Their mentor group left the room and the six of them looked at each other. As if somebody signaled the start of a race, the other five bolted in every direction. Gideon glanced around the room in confusion. What are they doing? Where is everyone going, he wondered? “Prim, what’s going on. What did I miss?” Gideon asked.

“You’re stuck in the room you get for at least the next two years. You may want to make sure you get the room you like.” She said.

Gideon shrugged. “Oh okay, but it’s still just a room?” He followed the example of the others and went to the first room that had an open door. He stepped into the room, it was spacious and luxurious. The bed had a down feather mattress with nice sheets and a blanket. Looks a lot more comfortable than my pallet, he thought. He sat on the bed and it was heavenly. He laid back and stretched. This will be my room. I don’t know why I would need anymore than this. He stood and walked around the room, inspecting the amenities.

There was a chest to store personal belonging, with a void lock. The dresser and closet were both empty. Even with my small amount of clothes, this won’t change much. He walked to the window on the south side. Gideon could see out over the city, he had an unobstructed view to the docks and into the gulf. The ships at the docks looked so small up here. Upon seeing the sea, the memory of the smells came to him. I can’t smell the salt or fish from way up here. When was the last time I couldn’t smell the sea? He couldn’t remember, the smell of the sea was a daily part of life until today. How had he not noticed it was gone?

He walked to the other window. There he saw the pathway that he had used to come up to the academy. He could see the back entrance and the loch below where the boy’s boat had docked. A small channel with a dam to adjust the water levels lead away from the loch. This channel ran into the gulf and the docks of Rime. Beyond all that was the silhouette of the Grom Mountains. Home of the invader tribes, the orc outsiders. Gideon didn’t know the stories well, because his education was limited. He knew these were the Orcs the Dreadnought of Rime had fought, had made his name on. It had been years since an altercation had occurred. Some even thought these Orcs had died off.

“No fair. Gideon has all the luck, he found and empty corner room,” Primrose said from the doorway. “Wow, it sure has a nice view.” She sat on his bed and looked around, similar to what Gideon had done earlier. “No matter, it’s a bit too small for me, being a corner and all. You lose some space usually.” Gideon laughed at Primrose’s obvious statement of bravado.

“Are you trying to convince me the room sucks or yourself?” he asked.

“Gideon, my mind is always made up and never needs convincing.” She said pompously. “Myself a little.” She relented and laughed. “That obvious?”

He nodded. “Maybe just a little, but it was a good effort. We can trade if you like?” he offered. Primrose shook her head in refusal, sighting finders keepers. He didn’t understand what that meant, but he elected to settle into what was now his home.

They all finished selecting a room and met back out in the communal hall. Maximus turned out to be one of Gideons neighbors, the other room remained empty. None of them wanted the room nearest the exit. Citing too much noise from people coming and going all the time. Gideon thought about this. I certainly won’t like having so many people around me while I sleep. This is going to take some getting used to. Compared to his previous home, he would be living a good life now, and people staying close around was a small price to pay. Is the favela even still his home, he thought? He didn’t think so, he had come to far and his new room was at the forefront of his thoughts.

They all fell into the comfortable chairs and sofas. “So what exactly happened in the entrance trial? I was knocked out of it pretty early.” Gideon asked. “I don’t need to know everything, but some details would be nice..”

Hank started the tale. “Well Maximus charged in and I followed close behind him. Then we ran into this group. Some lower noble and his friends. He threw a fireball at Maximus here. Then it was the strangest thing. Maximus countered the fireball with some sort of ice. He was encased in the stuff and slid across the battle field. At first I thought the noble did it. The whole fire and ice element combo a lot of people get.”

Gideon was frustrated hearing they fought Blake. I wish I could’ve fought him like these two did. “Was the noble alone or did he have people with him? Gideon asked.

“He had a girl with him. Shaved head, bleach blond. Had a set of nice blades that sickled down her arms.” Hank said, telling Gideon the details he was already so familiar with.

“Blake and Razor. I’d bet good coin Grifter was near by,” Gideon said.

Hank nodded and continued the story, “Oh, he was. He came out of nowhere and hit us with a barrage attack. That's when Riley showed up with Peace and Judgment. No offense Riley, but you were a little scary. He came in kicking off walls and tore down Razor in seconds. That’s when the Blake kid threw a fire tornado. No joke. It was ridiculous. Maximus here in his ice armor went glacial or something. Then he ran right through the fire tornado like it didn’t exist. He pulled out this huge hammer and just crushed Blake. It was pretty satisfying if you ask me. One of you guys want to fill him in on the rest?”

“I got it,” Maximus volunteered. That’s when Grifter took out Hank. I don’t know what he did, because I never saw him. I thought Riley left me, because I was suddenly fighting all alone, but I guess he got him too.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Hey now, he didn’t just get me. So I took out the girl and I vaulted in the air after the attack. Suddenly this guy is above me. I’m talking above building height. I am looking to glide kick off a wall to try to come down on the group. I figured I would attack from above and could take out Grifter, then this guy is suddenly above me instead of below. I don’t know how he did it. He hit me with a pretty powerful attack, which sent me flailing through the air. The landing was not kind. Someone else finished me off, but I was done for anyway if Grifter would’ve pursued. Far too injured to recover. I don’t know who that guy is, but he is dangerous,” Riley said.

“We get it, you got your butt kicked and don’t want to admit it.” Hank said. Riley made him a friendly and inviting hand gesture. “Hey at least you saw him, I didn’t even get that little win. I was taken out and ported to the healers, with no idea what happened.”

“Then,” Maximus paused for dramatic effect, “Well I got eaten by a big frog. Wrapped its tongue around me and down I went,” he said flatly. Everyone else laughed. “If this is going to be a regular thing, then I propose whenever ale or mead is available, we turn this into a drinking game,” Maximus said.

“Better yet, an eating game,” Hank joked, “You know, because it ate you?” The rest of them moaned at the poor pun attempt.

Phoenix spoke up. “I guess that’s when I come in. Well, maybe a little before anyway. I saw Grifter swat Riley over there out of the sky like a bug. So I lined up a spell and was able to catch him unawares. But Riley, I think I might have hit you with my spell when it punched through the other boy. I may have unintentionally sent you spiraling. Sorry, but we weren’t in the same house yet! I wasn’t actually aiming for you, it was a little dumb luck.” She said.

“Well be-still my heart. A tiny little pixie with the power of a dragon.” Riley flirted. He fluttered his eyelashes at her. The tiny girl blushed profusely. “At least you took that bastard out. You did get him didn’t you.”

“I think I got him, but I’m not sure. Things became chaotic right then. Something took me out, but I didn’t see what, I assumed the Lesser One.” She paused, “You know, it seems to me you all know each other and I’m a bit of an outsider. Again I’m Phoenix Cross. I’m so excited to get the chance to work with all of you this year.”

“Actually, we all met this morning prior to the train to get here. But it must’ve been fate that put us in each others paths, seeing as how we all ended up in the same guild. Something intervened to put us together,” Gideon said. He looked to his guild mates. I’ll need to put some effort into getting to know her and Hank better, he thought. He continued on, hoping to ease some of her worries. “Phoenix, we don’t know each other well, but the rest of us did get a head start. I will do my part to make sure you don’t feel like an outsider anymore.” The others expressed the same sentiment to her.

“It’s okay, I like to people watch. I like to sit back and study their mannerisms and interactions, it’s fascinating. People are awesome, from a distance. I just don’t always know how to relate very well with them,” Phoenix said. “Sorry I got off track. That’s right about when the Lesser One came in. Primrose might be able to tell us more from there?”

Primrose sighed regretfully. “Sorry again guys. Like I told you, I have an ability that can pull a random spell. When the Lesser One was summoned I immediately lost control of it, not having the actual ability or stats to control it. It used a mind attack to sever the mental summoning link and knocked me unconscious. From everything I’ve heard, the professors of the Academy stepped in at that point and handled the creature.”

At that point the doors opened and Silas walked in.“That is exactly what happened. They fought it off and recovered poor Maximus,” Silas said as he entered back into the room. Gage and Ellison came in close behind. “I hope you all got your rooms selected? Maybe even took the time to put away your clothes, or was gossiping a higher priority and went to the top of the list?” He teased them.

“So who got the open corner room?” Ellison asked. Gideon raised his hand. “Ah man, darn. You have all the luck Silas.” She replied.

“Pay up.” Silas said as he held out his hand. She dropped a few coins into it. “ You see, there is always only one corner room available every year. The room goes to one of two people. Anyone hazard to guess those people?” The room remained silent, none of the students elected to play along. “You might have your little princess, she will demand the room. She is entitled to it. That is one. The other is the alpha male or female of the group. Anyone care to guess which of us has the other corner?” Silas questioned.

Ellison glared at the group. None appeared willing to speak up. Gideon decided he had a guess. “Silas, I think you are the one. Not that I don’t believe Gage or Ellison aren’t strong or able to lead, but because outside of all the posturing, they default to you.” Gideon said.

“Very good, and very perceptive.” Silas applauded his assessment.

Gideon was glad he’d guessed correctly. His instincts were sharp and he would’ve been disappointed if he had read the scene incorrectly, He told Silas his thought process, “You need to understand the power dynamic when living on the streets as a scamp in the lower districts. The fastest way to lose your life on the streets, is not knowing who is actually in charge.”

“Makes sense, I could see those street smarts serving you well here,” Silas said. “We’ve decided on the group makeups. Gage, would you do the honors please?”

Gage got up from her seat and brushed past Gideon as she walked to the front. Gideon smelled a perfume on her as she went by. She smells so good, like daisies, he thought. “Hello everyone, we considered everyones basic power set, and I do mean basic. At first your teams will lack balance, but we came up with what we think are the most cohesive teams based on skill sets and personalities.” She paced in front of the group.

“Team One will be Riley Gunn as the DD. With his ranged combat we feel he will compliment his team well. The support role goes to Primrose Verao. While her abilities are unpredictable, she has a wide array of moves allowing her to keep a distance while contributing on every battle front. That leaves the tank.” She paused and allowed the tension to build. “For the team one tank, we selected Gideon. His armor ability is incredibly powerful and a void blade is unmatched in the right hands. With a team full of ranged fighters, his teammates should easily remain out of range of the blade. This will allow Gideon a more offensively aggressive approach, taking on a DD tank role. I present team one; Riley, Primrose, and Gideon.

Team two will feature Hank as the DD. Hank is a close range combat specialist and his ability to create distractions and hit critical points should compliment the team well. Phoenix will be the support roll. Her unorthodox style and skill set will allow her to buff and keep her team alive, while dealing damage as well. Last but not least, the new Dreadnought of Rime. Maximus is a true tank. He can absorb limitless damage and with his cold abilities, he can slow enemies. Combining this with Hank and his critical strikes was an obvious choice.” She smiled at both teams. “I present to you team two. Hank, Phoenix, and Maximus.”

Silas took over the announcements, “Training starts tomorrow. As a team you need to assist each other in every way. We’ll work on trying to level up the abilities you have so you can tier up. The following day, actual class will start. So take advantage of tomorrow and learn the grounds. Get to know your team and fellow first years. Now enough of the school stuff. Everyone get cleaned up and change. You are required to wear the house colors when you go anywhere other than the Delvers common area. You represent the house now. Your successes, are the successes of the guild. Your failures…”

“Yeah we get it Silas.” Ellison said. “What he is trying to say, the generic uniforms are stored in the common room closet. Grab as many as you like, go get cleaned up. The uniforms suck and aren’t very comfortable. I’d highly recommend buying your own clothes the next time you go to town.” Ellison put on a stern face. “The dinner ceremony is in an hour, so get moving first years!” Gideon could see Gage behind Ellison, she was doing her best to not laugh.