The Lost Relics Box Set

by LJ Andrews

  “Hi—you look great,” he blurted out as she placed a hand gently on his side. She didn’t acknowledge his comment, but continued to inspect the cut.

  “Found one that should do the trick,” Blake said proudly lifting his head from the drawer. “Oh, hello again,” he smiled at Mercedes.

  “Hi,” she answered. “I’m glad to see you again. I never had a chance to thank you for saving us.”

  “Ah, it wasn’t a big deal.” Blake shrugged it away. Mercedes just smiled. “Alright bud, lift the shirt—I’ll put this over it.”

  “Wait,” Mercedes put out a hand. “We can’t just bandage it, it should be cleaned. Blood is everywhere, the bandage won’t fasten right. Killian, can you take off your shirt, please?”

  Killian’s face flushed and he gave Blake a nervous look. Blake shrugged and laughed quietly. He’d never felt self-conscious about his figure until now. He’d always thought he had a good form, not too bulky, but toned and in shape. Mercedes' emerald eyes were insistent so slowly he took off the tight gray top. Mercedes was right; most of the blood was wet, while some had dried, all around the wound. She dug through the drawers as Blake had until finally retrieving cleansing wipes. She slowly and gently wiped his skin, placing her hands on his abdomen. His heart pounded dulling the sting he felt from the wipe.

  “There, all done. Turns out that intro to nursing classes before switching degrees paid off.” She said patting his wound gently after she’d applied a clean white bandage. She slowly lifted her eyes to his face and he wondered what she was thinking. Was her stomach in knots like his was?

  “Thanks,” he whispered. She beamed at him and looked at the steel floor shyly.

  “So…can we go eat now?” Blake asked

  “Would you mind if I joined?” Mercedes piped. “I actually was coming to see if Killian wanted to go eat with me, I admit I’m still a little nervous so I wanted to be with a familiar face.”

  “Sure, you can meet Dax and Sophia too,” Blake answered. Killian just nodded in agreement. His heart was still returning to its regular speed.

  “Okay then, let’s go. I can’t wait to try all this amazing Cimmerian food people keep telling me about,” she said excitedly.

  Blake laughed until he cried, Killian just rolled his eyes. He wasn't interested in eating. He couldn't shake the unnerving feeling that Lucan wanted to harm him. The thought of the violent recruit roaming the Praetorium sent chills down his spine. Someone wanted him dead, and Lucan seemed to have the same goal in mind.

  Chapter 8

  Training

  Killian wasn’t surprised Mercedes had gotten along well with Dax and Sophia. Ever since she’d arrived, people were drawn to her. Killian had noticed most sections in the Ponderi stuck with their own associates. Beastians stayed near Beastians, Recruits with Recruits, analysts with analysts—but not Mercedes. She spoke to everyone; she showed an interest in everything. In turn, others wanted to be around her. Killian found it difficult at times to ever be one on one with her, it often bothered him.

  Aidan had thrown Killian straight back into training, despite his disastrous conflict with Lucan. He avoided knife fighting, more to avoid Lucan, and typically stuck with spears and bows. Blake, Dax, and Sophia were all experts with the weapons. On the field, Dax tossed him a small metal rod. Knowing the truth of the rod, Killian pressed a small flat button on the side and two dangerous points ejected creating a long, sleek spear.

  The spear felt like air in his hands, practically weighing nothing. Killian was paired up with a rather fierce looking red-headed girl. She was small and didn’t look intimidating in the least, but she was amazingly swift. Seconds after Aidan blew his whistle to begin, he landed flat on his back after the red head swiped her spear across his ankles knocking his feet from underneath him. A small group of her friends, raven-haired Sophia included, chuckled and gave her multiple high fives. Killian let out a breath in frustration as he stood from the ground. His pride was wounded and it showed as his skin turned a deep red.

  “Come on Thomas, you can do better than that!” Aidan shouted, embarrassed for Killian. “Blake! Get in there and show this recruit how to fight!” Blake gave Killian a mischievous smile as he came forward to go against his friend.

  “Yes, sir." Blake was laughing as he jogged over to Killian. "Will you close up half the spear Kill?"

  "How do I close half of it?"

  "Just hit the lower half of the button, you don't know all the tricks this baby can do?" Killian shook his head and pressed lightly on the lower part of the button. The bottom half of the spear disappeared into the shaft with a rush of air.

  "The spear is ultra-strong Kill. If you need to you can eject that lower half and push yourself into the air. Look at Jean over there." He pointed to a tall, pale woman with ebony hair streaked in the radiant Cimmerian silver. She was on her back and as the attacking recruit approached her Killian watched as the lower half of her spear jutted into the soft field propelling the woman up and away from the second recruit. Jean landed softly behind her attacker, released both points and held one end of the sharp steel against the opposing recruit’s neck signaling she had won. It was impressive that the spear had such power to launch a person into the air. He gripped the metal tightly against him feeling safer with it near him. "I wanted you to understand the button so you can use it if you're ever in a jam. Okay, Kill, hold the spear tight in both hands like this.” Blake demonstrated the grip after he had released both ends. “Keep your hands a little more than shoulder width apart. Stay on the balls of your feet, not back on your heels. You must be constantly on the defensive! Don’t let anyone hit the sides of your spear like…this!” Blake lunged at Killian, hitting the center of his spear on the wing of Killian’s. The force of it broke Killian’s grip from the opposite hand and his control over his spear was lost.

  “Could you feel how weak the spear gets when the flanks are hit? You need to will the spear to hit where you want.”

  “What do you mean will the spear?”

  “I mean, these aren’t normal spears Kill. They run off your nervous system. You learn your strategy and basically think the spear where you want it to go. It’ll listen to you. When you form a connection with a weapon, you will always use that weapon. Some people get so close to their weapons they actually name them."

  "Yes, my bow is named Medusa," Dax chimed in, quite serious about the name. He and Sophia had jogged over when Blake had begun his instruction curious to how Killian would do. "Because if you really think about it,” Dax continued, “Medusa is terrifying." He smiled and raced Sophia and the red-haired girl to the targets with their arrows, causing yet another argument between them. Killian laughed. Dax had been more accepting of him since their awkward introduction and he had learned he was a loyal friend. Not the arrogant, pompous Ignisian he'd originally thought.

  Blake laughed. "You might think he's kidding...he isn't. Before we move on, do you feel confident the spear is your weapon?” Killian passed the sleek steel rod in his hands inspecting the smooth metal. Something warmed his palm, almost as if the spear was committing to his protection as he gently stroked the weapon like it was a living being. Glancing at Blake he nodded softly. “Okay, then with the spear, if you are the better man at strategy, the moves will just happen and your opponent doesn’t stand a chance. Here I’ll show you, let’s try the target.”

  Blake signaled to a small Glacien Potential with snow white hair to bring the target in front of them. When the young boy arrived with the target, he bowed low on one knee in front of them and Blake quickly returned the gesture.

  “Okay, now just urge the spear to hit where you want it to hit,” Blake said pushing himself back up from the ground. “It takes some practice to develop the connection, but just try.”

  Killian looked at the steel spear in his hand. He felt foolish trying to talk to the weapon in his mind. Looking at the dot in the center of the Malumian wolf shaped target, he thought how desperate he was to hit the target and n
ot make of fool out of himself again. Imagining the spear hitting the center, he raised his throwing arm up above his head. Reeling back, he carried his arm passed the side of his head releasing the spear toward the target. It stuck deep into the material, two circles out from the center, directly into the stomach of the Malumian wolf. Blake clapped from behind him.

  “Not bad, not bad. I think with practice you are going to have no problem with spear fighting.”

  “Are all the weapons like this? Do they all need a connection with you?”

  “Pretty much. You can’t just depend on the connection though. All of them require skill. You can better your chances with a few of the weapons with some extra tips. Knife fighting depends on how well you take care of them, they are picky about their blades. The more you clean and sharpen them the easier it is to aim and attack."

  "I don't get the wrist bands, though."

  "Oh, it just attracts them back to you. So, if you throw your knife, the bands will bring them back when you signal it instead of you having to go find it. If you want to release the knife you just command them. The deeper the connection you have with the knife the swifter the reaction time. Most knife fighters can command them mentally which is dangerous since the target won’t know when an attack is coming."

  “Makes sense why I couldn’t get the knife to respond to me the other day.”

  Blake nodded. "Sword fighting all depends on your confidence. The swords like to feel heroic. They are arrogant and don’t work as well when they sense nervous, or unconfident feelings. Take a look over there," Blake said pointing to a young recruit holding a magnificent gilded sword. "That's Nelson, he's a squirrely little guy, and is petrified of fighting, but he comes from a long line of recruits and his dear old dad won’t stand for him to be in any other department. Watch the sword in his hand."

  Killian obeyed and observed the blond boy. He watched as he lifted the large blade and charged a holographic target projected on the field. Any onlooker could see the uncertainty written on the boy's face. Before the sword stuck into the heel of a strange, winged-horse target, the young boy swerved—or more like the sword swerved—away from the target. Trying once more the young recruit held the sword straight out from his chest, closing his eyes he charged again. The sword flew up over his head, avoiding the target again, and landing poor Nelson on his back.

  Blake chuckled. "See. The sword can sense Nelson isn't dedicated to attacking even the hologram. It will not perform if the attack won't end in some type of glory. Even if a recruit were to die in battle against an enemy, the sword would be satisfied if they gave it their all. It would be a hero's death.”

  They are tricky too, swords would not be my first pick because in the event you do use it against an enemy the swords eject smaller, barbed blades from the side of the main blade into a victim and... when they are removed...well it's pretty messy." Killian shuddered at the thought.

  "You need to have good footwork with all of them too, though. You can't just tell the weapons what to do and stand back to watch. You will have to learn how to stay light on your feet like Sheena over there…she’s the one who took you out.”

  “Funny,” Killian smirked. “Why use such, I don’t know, low tech weapons?” Blake scrunched his face confused at the question. “I mean, you don’t have guns or anything like that.”

  Blake smiled. “I’m surprised that question came from you, I thought you didn’t like guns?”

  “No, I didn’t like Richard with a gun.”

  “Ah, I see. The Ponderi have no reason for Terrenian weapons, as we call them. The main realms believe in honorable face to face combat that comes from fighting with swords and spears, it’s tradition. So, the Ponderi follow suit, it wouldn't be fair in the Ponderi’s eyes if we held a weapon greater than others in the Hemisphere. It would create us as the superpower over them, and we have fought hard to create a feeling of equality throughout the realms. Besides, there are powers in the Hemisphere that Terrenian weapons would be useless against anyway, so there is simply no use for such things.”

  Killian raised an eyebrow. The Ponderi had the technology, he was sure, to make a super-weapon that could frighten anyone into submission. The fact that they hadn’t created such a thing offered a little more trust toward the people in the Praetorium.

  “So, what is your most useful weapon?” he asked Blake.

  “Oh, that would be the cross bow. They are forged in the black caves on Cimmerian. When I first worked with my bow, it just felt…perfect. All bows can have perfect aim if the user is skilled enough. The arrows are designed to hit the target even if something is standing in the way.” Blake gave Killian a longing smile as he drifted to another place.

  "Like the arrow can go around something and still hit a target?"

  "Exactly. Some recruits are given a special bow called an Infinite arrow. They have little cartridges like these," he said pulling out a small, smooth rectangular piece of steel. “You notch the cartridge into the bow like this and pull back.” Killian watched as Blake pulled the string back. Amazingly, the steel cartridge molded into a small, perfectly sized arrow. Blake released the string and the arrow pierced the target in the center. The rectangular steel was left in the catch of the crossbow.

  “How did it do that?” Killian asked whisking his head from the arrow to the remaining piece of steel.

  “It’s all a sensor system. It molds according to which bow you use and will fit an arrow perfectly, then you just keep shooting. As long as you keep a good eye on this little piece of metal you’ll always have arrows.”

  “How did you get one?”

  “It’s kind of a long story…” Blake paused for a moment gathering his thoughts.

  “Recruits!” Aidan’s voice echoed through a small microphone device he had clipped to his shirt. The noise broke Blake’s daze. “Custodis groups need to come with me. The rest of you rotate stations. Field recruits head to the pool with Ivy, pool and rock wall recruits head to the field with J.J.!”

  “Sweet! Ivy is the best pool trainer,” Blake said, placing his spear back on the rack.

  “Why is that?”

  “She is soft. Glaciens, you will find, are soft-spoken, love everyone kind of people. She can’t stand it when a recruit fails. Her reprimands are firm, but never above a whisper.” Blake winked back at Killian, loving the good luck he was given. Glancing up he saw Aidan waving his thick arm for Killian to follow his group. His face was shadowed with annoyance, so Killian quickly followed.

  “Recruits, you will be working on the climbing walls this afternoon and we’re going to have a little fun with it too,” Aidan smirked, obviously excited. “You will race one another and whoever wins will earn the code to the training center for a week!”

  The other recruits gasped excitedly and murmured amongst themselves, but Killian couldn’t see why this was such a great prize. Aidan noted his lack of reaction and frowned.

  “For those of you unaware at what a rare opportunity this is, this will give you an opportunity to train harder for the Peridus.” Apparently Killian still lacked the reaction he desired so he growled again. “And again, for those who still don't know what Peridus is, who would like to explain?” Lucan’s hand shot up from the group.

  “Peridus is a tournament where each department competes for leadership positions and unlimited access in the Praetorium. It is the only way to advance in the Ponderi. It brings a sense of honor and prestige as well as financial compensation."

  “Correct.” Killian saw Lucan cast an angry sneer toward him. “The Peridus is a chance for recruits, beasties, analysts, even engineers to compete. Winning the codes to the training center will give you the upper hand in preparing for the games. I expect all of you to participate in the Peridus,” he finished with his flaming eyes resting on Killian. Killian gulped. He was horrible at weapons, and from the healing wound on his side from the knives, hand to hand combat was not his forte either. Aidan’s gaze pierced him. Killian liked Aidan, he was stern
but just as passionate. Deep inside he didn’t want to participate in Peridus because he didn’t want to disappoint his trainer.

  “Alright let’s begin—Sam, Ansel you first.”

  Two recruits stepped forward. One was husky and muscular with short spiky brown hair, the other was long and lanky. His white hair was brushed neatly across his head, and he emitted a peace that calmed Killian’s nerves instantly as he walked by.

  “Remember recruits, a full week of codes to the training center.” Killian watched as brown-haired Sam sneered at Ansel, although his face was tough and competitive he got the sense that the recruits were enjoying the friendly competition. Aidan blew his high-pitched silver whistle and in moments the two recruits were moving up the walls.

  Sam was quick and strong, but Ansel had the length. Ansel was nearly halfway up his rocky cliff when suddenly the wall shifted textures. Ansel was hanging onto clear, ruby red rocks, littered with small grains of red sand. He cried out in pain as Sam closed the gap between them. His side of the wall had shifted to a frozen glacier. Gritting his teeth, Ansel continued upward. Killian thought perhaps the Ignisian rock was too hot for his skin. He had been told Glacien’s struggled the most in Ignisia.

  The surrounding recruits gasped as Sam slipped almost falling to the padded floor but quickly grabbed hold of a jagged stone jutting from the side of his glacier. As soon as he latched onto the stone, the rock wall fell into darkness. Both recruits made their way slowly up the dark wall, the small bulbs of light the only indication of their progress. Both recruits were neck and neck and almost to the top when the shift happened again. Ansel's rock wall shifted to pine covered, rocky terrain while Sam's shifted to the ruby red Ignisian sand stone.

  As Sam reached his hand onto the final ledge several feet ahead of Ansel, his hand slipped on the fine red sand blanketing the already slick stone. Sam fell, free falling a three-story distance toward the padded floor. Killian held his breath as he watched him helplessly. Sam would not be leaving today without a few broken bones. As Sam fell, Killian noted he was slowing down little by little. Before he reached the padded floor, he was practically floating before landing softly on the ground. Sam slammed his fists in frustration at his defeat, then stood back to observe Ansel's descent down the Terrenian landscape.