Chapter 10

The Wizard dorm was a square, red building with many windows. It was located on the west side of campus between Sorcerer and Elementalist. 

It smelled of books and coffee. The RA, or Residential Advisor, greeted us. "Just two? I thought we'd have at least a few more this round." he shrugged. He had short brown hair and brown eyes. In his hand was a yellow mug with black lightning bolts on it. Steam rose from the coffee inside. "My name is Brew. I like to say that I can help you brew a deck or a mean coffee."

Only Quake laughed at that. 

"Alright. Lemme show you two around Wizard dorm." He gestured for us to follow him. We picked up our bags and did so. "Like all dorms, there are four floors. The first floor is the main floor. Games are played here and on the fourth floor. The second and third floor are for the bedrooms. Floor three is for the gentlemen so the ladies can have the lower floor. We have an elevator near the RA's office, but we also have two sets of stairs on either side of the building. You know, in case of emergencies like a fire or a power outage."

He led us to a room full of other students playing KING'S RULE. It was a massive room. At least forty students sat at tables that could seat only two. Holograms hovered over each table, presenting each player's life total as well as the cards in play exile. Some of the games were being timed as well.

"Wizard dorm is the third largest dorm. Only Saint and Exorcist have a bigger occupancy. Sorcerer had only 200 students while Elementalist had a little less than 75. At least before you guys came in. By the way, did you see the third bus come by? We usually get three buses full before school starts."

Both of us shook our heads. Brew shrugged. "Let's hope we get a few more in this Dorm."

"Why are you so obsessed with how many students get sorted into Wizard?" Quake asked.

"I guess you two wouldn't know since they don't exactly put it in the brochure. The thing is that each dorm is locked in competition. Once a semester, the dorm with the highest occupancy gets rewarded with better amenities. Also, once a month, the dorms hold a tournament. After school hours of course. The more students we have, the more we can put into the tourney."

"Which gives us a higher chance of winning." I said.

Brew smiled at me. "See. you get it! Now, for the last three semesters, we got second place in the big tourneys. Those tourneys are basically the accumulation of all of the winners from the other smaller tourneys. Because of our placement, each student gets a bundle of cards from an upcoming set."

"So we basically get 200 cards for free."

"Not exactly. I mean, unless you're some kind of prodigy, the tournaments are definitely a challenge. Anyway, let me show you the fourth floor." he pointed to an office by the elevator we were approaching. "By the way, that's the RA's office. If you ever need anything, just give one of us a knock and we'll help you. I only work the day shift, when most of you are at school. Nacht is in charge of Wizard dorm from sundown to sun up. You'll meet him later."

Brew pressed the button by the elevator. We had to wait a minute for the car to come down. When it did, the door opened and let out a few dozen students. They were all too busy chatting to notice us.

Like most things at Runeg, the elevator was massive. It could fit at least twenty people!

We got to the fourth floor and stepped out. The entire floor was filled with playing tables. Rows and columns were filled with people playing. On the walls were long lines of students either waiting for a table or for the vending machine.

"That reminds me," Quake said to me. "We should talk to Mark and Kit about trying to find the vending machines. The hidden ones."

I frowned. "Who?"

"Mark and Kit. The redhead in Sorcerer and the four eyes in Exorcist."

I nodded. I forgot I never got their names. "Right. Maybe we can meet up with them at lunch and talk about it."

"Good idea."

Brew led us around the room. We watched him offer advice to people in a match. He seemed really good at deckbuilding.

"You should have played that one instead. It would have given you the boost to win the game on your next turn." he said to one player. "Maybe you should take this card out. It doesn't really synergize with this deck that well. Can I recommend you a few cards?" "That's a really good use of that card! I think if you add this card to your deck, you'll get more bang for your buck."

I immediately found myself drawn to Brew. He seemed really good at deck building. Whether it was adding cards or swapping them out, he knew exactly what was needed to optimize a deck.

When he was done, he turned to us. "By the way, the vending machines are located on the first and fourth floor." He paused, looked over his shoulder. Then he leaned in to us and whispered, "I do want to hint that one of the secret ones you were looking for is nearby, but I won't tell you exactly where it is." he winked at us.

Quake and I exchanged glances and grinned.