As the minutes morphed into a dozen without communication from the major, some people grew tired and took a seat against one of the abandoned buildings. Others tried to pass the time by playing games or lightly sparring, among other things. Some people decided to remain in line, and I noticed Durreg and Nico remaining rooted in place. A few in line even gave the others looks of amusement or subtle mockery. Something was definitely going on.
Looking back to when we were waiting outside, the major and her aide never let their eyes off the controls. It doesn’t make sense to me that they would suddenly be sloppy enough to not notice we didn’t get any instructions.
Hmm…
Suddenly, my eyes widened with understanding.
“So that’s what she’s playing at!” I said under my breath.
Nico must’ve heard me because she just sent me a meaningful grin.
***
After nearly an hour passed since we entered the arena, the major’s voice boomed once again.
“Once the door to the arena opens, leave through the door at once. You do not have permission to speak until I allow you to do so. Failure to comply will result in your immediate dismissal.”
True to her word, the arena faded to black, and the real world finally came into view. The aides that had disappeared in the beginning were now waiting near the door for us as it slid open. As we finally left the arena, we found the commoner team candidates lined up in front of the major.
“Noble team candidates, line up opposite of the commoner team candidates.”
A bit of shuffling later, a corridor of candidates stood between the major and the door to the exit. The major spoke up with a loud voice.
“If and when I say your name, take one step forward and turn to face me. Candidate Besa, candidate Sebekem, candidate…”
***
“…candidate Hat-ei.”
A few minutes later, over half the candidates had stepped forward. My name wasn’t mentioned, and neither was Durreg’s or Nico’s. The major’s voice then rang a little louder than usual.
“All candidates who were ordered to step forward are hereby disqualified. Turn around and exit the room immediately. Dismissed!”
The candidates in the middle of the human hallway suddenly fell into shock surprise.
“Major Amset, I don’t understand, why did you fail us? You didn’t even give us a chance to show you what we can do!” the person at the front of the line asked her in protest.
The major narrowed her eyes.
“You asked me why you failed, but you fail to realize that you’ve failed to obey my orders yet again.”
Everyone quickly shut their mouths as the major began talking.
“Not only have each one of you failed to remain in line, you’ve also failed to keep quiet and to leave the room when ordered to do so, even after I’d already demonstrated that I do not tolerate insubordination. I have no need for anyone who cannot follow simple instructions. You’d best leave immediately; my patience is already at its limits.”
Sighs of disappointment followed from the present candidates as they moved to the door. A few people looked like they wanted to argue further, but they obediently turned around once they remembered what happened the last time someone argued with her. When the final disqualified candidate left the room and closed the door, the major addressed the rest of us.
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“You are now free to speak from this point onwards. Now that I’ve weeded out the candidates with unsuitable attitudes, it’s time to test your abilities.” She said, placing her hands behind her back as she walked towards the arena’s door and faced us.
“You will now line up in front of the door, the noble team candidates to my right, and the commoner team candidates to my left. Each time the door opens, two candidates will exit and wait by the wall while the next two candidates enter. Each of these candidates will be from a line. Your objective will be to work together to fight your examiner until you are told to stop. The examiner will not attack you, but they will be free to grapple with you or toss you around as needed. Since we have more commoner candidates than noble candidates, two contestants from the commoner line will enter at once when the noble contenders have all participated.”
People quickly lined up in front of the major. When that was done, she stepped inside the arena and was followed by some of her aides. The two at the head of the line looked to each other before stepping in after them. As the door closed behind them, some people began to gossip to talk to their neighbours. Meanwhile, I put my hand to my chin as I began to think.
Although the assignment looks to be simple on the surface, what I’ve seen from the major so far implies that it is anything but. She just said that we ought to ‘fight the examiner,’ not to beat them or injure them. There was also a number of different aides going in rather than just one; which of them was the examiner?
“Hmm…”
“Pardon me?” a voice to my right said, shaking me out of my thoughts.
I looked to the source of the voice – it was the boy next to me from the commoners’ team, likely my teammate for this part of the test.
“My name is Nuhem Serapis. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Azoth.” He said with an easy smile.
I blinked twice.
“You know me?” I asked.
The young man chuckled.
“I am certain we all do after your back and forth with the major; for better or worse, it left a lasting impression on everyone.”
Oh. Right.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nuhem, but I am not a noble. You can just call me Kiara. Also, aren’t you scared to be talking to one of the big bad dragons?”
“Oh, I am not too worried. The major said you were here to make peace with mankind and my god told me that I should befriend you because he thought we would get along. And yes, I did time my position in our team’s line, so please forgive me for that.” Nuhem put a hand behind his head and chuckled before continuing.
“In any case, why not discuss our abilities and usual roles in a party broadly? It’ll likely help us perform better when its our turn to go. I am sure the major allowed us to speak now for a reason.”
“…Of course! How did I not realize it sooner?” I put a hand to my head.
The test had already begun. I should have seen this coming from a mile away, since the major already pulled something like this before. Now I felt like an idiot.
“Thanks for the hint, Nuhem. Regarding your suggestion, I am happy to agree. I am a mage with the arcane and atypical – force affinities. While I am best at launching magic attacks from a distance, I can hold my own in close quarters combat as well. Range, mobility, and utility spells are my advantages. I usually fill whatever role needs doing in a party. What about you?”
“Thank you for sharing! I am a paladin-type warrior, with both incantations and skill with a shield and short spear. Like you, I also fill the roles that are needed for my team, but my true strengths lie in casting defensive buffs on all of us and magically enhancing my own strikes, functioning as a healer-support and fighting tank at the same time. My ranged damage, mobility, and utility abilities are lacking in comparison, so I think we complement each other wonderfully.”
As the first duo exited the arena and the next one entered, Nuhem and I began discussing the specifics of our abilities and formulating potential strategies. We also tried to keep track of any obvious counter-synergies between us, but it was difficult to account for everything without actually seeing what the other could do with our own eyes.
Before we knew it, it was finally our turn. We stepped in after the exiting duo, where the major and her aides stood waiting for us.
“Send us to a marsh!” she ordered.
The arena turned black, the stars appeared and moved past us, and we landed in a flooded swamp with water going up to our knees. Dead trees and a grey sky covered in dark clouds surrounded us, with tall grass blocking off much of our view.
“Your examiner for this section of the test will be myself.” The major said, walking towards us.
“You will continue to fight against me until you manage to kill me, or I tell you to stop. As previously mentioned, I will not attack you, but grapples and throws are fair game. Do you have any questions before we begin?”
I looked to Nuhem, and he shrugged, so I went ahead and asked a question.
“Did anyone manage to kill you so far?”
Major Amset gave me a thin smile.
“I didn’t deem anyone capable enough to fight me today.”