The experience was surreal for Jose when he acquired his volunteer badge from an attendant sitting behind a desk, their room unable to keep away the sounds of roaring citizens excited for the upcoming displays of strength and skill.

“This is fucking nuts…” Lysa whispered to him, the both of them lined up in front of a large gate with only a crack of light to shine through the darkness. He hadn’t fully wrapped his head around how much of a spectacle the Elders would make this process. Maybe the showmanship was all Isabella’s idea? Stimulate citizens into spending their earned gold towards snacks and memorabilia to commemorate the occasion.

“Good morning, citizens of Ileah…” Elder Nero’s voice was muffled, his voice amplified to push beyond the noise of the crowds. “Although we are making an event of this situation, know that these brave volunteers are fighting for a chance to risk their lives to elevate the lives of the rest of the colony!”

His statement was punctuated with uproarious applause, the sounds of it reverberating through Jose’s bones.

“There are 10 spots available on our carrier, a machine fitted to pull and salvage whatever might be found at the location of interest. These 10 volunteers must be the best of us, able to handle the monsters that lurk in the hollow mangroves of the Great Glades. They must be knowledgeable enough to avoid traps and assess what salvage is valuable. They must be cunning to avoid the detection of foes far larger than they are!”

Jose’s stomach was beginning to turn.

“We have given them a week to prepare because a week is all we can afford to remain en route! The Elders hope they have placed this week to good use.” The crowd's applause was beginning to die down.

Was something happening outside of the gates?

“We would like to welcome our volunteers. Please, everyone, give them a round of applause for their bravery.” Elder Tessa said in a gentle tone. The gates in front of them shifted outward, the crack of light in their dark room splitting wide with blinding light.

“We’re up, partner.” Lysa pushed Jose and he stepped forward. The once muffled applause became a tidal wave of noise that had him reeling but he pushed onward. The Elders were standing on a raised platform set up at the field of the celebratory hall. Those ahead of Jose were standing on marked posts on the floor and he followed suit, looking around him in awe once he stopped walking. He had hoped he’d be able to see Laura and Radolfo wherever they were seated but they were either too indistinct from the sea of people around them or the mass of people in the hall obscured wherever they were.

“Oh gods, why…” Jose mumbled, overwhelmed with the showmanship of the situation. The crowd began to settle once the total number of volunteers entered the hall. The once uproarious atmosphere had settled into a tense silence, one that had volunteers and audience members alike, waiting in anticipation.

“We Elders are proud that so many of you have joined to contribute for the benefit of Ileah, and for that, we are proud of you and the rest of our citizens. It brings me great joy to see you all here, a testament to how far we are willing to go to overcome adversity and provide for those that cannot. Thank you.” Elder Tessa walked away from her podium.

Elder Isabella stepped up to hers, the voice amplification device sending her audible sigh across the space. “I agree with everything my fellow Elders have stated thus far, but we all know you came here to see feats of strength and skill! This ain’t a typical gladiatorial arena, but that won't stop me from making it feel like one for you fine folk in the audience. So, let's get this show on the route!” She snapped her fingers and the gates on either side of the volunteers opened up. Streaming into the hall were masked Vanguardian soldiers carrying the soul measurement boxes Emma had used on Lysa a week prior. There were 10 in all, lined up to face the organized volunteers.

“This is our first test, our most boring, but I assure you it will allow us to make the second and third tests that much more explosive and dynamic! What our gracious Vanguard soldiers will be doing with those boxes down there is measure the volunteers soul aptitude. There’s gonna be some math involved to compare raw talent with specialized skills and experience but that’s not something I need to trouble you fine folk with.”

The Vanguard soldiers called out the first volunteers to step forward and place their hands on the box, receiving instructions on what to do and how the results will be interpreted. Jose gave Lysa a look of panic but remained in place, waiting for the person ahead of him to finish their assessment before he stepped forward.

“Place your hand on the device and expel your soul into it. Just a trickle of it will allow the device to take in everything your soul can give and will leave you feeling quite woozy afterwards. Your assessment will be used for the next stage placements.” The Vanguard soldier recited. Jose was curious about why they would need placements for the next stage but made no comment.

He placed his hand on the device and concentrated on his soul, the coldness in his core growing outward onto his fingertips and into the device. The moment a sliver of soul entered the device, the rest of his soul poured out of him like a torrent of cold water streaming within his body. The device lit up on different sides as it scrutinized Jose’s raw talent. The soldier inspected the results of the device and wrote them down into his notes.

“Hm.” The soldier uttered, looking at his machine with momentary confusion and then looking at Jose again. “You’re decidedly above average in Sight and Sense. You eek out above average in Communion. Your Reinforcement skills are shoddy but usable. Your Kinesis skills are non-existent. You don’t need me to inform you about what your Aspect is.”

The moment was bittersweet for Jose. To be considered above average in three of these pillars meant a lot to him. To hear his accomplishments be validated even for the skills he was not considered good at, to get any of his skills up to the point was a testament to the training. The soldier had even saved him from the embarrassment of vocalizing his lack of an Aspect, the rigidity of being Hollow.

“Go to the waiting room on your right. When this testing is finished, you will be placed in a group of your peers and the next stage will take place.” The soldier pointed at a gate where those that finished testing in the first stage walked towards.

“Thank you.” Jose replied and walked towards his next destination. The waiting room was similar to the other waiting room they had started in, with refreshments and snacks at tables people were congregating around and groups of people making small talk amongst themselves.

“-think I’ve nailed the first stage! I’ve got to be a shoe-in for-” Jose caught a young man mid-conversation with a young woman, voice loud and ecstatic with their apparent results.

How lucky for him.

“Hey there, partner,” Lysa called out to Jose as she entered the room, spotting him in the corner of the room, “Seems like we’re done with the first stage already. I expected something more but then again, I’m not sure what I should have expected.”

“Lysa, you’re not making any sense.” Jose replied.

“Whatever. How’d you end up doing.”

“Fine. Better than expected considering my circumstances. You?”

“Great. Can always be better but compared to these small fry, I’m a monster.” Lysa flexed her muscles and he shook his head. “Did you make note of that placement thing the Elder mentioned?”

“Yeah I did,” Jose started in a whisper, pulling Lysa in close, “And I have maybe one or two ideas of what they plan to do. I think they’re placing us into groups with comparative skills so we can show off to a judge or grouping us with volunteers with comparative stat scores and have us commit towards solving the same task.”

“A nice guess but off the mark.” A female voice replied. Lysa and Jose looked up and saw a pair of dark skinned Ileahians in Onesea garb. Both of their faces were weathered with nicks and scrapes all across their body. The man had a cool, almost bored expression compared to the fiery and wild eyed eyes of his compatriot.

“Who are you and why are you listening in on our conversation?” Lysa crossed her arms and looked down on the shorter woman. The woman showed no signs of intimidation, motioning for the four of them to congregate to another section of the room.

“The name’s Carmina, this is my brother Matteo. I’m sorry to have barged in like that, a bad habit of mine but I’d rather have barged in than a slimier fucker.” Carmina sneered with her last comment, her eyes surveying their surroundings with open contempt.

“And what makes you think we’ll trust in you as opposed to any of those other slimy fucks as you referred to them?” Jose asked.

“She's… a handful, but she means well. I hope that you can trust us enough considering that part of stage two and stage three are taking place…” Matteo’s voice was soft, barely a whisper despite his workmans bulk.

“Look, trust me or not, I know a couple of good, unaffiliated folk when I see them. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t doing this for our self interest, but I think we can help each other out here.”

“Just tell us what you want and we’ll think about it. Stop speaking in riddles!” Lysa sounded exasperated. Jose wasn’t far off, with discussions of affiliations and secret sections of the test taking place sounding more like conspiratorial talk than anything else.

“Alright, I’ll speak plain then. Keeping an ear out for these sorts of things, I’ve picked up a bit here and there about a surprise for the audience and what to expect for the next stage. You there, with the book and the baby fat, were close on the mark. It’d make sense to jump to those conclusions considering what they gave us in that rules document earlier today but Isabella’s looking to make a show of things. Sell merchandise, increase morale, sell exclusive tickets to the third event, shit merchants get wet thinking about. They’re planning to change the rules of the game on us and reveal it to the audience when this first portion is done.”

Before Jose could object to the reasoning, Lysa cut in, “That’s a load of croc shit. Unless you’ve got proof of any of this, it’s just plain croc shit otherwise.” Jose didn’t disagree with her assessment. It wasn’t an abstraction of thinking to assume that the Elder would do such a thing, given the rumors he’d heard from Radolofo and passersby that dealt with her in some capacity or another, but to turn the whole event on its head without the input of the other Elders was a stretch.

“Like I said, believe in me or not, I know you two are worth sticking my neck out for. I’ll leave this with you before we go; the second test is going to be a duel and I’d prefer if the both of you weren’t eliminated so we can meet up for the final section of this vetting process.” Carmina leaned away from the both of them and Matteo followed suit. “Good luck.” She waved the both of them off and merged back into the crowds of people congregated in the center of the room.

Lysa turned to Jose, “What do you make of all that?” Jose thought about her statements for a moment while he observed the patterns of the crowds.

“I don’t think it hurts us to humor her statements in some capacity. If she is right, then there is someone or a group of people in Isabella's conspiracy planning to take advantage of the situation. If she isn’t telling the truth, then we just listened to a competitor trying to psyche us out.” Jose concluded. Lysa clicked her tongue but said nothing else. He would have preferred remaining in the background at least until the end of the second exam but now he needed information, either to dispel the statements of their mysterious benefactor or glean weaknesses from potential competitors.

“Hey, someone’s approaching us.” Jose broke from thought as Lysa nudged him to a new stranger's attention. There were many things jumping out at Jose as the man approached; the cherubic face with piercing green eyes coupled with a heavyset frame, the friendly smile on his face that was almost apologetic as he approached, and the Archivist vestments that clung tightly to his skin.

“G-good morning f-fellow Archivists.” The man’s voice cracked in places as if struggling to get the words out without stuttering. He extended a thick hand out to them.

Lysa gave Jose a knowing look and grabbed the hand with a firm grip, “Hey there, friend. What brings you over here to our corner of the room?”

“O-oh, I just saw that you had those vestments and thought that I should be with my own people.” He replied. Their hands retracted and Lysa wiped her palm on her robes.

“Which cabal do you work for?” Jose asked.

“Oh, I work in the preservation wing. I was excited to see that other Archivists were participating in this event but didn’t know anyone in the preservation wing that had done so. I looked you guys up in the registry but couldn’t find your specializations”

Jose was taken aback. Searching for someone on the event registry was something that they had talked about to see what their competition's average skill level was so maybe he was being paranoid after the conversation with Carmina...

“Well, if you know our full names, I’d like to know yours.” Lysa said.

“O-oh where are my manners, I’m Gabriel Casebas. Friends call me Gabe.” Gabe replied.

Jose looked at Lysa and gestured with his eyes to keep Gabe engaged. Lysa made an imperceptible nod before asking Gabe questions about himself. Their conversation was becoming a back and forth about what their cursory motivations were for attending the event or what kind of work they did in the Annals that they could talk about without breaching the geas.

Jose’s attention wasn’t on that though. He was looking intently at the crowd, a thin layer of Soul covering his eyes as he scanned the crowd for anomalous Soul activity. There was something odd with how some groups motioned themselves to have conversations facing their corner of the room. He looked back at Gabe and saw he was speaking with a film of Soul covering his mouth. He couldn’t figure out its function, but made a guess that Gabriel was eager to talk to Lysa and deliver information to his conspirators.

The chatter in the room stopped abruptly when a service worker called for the volunteers to come back out to the celebratory hall.

“It was nice chatting with you, Lysa,” Gabriel turned to Jose, “I’m sorry we didn’t get to talk with one another Mr. Ileria. Your friend has a real gift for gab.” Gabriel struggled to laugh.

“Well I’m sure the conversation was quite productive for the lot of you.” Jose replied. He caught a lapse of panic in Gabriels face before it reverted to the apologetic smile.

“Good luck.” Gabriel walked away.

Lysa turned to Jose, “So, how likely are you believing that something weird is going on? Because I had to do a lot to keep the conversation on myself while talking to him. Seems he was really keen to learn more about you.”

“We’ll find out more once we get out there, but if we see Carmina again, we might have to thank her. It’s looking less and less crazy that this whole event is going to turn on its head.” Jose responded. The two of them lined up with the rest of the volunteers and walked back out onto the open area of the celebratory hall.

The anticipation blanketing the crowd was palpable from all the way down there, the volunteers' movements rigid as they walked back to their designated spots.

It didn’t evade his attention that the grass they were standing on had a massive rectangular sparring area marked in white chalk behind their lineup.

Elder Isabella approached her podium and cleared her throat, speaking clearly for the rest of the audience to hear, ‘It seems that there’s been a change of plans.”