After lunch Gallo collects the first years and takes them all to a building separate from the rest of the renovated castle.
From the outside it reminds Cloud of the giant AstroTurf they used to have back at North Silver Oak Academy but upon walking through the automatic glass doors, he quickly discovers it is nothing of the sort.
The entire space, excluding the concrete floor, is made up of tiles made out of shiny black material that reminds Cloud of the raw obsidian crystals they have back at home.
Fluorescent lights embedded in the ceiling light the room, showcasing the dojo-like space decked out with private sparring rooms with two-way mirrors for spectators to observe safely from the outside, obstacle courses and raised platforms, rows of dummy puppets used for target practice and even a giant boxing ring.
Cloud hums, trying his best to keep his mouth closed as he looks around, his eyes landing on one of the giant boards around the room that broadcast their rankings. “What do you know, he is a coach.”
Gallo waits for everyone to come in and form a crowd around him before picking up one of the tiles he had laying out. “Can all of you knuckleheads tell me what this lovely piece of craftsmanship is?”
“A Darmantium plate.” a voice from the group calls out.
“Great, what does it do?” he inquires, spinning the plate in his hands as he picks on one of the girls in the front row.
“I…I have no idea.” she confesses, crumbling under the expecting gaze from the rest of her peers.
“Exactly, that’s why I asked.”
“Is that a flamethrower?” Casey asks, whispering into Cloud’s ear, his eyes lighting up like a kid in a candy shop.
Cloud swats him away, trying to get him to quieten down. “I can’t hear.” he whispers back once Gallo sweeps past them.
“It's the only metal in the Nine Realms known to have anti-magical properties. When combined with silver, it can be used to create a chamber that protects the structure from damage. The silver conducts the mana so that the Darmantium has an easier time absorbing the rest of the energy after its dispersal.” Topher explains, earning him a round of applause that he feels undeserving of given the simplicity of the subject.
“I see the Greyson gift of knowing everything is hereditary after all.” Gallo remarks, knocking against the Darmantium plate with his knuckles. “The only place you can truly let your powers rip is whilst you’re inside the Olympia, otherwise, this place is the next best thing.”
“I heard they have a pool.” Casey whispers, pulling out a bedazzled finger trap with dragon heads on either end clamping down on his fingers.
“Dude, seriously, I’m trying to focus right now.”
“Well that’s a first.” Neith mutters, appearing on Cloud’s left, earning herself an unamused side-eye.
“Any volunteers?”
Before she can stop him, Cloud pushes Neith forward which automatically singles her out amongst the rest of them.
“You’re a jerk, you know that?” she hisses, tying her hair back with the yellow scrunchie that was already wrapped around her wrist.
Casey smirks, biting down on his lip to try and stifle his laughter, his snort infecting the rest of the group with smiles and lighthearted giggles.
“Alright, settle down.” Gallo grunts, catching sight of Casey’s teary-eyed grin. “There’s always one class clown.”
“She’s totally going to murder you.” Casey whispers.
“I doubt it.”
Neith filters out the background noise in her mind, taking a fighting stance with both fists up whilst Gallo stands in front of her with the Darmantium plate raised.
“You ready?”
Neith pummels the plate with three strikes, her third attack taking Gallo off his feet.
Cloud shudders at the impact of each punch, snapping his head back to Neith, noticing the sand-like slabs running up her arm, laying on top of each other so that they resemble that of dragon's skin.
“What is that?” he asks, theorising the possibilities on his mind.
‘Creation magician? Or an enchantment maybe? But when did she cast it?’
Cloud swaps plates with Casey before Neith returns, avoiding eye contact whilst she glares at him. “If I go missing, you know who did it.”
Gallo, now back on his feet, holds the plate up for everyone to see, remaining intact without so much as a single scratch, let alone a dent.
“Alright, I have with me here some of our best mentors. Isa, Yuna and I will be observing the Outworlders a little closer. The rest of you will be tasked in helping them out, so let's split into groups and get on with it.”
Isa clears her throat, batting her baby blue eyes innocently as a polite reminder.
Gallo sighs, begrudgingly reciting the speech she wrote for him, or at least an abbreviated version. “Go out there and try your best. This isn't a competition. We're just here to record your strengths and potential weaknesses in order to correctly place you into Cores.”
YOU ARE READING
The Initials | Nanowrimo 2023
Fantasy[Book 1 in the Displaced Angels Series] "You took the life of my best friend, made her life a living hell...so I took your building and everything inside, and turned it into ash." °°° Being abducted the first time was already crazy enough, but twice...
