“Guess I’ll have to get to work then,” said Scorio, and managed a shaky smile back.
“Remember, I didn’t say you have to win the tournament. Simply draw enough favorable attention that one of the four Houses will offer you a sponsorship. You’ve already caused a significant stir with your role in Imogen’s defeat. Cement that interest with a few key victories, and then negotiate an offer to focus exclusively on healing. After that, you’d simply have to do your best to maintain their interest.”
“Right. By the way, how much would one of these healing pills cost? Can I just raise the money myself?”
Hera gave him a pitying look.
“All right, not going down that road just yet.” He let out a sharp breath, pursed his lips, and gave his despair one last moment before forcing it from his mind. “So. Mana Manipulation. What else do I need to know?”
“Given your situation?” Hera’s eyes glittered in the candlelight. “Let’s focus first on restorative techniques. I want you to close your eyes and envision what I describe next. Ready?”
Scorio did as he was bid. Felt his heart pounding in his chest, pounding fiercely, like an outraged prisoner clamoring at the cell door for his freedom. It’s not fair, he thought. I’d not be here if Praximar hadn’t hurled me through the Final Door. If I’d not been left to fend on my own, forced to drink toxic elixirs, to—
But with an act of will, he banished his fury and bitterness. The sooner he stopped expecting fairness from hell, the better.
1
Each evening after Mana Studies, their group would move at last to train under Instructor Rex in the bowels of the Academy, where he held court over a large battlefield, whose parameters he could shift through the powers of a wondrous purple gem that hovered by his side. Easily the size of a person’s head, it was utterly smooth like a great pearl, set in a cradle of platinum and gold of remarkable workmanship.
Scorio had caught sight of Rex during their fight against Imogen, but only briefly; as a formidable hand-to-hand fighter, the Dread Blaze had had difficulty getting in close to be of much use, but the wary deference even the other instructors showed him put Scorio immediately on his guard.
“All right, line up,” Rex had barked upon entering the antechamber on Scorio’s first evening. “Don’t waste my time, we’ve got a lot to get through tonight. You two.” Rex had caught sight of Naomi and Scorio immediately and moved to stand before them. “You know what you’re up against tonight?”
Rex was a lean, hard-bitten man with cauliflower ears and a face that looked as if a smith had used it as an anvil. His ruddy skin made him look as if he’d spent too much time under the light of First Clay, and his fair hair was thinning out on top.
The kind of man your gaze might drift over in a crowd, then be jerked back to uneasily as you noticed a feral intensity about him. An obdurate meanness that made you want to keep your distance.
“Yes, Instructor,” said Scorio. “A shifting battlefield where we either fight against each other or ghosts of your creation.”
“That’s right,” drawled Rex, linking his hands behind his back. “I’ll highlight two elements of these training exercises that you are to keep in mind before I throw you in. The first. Learn to fight as a team. That means use small group tactics, clear communication, and pick a leader, following their instructions. You won’t get far in the final Gauntlet run if you attack your foes like a pack of idiots. This is your chance to learn teamwork. Second, I spend just about every waking moment when I’m not wiping the drool off your chins dreaming up new and exciting challenges to throw at you all. The goal here is to be flexible and able to think on your feet. Make no assumptions. Assumptions will get you killed. And the goal?”
“To reach the far side of the battlefield,” said Scorio, “or reach it first if we’re facing another team of Great Souls.”
“That’s right. Speed will carry more battles than I care to describe.” Rex’s gaze glittered as he stared down at Scorio. “Speed combined with intelligence and aggression will win the day more often than not. Move fast, hit hard, and react before you get killed. The rest you’ll have to figure out as you go.”
“Yes, Instructor,” Scorio and Naomi both said.
“Very well.” He resumed walking along the line. “We’ll be tackling the course in groups of four. Today’s ghost day, which means I get to torment you all to my heart’s content. Each team will get a run, and then we’ll clear the battlefield for toe-to-toe exercises while I check in with each group to tell them why they failed so dismally. Asha, form a team and line-up.”
Scorio watched as the slender, dark-haired woman from his first Gauntlet run stepped forward, made eye contact with a few of their classmates, then picked out three willing accomplices. They lined up at the door through which Rex had entered and there conferred in low voices.
Rex then rattled off a dozen names, gave their class a leer, and stepped back out through the doorway into the battlefield.
Leonis had been one of the names Rex had spoken, so the four of them retired to a corner to sit cross-legged and confer.
“It’s simple,” said Lianshi. “Beyond the door is a huge room. It’ll be filled with some manner of battlefield, usually something that limits line of sight, and Rex will float above us with the Eye. He’ll direct the enemy and watch as we fight our way through.”
“Simple but brutally hard,” muttered Leonis, who then turned to watch as the light above the doorway flashed. Asha pushed the door open and led her team through. The door swung closed, and the light resumed burning with its steady light.
The second team moved to stand in position.
“We’ve run this course more times than I can remember,” continued Leonis. “And never reached the far side. It’s rare that a single team makes it all evening. People think it’s cause Rex increases the difficulty the closer you get to the far side.”
“Just like the Gauntlet,” said Scorio.
“Just so,” said Leonis. “But I think he punishes those who try to brute force their way through. Weaker teams who rely on tactics seem to make it further than impressive teams that just pound their way toward the finish line.”
“You missed the first week,” said Lianshi, voice hushed. “Rex gave us seven lectures and expected us to memorize every moment of them.”
Leonis gave them a lopsided smile. “It was fascinating stuff. Very practical. The key to success in the field is to shatter the enemy’s cohesion through a variety of swift, focused, and unexpected attacks which causes the enemy to lose control of the situation and suffer overwhelming defeat. Tactics become far more complex once we reach Emberling, and have a mixture of long-range and melee abilities, but for now, he wants to see us use appropriate planning, correct formations, intelligent use of the terrain, a clear chain of command, and an attempt to catch the enemy by surprise by audacious, concentrated attacks.”
“Sounds like a lot,” said Scorio.
“Just do what I say, and you’ll be fine,” said Leonis. “Again, a lot of this is just laying the groundwork for when we have more complex powers. Working together requires a lot of practice to avoid getting in each other’s way or even hurting each other. I’ll call out the commands as needed, and you both just try to execute them.”
The light over the door pulsed and the second team went in.
“What sort of terrain can we expect?” asked Naomi.
“Depends on how bad a mood Rex is in,” said Leonis.
“Which is always pretty bad,” said Lianshi. “Last time was marsh at night. Knee deep in mud and with almost no visibility. The evening before that was dense bamboo forest. And always with enemies that excel in that environment and are hard to pin down.”
“Sometimes we’re issued weapons,” continued Leonis, “but not often. Today’s just knuckles and kicks.”