ã€ŠTales of the Animistsã€‹


 1.01 - The Invasion of Andora

    The Invasion of Andora

    Eil and his sister Nala lay flat on the ground in tall bushes. They held machetes tightly and stared at the neighboring village of Andora through thick bushes. Their uncle and caretaker Kilo stood next to a tree where he blended effortlessly. Kilo was the only weaponless man among dozens of spear-wielding Kasaians. The villagers of Andora did not suspect for a moment that the neighboring village of Kasai stood at their border ready for slaughter.

    Tacus the Chief of Kasai aimed a spear and then launched it at the nearest Andoran villager. It landed two feet to the Andoran¡¯s left, lodging itself into the ground. The Kasaians briefly reconsidered their admiration for the chief while Kilo kissed his teeth and charged ahead.

    Eil and Nala trailed Kilo as best they could which was a great deal faster than anything the rest of the Kasaians could manage. The Andoran villager readied himself for the weaponless man at the head of their assailants. He felt confident enough that he could take on the singular villain while the rest of the Andorans gathered arms. Every Andoran was alert after the mediocre ululating from the rushing Kasaians.

    Kilo reached for the ground without ever halting his momentum and pulled out a fully formed spear made of earth hardened to the density of steel. The Andorans were only briefly mesmerized by the inexplicable sight before the survivor of Tacus¡¯s initiating strike found he would not be lucky twice. Kilo¡¯s spear impaled him to the ground through his heart. He died after a handful of breaths. Kilo retrieved his spear without the effort and complications that would slow down the ordinary man. Those who were briefly mesmerized by his perceived sorcery either ran or resisted.

    Those who resisted were cut down without a chance to live up to their last decision. Those who ran met varying fates all concluding in death. The sole variety in their tragic fates were in the means and degrees of suffering. Some were fortunate and died as painless as one can die in such a situation and others not so. Kilo had seen most ways the ordinary person could defend themselves and he had an efficient answer for every one of these defenses. On the other hand, he had long abandoned the possibility of seeing all the ways a man could turn to cowardice. With cowardice there was always a new innovation. He gave it his best attempt to slay the escaping victims in his path but allowed himself no more than a singular strike for each.

    If they survived, they would regret it.

    Eil and Nala, machetes held with such fierceness their knuckles paled, dove onto every victim left behind by Kilo with the faintest hint of life and ensured the task was complete. Eil and Nala were not the surgeons their uncle was, and their efforts had left more than one of their fellow Kasaians soiling themselves in horror. More than any other Kasaian, Eil and Nala were drenched in blood and bodily matters they didn¡¯t have the words to describe. More than any other Kasaians, Eil and Nala had grown numb to the taking of a life.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Kilo stopped in front of a large tent and prodded the door flaps open with the spear. He waited a moment for Eil and Nala to catch up. He shook his head once they finally arrived.

    ¡°You take too much time. Nala, stop relying on Eil, and Eil, she''s capable of handling herself,¡± he said. "Two to a person?" He kissed his teeth.

    Eil would have replied, but he had learned long ago when he had only begun taking a whetstone to his tongue that Kilo did not demand answers to his statements, only that you listen. Eil had a few distinctive reminders of that. He narrowed his eyes but that was the extent of his insubordination. Kilo¡¯s skills extended to noticing the slightest bit of rebellion. Nala had the sense to always look angry and so Kilo gave her the benefit of the doubt, likely because to take her permanent expression as genuine anger and to react as he would react with any other one of his niece or nephews would not bode well for anyone.

    Kilo wandered through the crates of fruits and vegetables, and nuts and herbs, before stopping in front of one filled to the brim with mangos. In a fluid but unexpected motion, he spun around and launched his spear into a crate across the tent. A screech followed and two boys jumped out of the crate, hurrying to escape through the exit on the opposite side of the tent. Eil and Nala instinctively made to follow, to take two more lives, but Kilo held a hand up. He approached the mango filled crate, grabbed one and took a bite. With his free hand, he pushed through the layer of mangos. He pulled out a shiny pebble and watched it dissolve into his palm, not a remnant of it left.

    For a man like Kilo, the pebble meant little. He pulled out two handfuls and gave them to both Eil and Nala. The pebbles were peculiar-looking rocks, only distinct from any other because they had been thought to recognize the signs. Both, if they felt the freedom to speak their minds, would have offered greater interest in the mango he¡¯d devoured.

    ¡°Hurry,¡± he said.

    With strained faces, and grunts, the pebbles slowly dissolved into their hands, not a dust of it left. The last pebbles dissolved just as the flaps to the tents opened again, and Tacus stepped in.

    Tacus and his most loyal gazed at the blood-splattered children with an uneven mixture of fear, pity, and disgust.

    ¡°Do we have what we were looking for, master?¡± Tacus asked Kilo.

    ¡°Of course, as I told you, and continue to tell you every time.¡±

    ¡°Good, good.¡± He sighed. ¡°Will you ever stop bringing your children with you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, as I told you, and continue to tell you every time. However, the day you decide you¡¯re not the coward you¡¯ve accepted you are, I will move on and find another chief that will abide by my demands.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty, master, it would be irresponsible of me not to tell a villager of my village if they may be mistaken in the manners they raise their children, for all of Kasais¡¯ children are my children too.¡±

    Eil would have said something, but even to Tacus he knew better than to retort with Kilo there. Still, Nala¡¯s glare through her bloody veneer did the trick in unsettling the village chief.

    ¡°Eil, grab the basket and put the mangos there. The children deserve a treat.¡± Kilo¡¯s eyes did not budge from Tacus¡¯s when he spoke.

    Eil wouldn¡¯t be asked twice, for many reasons. He hurried over to a basket in the corner of the tent and emptied the crate of the surface mangos.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not remain here any longer. The prefect will not appreciate any delay,¡± Tacus said, standing aside as the two children hauled the basket of mangos outside the tent, Kilo ahead of them.

    <hr>

 1.02 - The Prefect

    The Prefect

    Eil and Nala were at the tail end of the Kasaian caravan with their uncle. They could already see the prefect''s plantation at the end of the half-hearted road.

    ¡°You will go on ahead and accompany the caravan, I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡±

    They¡¯d become accustomed to the order. Kilo said that should he enter the plantation, the skilled Buffoneese animists there would detect his own skills and they would attempt to kill him and everyone in his family. Eil had questioned how Nala and he would avoid detection but never received any answer other than Kilo¡¯s assurance he would not leave them in a situation where their lives would be in danger. Kilo had told each of his children before their first battle that they needn¡¯t worry, none would die while under his protection. This often-followed complaints by the other men in the village that Kilo¡¯s care were far too young to join them in battle. Even so, all of the Kasaian fighters knew that Kilo¡¯s care would take more lives than any of them could. Their apprehension of the children¡¯s participation came from a place of fear and basic human morality.

    Eil still doubted Kilo¡¯s capacity to ensure the integrity of that promise of protection, but so far none had died. His doubt was baseless.

    As such, they only sternly nodded when the caravan continued on its journey and Kilo stayed back, mango bucket at his side. Truthfully, Eil and Nala could never decide whether they were more comfortable with or without their guardian.

    ¡°If Kilo is so strong, why does it matter if the prefect detects him. You think he¡¯s scared?¡± Nala asked.

    ¡°Kilo is only scared of the gods.¡±

    ¡°The prefect looks like a god.¡±

    ¡°How would you know? You¡¯ve never seen a god.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like anyone else I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡±

    ¡°How do you know he¡¯s not a god?¡±

    ¡°Because.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not an answer.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re starting to bother me.¡±

    ¡°You only say that when you don¡¯t have the answers. Actually, you say it a lot.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to ignore you now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not nice.¡± Nala sulked.

    After a minute, Eil grinned. ¡°Why are you mad?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not mad.¡±

    ¡°You look mad.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m mad.¡±

    ¡°If you make that face at the prefect, he might think you¡¯re mad at him. Then I¡¯ll have to stand up for you, and he¡¯ll probably kill me. The only upside to that is that Kilo will be wrong for once in his life, but I won¡¯t get to see his reaction, so I¡¯m not sure how much of an upside it really is. Try not to look mad at the prefect when we see him.¡±

    ¡°If the prefect thinks I¡¯m mad, he should consider what he did for me to be maybe mad and fix that instead.¡±

    ¡°Powerful people don¡¯t need to think about that sort of stuff, they threaten you till you¡¯re happy, or they kill you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not powerful.¡±

    ¡°I thought we were talking about the prefect.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to throw something at you when you¡¯re not paying attention. A hard rock.¡± The thought gave rise to a rare and eerie smile.

    ¡°Oh look, you¡¯re happy again. The prefect will wonder why you¡¯re so happy, you shouldn¡¯t smile so much.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    When they arrived at the plantation, the workers and the Kasaians exchanged instinctive glares, each distasteful of the other. Those of the plantation begrudged the Kasaians for the lengths they went to for survival; the Kasaians begrudged the workers for direct subservience to the Buffoneese. Neither of them dared glare at the commonality in their issues. Spittle flew, eye daggers soared, teeths were kissed.

    Kilo had long taught Eil and Nala that there really wasn¡¯t much of a difference between the Kasaians and the plantation workers, the Kasaians simply behaved the way they did to feel better about themselves. ¡°They¡¯re all equally pathetic,¡± he said. It was one of the rare occasions where Eil might lend credence to Kilo¡¯s cynicism. In the end, they were all Leonaisians serving the greater Buffoneese cause.

    The caravan stopped at the prefecture center where two more crates of pebbles could be found. They waited in near silence for the prefect to arrive.

    When the prefect Damos Claeys arrived shortly after, his presence was felt long before it was seen. The Kasaians began to double down from the pressure, hand to chest in a desperate plea for air. Eil and Nala felt it less than the other Kasaians but even so, they could barely stand it. There was a genuine sense of weight on their shoulders when the prefect wandered into the plantation center. Kilo had explained that this was deliberate on the prefect¡¯s part, he took a perverse joy from the pain of his subservient. The more Eil and Nala harvested, the less the pressure would bother them. As much as he had learned in the last couple of years, it felt like he''d made little progress against the prefect. Either that or he knew and adjusted. After all, the other Kasaians seemed to suffer more with each visit. But he dismissed the possibility that Damos knew, and he never brought it up to anyone but Nala. If he really did know, they''d all be dead.

    Once, Eil had questioned why they never felt such pressure around Kilo. Eil did not take him at his word when he claimed he kept the pressure subdued, and Kilo offered to show him out in a stretch of the forest so as to not indispose the rest of the villagers. That was the moment he¡¯d most learned to fear his uncle. Of such events, he preferred to bury them deep in his memories.

    The prefect did not look quite human. Horns jutted from his head, a forked tongue pushed most to look away, and a tail sharp enough to stab effortlessly through meat always hovered over his shoulder. The prefect was equal part mythical beast and ordinary human, and thanks to the former, he towered over the entirety of the Kasaians. The Buffoneese did not tend to tower over the Leonaisians, but the prefect was an exception. A lazy grin was plastered on his face while a smaller woman, half his size with paper in hand, whispered in the Buffoneese second language, the one they hadn¡¯t forced on the Leonaisians. He spun on the ball of his feet to gaze at the Kasaians.

    ¡°You people, you never disappoint, do you?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re always ready to serve, prefect,¡± Tacus said, humble to the point that his treatment of Kilo must only be taken as disrespect.

    ¡°As always. Whose efforts did you squander this time?¡±

    The petite lady by his side whispered more rushed words in their second language while the Kasaians looked down nervously.

    ¡°Oh, great. You¡¯ve saved us the trouble of having to expect the last village to deliver tomorrow. I suppose we can skip right to the chase and pay them a visit today, perhaps such a visit will inspire them to measure up to your efforts - though one might hypothesize that if your own visit has not spurned them to ambition, that none will.¡± The Kasaians said nothing back. The less they said, the sooner he got bored, the sooner they could depart to start the cycle once again. ¡°Before you leave, I do have some great news: the time for the exam has come once again. Your children will have a chance to do what you¡¯ve all failed to do, become something worthwhile for your land.¡±

    He walked along the Kasaian line and stopped in front of Eil and Nala, the only two youths young enough to participate in the exam among them. The pair were the same height, and it wouldn¡¯t have been out of order to think them twins. He looked Nala up and down. Nala kept her eyes down, but Eil couldn¡¯t resist gazing at the prefect¡¯s tail. It wasn¡¯t out of curiosity, but the prefects had a predilection for murder. Eil wondered what would happen if such a predilection took over. He knew he¡¯d jump to her defense, but how meaningless of an effort would that be. Would the prefect spare her after the second it would take to do away with Eil? The rest of the Kasaians certainly wouldn¡¯t come to their defense, as they hadn¡¯t on the other two occasions the prefect deemed himself disrespected and their numbers were diminished. Would she be fast enough to escape? Eil doubted it. Would Kilo somehow come to their rescue?

    ¡°How old are you?¡± he finally asked.

    ¡°Eleven,¡± she replied.

    He raised an eyebrow but said no more to her. ¡°And you?¡± he asked Eil.

    ¡°Just turned thir-¡±

    The prefect¡¯s tail shot for Nala¡¯s head. Eil only had the time to stop short of finishing his word and to look aghast. Nala took an instinctive step back, the point of the tail a hundredth of an inch into where her forehead once was. A second later, the rest of the Kasaians reacted with shock. In their eyes, it was as if the tail had teleported from one point to another, such was the speed of the prefect¡¯s strike.

    ¡°The Military Institute of King Paulus is an opportunity to escape your shackles. Don¡¯t squander it.¡± Damos had a beaming smile on his face, strange satisfaction unhidden. His tail retracted, and swapped purposes from threatening to minute comfort: scratching the prefect¡¯s chin. His grin deepened. His eyes lingered on Nala. Eil felt dismissed. He begrudged it. He¡¯d wondered if jumping to her defense would be meaningless, but hadn¡¯t realized how optimistic he was to think he¡¯d even have the opportunity to jump to her defense. ¡°That¡¯ll be all,¡± Damos Claeys said.

 1.03 - Earth Stone Mining

    Earth Stone Mining

    ¡°He was testing you. He sensed the power of your anima,¡± Kilo said, not unsettled by their tales of woe.

    Kilo had never properly explained what he meant by anima but he hadn''t needed to. They felt it every time they harvested. They measured their improvements by the amount of bodies between themselves and the distance Kilo had crossed on every village assault.

    ¡°You reacted well, Nala. Fortunate you didn¡¯t depend on Eil, otherwise you¡¯d have been scarred,¡± Kilo added. Eil looked suitably ashamed because, for once, he was. He did not turn to look at Eil but it was clear he was addressing his eldest present nephew. ¡°The proctor will arrive tomorrow. You¡¯ll pass their test, Eil. And you¡¯ll leave us. Beyond that, as with all of your cousins, your survival depends only on you. I¡¯ll have done my part.¡±

    ¡°What happens after the test?¡± Nala asked in Eil¡¯s place.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out in due time. I¡¯ve given you what none of the other children of Kasai have. If you fail and die, then you never had a chance to begin with. You should have been born in another time or another place, where the weak are coddled and protected. If you survive and live, you should know it¡¯s not because you were gifted, it¡¯s because you were fortunate to have been born in the tribe you were born in. You should not take that for granted. The world is a cruel and dangerous place, and the moment you begin to think you are better than you truly are or that the gods are on your side, is the moment you¡¯ve died.¡± He pushed open the tent and smiled, ¡°Now, who wants some mangos?¡±

    In the tent were their younger cousins: Ves, a boy of seven - soon eight - years, Lina, a girl of seven years, Niel, a boy of three years, and Od, another boy of three years, freshly arrived through their tribe¡¯s machinations and schemes. Of the same parents: Ves and Niel were brothers, the first two of their parents; while Nala and Lina were sisters, the last two of their parents. Just a year before, Nala and Lina¡¯s older sister Fee, had passed the test. They did not know whether she was still alive or not. Eil, on the other hand, was the only son of his parentage, and so was Od. They were told all of this by Kilo, their early memories long vanished. Most of them could barely remember their parents now, and they simply took Kilo at his words. Kilo only received news from the rest of the tribe when someone new was placed under his care, he too was isolated, only his isolation was permanent.

    The children rushed for the mangos but knew better than to take a bite. They all sat in a circle and Kilo sang a prayer to the god of death, Ohm. The level of mumbling as they joined the chorus varied between the children. Eil did not sing at all, there was enough mumbling now to mask his own voice¡¯s absence, and Kilo¡¯s closed eyes ensured he did not have to fear a physical retort.

    When the children finished praying and eating, the four oldest headed to the mines. Using pans and water, the distinct pebbles fell to the bottom of the pan while the rest were tossed aside. That¡¯s how it was done across Leonaise. There was no overseer to ensure the proper work done, the threat of not mining enough was in of itself assurance that they would. The Buffoneese were confident that the Leonaisian miners wouldn¡¯t know what to do with the pebbles should they even be tempted to keep it for themselves. Any such knowledge of the pebbles worth was kept within the Leonaise¡¯s noble tribes and animist circles, and such noble tribes were ever under the watchful eye of King Paulus¡¯s agents; they preferred not to risk their secrets beyond their kin.

    For Ves and Lina, they were forced to use traditional means to recover the pebbles. As Kilo had advised, they secretly absorbed every fourth pebble they found - these pebbles were the source of their growing anima, these were earth stones. Absorbing pebbles were the extent of Ves and Lina''s knowledge on harvesting.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Eil and Nala were knowledgeable enough to sense the earth stones by this point and recovered them with much greater ease than anyone else in the village barring Kilo who never mined to begin with. Having once been looked on suspiciously for the amount they found, Eil and Nala had taken to absorbing more than Kilo¡¯s recommendation, at-times sharing with their younger siblings. In Eil¡¯s case, slothing had caused him to simply reduce his efforts in general, but this wasn''t far off from the rest of the Kasaians.

    Kasaians had become used to their inability to gather enough earth stones and few bothered putting in much effort in the gathering. They begrudgingly valued Kilo¡¯s capacity for violence, and his assured success in any future venture on their neighbors ressources to recover the necessary amount they¡¯d been negligent in mining themselves.

    Nevertheless, that did not stop the village chief¡¯s daughter Halia from eyeing Eil and his cousins suspiciously whenever they did mine. Halia was Eil¡¯s age, along with a dozen more who would be taking the exam this year too. None of them took too kindly to the children under the care of Kilo. Occasionally, having forgotten what happened to the last child to attempt an altercation with Kilo¡¯s care, they would attempt to prove that Kilo¡¯s children were not as special as they made themselves out to be. They thought little about the possibility that their special status in the village was not just a result of random ostracization. That often ended with Kilo belittling the child¡¯s parent for daring to complain about their child¡¯s bone broken state. They shouldn''t have bothered his care in the first place.

    Eil, especially, had not shied away from altercations with other villagers. He took pleasure in it for the sport more than the violence. They weren¡¯t often invited in the games the other children played, so he was content in raising his fist anytime someone had ill words for him, more often than not against those a few years older than him. At the very least, he had the restraint to stop when they begged for mercy not long after a couple of strikes.

    Whenever Halia would glare their way, Eil would eagerly hold up the ample amount of pebbles he found knowing well that Halia would have a tenth as much. She¡¯d be further humbled if Nala had the desire to highlight how many she¡¯d found. Still, when they would all bring their collections to the stockpile, Eil would conveniently have far less than he¡¯d showed off.

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll die?¡± Lina asked while they mined.

    ¡°Everyone dies,¡± Eil said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± Nala added.

    ¡°If I do die, you probably won¡¯t know for at least six or seven years. You¡¯ll be twice your age.¡±

    Lina made a face like she was trying to compute it and gave up. Instead, she tried to compare how many pebbles she had to Ves¡¯s.

    ¡°Do you think anyone else will pass the test?¡± Nala asked.

    ¡°Halia will. Maybe we¡¯ll become best friends. Then get married.¡±

    ¡°You wish, she hates you.¡±

    ¡°When we go to the school, we¡¯ll be equals. She won¡¯t have to be jealous of me anymore, so she won¡¯t have to hate me anymore.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. She¡¯ll find out how you made it, and she¡¯ll think you¡¯re a cheat. Maybe she¡¯ll work even harder than you once she knows the truth, and she¡¯ll get back at you.¡±

    ¡°If I help her, she won¡¯t be as mad at me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so." She moved on. "Who else do you think will make it?¡±

    ¡°No one here.¡± Eil frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not really fair.¡± He hated to admit that the guilt of his advantage bothered him.

    ¡°Kilo says it¡¯ll change one day. We¡¯ll rise up and kick the prefects out.¡±

    ¡°Kilo says that to convince himself he¡¯s not wasting away here. What are they waiting for? We''re going to grow up, get another Kilo, maybe I¡¯ll be the next Kilo, and we¡¯ll do the same thing with our kids.¡±

    ¡°I think I want eight kids.¡±

    ¡°If you have eight kids, you¡¯ll lose eight kids, you know that?¡±

    ¡°Kilo will raise them well, and they¡¯ll be hard workers like me. Once they get to the school, I¡¯ll make sure they keep working hard.¡±

    ¡°Eight is a lot. I think Kilo would get tired having that many to take care of. I¡¯m not going to have any kids.¡±

    ¡°What if Halia wants kids?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that to do with me? She hates me.¡±

 1.04 - The Test

    The Test

    All of Kasai gathered in the village center, all but Kilo who had already said his goodbyes to Eil with the confidence only him, of the entire village, could display. It went along the lines of: take care of yourself above all, never see yourself above the gods, remain humble, and survive until you are reunited with your father. His final words to Kilo were this: if the gods had wanted our respect, they would¡¯ve done better by us.

    Eil held his nose closed firmly and leaned forward to prevent his nosebleed from reaching his mouth. With his other hand, he awkwardly tried to wipe away tears.

    The proctor was a young woman in her twenties with two horses pulling a caravan carrying a cage large enough to sit twelve comfortable children. On her shoulder was a quadrupedal owl, eyes taking in everything at once, darting back and forth in such a fashion that it was a shock to Eil that it did not keel over from fatigue and dizziness. The woman with a bow strapped to one side of her waist, and a quiver on the other, had tightened braids in a pony tail, a plated chest piece, and a heavily patterned dress under. She greeted Tacus with a warm smile and lacked the sternness Eil was accustomed to seeing from exam proctors.

    A series of other more pristine caravans followed carrying the prefect ¨C there to oversee the test and ensure there was no malpractice from the Leonaisian proctor. The proctor was not quite trusted with maintaining the minimal sanctity the test held. Damos Claeys, for his part, never stepped out of his caravan, but Eil didn¡¯t doubt his presence. Instead, the prefect¡¯s petite assistant Asa was there noting down everything in her clipboard.

    ¡°Good morning villagers of Kasai, my name is Sami. I¡¯m a three-star ranked animist of Leonaise. I am here to test those born in the 18<sup>th</sup> Year of the Rainbow Platypus, Azereal. Those of you of age may come forward.¡±

    Eil resisted grinning. He turned around to his siblings, of which Lina was the only one kind enough to cry.

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t like them, but can I have a hug before you leave?¡± Nala asked.

    ¡°I never said I didn¡¯t like them.¡±

    ¡°But you-¡±

    Eil hugged her before she could continue. Lina joined in unbidden. Out of a desire to follow suit, Od and Niel hugged them as well.

    Ves glared once they finally disentangled. ¡°I think you¡¯ll die.¡±

    ¡°Well, okay. Try to live long enough to see if you were right or not.¡±

    ¡°All this time I could¡¯ve hugged you more?¡± Nala asked.

    ¡°You¡¯ll get your chance again in two years.¡±

    ¡°If you live,¡± Nala she muttered.

    ¡°You¡¯re all very encouraging. Thank you.¡±

    With that, Eil made his way to the rest of the villagers his age. Unlike Eil, most didn¡¯t bother saying their farewells to their family. Unlike Eil, most did not expect to pass the test.

    Sami eyed them all ¨C aside from Eil who¡¯d shown too much confidence for her liking ¨C without judgment.

    ¡°The test will be very simple. We will sit down facing each other, and I will gauge whether you have the natural gift of an animist or not. Those who do will go with me to King Paulus''s Military Institute to become elite animists of Leonaise and the sovereign state of Buffon. You will be called in alphabetical order to undertake the test. Are there any questions?¡± None raised their hands, partially from being shy, and partially from having seen this done every year since they¡¯d arrived in the village at the age of three. ¡°Then we will proceed.¡±

    Asa spoke up, ¡°Akilo, son of Alin and Tevro.¡±

    A plump boy, unusual in the village but for Tacus, stepped forward. He nervously sat in front of Sami. Between the bulging eyes of the owl on Sami¡¯s shoulders, and the pressure of the test, Akilo could barely sit without swaying back and forth.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need you to sit still.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Sorry. Okay.¡±

    ¡°Focus on me.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Sorry. Okay.¡±

    ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I think?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    In the span of a sixth of a second, something grabbed the owl¡¯s attention and his eyes swung past Eil. The abrupt change in focus was all that was needed to scare a nervous Akilo who flinched backwards. This convenient set of events occurred right as Sami threw a fist no one present from the village aside from Eil and Nala could readably track. Yet, Akilo¡¯s timely flinch was enough to allow him to clearly avoid the strike. Surprise was writ on Sami¡¯s face.

    ¡°There must have been a mistake, I believe we should administer the exam a sec-¡± she started.

    ¡°There are no mistakes, proctor,¡± the prefect¡¯s assistant said. ¡°And no second attempts. Akilo has shown the gift of an animist and will be registered to King Paulus''s Military Institute. Stand up and stand behind that man.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Akilo replied.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the ¡®gift¡¯, it was just a coincidence,¡± Sami whispered, but the assistant ignored her.

    ¡°Mom?¡± Akilo said. Dismayed, disappointed, and more afraid than he¡¯d been before the test.

    ¡°Akilo, this is good, do as they say,¡± his mother said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go!¡±

    He did not have a choice. Keen on having the process move forward, Asa gestured with her head towards the boy, and one of the prefect¡¯s soldiers hauled him to his feet and half-dragged him away.

    ¡°This is an honor, Akilo. You¡¯ll take care to remain respectful to these proceedings lest you want to suffer consequences,¡± the prefect¡¯s assistant said. ¡°Next is-¡±

    Two more would go before Eil¡¯s opportunity. Neither of them passed. They sat without reacting, realizing far too late that Sami¡¯s fist was now before them.

    ¡°Eil, son of Kilo, step forward.¡±

    Eil finally released the pinch on his nose and was grateful more blood didn¡¯t start pouring than the initial burst that¡¯d stayed clogged there. He wiped clammy hands on his thighs and took a seat opposite Sami, at ease. Eil had understood the simplicity of the exam three years ago. Absorbing earth stones resulted in increased his anima. From what Kilo had explained, most of that was being expended naturally because they did not yet have the knowledge to do otherwise. That anima was spent on physical enhancements, for example: strength and speed. It¡¯s usage for this exam would come down to enhanced perception, and by proxy, reaction time. The exam sought to see if the individual would be able to track the strike coming from the proctor and react. The reaction, no matter how minute, was all one needed to show a talent for being an animist. Eil¡¯s advantage was that his uncle had long ago taught him how to harvest earth stones, the means of increasing one¡¯s anima. The rest was automatic.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    For those who did not have the advantages that Eil and his family had, a natural and unconscious affinity for harvesting was their only saving grace. Truthfully, it did not indicate that one was gifted, as much as the sovereign state of Buffon had convinced the Leonaisians of such, it simply meant one had been born with the perfect affinity to get out of the awful predicament they¡¯d been born in.

    There were rare instances like Akilo, who as far as Eil could surmise, had qualified through sheer luck; having understood that, he knew his uncle would warn him that being born in the family Eil was born in was equally sheer luck. More commonly, those who qualified gradually increased their anima by slowly and unconsciously harvesting off parts of earth stones they mined over the years. Kilo had equated it to learning a language, one would learn better from being taught directly like Eil and Nala were, or one might catch a few words because of a knack for language and exposure, and others without exposure or the knack will know nothing but that does not preclude them from ever learning it in the direct means that Eil and Nala have.

    By the time Leonaisians took the test, depending on how much affinity they had for harvesting, their instincts allowed them some measure of miniscule reaction: eyes widening, a slightly lean, even the lips parting. Anything that indicated one had enough perceptive ability to notice the proctor¡¯s strike, and that minimal reaction was enough to pass the exam. Even so, over ninety percent failed it.

    Sami frowned, she¡¯d sensed his energy, and knew the test was a foregone conclusion.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°Okay,¡± she said.

    The speed at which Sami struck was beyond what Eil had expected, beyond what should have been. He did not even have a moment to catch his breath when her fist arrived in front of it. It was faster even than the proctor¡¯s feint against Nala.

    ¡°You¡¯ve failed,¡± she said instantly. A collective gasp in the crowd followed. Like Eil, they had expected the test to be a formality for him. They¡¯d grown used to Kilo¡¯s care passing it. None had any clue why he did not. Her speed then, to the crowd, mirrored the speed she''d used previously, so fast was it. To Eil''s briefly trained eye, he knew he''d been cheated.

    ¡°What?¡± Eil asked.

    ¡°Next.¡±

    The prefect¡¯s assistant frowned but drew her pencil across her notepad anyways. ¡°Hal-¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t fair,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°Fair?¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°You want to speak of fair?¡± She seemed on the verge of a tirade.

    ¡°Proctor.¡±

    Her eyes widened; her reaction even more muted than Eil¡¯s had been to her strike. Damos Claeys¡¯s tail hovered an inch from her throat. A moment ago, there was nothing, and the next, the prefect stood behind her. Had he not said anything, he wondered how long it would have taken the proctor to notice. Eil felt like he''d been made to carry a basket full of freshly-picked potatoes on his shoulders. The pressure didn¡¯t give him a chance to decide whether he was more scared than shocked. He dared not move. He realized then that the prefect¡¯s strike at the delivery had been pitiful to his capacity. Maybe Kilo was afraid of Damos Claeys.

    ¡°Prefect,¡± she replied. The same bead of sweat that ran down Eil¡¯s forehead, ran down her own. On the other hand, she did not seem to suffer from the pressure the way Eil did.

    ¡°I¡¯m of the understanding that you are to administer this exam on every individual in the exact same fashion, am I not?¡±

    ¡°Yes, prefect.¡±

    ¡°If we were to administer this exam as we all saw fit, then I might conclude that you yourself were not worthy of even qualifying, even now that you are three-star ranked.¡± She said nothing back. ¡°I trust I will not need to adjudicate for this exam again for the duration of your time in my prefecture, am I correct?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes, prefect.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Damos walked back to his caravan at a leisurely pace, the only thing left behind being the tiniest bead of blood at Sami¡¯s neck. She took a deep breath, and Eil swallowed deeply.

    ¡°I will administer the exam once again. Are you ready?¡±

    Eil frowned. He took a deep breath of his own. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Eil and the proctor¡¯s fist cracked against each other. He felt the fracture immediately, but did his utmost to resist the pain he felt running along his arm. He realized then that every time his uncle had struck him, it had been at the same speed as the exam. Eil couldn¡¯t guess if that was deliberate, but he knew he¡¯d watched every strike for the day he¡¯d meet it back. In hindsight, perhaps it was for the best he¡¯d never tried. If it was deliberate, Kilo would not have reacted kindly to that sort of disobedience. How much, like the prefect, was Kilo hiding? How much was the proctor herself hiding? Even in his resistance, Eil felt pitifully powerless.

    She pulled her fist away, ignoring all the gaping mouths, and without a hint of pain on her face.

    ¡°Eil has shown the gift of an animist and will be registered to King Paulus''s Military Institute. Stand up and stand behind that man,¡± the prefect¡¯s assistant said.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Eil said to Sami through gritted teeth, and stood up.

    He could not open his hands quite fully without groaning so he kept it in a fist. A fist dripping with blood.

    Halia was one of the last two to be able to pass the test, much as Eil suspected. She¡¯d a knack for harvesting, and knowing how hard she worked, Eil didn¡¯t think she would have a hard time catching up to him once they got to the institute. She had the best parts of Eil and Nala quirks¡¯s without either of their inadequacies: laziness and naivete.

    The fourth person to qualify was the one Eil most admired, and yet, had never interacted with to this day. Zara kept to herself in the village, but her father was renown as the village drunk. Truthfully, the men of Kasai all had issues with liquor management and the boys quickly took it up once they realized they would never leave their village and paltry life. Zara¡¯s father was the worst but certainly not the sole person to be driven to anger and violence once the veil of alcohol could be used to justify cruelty. Zara¡¯s mother had died a few years back, and the widely hushed secret was that it had not been a natural death. Zara and her father had been ostracized in the village since, and it had only worsened Zara¡¯s situation. However, in none of this knowledge could you find the source of Eil¡¯s admiration.

    When Sami asked Zara if she was ready, she firmly said yes. When Sami struck, Zara swayed to the side and entirely avoided her strike. The entire village, but for Asa, failed to hide their shock at the clearcut evasion. It hadn¡¯t been the first time someone had shown such prowess; Fee, Nala¡¯s older sister, had done much the same the year before. That was to be expected of someone in Kilo¡¯s care, but no one outside of them had ever managed to entirely avoid her strike. There were only three possible justifications for it. Firstly, her affinity was beyond anything Kilo had mentioned was possible. He found that unlikely considering he could feel no pressure from her. The second possibility was that she had been taught in the way Eil had. This, too, was unlikely. He had a hard time believing Kilo would teach outside the family, and he wasn¡¯t prone to pity. If Zara¡¯s father had any such knowledge, he¡¯d never made an indication of it. In both cases, she would¡¯ve had to have been taught to hide her spiritual energy too. Even so, he couldn¡¯t rule it out.

    The most likely possibility was that she had no talent at all, and that was the source of his admiration. She had done what Eil imagined he would¡¯ve done in less advantageous circumstances, she cheated on the exam. Zara must¡¯ve timed her movement after witnessing dozens go before her. That was easier said than done, and he wasn¡¯t sure if he could have managed it if it was his sole possibility of escaping Kasai. The timing went beyond just seconds, allowed her only singular attempt at it, and a limited observation pool. Nevertheless, there was no argument to be had about her success. She had passed the exam better than anyone else in the village. Sami might have thought to complain, but she held back her personal feelings after the prefect¡¯s interference earlier. Zara calmly followed the prefect¡¯s assistant¡¯s orders and fell in line.

    ¡°That was the last participant in this year¡¯s exam. Congratulations to these future servants of Leonaise. They will carry on your bloodline and help protect both Leonaise and Buffon¡¯s interest. Thank you.¡±

    A clay bottle cracked against the ground. The village turned to spot Zara¡¯s father, swaying back and forth, walking towards his daughter.

    ¡°No. You¡¯re not taking Zara from me!¡±

    Zara must¡¯ve been the only person present, save for the prefect in his caravan, not staring at her father.

    ¡°Zara has be-¡± the prefect¡¯s assistant began.

    ¡°Shut up! You don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard about what happens in your little school. You kill our children in there, the same way you do in here. Zara, you don¡¯t want to go, I promise you. I¡¯ll take care of you here. I¡¯ll make sure your safe.¡±

    Aside from a tightened fist, Zara made no attempt to acknowledge her father. She¡¯d sided firmly on the side of hoping someone would put a stop to this embarrassment.

    The proctor stared without any interest in getting involved. The prefect¡¯s assistant had a better solution, and it involved cleaver equipped assistants. It was Tacus, the village chief, who struck Zara¡¯s father first, and the rest of the village hurriedly joined in. Eil would have admired Tacus but for the knowledge that this should have happened long ago, and that they may have only been doing it to spare Zara''s father a deadlier fate. It was a widely known fact that the reason Zara¡¯s father had only been alienated from the village and nothing more of consequence was because he was Tacus¡¯s cousin.

    ¡°We expect proper conduct in this prefecture. It seems there is a distinct lack of discipline. We will be expecting double the supplies of earth stones on the next delivery. Perhaps that will instill greater humility within you. You¡¯re all dismissed,¡± Asa said.

    Only Tacus broke from the assault on Zara¡¯s father to bow repeatedly. ¡°We sincerely apologize. I will ensure this does not happen again.¡±

    The prefect''s aids gestured for Akilo to follow on the way to the cage. Akilo was hesitant but a shove helped him on his way through stifled tears. Eil avoided looking at his family. He realized that it could be the last time he saw many of them, or it could be the last time he saw any of them. Halia waved at her father, and tears were gingerly falling down her face, though she did her best to maintain whatever integrity she felt she might lose in a more emotional display. Zara kept her head low and her eyes to the ground. They were all hauled into the caravan, which, when the door closed, felt like a cage more than the luxurious transport to their new lives.

 1.05 - Journey to the Institute

    Journey to the Institute

    The children of Kasai rode in Sami¡¯s caravan through the other neighboring villages, and it was the first time that Eil had a good look at what became of the villages they¡¯d attacked and robbed. For everything Kasai did not have, he realized that the other villages had less. These people were scarred and mutilated. The worst horror was when they got to Andora. The entire village was somber and dark, and their arrival sent most of the villagers scurrying inside till they remembered that it was the day of the exam not the arrival of the Kasaians or the prefect''s punishers, whichever they feared most. The scars of the slaughters days past still remained; blood stained both dirt and wall, Andorans were covered in makeshift bandages, and most looked sickly.

    Eil did not have to be very empathetic to see the hate and the fear in the villagers. Hatred was something he had grown very accustomed to in his life. In this cage, the other Kasaians joined him in receiving the combined bitterness and anger of the children of the other villages. They¡¯d all suffered atrocities at the hands of and because of Kasai. He realized that all of it ultimately came down to Kilo and to their family. However, in this cage Eil was the only man there to take responsibility for the suffering his family put on all of theirs. Eil¡¯s sole fortune was that only his fellow Kasaians knew this, and if the cage stayed as quiet as it had been thus far, he might reach the institute without any of them mentioning it. Sami had suggested they all come up with easily memorizable names for each other. Eil landed on Magic Boy thanks to Akilo¡¯s suggestion that he had once seen him do a magic trick in the village.

    The cage itself grew increasingly uncomfortable with every village they visited. By the time they had completed their tour of the prefecture, there wasn¡¯t any room to do anything but turn one¡¯s head, fortunately that also meant there was less reason to worry about the other villagers staring them down.

    There were approximately fifty students inside of the caravan when they began journeying for the institute, and half of them died when a boulder came hurtling through the forest, crushing trees like twigs, and crashing directly into them, sending the caravan, every child inside, the leading horses, and Sami into the river on the other side of the road.

    Even as capable as Eil believed himself to be, there wasn¡¯t anything to be seen in the chaos of flying bodies, and wood debris. Almost as soon as he landed in the water, he hurried to resurface. He spotted the first person to make it to shore. It was Akilo, the boy who¡¯d fluked his way through the exam. Emerging from the forest, strangely clothed people held spears in hand. Eil had distinct memories of their own ambushes from forest edges.

    ¡°Akilo!¡± he yelled.

    As soon as Akilo turned around, Eil pointed towards the trees. A spear perforated his skull before he could turn back around. Eil¡¯s mouth hung open in uncertainty. He wasn¡¯t sad, and a part of him knew he should be ashamed of it. Only Eil and the bandits were privy to Akilo¡¯s final moments. The boy would die, and the world would forget.

    The other recruits began resurfacing shortly after Eil. Those who fell farther into the stream had a chance to see Akilo¡¯s lifeless body on the shore and held back against heading for dryland. Some did not have the benefit of learning from Akilo, they made straight for the shore without any regard for what awaited them. Eight more died that way. Two were fortunate that the more cautious among them advised against such rash actions.

    The bandits stood on the shore, bloodied spears in-hand, patient. They had no interest in joining the kids in the water, or of risking their weapons. They would wait them out.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the animist?¡± Halia asked. At least one other Kasaian survived.

    ¡°Over here,¡± Tall Boy said. He¡¯d been bluntly called that because he easily towered over every other recruit. He held the unconscious animist Sami on his back.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the owl?¡± Eil asked. He liked to ask the important questions.

    ¡°Up there,¡± someone else pointed, notable both for the colorful bandana around his head and for being part of triplet qualifiers, his name was Upper Band. As you might expect, his brothers names came easy: Middle Band and Lower Band. They had each worn their bandanas on their necks but popular opinion had forced them to rethink their attire.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Eil looked up and saw the owl flying in circles overhead. If it had any intent to help its master, it made no such indication.

    Among the bandits was the only man he had ever seen who might tower over even their prefect. The bandit was built like a boulder, and it wasn¡¯t merely for show. While the rest of the bandits stood around the shore, the larger man moved to grab the caravan carrying their supplies ¨C largely food and drink for the journey ¨C and single handedly pulled it into the forest. He¡¯d assumed the boulder had been sent avalanching down through the forest but the forest was flat. Somehow, that bandit had thrown the boulder himself. Eil couldn¡¯t rationalize it any other way.

    ¡°What are we supposed to do?¡± Upper Band asked.

    ¡°We wait,¡± Eil said. ¡°Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but they aren¡¯t interested in us so much as what we had along. They¡¯ll leave once they¡¯re satisfied that big guy is far enough.¡±

    "I¡¯m not quite so sure, Kasaian,¡± a boy called Cautious said. He¡¯d had the best success, barring Eil and the antics of Akilo and Zara, in passing the test. Furthermore, Cautious was the only one from Andorra to pass the test. ¡°The safer bet would be to kill us all. If they leave us alive, we¡¯ll be left with two choices: scavenge for food, or take back what they¡¯ve taken from us. It wouldn¡¯t be in their best interest to leave us alive, even if we are children and much fewer in numbers now. Waiting it out and letting us drown, that¡¯s what I would do. They¡¯ve gone this far, why not finish the job?¡±

    ¡°We just wait here to drown, then?¡± Tall Boy asked.

    Cautious looked around, taking stock of how many had surfaced. Eil did the same, he counted twenty-seven. At least twenty hadn¡¯t made it, including ¨C possibly ¨C their only hope at getting to the institute, Sami.

    ¡°Waiting here to drown seems to be our best means of remaining alive for as long as possible,¡± Eil suggested.

    ¡°That¡¯s correct. The alternative would be for us all to rush the shore and hope some of us manage to elude their iron,¡± Cautious said.

    ¡°Bad news for you, big guy. They¡¯ll probably have three or four of them specifically waiting on you,¡± one girl with a shaved head said, patting Tall Boy on the shoulder and nearly causing Sami to fall over. They called her Snark. She earned such a name by wishing she never saw the ugly mugs from her village ever again while making her way to the caravan. She had been the only qualifier within her village. Tall Boy sneered back at her.

    ¡°It won¡¯t come to that,¡± Upper Band said. ¡°Look, they¡¯re leaving.¡±

    ¡°Someone should go first, make sure they¡¯re really gone,¡± Middle Band suggested. Middle Band was the only one of the triplets who had gotten to keep his bandana around his neck. The third of the triplets had a bandana around his waist, and at quick glance, Eil couldn¡¯t find him. He had to assume he remained alive given his brothers'' lack of sorrow.

    ¡°And if they aren¡¯t really gone then we¡¯re all dying anyways, so what¡¯s the point of checking?¡± Snark rebutted.

    ¡°I propose one of the Kasaians go,¡± Tall Boy spoke, and no one objected.

    ¡°Well,¡± Eil started, ¡°Akilo and Zara are dead. At least, on the latter, I can only assume, though she¡¯s always had a knack for disappearing.¡± He recalled the late nights her father would wander town drunk and yelling her name. Tacus was typically quick to end such disruptions lest someone like Kilo be bothered. ¡°I guess it¡¯s down to you and I, Halia. Stop, you don¡¯t have to worry, I¡¯ll go ahead. Never accuse me of cowardice.¡±

    It helped that he understood he had little choice in the matter. He needed to keep Halia quiet until they got to the institute, otherwise, he suspected he might have more to worry about from the other students than he would the bandits. Eil reluctantly began swimming towards the shore, though he took care to grab a floating plank from the broken caravan on his way there. When he felt sand under feet, he gingerly ascended out of the water. He gazed intently into the forest but could find no one staring back.

    "Anyone there?¡± Halia asked.

    ¡°I imagine I¡¯d be dead by now if there were,¡± Eil yelled back, his eyes never leaving the forest.

    ¡°Could be they¡¯re waiting for us to follow you out,¡± Snark said.

    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re probably right. Why don¡¯t you stay in the water till you feel a bit more comfortable?¡±

    ¡°Good idea!¡±

    He rolled his eyes. ¡°Alright, you guys stay here, and I¡¯ll go get the only thing keeping us alive till we reach the institute, that caravan of food. When I do, I¡¯ll be sure to circle back around here to tell you everything is safe. Just give me a moment, I simply need to find myself a suitable weapon.¡± He began walking around the river-side road. ¡°A bit too blunt for my liking. Ah, this is on the verge of snapping in half, it would not do. Oh, here we are, perfect.¡± He admired his newly acquired stake, a remnant of their former wooden mode of transportation ¡°Oh, a change of plans,¡± he beamed when he saw them all swimming ashore. ¡°Great. I¡¯ll be honest, I wasn¡¯t sure I could do it on my own.¡±

    A total of twenty-seven people made it onto the shore, including Sami, led by Cautious.

    ¡°Is the animist still alive?¡± Snark asked. ¡°We won¡¯t make it to the institute without her.¡±

    ¡°We could find another prefect,¡± Lower Band said, confirming Eil¡¯s assumption that the youngest triplet hadn¡¯t succumbed to the bandits¡¯s assault.

    ¡°You must not have met our prefect,¡± Eil said. ¡°I think I¡¯ll take my chances wandering down to that institute on my own.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a safe space. We¡¯re better off hiding in the forest,¡± Cautious said.

    ¡°Where the bandits are?¡± Halia questioned.

    ¡°We¡¯re easy pickings here.¡±

    ¡°Especially the big guy,¡± Snark added.

    ¡°Fine, forest,¡± Halia conceded.

 1.06 - The Students from Prefecture 21

    The Students from Prefecture 21

    ¡°You seem upset,¡± Eil said, grinning and leaning back on a tree.

    Halia stood next to him, though with enough distance to silently assert to the rest of their assembly that she¡¯d have preferred having nothing to do with him. In fact, she wanted that distance to also inform them that had they not all grouped up with people from their fellow villages and left her with no recourse, she would have happily stood by their side to glare at him. As it were, being isolated would present her as even weaker than aligning with Eil. However, Eil knew that the only message such a distance sent was the dissonance among the pair.

    ¡°Have you not noticed?¡± she asked, and he could feel undercurrent of a bitter remark awaiting the aftermath of his reply.

    ¡°Noticed what? Everyone staring?¡± He gazed across the other groups. ¡°You think they¡¯ll kill us for everything our village did to theirs.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s why they¡¯re staring?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s why I would.¡±

    ¡°Is it? Grim. They didn¡¯t grow up killing the way you did. It¡¯s not the first thing on their mind.¡±

    ¡°You think that because no one¡¯s ever killed anyone you care about. If they had, you¡¯d think like a killer, too.¡±

    She frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not why they¡¯re staring. If I hadn¡¯t been forced to stand here next to you, I¡¯d be staring because you¡¯re the only one here smiling while we¡¯re all wet with bloody water. Blood, need I add, of our classmates.¡±

    ¡°Is that it?¡± He looked around again, meeting eyes this time, his voice reaching every ear. ¡°Haven¡¯t you realized we¡¯re all still alive, in spite of the odds?¡±

    ¡°For how long?¡± Tall Boy barked. He had the biggest group, five of them total. Talented little village.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Eil beamed. ¡°For how long? We could be joining them by the time the sun falls! Why be sullen with the little we have left?¡± No one took to his blind optimism.

    ¡°Be grateful; if either of my brothers had died, and I¡¯d heard you say something so callous, I¡¯d have your life the way you Kasaians have taken so many of ours,¡± Upper Band said.

    Eil waved his hands around innocently. ¡°I¡¯d wager you¡¯d be smarter saving your first blood for the bandits who''ve killed half of us, and left the other half to starve. Or in this hypothetical scenario, for the bandit who would''ve killed your brother.¡± Eil stepped forward. ¡°Besides, unless one of you has a hidden knack for murder, something my sister here says you lack, I believe I might be our only hope of surviving.¡±

    ¡°I think our big friend here would disagree,¡± Snark said.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Eil turned to Tall Boy, dumbfounded. ¡°Is that so? Will you go on and retrieve our food then? Run through their spears with your bare hands? Is that a skill you¡¯ve inherited from your commendable girth?¡±

    ¡°Why do you think you¡¯re our only hope of survival?¡± Cautious asked, the only one unbothered by Eil''s condescension. He must have had the freshest memory of a Kasaian invasion, and yet he alone lacked animosity in his voice when he spoke to Eil. Of all the other students, he frightened Eil the most.

    ¡°I will happily answer that question. Before we do that,¡± Eil kicked up dirt and it flew a short distance into the face of sleeping Sami.

    Within the next second, Eil had his hands up, grinning broadly, and yet sweating nervously, a hand wrapped around his throat.

    ¡°The prefect isn¡¯t here to protect you,¡± she said. Any previous injury Sami feigned had vanished.

    He tried to speak but found his throat in a knot. She loosened oh-so slightly. ¡°You¡¯re right. Please don¡¯t kill me. That was a dumb mistake. My apologies.¡±

    ¡°Killing you would be an innocent crime," she said in a low voice. "Someone else will probably kill you, sooner rather than later, so why not get it over it. I don¡¯t think any of them would care, particularly when they learn about the source of your confidence.¡±

    Eil dared not move an inch. ¡°Again. Right. In fact, you could buy their silence both by leaving them to die here - starving or slaughtered by those bandits - as will inevitably happen if they don''t get help; or, you can assist them and ensure their loyalty belongs to you. Though I''m guessing the consequences of being found out for the latter wouldn''t be real pleasant.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to convince me to kill you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Of course not. I just wanted to say that I understand your dilemma. You¡¯d stand to gain a bit by killing me.¡± He spoke up to the other recruits who were holding their breath to hear the conversation. ¡°I just want you all to know that I didn¡¯t choose my advantages or disadvantages in life. I might have chosen a cozier life in our sovereign kingdom had it been up to me. But I won''t renege my privileges because you all detest that I have them. In any case, you can all see this game is rigged against me the same way it¡¯s rigged against you. They''d prefer it if most of us don''t make the institution.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying the attack was intentional,¡± Cautious asked.

    ¡°Intentional? Maybe not. But they knew it was a possibility, and clearly Sami isn''t here to protect us, just guide us. Our forests are filled edge to edge with bandits: bandits who failed to make it to the institution as we very well might end up, bandits who¡¯ve tired of living a life serving our sovereigns, bandits'' leftover from the endless battles we have trying to satiate our sovereigns. Now, they send a caravan containing fifty kids, only a woman among them, and enough food for multiple days journey? You won¡¯t find a better opportunity all year for easy gain. I¡¯d wager across our country there are many more like us going through the same ordeal. It¡¯s simple probability. Some luckier, and some unluckier than us. Some who will arrive unscathed, and some who will arrive a single body, starved but alive. How was it when you tried, animist?¡±

    Sami glared, then let go of his neck. ¡°He¡¯s right. You¡¯re all on your own. They don¡¯t care if you make it or not. Some will. That¡¯s enough for the institution. They don¡¯t want soldiers, they want weapons, and a weapon takes a lot of refinement.¡±  She walked away and sat cross-legged in front of a tree. She whistled and from the sky, her owl arrived. ¡°Like he said, my only purpose here is to guide you towards the institute. Would you like to go there now?¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°And starve to death on the way there?¡± Snark asked.

    ¡°Or later?¡± Sami continued.

    ¡°I think we¡¯ll take later,¡± Middle Band said.

    ¡°That brings us back to why you¡¯re our only hope of survival,¡± Cautious said.

    ¡°Right. Well, we¡¯re two dozen kids without a single weapon in hand, trying to take back a caravan full of food from bandits who kill and steal for a living, each with a spear to their name. Bandits are a problem all on their own, but that giant of theirs is something else. Not even Tall Boy here would measure up to him. I, however, can kill him.¡±

    Snark snorted. ¡°With your bare hands?¡±

    ¡°With this.¡± Eil crouched onto the ground and drew a circle in the dirt with a character none here, but Sami, could recognize. He took note: who was shocked, who was curious. Sami frowned. Cautious, he noticed, was the only one not caught off guard. Cautious was just like him, he quickly concluded. This begged the question: who had taught him? And, curiously, why had they not been there defending during their attack on Andora?

    Eil closed his eyes and lost his grin. He was sure he was making an ugly face right about now. He pressed his hand against the symbol imprinted into the dirt and pulled out a hardened spear from the ground, much in the way his uncle had. He opened his eyes again to wonderment, and his grin returned.

    ¡°I can kill their giant given the opportunity.¡± Magic Boy was what Akilo had called him, and now the name would come true.

    ¡°How did you-¡° Snark said. He might have to find a new name for her, didn¡¯t seem so snarky then.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to explain, nor could I teach you, because I know you¡¯re wondering. Sami could, of course, but you wouldn¡¯t be able to do it even if you knew how, at least not immediately.¡±

    Kilo was the one who taught him, but this was never a lesson he¡¯d ever knowingly taught. No, Kilo did not know that Eil could even do it. It had taken a long time for Eil to understand how Kilo was able to manifest a spear from the earth. Kilo wasn¡¯t particularly cautious about keeping his secret hidden, which is how Eil had come to learn that there was a tattoo on the palm of his hands; a tattoo of the symbol Eil had drawn on the ground. Initially, Eil had used his own blood to test it, though the idea of mutilating himself each time he sought to manifest the spear seemed impractical. He would go on to learn that the means of communication mattered little. He could draw the symbol on the ground, and it would work. He¡¯d quickly concluded that the reason Kilo had tattooed the symbol onto his hand was for ease of use, and nothing more. That had made him immensely curious, but to satisfy that curiosity, he knew he¡¯d have to make it to the institution.

    ¡°Can you make one for each of us?¡± Cautious asked.

    Eil scratched the back of his head. ¡°Not exactly. I¡¯ve only a certain amount of..." he searched for a word they''d understand, "energy, and while I could attempt to make as many of them as possible, I¡¯d likely faint from exhaustion, and I couldn¡¯t say for how long. I don¡¯t quite trust all of you enough to do that, but beyond even that, I wager none of you have ever killed anyone before, and as some of you now realize, I have. Plenty.¡± Again, he met eyes.

    ¡°How many of them can you make?¡± Halia asked, breaking a momentary silence.

    ¡°Good question-¡°

    ¡°Are you about to sidestep it?¡± Snark asked.

    Eil giggled. ¡°Not at all, I can provide six spears in total. I understand, that¡¯s far from enough for everyone. So, we¡¯ll have to decide who gets to hold one of these. I know I can take care of our biggest problem, the giant. But there¡¯s the matter of the rest of them. Anyone get a good count?¡±

    ¡°About a dozen,¡± Tall Boy said.

    ¡°There were fourteen,¡± Middle Band corrected.

    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Cautious confirmed.

    ¡°We can all agree that Tall Boy gets a spear?¡± Eil said. No one had any problem with that. ¡°She gets one," he pointed to Halia. "She¡¯s from my village, I can¡¯t let her die.¡± Halia¡¯s face swept through a dozen uncertain reactions. Some wanted to object, but no one bothered. ¡°That leaves three unaccounted for.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take one.¡± That was Lank; silent and long-limbed. There were three more from his village at his side.

    ¡°What makes you think you should get one?¡± Snark asked. The three behind him tensed, but she didn¡¯t back down.

    ¡°She¡¯s right. You owe us at least that,¡± Cautious chipped in.

    ¡°Of course. My village mates can attest to this. Having once been a victim to Kasai¡¯s rampant thievery and murder, and having known that this happened across our prefecture, our village chose not to wait to be plundered and made to suffer the whims of our prefect once again. They''ve trained me, through our village¡¯s greatest combatants and through the foreigners willing to take the coin, since birth so that I may slay Kasai¡¯s great warrior once he shows himself.¡±

    ¡°How will they feel now that your survival depends on the very people you were meant to slay?¡± Eil mused, then shrugged. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s not enough for everyone else, but it¡¯s enough for me. A spear for Lank.¡±

    ¡°My name is Mas.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Lank, Tall Boy, Halia, and I. Two more. How about you Cautious? You seem smart.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be useless with it; however, I would suggest one of the triplets. We already know they¡¯ll work to keep each other alive; it would not be a waste if it may save the lives of three instead of one.¡±

    "That works for me. And for our last lucky contestant?¡± There were four villages, barring Cautious''s, who did not have a spear-wielder amongst them. Snark was alone from her own village, and there were three other groups of four. Everyone could just about guess which way he would go. ¡°Snark. Happy killing.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? That spear might end up in your back,¡± Snark said.

    ¡°I¡¯d remind you that the rest of you would die without me but I don¡¯t think you trust the legitimacy of that statement. I¡¯ll course correct. Do you think I¡¯d give any of you a weapon if I thought there was a chance you could kill me with it?¡±

    Snark frowned. ¡°It was just a joke, Magic Boy, relax. Anyways, six spears isn¡¯t exactly going to take down a group of bandits.¡±

    ¡°They will if they¡¯re sleeping,¡± Cautious said.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Kasai attacked when your villages least expected it; bathing time, middle of the night, dinner time. We struck when your guards were down.¡±

    ¡°Like cowards,¡± Lank piped up.

    ¡°Their cowardice made sure they lived. Perhaps we should¡¯ve set aside our prides as well,¡± Cautious said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t give yourself credit like you chose to preserve your pride. All of your villages would¡¯ve done the same given the opportunity,¡± Eil said, immediately cursing his own pride. That did not sit well with them. Eased tensions intensified once more. ¡°You are right, though, we have to attack while they¡¯re sleeping. Which leads us to the first thing we have to do: find where they¡¯ll be sleeping.¡±

    ¡°You know how to track too? You¡¯ve gone on hunts?¡± Lower Band asked.

    ¡°He just has a little bit of common sense.¡± That was Bite-Sized, and she was easily the tiniest person here. Ironically, it was her small stature that made sure she stood out among them. ¡°The giant left some equally suitable giant tracks when he started dragging a caravan full of food across the forest.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. As long as we¡¯re quiet, this is going to be the easiest part. Find where they¡¯re hiding, and come back. On the other hand, if we¡¯re caught, well, I don¡¯t imagine it¡¯ll be very fun. So, who¡¯s coming with? I take it you can stay quiet?¡±

    Bite-Sized frowned, but nodded.

    ¡°And how about you, Cautious? You seem like you can keep things to a dull roar.¡±

    He bit his lip. ¡°No.¡±

    Eil frowned. ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯d judge me brave?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d judge you suitably prepared. That can make a person brave.¡±

    Tall Boy cleared his throat. ¡°I don¡¯t trust you, Kasaian. You¡¯re scum. Worse than scum. But I take it from the way our animist is looking at you, and the way Cautious looks at you, that they think you know what you¡¯re doing. I¡¯ll happily follow you if it gets us to the institution alive. But that means everyone has to do their part, and if they do not, then perhaps they don¡¯t deserve to come along with us to the institution. Perhaps I¡¯ll ensure they do not.¡± He folded his arms and looked directly at Cautious.

    For his part, Cautious did not show whatever fear he professed to have. ¡°I suppose my hands are tied?¡±

 1.07 - The Scouts

    The Scouts

    Eil, Bite-Sized, and Cautious went back to the shore to find where the caravans tracks began, and where they would end. The rest of their motley crew were advised to gather food and prepare for the worst. Sami did not budge from her place. If she had any concern about starving, it was quickly subdued when her quadrupedal owl returned with a rabbit in mouth.

    ¡°You know Cautious, I didn¡¯t expect anyone from Andora to pass the exam,¡± Eil said to break the eternal silence of their amateur hunting. Cautious didn¡¯t say anything. Bite-Sized pretended to be deaf. ¡°I imagined luck wouldn¡¯t have been on your side. That the few capable might have died.¡±

    ¡°My luck supercedes most," Cautious said.

    Eil chuckled, carefully and under his breath. ¡°Luck¡¯s not something I¡¯d use to describe how you passed the exam. Nor is it something I would use to describe how I¡¯ve passed it. At least not without a great deal of elaboration on the nature of fortune.¡±

    ¡°You think I had the same advantages you did?¡± He cast a glance towards Bite-Sized, but Bite-Sized pretended at blindness and did not acknowledge it. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Kasai have been repelled if so?¡±

    ¡°The animist visited our village first, you know.¡±

    ¡°And mine the last.¡±

    ¡°Bite-Sized got around to joining us fairly early. Bite-Sized, of all the people to pass the exam, who would you say had the easiest time?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t involve me,¡± she spoke flatly.

    Eil grinned. ¡°There were only two people who did nearly as well as you. One of them is dead. The rest of the caravan called her Silent but in our village she was Zara. She was so desperate to leave the village, she cheated to pass the exam. She was the last to go in our village. She saw how the animist struck, timed it, memorized it, and by the time it was her turn to go, she avoided it entirely. It was brilliant. I couldn¡¯t have done it if I''d been in her position. Of course, I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s what she did, because I can¡¯t imagine the alternative. It¡¯s unfortunate she died. You don¡¯t meet a lot of people like that.¡±

    ¡°You saw her die?¡± Cautious questioned, genuinely curious.

    ¡°No. Nor did I take my time to check every dead body.¡±

    ¡°People like that, they find ways to live.¡±

    ¡°Some things you can¡¯t anticipate. I won¡¯t hold my breath.¡±

    ¡°Were you friends?¡± Cautious asked.

    ¡°Not at all. I don¡¯t think I ever spoke a word to her. But in all fairness, I didn¡¯t speak much of a word to the rest of the village either.¡±

    ¡°So, I suppose, you were the other one who did the exam as well as I did.¡±

    ¡°Precisely. Actually, I had two tries. The animist must¡¯ve realized my advantage so she tried to sabotage me the first time around. Fortunately, by divine interference, I was given a second try; on the second attempt I met her fist with my own.¡± He flexed his hands, barely. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a great idea.¡±

    ¡°You still think you¡¯ll kill their giant.¡±

    ¡°Who else could? But that¡¯s beside the point. You, Cautious, did as well as a cheater, and a boy of, if we¡¯re being honest, immense privilege. What was your tri-¡±

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Bite-Sized yelled.

    She shoved him out of the way. He stumbled away from, what he then noticed, was a snare in the ground. Bite-Sized yelled again, reaching desperately for her neck, hung from a tree, from the very same snare. She clawed at it fruitlessly, and he could already see the blood beginning to ooze around the wire. He gazed around hurriedly for Cautious, and could not find him. He had vanished entirely. Eil held his spear tightly, and crouched, gazing across the forest. A spear from within the trees flew from behind him, but he easily saw it coming and dodged out of the way. Compared to Sami¡¯s strike, it was a great deal easier. He thanked his uncle, and whatever god allowed him to be born in his family.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°You won¡¯t kill me like that,¡± he warned.

    He kept gazing at Bite-Sized. Blood now coated her fingers and her neck. She couldn¡¯t get out of it. Eil held his spear firmly in his off-hand. He wasn¡¯t great with a spear, and a bum hand wouldn¡¯t help. He missed his machete, but he couldn¡¯t bring one along for the journey, and he''d never seen his uncle do anything besides summon a spear. He needed to free her, before it was too late, and he had no idea when it would become too late.

    ¡°Come on. Don¡¯t be cowards. One little kid.¡± He held the spear in his one hand, slowly turning around. Still, nothing. On one of his endless painful gazes up at Bite-Sized, he finally realized that the wire which held her by her neck went into the forest.

    Once again, he was reminded that it had been an idiotic decision to sacrifice his hand. At least with his good hand, he¡¯d have been able to throw the spear. He didn¡¯t hold similar confidence for his offhand.

    ¡°Fuck it,¡± he said in a low grunt.

    He charged towards the spear that had lodged itself into a tree. Two spears flew from opposite sides of the forest. He twisted in time and both spears flew past him. This, at least, he could handle. He heard a pained yelp but did not look to see where it came from. He pulled the spear out with the ease his privilege afforded him though not without the pain of having used it in the test, and ducked under the lunge of the first man to exit the tree¡¯s camouflage. He raised his strong arm up to block a second swing and his newly acquired spear dropped out of his hands. Eil kicked at the man¡¯s chest and as soon as he tried to regain his balance, lodged the spear in his off-hand into his ribs. He did not make sure the man was dead, and instead pulled it out in a hurry. Without taking a moment to see what the others, of which he knew not how many there were, were doing, he sprinted towards the source of the wire.

    His eyes widened as soon as he saw the woman holding the wire. Anger he¡¯d rarely felt flared up. She let go of the wire and he heard the not-too-distant thud of Bite-Sized dropping to the ground. The woman turned around and took two-and-a-half steps before his spear pierced through back and abdomen in an inefficient angle. He pulled the spear out, and with the mindlessness that had guided him in every one of Kasai¡¯s assaults on other villages, he lunged with his spear many times after it would have been necessary. The screams stopped suddenly, and the mess was worse than anything he and Nala had done with their knives before.

    He could barely contain his breath before he remembered why he¡¯d done it. He turned around to run back into the expanse where they had been.

    ¡°No,¡± he muttered. He remembered Kilo¡¯s insistence that Nala take care of herself. His assessment that Eil wouldn¡¯t be good enough to keep her safe. Deep within him, he was grateful that he did not have a bond to protect here, he wasn¡¯t sure how he¡¯d react losing someone he cared about. He snarled. How would he explain both Bite-Sized and Cautious dying. He¡¯d have to drag one of the bandits there as proof or else he¡¯d look plenty the murderer the way he was bloodied. They had taken the spears too, at least if he¡¯d managed to get those, he¡¯d have something to go back with.

    ¡°Magic Boy, I don¡¯t think you want to waste your time crying.¡±

    ¡°What the shit?¡± Eil said, wiping tears he hadn¡¯t noticed amidst his rampid overthinking, and sniffing back the snot making its way onto his lips.

    ¡°Nor do I think we have time to waste on questions.¡± Cautious held three spears in his arms. ¡°Funny thing, they were so afraid of you they left these behind.¡± He moved towards a spot in the expanse and crouched down. ¡°But I think they¡¯re counting on you following them. That¡¯s why they grabbed her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still alive?¡±

    ¡°She was when they took her. But you must have heard her scream, she¡¯s not going to be the same.¡±

    He had heard the scream, but he hadn¡¯t registered it. It was broken, and not nearly as loud as it must have been intended to be, though he couldn¡¯t say if that was because he¡¯d been caught in his frenzy, or not.

    ¡°Do you want to follow after her?¡± Cautious asked.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice.¡±

    ¡°Not we. I saw where the camp is, it¡¯s not far from here. I can show you where it is, but you¡¯ll be on your own if you try to help her.¡±

    ¡°Again.¡± Eil let out a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re pissing me off, Cautious. Careful.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want to do, then we shouldn¡¯t waste time. But I think you¡¯re smart enough to know better.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been told how to live for a very long time. Advising me to make the smarter decision won¡¯t endear you to me.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t appeal to your sensibilities to try to convince you. I¡¯m confident I can make it to the institution on my own, but I know you¡¯re their only hope of surviving this ordeal. Besides, if you wanted to make the emotional decision here, you¡¯d already be gone. I suggest we head back now; they might decide to come looking for us instead of waiting for us.¡±  He did not wait for Eil, and began walking back to the group. All Eil wanted to do was kill him. He¡¯d never wanted to kill anyone before.

    ¡°Where did you go?¡± Eil asked.

    ¡°Nowhere.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, Cautious.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get angry, Magic Boy. You¡¯ll figure it out eventually.¡±

 1.08 - The Plot

    The Plot

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go after her?¡± Red Eyes, a boy from Bite-Sized''s village, held Eil by his neck.

    ¡°He would¡¯ve died,¡± Cautious said.

    ¡°I thought we were supposed to depend on you?¡±

    ¡°Which is why he didn¡¯t go.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be gifted. How are you supposed to keep the rest of us alive if you can¡¯t keep one of us alive? Are you sure you haven¡¯t been lying all along so we wouldn¡¯t pay you back for what you¡¯ve done to all of us?¡±

    ¡°We know where they are now. We made the right decision,¡± Cautious said.

    ¡°He¡¯s right, Red Eyes. If you care that much about her, you should¡¯ve gone when Cautious was volunteered,¡± Snark stepped forward, her spear in hand.

    Red Eyes let go. He clenched his fist but satisfied himself with spitting on the ground and going back to his fellow villagers. Time to bond hadn¡¯t exactly translated into new friendships. Everyone still kept to their own villages ¨C or alternatively, to themselves -, and Halia had been painfully isolated since their departure. He¡¯d have expected Halia and Snark to find some common ground in their sequestering, but both must have contended themselves with the knowledge that they were fine alone so long as they had a pointy stick to direct to anyone with ill-intentions.

    ¡°They¡¯ll be expecting us now,¡± Halia said.

    ¡°Clearly, they already were,¡± Middle Band surmised.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Cautious said. ¡°I think we were just unlucky. That snare was meant for an animal. If it had caught Magic Boy, he¡¯d have made it out, not just because of what he can do, but because it wasn¡¯t meant for a human body. Bite-Sized didn¡¯t know any better so she got in the way, and she was just small enough to be helpless.¡±

    Eil didn¡¯t think that would help any. Not for him, nor for Bite-Sized''s fellow villagers. He should have been prudent, that¡¯s what it came down to.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Maybe we should wait a few days? They¡¯ll be more careful now that they know we might come after them, and that we¡¯ll have weapons too.¡± Tall Boy offered.

    ¡°We¡¯re not waiting,¡± Red Eyes said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not up to you,¡± Snark rebuked, ¡°and you should know I¡¯d be willing to kill you before letting you go there and mess things up for the rest of us.¡±

    ¡°Red Eyes is right,¡± Eil said. ¡°We¡¯re not waiting for another night.¡±

    ¡°Feeling guilty, Magic Boy?¡± Snark asked.

    Eil shrugged. ¡°Yes. Is that an issue?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Cautious said before anyone else could. If anyone doubted it was his place to say it, no one spoke such doubts. ¡°It¡¯s beside the point. We don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll stay there after tonight or leave. We can¡¯t afford to wait,¡±

    ¡°Would it help to warn you all that if we are late to the institution, they will not accept us?¡± Sami piped in.

    Oddly enough, it did. Everyone tensed.

    ¡°How long do we have?¡± Cautious asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d say you have about three nights left to waste before the journey becomes impossible to complete in time.¡± She chewed through another slice of rabbit meat.

    ¡°We won¡¯t need three nights to waste. Just the one. We¡¯ve got four extra spears, now. As much as I hate to admit it, we¡¯re better off than we were before. We also know there¡¯s sixteen of them left. Looks like we miscounted.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s the plan if they know we¡¯re coming,¡± Snark said.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if they do. They have to go to sleep. All we have to do is make sure whoever¡¯s been told to keep an eye out, doesn¡¯t do his job right,¡± Cautious said.

    ¡°By killing them,¡± Eil clarified. ¡°And then everyone with a spear stands on top of a sleeping body, and everyone without one starts collecting weapons. On my signal, we put a hole in their heads. And voila, we start eating.¡±

    ¡°And the eating has to follow immediately?¡± Snark questioned.

    ¡°Sounds a bit too simple,¡± Upper Band said.

    ¡°That¡¯s because it is.¡± He grinned. ¡°Look, in spite of our advantages, the biggest reason Kasai always left with your earth stones was because we caught you by surprise. There was no tactical ingenuity. But if any of you have a better plan, I look forward to hearing it, and I¡¯m eager to see your disappointment when something goes wrong and it all falls apart,¡± Eil said.

    ¡°You¡¯re being an ass, Magic Boy,¡± Halia said.

    ¡°As expected,¡± Upper Band chimed in.

    ¡°We just can¡¯t imagine everything going that easily,¡± Tall Boy said.

    ¡°Everything won¡¯t go that easy. Something will go wrong. Something always goes wrong.¡± Eil heard the groans and saw the eye rolls but pressed on. ¡°We just have to hope it doesn¡¯t get as bad as it can possibly get, but we don¡¯t have a better option. I can promise you all I¡¯m going to kill their giant, but I can¡¯t kill them all on my own. You¡¯ll have to do your part.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t pass that exam just to die here, I¡¯m going to kill someone tonight,¡± Snark said.

    ¡°We¡¯re all making it to the institution together,¡± Middle Band spoke alongside his brothers.

    ¡°I really hope you¡¯re not all talking out of your asses,¡± Eil whispered to himself.

 1.09 - Battle for Survival

    Battle for Survival

    Eil went ahead on his own, he wanted to get a good vantage point before anything began, and he didn¡¯t have faith in his allies talents for silence. He needed to find the giant as soon as possible, and to kill him as soon as possible.

    His vantage point, it turned out, offered very little in the forest¡¯s darkness. When Kilo led Kasai into attacking in the night, there were usually a few spare fires in the village to guide them, it was never entirely dark. That wasn¡¯t the case in the forest. Even if the giant stood up, Eil knew he¡¯d have a hard time spotting the bandit unless he moved jerkily in the inky blackness.

    There were only two fires on opposite sides of the camp. Two lookouts stood at the edge of the lighted area. He couldn¡¯t judge them too harshly for wanting some light to accompany their surveillance, he¡¯d have a hard time not falling asleep or succumbing to paranoia if he were to keep watch in the darkness of a forest, even alongside sleeping company. He was much more grateful because it ensured that Cautious and Lank could do their tasks without a struggle. He¡¯d suggested Cautious for the job because he had a knack for only being heard when he wanted to be. Lank was an equally easy option, he knew where the spear¡¯s sharp end was supposed to go.

    From atop his tree, Eil saw Lank approaching a yawning lookout, and he saw Cautious do the same from the other side. Far behind Lank, the rest of the villagers hid in the grass. The makeshift bandit camp was too dark to spot either Bite-Sized or the giant. It was possible he¡¯d have to go down himself. Besides that, it was clear they wouldn¡¯t be able to corner every bandit without one of them waking up and alerting the rest. If he¡¯d had a way to communicate with them, he¡¯d tell them simply kill as many as they could before the bandits got their bearings. Or perhaps to focus on grabbing the spears, weaponless enemies would be much easier to handle.

    Even so, he realized how fruitless a demand that would be. They¡¯d never killed before, more than half of them would just freeze up.

    Cautious struck first. His spear went through the man¡¯s skull and he flopped to the ground without much more than a chortle. Lank followed. He aimed for the woman¡¯s heart. She had a moment to grasp the nature of the pointy stick going through it before she collapsed. Lank pulled the spear out of the woman¡¯s body, but only took two steps before he noticed that a spear had found his own heart, and he collapsed as well.

    Eil froze, long enough to regret it. The branch he stood balanced on snapped and he dropped to the ground, his back flaring up against the hard dirt. From this close, he did not miss sight of the giant.

    ¡°We were watching, and we were waiting,¡± he said.

    Fires flared up across the camp and he could hear a dozen bodies getting off the ground.

    ¡°It¡¯s us or them,¡± he heard Tall Boy yell, and dozens charged into the makeshift camp. They could have turned back. It wasn¡¯t too late, only Cautious and Lank had been seen. He heard the mass of bodies rising and running, pitched roars echoing.

    Eil hurried to his feet and desperately reached around the ground for his spear, holding it up as soon as he grasped it to keep the giant at bay.

    ¡°You could join us, you know.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not much for scrapping for food for the rest of my life.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes simple lives are better. You find food. You take care of your family. You live. It fulfills more than you think. And, you get to serve no one but yourself.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I just want a bit more out of life.¡±

    The giant grunted, then, using the oversized branch he¡¯d broken off from the tree, swung wildly at Eil. He had more than enough time to duck under it, but the wind flew so furiously in the wake of the branch, that he still stumbled to the side and only caught his balance on the tree. The giant swung a second time, and once again Eil ducked under. The branched crashed in the tree so heavily it nearly tipped over. A third time and the tree slowly crashed into the makeshift camp, crushing an unsuspecting bandit.

    ¡°Look at what you did,¡± the giant said, mostly unperturbed.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the girl you took?¡± Eil asked.

    ¡°Best you forget about her. You know, the thing about a simple life is that sometimes it bores men, and bored men become cruel. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure she dies quickly once we¡¯re done with you. I don¡¯t want my men to become too cruel, you can¡¯t trust cruel men. You have to satiate their boredom just enough, but not too much, you understand? It¡¯s a delicate balance.¡±

    It disturbed Eil that the giant never tired of swinging, and never lost a breath, while seeking to flatten him.

    ¡°Where is she?¡± he asked again.

    The giant instinctively gazed towards a tent across the makeshift camp. Eil followed his eyes, and instantly regretted it. The branch crashed into his side and he lost all sense of where he was, and where the ground was. It was a bittersweet moment when he finally felt the ground again. The dirt tore at his skin and rejected him over and over again until he tumbled into the very same tent he¡¯d been made to look at. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should have been grateful that the giant¡¯s eyes hadn¡¯t lied. Bite-Sized was there, but Eil could barely keep his eyes open from the ferocity of that strike. He turned around to look at the rest of his encampment, and quickly wished he¡¯d have a harder time keeping his eyes open.

    Snark clumsily lunged at a bandit, and lost her balance when he easily avoided it. The bandit lunged back, his spear tore through her gut, and she fell over to the ground, bleeding out after he took back his weapon. Elsewhere, Middle Band was lifeless in his older brother¡¯s arm while their younger brother tried to fend off two armed bandits. Across the encampment, so many of them were on the ground, eyes lifeless. He doubted they still numbered more than the bandits. Halia caught the bandit who¡¯d killed Snark from behind. Her face was drenched in tears and fear, eventually her eyes landed on his. Seeing him like that didn¡¯t help assuage her fears, even so she ran over to his side.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look great,¡± she said.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re just being negative.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t kill the giant after all,¡± she added.

    The only reason the giant hadn¡¯t come to finish the job was because Tall Boy had taken his attention. Tall Boy was surrounded by a spectatorship of bandits, but they let the giant take him on on his own, only circling about to cheer him on and to ensure Tall Boy didn¡¯t take the coward¡¯s way out.

    ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ve got confidence issues.¡± He twisted around to get on his belly and slowly crawled to his fours. ¡°This isn¡¯t happening. Take her and go back to Sami. And leave. I don¡¯t know how much the animist will want to help us if they follow.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do? Distract them.¡±

    ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m going to kill the big guy.¡± He got to his feet, but it took all his energy not to fall back over. He¡¯d never been hurt like that before, all because he let his guard down. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡±

    ¡°I doubt it.¡± She moved over to Bite-Sized. He couldn¡¯t be sure if she was still alive. She was folded over in a bundle of cloths. When Halia touched her, she jerked back before she recognized her. Halia practically hurled Bite-Sized on to her feet and doing her best to stay small, began hobbling away from the encampment. Fortunately, none of the bandits seemed interested in anything beyond Tall Boy and the giant. There was no one left alive to be interested in.

    Eil was grateful for the distraction, he doubted he¡¯d have been able to stumble towards his spear without moaning the journey there. He held the spear with his bum hand, he didn¡¯t dare get close again, and he certainly did not want to invite the attention onto himself.

    Tall Boy couldn¡¯t avoid the giant¡¯s wild swings with the same efficacy as Eil, but he was a lot more prone to poking at the giant with the spear, and his length allowed him to draw blood as well. The giant made sure not to stand still, and he could see Tall Boy already starting to tire. He lunged into the giant¡¯s reach, and this time, his lack of energy showed. The giant caught the spear¡¯s shaft in one hand, and in the other he shoved Tall Boy away. He smacked Tall Boy¡¯s head with the spear¡¯s shaft then tossed it aside. His oversized foot crashed into Tall Boy¡¯s chest, and Tall Boy stumbled backwards, even falling. Tall Boy hurried to his feet and the giant¡¯s fist caught his chin. Tall Boy fell flat on his back. The giant did not press his advantage. He grinned madly. Tall Boy struggled to get onto one knee. The giant planted his feet and held his log-sized branch with both hands. He pulled back and swung, the veins in his arms near bursting. On par with the giant, Eil took one last step and lunged too, his spear flying across the encampment, between two bandit heads, and landing right into the giant¡¯s throat. He¡¯d aimed for his skull.

    The giant let go off his bloody and brain splattered log and reached for the spear. He pulled the spear out from his neck. He looked around to see who had thrown it but collapsed trying to stop the blood from flowing out before he could find Eil. He spat blood and turned around, hobbling in the direction of Halia & Bite-Sized.

    He stopped when he found them. Halia was on the ground. He did not turn her around to see what her face would look like with a hole in it. He had a hard time feeling anything in that moment. Bite-Sized was still breathing, but unconscious. He hurried over to grab her, and found the task hard. If the bandits were coming after them, he wouldn¡¯t get out of there anytime.

    ¡°Let me help you,¡± Cautious spoke, as if from nowhere.

    Eil was startled to see him, but he behaved as if nothing had happened. He grabbed Bite-Sized''s other arm to drape over his shoulder, and it was only in that moment that they both noticed she no longer had hands, the stubs were burned at the end. Eil forced himself not to stare. They hurried back to their former expanse without sparing a word to one another.

 1.10 - The Remnants

    The Remnants

    When they finally made it back to their expanse in the forest, despite knowing better, Eil collapsed to the ground in a heap, and he did not want to get back up. The hard dirt felt as comfortable as anything else he¡¯d ever slept on. He struggled to look up and saw Sami waiting patiently at the base of her tree, unmoved from where they had left her. To a tree next to her, Eil saw Silent, calmly staring back at him.

    ¡°I thought you were dead,¡± he managed.

    ¡°Turns out she was hiding,¡± Sami said. ¡°She swam across the river and waited there. She says her dad wasn¡¯t much of a swimmer. I take it that¡¯s supposed to mean something.¡±

    He would¡¯ve laughed in better circumstances.

    ¡°Looks like you guys found what you lost,¡± Sami nodded to Bite-Sized. She was still unconscious. ¡°And lost everything else?¡±

    ¡°More or less,¡± Cautious said. ¡°So, what exactly happens if the bandits come running here? Do you watch them kill us?¡±

    ¡°Whoever tries to lay a hand on me will die. Otherwise, I''m not at liberty to help you.¡± Her voice was deliberately devoid of emotion, a determination to not succumb to her own humanity.

    ¡°Then I guess we don¡¯t have time to waste. Everyone else is dead, and if anyone was hiding like she was, then they missed their chance.¡±

    Sami looked at the four remaining students. She shrugged. ¡°Less mouths to feed.¡±

    Cautious volunteered to carry Bite-Sized. Eil wasn¡¯t in any position to do it, and neither of them desired asking Silent. Sami refused to step outside her orders a second time. She was a guide and nothing more, she insisted.

    As for the bandits, the shock of seeing their giant dead must¡¯ve staved off any pursuit because they did not see any of them again. They only stopped when they were sure the bandits really hadn¡¯t bothered following them. He realized how obvious it was they wouldn¡¯t pursue. They still had all the food. There were a mere four left. They had nothing to gain but vengeance, and these bandits were more concerned with living another day than retribution.

    As they walked throughout the night, Eil had dozed off mid-steps countless times, and he was grateful for a moment of rest when they settled down to build Bite-Sized a pram to ease the journey. Silent finally decided to help when it came to that effort.

    They journeyed again when the sun rose. He couldn¡¯t tell if Silent, Sami, or Cautious were as tired as he was. He¡¯d been this tired twice before, when he¡¯d been stabbed in the shoulder, and when he¡¯d questioned Kilo too harshly. He realized how badly he had underestimated the giant¡¯s strength. When they stopped again with the sun in the sky, Silent volunteered to cook what Sami¡¯s owl caught so long as they could share it. Sami conceded, possibly by virtue of having gotten the chance to hear Silent speak again. Eil opted to sleep during that time, though his physical state didn¡¯t leave him in the best mental state to make that decision.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    When Eil woke once more, Sami sat against a tree, Silent was cooking a makeshift broth, Cautious was nowhere to be found, and Bite-Sized was huddled against another tree. She looked terrified. Silent cast a measured glance his way when she realized he was awake. She handed him a rudimentary bowl with the broth inside, and he eagerly drank it down. It tasted awful, but he told himself that it was the best he could get, and that it was probably supposed to taste awful anyways.

    Cautious arrived a half hour later. His eyes widened when he saw Bite-Sized awake, and they turned to Eil. Eil frowned and looked at Bite-Sized who could not get his eyes off Cautious.

    ¡°Did I miss something?¡± Eil asked.

    Not many words had been exchanged since they ran away. Eil hadn¡¯t been given time to be angry about how it all went, or sad, if that was an option. He didn¡¯t get along with Halia, but he thought they could have been friends given time. Heck, he thought taking out the giant was the moment he¡¯d win them all over. He¡¯d become their hero, and they would forget everything he and his uncle had ever done.

    ¡°Hungry?¡± Silent asked.

    Cautious offered a rare smile. ¡°Of course. Haven¡¯t had anything decent to eat in days.¡±

    He dropped a pile of kindling next to their small fire, and Silent handed him his own broth of soup. Bite-Sized wouldn¡¯t get his eyes off him, and Cautious gingerly kept his eyes on her.

    ¡°We¡¯re lucky you guys didn¡¯t wait around to attack those bandits,¡± Sami said.

    ¡°Lucky?¡± Eil asked.

    ¡°Well, assuming it would have gone the same way, we¡¯d have lost a day or two, and we couldn¡¯t do what we¡¯re doing now. Taking a break. Eating a good, warm meal. And without any of that, I wager one, or both of you, would die.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Cautious said, lowering his bowl. ¡°You¡¯ve lost me, animist.¡±

    ¡°It was difficult but while you were gone, and Eil here was asleep, Bite-Sized woke up and told us a story.¡±

    Cautious held his soup tighter. ¡°What kind of story?¡±

    ¡°She told us about how you killed Halia, and nearly killed her. I imagine you wanted to kill Eil at some point too, but you were afraid you¡¯d fail. Is that right?¡±

    Eil dropped his bowl. He didn¡¯t do it out of anger, he just didn¡¯t feel quite so strong enough to hold it. Cautious¡¯s head snapped his way. But Eil¡¯s mind felt too foggy to meet those eyes. Cautious seemed to recognize Eil¡¯s weakness and turn back to Sami.

    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to get involved,¡± he said, iron in his voice.

    ¡°Silent here doesn¡¯t like to talk, and Bite-Sized can¡¯t quite talk. I¡¯m just relaying the tale of your good fortune; there¡¯s nothing in the rules about that. Now, let me finish. Silent doesn¡¯t care much for murder, I¡¯ve discovered, and she doesn¡¯t care much to get involved with any of you, but she¡¯s quite handy. She would cook for her dad sometimes, a little something to keep him harmless, at ease, content. She was kind enough to share some of that with the both of you.¡±

    Cautious sighed heavily and put the soup down. He hadn¡¯t taken a sip since Sami started talking, but it was too late. He¡¯d had enough beforehand.

    ¡°What now?¡± Cautious asked. ¡°I could still kill him before it hits me.¡±

    ¡°You could, but you won¡¯t. You¡¯ll wait till it¡¯s guaranteed. You¡¯ll wait till there¡¯s no risk to it.¡± She stood up and stretched. ¡°We¡¯re going to be pushing it a bit from now on, but we have a very safe and calm journey towards the institution. Once we arrive, I assure you, they¡¯ll give you plenty of opportunities to kill each other off.¡±

    Cautious shook his head but did not seem particularly angry. He got to live, and that¡¯s all that mattered.

    ¡°Why¡¯d you kill her?¡± Eil asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t always intend on doing it, but I had the opportunity, and I figured you were done for. I¡¯d get revenge for my village, well, some of it. As for Bite-Sized, she was dead weight. Just me and Sami, that¡¯d be an easy journey.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never wanted to kill anyone before, you know.¡±

    ¡°Funny. The first people I ever wanted to kill was you, your sister, and your caretaker.¡±

    Sami cleared her throat. ¡°I¡¯m happy you two are finding more commonality, but now that you¡¯ll be slowing us down, we should avoid wasting more time. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 1.11 - An Animists Humanity

    An Animist''s Humanity

    With Eil and Cautious sluggish on the journey to the institution, their pace slowed drastically down. As far as Sami was concerned, they¡¯d make it just about; however, she didn¡¯t account for Bite-Sized collapsing mid-journey.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to make it,¡± Sami told her.

    Silent was the only one doing the bare minimum to help her, and that mostly involved getting her water and a cold wet cloth on her forehead.

    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to wait,¡± Cautious managed to say.

    Eil and him had become quite amicable. It helped that Silent was giving them a steady dosage of her soup, and neither felt very inclined to say no.

    ¡°We gotta¡¯ get her to a doctor,¡± Eil said.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for a doctor.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not letting someone else die. Besides, you¡¯re responsible for her too. You abandoned her. Nearly killed her.¡±

    Sami cleared her throat. ¡°I¡¯m only here to direct you to the institution, if you want to find someone to help her, you¡¯re on your own. I¡¯ll wait here to guide you again until the time is up, but I guarantee it will run out.¡±

    ¡°Come on animist, you let fifty kids die because some jerks told you not to get involved. That isn¡¯t right.¡± Eil wouldn''t have spoken if not for the soup, but he''d long lost the filters that once allowed him to carefully curate his words.

    ¡°An animist¡¯s purpose isn¡¯t to do what¡¯s right, it¡¯s to be able to do your job, whatever job that is, without a question asked or a doubt raised. I¡¯m grateful your former prefect did not kill me in your village; I won¡¯t tempt fate again.¡±

    ¡°You really think it¡¯s more honorable to stop the cheater from cheating the broken system than it is to be the cheater that cheats the broken system?¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t sacrificed enough to know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°But what did you sacrifice for? What are you going back to after all this is done?¡±

    Sami glared at him. ¡°If we get her looked at, you shouldn¡¯t count on making it back in time. Are you all fine with that?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Silent said, surprisingly unhesitant.

    ¡°We¡¯re so close,¡± Cautious drawled.

    ¡°This is your fault,¡± Eil said, lightly shoving Cautious.

    Cautious fell over and had a hard time sitting back up. ¡°Fine,¡± he said when he finally sat up.

    Sami didn¡¯t seem happy with the consensus, but her sympathy won over her need for self-preservation and she agreed to alter the course of their journey. She wondered if they might be so selfless without Silent¡¯s special broth.

    Instead of arriving at the door steps to the institution, they arrived at the doorsteps to a village that none of the students had ever heard of. They were out of their prefecture, farther than any of them had ever been, and should have expected to have ever been in their lives; especially Bite-Sized and Silent.

    A random villager spotted them first, but Sami promptly requested to speak with the village leader. The alternative: knocking at every door until they found someone who knew enough about medicine to help them out, didn¡¯t seem to be all that bright. Having someone even half-qualified to talk about medicine was a difficult challenge in any village, their best bet was to ask the village chief straight away if there was any here. The village chief was gracious enough to bring them over to a small house. Cautious and Eil were particularly grateful for an opportunity to lay around and not have to think too hard once again.

    ¡°We¡¯re only supposed to get one animist down here a year,¡± the village chief said. He was much older than Tacus. He looked weary and tired, particularly with an animist before him.

    ¡°I know. The children under my charge were badly hurt, we just need something to help stave off the pain until we can reach the institution.¡±

    ¡°I would strongly advise that you went on ahead animist,¡± he said. ¡°Leave the child here.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t." Sami''s voice was unwavering, dutiful to her new cause. "She¡¯s gotten this close. She¡¯s suffered enough, she deserves to make it. Please."

    ¡°You speak of the institution as if it¡¯s a reward, but you know better than that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. It is a reward. Power; there¡¯s no reward like it.¡±

    He took a deep breath, and nodded towards a younger woman who resembled him. She left with two children who had been playing with badly sculpted toys. Once they left, the village chief leaned over and whispered so low Sami had to ask him to repeat himself more than once.

    ¡°Animist, you¡¯re not the first one to find her heart during this pilgrimage. Neither this prefecture, nor this village, are far from the institution. I can¡¯t count the amount of animist who¡¯ve come here seeking to alleviate their conscious with an act of kindness for those in their care, and it rarely works out well for the animist. I know enough to know that you cannot guarantee these children¡¯s lives. I understand the weight that must be on your shoulders, the countless lives full of potential you¡¯ve seen snuffed in the past few days, but you know as well as I do that the chance they even survive the institution are against them, so why risk your own life?¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Having finally understood his question, she smiled faintly. ¡°I¡¯ve heard it said that it becomes easier to be heartless as you grow older, especially as you grow into the life of an animist, but I must be broken, it¡¯s gotten harder with time. I¡¯ll die an animist, but I prefer the luxury of dying for something right.¡±

    The village chief felt her pain in that moment, and his next words would¡¯ve been an indication of the one person in the village who might be able to help them, but the curtains promptly opened and another villager appeared. The village chief looked disappointed.

    ¡°Animist,¡± the new villager said.

    Sami was confused, she looked between the village chief and the villager. The village chief seemed to defer sadly to the villager, and the villager paid him no mind.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°The prefect has received word of your arrival and demands your presence at once.¡±

    ¡°How could he possibly-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like I said, animist,¡± the village chief began, ¡°this prefecture and this village has seen your sorts come about all too often. Our prefect enjoys taken advantage of these opportunities for his own benefit. He has eyes and ears across the prefecture, and never does he have more eyes and ears than this time of the year.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯ve already lost, more or less.¡± She snorted.

    ¡°I¡¯m saying let''s hope whatever the animist has need of you for, does not outweigh the moral heft of letting that girl die.¡±

    ¡°Get her help, please. And if I¡¯m not back by sun up, then they aren¡¯t making it back to the institution. Don¡¯t leave them to die. They¡¯re smart, the four of them. They¡¯ll be useful.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve done enough worrying about these kids, animist, more than most would or should. I¡¯ll look after them. If you really want to do right by them though, I suggest you find a way to make it back here alive, preferably before sun up.¡±

    Sami nodded and got to her feet, following the villager outside.

    The village chief lingered briefly on each student, and stopped on Bite-Sized who wasn¡¯t even conscious. ¡°You kids really don¡¯t look too good, let¡¯s get you looked after.¡±

    They met Hasa, the village medic, soon after. Hasa was about as good as you can get in the prefectures. She lived close to the institution so even after exam season, she still met enough animist to refine her methods and knowledge. Hasa was eager to talk about all her young little teachers fresh out of the institution, and insisted that they owed her a visit once they made it out of the institution themselves.

    ¡°Hasa, I assure you, if I make it out of the institution, I will owe you more than whatever I¡¯ve learned about grass,¡± Eil said.

    ¡°I figured you¡¯d learned something about overpromising,¡± Cautious chipped in.

    ¡°He¡¯s right, you don''t need to go that far,¡± Hasa said. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy just to get a chance to pick your brain.¡±

    "You deserve more than that,¡± he objected.

    ¡°You know what¡¯s the hard part about saying goodbye to kids like you?¡±

    ¡°Our imminent demise? I keep hearing that¡¯s an inevitable outcome of all this,¡± Cautious said.

    ¡°It could be,¡± she said sadly. ¡°You see, I don¡¯t know whether the children whom I never see again don¡¯t come back because they¡¯ve forgotten about me or because they¡¯ve died.¡± She gazed at Bite-Sized whose face had eased from the pain. ¡°The institution will try to bring you down. It already has. The horrors you¡¯ve already seen, I¡¯ll be grateful if I die never seeing them for myself. Whatever you do, no matter what the institution tries to drill into you, you should look after each other. There won¡¯t be anyone else there who will.¡± Cautious and Eil exchanged glares, while Silent sipped quietly on a cup of lightly flavored water. Hasa stood up and dusted herself off. ¡°You should all get some rest. Whether or not the animist makes it back is out of your hands. There¡¯s no sense in worrying about something you can¡¯t control.¡±

    She moved to turn off the torch.

    ¡°Would you mind holding off on that?¡± Eil asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re afraid of the dark,¡± she chuckled.

    ¡°I know you said we should look out for each other, but I don¡¯t quite trust this one,¡± he weakly pointed in Cautious¡¯s direction.

    She looked disappointed. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll leave it on.¡±

    Cautious and Eil stared at each for far longer than what would be deemed reasonable. Silent did her best not to entertain their quiet grudge. Bite-Sized stayed comfortably asleep.

    ¡°I have to admit something, Cautious,¡± Eil said.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°I never figured out how you did it. How did you disappear when we were ambushed? How did you survive our attack on the bandits?¡±

    Cautious chuckled. ¡°You weren¡¯t taught much. How to harvest earth stones, that¡¯s about it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, most things I had to learn on my own.¡±

    ¡°My aunt took care of me. She did not want me to simply qualify for the institution and die, the way you nearly did, many times over. She wanted me to survive, so she taught me to survive. First, she showed me how to disappear.¡± He raised the palm of his right hand and unveiled a symbol not unlike the one Eil drew to summon a spear. He did not hold his hand open for too long, perhaps conscious that they might try to memorize the symbol. ¡°So long as I am careful, I never have to worry about dying. Unfortunately for you, I¡¯m very careful. Secondly, she showed me how to properly kill in a single strike. With just those two tools, I could handle most things on the journey to the institution.¡±

    ¡°You could¡¯ve helped her,¡± Eil whispered.

    ¡°And risked giving myself away to them, or to you? Already I regret that I conceded to this whole affair; we should have left BIte-Sized here and gone to the institution on our own. What are you doing?¡±

    Silent had stood up, placed her empty cup aside, and moved towards the door. She glanced at Cautious with a face that gave away nothing, opened the door, and left.

    ¡°What¡¯s she doing?¡± Cautious asked again.

    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s decided you¡¯re right, and she¡¯s gone to the institution on her own.¡±

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t make it to the institution on her own! I should join her.¡±

    ¡°You think she trusts you after everything you¡¯ve done. Besides, look at us. At this point, she¡¯d have better odds on her own.¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t make it to the institution, I promise I¡¯ll kill you.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The moment you look somewhere else, I''ll put a knife right through your heart.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t speak carelessly.¡±

    ¡°I think that was you speaking carelessly.¡±

    ¡°I promise it wasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying as soon as we have news that there is no chance for us to reach the institution in time that you¡¯ll take great care to notice the moment that I take my eyes off of you so you can kill me.¡±

    ¡°Precisely.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just make sure not to take my eyes off of you until you give up on that ambition.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°Is that right?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m just kidding. If I ever feel the need to take my eyes off you, I¡¯ll take great care to kill you first.¡±

    Neither Cautious nor Eil found themselves invested enough in each other¡¯s threats to utter another word or to resist succumbing to their fatigue.

 1.12 - Special Chapter: Samis Assassination Mission

    Special Chapter: Sami¡¯s Assassination Mission

    ¡°Fuck me,¡± Sami said under her breath. Between the village and the prefect¡¯s plantation, she must¡¯ve uttered at least twenty fuck mes.

    Her mission was simple, make a few kids flinch, drag the special ones to the institution. Move on. She¡¯d done a lot of simple missions in her life, and this was just about the easiest mission she¡¯d ever have to do, and yet, she¡¯d allowed the one thing she shouldn¡¯t allow to get in her way: sentimentality. You do the job to the letter, you follow the rules, you get paid. It¡¯s a very straightforward life, but it¡¯s better than the helpless monotony of a village miner. Somehow, she¡¯d let herself be convinced to do the right thing, and who could say if this was really the right thing. What if that little girl turned into a monster; she wouldn¡¯t be the first one to come out of the institution like that. In fact, Sami¡¯s ability to compartmentalize the horrors of animist¡¯s life was about as good as you could expect, so what were the odds Bite-Sized would lead any better a life than she did?

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± the villager said.

    She nodded solemnly and entered through the held-open door.

    ¡°Animist! Aren¡¯t you in a rush?¡± the prefect said.

    The prefect¡¯s eyes were wide, round, yellow, and overwhelming. Instead of finding Sami¡¯s, they found Nip¡¯s eyes. They stared at each other for too long, with sparingly used blinks. Sami quickly understood that he must have merged with some sort of owl subspecies from one of the inner worlds. All her training at the institution, and still she stood little chance against these prefects.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous! Have a seat, have a seat. Does your friend care for a snack?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯d appreciate it,¡± Sami said.

    The prefect nodded to a servant who promptly left.

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve got greater worries at the moment, but I have a proposition that will be mutually beneficial.¡± The servant returned with a piece of dried meat and placed it on the ground next to Nip. She tossed the other one the prefect¡¯s way and he caught it in the air mouth-first. He took his time chewing through it and happily sighed once he finished. ¡°Let me cut to the chase, I can see your impatient. You understand you¡¯re not supposed to be here. My responsibility is to punish you. Yes,¡± he said in mock horror, ¡°I¡¯m supposed to punish you for having a heart. Absurd. But that¡¯s the state of our world.¡±

    ¡°A sad state.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Indeed. To be quite frank with you, animist. Most of us prefects have no interest in being so far from home, but here we are. I, myself, still have children, grandchildren even, back home. It¡¯s my responsibility to ensure they are taken care of as the head of my family. From time to time, I like to take a share of the profits I work tireless to earn for my country, and send it to mine own. Alas, I do it without alerting my superiors, and that can carry with it very, very dangerous consequences.¡±

    ¡°Where do I fit in to all of this prefect?¡± she asked quite carefully. She already felt the vise around her feet. He¡¯d told her a secret that made him vulnerable. He had no intention of letting her live.

    ¡°Perfect question. They have sent an inspector to ensure that everything is above board. I want him dead.¡±

    ¡°You know very well I will be executed for killing a Buffoneese,¡± she said carefully.

    ¡°I have no intention of telling.¡±

    ¡°Would you trust you, in my position?¡±

    He sighed. ¡°Would you like me to convince you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point? You¡¯ll kill me if I refuse, won¡¯t you?¡±

    The prefect smiled.

    ¡°I have only one question: what makes you think I can kill him.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry. This inspector isn¡¯t anyone special. You see, my superiors have greater concerns than this. Sending an inspector, it¡¯s a warning. But if that inspector finds evidence, well that could be dangerous. I could kill him, but then they¡¯d know, and the punishments would be worse. Look, trust me, I wouldn¡¯t send you to kill someone you couldn¡¯t kill. You¡¯d just give me up.¡±

    She cast a measured glance. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do it for a price.¡±

    ¡°A price? I hadn¡¯t realized we were negotiating.¡±

    She ignored him. ¡°A caravan. A horse. I want it prepared and left at the plantation exit. I don¡¯t intend on returning here after I finish the kill. You¡¯ll know when it¡¯s done. That¡¯s the only way I get those kids to the institution on time. Otherwise, it¡¯s all pointless.¡±

    If Sami was being honest with herself, she doubted she was getting out of this alive. She was trapped, and she could feel the four walls closing. He would attempt to kill her; he wouldn¡¯t leave a loose end. She wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d stop there. Perhaps she¡¯d resigned Bite-Sized, Cautious, Magic Boy, and Silent to a similar fate now that they were involved with her. The smart thing would¡¯ve been to take the mission, and not ask a question. The less you know, the safer you are. No, the truly smart thing would have been to high tail it to the institution, damned whoever isn¡¯t strong enough to survive. They were long past smart decisions. There wasn¡¯t any sense in regretting it now.

    He grinned. ¡°Fine. Do not disappoint me, animist. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well aware that there are fates worse than death.¡±

    She nodded, and left the house.

    ¡°That is where the inspector is staying," the village who had brought her here said. "There is a couple that live there, with three children. The prefect will not be bothered with any casualties so long as the inspector dies.¡± He looked away, and in a near whisper added, ¡°They¡¯re foreigners, animist. Do not feel any qualms about killing innocents, you won¡¯t be doing so tonight.¡±

    ¡°Associating yourself with prefects is a dangerous game.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice, just like you do not. Though, it appears to me that you have greater control over your destiny than I do over mine.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re smart, you will disappear one night, and no one in this village will ever see or hear from you ever again.¡±

    ¡°And do what? Become a bandit? Mine for a different prefect? Sure, he could kill me on a whim, and no one would do a thing about it; but at least I¡¯ll have tried to do something of myself. I¡¯m not going to wait for a savior, animist, none is coming. I will save myself, and I will not regret it if I die in the process.¡±

    She groaned. ¡°Return where you found me, and bring the children to the caravan. This will not be long.¡±

    He nodded and left. She started for the house, pulling out a scarf from her backpack to hide her face.

    There were plenty of ways to kill a man. Given time, it would be a simple matter of hiding out until the inspector was isolated. A more merciless animist would burn the house down and be done with it. Alternatively, smoke to get them out of the building and throwing knives for every head that emerges from it.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    She whipped around, short knife in hand, before realizing that she wasn¡¯t the one being talked to.

    ¡°Wait!¡± the voice yelled.

    It came from the plantation¡¯s stable. She did not need the entire plantation on alert. She started towards it, and saw Silent sprinting out of it, a stablehand after her.

    ¡°Nip.¡±

    The owl flew off of Sami¡¯s shoulders and charged straight for the stablehand¡¯s torch bearing hand. The torch fell to the ground before the stablehand could get a good at either Silent or the owl. Fearing fire in the plantation, the stablehand quickly put it out. Sami grabbed silent, hand over mouth. The moment the light disappeared, she too disappeared.

    ¡°What the-¡± The stablehand looked around. ¡°Where¡¯d you go little one?¡±

    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± someone asked from the inspector¡¯s temporary abode. She had to imagine that was the inspector''s host. One of the foreigners, but he dressed like he was used to the climate.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°A girl was trying to steal a horse, sir. I¡¯m so sorry to disturb you.¡±

    ¡°A child?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know sir. That¡¯s what I saw. Must have been from one of the villages. I didn¡¯t recognize her.¡±

    ¡°And where¡¯d she go now.¡±

    ¡°I reckon she¡¯s running further away with every word we exchange.¡±

    ¡°You got a smart mouth on you.¡±

    ¡°No, sir.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a guest over at my house, and I¡¯d quite like it if he had a good time here, you understand. Screaming about little kids and missing horses in the middle of the damn night, isn¡¯t conducive to a good time.¡±

    ¡°I understand, sir. Won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    ¡°It better not. And I better not hear that we are in fact missing a horse tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°I just counted them sir. All accounted for.¡±

    ¡°Good. Good.¡±

    He shook his head and began making his way back to the house.

    ¡°Are you alone?¡± Sami whispered to Silent. She felt her nod. ¡°Trying to make it to the institution on your own? They wouldn¡¯t accept you without an animist, you know?¡± She didn¡¯t react. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to live up to the name Magic Boy gave you. Stay quiet. Don¡¯t get seen. I¡¯ve got a job to do, and then we¡¯ll head off to the institution.¡±

    She did not wait to see if she¡¯d listen. Sami let go of Silent, and in a burst of speed, crossed the distance to the inspector''s host. The host reached for his neck, blood seeping through, and fell over. The last sight he saw wasn¡¯t of Sami, but of himself, not looking remotely worse for wear, and throat entirely intact. In his last breaths, he was terribly confused, as dying people often are.

    Sami wiped her knife on his shirt and made her way to his house.

    The house was mostly dark but for a lamp sitting on a table. A board game sat on it. The inspector sat on one side of the table and had settled on a book while waiting for his opponent to return. Everyone else must have already gone to sleep, and in their great fortune, avoided being bothered by the sound outside.

    ¡°What was it?¡± the inspector asked.

    ¡°A little girl trying to steal a horse,¡± Sami replied in the voice of the inspector''s host.

    He did not look up. ¡°One of ours?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°Was she punished?¡±

    ¡°The stablehand lost track of her when I came out.¡±

    ¡°Should cut his hands off as punishment.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be much of a stablehand without them.¡±

    ¡°Wasnt much of one to begin with.¡± He chuckled to himself. ¡°Come on, sit down, let¡¯s cont-¡± The moment he raised his head from the book to look at her, Sami slit his throat in the same manner she had done the man whose identity she stole.

    He fell over holding his neck, crawled for a second, then died. She bent over to make sure he was indeed dead.

    ¡°Honey, what¡¯s going on-¡± The host¡¯s wife screamed her throat hoarse when she saw her husband covered in blood, and the inspector dead on the ground.

    Sami left the house just as the kids left their room to discover the same horrors their mother did. She undid the transformation and disappeared into the darkness. When the mother stepped outside and looked around, eyes puffy with tears, she saw a body sprawled on the ground not far away. It was her husband¡¯s body. Somehow, she managed to scream even louder that time.

    ¡°Stay quiet,¡± Sami whispered as she grabbed Silent from where she¡¯d left her. The girl hadn¡¯t moved an inch from the spot.

    She made for the road leading towards the village she came from and found a caravan and a horse waiting there. The villager who''d brought her to the prefect was there.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t get those from the stable?¡± she asked.

    ¡°No, this is the prefect¡¯s own.¡±

    She looked inside the caravan and found all three kids there. Cautious glared, Bite-Sized could barely open her eyes, and Eil grinned faintly. She rolled her eyes and stepped out of the caravan and began feeling it around. She ignored the villager¡¯s confusion. ¡°Shit.¡± She walked over to the horses, and did much the same, her hand drifting across the horse¡¯s belly. ¡°Gods fucking damn it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡±

    ¡°The issue is you¡¯re dead.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°And, unless I figure out a way out of this, I¡¯m dead, and so are all four of those kids.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Shut up. Just shut the fuck up. I need to think.¡± She paced only momentarily, in truth, she did not have much time to think. ¡°All three of you out.¡±

    ¡°Out?¡± Cautious asked.

    ¡°No questions. Nip, transform.¡±

    The owl grotesquely morphed into something that resembled more tiger than owl but retained both wings and head.

    ¡°Get on it,¡± she demanded. ¡°You too, Silent.¡±

    They must have finally understood the gravity of the situation because they did not question it. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a thick envelope that she handed over to Silent.

    She brought her forehead to Nip¡¯s own. ¡°Do not stop until you reach the institution.¡± She turned towards the kids. ¡°They will allow you in once you present this. Good luck.¡±

    Any questions they might have had would not be answered by her. She smacked Nip from behind and the owl-tiger began sprinting into the far distance.

    ¡°What about us?¡± the villager asked.

    ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t regret dying if you¡¯d made an effort to be more.¡± She hopped on the carriage and ignored his dismay. ¡°Let¡¯s go, now." He made to talk, but the look in her eyes shut him up.

    The carriage pulled away from the village, though not nearly as fast as Nip was going.

    ¡°Please tell me what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°Never trust a prefect. Never trust a Buffoneese. To make a deal with them is to sign your own death warrant.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying the prefect¡¯s going to kill us?¡± he asked, horror rising in his voice.

    ¡°He will not leave loose ends.¡±

    ¡°Gods. He chose me, I couldn¡¯t say no.¡±

    ¡°No, you couldn¡¯t. You should¡¯ve disappeared, just like I told you.¡±

    ¡°Is it that hopeless? Can¡¯t you fight back?¡±

    ¡°The prefects are dangerous, insane people. They weren¡¯t shipped here because they¡¯re good at their job, they were shipped here because the Kingdom of Buffon could not keep control of them. As much as the institution has taught me, the prefects are a league of their own.¡±

    She felt the overwhelming energy bursting towards them minutes after they¡¯d pulled away. The energy only grew stronger with every passing second.

    ¡°He¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t a horse that fast in the plantation.¡±

    She chuckled. ¡°He¡¯s not using a horse.¡±

    The prefect¡¯s eyes were the first thing she saw. The sun¡¯s rise was a blessing. Sami had a feeling the darkness would not have inhibited the prefect at all.

    ¡°Animist, I must credit you on a splendid job.¡±

    ¡°The carriage was enough,¡± she yelled back. In a lower voice, ¡°When I give you the word, jump onto the horse.¡± The villager nodded. ¡°What do you want prefect?¡±

    He laughed. ¡°To kill you, of course. You know what the institution has taught you, no loose ends.¡±

    ¡°Typically, that does not include the client.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. And quite frankly, I do trust you, but those kids, you know. There¡¯s only so many exceptions I can make.¡±

    The prefect brought his hands together in a unique gesture. ¡°Now!¡± Sami and the villager jumped off the carriage.

    Sami landed easily on the horse, simultaneously cutting through the ropes that tied the horses to the caravan. The villager did not have similar fortune. He slid off the horse without ever catching his balance and was trampled at once by the horse and the caravan exploding in a burning shower of debris. She heard him scream and roll around, but he stopped moving and stopped screaming before the fire was ever subdued. The prefect frowned but did not spare another look for the flaming corpse he ran past.

    ¡°Where are the kids, animist?¡±

    ¡°I sent them ahead to the institution. I did not trust you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re hurting my feelings.¡±

    ¡°Fuck off.¡±

    ¡°You first,¡± he said.

    He brought his hands together in the very same gesture. Sami jumped off the horse with such power that the horse¡¯s legs folded onto themselves and nearly collapsed it. The horse exploded in a shower of gore before it could entirely lose its balance. Sami pirouetted in the air and landed effortlessly on both feet. She had two daggers in hand the moment she hit the ground. Before she could use either one, she was kicked viciously in the stomach and rolled away a distance. She lay flat on her back.

    The prefect¡¯s thunderous run came to an end and he stopped on top of Sami. He frowned; they weren¡¯t far off from the institution which meant the children had made it.

    ¡°Good job. You know, it won¡¯t be too hard for me to get them in there. You know how the institution is. People die all the time.¡± He placed a clawed foot on her neck. ¡°I can¡¯t help it but this very perverse part of me wishes you¡¯d be there to see them die.¡±

    ¡°I hope your people catch you and lynch you, prefect.¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s why you never stood a chance animist. You never stopped being afraid. That¡¯s the problem with all of you Leonisians. You grew content. Look at what we do to you people.¡± He laughed heartily. ¡°And you never resist. You never get angry enough. That¡¯s why you¡¯re all destined to suffer under people like me forever. Good bye, animist.¡± He raised his feet and made to put it down on her neck but he stumbled to the side instead. ¡°Huh,¡± he said. He reached out to his head and found that there was a long stick coming out of one end. Blood dripped down both sides of his head. ¡°Huh?¡± He turned around and saw Nip, and the four children standing.

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t he dead?¡± Cautious asked. ¡°You should¡¯ve aimed for his heart.¡±

    Eil shrugged. He pulled out another spear from the ground, balanced it, and launched it at the prefect¡¯s heart. The prefect caught it, laughing with blood flying from his mouth.

    The kid¡¯s mouth hung open, his confidence shattered at the sight.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you all something. When I woke up yesterday morning, this was not at all how I expected my day to go.¡±

    Eil pulled out another spear. He launched it towards the prefect¡¯s heart a second time. Once more, spear lodged in his head be damned, the prefect caught it.

    ¡°Similarly, I can¡¯t imagine any of you ever believed you¡¯d be trying to kill a prefect one day.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s something I¡¯ve dreamt about from the very first time I saw one of you monsters. I thought to myself: how would your head look on my wall? Technically, my uncle¡¯s wall. I asked myself this after I saw our prefect cut a man¡¯s head off, nail it directly onto a plank, and hook it right onto his own wall for my whole village to watch,¡± Magic Boy barked.

    The prefect yawned. ¡°Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?¡± He dropped both spears, and then reached for his head, and easily pulled that spear out too. Blood, gore, and brain matter remained on it.

    Sami did not care for the children¡¯s reactions, a mix of horror and the most genuine fear they¡¯d ever felt. Doing her best not to make a sound, she walked right behind the prefect, knife in hand. The prefect, for all his bravado, wasn¡¯t immortal, but maybe he¡¯d convinced himself he was. If the prefect had any sense left, she¡¯d already be dead. It turned out the prefect had enough sense to turn around, but he changed his mind when Nip began barreling forward. She took her chance, grabbed her knife and hacked at his neck. She hacked at it until it began giving way. He did not react after the first hack but she continued until his head was halfway off, then she kept going until his body keeled over and she held his head in hand. She tossed it aside.

    Nip caught her before she fell over. She frowned at the spear sticking out of her abdomen. ¡°Fuck,¡± she muttered. He¡¯d had enough sense for that. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this,¡± she said, eyes closed. She could tell the children were around her.

    ¡°We can get you help if we bring you to the institution,¡± Eil said.

    ¡°I killed a prefect. I helped you. They¡¯ll just make me suffer before I die.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying they won¡¯t do the same to us?¡± Cautious asked.

    ¡°No. You''ll be safe there, trust me.¡± She spat blood. ¡°Stop sitting around here waiting for me to die. You¡¯re making me feel like an ass.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to end up this way,¡± she said, lastly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Silent said.

    She heard their footsteps fade away. Nip shifted back into her figure and softly lay by her head. ¡°It really wasn¡¯t supposed to end up this way,¡± she repeated. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nip.¡±

 1.13 - One Last Thing

    One Last Thing

    Bite-Sized, Cautious, Eil, and Silent must have made for a strange band of ragged looking children as they made their way to the institution. Of course, that would depend on if there ever was such a thing as an ordinary band of ragged looking children. Furthermore, if Hasa were to be believed, then the institution would be overwhelmed with strange bands of ragged looking children, all with their horrid little tales of murder, torture, betrayal, and brushes with death. It made their own personal horrors seem trivial when so many had gone through their own. It numbed Eil to the value of his suffering, and he figured that was the point.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Cautious said. It was the first word anyone had said since they¡¯d left Sami to die.

    Eil turned in Cautious''s direction and found him wanting in presence. Eil wanted to close his eyes deeply, sigh, and ask if they could opt against mutually-assured destruction, but he knew if he tried, he wouldn¡¯t open his eyes again. The desperation of a boy who¡¯d seen too many die, killed too many, and was tired, kicked in. He let go of Bite-Sized who had been leaning on him and Silent, and dove out of the way. He couldn¡¯t tell if Cautious had attempted anything, but he couldn¡¯t risk it.

    He rolled to his feet, a tiny cloud of dirt gusting about him. Fortunately, he¡¯d been smart enough not to get rid of his hand-sized plank of wood with the spear¡¯s animating symbol etched into it. He¡¯d forsaken the possibility of being overly cautious some days back. The plank of wood left its imprint on the ground but just as Eil reached to pull the spear from it, his arm was kicked away and he hopped a few steps back lest a greater punishment await.

    The sign glowed anyways and Eil realized that Cautious had used Eil''s symbol to summon a spear of his own. Cautious had learned, just as Eil had learned, that life and death was a matter of anticipation. In so many ways, Eil hated that he understood the point of the test. They had only survived because Sami had anticipated the prefect¡¯s cruelty. Is that what an animist¡¯s life came down to? Anticipation. In spite of their differences in power, Sami had been the one who lived to see the other die.

    Eil reached down to try again but as soon as he pressed the symbol into the dirt, he saw the ground give in where Cautious must have been. Eil hopped back out of what he could only presume was a deadly lunge of the now camouflaged spear.

    ¡°You know Cautious. I think you¡¯ve disappointed your aunt.¡±

    ¡°What makes you say that, Magic Boy?¡± Cautious must have felt awfully comfortable, speaking even as it gave away his position. Eil realized that if he stared hard enough, he could see the hints of something there. He wasn¡¯t seeing through Cautious, he had blended in, not disappeared. This was the thin rope that would allow him to survive, and he''d hold onto it desperately.

    ¡°You could have killed me without my ever knowing so.¡±

    He did not have a reply to that, likely because Eil had reached to the ground to attempt another summoning of a spear, and Cautious was determined to make sure it would not happen. He heard Bite-Sized''s garbled and subdued scream, the pleading in her eyes for them to stop, especially when they were so close to the institution. Silent regarded them with an emotionless expression, it made it impossible to scrutinize what she thought of this affair.

    ¡°I have a theory, Cautious. You were taught to kill, but you never learned to fight.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    He did not like resting his fate on theories, but he could not see another way out of this. Learning to fight an opponent he could not see was not something Kilo had taught him. He thought about turning tail and running for the institution, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to abandon Bite-Sized and Silent, nor did he trust in Cautious¡¯s mercy should he do so. Eil charged towards him, and saw the boy leave a soft imprint on the ground taking a step back. Cautious had not expected him to charge. He renewed his composure and stepped forward, intent on striking back. But that singular hesitation was enough for Eil to dash to the side and past what he imagined was a lunge on Cautious¡¯s part.

    He reached for the ground, taking advantage of the time it would take Cautious to turn and face him, and emerged with a spear in hand. Instinctively, and somewhat encouraged by the obvious steps in front of him, he raised it to protect his heart. Cautious¡¯s spear broke Eil¡¯s in half, but it was enough for Eil to leave unharmed from Cautious¡¯s wrath.

    ¡°Pointless. I don¡¯t need to know how to fight if you can¡¯t see me.¡±

    The cycle began again. Eil would attempt to summon another spear, but Cautious would get in his way before the spear could emerge. Cautious grew tired of Eil¡¯s attempts, the next time he tried summoning a spear, Cautious launched his spear towards Eil¡¯s arm. In Eil¡¯s desperation to avoid losing a limb, he pulled away, leaving behind the plank. Eil reached to grab Cautious¡¯s spear, but Cautious once again took advantage of EIl¡¯s own symbol, pulling out the weapon from the dirt, and smashing Eil''s spear in half. Eil could not afford to be discouraged and leapt for one of the spots he''d left a symbol on but had been unable to activate thanks to Cautious''s perseverance. By the time it emerged, it was shattered once again. He aimlessly tossed both ends where he imagined Cautious was, and amidst that distraction, pulled out another spear from a remnant mark. His aimless toss had been far too aimless because his brand-new spear met the same fate as each before it.

    Eil lost his balance this time and fell flatly on his ass, hands on the ground, the point of a spear resting above his heart.

    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Cautious said. His mirage vanished. ¡°You said it yourself, you can only manage six of those.¡± Cautious scoffed. ¡°I can see that look in your eyes. You lied, didn¡¯t you? Can you do seven then, eight? You think that¡¯ll help you any?¡± He frowned. ¡°You killed a lot of people I cared about. Never once did you show any remorse. Never once did you beg for forgiveness." Cautious reflected on his accusations. "I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t let this go.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it,¡± Eil said. ¡°Maybe this is for the best.¡±

    Anger flared in Cautious¡¯s eyes. There wasn¡¯t a smile on Eil¡¯s face. He hadn¡¯t wanted this. But there was a twinkle in his eyes, the twinkle of a boy satisfied with his own ingenuity. From underneath Cautious, over two dozen spears sprung from the ground to impale him in every means possible. He was held bloody and frozen in place, his spear remained an inch from Eil¡¯s heart, and would get no closer.

    It had never occured to Cautious how flippantly Eil had been putting symbols on the ground. It had never occured to Cautious how big of a lie Eil had told back at the camp.

    Eil pushed himself away from the spear, and vomited before he could help it. He¡¯d seen many ways a human could die, courtesy of his uncle, but he had never seen anything like that before, and he hoped he¡¯d never have to see anything like that again. He gazed back at Cautious only one more time. Cautious never had a chance to stop being angry. He never had a chance to realize he¡¯d lost. Or maybe he was angry because he had realized it in that fleeting moment.

    Bite-Sized fell to the ground crying, holding her knees close to her chest. Silent began walking in the direction of the institution. She was right, they did not know how much time they had left, if any.

    ¡°We have to go,¡± he said, standing up. He was afraid of approaching her, or of looking in her eyes. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± The problem was that she couldn¡¯t talk back. Couldn¡¯t tell him he was disgusting, or cruel, or a monster. He couldn¡¯t retort with a clever barb renouncing his guilt in the matter. Instead, he was left to be cruel to his own self, to assume what their eyes might be saying, and he rarely had a rebuttal for his self-criticism.

    Bite-Sized stood up, and focusing on Silent, began marching towards the institution. Eil decided that wasn¡¯t a bad idea, and he too marched on simply staring at Silent¡¯s back.

 1.14 - The Institution

    The Institution

    Eil was displeased to learn that the institution was a hut.

    His mouth stood agape. Sami had not elected to inform them of that detail. He was only certain they were at the right spot because they were among a sea of hundreds of other broken and battered students. He was grateful that some caretakers came to check on them the moment they seemed to have passed some invisible mark that indicated they¡¯d officially made it. Somehow, he did not doubt that if they¡¯d been murdered just an inch from that designated line, the caretakers wouldn¡¯t have budged an inch to help them. If not for these caretakers, Eil might have suspected that every single person here had been misguided to this destination.

    The caretakers stopped short of helping them, even as Eil readied himself to collapse. ¡°Where¡¯s the animist accompanying you?¡± one asked.

    Silent lived up to her title, and Eil found himself wondering what to say. He thought about lying, they might disqualify them if they learned she¡¯d either died or aided them. There was little chance he could conjure a lie about her survival, they would realize sooner or later.

    ¡°Dead. A prefect killed her.¡±

    The caretaker raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°We can¡¯t take you in without validation. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Validation?¡± Eil questioned, teeth grit, disbelief settling in.

    ¡°Will this do?¡± Silent pulled out a paper she¡¯d rolled and tucked in her pants.

    The caretaker grabbed the paper, and his eyes combed through it. ¡°You three are the only ones left under your animist¡¯s care?¡± They nodded. ¡°And what are your names?¡±

    ¡°Eil but they call me Magic Boy.¡±

    ¡°Zara Matunde, or Silent,¡± Silent said.

    Bite-Sized started but stopped, and seemed on the verge of crying upon remembering that she may not say her name ever again. The caretaker understood quickly enough, spotting the mark around her neck, and the missing tongue. ¡°Could you read your own name?¡± She shook her head. The caretaker scratched his. ¡°Neither of you knows it.¡±

    ¡°No. We just called her Bite-Sized. Easier than remembering names of people you might not see again. Wait. I remember the village she came from. Can¡¯t you go by that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Whatever village you came from, they don¡¯t care enough to write it down. It really doesn¡¯t matter once you make it to the institution, you probably won¡¯t ever go back.¡±

    He called over another caretaker and explained the situation. ¡°We¡¯re not exactly going to read every name on here till she hears hers.¡±

    ¡°How many names did you have kid? One or two?¡±

    She began bawling then, but it was a silent raw bawl, more pitiful than sad.

    ¡°Look, other kids need my help, can you handle this?¡± the new caretaker asked. She left after getting a shrug.

    ¡°Just raise one or two hands.¡±

    Eil¡¯s discomfort prevented him from paying attention to the situation. He dropped to his ass and fell on his back.

    It took a moment, but the caretaker continued, ¡°Two names. Good. Let me tell you something, uh, Bite-Sized: you made it. I¡¯m not saying it''s over or that you¡¯re safe now, but you made it further than most people in all of Leonaise ever will. You¡¯ve lost a lot, but you¡¯re going to get a chance to do incredible things. You¡¯re going to get a chance to be so powerful no one¡¯s ever going to hurt you like that again. But you have to stop crying, you have to suck in all the pain, and you have to make sure to hold yourself up. No matter how bad it gets, keep holding yourself up. You don¡¯t stop until you¡¯re dead, alright? Now, I¡¯m going to grab a name from this list, and you¡¯re going to have to accept it for now. But, between you and me, it doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯ll get a brand-new name in there anyways. Or just keep calling yourself Bite-Sized. It suits you. Anyways." He scrolled through the list of names belonging to dead allies. "How does Less Geli sound?¡±

    Bite-Sized stopped bawling.

    ¡°Does it work for you? We can choose a different one.¡±

    She shook her head vigorously.

    ¡°That¡¯s not your real name, is it?¡±

    She nodded. She seemed on the verge of renewed tears.

    ¡°Huh. Is that so? Well, alright. Now that we¡¯ve got that settled, let¡¯s make sure you guys don¡¯t die between here and the institution.¡±

    ¡°You mean that hut isn¡¯t it?¡± Eil asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s where the gatekeeper lives.¡±

    ¡°So, where¡¯s the institution?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±

    Eil gritted his teeth at the non-answer. The caretaker did not let himself be distracted in conversation. He got Bite-Sized to lay back on a pillow and after several hand gestures, he placed his hands on her throat. The scar Bite-Sized had received from the wire began receding in a way that would have ordinarily taken a long time, if ever. Eil was fortunate enough that he could not speak on that matter from experience.

    ¡°I have a question for you. Do we have to worry about fighting for our lives as soon as we get through the gatekeeper¡¯s special gate? You¡¯re all taking care of us now, and that worries me. Sort of sounds like you need us healthy for something worse.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re going to have to worry about your life every single day until you die or step out of that institution. But, if you make it through, you¡¯re going to be the one people fear.¡±

    ¡°Being feared doesn¡¯t seem worth risking my life.¡±

    ¡°You know the alternative isn¡¯t much better.¡±

    He¡¯d just witnessed an animist killed for having a heart, he was no longer sure whether the alternative was worse. The caretaker finished working on Bite-Sized and moved to Silent.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not. And I¡¯m not letting you go through without making sure you¡¯re as good as I can make you.¡± Silent glared. She didn¡¯t do much of that. ¡°I¡¯ll be gentle.¡±

    Somehow, the caretaker knew that Silent had been hurt both at the hip, and at the back. It must have been when their caravan was blown into the water. She hadn¡¯t shown a hint of discomfort since they¡¯d seen each other afterwards. Silent had a lot more scars that the caretaker did not bother with. These were scars that had a long time to settle. When the caretaker finished with Silent, he turned to Eil.

    ¡°Looks like you had yourself a hard time out there.¡± His eyes narrowed. Eil could guess his trail of thoughts. If this caretaker wasn¡¯t from a noble tribe himself, he may very well resent Eil¡¯s privilege, if he was from a noble tribe, it likely wasn¡¯t Eil¡¯s, and that was but another reason to reenforce his resentment.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°I did. I was hoping for a break.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, kid. We don¡¯t get breaks in this life.¡±

    He said nothing more and executed a series of hand gestures. He passed his hands over various parts of Eil¡¯s body. The feeling was soothing, not far from what Silent¡¯s soup made him feel like, minus the out of body headspace it brought on. His was even faster than Bite-Sized''s, and considering how awful Eil had felt, he couldn¡¯t imagine her pain.

    ¡°Alright, that should be it. The gatekeeper¡¯s going to be out once the deadline hits, shouldn¡¯t be too long now. I¡¯d be surprised if there were any more stragglers.¡±

    The caretaker was surprised.

    There were two more sets of arrivals before the deadline struck. The first was a singular girl. She came in on the very same sort of caravan Sami had first picked them up in. There was no one inside the caravan, and no animist to be found. The second caravan behind still looked full of food. Everyone stared at her with confusion. Bite-Sized, Eil, and Silent were closest to the edge of the field and had the fortune of hearing a caretaker approach her.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your animist?¡±

    She did not reply, she only looked derisively at the caretaker and handed over the same papers Silent had handed over to theirs.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Saro Kimbo.¡±

    The caretaker froze while sifting through the papers. ¡°Where¡¯s your animist?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°Hurt? Shut up.¡± She stepped past the caretaker and bellowed out to the rest of the crowd. The animist who had guided their charge here, and the caretakers all watched. ¡°All of you listen to me. I am the daughter of the Faceless King, ruler of Leonaise, and I will be the one to take that throne from him when my time has come. I am giving you one chance to stand by my side. One chance to be immune from my wrath. Those of you who choose not to, every single one of you, you are my enemy.¡±

    Eil was both immediately mesmerized by and resentful of Saro Kimbo. Of course, he also had to admit that he had never heard of the Faceless King, and he doubted anyone else here knew of their monarch. They knew of their prefects, that¡¯s all they need know of. But, he supposed, it was a given that with noble tribes, one must stand above all.

    The first person to step forward was Silent. Eil¡¯s mouth hung open. Silent walked the short distance up to Saro and stared her in the eyes. Saro stared back.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± she finally asked.

    Silent glanced at Eil. He¡¯d rarely felt acknowledged by her until that very moment. ¡°Silent.¡±

    Saro frowned, and she too glanced at Eil. He felt like shrinking down. Not since the prefect had he felt cowed in such a fashion.

    ¡°Silent. As long as you stand by my side, I will take care of you, and you will take care of me. We are family. More than the Faceless King, you are my blood. You eat from my plate.¡± She gestured towards her caravan.

    That stirred many. Silent did not hesitate and walked over to the caravan. It wasn¡¯t the same food they had received on the first day, Eil realized. These were as fresh as could be. If Eil hadn¡¯t seen her eyes, he would¡¯ve suspected that she had never gone through the exam, never had an animist, never even struggled to get to this point. But those eyes, they struck a fear in him he could not describe.

    ¡°And the rest of you, are you ready to declare yourself my enemy?¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on, princess. You think we believe you went through what the rest of us went through? You think we believe this Faceless King none of us have ever heard of, would allow you to live among us slaves. To suffer as we have.¡± A sharp-tongued boy said. He stood up to be sure Saro knew who was speaking to her.

    ¡°She¡¯s not lying.¡± Another boy spoke, this one finely featured, nearly naked, and ravaged with more scars than Eil had ever seen on anyone. He raised something in his hand. ¡°Another one of the Faceless King¡¯s spawn tried his luck with us. I told this one I was jealous; I wanted a crown too. So, I took it. Now I am a prince.¡± Eil realized the boy was holding a scalp. ¡°I believe he was boasting about being the Faceless King¡¯s spawn, and who else would know of the crown that sits atop our country, but his progeny. She does not speak falsely of her origins, but of her plans to take the king¡¯s throne, I have my doubts. I have taken quite a liking to my crown, and I am eager for more, as all those who come to taste power inevitably feel. I look forward to having yours.¡±

    Saro looked quite bored with the boy¡¯s threats. The sharp-tongued one who questioned her began walking towards Saro. He stopped in front of her. Saro frowned.

    ¡°You wish to join me now?¡±

    ¡°Has the offer been rescinded?¡±

    She thought about it for a moment. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then if you speak true, and if that boy¡¯s words aren¡¯t that of a buffoon, then I would be foolish not to throw in my lot with you, wouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°I will not tolerate betrayal.¡±

    He feigned being offended, ¡°Family does not betray.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    He chuckled, gazing at Silent. ¡°Call me Noisy.¡± He waved her off before she began talking. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I heard what you told her.¡±

    Noisy walked past her towards the caravan. If Saro was bothered by Noisy, she did not show it.

    ¡°Is there anyone else?¡±

    A boy who must have measured the height of the giant bandit Eil had hope to forget about stepped forward next. He was more chubby than muscular, and his features were so foreign, Eil had doubts the boy was even Leonaisian.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Kagome Ketio Keita.¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Kagome Ketio Keita. As long as you stand by my side, I will take care of you, and you will take care of me. We are family. More than the Faceless King, you are my blood. You eat from my plate.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here,¡± he said. He grinned and eagerly hauled his heft to the caravan. The boy might have genuinely joined her cause simply to for the food.

    Only one more person decided they¡¯d join Saro. The rest must not have bought her threat. Most had struggled to get here. They had seen people die. They¡¯d nearly died. They were tired of being cowed by this point. They had made it to the institution. Of course, Eil had a simple reason, he came from a prestigious family of his own, and as it were, they were the only ones who owned his loyalty.

    The last person to join Saro Kimbo¡¯s side was Bite-Sized. He wanted to ask her what she was doing, but he didn¡¯t. Of course, she¡¯d join her. What had Eil done for her? She might never speak another word; she¡¯d lost her hands following his guidance. Why side by Eil at the institution? And furthermore, why return to the side of someone too cowardly to ask you to do otherwise. He could lie and pretend it was simply because this was in her interest, or he could admit that part of his unwillingness to object was out of fear for Saro Kimbo.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Saro asked, unbothered by the pitiful state of her new recruit.

    ¡°She can¡¯t speak. Her name¡¯s Less Geli,¡± Eil spoke up.

    Neither of them looked his way, but Bite-Sized nodded.

    ¡°Less Geli. As long as you stand by my side, I will take care of you, and you will take care of me. We are family. More than the Faceless King, you are my blood. You eat from my plate.¡±

    Bite-Sized nodded but did not eat the way the rest of them did.

    For a long minute, not a single other person decided to join Saro Kimbo¡¯s side, and her momentum vanished.

    ¡°You will all remember that I gave you a chance. You are all my enemy. You are my family¡¯s enemies. If you hurt me or my family, I will take your life without hesitation. You will not see mercy from me. If you wish to live through your time at the institution, you will do well steer clear of me and mine.¡±

    Eil had been eager to see if anyone would test Saro¡¯s will, if anyone might make an attempt at her food. He knew many must have starved to get here. His own stomach roared at the thought of getting his hands on the mango Kagome ate in a single bite, only stopping to spit out the seed. Everyone must have been tired of shedding blood, because no one chose to step forward. Once, they would¡¯ve seen the girl as easy prey, but in their journey here, they had all discovered how powerless they truly were.

    Saro Kimbo was not the last arrival, but the last arrival also came in with a full caravan; however, this one contained all the children instead of food. They could be heard long before they could be seen, singing together at the top of their lungs, without a care in the world. Even the animist guiding the horses seemed to be the most joyful animist Eil had ever seen, next to the dozen unapproachable animist standing by the hut.

    A few caretakers approached the caravan.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re all fine. Well, perhaps you should check on that one.¡±

    One boy stepped forward. Eil once against derided himself for how much his body had pained him, because he could not understand the pain that must result of such injuries that he now saw. The boy¡¯s entire body was freshly bruised and scarred. It wasn¡¯t like the scalp-waving boy from before, this one must have gone through hell to get here, and yet, he was the only among his caravan with so much as a scratch among them. It did not take long for Eil to notice the next most distinctive trait about this one, he resembled Saro in far too many ways for it to be a coincidence.

    ¡°They¡¯re all alive?¡±

    ¡°Every single one.¡±

    ¡°No trouble?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Lots of trouble. Can¡¯t you see we nearly didn¡¯t make it? But that one is something else. One of the king¡¯s spawn.¡±

    ¡°Another,¡± the caretaker said, spite in his voice.

    ¡°Can¡¯t be too surprised. How many more?¡±

    ¡°Just that brat over there. Probably a few more not so keen on drawing attention to themselves.¡±

    The animist didn¡¯t seem very impressed with Saro or her rag tag affiliates.

    ¡°This one is different. He¡¯s like Dragongrasped. Another freak.¡±

    The new group happily found themselves a spot to sit and converse. Everyone starred, stunned and jealous. They¡¯d all clawed their way here, meanwhile these new candidates looked like they¡¯d been hauled here on the Faceless King¡¯s own palanquin. The king¡¯s spawn was at the heart of their assembly, an unwavering smile on his face from the moment he¡¯d stepped out of the carriage. Saro Kimbo did not stop staring at her brother until the gatekeeper stepped out of his hut.

 1.15 - The Gatekeepers

    The Gatekeepers

    The door to the hut opened and the Gatekeeper bent halfway to step out from under it. Eil found that to be terribly inconvenient. The giant bandit, better yet Kagome Ketio Keita, would be dwarfed by this colossus. The man might even become hunchback from living in that hut. It was barely enough to contain his full length. The Gatekeeper, like the prefects, was nothing short of an abomination. Could this be the natural result of being an animist: inhuman mutations? Would he return to his noble tribe for the first time since he¡¯d been hauled off to Kasai at three to find that his parents, aunts and uncles, and cousins long forgotten weren¡¯t as he vaguely remembered them?

    The Gatekeeper wore simple wool pants and a cloak that left his right side unclothed. Necklaces with beads that looked to weight half-as-much as Eil must weigh hung around his neck. It seemed the institution would remind him again and again that there were greater things to fear than the prefect that had domineered over him to this day.

    He glanced at the animists. ¡°Spread out around the field, there should be a meter between each of you.¡± He turned to the caretakers. ¡°You six, you¡¯ll help.¡± That must have been the number of animists who had failed to live through the journey. He knew of at least two of the ones who hadn¡¯t made it: Sami, and Saro Kimbo¡¯s animist ¨C if she¡¯d even had one. Had whole caravans been lost in the journey, or was it simply another case of students outliving their guides?

    The animists and the caretakers spread out across the field, surrounding all the institute candidates who had made it this far. The Gatekeeper walked past Eil and Saro¡¯s groups, never once glancing at anyone, but walking with an incontestable certainty.

    The Gatekeeper turned around and began a lengthy series of hand gestures - palms intertwining in a precise dance. Once it came to an end, he pressed down on the ground and three-meter-high pillars began emerging across the field, originating from underneath the Gatekeeper. The animists and caretakers leapt atop the pillars in single leaps. None of the recruits could hide their curiosity from below; they all stared at the nearest pillar. The animists and caretakers sat down on top of their pillars and various manners, and closed their eyes. Some brought palm to palm, fist to fist, palm to fist, or neither. Eil couldn¡¯t tell if there was any significance to their posture beyond comfort.

    A brown aura began building around the animists, one he¡¯d seen faint traces of in his and his uncle¡¯s spear-animating. The auras all shot up in lengthy curved columns to meet at the apex of the field. The Gatekeeper¡¯s hand gestures had never stopped and his own aura also reached the apex. The Gatekeeper¡¯s aura began expanding horizontally too, colliding with that of the others and expanding past them. Eventually, the dome of brown aura covered the entire field.

    The Gatekeeper¡¯s hand gestures came to a halt. The aura began unwinding from the opposite side. The moment the dome began opening, they could see that the sky had changed. Thick clouds of purple and pink hues blanketed the skies. Beyond the pillar where the far most animist stood, Eil could already see they were no longer in that same field they¡¯d arrived in. He could not be sure if they were even in Leonaise anymore. Beyond that pillar stood what seemed to him like a village. A village, actually, would be inaccurate. Buildings of lengths and heights he¡¯d never seen - they crept over high reaching walls - challenged his notions of what a village could be. The plantations were a pale imitation, and his own village could fit in here thirty times over, and he knew that might be a generous estimation of Kasai¡¯s size. The recruits all stood up, beguiled by what lied beyond.

    Eventually, the dome had diminished entirely, and the columns reaching up to the apex of the field retreated back to their source until the animists, caretakers, and the Gatekeeper all rested on the same ground as the recruits. Beyond the Gatekeeper rested a forest with trees the likes Eil had never seen, not even among the varied foliage he had discovered on his way here.

    The Gatekeeper marched back across the field, past his hut, past the last animist and towards what Eil saw was a genuine gate. The gate was sandwiched in between twenty-foot-tall walls that seemed to stretch even into the forest it bordered. There were doors to the side of the gate, and he could even see people atop the walls watching below. How often would such a gate be used beyond the solitary period of recruitment?

    The Gatekeeper pulled open the massive gates in the same manner a Kasaian villager might push pass a drape to enter another room. All one had to do was hear the gates creak and feel the ravaging wind as they were hauled opened to understand the Gatekeeper¡¯s strength. If one were to look closely enough, they would see cracks in the walls, some undoubtedly from the gates being opened too violently. His sole purpose, should his title be lended any credibility, was to open a gate, and he was that fearsome. He glanced at Saro Kimbo once again. Even the Gatekeeper must undoubtedly bow to the Faceless King. And he internally scoffed in disbelief when he thereafter realized the Faceless King must bow to King Paulus, ruler of Buffon, the man whose namesake was the institution. Did King Paulus bow to anyone?

    The Gatekeeper stood next to the gates, arms folded, still as a statue.

    Beyond the gates, their welcoming party gazed with varying levels of patience. A man dressed in the finest outfit he¡¯d ever laid eyes upon held a thickly bound notebook in his hands. This was the institution''s head secretary, Tonsou Legibon. Next to the principal and vice-principal of the institution, it was Tonsou Legibon and his underlings that ensured that the institution remained intact even as their students passed on to the next world by scores.

    The woman at Legibon¡¯s side was his match in luxury, a Buffonese with a steely, grave face. Long dark grey hair draped down past her shoulders and sharp ears indicated similar violations of nature as that of the prefects and the Gatekeeper. There wasn¡¯t a more important life in all of Leonaise than that woman, the ambassador from Buffon: Elien De Vos. Behind her stood a grotesque giant of a Buffonese with skin greyer than his counterparts. His face appeared rotted off, the whites of his eyes more yellowed, his teeth decayed, and his mouth permanently drooped and drooling. At his left was another Buffonese woman. Not entirely remarkable but pretty, she had her hair ponytailed back with the sides cornrowed, and her hand rested comfortably on her sword. These two were the ambassador¡¯s guards: The Ogre and Dumortier.

    Behind this initial welcoming party were the heads of the four official tribes of the Military Institute of King Paulus. These four tribes were the Matrix Opal Lions, generally harboring spawns of the Faceless King and his extended family; the Bronzite Buffalos, generally harboring members of the Beno tribe, Eil¡¯s family; the Jet Apes, a house of no allegiance and haphazard organization; and the Red Beryl Mosquito, changed recently from the Malachite Mambas due to the fall of the Zadi tribe and rise of the Jito tribe.

    The Matrix Opal Lions were not led by a child of the Faceless King this year, but a niece who went by the title of Eternity. An ordinary looking adolescent by any account, her only distinctive feature being the gold-shaft stiletto at her hip. Behind Eternity were the most elite members of the Matrix Opal Lions: the Crow Shaman¡¯s piercing eyes of seemingly ephemeral colors made her easily recognizable; Dragongrasped, a third year son of the Faceless King, a favored heir to the monarch and distinguishable by a right arm covered in bronze scales and a sizable sword of impractical make; Cloudstalk, a boy with grotesque scars around his eyes that awkwardly stretched them; and lastly Red, an unassuming girl with a streak of red paint across her face, she¡¯d arrived at the institution covered in blood and the paint remained a consistent reminder to any who might question the legitimacy of her current station.

    Eil immediately recognized the head of the Bronzite Buffalos, Nis, an older cousin he had known for six years in Kasai. At the institute he went by the title of Sin. The Bronzite Buffalos were historically a united front though it was debatable if this was still an identity they remained proud of, particularly with Sin at the head.  Sin wore a fluorescent headdress of blue and purple hues with earrings and tattoos across his visage. No one in all of the institution was regarded for their beauty in so far as much as Sin was, even as his appearance strayed from Leonaise or Buffoneese customs. The Bronzite Buffalos were distinctive from previous years particularly because of their elites: Squirm and Loom were twins of Buffoneese origin, a rare but not impossible sight at the institute, Squirm and Loom both had twin swords at their left hips and an even lengthier blade at their right leaving Eil curious to see their technique in practice; third among Sin¡¯s elites was Meranti, the tallest girl in all of the institute, and know for wielding a flail that never failed to take limb with it when it met flesh; and lastly there was Even, a boy of perfectly pristine, unscarred, and flawless skin with pupil, pigmentation, and lip of the exact same milk chocolate hue.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    The Jet Apes have long been the least impressive of the four tribes but it was notable for often being comprised of some of the most dangerous animist in Leonaise history. It¡¯s lack of success as a tribe was largely due to a lack of unity and a weak midlist of animist. This year¡¯s head was famously called Shitstirrer, an unflattering name she''d firmly embraced. In Shitstirrer¡¯s second year she participated in the cross-country wargames, a generally lethal undertaking for second years. However, after the death of her hand leader, she became known for underhanded tactics that usually saw her four-man hand outdoing much larger groups of opponents. The death of a foreign royalty at her hands very nearly saw her executed but for the patronage of one of Leonaise¡¯s four Pillars. Shitstirrer¡¯s lopsided grin and awkward scars did not make her a pretty sight, but it was her words that made her one of the ugliest individuals in all of Leonaise. Three of Jet Apes elites had been with Shitstirrer during those infamous wargames: Goner was a well-built boy with a knack for getting into fights that made him one of the best single combatants in the academy, the crimson bones jutting out of his skull like dreadlocks looked as if his head might be in constant pain; Patch Face had been called such because of a skin condition that left parts of her skin, particularly her face, with a loss of pigmentation; Silk was the last of these, a son of an illicit Buffoneese and Leonaise affair, a feminine looking boy with jet black long hair, while golden eyes and pointy ears hinted he¡¯d already began defying human biology; finally there was Mirage, a masked man whose face no one remembered, whose squadron had died in the cross country wargames, and whom no one knew much else about except for perhaps Shitstirrer herself.

    Lastly, the Red Beryl Mosquitoes had gone through a tumultuous change in the past year alone and many were expecting much from them this year. The head of the Red Bery Mosquitoes was the heir apparent to the Jito tribe, though she should have in fact been heir to the Zadi¡¯s. Due to her odd physical features from birth, snow white hair, blood red eyes, and naturally blood red lips, she had been abandoned by the Zadi¡¯s. The Jito tribe who had long remained loyal to the Zadi¡¯s, secretly took it upon themselves to raise the girl, the final piece in the slow usurpation of power in the tribe. This girl was known as the White Streak. The Red Beryl Mosquitoes elites begins with Red Streak, White Streak¡¯s biological sister and the heir to the Zadi tribe, known for the tips of red at the end of her strung up hair, it was said she had no bad blood with the girl who had taken her throne; Scorpion of the Jito tribe was called that because of the thick, endlessly squirming stinger looming over everyone next to him, it brought to mind Kasai¡¯s prefect; Nest had perhaps taken a bit too faithfully to the tribe¡¯s symbol because she had comeback from a third year expedition with a mosquito cage on her head filled to the brim with the insects, none of the other elites stuck too close to her, but the ordeal had been enough to place her among their ranks this year; lastly there¡¯s Obsidian Blade, a talented swordswoman whose skills became distinguished when her expedition leader was killed by a foreign swordsman whom she begged to take his dead mentor¡¯s place.

    In the world of the animist, there were always exceptions, but it could be said that before the new recruits of the Military Institute of King Paulus were the most talented and elite animist at the institute, and just four years before they had been in much of the same state these new recruits were now in.

    Tonsou Legibon, the head secretary of the institute put in an end to the recruit¡¯s communal anxiety by breaking the tense silence. ¡°Before we will begin your induction as students of the Military Institute of King Paulus, the ambassador of Buffon, Elien De Vos, will oblige us with a customary introduction.¡±

    Elien De Vos stepped forward, she cast a cold gaze across the field of recruits. ¡°To most of you, these words will mean nothing. You will die and return to dirt. You are worthless to me. You are worthless to Leonaise. Above all else, you are worthless to Buffon. However, among you are those who will rise above every attempt on your lives, who will grow stronger for it, who will become weapons as a result of it. The Military Institute of King Paulus will refine you until you are sharp enough to cut cleanly through any enemy of the state of Buffon. Remind yourself of this every day until the day you die: you are tools for the state of Buffon, weapons to be used to ensure its sovereignty. Fulfill your singular purpose, and you will die fulfilled. When King Paulus came upon this Leonaise, he found mindless savages living on the richest land in our world, who knew not what they stood above. He raised you from the gutters, gave you purpose, no matter how miniscule, but here at the institute, he offers you even greater purpose. Be grateful. Never forget the hand that feeds you, for it will strike you down the moment you falter.¡± Her inspirational speech, should one be generous enough to call it one, ended on the abrupt threat. She gazed across the field again, turned around, and left. For whateve reason, the anxiety amongst the recruits doubled.

    The speech was enough to leave Shitstirrer giggling, though she had the sense to wait till the ambassador was gone, and to leave White Streak grinning. Tonsou gave them sharp glances before clearing his throat.

    ¡°Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Tonsou Legibon, a secretary of this institute. I am here to ensure you are capable of fulfilling your every potential. Feel free to come to me or anyone wearing this badge for any concern you may have at any point in your stay at the institute. We¡¯ll do everything within our means to aid you. Now, I am sure a great deal of you are all fatigued, hungry, and thirsty. Worry not, such concerns will be alleviated for you until you become acclimated to the institute. Firstly, you will be divided among groups of five, until you are drafted into one of the four tribes at the turn of the year, this will be your hand. Trust each other. Support each other. Count on each other above all else. Behind me are the four heads of the four tribes, remember them, do not cross them if you value your lives, but impress them, and learn from them. Once you are settled in your accommodations and uniformed, the same faculty member who will have led you to your rooms will bring you to the Great Hall for further instructions. You will all listen closely and approach whence your names are called. That is all.¡±

    Tonsou Legibon nodded to another secretary, and without missing a beat, she began calling names. Though the secretary spoke loudly enough for Eil to hear her even at the far back, many moved forward to ensure they did not miss their names being called, and some particularly hard of hearing ensured they were close enough to even read the secretary¡¯s lips.

    There wasn¡¯t much to the assignment of groups, and it appeared that it was all largely dependent on whichever group arrived first and on presumed sex. The latter fact led to some inexact room arrangements but when one student brought up a questionable assignment, he was slapped so viciously no one bothered doing such a thing again. Silent and Bite-Sized found themselves assigned with Saro Kimbo, likely the way they must have wanted, as well as a girl who had come to be called Shaggy from a group that had arrived before Eil¡¯s. The last member of their group had been among the last caravan to arrive, she was called Jovial, and she had no idea what she was walking into.

    This put Eil in a particularly interesting predicament. The first member of his group belonged to the one that had arrived before his, and she should have replaced Jovial among Saro Kimbo¡¯s group. She was a rugged looking girl, with her hair cut short, and a mean sneer on her face. A scar that had been freshly healed by a caretaker crossed the left side of her face. She was called Smoker, a bad habit she¡¯d picked up from her mother. Stranger, a Buffoneese boy who had been part of the last caravan was the third member to be called upon after Eil. He had an extremely boyish face, and his eyes betrayed such innocence that one might assume he¡¯d been dropped here without so much as seeing a drop of blood. Ink was the next one to join, an equally boyish and innocent looking kid. In fact, Eil quickly realized that such sentiment was one that could be equally shared amongst the entirety of the last caravan. Such a sentiment was helmed by the Faceless King¡¯s son himself, a boy Eil had been content to dub the Prince. Eil was particularly delighted to hear the man called upon to join his hand. As with Saro Kimbo, not one of the elites failed to take a glance at the Prince.

    Smile was what his caravan had come to call him, and he beamed at both Smoker and Eil when he arrived at their side. ¡°Nice to meet the both of you, I hope we can become great friends.¡±

 King Pauluséˆ¥æªš Military Institute Guide

    King Paulus¡¯s Military Institute

    Founded on behalf of King Paulus, ruler of the Kingdom of Buffon, King Paulus¡¯s Military Institute trains Leonaisians from the age of thirteen to become an animists in the span of four years. The requirements to qualify and even graduate from the military institute are brutal and only the finest emerge.

    Staff:

    Tonsou Legibon: Head Secretary

    The Gatekeeper: Gatekeeper to the institute

    Others:

    Elien De Vos: Ambassador of Buffon

    Ogre: Bodyguard to the Ambassador of Buffon

    Dumortier: Bodyguard to the Ambassador of Buffon

    Tribes: The students at the military institute are divided into the four official tribes. These tribes are strongly associated with the noble tribes of Leonaise, and as a result the rivalry between each tribe, partially driven by the military institute, is genuine. Each tribe is represented by a leader and their four elites. Throughout the year, tribes compete in deadly competitions.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Matrix Opal Lions: Strongly associated with the Faceless King, ruler of Leonaise, and generally headed by one of his children.

    Leader: Eternity

    Elites: Crow Shaman, Dragongrasped, Cloudstalk, Red

    Bronzite Buffalos: Strongly associated with the second most powerful family in Leonaise, the Beno tribe, it is typically headed by one of its members.

    Leader: Sin

    Elites: Squirm, Loom, Meranti, Even

    Jet Apes: The least successful of the four tribes isn¡¯t actually led by any one Leonaise tribe. It¡¯s typically led by the castaways and features many smaller tribes.

    Leader: Shitstirrer

    Elites: Goner, Patch Face, Silk, Mirage

    Red Beryl Mosquitoes: Formerly known as the Malachite Mambas, they were strongly associated with the principal¡¯s own tribe, the Jito tribe. After the principal denounced her daughter due to her odd physical features, she reappeared at the institute having been secretly raised by the vice-principal¡¯s family, the Zadi tribe. The Zadi are now in charge of the Red Beryl Mosquitoes due to her rise.

    Leader: White Streak

    Elites: Red Streak, Scorpion, Nest, Obsidian Blade

    Unaffiliated: Until the annual draft at the turn of the year, new students remain unaffiliated from a tribe. Instead, they are tired to a five person group called a hand until the day of the draft.

    Eil¡¯s Hand: Eli, Smoker, Stranger, Ink, Smile

    Saro Kimbo¡¯s Hand: Saro Kimbo, Silent, Bite-Sized, Shaggy, Jovial