Yuriko returned to Room 213 half an hour early with butterflies in her stomach but the determination to do her best. There were a few nervous kids already in the room and, from the lingering scent, they had brought their lunches with them and ate there.
She waited quietly in her seat while practising some Animus manipulation exercises. She kept the strands inside her Anima though, so she wouldn't create a scene. She wondered why the instructors insisted that she not impart an Intent to her Animus when she took it out of her body, when in fact it was very natural to do so. When she inlaid her Facet, the Animus strands were filled with her desire to complete the inlay. When she practised the sword dances the Intent of each one was critical to it properly working.
She had never tried practising the second sword dance's Animus movements with the Intent to strike first. The thought made her shiver. Even when she was first practising how to use Empowered Strike, the Intent to pierce was critical. Armsmaster later revealed that the Intent could change with the weapon when using the technique. When the miners used Empowered Strike with the truncheons, it was probably with the Intent to smash. She wondered if it was possible to use the technique on a blade but with a bludgeoning Intent rather than cutting, but quickly pushed that to the back of her mind.
Having a clear image in her mind, how exactly she wanted her Animus to pierce, helped, too. It made the technique stronger and harder to disrupt. When she used the sword dances, she always kept how the Golden Silhouette used it in the back of her mind.
So why the need to manipulate Animus without imparting an Intent?
'I may not know why, but the masters probably do. What I need to do now is find out why.' Well, she didn't want to waste Animus right now, and if she did the exercise she would lose a bit of it. Why was that though?
No, no. Don't waste Animus now! The practicals will be in half an hour and she'd need to be at her peak.
'You're wasting your time!' Antiga's words echoed in her thoughts. Yuriko shook her head, trying to banish the woman's harsh words. Was she though? Was she wasting time? She's already answered that question, but it just keeps coming back.
Her Mum's horrible letter suddenly surfaced. Put childish dreams away with her childhood. Take up an adult's responsibilities. Change her goals to match what's expected of her.
Why should she? her stubborn heart protested. Maybe there was a way to pursue her dreams while doing what was expected of her, too. She shook her head, no, she couldn't think like that. How long before she compromised again? Maybe she would wake up one day and realize that her dreams and goals…were gone.
With a sigh, she drew back her Animus into her core and opened her eyes. One of the boys in a nearby seat was staring at her strangely. When she met his eyes, he cleared his throat and asked, "Are you alright?"
"I am not ill. Why?"
"Oh, nothing. It's just that you've been sighing and shaking your head for a while now."
Yuriko felt her cheeks redden and for some reason, the boy flushed too.
"Just lost in thoughts," she mumbled.
"Ah, uhm, well, don't worry so much, eh?" He looked away, still blushing, but Yuriko saw out of the corner of her eye that he would glance at her every now and then.
Sure it was easy to say that but if Yuriko could just tell her worries and anxieties to take a hike she would have already done so. Well, the most she could do now was not think about it. A few minutes later, all of the examinees had returned to room 213, and a minute or so afterwards, the proctor entered.
"Follow me," she said simply.
Yuriko followed behind a clump of students, recognising Danazzo and Ifra amongst them. They didn't head back to the front entrance, instead, they turned down a different hall. They went down a couple of flights, down another hallway, turned left at the end, and right at the first intersection. They popped out in another great hall and went out of that exit. Yuriko didn't have much time to admire the statues and tapestries hanging on the wall. She did notice that most of them depicted scenes of battle: either against Wyldlings, other monstrous beasts, or humans.
They emerged into a large courtyard, or perhaps a park would be a more suitable description since it was quite expansive. On either side of them were long buildings that were at least three or four storeys high. There was a scattering of trees and vast hedges at least a head taller than she was. The hedges formed a wall spanning the width of the area.
They, the dozen or so examinees from Room 213, were made to wait until several classrooms worth of examinees joined them. Yuriko recognised the haughty girl in one of the groups, surrounded by her posse. She had her nose up in the air, staring down at anyone who was in her way, while she glided to the front of the pack. Coincidentally, she wound up right next to where Yuriko was standing.
She stared down her nose at Yuriko, too, a bit ridiculous considering she was half a head shorter, so she had her face pointed nearly straight up. Yuriko stifled a snort of laughter. Nevertheless, she managed to annoy the other girl, whose cheeks reddened like a sunset.
"What are you looking at?" she hissed.
Yuriko shook her head and didn't deign to answer.
"You…!"
"Settle down!" Master Antiga's voice cut through the chatter. She and a gaggle of instructors walked up front, her gaze surveying the examinees. "There are fifty-two examinees this year, a good turn out. For the practical exams, you will be divided into squads. You over there, move a bit to your right. You, follow her, and you, move to the left."
She started separating the examinees into groups by proximity, and since Yuriko was in the middle of the pack, she got lumped in with the haughty girl and about half her posse. The girl looked like she was about to protest the arrangement but shut her mouth when Antiga gave her a quelling glance. Soon enough, Yuriko's squad had eleven members, four of whom were the girl's followers and a smattering of random people. Danazzo and Ifra wound up in the group next to hers.
"Now, what will happen during the practical exams?" Antiga continued. "Your squads will be given a role and a mission that will commence in the Hedge Maze. Don't worry, it's tougher than it looks. You will be provided with training weapons, including special training Casters and Lancets but each squad will be limited in their equipment. You will be observed at all times during the trials. You may or may not be pitted against each other but it depends on the squad's mission and roles. There will be other hostiles within the Maze. Avoid fatal blows with your Facets. Deliberate attempts will be met with extreme prejudice. Now, pick a squad leader amongst yourselves and have them come forth to pick at the lottery."
"I will be the squad leader," Haughty Girl said immediately. Her posse, three boys and another girl backed her up.
"Why?" another examinee, a girl with shoulder-length blue hair, a narrow aquiline nose, blue eyes and sharp eyebrows, challenged. "What makes you qualified?"
"I am Gwendith Devi Sharine."
At the mention of her name, there was a murmuring that passed through the members. Most of them seemed to recognise and acknowledge the name, though Yuriko had no idea what she meant.
"What does that mean?" Yuriko asked. "Pardon me, but I'm not from Rumiga City."
The other examinees parted around Yuriko and Gwendith, though the other's posse remained behind her. From the other girl's furious expression she looked like she was about to blow her top. Yuriko met her eyes easily, though she started frowning. The girl behind Gwendith tapped her on the shoulder and whispered something, which seemed to settle the feisty one down.
"Hmmph, it means I'm part of Earl Sharine's family, his granddaughter," she grumped, "And I've been trained in command for half my life. Is that clear enough for you?"
"I see," Yuriko's eyes narrowed. "Have you been in any engagements before?"
"I have."
"Very well. You may be squad leader."
"Good," she nodded approvingly, while the other members of their temporary squad followed Yuriko's lead. The posse girl tapped Gwendith on the shoulder and whispered in her ear again. The satisfied look of her face disappeared and her milky complexion turned blood red.
Yuriko lifted an eyebrow at her. She already conceded the leader position, what else did she want?
"Where are the squad leaders?"
With an angry snort, Gwendith marched up to the instructors. Danazzo was one of the other leaders. Yuriko didn't recognize any of the others.
"That was brave," one of the other kids whispered to Yuriko. "Though I can see why you can afford to antagonise her."
"Huh, what do you mean by that?" Yuriko asked.
The girl just shook her head. "I'm Marcia Greenwood."
"Yuriko Davar."
"Nice to meet you." They bowed at each other.
"Well, I hope we get a good mission." Marcia flipped her shoulder-length green hair over her shoulder. "My big sister said that passing the practicals means a greater chance of getting into the elite class."
"It's up to the Threads of Fate," Yuriko shrugged. "We should reveal our roles so Gwendith can arrange the team properly. I'm a Striker, ranged and melee."
"Oh, uh, I'm a Scout."
"Warder," a stout boy with his dark hair in a topknot volunteered.
"Melee Striker." Said another boy, taller than Yuriko by an inch or so, whose sandy brown hair was shaved save for the very top, which was slicked back with oil.
"Warder." A slender girl with her blue hair in twin pigtails said.
"Striker, ranged." A boy with his dark hair arranged in short spikes said curtly.
"Striker, ranged and melee." Another boy, with short blonde hair and green eyes said arrogantly. His eyes lingered on Yuriko.
The only four who hadn't said anything were Gwendith's group. Yuriko looked pointedly at the girl and she squirmed for a few moments before finally answering, "Scout."
The two boys, whose physique looked like mirror images of each other, but clearly weren't twins or otherwise related from the difference of their facial features, said, "Warder."
"So that's four Warders, two Scouts, four Strikers, and Gwendith. What is her role?" Yuriko asked.
"Controller." The posse girl with her blue hair in a bob answered.
"No destroyers," Yuriko muttered.
A few minutes later, Gwendith came back holding a packet. She opened it, read the details then passed it on to the posse girl. "Ella-Mai, what's the composition?"
"Four Warders, four strikers, one ranged, one melee, two mixed, and two scouts." Ella-Mai dutifully reported.
"Hrm, that's not bad for the mission."
"What is the mission?" Yuriko asked.
"Escort a ward to a location. Expect ambush." Gwendith nodded. "Easy enough to accomplish with all of the Warders and Strikers. We begin in twenty minutes." She gave Yuriko a head to toe, snorted and marched off.
"We're to gather our gear," Ella-Mai said hastily.
Yuriko exchanged glances with Marcia, shrugged and followed their temperamental lead.
"You've been in an engagement before?" the stout Warder boy asked before introducing himself. "I'm Alexandros Scott."
"Yuriko Davar. Yes, against Wyldlings during the Wave and against Grunders and Stonetoises recently, on the way here."
"You've fought Wyldlings? What kind?" The versatile Striker boy who hastily introduced himself as Jaidon Craig cut in.
"Swarmlings, Wanderers, and Hunters."
"Amazing! What are they like?" the girl with the twin pigtails, Syeda it turned out, asked.
"You don't encounter any Wyldlings here?"
"Not so much. They try to enter through the Channel but the Barrier Fort stops them dead. No, the most dangerous things around here are monstrous beasts that might have wandered from Zarek, or maybe the Ivalans. They've been particularly aggressive this year," Marcia said.
"War?"
"Not formally or a draft would have been announced. Raids across the southern forts, that the embassy insists were brigands, but mark my words, those killed had weapons and armour that are too fine for 'brigands'!" Jaidon spat on the road, earning a disparaging look from most of the girls, Yuriko included.
"What?"
"That's disgusting," Yuriko gave him a side-eye.
"It's not hurting anyone," he protested weakly.
"Whatever."
"Pick up your training weapons here," Ella-Mai announced once they reached a table.
An instructor pointed at the wooden gear.
"These have runescript that will mitigate the force of your blows and blunt your Animus." He started handing out amulets, little palm-sized circles with a clear crystal embedded in the middle. "This is the paired amulet. This will record if you have been struck by a weapon. Being struck thrice will mean you have been considered slain. Do not worry if that happens, it does not mean an automatic disqualification."
Yuriko put on the amulet and felt it pulling at her Animus. She let it, and the crystal in the middle started glowing gold. Next, she browsed the table for a side-blade, until she saw a Plasma Caster, except the barrel was made of wood instead of metal and the runescript on it was completely different from the normal.
"Excuse me, how does this work?" she asked the instructor.
"Oh, this will take your Animus just like a regular Plasma Caster, except it will only emit a harmless bolt of light. It's calibrated to take the same amount as a regular Caster."
"Thank you." Yuriko picked up the Plasma Caster only for Gwendith to stop her.
"Wait, give that to Harlee instead."
"Why?"
"There's only one Plasma Caster, it should go to the dedicated shooter."
"...fine."
Shaking her head, she picked up a couple of wooden side-blades instead. At least there were more than enough of those lying around. The examinees were waving their weapons around to get a feel for it, Yuriko circulated the first sword dance.
Her Animus flooded into the training blade, and the light coating it seemed to form an edge. Curious, she tested it against a leaf on the ground, prodding it with the 'tip'. When she pulled back the blade, there was a wide hole on the leaf, as well as a scuff mark on the stone.
"Chaos," she muttered as cold sweat ran down her back. She could have killed someone if she didn't test it. Why didn't the runescript work? She was just about to report it to the instructor when it suddenly occurred to her to test a different blade.
She cut another leaf completely in half just by running the blunt wooden tip across it. The runescript didn't work with the Golden Silhouette's technique. Now what?