Day Two.

 

The cafeteria buzzed with students eating breakfast and socializing, waiting for the first task of the day to begin. Walking into the cafeteria were the two supervisors, Ian and Sophia. Alongside them, stood Faleria, one of the alumni. 

“Alright everyone, silence!!!” Faleria shouted. His voice booming throughout the cafeteria, instantly catching everyone's attention. 

“So loud…” Katherine thought to herself. 

“Thank you, Faleria.” said Ian. “Listen up, there will only be two tasks for today. Those being, Capture the Flag and Tag. Both tasks will be played in groups. To get the most points in these games, you will have to work together.” 

“Capture the Flag and Tag? I'm familiar with Tag but I've never played capture the flag.” Ken thought to himself. 

“Right!! You will all be split into 2 different groups and given a number. Those in the same group as you and with the same number, will be your partners!!!” Faleria shouted. 

“Why does he shout everything? Does he not have an inside voice?” Katherine muttered.

“Because, to be the greatest earth mage, he has to be as strong as a rock, as big as a bolder, and as loud as an earthquake.” Drew answered.

Katherine simply rolled her eyes at Drew's answer. 

Positive and bubbly as usual, Sophia said, “Make sure to do your best while having fun! Like Ian said, to get the most points out of this exam, you have to work together, or you won't be able to move up in the rank as much as you want to.” 

“Group A, will take part in capture the flag, while Group B, will partake in Tag!! Once both Games are done being played, there will be a 2 hour break before Group A and B change games and get a whole new team!!!”

 

*Bing!* 

 

A notification popped up on every student's student cell revealing which game they would participate in, and their team number. The cafeteria once again became chatty. 

“Let's see… I'm in Group A, in team 11.” said Lydia. 

“Group B, team 6.”-Katherine.

“I’m group B, team 8.”-Koko.

“Group A, team 7. Looks like my first game is Capture the Flag.”-Ken.

“Group B, and I'm in team 1.”-Rufus.

“I got placed in group A, team 8.”-Aemma.

“I'm also in group A. As for my team, it's 2.”-Drew.

“Group A, team 10.”-Nero.

“G-Group A, team 14.”-Hanako.

“I've never played capture the flag before. So I'm really looking forward to today's task.” said Ken. 

“Really? Well, it's an easy and straightforward game. All you really need to do is capture your opponent's flag and return it to your base without losing your own flag.” Rufus explained. 

“Yeah, but I'm guessing, they'll add some new rules to make it more challenging and competitive.” Drew added. 

“Now!!! Can group A and B please make your way to your designated areas. A map has been sent to your Student Cell. The games will begin in 30 minutes!!!” Faleria shouted. 

Everyone quickly finished their breakfast, and started to make their way to their designated group areas.

“Alright everyone. Good luck on your task for today, and if we happen to cross paths, let's not hold back and give it our all!” said Lydia. 

“Right! I want you all to come at me like I'm your enemy!” Ken chimed in. 

“I'm hoping to cross paths with all of you!” said Rufus. 

“No hard feelings for who comes out victorious!” Drew added. 

Everyone said their fair wells and headed off. Dorm 44 members in group A traveled together to their sight. It was a large square shaped building bearing hundreds of rooms. Once inside, the small party split up and searched for their rooms, which were sorted through their team number. 

Walking through the busy corridors of the building, Ken wondered to himself, “I wonder who my teammates are. I hope they're strong… Or at least easy to get along with.” 

It didn't take him long, before he reached his waiting room–7. The inside was a small room no bigger than a large bedroom. Ken was the first to arrive, so he sat on the sofa and waited. 

In less than a minute, Ken's first team mate walked into the room. Lucky for him, it was a friendly face. 

“Stark!!” Ken called out. “Glad to have you on my team!” 

“Awesome! I was worried about being on a team with a bunch of random people, but I'm glad to be teamed up with you!” Stark replied. 

 

[Stark Forster. Rank 19: 310xp] 

 

“In a team, it's good to have people who make communication and teamwork easy. So I'll be counting on you Stark.” 

Hearing Ken’s words brought a bright smile to Stark's face, “As your number 1 fan. I won't let you down!” 

Just then, the doors opened and their 3rd team member walked in. Ken was surprised to see that their third teammate was Eldrin Valleth, his roommate.

“Ouuuu, Ken Granfold! You're gonna be my partner?! Now, this is going to be fun!” Eldrin cheered. 

 

[Eldrin Valleth. Rank 4: 920xp]

 

“Glad to see a familiar face, Eldrin.” Ken said, returning the warm welcome. “A powerful teammate, great!” 

“Ah… Hey, I'm Stark Forster. Your other teammate.” 

“Hmmmm….” Getting in Stark's face, looking him up and down, Eldrin said, “You seem weak. You better not drag us down.” 

“Huh? Oh right… I'll try my best not to…” 

“Hey, Stark is my friend. So don't look down on him!” Ken pressed, staring at Eldrin. 

“Ken…” Stark mumbled.

Before Eldrin could say anything, their 4th and final team member walked into the room. Both Ken, and Eldrin were surprised to see their roommate, Tatsuo, as their final teammate for this game. 

Tatsuo didn't say a word. He merely showed disappointment on his face as he gazed at his teammates. Letting out a deep sigh, he ignored everyone and sat by himself in silence. 

“Hey, shithead. Aren't you gonna greet your teammates?!” Eldrin growled at Tatsuo. 

“Teammates? You guys are nothing but back up dancers. So the three of you should do your best not to get in my way. Especially you, golden boy.” 

 

[Tatsuo Sōryū. Rank 4: 920xp] 

 

Referring to Tatsuo's Oni horns, Eldrin replied with his own snarky remark, “I think your damn antennas are broken. You're the supporting cast on this team!” 

While Tatsuo and Eldrin bickered back and forth, Ken thought to himself, “I can tell that both Eldrin and Tatsuo are powerful and capable mages… however, they don't seem to be the type to get along with each other… Let alone work well in a team. Looks like I'll only have Stark to count on as a partner.” 

“Thanks for sticking up for me Ken…” said Stark. 

“No worries buddy.” Ken smiled. 

From within the middle of the room, a mana screen popped up with Falera on screen. This caught the attention of the four boys. 

“Now that all team members have arrived in their waiting rooms, I'll proceed with the rules of Capture the Flag!!” Falera announced, loud as usual. 

“Capture the Flag is a pretty common game, but for those who have never played it, here is the basics of the game.” 

Next to Falera a screen displaying a diagram of a rectangle split in half. On each end of the rectangle was a small flag picture. 

“The playing field is equally divided into two parts. Both teams will be given a flag which they must protect at all cost within their base. To win the game, you must successfully capture your opponent's flag and return it to your base, all the while protecting your own flag. Even if you successfully capture and return the enemy's flag, it won't matter if you're not in possession of your own flag. Pretty straight forward right?” 

“So, we will need to split ourselves into defenders and attackers.” Ken thought to himself. 

The diagram next to Falera changed into a list, displaying the rules. 

“I will now explain all the rules to the game.”

 

Game Rules:

1.Each game will go for a duration of 45 minutes. 

2.Each player's tag must be placed in a visible location.

3.If by the end of a game, neither team has successfully captured the flag, then the winner will be the team with the most players on the field.

4.You are not allowed to move your own flag, but you are allowed to protect it however you want. 

5.Friendly fire is allowed, but you will gain no points from it. 

6.If you are defeated by the enemy, you will be teleported back into the waiting room, where you can only watch.

7.Losing your tag, giving up or being K.O will result in defeat.

8.If your team wins the round, but you were defeated, then you won't gain the Team XP. 

“Those are the eight rules. I'll now move onto the XP system. There are two types of points, Individual and Team XP.” 

Individual XP: 

1.Each player is worth 100xp.

2.Defeating an opponent will gain you individual XP.

3.After each successful game, your worth will go up 50xp.

4.Once you are in possession of the enemy flag, your worth will temporarily go up 200xp. 

5.If you successfully return the flag to your base and win, you will gain a bonus 200xp on top of the team xp. 

6.Losing to your opponent, will cost you half the XP of whoever defeated you. 

 

Team XP:

1.Each game won, will gain the team 400xp. 

2.If the team's XP reaches the individual XP, 50xp will be added to the team's base XP. 

3.If every competitor on the opposing team is taken out, then 100xp will be added to the teams XP at the end of the game. 

4.Losing a match will cost the team 300xp.

 

“Those are the rules of the game!! They will stay up there so you can review it whenever you're in the waiting room!! Once I end my announcement, a timer will appear on the screen. Once that timer is up, you and your team will be teleported to the battlefield!!! Until then, be sure to strategies a plan!!!” 

Ending the call, a timer appeared on the Mana screen, just as Faleria said it would. 

 

[59 minutes until battle.]  

 

“So, this is Capture the Flag? This is going to be a blast!” 

[Ken Granfold. Rank 6: 640xp]