《PriCore Academy - Status : Zeros》


 Chapter One

    The Girl


    The girl wished there was a good way to get blood out of paper in time to turn the acceptance letter in. It''s not like the boy even entered the draft on his own. She''d signed up every Rian Freedman in the city. It was the most common name for a child between sixteen and twenty. Freedman is the name chosen by bastards or freed slaves, and Rian being the hero that quelled the curse dungeon. She''d changed her own name to match, a few girls shared it. It had all been a numbers game to get the letter. The admissions only cared if the name matched when you placed your hand on the core of the academy and got to first see your status.


    A pebble struck her back. "Hey, Boy! I''ll give you five copper if you help me polish my armor." Rian instinctively reached for where she kept her knife only to come up empty. She''d left those, her tools, the slightly bloody dress, and all other personal possessions inside a wall she considered her stash area. Hacked-off hair, baggy clothes, and a soft cap, and it wasn''t surprising this budding adventurer thought she was a boy. The large admissions gate area to the road into the first ring of Pricore Academy had already started to attract a crowd despite the five hours until they unlock it and let the throngs of new students in. Perfect for getting lost in the crowd as someone else.


    The new Rian tried to lower her voice. "Make it ten, and I''ll help make it shine." It would be a way to pass the time, and it never hurt to make connections with someone equipped and wealthy enough to have armor.


    The blond sandy-haired youth laughed. Muscled and physically developed enough that Rian judged had to be closer to eighteen or twenty summers. His clothing implied that of a younger lords child. No one wanted to risk their Heirs as an adventurer or to the academy. "Great! Maybe you''ll pick up a skill."


    Status, Skills, Levels is all that kids who wanted to join the academy focused on. Rian swaggered over and took the rag and polishing compound from the young lord as well as ten coppers, then she followed him back to the armor stand he had set up. Looking at the tarnished and slightly rusty armor, she wondered if she should have asked for more. The youth saw the look on Rian''s face. "It was my grandfathers. Dad offered to buy me a new set, but I wanted the legacy. I''m Jon Applewood."


    "Rian Freedman." She got to work polishing. She knew it was doubtful that she''d pick up a skill from the work. When you first got your status it listed the skills that would affect you when you level, as well as those you are close to making a skill or have a talent for. You''re whole first year is spent strengthening those skills or adding more for your transition from level zero to one. That and surviving. Only two-thirds of the two thousand students make it to level one. It didn''t matter if the class was solely comprised of trained, experienced applicants. That was why they initiated the lottery for eight hundred of the incoming students. They would soak up the attrition.


    "You missed a spot. You want to make sure you get the joints real good." The humor in Jon''s eyes made her want to stab him, but she settled with knowing that only about six hundred or so survived until graduation. Not that the school advertised that. There was a lot they didn''t advertise. Things they tried to hide but couldn''t. Rian knew the value of secrets.


    Rian polished. Menial tasks always gave her time to think. Being unnoticed in a crowd made her feel strong like she was taking something away from those who overlooked her. A third of the way into the job, Jon took another rag and started to work on polishing the other side. "Excited about seeing your skills?" Jon asked.


    Rian gave a noncommittal grunt as she put some extra strength into clearing a bit of rust.


    "Grandpa says on average, a student comes on with four skills and a slew of sub-skills to work on. My tutors reckon I''ve managed to work hard enough to have eight show up once I''ve got my status. Lottery students like you often only start with two. I wonder why you do it when you''re already so far behind, let alone as a woman."


    Not completely clueless. Rian knew he must have been studying her as much as her work on the armor. Everyone wanted some form of an identifying skill for the benefits it can provide when one finally ascends a higher level. Rian changed her accent. "Who says I am a lottery student? I could be a disaffected daughter of a powerful family seeking freedom." The high born voice was so spot on she could see Jon was shaken.


    "My lad¡­"


    Rian loosened her jaw. "T''a se muy brooch bout low, ti in cut yur coins und nuts." She flipped to the low dialect of crude river folk.


    "What?" Jon stammered, dumbfounded.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    In a completely un-accented voice, Rian continued, "You can''t judge someone''s skills at first glance, Jon. You know they say the academy always holds surprises."


    Rian knew that would grab his interest and maybe protection if she needed it. Some people would do extraordinary things to solve a riddle.


    ****


    Raff


    The morning sunbathed most of the boy''s body, and he felt stronger for it. There had been a complaint when he had done it naked on a snowy day. So now he wore just short cut pants. People still called him crazy for that in the chilly end of winter weather, but at least no one called the guards on him.


    "Raff, get your lazy ass down from there. I''ve never seen you linger so much after you''ve decided what you were going to do." Raff recognized the voice of Ben, who he rented a room from.


    Raff furrowed his brow in curiosity. It''s true that he tended to dive into hobbies and tasks only to abandon them once he got bored. Sculpting, fencing, acrobatics, poetry, cobblery, he had never worn shoes, but had been fascinated by the idea of them, and many other projects. "Ben, I haven''t decided to do anything." He yelled down using a voice he had perfected molding during a stint as an orator.


    "An acceptance letter to Pricore academy shows up this morning. You''re still officially Rian Freedman, right? With what you do and the adventurer skill stuff, I figured that maybe you had been getting smart about a path in life with all the jumping around you do."


    This caused Raff to sit up. "I never applied to the academy." The idea of being an adventurer and going out and fighting monsters had never appealed to him. He had heard that you could find out what you would be talented with. It was also the only way to get magic as well. He''d been called talented, many times by many teachers, but he inevitably ended up feeling like he mastered a skill and got bored. "I''ll be down in a moment."


    "Now boy, don''t you go." But it was too late. Raff had stepped off the two-story roof and was falling downward. Ben winced as he watched the boy land and on his bare feet, knees bending to take the fall. "I don''t know how you do that. It freaks me out."


    "You just have to fall and land the right way." Raff smiled a Ben who just shook his head at his behavior.


    Ben shoved the folded parchment into Raff''s hand. "They say you can learn anything at the academy. They even house you on that crazy circular campus of theirs."


    Raff considered letting the paper fall from his hand and onto the ground. He hadn''t applied to the lottery for the academy. Some feeling made him accept it. He''d let luck decide many things in his life. Why not this.


    ***


    Asper


    Asper hacked away at the base of the thorn bush with a fury that it didn''t deserve. For the third year in a row, he had applied for the lottery to get into the academy. Nothing. He strained himself with another hack. The bushes came back every year, no matter what concoction he poured on the roots after hacking the plants down. I''ll never get that alchemy or gardening skill now, he cursed inwardly. The academy will tell him how much his hard work had been paying off, and more importantly, what he might be good at. It seemed like nothing at all most days.


    He knew some of his friends had skills. Nothing he tried seemed to click. He had thought he had wrestling down until he figured out his friends were letting him win. Clumsy would be a kind word for his skills with anything physical. Dim for studying. He still hadn''t finished the book that had been gifted to him last year. He punctuated his strikes on the thorn bush with the frustration that he had no real talent. Hard work will bring skills his uncle assured him, he just needed to work every day with patience. Lifting heavy objects seemed to be the only thing he had built up over the years, and even then, Bill and Henry were stronger with half the work put into lifting.


    As frustrated as he was, he had that little bit of relief that he wouldn''t be placing his hand on the core to get his status. The idea of having it be blank haunted his worst dreams. Still, the sub-skills the places where the academy thought he would be best at would be revealed. He''d made Alice sicker when he tried his hand with a simple poultice. Sweat drenched him as he hacked at the base of the bush, beating his frustrations out on it.


    "Asper! Calm down. You don''t want to wear yourself out." His father''s voice shook him out of his action, and he set down the hoe he had been using to hack at it with.


    The young man let out a low groan and turned to his father. "It''s just..."


    "You don''t have much time to get ready. I don''t need you tiring out on me now." His father interrupted with a hint of humor in his voice.


    "What are you talking about? I have all week to clear the bushes. This time I''m sure my weed killer will take them out." His father was happy being un-leveled. He ran his little shop without a care for the academy and adventures that went there. Asper thought he was just humoring his dream with his pats on the back and telling him he will succeed next time after every failure.


    "I pooled together with my friends." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a square of parchment and handed it to his son.


    "It can''t be." He grabbed the paper from his father and read it. Asper Gorn has been accepted into Pricore Academy. "The gates open soon. Why didn''t I get this in the morning?"


    "We could only afford one of the free spots that would only be available if one of those who entered the lottery declined, and I only just received it. Apparently they had a few who did this year. I know you''ve dreamed of this for years."


    Asper felt his heart beat faster, and ears roar with the blood rushing into his head. "They shut the doors if I don''t make it in time! I need to run." He started moving.


    "There''s a bag at home. We packed it just in case. We''ll miss you, son." His father called after him.


    "What? I''ll miss you too. I''m in! Thank you! I''m in!" He knew his fears and dreams would meet today, but couldn''t help but grin at the energy he got thinking of the challenge.

 Chapter Two

    The admittance gate to Pricore academy creates opened. The two thousand applicants giddy with excitement slowly stepped through. The air felt heavy to them like stepping out of a warm house and into cold air where your breath fogged up. Most moved slower. Raff felt more energized than he did after a good morning in the snow on the roof. He reflected on how it was odd that luck had brought him to a place where he felt more at home than anywhere else he had been.


    The girl, Rian, paid close attention to how the students around her reacted as they stepped into the outer ring of the school where they would all be living soon. The deeper you get into the academy, the worse it was supposed to be. The outer ring for the zeros. Levels one and two occupied the next two circles, and the center was where the teachers and those who were level three and on their final year lived. She watched how many other applicants broke out into a sweat. She watched as one boy stumbled, gashing his knee on the cobblestone street. That one probably won''t make it. She reflected before moving forward, ignoring the single bead of sweat dripping down by her ear.


    Asper cursed his clumsiness. Three steps into the academy and he had stumbled and scraped his knee. He could see the blood welling up through his pants. It didn''t feel too bad, he was used to walking off minor wounds, falls, and accidents. He felt better than he did after many of the worst ones, never more than a day, and he''d be back up trying to improve something. Dusting himself off, he stared wide-eyed at the first ring. Behind the tall wall was its own private town. Shops, houses for the students, training areas. All made of sturdy stone, more solid-looking than many of the quality houses in the surrounding city. Not surprising, because the city had grown up around the academy. He''d at least gotten that far in the history book he had been given, once it moved onto things that didn''t mention the academy he had lost the interest to struggle through more than half a page a day he had assigned himself.


    Another wall separated the outer ring from the next one. Between the fall and his gawking other applicants were starting to pass him by. The slower ones who were catching up to him were not looking good. Asper watched as one kid started hacking and coughing before he collapsed onto all fours. Asper jogged back towards the boy. "Are you all right?" He asked.


    The collapsed boy only responded with a hacking cough, it was a strained looking girl who answered. "Didn''t you read up on the ceremony? They keep the second door open even less. We need to pick up the pace if we want to make it. They send people out to take care of those who don''t make it after the status ceremony is over. Lingering here isn''t doing him any favors and increases the likelihood you are cut."


    Asper shuddered. Failing again because of his own lack of foresight would be just like him. He promised himself he would make it. He turned away from the downed kid and back toward the mass of future students. He let his desire to find his status drive him as he picked up the pace to get back with the majority of the group.


    More students peeled off from the group. Some simply sat down and chose not to stand back up. Others stumbled, or just slowed down. One fell to the ground, their body twitching violently.


    Raff reached the door to the next ring first with a good bit of space between him and the next closest. He was oblivious to the suffering of some behind him. He placed his palm on this second door, and it too slowly creaked open. A loud group groan of disappointment and frustration caused him to turn his head back and stare at the faces of a large group of angry and frustrated young adults.


    "You idiot! That door stays open even less time. It would have been nice if you could wait until some of us were closer before opening it!" Yelled an angry young woman''s voice. Raff simply shrugged and stepped through into the next ring.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Rian muttered out loud, "Idiot, Idiot, Idiot." As she and all the other applicants who had been close to the lead picked up the pace to follow that one nearly naked kid who opened the next door. The groans of those beside her shared her pain even if many were not able to use words. There was no record of how long the second applicant gate would stay open, the papers were unclear, and some postulated that once a certain number of students went through the gate would start to close. She hoped that was the answer. "How did that kid move so fast here?" She asked Jon, who merely huffed in response instead of wasting energy speaking.


    Asper got distracted by the other applicants who looked like they were wasting away off to the side. One girl kept moving forward, crawling on her hands and knees. It was the creaking and flash of movement of the door to the second ring, slowly closing that pulled his gaze away. He knew he had to get through the next gate. He grunted with effort thinking of the shame and all the thorn bushes that needed work if he had to go home. He felt like he was running through mud or into a terrible wind. One kid, a chunky boy, was trying to slowly push his way into the slowly closing gate and getting squeezed a little. "Move!" Asper yelled with a shove getting the kid to the other side, and then with a spurt of effort, he stepped through the gate as it snapped shut behind him, trapping the end of his pants leg at the bottom.


    He cursed that nothing was ever easy and pulled at his pants, wondering if he would need to remove them. He wrenched his leg forward with effort, and the sturdy fabric ripped freeing him, surprising himself more than a little with that success. It was then that he turned his attention to the second ring of the academy. Seamless ivory buildings that looked as though they were grown from the white stone ground. Asper''s jaw fell open, as it was like nothing he had ever seen before. Then he realized he was gawking when he should be walking. The mass of applicants was already ahead, and he didn''t want to be last through the next gate.


    The whiteness of the area bothered Rian as she moved deeper into the second ring. That and the fact that the fool who opened the last gate was still far ahead of everyone else, it offended her sensibilities that someone would try to stand out so much that way. She preferred to blend in and only stand out when she had a reason to, like impressing the armored lug beside her. "Can you believe that guy?" She quipped to Jon.


    "He must be very powerful. I''ve heard some stories of students who had picked up a wild level before arriving. I can only hope to be so strong."


    "He''s a show-off," Rian muttered.


    Her eyes darted to the other applicants. They all were moving much better than in the first ring, and most had their voices back as she could pick up the low rumble of grumbling and conversation.


    Someone cried out, "I can''t do this! I can''t leave my family!"


    Rian shook her head at that. It seemed too late to bail out now. Another cry of "Mommy!" Shook her out of her thoughts. She could see Jon clenching his teeth.


    Voices of doubt rippled through the group. Some kept going even while wailing. Others stopped walking forward or sat down, deathly quiet, or emotionally overcome with tears.


    The sounds that Raff could hear from his comfortable lead did not bother him. There were always other students who could not do the work and abandoned it. He never quit something he decided to do, merely became bored after mastering a skill. He had no family to miss anyway.


    Raff''s time at the orphanage was something he never thought about. He found it weird to be thinking about it now as he marched through the second ring. Once Bargerous Graft realized how useful he was, he was never presented to be adopted. And as long as there was something new to do, he never complained. The man had respected Raff saying, "I''m bored. I want something new to do." Until he didn''t.


    Raff remembered the broken, bleeding bodies he left behind. Graft wasn''t stupid. He knew that when he told the man that if he wasn''t left alone, Graft could find out how skilled Raff would get at killing. The man never bothered him again, and that was years ago. "Why am I wondering if he was like a father to me?" Raff spoke out loud.


    He decided then that this was new. This was interesting. So, he stopped. He''d wait for the other applicants to catch up. The idea of school has bored him, but what was going on and this academy was finally something worthy to focus on.

 Chapter Three

    Rian watched the strange boy in the lead freeze. She hoped he got caught like the others in whatever doubts they have. A few more would be academy applicants peeled off every few minutes, quietly or with sobbing and whimpering that bothered her. She had stopped crying a long time ago. "Gramps." Jon breathed sadly next to her.


    Rian poked him in the side through a hole in his armor, she''d put work into that boy and wasn''t going to lose him now. "Get control of yourself. We''re almost to the next gate."


    As Rian finally caught up to the boy that opened the last gate, she saw him turn his face to the group. He wasn''t sad, stressed, or angry. He held a smile that had hunger in it, and the area around his eyes and cheeks had a practiced kindness. Rian could only see a coldness in how the boy''s pupils dilated and moved from person to person. She let her own face be calm when she saw he was about to look to her. She knew this odd, half-naked one was dangerous.


    "I''m Raff. I want to apologize for opening the last gate early. I didn''t know it would open like that when I touched it. I want to go together with you all this time. If you''ll forgive me." The almost nieve sincerity in his voice set the hairs on the back of Rian''s neck prickling up. She had seen something there, and even she almost believed this Raff''s lazy naivety.


    Jon extended his hand first. "Glad to have your support."


    Rian just gave a friendly nod as she watched Raff grasp Jon''s hand and shake like they had been lifelong friends. She pushed her legs forward quicker, trying to not let any doubts around this new factor dig into her mind.


    Asper continued to chase the group from behind, pushing harder and passing those who had stopped or were trying to wander back. There weren''t as many as the first ring where many had collapsed physically. It was almost worse to watch big strong young men sitting, crying, rocking back and forth. One girl lay unconscious in a small pool of blood. Asper had watched her do it, but couldn''t make himself move fast enough to stop her. She had pounded her head into the ground until she stopped.


    He knew his father would welcome him back with open arms and give him a job handling the counter at his store. He''d heard rumors about the journey to get one''s status, but nothing that lived up to this. He wondered if this is what he wanted, it would be so easy to go home and... His thoughts drifted back to the damned thorn bushes. For years he hacked them down, and every time they grew back. He knew he may not be good enough, but he was stubborn enough. He focused on that and let it give him energy, and pushed off into a jog. He knew he might not catch up with the group, but he was going to try.


    Raff wondered if this was magic as he watched one of the applicants in the group grow pale and then step off to the side, done with her journey. He knew magic existed, but had never seen it. Like an Ocean or the firewood trees. The rumor was that you could learn magic at the academy, but Raff had dismissed that because he never saw it in the city that was around Pricore academy. He had seen a few feats from adventurers, but nothing he had considered special. Boons granted by skills adventurers had after they leveled. Becoming an adventurer had never seemed worth it until now.


    He did wonder if he might become bored with having such power himself. Usually, he knew he''d eventually get bored. Shoes, why even train with a cobbler. As much as the last pair he had made was a masterpiece, he knew that for him, his calloused feet were better. Magic, though, causing people to grab onto the past and fail to move forward. He wondered if Graft had him sent the spot for the academy. It was supposed to be dangerous, and he knew far too much to make Graft comfortable. He''d show that man and be as gifted in this school as he ever was working on that man''s projects.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The door to the next ring seemed dark, a gray in a sea of white. The number of applicants was still sizable as they gathered at it, only a few lingered behind, still trying to push forward. Everyone seemed hesitant to touch it. Rian watched to see what the barefoot boy would do. She just watched him take in the group, not even trying to hide his odd fascination with what was going on. Not wanting to stick out herself, she nudged Jon in the side again to get him moving. The armored lordling put his hand on the door, and it started to open. Rian had researched enough to know that passing through the third ring was considered the worst and steeled herself.


    The door swung open to what looked like night. An inky blackness clung to everything, like the dark structures soaked up light. Only a glance upward to the sky seemed to imply it was still day time. Rian felt more comforted by that sight than she had in the almost blinding white of the second ring. The buildings that lined the broad path that led to the center of the school all looked unfished or broken. Holes in dark stone and wood walls that let you see inside to the buildings where the darkness seemed to get deeper even as it showed you glimpses of tables, chairs, dishes, and toys. Every building looked empty.


    Rian reflected on the fact that she''d seen only applicants on this path and wondered if it was just like this for the first day or this path. She knew this was a test, a trial for those who wanted to join the academy. She''d pieced together what she could from stories and writings. The trip to see your status and become a student stressed your body, your emotions, and now your fears.


    Rian stepped into the dark ring. Her whole body shivered, and gut clenched like she''d just been punched. As a witness and participant to horrible things, never had she felt so strong a reaction. Logic didn''t stop the hairs from standing up on the back of her neck.


    A cold breeze chilled her cheeks and brought voices. "Sarah." Rasped a harsh man''s voice.


    "Fell." Pleaded a woman.


    The names kept coming. Names Rian had taken and used up like a bit of kindling. Some names that no one else should know.


    She pushed herself to keep walking forward. Once the names ran out, the whispers turned to other things. "Crinkle bridge. The stoops." Locations where secrets have been formed.


    "You hear this, Jon?" Rian called back.


    Only silence answered her.


    "Jon?" Rian turned around, and she was alone. It was then that ice seemed to grip her heart.


    Raff watched the girl enter first. After a few steps, the darkness swallowed her and then swallowed her friend in armor who was only a place behind her. He grinned and wondered what surprises he would find here and took his own first hew steps into the third ring.


    Asper cursed his being forever last, as he pushed himself forward. He watched as a girl stepped through the open door into the next ring. Now there was none between him and the entrance. The familiar sound of the door starting to grind closed started up again. As always, when he felt like he might not make it, he forced a pulse of energy into his body and picked up the pace. He sucked in his gut and squeezed through again. The door scraping his arm as he pulled it through. The door shutting with a click behind him.


    A high pitched whine made him wince. "ERROR unauthorized." came a voice that was like nails scraping on an anvil.


    Then Asper''s ears popped, and his nose and ears felt wet. When he touched on his lip, his hand came away red with blood. "Black luck." He muttered and let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the ring. He could see the other perspective students staggered about, most of them moving forward slowly.


    He spotted a young man who had made his way into one of the broken open houses. He was sitting in a chair, sobbing uncontrollably. He started to hear screams and moans from the others, so he jogged up to the closest student, a girl who twisted and tugged at her long braid. He watched her eyes dart around but not see him. She inched forward but acted like he wasn''t there. He waved his hand in front of her face, and there was no reaction. She was muttering faintly, and Asper leaned in to listen. "Uncle, it hurts in the cupboard. I don''t want to go in there again."


    Asper pulled away. He moved onward down the black stoned streets where whatever lights shone only cast shadows, searching for someone else not in this dreamlike state.

 Chapter Four

    Rian clenched her fists until she could feel the sharp pain of her nails digging into her palms. "This isn''t real." She muttered under strained breaths. Yet she couldn''t make her legs move forward. Everywhere she looked, she was alone.


    Empty streets. Empty houses. The whispers were even gone having been replaced by a dead silence. The heavy feeling of being alone held her body like a vise. She''d always been self-sufficient. People who would call her friend were few and people whom she would honestly call a friend even less. Enemies, strangers, marks, and fools the city was always full of them, and even when she was unnoticed, they gave her strength. The idea of no one just chilled her core.


    She tried to force that fear aside and move forward. All she could do was strain and wobble. The sensation of time disappeared. She didn''t feel it, but her body jerked half a step forward, outside of her control. Like an invisible force had shoved her. That stutter forward let her glacially continue ahead.


    "Sorry." Asper blurted out automatically. He''d bumped into one of the applicants, nearly sending both of them to the ground if it wasn''t for the fact it was hard to move anyone.


    He''d been distracted by an armored boy wailing. "Rian, I''ve failed you." As he zigzagged ahead slowly.


    The fact that Asper apologized was more embarrassing to himself than wandering into the person. No one had responded to any action he had taken as he made his way further into the third ring, so apologizing had been pointless. At least now, he was satisfied that he was no longer at the back of the crowd. Only one person was up ahead on the dark, gloomy road.


    It was eerier that once he was in earshot, the person up ahead was whistling a jaunty tune. He was also barefoot and barely dressed in only a pair of short cut pants. Asper shivered at the sight of such undress in the chilly air. The darkness actually made everything colder. He neared the young man. The whistling stopped, "Is someone there?" Asked the young man as he turned facing Asper, a glassy look in his eyes.


    "Yes, I''m¡­"


    "You don''t need to talk. I can''t hear or see you anyway." The man interrupted. "Clap a few times while I whistle if you can hear me."


    Asper did so.


    "Amazing that you can hear me and respond. Smell, taste, sight, sound, and most touch sensations are manipulated while I''m here. You must be something special."


    "Or a mistake," Asper responded, knowing he couldn''t be heard and thinking back on what happened when he stepped into the third ring.


    "Not all vibrations are covered, though. The whistling was a little trick I picked up while mastering blind fighting. I''m Raff, by the way. You can tell me your name after we get out of here. If you could take my hand and lead me out, that would be much appreciated. My sense of direction is a little compromised here."


    Asper looked at Raff''s now outstretched hand and then ahead to the empty dark road. After only a moment of hesitation, their hands clasped. After all, it was better than going alone.


    With Asper leading the way down a clear path, they made good time to the archway that was the end of the ring. It was doorless, opening up to a view of trees, bushes, mushrooms, all lit dimly by the light filtering through the canopy.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.Raff was unsure about his new ally. Mostly about if they were real or not. He knew that it was one thing to think you''ve beaten something that was making your senses lie to you, and another to actually do such a feat. Horrors continued to flicker past his sight. Screams yelled into his ears. Needles raked his skin. He just followed that gentle tugging sense coming from his hand. It wasn''t like he could feel the hand on him, just the momentum forward.


    Then there was a popping feeling, and everything that had been going on bled away. The earthy crunch of twigs, leaves, and dirt felt from under Raff''s bare feet. The smell of pine, wood, and greenery filling his nose. It was heavy and encompassing, so strong he questioned if it was real for a moment.


    "Gah! Feels like I swallowed a forest. Roots, trees, birds, and all." Groaned a voice next to him. Raff turned and looked at the unremarkable young man next to him. He had to work on memorizing the boy''s features for fear he would forget him a short time from now. Which was a feat for Raff who prized himself on his memory. He hadn''t expected his guide to be so dull.


    "You''re the one who helped lead me out of there," Raff said with a glance back through the arches to the darkened street.


    "Yep. I''m Asper. Just let me catch my breath. I''ve been to the woods before, but this is unreal. Everything on this journey has been weird so far."


    Raff took a deep breath and pulled the state of everything into him. It was richer, more intense than even his time on the icy roof had been. He let the energy of it all fill his body up again after whatever he had burned off while navigating the first three rings. If only he had known, he would have entered Pricore Academy as soon as he was of age. "It''s perfect."


    Raff watched Asper shoot him an uncomfortable glare before he straightened himself up and finally seemed to relax a little. "There''s no path. Where do we go next?" Asper asked.


    Raff shrugged, not feeling a need to rush off and do anything. After watching and then experiencing what had happened in the last two rings, he wanted to get a better idea of what was going on. As uninteresting as his new friend seemed to be, he had managed to accomplish something Raff had been unable to do. Something he wasn''t used to. "Let''s wait for the others to show up. No point in not being in a group." The others would show him more of how this place affected people than Asper, he figured.


    Asper knew what Raff said wasn''t wrong. But, the young man gave off a vibrancy that gave the feeling that he could go off alone here and be perfectly fine. If someone like that was staying here until more people showed up, then Asper would as well. It''s not like he wanted to go off into the dimly lit woods alone anyway. He watched as Raff sat down calmly on the debris-strewn ground and started to just focus on his breathing.


    Giving up on standing, Asper tried to copy him and immediately got a stick jabbing him in a tender place. He quickly brushed away the things underneath him and tried again. Normal breaths at first until he started to pay attention to what Raff was doing. It was similar to the technique he used when he had to give that extra effort so he wouldn''t utterly fail at a task, except all the time and focused. He could almost see Raff''s chest slowly expand from the top down to take everything in until it was full and then exhale slowly.


    Maybe if I, he wondered and started to fill his lungs. "Ack!" What followed was a coughing fit he could barely control.


    "You alright?" Raff asked him.


    Wheeze. "I''m fine. Too much fresh air, I guess." Slower this time, he promised himself. The woodsiness of it all didn''t help. After a few minutes of trying, he felt himself get into his own pace and relax a little after the sights he had seen. He continued working until he was calmer than he had been when he started the day dejected from not getting accepted into the academy. Now he was in the lead to the goal of getting to see his status. He let his eyes close and relaxed.


    He opened them when something sharp poked his nose. He couldn''t keep himself from falling back onto the hard ground. The pointed head of an arrow pulled back in a bow had been what poked him. "You aren''t a Three. You jump areas or someone trying to sneak you into this year''s class without going through the trials? Should be hours before one of those Zeros makes it past the arch. Answer me!" A green-clad blond-haired woman growled at Asper.


    Asper''s eyes darted around to find Raff, but the nearly naked boy was gone. He tried to grasp words to explain everything, but his hind drew a blank, and when he opened his mouth, only one word came out, "Um."

 Chapter Five

    Raff had heard the person coming through the woods towards them. When the sounds of nature were everywhere, it was easy to pick up on something that was not part of it. With one eye, he peeked at Asper, who was trying overly hard to copy Raff''s breathing with his eyes closed. He knew it was best to observe before acting.


    Though they were close to the arch on the wall, the heavily treed area provided plenty of cover when needed, and there was always one place that few people looked when something was obviously in front of them. Silently and quickly, Raff stood up and walked to the nearest tree and began to climb. He let his calloused hands and feet grip the bark as he pulled himself up smoothly one arm''s length at a time. Being up high was almost as good as being out of sight.


    He watched from his perch as the green-clad woman moved mostly silently into the area near the gate. She smoothly took out her bow, nocked an arrow, and pressed the point gently into Asper''s nose. "You aren''t a Three. You jump areas or someone trying to sneak you into this year''s class without going through the trials? Should be hours before one of those Zeros makes it past the arch. Answer me!" She barked into the boy''s face.


    There were many options that Raff was thinking about, including doing nothing and just watching. If he jumped down there at the wrong time, Asper might accidentally get shot. That could lead to knowledge of what is allowed at school and what punishments are carried out. The risk to himself was negligible, but Asper had helped him out. Raff pushed off from the tree and towards the girl. He could hear Asper''s inarticulate reply of, "Um."


    He struck out with his hand as he landed, gripping the shaft of the arrow. Disturbed leaves and twigs flew up at the force of his landing. Both Asper and the girl yelped in surprise. She did let go of the arrow, but Raff''s grip kept it in place.


    "Sorry for the intrusion. I just want to assure you that Asper and I are part of the new class. We just made it here first."


    Raff watched the girl in green take a step back, drop her bow, and slide into a fighting stance. It was smooth and practiced as he''d seen among the professionals he''d faced. "I don''t believe you. No one comes out of the third ring until it starts to get dark."


    Raff contemplated what it would take to incapacitate the girl. She barely looked older than he was. It was harder to take down trained people without causing harm than amateurs. Then he heard a noise.


    At the gate, the girl with the cap and baggy clothes had stumbled through. She let out a groan and then gagged a few times before letting out a long and loud, "Fuuuuuuccck!"


    The interruption broke the tension. "Looks like our class is full of early arrivers." Raff said with a smirk.


    Rian let her eyes focus now that she was shaken out of her nightmares. That force that moved her. She had known it had to be a person. It drove her forward. Ahead she would not be alone no matter how empty she had felt.


    Three people were in front of her staring with wide eyes. It immediately gave her a rush of relief. "What? Do I have something in my teeth?" She asked them.


    "How did you?" The blond woman wearing green blurted out before she cleared her throat. "As part of the new class, do you recognize either of these two?"


    Rian wondered if she lied, would that be enough to get rid of Raff. That boy was too much of a puzzle for her. Jon would surely be out soon, and it would be best not to be caught a liar. "That''s Raff." She said gesturing to the mostly naked boy. "The other one I''ve never seen before, but there are a lot of applicants who I wouldn''t recognize."


    The woman in green relaxed. "I''m Felicia, a level three. It was my job to greet the new class as they arrived then escort the group to get their level zero status read."


    "You''re doing a great job greeting." Announced the boy in the back who was rubbing his nose with a sour look on his face.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Rian reflected on the fact that sourpuss with the sore nose there looked like the type of mark which she could con all his savings out of and have him coming back to give her more. The dull, dreamy kind of fool. Yet, he has made it here before her. "I''m Rian." She spoke, changing her gaze as such she was introducing herself to Felicia and the new boy.


    "Asper." She memorized that name, promising to look for it once the infamous school rankings get posted.


    Felicia exhaled a long sigh. "I guess we can wait together for the rest of the class and the closing of the arch before heading to the heart of the academy."


    Rian looked back at the arch to the third ring and fought from shivering. That fear of being alone had nearly cost her everything. As odd as the people around her were she let herself draw strength from their presence. "I''m sure the rest of them won''t be far behind."


    Asper stopped himself from mentioning that most of those who he passed on the way out were still trapped in their nightmares just past the door from the second ring to the third. He didn''t want to have to go through what others went through if they decided to put him through that process again because it didn''t work on him this time. He watched as Raff shrugged, sat down, and closed his eyes to work on breathing.


    He looked at the two girls. He had no interest in talking to Felicia after she poked him and nearly shot him in surprise. Rian just kept on looking at him like she wanted something. He remembered Josie, who had him running around town doing errands under the guise of suggestions for building skills, she always gave him the same look that Rian was giving him. Giving up on the idea of being social, he sat down too to focus on his breathing. There was something about it; he could feel like he could almost grasp. Of course, that felt true for anything he tried.


    He could hear that Rian had started up a conversation with Felicia, mostly attempts to pump her for information, which Felicia avoided answering. It distracted him from his own work but became easy to ignore as he realized that he would learn nothing new. He tried some more to copy Raff, as he could see something beneficial in how the skilled young man focused. Eventually, he gave up and started trying to work on the deals of making it work his own way. A few moments, he did feel more competent, but when he tried to grasp the specifics of why it was like grabbing smoke.


    It took over an hour for the next couple of new students to stumble out through the arch. Felicia''s greeting to them broke Asper out of his struggles. "Congratulations! You''ve made it into Pricore Academy. Once everyone is gathered, we''ll head to the center to get your status and into the rolls for this year''s incoming class." She sounded pleasant, which just made Asper feel salty about his pointed greeting.


    Raff and Rian were already congratulating the new arrivals, so Asper unfolded his stiff legs and got up to do the same. By the time he was standing, more started to show up, and it was a steady stream of recovering and relieved classmates. Asper felt like all of their names were getting blurred together and that he wouldn''t remember anyone.


    "Rian!" Yelled a sweaty, drained, young man in armor. "I was so worried about you!" He then gave her a big hug. Asper felt a twinge of jealousy that he knew made no sense. He''d barely interacted with the girl himself, and now her boyfriend showed up.


    Hundreds now crowded about the woods. Asper felt almost forced into the core welcoming crew, Felicia leading the way and Raff and Rian staying with the duty as part of the first ones to show up. Asper did pay close attention to the fact they both of them didn''t have any problems remembering everyone''s names.


    Then the archway folded inward until a simple smooth wall was left in the place of where it was. Felicia''s voice loudly projected through the woods. "Listen up, everybody! You are to follow me. No wandering about. You''ll get your status, and we''ll get you squared away into student housing as soon as we can!"


    Asper couldn''t help but smile. He was finally going to get his status and a vision of his future. The crowd parted and then surged after the green-clad blonde girl as she made her way through, and Asper joined them just as eager as most of them were.


    The crowded field made their way through the woods. Asper couldn''t see the wall until he left the woods. There were many gasps as they stepped out from the trees. A large stadium awaited and the line moved forward into it. "Go up into the seats." Felicia directed them. "There will be food and drink. Your name will be called when it is time to head down and get your status."


    Asper''s stomach growled as it reminded him that the last time he had eaten was before he had started out the day hacking at thorn bushes. The smell of warm bread and meat drew everyone to where they were supposed to go. It was only after having a few mouthfuls of his own platter after sitting down that his brain focused on what was in front of him.


    At the center of the arena was a pedestal, and on that pedestal was a large red gem, big as a man''s head, or maybe bigger if Asper was judging the size wrong. Three chairs sat next to it, each held a person waiting comfortably. A strong note of a horn interrupted most people''s feasting, and the three people stood up as the crowd of new students was slowly silenced. A man''s deep voice spoke. "Welcome to Pricore Academy. The moment of your status has arrived!"

 Chapter Six

    Rian clapped with the rest of them. Jon hadn¡¯t left her side since leaving the third ring. It was sweet, but she knew him wanting to be her savior was going to get him killed someday. Such fools always had their uses.


    "Your un-leveled status will tell you the skills you have mastered, are close to mastering or may have a great talent for."  Rian rolled her eyes. Everyone knows this information. Next, they''ll be talking about how once you get your level you get great benefits and maybe even magic with the right combination. It¡¯s a sales pitch they don¡¯t need. If you made it here you were staying, usually.


    The orientation information was one of the things that were well documented in her research. It was what wasn¡¯t that Rian was interested in.  The red crystal used for the ceremony, proudly sitting on its pedestal drew her attention. The mentions of it were fanciful. The heart of the school. A tool for status and leveling. Red stained from the blood it is given. Nothing confirmed, a lot of it came from adventurers who had mastered their Poetry skill. After reading through many of them she had to wonder about the low standards of becoming a master at poetry. Instead of listening to the orientation she decided maybe she could do better.


    There once was a bunch of fools


    Who were not careful with their jewels


    Till they got in a fight


    And lost it all that night


    Jewel-less they were thereafter


    "Conor Aaron, come down and see your status." That pulled Rian away from her self-distraction. It was hard to make out all the details of the three masters of the school who were sitting near the gem.  One boy got up and walked down from the seats towards them. There was some inaudible talking and then he placed his hand on the gem. A few moments later a giant large blue sign projected in the center of the stadium, nearly large enough take up half of it. It floated there for all to see. A little bit of doubt and worry seeped in to grip Rian as she saw that.  This would work she told herself and looked at the screen ready to learn whatever she could about all her fellow students.


    Status: Connor Aaron


    Age: 18 summers


    Level: 0


    Skills: 4


    Baking


    Bird Watching


    Shields


    Sprinting


    Sub-Skills : 3


    Alchemy


    Blunt Weapons


    Tracking


    Asper¡¯s mouth felt dry as he watched students go down one after another. Sometimes skills were varied and odd. Gardening, Massage, Fast-Talking, Prediction. Hundreds of different options displayed for everyone to see by the time they finished with those who had the ¡°A¡± for their surname. He wondered what he would see for himself. He had a hard time seeing what he had mastered, but he¡¯d dived into every skill he had ever heard about growing up. He wouldn¡¯t call any of them successful, but he had tried.


    He watched them get into the G¡¯s paying attention to how many skills his future classmates had. Having three or four skills was average. A handful had five or six, one person had two, but had nine sub-skills to lean on and train up.  He figured that was most likely what he would see for himself.


    ¡°Asper Gorn?¡±  Asper blinked. He had missed his name and they were calling it again. Hastily he stood up and started to make his way down. It was only once he was out of the stands that he got a good look at the three Masters of Pricore Academy. They sat in three chairs what were as close to being a throne as Asper could imagine. Gilded and cushioned, large enough to hold each Master comfortably. One looked like a fighter, large and heavily muscled in decorated armor lined with fur. The other two were women. One in long purple robes, her dark hair tied up in a bun idly flipping through a book. The other was a blonde in sturdy brown leathers was filing her nails. They all looked extremely bored. Asper halted in front of them. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The blond looked up and let out a sigh. ¡°Go on and put your hand on the gem. We don¡¯t have all night.¡±


    Asper touched it and a tingling sensation spread through his arm and into his body. A blue screen, his status, popped up in his vision as it did the same in the stadium.


    Status: Asper Gorn


    Age: 19 Summers


    Level:0


    Skills: 1


    Generalist


    Sub-Skills:1


    Cultivation* - Resistance


    Asper¡¯s stomach clenched and the world spun around him. He quickly took his hand off the gem, but the visual horror of only having one skill and sub-skill stayed in his vision. It was only when he remembered from the orientation that you had to will your status away or too you that he was able to send it away. No one had a status so sad. Sound seeped into his consciousness ¡°I said, put your hand back on that gem!¡± The warrior in the chair snapped at him.


    Asper weakly did as he was told and the same vision entered his head again. He wondered what a generalist was. His father ran a general store and maybe this was from the odd hours he helped out from behind the counter. He¡¯d never even heard of cultivation, maybe some kind of odd gardening skills. ¡°That is enough. It looks like Felicia was right about this being an odd class.¡± The dark-haired woman said as she snapped her book shut and stared hard at Asper. The gaze made asper feel like a small insect.  He quickly took his hand away and once again will his status shut.


    The warrior grunted. ¡°Well, get back into the stands. We have several hundred more to get through tonight.¡±


    Asper let shame and dismay filled him as he made his way back into the stands. He could see some snickering and smirks that only made it sting harder. He fully expected to be last once the first set of rankings came out.


    Raff read Asper¡¯s body language like it was written in giant letters across him. He had been unsure what to expect when Asper was called up after how they had interacted on the third ring, but he was a little shocked at how plain the kid¡¯s status was. His gut told him that there was something more, and there was no one he trusted more than himself.


    Careful attention was paid to the skills of other students and by the time they got to Raff and his name, none of what Asper had listed had been duplicated. ¡°Rian Freedman, come down and see your status.¡±


    Four people got up and walked down. Raff had suspected the girl who had also exited ring three early would be there and she was. ¡°Seems like every Rian Freedman in the city entered the draft this year. Who wants to be first?¡± Joked the big man.


    Raff watched the girl step forward and place her hand on the gem.


    Status:Rian Freedman*


    Age: 16 Summers


    Level:0


    Skills:9


    Deception


    Dodge


    Etiquette


    Extermination


    Languages


    Perception


    Research


    Rumors


    Small Blades


    SubSkills: 6


    Cultivation* - Symbiosis


    Acrobatics


    Information Gathering


    Memory


    Poetry


    Stalking


    Raff was slightly impressed that she had the most skills so far with an impressive list of subskills. She also shared the Cultivation aspect with Asper, but different. Something about it did make he wince once as he watched her eyes quickly go over her own status.


    He heard the blond-haired woman in the chair mutter ¡°Two.¡±


    The other two Rian Freedman went next as Raff waited to be the last one. He almost looked forward to seeing what the reactions would be. He vaguely wondered how he would display. Having kept track of all the skills he¡¯d seen listed so far he had a rough estimate of what he expected. ¡°You¡¯re last, boy.¡± And so Raff confidently walked up and put his hand on the gem.


    Rian Freedman (Raff)


    Age:18 Summers


    Level: 0


    Skills: 78


    Cultivation*- High


    Sub-Skills:185


    Raff had a mild surprise that there were two more skills than he thought he would have. Including that odd Cultivation that both Asper and the girl had, but for him, it wasn¡¯t a sub-skill.  The display didn¡¯t even show up properly as he had to focus to get it to reveal the whole list, so he simply removed his hand. The level of swearing he heard from the three masters brought a grin to his face.

 Chapter Seven

    Asper''s jaw hung open. Shocked by what he''d just seen. His reaction was the mildest as a roar of collective protests by the crowd rose. Mostly a mix of profanity.


    "Settle down!" Projected a voice to everyone, quieting them. "We have a lot of names to get through. There are surprises every year."


    Asper watched Raff walk back calmly and confidently under withering stares of jealousy, envy, anger, and outrage. He let go of his own shame about his results. He decided Raff is someone he can learn from. The moments, the breathing, Asper tried to take it all in. In the moments before Raff took his seat, Asper would have sworn the skilled young man winked at him.


    Asper knew everyone felt like the one skilled wonder he was next to Raff. All this will do is motivate everyone to try harder. A light punch on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts. "Just because he''s number one, doesn''t make you anything more than last. I''m surprised you even had one skill."


    "Micah." Asper responded flatly. While greeting the hundreds of others who had made it through the third ring. He had seen a few dozen he recognized who made it in this year. Almost everyone stepping out of the ring was recovering from their experiences and adjusting to the woodsiness. They were also pushed onward by others exiting behind them. There was no time to chat.


    Of those, he recognized Micah had just been the worst. Not a friend or an enemy, just someone he had avoided when they crossed paths, someone who never had anything good to say and used his bulk to intruded on others space. "Just saying the first set of rankings are only a month away." He swung another light jab into Asper''s shoulder. "It''s time to toughen up."


    "I appreciate the advice." Asper cycled a breath through his body, and gave Micah his own light tap back. "You toughen up too."


    Asper watched as Micah grunt and rub the spot where he had tapped and wished the kid wouldn''t mock him by pretending he had actually hurt him with that punch. "Whatever." Was Micah''s response before moving a good bit away to take a seat.


    Raff''s attention never entirely never left Asper once he noticed the larger kid making his way towards the odd boy''s position. It was easy to split his focus and accept the congratulations or enmity while also paying attention to one of the few actually intriguing people here.


    He watched the boy casually respond to one jab, and then two. Asper''s return jab almost had the same halfhearted energy to it as his reaction to the boy, but Raff could see the force ripple through the fat and muscle of the oversized kid. He''d produced such effects himself, and the way the boy responded and moved, he clearly received a fracture or a break. Asper''s mind seemed to be on other things, and Raff let the smile on his face become a real one, happy with all the exciting new things to explore. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "How did you get so many skills?" Baxter, a short and scrawny boy whose name Raff remembered from him his exit of the third ring.


    "Hard work Baxter. Never settle with even what your status says." Raff responded absently. More names were getting called, and he needed to put some effort into remembering everyone''s skills. He was used to the sudden influx of attention whenever he entered a new field of interest.


    "You''re going to be trouble, aren''t you?" Raff had wondered when she would show up.


    "I would think you would be happy that I''m getting all the attention and not you, Rian. You clearly have the next highest amount of skills and sub-skills. And those kinds of skills draw more fear than admiration. Now you''ll be barely an afterthought."


    "Those training as assassins, thieves, politicians, and diplomats join the academy every year to get their levels and survive with the uppers. I don''t know what kind of monster spawn you are, but I have one request for you."


    Raff grinned at Rian''s hostility. Being called a monster wasn''t even new. Mages, healers, so-called diviners had all checked him out either at Graft''s request when he worked for him or by his competitors. "You want me to teach you some of my new skills?" He asked with a hint of mocking in his voice.


    "I want you to leave me and my business alone. To stay as far away from me as possible. I don''t care how strong you are. The first ring is a big place. Be aware of that fact." And with that, she turned and left.


    Raff liked this girl. She hadn''t been the first one to threaten him. That immediately happened once he stepped back among the other future academy students. He took a deep breath and gathered the abundant energy in the air, letting it envigorate him. Here at pricore academy, he decided he may have finally found a place that can hold his interest for a good long time.


    Rian made a note of who paid attention to her public threat towards Raff as she made her way far away from where that freak of a boy sat glowing with thought. Raff''s reaction wasn''t the point of this. It pained her to admit that with the skills she saw, she would be useless in a head-on confrontation. A big shiny distraction like he was would have uses for her if she played it right.


    She sat next to Jon, the pliable young lordling had saved her seat like she had asked so she could make that little stop to see Raff. "Thanks for saving my spot." She told him while taking the plate of grapes, she had asked him to hold for her when she walked away.


    "You congratulate your friend?" Jon asked.


    Ever since seeing her and Raff greet people coming out of the ring. Jon kept on asking about how they knew each other. "In a way."


    "He''s going to be a great hero. I''m sure of it. Maybe finally someone to challenge the dark dungeons or the Skulkers at the border." Jon said with the awe of hero worship.


    Rian let out a small sigh. She knew heroes were fairy tales told to make powerful men look better than they were. Jon can have his flawed fantasies of heroes, and ladies, a perfect world where anyone can advance to high levels of power. She let herself relax slightly. She was in, her status read pretty much how she expected it. The plan was only beginning. Now she only had to survive her time as a student.

 Chapter eight

    There was only so much eating, chatting, and waiting for everyone to get their level zero status to happen before quiet boredom settled in the crowd. Asper caught a few taking a nap. Some students mingled and formed different groups. Raff, of course, had a large tight-packed cluster of admirers around him as he smiled and chatted with most everyone who interacted with him. Asper considered getting up and joining him but didn''t want to be lumped in as a one skill student hoping to get help. He was also feeling a bit blue as the statuses kept coming. No one else had such a bare display. Even the name of his skill was boring, Generalist. He eyed the currently displayed status and wondered what Bee Zaphod''s unusual Two-Minds skill meant.


    Once the girl, Bee, headed back to the stands, a boom like a peal of thunder shook the stadium. Pulling everyone back to attention. "Now that you have your status. You will get to see the power of magic that can be gained through the academy!" A wave of yellow light rippled out towards the incoming students. The moment the wave hit Asper''s nose, he sneezed.


    Annoyed, he turned to a student near him. "That wasn''t very¡­" the words fell from his mouth as he watched the girl he had been talking to slump downward a loud snore erupting from her mouth. Asper''s eyes quickly darted to scan the crowd. Everyone was teetering over, their eyes closed, and breathing deeply asleep. Even Raff.


    Immediately Asper''s thoughts went to the idea that this could be another error. With only one skill, he knew it would be bad enough if they discovered he''d made it through on a mistake, so he steeled himself. Thinking, well, I can pretend to sleep with the best of them. He slumped down and closed his eyes.


    He tried to sleep. He was tired from the journey and the long ceremony granting statuses, but lying there trying to sleep just forced all of the day''s events to loop in his head. Then the howling started, and a shiver crept up his spine. He had to peek, so he cracked his eyes a little.


    Spectral wolves were prowling amongst the students, translucent and glowing blue like they were made of moonlight. Sniffing each sleeping student carefully, then howling a mournful cry.


    The wolves were so distracting through his squinted eyes he almost didn''t notice the Masters of the school were wanding with the wolf until one stepped into his sight a short distance away, and he forced his eyes shut. "I don''t see the point in checking every year. There hasn''t been a Born snuck into the starting class for over a decade."


    "But, it did happen once." Responded the deep voice of the male Master. "Three of those spawn try every year. You know how strong they can get. If that Raff didn''t check clean, I''d have sworn he was one."


    "You saw that cultivation in his status. Those things don''t work that way, Brawn."


    Asper could hear the Brawn spit. Wanting to see, he relaxed his closed eyes just enough that he was squinting through them again. "Cultivators showing up at level zero. Disgusting, unnatural, unheard of. This is a cursed year I tell you. If I had my way, Winny, I would ship the lot of them to research."


    Through squinted eyes, Asper watched Winny laugh and pet one of the spectral wolfs. "Every year, you say it is a cursed year."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "This is the first time I''ve said it on orientation day!"


    A glowing blue muzzle moved from the side and blocked Asper''s view. He fought to keep from jumping and remain perfectly still. A nose as cold as ice poked him in the cheek, and the spectral wolves breath chilled rather than warmed. The prospective student wondered if this was how they were going to find out he was a mistake. Then the large, wet, moonlight-tinted tongue licked the side of his face, and it went numb where the slobber stayed.


    Brawn barked a laugh. "I think one of your puppies like this one."


    "Maybe he''s just hungry." Winny replied back in a joking tone.


    Hungry? Asper wondered fearfully. The wolf then gave him a few more licks until his face felt like he had slept funny. Even his eyes started to tingle. His heart began to race. Then the wolf got up and walked away, moving to actually sleeping students.


    Now that he was listening for it, he could hear the two Masters walking away. They started up the conversation again, but he was in the wrong position to listen in. He stayed there, still, face numb, and attempted to process everything he had heard. Time passed the wolves left, the Masters left, and Asper lay there, in the dark, unable to sleep.


    It was a uniform rousing for the rest as all the other nee students opened their eyes at the same time. Happy pleasant mummers drifted around. "I''ve never felt so well-rested."


    "Amazing, isn''t it!"


    "I feel like I can take on the world!"


    Asper pulled himself up with the rest of them, hobbling a bit from how his body stiffened up while he lay awkwardly still. The young man couldn''t help but feel irritated at everyone else''s good mood. He looked around and saw Raff wave in his general direction. Unsure if it was actually him being waved at, he half-heartedly lifted his hand for a small wave back.


    Raff felt amazing. His first few moments after waking were trying to decide if the feeling was real or magic-induced. He looked inwardly and felt his body as the familiar thing it was. How his blood flowed, took in air, muscles quivered. He was simply rested to the peak of what his body had needed.


    A cast of his eyes at everyone else showed him that most everyone was enjoying the same feeling. Then he saw that exception that was the seemingly unexceptional Asper. He gave a little wave to that boy with the wonder of surprising him.


    A voice boomed through the stadium. "Now that you are all well-rested. Today we will begin evaluations. Each of you will be assigned to a group and rotated between stations in the outer ring. Felicia will lead you back." A flash of light drew everyone''s attention to the green-clad girl who had greeted them after they third ring standing near the exit that was on the opposite side of where everyone had entered.


    It was a brisk exodus as the invigorated youths gathered up and followed Felicia through a new section of the woods. This time the area wasn''t just a sparsely populated woods. Buildings dotted the landscape. The dark barked trees often growing through the middle of them. The pace was kept quick, so the time to gawk at the buildings was short.


    At the wall to the third ring, Felicia marched right through and into it. The whole group of students was not so brave as to do that after their experiences there.


    Rian had managed to step into the lead again. When her own feet halted before she crossed back into the third ring, she cursed herself. It was only during that trip to get your status that you faced your fears, but just the idea of meeting that deep feeling of isolation and loneliness that had gripped her, caused herself to hesitate. She gave a quick look back to the hundreds waiting around her, their past experiences showing on their faces. With a breath, she let their presence fill herself with strength and determination, and then she stepped forward.


    Nothing happened. The girl who had planned and researched so much felt silly for that little creeping bit that had thought something would. She assured herself that everything was going to go according to her plans. The students continued on towards the first ring of Pricore Academy that would be their home and school for the next year.

 Chapter Nine

    Evaluations split up the group into sixty smaller groups and sent them off to the classrooms that populated the whole outer ring. The evaluations were split up into three parts. One an extensive test of written questions where one question would be on the paper, and once it was answered, the page would go blank, taking the answer with it, and a new problem would appear. The second involved a puzzle cube that seemed to have no solution. The final one was a combat evaluation to end the day.


    Rian answered the questions flippantly instead of thinking about the answer. If she didn''t know she wrote that down and let it skip to the next question.  Questions seemed random anyway. Asking about history, science, skills, politics, down to odd bits of trivia. Like what is the color of the fur on a Brown Bugbear. She answered, black in the summer and white in the winter. Brown referred to their tusks and eyes.  The paper faded to the next question, three ways to get blood out of fabric. She was happy to get an easy one.


    After answering the first question, Raff spent the rest of the time evaluating the paper. He tried to rip it, poke a hole in it, re-write the question, eat it, answer the problem in the form of a picture. It accepted that. It allowed the answer given in code when a key was given and then texted the level of complexity, ambiguousness, or hostility of responses that the paper would accept. He was determined to find the test''s limits.


    Tired as he was, Asper watched all of the words seemed to blur together. He just couldn''t help seeing that. He rubbed his eyes and even pinched himself. After a long time, he felt embarrassed when he realized that the words were actually blurring together on the sheet. He rubbed his thumb across the question, and it came back covered in ink while leaving a smear on the page.  It was only when he scribbled ''No Answer'' as fast as he could before that too started to drift across the page that a new question popped up.


    Even then, that new question started to waiver. Asper nervously put his hand on the desk, and the vibrations rippled through the words on the page like they were written on water. At which point, he focused on answering the questions as quickly as he could, hoping that it would be good enough.


    The cube continuously changed shape in Raff''s hand every time he solved it. He knew it was magic. The limitations put on what should be possible once you answer one puzzle had already been passed after he remade it into the fifth form. Now the cube resembled a horse with movable appendages, intricate in how it could be moved. Words were hidden in the body of the equestrian body.  He softly stroked the top of the horse and watched one of the words slide along the torso.  With a grin, he got to work.


    Rian''s own test was not as smooth. She balked at the idea of a toy that had no purpose. The exams never seemed to play a part in student rankings. Those didn''t take place for another month. The school knew everyone''s status, and that shaped what classes they were assigned more than anything else. With nothing else to occupy her mind, she worked. She knew this had to be some kind of misdirection, or maybe just busywork. The school needed to get everyone''s lodgings set up. If she could convince a bunch of people to waste their time like this, she knew she would take advantage of that fact.  Even then, she felt like this would be a waste of time and resources.


    The puzzle boxes had no value off the school grounds. An industrious thief had stolen one to try to sell off outside of the academy. He had gotten enough information to have a mock cube made up to swap out at the end of the test. The thing dissolved the moment he stepped off the grounds. The biggest puzzle to her was, why have them at all?


    Asper''s puzzle refused to budge.  He twisted and turned at the corners, sides, but it was like the cube was solid. He pressed, banged, brushed everything. He looked around his classroom, and everyone else had gotten off the first form. As time ran out, he was desperate. He picked up the block and licked it. The block sparkled where he left his tongue across it. He felt elation at maybe figuring out the problem and gave it another lick. More sparkles, and then the shape started to change. It curved in at the spots he saliva touched. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Asper wondered what would be inside, but instead of revealing anything, the cube continued to curve inward, distorting in shape and pulling in the rest of the mass quicker and quicker. The puzzle continued to shrink as it folded in on itself. No one else noticed as the rest of the group was focused on their cubes.  Soon it disappeared with a small pop, and Asper sat at his desk empty-handed.


    When the time elapsed, an older student entered the building, pushing a cart and asked everyone to return their puzzles. Asper wondered if he should speak up, but kept quiet when no one asked him anything.


    Combat evaluations were held just outside the classrooms.  The Class sizes of roughly thirty each lined up in front of a circular fighting area whose length was the size of three tall men in diameter.  Raff eyed the young man standing with a swagger in the middle of the ring. He wore leather armor loosely and a cocky grin tightly plastered to his face. "Welcome to your first taste of real combat, Zeros!"


    Raff felt a little insulted. Bargerous had him go through the various fighting clubs in the city, both public and underground. He had tried to get him into some of the level restricted matches, but even the illegal fighting rings were afraid of the guilds'' restrictions there.  It had been fun until he realized there was no challenge even when there had been significant age differences.


    "My name is Zak. I''ll be seeing how long you last in here against me. Don''t worry, this evaluation never lasts long." Just outside of the ring was a moveable rack filled with dozens of different wood and iron practice weapons. "We''ll go one at a time, knock out or ring out to be eliminated. Just pick your weapon and come at me." He pointed to one end of the line. "Starting with you."


    Raff quickly calculated he would get to watch eleven fighters before it was his turn. The shoeless young man gained almost nothing from watching the matches. Zak was strong, fast, skilled well beyond what you would expect from looking at him. He had a practice sword stuck into his belt but never pulled it out. The first three fighters who charged at Zak were grappled and thrown out using their own momentum.


    Zeros then decide that a better approach would be to play defensive and wait for Zak to come to them. The cocky young man didn''t wait long. The moment anyone settled, he moved with a burst of speed and threw them out of the ring.  None did any better and time quickly passed. Zak''s finger was soon pointing at Raff. "You''re next."


    Raff walked over to the weapons and selected the staff. Not because it was better than any of the other tools, but because of its reach. Other students had tried the same thing and failed. It was how those other Zero''s had failed that interested him.


    Raff adjusted his hands, so he was holding the majority of the wood''s length out like it was a spear.  He stepped into the ring and swung down hard at Zak. Only a stupid man would do the same failed thing as others and expect different results. Yes, he struck with the staff harder and faster than the other students had, so maybe he figured Zak would think that He had overconfidence in his abilities.


    Zak burst forward with a surge of momentum. The same way he had rushed the others to shove them out of the ring. Raff''s hands had already let go of the staff mid-strike and were ready to meet his opponent.  Raff wanted to use Zak''s momentum against him the way the more experienced boy had thrown the others out of the ring, but just as quickly as Zak had rushed forward, his momentum halted.


    Not ideal, but it was still punching distance, and Raff threw three quick jabs into Zak''s side.  It was eerily similar to when he had hit a brick wall, and just like, in that case, there was no movement, but he could feel a little crack just past his knuckles.  Then the shoeless Zero twitched defensively and couldn''t help but grin as the other boys'' fist scraped past his cheeks, drawing blood at the barest of glances. This is the power of levels he thought with wonder.

 chapter Ten

    Raff would have whooped with joy if he wasn¡¯t keeping his breathing perfect for this. There was no holding back now.  Zak was too fast for him, he had to strain to focus on the little tells. Twitches of the shoulder, the shift of weight that was in the muscles before boy committed to a punch.  And because he was dodging the predicted window of Zak¡¯s punches and kicks, he often had to throw himself to the side in wide awkward movements. That made it hard, but not impossible to strike back.


    Every three dodges, Raff managed to get one strike in. After a flurry of twelve missed blows and four returned one, Zak steps back from the fight, and Raff eyed his opponent, thinking on what he had observed. The barefooted boy knew it would be easier the next time Zak went at him. Yes, Zak was still fast, but the window of possibilities of how he could strike was now more apparent. After every two punches, Raff figured he should be able to get in a strike, and his fingers burned in a good way from the blows he had landed.


    Zak then drew his wooden practice sword and motioned for Raff to pick up the staff that now lay on the ground. Ignoring the suggestion Raff lunged forward barehanded, Zak braced. Raff let his foot sweep with his movement and kick up the staff off the ground and toward Zak, his body closely following behind it.  The unexpected nature of the attack worked like Raff planned, and their bodies collided. The staff pinned between them Raff¡¯s hand holding the Zak¡¯s hand as it gripped his sword.


    For three glorious seconds Raff used their entanglement to slowly bend Zak into a position he could dominate him. He could tell Zak was stronger, but leverage, weight, and how bodies worked were all to his advantage. He heard Zak mutter a word under his breath, ¡°Repel.¡±


    It was like an alien force grabbed his body and flung him back away, and Raff couldn¡¯t even get his foot down to stop himself from tumbling out of the ring. He knew he should be angry, but his eyes lit up at the use of what he knew could only be magic.


    Rian selected the bandoleer of six wooden knives from the bunch of weapons and one long dagger to hold in her left hand. Though wood, they were perfectly balanced. Felicia smiled from the center of the ring. The green dressed student had her bow and quiver, yet hadn¡¯t needed to use it yet.    Nobody passes this test. She knew it was meant as a lesson of humility. But the worst thing you could do is not try, unlike with the other tests the academy actually seemed to care about combat.


    The moment Rian stepped into the ring, her right hand deftly pulled three knives from the bandoleer and flicked them at Felicia.  The bow twirled, knocking every thrown knife askew. The girl wondered if making her opponent use that bow will get her any points because, until this point, she had only used her feet. If Rian had thrown one, she knew Felicia would have just kicked it out of the air like she did when someone tried that with a hatchet. A single powerful kick has either knocked out or pushed out all of the previous opponents forcing them out of the ring.


    A straight-up fight like this was not what Rian liked. Fighting like this is what you convinced others to do and was as far away from reality for her as being able to fly. Rian couldn¡¯t convince herself this was a battle she could win, but that doesn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t have other goals. She raced forward.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    It helped to know that healers were already on the sidelines, putting other¡¯s injuries right. Rian knew she couldn¡¯t stop the kick. Even those who used weapons and shields to try to block it failed. She took it in her side, and pain exploded. Knowing what to expect, lets her latch on with her left arm. A situation she knew would only delay her defeat for a few seconds. She dropped the knife from her left hand and caught it with her right-hand mid-air from under Felicia¡¯s thigh.


    Positioned like this gave Rian a few tender spots that she could strike, maybe scoring her a point or two, but causing no real damage. Instead, she hooked up with the wooden blade knowing she would have one shot at this.  All that green leather was fastened on well, but Rian knew all the weak spots to clothes. Where a simple cut could trip someone up, open a hidden pocket, release their coin purse. She hit the stitching at the seam; it was already strained by how tight Felicia liked to wear her leathers, even the dull practice knife cut through them, and then the blade hooked on the belt wrenching it lose.


    Whatever pride Rian felt was momentary as pain rocked her back, and she tumbled tot he ground her left hand gripping the edge of Felicia¡¯s now split and loosened pants bringing them down to the ground with her.  She might not be able to damage the girl in a fight, but at least she could maybe hurt her pride. Rian didn¡¯t see the blow that took her consciousness.


    As dirt and gravel got into Asper¡¯s mouth, all he could think about was how much this day has sucked. That didn¡¯t mean we as giving up. He shoved his had down hard into the ground and give away. He had been surprised at how soft it was when his flailing recovery from the first blow had nearly knocked him out had only been managed by him digging into the earth to halt his momentum then as well. Now several gouges scarred the ring. His opponent, an older student named Mallick, was no longer standing back and watching as Asper performed his feat of staying inside the circle.


    Asper rolled his aching body to the side moments before a foot slammed down on the spot that he had stopped at. To start the match, he had selected a buckler and a sword. It is not that there were feelings of aptitude for them in any of his training, but being the classics, they had been what he was most familiar with when trying to train skills with other kids.  Now he was weaponless. The sword had flown from his hands on the first impact, and the shield lay in pieces. Mallick¡¯s calf was close enough to his face that Asper decided to use his more natural weapons.  He bit him.


    A kick shook him off and sprayed some of the loose dirt up Asper¡¯s nose. But it got Mallick to jump back. ¡°You bit me! You fucking bit me!¡±


    Asper rolled over and got up into a crouch, spitting some blood out. ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of a better idea. You¡¯re just playing with me anyway.¡±


    The glare Asper received was more annoyed than angry. ¡°How stupid are you if you think I¡¯m playing with you? I¡¯m trying to beat you out of this ring. I¡¯ve got ten more students to go through you dense Zero. I¡¯ll take my demerit for this one.¡±


    Asper readied himself as Mallick rushed forward again. He braced himself, and they crashed into each other at the edge of the ring. They strained, gripping each other. Asper heard Mallick say, ¡°Shocking Grasp.¡± under his breath and the other boy¡¯s hands got hot for a second and then tickled.  Whatever it was that happened, Mallick looked confused. Tired but enough for one more burst of energy, Asper jerked him around, so Mallick was facing the outer ring and pushed him forward, so they both fell out of the ring at close to the same time.  Asper hoped it would at least count as a tie, and then the exhaustion of everything caused him to fade out as he gave into it.

 Chapter Eleven

    Rian didn¡¯t feel completely healed when the medic shuffled her off. Her cheek still felt swollen, and none of the others who had been under the medic¡¯s care show any marks. Felicia was watching her, smirking. Rian returned a wink with the eye that could. She decided she would wear the blemish like a badge of honor.  She may not have won, but all this incomplete healing would do is point out the reason why and what she had accomplished in the fight.


    She knew that soon the real reason the evaluations were done was going to be upon them. The class was about to be sorted into the seven dorms that would represent the paths their training will take them.  Kappa-tanks, Phoenix-healers, Sphinx-support, Shade-strikers, Manticore-fighters, Basan-range, Spider-crafters. She knew her skills put her in line with strikers who move from the shadows and go for vital spots or the support dorm. In either group, she knew she could foster valuable connections and work towards her end goals.


    ¡°My uncle was a Spider. That¡¯s the way to get rich. Making all the adventure¡¯s items.¡±


    A young woman harrumphed at that. ¡°That is until you get sick and need a Phoenix.¡± She interjected.


    Rian ignored the debate. Enough hard work, and anyone could get wealthy. Money could buy power, sometimes. Even then, that could draw the wrong kind of attention. If all she wanted was a route to become wealthy, she wouldn¡¯t have chosen to attempt this.


    She let her thoughts slip away from that as she spotted a runner coming with a scroll that has to hold the list dorms assignments. Plans hinge on this. Sure she could be unexpectedly placed with the fighters or crafters, but that didn¡¯t align with her research. If she got one of those, she would just have to make do.  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Felicia accepted the scroll. ¡°Listen up, Zeros! I will be reading off your name and the dorm you will be assigned to. If you are lucky enough to run with the Basan, you will get me as one of your proctors.¡± This immediately grabbed everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Asprin, Bob, Sphinx dorm.¡± When Felicia called out, ¡°Steph, Nails, Manticore dorm.¡± Rian realized she¡¯d been skipped.


    That bitch was all Rian could think about for a moment. Her body was tense, and still before she let it relax. If this was going to be an ongoing rivalry, that was something usable as well. It¡¯s not like she won¡¯t get her dorm listing even if it is last for this group. Then after Felicia said every name but hers in the group of thirty, she rolled up the scroll.


    Rian marched up to the green dressed Basan proctor. ¡°I think that you forgot someone.¡± She stated with a strained smile.


    The smile that Felicia returned had pleasure but no warmth. ¡°Oh, did I? I¡¯m only required to read off the names of those who are in the dorms. My assignment to the letter. If you want to find the complete list and look yours up, it should be up at one of the public dining halls.¡±


    Rian swore Felicia would learn how dangerous it was to jerk her around one day. ¡°Thank you for the information.¡± Then she immediately turned away and started jogging towards where one of the dining halls would be. If Felicia had meant to have her searching for one confused, she would be mistaken. She¡¯d done her due diligence. There were seven dining halls in the outer ring, all equidistant between each dorm.  Meeting places for the sister dorms that were adjacent for breakfast and dinner. School hours it was more a free-for-all where you went to the one closest to your class for lunch.


    It wasn¡¯t long before she stood outside of one. The full list plastered to the door. There were four Freedman, Rian listed. One had ¡°Raff¡± listed after, and one had an asterisk, which she was sure was her. Instead of being paired up with one of the seven dorms of the academy, both had the name Spirit House listed instead. ¡°What the fuck.¡± She growled. She checked for the obvious name to be included. Gorn, Asper, and he appeared as Spirit House, officially making them the extraordinary trio.  She checked the list twice. No one else had that location. ¡°So much for not standing out.¡±

 Chapter Twelve

    Mallick had been very kind in directing Asper to Spirit House. Asper had, of course, asked, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    The response came with a wary shrug, ¡°An old unused teacher¡¯s house. Not sure why they assigned you to it.¡±


    Asper¡¯s thoughts went to the irritated comments he had overheard when he played at being asleep. Getting sent somewhere, maybe being unnatural. Asper had never dreamed about being in a specific dorm. Just getting into Pricore Academy had been it, and any of the dorms would do. When he first heard the list of dorms was coming, he figured his lone skill as a Generalist would put him with the Sphinx dorm. Now that he wasn¡¯t going to any of them, he did feel a bit disappointed.


    The walk from where he was isn¡¯t that bad. The closest dining hall would be the one between the Sphinx and Shade dorms. Except the house was off all the paths, nearly backed up to the wall to the second ring. Looking at it, Asper could see unused, was a kind word. It was the only building in the academy that he¡¯d seen in disrepair. The landscaping was wild, thorny vines strangled some of the walls, and an overgrown bush half blocked the steps to a door that was stuck open with a door dangling from the top hinge. What completed the look was broken windows, burn marks, and cracked bricks. It didn¡¯t look safe in Asper¡¯s judgment.


    Out of the door stepped a tall man in a loose shirt, but muscled enough to look like a fighter. A streak of gray traced the left side of his head and through his beard. Asper found himself frozen for a second in front of this stranger, wondering if it could be a teacher. ¡°Oh, there is Two. I wonder where Three is.¡± Raff came out close behind the man. ¡°There she is now.¡± He said, looking into the distance behind Asper.


    Asper turned to look. He had to strain his eyes before he got a glimpse of movement through the overgrown field that led up to Spirit House. Eventually, he recognized the form of Rian heading in their direction with a look of annoyance on her face. ¡°Hi!¡± Asper said awkwardly as she got close. She ignored him.


    ¡°Now that you are here, my little Zeros. I should introduce myself to all of you. I¡¯m Mox, your proctor. That means I¡¯ll assign house chores, direct you to classes, basically manage you during your first year. If you need help. I¡¯m here for you to ask. Most importantly, I¡¯ll be staying here in Spirit House to help keep you out of trouble. Any questions?¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Rian spoke up first. ¡°Why are you so old?¡±


    Mox huffed liked he was sensitive about his age. ¡°There is no age limit on paying for attending the academy. Just tradition.¡±


    Asper wondered if Mox was in research or like them, something that didn¡¯t quite fit with everyone else at the academy. Is this a privilege or a punishment to ride herd on the three of them? Raff spoke up next, ¡°Is this really where we¡¯re staying?¡± Asper didn¡¯t hear any accusation in the statement about the condition of the place.


    Mox shrugged, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a mess. Last-minute accommodations. The first task for you three will be to clean this place up. I assign who gets what bedroom, so don¡¯t skimp on them. I¡¯ll be getting you the Zero uniforms and fresh bedding for everyone. Tools are in the shed. I¡¯ll be back before it is too dark.¡±


    Mox left, and the three Zeros to stood around for a moment. Raff took off first like he knew where he was going, and Asper supposed the barefoot boy did since he had been at the house first. While Asper had that thought, he saw Rian start moving as well, and only then did he will his tired legs into action.


    The shed was behind the house, backed up to the wall that separated the first ring from the second. It was large enough to be a small house and one large door sealed by a padlock. Asper watched as Raff examined the door and the hinges. Rian was poking around at the lock. He knew Mox had expected them to get in somehow, or he would have just handed them a key. His dad had always left a key hidden around doors because he¡¯d lose them otherwise, especially if they were to a place he didn¡¯t go to frequently.


    If there was a key, he knew it would either be back in Spirit House or near the shed. The disrepair around the house made it unlikely. He searched the surrounding area until he spotted what was off. A black stone that was a shade darker than any other stone in the wild field. Too large to be accidentally moved, yet not too big.


    No harm in looking, he figured. He picked up the rock. He was a little smug when he saw the thick iron key there. He carefully set the stone down and reached for the key. A rock soared in and crashed into the key. It was only then that Asper noted the dark metal jaws of a trap swing shut. The force caused a stirring of air near his hand and him to flinch as the closed jaws were nearly at his fingertips. ¡°Watch yourself.¡± Raff chided him.


    Asper took his right hand and cradled it a little grateful it was still there. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°And a good job figuring out where the key was.¡± Raff continued.


    Asper watched Rian take off after the key that had been knocked into the field and heard her mumble, ¡°Idiotic showoffs.¡±