Chapter 19: Round Two!

The next morning, all the competitors were gathered again. There was no crowd this time. The next time they were in front of an audience would be to celebrate the victors.

Brightsail, Fire Kite, and Green Book each stood gathered before their individual instructor, the announcer, and the mayor of Bright Sail himself. Mayor Tobias was a tall man with a strong jaw and ginger hair. His mustache twirled finely in on itself, and he moved with the confidence someone needed to go into politics. The announcer stepped forward. It seemed he would be the one explaining the rules today.

“Yesterday was amazing, everyone, and all of you shone brightly before the audience!”

Alari gritted her teeth at that. Snake smirked.

“Today’s competition will be one of two parts. An independent commission consisting of faculty from all three academies worked together to create the setting for the following two rounds. Normally, you’d compete in the second round today, and the third tomorrow. But this year we’re doing something a little different. The second and third rounds will both occur today. Or at least, they’ll both be available today. Whether you complete both, or take time to rest in between, will be up to each of you. But be warned, the other schools might take advantage of any rest you take, and points earned in the third round will be significant if you want to win.”

The second and third rounds were both part of this dungeon? That was odd. Sen wondered what that might look like. Two halves of a whole? Or had they broken it up some other way?

The announcer continued. “Each school will take one of three entrances. They will not cross during the second round, but they will all lead to the same location. The room where the third round will take place.”

“In the second round, you’ll be traversing through a dungeon. You’ll need to clear obstacles and fight monsters while keeping up a good pace.” He flailed his hands, pretending to swing a sword and shoot spells around as he talked.

[This looks ridiculous.]

“Points will be assigned based on which teams reach the third round first. In the third round, there will be a fight against the boss waiting for you in the dungeon’s center. Killing the boss will award points, but we recognize multiple teams may have a hand in defeating it. So points will be awarded based on team and individual participation. Finally, the boss is guarding a treasure! Whoever strikes the final blow will be the owner of that prize!”

Mary Candless raised a hand. It didn’t even reach the top of her witch hat. “Um, isn’t this all a bit dangerous?” she asked.

Tonka nodded thoughtfully. He slowly munched on crackers from a box in his hands.

The announcer looked toward the mayor.

Mayor Tobias stepped forward. “You’re right, and the three academies could never risk the future generations, not even on something as prestigious as Academy Wars. The town of Bright Sail has spared no expense on these.” He pointed at runes along the entrance to the dungeon.

Sen had noticed them, but hadn’t had the opportunity to examine them closely. Blue markings covered the entrance to the dungeon and led inside. He pieced it together in an instant.

[Resurrection runes. Will those work?]

Sen nodded. If the runes were prepared properly, anyone who sustained a fatal blow in the dungeon would be safely teleported outside. Runes like this were tricky to pull off, and Sen had no doubt the mayor was telling the truth about the price. There was no way designing runes this complex would be cheap at all. They’d hired someone to do this for them, someone strong. He didn’t think even Dean Withershade could create something as complex as this.

“These runes will ensure we avoid casualties. You’ll still feel pain while in the dungeon, and acting recklessly or without regard for your life will result in deductions of points. But other than that, you’ll be perfectly restored upon leaving the dungeon. Use this as an opportunity to test yourselves in a real-world situation. The dungeon will be challenging, but we have faith you’ll rise to the occasion!” Tobias pumped a hand up.

Milim clapped. Only Milim.

Mayor Tobias swallowed and turned back to the announcer. He received a sympathetic pat on the shoulder from the announcer. “The winner of the previous round will decide which entrance they’d like. The other two academies will draw lots afterward. You’ll have thirty minutes to prepare, and then we’ll move forward with the second and third rounds of Academy War!”

This was simple enough. Sen and his team needed to beat the other schools to the center of the dungeon and slay the boss before anyone else could. Overwhelming victory was a real possibility in this case, and he wouldn’t need to worry about protecting his teammates as much either. It would be ideal to keep them around to help shoulder the burden of the dungeon, but at the very least they wouldn’t be in real danger. If one or two of them failed to make it to the end, it wouldn’t affect too much.

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[I wonder if we can stab Snake in the back as soon as we’re inside? Do you think that’s allowed?]

Snake chose the entrance they were already at. Fire Kite and Green Book exchanged a few words, possibly plotting on how to bring Bright Sail down during the next two rounds. Fortunately, they wouldn’t really have the chance to work together from this point forward unless all three teams reached the boss round at the same time. With the unprecedented advantage Brightsail held in points, things should go rather smoothly, short of any unexpected complications.

This time when they gathered, Snake spoke again. But Sen noticed more eyes turning toward him as well, as if they expected him to interject at any moment. Snake noticed that as well.

[They’re well aware you’re the reason the last round went so well.]

“Girch and I will take the front. Susanna and Milim will fight from the center. Use that dream thing if we run into large groups, and Susanna, you’re going to handle mid to long range support. Joseia watch the rear,” Snake said.

Milim looked puzzled. “Um, what about Sen?” she asked.

Snake huffed. “Sen can sit outside for all I care.” With that, he walked away to wait for the start of the round.

Susanna shook her head, and Girch shrugged.