Author's note:

I'll be taking a decent amount of liberties with the original game to better suit the fic.

Armored Techs use combat shotguns, since I don't warhammer-like weapons along with Fencers translate well enough into writing.

The upperclassmen/underclassmen system is based on the kind seen at real life military academies.

Zeri thought he adjusted to life at Lanseal well enough, but then the drills began.

The drills were grueling. They wore him down and he wondered if he'd last at Lanseal. There were the long marches across various terrain such as the drill grounds and mountains, the heavy load of equipment he carried, and the constant push-ups. The heavy breathing, aching muscles, and sweat running down his body accompanied him throughout the drills. Zeri thanked himself for the physical shape in which he kept himself, though he noticed how Avan, Reiner, and Rene motivated the other students who were struggling to keep up with the rest. Sure, Zeri gained experience as part of the militia in repelling the Imperials during the Second Europan War, but training to become a professional fighter was different.

At the forefront of the strict training regimen was Calvaro Rodriguez, the drill instructor at Lanseal. Well known as a terrifying man, he pushed the new students past their existing limitations, like he did with countless recruits while previously in the Gallian Army. He lovingly called them all 'maggots,' reminding the trainees that no matter their background or status, they were all the same on the drill grounds.

All students learned about their entire loadout, the importance of each item, and how to maintain them. Some students participated in militias during the war, but a number of others had never fired a weapon before. No man or woman were to be left behind, so a lot of time was spent to get them up to speed, considering the dire situation of the civil war. The basic training made sure the new cadets were well-rounded enough before they began specialized training based on the classes for which they were selected.

Since Calvaro was only one man, certain upperclassmen were assigned to underclassmen as mentors in order to oversee their development outside of the drill grounds. It often took the form of seemingly mundane duties such as taking out trash, cleaning the bathrooms, laundry delivery, to name a few. At other times, it might be room inspections, which for many underclassmen was how it started.

Zeri heard several knocks on the door.

"You may come in," he said. When the door opened, he immediately recognized Juliana.

"Welcome to your first room inspection, Zeri. Stand still while I look around," Juliana said as she put on some gloves.

"Out of all people, it had to be you," Zeri said.

"I made sure of it," she said as she looked at the bed to see if it was properly made.

"Not everything works your way. I'm prepared."

"It does, most of the time." She checked the desk, then went into the drawers.

"I shudder to think about how you treat the other underclassmen," he said with sarcasm.

"Someone has to whip the newbies into good shape." Juliana turned over to the closet, opened the doors, and took note of the uniforms for cleanliness and neatness

"I see you're putting your authority to good use."

"You flatter me." Juliana continued to look around Zeri's dorm room and sighed. "What is it with your room? I know your kind tend to be drab with decorations, but you're a special case."

"Interior design never really interested me."

"Maybe you should learn from someone else."

"I can only imagine what your room is like."

"Good thing you're never stepping in there."

"I prefer the peace and quiet of my room."

Juliana stood in front of Zeri, not with the with the coldness she displayed during their tense encounter during his first of class, but rather with the relaxed nature which she allowed herself while carrying out her duties. "You're as ideal a student as this school can get. Desk is spotless, inside and out, bed is perfectly made, and you keep your uniforms in pristine shape. No contraband to speak of, not even any adult magazines."

"I was never interested in them, I'd rather read more insightful materials."

"Besides, why look at them when you have someone of my caliber."

Zeri was always caught off guard whenever she made passes at him. Did she really mean it, or was she messing around with him? Come to think of it, did she fully understand the meaning of the signals she was sending him?

"Is this an invitation for me to gawk at you?"

"I think you know the answer," Juliana said.

What he wanted to say and his honest answer to the question were two completely different responses.

Zeri and Alexis were in the middle of one their fencing sessions. Both looked at each other quietly and waited on the other to make the first move, swords drawn out. Alexis started, while Zeri reacted. While the match went back and forth, Alexis won the round.

"You're quite good, Zeri. I'm glad to practice with you once again, I miss doing it," Alexis smiled as she took off the sparring mask.

"Even if your skill level is a notch above mine, I learn a great deal from you."

"I appreciate your mindset. Helps to shake the rust off, what with everything else going on."

"Tell me about it, honestly." Zeri grabbed a towel for the both of them.

"Few things feel quite like handling a blade. The sword might have been made obsolete by modern weapons, but it's not forgotten."

"There will always be a place for the sword, within this room."

"If I were born generations ago, I'd be chosen as a Fencer instead of an Armored Tech." Alexis lamented.

"But you could argue that an Armored Tech is the closest class to a Fencer in the present day. You get to handle combat shotguns, one of the more recent kinds of firearms. It's designed for close-range combat, just like a sword would have in days gone past. Since you might be in confined spaces or places with low visibility, you don't know when someone could jump at you, requiring you to react fast. The heavy armor your class wears more than makes up for the lack of mobility you see in other classes, Scouts for example. Plus, you have tools like flashbangs to neutralize threats."

"You make excellent points." Alexis smiled. She respected Zeri for his intelligence and how well-informed he was during their many conversations. "I still carry a sword with me into combat. People might ask me why, but it keeps me calm and grounded in reality. Who knows when I'll need to use it."

"And nobody will question you ever again, when it happens."

"Now I want to see you spar with Juliana again."

"Are you sure about that? Couldn't you find anyone else?" Zeri became disappointed the moment she mentioned her name. He preferred to not entertain any ideas involving her.

Zeri waved goodbye to Alexis and began the walk back to his dorm room. A nice peaceful walk, he thought, until several students struck and knocked him to the ground. They swiftly kicked him, while he writhed in pain. When he looked up, he saw utter contempt on their face.

"So, you're the stuck up asshole who is already making a name for himself, and you haven't even been here that long."

"Yeah, just on his first name alone."

"You mean his only name."

Zeri wasn't going to grovel before them, because that's what they wanted from a Darcsen. He took the swift kicks and stomps to the best of his ability.

"If you think we're only beating the shit out of you because you're a Darcsen, rest assure it's more than that. We just want to make sure that the lowerclassmen know their place. It's unofficial initiation more than anything."

He recalled the times when he was younger when other kids would surround and use him as their personal punching bag. It was always him. Why couldn't they pick on anyone else? It was in his blood to not retaliate, it was his strength, his resilience, his fortitude.

"You're the kind of person who'll cause great trouble for most of us here. Bold of you to challenge Juliana, yeah?" One of the students crouched beside Zeri and spat in his face. "She's the most respected and feared person in this school. We know her status and authority. You don't seem to know it, or should I say, you refuse to?" He spat again.

"Sounds about right. People who come into this school learn quickly about how things work. You have to earn your respect here. You talk that way to anyone else here like you do to her, you're making yourself a target," said another nearby student.

"We hate her just as much as you do, like anyone else around here who doesn't want to kiss that bitch's ass."

"Though you're making it easy for us to hate you as well."

Zeri chose to remain silent. Again, he was not going to give them the time of day with his words.

"You talk big, and then you have nothing to say toward us? We expected more out of you. Oh well, this makes things easier."

"Let's fucking show him."

Zeri felt two of the students lift him up and hold in place. Several hard punches to the stomach and a swift kick to the face were the last things he felt before he blacked out.

He didn't know how much time passed by the time he regained his senses, but he noticed bruises and blood spots. A good shower could easily wash them away, like with the sweat and dirt from the drills. He was used to adversity, he could shake it off, that's how he coped with things.

Only he laid on the ground, lost in thought.

It was another day in the classroom. Zeri sat near the back row and looked outside through the window. He wanted to forget the attack from yesterday, but the repercussions of his encounter with Juliana were inescapable.

The best he could do? Think about the interior design of the homeroom classroom, which was consistent with the rest of the campus. The light brown wood used for the floors, wall designs, and window frames complimented the light beige colored walls. The atmosphere showcased the prestige for which Lanseal was known as a military academy.

He couldn't ignore the latest development in disorder: the desks were slowly losing their original organization. They were supposed to be placed in an arc facing the professor, but his classmates slowly shifted them out of place, starting on the first day of class. It spoke to the overall chaos of Class G which took Zeri along with no way out.

At least he still had a good viewing spot by the window. If anything, the desk shifting pushed his desk closer there.

"Man, you know what would suck?" Joachim asked out loud, "If we got called to action this soon. I don't feel ready."

"Any time but today," added Morris.

"I don't feel ready either..." Nichol jumped in.

He appreciated being on the opposite end of the room from his older sister.

"Anisette, I'm kind of surprised that you can keep up with all of us. I never pegged you as the type to get through these drills and not give out," Franca said.

"Ya bein too kind," Anisette was modest, "I don't know how y'all do this stuff. I'm a star, not an athlete!"

"We're a group and we get strong together" Reiner exclaimed as he flexed his arm.

"You aren't wrong," Franca nodded.

Zeri wondered how Reiner could loudly boast about his strength, but then again, he wasn't the type to openly show off to others.

"You're doing okay, Zeri?" Magari asked from behind.

"Yeah," Zeri paused and turned around, "as well as I could be."

"You don't sound so good," she said with a slight frown, "I'd be worried if something really bad happened to you."

"I think Zeri will be fine. I mean, I've only known him for a short time, but I can tell," Mischlitt joined in the conversation.

"Thanks for helping me out the other day, you two. I don't know what I'd do without you," Magari said, a bit flustered.

"It's not a problem," Mischlitt said, adjusting her glasses, "these drills have been rough on all of us."

Zeri sighed in agreement, "Tell me about it, honestly."

"Though, you're way more beat up than you normally should be," Mischlitt said bluntly.

"Yeah, I got ganged up out of nowhere."

Magari tried to reassure Zeri, "If there's anything you need me to help with, I'm here, okay?"

Zeri's face softened. He needed the reassurance. It was easy for him to forget that he couldn't walk alone in Lanseal like he normally did before. The whole idea of having a lot of classmates to depend on was relatively new. In secondary school, he remained aloof. Meanwhile, his presence among the nobility felt conditional, ready to be revoked if he landed the wrong way.

"Seconding Magari," Mischlitt said, "you're more than welcome to come to me as well. I may not always know how to respond or what to say, but rest assured I'm listening, even if it looks like I'm ignoring you. You don't even have to say anything, if you don't have the energy to."

Zeri nodded. "I really do appreciate it." As recluse as Mischlitt was, he appreciated how upfront and to the point she was about things. They shared a great deal in common with their personality and interests.

Hubert entered into the classroom, stern-faced.

"We got the call to battle. Gear up and meet me at the gate by 1000."

He exited without saying another word.

"Here we go," Mischlitt said.

"I'm a bit nervous, guys," Magari said, "we only have several weeks worth of training. You think we'll be okay out there? It's my first time going into actual combat."

"Could be worse, much worse. At least we have training," Zeri said, "and we know how to hold a rifle. I only hope it's enough for us to survive."

"You think they'd pick a better suited class," Mischlitt quipped.

"Somebody has to do it," Zeri replied. "Lanseal is the last line of defense, and they must be desperate if they're mobilizing Class G."