Placed

Chapter Five

               

The next morning was an early call for all Magicks. They would be training again in their groups for the next competition. This one would be more spaced out than the previous one, giving them two days of training instead of just an afternoon.

Contest number two combined endurance and ability. They would be running a mile long obstacle course as strategically and fast as they could. Magicks were encouraged to utilize their abilities in any way to better their chances of getting across. Over night, each groups' trainer laid out a simplified course for their group to practice on. Today was all about letting them find their way across and giving them pointers. Toward the end of the day, they practiced running with a partner.

Elias, who had ranked fifth in the initial assessment, chose Nymira to run against. Getting cocky and underestimating him again, Nymira thought she had this in the bag. She didn't. They ran the course three times and no matter how many times Nymira found his silver flame and Placed into him to slow him down, he always disappeared to the end of the course.

Angry and confused, she ignored him as they made their way to dinner that night.

The next day went much like the first. Elias kept beating her, and she kept getting more frustrated.

"How can you be so good and everything?" she spit at him after finishing the course for the fifth time that day.

"How can you be so bad at this?" he retorted, giving her another sneer.

At the end of day two, Nymira had only beaten him once, and that was only because he tripped on a tree root when she Placed out of him.

It wasn't easy being a Placer and running an obstacle course. There wasn't much she could do. Neil hadn't corrected any of the methods she had tried, so that meant he was at a loss too. So far, all she had been doing was Placing into him and running him backwards, past her fallen body, then Placing out to sprint ahead. When he caught up, she did it again. This strategy got increasingly difficult when he disappeared and she couldn't see him.

It was a good thing she was a good runner.

--

The two days of training passed really quickly. Before anyone knew it, it was the day of the contest. That morning at breakfast, the trainers announced the five-minute strategy time each contestant would have before the race began. Where they finished would define their rank until the next competition. Again, the bottom four would be going home.

When he had finished talking, Ansley reached across the table at Nymira, prodding her arm. "Hey, tag team?"

Nymira beamed in response, meaning yes.

--

It turns out that anyone can fight because Asshole was still here. However, he didn't look too excited to be running this course. If there was little Placers could do in courses like this, there was even less a Whisper could do. His cronies were grinning however, confident in their abilities.

When they had all gathered at the starting line, the trainer announced that their five minutes of strategy began. Very few people moved, instead they just eyed their opponents. Ansley had her eyes set on the group that had insulted her earlier and said, "I'm going over there," walking away.

Nymira stood shocked, watching her friends retreating steps.  Before long, she was engaging in a conversation with all three. Several moments later, she was returning, a grin on her face. "Well?" Nymira prodded.

"You'll see," Ansley replied. "What's your strategy?"

"Place into the people in the lead, take them backwards, and run like hell," Nymira replied, shrugging.