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This story is being rewritten.
A new chapter will be published every 2 weeks starting on 19/07/2022.
When I finally reach this chapter again, I'll replace this message.
Comments
The first lesson
I wouldn't be surprised if the process of assigning rooms wasn't some sort of assessment of the students. I wonder where Petra will fall in the grading. She could end up as an advisor to the Empress of the Alp Empire.
We shall see
Everything the school does has a purpose, even when it involves senseless violence.
If they are graded on it, I
If they are graded on it, I think she would have lost a lot of points for waiting those hours in between and having no plan to secure her own key, despite how smart the first idea was.
Let's see.
Let's see.
1) Those overly greedy or violent are 'standing out' at this point. Nobody told them they _could_ have more than one key, or what might happen if they did.
2) She quickly realized what would happen if she didn't give it up at all - as per the transformed, abused, and injured around her. So, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Auctioning the key off meant that she had a number of people with a vested interest in her not being injured - at least before the key was delivered. Survival 101 - the more people vested in your being alive, the more likely you are to live.
3) Others followed her lead - thus increasing the survival ratio of the not so violent.
This is just a guess, but I'd suspect that they were observed the entire time. The keys have little to nothing to do with their real room assignments, but rather are a way to separate people into wolverines, sheep, and stags. (wolves don't arbitrarily attack things because they can). I used stags instead of guard dogs because they aren't out to 'get' anything, will flee when they can, but when cornered, can do a lot of damage. It's probably NOT a good idea to let the bullies have natural minions as roommates, at least not to start. What you'd want is people that can defend themselves, but are different enough that they won't have a real sense of conflict. Magic user and politico, warrior and accountant, etc.
I suspect that even the one dragged off and 'eaten' by the tentacle monster isn't dead - yet. They'd have a vested interest in making sure everyone is back to normal for at least the first week. I mean, if their attrition rate was over, say, 25% (death), they would have a hard time getting new recruits. (At least, while they're offering services to children). So, they'd want the first year to be as many people surviving intact as possible, so they get paid the first and second year fees. Then they'll start squeezing people, and you'll start seeing the real dropouts in the third and fourth years.
Bets that all of these girls are new? The 'old hands' are already on site, as it were?
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Well thought out
Not entirely right but pretty close in many parts.
This was a test to see who would do what, and get a feeling for the students.
They weren't told to get keys, but were told that buying stealing and getting keys was acceptable, implying that more was better.
I can't really say anything else without giving away lots of stuff, but all the students shown have been new ones.
Thanks for the well thought out comment.
Actually, they weren't told
Actually, they weren't told anything about keys. They assumed.
To me, that indicates that the keys don't really mean squat - They're just supposed to be in a room by lights out, and they can have one roommate. so there's a lot of bullies that aren't going to be happy.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Good catch.
I'm writing the next chapter now, and it's fun as the rooms are explained. Lots of people aren't happy.
Staying undercover
Thinking that Petra would be best off staying a girl for her time here, she has found friends and help on this side of the school already. It seems that she is doing better now than she was when she was Peter as she is thinking a lot more.
Maybe
It's not so much being a girl has made her smarter as her survival instincts are now fully activated and running at about 120%.
I think some of the things she'll come up with to improve her situation and chances of survival are going to be really amusing. Because she's going to use every possible trick to survive and eventually prosper.
I'd suspect that the Emperor
I'd suspect that the Emperor is quite old, and probably will stay Emperor for a long time.
What caught my eye was "mostly safe". Is that like being a little bit pregnant? Or is that you have to avoid mentioning glitter, croissants, and never wear fuchsia?
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
He is a mad emperor in a land
He is a mad emperor in a land of easy magic, he might be immortal.
As for mostly safe, it means you'll probably be ok if you keep your eyes open, a knife ready and your running shoes on at all times.
Three questions arise...
First what happens if you don't have a key?
Second what happens if you have more than one key?
Third how many students use this method to gain minions?
Answers
1) wait until the next chapter.
2) wait until the next chapter.
3) LOTS
Minions
It seems like Ella is trying to gather minions around her. I wonder if Petra isn't the one who will end up with the minions though. What caught my attention was the fact that Petra had girls gathered around her while everyone else tried to use force.
I'm not sure
If she'll get minions but people are noticing her.
She talked to the scary teachers, beat the snot out of another student in front of everyone, loudly sold her key, getting cash and avoided getting hurt, and seems to be friends with a VIP.
For the weaker students she's someone safe to spend time with and doesn't seem to be a victim in waiting.
She doesn't seem the minion
She doesn't seem the minion type. She seems more like the make lots of friends that will help her, tell her stuff, and do favors for her.
True.
Having allies is always better than minions.
Minion
Actually, she looks like she'll be the lieutenant or trusted advisor type -- at least for now. Or maybe the trusted alli type. And eventually the benign mastermind behind the curtain.
All I can say is Petra seems
All I can say is Petra seems to have shown herself to be extra smart and very cool to other students, especially the girls who have gathered around her. She now has several allies and apparently a new friend who has more knowledge of how the school operates in Ella.
He's smarter than I thought.
I'm going to redo the first chapter this week. I've got Petra pegged extremely well now, so I can go and flesh out details, show how he's stunned and scared at first without removing or changing anything that's happened, just explaining it better.
so she has some friends
not a bad thing
Awesome
I really like this story... Good Job...
You should put it out more often...
Thanks
You're getting it
as fast as I'm writing it.
These are my first draft chapters, I finish a chapter or a good place to stop and I post it after a quick edit. I can't go much faster than this.
So far Petra gets 2 out 3. A solid B/B- grade
Getting tricked into becoming a girl gets him a minus. Though hard to say yet if in the end SHE will get a + for it.
IE is her managing to survive as well as she has so far something HE could not have done? Did her transformation simply shake him/her up and the child always had these talents for survival and making allies? Or is she greater than he ever could have been?
As to the VIP girl for now I go with the old saying, "the enemy of my enemy is my ally."
So far the VIP girl seems a neutral tripe. Not exactly evil nor exactly a do-gooder. But a powerful friend to have. The other weaker girls seem mostly in the gray areas. IE the offspring of minor crooks/villains but not bad people.
I wonder about the keys too.
A test yes but of what?
Plus remember another old saying "there is always a bigger bully."
I suspect our Petra may be a bit of a dark horse and will blossom at this weird school.
Though once she graduates will she exact payback from her parents?
All comes down to ultimately will this dumping her, previously him off in this bizarre boarding school a good thing or a bad thing for the child?
Will she survive? Will she ever become male again? And if either version survives will they be good, neutral or evil upon graduation?
Haven't clue so far other than she seems a survivor.
Looking forward to more.
John in Wauwatosa
BTW. Petra's weird parents said the transformations usually wear off in a few months or years. This make me wonder. Is her female body permanent or will she revert back to a male at some point? Or is she only changeable back to a male using other magics/potions/mad scientist transformation machines IE Muwahhaahaha!? Or is she stuck female for life?
AND has her transformation altered her in other ways? IE will she have a talent for magic or combat, rapid healing or any other useful skills that he did not?
John in Wauwatosa
Pretty much what I was thinking
You've gone over everything in a great way. Unfortunately I can't say much.
The only thing I will correct is that Petra doesn't get superpowers. Unless having a period counts as a super power.
What a guard
Tentacles make a much deterrent than a person.
After her experience on the train, Petra seems to have learned quickly how to keep her head above water.
She actually attacked the two who were after her key, but not in a way they anticipated or recognized. She literally took the fight out of them by what she did.
This story is getting better with each chapter. I'm looking forward to the next chapter(s).
Others have feelings too.
They can't let daddy's little
They can't let daddy's little princess get pregnant when Daddy can summon up armies, the undead, demons and worse. So they make very sure the girls purity is kept reasonably secure.
And yeah, like I said earlier, Petra is coming as a lot smarter than I thought she'd be. Rewriting the first chapter to account for that is actually pretty interesting.
Ella
Now that girl knows what she's doing. Ella has something going for her, but she's also smart enough to know that power doesn't always top having numbers, and that favors owed are very good to have.
-Tas
She has 300+ siblings, and
She has 300+ siblings, and should have 400+, she's already learned a lot about how to survive.
Yup - Security through
Yup - Security through Obscurity!
Well, at least with the number of siblings.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Prosper
I think being a girl will be good for her she has already made good friends.
hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna