Beyond The System

Chapter 300: Jump In

“Do… do we just go in?” I asked, casting Thea a sideways glance.

She shrugged, holding up the orb she’d been given her as identification. “That was the plan, right?” She looked back toward where we’d come from—which was actually quite a distance, even if it hadn’t felt like much with our speed. “Maybe we should’ve brought Bristle. I’m getting nervous now.”

I shook my head, peering down at the large town below the cliff we were crouched on. “It’ll be hard enough to pass ourselves off. Adding a dog, and your… slime thingy—that’ll be too much.”

“Slimey,” she corrected.

“What?” I whispered.

“Her name is Slimey.”

Of course it is.

“Great name,” I said with a smile.

After a moment of odd blinking at each other, we crawled forward a fraction more then dropped.

Wind whistled past my ears, but only for a moment. I hit the ground lightly, and Thea landed beside me with a—THUD. Next, we broke into a jog toward the coliseum-like structure in the distance, the shape of it not too different from the one at our own training camp.

But as we drew closer, the differences became impossible to miss.

Alrid had already told us a little about it, but even then, seeing it for ourselves was something else.

At our camp, people came and went with relative ease. Here, there were actual patrolling guards stationed around a perimeter set far beyond the town itself.

“Should we sneak by?” I asked, already turning the idea over in my head.

Thea shook her head. “No. It’ll be easier here.”

So we slowed before they spotted us, making sure we weren’t moving at full speed. The moment they noticed us, two of the patrolling guards split off and started our way.

“Stop!” one of them called.

We did, quickly reaching for the orbs and holding them out. I spoke first. “I was sent here by a military officer. There should’ve been news about me.”

“Don’t move,” the other warned, inching closer.

I didn’t resist, simply waiting for him to snatch the object from my hand.

They leaned in and whispered to each other, turning just enough to mask the conversation, but of course, it was easy enough for Thea and me to hear. It was mostly just the two of them asking each other what to do, slipping into a brief heated argument before finally deciding it would be best to ask someone higher up.

“Come with us,” the first commanded, adding a warning at the end. “But no messing around.”

I really wanted to tell him just how terrifying that was. I mean, the poor guy had even deepened his voice for me, but with a nudge from Thea, I just moved behind him while the other guard fell in at the rear behind Thea.

At that pace, it took a while to reach our destination, but eventually, we ended up inside the arena. To my surprise, though, instead of the fighting that should’ve been happening in the center, the various training rooms, and injured teenagers scattered about, it was… calm.

Again, we had been told about it. But even so, seeing that stark contrast with my own eyes was something else.

“Classes are in session, so if you have to say something, stay quiet,” the one in the back whispered.

Classes.

Unbelievable.

I glanced back at Thea, who looked just as shocked. Alrid hadn’t mentioned that, but perhaps there were some secrets his son wasn’t permitted to divulge. Still, Thea was technically nobility.

As we passed an area with doors lining the inner structure, we came upon a staircase that led up and around, then another long hall, and up again, then around once more… it went on for a bit. But eventually, a final door stood before us, a clean nameplate fixed neatly across it.

It took me a second to read, but—

Commander Kely ----.

I couldn’t make out the rest before the guard stepped in front of it, but Thea stiffened the moment she saw it.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“Sir?” the one in the lead called out. “You have… guests. We’ve taken their orbs and—”

“Let them in,” a stern voice called from inside.

The guard froze, then asked one final question. “The orbs?”

“Return them.”

He turned, cleared his throat, then awkwardly held the items out to us.

Thea smiled at him. “Thanks!”

And, in the best imitation of her I could manage, “Thanks!”

He didn’t look nearly as charmed, unfortunately.

We watched the two disappear down the stairs, and Thea pinched me lightly, chuckling. “You think now’s the best time to mess around?”

I shrugged. Truly, it was the only thing keeping my mind off the fact that before, we’d gotten rid of our orbs because of the possibility that we could be tracked, or even watched, at any moment. And now? We were walking straight into the den of a monster. Or worse, one might show up anyway.

The only other comfort I had was the thought that this was only even a concern because Drake and Elric had been at the camp before. And that any interest Lucan may have had in me likely wouldn’t make him suspect I would ever willingly step into a place like this.

“Uh—hello?” Commander Kely called.

“Oh. Yes. Yes, sir,” I responded. “Can we enter?”

“Enter.”

Thea twisted the doorknob and stepped into the tidy office. I raised an eyebrow at my surroundings immediately.

Books.

Shelves lined the walls, laden to the brim with them. A green rug stretched across the wooden floor, and at the far end, overlooking a broad view of everything outside, sat a neatly organized desk with nothing visible atop it but an inkwell and a pen.

And behind it sat the commander.

Two chairs waited on the other side, presumably for us.

“Please. Sit,” he offered.

We moved slowly, lowering ourselves into the tall, plush chairs and relaxing as much as we could manage.

“It was really something, hearing from an old friend. And your stories as well,” he said with a smile, tapping his fingers lightly against the desk.

I forced a chuckle from my throat, offering nothing else.

It hadn’t been that long, but I couldn’t imagine Alrid’s connections would hold forever. Better to stay quiet, just in case I hastened that.

“Tell me, did you truly come from the… outer regions?”

Ever the actress, Thea pulled on an exaggerated expression of disgust. “Forgive me, sir, but I’d prefer not to be mentioned in the same sentence as that place. My greatest blessing was being able to run as far from it as possible and be allowed to touch the front lines.”

“Indeed,” he said flatly.

Ahem. I cleared my throat, shifting in my seat. “We were told this place is special, and that with our talents, we could be trained here?”

“Well…” He folded his fingers together again. “As a favor, I’ve agreed to test you. Still, the situation is highly unusual. But, if you pass, you are permitted to stay and represent this Hall. The town holds a great many amenities paid for by us. The courses are something to behold, if I do say so myself.”

He stopped there, as though waiting for something.

Thea nodded, eyes sparkling, her body nearly bouncing from the chair. “A test is all we ask, sir.”

I nodded in agreement.

Clap!

His hands came together, the sound cracking through the room. “Good! The test is quite simple, really. The main issue is its danger.”

Thea shook her head. “We’ve faced death already, so many times. Danger doesn’t mean much.”

Kely smiled.

Wide.

It was creepy.

“Follow me.”

If it had been any other situation. Any other person. There was absolutely no way I would’ve followed someone saying those words in that tone with that expression. This guy screamed trouble.

And, adding to the ridiculousness of it all, when we exited, we traced the same path backward—down, around, and down again until we reached the first floor once more. He stopped when we reached the center, overlooking the arena below.

“Ready?”

I squinted, feigning confusion. “What are we doing?”

Whoosh.

Commander Kely leaped, moving fast enough to blur, and landed softly in the arena. He swept his hands in a semicircle above his head, and one by one, five fireballs bloomed into existence.

Both hands flew together in front of him, clapping once again, and a halo of fire erupted from them, swelling larger and larger until it framed him from behind.

Ah. I got it. That’s what it said.

I really should brush up on reading.

Commander Kely Star.

A fire mage… who could move quite fast.

“Remember, just impress him, don’t overwhelm him,” Thea whispered, using the Phantom Whisper technique.

“Right. But what the heck would impress him without blowing him away?” I asked, genuinely concerned.

Thea shrugged helplessly.

Then she jumped in.

Then I did.

This test would determine if the mission was peaceful or not.

All we had to do was retrain ourselves.

Easy enough.