“If they survive the entire ordeal,” Wulfson added. “And considering that their skin regenerates rather quickly, it’s a pretty long and involved process.”
Flynn reached up and rubbed his shoulder, his hand trembling slightly. “I see…yeah, that is suitably more terrifying.”
“As much as this history lesson is so…engrossing, can we get back to why he said he was after me?” Kaiden asked.
“Wulfson requested me to,” Raza stated.
“Do what now?” Kaiden yelped, jumping up. “What the hell did you do that for?”
“Training, as always,” Wulfson replied nonchalantly. “I have to give you your due, boy. You’re getting pretty damn good. I figured it was time to mix things up a bit.”
“So you put out a hit on me?” Kaiden seethed.
“Of course not!” Wulfson sounded genuinely indignant. “You’re my favorite pupil. I don’t want you dead. Besides, if I did, I would do it, so don’t feel like you constantly need to look over your shoulder.”
“Yeah, because apparently, I got plenty in front of me to worry about,” Kaiden sneered, rolling his eyes. “Also, I’m your only pupil.”
“Not anymore, it seems,” Wulfson said, placing his hands on his waist and looking at the others. “Seems I got myself a new crop of trainees now.”
The others looked frantically at each other. “Well, you see this wasn’t… This was more of a trial run and we…” Flynn stammered, trying to avoid Wulfson’s expectant gaze. He looked at Kaiden. “Hey, mate, care to help us out here?” he whispered.
“Nah, y’all are conscripted now.” Kaiden chuckled. “At least you originally came here voluntarily. He dragged my ass here.”
“Anyway, Raza was coming down here to deliver a few specimens to the Science Division here at Nexus. I figured since he was around, I would ask him to go a few rounds with you to see how you fared.”
“Not great.” Kaiden deadpanned.
Raza walked over to Kaiden, who tensed up as he retracted his claws and placed his hand on the ace’s shoulder. “You might have lost the battle, but I will give you warrior’s respect. You fought well.”
“Um…thank you, war chief,” Kaiden said with a small salute. Raza withdrew his hand. “Not sure if I would say we lost, though. I did have a full-powered rifle aimed at your head.”
“This thing?” Wulfson asked, picking the rifle up from his desk. “Nah, this is an old bolt-model Artemis. It’s great for picking off light-armored targets from a distance, but even at full power, it wouldn’t have gotten through his skull. It’s as thick as a ship’s hull.”
Kaiden’s shoulders sagged. “Well, there goes my bravado.” He sighed. “You sticking around, war chief?”
“You may call me Raza as Wulfson does,” the Sauren stated. “I will be staying for a short while. The Academy has offered me lodging while I am on the planet.” He brought his claws out again. “I hope to go on a hunt while I am here, perhaps stalk and dispatch some of the fearsome creatures you have here, such as the devil bird, avanyu serpent, giant squid, Loch Ness monster, and the Bigfoot.”
Kaiden leaned over to Wulfson as Raza continued to count the creatures he wished to hunt. “You might wanna tell him some of those aren’t real.”
“We don’t know that for certain,” Wulfson said with a smile. “And if anyone can actually find them, Raza can.” Wulfson turned to address the group. “All right, you’ve had time to catch your breath. Everyone get up and clean this mess.”
Chapter Eighteen
It was almost ten o’clock at night when Kaiden and his group finally left the gym.
“Getting our asses kicked and then spending hours cleaning… Wulfson definitely has weird training methods,” Marlo declared, his tone weary and dispirited.
“That’s not how it typically goes,” Kaiden muttered. “Except for the ass-kicking, that comes standard.”
“We don’t really have to come back, right?” Raul inquired fretfully. “I’m not sure if I want this to be a regular thing.”
“Well, I won’t force you,” Kaiden said, glancing back with a sly look. “But do keep in mind that Head Officer Wulfson now knows who all of you are. If he wants you to come back, he can and will find you, and he can get away with a hell of a lot.”
This caused some grumbling and sighs from the rest of the group, most debating on what they should do or whether to take the chance of skipping out of future training with Wulfson.
“I will be departing here.” Genos spoke up, and the group stopped to look at him. He pointed to a building with orange trim. “That is the engineering dorm. I should return for the evening.
“You don’t want to get some food before you head back?” Flynn asked. “I’m famished.”
“Not required. I have a personal compartment containing a few meals I brought with me from Abisalo. I will have one of those tonight. I need to return to the dorm to continue my studies. This day of training lasted much longer than I anticipated.”
Kaiden rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Yeah, sorry about that, Genos. I didn’t exactly plan it that way.”
“It is all right, friend Kaiden,” Genos said, offering a hand. “It was most enjoyable after the bloodshed stopped. I can certainly admit you make things exciting.”
“It’s something of a guarantee when you’re around me.” Kaiden took the Tsuna’s hand in a firm handshake. “I’ll let you know the next time we have a little get together, see if you’re interested.”
“Certainly. Oh, before I forget…” Genos reached into a pouch on his suit, taking out the miniature Tesla generator from Kaiden’s pistol and handing it to him. “Thank you for that. It will not work anymore due to the overload, but I believe you’ll need it when you request a replacement.”
“Thanks, Genos, that’ll save me a headache.” Kaiden withdrew his pistol and opened the chamber to slide the generator back into place “You have a good one.”
“Which one, specifically?”
“Have a good night, Genos,” Kaiden clarified with a grin.
“To you as well.” The rest of the group said their farewells for the evening as he left, waving goodbye.
“Nice chap.” Flynn stretched for a moment before crossing his arms behind his head. “So, do you guys wanna hit the cafeteria?”
They all agreed and had turned to head that way when Kaiden got a message on his display. He looked it over for a moment and saw it was from Chiyo.
Hello, Kaiden,
If you have the time, please meet me by the fountain. There is something I would like to discuss.
~Chiyo
“Well, that’s rather cryptic,” he mumbled. He removed his oculars and thought for a moment, wondering what to make of it.
“You coming, Kaiden?” Silas asked, noticing that he no longer followed them.
“Huh? Oh…sorry, guys, something came up. I’ll have to skip this one.”
“Where are you going? Some sort of errand for the professor?” Flynn asked.
“I’m not his whipping boy,” Kaiden protested. “I’m going to meet up with someone before grabbing a bite.”
“Don’t be too long. Cafeteria closes soon,” Luke warned.
“It closes at midnight. I’ll be fine,” Kaiden replied easily. “I’ll see you guys around, and remember…” He looked back with a devious smile. “Y’alls’ first real practice with Wulfson is next week.”
He snickered when he heard more groans behind him as he walked away. They were likely to say terrible things about him while he was gone.
Chiyo waited by the fountain, sitting on the edge. She saw on her network list that Kaiden was headed her way, so in the meantime, she took a moment to collect herself and run through what she wanted to say.
She didn’t know why she’d requested that they meet there—the fountain from their first encounter. She supposed it was for the privacy or maybe a change of pace from their usual meetings at their table in the cafeteria. Whatever the reason, it made for
a nice view, something pleasant to watch as she ran through her proposal in her mind.
“Chiyo? You still here?” Kaiden called.
“Other side,” Chiyo replied, walking around to meet him.
“What’s up? Your message was pretty vague. You got some problem you need help with?”
“In a sense, I suppose,” she admitted. “Though it may be your problem as well, knowing your difficulty in keeping up with all the rules and events at the Academy.”
“Oh, good, the confusing riddles are back,” Kaiden lamented. “Can I simply pay the toll instead of having to guess what you’re talking about?”
Chiyo sighed. “You know about the co-operative test coming up, correct?”
Kaiden nodded. “Yeah, the Co-op test…what about it?”
“Are you prepared for it?” she inquired.
“For the most part. I’ve been training like hell the last couple months. At this point, I can probably do the entire test myself, even if it’s meant for two people,” he declared confidently.
“Do you know what the test entails?” she asked, eyeing him skeptically.
“I’m guessing it’s like the Division test, right? Just twice as hard and meant for two people,” he replied, but she shook her head.
“This should have been explained to you during your ace workshop weeks ago. Were you paying attention?”
“Uh, when exactly?” Kaiden asked.
“More than six weeks ago. The ace instructor was filling in the rest of the class while you and I were talking about the pros and cons of different guns,” Chief reminded him, popping into view.
Kaiden grimaced. “Oh, good, you’re back. Do you still feel like you can take over the world?”
“Oh yeah, but I believe I shall show the peons mercy and let them continue with their miserable existences…for now,” Chief said, trying his best to sound ominous.
“What a benevolent god you are,” Kaiden sneered. “What would your title be? Chiefitus, the god of snark and sparkles?”
“Better than whatever you’re in the running for. Kaiden, patron saint of disgrace and serum addiction.”
“Serum addiction can’t be a condition. That seems like a contradiction,” Kaiden snapped, shaking his head. Remembering where he was, he looked at Chiyo. “Sorry about that, Chiyo. Got distracted by— You all right?” he asked, distracted by her stare. He followed her line of vision and looked over to what she seemed transfixed by—Chief. “Can you see Chief?” he asked, pointing in the general direction.
She nodded. “I assumed it was a projection or hologram, but I don’t see a device. And if it was a projection, I wouldn’t be able to hear it. How am I able to see your EI without connecting to your device or you displaying it?”
“It’s a part of my swanky new upgrade,” Chief explained. “When I’m in visual mode, I can be seen by anyone close enough to Kaiden and wearing an ocular device. Impressive, right?”
“What upgrade?” Chiyo inquired.
Kaiden sighed. “That Next-gen talent in the EI tree. I put one point in it, and Chief now thinks that he’s EI Jesus.”
“Fascinating.” Chiyo took another look at Chief. “I’ve put a point in that talent for Kaitō, but it didn’t allow for something like this.”
“Not to stop you from getting into the zone or whatever is going on here, but did you call me over here for something particular or did you want someone to watch the fountain do that little water geyser show it does every hour with you?” Kaiden asked.
She shook herself out of her daze. “Of course. My apologies. What I intended to say is that the Co-op test is not like the Division test. It is done in teams of two, which can be any duo, no matter the division or class. The test gets its name because it requires each player to cooperate with the other, relying on each other’s skills and strengths. It was actually created with each of the two individuals’ specialty in mind. Each player has their own personal objective that they must complete before the duo can win. If they fail to complete their objective or either player dies, the test is failed.”
“Just once? No lives this time?” Kaiden questioned.
“Not in this one or any future tests. It’s the real experience from now on,” Chiyo stated.
Kaiden took a seat on the edge of the fountain. “I see. Well, I guess, if that’s the case, when do we learn who our partners are?”
“You can choose your own partner as long as you both agree to team up for the test. As long as you do it before the deadline, that is.”
Kaiden leaned back on his hands. “Oh, well that certainly works. When is the deadline?”
“Tomorrow night. After that, you will be assigned a random partner from those available,” Chiyo responded.
Kaiden leaped up. “Wait, that soon? How long have we had to choose?”
“Since all of this was explained to you weeks ago.”
“You really live for these little jabs, don’t you?” Kaiden muttered. “None of the others mentioned anything about partnering up. Devious bastards, keeping me out of the loop.”
“To be fair to them, they were probably under the assumption that you were aware of everything. Plus, I would think most of them would pair up with each other. They have known each other longer,” Chiyo reasoned.
“That’s true,” Kaiden confessed. “I can’t give them too much of a hard time.” He looked at her. “So, what about you? Who’d you end up partnering up with?”
Chiyo took a deep breath, reaching down to her bag for her tablet. “That’s actually why I messaged you, to begin with.”
Sasha heard a knock at his door. “Good evening, Mya.” He spoke before the door even opened.
“How did you know it was me?” she asked as the door slid open.
“You are the only person I’ve been expecting,” he stated as he typed on his holo-board. “Please have a seat. How can I help you?”
Mya slid a chair in front of Sasha’s desk back and sat down. “It’s about the League, actually.”
Sasha nodded, continuing to type. “Ah yes, the League. Going well for you so far?”
“Pretty good for the most part…but I must admit, there have been a couple of bumps here and there.”
“Oh? How so?” Sasha asked, true interest in his voice despite not looking away from his monitor.
“A couple of my picks did not end up partnering for the co-op test like I thought they would. They are good friends and had pretty good scores up till now, so I thought it might not matter. However, seeing as the test is coming up soon and one of my other choices hasn’t even partnered with anyone, I might have some trouble in the future.”
“You are referring to Chiyo Kana, correct?” Sasha inquired.
“I…yes, how did you know?” she asked, bewildered.
“I’m looking at your League profile.” Sasha spun his monitor around to show her.
She smiled. “I was beginning to believe that you are omniscient.”
“No need when you have a thorough database.” He moved his hands from the board and rested them on his desk. “So, have you come to ask for advice or to talk options?”
Mya gave him a questioning look. “I wouldn’t think you would want to help out the competition.”
“The reason I stopped playing in the League was that it eventually grew boring for me. Too many people going for the obvious candidates and not preparing the right squad for the finals,” Sasha admitted. “I gave other teachers and faculty pointers during the last few years. Even though I came back due to the potential of the students this year, it doesn’t mean I’m not still willing to give a helpful tip to those who ask. It makes the challenge greater.”
“You’re not afraid to lose your streak?”
Sasha tapped his fingers on his desk. “I technically already have since I didn’t continue. Plus, it’s not like I would be helping out a novice. You got first place last year using an underdog team and an interesting lineup. I certainly respect that.”
“Well, thank
you,” Mya said graciously, warmed by the genuine praise. “But it would seem my strategy is not panning out as well this year. Even with Chiyo giving me a boost, I’m six hundred and thirty points behind where I was last year.”
“You also frequently swapped out students with wildcards last year,” Sasha noted. “Can’t do that this year, can you?”
“Unfortunately not. I don’t have the wiggle room I once did,” she admitted. “However, I can still trade.”
“That you can,” Sasha agreed. “And I’m not much for playing coy, so I’m guessing you came to me for that very reason?
Mya pouted slightly. “You know, you can really be rather dry sometimes, Sasha.”
“I spend most of my time surrounded by a lake. I’ll be fine,” he retorted.
Mya was silent for a moment before allowing herself a giggle. “Was that a pun, Commander?”
“I suppose so,” he admitted with a slight smile. “But back to the topic. What are you looking to suggest?”
“I would like to trade for Jensen Lovett, your sapper,” she stated. “He’s partnered with my surveyor, so I was hoping that I could get him so that I could get the Co-op bonus for my score.”
Sasha cocked his head. “You know, I am aware that you weren’t looking for advice, but perhaps you shouldn’t be so blunt with your intentions. You’re giving me almost all the power in the negotiations.”
“I like to lead with an honest impression,” Mya countered. “But does that mean you’re willing to trade?”
Sasha leaned back in his chair but continued to tap his fingers his on desk. “I am, but I don’t think you’re going to be excited about it.”
“You want Chiyo?” she guessed.
He nodded. “She’s the only one of any interest to me. I have no need for a surgeon as I already have Initiate Ziegler on my team. She’s a battle medic.”
Mya groaned. “I expected this, but it doesn’t make the choice any easier.”
“If it helps, do remember you get to keep the points you’ve gotten with Chiyo so far. Or, if you’re unwilling to make that trade, you could ask Instructor Venture if he’s willing to trade his enforcer, who’s teamed up with your surgeon. That could be a strong pairing.”
Animus Boxed Set 1 (Books 1-4): Initiate, Co-Op, Death Match, Advance Page 46