Canaan Club - 35. Chapter 35

Several hours later, the end of the school day had arrived, which meant nothing else stood in the way of the beginner level’s first match of the year. On the way to the War Field, the students lingering around were still laughing and joking, marching to and fro as if game day wasn’t today. The sight only reinforced the notion that novice matches didn’t bring about as much hype as the advanced teams. Still, that did almost nothing to deter the excitement bubbling in the freshmen.

“Man!” Rudy groaned. “Maybe I should sign up. Having to take field trips to other countries sounds like a dream.”

Lindsay shook her head, patting the blond boy on the back. “Too late for that. Looks like you’ll have to live that dream vicariously through a television screen.”

“We’ll be watching and cheering you guys on,” Rexel brushed her rainbow-colored hair as she addressed the Combat team members, smiling brightly. “As we’re doing complex mathematics, that is.”

Rafe grinned back. “Your prayers will be enough.”

“Yeah,” Joe wheeled his right arm a few times before flexing. “Make sure to lend us some of that intelligence before you get started, okay? We’ll need all the brain cells we can get.”

“Hey! I may be brute, but there’s enough activity going on in here,” the blond thumbed at Joe, Frodd, and Landon. “It’s these guys who’ll need your smarts the most.”

“I’ll show you smarts!”

The two superhumans continued to trade barbs at each other, making the others roar in laughter. And soon enough, they were at the edges of the field.

“Alright, alright! It’s too soon to be bashing your big heads around,” Lindsay chuckled and pointed ahead of them. “At least get to the quad first.”

“And we’ll hold down the fort from here,” Rexel waved. “Don’t worry about us and do your best!”

Rafe gave them a thumbs-up as they turned around and sauntered back to campus.

Back on the field, they were just now aware of what they were looking at.

Recently, Rafe has been spending his time on away from the stringent human side of the world, so, it’s been a while since he’s seen a school bus of any kind. So, it was a bit of a shock of nostalgia to see one here.

Though, with a few key differences.

It was an aircraft no doubt. Just as the coaches said. In fact, it was more of a lengthy charter bus than anything, but the airplane wings and huge jet engines underneath might have most second-guessing. The thing took up damn near half of the War Field. The Ironward insignia on either side was the sweet cherry on top.

“Woah!” Joe exclaimed, his jaw dropping at the sight of the beauty. “It’s like… a bus and an airplane mixed together! How come we never used these kinds of things back home?”

Rafe could think of a few reasons. During his much younger years in pure-human grade school, classes never strayed too far from home base. Even field trips didn’t feel like field trips. Being an enhanced human himself, a thirty-minute walking distance was nothing to him.

This, though? This was a whole new ballpark.

The coaches were already there, Sigil skillfully marking attendance without even looking up while Hemming herded everyone into the bus-plane.

“Climb aboard, fresh meat!” he tapped the silver surface of the aircraft, producing a metallic clank.

The inside was just as remarkable, seemingly a lot wider than it looked on the outside. Instead of two parallel columns of seats, there were four, and the length of the bus appeared to stretch for what looked like miles. It was more than enough to fit the entire beginner level. Possibly the entire first-year class.

Rafe and his friends sat near the front, he and Andre in the fourth right column, Joe and Daeran beside them, and Landon and Frodd in the seat before the blond superhuman and omé. Luckily, the pathway between the second and third columns had walkable space, so the group wasn’t too far from each other to hold a conversation without shouting.

As the rest of them ogled and chattered excitedly, Andre, who had the seat next to the window, smiled up at his friend.

“You’ve ever been to Canada?” the young wolf asked, then shook his head. “I mean before you met me and everything?”

Rafe thought far back. Frankly, he didn’t want to remember a time before the boy who’s been by his side for practically six years. “Twice, I think. I wasn’t really into the whole traveling-and-visiting aspect of business. Didn’t want the place to be… tainted in case I ever took you there.”

“Well, here’s your chance. And you get to punch people, too.”

The two snickered.

“Sounds like a good deal to me.”

The bus-plane rumbled as the pilot, a pale-white individual with a mask hiding his face, began liftoff. The only ones who remained standing were Coach Hemming and Sigil, the latter tapping their finger against the pilot’s chair as they stared down the former. Sigil was a calm and collected kind of being, but now they seemed antsy about something.

“I hope you studied the notes on your WardNav before all this,” Hemming spoke into an intercom that carried throughout the entire vehicle. “Today’s meet is not just a match, but a test to see if you can direct yourselves and your comrades and act accordingly. So, basically, do most of my job for me. I’ll still get paid.”

“Three separate matches will be happing at the same time. Only four to five people in a group. Not everybody’s fighting today,” Sigil didn’t face the crowd even as he addressed them in his normally sharp and to-the-point way of speaking.

Coach Hemming continued. “But we’ll be watching to make sure you’re watching. Just in case there needs to be… corrections made.”

The low whirring resounded throughout the interior as the bus-plane was finally lifted off the ground. Spotting movement from the corner of his eye, Rafe gazed past the omé’s head to see a crowd of students and teachers along the edges of the field, waving and jumping as the aircraft gradually made it to the near-peak of the troposphere before rushing off in a burst of speed. The sudden propulsion blew everyone back in their seats, eliciting screams and gasps of surprise. However, Coach Sigil and Hemming, who were still standing, didn’t move an inch, most likely used to it after years of trips across the world.

“Okay, then,” the gamma wolf started again when everything calmed down, looking down at his own WardNav. “We already got our first team signed up. Rafe, Joe, Daeran, Frodd, and Landon. You know who you’re up against?”

He gazed at the blond superhuman expectedly, and the latter didn’t blink as he stared right back, nodding and saying, “We got it from here, coach.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Water boy!” he turned his glare to Andre, and Rafe felt the young wolf suppress a slight flinch. “Prepare to work up a sweat as well. You don’t get a single drop of water until these guys have had a bottle. Understood?”

Andre nodded rigidly, saluting, “Understood, sir!”

That got a laugh from both coaches and nearby teammates.

“So,” Rafe began, looking around him, “Pratwith’s School of the Arcane. That’s… a magic school, yeah? Any of you guys heard of it?”

“Nope,” Joe shook his head.

Frodd shrugged. “Must be one o’ the lesser ones since I ain’t ever of them from me neck of th’ woods.”

Landon lifted a finger in thought. “I think I may have heard of them once or twice. There’s no doubt about it that they all must specialize in magic, though. That name’s a total giveaway.”

“True, but don’t be too sure,” Rafe glanced back down the vehicle, catching eyes with many of his fellow combatants. “There’s a whole lot of magic in our school, and yet, Joe and I are alongside the frontlines.”

“You think we’ll see someone we know?” Joe asked him, but there was a knowing gleam behind those violet eyes.

The blond pursed his lips and looked down, almost sneering at the notion. “Hopefully not. I’m not dumb enough to believe that we won’t have a little reunion with some familiar faces somewhere down the road, but hopefully, those moments won’t come for a long while.”

Hopefully never until it was time, but that was just too good to be true, wasn’t it?

Rafe lightly shook his head of his musings and turned over to Sigil, who had finally seated themself the moment Hemming did. “Hey, Sigil! Who do you think is the best out of these guys?”

Joe shook his head, smirking like he knew his friend would ask that eventually. “Well, looks like we missed our chance on filling that slot. Of course, you’d want to know, you greedy bum.”

Rafe only responded with a shrug before waiting for the unicorn shifter to answer.

“Not completely sure. Coincidentally, though. It could be…” he poked at his spiral horn a few times as he thought, “Dylan Hallace. Apollo superhuman.”

He recognized the name, having run through it numerous times during the school day planning with his friends. Turning to his WardNav, Rafe swiped through tabs of other competitors before resting on a round-faced, silver-haired girl staring up at him with a flat expression. Beside him, Andre leaned in for a peek.

“You don’t say?”

If she was associated with the Coat in some way, Rafe would not be shocked. Not with that look glaring back up at him.

A snicker to his left brought him out of his reverie.

“I bet you my world formation homework she’s a female version of Rafe,” Joe grinned at him.

For a second, Rafe blinked, then scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

In front of him, Frodd cackled. “I’m willin’ throw my hat in the ring with that one. After tryouts, there’s no doubt you’re near the tip of th’ mountain, Rafe-lad. An’ she’s the big guns of her team, so…”

The noirette nodded enthusiastically, probably proud of himself. “It’s completely logical thinking, bro! And you’re getting excited about fighting her. I bet she’s just as amped to punch your pretty face in, too. The universe is aligned for this one moment.”

“You idiots have gone utterly insane,” the blond superhuman rolled his eyes, making the others guffaw.

Their amusement was interrupted, though, when there was a millisecond of a flash before Hecuba was standing in the aisle right beside Sigil. Rafe felt his fists tighten, suddenly regretting sitting so close to the front.

He swore if he saw one more mocking smirk on that bitch’s face, this bus-plane was going to be sheared in half courtesy of a dose of twin laser beams.

“Sorry for popping in like this,” Collins huffed as if she had just gone on a long run. “Had business to take care of.”

The unicorn shifter grimaced, suddenly uncomfortable. Rafe didn’t blame them. “Giving me hives looming over me like that. Sit down already.”

“One moment. Gold.”

With a sigh that brushed wisps of pink hair off his horned forehead, Sigil lifted themself, standing tall over Hecuba, and waited. Rafe’s glare narrowed into a glower, hoping the esper would combust with just the intensity of it. He could actually make that happen, but then everybody would immediately know it was him.

“What, Collins?” he growled.

Her face settled into this strange limbo of apologetic and flatness. The blond wanted to balk in disgust at the sight.

“I owe you an apology. My methods during practice were… improper of a coach, and I had no business bringing up such sensitive subjects. As your instructor and older peer, I promise to do better by you.”

All eyes went to him, and Rafe was now aware of how quiet it had gotten. The silence was tense as his teammates and friends waited for his response.

The Hermes superhuman groaned before his expression shuttered. “Just don’t mention it again.”

And with a single nod, Hecuba nodded, and the stiff atmosphere relaxed.

“Now, we can all be friends!” Coach Hemming clapped from somewhere in front.

The esper sat next to Sigil, who, in turn, took his seat once more, seemingly relieved.

“Girl-Rafe, here we come!” Joe cheered out of the blue, easily lifting the mood when everybody started laughing again.

Andre poked his friend’s side with a snigger. “Raphaelia, right?”

Rafe leaned away and groaned again, deflating in his chair while staring up at the ceiling. “Dear god, all of you stop talking.”

-POI-

The first thing that came to Andre’s mind when they arrived in northern Canada a couple of hours later was the cold air. He had opened the window some time ago after getting stuffy from so many bodies packed in one area.

The second thought going through his head was how he had pretty much effectively returned home. There was that wistfulness that came with revisiting familiar lands. Heck, Jan, Bylo, and his other foster brothers and sisters were nearby, but after the last conversation he had with Alpha Renkin, well…

“Oh, man,” he slouched in his seat, gaining Rafe’s attention. “I can’t believe we’re back home. Graybite’s around the corner, you know.”

“Nah. We’re a pretty good distance away in my opinion. See?” He eased the omé’s worries by drawing up a live map of their whereabouts. The red dot on the screen indicating where they were at had a substantial gap between it and Graybite’s exact location in the Rockies. “Besides, I bet your alpha’s too busy to notice that we’re close by. If he didn’t have time for you when you were present, then he won’t be bothering you even when we’re right under his nose.”

It sounded backhanded, but the young wolf knew his best friend was angry about that, too. And he was technically right. There hadn’t been any unexpected phone calls since that day, and being the alpha of a well-known wolf tribe included a lot of paperwork. Even though they were awfully close, Andre considered himself a pretty good sneak.

Pratwith’s School of the Arcane was several acres of Irish castles and a million slabs of red and black bricks each, all of them surrounded in golden and bronze foliage and crystal clear water.

Yeah. Wizardry definitely went down in these halls.

They landed near a water fountain, which Andre guessed was the main building of the campus. Groups of people were still either making their way inside the building or behind it, but they froze when noticed the bus-plane hybrid lower itself to the concrete.

“Alright, shrimps!” Hemming clapped before standing up, prompting Sigil to do the same as well. Rafe made a mental note to ask him why they did that. “We have about twenty minutes before we’re live. Beginner levels have to wear uniform even if you’re not going to be in the ring at all, and, don’t worry, each one is tailored to you. Coach Sigil over here made very sure of that, so we shouldn’t have any problems.”

The unicorn shifter just grinned as he grabbed at a handle above him and pushed it open, revealing a compartment of suitcases.

The gamma coach continued as Sigil and Hecuba began taking them out. “When it comes to who fights who, it’s a first-come-first-serve basis for me. Get your teammates out of the locker room and in their gym, then we can negotiate.”

And with that, the aircraft occupants began to file out, though, not without their new uniform, which the other coaches handed to them in clear plastic garment bags as they passed by. Even Andre got one. Representation was very important, it seemed.

However, the moment they stepped out, they were met with boos and jeers. Andre instantly placed them as Pratwith fans and locals.

“Your team sucks!”

“Go back home, Softward!”

“This ain’t no place for a bunch of babies!”

“Fuck off!” one of their own shouted back.

And soon enough, the beginner level was spitting back at the crowd. A few on both sides even had to be held back from charging at one another. Beside him, Andre looked over to find Rafe gracing the sneering haters with a middle finger.

“Damn,” Joe sighed, repositioning his uniform over his shoulder. “Tough crowd.”

“Really? I thought the welcome was pretty warm,” Landon responded sarcastically as he gave a pack of cursing children a dry eye.

“Ignore ‘em,” Coach Hemming waved at them to follow him into the castle, breezing through the animosity. “Expect this kind of thing before and after a match. It’s just that kind of culture. Don’t forget you’re in enemy territory right now.”

“So, what you’re sayin’ is… we get ta spit back at ‘em when they’re on our turf?” Frodd’s brows raised hopefully.

“Oh, yeah. In that case, have at it. Our crowd will love you more for it, anyway.”

Hecuba snickered. “I suggest getting a spray can of whipped cream. You know, give them something to eat before you beat their faces in.”

“How courteous of you.”

The outside may have been different from Ironward, but the interior had very similar tastes. Just like the dorms, it was essentially equivalent to a medieval castle. Double doors and long, stone corridors led to classrooms and seminars. It seemed rather simple to get lost in this place. Though, despite how large the edifice was, finding the locker room wasn’t that difficult. It was easy to believe that Xhad had been here before.

The locker rooms, one for each sex, were more of a spacious sauna, practically the size of a pool area. There were also cabinets that could be rolled out, too, so that they could store their original clothes. Before Andre headed in, Hemming supplied him with a gold and silver hooded sweatshirt, which were the same colors as the uniforms.

“For you, water boy.”

Andre nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

He had to stand out since he wasn’t a combatant.

And so, the changing process began, and after only half a minute, Rafe was out, sporting a short-sleeved silver compression shirt with his own name on the front and Ironward’s logo on the back all written in gold. Andre figured they were being passed out randomly, but maybe Sigil was just that precise. The track pants were the same way – argent nylon with an auric strip down the side.

Andre ignored the heat that promptly blossomed across his face as he gazed at his friend’s accentuated lean build.

“Wow. You look nice. Pretty form-fitting, too. How does it feel?”

Rafe patted himself down. “A bit heavy but not too restricting. I can move around pretty easily, so it’s alright.”

“Too bad you don’t get to be all snug like me,” the omé hugged his body, snuggling into the collar of his sweatshirt. “It’s like I’m wearing a pillow.”

The blond snorted. “Well, prepare to sweat like crazy in that shit, man, because I don’t think you’re gonna be catching a break until this is over.”

“At least, I get to sleep soundly on the way back.”

He couldn’t argue with that. Whatever potential bruises that will come of this surely make for a rough nap.

Soon enough, Joe, in the long-sleeve version, Daeran, Frodd, and Landon were out and ready.

“Alright!” the noirette punched a fist into his palm. “We’re ready! Let’s go meet the competition.”