DAY 13
SEVEN DAYS UNTIL THE FIRST EXHIBITION
Seiji let out a deep breath as he slashed through his fiftieth Aqua Silhouette with his Dragon Claw technique. Endora had him and Cora doing endurance training again, so he was forced to fight with a full cloak of Dragon Fury against fifty consecutive Aqua Silhouettes. It was relatively easy at first considering they didn’t fight back, but after the twentieth, exhaustion started rearing its ugly head.
He turned to Cora. She’d been fighting hand-to-hand with Endora with a full cloak of Dragon Fury just as Seiji had. Seiji could barely contain his awe as he watched the women fight. A single punch from either of them would surely kill him, or at least have him hospital-bound for the next month. After a short series of colliding strikes, Endora separated from Cora and bowed. Cora returned the gesture, panting with the motion. When they rose, Endora flew to the center of the training hall and called for them to join her.
“This was a good session,” Endora began, turning to meet both Cora and Seiji’s eyes. “Training your strengths is important, but it’s just as important to train your weaknesses as well. You don’t want to leave yourself with any exploitable weaknesses.”
Seiji and Cora gave her a cautious nod. He didn’t have to look at Cora to know they were thinking the same thing. Endora enjoy tiring them out then lulling them into a false sense of security, only to rush at them when their guards were down. She considered it ‘reflex training’.
Wordlessly, Seiji and Cora shrunk into their battle positions. Just as he’d expected, Endora shot into the air with her golden wings and… floated back down.
“So jumpy!” Endora snickered, returning to her spot before them. Nobody laughed. She’d pulled stunts like this before. “I won’t be fighting you two. You can either train by yourselves or relax for the day.”They remained in their battle stances.
Endora sighed. She reached into nothing, the invisible space he’d learned was called an ‘inventory’, and revealed her Halberd. The Valkyrie threw it like a spear at the far wall, leaving it embedded into a wooden plank.
“What are you doing?” Cora finally questioned from her loosening battle position.
Endora closed her eyes, folding her hands behind her back. “I have nothing more to teach you right now. After the First Exhibition, however, Akio and I will devote our full attention to you two.”
Cora stood from her battle stance with fists clenched. “What do you mean? You’re a Valkyrie! You always have–”
“Seiji has become quite the Mage.” Endora interrupted. “He receives an ability of yours and always manages to use it in ways you’d hardly expect from a new Servant.” She smiled softly. “Cora, you’ve grown into quite the ferocious fighter yourself. Your lacking Stamina was once your biggest weakness, and so you’ve begun fighting with more finality to compensate.” Endora opened her eyes, focusing on them both intently. “You two are great individual fighters, but that’s not what you need to be to succeed in this Exam. You two need to be a great team.”
“We are a great team!” Seiji countered. He raised a hand in Cora’s direction. “We wouldn’t have won the Botanist’s Bond Event if we weren’t!”
Endora gave him a victorious smile. “You two won after splitting up, being caught with your pants down, adjusting on the fly, then splitting up again. You two only beat a single opponent together, and Cora did most of the work.”
Seiji lowered his hand and winced. He wasn’t surprised to find Cora’s ears had drooped considerably. Regardless, she still spoke up.
“Would you not say that we need your guidance even more, then? You and Akio fight like you’ve trained for thousands of years!”
Endora smiled. “Akio and I have an understanding that goes deeper than Cadet and Servant. We can communicate without saying words. Just by looking at his face, I can tell whether he’s tired, whether he’s confident, whether he’s outmatched, and whether he thinks he’s outmatched.” She pointed at Cora with a golden wing. “I can’t teach that to either of you. It’s something you must develop yourselves.”
Cora, understandably, said nothing. While he and Cora had begun to develop an emotionally intimate relationship, their connection in battle was a bit lacking. Seiji wondered whether the two shared some sort of connection.
“What do you think we should do about that?” Seiji tried. “Is there a Bond Event coming up that you recommend?”
Endora fixed him with a wicked grin as though she’d been waiting for someone to ask her that.
“I was waiting for someone to ask me that!” Endora confirmed.
She reached into her inventory and revealed a folded sheet of paper. She tossed it to Seiji. Before he could analyze it, Endora cut him off with a hand.
“The other day, I was thinking. You two have a healthy emotional relationship. Your combative relationship, however, could use some work. That’s when the thought hit me! When relationships start failing, they usually go on a vacation, right? Well, they usually just end, but you know what I mean. I imagined you two–”
“Endora, you ramble when you’re hiding something,” Cora said, her eyes accusatory.
Endora winced. “I’m not rambling! This story won’t make sense if I don’t give the right amount of detail! Anyway, I imagined you two could use a bit of a ‘combative’ vacation! A gritty getaway. A roughhousing retreat! A brawler’s–”
Seiji let his System analyze the folded paper. He was patient, but he wasn’t a monk.
HELL PIT BOND EVENT
FIVE-DAY VALKYRIE MISSION
BEGINS ON DAY 13
@ TRAINING HALL 6
“...I decided to sign you two up for a Bond Event!” Endora finished saying.
“You shouldn’t just sign us up without… asking first,” Cora said, glancing warily between Endora and Seiji. He did his best not to groan. They’d long since moved past the System Ceremony fiasco, but it still kept him up at night. One of these days, he’d ask Sir Lasko if the Soul Division could erase memories.
“It’s fine, I don’t have a problem with it!” Seiji said a bit too quickly. “It’s a five-day Valkyrie Mission. It starts today, and… today?!”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
So much for keeping it together.
Not only was it starting today, likely in a few hours, but it was five days. By the time it finished, they’d only have three days to prepare for the First Exhibition. Thankfully, he wasn’t alone in his shock.
“We don’t have five days to spare, Endora!” Cora shouted.
“Trust me, that isn’t the part you should be worried about,” Endora said, an annoying grin plastered on her face.
“Enlighten us, then. “Seiji sighed, pinching his nose. “What should we be worried about?”
The Hell Pit Bond Event was a five-day excursion to the Hell Pit, a foreign land overtaken by a powerful ‘demon’. The worrisome part was the level of the Bond Event. It was a ‘Tier Six Excursion’, meaning the average ranking of each enemy was about Tier Six. Rather than feel overwhelmed, Seiji felt a bit intrigued. The only two people that’d truly pushed Seiji in a fight so far were Cora and Endora. Besides, neither of them fought to kill him. Fighting against demons that were stronger than him and ready to kill him? He’d offhandedly mentioned in the restaurant with Cora that fighting against otherworldly monsters was something he was genuinely looking forward to doing after the Valkyrie Exam finished. Now, he had an opportunity to do just that.
“What time does it start?” Seiji asked, his tone calm. Cora turned to him with confusion clear on her face. Endora, meanwhile, beamed
“It starts whenever you arrive, but I wouldn’t take too long! The other teams are in there waiting right now.”
“Who’s there?”
Endora gave him a smile that said she knew the answer, but she shrugged anyway.
“Okay, stop!” Cora interrupted. Though her tone was still annoyed, her ears were perked up. Seiji knew Cora was just as excited as he was. When Seiji and Endora met her with a knowing smile, Cora relented.
“...Should I bring a weapon?”
Endora beamed.
“No need!”
----------------------------------------
Training Hall 6 was nothing more than a shack on the outskirts of Haven, closer to the clouds than the castle. The log house smelled of damp wood and musty earth, each wall decorated either with animal skins or rusty weapons. There was a fireplace on the rightmost wall near the entrance. At the plush brown couch in front of the leftmost wall, two seated figures Seiji recognized were locked in a heated conversation with two standing figures he also recognized. Everyone in the room wore the same white and gold outfit of the Valkyrie Exam.
“Cora, come here!” Selene began, furiously beckoning for the girl to join her. She pointed at Seiji. “You too, Servant Otsuki. Listen to this bull… absurdity!”
The blonde boy on the couch sat with one leg resting on the other. The red-haired elvish Cadet beside him sat in the exact same position.
“Seiji, Cora,” the boy shouted. “Glad you came!” He patted his Servant’s head with his free hand, the elvish girl giggling at his touch. “You were making my lil sis bored!”
“Mhmm!” the red-haired Cadet nodded. “I almost left, but big bro told me the Hell Pit would be super fun so I stayed!”
Seiji shared an awkward glance with Cora. They approached, standing beside Selene and Lirio while the still-unnamed Servant and Cadet sat on the couch.
“What are your names?” Seiji decided to ask. “You two know us, but we don’t know you,” Seiji said, gesturing to Cora at his right.
“Goddamn it,” Selene muttered.
“I thought you’d never ask!” the blonde boy shouted.
“My name is Alexandros Galanis,” he said, pointing to himself. He thumbed at the Cadet to his side.
“And my name is Alexandra Drakos!” she said, pointing to herself. She thumbed at the Servant to her side.
“We’re the Alex Twins!” They said in unison. They both laughed for a while. When they finished, Alexandros spoke up. “Me n’ my lil sis both have ‘Alex’ in our names, so we thought it’d be funny. Like a cartoon–”
“Please, shut the hell up!” Selene groaned, dragging out the last word. She squeezed her horns. “This is what I mean!” She turned to Lirio, who met her gaze with one of understanding. “Every single day with them! I can’t stand it!”
“Yeah,” Lirio sighed, pulling her into a gentle hug. “I know.”
“Was there a reason you called us over here?” Cora said, her tone a bit louder than normal.
Selene pulled away from Lirio and walked over to Cora, her face pleading. “Right! Listen to this bullshit!” She turned to the ‘Alex Twins’, who’d begun to smile wide. Alexandra laughed as she placed a hand on her chest.
“It wasn’t bullshit, it was my honest-to-goodness truth!” She turned to Cora. “Selene asked me why I signed up for the Hell Pit so I said that I joined because it sounded fun! Me and big bro already did all the Bond Events and we saw everything in Haven. Why wouldn’t I sign up for a free vacation? I don’t want to train all day.” She said, groaning at the idea of training.
Alexandros patted his ‘lil sis’ on the head. “I don’t know shit about the Hell Pit, but if there’s demons n’ treasure I’ll be there!”
Seiji had nothing to say to that. If he were being honest with himself, he had similar feelings. How often did you get to see demons? He turned to Cora, curious if she felt the same way. She looked down at the Twins contemplatively, giving no indication of her emotions.
“I can understand your excitement,” Selene began. “But you two must understand the importance of this mission! It is a sample of what life will be like when we become Valkyries and Servants! Treating this like some fun little vacation is not the proper mindset to have!”
Cora nodded along, still staring at the Alex Twins. “Selene makes a fair point. This isn’t a vacation, this is a part of the Exam. I won’t act as though I’m not excited, but I also have not forgotten that this is a Valkyrie Mission. People’s lives are at–”
“Your opinions don’t matter, though.” Alexandros interrupted, feigning a yawn. “Me n’ my lil sis are gonna be the ones to win it all, so our feelings are the only ones that matter.”
“Yeah!” Alexandra scoffed. “We won’t become Valkyries and Servants. I’ll be a Valkyrie and big bro will be a Servant.” She waved a lazy hand in everyone’s direction, looking towards the door. “You all can have whatever mindset you want. I don’t have to listen to advice from a weak pair of losers.”
“You watch your mouth!” Cora hissed, pulling her fist back.
“You little bitch!” Selene fumed, lunging at the girl. Lirio held her back with visible effort.
Alexandra smiled wide ass he turned back to the girls. When Seiji looked into her eyes, though, he was stunned to find something in them he hadn’t seen since he was on The Ardor. It was that manic confidence, that dogged determination to do what needed to be done regardless of the odds. Seiji recognized the look all too well.
Bloodlust.
He placed a hand on his dagger. Someone like her shouldn’t be this close to his Cadet. Alexandros gave him a sidelong glance, his smile ominous as he slowly shifted to face Seiji. He had the same bloodlust Alexandra did. It surprised him. Back in the Botanist’s Bond Event, these didn’t have that air about them. It’d given him the confidence to face them despite his fatigue. Now? If they’d shown bloodlust during their first confrontation, Seiji doubted whether he and Cora would’ve won the Bond Event.
The door burst open, stopping everyone from the brawl that was surely about to begin. Sir Lasko strode in wearing a black version of the Exam outfit, hands folded behind his back. He observed the chaos of the room and sighed, shaking his head.
“Save it for the Exhibition, would you?”
Everyone but the twins straightened themselves, facing him and blurting various apologies. Sir Lasko didn’t acknowledge any of them, instead silently glaring through half-opened eyes. He quieted the room with a raised hand. When the room quieted, he began to speak.
“Your mission is simple. Retake the castle, find the hidden grotto, extract the packages, and execute the Pit Demon. It’s a Tier Six Excursion, and we won’t be able to pick you up once we send you. Any questions?”
“Yes!” Selene shouted. She coughed, correcting her tone. “Yes. Do you have a map for us? Also, where will we find food, water, and shelter?”
“The scouts we sent couldn’t leave anything for you. We’re confident you’ll find everything you need in and around the tower.”
“What Tower?” Cora asked.
Sir Lasko smiled. “You won’t miss it.”
Cora narrowed her eyes.
Sir Lasko stuck a hand into his inventory, pulling out six black-visored helmets. Sir Lasko tossed one to each occupant of the room, instructing them to take a seat and put it on. The Cadets sat on the couch while the Servants sat on the floor in front of them. Alexandros groaned about losing his seat, but a sharp glare from Sir Lasko was enough to quiet him down.
“What’s the helmet for?” Alexandra asked. “I’ve never seen a transporter like this.”
Sir Lasko laughed. “That’s knowledge reserved for Royal Guards and Valkyries.”
“Then why are we–”
“Enjoy the experience, you all.” Sir Lasko chuckled, interrupting Alexandra.
As the Royal Guard’s words finished, Seiji’s vision was swallowed by yellow light.