ã€ŠIsekai Talesã€‹


 Prologue: There is no Isekai

This is my last journal entry.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.Anne, if I find myself in another world, I¡¯ll try to find a way to summon you there. I love you.

 Chapter 1

    There was only the never ending void; no light, no sound. But a wandering soul within can feel its infinite emptiness.

    The soul knew it had a name. It remembered its past life, how it died, and understood that its life had come to an end. Now, it waited in the void, not for a rescue but for its fate. Will it go to heaven? Will it go to hell? Will it be reborn and given a second chance at life? Or will it be stuck here for eternity?

    The soul did not know how long it had waited nor did it even care before it felt the void shift and twist. It felt itself torn by the void into multiple fragments. It tried to piece itself together but to no avail. It didn¡¯t feel pain, but it knew it lost something.

    The soul knew it had a name. It had remembered its past life and how it had died. And it understood that it had forgotten those.

    Through the fracture the soul went. It was being crushed and broken further but it resisted as much as it could. It had already lost many things, and was unwilling to lose more. Gradually, it was being chipped away.

    Then, it heard voices. One of apology. One of disbelief and rage. One of denial.

    And it heard one more. It heard the cry of new life. It heard its own voice.

    ***

    The doctor said that it was the first time she ever heard of a stillborn child come back to life and even experienced it firsthand. To the couple, it didn¡¯t matter if it was medically impossible. They were just happy that their child was alive and well.

    Artur, the father of the miracle child, was not from their town. He suddenly appeared one day covered in injuries. It was Eliza, only a young teen back then, who took care of him. Artur kept his history hidden from everyone in the town, including Eliza, but did not stop her from falling in love with him over the years.

    After they married, Eliza suffered from three miscarriages so it was no wonder that they were so happy that she had finally given birth despite the tragedy that almost took place again.

    A ten-year-old girl left the town shortly after dawn. Their family owns a bakery, so her mother would always wake up early to prepare the bread they would sell in the morning. The girl wore a brown hooded cloak and carried a basket in her arms. She headed straight for the nearby forest and followed a well-used trail.

    After a few minutes, she arrived in a clearing that lead to a hill. On top of that hill was a wooden warehouse. She peeked at the slightly open door and found a man lying asleep on the floor. She walked up to him and dropped the basket beside his head.

    ¡°Fallen islands!¡± the man exclaimed as he sat up with a start. He looked around and saw the hooded girl standing beside a basket on the ground. ¡°Oh, Mori. Morning.¡± He opened his mouth for a big yawn, then pulled a warm roll of bread from the basket.

    ¡°Mom said if you don¡¯t sleep at home tonight, you can forget that you have a home,¡± the girl said as she sat down beside the basket. She took out a bread with a butter and sugar-coated top.

    ¡°She always says that,¡± the man said.

    ¡°She also said that you should enjoy today¡¯s breakfast because it will be the last.¡±

    ¡°Fine. I just need to do a little more adjustments.¡±

    The man downed a huge piece of bread and pushed it down with a cup of cold coffee he took out from somewhere in the warehouse. He then wiped his hands on his dirty clothes before walking toward the object that occupied the center of the building. He had a proud smile on his face.

    ¡°It looks shabby,¡± the girl said as she stood and picked up the basket.

    ¡°Wait until it takes off in the air,¡± he said with that stupid smile. ¡°I¡¯ll let you ride it if you take back your remark.¡±

    ¡°No, thanks. It is shabby.¡±

    The man turned to scowl at his child but she was nowhere in sight.

    ¡°Feisty little kid.¡± The caring expression on his face as he said those words spoke otherwise.

    Morielle was standing just outside the door of the warehouse so she heard what Artur said. There was a sad smile on her face as she walked away. She was backtracking the trail back to the town when a group of four children around her age blocked her way.

    ¡°It¡¯s the witch!¡± a boy with buckteeth shouted as he pointed at Morielle.

    ¡°Idiot rabbit. She¡¯s a zombie, not a witch,¡± the only girl in the group of four sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a rabbit! And witches and zombies are the same thing!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still an idiot, though!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± the biggest and meanest looking in the group silenced the bickering duo. He was slightly fat and at least a head taller than the rest of the group. There was a bruise near his left eye which Morielle stared at with a contemptuous smile.

    ¡°Today, we will get our revenge,¡± he said. ¡°Any last words, little zombie girl?¡±

    ¡°I thought that hit would fix up your brain, but I guess it only made things worse,¡± Morielle said with a shrug.

    ¡°Get her!¡±

    His three minions surrounded her, with the only one who had remained silent standing behind her. He was the weakest looking in the bunch, and also the first to fall. He received a kick right in the gut knocking him down in one blow. The other two tried to grab her from the sides, but with a quick duck, a sweeping kick, and a straight punch in the gut knocked them down.

    The bully leader charged at her while screaming what he probably thought was a cool-sounding warcry but actually sounded like some wild beast being skewered alive. She dodged to the right and threw a punch to his face. It was powerful enough to upset his balance, and would probably leave a bruise similar to the other side.

    Before the bullies could regroup and reorganize, Morielle dashed back to town. She sneaked to the back of their home and found the wooden barrels where they stored water. She grabbed a pail and dipped her hands in the cold water.

    ¡°Had a fight again?¡± Eliza asked from the house¡¯s open backdoor.

    ¡°Yeah. I tried to knock some sense into dad, but his head is too hard,¡± came Morielle¡¯s witty response.

    ¡°It is funny because it¡¯s true, but you shouldn¡¯t be lying to me young lady.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Rodney and his gang were picking on me again. They called me stuff like zombies and witches.¡±

    ¡°Aw, my poor little child. I will teach those nasty little buggers a lesson,¡± her mother said with a sickening tone as she crouched behind the kid and hugged her. ¡°Or were you thinking I would say something like that?¡± Her hug quickly turned into a stranglehold.

    ¡°Can¡¯t¡­ breathe¡­¡± Morielle thought that her brain died a little before her mother let her go.

    ¡°I told you that you shouldn¡¯t lie to me.¡±

    ¡°And you shouldn¡¯t be strangling your child.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Eliza sighed as she looked at her child. The kid was a genius. Even before she was a year old, she could already understand what she and her husband was saying. She easily learned how to walk and do housechores. She used to be such an obedient child, so Eliza didn¡¯t know how she turned into such a bully. True, the other kids were at fault for calling her names, especially the term zombie, but the kid was quick to turn to violence to resolve her problems.

    Morielle spent the rest of the day helping with chores at home. Artur arrived shortly after the sun set and spent some time knocking and begging to be let in by the front door. Dinner was a simple yet filling meal of leftover bread from the morning and mushroom soup.

    It was a dark, cloudy, moonless night, and it was times like these that Morielle had a hard time falling asleep. She tossed and turned in bed only to sit up and glare at the darkness that surrounded her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going back¡­¡± she growled at the darkness. ¡°You can¡¯t take me back.¡±

    She wrapped herself in her blanket. A strange pain filled her chest. There were things she knew, but there were also things she could not remember. She knew that she had already died once, but she couldn¡¯t remember what her previous life had been. It was like seeing her reflection only to realize that it was actually her shadow, just an ever present figure with nothing in it. No matter how much she told herself that she should just forget about it and live her current life to the fullest, but her missing past kept on haunting her.

    The pain grew unbearable and she cried herself to sleep.

    Her dreams had barely formed when she was jolted awake by the pain. It didn¡¯t come from her chest but from her arm instead. Strangely, a dim orange light lit her room. She looked down on her arm where an arrow had lodged itself deep.

    It was only then she realized the smell of smoke and the cries of pain and terror coming from the broken window. She joined the chorus of screams.

    ¡°Mori!¡± her mother dashed into the room and stared horrified at her injury. She dashed to her side and tried to comfort the agonised girl.

    ¡°Mori! Honey! Look at me,¡± Eliza said as she held Morielle¡¯s face and met her eyes. ¡°You need to trust me, okay?¡± The girl nodded. She then stared horrified as her mother¡¯s hand went for the arrow and snapped the shaft near the wand. It took a bit of effort for Eliza and caused the girl to whimper in pain. The arrowhead was stuck bone deep in her arm.

    ¡°The town is not gonna make it!¡± they heard Artur declare as he entered the room. He was holding an unfamiliar sword stained with fresh blood. He stalled when he saw Morielle bleeding, but continued when he saw that it was not a fatal injury. ¡°We need to escape.¡±

    ¡°Where can we go?¡± Eliza asked. She was pale-faced and the courage she had shown her child was gone.

    ¡°We will leave the island. I¡¯ll explain later. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Artur and Eliza grabbed what they could. They left the village and followed the trail in the forest. When they reached the warehouse, Eliza understood what her husband was planning.

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± she asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Artur answered in a grim tone as he lead his wife and daughter into the building. ¡°Get in.¡±

    Eliza was unsteady as she watched her husband open a door on the strange object. Inside was a small space enough for two people to either stand up and lie down in.

    ¡°What is this¡­ thing?¡± Eliza couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°It¡¯s an airboat. This is how I got here in this island.¡±

    Eliza gave him an incredulous look. She looked down at her daughter who was gradually losing consciousness. Before she could say anything, sounds of arrows hitting wood came from the warehouse¡¯s wall facing the trail from the town.

    ¡°Get in. There¡¯s no more time!¡± Arture basically pushed the two into the airboat. He activated the airboat¡¯s flotation core before jumping back out. He then pushed the airboat out of the warehouse and down the hill. Beyond the hill was a gradual slope that lead to a cliff at the edge of the island. He specifically chose this place to build the warehouse because of this.

    Eliza realized that Artur was not planning on going with them. She watched his lonely figure turn to face the enemies approaching from the other side of the hill.

    Something hit the side of the airboat followed by a high pitched cackling. Through the open door, a small green figure jumped in. It was a gobline dressed in shabby leather armor and wielding two serrated daggers. Seeing the two females inside, it cackled louder.

    Eliza looked at her child. She was still barely conscious and their eyes met. A warm smile appeared on Eliza¡¯s face as she said, ¡°I love you.¡±

    With grim determination she jumped toward the rushing goblin and caught the daggers in her torso. The creature tried to pull out but Eliza held it in a firm hug.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere,¡± she whispered to the creature before carrying it with her through the open door. The airboat had just left the edge of the cliff and there was no ground beneath them. The goblin shrieked in fear as the dying woman brought it with her fall.

    The airboat swayed unsteadily as it floated and glided away from the island. Through blurry and teary eyes, Morielle could barely see the gradually disappearing island floating in the clouds. It was still dark, but the island was well lit from the burning towns. It was a beautiful sight on its own, but Morielle could feel nothing but pain.

    She had lost many things before, and now she lost some more.

    A small, unsteady airboat floated aimlessly in the dark night sky. It was shabby, and Morielle hated it.

 Chapter 2

    Goeden Military Academy was once again holding its annual recruitment. It was the most prestigious military academy on the Havencinque islands, producing elite military personnel. One such example was Fleet General Keifre Kraden of the Azure Trails, defender and hero of the United Races who repelled the Horde invasion five years ago. He was what male military students aspired to be and what female military students aspired to wed.

    The recruitment was composed of two phases and was now on its second. The first phase was a test on theoretical knowledge and the second was on practical skills. Every recruitment was held in a different location, and this time it was held in an open field beside Crescent Lake. Tents surrounded the field, housing not only the examiners but also the participants and their companions.

    Arovin Fragor exited his tent. He raised his arms to stretch as he yawned. It was still quite early and he could see only a handful of people awake. Most of them were servants preparing their masters¡¯ morning necessities. Arovin smirked at the thought. He also came from a noble lineage, but he looked down on these young masters who were pampered at their age.

    The participants allowed in the recruitment must be 15 to 18 years of age. Arovin just turned sixteen. He had been planning on participating the recruitment the previous year, but his father believed that he still lacked training, and thus he waited another year.

    Allotted with enough time to prepare, the second phase of the recruitment began just as the morning fog dissipated. It was a bright sunny day, a perfect weather for the exam.

    The test-takers were called in pairs to appear in the center of the field where grass was cut and the ground flattened. The pairs were then pitted against each other in hand to hand combat. Arovin watched as some of the combatants wildly flailed in a futile attempt to bring down their foe. They forgot that the judging was not based on who won and lost but on the skills performed. Every now and then, a skilled examinee would appear, but it did not impress Arovin much.

    It was already afternoon when Arovin¡¯s name was called. This caused quite a commotion. The Fragor lineage was well-known for their military contributions. Furthermore, all previous heads of the house were graduates of Goeden Military Academy. They were not just ordinary graduates either. They were all awarded with the Wing Token, a medal given to the academy¡¯s top four graduates.

    With head raised high, Arovin walked to the center of the field to meet his opponent. As soon as he laid eyes on the other examinee, he couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in anger.

    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?!¡±

    In front of him stood a girl. She had short dark brown hair and eyes of the same color. Her slender frame was not hidden at all by her clothes. It was not that she was a girl that angered Arovin. Although, there were only few successful female military leaders, the fact they do exist was a testament to the fact that women should not be looked down upon. What angered him was his opponent¡¯s left arm.

    Or lack thereof.

    ¡°Is there a problem, Mr. Fragor?¡± one of the judges asked at his outburst.

    ¡°Did my father set this up?¡± he asked the judge as he pointed at his opponent.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about, but if you further delay the testing we would be forced to disqualify you.¡± The judge¡¯s words caused a hubbub in the crowd. A Fragor being disqualified from the Goeden recruitment would become a huge scandal.

    Arovin turned to face his opponent and resumed his calm. He looked at her disdainfully and said, ¡°If you think I will show mercy just because you¡¯re a girl and a cripple, then you better put your hopes down.¡±

    The girl didn¡¯t respond but took a combat stance instead. Her raised fist blocked the lower part of her face from his sight, and he thought that she was smirking at him.

    He readied his stance while thinking of how to punish this insolent cripple. He knew of many ways to deal pain in combat without causing too much damage in the opposing party. That should be enough to teach her a lesson.

    The judges signaled the fight to start.

    Arovin dashed forward a few steps before switching to the right. He planned on taking advantage of his opponent¡¯s disability. In war, there is no room for mercy. He aimed on circling her around her defenseless side. He would then rain her open side with attacks.

    All his planning was for naught as his it was easily read by his opponent. She had taken a few steps back while keeping her right side facing him. This did not mean that she had no other weaknesses for him to prey on, though.

    A person with a missing arm had disadvantages other than just being defenseless on one side. A walking or running person would sway their arms to keep their balance, so without one arm, their balance would be upset and their actions limited.

    The cunning young man had a good grasp on her flaws and continued his pursuit. Even if she could defend from his head on attacks, she would have a hard time recovering.

    He closed the distance and prepared to land a heavy blow on her one-armed guard. Suddenly, an open palm appeared in front of his eyes. Caught off guard, his punch missed. The palm shifted to the side and held his outstretched arm. He saw swaying brown hair on the back of his opponent¡¯s head before a blow landed on his gut, launching him a good few inches off the ground and a short distance away. During his painful flight, he saw her recovering from a stance that could not be anything but a spinning back kick.

    He landed painfully on his back and immediately tried to get up. Instead, he ended up on his hands and knees on the ground. The field was silent except for the sound of his shameful retching.

    Arovin Fragor would never forget this day for the rest of his life.

    It took three days for the second phase of the recruitment to finish. Over a thousand participated in the first phase where less than two hundred passed. In the second phase, only 21 passed. Those with potential but didn¡¯t make it were either recommended to try again next year or given referrals for other academies. Goeden was not the only academy around. It was also not the only one that specialized in military training.

    All those that passed were given five days to prepare for their stay in the academy. It was a boarding school, and students must stay within campus grounds unless given leave or under special instruction.

    Arovin Fragor was in a sour mood. Despite his loss, he was given a pass by the judges for his well established foundation on combat tactics and application. What aggravated his mood further was that his father was not disappointed at all by his defeat in the match after hearing about it. Instead, he laughed it off and said, ¡°The world is big. You shouldn¡¯t think too highly of yourself.¡±

    Arovin was currently at Port 7 of Havencinque Capital, the meeting point for the passers as well as their transport and escort. All 21 passers were already there. While waiting, some of the passers talked to their family and friends who went with them in the port. Some were crying while others were excited. Only two people did not come with anyone. Arovin and the girl he swore he would make suffer.

    After a while, a pair of newcomers arrived. One of them was a tall young man with dark brown skin and shaved head. The other was a short girl with her blond hair tied in a ponytail. Both were wearing Goeden¡¯s official military uniform, fatigue green with white accents.

    ¡°Goeden fourth year student, Jay Marvis,¡± saluted the young man.

    ¡°Goeden third year student, Nina Nonalin,¡± saluted the girl.

    The group of passers tried to return the salute which elicited a wry smile from Nina. Out of the twenty-one, only two got it right.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to return the salute, yet,¡± she apologized. ¡°You will be taught how on your first year in the academy.¡± She then elbowed the taller youth beside her and whispered, ¡°I told you we shouldn¡¯t do the salute!¡± which the passers heard clearly.

    Jay cleared his throat and said, ¡°We are your seniors in the academy, which is quite obvious. Don¡¯t worry too much about the strict forms and conducts you see in the army. It will be disciplined into you only during the fifth year. For now, rest easy. We are all fellow students. Respect is expected from you since you are currently lowest in terms of rank. As cadets, we expect you¡ª¡± An elbow jutted into his side cutting him off.

    ¡°Well, Jay tends to be long winded when he''s excited. For now, let¡¯s board the ship!¡± Nina said as she turned around and pulled the other with her while they left the port¡¯s waiting area. The passers bade their families goodbye and followed after their academy seniors. They were led to the docks where their eyes feasted on the many different medium sized airships.

    ¡°Any of you taken a ride on an airship before?¡± Nina asked the crowd.

    ¡°My father had brought me on the Sterling when I was younger,¡± Arovin answered.

    ¡°You must be General Fragor¡¯s son, then. He did good work in the defense against the invasion,¡± Jay said.

    ¡°Not as good as a certain other fleet general,¡± Arovin muttered.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t discredit your father. Holding the line was also a crucial role,¡± Jay said.

    The crowd finally stopped walking in front of a small and battered airship, which left the passers mouth agape in disbelief.

    ¡°Meet Monica!¡± Nina introduced as she pointed her hands toward the airship. ¡°She is the baby of the Ship Engineering club which is headed by yours truly. If you are interested in joining, don¡¯t be shy to hand in your application form to me.¡±

    ¡°Can this thing even fly?¡± Arovin asked.

    ¡°It can! How did you think we made it here?¡± Nina answered proudly, which furthered the doubt among the crowd. ¡°Anyways, time for roll call! When your name is called, enter the ship.¡±

    One by one, the passers¡¯ names were called out. The last to be called out was the girl with a missing left arm.

    ¡°You must be Morielle,¡± Jay said as he marked her name on the list. There was something else in his tone as he observed the girl enter the ship.

    Arovin watched her as she entered the cabin and took a seat. He still hated her, but there was some curiosity mixed in. After his defeat, he had used his family resources to research her background. All he got was her first name and that she was the only survivor of an island that fell in the Horde invasion.

    ¡°Alright, everyone! Buckle in your seats, we¡¯re about to blast off!¡± Nina declared as she entered the pilot¡¯s cockpit. Jay was left to watch over them in the passenger cabin.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± one of the passers raised his hand and said, ¡°there¡¯s nothing to buckle with.¡± Jay¡¯s response was a small mishcievous smile.

    The ship rumbled as its engine went on. It floated off the dock and unsteadily made its way out of Port 7. Through the windows, they could see capital gradually going smaller.

    ¡°May I ask on which island the academy is on?¡± another passer asked. By his clothes, it was easy to tell that he was not from any noble families. The other nobles in the cabin laughed at his question.

    ¡°The academy is not on any island,¡± Arovin explained. ¡°Goeden Military Academy is in itself an airship carrier.¡±

    Havencinque¡¯s main island could be seen in its entirety from the windows. It was dotted by various landscapes. Crescent Lake could be seen clearly, as well as the reason for its name. The airship had already steadied and the youths left their seats to look closely from the windows. Even the children of nobles can¡¯t help but be amazed at the sight. They pointed at their territories and made fun of those of their rival houses.

    Havencinque was a group of sky islands resting on a sea of clouds. The biggest island was in the center surrounded by much smaller ones. Some of the islands that were near each other were connected by hanging bridges. Airships traveled between islands, ferrying passengers and cargo.

    This was a common sight for Arovin so he had no interest in the sights. Instead, his focus was completely on the girl called Morielle.

    ¡°Hey, you!¡± he called out to her, which she promptly ignored. He grinded his teeth as he called out again.

    She turned her head to him with a scowl and said, ¡°I have a name.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your name. I know you¡¯re a survivor from five years ago. Is that how you lost your arm?¡± he asked. Instead of answering, she only gave him a burning glare as if trying to bore his face out. If looks could kill, he would be dead ten times over.

    She looked away from him and out the window.

    ¡°I lost more than just an arm that night,¡± she growled quietly, but just loud enough for Arovin to hear.

    The cockpit¡¯s door burst open as Nina walked out. She was met with stares from the crowd.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re on autopilot!¡± she said. The crowd sighed in relief until they heard Jay¡¯s following words.

    ¡°This ship doesn¡¯t have an autopilot setting.¡±

    It took a while for Nina to placate the crowd. The airship did not have an autopilot setting but it can go straight without a need for a pilot to remain on the handles unless they are met with turbulence.

    ¡°So, what do you think of my baby?¡± Nina asked with a proud look. The youths were now all seated and none dared to answer her question.

    Arovin heard a small voice nearby, ¡°It¡¯s shabby, but not so bad.¡± He turned his head to the speaker and saw Morielle looking out the window while resting her head on her good hand.

    He knew that his anger was misplaced, but he still hated her. At the same time, he couldn''t help but be curious about her; her past, her strength, and the emotions that hid behind her eyes as she looked out at the endless sky.

 Chapter 3

    The rest of the trip was filled with horrors that Arovin never expected to experience. The unpiloted airship encountered turbulence during its flight. The shaking was so intense that the flotation engine broke down. This caused to airship to drastically drop in altitude. Fortunately, Jay, also a member of the Ship Engineering club, was an expert engine mechanic. He resolved the engine troubles calmly, but not before half of the passengers fainted. It was already night by the time they arrived at Goeden.

    The new arrivals were gathered in an empty hangar before they could take in their new surroundings. Inside, a military officer was waiting for them along with four other groups.

    ¡°What took you so long?¡± asked the scowling officer.

    ¡°A bit of engine trouble,¡± answered Nina. These caused most of her passengers to pale as they remembered the incident. The officer only sighed, seemingly familiar with Nina¡¯s antics.

    Jay ushered the twenty-one late arrivals into a neat two column formation beside the other four groups.

    ¡°I am Lieutenant Ratt Haukur,¡± the officer introduced himself. ¡°I am in charge of welcoming you to Goeden Military Academy. As you may have noticed, despite Havencinque being the homeground of the academy, we accept both student and staff from all over the five major islands of the United Races Alliance. I, myself, am an elf, which any of you can easily conclude if you have the slightest observational skill.¡± He pointed at his ears which were much longer than that of a human.

    In fact, just by looking at the compositions of each group of new students within the hangar, one can easily tell from which major sky island they came from; humans from Havencinque, elves from Elfenheim, dwarfs from Skymount, and beastkins from Tengoku. One group which was a mix of races were from Misce, where the headquarters of the United Races Alliance could be found.

    ¡°Know that the URA has a seat on this academy¡¯s executive board. Any form of discrimination within the academy¡¯s jurisdiction on-site or off-campus will not be tolerated. As long as you carry the academy¡¯s name, you are expected to follow its rules and regulations.

    ¡°From now on, each and everyone of you are enlisted within Goeden¡¯s official ranks as a Recruit. You have been assigned your quarters. Everything you will need for your acclimatization were already prepared and waiting for you there. Your escorts will be here shortly. That is all.¡±

    The lieutenant left as soon as he finished speaking. Like he said, they were soon escorted by higher year students to the dormitories. Four people were assigned to each room without regard for race, gender, status and class. Seeing their reactions, their seniors gave them some advice.

    ¡°You¡¯ll just have to get used to it.¡±

    ¡°Any sort of harassment will receive severe punishment.¡±

    The recruits could only hold in their dissatisfaction. Arovin on the other hand didn¡¯t seem to care as he already knew this would happen. Only ranked officers have the privilege to possess a private room. His haughty demeanor made a quick turnaround however when he saw who his roommates where. All three were girls, with one of them being the person he considered his nemesis.

    Morielle only gave him a quick glance before choosing a bunk. Their personal items had already been delivered in their room.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s time for some proper introductions,¡± a white-haired beastkin girl said after clearing her throat to catch the attention of the other three in the room. ¡°My name is Yuna Shirotora. I¡¯m from Misce, so I¡¯m pretty used to interacting with all sorts of people. Nice to meet you all!¡±

    Beastkins did not have the same naming convention as the other races. The last name they use was actually the name of their clan and its most defining characteristic. For example, the beastkins of the Shirotora clan usually have white hair, sometimes striped, and a pair of cat-like ears and tail. Because Yuna¡¯s skin was a healthy bronze in color, the thin white hair on it was quite visible because of the contrast.

    ¡°I am Vonandi Benett,¡± said the next person. ¡°I am also from Misce. I¡¯m actually a¡­ half-elf.¡± The girl was average in height. Her slender build made her look taller from far away when not standing next to anyone. She had her long dirty blond hair tied into a neat braid. Her ears were indeed longer and more pointed than an average human¡¯s but not by much. If she didn¡¯t mention that she was a half-elf, it would be easy to believe that she was actually human.

    Elves only gave birth to elves. This was a well-known statement with regards to the elven culture. The elves abhor interracial reproduction of other races with their own. They do not care if the other races decided to mix their blood and flesh, but when elven bloodline was thrown into the equation, the resulting half-elf offspring was considered as taboo. Due to the intervention of the URA however, half-elves who were shunned by the elven community finally found a place they can call home.

    The two girls who had already introduced themselves looked at the other two expectantly. Arovin only sighed as he spoke.

    ¡°Arovin Fragor. Havencinque.¡± His haughty expression, light blond hair, fair complexion, and piercing blue eyes screamed human and noble at the same time. In fact, he himself believed that he was what every noble human male should look like or strive to be. When his gaze met the green eyes of the half-elf girl, he saw her hurriedly look away with a slight blush.

    Three pairs of eyes landed on the last person, a one-armed girl who was keeping her busy by putting her things into her closet. She stopped what she was doing to face the rest and introduced herself.

    ¡°Morielle Kraden. Havencinque,¡± she said in the same manner as Arovin, but without the haughtiness.

    The young man was about to lie down in bed when his eyes suddenly widened in realization. Five years ago, he remembered his father saying something about a fleet general finding and adopting a strange child.

    It seems like Morielle Kraden was Fleet General Keifre Kraden¡¯s adopted daughter.

    Four weeks passed by in the blink of an eye. The new batch of students quickly adapted to their curriculum. Every morning was physical and combat training while afternoon lessons were mostly theories and their practical applications. The academy was equipped with facilities which provided everything they needed from daily necessities to recreational activities.

    Currently, the entire first year recruits were on the flight deck. They were separated into five major groups. Each group were further divided into five smaller groups of four people, corresponding to their room assignments. In each small group, there was a senior student taking charge.

    ¡°Hi, you two. It¡¯s been a while,¡± greeted the senior student. This short and mischievous senior was none other than the president of the Ship Engineering club and third year student Nina. Arovin nodded in response while Morielle did not react at all causing the perky little senior to pout her lips. After exchanging introductions with the other two and some attempt at inviting them into her club, she took a more serious expression.

    ¡°Alright. You¡¯ve finally reached this point in time,¡± she began. ¡°Some of you may already have an idea of what¡¯s going to happen next, but others may not and this primer is part of the formality. I can¡¯t just skimp on it even if I want to. Today¡­ will be a sort of initiation.

    ¡°For countless centuries, the various races of Erelia have lived on the sky islands prospering on the scant knowledge and technology our ancestors have left us. These giant pieces of land floating above the sea of clouds have been our home for as long as we remember, but as you have learned in your lessons this has not always been so. Erelia is not just made up of floating islands. The islands are just a small part of it, and today you will see with your own eyes the world that our ancestors have left behind: the Overland.

    ¡°Do not be fooled. The Overland may have been once our home, but now it is a place infested with monsters. Even the Horde dare not call the Overland their home, and that is why they tried to invade our islands half a decade ago. Despite the hazards, we still need to return once more, not to reclaim but to regain many of what we have lost and left behind.¡±

    Nina paused to let the younger students take in her words. What she had given them was a summary of what they have learned in their first week here on the academy, the history of their world.

    ¡°You may think that it is a foolish task. Do we even need to send people down there when the islands are filled with sustenance? One of the reasons is the Horde. To fight against the Horde, we need specific things: resources like metals, components that can not be reproduced, and undiscovered ancient technology. Another reason is to improve the quality of living in the islands, and this requires non-renewable resources. For example, Goeden¡¯s airship carrier is a gift from our ancestors, but it requires constant maintenance as well as improvements. Those requires different types of metals that can only be found in the Overland. As you can see, the sky islands can only provide us with renewable resources.

    ¡°The Overland is dangerous, but you are not going there unprepared. Your physical and combat lessons have helped the academy to single out the type of equipment and style of combat you will need. These will be essential in your stay in the Overland.¡±

    Nina picked up the cases that had been beside her on the ground all this time, gave one to each person in the group, and told them to open the cases. Inside each case was a weapon and its accompanying holder.

    Vonandi¡¯s weapon unsurprisingly was a shortbow. Yuna got a pair of short, elegant, curved blades called wakizashi. Arovin got a standard longsword. The three of them were familiar with the weapons they obtained and were not surprised in the slightest. On the other hand, they could not help but stare at the strange object in Morielle¡¯s case.

    The weapon looked like a merge between a strange gun and a blade. Guns were commonly seen within the armies of Havencinque, but this one was completely different from those.

    ¡°That¡¯s a developmental model that Fleet General Kraden himself designed. He called it a Revolver Gunblade,¡± Nina explained. Hearing her words, Arovin looked away and scoffed. He thought that even the praised hero could not help but favor his own daughter, adoptive or not.

    ¡°As a reminder, you may lose or break your weapons, but try your best to not to lose the holders. Those are important,¡± Nina said when the four had equipped their new weapons.

    ¡°I have a question,¡± Vonandi timidly called out.

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Uhm¡­ where are my arrows?¡± She blushed as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Indeed, she was a provided a bow but there were no ammunitions in sight.

    ¡°Good question,¡± Nina said cheerfully. ¡°I was just about to get to that. Unlike your weapons which can be easily replaced and reproduced, those holders contain something which is the opposite of that. Find the thing on your holders that looks like a silver pyramid with a hexagonal base and press lightly on the point with your finger tip.¡±

    ¡°Ouch!¡± Vonandi and Yuna exclaimed at the same time. Their fingertips were now sporting a small prick. They heard Nina hold back a laugh.

    ¡°The first time always hurts,¡± she commented. Arovin gave her a dubious glance wondering whether her words had another meaning. Shaking his head to remove the unnecessary thoughts, he pricked his finger like the others.

    ¡°Was this a prank? I¡¯m gonna get a little mad if it is,¡± said Yuna.

    All complaints disappeared from her mind however as the object that had wounded her slowly opened like a blooming flower. The sides of the pyramid separated from each other and unfolded with the edge connecting each side to the base serving as a hinge. On the center of the base, a small emerald crystal orb was embedded. On three alternate ¡®petals¡¯ were smaller black orbs. The entire thing could fit in the palm of her hand. Looking at the other three, she saw that their central orbs were of different colors. Vonandi¡¯s was light blue, Arovin¡¯s was crimson, and Morielle¡¯s was pale yellow. Looking closely, there was a faint image on each orb¡¯s surface.

    ¡°This is one of the technologies that our ancestors left for us. We are unable to replicate it completely, though. We call these Jewel Armaments. Each Armament has a central jewel and up to six smaller jewels. The ones you have right now are low quality Armaments which only have three smaller jewels. Each central jewel represents an element and a fighting style. To answer Vonandi¡¯s question earlier, her central jewel is of the ice element and archer style. Your Armament will create an arrow of ice for you when you prepare to shoot. You¡¯ll get to test that out later, but not for now.

    ¡°Yuna¡¯s central jewel is of wind element and reaper style. Your Armament can enhance your agility and dexterity, making you move faster and nimbler, allowing for lightfooted movement in the battlefield. Arovin¡ª¡±

    ¡°I already know mine,¡± Arovin cut off Nina and ignored her indignant expression. ¡°Mine is of fire element and swordsman style. It increases the effectiveness of my attacks by heating the blade, allowing it to cut through steel like butter.¡±

    ¡°Exactly! As for Morielle¡¯s¡­¡± Nina slowed down in case the last girl also decides to cut her off which she didn¡¯t. ¡°Morielle¡¯s is of the lightning element. As for the combat style, it is an unknown variant of the gunner style, with ammunition creation not too different from the archer style. Her attacks can cause shock and paralysis.¡±

    ¡°These Armaments are pretty cool,¡± said Yuna with shining eyes.

    ¡°Armaments are used in the military and are not that rare actually, although theirs are of a much lower quality than what we are currently provided,¡± said Arovin. ¡°High ranking officers possess the highest quality ones if I remember correctly.¡±

    ¡°Armaments¡­ Arms¡­¡± Yuna muttered as her eyes shifted from the Armament to the brown-haired girl who always seem to wear an indifferent expression. She then walked to her and smiled widely.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you glad?¡± she asked the other girl. Morielle wanted to just ignore her but the beastkin seemed insistent that she respond. Their senior was not showing any interest in moving on with the schedule unless she did so. With a sigh, she gave up and spoke.

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°That you got a replacement for your mis¡ª¡±

    Yuna was unable to finish her sentence. She clutched her forehead where a flick from Morielle had left a red and sore spot.

    ¡°Alright!¡± said Nina to call their attention. ¡°Looks like the other groups are ready to go, and so we also should.¡±

    Near each group were airboats with a four-seat passenger cabin. All the airboats were similar models with slight differences, except for one.

    ¡°Meet Baby Moni!¡± Nina said as she ushered the four in. Arovin sighed in relief when he noticed that the seats were equipped with safety belts.

    ¡°Make sure you buckle your seat belts tightly,¡± a dwarf girl said as she appeared from the pilot¡¯s cockpit. Her long curly hair was a flaming red color. ¡°My name is Chevia Stormhand, a second year.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the best pilot in our club and knows this airboat like the back of her hand,¡± Nina followed up as she entered the cockpit with the dwarf.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± muttered Arovin. From the window, he could see the other students also boarding their respective airboats, which looked more decent and safer than theirs.

    The Baby Moni began taxiing toward the edge of the flight deck. The movement was very gentle and careful, and Arovin felt relaxed for a moment. He then realized something was wrong as the airboat got closer and closer to the edge.

    ¡°Hey!¡± he shouted at the cockpit. Vonandi and Yuna gave him curious looks. Morielle, usually indifferent, had a slightly pale face as she seemed to realize what Arovin had realized. ¡°The flotation engine is still off!¡±

    When an airship or airboat takes flight, it requires the flotation engine to counter the effects of gravity. One can easily feel its effects when it is turned on even at the lowest output. Despite the very gentle movements of the airboat, Arovin felt no such thing.

    ¡°Prepare for drop off!¡±

    The four recruits heard Nina¡¯s voice from the cockpit. Through the windows, they could only watch wide-eyed as the other airboats took off from the flight deck while theirs plunged cockpit first toward the Overland.

 Chapter 4

    The world of Erelia was divided into two: the Overland and the Sky Islands. What separated the two was an endless sea of clouds, and at this moment, piercing through that divide was an airboat descending at suicidal speeds.

    Morielle was within that airboat. She watched the murky whiteness of the cloud layer swiftly pass by. Droplets of water came and went like streaking arrows outside the windows.

    She was slightly pale-faced not just because of her current situation but also because she remembered. She wondered if her mother had seen a similar sight as she fell, or had she already died by then. She thought of the burning town on the small island that was once her home. She recalled the words she first heard when she regained consciousness after drifting in the endless sky with a poisoned, infected wound, and an extreme fever: the only survivor.

    Her thoughts were interrupted when the clouds disappeared and was replaced with a murky gray world. The vertically plunging airboat gradually slowed down as the flotation engine kicked into power and countered their dangerous descent. The small vessel eased into a more horizontal position to the relief of its passengers.

    The five major sky islands that the first year recruits have grown up in could be considered the biggest pieces of land they have ever seen, until now.

    The Overland appeared within their sights and extended beyond the horizon. All they could see was a neverending gray mass of land.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a pretty sight, is it?¡± asked Nina as she appeared from the cockpit. ¡°Although the Overland is not as pretty as the Sky Islands, it is still necessary for us. It¡¯s ironic. Our ancestors left the Overland to survive, but we the descendants need to return the world they left behind for our survival.¡±

    There was a contemplative silence within the cabin which was broken by the dwarf pilot.

    ¡°We are reaching hover altitude in a short while. After that, we¡¯ll head straight for the assigned location. Get yourselves ready and prepared,¡± said Chevia.

    When they arrived at their destination, Nina said, ¡°We will be the first to arrive at our assigned location, so it would be nice if we could also be the first to return.¡± She led them out of the airboat and gave them time to take in their surroundings.

    They were in a dried up ravine. Steep cliffs lined the sides. The ravine seemed to extend endlessly in one direction, while the other was blocked by fallen debris.

    ¡°There used to be a mining operation here,¡± explained Nina. ¡°After they got all the needed ores, they blasted it shut, which caused one part of the cliff to collapse and causing this blockade. Mining caves like these need to be closed as soon as they are not needed anymore. Leaving them wide open would let nasty creatures use them as their home and breeeding grounds.

    ¡°Your mission is simple. It was found out that a part of the cliff revealed an opening due to collapse from a possible underground tremor. Its further down the ravine, but the opening lead to a part of the mining tunnels. It happened just recently so the monsters in there still have a pretty low population. We can just close the hole and let them die in there, but that still has a risk factor of them being able to break their way out. So, you need to sweep the mines and close it afterwards. Pretty easy, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yuna agreed. ¡°And we also get to test our weapons and Armaments.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the main point of this mission. It should give you practical knowledge on the handling of your new gear as well as give your first view of what you would be doing in the future.¡±

    ¡°In the future?¡± Vonandi reacted.

    ¡°In your stay in Goeden, you will be goind down the the Overland at least once a month. This is part of the curriculum to give the recruits hands-on experience in battling monsters of the Overland as well as gathering resources. Even in the military, you may be assigned to such teams that are specialized in exploring the Overland. Not all of the Sky Islands¡¯ military are just stationed on defense and waiting for the Horde.¡±

    After the explanation, Nina gave them a quick check on their equipments. She had none of her usual flippant personality. It was like she was a totally different person.

    ¡°I will be accompanying you to observe and assist in emergency situations. Don¡¯t even think that I will be helping you the slightest bit when I knew you can handle it. I will be following a distance behind you.¡±

    The group of four followed the ravine. The ground was dark gray, dry, and cracked. There were large rocks covered in dust and erosion. There were plants growing on the seemingly dead hearth, but they were thin and twisted.

    Vonandi can¡¯t help but frown at the sight. Although she had grown up in Misce, she still felt a connection with the natural environment. Her mother, also a half-elf, had told her stories about Elfenheim. Her words spoke of forests, rivers, and lakes, and the elves living with them as if they were one. It was unfortunate that elves had a deep scorn toward half-elves.

    Arovin led the group. In the middle was Vonandi and Yuna walking side by side. Last was Morielle, and further behind was Nina.

    As they searched for the opening, Morielle took this time to inspect her weapon. By its name, it was easy to deduce that it was a combination of a gun and a blade. The Revolver part was what stumped her.

    Firearms were actually the first weaponry integrated with Jewel Armaments. Before that, Jewel Armaments were used to directly invoke damage against a target, but the user needed to fulfill a strict set of criteria before being able to do so. Training one person to use a Jewel Armament that way was costly in both time and resources.

    Guns existed in the ancient times. This technology became useless as the development of ammunition was too costly on resources.

    Hence, researchers developed a way to integrate Jewel Armaments and firearms. This reduced not only the difficulty of using the weaponry, but also completely removed the necessity of creating ammunitions. The Armament itself would be providing the ammunition, and since the targeting and delivery of the damage is done using the firearm, the user does not need to learn the intricacies of how to actually use the Jewel Armament.

    One just needed to aim and pull the trigger, not much different from a bow.

    The weapon in Morielle¡¯s hand was different. It had a cylinder with six chambers in it. Inside the chambers were cylindrical crystals that looked similar in material to the small orbs in the Jewel Armaments. She had tried shooting at the opposite cliff but nothing happened.

    She looked at her Jewel Armament and observed the small black orbs. In contrast to the central jewel, they were dull, empty, and lifeless. The central jewel, when observed closely, seemed to contain some sort of fluid that was constantly swirling and changing. She even thought she saw tiny streaks of lightning thinner than a thread.

    A thought came to mind which she readily tried out. She popped the cylinder of the gun and placed it near the holster where the Jewel Armament was attached. She remembered a word from the past. It was one from an ancient era when firearms used ammunitions. It was a word both familiar yet so alien to her.

    ¡°Reload,¡± she said. She felt something moved fromt he Jewel Armament to the weapon in her hand. The image on the jewel which she belatedly realized were six bullets aligned as points in a hexagon disappeared. The cylinder popped back in place. Each chamber was now filled with a pale yellow glow.

    Reload. Bullets. Revolver. Morielle felt her head and chest ache as she tried to remember.

    Her actions caught the attention of those in front of her.

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± asked Vonandi.

    ¡°Oh! It seems like you figured out how to use your weapon now. I¡¯m excited to see it in action later!¡± said Yuna.

    Arovin just gave her a quick glance before returning his attention to the cliff wall.

    ¡°I see it,¡± he said shortly. He signaled the others to stop and crouch behind him. He watched the entrance for a while, then picked up a rock and threw it there. Nothing happened.

    ¡°What was that?¡± asked Yuna.

    ¡°It¡¯s called being cautious,¡± answered the male human.

    They slowly walked over to the entrance, avoiding making any loud noise. They found themselves looking at a dark tunnel leading into the cliff wall.

    ¡°It¡¯s dark,¡± commented Yuna.

    Arovin started fiddling with his uniform¡¯s top button which caused Vonandi to blush and Yuna to give him a strange look.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± the beastkin asked as she stepped back.

    Arovin sighed and said, ¡°The uniforms they provided us come with a small torch. It was written in the provided guidebooks in our room on the day we arrived in the academy.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± the beastkin exclaimed. ¡°Did you actually read all those?¡±

    ¡°As military academy students, don¡¯t you think you are not performing as a military student should. Those guidebooks were not just there for show. They were meant to be read and understood.¡±

    After sharing a piece of his mind to the beastkin, he finally managed to get the torch working and lead the group into the tunnel.

    The tunnel walls were reinforced with metal beams and supports. There were recent signs of life judging from the lack of dust on the floor as well as trails of blood.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be very useful here,¡± whispered Vonandi. Their current close quarters environment is indeed disadvantageous for someone using a bow.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll protect you,¡± said Yuna with a confident smile. ¡°I won¡¯t let any monster come close to you, and I¡¯ll even give you openings to attack. So don¡¯t think that you would be useless.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    They reached a three way junction, but one of them had collapsed. They went through the other one which led to a sharp turn. From the walls, they could see light reflected from them.

    Arovin signaled them to stop. He turned off his torch as he approached the corner and took a peek. He carefully made his way back to them and told them what he saw.

    ¡°I think we found our targets. There are nine creature in total. I think they¡¯re called rockroaches, and one of them is a queen.¡±

    As he spoke, the beastkin and half-elf shuddered. They remembered clearly the lessons they had. Some of those were about the common hostile creatures in the Overland aside from the Horde.

    Rockroaches were one of the most common creatures in the Overland. They could survive in almost any environment, but they prefer living in rocky caves the most, although they can¡¯t dig through the rocks themselves. They would normally find places like these and start breeding.

    On their own, these creatures were weak, but if left to breed and formed a swarm, they can easily overwhelm a small sky island. Even the Horde would not let a single one of them appear in any place they claimed as their territory.

    Rockroaches can grow from the size of a cat to as large as an elephant. They were insect-like with brownish black carapace covered with different kinds of small rocks. What makes them terrifying was when they mature and gain the ability to fly. They would shed the rocks on their carapace and take off in a swarm, passing through the sea of clouds and hunt for inhabited sky islands. The sound they made when they fly would leave any survivor traumatized.

    ¡°The queen is currently laying eggs, and the other four seemed to still be in their young adult stage and guarding the queen.¡±

    The rockroach queen is responsible for increasing their population and the most vulnerable during the time it laid its eggs. Instead of rocks, its carapace was dotted with crystals. Furthermore, the brownish black carapce is replaced with a glowing multicolored one, which was the source of the light they saw on the corner.

    ¡°This will be a touch battle but it¡¯s not impossible. Their carapace may be hard to pierce with arrows, but their underside isn¡¯t. Furthermore, they would not leave too far from the queen. The area they were in seemed to once be used as a mess hall, so it¡¯s pretty wide. We need to take care of the young adults one by one before going for the queen. I¡¯ll be in front, you two support me from the sides, and you shoot them where it hurts.¡±

    Arovin would usually act like a haughty noble, but he definitely knew what he was doing during important situations. The other three did not find any fault with his impromptu strategy and agreed. None had a better suggestion anyway.

    He once again turned his torch on and led the group into the fight. Immediately, the tunnels were filled with the rockroaches high-pitched cries. Yuna flinched and covered her ears. She had the most sensitive hearing among them, and the reverberating sound within the cave walls almost caused her to go deaf.

    Arovin taunted the closest rockroach with a swing of his sword. It was as big as a dog, and its thick carapace caused his attack to bounce off. He had expected that to happen though and he immediately stepped back in retreat.

    Two rockroaches, one from each side tried to flank him, but the one on his right was immediately blocked off by Morielle. Angered, it tried to pounce on her. Never letting an opportunity pass her by, the human crouched and aimed her weapon at the exposed underside of the angered rockroach. She pulled the trigger and the cavern was filled with a flash of light.

    Thunder shook the stone walls as both sides were blinded and deafened. Once they regained their senses, they saw Morielle roll backwards with her good arm up in the air, smoke trailing the end of its barell. The recoil was too strong for her to keep her balance.

    The target of her attack had fallen on the ground missing a huge chunk of its body and the part of the cave directly behind it was left with a small crater.

    The rockroach on the other side of Arovin had been blocked off by the beastkin but she was also forced to fall back as she experienced another threat to her eardrums, this time coming from her own ally.

    Arovin had no time to remain stunned as their enemies were the first to recover. The rockroach that was stalled by Yuna had pounced at him. He positioned his heated sword so that it would pierce the creature as it approached. The sword easily pierced through its underside, slowed down as it hit the carapace on the other side, and finally pierced completely through. This wasn¡¯t enough to kill the hardy creature though. Fortunately, an arrow of ice pierced through its exposed head. The headless creature twitched and moved for a while but it posed no harm.

    They had successfully taken two out of the eight defenders despite the mishaps. They immediately fell back from the creatures¡¯ range and regrouped.

    ¡°It hurts,¡± groaned Yuna as she massaged her head.

    ¡°Do you think you can pierce directly through their carapace with that shot?¡± asked Arovin at the one-armed girl.

    ¡°I think so, but I only have five shots left,¡± was her answer.

    ¡°Try shooting at the queen,¡± he suggested but quickly turned it down. ¡°No wait. If the queen is died, the guards would just swarm us afterwards. Try to save at least two shots for the queen.¡±

    They resumed the fight with a little more vigor. Although, they used the same strategy, the creatures still fell for their baiting and exposed their weakness. Morielle on her own managed to take down two with one shot. The remaining four guarding rockroaches were taken down with their concerted efforts.

    Now it was just the queen remaining. It sat on its nest and continued to lay eggs as it glared at its aggressors. It was a hideous creature, but the glowing light of its carapace refracted by the crystals on its back was also beautiful and enchanting, leaving one with mixed emotions of disgust and bewitchment.

    Morielle took aim from a distance and fired. She was prepared this time and had taken a steady stance. This didn¡¯t stop the weapon from forcing her hand up from the recoil. Yuna had also stayed further in the back and covered her ears.

    The queen rockroach¡¯s carapace was tougher than its earlier companions. Although it survived the shot, part of its carapace was now burnt black and deformed. It opened its mouth lined with sharp teeth and screamed at its attacker. Its high pitch voice was filled with hatred and pain.

    Another shot, another scream. Morielle¡¯s arm was unsteady from the previous shot and she missed her target. She was planning on hitting the same spot from earlier.

    Vonandi suddenly turned and ran out into the tunnel away from sight. Yuna followed her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I can hear it,¡± she said.

    ¡°I can, too. Almost broke my ears, even.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s angry, and sad, and pained.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. It¡¯s a monster.¡±

    ¡°I know. I know. But it¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Another shot reverberated followed by a dying scream. Yuna winced in pain as she forgot to cover her ears this time. Silence followed and Arovin appeared from the cave¡¯s entrance. The tip of his sword was stained with a yellow fluid, presumbably from breaking the eggs that had just been laid.

    ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± he said.

    He led the group once more and out of the dark tunnels. Although they had won the battle, there was no expression of victory on their faces.

    Arovin was frowning as he looked at his stained sword. Vonandi was slightly disgruntled and confused. Yuna had a pondering expression. Morielle had her usual indifferent look, but continued to inspect the weapon in her hand.

    Nina was by the entrance of the tunnel as they came out.

    ¡°Nice fight,¡± she said and gave them a thumbs up. ¡°Why the faces?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Arovin said as he traced their path back to the airboat. The three followed leaving Nina with a confused expression.

    She placed a package inside the tunnel against a wall directly under a beam. She then chased after the group.

    ¡°We¡¯ll celebrate tonight. It¡¯s on me,¡± Nina said as she entered the airboat. The four had already buckled themselves in their seat and were just quietly staring out the windows.

    The airboat hovered off the ground and left. Its destination was the Goeden Military Academy.

    Not long after they left, a blast shook the ravine. The tunnel where the four had entered had now collapsed and closed off.

    Morielle saw the blast from the window on her side. Disinterested by the rest of the lifeless landscape, she was about to close her eyes to rest when she noticed a figure in the distance.

    A hooded figure stood on the edge of a cliff. It was completely clothed in black, and the only other distinct feature she could see was a pair of dim red glow where its eyes should be. As if noticing her gaze, it stepped back and let itself fall from the cliff.

    Nina noticed Morielle¡¯s strange expression and looked in the direction of her gaze but saw nothing of interest.

 Chapter 5

    The first year recruits¡¯ first excursion on the Overland was a success, although some had suffered injuries or were unable to complete their tasks without the help of their accompanying seniors. The point was that they gained experience with their new gear as well as seen for themselves what the Overland was like.

    The first to return was the group handled by Nina. Their dramatic return involved an airboat speeding through the sea of clouds like a drill piercing through the heavens. When they passed over the flight deck, the flotation engine ran out of power and the airboat crashed. Because of this, Nina and Chevia were put on maintenance duty instead of receiving their assistance reward of a two day furlough.

    The rest of the first years arrived in the afternoon. They were given two days of rest and are free to do whatever they wanted within the academy¡¯s unresricted areas without breaking the rules and regulations.

    It was the first of their rest days but Arovin chose to spend his time within the training hall. He had found a vacant room used for one on one combat training and spent his entire morning there.

    He stood in the center of the room with his upper body bare naked. In his hand was a training longsword. It was the same weight and length as his actual weapon. He continuously swung the sword downward while moving back and forth.

    This was the very first thing taught to him when he learned how to use a sword. It was meant to train perseverance and discipline. The movements may seem simple and easy, but doing it again and again without pause and without breaking form was the hard part.

    As he grew up, he used this training method to clear his mind whenever he felt troubled.

    The Fragor House could be dated back to the time when the Sky Islands first arose. One of the ancestors was rhe first head of the Fragor House. He passed on discipline, chivalry, and the way of the sword to his descendants.

    A time of peace and content came, and the noble house fell to decadence. The heads of that time forgot the original teachings of the house and they promoted corruption and extravagant spending. It was not until the existence and threat of the Horde was first discovered that the noble house tried to return to what it once was.

    Arovin, as a child, had always felt proud of his father. To him, he was the epitome of the house¡¯s teachings, that was until five years ago. His father participated in the defense against the Horde. He held on to his position and defended it. He had extra manpower on standby but he did not send them to aid the other defensive points nor did he use it to push back the invaders. Instead, he turtled up like a coward.

    Later, he found out that his father¡¯s actions at that time was part of a strategic plan where Fleet General Keifre Kraden took the limelight and was named as a hero. Arovin knew that the general was indeed crucial to that plan, but he believed that his father could¡¯ve done the same if they swapped roles. He told his father the same thing, but he disagreed and told his son that there were no one who could have done the same as Fleet General Kraden.

    His father had also been a proud man. He had the lineage, the talent, and the skills. There was no reason for him to not be proud of himself, but whenever Fleet General Kraden was mentioned, his father would act subdued and even praise the other man like a loyal dog wagging its tail. In Arovin¡¯s eyes, it was disgusting and pathetic. He started hating his father for it.

    Then, he met the fleet general¡¯s daughter and was even defeated by her despite being a cripple. It was the greatest shame of his life. Furthermore, the events of yesterday shook him to the core. He had done well not to show it, but when the girl killed the rockroach in one shot, he had wanted to stab her there and then. Why did she always have to be the better one?

    He swung the training sword down. His arms had gone numb for some time already and he the sword slipped out of his hand. It flew away and struck the wall. That was what he was currently feeling right now.

    He had struck a wall.

    Vonandi was shook awake by her beastkin roommate. The latter was worried for her, and it pained her to turn her away, but she wanted some time alone for herself.

    ¡°It¡¯s already noon¡­ Want to grab a bite?¡± asked Yuna.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yuna. I just want to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Are you hibernating?¡±

    ¡°Elv¡ªhalf-elves don¡¯t hibernate, silly. I just feel like sleeping, okay? I promise I¡¯ll be fine by tomorrow and we can have fun then.¡±

    ¡°Okay. That¡¯s a promise.¡±

    The beastkin left their room leaving the half-elf alone.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore,¡± she groaned as she covered herself with the sheets.

    Vonandi hadn¡¯t been lying when she said that she just wanted to sleep. Last night, she was unable to sleep at all. Whenever she closed her eyes, voices and images haunted her. Worse, those were the scenes of the rockroach queen while it was being attacked.

    It was not fear that had kept her awake. The creatures were hostile, but none of them had approached her. She was in a much safer position compared to her companions.

    Instead, what she felt was pity and sympathy. She felt regret. She felt those toward the monster in that cave.

    She remembered a time when she was younger and naive, when she still had not known the divide between elves and half-elves. The URA had done their best to remove discrimination between races, but they could not do anything at the deep-seated nature of the hate elves had toward half-elves. It was a part of their culture, and although there were some minor elven groups that have moved on from such old-fashioned way, the majority of the elven community including their leaders still follow it.

    Vonandi loved to play in the forest near their hometown in Misce. Unlike the other half-elf children, her mother believed that she had inherited more of the elven blood despite her more human physical traits. As a little girl, she did not really give much thought to such complicated matters. All she wanted was to play in the forest.

    She loved the trees and the damp soil. She loved the smell of the hearth and the cool breeze. The rustling of leaves where songs to her ears, and the scuttling critters and wildlife where dancing in her eyes.

    If there was one thing she hated in the forest, it was the tiny bugs crawling about. She was not disgusted by them in any way. She just found them so weak and annoying.

    She would poke them with a stick, drown them in a puddle, ruin their home, crush their eggs, or whatever sort of thing that seemed entertaining enough for her. They were so easily killed, and they couldn¡¯t even fight back. She wondered how had such weak things lived for so long.

    And then her mother¡¯s relatives arrived in Misce as refugees. That was her first sight of the results of the cruelty done by elves toward half-elves. They were mangled and disfigured. Some were missing limbs, an eye, an ear, or were branded with burns all over.

    The elves found out of a community of half-elves still living within Elfenheim. They were in hiding and moved discreetly within the elven community, passing themselves as true elves. This angered the elves when they were found out. Not only they were punished heavily, they were also tortured to reveal information of the other half-elves in hiding.

    Vonandi realized that she was no different from the elves. Just because she was the one in power, she thought it was fine to just do anything to the weaker party. Now looking back, she realized that she didn¡¯t feel that way toward the other critters and wildlife in the forest because they could easily outrun her. They would always run away before she could approach. The bugs on the other hand couldn¡¯t escape from her, and they became her target.

    The issue between the elves and half-elves were fundamentally different from her own, but that was not th problem. It lay in how she had handled the weaker party.

    From then on, she changed. From the outgoing girl who loved to play in the forest, she turned into a meek and obedient girl. But the events in that cave reminded her of what she had done in the forest, as well as the figures of those refugees. The two had merged in her mind and overlapped with the image of the rockroach queen.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± she muttered before her lack of sleep had finally gotten to her. She drifted to sleep knowing that no sweet dream awaited her.

    The flight deck was less busy today. There were fewer people moving about and less higher year students in sight. It was because many of the them opted to make good use of their two days furlough.

    Yuna felt sleepy after having a filling lunch. Less students meant more available food¡­ was what she concluded so she ate as much as she could before she felt like her stomach would burst. She then found a spot in the flight deck that was both peaceful and calm. She plopped on the ground and watched the few students and staff go about their business. She even spotted Nina and Chevia moving between hangars with teary expressions as they were forced to stay and help instead of receiving their permission for furlough.

    The beastkin yawned and curled. She was not tired because of their activity yesterday. Like Vonandi, she also had a hard time getting sleep. In fact, she knew that the half-elf had been awake all night. She could hear the other girl tossing and turning, sobbing every now and then, and then apologizing.

    She thought that the half-elf might have been terrified of the monsters they faced yesterday, which was odd, as she had performed extremely well in combat, except for the last part. She had dealt the most damage after that one-armed silent freak. Compared to herself¡­

    She felt useless. She had promised the other girl that she would protect her. Instead, she was the first to flinch just as the battle began. She could always blame it on her more sensitive hearing, but it was still her fault for not taking that into account. Battles would always involve all senses, and some enemies would take advantage of that. Even they themselves use that to an effect. A big example were the tools known as flash explosives and smoke grenades.

    It was no excuse. Her inherent sensitive hearing can not be used as an excuse for her ineptitude. The battle went slightly better after that, but she kept being distracted by the shots made by that one-armed freak. There was definitely something wrong with that girl and her weapon. At first she thought that gun thingy was cool, but later it filled her with dread. A single shot was enough to tear apart one of those rockroaches. It was not the slightest bit funny.

    Worse was the accompanying flash of light and blast. It was like a bolt of lightning was shot out of that tiny weapon. In fact, she believed that to be what actually happened. Unlike Vonandi¡¯s elegant ice arrows, that freak¡¯s lightning shots were crude yet deadly. Too deadly. That weapon should not be allowed for people to handle, especially one who seemed so cold and emotionally detached. If it was in her hands instead, she could use it to fulfill her promise.

    With a sigh, the beastkin rolled over to her back and looked at the clear skies. She was making excuses again. The truth was she felt envious. If she had that weapon and fired it, she would be the first to be knocked out. She had seen the impact of the shots not just on its target but also on its user. That recoil could break one¡¯s arm off. She shuddered. Morielle was a freak¡­ no, she¡¯s definitely a monster in human disguise.

    She noticed some movement in her peripheral vision and when she looked, she found that someone was sitting nearby. He wore civilian clothes with a cap on his head. He looked human judginf from the lack of any definitive trait from the other races, but it was too early to judge. He had something over his head and covered his ears. She sat up to observe in curiosity, which the man noticed.

    ¡°Oh, sorry. Did I disturb you?¡± he said after taking the thing on his head off. He let it hang around his neck like a loose oollar.

    The man looked to be a little over his thirties. He had an amiable face, black hair, and eyes the color of the night sky. He exuded an aura of charm and purpose which the beastkin reacted to by unconsciously sniffing the air. The man chuckled lightly at her action. She glared at him in return.

    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to laugh at you, but your reaction was similar to someone I knew. Or a lot of people I knew actually.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Fine,¡± the beastkin girl grumpily said but then recalled something. ¡°Hey, this place isn¡¯t for civilians. What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I know. I just came to deliver something for my daughter. I just thought that this spot is really good and decided to take in the scene for a while before I go. ¡±

    ¡°This is a military establishment, you know. Sort of. You can¡¯t just come and go to deliver personal stuff, and sightsee whenever you want.¡±

    ¡°I have special permission.¡±

    Yuna didn¡¯t really care about the man¡¯s reasons or if he actually had been permitted to do whatever he said he was doing. She was just taking revenge for laughing at her.

    The beastkin¡¯s ears twitched when she heard something. She then looked around to look for it and noticed that it was coming from the man. She tilted her head as she inspected him and found out where it came from.

    ¡°Oh, you can hear it, huh? Beastkins really do have a good pair of ears,¡± the man said. ¡°Here, give it a try.¡±

    He took off the thing from his neck and handed it to her. It was attacked by a wire to something which looked like an Armament attached to his belt. Staring blankly at the thing in her hands, the man realized that she didn¡¯t know what to do with it. He came closer and helped her put it on her head, albeit with a lot of difficult adjustment since her ears were located differently from a human¡¯s.

    Yuna was stunned. There was music coming in from the thing!

    ¡°Pretty nifty, huh?¡± the man said proudly. ¡°I made friends with an engineer in the URA and had him develop this. I designed it myself, including the music player. Hey are you listening?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What?¡±

    ¡°Nevermind. I¡¯ll let you borrow it for a while. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°No. You can have it back.¡±

    Yuna returned the strange object back to its owner with a bit of disappointment.

    ¡°I call this pair headphones, and this one is a music player. Although my intentions for these were mostly selfish, the engineers who made them thought that it was for something else. What they derived from this would be most helpful for you and your kind, so don¡¯t believe the rumors that would come later saying I made this to aid you. You should thank the engineers instead.¡±

    The man took off after leaving some confusing blather. Yuna shook her head and thought that the man, despite his age, was weird. She didn¡¯t dislike him, though.

    She lied back down and enjoyed the sun¡¯s warmth.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Unbeknown to Arovin, the room behind the wall he had unintentionally hit with his sword was occupied by one of the sources of his frustrations.

    Morielle had been in that room earlier than Arovin in the other. She had just undergone repeated sets of full body training, leaving almost no muscle untouched. Her slender frame belied the true strength of her body. She did not train to offset the fact that she was missing a limb. It was for another purpose.

    She ended her training and opted for a soak. On her way back, she noticed the beastkin lazily take a spot on the flight deck. The half-elf was still covered in her sheets, but she seemed to have finally fallen asleep. The only man in their group was nowhere to be found.

    The academy had facilities for recovering fatigue and injuries. It included a simulated hotspring with medical properties. She soaked there for an hour.

    After resting, she headed for the engineering facilities and went directly to the weapons department.

    ¡°You¡¯re here! I was just about to have you called,¡± a short man in his fifties saw and greeted her. He then led her to his office. On the door was the nameplate: Vice-Chief Enginner Arnold Bruteswing.

    Arnold Bruteswing was an engineer poached by the URA directly from the dwarfs¡¯ capital city in Skymount. He was quick to accept the offer given by the URA as he felt that he would see no more development of his skills if he stayed in his homeland.

    ¡°Ah, you missed your father. He was here earlier,¡± the half-dwarf said.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get right down to business. Your father left something for you, but before we get to that, you must have something you need from me, seeing as you came here without being called.¡±

    ¡°I need this fixed,¡± she said as she placed the gunblade on the desk.

    ¡°Oh, dear. It seems like despite the choice of materials, it still couldn¡¯t handle the power of the shot. The barell is already damaged and, the blade is slightly bent. I can¡¯t tell if the bent blade is because of the shot or if from its handling.¡± He raised an eyebrow at her.

    ¡°A bit of both.¡±

    ¡°Well, this could be fixed easily, anyway, but the question is what about for the long term? You can¡¯t possibly be thinking of having it repaired after every use? Sometimes, soldiers will be sent to the Overland for extended periods of time with minimal support. Your weapon is your lifeline and if it breaks during a fight¡­¡±

    ¡°I know. Just reduce the power of the shots.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to strengthen the materials instead?¡±

    ¡°No. The shots are too powerful and use up too much of the Armament¡¯s energy. I could only shoot six times and wait for an entire day before I could shoot again.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ that is troublesome. Reducing the power of the shots would theoretically reduce the consumption of aether¡­ I guess we could only give it a try.¡±

    The half-dwarf wrote something on a piece of paper and stuck it on the weapon. He then put it in a case and pushed it through a hole on the back wall of his office.

    ¡°It would be done by tonight or tomorrow morning. I heard you have a two day rest, so no need to worry.¡±

    The girl only nodded in response and was about to leave.

    ¡°Wait!¡± the half-dwarf called out and slammed another case on his table. ¡°Your father left this for you.¡±

    Morielle returned and looked at the case. Her lack of expression caused the engineer to sigh.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just open it?¡± the aged man said.

    Morielle flipped the set of locks opened. She didn¡¯t show it, but she was definitely annoyed as the sound of locks clicking open increased in rate. Why were there so many locks?

    Finally, as the last lock clicked, the case opened on its own. Inside was long metallic object made of many parts connected together in a complicated matter. The crucial point was a Jewel Armament hidden inside the contraption.

    No matter how she looked at it, Morielle couldn¡¯t see it as anything else.

    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful thing, isn¡¯t it?¡± the half-dwarf said with shining eyes. ¡°Such complexity and ingenuity. Your father really does come up with the strangest yet most ingenious designs.¡±

    It was an Armament.

    In the shape of a left arm.

 Chapter 6

    In the weapons research department, a banging sound rang again and again in one of their testing rooms. There was no rhythm or pattern. This had been going on every afternoon for a week now. The other staff had no idea what was causing this other than the fact that their vice-chief engineer was supposedly conducting a test in that room.

    ¡°Amazing,¡± said Arnold Bruteswing. His gaze shifted between the readings on his monitor and the girl who now stood in front of him. ¡°The perfromance and efficiency of the Armament had improved by a huge margin compared to earlier results. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the Armament calibrating itself to your usage, or if it¡¯s all on you.¡±

    Morielle ignored the half-dwarf¡¯s rambling as she took of the arm-shaped Armament. She had always wondered why there was a device attached around her shoulder and stump of an arm since she had been rescued and taken in by her now adoptive father, but now it seemed like it was for this Armament. Keifre Kraden had been planning on using her as a guinea pig for his strange designs.

    She carefully replaced the Armament into its case and pushed it toward the vice-chief engineer only for him to push it back.

    ¡°I¡¯ve successfully registered this Armament to your name as both its keeper and tester. You can bring it with you wherever and whenever you want. In fact, I insist you bring it with you all the time, or keep it equipped even, though it would be a burden when its out of juice.¡±

    Arnold attached a sling to the case and watched as Morielle placed it on her back and leave.

    ¡°Keifre has an eye and mind for the uncanny. First his designs. Now, his adoptive daughter. When will that man stop giving me things to be surprised about?¡±

    When Morielle returned to her room, she was greeted by a curious beastkin.

    ¡°Where have you been going every afternoon? You just suddenly disappear after classes,¡± asked Yuna. She had bother her hands on her hips and bending slightly forward like an inquisitive mother. Being taller than her, Morielle can¡¯t help but literally look down on this annoying beastkin.

    Morielle did not answer and walked past her instead. She dumped the case on her bed and started changing her clothes. This was a sight that the two girls had grown familiar with during their stay here. Arovin despite his haughtiness and usual holier-than-thou attitude couldn¡¯t help but feel awkward on the first few times he had seen this scene. As an excuse, he spent his after lesson hours either studying in the library or training.

    ¡°What¡¯s in the case?¡± asked Yuna as she approached Morielle¡¯s bunk and inquisitively touched the locks. Seeing so many locks, she decided against it as it seemed like a complete hassle to open the thing just for a quick look. It was not because Morielle was giving her a glare that said she would die if she flicked even one lock.

    ¡°Did you already choose an elective?¡± Vonandi courageously changed the subject to save her friend. The beastkin took the hint and fell back, sitting on the bed beside her savior.

    ¡°They said that if you do not make a choice by tomorrow, you will be assigned randomly to one,¡± said Vonandi.

    ¡°By the way, Vonandi and I picked the Support Arts Research, and if I remember correctly, Arovin chose Weapons and Armaments Research.¡±

    Yuna started on rambling on how she and the other girl made the choice, why they chose it, and other unnecessary information. Realizing that the beastkin would go on and on until she gave her a satisfactory answer, Morielle spoke.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll join randomly.¡±

    She jumped on her bunk and closed the curtains, implying that she would not entertain any other questions.

    On her bed, she inspected her gunblade¡¯s Armament. Since their return from the excursion, she had noticed that one of the smaller black orb-like jewels now contained a swirling glow inside. It was murky back then, but now it was distinctly visible. She had taken a peek at the others¡¯ Armaments and noticed that theirs also had a murky fluid swirling inside, but not as much as hers. The only other one in their group that had the same thing happening to his Armament was Arovin.

    Morielle decided to gather more information about this from the vice-chief engineer of the weapons department tomorrow.

    There was no combat practice in the morning of the next day. Instead, the recruits were separated into six groups on the flight deck according to their chosen electives. There were five electives: Offensive Combat Arts Research, Defensive Combat Arts Research, Support Arts Research, Weapons and Armaments Research, and Ship Engineering Club. The sixth group was for those who had not chosen an elective yet.

    Time was given to the sixth group to choose an elective to join. Only Morielle had not made a choice. Chosen randomly, she ended up in the Ship Engineering Club.

    There were only three people among the first years in the Ship Engineering Club. Initially, there were two who had already made the choice. Seeing that there were only two of them, the other recruits were discouraged to join. Morielle adding up to their numbers put a question on whether the elective was really chosen randomly for her, or if she was intentionally put there to increase their pitiful amount.

    Nevertheless, it did not seem to matter to the student in charge of this elective. She still had that usual cheery grin on her face as she introduced herself.

    The other groups had left the flight deck and proceeded to their respective facilities. As for Morielle and her group, they occupied one of the hangars where they were introduced to the other members from the higher years.

    ¡°Welcome to the Ship Engineering Club!¡± greeted Nina. ¡°Your objective for this elective is very simple: you just need to make an air vessel that the three of you can ride and pilot, and it needs to be finished before the end of the month!¡±

    Every year, the same objective is given to the first year recruits. During Nina¡¯s time as a first year, she was the only sole member in her batch. She proceeded to design the airship she named as Monica but it was not feasible as she was alone. Instead, she developed a smaller version dubbed Baby Moni. Her antics impressed the higher years back then, and she was immediately slated as president of the elective class as soon as she reached her second year. Now as a third year, Nina was on her second annual term as the president of the Ship Engineering Club.

    The other two new members were both dwarfs from Skymount. They were brothers one year apart. The elder brother, Yohan Windcutter, had waited for his younger brother, Zeke, to turn fifteen before taking the exams to enter Goeden, which they both passed.

    The two gave their companion a strange look. Although they were in a different class, they had seen this one-armed girl pummel her classmates during morning combat classes. She was given a moniker by the other classes as the one-armed demon.

    After a short discussion of the objectives of the elective class, they were dismissed for lunch.

    The afternoon lesson coincided with Morielle¡¯s objective for the afternoon. The instructor explained another intricacy of their Jewel Armaments.

    Jewel Armaments continuously absorb an invisible energy in the atmosphere called Aether. Usage of the Armament meant that this energy was being absorbed, refined, and released again and again. This would allow the Armament to increase its efficiency and compatibility with the user. At some point in time, it would unlock a special pathway from the Central Jewel in the Armament toward its outer Jewels. That was the case that had happened with Morielle¡¯s Armament.

    In their class, three people had already achieved this feat, and the instructor told them to proceed to the Weapons Department to complete the enhancement of their Armament.

    Morielle, Arovin, and a male beastkin, Daichi, arrived in the Weapons Department. The staff had been expecting them and they were each brought to a different room.

    ¡°We call this enhancement procedure as Rank Up, although this term was coined by Fleet General Kraden himself,¡± a female staff said as she took Morielle¡¯s Jewel Armament and placed it on a device.

    ¡°Please put this on your head,¡± the staff said. She handed a ring-like object to Morielle. It had orbs similar to Jewels lining its circumference.

    Morielle did as told and was made to sit comfortable.

    ¡°We will be asking you questions and all you need to do is think clearly of the answer. You don¡¯t need to speak it out loud.¡±

    The staff took Morielle¡¯s silence as an answer and began with the procedure.

    ¡°Are you satisfied with your weapon and its accompanying Armament?¡±

    ¡°Is your Armament¡¯s element suited to you? If not, what element would you like to have?¡±

    ¡°If granted any power you would like to have, no matter how outlandish it would seem, what would it be?¡±

    The staff asked more questions, and Morielle silently answered in her thoughts. Every time she did, she felt the Jewels in her headpiece warm up. They did not do so all at once, but in an irregular pattern instead. Soon, the process finished and her Jewel Armament was returned to her. The small outer Jewel that had been swirling with energy earlier now was a silvery gray color.

    ¡°According to the results of the scan, your outer Jewel had obtained an unknown element which seemed like a variance of the lightning and space elements. It seems like it¡¯s an ability related to lightning element¡¯s flash step and space element¡¯s blink. Both are used for short distance near-instantaneous movement.¡±

    Morielle nodded and took her equipment back. She then left the facility without waiting for the other two.

    A figure dressed completely in black was walking through a desert in the Overland. It ignored the hot wind lashing it with whips of sand. It climbed over dunes and traveled in a straight line. To others, the desert may be a confusing place easy to get lost in. They would end up wandering in circles until they die of thirst and starvation. This did not seem to affect the black figure.

    After some time, it stopped walking and stood before an inconspicuous sand dune. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary until a layer of sand fell from one area of the dune revealing a hatch. It swung open and a man in his early thirties appeared.

    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s really hot out here,¡± he complained as he signaled the figure in black to enter. He then closed the hatch tightly. A layer of sand fell over the hatch and covered it from plain sight.

    They were inside of a vessel not bigger than a four-passenger airship like the Baby Moni that Morielle¡¯s group had ridden in a week before. Unlike the hot weather outside, the inside was cool and comfortable.

    The passenger cabin had been completely remodeled. The seats were replaced with two long benches lining the walls and in between them was a table.

    The figure started taking of its outer wear and dropped them on the table to which the man complained. He went to the back of the cabin and opened a small door of a container and took out a bottle and two glasses. He placed the glasses on the table and filled them with a reddish liquid from the bottle.

    The figure was now replaced by a young woman with fiendish red hair. She had piercing green eyes and small lips. What was left of her clothes were a pair of form fitting shirt and pants, accentuating her slender figure with the right curves at the right places. If it were any man, they would be drooling at her sight, but the man with her in this small cabin only took a moment of appreciation with a look before taking a seat.

    ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Keifre Kraden asked after taking a sip from his glass.

    ¡°None,¡± the woman sighed. She took the other glass and swirled the liquid inside. She gazed at it intently before taking a sip. ¡°Not bad,¡± she commented.

    ¡°You¡¯ve scoured the entire area and not a single clue popped up?¡±

    ¡°I told you, if there was anything here the scavengers from your island would have found them already.¡±

    The fleet general grunted as he downed the rest of his drink and grimaced.

    ¡°I saw your girl a week ago.¡±

    ¡°How did she do?¡±

    ¡°Okay, I guess.¡±

    There was silence as they ran out of things to talk about. In the end, the man sighed and filled another glass.

    ¡°We need to search in the next region. We need to find others like us.¡±

    ¡°How about your girl?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about her. She sometimes react to some of my words, but when I ask her if she knew what they meant, she says no.¡±

    ¡°A dud, then.¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    ¡°So which region AM I searching.¡±

    ¡°North.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You gotta be kidding me.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m not.¡±

    The woman picked up the bottle and took a hug swig before slamming it back down on the table.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± she cursed. ¡°You owe me big time.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.The end of the month quickly arrived and it was now the deadline for the Ship Engineering Club¡¯s newest members¡¯ project. Fortunately, Yohan and Zeke were very much into it and spent the rest of their waking hours outside of classes working on the airship. They were in the hangar almost every day, and Morielle would drop by every other day for a few hours to help. She had no say in the designing process, but she helped a lot in the construction. The entire time, she was confused at all the seemingly extraneous mechanisms added in, but the two told her that they were all necessary.

    The end of the month excursion was currently on-going and the groupings this time was based on their selected elective. Each elective class was divided into smaller groups and sent out to the Overland to fulfill new objectives designated by their class seniors. The Ship Engineering Club only had three people so it was one group.

    The Zym, a three-man fighter-type airship was currently cruising towards their objective. Right behind them, a smaller two-man fighter-type airship was following and keeping pace. The Zym was named after the initials of their creators and current pilots, Zeke, Yohan, and Morielle.

    Although the Zym was considered as a fighter-type airship, it was about three times bigger than the general measurements of a regular fighter-type airship, not considering the fact that it was the only one with three pilots. It was fast despite its size, but the lack of any visible weaponries made its classification doubtful.

    Inside and sitting in the first pilot seat was Zeke. Despite being the younger brother, he was given the position of main pilot as Yohan himself lauds his younger brother as a better pilot than him. The two had always enjoyed designing ships since young and had also tried their hands on test piloting the other vessels created in Skymount. This was the main reason why they immediately chose to join the Ship Engineering Club as soon as the opportunity arose.

    In the middle seat was Yohan, providing support to his younger brother. In the last seat was Morielle, uncomfortably touching the tight straps attached to her seat and her lags. The other two also had the same things strapped to them but she was the only one quite unsure of what they were for. It didn¡¯t take long for her to figure them out, though.

    ¡°Attempting maneuvers,¡± said Zeke.

    ¡°Safety protocols activated. Proceed with maneuvurs,¡± said Yohan. Their belts, crossed over their chest, tightened as well as the straps on their legs.

    What followed was a faint-inducing and blood-draining movements of the Zym that made Morielle regret her decision of randomly choosing an elective to join. She knew that others thought she were a freak, but to her, these two siblings were even worse. Every now and then, she thought the airship would break from all the forces it was being subjected to but it fortunately did not happen.

    They landed at the edge of a desert bordering a strange and gloomy forest. Morielle felt queasy but didn¡¯t show it. No one would have realized that she was not feeling well after that ride if not for her slightly paler complexion.

    The second airship landed behind them. Jay and a fourth year beastkin member of the elective appeared from the airship.

    ¡°Wild moves,¡± said Jay. His tone was hard to read if he was complimenting or censuring them. ¡°You have already been briefed what your objectives are. Can you state what those are?¡±

    ¡°Meet with the contact and confirm the information¡¯s accuracy. Proceed to the site, secure and investigate,¡± Yohan answered. He had established himself as the leader of the three person group as he was the oldest.

    ¡°Good. There¡¯s no actual deadline for this, but it would be best if you could return within the day. If not, there¡¯s no need to worry. Your safety is your utmost priority, so proceed as cautiously as you need to and complete your objectives,¡± Jay sent them off.

    The three entered the forest. The trees¡¯ trunks were old and twisted covered with cracked almost black bark with leaves dark purple in color. Some of the roots had grown over the ground and seemed as if they were trying to reach for the sky. The atmosphere was incredibly eerie. The soft ground which would sometimes squelch when stepped on did not help.

    ¡°This place suprisingly supports life,¡± Yohan said as he observed the trees and wet ground. ¡°Normally, we would associate the Overland with death and decay, but that just shows that most people who in the sky islands were ignorant of the truth.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the reason why we are being sent to the Overland. Despite our ancestors fleeing the Overland, we still turn to it and are actually salvaging resources,¡± said Zeke.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see that Goeden continues to educate their students to become less ignorant,¡± a voice intruded in their conversation.

    The three turned to the source and found a figure dressed completely in black. The only other color visible was the two red lenses from the mask that completely covered its face. Morielle reacted to the figure and aimed her weapon at it.

    Yohan and Zeke copied her movement and also readied their weapons, a warhammer and a shotgun respectively.

    ¡°Woah!¡± the figure exclaimed as it hurriedly stepped back and raised an open hand at them. ¡°You guys are too fidgety.¡±

    Morielle and the other two found themselves completely unable to move. They could still move their eyes, mouth, and breathe. Shadows on the ground had darkened and crawled up their bodies, forming an immaterial entanglement. The source of the shadow had come from under the figure¡¯s feet.

    The figure approached them calmly. The figure was shapely and obviously a woman. For a while, Morielle felt like it had been looking at her all this time. It stopped in front of Yohan and said, ¡°If I were your instructor, I¡¯d fail you immediately for being hostile toward your contact.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not,¡± she continued and lowered the raised hand. The three fell unsteadily. Morielle managed to keep her balance and stayed on her feet.

    ¡°The name¡¯s Eve, and that¡¯s all you need to know about me,¡± the figure said. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be my backup. The next time you act hostile toward me, I won¡¯t show any mercy.¡± Eve¡¯s tone was cold and filled with killing intent.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s get this over with and go home,¡± she said as she turned her back to the three. ¡°I¡¯m gonna squeeze everything I can from him once I¡¯m done with this,¡± she grumbled under her breath.

    Eve led the three through the forest like the back of her hand. They had encountered a few hostile creatures which she let the three dispatch themselves, not lending a finger in their efforts. Sometimes, she would criticize their actions and lack of teamwork during the fights. She berated Morielle the most, as if intentionally targeting her.

    Morielle didn¡¯t complain and tried ignoring her ridicule for the first few fights. After a while, she realized that some of what Eve said were in fact true. Her combat techniques were mostly self-taught, attributing it to the fact that she was disabled and traditional combat arts were unsuited to her. Furthermore, some of her combat maneuvers were things that just popped up in her mind during training, as if these things were something she knew from long ago.

    Eve had pointed out the inefficiencies of her moves and had also suggested ways to optimize them. In her mind she agreed with her words, but she wouldn¡¯t let the woman know.

    She had seen the same figure back in their last excursion. She was unsure if they were the same person and did not want to bring it up herself. Even if she were, it wouldn¡¯t really matter. They had an objective to do, and that was what she would focus on.

    After almost an hour of walking and fighting, they arrived at their destination. It was a building overgrown vegetation. As if it were her home, Eve led them inside and seemed to disappear within the dark unlit hallways. Yohan did his best to follow her using the torch on his uniform to light the way.

    They entered a room with a circular hole in the center. Eve was standing on its edge and looking down. It was completely dark, but she seemed to be able to see clearly.

    ¡°We¡¯re jumping down,¡± she said. Yohan tried to look down with his torch but couldn¡¯t see the bottom. The sides were smooth and there were nothing to use as a foothold to climb down with.

    ¡°Jump?¡± Zeke asked.

    Without answering, Eve raised her hand. The three once again felt their bodies stiffen and unable to move. Eve jumped down, and the three, unable to escape her shadowy grasp, were brought along to the seemingly bottomless abyss.

 Chapter 7

    ¡°We descend beneath the ground in search for the stairs leading to ascension. Someday we will take to the skies¡­ and maybe, even beyond.¡± ¡ª Fatalis.

    Yohan read the engraved writing on the platform.

    They had reached the bottom of the circular shaft without incident. They had descended in a constant speed that was neither fast nor slow. He had no way to know how Eve had done such feat, but he was sure it had to do something with the shadows she manipulated probably with her Jewel Armament.

    ¡°Fatalis? Who¡¯s that?¡± asked Zeke. He thought back at their history lessons but could not recall a famous personage in history with such a name.

    ¡°The Falsefather,¡± answered Eve. She was leaning on the wall near an open doorway, completely hidden in the dark except for two dimly glowing red orbs. ¡°He is remembered in history texts as the Falsefather. Apparently, the name he used connotes death, and nobody liked that, even his own cult followers.¡±

    ¡°He claimed to have provided many of the advancements during the technological boom in the old era, including the flotation engine, airship designs, and Jewel Armaments, but his claims were dismissed as lies and attempts in trying to cause a war between the races. In the end, the only accepted fact was that he was the creator of the Eternal Queen and the Horde,¡± Yohan said. Zeke gave his older brother an exasperated look. They were in the same class and he didn¡¯t need that supplementary lesson.

    ¡°No one knows if the Eternal Queen really did exist,¡± Eve said, ¡°or still existing.¡±

    Zeke gulped. He looked down at the text on the platform and thought aloud, ¡°So this place¡­ was it once used by the Falsefather as a hideout or something?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re here to find out,¡± answered Eve. She led the way through the only exit of the shaft, her dark figure skirting the edges of the light shone by Yohan¡¯s torch.

    As they walked through seemingly endless corridors, they noted the multiple sets of footprints on the dusty floor. Doors were already opened by force and the rooms seemed to have already been scavenged.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do this,¡± said Eve defensively. ¡°They were already like this when I first scouted the area. I didn¡¯t go too far in because I felt some presences deeper inside. I¡¯m not suited much for combat, so you three will do the dirty stuff and I¡¯ll provide support.¡±

    The three doubted her words about not being suited for combat. The fact that Eve could make the three of them unable to move with a raise of her hand was very deadly in any combat situation.

    Some of the rooms they visited had already collapsed, while the rest had been raided completely of useful equipments. What were left where utilities like desks and seats, and broken items that were far too irreparable to be useful.

    As they went deeper, they heard activity.

    ¡°Dim your light,¡± whispered Eve. Her own glowing orbs seemed to almost disappear, visible only if one tried hard enough and knew were to look.

    After stealthily making their way through a few corridors, they spotted a small green figure standing by the end of another corridor. It was half the height of an average human with huge ears. It wore armor made of leather and was equipped with a pair of daggers. Its pair of red eyes seemed to glow as it observed and guarded the exit behind it.

    Before anybody could say a word, Eve and the two dwarfs felt something brush past them. The goblin reacted instantly and tried to open its mouth, but before it could make a sound, shadowy tendrils crawled over its body. One of the tendrils pulled its mouth shut.

    Morielle appeared beside the tiny green creature. Her weapon was already in her hand. A pair of dark brown eyes were burning with rage as they stared at the goblin¡¯s pair of red eyes. With a flash of silver, the gunblade sliced past the goblin¡¯s neck.

    The two dwarfs¡¯ eyes widened. Such lack of mercy was expected when one faced a member of the Horde. It was Morielle¡¯s expression that shocked the siblings. It was the first time they had seen someone show such hatred.

    On the other hand, Eve tutted in annoyance. She walked out of their hiding spot and went over by the exit where the goblin¡¯s corpse now lay. She looked at the room beyond and was slightly stunned. She hurriedly pulled Morielle back into the shadows of the corridor.

    Through the exit wasn¡¯t just another room. It was probably the most important area in the entire underground structure as it was the largest. Furthermore, the rest of the sounds they had heard were coming from inside.

    Goblins and orcs were scattered in the room. There were more or less twenty in total, and they were being led by a hooded figure as it tinkered with the central object in the room: an inclined cylindrical vat.

    There were six orcs, each raising a thick metal tube with bright glowing orbs on one end, standing guard and providing light near the hooded figure while two others seemed to be acting as its assistant. The rest were goblins walking about. Most seemed to be just walking around randomly while a few were actually patrolling in set routes. A pair was approaching the exit where the four were hiding.

    Eve glared at Morielle, but realized that her expression was hidden behind her mask. It was too late too hide. Goblins had good sense of smell and the pair had already noticed the scent of blood. Even if they tried to run away, they would still be tracked from the scent on Morielle¡¯s weapon and clothes.

    For a moment, Eve was tempted to just kill the girl and leave. In the end, she chose to make someone else pay for it.

    ¡°Follow my lead,¡± commanded Eve as she rushed out of the corridor and into the room. Tens of pairs of red eyes immediately landed on her followed by shouts of rage towards the intruder.

    A loud blast echoed in the chamber as Zeke¡¯s shotgun erupted. Small stone pellets burst through the nearest goblin¡¯s body instantly killing it before it realized what happened. Its companion was stunned, giving Yohan enough time to smash his warhammer on its head.

    They had succesfully grabbed the initiative, but it was only enough for two kills. The advantage was now gone, and what followed would be a disadvantageous fight.

    Eve hated being disadvantaged, but she had no choice at the moment. The vat in the center of the room was an important asset, and they should not let the Horde obtain it.

    This was the trio¡¯s first time fighting against the Horde, but they had no qualms about it. It had been drilled into them during their lessons that the Horde was not to be given any form of mercy.

    The goblins were the first to rush toward the intruders. The orcs stayed by the hooded figure¡¯s side, forming a protective encirclement around it.

    Yohan swung his warhammer with abandon. It didn¡¯t matter if he missed. His goal was to create space between the goblins and his companions. Zeke was using a mid-ranged weapon, and his shots needed time in between. The older brother¡¯s goal was to buy time for his younger sibling.

    Every now and then, a goblin would be able to close the distance and attack Yohan. During those moments, Eve would respond by restraining the goblin with her shadow tendrils. Yohan could then counter-attack.

    Eve did not lie when she said she was not suited for combat. Most of her abilities were for stealth and ambush. Although she could hold her own in a fight like this, she could not ensure the safety of the other three. Earlier, she had sensed the presence of the three¡¯s senior who was assigned to protect them if worst comes to worst. She used an ability that caused him to get lost in the maze of corridors. She now regretted that decision, hoping that he would hear the sound of battle and quickly make his way over here.

    They had taken down almost half the number of goblins when Eve realized that one person was missing. She looked around and saw her confronting the orcs.

    ¡°When did¡ª Damn it!¡± she could only curse at her own carelessness and the girl¡¯s recklessness. If something happened to her¡­ she didn¡¯t know what that unpredictable fleet general would do.

    Fortunately, she felt the presence of the man she had stranded earlier and decided to leave the dwarfs to fight the rest of the goblins on their own. She sprinted to where Morielle was to assist her.

    Morielle had been doing fine on her own. She had managed to take down two orcs with five shots. Her shots were not as loud as they were and could be masked by the sound of battle. Zeke¡¯s shotgun blast was much louder. The pentrative power of her shots had also lessened. Each successful hit on an orc would leave a gaping hole on its flesh cauterized by the lightning¡¯s heat, although their race¡¯s extreme endurance meant that it was not fatal unless a vital area was hit.

    After successfully killing two orcs, the battle quickly went downhill for her. Finaly, seeing her as a threat, the hooded figure participated in the battle. Beneath its clothes was a human-like figure with deathly pale skin and hollow sockets. It revealed a Jewel Armament within its grasp. Its central jewel and two sub-jewels were filled with swirling dark energy. With a wave of its hand, Morielle started feeling sick.

    Her head ached and her stomach churned. She wanted to vomit, but held it in as she dodged the orcs¡¯ attacks with their swords and hatchets. A few grazed her, and her parries caused her hand to grow numb from the force.

    She aimed at the undead knowing that it was causing her to feel sick. As she pulled the trigger, she heard a shout from behind her as she felt the familiar sensation of something trying to hinder her movements.

    ¡°Idiot, stop!¡±

    But it was too late. She had already pulled the trigger and a bolt of lightning flashed toward her target. Unfortunately, her vision had already been affected by her sickness and she missed. The shot went straight at the vat behind her target.

    Shadow tendrils pulled her away from harm. She saw the familiar figure covered in black stand in front of her. Eve¡¯s hands were clenched into fists, and from her knuckles grew a pair of long blades made of shadows.

    Those were the last things she saw as she fainted.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.Zeke was not sure how they managed to kill all the enemies and made it out of that place alive. Everything that had happened had filled him with doubts. Looking at his brother¡¯s injuries, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that maybe they shouldn¡¯t have joined Goeden and instead should have opted for a regular academy on airship engineering.

    They were already back at the desert border. He was tending to his brother¡¯s injuries while sneaking glances at the three ¡®adults¡¯ staring down at the unconscious girl. Their two seniors faces were scrunched up. He knew they were thinking what to make out of the situation. Eve on the other hand¡­ she was wearing a mask so he couldn¡¯t tell her expression, but from the way her fists were clenched and shaking, she was obviously seething in anger.

    They waited for Morielle to wake up. As soon as she did, she started vomiting. Her pale complexion gradually regained color.

    ¡°Do you know what you just did?¡± asked Eve. Her voice was cold and deep, completely different from the seemingly lax tone she used earlier with them. She grabbed Morielle by the collar of her clothes and lifted her up to meet the red lenses she had for eyes.

    Morielle refused to answer and only returned her gaze.

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t,¡± she continued. ¡°All you thought about was your petty revenge. What do you plan to do? Wipe out the entire Horde on your own?¡±

    At that moment, Moreille¡¯s expression returned to what she had when she faced the first goblin.

    ¡°If I have to!¡± she declared. ¡°I will wipe them all out with my bare hand! If I lose my other arm, I will use my teeth!¡±

    Her answer was met with a slap and she fell to the ground.

    ¡°Stop acting like a spoiled child! You¡¯re not the only one who lost family from the Horde. You¡¯re not the only victim. No matter what you do, if you think only of yourself and act alone, it wouldn¡¯t matter. It will not change anything!¡±

    ¡°It will! I will kill! And kill! And keep on killing until nothing is left of them!¡± She stood up and tried to throw a punch at Eve and missed widely. If Arovin could see her now, he would not be able to relate her current form as the same person who had handed his ass to him.

    A slap once again resounded and Morielle found herself eating sand. She was then dragged away. All her attempts at fighting back was easily fended against. Her weapon was missing, and she coudln¡¯t activate her Jewel Armament.

    Eve dragged Morielle toward the vat they had salvaged. It was placed a short distance away from where they were. The two seniors had decided to let Eve handle the matter and they trailed after her. The two dwarfs played the roles of onlookers from a distance.

    ¡°You were recklessly shooting around with your weapon and hit something you shouldn¡¯t have,¡± said Eve. She was back to her cold and emotionless voice.

    The vat was made of a smooth metallic object. Part of it was broken and burnt from where Morielle had accidentally hit it from earlier. The liquid within the vat had already drained from the damaged area and for a moment, Morielle thought she saw something resembling burnt flesh.

    Eve bent down and lifted the vat¡¯s upper half which was serving as its lid. The sight inside was a mess of burnt flesh, blood, and other unknown fluids.

    ¡°This vat is a delicate machine, and even the Horde knew its importance. That was why they were taking their time trying to figure out how to safely remove it and its content,¡± Eve explained. ¡°Now sear this image into your mind. You wanted to kill? Well, congratulations.¡±

    Morielle¡¯s raging emotions disappeared in an instant. Eve¡¯s words pierced her soul if she even had one. She faced the bottom of the sea of clouds and screamed.

    Zeke saw his brother shake his head. They had already seen the content of the vat even before it was removed from the underground room. In fact, there was no point to take it out after seeing its state, but Eve insisted on it.

    The younger of the dwarf siblings wondered if they would still be having similar missions in the future. Was it too late to leave the academy and transfer to another one? It probably was not a good idea.

    Besides, this mission seemed to have been mistakenly assigned to them. Maybe they had proceeded at it the wrong way. Maybe they should have retreated and asked for more support. If there was anyone to blame, he was unsure of who. Was it the academy who assigned them here? Was it Eve who had led them into that place? Or was it Morielle who had acted rashly and recklessly?

    None of the people here would ever forget this moment. A one-armed girl was screaming at the sky in front of the life she had taken away.

    Inside the vat was a fresh but broken corpse of a small child.

 Chapter 8

    The cave tunnel was dark, damp, and cold. Two figures were sitting slumped against the wall, exhausted and out of breath. They had been running in the dark for who knew how long until they collapsed. Fortunately, the tunnels were maze-like and complex, and they had successfully lost whatever was chasing them for now.

    A dim orange light chased away the darkness as a broken sword glowed with heat, paired with the glowing orb of a Jewel Armament. Using the light, Arovin inspected himself and his companion, a human girl equipped with a saber. They were both covered with light wounds and bruises.

    Earlier, they had made their way through this complicated tunnels and found an underground river where a Horde group made camp by its banks. There was also a set of crude airboats resting on the water¡¯s surface. Some of the goblins were loading strange items and equipments which they probably scavenged from some nearby ruins into the boats.

    Arovin and his group was about to fall back, knowing that their small numbers would be at a great disadvantage in a scuffle when an unfortunate event occurred. Something that resembled a giant worm crawled out of a tunnel from behind them and they were forced to enter the cavern where the Horde camp was.

    All hell broke loose as they fought against the Horde and the giant worm. Separated from the rest of the group, Arovin and the girl escaped through a different tunnel hoping to somehow regroup or make their way back to the surface. Unfortunately, the labrynthine tunnels were too complex and the two easily got lost.

    ¡°This is all wrong!¡± the girl exclaimed. ¡°This mission is all wrong! Goeden¡¯s upper ranks must be trying to kill us¡­ They¡¯re probably conniving with the other races to take down the successors of Havencinque¡¯s noble families!¡±

    Arovin scrunched his brows. His group of five had four human nobles including this girl. He had heard of such conspiracies from his father¡¯s followers, and thought that they were complete nonsense. A slight doubt appeared in his mind. The mission they were assigned today had gone horribly wrong. The existence of the giant worm was a surprise to them, but did the higher ups knew about this? If they did, why would they send a small group of first year recruits to do the mission?

    He shook his head and denied the conspiracy theories forming in his thoughts. He had to prioritize one thing first and that was his survival.

    ¡°We need to move,¡± said Arovin as he gripped the girl¡¯s arm and pulled her up on her feet. ¡°Your outburst might have clued the Horde our location. And maybe other creatures that had made this tunnel their home.¡± He remembered the creatures he had fought against in his first mission.

    Arovin led their party of two down the tunnel. He didn¡¯t dare use the academy uniform¡¯s torch. The light would be a dead giveaway of their presence from afar. On the other hand, the dim light of the glowing broken blade could be anything. Using the torch at the right time in the right situation would also increase his chances of survival.

    The human girl was called Yssa and she was from a family of minor nobility. She knew Arovin¡¯s standing was much higher than hers. She did not dare disrespect him and be disobedient with his orders. She grudgingly treaded close behind him in the dark.

    Arovin tried many things to find a way out. He tried listening on the ground and walls for vibrations. He tried detecting wind movement in the tunnels. He also tried figuring out if the tunnel they were walking through was inclined upward. None of those proved useful.

    ¡°I think I heard something,¡± whispered Yssa. She was too close and her warm breath reached Arovin¡¯s nape. This annoyed him greatly, but it was too stupid to make a big deal out of it. Furthermore, he also noticed the sound.

    They stopped walking as he raised the broken sword higher. They were walking near a wall and the dim light could barely reach the other wall. All around them was complete darkness.

    They waited for quite some time but nothing happened. Keeping the sword raised, Arovin and Yssa continued walking.

    Then, there it was. The sound was a third set of footsteps trying to match with the rhythm of one of their own. And it was gradually getting closer.

    Arovin quickly turned around and pulled Yssa behind him as he dashed forward. In a few steps, the light from his sword shone on a pale figure with hollow eyes.

    ¡°Light!¡± he shouted to Yssa. She knew what he meant and turned on her torch. This way, he did not need to rely on the light from his sword during the fight.

    The sudden brightness caused the undead to fall back in momentary blindness. It was a strange thing to see as the undead had hollow sockets for eyes. Despite the light shining on it, nothing could be seen from those holes but complete darkness.

    His sword was only two-thirds of its original length, but Arovin swung it at his opponent nevertheless. The broken blade didn¡¯t deter him. He had already adjusted his movements to make up for the lost length.

    The undead was very agile. It swiftly recovered from being blinded and dodged the attack. It was grazed on the arm, cutting right through its leather arm wraps. Smoke hissed from the burnt leather.

    Arovin followed up his attack with another slash. His feet continued to move and followed his target, keeping himself close. The undead raised a dagger to block. The glowing blade didn¡¯t stop but was slowed down. It continued to slice off the dagger like hot knife through butter.

    The undead used that moment to cause the incoming attack to veer off target. Another dagger appeared in its other hand and stabbed at Arovin¡¯s exposed side.

    Arovin didn¡¯t hesitate to let go of his weapon. Using his free hand, he grabbed the arm of the undead. His other hand went to the button on his chest.

    The torch blasted its bright light directly at the face of the undead. Staggered and blinded, its grip on its weapon loosened. Arovin stole the dagger from its hand and pushed the undead on the floor. He quickly mounted the undead and stabbed it at the side of its neck. He then forcefully pulled the dagger upward, cutting through half of its neck, spilling black blood.

    He searched for his sword as the undead struggled beneath him. Fortunately, it was nearby and he used it to completely cut the undead¡¯s head off, cauterizing the exposed flesh and reducing the spilling blood.

    From down the tunnel, the sound of running feet and screeching approached.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± cursed Arovin. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    He brought the dagger with him as they made a run for it. At an intersection of tunnels, he threw the bloody dagger as far as he could in one tunnel. Turning off their torches, they ran through the opposite tunnel with only a glowing sword to light their path.

    The distraction bought them a few minutes but it didn¡¯t take long before the screeching goblins were once again hot on their heels. In this situation, not using the torch would be foolhardy.

    With their paths brightly lit, the duo could finally keep ahead and prevent the chasingcrowd from closing the distance. They were at a stalemate until the two finally began running out of stamina. Gradually, they slowed down and their death was quickly approaching.

    Yssa was the first to fall down. Her legs gave out and she stumbled, hitting her head on the hard ground and knocking her into a daze. Arovin did not choose to abandon her. He immediately stumbled into a stop and crawled his way back to her.

    The girl wanted to tell him to go and save himself. He obviously had much more stamina than her. In fact, most of their trek through the tunnels earlier was slowed down by her. She knew he could have managed much easier and faster on his own, but decided to accompany her instead.

    Now, he could leave her to distract the enemies buy himself some time, but instead he chose to stay and die with her. She wanted to be the same as him and tell him to go and leave her but her words were caught in her throat. A part of her also wanted him to be here. She didn¡¯t want to die alone.

    The tunnel rumbled. It was not caused by the stomping feet. The goblin crowd and the orcs behind them slowed to a stop as they noticed the rumbling walls and shaking ground. Both sides were probably thinking of the same thing: was the giant worm about to appear again?

    The ceiling broke apart as a huge metal object fell and landed between the two groups. It looked like an egg with arms and legs, and a protruding backside. In its hands were a pair of gunblades. The appearance of this object that was almost twice as tall as normal human caused both sides of the conflict to be stunned.

    The object moved and turned its face on the human duo. It¡¯s egg-shaped body tilted slightly forward as if nodding. Then, it faced the Horde and raised both weapons. This clear act of hostility caused the Horde to screech and growl as they started stampeding toward their new target.

    Thundering booms and blinding flashes of light filled the tunnels. It was like being in the midst of a lightning storm. The smell of burning air filled Arovin¡¯s and Yssa¡¯s lungs, almost suffocating them both.

    After a total of twelve shots, the tunnel was filled with the sound of groaning and screams. The few who survived the onslaught didn¡¯t have much to live as they crawled and rolled on the blood and flesh of their comrades and their own.

    The metal giant turned and faced the duo. The egg body seemed to split in half. Its front half moved forward and tilted downward. From the exposed cavity, a figure clothed completely in black appeared. On its black mask was a pair of red lenses where the eyes were. It jumped down from the object and approached the two.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± a male voice came from behind the mask. He waved his hand and Arovin and Yssa felt something enter their nostrils and their lungs. Whatever it was pulled out the poisonous air from them and was replaced with relatively cleaner air.

    ¡°I¡¯m from the Azure Trails.¡±

    Exhausted and finally feeling safe from the man¡¯s words, the two relaxed and fainted.

    When Arovin woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. It was simple and clean. He sat up and groaned. His body hurt worse than when he got pummeled by his father during sword sparring. Looking at his body, he was left in his underwear (which was not his) and his injuries had been tended to.

    On the bedside table was a spare uniform. He put it on and it oddly fit perfectly on him just like his previous one. There was also a note sticking on top of the table.

    ¡°Go to the deck.¡±

    With no clues as to what was going on, he decided to go with the note. He left the room and easily found guidelines on the corridor wall. He followed the one with the label for the deck. Although he was curious about the other places, he thought against it and chose to just meet the mystery person that had saved him.

    It was easy to figure out that he was an airship. He had walked through a corridor with small viewing ports to see outside. All he saw was the sea of clouds.

    The corridors were oddly empty of traffic, although he could feel eyes on him and the sound of doors lightly closing whenever he tried to look back. It was strange.

    He reached a door labeled Deck. Opening it, bright sunlight seeped in.

    On the deck, two people were fighting against each other. One was a man in his early thirties and the other was a teenage girl, both people he knew.

    The man was Fleet General Keifre Kraden. He was a man he felt mixed emotions for. He hated the man for hogging the glory of the defense against the Horde invasion, but at the same time he acknowledged him as a genius.

    The girl was Morielle Kraden. She brought shame to him during the recruitment, but it was also an eye-opener to the fact that there were always someone better.

    Arovin knew Morielle¡¯s skill in a weaponless brawl. At the moment though, gone was her grace and skill. She was just throwing attacks wildly. Her expression was not the cold and composed one she used to wear. Instead, she was frustrated and impatient.

    On the other hand, her opponent was taking it easy. He was composed and lax, dodging with minimal movements and countering with almost no effort. His attacks lacked strength on purpose as if teasing her. Whenever she fell down, it was because she lost balance on her own and not because of a counter he did.

    Arovin could barely believe what he saw. He once thought of this girl as an impenetrable fortress of cold steel. He planned to bring her down in a glorious fight to repay the shame she had brought him. But now, she was far from the person he had fought against before. He believe that if he were to fight her now, he could easily beat her.

    But what was the point of doing that? She as of now was not the one he wanted to defeat. In his eyes, she was a completely different person.

    Once more, she stumbled and fell. She slowly stood back up to face her opponent. Her actions were dull and lifeless. It was easy to tell that she had no drive or willingness to fight. She was moving like a broken down machine.

    ¡°Enough,¡± said Keifre. ¡°The way you are now, you can never be my opponent. Remember the thing we agreed upon before?¡±

    Morielle did not answer and instead looked away.

    ¡°You agreed to be obedient until you are strong enough to beat me,¡± said Keifre. ¡°I know you are in a rebellious age. I¡¯ve been there before. But, listen to me. If you continue with your reckless actions, you will die. And that¡¯s not the worst of it. You will cause the people around you to die meaninglessly, too. Do you understand?

    ¡°Of course you do, but you don¡¯t want to agree. You deny what the adults say. You believe yourself to be right. I guess that¡¯s what being a rebellious teen is all about. And that¡¯s fine! That¡¯s part of growing up. There¡¯s nothing wrong with being against what others tell you, as long as you take responsibility for your actions, as long as you produce results, and as long as you learn from the mistakes you made along the way.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, kid?¡±

    Arovin realized that the last line was meant for him. He stepped out of the doorway and into the deck. Morielle turned to look at the unexpected onlooker and realizing that it was him, she ignored him and looked away again.

    ¡°Here¡¯s a deal,¡± said Keifre to her. ¡°I¡¯m changing the rules of the agreement. If you beat him, I¡¯ll grant you the independence you so desired. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be obedient.¡±

    A sneer appeared on Morielle¡¯s face as she said, ¡°This loser? He already lost to me.¡±

    If he hadn¡¯t seen her weak appearance earlier, he would have been easily provoked by her words. Now though, he felt like she was just making an excuse not to fight. He kept a calm and composed expression and did not say anything to her provocation.

    ¡°That was then, this is now,¡± said Keifre. ¡°If you¡¯re scared of losing, just say it. No need to throw verbal abuses as bluff.¡±

    Morielle grit her teeth and took a fighting stance. She did not need to say anything. Her actions was enough to say that she was willing to fight and disprove the man¡¯s words.

    ¡°Well, sorry about suddenly putting you into this situation,¡± said Keifre to Arovin.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± the young man said. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to a rematch and didn¡¯t expect it to be so soon.¡± He left out the fact that he was slightly disappointed that his opponent may not be at her best at the moment.

    Keifre stepped back to give the two space. Once Arovin had taken a stance and both seemed ready, he said, ¡°Have a go at it anytime you want.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t finished half his sentence when the two moved.

    Arovin found out that he was sorely mistaken. He initially thought that Morielle would still be performing badly, but it seemed like the fact that she had beaten him before and that her wish of independence was at stake had provoked her to give her all in this fight.

    Her attacks were sharp and deadly. They were fast and accurate. Arovin thought that if he got hit, her fist would punch straight through his flesh. She was filled with killing intent.

    He fell into the defensive. He could only dodge and parry her attacks, not daring to block them directly. She relied in her speed and pinpoint accuracy to exhaust him mentally and physically. Sooner or later, his defenses would be broken down by her barrage.

    Arovin felt that it was strange. She was attacking continuously but she didn¡¯t seem out of breath. It didn¡¯t even look like she will be letting off any time soon. For a moment, he thought he was facing agaisnt a monster from the Overland.

    If this continued, he would definitely lose, and that was something he would not accept. He should have learned some time ago that there was always someone better, but when he saw the weak Morielle earlier, he looked down on her. A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face.

    A kick landed on his temple and he blacked out for a moment.

    Wasn¡¯t this what he wanted? Why was he bemoaning the fact that she wasn¡¯t being weak during their fight? Shouldn¡¯t he be overjoyed that he was having a rematch against her and she was giving her all in this fight?

    He remembered their first fight. She was not giving her all at that time, and that was what he felt shame the most. He was defeated half-heartedly.

    A kick on the opposite shoulder stopped him from falling down and broke his trance. There was a slight lull in the fight. He saw her standing a short distance away as if giving him some breathing room.

    It seemed like she did not want the fight to end so easily, probably planning to show off to her adoptive father and completely prove him wrong. In the past, Arovin would have been mad at her actions. Instead, a smile appeared on his face.

    She had made a huge mistake. She should have ended the fight then and there. It was a huge tactical blunder, and in war, it would cost the lives of many.

    Arovin took a stance. This time, he resolved himself. He didn¡¯t have her speed. He didn¡¯t have her bestial stamina. He had something else, and that was what had pushed him all these years.

    The fight once again began, and it would be a tragic one. In a fight like this, there were only two strategies that he could use. One was to retreat, but that was not an option.

    The only viable one was to trade blow for blow. Of course, that was the ideal situation, but he could only land a glancing hit on her for every three or four she made on him. It didn¡¯t take long for him to have to spit the collected blood in his mouth.

    He gritted his teeth. He had not yet fully recovered from the mission and his entire body was screaming in pain. He wanted it to end quickly, but not by being knocked down. Instead, he wanted to win. He did not entertain the idea of losing for his pain to end.

    Morielle¡¯s injuries from the current brawl was minimal and did not effect her combat ability in the slightest. Instead, she felt annoyed at how she couldn¡¯t move freely. Her actions could not smoothly flow as her momentum would stop every time her hits landed successfully. If it was dodged, she could easily connect another attack in a flowing movement making it more powerful. She couldn¡¯t make it happen as her idiotic opponent suddenly decided to become a masochist.

    She, too, wanted this meaningless fight to end. She saw him stumble and grabbed the opportunity. With her target defensless, she aimed a kick at his jaw. If this connected, he wouldn¡¯t be able to stand back up and fight.

    Arovin felt his legs give out and stumbled. It was a moment of weakness he knew she wouldn¡¯t let go. He saw her launch a kick and he knew exactly where it was headed. There was nothing he could really do. In an attempt to regain his balance, his right foot stepped hard on the floor and landed on something wet and slippery.

    He slipped slightly. His body lowered and leaned to the right. The kick intended for his jaw landed on his forehead and knocked his head back, but his body continued moving forward. He was in a very awkward position, but if somebody was high up in the air, they would see that he was smiling crazily.

    His left arm hooked and grabbed the extended leg. His left hand grabbed on any cloth it could and pulled as hard as he could while his right arm swung blindly. All this happened while he was facing the sky.

    His fist connected. He didn¡¯t care where. He retracted his fist and threw it again at the same spot and he heard a groan. Once more, he threw it but hit nothing as they both lost balance.

    In pain, he was unable to stand. He looked for Morielle and saw her get on her feet while clutching her left side. Apparently, he had hit her on the ribs, and judging from the way she was glaring at him and biting her lips, it must have been very painful.

    Arovin laughed silently before passing out.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Keifre rubbed his chin as he observed the result of the fight.

    ¡°It¡¯s my win,¡± said Morielle.

    ¡°If you really think so,¡± said Keifre. ¡°Well, you can do whatever you want. That was the agreement.¡±

    He went over and picked Arovin up. Seeing the stained uniform, he groaned, ¡°That was brand new.¡±