《Laws Raine》 Chapter 1: Bereaved VS Ferocity the Great ¡°Nah man, the Bereaved could never win!¡± ¡°Whatchu talkin¡¯ ¡®bout Carl?!¡± ¡°The fuck you mean what I¡¯m talking about? Isn¡¯t it obvious? No way he can win with that broken down leg¡ª its even swollen and dripping leg goo!¡± Carl vexed. ¡°Ughh, you just don¡¯t get it. Stop looking at his deformity, you should know better than anyone that looks don¡¯t mean a thing¡ª¡° ¡°HEY!¡± Chimed Carl, looking more basic than usual, ¡°¡ªThat was uncalled for, and out of line!¡± He huffed as he knelt to the floor. ¡°You know I try. I¡¯m just saying. In this world such an injury is automatic death. No one wants a deformed. You¡¯re worth more ugly than disabled, unless you prove useful that is, like Oscar.¡± ¡°Man, this is why I don¡¯t like hanging with you. You''re clueless, you can¡¯t just say these things¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªYeah I can!¡± Carl roared. ¡°DEFORMED, DEFORMED, DEFORMED!¡± He gathers his breath again while leaning his crossed arms on his right knee-thigh and yells through his scared mouth and snaggled front teeth. ¡°DEFORMS SHOULD BE BANISHED! UNLESS THEY¡¯RE USEFUL, WE DON¡¯T NEED THEM DRINKING OUR WATER, EATING OUR CROP AND WASTING OUR RESOURCES! THEY¡¯RE A WAST¡ª¡± [THAK!] ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Carl gripped his neck-back as he rolled all over the floor in agony and screamed, ¡°FUUUCK!¡± He was astonished. He couldn¡¯t believe his usually docile, yet perplexing friend could ever put his hands on him. ¡°FUCKERTY FUCK FUCK!¡± He screeched as he wiggled in the dirt of the Forrest grounds. ¡°YOU CUNT!¡± He driveled. ¡°You got me! You fucking got me good, huh? You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m in this sorry state or you would¡¯ve been done for!!¡± Carl spat as he carefully pushed himself up from the ground. ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try.¡ª¡± Said his friend in response to Carls threat. ¡°¡ªBitch!¡± ¡°Half baked beg of a bastard noble.¡± ¡°You abstemious pleb!¡± ¡°OHH! So the village fool can use big words?!¡± ¡°¡ªWHAT DID YOU SAY! SAY IT AGAIN I DARE YOU!¡± Carl grew more agitated than ever, his friend, seeing Carls forehead wrinkles scrunch up tighter knew he got Carl where he wanted him. ¡°You heard me well and clear, or is it your ears are as clogged up as your prehistoric beliefs? Your empty threats carry nothing but wishful thinking at it¡¯s worst.¡± ¡°ARRGH, UHH, ARGAhhhhh¡± Shamed by his actions and his friends harsh words Carl unsheathes his rusted weapon and makes a dash for his friend. His face, pink and plump as a smacked village thief caught in the act and full of embarrassment; his friend however, indifferent and laid back easily avoids Carl¡¯s head on assault.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. [WHOSH] His friend stylishly backs off. ¡°Wow.¡± He sighs, ¡°Just wow.¡± As Carl is pushed back, he''s tripped over from a swift toe clip. [THUMP!] ¡°Arrgh!¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually disappointed¡­ All this time we¡¯ve had to practice and this is all you¡¯ve achieved?¡± Carls friend says with a disappointed glare as he shakes his head. ¡°No wonder Oscar always says talk is cheap, since thats all you do¡­ It probably gets on your nerves that someone who you believe to have a disability is actually better than you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no wonder you hate him so much.¡± ¡°Shuck a cork!¡± Carl snapped. Just as Carl sucks his teeth at his friend he sees rustling in the bushes not too far from him and jumps. ¡°WHO¡¯S THERE?!¡± he yells as he edges closer to his friend for safety. ¡°CARL YOU DOG! HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT FEROCITY THE GREAT WITH THAT CHEAP ATTACK!¡± ¡°HUUUUUUUH?¡± Both Carl and his friend said in disbelief. ¡°Azekah, you¡¯re really going to let him get away with that? Like, he totally disrespected you!¡± ¡°YEAH, YEAH!¡± Another chimed. ¡°AZEE¡ªBOOM!¡± The fourth yelled as he jumped out the bushes in excitement. ¡°We. Saw. It. All.¡± Said Nilly. ¡°A million and what to Az, and ZERO to Carl; another loss buddy¡­¡± Tyle said sarcastically as he leaned on a large tree next to the bushes. ¡°Sup Az¡± Tyle motioned to Azekah. ¡°Yo.¡± ¡°Oscar wants us all to be back at base an hour before sun fall¡­¡± ¡°Really? Do you know why?¡± Az replied. ¡°Not really sure he never specified, my guess is a surprise mock¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªAn assessment!¡± Carl interjected distastefully. ¡°¡­Yeah¡­¡± replied Tyle as he shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I¡¯m just guessing¡­¡± ¡°Seems probable considering its never have been on an official date, it might even be the final.¡± Said Azekah, deducing probabilities. ¡°I agree.¡± Tyle pauses and takes a deep breath. ¡°Listen well everyone. If this is what we think it is, then theres no room for failure. We¡¯ve practically been training for this our whole lives. Us 8 are the potential new protectors, should even one of us fail, it will put not only us, but our whole species at a huge disadvantage. I refuse to sugar coat it, so ill say it only once.¡± His cheekbones protruded more than usual as his face emoted to a serious one. ¡°Get your shit together.¡± Tyle looks around and gives eye contact to everyone in the party to confirm their resolve. ¡°You hear me?¡± Everyone nods, some murmur in agreeance; but that wasn¡¯t the response Tyle wanted. ¡°I SAID, DO YOU HEAR ME?¡± His eyes unusually serious and commanding an immediate response. ¡°YES, CAPTAIN!¡± The group howled in retaliation. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Anything you want¡¯t add Az?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ve said all that needed to be said.¡± ¡°Good, let¡¯s head back.¡± Everyone gathered their belongings and headed back through the bushes, the earlier air of freedom fun which then swiftly became anxiousness was easily cleared and replaced with soothing composure. ¡°Oh! And by the way Carl, The Bereaved totally won.¡± Said Tyle as he jumped on the anchor tree vine before it catapulted him to the sub-human metropolis. [WHOSH] [SWISH] [FTWEE] The anchor vines clamoured, rustled and swished as each member jumped and grasped the thick stems which yanked them over the 70 foot wall to enter the metropolis. ¡°Whatever¡­ Ferocity the Great will always be a winner in my eyes.¡± Mumbled Carl as he followed suit. [SWHOSH] Chapter 2: Lustre ¡°Man, I hate sneaking back!¡± Huffed Nilly, ¡°It¡¯s.So.Like.The.Worst.¡± ¡°It was your idea to follow Az and Carl into the Forrest grounds! You just had to see the dung beetle race! URGHH!¡± Raulie cried. ¡°It¡¯s just poop! It¡¯s a stupid game!¡± She swung her arms in contempt as she trudge through the fallen foliage. ¡°BLASPHEMY!¡± Carl snapped. ¡°How dare you even compare the Great Ferocity to a beyond basic dung beetle, you can¡¯t even compare the two!¡± Carl grew ever so passionate, ¡°The size, the muscles, the strength! These things are what the average beetle don¡¯t have!¡± ¡°Eww.¡± Replied Raulie, disgusted by Carl¡¯s passionate rant. The group continued their walk through the secret passage on top of the grand foliage wall, the anchor vines could only swing them so far, so the rest of the journey was done by foot. Tyle lead the way while chopping spiralled vines blocking the path, right behind him was Azekah lighting the surrounding area with Lustre. A popular gemstone designed for lighting, it was crafted by Cedar ¡ª the famous Grand Crafter and mass distributed. The stone works by absorbing sunlight inside it¡¯s small hexagonal body, it then stores the converted energy inside the core. When squeezed, the Lustre turns from a white stone to pink and gleams a white light. ¡°Did you hear that Az? She said our beetle race is a joke, I ought to slap¡®er for that, right!? Carl laughed to himself wickedly. ¡°Shut your fat gob for once Carl, thats not even funny.¡± Ji-ho raged. Ji-ho is usual more poetic with his words, but maybe because of his righteous personality he couldn¡¯t bare such rudeness; especially from Carl. *Sigh* ¡°Don¡¯t waste your breath¡­¡± Raulie said adamantly, ¡°This fool has no filter, why do think he always looks beaten¡ª?¡± ¡°¡ªProbably because he doesn¡¯t know any better!¡± Everyone laughed, besides carl whom was less then bemused. For a brief moment they had no worries and walked without fear from anything or anyone. ¡°Good one Nia!¡± Said Azekah, who is usually the observant one. Carl needed to be checked so that his ego wouldn¡¯t balloon and cause unneeded misunderstandings for the group, something thats happened on many occasions before. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be on my side Az!¡± ¡°Bitch Please.¡± [THUMP] Everyone stopped, they were in disbelief that Azekah cursed! ¡°What? Did he¡ª?¡± Said Ji-ho. ¡°¡ªYeah I think he just did¡­?¡± Tyle stopped cutting the vines and tuned with immense speed to see Azekah¡¯s face. ¡°No way. No freaking way!¡± Said Nia. ¡°He really doesn¡¯t know anything.¡± Azekah raged, as if embarrassed that his childhood friend could even speak so savagely to Raulie. Az continued walking further into the hidden route; leading the group through the dimly lit passage. Still everyone remained flummoxed; to see a side of Az that was rude was a rare sight. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it.¡± Tyle stared in awe. ¡°You broke Az, you actually broke him.¡± ¡°Something even Oscar couldn¡¯t do.¡± Mumbles Deluna who¡¯s usually inconceivably quiet. Everyone forgets she¡¯s even in the group to begin with, it was rumoured that when Deluna was born, her own family forgot to bring her home.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Thats the truth!¡± Ji-Ho gleamed and whistled, he could tell a new tide of expression was coming, but wasn¡¯t sure when. ¡°SLOW DOWN AZ!¡± Bellowed Tyle as he waved his hand and motioned everyone to speed up so that they could match his speed. The group continued at a decent pace not too quick, but not too slow. They didn¡¯t want to get tangled by the loose rough and unmanaged vines as the deeper they walked in the passage, the thicker, rougher and thornier the vines became. ¡°So how did you guys find this route?¡± Said Nia, breaking the deafening silence and killing the anxious vibe. ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s a long story¡­¡± Whispered Azekah, not wanting to further explain. ¡°¡ªOH! I remember! Wasn¡¯t it that time I slapped¡ª¡° Recalled Carl. ¡°¡ªWE¡¯RE ALMOST THERE!¡± Tyle quickly interjected. ¡°It¡¯s this corner and we¡¯ll be back at base!¡± ¡°About time!¡± Nilly gasped as she took a deep breath. Thank you, Az thought. He didn¡¯t want to recall the time He, Tyle and Carl were chased by a cluster of noble henchmen all because Carl couldn¡¯t keep his damn hands to himself. The very thought of explaining how the team leader and co-leader could cause mayhem in Larch Grove was one he would rather go without saying. Some truths are best kept to ones self, he concluded.The group approached the corner and turned left, sure enough they could see the exit. The crisp blushing pink and blue skylight pierced through the complex web of vines blocking the exit and sparkled a path to lead out. They gazed upon the route within the vines, but some parts looked a little too tight to squeeze through. ¡°You sure we can fit through?¡± Questioned Nilly looking at Carls stomach while holding her own. ¡°What¡¯re you thinking, Az?¡± Asked Tyle with a smirk on his face, he then went through his right trouser pocket to pull out combat gloves. Azekah inspected the path, hmmm, he thought. ¡°Yeah, I think we might need the Dalbergia, if we get caught in the tight spots we won¡¯t just be leaving with scar tissue!¡± Advised Azekah. ¡°Good choice!¡± Said Tyle, excited by the events about to occur. ¡°I¡¯ll need some space, would you guys pull back!¡± ¡°Che!¡± What a show off, Carl thought as he moved back with everyone else, he knew what was coming and tried to look uninterested, but that soon failed. Azekah unzipped his cameo duffle coat and reached deep inside into his hidden left pocket. With a swift flick of the wrist he pulled out a small sharp wooded stick and unwrapped the pointed edge. You could see a small white gem at the hilt of the stick. He adjusts the grip of his right hand and with the swish of his arms the once difficult vines became obliterated into tiny particles. The debris from the vines glistened emerald against the vivid sunlight as they fluttered in the air. Flabbergasted by the weapon that Azekah had secretly crafted himself, murmurs could be heard in the back. ¡°Beautiful.¡± Said Ji-Ho as he verged closer to the picturesque display of artistry. The entire group followed, within seconds they were outside of the passage and free to bask in the warmth of the sun. Nilly danced around while Deluna tried to catch and contain the glints of the emerald coloured vine residue. ¡°If you had that to begin with, why didn¡¯t you use it earlier?¡± Said Nia to Azekah. He turned round to see her tying her laces. ¡°Well, it only works 7 times at best, also considering small Combustion Lustre stones are hard to acquire legally, it doesn¡¯t help that they¡¯re also regulated to own and are written off as failed Lustre Stones not fit for public use. It¡¯s also can¡¯t be helped that the wood itself, used to make the body of the Dalbergia is hard to come by, but the wood is worth it since its tough and retains its shape.¡± ¡°I get it! So you probably only use it when absolutely needed?¡± Nia replied, interested in his designs. ¡°Yeah!¡± Smirks Az. ¡°HEY, you guys also see that too right! It¡¯s the base!¡± Nilly ran towards the base, Tyle seeing her run joined in. ¡°LAST ONE TO THE BASE DUELS OSCAR!¡± Tyle called out as he made a run for it to over take Nilly. Ji-Ho without hesitation bolted as soon as he heard the impending danger. ¡°OH HELL NO!¡± He raced, this was a loss no one wanted. Carl sprinted behind Ji-Ho after hearing his intention of no losing; but Carl couldn¡¯t keep up the pace and quickly fell behind. Deluna, swiftly shot past and as for Azekah and Nia they blazed past Carl and past Ji-Ho. Nia was not too ahead of Ji-Ho, between them it was equal footing, Azekah however had reached Tyle at the front. Raulie was never a sprinter or a fast runner, but she managed to catch up and pass Carl, meanwhile Nilly was over taken by Tyle and Az battling for first and second respectively. Nilly, running out of breath was hastily over taken by Ji-Ho, then by Nia soon after by milliseconds. It was now a fight for Carl, Raulie and Nilly to not come last. The race nearing its end, the groups pushed on harder going all out. ¡°Hmm? I thought I heard footsteps.¡± Said a figure from a distance, ¡°Whats this, a race?¡± The person came closer, they needed to get a better look. ¡°Those little shits, what¡¯re they doing coming from that direction?¡± I¡¯ll give them something to run for, they thought. The person in question got up. ¡°If they think this place is a joke, then I¡¯ll make the next few hours of their lives hell.¡± Chapter 3: Underhanded The climax to the race was nearing, the distance of the hidden passage to the base was only about 800 metres, but sprinting such a distance was no easy feat. No one wanted to face off with Oscar, especially if its self initiated, so underhanded means was not out of question for Carl. The battle for first was one Tyle and Azekah knew all too well, both were always at the top of the class in terms of strength, speed, smarts, skills and even style. Their personalities differed, but it was never an issue, instead it egged them on and encouraged their growth. As they edged closer and closer to the base the only thing that came close to distracting them from their goal was a familiar shadow awaiting their presence. The rest of the group couldn¡¯t see this familiar man as they were far behind, but this mans presence wasn¡¯t going to stop their long awaited battle to see who was really the best between them. Their faces serious, the hidden man¡¯s face had a full smirk from a distance, anticipating who would arrive and receive punishment first. Tyle and Azekah were only 50 metres away, now 40, now 25. Bolting, thrashing, swerving, their feet stomping the ground with violent haste, whose time was it? Who was the groups ace? About 210 metres behind them was Ji-Ho and seconds behind him was Nia, they had their own thing going on. One minute Ji-Ho would be ahead, the next it would be Nia. Their speed almost identical as the gap between them and Azekah/Tyle was shortening, soon they could see the familiar mans shadow from a distance. For a brief second they were both shocked and slowed down, but seeing their leaders so close to the base, it quickly brought their confidence back lighting a flame within them. The race was serious. So serious that Nilly strained her body to get ahead of Carl. She wasn¡¯t in the best of shape, you could blame that on her unhealthy diet, but one thing for sure was that she was no slacker when it came to her work. When determined, the usually lazy Nilly would become studious. Running wasn¡¯t something that was in her league; but for the sake of not coming last a stinging stitch was something to bare with. She pulled ahead a little creating a distance between her, Raulie and Carl. ¡°ARRRGH!¡± Screamed Carl, he couldn¡¯t stand fat Nilly actually being faster than him and Raulie somehow holding her own whilst racing. His inferiority complex began acting up again as he gasped and barked for air. I can¡¯t stand it! How DARE that ugly bag of rolls outrun me! Carl thought. Enough is enough, no way in hell I¡¯m coming last! He conjured up a nasty plan and used his last bits of energy to speed up to Raulie. Just before reaching her, he swooped down to clasp as much sediment as possible. Most of what he collected was sand, twigs and dirty wet leaves with a couple stones. Carl threw the heavy stuff away and with that his choice of forceful diversion was complete. He waited for the right moment to enact his scheme, pacing behind Raulie as if not to give too much of an impression of danger. The last thing Carl wanted was for Raulie to get a feel of him closing in and outrun him again. The cooling gust of wind once again came by, Its now of never! Carl thought, he immediately pushed through. Before Raulie could notice any foul play Carl had already unleashed the sand, the gust of air abruptly blew the debris into her eyes. ¡°AHHHHHHHHH, MY EYES, MY EYES!!¡± Raulie screeched, she tumbled and fell, smacking her head into her knees as she tried to make sense of it all. ¡°HELP ME, NOO MY EYES, NOOOOO, THEY HURT, IT HUUUUURTS, IT HURTS MEEEEE!¡± The whites of her eyes quickly became burning red, while the once small intricate blood vessels were now bulging and throbbing with sand. Raulie¡¯s eyes were watering uncontrollably and blurred her vision, she couldn¡¯t see a thing. Raulie continued screaming as she cried through the confusion and pain. Nilly having heard the screeches turned back. ¡°RAULIE, IS THAT YOU?!¡± Nilly yelled out as she ran back to help her friend. Carl however had different ideas, he didn¡¯t care for a second about the actions he had just committed nor did he care for the repercussions on Raulie¡¯s expense. Carl refused to come last and didn¡¯t care who he hurt to achieve it. He continued running without worry, as he hightailed forward he passed Nilly running back. Carl slowed down to a brisk walk. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t know what happened, but I¡¯m going to continue on to get help from the group ahead!¡± Said Carl as he huffed tirelessly. ¡°Yeah you do that! I¡¯ll go check on her and we¡¯ll try to continue on walking since it¡¯s getting late¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªThats right, sun fall is close and Oscar wanted us at base long before that!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Said Nilly as she followed the screams of agony, after getting a better look at Raulie collapsed on the ground, she shouted, ¡°BE QUICK, SHE LOOKS BAD!¡± ¡°WILL DO!¡± With that Carls vile plot had succeeded, he¡¯s secured his place in 6th position, injured a potential threat to him during the alleged exam and won¡¯t have to worry about being humiliated by Oscar when arriving at the base. All is right, thought Carl as he trudged on. Not too far from him was Deluna, quick stepping silently through the now wet marshland.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Azekah and Tyle had already burst past the marshland and were in Birch Meadows, the base right in front of them within eyes sight. With both of them seeing the fast approaching finish line the deciding factor was who could endure. Meanwhile Nia and Ji-Ho were dealing with their own physical test of endurance. ¡°You know I have the natural upper hand!¡± Said Ji-Ho as he galloped with speed pushing his long legs to the extremes. ¡°Sure you legs are long and you¡¯re a guy, but you know what they say: the taller the tree the harder it falls!¡± Joked Nia as she refused to allow natural selection overcome her desire to win. ¡°HAH!¡± Ji-Ho laughed, he didn¡¯t want to go easy on Nia, as that would be unjust. He treated her as he would any opponent in a serious battle; he knew she has talent that equals his own, so to go easy would only be an insult to her. ¡°You know, its a long time coming, usually girls can¡¯t even be taken seriously, let alone become a serious crafter¡­¡± Said Nia as she pushed ever so slightly ahead. ¡°I get you, thats why I respect Oscar¡­ Maybe because he¡¯s not conventional and nor are we, considering we¡¯re the misfits¡ª¡° Ji-Ho replied as he now overtook Nia. ¡°¡ªTrue, true. It¡¯s difficult enough to just get acknowledged to join a Root Classification, so for Oscar to have been granted and initiate his own Root is something unheard of. I¡¯m not surprised that we¡¯re the first eight to join!¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªBut I¡¯m surprised Azekah and Tyle joined!¡± ¡°Same. Not so much Azekah, considering he does illegal shit like crafting without a licence: but Tyle yeah! I was real surprised!¡± ¡°His crafting surprised me! I¡¯ve never seen someone create a weapon so advance that didn¡¯t already have a licence! I just knew he was talented, since he was always talked about and called the Silent King throughout school, college and high ed.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t Tyle known as the Undefeated Emperor? He¡¯s from Noble linage, so when it came to selection I expected him to choose Taproot, considering they¡¯re the main branch, most desirable RC and guaranteed promotions especially since the vast majority of them are nobles themselves!¡± ¡°¡ªBut I have to say Fibrous is popular too¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªFor commoners like us, yeah. After all we didn¡¯t really have a choice and Adventitious wasn¡¯t an option either, but there¡¯re famous Crafters like Cedar who¡¯ve emerged from Fibrous.¡± Said Nia as she quickly made a breakthrough and began to lead. Ji-Ho thought about what Nia said as he looked at the peaceful sky, Our time will come, he thought sensing changes in the cloud formations. I don¡¯t know why, but something just doesn¡¯t feel right. He didn¡¯t know how right he was, but in that present moment his mind was on catching up to Nia. ¡°OUCH! Slow down, please!¡± Begged Raulie as Nilly held her arm around her waist and escorted her through the marshland. ¡°What happened to you?¡± Nilly quizzed. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I was running and next thing I know the wind picked up and sand flew in my eyes!¡± ¡°It hurts so much!¡± Raulie wailed as she hobbled with the aide of Nilly. ¡°Good thing I had a water bottle with me, I managed to gush what I could on your eyeballs, most of the sand should be out, but for now I¡¯ve wrapped cloth around your eyes. They¡¯ll be sensitive to light and touch so we¡¯ll have to see a doctor as soon as possible when we get to base!¡± Nilly was said, she knew what this injury meant, if Raulie¡¯s eyes were damaged she may not be able to partake in the exam, she might not even be able to keep her place in Oscar¡¯s Root. Right now their only job is to get back as soon as possible. ¡°Thanks Nill¡¯s, I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done without you.¡± ¡°No problem, but we really need to hurry! Do you think you can continue running while I hold your hand?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try, but promise me you¡¯ll be carful!¡± ¡°Promise.¡± Nilly, reached for Raulie¡¯s hand and began running, they¡¯re only 400 metres away, but they¡¯ll need to be extra carful in the terrain. Tyle and Az were neck and neck, both had endured the strain, but before their anticipated showdown could have a final result the figure they knew all too well began to move. ¡°SO THIS IS HOW YOU¡¯RE SPENDING YOUR TIME?¡± Oscar roared. ¡°YOU ACTUALLY HAVE THE FUCKING NERVE!¡± Oscar wasn¡¯t having it, his face was as serious as a heart attack. It wasn¡¯t enough to deter them though, Oscars punishments could wait, his bravado was the least of their worries. In this particular time, they needed an answer once and for all, but Oscar thought otherwise. As he walked towards the speeding leaders, a clear and precise clacking could be heard. Each step taken the clacking became louder before Oscar abruptly came to a halt. He was now situated right in front of Azekah and Tyle, he raised his arm and with one utter he said, ¡°Stop.¡± That was all that was needed to bring them to a prompt standstill. The look on Oscars face was deadly, he was incredibly serious. ¡°Shits going down, get in the base right now.¡± The two leaders looked at each other. ¡°YES, SIR!¡± They both responded and headed in without question, something was about to happen and whatever it is, was enough to keep an unusual air of trouble around Oscar. The rest of the members caught up and headed straight into the base, Raulie and Nilly wobbled into the base absolutely exhausted and fatigued from their struggle, but Oscar didn¡¯t even bat an eyelash as he instructed them to head in. All he said to them as they stumbled past was, ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this after the meeting.¡± With that the race had been concluded, Tyle and Az: draw, Deluna: Third, Nia and Ji-ho: collective fourth, Carl: fifth and Nilly/Raulie: collective sixth. Chapter 4: Adventitious The interior of the base was brightly lit with lustre stones hanging from adjacent walls, they glittered and sparkled fluorescent spectral colours against the blackened wooden walls of the base. The open top ceiling allowed the sheen of the sun to contort through, basking all inside directly with the warmth and glow of the soon becoming sun fall. The sun rays highlighted the grooves of hidden partitioned compartments within the bases structure, on the floor, on the walls, even the four corners; the base, simple from an outsiders perspective was actually more complex than meets the eye. Once all the members entered Oscar immediately closed the black wooden doors of the base, the clacks and bolting of the giant doors closed like an elaborately complex maze. He finished securing the only entrance and exit by placing an intricate cubed gem in between the centre of the two doors and letting the arabesque crystal solidify to complete the lock. The door chimed a gentle tune, and with a light glow of indigo the then black doors became a backdrop of contemporary art of ornamental design. The delicate patterns coiled, twined and curved interlocking to complete the seal. ¡°Right!¡± Huffed Oscar, pleased with himself after locking the bases door. By then everyone had already taken seats within the base with the exception of Tyle who was leaning against the wall and Azekah who was giving Raulie first aid. Raulie was lying on the bench located next to the right wall. The other members were seated on collapsable wooden stools arranged in a semi circle around Raulie, all of whom were concerned for her well being; besides Carl. This was the first serious injury of the newly assembled root, their exam hasn¡¯t even taken place yet and for an injury of this scale to occur before that, at such a pinnacle time was beyond unlucky and a serious disadvantage for Raulie. ¡°We need to take her to the doctor¡ª¡± said Nilly. ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Oscar replied nonchalantly. ¡°What do you mean? She¡¯s in such a bad state, the longer we¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªLook, we don¡¯t have time for this! You can take her to the doctor now, but if you do that both you and Raulie will be disqualified!¡± ¡°WHAT!?¡± Everyone replied, gasps could be heard as faces of disagreement began to show. ¡°I mean what I said. Who told you shits to be playing in the forrest anyways? This is all on you.¡± Shrugged Oscar as he made his way to the centre of the base. Tyle began considering options in his mind, his slanted posture arouse to an upright stance. ¡°Look, I understand your feelings guys, but Oscar wouldn¡¯t say this if there wasn¡¯t a reason¡­ Lets hear what he has to say and act accordingly.¡± Tyle reasoned. ¡°Finally, a voice of reason!¡± Oscar said in relief. ¡°It¡¯s true, as you know I¡¯m now an RC leader¡­ I don¡¯t really have experience, I was more of an individual player when I was at Taproot¡­ Theres no manual in leading, teaching and advising¡­ I¡¯m still learning as we go so you need to keep that in mind. I get that for some of you Adventitious wasn¡¯t a first choice, and for many of us we¡¯ve been ruled out¡­ but theres a reason for us being here. The Grand Central Tree believe that they¡¯re a lot of unregulated practices going on in Taproot against Fibrous. There¡¯ve been complaints from the two organisations of sabotage, theft and even assaults on members of both roots, so our group was formed as a neutral RC to investigate both groups secretly and send back information¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªSo we¡¯re snakes?!¡± Carl spat. ¡°More like informants¡­¡± Huffed Nilly begrudgingly. ¡°Lets Oscar finish.¡± Voiced Azekah, wanting to hear everything. ¡°Whatever.¡± Carl rolled his eyes in jealously of Az¡¯s response. ¡°It is what it is. Call it snaking, being informants, spies, who the fuck cares; thats what the reason for our group was. They wanted a subsidiary root that could police the other two, they told me to select promising, but unconventional members or the rots/decays that no one wanted, but showed potential. The idea was to have a small group and train you guys to elites, the problem with that is, Tree didn¡¯t want the other groups to know of our activities and our objectives¡­ So they couldn¡¯t openly sponsor us¡­ The pretext of our cluster to the other roots is that we¡¯re a new RC with unorthodox members.¡± Said Oscar. ¡°So what changed?¡± Questioned Az. ¡°Oh, so you caught on huh? Well, apparently the Grand Central Master at Tree was the one who discreetly decided on the cultivation of Adventitious, he was the one who briefed me and made it possible to even start this root. The other members of the Grand Central don¡¯t even know our objectives, all they know is that they agreed to allow a new RC to form that involve misfits or failed Root Classification Entrance Test members. So we¡¯re basically the Grand Central Masters personal informants.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned¡­¡± Mumbled Carl. ¡°This was one of the reasons for our formation, the next is something new that has just recently been added and as you guys have probably guessed already, it caused the rapid timeline for your exam to transpire. Usually once you¡¯ve joined an RC you¡¯ll be given advice on you¡¯re crafting styles and job prospects before your exam. Essentially, you¡¯re tutored and given resources. Then, once you pass you¡¯re given a licence to practice.You guys already know the rest¡­ The problem with our new task is that there has been recent news of Omnivores making their great migration, as you know its about to be autumn and all, but theres news that a pack of Savages are on their tail. They want us to keep tabs on them, since we¡¯re in good terms with the Omnies. God knows why they want us to do it, but in order for us to even accept such a task you guys need to have a licence. Our other jobs included checking in on the local villages that live outside Sub Central, again that would acquire us to have surround knowledge and equipment¡­ I think this is a test from the Grand Master to see how we work as a team, our strengths and weaknesses, how we handle co-operating with other roots¡­¡± ¡°Thats a lot expected from us Oscar!¡± Said Nia. ¡°It actually is! You all have skills, well some of you¡­ Some of you¡¯re here to fill the quota, but have something within I guess¡­ The main problem is for us to be requested so soon, it¡¯s troubling. To summarise though, our objectives are to snake, reconnaissance, potential support for the Omnivores and to check up on villagers. Understand?¡± ¡°Yeah we get it, but why can¡¯t Raulie get treatment?¡± Asked Ji-Ho. ¡°Good question, we¡¯ve been requested to check up on the villagers and our transport is coming tomorrow 5am sharp. So you guys need to have passed the test, been briefed on the schedule of the trip and taught how to use basic craft weapons by then. The moment you leave, theres no point in coming back since you would¡¯ve missed so much. The closest doctor is at the Olea Centre since we don¡¯t have an in-house medic yet, it¡¯ll take at least half an hour by foot, give or take considering you¡¯re traveling with an injured person¡­ Not to mention the wait time. I¡¯ll be honest with you all, Raulie isn¡¯t going to make this trip. I¡¯m not sugar coating it, she¡¯s a liability. Her eyes are already oozing, they look like they¡¯re infected¡­ Not only would bringing her be a disadvantage to us, but it¡¯ll also put her in harms way as well as stunting her healing. I¡¯m not saying Raulie can¡¯t get treatment, I¡¯m saying you shouldn¡¯t jeopardise your own future over someone else. You don¡¯t even really know her. It¡¯s been a week since everyone has joined, barely establishing friendship in that time. Why risk it?¡± Oscar was speaking a truth that most didn¡¯t want to hear. ¡°HE¡¯S RIGHT!¡± Said Carl, jumping to his feet. ¡°Shut up Carl.¡± Sighed Nia shaking her head in disagreement. ¡°I agree. Not a good idea.¡± Deluna whispered. She¡¯s usually quiet, but her serious nature in terms of work was something she didn¡¯t want to be interrupted. Deluna who¡¯s also skilled isn¡¯t good with communication, she often keeps to herself. This caused her to be misunderstood by her peers throughout her education; they thought of her as rude and stuck up resulting in her being blacklisted. Oscar however liked her personality and her sense of justice so he personally asked her to join Adventitious. ¡°See! Even moss girl agrees!¡± Sniped Carl to Nia. ¡°Yeah, but I bet she has her own reasons, you¡¯re just agreeing out of selfishness!¡± ¡°What do I always say? One less person to feed means more food for the able!¡± Carl smirked. ¡°Ughh, get over yourself¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªNo Nia, they¡¯re right, I¡¯m just going to cause problems and I don¡¯t want to be the person to hold everyone back¡­¡± Raulie sat up sobbing. ¡°Thanks Az for the first aid, and thanks Nilly for helping me get back¡­ I¡­ I ¡­ I don¡¯t want to be the one¡­ why me? I just wanted to be able to wear nice clothes¡­ I only wanted to explore¡­¡± Said Raulie as she sat there on the bench, holding her head in her palms hunched over, close to her knees. Tears so heavy and filled with such sadness that drops of clear salty liquid secreted from her nose and began dripping over her lips. Raulie was in a state of hysterics, what was her life going to be? What will she say to her parents when she returns home? Can she even go home? Is there a place for her? This was her one chance considering she failed the RCET and only by chance she was offered a place in Oscars subsidiary group. Will she need to wait a year to take it again? She¡¯s already 23 and a girl at that, her parents had already agreed with their family friends to an arranged marriage of their son. Her family wasn¡¯t rich at all, far from it thats why she couldn¡¯t afford the cost of the RCET even though the minimum age to take it is 18. She saved every bit of her own money for the Root Classification Entrance Test and when she had enough for the test and a bit to support her self, she ran away to take the entrance exam against her parents wishes. They always thought the RCET was a waste of money, and no one in her family had ever been in a root, so to them it just seemed like a con on the working class that would get their hopes up. She just couldn¡¯t comprehend why such ill fate had begotten her. The room fell into a deep silence, no one dared utter a word, everyone knew the miserable reverberations and despair of failure that looms over such misfortune. What could be said? Nothing; no amount of charm could ever bury the truth, for that would only be perceived as offensively presumptuous hapless optimism. ¡°I¡¯m taking her to the hospital.¡± Chapter 4.5: Abbreviations Hey guys, how¡¯re you? Are you eating well? Are you resting enough? So I¡¯ll address the elephant in the room, I haven¡¯t posted a new chapter in 2 weeks! Tbh I¡¯ve been figuring out how best to write this novel, I¡¯ve been writing chapters briefs and how I want the story to develop as well as figuring out the Characters histories and personalities. I really don¡¯t want them to come off as one directional and boring, I¡¯ve also been doing some research to help the story as well. There has been a lot thought into this novel, for example how do I explain the human categories? What happened to humans? How did it get to this period in time? How many years into the future are they? Is technology there or isn¡¯t it? E.g. Internet, fashionable clothing, 3D printing. I also didn¡¯t want to make the story too predictable. In chapter 4 there has been a lot of abbreviations so this is like an information page, think of it as a reference! I¡¯ll put in abbreviations that coincide with the previous chapters as well! RCET: Root Classification Entrance Test This is a test applicants pay to take in order to enter a Root, should they be accepted into a Root half their fee is waived and returned to the applicant. The rest is taken to pay for their tuition, books, uniform and basic materials for crafting. RC/Root/Root Classification: They¡¯re the two main groups that newly accepted applicants that have passed the RCET can join if chosen. There is now a third which is lead by Oscar. Taproot: Taproot is the main branch RC and houses mainly nobles, the wealthy, the famous and a few extremely talented people. The main branch objectives are Politics, Business, Health, Defence and Infrastructure. Fibrous: Fibrous is the second branch, their roots consist of mainly the middle class, working class and villagers. Every now and then some of the wealthy join, it¡¯s usually rare for nobles to join Fibrous as its seen as shameful and the poor mans root classification. Their objectives are Education, Policing, Environment, Defence and Justice. Adventitious: Adventitious is a newly created RC, the head is Oscar who used to be in Taproot. They¡¯re only 8 members so far and their people who have either failed the RCET exam, are misfits or simply choose to join out of free will. The group is severely looked down upon and thought of as talentless. The creator of the group is actually the Grand Central Master at Tree. Their goals are to secretly observe Taproot and Fibrous, check on villages outside Sub Central, they¡¯re also expected to assist the Omnivores should they need any and to keep an eye on the Savages.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The Grand Central Tree/Tree: They¡¯re the governing body of the Sub-Human species, the one in the top position is the Grand Central Master. There¡¯re 5 member, 4 of which lead the North, south, east and west of the Sub-Human Land. Olea Centre: The Olea Centre is a hospital in the Capital of the West, Larch Groove. It¡¯s about a half an hour walk from the Adventitious Base located in the near south west. Savages: Savages are groups of wild lost souls that roam the Neo Earth or Neo for short. No one really knows where they come from, but they bring diseases, contaminate the land have bad omen. The Bereaved: A giant dung beetle named by Azekah, apparently the beetle witnessed the murder of his family when his nemesis Gourmandising Raptor swooped down and swollen his family whole. Since then he¡¯s sworn to protect, but never to love again. Ferocity the Great: A giant dung beetle named by Carl after she stole the dung ball of her lover once she learned of his cheating ways; catching the cheat with another Scarab, thorax to thorax. The theft wasn¡¯t enough, so she decided the only way to get even, was to shove the two down a steep hill to their deaths. Lustre Stone: A pink hexagonal stone that when compressed emits a bright white light. Can be found in different sizes, colours and shapes. Used indoors and outdoors, also designed by Master Crafter Cedar. Combustion Stones: They¡¯re Lustre Stones that failed to work properly and erupt into a fire or combust. Their illegal to own without correct high level licensing because of their unpredictable nature. Azekah designed a weapon that uses the stones to deteriorate any object facing the direction of the weapon. He named it the Dalbergia. Arabesque Crystal: A cubed gem with intricate patterns cut into it, depending on the pattern determines how it can be used. The main use is to lock and secure, it can even be shaped as a key! Commands are carved into the crystal and the action in completed when placed in position. Check Chapter 4 to see Oscar in action. They can lock doors, rooms, boxes, wardrobes, lockers, books, etc. The common shapes are cubes, but keys are also used. There¡¯re pre made arabesque crystals that only need the crafter licence to be input, once their code has been carved in with the commands, only that person(s) can remove the gem. 70 Foot Wall: The wall is on the south of the Sub-Human land protecting them from dangers beyond. Its main goal is to protect them from the savages since there isn¡¯t enough Forrest surrounding the South. There is a secret passage hidden on top of the wall, it was used as a shortcut to get back to the base in Chapter 1. The passage was discovered by Azekah, Tye and Carl when escaping nobles; it¡¯s a story Azekah doesn¡¯t want to remember. Anchor Vines: A popular means to climbing great heights used in Chapter 1, they¡¯re incredibly long vines designed to help to get to distances with its bouncy elastic body. They¡¯re attached to an anchor, once jumped on and pulled the person is catapulted to the location of the anchor. They can be brought in different lengths and grown from home. They come in small potable cylinders, once water is poured, depending on the amount also depends on the size; it usually takes a couple minutes to hours to grow. Chapter 5: Priorities ¡°Well, if you insist! Heres your bag, oh and heres Raulie¡¯s! Don¡¯t forget to carry a lustre stone, it¡¯s already sun fall and you don¡¯t want to get caught in the dark!¡± Said Carl, shoving their bags over to hurry them on. ¡°¡ªYou¡¯re so insensitive!¡± Nilly wasn¡¯t having it, she couldn¡¯t believe the carefree attitude of Carl considering the atmosphere and all that was just discussed. ¡°What do you expect? We can all see she¡¯s in no shape to do shit, you¡¯ve heard whats on our agenda and yet you choose to help this nobody?¡± ¡°A nobody, were we not in the same team for a few weeks? How can you even¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªYES!¡± Shouted Carl interjecting before Nilly could say another word. ¡°I SAID, A NOBODY. Thats what she is! So what if I¡¯ve know you a little, it¡¯s meaningless, it don¡¯t mean squat. You¡¯re a fool to think for even a second anyone would join you!¡± ¡°HOW DARE YOU!¡± No one had ever seen Nilly so riled up, this was an expression she hadn¡¯t shown until now. Usually she¡¯s happy go lucky and sees the good in all. ¡°SHUT IT!¡± Carl pushed on intensifying the ever so sensitive discussion into an argument. ¡°Not everyone has money to splash on another entrance test; just because you¡¯ve built some bridges you think you can now lay tar? To be honest, you¡¯re the selfish and insensitive one for thinking that even for a second we should all throw our own livelihoods for someone we¡¯re one sleep away from forgetting!¡± ¡°You really are the worst. I¡¯ve never met anyone so self centred as yourself¡­ I never said I wanted you or anyone else to join me, but¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªTHEN WHAT? You want us to congratulate you on your selflessness?¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªNO! I DIDN¡¯T¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªGive you an award for thinking of others and putting their needs first?¡± ¡°LET ME SPEAK!¡± Bellowed Nilly, exhausted and coming to terms with what she had said herself. Could I really leave? She thought. I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯ll be able to get into a root again, sure I¡¯ve got some money, but it¡¯s still risky. What Carl had thrown at her was a piece of reality, but she wasn¡¯t sure herself that she could back away and not take action for her friend. Was it pride, a need to be accepted? Having some sort of point to prove? Raulie at this point had already given up, she was rolled in a ball on the bench, hiding her face between her knees and slumped over. The yells of Carl and Nilly were muted buy her own thoughts and disbeliefs.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Call me mean spirited, but sometimes you just have to not give a damn. I have dreams. BIG DREAMS. I bet you everyone else here has their own dreams and reason for being here too! Why else do you think no ones stopping our discussion? It¡¯s the ghastly grim truth that everyone here is too kind to say, but they¡¯re thinking it too, so they let horrid me say it instead. If you want to leave, than go, but don¡¯t expect us to follow you. Fool.¡± Nilly looked around the room embarrassed, everyones heads were down, some were fidgeting and trying their hardest not to give eye contact. Tyle motioned to Azekah to come forward to speak. ¡°I¡¯m not the best speaker when it comes to sentimental things, I think Az has something to say though¡­¡± Said Tyle as he rubbed his neck in response to the sensitive situation. Azekah looked at Tyle, surprised by the nomination. ¡°Err, yeah I do have something to say.¡± Spoke Az moving from Raulie¡¯s side and towards Nilly for an upfront conversation. Ji-Ho and Nia moved to the side giving Azekah way to pass. ¡°Myself and everyone want to apologise on Carl¡¯s behalf. So, we¡¯re sorry.¡± His face full of sorrow, eyebrows knitted as he thought of things to say. ¡°What Carl said however is true, although cruel and he certainly should have articulated it better. Nia wants to own her own Craft shop, everything fully customisable¡­ Thats actually how I met her, at an underground Craftware Fair¡ª¡± ¡°Move like the black market!¡± Joined Nia. ¡°The facts aren¡¯t important here! Not a lot of people want to buy from a women, even if they¡¯re talented so most people laughed at her dreams. Ji-Ho wants to create a space for people to freely practice their craft, exchange information and skills as well as learn new things; it¡¯s so out there and different considering his whole family are middle class and they expected him to take over their business in gem digging and cutting. They refused to support him and made it difficult for him to join any root by bribing the examiners.¡± ¡°I get they didn¡¯t want me to do anything but gem cutting, but I never thought they would go this far¡­¡± Said Ji-Ho. ¡°I could go on and on, but we all have our reasons to be here¡­ What I¡¯m trying to say is that don¡¯t think badly of us. Didn¡¯t you have your own dreams too?¡± ¡°Not really, no. People told me I¡¯m a hard worker so I decided to give it a go and take the test. I thought maybe I could be a librarian or gemologist... I couldn¡¯t get into Taproot because they said they couldn¡¯t see me fitting in with their style... And Fibrous didn¡¯t want me because apparently my brother had conned one of their leaders out of money... I didn¡¯t have a place until I was accepted here, I wasn¡¯t even going to join until I met Raulie outside the base. She wanted to see the world and meet new people, I thought maybe just maybe I could also do these things. She inspired me, and gave me the belief that there¡¯s more to life.¡± ¡°So what¡¯re you going to do?¡± Said Azekah. ¡°I... don¡¯t know anymore.¡± Replied Nilly