~~(Kieran)~~
“Colonel Kieran!” A Lieutenant approaches me, then salutes.
I glare at her, and she continues to salute.
Just because I’m in uniform, doesn’t mean anyone needs to salute to me, and I’m just going to stare at her until she tells me why she’s bothering me when I’m on my way to change back into my regular clothes.
“Just tell him what you want,” another colonel approaches us, saluting to her, then dropping his hand. “He doesn’t follow protocol on stuff like this. At ease,” she relaxes. “He’s probably regretting not putting up his perception field.”
Caleb told me not to, because it was confusing him. I find that a little bit funny, since he doesn’t even notice it, unless he notices the ripples around me (at least, that’s what he says the field appears as to him, but only barely-noticeable).
He probably finds it confusing because others can’t notice me, while he can.
I hate that I can’t figure out a way to make him not notice me. I know he sometimes pretends like he doesn’t, but he’s just pretending.
“I’ve been asked to hand you this envelope,” the Lieutenant holds out the envelope she had tucked under her arm. “I’ll need your answer for the mission immediately.”
“Declined.”
“You didn’t even look at it, sir,” she says. “What would you like me to tell the Board as to the reason for declining it?”
“I’m not here as staff?” I suggest.
“Do you know which mission it is?” The colonel asks her.
“No, sir,” she says. “Though I did hear mention of something to do with water.”
“You might want to look at it, then,” the Colonel looks at me. “I know that Caleb, Jared, and Brooks were all up for an aquatic mission.”
An aquatic mission?
I take the envelope and open it, skimming through the packet inside.
The mission appears to be a simple one – ten cadets will swim down to some Ruins underwater using diving gear. Within, there are ten pseudo-artifacts the cadets will have to retrieve, each one modeled after their respective cadet. It can only be handled by said cadet, until placed on a small stone disc.
Then, the artifact will just return to its natural state as a stone cylinder, but that part’s irrelevant.
The Ruins are filled with monsters, and the cadets will not necessarily be able to take on the monsters for their artifact on their own. They will be ignorant of the locations for their own artifacts, and must explore the Ruins to find them.
The more powerful and likely to find the artifact, the easier it will be to locate them.
The Board classified this mission as ‘individual’, meaning the cadets will perform this on their own, despite the others being around.
The cadets will be judged on whether or not they retrieved their artifacts. At least, that’s what they’ll be told. Caleb’s under strict orders not to reveal hidden details anymore…
That can be quite chaotic, we determined.
The judges will also be looking at how much extra they do – will they only retrieve their artifact, then leave? Will they assist those they are friends with? Will they assist the strangers? The ones they don’t like?
Each of the boys knows four of the others – two as friends, two as enemies. There will be cadets of varying Ability levels there, ranging from E-Rank to Caleb. I’m surprised they found people Caleb considers enemies.
They’re probably people who consider Caleb enemies. Caleb… really only sees monsters and demons and such as his enemies.
Them, and anyone who would try to break up our team…
I still want to know what, exactly, went on in the Fuller mansion yesterday.
Looking at the map of the Ruins, Caleb’s artifact will be right at the entrance. He can just walk in, grab it, and leave. One of the other cadets, his artifact rests at the very back of the Ruins, past halls filled with monsters.
Good thing they don’t actually have to retrieve it… Ruins make Territory and Passive Territory useless, and unless it’s dealing with his team directly, or a threat to people from monsters and demons and crap, Caleb won’t care enough to actually be capable of fighting.
Especially not right now…
Thomas… I can’t believe he was still alive. I can’t believe he tried to kill Caleb, either.
And what does Caleb mean by that he’s carrying on Thomas’s legacy? He’s mentioned it every time he’s talked about Thomas so far… but we can’t get him to expand on that – he just breaks down into tears.
A crying Creator is not a fun thing. Creators are, at the core, Territories. When Caleb breaks down like that, things start getting a little wonky. We haven’t told him, but…
Shaking my head, I finish skimming the paperwork, then return it to the envelope.
“This says I’m supposed to meet the cadets in half an hour,” I look at the Lieutenant.
“Yes,” she says. “They’ll be notified in ten minutes, regardless of who is doing it.”
“Inform the Board that I will,” I state. “I need to change out of my uniform, first.”
“That’s not-”
I don’t hear the rest of her protest, as I’ve melded into shadows and left the hall, arriving in the dorm. Caleb, Brooks, and Jared are at Caleb’s bunk, chatting. Caleb’s sitting on his own, while Jared and Brooks are sitting on Jared’s.
It’s a Thursday. At ten in the morning.
“Why aren’t you three in class?” I ask. “I know you were ordered there, despite only having just returned.”
“It was dismissed earlier,” Caleb answers. “A unicorn showed up and kept disrupting things.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“It wasn’t me,” he raises his hands. “It just showed up. I don’t know it, either. It just showed up and started disrupting things until they dismissed us to deal with it.”
Unicorns are powerful beings. Not much offensive power, but they have so much raw magic swirling within them that they’re valuable.
And protected. It’s illegal to hunt or kill them. That means they’ll probably be trying to get rid of it all day. I do remember hearing about a unicorn disrupting classes a few years ago – it took them nineteen hours to get it to leave.
They’re drawn to powerful magicians or Superhumans, which makes it understandable they’d dismiss these three. They probably dismissed the other powerful ones from class as well.
Though I’m surprised it’s not, like, following Caleb around, with how much power he has.
“Window,” Caleb says.
“Huh?” I ask.
“Your expression,” he says. “You were wondering why the unicorn wasn’t following me around. Look out the window.”
I look at the windows, which are all covered with their shades. That’s… not normal. They’re usually open, except at night. Once everyone is changed, they open. It lets instructors see if someone’s in the dorms from outside.
Using my Ability, I look outside, and the unicorn looks back at me, snorting.
Ah.
It’s trying to get in here. I use my Ability, and confirm that Caleb has erected a magical barrier protecting this room from the unicorn, preventing its entrance.
“We were discussing,” Caleb says. “If I should just send the unicorn to one of my islands.”
“Do it,” I say.
“That’s four for, zero against,” Caleb nods, then blinks. The unicorn walks through the wall and approaches Caleb. “Hi, horsey!”
He slides off his bed and rubs the unicorn’s mane.
They’re also attracted to the pure of heart. Caleb is pure in his heart, despite everything he’s gone through. A natural attraction.
With everything he’s gone through, I can’t help but wonder how long that pureness will last. There is no way pain isn’t in our future, especially Caleb’s.
“Sure,” Caleb says. “But you have to leave campus. Want to go to my island? Yeah, it’s beautiful. I’ve got several. There we go! Thanks! Here you go!”
The unicorn vanishes, and I look at him.
“What?” He asks.
“What was the ‘sure’ to?” I ask.
“Oh,” Caleb shrugs. “He wanted to be my familiar.”
I smack my head into the bunkbed.
“Caleb Rivers, Jared Fuller, Brooks,” a cadet walks into the room, holding three sheets of paper. “Orders.”
“Finally,” Caleb walks over and grabs the three. “Time for a mission.”
----------------------------------------
~~(Jared)~~
“So what can you tell us about the Ruins?” I ask Caleb as we pull on the wetsuits.
“Not much,” he shrugs. “Territories don’t work in them, so I can’t see anything inside.”
Really? I didn’t think he had issues before. Then again, he hasn’t actually been in Ruins with us, and with the Enchanted Forest, he cast a massive Reality Marble over it.
Caleb – can you do that again, or no?
“Caleb,” I say when he doesn’t respond to my thoughts. He seems to be selective about who he doesn’t tune out, and when. “Could you cast another Reality Marble over the Ruins?”
“Probably?” He doesn’t look sure. “With the Enchanted Forest, I had to anchor it to the Enchanted Trees for power, so it could actually work. With the Ruins, there isn’t much to anchor it to, but they’re small enough I probably wouldn’t need to, and my own Ability would probably suffice. I don’t think I can do it, here.”
“But you just said-” one of the cadets I’ve seen around, but not really gotten to know, looks angry. “That you probably could do it with your Ability alone. You just don’t want to help us, do you?”
“What?” Caleb looks hurt. “I do! I just… I can’t do it!”
“Yeah, you can!” The kid says. “You just don’t want to!”
No… Caleb can’t. Looking at the look of fear on Caleb’s face, I know that he can’t. He’s terrified. He could use it at the Enchanted Forest because he knew we would all likely end up dead if he didn’t. At the mock battle, he had to pep himself up, but had a strong reason for it – so that we wouldn’t lose. A powerful, single-minded goal allows him to use his Ability and magic in such a way.
The most powerful magician I know, save for Teacher, can’t do Reality Marbles without a powerful enough reason, because of what happened to him when he was but six years old.
“Yes, I do!” Caleb protests. “I just can’t!”
“Yes, you-”
“Enough!” I interrupt, noting the shifting of space that occurs whenever Caleb’s emotions become heightened.
He subconsciously claims the area around him as his Territory, and begins shaping it to a more comfortable setting. Once his mind is interrupted, however, everything shifts back to normal.
“Caleb,” I say. “You are not obligated to help us. This mission is individual, they are simply putting us here as a group, so they don’t have to run us separately. Leave behind those who would demand help of you, for they are those who will not go far in life.”
“Says the guy wearing enough metal to weigh him down,” the other cadet snorts. “You won’t get very far in the water.”
I so want to hurt him right now, but Caleb’s present, and he’d frown upon that.
“I frown upon a lot of things,” Caleb mutters, pulling on his breather, then turning to face the edge of the lake and mumbles something through his breather.
Caleb jumps into the water, and I look around, realizing that Brooks and a couple of more cadets are already gone.
I pull on my goggles and breather, then give the cadet the bird before jumping into the water. The moment I’m submerged, I shift my metal down to my feet, turning them into propellers and spinning them.
On my way down, I pass up several cadets, arriving at the Ruins within a few minutes of jumping into the water. The entrance rests on the floor, with steps leading up into the Ruins, which stand over a hundred feet tall.
I swim up the stairs, breaking the surface of the water and moving to the steps as my metal resumes its place as bracelets, necklaces, and other things around my body.
At the top of the steps, I find myself in a large room, the walls made of some sort of blue-green stone with a sparkle to them. Caleb and Brooks are already here, both of them dry as a feather.
Caleb’s suit is nowhere to be seen, and he’s dressed in light green cargo shorts, a light blue t-shirt with a light green – but darker than the shorts – vest over top his tee, and black combat boots.
“Hey, Jared,” Caleb looks at us, then pats one of his pockets. “My figurine was in here.”
“There aren’t even any monsters in here,” I look around, and then hear the sounds of them coming from beyond the passage out of here, my metal shifting, forming several blades behind me.
“They won’t enter,” Caleb says. “The Ruins won’t allow them to enter this room. “
“So the artifacts,” I say. “Are scattered throughout the Ruins, and we have to find ours and bring it back to the surface?”
“Yeah,” Caleb nods. “I really wanted to go exploring, but my artifact’s right here.”
He looks upset about that. Very, very upset about it. He had his heart set on exploring the Ruins.
“Well,” I say. “You can always join the rest of us. I’m sure we’ll need aid later on, if there are monsters here.”
“You can handle yourselves,” Caleb sighs. “There’s no good way for me to do this.”
His clothes shift into the wetsuit, goggles, and breather, and he walks down the steps. I look at Brooks, and realize that he never changed into his wetsuit.
“Can you breathe underwater?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he nods. “And see underwater, too. If you’re impressed by that – our village isn’t too far from a volcano. Guess what Flame’s favorite thing to do, when he was allowed, was.”
“No way,” I say, and he nods. “Flame would go swimming in the lava?”
“Magma,” Brooks shakes his head. “It’s lava only once it pierces the surface, and it was all below. He once nearly caused it to blow, too… that’s what happens when Flame does what he wants and gets excited, though. There’s a phoenix living there, and they got into an argument, and, well… yeah. It nearly blew as a result. His fault entirely.”
“Let’s go get our artifacts.”
We move on into the next room, where there are two artifacts waiting – one at the front, and one at the back. This one’s mine, and the other’s probably Brooks’s.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
I grab mine, assessing the dozen or so monsters milling about. They’re all reptilian, and I’d put them at E-Rank. Brooks can handle them on his own.
Now I know why Caleb made the comment about not having a good way to do this.
They placed the artifacts so that the ones more likely to be able to get them will find them faster, in easier areas, while those more likely to struggle will have to fight – and possibly fail – to obtain theirs.
They aren’t looking at if we actually obtain the artifacts, but if we’ll assist others who need it. They’ll look at our effort to obtain ours, even if we fail to do so.
For Caleb, they can claim he knew beforehand, and was only helping others to look good. If he doesn’t help others out – despite being the most powerful of us all – he’ll be judged as heartless.
Brooks and I kill off all of the monsters in this room, and they fade into nothing. He retrieves his artifact, then we wait for the others to show up. Some of the weaker cadets arrive first, but I wait – specifically – for the arrogant brat to show up.
His artifact probably isn’t very far in, so he doesn’t need help.
When he emerges from the entrance and drops his breather and goggles to his neck, I approach him, and he glares at me.
“This is classified information,” I say. “So I can get into a ton of trouble for telling you, but I’m telling you this now – do not hate on Caleb. Do not judge him for how he is. He has hangups about using his power because, when he was six years old, he used it, and everyone he loved and cared about died. He only recently found out two were still alive. And before you interrupt me – that incident seven years ago – where that happened – was him trying to save them from a certain massacre that occurred seven years ago.”
“Do you honestly expect me to believe that Caleb survived the-”
“I don’t care what you believe,” I interrupt him. “But Caleb survived the Alkran City Massacre. So did Kieran. It’s part of why they are the way they are, more Caleb than Kieran. Kieran just doesn’t like people in general, but idolizes Caleb. Caleb went through something far more traumatic than Kieran – believing that he killed his family – and is only recently coming to terms that his Ability is not, in fact, the reason they died, but the reason he and Kieran – and possibly others people were unaware of – survived. If you don’t believe me, then I will happily acquire for you the classified file stating this. Please know, though, that sharing this information, as it is classified, constitutes a crime. I, myself, am technically breaking the law by telling you this.”
“Then how I can believe you’re serious?” He snorts. “I doubt the great Jared Fuller – son of Councilman Fuller – would dare do something to get his father into trouble.”
“Because,” my metal binds him to a wall in a heartbeat. “I will do anything to protect Caleb. Caleb has hangups about his Ability, and will only use it when the reason is strong enough. At the BT exam, he was able to use it as a way to prove to himself he could. At the Enchanted Forest, he was able to create one with magic because he had a powerful – and rightful – feeling that something awful would happen if he didn’t. As you know, only a few survived. If Caleb didn’t have the hangups he did, no one would have died. He is carrying with him that, as a result.
“So what you’re going to do,” I say. “Is once we leave, you’re going to apologize to him. You’re going to say you’re sorry for treating him the way you did, and then, you’re going to shut the fuck up and leave him alone.”
I release him, my metal returning to me, and watch as he makes his way into the next chamber.
He’s powerful, but he’s a fucking coward. He pissed himself, and from the looks of his wetsuit, probably shit himself, too.
Five minutes after he moves on to the next area, he returns, artifact in hand. He quickly makes his way out of here.
Congratulations – you failed to help those in need, working only for yourself.
I should probably stop waiting and look for someone who needs help. Caleb would be disappointed in me for not doing so. I don’t have full access to my Ability, but I still have plenty of power in me.
The first chamber is cleared of monsters, and there are two passages leading off of it. Closing my eyes, I listen for the sounds of combat – or just monsters. They both have them, but the right-hand passage has them closer.
I make my way down it to find an E-Rank cadet standing there. I can’t remember his Ability, just that he’s E-Rank. I actually barely remember him, so I’m surprised I know his Rank.
He’s currently pinned to the ground by a monster, and with a flick of my wrist, it dies, fading away. The cadet scrambles to his feet, looking at me. He’s got iron bands on him.
Ah, right – a Manipulator of metals. Iron, specifically. I remember seeing him, now – this morning, at breakfast, before the unicorn showed up and decided to stalk Caleb. I don’t know what he can do, just that he’s an iron Manipulator.
“You look like,” I say. “You’re having a little bit of trouble with the monsters. Would you like some help?”
He looks at me warily.
“The monsters will only get stronger,” I inform him. “And I think they’ve placed the artifacts so that the less-likely you are to be able to retrieve it, the farther in it will be. It’s likely to prevent powerhouses like me from wiping everything out on the way to our artifacts.”
Probably the truth, but definitely not the full truth.
“You don’t help anyone but yourself,” he says. “Everyone knows that.”
“Caleb,” I say. “Would be disappointed in me if I didn’t help those less-fortunate, when I’m able to. If I leave here without having helped someone, he’d give me a stern glare for not doing so, and you’ve never been on the receiving end of that. Trust me – it’s not pleasant.”
Not in the slightest. It’s like he’s staring into my soul when he does.
----------------------------------------
~~(Brooks)~~
These Ruins aren’t affecting my Ability in the slightest, likely due to its aquatic nature. I’ve heard tell that Ruins of a nature similar to your Ability could have diminished effects – or none at all – on your Ability.
I do think I terrified the poor boy, though – I’ve already assisted two others, and came across an E-Rank who was doing his best not to get hit as he tried to get past the monsters.
So I filled the room with water, but made it not affect us. The monsters drowned, and then I released the water, and now, he’s just standing there, frozen.
The cadet, that is.
“You alright?” I ask after approaching him, and he jumps, turning to face me, and from his expression, I know he doesn’t know me. “I’m Brooks, one of the Elemental Quartet. Saw you needing help, so figured I’d assist you.”
“I’m… fine,” he takes a deep breath. “I’ve never been in Ruins before, and my Ability isn’t working at all. I can’t find my artifact, either. I’ve tried going in the easier rooms, but only saw them for others.”
He’s scared. BT is supposed to ease that, but nothing prepares someone for entering monster-filled Ruins for the first time, especially when it completely removes their ability to use their Ability.
“What’s your Ability?” I ask.
“Manipulation,” he answers. “I can wield fire, but it’s not working here.”
“Probably due to the aquatic nature of this place,” I nod. “I’m a Manipulator of water, as I’m sure you probably figured out.”
“That was you who flooded the room?” A look of realization crosses his face.
Oh, boy…
“Yes,” I say. “That was me who flooded the room. With my help, we can probably find your artifact quickly – I’m an A-Rank Superhuman, and from what I’ve seen so far, the monsters here probably won’t go higher than C-Rank. They’d have to really gang up to be able to take me out.”
“Thanks,” he nods. “It’s appreciated. Do you already have yours?”
“Yeah,” I pull it out from under my shirt. “I’m powerful enough that it was in the first chamber, past the entrance. Caleb’s was right there when I got off the steps. I’m guessing they went ‘screw it’ when trying to figure out where to place his, due to how powerful he is.”
“Where’s he?” He looks around. “I’ve heard he’s the most powerful Superhuman in the world.”
“Second,” I correct. “His Teacher is the most powerful. He left after retrieving his artifact, entrusting Jared and I to help the rest of you. He’s powerful, but he doesn’t necessarily have finesse, so him acting to aid others in the Ruins could actually destroy them.”
“Seriously?” His eyes bug out.
“Yup.”
And that’s not exactly something I want to experience from within the Ruins.
Caleb’s told me about that fear last night, and when he did, I realized why he took on a supporting role instead of an offensive one.
The cadet – Todd – and I make our way through this entire portion of the Ruins, finally making it to the final room, where a massive, lizardish creature awaits us.
The creature itself is probably twelve feet tall, is covered in metallic, blue-green scales, its eyes a deep crimson in color. Two legs, two arms.
Three entrances to this room, and I barely take in the fact that Todd’s artifact rests on a pedestal at the other end of the room before two things happen.
The first is that Jared enters from another entrance.
The second is that the ‘boss’ attacks.
I throw up my hands, blocking it with water, but that barely deflects the strike.
Jared flicks his wrists, his bracelets turning into spikes as they soar through they air. They connect with the lizard, and bounce right off its scales, not even scratching them.
“Go for your artifact,” I tell Todd as the lizard temporarily refocuses on Jared. “As soon as you get it, go back the way we came. Jared and I will make sure you get out.”
He nods, then runs off. The lizard moves to intercept him, and I burst my steps, kicking it in the head with as much force as I dare. That knocks it off-balance for a moment, but then it grabs me as I land and throws me at Jared.
Something grips me in the air, and I look to see a giant made of metal standing there, the thing that caught me. Jared’s sweating and turned pale. This must be pushing the limits of what he can do in here, and with such little metal.
The giant puts me down, then charges the lizard, which smacks it, sending it flying. The giant slams into a wall, falling apart, the metal shrinking back into the things Jared wears around him.
“Damn,” Jared drops to one knee. “This thing is easily A-Rank, probably S-Rank. Makes me wish Caleb was here.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “But if he went out of a supportive role, he’d probably take down the entire Ruins.”
Jared looks at me in shock.
“I hadn’t considered that,” he says as the lizard moves to block the other cadet. “Note that it’s not attacking him – just blocking his path. We can’t distract it long enough for him to get through.”
“Unison Strike?” I suggest.
It isn’t attacking him, yet it attacked us when we came in. Why?
“Even if that would work,” Jared says. “What good would your water do for my metal?”
“That’s it!” I exclaim, and he raises an eyebrow. “It’ll fight us, because we’re a threat, but it knows that Todd isn’t a threat and can’t get past him. As long as we’re a threat, it’ll fight us, unless Todd gets too close. Yes – a Unison Strike will be what we need. Let’s do it.”
“Even the two of us meshed,” Jared sighs. “It’s not as if your water would work with my metal.”
“Huh?” I look at him.
“And if you think we can kill this thing with mud, you’ll really have to think again.”
“I wasn’t referring to water,” I say. “Much like you, I had to figure out the base form of my element.”
“The base form?”
“Water,” I smile at him. “Flame isn’t the only one who goes by a name of his choosing, though mine’s only slightly different. I picked Brooks, but my real name? It’s Frost.”
“Ice,” he realizes. “That might work. But we have no idea if we mesh.”
“Water works with all,” I tell him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Instantly, a pathway between us opens, and I can feel his power flowing through him – and the dragon within as well.
Jared gasps as I poke the dragon, and then looks at me.
Now, we have a more powerful Unison Strike we can perform.
Jared, with his eyes wide, welcomes my draconic power as I offer it to him, and we merge. The lizard looks at us as we begin the Strike.
The metal gathers back up, reforming into the giant, this time, with an icy touch to it. Liquid ice flows across its surface, frosty in appearance. A frosty aura surrounds the giant as it approaches the lizard, which attacks.
The giant stops the attack with its arm, then we rip off the lizard’s head. The lizard drops to the ground, then both parts fade away.
The Strike ends, and Jared and I both drop to our knees, Jared falling over after a moment. I check him – he’s just unconscious. He’d already wore himself out with his Ability creating the first giant. Having his dragon woken, then using its power, drained him completely.
“Hup!” I lift Jared up and onto my shoulder, then look at Todd. “Let’s get out of here, before monsters start respawning.”
He nods, and we make our way to the exit.
----------------------------------------
~~(Caleb)~~
“And why, exactly, do you think our decision is wrong?” The instructor asks as Kieran watches, amused. “You didn’t bother to help any of the others, despite having the clear ability to. You knew that the mission would judge you based on that.”
“No, I didn’t,” I say. “And the fact that you’re using that means you’d have failed me anyway, saying that I knew beforehand, and was only doing it for the credit. Have you not seen me use my Ability and magic before? I’m not skilled enough to go small-scale in combat – that’s why I go supportive. Not much I can do on that level when my Ability doesn’t work, and reality magics don’t, either. If I tried helping them take out the monsters, I’d end up destroying the Ruins, and I was under the assumption that you wanted the cadets to survive.”
“You could have created barriers and buffs,” the instructor says.
“With my magic?” I ask. “For an exam for Superhumans? You are joking, right?”
“No,” he says. “The point is, you failed to-”
“Please deal with him,” I tell the unicorn. “He’s being mean.”
“You can’t just summon a unicorn and tell it to defend you!” The instructor says. “I’m not overturning the decision!”
“Fine,” I look at the unicorn. “You can return to the island. Doggy! Can you come here?”
“Oh, boy,” the instructor sighs. “You really think a little dog is going to… what. The. Fuck. Is. That?”
“That’s my doggy!” I tell him. “Doggy – he’s being mean and trying to say I fail the test because I wouldn’t destroy the Ruins, but he’d have failed me for trying to help my teammates anyway, apparently, because I should have known that we’d be graded on it, which I didn’t, because Teacher taught me how to tune out the thoughts of others, so I did that so I wouldn’t hear any secret details.”
So what do you want me to do?
“Can you lick him to death or something?”
To death? I can do that.
“It’s a phrase,” I say. “Don’t actually kill him, doggy.”
I know it is. How far do you want me to go?
“To death.”
Got it.
The doggy approaches the instructor, who just rolls his eyes and flicks his wrist, hitting the doggy with his telekinesis.
Allow me to introduce you to the wonderful species of Rift Wolves, mortal. Abilities don’t work on us. Our power is akin to dragons. I am Caleb’s first familiar. You will eliminate your bias caused by your hatred of Territories, due to their overwhelming power against virtually all others, or I will kick your ass so hard, you will never sit again.
The instructor doesn’t listen, and when we all return to base, I’m given orders to report for a hearing for attacking staff.
I didn’t actually attack him – my familiar did. On his own. But I have to go anyway.
The board looks at me, and listens to what I have to say. I can tell by their expressions that they’re not happy.
“Familiars don’t just attack people,” the man in charge says. “Not unless they’re ordered to.”
“They will if their master’s in danger,” I remind him. “Plus – have you ever tried to contain a doggy? It’s not easy. That’s why I summoned the unicorn, first, but the guy told me I wasn’t allowed to do that, so I summoned the doggy instead. And I really didn’t know what the exam was before – I just didn’t want to destroy the Ruins. And the fact that he said I did know before means that he would have said that I failed the exam for helping them, too, because I only did it to pass, knowing that’s what we were being graded on.”
“That’s not what this hearing is about,” the lead states.
“Well, it should be!” I say. “It’s an obvious bias against a Territory! Why put me on this mission if you’re just going to use my Ability to say I fail? There was no good way to do that! And plus – you can’t just control a doggy. They do as they please.
“Now,” I continue. “You’re going to determine that I did no wrong, as it was done by my familiar, unprovoked on my part, and the doggy did warn him he’d attack if he didn’t get rid of his biased decision. Then, you’re going to rule that the decision on my fail was made through a bias against powerhouses. I was scared of destroying the Ruins, hence, I just left.”
“No, we will not,” the lead says. “You have violated the rules, Cadet Rivers, and as such-”
“Then I quit.”
“Excuse me?”
“No,” I say. “I won’t. I won’t work for people who will judge unfairly against people who are vastly superior in power – so superior in power that they cannot safely assist in combat in a safe way in confined spaces, yet. As you are upholding that ruling, it is clear that this is not the place for me. Goodbye.”
I turn and leave, making my way back to the dorms. Jared and Brooks are chatting, and Kieran is sitting on his bed, trying not to look bored.
I start packing my things, and they all look at me.
“Did they suspend you?” Jared asks. “I can have Father-”
“I’m not suspended.”
“They didn’t… discharge you, did they?” Jared asks, eyes wide.
“No,” I answer. “I quit. Kieran – make sure they stay here.”
“But-” Kieran protests.
“As your team leader,” I look him in the eyes. “I’m giving you an order. Make sure they stay in the GSDF. Do not quit, either. They are to continue training. The same goes for Flame and the GMDF. I’ll contact you when I know what I’m doing. Don’t expect to hear from me for awhile.”
“But-”
“For me, Kieran?” I ask, and he hangs his head down. “Thanks. I’m quitting, but I want the rest of you to finish your training, here. We’ll be a team when you graduate, don’t worry.”
My stuff packed into my storage, I close my eyes, teleporting myself to the lake on campus. Being winter, the sun has already set, the moon in the sky. It’s not a full moon, but it will work well enough without an incantation. To decrease the energy used, however, I still incant the words.
Once the spell is complete, I adjust the ratio, then after confirming it, step through the lake, landing gently in the ruins of the old civilization.
They, like most, are overgrown with nature, animals roaming freely. Unlike others, these ruins are nowhere near modern civilization, instead, they are surrounded by forests for over a hundred miles. Monsters roam the ruins, as well as the animals.
It will give me the perfect place to train freely, without fear of hurting others. Only animals and monsters await me here, and I can damage the surroundings without fear. I can gain finesse in offensive styles.
Maybe I’ll even awaken the dragon within me. Jared somehow did during the training mission, and I want to beat Kieran to it.
----------------------------------------
~~(???)~~
Dammit, Caleb! Where the hell did you go? I sensed your magic, but the moment I tried to track you, I hit a fucking wall!
How the hell did you figure out a way to block me out? I know Father said you possess more power than me, but you’re too restricted by whatever is restricting you to actually do it!
That damn boy…
He takes after his father way too much.
And his father’s father, for that matter…
Checking in on the GSDF, I find that he quit, all because of a stupid thing. On their part, not his. I’m furious about that, and am debating on paying the Council of Dreams a visit. Before that, I check on his team, to see how they’re doing.
“I’m calling Father,” Jared stands up, looking at Brooks and Kieran. “I do agree with Caleb that it was stupid for them to judge him that way. They just lost what is the most powerful agent either force has ever had over it. The Council will not be happy at the judgment, nor will they be pleased to hear that he quit as a result of it.”
Kind of the same thing there, Jared…
“Will that actually change anything?” Brooks asks. “I know your father’s a Councilman, but wouldn’t they say that Caleb’s reaction – essentially a tantrum – is just evidence he’s not mature enough to be here?”
“Maybe,” Jared says. “But remember – Caleb survived the Alkran Massacre, and has a lot of baggage he’s working through. The Council will take that into consideration. They will also factor in that keeping Caleb around until he works his way through his issues will be a plus, as it means that Caleb will still be loyal to them – and thus, they’ll have a being on the level of the ancients, in power, on their side.
“If he’s not GSDF, they can’t, technically, control him. He is a registered Hunter, as are all agents and cadets. He can do stuff on his own, and, if word gets out that he was driven out of the GSDF as he does his own thing, people will start to rally behind him – even if he doesn’t know they’re doing it. They’ll support him because he’s powerful, and because he can actually handle threats.”
“But he can’t,” Brooks says.
Yeah, he can’t. You need to remember that, Jared.
“Right now,” Jared nods. “But the Council is called the ‘Council of Dreams’ for a reason, Brooks – they look to the future, to making the world a better, safer place. They know that Caleb will work his way through this, and that, while it might take five years, or a decade, or a hundred years, it’s better if he’s behind the Council when that happens, because then things will be united.
“If the world is gathering behind him, especially if he’s uncaring about that, then it means that the power will be divided, and the balance they’ve worked so hard to create will be broken. Should Caleb decide to lead his own force, that will cause even more problems, as he has the potential to be the biggest threat to the Council as a leader than working alone – especially if he’s their enemy. He works to protect himself and those he cares about. He is, however, dealing with trauma, and angering him will turn that anger into hate, and warp his mind into a dark place. It is better for Caleb to leave the GSDF on peaceful terms than in anger, like he did today. He’ll be fine – for now – but given time, be it months, years, or even decades – and he’ll grow to hate the GSDF.
“That,” Jared continues, finally pausing in what he says. “Is why the Council will overrule both rulings – the hearing, and the mission judgment. That is why they will contact Caleb and tell him that he was treated unfairly, and that they would be happy to restore his position in the GSDF as a cadet. That is why, regardless of his response, they will actively look into this facility and its staff, putting each one through an intense interview to determine whether or not they live up to the standards of the GSDF.”
Jared could be a danger, himself. His wording could be a tad bit better, but he knows how politics works, and if he changed just a little bit, he could rally a force against them.
I will watch. For now.
But if things don’t change…
It’s been a few decades since a full-fledged dragon made an appearance.
And there’s a reason it was hidden from public knowledge.
She didn’t do nearly as much damage as the Massacre my son survived, but it was considered to be a disaster on the same level as that.
And I am far, far more powerful than any ordinary dragon.