Chapter 12: Chapter 11 - Tribulations

“So Nym will take point, and I’ll support her, waiting for an opening. Cliff, Thalos – stay back and do what you can to keep them off of us.” Nym nodded agreement to Loria’s plan, Thalos echoing the movement beside her, but Cliff seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.

“Cliff,” Loria said, a hint of irritation in her voice, “are you paying attention?”

Cliff blinked a few times, jostled from his daydream. “What?” he said, looking over at their Commander, “yeah – potshots from the back, keep’m off you – got it.”

Loria’s eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at Cliff. After a moment, she sighed. “I hope, at least, that you’ll stay focused during the actual spar.”

Their Technician grunted noncommittally, drifting back to whatever thoughts had taken over his brain. Nym fidgeted in her chair uncomfortably. Cliff had been like this for days, distracted and uninterested in their discussions. Before, she would have thought the peace would be welcome, but there was something off-putting about their normally chipper, opinionated teammate being so quiet. Sure, he was usually overly combative with Loria and a tad too loud, but his thoughts almost always had merit. Without his contributions, their team lacked the tension needed to push them towards constructive discussion.

Loria continued to stare at Cliff, her frown slowly deepening. “Honestly, Cliff,” she finally snapped, “are you even taking this seriously?”

Cliff, pulled again from his contemplation, glared at her. “What? I heard the plan, didn’t I?”

“Well, yes, but I’m half-convinced you’ll be too lost in the clouds to actually act it out.” She huffed an annoyed breath. “Really, if this is the amount of effort you’re putting out, it’s no wonder you failed your PMT exam.” Nym winced.

“I beg your pardon?” Cliff said, his tone suddenly brittle.

Loria’s eyes narrowed. “I said – and I hope you’re listening this time – if this is all the concentration you can muster, perhaps it’s no surprise you’re the only one among our class who managed to fail an exam.” Their scores had been posted publicly in the dorm, and, though there had been some close calls, Cliff’s PMT exam had been the only failing grade. Incidentally, he’d also achieved the only perfect score, on his Introduction to Magetool Engineering exam. In other circumstances, it might be amusing that both the highest and lowest score came from the same person.

“Loria-” Nym started, only to be cut off when Cliff raised a hand.

“No, she’s right,” he said, “unlike her, I wasn’t raised from the womb to use a PMT. I’m not the heir of a great general, with all the talent in the world, and for that I’m oh so sorry.” He grinned viciously. “Perhaps, with all her wisdom, our precious princess can remember that not everyone was born on silk sheets with a dozen silver spoons shoved in their mouth.”

Loria’s lips twisted into a grimace. “You’re right – not everyone had my upbringing. Everyone was, however, able to pass all of their exams. Except you, of course.” She shook her head. “Perhaps it’s not me who’s uniquely lucky, but you who are uniquely incompetent.

Cliff slapped his palm on the table. “That may be, but my failings are none of your business, and I’d appreciate it if you poked your nose somewhere else.”

Loria leaned forward. “They are, in fact, my business. I am the Commander for this team, and I want what’s best for it, something you would’ve noticed if-”

“Everything alright over here?” Templar Roose cut in. Nym blinked. She hadn’t noticed his approach, though, looking around, she should have expected it – Cliff and Loria’s voices had risen enough that the other teams had started to notice their bickering.

“We’re fine,” Cliff said, still glaring at Loria, “My commander here was just informing me of my incompetence – nothing out of the ordinary, Roose.”

“Loria?” Roose said.

“It was a strategy discussion, and things got a bit heated. Apologies, sir.” She, at least, had managed to rein herself in on their teacher’s approach, awkwardly looking away from Cliff with a bitter frown on her face.

The Templar looked between the two for a moment. His expression was unchanged from his normal easygoing smile, but he seemed to sigh fractionally before speaking. “Cliff, may I speak to you?”

“Begging your pardon, sir, but I don’t think Loria was finished cataloging my flaws.”

“Cliff,” Roose said again, his tone stony, “a moment of your time.”

A tense pause hung in the air for a moment before Cliff replied with a curt, “Fine,” finally looking away from Loria.

“Thank you,” Roose said with a nod. He looked over the rest of team B, still smiling. “Five minutes until we head out to the sparring rings, everyone. Get yourself prepared. Come along, Cliff.” With a nod and a smile, he spun on his heel, leading Cliff back to his desk for whatever conversation they needed to have.

Nym frowned to herself, rubbing her fingers on her temples, where a headache had started to build. She looked at Loria, who was glaring at Cliff’s back. “Loria,” she started, preparing to offer some harsh complaints.

“I know,” Loria snapped, looking at Nym. “Too harsh – it’s not like he tried to fail the exam – I know. But I just-” She shook her head quickly, clamping her eyes shut. After a moment, she spoke again, her tone much softer. “I can’t stand complacency,” she finished, uttering the word like it tasted foul in her mouth.

“Cliff’s not being complacent,” Thalos said simply. Unlike their commander, Cliff’s roommate seemed largely unconcerned with his change in attitude. Nym had wondered if there’d been some falling out there, like with Jenna and Loria, but it seemed Thalos just trusted Cliff enough to handle himself.

Loria glared at the boy. “It sure doesn’t look that way, but, well – I suppose you’d know.” She sighed, shaking her head. “It’s just, with the first Hands-on in less than a week, I can’t really-” She squeezed her eyes shut again, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m going to the bathroom to splash some water on my face – the last thing we need in our spar is for me to be too frustrated to fight.” She stood up from their table, grumbling to herself as she tramped out of the classroom.

“One big, happy family,” Thalos muttered as he watched Loria shut the door none too softly. Despite the tension, Nym couldn’t help but giggle at the comment.

“What’s wrong with Cliff?” she asked, turning to Thalos. “You said he’s not being complacent, but, well, he sure seems distracted, at least.”

Thalos scratched at his scalp for a moment before shaking his head. “He is. Distracted I mean. But it’s not my place to share. He’s got a lot to think about, more than just failing the exam – though no one’s more frustrated about that than he is.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Nym said, trying not to sound disappointed at his caginess. She could hardly blame Thalos for keeping his roommate’s secret, but she was also rather curious as to what could be more important for a student than failing an exam.

She studied at Thalos for a moment. He spoke the least in their discussions, and she’d hardly had more than a single real conversation with him. Somehow, though, she felt she could trust his judgment. “Do you think we’ll be okay for the Hands-on? I’m worried about Cliff and Loria, that they’ll – well, you know.” They hadn’t been told what, exactly the Hands-on Training would entail, but since they’d finished their exams, preparations had amped up considerably. She guessed it would be something in the wilderness, based on the amount of time they were spending staring at maps and learning about survival, but beyond that she had nothing. As for combat, now that everyone was cleared for some PMT use, they were finally starting sparring between teams, and they’d be focused on that until the day they actually left. The pace had picked up considerably, and she was worried their team would get swept away in its dysfunction.

Thalos thought for a moment before replying. “Maybe, maybe not.” He shrugged. “Honestly, at this point I’d consider it a success if we make it through without Cliff and Loria killing each other.”

***

Nym winced with each painful step as she jogged out of the dining hall, following behind a briskly walking Loria.

“Loria, wait!” she called, forcing herself to keep up her pace. Her friend looked at her with a scowl, slowing enough that Nym was able to catch her just before they left the room.

“I don’t think you should be running on your ankle,” Loria said, glancing down at Nym’s leg. After the spar, she’d wrapped it enough that she could walk relatively comfortably, but moving around, especially the awkward jogging she’d just managed, was still pretty painful.

“You would have left me behind otherwise, and I wanted to talk to you,” Nym said, poking Loria in the shoulder with a finger.

“I’m not sure what there is to say – we embarrassed ourselves, and our team isn’t prepared for the Hands-on Training.” They made their way out of the dorm, walking, Nym noted, slow enough that she could easily keep up. That meant, at least, that Loria wasn’t entirely opposed to speaking with her.

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“Where are we going?” Nym asked.

“I don’t know,” Loria said, “somewhere.”

Nym nodded. She understood, mostly. Loria was upset, at their loss in the spar and at Cliff. At herself, too, Nym suspected. She was the type to load up the burden of their team’s success solely onto her own shoulders, and right now, when everything was so twisted up, that was a heavy burden.

It wasn’t like Nym was all that happy, either. Their loss in the spar frustrated her, too, though the whole situation had caught her so off guard that she was shocked, more than anything. Honestly, going into the fight, she’d been fairly confident they would somehow find a win. Despite the limits to Cliff’s PMT, despite Thalos having very few options in a fight because he was the team’s medic, despite the fact that they hadn’t spent any time meaningfully training as a team, she somehow thought that she and Loria might be able to eke out a win.

On paper, things didn’t look too bad for their team B. Team A had Penny, Jenna, Percy, and Deb. Lined up against Loria, Cliff, Thalos, and her, it seemed, at worst, like an even matchup. From that first day of spars, back when they’d just moved to the academy, she expected Penny and Jenna to be competent in a fight. Percy and Deb, though, ought to have been on similar footing to Thalos and Cliff – they were all members of the same PMT class, after all. So, by her estimation, as long as she and Loria pulled their weight, things wouldn’t be too bad.

Those delusions had been snapped as soon as the spar started.

“Here’s as good as anywhere, I suppose,” Loria said, dropping heavily onto one of the many benches scattered across the grounds. It was early evening, and, with autumn in full swing, the barest hint of a chill nipped at Nym’s ears and fingers as she took the seat beside Loria.

They sat in silence a few moments more as Nym recalled how thoroughly they’d been thrashed – Penny and Jenna had shown themselves as capable fighters, but the real surprise was Percy. Despite his timid personality, he was a dynamo on the battlefield. He fought like some kind of brawler, using his fists as effectively as any weapon. Immediately, they were on the backfoot, and it was only a few barked commands from Deb before they were overwhelmed, Nym taking a nasty kick to the ankle in the process. Of course, as soon as Roose called the spar in team A’s favor, Percy swarmed her with apologies – the whiplash of aggression to regret was nearly as surprising as the injury itself.

“What did you want to talk about?” Loria asked.

“A lot of things, really,” Nym replied, crossing her arms in front of her. She wanted to say that the loss wasn’t Loria’s fault, that they each had a dozen things to improve on, that Team A was unusually coordinated and put together, and there’s no way they could have expected it – but she had a feeling Loria wouldn’t like hearing any of those things. So, instead, she brought up something completely different. “Are you still fighting with Jenna?”

Grimacing, Loria glared at her. “This again?” she said, “I’m not sure where you got the idea we’re fighting. We’re not.”

Nym thought back to after the spar, when Jenna had offered a kind greeting to her, Cliff, and Thalos, pointedly avoiding talking to Loria. “It sure seems like you’re fighting, though,” Nym said with a frown, “Last time I talked to Jenna, she said you hadn’t spoken in a week – considering you live with her, that’s gotta be pretty awkward.”

Loria shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not that hard – I leave early and she gets back late.” She blinked, shaking her head quickly. “But no, we’re not fighting – that would imply that I am involved in this imagined conflict of hers.”

“But you just said-” Nym started, shaking her head. “Okay, fine, then why don’t you tell me why you two refuse to talk to each other, nearly two weeks after this imagined conflict started.”

Loria eyed her a moment before shrugging. “Fine, if that’ll get you off my back for this. We were practicing for our club, and Gallio came over – it was the same day I sparred him, remember?” Nym nodded. The cadet was talented, but a sore loser and with a rotten personality. “Well he started insulting me, and, despite the fact that I could easily handle myself, Jenna felt it necessary to jump to my defense.”

Nym blinked. “And?”

“And what?” Loria said, “I didn’t ask for her help, I didn’t need her help, and yet she tried to protect me anyway. Wouldn’t you find that maddening?”

“That’s it?” Nym said, disbelieving. She’d heard a similar story from Jenna, but she figured the other girl had downplayed their disagreement, somehow. She assumed there had to at least have been some kind of argument after.

“I don’t see what you’re confused about,” Loria said, furrowing her brow, “I mean – afterwards, when I tried to explain that I was capable of taking care of myself, Jenna just stomped off – she didn’t seem to understand why I was frustrated.”

Nym stared at Loria, her eyes slowly narrowing. Finally, she pinched together two knuckles, driving them into Loria’s side, hard.

The other girl yelped, rubbing at her side and glaring at Nym. “What was that for!?”

“For being an idiot,” Nym said. “Let me get this straight – some jerk started insulting you, Jenna came to your defense, and then you got mad at Jenna?” She shook her head. “I had thought this conflict was pointless, but I take that back. You’re clearly in the wrong here.”

“What?” Loria said, her eyes widening, “I’m wrong? What did I do?”

“You mean besides getting mad at your roommate for no good reason?” Nym asked incredulously.

“I didn’t need her help – it’s insulting! Don’t you hate it when people coddle you?”

Nym sighed, realizing for the first time that Loria might not be as put together as she’d thought. “I get it, Loria, I really do. When I was little, my dad sometimes took me with him on jobs. He’d fuss over every little thing to make sure I was doing okay – it got annoying, after a while. Especially because I knew I could take care of myself – he was my dad. If I knew it, why didn’t he?”

“So you get it,” Loria said with a nod.

“Let me finish,” Nym said, frowning. “Now that I’m older, I realize that – no, my dad didn’t treat me like that because he thought I was too stupid to live – he did it because he loves me.” She waved a hand in front of her. “Now, I’m not saying Jenna loves you – but she clearly didn’t like seeing you get insulted, so she probably at least likes you.”

“If she really liked me, she would have let me take care of myself,” Loria muttered.

Nym sighed. In her own way, this girl was even more frustrating than Cliff. “Let me ask you, Loria – you’ve sparred with Jenna in your club, right?” She paused. “Well, before you two started fighting.”

“Yeah,” Loria said, “quite a few times, but what does that-”

Nym cut her off, continuing, “Did Jenna ever baby you in those spars? Did she hold back because she was worried about hurting you?”

Loria swallowed before quietly responding, “No.”

“Then maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t trying to coddle you, she was just trying to support her friend.” Nym finished with her best chastising look.

It could have been the light of the sunset, but Nym thought she saw the barest hint of color coming to Loria’s cheeks. “I still think that I don’t need her help to take care of myself,” she grumbled.

“And that’s something you can explain to her, after you’ve apologized,” Nym said, forcing herself up from the bench. She winced at the pain in her ankle, and Loria was quick to offer a steadying hand. She smiled at her friend, wondering if she should point out that, by offering a helping hand, she was doing exactly what she’d gotten mad at Jenna for doing. After an instant, she decided that would be too mean. “Now come on, lets get back to the dorm. We can talk about why we lost the spar while you think about how best to apologize.”

Honestly, sometimes it felt like she was dealing with children. The way her team bickered, everyone’s unbelievable stubbornness. It was all she could hope that she never acted so childish.

***

Nym stomped her foot in frustration, wishing she was alone so she could scream every profanity she knew and tear out her hair. It was simply unfair, that’s all there was to it.

It should be simple, it really should. All she had to do was reach through the ground and grab the ball. Every time she tried, though, it remained infuriatingly un-grabbed. She glared daggers at it, a garish red spot against the brown of the dirt training ground, taunting her for missing. It didn’t make sense! She could do it with stone, she could do it with ice, she could even do it with glass – though that had been a rather dangerous experiment – but for some reason, as soon as she tried to use her Gift on normal ground, her control fell apart and she was left groping blindly, missing her target nine out of ten times.

“Still struggling?” Penny called from behind her. Nym spun on her heel, glaring at her roommate but resisting the urge to snap an angry comment. Instead, she ground her frustration into the dirt with her heel.

“Yeah,” Nym replied with a frustrated sigh, “it’s like-” She shut her eyes, reaching out with with her Gift. For an instant, she struggled through the dirt, probing until she thought she was in the right spot. A burst of effort and there was a sound of crumbling dirt behind her. She glanced behind her – no surprise, she’d missed again. “It’s like, normally, when I use my gift, I can see clearly, but the less uniform the material, the foggier it gets – sorry, that probably doesn’t make any sense.” It was a common problem, explaining a Gift. The feeling of using one was vague and intuitive; verbalizing it always involved a lot of shrugs and bad metaphors.

“No, I think I get it,” Penny said, bouncing her rifle in her hand, “I’ve seen you use your Gift inside – you never seem to miss.” The Gift Mastery class was more of a free period than anything else. There were instructors available to consult, and the academy would provide whatever training material you needed, but beyond that the students had free rein to do what they wanted. Most students spent a good amount of time watching others practice. It wasn’t a question of laziness, either. Some Gifts, Penny’s included, required a lot of concentration, and mental fatigue would quickly build up if she spent the entire 2-hour period practicing.

“Unfortunately most Courier work won’t be done in a controlled environment,” Nym muttered, shaking her head. “How about you, how’s your training coming?”

Penny scratched at her cheek, frowning. “It’s coming along, I guess. I can hold the fifth bullet, but, well, it saps nearly all of my focus.” She tilted her head. “It’s kind of like – I don’t know, doing something different with all your limbs at once – I can do it, but it’s pretty uncomfortable.” She shrugged.

“Sounds like you’re having more success than me, at least,” Nym said. For gifts like Penny’s, that involved manipulating multiple objects, increasing how many things you could control was the most common type of training. The trend was that increasing that number would blossom out to a bunch of other increases in strength – her father once said ‘more leads to bigger and better’. Thinking of her father, she frowned, wondering whether he’d ever had any of these sorts of troubles. Whenever she complained, he always explained away that everyone struggled at some point, but she’d never heard of a gift being as uncooperative as hers was proving to be.

“You’ll get it eventually,” Penny said with an encouraging smile and a fist pump. She looked so adorable, it was all Nym could do not to dash over and wrap her in a bear hug.

“I hope so,” she replied, turning back to the annoying red ball, her elusive target. With a deep breath, she reached out her Gift again, trying to push through the fog that came with it. She would figure this out. She had to.