Chapter 11: First Step
"Hmm, I suppose that's an answer i can accept for a while," Bastain chuckled as he stood up. "I believe we've addressed most of what I needed to discuss with you. The rest can wait until you've made significant progress."
"For now, I'm sending you to a knight's training station."
"Wait, what? I thought I was already a knight?" Arbus asked, puzzled.
"You are, but you're still inexperienced and, frankly, too weak. You held your own against Ronan, but that was merely due to you exploiting his weaknesses. To be honest, you were quite fortunate. You won't have that kind of luck against any other Reincarnator. You should be aware of this from experience."
"The only reason you survived that encounter a few years ago was that the Reincarnator was immature and rather weak-willed."
Arbus couldn't help but recall his childhood friend, Arora.
He sighed. "... Fine, I understand your point. How long is this training supposed to last, exactly?"
"The training lasts for just a few months. After that, a new group of knight trainees arrive. You can be disqualified, so I'd recommend giving it your all. Additionally, I want you to abandon any illusions of immediately facing Reincarnators after that. You'll start by joining a Vanguard team of your choice, one that isn't already full — a special benefit I'm extending to you."
"Afterward, you'll participate in enough missions to qualify for a Heart shard and then finally begin your ascent."
"Honestly, if it were up to me, I'd prefer you not face a Reincarnator until you at least reached my level; however, as you know, nothing is ever guaranteed," Bastain remarked, pulling a small device from his desk and handing it to Arbus.
"This is a private communication device that connects solely to me. If you ever find yourself in danger from a Reincarnator, or if your team is on the brink of annihilation, just press the button, and I'll rush to your side in no time. I'd appreciate it if you didn't press it just for the fun of it. I'm a very busy person after all."
Arbus scrutinized the device for a moment. "This isn't also a tracker, is it?"
Bastain smiled. "Of course it is. How else would I find you? It's not a feature I can just toggle on and off. It runs on solar energy, so remember to keep it exposed to light of the twin suns every now and then."
"Got it. Anything else?"
Bastain ran a hand through his silver hair as he moved toward the door. "Not at the moment. I suppose I'll see you again when the time is right, or if you encounter something beyond your capabilities."
"Until then, I wish you a wonderful life, truly," Bastain said, ushering Arbus out the door, into the corridor where Ophelia was already waiting patiently.
Bastain returned to his chair, slowly sipping the remaining wine from the bottle.
He then opened his desk drawer again, retrieving a holographic communication device and switching it on.
He dialed a number and let it ring for several minutes.
After about five minutes, a frown crossed Bastain's face. "What an annoying brat this one. I wonder how I should deal with him later."
Sighing, he decided to leave a recording instead.
"Arbus will commence his training in about a week, as soon as the current batches conclude theirs. I trust I don't need to remind you of your task. It's finally time for you to get off your ass and do some work."
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"Tsk. Damn it, I got stuck with newbie duty again. So unfair! I've had it three times in a row too," complained Kate, a young female blue Mornan in an administrative Renegade uniform. She cast envious glances at her colleagues, whom she suspected of conspiring against her.
"Sorry, Kate. I suppose it's a matter of luck. Thank goodness too, I didn't want to deal with any of that hassle today," replied a larger blue Mornan Renegade with a smirk.
"Same here. I do feel for you, though. How about next time we skip the straws and I take care of it?" suggested the third blue Mornan, flashing a disarming smile.
"No, it's all right. I don't want to be seen as a charity case. If I lose, I'll handle it myself. For now, I'll deal with our current batch," Kate said as she walked out of the administrative lounge they were resting in and went down to the hangar to wait for the new batch's arrival.
"Hehe, looks like you got turned down again," teased Ty, the larger blue Mornan, with a chuckle.
"Oh, shut up. It's not like that," retorted the other blue Mornan, Dutch.
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Kate waited in the hangar for about twenty minutes before the doors slid open, letting in the harsh, stormy air of Tomber. Moments later, a small ship glided in. As its hatch opened, twenty knights in training, hailing from various parts of the star system, disembarked one by one, glancing around with curiosity.
"Smaller batch than I thought it would be, but I suppose this is a bonus," Kate thought.
Kate looked around, studying most of the knights present. She usually checked the list of names sent over to them by their higher-ups, but she didn't have enough energy to do that this time.
"I'm sure you all know why you're here. This is Tomber, one of the many facilities in the star system in charge of training you scrubs to be knights."
"At Tomber, we pride ourselves on being one of the toughest facilities to graduate from," Kate continued lazily, pacing as she delivered the usual speech.
"I expect you all to—" She paused mid-sentence upon noticing a few knights weren't paying attention to her; instead, they were looking to their side with disdain written on their faces. Following their gazes, she quickly realized what had captured their attention: a human with striking red hair and emerald eyes—a Reincarnator. Her eyes widened in shock as she immediately activated the device on her wrist and sent the facility into lockdown.