"At least you're not late this time Jett," the teacher said.
"I was only late once sir."
I sat next to Lucas as usual and readied myself to bear with the boring class, or so I thought. In fact, this lecture was far more interesting as the instructor began talking about the school trip.
"The mountain was a place where Emperor Azule liked to spend his time as the scenery is said to have brought him inner peace."
A hand was raised which caught the teacher's attention.
"You may speak," the teacher said.
"From which tribe did the Emperor hail from?"
"Truth of the matter is, no one knows for sure. Each tribe has tried to claim that Azule was born there but there's no definitive answer."
"At what time are we setting out to the mountain?" I asked.
"We're leaving at dawn and the meeting point is the academy."
Missing a day of training because of an excursion was not part of my plan but I still needed to rest. As soon as he finished explaining the details of the trip, the bell sounded. We made our way to the yard while Lucas was practically shouting in my ear about how excited he was for the trip. However, once we reached the field, something was amiss.
All of the students appeared to circle two orcs. I edged towards the densely packed crowd and did my best to understand the situation. As soon as the students noticed who I was, they made way for me and I slowly moved towards the front of the pack.
"Don't make me do this Adriana," one of the two said.
"Oh shut up Martin, it's not like you can do anything."
Those names were familiar; Lucas had previously mentioned that the academy was currently being attended by three of the tribe's geniuses. Martin and Adriana were part of that elite group.
"It was a nice fight," one of the spectators said to me.
My head turned to my right to face the orc who had just spoken; he showed a kind expression and wore a warm smile.
"Thank you," I replied while showcasing a smile of my own.
"The name is Charlie," he said as he extended his arm.
My face displayed astonishment upon hearing his name; after all, Charlie was the name of the third genius.
"I'm Jett," I said while shaking his hand.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Oh nothing serious, just a friendly quarrel."
"Do you know them well?" I asked.
"Well of course, all three of us are well acquainted. I was trying to find you last time but you had already left. I'd like to invite you for dinner."
"When and where?" I asked.
"It's a modest restaurant called 'the monarchy'. It's quite popular, so you can ask any orc for directions. Do you have time tonight?"
"That name sounds very modest indeed. Yes I'm free tonight." I replied.
"Great then let's see each other later. Let's focus on those two numbheads. This is about to get interesting," he said.
"Do you want to fight?" Martin yelled.
"As a matter of fact, yes I do. Let's go to the arena!"
And thus, I once again entered the battle arena, but this time, not as a fighter but as a spectator. The onlookers stood in the stands, packed like a can of sardines; charlie and I stood side by side at the front to get an unobstructed view of the fight. My arms rested on the guardrail as I leaned forward.
The orcs behind me were moving around like something was trying to get through them and after a couple of minutes, a short-winded Lucas emerged from the horde.
"F-Found you," he said.
"Are you alright? You look like you went through a war," I jokingly said.
"Y-Yes I'm fine, just tired from running around like a headless chicken," he replied.
I turned away from Lucas and faced charlie once again.
"Who do you think will win?" I asked.
"Both are very strong and are in the same league, but if the fight is prolonged, Adriana has the slight edge. She's smarter than Martin and has better tactics when it comes to drawn out battles."
"Is that-"
"Oh my god, I'm a big fan," Lucas said while his eyes were shimmering.
The two orcs conversed while the two warriors approached the centre of the arena.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your romantic conversation, but the fight is about to start," I said.
The combatants stood face-to-face five metres away from each other, looking into the other's eyes without blinking. The referee quickly brushed through the rules before putting some distance between him and the fighters.
"BEGIN," he yelled.
Clouds of dust were formed as the orcs lunged towards each other at incredible speeds. If I didn't possess the way of the wind, it would have been tough to keep up with their movements. Martin took the initiative and threw a tight jab to the head; Adriana slipped to the right and threw a hook to counter. Martin barely had time to react to the attack, however, even though he had retreated, the punch still grazed his nose.
"You're still as predictable as ever. You always begin with a jab!"
"Fine, I'll take you seriously," the male orc said.
He leapt towards his opponent and threw a punch. Adriana grinned and moved her head while throwing a hook at the same time but unbeknownst to her, this was merely a faint.
Martin retracted his jab and threw a high kick; his opponent was able to place her forearm in the way of the attack but she still felt some of the blow. Without missing a beat, a three hit combination was thrown but Martin was able to block most of it while delivering counterattacks before they finally both pulled back.
"It seems like you're all talk Adriana."
"How about you stay quiet."
Without wasting time, they went at it once again, exchanging a barrage of punches with blood flinging off of their fists. What impressed me the most despite their speed and strength, was their timing. My attention was diverted from the fight which Charlie noticed.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I was thinking about how I would I fare against those two."