Chapter 17:
“I see, yes~, yes, we can start that immediately.” Jiaying You said after the report was done. The room around her sudden burst into action after that statement. Not long after Yin Yue and her company have returned to Sun Tzu Military Academy, they were immediately summoned to the main office to report on their findings.
Having explained everything that has transpired during their expedition. Those present at the meeting were Jiaying You and the remaining school staff members. This time of all the facility staff members present, there was only Ji Qing Wu LaoShi and Meng Yi LaoShi. The rest being unable to report to the meeting on time. Along with Yin Yue and Ailsa Smith being the main personal, who gave the report for their team. Ning Xuemo, the vice president moved off from the room following the order that Jiaying You gave to her.
“Though not really the sort of comfort that we were looking for but, it’s reassuring that we’re not the only one in this new world.” Jiaying You said with a hint of joy in her tone.
“Yes, it does. Albeit a small one.” Ailsa Smith agreed with the student council president. “Is it?” now Yin Yue spoke, upon hearing the words coming out of her mouth, everyone’s attention was instantly draw to her. “You don’t sound very happy might I ask why Yue’er?” Ji Qing Wu LaoShi asked, her face that of concern as ever.
Yin Yue looked towards the last of her teachers, “I mean is this really a blessing?” locking eyes with Ji Qing Wu LaoShi as she continued. “I suppose it is. Being that we aren’t alone, but these are just civilians. I feel like, that we might have just taken on more burden upon ourselves in this scenario, where we simply cannot afford that.”
“Now-now Yue’er there’s no need for that kind of thinking right now.” Ji Qing Wu LaoShi replied waving her hand dismissively at the notion. “Stop thinking in such a negative manner and look at the good for once, we’ll make it work.” “I’ll take your advice under advisement.” Yin Yue said so dismissively, earning a slightly irritated head shake from Ji Qing Wu LaoShi. But she paid no heed to it.
“Back to the topic at hand.” Jiaying You grabbing everyone’s attention back towards her before she continued. “Wither they are a blessing, or a burden is up for discussion, however, like you said Yin Yue they are but civilians with no proper means to defend themselves. You must remember what we are Yue’er, we are not just random helpless people, we’re soldiers and those are our people. We do not abandon our people.”
“You know that’s not-ha, forget it you and your high morals Jiaying You.” At that Yin Yue finally conceded. No longer wishing to press on the topic, despite her itching sensation with her gut. That feeling wasn’t going away, in fact it only seemed to increase further. Causing an unsettling frustration growing within her. She didn’t understand it, just why she was having these weird sensations.
Like a growing premonition of an impending disaster, just hanging by waiting to spring their talons into her reality. However, she pushed those thoughts and feelings aside. Ji Qing Wu LaoShi was right, there was no need for such thoughts at this moment. They needed solutions to their problems, not trying to drown themselves in doubt and suspicion at everything that they might encounter.
Yin Yue was so lost in thought, that she didn’t even hear the rest of the conversation that occurred till almost near the end of the meeting. “Alright that will be it for now, does anyone have anything else to add?” Silence answered in return to Jiaying You’s question.
“Alright that is all.” This is what broke her out stupor. As the shuffling footsteps of those within moving towards the exit. “Yue’er wait.” The voice of Ji Qing Wu LaoShi came behind her, while she was walking towards the exit.
Later into the evening as the sun was setting over the horizon. Yin Yue was walking alone her footsteps tapping lighting against the concrete. The same words that Ji Qing Wu LaoShi have spoken, as well as many other since the time of the assault. Though the words barely stuck to her, her mind was elsewhere. Feeling the cool breeze on her exposed skin. Still wearing the female student uniform jacket, hung loosely over her midriff. The breeze blowing at the loose cloth fluttering in the wind, she paid no heed to any of this.
She paid no heed to the faces who turned her way, many of which saluted. Each face held a different expression, reverence, expectation, carvings of hope, and even scorn. The former emotion didn’t tung on her psyche, but the latter did. Though not for the same reasons that the others were projecting upon her. Those scorns for her were that of their jealousy towards her, of her statues and her privileges. This was not how Yin Yue perceived it, all she saw was a reminder of her failure.
A constant repeated reminder, of her one task, that she had failed to perform. The rising star who failed her people, the one who let the enemy escape. The face of the one who soiled on those that died. That was the emotion that Yin Yue saw upon those faces. It clawed at her, tearing ever so deeper within herself, it was overwhelming, the pain and guilt of it all. If only she could forget it all, to not be bother by such notions but atlas, she couldn’t.
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She couldn’t forget the faces of those who had perished. The faces of those who were once, her brothers, now sisters after the change. They had trained together, weathered through the same trials as her. Though she had exceled above the rest, becoming one of the few chosen Elites, to then rise further up. Becoming the chosen one to represent her people, her country as a Representative Elite, as well as being able to pilot her very own custom WarFrame. She became more than fellow sister to them, she had become their excellence, something they could look up to with pride, and work hard to become. But now she had failed to deliver upon her promise. Though she might not have known every single one of them by heart or memory, they were the only ones left she could call kin. That fact being hammered down ever more so than being in this strange new world.
Now looking over the academy grounds past the walls, and over the new mountain hills and magical floating islands in the sky. Covered with the nearly transparent sea of dense clouds, and what seemed to be actual flowing streams of water flowing among them. This sight, which would have confounded the greatest minds and archeologist back home. But no such sensation went through Yin Yue’s mind. All she felt was nothingness, no joy or wonder from such a magical sight. Something outside of the normal she was used to. She felt heavy, though not having any physical weight upon her shoulder she wanted to slump forward.
Her legs were like butter, with a force pushing down upon her forcing her to exert twice the amount of effort to even move.
However, she refused to bend, she had too much at state she couldn’t show anymore weakness. Unknowingly, not sure when she found herself at the front of the training hall. Not having anything else better to do, as there was some time left before her assigned time to patrol. She went inside, the corridor was dark typical, as there shouldn’t be anyone here.
That would be proven false, if the light coming from the arena wasn’t enough, or the fact of clashing metal resounding off the steel walls around her. To signify that the area wasn’t bare of any other soul but herself. The noise only grew louder by the second as she crossed through the hallway, towards to her destination. Upon entering the final corridor and into the training area, she was immediately meet with the sight of an intense struggle.
A massive, towering form of a TXL-32 Training Bot, swinging its massive hydraulic pumped mechanical limbs, at a much smaller nimbler human profile. Yin Yue at first thought it was Meng Yi LaoShi, but as soon as that thought came it was dispelled. She was at the meeting that she herself was at just moments ago. How could Meng Yi LaoShi be here already ahead of her? Could it be Xin Hua LaoShi? No, that figure didn’t fit, looking closely there was only one other five staff member left, it was Zhao Yun Ru LaoShi.
Her long hair was tied up into a ponytail behind her, her upper body was bare, expect for the stash wrapping around her chest. Though, it did little to conceal the massive hills on her chest. Slick trails of running sweat ran down her skin, giving her an afterglow aura in the dim led lights of the arena. But this wasn’t what caught Yin Yue’s attention, it was the scars, so many scars. They littered almost every surface of her body, so tightly knitted together they almost seem, to meld and intertwine, forming almost a ritualistic imprinting. Forming unique patchworks patterns, though some fell out of place here and there. Despite this it only seemed to add a sense of alluring charm to it instead. Her body being well toned even before the change, the marks didn’t degrade her newfound beauty, being so in tone with her body.
It was at this realization that Yin Yue found herself contemplating about this instructor. It had just accrued to her that, she didn’t really know much about Zhao Yun Ru LaoShi. What she did know, simply knowing LaoShi’s original name as Zhongli (M), and the fact she was a new hire to the school not too long ago. Clearly it would seem there was more to this story than it would seem. Of course, that was nothing new, every staff member, and instructor in the academy was ex-military. Even Meng Liang LaoShi, and she was just the schools cooking and foreign studies instructor. Many others of which aren’t here, carries memories of the horrific “One Year War” that happened over thirty years ago at the end of 24th century.
So, what stories did Zhao Yun Ru LaoShi hold? Each line of her body though not fully accurate, to Yin Yue’s understanding told of singular story, the glancing shot of an Ion Particle Weapon, the swipe of a razor-sharp talon. Talons? That didn’t make any sense. What made that mark, clearly by the jaggedness of the scar, it wasn’t done by a precise designed blade.
She took all this information in, absorbing whatever she could, half of her focus on the story marks on Zhao Yun Ru LaoShi. The other half of her focus was on the martial display playing out in front of her. The TXL-32 Training Bot was heavy, it was just as large and tall as a WarFrame, its steps caused a slight tremor in the arena. Each time its mechanical boot slammed down; Yin Yue could feel the vibration, even from a few good feet away from the stage.
The drone was fast and despite its bulk, was no lumbering piece of machinery. Its heavy fist cut through the air, in an attempt to strike down its human opponent. Crackling streams of near invisible power, surged from its balled-up fist. Its rectangular digits just barely grazing Zhao Yun Ru LaoShi’s body. Zhao Yun Ru LaoShi responded back in kind, armed with twin rather large Dao broadswords, each themed with the designs of a dragon’s head, the board blade extending out from its jaws, bathed in a crackling aura of fire.
That wasn’t even an exaggeration, the grey matter material of the blade was glowing illuminancent red at the edges. Specters of lightning coursed over the surface of the blades. This immediately caught Yin Yue attention as well, she had noticed it before but now she was certain. The TXL-32’s safety protocols has been deactivated, such was the severity of the situation, what Yin Yue had originally thought of as a simple training exercise, had been a death match all along. But this didn’t seem to be an issue for Zhao Yun Ru LaoShi.
Timing her movements with near perfection, clearly taking advantage of her smaller profile. As she ducked and weaved, around the earth-shattering blows that would have flatten her instantly. Each time the TXL-32 Training Bot came in for the offensive, where it only threw out one blow, Zhao Yun Ru LaoShi on the other hand and dished out two in response. The swords leaving burning hot gashing wounds upon, the armor plates of the TXL-32 Training Bot. Its whole frame was covered with lacerating some of which still burned. Being a mechanical being, with no sense of pain this didn’t hinder the TXL-32 Training Bot as it continued, with little to no hinderance to its movements. To which Zhao Yun Ru LaoShi returned in kind, as the two resumed their duel.
All the while as this dance was happening, Yin Yue had not batted an eye once at the scene. She had become so entranced by the amount of information she was acquiring; she didn’t even dare to blink. Afraid as to miss even one detail that could be useful. So much so that she had neglected to notice, a row intersecting cuts along the joints of the left arm was dangerously close to being torn off. The then with another clash of exchanged blows between the two combatants, Zhao Yun Ru LaoShi’s twin blade stroke at that point again. This time overlapping the same damages from before, the blade cut true. Slicing through the robotic limb, to avoid the next blow that nearly ended. The machine calculated and moved as its programs dictated, twirling around cause the limbs to swing around its it torn power cable.
However, the force of the swing, exceed what the cable could withstand. Then the wire snapped, and the limb came free, spinning around in the air right towards Yin Yue.