At eleven am Isran and Alden together with almost all of the other participants were standing outside their buildings. Racks of weapons sat before them, the gnome from the night before was standing on a few crates arranged like a podium.

  Isran felt like she was at bible camp again, waking up at five in the morning to march and sing praises to the lord. Discovering that she liked girls at a younger age had frayed her retionship with the church but she did have some good memories… bible camp wasn’t one of them.

  “Good morning. We give thanks to Vycor for a new week—”

  Very bible camp-esque. But Isran guessed she did know that god was real this time… or rather gods.

  “—before you are weapon racks. They are all made of steel with the exception of channelling staffs. You are allowed at most two weapons except those of you with csses reliant on throwing knives.”

  “There are also mages that will be casting high-level protection spells on every one of you. Steel weapons will still cause you harm, but the idea is to prevent accidental deaths.”

  A few people started murmuring. Isran gnced at Alden and saw the orc attentively listening to their gnome drill sergeant.

  “The first challenge will be expined in the arena for the audience to understand but we will expin it once here. You will be split up into groups of ten. Each team will have a fg to protect, the arena will be sectioned. To win you have to successfully protect your fg from your enemy and capture theirs. Each match will st an hour.”

  Even more murmuring.

  Isran recognized the game. Capture the fg. She was a bit surprised that was what they were doing but it made some sense. She had been thinking they would be sparing throughout the games, however, there were eighty people, this was very much a thinning round.

  “This challenge will test your teamwork and drive. If at the end of the hour, no fg is captured the team with the most points win. The point system will be expined to you in the arena.” Then he shuffled a few papers and handed them out to soldiers beside him.

  “You have been grouped by the organizers into the best suited to work with each other for this round. If you have a problem with your grouping deal with it.”

  Isran watched as he walked off.

  “Well capture the fg huh.”

  Isran turned to Alden. “What?”

  “The game… it's capture the fg. Well a little more dangerous I’m sure but that’s basically it.”

  Isran didn’t know why but she couldn’t remember the name, she did also recognize the game, the name had escaped her though. But she had just thought of that hadn't she? Capture the fg. Her memory appeared to be getting worse.

  “Have you pyed it before?”

  Alden shook his head. “Wasn’t a very social kid.”

  He was speaking much less, Isran had noticed he was psyching himself up for a fight.

  She waited patiently as their names were called. She and Alden ended up on the same team.

  “Fate.” Alden smiled.

  “Absolutely.” Isran nodded.

  Since clothes in Kestin weren’t very fshy when bought cheaply. The most common colors being, brown, bck, white, and grey.

  Isran was in lightly fitting grey pants and a bck shirt with bck boots. Alden was in the same. Alden’s hair was longer than her’s, though but both of them had tied it out of their faces.

  They joined the others in browsing through the weapon racks, both picking up steel greatswords. Steel was the color Isran would expect it to be. The sword she held reached up to her colrbone and was a lot thinner than the sword she owned. The grip felt familiar, a feeling she was having mostly due to her Loyal Bde skill. The greatswords avaible were all the same. In fact any weapon avaible was the same make.

  “Will do,” Alden whispered and he lifted his sword to the sky.

  There was another rack with sheaths that people went to less. Isran started walking there and Alden followed after.

  “Hmm, in a game of racing for a fg being able to put the sword away is an advantage.”

  Isran nodded. It was the reason she had taken it. She anticipated a fast-paced game and she was pnning on avoiding combat. To win they would capture the fg so she was hoping to run straight there, avoiding combat as much as possible.

  Their group of ten gathered and an elf with bright orange hair spoke up. “Hi! Does anyone have suggestions on how we should approach this?”

  Isran watched Alden lift his hand. The elf nodded at him.

  “I think those with higher speed should take care of getting the fg, rogues mostly. Mages and strength heavy warriors should stay in the midzone and defense heavy combatants should defend the fg.”

  “And what about those with high endurance.”

  Alden answered the human woman who asked the question. “The protective spells that will be cast on us all but negate that factor in this challenge. The goal is to get the fg. I am under the impression that the fg doesn’t move so with that in mind this is the best course of action.”

  Isran hesitated briefly but remembered Elysi’s words. You are amazing.

  “I think those getting the fg should also have enough strength for close combat…” She trailed off slightly when everyone’s eyes turned to her.

  “I agree.” The elf nodded. “If the opposing team has a simir structure just speed might not be enough.”

  A few discussions ter they had taken a sheet of paper from one of the soldiers and were writing down everyone’s strength and speed.

  From it, Isran could see that about four people hadn’t hit level ten, and some had skills increasing their stat points.

  Alden had a lower strength than her by one point. His speed was eight points and his strength eight points.

  At around eleven forty am, they had given each person a role.

  There were three people with defensive csses including a mage, who would defend the fg. Then there was the second line of defense. Four of them would be there. Two mages and an archer, then an orc with a soldier css that helped with both defense and offense.

  Last was the team responsible for getting the fg. Isran, Alden, and the elf that had taken the initiative to start the conversation. It seemed speed had not been a priority for most of the people in her group but that was fine. The elf had a skill that had boosted his speed and it sat at an impressive twenty points.

  They broke off into smaller groups to discuss strategy.

  The three of them agreed he would not run as fast as he could to avoid drawing attention to himself when the game started, but as soon as Alden and Isran engaged in any kind of combat he would bolt straight for the fg.

  At twelve the gnome returned and after the mages cast the spells on them they were ushered into the adventurer’s hall.