Chapter 44
On an upward trail toward the castle, two men approach us . The man in front is holding on to a stack of papers . He asks, "Are you lot here to join the army?"
"Yeah," I respond .
"Have you served or graduated from the Academy before?"
"Yeah, we're Adventurers . "
The man hands me a piece of paper . "Fill this out and hand it to Lieutenant Elinnore in front of the castle gates . She's the one with orange pigtails . When you're finished, wait on the right side . "
I take a pencil from the other man before continuing up the trail . Ruby asks, "What's the paper fer?
I skim over it and answer, "Looks like we have to answer a few questions about us . "
"Kai, look," Marin says . I look up and then widen my eyes . The castle is in view in front of us . Everything seems to be at least twice the size of the Academy . The main structure and the walls surrounding it . I have seen it before from afar, but never up close . I admire the view, forgetting about what's on the piece of paper .
The people ahead are separated into two groups; one on the left side and the other on the right . Soon enough, we arrive at the front of the castle and join the group on the right side . There are many familiar faces around here . Particularly the teams we fought in the tournament . We stop next to Hina's group .
"Y'all made it," the guy with a buckler says .
"Yeah, but what's going on here?" I ask .
"Not sure . They haven't said anything yet . "
I look toward the three in armor in front of the gates . One of the men is calling out names . Lieutenant Elinnore drops a few papers on top of the table . The last one is sitting in front of a table . He's shuffling through the papers in front of him . I glance down at the paper I'm holding . I look around and say, "We still need to fill this out…but where do I—"
"I got ya," the guy with a buckler says and then squats down .
"It's fine . I can do it," Marin interrupts and crouches down . She places a hand flat on the ground . A few seconds later, a small wooden pillar rises from the dirt . I place the paper on it . I skip the irrelevant questions .
Year of Academy graduation .
3568 .
Adventurer rank .
E .
Are you joining as a group?
Yes .
What are the names and roles of the members in the group?
I look at the space below, finding eight places to fill in . I knit my eyebrows . Eight blanks…so we can have eight members in a group? We have three and Hina has four…
I raise my head and ask, "Hey, can't we combine our groups into one?"
"It's not possible," Hina answers immediately . "I already asked earlier . They're tryin' to split the power as evenly as possible into different groups . "
"I see," I reply and then fill in our names and roles . Below is a block of text . "Hey, this looks important . Ruby, Marin, come read this too . "
"'Kay!" Ruby exclaims and then stands next to me . Marin stands on the other side .
You will form a special class platoon composed of 8 individuals called the Sigma Platoon . Missing members will be filled in by new recruits or by individuals from The Reserve . Only one member can be leader and hold the military rank in-name . The rank applies to the entire platoon, and other members won't have any additional roles . Choose from the names above your leader .
I press the pencil into the paper but don't write anything .
"Kai, what're you hesitating for? Marin asks .
"Well, we should discuss—"
"There's no way I can do something like that… Ruby won't care either . Right, Ruby?"
"Yeah! Kai's our leader!" I smile and fill in my name .
"Kai?" multiple people ask around me . The familiar faces I saw earlier turn toward us .
I turn toward Ruby and then point toward the three in front of the gates . "Ruby, take this and turn this in for us . "
"'Kay!" she exclaims and takes the paper and pencil from me . She skips the way there . "Elinnore~ Elinnore~!"
A group of people comes toward us .
"Yo," a girl greets . I recognize her as the dagger girl from the tournament . "You're still alive . "
"Hey," I greet back . I count them from left to right; all six of them are there . "All of you are still alive . "
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"Yep, our teamwork's pretty good!" she exclaims and then smiles smugly . "You should learn from us . "
"Excuse me?" I ask .
"Hmm… Where's the rest of your group?" she asks while glancing left and right . "Oh, that's right . They all got themselves killed like the idiot on your team!"
She laughs loudly . I grit my teeth and fists while glaring at her . Another girl puts a hand on dagger girl's shoulder and says, "Ada, that's enough . Leave them alone . "
She's the girl we took hostage in the tournament . Ada asks, "Aisha, you heard it too, didn't you? Everyone did . "
"Ada, your name was it? Take it back . What you said about Hiro and them," I demand . "I won't let you spit on their graves . "
"Or what?" She asks and then laughs . "Are you gonna kill me like your team killed each other? That Castalia kid's better off—"
I draw my weapon and point it at her . She backs away . Chatter around us stops . Eyes around linger on us . "Shut up, or I'll make you shut up . "
"Kai," Marin says quietly and puts a hand on my arm . I shrug it off .
"Resorting to violence, just like them . You're working with them aren't you?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Ada, stop," a guy says . Ada pushes his arms out of her way .
"Team Aisha, come forward," A man says loudly . "Powell and John from the left side come forward . "
"Everyone saw it . You were trying to claim that Sitos was innocent . That he wasn't one of them . But he was . And everyone here knows it!" Ada exclaims . Two guys pull her back . "And everyone here should know that you're a traitor! Only a traitor would defend scum like him!"
"I'm back! What's goin' on?" Ruby asks . I sheathe my sword and bite my lip .
"Nothing . "
"I'll apologize on behalf of Ada . Sorry . " Aisha says with a bow before walking away with the rest of her team . I turn away from all the prying eyes around us . The chatter around us resumes .
I lower my head and ask, "Why the hell does Ada know about Sitos…?"
"Haven't ya heard? Everyone's talkin' 'bout Castalia and their involvement in the attack . Sitos is one of the names mentioned in the report," the guy with a buckler informs .
Report… I glance over to Ruby . She's smiling as usual . Not knowing she's the cause of everything .
I glare at the buckler guy and ask, "Do you believe it too? The report . "
"Stop it," Hina says abruptly . "It's the truth, isn't it? I heard parts of it from Luna yesterday . "
Hina gestures her head toward Ruby . Ruby tilts her head sideways and asks, "Who's Luna?"
Hina knits her eyebrows . I answer quickly, "Well, some stuff happened… Her name's Ruby now . "
"Yep, that's me!" Ruby exclaims .
"I see… In any case, you shouldn't be pickin' fights with everyone unless you have proof because the army does . You won't last . "
"Team Kai, come forward . Vicki and Kama from the left side come forward . "
"We're up . Let's go," I say and walk toward the front .
"'Kay!"
"Bye, Hina," Marin says behind me . A woman and a man from the other group are walking toward the front of the gate where the man in armor stands . We arrive shortly after them . They appear to be at least twice our age .
"Follow me," the man instructs as he walks inside . We follow . "I am Lieutenant Petrus . Major Gaius has decided that you five and three Soldiers from The Reserve will form Sigma 4 . You will meet the other three members some time after orientation held at 4:30 PM at the Crossroads . You will find it at the center of the first floor in the Castle . "
We enter the courtyard . I widen my eyes, witnessing the grand size of the Castle . It looks more amazing up close . The trail leading into the courtyard splits off into two paths on the left and right . The path on the right appears to lead into the Castle while the left leads into a smaller building and somewhere else off to the side .
Lieutenant Petrus continues, "For now, the three of you will help train Vicki and Kama until you receive new orders later . You will find various types of weapons placed in the barrels in the courtyard . The archery range is located behind the Castle . They never had any training, so it is up to you to help them choose a role . Kai . "
"Yes," I respond .
"Major Gaius has granted you the rank Corporal . Ruby and Marin are granted the rank Soldier . Vicki and Kama, you two will be only granted the rank Soldier when you have completed basic training . Any questions?"
"I have one, Lieutenant Petrus," I say .
"What is it, Corporal Kai?"
I hesitate for a moment before asking, "When will we look for the ones responsible for the attack?"
"That is not up to me, however… I suspect that General Nero will not make any moves until the bulk of our elites return from their mission in Neomeris . "
I clench my fists and look down . He continues, "If you manage to reach the Lieutenant rank, you may start your own investigations with upper brass permission…or reach the Captain rank and go without it . "
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"Really?!"
"Yes, if you do good work, you will progress quickly . Now, carry out your task Corporal Kai . "
"Yes sir!" I answer with a salute . He smiles and then walks back . I turn toward the two new additions to our group . "Well, you heard him . What're your names?"
"I'm Kama," the man answers . He has short black hair, a mustache, and a small beard . He seems completely out of shape with his belly protruding outward .
"My name's Vicki," the woman answers . She's the opposite of Kama, but not in a good way . She's on the thin side . I can't see battle ending well for either one of these two .
"Well… What kind of weapon do you want to use?"
"Hmm… I'm not sure . What kinds of weapons are there?" Kama asks .
"There are weapons like mine that favor speed and precision over pure power, weapons that are very heavy and hit hard, and weapons for combat from afar . "
"I think the bow Marin has would suit me best," Vicki says .
"Marin can teach you the basics, right?"
"Yeah… Um… Follow me," Marin says and then heads toward the opening on the left side of the Castle . Vicki follows her .
"Have you decided on a weapon?" I ask .
"I'm still not sure . "
I sigh and then say, "Well, you can decide later . Come with me . "
I walk toward the barrels far in front of us . I shuffle through one of them and then pick out a long wooden sword . I hand it to Kama . He asks, "What should I do with this?"
I lead him to an open area away from everyone else . I hold one of my swords with both hands in front of me . "Practice this motion of swinging the sword . "
I swing the sword down from above in front of me twice . "Now, you try it . "
He brings the blade up and then swings it down . His form is wrong . "Like this?"
"Keep your back straight . Your shoulders are too tense . Relax them," I instruct . I circle around him as he swings it down over and over again . I put away my sword . "Move your left foot a little more back . Straighten out your entire arm through the motion of the swing . "
"Hows this?"
"Looking better . Just keep doing that until you can't anymore," I instruct .
"What should I do?" she asks .
"There's nothing to do right…" It's getting noisy at the front of the Castle gates . There has not been another group to go inside after us either . "Kama, I'm gonna check something out! Just keep practicing!"
I run back out toward the gates, Ruby coming along with me . There's a guard in addition to the three officials next to the table . As we get closer, I ask, "What's going on?
"That's a problem," Major Gaius says .
"Reinforcements are needed at the Academy," Lieutenant Petrus answers .
The Academy?! I think back to what Moria told me . This is my chance!
I smile before exclaiming, "If you need reinforcements, let me take part!"
"Who are you?" the guard asks .
"Corporal Kai . "
"Sorry, but Moria instructed me to bring veterans only . "
"I'll allow it," Major Gaius says .
"What?! But sir…"
"We don't have any Delta or Omega platoons to spare . Most of our forces are in Neomeris right now, and our remaining units were injured in the recent attack . These two here and the remaining recruits over there are the best we can offer right now . "
"At least come with us, Major Gaius . "
"I don't want to . "
"Excuse me?"
"I'll stay here and handle the recruitment process . If the enemy comes my way, I'll take care of them . Lieutenant Petrus and Lieutenant Elinnore go with them . "
"Yes sir!"
"We're comin' too," Hina declares . The four of them come forward .
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"Me too!" Ruby exclaims .
"Take eight more, and you'll be fine . Can we get more volunteers?"
Some familiar faces appear; the team we fought in the second round of the tournament . There are three of them . Five other I don't recognize come along too . A few of them have ten years above us . The sixteen of us and the messenger head to the Academy, eventually meeting up with Moria .
Moria facepalms himself and shakes his head . "I thought I specifically asked for veterans, did I not? Over half of these faces are recent Academy graduates . "
"Well… Major Gaius said this was all that was available for immediate deployment . Lieutenant Elinnore and Lieutenant Petrus are here as well . "
"It'll be fine, Moria," I say with a smile .
"It cannot be helped . Kai, you and the other rookies will have to stay in the back," Moria says and then leads us to the entrance of the Underground . Four other instructors are waiting for us .
"What are those kids doing here?" another instructor asks .
"I asked the same thing, but we have to make do . They will stay in the back . Have there been any movements?" Moria asks . One of the other instructors shakes his head . "Let us go . Remember to stay close together and cover our flank . "
We nod our heads, and then Moria opens the door to the Underground . Two of the instructors stay behind . We go down many flights of stairs in a dimly lit passage, eventually reaching the large open area . I take out both of my swords . The other instructor provides additional light . I haven't seen anything unusual yet . Moria says, "We will check the ruins area first . "
We slowly creep around every corner checking around us at every second of the way . Half of us climb onto nearby buildings to get a better view . Ruby and I remain on the ground . No one says anything . At least ten minutes pass when suddenly, someone screams . I immediately turn toward the girl who screamed . She's on the ground . There are no signs of the enemy around her, but there's something on the ground .
I move closer to check, my heart skipping a beat as I find a bloody arm on the ground . Moria and the other veterans rejoin us . The other instructor lights the view ahead of us, revealing more cutoff limbs and something more . Moria utters, "My goodness…"
I walk down the path . Several unclothed bodies of young girls and boys lay lifelessly on the ground . Gashes, punctures, and burn marks decorate their corpses . Their genitals mutilated . I discover a body in a healthier condition compared to the rest . She only has a few minor cuts and bruises . There's a metal collar around her neck . I check her pulse and then declare, "She's still alive . "
"That is good to hear," the other instructor says .
"Lieutenant Petrus, be a gentleman and escort her out of here," Lieutenant Elinnore says .
Lieutenant Petrus puts away his weapon, picks up the naked girl, and then answers, "Right . I will drop her off with the two other instructors and be back . "
Lieutenant Petrus leaves with the girl . Someone else exclaims, "There are more survivors over here!"
We discover three other confirmed survivors grouped in one spot, though their injuries are serious . One of them is missing both of their legs while the other two lack an arm . The girl who screamed earlier casts Healing magic on them to stop the bleeding . There's another body a bit farther in front of us . Moria's running toward her, so I search around us .
"The enemy!" Moria exclaims suddenly . There's a masked man standing between Moria and the body in the distance . I gulp .
This is my chance… I tightly grip my swords and charge toward him .
"You finally—" Our blades meet . He's using two short swords, one in each hand .
"Kai, what are you doing?!" Moria exclaims . "Get back!"
The masked man laughs and then says, "Oh, it's you again . "
He pushes me back with brute force and launches me back . I slide several feet on the ground . He knows me?
"How dare ya do that ta Kai!" Ruby exclaims and then runs forward . Moria stops her .
"Stop . He has a hostage," Moria says . Lieutenant Elinnore and the other veterans make a line at the front . I stand up . Hina and the others stand vigilant around me .
"Hostage? You mean her?" the masked man asks as points to the girl behind him . He puts away his weapons and then walks toward her . He kneels down and then smacks her across the face multiple times . "Hey, wake up . "
The girl screams while flailing her limbs around . The masked man picks her up and then chucks her in our direction . He laughs and then says, "I don't wanna hold you back . Take her . "
Moria and the others don't move . Moria says, "Stand up, quickly . You will be safe soon . "
The girl smiles as she looks up . Her legs are shaky as she tries to stand up . She's about to take a step forward when suddenly, a large explosion erupts around her . I close my eyes as a gust of air pushes me back . What happened to Moria?!
I open my eyes, finding the eight who were in the front on the ground . There's a wall of water in front of them . The masked man runs off and yells, "See ya suckers!"
I bite my lip, stand up, and then chase after him . I won't let him get away!
"Kai, no!" Moria exclaims behind me .
"Kai, wait fer me!" Ruby exclaims as she follows me . I chase closely after the masked man in several twists and turns . Suddenly, he jumps from wall to wall and climbs onto the top of a tall structure . I raise my eyebrows . Those movements!
I recall the same movements from that day . A masked man dragged a woman to an alleyway and then jumped up the walls to get away . I grit my teeth . I turn toward the direction he ran to as soon as I can, but I don't see him anymore . It's still not too late!
I run in the most likely direction he would run in: toward the entrance of the Underground . I have no idea where he is while running senselessly . I stop running as I discern something odd near me . There's a big rock next to a wall . There shouldn't be any rocks in the Underground . I sheathe my weapons and then move closer to the rock . It's blocking something .
I grab both ends of the rock and pull . A small passage is revealed . I release a small amount of fire from a finger on my left hand to illuminate the tunnel . It's slanted about 45 degrees downward and can barely fit one person . The surface inside is made of dirt . This must be where he fled to… Should I tell everyone else about this . . . ? No . . . If I do, Moria won't let me go down there, and the enemy would be long gone . It's now or never .
I gulp and then squeeze into the crawlspace . The end isn't in sight . About five minutes pass when a thought enters my mind . Wait, what if this is a trap…?
I stop moving forward and attempt to move backward, but it's impossible at this angle . I reluctantly continue moving forward . There's a faint sound in the distance . A steady, constant sound . It becomes clear when I get closer; it's the sound of a water current . The exit is in sight .
I climb out of the hole, finding myself in the sewers . There's no sign of the enemy . I sigh . Continuing to pursue him would be pointless . There are too many places he could have gone . I climb back into the hole in the wall and make my way back up without a light aid . My pace is slower compared to going down .
How long has it been? I just wanna get out of this place… The air around me is murky, and my entire body feels damp . It feels like I should be able to see the exit by now, but there is only darkness . Eventually, I reach a dead end . Huh?
I reach the end with my hand and push . The rock I moved is in the way again . I push it out of the way . I gasp for air while climbing out of the passage .
"Kai, it is just you…" Moria says with a sigh . I look up, finding Moria, Ruby, Lieutenant Elinnore, and several others I don't recognize gathered around me . Over half of the others aren't present . They have their weapons out and appear tense . They sigh and then put away their weapons . "We have been looking for you . What have you been doing?"
"Well… I found this suspicious looking rock and moved it . I thought the masked man might have used this as his escape route, so I went in to check it out . It led to the sewers . There was no sense in trying to find him there, so I came back . "
"How reckless . " Moria shakes his head . "It is good that nothing happened to you . "
"What were you guys doing here?"
"We were looking for you until she found this suspicious rock blocking the hole," Moria says as he points to Ruby I knit my eyebrows . "I suspected the masked men entered the Academy through here and decided to keep watch after moving the rock back . "
"What do you mean she found a suspicious rock blocking the hole? I didn't move it back after I went in . Ruby, you're sure that you found it that way?"
"Uh-huh . "
"That is troubling to hear . The others could be in danger . Let us hurry," Moria suggests . Footsteps approach us .
"Moria, there's trouble!" Hina exclaims as she and her group run over to us . "Lieutenant Petrus' missin'!"
"What do you mean?" Moria asks .
"We brought a batch of survivors to the entrance, but the two instructors stationed there didn't expect us . I asked about Lieutenant Petrus, and they told me he hasn't passed through there . "
"That is not good . We learned that the enemy might still be in here with us . Where is everyone else?"
"They're split up lookin' for more survivors . "
"Let us meet up with them quickly . But we cannot leave this place unguarded . "
"I'll be fine here by myself . You should hurry and meet up with the others," Lieutenant Elinnore says .
"Alright . We will be back," Moria says and then runs in the direction Hina came from . The rest of us follow . We go toward the area where the tournament game 'Watch Your Step' took place . Along the way, the axe guy from the team we fought in the second round of the tournament calls out to us from behind .
"Oh shit, Moria, you're here!" he exclaims with his hands wrapped around the sides of his head . We turn back to where he is at the entrance of a structure . "We-we found Lieutenant Petrus… He-he's…!"
"Calm down Balan . I am glad you are okay . Where are the others?" Moria asks .
"I'm only with Zeke and Ain . I dunno about the rest . I was too scared to move from this building . "
"Take us to Lieutenant Petrus . " Balan leads us into a room where the other two members of his team are . The two are sitting against the wall . Lieutenant Petrus is lying on the ground face up with a pool of blood around his neck . His throat has been slit . A familiar scene . "What happened to the girl?"
"We don't know . She wasn't around when we arrived . "
"I see . Let us hurry and find the others . " We resume our course toward the 'Watch Your Step' area . The other instructor and the last two members of our team are standing outside the entrance . "Thank god, you are all okay . "
"Yes, we are . What is wrong?" the other instructor asks .
"The enemy might still be in the Underground area . Lieutenant Petrus is no longer with us," Moria informs .
"Oh no…"
"Did you find any more survivors?"
"No, we did not . There was nothing in this entire area . "
Moria closes his eyes for several seconds with a hand around his chin . "Let us rejoin with Lieutenant Elinnore and leave this place . "
"What about the masked men?"
"We have higher priorities right now: the survivors . We will seal the hole we found earlier and pick up the bodies as a group . We will scout the area again another day . " With that, we head back to that area . Lieutenant Elinnore reports that nothing happened . Moria kneels down and puts one of his hands into the tunnel . Several seconds later, dirt from the top of the tunnel falls .
Afterward, we make our way to Lieutenant Petrus' body . Two people carry his body, and then we make our way to the first place we discovered bodies . Ruby picks up several severed limbs to carry back . I take two bodies with me . Eventually, everyone's is carrying something . We return to the entrance of the Underground where the other two instructors are waiting . We drop the bodies and limbs on the ground .
Moria asks, "Where are the survivors?"
One of the instructors answers, "They're in one of the training rooms . The medics sent from the Castle are attending to them now . What happened to Lieutenant Petrus?"
"We do not know . He was found dead . Our next priority should be finding out who these survivors are . "
"Can you take care of things here on your own now?" Lieutenant Elinnore asks .
"Yes, we will be fine for now . Good work," Moria says .
"Well then, we'll be on our way . Orientation has started already," Lieutenant Elinnore says as she heads out . We follow behind .
"See ya, Moria . "
"Take care, Kai . "
We make our way back to the Castle .