The librarian squad used to make jokes about the white rooms, the ones near the end of the Defender hallways. We used to discuss sneaking in there, on occasion, not in any real seriousness but as more of a thing to do one day, before we die.

When Plumeria escorts me in there in the morning, it crosses my mind that death might be a possibility. The room is already crowded, like one of the diplomat parties, but instead of standing in an elaborate room full of furs, furniture, and paintings, we're in a plain room with an infirmary in the corner, with line ups on the two walls not used for entry and exit.

In fact, it's basically the opposite of a party. Instead of being entertained or holding civil conversation, we're going to be the entertainment while Marie and some other officials civilly decide our fates.

In a manner of speaking.

"I think you've made a mistake. I'm not a fighter." I tell Plumeria, who rolls her eyes at me and raises her jowls up into a lopsided expression of disinterest.

"Neither was I, but I still came in here and got roughed up a few times. There's a lot of demand for in-field strategists, and many of those gifted in one art show talent in another. Get it done, it'll be over before you know it."

I nod, relieved, and a gray Canira half my size hobbles up. Her fur is the color of a thundercloud and her eyes are flecked with lightning, and a lopsided scarf sits around her neck. Most noticeably, she has huge, white wings, similar to many of the Canira clustered around in the room- in fact, most of the Sentients here have some aerial capacity. It's a rarity in the normal population, but if the diagnostics of almost a week ago have taught me anything, it's that aerial troops are invaluable.

"'Scuse me, miss," asks the Canira, unsure if she should be addressing Plumeria or I, "Is this where we're supposed to be? I followed a friend in, and now he's gone."

"Are you air-basis?" I ask. "That's how they sort us, here."

"What?" she replies, even more confused than before by the looks of it.

"Of course she is, just look at those wings." Plumeria continues, turning back to the young and bewildered Canira, "Do you know what a basis is?"

"No," admits the young Canira sheepishly.

"It's the kind of elemental magic you possess linked to your parentage. There are nine classes, following the nine elements which govern and create this world, one of which is air, another of which is my own, nature. Furthermore, the magic grows in power as does the soul, one of the three parts of your spirit... are you following?"

"The spirit. That's all of me, right? Soul, mind, heart."

"That would be correct."

Eager to please, she continues, "The soul's the one that comes from and goes back to the ground when we die?"

"Precisely."

"Are we going to be tested on this?"

"I'd imagine it's prerequisite knowledge."

"Where are you from, pup?" I ask.

"I'm from Ceilvyr." announces the young Canira, proudly. She can't be more than eight, just old enough to go out into the world on her own, but there's still pup fur around her face and her snout keeps getting stuck around her scarf. "We don't really do 'schooling', much, but also not the fabric thing. I kind of like it here, but it's a little overwhelming. In my opinion, also, um, you should plant some trees."

Plumeria, jaw wide open, manages to get out an "Alright".

It's all I can do not to burst out laughing. If this is the kind of company they keep in the Defenders, it might not be so bad. "I'll tell Her Highest Auspicia."

"You know Her Highest Auspicia?" Now her tail is wagging too, so fast I'm afraid she might hit someone behind us.

"Kind of." I say, "What's your name?"

"Skye." she grins, displaying rows of bright teeth.

"Avery." I say. "Nice to meet you."

She gasps, bounding back and bowing into a playful position. "You're the Avery!"

"I'm not following?"

"The Avery I'm supposed to be fighting today, of course." She tilts her head, still grinning from ear to ear with tail threatening to whip up a brisk wind behind her.

Oh geez.

I look to the board for confirmation and find it, ears sliding to the side of my face. Plumeria shoots me a wry smile and leads us both to the other side of the room, passing clusters of excited Sentients talking in brash, loud voices about the day ahead or the latest Defender gossip.

"Eight gold pieces on Baron-"

"-no, I swear, I did wrestle a dragon-"

"Heard she took six battles in one day-"

"Fought like the Keepers, bless his heart, but he doesn't have enough malice in him-"

We wriggle out from between an assembly of confused novices and out towards the front desks. There are two doors on either side of us, with a huge stand in the middle. Food, with its approximate value in privileges (special treatments received by the Defenders for good service), is listed above and on display in tantalizing windows.

There's also an arrow that points to the infirmary.

The bored-looking Lapine at the counter has one of its forepaw slumped on the desk and both back paws on a stool. The Lapine species, closest to wild rabbits and the prey species of Kaanin in appearance, are a bipedal race just tall enough to make it up to most of our shoulders, though their ears give them the appearance of being much taller. Their powers involve improved memory and cerebral capabilities, but they're no fighters.

There was one in the library a while ago, but it was on its last legs when I first came to the castle. I don't remember much but a few passing quips and his cool air of curt civility, but I'm guessing his general indifference was more due to my age than anything.

"You're the double air match?" asks the Lapine at the desk, and I can almost hear the old Lapine's voice in the upturn at the end of his question, the utter, contemptuous snark.

"Yes, that would be us." I say.

"You're late. We've set your match back, but it won't happen again. Plumeria, you should've told her to be up earlier- isn't this her first one?"

"She sleeps like a stone."

"Sorry." I peep.

"Go on out." The Lapine says, and we emerge into a courtyard large as the dining hall. The walls are rimmed with stands, with holes that must lead to the other holding rooms for the other bases, and in the center lies a field. It's flat and plain, lacking in plant life save for some persistent grass and weeds that have wormed their way up through the earth, and the sun beats down on it with the intensity of an angry god. I feel the pressure mounting as I step onto it, but Skye bounds out, tail wagging.

From the stands, which are sparsely occupied, a Canis holding a flag skywards with telekinesis pads up to us. "Hello, m'am, would one of you mind moving to the side of the field opposite your competitor? We'll be ready to begin in a moment."

Skye steps across the field and turns.

"The battle will end when one side gives their surrender or is pushed down for a period exceeding five seconds. Ready?"

No.

"Go."

Skye rushes forwards in a fury of wings and fur. The tiny Canira is a bolt of lightning- first she's in front of me, then she feints to the side and is right behind my back, getting in a firm kick with her back paws as she takes flight. Her actual effectiveness leaves something to be desired, as she's not strong enough to knock me over, but she's got the pep and it's going to be a challenge just to catch her.

I turn just as she moves around to my side to try to catch my wing, reflexively drawing it in, and her fangs crackle with electricity. "You'll have to do better than that. Do these teeth look like they're for show?" asks Skye, vicious excitement in her eyes. "Now sit still, I'm coming for you."

I have no desire to be stuck in the infirmary with tiny bite marks on my side all day, so as she bolts up, I rush towards her and jump, soaring over and landing on the other side of the field. I'm uneasy from lack of practice and the adrenaline hasn't set in yet, nor is it likely to occur at all, but I have the advantage of size.

I look up, catching my breath, and see a bored Marie waiting in the stands. I have a feeling she's grading on effort, not results, and I don't even know where to begin. "Wow, I'm underperforming in something I know next to nothing about. Big shock there." I mutter beneath my breath, and a bolt of electricity hits my tail. My fur stands up and I feel it race up my spine.

"Turn around."

I do so.

Skye and I engage again, her teeth bared and ready. For an air basis, she sure has an affinity for electricity, but I doubt it'll hurt more than the shock I've already received. I'm not small enough to maneuver around her, but with some difficulty I can parry most of her attacks. I learned in my youth how to make wind shields in case I was ever attacked, and she's light enough that running into a wall of air throws her off base. I muster all my energy into one blow and she tumbles to the side, tail twitching.

I pin her with one paw, and she struggles for all ten, tantalizing seconds.

"Lemmego! I don't surrender!" she yelps, but the ref walks over and lets the flag fall. With a huff, she looks up at me, swearing, "If I had one more second..."

"You should go to to the infirmary." The Canis suggests. "You'll be needed out here later."

"Oh. Okay!" Skye says, perking up. She runs off, tail flailing and wings outstretched, then skids to a stop and calls over her back, "I won't lose to you next time!"

"Should I go, too?" I ask the referee.

He puts a paw in front of mine, his gaze stern. "Wait. We need you out here for the next match- you're double booked."

I groan, but the pain in my back is already subsiding. In fact, now that I can get a glance at my wings, those aren't much worse off either.

My next competitor moves in from the natural base, indicated by the green, three-leaved emblem over the door. I'm surprised to see it's not a stranger who greets me but another member of the librarian squad.

"Adrian? Why are you here?" I ask as the Felis pads out onto the battlefield. He looks no more stressed or concerned than he does in the library, like this is just a casual stroll he's taking through an ordinary courtyard.

"Same reason as you... almost. They want me trained so I don't need to bring bodyguards around all the time while I'm on field work. I can start accessing more dangerous areas through the Defenders' rough terrain programs, too, so that's a plus." he says.

"Good luck." I reply.

"We don't have all day for you two to catch up," the referee insists.

"Right, right..." I take a step forwards, swinging my tail as if I'm just living it up over here. "Friend to friend, pal to buddy, would you mind going easy on me?"

"I can make it fast." Aidan suggests, unsheathing his claws.

That's reasurring.

"And... go." the announcer shouts.

Like Skye, Aidan is quick, but his agility is even more confounding. His nimble movements are supplemented by Felis strength and super senses. He'll leap in, scratch my side, and bound off before I get so much of a hit. Furthermore, his claws are sharp and he uses strength to supplement his strength for extra power.

He's trained, I can tell you that much.

I counter with air blasts where I can, but I'm woefully underprepared and haven't been done much training in years. When I manage to lock onto him, he jumps straight up, at least half a tree length high.

I look up, opening my wings to jump out of the way, and he lands right on my back. I feel my paws go beneath me and the air is sucked from my lungs by the impact. He springs off, adding stinging pain to the shock, and topples me over. He puts one paw on top of me and beats me just as handily as I beat Skye.

"I'm down, I'm down! Oh Verhamera my back. Why is this happening." I gasp, sucking in a breath.

Aidan gets off, muttering, "Sorry," and his ears prick as Marie bounds down the stand to meet us. "Should've figured you were behind this."

"Is there a problem?" Marie asks.

"What are you trying to get out of her?" Adrian asks.

"Results. I wouldn't expect you to get it."

"So, did you get a clear diagnostic on her aptitude?"

"That's what we were testing for?" While it would be ridiculous for a trained fighter not to know their aptitude, which is the second part of the spirit, works with the same nine-element system and serves as a complement to the base in battle. Outside of that, aptitudes are associated with certain virtues, which is another reason why I've never figured mine out- I can't quite pin down which one would work best with my personality. Perhaps I just don't know what I want to be... and there goes the pain again. I grimace. It's hard to think straight when your entire back is on fire.

"With that kind of speed, she could be lightning. We pitted her against some fast opponents and she almost, kind of held her own." Plumeria says, striding out onto the battleground. "Almost."

Thanks, Plumeria. I'm really feeling the love over here.

"Quite," Marie says. "Well, Avery, as much as you've surprised us today, I'm afraid your talents... lie elsewhere."

"Unsurprisingly," I add. "I could have told you that when I walked in here this morning."

"You don't look that roughed up. Have you visited Teresa yet?"

"Erm... who?"

"She's the medic."

I tilt my head. "No. Should I?"

Marie's glare is shrewd. "Not with those injuries, though I could've sworn I saw you sustain much worse earlier. Do you have any kind of healing powers?"

"Not that I'm aware of." I say. "Erm, will this affect anything? Have I lost any potential positions I should've been gunning for, or will I be kicked out of the program, or..." I trail off, hoping I've gone over the absolute worst case scenario.

"You'll be hanging back and making more broad strategies before battles, or perhaps using augmented telepathy. Regardless I doubt we'll have much of a problem finding a place for you- what, with one of the lowest novice diagnostic scores in decades?" Plumeria says, a tint of envy in her tone.

"I thought you said my scores weren't all that impressive!" I exclaim, looking back to Marie, who shrugs it off.

"For someone chosen by Her Grand Auspicia herself? Not at all."

A dusty-furred Felis skitters up to Marie, voice high with panic. "Marie. Marie. You're needed in Her Grand Auspicia, in her office, at once. There's been a breach in the Veil."

"A breach? Are those damned Spirit Canira trying to open up the Storm's Tooth portal again?" Marie asks.

The Felis, looking timid, shakes her head, her whiskers twitching as she continues: "It's... it's from the Factory, Marie."

Marie's eyes go wide in panic. Her voice is choked as if someone's holding a clamp around her neck when she says, "I'll be right up."

"I want to come too. I have clearance." I insist, though my heart is fluttering away as I speak. A breach already? We were supposed to have a year. I turn to follow, suppressing panic-

Marie's already gone. 

(A/N: hey tell me if you saw any typos here i was trying to get this one out fast)