The following day unfolded as the last one, and they got beaten green and blue in the rings. But that didn’t prevent the duo from trying their best, and they managed to win two times out of ten. That didn’t get them less bruised though, perhaps even more in fact, as each victory got Tiarsus even angrier.

Lunch was spent replaying their fights and searching for better solutions and improving mistakes. It was mostly Mahon’s speaking and Zac played the role of the attentive student. That was how they had always worked together and they didn’t see why they should do it differently now. It was just another hardship they would have to surmount together. Only a bit more painful.

The afternoon was the only time of the day where the duo was separated. They had discussed if they should do the same specialized lessons, but Mahon had soon discarded the idea stating they had different needs to grind. While Mahon was still focused on building his body, Zac trained with the sword and learned military first treatment. Given what he told Mahon, he was genuinely enjoying the latter, and he much preferred helping over fighting.

During the evening, the roles were usually reversed, and it was Zac who taught a studious Mahon. Nobility and Ratho were the main subjects, but that night they also drew a list of the First White they should be able to challenge. However, there were no more happy tunes in the background and Mahon couldn’t unsee the grief in his friend’s eyes. The loss of his sitar weighed heavily on the passionate musician and when Zac searched around intuitively for his instrument and stopped himself a few moments later with a sorrowful look, Mahon couldn’t stop the anger building inside him.

Their discussion lasted the whole evening and until they went back home to sleep. The night was for resting and Mahon always spent his time meditating alone in Nightmare after the long walk to his usual spot and spear training routine. There was no need to train in Nightmare, but it had become a compulsive habit a long time ago and now it helped soothing his mind. It also forced him to stay sharp until he could do the same training in Ratho.

The next morning they started their investigation and while they rested between two beatings, they observed the First White and discussed their chance at dueling or which duo was most likely to accept a duo duel.

Each day they hoped for Slander to open the rings training to further ranks so Tiarsus and Travaran would leave them alone, but it never happened. So they clenched their teeth and tried to avoid the vicious punches of the nobles to the best of their ability. They gathered more data on possible challengers, but the further they dug, the less hope they had to defeat a First White duo. They were clearly stronger than the First Red and their paltry tricks would not work as well against them. Zac was more than capable of taking down a First White by himself, but Mahon lacked too much and they had yet to come with a reliable strategy that they felt confident enough to try.

The day before the banquet was identical to the beginning of the week in that Slander didn’t change anything and they got thrashed by Tiarsus again. The lone positive aspect of the past wearisome week was the fast approaching evening and Mahon and Zac were keenly visualizing themselves drinking a well-deserved beer at the Hungry Alligator Inn.

Alas, it seemed it didn’t fit the theme of the last days and their hope got crushed again.

As Mahon was joining Zac at their new usual place outside the house, a man went to see them. If Mahon hadn’t paid special attention to possible opponents during this week’s training, he wouldn’t have been able to recognize his face. But now he could identify him as one of the weakest First White.

The man glanced at them before approaching a bit closer. When he was twenty meters away, he yelled.

“First Black Jorik is in charge of the First Red and orders you to come to his headquarters to discuss his strategy against the cult!”

Without adding anything, he went to the men's residence, opened the door and shouted the same message. He then proceeded to the women’s place and repeated for the third time the instructions. Mahon and Zac exchanged a look before they walked to the man. The other First Red exited their respective residence with surprised looks but joined nonetheless.

The First White didn’t explain much and the moment he saw anyone outside he grumbled a “Follow me!” and headed back from where he came.

On the way, Tiarsus went to discuss smugly with the First White but Mahon couldn’t care less and he stayed with Zac at the rear of the group. They walked all the way through the lodgings district and stopped near its beginning, in front of a gigantic building for the First Black rank, if they were to believe the signs painted nearby.

“So Jorik’s headquarters is his house?” Zac asked.

“Seems so, yes.” Mahon answered. “No wonder he doesn’t need another place, given the size of it.”

The building was three storeys high and it was circled by a beautiful garden. The surroundings were idyllic, and one could hear bird songs merging with the gracious melody of flowing water from the sublime fountain adorning the property.

Mahon looked away from the peaceful scenery as they approached the mansion and realized they were not the only ones being dragged there. Other groups of people were already waiting in the garden and more were joining. Mahon knew most of the faces from First White, but there were still half of the people he didn’t know, which meant they were from even higher ranks.

When the last persons arrived, another First White led them all into the house. They entered a nicely decorated room which could fit the close to sixty students and even more. The chamber was mostly empty except for a little stage where a serious-looking Jorik was waiting for them. Once everyone was inside, the doors were closed and silence naturally fell on the little assembly.

“Now that everyone is here, we may start. In the future, we will not need everyone to be there and we will use the standard hierarchical way of passing information. But as today is our first time working as a military, we made an exception.”

Jorik started his speech with a slow and deep voice, turning his head left and right to face most of the people standing in front of him.

“Last Green Ravatoris split our ranks into three divisions, and each of the three First Black will lead one. As the first First Black, I’m in charge of leading the First Division, consisting of 66 warriors, 6 First Yellow, 24 First Green, 26 First White and 10 First Red. Please order yourself by rank so we see it clearly.”

Jorik spat out the numbers without any sign of hesitation and the students organized themselves by ranks. As they finished moving, he nodded and continued his speech.

“We are tasked with stopping the group known as the Fada cult. It is a cult known for a few months by the city guard, but it was only recently that its actions started to become more violent and ruthless.”

Jorik was clearly at ease while he spoke, as if he was not giving directives that could lead to injuries or deaths to more than sixty students.

“The exact numbers are unknown, but we should expect no more than a hundred members. Thanks to a preliminary fight, we know that the individual strength of the basic member is less than a First Red, so they’re nothing to be afraid of.”

Smirks and whispers shook the crowd and more than one glanced at the group of First Red, but Jorik ignored the commotion.

“The real problem is how sneaky the cult is. Their base of operation has not yet been localized. We will have two main objectives in the following days and weeks. The first one is to gather any information regarding the whereabouts of the Fada cult and the second is to prevent any damage to the city.”

Jorik gestured to a big warrior in armor that was standing near a side of the room. They hadn’t noticed him when they had entered the room. The man was standing perfectly immobile, and only his scrutinizing eyes indicated he was alive.

“Here is Tulluin, one of the captains of the city guard. He is First Yellow, so treat him as such. Please tell us more about the Fada cult, Tulluin.”

The captain walked with vigor to the stage and, after a quick salute at Jorik, he turned to the assembly.

“Yes, First Black Jorik. The Fada cult is of undetermined origin, but they are known to be Fada fanatics. Every time we had to deal with them in the past, it was because someone disrespected Fada. However, it seems their cult has grown and now they’re aiming at bigger targets such as festivals or infrastructures that they somehow judge impure to the teachings of the Fada. They can’t be reasoned with and so they should be arrested or killed.”

As his speech continued, the man talked louder and with more emotions.

“Regarding the second objective of protecting the city and the citizens, you will ally with the city guards to patrol key areas where we think the cult might strike at. As the First Division, we are in charge of a third of the city that goes from...”

The guard went to explain in detail what their area was and what kind of schedule they would have to follow for the patrols. After close to an hour of detailed explanations and back and forth between Jorik and him, they talked about their individual role.

“We will create six small teams that will rotate between investigating and patrolling. I hope you realize that patrolling is just a preventive fix. The real solution to this problem is to find the heart of the cult and eradicate it.”

Jorik watched with attention the faces in front of him and some of them nodded back to show their understanding.

“Good. Now about the teams. First Yellow Thaddeus.”

A man stepped out of the First Yellow groups and nodded at Jorik.

“You will be in charge of First Green...”

Jorik listed different names as he divided his warriors between the different teams. As he spoke, the students moved and joined their respective team. Mahon exchanged a weird look with Zac as they noticed Jorik hadn’t called a single First Red and more than half the teams were already created. They waited uneasily until Jorik finished the process and concluded.

“The First Red will stay together and will be assigned to patrolling and patrolling only. Any questions?”

“Why are all the First Red with us and not split among the other divisions?” A First Yellow woman asked.

Jorik grimaced at the question but answered nonetheless.

“Our esteemed Last Green commander deemed important that they are led by someone who knew them and since I spent two months among the First Red, he assigned them all to me.”

Jorik’s voice didn’t waver as he answered the woman, but his eyebrow twitched a few times, revealing what he truly thought. Just a petty excuse to embarrass him.

“Any other questions?”

“Why are we patrolling only and not investigating like everyone else?” Tiarsus asked angrily.

“Because I said so.” Jorik answered back to back.

“Stupid bastard.” Tiarsus grumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I thank you for that perfect transition to the last topic I had to tell you. We now act as warriors for everything regarding the subject of the Fada cult. That means from now on you’re subject to military laws and as such I’m allowed to discipline as needed.”

Tiarsus took a step back instinctively as he saw Jorik grin evilly at him.

“From chores to whip or confinement, everything is allowed. In some rare cases, expulsion from the school is even possible. You must respect your superiors and you will do it. If you’re not satisfied with it, then get stronger and rank up. You can even take my place if you want. But you’ll have to beat me, first.”

A heavy silence weighed on the assembly as they digested the news.

“You’re all dismissed. Except, First Red Tiarsus, for your insubordination, you’re tasked with cleaning that room until it shines.”

The students all left the room and Mahon and Zac were smiling from one ear to the other for what seemed to be the first time in a long week.