《The Almira Chronicles》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Shuddering with anticipation, I took my first step onto academy grounds. My footfall was heavy, bearing the weight of a new beginning as I passed through the wrought-iron bars of the outer gate. My worn and dust-ridden appearance marked me as an incoming student, a stark contrast to the bright-eyed adults who moved efficiently through the expansive courtyard. Seeing my peers clad in their mismatched travel attire, I strode into the clamor of the growing crowd and was soon assaulted by the stench of exertion¡ªthe trademark of a weeklong trek by foot. Looking back toward the gate, I could see students continuing to trickle in, though it appeared that most of us had already arrived. I knew that I was surrounded by the best and brightest of our generation, but as I looked around, I couldn''t help but feel a twinge of disappointment. Sure, a few stood out from the crowd, but most seemed... average. Never underestimate your enemy, I chided myself, recalling athe warning from The Myriad Wars, a history book I had ruined through excessive use as a child. Reading was a rare skill in Meritas, especially if you lived in a rural village as I did. Neither my mother nor father were literate; in fact, the only reason I could read was because of my gift as a Kismet or fated one. These giftings were not unheard of; five to ten percent of the population claimed to be a Kismet. That being said, the number wasn''t certain as very few Meritans openly shared such secrets. To some, these gifts were mystical, believed to be blessings from a deity. To others, they were simply random birth traits attributed to luck. I wasn¡¯t sure what to think. My gift was called Mental Mastery, and I, like other Kismet, had discovered it when I turned five, entering a trance-like state that lasted nearly two days. When I woke from the trance, I knew the power intimately. It had become as much a part of me as my hands or my feet. The gift allowed me to process the world faster than an average human. From my perspective, it seemed like I had about six more seconds of thinking every minute than was typical, six more minutes every hour, and just under two and a half hours more per day. In other words, my mind was ten percent quicker than anyone else. I also had an enhanced ability to remember details and learn new things, though that was harder to quantify. As I was lost in thought, a booming voice cut through the excited chatter, instructing all students to report to the auditorium in two minutes. With little more to my name than the spare change of clothes in my pack, I made my way to the largest of the three buildings with the rest of the crowd. The massive structure was rather unadorned, composed primarily of a sturdy-looking red brick that showed little sign of weathering. I passed through the doorway and found the auditorium to be similarly undecorated, feeling more like a warehouse without chairs nor other anticipated comforts. The room was unnaturally bright, as if the sun was hanging from the ceiling, yet I couldn¡¯t see the source. As we all stood assembled, a tall man in an officer''s uniform came to the stage and began speaking, his deep voice magnified through yet another unseen measure. His uniform bore the emblem of Meritas, the visage of relentless struggle¡ªa hand piercing into the heavens and grabbing ahold of something too lofty for man. Whispers of awe spread through the room as I joined my peers in bated breath. We all knew what it meant to bear that emblem; renown forged through battle, recognized by the king himself. ¡°As you well know, our great country of Meritas was formed when the legendary hero, Daniel the Triumphant, recognized the Aeon empire''s corruption and gathered a coalition of the suppressed to liberate territory for themselves. With unwavering courage and determination, Daniel established Meritas and set about to right the wrongs of the empire. He knew that the generational nepotism of the elites had led to incompetence, weakening the nation. The nobles sought to consolidate power, but they traded competence for control. ¡°To remedy this, Daniel created the Meritas Trials, a country-wide tournament that would determine the nation¡¯s leaders. Daniel and the coalition determined that Meritas would hold this tournament every four years to ensure that only the most competent could rise to power. The Meritas Trials pit citizens against citizens in competitions of might, wisdom, and courage. Every citizen is granted the right to enter the trials and prove their claim to power. Since the founding of Meritas 200 years ago, these central tenets have remained; the mighty will prevail, the wise will rule, and the bold will conquer all. But Daniel knew that giving every citizen the right to enter the trials wouldn¡¯t be enough. In light of the fact that power seeks its own ends, he established the Meritas Military Academy and assigned the lords of the nation to teach the next generation of promising leaders, no matter their heritage. That is why you are here. Each of you has proven your prowess by defeating your peers in the academy trials. You have been granted the privilege to learn from the lords themselves.¡± The man paused for a moment, scanning the room before continuing. ¡°Welcome to the Meritas Military Academy. My name is Gerald, and I am the director of personnel development and serve as the dean of this academy. I congratulate each of you on your achievements. It is no small feat to earn entrance to the Meritas Academy. Today, you will be divided into nations. Over the next two years, we will pit you against each other in a simulation of nation-building where you will test your mettle through war games and harsh survival conditions in the surrounding wilderness. Each nation has been allotted a territory ranging twelve square miles. This is where you will live and develop your nation throughout your time at the academy. The majority of you will graduate, primed to be exceptional officer candidates, but you ultimately compete for one coveted prize: apprenticeship to become Knights of the Royal Order.¡± My heart raced, and my jaw dropped, no doubt mirroring the awestruck faces of my peers. This was even better than I had hoped. Little was shared with the public about the teaching methods of the nation¡¯s military academy, but everyone knew the results. Now, there was even mention of the revered knights of the Royal Order, offering boundless motivation to climb to the top. ¡°In just a moment,¡± Director Gerald continued, ¡°you will receive your nation distinctions, followed by further direction from your assigned instructor.¡± The speech took me back to my first day of work, nearly five years ago. I had begged my father to let me help in the kitchen or at least take orders from patrons, but he had firmly denied my requests, stating that one must be in the double digits before they could earn a wage. To bide my time, I had watched my dad closely, looking to gain every insight and leg up I could get in the tavern-minding business. And just like today, when I came of age, he gave me a grand speech to officially welcome me into the ranks. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Soon a middle-aged woman with a scroll approached me, her sharp eyes sending out a challenge to all who entered her gaze. The intensity of her presence spoke to the hundreds of soldiers she had defeated in battle over her years of service. I know upper-level citizens are rumored to have an air of strength about them, but this¡­ With reverence, I stood, ready to introduce myself. ¡°Mr. Isaca?¡± she probed with a surprisingly pleasant voice. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°You are to report to nation five, gathering just outside the auditorium, on the left.¡± I picked my jaw up off the floor and hurried to join my nation. Stepping through the doors, I looked around; students were gathering in small circles across the courtyard, and I made my way to the few standing near the left wall of the auditorium. ¡°Is this nation five?¡± I asked the group. A woman in a blue and white field uniform responded. She was about my height, roughly five-nine, with dark hair pinned up in a simple bun. Seeing her tidy state made me wonder what impression I was giving off; perhaps my brown hair appeared red from all of the clay dust I had kicked up in my travels. ¡°Yes, this is nation five. My name is Sophia, and I will be your overseer until further notice.,¡± she said, offering me a warm but distracted smile. I deflated when I heard the news; Sophia didn¡¯t seem to be nearly as commanding as the other woman. I nodded my thanks and found a spot to sit against the wall while we waited for the rest of our nation¡¯s members to gather. Minutes later, the dirt beneath me trembled, and I heard the creak of many wooden wheels turning out of sight. The familiar whinny of horses filled the air as long passenger wagons, resembling barrels cut lengthwise, were pulled into the clearing. Each wagon was drawn by a pair of massive black Friesians; they so dwarfed the common breed I was familiar with that I could only assume these were true warhorses. Compared to the lacking indoor amenities, these animals clearly displayed the military¡¯s prowess. Wait¡­ I stood and looked around again, this time refusing to accept my surroundings at face value. There were no trees. In fact, there wasn¡¯t even grass, just dirt. The buildings, the road, everything seemed¡­ new. Too new. Is this actually the academy? I looked up then, catching the smirk on Sophia¡¯s face as she recognized my confusion and offered me a wink. Without offering any further explanation, Sophia clapped her hands loudly and promptly walked off. Realizing that I was being left behind, I took off after her, joined by several similarly puzzled peers. Across the courtyard, we were led to a wagon and informed that we had a several-hour ride before reaching our territory. Despite its size, the wagon was packed, and I was pressed shoulder-to-shoulder with my peers. To my left, a bulky boy who towered over me by several inches clung to the back of the wagon as if he felt bad about how much room he was taking up. Despite his efforts, I found myself rather squished between him and the blonde girl on my right. With no time for introductions, we were off. The sun beat down on us, a sure sign of the coming summer, though the chill on the occasional breeze spoke of the warring seasons. The dirt road was relatively flat, but the occasional hole had me gripping the side of the cart to stabilize myself. Sophia turned toward us, handing the reigns to the inconspicuous man next to her. Sitting in the back, near the end of the bench, I was forced to crane my neck and lean forward to see her. ¡°You will remain in your assigned plot with the exception of participating in classes and war games. There will be no swapping territories, so don¡¯t bother asking.¡± I¡¯d expected as much. Looking around, I counted twenty students, including myself, and from what I had heard from the military scribe back at the meeting ground, there were fifteen nations. Someone piped up¡ªa boy with dark hair, sharp features, and a surprisingly intense look on his face. ¡°What do we have to start with in our territory?¡± That was a good question; I quickly committed the boy¡¯s face to memory. ¡°You begin with nothing,¡± Sophia replied. ¡°This is how we will see what you are made of.¡± That was a sobering thought. Some in our group stirred uncomfortably as reality sank in. We would have to live off of the land. I was excited at the prospect¡ªmight as well separate the wheat from the chaff now I thought. The ride soon became quiet, interrupted only by the occasional horse snort. With the energy offered by the initial rush of the meeting ground fading, the lull was welcome, and I began to daydream as I watched the hills roll by. ¡°Agh!¡± I gasped in surprise as something hit the side of my head. The girl next to me was rubbing her own head and looking back at me. ¡°Sorry! I nodded off,¡± she admitted guiltily. I offered a slight smile to reassure her. ¡°No worries. I¡¯m impressed that you can sleep with all the new information.¡± I finally made eye contact with her; she had light blue eyes with a hint of green near her pupils. Her blonde hair stopped just below her shoulders, and I noticed that her arms were nearly as toned as mine. She smiled back, noticing my inspecting gaze. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± she asked, her innocent eyes promising mischief. I paused, making full use of the extra time my gift afforded me. This seemed suspiciously similar to one of those lose-lose scenarios my dad had mentioned when I first asked him how to deal with girls. ¡°I was admiring your eyes,¡± I replied honestly, sounding more confident than I felt. ¡°beautifully complex colors,¡± I continued., sounding more confident than I felt. ¡°That, and your rather toned triceps.¡± The girl¡¯s curious gaze sparked something in me, and I held my breath until she spoke. ¡°You can call me Kate,¡± she replied. I sighed in relief as she flashed me that stunning smile again. I haven¡¯t felt this flustered since that time at the smithy¡­ ¡°I¡¯m Steven. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Kate.¡± We continued chatting for a while. Kate was warm, and easy to talk to, though there was a hesitant manner about her. The rest of the ride passed in relative silence. I learned that the boy who had spoken up earlier was Derek; several peers were peppering him with questions, and he seemed to make pleasantries easily enough. As we rode, and I stared out at the land passing by, I felt a strange sense of loss. I began to become aware of the foreign world I was entering¡ªthe new life I was moving toward. Would I recognize myself a year from now? It was a bizarre feeling, riding in that wagon, surrounded by complete strangers who now held the power to affect my destiny. A pit formed in my stomach as wisps of control fled from my grasp. As we reached the top of the hill, the vantage shifted; a vast forest stretched out as far as I could see. I tried to recall details from the entry speech as we neared the edge of the trees. What was it that the dean had said? Then, like a gate into the underworld, we were plunged into darkness as the dense canopy blotted out the sun. Ah yes. Harsh survival. Chapter 2 They say the greater the obstacle, the greater the glory gained in overcoming it. We shall see, I thought as we braved the forest. We traveled for about twenty minutes into the dense wood before our instructor announced that we had arrived. We pulled into an open section of trees, a small clearing that provided sufficient space to unload the wagon comfortably. Sophia explained that this was the southern edge of our territory¡ªa circle about four miles in diameter. Besides the dirt road leading to the south, we were surrounded by what seemed to be an endless forest of vibrant green. Spots of filtered sunlight shone through the canopy, breaking up the green-tinged darkness. I took a breath; the air was pleasant and cool, tasting of pine and ancient bark. ¡°Welcome to your new home!¡± Sophia announced. ¡°Unless you are removed from the program through elimination or¡­ other factors, this will be your residence for the next two years. How you use your land is up to you, but you will not be given any new territory. Many of you will have ambitious plans, but before you thrive, you must survive. This area is filled with prey and predators competing for the same resources you are. Today you can rest and prepare for the night. Tomorrow will be busy, and afterward, you¡¯ll be on your own. With that, I take my leave; we start bright and early.¡± I watched as our teacher got onto the wagon and prompted the horses to take her back the way we came. As the low rumble of the wagon faded, everything stilled. I heard nothing but the soft whisper of breath, the forest holding back even the faintest sounds. The silence was eerie¡ªalmost tangible. There we stood, taking in the scenery as if we had all become nature enthusiasts during th ride. The first few minutes passed in agreeable silence, but I began to feel a mounting moral obligation as I watched the boy next to me repeat the same set of stretches three times over. Listlessness was our enemy. We needed purpose. Finally, I cleared my throat. The boy immediately abandoned his stretching and walked over, a poorly hidden smile on his face. Several others made their way over, or at least turned in my direction. ¡°Greetingts, everyone. I¡¯m Steven. I believe introductions are in order.¡± ¡°Hi Steven, I¡¯m Derek,¡± one boy said a little too quickly. The rest of the class fell in step after Derek, though no one shared much more than their name. The mountain of a boy I had sat next to during the trip introduced himself as Jack. The fact that he was still here proved that he was indeed a fellow student despite his mature appearance. As the introductions ended, I felt everyone¡¯s eyes settle on me again. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all,¡± I began.¡°It sounds like we will be getting quite familiar with each other. But socializing is far more enjoyable with a hot meal and a place to sleep.¡± A few nods of agreement accompanied my words, so I continued. ¡°To do that, we¡¯ll have to split up the tasks and get to work.¡± Brad, the blonde-haired stretcher, spoke up. ¡°I reckon we have another five hours of light if we¡¯re lucky. I¡¯m a decent enough hunter, and there were fresh deer tracks on our way in; I¡¯ll gladly help secure some food.¡± ¡°Were we left with any equipment to use?¡± Kate asked. ¡°I was instructed to leave my gear at the academy. All I¡¯ve got is an extra pair of clothes.¡± Another girl, who had introduced herself as Liz, stepped forward. ¡°The teacher left a felling axe and a single buck knife. I¡¯m confident I could carve a few basic spears and other simple tools given enough time and materials.¡± After that, several more students shared how they could be of use, and everyone gravitated toward the tasks they were most competent in. Six of us began scouting the area while hunting and foraging, four began to craft various tools, five started work on a shelter, and the rest set about cutting and gathering lumber for the various projects at hand. Someone brought up that we would soon need water, so we began hollowing out a few logs to fill up and sent out a small group to hunt for a river, pond, or stream. I grabbed one of the first completed spears¡ªa stripped maple rod with a single sharp point of protruding rock fastened to the end with tightly wound vines¡ªand headed into the woods to hunt. Proving myself to be a valuable part of the team wouldn¡¯t hurt, and I typically fared well when it came to hunting. In this case, however, there was no established trail. I was forced to repeatedly climb over fallen logs, losing myself in the abundant briars and foliage. Soon, I was no longer squinting in the low light and began to find the occasional ray of sun to be more disruptive than beneficial. My improved thought speed was particularly useful when processing my surroundings, so I often found it easy to spot signs of local fauna. Sure enough, after thirty minutes of trekking through the underbrush, I came across a game trail. The dirt was noticeably compacted, and leaves were pressed into the ground forming a foot-wide path clear of the constricting underbrush. I paused, listening for any sounds of movement, but didn¡¯t hear anything; this far into the woods, not even the wind whispered its presence. Deciding this was my best lead, I stepped onto the trail and headed east, walking in an awkward sideways gait as I navigated the narrow path. A few minutes later, I heard the rustling of leaves up ahead. To the left and right, I could see only dense brush¡ªfallen branches and overgrown bushes tangled in vines that came up to my shoulders. I hadn¡¯t seen any diverging paths since I happened upon the game trail, and I was becoming increasingly aware of my limited options for retreat. Still I crept forward, doing my best to avoid twigs and dried leaves as I approached the sound up ahead. A rush of movement. Branches snapped loudly as the animal spooked. I only caught a glimpse of the beast¡ªwhat appeared to be a small deer. I started down the trail after my prey, imagining the triumph of bringing back fresh meat. Then my breath caught in my throat as a primal fear rushed through my body, freezing me in place. A deep unease urged my heart to beat violently in my chest. I strained to listen for a sign of the sudden dread¡¯s origin, but I couldn¡¯t hear anything over the sound of my own blood pumping through my ears. I did my best to shake it off, then whipped my head around at the sound of a snarling hiss directly behind me. That¡¯s when I realized I hadn¡¯t been the one to spook the deer. Twenty feet in front of me, staring me down with murder in its eyes, stood an enormous mountain lion. It was crouched, ready to lunge across the short distance between us. I could attempt to fight it off, but my only weapon was a short spear held together by vines and hopeful thoughts. Looking around for inspiration, I saw nothing but dense underbrush packed around the trees¡ªthe perfect snare for a mountain lion¡¯s meal. Gritting my teeth, I knew there would be no fleeing from this predator, especially if I was forced to stay on the trail. Recognizing that it was kill or be killed, I looked back at the mountain lion; something clicked in me, and I was overcome by a raging determination. I stared it in the eyes, felt fear wrestling for dominion of my will, watched as it leaped toward me with its claws outstretched. Forcing my eyes to stay open, I reacted, instinctually positioning my spear before me and wedging the butt into the ground as I aimed the point toward the giant cat. Snap! My spear bent and splintered into pieces as the lion slammed into me. Pain shot through my body as its claws raked fiery lines across my back and shoulders, its weight tossing me to the ground. Twisting my neck around, I found myself staring up at the maw of the predator. Blood poured from my right shoulder. The spearhead had, in fact, done its job and was now partially embedded in the beast¡¯s chest. Before the lion could sink its teeth into me, I acted. With fear and rage coursingracing through me, I threw myself from the ground and desperately slammed my good shoulder into the back of the spearhead, forcing it deep into the lion¡¯s chest. It let out a loud, frantic cry and began aimlessly swiping at the dirt. Its claws caught me once again, leaving violent red streaks across my left forearm. TBut then, with a final sigh, it went limp, pinning me to the ground under its weight. It took several attempts to push the animal off; it had to weigh at least as much as I did. When I was finally on my feet, I took stock of the situation; I was still bleeding from the gash in my right shoulder and was relieved to find only shallow lacerations on my back; my left forearm had three shallow cuts from where the beast had slashed me, but it appeared to have missed anything vital. I needed to stop the bleeding. I had a book on combat medicine back at home that I had pored over before coming to the academy. Pausing, I sifted through my memories. The book said to apply pressure to the wound to stop the blood flow and encourage clotting. It also mentioned various medicinal herbs that would speed up the healing process. I had no trouble remembering the correct ones thanks to my gift. I pressed my hand onto my shoulder wound and began to scan the foliage until I recognized one of the plants, green and white with sharp-looking leaves. Silverweed! A common herb used to quicken blood clotting. I took a handful of the leaves and started mashing them between the fingers of my free hand to form a rudimentary poultice. Then, wincing, I packed my bleeding wound with the paste. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. That was an¡­ educational experience, I thought as I shook my head, gritting my teeth against the pain. I had stopped paying attention to my surroundings for mere seconds, and it had nearly gotten me killed. I finally turned my attention to the still form of the mountain lion. At least I would return to the camp with food. Though that also meant that I would have to carry it back. This wasn¡¯t my first hunt, so I set about the necessary steps to prepare the animal for transport. First, I painstakingly gutted and bled the kill using my broken spearhead, lowering the weight considerably. A set of tree limbs made a sturdy makeshift sled to manage the burden. Using a few strips of the lion¡¯s hide, I tied together the basic frame with a single crosspiece in an X-shape. Not wanting to remain out in the open any longer than necessary, I loaded the carcass and began dragging it back the way I had come. As I walked, I reflected on the fight; I had stared the killer in the eyes and made several split-second decisions that led to my triumph. Not only that but my time spent studying herbs had already paid off. I was wounded, but I felt more like a warrior than ever before. However¡­Add in a negative realization that adds to characterization, not just abilities. It took half an hour to get back to the camp, and I could feel fatigue slowing me down. As I stumbled into our little clearing, several students jumped up from their tasks to give me a hand. ¡°Oh man,¡± Brad exclaimed as I entered the clearing. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He rushed over to me, but stopped in his tracks, looking me up and down, eyeing the blood covering my torso. ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± I said. Then I saw his wide eyes taking in the bloody mess smeared across my skin. ¡°Most of it isn¡¯t mine,¡± I finished. ¡°The meat, on the other hand¡­¡± Brad seemed to spot the mountain lion carcass for the first time. ¡°Holy smokes,¡± he breathed. ¡°That¡¯s quite the catch! Add that to the rest of the hunting team¡¯s haul and we should have plenty of food for the next few days.¡± As he was talking, an intoxicating scent made its way to my nostrils. Seeing my hungry expression, Brad draped my uninjured arm over his shoulder and helped me the rest of the way tot he center of the clearing. ¡°Our hunting party returned a bit ago, so we already ate. Kate took the rabbits we caught and roasted them for us. I¡¯ll take care of the lion. You get some rest.¡± I smiled, and decided I liked Brad. I took him up on the offer and joined a few others at the fire. Kate gave me a warm smile and walked over, handing me a couple of skewers with a bit of meat and some kind of blackened vegetable. ¡°We have enough meat for everyone to get two, and one of the foragers found some mushrooms, so we added them for variety.¡± ¡°Thank you, Kate,¡± I said, and meant it as I dug into the warm meal. Tension escaped my body as the [food description] flooded my taste buds¡­ Upon finishing my meal, I took the opportunity to survey the camp. It looked like everyone had been busy. The builders had started work on four different structures that looked like they would function as rudimentary housing, several of my countrymen carrying logs and cutting them into workable pieces as the crafters added to a growing pile of different hand tools and weapons. Besides myself, Brad and the two hunters that had gone with him were back, along with one of the foragers. Between the five of us, we had found one mountain lion, four rabbits, two game birds, and a large armload of edible roots and mushrooms. Not bad for our first few hours together. After a few minutes, the last person left outside the camp arrived empty-handed, accompanied only by a wild grin. ¡°I found water!¡± she proclaimed, ¡°there¡¯s a stream to the east of us about a quarter mile away.¡± She frowned. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of brush, though. It¡¯s a fifteen-minute trek to get there.¡± This was big. We could live a few days without food, but dehydration would be a pressing issue within hours without a source of water. Bringing the forager, who I later learned was named Grace, we walked over to Liz, who was busy working on some kind of hammer. ¡°Liz, we have good news!¡± I announced. ¡°Grace here has found a stream, and we were hoping you came up with a way to help us transport the water.¡± Liz appeared exhausted as she looked up at me with a blank stare. A couple of seconds later her face lit up, as if she¡¯d finally processed what I had said. ¡°That is great news!¡± She walked over to the pile and pulled out several stumps with attached straps. ¡°These should do the trick. We hollowed them out and attached some basic handles to make them easier to carry.¡± I lifted one of the improvised buckets. It was heavy. Seeing the expression on my face, Liz spoke. ¡°I know they¡¯re heavy, but that¡¯s the best we¡¯re going to get for now. We figured you could string them on a pole like a simple yoke.¡± I nodded appreciatively. It may not have been ideal, but it was far better than nothing. ¡°We¡¯ll have to make do with what we have,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you, Liz.¡± There were six buckets, so we needed at least one more person to share the burden. I spotted Derek across the clearing and we made our way over to him. He stood as we approached and called out. ¡°Hey Steven, need a hand?¡± I nodded, and he ran over and grabbed two of the buckets. ¡°So where are we heading?¡± he asked. I grinned; he¡¯d offered to help before he even knew what we were doing. A man like that was reliable, no matter the challenge. I filed the tidbit away for later. Grace spoke up. ¡°We¡¯re going to fetch water from the stream, roughly a quarter mile to the east. We¡¯ll have to make our way through the brush first,¡± she added. Derek nodded, unfazed. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask one of the hunters to join us; give me a minute,¡± I said. I figured that it wouldn''t hurt to have someone keeping an eye out while we hauled the water. Brad was up to the task, and with him as our sentry, we started toward the stream. By the time we got back, we were all worn down; even though it had been an uneventful journey, carrying half our weight while snaking around logs and pushing through bushes was strenuous. We¡¯ll need to make cutting a path to the river our top priority, I thought as we stumbled our way back into camp, water sloshing in our makeshift buckets. Liz stood waiting for us. Next to her was a massive log that would have taken several men to drag into the camp; moving closer, I could see that it was completely hollowed out. Liz gestured toward the stump, ¡°This will be our water reservoir; it should be able to hold two to three full loads worth of water, and since it''s open to the sky, it¡¯ll catch rainwater too.¡± ¡°Liz, you¡¯re a genius,¡± I said as I dumped my water into the container. Just as Liz had estimated, our bucketfuls combined to fill the stump about halfway. Now we¡¯ll have to find a way to heat the water, I thought, furrowing my brow. It was common practice to boil stream water before using it. Most towns used deep wells, but some still depended on rivers or streams as their primary water supply. As I considered the issue, Kate walked over and stuck her hand into the reservoir. I watched her as she moved her hand through the water; she appeared to be concentrating on something as she peered intently inward. Then she shivered, as if an ice cube were gliding down her back, and took her hand out of the water. As she did, the water began to glow with a soft white light. I stood there staring with my mouth wide open. Was that some sort of gift? She looked at me and smiled. ¡°My gift allows me to remove impurities.¡± Her honesty surprised me. Most people would never openly share information about their gift; everyone knew that their gifts were the greatest advantage they had to get ahead in society. Is this some kind of ploy? I wondered. ¡°That¡¯s an incredible gift,¡± I said. ¡°I can¡¯t help but be surprised that you would use it so¡­ freely.¡± She looked at me thoughtfully before responding. ¡°We¡¯ll be working together for the next two years. We won¡¯t make it far if we can¡¯t trust each other.¡± Interesting. I¡¯ never told anyone, including my parents, about my gift, and then she shared hers with a perfect stranger. I didn¡¯t know what to say, so I steered the conversation onward. ¡°So the water is safe to drink now?¡± I asked. Kate simply nodded before drawing a handful of water to her lips and taking a deep draught. She wiped her face, flashed a self-satisfied smile, and left. Assured of the water¡¯s purity, I took the opportunity to wash my face using one of the smaller buckets; even though I had taken the opportunity to wash off the blood in the stream, the journey back had left me sweaty and dirt-ridden once more. There was an almost childish amount of excitement when the shelters were finished. They were simple lean-tos, but shelter meant sleep, and by this point, everyone was about ready to collapse on the grass and catch some shut-eye. We divided ourselves into four shelters¡ªtwo for boys and two for girls. There were twelve boys to eight girls, but I really didn¡¯t have the energy to complain about the discrepancy. Perhaps if I¡¯d had more forethought, I would have suggested that someone keep watch, but the thought didn¡¯t occur to me until my eyes were closed, and by then, it was too late. Chapter 3 Dread crept up my spine as a deep, rumbling growl echoed through the darkness. Amidst the rustling of leaves, a breath hissed from an unseen mouth; it was close. I froze as the creature¡¯s gaze stabbed into my back. My heart pounded as I forced my trembling legs to turn, ignoring my protesting instinct to flee. There it stood, its deep black eyes peering into my soul. I saw hunger, the eyes of a predator marking me as prey. Scrambling, my fingers brushed against rocks and twisted roots, the rough surfaces grazing my skin as I desperately grasped for my spear. I heard the pounding of the beast¡¯s paws as it closed in. I had barely enough time to lift my gaze as it descended, claws outstretched, teeth bared. Its claws sunk into me. My eyes shot open. My heart raced, and my breath was ragged. I jumped to my feet, searching for my adversary, but I was surrounded by darkness. My mind slowly returned to me, and I remembered that I had slain the mountain lion and made it back to the camp. I wasn¡¯t helpless prey. I had defeated the beast. I slowly regained my composure as I watched my peers sleeping around me; thankfully, it looked like I hadn¡¯t disturbed any of them. A few rays of light came in through the entryway, so I decided to give up on the notion of sleep. The air was still crisp, and the ground was wet with dew as I stepped out of my shelter. I sighed. Moving to an open area near the center of the camp, I worked through some calisthenics: push-ups, pull-ups on low-hanging branches, squats, and a few other body-weight activities. With the fear-induced adrenaline finally leaving my body, I made my way to our reservoir and splashed water on my face. If fear wants to haunt me, then I will put it to work. Deciding to make myself useful, I collected some kindling and started a small fire. I wasn¡¯t exactly a gifted cook, so I stopped myself from ruining any of our meat and decided to collect some extra firewood until someone of greater culinary skill could wake up and prepare breakfast. Thirty minutes or so and a considerable amount of firewood later, I heard stirring from the shelters, and a few others joined me by the still-burning blaze. I exchanged friendly glances with Brad and Derek and nodded to a few others I hadn¡¯t interacted with yet. Perhaps it was nerves or none of us were morning people, but no one was eager to start a conversation. The same girl who had cooked for us the day before started cutting up meat and then handed chunks over with sticks to skewer them with. Several hands made the work fast, and before long, the sound of chomping mouths and the smell of cooking meat filled the camp. It wasn¡¯t the same as the aroma that filled the tavern every supper¡ªone of spices and dripping fat¡ªbut to a hungry stomach, it was heavenly. Soon after, the rest of our countrymen made their way toward the clearing. Someone finally broke the silence, and the sound of various morning greetings began, along with several grunts and other nondescript noises. Before long, every member of the camp was enjoying the pleasure that only a hot breakfast could bring. ¡°Good morning, Steven,¡± a pleasant feminine voice called to me through the hustle and bustle of the morning. Turning, I saw Kate approaching me with breakfast in hand. ¡°May I?¡± she asked, gesturing toward the space on the log beside me. ¡°Of course,¡± I replied. ¡°How did you sleep? ¡°Not bad, considering,¡± she said before taking another bite of meat. I studied her. I wonder if I look as disheveled as she does. Looking around, I noted that, except for Derek, we all looked like we had slept on the dirt. I laughed. Of course we had slept on the dirt, but something about looking like we slept on the dirt was humorous to me. Amused by my own thoughts, I decided to share my earlier revelation with Kate. ¡°So Kate¡­¡± I started. ¡°Had any traumatic experiences lately?¡± I said with a grin. Kate looked at me, confused. ¡°Not particularly. Why do you ask?¡± With my best straight face, I continued. ¡°Today I made an important discovery. Fear is a great resource; it can restore energy, increase efficiency, and even get you out of bed in the morning.¡± I paused for effect, attempting a thoughtful expression. ¡°Just imagine the possibilities¡­¡± She burst out laughing, a delightful sound, though judging by several glares, perhaps a bit loud first thing in the morning. We finished eating and continued making humorous quips to keep up morale. A bit later, we heard the sound of wagon wheels bumping along on our dirt road. We all prepared to receive our overseer, Sophia, standing at attention in the middle of the clearing. This time our instructorteacher was joined by an older man, though not the nondescript one from the previous ride. This man was¡­This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Sophia had a sharp look in her eyes as she grinned down at us. ¡°It looks like you all fared well enough.¡± Her eyes passed over us, no doubt noting our disheveled forms before taking in the various sights of our slowly forming camp. She made eye contact with me. ¡°From what I can see, you guys are well ahead of the curve. I heard rumors that some classes struggled to get a roof over their heads, even failing to acquire sufficient food or water.¡± Her eyes lit up for a second before she shook her head. ¡°But Tthat¡¯s the last bit of free information about the other nationssquads/teams/groups/? yYou¡¯ll be getting from me. Reconnaissance will be key to your success. Don¡¯t underestimate the importance of knowing your enemy. Now, it¡¯s time to have some fun. As you all heard, you will be pitted against the other nationsclasses in a simulation of countryon-to-country warfare. You will have the opportunity to experience the politics, the production, and the territorial disputes that will be common should you prevail and rise to the rank of Knight in training. This will be a great opportunity to demonstrate your competence in statecraft, diplomacy, and military leadership.¡± She paused dramatically, letting her words sink in. We stood, silent and ready, eyes eager for the glory that awaited us. ¡°Today, we will determine the hierarchy for your nation. Just like we do in Meritas, we will be holding a tournament. By the end of today, you will have your monarch, lords, and knights. Today¡¯s tournament will measure your individual strength against your peers. Each of you will fight against five different opponents in single combat. Those with the most wins will be awarded their respective titles. Draws will be decided by additional duels until one combatant wins the day.¡± Pointing to the wagon behind her, she continued. ¡°Everyone will be supplied with either a short sword and shield or a two-handed sword. These are real weapons that will inflict real injuries; that being said, each duel will end in surrender or death. Given the limited number of people in your nation, forcing your opponent to surrender is highly recommended. Even one life lost would give your adversaries an edge. The foolhardy may fight to the death. If they couldn¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t be a worthy test of strength. The intelligent, however, will fight to victory, not just in the ring, but in the academy itself.¡± I scanned her face for a hint of humor. This was no joke. We would be risking our lives on the very first official day of the academy. ¡°You can hardly train for combat without risk,¡± Sophia continued, ¡°but we do take precautions. She gestured to the man accompanying her. ¡°This is Master Jin. He is a Kismet healer¡ªone of the specialists the academy has employed. He will bring you back to health should you be injured. With that, we¡¯ll get started. Once you have selected your weapon, return to the clearing, and I will give you your fighting assignments.¡± Finally, some action! I was confident in my abilities but knew that my winning streak may just reflect the lack of skill in my recent opponents. The backwoods tournaments I had competed in to get into the academy were almost laughable; very few ¡°country cousins,¡± had formal training. If we were lucky, our parents served in the military or local militia and could teach us outside of work hours. Even then, that was just martial skills; the real disadvantage was the lack of formal education and access to study materials. I was an anomaly in that sense. My gifting had been put to good use from a young age, and my mind had grown alongside my body. I chuckled as I recalled the bewildered look on my father¡¯s face when he had found me sitting with a traveler at our tavern, staring wide-eyed at a book. It was the first book I had ever seen¡ªa great treasure to my four-year-old self. The gracious traveler had been kind enough to let me sit with him for the rest of that night. That was the first time I had an extended look at the written language. In our small village, the only other place to find reading materials was the general shop, but the owner was a stickler and guarded such precious materials with a vengeance. So I sat there that night, wide-eyed, taking in the symbols that held the secrets of the world. And, due to my gift, I had remembered it all. Over the next several weeks, I had, to my parents¡¯ confusion, spent long hours staring off into space. I used the time to study the letters until I finally grasped the sound and meaning of each word that I¡¯d committed to memory. That very first book happened to contain the legend of our nation¡¯s formation and the conquest of our grand champion. It detailed how Daniel had arisen amid the tyrannical Aeon empire, fighting for the freedom and future of his people. Thinking back, I can never help but be gripped with conviction; one man faced death and the weight of leadership head-on and changed the destiny of all future generations. Several hundred years later, the ripples of his decision leave their mark on every citizen of Meritas. The champion had shared his rallying cry on the day of the new nation¡¯s birth. ¡°When the time comes, and tyranny is knocking at our doors, will you stand? When all others have traded truth for lies, will you succumb? When all hope rests on your shoulders, will you bear it? Who among you would dare to suffer for your children? All of you, I¡¯d wager. But who would dare to suffer for a stranger? Who would dare to die?¡± A clap on the back woke me from my reverie. I was the last to choose a weapon. I approached the wagon at once and took up the sword and shield. Walking back toward the rest of the class, I felt a fire in my stomach; something in me demanded a response to the champion¡¯s challenge. I will stand in the face of fear. I will go where no one else dares follow. And when all others have lost hope, abandoned courage, and succumbed to treachery, I will stand. Chapter 4 Duck? What kind of parent names their son Duck? I thought as I stood in the challenge ring. I looked at the tall, well-built boy before me, my first opponent, and tried my best to take him seriously. He extended his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Duck; I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve met yet.¡± I kept my mirth in check and met his hand with my own. ¡°Duck, I''m Steven. Well met.¡± We shook and awaited further instruction. I took the opportunity to analyze my opponent. He too had a sword and shield, but he was far more bulky, not to mention having at least two inches on me. Duck was right-handed, and he held his sword comfortably. However, the shield in his left hand wasn¡¯t held with nearly as much confidence, and he was still fidgeting with the straps. His muscles were well-toned, like someone accustomed to manual labor. I shuddered at the thought of taking several hits from him. I¡¯d have to be quick and either disarm him or somehow take advantage of his lack of shield craft. I imagined different maneuvers I would try to get past his extended reach, but before I could settle on any one play, Sophia interrupted me. ¡°All right, trainees, take your places 20 feet from your opponent. On my mark, you will begin your first duel. Let me remind you that after this tournament, these will be your comrades, so fight with the future in mind.¡± We were scattered in pairs across an open plain just outside of the forest. The ground was flat and covered in short grass with patches of exposed dirt littered throughout. We had been led to flagged-off circles, and now stood still in silent anticipation. ¡° Three... Two¡­¡± I took a deep breath, readying myself to charge. ¡°One!¡± I launched forward, sprinting straight at Duck. I met his gaze with cool determination. He braced himself, planting his feet and readying his shield. Visualizing the next move, I lifted the sword above my head as if to strike in a simple, overhead blow. Duck responded quickly, lifting his shield over his head as I approached. I grinned. Just as the shield cut off his eyesight, I rolled to the right and slammed the edge of my shield into the back of his left knee. He cried out in surprise, his knee buckling. I stepped behind the boy and held my sword to his throat. ¡°Surrender!¡± I demanded. Duck gasped as he eyed the blade held to his throat. ¡°I... I surrender,¡± he coughed. I withdrew the sword and returned it to the sheath on my hip without a single drop of blood marring its surface. Stepping around Duck, I held out my hand. ¡°Thank you for the fight,¡± I said, and meant it. If I managed to win all of my bouts, these were going to be my soldiers. I would need them to fear me, but more than that, I would need them to trust me. Duck looked up at me, a mix of fear and shock still present on his face. Then, with a shake of his head, he stuck out his hand, allowing me to help him to his feet. ¡°Thank you, Steven. You read my weakness with the shield. I won¡¯t be so easily bested next time.¡± Overall, I was disappointed with my first match, though not because of my own performance. Each of these students had competed in various trials to prove they deserved their spot at the school. Frankly, I¡¯d been expecting more of a challenge. But there were still four rounds to go¡­ Be careful what you wish for, I told myself. I walked over to Sophia and informed her of the results of the duel. She nodded curtly and made a quick note in the journal she carried. ¡°Your next opponent will be Jack; after all of the current duels are over, there will be a short rest window, then I will announce the start of the next combat phase. You are welcome to go and scout out the other matches until then. Oh, and congratulations on your first victory.¡± I thanked her and began scanning for Jack among the combatants. I saw him across the field, matched up with Lucy, one of the girls I hadn¡¯t gotten to know yet. He wielded the bulkier two-handed sword and was obviously in control of the fight. Lucy was scrambling to block or evade his crushing swings, but it looked like each one only forced her further back. To my amazement, right after a particularly gnarly blow, Lucy launched forward with her sword aimed straight at Jack¡¯s chest. I watched as Jack¡¯s eyes registered the quick counterattack¡ªa potentially fatal blow¡ªand saw something that both excited and chilled me to the core. Jack¡¯s eyes shone with glee. With otherworldly deftness, he sidestepped the lunging sword and slammed the pommel of his blade into the side of Lucy¡¯s head. She crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Before I even knew what I was doing, I was walking up to Jack. ¡°That was amazing,¡± I said as I drew near. ¡°Unless I''m mistaken, you enjoyed that surprise attack at the end.¡± Jack turned to me, though now that the fight was over, his smile hid behind his eyes. ¡°I was worried that the match would end before it even began, but I was pleasantly surprised by Lucy¡¯s tenacity. She was willing to risk the kill if it meant advancing. I respect that. I take it you are my next match?¡± ¡°I am. And don¡¯t worry. I can offer you an even more entertaining challenge.¡± ¡°I certainly hope so,¡± Jack said, that same smile igniting behind his eyes. We shook hands, then Jack went to fetch Master Jin to ask for instructions regarding his unconscious sparring partner. I sat there for a minute, considering what kind of strategy to use in the fight with Jack. Typically facing someone with a longer weapon meant taking advantage of speed and maneuverability as compared to one¡¯s opponent, but if Lucy¡¯s defeat had anything to teach me, it was that speed wouldn¡¯t win the fight. I considered the different tactics that applied to the situation, calling up the various details that were meticulously listed in one of my favorite books. One page detailed the hyper-aggressive approach in such situations, driving the attack in a frontal approach and looking to inflict as much damage as quickly as possible. Another option would be taking a defensive posture to wear down the opponents¡¯ endurance, focusing on blocking and making precise counterattacks. That method would prove much more challenging against Jack, considering how forcefully he had been hammering on Lucy mere minutes ago. I turned the problem over and over in my mind, then nodded to myself. These battles weren¡¯t just about winning. I needed to know who I would be working with in the future¡ªneeded to know what their capabilities were. I didn¡¯t have enough information to settle on a method of attack anyway. I had to play defensive and see just how skilled Jack was. And, coincidentally, that was the far more exciting option. I felt a familiar fire as adrenaline rushed through my veins. Time to find out what you''re made of. In such moments, I especially appreciated my gift; even though it seemed relatively inconsequential from the outside, the extra time that I could spend planning before fights and in the heat of battle was by far my most significant advantage. An extra second, even half a second of response time as a sword approaches your neck, is an eternity in battle. Soon, the clanging of swords quieted, and only labored breathing could be heard in the clearing. Sophia¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Five minutes until your next battle; you have until then to find your opponent and secure a ring.¡± Several people grumbled and even vocalized their protests about the back-to-back fighting. I, for one, was already growing cold and was eager for the next match to begin.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Sophia seemed to agree with me and shouted more forcefully. ¡°If you have a problem with the quick turnaround, I suggest you deal with your opponent swiftly.¡± Jack returned with Master Jin in tow, and I watched with curiosity as the healer mumbled something under his breath, placing his hand on Lucy¡¯s forehead. I could feel some warmth coming from Jin¡ªa soothing feeling¡ªand wondered if his gift was also impacting me. Moments later, Lucy¡¯s eyes opened gently, and she sat up looking no worse for wear than she had before the battles began. Seeing that she was all right, Jack and I made our way to an open space and took our places twenty feet apart. I could feel the anticipation in the air as the remaining 16 cadets prepared to face off. Despite myself, I felt a smile come to my lips. This is what I¡¯ve been waiting for. ¡°Three, two one¡­ Begin!¡± Jack started toward me rather quickly, considering the bulky weapon he was holding. He had a mad look on his face as he swung with a force that seemed to make the air shudder. I raised my shield to meet his blow, grunting at the force of the swing as I intercepted the blade close to the hilt and thrust my shield upward, looking to throw my opponent off balance. Our collision produced a loud metallic clang, and Jack¡¯s sword recoiled just enough to make him backpedal a step. I pressed the attack, thrusting my short sword forward with an efficient jab. Jack sidestepped easily, bringing his blade around for a horizontal slash. I knew that blocking his swing head-on would be too difficult, so I jumped back just outside his reach. Panting, I took a moment to steady myself and prepare for the next engagement, watching sweat drip down Jack¡¯s face. Despite the exertion, he looked like he could go for as long as it took to win. The plan to hold out as long as possible wasn¡¯t going to work. I need to find a way to finish this¡­ fast. As Jack approached, he took his time, keeping his sword close to the ground. I braced myself, expecting a diagonal slash across my chest. Seeing my raised shield, he instead tucked his shoulder and charged forward, crashing through my defenses and slamming me into the ground. Dazed, I struggled to catch my bearings, but just as Jack moved to pin me, the world shifted into slow motion. With quick and precise movements, I snuck two jabs into his solar plexus, and as he reeled, I threw my elbow into his jaw. Jack sprung backward with a gasp, holding his face. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, I snatched my sword from the ground and slashed at his ankles before he could muster any defense. I felt a wave of force ripple up my arm as my sword sunk into his left ankle first and then his right. But something was off. There was no scream, no yelp¡ªnot even a flinch. I glanced down at my blade. There was no sign of blood. I heard a low, throaty chuckle, and looked up to see Jack looming over me with the same mad look in his eyes. ¡°Not bad, Steven. I didn¡¯t expect to rely on my gift, but here we are.¡± He grinned and promptly slammed his not-so-injured foot into my head. I tasted copper as I bit the dirt. The next kick connected with my ribs, leaving a deep bruise and causing me to cry out. My vision swam and sharp pain flared through my body like heat over desert sands. I knew that if I didn¡¯t move quickly, I would lose. With a burst of effort, I rolled to the side and scrambled back to my feet. Jack took the opportunity to reclaim his sword, and I cast around for mine. To my dismay, Jack was standing between me and my sword. He stood tall and ready, making sure to stay in between me and my weapon as I searched for an opening. I could hardly believe my eyes as he grinned madly at me. I smirked. This crazy guy is enjoying this. My ribs ached as held back a chuckle. Apparently Jack¡¯s madness was infectious. But I shoved all that back inside and locked it in tight. Maybe letting go of control in battle and giving himself over to his emotions was effective for Jack, but I needed to be focused to win. Bloodlust wasn¡¯t going to do me any favors. I shut out everything around me, stilled myself, and set my mind on the fight. Without warning, Jack swung at me, expecting me to block with my shield. Instead, I jumped out of the way, the whistle of his blade causing my hair to stand on end. Jack had misjudged his attack. The momentum of the blade, judged for maximum impact on a shield, carried it too far to the side for an immediate counter, and I quickly closed the gap, grabbing Jack¡¯s arm with one hand and the hilt of his sword with the other. I jerked his body toward me, slamming my knee into his gut. He doubled over, but I wasn''t finished. I let go of his arm and slammed my elbow directly up into his chin. Jack coughed, blood splattering across my shirt. While he was momentarily distracted by the pain, I wrenched the sword from his grasp and slashed across his side. This time, the blade struck home. ¡°I surrender! I surrender!¡± Jack called out. I froze my next swing mid-air, directly above his head. ¡°Well fought,¡± I said, sticking out my hand. To Jack¡¯s credit, he managed a slight smile as he accepted defeat. We both wore his blood on our arms, but only I wore his blood on my sword. ¡°Why don¡¯t we get you over to the Healer before the next match?¡± I asked Jack. With the quick turnaround, I¡¯ll be up again soon.¡± Sure enough, we appeared to be one of the last teams to finish. After walking Jack over to master Jin, I made my way to Sophia and let her know the results of the battle. She congratulated me and marked something down in her journal again. Then she informed me that my next fight would be against a boy named Matt. I remembered him as one of the guys helping cut down logs the day before, so I scanned the group until we made eye contact. It seemed he already knew I was his partner. He was already heading my way. We met each other halfway and chatted as we approached the nearest open area. I learned that he had lost his first fight to Brad, but then he had managed to win out over Duck, my first opponent. I studied him; he was also fighting with a sword and shield, and his size mirrored my own. I wasn¡¯t too excited. However, I doubted someone would give a showing quite like Jack, especially knowing he had already lost a fight. A little over 5 minutes later, the fight began and then, unfortunately, ended quickly afterward. I had had fun with Jack, deciding to push aggressively very early on. As I¡¯d assumed, Matt didn¡¯t put up much of a fight. When I rushed him out of the gate, he managed to get his shield in front of me, but I jumped over the shield and thrust my sword straight into his shoulder, causing pretty severe damage. Matt quickly surrendered and ran off to find Master Jin. Sighing, I wandered over to Sophia once again, reporting the results of the match. This time she looked up at me, perhaps taking a little more interest than before. ¡°Another win?¡± she asked. Now it was my turn to nod. She glared at me, and I quickly realized my mistake. ¡°Uh, yes, ma¡¯am!¡± I replied. Sophia gave a pointed nod and informed me that my next fight would be against Brad in 10 to 15 minutes. If I was being honest with myself, I didn''t mind a bit of a break. I¡¯d already been fairly winded after the fight with Jack, and defeating Matt had taken just as much effort, if not more. I made my way over to where Brad was still fighting his third opponent and sat down on the dirt. Knowing I had time, I closed my eyes and began to meditate. As soon as I had discovered my gift, I began meditating to train myself. I slipped into my familiar meditation stance and methodically sifted through my memories, reliving each moment of the fights¡ªparticularly the one with Jack. I knew one thing. If I wanted to have any hope of becoming a champion, I would have to learn from my mistakes. Though it was a constant battle, I knew it was better to acknowledge mistakes and grow than to pretend they didn''t exist and move on. With a critical eye, I watched my battle with Jack and noticed several flaws in my approach, most glaringly getting caught up in my own head and choosing a defensive posture that put me at a disadvantage. That being said, I had responded well to the heavy hits and appreciated the practice with a shield. However, I had to admit that I¡¯s gotten lucky when Jack had assumed that he would have an advantage grappling; while there were micro-adjustments that I could make in that regard, I had spent more time practicing grappling back home than I ever had with the sword. My gift had made me a quick learner. It wasn¡¯t exactly knightly combat, but all the practice rolling around in the dirt with other boys and my father had given me my chance to defeat Jack. I reminded myself of another quote. ¡°Those who cannot thrive in the mud/mire will never rise above it.¡± Moving on, I watched my blade dig into Jack¡¯s ankles and then bounce off. I replayed the moment in my head again and again and again. From what I could see, there was either a limit to how many hits he could take, or the shielding was limited to his lower body. There could be other factors, but the latter seemed most likely. Knowing that I only had so much time, I moved on to strategizing for the next match. From what I had heard, Brad had won his first two fights and, judging by what I was seeing, was about to win his third. The day before, Brad had been part of a hunting party, so my guess was that he was fast and had good perception. Taking that into account along with his choice of weapons, I decided that I would use a more balanced approach. I would let him make the first move, looking for an opportunity to turn the tide in a critical moment. I ran through several simulations in my mind, thinking through the different tactics that the book from my childhood would have recommended. Then a hand on my shoulder shook me from my meditation; opening my eyes, I saw that it was Brad. He grinned and held out his hand. ¡°Hey man, I heard you¡¯ve had some good fights. Did you win your last one as well?¡± I nodded. ¡°So far the fights have been pretty easy, except for Jack, who gave me a good challenge. How about you? I heard that your first two fights went well.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Three wins. The last one proved to be the hardest, but I managed.¡± Still shaking his hand, I looked him in the eyes, ¡°Brad, can we agree that regardless of how the fight goes, we¡¯re still going to have each other''s back?¡± I knew it was a little sappy, but I felt Brad would be a good friend and didn''t want to risk blowing it so soon. He looked at me grimly, ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see¡­.¡± He choked out before bursting into laughter. ¡°Dude, you should see your face! Did you think I was serious? Come on, man, lighten up. Of course, we will still be cool after the fight.¡± I can''t believe I fell for that¡­ I grimaced, ¡°Nice man, real nice.¡± Our instructor¡¯s shout interrupted our bantering, and we both got to our feet, making our way to our positions. Sophia started her familiar countdown, and I closed my eyes one final time. Chapter 5 Duck? What kind of parent names their son Duck? I thought as I stood in the challenge ring. I looked at the tall, well-built boy before me, my first opponent, and tried my best to take him seriously. He extended his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Duck; I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve met yet.¡± I kept my mirth in check and met his hand with my own. ¡°Duck, I''m Steven. Well met.¡± We shook and awaited further instruction. I took the oppurtunity to analyze my opponent. He too had a sword and shield, but he was far more bulky, not to mention having at least two inches on me. Duck was right-handed, and he held his sword comfortably. However, the shield in his left hand wasn¡¯t held with nearly as much confidence, and he was still fidgeting with the straps. His muscles were well-toned, like someone accustomed to manual labor. I shuddered at the thought of taking several hits from him. I¡¯d have to be quick and either disarm him or somehow take advantage of hislack of shield craft. I imagined different maneuvers I would try to get past his extended reach, but before I could settle on any one play, Sophia interrupted me. ¡°All right, trainees, take your places 20 feet from your opponent. On my mark, you will begin your first duel. Let me remind you that after this tournament, these will be your comrades, so fight with the future in mind.¡± We were scattered in pairs across an open plain just outside of the forest. The ground was flat and covered in short grass with patches of exposed dirt littered throughout. We had been led to flagged-off circles, and now stood still in silent anticipation. ¡° Three... Two¡­¡± I took a deep breath, readying myself to charge. ¡°One!¡± I launched forward, sprinting straight at Duck. I met his gaze with cool determination. He braced himself, planting his feet and readying his shield. Visualizing the next move, I lifted the sword above my head as if to strike in a simple, overhead blow. Duck responded quickly, lifting his shield over his head as I approached. I grinned. Just as the shield cut off his eyesight, I rolled to the right and slammed the edge of my shield into the back of his left knee. He cried out in surprise, his knee buckling. I stepped behind the boy and held my sword to his throat. ¡°Surrender!¡± I demanded. Duck gasped as he eyed the blade held to his throat. ¡°I... I surrender,¡± he coughed. I withdrew the sword and returned it to the sheath on my hip without a single drop of blood marring its surface. Stepping around Duck, I held out my hand. ¡°Thank you for the fight,¡± I said, and meant it. If I managed to win all of my bouts, these were going to be my soldiers. I would need them to fear me, but more than that, I would need them to trust me. Duck looked up at me, a mix of fear and shock still present on his face. Then, with a shake of his head, he stuck out his hand, allowing me to help him to his feet. ¡°Thank you, Steven. You read my weakness with the shield. I won¡¯t be so easily bested next time.¡± Overall, I was disappointed with my first match, though not because of my own performance. Each of these students had competed in various trials to prove they deserved their spot at the school. Frankly, I¡¯d been expecting more of a challenge. But there were still four rounds to go¡­ Be careful what you wish for, I told myself. I walked over to Sophia and informed her of the results of the duel. She nodded curtly and made a quick note in the journal she carried. ¡°Your next opponent will be Jack; after all of the current duels are over, there will be a short rest window, then I will announce the start of the next combat phase. You are welcome to go and scout out the other matches until then. Oh, and congratulations on your first victory.¡± I thanked her and began scanning for Jack among the combatants. I saw him across the field, matched up with Lucy, one of the girls I hadn¡¯t gotten to know yet. He wielded the bulkier two-handed sword and was obviously in control of the fight. Lucy was scrambling to block or evade his crushing swings, but it looked like each one only forced her further back. To my amazement, right after a particularly gnarly blow, Lucy launched forward with her sword aimed straight at Jack¡¯s chest. I watched as Jack¡¯s eyes registered the quick counterattack¡ªa potentially fatal blow¡ªand saw something that both excited and chilled me to the core. Jack¡¯s eyes shone with glee. With otherworldly deftness, he sidestepped the lunging sword and slammed the pommel of his blade into the side of Lucy¡¯s head. She crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Before I even knew what I was doing, I was walking up to Jack. ¡°That was amazing,¡± I said as I drew near. ¡°Unless I''m mistaken, you enjoyed that surprise attack at the end.¡± Jack turned to me, though now that the fight was over, his smile hid behind his eyes. ¡°I was worried that the match would end before it even began, but I was pleasantly surprised by Lucy¡¯s tenacity. She was willing to risk the kill if it meant advancing. I respect that. I take it you are my next match?¡± ¡°I am. And don¡¯t worry. I can offer you an even more entertaining challenge.¡± ¡°I certainly hope so,¡± Jack said, that same smile igniting behind his eyes. We shook hands, then Jack went to fetch Master Jin to ask for instructions regarding his unconscious sparring partner. I sat there for a minute, considering what kind of strategy to use in the fight with Jack. Typically facing someone with a longer weapon meant taking advantage of speed and maneuverability as compared to one¡¯s opponent, but if Lucy¡¯s defeat had anything to teach me, it was that speed wouldn¡¯t win the fight. I considered the different tactics that applied to the situation, calling up the various details that were meticulously listed in one of my favorite books. One page detailed the hyper-aggressive approach in such situations, driving the attack in a frontal approach and looking to inflict as much damage as quickly as possible. Another option would be taking a defensive posture to wear down the opponents¡¯ endurance, focusing on blocking and making precise counterattacks. That method would prove much more challenging against Jack, considering how forcefully he had been hammering on Lucy mere minutes ago. I turned the problem over and over in my mind, then nodded to myself. These battles weren¡¯t just about winning. I needed to know who I would be working with in the future¡ªneeded to know what their capabilities were. I didn¡¯t have enough information to settle on a method of attack anyway. I had to play defensive and see just how skilled Jack was. And, coincidentally, that was the far more exciting option. I felt a familiar fire as adrenaline rushed through my veins. Time to find out what you''re made of. In such moments, I especially appreciated my gift; even though it seemed relatively inconsequential from the outside, the extra time that I could spend planning before fights and in the heat of battle was by far my most significant advantage. An extra second, even half a second of response time as a sword approaches your neck, is an eternity in battle. Soon, the clanging of swords quieted, and only labored breathing could be heard in the clearing. Sophia¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Five minutes until your next battle; you have until then to find your opponent and secure a ring.¡± Several people grumbled and even vocalized their protests about the back-to-back fighting. I, for one, was already growing cold and was eager for the next match to begin.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Sophia seemed to agree with me and shouted more forcefully. ¡°If you have a problem with the quick turnaround, I suggest you deal with your opponent swiftly.¡± Jack returned with Master Jin in tow, and I watched with curiosity as the healer mumbled something under his breath, placing his hand on Lucy¡¯s forehead. I could feel some warmth coming from Jin¡ªa soothing feeling¡ªand wondered if his gift was also impacting me. Moments later, Lucy¡¯s eyes opened gently, and she sat up looking no worse for wear than she had before the battles began. Seeing that she was all right, Jack and I made our way to an open space and took our places twenty feet apart. I could feel the anticipation in the air as the remaining 16 cadets prepared to face off. Despite myself, I felt a smile come to my lips. This is what I¡¯ve been waiting for. ¡°Three, two one¡­ Begin!¡± Jack started toward me rather quickly, considering the bulky weapon he was holding. He had a mad look on his face as he swung with a force that seemed to make the air shudder. I raised my shield to meet his blow, grunting at the force of the swing as I intercepted the blade close to the hilt and thrust my shield upward, looking to throw my opponent off balance. Our collision produced a loud metallic clang, and Jack¡¯s sword recoiled just enough to make him backpedal a step. I pressed the attack, thrusting my short sword forward with an efficient jab. Jack sidestepped easily, bringing his blade around for a horizontal slash. I knew that blocking his swing head-on would be too difficult, so I jumped back just outside his reach. Panting, I took a moment to steady myself and prepare for the next engagement, watching sweat drip down Jack¡¯s face. Despite the exertion, he looked like he could go for as long as it took to win. The plan to hold out as long as possible wasn¡¯t going to work. I need to find a way to finish this¡­ fast. As Jack approached, he took his time, keeping his sword close to the ground. I braced myself, expecting a diagonal slash across my chest. Seeing my raised shield, he instead tucked his shoulder and charged forward, crashing through my defenses and slamming me into the ground. Dazed, I struggled to catch my bearings, but just as Jack moved to pin me, the world shifted into slow motion. With quick and precise movements, I snuck two jabs into his solar plexus, and as he reeled, I threw my elbow into his jaw. Jack sprung backward with a gasp, holding his face. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, I snatched my sword from the ground and slashed at his ankles before he could muster any defense. I felt a wave of force ripple up my arm as my sword sunk into his left ankle first and then his right. But something was off. There was no scream, no yelp¡ªnot even a flinch. I glanced down at my blade. There was no sign of blood. I heard a low, throaty chuckle, and looked up to see Jack looming over me with the same mad look in his eyes. ¡°Not bad, Steven. I didn¡¯t expect to rely on my gift, but here we are.¡± He grinned and promptly slammed his not-so-injured foot into my head. I tasted copper as I bit the dirt. The next kick connected with my ribs, leaving a deep bruise and causing me to cry out. My vision swam and sharp pain flared through my body like heat over desert sands. I knew that if I didn¡¯t move quickly, I would lose. With a burst of effort, I rolled to the side and scrambled back to my feet. Jack took the opportunity to reclaim his sword, and I cast around for mine. To my dismay, Jack was standing between me and my sword. He stood tall and ready, making sure to stay in between me and my weapon as I searched for an opening. I could hardly believe my eyes as he grinned madly at me. I smirked. This crazy guy is enjoying this. My ribs ached as held back a chuckle. Apparently Jack¡¯s madness was infectious. But I shoved all that back inside and locked it in tight. Maybe letting go of control in battle and giving himself over to his emotions was effective for Jack, but I needed to be focused to win. Bloodlust wasn¡¯t going to do me any favors. I shut out everything around me, stilled myself, and set my mind on the fight. Without warning, Jack swung at me, expecting me to block with my shield. Instead, I jumped out of the way, the whistle of his blade causing my hair to stand on end. Jack had misjudged his attack. The momentum of the blade, judged for maximum impact on a shield, carried it too far to the side for an immediate counter, and I quickly closed the gap, grabbing Jack¡¯s arm with one hand and the hilt of his sword with the other. I jerked his body toward me, slamming my knee into his gut. He doubled over, but I wasn''t finished. I let go of his arm and slammed my elbow directly up into his chin. Jack coughed, blood splattering across my shirt. While he was momentarily distracted by the pain, I wrenched the sword from his grasp and slashed across his side. This time, the blade struck home. ¡°I surrender! I surrender!¡± Jack called out. I froze my next swing mid-air, directly above his head. ¡°Well fought,¡± I said, sticking out my hand. To Jack¡¯s credit, he managed a slight smile as he accepted defeat. We both wore his blood on our arms, but only I wore his blood on my sword. ¡°Why don¡¯t we get you over to the Healer before the next match?¡± I asked Jack. With the quick turnaround, I¡¯ll be up again soon.¡± Sure enough, we appeared to be one of the last teams to finish. After walking Jack over to master Jin, I made my way to Sophia and let her know the results of the battle. She congratulated me and marked something down in her journal again. Then she informed me that my next fight would be against a boy named Matt. I remembered him as one of the guys helping cut down logs the day before, so I scanned the group until we made eye contact. It seemed he already knew I was his partner. He was already heading my way. We met each other halfway and chatted as we approached the nearest open area. I learned that he had lost his first fight to Brad, but then he had managed to win out over Duck, my first opponent. I studied him; he was also fighting with a sword and shield, and his size mirrored my own. I wasn¡¯t too excited. However, I doubted someone would give a showing quite like Jack, especially knowing he had already lost a fight. A little over 5 minutes later, the fight began and then, unfortunately, ended quickly afterward. I had had fun with Jack, deciding to push aggressively very early on. As I¡¯d assumed, Matt didn¡¯t put up much of a fight. When I rushed him out of the gate, he managed to get his shield in front of me, but I jumped over the shield and thrust my sword straight into his shoulder, causing pretty severe damage. Matt quickly surrendered and ran off to find Master Jin. Sighing, I wandered over to Sophia once again, reporting the results of the match. This time she looked up at me, perhaps taking a little more interest than before. ¡°Another win?¡± she asked. Now it was my turn to nod. She glared at me, and I quickly realized my mistake. ¡°Uh, yes, ma¡¯am!¡± I replied. Sophia gave a pointed nod and informed me that my next fight would be against Brad in 10 to 15 minutes. If I was being honest with myself, I didn''t mind a bit of a break. I¡¯d already been fairly winded after the fight with Jack, and defeating Matt had taken just as much effort, if not more. I made my way over to where Brad was still fighting his third opponent and sat down on the dirt. Knowing I had time, I closed my eyes and began to meditate. As soon as I had discovered my gift, I began meditating to train myself. I slipped into my familiar meditation stance and methodically sifted through my memories, reliving each moment of the fights¡ªparticularly the one with Jack. I knew one thing. If I wanted to have any hope of becoming a champion, I would have to learn from my mistakes. Though it was a constant battle, I knew it was better to acknowledge mistakes and grow than to pretend they didn''t exist and move on. With a critical eye, I watched my battle with Jack and noticed several flaws in my approach, most glaringly getting caught up in my own head and choosing a defensive posture that put me at a disadvantage. That being said, I had responded well to the heavy hits and appreciated the practice with a shield. However, I had to admit that I¡¯s gotten lucky when Jack had assumed that he would have an advantage grappling; while there were micro-adjustments that I could make in that regard, I had spent more time practicing grappling back home than I ever had with the sword. My gift had made me a quick learner. It wasn¡¯t exactly knightly combat, but all the pratice rolling around in the dirt with other boys and my father had given me my chance to defeat Jack. I reminded myself of another quote from the myriad warmongers. ¡°Those who cannot thrive in the mud/mire will never rise above it.¡± Moving on, I watched my blade dig into Jack¡¯s ankles and then bounce off. I replayed the moment in my head again and again and again. From what I could see, there was either a limit to how many hits he could take, or the shielding was limited to his lower body. There could be other factors, but the latter seemed most likely. Knowing that I only had so much time, I moved on to strategizing for the next match. From what I had heard, Brad had won his first two fights and, judging by what I was seeing, was about to win his third. The day before, Brad had been part of a hunting party, so my guess was that he was fast and had good perception. Taking that into account along with his choice of weapons, I decided that I would use a more balanced approach. I would let him make the first move, looking for an opportunity to turn the tide in a critical moment. I ran through several simulations in my mind, thinking through the different tactics that the book from my childhood would have recommended. Then a hand on my shoulder shook me from my meditation; opening my eyes, I saw that it was Brad. He grinned and held out his hand. ¡°Hey man, I heard you¡¯ve had some good fights. Did you win your last one as well?¡± I nodded. ¡°So far the fights have been pretty easy, except for Jack, who gave me a good challenge. How about you? I heard that your first two fights went well.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Three wins. The last one proved to be the hardest, but I managed.¡± Still shaking his hand, I looked him in the eyes, ¡°Brad, can we agree that regardless of how the fight goes, we¡¯re still going to have each other''s back?¡± I knew it was a little sappy, but I felt Brad would be a good friend and didn''t want to risk blowing it so soon. He looked at me grimly, ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see¡­.¡± He choked out before bursting into laughter. ¡°Dude, you should see your face! Did you think I was serious? Come on, man, lighten up. Of course, we will still be cool after the fight.¡± I can''t believe I fell for that¡­ I grimaced, ¡°Nice man, real nice.¡± Our instructor¡¯s shout interrupted our bantering, and we both got to our feet, making our way to our positions. Sophia started her familiar countdown, and I closed my eyes one final time. Chapter 6 Crack! My arm throbbed as I hastily blocked Derek''s first attack on my shield. With hardly any notice, he had himself launched at me with abandon. Even with the extra moments my gift afforded me, I found myself barely able to match his pace. Derek fought with extreme aggression, but he was calm and collected; his blows rained down on me, thunderous clangs ringing out as I blocked each one with my shield. I stabbed forward at every opening that I found, but opportunities were few. As the battle raged, I scored two shallow cuts, one on the left side of his chest just after blocking a brutal diagonal slash and another on the back of his calf after a particularly well-timed dodge. Derek had yet to draw blood, but my arm was numb from blocking his swings, and he was forcing me to maintain a defensive posture. We continued trading blows for several minutes, which felt like an hour considering the amount of focus and ongoing strain required to keep up with each other''s deadly pace. There were occasional gasps and encouraging shouts from our spectators, but I could hardly hear them through the ringing of metal against metal and the internal directions I gave myself. Duck! Block left! Jab! Step back! Soon, my arms were coated with sweat and dirt that had been kicked up from the dusty ground. My hands ached from the blisters that had formed throughout the day. Each block strained my body, and each offensive maneuver wore at my endurance. Nonetheless, I kept a calm and determined facade, knowing that the psychological battle was just as important as the physical. A powerful blow pushed the edge of my shield into my scalp. I felt a warm liquid that I assumed was blood stream down my forehead annoyingly close to my left eye. I did my best to shake it off, blinking away the irritation. Whatever injuries I sustained, I would be healed afterward. This wasn''t a test of perfection. It was a test of ingenuity, adaptability, and endurance. In truth, I was rather pleased with the battle. There really was something thrilling about pushing to the edge of my strength. I had to fight for every advantage, strain for the upper hand, and persevere against the relentless fury of my opponent. But as the fight wore on, it was almost as if Derek''s movements became quicker and sharper as mine slowed. It was becoming harder and harder to find chances to counterattack. I had scored a few more glancing blows, but they were mild annoyances at best. The fight was going to come down to one deciding attack, and I was becoming less and less capable of landing the kind of strike that would bring the battle to its end. All the while, Derek maintained a cool, collected visage. My heart thumped in my chest like hooves pounding the ground in an all-out sprint. Worry began to creep into my mind. Was that going to lose this battle? The momentary distraction caused an opening in my defense. Like a serpent, Derek lunged forward, sensing weakness, his sword hungry for blood. With great effort, I managed to throw myself to the side, taking only a shallow cut on my shoulder. Just like that, I was stirred from my stupor, berating myself for becoming distracted in the heat of battle. I redoubled my focus, realizing that any chance I had would only come if I managed to get back on the offensive. Taking a risk, I lunged forward even as Derek swung down on my shield. Sensing that my blade would reach him first, Derek managed to change his momentum and step to the side before regaining his balance. I grinned; though I missed, I had forced him to take a defensive stance for the first time. Derek didn''t have a shield. If I forced him to defend, he wouldn''t be able to attack. It was clear to me that Derek had relied on a good offense to avoid the consequences of wielding a two-handed weapon defensively. Derek had reach, momentum, and offensive capabilities that any shield wielder would envy. But what he didn''t have was flexibility. He couldn''t attack and defend at the same time. Without hesitating, I charged, swinging my short sword in a wide arc toward my opponent''s left shoulder; as anticipated, he raised his own sword at an angle to block. Then, with a shout, I pivoted, shifting my weight, stopping my sword short, and stepping forward with my right foot. I felt the air shift as my opponent''s sizeable sword passed by me in a hasty counter-attack, moving through the space where my sword had been. Too slow. A look of bewilderment entered Derek''s eyes just before I slammed the edge of my shield into his face. The blow crashed onto Derek''s head, causing him to reel and fall onto his back. Knowing that I only had a moment before he would be back on his feet, I sprang into action and thrust my sword into his rib cage. Pulling out the sword, I went for another strike when I heard our instructor''s voice pierce the clearing. "That''s enough!" she yelled with enough force to stay my hand. That''s when I realized my sword had been heading straight for Derek''s throat. I jumped back, grim satisfaction forming on my face. My heart was racing so fast that I could barely catch my own thoughts over the sound of blood pumping in my ears. I sunk to the ground, unsteadied by the bloodlust that had clouded my judgment. Master Jin, the Healer, was already by Derek''s side when I opened my eyes. Sophia held her hand out, offering to help me up. She looked at me with knowing eyes, but didn''t seem particularly concerned. Something about that calmed me. The inner voice that bayed for blood was gone. It had been replaced with one of accusation. I had won, yes, but I had let my control slip¡ªand not just my control. My conscience. Sophia''s nonchalant reaction took some of the validity from that second voice, but it did not fade out. Not entirely. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "That was excellently done, Steven." She squeezed my hand. "Don''t beat yourself up too much; every warrior experiences the thrill of battle. The task of a knight is to rule the heart with the mind." I nodded before quickly adding, "Yes, ma''am. Thank you." Then she lifted my hand yelled, "Steven is your new monarch; if you wish to challenge his claim, now is your opportunity." I did my best to keep my jaw from hanging open in surprise. I felt exhausted, and now she was saying that someone could come and rechallenge me. Donning a mask of fierce resolve, I stared into the eyes of peer after peer, daring them to step forward. My eyes landed on Kate as she stood, and for a moment, it looked like she would call my bluff, but after watching me for a few seconds, she nodded, and settled back without a word. "Well, it seems like you have thoroughly scared off the competition, Steven. Not that I''m too surprised after that last match." Turning to the rest of the crowd, she presented me to them once again, this time as their monarch. The placement was now final, and any further challenges would constitute treason. The pressure of the day began to lift as I considered what to do next. Up to that point, I had kept my focus solely on the battles ahead. Now I had to shift perspective to strategies both political and social, alongside a practical plan to overtake the other nations. "Everyone, if I could have your attention¡­" Sophia began again. "Now that everyone has competed, it is time to determine your class hierarchy. Steven will be your monarch until the next tournament, set at the end of this year. As the monarch, he will be given special privileges, along with duties and responsibilities that will weigh heavy on his shoulders. His ability to bear them well will largely decide your fate as a nation. Help him shoulder the burden, and you will do well. His first duty is to set the direction of the class, serving as the general in any class-to-class skirmishes, and planning your strategy for success in the tournament. As for the lords, only two students held a record of four wins throughout the day: Kate and Derek. Lords will instruct their assigned knights, carry out orders from the monarch, provide him with counsel, and manage various practical functions of your simulated country. Four knights will be appointed, and as of this moment, five of you had three wins throughout the day. In order to settle the appointments, we will have several duels between the lot of you. Could the five contenders for knighthood please step forward?" Several people made their way through the crowd to stand in the center of the clearing. I was pleased to see that I recognized them all¡ª Duck, Jack, Liz, Brad, and Mira. Seeing Brad, an idea began to form in my mind. It was common knowledge that a single faithful ally had served our monarch and several lords closely throughout our nation''s history. These men were often referred to as armorbearers, and their primary responsibility was to serve as the companion and confidant of the lord or monarch. Not wanting to waste any time, I decided to voice my thoughts. "If I may, instructor¡­" Sarah looked at me and nodded. "Yes, Steven?" "In the history of Meritas, it is common for leaders to call a trusted companion to their side¡ªa confidante with his monarch''s blessing. Would this be appropriate for our purposes?" I asked. She looked at me thoughtfully, a spark of appreciation in her eyes. "You know the histories well, King Steven." I smiled at the title, even if it was mine only in the tournament. "That would indeed be appropriate," Sarah continued. "Who do you have in mind?" "If he is willing, I would call Brad to be my armorbearer.". Both of us turned our attention to Brad. "Well, Brad. Will you bear the King''s burdens by his side" Sarah asked. "I don''t know¡­" Brad began thoughtfully, a grin forming on his face, before more seriously adding, "I would be honored to be the friend of the king." "Very good." Sophia declared. "With that settled, the rest of the five are now your new knights. King Steven, I give you Sir Jack, Sir Duck, Sir Mira, and Sir Liz. The role of a knight is to lead individual squadrons into battle during times of war and to manage assigned regions in the country when off of the battlefield. These responsibilities will be determined by Steven and his lords in the days to come." She paused and took a good look at us before moving on. "As for the rest of you, you will serve as soldiers under the leadership of your assigned knights, under the command of your lords, and under the rule of your king. Remember that this school is a military academy. You are being prepared to serve in the country''s military. Achieving status in the hierarchy may have its advantages now, but each of you will have to prove your merit in leadership and battle prowess if you want to rise higher int he ranks of the real army down the road." With that, our instructor started making her way back toward the wagon before pausing and turning around, as if she''d remembered something important. "Oh, and I will need all of your weapons back. Until you manage to make your own, you will be supplied with simple weapons like these only in simulated war efforts. Now I take my leave. I will see you again in three days'' time. Direct any questions to your monarch, and, if he wishes, your lords. They are your commanders now." I frowned; I hadn''t been given any more information than the rest of the group. I felt the mantle of leadership settle heavy on my shoulders then. I turned to my lords, and saw the same realization in their eyes. Responsibility rested on us now. There was no turning back. Good, I thought as I looked around at my new soldiers and grinned; I doubted they had any idea what I had in store for them. Chapter 7 We all stood and watched as the wagon carried our instructor and Master Jin away. Slowly everyone turned their attention to me, waiting for me to give them direction. Despite the heavy contests and training, it was only midday. I took a moment and let my eyes wander, looking at each cadet individually. For some reason, I was hesitant to begin; the weight of leadership was beginning to make itself known. I am responsible for their lives, I thought as I looked at each of them in turn. I desired to do right by them; I wanted each of them by my side on the battlefield when it came time to fight for Almira. At the military academy, as long as they performed well in the tournament, trainees would attend for two years. In the end, the class with the best standing would be eligible for training to become members of the Royal Order¡ªknights in both name and creed. This elite program made up the dreams of many. Familiar conviction gripped me. I felt it strengthening my resolve. We would make it to Knight School , and I would be see us there. I quickly gathered my wits and shouted out to those before me. "Everyone gather ¡®round! We don¡¯t have much time before we face our next challenge. I suspect that in three days we''ll have an opportunity to measure ourselves against the other classes. In short, we have just over two days to secure an advantage over our opponents.¡± I saw grave faces nodding in the crowd. The weight of responsibility wasn¡¯t for my shoulders alone. Each cadet here wanted to test themselves against their opponents and prove their worth. Expectations were high, and the only acceptable outcome was victory. Seeing I had everyone¡¯s attention, I forged ahead. ¡°We have three goals. Become a cohesive, well-coordinated unit, streamline our camp¡¯s development, and prepare for war. To that end, mandatory physical training starts tomorrow morning. No exceptions.¡± I glanced toward my lords and knights. They nodded, though I noticed some reluctance on the part of Jack. ¡°Everyone will be assigned tasks for day to day necessities, from cooking and hunting to building and gathering water. Finally, for the next two evenings, we will form into squads and practice fighting in individual units. That being said, I think we can all agree we¡¯ve had our practice for the day. Lords will pick their squads, assign duties, and begin training for coordination as a unit. I don¡¯t expect perfection¡ªyet. But I do expect camaraderie. Take the rest of the day to get to know each other, meet those in your squad, and enjoy some good food and rest. There will be little of the latter until we reach day three." A mixture of emotions played across the faces of my new countrymen; some of them bore intense expressions, hungry for battle. Others looked relieved at the news of a short respite. Still others managed to look as excited as I felt. I allowed them to murmur for a moment before raising my hand for silence. "Before we move on, this is how we will be forming into squads. Each knight will be assigned primary objectives and take on three soldiers who excel in the skill sets necessary to accomplish them. Liz will be in charge of building and crafting, Mira will lead the hunting and scouting efforts, Duck will manage food production and preparation, and Jack will lead our team of laborers in charge of stockpiling resources and expanding territory. Before the day is over, I expect each of you to seek out the leader you wish to serve under. They will judge if you are fit to join their squad. With that, you are all released to start the feast and to seek out your new comrades." A spontaneous cheer erupted from my men¡¯s ranks at the prospect of good food after a hard day¡¯s work. I motioned for Derek, Kate, and Brad to remain at my side while the rest headed back to camp. I turned my attention to my lords and squire with a confidence I didn¡¯t feel, but knew they needed. Stability was key. My men needed to trust their king, and that meant trusting those I put in place to lead them. My lords needed to know they could count on me¡ªneeded to know I was as sturdy as an ancient oak. If their confidence in me slipped, so too would the knights and soldiers. "Lords, and squire¡± I began with a nod of respect, ¡°your schedules will look a bit different. How competent are your reading and writing skills?" They looked at me, confused. Kate was the first to speak. "I can read a few basic words, but I''ve never learned how to write." "Sounds like I''m drinking from the same tankard," Brad piped up. I nodded, expecting as much. I turned to Derek, raising my eyebrows in question. He looked almost embarrassed when he replied, "I was taught how to read and write at a passable proficiency." That''s a pleasant surprise. I smiled at him. "That''s great to hear; that will save us some time." Turning to the other two, I grinned, "It''s your lucky day; you have been accepted into the accelerated reading program! Over the next few weeks, I will give you lessons, and you will take every free moment to practice reading and writing." They looked back at me with wide eyes as it dawned on them what I was saying. "Steven, I hardly want to turn away such a precious gift, but I have to ask, why would you take the time to teach us something so high above our station?" Brad asked. "If a soldier waits until being enlisted to learn to wield a sword, his execution will be swift. If a king waits until he is enthroned to study statecraft, then he will quickly be proven a fool. On the other hand, everyone desires to be led by a wise King and rejoices when they come to power. And every soldier who is a master of his craft becomes a champion to his allies and a powerful tool to his leaders. In two years'' time, you won''t be simple soldiers. If I have my way, our class will be accepted into elite training, and we will all be thrust into a world beyond our station. That is where you come in. We have a whole class that will need teaching in literacy as well as other subjects, and you will be their teachers." All three of them gaped at me. I stood my ground, not a flicker of doubt crossing my face. Eventually, they each kneeled one by one. "May it be as you have spoken," they said in unison, as was the custom in our nation when receiving a blessing. The mantle of responsibility that I carried didn''t lift, but perhaps it grew lighter as I looked at the three in front of me. We had a mountain to climb, but I wouldn¡¯t be climbing alone. I dismissed my inner circle to confirm the squads their knights had chosen and join the festivities, promising to accompany them soon. I let out a breath I hadn¡¯t realized I¡¯d been holding as they walked away. Dealing with people had never been my forte. All the reading I had done on leadership hadn¡¯t nearly prepared me for the real thing. Books had always given me tools, but it was my duty to learn how to use them. Deciding that I would take some time for myself, I wandered to the edge of camp and sat at the base of a large tree just out of sight. Ah¡­ Alone at last, I mused. Knowing how easy it was to lose track of your objectives amid the daily grind, I sat and reflected on my goals and vision for my time at the academy. "Steven! Are you okay? The food is ready!" It took me a moment to resurface from my thoughts. As my mind broke back into the physical world, I realized that I must have been meditating for a while. Someone had shouted for me¡­ "On my way," I replied, somehow managing to keep surprise from my voice. Sometimes it felt like I slipped into another world when I closed my eyes. I attributed it to my gift, though it may have been my mind playing tricks on me. Regardless, every once in a while, it felt like time stood completely still. It could only have been an hour or so since I had sat down at the base of the tree, but it felt like I had spent half a day planning out the development of our nation. Somewhere in the process, inspiration had struck. I realized that I had been thinking of this all as a game¡ªtwo years to prove myself and hopefully earn a spot in a higher-level training program. It was all just a simulation that I needed to solve. But now, that felt so childish, so small. We were no longer kids trying to make a name for ourselves at an academy; we were on the front lines. My goals had shifted. I would ensure that the efforts I gave in these two short years would leave a legacy¡ªone that would change the landscape forever. I wouldn¡¯t just win the games. I would dominate them. "Hey man, are you coming or not?" Brad called out to me. "Sorry, Brad, yeah, I am coming." I acquiesced. I already knew I would spend many sleepless nights preparing my mind for the challenges laid before me. With that in mind, there was no point in stealing from what little daytime I had left. There were benefits to living in the present. I rose and made my way to the rest of the class, Brad by my side. That''s when the smell hit me, and I realized that I was starving. I must have begun drooling because Kate ran over to me with a bunch of meat and boiled roots piled high on a slab of wood. She looked mildly concerned. "Are you okay, Steven? You disappeared for a while, and now you look like a hungry beast." She broke into a smile as she spoke, and I couldn¡¯t help but offer my own in return. "Come on, let''s go sit down and eat together." We had a pleasant evening, and I took the opportunity to learn more about my new comrades. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Duck grew up as a farmer, and was well suited to the role I had placed him in. I had already known that the other knights were fit for their rules, but he was more of a guess. I was also relieved to find out that it had taken little time for each of the squads to form, and though there were a few overlapping skill sets, the knights assured me that everyone in their squad was satisfied with their placement, and their Lords were confident that each squad would be capable of performing their duties. It felt good to sit together under the forest canopy, the smell of wood smoke filling the air, joining with the scent of rendered fat and charred mushrooms. It almost covered the smell of sweat and rank body odor that we had accumulated throughout the day. But even that wretched smell was one born of hard work, and there would be much more to comeThis story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. After a couple of hours, the shadows began to lengthen, and the air picked up a chill. Everyone had slowly moved closer to the substantial fire we had made in the center of the camp. There was a sense of camaraderie and anticipation fresh in the air. I stood and made my way to the front of the group, flames at my back, throwing shadows across the faces of those closest as I strode around the fire. "Everyone, well done today,¡± I began, a note of pride in my voice. ¡°There is much ahead of us¡ªmany achievements to claim, battles to fight, and great conquests that we¡¯ll tell tales of for years to come. Today is the beginning of a time you will remember for the rest of your lives. So I urge you, don''t despise our humble beginning. One day we will look back and wonder at how we came so far." I paused and let my words sink in. Some faces nodded in the firelight, others appeared serious and stern, still others dared to smile in the face of the task before us. Satisfied that I had my men¡¯s full attention, I continued. "As you all know, every other class is competing for the same prize. Each nation wants nothing less than to graduate from this academy and step into the military. But few have risked hoping for something more. As kids, we heard whispers of the fortunate few who were accepted into the Elite Training School. Many of us were laughed at for daring to reach for such a high position in the great nation of Almira, but today I do not come to you with mockery or malice. I come with hunger, ambition, and the will to fight for what is ours. If we choose, that dream that was once a childhood fantasy can become a reality. Two years. Two years is all it will take. And if you give everything you have, and everything you are, you will not regret it two years hence. But if you do not¡­¡± I let silence fill the air for a few short seconds. ¡°Then you will regret it for the rest of your life. That being said, it will take everything that we have, and more than we knew we had, to claim our prize. And it is with this vision in mind that I call upon you all today. If you are willing to give everything you have, you can achieve more than you ever dreamed. I know many of you are here hoping to become officers, just trying to make it through the Academy so you can make your nation proud. You¡¯ll find a post in the army at the end of all this, and that will be enough.¡± I paused, noting several nods from the audience before continuing with a shout. ¡°But that is not enough for me!¡± A murmur swept through the crowd. ¡°Nor is it enough for you. Perhaps a few of you aspire for more¡ªthe Elite Training School, and knighthood. Even now it seems more like a fairy tale than a possible reality. But I stand before you today to tell you that I will settle for nothing less! Whether you have the strength in your heart to fight for it or not, I will fight to bring each and every one of you to knighthood. It will take every single one of us pushing past our limits, but I''ve decided that''s the only thing worth aiming for. Are there any among you brave enough to join me?" I''m not sure who started it, but quickly, a shout began to rise, echoing into the night. "MAY IT BE AS YOU HAVE SPOKEN!" "MAY IT BE AS YOU HAVE SPOKEN!" "MAY IT BE AS YOU HAVE SPOKEN!" ~ The following day I woke early; I spent time meditating, planning, and warming myself up. Not long after sunrise, I woke up the rest of the camp. It''s easy to make lofty goals and promises on nights filled with fire in one¡¯s heart and food in one¡¯s belly, , but it''s the next morning that tests one¡¯s resolve. Once everyone had gathered and had an opportunity to splash some water on their faces, I began with the day¡¯s duties. "Good morning, everyone; who is ready to see their promises fulfilled?" Several people responded with eager affirmations, others with bleary-eyed nods. "If you find your motivation lacking, I can promise you one thing at the end of the night. For your sore muscles, you will have good food. For your weary minds, you will have good company. And for your stout hearts, you will have my respect.¡± That seemed to get their attention. I watched as many shook sleep from their eyes, flexed their sore muscles in the morning cold, and prepared their hearts for war. Pride flickered in my own heart. This was a good place to begin. Encouraged, I forged ahead. ¡°Our typical morning routine will include warm-ups and physical fitness training led by myself. Your king will not sit idly by while his men train. Whatever strength you have in your bones, I will match with my own. Now your knights will organize you into pairs, and we will begin with shadowboxing." Everyone quickly organized according to their knight¡¯s commands and set about their task. Once it appeared everyone was sufficiently warmed up, I turned our attention to sprints. Unsurprisingly, Kate outran the best of us by more than I care to admit. However, when we turned to bodyweight exercises for sheer strength, Kate flagged, while Derek and Brad outstripped the rest. We finished our morning exercises with a thorough stretching routine. Surprisingly, Mira was the most flexible among us. Eventually, I gave up leading the stretches and simply passed the role to her. She led us in some of the most intense yet satisfying stretches I had ever experienced. I made a mental note to talk to her about the capabilities of her squad later. After a solid hour of exertion, I excused everyone to clean themselves up while Duck and his Squad prepared breakfast. Soon, everyone was sitting around the fire with a simple meal of the remaining meat from our hunt a couple of days prior. "All right, everybody," I began, "let''s review our priorities for the next two days. First things first, as everyone was made aware this morning, it is a serious trek tothe nearest water source¡ª20 minutes to the stream and back if you''re making good time. In order to address this, Jack and his Squad will be tasked with clearing a path to the stream. The less we need to worry about mundane tasks, and the more efficiently we execute them, the more time we have to prepare for battle. You may have noticed that our stores have run low. Mira and her team will set about hunting and building up our food stock. I expect a heavy surplus.¡± I eyed Mira and her squad. Mira didn¡¯t even blink as I brought my gaze level with hers. I nodded and continued. ¡°With that in mind,we will need a way to preserve our extra stores. I¡¯ve spoken with Duck, and we decided that the easiest way to keep food initially is to craft a smokehouse where we can hang and dry the meat. Liz and her team will start by building the smokehouse, then they will move to crafting a shed. Finally, Duck''s squad will be in charge of foraging for vegetables and processing the meat and pelts that come in from the hunt. They will also ensure our water supply remains steady while the path is being constructed. Any questions?" With no objections raised, I sent each squad on their way and told them that lunch would be just after noon. I assigned Derek to oversee Jack and Mira and had Kate manage Liz and Duck. At this point, though, there wasn''t much supervising for them to do, so I had Derek watch over operations while I began to teach Brad and Kate foundational literacy. The rest of the day went by quickly. Construction of the smokehouse was progressing, the path to the river was nearly complete, and Mira had delivered meat aplenty. We had more than enough food to fill our bellies. After dinner, I gathered everyone in the center of the clearing. Once everyone was assembled, I began to detail our upcoming combat training regimen. "Until further notice, we will have some group combat training every evening after dinner. I know we¡¯re all well-versed in individual combat but we¡¯re also new to group warfare, so it is imperative that we pick it up quickly. Tonight we will start by warming up in our squads, and seeing that we don''t have any weapons, Liz and her team have prepared a selection of simple wooden staffs for us to practice with. Form into squads, and take the next thirty minutes to spar individually among your team. After that, we will stage simple skirmishes between squads. Dismissed!" I made my way over to Kate, Derek, and Brad, and we picked up some staves and began to spar amongst each other as well. It felt good to work up a sweat, even if I''d be covered in bruises. Half an hour later, I had the teams face off against each other in squad-on-squad combat. Until it was dark, probably a good two hours later, we fought in skirmish after skirmish rotating our five groups with one sitting out for rest at a time. As our group had the most capable fighters, we gave each of the other squads a good thrashing, but I figured that was probably for the best. Throughout the night, Jack''s team had the most wins, followed closely by Miras''. When we finally made our way back to the camp, everyone was exhausted and dripping with sweat, so most, if not all of us, marched to the stream and rinsed off in the frigid water. It was a successful day, I mused to myself; if we keep this up, our little campsite might actually start to look like something, not to mention our military strength. Who knows, maybe we will give the other classes a run for their money and whatever event this academy has planned for us. I grinned as I pondered the defeated look the other classes would have when they faced us in battle. I laid in bed for no more than a minute before I was out cold. Another morning came too soon, but I knew I had to set the pace. I jumped out of bed and set about my personal morning ritual. I was pleased when Brad approached me before I had to wake anybody up and offered to raise the troop. Just like the day before, we started with a grueling workout and set about completing the day''s projects. By the time that evening came, Jack and his squad had managed to clear all of the underbrush on the way to the stream, making a rudimentary path. Their next task was clearing out more trees, as we would soon need more wood and space to create more buildings in our clearing. For our military exercises, we practiced more large-scale fighting, so after warm-ups, I had Derek and Kate lead Jack and Mira''s squads against my squads of Liz, Duck, and Brad. We played a war game that I had read about called king of the hill. We made our way into the woods to an elevated area and marked a boundary with small logs, then took turns defending and attacking the position. It was terribly exhausting. Fighting in the trees was challenging; in the first few fights, the attackers struggled more against roots, trees, and underbrush than they did against the defending team. But as the night wore on, we improved. I would have liked to say that my exemplary leadership skills led my company to victory after victory, but of the six battles we fought, we claimed only two and we had to fight tooth and nail just for both of them. As we made our way back to the stream after another long day, I was pleased to see that we no longer looked like a group of strangers. In just four days, we had bonded and now easily laughed together as we shared blood, sweat, and cramped sleeping conditions. The previously unfamiliar forest that had initially greeted me as prey was starting to feel a bit more like home; I was enjoying the smell of the pine needles and the vibrant shades of green. More than anything, though, I was enjoying the fellowship. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by driven individuals who were willing to fight and claw their way up for something more. "Tomorrow is the day that Sophia promised her return,¡± I said as we all gathered in the clearing once more. ¡°After our morning exercise routine, we''ll have a larger than normal breakfast in preparation for her arrival. Get a good night''s rest. Leave your troubles for tomorrow¡ªwe¡¯re bound to have plenty of them. Tonight, we gather our strength." I bid everyone good night and found my little corner in the sleeping shack. I tried to take some time to strategize or imagine different scenarios we might have to work through the following day, but I barely stayed awake long enough to gently lay my head on the ground. Chapter 8 Once again, the morning sprung upon me like a snake uncoiling toward a weary traveler. I woke to the comforting sensation of an elbow digging into my side. I really need to do something about the sleeping arrangements I thought to myself. I keep waking up thinking I''m fighting some kind of enemy, only to realize I''ve been accosted by my own subordinates. And I can¡¯t be the only one. It¡¯s time to improve the sleeping arrangements. Brad rose early once again and soon woke up the whole camp, proving that the day before hadn¡¯t been a fluke. Soon we were working through our morning exercises, spending a little more time stretching and than usual. Everyone was quiet, but there was a spark of excitement in the air, like the whole group was perched attentively on the edge of their seats. Judging from the moaning I''d heard from Kate and Brad, they would be quite relieved to have a day off from studying. Given the lack of access to paper or writing utensils, we tried various replacements, including charcoal and wood, thinly peeled bark, scratching rocks, and a few others. Still, we decided just to scribble in the dirt. From what I could tell, they were progressing, but it was slower going than I''d hoped. I need to have the whole nation literate as soon as possible. When the sound of a horse plodding down our road finally came, we were all standing ready to receive our instructor. She was alone this time¡ªno healer, and no wagon. "Greetings!¡± Sophia began as she brought her steed to a halt. ¡°I come bearing exciting news. Today we marks the beggining of our first internation tournament. The event will be held eight miles away, in a central location between each of the nation¡¯s territories. The tournament begins in one hour.¡± Sophia looked down approvingly at my well-conditioned force and gave me a nod. ¡°I see you come prepared for a sprint. Well done. Now let¡¯s get going." Our first real challenge. I wonder if any of the other nations were caught still sleeping when their instructor showed up with this news. Though we had already run this morning, everyone would still be relatively well-rested and ready to get moving. I had prepared my nation as best I could. Now it was time to test their metal. Sophia turned her horse around and started trotting back down the road, yelling out over her shoulder, "Do your best to keep up; I don''t plan on slowing my pace!" After several minutes of running, we broke out of the forest into some open country, but instead of continuing on the road that would lead back to the academy staging grounds we veered to the right, working our way around the edge of our territory and eventually heading north. Initially, I hadn''t thought much of the distance or time, but I had assumed we¡¯d be running on the road. Unfortunately, that was not the case. A majority of the run was through open grassland made primarily of thick, knee-high frost grass, and the ground was littered with ankle-twisting potholes. To make matters worse, the weather shifted after our second or third mile, and it began to drizzle. Normally I wouldn''t complain about such mild weather, but the water coated every blade of grass, and within fifteen minutes, our legs were thoroughly drenched. I did my best to stay towards the front of the pack along with a few other stronger runners in order to mat down the grass for those struggling behind. After no small amount of effort, we made it to the entrance of another forest that appeared to span several square miles. Sophia informed us, to our relief, that we had only a half mile left. Invigorated by the news,I called out orders to my nation, and we eagerly picked up the pace. After running through the woods, we came to a massive clearing where just two other nationes were waiting. Judging by the amount of them that were bent over or lying on the wet ground, They must have just arrived. Good. We¡¯re one of the first. The clearing appeared to be a near-perfect circle cut into the woods, containing a single raised platform in the center. Sophia led us to an open area and told us that we had arrived early and had about 10 minutes to rest before the event started. To my disappointment, she informed me that she could answer no questions prior to that time. I looked around at my nation, planning to get everyone together to strategize and reconnect before the event. That being said, it was clear that almost everyone was still recovering from the march and would benefit from a few minutes of rest. I noted that Mira and one of the guys from her squad looked a lot better off than the rest of us, and not surprisingly, Derek didn''t look much worse for wear, either. Over the next ten minutes, the other nations arrived in the clearing. In total, I counted thirteen. A man in a military uniform appeared on the platform and cleared his throat at an unnaturally loud volume. "Ahem. All students at attention!" he bellowed. The uniformed man was large, and looked as sturdy as a tree¡ªbut not nearly as pleasant. His features shouted, "Test me, see what happens!" and all of the nationes shifted haphazardly as we gave our best attempt at a salute. His brow creased in frustration, and he looked ready to go off on us, but relaxed a bit when three more scholarly figures joined him on the stage. The trio wore fancier uniforms that looked more fitting for a school setting than actual combat. Of the three, the one woman among them had several extra markings on her uniform, which I assumed translated to a higher rank. To further my hypothesis, the other two were a good step behind her. They looked like they knew their place. After taking a moment to calm his anger, the military man continued his speech. "As I said, we will now start with the first official inter-nation tournament of the year. As you can see, only 15 of the 20 nations are present. Every aspect of your time at the academy is measured and taken into account; Five nations failed to arrive at the event ground before the starting time and have therefore forfeited their participation." There were a few whispers of surprise, but most of the trainees I could see were nodding in understanding or simply appeared uninterested.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "Now, I will turn over the podium to the year one overseers who are in charge of nation tournaments and the academic studies of first-year students at the academy.¡± With that, he stepped back and allowed the medal-wearing woman to take center stage. "Welcome, students! My name is Leanna, lord of ____. I will be presiding over all first-year students and acting as the general overseer for tournaments and inter-nation events." A real lord, I thought. That means she¡¯s one of the country''s elites, whose influence ranks second only to the king. I shivered as I realized the power that the woman before me held. "The first tournament,¡± Leanna continued, ¡°will be a war game¡ª Capture the King. Each nation will be assigned a defensive location in small clearings throughout the forest, tasked with eliminating enemy kings while simultaneously defending their own. The team with the most captures without losing their king wins. As for the fun part, rewards will be given to the top-ranking teams in addition to priority boon choices. There are two rules you will abide by. You must stay in the forest and aim to maim, not to kill. The academy Healers will be scattered throughout the woods to bring you back from the brink of death, but I''m afraid we have no power over the grave, so fight like your life depends on it." Another one of the overseers stepped forward while the rest of those on stage started making their way out into the clearing. "We will now be assigning your starting placements; an instructor will soon make their way to you and guide you to your defensive location. The tournament will begin in twenty minutes'' time." Our nation gathered together and started looking for the instructor who would guide us to our post. It wasn¡¯t long before a younger-looking man who introduced himself as John informed us that he was our assigned instructor before promptly turning and running into the woods. It took us a moment to realize that we were supposed to follow him, but we kept pace well enough. As it turned out, the defensive position was a simple mudwalled hovel in the center of a small circular clearing. The trees around the clearing were more spaced out than in our own territory, and the forest had far less brush; I figured that made sense given how time-intensive it would be to traverse dense woods. This tournament wouldn¡¯t be a siege, it would be a slaughter. As soon as we were all gathered, John began to explain our next steps. "For this exercise, your Monarch is required to stay within the hut for the duration of the tournament. Should they leave, it will count as an immediate forfeit. Your Monarch is considered captured if they surrender, are disabled, or are killed. Once a monarch is defeated, the rest of the nation will be told to stand down by one of the instructors. The event will officially begin when you hear a long blast of a horn. You have ten minutes. Good luck." Without another word, John turned and ran off into the woods. I took the reins immediately. "All right, everyone,¡± I yelled into the still, summer air. ¡°Let''s talk strategy. I propose that we keep back a small, skilled portion of our team to defend and send out a larger force to raise the enemy camps. Any objections?" seeing that nobody had anything to say, I continued, "I will have Derek and Jack''s squad stay with me while Kate leads the other squads in the war party." Kate smiled, apparently pleased with her assignment, then she spoke. "I have an idea." "Go on," I replied. "The primary goal is to dethrone the enemy kings. However, that can be accomplished in various ways. The easiest will likely be to force the king to leave their hut." "Agreed. what are you suggesting?" "To avoid wasting time-fighting the enemy, we could smoke out the king by burning vegetation and pine tar." "Not bad,¡± I replied with a nod of approval. ¡°But how do you plan to start the fires?" Kate frowned. ¡°Well, I¡ª¡± "That won''t be a problem!" An unfamiliar voice piped up. One of Duck''s soldiers introduced himself as George and stepped forward. "Well, George, what is your solution?" I asked. "Well, Mr. Steven, sir¡­." he managed to get out. I nodded encouragingly. "Well, you see, I have a gift that lets me create sparks. It¡¯s nothing much, but with the right materials, I could start a fire quite quickly." My eyes lit up at the revelation that we had another gifted member in our nation; a few days ago, I had only met a handful of people who openly shared their gifts. But this was our nation now. Clearly, my men were beginning to trust their leaders. They¡¯d seen what my preparation had yielded¡ªan extra ten minutes of rest after the march didn¡¯t seem like much, but it was a significant advantage, and my soldiers were smart enough to recognize it. Thanks to XYZ (relationship-building scenes/exercises that we may add in earlier chapters) they were beginning to recognize the nation not just as mine, but as their own. "Well, George, it sounds like you''re going to be busy today," I said with a knowing smile. "Kate, good thinking. I''m sure we can catch at least a few camps off guard. I have a feeling this tournament will have a rapid conclusion, so I suggest we spend as little time as possible in each camp. Does everyone know what they''re supposed to do?" I looked around and was pleased to see that everyone was already readying themselves and required no further instruction. I gave final parting words to Kate and made my way into my new abode, joined by Derek alongside Jack''s squad. Over the last couple of days, I had taken the opportunity to spar against Jack and his team. They were the best we had in weapons combat. His team was made up of Matt, Lucy, and Roy. Jack and Lucy were your typical heavy hitters¡ªsoldiers you didn''t want to engage with on a level playing ground. They both wielded two-handed swords, and I had personally been on the receiving side of Jack''s inhuman strength. Matt and Roy, on the other hand, looked to be the more dexterous types, favoring quicker skilled movements that complimented the strength of their larger teammates. Derek, of course, was a force of his own. I highly doubted anyone would be getting past him and his squad. I myself fit into the more quick and skilled fighting style, preferring intelligent tactics over overwhelming force. With all ____ of us in the hut, we weren''t left with a whole lot of extra space. It was dark and hot with all of us crammed inside. We decided to have all the defenders stay in the hut to limit the number of people we''d have to engage at once, considering how few people we had left at the camp. I sat furthest away from the entrance and began to meditate. My fighting skills wouldn¡¯t decide this tournament¡ªperhaps wouldn¡¯t even influence it¡ªbut my mind could. In truth, I found it quite frustrating not being able to fight, but I knew that the king''s role in a battle was to govern and direct the rest of the troops, especially when said king¡¯s capture would bring an end to any chances of our winning the tournament. Derek stood directly in front of me and would deal with any attacker that made it past the front line. Jack paired off with Matt on either side of the entryway, and Lucy and Roy were ready to switch places with the first pair as soon as they were needed. All of our internal processing came to a halt as a long, loud horn sounded in the distance. The battle had begun. Chapter 9 We waited in silence, only occasionally adjusting our hold on our weapons or shifting the weight on our feet. After a long ten minutes, we heard the sound of a twig snapping, and we all held our breath. Listening closely, I heard muffled whispering and footsteps slowly making their way into the clearing. I made eye contact with each of my brothers-in-arms. We readied ourselves for the fight. "Where is everyone? Is this another empty camp? Someone spoke up near the hut.¡± I smiled; I''d forgotten about the five classes that hadn''t made it to the event on time. Apparently, their huts were left empty, making our strategy even sweeter. "Shut up! We haven''t cleared the hut yet," another attacker hissed. The footsteps drew nearer. Finally, they reached our doorstep. We had the advantage within the dark confines of our hut. The attackers would have to let their eyes adjust before battle. We wouldn¡¯t give them that chance. The first soldier walked a whole two steps into the hut before Jack grabbed him from behind, holding his hand over his mouth while Matt slashed him across the back. The poor guy''s eyes widened when he realized his mistake, and he struggled in vain against Jack''s hold on him. Derek stepped forward and smashed his shield into the man¡¯s head, promptly knocking him out cold. We pushed the body to the side and got ready for the next attacker. It was almost funny how well our little charade worked. It wasn''t until the third guy disappeared that our enemy realized something was wrong. Several soldiers began to gather outside the door, trying to peer into the hut''s interior. "Someone must be in there," a voice said hesitantly, "let''s send in a squad. But be careful. Could be a trap.¡± To their credit, the soldiers they chose to send in were no pushovers. The first was a guy almost the size of Jack wielding a sword and shield, joined by a couple of brutes wielding two-handed swords. In the end, the extra numbers didn''t help them. With no need for stealth, our two duos made quick work of the two-handed opponents while Derek dispatched the big guy. The bodies were getting to be a bother in the small space, so we tossed them out through the door one after the other for the healers to tend to. The remaining attackers seemed to take umbridge at our victory, and the rest of them charged into the hut, stepping around the pile of their unconscious countrymen in the process. Their frustration only amounted to so much. They were inferior fighters compared to the last batch and were quickly eliminated. In total, the group had attacked with ten people. Thankfully, neither their tactics nor personnel were impressive. We eliminated the threat with just a few minor scrapes and bruises to show for it. After a couple of minutes, a tall figure appeared out of nowhere by the door, causing us all to jump to our feet. The lady turned to us and smiled. "Don''t worry. I¡¯m one of the instructors assigned to keep an eye on your camp. We will be taking these trainees away for healing now. Keep up the good work." I was glad for the swift response from the instructors. You only really think about how inconvenient a pile of bodies is once you have one at your doorstep. After the initial excitement of the first confrontation, the waiting began to wear on us. Here and there, we would hear a twig snap and a rustling of leaves, only to conclude that it must have been animals. It wasn''t until thirty minutes later that we heard the familiar sound of footsteps. This time, there was no whispering or other easily recognizable noise; whoever it was was serious. We quietly readied ourselves and stood completely still as we watched a shadow slowly appear outside the door, followed by another, and yet another. There must have been a good ten-plus enemies hovering outside the door. They clearly had a plan. All at once, without any fanfare, they rushed inside. Loud clangs of metal against metal broke the silence. Soldiers gasped as metal found flesh. From my position in the back of the room, I could barely see what was happening, especially with the only light coming from the doorway. Derek was engaged with a small but apt opponent who was giving him a run for his money, and I could see Jack''s head bobbing left and right as he swung his sword. Forsaking my meditation, I joined the fray, remaining cautious, and only taking opportunities that presented themselves, refusing to over-commit. I flanked Derek''s opponent and was able to stab him in the side, letting Derek incapacitate him before moving on to help my other men. I noticed that Lucy was injured, sitting with her back against the wall, and Roy was fighting desperately to stave off two opponents at once. I moved in without a second thought, making quick work of the two who weren''t expecting to be attacked from behind. Rallying, Derek, Roy and I joined Jack and delivered the final blows to the last straggling opponents. I surveyed the aftermath of the battle with satisfaction. Sending out the middle-weights to attack was the most basic strategy available to most of the nations, as most would reserve their heavy hitters for defense of the king. But that meant attacking forces were nearly always at a disadvantage, as long as the effect of overwhelming numbers could be countered, which our dark stronghold strategy accomplished quite nicely. But as I helped my men throw out the unconscious bodies of our foes, something pricked at the back of my mind. "Where''s Matt?" I asked, looking around. I looked to Jack, who only responded by pointing to a body in the corner. I ran over and found that Matt was alive, though he had suffered several grave injuries that the healers would have to take care of. The four of us worked together to drag the bodies out into the clearing so that the healers could access them quickly. Then I remembered that Lucy had been injured earlier and went to find her. Stooping down on one knee, I was relieved to see that she was faring better than Matt, but didn''t think she would be much help in the upcoming battles. She had some courage about her though, as she opted to stay, insisting that she could make a difference. Her eyes told me that retreat was not an option. I let her be, more than satisfied with the stalwart hearts of my countrymen. The second fight had been quite a bit more stretching than the previous one; even Derek had suffered some minor cuts and bruises, testifying to the opponents'' skill. I hoped that our decision to send so many people on the offensive was working. If the offensive strategy wasn¡¯t fast enough, we would all fall to exhaustion, blood loss, or enemy swords by the time the tournament was over. We definitely had our work cut out for us. We made ready again, taking our positions and settling in to try to catch a moment¡¯s rest. We wouldn''t be that lucky, though; only a few minutes later, before the healers had even arrived, we heard loud shouting. Someone had found the bodies. "If you want to surrender, now''s your chance! If you''re not out of the hut in the next 30 seconds, we''re coming in for you!" someone shouted angrily. My teammates shared a collective groan as we braced ourselves for battle. I knew that I wouldn''t have the luxury of hanging in the back this time, so I paired off with Derek, and we roared a challenge back at our enemies. "You may as well get on with your vain attempt; we still have other opponents to fight!" I laughed as I heard some grumpy chattering and some less-than-friendly exclamations. They didn''t hesitate after that; a smaller group of eight or so rushed through the door, shouting at a volume that made my ears ring. The loud one that came in first rushed Derek and me, and we were quickly entangled in battle. With only four of us left standing on our feet, bloodied, bruised, and nearing exhaustion, we were tasked with taking down two opponents each. It would be the greatest test of our metal yet. "I need a hand!" I heard Roy shout across the room, and to my frustration, I couldn''t break away from my opponent. Instead, I resolved myself and doubled down on the man before me. I''d already taken down one enemy, but I was having a hard time shaking the second. He was using a sword and shield like me, but he kept dancing around, dodging and blocking my attacks, trying to buy time for his countrymen¡¯s numbers advantage to win them the day. It was a strong strategy. Instead of continuing on the aggressive, I stopped and took a moment to evaluate readying my shield for a defensive. It was hard to make out individual features in the dark room, but my opponent had long hair and was just taller than I was, maybe 5''10. He had a smile on his face and seemed to be enjoying himself, which seemed out of place, until I felt a grin of my own take shape. It was exhilarating, fighting for my life, but even more so, fighting for the lives of those beside me, healers be damned. As my opponent continued to dance around, I finally noticed something I could use to my advantage; every time he landed on his right foot, he winced. It was small, perhaps unnoticeable by most without my gift. For 30 seconds or so, he darted in, swinging his sword and meeting my shield while I waited for the perfect moment to strike. Finally, I lifted my shield to block an overhead strike, and my enemy jumped back, intending to land on his right foot. Knowing that I had only a brief window, I launched myself forward, thrusting straight in a simple but calculated movement. For a short moment, as my opponent landed on his right foot, he had tensed up, ever so briefly dropping his guard, and right at that moment, my sword found its target, sinking into my opponent¡¯s thigh and finally disabling him. I scanned the room, looking to see if Roy had been able to hold. To my dismay, he was down, and Jack was fighting a losing battle against two opponents. Derek was locked into an intense fight, not dissimilar to the one I had just been in, so I quickly turned to help relieve Jack. It seemed like our enemies needed a lesson in simple battlefield awareness because I was able to dispatch them both quickly from behind. One of the first lessons of combat¡ªalways know where the enemy is. After that, Jack and I moved in on Derek''s opponent and made quick work of the final enemy. Though the fighting had ceased, I was tired; my arms ached from holding a shield and swinging a sword, not to mention intercepting the various blows of the opponents. Even worse, the room smelled foul¡ªa mix of sweat and blood made for an utterly unpleasant aroma. Jack looked a bit worse for wear. His shoulders were slumped, and his eyes looked unfocused. I was concerned that he wouldn''t last much longer. Derek was faring better¡ªhe still had that cool, confident look on his face¡ªbut even he was catching his breath. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Without any unnecessary words, we moved all of the disabled opponents into the clearing, finding that the previous bout''s members had already been healed and cleared away. Lucy and Roy would be joining them this time. Courage could make a warrior strong, but it couldn¡¯t mend wounds or renew muscles. Once again, we retired to the hut, and this time, all three of us stayed near the walls, hoping to regain an element of surprise in the next battle. To our relief, we were able to rest for a good 15 minutes before we heard motion again. Once again, we heard whispers and the sound of muffled footsteps approaching our position. Three figures stood about 15 feet outside the doorway, straining their eyes to see into the dark room. "What do you think?" the man on the right asked. "I''m willing to bet there''s at least two of them left in there," the woman in the middle responded, noting the red-smeared dirt. "They won¡¯t be any trouble for us; we took on eight soldiers by ourselves at the last camp," the man on the left said. "They were weaklings. You know as well as I what one capable fighter can accomplish." the woman in the middle countered. The two men nodded gravely. They must have had some understanding because, with that, all three of them made their way toward the opening. For the first time, I felt hesitant. Something about this group gave me pause. There was a weight to their presence that I recognized¡ªthe same weight I felt in Kate, Jack, or Derek. Unbridled confidence, born from a sound knowledge of their own abilities.. This was going to be a heated fight. When the three got to the doorway, they stopped, and I watched as the man on the right reached out his hand and mumbled something. "Agh!" I yelled as my eyes were instantly blinded by an intense light. I heard Derek and Jack cry out as well. I closed my eyes, hoping to make some of the pain go away, and readied myself for battle, holding my shield in front of my vital areas. A woman''s menacing laughter echoed in the small confines of the hut, and I heard Derek gasp, along with the sound of a loud thud. I blinked my eyes hurriedly, finally managing to drive out the blinding light. Somehow the room was totally lit up as if bathed in sunlight, and Derek lay on the floor with a shocked expression painted on his face. Gifted, I thought. Effective combat-related gifts were nearly unheard of, but when they manifested, their power was unquestionable. Various thoughts and stories I''d heard flashed through my mind as I finally scanned the three opponents before me. Deciding that there was no time like the present, I sprinted forward, lashing my sword out at the woman who seemed to be the leader. One of the men stepped in front of her, holding up a shield and seamlessly blocking my attack. Jack engaged with the other man, while the woman seemed content to watch. My opponent was no pushover, forcing me to use every bit of skill I had simply to hold my ground. We exchanged a flurry of blows, and a familiar numbness crept into my shield arm as I blocked slash after slash. Slowly, I began to land shallow cuts on my opponent, forcing him onto the defensive. It seemed Jack was earning his keep, as I noticed the woman had gone to help the other man in his fight. I grinned. That Jack guy needs a promotion. Spurred on by my countryman, I redoubled my efforts and finally landed my first real blow, driving my opponent to their knee. Without hesitation, I used my shield as a crude club and knocked the man over the head, causing him to pass out. Unfortunately, at that same time, I watched Jack fall to the ground, a wound deep in his side. With one glance I knew he wouldn¡¯t be getting up. It was down to me. I looked over my two new opponents; the man was in rough shape, his arms covered in cuts and his shield in tatters¡ªthanks to the overwhelming force of Jack''s strikes. Not wanting to lose my momentum, I lunged forward at the man, hoping to force him out of the battle first and take a one-on-one with his leader. The woman intercepted me with ease, knocking my sword to the ground with her two-handed blade. I grimaced. It didn¡¯t look good, but Jack had proven his worth, as had Derek, Matt, and Louise. I wasn¡¯t going to go down until every last vesture of strength left me. The woman moved forward, aiming a strike at my torso. I positioned my shield to block and soon regretted it. The sword dug into my shield, nearly cutting it in half. How in the world is she that strong? My arm throbbed from receiving such a mighty blow, and I stepped back to quickly unbuckle the shield from my arm. The woman smiled, seemingly content to let me catch my bearings. She knew her prey had nowhere to run. I steadied myself, now armed only with a one-handed sword. My mind raced, searching for a solution; I felt fear creeping into my mind, telling me to give up and accept defeat. "Shut up!" I shouted aloud, causing my two opponents to look at me like I was crazy. With my true enemy, fear, finally out of the way, I delved into my mind, willing myself to find a solution. I felt something calling to me, or maybe I could describe it as instinct leading me down the right path. There was something there, some modicum of power just outside of reach, calling my name, willing for me to approach. In my vision, I saw myself standing at the edge of a cliff. Across the chasm on the other side, there was a door. I couldn''t tell you why, but somehow I knew that if I could get through that door, I would find the strength I needed. My internal adventure was interrupted as the sound of a blade wooshing through the air prompted me to roll to the side in a desperate effort to remain conscious. I scrambled back to my feet, hoping to gain some distance so that I could step back into my mind. Risking it, I closed my eyes and sprinted toward the cliff''s edge. I could sense motion in the hut around me¡ªlikely the woman readying her sword to strike me down¡ªbut thanks to my gift, I had a few extra moments, and with them, I threw myself across the gorge, Pleading to some unknown force that I would make it to the other side. For a moment, I was suspended in the air, hopeful. Then I began to fall. The other side was still too far away. I wasn''t going to make it. How is it that I can¡¯t make it across a chasm in my own mind? My gift is mental dominance; that has to count for something! Something about that thought seemed to affect my mental world, and before I knew it, my hand was grasping the edge of the cliff on the other side of the chasm. Deciding that I could sort through what that meant later, I muscled myself up over the ledge and began sprinting toward the towering set of doors set into ancient rock. I didn''t have much time to take them in, but they looked like they were built functionally, not overly ornate or fanciful, but rather the kind of doors you would never get through without a key, should they be locked. Reaching the monoliths, I grabbed a giant doorknob with both hands, turned, and, to my great relief, the door opened. I was flooded with peace as a refreshing breeze flew through the doorway. I stepped forward, spotting something like a long trail up the side of a mountain before me. The mountain towered into the sky, domineering¨Cemanating potential. It was odd, I could see the mountain in the distance and the trail leading up it, but everything else was shrouded in fog. As I stepped forward onto the trail, the door behind me slammed closed and disappeared. At that moment, I opened my physical eyes and was confused by what I saw; my opponent was moving toward me, sword lifted high over her head, primed to strike. But it was strange; she was moving so slowly that it was almost funny to watch. I went to lift my sword, but found that my arm was also moving in slow motion. My mind raced a thousand miles a minute trying to figure out what was going on, and then it clicked. My mind was literally racing faster than it ever had before. Though I had plenty of time to think, I decided that it would probably be for the best if I focused on the fight at hand. I felt clumsy as I moved my body to intercept the blow. My mind was moving significantly faster than my body, so I was already thinking about the next move I wanted to make, but there was no way my body could respond fast enough to keep up. Finally, I blocked the woman¡¯s sword by deflecting it to my left,then I instantly began my next movement. Since her sword had been deflected toward the ground, her torso was exposed, making a perfect target. I moved closer, hoping to take advantage of my smaller range of attack, and sliced at her dominant arm, attempting to keep her from wielding her weapon properly. To my surprise, her reflexes were fast enough to dodge backward, and I only scored a shallow cut across her right forearm. It seems I need to train my agility. I don''t think I could react nearly as quickly as she just did. I studied my opponent and watched as she lifted her gaze to meet mine; she had a question forming in her eyes and I saw a new intensity burning there. I decided to wait for her to make the next move, ready to make the most out of a hyper-effective counterattack. The woman didn''t disappoint. She hurried forward with what I was sure would be a muscle-draining thrust given her massive sword. The tip of the sword aimed to pierce me right through the chest, but I began to move as soon as she drew back, stepping to the side and raising my sword toward her gut. If she continued forward, she would impale herself with her own momentum. I watched as her eyes went wide and she hurried to halt her forward motion. It was too late. Her sword soared past me, moving past my eyes even as she stepped fully into my sword. The overwhelming battle ended quickly. The whole fight had likely taken five seconds, even though it felt like five whole minutes. Looking past the now fallen warrior, I saw the man that Jack had previously been fighting, his once confident eyes now filled with shock¡ªfilled with fear. I held my sowrd high, pointed toward him in a silent challenge. I must have looked like a battle-crazed demon. The man immediately dropped his weapon and surrendered. Suddenly, the world stopped moving in slow motion and resumed its typical speed, once again causing me to feel awkward in my body. I stumbled around for a moment before finally steadying myself. I had a lot of questions that needed answering, and many experiments to conduct. Remembering where I was, I started moving the bodies of my enemies and comrades into the clearing for the instructors to collect. I still had no clue what had happened to Derek. There wasn''t any apparent injury that would have disabled him, but it seemed like he was stunned, as if paralysis had taken hold of his bones. I would have to ask him later. I made my way back into the hut and sat in the middle of the floor. As much as I liked to think that I could take on a whole team, I would be hard-pressed to take on a single opponent. Whatever gift I had conjured during the fight had left me swaying on my feet, utterly exausted. To my great relief, after a few minutes, a loud horn sounded in the distance, signaling the end of the tournament. I sighed and allowed myself to let down my guard. Before I had much time to wonder what to do next, one of the instructors I had seen earlier in the day came out of the forest and called to me, telling me to follow them. I did so eagerly, excited to see how we had placed in the tournament. After retiring to trek through the forest, we entered the clearing, and the instructor led me over to the rest of my nation. I was pleased to see that my injured teammates were all in good health. The healers had done their work well. My soldiers looked at me apologetically, several of them verbally expressing their frustration in failing to protect me. I assured them that they had all fought valiantly, doing all they could to fulfill their responsibility to their King. There was nothing to be ashamed of. We nhad quite literally fought to the last man. I was more than pleased with my team; every single one of them who had stayed behind had defeated several enemies and proved their merit decisively. Now it was time to find out how our attack strategy had gone. Kate made her way over to me with a big smile on her face. "Steven! I take it you made it to the end?" Kate asked. I nodded, and she continued. "That''s wonderful! We were able to take out several camps of enemies with the smoke-out strategy and only suffered a handful of casualties in the process." I was about to respond when a loud voice rang across the clearing, catching our attention. Chapter 10 "Attention, all students! Make your way toward the stage; we will now announce the results of today''s tournament," Leanna declared. The 15 nations shuffled and made their way to the gathering area. It looked like many had been back at the clearing for quite some time, judging by the number resting on the ground. That, or I was just jealous of how refreshed everyone looked in comparison to my ragged state. I made a mental note to find an unoccupied healer before all this was said and done. Once we were all assembled, the same overseer that had first addressed us earlier in the day took the stage. "Students, first, I want to applaud you all for your efforts in today''s tournament. The scouts have reported some truly exciting events. Feats of great valor and brilliant tactical displays. Do I commend you all? No. Only the truly mighty will reap the rewards. Today''s scoring was determined by two factors: first, the number of kings that your nation captured, and second, the number of individuals that your team successfully defended against. That being said, I will now announce the nation placement for this tournament. Each nation will be addressed by the name of their monarch. If your name is called, come to the stage.¡± The man took in a deep breath, seeming to savor the attention fixed on him. ¡°In third place, we have the nation ruled by Sophia!" There was a roar of applause as a rather short woman made her way toward the stage. The overseer took another long, suspenseful pause. "Determining first place and second place was rather difficult; the scores were so close that it came down to the difference of a single defeated defender. Sometimes, it takes a certain amount of luck to come out on top. So, in second place, we have the nation ruled by Steven, and in first place, we have the nation ruled by Damien." I frowned, disappointed. It was one thing to lose, but it was another to lose because of what the overseer chalked up to luck. If the applause and cheering meant anything, we had something to be proud of, but even so, I had a hard time keeping a smile on my face as I made my way to the podium. "All right, all right," the overseer said, looking to get everyone''s attention again. "Congratulations to our top three nations; from what I¡¯ve heard, each of your teams showed a valiant effort. And special congratulations to you, Damien; winning this first tournament is an important step in your role as a king at the Academy." My sense of disappointment deepened as I heard the overseer''s words. Now we would have to fight our way up from a losing position. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. "As the champion, Damien, is there anything that you would like to share with your peers?" the overseer asked. Damien nodded and made his way to the front of the platform. "Fellow students, I acknowledge that my nation has performed a great feat that is worthy of praise. That being said, I am unwilling to become a champion by default. Therefore, I officially challenge Steven to a one-on-one duel of wits to determine the true champion. Various expressions of shock spread throughout the crowd, and over to the side, I could hear the overseer speaking privately to Damien. "Damien, are you sure that this is the choice you want to make?¡± the overseer pressed. ¡°Once you''ve decided, you cannot go back, regardless of the outcome." Damien affirmed his position and walked over to me, holding out his hand. "Steven! Well met. Would you do me the honor of dueling for the title of champion?" I took Damien¡¯s hand and nodded, stunned by the turn of events, but unwilling to let such a chance slip through my fingers. As the overseer went to discuss the turn of events with the other officials, I made my way to the front of the platform, looking out over the expectant crowd. "I, Steven, formerly accept the challenge to a duel of wits for the title of champion!" I announced. A thunderous roar erupted from the soldiers below, who were clearly looking forward to a good show. The overseer stepped forward to speak. "Due to the unique nature of this tournament''s outcome, the academy approves this official challenge. Therefore, the champion will now be determined by a test of wit. Damien has proposed that the test of wit be a game of Maddosh, which we have deemed an acceptable method." I couldn''t help the wide smile from spreading across my face. The overseer was right when he said that luck sometimes determined the victor. Unless Damien was some sort of super genius, he would stand no chance against me. Maddosh is a game of tactics and grand strategy. There are many similar games, but this one is known for its difficulty and for the many moving parts you have to keep track of at once during the game. In a game of Maddosh, you and your opponent serve as generals of two armies and are presented with a particular scenario, including the terrain, the types of troops that you have available, the movement speed of your battalions, your rations, the types of weapons at your disposal, and more. After a 10-minute study session, where the generals familiarize themselves with their army, they then take turns expending a set amount of command points that allow for the mobilization of troops or the use of resources. These bouts usually last for hours, especially between evenly-matched opponents. That being said, I doubted that Damian would match my level of skill. I''d spent much of my free time as a kid studying strategy and tactics, often playing Maddosh against myself or anyone willing to challenge me. With my near-perfect memory, I could recall any of the strategies and tactics that I had read or used in the past, not to mention my ability to easily manage the ongoing details of the game in a way no other opponent I had faced could. The overseer, who had introduced herself as Lord Leanna, led Damian and me to a newly erected table not far from the podium. The instructors were already setting up the scenario for our game of Maddosh. Sitting at my side of the table, I listened as the overseer laid out the rules of the game for any in the crowd who didn¡¯t know and began to explain the scenario. The scenario was funny; essentially, it amounted to me having to overcome insurmountable odds against an enemy that had an uphill advantage, a resource advantage, and a troop number advantage. The one thing that I had in my favor was that I was allotted two extra command points per turn¡ªa common balancing measure often associated with the extra motivation that comes from a dire situation in real battles. We were each handed several sheets of paper containing our army and resource details, and we spent the next 10 minutes studying them. At the start of the game, thanks to my extra command points, I went first. I immediately set about deploying different defensive measures and ultimately setting up the main tactical advantages. In a typical Maddosh game, there are several rounds of initial setup where the armies are mobilized and any additional resources are collected. I had my troops ready for battle by the end of turn two, not that anybody watching would have been able to realize it unless they were accomplished strategists. At the start of turn three, the battle was all but decided. Damien pushed the attack, using standard battle formations and making good use of the advantages that he''d been given. I, however, had been inspired by today''s "Capture the King" tournament and decided to use similar tactics. Most fail to recognize that if you lack natural advantages, you simply need to create them. On the first set of turns, I started forest fires set to spread into the enemy''s camp by the end of turn three, effectively splitting their forces in half. Leaving just enough troops to defend against Damien''s initial cavalry charge, I sent the rest of my troops to invade the side of the camp where the general was positioned. And just like that, the battle ended at the start of turn four with the death of the general.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Damien was stunned when I announced my victory; in fact, he was so surprised that he looked to the instructors, trying to get an explanation for what had happened. He was like a man desperately trying to understand how his king had been checkmated. One of the instructors that were more familiar with the game assured Damian that my tactics were indeed valid, if a bit untraditional. After another half minute or so of shock, Damien got up and extended his hand toward me in respectful acknowledgment. "Steven, that was the most decisive win that I have ever seen in a duel of wits. Thank you for giving me the honor of learning from failure today." Though there was an edge of anger to Damien¡¯s tone, I could tell he meant what he said. I looked at Damian with a new appreciation. There weren''t many people who could lose with grace and honor their enemies. I stuck out my hand, and Damien shook it with firm intensity¡ªthe kind I would not soon forget. "Damien, I admire your great strength of character. I''m certain that you will be one of the greatest warriors in this country''s future." After the crowd realized that the typically multi-hour game had been finished in less than 20 minutes, they rushed to see who the new champion was. Many of them had decided to go and rest and talk with their nation until closer to the end of the game, anticipating a protracted strategic struggle. They were quite surprised to return and find that they had missed all the action. The overseer led us back to the front of the platform and waited to speak until everyone had gathered again. "Few of you will recognize what just happened, but we have just witnessed one of the most dominant official games of Maddosh ever played. I''m sure that in tournaments to come, Steven''s mind will prove to be an even greater weapon. Now that Steven is officially our champion, let me explain to you all what that means. Every 12 weeks, we will have an inter-class tournament. At every tournament, nations will compete for the title of champion. The champion gains exclusive boons for his nation that won''t be available to anybody else until the naming of a new champion. As you know, the amount of time that each nation spends with the champion title directly improves their eligibility for elite training after the academy. In this instance, the first major benefit that Steven will have is first pick of boons and classes for this term. Additionally, Steven will be able to select an extra course for his nation to enroll in. As knowledge is one of the most crucial elements available at the academy, this will give the Champion¡¯s nation a great leg up over each of you. That being said, just as Steven has proven today, advantages only mean so much, and even the most insurmountable odds can be overcome. With that, you are all dismissed. Individual overseers will be around to talk to your monarchs about enrollment in courses before sending you back to your camps. After finishing his speech, the overseer approached me with her two assistants. "Congratulations on your victory, Steven. I must say, that was one of the finest games of Maddosh that I have ever seen. Were you perhaps raised by a former lord?" I shook my head. "I appreciate the compliment, but I am the son of a tavern owner. I¡¯ve spent a considerable amount of time studying strategy, using games like Maddosh, reading old military texts, studying historical strategy, and poring over modern battle theory and their applications on real battlefields." This caused the overseers to reel. The leader gaped at me before asking, "Do you expect me to believe that you can not only read, but that you also taught yourself how to win in the way that we just saw?" I flashed a knowing grin. "I mean no disrespect; I¡¯m only sharing what my experience has been." "Did you have something else that you were hoping to share with me?" Recovering from her shock, Lady Leanna continued. ¡°We have come to speak with you regarding rewards for the victory you achieved today. There are two separate selections that you will have to make¡ªwhich two instructors you would like to have for the next 13 weeks, and which of the boons you would like to claim for your nation." Having the first choice of instructors for our team would allow me to shape which topics we would be learning about. The organizers would all but certainly throw in a few poor choices to reinforce the significance of winning and standings. These selections would last until the next tournament, which happened once every 12 weeks, or every quarter, as the instructors had taken to calling it. Then I had the benefit of choosing three boons that would aid our nation, compared to the next six placing nations, which could choose two boons, and the following eight nations, which could choose only one. Insert classes explanation The five nations that didn¡¯t compete would be left high and dry. One of the other overseers introduced himself as "he who shall be named" and handed me a list with the names of the instructors and the corresponding classes that they would teach. Scanning through them, they were about what I expected: hand-to-hand combat, sword training, leadership, strategy, woodcraft, forge-work, and so forth. Such classes would guide the progression of my nation. Looking back at the list, I realized there was an option that I had overlooked: a class called "developing your gift." That was an idea that I had never heard before; in fact, up until that moment in the hut earlier, I had believed that giftings were simply fixed. I was willing to bet that choosing that class would pay off. So, after much deliberation, I selected hand-to-hand combat and developing your gift. After handing the first list back to Filler Name, he showed me the selection of rewards to choose from. Most of the options were one-time bonuses, like a shipment of food and spices or tools to help build up our camps. Among these, there were several options that stood out to me, all of which would provide long-term benefits. The first that I selected was the right to use an iron and coal mine, which would require infrastructure to use, but would provide access to metal in the long term. The second provided a one-time agricultural specialist visit. The specialist would explain the best ways to make use of our nation¡¯s soil to grow crops, as well as supplying seeds to plant the for the first harvest. For the third boon, I chose the rights to access a large bamboo grove, which I believed could be used as a versatile building material. With my decisions made, I confirmed them with the overseers and began the journey back to camp with the rest of my nation. Even though we had only been in the academy for a few days, I felt like we were in an entirely different world. I had been dreaming about my time at the academy since I was a kid, and even though I knew it wouldn''t be easy, I had a vision that I would see fulfilled. Arriving back at the camp, I took a moment to collect myself before I shouted for my soldiers to gather together Once everyone had drawn near, I began to speak. "Today marks a milestone that we will look back at a year from now as the beginning of our great conquest. Through each of your feats of courage and skill, we were victorious¡ªand we return with the spoils.¡± Several people hollered and grunted their approval. Then, with fire in my eyes, I continued. "But I¡¯m not here just to win. I have come for something much greater than simply outperforming my peers. Uncertainty swept over the crowd, but they were listening attentively, hanging on my next words which would either light a spark, or douse a flame. I stared them down with conviction. "For decades, students have come to this academy and competed to join the military, some aspiring to even join the honored knights. But I propose to you that this has all been a test to see if anyone would rise higher. We¡¯ve all heard the legends of how this nation was formed. In hushed whispers, we are told that a small band of warriors conquered their neighbors through ingenuity and raw strength, forging a new path for their country Merita was born with the understanding that the strongest among us would bring prosperity and order to the land¡ªor die trying. The air was buzzing with electricity as I spoke words promising either heresy or renaissance, but I saw what I was looking for; a few eyes held the gleam of revelation. "We are such a band of warriors as this; in our day, we will see a new legend formed. We will conquer our neighboring nations and change the face of the Academy forever. Brothers and sisters in arms, I am proposing that we lay aside our efforts to merely win glory on the battlefield, and work to completely change the playing field itself. For starters, instead of merely building a liveable camp, I say we build a new stronghold for our nation to utilize." At this point, my confidence had peaked, and I was almost shouting, "It will take more effort than anyone of us signed up for, but the results could very well change the Merita that we know!¡± Furthermore, I propose that if we are willing to invest our efforts today, we could dramatically raise the standard for our whole country. The tension in the air was suddenly broken by a roar of agreement and thundering shouts and applause. Coming back down to earth, I soberly asked, "Who will join me in writing the next chapter of our nation¡¯s history?" As the energy died down, I took the opportunity to slip out of the camp to grab a moment for myself. I sighed loudly, relieved that I hadn''t blown it in the middle of the speech. I took a few minutes to gather myself; this was just the beginning, and there was a lot of work to be done, but the seed had been planted. Chapter 11 I hardly slept that night. I stared into the darkness of the bunkhouse, dreaming of what was to come. The following day be the day that we would receive our rewards and, more importantly, the day that I would meet with the inner circle. That morning, I set out with the rest of my countrymen for our morning exercise routine. Something about the communal, repetitive working of mind and muscle helped me feel connected to my men¡ªstilled the tension in my chest. After breakfast, I made my way to meet my lords. Derek was growing on me. He was blunt about his opinions and maybe a bit stiff, but I didn¡¯t mind. From what I knew, he grew up in the city, was well-educated, was a fierce fighter, and valued integrity more than most. If I were vying for a lady¡¯s attention, I might feel intimated. Derek had short, dark hair and a thin yet muscular build. Agile and strong, he was a bit taller than me and had been blessed with a rather symmetrical face. I shook my head, realizing that I was feeling jealous; this wasn''t the time. I couldn¡¯t afford vanity. It would cloud my judgment. Instead, I turned my thoughts to Kate; she intrigued me. I had overheard her saying that she was from a smaller town but that her family was well-off. I had to admit that I was attracted to her. She had long blonde hair and a sweet smile, and she could battle with the best warriors, not because of her strength, but because of her speed and agility. After another minute of walking, I came to the clearing where I had set our meeting. Derek and Kate had already arrived and, as I had guessed, Kate was the first to speak. "Champion King Steven!" I scrunched my nose at the obnoxious title. "Kate,¡± I said as gently yet firmly as I could. ¡°Stick with Steven. I am king. We are champions."Kate blushed in embarrassment."If that¡¯s really what you prefer,¡± she replied, hiding her discomfort at my gentle rebuke. I smiled, unused to having such a marked influence on others with just a few words. I would need to be careful how I handled and addressed my countrymen. My words held too great a weight now to take them lightly. With that thought in mind, I greeted Derek and began with the important business that needed attending to. "As you both know, we will be receiving several boons for our victory in the tournament. I¡¯m going to break up the tasks for said boons between both of you and your assigned knights. It sounds like we''ve been given an extended period of time to build up our city and get ourselves settled into our classes, which begin tomorrow. Derek, you will be in charge of managing the new bamboo grove. Kate, you''ll be overseeing the development of our farmland. Both of you will have to be involved in managing the iron mines, as it will be both labor-intensive and related to crafting our weapons, shelters, and more. But we can¡¯t shift all our attention to the new opportunities before us. We need to continue pushing the priorities we started with. We¡¯ll want to get that smokehouse finished, build a storehouse, not to mention clearing out more space for those buildings and cutting logs up into usable materials. All this must be accomplished while we start our new courses, which I''m guessing will eat up a lot of our time. In short, we have work to do.¡± We continued to talk over the details for several minutes before we were interrupted by the sound of pounding hooves. We rushed to the entrance of our camp and were surprised to see Sophia riding toward us. She waved and she pulled her steed to stop. "Surprised to see me?" she asked. ¡° Someone had to come give you your rewards. Congratulations. Thanks to you, I''m the talk of the academy. As for your rewards, you made some good choices, but it will take time to make good use of them. You may not even see returns before the next tournament. I must congratulate you on choosing one of the best classes¡ªnot that I can share anything more about it. Hand-to-hand combat will be helpful as well," she said with a wink. "Now, for your boons. I''ve been instructed to inform you that, before the agriculturist can visit you, you will have to make a serviceable road leading to the land you wish to farm." I grimaced. The scouts reported that we had an open section of our territory that would likely be good for farming, but it was in the northwest corner, making it nearly a three-mile trek through dense woods in that direction. The thought of clearing 3 miles of trees and underbrush with our single ax made me shudder. "And what of other boons?" I asked. "Ah yes. Here, take these," she said, handing me a scroll tied with a leather cord. "This is a map marking your territory, along with the general location of the bamboo grove and the coal and iron mines. Eager with anticipation, I took the scroll and began unrolling it. I was a bit disappointed to see that no additional information was provided about our territory beyond a bare-bones lay of the land, but that was to be expected. I scanned the map and found the two points of interest. I frowned. The iron mine was about 2 miles southeast of the entry point to our territory''s forest, making it roughly a 3-mile commute in total from our camp to the mine. That wasn''t the only issue, though; the Bamboo Grove was directly east of our territory, which would either force us to cut yet another road through the forest or alternatively require us to make a 4-mile run around the perimeter. But to make matters even more frustrating, I saw what promised to be an insurmountable task: about halfway to the Bamboo Grove, there lay a large river that would need crossing. "Judging from the creases in your forehead and the frown that hasn''t left your face since you started reading, you understand the difficulties that you''re going to face," Sophia noted. "This is outrageous," I began. "Even the easiest to access mine will require a fleet of wagons and a two-mile stretch of road for them to roll on. The bamboo grove might as well not even exist given how difficult it will be to reach, and don''t get me started about clearing a path to the farm!"If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Sophia stared down at me for a moment before bursting out into laughter. "Did you think it would be easy to build your new nation from the ground up? Do you have any idea how long it would take to naturally locate and assess a mine? Like you said, don''t even get me started about the farm; it would take years of trial and error to learn what the specialist is going to teach you in a few short weeks, not to mention locating and cultivating all of the starting seeds you''ll receive. On the bright side, it looks like you got a free reality check¡ªthat ought to count as an additional boon." I glared at her, willing myself to think rather than react. What she said is true. Even if it takes time, these resources will pay off in the long run. I can¡¯t think of everything in terms of quarters and tournaments. To win the Academy, we have to play the long game. I know that. I just need to adjust my expectations accordingly. I sighed. Were it so easy. Refusing to look defeated, I spoke with harnessed intent. "You''re right Sophia; thank you for knocking some sense into me." Sophia smiled. "My pleasure. Like I said, you did an excellent job yesterday, and you are already making quick advancements. Your long-term plan for the boons may not materialize as soon as you¡¯d hoped, but when it does, you will have a marked advantage. It will take some extra effort, but each of these rewards will pay off greatly in the long run if handled correctly. Don''t lose heart. Claim your courage, young king. Victory is never easy, but always within reach." ¡°As for your classes, they begin tomorrow. A school building is located 2 miles directly west of where the road enters your territory. Your first class will start at 10:00 a.m. I suggest you arrive early. Once you¡¯ve built a road to your farmland, you can let your instructor at the school know, and they will schedule a meeting with the agricultural specialist." With a final, satisfied nod, Sophia turned down the road and left us alone once again. I turned to Derek and Kate with a slight smile on my face. "Ready to overcome some insurmountable odds?" I said. They didn''t seem overly upset about the new challenges ahead. I chose to believe that was because of their great faith in me. I chuckled. Derek turned to me, stable and steady as always. ¡°All they''ve done is add some new variables. N No othing we can''t handle. So, what''s the plan?" Derek asked. "I¡¯m working on it,¡± I replied. ¡°What would my lords suggest?" "For starters," Kate began, "I don''t think it will be possible for us to clear out large swaths of the forest with a single proper axe. If we want to have any hope of making progress towards the farm or building a bridge across the river, we''re going to need more axes, and to make them, we''re going to need iron." "Indeed," I replied. "We''ll need to talk to Liz¡ªsee what it takes to start making some wagons. Four miles round trip is way too far to be carrying iron ore.¡± Derek, who had been deep in thought, interrupted. We might not have to carry it at all," he said. I looked at him with surprise, nodding for him to continue. "If we smelt all of the iron just outside of the mine, we would have the coal and the iron ore all on-site. That would allow us to minimize the transportation of raw materials. Derek finished. "In that case, we will just have to bring materials to the mine to set up a forge and then send a team of people to mine, smelt, and cool the iron each day," I mused. Hope found its home in my heart once again, and ambition alongside it. Once we had a forge up and running, we could pump out new tools, building supplies, and eventually, weapons. Looking back up at my advisors, I put a hand on each other shoulders, looking each of them in the eyes. "All right. Here''s the plan." ~ The rest of the day went well. I tasked Kate and Derek with gathering supplies for the wagon we would need for the new forge and recruiting a couple of people from their teams to handle tool construction and iron production. We ended the day by running through drills and various one-on-one duels. Morale seemed high; our victory had done a lot to unite us as a team, and it seemed like the entire camp had come to trust me as their leader. As I lay in bed that night, my thoughts kept racing. Ever since my unusual experience in the hut, I''d wanted to sit down and try using my gift again, but I decided to hold off until the official class began the following day. That night, I dreamed of a mountain surrounded by fog, with a single torch visible, moving up its winding path toward the peak. ~ The next morning went as usual, starting with our group exercises and then breakfast. Afterward, I gathered everyone together. "Soon we will be heading off to our courses,¡± I began. ¡°I''m excited to say that I believe these lessons will change the course of the Academy and our nation. Now, I have an announcement to make. As you all witnessed at the tournament, a battle of wits that brought us ultimate victory. With that in mind, we are going to start an additional level of training that will challenge and stretch each of us mentally. You are all strong in body, and growing stronger by the day. The same should be true of your minds. To that end I will be teaching everyone in the nation how to read and write." A flurry of whispers and conversation began the moment I ended my sentence, but no one cried out in protest, and the rustlings in the crowd seemed more curious than anything. Surveying my soldiers, I found that they had that same determined look on their faces as the day we won the tournament; they were ready to do whatever it took to win. "How many here have mastered basic literacy?" I scanned the crowd again and saw that only two hands were raised in reply. To my surprise, one of the hands belonged to Duck, and the other to Roy. "Very good. Roy and Duck, along with Derek, Kate, Brad, and myself, will be teaching the rest of you how to read, starting tomorrow immediately right after breakfast." I heard Kate groan behind me as she realized how full her schedule was about to become. I figured that was good, though; teaching is often one of the best ways to learn. We gave ourselves plenty of time so that we could walk the few miles and still arrive early. I wasn''t sure what to expect, so I didn''t want everyone to be exhausted when we arrived. It took us about 45 minutes to get there, and when we did, I was surprised at what I saw. The school building was small, comprised of a couple of classrooms and a single, outdoor training area where I figured we''d spend most of our time. The building itself looked brand new as if it had just been constructed. The doors were locked, so we waited outside the main entrance for about 10 minutes until we heard a click, and the door swung open.