If I were to describe my lodging, well...
It wasn’t the Parsian, that was certain. But I’d also seen worse in my time as a low-ranked adventurer. Adventurer lodges, at least those aimed at the general populace of adventurers, definitely weren’t quality, to say the least.
It was, in fairness, a proper home. There were several rooms, albeit on the smaller side, and a kitchen I could utilize. Unlike in the main holds of Haerasong or the bustling Akadia, there appeared to be no electrical appliances.
Interesting.
With a heavy sigh, I dropped into the bed of my temporary bedroom, exhausted from nearly two weeks of travel. Laying there, I felt something brush against me, a presence that I felt both physically and mentally rubbing against the edge of my mind.
“There you are.” I smiled briefly as an oversized cat leaped onto the bed from the shadows, snuggling herself beside my head.
In the escape from Akadia, I’d been forced to abandon most of my things. While the Shadow Blossom had been with Imako and Scyla in the chaos of passing into Imako’s shadows and the fight at the docks, it hadn’t been until the ship had been at sail for over an hour that I’d realized I’d forgotten the cat.
Or I thought I’d forgotten the monster cat, only for her to come prowling out from a dark corner, her tail flicking about with an indignant flair, that I’d had the nerve to almost forget her.
“All’s well that ends well,” I said without mirth, briefly petting the monster before returning to staring at the ceiling.
A lot has happened.
War, violence, death. I tried to wrap my mind around them, but it was too much for me. Sure, I wasn’t a teenager anymore. I’d done quite a bit of growing up since I’d first left home, but I was still only in my mid-twenties; the thought of war had never even occurred to me in the past.
What can you do?
Scyla had once posed that question to me. What could I realistically have done to prevent war?
Apparently, not much. Not that anyone could. Events had been set in motion, and there was likely no turning back.
I grimaced. If I was asked to kill, that wasn’t nearly the biggest of my worries. I had killed fellow men and women before and would do it again if my life was measured against theirs.
It was simply the nature of the situation.
War.
I closed my eyes tightly, trying to close out the chaos within my mind, but as with every night I closed my eyes, all that greeted me was the faces of the dead. Students, teachers, innocents. Their only crime had been attending the school where I taught.
No.
A torrent of raging fire suddenly surged through my body, my lip turning upward into a silent snarl as the faces flashed faster and faster through my mind.
No.
It wasn’t my fault; blaming myself wouldn’t bring anyone back. I knew damn well that the attack on the academy had always been planned as an instigation. I was only a bonus, an enticing offer to bring some scorned mercenaries on board.
Control. It all comes down to power.
The threat of easing tensions, of comradery and peace, was a threat that those who thrived off instability would not allow. The crown could not be allowed to see eye to eye with their rivals across the political aisle. Whether it was because of the belief in magic being good or bad was irrelevant.
It really all boiled down to control.
It’s for that reason that you can’t rest yet.
The surging fire quelled, pleased with my thoughts, as if ensuring I was truly dedicated to seeking justice.
No, not justice.
Justice wasn’t what I was after.
Revenge, plain and simple. Revenge for everything stolen from my life and those I cared for. The dead care not for justice, so it can only be revenge.
The faces of the deceased faded long enough that, exhausted, I slipped into the sweet embrace of darkness.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Rook? Rook Baster? I’ve been sent to collect you.”
“Huh?” I grumbled, suddenly wide awake as the pounding on my door continued.
Did I get a message from the front desk?
Mind collecting an instant later, it was as if I was doused with ice water.
Right, I’m not in Akadia anymore.
“Give me a moment,” I called out as I poked my head out of my bedroom, shouting at the front door.
Clothes, clothes… Right, don’t have any.
I opened a drawer just in case, only to be met with clothes that suspiciously matched my size.
So, Imako was confident he could get me to join his merry band before he left.
There was the question of how they’d gotten my size correct, but I shrugged it off as the intuition of a thousand-plus-year magical beast having seen many people. It wasn’t out of the question that he could have guessed how tall I was.
Plus, knowing that Nochesuki works with my family from time to time, he’s probably seen my family’s average build and size and based it on that as well.
The idea of others having more information about me than I wanted them to know always left me uneasy, but I brushed it aside. Without much thought, I threw on a pair of dark green, nearly black pants made of a stretchy fabric between loose and snug, just enough bagginess for effortless acrobatics without tripping me up. Sifting through the shirts, I pulled on a body-tight t-shirt made of a breathable black fabric.
Might be a little cold.
Realizing the error of walking out with just that, I quickly rummaged through where several jackets and cloaks were hanging, finally opting to pull on what looked like a mix between a vest and the top half of a dogi uniform. It was a dark grey that surprisingly matched the nearly black dark green pants.
Would have preferred a slightly brighter wardrobe. All these dark shades make me look like some sort of reaper.
Given the island was in the middle of the ocean and crashing waves, there was a permanent salty mist in the air. White clothes would have quickly lost their luster, so the dark clothes made sense, but I still grumbled under my breath.
Perhaps all that time spent with a bunch of rich noble kids and wealthy elites rubbed off on me too much. When did I become concerned with such trivial things?
“Who cares.” I finally announced to myself, ending the mental conversation as I promptly slammed the closet of overwear closed. Walking briskly but without too much haste, I yanked my front door open, coming face to face with the girl from the day prior.
“Aisha, was it?”
“Yes!” The girl seemed to glow at the fact that I had taken the time to remember her name. “I was sent to fetch you. Your exam will be taking place at the training grounds.”
“Training grounds, huh?” I mumbled to myself. “Some things never change.”
“What was that?” The girl asked, clearly being polite, given there was no chance she hadn’t heard what I’d mumbled.
“Nothing.” I shrugged. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Following the girl, I was greeted with an overcast day, the sun’s rays peeking out just enough so it wasn’t outright gloomy and grey. The salty mist seemed to infuse every breath, and the taste of seawater continuously wafted over my tongue.
Not my sort of weather.
I found the hot, albeit not suffocatingly warm, heat of Akadia to be ideal. It was warmer than my childhood home in the north but not so scorching as Dunehold. Here, while the air was warm, the sheer amount of water vapor and sea mist kept the island on the colder side of chilly.
All in all, I was thankful I hadn’t walked out in just the t-shirt and pants.
I had assumed the girl would blabber on as she led me toward our destination. Instead, she stuck two fingers into her mouth only a few steps from my lodging as she let loose a piercing whistle.
“Ow.” I winced as I rubbed my ear.
“Oh, sorry, I should have warned you.” The girl winced as if she was the one who’d been subject to an ear-piercing whistle.
“Yeah, well, I’ll take that warning next time,” I grumbled. Several seconds passed, until dashing toward us came two oversized lizards. Reflexively, I felt myself reaching for magic, but the girl waved a hand in warning, having noticed my expression.
“Wait! They aren’t what they look like.”
“They look an awful lot like Izheruk, and those are known for having nasty temperaments.”
“Well, they’re not.” The girl folded her arms. “Take a second look, why don’t you?”
Easing up, I did as the girl said, only then noticing that the lizards were, in fact, not the oversized gorilla-like reptiles I’d had the joy of killing back at the Ahriman Islands.
They were flatter with less muscular frames and none of the hulking appendages. They weren’t charging either; it was more like some awkward cross between a slither and the gallop of a short-legged pony.
“They’re Crocos.”
“They don’t look much like crocodiles,” I responded.
“Crocos, not crocodiles. Think of them as an even-tempered cousin to both crocodiles and Izheruk. Just without the lightning or death rolls.”
“Hmm,” I grumbled as the oversized geckos finally reached us, dropping flat to the ground before us.
“So, now what?”
In response, the girl laid stomach first on the back of one of the crocos, gesturing at me with her hand to copy her.
“You’re kidding.” I groaned. Of all the methods of travel I’d experienced in my life, I’d never seen anything quite like this.
“It’s fine. Just, uh, don’t let go. They’re not the brightest, so they have been known to sometimes run off without their rider.”
“Right.” I sighed, shaking my head. Trying not to think about how ridiculous I’d look, I crawled onto the back of the lizard, clutching it tightly.
“Um, you might want to watch your ears.”
“Watch my ears? My hands are currently- ow.”
Not waiting for me to finish my sentence, the girl released another of the ear-piercing whistles. Instantly, the lizards were off, covering the slick cobbled ground with speed and grace as if it were as dry and sturdy as a paved road.
I’d never had a problem with any travel method in my years. Boats were fine; I’d gotten used to Ring Gates, and even horses had never been an issue.
But I won’t deny, clutching onto the back of the croco, I felt my stomach rolling around so that had any contents been within it, they would have been heaved in short order.
Wonderful. Just lovely.
The random assortment of buildings flew by as the lizards darted between cobbled roads and grassy patches dividing the homes and back paths, unconcerned with frivolities such as sticking to maintained roadways.
While not a pleasant journey, it was at least relatively short. The brainless lizards focused entirely on speeding to their destination; only minutes later, I slowly peeled myself off the back of my lizard as we arrived at our apparent destination.
“Alright, you can get going.” The girl gave the lizard a heavy pat on its hind leg, prompting it to dash off to who knew where.
“Get out of here. “ I growled at my lizard. “Before I make some boots out of you.”
Clearly terrified of my threat, especially with my intimidating green expression, the lizard licked its eye once before lazily following its partner.
“Sorry about the ride. They’re good for moving around the island fast, but they’re, uhm, not exactly the smoothest trip.”
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“You don’t say,” I muttered. “Where’d you even find them?”
“They’re native to the waters around here. They’re stupid as sin, though, so we only have a few trained. They stay cooped until they hear that whistle and then come running.”
“How’d it know where to go if they’re so stupid?”
“It didn’t,” Aisha answered. “I was guiding mine, and yours just happened to follow.”
“Oh,” I said, my respect for the lizards dropping further. “We’re here though, right?”
“Yep, here we are!” The girl waved forward excitedly as I stared with a dead expression.
“This really it?”
“Yep!”
“Doesn’t look like much.” I snorted.
It was a grass field.
That was it.
Just a grass field. There was a single nearby shed, but that was it.
“We can’t exactly mark the ground; the constant salt water would wash anything away. Also, can’t exactly lay concrete here; again, the constant salt water in the air would prevent it from hardening. Cobbling the field wouldn’t help, either. It would make slipping and twisting an ankle on the smooth and uneven footing easier. So, better to just keep it a field of grass.”
“Uh-huh.” I nodded, still unable to judge the ‘training grounds’ fairly. “That said, I don’t see anyone?”
“They’re probably on their way.”
“They?”
“Well, earlier this morning, our top commander returned, Erin-”
“Erin Greyheart, yes, I have heard the name enough times. They’re to judge me, but who is supposed to be my ‘examiner’ for this little test?”
“Well, there aren’t many who could measure up to you based on your previous deeds, so-”
“So I’ll be in charge of the exam.” Someone called out from nearby, stepping out from behind the nearby shed.
“Wonderful.” I groaned as Imako flashed his wolfish grin. “How long were you waiting there to make a timely entrance?”
“Fifteen minutes, in fact,” Imako answered, still smiling. “I was honestly starting to get bored.”
“No, not you.” I scoffed.
“I know, shocking, isn’t it?” Imako rolled with it as he sighed heavily. “But that matters not because I think the time is at hand, as our final member of this little party has appeared. And look at them; they’re bringing an entourage.”
From further away, a crowd was approaching. I instantly recognized the towering figure of the second Star of Nochesuki. However, next to her was a figure I could only identify by how they held themselves, clearly carrying an air of authority around them. Whereas Nicole stood out for her extreme height, the second figure was perfectly indistinct. Their hair was cropped so that it could have been a man or woman, perfectly average height and physique that left me entirely stumped as to what they were. Several more figures flitted between them, but I paid them no heed. I could tell with just a glance they were nothing more than assistants or advisors, only Nicole and Erin of note.
“Ahh, Erin. It’s my pleasure to see you once more.” Imako gave a dramatic flourish and bow, theatrical and unnecessary, as the commander approached.
“Imako.” They nodded toward the magical beast as I frowned.
Even their voice is a perfect average. If I closed my eyes, I could neither tell you whether it belonged to a man or woman.
Remembering yesterday’s advice from the Second Star, I gave them a brief, stunted salute.
“Ahh, yes, and Rook Baster.” The head Star inclined their head to me. “I must say, your family has always been quite the useful ally. That alone is enough for you to find yourself among friends here.”
I very much doubt that, but sure go on.
“With that said, even if you find yourself welcome here, it must be noted that to contribute to our efforts, we require a certain amount of… understanding. I have no mistaken notion that you are here to be a common foot soldier. If you were a well-accomplished master of subterfuge, disguise, and other nefarious arts, you would have already been under command by Imako there. So, it’s a matter of understanding your raw combat capabilities that is important here.”
“Yes, that’s generally what an ‘exam’ is for.” I smiled pleasantly, even as the annoyance rolled off my tongue.
Amongst friends? Hah. I’m a handy tool that your attack dog brought in.
I was under no illusion of false pretenses of goodwill. A war was about to be waged, and they would need every resource they could get.
You know, I’ve never really been amongst friends, have I?
Even growing up, I’d only ever had one friend. As an adventurer, I’d been the object of scorn more often than not, and even during my time in Akadia, I’d never actually made any real friends. The closest things I had to friends were my monster cat and the smith from Dunehold, who I’d only seen once in the last few years.
Maybe I should be more social? No, wait, not the time for those sorts of thoughts.
“While I’ve heard of some of your exploits, you must understand that words and reports alone aren’t enough an assessment, not with special cases such as yourself. If you’re as powerful as you are claimed to be, then we must know exactly to what degree. If we send you on a mission involving you fighting against a squad of linked subjugators or enforcers, getting yourself killed because we overestimated your capabilities would do no one any good.”
“Yes, dying is generally against my best interests,” I said.
“Precisely. Hence, your examiner will be none other than Imako. There are none with the same power as he within all Nochesuki and experience to back it up. With the death of their head subjugator some eight years ago, which we owe some thanks to you in part for, the crown lost their strongest singular weapon. That allowed us to be far bolder in the years since. The advantage of individual power is now on our side with Imako here. The problem was we only had one Imako, and losing him would have been a more catastrophic blow to us than the loss of the head subjugator was to the crown. If you are as powerful as implied, it would give us the ability to maneuver pieces in this war that would have been impossible before. In fact, it may give us the chance to strike a decisive blow before the war drags on. It shouldn’t be a surprise why a dragged-on war is against our interests, is it?”
“Because more people will die?” I offered.
“Sentimental, but no. We lack the resources of the crown. Allied with Viceroy Alexandria as we are, it puts us in relative contention to what the crown and loyalists have at their disposal. Still, they outstrip us in every department two to one. The only area they don’t-”
“Would be singularly powerful individuals.” I offered.
“Hence the value of knowing to what degree you line up.”
“If we’re so heavily disadvantaged, surely just having Imako and myself, even if I’m as valuable as you hope, won’t be enough.”
“Ahh, that is why I’m in charge of the armed forces and our strategies. Normally, you would be correct. Given the position of Alexandria and her region as central to Haerasong and nestled within the central desert, it affords us the luxury of cutting off the north and south. So even disadvantaged, they cannot simply crush the resistance.”
“They aren’t at risk of attack on both sides?”
“We can discuss these things at length later.” Commander Greyheart shook their head. “You bring up topics that have been discussed amongst ourselves already, but it’s better if we wait until we know how to deploy you before we begin discussing strategy and battle plans.”
Sure, whatever, I know a dismissal when I see one.
Perhaps my judgment was too harsh, but I’d found my ability to think kindly and considerably of others had withered in the advent of the attack on the academy.
Simply put, I had jaded in the two weeks since.
“Alright, well, get me a sword, and we can get this over with.” I huffed as I turned to face Imako.
“About that.” Imako was grinning an unsettling grin. “You won’t be using a sword.”
“Excuse me?”
“Admiral Garcett has already informed us of your skill with the blade, and Imako was there to deem his assessment accurate. We don’t need to see how you wave a blade around. We need to see how you fight, even in an unfavorable position. Neither you nor Imako will be receiving weapons.”
“But he doesn’t need any?” I frowned as I pointed at his clawed hands.
“As I said, part of this is to evaluate your ability in a confrontation where you are disadvantaged.” The Head Star reminded me.
“Damnit.” I bit back anything harsher, swallowing my words as I nodded. “Fine, let’s get on with it then.”
“I’m pleased you see things our way.” Erin gave me a nod before waving forward. “You two may begin when you’re ready.”
Imako and I distanced ourselves from the rest of the group, eyeing each other as we made our way to the more open part of the field.
“Look at this.” Imako was all smiles as he watched me, the smile never quite reaching his eyes. “You ever think you’d reach this point one day, kid?”
“No,” I grunted. “And I’m not a kid.”
“You could be a hundred years old and still be a kid to me.” The magical beast answered.
“Try me then.” Snapped in annoyance.
In hindsight, such words were probably purposefully provoked. The magical beast nodded, vanishing like a flickering shadow, before suddenly appearing before me as he thrust forward his hand, his sharp nails now savage raking claws.
Taken off guard, years of fighting and training kicked me into action before my mind even registered what I was doing. I slipped aside the raking claw as my palm snapped upward, slamming hard into the magical beast’s extended elbow at the exact moment I struck with my left arm, slamming square in the sternum. Imako stepped back, surprised, but I kept the pressure up. I grounded my stance, mana rotating through me and guiding each attack with far more force and power than any human could ever dream of achieving, each blow as heavy as a charging horse and as fast as a striking viper.
Against an ordinary foe, the sudden savage flurry of strikes and jabs would have left them a smeared stain on the ground.
However, Imako was far from ordinary.
Recovering his posture instantly, my strikes were met with equally ferocious redirects and jabs of his own, dozens of blows traded in an instant as we fought directly hand to hand. A human may not have been capable of generating the same raw power I was as we fought, but Imako only looked human. He was a magical beast, flesh and blood woven through with mana.
We continued exchanging blows, and somewhere in my mind, I recognized the sounds of a low whistle and stunned murmurs as we fought. Still, I was too engaged in the fight to pay those irrelevant details any attention.
Faster.
I was beginning to lose ground. Imako’s thousand years of combat experience was not an easily overcome wall, and even as versed as I had become with hand-to-hand combat in my time self-training in the champion circuit, it hardly compared.
Stronger.
Grinding my back heel into the dirt, I sent my strongest blow yet toward his chin, but the magical beast narrowly slipped the strike before returning my favor from the start of the hurried exchange. His leg snapped upward, catching my elbow and tearing my defensive stance apart. With the practiced speed and ease of a trained martial artist, he let his momentum carry him upward into a spinning jump, lashing out with his other foot as a snapping kick caught me in the chest and tossed me away, my back impacting heavily on the damp grass.
Ow.
To stay on the ground meant death in a heated battle, so I was already rebounding, preparing for further savage blows, but Imako hadn’t followed. Instead, he had mimed pulling back the string of a bow as a fiery arrow flickered into existence.
Shit.
Releasing the fiery projectile from its invisible bow, the arrow instantly leaped across the distance separating us.
Shit, shit, shit!
Every nerve in my body was screaming with danger, so without thought, I flicked my wrist upward as I felt my mana reserves take a sizeable hit as the spell activated. The arrow that was an instant from hitting me suddenly leaped upward, flying straight into the sky before vanishing.
Stupid. Stupid. I should have just used null!
My irritation with myself was relatively short-lived. Bend took a rather massive amount of mana to utilize; ordinarily, using it to defend against another spell was an expensive waste of a rather precious resource when null often could do the job just as well. Yet, as I saw the look of surprise on Imako’s face, it was as if my initial instinct to use bend was vindicated. For someone as experienced as Imako to look so surprised his relatively simple-looking spell had been thwarted likely meant one thing.
Whatever the specifics of the spell were, it was a spell that was meant to be nearly impossible to defend against.
Alright, it’s time to test a theory.
Say what you will about Imako, but even surprised, the magical beast hardly slowed a beat, another arrowing firing off nearly instantly.
I gulped as, whipping my hand forward, a sword materialized within my grasp, swinging to intercept the arrow. The two opposing forces met, and then, with a shrieking sound of tearing metal, the sword exploded in a shower of metal scraps that vanished before they could touch the ground. As for the arrow, it continued screaming toward me, but I had already been dodging out of the way, the swing of the sword nothing more than a testing strike.
Well, that confirms it.
Rainsplitter, even when not fully manifested, had some anti-mana properties. At worst, an ordinary conjured fire arrow should have splashed against the blade with force, not outright tearing it apart and sundering it so violently.
Bad news. Those arrows are bad news.
As much as I wanted to take more time to dissect how they worked and why a spell made of nothing more than a primal element could have so much effect, I needed to keep my mind sharp, and my attention focused.
If they can bypass mana nullification, I can’t afford to test my luck with null.
Imako was already drawing his invisible bow back, another arrow poised to launch toward me. In response, I thrust a hand forward, shouting.
“Aulous!”
A jet of pressurized water lanced toward the magical beast as my mana reserves took another significant hit, more mana used than such a mundane spell should have usually taken.
Imako seemed unphased by the spell, smiling briefly as he attempted to simply sidestep it, only to suddenly be yanked back in place. Or, more accurately, he could not move in the first place as clamping down on his legs and locking him in place were shackles of ice.
Got ya.
Unable to avoid the water lance, it slammed home into his shoulder. Against a human, it would have torn through like a blade through butter. Against Imako, the best I got was a deep wound and the uncommon sight of his wincing face.
How’d you like that?
“Clever.” The magical beast took a moment to speak as he waved at his feet, straining for a moment before it shattered. “Expensive, too.”
He wasn’t wrong. It had been a two-pronged attack, one part decoy, one part restraint. The first had been the obvious lance of water, meant to draw his attention. The second was drawing the water-saturated air close around his legs before locking the mana in place, the water ‘freezing’ instantly.
Warm ice. The party trick I’d shown off several times in Akadia had finally proven directly useful in a fight.
“But, you get ahead of yourself.”
While I’d inflicted the first actual injury, Imako was unphased. Drawing his arm back with barely a wince, the abnormal fire arrow appeared once more.
He’s right. I did get ahead of myself.
I’d been fighting with Imako from the standpoint of near-equals, but I’d been mistaken. Imako had mana reserves to spare.
I did not.
Who knows how long he can continue shooting those arrows before it has any notable impact on his mana reserves?
The only thing I had that could readily defend against them within my arsenal was Bend, and my ability to damage the magical beast wasn’t much better, being that he was a magical beast, his flesh and blood was infused with mana, magical attacks would have less effect than ordinary.
Basically, I can’t drag this out.
Mind made up, I raised my arms overhead as the grey skies suddenly lit up like a star had descended from the heavens, a blade of the most luminous shining light held over my head.
One shot.
When weighed against any other spell I’d seen from other mages, Rainsplitter was second only to one other act of magic. It had been a spell my adopted sister had conjured forward that had felt like I’d been exposed to the very core of the sun. Yet, even when measured against such magic, I couldn’t say with certainty that Rainsplitter, when fully released, wouldn’t have been capable of overcoming it. My greatest ace in the hole was the sheer concentrated power and ability to cleave through opposing magic. Unless Imako had a spell unlike anything I’d ever conceived possible, he would-
“Enough!”
The shout rang out, snapping me out of my battle trance as I looked around in surprise.
“Enough.” Nicole, the Second Star of Nochesuki, had interrupted, stepping forward as she scowled at any who met her gaze. “Commander Erin.” She glanced back to the head Star, her scowl lessoning. “You’ve seen enough, haven’t you? Or would you prefer that they slaughter themselves and anyone else who happens to get in the path of the magic they’re flinging around?”
“Yes, I believe I have seen enough.” The commander smiled, perfect teeth sending a strange shiver up my back.
There’s no emotion in there.
“Imako, Rook, you may both stand down.”
Glancing toward Imako, he smirked as he inclined his head slightly deeper than I’d seen from him before. Responding, I lowered my arms as the light dimmed, fading entirely a single later as the blade vanished. A wave of lightheadedness washed over me as the first effect of sudden mana depletion began to rock me.
It could be worse. I winced. It was never wise to burn through too much mana all at once, something I’d experienced after my duel with Harris, but here I was looking to replay those events had it not been for the interruption.
Still.
Imako looked right as rain, waltzing toward me before patting me on the shoulder.
“Guess it wasn’t all talk.” My former master whispered into my ear, his smile lessened. It lasted only a moment before the smile returned as he faced the crowd. “As Rook’s examiner, he has full marks from me. Send him on whatever missions you want. I reckon the crown has only two or three individuals now that could fight him as an equal as he currently is. No promises on any Core-Linked, but even I need to be wary against those.”
The Head Star nodded as if they’d been expecting it.
“Good, then you’re dismissed, Imako. I believe you have orders already waiting for you.”
“I live to serve.” Imako gave a deep bow, full of insincerity, before he sauntered off.
“Orders?” I questioned after I watched the man-beast leave.
“Yes, you believe we’d let him lounge around when his talents are better spent elsewhere?”
“No, I guess not,” I admitted.
“Good. With that understanding, it’s time we begin discussing your orders.”
“My orders?” I questioned.
“Yes, your orders. You believe we’d let you lounge around when your talents are better spent elsewhere?”
“Fair.” I cocked my head in acknowledgment as the Head Star replayed her earlier statement, now intended for me.
“Now then, if you understand, follow along. Time is of the essence. Plus, you have your squad to meet.”
“My what?”
“Your squad. Based on all the reports, I already decided you will work in a squad. It was just a question of whether you would be an equal member or leading it.”
“And your decision regarding that?”
“Take a wild guess.” The commander said plainly. “Now, come along, the daylight tires.”
I glanced about, the Head Star and their entourage heading somewhere else as I could only stare in dumbfounded surprise.
Never a dull moment.
Not wanting to be left behind, I began following, like the good, dutiful soldier I’d apparently become.
Never a dull moment.