I am so sorry I took a very long time to write the next chapter! I have been struggling with this chapter and may continue to do so for a while. It's getting to the point where it is difficult to figure out what will happen next. Thank you for the continued support of this story! It wonderful to see so many enjoying this creation of mine! Enjoy this chapter, also!
Despite the fury of Vaman, our team was able to do the stations each and every day, once during class and again afterward. Come the seventh day, our competition between trios was ready. Interestingly enough, there were only four fights. As expected, while most of the teams were decent in their combat, everyone was exhausted. Fights ended quickly, and our team had the strength to beat our opposing trio fairly quick and smoothly, also. Of course, rage was evident from the steam spiraling off Vaman's skull that ending day of the week. Before he had any input as he came to comment us, I stated that,
"If only the strong win, then we are the victors. Your strict rules against restful sleep, nourishment, and practice outside this classroom is proof you are not truly strong. You only seek to eliminate the weak, however, weakness in your mind is very different than the rest of us believe in our minds. In fact, in your mind, anyone but you is weak." I chuckled. "I even go as far as assuming that you would wish to take the place of the hierarchs because, obviously, you think their Holinesses are frail beings."
Vaman was past the point of exploding. I also noticed Gharan made a chuckle to my statement. Something I had not expected.
"You…you will not mock me with your venomous words!"
"Well, isn't that something? I'd say the same to you, miscreant."
Roaring with savagery, he attempted to swing at me. Because I was training so much and due to the fact that his fury made him predictable and slower, I dodged his attack and kicked his feet from underneath him. On his back, I dug my talons into his stomach, staring down at him.
"How humorous. You didn't want any of us to train for hours on end outside of class because you knew some of us could become swift and strong enough to destroy you in your decrepitude." He wanted to fight back, but he knew, even in his years of combat, he had to admit defeat. I recoiled my defense and headed towards the door, but I did not allow him to catch me off guard and slaughter me; I did not turn my back to him, I kept a watchful eye as I departed from there. I would not allow my victory be washed away with the foolish back-turn and allowing aid from another to save my hide. Gharan now wore a smile, not just a pleased smile that his abusive father was getting what he deserved, but a sadistic grin that showed he may have wanted this fight to continue more violently…
Though I anticipated a counterattack the next day of the first of the new week, or even a barricade from learning any further, there was none. In fact, it was as if his ego was truly damaged along with his aging body. He actually admitted defeat! I almost hoped in my hearts that he changed his ways over night; especially due to the fact that Gharan displayed no fresh scars. However, when I decided to make amends, he showed that he had not changed. He simply waved off my efforts to become friends. I equally waved his arrogance off. This meant while he KNEW he had to admit defeat, he would not openly. Though I spotted tearstains on his cheeks. He clearly despised losing, which made sense considering he's trained his son to be better than him.
Despite this, I returned to my teammates and awaited instructions. Gharan stood by his father, almost looking like he was itching to beat his father in this presentation.
"Whelps, this week is what you have been eagerly awaiting for. You have the choices of three separate weapons; the Plasma Rifle, the Plasma Repeater, and the Needler. The Type-25 Direct Energy Rifle is a weapon that is reversed-engineered from the technology of our Lords, the Forerunners; it uses a superheated ionized gas we know as Plasma; as with the Pistol. Remember that if you do not pace your shots, this weapon will overheat like the Pistol. This weapon is very powerful, moreso than the Pistol as you can imagine. Taking fire from the Rifle will cause second, third and even fourth degree burns." The class oohed and awed at the notion of completely ripping off skin and revealing the bone tissue of humans. I myself was fairly interested in such a weapon. But I had to know all three weapons, first.
"The second choice for you this week is a Type-51 Directed Energy Rifle/Improved. This is known as the Plasma Repeater. This weapon, as implied, is more improved than the Rifle I showed before. Its rate of fire is faster but slows as the battery depletes. Thus, you will need to vent it and let it cool momentarily. The Repeater may be of interest for those who wish to kill a little faster than those with the Rifle - with the cost of venting, of course." Now while, I preferred faster fire rate, I was not convinced of using this weapon.
"The third choice may be interest to those who lack aiming skills," Nikhal was immediately interested, though he did not realize that this comment was actually directed towards him. "May I introduce to you, the Needler." He brought out the most intricate looking weapon I had ever seen. From its pink hue, right down to the needles it possessed, I became hooked on how it worked. "The Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher is one of the most mysterious and least understood weapons in our arsenal; in spite of this, it is a favored weapon among the Sangheili but not the most common. Before I set you with instructions and the duel, let me explain how this weapon works. The Needler fires long sharp crystalline shards that are guided until they impale the target. Several seconds after coming to rest in their target, the needles detonate, creating severe and in most cases fatal wounds. With that said, let me first demonstrate the Rifle's power before the other two."
As always, the fight was pretty even; save for Gharan's fervor which almost caused him to beat his father. However, the normal tied fight occurred with the Repeater fight. Vaman was close to winning the third fight. And before he had us all go our separate ways and informed us of having an extra member, he told us that he had not shown the full extent to the Needler, as it could potentially harm us, like with the Pistol (though, by now, we know that he truly is trying to entice us to pretty much kill each other). As he told who the fourth member would be for each team, he naturally put his best student with the "worst". No doubt trying to balance our team, hoping to make us look feeble. As Gharan walked towards us with his arms folded, unphased by this set up yet not snobby about it, either. Just unemotional about the whole thing. For once, I was curious about his thoughts.
"Greetings, Gharan." Eelo knew me by now and what my own thoughts were. He glared at her without any emotion, but answered with a simple huff.
"Let's just get this over with." And while he showed no emotional scars, I knew he was becoming terrified of his father underneath that raw careless exterior.
The three of us did our stretching while Gharan simply did combat moves to vent his pent up emotions. After stretching, we all concluded that this week would fail if he was not included into our stations, even if he was Vaman's father, he wanted to change and didn't want to admit it.
As he was still practicing, the three of us gathered around him, waiting for him to respond. He noticed us, but kept practicing.
"What do you three want?" He asked annoyed.
"We have stations that we'd like to include you in. We're willing to train with you and I will forget what you did to me." I gave a bright friendly smile, but he didn't respond for a moment.
"Do not mistake my lack of emotion for remorse or sympathy, Eyesore. Nothing has changed between us."
I frowned at his unwillingness to work with us. I knew that if given the chance, his skills being superior to ours, he would easily defeat our opponents with swift motions and that would more than likely eliminate the three of us together - for good. And I would NOT allow humiliation to sweep over my head like that.
"I am aware of your feelings towards me and your hatred, also; but that does not change that your father, our instructor, made us a team. Undoubtedly, you could care less if the three of us never make it to the battlefield. In fact, I'm certain you'd rather crush all the competition just to please the eyes of one you once looked up to."
"And what is this business to you?" He snarled, knowing I wasn't like the other girls that kissed the ground he walked upon anymore.
"What is it to me? Everything. I know more than you think. Your efforts to hide it in your hard work proves worthless to my eyes. And they, Gharan, are very sharp eyes. Though, they lock onto you in a less infatuated manner, I still care - even if you were cruel enough to me to deserve death. My wrath is not of my own accord; therefore, I can forgive. However, not easily nor for very long. In which case, I assume you do not desire any pity from any of us. But you should be wise to not assume anything of me. I am offering you a second chance to be my friend." Before he could defend his pride, I put my hand on his shoulder. "See here, to you, I may still be the Eyesore your father has led you to believe I am. If you walk out of here after today still believing so, very well. Even so, I recommend you analyze your situation before wiping it underneath your vanity. We both know you are not the stoic and smug sangheili your father trained, you're just a frightened young lad who is bruised by heartache and the desire to please the only person left who you call family by blood. I sense the fire within you. You aim higher than besting your father; you seek acceptance. I do not know of you mother, but if we are anything alike, the loss of a loved one does leave scars. And if this is so, my forgiveness and friendship is all I have to offer."
I examined the expression on Gharan's face. It was a mixture between many things - not only could I see the evidence, I could feel it. He had the countenance of loathing and self-hatred. He loathed me for being the so-called abomination and yet he recognized that he had been lied to and hated himself for it. He loathed feeling weak compared to his personal trainer, although, the hatred for himself was stronger due to the fact that his strength was so sound that if given the opportunity, he could easily eliminate his true competition; but there has never been a chance to surprise his father which gives the illusion of weakness. He loathed that he missed his mother yet hated not putting it behind him more.
The three of us gave him room to react mainly ouy of fear. None of us knew whether he would slit our throats or weep without stop. He did neither. He fought the tears and rage with a single statement.
"No more of this discussion. I've had enough. I am leaving to be in thought and will return to train when I am ready. Not that I require further training…" I knew from that last sentence he still believed he was better than everyone else - not that he lacked the skills to obliterate us within a blink of an eye, but the training of BEING better has not yet rubbed off of him. Nonetheless, the words I spoke would dig deep beneath his skin in time.
As he walked throughout the room eyeing on the other teams, Gharan's eyes seemed to linger towards us more than with the others. Nikhal, Eelo, and I trained that entire day without a break. Much to our dislike, we knew we should have rested some but the sheer bliss of using these new weapons pushed us over our limits. Noting this, my comrades and I knew that these weapons would most likely be our specialty. Interestingly, both Nikhal and I favored the Needlers. Eelo showed me her thin wrist blades and I knew while she took the Repeater, she most definitely favored her blades. Clearly, she aspired to be an assassin. And with our strengths, we left that day to our place of training and trained harder than we ever had.
The next day was identical to the previous day except that now we would be dual-wielding. Though Eelo preferred the Repeater, she decided to give two Rifles a try. Naturally, both Nikhal and I wielded Needlers. And while I preferred my own blades, I did enjoy the power of two of the weapons. That day, though, Vaman ordered no one to practice this outside the training hall. Unsurprisingly, Nikhal failed to follow this rule. Both Eelo and I were aware of this, especially since I was the one who first stole one Needler. It was odd yet I understood he wanted to use two. Nonetheless, Eelo, without our knowing, took two Repeaters and hid one.
The next day, Vaman was furious.
"Some of you defied my orders and took weapons from my collection when I was not looking! I do not ask of you something more than simple and yet some of you (looking at the three of us) cannot follow a simple task. I did not ask you of this to be bull-headed but because the Hierarchs wanted these weapons cleaned every day by yours truly. Now, if one of you step forward and beg for mercy, I may decrease the time limit of your punishment." Not a soul said a word or moved. "Very well, you leave me with no choice. Eyesore, I know you took at least one of the Needlers, I assume even the Fool (meaning Nikhal) wouldn't dare to brush up against my exposed quills and steal. Now then, come along, I will determine your sentence and how long it will be." He wasted no time declaring who he thought was the criminal and took immediate action to punish the innocent. Nikhal stepped in my way before Vaman had a chance to lay a finger on me.
"Actually, sir, if by Fool you mean being an ally to her, then yes. I most certainly am one. She did not take anything, for I took two Needlers!" Vaman was surprised. He couldn't quite add up how there were three missing. As was I. Never had I expected he'd defend my cause; though I should've known because of his genuine care for me.
"I'll admit that I took a Repeater, sir. I couldn't help myself, the innards of the weapon are most fascinating to study." Eelo said with a smirk. Not revealing she took two which made this situation sticky. And messy.
"But there are two of those missing. What are you three hiding?" He growled. None of us said a word. We only kept our smug faces; though Nikhal and I hadn't prepared for punishment nor did we think this through. Our Teacher may do something dastardly and unpredictable.
Q'rin, Nikhal's friend, shared an expression of bewilderment and thrill. He, unbeknownst to the three of us, had watched from the shadows each of us take weapons in an attempt to cover the others tracks. (He had taken four plasma rifles. He has a crippled brother with only one leg but desires to be even just at the bottom of the ranks. Giving two of them to his brother meant he might have a chance as I did).
"Master, they are hiding nothing. I took all those weapons plus four Rifles. Just to test your anger!" Q'rin was a pleasant fellow, when he wasn't making himself look like a buffoon by pulling outrageous stunts just to receive a wholehearted laugh. And his enthusiasm for fighting, winning, and playing around is why Nikhal is so fond of him. And if he truly had taken four weapons to cover our tracks, naturally, he'd joke about it and willingly be in the spotlight for punishment while the rest of us trained in peace. Though, I'm sure Nikhal was aware such a feat as taking all the stolen weapons is treason for exile…
"I do not what is going on here, but you indeed stole weapons from me, then you best be prepared for the worst, Trickster." Vaman gritted through his teeth. He might have had an idea of this incredible scheme to initially cover up MY crime, but with his fury, he had no choice but to accept Q'rin's ridiculous claim. "Your tomfoolery will cost me my head. Now, even though you act like a child and play around here, you train hard. I'm going to give you the chance to redeem your actions. Tell me who stole my weapons and I may make you equal to my son." Gharan normally would have huffed a scoff of disbelief, but he was most definitely wroth with his father for replacing him. He knew Vaman no longer cared for him and quite possibly, he knew Vaman only wanted to hear Q'rin say I did it so he would give into such power - this might be the reason for the scowl on his face.
"I did!" Q'rin said dancing around with laughter. The other students may have been decent warriors, but their intelligence amazed me. They believed whatever they were told. And only about five of us were more than just pawns left to never question and only carry out tasks. They fell for it, thankfully, and no longer gave the three of us stern brows. Vaman's rage flowed like an ocean but crashed like a waterfall.
"You choose silliness over power? How could I have let you go this far even with your talents? I will set you straight, this instant!" Vaman raced towards Q'rin who stood there with his chest protruding out, obviously not masking his bravery and arrogance.
"Eelo, he'll kill him!" Nikhal said tugging her arm in fear.
"Fret not, my friend. This escapade will end shortly and snuff out the insanity before us." Neither of us understood her meaning, but we took her words as truth. As Vaman had delivered the first blow against Q'rin, a new voice entered the hall.
"Vaman 'Ontomee, still walloping your students I see." Vaman stopped dead in his tracks and looked towards the walkway. He left Q'rin alone.
"Jaor 'Jhanakee! What a, uh, pleasant surprise." Vaman said nervously and bowed respectfully.
"Who is this that enters our quarters?" I asked.
"That is my brother, Jaor." Eelo said with a grin. "He is a very well-respected Smith here in High Charity. He may be young, but being older than all of us has its advantage. When he was our age, his efforts in training were quite impressive and so much so that the Elders acknowledged his skills to meet theirs. He grew tired of being a warrior; he thought he was too good for war and settled on his fascination for weapon-making. I have to say, if he hadn't kept all his pride, he'd make an excellent warrior."
"So that is where you inherited your fondness for taking apart weapons and putting them back together!" Nikhal reasoned out loud.
"Why is he here? And what lies within the cart he is moving along?" I asked her. She didn't answer me. She didn't need to.
"Greetings, Vaman. Please, rise. I've only come to give back what I have taken momentarily." Vaman rose with confusion and a hint of frustration.
"Pardon me? It was you who took my weapons?" Jaor sensed his anger.
"It would be wise to curb your vexation on me, 'Ontomee. I am your superior after all."
"Y-yes, sir, of course! I do apologize." He said bowing his head three times.
Gharan once again smirked. No doubt for the reason that he saw his father cower for the first time. His aching for bloodshed was beginning to grow a little unsettling.
"Good. But no need to make this matter serious. I only visited to give these back to you. I had a, uh, order-" Looking with a smile at his sister. "-to check all the classrooms for weapons that desperately needed tending to. And the weapons you accused your students of stealing were without justice - and said weapons were in horrible condition so I would hope you'd be more enthused with my favor to you and your trainees here."
"I am grateful! Truly, I am!" Vaman bowed deep and stayed in that position a while.
"You should be. Otherwise, you'd have trouble cleaning them yourself. With that said, I bid you farewell and good training." Leaving, the four of us, including Gharan, chuckled at the sight of an unsettled Vaman. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he cleared his throat.
"Excellent. We…we now have pristine weaponry. Carry on." Vaman said walking into the next room, attempting to withhold his fear. He left us to our duties, needing to calm himself before proceeding on.
"Well then, that worked out better than I planned." Eelo snickered.
"What is the meaning of this, Eelo?" I asked her with deep confusion.
"I knew there would be a good number of weapons missing so I asked my brother to make some of his own to replace what we have taken." Nikhal and I looked at each other. What a brilliant plan. Not only did she cover up all who were involved in this mess but also had the pleasure of watching Vaman shake in his boots.
Vaman came out shortly after, calm and collected, ready to analyze our skills with the weapons before wasting more time. Satisfied with everyone (including us mainly because he was still shaken up), he gave us quick gander on the weapons that were supposed to be used tomorrow - precision. Needle Rifle, Carbine, Focus and Beam Rifle. With a larger array of things to practice, I chose the closer-ranged precision weapons. The Carbine was wonderful to use due to its fast firing rate. However, I preferred the Needle Rifle for obvious reasons. With that being noted, we made an ally in Eelo's brother. He could make weapons faster than anyone! Rather than us stealing again, he made us the weapons we wished to train with, which made things much easier. From this point on, I wielded my two blades, a Needler, and the Rifle. I felt this was what I truly became skilled in - and no one would best be by the time I graduated. And I was ready to take the remainder of the week head-on.
Well, that was fun. Haha Thanks for reading!
Next Time: Week 6 gets interesting! Ruz and the gang learn more than weapons!