The major led us out of the building and the administrative district entirely, taking us back to the noble district. The guards seemed to be expecting us, since they let us through without a word, though they all made sure to salute the major when she approached them. Once we were inside, we took a short walk to the building complex at the very heart of the city.
At the center of it all was a massive palace crawling with guards, with sphinxes and griffins flying over head to guard the air space above it. Instead of heading into that massive building, however, we entered a relatively smaller three-story building that was at the edge of the complex.
The major moved past the reception into a door labeled ‘Staff Only,’ which confused me for a second. Seeing that she hadn’t told us to stop following her, most of the candidates walked after her anyway, and the rest soon followed. Eventually, we ended up in an arena with a strange layout.
Instead of the circular, tiled floor I was familiar with, we had a square cube with a rectangular door that fit seamlessly into its walls. One of the major’s adjutants quickly took over the arena’s controls, and the door slid open by moving inside the cube’s wall.
“Candidates for the commoners’ team; enter the arena cube at once. To everyone else, take a seat on the floor near the wall.” Major Amset ordered curtly.
Outrage erupted immediately from a few of the noble candidates.
“You would keep us waiting while the peasants take their test first?!”
“How dare you expect me to sit on the floor?! Do you have any idea who I am?!”
“Don’t think your rank in the military puts you above us, commoner scum! Know your place, or else I’ll put you in it myself!”
The aide at the controls froze and paled, his eyes immediately flicking to the quiet major. Major Amset eyed the three candidates impassively as tension began rising in the room. Just a moment after the silence became suffocating, the major spoke.
“Candidate Nefer-Nai Amemu, candidate Tamun Paru, candidate Mosegi Hor; step forward.”
The three in question obeyed, varying degrees of indignation apparent on them. Everyone else made way to back off from the protesting trio. The major walked and stood directly in front of the very first nobleman.
“Candidate Amemu, I have already stated that this group is a military unit and that I am its commanding officer. I have also stated that I will not tolerate any insubordination. What I did fail to mention was that people who anger me dearly regret it, and I hate repeating myself.”
The major walked up to within an inch of the noble, who tried to backtrack but was held in place by the major’s steely gaze.
“For insubordination, I sentence you to 48 hours in solitary confinement. Your sentence begins immediately after the examination period, regardless of whether or not you pass and secure a seat.”
The man’s jaw dropped, and any other words failed to escape his throat. After staring at the man for a few moments for good measure, the major took a step back. She then moved onto the next candidate.
“Candidate Paru, not only have you disobeyed my orders like candidate Amemu did, but you also attempted to use your social class to influence a military officer’s decisions. You do not have what it takes to be a productive member of my team. In addition to sentencing you to 48 hours of solitary confinement, I hereby reject your entry to the tournament team. Your sentence begins immediately. Lieutenant Khai, escort candidate Paru to the military police building.”
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Another aide to the major grabbed the dumbfounded woman by the arm and placed handcuffs on her before leading her out of the door. The major stared at them until the door closed before she turned to the last candidate, who stared at her defiantly.
“Whatever you think you can do, I promise I’ll pay you ba-”
“Candidate Hor,” the major interrupted, making the man’s brow twitch, “you are guilty of insubordination and threatening your commanding officer, the latter of which is punishable by death in times of war. Fortunately for you, we are at peace. Unfortunately for you, it is still one of the gravest offences under military law. Your offenses are no longer within my discretion to punish. Instead, you will be court-martialed. I suggest keeping your mouth shut before you dig yourself into a deeper hole.”
The man scoffed at the major.
“I am not a soldier, and this isn’t a military unit, don’t make me laugh! You have no authority over me.”
Even though the major’s face was impassive as ever, her expression still oozed contempt. The furious nobleman’s face only grew redder as veins bulged on his forehead.
“The moment you decided to remain in the auditorium when my speech ended, this group ceased to be civilian, and you signed away your right to be treated as one. The only exceptions to that rule are our foreign guests due to their diplomatic immunity, and I am afraid you do not enjoy such protections. Lieutenant Amense, escort candidate Hor to the military police building.”
The noble finally exploded, rushing towards the major with a raised fist.
“Like I’ll let yo-”
Before the noble could finish yelling or swing his fist, the major moved faster than I could see. Her hand rushed forward and grabbed the lunging man’s head before slamming it straight down into the ground, cracking it with his face. The noble laid still as a corpse.
Standing up and dusting her hands, Major Amset looked at one of her aides with a questioning look.
“Lieutenant Amense, I gave you an order, did I not?”
Her words immediately stirred the stunned man, who immediately moved to handcuff the unconscious noble and carry him out of the building. The major then turned towards us.
“Now, do I have any further objections? None? THEN GET MOVING!”
Immediately, most of the candidates for the commoner team rushed towards the arena’s door, while the last few followed at their tail. The noble team candidates quietly sat at the edge of the room’s wall as the major gave orders to her remaining aides. Some of them followed after the candidates into the arena while others left the building.
The arena door finally closed, and I could see the dense mana moving through the arena’s walls as it activated.
“Wow, the officers of the Tameryian military don’t mess around, huh.” I whispered to Durreg and Nico.
“I am pretty sure that every military’s officers are like that, cousin. I am more interested in why those nobles felt that they could challenge her.” Durreg said.
Nico sighed.
“In Tamery, social classes mean everything. Nobles are born with privileges and responsibilities that commoners do not, and its existence is a simple fact of life here since the nation’s founding. While it did provide order and structure that were, and still are, desperately needed, there are some undesirable side effects. I became a champion of Lady Mett partially because I didn’t want to deal with the brats of the other noble houses who forgot why Lady Mett bestowed nobility on us in the first place.”
While we talked about what had just happened, the others nearby were just as happy to talk amongst each other as the major observed the test from over her aide’s shoulder at the controls. Nearly an hour later, the arena finally shutdown, and its door slid open. The candidates stepped out with confused expressions before being told to sit at the opposite end of the room like we did.
“Candidates for the noble team, you’re to enter the arena and await further instructions.”
Hearing the major’s command, we all got up and made our way inside the arena. The inside of it was exactly the same as the outside – pure white walls with a ceiling of the same color, though the floor was still divided into tiles like I remembered. It wasn’t long before the arena activated, and we were transported into an abandoned Tyrian city street. The major’s voice then echoed throughout the arena.
“Line up along the street in whatever order you please.”
We then went into action, quickly standing in a single file in the middle of the abandoned street. We then waited for minutes for the next instructions, though they never arrived. People soon began talking with those next to them.
“Is there a problem with the arena? I thought the major was supposed to give us more instructions.”
“Hey man, back off a bit, you’re too close!”
“Where did the major’s subordinates go? Didn’t they enter right after us?”
Nearly ten minutes after the last communication from the major, an air of confusion thoroughly spread through the candidates. In my hurry to line up as the major had ordered, I ended up being a few spaces ahead of Durreg and Nico, so I couldn’t ask them what they thought was going on or talk to them to pass the time.
What now?