Nightfall

Chapter 20: Team Vs. Team

That night turned out to be better than I had expected. Drake and I went to the leisure hall and ordered a few beers to drink while we talked about our previous lives. It felt weird to genuinely care about the words he was speaking, but not in a bad way. Since he had me beat in years lived his story was much longer than my own, but I didn't mind. He told me all about his life. He had grown up on a farm in Utah and moved to the city when he was old enough to. There he had met his wife, and two years later he was diagnosed with cancer. I could hear the pain in his voice when he spoke about the days he laid in the hospital, unable to move, but he always cheered up when he talked about his widow, Becky. The way he talked about his wife that he probably would never see again made me happy. He may have been hot headed and a complete jerk, but I was beginning to realize that his story was just as deep as mine.

As great as it was to bond over beers, we slightly regretted the idea to go out for drinks the next morning. It was a Saturday, so, as promised, that day would mark the beginning of the first team competition. At breakfast we tried to hide our hangover from Anya, but as usual, she seemed to know everything we did and gave me a light reprimanding for being so shortsighted. However, the words she spoke sounded happier than the night before. So, even if I was getting in trouble, I couldn't help but feel relieved that she was back to her usual self.

The academy's Students were all told to gather in the central courtyard after breakfast by one of the proctors I didn't recognize. We ate our fill of the heaping plates of food, and then we went and lined up in the courtyard. Since our placement was based on rank, we ended up on the end of the first row, ten feet from the wooden stage. All the squads were beginning to get to know each other by now, so it wasn't quite as awkward as previous gatherings, but it was still far from social. Anya introduced us to several of her class mates, and Ryan walked over to introduce us to the other members of his team, team Watermark. All three of them bore the oddly designed facial tattoo, but unexpectedly Ryan was the only guy on his team. Both of the other members were pretty, young looking girls; appearing to be maybe a year younger than me. Each one looked battle hardened despite the friendly smiles on their faces. While we said our hello's our meeting was interrupted by the appearance of the headmaster onstage. It took a minute for us all to quiet, but once we had, he began briefing us on the upcoming competition.

"Good morning Fire Academy! And what a fine morning it is!" he looked around at all of us for a second, "As I hope you're all aware, today starts the first team competition. Since many of you haven't ever competed like this before I will give you a brief explanation of the rules that we often use here in this academy."

"During all out competitions like the one we begin today, all weapons, abilities, and tactics are legal. With, of course, the exception of targeting others for fun. No matter where you place in a competition you can't lose or gain more than ten spots in your rank. There is no group combining. However, alliances are allowed; or more precisely, we haven't any way to stop them, so we allow them. You are allowed to kill if necessary, but proctors will be observing your every move in order to make sure that the murder was not without reason. Other than that, all you have to do is obey the instructions to the letter and you will be fine."

Whispers piled up throughout the crowd after the harsh rules were revealed. Only the front row seemed to stay silent.

"Now, pay attention!" the headmaster yelled, stopping the side conversations. "I will now explain the competition."

The teams silenced as he continued, "The objective of this competition is simple; you must bring back a desert treant sapling. There are three caves around the base of this mountain range that house large populations of the beasts. Saplings are the way they reproduce, and they simply look like regular, small trees. The order in which you bring back the saplings decided your new team rank. You have until seven oclock Monday morning to return with a sapling. Those unable to retrieve one by that time will keep their rank order, but below all of those who did return. Now, the competition will start in two hours. At ten o'clock sharp!" he paused for a second, "I guess I will leave you with one piece of information as well. Treants are not the same in reality as you may have heard. They are vicious, bloodthirsty creatures that simply can look like trees. Oh! And they are earth type monsters. Now go prepare! Dismissed!"