Emboldened by his first kill, Russell moved with more purpose. He wasn't elegant. His slashes were wide, powerful arcs that wasted energy but kept the flickering Grunts at bay. He was relying on pure aggression, each successful dispatching of a simulator adding a few more precious Cs to his tally.
His reckless charge was halted by a cry of alarm.
A few yards away, a lanky boy with fiery red hair had stumbled over a simulated rock. In that split second, two Grunts closed in, their claws poised to deliver a disabling shock.
"Hey!" Russell yelled-not out of heroism, but simple logic. A recruit down was one less person dividing the Hollows' attention.
He lunged forward, putting all his weight into a downward chop that shattered one of the simulators into nothingness with a loud ZAP.
The boy-Gareth-scrambled back, wide-eyed. The remaining Hollow turned its attention to Russell.
"Let's work together," Russell grunted, parrying a claw strike that sent a numbing jolt up his arm. "Unless you wanted to be failed."
Gareth got to his feet, a determined look replacing his panic. He wielded a pair of tonfa-like weapons.
"Better than nothing!" he shouted, ducking under a swipe and jamming his weapon into the Hollow's side. It flickered violently.
"Because teamwork makes the dream work!"
It was clumsy.
It was uncoordinated.
But it was effective.
Russell, with his wide, powerful attacks, would draw attention and create openings. Gareth, faster and more precise, would dart in to deliver the finishing blow. They moved as a unit-a reckless but surprisingly synergistic team-clearing a small pocket of the simulated battlefield.
High in his observation booth, Archmagus Theodore watched, his arms crossed. His eyes, which had initially registered disappointment at the rookies' panic, now held a flicker of interest.
He noted the boy with the katana's raw initiative and the red-headed boy's quick adaptation. Reckless, yes. But potential was there. It was more than he could say for the five recruits whose armor had already shut down, leaving them sitting in the sand, defeated.
A siren blared, and the remaining holographic Hollows dissolved into light.
The barren desert simulation faded, returning the arena to its stark durasteel reality.
Twenty-two rookies remained, panting and sweating.
Theodore's voice echoed once more.
"Fifty-six simulated kills. Thirty-four of you began. Only twenty-two remain standing. You have learned the first lesson: trust the hunter next to you."
He paused, letting the words sink in before delivering the next blow.
"Now, let's see if you can handle each other. The final stage of the trial: a one-on-one battle. Your opponent will be randomly selected. Victory earns you a bonus of 50 Cs. Defeat costs you nothing but your pride. Last one standing in each duel wins.
Begin."
The floor of the arena began to shift, sections rising to form isolated combat platforms. Holographic brackets appeared in the air, randomly assigning pairs.
Russell's heart, which had just begun to calm, started hammering again.
He looked across at Gareth, who gave him a nervous shrug.
They were no longer allies.
They were all potential opponents now.