Aeon Legion: Labyrinth (42 page)

Zaid turned back to Roland.
“Typical of a Frankish barbarian. I will try not to make
assumptions, but remember that I am watching,” he said before
turning to speak with Nikias.

Hikari looked at Roland. “What
is a Knight?”

Roland shrugged. “A fancy
word for a soldier.”

“So you are a brute then.”

“I didn't say I was a
brute.”

Hikari shrugged. “A soldier
is a fancy word for brute,” she said before walking back to the
course.

“She must be from a rude
culture,” Roland said before turning to Terra. “Well are you
going to chastise me as well?”

Terra continued to smile.
“Nope. Seeing your ego deflate almost made the torture worth it.”

∞

After shooting practice and
afternoon exercises, Nikias canceled Zaid's team practice for a
simulated mission. Zaid almost protested, but then hesitated at the
futility of it. Nikias led them to a large salient before he
transformed it into a busy market square. People in colorful attire
walked in the large crowded square. In the center of the square was
an odd bright white item that floated in a fountain, appearing out of
place compared to the ancient looking market.

Nikias pointed at the item.
“Time tourists leave junk like that in times where it doesn't
belong. These don't usually cause problems, but the Legion cleans
them up to be safe. Your mission is to retrieve the item without
being noticed.”

Zaid regarded the crowded
street with narrowed eyes that searched for ambushes or traps.

Nikias looked at his
shieldwatch. “You have one hour.”

Zaid
gave a few hand signals, telling them to move into the salient with
caution, but when the natives spotted Terra, the salient vanished.
Mission Failed
read across their shieldwatch. After they left the salient, it reset
to the crowded street.

Hikari stepped forward. Zaid
watched her, but said nothing. He had grown use to Hikari's
insubordination, but learned when to trust her and when to hold her
back.

Hikari jumped into the salient
and ran across roofs. She stayed carefully out of the sight of the
natives. She stopped near the center. She tried to make the final
approach, but each time at least one person in the crowd spotted her.
When the salient reset, she tried again with the same results.

Between attempts, Nikias
stared at his reflection in his shieldwatch's glass face. He then
used a Restore. Terra noticed that when the Restore ring passed,
Nikias's scar was in a different spot. He then nodded his approval
after inspecting his scar as though it were a new hair style.

Well that solves that
mystery
, Terra thought.

Hikari was about to try a
fourth time when Zaid nodded to Terra. Terra then grabbed Hikari's
shoulder. “That's enough.”

Hikari moved as though to
attack Terra, but then hesitated. Hikari knew attacking Terra only
wasted energy and didn't really hurt Terra that much.

Roland stepped forward. “You
know I–”

Zaid silenced him with a
glare. “Remain silent for now, Frankish barbarian.”

Roland frowned, but offered no
challenge.

Nikias glanced to his
shieldwatch again before turning to go. “Just let me know if you
pass. You have about half an hour left. I'll check on you then.”

Zaid then had Terra distract
the crowd with a disturbance on the other side, but Hikari was still
spotted. After the next try Zaid paced the edge of the salient in
frustration. “Why? They give us weapons, battle scenarios, night
missions, and hostage rescues. Then they tell us to put our weapons
away pick up trash with stealth?”

Terra watched Zaid pace when
someone tapped her shoulder. She turned to find Roland with a rather
sheepish expression. “What?”

Roland gestured to the item in
the center of the square. “I can get that, but you have to convince
the Turk to let me.”

“Zaid,” Terra corrected
while crossing her arms.

Roland sighed. “Sir Zaid of
the scowling Turks then. Listen. I can get us past this test, but I
need someone to vouch for me.”

“Vouch for you? I was the
first person to see past your lies. Why should I do anything for
you?”

“Because of well... um...”
Roland said, averting his gaze.

Terra
raised an eyebrow.
He
had always been so smooth and confident before
,
she thought.
What
happened?
Then she remembered that Roland hadn't sold them out during the
Survival Test. Maybe she should give him another chance? She decided
and approached Zaid. “Zaid. Roland has an idea.”

Zaid turned to Terra. “Should
we trust him?”

Terra looked away. “Well no,
but he kept his word during the Survival Test so that must be worth
something. If he betrays us, better sooner than later right?”

Zaid thought for a moment.
“Frankish knight. What is your plan?”

Roland smiled, his confidence
returning. “To accomplish this mission, you need my my talents.
Watch,” he said as he looked at his shieldwatch. He glanced several
times from his shieldwatch to the crowd. Then he touched a holoface,
causing a ring to transform his uniform into clothing that matched
with the crowd's. He then walked into the salient.

Few noticed Roland. Those who
did he placated when he returned their greetings. He made his way to
the fountain. An older man from the crowd inspected the strange item
when Roland approached him. “May I borrow that?”

The man shrugged. “Sure.
It's not mine anyway.”

Roland thanked him before
walking out of the salient. As the salient dissipated, Roland tossed
the small item to Zaid.

Zaid inspected the object
before handing it to Terra. “It's a cup, but the material is
strange.”

Terra tossed the cup in her
hand. “A plastic cup. It's a common cheap material in my time. It
degrades slowly though.”

Zaid erased the cup before
looking for Nikias who was still gone. After a moment he shrugged. “I
guess Nikias has forgotten about us. We still have half an hour left
in the schedule. I suppose we shouldn't waste it.” He touched a
holoface near his shieldwatch, transforming the salient into a flat
area with a large mat in its center. Torches burned nearby, providing
light.

“Sparring?” Roland asked.

Zaid nodded, but frowned when
Hikari moved to the center of the mat.

“I am going first,” Hikari
said before pointing to Terra. “Against her.”

Zaid sighed. “Perhaps we
shou–”

“No one else lasts against
me,” Hikari interrupted. “Last time I sparred with you, I knocked
you out for three hours. That was three wasted hours waiting for you
to wake.”

Zaid turned to Terra, but
Terra sighed while approaching Hikari. “It's fine, Zaid. I am used
to being a punching bag.”

Hikari faced Terra before
slipping into an attack stance.

Terra glanced to Hikari's
sheathed aeon edge. “Not going to use that?”

“I don't need it,” Hikari
said.

Terra assumed a defensive
stance. “One day I will make you use that.”

Hikari charged, attacking
Terra with a flurry of hand to hand strikes all with blinding speed.
Terra blocked a few blows, but took the rest. What few strikes Terra
managed in return missed their mark. The fight dragged on. Hikari
landed blow after blow, yet Terra still remained standing. Both Sped
their movements, but Hikari still held the advantage in skill while
Terra had endurance. After several minutes, skill defeated endurance
and Terra fell bruised, battered, and bleeding.

Hikari stood panting. Although
Terra had not landed a blow, Hikari swayed from exhaustion.

Roland frowned. “Well that
took forever even with a shieldwatch.”

Zaid nodded. “A standard
match between those two. Terra is the only one Hikari has trouble
with.”

“Ow,” Terra said while
struggling to stand.

Zaid gestured to Roland.
“Well, barbarian. It's your turn.”

Roland pointed to himself.
“Me?”

Zaid nodded. “Yes. You. Now
face Hikari. I want to see what you can do.”

Hikari, despite her apparent
exhaustion, offered no protest.

Roland sauntered over to the
mat and faced Hikari. “Not going to draw your aeon edge against me
as well?”

“I don't need it against you
either,” she said in a low tone.

Roland shrugged. “It's for
the best. I would only make you look a fool.”

Hikari frowned. “I would
still have a long way to go before I look as big a fool as you.”

Roland smirked. “Oh please.
As if you could do anything that could make others loathe you more
than they do now. Perhaps you could trade your points for a friend?”

Hikari snarled. “Perhaps you
could trade your points for a working manhood?”

Roland smiled. “Oh how
crass. And Zaid calls me the barbarian.”

Terra sat next to Zaid while
Reversing time on her lighter wounds. “I guess the duel has
started.”

Hikari clinched her fists.
“Smooth tongued brute!”

Roland's smile widened.
“Brute? I'm not the one who bullies others around after the
training day is done, beating down weaklings for their points. Oh
well. I suppose my insults are lost on someone as low as you.”

Hikari gritted her teeth.

Roland shrugged. “I mean
here you are trying to insult me, to throw me off guard. I suppose if
one takes away all the points you've collected, all the armor, and
your aeon edge, all that's left is a frightened child who throws
insults at others. Where did you learn that? Did your mother let you
run wild as a child?”

Hikari snarled

Roland faced Hikari. “Or was
it your worthless father who spoiled you?”

Hikari screamed and charged.

Roland grinned. “Got you.”

Terra and Zaid watched as two
artists clashed. Hikari shot forward, Speeding her movements until
she was a blur. Roland drew his aeon edge in a flash. The two met in
a whirl of motion. The fight lasted seconds. Roland hit Hikari with
his aeon edge while Hikari struck a blow against Roland's head. Both
hit the ground at the same time.

Terra stared for a long
moment. “Did they just draw?”

Zaid's rubbed his chin. “As
I thought. The Frank has been hiding his skill. Still, if Hikari had
faced him first she would have won.”

Roland groaned as he struggled
to stand. “I thought that would be more effective.”

Terra grinned. “Well it was
a good plan except for one detail, Hikari fights better when she's
mad.”

A ring formed around Hikari,
moving clockwise to Restore her. She stood.

Zaid sighed. “Let's see if
we can improve.”

Before Zaid could continue
another group entered the salient; a team of four tirones. Terra also
noticed a third group watching from the edge of the salient.

The tirones approached. Their
leader, a short tan skinned woman, stepped forward. “We are using
this salient to practice.”

Zaid faced her. “We still
have time left. Centurion Nikias gave us permission to use this
salient.”

The women gestured around
them. “The centurion is not present. Why don't you leave?”

Roland put on his best smile.
“Now let us all be civil. The salient is large and our practice is
almost at its end. Thereupon you may either wait or simply practice
in the other half.”

The woman glared at Roland.
“How about instead, we settle this by a Trial of Blades? Four
matches between each of our teams. Winner of each match chooses the
next opponent. We decide first. The team that wins gets the salient.”

Zaid nodded. “Fine. That's
what we were going to do anyway. Choose your first opponent.”

A tall tiro from the other
team stepped forward. He pointed to Terra. “I'll take the one
without a blade. She'll be a good warmup.”

Terra scowled, still feeling
pain from her fight with Hikari.

The tall tiro took the center
of the salient while his team cheered him.

Terra approached him, still
scowling.

He smirked. “You look like
you're about to fall over. No need to waste stasis cells on someone
like you.”

Terra assumed a defensive
stance.

After a moment, her opponent
moved forward at a slow pace and did not bother to use his
shieldwatch. Terra almost struck his throat when he got close.
Instead he dodged, the blow grazing him. He frowned before Speeding
his movements and slugging Terra in the stomach. Terra fell.

He turned to go while shaking
out his hand. “Like punching a rock.”

Terra stood and coughed before
resuming her stance. “Hikari hits harder than you do.”

“Hikari?” he said, his
eyes growing wide when he saw her watching from the sides. “Not
good.”

Terra used the distraction to
attack again.

He drew his aeon edge before
warding Terra back.

Terra gritted her teeth. She
couldn't spar against an aeon edge without one of her own. Just then,
an aeon edge hit the ground next to her, tip first. She glanced to
the side where she saw the other group of observers. One nodded to
her. She took the blade. She still lost when the other tiro out
maneuvered her and sliced her through the chest.