Volithur had made a small amount of progress towards level four before the Sergeant returned to collect him. “Another level, Ward Harridan! I’m pleased you took to my advice so ardently. Master Aramar instituted a rule in the fifth household that no commoner lower than level four may receive cultivation resources, so your efforts will be greatly beneficial to your future. Are you ready to go?”
“Do I have to go back to training?”
The Sergeant sat beside him on the bed. “Ward Harridan, I understand why you would be reluctant to return. The thirty-second son has… increased the intensity… of training. His son, Master Dorian, was… over-enthusiastic... when sparring you. However, the Marshal believes your absence has been prolonged. The fifth household has a responsibility towards you that must be met. And you cannot be allowed to shirk your training.”
Volithur reached deep within himself to find the resolve to stand. Like putting on a mask, he dropped back into the persona of ‘Harridan’. He dropped a bow. “Understood, Master Sergeant.”
The Sergeant sighed at the formality. “If it helps assuage your concerns, Master Aramar dictated a list of acceptable opponents for Master Dorian. His spars are limited to myself, the Marshal, and a few others.”
Volithur scanned the Sergeant’s features, noticing a few faded bruises. “Do you hold your own, Sergeant?”
A vicious smile briefly lit the Sergeant’s face before vanishing as if it never existed. “Master Aramar requires us to pressure his son. Though I may only recently have risen to level five, my body has been thoroughly conditioned and I have been fighting my entire life. I hold my own just fine, Ward Harridan.”
The return trip to the barracks proved enlightening. Volithur had not been in the right condition to observe his trip to the militia infirmary, so he enjoyed his first sights of the city. It was cobbled streets, natural stone buildings, slate roofs, painted wooden signs on places of business, and wooden-wheeled wagons in the street. It was like a renaissance fair come to life from back home. The wind blew a tangle of scents to his nose. Manure was in there for sure. Charred meats. Fresh bread. Body odor. Wood. Leather.
Above them, occasional bodies zipped past. The Sergeant caught his interest and explained. “The estate is a strict no fly zone. Our transports are the only things permitted to break the roof line. The only exception would be if we had a visit from the Lord General himself.”
“Does that ever happen?”
The Sergeant shrugged. “Very infrequently.”
They crossed through a checkpoint to enter through a gate in the estate wall, which took no time at all with the Sergeant as his escort. The militia soldiers waved them through without question. One of the soldiers even gave a friendly “good to see you back” to Volithur. The members of the militia likely didn’t know his name, but they had surely witnessed his beating. Volithur pushed that memory away.
Their journey across the yard took them directly to the pyramidal barracks. Volithur was taken to the dining room, where dinner had just begun. A series of greetings were called to him, which Volithur answered with a lazy wave.
Then Thassily seized him in a crushing hug. “Are you okay, Harridan?”
Volithur patted his friend on the back. “Fine.”
Thassily dropped him back to the ground. “Did you advance again? I’m still level one!”
Volithur looked at his friend’s cultivation level. The light had stopped shimmering and was frozen in a solid configuration. “Are you close?”
“Everyone says I’m almost there, but cultivating is so much harder lately. It seems to slip back out just as fast as I shove it in.”
“That’s how you know you’re close. You could probably get there tonight.”
“How? They aren’t giving elixirs to me anymore.”
Volithur put his arm around his friend. “I’ll show you how to cultivate with your aura.”
Thassily looked down. “That would be nice, I guess.”
“We can get to level four without resources,” Volithur asserted.
“What’s the point?” Thassily gestured to the soldiers around them. “I don’t want this to be my life, Harridan. I don’t want to do good in my training and be sent to unempowered worlds. Why should I be like the people who ruined our city?”
“You don’t have to be like them. But if you don’t get power –”
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“If I do get power, then they make me a soldier and send me to slaughter innocent people. I’d rather be a nobody, Harridan. At least I’d be able to live with myself then.”
Volithur pitched his voice lower than it already was. “What about revenge?”
“If the past three weeks have taught me anything, it’s that there are levels of power I can never hope to reach. I don’t even dare to dream about revenge anymore.”
They ate a somber dinner before returning to the room they shared, where Volithur explained aural cultivation to Thassily. His friend soon picked up the method and practiced it with a mild enthusiasm. Apparently, they had each experienced a rough couple of weeks.
“This aura technique is great, Harridan, but I don’t think I’m going to go beyond level three. I want to stay away from fights. Maybe I can get a normal job if they see I’m no good at soldiering. Marry a hot local chick even. Though it seems like you’re ahead of me on that.”
Volithur cringed. “Nothing is going on with Ava,” he groaned.
“Not her, the other one.”
“What other one?”
“The calculations girl.”
“I don’t know who you’re –” Volithur froze. He had agreed to teach Khana calculations.
“Oh, looks like you figured it out. Who is this girl that you promised calculations tutoring?”
Volithur rubbed his temples. “She’s part of the family.”
“The one that’s coming around doesn’t wear the family seal,” Thassily said.
“She’s in the process of being disinherited.”
“What does that mean? Is she getting disowned or something?”
“She will still be a noble by birth, but no have no claim to family resources. And eventually, she won’t even be allowed to stay on the estate. They already cut off her cultivation resources.”
Thassily grunted. “Sounds like she’s in the same boat as the rest of us. At least she’s pretty, though. Neither of us have that advantage.”
Volithur jumped to his feet in mock outrage. “You’re saying I’m not pretty?”
“None of the boys think so. Not even Ronnie, and Ronnie likes boys. But stop trying to distract me. What is going on with the girl? She’s been by three times.”
“She wants to learn math from me,” Volithur explained. “That’s it. I am a pathetic commoner to her. She professed her love to Ulysses during the academic competition, and he did not return the sentiment. Now she’s planning to become a scribe and needs tutoring.”
Thassily stroked his chin. “‘Calculations’ is math. That makes so much more sense.”
“What did you think it was?”
“Sex.”
Volithur squinted at his friend. “How do you get from ‘calculations’ to ‘sex’?”
“A pretty girl was asking about you. What was I supposed to think?”
“You just said I wasn’t pretty.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t have moves, man.”
Volithur snorted. “Sure, I have moves. Number one is getting my face punched. Number two is bowing and kissing ass. Number three, the only one that has impressed anyone here, is doing math.”
“I thought you told me you weren’t all that good at math.”
“I’m a superstar on this world. You probably are too.”
“So are you going to meet up with calculations girl or not?”
“Not. I won’t be stepping foot in the palace again.”
“But calculations girl needs a sexy math tutor….”
Volithur arched a brow. “I’m not pretty, but I’m a sexy math tutor?”
Thassily pointed at him using finger guns. “A sexy math tutor with moves.”
“Well, I’m not going there. She can come here if she wants me to help her out.”
“Showing her hot math is your ultimate move.”
“Actually,” Volithur drawled, “our deal was for an equal trade. I work with her on math and she works with me on band communication. It actually works out more in my favor now since I can’t take classes anymore.”
Thassily held up his hands as if in surrender. “Serious question, no joking, you have to answer honestly. Do you find this girl attractive?”
Volithur shrugged. “So what if I did? There is no possibility of anything happening.”
“The Barracks Clerk told everyone you were soft on the cook’s assistant. Do you like her?”
“She’s a pleasant person. Not very attractive, though.”
Thassily smirked, held up a finger as if about to make a pronouncement, and paused with his mouth open. He froze there, eyelids fluttering as if in a silent seizure, and then slumped to the ground. “Damn. Your aura method works really good, Harridan.”
Sure enough, Thassily now glowed with the brightness of a level two, though there was a sense of hollowness to him. No doubt that was the lack of energy following an advancement. Volithur bumped fists with his friend. “Well done, Thassily.”
“I know it was. Anyway, bed time. The morning workout is different than you remember.”