“Miss Renee! Miss Renee!” a chorus of voices greeted us from inside the daycare center. The guy I initially thought was her coworker, on second glance, looked a bit too young for that, though still older than me. He was surrounded by a knee-deep swarm of littler kids maybe a dozen strong.

Once I was in the door, I made sure to lock it behind me. Not that I thought leaf-hounds knew how to open doors – they sure didn't seem as smart as movie dinosaurs – but... not all threats walked on four legs.

“You found a knight?”

“Who IS he?”

“Are you gonna get married cuz he rescued you?”

“That's only princesses, dummy!”

“Don't call me dummy, dummy!”

The guy who let us in whistled sharply and the kids quieted down. Into that quiet, he said, “Why don't we all go back to the auditorium and Miss Renee can introduce us to her friend once they've had a chance to rest for a minute? It sure is hot out there, huh?” As he was locking the door behind us, I realized he had his right arm in a sling, wrapped in bandages from the elbow down so I couldn't even see his hand at all.

Two of the littler kids came over to us. Again I felt the sweet relief of a low-powered Freeze washing over my armor, followed by what I assumed was a Cleanse since I didn't feel sweaty anymore afterwards.

“John! Sammy! What did we say about using powers on people?”

“Ask first!”

“Sorry, Mr. Todd.”

John had to get the last word in with, “At least now they won't smell!”

The two were swiftly shuffled off with the rest of the crowd.

Renee led me to the staff room. They had apparently had the same idea as I had and probably a lot of people, as there were pitchers and cups and even buckets of water everywhere.

“That was Todd Lundy, the director's son. He's … he was heading to college in the fall. I'm not sure why he's here; probably Debbie forgot something at home...”

We helped ourselves to some of the water, and for the first time in hours-that-felt-like-years I took my helmet off.

Renee about choked on her water.

“What?” I said, peering at her over the cup as I sipped mine.

“How old are you?”

“Old enough to kick ass. Does it really matter?”

“I mean, I guess not anymore... You look like you could go here...”

“Please don't make a big deal of it? I'm thirteen. I wasn't kidding when I said I learned martial arts from my mom. The armor is hers. We were still saving up for mine.”

“If that's what you want, but... Are you okay?”

I must've been staring off into space a little too long. I tried to focus on her but my mind kept flashing between my mom and the bodies at the PriceRite parking lot.

“No.” My voice squeaked as I found myself trying really hard not to cry. “Remember I promised to tell you all about stuff once we were safe?

“Well... When this all started, I tried to get to the grocery store to stock up on some food. I was just gonna go get some canned and dried stuff and go home and wait for my mom to figure out how to get home too. But I had to fight the leaf-hounds all the way there.

“When I got there... it looked like war. There were... dead people. And the building was on fire. People were using their powers to fight other people inside the store instead of focusing on the monsters. I couldn't get anywhere near it to even see if there was any food left. It was so bad...

“But then, after I left there, I found you, running around like a scared rabbit, and I figured, maybe I couldn't save everybody, maybe I couldn't even save myself, but maybe I could save somebody and that would make it better.

“And now here we are.”

I finished my water and put the cup down next to my helmet on a plastic table, then went on, “I don't... I don't want you to treat me like I'm one of your kids. I'm still the same person I was ten minutes ago when I was protecting you from the leaf-hounds. That's who I am. That's who I want to be.”

She nodded. “I think I do understand. The things you saw are awful things nobody should have to see.

“But, Emma... Even if you are kind of a badass – and you really are – you still don't have to do it all alone. I'm not your mom and I'm not your teacher, but if you need to talk about all this with a friend, I'm still going to be here for you, okay? You did save my life. I don't think I could've fought off all of those things without you. And it doesn't make you less of a badass to lean on a friend.”

“I'm glad. I was afraid that when you saw me under the helmet you'd go right into teacher mode and forget that I'm not actually your problem at all. Now I just hope everybody else here sees it the same way.”

“They will. I doubt anybody else here has spent all day fighting and learning the new rules. When you're ready, let's go to the auditorium and introduce you around. The kids are gonna love you.”

I peered at her in side-eyes. “Maybe I should put the helmet back on.”

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

The auditorium definitely showed the signs of the absolute mayhem that must have been unleashed by dozens of little kids getting super powers all at once. There were burn marks on the walls, a pool of water in one corner with chunks of ice floating in it, a couple of windows smashed out, and a handful of very stern-looking caretakers keeping watch over a row of kids separated from the others that looked like a prison line. Probably the wiseguys responsible for all the property damage. I hope nobody got hurt...

We entered to a mix of distracted chatter, a teacher's vain attempt to maintain order, and a wave of cheers as the kids started to notice us.

Renee and I waved to the crowd, then held up our hands to quiet everyone down. With our arrival, a kind of 'second wind' of attention seemed to grip the kids, and soon we had every eye on us. I had not put my helmet back on, and instead put it under one of the chairs in the teachers' row. I waited for Renee to introduce me before I stepped up.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Hi,” I said, “I'm Emma. Yes, I'm the same person who brought Miss Renee in. I've been outside fighting the leaf-hounds pretty much since everything started this morning. I'm still trying to get a handle on things, but I'm going to do my best to help protect your teachers and all of you.” Thankfully they didn't make me give a bigger speech, and once I'd introduced myself I was able to step away from center-stage and let all those eyes fall on somebody else.

In the wings, Renee introduced me to a couple of the other teachers, including the Director Debbie Lundy, Todd's mother. While another of the staff took a turn entertaining the kids, Debbie showed me what they had put together so far.

“A few of the kids took – or ended up with – an ability called... Information Assistant. It gives them a sort of personal tutorial buddy that they can talk to that seems to know a little about what's going on.

“From them, we've learned that what's being done to us is some kind of alien game show...”

I elbow-nudged Renee, then focused again.

“...and they appear to run for years. The announcement wasn't kidding about leaving almost nobody left. But the Assistants say almost none of the … 'games'... they have records of actually end that way; it's almost always the 'claimed land' ending. Monsters get added every so often, based on the environment and culture of the, eh, 'players.' But that's about it.”

I nodded, then went up to the white-board where she had collected her notes and added a few of my own, making sure to pick a different color than hers were in. “What I know is, you get Points and Money for killing the monsters. It doesn't look like it's split by contribution, either, but everybody who participates in a fight gets an even split.

“When I hit 144 points, I got to pick a second ability, and after I picked it I was noticeably stronger than I was before all this started. I'm assuming there are more thresholds ahead, but I don't know where they are.

“I don't know what Money or Novelty are for yet, or what the percentages after my abilities mean.”

“I might be able to help with that!” another small voice piped up. Renee and I turned to see Todd standing there with two girls a year or three younger than me.

He said, “Sir Emma? These are Chloe and Nicole Ortiz. They asked to talk to you specifically.”

I nodded to the teachers and followed the girls to the wing of the auditorium stage.

Both girls had olive-brown skin, dark hair and brown eyes. They looked so similar that they had to be twins, but the one he introduced as Chloe had an honest-to-God shoulder dragon draped over her shoulders like a scarf.

“And this is Percy,” Chloe said, giving the dragon a chin-scratch. “He's my Information Assistant.”

“You're one of the sources of Miss Debbie's notes?”

“Yep. I've also had Percy sneaking around talking to the other Assistants, figuring stuff out that's too big or too complicated to just yell out for the notes. But still important stuff. And since you look like you know what you're doing, we want to help you.”

“We wanna be your squires!” Nicole chirped.

“Kinda yeah,” Chloe agreed.

“Well... that's a pretty big ask. But I can think about it. For now, why don't you two – three – tell me all about what Percy was able to find out from the others.”

We settled on some spare folding chairs and Percy slunk down into Chloe's lap, sitting up on his hind legs while he spoke. Which he did with a posh English accent.

“One thing which I did learn, which I did not wish to shout to the assembly, is this: some time into the competition, and not a very long time, there appears to be something of a bottleneck. A genuine, deliberate ordeal. It is one of very few things that are constant across every Maffiyir we, collectively, have recordings of. This test consists of either an arduous physical trial... or a trial by combat. In some events, participants are required to face this ordeal alone.

“In any case, it seems designed to punish, or perhaps even to … remove … those who refuse to cultivate their abilities.”

I took a minute to chew on that.

Todd reacted more quickly. “You're saying even the kids have to fight.”

“I am saying that it is better for their long-term survival if they are shepherded through the rigors of combat sooner rather than later, yes.”

“I knew it!” Nicole declared, pointing a finger at her sister with the smug triumph that only one sibling having one over on another can muster.

“You knew... what?” I asked.

“Chloe said my first ability pick was silly but I was right. Hmph!”

“What did you pick?”

“It's called Summon Seeker. It summons a beastie of my own to go fight for me.”

Percy nodded. “From what I know of your American gamer culture, Summoner builds do seem to be popular.”

I agreed, too. “In tabletop games especially, they're some of the most powerful. Just, bam, disposable minions everywhere. I read the theory described as 'every action your enemy uses attacking a Summon is an action it doesn't use attacking a real person.'”

All the praise for her forethought had Nicole beaming like a cat in a sunbeam.

“Of course,” I said, “Any modern military knows, information is power.”

That alone was enough to get Chloe grinning a cat-grin of her own.

“Hey, Todd,” I said, “What did you pick first?”

He chuckled and chucked a hand behind his head. I'd never actually seen somebody do that in real life and it was kinda funny... and kinda cute? After a chuckle, he said, “My first pick was a complicated-sounding one. It's called... Biological Augment: Device Integration.”

“What does that do?”

“It reads something like 'absorb an appropriate device into your body, then wield that device without consumable inputs.' It sounds a lot more complicated than it is, though, I think.”

“What have you absorbed?”

“So far, I'm only able to absorb one thing. But when I was fighting my way here earlier, I found this in some redneck's busted pickup truck...” He extended his right arm and slipped it out of the sling. With a grab and a twist, he tugged the 'bandages' free in one solid piece. Once it was off, it was obvious the bandaging was fake – a cardboard core with bandages that were mostly paper mache – but that wasn't what kept my attention. No. From the elbow down, his right arm had been replaced with the business end of a short-barreled shotgun. One of those old-fashioned ones with the two barrels side-by-side that popped open at the back.

I boggled. “You have a gun arm.”

He grinned. “I totally have a gun arm.”

“Dude!”

“Dude.”

“DUDE!” even the girls got in on it, in chorus.

“SHH!” Renee shushed us.

“SORRY!” we all stage-whispered at once, not quietly at all. But we did keep our giggling to ourselves afterward.

“Does it shoot?” I asked, keeping my voice down for real now. “They said all the explosives were busted.”

“Yeah, and I don't even need ammo. I'm pretty sure that's what 'without consumable inputs' meant: the ability produces ammo, but only for me. It's... kind of the opposite of yours? You are the boomstick, but you have to find ammo. I had to find the boomstick, but I am the ammo. Until I hit the wall, I mean.”

“Try spacing your shots out more. I get the same thing if I spam shots, but not if I go slow.”

He – and Percy – nodded. While Todd was re-wrapping his gun-arm, Percy confirmed, “I have seen in the recordings that some contestants do, indeed, fall asleep from the over-use of their abilities... sometimes with deadly consequences. It is good that both of you have learned your limits more carefully.”

“But you don't make Chloe fall asleep?”

“I appear to run on different rules. I have not translated enough of the recordings I was provided to be able to determine what those rules might be. It is a terribly unhelpful way to outfit an Information Assistant, if I dare say so.”

“Keep at it, Percy! You're the best,” Chloe said, scratching under his chin again.

“So,” I said, “We have all these kids, and we have to get them points and powers so they can survive whatever this upcoming bottleneck is. … Have any of you ever seen that video that goes around sometimes of the gym class shield wall?”

“I have,” Todd said, “The one where a bunch of kids with round shields are able to hold back three grown men pushing against them full-strength. You think we could put together something like that here?”

“Yeah. Shield walls are practically the first way mankind ever figured out how to fight as a group because they're cheap, they're easy, and they work.”

“There's a big-box home store like... two miles from here. We could probably get a bunch of wood and stuff there, to make shields and spears...”

“Alright. So... We need to figure out who we're bringing. You, me, and... maybe three or four others. We can probably carry enough materials and tools that way, and six people working together means an even 2 points per leaf-hound split.”

“You're not leaving us behind,” Nicole said, “I'm like a whole army!”

“You have one minion at a time,” Chloe said, “But... yeah we're definitely going.”

“I'll see if Renee is up for it. I think she might have more of a backbone than she realizes.”

“Sounds like we've got ourselves a plan...”