Aeon Legion: Labyrinth (23 page)

Terra frowned. “I'm sorry,
centurion. I don't know that.”

“Congratulations, tiro. You
are caught up to where you should have been yesterday. Am I to be
impressed with your supposed academic talent?”

“No, centurion. Academics is
not my talent.”

Shani raised an eyebrow.

Terra looked Centurion Shani
in the eyes. “My only talent is not knowing when to give up.”

To all centurions. As the
first week comes to a close, remain vigilant about point
distribution. Naturally points will change hands rapidly, so we all
need to keep a close eye on them.

New optios should note that
we look for two things at the end of the first week. First we make
sure that the bottom feeders get dusted. Bottom feeders are those who
haven't earned a point except by taking it from a weaker tiro. Make
up a reason to dock them a point if you must, but get them out of my
Academy.

Second, we salvage anyone
who looks like they might improve if given another week. Look for
tirones who keep trying and are putting in maximum effort. If they
are not giving one hundred percent of their effort, dust them without
remorse.

-Memorandum from Praetor Lycus
to all training staff

N
ikias
marched
to the group that stood ready in the salient for morning
exercise. “Attention!”

The tirones hesitated before
snapping to attention, unaccustomed to Nikias calling for discipline.
Shani demanded discipline at all times, but she established that
expectation at the door to class. Isra fell somewhere in the middle.
Nikias's sudden change in demeanor caught Terra and the other tirones
off guard.

Then Praetor Lycus Cerberus
entered the salient, baring a vicious wolf like grin. He eyed the
tirones with a hungry predatory glare as he looked for weakness. Even
Nikias shuffled nervously. Terra noted Nikias's scar was now on his
forehead. She would have to ask him about that one day.

Lycus turned to Nikias.
“Status.”

Nikias gestured to the group.
“Praetor. This group is next to worthless. I'd bathe them in wine
if I didn't think it would kill them.”

Lycus walked down the line of
tirones. He glared at the first tiro in line who stared at his
shieldwatch face. Lycus's snarl returned as he grabbed the tiro's arm
before breaking his fingers. “Did you think you are here to video
games? Minus one point for getting distracted during inspection.”

As the tiro cried out in pain,
the others snapped to attention with more fervor.

Lycus then looked to Roland
who gave a lazy salute. He stalked over to Roland and slapped his
stomach. “Tiro! Stand up straighter!”

Roland's posture stiffened and
his salute became sharp.

Lycus grinned. “Better. That
only cost you one point.”

Roland shrugged. He had earned
two points today and three before that.

Terra felt her panic rise, but
relaxed upon remembering she had no points to lose. She had struggled
all week. In classes she had barely answered Shani's grueling
questions about singularity science and temporal mechanics. The
morning exercises seemed more brutal than usual, as though they were
trying to get her to quit.

Then came martial arts
practice which involved getting beat up on a daily basis. Terra
thought she must have lost all her teeth several times over. Nikias
didn't like it when people held back during sparring. He encouraged
tirones to beat one another senseless so long as it was not a one
sided battle. She had yet to land a blow, but had become adept at
taking them.

Shieldwatch practice was not
as horrid, but still miserable. Each day they would present an
obstacle to overcome and each tiro had to attempt it even if they
couldn't get their shieldwatches working. Terra was in the latter
category. Those with shieldwatch difficulty always failed and
suffered for it whether it was falling into ice cold water or
stumbling into a literal hornet's nest. Terra still couldn’t figure
out how fending off a swarm of hornets had anything to do with
learning how to use a shieldwatch.

Even those who used their
shieldwatch often failed, but the few that succeeded earned a point
and a reprieve from their misery. Right now Terra would take the
reprieve over the point even though she really needed a point.
Tomorrow would be her last day to earn one. Though even if she did,
she didn't know how to stop someone else from winning it in a Trial
of Blades.

Lycus walked to the next tiro
in line. “Sloppy uniform. Your emblems are not leveled correctly.
Minus one point.”

The tiro glared at Lycus, but
said nothing.

He approached the next one, a
Celtic girl with bleached white hair who had a bad habit of starting
fights with other tirones. Terra thought the girl's name was Gaela?
No one bothered to learn anyone's name yet unless they were good like
Hikari or sociable like Roland.

“Harmless tirones should not
start fights,” Lycus said in a condescending tone.

The girl snarled. “Harmless?”

Lycus's eyes narrowed. “Minus
two points for failing to address a superior officer properly.”

The girl glared at Lycus. “Two
points!”

Lycus's snarl widened.

“I
mean,
praetor
,”
the girl corrected, her hands tightening around the knife at her
belt. She spoke in a deliberate tone. “I worked hard for those two
points. I think you should give them back.”

Lycus chuckled. “Or what?”

The girl held still for a
moment before drawing her knife. Lycus moved quickly, his motions
blurred. Within a moment the girl's head was in his hands and with a
powerful motion, Lycus snapped the girl's neck. She fell down to the
ground as a Restore ring ran around her. After a moment she stood
dazed.

“Dusted!” Lycus yelled to
the others. “Never attack a superior officer without issuing a
formal Trial of Blades challenge.”

Terra's fear returned after a
fresh reminder of how brutal Lycus could be.

Lycus docked the next two
tirones a point as well; one for having a dirty shieldwatch and the
other for being too jumpy when Lycus inspected her.

Lycus reached Hikari next.
“Tiro Hikari Urashima. Even I have heard of that name often enough
to grow weary of hearing it. The other instructors may fawn over you,
but I am different. I hate people like you; showoffs who get by on
talent alone. You have no place here, dustrunner.”

Hikari's face turned red as
she glared at Lycus with hate filled amber eyes.

Lycus smirked. “Useless
piece of trash. You seem to think yourself above everyone else here
just because you can beat down a bunch of weak rejects. Make no
mistake, for here you walk amongst giants, little girl.”

Hikari's fists clinched and
Terra wondered if Hikari would attack Lycus as the Celtic girl had.
Her gaze narrowed as Hikari spoke in a low tone. “I challenge you
to a Tri–”

Nikias stepped forward. “What
she means to say, praetor, is that she could not defeat you in a
Trial of Blades.”

Lycus looked at Nikias. “You
really think she has a chance?”

Nikias glared at Hikari with a
stern expression. “We are still working on her attitude.”

Lycus crossed his arms. “She
better manage it quickly. I will not tolerate a tiro who fights with
their superiors.”

Hikari tried to speak again,
but Nikias shot her a pleading look. She relented, falling silent,
her face still flushed with anger.

Terra gulped as Lycus
approached her last, but she did stand with confidence since she had
no points to lose.

Lycus's grin twisted into a
wicked snarl. He turned to the other tirones, gesturing at Terra.
“Why can't you all be more like her? She is an exemplary tiro. I am
awarding her a point.”

Terra's jaw went slack.

“I challenge her to a Trial
of Blades,” came a nearby voice.

Terra turned to see who had
challenged her. Roland stepped forward, still standing at attention,
his blue eyed gaze on Terra. Everyone glared at Roland for
challenging Terra first.

Lycus faced Roland. “Your
reason?”

“She has a point I want,”
Roland said.

Lycus nodded. “Approved.”

Terra then pieced it together.
Lycus had set her up. “I refuse.”

Lycus sneered. “A superior
officer may override your refusal. The challenge will proceed.”

“May I choose the
battlefield, praetor?” Roland asked.

“Sure. Why not?” Lycus
said as he turned to the address the others. Instead his gaze darted
to something in the distance. He stood, staring for a long moment.

“Is something wrong,
praetor?” Nikias asked.

Lycus's eyes narrowed.
“Minerva, who was that near classroom six just now?”

“Reviewing temporal data,”
came Minerva’s voice from Lycus's shieldwatch. “Negative results.
No one was there.”

“Maybe I am just seeing
things,” Lycus said. He turned to the rest of the tirones. “Just
remember that I am watching. Don't get complacent.”

After Lycus departed, Roland
stared at a line of holofaces in front of him, each depicting
different scenes. He flipped through several holofaces until he
touched one. A ring transformed the salient it into a small
waterfall. The water crashed onto the rocks below into a creek filled
with large moss covered stones.

Terra turned to Nikias. “I'll
just give him my point and be done with it. I didn't earn it anyway.”

Nikias pointed to the central
courtyard where the pillar was. “You may leave at anytime tiro. If
you don't want to fight then go.”

Terra clenched her fists.
Maybe she should quit right now? She couldn't win this fight. Now
they all stared at her with a smirk. “I'll fight.”

Nikias smiled and gestured to
the salient. Terra and Roland walked inside and met on opposite sides
of a creek.

The waterfall was noisy, but
not deafening. The rocks were slick and difficult to walk on, but she
found her balance. Roland marched right out into the water and
assumed a defensive stance. Terra didn't hear Nikias say begin, but
she had learned that the Academy treated rules more like suggestions.

Terra assumed her own stance.
“Why were you so quick to challenge me? Looking for an easy point?
I would expect that from a vulture.”

Roland's expression did not
change as he stood knee deep in the water. He attacked. Roland moved
fast, knocking aside Terra's unskilled blows. He grabbed Terra,
dragging her waste deep into the cold creek, but he did not hurt her
as he held her. Terra could feel his hard muscles when pressed so
close. She thought it unfair that Roland possessed such a strong
physique as she rarely saw him exercise.

“What are you doing?”
Terra asked, still struggling.

Roland grinned. “Resting. If
I am fighting you, then I am not suffering one of their trials.
Besides, I want my point back and you will be dusted on the morrow.”

Terra pushed against his
strong hold. “You stupid lit–”

Roland pressed his arm against
Terra's neck tight enough to cut off her insult. “Ah. There it is.
That bluntness.” He twisted her in his strong arms, turning her to
face the tirones watching the distance. Roland spoke softly into
Terra's ear while he held her. “You see those people over there?
They wouldn't be so gentle in my place right now.”

Terra gasped for breath as she
struggled.

Roland held her as surely as
water flowed around the stones in the creek. “Perhaps if you
attempt this training again, you would do well to consider smoothing
out that bluntness. Hikari? She can get away with being rude to
others. You cannot.”

Terra ceased her struggling.

Roland kept Terra locked in
one arm and pointed to the flowing water. “You see the stream?
That's what you need to be like. The stream flows around hard stone
and softens it. Me? I'm like water. Nothing can hurt me and I always
go the path of least resistance.”

Roland then dropped her to the
ground, but broke her fall. She rolled to the ground without so much
as a bruise.

Nikias walked to the bank of
the stream.

Roland faced Nikias. “She is
beaten. Where is my point?”

Nikias
touched a holoface over his shieldwatch. Terra's own shieldwatch
beeped and when she glanced down the face read
Point
Total 0
.