21 21: Orientation: FIN II

"Wait what do you mean final test!" I snapped. "I thought me getting my ass chased around a arena was the final test!"

"As entertaining as that was it was merely a way to whittle down the numbers as well as test to see if all applicants have the ability to function as a team." Baset said. I blinked for several seconds then looked over at Iris and Jane. Iris had the same stunned look on her face that I had.

"If that was the case then why did you single us out and offer Iris and I that deal?" Jane asked.

"What makes you think your team was singled out.?" Baset asked with a smirk. "I offered every team a deal of sort. Why do you think Damon DeCharles sought to fight Chase by himself so badly?"

"Lady Baset offered to help push the whole team to the final six if Damon managed to beat Chase by himself." One of the other guides explained. My eyes widened as Nigel's words when we met him at the first challenge suddenly rang in my mind.

"This entire test was never about our individual ability, from the beginning it was about each team coming together to help each other overcome our weaknesses." I said. Baset and the other guides all smiled.

"Exactly." Nigel said. Jane frowned and crossed her arms.

"That doesn't make sense. The first test obviously most people would need help to clear to but the second one was solely up to the splicer's ability." She said.

"But it didn't have to be." Baset said. "Did it ever cross your mind to ask any your teammates for help understanding the spell?"

"Well not with Chase, he didn't even know what spell sigils were." Iris pointed out.

"I will give you that but what about Jane?" Baset asked. Iris opened her to speak but quickly closed it.

"It didn't even cross my mind…defensive sigils are Jane's specialty she could have seen something in the sigil that I didn't. And enchantment sigils are my specialty, the same could have applied to Lady Jane asking me for help." Iris muttered.

"Potentially every team could have gotten out of there a lot faster if they'd asked for help." Baset said.

"What about the deal you made with the girls? Were you actually going to honor it of they did what you asked." I asked. Baset broke into laughter and shook her head.

"Hell no!" She exclaimed. "I would have pretended that the conversation never happened. I will admit you defied my expectations though Chase. I expected you to just surrender when you realized your team was betraying you and you'd have to fight a whole team alone. The fact you fought Damon and then continued to fight Astrid and Alberto afterwards was a masterwork of grit and determination. Had your team lost and Jane and Iris clung to their deal I would have offered it to you instead."

My eyes widened as she spoke. I glanced at Jane and Iris, they both had a look of surprise flashed on their faces. Though it disappeared as soon as I saw it.

"Why?" Jane asked. "Why go through all this? Why not just go off of the test scores from the entrance exams?"

"I have my reasons." Baset answered with a coy smile.

"Does your reason have something to do with all the pictures in the hallway outside?" I asked. Baset's expression turned from coy to intrigued. Jane

"Now what would possess you to ask that?"

"Our entire conversation about team work." I replied. "Almost everyone that is in one of those pictures outside is here and in some of those pictures you're a child. Everyone here is basically your teammate."

"Wow Johnson's team was nowhere near as inquisitive." One of the other guides said.

"Or sharp." Said another. She nudged Nigel in the ribs with her elbow and smirked. "Leave it to Nigel to end up with the smart ones."

"Yes but the smart ones are always the most trouble." Nigel said giving Baset a sidewaysglances.

"I hope you're not talking about me Nigel?" Baset asked. Nigel placed his hand on chest in mock exasperation and gasped.

"Why I would never dream of it Lady Baset." He replied.

"You all can drop the lady farce." Baset said. "You only say it for appearances or to be smart and I've known you all long enough to know the difference."

All the guides laughed and Baset did too. Iris and Jane looked shocked at the jovial scene in front of us but I wasn't was surprised at them.

"They're your family." I said softly. Baset wiped a happy tear away and nodded.

"The only ones I ever had." She replied. "A lot of splicers like to say that heir successes is because of their hard work and talent alone. And for a few that is true, but for the rest of us that isn't true. Be it family, a sponsor, or government most splicers have someone to help them."

"I see…" Jane said softly.

"But do you really?" Baset asked. Jane started to explain herself but Baset quickly held her hand up to stop her. "Time will tell if you do. In the mean time it is late. I'll let Nigel take you to your dorm and explain what the rest of your week will look like. Oh and congratulations on making it into my class. I'll be expecting great things from all of you, especially you Chase Kingston."

With that Nigel walked over to the office door and held it open for everyone. Baset turned to converse with the other guides a clear indicator that this conversation was over.

"This way everyone." He said cheerfully. All of us followed Nigel back down to the main lobby and out the front door where the shuttle was waiting for us. We all inside and the shuttle took off. There was another brief moment of silence before Iris spoke up.

"Okay now I'm confused!" She complained.

"Not surprising. " Nigel said with a chuckle.

"I've known that girl for almost thirty years now and she still confuses me."

"We passed! That's the important part." I said.

"And now I suppose I better tell you what's going to happen next." All eyes turned to Nigel as he spoke. "Classes for the regular students start in two days however for student's in Baset's advanced class you don't gave class till the week after that."

"So we basically get a week and two days off?" I asked. Nigel shrugged.

"While you could sit around and do nothing Chase I wouldn't recommend it."

"Didn't say I would do nothing. That being said I am exhausted so if we don't hurry up and get to the dorm one of you is carrying me inside."

That earned a chuckle from Jane and Nigel and a eye roll from Iris. The rest of the ride over to the dorm only took about fifteen minutes. And once again I was floored by the size of the dormitory.

"Geez! How many people are we sharing this with?!" I asked as I stared out the window at the large three story building.

"Just you three. Each of you will take a floor." Nigel said. "each floor has a bedroom full furnished with a king sized bed, a en suite bath, personal living area, small library, gym, meditation area, and a customizable terrarium capable of fitting evos of medium size."

"Dibs on ground floor!" I yelled as the shuttle came to a stop.

"The ground floor has the smallest bedroom." Nigel said. He hopped put of the shuttle and walked up to the dormitory's front door. "But that's only so they could make room for the full kitchen."

"Don't care! Closest bed!" I replied quickly.

"Obviously Lady Jane will be getting the biggest room." Iris said.

"I already called dibs on the smallest room Tri-clops. Why would I care who gets the biggest?"

"Shut up Star…child!" Iris stammered. I gave her a droll stare and crossed my arms.

"Star child? Was that supposed to be a insult?" I mused. Iris' face turned beet red and she stormed into the dormitory.

"Shut up I'm working on it!" she shouted as she retreated. I snickered and followed after her into the dorm. Jane and Nigel followed after us.

"Gods!! Do they skimp on anything here?" I gasped as I stood in the main foyer of the dorm. The room was spacious and well decorated, a grand staircase up to the second floor stood at the other end of the room opposite of the door. Nothing in the room looked cheap or tacky, it was as if they hired a interior decorator just for this dorm.

"Let me give you all the tour." Nigel said.

"I'll pass on that." I said holding my hand up. "Just point me to the bedroom and I'll be set."

"Through you living area, it's the first door on your left. The luggage that all of you sent ahead hasn't been sent to your rooms yet but it will be here in the morning." Nigel said.

"Good to know. Night Jane, Tri-clops." I said then walked through the door on my left.

"Choke on a scarab yankee!" Iris snapped.

"Weak!" I yelled back as I continued on. I only took me a second to find the bedroom. My eyes fixated on the massive four poster king with a greedy glint. The bed was at least twice the size of the one I had back at home.

I took a running start and flopped on the bed. I groaned longingly as I was nearly engulfed in the soft sheets and nearly angelic comforter.

<Sleep>

I froze when I Bone-lasher's emotions came through to me. As much as it didn't mind being in my farm crystal it didn't want to be in it while I slept. I looked around the room and saw that it was big enough for Bone-lasher to come out of my crystal.

"Come on out Bone." I said and held my right hand up.

Bone-lasher's crystalline structure shot out of my farm crystal and landed at the foot of my bed. Bone-lasher stretched and curled into a ball on the spot. I couldn't help but giggle. Bone was a giant and dangerous evo but on that moment it looked no different from a house cat.

My head fell back on the bed and I found my self quickly drifting off to sleep. The stress and fatigue of the day finally getting to me. Within a few seconds I was dead to the world.

ORIENTATION: FIN