When we got back to the base we were greeted sternly by a very annoyed middle-aged man with an evil-looking goatee. He had a sharp jet black haircut that lined down to his equally sharp goatee, a permanent scowl was engraved into his chiselled jawlines. A pair of gray dull eyes bore into my skull behind his cool sunglasses and his sharp eyebrows didn’t help much. Crossing his arms over his chest which was covered by a chocolate brown leather jacket with a typical black tiger t-shirt underneath. Those were paired with a pair of dark blue denim ripped jeans and as far as I could see there were too many rips on the jeans. Finally the outfit was completed with a pair of scary looking combat boots covered in mud and red liquid.

Overall this man was the definition of manly and terrifying with his bulging muscles and disgusted face. The tapping sound of his boot hitting the marbel floor indicated that he was impatiently waiting for something. Probably us.

Deciding to look somewhere else instead, I focused my attention on the lobby of our base. Cracked marbel floor covered the entire level including the walls and desks making the lobby seem modern. There were six quartz pillars on each side of the rooms supporting the whole floor and they were adorned with pictures of older people with each of them beaming with smiles. Except. They don’t look happy in an innocent way. Their eyes look almost as if they lost something important to them. I shook it off thinking it was probably my imagination. Beige walls surrounded us with, surprisingly, nothing hanging on them. A single enormous ceiling light hung over us illuminating everything in sight. When we had first entered a wooden reception table faced with an old looking woman that looked as if she had eaten some ‘candy’. (Don’t do candies kids).

“Hey Traveo! How’ve you been!” Ecstatically waxing at Traveo with one arm and the other clutching at Dei Kristen beamed at Traveo. Although the only response she got was a grunt. A very annoyed grunt. Our group silently walked the walk of shame towards Traveo, we didn’t actually walk the walk of shame but it felt like the walk of shame from that man’s look.

“Don’t ‘hey’ me!” Traveo glared menacingly at us, “Come with me! This place is too open.” Sending us one last glare at us Mr. Grumpypants turned on his heels and went through a door to our left. I could only stare at where he disappeared. If it wasn’t for Dei’s cough I would have still been looking till this. Thanks to the cough I shook out of my trance and followed the rest of my group.

The door had led us to a brightly lit stairway filled with hundreds of burn marks and blast marks that looked awfully familiar. When the clanging sound of footsteps was replaced by a safe opening sound I knew we had arrived.

“Um… Mr. T-Traveo? We have to treat Dei and Liamon!”

Why am I such a noob at talking? Does anyone even use noob these days?

“WE’LL TREAT THEM WHEN WE TREAT THEM!” Echoes bounced around the stairway over powering the sound of the door opening. Once the door flew open we all silently limped forwards.

Jeez, anger management much.

Upon entering the base the smell of metal overpowered the smell of Dei’s blood though it didn’t really make the air lighter. And of course we had appeared in a corridor.

“You guys really need to decorate this place more or else other new recruits are gonna think this is a place for experiments,” I stated to Liam, “Anyways who’s Mr. Anger management guy?” Nodding towards the man that was practically radiating anger in front of us. Unbeknownst to me Liam had started to slip….. I’m doomed.

“Hey! HEY! I’M SLIPPING!” A thud was heard along with a curse word. That was all it took for me to start running.

“JRAKE YOU ARE SO DEAD! HOW DARE YOU DROP ME!” Like a normal person I pushed past the others and ran for my life. Although I didn’t get too far as a pair of hands snatched at my legs preventing me from going anywhere.

“Wooeo!” Was all I managed before I fell face first on the cold hard floor.

Could’ve just cursed at me. Now I can’t say ‘see ya later al-liam-gator’.

“You better stop messing around boy or you’re gonna be next in the forge!” Traveo barked before storming past us.

“I don’t know what that is but I don’t like the sound of that.” Pushing myself up I scrambled to help Liam and chased after the others but this time making sure Liam had a strong hold.

“Listen up you, I don’t normally try to collaborate with people that suck at being a recruit but this is an exception especially since the arena battles are coming.” Liam’s nose wrinkled acceptingly. Slightly curling his lips at me in a nice way we both bustled over to the group.

It turns out we had been heading to an empty room on the side filled with only five chairs. Four facing the fifth chair looking like an interrogation room. Plain walls accented the boringness and ade the room look like a worn out cell. A single light dangled dangerously from a thin piece of web-like string illuminating only the center of the room.

“Sit down you four,” Mr. Woke-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-bed gruffed out slamming the door behind us with a huge bang. Me, now scared of fiery-o Traveo, timidly sat down onto the seat at the left side of the room. Although this time I remembered Liam and gently plopped him down on the seat to my right. Kristen and Dei also sat down with Dei beside Liam and Kristen energetically dominating the seat.

“Alright you little excuse for recruits, you f-”

“Alright I’m gonna stop you right there Traveo. I just wanted to say if you are going to yell at us then at least leave Jrake out of this! He didn’t even get any training unlike us.” Surprising everyone, Kristen spoke up to Exploding-emotion man. But the most surprised person was me. Why? Who knows.

Is she sticking up for me? I didn’t know a dwarf could feel something other than excitement!

“Are you talking back to me?” Traveo the Angreo loomed over Kristen. I swear I saw fire illuminate in his calves but it was probably just my imagination.

“Well you just talked back to her so we should be able to talk back to you! AND CAN WE GO TO THE INFIRMARY ALREADY?” Soon the room got filled with yelling. One grown man versus two fourteen year olds all yelling at each other very intensely. It even got to the point that the chairs had been tipped over with me behind a chair. I felt like I was in a trench in war.

“YOU ARE JUST AS BAD AS QORA!” Traveo pushed aside Liam. Watching Liam fall to the side of me, the war feeling inside of me felt more realistic.

“What did you just say?” All of a sudden the air around us turned cold. I didn’t dare turn around to see Kristen’s, probably furious, face.

“I said you are just as bad as Qora.”

“Then you must be a homeless person compared to me because Qora is a princess. And soon you will be a corpse.” And right after that Kristen kicked up a chair and screaming.

When I peeked behind the chair my face paled, I saw Dei clutching tightly at her scratched arm in the most dangerous place. In between Traveo and Kristen’s attack. Her strained face was heart-wrenching. Clenched teeth looking at the verge of cracking…..I hated it.

Her scar’s getting worse! If they don’t stop fighting one of us is going to die!

“WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP!” Right after that everyone’s attention was on me.

This base is cursed.

However my fear was quickly replaced with blazing fury, “CAN’T YOU SEE THAT ONE OF US IS GOING TO DIE? AND AREN’T WE ALL SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE SAME BASE? LITERALLY?” My bravery was short lived as they all looked confusedly at me. Well, confused and angrily.

“Um….. we need to bring Dei and Liam to the infirmary, wherever it is, and treat their injuries as quickly as possible!” I tried my best to sound as brave as possible and honestly? I’m pretty proud of it.

“...Jrake’s right! Follow me. And Traveo? If you want to continue fuming in this room you can stay,” Kristen ordered. Immediately storming away after that gesturing towards us to follow her. Her heterochromia eyes glimmering with such intensity it was unnatural. Flabbergasted by her outburst, I hooked my arms around Dei and Liam before bounding after Kristen.

I guess dwarves can also be scary. Note to self: Never insult this Qora person in front of Kristen.

“Cheeses crust! Why are your arms so heavy!” I gritted as I struggled to get a good grip on the two.

“Maybe you’re just weak and we’re strong. Huh? Ever thought of that?” Liam instantly retorted sending a somewhat scary scowling in my direction. Whereas I…...stuck out my tongue at him. A bad comeback? Yes, however I will work on my comebacks. Oneday.

Arriving at our stop at last Kristen slid open a sliding door revealing a hospital-like room. Beds lined the sides of the room each separated by light green curtains, this was probably the only room that I will find completely white. The beds were lined with typical hospital things including; the oxygen thingys with the tubes、bedside table with jugs of water and you can’t forget the heart monitor at the other side of the bed. Yeah….

“Excuse me? Barley? Are you here? Oh yeah, Jrake just put them on one of the empty beds. And make sure they’re empty.”

Make sure? As in feel it?

Suspiciously walking over to a bed I felt it around. This action made me feel very weird. Very. Weird.

“I guess Dei….You can take this bed and Liam…. I’ll find you another bed and I’ll make sure that your highness has a perfect bed.” And thus I carefully placed Dei on the hospital bed before going to the next bed and tossing Liam onto it. Although,

“Ow! Can’t you see that I’m using this bed? Honestly, people these days!” A silvery voicery voice barked out. And suddenly there on the bed a girl violently shimmered into existence right in front of my eyes. As she turned to face us upon seeing Liam her head including her silver shoulder-length hair disappeared leaving us with a headless body and also allowing us to see inside her body. She was wearing a pale pink coloured cardigan covering a baby blue tank top with a dark blue heart on it. Yoga shorts covered her bottom half while jet black sneakers accompanied by yellow spotted socks lay on the hospital bed.

“Yes we can definitely see you and your invisible head,” I quipped.

“Jrake? Help,” It seemed that Liam had been quick enough to teleport his hand to catch him.

“Didn’t you say you were strong? You can just wait here while I make this headless person leave seeing that she doesn’t seem to be hurt anywhere.” Upon hearing the words ‘headless’ her head glimmered messily back to its rightful place although the face I saw was not one I expected.

“OhmygoshI’msosorryyoucantotallyusethisbedI’lljustfilemyreporttoBarleyandthenyoucanhavethisbedokaybye.” Right after that she jumped off the bed and raced out of the room. I think I heard squealing escape her mouth.

“Jrakeee!” Liam’s whole body had started to vibrate immensely.

Alright I guess I can save him now.

“Hup!” And I held onto Liam’s arm and hoisted him onto the bed. Since Liam’s foot had been broken he couldn’t move it thus I, yes me, had to move it for him. Disgusting.

“Couldn’t your leg be less bloody?” I tried my best to inch my hand away from the bloody area although it wasn’t quite successful.

“Okay, I think Kristen’s gonna come back with Barry soon so-”

“Barley. His name is Barley and he’s our main medic guy.” Letting a groan slip out of his mouth Liam picked up a glass of water.

“Um... By the way do you know who that girl was just now?” I asked, “She... seems to like you…. A lot.” Judging by the pure smile, which he has never shown me before, that had appeared on his face she was probably an important person to him.

“Yea, Renee but,” Now his smile had disappeared, “Everyone knows she has a crush on me. In fact, she likes almost every boy she sees. A hopeless romantic I guess that’s what you call it.”

“Huh.” As I stood up to check up on Dei’s injury something Liam said caught my attention.

“By the way, you ready for your classes?” This caused every single one of my muscles to stop half stride. Slowly, I turned to look at Liam smiling coldly at him,

“Excuse me what?”

“Oh boy.” Was all Liam said before a burly man came barging in.