As the months rolled by, the students would be given extra skins to make clothing and some actual manufactured clothes that the caravan would bring in to expand the options the students would have. After a quick trip to the bathhouse and a change of clothes, Vect in some deer skin leggings and Sara in a cloth dress bottom and a long cloth stop wrapped around her breasts repeatedly to bind them like a bra and both wrapped up in long fur cloaks, they made their way over to Gratz cabin.
They were first to arrive, with the other's slowly trickling in, either from the bathhouse or straight from the sparring grounds, still dripping with sweat. Jack and Lelu joined Vect and Sara near the front. Once all of the first year students had arrived, ranging from 14 to 17, the shaman stepped out of the cabin. "Welcome, thank you for coming."
"What's up Gratz," asked a large center in the back.
"I have asked you here to offer the possibility for additional training. I say possible as it isn't entirely up to you. This is where barbarians are trained, but also where druids are also trained. Should you decide to accept, it will mean adding additional lessons on top of your current ones. That and I must caution you, joining will mean taking in another creature's spirit and joining with it, becoming something new."
Someone spoke up, "What exactly do you mean?"
"While it isn't exact, once the process is finished some physical traits will manifest from the spirit, and some slight personality changes may occur. Nothing too drastic, usually. Claws, horns, possibly a tail may grow or change to resemble the spirit. Personality wise it depends, you could get a penchant for causing pranks or become more or less sociable. Any questions?"
"We don't have to do this right," asked someone.
"No it's strictly optional, anyone not wanting to attempt this may leave."
"Sorry but this isn't for me," said Jack as he left.
Several got up and left leaving 13 to stay.
"Very well, if you will step in here, we will move to your selection process," Gratz opened the door to his cabin and beckoned them in.
The interior was much larger than it should have been, the room was filled with shelves and tables of ingredients and instruments. "Some where in here is a part of some kind of creature or animal that has sensed you as you entered. Clear your mind and it will draw you in. Now it is imp-," the shaman's voice grew distant as Vect felt something beckon to him. His vision felt like he was looking down a long tunnel and he began to walk into the shelves. Gratz stopped his speech when he saw Vect begin to walk away from the group.
"What the hell is he doing," asked a satyr annoyed.
"He is walking toward that which calls him," he responded with an intrigued tone.
Vect wasn't sure how far back he went, only that the closer he got the louder his heartbeat sounded and the hotter it got. He discarded his fur cloak after a few feet inwards. The sound was becoming unbearable as he neared the source. Closer and closer he edged toward it, until he was standing over a burlap sack on a table crowded with various animal organs and bones. He slowly reached for the bag, feeling his blood pumping in his ears. As his hand neared the melon sized lump in the bag, it moved slightly. Then again and again. Faster and faster, until it moved in time with his heartbeat. His hand closed around the bag and all sound stopped. 'What is this? It can't be what I think it is.' He lifted it up and slowly opened it up. Inside was indeed a large sized heart with a scar on it. It looked like it was freshly pulled from a chest, save lack of blood. He closed the bag and carried it back to the front, picking up his discarded cloak on the way. After reaching the group, Vect passed the bag to Gratz. He opened it up and looked inside and then back to Vect. He nodded to him and placed it in a jar with Vect's name on it. "Now, everyone else clear your mind. You should experience a similar sensation like Vect just did."
After a few moments, a medium sized human man named Gary Thatcher began to step forward. "I think I need to go that way," he said I'm certainly.
"Then go," Gratz waved him off reassuringly.
Sara was feeling uncomfortable, as if many eyes were looking at her, offended at her presence. "Umm, excuse me. I think I should leave, it feels like I'm unwanted here."
Gratz looked around, "hm, you may be right. The spirits I can sense feel agitated at something. I'm sorry Sara. Some species don't mesh well with druid magics, Succubi, Incubi, gnomes, asimar and some elementals."
Sara turned and left quickly and went back to her bunk she shared with her friends and 2 others, the centaur Beverly Bolton and the harpy Carl Falcone. Both of them back at the cabin for the selection process. Jack eventually returned to the cabin in a rush, carrying a wrapped package in his arms. He was dripping with sweat and covered in soot, "Oh hey Sara, what are you doing back?"
"I changed my mind and came back here. You went to the forge? You've spent alot of time there. What are you up to?"
Jack gave her a wild grin, "can you keep a secret?"
"Yeah, what is it," Sara was getting excited, forgetting her sadness at not being wanted by the spirits.
Jack laid the package on the bed next to Sara. "Lelu is a great mage. And she is amazing at hand to hand combat." Jack slowly undid the knot on the wrapping. "I think I'm falling for her Sara."
"Oh you don't say. It took you this long to realize it?"
"I, uh, didn't realize it until after the trial. Her wild attack on it was amazing. Since then I've been helping her with her stance and some combat drills after lessons."
He had finally undone the knot and slowly unwrapped the package. Under Meath the wrapping was a pair of intricately decorated metal bracers. However the end meant to be closer to the hands was wider with two long metal spikes pushing out. If one punched a target, the spikes would stab into it as well. "May I?"
"Go ahead," Jack helped her put one on. The bracer did nothing to hamper her hand movements. "I made it so she could still use magic but have an actual weapon that wouldn't interfere with her hand gestures. Magic is beyond me, but I know it's important to her. Think she'll like them?"
"Jack you've really got a talent for working in a forge. If adventuring looses interest you have a future as a blacksmith. She'll love them."
His eyes lit up. They quickly rewrapped the bracers and hid them away under Jack's bunk. "I'm going to give them to her tonight after dinner. I'm so nervous."
"You'll be fine. Just don't faint, ok?" They both laughed. It wasn't much later when the call for dinner was ready.