Your contacts in the Archaeologist guild told you, through the grapevine, that the youngster's a good person, at heart. if only its mouth were also where his mind was, then it would be the perfect apprentice.
Unfortunately, you never did manage to catch if it was a boy or a girl, but that is soon answered as you wait for 'it' at the train station a bit far away from your countryside house, filled with fields where your undead toil and work -and then shamble their way selling produce to the nearby cities.
The power of steam and magic is excellent in making things work fast -but they rarely beat undead horses, like the one that pulled your carriage just outside the train station, for what matters in 'consumption'.
Engines must be fed coal.
Undead mustn't be fed to begin with.
As you stand in wait, you mull over the very last and most fundamental things a Master must have, and as you do that, you open up the letter addressed to you by your guild, referring the name of your apprentice -you could have opened it before and solved the hassle of your Apprentice's sex, but frankly, what is life without a bit of a thrill every here and there?
Oh, it's a 'Miss'! This means it's a girl.
'Dear [Insert Your Name],
Miss [Insert Apprentice Name] will be with you shortly. I assume as she is your first Apprentice, you are either utterly green or have already scoured your extensive library for the ways other teachers go about their job. Let me assure you: those books lie. As I took you under my wing, I was pretty sure you wouldn't have amounted to nothing more than bird crap under the foot of a Death Knight. Boy was I proven wrong when you actually managed to survive our first expedition.'
So that explains why your master looked shocked after that stint in that 'perfectly harmless crypt' which turned out to hold more Death Knights than whores at a whorehouse in the middle of the capital.
'I hope you will cater to your Apprentice's needs with the utmost respect. It is known that the bond between a Master and an Apprentice is a wonderful thing, but at the same time, it is also one many would abuse. Having an Apprentice isn't just about having a conveniently underpaid slave at your disposal who can't say no,' oh, really, master 'wash my shoes or you won't eat tonight'? 'but it's about teaching morals and educating a very impressionable youth into a path you think is best for them. Remember my words, my Apprentice -you'll forever be one in my eyes, no matter what rank you think you can achieve in the guild- as you go along...wring it. Usually, it works.
Always your Master,
[Insert Your Master's Name here]'
Although your desire to burn the letter through magic flames is quite high, there is a tiny bit of truth in the words your master wrote.
Especially about the impressionable youth bit.
As you wait for her train to arrive, you mull over a few things. Well, mostly the most important one of them all.
What sort of rapport will you hold?
A stern and stiff one, keeping her at an arm's length all the time and trying your hardest to traumatize her into excelling, or committing suicide?
An encouraging one, which might stunt her growth, but will not traumatize her beyond doubt?
A neutral one, where you'll see what to do with her depending on which level of verbal abuse she can take before snapping?
The same apprenticing you suffered under your master?
Or [Insert Rapport.]
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Topic: Teaching An Apprentice -A Suggestion Game (Read 11653 times)