“Instructor?” Spring said, letting confusion seep into her voice.
“These ropes are a violation of the rules,” a rugged, wiry man she recognized as the awful actor from yesterday walked over from the side, followed by a one-armed woman, whom Spring failed to recognize.
“How so?” Spring asked, “They are obviously non-lethal, aimed at legs.”
“They could cause serious injury,” the overseer persisted, but Spring sneered inwardly.
If you were in the right, you wouldn’t have argued the point with a student. You’re just trying to cow me into accepting your unjust ruling.
“As could any blow. When we hit someone and they may fall, injuring their head, or even dying. Yet, the school regulations say we are not at fault, as long as we act without malice. These ropes are all aimed at non-vital points and cause no real harm. Just look at her.” Spring walked over to the upside-down girl and pinched her cheek.
“Let go,” the youth growled, and Spring released her face. “See? She is in perfect health.”
The slim man opened his mouth to argue, but his fellow observer placed her hand on his upper arm. “Land, she is right. There are no regulations against traps in this trial. If you want, you could take it up with the school authorities to abolish them starting next year.”
Land clenched his jaw and snorted. “Fine. But I better not catch you trying to break any more rules.”
I’ve broken none, though. Spring refrained from rolling her eyes and turned around to find four of her opponents had used the brief respite to stand up. Six remained seated, and the final one hung from the tree, but the four standing seemed ready for another round of beating.
Petty cheater, Spring cursed the Land fellow, then pummeled the four students, smacking them into submission.
“You,” she pointed at the upside-down girl, whose face had grown to an unhealthy shade of red.
“Do I have to beat you while you’re hanging, or will you surrender?”
The girl spat towards Spring and flailed her arms in all directions, but Spring kept away from her. Instead, she went to the other end of the rope from which she hung. She tugged and the girl rose before falling back down and started spinning in the air.
“I can do this whole day,” Spring said, drawing out the words. “You, however, won’t be able to last for five minutes.”
As Spring had guessed, the girl surrendered after two minutes, covering her mouth with both hands.
“Does anyone else want to try me?” she asked, but the group only stared at the ground by that point.
Spring had one of the better off fellows carefully lower the hanging girl, then used the rope to tie the bunch of them. By the time she was done, the other two members of the group had caught up.
Spring heard their rustle and saw the excited glint in her captives’ eyes, realizing some reinforcements had arrived. But when she pivoted and found only the first two she had already beaten, she relaxed.
“Oh, it’s you. Do you surrender, or do I have to beat you up again?”
“Never,” the boy shouted.
“I surrender,” the girl said at the same.
For a moment, they glanced at each other in confusion, but Spring did not care. Since she lacked a unanimous surrender, she dashed towards them, beating them both into the ground with several well-placed palms before tying them up with the rest.
“I don’t want to beat them until they are too wounded to fight. How else can I eliminate them from the contest?” Spring asked, looking at the two observers.
“If you push them out of bounds, they can’t continue the trial,” the woman said, and Spring followed her advice, eliminating a third of the enemy force on her own during the first hour of the second day.
It would be funny if I could get the whole reward for myself by forcing everyone else out of bounds. Well, it doesn’t hurt to try.
“Excuse me,” Spring asked the observers following her. “If I force everyone out of bounds and remain the sole person standing, would I get the winning team’s entire reward?”
“No,” Land grumbled, rolling his eyes.
“Figures,” Spring responded in an equally grumpy voice and followed the sounds of battle, moving away from the red rope.
I probably can’t throw the match for a bribe from the opposite team either. Madam Wartorn mentioned something about the point of this trial, I guess it’s teamwork.
After two minutes, Spring reached the site of a careful, conservative battle between two classes. Her classmates held an obvious advantage in numbers, and she did not rush to join in, choosing to observe the situation.
No need to enter this fight. My side is already winning, and this Land is paying close attention to my moves. I’m afraid he might discern something, given enough chance.
Spring glanced to the side and noticed the overseers’ judgmental looks. Oh, fine.
“I’m here to help!” she shouted, running towards the fight. A student from class C turned around to check who had shouted behind her, and Spring’s classmate punched her in the gut, knocking her to the ground.
“I’ll attack them from the rear,” Spring shouted again, creating an opening for another teammate.
She kept distracting the enemy until her class drowned them with numbers, beating them into submission. A group of seven tried to make a fighting retreat, but Spring halted their advance, giving her allies enough time to catch up and finish them off.
The second trial between classes C and D ended ninety minutes after starting, and Wartorn took her students back to Crystal City.
***
“What do you think?” Landrew asked Mirna, looking at Spring’s handiwork.
“It looks like a bigger, cruder version of rabbit snares we use in the weald,” Mirna said, her voice holding a hint of fascination.
“It’s suspicious,” Landrew continued, pretending Mirna had said nothing. “The traps may be obvious and simple, but their layout is complex. Once the enemy followed her into her trap, she could annihilate a group of twenty, maybe more…”
“You’re just worried she will outshine your daughter,” Mirna jabbed, eliciting Landrew’s snort.
“I’m not that petty. And we saw her beat ten students without using grafts. She has exceptional hand to hand skills for her age, especially considering the memory loss she had suffered. Something’s amiss. I’m going to inform Madam Healer.”
“And tell her what, exactly? Madam, that Searing girl is just as beautiful, intelligent, and talented as the rumors say?” Mirna scoffed, but Landrew was not amused.
“Look, Mir, I can’t lay a killing ground this good, and I have survived three tides of horrors before I lost my leg. You’re a veteran too. Can you do all this in one day, while rushing around, treating hypothetical emergencies? What was her score, anyway?”
Mirna shrugged. “No idea, Tina’s got the sheets with their tallied results. But her results won’t reveal anything. If she has a perfect score, that means she paid attention in class. If she doesn’t, that just means she wasn’t attentive or she made a mistake in the field. Happens to the best of us.”
Land snorted, but did not bicker. “You can go back. I’m going to wait to see how my daughter fares.”
Unsurprisingly, Mirna shook her head. “I’ll stick around. I want to see who’s better, Legend Land’s daughter or Young Miss Searing.”
Land shot her a look, but said nothing. Deep down, however, he mocked his nickname. Some Legend.
“Say, handsome, we’ve got some spare time, and nobody’s around…” Mir trailed off, seeing Land shake his head.
“What would Trisha say?”
“She would say go ahead if it makes you happy,” Mir said, her face serious. “You’ve proven your loyalty by throwing away your leg and your future as a clan elder to save her life in the tide before last. You helped her reach late stage second level, bought implants for her—”
“I think I’ll go home. Trish has been waiting for me since yesterday,” Land mumbled and turned to leave, but Mirna caught his sleeve with her sole arm.
“I have been waiting for you for seventeen years, Landrew,” she whispered, but Land remained unmoved.
“I know. You say that every time you see me. And I’ll tell you the same thing I always tell you. You have outstanding talent, it’s unfortunate your mana circuit was severed and you can no longer advance. Settle down. You deserve better. Find a wealthy man in the inner city, get married, and have children. You’re thirty-five, you’re not young anymore.”
However, Mir shook her head, glaring at Land with unyielding determination. “I will have your child. I won’t settle for a lesser man.”
Landrew sighed and did what he always did after Mirna cornered him, he escaped.
“Instructor?” Spring said, letting confusion seep into her voice.
“These ropes are a violation of the rules,” a rugged, wiry man she recognized as the awful actor from yesterday walked over from the side, followed by a one-armed woman, whom Spring failed to recognize.
“How so?” Spring asked, “They are obviously non-lethal, aimed at legs.”
“They could cause serious injury,” the overseer persisted, but Spring sneered inwardly.
If you were in the right, you wouldn’t have argued the point with a student. You’re just trying to cow me into accepting your unjust ruling.
“As could any blow. When we hit someone and they may fall, injuring their head, or even dying. Yet, the school regulations say we are not at fault, as long as we act without malice. These ropes are all aimed at non-vital points and cause no real harm. Just look at her.” Spring walked over to the upside-down girl and pinched her cheek.
“Let go,” the youth growled, and Spring released her face. “See? She is in perfect health.”
The slim man opened his mouth to argue, but his fellow observer placed her hand on his upper arm. “Land, she is right. There are no regulations against traps in this trial. If you want, you could take it up with the school authorities to abolish them starting next year.”
Land clenched his jaw and snorted. “Fine. But I better not catch you trying to break any more rules.”
I’ve broken none, though. Spring refrained from rolling her eyes and turned around to find four of her opponents had used the brief respite to stand up. Six remained seated, and the final one hung from the tree, but the four standing seemed ready for another round of beating.
Petty cheater, Spring cursed the Land fellow, then pummeled the four students, smacking them into submission.
“You,” she pointed at the upside-down girl, whose face had grown to an unhealthy shade of red.
“Do I have to beat you while you’re hanging, or will you surrender?”
The girl spat towards Spring and flailed her arms in all directions, but Spring kept away from her. Instead, she went to the other end of the rope from which she hung. She tugged and the girl rose before falling back down and started spinning in the air.
“I can do this whole day,” Spring said, drawing out the words. “You, however, won’t be able to last for five minutes.”
As Spring had guessed, the girl surrendered after two minutes, covering her mouth with both hands.
“Does anyone else want to try me?” she asked, but the group only stared at the ground by that point.
Spring had one of the better off fellows carefully lower the hanging girl, then used the rope to tie the bunch of them. By the time she was done, the other two members of the group had caught up.
Spring heard their rustle and saw the excited glint in her captives’ eyes, realizing some reinforcements had arrived. But when she pivoted and found only the first two she had already beaten, she relaxed.
“Oh, it’s you. Do you surrender, or do I have to beat you up again?”
“Never,” the boy shouted.
“I surrender,” the girl said at the same.
For a moment, they glanced at each other in confusion, but Spring did not care. Since she lacked a unanimous surrender, she dashed towards them, beating them both into the ground with several well-placed palms before tying them up with the rest.
“I don’t want to beat them until they are too wounded to fight. How else can I eliminate them from the contest?” Spring asked, looking at the two observers.
“If you push them out of bounds, they can’t continue the trial,” the woman said, and Spring followed her advice, eliminating a third of the enemy force on her own during the first hour of the second day.
It would be funny if I could get the whole reward for myself by forcing everyone else out of bounds. Well, it doesn’t hurt to try.
“Excuse me,” Spring asked the observers following her. “If I force everyone out of bounds and remain the sole person standing, would I get the winning team’s entire reward?”
“No,” Land grumbled, rolling his eyes.
“Figures,” Spring responded in an equally grumpy voice and followed the sounds of battle, moving away from the red rope.
I probably can’t throw the match for a bribe from the opposite team either. Madam Wartorn mentioned something about the point of this trial, I guess it’s teamwork.
After two minutes, Spring reached the site of a careful, conservative battle between two classes. Her classmates held an obvious advantage in numbers, and she did not rush to join in, choosing to observe the situation.
No need to enter this fight. My side is already winning, and this Land is paying close attention to my moves. I’m afraid he might discern something, given enough chance.
Spring glanced to the side and noticed the overseers’ judgmental looks. Oh, fine.
“I’m here to help!” she shouted, running towards the fight. A student from class C turned around to check who had shouted behind her, and Spring’s classmate punched her in the gut, knocking her to the ground.
“I’ll attack them from the rear,” Spring shouted again, creating an opening for another teammate.
She kept distracting the enemy until her class drowned them with numbers, beating them into submission. A group of seven tried to make a fighting retreat, but Spring halted their advance, giving her allies enough time to catch up and finish them off.
The second trial between classes C and D ended ninety minutes after starting, and Wartorn took her students back to Crystal City.
***
“What do you think?” Landrew asked Mirna, looking at Spring’s handiwork.
“It looks like a bigger, cruder version of rabbit snares we use in the weald,” Mirna said, her voice holding a hint of fascination.
“It’s suspicious,” Landrew continued, pretending Mirna had said nothing. “The traps may be obvious and simple, but their layout is complex. Once the enemy followed her into her trap, she could annihilate a group of twenty, maybe more…”
“You’re just worried she will outshine your daughter,” Mirna jabbed, eliciting Landrew’s snort.
“I’m not that petty. And we saw her beat ten students without using grafts. She has exceptional hand to hand skills for her age, especially considering the memory loss she had suffered. Something’s amiss. I’m going to inform Madam Healer.”
“And tell her what, exactly? Madam, that Searing girl is just as beautiful, intelligent, and talented as the rumors say?” Mirna scoffed, but Landrew was not amused.
“Look, Mir, I can’t lay a killing ground this good, and I have survived three tides of horrors before I lost my leg. You’re a veteran too. Can you do all this in one day, while rushing around, treating hypothetical emergencies? What was her score, anyway?”
Mirna shrugged. “No idea, Tina’s got the sheets with their tallied results. But her results won’t reveal anything. If she has a perfect score, that means she paid attention in class. If she doesn’t, that just means she wasn’t attentive or she made a mistake in the field. Happens to the best of us.”
Land snorted, but did not bicker. “You can go back. I’m going to wait to see how my daughter fares.”
Unsurprisingly, Mirna shook her head. “I’ll stick around. I want to see who’s better, Legend Land’s daughter or Young Miss Searing.”
Land shot her a look, but said nothing. Deep down, however, he mocked his nickname. Some Legend.
“Say, handsome, we’ve got some spare time, and nobody’s around…” Mir trailed off, seeing Land shake his head.
“What would Trisha say?”
“She would say go ahead if it makes you happy,” Mir said, her face serious. “You’ve proven your loyalty by throwing away your leg and your future as a clan elder to save her life in the tide before last. You helped her reach late stage second level, bought implants for her—”
“I think I’ll go home. Trish has been waiting for me since yesterday,” Land mumbled and turned to leave, but Mirna caught his sleeve with her sole arm.
“I have been waiting for you for seventeen years, Landrew,” she whispered, but Land remained unmoved.
“I know. You say that every time you see me. And I’ll tell you the same thing I always tell you. You have outstanding talent, it’s unfortunate your mana circuit was severed and you can no longer advance. Settle down. You deserve better. Find a wealthy man in the inner city, get married, and have children. You’re thirty-five, you’re not young anymore.”
However, Mir shook her head, glaring at Land with unyielding determination. “I will have your child. I won’t settle for a lesser man.”
Landrew sighed and did what he always did after Mirna cornered him, he escaped.
