Sol Boxset

by Samuel Small

  ***

  He returned to the town and was greeted by grateful villagers. A few children jumped up and down at his side and he patted them on the head while the village elder made his way over to him.

  “That thing’s been terrorizing us forever, thank you for what you’ve done.”

  He handed Jake a satchel and he grasped it, feeling the many gold coins rolling around within. He nodded and thanked the man, then left to return to the Republic.

  Creatures like that monster had appeared throughout the world, attacking humanity since the incident at Niflheim. They didn’t all take the form of the thing that Jake just slew, they could be anything: humanoid, short snapping things, even animals. All were drenched in a pitch-black oily substance and moved around attacking and killing humans at will.

  Ultimately two major nations were obliterated in the Tragedy at Niflheim. With the exception of those who were under the protection of the dark black energy dome created by the entity known as Mother, every single person in both countries were turned into Voids. Dante and the black-cloaked individual successfully put the fresh insurrection down and then promptly disappeared. Jake had to explain what happened to the Purists when they woke up, then he reported directly to the Führer. He sat at his desk, hands folded under his chin, and listened with intent. He never once raised any questions and when Jake was done he showed him out.

  That was a few weeks ago, and now Jake climbed the steps to Sara’s apartment, taking them one at a time. Before he would have been rushing up them, eager to see if her behavior had improved even a little bit. Now he knew better. This time the climb was filled with dread. He knew her condition wouldn’t improve and that he’d see the same empty face that he saw every visit, but at the same time he couldn’t keep away. He was hopeful that she would recover from the trauma and shock of the battle and its consequences.

  He stood before the door, the image of what he would see beyond it already burned into his mind’s eye. He gripped the handle and felt its cool surface, then composed himself and entered the room.

  “Hello Sara,” he said.

  She did not turn to see him when he spoke. The room was all white, and Sara sat in the bed staring out of the window, her hair trailing behind her in waves. The curtains flapped in the winter breeze provided by the open window.

  Jake walked over and shut it. It was letting the cold air in, and although he doubted she minded he very much did. He turned to her, and despite being in her line of sight she looked straight through him with a blank expression and empty eyes. He grimaced, then took a seat next to her bed. He had a long time before he needed to report in, and he decided to spend it with her.

  ***

  The tiles echoed beneath Jake’s feet as he hurried down the corridor to Major Mile’s office. He rounded the hallway and stood outside the room with his hand on the door. Just a few months ago he had been a carefree trainee, bored to death under mountains of paperwork and practice. He always wanted action and had nagged Major Miles constantly in the hopes of getting even a little firsthand experience. Now he was constantly called to take out monsters as if he was a full-fledged guard. Jake wasn’t sure why he was being called now, but he was certain it was going to be another troublesome mission.

  He smiled at the thought and gave the door a firm push.

  “Jake, we’ve got good news and bad news,” Major Miles said as Jake entered the small room. He stood firm and alert to the side of his desk, General Iroh on the other end seeming to size the boy up. Perplexed, Jake slowly closed the door behind him and waited for the Major to continue.

  “The good news is you’re being promoted to full guard. You’ve done more in a month than most will do in their entire lives. On top of that, in the past week you’ve shown that you can not only keep up with the pros but surpass them. Congratulations.”

  This had been Jake’s dream for a long time but for some reason he didn’t feel happy. The somber mood in the room coupled with the rushed promotion meant there had to be some other reason why this was happening. His face pale, Jake swallowed, painfully awaiting the bad news.

  “A mercenary group has declared war on the Republic. It seems like the rebels are also planning on attacking soon. We don’t have time to divert our efforts into both campaigns… and that’s where you come in.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “You’re gonna be a spy, kid,” General Iroh said. “Infiltrate the rebels and find out what they’re up to. With any luck, you should be able to convince them not to go to war. At a bare minimum find out when and how they intend to attack.”

  Jake nodded. “What’s the name of this mercenary group?”

  At Jake’s words, General Iroh and Major Miles exchanged a knowing glance. “Well,” Major Miles said, “that’s the reason we chose you specifically for this mission. They’re very elusive and not much is known about them. Honestly, you probably know more about them than us.”

  Jake didn’t understand. How could he possibly know more about a group than an entire country? With an eyebrow raised, he responded, “That doesn’t really answer my question.”

  “Trai— guard Jake, the truth is we don’t really know who they are or what they represent. We only recently received a letter with a declaration of war, shot into the north wall attached to an arrow. They didn’t give a name, just symbol.”

  “A symbol? Of what?”

  “A lightning bolt.”

  SOL BOOK TWO: REBELLION

  Samuel Small

  Chapter 1

  The sword before Jake moved so fast he couldn’t focus on it, the lunges blurring together into a mesh of potential pain. He figured all he had to do was not stand in the way of the volley of death and continued to circle his opponent. Major Miles was no slouch, however, and pivoted to meet him.

  Screw it, Jake thought, then swung up and into the blur, hoping that he’d be lucky enough to disrupt the original blade. He was, and the illusion was broken. Major Mile’s arm, wooden rapier in hand, shot into the air, his eyes wide. Seeing the opening, Jake came in and attempted to deliver the winning blow, but when the Major’s lips twisted into a smirk he knew he’d stepped into a trap.

  Major Miles turned his wrist and let go of his sword so that it faced downward, then grasped it firmly. He drove the blade down and into the back of Jake’s skull, sending his forehead into the wooden floor, pain exploding in his temples. Major Miles continued to press into the back of Jake’s head and the boy fell to his stomach, his practice blade leaving his hand as his superior drove him further down. It skidded across the floor with a pathetic screech. The blade still firmly in the back of his head, Jake turned so it was at his temple and looked up at Major Miles.

  “Impressive. Your combat abilities are on par with a guard at least.”

  As he dragged himself to his feet Jake winced, not due to the pain but the unnecessary compliment. Becoming a guard had been a long-term dream of his but he wasn’t sure he deserved it. Sure, he had been involved in two major incidents, but he didn’t really do anything. He was just there, surrounded by capable people who carried the weight for him. All the credit he got was via osmosis, not as a result of any natural talent or skill he possessed.

  Major Miles must have sensed this and brought a hand down on Jake’s shoulder. “You’ve come a long way these past few months and you’ve seen things normal guards couldn’t even dream of. Your promotion is because I’ve seen your skills improve to the appropriate ability, nothing else.”

  He gave Jake another hardy pat, which made the guard’s body sway with its strength. He looked up at the man and forced a smile.

  “Well, you ready for your first big mission as a fully fledged guard?”

  Jake shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

  “Good.” Major Miles reached down into his duffel bag, pulling out a handful of clothes all jumbled together. He tossed them to Jake, who caught the mess of fabric with a dull thump. “Ironically, for your first big mission
as a guard you won’t be dressed as one. Put these on.”

  Reluctantly Jake complied, slipping out of the dazzling and well pressed uniform and into a ragged sweater and cargo pants. His muscles tensed as he pulled the unwanted clothing onto his body, as if he was sliding into the gaping mouth of a hungry monster.

  Major Miles chuckled. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you to zip up your jacket, don’t act like you’re disappointed.” Jake turned to him and pouted, which only made the Major’s light chuckle turn into bellowing laughter. Buckling his pants, Jake sighed.

  Looking down he marveled at the unsightliness of his clothes. The sweater he’d been given was covered with stains and didn’t look like it had ever been washed. Seeing the pants he felt much the same. Still, they were loose fitting and flexible. That meant he shouldn’t have a problem if he got into a combative situation. He spread his arms out, showing the outfit to Major Miles, then dropped them to his sides. They smacked against his hips with a light thud.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” Major Miles chided, “you’ve got to be incognito in order to stand any chance of finding them. Now come on – let’s go.”

  They walked out of the training hall and down the long white hallway. Everything was serene and quiet, the walls devoid of any adornment. Jake took in this empty area, making light footsteps alongside Major Miles, until something smoky found its way into his nostrils. He sniffed fiercely, trying to confirm whether or not the sensation was real, then his eyes widened.

  A cloud of gray smoke steadily drifted from under a door a few feet in front of him. He ran toward it and flung it open and was met with a dense dark cloud that sent him into a coughing fit.

  He waved his hand over his face and squinted as the smoke began to clear. Ahead was a silhouette partially obscured in the haze, sitting back rather casually. As the smoke continued to clear, Jake grimaced and knew he should’ve figured it was him.

  “Dammit Loid.”

  The boy’s head turned sharply, his eyes magnified behind his goggles. Those large eyes blinked, and the boy shot up. He ran toward Jake and began groping him, muttering measurements under his breath. Jake was accustomed to this by now and focused more on the smoking machine in the background. It looked like a gun of sorts but…

  His vision went black as he felt something warm and sweaty clamp over his eyes.

  “No, no, no, you can’t see that yet Jake, it isn’t ready!” Loid said.

  “I can see that,” Jake said, before Loid spun him around by the shoulders and began to shoo him out of the room.

  “Just go on ahead Jake, I’ll have some marvelous weapons for you before the month is over, I guarantee it,” Loid said, a finger inclined upward, then slammed the door in Jake’s bewildered face.

  ***

  Jake took heavy step after heavy step, trying hard to keep his head down. Why didn’t Major Miles think to give me an outfit with a hood? he thought. To his left was the Major, who gave Jake a raised eyebrow, having no idea as to why Jake was acting in the way that he was. Did he really have no clue? Come on Major, read the room a little!

  Standing at the corner were a group of girls wearing primary education uniforms, in fact the very same primary education uniform that Elizabeth had once worn. News of Jake’s endeavors had reached the local papers and he was made out to be some kind of poster boy for the everyman. This drew much unwanted attention from others, especially girls from that particular school. For whatever reason they thought Jake was loaded and wanted him to take them out to dinner and whatnot.

  How naive it is to be young, Jake thought, then creased his brow in confusion when he realized those girls were probably his own age. He shook his head as that wasn’t relevant, what was relevant was real world experience… of which those girls had none. Sure, Jake had a full-time job, one that paid well on paper, but the truth was that after taxes and mandatory expenses such as housing, food, and clothing he barely had anything left. He sighed.

  Of course, the manner in which Jake was walking didn’t help so when he and Major Miles passed by the three girls called out to them. Major Miles stopped walking, a smile on his face, but Jake dropped his head even further and picked up his pace, his cheeks burning.

  Behind him, Major Miles spoke. “Unfortunately, Jake’s heading out on a mission, although I’d gladly take you out in his stead.” This earned some laughter from the girls and a chance for Jake to get away without being followed. Major Miles was being tactically creepy to save him, but that didn’t mean Jake wasn’t going to bring it up.

  “Aren’t they a little young for you?” Jake asked when the Major caught up with him.

  “I’m not that old,” he said, but he fumbled when Jake fixed his judgmental gaze on him, “I mean yes, maybe too old for them, but I’m not over the hill yet. I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve.”

  Yeah, Jake thought, like sending me to botch this mission so you can have more allies for your rebellion. Jake should have said it out loud just to confirm his suspicions, but before he could reconsider they were both at the gate and looking into the large, empty field.

  The grass looked like it was in pain, suffocated by the cold winter air. Jake felt much of the same, and wrapped his arms around himself. Would it have killed them to have given him a coat? He glanced at Major Miles whose eyes widened. He quickly dropped down and fumbled with his duffel bag.

  The Major pulled out a winter jacket, which Jake would have criticized for being rough and dirty had he not been freezing his ass off. He extended his arms toward it, only for the Major to pull it away before he could grasp it.

  “Nuh-uh,” he said, extending out his hand, palm up, “your comp first.”

  Jake looked down at the square-shaped object protruding from his pocket. The same device that crackled and sparked the explosion that would lead to his promotion to a formal guard. It was the last connection he had with the Republic. Reluctantly, he reached inside and handed it over to Major Miles, who took it with a nod then handed the fluffy warmth to Jake. He accepted it without a second thought and put it on, although he still eyed the piece of equipment in Major Mile’s hand solemnly.

  “Sorry, but if they believe you’re associated with the Republic they won’t speak with you at all,” Major Miles said.

  “How am I supposed to get around without it?”

  “Believe it or not there was actually a time before comps were as widespread as they are now. In fact, when I was in your position I had to get around with a good old-fashioned paper map.”

  First he flirts with high school girls then he lectures me about how old he is, Jake thought, allowing his facial features to slump and looking at his superior as if he were the sly dog Jake suspected. Major Miles didn’t seem to notice and pocketed Jake’s comp, then reached down into his bag and pulled out one last item, a sword in a scabbard.

  “Here you go, one last going away present from me.”

  Jake flung his own dainty blade off his back and tore the new one out of the Major’s hands. He unsheathed it, marveling at how the steel glistened with life even while the earth around it lay cold and dead. “Is this carbon steel?” he said, looking onto Major Miles with glistening eyes. The Major’s face softened and he nodded.

  The Republic didn’t provide him with equipment, he was on his own when it came to arming himself. He’d been lucky to find his crappy blade in the lost and found section at the academy when it realistically belonged in a dumpster. The blade that Jake turned and looked at from every conceivable angle was certainly no dumpster blade. It radiated and shone, devoid of any blemish whatsoever and was a far higher grade than the garbage Jake was accustomed to. It must have cost the Major quite a bit of coin.

  Suddenly Jake felt bad for assuming Major Miles had picked him for this job just so that he could botch it. He thanked him sincerely, sheathed the blade, then flung it over his shoulder and headed toward the vacant field.

  ***

  The frosted grass crunched beneath Jake
’s feet as he headed for no destination in particular. He was looking for a group, a certain mercenary company. One who wore jackets with lightning symbols on them. They were said to be very elusive, or so Jake assumed by Dante’s failure to capture them, but he figured he had a better shot at finding them than Dante. At least he was subtle when going about his investigations.

  Jake turned his attention back to the map. Unfortunately this one wasn’t updated with the recent villages that had disappeared, so he had to travel a bit before he could be sure the settlements he was going to visit were actually occupied. He figured those within a certain range of the ruins would be affected and decided to head as far away from them as possible.

  But that was also dangerous. Jake, Dante, and the others didn’t encounter too many thieves, bandits, or suspicious characters (other than Dante’s friends) when investigating the Voids because the area they were in was still under the Republic’s influence.

  The immediate area surrounding any major settlement, such as the Republic, tended to be fairly safe due to that nation offering protection to lesser villages. This protection deterred criminal activity, so things tended to get more dangerous the further away you got from any major country. The only problem was that Jake was searching for a group of such ruffians and had to venture out of the safety of the Republic’s influence if he wanted any chance of finding them.

  Jake traveled about the area looking for suspicious characters while keeping a hand on the hilt of his sword and visited local villages to ask questions. Few claimed to know anything about this group of mercenaries, and many asked Jake to leave as soon as he brought them up. He thought this was suspicious, and maybe if he had some proof he was from the Republic he’d be able to use it as leverage to make them talk, but as of currently he was just an ordinary adventurer on a quest to find the mercenary group so that he could assist them. If only they weren’t so enigmatic.