Witches Reign

[At 0800, the intercom chimes to life.]

Good morning, Balamb Garden. Congratulations to finishing another quarter of classes.

As of yesterday, Balamb Garden has docked as far northeast on the Esthar continent as possible. For those of you unfamiliar with our geography, we have come to the closest point to the Island Closest to Heaven as possible. I am afraid we will be having a working break, this quarter.

Over the course of the break, the Ragnarok will ferry cadets and SeeDs to the Island. Once there, you will find yourself in conflict with the local monsters. You will find these monsters to be almost completely unbeatable; the purpose of this break is to teach you teamwork, perseverance, and tactics in the face of an overwhelmingly powerful opponent.

I will not deceive you: it is also to teach you about pain management and the protection GFs give you against an otherwise mortal wound. You will not come to any permanent harm as a result of these encounters; I, and any other SeeDs who possess the ability to defeat these monsters, will ensure that any person dropped to an unconscious state receives paramagical care immediately. This will merely be incredibly unpleasant in the short-term, as most learning experiences are.

Traveling to the Island Closest to Heaven is mandatory for all SeeDs and all cadets capable of Junctioning a GF. You must travel to the Island at least one out of every three days of the break. That is an order.

To provide some recompense for this misery, all SeeDs who do not possess either an instant-kill attack or an otherworldly power that would essentially guarantee the defeat of these monsters will receive one rank increase for challenging these monsters. Should you succeed in defeating one with at least one team member surviving, all members of the team will receive a three rank increase for their effort.

All cadets who participate in this will receive a 10 point bonus on their SeeD exam. Should any team of cadets defeat a monster with one team member surviving, without the use of otherwordly powers to guarantee victory... we will think of an adequate reward. I promise you it will be worth your effort.

Any SeeDs who have the aforementioned capability to defeat these monsters with comparative ease, please report to my office for assignments.

We will begin at 0800 sharp next Monday. Make what preparations you feel are necessary. I, the SeeDs, and the Instructors will be available for any help or assistance you feel you need.

That is all. Good luck.

[The intercom clicks off, as the Commander returns to her paperwork, awaiting the arrival of the SeeDs.]