Hidden Before Their Eyes

Chapter 27: New Student Orientation

No one said that taking part in the recruitment festival would be quiet so frantic. As soon as the new recruits this year are squirreled away within the Academy we have to very quickly get everything out and ready for display within the hour. The festival will then go on to last for a week with numerous students having their battles as the main entertainment.

In other words this is the one week all year that the students are showing off their skills where the public eye can see them. Anyone looking for an apprentice is here. Anyone looking for a show is here. Everyone it seems is here, last year when I was join the Academy it did not seem like this many people where here. I guess my perception is different now that I am not worried about joining the Academy.

In all honestly it feels like just a little while ago I was in my first battle. Meeting Yara. Moving up to Level S. Going on a month long quest for the stone that is still around my neck. Freaking out about the dispelling ritual. Running among kehtyraths.

A lot had happened in the past year, but I already know, the worst is yet to come. If everything shakes out how I think it will, within the month I will have to figure out what I am going to do about Dracix's tenth battle, when he will have to leave an meet a new bride. Something I refuse to let happen.

A large bang and the resulting yelling that follows it snap me out of my thoughts. I look at the table I had been told to build and it is almost finished, one more hit and the final nail would be driven all the way in, locking the leg in place.

I look to the commotion and look to see if I will need to help out or not. Someone is howling in pain. Clearly whatever fell, fell on someone. Another helps them away, headed for the hospital wing. As it settles down and what ever is fixed the crowd disperses and we all return to our assigned tasks.

As I am done I loiter about my table, seeing if I need to do anymore before being released for the day. As I am waiting I start to wonder, why are we building furniture? Should we not instead be preparing for the fact that tomorrow we have to get everything set up in the town square.

I look up, gazing at the grandios stair case that will be put in the town square such that it leads to the entrance to the largest arena the Academy has to offer. During this week the cut off all other entrances to that arena so that no one from the public will be able to sneak into the Academy in its entirety.

"Carino get out of here, you are one of the opening fights on the first day," one of the organizers tells me. He has been giving me directions all week. "Prepare for your fight, tomorrow you will not have the time to do so."

I nod and then hurry off, headed back to the green space that is on the succubus' level. No one else is here yet so I take my time. Recently I have been taking up the task of doing a type of sit up where I am hanging down, from a branch in this case. I honestly could not recommend anyone trying it out, it is possibly the most boring exercise I have had the pleasure of taking up.

I eye the tree warily and rub my stomach. My muscles are firm enough in my opinion. I cannot bring myself to do them today. So instead of using my time wisely as had been recommended, I climb the tree and just sit upon the branch, sighing heavily.

I hear a voice call up to me and look down. I do not know his name but recently this human boy was accelerated from the human level up to here through consecutive battles as I had been. His first battle on this level will be during the festival. Which is technically the safest way to test out of you are capable of taking on the next level. This is because the net wins and losses you occur over the week will be totaled at the end and then set in place instead of instantaneously.

I am not quiet sure how it works but everyone in the Academy has four battles they will participate in. Indecently Dracix is at seven net wins, as long as he looses at least one battle then I will have extra time to figure out what I am doing. Which when I found that out I also found out that when new students start on ever other level, besides that of the humans, they start on battle one instead of five, which is why so many succubi and incubi end up jumping down before beating a human and going up again in the first couple of months after recruitment.