[Ties] Bootcamp 3

After the incident, Malachi's family relocated from the plateau villa to a village on a plain. Interestingly, over the horizon, the same large city that could be seen from the villa could also be seen from the village.

This village, that had no name, was an interesting village. It only had one ethnic group, apart from Malachi and Arlianne, living within. It was a village of Eskurs—people with red irises, and pale white skin and hair.

"Malachi, help out with unloading our belongings." said Bashia, "We really have to thank Dr. Ibrahim for providing a new home close to the capital. Though, we have to apologize for making you lose your job in the city."

Malachi's group, after fleeing the villa, had arrived at a small house within the Eskurs village. This house's owner was the Eskur doctor that helped them out, Ibrahim Skrima. Ibrahim was helping out the family with unloading their belongings from a truck. Curiously, Emmanuel and Gregory were not with them.

"No worries, Bashia." consoled Ibrahim, "I'll just take it as an honor to serve the Royal Prince. I am, after all, an Eskur and a supporter of Prince Emmanuel's faction. I mean, look at you, to be so fortunate to be the Prince's lover. Forget morals, as long as your love is true, I will support you."

"Thank you, doctor." said Bashia.

Malachi and Arlianne were busy helping each other take their belongings off the nearby truck. The truck was similar to Earth's trailer trucks, if not for its size being twice than it normally would and for the fact that it had a huge engine jutting out in-between the tractor and the loading bay.

When Malachi first saw it,

"That... is one BIG truck..." he commented, "A tank?"

One of its wheels was as big as a grown man with a diameter of two meters. The wheels of the truck were, in total, just four. Yet, even with such a small number, the load it could carry was equivalent to that of a 16-wheeler because of its huge wheels that were completely made out of metallic materials. In fact, it was less of a wheel, but a giant and wide gear.

The house where they were bringing in their belongings to was made out of white stone. Actually, all of the buildings in the village were made of similar materials. Malachi noticed something when he saw the buildings. Going forward, and feeling the structure, he came to an assumption.

"Adobe bricks?" he wondered.

"Oh, you can recognize the material?" said Ibrahim, "Yes. All of our structures are made of adobe. Can you identify where the white pigment came from?"

Malachi inspected the building material again. Touching it, smelling it, gazing at it, tasting it, hearing it. It took him a while but to no avail as he finally shook his head.

"No, I don't recognize it." he answered, "I can say that it's not paint, though."

"We mixed some limestone to make it white." clarified Ibrahim, "Limestone was abundant in the area, and around the capital, Rhiamalka, making it part of our architecture. That said, you should see the Royal Palace. It's so white, you'd question the amount of limestone used in its construction."

Malachi nodded in understanding. Looking around, the others in the village were fairly white as well. That was until he saw a peculiar structure in the middle of the village.

"Hey, what's that over there?" asked Malachi, "That building with the metal bindings and chimneys."

Ibrahim looked at where Malachi was pointing at.

"Ahh, the village furnace." he answered, "It is where all of our metalworks are created. From vehicles, to household good, to weapons and armor. Of course, when it comes to weapons and armor, only those allowed for civilian and self-defense use are manufactured."

"Uh-huh..." nodded Malachi, "That reminds me, I need to learn everything I can about this world. Say, could you teach me what I need to know?"

"Sure, why not?" affirmed Ibrahim, "Though, I can't teach you everything apart from everyday necessities and medicine."

"That said, mind if you teach me reading and writing first?" requested Malachi, "I realize that we could speak and understand one another for some reason, possibly from before I regained my memories, yet I recall that I couldn't read your letters... though, the letters seemed extremely familiar too."

"Reading and writing? Alright." agreed Ibrahim.

"Good." said Malachi, "Oh, right. Arlianne, you're learning with me."

Arlianne, who was busy with her share of the work, paused when she was called.

"Eh?" she said, "Um, thank you, but..."

"No buts." denied Malachi, "I intend to have you learn with me, especially if you're staying by my side."

///

Everyday Life 101

After settling down and arranging their goods, Malachi and Arlianne, together with Ibrahim, were in the living room. Malachi and Arlianne were seated behind a long table, while Ibrahim stood before a chalkboard.

"I didn't think I'd actually experience this again..." commented Malachi, "And the environment is exactly the same... It's creepy..."

"Oh, how was it in your past life?" inquired Ibrahim, "Are there any differences?"

"For a typical classroom environment?" clarified Malachi, "Not really. It felt like it doesn't matter wherever the place is. Rather, if it's merely transmissive learning, this set up is okay."

"Transmissive?" asked Ibrahim.

"Yes." affirmed Malachi, "Transmissive is traditional learning and teaching. Whenever a teacher passes down knowledge to students, by mouth or by text, it is called transmissive teaching. The passing down of one's knowledge from one generation to the next."

"The way you put it... It feels that you have another way of learning." commented Ibrahim, "I understand what transmissive learning is, but I feel that you mean to say that there are other forms of knowledge acquisition. Does self-teaching fall outside of transmissive learning?"

"Yes." affirmed Malachi, "While studying and learning in a typical classroom environment gives the intended results, another form of teaching or learning can be more effective with regards to certain individuals. Experience is one such example that falls outside of transmissive teaching. This sort of learning is called transformative learning. Constant application of the things one has learned will build up one's experience and should enable one to better understand the principles of whatever subject. In a way, it answers the why and how questions."

"Hmm, interesting." said Ibrahim in understanding, "Personally, we've been satisfied by taking in students. Of course, as you have said, others can learn better than most depending on the teaching method. Even though I will be teaching you, I feel like I have learned more from you."

"Discussion of subjects of interests and the exchange of ideas broadens one's mind." added Malachi, "Give or take, we never stop learning."

"Zzz..."

While Malachi and Ibrahim were discussing about learning methods, one student failed to grasp what they were talking about and went to dreamland. Arlianne, unable to catch up, fell asleep on her desk, and snapped the two "intellectuals" from their already diverted topic.

"Oh dear, we've gone off topic." commented Ibrahim, "Wake her up so we can proceed with the intended task."

Malachi poked Arlianne's waist, and the girl jolted as she woke up.

"Hiyaa!" shrieked Arlianne.

"Oh, good! You're ticklish!" cheered Malachi, "Heh heh, wake up if you don't want me to tickle you."

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" cried Arlianne, "Don't tickle me, Young Master!"

"Now that you're both ready, let us begin." announced Ibrahim, "First, let us tackle the basic scripts. Here... are... the 23 characters... of the official Perlasian script."

"Perlasian? Is this the name of the kingdom?" asked Malachi.

"Actually, Perlasian is the adjective, and Perlas is the name of the kingdom."

'Pearl?' thought Malachi, 'Is this really a different world, then? But the words used are familiar...'

"Moving on, these characters are read as..." said Ibrahim as he read each character one by one.

As Malachi listened, his expression became more and more shocked.

"Hold up." said Malachi, "Can you re-read each one for me again?"

"No problem..." said Ibrahim.

Ibrahim then did as he was requested to do, then Malachi leaned back and nodded in understanding.

'An abugida script.' he thought, 'Twenty three characters, complete with the individual vowels, but it seems lacking. It didn't cover all of the current spoken pronunciations. Unless...'

"Now, we place additional marks to change the way each character is read." continued Ibrahim, "From 'TA', it becomes 'TE' if we place a mark like this..."

'I knew it...' thought Malachi, 'It's a sort of Kawi script, but the number of characters are too few... It must be a variation. Now, I really have no idea if this world is Earth or not.'

"All that's left for you to do is to memorize these." concluded Ibrahim, "It may take you a while, take as much as you need, especially since we have the luxury to do so."

'Yeah, I can deal with this, easily.' thought Malachi, 'I'll just have to get used to the writing part. That said...' "Question, does this world have a unified language or do barriers exist?"

"No, we do not have a unified language." answered Ibrahim, "I'm pretty sure the Taijun Empire and the scattered tribes use different languages. I'm not too certain about the rest."

"Taijun Empire?" inquired Malachi.

"A large empire to our north." answered Ibrahim, "Eskur treatment is inhuman there. For a half like you, it is hell."

"I really should start reading once I learn how to do so." commented Malachi, "Being the son of a prince, I feel that I should know a lot more than my age cohort should."

///

After their lessons, they ate their lunch. Afterwards, Malachi was now exploring the village, with Arlianne behind him, with permission from Bashia.

"Hoo, is it just me, or is this place really hot?" said Malachi, "Well, considering the whole region is one big savannah. Interestingly, I'm not sweating as much as I would expect."

"Um, Young Master, where are we going?" asked Arlianne.

Malachi looked back at her behind him, and didn't stop walking.

"Everywhere and nowhere." he replied, "The thrill of adventure, exploration, and getting lost!"

"Eh!?" squeaked Arlianne, "Lost!? But, but..."

Seeing Arlianne's flustered expression and worry made Malachi reveal a wry smile. Malachi reached up to her head, and gave her a pat.

"You really are so cute." he commented, "I can't wait to grow up and grow taller so I can make fun of you more. Haha!"

"Young Master!" shouted Arlianne as she blushed, "I can't believe you..."

"I'm just joking but..." he continued, "Jokes are half meant, you know? Hehe. As for getting lost, we're not. Navigation is one key skill that I will have you get used to."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Arlianne.

"There may come a time when either of us would get lost." replied Malachi, "Be it deliberately or accidentally. Knowing how to get from one location to another, with minimal assistance, is a necessity even for everyday living. One way to navigate in daylight is to take note of landmarks. I've made that bakery and that inn, as well as the park we walked past, as landmarks. Cross referencing their locations and directions, the distance and time spent, you can find out how to get home if needed. Once you've got these down, plus once you have a destination in mind, navigation becomes easy... but only for daylight. Nighttime or the darkness makes navigation much more difficult and a pain. One thing you can rely on in the dark, especially when outdoors, is the night sky. If not, then we'll have to sharpen our senses. Capiche?"

"Ka-kapish?" stuttered Arlianne, "Huh?"

Malachi stared at Arlianne.

"Sorry, it was a slang from my previous life." apologized Malachi, "I meant, did you understand my explanation?"

Arlianne quietly gazed at Malachi, the corners of her lips twitching a bit.

"I'll take that as a 'no' then." he said, "Hmm, anyhow, just take note of anything that can be used as landmarks and their directions. For the moment, we'll head for the village furnace. I'm curious about this world's level of technology. The fusils were one thing, but the armor and logistical equipment piqued my interest."

"Umm, what did you do exactly in your previous life?" asked Arlianne.

Malachi stared at her then faced forward and resumed walking.

"I fought." he said without facing her, "I killed. I was a soldier."

When Arlianne heard this, she became rooted where she stood. Neither going forward to Malachi nor retreating back where they came from. Not hearing her footsteps behind him, Malachi faced her again.

"But that doesn't mean I regretted it." he added, "What I regret was being unable to save my Father. Even now, despite remembering most of my past, I can't remember his face. Why I'm here now, I won't even bother thinking about it. I'll just live my life, or lives, however I want to live it."

Facing forward again, Malachi went towards the direction of the village furnace. No longer bothering whether Arlianne followed behind him or not. Mere moments turned to seconds, and no footsteps were heard. Only, once seconds turned to minutes, faint footsteps that grew louder caught up to him.

"So, what do you think?" he asked his companion.

"You are living 'this' life now." answered Arlianne, "I may not be able to understand most of what you've told me but, over time, I will as I grow alongside you."

Malachi softly smiled at her answer.

"For a nine-year old, you sure have a way with words." he commented, "You sure you're not like me? A reincarnated?"

///

At the village furnace.

The structure was a three-storey white building with metal frames, pillars, and beams supporting it. Jutting out of its walls and rooftop were a myriad of chimneys of varying sizes with smoke rising out of them.

At the entrance was an open doorway with Eskur villagers and non-Eskur merchants going in and out of the structure. Surprisingly, despite a place where much of their technology was manufactured, including weapons, there was no presence of guards. Interestingly, amongst those who went in and out, many kids around Malachi and Arlianne's age were also going with the traffic of people carrying a variety of goods aside from obvious weapons.

"For an industrial site, I would have thought that access would be restrictive." commented Malachi, "Although, looking closer, every one is just disciplined with what they're doing and towards what others are doing. Let's go, Arlianne."

Malachi led Arlianne through the doorway into the structure. Inside, what greeted them was an intense heatwave.

"Gah! I feel like my face is melting!" cried Malachi, "Sheesh, despite the heat, this body sure is sturdy. You okay, Arlianne?"

Looking behind him, he found his companion unfazed by the heat. Arlianne just looked at him as if nothing was wrong.

"Did something happen, Young Master?" she asked, "Is it too hot for you?"

Malachi just blinked in disbelief.

'What the hell are these people's constitution?' he thought, 'This temperature is enough to send a child to the hospital!'

Looking around him, he found that the others were also sweating. However, that's just it, they were all just sweating and all were unfazed by the intense heat. Even those who were close to the sources weren't showing any sign of discomfort.

The sources, as one would see, were large furnaces that exuded enough heat to warp the scenery around them. However, one thing was unnatural about the furnaces.

"Where's the fire? Why are there no flames?" he said in disbelief.

An Eskur male of relative build overheard what he said.

"Is it your first time here?" asked the Eskur male, "I suppose you have no idea about pyrocite furnaces, do you?"

Malachi turned to the Eskur male.

"Pyrocite?" he wondered, "What is that?"

The Eskur male left his post and brought over a peculiar crystal. The crystal was big enough to be grasped by a grown man's hand, and was scarlet in color. The Eskur male handed the crystal to Malachi for him to see.

"That there is a piece of pyrocite." said the Eskur male, "A crystal of unknown origin that packs a lot of heat when struck by another pyrocite shard."

"It packs heat? Wait, I don't understand." said Malachi, "How can a rock contain heat?"

The Eskur male shrugged.

"That's the thing." he said, "Nobody knows how it happened, or happens, but one thing for sure is that can convert flint into pyrocite, I hope you know what flint is. For some reason, after conversion, it produces heat instead of sparks. The heat is maintained for a long time as long as it comes into contact with an already heated pyrocite. Leave it a bit, and the heat dies down. Otherwise, two or more pyrocites will 'burn' each other until whatever causes them to heat runs out."

"That's like a freaking magic stone!" cried Malachi, "You can use magic?"

The Eskur male raised a brow.

"Magic? Hahaha!" laughed the Eskur male, "No way. Magic doesn't exist! Maybe in stories and folklore, but not in reality. Though, now that you mentioned it, maybe pyrocite is a piece of magic. Then again, why is it that none of us—Eskur and non-Eskur—are able to cast such fantastical things?"

'Magic doesn't exist? Then how do you explain this crystal?' thought Malachi, 'It's already interesting that the materials I know exist in this world, yet this particular material is absolutely foreign to me. Much of the food are the same, the materials for construction, the concept of the engines and thermodynamics, even the weaponry... The weaponry? Wait...'

"Hey, this pyrocite, are there any other uses apart from heating in furnaces?" asked Malachi, "Can it be applied in weapons?"

"Ooh, sharp kid." complimented the Eskur male, "Yes, we use it in our fusils, repeaters, siege weapons, infantry, and armored cavalry."

"I realized that there wasn't any smoke discharge from the fusils my uncle used before, are pyrocite the reason?" asked Malachi, "That said, the only smoke I see are from the materials being burned and not the pyrocite itself."

"Yes, pyrocite produces enough heat to expand steel from one explosion." explained the Eskur male, "Actually, when struck normally, it produces a small spark, like flint with steel. However, pyrocite can actually be ground to dust by other materials, like whetstone, and that dust becomes explosive when a piece of already heated pyrocite makes contact. Come with me, I'll show you the village armory."

"Uh, are you sure it's fine if kids like us enter such an important place?" asked Malachi as he remembered Arlianne was with him... Silently with him...

"It's fine. I like curious kids like you." said the Eskur male, "Oh, right. I guess I should tell you, being Ibrahim's benefactors, I'm the Head Chief of this furnace. Meeting someone as inquisitive as you, despite being a half, lit a fire in my heart."

"Heh?" muttered Malachi.

"I don't know what made Ibrahim come back here despite making it big in the city, and I don't know why he brought home a family like yours despite him saying you're not his children..." said the Head Chief, "Seeing him smile is enough of a reason for me to trust you. Besides, your mother is really beautiful. Eskur females are known for being beautiful, but hell, that's the first time I've seen someone as beautiful as your mother."

"I hope you don't lay your hands on her." declared Malachi, "I may not have the power to go against you, yet, but my father definitely does."

"No worries, kid." said the Head Chief, "Though, you can't stop many of us from admiring from afar. Though, now that you mentioned your father, I'm curious as to who he really is. The fact that that little girl behind you is wearing servant clothes, and the fact she's not a half, tells me you're of noble descent. A bastard child?"

"I only count as a bastard child if my Pops was married to another woman before I was birthed." countered Malachi, "Due to circumstances, my Pops cannot openly declare his copulation with my Mama."

"Hoo? Those are some big words." commented the Head Chief, "Now I really want to know who you are."

"Don't worry, you'll know when the time comes." continued Malachi, "For now, let me see how your weapons work."

The atmosphere became tense. Only when the Head Chief noticed Arlianne about to burst into tears did the situation calmed down. Malachi, of course, did not notice Arlianne as she was behind her.

"Fine, fine." said the Head Chief, "I won't try to dig any deeper, unless I make the Little One behind you leave a bad taste in my mouth."

"Huh? Arlianne?" said Malachi.

Only then did he turn to see the girl shivering, about to panic, behind him. Malachi took a step back, stood next to Arlianne and suddenly gave her a hug, surprising her.

"Ah, you soft child, you." commented Malachi, "Ah, yes, so soft."

"Y-y-y-young Master!?" cried Arlianne, "Stop it, please!"

"That's better." he said as he let her go, "Yep, a flustered Arlianne is the best Arlianne."

The Head Chief watched the scene play out.

"What are you, really?" he asked the child.

Malachi turned to face him.

"Just as you said, a noble's child." he answered.

///

At the village furnace, the Head Chief toured Malachi and Arlianne to the armory where the weapons were, obviously, stored. The armory itself was a factory, a storage facility, and a testing ground all rolled into one.

"On my right, you will see the manufacturing facilities where civilian-use weapons are made. Civilian-use because the firepower delivered is at the most minimum accepted power for self-defense. Village and town manufacturing facilities can only produce civilian-use level armaments. If you want military-grade armaments, you need to go to large cities, like the capital, and also have a permit to carry high powered weapons."

'Technology level is at the Industrial Revolution.' thought Malachi, 'But the type is late 1800s. If I remember correctly, rifling should have been thought of at that time, yet the barrels are smoothbore. Guess I'll have to "pioneer" most of this kingdom's tech once I get the chance. For now, training this body and learning about this world take precedence.'

"And this area on my left is where we test out the weapons." said the Head Chief, "Oh, good timing, a batch of fusils is ready for testing."

The Head Chief, Malachi, and Arlianne watched as a group of Eskur personnel brought out one fusil after another. Lined up, they faced what appeared to be a firing range.

"Load up!" ordered an Eskur.

Five other Eskurs loaded ammunition into their fusils.

'Yeah, the method of loading is similar to those of muskets.' thought Malachi, 'Very inefficient, but the power is destructive.'

"Aim! Fire!"

"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Kasssshhhh..."

Out of the five fusils, one didn't fire a shot. The Eskur holding the defective fusil subsequently placed it on another pile, then grabbed a new one. The four effective fusils were placed in a box, and were then delivered out.

"What do you do with the failed products?" asked Malachi.

"We dispose of them." answered the Head Chief.

"Eh? So wasteful." commented Malachi.

"Well, it's a flaw in the design, I suppose." added the Head Chief, "But, any other variation of ours ends up as useless. So, we make do with what works."

'Hmm, if that's how this world operates...' thought Malachi, 'I'm gonna have a lot of profit. Haha...'

"Next up are the crossbows and pneumatic guns." announced the Head Chief, "The crossbows we have are lever-action. We needed to do so since manual loading takes time and effort. As for the pneumatic guns, as long as the gas tank doesn't rip during pumping, it can keep shooting. Power and range are average, though, but it's useful for stopping the enemy as you run."

"By the way, I get that these weapons are available for civilian use..." said Malachi, "But I don't see much war nor discord happening."

"Well, aside from the occasional bandit along the roads..." answered the Head Chief, "We also get caught up with monster raids."

'What?' thought Malachi, "Monsters?"

"Oh, yes." affirmed the Head Chief, "Big and nasty beasties that eat naughty children."

Malachi directed an annoyed gaze at the Head Chief.

"Er, jokes aside... Man, are you a kid or not?" added the Head Chief, "There are huge creatures that we need to take care of. Huge ants the size of houses, giant black dogs that can crush anything with their jaws, large cat-like beasts that move fast despite their size, and flocks of giant birds with talons that can tear through steel, among many others. The military and militia already have their hands full handling subjugation requests. Heck, even officer cadets get sent out to thin the monster population."

'No concept of magic, pyrocites, and huge monsters?' thought Malachi, 'Technology on par with the latter half of the Industrial Revolution, but has enough firepower to rival early World War I technology. A fantasy or not?'

"While the crossbows and pneumatic guns don't have enough penetrating power, civilian-use fusils can penetrate even a Fire Ant's carapace." added the Head Chief, "Oh, Fire Ants are the huge ants native around the Perlas Kingdom. They also spew out fire from their abdomens."

"Ha?" said Malachi stupidly, "Fire-farting ants? What?"

"Yeah, they're like spiders and silkworms that eject silk, only with fire." said the Head Chief, "Well, once you've encountered one, pray you have a fusil with you. Though, at your age, I'd order you to run. Not suggest, but order."

Malachi stared at the Head Chief with his mouth agape. The Head chief, ignoring Malachi's stupid expression, continued the tour.

"Up next, we have the storage facilities." said the Head Chief, "You can see the containers being moved from one place to another by steam knights."

"Say what?" uttered Malachi, "Steam knights?"

Before Malachi were dozens of three-meter bipedal mechs. Each movement done by these machines, a gust of steam was spewed forth by what appeared to be exhaust vents jutting out of the back. These steam knights were operated by more Eskur engineers like an exosuit, and were carrying steel boxes that were otherwise too heavy to lift without assistance.

"These steam knights, although are called knights, were disarmed for factory use." explained the Head Chief, "Military-grade steam knights are equipped with a large pyrocite blast hammer that can pulverize tanks in one hit."

"Explosive-tipped sledgehammers? How big are these hammers?" asked Malachi.

"Hmm, the handle is around two meters long, and the hammer head is around a half-square meter." answered the Head Chief, "As for its weight, it is as heavy as a box of five fusils, so around 40 kilograms."

'That's as heavy as two 105mm high-explosives put together.' thought Malachi, 'Now, I wonder how thick a tank's armor is.'

"Well, that's all for the civilian-use weapons." concluded the Head Chief, "If you want more, you'll have to head to the city. At the least, you'll have to enter the military to get ahold of anything military-grade."

///

By the time Malachi and Arlianne had left the village furnace, the sun had already begun to set. Malachi had his head down, pondering on what he had learned, while miraculously dodging the passersby around him. Arlianne, who was just following Malachi, had a bit of difficulty weaving around the crowd of people.

'That does it.' thought Malachi, 'This definitely isn't Earth. Although the a lot were similar, the language and writing are different. The level of and type of technology are different. Even the concepts are different. But, something is still gnawing the back of my head, and that something is the existence of Eskurs.'

As he reflected upon what he learned, Malachi and Arlianne eventually arrived home in time for dinner.

"We're home!" announce Malachi.

"Ah, you're here." greeted Bashia, "Wash up for now, and wait with Dr. Ibrahim for dinner. Arlianne, you too, wash up before helping me out."

"Yes, Mama."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Malachi and Arlianne went their separate ways to respectively clean up. The two of them also finished cleaning up at the same time, and went to the dining room to eat.

Malachi's daily life continued like this peacefully. Learning from Dr. Ibrahim and Bashia, occasionally shooing the Eskur males around Bashia, visiting the village furnace, and exploring the other parts of the village. That was until his tenth birthday when Malachi would be allowed to visit the capital city of Rhiamalka.