Following their chant, the silence was palpable as the woman on the stage calmly looked at them. Her face slowly turned to take in the sight of all the students standing at attention and ready to accept her words.
"It has been nearly half a year since the darkness spread across the world," the woman said. Her words were not particularly loud, but it seemed to reach everyone.
"It wasn't a perfect world, with poverty, starvation, and inequality existing in large parts of the globe," Her voice was calm. "But!" The woman's voice cracked like a whip. "There were still pockets filled with people trying to transform the world into something greater!" Passion was filled in her words. "As part of the ecosystem that's Star and Moon International, we were created to find those sparks of hope and place them in an environment in the hopes that those sparks could gain strength and flood the world with their light."
"We knew that this was something that went against the majority, so we had to create a safe place for those sparks. Unfortunately, the world soon found itself plunged into near eternal night, with only a few places acting as stars fighting to burn brightly." Her face was sorrowful by such thoughts.
"But no longer! We may have hidden away from society, but now no longer can we hide ourselves away. The question is whether we are ready to undertake such actions, even though many of us will perish." She said.
"The Knights stand with the Creator!" Zara shouted.
Aurora and the other Knights shouted, "The Knights stand with the Creator!"
The woman smiled at their words. "I appreciate the Knights being so willing to embark on this war." She then looked at the other students. "Even with the Knights, we will need more of you to stand forward. To get everyone who is willing ready, the administration has agreed with me in increasing the number of students who will be converted into soldiers." Looking at Aurora and the students behind her, the woman said, "Knights, it will be your responsibility to help those students become ready. It wasn't that long ago that you, Knights, were given your titles after being converted from the professional team. The Ten Blades, especially, will be required to take on more responsibilities than before, so I hope you all will continue to show the model performance that you have been showing already."
-----
Aurora watched as the one in charge of them walked off the stage. Virginia Winter was originally in charge of the group of students who were training to become professional WABAL players, but the situation forced her to turn them into a fighting force.
"Our leader is still inspirational as always," Yazmin stated with her eyes wide in admiration.
"I don't know how she does it, being able to adapt to the new situation in the world. When she arrived at the university, being assigned by Star and Moon International, Ms. Winter seemed as cold as her name sounded. It always feels like everyone that comes from the corporate side is different from everyone else I've met before coming here." Ellis interrupted Aurora and Yazmin.
Aurora looked at the girl on her left, nodding her head. "Maybe it's because of the company as a whole? I mean look at what they've been able to accomplish. Until I came to the university, after being scouted, I didn't even know this company existed."
"Yeah. After going through that welcome ceremony as a freshman, I only heard of this place because of my dad's connection to the military. They would create various technical and scientific equipment for research institutions and militaries around the world. I heard that they were connected with The Wire somehow, though my dad would never verify these things." Ellis said.
"How did you find this stuff out?" Yazmin asked.
"There was military police personnel that would show up with some important person at my parents' place. The MPs would try and impress my older sister and tell her various things. I would ask questions, which they usually answered thinking that getting close to me would mean getting an in with my sister." Ellis rolled her eyes at the memory.
Aurora laughed at Ellis's words, thinking how creepy guys could be whenever they were trying to hook up with women. It was one of the reasons why she was happy to attend here since it was an all-women university, and the full-ride helped in the decision making, too.
Slowly the congregation of students dispersed as they went off to their various activities and classes. Even though the world was being devoured, all students were expected to attend classes.
Laughing at something Yazmin had joked about, a voice behind her said, "It's good that you're still able to have such a cheerful demeanor after arriving so late this morning.
"Eeek!" Aurora jumped at the voice. Turning her head, she quivered, "Zara, can't you forgive me? You know I have an issue with waking up so early in the morning."
"Giving out excuses isn't something worthy of a person that holds the title of Fifth Blade of the Knights," Xia, who was standing next to Zara, preached.
Aurora held herself back from punching Xia in her self-righteous face. Xia always had to act so superior, even though she wasn't the First Blade. Everyone knew that Xia thought she was just as qualified as Zara, and was constantly training in an attempt to beat her in yearly ranking matches.
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Zara was silent as she looked at Aurora.
Looking down at the ground, Aurora listened as Zara walked away. Aurora followed after Zara, understanding what needed to happen. Turning her head, Yazmin could be seen holding up a fist. She returned the sentiment though she didn't feel the energy for what was going to happen.
She saw people getting on buses or walking away from the parade ground. In front of her, Zara was calmly walking towards their destination.
"Aurora," Zara said.
"Yes, Zara?" Aurora responded.
A moment of silence passed before Zara continued. "I feel sympathetic towards your difficulty with waking up, but I hope you understand why I must put you through this."
"I do, Zara," Aurora said quietly.
"Before everything happened in the world, your actions would be minor. We were merely practicing in the hopes of becoming better players in this sport. The problem is that the world has descended into chaos and needs someone to bring it back into the light." Zara said quietly.
"I have spoken with Ms. Winter about what our missions will be like, and they are beyond what we thought they would be. Many of the Knights and Soldiers will be killed, meaning that they, too, will need people to look up to. We, Blades, are meant for such a role. This means that everyone will be looking towards us as an inspiration." Zara continued.
"I'm sorry for letting my fellow Blades and Knights down, Zara," Aurora said.
Zara stopped walking in front of her. Facing her, Zara placed both hands on Aurora's shoulders. "Your potential is vaster than what you believe it is. Ms. Winter and I have both watched you grow into a strong and beautiful woman. You just need to believe in yourself, just like how others believe in you."
Aurora felt a tightening in her throat, hearing Zara's words. "Why do you always say these things? Before this, I was a...," she couldn't seem to get the words to come out.
"I hope that someday you'll understand my words. Don't doubt your abilites and know that you aren't chained to your past." Zara smiled at Aurora. Then it went back to a serious expression. "Come, we've dawdled enough, and you still need to be disciplined."
------
In front of them was a two-story building, with the second floor slightly offset from the front with a lovely viewing porch. The roofs on top of the first and second layer looked like they were flowing like a milky sea. All around the side of the building were glass windows which let in plenty of natural light.
Aurora slightly flinched upon seeing the building since it meant she was now closer to her punishment. If it were any other day, she would enjoy the natural feel the building had. She still enjoyed the style the university had compared to where she grew up, though anywhere was likely better than where she had spent her childhood.
Approaching the doors, a swooshing sound was heard the doors smoothly opened and revealed a receptionist waiting for them at her desk.
"First Blade and Fifth Blade, how was monthly formation?" She looked at the two of them. Her face had an awkward smile when she sensed Aurora's mood.
"Fifth Blade Aurora was once again late, so she'll be enjoying her time in the Pit," Zara said.
"Oh," was all the receptionist could say at the news she was given.
Zara passed by the woman towards the private area. As Aurora was passing by the receptionist, the woman whispered, "Message me once you come out and I'll send over some food to help you recover."
"Thanks, Melody, you treat me too well," Aurora tried to sound chipper but failed.
"You'll get through it like you always do. I could also give you a massage when you finish?" Melody tried to comfort her.
Aurora merely nodded her head, making sure not to let Zara get too far from her. Past the reception area was an area that's only meant for players, now called Knights. It provided a quiet place for them to relax and study while giving them a dedicated space to train. Even if all hundred Knights were hanging out in the space, there was still plenty of room. Most of the area was an open floor plan on the first floor.
Walking up to a row of elevator doors, Zara pushed the down button. A chime was heard, and one of the elevators opened. The two entered the elevator and made their way to the lower levels.
Inside of the enclosed area was somewhat awkward for Aurora, considering they were in such a situation because of her mistake. The nice part was the door soon opening back up to reveal a large hallway.
After some time, they had arrived at one of the many simulation rooms. It looked like all the others, aside from a sticker with the word, "Welcome to the Pit" stuck right above the info screen. Zara preferred this simulation room compared to the others due to how realistic it was with pain.
"Considering this isn't your first time, I'm guessing I don't need to remind you of what to expect?" Zara looked at Aurora.
"No, Zara," Aurora said quietly.
Zara nodded her head and pressed a button on the info screen. There was a warning that quickly appeared, but Zara just tapped on the screen again to make it go away.
A whooshing noise was heard as the door opened. Grudgingly, Aurora entered the room which was pitch black. After going several feet into the room, the door closed behind her. "Good thing I'm not scared of the dark," Aurora chuckled.
When she blinked, the area in front of her changed to a forest thick with trees and vegetation. In the distance, she could hear the sounds of a river and various animals going about their business. A part of her didn't want to move forward, but she knew that it was pointless to avoid what was inevitable.
Randomly picking a destination, Aurora began jogging. Pulling out her gun, she tried to remain relaxed considering how being calm would be the best thing for her.
For what seemed like several minutes, Aurora noticed how the forest became quiet. No longer were the birds chirping and animals calling out to one another, but instead, there was an eerie silence.
"Come on, Aurora, you can do this," She said.
Off in the distance, she could hear the sounds of branches being broken and bark being torn off the side of trees. All of these sounds were coming from the front and sides.
Deactivating the safety feature on the gun, Aurora prepared herself for what was heading straight towards her. "They already have my scent. This means that I'm not going to be able to run away from them, but staying here will mean my death."
Between the trees were flashes of color, as creatures darted between the trees. A loud screech was heard from one of the monsters. Soon Aurora could see monsters with patches of red and green making their way. Tentacles were flowing back like hair and their long arms were used to propel themselves forward. Looking up, she could see several of them jumping from branch to branch.
Putting the gun in front of her, Aurora aimed at the closest one. Their speed was scary, but she was used to their movement and soon a loud crackling was heard with the head of a monster exploding.
Not waiting to see it get back up, Aurora ran away from the monster. When one of the monsters was close enough, she would blast off the head when her gun finished charging. "It's so unfair that I don't have my favorite weapons!" She shouted.
Even though she knew that there was no way for her to outrun the creatures, especially without her suit, Aurora knew that meeting them head on would just mean a quicker death. "I hate the Pit!" She yelled as she hit another monster, this time it's left arm was blown off. This simulation made the sensation of death worse, compared to the other ones and why it was often used for disciplinary actions.
"If it were any of the other ones, I wouldn't mind just getting this over with," she cursed as one of the monsters swiped at her. The claws tore into the armor pieces on her jacket, causing sparks to fly. Aurora felt herself being pushed away by the impact. Lifting up her bruised arm, pain pierced her arm as the gun fired a blast. She groaned as only the upper part of the chest and arm was torn off.
She made sure not to stop though her speed was drastically lowered by how unbalanced she was. With her good arm, a curved blade was removed from her jacket. Making sure not to get scratched by a monster's claws, Aurora slashed at the wrist and sliced off the hand. Instead of blood spraying out there was just a dribble of ooze.
When one of the beasts was trying to pile-drive her into a tree, she kicked off of the tree and spun over the monster. Landing on her left foot, she decided to move perpendicular to the majority of creatures. Tossing both weapons into the air in front of her, Aurora switched the weapons into the other hands. The gun was best for this type of close quarter combat, the blade only useful for last-ditch efforts.
Behind her and to one side, monsters could be seen pouring out from between the trees. Instead of aiming, Aurora began to blindly fire her weapon and slashing at hands or tentacles that got too close. "Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!" Aurora yelled in frustration.
Claws scraped at her back, pushing her forward and bruising her back. It felt like she had been shot by how substantial the impact was. Her left leg jerked likely from the damage to her spine from the previous attack. In seconds, dirt, twigs, and various other objects were scraping the side of her face as she tumbled onto the ground. There hadn't even been enough time for her to register what was happening before she understood that she had tripped due to her leg jerking. As she rolled onto her back, the last thing she saw was tens of monsters converging on top of her.
"Ahhh! NO! NO!" She screamed as she felt her body being torn apart.
------
"STOP! NO!" She screamed and felt herself fall to her knees and hitting the dirt.
A few minutes was needed in order to understand her situation. Feeling the dirt on her knees and the sound of distant animals, Aurora tried to control her rapid breathing.
"I'm okay! I'm okay!" She repeated to herself. The panic inside of her was slowly receding as if it was waiting to pounce on her.
Getting back to her feet, Aurora brushed off the dirt and leaves on her knees. "I really hate the Pit," she growled. Grabbing a twig off the ground, she placed it upright and let it fall. The twig fell in the direction behind her.
Turning behind her, Aurora sighed, "I guess I'm going in this direction, not like it matters."
Jogging in the direction the twig fell, she pulled out her gun though this time she also grabbed a curved blade. Moving her way through the forest, going around trees and leaping over bushes, Aurora wondered, "Will I be able to beat my best? I heard Zara one time lasted for over an hour in this before needing to be revived."
As the forest turned quiet once again, Aurora snarled, "Come at me you little shits!" In front of her, figures flitted between the trees as they gradually came closer.