by Riker Kane
Hamilton pulled the saber back then pushed it forward. “Basic thrust. Good for dealing with farther targets. Penetrates armor. Faster than a slash but using only the tip of the blade means it’s more difficult to land.” He pointed at Brian. “You. Come here.”
Brian pointed at himself like he wasn’t sure he’d been chosen. His shaggy blond hair messy on his head and his uniform slightly wrinkled, he looked like he just got out of bed. He was taller than the rest of us, so when he walked forward, it seemed like he was about to fall over.
“Slash at me,” Hamilton said.
Brian looked at me, still unsure of himself.
“Go ahead.” Hamilton motioned with his hand. “Just like I showed you.”
The skinny blond shrugged and raised his saber over his head. He brought it down quickly but Hamilton crossed his blade sideways against it, parrying the blow and knocking Brian back.
“Now you.” Hamilton pointed at Paige.
Paige walked forward with her hands tight around her hilt. Fair-skinned. Black hair tied in a neat bun over her head. Narrowed brown eyes. Thin pink lips tight as she maintained her focus. There was an innocence about her, resembling a young Katie Holmes. If she wasn’t holding a sword and in uniform, I could’ve pictured her inside of a Starbucks studying for exams.
Despite her small, slender frame, she didn’t have any trouble rearing back and letting out a high-pitch grunt as she thrust the saber right at Hamilton’s chest. But his sword came up in a flash, parrying her weapon to the side and knocking her off balance. He reached out and caught her arm to keep her on her feet.
“You will get stronger.” Hamilton looked into her eyes. “And you will learn. Slash. Thrust. Parry. That is what you will need to deal with low-level threats. Pair up. Costa, you’re with Reynolds. Jamison, you’re with Aldridge. Do exactly as I showed you. Go slow. You don’t have any armor on. I’m not interested in taking you to the Med Bay on your first day. Not with all of the new Vanguards I know will be in there.”
Douglas and I moved to the side of the training lab and stood across from one another. He was an unassuming, average-sized guy who looked like most of the people I went to college with. He was about my height but with a bit of a pudgy belly poking through his button-up shirt. He ran his hand through his dark hair then scratched his thin beard. He stared at me with a slightly bewildered look in his eyes. I couldn’t blame him for it.
“All right,” Douglas sighed and shrugged. “I guess we’re doing it.”
“I guess so.” I raised my sword up and gave him a nod.
He slashed at me and I turned my saber sideways to block it. The clang of metal echoed through the lab. The other two recruits made as much noise as us while Hamilton patiently observed us from not too far away.
~ ~ ~
My throat was dry. The sweat dripped from my brow and underneath my uniform. My palms calloused from how tight I gripped the hilt. Every slash. Every parry. Every thrust. They all reverberated in my hands constantly until I was sore.
But Douglas and I kept going until Hamilton made us switch partners. I sparred with Brian. I sparred with Paige. We all continued for so long I lost track of time.
“Stop. Weapons down.”
Hamilton raised his hand up. I lowered my blade then realized just how fatigued I was.
The Captain tapped the chestplate of his armor with his fingertip. “Tempered carbon steel sheets. Not as thick as a Vanguard’s or Zealot’s but you can take a blow. Gage has your measurements. Next lesson, we’ll practice with armor and you can really go at it.”
I was as exhausted as the rest of the recruits. We all put our hands to our heads to wipe away the sweat.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “A simple saber and simple attacks. Maybe one of the other classes would be more interesting. But one day…” Hamilton took a step back and held his sword into the air. He dug his feet into the ground and leaped more than twenty feet toward the ceiling. The blade extended out in front of him, he twirled around like a top. Flames surrounded him completely, lighting up the entire room.
“Whoa…” My jaw dropped at Hamilton’s display.
The flames slowly dissipated as he slowed. He crashed back down to the ground and slammed his saber upon it. The entire room rumbled and made me unsteady on my feet. Hamilton remained on one knee with his blade against the ground before slowly getting back up to his feet.
“There’s more to combat than slashes and thrusts.” Hamilton smirked at all of us. “Read through the bestiaries available to you to know how to apply your new skills. Always expect the unexpected.” He looked at the communicator on his wrist and nodded. “The day is over. Chaperon Baker will advise you through the rest of your introduction.”
10: An Unexpected Challenge
“Nothing like a nice meal after a hard day of training.” I took a bite of my chicken sandwich. My stomach rumbled more than it usually did at this time. The satisfaction of the fried chicken and mayonnaise between the toasted bread made my mouth water.
The dining hall in the Nerve Center was filled with all of the new recruits who’d just finished their first class lessons. Some of the other tables were occupied by the cadets who looked like they just came out of a Junction. Along with the loud chatter, the aroma of so many different types of foods made the place even more inviting.
“I think I can get used to this,” I said as I smacked my lips. “Training. Eating. Going through Junctions. This is what school should’ve been like when I was younger…”
Quentin sat across from me, staring at his plate of fried chicken but not budging. His hair was disheveled and beads of sweat dripped from his brow.
“…You all right there?” I asked. “You must be pretty hungry after training.”
“I’m starving. I just don’t know if I can lift my arms.”
I reached across and pulled his arm up. He immediately grunted in pain and dropped his arm back on the table.
“Maybe you should go to the Med Bay…”
“I’ll manage,” he sighed as he gingerly picked up a piece of chicken. “I can’t let this go to waste.”
“What happened?”
“Captain Bell happened. Apparently, being a Vanguard is exactly what I expected it to be. Shoulder charges. Ramming into things. Having to stand my ground while someone spears me right in the chest. We’re not even wearing any armor. What kind of training exercise is that?”
“Did you learn anything?”
“Yeah. I learned the digital Sorting Hat screwed me over. Maybe I should switch to Strider and be with Miss Valentine like I was meant to.”
I’d never seen someone eat their lunch as somberly as he did. But despite his disappointment, I couldn’t hold back a chuckle.
“I’m sure you were inclined to be a Vanguard for a reason. Once you get your armor, you’ll be a monster on the battlefield. Did you get your shield and go Steve Rogers on ‘em yet?”
He shook his head. “It’s only the first lesson. Captain Bell only went over the basics. Apparently, I’m just supposed to clear a path then stand there and get my ass kicked while everybody stands behind me.”
“Ah. A true tank. I don’t think any squad will succeed without one.”
“I guess. Hopefully it doesn’t hurt as much when I get some armor. I’m a delicate man, Liam. I can only take so much bruising.”
His soreness had apparently left him as he took more vigorous bites of his chicken.
My chicken sandwich was accompanied by a small side of french fries and a glass of sweetened black tea. The satisfying lunch was enough to make me forget the fatigue of everything throughout the day. But being surrounded by all of the other recruits made it impossible to ignore completely.
Quentin rolled a chicken wing in his hand and eyed the hilt sticking up from my waist. “I can’t believe you actually got a sword. You know how to use that thing?”
“I’m not exactly a swordmaster. But I think I could do the job if it came down
to it. The saber’s sharp and heavy enough to do all of the work. And that’s without it even having a Core. Just a plain steel blade and a weighted leather hilt.”
“Cavalier, huh… I guess there’s nothing wrong with that. You know, Adviser Campbell is a Cavalier. Let’s hope you don’t turn into as much of a hard ass as him when you get older.”
“I can only hope.”
We shared a laugh as we enjoyed our meals.
“Janice said we’re getting our first missions tomorrow,” he said. “I wonder what kind of assignments we’re getting. I can’t imagine it’s anything more than stepping through a Junction and shutting it down.”
“I think there’s more to it than that. Even though we’re supposed to be doing this for the sake of humanity like the brochure says, we’re still getting paid. I’m guessing we can get more than the stipend they give us.”
“Like a bonus? Not that it matters. We’re still too low level to deal with anything that’s not a serious threat.”
“Gotta start somewhere.”
I was halfway through my sandwich when I looked at one of the other tables. A group of female recruits was all having lunch together, giggling over conversation. Rhys suddenly appeared with Gregory right behind him, confidently strolling up to the table with a cocky smirk on his lips.
“What’s that guy’s name again?” Quentin asked as he looked toward the table. “Rhys, was it? Brooke was right about that guy. He looks like a real prick. Like my dad always said, never trust a guy with a man bun.”
“Your dad said that?”
He shrugged. “I’m sure he did one time in his life. I mean, how could he not?”
I watched Rhys put his hands on his hips and puff his chest out to make sure the table of women saw the stars on his chest. “Your dad’s probably right,” I said with a laugh. “Maybe someone should do something.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“This guy is walking around like he’s some big shot when he’s only been here a few months before us. Aren’t we all supposed to be fighting together? You know, to stop the Shadows from coming to our world?”
Quentin shrugged and took another bite of chicken. “Some guys are just the way they are. Even when the world is at stake.”
The table of females continued to do their best to ignore Rhys despite the smiles on their face. But Nina wasn’t smiling like the others. She kept her head down while she poked her fork at her plate.
“Shit…” I didn’t know what came over me. I was never like this. It was like my body had taken control. Suddenly, I was up to my feet, walking over to Rhys and his buddy behind him.
“Hey, Liam. What are you doing?” Quentin called out to me but I ignored him.
“…So, ladies. Which one of you wants to take a trip with me through a high-level Junction? Don’t worry. I’ve got the levels to carry you.” He flexed his bicep and tapped on the small muscle. “You see that? All Red Mana…”
Up close, Rhys somehow looked even cockier than ever. The way he wrinkled his nose and pursed his lips wasn’t endearing in the slightest though he probably thought the opposite. The blond pretty boy standing behind him kept his arms crossed with a satisfied smile on his lips.
Rhys opened his mouth to talk again when he noticed me walking up. His brow furrowed, he crossed his arms and gave me a sneer. The women at the table turned their attention to me.
“What do we got here?” Rhys said. “I thought I already told you to learn your place last night, recruit.”
“I guess not.”
I gave him a smirk but Rhys didn’t take too kindly to it. The way he narrowed his eyes, I was waiting for his cheeks to redden and steam come out of his ears. The ladies at the table fell silent.
Rhys took a step forward, looking down his pug nose at me. If the guy was trying to be intimidating, he was doing an awful job.
“Why don’t you mind your own business?”
“This is my business. Everybody at this table is in the same wave of recruits as me. We’re all on the same side. You can’t walk around like you’re better than everybody else.”
“Ha!” He turned around to Gregory and pointed his thumb at me. “Get a load of this guy. Trying to be everybody’s knight in shining armor.” Rhys took another step toward me. He was tall enough to look me in the eye but considering he wasn’t much bigger than me, I didn’t back away.
“Get one thing straight,” he said. “You’re a recruit. I’m an Omega. The highest-ranking Omega on campus. There’s a pecking order and I’m at the top. If you don’t believe me, go to the gates and read the scoreboard for yourself. Since you’re new here, I’ll give you the opportunity to learn your place. But if you interrupt me again, I won’t hesitate to teach you a lesson.”
He looked down at the saber on my hip and scoffed. “A punk reads a brochure and gets a sword, all of a sudden he thinks he’s the man. You haven’t done anything… private.”
He walked by me, making sure to bump his shoulder against my chest as he did. I watched him leave then turned back to the table of ladies.
“Thanks.” Paige from my Cavalier training smiled at me. “He was really bugging us but we didn’t wanna shoo him away. It seems like all of the older cadets look down on us because we’re the new recruits.”
“I don’t think all of them are like that,” I said. “When you’re at the top of the leaderboard, I guess you get a big ego.”
The ladies all turned back to each other and chatted about their training as they enjoyed their lunch. I headed back to my table and took a seat in front of Quentin.
He noisily smacked on a piece of fried chicken, making his already chubby cheeks puff out even more. “You know you didn’t have to do that.”
“I know I didn’t have to do it. It was obvious he was bothering ‘em though.”
“I’ve seen guys like Rhys before. The big man on campus. Town bully. Walking around like his shit don’t stink. It’s all big talk. He can’t do anything. We’re all training, eating and enjoying ourselves but this is still a military institution. If Rhys puts a hand on another recruit, even a lowly private like us, he’d be disciplined. He thinks he has a little more leeway because of the numbers he’s putting up but I don’t think he does. He’s still a just a 3-Star Silver Omega.”
Quentin chewed on his chicken with a satisfied smile that made me laugh.
“Since when did you know so much about Omegas?” I said.
“Since I’ve been doing some reading on the tablet in my dorm room. I never realized how bored I am without an Internet connection for my phone…”
“Maybe when you get your first stipend, you can find something to amuse yourself with in the Central Square.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He crunched down another bite of the crispy fried chicken, no longer showing the signs of the soreness from his day of training.
I picked up the last small piece of my chicken sandwich and took a bite.
“Hey.”
The voice was soft, audible over the chatter echoing through the dining hall. I turned and saw Nina suddenly standing next to the table. Up close, I was able to see her a lot better. High cheekbones. Round eyes. A thin, straight nose. Her face resembled a young Olivia Wilde, who I spent more time thinking about than I’d like to admit. Her skin was white but so porcelain and unblemished it almost looked painted on. Strange to think she could look so different just a few feet closer.
Her red hair was tied into a bun behind her head today, which she fiddled with as she stared down at me.
“Can I talk to you?” she asked, her voice a little louder.
I gave her a nod and she took a seat next to me. I didn’t think too much of it but when I turned to Quentin, I saw his mouth half-open with a bite of half-chewed fried chicken threatening to fall out.
“Quentin…” I kept my voice low and he blinked to break himself out of his daze.
“Nina. Nina Higashi.” Quentin kept saying her name. “You’re Nina Higashi.”
She looked at him, an eyebrow raised like she wasn’t sure what to make of him.
“Don’t worry,” I said with a laugh. “He’s harmless. That’s Quentin Young. I’m Liam Aldridge.”
She smiled softly at Quentin as he took another bite of chicken, his unblinking eyes locked on her. If I had to be honest, I couldn’t much blame him. Nina’s face was so unblemished I had an urge to stick my thumb out and see if I could smudge some makeup.
But when she looked at me with those green eyes of hers, she made it clear it wasn’t just a friendly conversation.
“Thanks for that,” she said to me. “It’s tough making someone like Rhys leave you alone. High-ranking Omegas always have a sense of entitlement.”
“I wouldn’t call a Silver Omega high-ranking but I get what you’re saying.”
“It’s barely the start of our first week here but that doesn’t mean we should let the upperclassmen push us around. Listen…” She leaned forward and I noticed the subtle scent of perfume. Or was it conditioner? Or maybe she just smelled like flowers. “…I know you just did me a favor but maybe you can do another one for me. What do you think about getting started?”
“Uh… Getting started?” An endless list of possibilities ran through my head.
“Going through Junctions.”
“Oh… You really wanna do that now, huh?”
“You saw what Campbell did. There was only one wolf between him and the Obelisk. We get Mana and we start leveling.”
“Hold on a second.” Quentin took a gulp of lemonade to clear his throat. “You wanna go through a Junction now? We just barely finished our first day of training.”
“Liam already has a sword. I have my Strider blades in my locker. Between the three of us, we can handle a low-level Junction. What do you think?”
“Easy for you to say. All Captain Bell did was have people run into me. I don’t even have a shield yet.”