Random Book of Jaric Fluff & Stuff

Scene #10

Japeth was aroused in the morning by a deep voice roaring loud enough to wake the dead. Goddamn, three in the morning? Who the hell was up and fully functioning that that unholy hour besides ghosts and shit?!

"WHY SO GODDAMN EARLY?!" Dolion screeched in anger as he rolled over and pulled the covers over his head, likely doing Aric's job for him of waking up the other boys.

Their door was flung open, and Aric marched in, put together in his black uniform and Captain's badge, the weapons at his waist and murderous scowl giving the whole look a sharp edge that Japeth inwardly admitted worked really well for the violet-eyed boy.

"So we can get the trials over quickly with, you idiot," Aric hissed, giving Dolion's bed a strong kick that caused the boy to tumble out of it, disheveled and disgruntled. "The sooner, the better, as the School Master ordered. Now get moving, I want you ready in five minutes."

"Five minutes," Dolion griped the second Aric exited with a forceful door slam in a likely attempt to wake the other students.

"Does it take you around ten?" Japeth smirked, already ready and waiting as he combed his fingers through his hair and brushed the top part to his forehead. Dean Brunhilde had them all up at five every morning and he liked to sleep as much as possible, hence the quick getting ready time.

"Damn you. Of course I get stuck with a showoff," Dolion joked as he threw on some clothes, brushed his teeth, and ran his right hand through his hair a few times. "Alright, I'm ready. let the trials begin!"

"But first, breakfast," Japeth reminded, pulling the door open.

"Yes-" Dolion cut himself off the second he found Aric scowling and half of the other boys waiting like stone statues.

The Captain's predatory eyes glossed over them quickly. "At least you're not late this time," he muttered at last. Once everyone had finally emerged fully dressed, he led them impatiently to breakfast. Breakfast consisted of some lighter food, and they were sped along through it.

"Man, he must be a real bummer on the Day of the School Master's Arrival," Dolion remarked with a quiet snicker. Aric's head snapped toward the noise like his whip, as if he'd been expecting something like it.

"Nothing, sir," Dolion replied to the Captain's unvoiced question as tense thickened the air until Aric broke eye contact and moved on, eyes falling up and down the two lines of quiet boys. In another few minutes, he ordered everyone out to the the grounds.

Once they had formed a tight line, he began speaking. "The trials will consist of five categories, each designed to eliminate two of you at a time. Only three of you will win, so may the best and most deserving win." Aric gave then all a thin little leer. "First, physical strength. Everyone will take turns punching this tree. Whoever makes the least visible change will be eliminated."

They all lined up, and off the day went.

After being tested on physical strength/accuracy, cunning/survival, technique/talent, and combat/battle, Japeth was ready with four other boys for the final trial.

"Now, you all will be tested on your ability to kill, as quickly and efficiently as you can. You level of hesitation will also effect your score, so I suggest you make it quick and done with. On the other side of the field past the underground obstacles, are your targets. They are colored the color of your eyes, so there should be no confusion. The first-or only-three to successfully kill their correct target will pass. You may begin." Aric smirked and took a dramatic step back.

The five boys eyed each other, then a tall, reedy boy named Callan bolted from the the starting point and nimbly leapt across the ground like a gazelle. That spurred the other boys to action, and they sprinted headlong across the ground. Within seconds one of the boys had managed to run straight into a steel animal trap and fell to the ground howling in pain.

Japeth swore he heard Aric chuckle via his scims, and that drove him to speed faster. Lucky enough for him, his scims sensed and traps and directed his moves from leaping to skirting and changing from right to left.

The four boys thundered through the wavy azure grass, and finally arrived at their targets. Without hesitation, Japeth flipped out his knife and stabbed the green dummy through the marked target as hard as he could. 

The point of the weapon protruded from the dummy's back, and was dead center in the target. he glanced over just as the last boy stabbed his. Next to him, Dolion breathed heavily and Callan was silently motionless. Dead center for each as well.

Feeling confident in his results, he led the boys to a line as Aric approached to judge them, the fifth boy nowhere to be seen, and even cracked a sly smirk to rival the sadist's own. The last he got nothing out of, but it was fun. Damn, he was confident.

After several long moments, and Aric twice pacing the lines of targets and boys, he stopped in the dead center, hands clasped in front of him in a respectful way, shoulders back as to defy the amount of respect one could glean from his hands. 

As he began speaking, his right thumb began tracing the back of his left hand slowly, back and forth. "You are the last four out of thirteen left in the trials. The fifth was a moron, and an overconfident one at that. One slight mishap or slow edge here will kick you out. I would hope I did the best if I were you, for I accept nothing but the best."

The clearing was silent save their breathing, and Aric began. "Troy, you were the last one there and off by half an inch. Dolion, you were the third there, and your knife was on target. Zarad, you were the second there and your knife was dead on, all the way through the dummy. And Callan, you were first there, your knife was slightly off to the left by a hair. Troy, you are cut."

The boy turned and left quickly, his head down and hair shaking forward into his face. As soon as he was gone, Aric turned to the remaining three. "Follow me into the castle for your final rite."

He swiveled on his heel and strode quickly back, the boys in a neat line behind him. As they walked back, Dolion first and then Japeth and Callan, Japeth felt a twinge of excitement. He had made it! He was now a part of the Cool Squad or Aric's Army or whatever they called themselves.

He was, unfortunately, too busy mentally celebrating to notice the unusually tense edge to the boy in front of him.