Chapter 64: 64.
Licht raised an eyebrow.
"What the hell are these traits...?"
Licht was fine with some of them, but what on earth was going the first two?
The mechanics of buying and generating traits were obviously a bt strange and need some mreo time before they could properly be worked out but before that , he tossed his sword aside like it'd suddenly turned red-hot. It clattered sharply against the stone.
Across the arena, Garrick blinked.
"...What the hell are you doing?"
Licht said nothing. Calm as the eye of a storm, he turned to face the instructor and smiled.
"I'm done."
Garrick frowned
. "Done? What do you mean?"
"This duel's over, and you," Licht pointed, "broke the rules. You used a defensive technique so technically, by our setting conditions, I win ?"
Licht shrugged, but before Garrick could reply, two shadows stepped forward.
Charlotte and Riven both came to check on Licht with a concerned look, but before either could speak, a loud cry erupted across the training ground.
"Boss! Boss! Are you okay?!"
The third arrival rushed over like a worried mother hen
Thane Alaric, trying to seem as ever, was already trying to wrap his own coat around Licht's bare torso and the shirt that was shredded to ribbons in the fight.
Charlotte winced, and Riven's eye twitched and even Garrick looked like he'd bitten into a lemon.
"God..." muttered Charlotte, "that's… embarrassing."
"It's painful to witness," Riven agreed. " I'm feeling secondhand shame."
But Thane? He was immune to shame. The second he decided to call Licht his booss he had Long flush something so futile down the drain. Thane showed no decorum and growled at cadets that were gawking at Licht from nearby and blocking the way.
"What the hell are you all staring at?! Can't you see the boss is tired from the fight?! Quickly move aside and let him pass unless you want to be trampled!"
Licht let out a breath and rubbed his forehead.
This idiot…
But before he could slip away, Garrick stepped forward again with a damnable grin spreading.
"Leaving already? But the Class isn't done yet. As your practical combat instructor, I'm supposed to warn you about your upcoming exam."
Licht turned.
"…Exam?"
"Yup. Friday. An external exam to test your combat ranking. Not a secret, so I figured I'd give you a heads-up. You'll want time to prepare. Formats and match types announced on the day."
He looked around.
"Any questions?"
Licht raised a hand.
Garrick nodded.
"Yes, Licht?"
"Can I leave now?"
The man blinked.
"P—pardon?"
"I asked, can I leave?"
Garrick's eye twitched.
"Why?"
"Well, because of someone's brilliant idea to have a hard spar, I'm injured. I need to take time off to recover and rest."
"You look fine to me though."
" That's just how I look, I feel like trash, and I know my body better than you do."
"Fine, fine," Garrick muttered, rubbing his temple. "Go ahead and—"
But before he could even finish his sentence, Licht was already walking away, not waiting to hear him talk any longer.
"Oi, you rude brat!"
Garrick didn't mind being defeated by Lich,t but getting ignored just like that somehow managed to really tick him off.
But do you know what ticked him off even more? It was the fact that even as Licht was trying to leave, Thane was trailing behind Licht like a lost puppy, chattering happily at his back.
"Oh gods boss, that move at the end—that explosion! I thought we were done for! But then you just came in like, Wham, bam, and then—"
Those words seemed to trigger something in Garrick's and his patience snapped.
In a blink, he was beside Thane, grabbing the young man by the scruff of his shirt and lifting him off the ground like a misbehaving toddler.
"Oi, oi, Where do you think you're going?"
"Wha—what?!" stammered Thane "I just planning on following my boss for his own safety!"
"Oh? That's funny because I didn't know that I gave you persmii sto leave as well"
Looking at Garricks wide smile, Thane felt his back grow cold and flailed
"B-boss! Boss, help me! Say something!"
Licht paused, watching the absurd sight of a grown man dangling helplessly from another's fist.
He tilted his head.
"I mean, you're not that strong enough to be of much help now, but if you train with Instructor Garrick… training with Instructor Garrick will help you learn your Aegis school techniques after than ever."
Thane stared at Licht in utter betrayal.
"Y-you… damn it…"
Garrick grinned.
"You hear that? Your boss wants me to train you personally. Don't worry. You'll be stronger by the end."
He leaned in close.
"If you're still alive, that is."
Thane's soul left his body.
"fuck my life..."
.....
Time passed on from Licht's first practical lesson, and the Academy still stood tall. It was bright and bustling, energy pulsing in every corridor.
Cadets pushed themselves under the weight of a new semester, sweating through drills and theory. Eventually, Day bled into night, and one by one, the hallway lights flicked off.
But as the campus dimmed, the capital city that surrounded the academy slowly woke up.
Night washed over the skyline as Neon signs flared to life. Holo-ads stretched across glittering towers as stranger futuristic Hover cars screamed past in air in streaks of blue and red light.
Amongst the scenes of this beautiful city, in one of the less polished quarters where pavement cracked and streetlights flickered like dying stars, two figures walked.
One kicked a crushed can down the alley. The metallic clink echoed off concrete.
"Fuck, I need a smoke," said the leading man
He was built like a tank. He was a large a man with broad shoulders and a square jaw. Bruises bloomed like angry brushstrokes across his grim face Whilst his right hand remained kept in a sling-bound across his chest.
"That bastard Riven…" Cole muttered, spitting to the side. " I Can't believe he left me like this."
He pulled a crumpled cigarette from his pocket, his one good arm trembling.
"Yo James, Light me up"