“Wait here,” Kalden told his minions as he stepped through the bungalow’s front door. Back in the real world, this house belonged to his alchemy teacher, Professor Coleman. It wasn’t much of a house, but the man had clearly chosen it for its proximity to campus. Coleman also preferred to meet with students here rather than his office; that was how Kalden knew where to find it.

The living room was nothing like Coleman’s actual living room. While the professor had preferred plush cushions, this stuff was all hard lines, geometric shapes, and polished steel. Even the house’s layout had changed, with an entire wall missing between the living room and the kitchen.

Great. So the designers hadn’t bothered recreating all the interiors. Kalden had known this might happen, but he’d gotten his hopes up when he saw how faithfully they’d made the stores and restaurants.

Still, he was already here, so he might as well look around.

The kitchen had been picked clean, without so much as a crumb in the cupboards or refrigerator. No surprise there. Kalden found a flashlight in the utility drawer, then he conjured a mana blade and cut the locks on the basement’s reinforced door.

He cycled his mana as he crept down the creaking wooden staircase, prepared for an ambush. Such a thing seemed unlikely, but he wouldn’t put it past the designers to stick some man-eating chimera down here.

He reached the bottom of the stairs, then he smiled when the light reflected off a set of twisting alchemy tubes. Further inspection revealed burners, refrigerators, and several cases of grenades.

This was far better than Coleman’s actual lab. This was a secret area specifically designed for looting. Kalden set down his flashlight and began doing just that.

He’d once asked his professor why he kept this lab in his basement rather than using the ones on campus. After all, he had twenty-four-hour access to the Alchemy Building, along with a team of assistants who could help him clean up.

“Because,” Coleman replied. “I have to wear pants on campus.”

He’d said this in a joking tone, but Kalden suspected he’d been serious. Serious enough to buy thirty-thousand espers worth of equipment. No small feat, considering he was one of the few non-Masters in the Artegium.

Kalden removed his belt, along with the various leather pouches that came with it. This belt had been his starting prize for finishing in the top fifty percent of students during the midterm exam. Besides the pouches, the belt came with a detachable, Artisan-level camouflage unit. This device could be placed on the ground and activated like a typical sound suppressor. But rather than just containing sound, the resulting Construct would refract light, and even contain mana.

Essentially, you could make yourself invisible as long as the device remained still. This had limited combat uses now, but it should be invaluable later when he needed a place to sleep.

Kalden continued his sweep of the various drawers and cabinets, arranging his findings by usability. He filled his first few pouches with a variety of poisons and antidotes. He also grabbed several vials of numbat dust.

The nova numbat was a marsupial from South Stocia that released a burst of blinding light mana from its tail. Alchemists could achieve a similar effect by harvesting its core, grinding it to powder, and mixing the powder with the right chemicals.

Kalden donned a pair of safety goggles, then broke a few test vials on the lab’s concrete floor. The resulting burst of light wasn’t nearly enough to damage a human’s eyes, but the actual effect was even more useful for his needs.

Finally, he stuffed a backpack with liquid mana, mental enhancements, and smoke grenades. He ignored the case of frag grenades on the table—he and Relia had more than enough offensive power between them, so it seemed better to focus on subtlety.

However, he did grab several vials of helocite, along with a remote opener that could serve as a detonator. Raw helocite became explosive when exposed to pure mana, and he’d proven that in Creta when he’d blown up an entire van.

With his backpack pleasantly full, Kalden headed outside to reunite with the rest of Blood Army.

~~~

Relia ducked into an alley on Market Street just as a patrol came marching by. She couldn’t say which faction they belonged to. Probably Blood Army, judging by the location. She stepped through a broken glass window, ducked behind a deli counter, and emerged out the kitchen’s back door.

The sounds of distant battle echoed all around her as the contestants fought across the arena. Some of their techniques sounded like thunder or gunshots. Others sounded like crashing cars and collapsing buildings.

Azul only knew how she’d find her teammates in this mess. But the big factions should be fighting near the Artegium. This game had a different theme every year, but it always started the same: people fought over the weapons, equipment, and food.

The larger factions usually won these battles, and that was why people lined up to join them in the first place. You might not be guaranteed a spot on your leader’s battleground team, but you still got a share of the spoils. That made you better off than most independent students.

In theory, at least. Large-scale battles were extremely dangerous in practice, and most people never even saw the Missiles that killed them.

But then … who was Relia to talk? She’d barely lasted two hours during her last qualifying round. She didn’t have any friends in her own school year. Quite the opposite, in fact. They all knew about her aspect, and they’d all seen the Cult of Trelian’s warcrimes on the news. Naturally, that meant her peers had to prove their own virtue by ganging up on her.

It made zero sense, but people were stupid.

Relia dashed across another alley, yanking on the door handle behind a Shokenese restaurant.

Locked.

“Hey,” a nearby voice shouted. “I think I heard someone.”

Darn it. Relia crouched behind an overflowing dumpster, holding her breath against the stench of rotten food. She cycled faster, gathering pure mana in her palms.

“Forget about it,” another voice replied. “They’re fighting a squad of indies back at the HAC.”

The footsteps retreated just as quickly, and Relia pulled the mana back into her soul.

If Elend were here, he would have told her to lure those guys into a trap for easy points. Her first teacher, Lyraina, would have agreed with him. But Relia liked the Mana Artist she was. She’d defend herself, but she wouldn’t backstab people from dark alleys.

Eventually, she snuck around the front of the restaurant, her feet pounding against the concrete as she jogged toward the Artegium. What had those Blood Army soldiers said? A squad of indies back at the Healing Arts Center? Could that be Akari’s team?

The streets grew more narrow as she reached the campus proper, and black asphalt gave way to ancient cobblestones. The sounds of battle echoed louder with every step, and stray Missiles flashed through the smoky sky.

Azul’s ashes. It all looked so real—like they were destroying the actual campus. This must have been a huge hit with all the students and alumni. Most qualifying rounds looked like random scenery on TV, but they would actually understand this one.

Relia took a right at Darklight Hall, hiding in the shrubs that lined the dorm. From here, she had a clear view of the Healing Arts Center, and the skirmish that took place near the back entrance.

It wasn’t Akari’s squad, but Relia recognized them from the midterm replay. This was the same three that Kalden and Tori had killed when they’d first entered the power plant.

The Gravity Artist formed a massive singularity between their opponents. This lifted several Blood Army soldiers off the ground, letting her friends pick them off with metal and electricity attacks. Still, Blood Army had the trio outnumbered, and their combined might tore through their shields like paper.

The Metal and Lightning Artists ran for cover inside Darklight Hall, while Gravity Girl darted left behind a cluster of pine trees. Too slow. A fire Missile tore through the girl’s right thigh, and white light spilled out as she crashed on the cobblestones.

Blood Army pressed their advantage, closing in on their injured foe.

Relia sprang from her hiding spot, putting herself between the girl and her attackers. She raised a dome of pure mana around them both, absorbing a dozen Missiles in rapid succession. Cracks formed on the Construct’s bright blue surface, but it held fast. Unlike most contestants, Relia was three-quarters of the way to Artisan. Even by second-year standards, that was considered high. These first-year Missiles didn’t stand a chance.

The enemy’s volley faded, and Relia slid open a portion of her shield, releasing a swarm of her own. The bullet-sized Missiles arched around Blood Army’s defenses, striking them from the backs and sides. One slashed a boy’s throat, and he immediately faded to white mist. Another sliced a girl’s calf, and she collapsed on the sidewalk.

The other three blocked or dodged the techniques. Still, they must have realized Relia was a second-year, because they quickly scurried off with their tails between their legs. Metaphorical tails, of course. They weren’t dragons or anything like that.

Relia grabbed Gravity Girl under her arms and pulled her off the main path. She also cycled some life mana and fed it through the girl’s channels.

“I’m a healer,” she told her. “Cycle that, and it will heal your leg.”

Lightning Boy and Metal Man finally showed their faces again, and they eyed Relia with suspicion as she dragged their friend to safety. That seemed a little unfair; the girl would be dead if Relia hadn’t jumped in.

“Who are you?” Metal Man demanded. He was Cadrian, but his skin was darker than anyone she’d met in Creta. He must’ve been from farther south—somewhere like Kangavar, or even Insula Draco.

“I’m Relia.” She waved a cheerful hand at the trio.

Lightning Boy gave her a long look as he approached. His complexion was much paler than Metal Man, with spiky blond hair to boot. “You’re a second-year, aren’t you?”

Relia nodded.

Gravity Girl wrapped her hands around a tree trunk and rose on unsteady feet. Her eyes never left the freshly healed skin on her leg. “What do you want with us?”

“Nothing. It just looked like you needed help.”

This didn’t put the group at ease. Metal Man and Lightning Boy weren’t cycling their mana yet, but their bodies looked like coiled snakes. No one even bothered standing guard during this conversation. It was like they thought Relia was a bigger threat than all the Blood Army reinforcements.

She probably was, but that was beside the point.

“So,” Relia began, “why attack the HAC? No offense, but that seems a bit much for three people.”

The two boys shared a look as if this were some big secret.

Eventually Gravity Girl spoke up. “Our teammates already went inside, then we got separated.”

“So it’s a rescue mission,” Relia said “In that case, you can count me in!”

Gravity Girl narrowed her eyes. “What’s in it for you?”

“I’m a healer. I work best in a group.”

This would have been a great time for them to share their own names and aspects, but kept quiet. Rude.

“So where’s your group?” Metal Man pressed.

“We didn’t start together,” Relia said. “The Artegium likes to make things harder for the second-years.”

“We can’t offer you anything,” Gravity Girl said.

“No worries,” Relia said. “I want to help you. It’s the right thing to do.”

They all stared at her as if she’d just taken off her shirt.

“Look,” she said. “This whole game is ridiculous, and we all know it. I mean, seriously—college students forming armies, with plots and betrayals? I heard the Blood Army leader even built a throne room, and he makes his soldiers speak in secret codes.”

The tension seemed to drain away, so Relia pressed on. “Trust me, it will seem even sillier once you’re a second-year. That’s why I care about real things. Like people. I’m not gonna backstab you guys for six more points.”

Gravity Girl just kept staring at her. “You’re the weirdest Combat Artist I’ve ever met.”

“Thanks,” Relia said with a grin. “Now, come on. Let’s go save your friends!”