Chapter 232
Jay heard a loud boom and startled awake, his eyes barely open. Someone was banging on his front door furiously. Jay rolled out of bed groggily, he had barely gotten any sleep at all, and he felt awful. He trudged to the front room barefoot in his underwear and opened the door without comment.
“What are you doing?! You aren't ready yet? We're going to be late!” a flustered Aiden said loudly as he pushed Jay in to his room and shut the door behind him. “How are you not ready to go?”
Jay rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned as he hurried back in to his bedroom and began to pull on his underclothes and armor. “I didn't set my alarm,” he called back to Aiden who was still in the front room.
It was quiet for a moment and then Aiden called back. “Do you even have a wake up alarm?”
Jay chuckled, “Er..no. I do not.”
Aiden groaned, “How did you manage to get through training without being late the whole time?”
“YOU woke me up! I never needed one!” Jay said as he finished putting on his armor and shook out his vest so that he could put on over his armor.
“You need to get one of those! I won't be here to wake you up after graduation!” Aiden yelled back to Jay from the front room. “Are your ready yet? We have to get going!”
Jay put on his belt and pouches before he got his backpack on and arranged the straps over his vest, then he pulled his boots on and tied them hurriedly. Jay stood up, grabbed his staff, and ran out of the room.
“Let's gooooo...” Aiden said in an effort to speed up Jay's efforts.
“Ok, I'm ready!” Jay said and the two left the room in a hurry. Jay tugged the door closed behind him and made sure it was locked.
It was still dark and the air cool as the two ran along the paths towards the main courtyard. The paths were already filling up with Guild guards, Librarians, and students all headed in the same direction that Jay and Aiden were. Maybe they weren't so late after all, Jay hoped.
As they rounded the corner to the courtyard Jay was struck by how different it appeared from its normal appearance. Usually there was a steady procession of carriages and carts flowing through but this morning the space was dominated by students arranged in to groups of five. A smaller section of the courtyard had been cordoned off for use by carts and carriages to load and unload passengers. The remainder of the courtyard was entirely set aside for that morning's event.
Aiden and Jay frantically tried to locate the rest of their group but there were so many people there that it was difficult to manage. They were saved from wandering around indefinitely when Jay and Aiden heard a trio of voices yell “JAY” at the same time in concert. The two men turned their heads to the right just in time to see three women waving at them wildly.
“There they are,” Aiden said with a grin as they made their way over to where M'redith, Carly, and Norri were standing. They all wore their armor and carried their weapons. None of them were smiling.
“Good morning,” Aiden said and smiled happily. He was the only one smiling.
“What's so good about it,” M'redith groused as she rubbed at her eyes. “I'm exhausted. I feel like I didn't get much sleep last night.”
Jay chuckled as the other students in the courtyard all held their own conversations. The courtyard was full of the sounds of people conversing excitedly.
“I didn't sleep well either if that helps any,” Jay offered.
M'redith shook her head. “Nope. Didn't help at all.”
Norri chuckled which drew Jay's eye.
“What about you? Where did you get to last night?” Jay asked with a grin.
Norri smiled and shrugged, “I walked Sha'li home after things got a bit too much for her. We had tea!”
Jay laughed, “You had tea? I guess that's good?”
Norri grinned, “It was peach, and it was delicious.”
“I guess you can tell me about that later, I'd love to hear all about it,” he said as M'redith looked over at Aiden.
“And where were YOU last night mister?” M'redith asked with a wide grin which Aiden returned in kind.
“I was with C'nthia if you must know,” Aiden stated with a pleased smile.
M'redith sighed but shook her head with a smile and Jay looked over at Carly, who had been silent up until that point.
“How about you Carly, you get any sleep last night?” Jay asked as the others all talked with each other.
Carly shook her head and frowned, “Not a bit. I tossed and turned all night – I couldn't stop worrying about today.”
Jay nodded before he made a sour face and frowned, “So just so I've got this straight – none of us slept well last night. Great. I feel sick to my stomach from not sleeping – I hate that feeling.”
M'redith was agreeing with him when the crowd began to quiet but Jay's group couldn't see why. Soon their problem was resolved as a booming voice that had been artificially amplified broke through the surrounding commotion.
“WELCOME!” said a loud voice and those who had been talking went quiet as it was clear things were about to begin. The person speaking was difficult to make out for most students but Jay was quite a bit taller than anyone else there save for the Librarians who merely stood and watched the event.
The well-dressed man speaking looked important and was probably someone high up in the political structure of the Guild, at least locally anyway. Jay could barely make him out from where he stood but could hear him as if he were standing next to him.
“Welcome to this morning's graduation exercises! Over the last few months many of you here have been studiously attending classes and learning the lessons you have been taught. Others of you however, have not been as attentive. The purpose of today's exercises is to determine which of those two groups you belong to.”
The courtyard, lit up with magical lighting to hold off the early morning darkness, was silent now except for the occasional sounds of a carriage or cart unloading passengers. Jay could see that a platform had been set up along one edge of the courtyard. It wasn't easy to see but no one needed to see the person speaking – they needed to hear him, and they did.
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“Those of you who succeed in finishing today's exercises will be rewarded with an invitation to graduate. You will be granted the status of Guild Member as well as all the benefits and responsibilities that it entails. We will welcome you in to our organization as a sister or brother! You will be one of us! You've worked hard and earned your place among us.”
The crowd grew a bit restless in excitement at the thought of finally graduating.
“As for the rest,” the voice boomed and the crowd quieted to almost silence under the dark sky. Magical lighting provided enough brilliance to see around them but did nothing to light up the area beyond.
“Those who fail to complete today's exercises, those who refuse to participate, those who fail to meet expectations, they will receive none of that. Those who fail will be given a choice. They may quit and leave the program entirely or they can begin again at their own expense.”
Murmuring filled the air as students all considered how awful a situation it would be to fail. No one wanted to quit, not after everything they had all been through. No one wanted to go through training over again. And most importantly, no one wanted to pay for their training themselves.
The voice continued as it was not yet done giving the crowd of gathered students things to think about.
“Today's exercises are not simulations. They are real. What you fight will be trying to kill you. You have been taught everything you need to know in order to survive – so long as you paid attention in class, studied, and practiced, you should be fine. Those of you who did not, however, may find yourselves in danger of injury, even death.”
The courtyard was now so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
“I'll say it again for those of you who did not believe me the first time. Those of you who did not pay attention in class, or did not study, or did not practice, you will be forced in to situations where you will be in danger of losing your life. I want all of you to take a moment and think, hard. Are you ready to be tested?”
There was murmuring in the crowd but there was also a lot of thoughtful silence as students considered their chances of survival.
“Some of you are not ready and you know it. Maybe you just didn't study. Maybe you spent too much time playing with your friends, or maybe you just needed more help but didn't pursue any. Whatever the reasoning is the result is the same – you are not ready. If you feel that describes you, if you know that you are not ready then there is no reason to continue, and you may choose to skip the exercises.”
Students began to talk all at once and the voice talked over them which quieted them down quickly.
“Should you skip the exercises you will be treated as if you had failed them and will be presented with the same two options – quit or redo the course at your own expense. Having said all of that I would like to take a moment now and invite anyone who feels that they are not ready for today's exercises to raise their hand. Once your hand is raised you will be escorted by a Guard out of the courtyard for processing.”
The crowd went quiet as everyone looked around at the gathered students in an attempt to see if anyone would take the offer.
Surprisingly enough there were a number of students who took the opportunity – to quit. Jay could count five people total that elected to not participate in the exercises that day. Each student who raised their hand had a Guard approach them and speak to them quietly. The Guards seemed to be extra kind towards those who were quitting and carefully guided them off of the courtyard and towards an administration building.
The mood in the crowd had changed from excited to somber as they all watched the students who had elected to not participate in the day's event. Jay couldn't imagine going through the entire training course only to quit before graduating. What a waste of everyone's time!
Jay looked at his group mates – M'redith looked resolute and ready. Aiden looked pleased with himself and unconcerned. Norri looked incredibly nervous. Carly looked worried. Not a great start.
Jay smiled and whispered, “Don't worry guys, we've got this! We've been training and practicing and going on dungeon runs – we can do this.”
M'redith smiled as if what Jay had said was obvious but Norri nodded as if it were sage advice. Even Carly looked a little encouraged.
“For those of you who have chosen to stay – I wish you each well on your journey today. Throughout the day you will be guided through a series of events which will test your knowledge and abilities. Remember – this is all live, your safety is your responsibility,” the voice said in a kind voice.
“During most events you will have a monitor assigned to you to keep track of your progress and grade your performances. The monitor is there to grade you, not to provide assistance. They will neither offer you aid nor answer your questions. They are there to watch only.”
Jay looked over at Norri who was shaking her hands as if they were wet and she were trying to dry them. He raised an eyebrow at her and she stopped.
“What? I'm nervous!” she hissed at him so as not to be too loud.
“Details: You will only be provided enough information to progress to the next activity,” the booming voice continued. “You will not be told how many activities there are scheduled for today. You will not be told what constitutes a passing grade for each activity. Just do your absolute best. Results will be posted later tonight. Once your group has finished you will be given further instructions. We will not be taking any questions. Prepare to move out.”
“Well he's a bright ray of sunshine isn't he?” Aiden cracked with a smile as everyone began to move and talk all at once.
“Just do your absolute best? What kind of goal is that?” Norri complained before they were ushered by a Guild guard towards a line of carts that had begun to file in to the courtyard. Students were loaded in to carts by groups and Jay's group was no different.
They all piled in to the cart excitedly except for Carly who still had not really spoken at all and looked worried. M'redith caught Jay's eye and she raised one eyebrow. Jay shrugged in response. Hopefully Carly would prove up to the challenge of the day – they'd find out soon enough.
Jay climbed in after the rest of the group and took a seat next to M'redith. She snuggled up to him after he had sat down and sighed.
“This is going to be a long day,” she said as the line of carts all rolled forward and began to pull in to city traffic, enroute to their first 'activity' of the day.
Norri stared off in to the distance and sat quietly as the carts rolled through the city streets. Aiden was leaning back and had his eyes closed with a satisfied smile on his face as if everything was right in the world. M'redith was glancing over at Carly with a concerned expression every few minutes.
No one seemed to be in the mood for a conversation, everyone was too nervous no matter how relaxed they might have looked on the outside.
As the cart continued through the city those who were up that early waved at the passing procession of carts. They were familiar with the routine as it happened once every month or two. They waved at the passing carts and smiled while shouting words of good luck to the passing students. It was like a parade, a parade of quiet and worried looking students, unsure of what might come next.
The line of carts pulled in to a familiar courtyard and Jay recognized their location. “K'tharkle Portal House,” he said to the others, just in case they hadn't noticed where they were.
A loud voice called out to them and Jay recognized it as Warren's. He managed to sound encouraging even while yelling. “Exit your carts and then step away from the courtyard on to the grass. Gather in your groups of five. You will be approached by your monitor and led to your first activity. Good luck and may Gaia be with you,” Warren finished with a smile.
Jay climbed out of the cart and helped M'redith step down from it while the others climbed out on their own. They quickly walked away from the cart and took up a position on the grass that bordered the courtyard then stood together and waited.
And waited. And waited. After what felt like ten minutes Jay was beginning to become annoyed when he saw people who wore bright orange sashes begin to approach groups and lead them inside.
“They must be the monitors,” M'redith said absentmindedly as she tucked a stray hair behind her left ear.
One of the monitors turned and made a beeline for Jay's group.
“And that must be our monitor,” Aiden said with a smile as the person got closer.
“Here we go,” Norri said and held her staff with a white knuckled grip.