by Riker Kane
“Nina’s probably already there. She’s gonna be pretty disappointed when she finds out we’re on standby.”
“I’ve got a feeling Nina would be training hard regardless.” I put my hands on his shoulders and looked right into his eyes to make sure I got my point across. “Just because we’re on the sidelines doesn’t mean this is over. We gotta keep pushing.”
“Hey. Whatever my squad leader says, I’m gonna do it.”
“Spoken like a true Vanguard.”
~ ~ ~
Energy Charge
Imbue your weapon with the power of Mana.
Cost: 2,000
The description in the ability shop was vague. It cost all of the Green Mana I had left. And then there was the fact I probably didn’t even need a new ability.
But I couldn’t help myself. My curiosity got the best of me and I decided to splurge.
Now I was back in a training lab with Captain Hamilton standing next to the display panel.
“Energy Charge… Any particular reason you chose that, cadet?”
Of course. The first question he asks me is why I decided to pick something I wasn’t completely sure about.
“…We use Mana to level up. It’s in our Cores. Sounds useful.”
Hamilton looked up from the display tablet and smirked. “Indeed.” He brushed away his perfectly coiffed brown hair and held his hand out. “Draw your saber.”
I stepped out on the small training grid and did as I was told.
“When you want to activate an ability, all you have to do is focus. Concentrate. The Mana works in unison with your thoughts, channeling your body to do things you wouldn’t normally be able to do. Energy Charge is not different. Now… hold your saber and focus.”
I held my weapon up in front of me and did as I was told. It didn’t take nearly as much concentration as I expected it to. When the green aura surrounded my weapon, I nearly fell back.
“Whoa…”
The blue energy from the Core on my hilt flowed along with the new green aura surrounding my blade like smoke.
“Now… deactivate it.”
I relaxed and the green energy slowly dissipated.
Hamilton tapped the tablet display and a digital blue wolf appeared at the center of the grid.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “For this demonstration, we don’t need it to fight back. Show me your training. A slash should be enough to kill it.”
I gave him a nod then walked over to the wolf. My saber up over my head, I brought it down and severed its neck. The wolf dropped to the ground with its head barely hanging on before fading.
“Hold on,” I said. “I can do better than that.”
“I’m sure you can.” He tapped the tablet and brought back another wolf. “Energy Charge.”
I focused and the green aura returned. The energy flowed through the blade and down into the hilt. It was strong enough for me to feel in my palms even through my gloves.
I brought my blade back up and sliced down on the wolf. As soon as I touched its neck, I felt little resistance. The blade cut through clean, cutting the wolf and even managing to split the bone.
“Holy crap…”
Captain Hamilton walked up to me with his hands behind his back, his chin up and his chest out. A smirk curled onto the corner of his lips as he looked down at the wolf on the ground.
“Mana is what makes you stronger. It’s what powers your weapon and enforces your armor. When you’re able to channel that same Mana into your saber, it will amplify your damage that much more. Even a Cavalier can make use of control.”
“Control… I knew it’d come in handy.
“But remember. Abilities are taxing. Don’t overexert yourself by using it when you don’t need to. Otherwise, you might find yourself unable to even lift your saber.”
A brand new ability had me excited about the possibilities. Now I had the rest of the day to make my final preparations.
~ ~ ~
I stood in the Med Bay and went over my Mana along with my current stats.
Liam Aldridge
Level 23 Bronze 4-Star Cavalier
(1150 Red Mana until next level)
Hit Points 100
Endurance 55
Strength 18
Speed 16
Durability 15
Control 11
“Damn… Just short…”
I had enough to get six levels, which would put me up to level 29, but not enough to make it to Silver. But six levels meant six ability points.
“I wonder…”
A smirk came across my face when I realized what I had to do. Now that I could make use of control and apply it, I figured I would put four points into it. Since Nina and Quentin had me covered with their speed and durability, I put the other two points into strength.
I confirmed the level up and felt the rush of Red Mana pumping through my veins.
“A nice, balanced build. I can live with that.”
Nina walked up next to me and observed the display. “Not bad. Proper stats for a Cavalier.”
“More than proper, Nina. I’m gonna kick some ass.”
“You’ll have to wait a bit for that. Quentin gave me the news.”
She didn’t look as disappointed as Quentin but she wasn’t too happy about it either. I searched for something to say but there was nothing.
“We have to do whatever we can,” she said. “This isn’t about our squad. This isn’t about the other cadets. This is bigger than all of us.”
“I know, Nina. You don’t have to remind me.”
“I feel like I do. You’re strong. You should be out there. But if they want you here, to secure the campus and be the last line of defense, I think that’s a good thing. It means they believe in you.”
“Hmm… I don’t think Rhys looks at it that way… But maybe Campbell and the others do.”
Nina smiled softly. Compared to all of the other women I’d met on campus, she had a subtle way of showing how she felt. When she smiled, I knew she meant it. It didn’t hurt that she had a couple of deep-green eyes that made me forget about anything that could be troubling me.
“Have you made all your preparations?” she asked.
“I have my gear. I finished with Captain Hamilton. He’s busy with other cadets, so I can’t take another Mastery Star Exam. I think I’ve leveled up enough though.”
“There are still hours left in the day. Let’s try to squeeze in as much time as we can in the hyperbaric chamber. Quentin’s already waiting for us.”
“He is? That’s surprising.”
“A Vanguard needs endurance more than any other class.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “You ready, Liam?”
“Let’s do it.”
40: Last Chance for Romance
Liam Aldridge
Level 29 Bronze 4-Star Cavalier
(1150 Red Mana until next level)
Hit Points 100
Endurance 60 (+5)
Strength 20 (+2)
Speed 16
Durability 15
Control 15 (+4)
“Still obsessing over your stats, huh?” Quentin poked at the sloppy mishmash of fried potatoes and roasted turkey before pointing at my communicator with his fork. “We just spent four hours in that damn chamber breathing through a mask without any entertainment. I should really talk to Dr. Marchal about getting an Internet connection in there…”
“You had plenty of time to do that when you were a civilian,” Nina said. “Haven’t you had enough of that?”
“It’s different. I mean, I’m not just sitting there. I’m exhausting myself… No… I’m draining myself. People jog on treadmills with a little music. Why can’t we have a little music at least?”
“Focus on the serenity of the chamber to improve your stat increases.”
“Oh, no… Don’t you start talking that ooga-booga, mumbo-jumbo with me. My endurance is going up just fine, even when I’m complaining about how exhausting it is.”
&n
bsp; “Maybe it wouldn’t be so exhausting if you didn’t complain so much.”
“Whatever…” Quentin rolled his eyes as he took another bite of turkey.
The friendly bickering between my two squadmates wasn’t serious. We all had smiles on our faces as we enjoyed what was likely our last meal before the operation tomorrow.
The mood in the dormitory dining hall wasn’t as somber as I expected it to be. The chatter was lively and everybody was enjoying themselves. I guess it made sense, considering they were about to jump into another raid against a new World Boss. This was our time to forget about it.
The spacious room looked as pristine as always. My sterile surroundings were another reminder I was away from the rest of civilization, in a military facility about to take on another threat. On standby, anyway.
“Standby,” Quentin sighed with a mouthful. “We’re really gonna be sitting around while they’re having all the glory.”
“If all goes well, the job will get done,” Nina said. “If not, we can step in. Worst-case scenario, we wait for them to find the next world and we can run through Junctions again.”
“Well, then… I hope Rhys does a shit job of leading this raid and we have to step in.”
“Fat chance of that happening!”
Rhys suddenly appeared next to the table. It’d been a long time since I’d seen him. But judging from how annoyed I was, it hadn’t been long enough. The cocky smirk. The pig nose. The stupid man bun. Everything about him was obnoxious in a way I had to remind myself to ignore him.
With his personal bodyguard Gregory right behind him, he looked down his nose at Quentin.
“Big operation tomorrow,” Rhys said. “The Captains are stepping up to defeat the Herald they found. And I’m leading the raid against the Fire Golem. You, though… You’ve got an important job. You’ve gotta make sure nothing happens around here. You never know what crazy Dr. Bonet might do. I heard he gets cranky when he doesn’t have his coffee.”
He looked at Gregory and the two snickered like schoolgirls. But the smile quickly left his face as he shifted his eyes toward me.
“Follow orders. Know your role… Bronze. If you do your part, maybe they’ll bother keeping you around on campus. Ha!”
Rhys reared his head back and cackled like a pompous prick as he walked away. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to my dinner.
“What’s going on?” Quentin asked. “You’ve been quiet this entire time.”
“What do you expect him to do?” Nina said. “As much as I’d like to see Liam sock him again, that’d just make things worse.”
“You don’t have to put your hands on him. But letting him talk to us like that…”
Even though Rhys bothered me more than I wanted to admit, all I did was shrug. “Rhys is like every other school bully. He’s just trying to let everybody know he’s the man. It’s not personal.”
“You’d think they’d grow out of it by the time they hit his age but apparently not,” Nina sighed.
“Can’t blame him. There’s a giant scoreboard whenever we walk into the Junction Room. We can see someone’s rank on their armor. There’s no denying how good it feels to level up and get a little stronger. Rhys is just… reveling in it because we’re lower-leveled and lower-ranked.”
“Say… I got an idea.” Quentin leaned forward and stopped chewing for a moment, so I knew it was serious. “Fuck Rhys. How about we beat him? We grind Junctions. We level up as much as we can. We get our rank up to his and pass him, so he can’t talk all of the shit he’s talking.”
“Just put our heads down and keep working…” Nina’s face scrunched in confusion. “I’m pretty sure we’ve been doing that all along. But… I guess it helps if you focus on a particular goal. Liam?”
“I was with you when you said ‘fuck Rhys.’” I shrugged again and we all shared another laugh.
Quentin turned his attention back to his mash of turkey while Nina chewed on her sandwich. Our table fell silent with the chatter around us continuing to fill the room. It was an uneventful dinner with my squad but I enjoyed it all the same.
~ ~ ~
The moon was full and the nighttime breeze was as perfect as always. Just outside the dormitory, it was a calm night before the operation.
“Ungh… Nothing like a good meal after a hard day of work.” Quentin stretched his arms to the sky and showed off the small belly protruding underneath his uniform. His brown hair scattered all over his head, he looked like he was just about to pass out. “Now, I think I’ll hit the hay to get ready for tomorrow. I mean, they’re gonna need us when we’re sitting around on standby.” He rolled his eyes to emphasize his sarcasm. “What are you two up to?”
Nina stared up at the sky, her eyes lost in the emptiness above. “I think I’ll walk my meal off. Enjoy the peace of the night before tomorrow, you know? I’m heading over to the Central Square. Why don’t you come with me, Liam?”
“Um…” I looked over at Quentin and saw him trying to hold back his smirk. “Sure, Nina. Sounds like a good time.”
“Make sure you get back to your rooms early,” Quentin said. “If something goes wrong tomorrow, I won’t hesitate to blame you crazy kids breaking curfew.” He sarcastically wagged his finger at us before stepping back into the dorm room.
Nina didn’t bother waiting for me as she began the short walk west to the Central Square.
The center of the Vegas District was quieter than usual. The water splashed quietly in the fountain near the entrance of the campus. Some cadets were sprawled out on the grassy area as they slowly drifted off. Others enjoyed the peace underneath the shade of the trees.
Along the wide pathway on both sides of us, the tables outside of all the shops were nearly empty. Cadets enjoyed the last bites of their meals before having to head back to the dorms. Still, there were others who were walking just like us.
“It’s kinda weird,” I said. “Pizza. Coffee. Burgers. Desserts. They’ve got all kinds of places to eat. They’ve got that Internet Cafe for recreation but not much else. You’d think they’d give a bunch of bored young people more outlets to unwind.”
“There are other places. There’s a juice bar over there. We just really haven’t had the time to enjoy it all. Not with having to integrate into this way of life… And the campus is still new. There are two acres of land. Plenty of room for expansion.”
“I guess… Maybe I could put something in their suggestion box.”
“And what would you suggest?”
I thought about it for a moment before an idea quickly came to me. “A pool would be nice. A nice, community pool for everybody to just relax and bathe in the perfect weather we always have. The weather always sucks in Cutler Valley. I guess I’m just tired of the heat.”
“Or maybe you just wanna gawk at the female cadets in their bathing suits.” She raised an eyebrow at me. Her lips twitched but it was hard to tell whether she was fighting a smile or trying to embarrass me. In any case, it was enough to make me chuckle.
“Sure,” I said with a shrug. “That sounds like a good reason, too.”
She put her head down as we continued our walk. “I’ve done some photoshoots in my bikini before. Have you ever been to the Bahamas?”
“Sure. I visit every other month. I have a place right along the beach.”
She slapped me on the arm and got another laugh out of me. “You should see how nice it is. The air is so clear. The sand is so white. You don’t realize how perfect it is until you’re out there.”
“Hmm… I’ll bet. Maybe one day we’ll walk through a gate and end up somewhere like that.”
“Maybe…”
“Nina… I know your family has a history with the LOD. But it sounds like you left a nice life behind. I mean, why would you wanna become an Omega when you could be on a white sandy beach in your bikini, soaking up the sun?”
Nina didn’t respond. She just kept staring at the ground like she hadn’t heard me. It was obvious som
ething was on her mind though, so I just stayed quiet. A few moments went by before she spoke.
“That’s what my mother wanted. She enrolled me in ballet when I was a child.”
“Ballet, huh? I can see some of that when you fight.”
“She saw how much attention I was getting because everybody thought I was pretty. Being a model, that’s exactly what you’re supposed to do… what you’re supposed to be. But I didn’t want that. It… It just wasn’t satisfying.”
“So you came here trying to see if you could find something more fulfilling?”
She nodded softly. “I think so… And I think I found it, too… What about you, Liam? What are you doing here?”
“Me? I don’t think it’s as interesting as your story.”
“Tell me.”
“Well… What’s there to tell? I was just some kid in college who didn’t wanna end up like everybody else. I… I guess it’s selfish of me, not wanting to do an honest job and work a nine-to-five.”
“Your family though. They supported you, right?”
“Ha!” I scoffed. “My dad never paid too much attention to me. My mother didn’t either. I’m just some kid living with them who may or may not amount to anything… I don’t think I could disappoint them because they aren’t expecting anything.”
“There had to have been somebody who cared.”
As soon as she said it, I thought about Adam and couldn’t help but smile.”
“…My brother… Adam… I wonder what he’d think if he saw me now. He was the successful one.” I chuckled softly to myself. “When I was growing up, I wasn’t anything special. High school. College. Always just a nobody…”
She shook her head softly. “Maybe you were a nobody. I was a somebody. We couldn’t be more different. But who we were as civilians on the outside doesn’t matter. We’re here now.”
“Right… You know, it’s a kinda funny coincidence that Adam’s a model, too. You wouldn’t be able to tell though. Different moms. Never stopped him from having my back though…”