Chapter 23 - Initiation

Lancaster Academy, Alterion, Therian Continent

Students in line chirped and barked at Ulfric as he passed. It was eight in the AM the next morning. After an hour of searching for the office, he ran into Julie, who ended up guiding him. A long and straight hallway in the administration building across campus. The line was something like fifty students long, and he bypassed it according to the principal's instruction. At the end of the hallway were the doors to his office, boldly hanging open.

A student stood in front of Indra's desk, and they were chatting idly about something. There was some sort of silence spell around the room, so as to keep the information in. Ulfric stepped through, and the sound from the hallway instantly vanished. He looked around the office while waiting for the pair to finish speaking. The walls were trimmed with gold, and every one in a while there was a divot in the wall wherein was a painting, probably worth an uncountable amount of crowns. From the ceiling, directly above the desk, was a chandelier. A red rug ran the length of the room to the foot of the beautiful wooden desk, where two chairs sat on Ulfric's side for weary visitors. On the desk itself there was nothing but a notebook and a lamp; he'd probably just summon whatever else he needed with magic.

"Ulfric Englund? It must be you, else you wouldn't do something so bold as skipping the line," Indra Leewood had a Yitran accent. He stood up and shooed away the student in front of him. He pushed classes up onto his face. Tanned skin, bright eyes, a mustache, and fair black hair that glistened in the light. He looked to be about twenty-five. "Well, come on then. Stay awhile." He invited Ulfric further in.

"Of course, sir." Ulfric shook Indra's hand at the front of the desk, arms crossed behind his back.

"Drop the sir. Call me Indra." He kicked his feet up on the desk and reclined until his chair cried for help. "Tell me, Ulfric. Are the girls around here to your liking so far?"

Ulfric was stunned at the question. "You… What do you mean?"

"The ladies, kid. If you'll be here for four years, you ought to find a woman." Indra was smiling. How could he ask something so ridiculous with a deadpan expression?

Ulfric thought it best to indulge him. "From what I've seen so far, definitely, in that case."

"That's good, son. Just don't be a pervert."

"I wouldn't, sir." Ulfric let out a nervous chuckle. Indra's eyebrow raised at sir, but he let it go.

"Do you prefer tall or short?" He asked.

"Short," Ulfric answered immediately. This must've been some sort of test.

"Mhm. The basic choice, perhaps the correct one. How about the rest? Tits or ass?"

"I must say I try not to think about such things, sir."

"Right. You like dick, Ulfric? Am I to your liking?" He gestured to himself and made a mocking seductive pose. Ulfric thought he could throw up.

"Sir, that's not what I meant." He threw his hands up wildly.

"Tits or ass, son," Indra reiterated, growing angry.

"I like tits more, sir." Ulfric's face went red. Dear god, let this end.

After that final line, the room fell into silence. Indra was staring at the floor intently, his arms crossed. Suddenly his chair sprung forward, and he was sitting perfectly upright. A single tear ran out of his eye. This guy is fucking insane.

"Disappointing," Indra said. "It seems your tastes are not what I imagined."

"I wasn't aware I was being judged on something so ridiculous."

"Well now you are. That'll be all. Out!" Indra pointed to the door. "A week from now, report to the training grounds for the initiation."

"Initiation?" Ulfric asked.

"Out! There's people waiting!" Indra was no longer paying attention to his words.

He left the principal without a word, thinking back to all of the things he'd heard about the man. How he was a man child with immense power. Had Ulfric made a bad first impression all over something so simple and stupid? He cursed himself under his breath, angrily stomping past the line.

Confused and dejected, Ulfric went to seek out Julie and Ingram.

* * *

Lancaster Academy was busier than ever getting closer to the start of the year, and all walks of life began gathering. Professors and students alike of every and all races. Sports teams gathered, clubs gathered, and the classes were being actively cleaned in preparation for the new students. Clubs could be seen posting notices on different cork boards around the hallways, and sports teams did the same. Very soon, the school year would be in full swing.

In the cafeteria, it was awfully lively. There were hundreds of stone tables, each with their own lanterns, and hundreds of students to occupy them. Banners hung from the ceiling, and windows near the roof with brilliant art let light shine into the room in different colors. Ulfric sat at a table in the corner, sharing a meal with Ingram and Julie. He was certain they'd rather be elsewhere, but it couldn't be helped; he'd yet to make any friends at the school.

"See," Julie said. "I told you Indra is crazy."

"Since you answered wrong, clearly, he may punish you in some way," Ingram said.

"Punish… Me? For saying I like tits!?"

"Public space buddy. Keep your voice down. But yes, essentially," Ingram replied. "He's right though. It seems my little brother has bad tastes."

"I'm not having this discussion, not with Julie right here."

"I agree with Ingram. You've got bad tastes," she said.

Ulfric was panicking at that point. He and Ingram had a discussion regarding the initiation a week prior at the bathhouse. Apparently it was a battle royale between all of the accepted applicants; only the winners would be accepted into the school. The rules of the battle changed every year, with the one last year apparently being some sort of capture the flag type game. If Indra intended to impose a punishment on Ulfric, while also making him fight the rest of his year for acceptance, it would be difficult.

Then there was the fact about his name and status as a reg. He'd requested to have his name changed to Ulfric Arrowheart in the registry so as to avoid any flak he might get from his last name. The other part explained itself. Whether Ulfric liked it or not, the truth was that the principal had a frightening amount of leverage to thoroughly destroy him if he wished. He shivered. With a week to prepare, he wondered if it would be enough time.

Julie and Ingram noticed Ulfric's worry, and comforted him with soft words. He felt like he'd be sick to his stomach, even after eating the surprisingly delicious cafeteria food. This was the final test. At long last, he'd find out how he stacked up against the other people his age in this world after training for so long. Fight or flight. Soon, it would be his time to either show that he had the skills, or die trying. Doubting himself was no way to think, he knew that. He had to be certain that he'd destroy anyone who got in his way. As nervous as he was, he also grew excited.

"Bad tastes or not, I need to plan around every outcome," Ulfric said.

"It's likely that magic items will be banned in the arena. What will you do?" Ingram asked.

Ulfric looked up at Ingram, hatred in his eyes. With utter confidence, he spoke. "My hands will be enough."

* * *

A week passed, and it was the day of initiation. Ulfric located the training grounds, once again with the help of Julie. It was with renewed confidence that he marched through the grand doors in his new uniform. A guard stood at each door, shepherding through what must've been two thousand students. A grand carpet of red and gold ran the length of a long hallway. This was the so-called main building of the training grounds. He, and the others, likely had no clue what was inside. The air was still and smelt of metals, nothing could be heard over the sounds of chatter.

Armor lined the walls, iron suits holding swords and spears, as if ready to defend the building. Though, since it was a magic university, this might actually be possible. Ulfric ran his hand along the walls and admired the chiseling on the various pillars. Out of all of the buildings he'd seen so far, the architecture present here was by far the most impressive. From the hallway, it spilled out into a grand room with doors to other rooms along each side. A stage had been set up, and the students naturally gathered in front of it.

It was stuffy and smelly, with some of the students having just come from the training ground. Everyone wore identical outfits, and even the girls wore pants as opposed to the skirts you'd expect in a traditional academy uniform. All of these students had gathered for the purpose of whatever was about to transpire on the stage. All of these students were the people he had to fight. He gulped. Whisperings began and the volume continuously raised as people battled to talk over each other.

"Hey, you." A voice said. Ulfric felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned around to see a girl trying to speak to him. She had brown hair about the same length as his, also tied into a ponytail. Her eyes were narrow, appearing almost angry, though this certainly wasn't the case; Ulfric thought this might just be the way her face looked, since his was the same way.

"Hm? Yeah, what's up," he replied.

"You look like you know what you're doing. I'm gonna stick with you," she said matter-of-factly.

Ulfric thought that it was perhaps their similar look that had drawn her to him. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that she looked to be more of his sister than Naomi and Atika did. "That's great and all, I don't mind. Aren't we supposed to fight each other though?" He asked.

"Uh huh. Well, we'll find out soon, I guess." She wiped her probably sweaty hand off on her jacket and presented it to Ulfric. "Minerva Whiscourt."

Woah. Trippy. Ulfric's eyes pulsed, and suddenly he was back to that moment with the Keeper. This girl that stood before him was one of the ones on his list. How was it that she'd managed to find him entirely on her own? Was this what some might call fate? He took her hand, a weary look on his face as he shook it.

"Ulfric Eng– Arrowheart," he corrected. That would need some working on.

"You look tired, maybe a little afraid, Ulfric Arrowheart."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Mmm. No, I suppose not. After all, I'm afraid too." She made a worried face. Ulfric patted her shoulder.

I have decided to protect this girl with all of my might.

A stomp, and suddenly the sounds in the room were muted. Indra Leewood had revealed himself from the side of the room. He stepped onto the stage dramatically, glancing around and locking eyes with Ulfric for an uncomfortable second to give nothing but a passive-aggressive nod. All of the students around Ulfric were cowering due to the magic he could not feel, with the exception of a few. Minerva, another girl, and three men. They shared glances of acknowledgement with each other. In an instant, they'd identified the strong and the weak.

"Good morning, examinees," Indra said. "Quite the lively bunch. I do hope you've gotten all of the chatter out of your system. It's likely you won't be doing much of it in the exam." His voice boomed through the halls. It seemed he was using magic to enhance it. "Alright then. Let's talk about what's going to happen, shall we?"

Come to think of it, Keeper hadn't mentioned anything about Indra in his little prophecy, despite how powerful the principal apparently was. Ulfric shivered at the thought of something powerful enough to take Indra out of the equation. Would he and the girl by his side really be able to defeat such a thing? Maybe it would be wiser to simply not take the words of some void being to heart.

"The exam will take place over a single day. The rules are quite simple, actually. Essentially, you'll be thrust into a battlefield wherein your goal is simply to eliminate the competition. Eliminating being incapacitating, and those who kill will also be eliminated. There are no rules in this matter, teaming, betrayal, and all else is fair game." Indra took a breath and crossed his arms, proud of himself and his game. "Throughout the day, the play area will gradually grow smaller about every hour. This will continue until it's about five kilometers in radius. When the final bell goes, only those who have at least one elimination of their own will remain, while the rest are eliminated. There are two thousand of you."

One elimination to win. That means, at maximum, only a thousand could remain. Of course, it would certainly play out much differently. There was no way that eliminations would be evenly distributed, and there was also no way that the students would work together to make this happen. After all, even if you get an elimination and settle down to hide somewhere, there's still the matter of self defense, and also power-tripping mages who want to get more people out just for the sake of it. It was a troublesome game.

"And now, if I may. Some special acknowledgements about the people standing here today from. Firstly, we have Minerva Whiscourt, who is the brother of Enforcer Edward Whiscourt, and the daughter of Lord Elerion Whiscourt, a major benefactor of this school." Indra smiled devilishly.

Could it be? Indra intended to paint targets for elimination on the back of those he found most interesting, or who answered his questions incorrectly. Not only was this a difficult game, it was also rigged in favor of the nameless. Would he uphold his promise to keep Ulfric's name a secret, even in exposing the daughter of a lord? Minerva looked at Ulfric with an awkward laugh after being exposed.

"I would be rude to not acknowledge the royalty in this room as well. Some of you may have already met the bubbly young lady herself. First princess of Alterion, Maya Windermere Alterion."

The room erupted into hearty cheer, and it was in that instant that Ulfric caught his first glance of the princess. To put it simply, she was incredibly beautiful. Tanned skin and long black hair, Yitran. She looked around the room with wide eyes, cutely blushing as everyone cheered for her. Ulfric was tempted to join in. This was the girl he'd come here to see, the key to saving his father. The Keeper hadn't mentioned her, now that he thought about it. Regardless, it would also be necessary to protect her during the exam, lest she fall out of the academy's protection and get killed.

"But the last announcement marks a historical change in the academy's history. Everyone, there, beside Ms. Whiscourt, is Ulfric Arrowheart. I'm pleased to announce that he'll be the first non-mage to attend this academy since the likes of Dalton Farrowsmith, one thousand years ago!"

No one said a word. Not a whisper or a peep. Ulfric's eyes lost focus. This was the worst case scenario. He'd just had the world's largest target painted on his back, and Indra hadn't even flinched. His body locked up. He couldn't move, only stare with malice in his blank eyes. Cold sweat ran dry on his forehead, and his hands shook. A headache instantly pulsated. Tension could be felt all over his body as the confusion and anger built up to a violent climax.

The room exploded with yells and shouts. Ulfric stood perfectly still and took it as blobs of spit and various items were hurled at him. Indra did nothing, standing on the stage and waiting patiently until it was over Minerva was ducking and weaving out of the way of the items, not wanting to fall under by Ulfric's side. She herself looked quite distressed by the revelation. Just like that, everything had been ruined. Ulfric kept on staring ahead, he said nothing.

Confidence welled up inside of him. All of these elitist students who'd known nothing but magic power their whole lives. Now was his opportunity to put them all in their place. Indeed, he wouldn't stop at just one elimination. He wouldn't stop until it was just him and those he chose to stand at his side. Those who chose to underestimate his strength would have to pay the price, that was the only way to walk the path he chose; the only way to prove himself to the ones that mattered. For his father. Ingram. Julie. Naomi.

 When the yelling stopped, Ulfric stomped his foot on the ground. "If you're so confident. Then do your worst!" He yelled so loud that his throat threatened to tear. His voice echoed through the halls. His anger pulsated, and suddenly, being threatened, no one dared to say a word. This was the moment that concluded the introduction ceremony. In the next instant, the floor disappeared from beneath their feet.

Ulfric was free falling, his hands outstretched towards Indra's face standing up on that stage. Had that man truly just brought him to the academy to toy with him and his livelihood? He wouldn't let himself be played with like some children's toy. He'd take this so-called fate into his own hands and crush it. Mages and magic be damned. All he needed was to destroy anyone who stood in his way, and it seemed that included the all-powerful director.

Into the underground, they fell down a tube about five hundred meters in radius. At the bottom could be seen an underground city. The arena was entirely underground. Outside of the city was a vast forest. All in all, the arena was about twenty kilometers across. It was massive, and unfathomable to build underground without the assistance of construction magic.

He flipped over and over, unable to control his fall. A barrier passed by, and just like that, his magic items were gone. In other words, he'd have to fight with nothing but his fists, and now had no way to even reach the ground safely. He began panicking, the ground growing closer with every passing second of his freefall. The wind struck his eyes with enough force to make tears come free.

"Ulfric!" A voice cried. Minerva flew in from the side, using wind magic to boost herself. She grabbed onto his hands and gripped them with all of her might, linking them together. "Truce!?" She asked. Her tone was surprisingly casual, considering they were falling from the sky.

Ulfric nodded frantically. "Truce!" He yelled, smiling. His body began to glow yellow as she casted a protect shield on him.

He'd made his first ally, who didn't seem to care about his status. Together, hand in hand, they plunged into the battlefield below, their sights set on the competition.