by Andrew Rowe
It did raise the questions of how and where the box was storing things. The notes had indicated that it was somehow utilizing an extra-dimensional space, which was outside of the scope of any enchantments in my books — even the advanced ones I’d taken from the restricted section.
Maybe there were higher level Enchanters or Summoners who knew more on the subject, but I didn’t have the time to ask them.
I finished my studying, packed the supplies that Sera asked me to, and went to sleep.
The next few days were going to be exhausting.
***
On the way to the train station, I checked my mana levels.
The Arbiter mark on my right hand was up to 138/138 mana, and the Enchanter mark on my forehead registered at 105/105. It had been about two weeks since I’d last marked down my progress, and I’d been going up by just about one point of mana per day.
That wasn’t the most I’d ever gained, but it was pretty consistent with what I’d been getting recently, and I was happy with it. It meant I was still on-track for hitting Sunstone in the following year, which would put me easily toward the top of the class.
Sera had been pushing herself hard in training, and as a result, she’d recovered substantially. Her mana was up to 44/44, which was almost twice what it had been two weeks before. At that rate of growth, she’d be back to Carnelian-level in another two weeks. It was unfortunate that she wouldn’t get there in time for the exam.
I didn’t bother checking the others — they wouldn’t have had significant changes in the last few weeks.
We reached the train station. Finding our second-year student guide wasn’t hard — she was holding up a giant sign that had “Serpent Epsilon” written on with sparkling letters.
I hadn’t even remembered our division name from the paperwork, but Sera headed that direction immediately and the rest of us followed her.
“Hihi!” The student greeted us. “I’m Katherine, but you can call me Kathy! You must be, what was it, Seiran?”
“Sera.” Sera smiled and extended a hand.
“I am so bad with names.” The student fumbled with trying to hold the sign and shake Sera’s hand at the same time, failed, and dropped the sign with a loud thump. “Ack! I am so sorry, let me just...”
Marissa picked up the sign and handed it back to Kathy. “Here ‘ya go. I’m Marissa, but you can call me Mara.”
“Thank you! And that’s a great name. I really like it.”
I could already tell that this person was extremely nice, and that she would make me horribly uncomfortable.
I was not good at handling people that were that energetic.
Still, I made my introductions along with the others. Kathy visibly jumped when Jin said his name. Apparently, he still had his Mesmer abilities that prevented him from being noticed active.
Maybe he couldn’t turn them off? It was worth asking at some point.
We boarded the train shortly thereafter. Mercifully, I was seated next to Jin, and we were both content to spend the trip in awkward silence, which was vastly preferable to awkward conversation.
***
When we arrived at our destination, Kathy ushered us to a waiting carriage. Not one of the Caelford horseless models — a traditional horse-driven one, which was still much more common in Valia.
We piled in. The seats were barely large enough for all of us to fit — it would have comfortably accommodated four people, not six.
Apparently, the school was willing to pay for some degree of transit, but not enough to make it comfortable.
I distracted myself from being pressed awkwardly close against my friends by looking out the window and admiring the scenery. We were outside of Beaufort now, heading north along a road from Calloway Junction toward what I presumed was the previously mentioned testing grounds.
I’d initially assumed that we’d just be going to the same area where I’d helped Marissa with her test, but this was much further to the north.
Small cities gave way to towns, and towns gave way to farmland.
The cobbled roads gave way to dirt.
The broad plains and fields of crops vanished as the carriage entered a thick copse of trees.
“Vanway Forest,” Sera explained. “We’re just south of the Vanreach Mountains. And, like the mountains, this forest is filled with monsters.”
I remembered the Vanreach Mountains — that’s where those herbs were that could be used to make a potion to heal nearly any injury. From Sera’s explanation, I surmised she’d been studying the whole area.
She hadn’t been making a big deal out of her condition now that she was able to speak and cast some spells again, but I was sure she still wanted a long-term solution. Her voice still sounded scratchy, like she had a perpetual cold, and her magic was still uncertain at best.
“This close to civilization?” Patrick asked. “Why not just move the army in to clear them out?”
Marissa scoffed. “You kiddin’? They don’t care ‘bout anyone this far from the city. ‘Sides, you think they want ‘em all gone? Monsters got all sorts o’ parts people harvest. They’re a natural resource. Soarin’ Wings keep an eye on the borders and make sure nothin’ creeps out too far.”
I blinked. I wasn’t surprised by that explanation, but I wouldn’t have expected it from Mara.
I had a tendency to underestimate her knowledge, probably because I assumed that her martial focus meant that she wasn’t much for studying. It was easy to forget that she’d been assigned to the Tortoise’s Heart, and that meant great academic scores, not just solid fighting abilities.
That explanation did raise questions, though. “If what they’re looking for is monster hides and crystals and such, why not just breed monsters in captivity?”
Marissa turned toward me while she explained. “Some people do. Got a place just off campus that breeds Ironweave Spiders for makin’ dueling tunics. Military’s got big bases where they grow all sorts of ‘em, too, both for harvestin’ and for Summoners. Most monsters don’t do well in captivity, though. Won’t breed or don’t grow as large.”
She paused, making a contemplative expression. “Might be because of different food sources, or it might be that they get more mana from the nodes out in the wild. Either way, monsters in cages or on farms never get as big. That means they’ve gotta leave some out here if they want bigger crystals, scales, that sort of thing.”
“Also means they’ve got strict monster hunting laws,” Jin chimed in. I was used to him by now, so I didn’t jump at the sound of his voice, but it was still a little startling. “That helps prevent any species from being driven to extinction.”
“It’s also why some people move out to the Unclaimed Lands. Easier to hunt monsters without restriction out there,” Patrick chimed in. “It’s just really, really dangerous.”
That explanation made a degree of sense, but it still raised more questions in my mind. Would it be possible to find a way to breed full sized monsters in captivity?
I had some moral concerns about that even if it was possible, though. Some monster species were extremely intelligent — even comparable to humans.
I had to hope that the monsters they were talking about hunting were the bestial kind, or even less intelligent, like slimes and golems. There were certainly plenty of those, too.
I was, of course, already aware that most people wouldn’t care about that distinction the way that I did.
The carriage finally halted a bit later, stopping at the base of a large stone structure. It was a jarring sight among the tall trees, which otherwise surrounded the whole area.
“We’re here!” Kathy announced. “Finally get to stretch my legs!”
We all groaned in agreement, exiting the carriage.
We bid the carriage driver a safe trip back, and I offered him a few extra coins for having to deal with the obnoxiousness of listening to teenagers banter for hours.
With that, we approached the building.
Upon clo
ser inspection, the structure was a three-story fortification surrounded by heavy stone walls.
I saw the tower-and-wings symbol of the Soaring Wings flying from one of the two flags atop the structure, and the blue-on-black flag of the nation of Valia above it.
Kathy approached first, waving at one of the two bronze-armored guards standing out front. “Yo, Jody. These are my kids.”
“You made good time, but the other team is already here.” Jody explained. “I’ll need your team to sign in here, then we’ll head inside.”
Other team?
I already didn’t like the sound of that.
We signed some paperwork at the entrance to verify that we’d all arrived safely...and that we accepted the risks involved in this test.
Lovely.
Then Kathy led us inside.
“Stay safe out there,” Jody said, slapping Kathy on the back.
“Always do.”
For some reason, though, Kathy’s usual grin had faded. Her lips had flattened into a hard line.
***
The fortification had several buildings inside, but Kathy led us to the central structure. Within, she took us to a large room that looked to be a cafeteria.
Inside, we found another team waiting for us.
“Oh, ye have to be kidding me.” Marissa tensed, pausing in her step, her hands tightening.
“Well, well. I knew we were having another team join us, but this is a pleasant surprise.” Rupert Kent stood up from where he’d been eating and turned to regard us.
From the sound of his tone, he was still intent on harassing Mara, even after she’d beaten the tar out of him earlier in the year.
Without thinking, I laid a hand on Mara’s shoulder. She turned to me with a look of surprise, then took a breath and relaxed.
She gave me a nod of thanks, then I put my hand down.
It was a simple exchange, positive without any words needed. I...wasn’t used to that. But it was nice.
I couldn’t focus on that, though. I turned to look at the rest of the group. I recognized them just as easily, aside from the second-year student with them.
Loria Marshal was an Elementalist, much like Rupert and Patrick. She was sitting next to Kyra Dyson, her usual dueling partner, and one of the few duelists with the Shadow attunement.
I knew the other two even better. Desmond Vyers was a Shaper, and currently one of the top students in the dueling class. He probably had the highest overall score, maybe tied with Marissa.
The last was Roland Royce. My old friend, who had been raised to be my brother’s retainer.
I hadn’t seen him in months. From Sera’s expression, she was equally surprised, but she rushed past the rest of us to give him a hug.
They’d been getting close at the beginning of the school year. Was there something going on there?
Eh, none of my business.
“Well, it seems like some of you are already acquainted, but let’s do introductions regardless.” Kathy clapped her hands together. “Let’s form a circle and say our names.”
We followed her instructions. The second-year student for their team introduced himself as Jordan Jaldin. He was apparently a Mender.
Kathy didn’t say the name of her attunement, and her mark wasn’t visible.
“Great!” Kathy beamed. “Now that we all know each other, on to the fun part. Your mission briefing!”
Literally no one else, including the other second-year student, seemed excited about this “fun” part.
“Okay, so! For this scenario, you’re going to be sent into a simulated version of the Unclaimed Lands. Your two teams will be working together to deliver a shipment of useful supplies to a ‘new settlement’, which consists of several other teams of students. The supplies you’ll be carrying are real, and they’re going to be useful things the other students will want, so don’t lose them or let them get broken!”
Kathy folded her hands together. “Naturally, that means that there will be other teams working to steal or destroy your stuff. You see, you’ll be moving through territory known to be inhabited by servants of the Tails of Orochi. You all know who they are?”
There were a series of uncertain noises from the group, but Patrick jumped right in. “They’re a cult that worships the children of the God Hydra. They’re not as common as Tyrant cultists, but they’ve got a lot of influence. There are nine tails of Orochi, and they’re—”
“That’s good enough!” Kathy waved a hand. “They’re a cult, and some of the other students are on their team. The Tails groups will be harassing the settler groups, including your own team. We have a map that should lead us to the settlement. If we get there in time — which we should, if you don’t mess this up — you’ll be given another assignment by one of the teachers there. Any questions?”
Marissa stood up from her chair, looking nervous. “Um, why’ve we got two teams ‘ere? This a tough one?”
“Good question! No! There’s a good reason for that, but you’ll probably figure it out when you read your individual assignments. Which you have. All of you. I’ll get those handed out in a few.”
“Individual assignments?” Roland asked.
“Oh, yeah, you should probably know the rules for those. Each of you has individual tasks you’ve been assigned in addition to the main task, which is delivering the goods. Those individual tasks are just as important for your score, maybe more so — it’ll say in your papers. This is important, though.
“You can’t show your individual tasks to anyone else. You can ask for help with them, but you are not allowed to show your papers to other students. And no leaving your papers around so people can find them, either — that’s cheating.”
Why wouldn’t we be able to show our assignments to someone?
Unless...
Oh.
Resh, this is not going to be good.
“Any more questions?”
Sera stood up. “Will you and Jordan be traveling with us?”
“Yup. But we won’t be helping you unless there’s a good reason. Some of your individual tasks may allow you to ask us for specific kinds of help — it’ll say in your papers if so.”
“One more question. Do you have any estimates on how long our particular assignments will last?”
Jordan stood up. “That depends on how long you last. My friend neglected to mention this, but you’ll each be wearing a sigil monitor on your shield sigils during this exercise. If your shield sigil is depleted, it will send us a signal and your location.” He raised a hand-held device that looked like a compass, but marked with several runes.
If that could locate something based on a signal from another item, I definitely wanted to study it later.
Jordan pocketed the item and continued his explanation. “If that happens, we’ll find you and make sure you’re safe, then signal the Soaring Wings to send someone to escort you back to safety. You’ll be done with the test. Needless to say, if this happens before you’ve finished your objective, you fail the test. If it happens after you’ve finished some things and not others...well, you’ll just have to see how you score.”
“Any more questions?”
I was thinking about some, but I decided to wait until after I’d read my assignment. If my suspicions were accurate, it was potentially advantageous for me to avoid asking questions that would give the entire group information.
Kathy retrieved a box containing several sealed envelopes. Each envelope was addressed to one of us. I accepted mine, then went and found a place to sit as far from everyone else as possible to open it.
Cadence, Corin
Platoon Designation: Serpent Epsilon
Primary Assignment: Delivery of goods to designated settlement. When you have reached the designated location, goods will be checked by your contact (see Student Supervisor for information on mission contact).
Secondary Assignment: Discover and eliminate Spider Infiltrator(s).
I had to take a deep breath before I
could continue reading.
Resh. Yep, there it is.
I kept reading.
Your platoon and/or the platoon you have been paired with has been infiltrated by one or more members of Spider Division. Some, but not all, of your platoon members have been made aware of this.
The Spider Division member(s) will attempt to sabotage your primary mission, as well as the missions of other teams. For the purpose of this scenario, they are considered infiltrators working for the “Tails of Orochi” organization, who serve as the antagonists for your team during the exercise.
Even if you do not discover your primary mission being actively sabotaged, the Spider Division member(s) may be collecting information that can be passed to other Spider groups already at the settlement, or coordinating with other Tails of Orochi teams (e.g. providing them with location on your information and capabilities). As such, you should be alert at all times, and attempt to discover and eliminate these agents at your soonest opportunity.
You will be rewarded for each Spider you successfully eliminate. This includes Spider operatives in your own platoon(s), as well as Spider agents that you discover in other platoons if applicable.
You will be penalized if the Spider(s) that are associated with your platoon(s) successfully achieve their goals.
You will be penalized if any non-Spider members of your team are eliminated. This penalty will be doubled if they are eliminated directly by a Spider.
As a reminder, you may not show this paperwork to other members of your platoon. You may discuss it verbally, however, or attempt to prove your case through other means.
Good luck.
Now I had many questions.
Unfortunately, I’d been right. The more questions I asked here and now, the more information I’d be giving the one or more Spider agents in our group.
This was not the type of thing I was looking forward to.
Social engineering exercises were much closer to Sera’s — or even Patrick or Jin’s — skill set.
Which, of course, immediately made me wonder if they were the Spider agents.
Resh it.
I wasn’t going to be able to trust anyone, was I?