Wren didn’t see the punch to his stomach coming. Then again, he couldn’t see much with Chadwick in his face. The punch was hard, and it winded Wren, forcing him to his knees.

“Aww look at the poor little trailer trash, couldn’t even take one punch.” Chadwick sneered to his friends.

As a reflex, the punch had forced Wren’s eyes closed, but when he opened them he was greeted with a message.

[Status]

[HP 18/20]

It was the same screen from before, the one that had appeared when he had first arrived through the portal. But this time instead of informing him of a sickness, the status screen was informing him of the damage he’d taken. He looked up at the group standing above him and searched their faces for any signs that they knew what was happening. He had asked Liam earlier if he could see the status screen, but Wren was still unsure if it the screen was unique to him and him alone.

“Are you guys seeing this?” Wren croaked.

“What are you talking about worm.”

“No? I guess not.” Wren said, struggling to his feet.

It was then that a sweeping kick came out from nowhere and planted Wren back on the ground.

[Status]

[HP 17/20]

Wren mentally dismissed the screen, he didn’t need the numbers to tell him that he was in pain, he could feel it coursing through his body, especially in his right leg, which Chadwick had seemed to kick as hard as he could.

“Look at you.” Chadwick droned. “So weak, you’re just a parasite hanging of the coat tails of your betters. Thinking you can survive if you hang out with that A ranker’s son. Well let me tell you this.”

“Oh please do tell me, I’ve been dying to know what you have to say.” Wren replied.

He pulled Wren to his feet and pushed him back up against the wall. Chadwick was obviously quite strong as he held him aloft by his shirt so that the two were face to face.

“You’re nothing. Not even worth the air I breathe. You might be an elemental, but you’ll never be one of us.”

“Not worth the air you breathe? Isn’t that what she said earlier.” Wren pointed towards one of the girls in the back of the little crowd around him. “Obviously not a creative one are you Chadwick.”

Chadwick blazed with fury at Wren’s words. He lifted the smaller boy up further until he was above his head and threw him down on the floor.

[Status]

[HP 13/20]

Wren groaned in pain. This wasn’t the first time he’d taken a beating, his mouth seemed to always get him in trouble, but this was the first time he could actually see his health going down as he got hit. It offered him a new perspective, it made his life seem more finite, maybe he’d watch his words more around people who were quite obviously stronger than him.

“You hit like a grandma.”

Maybe not.

Chadwick laid into him, punches, kicks, elbows, they just kept coming.

[Status]

[HP 12/20]

[HP 11/20]

[HP 10/20]

[HP 9/20]

Wren watched as his health dropped, he couldn’t do anything, he didn’t have the combat experience that Chadwick obviously did, and he definitely didn’t have the size advantage. The only thing he could do was stand there and take it. Luckily Chadwick was being conservative with his hits, pulling his punches, he didn’t want to kill Wren, only teach him a lesson.

Finally Wren received a reprieve.

“Chadwick, stop.” One of the group said.

“He’s had enough.” Another said.

“Someone’s coming.” Said the girl from earlier. She pointed down the corridor and they could see two people dressed in the same robes that Liam’s father had been wearing.

Chadwick gave Wren one last look, examining his handiwork. With a smirk he gave Wren one last shove against the wall and followed the rest of his group down the corridor in the opposite direction of the instructors.

~

Wren slumped against the wall. Feeling the effects of the beating that he’d just taken. His entire body throbbed and ached, he wasn’t sure just how much damage had been done, if he had any broken bones or organ damage but he did know that he’d lost 11 health points. If he went off of what the status screen showed him, that was more than half of his health points that he lost.  

“Boy, are you alright?”

Wren was looking up at the two figures that had appeared from the end of the corridor. They were both dressed in the white robes that Liam’s father had been wearing, identifying them both as instructors. One was an older man, with a balding head and a scruffy short beard, the other was a woman, not much older than Wren himself, with long flowing white hair, a different shade to her robes, but nonetheless complimented it.

“Well?” The woman said.

“I’m fine.” Wren said, shaking himself from his reverie.

“What happened to you?” The man asked.

Wren lifted a hand to his face and wiped the blood dripping from his mouth on the back of his sleeve.

“I tripped.” Wren said.

The woman looked at him, tilting her head slightly to the side and gave him a wry smile.

“Tripped? Seems like you had a mighty rough fall.”

“Yeah, its kind of hard to see where you’re going. You know how it is with these magical flying ships, never know what you’re gonna bump into.”

“Oh I know exactly what you mean.” The woman said.

The older man looked between the young boy and his colleague next to him and raised a thick bushy eyebrow.

“Well, if you’re quite alright boy, I recommend returning to your seat. We’ll be arriving soon.”

“Sounds good sir, I was just on my way.” Wren replied.

“Boy, what’s your name?” The older man asked, Wren was already halfway down the corridor.

“Wren Spectre.” He said, turning back before continuing on back to the main seating area.

The older man turned towards the white haired girl stood next to him and gave her a lopsided grin.

“You’re welcome.”