Chapter 16: Butting Heads

Zel's jaw nearly hit the floor. Cleinz was likewise stunned, and by the time the shock had run its course in Zel's mind, Cleinz was already standing, anger burning behind his eyes.=

"Captain Exelcia, you cannot be serious," Cleinz started, "I am a Duphor, you cannot seriously expect me to work with one of the-," before he could finish his word, Cleinz was interrupted by Captain Exelcia.

"One of who, Mr. Duphor?" She asked, her normal cheery expression and voice was replaced by sternness like that of a mother scolding her child. Cleinz froze, and opted not to speak any further, but it was Zel's turn this time.

"I hate to say it, Captain, but I agree with Cleinz. I don't know why you think it would be a good idea for me to be in a group with that jerk." Zel had many different words that she wanted to call Cleinz in her head, but jerk would suffice while talking in front of the captains.

"I can understand your concerns, Zel, but if you would, I want to finish calling out the groups before I explain myself any further. Otherwise I'll forget where I was." Zel reluctantly dropped it.

Exelcia went down the line as she said, and each grouping was met with more groans or disappointment, though none were so vocal about their parties than Zel and Cleinz were. As promised, as soon as she was done reciting her list from memory she spoke quickly before anybody could interject.

"When working as a unit, you will sometimes be matched up with people you work well with, that is the ideal. If everyone is on the same page then whatever operation you are carrying out will usually progress smoothly. However, if for whatever reason your group does not work well together, it will make missions significantly more difficult. One bad cog can halt a whole machine. I'm going to make it so none of you are that cog!" Captain Exelcia explained.

"Now, if I did what I wanted to, then each of your groups should be composed of two to three people that already know each other and would be happy to work with, then there should be one to two outliers." Captain Exelcia continued, "sorry if you drew the short straw, but there is a reason for that too, each of you has a lesson to learn from the people around you, whether you want to or not. This will force you to learn something at least, even if that something is 'I'll tolerated this chump until the final exam, then I'll never talk to them again.'"

Zel was still upset with being teamed up with Cleinz, Miriya and Jammy seemed no more happy than she was.

How did she even know what people to put us in groups with? she thought, before the solution popped in her mind. Captain Exelcia had personally escorted each student out of the room during their second exam. She probably brought each student to a friend or a group of other students that they knew and kept track of it. And it would not have been hard to see who Zel got along with, especially considering her yelling match with Cleinz in the infirmary.

But it wasn't only them, it was everybody. Captain Exelcia introduced her as a water affinity mana user with a specialization in defense, but Zel thought that perhaps her most terrifying skill was something that she didn't write in her resume.

"So," Captain Exelcia continued, "as the year progresses, I expect each and every one of you to work on teamwork with this group of four. There's something that I like to say in regards to this. 'We don't always get to choose the family that we are with, so sometimes we must make do with the family that we got,' That one was from your very own Captain Crans, a rather insightful quote if you ask me! Throughout the year you will be given various tasks that will test the limit of your group's teamwork. Depending on the group, some of you will pass with no problems, even if you have issues now, you'll quickly realize a way around them and it will be smooth sailing from then on. However, I suspect that some of you will have an extremely difficult time with the people you have been assigned to, and there will be no partial credit. Either your entire group passes this course, or you all fail out together."

The students had been in a subdued silence, but the captain's last comment threw the room into an uproar. Those who were okay with their grouping before were now making their voices heard, and those who were more upset spoke up all the louder. All the complaints fell on deaf ears as Exelcia produced a bubble of water in one of her hands, pressed it between her other hand and popped it, making an ear shattering noise that split the hall, silence followed.

"Listen, kids, I'm real patient. Maybe the most patient out of all the Captains that you'll work with this year. But I can't stand being yelled at. So next time you all complain, keep it down, or we'll have problems." Exelcia's voice was serene but threatening. Like the edge of an abyss. Nobody dared breath.

"This will be hard, for some of you this will be literally the hardest thing you ever do." She said, letting out a laugh. "Imagine that, getting used to working with someone you don't like being the hardest thing you'll ever do at the Academy. If only it were that easy for me."

"If you have any other questions, the other teachers and I will be sticking around here until either you all are gone, or our next classes begin, so don't be shy." Captain Exelcia said, her normal cheery tone returning as if it had never left. "Ah, but if you come to complain about your groupings, I'm going to feed you to Captain Crans."

"Ooo." Captain Crans said from the back of the classroom. Zel thought she saw him lick his lips.

"Alright, you all are dismissed," Captain Exelcia announced. "Don't get lost on your way to your other classes. They won't all be so easy to find as this one, but you'll have plenty of time. Tomorrow we're going to hit your magical flexibility and teamwork hard. No more hand holding from here on out! We're off to the races!"

With that, the grumbly class dispersed, some more grumbly than others, but Zel was the queen among them. Students and teachers alike cleared out of her way as the exited the classroom.

"Ugh, I can't believe we're going to work with Cleinz!" Zel exclaimed. She pulled down on her face with her hands, stretching her sharp features and hoping that perhaps her face falling off would be a good excuse to not have to go through with this grouping. Alas, her skin remained intact. "It was already a bad evening, now it is surely complete. Surely this night could not have started off any worse."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Hey, don't say that." Miriya said, a somber expression on her face. "I've seen you screw up things way worse than this situation. Give yourself some credit!"

"HA!" Zel cried. "I'm starving! Let's go find something to eat." Zel whipped around and smashed face-first into somebody who tried to pass her in the hall. She bounced back like a spring and was prepared to come back with all apologies for not watching where she was going, but then she noticed who it was she had ran into. It was none other than Cleinz himself. He was glaring down at her, unmoving. Zel suddenly had the impression that her running into him hadn't been her fault.

"Sorry Cleinz, didn't see you there. Don't know how I could have missed a pile of garbage that tall," she said, deciding to come out of the gate swinging. Cleinz looked aghast and opened his mouth to retort, but stopped himself and sighed, pinching his nose just beneath his brow.

"I believe it is Zel, is it not?" He asked, even though he obviously knew her name, "you have been granted a unique honor, the honor to serve a Duhpor directly, whether or not you deserve it."

Zel didn't think she could get mad so fast. She had had a bad night, bad sleep, and hadn't eaten all evening, and she was just about ready to snap Cleinz in half like a twig. Before she could make a move, however, Miriya jumped in between the two. She began talking to Cleinz while holding one hand back to keep Zel at bay. It was barely enough.

"Hey Cleinz," She began, keeping Zel solidly behind her and out of Cleinz' vision, "I think we've had a bit of a rocky start, but we are supposed to be a team from now on. So why don't we start over. My name is Miriya Crestfall. It's nice to make your acquaintance." She held out a single furry hand to Cleinz.

Cleinz hesitated for a moment, still focused on Zel and unsure of what to do. Miriya feared that he would not shake her hand, but after the moment had passed he slowly brought his hand forward and met Miriya with a single stern shake.

"Cleinz Duphor," he said without any further acknowledgement. Then he looked to Jammy. Jammy was significantly shorter than Cleinz, but she was not intimidated by him and held out her hand while introducing herself in Clicktongue.

"Charmed," Cleinz responded, flatly, shaking Jammy's hand as well.

"Well, Cleinz, we were all just about to go eat. We haven't had the chance to grab anything due to a clerical issue with our room this evening," Miriya lied. A rare sight. "Do you want to join us?" Zel wanted to boot Miriya right in the behind for even suggesting such a thing, but she held strong. She thought she could perhaps tolerate Cleinz as long as she was not the one that had to talk to him. Luckily for her, Cleinz answered quickly.

"No, I will not be joining you. A member of the Duphor family would never have to stoop so low as to join commoners for meals," he said. He put extra emphasis on the word "commoners" as if it were a slur.

"No, the reason that I have come to speak to you is to inform you of how our team will operate," he continued, "Unfortunately, our success in this course is inextricably tied to our ability to work as a group, regardless of each of your individual competence. I highly doubt that I would be penalized for your, what I anticipate will be, extremely poor performance, we must all pass this class together. My suggestion to this end is this: I will do all the 'heavy lifting' as it were, using my superior Duphor magic to ensure that we always rise to whatever piddly challenge the Academy will throw our way, and you three will simply be along for the ride. After this year ends, we can go our separate ways. By that point it should be clear how poor a fit one or all of you are for this school, and we'll all be rid of a burden. How does that sound?"

This time even Miriya was stunned to silence. In her brief lapse she also dropped her hand. Zel was loose, and it took her no time at all to get between Cleinz and her sister.

"I really don't know where you get this idea that you're better than us, but clearly there is something wrong," she began, "We've already been through how we belong here just as much as you do, 'Mr. Duphor,'" she said, mimicking Captain Exelcia, "so we'll skip that part. You're asking us to let you do all the heavy lifting, ignoring the whole 'team' part of 'teamwork,' and just take the easy pass out of this class into year two? Is that what I am to understand you 'expect' from us?" Zel cocked her head, eyes wide, patiently waiting for the answer.

"Yes, for someone as thick as you are, that was an acceptable summary." He said, without even a blink.

"An interesting idea, Cleinz!" Zel said, the venom practically spilling from her lips. "Allow me to propose a hypothetical, then, if I may."

"Say that, for example, during our team building exercises, we went to a different place. Somewhere that maybe doesn't have very much stone, such as a lake or a mountain that is known to be completely coated in a thick layer of ice towards the peak. Where exactly will you get the stone in these situations? You see, I noticed something, during our exams. I noticed that when you had the opportunity to fight Captain Crans, before you did, you bent down and touched the same stone that you then used during your combat. Perhaps this is just baseless speculation, but I suspect that you need direct contact with stone to manipulate it. If that is indeed the case, my dear, dear Cleinz. Would you please explain to your lesser teammates how you will manage in this hypothetical?"

Zel finished her rant and put her hands behind her back, doing her best to look cute and innocent as she could muster.

"Ha," Cleinz let out a single, arrogant laugh, "in that case, I would simply need to bring the stone with me. A service that you three could doubtlessly provide, even given your inadequacies."

"So, rather than finding a way with our various skills to assist you in utilizing your affinity at the top of Sub-Cross mountains, you would rather utilize our backs as load bearing cattle?" Zel kept her innocent posture and tone, but her rage was beginning to boil over, causing her pointy ears to twitch.

"I could think of no greater service or utilization of your skills, Zel." He said with a nasty grin.

"In that case, I think I'll carry the rock that will be the stone spear for you, so I can shove it up yo-" Before Zel could finish, she was again interrupted by Miriya who had finally managed to get between Zel and Cleinz once again. A blessing to Cleinz and the surrounding student's ears.

"I don't think that will work for us, Cleinz," She said firmly, "As Zel said, we're here for the same reasons that you are, to learn and become people who can protect those who need protecting, and if you do all the work, how will we protect anything?"

"Hmph," Cleinz grunted, his nose wrinkled, "Then I will relent for now. However, if you impair my progress or slow me down in any way, there will be consequences."

With that, Cleinz whipped around and walked away, his cloak trailing behind him as he went. Miriya let out a sigh of relief when he left.

"We cannot let him talk to us like that," Zel said, her eyes still locked on Cleinz as he disappeared up a staircase.

"We might not have a choice," Miriya said, shaking her head, "it would be ideal if we could be friends with him, but I'll admit, that seems like it'll be a problem. What do you think, Jammy?"

Jammy pointed towards where Cleinz had disappeared with one hand, and raised another to her head where she twirled it around. Zel let out a hearty laugh.

"He is a bit of a loony, ain't he?" She said. Jammy, it seemed, had the same knack as Miriya in her ability to calm Zel down. "Now, back to lunch, I'm still starving!"

"Yeah, let's go," Miriya said as Jammy buzzed in agreement. After spending a moment to find their bearings, the trio set out on a quest to find some food.