Nada stared at the mop and bucket in disbelief, "But that's unfair!"
"What's unfair is how you spent my money after promising me you would return me the change," Aefia replied.
"But I did give Anasiy her money's worth of jewelry. I fulfilled that condition!"
"I never said there were two separate conditions," Aefia replied while smiling.
Nada looked at the dirty courtyard."I will do anything else." Nada stomped her feet.
Aefia thought about her 'Mind Control' skill. Though she didn't try it out on a person, she could use her 'Infographics' skill to get instructions if she wished.
"Well then, let's say, by next week, when you get your weekly payment, you will pay me back my one angcle." Aefia decided to give Nada one more chance. "If not, I will have to put you under a spell which restricts you from overspending a set bugdet. I have a skill that allows me to control people's minds."
"Sure. But how much will I even get per week? What if I can't afford to pay you?" Nada asked.
"Then you can pick up some side jobs and work until you pay me up. In this world, we will have to adapt to it. If you keep spending recklessly like that, then you can continue racking up on debt." Aefia answered.
Although she knew Nada's parents were currently in debt and talking about such things would make her upset, the situation had to change now.
"You are right," Nada walked towards the mop and the bucket. Aefia could see that she was feeling pretty hurt and depressed.
"Wait, I was only giving you a warning. You don't have to clean up the entire court." Aefia chased behind Nada.
"But I still owe you." Nada stared at Aefia.
"You do owe me, but I didn't say this job would pay you any amount." Aefia laughed. In fact, they hadn't gotten any permission from the janitors to borrow their cleaning supplies.
"Then how am I supposed to pay you back?" Nada asked. Aefia looked at Ms. Avry for an option.
"You get paid to contribute in battle. You also get paid to finish a mission. For Aefia, she has gotten the money through contributions in battle, and she is expected to get paid if she studies her element thoroughly enough." Ms. Avry answered in behalf of Aefia.
"So I can pick up a mission? Like a side job or research?" Nada asked with stars in her eyes.
"Yes, but only if you can find out enough information about it. And also, your research should be valid and proven." Ms. Avry explained.
"So, what can I research on as of today?" Nada asked.
"You could try researching on your own elemental magic like Aefia. Though Aefia was assigned it by Mr. Elephant, you might want to consult with him first. The starting pay may vary."
"Alright. So I think it's safe to say we should go back to our meeting room?" Nada asked with an expression that seemed to Aefia was asked after a lot of hesitation.
"Yes, you all are going to learn to use your skills as of today and we are supposed to head to the training centre in Robertstown by now." Ms. Avry explained while checking the time on her watch. "I can give you all five minutes at most to equip yourselves with your weapons and items."
Everyone ran to their rooms like kids and came back after a few minutes fully covered with equipments, everyone had items based on their element. Aefia had clipped the cape and shoulder-plates into place and pinned the star and moon brooch onto the front of her cloak with the weapons already strapped on the inside.
***
They took a bus to the training centre which was like a regular football stadium on Earth. It was circular and two storeys tall. On the inside was a dining hall and an open court.
To the side walls were weapons and gears and on top of the elbow-height showcases were amulets with different symbols and colours. Each of them had a different type of gemstone stuck on it.
Ms. Avry explained about the gears, weapons, and amulets that were put into the glass showcase. They were weapons with enhanced magic properties, which may cause serious injuries if not handled properly. The students would only be able to use them under the close surveillance of their mentors after they reach a certain Phase.
The teammates first learned how to use their skills while Aefia sat at the dining hall eating popcorn since she had already discovered how to use hers.
After they were done with the basics, Aefia joined in to learn how to share skills with other teammates. "Everyone will only be able to use one of the other people's skills. Each person has one skill that can be shared with the others."
For Aefia, it was her [Elemental Ability: Wolf Instinct].
For Nada, it was her [Elemental Ability: Frostbite].
For Anasiy, [Elemental Ability: Mind reading].
Diego's was, [Elemental Ability: Poison Weapon].
While Helio's was, [Elemental Ability: Healing].
Ms. Avry explained to them how to share their skills between team members. "One must think of one another at the same time to share their skills. One must also not use that skill during the time of the sharing. If a person can't share their skills, then another person must be using it, or there is a problem with the skill's use."
After the explanation, Aefia and her team tried sharing their skills. As an experiment, Aefia tried out Nada's skill.
The moment Aefia activated the skill, her fingers started to freeze and she started to feel cold. Ms. Avry explained that when someone is using another person's skill, that person's side effect is also shared with the skill.
"But I thought this cloak and brooch would nullify the effects of the side-effect," Aefia asked.
"Yes but not when you are sharing skills. It can only nullify the side-effects of your own element." Ms. Avry answered.
With that in mind, Aefia proceeded to try out her other teammates' skills. Anasiy's side-effect was an intense headache, Helio's side-effect was muscle pain, and Diego's side-effect was a small dose of poison being injected into the veins during the transfer of the poison to the weapon.
This is just a tutorial for the main game. Imagine how intense it will get in the future.
The teammates received a break after they mastered the skill sharing technique and just in time before their real training started. Everyone went to the dining hall to grab a bottle of water and a packet of biscuits.
***
"Since it's your first time fighting, except Aefia, we will start with a replica beast." Ms. Avry explained after the break.
There are replicas of beasts?! How do you even make that?
Ms. Avry brought out a plant and a potion from the store room behind the showcase. Aefia questioned her eyes for a few minutes before realizing that they were in a fantasy world and so extraordinary creations were common here. If they were on Earth by now, it would have been in a spy movie.
Ms. Avry told the students to stay back until further notice and think of who will play which role. They were given two minutes to decide. By the end of the two minutes, Ms. Avry would drop the potion onto the plant to create an artificial beast.
Ms. Avry took out her watch and started counting and so did Aefia. "Based on my knowledge about video games, we need four roles. One healer, two defenders, one main damage dealer, and one spectator." Aefia explained.
"What will a person have to do as a spectator?" Helio asked.
"The spectator is the eye of the team and is responsible for letting the other members know about the enemy's next move. Although this wasn't really a thing in video games, we are going to need it in real life since in video games we were the spectators ourselves.
"The defenders attack from the side and clear a way for the main damage dealer to place the last and final blow which will lead to the defeat of the enemy."
"I think I can already see a pattern in this. Aefia is the spectator since she has a skill that allows her to know the enemy's attack style. Nada and I are the defenders, and Helio is the healer. Diego is the main damage dealer since he has the poison skill. Poison is a brutal last blow and helps to defeat the beast faster." Anasiy explained her thoughts.
"Not only that, we do need to plan a patterned attack too. We can't just attack here and there and try to tie the strings together," Nada interjected.
"True, then why don't Nada freeze the enemy first. Then I will inform Anasiy of its weakness and act as a third defender to clear a way for Anasiy to defrost its weak spot by slicing through the ice if there is. Then Diego will blast poison into its weak spot. Helio will heal any brutal injuries." Aefia explained. "Keyword, brutal, not scratches." Aefia looked at Nada's direction.
Just in time, Ms. Avry dropped the potion onto the plant and it grew to a large size, as tall as the training centre. Ms. Avry formed a barrier around the monster and the students while she stood outside observing.
"I believe there should be no room for mistakes." Aefia made sure of her plan for the final time.
"Alright, good luck!" Ms. Avry spoke as the monster slammed a leaf onto the ground.
Aefia stood at her place and so did Helio. Nada and Anasiy charged at the beast with their weapons. Nada had a pair of blue daggers with a keychain hanging at its ends, while Anasiy had steel claws on her knuckles.
Nada jumped and sliced the leaf with her dagger causing the plant to freeze up until the top of the branch. Anasiy sliced a twig with her claws before jumping back to her starting position.
"You need to cut the roots off to kill the beast." Aefia quickly read the beast's info. "Nada, freeze the stem above the roots."
The stem turned blue with a strike of Nada's dagger and Anasiy clawed out ice to create a space to stab it. Diego charged with his sword's end, pointing to the roots, and sending it through to the other side.
The plant collapsed in an instant and the team members returned to their original place. Luckily, no one was hurt, but due to this being their first fight and since they didn't have any skills like Aefia's 'Wolf Strength', the three of them got tired and decided to sit down.
Just when they thought it was over, Ms. Avry started speaking from outside the barrier, "Well, you all are good at teamwork, but I wanted everyone to fight. Not just three people. I don't need to see Aefia fight but Helio definitely needs to fight."
Ms. Avry let down the barrier, and the plant went back to its normal size. "I don't mean to tell you this but for me to determine who needs more attention with their fighting skills..."
"But it's just the first day, and we have never fought like that in our lives. We could take it slow at first." Anasiy started explaining.
"I get it, but just like yesterday at the market, anyone can come across an encounter, and not everyone will be there to help you." Ms. Avry spoke.
"Then does that mean you want us to go again?" Aefia asked.
"Not in that way, I want you all to test your potentials and showcase some real fight, not a planned one. In any case, you won't even have the time to talk to your teammates if something like yesterday happened. The reason why the training day was put early was because of what happened yesterday at the market." Ms. Avry walked towards the plant.
"For which, I will limit your health to a low. That way, you will receive real training." Ms. Avry poured the remaining potion onto the root of the plant and walked away before reforming the barrier.
Inside, the teammates started to feel tired and weak. The beast grew up in size again and this time, it was way more aggressive. Aefia thought for a moment.
I completely agree with Ms.Avry but I can't risk my team members' health in this fight.
Aefia unsheathed her knife while walking towards the plant. She had a plan in her mind, but carrying it out would be hard.