Compose your Teams

Long ago, at the waning crescent of the eighth century, the Empire of Jin invaded the Mythrisian continent upon which The First Republic stood.

As descendants of refugees who vowed never to war again, the peoples of The First Republic had abandoned the arts of battle and the finesse of weapons. Weakened by centuries of peace with no adequate means of defense, it fell to the invaders as wheat to the scythe, its land plundered and its people chained, the memories of its culture threatened with extinction.

And it was then by the will of the fates that a man named Astinel and a woman named TANA awakened from their ordinary lives; with the divine power of fire they united their squabbling peoples and drove back the warmongers of Jin, restoring liberty to the continent after a decade of tyranny.

Astinel would found The Second Republic from the ashes of the first, and administer it as its long-lived consul, reforming its laws and armies to rival that of Jin. Before rising to the heavens, he founded Aeternitas National Academy, and as its first headmaster established its central tenets: to remember the arts of war, to cultivate those who could lead the peoples of Mythrise when the time called so.

And though The Second Republic would fall six centuries later to become The Third Republic, and The Third Republic would crumble upon yet another invasion from Jin, there always emerged heroes at the crossroads of destiny; those who could steer history to their wills and restore what was lost. The peoples of the fallen Third Republic were saved by such a hero, Andrew Hamilton, who united the fragmented states into the current Unified Mythrisian Republics through brilliant diplomacy, spanning the entire continent; with this unity he ousted the Empire of Jin like Astinel before him. Hamilton, who would become the first president of this grand new nation, was an alumnus of Aeternitas.

And it is from these war-traditions that the tournament begins.

"What is war? War is a means to an end when other policies fail. It is the ultimate resort of humankind when wants cannot be achieved through peaceful means. And as desires conflict within that called civilization, war is an inevitable fact, when compromises cannot be made."

Professor Helen declared solemnly to the indoor theatron of first-years. Her voice of roaring flame echoed on the roofs, the walls, the windows.

"What can one do in the face of such a terrible fact? Should we lay down our arms and fall to despair like The First Republic did before us?"

Professor Helen swept her hand, and a large flame roared past the robes of her pupils.

"No, we shall not. If war is indeed inevitable, we must be ready for it; to finish it as quickly as possible, to ensure that the least lives are lost while achieving our objectives. To do this, one must know how to protect and defend others; to lead, to cooperate, to extract terms of victory. Your tournament, end-of-year as it is, shall help you put these tenets to practice, along with the knowledge you have accumulated thus far. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Professor Helen!" Every Arten chanted in unison, everyone except Isaac. His hand shot up.

"Yes, Mr. Isaac Artavalt."

"Must war be a fact of nature? I would like to object to the notion that we have to take innocent lives."

"Our doctrine does not take innocent lives, Mr. Artavalt. We in our history have never invaded or conquered anyone, nor robbed them of their freedoms. That title goes to the Empire of Jin. But when time comes, we must be ready to defend ourselves. Mythrise does not start wars. But we will certainly end them!"

Elwin wondered whether Maximus had heard a similar thing a year prior; he grimaced in commiseration with what his upperclassman would have felt, a descendant of the peoples of Jin, although he was neither born there nor espoused their values. But by virtue of his lineage, he must have felt terribly unwelcome, especially in the presence of Professor Helen.

Professor Helen survived in the internal war against the Old Blood Syndicate twenty-five years ago, and every Arten who talked to her knew of it without explanation. All of her composure and manners were like steel and fire; to seek leniency from her was to seek water from coal. Though it was not the Empire of Jin she fought, Elwin could not fathom what she thought of Maximus; and more than that, he wondered whether Professor Helen and Professor Aionia witnessed the same things, or fought together, since they must've been out there in the world during the same period. 

If they did, how could they be so different?

Professor Helen gestured her hand to halt their murmurs.

"Now, as much as you want it to be, as much as you want to emulate the celebrity champions of the National Aienios, your tournament shall not revolve around one-on-one duels. Instead, it shall be team-based, as any of you with adequate mental faculties would have been cognizant."

Elwin looked to his kismets.

"The armies of Jin have historically relied only on Mashurmastra and Gurunmastra for warfare. Their infanteers used to be massed into large phalanxes that could bombard enemies from distance, or create an impenetrable wall against disorganized assault. The goal was to overwhelm the enemy with superior numbers and wear them down to the point of annihilation across multiple battles."

She struck the blackboard once again, and diagrams of long rectangles and squares carved out of it with fluttering soot.

"Their doctrine is good on open fields against large groups of loose enemies. But it is inflexible when it comes to rough terrain like forests and mountains that make it difficult to maintain effective formation; these are terrain which our Republics feature in plenty. Moreover, the absence of focus on Tahamastra and Ayumastra meant that they could not unleash the combined potential of the Four Mahamastra."

"As times have changed, and urban warfare has risen in prominence, the goals of war have shifted to favor adaptability. For these reasons, our doctrine is far different than theirs. Not only can our forces operate with the full potential of all four Mahamastra, we can also split rapidly to fit any tactical scenario, and pull together into a powerful mobile force when called."

Ears perked up from the crowd.

"In our Mythrisian doctrine, teams of 4 comprise the foundational structure of the army," she continued, her staff of crimson puncturing the blackboard.

"We call this 4-man unit the squadra. It is a self-sufficient unit that can operate on its own to perform objectives. This is why you have been asked to compose a team of four. Put two squadras together, you get a crew. Two crews become a pact, and so forth."

"Each person in the squadra has 1 of 4 roles. Can anyone enlighten their peers as to what they are?"

A hand shot up in front of Elwin. It was Robert.

"Proceed."

"Yes, ma'am. The 4 roles are: Torch Bearer, Tide Controller, Artillery Guardian, and Eagle Watcher."

"Include a numbered prefix on those titles next time you speak."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I shall explain what they are, and just once, so lean your ears. You are to choose which role you shall perform for the tournament, and we shall evaluate you based on this fact."

"First. Torch Bearer. This position leads the assaulting spearhead in engagements, named that way because they were historically the first to jump into battle with their torch. They are endurance fighters who anchor and move the frontline, and the rest of the team should give as much support as possible. If you are good at close quarters brawling with Taha and Gurun, consider this position."

Elwin looked to his kismets once more; Katherine and Mirai's eyes were twinkling with thought.

"Your attention," rumbled Professor Helen. He snapped back to focus.

"Second. Tide Controller. This position is tasked with making decisions to influence the tide of battle. They are the processors of information and giver of tactics, and for this reason are the de facto team leaders in most scenarios. As a tide controller, you can relegate yourself to support, or fight alongside the torch bearer. Should you be good with Mashur or Gurun, I would recommend this position for its versatility."

Elwin felt the position fit for him, and would take it if his kismets didn't object.

"Third," Professor Helen continued, steady as ever. "Artillery Guardian. This position is tasked with providing heavy firepower and support at vital moments of need. When required, the artillery guardian must blow back opponents with bursts of assault, or suppress them consistently while the torch bearer executes their move. If you are confident with mid-to-long range combat with Taha and Gurun, I advise this position."

"Fourth and lastly, the Eagle Watcher. They are tasked with reconnaissance and rescue. Speed and perception are key here, as they must feed critical intelligence to the tide controller in a timely fashion, and pull fallen friendlies to safety. If you are adept with Ayu and Mashur, I would suggest this role. There are squadras in the Mythrisian Immortals whose Eagle Watchers routinely fly."

There were so many facts delivered in such a short time that Elwin had to crank his head to keep up with the flow.

"Any questions?"

Robert's hand shot up once again.

"Which role did you hold while serving in the Grand Armée, Professor?"

"Artillery Guardian."

Seeing no other hands in the air, Professor Helen gave her order.

"Now then, you have 15 minutes. Be ready to submit your choice of roles."

"Isaac?"

"Eagle Watcher, definitely. I'm not good at fighting, but I am good at first-aid and information delivery, like I did at the hospital. I will do whatever I can to help, but please protect me."

"What about you, Elwin?" inquired Mirai.

"I was thinking Tide Controller. I can help everyone around, and I can think on the fly like I did with Ursus."

"Tide Controller it is then," stated Katherine. "Glad to have you."

"What about you two?"

"I mean, Katherine has to be our Torch Bearer, right?" remarked Isaac, turning to his friend. "You've aced every demonstration in the Dance of the Sparks, and also in the Dance of the Apprentice's Flame –"

"About that," muffled Katherine, "I... I was thinking I could be the Artillery Guardian. I'm not so sure whether I'll hold up when it comes to the frontline." The sting of endangering her friends still haunted her heart; she didn't know whether she could prevent herself from making a similar cowardly choice.

Mirai nodded. "Don't worry. I'll be the Torch Bearer. I can do some good brawling with my earth and metal."

"And your lightning," Elwin added.

"When I don't have any other choice," she protested. "It knocks me unconscious, remember? I don't want to leave you with the burden of pulling my passed-out body."

"So we've got all our roles then, yeah?"

Elwin smacked his hands together. "Cool! Let's do this."

The kismets slotted the seal of their team into the silver box, engraved upon the badge their names: Elwin Eramir, Mirai Hinozawa, Isaac Artavalt, and Katherine Heriz, along with their respective roles: Tide Controller, Torch Bearer, Eagle Watcher, and Artillery Guardian. It made a heavy clunk as the first badge upon that ballot. Their fates together were now entwined, not just in name, but for all the world to know, and for the spirit of Astinel to witness.