The next two weeks passed by in a flash for the orphans. Their schedule, while monotonous, was filled with incomparable suffering. Thalia had held true in her promise to make sure that they would be able to defend themselves.

Everyday, the orphans traveled to the same clearing in the scrapyard and trained. In the first week alone, Thalia had broken nearly all of Icarus's bones. She was surprised at how long his body could sustain regeneration.

Icarus had neglected to tell her of his special title "Resplendent Shepard" and its effects. His training only became harder as a result.

She was much nicer to her younger siblings, usually only breaking fingers and sometimes hands. They were still playing tag as a form of training. At first, they could only chase her for a minute before running out of stamina. By the end of the second week they were able to play the game for over 10 minutes straight. They still weren't able to catch her, but she consoled them with some of their limited supply of cookie rations.

Icarus considered their progress as he once again stood across from Thalia in the clearing.

'Today's the day... today's the day this monster gets a taste of her own medicine!'

He stared at her from across the clearing, gauging his options. She began taunting him.

"What's wrong? You're not... scared... are you?"

Clutching the steel pipe tightly, Icarus charged at his older sister.

After weeks of being sent flying into walls and steel sheets, Icarus had learned to watch Thalia's legs. Everything started from there. Punches, throws, jumps, and obviously kicks. It all was a continuation from one's footwork.

Icarus was no trained fighter, but even he had been beaten enough to notice such things. With this newfound knowledge he wanted to test an idea.

Now inside striking distance, Icarus bent down as if he was going to jump up at Thalia from below with an uppercut. He then pushed into the ground with his legs, cracking the dirt beneath him. Noticing this, Thalia immediately ducked.

In the split second afterward, Icarus willed the Sever to enter his hamstrings. His long nights of self inflicted finger breaking had allowed him to finally move patches of the energy into his muscles, albeit slowly. He wasn't where he wanted to be with his control, but he had covered his weakness by moving the energy closer to his legs before the fight even started.

Using the Sever to enhance his hamstring muscles and pull back down, Icarus cut his jump off right before his feet left the ground. He grimaced as he felt muscles in his leg snap. Despite the pain, he was overjoyed. He had ended up exactly where he wanted to be.

Thalia watched with wide eyes, clearly surprised that Icarus had somehow remained on the ground. She began a jump of her own but it was too late.

Before she could move, Icarus threw the pipe at full speed, letting it tumble end over end as it rapidly approached her. Left with no other option, she raised her arms to block it. A sickening crunch resounded a moment later.

Now lying flat on his back because of his torn legs, Icarus looked up at Thalia. She stood close to him, tilting her head as she looked between her broken hand and her brother lying on the ground. A second passed and her hand popped as all the bones were set back into place. She didn't react. Instead she crouched down with a curious expression on her face.

"How did you do that? I've never seen that before."

He smirked as he responded.

"It's a secret! You're already stronger than me anyway so you don't need this!"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Fine... but hurry and get up, once you're ready were going to The Wall."

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Icarus looked at her, puzzled.

"What for?"

She turned her head towards the gargantuan structure in the distance.

"Why else? We're going to gain access to the main city. No need to be out here if we don't have to."

***

The group of orphans walked over raven corpses and around craters in the ground as they approached the concrete divider in front of the tunnel. With no rioters to block them, the group made it far closer than they had on their previous visit. Icarus gazed up at the impressive steel doors of the tunnel. They seemed large enough to flatten the orphanage with more than enough room to spare.

Standing proudly before the concrete divider, the Sentinels had resumed their post guarding the doors. Since the departure of the initial group of city dwellers, the security around the door had increased, noted by the now eight sentinels standing like statues with spears in hand.

When the group entered range, four armor-clad men and women stepped forward. A deep voice escaped the helmet of the one in front.

"Slum dweller, why have you come here."

Thalia stopped right in front of the man.

"To execute our right as members of this installation. We wish to be granted passage through The Wall. We are all Notched."

The man pointed at a dilapidated hut nearby.

"Prove it."

She scoffed.

"What, the healing test doesn't do it for you guys anymore?"

He only kept his hand pointed at the hut.

"We have no use for a weak Notched."

Thalia shook her head as she directed her siblings to the piles of rubble that were at the foot of the small building.

"You all know what to do."

As the guards looked on, the children went first, each picking up a boulder the size of their own body and throwing it at the weakened building. The impacts shook the hut, causing more material to fall from its already damaged walls.

Icarus went next, picking up a slightly larger stone and throwing it onto the roof of the hoot, causing it to finally cave in.

With no hut left to dismantle, Thalia looked at the man with the helmet. Icarus wondered what she would do to display her strength. His sister and the Sentinel looked at each other without words, not moving an inch. A breeze then blew through the street, scattering dust in Icarus's eye, forcing him to blink.

When he opened his eyes his sister was gone. He scanned his surroundings until he saw three Sentinels with spears drawn. They had encircled the one with the helmet. Icarus tilted his head.

'Huh?'

His expression grew even more confused as he heard a voice come from behind the man with the helmet. It belonged to his sister. She stepped from around the Sentinel to look him in the eyes.

"Will this do?"

The Sentinel took off his helmet revealing a familiar face. Icarus couldn't help but point a finger accusingly.

"You!"

It was the Sentinel from the exposure facility. The one with the creepy smile.

Icarus desperately wanted to know who the man was, he seemed to be appearing quite often. Regardless, he stifled his voice as the man gestured for his compatriots to lower their weapons and smiled.

"Yes, I can say without doubt that you and your party are Notched, maybe even capable ones. However, the rules for entry have changed."

Thalia narrowed her eyes.

"How so."

The smiling man pointed off into the distance, towards the Wilds.

"Bring a corpse from a Grade 1 Sever Beast. One beast a person. That is now our policy."

Veins popped up in Thalia's face as she barked at the man.

"What are you saying?! The policy has been the same for 15 years! Why is it being changed now? Do you even realize what you're asking?! There's only two ways to get a Beast corpse!"

Keeping his smile, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a steel tablet with a holographic display. He shoved it in Thalia's face as he bent down to antagonize her with his next words.

"Then I suggest you take this next week to prepare to the best of your abilities, unless of course you think you stand a chance out in The Wilds. Now, remove yourself from the proximity of this gate before violent action is brought upon your person."

Regaining her composure, Thalia backed away from the armored man, gathering her siblings and walking away.

As he was being ushered from the gate by his sister, Icarus spoke up, somewhat relieved that they weren't granted access inside the wall.

"We didn't need their protection anyways! We'll show th-"

He was cut off as Thalia backhanded him.

"No you fool! Put aside your misdirected taste for revenge and think! These Beasts can tear through buildings and that's the weakest of them. What do you think the next wave will be like. You know... the one that's supposed to be even STRONGER!"

She shook her head as she continued.

"Our only hope is to find a good place to defend and kill eight beasts. We will have to keep their corpses. If we can do that, we can at least make it into the city. There will be unique challenges there, but... we will worry about that later... For now, just know that your training will only grow harder from here. We are running out of time."

*** Later that Night ***

Exhausted from another session of breaking his own bones only to heal them, he fell onto his mattress, utterly spent. After calling on his stats screen and seeing his depleted energy, his eyes soon fell on how many merits he had.

'I may as well take a look before I go to sleep. There might something useful for sale. Warden, please open the Atomic Auction House!'

A white screen appeared, hovering in the air above his tired body. His eyes scanned the catalogue of items, growing increasingly shocked as he saw what was being bid on. His eyes stopped on a particular item. He could hardly hide his smile.

"Oh.... This will most certainly do!"