Both groups emerged in front of, or rather behind, the main building, on the side facing the training grounds. In the ensuing commotion, the dragon simply tried not to lose sight of Zane and Aiden, but fortunately he soon found himself amongst some familiar faces and, together with his class, set off with greater confidence. As he did so, he scanned the crowd for Sheth, assuming that, of the remaining members of their team, he would be the easiest to spot. Surprisingly, the troll was clearly not amongst the other cadets.
'Knowing Cedric, he's probably already gone to the edge of the forest.' Zane adopted a more bored tone, as if the change of scenery was wearing him down. 'You'll see, they'll be waiting there with the instructors.'
'We're supposed to be working together today, and I don't even know exactly what we'll be doing, or what the rules are.' Draco complained, not entirely unintentionally. The brief information provided by the lecturers' assistant was probably clear to all Solvein students who'd completed at least one semester of study, but to the dragon it amounted to nothing more than a vague outline devoid of detail.
'You really ought to know a thing or two,' Aiden interjected. 'Do you remember the forest at the end of the valley?'
The dragon gave a brief nod.
'So, running through the middle is a ravine, which is a dozen or so metres long and opens out onto the Old Crater. The whole formation is really quite large and stretches almost to the city walls. Generally speaking, the floor is quite densely overgrown, with a few exceptions.' Aiden happily began to explain everything. 'There are also a few distinctive areas set up to simulate specific conditions: fortifications, natural terrain obstacles, ruins, abandoned buildings, watchtowers. Basically, everything you might need for military-style training. Sessions are usually held at one of these locations under the supervision of an instructor, but this time it's going to be different.'
'Carter mentioned something before the holidays.' Zane caught the attention of both his conversation partners. 'Ah… The defenders will be ordered to secure specific positions, and the attackers have to locate and capture them. Given that there are fewer of us, it won't be that easy. But well, that's how it goes. There are a few decent scouts in our group, so I hope we'll manage to find out where Aiden and his mates are holed up pretty quickly.' A grim smile stretched across the elf's lips.
'We'll see how you get on,' snapped the redhead. A flame of rivalry seemed to have been kindled within him. 'I guarantee it won't be easy for you,' he grinned, somewhat maliciously.
'You'd better…'
'Can we get to the point?' the dragon interrupted them. It seemed to him there was no other way to cut short the banter. They had already emerged from the shadows of the flanking buildings and could now see the entire valley. There was quite a lot of activity everywhere, particularly near the stables, where several groups of older students had gathered. The second most popular spot was the arenas, already filled with the clang of clashing steel and flashes of magic. The training tracks were swarming with clearly younger pupils, who were most likely about to take their first test at Solvein. At the shooting range, too, lessons or drills were getting underway. It was hard to tell from this distance. Only the orangery was left in peace, its silence undisturbed.
Right on the far left, almost right under the trees, a small group was waiting, and amongst them stood the conspicuous figure of Sheth. Although standing right next to him was another distinctive figure, impossible to mistake for anyone else. Sethi Isverna Gar'quette seemed to be reprimanding the three pupils standing before her.
'We can. Of course we can,' Zane agreed, though his gaze also drifted towards the rest of their team and he had to draw the same conclusions as the dragon. 'During exercises in the Crater, you can use any weapon, except firearms. Magic is also allowed. Everyone is given a necklace imbued with protective spells which, once the damage limit is exceeded, immobilise the eliminated cadet and reveal their position to the observers.'
'Quite useful,' Draco had to admit; the artefact seemed incredibly handy, and he was even surprised he hadn't heard of such an item before.
'Don't get too excited, because the necklaces only work within the formation,' Aiden dampened his enthusiasm. 'In any case, anything goes apart from attacking people who've already been eliminated. Besides, teamwork is key.' The redhead bit his tongue too late, so they covered the rest of the way in an awkward silence.
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As soon as everyone had gathered around the three instructors and their dozen or so assistants, Cedric and the other two joined Draco and Zane without a word. The three of them seemed to be in an even worse mood than before.
'To begin with, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to our new head instructor of combat and fencing, Sethi Isverna Gar'quette, who will be assessing you today.' A short pause for a polite round of applause. 'As you've all heard, today's task allocation will be fairly straightforward.' Carter's voice rose above the murmur of the small crowd. 'Without further ado, I invite Group Ten to enter. Your supervisor will hand out the tasks to the individual teams. Group Two will enter the Crater exactly half an hour after the last team of their opponents. Let's get started.' He clapped his hands, and the students split up and dispersed according to their groups.
As he walked away, Aiden wished the dragon good luck once more and quickly joined his team. Draco felt strange, with the vague impression that he'd be better off with the redhead. However, there was no choice in the matter, and he had to make the best of the situation. He had to play the hand he'd been dealt. Fortunately, he had at least one person he could talk to.
'We've got five teams in total,' Carter said to his class after the sethi Gar'quette had left. The orc woman merely swept her gaze over them all, nodded, and set off up the slope. 'You're to find and secure the designated targets. Unfortunately, I can't guide you to them, and the only information I can give you is that there are three points you must deal with.' He looked back at the ravine leading to the Crater. 'Think of a plan. And remember that, despite their numerical superiority, Group Ten must defend three locations simultaneously. Good luck; I know you'll manage.' The supervisor smiled and followed the warrior. 'Ah! One more thing,' he called over his shoulder. 'There have been a few changes to the terrain, so be careful.' And off he went.
For a moment, the whole group stood there looking at one another. They didn't seem particularly concerned about the exercises on the first day of classes. So they must not have been anything new, and the change in the appearance of the Crater itself must have taken place earlier.
'Let's sort out how we're going to proceed,' Adam finally said. 'Our team will handle reconnaissance.' he said, pointing to the four standing behind him. Their team consisted of a black-haired boy, two obvious twins with slight builds and mouse-like features, a platinum-haired elf, and a grey-eyed vampire. 'The question is, do we pinpoint all the locations and work out what to do next, or do we attack the nearest one?'
'I don't want anyone to ambush us from behind,' said someone on the left. 'It's better to proceed cautiously, rather than hastily.'
'I agree,' Cedric joined in. 'We must remember they have two more teams, so they might not play it safe. If they caught us in a narrow passage or amongst thick undergrowth, they could thin our ranks even further, which would make any attack impossible.'
'On the other hand, we're giving them time to reinforce their defences,' came a voice from somewhere to the right. 'We should launch our first attack as soon as possible.'
'If we split up and leave two teams as backup, I don't see a problem.' The voice from the left didn't sound all that convinced, though. 'It's just that then we'll only have three left, and we don't know how they'll split up. It's possible they'll leave the most of their own closest to us.'
'We can make a decision after the reconnaissance.' Adam pondered something. 'It's hard to say what's changed this year, but I'd suggest you go round the Crater on the left-hand side and meet us by the spring. It'll be a bit of a walk and there might be quite a lot to check along the way, but to start with, we should be able to secure a good vantage point for the raid.'
'They might be expecting us there,' Cedric interjected. 'It's always been easiest to check everything along the stream first, and then decide which half of the Crater to comb through. Since we haven't been given any time limit, they might position themselves on the opposite side to the entrance.'
'They won't have that much time either,' someone pointed out. 'If we're half an hour behind the last team…'
'…at a brisk pace, they'll be almost halfway across the crater,' Adam interrupted. 'I assume that, since they'll be tasked with defending specific points, they'll be given information on where they are. Even if it's only vague, they'll still have the upper hand over us.' He ruffled his black hair and looked up at the sky, as if out of habit, wanting to check the position of the sun. 'It's still a long way to midday, and we've got the whole afternoon's training ahead of us. It looks like it won't be that easy today.'
'It seems to me we're at a disadvantage right from the start,' said a new voice.
'Knowing the instructors, they must have made sure it was fair. We don't know what tasks the defenders will be given,' said Cedric, looking a little gloomy.
'I think so too,' Adam nodded eagerly. 'It's quite possible that the checkpoints they're supposed to guard are in completely different areas, and they won't be able to help each other.'
'Let's assume they'll split them up more or less equally,' suggested the elf standing a little further to the right. 'We're supposed to operate in teams, so they probably won't be able to split them up. That leaves us with three points manned by ten-man teams and one by fifteen. Taking the scouts out of the equation, there are twenty of us. It might be tricky in some cases, but it won't be a disaster.'
'That's an optimistic assumption,' said Cedric, who didn't share his colleague's enthusiasm. 'In the worst-case scenario, they'll concentrate most of their forces at the most important point and leave just one team at each of the others.'
'Then they'd be deliberately sacrificing two locations.' Zane remarked in a bored tone. 'I doubt they'd want to make a fool of themselves like that in front of the new instructor. Sending out a loose team doesn't make sense either, because they'd have to chase us through all the woods in the Crater. If I were in their shoes, I'd take up the designated positions and spend the time fortifying them.' He sighed heavily, as if regretting the time he'd had to spend on such a trivial remark. 'Remember that you can find materials for building defences at every important location,' he pointed out, stating the obvious. 'And in the 10th, as far as I recall, there are at least two earth mages, and shovels are always lying about somewhere nearby.'
Draco listened to this and found himself wondering more and more just how large an area the exercise was supposed to cover. If he were still in Dagos, he would, of course, have transformed immediately and, circling above the designated area, would have tried to spot even the slightest movement. Today, however, along with the rest of the group, he was forced to rely on his own two feet and his skills in the field. He had to admit that he'd grown to like the natural tranquillity of Enpine, but his knowledge of navigating such an environment came mostly from books. This would be his first time putting himself to the test in such conditions.
On the other hand, all the points raised seemed to make a lot of sense, and each had its own distinct strengths. It was hard to say which was the best choice, so the dragon kept quiet. Besides, he wasn't the only one to adopt this approach. Thanks to this, they were able to have a proper conversation rather than shouting over one another. However, no one was in a hurry to bring the matter to a close, but more and more people were glancing expectantly at Cedric.
'Let's do as Adam suggested,' Retfield finally announced. 'The scouts will head straight from the ravine, scouting the terrain all the way to the centre of the Crater, and from there they'll head upstream towards the spring. Meanwhile, we'll try to reach the rendezvous point, keeping close to the cliffs and surveying the positions we pass. If the topography has changed significantly, we'll have to improvise.'
A murmur of agreement rippled through the group. Everyone seemed satisfied with the plan.
'Now we just have to wait for our turn,' muttered Zane, rolling his eyes.
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The break dragged on for quite a while. In the meantime, Draco had the chance to chat with the other students in their group. It turned out that, unlike Cedric, they not only approached the reptile without prejudice, but quickly began to warm to him themselves. The initial questions about Dagos, dragons and his lessons with the master turned into an exchange of gossip about Soeren, stories of races outside the city, anecdotes from previous years at school, and much more. Draco had to admit that it was quite nice to have a normal chat like that.
'Could I have a word with you for a moment?' Cedric interrupted the chat. He wasn't in such a bad mood anymore, but his expression didn't bode well.
Draco apologised to his other friends and stepped aside with his team captain. Retfield didn't start straight away, as if he were gathering his thoughts and wasn't quite sure what to say. Every now and then, he glanced at Noah, who simply nodded encouragingly.
'We're working in teams today,' Cedric finally began. It was hard to tell whether he was embarrassed or felt compelled to speak. 'And I didn't ask what you feel most comfortable with.' He shot the parthir a look that seemed to say: Satisfied? 'I didn't mention it before, but we're always the first to go on the attack.' He added before the dragon could reply.
'I feel most comfortable with a sword,' Draco said, lifting the training blade he was holding by the hilt. 'Hand-to-hand combat isn't a problem for me either. As for magic… the master insists I'm doing quite well. I'm not afraid of front-line action either, so it shouldn't be too bad,' he admitted, trying to smile a little. It didn't help at all that Cedric was looking not at him but at Noah, standing a little way off, the whole time.
'Great,' Scion's brother replied curtly. He held out his hand and pointed to Zane, who was lying on the slope looking as though he were just dozing. 'Keep close to him and follow orders if necessary.'
'Right.' Draco had no intention of arguing or trying to challenge their leader's decision. He might not like the way he was behaving, but he'd put up with worse, and he didn't want to provoke negative emotions in the other students. After all, he was the new one here.
'Could you at least try to make a bit of an effort?' The elf's bored tone irritated Cedric. 'Ask about a quick exchange of a few blows, or at least tell him what our usual strategy looks like.'
Retfield shot a glare at Zane, who, however, wasn't asleep at all and was listening to them very carefully. One could say a lot about his attitude, but he was the only one in their team who behaved towards the dragon without prejudice. Although parthir, who seemed to be following Cedric's lead the whole time, had also had to speak up for his new teammates in some subtle way in the meantime. Only Sheth sat on the sidelines, watching the archery training taking place a short distance away.
'Show us what you're made of, but make it quick.' Retfiled probably didn't want to argue openly with Zane, but he came very close to doing so. The boy looked around and drew his sword, taking a step back.
Draco also looked around, but all he noticed was that everyone else was watching them surreptitiously. They were trying to pretend they weren't, but their curiosity got the better of them. The dragon thought it over and decided to use the weapon Oscar had prepared. Earlier, Zane and Aiden had mentioned protective necklaces, but they hadn't received them yet. Hurting Cedric before the lessons had properly begun wouldn't do the dragon any favours.
The dragon drew his weapon and glanced at his opponent. Retfield nodded at him impatiently. Draco had nothing to wait for, nor did he want to. Perhaps he was even hoping to land a blow on the other lad, thereby venting some of the irritation caused by Cedric's behaviour.
He leapt forward and slashed upwards from below. Despite his recent attachment to Gler'thys, the ordinary sword lay comfortably in his hands. He hadn't forgotten that this was the very type he'd practised with for the past few years. The blade barely missed his startled opponent, who nearly stumbled as he leapt backwards. Cedric didn't manage to regain his balance, however, as the sword was hurtling towards him once more. The thrust almost reached its target, but at the last moment he managed to alter its trajectory slightly. Draco, however, was neither shocked nor caught off guard; using his momentum and superior strength, he struck with his shoulder, knocking Cedric off his feet. The boy rolled a short distance along the ground and lay on the grass, struggling to catch his breath.
The dragon realised that, as he attacked, he'd instinctively leaned forward slightly and had almost driven his shoulder into Cedric's solar plexus. That must have hurt, and above all, it had incapacitated the boy for a good while.
Before anyone could react, a sharp sound, like the crack of a whip, swept through their group. Everyone instinctively flinched and looked behind them. One of the assistant instructors was walking towards them from the direction of the copse. He wasn't in a hurry, so it was unlikely to have been related to the brief exchange of blows that had just ended.
'You'll be entering the Crater in a moment,' said the man, once he was sure that everyone could hear him without him having to raise his voice. 'In the ravine, you'll be given necklaces and tasks for each team. Get organised and let's go.' He paid them no further attention and set off back the way he had come.