Campaign 7

“I will give you all an hour to familiarize yourselves with these weapons,” said Malachi, “Remi, please bring out the rest of the guns.”

Remi’s engineers dragged out crates filled with each of the demonstrated weapons. Malachi had his classmates line up and practice with their choices. For an hour, Malachi answered each question his classmates had.

Unlike before, when Malachi first met them, only a few people avoided him, now, and most had been taken in by the awe they had with new technology. After having their questions answered, his classmates lined up along the firing range, each taking turns to test fire their chosen weapons.

After that hour, Malachi had his classmates keep two weapons they felt the greatest comfort with, and inspected each of his classmates’ chosen equipment.

“Hmm, nobody chose the bolt action, eh?” He commented, “I’m not surprised. I still have to modify the designs for that. So, Mr. Bryant, why did you choose the LMG?”

Patrick frowned.

“Do I have to give a reason?” He asked, “And why me, first, out of all people?”

Malachi shrugged.

“Because I saw how cute you were spraying and praying.” Explained Malachi. He smirked as he said it. “You liked it, didn’t you?”

Patrick’s eyes became bloodshot. Yet, even with his rage, he decided to ignore Malachi. Malachi’s smirk disappeared.

“Tsk, boring,” said Malachi, “How about the rest of you, why the LMG? I understand Mr. Bryant, Isaac, and the other guys, but Dinah and Ms. Cuevas?”

Dinah was the first to answer.

“Having this much ammunition enables me to suppress the enemy better,” she said, “Considering the way you fight, Lord, I would like to keep the enemy from noticing you.”

Malachi understood her intentions. Then, he looked at Samantha.

“Um, I…” She hesitated, “I just don’t like to run out of ammunition.”

“A simple reason,” said Malachi, “I like it. Many choose the LMG for its high capacity. Don’t be ashamed of that.”

He looked at the rest of his classmates, and noticed that all the Eskurs chose the assault rifle, apart from Isaac. He also noticed that each weapon was equally spread amongst everyone, not one weapon was more popular than another. This got Malachi thinking.

‘Didn’t expect it to be this even,’ he thought, ‘Guess I’ll have to train all of them equally.’

He made his decision.

“All right, out of the two you’ve chosen,” he said, “Choose one to train with, first. Afterwards, we’ll go through all of them, one by one. We’ve got the whole day and the following days to spare, and I’ve pretty much received authorization from the faculty to exempt you all from classes while training. Whether or not we succeed in the first mission with these, classes will carry on like before. Make the most of this allotted period.”

There, a cadet raised his hand. Malachi acknowledged the question.

“Do you mean to say that we will train until the deadline?” Asked the cadet, “What about the other classes?”

“We will train until I am satisfied with your performance,” answered Malachi, “As for the other classes, we will use the mission as a benchmark for these weapons’ performances. From there, I will train the engineers and other willing faculty in their usage and have them tutor the other classes in my place. I can’t give everybody my attention, right?”

…

The first to receive instruction from Malachi were those who chose the assault rifles, meaning, most of the Eskurs in the class. Levi, Reuben, Dinah, and Genevieve lined up before the firing range.

“Aim your rifles down range,” ordered Malachi, “Just aim down the sights like you would with the fusils before.”

They followed the command and remembered how Malachi held the assault rifle. They rested the butt of the rifle on their shoulder, and stuck their cheeks to look through the iron sights.

“Align the rear sight and the front sight with your target,” added Malachi, “Don’t compensate for the distance yet, I will be checking your foundations.”

They did as they were told, but Reuben and Genevieve were having problems. Malachi went near them and found that their postures were a mess. Ladies, first.

“Gene, try leaning forward a bit,” suggested Malachi, “Hang your right leg back a bit. Okay, now move your torso forward just so. Raise the gun a bit more and lower the butt a bit, try to find a comfy place. Now, aim down the sights.”

When Genevieve was able to align the sights perfectly, Malachi moved on to Reuben.

“Ruby, try to crouch a bit,” suggested Malachi, “Just enough to steady your body. Bring your left leg a bit farther outside, align it with your shoulder. You can clutch the rifle closer to you, that’s what the grip there is for. Find a comfy position, then aim down the sights again.”

With Malachi’s instruction, the two were able to fix their aim. Satisfied, Malachi moved on to inspect the remaining two.

“As the magazine well is empty, load a new magazine,” ordered Malachi, “Then, pull the charging handle to load the first cartridge. When you’re ready, switch to semiautomatic and fire at will.”

Still keeping their rifles on the target, the four Eskurs struggled to feel for the spare magazines. It took them a while to precisely load the magazines into the magazine well without the aid of their sight. Once the magazines were in, a chorus of charging handles and switches rang out. Before the symphony of gunfire roared, they still took the time to fix their aim that deteriorated from loading the magazines.

Bang! Ting!

Bang!

Bang! Ting!

Bang! Ting!

Dinah’s shot went wide and didn’t hit the target. Malachi went to her place and found that she was breathing too fast. She was aiming perfectly at her target, but Levi’s gunfire surprised her, raising her aim a bit upon pulling the trigger.

“Got surprised by the gunfire, huh?” Commented Malachi, “Well, it’s fine. Just practice, practice, practice, and you’ll get used to it.”

Malachi finished his instruction by having them go through the other select-fire options as well as fixing their posture or giving advice. Satisfied with their performance with the assault rifles, he had the Eskurs, except Levi, switch out with those who chose the shotguns. Instead of slug ammunition, he placed buckshot shells in their respective stations.

“You can aim down the sights or just fire from your hip,” said Malachi, “The good thing about buckshot is that it eliminates the need for precise aiming at close quarters. Since those guns are empty, this model uses pump action with a tubular magazine. Just insert the shells like this, up to eight shells.”

Malachi demonstrated how to load the shells into the shotguns. It was similar to how Winchester 1897 or SPAS-12 model shotguns were loaded.

“Make sure that the primer, the end where the shell gets ignited, is pressed by your thumb,” he said, “Push the shell into the flap and push it deep inside until you feel or hear a click. Just keep repeating it until you can’t load anything anymore. Yes, that’s right. Push it in, keep pushing it deeply as deep as you can.”

Some of his classmates raised a brow with his choice of words and the way he said them. The younger ones didn’t mind it, but the older ones were tempted to shoot him. Arlianne just sent a chop down his head to shut him up, as usual.

“Ouch, okay, moving on,” said Malachi painfully, “Once it’s fully loaded, pull the forward handle, the under barrel handguard. Right, now before you push it back, look into the ejection port to see the shell. You see it? Good. That shell will be loaded once you push the forward handle back to the front.”

When they pulled the forward handle and looked into the ejection port, they found a shell sitting inside. It was the same shell they had loaded earlier into the gun. Afterwards, the pushed forward the pump and the ejection port closed itself from their sight.

“Now that the barrel is loaded, aim and fire at will.” Ordered Malachi.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Pellets sprayed out of the barrels and ravaged the range. The targets that were hit all got shredded by the onslaught of metal balls.

“Now that you’ve expended a shell, pull the pump again,” ordered Malachi, “Watch as it automatically ejects the spent shell while simultaneously loading a new one. Repeat until you run out of ammo.”

The ones carrying shotguns did as they were told. A symphony of gunfire and littered shell casings rang out of the firing range. In each of their stations were scattered ejected casings. Up next were the machine gunners.

“The LMG can be aimed with like an assault rifle,” explained Malachi, “If you want precise shots, you can have it rest on your shoulder and aim down its sights. Otherwise, you can just fire from the hip and just spray-and-pray. Load the belts!”

Unlike the assault rifle, the light machine guns were heavier. Malachi’s classmates needed to lower the guns to a comfortable level to open the feed and place the ammunition belt. Once the belts were in, and the box was secured, they slammed down the port and pulled the charging handle.

“Since the LMG doesn’t have the same selective fire options, it will be up to your fingers whether you want precision or not,” explained Malachi, “Now, take aim then fire at will!”

Dinah and Samantha, the two girls that chose the light machine guns, chose precision over power. Meanwhile, Isaac and Patrick were able to sustain long periods of fire. Malachi watched the girls carefully over the men, and noticed that Dinah’s bursts were shorter than Samantha’s. For every three rounds Dinah would squeeze out, Samantha would have five or six. While the girls were maintaining their trigger discipline, the men ran into a problem.

The light machine guns jammed.

“Huh, was wondering when this would happen,” said Malachi interestedly, “Thanks for stressing the gun, boys, at least we get to learn something.”

Malachi grabbed one of the jammed light machine guns, and inspected it. He found that the barrel had warped due to the excessive heat being expelled by the ignited pyrocite.

“Give me all the jammed guns,” ordered Malachi, “I’ll just replace the barrels.”

With deft hands, Malachi disassembled the broken guns. When the barrels were removed, everyone could see how they all got bent out of shape. Malachi grabbed new barrels from a stock and replaced the broken barrels. Afterwards, he reassembled each one and gave each back to his classmates.

“Guess the girls know better,” commented Malachi, “You can sustain fire for a long time, just make sure to let the barrels cool down a bit each time. That said, I have to find a way to not let it happen again.”

Malachi let the machine gunners finish their share before moving on to the next type — the semiautomatic sniper rifles.

“Okay, since these are rifles, aim down range through the scope,” ordered Malachi, “The circle, the cross hair, and the tiny bead should align together rather than the target. If you have any difficulty, I will try to fix your postures. Try to find a comfortable position.”

Since Genevieve first used the assault rifle, she had an easier time with the sniper rifle. At the very least, for this batch, no one had any difficulty and were able to maintain their aim. Malachi was satisfied with this.

“Okay, load the magazine,” ordered Malachi, “Once you’re ready, take aim at your targets then fire at will.”

Bang! Ting!

Bang! Ting!

Bang! Ting!

Bang! Ting!

All of their shots landed accurately. However, the recoil forced them to fix their aim, and they were not able to fire the succeeding shots at the same time. The quickest to fix their aim was Tyler. He only needed 1 second to realign his sights before pulling the trigger.

Finally, they moved onto the handguns. Like the others, Malachi had them line up in the firing range and demonstrated the proper posture in shooting with handguns.

“You can aim with one hand if you’re confident you’ll hit accurately with the recoil,” he explained, “Or you can hold it with both hands if you want accuracy and precision in your shots. Face the target and hold your gun. When gripping the handle, don’t cup it. Have your non-dominant hand wrap itself around your dominant hand. Find a posture where you’ll feel comfortable with aiming and shooting.”

Since the handgun was smaller than the other guns, they had an easier time looking for a comfortable position. Taking the time to check their aim while fixing their posture, Malachi assisted them in their efforts.

“Ms. Ramirez, crouch a bit,” he suggested, “Try to bring your torso forward and anticipate the recoil. Relax your arms, too. If you make it too tense, you’ll tire out easily. Good, now maintain that position for as long as you can and see if it’s better.”

“Ruby, don’t cup the grip,” advised Malachi, “You might hit your head if it jumps up from the recoil. Since you’re left-handed, wrap your right hand around your left. Don’t tense up your arm muscles, just maintain your grip on the gun and anticipate the recoil when you shoot.”

Malachi looked around and found no one else in need of instruction.

“Okay, now load the magazine and pull the slide to cock the hammer,” he ordered, “Aim at your target, select the fire option, then fire at will!”

Bang!

Bababang!

Bang!

A few chose the semiautomatic option, while one person went straight to the burst option. Patrick had his gun jump up due to the recoil, but his grip compensated for it and was able to maintain his aim. Since there were no problems to take note of, Malachi finished his instruction for the time being.

Malachi looked at the clock that hanged on a nearby wall. It was just a little past noon.

“Good job, guys,” he praised, “We were able to finish just in time for lunch. This is it for the day. Return the guns where you got them, and be ready to file out of here. Meanwhile, I will remain since I need to talk to Remi and her engineers about the following days. Dismissed.”

…

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Asked Remi.

After dismissing his classmates, Malachi and Arlianne went to Remi’s personal armory. Inside, the girl was coordinating with her engineers to deal with their respective duties. When he and Arlianne entered, Remi noticed them and dismissed her engineers.

“I have a request,” said Malachi, “I need you to build a kill house.”

“A ‘kill house’?” Repeated Remi, “Don’t tell me you intend to have your classmates to kill one another?”

Malachi stifled a laugh.

“No, no. It isn’t like that,” he said, “Kill houses are designed to mimic residential, commercial, and industrial spaces. Kill houses are often used to acquaint personnel in infiltrating structures and the methods used to overwhelm a target, or targets, in the quickest and most efficient manner. Got it?”

Remi nodded understandingly.

“So it’s a live training course?” She asked, “Very well. Do you have a design in mind?”

Malachi smiled.

“Always.”

Malachi drew blueprints for certain kill houses that cater to every situation on the papers provided. Included were also the materials that were to be used in the construction. He also included schematics for static and mobile targets that appear when encountered, and disappear when shot using electrocite and machines. Remi drooled at the sight of new toys to play with.

“Based on these requirements, I could have these put up by tomorrow afternoon,” declared Remi, “Although, I will need your help with the machines, can you stay until evening?”

“In that case, I will be available after lunch,” he answered, “Arlianne, there will be a change of plans for the afternoon. Have everybody on the drill grounds, and bring Shyama with you. If needed, drag an Eskur to translate for you.”

Malachi handed Arlianne a set of written instructions. She read what was written and frowned at the contents.

“You’re a sadist, Malachi,” she commented, “How can you be certain that they will follow this instruction?”

“That’s why I’m having you bring Shyama,” he answered, “She will be responsible in ‘persuading’ the dissidents.”

After that, they went to the canteen to eat their lunch.

///

Once they’ve eaten their lunch, Malachi left Arlianne and Shyama with their class and went to the armory. Arlianne told Class 13 to gather on the drill grounds for an exercise. Since Malachi was absent, not everybody listened to Arlianne.

“So what if you’re his fiancée?” Asked a cadet mockingly, “You’re not the Squad Leader.”

“I may not be the Squad Leader, but he gave his authorization to exercise this order,” argued Arlianne, “Now, come with me to the drill grounds.”

Only a few followed the order, all of the Eskurs and some younger cadets, while most remained in their seats. Arlianne sighed and called for Shyama.

“Shyama, tackle those who won’t follow the order and sit on them,” she told the Manticore, “With your size, Malachi doesn’t seem to mind if it causes a broken bone or two.”

“Rawr!” Replied Shyama as she faced the remaining cadets.

“Hey! That’s not allowed!” Roared a cadet, “I’m complaining to the Headmaster!”

“Shyama, sic him,” ordered Arlianne.

“Rawr!”

“[Incoherent screaming.]”

Ignoring the cadet’s threat, Shyama pounced on the poor sod and crushed him beneath her large body. The cadet screamed in pain, being heard by the others, and Shyama just sat there until it became quiet.

“It’s not my order, mind you,” said Arlianne, “I’m just following what’s written here. So, will you be going to the drill grounds?”

…

The crushed cadet was sent to the infirmary, missing the exercise. The others, the screams still fresh in their minds, followed the order and went to the drill grounds. At the front was Arlianne, leading them. At the rear was Shyama, watching their every move. When they arrived at the drill grounds, there were two other classes present.

“Hey, it’s Class 13,” said another class’s cadet, “Huh, is that a Manticore?”

“What?! Where?!” Screamed another panicked cadet, “Is that allowed?!”

“Looks like the Headmaster allowed the Manticore to live here,” commented a cadette, “Say, where’s the Skaria boy? All I see is the girl.”

Ignoring the other classes, Class 13 went to an unused spot for their exercise. Lined up, Arlianne shared with them the task for the afternoon. Before she could do so, Rae raised a question.

“Hey, where is Skaria?” She asked.

“Malachi is still in the armory working with the engineers,” answered Arlianne, “He is preparing the equipment needed for our exercise tomorrow. In the meantime, he ordered me to have you all run laps.”

The contents of Malachi’s instruction were as follows.

“Have the entire class run the same stamina and endurance exercises we did. Have them run for as long as you can, and take note of those who collapse first and those who are able to keep up with you until they get tired. Use Shyama to get them going if they won’t move, I’ll leave this part to your imagination.”

They all looked at one another hearing the word “laps.”

“Just laps?” Asked a cadet, “That’s easy.”

Arlianne continued the instruction.

“I will be running with you all,” she said, “The task is to keep up with me for as long as you can, and to try and outrun Shyama.”

Outrun Shyama.

Outrun.

Shyama.

They will be running laps, trying to catch up to Arlianne, while running away from a Manticore that will be chasing after them. The cadet that commented how easy it would be paled at the thought.

The others, except the Eskurs, who do not know Arlianne’s capacity looked down on her. Mainly because she was a woman, and thinking her stamina could not outlast a man’s.

“Any questions?” Asked Arlianne, “Fine, then let us start!”

Without warning, Arlianne began to jog ahead of the class. The rest were still standing there, watching her increase the gap, until they heard another signal from behind them.

“Rawr!”

Shyama began to run after them. Anybody who tried to run away from the exercises were caught by Shyama and brought back to the drill grounds. With no chance for escape, Class 13 began to run away from the Manticore, while the Eskurs struggled to catch up to Arlianne.

As they ran, the other classes watched them.

“Is that allowed?” Asked a cadet, “Where’s Drillmaster Axton?”

The other classes looked for Axton, and reported what Class 13 was doing. Alarmed and confused, Axton went to where Class 13 was running.

“Cadette Skaria!” Called out Axton, “Report to me!”

Because of his booming voice, Arlianne naturally heard his call and ran towards him.

“Good afternoon, Drillmaster Axton,” she greeted, “Did you need something?”

“Why in the world is there a Manticore on the drill grounds?” He asked, “Did Malachi have something to do with this?”

Without answering, Arlianne handed to Axton the instructions she received. Axton received the paper while directing a confused gaze at Arlianne. Axton read the instructions.

“The same exercises, eh?” He said, “That boy has taken a lot of liberties since arriving here. I understand what he means to do, but to force cadets to run with the threat of a Manticore bearing down them? I like it.”

“Drillmaster?!” Cried another cadet in shock.

“Silence!” Bellowed Axton, “You lot will be serving the kingdom after graduating here, and you expect to do that half-assedly?! You’ve all gone too soft since we’ve lived in peace! Back in my day, we were made to run for our lives because we will be protecting others’ lives! The only threats back then were invasions from other kingdoms and nations! Without an immediate threat, you lot have become too lax in your training! Now drop and give me 100!”

Axton returned his attention to an uninterested Arlianne.

“Well, cadette, carry on,” he said, “Oh, think you can catch up to them? I made you lose two laps.”

“It’s fine, Drillmaster,” she replied, “I still have a lot to spare.”

Arlianne and Axton saluted to one another before she returned to her class. Arriving at the course, rather than jog, Arlianne sprinted for two laps before relaxing her pace. The speed that she ran, and the length of time she sustained herself gave her classmates and the other classes indescribable shock and awe.

“Shyama! Pick up the pace!” Ordered Arlianne.

“Rawr!”

“[Incoherent screaming.]”

“If you have the energy to scream, use that to run!” Bellowed Arlianne, “I still have 81 laps left in me!”

…

In the end, after 20 laps, 2 cadets were overtaken by Shyama. After 30 laps, 6 fell to fatigue. Only a few were actually able to remain next to Arlianne: Patrick Bryant, Rae Ramirez, and Levi Skana. The rest were struggling to maintain their distance from Shyama, and the closest to the Manticore was Dinah Skolva.

“Shyama, could you slow down for a bit?” Asked Dinah, “I’ll give you food.”

“Rawr!”

“Eek!” Screamed Dinah, “Okay, okay! I’m sorry!”

“So Eskurs could also scream like that,” commented a cadet, “You know, Dinah is pretty cute.”

“Rawr!”

“What the?!”

The distracted cadet looked back and found Dinah collapsed on the ground. Right behind him were the fangs and claws of Shyama the Manticore.

“[Incoherent screaming.]”

After 40 laps, more than half had already collapsed. The only ones to remain were those running next to Arlianne. Although the three were able to maintain their distance, on their faces were already expressions of disbelief.

‘How much longer do we have to run?’ Thought Patrick, ‘Collapse already!’

Finally, Patrick was the first to collapse at 67 laps. He was followed by Levi who dropped out at 75 laps. Two girls had outrun the entire class, Arlianne and Rae Ramirez. However, it could be seen from Rae’s face that she was already at her limit. Yet, looking at Arlianne, aside from her sweat, she was still composed.

‘This, this girl is insane!’ Thought Rae, ‘How is she able to last this long?! Ugh, I give up…’

Rae finally slowed down to a stop at 81 laps. They all thought that they would be able to leave already, but found something contrary to their thoughts.

“Rawr!”

“Oh, hello,” greeted Arlianne, “Are we the only ones remaining?”

“Rawr!”

“I see,” she replied, “Well, run with me, Shyama.”

Arlianne and Shyama continued their laps, and were watched by the rest of Class 13. The sight of a girl running with a Manticore also attracted the gazes of the other classes and Axton. Curious, they also spectated Arlianne’s running.

“Hey, how many laps does this make?” Asked Samantha, “I lost count at 85.”

“Should already be at 90, I think?” Answered another cadet.

“It’s actually 93,” clarified Levi, “So this is what they’ve been doing back then.”

Everybody turned their attention to Levi for an explanation. Since they all have free time, Levi sated their curiosity.

“Eight years ago, in the village we lived in,” said Levi, “I often saw Malachi dragging Arlianne with him to the village perimeter. I didn’t know what they were doing that for, but every time they come home, I hear the screaming wrath of Lady Bashia. That was because they would always come back home tired, ragged, and dirty. Looking at Arlianne now, I can see what it was for.”

Axton was still watching Arlianne as he listened so he was able to keep track of her progress. Unknown from since when, Axton was counting out loud the laps Arlianne had done.

“101… 102… 103…” Counted Axton, “111… 112… 113…”

Arlianne continued running and, eventually, Shyama tired out. However, even though there was no longer anybody running with her, Arlianne continued.

“Hey, hey, hey! This is insane!” Cried a cadet from another class, “She’s still running!”

“It just shows how serious those two were about this,” noted Levi, “I wonder how long Malachi could last.”

171… 172… 173…

Hearing Levi’s comment, the others could not imagine what Malachi could do.

Arlianne was still running, and her face showed no signs of fatigue. Only when she reached 200 laps did she slow down, then stopped at 220 laps. Gasping for air, Arlianne stood in the middle of the silent field.

“Hah, not enough,” she commented, “I need to catch up to him.”

Stretching her body, she walked back to the rest of Class 13. Arriving, she voiced her thoughts.

“How serious were all of you when you decided to enroll?” She asked, “Now, I understand what Malachi feels when looking at you.”

Her comment echoed in the minds of everyone present.