Friday [09/06/2019]

It was like an explosion had gone off in their faces. Nobody in the gym knew what to think. The timid transfer student had thrown the first punch of the GBR. He even knocked someone unconscious and into the bleachers with it. No words could properly convey the shock everyone was feeling. And yet, Hunt still managed to find some for the Warriors down below.

“What the hell’s wrong with all of you? You scared just ‘cause he got in a sucker punch?” he barked. “Go fuck ‘em up already!”

His words proved to be the kick the other Warriors on the floor needed to continue their stampede. Drake braced to take the wave head-on. While his mind was still reeling from Isaac’s one-hit KO as much as everyone else, it barely changed the urgency of the situation. They were two Warriors facing thirty-four – most of whom were upperclassmen.

“Alright, Moon, listen! We’ll have to split up their numbers!” Drake exclaimed. “You take fourteen, and I’ll take the other twenty. We might be able to---“

Before Drake could finish, Isaac had already gone out ahead. The freshman’s eyes widened in bafflement once more.

“Dumbass! Are you insane?”

One could be forgiven for assuming that was indeed the case. The way Isaac mindlessly charged at the other Warriors seemed nothing short of suicidal. The Warriors he was charging were among some of Heartland’s strongest – high E-Ranks and even a few D-Ranks. Even Drake and his friends would have been pressed to face such a mob. And yet, as Isaac came closer and the look in his eyes became more visible, an endangered feeling resonated within his challengers. It was the same feeling a herd of buffalo had when being pursued by a lone wolf – a fear that strength in numbers could not ease.

They let up just before the collision. Isaac did not. The transfer student crashed into them like they were pins in a bowling alley runway.

None of them knew what Isaac’s Martial Rank was, but it mattered little. From the strength of his punches, the speed of his kicks, and the reflexes that made it difficult to even graze him, it was obvious that he was no average Warrior. Numbers alone could not overwhelm him.

Their numbers actually proved to be something of a liability. As Isaac tore through them, he was too swift and too turbulent for any coordinated effort form. It was essentially every Warrior for themselves. He used no techniques. He used no arts. He didn’t even use his chi in any creative way. None of his opponents could figure out how to deal with his formless fighting style. Their only course of strategy was to apply more pressure, but the more that they poured on, the more bellicose Isaac became. It was like casting oil onto an open fire. No matter the volume or the ferocity with which they came at him, it was never enough.

The audience was losing its mind at the sight of it all. They couldn’t fathom what they were seeing. The Three Lords especially were dumfounded. But even their bewilderment couldn’t compare to Drake’s.

He had yet to take a step since the Battle Royale began. His head was in too much disarray about what he was seeing. Drake honestly considered that he may have been knocked out earlier and everything before him was just a dream his mind had conjured. And yet, one by one; and occasionally two by two and three by three, bodies continued to drop around the transfer student.

Eventually, only seven of his opponents remained.

Though Isaac was battered and was panting heavily, the seven were reluctant to approach him. With nearly thirty other students – some of whom were of higher Martial Rank than them – lying about his feet, they knew better than to simply rush him as the others had. And so they circled around him; none daring to make the first move.

“The fuck are you doin’? Playin’ musical chairs?” Bronson hollered down at them. “Fight!”

The Warriors could almost hear the sound of each other grinding teeth as they finally decided to attack. They came at Isaac from a different angle each with the hope that at least one of them could land a lucky hit before he could react. Like the others, they had overestimated the strength that numbers gave them. Isaac bobbed and weaved around the attacks of the first six before throwing a punch at the seventh. She quickly threw up her hands to protect her face, but the blow never came. Isaac had stopped his punch before it connected.

Rather than follow-through, he just sighed. This caught everyone off-guard more than anything he had done thus far.

“Man, I really went off the deep end this time. It’s really been a while since that happened,” Isaac said, lowering his fist.

He sighed again while pushing up his glasses. He appeared disappointed in himself.

“H-hey! Don’t act like we ain’t a threat!” the girl before him exclaimed. “We ain’t scared of you, bitch!”

“Course, you are. That why your hands and lips are trembling so much.”

The bluntness in his tone hit the girl so poignantly Isaac may as well have followed through with his blow. The other Warriors made similar expressions. It was obvious none of them wanted to continue fighting.

“Look, I’m not a fan of bullying. I don’t like watching it, hearing it, and I definitely don’t wanna be the one doing it. And that’s kind of what it always feels like whenever I’m fighting someone who’s lost the drive to keep going. Now, if you guys want to keep going, we can. Otherwise, feel free to call it a day and walk away.”

Not fighting Isaac could incur the wrath of the Three Lords, the seven knew this. It was a poor idea to earn the ire of monsters like those so early in the school year. However, the seven still came to the conclusion that dealing with monsters they knew was better than fighting the new monster before them. The Warriors disengaged the transfer student, ignoring the derision that came from the 2nd floor. The Guardianship Battle Royale now only had two challengers, and neither was a subject of the Three Lords.

For the first time since the royale began, Drake approached Isaac.

“I still can’t believe this shit… You were really this strong the whole time?” Drake snapped. “Why’ve you been playin’ as damn weakling for so long?”

“Was I doing that? I was just trying to keep myself out of trouble,” Isaac responded. “Not sure if you noticed but I can get sort of… ‘out of hand’ when I get too hyped during a fight. It’s the reason I avoid fighting other people if I can. Fighting geists never triggered that part of me, though, so I just kept hunting them as a coping mechanism. Kind of like how ex-smokers take up vaping or e-cigs to kick an addiction. This was actually the first ‘relapse’ I’ve had in years. Looks like I haven’t mastered as much restraint as I thought…”

Drake blinked. “You really are a damn weirdo…”

Isaac shrugged.

No more words were exchanged as the boys squared off. Drake wasted no time culminating his chi. The essence emitted was so intense it caused the air around him to run hot. It was an impressive display for a freshman. Not even the Three Lords were at Drake’s level during their 1st year. Still, Isaac looked unfazed by his power. He didn’t have that possessed look in his eyes when he raised his fists. The sophomore was calm as he waited for the freshman to come to him. After a few seconds, he did.

Drake ignited his right arm as he closed the distance between them. He expected a few outcomes as he lunged for with his Flame King's Right Hand technique: he expected Isaac to block, to dodge, or perhaps to meet his technique with one of his own. All of these predictions were off the mark.

He realized this when Isaac stepped in and weaved so slightly away from Drake’s attack, his left cheek getting slightly singed by the grazing blow. Then, while the freshman was still in motion, Isaac delivered a devastating cross that snapped across Drake’s chin. For a moment, Drake’s head went crooked. In the next moment, everything went black. When the light came back, only three seconds had passed. Drake had ended up on the floor within those three seconds and was now gazing up at Isaac and his slightly burnt cheek.

All of the Three Lords had defeated Drake through the use of their chi and powerful techniques. Isaac had done so with a simple right cross punch. Out of all the defeats he had suffered that week, this was one he felt no scorn over. Isaac Moon was simply a better fighter than he was.

A buzzer rang throughout the gym, signaling the Guardianship Battle Royale’s conclusion. The gym went crazier it had ever been. Nobody could believe what just happened; Drake least of all. He was brought back to reality when Isaac extended his hand down to him. After a moment, Drake took it and was helped to his feet.

“Hey, so… is Kansas full of guys like you?” Drake asked.

“Honestly, I couldn’t tell you.”

“How ‘bout you tell us then?”

Isaac had noticed him until Hunt was already near enough to breathe down his neck. The other two Lords followed suit, swooping down around Isaac and Drake. Suddenly, all the noise in the gym had vanished. The Three Lords were obviously not satisfied with the results of the battle royale and did not try to harm their contempt. The combined pressure from their chi was the most oppressive Isaac and Drake had ever felt. The latter even dropped down to one knee.

“Not gon’ lie, you had us pretty good, new guy. Didn’t suspect you for a minute,” Bronson said.

“Was this your plan the whole time? If so, I’m impressed,” Jane asked. “I’m ready to break both your arms, but I’m still impressed.”

Hunt put a hand on Isaac’s shoulder and dug his fingers in so deeply, Isaac was amazed he didn’t start bleeding.

“Do you really think we’re gonna let you have your way?” he asked

“I know you guys hate following the rules, but Jesus Christ…” Keith sighed.

He had reappeared only a few feet away. No one had noticed the teacher’s arrival. Even the lit cigarette in his mouth did not give his presence away.

The teacher puffed smoke. “Since you apparently forgot how the rules work: No violence is allowed today outside of the Guardianship Battle Royale. The GBR just ended, so that means you’re breaking the one rule you were expected to follow today. But hey, if you three wanna disrespect the rules I can just let the principal now, and he can---“

“Alright! We get it…” Hunt groused as he and the others calmed their chi.

It was obvious the Lords wanted to protest Keith’s authority, but even if they did, it would not be him but with Principal Hopkins personally that they would have to contend. That was something not even the Three Lords wanted to deal with.

They all parted for separate exits and sure that Isaac caught a dark look from each of them before they finally left. Isaac, still panting heavily and wiping sweat from his brow paid them no mind. Neither did he pay mind to all the students who were leaving the gym before Keith could even declare Isaac the winner. With the fighting done and the Lords scared off, they had lost interest. Even the teachers ignored anything further concerning the battle royale save for the unconscious students they still had to scoop up.

“You two alright?” Keith asked.

Isaac gave a haggard reply. “Y-yeah… Felt like a boulder just got lifted off my shoulders, though.”

“I’m fine too. Compared to Wednesday and Thursday, that was nothing,” Drake said, rising to his feet.

Though he was still a bit wobbly from the chin-check Isaac had given him, Drake walked unassisted to the exit where CJ was waiting for him. Both the freshmen threw gestures Isaac’s way. The sophomore gave his own in kind before the boys left.

“Looks like everyone’s gone. No big ceremony for you, it seems,” Keith said.

“Ceremony? …Wait, you mean the Guardian thing?”

Keith furrowed his brow. “Wait; did you seriously blank out about the entire reason we were holding this thing?”

Yes, he had. When Isaac came to the gym, all he was concerned about was the chance to break his several years-long fighting abstinence. Outside of that, he hadn’t considered anything else. He still didn’t even know what ‘Guardian’ thing was supposed to be. How could he possibly accept a position he knew nothing about.

“Dammit, this is annoying…” Keith griped. “Alright, fine. Look, Moon, if you don’t want to be Guardian, just tell me now while I can still go and catch that freshman.”

Isaac was fairly certain Drake wouldn’t mind have Guardianship – whatever it actually was – fall into his lap, and he definitely wanted nothing to do with it himself. He came to a decision quickly.

“Yeah, that’s fine. I don’t have any intentions to be the Guardian. …Mr. Forrester?”

Isaac waited for Keith’s response. Eventually, he noticed that Keith was no longer blinking or breathing and that the smoke coming off his cigarette remained motionless. Isaac immediately knew what had occurred. He whipped his head around the gym and saw that all the teachers hauling students off the floor had paused as well; even while in the middle of picking some of them up. Everyone in the gym except for Isaac had become frozen in time.

“No way… Did it happen again?”

It had.

SUCCESS!

Isaac has cleared the Secret Mission: “Win the Guardianship Battle Royale”

“Secret Mission? Those are thing?”

It had been days since Isaac last heard the Navigator’s voice. It was as exuberant as ever. When he first arrived on Staten Island, he seemed to never stop hearing from it, but in the days leading up to school, the Navigator went silent after giving him a Main Mission - one he had yet to clear.

Or so he thought…

Isaac has Leveled Up! Isaac is now Lv. 10! Isaac has unlocked the achievement: ---New Kid in Town---

“I Leveled Up just now? Is it because of the Secret Mission thing? And Lv. 10? Wasn’t I only at Lv. 7 before?”

Interrupting his thoughts was a screen that manifested between Isaac and Keith.

Isaac Moon Level 10 Borough Staten Island Affiliation Heartland High School (student) Element Earth Martial Rank G1 Core Emergent Mortal Stage Fighting Style Fisticuffs Reputation N/A Attributes Strength 117 Endurance 123 Agility 105 Technique 64 Chi 71 Will 202 Focus 99 Charisma 86

He saw that all of his Attributes had increased, but only slightly. Some of even increased only by a single point.

“Isn't that a small amount for three whole levels? When I was grinding the month before by fighting spirits every night, my Attributes were raising by the double digits almost every time.”

Isaac was still trying to figure out the cause of his small stat increas when a new prompt appeared.

Isaac has obtained a new Main Mission: “Confront the Principal of Heartland High”

He adjusted his glasses to make sure he was reading the prompt right. It had been two weeks since he last obtained a Mission directly from the Navigator. But why this one specifically? Was it because he reached Lv. 10? Was it because he had won the Battle Royale? Was it because of that Achievement he earned? While he racked his brain for a solution, the screens and prompts suddenly vanished and the world around him went back into motion.

“Moon…? Hey, what’s up with you, kid?” Keith asked. “Hurry up and tell me what you’re going to do.”

“Huh? O-oh, yeah! I… I was just wondering how long my talk with the principal would take.”

“Not too long. He’s got other stuff to take care of, so it’s not like he’s going to hold you up all afternoon. What? Did you change your mind about becoming the Guardian?”

“I’d just like to speak with the principal about it first before I go and decide anything.”

Keith gave the boy a look. Eventually, he shrugged.

“Fair enough, I guess. C’mon, I’ll take you to him now.”

Isaac did so, following the teacher through one of the gym’s exits. He still had his discretions about Guardianship – whatever it even was – but, more than that, he wanted to see this Mission through. It could prove to be the first step to him figuring out just how to get out this bizarre alternate reality he had found himself in.