Academy

"Speaking of which, aren't you scheduled to be in wedlock next year?"

"Don't remind me. I can only imagine what boorish oaf my parents are thinking of matching me with. More the reason to make my exit as soon as possible."

"Whatever you decide, I wish you the best my dear."

The night before she left, Sierra wrote a letter to her parents. It simply stated, 'I desire to find my own way in life. If you truly love me then you will respect my wishes and welcome me when I return.'

On her way out, she stopped by the stable to say goodbye to Jarod. He was heartbroken and her heart ached for him.

Sierra gave him a long embrace. "I never wanted to hurt you. You have so much to offer and I know you'll find a woman who can give you more than I'm able. If I were to stay then you would only see me married away to someone else. It's better this way for both of us." With a tearful kiss, she left.

After a five day journey, Sierra boarded the ship that would ferry her to the island that housed the Saebra Academy. She could see the school ahead on the misty horizon -- it's silver dome and towers shining like a jewel in the desert. The other side of the island housed the Rostram Academy, which was an all male gladiatorial school. The architecture was exactly the same as Saebra with the only distinguishing feature being that it was gold in color. A large wall divided the two academies, most likely to prevent fraternization between the two establishments. Past the island was the continental mainland where the graduating gladiators would compete in the most famous arenas in all the realms. She could see the great city of Beltran in the distance, which consisted of a network of coliseums and competition grounds.

Sierra disembarked the boat when it docked on the tiny island. There was an eerie silence as no one was there to greet her. She turned as the ship set sail back to the mainland. "No turning back now," she absently muttered to herself.

She climbed many steps to reach the entrance of the school that was perched on top of a hill. The large double doors were of sturdy wood and intricate designs were carved in the door frame. She pulled the handle and the doors opened with a creak leading into a great hall. Sunlight shone brightly in the hall as there was a glass opening in the ceiling to allow natural light through, which reflected off the polished marble floor.

The thing that caught Sierra's attention the most was a statue of the goddess, Saebra, located in the center of the hall. It was on a pedestal and stood ten feet high. The goddess was completely nude except for a helm, sword and shield. She had one foot forward and her breasts thrust proudly as if she were ready for battle. Sierra marveled at the painstaking craftsmanship that created such a perfect design. Every nuance of the body was a perfection, which few real women would ever obtain.

Sierra stood in front of the pedestal and reached up to touch the statue. The proud, pointed breasts loomed above her just out of reach so she ran a finger down the smooth contoured line that ran under the sternum. She paused for a moment to feel the expertly carved navel and then allowed her hand to travel lower. Her fingers glided along the delicate curls of hair, which were carved with intricate detail between the statues legs. Sierra thought to herself what a sacrilege it was to touch the nether parts of a goddess. She wondered if Saebra was looking down on her with anger.

Sierra jerked her hand away as a door at the end of the entrance hall suddenly opened. A woman marched forward and Sierra wondered if she had seen her touching the statue inappropriately. "Sierra Waycross, I presume."

"Yes, ma'am," Sierra replied nervously.

"My name is Tameer, headmistress of this establishment. Congratulations on your performance in the tournament two weeks ago." There was no hint of a smile on Tameer's face and she spoke rather sternly. She was a beautiful woman but Sierra had difficulty determining her age. Her hair had a silvery tint, but was smooth with a youthful shine. Her face showed maturity but there wasn't a single line on her smooth skin. She wore tight, leather pants and a richly designed tunic which was belted at the waist. The outfit was snug enough to show that she had the form of a twenty year old but Sierra guessed that she was at least twice that age.

"Please follow me and I'll give you a tour of the academy," Mistress Tameer requested. The mistress had no idea that Sierra was of noble birth and treated her like a commoner. She probably would have treated her as such regardless, but that was ok with Sierra. Her purpose was to hone her skill and she found it refreshing that no one was here to grovel before her.

The next room was another large hall that served as a museum paying homage to an earlier civilization that had gone under. Sierra marveled at some of the artifacts from this old world that represented technology that was beyond the reach of the sages of present times. There was a replica in the center of the room of a metal chariot on four wheels, which needed no horses to pull it. Mystics had been able to capture visions of this long lost civilization and their artistic visions decorated the walls. There were paintings of magnificent cities consisting of huge rectangular spires. Metallic birdlike shapes flew the skies, which apparently transported people around the world in a matter of hours. Sierra was saddened by the final pieces of art that depicted those same cities. Only this time, they were exploding in great clouds of smoke and billowing flames.

Tameer noticed Sierra's misty-eyed gaze and spoke. "They decimated themselves. Their technology advanced quicker than their wisdom. Instead of living in harmony, individual kingdoms wanted to control the world. Their weaponry became powerful enough to destroy all civilization -- and they did. Only a handful of stragglers survived. Those few survivors are our ancestors and without their grit and determination to live, we wouldn't be standing here today."

Tameer escorted Sierra out of the Hall of Artifacts. "We must not make the same mistakes that the old world made or we'll be destined to share their fate," she continued. "Our world is misusing magic the same way the old world abused technology. That is why there are so many strange beasts in the Wilderlands. They are all creations born of twisted magical experiments. It is also why academies such as ours are important. We hope to mold young individuals into a force that can confront these atrocities before it is too late."

Tameer continued to give Sierra a tour of the school where most of the combat training would take place. Some of it was outdoors in an arena type setting and other locations were in training halls. When the orientation concluded, Tameer left Sierra at the door to her quarters.

Sierra entered the room that would be her home. It was small but comfortable with two beds on either wall. A scantily-clad young woman was sitting at a desk studying a weapons manual. She rose to greet Sierra.

"So you must be Sierra Waycross. I'm Tessa Lockhart. I'll be your roommate." The woman had smooth raven colored hair that fell to her shoulder blades . She had mysterious eyes that were as dark as her hair. She didn't smile at Sierra as she greeted her but watched her cautiously.

Sierra gave her a simple nod in return but was looking at her strange outfit.

"Oh yes, the uniform," Tessa added. "Get used to it. There's one for you on your bed. It's all we're allowed to wear at the academy."

"Charming," Sierra responded wryly as she looked at the skimpy garment dubiously. "Let's hope this place doesn't get too drafty." Sierra proceeded to change into it and noticed that Tessa wasn't averting her eyes. Instead, she was watching Sierra intently. Sierra was used to having privacy when she changed so losing that luxury would be something she would have to get used to.

The outfit was a light, cream color. The skirt, if you could call it that, was extremely short. The hem only reached the top portion of her thigh and the cut became gradually shorter towards the hip where the material was only about two inches long. It had loose folds that allowed ease of movement. A belt held the skirt up but Sierra had to wear it low to allow the skirt to cover her underwear.

The top was just as scant. It was held up by two thin straps, had the same free flowing folds and was just enough to cover her breasts. The outfit was completed with leather boots that laced nearly to the knees and a white collar. The color of the collar signified her rank in the school and white was the lowest rank. A student received new colors as they progressed with the top students achieving metallic collars of silver, gold or platinum.

"So where are you from and what brought you to the academy?" Sierra asked as she adjusted her uniform.

"I'm from Nova's Cape. I was actually a thief. I've been on my own since I was fourteen and needed an easy profession. My only options were to become a harlot or a thief so I chose the latter. It worked out great until I got arrested. They sentenced me to attend the academy to 'learn discipline'. I guess it beats prison."

"You don't look like a thief. I would have never guessed." The few thieves Sierra had seen in Rahnd were hardened street urchins. Tessa was quite beautiful and had a grace about her.

"Well, that was the key to my success. I got off the hook many times by people thinking I was too upright to commit robbery. Plus, it was easy to charm the guards into letting me go but my luck ran out."

"Didn't you ever feel guilty about stealing?" Sierra asked.

"Not at all. I only stole from nobles who had more than their share of life's pie while the rest of us are wondering where our next meal will come from. And I only took enough to sustain myself."

Her comment stung Sierra a little considering she came from a noble family. But what Tessa was saying made some sense and Sierra was starting to realize how her upbringing isolated her from the realities of the world.

"So what about you, Sierra? Where are you from?"

"Umm... Rahnd," Sierra responded guardedly.

Tessa raised her eyebrows. "You mean that far-off kingdom on the western shore of the continent? I hear it is quite a wealthy place. You must have a rich background."

"No, not really," Sierra lied. "I just worked on an estate for a noble -- low wages and such. I'm hoping the academy will give me more opportunities."

The first week involved no physical training so the students could get acclimated to the academy. Besides a few lectures it seemed like a holiday to Sierra. The living conditions were simple yet pleasant. The food was excellent even though it was a healthy, gladiator diet.

Sierra attempted to get to know some of the other girls but she soon gave up. Most of them had shifty eyes and were untrusting -- not friendly at all. She hit it off well with Tessa so she spent most of her time with her. They seemed to have a lot of spare time that first week. When they weren't in classes they would be on the beach sunning themselves and talking about men. Sierra confessed about her secret escapades with Jarod and Tessa had a few juicy stories of her own. Their naughty discussions were tantalizing but left Sierra with desires that she couldn't fulfill at the all-girl academy.

At the end of the week, there was a loud banging on the door of their quarters early in the morning. Sierra sat up in a daze and looked out the window. The sun hadn't even risen yet. Tessa grumbled and rolled out of bed and answered the door in her underwear not even bothering to cover herself. One of the advanced students was standing there impatiently.

"Your presence is requested in the main training hall immediately. That goes for both of you," the student said testily and left.

Sierra sleepily but hurriedly slipped into her costume then she and Tessa made their way to the training hall. When they arrived, the advanced students were gathered on one side of the room in their various colored collars. The novice students were on the other side. Sierra and Tessa fell in line with the rest of the white-collared group. The students lined up on their respective sides of the room and stood at attention as the headmistress entered along with seven other female instructors. Mistress Tessa looked the novice students over for a few minutes and began to speak.

"Fifty new students have been selected to attend the academy this year. You should feel honored to have made it to this point but realize that very few of you will make it to graduation. If the numbers from previous years hold true, a third of you will be on your hands and knees begging to leave after the first week of training. Half of the remaining will fail and be expelled within the first six months and five will likely die from training related accidents." She motioned to the advanced students on the other side of the room. "They started out as fifty and now there are only ten who have made it to the second year. Four of them, maybe five, might graduate from the academy at the end of the year. The rest will go home empty handed if they are alive to do so. These are harsh realities but we can only send the best to compete in the arenas of Beltran."

Tameer took a sword that was hanging on the wall and walked before the novice class with it as she continued to speak. "Decades ago, all fights were to the death. This created a shortage of gladiators so the arena masters had to come up with solutions. Non-lethal contests were added such as archery, sprints, boxing and wrestling. A contingent of healers are now present at all contests. For melee combat, a new style of weapon was invented." Tameer pressed the sword into the wooden floor but when she pulled it up the sword left no mark.

She walked up to a novice student standing in the middle of the line. "This weapon is designed to collapse into the hilt to minimize chances of death -- but it can still cut." She drew sword slowly across the students belly as she gasped. A line of trickling blood was left. "It just doesn't cut as deeply."

Tameer hung the sword back on the wall as a healer stepped forward to apply an ointment on the trembling student's cut. She returned to the center of the room and continued her speech. "Saebra is the female goddess of war. She also represents beauty and perfection of the female form. All students of Saebra must strive for that same perfection. Please remove your uniforms."

The novice students looked at each other nervously, but the advanced students dutifully obeyed and stripped down to their undergarments. The new class then followed suit. Everyone was wearing the same style of underwear, which the school had issued. Sturdy one inch straps held the bra and brief bottoms together.

Sierra winced to herself as she reluctantly slipped out of her uniform. The previous night she had been fantasizing about an encounter with Jarod and had slept in the bra and panties that were a favorite of his. They were lacy and had very little coverage. The bra was frilly and left the top portion of her breasts pushed together and exposed. The panties were nothing more than a G-string and just enough to cover her private area. Tessa looked down at what she was wearing and stifled a giggle. Sierra was trying not to blush.

Tameer walked down the line carefully observing the form of each student. Then she stopped right in front of Sierra. "What do we have here? I don't believe this is standard issue." Tameer was running a finger along the fringe of Sierra's bra. She then looked down at the panties curiously. "Aren't you a pretty poppet but these are hardly appropriate for battle," she added as she ran her finger under the lacy string and gave it a tug. Sierra tensed, thinking that Tameer was going to rip them off her body.

"My apologies, Mistress. I wasn't aware that training began today. I thought it was to start tomorrow. I'll go change and return immediately."

"You'll do no such thing," Tameer replied firmly. "You can train in that today. Maybe it will teach you a lesson in preparedness."

"Today we are going to focus on wrestling," Tameer announced as she walked to the center of the room and stood on a large mat. "Mylinda, please step forward."

One of the advanced students approached the mat. She had a purple collar signifying that she was just two ranks away from achieving metal collar status.

"Sierra Waycross, why don't you approach the mat. Today might be a good introduction to show you what this school is all about," Tameer said with an expectant look.

Sierra nervously approached, but sized up her opponent the whole time. Mylinda was a few inches taller and had a lean build compared to Sierra's curvy form. She would have been considered pretty but she had a ruthlessness in her eyes that would probably put most men off. Her dark hair was tied in a pony tail. Sierra had learned all forms of combat from the captain of the guard in Rahnd. She hoped the wrestling maneuvers she was taught would help, but her opposition looked skilled.

"The object is to pin your opponent for five seconds or make them forfeit through submission," Tameer instructed. "Now begin."

Mylinda wasted no time attacking. Sierra barely had a chance to brace herself. They grappled and Mylinda maneuvered behind Sierra with her arm locked firmly under her chin. Sierra used all her might and flipped her opponent over her shoulders. Mylinda was prepared for the move and continued the momentum causing Sierra to flip over her shoulder. She landed flat on her back causing the wind to be knocked out of her.

Before Sierra could catch her breath, Mylinda pulled her up by the hair and planted a foot firmly in her back while Sierra was on her knees. She continued to pull her hair until Sierra screamed in pain. She looked over at the mistress to see if she would call a foul but no action was being taken. Sierra managed to break the hold by getting to her feet and giving a sweeping back kick that took Mylinda's legs out from under her.

The two girls grappled again. This time Mylinda was raking her fingernails down Sierra's back leaving a fresh trail of blood. Sierra realized that her opponent had filed her nails to a point giving her an advantageous weapon to use.

Sierra broke the hold but Mylinda had a grip on her flimsy bra and started to pull and stretch it. "Let go, bitch!" Sierra shrieked. But the bra snapped and Mylinda tossed it aside with a grin on her face. Sierra realized that no rules were being enforced so she slammed the heel of her palm into Mylinda's face causing her to stagger.

They fought viciously for several more minutes. Mylinda managed to get Sierra's arm wrenched behind her back and then started pulling on her panties for added leverage. "What the fuck are you doing, bitch!" Sierra screamed. The thin string on one side finally snapped leaving the panties halfway hanging off her body. She was really pissed now.

Sierra reached behind grabbing her opponent by the neck and did what appeared to be an impossible maneuver of lifting her legs off the ground and putting Mylinda's head in a vice grip between her thighs. They tumbled and tangled up like a pretzel. Sierra still had her adversary's head clamped between her thighs while Mylinda was on her knees. Sierra rolled causing Mylinda to arch backwards and head to twist. She let out a shrill scream of pain.

"Give up!" Sierra growled through gritted teeth. Her opponent only screamed so she applied more pressure and Mylinda shrieked in agony. Sierra was afraid she might break the woman's back or neck if she didn't forfeit soon.

Tameer approached the matt. "Have you had enough, Mylinda?"

"NO!"

Sierra tightened her thigh muscles and gave a firmer squeeze. "OW-OW-Okay, I surrender, just please STOP!" Sierra released her grip and Mylinda crouched on the mat sobbing in pain. Sierra got to her feet weary and battered with her panties hanging on her body precariously.