They gathered at the gate as the sun broke the horizon, members of each round watching with knowing smiles as Callen's group was patted down and given permission to leave. Callen spotted Lex and Torren among the spectators, smug as ever. Lex even blew him a kiss, knowing exactly who was watching.
Many of the group ran into the heart of the city without hesitation while others walked slowly and with purpose towards the slums. About a third watched them leave, glancing nervously at Callen in hopes that he would see them safely through the day while Ape towered over them all with a bloodthirsty grin on his face. Callen ignored them as he was cleared to leave. He had to assume Mallik had known this would happen, or maybe he just wanted to handicap the boy, but either way he made sure Callen was the last to be cleared for exit. Callen walked slowly away from the guild towards the tallest building in sight of those who watched him. In full view of the three senior rounds, and those that hoped to follow him, he began to climb; pulling himself easily up the sheer face as easily as a spider scales a wall. Some of the braver first-rounders tried to follow his path up the building but they quickly gave up or fell, and those that sprinted through the streets below soon lost sight of him.
Unhindered he made his way towards his old home, jumping from one roof to the next until they grew too far apart to reach. He knew most of his round would be waiting for him at the slum gate, either to follow him in or rob anyone on the way out, forcing him to grudgingly return to the same building that had seen him in and out of slums so many times before. He was almost surprised to find it empty when he arrived, the shutters evidently pushed closed by the wind in the months that had passed. Once inside he unravelled the small bundle he had collected on his way to his old home, little more than a handful of coins and an old pair of ragged trousers. He had to fold the legs almost in half to free his movement but when he was done he looked as much the slum-rat as any of the other filthy children that darted through the streets. After stowing his own clothes in one corner of the room he pulled himself from the small window back into the stinking pit of the city. As much as he hated it, it still felt like home.
With the layout of this squalid section of the world still burnt into his mind it didn't take him long to find the stall, a single table not far from the stagnant river covered with roughly shaped tokens of yellowed wood overseen by a lone guildsman. As tempted as he was to snatch one and be on his way he knew better than to just assume he was safe, instead squatting next to the nearest child begging for scraps and waiting for others to make the mistake for him. From his wider vantage point it wasn't hard to notice them; some hiding in wait much as he was, others milling around in groups as they watched the stall. He recognized most of them from the guild, third-rounder's like Torren and Lex. It was easy enough to assume their goal but the added challenge only brought a smile to his face.
The first of his group to arrive was a small boy with dark hair whose name he had never bothered to learn, though Callen knew stealth was not his strong suit. Sure enough he was noticed long before he reached the stall, the owner pointing him out and beckoning him over. Disappointed but not distressed the boy grudgingly handed over the iron, receiving a darker wooden token from behind the table in exchange. Callen watched him move away, followed closely by one of the students that slowly circled the stall. Smiling from the thrill of it all he slipped back into the crowd.
-----
He had his hand on the token when he was shoved roughly from behind, staggering as the guildsman turned and caught his wrist in an instant, just as Callen gripped the wrist of the whoever had bumped into him. Neither made any attempt to escape as the guildsman held out his free hand. With a smile Callen gave the man his coins, shaking his head to refuse the small wooden token he was offered from beneath the table.
'You'll need it if you want to stay in the guild kid. Don't be too hard on yourself, you would've got it if you didn't hit the table.'
'Already got some,' he said, still smiling. 'I just wanted to see how many I could get before being caught. That's not against the rules, right?'
The man smiled back. 'Oh? How many then?'
'Lex?' Callen asked without looking at the girl, letting go of her wrist as she moved beside him.
'That would've been your fifth, figured I had to stop you before you got too full of yourself,' She replied with a wide smile.
'Close. I hid the first before you got here so this would have been number six.'
The guildsman shook his head slowly.
'So you're the kid everyone's talking about then? The slum-rat? If you really did get five tokens from under my nose then the stories don't give you enough credit.' He sighed heavily, subtly glancing at each of the boy's bare arms.
'The outfit was a nice touch by the way, you could probably go anywhere in this place without anyone looking twice dressed like that; she did well enough just to notice you. That said you better move on before the whole third round decides to chase you down.'
Callen followed Lex as she moved away, watching the stall as they talked.
'So, where's Torren?'
She shrugged.
'Dunno. Probably waiting to rob kids blind after they think they got away safely.'
Callen nodded silently before asking the question that had actually been on his mind.
'What is stopping us from seeking out people we know in the city and just asking for the money to buy a token? Surely most people in the guild have midtown connections?
Lex laughed at that, sparing him a half smile.
'Nothing. Still you'd be surprised how few people think of that, or who are willing to take the risk. I guess part of it is a test for the third round; teaching us how to spot someone with something worth taking. Not that I can say for sure.'
As if to make a point she glared at a boy bee-lining for the stall, sending him scurrying away.
'You gonna head back to the guild?'
He nodded.
'Good luck, the gate is basically clogged with kids from both rounds waiting for their targets to come to them.'
Callen laughed. 'Like I need to use the gate. You staying here to cause more trouble?'
She nodded but he could tell she was trying to guess his path out of the slums. With a wave, he made his way back towards the wall, aware of the large number of students from both rounds that moved to follow him.
He lost them all in the twisting streets of markets and make-shift housing long before he reached his exit, pulling himself through the window and changing back into his own clothes. The pants he threw out into the slums, along with what coins he had left for whoever was lucky enough to find them. Smiling at his own success he made his way back through midtown, careful that he wasn't followed until he was safely back on the rooftops.
-----
He could only guess that those that had bought or stolen tokens before him had been robbed on their way back or stayed behind to make life hard for others because even with his delays and repeated attempts he was still the first back to the guild. Mallik accepted his handful of tokens with a knowing smile as he welcomed him to the next season.
Better still he was led to the mess hall to make up for the missed meal, though the room seemed empty with half the students still fighting over tokens in the slums. He ate in silence for the first time in weeks before heading to the dorms to spend the rest of the day training alone in the dojo.
He was lathered in sweat by the time the first of his round made their way back into the dorm, limbs heavy but not yet relenting to the exhaustion that threatened to overcome him. Time to himself had become precious and he relished any opportunity he had to train alone.
The boy nodded as he entered, one of the few Callen expected would make a half decent thief by the time they graduated. More arrived soon after; some alone, others in groups, and it wasn't long before the room was filled with clamour as each reflected on the day's adventure to whoever would listen.
Callen tried to block it out as he lay silently on his bedroll, wondering idly if Reina would have been proud of him and imagining how Lohan would have berated him for being caught at all. As much as it hurt to think of them he found himself smiling all the same.
Ape was one of the last back to the guild, part of the few determined to rid themselves of as much competition as possible while they had the chance. The man had done his job well. At least a third of the class hadn't made it back, the talkative girl and among them, but though the room was emptier few seemed to notice the difference. They all knew what they signed up for and nobody cared to mourn those they left behind. Instead the conversation veered towards the one boy sitting in silence.
Stories of his flight up the wall had quickly spread to those who hadn't been there to see it themselves but most fantasised on how he had made it back with a token at all. They all agreed that he hadn't passed through the gate and while some swore he had flown up or burrowed under the wall itself others maintained that he had paid off a slum-rat to steal the tokens for him, which fit with the reports of the homeless boy spotted stealing tokens by one of the third-rounders.
He let them talk, smiling to himself as the stories grew more fantastical, sure they would have spread throughout the guild before the next season had even begun.
-----
'Things are going to be a bit different from now on,' Mallik called as they gathered for the morning's class.
'First off, mornings will now be spent studying how our guild works and how different guilds interact, which means everyone's gotta attend. You won't enjoy it but that's how it is. Afternoons'll be spent working outdoors to see how you handle things outside the classroom. Since so many of you embarrassed yourselves trying to get up a simple wall yesterday we will start with climbing and work our way up from there. To keep things interesting, every third and sixth day classes will be cancelled.'
He held up his hands to stall the barrage of questions that never came. After the loss of so many the day before it seemed the group had finally decided to stop acting like excited children. Mallik gave a hint of a smile.
'Every third day will be spent sparring in pairs from after the first meal until the sun goes down or you can't get up, whichever comes first.'
He turned to Callen, 'You can stay in the dorm and train yourself if that suits you better.'
Callen nodded, trying to hide his relief as Mallik continued.
'Every sixth will be spent competing amongst yourselves. These contests will range from simple theft and stealth to a series of team games that can take up the whole day, but I will explain those when we get to them. For now you'll just have to wait and see.'
He left with the same sly smile they were all familiar with. Whatever he had planned there was more to it than he was letting on.
The group divided before the day was out, moving silently into new alliances that had formed only the night before. With a third of their round unceremoniously rejected friendships had fallen apart and new groups had taken their place interested solely in the survival of those within them. A single-minded focus seemed to be washing over the room as they finally realized that they weren't just playing a game. For the most part the groups formed around Ape and Bren; the first boy to make it back to the guild after Callen. What he lacked in strength and intimidation he made up for with skill, intelligence and a stubbornness that left him as one of the few to still openly challenge Ape's authority. While Callen held a silent respect for the boy he could only hope he would be left out of their rivalry as the training intensified.
As far as the changes to classes were concerned, Callen for one was glad for them, despite the fact it meant the loss of his mornings in the dojo. He could only hope they would break up the monotony the days had fallen into before the last test. No matter how he pressed Lex and Torren for details about the games they refused to say more than that he would enjoy them. Frustrated, he was forced to wait quietly with the rest of his round until Mallik greeted them in the dorms before the morning meal five days later.
'I assume you have already designated groups and leaders?'
Ape and Bren stood silently, eyeing each other coldly as the rest of the group divided behind them. Mallik looked at Callen, the only person that remained seated in the dirt.
'We can work with that. For today you're with the little guy.'
Callen nodded and moved behind Bren without a word as the rest of the group eyed each other nervously.
'For starters we'll stick to basic games and I'll change things once you get the hang of it. Today we start with my personal favourite.'
From his pocket he removed two lengths of cloth, one tan while the other was dyed a deep green. He threw the green length to Bren, who snatched it deftly from the air as Mallik moved to pin the other against the back wall of the dorm.
'The new first-rounders will be in their classroom or courtyard all day so their dorm is now the other home base, pin the flag against the back wall and wait for my call to begin the game. Rules are simple enough, first group with both flags pinned on their wall wins. Stop each other however you can, so long as you don't do any lasting damage or go past the outer fence. You also need to stay to this side of the guild; the senior rounds are already playing a game of their own and you need to stay out of their way.'
Clamour broke out the moment he turned to leave; each group eager for the chance to assert their dominance.
Bren left quickly, forcing Callen and the others following him through the weaving corridors to the opposite end of the building. After pinning up the flag he called Callen to one side, speaking quietly when they were out of earshot of the rest of the group.
'Look kid, I get that we're not friends but I'm no fool like the monkey; you know what you're doing when it comes to this stuff. How about I put you in charge of defending our flag and assuming you don't let me down, we stay out of your way. Deal?'
Callen gave the boy a short nod, moving to sit under the flag as Bren called his group together in the centre of the room. He had more sense than Callen had given him credit for.
'Don't be fooled into thinking this is just practice for something bigger,' Bren called to the group. 'If we win today we are that much closer to getting out of this place.'
The silence that fell instantly over the room showed the respect they had for the young man.
'We all know they are the best fighters. We know they are bigger than us. But we also know they have the intelligence of shaved monkeys, and I say we use that against them! We work together, get in and out quick and keep their flag moving between us so they can't track it. Don't bother fighting them. Oh, and don't worry about protecting our flag.' He said with an almost malicious smile as he pointed a thumb over his shoulder at Callen. 'Mallik gave us our own living insurance policy and there is no way he is going to hurt his image by letting that lot past him.'
There was a smattering of laughter at that as the group divided themselves into teams of three or four, each planning their route through the guild. They gathered at the doorway with time to spare before Mallik's muffled shout drifted through the halls.
The teams spilled quickly from the room, each darting down a different corridor though if any of them did come across the other group it was too far away for Callen to hear as he leaned against the wall. After a time he retrieved the flag from where it was pinned, working it in and out of knots if only to keep his hands busy as he wondered if he would do more than waste his time before Bren returned, flag in hand and a smile on his face.
There was movement in the corridor outside, and from the lumbering footsteps he could tell it wasn't Bren or any of the boys that had flocked to his side. Callen furrowed his brow as wondered what had become of them. He didn't actually care, but they were at least more tolerable than their competition. The thud of footsteps quietened slightly as they neared the dorm in a paltry attempt at stealth before Ape's broad frame filled the doorway. The man stepped in alone and un-hindered, somehow having made his way through the guild without being pursued. A smirk grew across his face at the sight of the near empty room, though it fell the instant Callen stood to pin the flag against the back wall. Ape's eyes narrowed, his hand pressing mindlessly against the leg of his trousers as he walked slowly towards the smaller boy. Callen almost laughed. No wonder the brute had seemed so confidant, the fool had brought his own flag with him.
As always the man started with a pointless attempt at intimidation.
'Gim'me ya flag and I won't hurt you too bad,' he growled, stepping further into the room.
Callen cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
'You mean like last time? I think I'll be okay.'
Ape fumed at the affront, though there was nobody there to hear it. He stormed forwards as was his habit, abandoning distance to sling a thick fist at Callen's head. Callen danced around it, stepping behind him easily with a light tap on the shoulder before dancing away with a laugh. Ape spun towards him, adding the momentum to his next swing. Again Callen danced around the man, playfully slapping at a passing hip. Fury burnt in the man's eyes as he charged at the boy for a third time, hoping to drive him into the dirt but again Callen stepped away with a casual slap to the thigh, this time using the contact to snag the flag from his pocket before the brute could recover.
Ape stepped back, centring himself before charging in again. If nothing else the man's fighting was always improving; his punches had become shorter, more measured. He aimed to slow his opponent instead of finishing the fight with one hit; though he still lacked the speed or experience to keep up with a slum-rat. Callen stepped lightly away from each attack, letting the Ape become flustered without needing to fight back.
'Do you really have time for this? Isn't there somewhere you need to be?' Callen said innocently without missing a step.
The man faltered, realization in his eyes. It was only a matter of time until Bren and his group returned; Callen didn't even have to win for him to lose. With a final grunt Ape ran from the room, passing Mallik as he went. The handler shook his head slightly, a smile on his face before he followed the student sprinting down the halls.
'Tease!' Callen called after them with a smile of his own.
Bren and the others returned before long, confusion plain on their faces until eyes fell on the back wall where the tan flag hung pinned besides their own.
'How in...' Bren breathed as he pushed through the mass of bodies towards Callen, pointing at the corner.
Callen met him there, glad the others had enough sense to keep their distance.
'What in hells happened?'
Callen shrugged. 'You first.'
The older boy sighed heavily before responding.
'The plan worked well enough I suppose. We reached to their base without any resistance but as soon as we got in there was no flag, no Ape, and a wall of bodies between us and the way out. Pretty stupid mistake on my part but I hadn't expected him to hide their flag; figured that much thought was beyond him. Eventually Ape comes running back yelling something about needing more men to 'teach you a lesson' and we used the confusion to get out of there. For some reason Mallik stopped them coming after us. Your turn.'
Callen shrugged again. 'Not much to explain really. Ape didn't hide the flag, he had it with him the whole time. Must've forgotten to take it with him when he ran off. I think that means we should be thanking him,' he added a dark smile.
'Be sure to make a big deal of it, maybe during the next meal?'
Bren gave a soft laugh at that.
'You're a piece of work kid. I don't even want to know what damage you'll do when you are on their side.'
Callen shook his head.
'I'd rather sit out than take orders from that idiot, not that Ape'd want me after embarrassing him like this. Mallik'll come up with something, he always does. Just don't think this makes us friends.'
'Fair.' Bren said with a wide smile, turning back to the others.
Smile still plastered on his face he cried out to the others clustered as close as they dared.
'It turns out our good friend Ape came all the way here just to hand his flag over!' He called as they looked back with knowing smiles.
'We owe him this win, so I say we thank him right. To Ape!'
'To Ape!' They cried, loud enough for the whole guild to hear.