The Academy was just as grand as he’d imagined. The main building was huge, and its architecture made it like a living historical artifact. The Illaic peoples had left behind a legacy of epic architecture which Hunter had always enjoyed. Grand pillars, open spaces, rounded angles. Barnum had been founded centuries ago. The modern era was all skyscrapers, concrete, steel, and glass. The founders of the academy must have found the architecture of the Illiac Empire to be something worth championing.
The grounds that surrounded the main building, and the campus meant to support it, were all modernized. However, they were muted compared to the historical marvel that Hunter was excited to step foot in— a marvel inspired by similar marvels built thousands of years ago.
Great granite pillars supported intricate stone carvings. Symbolic stories, mythical figures, and he was sure there were plenty metaphors for improving ones self, and growing into a mature and responsible adult. What surprised him the most about the building was that the majority of its area was taken up by a park— a large field which the building surrounded like an open-sky atrium. Statues, walkways, fountains, and benches were artfully arranged throughout the vast intermedia. The storied budling surrounding it had windows looking over the large space.
Much of the campus was taken up by areas assigned to specific departments which were where their courses would take place. The main building served as more of a gathering place and the rooms looking over the park were typically used by the various clubs students and faculty organized. Hunter and Aera had arrived just after the school opened for the day, and they were led to a small office where their registration would be officially completed. They both presented their ID’s, Hunter’s having been updated during his time at the mansion. Hunter also presented his proof of sponsorship from the Oberon family, and Aera presented the invitation the academy had sent her.
The academy also required an AR test. On the bright side, the test was private. The construct they were using to measure it was something new for Hunter. He assumed it functioned the same, but it was was much smaller, able to be held in one hand and totally light enough that even he could carry it around without much trouble. He’d never seen something like it before. How had they made it so compact? He’d have to try and get his hands on one sometime soon and uncover its secrets.
The secretary taking the test seemed surprised by both of their scores— and for different reasons. Hunter ignored the burning feeling in his face as he considered how low his result was compared to Aera’s. He ignored the shame to the best of his ability, not willing to let Aera see any form of weakness.
He was frustrated with his relationship with Aera as of late. His sudden insecurity around her was an unwelcome disparity to the indifference he wished to mirror back towards her. If she were David Nettle, Hunter would just focus on what he needed to do, doing his best to ignore the scorn. But lately, he’d found himself trying prove himself to her. Just the previous night, he had caught himself trying to see her in a more positive light.
He had been thinking things like: maybe her method of teaching hadn’t been as malevolent as he’d thought, and maybe she’d really just wanted to help him get stronger. Maybe pushing him to the outermost limits that he could bare hadn’t been akin to a predator playing with its food, but more like a blacksmith trying to cleanse the impurities from metal.
Maybe Trey’s optimism was starting to rub off on him.
He’d have to do something about that. He remembered how utterly unrelenting she was during their sessions. He remembered every cold, borderline hostile glance. He remembered the way she made him feel, and he suspected the way she was purposely trying to make him feel.
Completely weak, unworthy, and pathetic.
It was like a splash of cold water, how the memories woke him up. His embarrassment from the AR test didn’t abate, but his consideration of Trey’s daughter did. As far as he was concerned, any future interaction was purely business. He would teach her what she needed learn about constructs, and she would teach him what he needed to know about defending himself. He would put up with her abuse, because he knew that it would make him stronger. The 'coaching' sessions had turned out to be a blessing in disguise— maybe teaching her would turn out the same way. The thought made the prospect of having to spend more time with her an easier pill to swallow.
After the test, they were both shown to their individual accommodations. They would both live in the same apartment building. The first 7 floors were dedicated to shared student dorms, and the top 4 floors would be for single-occupancy accommodations. Hunter’s room was on the 10th floor, and Aera’s was on the 11th.
His apartment was the third suite down the hall, and he assumed that there were probably a half dozen more apartments on his floor. He was given his key and left alone to unpack and settle in. Hunter opened the door and found that the apartment was incredibly lacking after having stayed in the epitome of opulence for the last month, but it was his own space. It was nicer than his house in Seckina, and more spacious than the hotel he’d stayed in during the competition. There was a full-sized kitchen, living room, and he was pleased with the size of the bedroom, with ample space to store all the stuff he was sure he would accumulate over the next few years.
The room also had a decent view. There were mountains in the distance, and enough greenery to to avoid feeling like he was floating above a sea of concrete. He could actually see himself liking it there. The living room came complete with a small table, a couch, and a television. On the table was a list of all the courses he would be taking, the days of the week he’d be taking them, and the time he’d be expected to attend.
There were surprisingly few classes. All of his academic courses would take up Monday and Tuesday. His Wednesday's would be free, and his Thursdays and Fridays would be taken up by Intermediate Construct Artisanship, Foundations of Martial Arts, and the History elective he’d signed up for. Fortunately, the martial arts class was scheduled after the history class, and the Construct class seemed to take up a full four hours on Fridays.
He was relieved to see that he would have weekends free. He assumed that all the free time they were given would be for various projects, homework, and whatever jobs the students would take to support themselves.
Hunter would try and get by on the allowance that Trey was affording him. He wondered if it would be enough to buy one of those testing devices they used to measure his AR. It wasn’t like he needed much money for food, all of the campus’s housing buildings came complete with a large cafeteria that provided food that was supposed to be both nutritious and relatively cheap. There were also plenty of small businesses catering to other needs the students might have, and many of them offered discounts subsidized by the academy.
The allowance that Trey was offering would probably cover everything Hunter needed for a while, and he planned to put away a small amount each month to invest in his own interests.
He found all of his luggage in his room. Hunter started organizing the luggage, and almost swore when he saw that the estate staff had packed his fathers briefcase in with the rest of his stuff. He hadn’t touched it after pushing off his bed the night that he’d considered reading through the journals. A small note was taped to the briefcase. It was signed by Stewart.
I hadn't been sure sure whether whether or not you had intended to pack this with the rest of what you intend to bring to the academy, given limited time you had to gather your things, I decided it was better to be safe than sorry. Please forgive any potential inconvenience.
Hunter sighed after reading the note. He understood that Stewart was only doing his job, and it wasn't like there wasn't like there was nothing he could do about it. Hunter took the briefcase, still completely motivated to never delve into its contents, and placed it in the corner of his new closet. He placed the rest of the suitcases and boxes in front of it so that he would never have to see it for the next three years. If he couldn’t leave it behind, at the very least least he wouldn’t have to think about it.
Out of sight, out of mind.
He has a full day before classes started, and he decided he’d use the following day to figure out where his classes would be held. He’d heard nightmare stories about students showing up to the wrong rooms and lecture halls, or getting lost. He wanted to avoid that.
He felt that he needed to make a good impression on the faculty. It might go a long way to helping him achieve his goals here.
----------------------------------------
Aera tapped her finger on the table in annoyance and winced. Every time Jason Chan opened his mouth, she would feel a wave of annoyance which threatened to burn this bridge she’d been carefully cultivating for years.
The voice on the other side of the line was reedy and cracking.
“So, have you put any more thought into my offer?” the young man said. Jason was an old acquaintance. He’d always been a bit shady, but having friends in low places could be useful. It was a lesson she’d learned well from her father, and she’d found that the advice had born enough fruit that she would always take the time to foster her connection with those among her peers which were a bit more morally gray.
They were the same age, and as he was the scion of a particularly influential family in the LockeMark Domain, he’d been sponsored to attend the academy the same year she was.
That he was useful was the only reason she was taking his call. But recently, Jason Chan had amassed some very unfortunate rumors about himself. The kind of rumors that Aera would typically consider enough of an excuse to cut all ties with him. Unfortunately, she was dealing with the reality that she wouldn’t be able to avoid him while she was at Barnum. Just because she found him and his lot to be something of a stain on society, it wasn’t a stain she had the power to personally rub out. So if she couldn’t get rid of them, she might as well take advantage of them.
There were aspects to Academy life that weren’t advertised, aspects that could spell a whole host of ruined careers and lawsuits, the kind of thing that people paid good money to keep quiet. Jason’s family, and his associates, had found their niche is organizing and facilitating the unseen currents in Barnum’s shadow. The Council and their subordinate company's and family's had a certain understanding about the expected code of conduct their scions and hopefuls would follow while they attended Barnum— and its part of what made the academy so alluring to the established powers of the world. Even before the Council was founded, Barnum as considered the peak among institutions dedicated to fostering the leaders of tomorrow— and not just for the coveted degrees of Excellence which could define one’s life trajectory.
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Those were mere trappings— a company had many ways to scout and foster talent. A company’s foundation was built on hard work and devotion. But for someone like Aera, and those of her social tier, the degrees were no more than another form of social currency. It was secondary consideration for their enrollment, as far as their parents were concerned. The primary reason was that the world’s powers had fostered within the boundaries of the academy’s campus a microcosm of the world stage. It was here that their aspiring and ambitious youths would have their first taste of competition against their rival interests.
Every year, there was a struggle for dominance and prestige among the upper class attending the academy. However, this came with a condition. The moment you entered the campus, you were no longer allowed the protection of a personal security force. This meant that you had to face the consequences of your actions yourself. However, given the Chan’s unique position, they had financial (and emotional) influence over much of the campuses businesses— and Aera suspected the faculty as well. Unfortunately, she couldn’t avoid dealing with them and refusing to do so would make her appear weak. She wouldn’t be able to bully her way to dominance on campus, and with Jason this was especially so.
His influence while he was at Barnum made him a hard man to refuse. That wouldn’t stop her from stalling for as long as she could, however. Her father had told her that dealing with these kinds of people was like walking a tight-rope, but sometimes it couldn’t be avoided. Not just for the sake of reputation, but the necessity of securing one’s position in society. Turning a blind eye to the nefarious dimension of her culture would only create a blind spot she couldn’t defend herself, or her family, from.
Family which now included one Hunter Oberon Koar. She sneered.
“Aera, you there?” Jason asked.
“Yes,” she said, unable to stop the annoyance from bleeding through into her voice, “and my answer is the same. If I change my mind, I’ll let you know.”
“That’s all I can ask,” Jason said, in what Aera assumed was meant to be a smooth and reassuring tone. Instead, it came across as creepy; ill intent was oozing like pus from a festering wound behind a mask of familiarity and friendship.
There was something of the flavor of intuition in her judgement of his tone. She'd have to remember to keep her guard up around Jason Chan.
“I’ve got a lot on my schedule, Jason. Our talks are always a pleasure, but if there’s nothing else?” She said, knowing he’d take the hint to hang up.
“Of course, of course. I’ll be seeing you,” Jason said. She sighed after she heard the line shut with a click.
Aera shivered, feeling like she suddenly needed a very long shower. That kid got worse by the year, and more dangerous, if the rumors are to be believed. And it was easy to believe them, Jason didn’t hide the fact that he had no consideration for right and wrong. He was a sociopath, a smart sociopath. Opportunistic, but fair enough for the sake of his business reputation. His behavior would reflect poorly upon his family— so if he committed to grievous a crime, he was sure to make sure that there was very little in the way of evidence to prove his involvement.
He would treat you fairly at first, if he sensed an ounce of weakness from you he wouldn’t hesitate to milk it for all it was worth. It had happened before. Jason had respect for her status, and the considerable resources that she and her father could move against a family like his if he were to ever cross the line with her.
But her father had drilled the value of verifying facts for as long as she could remember. And since she didn’t have much in the way of resources with which to verify or debunk the rumors surrounding Jason, she decided that she would go with her gut and take a cautious approach.
Which, she had to remind herself, was not a weak approach. In all ways, she would project her power and status. She would be the leader of the Oberon family in the future, and by her hand the council seat would remain theirs, as it had for generations. So there was no room for weakness, both in image or action. Which brought her back to her new brother.
The newest Oberon heir, not that she took the title seriously. Hunter was weak like Jason was mercurial.
But he wasn’t completely weak, she reminded herself. He had a strong will, and that had surprised her. She had expected him to fold after the first session. But he’d continued, and he had shown some progress, though not nearly enough to convince her that he was worth anything remotely close to the privilege that her father had given him.
Integrity, her father had said. In-teg-rit-y, enunciating every syllable. She’d done her best not to flinch during his lecture. And she’d be lying if she said that his words— and the dramatic flair he was prone to deliver them with, hadn’t given her something to think about.
What would she have done, if she’d been one of the workers who he’d tried to screw over? Would she have stepped in to help, or to hurt the man who was trying to take away her livelihood, her means to support herself and the people she cherished?
The more she thought about it, the less she liked the answer.
What she’d found over the weekend, ruminating over the lecture, was that she couldn’t justify the actions of Gideon Koar when he saved her father, because she couldn’t see herself in them.
She’d have let him be beaten. It wasn’t what she wanted to believe about herself, but it was true. If she wasn’t an Oberon, and the person who was compensating her for her hard work decided that her labor was worth less than an already-meager sum?
She could see herself being totally indifferent to what happened to the man, and that was the best case scenario.
If she was pissed off? Desperate?
She stared out the window of her 11th floor apartment. It was a downgrade from what she was used to, but it had its charms. The view wasn’t bad. And it was spacious.
She leaned back in her couch, and stared at the ceiling.
Her father wanted her to give Hunter a chance. If she was right, his lecture was meant to show her that she had a blind spot. Although her heart was in the right place, there was something she wasn’t seeing clearly.
She respected her father. She didn’t always like him, and that was probably a good thing. She learned a lot about commitment from him.
What if he’d spoiled her more? What if she’d gotten her way when she shouldn’t have?
Now that lesson she could see. She was grateful that he’d shown her how to stay true to her vision, to her goals, and to persist no matter what. It had gotten her as far as she had. Sure, she had her advantages, but advantages were only a multiplier for the effort you put in. In order to run a Council Corporation, advantages would only get you so far. But without advantages, effort just meant running against the stream.
If Hunter was going to be a part of the family, he would need to understand that. And he’d already shown an ability to commit and persist, even when things got incredibly difficult.
She could grudgingly respect that. It’s not like her distaste for him was personal. Her problem with him wasn’t about him, it was about the family. As he was, he was a blight on the Oberon name. He was a ticking time bomb, and she would have to clean up whatever mess he made of their reputation. She just hoped it wouldn’t distract her too much from her own goals.
She had her own Excellence to achieve, her own vision for her future. She needed the currency in exchange for leverage. It was one of her father’s lessons for her.
She decided that she would give Hunter Koar a chance, but she would not relent in her standards. He would either grow from the pressure and turn into someone worthy of her family’s name, or he would quit. If he quit, then at the very least he would be out of the way.
Either way, the family wins.
----------------------------------------
“Is the queen bitch gonna come?” pipsqueak asked, using the term that Jason reserved for the Oberon princess. Sometimes Jason could grow sick of the puppy’s transparent attempts to ingratiate himself, but he was very obedient.
So Jason laughed. It was like a little treat. Good boy.
He’d been stoking the pup’s hatred for the Oberon’s for a while. Of course he knew that playing with fire could be dangerous, but Aera had been something of an obsession of his for a few years now. The higher she rose, the more arrogant she grew, and the more he wanted to tear her down. The Oberon’s were so sure of themselves, but he’d heard whispers— rumors of discontent. Some say they’ve been overplaying their hand, that Trey had overextended himself.
His guard was starting to slip.
Oberon; the family, and the company, were vulnerable. At least, that was his impression. And some of the more influential people in his family seemed to agree, given some of the plays’ they’d been making recently.
So Jason has been biding his time with Aera. He knew what she thought of him, it was as clear as day. It pissed him off, but the fury was intoxicating, and he cultivated it quietly. It motivated him like nothing else. The idea of taking down not only Aera, but the entire fucking family? It turned him on.
Pippen Visgold, all the bloody Visgolds, had a bone to pick with Oberon. Pippen himself was like an animal, one who was easy to manipulate for someone like Jason. He’d practically isolated the boy, and managed to make him convince himself that Jason was his only real friend. The only person who he could trust.
It was a risky play, but all that effort in exchange for his own little weapon? A guided missile he could point at the Oberon's at just the right time? It was too good a deal to pass up.
The Chan’s had weaved their web throughout Barnum for generations. Outside of this place, Aera was too protected to move against directly. Even here, he would need to be careful. The daughter of Council Seat is is no ordinary prey. But his family’s hard work had paid off. Barnum belonged to the Chans. Not on paper, but if you know, you know.
What separated Jason from most spiders was that his web was weaved with people— people who responded to rewards, and punishment. Simple self preservation could encourage people to do things they normally wouldn’t. Even if that meant setting them against a future ‘monarch’.
The Queen Bitch.
And whatever this Hunter Oberon Koar was supposed to be.
Jason had his dominos in hand, and they were just about ready to be put into place. He would just needed to set them up, and find the right hand to give them just the slightest nudge…
It occurred to him that such a hand was sitting beside him, right now. A hand with an itch to pick a bone or two with any Oberon he could find. Before, there was only two. Now there was three, and the third was steeped in mystery. Jason didn't like mysteries.
He made a quick calculation involving a dozen social variables. He rejected the conclusion, and approached it from a new angle, and nodded at the result.
“She’ll come,” he said, “what have you learned about the other one?”
“Hunter?” pipsqueak asked. Jason had fetched pipsqueak to gather information, and just as ever, pipsqueak was all too eager to play, “An artisan, with an embarrassingly low AR. He seems emaciated and frail, like he could shatter at the lightest touch. You never know with Oberon’s though. They’re a treacherous bunch.”
Jason hummed in thought. He knew a few artisans enrolling in Barnum this year. His family’s investigation into the Oberon corporation’s sponsored students had revealed that one of them were in some desperate financial straits. The Chan’s had already extended a generous offer to help her out. The poor thing had no idea what they were about sign themselves up for.
That wasn’t his problem though, only his profit.
Regarding the newest heir, he made a mental note to introduce himself in person at some point. Another Oberon would mean another potential avenue of business. Or another variable to leverage at just the right moment.
The spider had a web to weave. He always welcomed the addition of another thread to pull.
“I want you to find out what he’s made of,” Jason said. Pipsqueak was nearly feral at the best of times, and the excitement that Jason saw in his eye as he sent him off was a reminder to keep the lad in control.
“Pippen,” Jason said, and the pup looked at its master with questioning eyes— eager to please and be praised, “I must emphasize the importance of discretion. Don’t let anyone make a connection that leads back to us, alright?”
Pippen nodded, and Jason waved him off to have his fun.
He doubted whether this was the right choice. But the opportunity was too tempting to pass up. Pippen had done a good job so far, and probably had enough experience by now to know just how far to push the Oberon lad.
He understood that acting against the Oberon’s was a risky play, but Jason needed more information. He doubted anyone would have the courage to act so brazenly so early in the game, but they didn’t know what he knew, and what the Chan’s knew, about what was coming.
Pippen was smart, and Jason trusted him to do the job right, even with the barely contained rage he’d helped the puppy foster over the years.
There would always be loyal dogs, you just had to know how to train them. Using Pippen as a sacrifice would, at the very least, satisfy the itch Jason had been feeling for years. Pricking at Aera’s ego was worth it.
Jason lit a joint, blowing the large cloud of smoke out the window, feeling like his smile could reach both of his ears.
The academy would have its challenges. Aera was not easy prey. But that just meant he would be all the more motivated to see her on her knees.
Before him, a grand campus stretched onwards. Others would see a glorious institution— historied, prestigious, and excellent.
To Jason, it was the world’s biggest playground.