Team Flagbearer marched through the competition area for the last time. They were carrying their personal belongings, along with five flags, but nothing else. Anton and Marlon led the column, with a flag over each shoulder, while Sven brough up the rear with their own flag. Glittering red mage shields covered everyone, but had no negative effects.
Team Thunderstorm marched nearby, moving parallel. Their two flags were also at the front, and Lauren mirrored Sven at the rear, smiling as she followed her team. She only had two flags to Flagbearer’s five, but she still looked happier than Sven, who was occasionally putting on a brave face. Yaric was sure he knew why.
Keeping the formation coherent was difficult, as team members kept mixing up and celebrating, but Sven kept a firm hold on everyone from his position at the rear.
“Come on everyone, we have five flags. Don’t fall apart now! We need to show everyone what the most successful team is capable of.” Sven tried to hide the grimace as he said that, but Yaric still noticed. Stepping out of formation, Yaric waited for his team to continue past, then waved Lauren over.
“What’s up?” she asked, joining them with a big smile on her face. Sven seemed curious as well, though slightly more subdued than usual.
“Sven is what’s up,” Yaric replied, punching his shoulder as if there would be some confusion as to who he was talking about. Lauren raised her eyebrows and cocked her head, looking between Sven and Yaric.
“He’s feeling guilty that he got all five flags from our deal, but you only got two of the three we promised you. I think your rescue and return of one of ours has made it worse.”
Sven looked dismayed at Yaric’s blunt statement.
“She held up her end and we didn’t,” he blurted hurriedly. “How is that fair?”
Lauren immediately bumped Sven to the side, “Oh shut up. We had no flags until you guys helped us to get two of them. And all of you spent every day trying to help us get the last one. Are you forgetting that every team had some kind of deal like this at one point or another? Or that all of those deals ended when one betrayed the other?”
“It’s not the same and you know it. We ended up with more flags than anyone else.”
Lauren stared at Sven for a few seconds, before replying in a deadpan voice, “Oh, who would have ended with the most flags if we’d got our third? Or if we’d kept that flag we rescued?”
Sven paused, realizing that he’d still have had the most flags.
“How would you have felt if you’d got three new flags and we had lost one?” he eventually asked, changing tact.
“Guilty,” Lauren replied immediately. “You would have effectively given up your flag to give us everything we were promised. Instead, you got exactly what we negotiated, and we went from nothing to two flags. Look at my team,” she added, pointing at the column of Thunderstorm members marching alongside Flagbearer. They were all celebrating just as much. No one would have been able to tell that one column had come second to the other.
“We’re all aware that teams can’t share flags, but we’ve been fighting together for weeks. Every Thunderstorm knows how and why we are marching with two flags instead of none. I promise you, every one of them feels like we have seven flags.”
Sven was apparently starting to feel better about the situation, as he smirked while replying, “You’re saying that your team is feeling grateful that they rescued us from being wiped out and losing everything?”
Yaric and Sven looked up, watching Li Na skip toward them.
“We contributed,” Lauren smiled, stepping to the side for Li Na to slot in amongst the group. “We earned what we got; we don’t want charity.”
“Is Sven feeling guilty that we only got seven flags?” Li Na asked Yaric, smiling innocently and talking as if Sven wasn’t right next to her.
“Of course, he feels that we let all of you down by not defeating the other six teams and getting you the last flag,” Yaric replied, ignoring Sven as well.
“You mean he feels that he let us down?” Li Na asked, more as a statement than a question.
“As if our team wasn’t right beside you in trying to get that last flag?” Lauren pointed out, making the discussion a three-way conversation.
Sven looked between the trio in exasperation. “I’m right here you know!”
“I bet he feels that not single handedly taking the last flag was a personal failure,” Li Na continued sweetly, looking right through Sven to talk to Yaric.
“That’s the problem with nobles,” answered Yaric, taking on an overly serious tone, “they think they control everything.”
Li Na couldn’t hold back anymore and started giggling with a big grin, skipping sideways into Sven.
Lauren and Yaric soon joined her, laughing at Sven’s helpless expression.
“We just want you to stop being an ass,” Li Na clarified, as if that explained everything.
No one replied, and they soon settled into a comfortable silence while making their way to the exit. The rest of Flag Storm continued celebrating, now left to their own devices as Sven had stopped pushing them to keep proper formation.
“Lina,” Lauren eventually said, breaking the silence, “are you augmenting yourself right now?”
Yaric and Sven turned to watch Li Na, noting how her hair and large pack bounced in time with her skipping. Her heavy mace lifted in dropped in its holder hanging at her side, but Li Na continued as if she were taking a casual stroll through a park.
“Of course,” she replied, talking as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Otherwise carrying all of this would be work.” Li Na smiled cheerfully while continuing to skip behind the columns. Lauren just stared at her in disbelief, while the other two shook their heads.
Lauren, Yaric and Sven each started to quietly channel arcana.
The celebrations intensified when Flag Storm made it back to the large camp outside the training area. They were quickly waved through by the camp staff, and directed to the large cabins where they would be staying overnight. The mention of showers and hot water moved through the teams like a wave, causing a rush for the doors. Yaric and Sven soon split up from Lauren and Li Na, heading for their own team’s cabins.
It was almost an hour before people started congregating outside, clean and in fresh clothes. Rinsing in a river helped a lot, but the weeks in the forest had taken its toll. The guys also looked like a mess. They'd been out so long that most felt compelled to cut their hair, which they were forced to do using nothing but a sharp knife. Li Na liked her hair short, but she hadn't been willing to let anyone near her hair with a knife, so she had spent the last few weeks talking about getting back to Lekton. In between laughing at the guys hair of course.
Food quickly became the next big focus, with mouth watering smells wafting across the camp. Flag Storm were joined by Cormac and Chris, who had also returned with their teams, although most of the 6th years kept to themselves in a separate group.
“Those guys are so pissed,” Cormac laughed.
“Because they didn’t win?” Lauren asked.
“Because this was their last chance to win,” he replied. “And they lost to a 5th year team,” he added, grinning. The Wild Boars might have preferred to be the ones with the flags, but they clearly took seeing their classmates with most of the flags as a consolation prize.
“But we didn’t win,” Sven pointed out. “We finished ahead of the others, that’s all. The competition was a draw.”
“Not how anyone else sees it,” Cormac laughed.
Food was brought out at that point, causing a rush for plates. Four hundred students consumed a lot of food, especially when they piled their plates with large helpings. Eating basic rations and food you had caught yourself was ok, but months of nothing but rations and game left everyone craving a proper meal. It was made even worse when they actually tasted the different dishes, and Yaric could have sworn he heard actual moans coming from both sides of the benches as everyone dug in.
Large bonfires were lit once again, casting their flickering light across the campground as the sun began to set. Soon everyone was talking animatedly, bathed in the red and orange light from the fires in front and the sky above. At first, no one noticed the slight chill that began to set in as the sky darkened, but soon everyone was moving closer to the fires, huddling together and keeping the fires well fed.
At some point, someone brought back a blanket from their room, and just 10 minutes after the first person noticed, everyone was huddled under blankets, usually with four or five students squeezing under the same one.
Yaric and Sven joined Lauren and Li Na under theirs, with Anton and Gerrick on their left, who were quickly joined by Marlon and Trevor. Cormac moved to sit to their right, wrapping his blanket around both himself and Chelsea.
None of the three groups moved from their spots all night, though most other students moved around frequently. Everyone was asking questions or relating their own exploits, and Yaric especially enjoyed watching some students, his own teammates amongst them, as they reenacted some of their most impressive accomplishments.
Many of the groups who came to join them for a few minutes came with food or drinks, so they never once had to leave the warmth of their blanket. Neither did they ever go hungry or thirsty, especially when the drinks started shifting to wines, ales, and beers. All of Flag Storm wanted to celebrate with them, and most of Chris and Carmac's teams did as well.
Yaric eventually found himself staring into the flames while relaxing in the warmth of the blanket, the stress and constant tension slowly melting away. For the first time in weeks, Yaric tuned out his surroundings and dropped his vigilance, comfortable in the company of his friends. He hardly noticed when someone brought him another mug, just mumbling a quick thank you, and barely even managed that when a flagon was handed to him later.
Lauren bumping his shoulder brought Yaric out of his comfortable stupor.
“You’re looking relaxed,” she whispered.
Yaric just smiled for a moment, trying to get his brain moving again. “This is nice,” he managed eventually, jerking his head to indicate the students having fun all around the bonfire.
Lauren returned his smile, then nodded her head back slightly, pointing over her opposite shoulder. “I think Lina would agree.”
Yaric leaned forward to look around Lauren, and immediately broke into a wide grin.
Li Na was asleep, leaning against Sven. Her head was almost completely under the top of their blanket, blocking anyone from seeing her open mouth and mussed up hair as she snoozed comfortably on Sven’s shoulder, dead to the world. Yaric wasn’t able to see Sven’s face, but he appeared to be asleep too, leaning slightly into Li Na and with his head resting on top of hers. Both were breathing deeply and slowly.
“I don’t want to wake them,” Lauren whispered, her grin now matching Yaric’s.
“She looks happy now,” Yaric agreed. “Did you ever find out what made her upset?” he asked, still concerned about her behavior during the first half of the competition.
“No. I’m not certain that she was upset. Whatever it was, what really matters is that she’s back to herself.” Laurens grin grew even wider. “She’s clearly over it.”
“You’re not going to let her live this down, are you?”
Lauren shook her head in response, her smile shifting into a mirror of the one Yaric usually saw on Li Na’s face. “Never.”
They stayed in front of the fire until after midnight, talking to friends who joined them and about anything that popped into their heads when they were alone. Eventually, they had no choice, and were forced to wake Li Na and Sven.
Sven was a little unfocused when Yaric woke him, having been pushed into a few too many celebratory drinks. Li Na was worse, clearly having been in a deep sleep and now very disorientated. She leaned into Lauren and allowed her to lead the way back to their cabin, not hesitating or questioning Lauren in the slightest. She didn’t even respond when Lauren paused to look back and whisper a quick goodnight to Yaric and Sven. Sven didn’t notice either, but he was easily led back to their own cabin, where he fell onto his bed and passed out.
Yaric threw a blanket over him, got changed, got into his own bed, and quickly passed out as well.
Marching back was nowhere near as pleasant as the march out had been. For most of the students anyway. Yaric and Lauren were positively cheerful the entire day, constantly needling Li Na and Sven, neither of whom remembered anything, although Yaric couldn’t help but notice Li Na’s attempts to hide the occasional blush. He wasn’t so sure that her memory was as bad as she claimed.
They weren’t able to do more than make the occasional comment, as both Li Na and Sven had hangovers, which the early morning march did nothing to help.
No one said anything when they marched straight past the area where they’d camped on the way to the competition, and instead continued toward Lekton. No one said anything when they came to a stop either, now just 6 hours march from the outskirts of the city proper.
Lauren and Yaric had come to an unspoken agreement, no longer making any mention of the night before. Li Na didn’t say anything, but she seemed grateful nonetheless, going out of her way to be helpful. Sven didn’t seem to care either way.
One of the staff members called everyone forward after dinner, not bothering to introduce himself. Or just assuming that everyone already knew who he was, it could be hard to tell sometimes.
Standing in front of a fire, he waited patiently for everyone to gather around. Night had already fallen, leaving everything outside the firelight hidden behind an impenetrable darkness. The flickering light danced over the wizard, illuminating him from below and casting deep shadows across his face. Yaric couldn’t help but feel how ominous everything was, and waited with bated breath for the wizard to give them his news.
“Well done everyone!” he announced enthusiastically, opening his arms wide as if to embrace them all. “We were all very impressed with your performances, and I know that the instructors amongst us were happy with the improvements you’ve all made. I’m sure you’ve all noticed that we travelled much further than normal, and that’s for good reason. Please pay attention to what I have to say, because you all need to know what will be expected of you tomorrow. Once I have finished explaining things to the 5th year class, they will be dismissed, and I will explain the different procedure that the 6th year class will follow.
“Tomorrow morning, we will leave early, in order to make it back to the Academy in as short a time as possible. That is why we travelled so far today, to make tomorrow’s journey shorter. Once we arrive inside the grounds, you will receive a short speech, after which you will be dismissed. You will then have a short period, usually one hour, to do as you wish. Unpack your things, get cleaned up, get something to eat, whatever you want. The important thing is that you will need to be ready for your team debriefing. Each team will be collected from the dorms at the appointed time, so make sure you are presentable!
“Once you arrive for your debriefing, your team performance will be evaluated. Every action will be analyzed, and problem areas identified. The goal is to recognize all of the contributions that were made and help to correct any shortcomings. Once this is done, points will be awarded in a similar manner to the Solstice Tournaments, but as a team.
“That will be followed by a personal evaluation. Each of you will be assessed by three staff members. One mage or wizard from the competition, one member of the Council, and your Sponsor. You may potentially earn additional awards here, but I won’t go into any detail as each evaluation is highly personal. Your evaluation will include instruction on your way forward, and what to expect over the next year, so make sure you are attentive. Ask questions if you don’t understand!”
“That is all I have to say for the 5th years. If the 6th year class would stay seated, the rest of you are dismissed.”
Yaric hurried back to his bedroll, closely followed by the rest of his team.
“We had flags!” Anton exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. “We’re going to get rewards for sure!”
“We equaled the 5th year record,” Sven reminded him. “I wouldn’t be worried about our rewards.”
Team Flagbearer were all excited for their evaluation, but the anticipation was tempered by their nervousness. They knew that they’d all made mistakes as well. Everyone was going over their own mistakes in their minds, trying to spot any major errors.
‘At least I survived all of my mistakes,’ Yaric thought to himself, worried about how he’d messed up during both of the initial defenses of their camp, and how he’d forgotten to watch their rear when capturing the last flags, ending their chances at total victory.
Yaric had just climbed into his bedroll when he suddenly stiffened, sitting up straight in sudden shock. ‘I was never killed! Almost everyone got wiped out when we were ambushed, and again when they came back. Was there anyone else that survived the whole competition? All the other teams got wiped out at least once.’
Quickly narrowing the list down to just those that had hidden with flags, Yaric thought through each of his teammates. It had been a very long competition, and Yaric was dismayed to realize that he couldn’t remember exactly who had been knocked out after some of the earlier battles. Not that it diminished his delight at discovering another accomplishment. And a big one at that.
‘Marlon. I can’t remember him ever being hit. He’s probably the only other person in our team that survived the whole thing. The only other person from any team,’ Yaric thought excitedly.
Then he froze for a second time, this time feeling a chill going down his spine. ‘What would a real battle be like?’ A pit formed in his stomach when he remembered how his whole team had been cut down in the second ambush, while he watched helplessly. He felt sick when he thought of how they had fallen while buying him time to run.
His survival wasn’t his accomplishment, it was theirs.
Yaric was still thinking through everything that had happened when he realized that someone was shaking him, and he was now lying on his side. He sat up to find Sven crouched beside him, with a thin pink band glowing on the horizon behind him. Stars still glittered uncaringly above, and the cold air still held its early morning bite, carrying the scent of dying embers buried in ash. Students were quietly moving around all over their stopover point, packing their things and getting ready to go to the sounds of bedrolls getting tightly wound and bags being pulled tight.
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“You looked like you were going to sleep through breakfast,” Sven teased.
“I didn’t get much sleep the night before, I was too busy babysitting,” Yaric countered groggily.
He had to rush to get ready in time for the march, and was still eating while they formed into columns of four. Anton and Marlon still led their column, but they were joined by two more to complete the four rows of twelve, and each of them carried a single flag.
Sven carried the fifth flag, their own. He also insisted that Yaric take the lead as one of their scouts, putting Yaric in front of his team while Sven made up the rear, their captured flags displayed at the front like trophies.
Yaric still felt tired, and he looked very disheveled after rushing so much to get ready, even carrying his half-finished rations to eat while they travelled. The look on Sven’s face made it obvious that Yaric’s current state was at least part of why Sven wanted him in front, where everyone could see him. Perhaps he had cared about the teasing after all…
The big speech the night before made their arrival feel anticlimactic. It wasn’t even lunch when they finally made their way through the large gates at the entrance. Yaric still felt awed walking between the massive pillars that flanked the entrance, brilliant white in the bright sunlight and covered in crisscrossing veins of glittering gold. The huge square beyond was just as large and just as impressive as always.
The small group of four wizards waiting for them was less so.
Both classes marched up to the waiting staff members, staying in their columns but waiting side by side.
“Welcome back!” High Mage Strenger greeted them, standing in front of the others. “I’m sure you all know what will be happening next, so I will keep this brief. You all have one hour, starting right now. One hour to do whatever you want to do, but be sure that you are ready when we come to collect you at your dorms. And make sure that all flags in your possession are brought with you.” Lennon looked at each team in turn, then smiled before adding one more word. “Dismissed!”
Yaric started jogging back, and realized with a jolt that his whole team was following him, still in columns of four. ‘This is weird. but at least there won’t be a crush at the door to our dorms.’
There was a crush at the door to the dorms. Every other team had broken formation and run ahead, all of them moving at different speeds, and they quickly caused a traffic jam in the doorway. Team Flagbearer was forced to wait outside as the others pushed their way through, leaving Yaric feeling even more self-conscious as they all stood quietly in formation behind him.
Team Flagbearer had their own rush once they were inside, after everyone split up and ran to get ready. Yaric cleaned himself up quickly, and put on one of his new combat robes. Then he made his way out, where Lauren, Li Na and Sven were already waiting, already joined by Anton and Trevor, and they ran out as a group.
They ate a quick lunch and ran back, getting one final instruction from Sven.
“Let every Flagbearer know that they need to be outside with all of the equipment we received. We have to hand it back sometime, and I want our whole team to have everything with us during the evaluation, just in case.”
Lauren was listening, and she quickly rushed off with Li Na to do the same.
It didn’t take long for both teams to be outside and waiting, standing in their formations and fully equipped with all academy gear. It wasn’t another student that fetched them, but a full-fledged Mage. All four 5th year teams were led into a courtyard, ringed by a large portico that stood before the large buildings surrounding the courtyard.
Hiawatha was waiting.
“Good! You’re all here. In a moment, I will be going over a few things, team by team, while you are all still together. The things we will cover are very general and very basic, for all to hear, as they will benefit everybody. Then you will each go into your own building, as teams, where will go into more detail.” Hiawatha grinned as he looked around at the assembled students. “And then you will receive team awards!
“Once that is done, you will be taken one by one for individual evaluation. Each of those will be personal and individualized, and once they are done, the rest of the day will be yours. So, let’s begin, shall we?” Hiawatha asked, rubbing his hands together.
“First, Team Wild Boar. The judges were very impressed with your camp, they thought you did particularly well when you consider the location. No one else thought to construct a double wall with a trench between them. It took a 6th year team to breach your defenses, and only after you had withstood five different assaults. The rest of your campaign followed sound logic, and the one risk you took, allying yourselves with more experienced teams, was only done when you had no better choice. Well done!”
Yaric quickly started clapping when the other students behind him did, earning a quick smirk from Hiawatha.
“Next, we have The Victorious!”
Yaric stood up straighter, earning an eye roll from Hiawatha, before he turned to his side leaving Yaric confused.
“The Victorious carried out several assaults, and systematically improved their strategies each time. Most importantly, they developed counters to any defenses that gave them trouble, and in a competition that involved capturing flags, they were on the offensive more than any other 5th year team. Well done!” Hiawatha declared loudly, facing Chris’s team.
‘The Victorious? Not so much!’ Yaric laughed to himself.
“Team Thunderstorm!” Hiawatha continued. “You built very solid defenses and were perhaps the best organized of any team. Each member of your team had very well-defined roles and expectations, but more than that, those roles were always given to the most qualified people, and the expectations were always reasonable. You carried out systematic assessments after every fight, and made reasonable and logical adjustments to improve. Further, you positioned yourselves between every other team, resulting in each team looking to get you on their side, and leaving you with the most comprehensive intelligence network in the competition. Then you leveraged that, earning yourself two of the eight flags, as well as an ally that helped you to hold on to them. Team Thunderstorm’s deal with Flagstorm was the only agreement that was kept over the entire competition, make of that what you will. Very well done!”
There was a lot more clapping when Hiawatha finished, but Yaric was still surprised by Hiawatha’s revelations. Neither Lauren nor Li Na had ever presented the things they had done in that way before, and he’d had no idea they’d had so many accomplishments. But it made a lot of sense when Hiawatha put it all together for them.
“And lastly, Team Flagbearer. The defenses you built were more basic than any others, but very effective. You developed your own escape plan, which is exceedingly rare over the entire history of this competition, and you put supply caches in place, ensuring that you could survive while on the run. Your counter attacks and guerrilla campaign were highly effective, as proven by finishing with five flags, equaling the competition record. At one point you were in possession of six flags.
“Twice you carried out ambushes that wiped out an enemy team without losing a single teammate, one of which occurred without any injury whatsoever, and both were against a 6th year team. Once you carried out an ambush against two 6th year teams that had joined forces, and came away victorious. Your plans were often novel, always used the terrain to your advantage, and usually used the element of surprise.
“Team Flagbearer was at one point being hunted by every other team, and when the numbers looked hopeless, you joined forces with Team Thunderstorm, before launching a lightning campaign that wiped out three of the four surviving teams. Then you managed to escape the ambush that almost lost you the entire competition, and persisted in attempting to not only survive, but win, which was a very realistic proposition. Well done!”
After the clapping died down, Hiawatha waved to get everyone’s attention once again.
“I have one more announcement before we split up for the team debrief and evaluation. You’re all aware that Team Flagbearer equaled the Academy record for number of flags held by a 5th year team. What you may not be aware of, however, is that five flags is also the record number of total flags held by all 5th year teams combined. More than one 5th year team has finished with flags before, but never with more than five flags between them.”
Both teams had huge grins on their faces when the implications sank in, and they all started frantically looking around, throwing high fives and fist bumps wherever they could.
“Sorry, my mistake… Five flags was the record for the total number of flags held by 5th year teams. I believe Flagbearer and Thunderstorm gave themselves a new name when they joined forces, so please join me in congratulating this team on their new record. With seven flags and a new Academy record, well done Team Flag Storm!”
There was a lot more applause at this revelation. Not only was this a new academy record, and one set by their classmates, but both Cormac and Chris’s teams had been double crossed by 6th years, and they reveled in the news that the 6th years had suffered a record-breaking loss.
“Good! Now Team Wild Boar, follow me. The rest of you will wait here.”
Hiawatha led Cormac and his team into the building behind him, while the other three teams broke up into groups, talking excitedly. Yaric had never seen Lauren smiling so much, and everyone from both teams looked very proud.
“I can’t believe what Battle Mage Trokhym said!” she exclaimed as soon as they drew near. She was clenching her hands together next to her shoulder, and didn’t seem able to stand still.
“You didn’t tell us about any of those things!” Yaric retorted in mock accusation, glancing at a smiling Sven for support.
“I didn’t know! I thought we were underperforming. Battle Mage Trokhym spoke about some very basic things and put them in a different perspective,” Lauren rushed out, still excited.
“The Battle Mage never gives praise that’s undeserved,” Yaric replied, “Actually he hardly ever gives praise even when it is. He clearly thought it was well done.”
“All of the things he mentioned were things we struggled with,” Sven added, earning himself a disbelieving stare.
“Really!” Sven said, raising his palms as if to defend himself. “The first time we were attacked everyone was all over the place. We had planned the defenses but never thought of assigning roles. And that kind of thing kept happening. We only gave roles to people when they were needed, and almost never in advance. Not to mention that information was always our biggest struggle, and here we find out that the quietest one who always has her nose in a book is the one who has all the information about what’s happening and where,” Sven teased.
“Yaric is the quiet one,” Lauren retorted, in perfect unison with Li Na, who’d said exactly the same thing.
“No I’m not, and stop trying to change the subject,” Yaric said while wondering how this had turned back on him.
“Yeah!” Li Na exclaimed, turning on Lauren. “Don’t try to change the subject, you heard what the Instructor said…” Then, looking at Sven from the corner of her eye, she continued, “We’re Team Flag Storm, not Stormbearer… It’s official!”
The bickering continued while Cormac's team was inside, pausing only briefly when Hiawatha came to fetch Team not so Victorious. They were making plans for after their assessments when Hiawatha came out again to fetch Thunderstorm. The other two teams had already been pulled into private assessments in the surrounding buildings.
“Won’t be long now,” Yaric mumbled, suddenly nervous. The courtyard seemed quiet and empty with just the one team left, and the sudden absence of Li Na and Lauren’s voices made the silence feel oppressive. Yaric and Sven waited without speaking, standing awkwardly amongst their nervous teammates.
Their nerves weren’t helped by Hiawatha returning just 10 minutes later, far more quickly than he had after meeting with the other two teams. Worse, Team Thunderstorm never returned with him, and Hiawatha led them into a different building.
They were directed to take a seat on the floor while a chair near the wall slid across the floor to Hiawatha.
“Good! Let’s get started, shall we? There is a lot to cover, even though it’s only the general efforts of your team as a whole. The real detail will follow this when you have your individual assessments. This is a formal assessment, but I want everyone relaxed and open. As such, I will drop proper forms of address and simply call you each by name.
“First, your base camp. Moving the sleeping area downstairs was a test, and you all passed. Most do, but it’s still worth mentioning. If your provisions are near the entrance, then that is all an attacker needs to capture in order to defeat you. And if your fighters are near the entrance, you can both respond and communicate much more efficiently. I clearly don’t need to go into too much detail here.
“Your defensive plans were solid, and very original. Teams almost always build on the terrain, they very seldomly change the terrain to create the defenses. Chelsea, very well done with the idea for that wall. Digging out the wedge made a wall that could not be burnt, chopped down, or knocked over. Trying to undermine the wall would just bury the attackers and create a new wall slightly further back. It also gave you a firm base for a parapet without any additional work. Your barricades were very effective in that situation. Normally I would consider basic defenses like that lazy and ineffective, but in your case not even a wall would have been as effective. Anton, your idea to recreate the slope directly in front of the wall made a big difference.
“Now some of the mistakes you made. You’ve already realized that you didn’t have a proper plan on how individuals would respond to an attack, and everyone was just carrying weapons wherever they went. In a real war, that could get you killed. In the future, make sure everyone knows exactly what they should be doing, and run through some simulations, so you can best determine things like where your weapons should be kept.
“One very simple mistake was not properly securing your barricades. If you had just fastened them to the reinforcing stakes you added, you probably would have held your camp through the second assault. There’s no other way to say this, but having your defensive structures simply pulled off your wall is embarrassing. Don’t make a mistake like that again.
“Another aspect that you could have improved was the gaps between your barricades. I thought they were very well done, well sized and nicely spread out – perfect for letting your own forces move around while restricting any attackers. But you didn’t add any way to block them! You had no way to close those gaps or to hinder attackers other than by putting yourselves in that gap.
“You also discovered too late just how effective ranged weapons could be with your defensive setup. I know you had requested bows by then, but several more bows would likely have resulted in your victory. I can’t complain,” Hiawatha added, smiling, “because then you might not have counter attacked and taken your second flag, but it’s important to keep in mind.
“Then, we have your tunnel. Well done, Yaric, the idea was good, but the design you came up with was inspired. No other team has ever built such an extensive tunnel system in such a short period of time. And it wasn’t just an escape, but it had tactical applications as well, allowing you to retaliate without your opponents being aware.
“Here too were a few mistakes, which could have all been avoided through one simple action. Simulating an escape. Again, no one actually tested the escape plan, and many of you were forced to drop your weapons when you found yourself stabbing friends that were moving in front of you or catching your weapon on the tunnel walls. The downhill section could have been done better as well - many of you fell over trying to walk downhill while bent over so far forward. Then you all made it out, and realized that you had no plan further than the exit. You should have already scouted rallying points and hidden the supplies you would need if forced to use the tunnel. Even capturing your first flag took you by surprise, because none of you had made any plans to counterattack. I think you were more shocked by your capture than the Mighty Dragons were.
“The execution of your guerrilla campaign, however, was much better. Most of the complaints I have would be easily resolved by simply scouting out camp locations and caching supplies before being forced to escape from your base camp.
“Nonetheless, your reconnaissance was adequate for the resources and information you had, and your planning was well thought out. Moving your hidden camp into sectors occupied by opponents is exactly the kind of thinking that the situation required.
“Your team also held back, allowing your opponents to weaken each other before you launched your own assaults. Flagbearer picked the battle almost every time, choosing the time and location for each fight. When the Mighty Dragons assaulted The Wild Boars, you moved in behind them and struck just as the assault winded down. When you found them launching another assault, but now teamed up with The Ravens, you chose to hold back, and instead circled around to setup an ambush, with extensive preparations made at the ambush site.
“I have many things to discuss about these ambushes, and most of you will have observations to discuss during your one on one discussions, but suffice to say, many of them were planned and executed at a level above what we expect from students in your year. Yaric, we will certainly be discussing your role in these ambushes.
“Team Flagbearer was also the only team to so extensively and so effectively employ psychological attacks. Sure, other teams used threats and intimidation, but Flagbearer went far beyond that. You crushed the morale of more than one team by destroying their camp entirely, and burning or looting all of their belongings. People take pride in what they build, and seeing all of your work burnt to ash while sleeping on the ground, hungry and exposed, would have significant effects on almost any team.
“Some of your attacks or movements were sudden and silent, creating confusion and uncertainty. Other times you openly taunted your opponents, sometimes even strategically, pushing them to make the move you wanted. None of you will be aware of this, but Team Flagbearer developed an almost elite reputation amongst the other teams, first causing them to all want to beat you, then pushing them to keep away from you unless they had odds of at least two to one. Some of that was simply due to the results of your attacks, but some of it was also due to deliberate efforts on your part.
“In my opinion, the Mighty Dragons were combat ineffective from the moment you wiped them out in The Wild Boars camp, right up until they planned their ambush that almost lost you your flags. Simply because of the psychological pressure you applied. Sven, later on we will be discussing this in particular. Of all the students I teach, you are probably the most naturally polite and respectful, yet in combat, you switched between quiet and cunning, and loud and obnoxious, whatever the situation required. As far as I’m concerned, you played several teams like a master puppeteer, preparing the ground just as effectively as Yaric did when setting up ambushes.
“And that is before we even address your leadership of your team. I think your teammates would agree that you led them very effectively, and to great success.”
Everyone started cheering, causing Sven to turn red and look down.
“Now, I have to pause here, as we can’t continue without everyone present.”
Hiawatha stood up, and walked out, leaving the entire team bewildered. That didn’t stop the discussions that immediately sprang up.
“Did you hear what he said about the wall?” Chelsea asked, excited about being called out by name.
“He said that the ambushes were extremely effective – I took out at least two people in every one of them!”
“I blocked the gaps between the barricades with Trevor!”
“I shot five 6th years when we ambushed the two teams together!”
Everyone started enthusiastically talking over each other, proud of their contributions to the events Hiawatha had praised. Only Sven remained quiet, content to watch his team proudly talk about their personal achievements and roles in the team’s success.
Everyone fell silent when Hiawatha walked back in, this time followed by Team Thunderstorm, who quickly joined Flagbearer on the floor.
“Right, now the whole team is together. We’ve covered each of your individual team assessments, but not what the two of you accomplished together.
“Once Lauren worked out what was going to happen to Flagbearer, she very quickly and very decisively acted to ensure that her team would be the ones to get flags from Flagbearer. Her offer wasn’t one that Flagbearer could reasonably refuse, and you came to an agreement quickly enough for your teams to act and take the initiative.
“I am aware that many of you are already friends, but your rapid integration was still very impressive for teams in your 5th year. Lauren’s impact was immediate, with both teams testing their integration and working out how to be combat effective together. Sven came up with an effective plan, and both leaders then worked together to implement that plan. Crucially, they also started working on a plan for if things go wrong, which is the only reason that The Mighty Dragons didn’t get to celebrate a total victory.
“Your teams were very effective in turning the tables on your hunters, defeating the first team in detail, before moving on to try the same thing again. Events from here did not go according to plan, but you adapted very quickly and successfully defeated a team that was slightly stronger than your own. The weakness created by one team putting their ally in a detrimental position for their own benefit was quickly exploited, while your own strengths were immediately brought to bear. I think the results of that battle speak for themselves, particularly as this was the only open battle that Flagbearer ever fought on even terms, and half of your opponents were a year above you while your own teams had just fought in a previous battle. Further breakdown of this fight would certainly be beneficial, and will be carried out during your one on one discussions.
“Next, we have Flag Storm being on the receiving end of an ambush, a new experience for the Flagbearers. Each of you responded admirably, and your successful attempt to hold onto your flags speaks louder than anything I could say. Only two flags out of eight were lost, one of which was recovered within the hour. Lauren’s decision to return that flag to her allies has also been noted, as has her team’s agreement with that decision.
“You were not able to advance any further after that, but your decisions to hide and shadow your opponents were strategically sound, and your attempts to ambush or retreat were all tactically sensible and well-reasoned. None of my fellow instructors felt like you missed any major opportunity, on the contrary, they were impressed with some of the decisions to retreat, even though you were not aware that your opponents had set traps.
“Now, each of you will go straight into private assessments from here, but first, I have a couple of announcements. You will receive more detailed assessments in your one-on-one evaluation, but should any of you have any questions afterward, feel free to approach me whenever I am free. There is obviously far more to unpack than this basic debrief, and I cannot guarantee that everything will be covered in your private assessments.
“I also feel like I need to mention that we’ve traditionally called these assessments one-on-ones, however, there will be three people giving you your assessment. Every year I have at least one wise ass point that out, so let’s nip it in the bud now. And lastly, before you come up here with your ID’s to receive your rewards, you should all know that you will also be receiving passes to leave the Academy grounds. You have the next five days off, so you have plenty of time to ask me any questions.”
Everyone cheered enthusiastically. It had been months since any of them had had any free time, and spending time in the city sounded especially good after spending months camping in a forest. No one even registered Hiawatha’s suggestion that they meet with him to ask questions. They all wanted their rewards, but they all wanted to put the competition behind them. Yaric privately swore to do all that he could to win the competition as quickly as possible when they went back the next year. A clear winner meant an immediate end.
Yaric joined everyone else in lining up for their rewards, received his pass and instructions to discuss his rewards in his upcoming assessment, then got directed to one of the students that was now waiting near the exit.
“Name?” the student immediately asking, raising a piece of paper at the same time.
“Prospect Yaric Miller,” he quickly replied, eager to get his assessment over with.
“Here we are, follow me,” the student directed.
Yaric was led to one of the doors lining the portico and instructed to wait outside. He spent several minutes standing there, nervously watching the others go straight into their own assessment, before the door finally opened and he was ushered inside.
The room was small and cool, with mage lights pushing back every shadow and illuminating the single table that stood on the other side of the room. On his side of the table was a single high-backed chair. More chairs lined the other side, each occupied by a member of staff.
“Sit!” Lloyd instructed with a smile, indicating the empty chair in front of him. “Prospect Yaric Miller, I will be conducting this interview as your sponsor. Beside me here is Council Member Tracy Strongbow, and here on my left is Mage Padmore, one of the judges who oversaw your competition. And you know Battle Mage Hiawatha Trokhym.” Lloyd added, pointing to the surprise fourth chair.
“Before we begin, do you have any questions?”
Yaric had moved to the chair by then, and he respectively nodded to each person as they were introduced to him, before taking a seat himself.
“Interview? I thought this was an assessment. About my performance in the competition?” Yaric asked, confused and more than a little concerned.
“Oh, it is!” Lloyd replied enthusiastically. “We will of course be going over your performance these last few months, but that is not the real aim of this little discussion.”
“It’s not?” Yaric asked nervously, swallowing.
“No. While we will be discussing your performance, that is not, as I’ve just mentioned, the real purpose here. Our main concern,” Lloyd explained, gesturing to the staff members beside him, “is not your recent past. No, we are here to discuss your future!”