“A quick explanation before we begin,” Master Selena said. “Just so you understand the role that each of us plays.”

I nodded politely, curious to learn more about the four strangers. Despite their unique appearances and outward traits being revealed when they’d removed their hoods, I knew next to nothing about them, apart from the fact that they were all Mikel’s former apprentices. Mikel himself stepped in front of them. He uttered a quiet word, and they all lined up as if for an inspection. He paced from left to right, pausing briefly at each member to give an introduction.

“Selena is my most recent apprentice to gain the title of Master,” Mikel said. “She is an exceptional staff fighter, and she possesses the ability to see a few seconds into her own future, which comes in very handy for fighting.”

I nodded my understanding. It also made sense that this would be about what they could teach me in fighting, I thought. We’d moved from Mikel’s office to the large open training gymnasium. The four former students had all removed their outer robes, leaving them dressed in a wide variety of clothing. Master Selena wore baggy jeans and an even baggier green hoodie.

He paused in front of the shorter Russian man, dressed in a blue and red running suit. “Ivan is a skilled unarmed fighter, one of the best in the Clan. He has exceptional defensive capabilities. In his Crucible, he was called Mountain for his ability to weather any attack.”

Next was the tall red-haired Frenchman, who wore a suit. “Gene’s physical skills are less significant than most Reapers, but his specialty is within the mind. He can invade the minds of his enemies, and put them into submission, often rendering them unable to fight before the battle begins.”

Finally, he stopped before Tamotsu. True to his heritage, the man was dressed as an old Japanese samurai. “Tamotsu was the first student I ever taught. He relies upon his speed and agility to survive, and when that is insufficient, he uses his unique ability to manipulate the senses. His hearing, sight, and smell are very acute, and he can create illusions to fool his enemies.”

I let out a low whistle as Mikel finished his introductions and came to a stop beside Tamotsu. Each of them sounded prestigious and elite, like the Masters they were. Stranges of all, however, was their attitudes. I’d met them first as stern silent figures who’d judged me. Now that they knew and approved of me, their individual traits began to shine through.

Selena looked like a bookish girl who’d been small most of her life, before hitting a growth spurt and shooting to stand taller than me. She was painfully thin from what I could see, but had stiff muscles and stood confidently. Ivan of course was big and bulky, but his stance was relaxed as he’d been introduced. With his slouched shoulders and his hands deep in his pockets, he looked like a middle-school football coach.

Gene was normal-looking enough at first glance, but he stood perfectly straight, almost at attention, and he had a half-smile on his face that seemed to hint at a hidden joke. Tamotsu, easily the shortest, had a barrel-like chest and strong legs and stood with his feet spread apart, hands on his hips. He was the hardest to read out of the four.

“Wow,” I said slowly. “Makes me look forward to seeing what Marisha can accomplish.”

Selena smiled widely at me. “Marisha isn’t quite there, but she’s rather good. She’s awfully skilled with her knives.”

“Each of them will teach you a little of their specialties, and I will improve your raw combat talent myself,” Mikel said. “With all luck, you will be ready to participate in the Crucible by the end of the month.”

“I have to learn all of that in one month?” I asked, my mouth suddenly dry. “Is that even possible?”

I was vaguely aware of the four former students of Mikel spreading out around me, leaving about ten feet between us. Mikel shrugged. “With any other apprentice, perhaps not. But you are my student and a natural Reaper. You may just be able to do it.”

Too distracted by his statement, I didn’t see Selena attack me until it was nearly too late. She’d summoned a staff out of nowhere and swung a vicious blow at my head. I put up a defensive shield just in time, and her staff glanced off at a slight angle. Undaunted, she brought the other end of the staff around, glowing with enhanced power, to slam into the back of my knee. It stopped an inch or two from my jeans, but a shockwave burst out from the weapon’s tip, and my legs were knocked out from under me.

I hit the padded floor of the training area hard, the wind forced out of my lungs. Then I was rolling to the side to avoid Ivan, who’d leaped forward and swung his massive fist down. It too created a small shockwave, so that, despite making no contact, I was blasted to the side for several feet. My defensive screen seemed to have no effect against this tactic. I wasn’t taking much damage, but I was being tossed around with ease.

Gene followed after Ivan, taking two large steps forward and leaning towards me. A faint thin line of energy went from his extended hand to my body and connected flawlessly to my own aura. Before I could react, he’d twitched his hand, and I felt my body pulled in his direction. Faster than I could think, he stomped once with his foot, creating yet another shockwave that knocked me ten feet into the air.

He made no move to strike me as I fell back down. My wrestling instincts took over and I got my feet under me, but the second I landed, Tamotsu jumped forward. He hooked one leg around mine and twisted. I hit the mat once more, and, before I could move to retaliate or escape, the point of a long curved sword was between my eyes holding me in place.

Unnerved, and more than a little terrified, I put my hands up in surrender. With a sly grin, Tamotsu opened the hand holding the weapon. I flinched, expecting the sword to fall and cut me, but it faded out of existence. He offered me a hand to rise, and I took it, feeling shaky after the terrifying display they’d all put on. As random as it had seemed at first, I realized the meaning behind it. I was just starting out, and that was the standard that I needed to reach if I were to stand a chance in the Crucible. In spite of my fear and nerves, I found myself grinning in anticipation.

“It looks like he is ready to truly begin now,” Tamotsu said. “He smells of thirst, a thirst for learning.”

“Good,” Selena said, drawing closer and putting a hand on my shoulder. “He’ll need that motivation in the coming weeks.”