The day of our arrival came, and I was excited, to say the least. Finally, there would be a change after days spent with nothing but training and studying. And of course, eating and sleeping. Lots of eating.
Training went…as well as one could expect. I couldn’t complain about the equipment on the ship – it was excellent. Nonetheless, I was not at the top of my game. I was distracted, to say the least. Getting used to the Earthen Aspect trait, sparring with Daniel and Scott, and bonding with my Soulkins was mentally draining. Especially the part with Scott and Daniel.
My friends had met and were still getting used to one another. They were not yet friends, but I was hoping for the best. Though my expectations were low. At least, they bonded a little after sparring a few times.
Anyway, I emerged on the ship’s deck after the captain announced our arrival. The ship slowed as the cadets stepped onto the deck to see where we’d stay for the foreseeable future. Several shoulders pushed into me, nearly knocking me over the railing. My heart skipped a beat and my arms bulged as I pressed my palms into the railing to stay on the deck. Two arms shot toward me, gripping my shoulder, and familiar voices reached me.
“Are you okay?” Scott asked.
“These idiots nearly killed you,” Daniel growled at the other cadets, who mumbled something about weaklings and how they should stay away from danger if they couldn’t even keep themselves safe. Rude, but whatever.
The deck was a little cramped, and many cadets returned to train and prepare for the Camp. I stayed and watched the flying ship slow down. We burst through a massive cloud alongside the flying Soulkins guarding the ship, and it didn’t take long before I heard squeals and shouts from the other side.
The ship descended slowly, but it was not until it turned to the right that I saw our final destination.
“It looks even more beautiful than I remember,” Scott murmured as the land beneath us unraveled.
A massive mountain range piercing through the clouds unfolded in the distance. Beside it, an equally gargantuan forest spread far and wide. The trees looked tiny from the distance, but I could make them out from tens of kilometers away – they had to be massive. To the right lay a region resembling the mangrove swamps I’d seen in one of the Zerogs’ files; to the left, an expansive plains region connected to an area that looked a little dried – possibly a savannah, if memory served right – and right below us were…stones.
The area below us was the most confusing, to say the least. It resembled the pictures of canyons I’d studied in the files before, but never had I seen so many gorges ravaging a region. It looked gloomy, and a bit eerie if I was to be honest. There was movement, no more than dots from our position, but I didn’t want to go there. That much was apparent. If I could avoid it, I would make a massive detour around the stony region riddled with gorges.
“Is that the Grand Camp?” I heard Daniel shout and looked over to the massive structures that emerged in the distance, spoiling the picture of beauty, even if only a little. The structures in the distance resembled the infrastructure in the Bastions, which made sense, since they were probably built by the same people. Still, something about them was odd.
The skyline sharpened as the ship drew closer and new details of our final destination unraveled. Towers that mimicked Bastion architecture jutted from the ground, resembling the main sector, but they weren’t alone. Smaller buildings ringed the central hub with clear spacing between them. Wide streets webbed out of the center of the Grand Camp, connecting to the smaller structures, which were built in a circular fashion, creating roughly a dozen isolated communities.
No, not a dozen. Thirteen. There were a total of thirteen communities, each a circle surrounding the Grand Camp’s core area.
I leaned forward, piecing it together. “So that’s what they meant…”
Scott’s eyes clouded over white for a moment as his World stirred. “Districts,” he confirmed, his voice steady. “Thirteen of them. One for each Bastion.”
The design clicked in my head. Each district was like a mini-Camp orbiting the core. Thirteen fragments of one whole. But why separate us? Why not one massive fortress for all thirteen thousand cadets, just to fuel the competition?
“They foster competition by dividing us,” Daniel muttered, unusually serious.
I shot him a look, but his gaze never left the sprawling structures below.
“Think about it,” he went on. “It’s not just cadet versus cadet. It’s Bastion versus Bastion. They want us to compete with each other—but they also want us backing our own. You push against the ‘outsiders’, and you push through with your own district. Together.” He hesitated, frowning slightly. “At least…that’s how I think it works.”
Uncertainty lingered in his tone, but I didn’t press. Even though we all came from different backgrounds and Bastions, some for noble reasons, others for selfish ones, we all wanted one thing – survive. We lusted for the power needed to protect mankind and to survive. Competing fiercely with each other was risky, to say the least. Then again…what did I know? My experience was lackluster, to put it simply.
“Whatever.” I shrugged. I’d receive my answers soon enough.
***
As it turned out, introductory speeches were optional rather than mandatory. Our ship touched down in one of the isolated communities, and at first glance, it wasn’t much to look at—no more than a dozen buildings in total. There was one massive hall doubling as a cafeteria, two floors clearly meant for training and sparring, and a handful of smaller halls reserved for lecturers.
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Apparently, most seminars would be held within our districts rather than in the Camp’s core. That…struck me as odd. Why combine all the Bastions into a single Grand Camp, only to scatter us again into separate pockets?
Still, that wasn’t what really gnawed at me. What bothered me was the lack of a protective dome over the Camp, the kind of safeguard every Bastion had. Or the absence of a proper welcome speech, the kind of thing that might’ve explained what we were supposed to expect. Instead, all we got was a message.
With nothing else to do, I opened the message while the other cadets disembarked to study our new home.
[Cadets!
I am grateful to be here today, but I am even more grateful that you arrived unharmed.
Welcome to the Grand Camp!
Each of you has earned your place in the Grand Camp through determination, talent, willpower, and some with a grain of luck. That alone—especially luck (may fortune shine upon us)—sets you apart from the many who never made it this far.
The Grand Camp is special. It is far more than a place of training. The Grand Camp is where strength is tempered beyond recognition, where bonds are tested, where strength is tempered, and where character is forged and nourished. Here, you will learn what it means not only to fight, but to endure, to lead, and to carry the responsibility of true power.
The path ahead will not be easy. It has never been and it will never be. You will be tested constantly—in body, mind, and spirit. Some of you will fall; all of you will struggle more than you can fathom, but those who never surrender will discover power greater than anything you can imagine.
I expect discipline, focus, and respect from each of you and toward each other. Every single one of you deserves to be here. Do not allow anyone to say otherwise.
Remember this: you are not just cadets. You are Blessed, the future protectors of mankind, and those who will stand strong where others cannot. Carry yourselves with pride, train with all you have, and never forget why you are here.
Together, we will shape something greater than ourselves.
Welcome to the Grand Camp.
And now…now get to know your roommates. Make use of this opportunity—do not let it slide—and don’t waste your Camp Coins too quickly.]
The last part felt like it revealed the messenger’s real personality. In the first place, who wrote that message? Was it the Camp Leader—… Wait…was there a leader in the first place? The manual and brochures didn’t say anything about that. Anyway.
As for the rest of the message, it didn’t introduce anything. Instead, a few more mails dropped into my inbox. One contained a file with another Grand Camp manual. This one, however, said [Updated]. Another was short and informed me of my room, who I was going to share it with, and where to find it. Then there was a mention of our ID. From the looks of it, the ID would be displayed differently while we were in the Grand Camp. It would also be used as my key card and coin card, holding all my money. A quick glance at the updated ID information showed that there was a lot more to unravel.
Name: Adam Savier
Blessed: Adept
Soulkins: 2
Affiliations: Grand Camp
– Ranking.
District – #973
Grand Camp – #13,048
Retinue – #679 – Rank
Benefits: 13 Coins/month
Camp Coins: 100
That…was a lot more information than expected. Unfortunately, that didn’t make things better. It tarnished my good mood and burned my excitement to cinders.
“District…There shouldn’t be more than 1,000 cadets from our Bastion. Maybe a dozen more.” I grimaced, eyes glued to the ranking. “There have to be more than 13,000 cadets in the Grand Camp, probably a hundred or two hundred more. So…I was not the worst. That’s not too bad.”
I tried to hype myself up, and so did Aureus, but we failed miserably. I grimaced at the glowing screen, my eyes lingering on the text.
“The ranking determines the monthly scholarship benefits granted by the authorities. The higher you rank, the greater the benefits…” I muttered, reading it out loud as if that would make the words sting less. “Thirteen coins—a month.”
Daniel leaned in over my shoulder, eyebrows climbing. “Only 13 coins!? I get—no, forget about that. At least everyone starts with a hundred coins. You can blow them on lectures, apprenticeships, or…” His grin widened as he flicked through a catalogue that appeared before his eyes. “The Camp Shop. Look at all the things they’ve got! What don’t they have?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Invaluable treasures, overpriced ‘advanced’ lectures, weapons I can’t afford…” I recited like the brochure itself. “So yeah. Everything.”
“Shame I can’t convert Credits into Coins,” Daniel muttered, jaw tightening. “That would make a lot of things easier for me.”
Scott’s voice cut through his grumbling, calm and sharp. “And harder for everyone else. Especially those without a filthy rich family to rely on.”
Daniel glared at him. “Dude, you don’t have to be rude…I was just saying.”
My lips pressed into a thin line, and I refocused on the new Grand Camp manual. Credits were useless in the Grand Camp. The only acceptable currency was Camp Coins. That much was clear, and it wasn’t too bad. At least everyone had the same starting point—somewhat.
“And there’s also a Mission Board. Jobs. All kinds of them.” His eyes flicked toward Daniel. “You’re an Apprentice Beaster, aren’t you? Then this is your chance. Look at these names—well-known, influential. You either learn from them, or you compete against them. Either way…” His lips twitched in the faintest smile. “…you’ll earn a fortune.”
I inched closer and took a glimpse at Scott’s screen. He glanced at me with a crafty smile when he took note of me, and I scurried away as quickly as I could, trying to act nonchalant. Studying under a Master Beaster sounded…exciting, but I doubted they would accept someone without experience. I had some knowledge, but theory was not good enough for a Master. That didn’t mean I couldn’t try it.
Looking at the lectures and the fees to be tested, I noticed something.
Starting Week Discount – Try yourself at every occupation for a bargain!
That was suitable, and it was probably exactly what the Grand Camp wanted us to use our Coins for in the first week. I opened a new tab and noticed that there were exactly 100 occupations added to the Starting Week Discount—each test priced at one coin. I’d have a lot to study in the following week, but I was no longer discouraged about my ranking. It was still bad, don’t get me wrong, but the mere thought of learning from a Master Beaster, even if it was only a quick lesson, was exciting.
“Oh shit,” Daniel exclaimed, fingers trembling. “No way! There is no way!”
He started to shake like a leaf, and both Scott and I rushed over in a hurry. Scott slowed and let out a laugh before he could even see Daniel’s screen. For a moment, the sadness in his eyes resurfaced. It didn’t persist and was replaced with a wry smile, but it reminded me of the day he told me about his World and its restrictions.
“What is it?” I discarded the image of Scott and turned to Daniel’s screen, only to freeze in my tracks—eyes glued to a small section at the bottom of the Camp Shop catalogue.
[World Aspect]