“Today is challenge day!” Master Sims barked causing a stir of excitement to go through the students.
Edan felt his own heart rate pick up at the news, but quickly pushed his excitement down. He knew how the day would play out. It would be exactly the same as it had been at the beginning of the previous school year.
Even the classroom they stood in looked the same, though this one was located on a lower floor of the tower. The floor-to-ceiling windows let in the morning sun. Each window had a sill you could lean up against and look out at the courtyard below. Not that the students were allowed such pleasures, of course. No, each student stood at casual attention in the middle of the large open space.
As requested everyone had brought what armor they owned with them. It was a strange mix of leather and metal that left each student looking odd and out of place in the classroom environment. Edan had to admit that a few of the students tended to wear their armor better than the rest. Their casual confidence making them look like real cultivators rather than hopefuls.
Master Sims paced back and forth before the group. His dark eyes took in the assembled students. They rested briefly on a few of the more flamboyant ones, his mustache twitched with irritation.
“Some of you seem a bit… overdressed.” he drawled, very obviously looking at Aser.
Aser wore a fashionably cut leather curious with double shoulder guards on top of a dark black long-sleeved shirt. Vambraces covered both of his forearms, pulling the shirt's fabric tight. A thick belt held his hand and a half sword strapped to his waist, and a dagger sheathed at the small of his back. Durable leather pants that looked padded in areas covered his legs and boots that shone with a fresh polish finished the look.
“Me? We were told to bring our armor.” Aser replied, his tone carefree and uninterested. “It is not my fault that some cannot afford the most basic of equipment. I simply stand out because they fall so very short.”
If you looked closely enough, you could see the carved grooves in the armor that channeled the enchantments each piece had. Those were definitely not basic equipment.
Probably a durability or self-repair enchantment and a strength buff, Edan guessed, as he tugged at the collar of his own armor. He was dressed similarly to Aser, with a leather cuirass, though he was missing the shoulder guards and he didn’t own vambraces or fancy pants. Sheaths were sewn into his cuirass, courtesy of Reema, and small handles could be seen sticking out of them.
Master Sims let out a huff of displeasure, like an angry bull, but didn’t dispute the tall man's words.
“The rules for today are simple. A person with a lower rank can challenge someone of a higher rank for their place in the class ranking. Mind you, you can only challenge someone up to 3 ranks above you, so don’t all try for the top spot at once!” There was nervous laughter from the class. No one wanted to challenge Aser. “and don’t think I don't see that evil gleam in some of your eyes. You can’t challenge below your rank! I’ll have no bullying! If you issue a challenge and win, you may issue another challenge, should you wish to push. If you lose a match, you need to wait for another match to finish before gaining the right to challenge again.”
This time the laughter was more relieved than nervous.
Stopping in front of the class, Master Sims tucked his thumbs into the thick belt that strained against his ample waist. He stood in a beam of sunlight and his short red hair turned into an orange blaze against his pale skin.
“I don’t think I need to remind you all why you should want a better rank, do I? Not only are these lists public, meaning the Sects see them, but they also ensure you get certain…benefits. To help encourage your growth.”
In a class of eighteen students, Edan was fifteenth. You didn’t get these so-called benefits until you passed into the top nine. That was Edan's goal for today. Break into the top 9, and secure a place on the leaderboards. Get set up to take that top spot from Aser during the next Challenge day.
Edan unconsciously rubbed his sweaty palms against the leg of his pants. He practiced the breathing exercises Sanik had taught him to help calm his nerves.
“Oh and before I forget, there may be a guest popping in sometime during the day. If you see her, don’t annoy her. Don’t approach her. Leave her alone. She’s just here to observe.” The last part was barked out in rapid succession. “Now, you have the whole day to sort yourselves out, so pace yourself.”
There was a pregnant pause as Master Sims clapped his hands together in glee.
“This is going to be fun. Move back, spread out, sit on the ground, or go jump out the window, I don’t particularly care, just make room for the combatants in the middle. Now! Who's first?”
It turned out Nose and Tooth were up first. And against each other no less. As the rest of the students shuffled towards the walls of the room and settled down crosslegged on the cold, hard, floor, their hands flew into the air as they rushed towards Master Sims.
Master Sims smiled at their enthusiasm and called out their names, which Edan promptly ignored for fear of having to call them by it henceforth. Instead, he just listened to the part where Tooth was placed seventh, and Nose was fifth. Tooth was looking to upgrade.
Edan settled down by one of the windows, using the sill as a back brace. He enjoyed the warm sun soaking into him as a breeze drifted through, tickling the hairs along his neck and bringing with it the sounds from outside.
In the middle of the room, Master Sims was speaking quietly to the two boys. No doubt telling them not to kill each other. He held his hand out and each presented him with their weapon, one at a time. Both boys used swords, though Tooth’s resembled a saber with its larger, curved, blade. Nose’s weapon was a shortsword.
A stick, with a cotton ball at the end the size of Edan's thumb, appeared in Master Sims' hand and he tapped the cotton ball against each weapon's blade. A white residue, like chalk, remained on the blades as he handed them back.
Stolen story; please report.
Stepping back, Master Sims got a nod of readiness from both compatents. The students ringing the pair looked on eagerly. Dropping his hand, Master Sims started the match.
Nose, never patient, made the first move. His shoes slapped against the hard floor as he raced forward, his sword held out to the side. With a shout, Tooth stepped forward to meet him, his own blade moving in a quick slash aimed at bisecting his friend down the middle.
The two friends collide in a vicious struggle. The enchantments on their blades prevented the weapons from touching. Something Edan was thankful for, as the screech of metal on metal in the closed classroom would have left them all deaf.
Slash met block and deflect turned to thrust as the two boys danced back and forth. Whether through skill, or familiarity, both struggled to gain ground on the other. Master Sims watched closely from the sideline, moving when needed to keep a good eye on them.
When swords didn’t do the trick, they turned to limbs. Soon punches and kicks lashed out as often as metal. Here Nose had the advantage with his longer limbs. He moved just a little faster than Tooth. Stepping back to avoid a wild slash, Nose hopped forward, his blade flicking towards Tooth’s face. The other boy swayed to the side to avoid the blade.
Tooth buckled as a kick collided painfully with his knee.
Taking advantage of the distraction of the other, Nose brought his weapon down in a powerful overhand strike. Tooth blocked, the force driving him further off balance. Moving with the momentum, Tooth rolled backward before hopping back to his feet.
The class cheered. Even Edan nodded in appreciation.
Once more the two boys attacked each other, but now exhaustion stole skill from their action and their blows became sloppy. Sweat beaded their brows and laboured breathing made their chest heave.
Edan watched closely, knowing the final moments were coming.
There! Tooth’s leg was still sore. He favored it when shuffling back. Exhaustion made it harder to hide.
Nose has him! Edan thought.
And he was right.
Three heavy blows left Tooth off balance and before he could collect himself, Nose kicked him in the exact same spot. Tooth, too exhausted to do much else, collapsed to his knee as one foot gave out from under him. Nose’s weapon turned red as he sliced it across Tooth’s throat.
“Match!” Master Sims called quickly, seeing the enchantment on the blade turn red indicating a lethal blow. “Bloody good match boys!”
Edan wasn’t watching the two boys be congratulated. He was watching the other students. A few looked at the pair with hungry, predatory, eyes. They smelt blood.
The real challenge came, not from beating someone above your rank, but from keeping the spot once you did. It was called Challenge Day for a reason. You had the whole day to challenge someone. Regardless of how tired…or injured, they were.
If Nose managed to hold his spot until the end of the day, Edan would eat his daggers.
Other than a few over-eager fights early on, the students became more cautious with their challengers. Instead of skipping multiple ranks, they would try for the person just above them, and then try to fight as defensively as possible, even if it did leave them tired afterward. The exhaustion you could recover from, injuries were harder.
Edan was content to sit back and enjoy the show. He knew it wouldn’t last. He was too easy of a target. Often viewed as the smallest in the class. The runt. Someone would come for his spot. And so he waited to be called out.
When it happened, it was almost anticlimactic.
A girl approached him. She was of average height, meaning taller than him, and her brown hair was tied up in a tight bun at the back of her head. Her eyes were calm, but hard, and focused on him as she moved across the room. Edan tracked her movements, the way Sanik had taught him. She held a spear in her hand with relaxed confidence.
Edan wasn’t surprised. It would have been either her or Gre’ery who challenged him. Gre’ery was ranked seventeenth, while Tanzi was sixteenth.
“Edan,” Tanzi said, stopping before him. Her brown skin turned golden in the sun. “I want your spot.”
Edan sighed. In his mind, when he finally got challenged, it was a glorious thing, the students would point and gasp and cheer. In reality, no one but he and Tanzi cared about it.
“Don’t suppose you want to loudly proclaim my downfall?” Edan asked.
Tanzi cocked an eyebrow at him, before shaking her head, dismissing his words.
“Fine,” Edan straightened up. In the middle of the room, he could see Alem beating the stuffing out of Mansa with his studded bat. The enchantment turned the weapon a soft yellow, then an orange, before shifting to red. Master Sims stopped the bout then.
“Looks like we’re up,” Edan muttered. He held his hand towards the center of the room. “After you.”
There was enough of a lull between matches that you didn’t really need to fight for the floor. Master Sims noticed their approach and nodded in acknowledgment.
Edan ignored the students he passed. Most had lost interest in the fights and began to talk among themselves. Heads bowed they sat in circles and groups, only glancing up on occasion. Their attitude would shift though, once the higher-ranked students began to make their moves later in the day.
“Mawe, Sabah,” Master Sims greeted them. “You better be the one challenging, Sabah.”
Tanzi gave a curt nod, the single gold loop earring she wore jerking with the movement.
“Yes sir, I seek Edan’s rank.”
So formal Edan thought, fighting back a laugh, though I guess the Sects often are.
“Weapons!” Master Sims barked.
Tanzi hesitated for a moment, then with a sigh, she handed it over. Edan watched with interest. He had heard about the Reforge Sect and how their path of cultivation revolved around their weapon, but he hadn’t expected someone without a birthed system to be so attached to theirs yet.
“Relax, girl. The enchantment is carried in the powder. Simply wipe it off once you are done and your weapon will be fine. There are no alterations made to the weapon itself.”
As he explained, Master Sims tapped the spearhead with his cotton swab thingy, leaving behind a smear of white dust. He handed the weapon back and Tanzi was polite enough to wait for Sims to turn to Edan before she began inspecting it for damage.
“I should charge you for the powder,” Master Sims grumbled as Edan handed him first one dagger, then another, then another, then another. “Couldn’t use a sword like a normal person, aye?”
Edan laughed, handing over a pair of push daggers he kept at his back.
“You’ve seen me try using one. I suck. What was it you said last time? All the finess of a bull finding out he has an elephant's trunk?”
Master Sims's mustache twitched as he fought a smile. “Aye. I often wondered if I missed my calling as a poet. Enough lollygagging. Find your corners.”
“It’s a circle, there are no corners,” Tanzi muttered, completely serious.
“Then make one!” Master Sims growled.
Tanzi walked off, picking a part of the available floor at random. Edan matched her, keeping his distance. He was formulating a plan. It would depend on how the match progressed, but Edan liked its odds of success.
“No killing, no maiming, and you stop once your weapon turns red. If I end up needing to stop you…the forgotten realms help you.” Master Sims looked between the two, holding their eyes for a second to show how serious he was. He got two nods back. “Good. Then begin!”
He dropped his hand and Tanzi lunged forward, her spear tip aimed at Edan's eye.