Chapter 12

By all appearances Luther had changed and he hadn’t. Gone was the overly cocky child that Frank had grown up despising. Instead, he seemed to be a mostly cowering version of himself. At least while interacting with the other soldiers.

Luther had the same military uniform as everyone else, but his rank had the typical ‘B’ on it, but with a white background. It didn’t take a mental genius to realize that the white background for his rank meant he was different from the others, and based on the way every other soldier treated him, sneering at him, snarling orders at him, and his constant kowtowing to the other soldiers, Frank could assume that the last few days had not been easy for Luther either.

“How much longer do we have to wait for these trash particles to pass by and accept their fates?” Luther’s voice spoke in his still slightly sniveling tone.

WHAM!

The punch to Luther’s gut was as quick as it was satisfying.

“Maggot, did we give you permission to speak?” Holsy said, and he was a C-Ranker putting a B-Ranker in his place. Standing over the now doubled over Luther, a slight smile broke out on Frank’s face.

Seeing the twerp get what Frank considered to be divine justice made this whole thing so worth it. Knowing that the military wouldn’t take any of Luther’s garbage made it so that Frank felt he could go home and die happy. First, he would make sure to tell Luther’s sister about the treatment, as he was fairly certain that she would get a kick out of this as well.

Luther adamantly averted his eyes away from Holsy, Frank’s minder and personal escort to this, his second chance at awakening a hidden talent, that was when Luther spotted Frank.

“What are you smiling at!” Luther hissed, locking eyes with Frank.

Thwack!

“Maggot, until you know where you stand on the grand pecking order of life. I suggest you leave certain people be.” Holsy stated, after once again regaining Luther’s attention by a violent kick to the boy’s stomach.

Frank was about to leave, but was stopped when Holsy put up a hand to stop him.

“Take a minute and look at that boy.” Holsy said to Luther, taking a moment to point at Frank.

Luther glanced up, but the quickly dropped his gaze.

“I said look at him.” Holsy said, then grabbing Luther’s face, forcefully lifted his chin until he Luther had to look at Frank.

For his part Frank felt flustered, as Luther was the only one who could end this whole double awakening plan he had going. No longer was the smile on his face, instead, all he could do was keep a blank neutral expression and stare back at Luther, letting him know in his gaze that he would hit Luther so hard if he ruined this moment for him.

Their gazes met, and there was a moment of shock as Luther seemed to recognize Frank, but then he shook himself as if not believing what his eyes were telling him.

“Yeah, he’s taller than you by about half a foot. Also, as you can hopefully see, he has you by a good twenty pounds of muscle. Those broad shoulders of his, those are for more than just show. I don’t know what he did, or what he has been through, but we found that boy earlier today in the deep mines. He had apparently been living there for so long that there are no recordings of his biometrics. Let that sink in.” Holsy said, pausing for a moment.

During this time Frank realized that he had grown a lot, if the measurements and sizes were to be believed. Looking at the boy, Luther, Frank realized that Holsy was right, Luther was smaller than him. Thinking back, Frank tried to understand where the transformation came from, and was left with but one conclusion, it was from his constant advancements and focusing on only taking in the correct for of energy to cultivate that led to this change. In his mind, Frank knew that cultivating would produce changes, though he was not certain exactly how those changes would manifest exactly. Now looking down at the former tormentor, it was clear that at least in a physical battle, Frank was certain he would win. He would just infuse energy into his hands or feet and strike out crushing bones and internal organs with ease. The only concern was his ranged attack, which all manifested differently, but Frank knew Luther’s just avoid his large mouth and he was good.

Thinking about it, Frank realized that everyone here was aware of Luther’s power, at least Holsy was as every strike had been to his stomach and diaphragm, making it so breathing was a lot tougher on Luther. With breathing being tougher, using his power of banshee screaming would also be tougher. With that, Frank realized that everything they were doing to Luther was for a reason. To show him both that he was weak, and that he could be taken down easily, even by a C-Ranker.

Having seen how fast Holsy was moving, Frank was certain that the soldier used at least some green energy for speed and strength, otherwise the movements would have been off. That and the fact that Frank could see the glowing green energy in Holsy’s eyes.

Having spent time increasing his Energy Sight, frank could see the faint light blue of Luther’s powers. He could see the way he tried to grab energy from his chest and direct it up his throat, but there wasn’t enough for a strike. At least not a powerful strike like the monster had used to strike out and kill his friends.

That was another thing, did the military ever find out about Scottie and Aaron? Did they ever do a residual magic trace and link those deaths to Luther’s powers? Frank was fairly certain that he could do at least that much with his current level of strength, and he had only been awakened for a few days at this point. Imagine what so-called experts could do with real time and energy. Frank thought all of this, then had his attention pulled back as Holsy continued his lesson to Luther.

“Yes, that boy that you stare at with contempt in your eyes, the same way you look down on me and all your fellow lower ranked soldiers. Realize that of the two of you, we all would rather go to the lines with a man like him, than a worm like you. Do you know why boy?” Holsy asked, still holding Luther’s mouth and squeezing his jaw shut, forcing Luther to shake his head from side to side to answer the direct question. This again was smart, as it gave Luther no chance to use any semblance of his power, which might be dangerous even at that close of a distance.

“Because he is tested. We can all go to the front lines where we will fight enhanced monsters. Things of nightmares, things that are told to unruly children so they might go to bed on time, so they don’t have to stare the monsters in the face before they sleep. You see, that boy, soon to be a man, he survived down there, fighting against those very monsters of nightmares and legends. Do you know how I can tell? How we all can tell?” Holsy asked Luther, and for the first time Holsy let Luther’s face move just enough so he could look Holsy in the eyes. At that, Holsy just continued, not needing a physical gesture from Luther.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“He reeks of death. That feeling of unease that you feel, that is your awakened brain and conscience telling you that this man has seen and killed more horrific things than you have ever witnessed in your life. As an awakened, you will begin to get a sixth sense for these things. You are too young now to even begin to process these emotions that you are now feeling. Which is why the military assigns you mentors like me. I’m not here to constantly save you. I’m here to save you once.”

Hrm?

Luther tried to get out a question, but with Holsy’s death grip on Luther’s jaw, such an act was impossible.

“Yes, right now, I’ve considered my job done. I have officially saved your life, once.” Holsy stated coldly, pausing for emphasis.

Luther just looked even more confused at that statement.

“Mark this day. You were about to lash out at this boy for smiling at you and your discomfort. In the past, in whatever backwater slumlord infested plague of a place you came from, such an act might have been tolerated. Hell, it might have even been completely acceptable. Just know, that now that you are in the real world, away from all those creature comforts you used to get fat off of, they are gone. Here, your former power and influence means nothing. You might have been top dog in whatever kennel you called home, but here, you mess with the wrong dog, even a dog with a lower power ranking than you and you will get your hand bitten off. Now you might ask yourself why I did this? Why would I save you? Realize I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing it for him.” Holsy said gesturing over his shoulder at Frank.

With that Luther and Frank locked gazes again, though this time it was clear that the gaze from Luther was a bit softer than previously, as if he was trying to take in the true measure of Frank, and see what exactly Holsy was talking about.

“See, this is your one and only warning. After this, when you go after him, to try to prove yourself that your B-Rank means something special, he will defend himself and he will crush you. This is for him,” Holsy said, this time locking his own gaze with Frank.

Locking gazes with Holsy, Frank felt a strange sense of intensity there, it was clear that Holsy had also killed. Having had that feeling explained, the whole feeling of death made sense. Just from locking gazes, it was clear to Frank that Holsy too had been in many fights, though not as desperate as his, it was clear that Holsy had also managed to kill monsters that were a lot more powerful than the ones Frank had even seen. The fact that he recognized all of this from a simple glance sent shivers down Frank’s spine. He didn’t know exactly what this new feeling was, but he was certain that it was important in some profound way.

“This way,” Holsy continued, still speaking to Luther, but never tearing his eyes away from Frank, “when he kills or cripples you. He knows not to feel bad, that you took your cheap shot, you lost and it will be his job to ensure you know never to come after him or any fellow soldiers again. This way he can have a conscience, knowing that killing you will be a service to the entire brotherhood of soldiers that will welcome him back with open arms, after he successfully returns.”

Chills.

The way Holsy spoke, it was clear that he was speaking from personal experience. That he too had apparently gone through something similar in his past. Suddenly, Frank knew, while some details might be missing, who, when, where, and how, the facts were readily apparent. Holsy had someone like Luther in his past, someone who likely sought to exert control or power over Holsy and it had gone incredibly bad for the other person.

With that Holsy nodded at Frank, apparently realizing that the boy had recognized something in his words and mannerisms. With that Holsy turned back to once again lock gazes with Luther.

“Are we clear?”

Nod.

Luther still couldn’t talk, but did manage to nod his head slightly.

“Good,” Holsy responded and then let go of Luther’s jaw and stood up and walked over to Frank. Then as if remembering something, Holsy turned back to Luther and said, “and if you want to register a formal complaint, the name is Holsy, and I am the Introductory Survival Instructor. When they ask, and they will, I will make sure to point out how this was a survival lesson.”

Then giving a wave over his shoulder, he grabbed Frank by the shoulder and began leading him away from the irate boy who was just now beginning to climb up to his feet.

Silence.

Frank didn’t say anything. Right now, Frank felt that the biggest obstacle to his second re-awakening was over, as he had successfully bypassed Luther, the only person who might be able to recognize him from his home district the other day.

Looking around, Frank saw a number of familiar faces, but wanted to do as little as possible to draw attention to himself. Part of that was keeping silent and not saying or doing anything that might compromise this once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Every once in a while, Frank looked out of the corner of his eyes to see Holsy there, staring at him. It was clear that Holsy all but expected Frank to ask questions, and for his part he did, but the answers he could gleam to soothe his curiosity were minor in comparison to the future that awaited him as an advanced awakened powerhouse.

Finally, after a few minutes, Holsy broke the silence.

“No questions?”

Frank just shook his head.

“No? Normally that is a good thing, but as an instructor I can tell when a student is trying to stay low. When they have something to hide. I could press, keep asking you questions until you inadvertently slip up and either answer, or I begin to find out what it is that makes you tick. For the most part you seem like a good kid, but we can’t have secrets on the front lines.”

With that Frank paused and just stared at Holsy for a second. After a second of their eyes locking for a bit, Holsy smiled and gave an almost imperceptible head nod. One that Frank only barely caught the movement of, but it was there to see all the same.

“You nervous about awakening?” Holsy asked.

Pause.

“See, that pause tells me that you are. Why don’t you just admit it.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay,” Frank said nodding his head in agreement. “I am nervous.”

Holsy paused again and then after staring at Frank for a moment nodded his head as his smile widened.

“Don’t be.”

Scoff.

Frank was about to say something, but then paused. Seeing his hesitation, Holsy pressed.

“You afraid of not scoring well enough and being stuck down here?”

Pause.

At that Frank felt his heart begin to pump faster, an involuntary reflex of a lifetime of fear and anticipation built up in that one question. The idea of freedom, of not having to fight and scrape for every inch of his life.

“Ah, that’s it. You are afraid that if you don’t do well enough down here, you won’t be picked up. That you will be forced to go back to the deep caverns again?” Holsy asked.

With that, Frank paused, realizing that was the case, but felt better about going back into the caverns. If he did, he felt he might be better able to survive. Well mostly survive, anything aside from the giant serpent would be relatively easy to deal with. Even those giant knee high rodents were fairly easy, and a seemingly endless source of energy. No, he wasn’t afraid of going back down, at least not to the areas he knew about. Particularly not if he went back in with a plan.

Smiling.

“No, you aren’t afraid of the deep roads again. That is awesome.” Holsy said, his smile bright and infectious showing off rows of pearly white teeth. “You aren’t cocky either, you just think you can survive. The Boss was right about you after all.”

“The Boss?” Frank asked, suddenly looking around.

“Oh, yeah, my boss at least. Vanguard.” Holsy said, looking around and then pointing out a rather average looking man in military uniform with his hood pulled up. The man, Vanguard, had his back turned to Holsy and Frank as he was clearly engaged in a conversation with someone. Then almost as if feeling that people were looking at him, he paused his conversation and turned around to look directly at Holsy and Frank. There was an odd pause, as Frank barely noticed Holsy giving a few random hand signals to Vanguard.

There was a pause, and then before Frank could ask what Holsy did, Vanguard nodded in approval and then turned back to continue talking with the civilian that was before him. Given the state of the civilian’s dress, Frank figured that Vanguard was speaking either to the Principal or one of the Vice Principals of the school that they were currently in.

Ever since his reemergence from the caverns, Frank’s mind felt alive. It was almost as if he was able to make connections and leaps of logic at ten times the speed he was able to in his past. He had always been smart, able to build upon and retain knowledge facts, but now his mind felt like it was finally able to take those nuggets and combine them into proper thought chains. It was odd, but something that somehow felt, natural.

“You probably want to know what we said?” Holy asked, turning his head slightly towards Frank. Frank seeing the gesture out of the corner of his eye turned his head and locked gazes with Holsy who looked like he had a cat who at the canary smile on his face. “You want to know, but you don’t want anything to ruin this chance do you?”

With that Holsy gestured to the dwindling line of students who were all walking up to the awakening crystal, and all seeing their lives either change for the better, or as many expected, they were subjected to abject failure as they accepted the fact that they like their parents were forced to stay down here.

Frank of course stayed quiet, not wanting to give this man any more sway over him.

“Oh man, that look on your face is too priceless. I probably should wait to tell you this, but realize something.” Holsy began.

With this Frank paused and turned back from the stone and lines of kids that suddenly looked small to him, and once again locked gazes with Holsy.

“Realize that you are playing with house money kid.” Holsy spoke, but Frank just looked on with a dumbfounded expression having never heard that expression before. Seeing the confusion on Frank’s face, Holsy pressed on, waving a dismissive hand. “Look, all it means is that you don’t have anything to worry about by touching that stone, for a second time…”

Shock.

And with those last four words, Frank felt his world collapse as he stared into the mocking gaze of Holsy who just stared back with a giant cheshire grin on his face.