A group of students surrounded me in a disorderly clump as we lined up in the dining hall for our servings of food for the evening. I tried to decipher the mix of aromas swirling out from the open window, its metal grill now slid to the side. Buttery baked crusts. Smoky charred fat. The rustic scent of roasted vegetables--potatoes, corn, and something else.

I watched as a tall fellow balanced two plates on each arm, each piled with a different array of steaming meats, baked goods, or bright fruits, as he made his way from the serving window to the orderly rows of long black tables. He clutched a goblet in one hand and a mug in the other. From the way he grinned at the mug, I guessed it to hold a strong beer.

The hall was pristine now, with no sign of the spilled food and drinks from lunch. Word had passed among the rest of the group by now about the penalty for damaging Academy property.

Five had disappeared immediately after class, and the only other outsider, really, was me. The nobles barely paid any attention to me for the most part, even after what had happened earlier in the day. Or maybe because of what had happened. Kendra, in particular, made a point of turning her head aside as she stomped past me to the front of the disorganized line.

"Hey, the line starts back there," someone called out.

Kendra either didn't hear or didn't care. She tapped the shoulder of another blonde-haired noble and started chatting. I recognized the face when Kendra's friend turned slightly to the side. I didn't know her, but even I had to admit that among a sea of nobles, her fair features and turquoise eyes had stood out. There was nothing unusual about her face, but that was what paradoxically set her apart from the others--everything was just the right proportion. Symmetrical. Balanced.

"You're staring," Alanna said from my right.

I looked over at Alanna, then shrugged without replying.

"She's royalty," Alanna added with a chuckle. "Elda Wrynn. Too far even for you, Talen."

I immediately thought of the Empress, which sent an uncomfortable prickling sensation up my back.

"Distant royalty," Naisha said from next to Alanna. "Kendra's such a suck up." She tapped her feet impatiently on the ground. "You think she'd introduce me?"

"Why, so you can steal something from her?" Alanna asked.

Naisha didn't even blink. "Maybe."

"Don't be stupid," Alanna said. "Distant or not, she's still royalty."

It made sense that Elda was a distant relation of the Emperor. No proper woman from the royal household would have been allowed to pursue the sword arts past childhood. To the wealthy, swordplay was just that--play. It was no wonder that Naisha used her skills for the thrill of theft.

"Speaking of royalty," I said, "do either of you know anything about Empress Shih?"

Both Alanna and Naisha looked at me as if I'd blasphemed against the Swordgeists themselves. One of the other nobles in front of us swung his head slightly towards me as if listening.

The awkward silence lasted a few more seconds. Finally, Alanna bit her lip and sighed. "You should ask Five. I think he would know her best."

Five. The Empress had implied that she had helped make Five who he was, whatever that had involved.

Alanna looked like she was weighing whether to say more. Naisha frowned. The Empress had a reputation, then, but I was an outsider not privy to the latest gossip or rumors. While I hated that sort of thing, I would need to find out more about the Empress one way or another. Still, I wouldn't make an unwelcome push with these two.

I shook my head. "Nevermind. So..." What did nobles talk about anyways? "The food here looks good."

Naisha rolled her eyes and turned away.

Alanna flashed a quick smile at the change in topic. "Actually, it's quite impressive. I wonder where they hired the cooks from."

I could make out two figures helping to serve the food, an older man and woman.

"And best of all, it's free," I said. I wouldn't turn down a free meal, not after the last few weeks of scrounging for scraps.

Naisha gave me an odd glance but didn't say anything.

"Oh," Alanna said. She coughed lightly. "You missed the announcement at the start of lunch, didn't you? It costs a hundred gold a week."

"A hundred gold?" I glanced quickly again at the tables where some of the others were already eating. I had never had a meal worth even one gold, let alone a hundred.

"Or one credit per week," Alanna said hurriedly. "You know you can exchange ten exam points for a--"

"No, that would be a waste," I said.

So much for the glorious feast awaiting me. I wouldn't spend exam points on something as frivolous as that. I had checked with Josef about the supplies in my storage locker. Apparently, tack and dried meat were freely available, along with towels, basic clothing, and other essentials. I had no need to eat here, strictly speaking.

I was about to leave the line, but I lingered to watch the next student step to the serving window. He had trim yellow hair, and a squarish head. It was Zeriko, the one-time ally from the entrance exam. It was hard to believe that only a few days had passed since everything had begun.

Zeriko held up his left arm slightly. He had to be using his Index. The short, pudgy man serving him nodded his bald head. Zeriko lowered his arm.

"Zeriko paid with credits," I said. "Why would he do that?"

Naisha sniffed in Zeriko's direction. "He's from a lesser house? No wonder I never heard of him."

I must have looked confused, because Alanna gave me a sheepish smile. "What she means is that some of the nobles aren't as wealthy as you might think."

"He could go out into the city where prices are more reasonable," I said.

"It's not about what you eat," Alanna said in a patient tone. "It's who you eat with."

"More like who's butt you kiss," Naisha said. She pursed her lips at Kendra. "Just look at that. She's hardly even spoken a word to me since they teamed up."

Kendra and Elda were in an animated conversation. The jumbled line leading to the serving counter had looked random before, but now that I observed it more carefully, the pattern was clear. The largest clump of students centered around Elda. Another smaller clump centered around a grim-looking boy with dark long hair tied into what must have been a hundred thin braids, each glittering with jewels. The elaborate hairstyle was almost feminine, but no one would mistake his harsh face for a woman's. Neatly trimmed black hair ran down his temples and over his jaw.

"Do you know him?" I asked. "He doesn't look like the rest of..." I had to remind myself that Alanna was also a noble. "He looks different."

Naisha sighed softly as she followed my gaze. "Mm. I want that so badly." She licked her lips.

"Behave." Alanna smacked her lightly on the shoulder. "Ignore her," she said to me. "She can't resist a man showing off his jewels."

"What?" Naisha asked. "A lock of his hair must be worth a thousand gold." She mimed grabbing a handful of something with one hand and cutting it off with the other.

Alanna leaned towards me and placed her palm on my forearm. She was close enough that I could make out the floral scent of her perfume.

"Tycho Rees. A minor prince from one of those northern kingdoms." She lowered her voice. "If you ask me, they're hardly more than organized bandits. But to some of them--" Alanna gestured with her chin towards the clustered group, her blonde braid brushing against me. "A prince is a prince, wherever's he's from. The weaker ones latch onto anyone they can."

Alanna straightened back up and let go of my arm. For a moment, the familiar way she had whispered to me had been pleasant, but I had to hold back a scowl as I realized I was being drawn into the nobles' petty games. I had no desire to share in their demeaning gossip.

"I should go," I said. "I won't be eating here."

Alanna looked at me uncertainly. "If you need..." She let the offer hang out of politeness.

I wasn't so proud that I wouldn't accept charity, but this was beyond charity. A hundred gold for a week's worth of food? That was the type of extravagance reserved for nobles. I wouldn't become one of their pets, either.

I looked up at Alanna's questioning face. No, that was too harsh. She hadn't offered any overt condescension, but that didn't change my mind.

Naisha interrupted with an extra-loud sigh. "Don't bother, Alanna. Anyways, if he needs gold, he's perfectly capable of stealing it himself."

"Shush," Alanna said. "Don't be--"

Someone shrieked. It wasn't the sharp, jagged cry of pain or terror, but the shrill, rising crescendo of fury, and a high-pitched one at that.

"Who did that!" The livid scream cut through the now quiet dining hall.

The crowd scattered as if pushed apart by the force of the words. Standing alone in the center of the sparse group was Kendra. Thick brown gravy ran down the left side of her face, falling onto her shoulder and trailing down the front of her blue tunic.

Elda stood several paces in front of Kendra, her mouth wide open. She broke into laughter. A deep red flush crept up Kendra's neck and cheeks.

"Who!" Kenda shrieked.

Jun, the long-haired boy from before, rushed to Kendra's aid again like a dutiful servant. He pointed above.

"I sensed movement, nothing more," Jun said.

I searched the gray stone ceiling high above us, but the blue light that filled the dining hall revealed only empty space. How had someone launched an attack, however juvenile, against Kendra and escaped the notice of dozens of sword artists?

Others joined Elda's lead, some chuckling behind covered mouths, a few openly grinning. This wasn't real mirth. It was too forced and unnatural. Too noble.

I would have slipped out then, but blue words spilled out across my vision. From the chatter around me, I wasn't the only one seeing them.

Extracurricular Assessment: Culinary Combat

Instructions: You may not leave the dining hall until the extracurricular assessment is concluded. Striking an opponent during the assessment with anything other than an item of food will result in a penalty of two hundred exam points. Exam point penalties for damage to dining utensils and dishware are temporarily lifted for the duration of the assessment.

Select one of the following roles:

A) Offense: Gain an exam point if you strike the same opponent five times with items of food. You may not acquire more than one exam point from any opponent. Only one strike every three seconds will count towards the total strikes.

B) Defense: Gain two hundred exam points. Lose one exam point each time you are struck by an item of food. You may not lose more than one point from an opponent every three seconds. You may lose more than two hundred exam points in total.

C) Proxy: Designate a proxy who has chosen the role of offense or defense only. Gain or lose the same exam points as the designated proxy. Only three students may designate the same individual as a proxy.

D) Overseer: Subtract an exam point from any opponent each time you strike successfully with an item of food. The overseer's attacks override all roles and conditions. You may not subtract more than ten points from an opponent every one second. The overseer will gain a thousand exam points if all opponents accrue a net negative point total during the assessment period. Only one overseer position is available.

The blue letters for the last option dimmed as I was in the middle of reading them. When I reached the end, I rushed with the command. Final answer, D.

Nothing happened. I had been too slow, and someone else had taken the option with the maximum reward and little risk.

I was left wondering whether my Assignment point handicap would apply to the gains and losses symmetrically. A moment later, numbers counting down appeared in the corner of my vision. I glanced at the others.

"This is ridiculous!" Kendra continued shrieking in the background. "Childish!"

"Are we working together?" I asked Alanna and Naisha, doing my best to ignore the outbursts from the others.

For once, I was regretting that Five wasn't also here. It was clear from the proxy limit that they expected us to work in teams.

Alanna nodded. "The proxy seems obvious."

"Nope," Naisha said, "I'm not putting my fate in someone else's hands."

I had to admit that I somewhat shared Naisha's sentiment. Choosing defense, or even offense, and having the two of them guard me as their proxy would be the selfish ideal. I, of course, trusted my skill the most. While Alanna had raw power, I didn't see how that would be useful. Naisha was quick and slippery, which could prove to be an advantage here, but she was also reckless and undisciplined.

Alanna looked at me. "I suppose you feel the same as her?"

I tried not to show any surprise that she had read me correctly. "And you?"

"We're all sword artists," she said. Her eyes flicked to the side. "Forty-seconds left."

I watched the seconds count down in my own sight. "Two of us will select proxy. The other will choose...defense, I assume?" We were an ambitious lot, to say the least.

Naisha shrugged. "But who's the lucky one?"

"I'm the oldest," Alanna said, eyeing me. "Maybe."

"That's dumb," Naisha said before I could reply. "I'm the thinnest. I'd be the smallest target on defense."

"Well, it's true your body could be mistaken for a young boy's," Alanna said with sweet smile, "but my greatsword's better suited for blocking."

Naisha glared. This was going nowhere.

"We'll throw lots," I said.

"Sure." Naisha raised a fist. "Stone, scroll, shears. Odd one out wins."

"No," I said.

Normal people might throw hand signs in a situation like this, but sword artists were too fast with their reflexes for that sort of thing. Naisha, in particular, would be too sly. I checked the remaining time. Twenty seconds.

I used a sliver of qi extending from my palm to cut three small squares out of the corner of my tunic. I gave one each to Naisha and Alanna.

"Hurry." I said, when they didn't reach for them immediately.

They snatched them up. Alanna nodded once.

"Behind your back," I said as I demonstrated. I hid my hands behind me, then shifted the remaining square into my left hand. I placed the hands back in front of me.

Naisha frowned but did as I instructed, as did Alanna.

"Odd one out wins." I opened both hands to reveal the square of fabric in my left hand. "Left."

Alanna opened both hands. The square was in her left as well. "Left," she said.

Naisha opened her right hand, which held a square of fabric. She lowered her left hand without opening it. There was no time to waste arguing, but I frowned at her anyway.

Naisha grinned back at me. "Right. I win."

Alanna patted my back. "You get used to it after a while."

"Done," Naisha said, still smiling as she drew the two short swords strapped to her sides. "I'm defense."

So be it. Final answer, C.

The blue words before me vanished. A single line appeared.

State the name of your designated proxy.

"Naisha Leshander." I mouthed the words silently.

A blue halo pulsed once around Naisha, then disappeared. She didn't react to the light, so I assumed it was only visible in my sight.

+20 xp. Total: 1049 xp.

Across from me Alanna drew her greatsword. Her blade erupted in flickering golden flames. I hadn't paid close attention to her qi etchings before, but this time I had seen the coils around her wrist pulse briefly before her greatsword lit up.

"No damage to the room or furniture," I said, glancing at her fiery weapon. "Or people."

"I know," Alanna said.

I moved to draw Terminus, then changed my mind as I scanned the surroundings. There were twenty-eight students here, counting us. That meant we had to fend off twenty-five of them, including one overseer.

I turned my attention to the serving window. The metal grill had been pulled across the opening again, but I could make out the round, bald face of the serving man peeking through one of the openings. A thin, elderly woman peered out from next to him.

"Go, get them!" they shouted in unison.

In front of the serving window were three long black tables covered with steaming silver platters of food, ornate towers of fruit and cakes, and porcelain pitchers filled with drink or sauces. On one table, at the end, were three wide black pots with ladles hanging from their edge. Soup?

The tables and food had appeared silently without our notice. I found it somewhat strange that the Swordgeists would involve themselves in such an affair, but I was used to the clan elders resorting to similarly unusual tactics on occasion.

Something itched at the back of my mind. If the Swordgeists could summon a banquet out of thin air, what was the point of having us pay a hundred gold each week? And why did they need to bother with those two servers? The Swordgeists, indirectly through the Academy, had conjured weapons, qi pills, and now food. I had to wonder whether Josef and Matrina's jobs were also redundant.

I pushed the distracting thought aside as new blue numbers appeared in my vision.

15:00

The seconds began ticking down. We had to keep Naisha safe for fifteen minutes. And avoid the overseer.

Roughly half the group ran towards the food to arm themselves. Meanwhile, the other half rushed to the far side of the dining hall, opposite the serving window where the tables of food waited. I spotted Kendra, Elda, and Jun among those who joined our side, as well as the northern prince, Tycho.

Three of the others on defense were flipping tables onto their side to set up a barricade. Alanna's eyes flickered to them, then back to the tables of food.

"Clumsy and ineffective," Alanna said.

I had to agree. Naisha would be better off staying mobile. Based on what I had seen, I also figured that Alanna and Naisha would be adept at working closely together.

"Alanna, stay close to Naisha. You're the last line of defense." As I spoke, the first of the offense-minded student advanced with plates of food in his arms. "Naisha, don't get too carried away. She can't defend you if you're stuck in a corner."

"I never get cornered," Naisha replied.

"And you?" Alanna asked.

"I take the fight to them." A surge of qi infused my limbs a moment before I shot forward towards the closest student, a large boy built like a thick ox. Rufus, I had heard him called.

I skidded to a step several paces away from the muscular noble, who was cradling several plates of noodles with white sauce in the crook of his left arm. A small green pellet hurled into his head with enough force to break apart. A grape.

Rufus, swung his head about in annoyance. "What the--?"

A slice of white-frosted cake, a piece of chicken, and a mixture of orange and green vegetables flew towards Rufus from three different directions. He didn't bother to dodge as they covered his torso.

"Oh," he said.

"Hurry," a brown-haired noble called out. "Five hits for each of us. Then, we go after them." He pointed a muffin at those of us on defense.

The others on offense were already busy smacking each other with various pieces of food. Only Rufus, it seemed, hadn't realized that he could take advantage of the easy exam points, since there was no consequence to being hit for him by anyone other than the overseer.

The air around the students on that half of the room filled with food--hard, soft, wet, dry, crunchy, soggy--in a vortex of crisscrossing projectiles thrown in all directions. The flurry of food-based attacks lasted barely thirty seconds. They were sword artists, after all. The dozen on offense were now coated from head to toe with brown, red, white, yellow, with the occasional bits of green or a splash of purple. They turned their attention to the other side of the room. I checked the remaining time.

14:01

I rushed towards Rufus, who was still the closest to us. His eyes widened in surprise as I drew Terminus in a flash, swiping with my blade at the arm still somehow holding a single plate of long, sauce-soaked noodles.

"Watch it!" Rufus shouted, one eye still covered by a black sauce dripping from his head. He blinked as sauce threatened to drip into his remaining good eye, frantically scrambling backward. He dropped the plate of noodles.

It had been a mistake, taking the easy points first instead of last.

I caught the plate with Terminus' tip and flipped it upward back into his face. Rufus swore as the wet noodles smeared across his face, blinding him.

13:52

This was going to be a long fourteen minutes. I sheathed Terminus and rolled on the ground, ignoring the strong-smelling smears staining my tunic. When I stood, I had a chicken drumstick in one hand and a leg of lamb in the other.

If we couldn't use anything but food to attack, I would have to make the best of that.

With a surge of qi-driven strength, I flung the drumstick at the stomach of a girl moving towards me. The others hadn't used their full strength, it seemed, because she didn't even bother trying to dodge or block it.

The streaking drumstick collided with her torso like an arrow, exploding into a puff of brown fragments as it knocked her backward onto the ground. She screamed.

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at us. Then, chaos erupted.

A hail of apples whipped towards my head. Drawing Terminus for them would have been a waste. I used my empty left palm like a blade, edged with qi, to slice through four of them.

Rufus had wiped his eyes somewhat clear by now. He lifted a metal platter and threw it at me like a discus. I knocked it aside, but a blue warning message appeared in my sight.

Reminder: only items of food may be used to strike an opponent.

Rufus shouted in frustration and turned to look for more food. I leaped forward and bent low, the leg of lamb still in my hand. I swiped hard at his ankle, and the meat sheared off the bone from the force of the blow. Rufus didn't even budge.

The lamb bone was likely one of the strongest food items available, but even that would shatter against the strength of a Master sword artist like him. That narrowed the options for an attack.

Rufus ignored me as he bent over and reached for a cracked pineapple. I stabbed with the point of the lamb bone, aiming for the nerve cluster behind the back of his knee. I shoved hard with the heel of my hand, and the improvised weapon disintegrated into a mass of bone shards. This time, Rufus screamed and tripped, clutching his leg.

I retreated, ducking under a stray red-colored fish sailing through the air. I considered ignoring the attack, but the risk of losing a point to the overseer remained. I would also draw attention away from Naisha as long as someone on offense hadn't earned his full five strikes against me yet.

A large whitish clump flew towards me, then two more in rapid succession. Mashed potatoes, perhaps. I grabbed a low round stool from the side and blocked them. Something hard thudded into the black stool, and when I flipped it around, I found a steak knife, half-covered in the mash, embedded in the stool's surface.

Someone had hidden a knife within the seemingly harmless attack. It was rash move that couldn't possibly fool the Swordgeists. Still, I couldn't take the risk of ignoring any attacks as Rufus had done.

-1 xp. Total: 1048 xp.

I whirled to check on Naisha, at the same time gritting my teeth. The point loss wouldn't be ameliorated by the Assignment's curse, it seemed.

Naisha was clinging to the ceiling, near the far corner, her hands and feet glowing with yellow light. I groaned inwardly. So much for not getting cornered.

Alanna stood her ground beneath Naisha, swatting away a string of sausages with a wide sweep of her fiery blade. Opposite her was Tycho. But wasn't Tycho on defense? Tycho threw a pie, and Alanna kicked it away. She immediately scowled as she caught my eye.

"The overseer! Tycho's the overseer!" she shouted.

The northern prince had waited, pretending to be one of us. I dodged another fish, this one small and pale, before dashing back towards Tycho. He reached low to scoop a messy handful of runny food from the ground. I immediately saw the problem when he flung the wet mixture at Naisha.

The wide arc of liquid was spread too far for Naisha to dodge effectively. She dropped halfway down to the ground, but by then, Tycho was scooping up more handfuls of wet slop and hurling them at both her and Alanna. A fleck of reddish-brown sauce caught Naisha's boot.

-1 xp. Total: 1047 xp.

Alanna shouted in frustration as a streak of food clipped her shoulder. Fending off Tycho directly would be risky, since I wouldn't have immunity to his attacks. The only option would be to convince him to leave us for now. But how...

I reached out to catch a green blur that turned out to be a pear, then whipped it at Tycho's head. He neatly sidestepped the attack, but by then I was upon him with Terminus drawn and also aimed for his head.

It would be a two hundred point penalty. As long as Naisha didn't lose too many further points, I could gain nearly four hundred points once my Assignment was completed. I would still come out ahead even with one infraction.

Tycho couldn't know about that, but he had been ranked near the top of the class after the entrance exam. Surely he'd be able to read the truth of my sword's attack--that it wasn't a feint.

For I wasn't aiming precisely at his head. I was aiming at his elaborate braids of dark, jeweled hair. From what I had seen in other cultures, I guessed that his hair was a social mark, much like a crown, and that losing it would be a shame worth more than a lump of exam points. The risk was that Tycho would be sensible enough not to care about such social niceties, and that he'd respond with vengeance.

Tycho's face contorted with confusion. He twisted out of Terminus' path, but I attacked again with another attempt at giving him a fresh haircut.

"Are you mad?" Tycho hissed in a low, gravelly voice. His braids swung behind him as he tried to twist away from me. I pushed forward until his back was against a wall.

"Very possibly," I said. "You know how some men will act to impress a pretty girl."

I swung again but had to pull my strike at the last moment to avoid marring the dining room's stone wall. I slashed at Tycho's braids once more, but he spun away, taking care to keep his hair out of my reach. I swung three more times at full speed, but each time Tycho dodged with room to spare. There was no doubt that he was also a Grandmaster.

"I've seen you. You're the traditionalist." Tycho ducked to avoid another swing. "Aren't you beyond such trifles?"

He was right. A traditionalist acting like a dandy chasing women would be a disgrace, but admitting that would defeat my ruse.

"And you?" I replied. "Shouldn't a sword artist of your caliber be above matters of...fashion?"

I stepped forward, but Tycho scowled and retreated. "Bah. I'll deal with you later."

As he left, he flung a handful of small pellets, nuts it looked like, mixed in with a wet mixture of liquids. I swept Terminus through the main portion of the attack, knocking most of it aside, but I had to drop low to the ground to avoid the rest of it. I glanced backward to find Alanna batting the food aside with her burning blade. I nodded once to her, then got up.

Terminus was slick with grease and flecks of food. I was about to wipe it on my tunic before sheathing it, when I spotted Rufus rushing towards me with a slight limp. He had his arms wrapped around a pot of steaming soup.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't have resorted to a vicious attack, but the threat of a scalding pot of soup combined with the food-based restriction meant I had few options. I swung Terminus while Rufus was still a good ten paces away, letting a faint coating of qi wipe all of the food off the blade.

The liquid from Terminus streaked towards Rufus' eyes, and he screamed again, tumbling forward onto the splashing pot of soup. The attack shouldn't have been severe enough to blind him permanently, only to sting and disorient his vision for a few minutes. Of course, the burning soup drenching his tunic didn't help the matter.

Unfortunately, my attack had inspired an imitator. I hurried to block an arc of liquid whipping through the air with lethal speed from my right. Terminus rang from the impact. Liquid sent with sufficient speed could cut, and whoever had sent that wasn't holding back.

I shifted to find Zeriko sweeping his sword, a plain longsword, along the dirtied ground to catch more liquid on it.

"Good idea," he said, as he swung his sword at me, its blade briefly glowing yellow at the apex of its arc.

I dipped Terminus into the sludge at my feet and responded in kind, the two attacks meeting and dissolving into an explosion of brown mush.

"I don't know if this is what the instructors had in mind," Zeriko said, "but I have to admit it's rather fun." He sent another arc of food at me from his blade.

I wasn't going to complain if I was keeping him away from Naisha. I met his liquid attack with another of my own. This time, I had to dodge left to avoid getting splashed from the resulting collision.

Zeriko and I fought our mock battle for another minute or so with neither side having any clear advantage. It ended when he tripped over what looked like a yellow onion rolling beneath his feet. I quickly sent a liquid slash at his hand while he was distracted, forcing him to drop his sword. A second later, I had sheathed Terminus and picked up a pork shoulder, ramming it full force into his mouth.

Zeriko bent over, choking on the fat and meat filling his mouth like a gag. I smashed a jelly-filled pastry I had picked up into his right eye for good measure, then stepped away.

-1 xp. Total: 1046 xp.

Naisha. I had been getting too enthusiastic in my bout with Zeriko. I turned to rush back to my proxy.

The food-based battle continued for another ten minutes with Naisha only losing an additional twelve points, for fifteen total points lost. The fighting gradually slowed in pace, as those who had nothing to gain stepped aside. At that point, Tycho, returned to us with a triumphant grin on his usually stoic face. His black beard was smeared with flecks of red, and his hands dripped with a brownish-red liquid. Had it been any other setting, I would have assumed that he was covered in some hellish gore.

"The last three," he said.

He had whittled everyone else down to a negative point total already? I had been too busy during the chaos to keep track of him. I heard Naisha dropping to the ground behind me as Alanna moved forward to stand on my left.

The others had completely stopped fighting by now, which I took to confirm Tycho's impending victory. They had no more points to gain. I checked the time.

2:21

There was more than enough time for Tycho to finish this if he was smart about it. Which, unfortunately, he was.

Tycho beckoned to the others. "No sense in letting them earn points, right?"

Kendra huffed. "We're not here to do your bidding." She placed her hands on her hips. "But I'll enjoy watching this."

Jun stood by her side, nodding. Elda stood on Kendra's other side, giggling.

The others moved forward as one.

"What do we do?" Alanna whispered.

"Avoid Tycho," I whispered back. "Do the best you can, and, Naisha--run!"

She ran, and we ran after her doing our best to intervene in any attacks. In the end, it was futile, with so little space in the dining hall and so many after us simultaneously. I focused on avoiding any serious injury, and, thankfully, ended up with no more than several light bruises, Of course, I was covered in head to toe in every kind of food imaginable.

When the message appeared announcing the end of the assessment, I wasted no time in checking the final damage. Status.

Status

Name: Talen Koroi

Exam points: 814

Bonus points: 2

Rank: Grandmaster

Swords: None

Implants: None

Techniques: None

Credits: None

I winced. The loss of points hurt more than anything else. I still hoped that the recovery bonus from the Assignment would compensate. I should gain four hundred, or rather three-hundred eighty more exam points, I hoped, from the initial gain at the start? I wasn't sure, but it was clear that I would have to remove the Assignment's curse as soon as possible to avoid such uncertainties. But the thought of killing the Empress remained disturbing.

"Tycho seems popular at the moment," Alanna said.

She, along with Naisha, were watching Tycho bask in the glory of earning a thousand points. A cluster of sword artists surrounded him, larger than the one from earlier in the evening.

Naisha snorted, then coughed and spit something out of her mouth. "They never stop kissing up, even when looking like that. Flitting about like flies."

It was true. Only Kendra and Jun remained with Elda. The others who weren't trying to talk to Tycho were already leaving to clean up, presumably.

"I still can't believe you tried to cut off his braids," Alanna said.

"I know," Naisha said with a scowl. She slammed a fist into the other hand. "Those are mine!"

I ignored them. My stomach was growling. The vigorous exercise had worked up my appetite, and I had only been eating tack and dried meat. I lifted the back of my hand to my mouth but hesitated.

Who was I kidding? I wasn't some proper noble, and I never would be. I was hungry, and this was good food. Wasting such resources would be a great shame, even more so considering the grave situation back home with the clan. I licked the back of my hand without further delay.

Cherry jam? With a hint of black pepper sauce, likely from another dish, mixed together.

It was the best tasting mouthful of food I had eaten in weeks. I heard an old, throaty laugh in the distance.

"Uh, Talen?" Alanna asked.

Naisha made a face. "Gross, he's embarrassing us. Let's go before anyone else sees." She grabbed Alanna's hand and led her away.

I took another lick.