“FORCE! FORCE!” yelled Glover as he gave the next formation.
Eiris nodded as he darted for the main ramp in the Black Horde territory, accompanied by three runners. Kezzy and Dex then rode in alternating X-patterns as they tossed the plasmaball in the air to each other between each swerve, confusing the Black Horde as to who would ultimately have the ball. Drozen and Reina then sped in the direction of Kezzy and Dex as they rode on their own superbikes to block them.
Evading them, Kezzy and Dex then immediately parted in opposite directions and sped for the two horizontal minor ramps in the Black Horde territory. Riding up the opposite minor ramps as Eiris simultaneously sped up the main ramp, Kezzy and Dex became airborne and left the ball in the air as they landed on the arena floor, confusing the Black Horde goalie. Eiris then became airborne as he grabbed the ball in mid-air and threw it hard in the goal for a score.
The stoppage buzzer sounded as Eiris went back to the Blue Storm side, getting good jobs and congratulations from his teammates. Glover pat Eiris on the helmet and they all returned to their starting positions for the next period. Eiris looked across the field to see Reizen glaring directly at him, making him think to be more defensive in the next period.
As the next period began, the Blue Storm traded ball possessions with the Black Horde in an epic match. The three shadows played fiercely, but the first runner on the Black Horde team stood out, playing exceptionally well. He recorded three steals and had multiple shots on goal in just the second period, his last shot going in for a score and ending it. On the other hand, Paseo cost the Blue Storm multiple key possessions by incurring penalties from dirty hits. The third period was ended quickly by a long goal from Reizen.
“Who is that runner?” asked Eiris as they got reset for the fourth period.
“Beats me, but he’s pretty good.” said Kezzy.
“Pretty good’s an understatement. That guy’s nothing short of impressive.” said Dex.
“Ditto that.” said Azonei.
As the third period began, the Black Horde got possession quickly again and Reizen threw a hard shot into the goal but Glover blocked it. Glover then passed the plasmaball to Eiris but it was intercepted by the Black Horde first runner as he threw it into the goal for the game-ending score. The final buzzer sounded ending the game, but Paseo unexpectedly sped behind the talented runner for the Black Horde and checked him hard in his blindside, knocking his helmet off.
He flew forward into the floor as his enraged Black Horde teammates ran to his defense. Getting up and turning around, the talented runner was revealed to be none other than Dahlia! As she shook off the hit, the three shadows charged at Paseo and a fierce bonding fight ensued between the two teams. Authore Masterson himself, accompanied by the academy security broke the fight up and sent the two teams to their guild zones.
“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! THAT IS NOT HOW WE PLAY!!!” yelled Eiris inside of the Blue Storm conclave room.
“Well that’s how I play.” smirked Paseo.
Eiris became enraged and was about to charge at Paseo again, but Glover took Paseo aside and spoke to him privately. He then dismissed all of the other members except for Eiris.
“You played well today. You gave us a fighting chance.” nodded Glover.
“Thanks, you too.” exhaled an annoyed Eiris.
“Thank you. I can tell something’s on your mind.”
“It’s Paseo. How will we ever win a game with him?”
“How? I don’t know. But is it possible? Yes.”
“I just don’t know what to do with him.” admitted Eiris in a defeated tone.
“Lead him. You forget that he grew up a privileged royal in this racially insensitive and divisive society.”
“But how can anyone lead him?”
“By our example.” nodded Glover. “What Authore Masterson is trying to accomplish through us, is much bigger than any personal reservations we may have.”
“And what exactly is that?”
“One day you’ll understand. And believe it or not, it’s something you started.” smiled Glover as he pat Eiris on the shoulder and left the conclave room.
The next week’s classes ended quickly. Afterwards, Eiris went to the targeting range to practice shooting his shock chargers and saw Kezzy.
“Hey.” nodded Eiris.
“Hey back.” smirked Kezzy as she did multiple somersaults and fired her shock chargers, hitting their marks.
“Nice, I see the parkour and freerunning training is paying off.” smiled Eiris.
“Yup. How’s engineering?”
“Pretty cool. We’re going to the lightning pillars tomorrow.” replied Eiris as he fired a few charges.
“That’s xeno, how long……….” Kezzy trailed off as the academy’s emergency session alarm sounded off.
Looking at each other with concern, Eiris and Kezzy met Dex and Azonei as they all sped to the academy grand auditorium. As the hundreds of students filed in, Authore Masterson was already on stage with his own look of concern.
“What’s going on Azonei?” asked Kezzy.
“I’m not sure.” Azonei replied.
As the last few dozen students began sitting down, Authore Masterson began speaking.
“Greetings everyone. This emergency session has been called because we are now on minor planetary alert. Two hours ago, what’s believed to be an Engi Armada was identified on our long range scanners to be en route to Undaria. As of twenty minutes ago, eleven planets have been under attack and have sent out distress signals, so the Primary Atlantian Fleet will answer the call. Although the planets under attack are on the outskirts of Undaria and the Engi only pose a minor threat to us, normal activities will not resume here until we are fully cleared of any threats. Take these next few days as a vacation. Any who wish to take leave and return home to their families are encouraged to do so. That is all. May Turanii be with us and our Undarian friends throughout the system.” said Authore Masterson gravely as he walked off the stage.
As the students began departing to their guild zones, Eiris and the others walked gloomily to the conclave room. They sat and talked as several other guild members came in and began talking also. The topic of the hour was about who was leaving and who was staying.
“What about you Eiris? Are you going back to the Pluvian Palace?” asked Azonei.
“No. The people at this academy are all I know. Going back there I’d feel alone again. What about you two?” replied Eiris.
“Actually, Kezzy and I are going to take this opportunity to meet each other’s families in person. It’s very exciting.” smiled Dex.
“That’s pretty xeno. I’m really happy for you guys!” Eiris said with a smile as he hugged them both goodbye.
“Thanks. We’ll see you guys soon.” smiled Kezzy as she and Dex left, followed by Awesome.
“What about you Azonei? I don’t mean to pry, but I never hear you talk about your mom.” asked Eiris.
“Oh. My mother died when I was very young. So ever since my dad became Authore, we have pretty much lived here at the academy.” said Azonei.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I figure you probably understand better than most anyway.”
“Yeah.” said a downcast Eiris. “Well I guess it’s just me and you now. What’s there to do for fun around here?”
“Have you ever been to the simulator in VR?” grinned Azonei.
“Woohoo!!! I admit, this is pretty xeno Azonei. You’re a really good pilot.” yelled Eiris as he raced against him in VR.
“Haha, I told you!” laughed Azonei. “Besides, I have the pedigree. My father was renowned for his exceptional piloting skills.”
“So what kind of starship is this?” asked Eiris as they continued to play.
“This is a new type of starship called a novaship. Developed by the Tesla family, it’s a fraction of the size of a destroyer or frigate so it’s easy to maneuver and packs the same punch as both. It also can hold up to twe
nty-five crew members and is multi-terraneous. Built to be powerful but fast, this ship is gonna help us win the war against those dumb mechs.”
“Sounds like it.” smiled Eiris. “Speaking of the Engi, didn’t your father fight against them in the battle of Areolus?”
“Yeah he did. Thanks to his former squadron, most of us made it off of the planet safely.”
“You were there?” asked Eiris incredulous.
“Of course, Areolus was my home planet.” said Azonei. “It was so beautiful. The unique beast guardians, the floating cities, the sea clouds. Growing up there was like a living in a dream. Until the Engi came. There was so much destruction. My mentor and good friend Soran, died in that battle. He was the best young pilot of all my home city Celestia. I hope to make him proud one day. What about you? Do you ever miss your parents?”
“I guess so. It’s hard to say really because I didn’t know them too well. All I have are statues, holobooks, and pictures to remind me of them.”
“I know the feeling” admitted Azonei. Want to see her?” he said, abruptly changing the subject.
“See who?”
“My novaship.” beamed Azonei.
“You have a novaship?!” asked Eiris in shock.
“Follow me!”
As Eiris followed Azonei, he was led to the underwater student hangar in the lower levels of the academy. Walking through the massive hangar, Azonei stopped in front of a large, brand new silver and blue Novaship. Eiris marveled at the technological masterpiece.
“Her name is Atlanticus, courtesy of my father. I’ll be flying her for the Blue Storm in the Lunar Rally next week. Glover made me the pilot for our racing team.” smiled Azonei proudly, with his arms folded.
“That’s incredible. I can’t wait!” smiled Eiris.
“Ditto.” nodded Azonei. “So what’s going on with you and Dahlia?”
“Nothing. I’m pretty sure she’s been avoiding me. I’m just focused on my studies right now anyway.”
“Oh. Maybe she’s been busy.”
“Maybe...”
The next day Eiris and Azonei drove to Coral Beach along with dozens of other students at the academy. Azonei flew off of nearby cliffs with his wingsuit while Eiris threw rocks in the water. Up ahead Eiris saw an unexpected face. Dahlia was there, surfing the massive waves while Nava chased sand monkeys.
As he continued throwing rocks, suddenly one came back from out of the water and hit him in the head. Angered and confused, he threw another in the water and again, it came back and hit him in the head. Eager to find the culprit, Eiris looked closely into the water and saw a furry white head pop out near the reef.
Smiling, it’s head surfaced for only a second before dipping back underwater. Whatever animal it was, it seemed to want to play so Eiris dove into the water and followed the white tail of the mysterious creature through the giant coral reef. As he continued to play its underwater game of hide and seek, Eiris suddenly heard a loud scream from across the water.
He quickly swam over to see what was going on and saw Dahlia being dragged underwater by something huge while the other students tried to swim over to help. Alarmed, Eiris fought the urge to panic and immediately swam to the rescue following her limp body as it was being dragged deep underwater by something colossal. Using his innate Atlantian underwater speed, Eiris caught up to see a truly frightening sight.
Dragging Dahlia deep into the abyss was the gigantic creature with glowing blue eyes that he had seen before. Eiris’ eyes then immediately glowed purple as he struggled to make out what the colossal creature was. He then bonded a water pulse at the creature, jarring Dahlia from its mouth.
Angered, it turned its attention and sped directly at him. It’s head alone was as big as some of the academy’s buildings as it swam towards him. Realizing he had to do something before it got too close, he began bonding a powerful underwater tornado. Sensing his power, the creature sped up as it closed in on him. Determined to save Dahlia as her limp body drifted deeper underwater, he sent the tornado directly in the creature’s face and it let out a deep terrifying roar that seemed like it could be felt for miles around.
The tornado pulse seemed to daze the creature momentarily. Eiris then swam down to Dahlia’s unconscious body and quickly carried her to the surface before the sea monster decided to come after them again. Evening was descending when Eiris finally emerged from the water with Dahlia’s limp body in his arms as he walked onto the shore. His eyes were glowing purple in the night as dozens of students came rushing over with concerned faces.
Nava reached Dahlia first however and aggressively kept everyone away from her body as it lay in the sand, except for Eiris. He quickly performed CPR on her, bringing her back to consciousness as she retched and coughed up seawater. By this time the academy medical personnel arrived at the scene and attempted to take over, but Nava wouldn’t let anyone near them until Eiris told her it was okay. As Dahlia finally caught her breath, she looked Eiris in his eyes and said two words.
“Thank you.” Then she slipped back into unconsciousness.
The next week, normal school resumed at the academy. Dahlia had fully recuperated from her harrowing underwater ordeal and Kezzy and Dex had returned from their trips back home. Everyone was especially in anticipation for the premier gauntlet arena rematch between Eiris and Reizen later in the evening. As Eiris caught up with his studies in the library, his friends dropped by for a visit.
“What’s up xeno?” smiled Kezzy as she and Awesome walked into the reading area.
“Nothing much, just studying.” said Eiris.
“Studying eh?” mocked Dex as he walked in.
“Haha, yeah. Studying.” laughed Eiris.
“I don’t know guys. He looks more smitten than studious to me.” joked Azonei as Einstein screeched behind him, prompting the librarian to shush them all.
“Haha, I don’t know what you guys are talking about.” Eiris replied feigning ignorance.
“Oh, I think you do.” Dex accused him with a chuckle.
“I think he loves her. Yup he totally loves her.” teased Azonei, as the librarian shushed them again.
“Uh huh. We heard about your deep sea heroics while we were away.” smiled Kezzy. “Why don’t you just marry the girl already??” she joked.
“You guys are crazy. The only thing on my mind is this gauntlet match later with Reizen.” smiled Eiris innocently.
“Sure it is.” winked Dex sarcastically.
The librarian then came over with glowing blue eyes behind her smart glasses and glared at them. A giant red panda was behind her, making Awesome growl at his presence.
“I’m going to have to ask you all to leave the library quietly. Now.” she said as she forced a fake smile.
“Sorry.” Eiris said as he walked out. The others were taunting her with funny faces as they followed him.
“You guys really are crazy.” laughed Eiris as they walked to their guild zone.
“Crazy is all a matter of perspective.” joked Dex.
“See, the academy taught you to be funny after all.” Kezzy joked, kissing Dex on the cheek.
After they arrived at the guild zone, Eiris immediately changed into his bioflex uniform and grabbed his helmet. He met the others in the Blue Storm parking lot as they all psyched each other up about their matches. Kezzy was set to face Reina, Dex to face Drozen, and Azonei to face Uzor. But everyone at the academy was looking forward to the main event, the rematch between Eiris and Reizen.
As they all talked about what moves they’d be using, an unexpected face was seen walking across the parking lot to their circle. Walking over was Dahlia and Nava, heading directly towards Eiris. Getting closer, Nava ran over to Eiris and he scratched her softly under her neck, making the big cat purr loudly. Dahlia briefly spoke to the others before gazing deeply into Eiris’ beautiful purple eyes while she stood in front of him.
“Hey.” she smiled.
“Hey back.” he smiled, prompting Kezzy to
silently tease him for using her greeting.
“You ready?”
“About as much as I’ll ever be.”
“Good. Be careful out there.” smiled Dahlia as she elegantly turned around. She then headed to the medical wing, followed by Nava.
Kezzy and the others just looked at Eiris with insinuating smiles the whole time as he laughed it off and made his way to the Gauntlet Arena with them. Once there, Eiris and the others were greeted by Glover and many of their fellow guild members. As the matches began, Eiris focused carefully and looked for things he could use in his match with Reizen.
Members of the Blue Storm Guild looked exceptionally good, winning more matches than any other guild. Kezzy won a long and drawn out match with Reina that set a record match time and ended her undefeated record. Dex barely won his match against Drozen, having to get treated for frost burns immediately afterwards. Azonei beat Uzor, but sustained a few bad bruises also.
The intensity of the upcoming matches grew as the members of each guild won or lost. Then, the match everyone was waiting for was announced. 18-0 Reizen Demeroth of the Black Horde versus 17-1 Eirisidae Penatia of the Blue Storm.
As they both entered the match sphere, the crowds roared and cheered loudly. Eiris got in a defensive stance with his twin holographic pulse blades as the referee gave them the rules. Reizen’s eyes were glowing red as he glared at Eiris. Once the referee left the match sphere, the spar began.
Reizen immediately bonded his two holographic whips into flame whips without even breaking his glare of Eiris. He then bonded a searing firenado kick at Eiris in a size up move and Eiris dodged it. Bonding the water in Reizen’s body, Eiris then forced him hard into the sphere wall, scoring a point. Seemingly unsurprised by Eiris’ growth in bonding, Reizen got reset and started whirling his flaming whips in threatening patterns.
Shadows of Atlantis: Emergence of the Engi Page 10
