The Artifact Competition (Approaching Infinity Book 1)

by Chris Eisenlauer

  Jav turned to face Mai. “Tell me, Mai. . . Why do you train?” There wasn’t the least hint of accusation or competitiveness in his tone. His words were light now, but the weight of what he had shared still hung in the air like a lead curtain and Mai simply stared with her mouth slightly open. She was still trying to take in and get her head around all that Jav must be feeling.

  She gathered herself and answered slowly, finding that her own reasons were far less compelling. “My father is. . . older. He wants us to be able to take care of ourselves if something should happen. He worships strength and wants us all to be strong, maybe to get positions within the Empire.” She looked at him, hesitating. “I train because I think the Eighteen Heavenly Claws is beautiful.”

  Jav’s eyes locked onto Mai’s and Mai shuddered at how exposed, how naked, she suddenly felt. They stood there like that for a moment, neither moving the littlest bit. Jav looked as if he might say something, but finally he sighed and his face settled into the sincerest smile Mai had ever seen.

  Sensing that he had made her truly uncomfortable, in spite of his big smile or perhaps even because of it, Jav turned away again and changed the subject. “I wonder why Mei trains. Actually, I don’t really care. But you know? Someone should tell her that Teacher is sending two fighters to the preliminary match.”

  “Two fighters?”

  “Didn’t you know? I don’t think it’s a secret. Did anyone think to ask?”

  Flushed with shame, Mai was unable to answer and for some reason she felt very, very ugly just then.

  “Looks like it’s time for drills practice,” Jav said.

  Mai managed a grunt in affirmative response and the two made their way over to the sparring block.

  Everyone was paired off and Jav, as was often the case, was with Mao, who, though literally half his size and only thirteen years old, was still stronger than he was. Luckily, over time he had felt the gap gradually closing and for the sake of his ego he hoped that that trend continued. But for now, he would smile through clenched teeth and try to be as gracious as he could make himself.

  Mao was generally indifferent to Jav, treating him with no more and no less respect than was required to someone subordinate to her. As the newest student, Jav was of course subordinate to everyone, but since he had come, Mao was not at the bottom for the first time and she was enjoying her new status. She was enjoying it with the capriciousness of a thirteen year-old girl, though, which didn’t begin to compare with the bitterness of her older half-sister. Capriciousness aside, she was a good and accommodating sparring partner.

  After they had been practicing some time together, Mei stopped them to show them a new pattern. “Jav, come up here.” She had, like the rest of the girls, taken to calling him by his first name, but whenever she said it, she enunciated exaggeratedly, as if the word itself sickened her or didn’t belong in her mouth. Jav left Mao and went to the front of the platform.

  “Your opponent will throw a right straight claw. Jav?”

  Jav stepped into a right front stance and pushed his claw hand forward.

  “Grab the wrist with your left hand,” Mei said, gripping his wrist with unnecessary strength. “Drop into a horse stance and continue to pull the hand over your head while striking like so.” This time she pulled and then struck with unnecessary strength. She pulled her hand back and stood up straight. “Now you see, Jav showed us what we don’t want to allow to happen.”

  Jav was in the fetal position on the sparring block, clutching his abdomen and gasping for air. Mao rolled her eyes and shook her head, thinking to herself that he had fallen for it again.

  Mei continued without pause, “When the counter strike comes, your opponent will reach over with their left hand and grab the striking arm by the wrist, turning the body like so.” When she finished showing the movement, she became aware of their teacher standing at the foot of the platform. She bowed and said, “Teacher.”

  Hol hopped effortlessly up onto the block next to Mei. All the students bowed and said together in greeting and respect, “Teacher.”

  “Someone help him up,” Hol said.

  Tani and Sessa were closest to Jav and they quickly got him on his feet. He was still hunched over and breathing in ragged gasps, but appeared to be recovering. Hol studied him for a moment then said, “You’ll be fine. And next time,” she looked at Mei with the barest hint of reproach, “I should think you’ll be ready.”

  “Yes, Teacher,” Jav stammered.

  “Well, Mr. Holson, you’ve been with us two months now, so it’s about time for the speech. I give this speech or some version of it every time we get a new student and they’ve had a chance to settle in. But I think everyone needs reminding now and again.”

  She faced everyone and began. “Some of you, or perhaps all of you, will be seeking positions within the Empire. By holding any such position—and as representatives of this school—the general public, your colleagues and superiors, and I especially will expect you to conduct yourselves with propriety and in a highly professional manner.

  “As responsible adults, you must swallow your petty dislikes and jealousies. More, as agents of the Empire you cannot allow such to interfere or even enter into your dealings with your colleagues. You can’t control who comes into your life, but you can control your behavior. And you will do so. Right here—everywhere—and at all times. If you think that this doesn’t apply to you, you are wrong and most probably a regular offender.

  “Oppositely, this also applies to showing or acting upon favoritism. You’re all working very closely together, training very hard. Bonds of friendship are an inevitable part of your training and are to be cherished. But remember, these are your colleagues. Professionalism is required at all times. You must not allow yourself to become too close to your schoolmates. When you let your emotions control you, you’re lost. Think of your duty first, to whom and to what you are responsible. Your friends and your personal feelings must come second or even third at times.

  “When you leave this school—if you leave this school—you will be forever associated with my name and my reputation. In this school and out of it, your behavior is a direct reflection of me. I don’t believe that anyone is above ego—I certainly am not—and so I hold you to a standard above and beyond the norm. I have worked too long and too hard to allow otherwise.

  “Mr. Holson, do you know why there are no other male students here?”

  “They’re forbidden?”

  Hol smiled and shook her head. “With an introduction and an F-Gene, anyone is welcome here as long as there is space. It has been quite some time, though, since we have had male students, long before this crop of fine young ladies. Several of the last ones before you made certain transgressions either against other students or myself and were not suffered to live.”

  Jav swallowed hard. “Oh.”

  “That’s not to say that we’ve never had any young ladies here guilty of misconduct and similarly punished, but I’m sure you realize that odds definitely favor males in this regard. This school has gained the perhaps unfortunate image of being overly strict with males to the extent that we no longer receive any applicants, at least we haven’t in the last hundred years or so.”

  “I will simply tell everyone to be careful. Just as ill treatment of one another is unacceptable, I will not tolerate any overly familiar behavior from or amongst students. Everyone is to be treated fairly, evenly, and with proper distance.

  “Please don’t think that you’re only learning how to fight and how to kill here.” She looked at them all meaningfully.

  “Yes, Teacher,” they all said in concert.

  “Good,” Hol smiled.

  “Teacher?” Mai said hesitantly.

  “Yes, Mai?”

  “Teacher, I know it’s still a long way off, but can you tell us a little about the preliminary match that’s to be held at the Root Palace?”

  “Certainly. I can’t see any harm in that. As you all should know, the match
will be held on 10686.050. There will be a total of sixty-four participants. Mei, you and Mr. Holson will be representing this school and the Eighteen Heavenly Claws.” Hol didn’t see the look of vacuous shock that suddenly befell Mei. “Mr. Holson still has most of his training ahead of him but he’s progressing nicely and if he can even come close to realizing the Emperor’s expectations, he should be ready. Especially since he has so many excellent teachers.

  “Some of you may know other participants. Most of you have met both Ren Fauer and Gast Froster; they will of course be competing. Of the sixty-four participants, sixteen finalists will be determined. Those sixteen will go on to receive special, advanced training up until the final competition. But now we are getting ahead of ourselves.”

  “Thank you, teacher,” Mai said, bowing.

  “Ladies, teach Mr. Holson as much and as fast as he can learn, but only as long as he retains what’s come before. Mei. . . Mei? What’s the matter?”

  “Oh! I’m sorry, Teacher. It’s nothing.”

  “Mei, I’ll see to it that you are ready. You’re very close and we have plenty of time.”

  “Thank you, Teacher.”

  “Now, I’ll leave you to your drills and see some of you later for breathing exercises.”

  “Teacher,” the students said.

  They all resumed their practice. Jav’s gratitude was plain on his face, at least to Mai, and though she still felt somewhat ashamed, she no longer felt ugly. With some prodding, Mei proceeded through the drills instruction mechanically but was otherwise inaccessible and in a complete daze. Unfortunately, she would recover from this state and remain essentially unchanged by the news, her hate now a thing of habit and independent existence.

  10684.051

  VEAD Official Notice

  From: Silowan Haspel, Director, Astrophysics Division

  RE: 1st Update on Spatial Anomaly Distribution

  Most of the Astrophysics Division’s resources have been devoted to collecting data on the spatial anomalies, or wormholes, which came into being sometime last year. We have cataloged 2,307 discrete entities. This number is by no means fixed or final. There have been no new wormholes reported in the last 42 days. However, the wormholes continue to exhibit unstable behavior. Drift and mergers remain common occurrences. In addition, 119 closures have also been recorded. These closures mark something of a change. Eventually 100% closure may be achieved or some new state of equilibrium may be reached. More data is required.

  The precipitating cause and potential implications of the outbreak are as yet unknown. The anomalies offer no physical evidence or even clues as to their origin. We are still trying to determine if there is/was any meaning to the casting of the wormholes, if there is some pattern, either sustainable or changing, that might provide some insight, but their erratic behavior makes this somewhat improbable.

  Efforts to map the routes of some viable wormholes have met with moderate success. However, these have been determined to be of little or no practical use. Some of the wormholes with the largest apertures appear to produce the smallest amount of distortion and are no more than shallow “depressions”, leading nowhere. Oppositely, those with the smallest apertures often produce the greatest distortion. Mere proximity to such has, in some cases, proven disastrous to the survey teams and their equipment. Caution is urged when approaching wormholes of any size or description. Please ensure that the latest calibrations have been programmed into all jump ships and service craft to prevent any unnecessary accidents or injuries.

  It is the opinion of the Astrophysics Division that these wormholes will never be of any value to the Empire and in fact they pose a number of risks ranging from personal injury and property damage to outright invasion by an alien power. No evidence of the latter has as yet surfaced, but the possibility should not be ignored. With the aid of General Barson, and working in conjunction with the Military Hardware Division, we are exploring a method that will forcibly and permanently close these spatial anomalies. Hereafter, eradication of any and all spatial anomalies will be the official priority of the Astrophysics Division. Updates to follow.

  10684.055

  Jav stood momentarily still on the gravity block. His hands were placed one over the other with palm facing palm and separated by about twenty centimeters, set in the dragon’s head claw that characterized the seventh form of the Eighteen Heavenly Claws. He burst again into motion, the dragon’s head seeking, exploring, then suddenly defending, attacking, retreating, returning, destroying.

  According to reports, so far Jav had learned all the forms well. His progress was steady; his application of both technique and power were accurate and consistent. But now, as Kalkin watched, he realized that Jav had found in this—and probably would find in subsequent dragon sets as well—something that would come to define him. Kalkin was no expert at hand to hand combat, knew only rudimentary skills himself, but he felt something when he saw Jav emulating the dragon. The hint of a chill raced up and down his spine as if he were witnessing some fundamental truth, usually hidden from view by the veil of normalcy, but clearly expressed and revealed by Jav’s movements. Kalkin was sure that Jav would go on to be a Shade of some importance.

  Jav finished his form and Kalkin gave him a few seconds of applause. “Very good, very good. Now, what was that?”

  “The seventh form, Dragon Perceives Truth.”

  Kalkin smiled and nodded unconsciously. “And what’s the block set at?”

  “Ten.”

  “Ten? That’s pretty good for just one year, isn’t it?”

  “Pretty good? Are you kidding? It’s a record they tell me. Well, it’s a record here anyway.”

  “Oh?”

  Jav nodded vigorously.

  “Jav, you must be unstoppable.”

  “Uh, well, I wouldn’t—”

  “I bet I wouldn’t stand a chance against you up there.”

  “Oh, no, listen—”

  “But as your superior, I feel it’s my duty to see for myself firsthand just how far you’ve come.” Kalkin leapt up to the gravity block.

  “But I don’ think—”

  “Ten, was it?”

  “Yes, but—” At first, Jav’s feeling of accomplishment had girded his ego but now he was afraid he might actually hurt his boss. But still, this was Kalkin, whose body, through the use of his Artifact, was a living, thriving, unchecked cancer, immortal by some accounts. Who better to try his new skills on?

  “Well, come on,” Kalkin taunted.

  “All right.” Jav grinned and moved towards his boss. But Kalkin proved to be more agile than Jav thought. Maybe it was just luck. Jav spun around grasping for an outstretched limb, but again his superior pulled away just out of reach. And thus it continued, Jav trying to grab or attack and Kalkin always managing to slip away and avoid contact. Jav renewed his efforts, his face hardened with resolve, and then the air between the two became visibly distorted as if a torrent of heat exhaust had been released from Kalkin.

  Jav stopped in his tracks and his eyes went as wide as full moons. His body was wracked by the simultaneous and overpowering urges to both faint and to be sick all over the gravity block. In compromise, he simply collapsed into a twitching heap, covering his nose and mouth with one hand and clutching at his stomach with the other.

  Kalkin was laughing. He offered Jav a hand to help him up. “I’m sorry, Jav. That was really unfair of me.”

  Jav was still retching, but he was recovering. “What happened?” he sputtered, wiping a stream of spit from his mouth.

  “I tricked you, Jav. I know you know I’m not much of a fighter, but I bet you didn’t know that I’ve had far more experience on gravity trainers than you.”

  Jav shook his head. “Nope. How come?”

  “All Locsard students are required to log some gravity time, but everyone’s abilities are different. Just like the F-Gene allows you to push your body further and further beyond all normal levels, my power, while ultimately psychic in origin, i
s very closely tied to physical processes and works in basically the same way. To contain and regulate my power, I needed lots of work on the gravity block.”

  “Okay, but what was that. . . that. . . What happened to me?”

  Kalkin was shaking his head, “Jav, Jav, Jav. I know the Ritual Mask keeps you preoccupied when you fight, but I am your boss and you ought to know something about me besides the blatantly obvious.”

  “Teacher said your power is subtle.”

  “Well, was it? I gave you the smallest sampling of it. Could you see it? Touch it? Defend against it?”

  “I think I saw something, but otherwise, no. I could smell it, though, and taste it. It was disgusting. So what was it?”

  “My fundamental ability is to initiate and expedite decay. My Artifact, the Contamination Pump, bolsters that power and adds its own nuances to it. One of those is imposing a kind of pseudo-organic decomposition on inorganic matter. So I made the very air you were breathing rot. That made you sick and incapacitated you.”

  “I underestimated you.”

  “You’re still learning and you couldn’t have known that I’m rated at twenty-five gravities.”

  “Twenty-five?”

  Hol’s voice came from behind them, “This started out as a joke, but don’t let this lesson go unlearned, Mr. Holson. You did indeed underestimate Mr. Kalkin. See that you don’t make a habit of doing so with future opponents.”

  “Yes, Teacher.”

  Hol addressed Kalkin now, “It seems, however, that a habit has been made of underestimating you, Mr. Kalkin.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”

  Hol bit her lower lip, hesitating. “I, uh, must apologize. I think I’ve been out here too long. I shouldn’t be listening to rumors to begin with; spreading them is worse, of course, and. . .”

  Kalkin grinned slightly. “You heard. Ah, that’s right. Friends at Locsard. I’d nearly forgotten.”