“I was a failure,” Victoria sighed, “but I didn’t give up until she told me to stop.”
“She was glad that Daciana and I didn’t slack in our training,” Nessa said. “And Victoria is wrong. Indara didn’t call her a failure. She was actually surprised that she knew how to fall correctly.”
“The only thing I could do,” Victoria sighed again.
“She had Daciana and I take turns sparring with Victoria. She stopped us and walked us through each match to show us where we could do better, and to explain it to Vicky at the same time.”
“She had the kids practice falling,” Daciana interrupted. “Baylyss watched and helped correct them while Indara worked with us.”
“Elsa was ecstatic to get some training on fighting, too,” Nessa said. “Indara said she would be there early to train the children before we showed up. That made all of them very happy.”
“I learned a lot,” Victoria said when Nessa stopped. “These two abused me a lot, but I learned. Maybe I won’t be the worst trained novice by the tournament.”
“Far from it, with Indara training us,” Nessa told her. “As she said, if you apply yourself, you’ll be a surprise they aren’t expecting.”
“And I will,” Victoria replied. “I have a feeling that our dedication to training will be reported to the people it matters the most to for us to get into a specific clan.”
“That could be,” Yukiko smiled. “We have Magi Squares and studying to get to. I am glad that your day off was good for you.”
~*~*~
“Didn’t expect the hugs,” Gregory said as they got closer to the tactics hall. “They were all happy, though.”
“Of course,” Jenn chuckled. “They’re getting instruction from Indara. They know that every little bit of help they get will help them in the tournament.”
“That’s fair.”
“They were very happy,” Yukiko smiled, “even Victoria.”
“I remember what it’s like to always get thrashed and feel like you’re failing,” Gregory said. “I know what she’s feeling right now.”
“And, like you, she’s accepting it and working on improving, which speaks well for her.”
“Unlike Chucky,” Jenn said, changing the topic to their upcoming class. “I don’t know if he’ll ever be happy with anything. He has no one to blame but himself, but he just won’t accept that.”
“I thought he was going to throw things yesterday,” Gregory said. “Of course Ling was doing better— she actually pays attention. He wasn’t listening to Yuki, either.”
“He ignored every piece of advice I gave him,” Yukiko shrugged. “That’s his prerogative, but as Imel, one of my father’s drivers, used to say, ‘You can lead the horse to water, but you can’t make it drink, though if it keeps pissing you off, you can at least drown it.’”
“I doubt Paul would let us drown Chucky, even if he wants to do so himself,” Jenn snickered.
“The normal saying doesn’t have the second part of that added on,” Gregory laughed. “It’s a little dark, but I like it.”
Making their way up to their classroom, they were surprised to find Ling and Clover already there. Both women were wearing happy smiles and greeted them.
“Good morning to you, too,” Gregory grinned. “Something up?”
“We made it to the ninth rank,” Clover said, pulling her medallion out.
They congratulated the two apprentices.
“We’re comparing our growth rates,” Ling said. “We were holding consistent until we began classes this year. Clover and I should’ve been another couple of weeks away from obtaining this rank. I think it’s because of the extra studying we’ve done on the game, and the tutelage you’ve given us.”
“You’re both on the mind path, aren’t you?” Yukiko asked.
“Yes,” Clover nodded. “Using the archive after class has helped. Thank you for suggesting it.” Her suddenly exuberant nature dimmed, and she bowed formally. “We’ve had little help since we came to the academy. We never thought that you three would help us as you have. Our deepest thanks.”
“No need to thank us,” Yukiko said. “Why wouldn’t we help you?”
Ling spoke up, “Because you’re champions, have a clan, and…” She hesitated before continuing, “There were certain rumors going around about how you all hated everyone else. We can see them as lies now, but we didn’t know better earlier.”
“Fucking Nick...” Gregory sighed.
“Have you two been helping each other this entire time?” Jenn asked.
“No,” Ling said. “We only started talking to each other during weapons training.”
“You were both in my group,” Gregory said.
“Yes,” Clover nodded. “Things got a little harder after you left. Klim didn’t have anyone who could help her demonstrate as well as you did. When it came time for the tournament, we were thrashed soundly. When it was over, no one approached us. The two clans we approached turned us down, too.”
“Because of…” Ling trailed off, her cat ears twitching.
“We understand,” Yukiko said. “How have you been training without a clan?”
“During the novice year, we didn’t have a lot of time to train extra,” Clover said, “and the little we did have, we put toward physical training, not that it did us any good.”
Ling nodded. “During the break between years, we studied, but I feel like we didn’t do enough.”
“Are you only reading?” Gregory asked.
“Yes,” Clover nodded.
Gregory opened his bag. He pulled out a Magi Squares sheet that he’d set up for the novices, but hadn’t given to them because they’d already made their own. “This is Magi Squares. I suggest looking into them to help with your mind training.”
Clover took the page, and Ling moved up beside her. “This will help us?” Ling asked.
“Logic puzzles can develop the mind path,” Yukiko said. “This is a way to help. We do one every morning. Once you get a feel for them, it helps if you create one for each other, then solve it.”
“We can do that,” Clover said, studying the page. “We should look into these more tonight.”
“Yes, yes we should,” Ling agreed.
“Keep it,” Gregory said. “I’m glad to help.”
Both women looked up from the page to him, then bowed their heads. “Thank you,” they said, then bowed to Yukiko and Jenn.
“Thanking them?” Chucky asked, coming into the room. “For what? It’s not like they’re really helping us learn.”
Clover opened her mouth to speak, but Ling clamped a hand on her shoulder. Ling turned to him with a feline smile in place. “They’re trying, if one can learn to listen.”
“Correct,” Paul said, having come into the room silently. He was standing two feet behind Chucky. “Take your seats.”
Chucky had gone white when Paul spoke, then red when Paul sided with the other two. He took his seat and was frowning at the gaming table.
“I have news for you. Tomorrow starts your first week off. Your next class is in seven days. Use it as you see fit, but when you return, we will be starting the games in earnest, and with variation,” Paul said.
A knock on the door had them all looking toward it and, a moment later, Egil entered the room. “Pardon me. I came to watch the class today. Carry on as you normally do.”
“Sir,” Chucky said, standing abruptly, “I wish to be removed from this group and placed with a different one.”
Paul’s face went cold, clearly angry at the apprentice for the outburst.
Egil went closer to Chucky, staring down at the young man. “Why?”
“The instructor doesn’t listen to my problems, and the advanced apprentices don’t help us learn.”
Egil glanced at the others before he nodded slowly. “I see. Do you think I picked people at random to match them?”
“I can’t say, sir. I just know that I will not grow in this environment.”
Egil nodded his head. “Very well. Gather your things and step outside.”
Chucky looked like he’d won the world as he gathered his things. “Thank you, sir.”
Paul stared at Egil, unhappy to have his class disrupted so easily.
Once Chucky left the room, Egil shut the door and gave Paul a small bow of his head. “I apologize, Magus. I’d hoped that he would learn a little tolerance. Yours was the last class for me to spend the day with and, as such, this festered longer than it should have.”
Paul blinked. “You knew?”
“I placed a handful of the worst in places they could learn if they tried. Two of them have settled in and are improving, but the rest are like him,” Egil sighed. “They won’t survive past their adept year, but at least I tried. You’ll have a new student in a bell or two. Hopefully, this one will settle in.”
“I’m sorry,” Paul said, bowing formally.
“No. I will never blame a subordinate for questioning me, if they do it correctly, which you did. You know as well as I do about his kind. We could try to beat sense into him, but we both know how rarely that works.”
“Indeed,” Paul agreed.
“I shall return and watch from that point,” Egil said. “If I might suggest having these two,” he motioned to Ling and Clover, “play today? I wish to see how they do.”
“Very well. They’re playing without aid today.”
“Good. I prefer to see them unaided or hindered. I shall return.”
When Egil left, Paul turned back to the class. “Well, that is done. You both get your pick of magi. Gregory, Jenn, Yukiko, start setting the board. Inside the empire, and with hills and stands of trees.”
“Yes, sir,” all of them said.
Chapter Thirty-five
The three apprentices were excited— Gin had told them they would have a surprise after their morning study period. Making it back to the clan hall after saying goodbye to the novices, they were giddy to find out what Gin had planned.
“Apprentices,” Gin greeted them, “follow me.”
Inda, Indara, Bishop, and Dia were all smiling as they fell into step behind Gin. The trio followed suit, wondering where they were going and what the surprise was going to be.
The walk across the academy grounds let them see a dozen or more novices rushing off to their classes. They also caught a glimpse of Ling and Clover heading to the archive.
As they approached the arenas, Gregory tried to figure out why they were here. They had trained in the front yard of the clan hall for the last few weeks, so why train at the arenas, instead? He traded looks with Yukiko and Jenn, who were also trying to figure out what was going on.
The green flags barely twitched against the poles that held them aloft. The others broke off from the group, heading for the stairs that would take them into the stands, while Gin kept walking. The separation caused the three to purse their lips. It was obvious that they weren’t going to be fighting the others today.
Once they were down in the ready room underneath the arena, Gin finally stopped and turned to them. “Today, and for the four days after this, you will come here after your morning study period. Understood?”
“Yes, Sensei,” they replied.
“Good. Leave your things, grab your weapons and helmets, and come onto the sands,” Gin told them before leaving the room.
“What do you think this is, besides fighting of some kind?” Gregory asked as he started to put his things into a cubby.
“Group training,” Yukiko said with certainty, “but with who is the question.”
“Why the arena?” Jenn asked.
“I think it centers around who our opponents will be,” Yukiko said. “This feels like a deal was made... professionals who can help train us. Gin is going to be the adjudicator, if I’m not mistaken.”
“Professionals,” Gregory said the word slowly. “Hardened Fist,” he said a second later.
Yukiko started to object, but then shut her mouth and nodded. “Yes, it makes sense now. The neutral ground, so it’s obviously a paid contract and not two clans cooperating.”
“This is going to mean aether,” Jenn said, grinning. “We’ll get to use everything.”
“Maybe,” Gregory cautioned her. “Until Gin says that is the case, I’m not going to get my hopes up.”
Jenn sighed. “That’s fair.”
With weapons and helmets in hand, the three of them started up the stairs and toward the arena proper. Someone was waiting at the exit of the tunnel, and Gregory felt a smile come to him.
“Adept Mindie, are you here to make sure we’re healthy?” Gregory asked.
Mindie, still wearing her healer kimono, turned to him and bowed her head. “Apprentices, it is good to see you all again. Yes, I have been contracted via the academy to help with the training you’re going to be doing.”
“Then we will be in good hands,” Yukiko said. “If not for you, we wouldn’t have gone as far as we did in either tournament.”
Mindie smiled at her. “Thank you for saying so.” Her eyes darted from Yukiko to Gregory, then back. “Was your wedding good?”
Yukiko nodded warmly. “It was. We should have invited you. I apologize for that oversight.”
“I wouldn’t have been allowed to attend,” Mindie replied. “I would have wanted to, but I had restrictions because of my circumstances. Congratulations to you two.”
“Thank you,” Yukiko bowed her head to Mindie, then looked at Jenn. “Jenn has also married.”
Mindie blinked. “Oh. Congratulations to you, as well. I’m sure he is a good man.”
“A very good man,” Jenn grinned. “Isn’t that right, dear one?” She nudged Gregory.
Gregory laughed awkwardly, and Mindie’s eyes went wide. “I would say I’m a very lucky man. Oh, Gin is looking at us. We should go. Thanks for helping with this, Mindie.” He quickly left the tunnel, leaving his wives giggling behind him.
“Both of you?” Mindie finally asked when Gregory had left. “That explains why I thought you and he were in a relationship,” Mindie said to Jenn.
“We weren’t then, but it was my deepest wish,” Jenn replied. “Yuki helped us see that it could work. Thank you for your help, Mindie.”
“Thank you,” Yukiko added with a mischievous smile as she and Jenn went after Gregory.
Gin gave the three of them a long look before shaking his head and turning to face the other tunnel. Nearly a minute went by before the sixth bell chimed. As soon as it did, four people left the tunnel, heading their way.
The three men and one woman were not smiling as they crossed to Gin. All four of them were wearing padded armor and carrying helmets. Each bore scars on their hands, and a couple had scars on their faces, attesting to the violence they’d endured.
“Armsmaster Watashi, we are here as the contract states,” the woman said. Her voice was surprisingly pleasant, a contrast with her harsh features.
“I recognize the contract has begun,” Gin replied. “Magus, these are your opponents. You have heard of them, I am sure.”
The woman turned her attention to the three apprentices. “Gregory Pettit, champion of the first tournament, and user of foresight magic. Jenn Bean, champion of the second tournament, and user of physical enhancement. Yukiko Warlin, final eight competitor in both tournaments, and second place in the first one, accomplished user of shadow magic. Yes, I’ve heard of them.”
“Apprentices,” Gin said, turning to them, “your opponents for the week are going to be members of the Hardened Fist. It will be group combat, using aether. We have a healer on hand to make sure that things are safer. Your opponents will be limiting themselves to apprentice-level magic and will only use as much aether as a high tier apprentice could. Questions?”
“Will they change every day, Sensei?” Gregory asked.
“My subordinates will,” the woman said. “I will be here for every match. I am Magus Vemril, and I am a physical enhancement magi. I look forward to seeing what
a foresight magi can do.”
“What are the rules of the engagements?” Jenn asked.
“Tournaments rules,” Gin replied. “If I call on you to stop, you do so. If you wish to remove yourself from the combat, just raise an arm and walk away. Otherwise, combat will continue until one side is rendered unable to go on.”
“This is every day from sixth bell until when?” Gregory asked.
“Seventeenth,” Gin replied. “We will have breaks between each match where you can ask questions or for pointers.”
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