Their professor seemed to relax slightly at the end of the final statement. His shoulders lost some of their tension but his stern and cold expression had not changed. He still held himself with the discipline of a trained veteran of the military. After having discussed the dwarves, the final of the four drawings on the board he turned sharply on his heels to ensure he was directly facing them all, setting the pointer down where it had once been, beneath the board.
"It is not only my job to teach you about the other races that war against us. It is also my duty to teach you about us, the human race and how we have lasted and will continue to last, and ultimately triumph, in these battles." His voice had seemed to cool even further if that was possible.
The man turned and pointed to Barret. "What are humanity's strengths?" The question was firm but to those in the audience it seemed out of place. They were talking about the other races, yes including what they excelled at but pivoting to the question of humanity and it's strengths was a change that caught many off guard. Barret however, composed as always gave his thoughts without seeming ruffled.
"I think that humanity's strengths have to do with the collective, working together to cover each other's weaknesses, building a stronger whole." The answer was spoken in almost a monotone, textbook perfect but the professor before them didn't show any hint that he was satisfied with the answer. The only response received was a short nod before he gave his response.
"This is true but is not what can be considered a strength only for us. The elves work as a community to cast their arcane works. The beastkin work together in tribes and packs to hunt efficiently. The halfling's work together to set traps and ensnare their victims. Finally the dwarves work as a collective on their ships to pillage from the other races."
He paused once again to let the words sink in before he continued. "Ingenuity and Adaptability." The words were spoken firmly, the cold voice beating on the ear drums. "You may think that the other races have these, and they do to a lesser extent but they are also stuck in their own ways."
"The beastkin will always work as tribes and packs. They have since they walked onto the battlefield. We may not know what truly lies far up north but as far as we have been able to see it has not been any other way. The elves have from the start focused on their communal casting, never changing their ways. The halfling's traps and basic strategies may evolve but their roots remain the same. The dwarves, as proud as they are about their craftsmanship use the same weapons, armor and tactics time and time again."
"Humans have adapted to these things. We have learned over time to work in units rather than individuals. We have learned to cast our spells in unique ways to rival the elves and to sidestep the traps of the halflings. We continue to improve and adapt our crafts, never sitting on our hands. These are the things that humanity has that will lead us to our ultimate victory over the other races."
"To understand how to continue this adaptability, this ingenuity, without recreating the wheel is one of the main purposes for your required attendance here. We will teach you the latest techniques, strategies and knowledge. In turn once you have taken these to the next level you will pass them back to us and we will repeat the process with the next generation."
"With each successive generation who passes through this academy humanity grows by leaps and bounds and though we have struggled in the past against our foes we have now found ourselves on equal footing in recent generations. Soon we will overtake our foes and then put an end to this great conflict."
The speech seemed to be more what a leader would tell his people to raise morale but the tone used was that of a man reading a textbook aloud. It was a strange dissonance. It made many feel that this professor was perhaps not suited for this class. Barret knew better than most that this was both true and false.
Who better to teach about the different races, humanity included, than someone who has faced them all. The Black Chains were a force that dealt with a wide variety of issues in the dark. This had quite a bit to deal with the human Empire but not all issues were human in nature. That being said, many felt that perhaps this course was meant to be taught by someone more enthusiastic, perhaps mildly zealous even given the speech given.
This however did not stop them from mulling over the words seriously. It was true that humans were truly adaptable. Whether it be to small or large impacts they were able to adapt and overcome in ways that it appeared the other races did not. This ultimately gave some of the students a bit more hope for their future.
This hope however, was quickly dampened by the professors next words. "The rest of this period will be used to write a five page paper on concepts that the other races use that we can adapt to and how you would suggest doing so. Your essays will be due at the beginning of class next week."
The end of the statement was punctuated by a chorus of groans among Bennet and his unit of bandits.