The Cyborg System-Chapter 73: Setting Off
When the alarms went off across the fortress at 6 am, Lenny rolled off the top bunk. He was not used to such a wake-up call and hadn’t come to this way in a long time. It reminded him of his days at Sanctuary, Mother Hope and her familiar staff. This led him to wondering what had happened to his old orphanage, and Mother Mercy in particular. Were things back to normal for them? Communication was not allowed to the outside world, and other than the occasional family tragedy, little news came in from the outside world either. A loud banging was followed by Private Willow sticking her head through the door. "Are you awake?" she said. "You’ll be leaving in half an hour. As part of the standard group, you’ll be gathered together in the courtyard where you entered the facility. I would suggest you get moving. Anyone missing will be treated as a deserter."
The door clicked behind her and the group sprang into action. Unfortunately, there had only been two double bunks, and so that left the red sash Ollie sleeping on the floor. There had been spare sheets in the drawers, so this was not as bad as it could have been, but it wasn’t exactly a comfortable night either for him.
With Vee sharing the room with them, they had largely chosen to sleep in their full clothes and all that was left for them to do really was put on any spirit gear they had. For Lenny, this was his new Fire Ant Gauntlets. For Nicholas, the iconic orange jumpsuit. It was the lowest prey tier armour their faction produced, one for initiates, but it was still a league above what most students would be equipped with. As for Vee, she wore the light brown scavenger tier helmet, offering her some defence from strikes. Harry and Ollie felt a little left out, but this would be an opportunity for them to gain some gear perhaps. Lenny had his Black Shuriken tucked away in his pocket.
"Don’t worry," said Lenny. "We’ll make sure you don’t go home empty handed."
With that, they left for the meeting point.
*
"I don’t understand how you can deem that as sufficient for our hunting parties," said Master Wood.
"You are capable of protecting them," said the Colonel. "Besides, you forget, we are the most protected fortress on this planet. Did you really think our strongest hunters would be deployed here?"
"What about the ATVs then? We could use some to get to our destinations."
"They are in short supply and all accounted for, I’m afraid. We sent them to transport some troops to Fortress Two who were attacked in the night when a portal opened up nearby."
"But surely you could spare some spirited at least?"
"Spirited scouts are in short supply," said the Colonel. "We have less than one hundred spirited left at the base, most of them merely completing their service, with only a quarter of them enlisted faction members of the Western Alliance."
"Send one of the conscripted then. Surely, they have some scouts amongst them? Who knows if the Common Corps will even survive our expedition to unconquered territories?"
After a thoughtful pause, he conceded. "Fine, I will send you one scout from the conscripted for your elite expedition. You must make do with the Common Corps for your regulars though."
Master Wood nodded. "Thank you." It sounded flat.
"Only for you, dear niece."
*
In the courtyard, Master Wood, Master Ackerman and Apprentice Karelin stood at the front with a young man they had not met before. Although they had not been instructed to do so, they lined up in an approximation of the stance they had seen the day before, but it was apparent they were not trained soldiers.
The spirit gear was mixed among the crowd, with those students dotted about with blue sashes having sometimes a full complement, while others of the red and yellow sash had not a single item. It was not uncommon for the first piece of spirit gear someone had created to be a weapon, although this more uncommon among the elemental users, who would predominantly use their abilities over weapons. While some used them in tandem, this was more common with some skills than others.
Surveying the crowd, Master Wood could not help but feel that the group in front of her were a little lacking compared to usual. Losing the violet and indigo sashes really was a strong blow. She had considered asking Master Reed to join them from the start to minimise any casualties, but where the others were going was even more dangerous, and so she had withheld. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
"Today," said Master Wood. "We will be hunting beasts. We will try and stick to areas where there are mainly scavenger beasts, but if you see any prey and do not feel comfortable engaging, try to alert one of the masters as soon as possible." She looked at Apprentice Karelin, realising her slip up. "The three of us will respond as quickly as possible, but remember, there are two hundred of you and only three of us. This is not our usual approach, but as you may have noticed, some of you classmates will be taking a different expedition. I would recommend everyone makes an effort to stay together. It will be harder to protect those that do not stay close to the main group. Are there any questions?"
No one raised their hands this time.
"Good, in that case, our scout today is Jamie here. He knows the area well and will be guiding us to some suitable hunting areas. As a reminder, those of you who do well in the assessment and collect the most cores will be awarded additional armour and weapons. While this might be a contest, do not attempt to stray and fight something beyond your ability level."
Master Wood looked over at Jamie, who stepped forward. "Everyone, you must listen closely. Some of the routes we are taking are patrolled by prey tier beasts. I will try and avoid them where possible, but this is not always practical. Don’t dawdle. Let’s move out!"
Such a command would usually be followed by a rhythmic marching of the troops. Instead, the teenagers scrambled for the open gate. Jamie noticed there were no users above the blue sash within the group. He thought to himself: "Hopefully, there are no incidents this time..."
It was a cruel, unforgiving planet.
