《Division XIII: The Weaver's Court》


 Pilot [1]

    Wynnedown, Morley.


    8:45 AM


    Honk~


    The sound of honking vehicles filled the express, the rush hour was suffocating enough to make car owners wish they were pedestrians. Workers in their work clothes, from three piece suits to denim overalls, walked up and down the sidewalk, heading to their various offices.


    Shhh~ Skreee~


    Steam filled the clouds as the train grind to a halt, the 12 cabin behemoth closely stopping to let in a new batch of passengers while some came off it.


    A young man in his early twenties in a vest and overcoat came off the fourth cabin, a leather briefcase in one of his gloved hands. His shoes clicked against the hard ground, his fedora covering most of his face as he blended into the crowd, vanishing from sight.


    Soon, he appears once more, this time in front of a building a few blocks away from the train station. He walked in, stopping by the secretary and handing over a passport looking document.


    She gave it a brief scan, her rosy lips curling into a polite smile as she returned the passport.


    ¡°Head straight down out the back door, a vehicle should be waiting for you.¡±


    The young man remained silent, retrieving the document and placing it in the inner handle of his coat before heading for the narrow corridor that led to the backdoor.


    Upon exiting the building, he saw a silver Mustang waiting for him just as the lady had said. There were 3 people standing before the vehicle, all dressed in clothes that hide their features while letting them blend in, just like the young man.


    ¡°You should be the fourth person. Welcome, we are your traveling partners.¡± One of the trio approached the young man with his hand extended. He has a large frame and the fedora and sunglasses couldn¡¯t hide his charisma.


    ¡°Codename: Cerberus.¡± The large guy spoke, his deep voice and over 6ft build made him really seem like a wild beast.


    The young man nodded his head, ignoring the outstretched hand. He glanced at the others who were silent, scrutinising each of them.


    ¡°Ha-ha, well, this is Black rose and Hyacinth.¡± Cerberus introduces, casually laughing off the awkwardness of the situation. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be driving.¡± He added before walking around the vehicle to enter the driver¡¯s side.


    All four of them got into the vehicle while Cerberus explained, ¡°You should pick a codename before we arrive at the base. We have to head out soon, from what I heard, we are the last ones remaining.¡±


    Chakaka~


    The vehicle engine kicked to life, roaring out as Cerberus pressed upon the acceleration pad. With a sudden jerk, he placed the vehicle on a different gear and zoomed off, tearing through the alley, out into the streets as driving towards their destination.


    Cerberus drove like a professional, swerving in and out of the traffic, passing places that a normal driver wouldn¡¯t even think to thread upon and getting out without a single scratch on the vehicle.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Even stranger was the lack of police attention, but no one seemed to mind. Soon, they arrived at a rather secluded area, the vehicles proceeded to tear through a forest path, heading deeper and deeper.


    ¡°We made it just in time.¡± Cerberus chuckled loudly as he parked the vehicle at an opening. The place was deserted, the only sign of any previous human activity being the worn out train tracks before them.


    ¡®Although it¡¯s worn out, there are signs of wear.¡¯ The young man noted.


    Choo~ Choo~


    All four of them looked towards the left, even before it¡¯s appearance, the massive smoke tower rising into the sky gave away its presence. A large steam train was approaching and it seems like this is what they were waiting for.


    But strangely, there is no train stop.


    ¡°The train will slow down slightly for a few minutes, if you can¡¯t get on by then, you get left behind.¡± Cerberus said, the playful tone in his voice still apparent but with a slightly serious undertone.


    Choo~


    The train honked once again as it approached, getting closer to the group. Suddenly, the young man turned around and walked away. The other trio stared at him for a brief moment before ignoring him entirely. It wasn¡¯t strange for one to quit during a test like this.


    Chuga~ Chuga~


    The sound of the locomotive engine drew nearer and nearer as each of them began to take measures to ensure they were able to get on the train.


    Cerberus laughed boisterously once more as the train finally closed in. He was the first to make a move.


    Whoop~


    He grunted as he jumped up and latched onto the side of the train. His lifting strength was no joke and with a slight flex of his muscles, he pulled himself up, landing on the very top of the cabin.


    He looked down at the others, watching how they each planned on getting on the train. Black Rose was a lady, and her every movement carried the grace of one. Without troubling herself, she pulled back her coat to reveal a gun-like device strapped to her latex covered thigh.


    Pulling it out, she aimed at the front cabin of the train and fired, launching a grappling hook at the moving train and using it to pull herself toward it. Once she was close enough, she latched onto the window, pulled open the glass and slipped in.


    ¡®That leaves Hyacinth and the nameless guy.¡¯ Cerberus looked around for a bit before suddenly chuckling, ¡®Looks like he really did run away.¡¯


    Brrrr~


    Hyacinth was running alongside the train, trying to build up enough momentum to lift himself up once he grabbed hold of the train when he heard a strange noise from behind him.


    ¡°Hahaha, I knew he wouldn¡¯t just run away!¡± Cerberus laughed loudly as Hyacinth¡¯s face immediately turned sour. He looked back to see the Mustang they had parked behind approaching him at freighting speed.


    ¡°This bastard!¡± Hyacinth cursed at the young man who was casually standing in the vehicle as it got closer and closer to the front cabin.


    The vehicle was getting dangerously close to Hyacinth and he could tell from the young man¡¯s facial expression or lack thereof that if he didn¡¯t make way, he would truly be run over.


    He also knows that if their positions were to be reversed, he too wouldn¡¯t give a rats ass what happened to anyone else. The test will only get tougher, hence, it was better to weed out the weak ones now.


    ¡°Fuck this!¡± Hyacinth yelled as he grabbed a metal railing attached to the train.


    Crack~


    The sound of his shoulder dislocating was less than subtle and what followed was a slight cry. But a dislocated shoulder was better than what could have happened.


    Unaffected, the young man casually leapt off the speeding vehicle and onto the train cabin, watching as the car kept speeding till it crashed into a tree.


    ¡°You really are something, I like how your nonchalance seems so casual.¡± Cerberus spoke loudly as he approached the young man, grinning like a kid. The young man looked at him for a brief moment before walking away.


    ¡°Come on! I¡¯m just trying to make friends.¡± Cerberus yelled, this time sounding a bit offended.


    ¡°Making friends is useless, at this stage, we are all enemies. You better prepare yourself.¡±

 Pilot [2]

    Location: En route to xxx island


    Time: 11:05 AM


    Thump~


    The young man landed on the gangway connection before proceeding to enter the cabin in front. As the door opened, all eyes fell on him. Their gaze seemed to shift once again as a shadow loomed behind the young man, it was Cerberus.


    Both walked in, Cerberus following after the young man like a giant guard dog. He threw glances around, his smile not leaving his face, a stark contrast against the serious expressions of most of the other occupants of the cabin.


    ¡°Why so serious?¡± Cerberus jokes, taking off his hat to reveal his face. Unlike his boisterous personality, he has quite the elegant face. Strong jaws and a look that suggested he couldn¡¯t be older than twenty five.


    The young man finally arrived at a table, he couldn¡¯t find anyone that was empty, but he found one that was manageable. It was already occupied by 2 others; Black Rose and Cilantro.


    ¡°What a coincidence, we are all together once again. This must be fate.¡± Cerberus chuckled as he took a seat. The young man did the same, maintaining his silence as he watched the area.


    Many of the occupants in the cabin were dressed the same way, long coats, hats that covered at least half their faces with some even going as far as to wear masks and a few even added gloves. Anything to hide as much as possible about their identities.


    Cerberus'' lack of awareness seemed to put a lot of them off and they stared at him with open hostility. He didn¡¯t mind though, instead, he kept talking and talking without a care in the world, laughing at his own jokes when no one seemed to be listening.


    Cilantro on the other hand was cradling his right arm which seemed to have been reset. It was basic knowledge for most of those in this train.


    Brzzzz~


    The sound of speakers clearing up filed not just this cabin but the other four cabins, attracting the attention of all occupants.


    [Good day to you all, and congratulations on making it this far.] The voice began. It was an androgynous voice and from the tone, it sounded like whoever was behind the speakers was extremely bored of what they were doing.


    [Honestly, this is just the beginning, so there¡¯s really nothing to be proud of. Right now, the second test is about to begin.]


    None of the occupants voice out a word, instead, they adjusted their searing postures, ready for whatever way to come.


    In order to be on this train, one has to have proven themselves as the most outstanding candidates from their respective squads. That amount of skill comes with a certain amount of maturity and confidence.


    [If you look below your seats, you¡¯ll find a small component, within is a body suit.] Everyone began checking underneath their seats, confirming the existence of the compartment and opening it.


    The young man did the same, pulling out the black bodysuit. Just from a casual glance, one could tell it covered everywhere from the next to the ankle, leaving out only the head, hands and feet.


    [Take off everything on your person, including weapons and place them in the compartment. You have five minutes to do that.]


    At this, there were a few who hesitated. Although they¡¯ve been trained in many forms of combat and strategic manoeuvres, getting naked in a train cabin filled with strangers didn¡¯t sit well with them.


    ¡°Hahaha, what¡¯s there to worry about? We¡¯ll get to see it all sooner or later anyways.¡± Cerberus laughed loudly as he stood up, taking off his coat before proceeding to the rest of his clothing until he was stark naked.


    He raised his head to see that the other three sitting with him were doing the same thing. Seeing them taking the lead, many began to do the same thing, revealing their faces.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    A few even stared, taking in the view. Among the candidates, there were those that were particularly stunning, one especially, Black Rose, with her white hair and porcelain skin stunned many. Her figure was amazing and she was well endowed.


    She didn¡¯t mind the looks, instead proceeding to get naked before putting on the body suit.


    Cilantro also attracted a few gaze but for another reason. Long black hair, handsome features and a tattoo of a tri-stalk lily blooming from his clean shaven pubic area and hugging his lean torso and climbing up to his neck. It was a sight that many weren¡¯t used to.


    As former military members, they had a code to stick by. There were certain ways of dressing and certain things they didn¡¯t do, not due to a law but more of a moral code. Yet here was one of them, looking like the son of a Yakuza.


    Cilantro earned quite the share of hostile gazes but he ignored them, massaging his slightly purple shoulder before proceeding to wear the body suit.


    The young man waited for a few moments, noting the reaction of the others before joining the madness. He seemed to always take note of his surroundings before proceeding to do anything else.


    His fedora went first, revealing his features for the first time. Green eyes, soft features and espresso skin tone, he looked younger than many had assumed, most likely not even a day older than twenty.


    His coat, vest and shirt went off next, a gasp escaped one of the female participants lips, attracting the attention of almost everyone to his direction.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this shocking.¡± Cerberus chuckled slowly, the seriousness evident on his face. Not even he had expected to see something like this.


    Cilantro looked at the young man, a peculiar glint in his eyes. Black rose was entirely unbothered.


    The young man didn¡¯t even seem to notice the eyes of everyone on his and he took off his shoes and pants, exposing his bare lithe body to the masses.


    His physique was on the lighter side, but his compact, lean and extremely toned muscles told of the effort he placed into sculpting his body. But his good features and amazing body wasn¡¯t the reason for the stares. Many were better looking and had even better bodies.


    No, what attracted the attention of all was the tattoo on his back. A black widow in all its obsidian glory cradled within a crimson spider lily, an artwork like no other, so vivid, it might as well have been a picture attached to his back.


    Every detail, from the little bristling hairs of the spider to the fragile stalks of the spider lily, everything was perfectly crafted. It was a masterpiece.


    ¡°Tsk...¡± Cilantro clicked his tongue. He didn¡¯t bear any hostility towards the young man, instead, he was annoyed at how hypocritical the other candidates were. Many of them had been hostile to him because he had a tattoo, yet they stood, marveling at the one on the young man¡¯s back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame them, it¡¯s beautiful.¡± Cerberus chuckled. The crowd stared for a while longer, only snapping out of their trance and looking away when the young man covered up his back with the body suit.


    [One minute left, I hope you wore the body suit well.] The voice sounded once again, this time a bit of amusement within.


    Some of the candidates suddenly realised that they have been staring at the tattoo for so long, they forgot about the time limit. They began rushing but not all of them made it in time.


    Tszzz~


    The moment the five minutes was up, a buzzing sound filled the cabin, followed by yelping and grunting filled the cabin as a few of the unfortunate ones fell to the ground, unconscious.


    [Well, I warned you.] The voice chuckled, [it is never not funny.]


    A slight tension filled the cabin.


    Bang~ Chang~


    Everyone immediately raised their guard as jamming sounds filled the cabin, the slight tension in the air rising exponentially. They all looked towards the source to see that a metallic plate had covered every window of the cabin. The cabin immediately became several shades darker, just enough to see but not enough to read.


    [Well, looks like it¡¯s time for the second phase of the second test.] The voice has a gleeful undertone to it, one that made those that have been noticing the change in the voice, tense.


    [The bodysuits you are wearing have a simple function, it calculates damage. Once you have received enough damage, it deems you useless and sends a shock through your spine, knocking you unconscious as you¡¯ve seen with the other idiots that couldn¡¯t even put on a bodysuit.]


    Choo~ Choo~


    The train honked, making a few participants flinch. The tension was ever increasing, a few participants began putting distance between themselves. A few already had an idea of what the test was going to be, they were just waiting to confirm it.


    [Your next test is simple; there are currently way too many candidates and we need to reduce y¡¯all as much as possible. In thirty minutes, we are going to arrive at the base. Before then, you are to reduce the number of participants by half.]


    Bstzzz~


    Another shocking sound filled the room as a few more participants fell to the floor unconscious, increasing the tension in the air.


    [Weapons of any kind are not allowed. I wish you best of luck, and your time starts now.]

 Pilot [3]

    Thwack~


    The sound of punches and kicks resonated throughout the entire train as the candidates fought with each other, there was no order, only chaos. A savage battle royale.


    And because there was no order, there were those that didn¡¯t fall into savagery, an example of which was everyone on Cerberus table.


    Cerberus'' physique alone was enough for most to avoid him, but coupled with what everyone had seen earlier that day; Cilantro and the young man¡¯s tattoo, they were reluctant to even near the table.


    ¡®We were asked to reduce our numbers, it doesn''t matter if we attack them or not, just one more weakling that will get pushed out.¡¯


    ¡®This exam is for the strong and they are strong, we just have to prove we are too.¡¯


    ¡®There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going near that table, I don¡¯t wanna die.¡¯


    Everyone each had their own thoughts but ultimately, they made sure to avoid the table. A few got funny ideas but one glance from Cerberus and they immediately attacked the person next to them.


    The young man watched the whole spectacle, as unbothered as he has always been. Cilantro still sent him occasional glances and Cerberus was still trying to strike up a meaningful conversation. Black Rose just sat, her expression cold as ice without a care in the world. In this aspect, she was more unbothered than the young man.


    Crash~


    One of the candidates landed on the table of the quad, his eyes wide in shock and fear as he locked gaze with all of them.


    ¡°Please...¡± Bstzzz~


    Just as he opened his mouth to apologise and plead their mercy, sparks of electricity danced around his bodysuit, sending him into a brief dance to unconsciousness.


    ¡°Wow, looks like we made him unconscious through our stares alone, hahaha!¡± Cerberus seemed to be having the time of his life.


    ¡°Tch, this is boring.¡± Cilantro spoke, his frustration apparent in his voice. Cerberus raised his hands in the air and yelled,


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t jinx us!¡±


    [Well, this is certainly interesting, culling the herd is always fun. But maybe some of you are having it too easy.]


    Cerberus glanced up at the speaker, his brows twitching before he turned to face Cilantro with a scowl so deep, it might as well have been carved into his features.


    ¡°What?¡± Cilantro flinched, he never expected that Cerberus could look so ugly. For a moment, he really did look like a hellspawn. ¡°It''s not like he¡¯s going to come fight us himself.¡±


    [Perhaps I should join the battle myself?]


    Cerberus tilted his head at an odd angle, glaring daggers at Cilantro who was now sweating bit by bit.


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s just a coincidence. It¡¯s not like...¡±


    ¡°Shut. The. Fuck. Up.¡± Cerberus growled.


    Pfft~


    Cerberus'' ears perked and even Cilantro had a surprise look on his face. They both glanced in the same direction, at black rose. That was the first human reaction they¡¯ve gotten from her.


    Even during the ride, she was totally robotic and Cerberus was beginning to think she might have been a cyborg spy sent from an enemy nation. Such things are popular on TV nowadays.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Cerberus glanced in the young man¡¯s direction to see that there was a slight, very very minute difference in the upward curve of his lips.


    ¡°Heh, look at us all bonding.¡± Cerberus'' expression did a 180¡ã change as he returned to his usual cheery self.


    Cilantro gave him a weird glance while thinking ¡®What bonding? I¡¯ve only said 2 sentences to you and that is the most conversation you¡¯ve had with any of us.¡¯ But he made sure to keep such thoughts to himself.


    Beep~


    [You all can stop fighting now, the objective has been met.] The voice spoke, [I expected it to take a bit longer though...] They sounded a bit sad.


    [Anyway, We need to let go of dead weight. Don¡¯t worry, they are not dead but if the shoe buckle fits...]


    There was a pause, like the voice was expecting a kind of uproar from the group or murmurs amongst them.


    [Oh, I forgot y¡¯all aren¡¯t exactly on friendly terms right now. Too bad.]


    Bang~ Tang~


    The metal plates covering the window began to retreat and there was a clicking sound coming from the door too. But even though the windows were now open, the cabin only lightened up a bit.


    ¡®A tunnel?¡¯ the young man noticed immediately, he wasn¡¯t the only one.


    [Those in the first cabin, move all unconscious bodies to the other cabins. As for those that passed, move to the first cabin.]


    [There is another engine at the end of the train to take these dead weights out and it activates in five minutes. So get moving.]


    In a few minutes, the unconscious candidates had all been moved to the next cabin and the first cabin became packed full with the qualifiers.


    There were about 20 tables in the cabin and each one was made to accommodate four people optimally, and in order to accommodate the over 100 remaining participants, many had to seat six to seven on a table.


    But there were a few sitting even more than that, the reason being that even with how packed the cabin was, there was still a sense of hierarchy, one determined by the charisma of those present. Hence, there were some that managed to retain their usual seating of 4 per table.


    One such group was Cerberus table, apart from the fact that Cerberus alone had enough charisma to deter most, and adding to the fact that he had the body of a Goliath, Black Rose icy stare, and the two tattooed young men at the table made it so that almost no one dared approached.


    Those from other cabins that tried were abruptly warned by the candidates they met in the cabin.


    Apart from this table, there were three others, each one occupied with candidates with an even more unique aura than Cerberus table.


    ¡°Heh, seems like we have some serious competition.¡± Cerberus chuckled, his voice as loud as usual. He didn¡¯t even bother hiding his intent.


    [Well then, since all that is settled, it¡¯s time to complete the journey. Brace yourself, the rest of the journey will be pretty rough.]


    Chaka~ Bang~


    The moment the voice finished speaking , the sound of the metal plates returning filled the cabin. The windows and doors were bolted shut and there was a slight tug from the gangway connection between the first cabin and the rest separating.


    Tssss~


    The sound of gas filling the room followed and many panicked. After a short while, everyone in the carriage fell asleep.


    Click~ Clack~


    ¡°Commander, have you seen this?¡± a young lady walked into a medium sized, well furnished office, her vest and skirt which reached just past her knees cling tightly to her figure in a charming yet appropriate way.


    She had a serious expression on her face, her rosy lips pursed, her blue eyes gleaming with intelligence behind her thick glasses.


    ¡°The new batch?¡± came a reply. At a corner of the room, a middle-aged man sat, newspaper in hand and cigarette sticking to his lips. His black hair with stripes of grey was slicked back, his checkered vest and pants fitting neatly on his frame. He turned his head, his deep dark eyes staring at the young lady.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She replied as she handed over a thick file to the commander, already used to the man¡¯s foreboding stare. ¡°They are en route, set to arrive in about twenty minutes.¡±


    The commander placed down his newspaper, receiving the list and glossing over it, paying attention to those listed under the special section. All of their candidates were special, after all, in order to even be considered to take the test, you had to be outstanding in your respective companies and platoons.


    But even among special candidates, there were those that seemed unreal.


    ¡°This is...¡± the commander began, his eyes narrowing as he took his cigarette out of his mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s an unprecedented situation, commander. I didn¡¯t report it earlier because I wasn¡¯t expecting him to even qualify but it seems like he did.¡± The young lady added.


    The commander was silent for a moment, he took another swig at his cigarette, puffing out the smoke slowly through his nose.


    ¡°Monitor him, let''s see if whatever luck he has can help him pass the examination.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir.¡±