Rhythmic guitar and harmonica-filled music blared from the cab of the truck as James ‘Jim’ O’Neil haphazardly steered the massive six-wheeled vehicle with his right hand. His left, however, was otherwise occupied as the tanned arm hung out the window, tapping against the side of the door to the beat of his favourite Delta Blues. Behind Jim was a convoy of similar vehicles, each heading to the Intake House to pick up the newest Pacific Royal students in order to shuttle them to the Southern Plateau for the Homecoming Trials.
It had already been a busy morning, with having to deliver Iñigo to the Chancellor before the kick-off ceremony. The ‘prisoner’ transfer had made the red-blooded American madder than a boiled owl. His knuckles turned white gripping the steering wheel as he thought back to the earlier events of the day. Each member of Team 21 was under his care, as the team’s assigned faculty representative, which essentially made him their den mother. While he didn’t have to care, Jim had never been one to take injustice lying down and seeing a Hyperhuman in chains paraded across campus wasn’t exactly something he took kindly to, let alone one of his.
Downshifting the truck, Jim purposefully over-revved the engine as he pulled the six-wheeled truck up to the Intake House. His music still turned all the way up, it practically shook the aged windows of the large brick house in their frames. Besides his own vehicle, another of the shuttles was emblazoned with the Blackjack ‘Spade’, while both were followed by a pair of identical trucks marked by a white circle nearly encompassed by a darker one placed over the top of it; the logo of Team 21’s rival university-level team, Eclipse or Team 18.
Climbing out of the spacious cabin, the bearded man emerged from the driver’s seat, waving for the driver of the other Blackjack vehicle to follow. Jim’s graying hair was unkempt, bordering on bedhead which seemed to stand in stark contrast to his neatly trimmed beard. Though the man was still something of an enigma, this was not the first time that the members of Team 21 had laid eyes on Jim O’Neil. He had personally met and toured each member of Blackjack through the campus upon their first arrival and acted as the team’s liaison and in a similar capacity to a guidance counsellor, ensuring the team and all of its members were where they were supposed to be, when they were supposed to be.
Straightening his trademark jacket, Jim twitched his nose before spitting out the wad of gum he had been chewing. Pausing to reach back into the vehicle behind him, the older man pulled his stetson from atop the center counsel and placed it on his head.
The sound of the H.E.L.P. issued Minotaurs had alerted almost all of the residents of the Intake House to the shuttles’ arrival. Counting the waiting students, Jim nodded his approval as almost all twelve were waiting and ready to depart.
“How’s my team of wildcards doin' today?” He asked with a smile, before waving the younger driver from the second vehicle towards the group.
“Tad!” Jim exclaimed in his usual boisterous tone.
“Introduce yourself to the team!” From behind Jim stepped forward a slender, mousey male. Loose curls of raven-like hair hung from his head, obstructing part of his face. Dark eyes stared out at the gathered team as Thaddeus ‘Tad’ Finch nodded a salutation toward them.
“Hello,” He started with a small wave before looking at Jim and back towards the team as he cleared his throat,
“I’m a student teaching assistant at Pacific Royal Collegiate and University, a member of both House Strigidae and a former member of the last iteration of Team 21 prior to our graduation. Like you, I went through the Hyperhuman Enforcement Advanced Training Program, before beginning work with the Department of Education and Logistics, which subsequently led me back here and before you today.”“Tad here is y'alls student advisor, your personal guru.” Jim interjected speaking over the graduate student,
“Everything y'all goin' to go through as part of the Trials, the H.E.A.T. program and just general student life here at P.R.C.U., Tad has already been through. Don’t hesitate to ask him for advice or help if the need arises.” Jim explained.
“Officially Tad no longer belongs to this team,” Jim paused, winking toward the team,
“Unofficially he’s still as much of a member of Blackjack as any of y'all.”“Look what the Chancellor dragged in,” The voice came from the driver of one of the Eclipse vehicles. The barrel-chested man made even the Minotaur look like a small vehicle as he squeezed out of the cabin. A pair of dark aviator sunglasses seemed to accent the smug look on his face.
“Team,” Jim stated, turning towards the fair-haired gorilla of a man,
“This mountain of a man is Aaron Matthews, the faculty representative for your fellow new students of Team 18.”From behind Aaron, a petite-framed redhead appeared. Her piercing blue eyes studied the gathered members of Team 21 before a look of boredom washed over her face. Turning her attention to the other gathered group of students, a smile crept back onto her face.
“And this spitfire here, is Team 18’s student advisor, Ryan Clarke,” Jim added, gesturing towards the smaller woman.
“These ones have the look of winners,” Ryan stated as she pointed towards her own team before looking back towards Jim and the rest of Blackjack.
“Yours, eh, I wouldn’t go all in just yet, Jim.” She turned back towards the vehicles, pausing to ruffle Tad’s hair before winking at him.
“So cute,” She said, her nose crinkling in a look that was somewhere between the lines of disgusted and smug.
“All students assigned to Team 18, you’re in the vehicle marked with an Eclipse, anyone not assigned to Team 18 can find their ride 'cause you’re not with me.” Aaron hollered as the twelve members of Eclipse departed leaving Jim, Tad and the rest of Blackjack.
Jim had read the files on all of the upcoming students. Watching the other team as they climbed into the pair of Minotaurs, he began to put names to faces. The blonde boy that raced to be first into the lead Eclipse vehicle, he recognized as Gareth Wagner, a student possessing the ability to propel themselves forward at high speeds, enveloping themselves in a bubble while doing so which essentially turned them into a human bullet. Following at Gareth’s heels was Robert Thoreau, or RJ as his file had noted as his preferred name. Like Blackjack’s own Axel, RJ possessed a variation of tactile telekinesis that allowed him to expand his body’s bioelectric field to grant him a variation of hyper-strength.
Following the two boys came two girls, one with dark hair while the other had horns peeking out of her forehead. Jim figured for the first he had a fifty/fifty shot of whether she was Charlotte Valentine or Simone Richards. However, without double-checking the image on file or seeing the girl use her abilities, Jim couldn’t remember which this was. The other was definitely the team’s osterokinetic, Kaitlyn Riley.
A male towering a head above the others started towards the first vehicle. His fur-covered face and red eyes pointed to this being Adam Prince. As he made his move towards the Minotaur, the pair of blonde women darted towards the second vehicle. By Jim’s recollection that would make them Layla Schade and Eden Sherwood, a photokinetic and florakinetic respectively.
Raising an eyebrow at how the two girls avoided sharing a vehicle with Adam, Jim tilted his head to get Tad’s attention, gesturing with his eyes for him to watch. Whether the members of Blackjack knew it or not, the Trials had already started and if they were to win, then Jim and Tad needed to realize all strategic advantages. Teammates avoiding each other meant there was a flaw waiting to be exploited.
Jim turned his attention back to the remaining five members of Eclipse. By his recollection, the only ones left were Zebulun Michales; the Hydrokinetic, Noah Gallager; the animal shifter, Sunder Rana and his toxic spit, Raoul Ishmael; the pyrokinetic and the remaining woman. Upon a second examination, Jim decided she was Simone Richards and the first woman must have been Charlotte.
“I’d get your team moving and loaded, O’Neil!” Matthews called from the driver seat of his truck.
“Don’t want to miss out on the good campsites.” He laughed, laying down the horn to signal his departure before yelling over the engine as he pulled out.
“Plus, sounds like this year’s Trials are going to be rough!”“Well, what are y’all just standin' around for?” O’Neil said, turning back to his own team,
“Blackjack, get your asses in gear. Six of y’all with me, the other six with Tad.” Climbing into the driver's seat again, Jim continued to bark orders.
“Anyone who doesn’t get in right now is walkin'. If there are no seats left in the cab, climb in the box.”The large all-terrain vehicle tore across the island, seemingly unhindered by the rough paths cut through the forest surrounding the campus, nor bothered by the uneven terrain along the mountainous range towards the center of the island. Eventually, the scenery changed from plains of blowing grass and protruding rocky crags to a large flatland. It was barren save for the numerous bodies now inhabiting it, along with colourful banners flying in support of each of the eight school houses.
"... As most of y’all know, any student is welcome and invited to view the trials,"
Holding a shortwave radio up to his mouth, Jim continued to explain the ongoing activities to the team, broadcasting his voice between both vehicles. Gesturing with an arm through the open window, he pointed towards the numerous rows of tents and multiple campsites. While many of the tents were dressed in house colours and grouped across eight areas, the rows closest to the center were more monochromatic, instead bearing their team logo. Each of these team campsites had six small tents, all placed around a central fire pit. Most of them were already lit and the smell of cooking meat, vegetables and numerous other appetite-inducing aromas wafted through the open windows of the pair of Minotaurs.
As the team continued to approach the center of the plateau, they could see the temporary bleachers erected on either side. A team of faculty members and graduate students were working to terraform the plateau into this year's trials. From the ground, greenery began to appear as a massive hedge grew from the ground.
To the west, Jim’s eyes narrowed as he spotted an ominous row of dark clouds, coming closer to the island. There was no way the Chancellor would allow a storm to dampen the event, even O’Neil had to admit those clouds didn’t look good. A cold wind whipped through the open window, sending a slight chill down Jim’s spine. It echoed over the Southern Plateau like a blood-curdling scream.
“Do you hear how the wind sounds here?” Jim asked, picking up the radio again, “The edge of the Southern Plateau is known as the Howling Cliffs because an enthusiastic Elemental decided to use their abilities to shape the cliffs to perfectly accent the ocean wind in such a way that it sounds like a banshee. It’s impressive, damn eerie too.”
Bringing the vehicle to a stop, Jim climbed out, motioning those riding with him to follow suit. Behind their Minotaur, Tad brought his vehicle to a stop as the team reunited around an empty campsite.
“Listen up y’all!” Jim yelled to the gathered group, “I may like the sound of my own voice but I hate repeating myself.” Taking a step forward, he pointed towards the pair of vehicles as Tad opened the tailgates and began producing their bagged tents.
“First order of business to get our camp set up, two people to a tent, find a bunkmate. I don’t frankly care who pairs up so long as the rest of us aren’t going to hear you all night.” He paused, his eyes seemingly looking directly toward Banjo.
“In any capacity,” Jim added, his tone making the implication perfectly clear. “While you lot do that, Tad here will get the fire going and rassle us up some grub, If ya don’t eat meat, now’s your time to speak up and Tad will get you the proper vittles, otherwise, I think we have something y’all are going to enjoy.” Lifting his hat, Jim smoothed his hair back before replacing the Stetson atop his head.
“This year’s homecoming trial is centred around the massive hedge maze you see growing over yonder. Startin’ tomorrow, we’ll be sending you into the hedge and as a team, you’ll need to work together to navigate it, while also overcoming anything you encounter inside. While I can’t get into specifics with y’all, I can forewarn you that these obstacles can be anything as simple as a riddle to a trap riddle corridor to even a physical confrontation.”
Clearing his throat, Jim continued.
“For tonight though, y’all should try and bond as a team. Throw the old pigskin around, sing kumbaya, play truth or dare, I don’t really care so long as you actually learn about one another. Another good idea, go over your Hyper Abilities, learn your deck before you play it. Now’s the time to reveal any hidden talents.” He nodded to Tad to get started on the fire.
“But first order of business, let’s get these tents up!”
