by Riker Kane
“Make sure your loser friend and that red-headed hussy know their roles, too.”
I couldn’t take that.
I didn’t even know what I was thinking. I just reacted.
All of a sudden, my right fist cracked Rhys on the jaw and sent him stumbling back. The cadets all gasped in unison as Gregory caught him.
“Liam!” Nina shouted out.
The cadets hooted and hollered as Rhys straightened up. He came straight at me, wrapping his arms around my waist and taking me to the ground with a thud. I struggled with him. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds tops.
“Break it up! Break it up right now!”
It was over as quick as it began. I suddenly found myself being dragged up to my feet. As if they’d come out of nowhere, LOD officials had me surrounded. Their black uniforms weren’t much different from police officers. The same went for the cuffs they put on my wrists.
My hands behind my back, I stared at Quentin and Nina standing at the table as I was ushered away along with Rhys. Just like that, it was already over.
24: A Prelude to War
Chancellor Layton’s office was modest. Outside of a few unintelligible sculptures sitting on a short bookshelf to the side, there wasn’t much else to look at. The walls were the same cold, sterile steel as the rest of the Nerve Center. The soft white lights above were bright but not blinding. I would’ve been comfortable if I wasn’t standing there, patiently waiting for an inevitable reprimand.
Suspension. Expulsion. Stripped of my gear. Maybe they’d just kill me. Even the most absurd possibilities swirled around in my head.
The chancellor didn’t say anything, sitting quietly at his desk with his fingertips tapping together. The older man had an inquisitive look on his face. His wrinkled cheeks sagged and his thin white hair drooped over his forehead. I guess that was the kind of weariness that came with age.
Adviser Campbell was quiet, too. But he didn’t look quite as introspective. The intensity he had seemed more out of frustration and anger. He stared at me so hard I was waiting for his bald head to turn red while smoke shot out of his ears. But he clenched his jaw and stayed rigid.
“The beasts of Pandora,” Layton spoke slowly to make sure I heard every word. “I remember when I first saw them. I thought it was a movie of some sorts. Special effects from Hollywood to get people excited. How often do you see mythical beasts destroying cities? But it was all too real. That’s when everybody stopped pointing weapons at each other and turned them toward the real threat.”
Layton kept his eyes on me. There was a subtle smile on his lips but his brow wrinkled like he was sad.
“The Legion Omega Defense isn’t a military organization. We take young individuals like yourself and help them reach their potential by fighting back against our greatest threat. But the truth is… We are fighting. And fighting breeds aggression. It would be foolish not to expect a young person to control their emotions when we rely on those same emotions for success. It’s times like this I have to remind myself why my task is important.”
He shifted his eyes toward Campbell, who had been staring at me the entire time.
“What’s your excuse, private?” Campbell said.
“It was Rhys. He put his hand on my face. He put his finger in my chest. He talked about my squad. He started it—”
“He started it. Name-calling. Do you think that’s an appropriate excuse? You’re young but you’re not some child in a playground.” He walked up to me, moving close enough for me to see all of the cracks in his leathery skin. “No excuses, cadet.”
He took a step back from me but still making sure his eyes weren’t moving off of me.
“The usual punishment for striking another cadet is reason for an indefinite suspension,” Chancellor Layton said. “We have a zero tolerance policy.”
Hearing it made my heart sink in my chest. My whole body froze. For a second, I thought I was in a nightmare.
“But I’m not a man without reason. Adviser Campbell, do you think we can save this young man from himself?”
“He’s an Adept,” Campbell replied. “It would be a shame to dismiss him. But he deserves punishment.”
“I agree. Private Aldridge, you’ll be confined to your quarters indefinitely. You’ll only be allowed the opportunity to participate in the World Raid. Make whatever upgrades you need before your confinement.”
I sighed softly through my nose in relief. All things considered, I got off easy.
“Don’t take the chancellor’s kindness for granted,” Campbell said. “If this happens again, he won’t be as lenient. Are we understood, private?”
I swallowed hard and nodded.
“Chaperon Baker will escort you to your room. Any equipment you need to be upgraded will be taken to the Crafting Bay for you. I expect you to be ready for the raid.”
~ ~ ~
“You knew, we’ve been hanging out in the Central Square every night. I never noticed all of the LOD officers wandering around. They swooped in there and cuffed you like ninjas. I guess that’s why they’re all dressed in black.”
Quentin and Nina stopped by my dorm room early the next morning. I sat at my desk with the plate of breakfast they were gracious enough to have delivered to me while he munched on some type of breakfast burrito.
“You’re lucky,” Nina said. “Confinement in your quarters is a light sentence. Fighting another cadet is serious.”
She sat on the other side of my dorm room, staring out of the window as all of the cadets made their way to the more interesting parts of campus.
“You don’t have to tell me how serious it is for me to figure it out,” I said. “The last thing the LOD wants is their cadets fighting each other.”
“I think they made a good exception in this case,” Quentin said. “Rhys had it coming to him.”
“Any word on what happened to him?”
“From what I’m hearing, he got a slap on the wrist. You can’t expect them to be too hard on him. He’s the Apex, after all.”
“You threw the first punch,” Nina said. “Even if he started it, striking someone more than anything.”
“I’d say it’s worth it.” Quentin smirked, throwing his fist up and reenacting the scene. “The guy probably had a shiner he had to get Dr. Marchal to take care of. Must’ve been really satisfying to slug him after all of that shit talk.”
“It was satisfying,” I said with a laugh. “For a moment.”
“Just make sure you’re not too comfortable,” Nina said. “They’ll be monitoring you a lot closer now.”
I picked at my breakfast of syrupy waffles and crunchy bacon. Even though my dorm room wasn’t very spacious, what with the bed taking up most of it, there was still enough room for the rest of my squadmates to sit around comfortably. Nina chewed on an apple, her eyes focused on the view outside. Quentin stared at the tablet resting at the side of my desk.
“Stuck in your room,” he said. “You should know, that tablet’s only got basic Internet access. News. Sports. YouTube. That’s all you got. Everything else is blocked.”
“I think I’ll make it. What are you guys planning on doing?”
“The threat level is reaching maximum. Everybody’s prepping. You ready?”
“I’ve leveled myself as much as I can. I figured I’d save my Green and Blue Mana until after. Maybe I can get some new gear and abilities after I take the oath.”
“Great minds think alike. We beat this World Boss. I become an Omega and you’re looking at a brand new Vanguard. What do you think, Nina?”
The redhead didn’t seem as enthusiastic as Quentin. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Even with all of us working together, it won’t be a simple task. The same goes for the Omega Trial afterward. Focus on one thing at a time.”
“Hey, we’re the Great Defenders. There’s nothing we can’t do together. I’m looking out for you, too.”
She smiled softly though she didn’t look at him. “I’ll be the strongest S
trider I can be out there on the battlefield. I’m ready.”
“I’ll make sure to stop by every now and then over the week. In the meantime, Nina and I will prep without you.”
Being confined to my quarters wasn’t such a big deal. I had enough food to keep me from starving and enough entertainment to keep me occupied. But not being able to run through a Junction made me more anxious than I realized.
I held back my frustrations as I picked at my breakfast. “I’ll be fine. Don’t let me hold you back. Just focus on this World Boss.”
“They wouldn’t bring in a wave of recruits to deal with a serious threat for their first raid,” Nina said. “If things go bad, the Captains are on standby to clean things up.”
“Wait,” Quentin said. “The Captains are on standby?”
“Someone is always on standby. No District ever commits all their forces in a raid.”
“Right… But if the Captains are so strong, why don’t they just come in and help? The recruits could back them up.”
“Nothing wrong with a little power-leveling,” I said with a laugh.
Nina shook her head. “If the Captains did everything for us, none of us would actually learn how to fight.”
“Hmm…” Quentin scratched his chin. “I guess you’ve got a point…”
I wasn’t going to let my circumstances ruin the mood. Hanging out with Quentin and Nina was enough to make me forget about my confinement. At the moment, I had everything I needed.
“I’ll be stuck inside of my room for the time being. Keep pushing without me.”
“You’ll be back out there,” Quentin said. “Things will be back to normal like nothing ever happened.”
~ ~ ~
I leaned back on my bed, my head resting comfortably on my soft pillow. The tablet on my desk played a YouTube video of a fluffy Pomeranian eating a bunch of foods its owner was throwing at it. It had been a few hours since my squadmates left and I hadn’t moved from my spot. I would have complained about being confined to my quarters if I wasn’t so used to doing this back home.
It was only the middle of the day when I found myself drifting off to sleep. My eyes flickered to try and stay open. A sudden knock at the door made me stand up.
“Just a second…”
I clicked the door open to find Brooke standing there. The curly-haired brunette was in uniform. Her friendly smile made noticeable dimples on her pink cheeks. She twisted some strands of her long hair around an index finger as she laughed.
“Hey, Liam. You’re not busy, are you?”
“I’m about as busy as someone can be in their dorm room. All of the interesting things to do are in the Central Square or the Nerve Center. They really designed this place just for sleeping.”
“A good cadet needs proper rest… Do you mind if I talk to you for a second?”
“What’s up?”
I had no idea why Brooke would stop by but I didn’t mind the change of pace.
She glanced at the YouTube video and giggled. “Dog videos, huh?”
“The best thing to watch.”
“I won’t argue… Are you doing okay?”
“It’d be nice if they gave me a PC to waste my time away but wasting the time away is probably the last thing they want any of us to do.”
“The Nerve Center keeps us occupied enough.” She put her hands behind her back, giving me a smirk that only made me more suspicious. “Are you ready for the World Boss?”
I shrugged. “Everybody keeps talking about it. I’m at the point where I’m just ready to see it for myself.”
“That’s the right attitude. As long as you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you should be fine. You’ll get a report on the Emerald Basilisk when the time nears.”
“That’s good to hear… Say, Brooke…” I couldn’t bite my tongue any longer. “What’s going on? What are you doing here?”
She laughed again. I would’ve thought she was embarrassed but it was probably just the thin layer of makeup. “It’s about Rhys.”
“Right. You must be sorry about what happened to him.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m really sorry.” Her sarcasm was so thick we both had to laugh at it. “I came in here in the same recruitment wave as Rhys. Ever since that time, he’s been pushing people around, letting ‘em know exactly who he is because he’s so high up on the scoreboard.”
“I’ve known people like him before.”
“Me, too. Around here, Rhys is the only one who likes to be a jerk. I think the only reason Gregory sticks up for him is because they’ve been squadmates since the beginning.”
I sighed and shrugged. “Boys will be boys. What can you do?”
“Even though we don’t like ‘em, they’re still cadets. Everybody has to respect everybody else. But what you did the other night… You stood up to him. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen that. I respect that.”
I looked away from her and shook my head. “If only the chancellor and Adviser Campbell felt the same way.”
“I’m not saying you should have done it… But I’m glad you did.”
She suddenly took my hand in hers. I looked down at her and saw that she meant it. The usually big smile had turned into a subtle grin. She didn’t say anything. She just moved up to her toes and kissed me on the cheek. I wasn’t sure that just happened but the smile on her lips and her narrowed stare told me it did.
It wasn’t often a cute brunette paid me any kind of attention. So a girl like Brooke suddenly kissing me on the cheek made me unsure of how to respond.
“A lot of new recruits leave after the first World Boss,” she whispered. “They realize just how difficult it is to be an Omega. I hope you stick around.”
Her hand dropped from mine. I watched her walk away and open my door. She stopped for a moment then turned around. “I’ll see you on the battlefield.”
I gave her a nod. She winked then left without another word. The door clicked closed but I was still in a slight daze of confusion, only able to move my eyes as I tried to figure out what happened.
“That was unexpected—”
My communicator vibrated on my wrist.
SYNERGY with LIAM ALDRIDGE
Nina Higashi - Level 2: +3 increase to speed
Quentin Young - Level 1
Paige Costa - Level 1
Brooke Silvestri - Level 1
Seeing Brooke’s name appear on the display was a strange confirmation of what just happened. I chuckled at the thought of it then hopped back onto my bed. The raid wasn’t far off. That was my only focus now.
25: The Emerald Basilisk
I had to take in the view. After more than a week stuck in my room while everybody else was making preparations, I spent my time reading the dossier and relaxed as best as I could.
But now it was time.
The sprawling plains were an empty, open field. Up ahead, lush green grass stretched all the way toward the outlines of the trees and mountains in the horizon. To the sides and behind, tall oak trees towered above. The sky had never looked as baby blue as it did now. A few puffy white clouds drifted by but there weren’t enough to dampen the scene. The sun shined bright, glistening off the armor of every cadet lined up.
I inhaled a deep breath through my nose. The grass and soil were so clean it cleared my lungs. Paige, Douglas, and Brian all stood by my side. A few dozen higher-ranking Cavaliers stood rigidly in the next group in front of us. Brooke had her back turned to me but it was easy to tell it was her just from the curls of her brown hair.
Immediately to my right, all of the Vanguards were lined up. The cadets were stretched out to make room for themselves. Quentin would’ve fit in with the rest of them but the older ones had more polished dark blue armor. There were more than thirty of them, making them the most formidable-looking group out of everybody.
To my left, a dozen Harbingers formed a small flank. The cadets stood out from everyone else not just because of the yellow shade of their armor but because of the aura th
ey emanated. Blue energy flowed like smoke around their bodies. Some of them wielded staves with Blue Mana resonating from the Cores on the ends.
The Zealots took their spot right next to the Vanguards. More than twenty hulking men and women wielded mauls bigger than their own heads. Just resting the hammers on the grass was enough to make a divot in it.
Taking the rear were the Gunrunners. Twenty cadets nonchalantly flipped and twirled their pistols around like a bunch of old gunslingers waiting to duel. The sight of Elliot eager to pull his trigger made me hold back a smile.
The Striders were at the center of the formation. About fifteen or so cadets all lined up in a tight formation. With how lean and scant their crimson armor was, it was easy to believe they were the fastest out of all of us.
I stared at Nina and she looked back at me. A subtle smile formed on her lips. Just a brief acknowledgment was enough to make me ignore the tension in my stomach I was trying to ignore.
But how could I ignore something like this? By my count, every cadet in the academy had been gathered in an open field. And it was completely silent except for the soft wind blowing toward us.
The silence didn’t last for long though. Rhys moved in front of all the groups. His saber propped up on his shoulder and his chest puffed out, he managed to look more arrogant than usual. Gregory stayed just behind him. The Zealot had a hammer the size of his torso, matched only by the size of Rhys’s ego.
“If you read your dossier, you should know exactly what we’re heading into,” Rhys announced. “The beast has a thick hide. A nearly impenetrable shell on top of it. Luckily for us, its weakest points are right underneath it. But it won’t be alone. Just like all World Bosses, there will be other beasts to protect it. Clear the battlefield before focusing on the big boy.”
He marched through the groups to address everybody.
“Zealots, use your abilities to focus on its legs. Keep it grounded. With any luck, we’ll manage to flip it over and leave it helpless.
“Striders, hit and run. Do what damage you can to the Basilisk or whatever tries to protect it. Don’t take any chances.
