Divine System: Land of the Abominations

"There seem to be no issues at all. If anything, I believe you are progressing quite wonderfully. Your stamina and muscle density have flown through the roof lately."

Removing a strange attachment from Nero's arm, Lyon had an amused expression as he stared at the half naked Nero.

Nero paused for a moment then muttered,

"That's good and all, but will I really be unable to use a Blizter?"

Lyon guffawed, "Young man, what's so good about piloting one of those ugly things anyway? They are probably musty, sweaty and cumbersome to deal with."

Nero sighed, "The Sergeant told me new recruits are either sent to be foot soldiers, or are given more logistics positions."

Nero's eyes narrowed, "I'm not going to he running any errands. I'd rather cut my own throat now!"

Lyon smacked him at the back of the head,

"Aya, you little brat, saying crap like that! Your life no longer belongs to you. Do you know how many resources this flimsy body of your's has consumed. If you want to die, at least make your death useful."

He sighed then shook his head,

"Don't worry. A desk job should be the least of your worries. As for using a Blizter, you do not need to worry about using one of those. While it is true that most of the forces of the Order use them, there are more... niche categories to choose from.

Nero nodded.

What Sergeant Vane had told him was true. The bodies of those that could use the Blizters and plenty other Templar armors were fundamentally much different from his, even after all his training, conditioning and evolution.

He was now a rather tall man. But height was not the only factor. And even yet, he was still very short by Crimson Crucible standards.

Nero sighed, then nodded.

Lyon smiled, "In the meantime, let's work towards more feasible goals..."

He looked down at a stack of papers in his arm,

"Right now, you are currently just as strong, if not stronger than any candidate for the trials. However, that much is not enough..."

Nero raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

Lyon cleared his throat as he answered,

"To put it simply, the trials might be just trials, but they are also competitions of sorts. Those who win have eyes placed on them, and if they continue positively, they are always consider first for promotions, or being moved into more favorable placements and regiments. In other words, your life in the forces would be much smoother..."

Nero frowned. He hadn't thought of it that way at all.

"A competition, huh..."

Lyon nodded, "I'll give it to you straight. The Commander wants you to win. However, to do that will not be easy as there is a lot of competition from multiple noble houses from all over the empire. To "win" will cost you a lot."

Nero huffed deeply as his eyes steeled,

"What do I need to do?"

Lyon admired the spirit of the boy. He shrugged,

"You've been doing good for the most part. Most of the work remains in our hands. Al you need to do, is keep up your training. There's still about five weeks left. Your conditioning is scheduled to end in a week. The entire month after that will see to extensive training unlike anything you've ever experienced, so be prepared."

Nero nodded. There was nothing he could say about anything. Whatever Lyon was doing to him, he couldn't do much about it.

And besides, there were other changes happening to his body he believed the Doctor had no idea of. If so, then there could be a way to perhaps cause an upset or two in the trials.

Nero shook his head, 'Don't put the cart before the horse, Nero.'

First of all, he had to survive whatever deviance the damned Doctor had planned for him.

There was still a week left to his conditioning. In that time, he wondered what they had planned for him. Over the past few weeks, even as his training with the Sergeant continued, his conditioning had never stopped. He was forced to drink strange concoctions that tasted absolutely vile everytime. Sometimes they were directly injected into him.

Most caused him just nausea and a loss of appetite. However, the ones that made him hallucinate... Those were the really nasty ones.

Still, he had managed to persevere all this time.

One more week was nothing.

Perhaps seeing the confident expression on Nero's face, a knowing, absolutely terrifying expression washed over Lyon's face.

However, it was gone in the blink of an eye as Nero turned to face him again,

"By the way, is it okay if I leave the Red House?"

Lyon paused at the rather random question.

He raised a brow, "Leave? Why?"

Nero shrugged, "I want to see the rest of the city. I heard from the Sergeant that the trials this year might take place at the capital."

Lyon frowned. However he thought about it for a moment then he grinned,

"You know what? Sure. I have a package I want delivered. Perhaps you can help me make the journey."

Nero froze, "A package?"

Lyon nodded, "Indeed. However, it is quite far, close to the southern edge of the city, just bordering the slums. It is quite a dangerous area too. However, I believe you will be fine."

Nero pondered for a moment,

"What is this item?"

Lyon slowly dropped the stack of papers in his arms and beckoned at him,

"Follow me."

Nero raised a brow.

They didn't have to go long as Lyon led them to one of the many storage rooms within the medical wing.

The heavy scent of dried grass, perfume, and mold hit Nero like a punch in the face, leaving behind a bitter aftertaste.

The storage room was large and fitted with a spiral staircase of shelves that reached as high as the grey ceiling.

Lyon walked over to a ladder and climbed to the fifth row of shelves.

To Nero's amazement, the ladder began to slide through grooves a circular groove in the ground without any pushing.

It stopped at the opposite end of the room.

Lyon was there for what felt like a minute. Then the ladder began shifting back.

The entire process barely took two minutes.

"There you go." Lyon said as he handed Nero a package tied within a dark green cloth.

Nero turned his gaze up to meet the Doctor,

"Well? What is it?"

"They are potions. However, I cannot tell you more than that. Only that they are rather delicate, so be gentle."

Lyon's expression suddenly turned serious as his gaze narrowed into something rather intense, making Nero feel frightened for a moment,

"Not even a single one of them must be damaged. If that happens, I'll take one of your nuts for myself."