Chapter 10 - The Vertical Retreat Tactic

"Sometimes the only difference between a hero and a fool is how many people get hurt."

— Elder Maida of Stonepetal Hollow

*Theo POV*

Along one wall of the daycare, mismatched wooden cubbies overflowed with satchels, sticks, and half-finished paintings of spiritual beasts and heroic cultivators were pinned to the wall. A low hum of chatter and giggles rose from the back of the room, where a group of my friends had gathered around a chalk circle, shrieking as they assigned roles for yet another game of Cultivators and Monsters.

Richard and I sat beside each other by one of the windows. He had a multiple sheets of paper strewn out in front of him on the table, each clouded with inky fingerprints and spidery annotations. I watched in silence as he fidgeted with his charcoal pencil before trying again.

"...I said they want me to be the Monster Lord this time. You know, because of the voice I did last week."

Richard didn't look up. "Huh?"

"You know, the voice. The deep one that made Max cry a little? You said it sounded like a frog choking on smoke," I sighed.

"Right, mhm, that was good. Very, uhh, croaky," mumbled Richard, crossing something out and tapping a foot on the ground.

That's it. I had enough. "You're not really listening."

"I am listening! I'm just..." Richard lifted the paper a little, holding it up to the light, then muttered something about lever tension and adjustable type trays.

"It's fine, Rich, I get it. You're still thinking about that book presser of yours."

He finally looked at me, his eyes apologetic as he shot me a sheepish glance.

"It's like it won't leave my head," Richard said. "I have to get it right."

"You should go work on it then. Meanwhile, I'm going to go play Cultivators and Monsters." I turned my back, somewhat annoyed at Rich. I know he didn't mean to zone out and ignore me, but it's not like I'm going to sit there and take it. "I don't really understand what half of that thing even does. So I'll go play for a bit. You've got your gears and boxes, and I've got roaring and tree climbing."

Rich laughed, saying "you're a good Monster Lord."

Leaving Rich to his own devices, I walked over to the chalk circle to join in on the game of Cultivators and Monsters. It had been a while since I last played, all owing to Rich teaching me how to read and our preparation for his book machine. It had been a couple weeks already since he joined the daycare, and those couple weeks felt like forever.

Most of the people at the circle were already friends of mine. Either Maria or Lina - I can never tell which is which - waved at me as I approached, and Gus ran on over in a hasty excitement.

"Yo, Theo! You fancy joining us for a game?" he asked, brimming with expectation.

"You sure bet I am. Just wait for a bit - I'll ask Teach if we can play outside rather than in here. I want to show you guys some things you can do whilst outside."

"Yeah, of course. It's been a while since you taught us this game, so it was getting kind of all the same. Playing outside must be way more fun!"

I jogged on over to Teach, who lay there front and centre on a makeshift bed of pillows, still as a statue as usual, the closer I got to him, the stronger the stench of ale.

"Teacher Gernot, I was wondering if you could please let us play in the playground outside. I want to go climb some trees with my friends, please," I begged him.

He took the slightest of what could be considered a glance at me, his eyelids allowing only a sliver of light through. Groggily, he responded.

"Sure, sure, go on then," he mumbled. Success. We had our permission - Gus'll be thrilled.

***

The sun had encroached directly above us in the sky, scattering golden light across the small fenced courtyard. The grass, patchy in places, trampled in others, encompassed the perimeter, proudly defining the lone tree, mighty and tall in the centre of it all. The tree, wide-branched and scarred in regions, looked monumental as it clawed towards the heavens.

Seven children stood in a ragged semicircle in front of me, constantly shuffling, and wide-eyed awaiting my orders. Their ages ranged from barely into toddlerhood up to my own age. Each of them hung onto my every breath as I waved around a commanding stick as though it were a divine blade of sorts. Maria and Lina held each other's hands, a drop of sweat falling simultaneously from their foreheads. Gus stood there, arms to his side, tracing my every movement with his pupils. Even little Else, who usually cried at loud noises, was blinking up at me with something close to awe.

I stood there, legs shoulder-width apart, the sunlight highlighting my hair into some sort of golden halo, one arm behind my back, and the other holding the stick. I took a deep breath, then swept a serious gaze across the group, clearing my throat for effect.

"Gather around, everyone, for today the mightiest of you shall reach heights you could previously only dream of!"

I started to pace around the group, each member firmly planted where they were. Gasps rippled through the crowd, and I could have sworn I head a couple gulps.

"The battlefield is no place for the slow and the weak. When the Monsters descend from the mountains and the sky turns black with their fury, only the most agile - those with the strength to rise - will survive. And escape."

I turned, gesturing at the tree with my blade. "Behold: your salvation. An ancient manoeuvre, passed down from my grandfather to me, and now to you... the Vertical Retreat Tactic."

One of the twins burst into a grin whilst Gus cheered me on. Else's mouth opened in silent admiration.

I placed my hand on the trunk of the tree, on an indent seemingly carved out just for me.

"To climb is to live. To reach the top is to ascend. And when you can perch in the branches like a hawk overlooking the battlefield..." I pause for dramatic effect. "Then you can drop acorns on the Monster Lord's head"

"Now all of you, come focus and watch and repeat my every action." I hoisted myself up to the top of the tree before sliding down the trunk, bowing to my audience.

"So, who's next?"

***

*THUD*

Another one of the children hit the floor; this time it was Gus, who let out a yelp. I told them to stop climbing after the first one hurt himself, but they refused to listen. I didn't realise they weren't as strong as me, or that they didn't have any practice. And I couldn't catch them in time either...

None of them were stopping. The sky was raining children, and my ears had got used to hearing cries, shouts, and yelps. Yet, for some reason, they kept on climbing up again and again and again. Some had bruised themselves, others had grazed or cut themselves. None of them listened to my pleas to stop.

Just then, Teach burst through the door to the courtyard and shouted.

"What the hell is going on here? Everyone come inside! Right now! And Theo... I expected better of you. I trusted you, and now I have seven children with injuries to treat, and parents to apologise to. What do you say for yourself?" screamed an enraged Teach, his speech still slurred and his arm movements chaotic.

I wanted to shrivel up and cry. Tears formed in my eyes and streaked down my face, but I didn't want to scream. It was a silent cry, one of a small creature hopeless in front of a giant. He's right, after all. It was all my fault.

"You're the one who gave them all permission, Teach. Theo explicitly said tree climbing, and you didn't bat an eyelid," piped a confident, high-pitched voice from behind the teacher. He was obscured by the man's frame, but that was definitely Rich. "And besides, couldn't you hear Theo tell them not to climb once he realised his mistake? Maybe if you weren't so inebriated all the time and spent more of the day acting as a teacher rather than a piece of furniture, this could all have been avoided."

The courtyard went quiet. The younger kids froze mid-sniffle, watching with wide eyes. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

Teacher Gernot turned, blinking sluggishly at Richard as though seeing him for the first time today. His mouth opened and closed, no words forming, only the stink of sour ale drifting from his breath like fog. Finally, he muttered something like, "Watch your tone," and stormed back inside, grumbling about bandages and ungrateful brats.

Rich walked over to the grass and came up to me, his paper blueprint in hand, and used it to dry my tears. "I ruined everything," I muttered, half the syllables struggling to make it out of my throat.

"You're not their parent, Theo. You're not even the teacher." He leaned back on his hands, tilting his head up to look at the leaves shifting above. "It's not your job to fix everything."

"I wanted to be someone they looked up to."

"They do look up to you. Did you see their faces? You gave them something real today. Even if it went a little wrong, it wasn't nothing."

We sat in silence for a while. My chest still felt tight, but the tears had stopped. I stood, legs a little shaky, but steadier than before. I glanced one last time at the tree, now swaying gently in the wind. Its bark still bore the marks of our scuffles, our foolish bravery.

Rich didn't say anything, but he nodded at me.

"You- you used your bl-"

"It's a draft," he said. "Version four's better anyway."