"Welcome back trainees! I'm glad you came back to day 2. Today we will start the day by doing some light exercise…get ready to run." The trainer said with excitement.
"Ohh…do we really need to?" asked a girl.
"Running and exercise is a good way to synchronize your avatars. Also, since you are all at low levels, the exercise counts as XP which will help you grow. As your levels increase, the growth from exercising will be minimal to the point where you will not even notice it." The trainer replied.
The external doors opened for the first time, and the entire class reacted with a loud,
"WOW!"
The spectacle was truly breathtaking. The sky was painted with a soft blue hue with traces of orange, red, and yellow streaking through…it looked like the sun was sipping orange juice and accidentally had a spill. Clouds could be seen in the sky in all kinds of shapes and sizes…giving the sky dimension and depth. Then there was the sun…oddly the sun in Avalor always had a blue-white tint.
The air felt cool and somewhat sweet. The smell of crushed earth, moss, and leaves hung heavy in the air creating the impression of a spring morning in the high mountains back on earth. As the group ran on a path encircling the base, Arthos was surprised by the size of the base. The group stopped on top of small hill overlooking the city.
"WOW!!!"
The trainees all said in unison. The hilltop provided the perfect vantage point to see Avalor and beyond.
"Welcome to Avalor…the true Avalor," the trainer said.
He continued, "this is my favorite spot on the base…you can see everything for miles on end. Over to your left you see the various guild halls, shops, smiths, and vendors. If you look closely, that large building on the right is Eterna guild hall. Next to it is Paragon guild hall, followed by Legion and Death Squad."
"What's that huge tower on top of the cliffs?" A trainee asked.
"That is Castle Avalor…the heart and soul of this place. Only heroes are allowed to enter…and only by invitation. If you are lucky, you will receive a special quest that will allow you to enter someday." The trainer said with reverence.
"This place is huge! I mean…I follow all the top heroes and watch their videos and streams…but I never imagined Avalor city to be so big," another trainee said in amazement.
The trainer chuckled and replied, "in relative scale, this city is 400 square miles…about the size of New York City including all the major boroughs…enough talk though…time to resume our training."
[…]
Three hours later the group returned to the training base.
"Ok class, now that you are nice and warned up…get ready for your next quest." The trainer announced with a smile.
!ALERT!
[New Quest - "Trial by Fire, part 2" has arrived]
[Trial by Fire, part 2 - please line-up by door 94]
Unlike the previous day, the 1,000 trainees all found their doors quickly and quietly. Arthos and Wain were paired into the same team again…which was a huge relief to both of them. The other 8 members were not the same ones as the previous day. However, this new group of trainees completely ignored the pair. In fact, they did not bother to introduce themselves or greet them. The door opened and the team of 10 went inside.
Arthos equipped a sword again. Wain, however, decided to equip a staff. The previous night, the two had discussed potential combinations in case they were paired up again. They concluded it made for sense for Arthos to attack and defend in the front while Wain supported from the rear.
!ALERT!
[Quest - "Trial by Fire, part 2" updated]
[Trial by Fire, part 2 – work in teams to defeat the training robots]
Similar to the first day, 10 training robots appeared. Six of the other trainees rushed into combat attacking without any kind of coordination or teamwork. Arthos, however, engaged the closest robot with more precision and tact while taking care to conserve stamina.
[Iron Buff has been applied to you from Wain]
[Iron Buff increases Attack Power, Strength, and Speed by 10%]
Instead of trying to defeat the training robot in one massive swing, Arthos dropped low and struck the robot in the leg with a moderate horizontal sword slash causing the robot to momentarily struggle to maintain its balance.
"NOW!" Arthos shouted as he moved to the left.
Wain unleashed three consecutive fireballs.
CLANK, CLANK, CLANK
The fireballs ignited the training robot into a ball of flame. The robot swung its sword wildly while struggling to lunge forward until it toppled over. Arthos pierced the robot straight through the chest just to be sure it was defeated.
!ALERT!
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
Both Arthos and Wain smiled seeing the same system notification pop-up. Their plan had worked. They proceeded to successfully repeat the same maneuver on 3 other robots.
!ALERT!
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
Within a few minutes the ten training robots were defeated…of which four of them were still smoldering from the flames. Two trainees had been defeated during the fight and were looking gloomy and sour.
[…]
Day three of orientation was similar to the second day…three hours of physical training followed by combat simulations. This time Arthos (Level 4) and Wain (Level 4) were separated. However, their higher levels combined with higher stats made the combat significantly easier. The two managed to defeat two robots each gaining one additional level-up.
Days 4 and 5, Arthos and Wain were paired together. The combat simulation was altered to include 20 training robots instead of 10. The pair had perfected their combination and timing, which made combat much easier. In addition, Wain's buffs also increased slightly adding an additional advantage during their battles.
"Day five was easy…but I get the feeling Day 6 and 7 will be much harder." Arthos said gravely to his teammate.