Preliminary Rounds (Part 1)

The hall was silent.

Everyone shifted around uncomfortably, glancing all over the large room as they registered the faces of numerous strangers that surrounded them. It was only a week until the Evaluation Exams, but the people present couldn't help but feel nervous. The weight of tension that permeated the space only served to intensify their anxiety.

Theo, Liyah, and Kaycee stood amidst this crowd of a few hundred people, calmly waiting in the black and white room alongside everyone else. They had been standing for over thirty minutes, watching as the last of the Combat Exam Applicants trickled in.

'No one else is coming, and it seems the deadline is almost up… so I think this is all of us.' Theo looked around once more and counted over three hundred people. The number wasn't too overwhelming, and since the hall was beyond spacious enough, there was no difficulty moving or even seeing every single person present.

Just as he concluded his train of thought, the walls that stood directly opposite the entrance door suddenly opened up, revealing a mustached gentleman and two much younger female assistants who emerged from the unconventional, new entrance.

The real entrance door also suddenly vanished at the same time these people emerged, causing everyone to instantly place all their attention on them.

"Welcome, dear applicants and potential participants of the Ak'ashi Guild's Evaluation Exams. My name is Claudius, and I will be your proctor for today." The gentleman bowed slightly, one hand on his chest as he did so. 

He wore a formal three-piece suit, with a monocle on his left eye, and a hat which he took off and held in his second hand until he completed his greeting. His suit was an intricate mesh of brown and black, blending perfectly to reveal his prestige and incredible taste. The female attendants, both of whom curtsied at the same time their superior offered his welcome, wore formal gowns—black and white respectively.

Theo noticed Liyah smile with satisfaction at the sight, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes and groan a little. 

"All of you are here, in the Testing Ground of the Outer Court, because—at the point of registration—you were informed to come here exactly a week before the Evaluation Exams." The proctor, Claudius, continued. "There were a total of four hundred and nine that registered, but it seems we are just shy of a few dozen applicants. Whether they forgot the date or changed their mind about going through with the exams doesn't matter. What is of utmost concern at the moment are you three hundred and fifty-seven who are present."

The faces of everyone tightened, and Theo felt especially curious and wary of the proctor. 

"I'll get straight to the point. There are too many of you who registered for the Combat Exams. It's the most we've had in a very long while, and so we have to do something to thin the herd, wouldn't you say?" 

"…." 

Unease grew among the crowd, but Claudius didn't appear concerned with them at all.

Instead, he snapped his fingers, and two platforms suddenly rose from the ground at the furthest ends of the room. The platforms glowed with red hue, and they each seemed to be capable of holding a couple hundred people each.

As the crowd still pondered on what they would be used for, Theo leaned in to his friends and whispered a few words to them:

"Prepare to move."

They didn't initially understand what he meant by that, but soon appreciated those words once Claudius made his announcement. "Race to a platform of your choice. The maximum number each allows is one hundred and fifty people."

WHOOOSH!

In a flash, people charged to either the left or right platforms. While this was happening, there were still some who were slow to the uptake, confused by the sudden competition that seemed entirely disconnected from the 'Orientation' they came to the hall for.

Those unfortunate people were caught in the stampede and were left behind by those who were willing and able to adapt so they could retain their qualifications.

The right platform was the first to reach maximum capacity, and once it did the lights turned green and a barrier quickly covered it from all four sides—preventing any new person from venturing in. 

Some people were so close to the platform's peak, while others had just reached the base when this happened. Unfortunately for them, they could only turn to the left platform for a sliver of hope.

Unfortunately for them… not too long after the right turned green, the left followed suit.

Within barely a minute, both sides had reached maximum capacity.

"Well done, everyone." Claudius smiled, brimming with excitement. "You're quick on the uptake. I like that… I like that very much."

"Hey! This isn't fair!"

"How were we supposed to know there'd be a contest? This is unacceptable!"

"Exactly! I came here for the Orientation… not for a competition. Our Evaluation Exams are still a week away." More and more complaints echoed from those who failed, their dissatisfaction palpable as the noise only rose in tempo.

"Hmm…" Claudius adjusted his monocle as he glared at the complaining losers. "I never called you Exam Participants, though. You're merely applicants, and you can consider your applications rejected."

More cries of dissatisfaction rang out, but Claudius paid them no serious heed. 

"If you have complaints, take it up with the Staff Affairs Division, though I doubt they'd take you any more seriously than I am. You weren't asked to pay any registration fees, so there's nothing to reimburse. The only things you've expended are your transportation fees and time, but if you consider the significance of what you came for, and the risks involved, they balance out quite evenly, wouldn't you agree?"

"What the hell does that mean?!" One particularly disgruntled man yelled out, his voice hoarse from enraged screams. 

"The Guild has every right to reject applications, and even if your application was accepted, you could have lost at the actual Exams. No, judging by how slow you all were… you would have definitely lost." Claudius chuckled. "Can you really blame the Guild for thinning out the herd? Separating the unworthy chaff from fine wheat… It remains an important task in the modern era. A necessary, but hated duty…"

Less people complained as they listened to him, but it was clear that they were still very frustrated.

"Look at the three hundred winners before you. Less than half of them will pass in the next round, and I also wouldn't expect them to complain about it. Life is a series of competitions, and in the end… you either win or lose. You keep playing the game of life, and your existence is not determined by how often you keep winning, but how much you can avoid losing. After all… everyone loses eventually—to death, that is."

"…." Dreary silence pervaded the hall at this point.

Claudius' malevolent smile, and his sinister introduction of the concept of death, made it appear as though he was threatening the disqualified applicants. He quickly noticed the change in mood and laughed gently, switching back to his gentlemanly facade.

"Apologies for my tasteless remarks." He bowed his head. "However, it's time for us to advance to the next round, and so I'd kindly have to ask you to leave. My two assistants will show you out."

The grumblings among the crowd had reached minimal level. There were still some glares here and there, but most people understood that they had lost and were thus unsuited for participating in the Combat Exams.

Some decided to try their hardest the next year, while others gave up entirely.

The two ladies escorted everyone to a wall that suddenly opened up, swallowing everyone as they marched inside. The wall was connected to the exit of the hall, which would take them right into the vast, open compound of the Outer Court.

As they were leaving, Claudius turned to the people on the platform—focusing his attention specifically on the right. "I congratulate you for passing the first hurdle. It seems some of you already knew what was expected of you before I announced the conditions of the challenge… well done."

He glanced at Theo for a moment, smiling sweetly, before turning away.

'Who is this guy?' Theo pondered. 'I really don't like him…'

The way he talked down on the disqualified applicants got on the boy's nerves, and his twisted philosophy of life was something he couldn't accept. Would it have hurt if he calmly explained the situation to those who failed, offering them hope for the next Exams, rather than resorting to the extreme measure he opted for?

It made no sense to Theo, especially since he understood the Ak'ashi Guild to be akin to a family.

However, he said nothing.

It wasn't his place to speak up. Plus, he didn't have the luxury of worrying about others and was instead concerned with how to pass whatever new challenge their proctor would throw at them.

Claudius' two assistants returned to his side after they were done escorting the 'failures' away, kick-starting what could be considered the main contest among the ones deserving of the proctor's time and Guild resources.

"The rules for this round are simple, and it lasts for ten minutes. Every minute, the maximum capacity of each platform will be reduced by a constant figure. If the number of people on the platform exceeds the maximum capacity, it will turn red and everyone on the platform will fail." The explanation began. "Your task is to make sure the maximum capacity is never surpassed by the people on the platform using any means necessary."

"Any means? Including killing?" 

"Ah…" Claudius closed his eyes as he smiled at the lanky man who spoke. "Killing is highly prohibited in the Guild… contest or not. You should never resort to that, or even grievous bodily harm. I hope I am understood."

"Hehe… got it."

Claudius snapped his fingers, and the floor behind him suddenly rose, forming a chair that allowed him to sit comfortably. The two attendants behind him walked forward until they stood right next to his white and black chair.

"What are you waiting for? The clock has already started ticking."

Upon hearing this, panic set in among the crowd and bloodshot glares were instantly exchanged by multiple individuals at the same time. Claudius watched all of this in amusement, his eyes focused on a select group of people while chuckling calmly.

One of the girls seemed to notice this and whispered gently to him. "Lord Claudius…"

"A-ahh… did I go too far?" He smiled, realizing just how disturbing he might have appeared to his dear contestants. "Sorry… I'll be more prudent henceforth."

As the contestants eyed one another, closing in as they prepared for combat, Claudius sat back and allowed his excitement to flash in his eyes.

"Still, I plan to enjoy the show."