The leader takes the rises and falls, but the text holds the key.

The fairy queen’s headquarters was much more expensive than I would have expected. From the fww rooms I had seen while I was there before, I had thought it was just an infirmary, a couple libraries, and a lounge for those employed by Zoe. I was wrong. Every book series for television series, movie, you name it had characters. Take out the main characters along with their allies and worst enemies, and then add a large room for each of them. Then add a training room and bathroom for each of those characters and add three coliseums, ten cafeterias, a room with thousands of AIs, a material transformer, a few large gardens, two large meditation chambers and more things that I didn’t know about. It equals about the size of Jupiter.

My universe’s AI was named Elaine, and had developed a female persona. Using the gauntlets, she gave us a tour of the fairy queen’s dimensional rift, ending with us going to the short hallway that held the portals to our rooms. She then told us the rules:

Rule 1: MC rules all, meaning that whatever I told them to do, the two other leaders of earth and the unknown Chamhur and Scihmet had to do it.

Rule 2: The only things that I can’t tell them to do are stay in HQ or leave it.

Rule 3: The rest of the group can only take classes that I take and they have to leave early if I leave early.

Rule 4: If anyone else in my group said anything that could be perceived as a command, they would be booted. Each of them gets 5 exceptions since this is the first training camp we’ve been to.

Rule 5: If someone in my group leaves, their opposite has to leave. For instance, if either the Chamber or the Schmet leaves, one of the earth leaders has to as well and vice versa.

Rule 6: Everyone has to wear a uniform and the gauntlets during training camps. Weapons and equipment can be carried at all times and be worn over the uniforms,

Rule 7: We all must obey any senior officers, which have special badges on their uniforms that have the symbol of the light fairy queen on them. Higher ranking officers can override lower ranking officer’s orders.

Rule 8: If something feels wrong, contact your universe’s AI, sometimes the training regimen is a bit too much for noobs. Also contact your universal AI if you need a certain ability that you don’t possess. It doesn’t matter what it is, just ask.

Rule 9: Don’t disobey the rules or you’re booted. The AIs are always watching you.

Those were some pretty odd rules of I do say so myself. I would have to be careful to not break them.

After the rules were read, everyone picked classes. There were classes around the clock, if someone wanted to do all of them, when would they sleep? What about the teachers? Actually, there was a drink that you could ask your AI for, it could act as a substitute for sleep, it wasn’t as good as the real thing though, so it was only meant as a last resort.

There were many types of classes to pick from, and you could, if you wanted to, pick all of them, as they were all at different times. The classes were four hours each. On Saturdays and Tuesdays the beginner courses of from martial arts, “Karin Magic Class” that used the keys, technology class, strategy/history class (of our individual universes and Zoe’s universe), weapons/art class, and Universal magic class which utilizes each individual universe’s magics, physics, etcetera. On Sundays and Wednesdays, the middle difficulty classes ran the same courses, and on Mondays and Thursdays, the Advanced courses ran. Fridays were free days, time for everyone to get some sleep, do some reading, etcetera. The portal master ability was part of the advanced Karin Magic course.

After everyone got a brief description of each class, the door to our little hallway opened. In came a Zombot and a black furry bipedal catlike creature with opposable thumbs and a bipedal doglike creature with opposable thumbs that looked a little bit like a Husky from earth.

“I have other duties to attend to, so, sorry, I gotta go,” said the Zombie, leaving the now cramped hallway.

“Are these hairless monkeys the ones we’re supposed to work with?” Asked the black catlike creature, which I assumed was a Scihmet.

“Uh, yeah,” I replied. Already were we being insulted, and we had only known each other for a couple seconds.

“Ugh, such low beings, even below my previous notice,” sneered the Schmet.

“Your kind is way too prideful,”Growled what I assumed was the Chamhur.

“Guys, seriously, chill. We’re picking classes, if you want to join us feel free, but no insulting each other, got it?” I said.

I assumed that they were both aware of the rules, because they both deflated a little bit and turned towards us.

“Do you mind me asking your name?” asked the Scihmet through gritted teeth.

“Ella, what are your names?” I asked.

“003619, our kind has no need for names, we just have numbers,” said the Scihmet.

“I am Briggat, Briggat Firerancis,” replied the Chamhur.

“Uh, 003619, you mind if I call you Zero?” I asked.

“I do not mind, but only because your species… isn’t the best at memorizing numbers,” replied Zero, noticably annoyed.

“Briggat, do you mind if I call you Brig? It’s a lot shorter and easier to say,” I addressed the doglike alien.

“I also do not mind you shortening my name, I was told that it is a sign of acceptance among your kind,” Brig said calmly.

“Thanks, this is Murphy,” I gestured towards him, “and Alaina,” I gestured towards her,

“Now, which classes do you all want to go to?” I asked.

Almost immediately, Zero and Brigg replied. “Middle and advanced technology class!” They both said at the same time, then Zero hissed and Brig growled.

“Chill out, you can both come,” I let out a little laugh.

The hissing and growling stopped. I signed up for those two classes.

“Hey Elaine, what are each of the different levels like?” asked Murphy.

“The higher end of the beginner courses usually ends at where the third tier spaces in your universe has figured out, with the exception of the technology course, which goes a little bit higher, and the Karin Magic class, all of you can pass all of the beginner courses, with maybe the exception of the technology course within the year, but you will have to work hard,” Came the reply from his gauntlet.

“That doesn’t really add up, all of the knowledge of the human race in those subjects in a year? Are you broken or something?” Asked Alaina.

“I am not broken, this boot camp has very productive teacher who will take no sh*t. If you do what you are told and pay attention, you will be as good as even the best humans in each of these subjects,” She informed us.

“Um, Eleine, I was wondering what the weapons and art class is, they have nothing to do with each other,” asked Alaina.

“Yes, they do, actually, the best way to intimidate an enemy is to take them out with style, or so I am told. Artistic techniques can also be used to create incredible weapons that don’t look like weapons. Art can also tell you how to use certain weapons, if you know how to listen,” replied the AI.

“Hey Ella, I think we have something to gain from all these classes. We should probably start with the beginner courses, and we should probably sign up for all three Karin Magic classes,” suggested Murphy.

“I agree,” I said as I signed up for all six beginner courses and the other two Karin Magic classes. This was going to be one heck of an adventure.