At the center, Chris inclined his head with false courtesy. "I will go first, since I am the challenger here."
Sheila's gaze remained steady. "Go ahead."
Her voice was polite, but the disgust beneath her calm was not entirely hidden. She saw through the act. That did not mean she would beat it, but at least she understood it.
Chris turned slightly, addressing the arena more than Sheila alone. "The Bastion Assessment will not be like our first-year battlefield simulation, which I believe the current first-years are likely to face in their own form as their practical assessment."
Several first-years reacted at that, suddenly listening harder for hints about their own future.
