"Oh, she's pretty," Hadrian said. "Do you like her?"

I nodded absently but didn't bother to say anything. My mind was occupied with ways to strike up a conversation with the girl still standing in the hallway. The trip to the capital would last a few days, so I had plenty of time. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to talk to a girl I liked, let alone initiate a conversation.

As I stared, the girl turned and noticed me looking. She smiled brightly, and I thought I was about to hyperventilate. She waved slightly, so I waved back. I could see Hadrian wave exorbitantly from the edge of my vision, but I didn't want to take my eyes off the girl for fear she would disappear.

"You should open the door and say something to her."

Before I could move, the girl's head whipped to look at her side. She nodded and then pointed to the compartment across from mine. The Orbs must have genuinely been looking down on me if she was going to be in the compartment across from mine. I felt that I couldn't be any luckier.

Then I saw who was accompanying her.

Arthur Piston walked into view. He nodded at the girl as they conversed, and then both walked into the compartment. Before walking in, Arthur stared into my room. Just as he had in the tournament, his face was a cold mask of apathy. He stared for a couple seconds more while I started coldly back. Then, he turned and entered the train compartment without so much as another facial twitch.

"Shit," I said.

"Oh, boy. What's up with him?" Hadrian asked. "Why was he staring at you like that? Did you do something to him?"

"I have no idea. We didn't even talk before our match. When we fought, he was just testing me." I scratched my head while thinking. "He did mention something about me being found wanting…or something. I'm not really sure what that means, though."

"He said that?" Hadrian asked. I nodded in confirmation. "What a prick. He didn't say anything to me, even though I tried. Anyway, he was basically saying that your fighting skills are bad. Still, even if that was the case, which it isn't since you made it to the top three, that doesn't explain why he looked like he wanted to kill you."

"I don't know either," I said absently.

The train shuddered suddenly, and I grabbed onto the small armrest at the edge of the seat. I looked around in panic, wondering what was happening. A moment later, the train started to lurch slowly forward. It moved smoothly, utterly different from its initial jerk.

I looked out the window as we moved. The train started out slowly as we exited the train station. The station itself was a lot larger on the inside than I thought. After leaving the boarding area, we moved through a larger yard with a few other train cars in different areas. We also passed a building where they were repairing the cars and engines.

Once we passed the maintenance area, the train started to pick up more speed. Since the train station had been at the city's edge, we passed by the protective walls that keep the monsters out and into the open countryside. A few farms were located outside the walls, and the open fields of crops were the only things that made the train seem slow.

The train moving slowly was an illusion, however. Before long, we passed the farmlands and were into the wide open spaces beyond. The tracks were laid on a raised portion of land. Additionally, the trees of the forest we were passing through were cleared out about a hundred yards from the tracks to keep wildlife from getting too close. It still didn't alleviate my worry about monsters.

"How do they keep monsters from getting to the tracks or attacking the train?" I wondered.

"The train company has patrols that follow the tracks and clear them out. It's actually a pretty good job, from what I hear. It pays a lot, but I've also heard it's dangerous."

"They patrol the entire length of the tracks?"

"Oh, no. Some places, the strength of the monsters is too much. There are some other factors too, but you'll see in a little while what they did. But basically, there are sections with large walls built up around the tracks and others on gigantic platforms. I think those depend on the types of monsters usually in the area. If I remember correctly, we'll pass over a raised area first."

We talked a bit more, but I was interested primarily in looking out the window. True to Hadrian's memory, our train steadily climbed uphill until the ground gave way, and we were on a massive platform above the ground. When I glanced out of the window through the opposite side of the train, I could see another set of tracks for a second train. Looking out my own, I could see the ground and the tops of trees far below.

The forest's canopy stretched far into the distance, only becoming sparse as it reached the edge of a mountain range. The mountains were nothing like the ones I traveled through to get to the city. I had thought the range I had traveled was immense, but the ones in the distance made the previous ones look like hills. They were full of jagged peaks with snow covering the tips.

I looked ahead of the train and attempted to follow the line of tracks the best I could, and to my observation, it appeared we were going to be close to them. Hadrian didn't seem worried about our direction of travel. He was relaxed and carefree in the opposite seat as we talked. I decided to not worry about it and just enjoy the ride.

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My stomach rumbled after a while of being lost in wonder from looking at the sights. Hadrian heard, and we both agreed to head to the dining cart to eat. It was a good thing he saved me a seat and decided to be my friend. I didn't know how long I would have sat there wondering about food if he wasn't there.

Inside the dining cart, there was only one other occupant. We were a little early for food, but Hadrian said we arrived within the serving times. The other person sat in the far corner. He was dressed plainly in beige travel clothes, with a medium build and bushy mustache that occasionally twitched on his face. He slowly ate his food as he read from a book and occasionally glanced out the window.

Hadrian and I only went two seats deep before sitting down on the left side of the train. It didn't have the same view as the right, but I refrained from commenting. Presently another person entered; he was dressed in a much fancier attire, which included a jacket and tie. I surmised he was the dining car's waiter since he was carrying two glasses of water he had set down before us. He then handed us sheets of paper with the limited meals being served.

The menu had a mix of breakfast and lunch items. I ordered some eggs with bacon and toast and a sandwich and soup combo to come after that. I wanted to avoid making a bunch of trips back and forth from my train compartment.

"I thought that I ate a lot," said Hadrian. His eyes grew wide at my multiple orders. He also ordered the sandwich and soup combo, although he refrained from the breakfast food.

"So I was just wondering. And you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I was wondering about your robot."

I tensed up at the inquiry. I knew that my robot was unique, but I didn't know what kind of problems that would create.

Misreading my reaction, Hadrian sought to clarify. "I know we might be opponents in a future match, so I won't ask anything that might reveal secrets. But, I just have to know." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Does your robot increase your strength, like everyone else's?"

I thought about if it was a big deal to tell him. I couldn't think why it wouldn't. I honestly didn't know why he asked. I thought it was common knowledge that a robot increased the user's capability while in Symbiotic Mode. I nodded since my mouth was stuffed with food.

Hadrian looked relieved for a moment. "That's good. I thought that you just might be that strong. But it's not like you're full of muscle. Anyway, that makes me wonder, how does it work." he asked.

"What do you mean how?" I replied after swallowing.

"I mean, you only have an Orbs damned mask. Everyone else's robot uses an exoskeleton while in Symbiotic Mode. How does your robot increase your strength without an exoskeleton?"

I thought about it momentarily and realized I had no clue. It wasn't even something that I had considered before. I would have to look it up later through the CoreLink program. All I could do was tell the truth.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I never really thought about it."

Hadrian chewed on the information and his food for a few minutes. "Maybe it's on the inside."

"I'm sorry, what?" I guffawed.

"The exoskeleton," Hadrian said, gesturing with his fork.

"The exoskeleton is on the inside?"

"Yeah."

"That's…scary." I pondered the idea for a moment. "But, if it was on the inside, wouldn't that make it a regular skeleton?"

"Good point." Hadrian nodded. "Well, whatever the mechanism for boosting your strength is, at least you know it works."

"Do you think I'll get too much attention from it?"

"Doubtful," Hadrian replied after a moment of thinking. "Most won't even consider it. The only reason I did was that we fought, and I noticed your strength. Besides, in an entire world full of people with robots, you aren't the only unique person, more so when you add in the multiple centuries they've been around."

"Have you ever seen any other unique users?"

"No, not personally," sighed Hadrian. "I've heard about a few." Hadrian had my undivided attention, and I indicated for him to continue. "Apparently, there's one person, a leader of a rebellion, that can fly."

"A rebellion?" While robots interested me more than anything else, the idea of a rebellion reminded me of something I didn't want to address. Nonetheless, I was intrigued.

"Sure, there always seems to be some rebellion going on. It's either against the kingdom or the Ha'Olean Empire. I don't really pay much attention, though. They were active in the capital the last time I was there, though."

I looked out the window on the opposite side of the train car while I ingested what Hadrian had said. I also digested my finished meals. The waiter brought out my second meal as we talked.

The view from the window was mostly the same as before we left our personal nook inside the other car, a vast expanse of trees that tapered closer to the mountains. The only addition was a slight increase in clouds floating in the sky. I thought about being able to fly with my robot, rebellions and the coincidental name the guards had given my mother.

Could the rebellion leader be her?

As I stared at the cerulean sky, I thought I saw something hovering at the precipice of what I could see. I blinked and attempted to look closer, but nothing was there. It was probably just a dark whisp of a cloud. I stared for a couple moments longer just to make sure, but nothing else appeared. With a long internal sigh, I put the thoughts in the back of my mind for the moment. There would be nothing good in stressing over the multitude of possibilities. I was mere days from making it to the capital and getting further information about my mother.

I didn't know what I would tell her about my father. What happened when I acquired my robot was something I still needed to fully process. I just haven't had the time. I was escaping through the mountains, trying to find money, fighting for my life, and in a tournament. Perhaps I would be able to deal with it after I tracked my mother down and she answered all the questions I had.

We were about to get up from our table when the one person I didn't want to see, Arthur Piston, walked in. Fortunately, the person trailing behind him was the one person I did want to see. Although, my initial surge of delight quickly faded. The girl was with Arthur, so there was no way she would even have the time of day for me.

Still, as she walked by, she actually turned toward me and waved.

"Hi," she said, smiling broadly.

Arthur didn't even glance in our direction. It surprised me. I thought he would immediately turn and try to stab me when she said hi. The thought stunned me, so I was unable to form a response. All I could do was stare dumbly as she walked by.

"Man, I bet you get all the ladies with smooth lines like that," Hadrian quipped.

I could only manage a scowl for a moment before my face sunk into gloom. I had screwed up my chance to talk to her and screwed it up horribly.

At least, that is what I had thought. Before we could fully leave our seats, the girl had risen from her own and walked back to us. She stopped abruptly and waved.

"Hey guys," she chirped. "Sorry to bother you. I just wanted to say hello. Mostly because my brother," she paused and pointed over to Arthur, who was pointedly not looking our way, "is too stubborn and rock headed to make friends with anyone. Also, because I saw your fights too, and I thought they were great."

Her brother? Thank the Orbs. I still have a chance.

"Well, we really appreciate the sentiment, Miss?" Hadrian asked.

"Oh, sorry," she held her hand out to shake. "It's Firin. Firin Rai."