Gregory yawned and sat up, sleepily rubbing his eyes. There was a bell chiming the hour, and Gregory listened to it. Five? Might as well get used to being up at this time… going to need to be for next week.
It took him longer than he would have thought to get into his new clothing; all of it was different from what he was used to. He was just finishing when a timid knock came on the paneling of his door.
“Who is it?” Gregory asked as he picked up his coin pouch.
“It’s Yuki, Greg. I wasn’t sure if you were awake yet.”
Opening the door, he smiled at her, “Sorry, I was getting dressed.”
Yukiko looked at his uniform and bit her lip. “Greg… umm… you’re wearing it wrong.”
“Huh?” He looked down at his clothing, unable to see any mistakes.
“Look at mine,” she told him. She stepped back and spread her arms out for him.
Seeing the differences, he grimaced. “I see. Can you give me another minute or two?”
“Yes, it’s okay. If you’ve never worn a kimono before, it can be confusing,” Yukiko said, trying to help him with his embarrassment. “I’ll be downstairs.”
“I’ll hurry,” Gregory said, shutting the door as she turned to leave.
When Gregory made it downstairs a few minutes later, he found Yukiko pressed up against a tree a few feet from the dormitory. A couple of novices who had been with Hayworth were hemming her in place.
“Come on now, we just want to be your friends,” one of the novices said with a smirk.
“We can help you,” the other added.
“With what?” Gregory asked as he moved toward them. “Nothing she wants, obviously.”
Both of the novices spun on Gregory, giving Yukiko just enough room to slip away. “Fringer…? Haven’t figured out not to bother your betters, have you?”
“I haven’t bothered anyone better than me yet,” Gregory replied.
“Leave him, Skippy. He’ll learn soon enough,” one of them chuckled.
“Yeah, Hayworth will show him. Come on, Clement,” Skippy nodded. “We’ll just go back to talking to…? Where did she go?”
“Seems she didn’t want to be bothered by her lessers, either,” Gregory shrugged as he headed for the path to the mess hall.
“Fucking asshole. He’ll get his,” Clement muttered.
Once he was a little way down the path and away from the novices, Yukiko came out from behind a tree to join him. “Thank you. They surprised me while I was waiting for you.”
“Then it’s my fault to begin with,” Gregory said. “Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. They are unpleasant, but they didn’t say or do anything to me.”
“I’m glad. I’m pretty sure that fighting outside of challenges is frowned on.”
“I don’t know,” Yukiko said. “Maybe we can find out today?”
“Maybe,” Gregory agreed.
~*~*~
Breakfast was not as potent as dinner had been, which Gregory was grateful for. White rice, soup, fish, and pickled plums— it was a grander breakfast than he had ever had, even if it was odd.
The next bell rang just as he was finishing his food and Gregory shook his head. Going to need to be faster with breakfast, or else I’ll be late to class.
“I’m glad class hasn’t started yet,” Yukiko commented. She had just finished eating as well. “Being late is unforgivable.”
“Agreed,” Gregory said. “We have a couple of hours before the challenge, and we need to find out where it’s being fought. Maybe we should go over to the arenas and ask?”
“That is a sound idea,” Yukiko agreed, getting to her feet.
“Let’s get to it,” Gregory smiled, copying her.
They left their dishes with the same cleaner as last night, and Gregory wondered about the eurtiks in the academy. Why do they put up with the way they’re talked about? They can’t all be slaves or servants, can they?
The walk across the grounds came with revelations for Gregory as Yukiko explained the different features that he had been puzzled about the day before. The rock garden was for meditation, and if not in use, could be changed by anyone to better help them meditate. The small trees were called bonsai, and it was considered an art form to grow them. The fish in the streams and pools were koi and were treasured, as they only thrived in aether rich environments.
Yukiko did her best to describe what each building they passed was used for. The tallest was the tower in the middle of the academy grounds. Reaching almost a hundred feet in height, it dominated the landscape. The council of the academy lived within its walls.
Gregory spotted what looked like a small cottage close to the tower wall. He pointed it out to Yukiko, “That’s odd.”
“I heard that those are the cottages for visiting magi that don’t have a clan building inside the walls. The large building over there is a clan manor. The emblem tells you which clan.”
Gregory looked at the two-story structure she pointed to. It was similar in design to the dormitory, but instead of wood and paper walls, it was built of stone. An emblem, depicting a gauntleted fist, stood out prominently against the stonework.
“The Hardened Fist. They are a clan that loves combat. Mercenaries mostly, they will fight for anyone, if the price is right.”
“Not a clan that will be interested in me,” Gregory said as they started walking again. “My magic is unknown, so it’s unlikely to be good for combat.”
“That is possible,” Yukiko agreed. “Do you know what path you want to follow?”
“Proctor Bishop suggested I hold off deciding until my magic is known.”
“I don’t know what to do for mine. I’m considering waiting until classes start. Maybe the teacher will be able to help me.”
“The archive might have information, too.”
“Something for us to check on.”
It took them another hour to make their way to the arenas. Four smaller arenas surrounded a larger one. Long buildings connected them, and Gregory wondered what they were for. As they approached the closest one, Gregory spotted an old man in a gray kimono sweeping the doorway.
“Excuse me, sir? I was wondering if you can help us?”
The man stopped sweeping and looked up. He gave the two novices a small bow, his expression serious. “How might Laozi help you?”
“Two proctors are supposed to be having a challenge in a bit, and we would like to watch. Do you know which arena we should go to?”
“It will be the arena directly behind me,” Laozi replied. “Is that all you needed?”
“I wouldn’t want to interrupt you,” Gregory said.
“One must always take time to enjoy the company of others,” Laozi smiled. “I do not mind a small delay if it helps you.”
“We had questions about challenges, and what happens if you fight outside of a challenge.”
“Do not fight outside of a challenge; the repercussions vary depending on who finds out, but all of them are bad. You might end up spending all your free time sweeping, for instance.”
“But you can defend yourself, correct?” Yukiko asked.
“Defense is always allowed, but continuing the fight will make you just as guilty as the one who started it.”
“Thank you,” Yukiko bowed her head.
“As for challenges themselves, that is a long topic and has many nuances. I would suggest you visit the archive and ask for the current rules and guidelines, since they alter them as needed.”
“Thank you for your time,” Gregory said. He blurted out, “What tier are you, sir?”
“None. I’m merely a sweeper.” Laozi bowed deeply to them. “I think I need to continue my work, lest I get in trouble.” Putting action to words, he began to clean the front entrance again.
“Should we go and come back?” Yukiko asked.
“We can walk around the arenas,” Gregory said. “I don’t want to go too far and miss it.”
The walk around the arenas did not take very long. The interior of each of the smaller arenas could hold over a hundred people, and Gregory figured that the larger one could probably hold a thousand. The raised seating around the arena would give everyone a good view of the sands inside.
A few minutes before the challenge was to start, Bishop walked out into the arena and began to stretch. Seeing Gregory and Yukiko sitting next to each other in the stands, she nodded to them. Gregory waved back to her, hopeful that she would win. Once she was done stretching, she sat in lotus position and closed her eyes. A minute before the start time, Harrison walked onto the sands, followed by Damon.
“I thought you might forfeit by not showing,” Harrison laughed. “Glad I was wrong.”
“Master, are you ready?” Bishop asked as she got to her feet fluidly, ignoring Harrison.
“I am ready to begin this challenge. The loser will be giving up their stipend for the year to the winner,” Damon said. “The challenge will be blades alone— no aether. Do either of you wish to back out?” When neither spoke, he bowed his head. “So be it. To the middle.”
Bishop and Harrison both walked to the middle of the arena, staying twenty feet apart, and Damon stood between them. “Bow to the spectators,” Damon said. Harrison blinked, then turned to face them. His eyes narrowed when he saw Gregory next to Yukiko.
Both proctors bowed and turned back to Damon again. “Bow to the adjudicator,” Damon said. Both did as he said, before facing each other again. “Bow to your opponent.” They did so, and Damon stepped back a dozen feet. “Begin!”
Bishop did not move, but Harrison did, moving faster than Gregory could ever hope to. He closed the distance between himself and Bishop in a blink. The sound of swords striking echoed in the silence before the two separated.
“You have trained,” Bishop said blandly. “Good, I worried you had grown lazy.”
Harrison spat to the side, “I’m going to make you pay for the last time.”
“Doubtful,” Bishop said as she shifted her stance. “You’ll need to train more. Come now, let’s not waste the novices’ time.” Her words were calm and measured, as if she were discussing the weather.
“Bitch,” Harrison hissed as he rushed forward again.
Gregory could not keep up with the speed, but the clashing of steel on steel was louder and faster than the first time. A minute passed before Harrison gasped and fell to his knees. Bishop tapped both of his cheeks with the flat of her blade, then the top of his head.
“Stop,” Damon sighed. “Harrison is defeated.”
“No,” Harrison panted as he struggled to stand. “I can still fight.”
“If she had been serious, your head would decorate the sands,” Damon said sternly. “Do not disgrace yourself and your clan even more.”
Harrison glared at Bishop, his left hand over his chest. The moment stretched out before he spun and sheathed his sword. “I’ll send the vela to your lodging.”
“Very well,” Bishop said and sheathed her own blade. “Harrison, you fought well.”
Harrison’s shoulders became stiff and he walked faster.
“Did you need to needle him?” Damon asked.
“I meant it. He has gotten better. If we had used aether, he might have been able to win,” Bishop replied. Turning to Gregory, she asked, “Did you learn anything?”
“You were too fast to follow,” Gregory said.
“Control the battle,” Yukiko said softly. “You baited him into the challenge so you could control the weapon.”
Bishop nodded her head, “Correct. It isn’t always about who is more powerful; knowing where and how to apply pressure can be the deciding factor. I had already won the moment he challenged me.”
Damon shook his head, “I wish the two of you would stop this.”
“We promised during our novice year to always make the other strive to be better,” Bishop said simply. “I haven’t forgotten my promise, even if he has.”
“I’m going back to the archive,” Damon sighed. “Good day, Bishop.”
“Good day, Master,” Bishop said, bowing toward his back.
“We were going to head that way, too,” Gregory said.
“Learning is good,” Bishop said. “I hope you both have a good day and year.” Bowing fractionally to them once more, Bishop spun on her heel and walked away.
“She is better than any of my father’s guards,” Yukiko said softly. “Even without aether, she is someone to respect.”
“I agree,” Gregory nodded, recalling the bane wolf from Alturis. “Let’s get going.”
