A New Home, A New Mentor

‘So, did I pass?’

Varunel’s eyes widened. He definitely crushed his heart. No way could he be alive. He turned around and as he turned around, his eyes widened further. There was Gin, sitting on the floor as if nothing happened.

‘How are you alive?!’ Varunel shouted.

‘Did you know that the human brain can still function for a few minutes even after the heart stops working?’ Gin replied before continuing, ‘It takes quite a lot of willpower but one can even stay conscious for a bit as well. The task was to survive for five minutes and I managed to do that, so do I pass the test or not? Don’t worry, I will still survive. Probably. Maybe. I hope.’

Maria began laughing. What a peculiar person. She wouldn’t mind having him in her squadron and technically he did pass the test, albeit without a heart (she couldn’t think of how he would survive), so she said, ‘Yes child, you pass. Welcome to squadron W.’

That was all Gin needed to hear. He smiled then lay on the ground, right before losing consciousness.

*******

Gin woke up. The brown wooden ceiling he saw beforehand had become a metallic grey and the dusty floor was replaced with a soft, comfy bed. He wasn’t able to move however, all of his muscles refused to move. He sighed. A deep pain shot through his chest. The pain meant he was alive at least. He heard a door open behind him, someone was coming.

‘Hello, I’m your medic, Joan. It seems you have finally waked up. Funny thing is, I am a B rank Medic Utility type and yet I still can’t tell what your body is doing. I want to talk about your condition for a bit. Can you speak?’

The room stayed quiet.

‘Can you hear me?’

Gin’s neck was stiff. He couldn’t move it. His body must still be in a critical state. Instead of a nod he made a signal with his hand. OK.

‘Guess you can but you are in no state to be answering my questions. Anyway, I will be giving you your daily injections.’

Gin clenched his fists, the only part of his body still able to move. Mages need injections? From his knowledge, mages can act upon every single cell of their body, what was the point of injections?

‘Afraid, are we? Sorry it is standard for those who have recently fainted to take them in case it was to happen again. You can’t have full control over your body if you are unconscious so it’s not easy to fight off disease as easily and this can prove fatal in extreme scenarios. It’s just a precaution, don’t worry.’

Gin felt something pierce his arm. His head was tilted slightly and he managed to see a finger resting on his skin while someone’s nail extended into his body. It must belong to Joan. She then injected something through her nails into Gin’s veins before pulling out her finger. The place where she had stabbed him didn’t bleed and clot. It was just a hole that refused to close due to a special sedative Joan had placed around the wound. Joan used the same place for the next three injections before saying,

‘Normally that would be it. But someone came in soon after you fainted, asking us to inject you with something else. He said he was a friend of yours and was your medic before handing us something and told us to use if you still haven’t woken up in a week’s time. I don’t know what it is but because you woke up for the first time today, so I’m sure it’s helping some way or another. After this, I will patch up the wound, don’t worry.’

Right after the final injection she circled the wound with her finger. The skin around the wound immediately enveloped it, leaving it as it was before the injections without any sign of damage.

‘I’ll head off now but I will come back tomorrow to see how you are doing and to give you your daily injections. Glad to see you are awake though. At one point I was a bit scared I might be vaccinating a dead body,’ Joan said before leaving, shutting the door behind her.

Has it seriously been one week since I passed my test? Gin thought, and who came by to give off a vaccine? There wasn’t much time to think about those things as Gin fell asleep soon after.

*******

Gin woke up, his head aching along with his body. He sat down in his bed and surveyed his surroundings. It was the first time he was able to do that even though it did hurt his whole body. The walls were made of mud and Rezah roots so he probably was still in the same building where he held his test, or at least in the same area. The room was small, consisting of his bed, a desk in the corner and a shelf with some books in it. On the desk was his belt with all of his weapons laid out in a line in their natural cuboid state.

Gin got up and attempted to walk but it turned into more of a waddle. He moved towards the bookshelf and eyed what was on there. As he was glancing over the books, Gin murmured the names,

‘Europe’s invasion of Asia, Battle of Anthrax, Bestial Subclasses: A guide, Elemental subclasses: A guide, The war between The Americas and the ---‘

Gin’s reading was cut short by the door bursting open. At the door was a brunette woman, slightly shorter than Gin, wearing a black shirt and trousers, carrying a tray full of liquids.

‘Who are you?’ Gin asked.

‘Wow, I’ve been attending to your bedside every day for the last week and you still don’t know me! How can someone be so pathetic?’ she replied.

‘Oh. This is my first time seeing you. I was in a coma for a while now, sorry Joan.’

‘Apology accepted but never mind that, you were unable to move just yesterday and now look at you standing on your own two legs! What was in that liquid I injected you with, for the past two days?’

‘It still hurts to move around but from you’ve been saying it is a great improvement. I have a hunch about what you injected me with as well. Mind telling me what the man who gave you it looked like?’

Joan thought for a while before answering, ‘Umm, he was tall, roughly eight feet. His skin was pale white but his hair was definitely whiter. He claimed to be your friend.’

‘Yeah, I know who it is now. I pretty much know what was in the vaccine he gave you.’

Joan’s face lit up. She had tried to analyze what the vaccine but she couldn’t understand what it was. She just had to ask Gin, ‘Please tell me.’

‘It’s probably a Nanobots booster.’

‘What?’

‘It’s kind of hard to explain as I might be a one of a kind when it comes to this. But basically I have little machines inside my body, billions of them in fact. In short, they enhance my bodily functions so that I have faster reactions, faster regeneration rates and I have an extraordinary stamina. Also in emergencies like when my heart got destroyed, it could replace some of my bodily functions as well. Although it did seem like my body went on a sort of ‘stand-by’ phase while the nanobots repaired, or should I say made, my heart and acted as my blood, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the rest of my body. The vaccine I was given was just a boost to the number of nanobots in my body so that they can focus on other functions in my body and so I am able to wake up and move a bit without putting myself in too much danger.’ Gin put his palm to his chest. He felt something beat, although not in a regular rhythm. ‘Judging by the fact some sort of heartbeat is present, and my arm no longer seems to be broken, I am almost fully recovered.’

Joan was amazed. She had never heard of such a thing before. She had so many questions but she felt like it was best not to bombard her patient with them yet.

‘I still don’t understand what’s going on. This is all news to me. It’s amazing what they manage to breed!’ She said.

‘Oh. I did this to myself, I’m not bred,’ Gin retorted.

‘Not bred? But everyone has to be born and bred through the MBP. Any other way is strictly forbidden!’

Gin leaned closer, whispering, ‘That is true but then again I’m not a mage so the rules don’t apply to me.’

Joan was as confused as ever. It led to the end of the conversation. How could she respond to that statement? Instead she gave Gin his injections as she had intended to do at the start. Not a single word was uttered during the process. There was too much to take in for Joan and not much else to say for Gin. But as Joan had finished up with the medication and was about to leave, Gin finally broke the silence,

‘Is it possible to meet the guy who claimed to be my friend? I have quite a lot to discuss with him. Also, once I’ve recovered, where do I go?’

‘Unfortunately, I can’t arrange any meeting but I will ask. About your second question, you’re part of Squadron W so unless you have been allocated wrongly, you’re going nowhere,’ Joan said as she left the room.

Gin didn’t feel tired unlike the day before and his aches have been reduced after the sedative Joan gave. But the pain still forced him to a waddle as he decided to make his way to the bookshelf where he picked a book at random. The book was called ‘The Early Mage’.

‘I’ll start with this,’ he said to himself as he walked towards his desk. He took out a piece of paper from a shelf above the desk and began writing:

Gin’s Notes #1 – A brief history of mankind (the 3rd millennia)

Gin had always wanted to write down his knowledge in order to go back to it in the future. The only problem was that, being an outsider, he never had any reliable way of keeping records intact. This was especially true ever since Gin’s hometown was destroyed a few years ago, (the exact timing was something he didn’t know for some reason), as collateral in the war. It led to the death of what he thought to be all but one of the remaining manush on Earth - the one being himself.

Gin laid back in his chair. Thinking about his past was something he’d rather not do. It wasn’t the demise of his race that made him upset. He felt it was long overdue anyway due to how weak manush were (and their deaths was what Gin believed was proof of that). It was a miracle that they had gone undetected for thousands of years and it was only natural for the village to be seen as an enemy camp.

What really annoyed Gin, however, was that almost all of his work was burnt, drenched or ripped to pieces by various enemy mages. He felt that if it didn’t happen, he could have easily become an artificial mage by now.

While cursing his luck, Gin didn’t realise the knocking behind him. The door to his room opened and someone came in.

‘I see that you’ve gotten better,’ the person said

The voice startled Gin and he turned his head. He recognised the voice of the colonel and immediately stood up in respect. She was holding a chest that was large enough to require both hands to carry it.

‘Very impressive indeed, child. Very impressive indeed. A broken arm and ribs and a heart missing, all repaired in just over a week!’ said the colonel

‘Well I’m not fully recovered yes,’ Gin replied.

‘Even so your regeneration is truly top tier. Even Varunel is still in recovery after the burn marks you gave him.’

‘Is that so?’ At least the fight didn’t feel like a complete loss now, Gin thought.

‘However your fighting technique is severely lacking. Don’t worry, though, I know someone who can help you.’

‘No offense, colonel, but I doubt there is anyone who can help me with the way I fight,’ said Gin.

‘I thought so too until I remembered someone that uses the exact same weaponry as you. You’d be surprised what the MBP come up with. He’s also an A rank and his combat ability matches his rank too. I would like you to see him tomorrow at two. I will send someone to pick you up.’

Gin thought about it and wanted to reject the offer. But he only just got admitted into the squadron and didn’t want to disobey his superior. Reluctantly he replied,

‘That’s fine. I reckon my injuries would nearly be recovered by then as well.’

‘Good. I will give you this chest. It’s a welcome package. I have a habit of giving them out to new recruits in person.’

‘Thank you, colonel.’

‘Now that you are part of my squadron, you can drop the formalities too, child. I’m Maria Anasta. Call me Maria.’

‘Only if you call me Gin instead of child,’ Gin retorted.

‘Unfortunately for someone as young as you, I can’t do that, child.’

She left chuckling to herself, much to Gin’s annoyance, leaving the chest on the desk that Gin was working on. Gin took off the cover and looked at what was inside. In it contained some food, a letter and a badge, in the shape of a Tinoo with a W on the bottom. It was the emblem of Eurasia and represented unity because the Tinoos were birds that were bred to deliver messages and although the distance between people may be far, the Tinoos brought people together as magikind’s main source of communication.

Of course Gin knew this was very primitive compared to what men were able to do two thousand years ago. In fact people were able to contact others within seconds on something called a ‘phone’, instead of the days it takes to message via the Tinoo bird. It would seem that the mages have forgotten about the age of technology that was so vital in the progress made in the 3rd millennia. This was mostly because of the Battle of Anthrax, in the year 4396, where so many lives were lost because of the reliance on machinery and electrical equipment.

Those who lived were the ones who didn’t need to rely on technology as much and so humanity diverted from relying on machines to relying on themselves. Gin thought it was funny how the more people evolved, the more primitive they became as well.

Gin’s body still ached a bit. Since he had to meet this so-called-trainer that Maria was talking about, he thought it was best to rest some more. He took out the letter and read it before going to sleep:

Dear Gigi,

Well done on making it to the squadron. I knew you could make it! How was the test? Not too hard was it? haha. Just kidding. I heard you lost your heart, but you seem to be making a recovery. That’s great for your data, don’t you think? The first time someone’s ever survived without a heart, imagine that! The news is spreading like wildfire here in Squadron A. Also it seems the drugs I asked for you to take worked perfectly. Anyway I finished up with the Integrated Nanobot System that you asked, and I am really keen to try it out, so guess what? I’m going to join Squadron W so that I can work with you!

Yours Sincerely, WP

Gin rose up in his bed, clutching his chest as his new artificial heart seemed to miss a beat. Must still be developing, Gin thought as he reread the letter. It was a letter from his friend and it confirmed that the nano booster was in fact from him. What concerned him the most was that he was applying to join Squadron W. Although he was his friend, Gin didn’t want someone from Squadron A, the best squadron Eurasia had, to cause a commotion in what will be his new home.

A pain shot up in Gin’s chest once more but quickly settled down. It signalled that it would be best for Gin to stop worrying and go to sleep. He didn’t know too many people and so his friend’s arrival might not be so bad after all.

The next day, Gin woke up to the sound of the all too familiar knocking on his door. After beckoning the person to enter, he noticed that it was someone that he hadn’t seen before. She was a woman of short stature, roughly the same as the colonel at seven feet. She had short brown hair that leaned onto one side of her head with a white streak on the other side. She also had a pale complexion that shone golden in the light of the torches as if it was tanned artificially.

‘And you are?’ asked Gin.

‘The name’s Emsee. I came to pick you up,’ she responded.

Gin remembered that someone was meant to come. He started to get ready, picking up his weapons and placing them on his belt, before setting off with the woman. They went through a myriad of corridors before arriving at a staircase.

There was only one staircase in the building that led to all 137 floors. The upper floors were designated for living while the middle levels were for training. The lowest levels were where all information is gathered and sent out. The floor Gin was led to was the 73rd floor.

Emsee opened the door to a room just outside the stair’s exit. The room was damp. The floor was covered with grass and reeds that were recently flooded out so that walking made a squelching sound. In the room, were also a few five-meter tall trees which made the room emulate a marshland. In the room was also a person, sitting down, looking at his arm. From a distance it seemed that the man was very large and probably obese. But mages don’t get obese. They looked after themselves too well for that. Stocky maybe?

Emsee indicated to Gin to go see him before leaving to go elsewhere. As Gin got closer he noticed that the man wasn’t obese but rather the large outline was from the bulky armour that he was wearing. The armour itself was made from some kind of wood and there were intricate markings embedded in it as well.

‘Hello?’ Gin said.

The man sat there as he looked at his armguards, looking for any dents in it. Gin waited a while longer but the man kept ignoring him. Gin couldn’t even see his head as it was covered by his helmet, made of the same material as his armour. Gin began to feel impatient.

‘Look. I came here under the colonel’s orders. I don’t know how you’re going to help me nor do I think you can. I have a unique style that you probably have never seen! I think it’s best if I just leave and do something more productive than just standing here, getting my feet wet.’

The man looked up at Gin. The helmet covered all but the man’s green eyes. Why was someone dressed up like that when he’s just sitting down? Gin gave up and began walking back towards the door he came from.

‘Do you want to spar?’ said the man.

‘Are you serious? How’s that going to do any good when I’m still recovering? Do you want to put be back in a coma?!’ replied Gin.

The man stood up saying, ‘Well aren’t you an arrogant little brat? This is not a request but an order.’

‘Like I said, I have no intention of doing so as you will not be of any help to me.’

‘Fight me.’

Gin gave a sigh. It would seem he had to, especially because what the colonel said intrigued him. The same weaponry? Not Likely. Gin took out the red cuboid from his belt and slotted his fingers through holes in it. He pushed his index finger further into the cuboid, activating the switch which led to his sword to emerge.

Gin called his line of weapons the Integrated Nanobot System, or INS for short. The metal was made of the same nanobots that were running in his body. It was Gin’s creation and was one of the few things Gin takes pride in. Along with his sword were other devices that were programmed to produce different items like his shield. The INS was also colour coded so that Gin knew what was what.

‘So it was true. Ha! Looks like I finally get a training partner!’ the armoured man cried out as he stood up. He was the same height as Gin at six feet and eleven inches

Even though he couldn’t see it, Gin could tell that the man was smiling. The man reached to his right arm, with his left, and placed his hand over it. What Gin initially thought were natural markings, were in fact the outline of an object and Gin recognised instantly what it was.

Out of the armour around his arm, the man pulled out a weapon. It was a sword made out of the very same wood as the armour. Now Gin understood why the colonel suggested meeting him.

‘Y’know. It is also the first time I saw someone use the very same object as I do. What do you call it?’ asked the man.

‘A sword. I’m guessing it’s different for you, am I right?’ replied Gin.

‘A sword? Hmmm. Not sure how you got that. I call it a wooden claw.’

‘‘Sword’ is an old English term for this weapon.’

‘Oh I see. Guess I can call you a knowledgeable brat.’

‘That insult isn’t really intimidating while you cover your face like that.’

‘Guess you’re still as arrogant as before.’

‘Could we fight now? I got things to do.’

‘Sure thing. I’ll let you start first.’

Gin didn’t hesitate charging at the man. The splashing of water beneath him was heard with every step. Gin’s sword was able to cut through reinforced steel. His opponent’s sword shouldn’t be too much of a problem, considering it was made of wood.

As Gin swung his sword, the man went and tried to parry the attack, as expected. The meeting of the swords created a thudding sound. To Gin’s surprise, the man’s sword did not break nor showed any cut marks.

Gin then sent out a flurry of attacks, but each attack was easily blocked by the man. It felt as if he wasn’t even trying and this made Gin slightly tilted as he tried to make a breakthrough. Gin managed to get past the man’s sword defence and had a chance to attack his body.

But the man had other ideas and went to attack Gin. Gin ducked, narrowly avoiding the attack, and managed to get a strike on his opponent’s armour. The strike left a mark on it but it wasn’t enough to be dealing a winning blow just yet. The pace suddenly picked up as the man stopped going on the defensive.

Gin was forced to take a few steps back as the man sent out few but deliberate strikes. After blocking a few more times, Gin felt the hardness of tree bark behind him. The man took the opportunity to swing his sword, aiming for Gin’s neck. Luckily, Gin saw it in time and ducked and rolled away, his clothes now drenched.

As Gin regained his balance, he heard a large sound. The tree that was behind Gin a while ago was now on the floor. There was a diagonal cut from where it had been severed from the trunk. In awe of what he had just witnessed, Gin only caught glimpse of the looming threat behind him. He turned around, grabbed the green INS and activated the shield. He was just in time as his opponent clanged against the shield, forcing Gin to stagger towards the floor.

With his right arm trying to hold himself up, and his left blocking the man’s sword, Gin didn’t have too many options. The man raised his right arm and another outline emerged. Another sword! Unlike last time when he pulled out the sword, the sword on his right arm sprang out. As if he’s done it a million times, the man caught the sword mid flight and swung it in one motion.

Gin was not in the position to block and was forced to try to leapfrog backwards in an attempt to dodge. His movements weren’t fast enough and the sword sliced through the skin on Gin’s face. Red streaks ran down Gin’s face as Gin fell flat on his back. The man didn’t hesitate to knock Gin’s sword away and placed his boot on Gin’s chest. Gin had no hope of getting up now.

‘You did well. But you’re lacking. You’re not particularly strong and your grip on your sword was weak. However, your reflexes are excellent. By the way, the name is Alder,’ said the man.

‘That was a good fight. I honestly felt like you were going to kill me at one point,’ Gin replied wiping the blood off his face.

‘I was.’

‘Really?’

‘Look brat. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to see how you will cope under pressure. Based on that I can assess how I will train you. I noticed that your sword came from that thing, am I right?’ Alder said pointing at the cuboid shaped object.

‘It’s called the Integrated Nanobot System or INS for short, but yes. That’s where the sword came from and where my other weapons come from.’

‘How does that work? It’s just a block right now. Where does the sword come from?’ Alder said, picking up the INS

‘If I push my finger through the first hole in the cuboid, there’s a button which I press. That will trigger a mechanism within the INS and it creates whatever it was programmed to make.’

The armour around Alder’s index finger began to recede, exposing the flesh. He put his finger through the first hole in the INS, feeling the metal at the bottom of the hole. Nothing happened.

‘There’s another chamber below what you think is the bottom of the hole. That’s where the button lies. However, the entrance to that chamber doesn’t open up for anyone but me as it is touch sensitive.’

‘I see,’ Alder said, thinking to himself before saying, ‘How do you feel about having your sword permanently equipped?’

‘What?’

‘Something so that when you are knocked down, you will still have your weapon with you. Also with your fast reactions, I think a certain style will suit you.’

‘A certain style?’

‘Yes. It doesn’t require too much strength to be effective, nor will you lose your weapons as easily.’

Gin thought for a while. It was true that, due to the fact he was a manush, he wasn’t as strong as he would like to be. He also did have a problem with losing his sword after being hit by a large force. Alder was extremely skilled with the sword from what he displayed. Gin was also open to change and something like this might be beneficial.

‘I’ll take on the offer,’ Gin said.

‘Great! I think this style of fighting will suit you, brat.’

With the colonel calling him ‘child’, he didn’t need to be looked down upon by someone else. If he was going to change that, it had to be now.

‘I’m called Gin so you don’t need to call me brat.’

‘I’m not going to stop calling you brat till you stop with the arrogant way of talking, brat. No need to try to make me your equal. You’re a hundred years young for that. But regardless, training will start in two days while I set things up.’

Another lost cause, Gin thought.

‘Fine. Call me whatever you want. However, I do want to know what we’re doing, Alder.’

‘Mmm. I’d rather you wait, brat, but I can see you’re an impatient one so I’ll give you the bare minimum. It’s called Blade Boxing.’