Strategy Class

"The biggest strength we have over any of those black-smoked monsters is our intelligence! With enough of it, not even the strongest could fight us!" The teacher exclaimed. This teacher radiated "mad-scientist" vibes that couldn't be beaten by anybody I knew. Illya and I slightly laughed at this performance as he looked with big eyes and a mouth constantly stuck open in some sort of amazement.

"You can always hit your maximum strength, but you are constantly getting smarter! Positioning yourself against a Rubeki could mean life or death! Let me give you an example. So, long ago, I was running with a friend inside of a valley in Rubeki territory, when, WHAPAM! There stood a Rubeki right in front of us who used a sledgehammer. What do we do?! AHH! HELP US!!" The teacher continued to scream out like this was some sort of cartoon. I must say, this had to be my favorite now.

"Before anybody answers, let me give you some more details! Here we were, sitting in the middle of the valley, and my friend had twisted his ankle. He couldn't run as well as I could, but it was only one Rubeki... anybody wants to take a smack at what we did? There are no stupid answers or questions! Usually! Yes, how about you?" The teacher ended his spree of loud yelling and picked on Mitra, who had his feet up against another desk while answering the teacher's question.

"You fight him. He has a slow weapon, you could easily overpower him." Mitra answered.

"Wow! I guess I was wrong, there are stupid answers. No! Does anybody want to take a crack at the right answer? Preferably not that guy?" The teacher asked. It was funny to see Mitra this enraged. This was definitely my favorite teacher of all time.

"You leave your friend." Illya rose her hand and blurted out. I looked at her in shock, not knowing that's how she thought.

"DING DING DING! That's correct. Sometimes, the Rubeki have no mercy on those who are injured. They would kill you and leave the injured. Or, they'll kill you first and take the injured. One casualty is better than two." The teacher explained. I sat in shock again, confused that the teacher actually thought like that, let alone Illya, who lived with us. I felt a sense of dread lean on my shoulders.

"Don't worry about it, Sky. I wouldn't leave you, you gave me a home." She told me. I guess that made me feel better, but that accurate answer was still scary.

"Sometimes the best strategy is to cut your losses and start anew. Losing somebody close to you can be a blessing in disguise, that's your motive to be stronger and smarter. Fighting Rubeki is a lot more different than fighting people. People are blinded by rage; Rubeki runs off of it. You need to think through every scenario before it does happen and act accordingly, or else the lives of your friends and your family could be in jeopardy." He said.

The teacher started to spit out scenarios left and right to each and every student, asking them how to solve them after thinking about them for ten seconds. Everybody had their own unique scenario, which surprised me that he could come up with so many so fast.

"Sky! Let's say your friend Illya here broke both of her legs while fighting a weakened Rubeki. The Rubeki can barely move, but has called for backup, what do you do?" He asked me. I thought about his answer for the entirety of the ten seconds before he told me to start talking.

I knew the right answer, it was to leave her. However, I trust my mom more than this teacher. I knew the right answer was to leave Illya and save my own life, but if I save my own life and prioritize myself over others, I would never be a true Deity. I would be a pathetic human, and that guilt alone would murder me if the Rubeki didn't get me first.

"I know the answer is to run away, but I would fight him off," I told the teacher.

"Huh? Why's that? Don't you want to live?" He asked me back, scratching the top of his balding head.

"Sure, and I want my friend to live, so I'll kill the Rubeki and get us both out." I crossed my arms, standing my ground, but the teacher just shook his head.

"You're too naïve, you can't kill all of the Rubeki, you should run, and not ruin your life just to save your friends." The teacher told me.

"My Mom told me that the reason my life is so important is that the people I know and love give it substance. Without those people, I wouldn't be myself anymore, so I would rather die than strategize by running away from those I know I can save." I told him. The teacher stopped scratching his head and squinted his eyes at me before laughing in his same wicked tone and turning around.

"You'll get it one day. I'm not telling you this to be cruel, I'm doing this to explain to you that the first thing all humans do is preserve their own lives. It'll be the first thing on your mind, and you should listen to that instinct. You should always run from the Rubeki until you get to Ali, Lucas, or Zach." He told us.

"And what if they disappear? Who will help us if Ali, Lucas, and Zach all die to the Rubeki? What do we do then?" Mitra asked the same question I was about to ask.

"Then you die. Those three are the only hope we have to fight off the Rubeki, and they'll always be around for us to run to. Don't worry about it, just worry about your own life before anybody else's. Sound good? Great, then with that, I'll give you some more strategizing scenarios." The teacher said.

"What a noble answer, Sky. I'm glad to know you wouldn't leave me either." Illya said. She smiled at me and I couldn't help but join her. Even from across the room, Mitra agreed with me by nodding with a slight smile. I was glad at least the three of us were on the same page.