“Someone check under those bodies,” Irons ordered pointing at a pile of corpses. Several men walked over, Kyle limped across the road to help but the Sergeant waved him away, “Not you Kyle, have Simmons check out that leg.”

Tucker dragged an orc off of the pile and stabbed it in the face for good measure. It roared and swung at him, “Oh shit!”

He stabbed it again and it grabbed onto his musket. In a panic, Tucker pulled the trigger and blew a crater in its chest. The orc’s hands dropped to its side and it went limp. With shaking fingers, he reloaded his gun and kept on dragging.

“Everything good over there?” Simmons yelled from the makeshift field hospital. Tucker pulled another body off the pile and saw a face. A human face, he blinked, that was Oliver.

“I found Oliver!” he called back, and most of the remaining men from squad one ran over. “Quick pull him out, someone go get a stretcher.”

Oliver opened his eyes to find himself being lifted off the ground and onto a hospital gurney. He groaned coughing up blood, “What’s going on?”

“Shut up and let me work.” Simmons snapped pulling a bandage tighter across his chest. He winced in pain as he felt his ribs creak in protest. “You’ve got a broken rib, dislocated shoulder and a minor concussion. Normally that would be an easy fix if we had a surgeon on hand, but we don’t so you're going to have to deal with me.”

He handed Oliver a flask full of foul smelling liquid and he downed a quarter of it. “God I hate that stuff, tastes like pond scum and army rations.”

Simmons patted him on the shoulder and moved on to the next man down the line. Oliver sighed, laying back down in his bed, “Not much I can do now except get some sleep.”

Third century had taken nineteen casualties, eleven from squad one, four from squad three and four from squad two. Down nearly a fifth of its fighting men, Graves came to the conclusion that there was not a chance they would get even close to their objective.

“Commissar Whitley, may I have a minute of your time?” talking to the commissars was an arduous task seeing as any and all complaints or suggestions that they give up or attempt a different strategy was usually met with sword through the chest.

“What is it Centurion?” the senior commissar asked coldly, turning his frigid gaze upon the man.

“We have taken twenty percent casualties on the first day, do you really believe we can make it all the way to the castle by ourselves?”

“No.”

Graves blinked, “what?”

Whitley rested a hand on the handle of his pistol, leering at Graves, “You will do as Lord Varus commands, this discussion is over.”

“I never even made my point, perhaps we cou-”

“Over.”

The next couple of weeks at Leviathan were rather boring, classes continued in a similar fashion and each night was spent studying and playing games or going into the city. Well, going to the city under the supervision of Cassie who had gone balistic when we had returned that night covered in grim, blood, and with a sack of money. Let's just say she didn't exactly aprove of our methods.

“Alright,” Noah said walking out of the bathroom and tossing something on the floor, “Who’s sock is this?”

I looked up from my essay, “not mine.”

“I think that’s Sam’s.” Alex shrugged, flipping the page in his history textbook. Sam looked over, “yeah that’s mine.”

Noah’s face turned bright red as he shouted, “Why the fuck was it sitting on my god damn toothbrush!”

I wrinkled my nose at the thought, we had learned quite early on that Sam had some of the worst body odor known to man. I swear if we could find a way to weaponize it, we wouldn’t have to worry about the elves any more.

“Oh sorry about that.” Sam said sheepishly.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it!” Noah screamed, throwing the sock at him, “you're buying me a new one today. There is no way in hell I’m using it now that your crusty ass sock’s contaminated it.”

“Contaminated? That seems a bit harsh, it doesn’t even smell that bad.” he said and sniffed his sock, “never mind I’ll get you a new one if we go out for dinner tonight, unless Ryze is cooking for us again.”

“No way, do you have any idea how much food I gotta prepare for you alone? Not to mention Arya and Ilia, that elf eats more than the three of us combined.” I said motioning at Alex and Noah.

“Are you calling my girlfriend fat?” Alex asked.

“Hah when’d she become your girlfriend?”

“The night we moved into this tower I believe.” Noah grumbled, “they made it quite obvious.”

“Don’t remind me.” Sam said before slamming his hand on his desk, “right I give up, I cannot for the life of me figure out this problem.”

“Math with Fletcher?” I asked, Sam had been struggling in that class, he said he just had trouble with numbers but I felt like it had more to do with the fact that he would spend all class texting Sarah.

“Yeah, that trigonometry shit is hard man.”

I smacked him over the head, “it’s not hard you just don’t pay enough attention in class. She literally goes over every step you need to do multiple times.”

“It’s not my fault I pay attention, that class is so boring I swear if I had a minute left to live I would spend it in her class because it would still feel like an eternity.”

“How is that not your fault, you're the one who’s not paying attention.”

“Are you going to help me or not?”

"Fine I’ll help you, but if you keep neglecting your work, you’ll be screwed on the test. Then you’ll get to spend some quality time with Ms. Mallory.”

“Thanks man.”

Cassie stood in front of Arya with her hands on her hips, “Until you finish that essay, I will not allow you to leave this room.”

“You can’t do that!” Arya shouted, she loomed over Cassie’s diminutive frame but the shorter girl held her ground.

“It is in the best interest of the team that we all maintain high level grades and you Ms. Arcturus have some of the lowest grades in our year.”

“Way to call her out on that.” Val said she was lying on back while a textbook floated above her face.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

“Who gives a shit about grades? Are grades on a piece of paper going to save my life when we’re being attacked by demons? No, but you know what will help, letting me train with Alex.”

Illia cocked her head to one side, “you said that yesterday.”

“Yeah, and it still applies today!”

“But curiously, the two of you never entered the practice arena. Instead you met at the front door and went to a hotel in the city only returning after dinner. Therefore it is highly likely you are lying today as well.”

“Whatever.”

“Tell me Arya Arcturus, do you plan to allow Alex to pena-”

“OH YOU KNOW WHAT!” Arya interrupted loudly, “I think I’ll just stay here and get that essay finished.”

“I think that is a fantastic idea.” Cassie said with a glimmer in her eye. “Though I must ask, what do you see in Alex?”

“What do you see in Ryze?” Arya shot back.

Cassie huffed, “don’t change the subject, Alex is not from an influential house, he doesn’t have a widely powerful Trait nor is he any intellectual master mind. Don’t get me started on his rather repulsive behavior.”

“How about the fact that he’s a nice person who’s kind to me and doesn’t see me as some dumb bimbo?”

“No one sees you like that.”

“Your brother does!”

“My brother is an imbecile who still requires help tying a tie. You should not take anything he says into great consideration and for the record, I do not have any interest in Ryze Varus.”

Val let the book float down to the ground and she snorted, “sure, like we don’t see the way you look at him.”

“I’ve known him for less than two weeks.”

“So? Arya’s known Alex for like one and they’re already together.”

“But that’s Arya!”

“Hey what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Cassie?” Illia asked and they all turned to look at the short elf girl, “how do I get your brother to notice me?”

Val blinked, “What?”

“Why would you ever want that bum to notice you?” Arya demanded, Cassie huffed, “that bum as you so eloquently put it, is my brother.”

“Samuel Bright is the third son is he not?” Illia asked.

“Yes he is but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”

She pressed on, “And your father Jackson Bright is the third son as well, correct?”

“Wait!” Val cut in, “is your grandfather also the third son?”

Cassie nodded, “Like I said, I do not see the significance.” she paused for a moment, “oh please, do you really believe in those old wives tales?”

“Is he?”

“Grandpa Philip was the third son and the first to take on the Bright name.” she sighed.

“Not truly the first,” Illia noted, “only the first in several hundred years, but that is not important, what is, is the fact that he is the third son of three generations of third sons.”

Arya scratched her head, “is that supposed to mean something?”

“Three is a holy number is it not?” Val asked, “the three great races, the three planets, the three major fiefs? There must be a meaning to the madness.”

“Superstition and fairy tales told to the masses.” Cassie dismissed with a wave but Val shook her head.

“All superstitions and fairy tales have a grain of truth in them though I do not see what this has to do with Sam.”

“Pfffht, it’s obvious she just wants to get in his pants and is just making some excuse.”

“That is not it!” she shouted hopping from one foot to the other.

“Oh it isn’t?”

Illia puffed her checks out, “No it isn’t, long ago when my mother was just a child. The great oracle of the Flower Fruit Mountain foretold of a human emperor, the third of three thirds who would bring either everlasting peace or total annihilation.”

“Wait, that emperor is my brother?”

“That is what the Council believes.” Illia said.

Cassie frowned, what of her other two brothers. This did not bode well for them, “I see, but that does not answer my question.”

Illia lowered her head and tapped her pointer fingers together, “He reminds me of someone I lost.”

Arya and Val shared a glance, “I see…”

“To be honest, I am not sure what my imbecile of a brother likes. I assume you could ask his teammates, they might have a better understanding of him.”

“You could always just eliminate the competition until there is only you for him to notice.” Arya suggested with a grin, “I think he’s been hanging around Sarah and her team a lot recently.”

Illia furrowed her brow deep in thought, “That would be a convenient solution to my problems.”

“Wait you’re not actually thinking about killing her are you?” Arya asked frantically.

“Of course not silly,” she giggled, “of course not.”

There was an awkward pause as the three girls stared at the elf while she giggled to herself.

“It’s not like she could win a fight against Sarah anyways.” Val said with a shrug, “so there isn’t too much to be worried about.”

“Hey shouldn’t we talk to Sam about this whole becoming the emperor thing?”

“NO!” Illia shrieked, “the last time someone told a prince of their destiny… Let’s just say the Sun King did not take the news too well.”

“But he deserves to know.”

“No!” she repeated, “The council decreed that if the Bright child learned of his fate then they would terminate his existence.’

“Why? If we tell him now then he would have more time to prepare and learn. As of right now, Sam has no interest or training in matters of state.”

“The Sunking killed eight hundred and fifty four of my kind by himself, not to mention the thousands that died at the hands of his soldiers. All because the council was not willing to take decisive actions. They will not make the same mistake twice.”

Simultaneously all their pads dinged at the same time. Cassie looked down and saw a message sent from Ms. Mallory.

“This is a notice that all first year students are to prepare for their first Off Campus mission. Each team will be shadowing a Guardian to learn first hand about the duties of a true Guardian.”

After a long meditation break or as Alex called it, ‘eating enough to feed a starving village then going comatose for five hours.’ Sam decided that joining Leviathan was the worst idea he had ever had. When he’d imagined the place his mind had been filled with fights, food, and hot girls. Not math homework and history lectures. Oh the girls were for the most part incredibly sexy but he hadn’t expected to have this much trouble getting one. Well girls that he was into at least, he shuddered at the thought of Illia.

“Yo Big B!” Ryze screamed from the Lounge room, “Get your lazy ass out of bed and prep for class. You know we have that exam in Patch’s class, and I swear on Unity’s name if you don’t get a 80 or higher I’ll move Illia’s bed into our room.”

That got his attention and within a few minutes Sam was out of bed and in uniform. He stomped down the stairs with a scowl that only deepened when he saw Noah shake his head and Alex chuckle.

“You wouldn’t dare.” he said, Ryze raised a brow.

“Oh, You want to find out?”

Sam clenched his fist and called his bluff, “Yeah do it right now then, you know what? She doesn’t even need to move her bed, she can just sleep with me.”

Ryze grinned and started to open his mouth when Alex cut in, “Wait let’s talk about this. I don’t want to wake up to that little demon chewing my head off. Who the hell knows what she’ll do to us when we’re asleep.”

“Not that we’re getting much of that anyways with how loud Sam’s snoring is.” Noah muttered, “Plus I don’t feel too safe sleeping in the same room as her.”

“I guess it’s all down to how well Sam does on this test.”

“Come on Ryze, it’s one class.” he whined, “I’m seventh in our combat class and top twenty in the rest of them.”

“You’re also the Royal Prince.” Alex noted, “doesn’t that mean you need to be better than the rest of us?”

“I am better than the rest of you,” Sam said

Ryze coughed, “Sure.”

“You’re just lucky you haven’t had to fight anyone good.”

“Yeah I’m real lucky, so lucky in fact that I’m top of the class and haven’t lost a single match.”

Noah snorted, “You’re not top of the class, you’re tied for top of the class with Sarah. Will would also be tied with you but he had to fight her last week.”

“Oh yeah? And what place are you Noah?”

He sniffed, “not everyone needs to be an expert hand to hand fighter.”

“Let me translate that,” Alex grinned, “‘I’m 50th in the class and won’t act on my obvious desire for a romantic relationship with Val.’”

At that moment Val and Cassie walked down the stairs, Ryze and Sam facepalmed and Noah slammed his head into the table. “God damn it Alex.”

“Come on guys, we need to get to class.”