedly overwhelmed brain at the moment.

  Silver fur brushed into a fine point made the red of her eyes stand out all the more against her mussel while her white teeth seemed to get sharper the more I looked. Adorned with a light blue version of the uniform I was wearing that I presumed denounced her rank she gave everyone apart from Tayatt, myself and the other woman a gre.

  "Well then! I was going to say you girls have done well in your studies and that's why you get the pleasure of having a male Acolyte in the css but you seem to be hell bent on embarrassing me in front of another mage!" The wearwolf growled.

  Most of the students were trying to avoid eye contact with the pissed off teacher but she wasn't having it.

  "You all better have a damn good excuse or everyone that didn't have their shields up will be staying after css!"

  That got a collection of hushed gasps but no one dared to groan, a far cry from the csses I'm use to on Earth. What caught my attention was Liliana who shot me a wink off to the side.

  "Alrighty then you lot. Since we have a new student and you all seem to need a refresher on the basics we'll start again! I'm mage Vanaress, I will be your teacher for the majority of the years. Css is split into two days on two days off with your first day being in here focusing on theory and the second being more practical in the turquoise training grounds." She gave a look in my direction at that and Sapphire helpfully chimed in with a whisper.

  "I can lead us there tomorrow."

  Vanaress seemed to hear that and gave a nod before continuing.

  "The reason for the rge amount off time off is so each of you can focus on what makes you unique. I can teach you the basics and some advanced stuff but teaching an Acolyte that specializes in teleportation like Liliana here how to weave enhancements is just going to be a waste of time. So while you do have time off don't spend it doing nothing."

  The specialization sounded simir to games at least to me, something like a subcss or really any type of css. Luckily Liliana piped in.

  "Specialization is different for each Acolyte. I specialize in teleportation like Vanaress said but have a negative effect on healing. I can still do it but it takes vastly more Mana for me to achieve the same results as someone who is a generalist. That being said not every Acolyte that has a specialization in teleportation will be bad in healing, this changes and to this day we cannot determine a pattern. You will be really good at something and this is your specialization and bad at something else. This is where you need to do your own study as your guards need to know where your weaknesses are so they can cover for them."

  Interesting. Now I wonder what mine will be? Kinda want to get my hands on something that has them all written down so I can go through all the different specializations. Like a guide.

  "Quite right Liliana. Most of you don't know your specialization yet and that will come with time especially during the practical days. For today however we will be focusing on one of the three main purposes of a mage. Tayatt what are they!?" Our wearwolf teacher growled out across the auditorium.

  The lion woman besides me jumped as everyone turned towards her.

  "Ummm peacekeeping, resource gathering and upkeep of systems." She listed off with a straight back.

  "Very good! Today we will be discussing the Peacekeeping part of your futures. Put simply you are a promise of the protection we provide and a threat to those that wish violence. If we were to pce any one of you Acolytes with no training into a ring with common soldiers on average you'd be able to take on five or six of them. But if you were trained and had equally skilled guards that number increases exponentially until you get to our level. Liliana here has taken control of an entire cruiser ship by herself after her guards were all incapacitated as an example."

  Vanaress gave everyone a second to let it sink in and a lot of the girls started to whisper between themselves so I took that to mean it was impressive. I just need to see a cruiser so I have a correct frame for this.

  "Vanaress has simir achievements as well." Liliana continued after sufficient time had passed. "And I must mention while what I did was an extreme case you are not to act alone in any situation is that clear?"

  ""Yess instructor!"" A the css cried out together.

  "Good."

  "Another useful part about being an Acolyte is that Mana is universal. This means that for some reason that we haven't been able to distinguish yet no matter what species anyone is anyone with active Mana can speak with them. This however doesn't extend to words." Vanaress spoke making sure to lock eyes with each of us.

  "As such if you find yourself on a patrol ship the captain may call you to be a medium for them between trading vesals or potentially pirates." The wearwolf woman ended her sentence with me. "These will be the primary reasons for any peacekeeping you will do and I will make it very clear right now. Once you graduate and become a mage you will outrank almost everyone except the captain aboard their ship but that is only once you graduate! If I have to read one report from someone in this css being insubordinate I will personally rip their arms off and feed them to my guards do I make myself clear Acolytes?!"

  ""Yes instructor!""

  "Good." Vanaress peeled her lips back to reveal her teeth as a collective shiver passed through the css. "Now for the rest of css we will be doing a test on everything we've covered in the st two weeks so I know how much you sex starved Acolytes have forgotten." She swiped her hand through the air and a collection of dings sounded around the auditorium.

  I was expecting to hear groans about a pop quiz from the other students but not one made a sound except for pulling a tablet out from under them and start swiping through the holographic screens. I wonder if these really are empty threats or if Vanaress has done it before.

  Speaking of the instructor she calmly made her way over to me after making sure all the Acolytes were working. Two of her guards followed while the other two stayed at the front.

  "Acolyte John it is good to meet you." She said in a much more polite and quiet voice.

  "Instructor Vanaress good to meet you as well." I returned hoping it was the right reply.

  One side of her lips curled in what I really hoped was a smiles. "I was fully expecting you to fail my first test today after finding out you only learnt of magic yesterday but I am pleasantly surprised."

  "Thank you instructor I would have to give credit to Sapphire for that as I did forget it this morning but she reminded me."

  I could see a faint blush in my mias cheeks but she held her chin high at the praise. Vanaress let out a low chuckle.

  "Good. Too many guards forget that part of their jobs. Now while I would like to give you a rundown of everything you need to know we haven't integrated your nguage into our systems yet for me to start. Unfortunately for you that means once you get your own tablet sent to your room either tomorrow or the next I will be expecting you to show up for a private lesson."

  Was kinda expecting that.

  "Fortunately for you however I have no use for you to stay in my css today except to distract everyone else so if you can give me a good reason right now I will dismiss you early." She raised her eyebrows expectingly.

  "I still require an additional guard." I replied quickly more so I wasn't under her gaze that to actually leave the css.

  Vanaress let out a throaty chuckle. "Good enough I suppose. Dismissed."

  Sapphire didn't wait around and was almost hugging my side before I even left my chair. Vanaress left us to it and instead found a group in the corner paying more attention to us than their test to growl.

  We gave Tayatt a wave goodbye before we left and almost made it to the door before Liliana caught up.

  "Training ground seven again?" She asked me.

  "No I was thinking training ground...." Sapphire interjected before stumbling over her words.

  "Anything but seven?" The female elf asked, the amusement clear in her eyes.

  "Yes." Sapphire sheepishly replied.

  Just like before I suddenly found myself somewhere else before I could even realize it.

  "Training ground four is that way." Liliana said.

  Right teleportation specialization.

  "Is there anything else you require John?"

  "Yeah actually is it possible to get anything that says all the potential specializations and why so many training grounds?" I asked them hastily added. "Instructor."

  Both the elves snickered.

  "Yes I will have a list sent to your tablet when it's ready and as for training grounds, we break them up based on their mutations. Seven is more of a general training ground for combat mutations while four here is more support."

  Ah that makes some sense.

  "And before you ask I will have a list of all the training grounds sent as well for when you start looking for more guards." Liliana added. "I have a small wager on you right now Acolyte John. Try not to disappoint."

  And with that she disappeared. Dam I kind of want the teleportation specialization or not even that, just the ability to teleport would be so cool.

  Taking a breath so I didn't look like I was geeking out too much I turned to Sapphire. "Lead the way."