The afternoon came with its pleasant breeze. Leaves danced, and the birds sang with every whisper of the wind. The hourly clock struck one, as the bells rang with a harmonious tone.
Hurried steps echoed on the walls. The bell stopped its music as classes started. Meanwhile, Arthas couldn't figure out where he would go.
Jumping through the steps of the stairs by two and sprinted across hallways and lobbies hoping that he would reach the gym. His rexes easily caught up with him, though some lagged more than others.
The gym, also known as the Arena and widely regarded as one, is where many people engage in fights, everyone trains for practical combat, and special events take place.
Arthas, who was constantly running, felt tired and slumped over the wall and took a rest. To him, it felt the hallways here were infinite. The dinosaurs followed their boss and sat down.
Nemesis and Morpheus were fine, but the other two weren't doing so well. Their sweat flowed from the top of their head down to their face. He grabbed a towel from his pocket and wiped their sweat.
"Are you guys doing well?" To which they replied negatively, shaking their head, "Yeah, me neither."
Nemesis spoke in a soft tone as he started the conversation, to which Morpheus followed. They spoke in a language incomprehensible to the human ear, but for Arthas, their summoner. Understood clearly what they said.
"It's not like she'll be mad, though. Besides, Ralia's information is most accurate. I trust in her knowledge."
Nemesis replied to him. While on his side was Morpheus, who was fast asleep.
"The instructor? Ralia said that she would be a good fit for me. Why?"
No Reason, was the articulated translation of what Nemesis replied to. They talked about other things. Which resulted in him losing track of time. He realized this and ran through the building at lightning speed.
'I feel so light, and was this hallway always that short?' said in his mind as he drifted off.
They reached the front of the Arena and went inside. The arena closely resembled a coliseum. Unlike what he witnessed back on Earth, the arena teemed with life and was well-maintained.
Inside were people from his class standing in four lines. Attentively listening to the woman at the front. The woman saw Arthas and silently gave him a sign to join the class.
Inside the Arena there were other classes, distanced far away as it was for them. There were five classes, all of which Arthas estimated to be fifty students in each class.
"As I've said, we have a mock battle one week from now. We have named t" We have named this class Jorgunmandr for the mock battle. There are five classes, all of which are randomly drafted regardless of skill level."
The class murmured, showing enthusiasm and excitement comparable to the event that would be held.
"The specifics of this mock battle are to be the last one standing. I assume that your magic power and mana control have tested all of you yesterday. With one requiring you to fire off spells and the other by merely observing your mana affinity."
She paused, but her eyes wandered, and she continued speaking before taking a second breath.
"This mock battle would be observed by your seniors and professors, and your performance shall determine your standings, whether you belong to the top class or lower class."
While she was explaining the situation, whispers and talks intensified. Arthas was worried about the outcome of the battle. He lacked information because he was. As a result, he didn't know the rules and objectives. Luckily for him, the teacher restated everything.
"To have a little recap on what will happen next week. The entire ordeal is to be the last one standing while performing your best at eliminating the other captains. There will be captains to be called the strongest in the class. Good luck, Jorgunmandr, you'll need it yourself."
"Prepare for Naumachia, magic will fill with water, and enhance the Arena so it won't break.", she stated, "I'll guide you to your designated training room where you will train for the rest of the week."
Arthas noticed the other classes dispersed the same time they did. All went on to different areas and went inside.
He caught up with the group and watched from behind. They were led to a door that branched into a giant empty room after a long walk.
"This is huge…" Arthas muttered as he looked around, amazed by the room. The facilities were full of machinery and weapons placed on the stands. Multiple terrains inside the room.
The first hundred meters were full of commodities such as chairs, food, whiteboards, and other daily needs. Passes that were terrains split into four quadrants. The top left was snow, top right was fire, bottom left was rainforest, bottom right was the desert.
"This is room AL021 where you will talk and strategize with each other. We have ways to monitor you, so don't be stupid.", She stated, "You're able to change the terrain base on your preferences, but the Naumachia is a naval battle, so I suggest you change all four quadrants to accommodate the sea."
She weaved her hands and quickly transformed all terrain into the sea with ships floating on top.
"Decide who'll be your captain. I have additional instructions to give to whoever it is"
The group talked with themselves after a while. Anna, who everyone was relatively friendly with, replied to the teacher. Meanwhile, Arthas, who found the room fascinating, wandered around.
"The class have unanimously decided for Arthas to be the captain.", Anna stated, "We have seen what he can do, and I'm sure he'll do a lot for us."
No one objected to her statement. They all had seen what he was capable of and, for anybody to take the helm other than him, they weren't able to think of anyone.
"Hold on a second here. We shouldn't make him our captain. I think that making him the vanguard would make sense, no?"
Rey Vaunn, one of the influential families in the kingdom. Born under a noble family, he came to the Academy with prestige and expectations.
It comes to a close, however, solely because his goal of becoming the class leader crumbled when Arthas burnt the straw dummies to ashes, with it his hope of glory to becoming the class leader.
"It's better to have him at the frontline. We've seen his power. He can definitely kill all of them!" He stated,
"If he's going to be the frontline, who would be the leader?"
"Of course, I think it should be me," Rey puffed his chest.
Anna was stunned. She definitely didn't expect someone to be shameless enough to nominate themselves. Though she admitted that he might have skill, it was definitely lower than hers.
"No, I still stand with my decision.", she said, "If you have any problems, I'm open for suggestions." She added, her hands faintly colored orange-red.
Rey silently walked back. His face showed disdain, eyes sharp as daggers. Both knew who they were up against and had plans of their own.
"No more objections, I presume? Good." She voiced to the class. "Miss Ela, we have decided that Arthas will be our captain!"
"Huh. Wait, hold on!" Arthas shouted, "Arthas, we know how capable you are. Just accept it. Majority won the vote. You can't decline now." Anna replied firmly, leaving no room for words.
"Dear Boy, you weren't here earlier, but I have stated that the captain picked either from the majority or as a volunteer, supported by the class." Ela appealed, Ela appealed, leaving him with no other option.
The captain filled the entire class with joy. They knew having him was as sure as winning the event. It boosted their confidence. The entire class experienced a sense of joy on the inside.
But for Arthas, however, he didn't like the role and responsibility. If he was to perform well and win, his classmates would receive greater standing. If his performance is poor, however, it will affect the grade his classmates will receive.
Not experienced in combat enough, it was hard for him to make judgements, much more than a leader. Arthas attempted to talk his way out, but they denied him any option, and even his dinosaurs urged him to take the challenge.
Faced with this predicament, he thought of strategies and tried to recall naval battles on Earth. Midway, Pearl Harbor,
The teacher broke his thought when she called their attention that it was now time to go home. The class was dismissed and went home.
Arthas who arrived home received a call from Ralia. A distressing call.