The Versati were worshipped as Gods. Noone dared to challenge their rule exept for one race, the Ismarels. Unable to control them, the Gods cursed them making it impossible to use any form of violence. Centuries later the descendants of the great wa...
"Good job on getting this far. My name is Talin and I will be in charge of your group. You are officially in the 3C recruit stage. Even if you fail the next steps, you may still have the future as a low sentinel. If you plan on pursuing a higher position it will be better for you to pass as many as you can. You can rest and eat for the next few days, then we'll guide you to the next stage" Talin said and escorted the children to one of the wooden houses.
They were given meals containing fruits, rice and even the small piece of cheese that Leo was dreaming about since day one. Most of them laid on the straw beds, but the boy kept feeling restless, so he decided to run a few times around the camp. Even though a few kids laughed at him and mocked him, he felt like his body wouldn't be able to relax as if it demanded for him to keep moving. As he was running freely the thought of escaping passed through his mind for a moment but the tall wooden wall that surrounded the camp made any plans pointless. Even if he was able to go over it, he didn't even know the direction of the village, especially with the guards chasing him.
After 3 days Talin announced that they would be separated into groups of 15 and, after the Elites gathered into one, he guided them out of the cabin. The rest didn't see them for the remaining day and early the next morning Talin came back and guided the second group away. It was made out of Keepers and within them there was the bulky kid.
During the day those that were left behind had nothing to do. Some played around in the cabin and a few even joined the boy for a few laps, but otherwise it was pretty boring until nightfall.
Talin returned after the sun had disappeared and the moon was high in the sky with the exhausted group on his side. They were soaked, from the tip of their toes to the top of their heads and after drying up they went straight to bed ignoring any questions from the other kids. The next morning they left once again and didn't return.
The next group was made by the rest of the Keepers, the bully and the six Grabbers except Mika and Leo. They came back at nightfall, soaked like the previous group and also refused to talk with anyone. They left and came back the next day, exhausted and agitated. There was even a small fight between some of them but no matter how much Leo tried to get some information, no one responded.
The kids saw the 3rd team leaving for the third time and last time. The next morning Talin took the last team with him.
Everyone was stressed and scared at this point since some rumors said that they would drown them. Every time that rumor was mentioned Mika and Leo did their best to hide their smiles. Seeing that the boy couldn't help but smile as well.
They were walking for a while, approaching the rear end of the camp when they saw a small stream come under the wall. A large wooden tank was placed around 100 meters from the water and three wooden buckets were on the ground.
"Your mission is simple, just fill the tank to the top within the day. The method is up to you. Just keep in mind that you have to complete it within 3 days and every day you have to start over" Talin explained.
The kids assembled around the tank.
"So, take turns in carrying the buckets?" Leo suggested but Mika shook her head after picking one up.
"They are too heavy already. If you add the water, most of us will be barely able to lift it. Making repeated rounds with them is out of the question"
"If we carried it two at a time?" Leo asked.
"It will still be too slow but I don't see any other choice" Mika sighed.
They separated into groups of two and each team carried a bucket, but to cover the distance took a long time and the children stumbled under the weight. Three rounds per group was the maximum they could manage without rest, but the large tank barely had any water.
*
The boy, Leo and Mika were sitting on the ground waiting for their third turn to come. They stretched their legs to avoid any cramps and their shoulders felt like they were on fire.
"Dammit, this will take forever" Leo stood up and threw the rock he was playing with in the tank.
"You're taking it out yourself" Mika declared.
While Leo was dragging his feet towards the tank cursing and kicking the ground, the boy jumped up, "Don't" he shouted startling the other children.
The scene reminded him of an incident a couple of years ago when he and his father were trading chickens for sacks of rice. The sacks seemed heavier than normal and the merchant claimed that they were just a bit wet due to the rain, but when his father emptied one, they discovered many light rocks inside filling almost 1/4 of the sack.
"Did he say that the tank has to be filled just with water?" the boy asked and Mika's expression brightened.
"Everyone!" she yelled to draw the attention of the children and when all of them gathered, she organized them into groups explaining the plan. Rocks, branches and even dirt started filling up the tank, everything light and sizeable disappeared from the surrounding area. A few kids wanted to throw even their clothes inside and Mika suggested to throw Leo incide.
They prioritised volume, anything that was large but light. By using their clothes as bags they only had to worry about the weight of whatever they were carrying. The strongest kids kept carrying buckets of water and, at noon, the tank was filled up.
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