Training Game

Locke glanced around at the soldiers and noticed all the mean gazes shot in their direction. They want Kets, the most unskilled person in the squad, Locke reasoned. 'We need to get out here as soon as possible,' he whispered. It was a cruelly designed test. Those who performed the worst are worth the most, while those who performed the best are worth the least. This test will devolve into a struggle about preying on the weak.

'Oh, what should we do?' Kets' legs wobbled. 'They're going to all go after me!'

'And therein lies our advantage.' It was the first full sentence Locke had heard Rickter speak. He threw his cloak over her and hid the two of them under the shadows.

'NOW!' A loud bang went off as the test started. As Locke had predicted, the soldiers charged in their direction, screaming and shouting. Rickter pushed Kets out from his cloak into the direction of the soldiers.

'Come. Run. Now.' Rickter sprinted towards the forest.

'Ha, they ditched the girl!' the soldiers shouted.

'What about Kets?' Trys cried, looking nervously behind her.

'Listen to Rickter,' Stocke said, following Rickter.

'Locke, we can't ditch Kets,' Trys said.

Locke, in a temporary state of confusion, gasped with realisation. 'No, we can. Don't worry.' Grabbing Trys' shoulder, he dragged her along behind him until she started running. They reached the perimeter of the forest as they heard a cry of confusion behind them.

'There's nothing on her forehead!' a soldier yelled. 'She's worth nothing.'

'What? Wasn't she worth eleven points?'

Locke and Trys caught up to Richter and Stocke. Rickter's hood and cloak flapped out behind him. In addition to the six marks he had on his forehead, he now had eleven more.

'Honestly, Locke, damn you,' Rickter said. 'I was perfectly content staying at the Amber Hall and doing absolutely nothing, but since Stag found you, he seems to be completely motivated to work us all to the bone. When living your life, always be wary of those people who want the best from you and think that you have hidden potential.'

'Hey, that isn't my fault.'

'I know it isn't, but I am certainly going to miss all those days where I could sleep in and ignore my problems.'

'I think we've lost them for now. We can set up here.' Stocke reached into his pocket and threw down a handful of seeds. 'Get behind me.' He spun around to face the seeds, fell onto one knee, clasped his hands together and prayed.

'Oh, deities of the verdant forest, erect a wall of wood and shield us from the eyes of the predator.' The seeds bounced and jumped, roots springing from the seeds and digging into the earth. Great trunks of brown shot up from the ground and reached high into the air, blocking out the sun from behind them.

'What? What was that?' Locke gasped in shock.

'Those religious folk tend to have some tricks up their sleeves,' Trys said, smiling at Stocke, who seemed proud of himself.

Rickter thrust out his hand, revealing the front of his torso from under his cloak. Three different animals clutched to the front of the cloth. 'Caw, search the woods from above, signal when you see anyone coming.' The hawk jumped off of him and took to the skies, cawing in affirmation. 'Nut, run along, try and find what's happened to Kets.' A squirrel dropped to the ground and scrambled along the forest ground. 'Fang, web this place up.' A large tarantula was the last to drop from Rickter's cloak. It ran along to the edges of the trees to set up a web around them.

Trys, upon seeing Fang the tarantula, let out a shriek and covered her eyes.

'Silence, fool,' Rickter said. 'He won't harm you unless I tell him to.'

Locke could hardly believe what he was seeing. 'How are you all doing that?'

'I get along well with animals,' Rickter said.

'I used to live at a shrine,' Stocke said.

They both said it as though it was the most obvious answer in the world.

'Stag made it out like you were all useless, but these skills are amazing.'

'Compared to him, we're nothing. He is miles above us, and to stand a chance against the Black Hand, these pitiful skills won't get us far,' Trys said. 'But I definitely won't be outdone.' She raised a fist. 'Counting all our marks, we have thirty-three. We're seven short.'

Seven marks short … Locke furrowed his brows. Locke fell deep into thought. 'This test is no ordinary test, it is not only testing our combat skills, but also our thinking skills. Marks can only be passed between people through physical contact, meaning that traps are a clear way to gain an advantage from other people, as well as subduing someone by force. But there is a hidden third way, too – to rely on deception and disguise.

'With how teams formed, many people naturally formed groups with people with a low number of marks, as it is a clear sign of skills and endurance. Those with the most marks could be considered to be the worst group in this test. This separation can create three different approaches to this test.

'Those with a high number of marks will resolve to play defensively. They need to rely on hiding out of sight to avoid being found by those with a low number of marks, who need far more marks than anyone else. The third approach is to play both defensively and offensively, which I feel is best for our group. Stocke and Rickter's abilities work well for defence, but we still need seven more marks to reach forty.

'So, if Trys and I work together, we can give the rest of our marks to either Stocke or Rickter, then roam the forest risk free. But then the obvious issue arises that Stocke and Rickter must rely on themselves in case there is an attack.

'While Caw will be able to warn us of an approaching attacker, we should create a trap, because we are still at a disadvantage. We only have four members of our team with us while they have five.'

'Oi, Locke, we've been trying to speak with you.' Trys pushed his shoulder.

'Don't worry about the seven marks,' Stocke said, back resting against the tree.

'Why not? We need forty to win.'

'Maybe you should have paid attention to what Trys was saying,' Rickter said.

'Have faith in Kets, Locke. I've been with her in her dorm the longest. She's capable of some pretty crazy stuff when the pressure stacks on. Just have faith in her, okay?'

'So, we're playing entirely defensively, huh?'

----

'Well, I think they've had their fun for now,' Stag said, folding his arms and looking at the vacant courtyard. 'Miles, Arla.'

'Yes?' they said in unison.

'By the end, no groups will have forty. In fact, no one will any marks at all. Go on and have some fun. It's time for the heart breaker. Wipe their ego clean. I have had a change of heart, I can't train everyone, only those who are willing.'