The Value Challenge sounds to Ariel like some sort school assignment in which she'd be given a bit of money sent to the shops in the city to see how much she could get from them. She reminds herself yet again that this is no longer school, and that this challenge is what she excels in. Teams spill onto the training field, forming a box around four stakes punched into the ground to mark the corners. There's a small amount of jostling as soldiers under the command of Captain Loswel move the stakes further and further back until the box is some thirty paces deep and perhaps forty long. “Sleep well?” she asks Eje.

“Better.” says Eje. “Much better since I worked my stress last night.”

“Excuse me. What team are you?”

Ariel looks over the figure who's appeared on her side amidst the crowd. Straight hair, stiff stance, immaculate fingers holding a small book and pen. She wears heavy azure robes, even in the hot sun. “Who are you?” says Ariel.

The woman looks Ariel over, loses interest, and turns to Eje. “What team are you?”

“Twenty-Four.” says Eje without turning away from Captain Loswel, who's yelling at soldiers hauling a cart of boulders onto the field.

“And where is the rest of your team?”

“They'll be here soon.”

“I hope so. I'm marking you as partially present until they arrive.” She picks her way through the crowd for the next team.

“Who was that?” asks Ariel, suppressing the urge to throw something after her.

“Hm?” Eje looks away. “Oh, Irami. I think she's helping organise.”

Two more people push their way through the crowd to their position. “We're here.” announces Salaya breathlessly. “See, Octave? I told you we wouldn't be late. We were training. I really wanted to try deflecting magic, but I still can't get it.”

“It takes time.” says Octave, nonplussed.

“Everyone ready? Ariel, you look unhappy.”

Ariel starts at this accusation. “Just a rude organiser.” Perhaps she should ask Octave for lessons on impassivity.

“What organiser?”

“You know, Irami.” Eje finally breaks away from watching Loswel threaten a particularly slow soldier with latrine duty to find three blank stares. “I guess only I met her when I was doing administrative stuff. Don't blame me; you were all happy to let me take the lead.”

“But who is she, Eje?”

“Oh, right. Irami. She was some highly decorated graduate. We all say we're great and we were top of our class or whatnot, but she might be the only one telling the truth. Daughter of the chancellor, I think. She's not exactly rude, just extremely concerned with efficiency and representing her family.”

“And representing the Mage Guild with those robes.”

“Yeah, she's all but guaranteed a spot with them.” They watch Irami jotting down Team Four's details. Brant is sulking off to the side while Irprinon does the talking, as though Irami has already shut him down. Or perhaps he hasn't recovered his confidence yet. Eje catches her eye and gestures to Salaya and Octave, and Irami gives her a small nod.

“I'm still torn between strength and agility.” says Eje. “What about you three?”

“I still can't deflect magic, so I don't think I have a chance at anything other than strength.” sighs Salaya.

“Willpower is my go to.” says Ariel.

“I'm not particularly interested.” says Octave. “Is this necessary?”

“Yes.” insists Eje. “We need the good showing and merit, Octave.”

“We got merit from our last mission.”

“Not enough. Because we spent so much time getting back to the castle, we ended up getting less than if we had just done a few smaller more straightforward missions. We're at a mere thirty-seven, Octave. It's shit. We got cheated on the first task, you weren't there for that one, we got a bunch of mediocre assignments, then we got one that took twice as long to finish. I want to be at the top, and the top is nearly double that. Even the average is in the forties.”

“That's quite a gap.” notes Octave.

“Yeah, I have my suspicions.” says Eje. “But an ideal showing is worth five points per person. A good showing is three. I'd like to get a full twenty. Which is why I want you to participate and do your best and like it.”

Octave shakes her head. “I'll do my best, but I won't like it. How does this event work?”

“It should be easy for you, Octave.” pipes up Salaya. “Just choose a feat of strength. You're good at destroying things.” They look over to Loswel, who's now supervising the delivery of a cart of logs. Soldiers strain to pull it over a bump of dirt repeatedly before Loswel screams at them to go around.

“Looks like something from a travelling circus.” says Octave. “What other options are there?” Before Salaya can explain however, Ranim Harki's growling voice echoes over the field.

“Preparations are now complete. We can now begin. For the King!” Octave is still looking at Salaya expectantly as though she should be explaining the challenge over the entire congregation taking up the chant. Ariel tries to give Octave a meaningful look, but she doesn't join in. “Excellent.” says Ranim. “I'm not here to deliver a speech, but I do want to commend all of you for your excellent work. I have always said that to serve one's king and nation is the highest calling of all, and in that regard, you have proven yourselves all praiseworthy. The tale goes that when Ogridor climbed to the summit of Mount...”

Octave leans in toward Salaya who whispers “A feat of willpower tests your ability to resist a powerful attack. You could do that as well. A feat of agility I'm not so sure about. I think there's an obstacle course.” They look around, but no obstacle course is apparent. “Well, something like that. At school, nobody ever chose agility. It's sort of a joke, like what a dancer or a ball-player would choose. Then there's the feat of battle. You'll have to win a fight.”

“That last one sounds intriguing.” says Octave. “Who's my opponent?”

“Well there's a catch with the last one. The others have two choices: live or target. A target is just something like a rock or a preprepared spell, but you can also choose a live opponent. They'll probably have you compete to shatter a mirror if you choose strength. The feat of battle can only be live, and it isn't against someone from another team. You'll have to fight one of the imperial guards.” Salaya gestures up to Ranim Harki, who is talking to Captain Loswel, flanked by two men with swords. Ariel can just recognise the curved guards on the swords and their bridged arches. “It's a really bad idea to try to fight one of them.”

“Your value to yourself, to your team, and to your nation is about to be tested. I pray you give your all.” finishes Ranim. Irami turns to her teammates who are standing behind her working on the schedule. One brings out it to her and she looks it over before calling on the first team.

“Imperial guards are overrated.” says Octave to Salaya.

“No, they're really tough.” says Salaya. “The King only takes the best, and they're trained in magic too.”

“The first contestant has selected a feat of strength against a target.” announces Irami. Ariel watches as a soldier rolls in a boulder the size of a horse head. The contestant takes his position facing it. A few seconds go by. Electricity starts to crackle around his arms. It spreads up to his fingertips, growing in size and sound. When the mage releases his attack, it converges like a storm around the boulder, battering it. Nothing. He gathers himself and releases a second attack, this time a single bolt that shatters against the boulder on impact, sending arcs of lightning bouncing on its surface and darts punching into its body. With a groaning crack, the boulder splits into a dozen crumbling pieces. Smoke rises spreading the odour of nitre across the field.

“That was pretty good.” says Salaya, joining in the applause.

“Hardly.” says Eje. “I won't applaud anyone who doesn't take a live opponent.”

“I'm not taking a live opponent, Eje.” says Salaya. “It's risky.”

Ariel backs her up. “I probably won't either.” Eje gives them both a look of profound disgust.

The next contestant also is able to shatter a boulder. “A mere three points.” snorts Eje as everyone again applauds. The team finishes, and the next team is called. Then the next. Annya chooses a live opponent and her barrier is able to withstand a blast of corrosive green magic from another competitor. Ebin is the first to choose agility and successfully runs from the training field to the castle battlements while weighed down with curses. “That's not even a feat of agility.” grumbles Eje. “Just speed.” Team Two is called and Irami herself dazzles a live opponent with a display of fire and ice magic that freezes and shatters his mirror image. Even Eje applauds. Irami bows to Ranim then the rest of the audience. Another team competes with moderate success: strength, willpower, agility, strength.

Irami consults her schedule. “Next is Team Twenty-Four.” Everyone looks over at them and Ariel shivers, the weight of the affair suddenly hitting her. She's going to have to compete with all the other teams watching. Captain Loswel is watching, Ranim Harki is watching, Mage Guild representatives are watching. Even Octave standing next to her seems a giant despite being only half a head taller.

“It's a bit scary that our value as people can be judged so abruptly.” says Salaya, voicing what Ariel feels.

“Why don't we start with Octave.” suggests Ranim, standing behind Irami. Expressionless, Octave steps across the line marked by the stakes. Muttering rises from the audience. Ridgeway is nowhere to be seen, but the story has spread. Latecomers jostle for space or climb atop the abandoned carts for a glimpse.

“Does she even know magic?” Ariel overhears a someone next to her ask. “I heard she's some sort of Bladesbury experiment infused with supernatural strength.”

“What challenge will you have?” asks Irami, not so much walking as gliding across the field in her robes.

“Battle.” Octave stretches each arm and leg as the muttering intensifies. Nobody has chosen battle yet; nobody else would risk a fight with an imperial guard.

“Are you sure?” Irami's rigid eyebrows raise just a touch. “Very well then.” She glides back to Ranim and sizes the two guards up, neither of whom looks concerned. Irami points at the larger of the two, a mountain of a man, and he lumbers into the field. “We'll see how you handle Constrad then.” Constrad stands a head taller than anyone else present, even Brant. Ariel shudders as he cracks his knuckles, each finger nearly the size of Ariel's wrist. When he casts off his mail hauberk he's nearly the width of an ogre from shoulder to shoulder. If Octave once looked like a giant, she now appears as a child standing before a giant. Ariel feels as big as an insect.

“Is that fair?” hisses Eje. She looks unnerved at the prospect of merely watching Constrad fight Octave.

“Nobody is going to choose battle after this, even if Octave wins.” says Ariel. She can't imagine what's going on in Octave's head, but she doesn't seem perturbed.

Then Irami speaks again. “For this battle,” she announces, “there will be magic only. No direct contact. We don't want serious injury, so instead of targeting each other, we'll use mirror images. Dolmion, could you set us up?”

“What?” demands Octave. She turns back to Salaya, and for the first time, she looks surprised. “Is this supposed to be the battle?”

“I, I read it right, didn't I? Was I wrong?” Salaya stammers, looking to Ariel and Eje for support.

“That's what I read too.” says Eje. “The notice said a battle. It didn't specify what sort of battle, but I assumed it wouldn't be this.” Ariel can contribute nothing more.

“What sort of battle is this?” Octave asks again Irami as Dolmion, a broad smile on his face, begins setting up his glossolalia.

Irami reprimands her. “It's a standard battle.”

Irami looks over at Dolmion, who's finishing up. A mirror image of Constrad stands on one side of the field across from Octave, and another of Octave stands across from Constrad. “It's too late to change now.” she says, gliding away.

When Irami reaches his side, Ranim calls out “Begin!”. Constrad squares and squeezes his eyes shut.

“Are they really going to use magic?” asks Salaya. Octave approaches Constrad's mirror, looking back to see what her opponent is doing, as though expecting him to forget the charade and attack her. He doesn't. Water shimmers as it condenses in the air above the audience. As they look up, it coalesces into a single point, a spike that elongates, steams as heat is drawn from the area, and hardens. The icicle, nearly as large as Constrad himself, hangs in the air for moments then crashes down onto the mirror of Octave. The partial warding makes a feeble resistance before giving way. The icicle tears through the image, shards of Octave scattering onto the ground and dissolving into nothingness. Octave stands dumbly, still half a dozen paces away from the mirror of Constrad.

“Finished.” announces Irami. “Octave, that's a loss. You can earn partial merit for shattering Constrad's mirror, but without contact.” Octave opens her palm and a puff of coloured fire patters out but dies against the mirror's warding. She shrugs and draws the sword at her hip. She cleaves the enormous mirror apart at the waist with a single stroke and it crumbles away before it hits the ground. Eje shakes her head.

“A weapon counts as contact.” says Irami. “No merit for that performance.”

“She really can't use magic after all.” mutters the neighbour. Ariel feels as befuddled as he looks. If it were her being humiliated like this, she'd do something. Complain, argue, burst into tears. The muttering from the audience both intensifies and quiets as Octave looks around the field. Her hands, still holding the sword, quiver as though yearning for another target. If she wants to act, she doesn't know how.

Eje half runs half strides across the field toward Irami. She looks back at Ariel and Salaya and motions for them to follow. “Come on.” Salaya runs out after her, as does Ariel after a pause. Octave sheathes her sword and joins them with a shrug. All eyes fix on Eje as she marches up to Irami and Ranim, fists clenching and unclenching. She quivers as she looks up at Irami, as though readying herself to strike. Irami crosses her arms. “What was that about?”

“What do you mean?” asks Irami.

“Can you go back to your places, please?” asks another Team Two member. “We need to get on with our next challenger.”

“Shut up, Quennen.” snaps Eje. “That wasn't a battle. Even the feats of strength are closer to a fight than that.”

Irami looks down at her schedule. She takes a feathered pen from an ink pouch at her waist and jots a note on it. She looks up at Eje with a sigh. “That was a battle.”

“That wasn't a battle.” says Eje. She starts to yell. “A battle involves a fight, Irami! That was some sort of twisted exhibition, not a fight. We're all impressed that your great big imperial guard can cast high level ice magic, but destroying a mirror with it shows nothing. In a fight he would never be able to land that on Octave. You set that up deliberately so she wouldn't get full merit.” Constrad lopes around them and retakes his position flanking Ranim, who's watching intently.

“If you think that was a standard battle, what do you consider to be standard about it?” says Octave, hand still near the hilt of her sword.

“This is pointless.” snorts Irami. “We've set the standard, and it's the standard used all around the Upper Realms. You lost. Don't make a fool of yourself as well.”

“I've seen battles all around the Upper Realms.” says Ariel. Only a partial lie. “I've never seen anything like that. Even in the capital.” That's the truth. Irami glares at her, but Ariel can't back down now.

“That wasn't a battle.” says Captain Loswel, joining in. “Let them fight properly.” Irami still doesn't speak.

“This doesn't seem to be going anywhere.” interjects Ranim. “Perhaps we can resolve it at a later time. You'll have to appreciate, the crowd is growing restless.” The crowd is as far away from restless as it has ever been. Everyone is paying attention. Ariel spots Annya off in a corner whispering with Ebin, neither of them looking away from the spectacle.

“Well, Ranim.” Octave licks her lips. “You run this operation. What were your thoughts on the battle?”

“I delegate all responsibilities to the organisers, and Irami heads that group.” says Ranim, raising his palms. “She determines what a battle is.”

“Yet another chance for you to hide behind someone else.” says Octave. Irami's eyes shoot up. Heads swivel and eyes fix on Ranim to see him respond to this insubordination. Even Captain Loswel seems concerned.

Ranim Harki only smiles. “Delegation is part of my job, Octave. As is accepting the decisions of others. You would do well to learn that lesson.” Octave's lip curls, but she stays silent.

“Octave, your problems extend far beyond this challenge.” says Irami. “I read Team Twenty-Four's last mission report. You abandoned your team partway through, then reappeared back at the castle a few days later without them. It was lazy, it was cowardly, and you brought shame to all the teams who work together. You're lucky you weren't already disciplined. Now go back to your positions or I'll disqualify the lot of you.” Salaya looks as though she wants to speak up, but Eje wheels around and storms back to their space in the crowd. The rest of them follow her.

“Shit.” says Eje. “I always knew Irami was annoying. I didn't think she was a vindictive bitch as well.”

“It was really unfair. We're all supposed to be on the same side here.” says Salaya. “She has no business telling Octave off like that, and she certainly shouldn't be threatening us with disqualification.”

“She's thinks she's royalty, even here.” says Eje. “She didn't like what Octave did, and thinks it's up to her to mete out a punishment. Salaya's right though: it's not her place. Octave did what none of us could do in hunting down those orcs. Irami thinks she can judge other people, well she's a plodder. You would have beaten that idiot guard, and that's all there is to it.”

“Thanks.” says Octave.

It's strange. When Irami brought up Octave's transgression, Ariel looked over at her teammates. She could have sworn she saw a shadow pass over Eje and Salaya's faces. If they weren't united against a common enemy, would their judgment be different? It wasn't as though they didn't complain about Octave abandoning them when they were travelling through Gaskaback forest, and crossing down the border on their long trek back to the castle. If anything has gotten them over it, it's uniting against Irami.

“Next up,” calls Irami over the speculations of the audience, “Ariel from team Twenty-Four.” Ariel's stomach quavers and does a somersault. She takes a deep breath, trying to forget the injustice of what happened. There's no way Irami can sabotage her as well.

“Wait.” says Octave as Salaya steps over the line. “Are you doing a feat of willpower?” Ariel nods. “Choose a live opponent.”

“I don't know if I have the heart for that anymore.” says Ariel.

“Trust me.” says Octave. “Choose a live opponent, and don't move far away from us.”

“We need the merit, Ariel. Please take a live opponent.” pleads Eje. “You're going to do well. I know it. Your barriers are better than nine tenths of the support mages at this castle. If not ten tenths.”

Ariel takes another deep breath. It doesn't help anymore. The Ariel who first arrived here with Garsun would have taken the live opponent. She was a different person, confident and eager. Seeing her peers, discovering their strengths has taught her new things, but at the expense of that confidence. Another mage's strength only highlights her own weaknesses, her own lack of experience. Perhaps that's why she feels nervous, even when she's successful. She's supposed to be a prodigy, but she hasn't felt it in some time. Maybe it's time to find out where she stands.

“I choose a feat of willpower.” she says across the field to Irami. “Against a live opponent.” Eje claps her on the back.

Irami makes a note of it on her schedule. “Very well. I will select a willing opponent.” She looks back at her team, around the audience, then back at Ariel. “I will take this challenge. You must only withstand a single spell from me.”

“Weren't the spells supposed to be preprepared?” asks Salaya. They all know the answer to that. Ariel steels herself as Irami takes the field opposite her. Ranim Harki, representative of the King, makes no comment, only watches on. For the first time in her life, Ariel faces down the wrong side of authority. “Don't panic, Ariel. You can handle her.”

“I'm beginning.” says Irami. Ariel can see her focus, and matches it. The magic rises. She pulls until it she can feel each bead of magic flow like water down her temples, out to her limbs. The barrier will depend on Irami's magic: fire or ice. A few more seconds, she's really taking her time, and now Ariel sees it. No colour, just pure fire blossoms from Irami's fingertips. Salaya's fire is bright and fierce, while Irami's twists and bends along her wrists and dances in her palms. She's either taunting Ariel or building something else. Just as with Constrad, water condenses in the air, this time in front of Irami. It hardens into shards of ice thin as glass. The fire in Irami's hands dances larger and larger, then bursts out in a storm of flame that engulfs the ice shards and carries them in a twisting spiral at Ariel's face. Reflexively she hurls out a conjured barrier of light, and bolsters it with all the glistening beads of life energy she can muster, positioning them on the four edges of the barrier, then working inward. The spiral strikes the barrier scattering in an outburst of fire and melting ice.

Ariel's eyes widen in shock. Even Irami looks puzzled, then redoubles her effort. The fire, instead of forming a single missile, flows in a continuous red torrent from her hands. It keeps coming, and Ariel knows she can't hold out. Or shouldn't. But she does. Even as the tongues of flame lick around the sides of the barrier, she's never felt so at peace. Instead of straining against an impossible assault, she's holding an umbrella up against the rain. She calls on her reserves, and they answer, reserves upon reserves, growing the barrier in size and thickness until it covers her teammates standing on either side. Irami counters, and the fire spiral broadens. More ice forms around her head.

“Stop!” Salaya and Eje are yelling, but why should she? This is easy. It shouldn't be. Are they talking to her or Irami? Irami's magic is a higher level than anything she's used to, yet so is her own magic.

“I said stop!” someone beside Ariel screams. There's a crack like a clay pot falling off a windowsill and landing by Ariel's ear. A sparkling missile no larger than a pebble whizzes through the safe side of Ariel's barrier. Irami screams and loses her focus as it flies over her head, over the crowd, and across the field until it pops in a flash of blue light against the far castle wall. Irami's fire disappears leaving only a spiral of smoke pouring from her hands. It blows toward Ariel, then is caught up in the breeze and wafts away.

“Who was that?” Irami lowers her hands from over her head as she looks for her assailant.

“FUCK YOU!” It isn't Eje, but Salaya. “You fucking pig of a plodder! Try that again and I'll send you through a stone! I'll burn your skin off, Irami, you pigshit sucker!” Spittle flies from her mouth and her hand is raised for another attack.

“Enough.” Captain Loswel has hand on Irami's shoulder and wrenches her around to face him. “Fool. That wasn't a single spell, and it certainly wasn't preprepared. You could have killed someone.” He shakes her then turns to Quennen, who has the schedule. “That was worth double merit. Write it down.” Quennen looks up at Loswel's scowl and starts writing. “No more petty muckery.” Loswel stomps away, bootprints behind him, leaving Irami massaging her shoulder. Ranim only looks on.

“Calm down there, fire spirit.” laughs Eje. She grabs Salaya's hand down and shakes it. “Welcome to the team, Salaya. I didn't know people from Three Peaks could think a bad thought much less curse.”

The colour drains from Salaya's face almost as fast as it came on. “Haha, sorry about that. I thought Irami was trying to kill Ariel, and well, I, um, I may have overreacted.”

“No, no.” says Eje. “That was incredible. I wanted to hit her myself, but I was slow. You showed her before I could think of acting. Nobody tries to kill Ariel and gets away with it.”

“I'm fine, really.” says Ariel. “I had it under control.”

“By the way,” says Octave, “what does it mean to send someone through a stone? Is that a new phrase the youth are employing?”

“Well, you see,” says Salaya, awkward with embarrassment. “It's like a stone slab over a grave. So I guess I threatened to kill Irami. I hope she doesn't hold a grudge.” Irami cuts in at this point, calling for Salaya of Team Twenty-Four in a low voice. Even her stature seems somehow diminished and her back less straight.

“Same thing.” says Octave as Salaya steps forward. “Take a live opponent and keep close to us. She won't dare mess with us again.” Irami looks at her as though about to say something, then turns away and walks into her team. Quennen takes her place and asks her what challenge she'll have. Salaya looks back at her teammates. “Go ahead.” encourages Octave.

“Give me the feat of strength against a live opponent. I'll show you a thing or two about fire.” says Salaya. And she does. As Eje cheers with renewed energy, Salaya's coloured fire burns with an intensity that consumes her opponent's flames and shrivels Ariel's armhairs. Only one mirror is used between the two of them, and Salaya melts it with ease. Irprinon volunteers against Eje, but she's also able to shatter his mirror before he can finish invigorating himself.

“That's the key.” says Eje, turning to them triumphantly. “A feat of strength against a similar opponent, not a feat of battle in unclear circumstances.”

“Do we need to keep watching?” asks Octave as the next team is called.

“I don't think so.” says Eje. Other teams are already making their way back to the castle, their challenge finished and merits secured. “What a rush! I was worried going in, but I smashed Irprinon before he knew what was happening. No more nightmares tonight.” She gives a soaring laugh and skips over stone. “Did you see the look on his stupid face?”

“It really went great.” says Salaya. “I've never felt so strong using magic before. It was like I could do anything in that instant. And Ariel, your barrier was gorgeous. Did you combine life and luminous?”

“I did.” Now that Ariel thinks about it, her barrier was rather impressive. “I've never been able to do that before, but it just came to me.”

“Like your mind understood it had that power just waiting to be called on, right? When did we get that good?” Salaya looks over at Octave. “Even Octave has a sword.”

“It's just something I picked up.” says Octave. “Well done with your challenges.”

“Yeah, getting the full twenty merits was nice. I'll put in a good word for Captain Loswel if I ever get the chance.” says Eje. She hesitates. “Something was odd though. After the feat, I tried to replicate that feeling, and couldn't. It's like I had a surge of magical potential, but only for a minute.”

“Same here.” says Salaya. Ariel tries drawing on her magic as well. All she has to do is interweave the beads of life magic with the shards of luminous – but it isn't coming.

“Wait.” says Salaya, her face scrunched up as though remembering. “Octave, didn't you say your specialties were kinetic and wilds?”

“I did.” says Octave. She pushes open the doors. “I'm surprised you never brought it up again.”

“Wait, what exactly does wilds do?” asks Eje, stepping in front of Octave.

“Didn't you learn in school?”

“No, we didn't have teachers who specialise in wilds.” says Salaya. “They said it wasn't worth the effort to find one.” They enter the front doors into the foyer. A set of bronze statues commemorate the last five kings, ending with King Silipsis. Ariel does a short bow in front of him. “However, I remember coming across mentions of it. No, not a book, Eje. Trofeia mentioned it to me. She was one of my mentors at Three Peaks.”

“You should have asked her more.” Octave leans back against the stone wall.

“I did. Wilds deals with enhancement magic, doesn't it?

“Primarily. Why do you think I told you to stand close?”

“So my power was...not mine?” says Salaya, her bright voice darkening.

“No, it was yours. I simply enhanced it.” Octave grins like a wolf eyeing a fawn. “It was a real job too, because I don't think cheating would have gone over well. Don't feel bad. You can do all that on your own with a little practice, but a little enhancement never hurts. Besides, that shot at Irami was entirely your own. That's something to be proud of.” Salaya flushes again.

“I'm not comfortable cheating though.” says Salaya. “I wonder if we should just admit it? It would be the right thing to do.”

“Don't be crazy, Salaya.” groans Eje. “We got full merit. We can't lose that.”

“But the challenge isn't fair if we're using enhancements.” says Salaya. “It's not fair to the others, and it's not fair to us to get something we didn't earn.”

“The challenge was unfair the moment Irami started organising.” says Eje with a dismissive wave. “As far as I'm concerned, everything turned out for the best. Don't ruin it now, Salaya.”

“If we admit to cheating,” says Ariel, “our punishment will extend beyond just losing merit. We'll be disciplined.”

“I guess.” says Salaya, struggling with the predicament.

“So it's settled.” says Eje. “Fuck Irami, hooray for Team Twenty-Four, and also, Octave, why didn't you tell us about wilds magic sooner?”

“You didn't ask, and it hasn't seemed necessary.” says Octave.

“You were angry too, weren't you, Octave?” Eje gives her a sly smile. “You think you're some sort of ascetic, always trying to hide yourself, but you nearly lost your temper with Irami. I could tell.” Octave, to everyone's surprise, smiles back and gives her a wink.

“I'm glad you approve. Now if you'll excuse me, I have ascetic business to attend to. Something about scorning merits and being alone.”

Eje watches Octave stroll off. “Ever wonder if she looks at us like dogs to be trained?”