“Thanks for the detailed information Kezzy.” Dex grumbled sarcastically.
“You’re welcome!” she smiled.
“Why does he hate me?” asked Eiris in wonderment.
“Because he’s from the same city as that psycho that almost destroyed Undaria, Lord Mordren.” scowled Kezzy.
“Hm. Makes sense.” noted Eiris grimly.
“You know, you’re rapidly on your way to becoming the most fanatically adored, yet intensely hated person I’ve ever heard of. With the exception of Justin Bieber of Earth of course.” joked Dex.
“Yeah, seems like it.” laughed Eiris.
“No biggie. Now, you have your new friends to watch your back.” smiled Azonei.
“Thanks guys.” replied Eiris happily.
Eiris and the others then walked through a large parking lot, towards the large building with the designation Blue Storm Guild. Eiris began sensing something and immediately looked to the right. There he saw the most beautiful girl he’d ever laid eyes on, parking her black sport bike. Her silky black hair and crimson red eyes complemented the black markings all over her body. She was hauntingly gorgeous. Hopping off her sport bike, she squinted in his direction briefly and then began walking into a nearby building.
“Who was she?” asked Eiris in amazement.
“Ditto that.” nodded Azonei in agreement.
“I concur. The identity of this girl is vital to us for……...research purposes.” joked Dex.
“Ugh, boys.” frowned Kezzy as she shook her head in disgust. “I don’t know her. But for now, let’s just say her name is stay away from me.” she warned.
“Why?” asked Eiris.
“Well, being that she was walking into the Black Horde Guild Zone, she’s likely a member. And the three shadows control that guild, random Darkren can’t just join. So it’s safe to assume that she’s probably from of the Order of Assassins. Making her especially dangerous to you Eiris.” said Kezzy bluntly.
“But isn’t the Darkren War over?” asked Eiris.
“There are other ways to fight wars Eiris.” replied Kezzy.
“I’d have to agree with Kezzy on this one Eiris. My father fought in that war and he regularly reminds me of the delicate peace between Turans and Darkren. As beautiful as that girl is, getting to know her would only be poking the bear so to speak.” said Azonei.
“If you say so.” replied Eiris in a rather dubious tone.
Entering the Blue Storm building, they found their way through the massive atrium into the meeting wing. They all went directly to the place where the holographic marker stopped and walked into the Blue Storm Conclave Room. There, they joined the other Blue Storm fresh starts as they sat at a table near the front of the room. A tall, thin Slyph with a quiet air of intelligence about him then got up and walked to the front of the room. Realizing he must be someone important, everyone that was talking got settled down.
“Welcome to the Blue Storm Guild, fresh starts. For those of you that don’t know, this is a majority Slyph Guild. My name is Glover Nhore and I’m the Guild Leader here. Most of you here today will become normal members, helping the guild in various ways. But some of you will be chosen to play on our war sport teams in the gauntlet games. The Gauntlet Games are the yearly games that help measure the aptitude and advancement of each student here at the Undarian Academy. The games consist of three different war sports: Electroball, The Lunar Rally, and one-on-one combat in the Gauntlet Arena. The guild with the most team and individual wins in each game is awarded the coveted Luridium Trophy at the end of the year. Along with the bragging rights of course. Also, if you’re wondering. Yes-the Black Horde Guild has reigned champion for almost seven years now. I think it’s about time we knocked them off of their high horse, don’t you?” Glover exclaimed.
“Yeah!” everyone shouted as they clapped and cheered.
“Good, then get in your rulebooks and study each war sport. Tryouts take place at the arena tomorrow morning. Your uniforms and supplies are at your assigned personal cubes. May Turanii be with you all.” he said as he exited the room.
As everyone began their conversations again, Eiris and the others decided to head to the dorm wing to find their assigned personal cubes. Eiris quickly found his room and began to get settled in. There really wasn’t much to look at. The room was sparse and left little to the imagination. There was just enough room for a bed and a small desk. Eiris looked into the drawers built into his bed and found several black and blue military-like uniforms. On them were five small planets in a pentagonal design at the breast of the shirts.
Inside one of the lower drawers was a distinct uniform with the same colors but made of a more flexible material along with what looked like a smart helmet. On the desk next to his bed was the Academy’s various manuals and rulebooks. Eiris then noticed a white gold smartwatch on top of the desk chair. Next to it was a box with a ribbon.
Eiris opened the box to reveal two black magnetic swords with the initials E.P. on the handles, along with an x-style sword sheath designed to be worn on his back. There was also a silver and blue handheld weapon with a note that said: From Marz. Eiris had never owned a weapon in his life and just the sight of them was a little intimidating. “Well, this is a new home and a new life”, he thought to himself. He put on the smartwatch along with one of the military uniforms and put his new weapons in their holsters. As he did so, he had the distinct impression that he was taking a big step forward in his life. He felt as if the small and insignificant orphan boy from Earth that he had been, was being transformed. He felt new and strong, with endless possibilities before him. After taking some time to read the Academy rulebook, he went outside to meet the others with renewed energy and a purposeful step.
He found them standing in the Blue Storm parking lot next to a green and black sport bike. He noticed that they were all wearing their uniforms and Dex was leaning on a board with curved edges. Once he got over there, Awesome paced towards him and he scratched her head as she purred.
“Hey guys. What kind of sport bike is that?” asked Eiris.
“This is a 2017 Land Prowler Plasmacycle. It’s a superbike. My parents sent it for me.” smiled Kezzy.
“That’s pretty cool. What about you guys?” he asked Azonei and Dex.
“My father got me this limited edition Variane sky suit and something else I’ll show you guys another day.” smiled Azonei.
“My family sent this new prototype called a Zenix hoverboard. Oh, and this beauty over here.” smiled Dex as he hopped on another cool-looking silver sport bike. “This is a 2017 Laronyx electrobike. It’s a thing of true artwork and beauty, powered by electricity I might add.” he grinned.
“That’s pretty xeno.” smiled Kezzy.
“Why thank you.” smiled a surprised Dex.
“What about you Eiris? What’d you get?” asked Azonei.
“Um, this smartwatch was sitting on my desk chair.” said Eiris.
“Have you used it yet?” asked Dex.
“No, I was gonna wait till I caught up with you guys.” said Eiris.
“Well now that we’re here, c’mon let’s see it.” smiled Kezzy.
Eiris then paneled through the smartwatch and saw a car icon. As he pressed it, a loud engine sounded off so they all began walking in the direction of it. As they got closer, they were all amazed to see a jet black, impressive-looking sports car with icy blue wheels.
“Impossible.” gaped Dex.
“No……. way.” remarked Kezzy.
“Ditto.” said Azonei.
“What’s the big deal?” asked Eiris as they all stood in astonishment.
“Right. You don’t know.” said Dex. “This, is one of only two supercars ever created in Undaria called a Hammerhead GT. It’s multi-terraneous and powered by HTD technology. Multi-terraneous means it’s capable of being driven on land and underwater. HTD is an acronym for Harvested Tangible Dark Matter. Powered by harvested dark matter, it has a top speed of over 285 mph and
accelerates from 0 to 60 in 2 seconds flat. So, in one word this machine is simply unique.” gushed Dex.
“I don’t even know how to drive.” laughed Eiris.
“No biggie. The simulators in VR will teach you in no time.” smiled Azonei.
“It’s pretty incredible that Undarians have found a way to harvest a virtually endless source of energy.” said Eiris.
“Well, we’ve only recently unlocked this capability. But, I agree it’s an amazing feat. I’m aware of the traditions on Earth. But here in Undaria, being a nerd or a geek is a good thing. You see, we now live in the age of the geek. Modern technology has transformed the universe. And for all intents and purposes, led to our creation. Even on Earth, technology has become a focal point within the society of humans. One could also make the argument that both of our futures are directly associated with the progression of our technology. Thus, making geeks the true celebrities.” smiled Dex.
“Wait, are those black luridium pulse blades?” asked Kezzy.
“Um, I guess. I can see I need to read up more on the terminology used here.” smiled Eiris.
“A few visits to the Academy library will fix that. In the meantime, we’ll make sure you know what’s going on.” nodded Azonei.
“Thanks. So what are pulse blades and these handheld weapons?” asked Eiris.
“Pulse blades are the predominantly used swords in Undaria. They are electromagnetically powered, and if the handle is spiked into the ground, the sword emits an electromagnetic pulse. Luridium is simply put, the rarest and most powerful stable element known in the milky way galaxy to date. The handheld weapons we all have here at the academy are non-lethal pistols called shock chargers. They are similar to the equivalent of a taser gun, but with electrically charged beams.” informed Kezzy.
“This is all really amazing.” nodded Eiris. “Speaking of mechanical things, you never told me what unique abilities you have Dex.” he remarked.
“Ah. Well, you Turans certainly are strong. You all can run and jump and bond nature. But we Slyphs can do this…….” smiled Dex.
He then put two fingers on the side of his forehead and closed his eyes in the direction of his Laronyx sport bike.
VROOMMM!!! The bike instantly turned on.
“Wow. That’s incredible.” said Eiris in surprise.
“Indeed it is.” Dex smiled. “That ability is called neurosync. With my neural implant, I can connect with and hack into anything with a mechanical-based system. This, is called neuromagnetism.” he said.
Then he took his hoverboard and threw it a few meters away. Opening his hand, a magnetic sound was heard as the hoverboard obediently came solidly back into it.
“My other ability is called techno-telepathy.” Dex said. “That allows me to communicate telepathically with other Slyphs. We all have techno-telepathic abilities, but not every Slyph has neuromagnetism or neurosync abilities.” he informed.
“I’m at a loss for words.” smiled Eiris. “Undarians are truly incredible people.”
As they made their way to the entrance of the war hall of the Blue Storm building, a large muscular Slyph stood in their way.
“No Turans allowed.” he glared.
“But we’re a part of this guild.” said Azonei.
“I don’t care.” he returned.
“Look, you can either move out of our way or be moved. Your choice.” threatened Kezzy as Awesome growled.
“That’s funny. You almost sounded convincing tree hugger.” he glared.
“Funny? I didn’t know mechs had a comedic capacity.” glared a glowing-eyed Kezzy in return.
“Well why don’t I show you what we mechs are capable of?” he glared.
“Listen, we don’t want any trouble. We just want to use the target range like everyone else here. My name’s Ei……...” started Eiris.
“I know who you are you kelp sucking son of a Darkren! And I’m telling you that you and your friends aren’t allowed here. Now you’d better leave before things get ugly.” he threatened.
Just then, five other Blue Storm members surrounded them in a circle.
“It always comes down to this.” exhaled Dex as he shook his head.
Seeing that the mean Slyph was about to make a move, Eiris drew his shock charger, followed by the others. Now in a standoff, Kezzy elbowed one of the aggressive Slyphs, causing him to fall on the ground while Awesome pounced on top of him. Eiris then put one of his pulse blades to the neck of the Slyph that started everything.
“Move again.” Eiris seethed with glowing purple eyes.
“Stand down! Stand…. down!” yelled a commanding voice.
Coming out of the war hall was Glover, the Guild Leader.
“But Glover, they’re Turans!” said the one of the Slyphs.
Seeing the predicament, Glover intensely looked Eiris in the eyes and asked.
“Why’d you join this guild? Why aren’t you with your own kind?” glared Glover.
“My friends and I want to coexist in peace with everyone, not just our own kind.” said Eiris, still holding the pulse blade.
Exchanging looks with him, Glover was convinced their intentions were good.
“Stand down. They’re not our enemies.” Glover said.
“But…….” started one of the slyphs.
“I won’t repeat that order.” Glover glared.
The Slyphs then grudgingly relented and everyone calmed down as they lowered their weapons. The Slyphs then walked into the war hall grumbling loudly.
“I apologize for the misunderstanding. It’s nice to finally have some Turan muscle around here. I hope to see you all at tryouts tomorrow.” he nodded.
“Thanks. We’ll be there.” said Eiris.
Glover then nodded to them as he walked back into the war hall. Eiris and the others decided it was probably best to go another time under the circumstances and went back to their personal cubes instead. Eiris used the opportunity to study the rules of Electroball carefully and also sent a thank you message to Marz for his gift with his smartwatch before laying down. As he looked at the ceiling of his personal cube, he thought about how much his life had changed literally overnight. He also thought of his parents and imagined how proud they would have been to see him enrolled in their academy. But the last image that came to his mind as he drifted off to sleep, was of that beautiful girl he saw earlier-the mysterious girl of his dreams.
The next day Eiris woke up and got prepared for the day. With the Electroball uniform on, he met the rest of the xenos in one of the academy cafes for breakfast. Walking with his Electroball helmet in hand, he found them sitting at one of the far tables.
“Hey.” said Eiris as they all responded.
“What’s up xeno? You ready to play?” smiled Kezzy.
“I hope so. These are some pretty cool uniforms.” smiled Eiris.
“Indeed.” smiled Dex. “The tech is called bioflexium but we just say bioflex for short. It’s a biotechnological protective suit created to be sturdy, but also light and flexible. Developed from the cutis anserina or goose bumps phenomenon, the suit adapts and reacts to your physical environment as well as strong internal emotions experienced by its wearer such as fear, anger, or sadness.” he informed.
After explaining the suits to Eiris, Dex saw an opening so he spoke up.
“Hey Kezzy, may I ask you a question?” asked Dex from across the table.
“You already did.” Muttered Kezzy as she read a holobook, barely looking up.
Dex then sighed in defeat and began talking to Azonei instead. After breakfast, Eiris and the others headed straight for the Electroball Arena. As they got closer to it, he was amazed by the colossal globular arena. It rivaled even CenturyLink Field. Walking inside, they saw everyone in their uniforms tossing around the plasma ball that was used to score the goals and practicing their vaults over the arena obstacles.
“This is epic.” smiled Eiris.
“Indeed it is my friend.” nodded Dex.
After they warmed up, a loud horn sounded. Everyone then gathered around Glover.
“Everyone, thank you all for being here. Electroball is the Undarian choice of sport for many reasons. But, the true purpose of Electroball is to encourage teamwork and strategic creativity while simulating the consequences of real battle. As you can see, scattered throughout the arena field, are randomly assorted ramps and barriers that provide strategic advantages and disadvantages. There are fifty players on each guild team and sixteen starters are in play on each side. Of those sixteen, are five offensive-oriented runners, six defensive-oriented defenders, two dual-oriented sport bike riders, one defensive-specialist called an enforcer, one goalie which is my position, and one dual-oriented drifter. The drifter is also considered by many to be the star athlete of the team. Now, I trust you all read the rulebook but in case some of you didn’t, the rules are simple. The first team to three goals wins the game, each goal marking the end of a period. If the score is a tie at the end of the regulatory four periods, there’s a sudden death between the drifters of each team. Shock chargers are allowed to be used but only behind the first contact line. Currently we’re accepting tryouts at all positions, but we are especially in need of a drifter. Are there any questions?” asked Glover.
No one raised their hand.
“Good. Then may Turanii be with you all. Let’s begin.” he smiled.
Once everyone separated into the position groups, Glover called Eiris over.
“Yesterday, I noticed you have very gifted physical abilities. As well as some natural leader-like qualities. I’d like you to try out as a drifter today.” said Glover.
Shadows of Atlantis: Emergence of the Engi Page 6