The Elemental Relics

The concerns Ali had about the swamp proved to be unfounded. There were no big predators lurking under the water, though there was plenty of wildlife that called the swamp their home and could still pose a threat if agitated. Several paths were already charted out in the swamp through rock-like markers that floated above the surface. Despite the difficulty of moving through such terrain, the teenager found himself overcoming the obstacle with a little help from Kamis who got through the swamp with ease. The completion brought the duo to the starting point, thus completing their first lap.

Four more of this? I should be able to handle it.

The laps got harder as they went but, with Kamis leading the way, Ali had no reason to doubt himself. The final lap in the swamps was grueling but, with a helping hand from his new companion at a few critical moments, the teenager finished his fifth lap. He was out of breath by the end and joined both Svenne and Umaru by the building. The two of them were asleep as they laid on the ground , clearly not in the shape to complete two laps.

I still have a long way to go myself. Kamis looks like he isn't even breathing heavily.

Realizing his limitations, Ali made note of what part of the laps he needed to work on and what sections he could push his pace. For the time being, he had the satisfaction of seeing his wristband removed, a feat that not only earned his group points but also first dibs in the cafeteria. Upon filling his plate with the best looking food he had ever seen, the teenager understood the incentive of finishing atop the groups. Those who met expectations were rewarded and those rewards only got them further ahead compared to the rest. After he finished his plate, Ali made a promise to do his best so he could continue enjoying such luxuries.

“Here comes the rest,” said Kamis.

The teenager referred to those who didn’t finish the morning run. Ali did a quick count with him estimating twenty groups. Studying the members of those groups, it was clear that they weren’t built for the morning runs. Most of them looked like they rarely did exercise and the plain meals they had weren’t going to help either. Someone like Kamis was an outlier but it puzzled him why the group was dead last. Therefore, he brought up his concern with the group.

“Why is your group ranked dead last?”

With both Umaru and Kamis staring at Svenne, the tall teenager pondered for half a minute before answering.

“Everything outside of mundane activities gives points. The morning run is one of those activities that provide a lot of points and, until today, we never got any. The drills and exercises that come later all provide points to the groups with the best performances. Us four have not been doing well in those either. Overall, we have been stuck at the bottom of the rankings for over a month now.”

“Did you say us four?”

“We had a fourth member,” said Svenne before he turned quiet.

Ali looked to the other two but they couldn’t meet his gaze. The silence dragged on for a full minute before the group leader finally spoke.

“He was executed the same night you joined us. The Liberation Army cannot tolerate the weak so the weakest member of the weakest group over a month span is executed to…encourage the other members to work harder.”

The strong rule while the weak are trampled like trash. That rule remains consistent regardless of where you are at.

“Do you regret joining us?” asked Svenne. “It’s difficult joining the weakest group.”

“We have a month, don’t we?” Ali watched as the faces of the other three lit up. “By the end of this month, we won’t be the weakest group anymore.”

The four teenagers talked a bit more before the drill sergeant entered the cafeteria.

“Today, we have ten groups completing the morning run. I expect great things to come for the next exercise. Meet me in the combat gym!”

As soon as the sergeant left the room, the groups discussed amongst themselves. Ali looked to Svenne for an explanation. He had a rough idea of what the place was given its name. Yet, he wanted to know the rules so he wouldn’t enter the place with a major handicap.

“The combat gym is, as the name implies, a place where one relies on combat to survive. The groups must fight each other until only ten groups remain. A group is eliminated when all of its members are unconscious or killed. For the ten remaining groups, they are given specific trials afterwards where they can hone their abilities and get stronger. Before you ask, I don’t know what those trials are. Only members of the groups that advance have the privilege of knowing. Even then, there are many types of trials so, unless you regularly participate in them, you won't know all of them.”

“In terms of combat, are there any limitations? Or are individuals free to use any ability at their disposal?”

“There are no rules as to what you can use. The proctors couldn’t care less if you play dirty as long as you win.”

Ali took a moment to absorb all the information. He then asked the group what their plan was for the combat gym. To his horror, they said that they would adapt to the situation and hope they could survive long enough to advance.

No wonder they are dead last. Going into such a free for all situation requires a plan of some sort. Guess we can still make one now.

For the remaining time they had before the combat gym, Ali learned about the abilities of his new companions and came up with a simple plan. He was relieved that his group had some interesting abilities that could potentially get them somewhere. However, he was still heading in with no knowledge of what the other groups were capable of.

Win or lose, I got to learn as much as I could from today’s combat exercise.