Ch. 9 Breached

After taking a hot shower and grabbing a quick snack to eat I dose off lying halfway in the bed, twice actually. Afterwards I decide to just take a nap while awaiting my third and last training session of the day. Two hours later I wake up in a frenzy. Late! Late! I’m late, late, late, late, late! They’re really going to let me have it this time. Shit! Shit! Shit! They might just make me… Upon reaching the bottom of the steps I pause. Usually at this time mom has already started dinner which is one of the only things I haven’t had to worry about on a day-to-day basis. Unless of course you count day eight when Ace turned the training room into a tropical jungle pointed to a hilltop in the distance and said make it there alive. Immediately afterwards he snapped his fingers causing my necklace that transforms into my bow, Sol Sagax, to fly off from around my neck into his hand. Only then did he say, “No magic”, just before tossing me seven arrows, a patched wooden bow and quiver suddenly disappearing in a spiral of flame with his voice echoing throughout the trees, “Use them wisely”. It was only later that I realized he conveniently forgot to mention that the jungle was also filled with wild animals, and insects including the kind that think of people as delicacies. Good times, right? Anyway, back to the issue at hand. The eerie silence had my skin crawling so much that I almost didn’t notice the smell. The smell of blood. It was faint, but I knew that’s what it was none the less. I opened my mouth to call out to them, but my mom’s psycho lifetime movies had taught me otherwise. Instead, I just shifted to elf form and let Sol Sagax blaze to life in my hands. I followed the smell around the corner leading to the hallway. When I crept closer my vision started to flicker in and out like my eyes were closed, but they weren’t. A tingling in my ear also grew louder with every step until I heard a familiar voice in my mind. Aris, Aristotle, where are you? I said in mind speak, but all I heard in my head was a growl, then a shrill, and taunting evil laugh like someone’s voice was echoing. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure of what was going on but I immediately knew that if I was, “accidently”, tapping into Aristoteles senses he must barely be conscious. Ever since that night that I saw his memories through his own eyes he’d been on high alert. Even when I tried I couldn’t tap into the link, because he wouldn’t let me. While still trying to be aware of my current surroundings I peered down the hallway at the training room door that was a jar and tried to envision myself being in it. At first nothing happened but just when I thought I’d failed; flash it took over and I was where Aris was. His eyes were blinking in and out and the blood running from his head partially distorted the vision in his right eye. I could feel the groan rising from his chest as he struggled to get up only to be kicked back down by an unknown figure. Damn you!! I said out loud as my connection blinked out and I found myself back in the hallways. My first instinct was to jump right back in and the merge with Aris, but then I thought, then what. I feel myself getting angry and starting to lose it. Every second I’m out here contemplating Aristotle could be dying. All this training for the end of the world and I can’t even chase yeah or nay, Ace I always using world sayings during our sessions, like the early bird catches the worm or just read and react, right before smacking me in the head or making me dodge raging bull. That is assuming I didn’t already make a mistake and hit the dirt, hard! Mom on the other hand is a planner like me but taken to the max it’s almost like she always has a plan and it always works. Batman level. At this point I’m crouching beside the ajar training room door. I can hear explosions; the sounds of things being crushed and magic on levels I couldn’t hope to perform. If I can ever get a spell to work that is. Oh, and did I mention I have yet to win a sparring match in any field against anyone of them. So, the thought that anybody can just waltz in ere and fight them all head on is terrifying. Breathe, Aaron, breathe.

My dad would say right about now, so I do. I don’t know why but I’m suddenly prompted to pull out my dog tag his gift to me in his will. The note that had accompanied it said that he had pulled some strings to have it made military grade like his from his deployment days, but with a twist. On one side it had his favorite quote to use, told him by a fallen Conrad overseas. Imitation is nice, and flattery is fine, but personality wins the heart and mind. On the other side was the 1st nickname he had given me when I was about 9. It read for my young Nimrod.

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Funny, it’s been seven years since he died, and not once have I actually read it, but I’ve also never gone anywhere without it. Dad, I think to myself you always had a way of saying just the right things at the right time. Truth is Nimrod has two meanings. We Americans use it to describe those who are clumsy or unskilled. However originally, Nimrod meant skillful hunter. A fact I only discovered in recent years. You can imagine my surprise. Okay I think to myself, time for some creative ingenuity. The last thing I need to do is be a burden in the firefight. There’s got to be a way to tip the odds in our favor. Wait a minute. What if. Yeah, that might work, I say as an idea starts to form. This time I’ll do things my way.

I try linking in with Aris and it works. The only problem is that once again it was severed after just a few moments. That’s alright though in our brief time connected I saw mom trying to heal him, and even in his pain he was conscious enough, this time to tell me that the door on the left of the training room is where the magic control orb is. I enter the room and immediately the lights turn on. The room is pretty plain, except for two life sized sculptures. The one on the left had to be my mom when she was about my age. Surprisingly enough the women on the right looked remarkably just like her in every aspect but one, freckles. Strange, I thought as I tried to press on only to be stopped as the statues have suddenly taken on life and are pressing their spear onto my chest. Arrrgh I growl. If it isn’t one thing it’s another. “Authorized Personal Only” the statues speak in unison. Yeah… about that, I begin to say while I strain my neck to try and see around them.

Straight ahead on the farthest part of the room is what looks to be a glass wall.

From this angle I can vaguely make out the fight going on in the training room. Since I don’t recall ever seeing such a sight while I was in there myself I quickly conclude that it’s a one-way mirror like a police station. The difference of course being tat this one is made of magic. The statures decide my response is taking too long and take a step forward as I immediately take a step back to avoid the tips of their spears from pressing my skin any further. “Please present your credentials,” they say as their eyes narrow and start to turn red. Not good, not good, not good, I mumble uneasily. “Please present your credentials,” they repeat again inching closer. Vmmm… what are acceptable credentials, I ask. To my surprise, they stop and look at each other, before bringing their attention back to me. Hmm, maybe it’s been a while since they’ve been questioned, I say under my breath. Fine. Why don’t we try this? “I repeat, what are acceptable credentials”, I say again this time more assertively. Again, they look at each other confused. After a moment they take a step back and stand at attention. Only three have free reign of this room and thus three methods allowed. Crap, I think in my head. There are four of us. “What are these methods?” I ask hoping for something I can use. I watch as their heads tilt slightly mirroring each other, and their faces frown up. “Do you not remember, they ask!” Look you two it’s been a while I say. Isn’t there some sort of secondary forgotten password tutorial or something I can do? It’s kind of an emergency. They ask me what the emergency is, and I quickly point to the window behind them. The one on the right continues to eyeball me while the one on the left’s head rotates 180 degrees with her body still facing forward. Horror movie style. “I see, we are under attack she says in a nonchalant voice.” She then let’s out a wide beam of light from her eyes and afterwards says something to the effect of, attack confirmed. Two Authorized personal identified, one anomaly and one black lister. Suddenly the door behind me slams shut and the statues ready their spears in my direction again. The walls start to open up revealing countless other statues toting variations of every medieval weapon ever forged with one thing in common. They were all aimed at me. The army of statues begin filing into formation behind the two asking the questions. Feeling like the situation is really getting out of hand, I quickly reach for Sol Saga x thinking that I might have fire blast my way out of here. Nothing happens. The necklace around my neck fails to blaze to life as my bow and endless fiery arrows. The aggressive statue on the right steps forward edging me closer and closer to the door until I can back up no further. ‘Lock down core protocol initiated, it says. Dead zone activation complete. All Enchanted weaponry negated. “Well, that’s just great. Now what? Actually, forget it. I don’t have time for this. I sidestep to the right and front low kick, straight into the knee of a near sentry, so hard that its buckles and breaks. The sentry swings its hammer as it falls onto its broken side, and I just narrowly lean out of the way. Not letting up I hit it with a three-punch combo to the face. Left jab. Left jab, right hook, and it crumbles. I then pick up the hammer and start to channel my inner Thor. Have at thee!