Chương 41: Chapter 39: Team Assignments (4)

For a few seconds, nobody seemed to know what to do. Then chairs began scraping against the floor.

"Our instructors might take a while to arrive," Arla said.

"We should start figuring out how we're going to work together now that we're a squad." Hovaru stood and put another chip into his mouth.

"Come on then. Let's find somewhere we can sit together." Arla pushed herself out of her seat, and the three members of Team 19 began moving toward an open space near the side of the classroom. Ralovit carried the sword he had been polishing, the cloth still wrapped around one hand as he muttered a curse at the blade. Yibleen looked toward the Rumiosi twins and visibly cringed.

"I'm really stuck with those two, aren't I?" Hovaru gave her a sympathetic look.

"Guess so. The teams have already been chosen. Maybe you could still appeal to the headteacher?" Arla shook her head.

"I don't think that'll change anything now. Teacher Daisor had explained the reason for this team combination."

"Yeah..." Yibleen let out a long breath.

"You said 'for better or worse' earlier. I'm fairly certain this is the worse part." Sikkar heard her and scowled.

"I'm right here." Yibleen shrugged.

"That's part of the problem." Arla covered a laugh with one hand. Yibleen slowly rose from her seat.

"Whatever. I might as well sit with them. Maybe there is some hidden advantage to having both Rumiosi twins on my squad." She looked between them.

"I don't have high hopes though." Arla patted her lightly on the back as she passed.

"Good luck, 'leen." Yibleen walked toward the twins, her blond ponytail swaying behind her. Arla then turned toward Aloric.

"See you later. And good luck with those two." Aloric glanced toward Nemirie and Velron.

"I think I'll need it." Arla smiled.

"You'll be fine."

"Thanks. Good luck with your team too." Hovaru held out one fist. Aloric bumped it with his own. Then Hovaru, Arla, and Ralovit headed toward an open section near the side of the classroom. Ralovit sheathed the sword he had been polishing before helping them pull three empty chairs together. Across the classroom, the other assigned graduates were doing the same. Some pulled desks closer together.

Others gathered in the aisles, already discussing their instructors and what roles they might take within their new squads. The clan students were the first to gather with their new squads, but the civilian-born members soon followed. The reserve-force students gradually left in smaller groups. Their conversations remained quiet as they passed through the door. Aloric watched the classroom empty around the newly formed squads. Then he looked toward his own teammates.

Nemirie remained at her usual desk in the front row, reading from a scroll. Knowing her, it was probably covered in rune sequences far beyond anything Aloric could follow. Velron sat at the very back, balancing several skels on his fingertips while glaring past them at the front wall. Both appeared perfectly content to remain alone. Of course they did. Nemirie rarely sought out anyone unless she wanted to discuss a lesson, compare answers, or point out a mistake she had noticed in their work.

Velron barely spoke unless someone challenged him to a fight or gave him a reason to become angry. Neither seemed likely to invite Aloric over. If anyone was going to make the first effort, it would have to be him. He took a steadying breath and rose from his seat. Velron would probably refuse to move unless Aloric offered him a sparring match in exchange. Nemirie was at least somewhat more reasonable. Probably. Aloric walked toward the front of the classroom. Nemirie did not notice him immediately.

Aloric's guess about the scroll had been right. It lay open across her desk, covered in dense lines of writing and interconnected runes. Some of the symbols were layered over one another, with smaller markings branching away from the central formation. Aloric's head began to ache just from trying to follow it. Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised that she had already found something this complicated for light reading while they waited for their instructors to arrive.

Nemirie finally looked up as he stopped beside her desk. Her green eyes settled on him.

"What?" Aloric's prepared greeting vanished from his mind.

"Uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck. The rest of the class seemed to know exactly how to settle in with their new squadmates. So why did approaching his own team feel more difficult than facing an examiner?

"The others are sitting with their squads," he said at last.

"I thought the three of us should sit together too. We've spent four years as classmates, but we should probably start getting used to thinking of ourselves as a team." Nemirie glanced toward the back of the classroom where the Rudox boy was sitting. Then she looked at Aloric again and gave a small shrug. Not enthusiastic agreement, but not a refusal either. That will have to do for now. Aloric pointed toward the rear desks.

"There are some empty seats near Velron. Should we go over there?" Nemirie studied him for another moment. Then she rolled up the rune-covered scroll and slid it into a narrow pouch at her side.

"Lead on." Aloric let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and started back through the classroom. This is not going to be easy. Velron noticed them approaching but made no move to get up. He remained seated at the very back, still balancing those skels on his fingertips. His eyes flicked toward Aloric once before returning to the front wall. Aloric took the empty seat beside him. Nemirie sat at the desk directly ahead of them and turned her chair slightly so she could face both boys. Nobody spoke.

Aloric looked at Nemirie. She looked back at him. Velron continued glaring at the wall. This is not going to be easy at all... Aloric cleared his throat. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The Rudox boy shifted his eyes toward him, the skels still perfectly balanced on his fingertips.

"Uh..." Aloric forced the words out.

"Hi, Velron." One of Velron's eyebrows rose. Aloric winced. That sounded pathetic even to him. He tried again.

"I'm glad to be on the same team as you. I don't really understand how I ended up in Team 20, but I hope the three of us can work well together." Velron examined him in silence. Then he flicked the skels into the air and caught them all in one hand. Aloric's smile became more strained. At last, Velron gave a short grunt.

"If you don't hold us back, we're good." Aloric blinked. Velron turned his attention toward the front wall again. Aloric sat there for a moment, unsure whether he had just been accepted or threatened. Nemirie reached toward her pouch, perhaps already considering taking her scroll out again. Before she could do that, the classroom door opened. A few adults entered. Most wore practical combat clothing marked by old repairs, reinforced stitching, and weapon straps.

Yellow rank-marker runes glowed dully along the inner wrists of the Tarim among them. The light followed the complicated lines inked into their skin rather than spreading like a simple glow. Only two of the arrivals had red markers. Aloric straightened. Teacher Daisor had announced three squads from Classroom One with Siurim instructors. Yet only two Siurim had entered. Was Dasten Dagwel among them? The newly arrived manaweavers spread across the front of the classroom.

The Tarim instructors began calling team numbers and student names. One by one, students rose from their seats and gathered around them. The instructors gave brief introductions before leading their squads into the corridor. The room slowly emptied. The two Siurim remained near the front, apparently allowing the Tarim instructors to collect their teams first. One was a lean, unusually tall man. His white hair had been pulled back and tied into a short knot near the back of his head.

Dark runes covered much of his exposed arms, extending beneath the sleeves of his shirt. A large sword was strapped across his back. Aloric could not see any ordinary weapon or storage pouches on him. The runes had to serve that purpose. With so many storage runes visible—and likely far more hidden beneath his clothing—the man could have been carrying almost anything. Weapons, supplies, tools, medical equipment. Aloric suspected at least some of those runes contained weapons. Or, most of them.

The other Siurim was a striking young woman with vivid red hair. Her fitted leather combat attire allowed easy movement while still protecting the vulnerable parts of her body. Two weapon pouches were strapped to her right thigh and three more to her left. The red glow of her rank-marker traced the runes along her wrist. With hair that color, she could only be a Hagnaar. She looked around the classroom, then glanced toward the door.

"Huh." The tall man looked at her.

"Dasten still isn't here?" she asked.

"He's never late. I thought I might finally see him today. It's been months."

"Another mission, perhaps," the man replied. His voice was quiet and flat. The woman frowned briefly, then shrugged. The tall Siurim turned toward the remaining students.

"Arla Farritz. Hovaru Yaboli. Ralovit Vayot." The three graduates stood.

"You're with me." Ralovit adjusted both swords across his back. Arla and Hovaru gathered their things before walking toward the instructor.

"My name is Torvil Kralov," the tall man said.

"I will lead Team 19." The red-haired woman leaned closer and muttered something Aloric could not hear. Torvil looked at her. She gestured toward the students as though encouraging him to continue. He exhaled through his nose.

"I am 29 years old. I have been a Siurim for seven years." Ralovit stopped beside him.

"Seven fucking years?" Torvil looked down at him. Ralovit seemed to remember that he was speaking to his new instructor.

"Uh... That's... a long time," he added. Hovaru stared up at Torvil. Even he had to tilt his head up considerably.

"You must be really strong." Torvil gave a slight shrug.

"Strong enough." That appeared to be the full introduction. He turned and walked toward the door. Arla hurried after him. Hovaru followed, waving once toward Aloric and Yibleen. Ralovit brought up the rear, studying the enormous sword on Torvil's back with undisguised interest. The four members of Team 19 left the classroom. The Hagnaar woman watched them go and shook her head.

"He's still terrible at introductions." Then she turned toward the six remaining students and smiled broadly. Most of the boys still in the classroom were already staring at her. Aloric tried not to join them.

"My name is Lishana Hagnaar," she announced.

"Before anyone asks, yes, I am a Hagnaar. And yes, the Vazaag is my uncle. I'm 25, and I've been a Siurim for two years already." She placed both hands on her hips.

"Your class teacher should have told you that I'll be leading Team 18. So, which three of you are my babies?" Sikkar raised his eyebrows.

"Babies? We are not babies." Lishana's smile widened.

"You're right. That sentence confirmed it." Sikkar looked pleased for half a second.

"Babies can't speak that clearly. You must be infants." Yibleen laughed. Sulia covered her mouth, though her shoulders shook. Sikkar frowned.

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"It made perfect sense to me." Lishana looked toward the twins.

"Sikkar Rumiosi and Sulia Rumiosi. I recognized the two of you immediately."

"Because of our reputation?" Sulia asked proudly.

"Because you look alike, you're standing beside a large gray dog, and I was warned that I would receive two troublesome Rumiosi children." Both twins stared at her.

"Troublesome?" Sikkar repeated.

"You don't even know us."

"You're... Rumiosi." Lishana laughed as if that explained everything. Then she looked toward Yibleen.

"And you must be Yibleen Delacie." Yibleen rose more cautiously.

"That's me." Lishana gave her a sympathetic look.

"So I received two Rumiosi troublemakers and the daughter of Cilory Delacie." Yibleen paused.

"You know my mother?"

"Not personally. But my uncle has mentioned the merchant representative often enough." Lishana's expression turned solemn.

"Usually while holding his forehead 'cause of a headache." Yibleen grimaced. Lishana spread her hands.

"So this should be fun for everyone."

"Wonderful," Yibleen muttered. Despite the complaint, she seemed much less unhappy than before. She walked toward her new instructor. The Rumiosi twins followed, with Karro padding beside Sikkar. As Sikkar approached, his gaze traveled openly over Lishana from head to toe. His grin returned.

"Oi..." he murmured.

"She's hot, ain't she, Karro?" Karro's ears twitched. Lishana stepped forward and lightly smacked the back of Sikkar's head.

"Ow!" He clutched his head and stared up at her.

"What was that for?" Before Lishana could answer, Sulia grabbed one of her brother's ears and pulled sharply. Sikkar howled.

"What is wrong with all of you!"

"What is wrong with me?" Sulia demanded.

"You better learn to behave, or I'm telling Mother that you've started acting more like a dog than Karro." Karro barked. Sikkar looked betrayed.

"Whose side are you on?" Yibleen began giggling.

"I think I'm going to enjoy being in this team after all." Lishana laughed openly. Sulia joined her a moment later. Sikkar looked between the three girls surrounding him. Then he lowered his shoulders and turned toward Karro.

"The future isn't looking good for us, buddy. I think they put us on the wrong team." That only made the others laugh harder. Lishana waved toward the door.

"Come along, infants. Let's see whether I can teach any of you some manners before your first mission." Team 18 followed her out of the classroom, Karro trotting after them. Their laughter remained audible in the corridor for several seconds. Aloric watched the door close. Sikkar had been assigned to exactly the right squad. Between Yibleen, Sulia, and Lishana, someone might finally teach him to think before opening his mouth. Maybe... Aloric glanced around the room. Only Team 20 remained now.

The empty classroom suddenly felt much larger. He looked toward Nemirie and Velron.

"So... where is our instructor?" Nemirie had already taken the complicated scroll from her pouch again. She opened it across the desk without looking particularly concerned.

"Didn't Lishana say he might be on a mission?" Aloric nodded.

"Yeah, but Teacher Daisor told us to wait here. Dasten must already be back, or someone would have told us to leave." Nemirie shrugged and returned to the runes on her scroll. Apparently, their instructor being late was not important enough to interrupt her reading. Velron reacted very differently. He had turned completely toward the classroom door. His arms remained folded tightly across his chest, and the longer the corridor stayed silent, the darker his expression became.

His foot began tapping against the floor. Once. Twice. Three times. Aloric looked at Velron. Then at Nemirie, who had already forgotten the rest of them existed. Then back at the closed door. He had no idea what he was supposed to say. His two teammates were the highest-ranked graduates in the academy. One was quietly reading a rune scroll complicated enough to make his eyes hurt. The other looked increasingly ready to drag their missing instructor into the classroom by force.

And Aloric was sitting next to them with average scores, no known mana affinity, and no understanding of why the Vazaag had placed him there. How am I supposed to fit into this team? Velron's foot struck the floor again. Harder this time. Aloric stared at the door and silently hoped Dasten Dagwel would arrive soon.