READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 24: The Strife
After a good night’s rest, Scott woke up earlier than his roommates. He dressed up as soon as possible and immediately headed to the courtyard to have breakfast, and just like the rest of the recruits, he had to eat fast to be in time for the next lesson. He encountered Zoey, but they didn’t get to talk to save time, and by the time they were finishing their meals, Cookie was just arriving. They didn’t get to chat, but before leaving, Cookie wished them good luck, and just as they joined the line formed at the back gate of the base, the trainees marched towards the training grounds again. And it was only when they made sure to be on time that Zoey and Scott got a chance to catch up, though they couldn’t stop walking at any point to not break formation.
–So, Scott. How are you? How are we doing for today?– Zoey asked in her usual cheerful and playful demeanor as they walked alongside their classmates. Scott still hadn’t swallowed all of his food, taking a moment to respond, though it seemed like he was waiting until everyone left to speak to Zoey. It was only when they reached the obstacle course and the students dispersed that Scott and Zoey stepped to the side to talk in private, even though they had a couple of guards watching all of them.
–Yea, I’m good…– Scott replied inattentively, checking around to see if Crisis had arrived or if any other student was around to interrupt them. He and Zoey stayed close to the shack to not be bothered, and seeing as Frost hadn’t arrived yet, Scott was able to loosen up and take some time to talk to Zoey, who could tell he wasn’t very comfortable returning to the training grounds.
–Are you sure? You don’t seem in shape to train today…– Zoey questioned jokingly, to which Scott clicked his tongue and teased her back with a silly face.
–Well, it’s not like I have a choice. I would probably get killed if I didn’t show up. And now I will probably die anyway if we have to duel again…– Scott responded in a matching lighthearted tone, cracking up after giving Zoey a fake bitter stare that she returned. She laughed at the sight of him retaining his humor, even though he looked hurt. Still, she couldn’t help but worry when she noticed that he wasn’t wearing the bandages on his legs anymore. His wounds were exposed once again, and while they seemed to have healed pretty quickly, they had turned the skin around the cuts an ugly shade of purple. She tried not to stare too much, but as Scott seemed a bit dismissive this morning, she tried to make sure he was up to training again.
–But how are you feeling? You are not in pain anymore, right?– Zoey asked in a more concerned tone. Scott instantly nodded to respond, not even saying anything, just laughing it off before walking towards the rest of the students gathered around the plaza. Despite Scott holding up well to his injuries, Zoey remained skeptical and immediately followed him, but before she could keep asking questions, Scott tried to ease her worries and drop the subject as soon as possible now that they were getting close to their classmates.
–I’m fine, I don’t even feel it. It’s not like you hit hard or anything…– Scott replied with a sarcastic grin, sounding a little embarrassed but overall remaining carefree and convincing Zoey to stop worrying about him. She smiled in response, ready to deliver a witty comment, but their conversation was cut short as both of them were startled by someone ahead of them spotting them.
–Hey! There’s Zoey and his girlfriend!– Shane exclaimed in a sarcastically enthusiastic manner, drawing everyone’s attention to the two as they tried to join the group subtly. However, with Shane’s joke creating the exact opposite effect, they now had to deal with a full class that immediately started cracking up when they saw Scott. He seemed prepared to face this problem again, as if it were inevitable, and while he wasn’t too bothered, he was still too embarrassed to say anything.
However, Zoey had given her classmates a good impression, and as some even cheered for her when she arrived, she used her status to her advantage, confronting Shane with a menacing stare. He tried not to pay her much attention, focusing more on Scott, who only shook his head to avoid any conflict. But as he remained docile and unprovoked, letting Zoey stand in front of him to stop Shane from getting any closer, he only gave the other students more reasons to laugh at him, also giving inspiration to his bully, and helping him find new ways to tease him.
–What’s wrong, Sissy? You are not allowed to speak?– Shane asked condescendingly, with some of his friends helping him surround Scott, not giving him a chance to escape, though it looked like he didn’t want to. In response, Zoey took a step forward to stand up for Scott, but as he didn’t want to keep quiet anymore, he pulled her back and pushed her aside gently to confront Shane by himself.
–Not to dumbasses like you…– Scott replied with annoyance but restrained himself from doing anything more than stare back at Shane with true spite. He smirked with the little confidence he had, ignoring everyone around him just to get a reaction from Shane. His response worked, though it provoked Shane to the point where he became extremely hostile. He looked like he was about to resort to violence as he raised his clenched fist with little self-control. But with everyone watching anxiously as a fight was about to break out, the altercation was interrupted by a very familiar voice coming from the back of the crowd.
–Alright, stop with the catfight… I need everyone’s attention now!– Frost announced unexpectedly, appearing behind everyone with Panda and Tricky without anyone noticing. Immediately, all of the students turned around to face him, stepping aside to let him and his teammates walk to the front. But as they assumed their positions, Shane threatened Scott with a nasty gesture, which actually made him flinch, getting a laugh out of him and his friends. He and Zoey distanced themselves from that group, heading towards the front to be closer to Frost as he began delivering the orders for the day.
–So, I know yesterday was a little exhausting, my bad. But I needed all of you to see how hard and demanding this training will be for you and what it will take if becoming a good soldier is actually what you want to achieve…– Frost began speaking in his usual assertive demeanor, but right away, his tone was more subdued than yesterday, not sounding as bitter and malicious, just a little tired. He almost sounded apologetic, although his face still showed a clear lack of empathy and care for any of his students. Besides, he was now only accompanied by Panda and Tricky, who stood a few meters behind him, next to the shack, as they set up a table while Frost slowly built up the suspense for the next lesson.
–So, to make it up to you, we will have fewer exercises today…– Frost added, turning a bit enthusiastic and even sounding kind. He tried to put up a smile, which looked unnatural, but after hearing the good news, the students still took it to heart and began celebrating collectively. He even let them cheer for a few seconds before they all composed themselves, though their relief and gratitude were cut short as he immediately began explaining their next lesson.
–This lesson will be all about defensive and offensive strategies as a group. It will be a sort of game… I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I still need to test your abilities though, so I will be forming groups of five and giving you ten minutes to create either a defensive or offensive strategy…– Frost explained, and while his students at first were curious, they turned more and more anxious as they processed the instructions. They had already started looking at each other as they would have to form groups and form a team. But while they were left to worry and prepare themselves for the event, Frost proceeded to elaborate on the rules and instructions of the game.
–If you are on defense, you can choose some weapons and use materials to create your base. You can also make obstacles or whatever you can come up with to strengthen your base or help you defend yourself if you wish. And if you are on offense, you can also choose weapons and a starting position, but it has to be more than fifty feet from the enemy’s base…– Frost added, but as he talked at a fast speed, he started confusing the students with so much information. They were in a mix of disbelief and nervousness as they were tasked with a game of a higher scale compared to the simple exercises from yesterday. And while some recruits were excited to hear the complexity of the next lesson, even they began doubting themselves as it all got more complicated the longer Frost spoke.
–The point of the game is to see how effective each strategy is, so each group will have five minutes to either survive or defeat the other. You win once every member of the opposite team has been taken out, although the attacking side can return to their initial position after being defeated, meaning they get to attack as much as they want no matter how many times they are taken out. But keep in mind that they lose once all members OF the attacking side are defeated, unless at least one of them is currently alive or is at their starting position. And for the other team, if you are defeated, you are out. There’s no respawning or whatever, so be careful where you position yourself…– Frost kept explaining, overwhelming the students with more rules that not even he seemed too thrilled about. His tone became unenthusiastic, having to take some breaths as he talked continuously for so long. And unlike his rambles, he didn’t appeal to the students in any way, shape, or form.
After his long explanation, it seemed like he had nothing else to add, as he took a moment to check if anyone had doubts, but since no one dared to ask a question, he proceeded to show the area where the next lesson would take place. With Panda grabbing the table he and Tricky had set up, Frost was actually the one who led the way for the students. They walked past the obstacle course, past the arena where each of them fought yesterday, and at the very back of the field, before the forest began, a large, marked area was reserved specifically for this game.
The setup of the game arena was similar to the one from yesterday, except it was much larger. It had bleachers as well, though only on one side, which was right in front of the students as they approached, blocking their view of the actual field. They split up to circle the bleachers, but they were left slightly confused by the relatively empty area in front. It was a dirt rectangle of about a hundred feet in length, with a line splitting it in half. The only interesting features were a few props and small wooden constructions that were located in the middle. They looked like obstacles from the course, except in much worse condition, like leftover parts from a building from the way they were bent and damaged. It was a pile of scrap that ranged from logs to thin metal sheets, and while most of them looked useless, there was quite a variety to choose from, which is why it immediately grabbed the students’ attention.
–Okay, everyone take a seat. I will be calling you at random to form your groups…– Frost announced as everyone sat on the bleachers, with him walking over to the playing field with Panda and Tricky to set things up. Panda planted the table he was carrying right outside the border of the field, with one of the few soldiers keeping watch on the sides and bringing a chair for Frost to sit on. He sat down and began searching for names in the list that Tricky left for him, all while she and Panda walked over to the middle of the field with a couple of soldiers to clear the materials that were going to be used in the game.
–Do you think we will be put against each other again?– Scott asked hesitantly as he sat in the front row next to Zoey, who kept her eyes on the field as she tried to figure out how a game could play out. She had to sit close to him as he whispered to not be heard by Shane and his bully friends, who sat only a couple rows above and had their eyes on them at all times. Zoey didn’t pay much attention to Scott, but after turning to face him and seeing that he looked just as insecure as he was before their duel yesterday, she immediately tried to distract him from his worries.
–I don’t know, but I wouldn’t mind kicking your ass again…– Zoey replied with a playful and snarky grin, making both of them laugh despite Scott getting a little embarrassed.
–This seems more of a strategy and intelligence game, so I might have a shot…– Scott responded in a similar taunting manner, but he only provoked Zoey and prompted a sarcastic retort.
–Oh, so you are admitting I’m stronger than you…– Zoey quipped back in a witty tone, to which Scott only scoffed and ignored as he pretended to be offended. They shared another lively laugh, but as she was loud enough for Shane to overhear, the mood was immediately killed once he stepped in from behind.
–Of course you are stronger than him, even a fragile, cute girl could beat him in seconds…– Shane interjected in his usual mocking voice, but it also became a bit flirty towards Zoey, creeping her out with a suggestive grin that immediately made her uncomfortable. Although Scott seemed irked and completely tired of hearing his voice, he didn’t say anything, not even looking back at Shane to satisfy his need to annoy him. But Zoey didn’t have much control over her anger as Shane’s gross comment irritated her to another level.
–If that’s true, you should be able to beat him in the blink of an eye…– Zoey replied in a sarcastic and spiteful manner, prompting a confused reaction from Shane, as he didn’t realize what she implied at first. But before he got the chance to talk back, Frost began reading names to form the first groups for the next game.
The trainees’ anxiety increased exponentially as Frost began calling people, and since there were less than twenty people, there would only be six groups, or three matches, with two groups only having four players. And because they hadn’t warmed up with exercises before and had very little time to prepare, everyone was praying to not get picked first. Unfortunately, a third of the class was named and had to stand up to walk over to the field. But out of those ten people, neither Zoey nor Scott were picked. They were relieved and thankful; however, Shane and his group were also left out, so there was a chance of them being picked next as their opponents.
–Oh no, I don’t know what’s worse, being on the same team as that idiot or having to fight him…– Scott complained as he began shriveling in nervousness, though he was trying to keep his voice low to not be heard since they were relatively close. While Zoey remained calm as ever, she started becoming anxious as well after seeing that Panda was bringing another weapon rack to the playing field, this time with actual lethal-looking weapons. But she tried to ignore it to keep a positive look at the situation, as well as trying to get Scott to focus on the current players so they could learn something for their turn.
–Don’t worry, at least we get to watch how we are supposed to play first. I’m sure you’ll come up with a good strategy…– Zoey replied with a timid but hopeful tone, although she wasn’t as encouraging as before. Still, Scott trusted her word and distracted himself with the students about to battle on the field, trying to keep a close eye on them to start forming a plan of action right away. This was the time for him to actually put his skills to the test, but as he didn’t even know who he would be fighting with and against, he could only wait and watch the first match to get an idea.