It was a new day at the Blyth mansion. Now, there were more people, he knew about the crisis he was in. He was going to be trained by Salazar and was already set on a path which would enable him to know, the reason for which he was being targeted.
He also managed to get into the gaming world and if he paid a decent amount of attention to it, he would be able to get quite financially successful too.
It was 4.30 a.m when the alarm buzzed in Balthazar's room. He groggily went to bathroom to clean himself up. He drank a bit of citrus juice from the refrigerator in his room to get rid of the remaining effect of the drinks.
He dressed himself in a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt and got himself to the gymnasium to meet Salazar. The Blyth family gymnasium was a very big in the west wing of the mansion. It spanned two floors. The first floor had the basic equipment for everyday training along with a couple of fighting rings. There were also a bunch of automatons which assisted in the physical training.
The second floor had all the testing equipment, a few heavy weight training apparatuses and three special combat rooms. These combat rooms can be customized, and it required the special permission to enter and use them.
It was 10 minutes to 5 a.m. and Salazar wasn't there yet. None of the younger generation he knew were there. It only had a few elders and men of the older generation, working out. With nothing to do, he decided to warm himself up and joined them. He went to a tread mill beside Elaine Blyth, one of his aunts.
"You guys are here early," said Balthazar with smile trying to strike conversation.
"Well, we just came back after a long trip and it was already sunrise," replied one of them without looking at him as if it was something he was used to saying regularly.
"Oh. It's you," said Elaine. "Glad to see you have returned."
"Glad to be back."
"Heard Salazar would be training you."
"How do you know about that?"
"Old colleagues. Salazar and I were on the same team as John."
"Is he John's kid," asked another man who just came to stand beside Elaine with a vitamin drink in hand.
"I am," said Balthazar extending his hand.
"Marcus Price," said the man as he shook his hand.
"Price? As in the Price family? One of the seven most influential families in the alliance," asked Balthazar surprised. The Price family was considered the most powerful family in the alliance. Even the prime director of the alliance, who was elected had been a Price for the past 9 decades.
"He doesn't know?" Marcus asked Elaine.
"Of course not. He is still a kid," said Elaine rolling his eyes.
"Marcus is my husband, Bel. We have been in collaboration with the Price family for a long time," she told Balthazar.
She took the bottle from Marcus as she got off the thread mill. "Hope you join us soon. Be careful. Salazar has no patience with apprentices."
"If you are done badmouthing me, you can fuck off," said Salazar from behind her.
"Always sneaky and silent. Can't even come to the gymnasium through the main door," teased Elaine shaking her head.
Salazar calmly walked past her and asked Balthazar "What are you doing here? I was waiting for you at the second floor."
He didn't wait for a reply and just gestured Balthazar to follow him.
"He was very nice yesterday. What is with the sudden change of personality?" he asked Elaine.
"He is always like that when it comes to physical training. He was considered a hardworking freak when he first joined us. Even John, who brought him aboard didn't expect that. And he is always a bit candid."
Balthazar ran after Salazar, who was already at the second floor. It was completely empty except for the pair of them. He was standing by the machine which measured punch strength.
"Punch strength? Do we actually ever even punch our targets?" asked Balthazar.
"Don't be foolish. What do you think we do here? We don't just go killing people. Many times, we need to interrogate them. What if you are attacked in public or if you end up in a brawl or if you must provide a distraction? Complete physical strength has to be above the required standard for being an agent," said Salazar in admonishment.
"Come on. Be quick about it. Today, we test your present capacities. Based on that we will continue as required," continued Salazar.
Balthazar had spent a decent amount of time in his past life on martial arts. As an assassin, he mainly focused on escaping. Head on long fights was something he was not that good at. Moreover, due to the tough situation he used to be in after he lost his job at the military, he focused a lot in developing his body physique. He continued it even after he started a civilian job at Rudra's workshop.
But now, he hardly was the same man. Though, he had been working to improve his physique by habit, it hadn't even been ten days after the miracle with him reverted to his old weak physical self.
"I shall try my best," he thought as punched the machine as quick and hard as he could.
"532 kg? You can do better than that. Put your back into it, have a running start, show me the best you can."
Balthazar took a few steps back. He suddenly accelerated leaping towards the machine, put his foot down half a metre from it and using it as a fulcrum put the entire weight of his body behind his punch. A couple of pops sounded off him as he struck the machine.
"612 kg. That's better. You got decent strength, but your form is not that good. You heard the pops when you struck. That is your body telling you that you can do better. Your ligaments failed to properly handle the stress of your movements," said Salazar.
"The attempt was good though. But the movements were not suitable for your musculature. You should either change your style to suit your body or improve upon your body. Don't repeat that again in your workout or training."
"OK"
"Before we continue through the rest of it. Let me first tell you how to disable the recovery function of the pico-tech serum using your wrist band. Always do it when you work out or train. It would hamper your body growth and development as it always helps to quickly repair any muscle strain or stretch. That kind of beats the entire point of training doesn't it. Keep it disabled for two hours after your workout and supplements intake."
"Now let us move on to the rest of them," he said directing to another machine.
Twenty minutes later. They were sitting on a bench discussing the results. "Your kick strength peaks at 781 kg with an axe kick. Both punch and kick strength averages just cross the mark. Your throws of light weapons have a max range of 7 meters. Can improve on it. Max running speed is 32 mph. That's not bad. Weightlifting fails to cross the mark. I have your shooting results from the force. It is decent but can actually be improved on," said Salazar marking things on his wrist band screen.
"Damn! Are his standards too high or am I that disappointing?" thought Balthazar looking at dissatisfied expression on Salazar's face.
"Your speed and shooting skills are the only good thing about you. Let us check your reaction time," said Salazar as he took him to a combat room. Here, he made Balthazar wear a sensory suit and he set the standard to advanced. The combat room had a bunch of machines which fired rubber balls with varying sized from that of a bullet to a football at the subject. He would have to dodge them as the machines would slowly increase the rate and force of the balls and would be graded based on it. This kind of machine would be present in most of the well-known gymnasiums.
The user would have to select the standard of the test - Amateur, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced or Expert. They would be graded - unqualified, barely qualified, Qualified, Excellent or Over-qualified. Obviously, unqualified and over-qualified results recommend using another standard.
After 15 minutes of dodging and jumping, he was finally graded advanced-qualified.
"You have good reflexes and your main focus was on speed. You also have good observation and senses. But you need to improve on your physical strength," said Salazar summarizing the results.
"Now only endurance is to be checked for today. Come with me," said Salazar leading him out of the gymnasium building. They went behind the mansion, past a couple of herbariums and found themselves in an area filled with trees.
This was a large ground, where they usually trained the animals. It had a large racetrack filled with various hurdles. A large dark-blue furred creature suddenly jumped on to Balthazar, pinning him on the floor and started licking him. It looked like a wolf but had a couple of horns with bony plating on either sides of its head. It was An old man who seemed to be the grounds keeper came right behind it.
"I am very sorry. He never behaves this way," he said to Salazar.
"Leave him and come here, Anubis."
But it didn't budge and stayed near Balthazar. It was when he heard the groundskeeper say Anubis that Balthazar finally recognized it. It belonged to John. It was a pup when he was a kid and he used to play a lot with the pup. As a pup it didn't have the horns and he always thought it to be a wolf.
He slowly touched its muzzle and pushed it back. He sat up and started to brush it with his hand. Anubis put its tongue out, lay down beside him and started to enjoy it.
"It belonged to my dad. It must have smelled me," he explained to the groundskeeper who looked perplexed. Anubis belonged to a very-ferocious species of amphibious canines called Grypa found in a different solar-system. It was a regulated species. John brought its mother to the mansion somehow and a few years later it birthed Anubis. It was Bolena who named it Anubis.
The groundskeeper was naturally afraid as Anubis' breed itself is considered a dangerous one and it never pounced like that on a person before.
"Oh good. Then you know your company," said Salazar.
"The track is 4km long has a few hurdles and other obstructions. You have about 30 minutes left. Just go around the track as many times as you can. I am expecting at least 10. I won't be monitoring you. You will keep track of it yourself and report to me your daily progress."
"This is an animal racetrack," said the groundskeeper to Salazar.
"I know Elric, consider him one of them during his runs."
"You are not to disturb any of the other creatures using the ground. This is a training area for the animals we rear, and you are just using it. You are to meet me at the main hall by 5 p.m in the evening," he added looking at Balthazar as he left.
"10 rounds in half an hour. That is about 80 kmph for half hour. That is very hard," thought Balthazar.
"I thought rearing animals didn't require such extensive training grounds."
"That's for the domestic animals kid which are usually reared on large scale for their meat. These are all rare wild ones, which are being reared in seclusion. They need the exercise they usually have in the wild for their biological development. Without it, they would become useless specimens."
"You can start now. I will inform the others of you. Don't worry all the creature loose here are tamed and wouldn't hurt you unless you bother them."
"Thanks. I'm Balthazar by the way," said Balthazar extending his hand.
"Lucian Elric. I maintain the grounds here along with my sons," replied Elric shaking it.
"Can I come here occasionally to meet Anubis."
"Sure."
"OK. See you. Bye Anubis."
Balthazar started a stopwatch on his wrist band and started running along the track.
Twelve rounds later, he was completely exhausted. He went to a large tree and rested in the shady area beneath it. Anubis walked upto Balthazar and sat beside him resting it's head in his lap.
A few minutes later, Elric came with a water bottle in his hand. Balthazar immediately took the bottle and thanked Elric.
"Don't sit down beneath the trees or some random place to rest here. You can come to the cabin," he said pointing to a cabin more than a kilometer away. "Though the animals here are tamed, it is best not to take chances. Even if Anubis is guarding you. That is why we cave a small cabin for every few square kilometers."
"Oh! Thanks for the advice and offer."
"No big deal. You weren't the first nor will you be the last. Even Salazar was here doing the same."
He made his way slowly to the cabin. There was plumbing and fresh water available, along with a few weapons and first aid kit. A few minutes later, he decided that he better go back to the mansion and have some breakfast. Anubis also tried to follow him.
"Can I take him with me? I will take good care of him."
"Uh! I am surprised that it is willing to follow you. Were you there when it was born?"
"Yes. Both my sister and I were there beside my parents," said Balthazar. It was a dear memory to him. He remembered the good times when they played around with the pup every day after its birth.
"Well that explains it. He must have imprinted upon you. The first few faces a creature sees when it is born are considered by it to be its closest allies by instinct. It probably considers you on the same level as its siblings."
"You can probably take it. But not out of the mansion. You need to leave it here or secure it some place safe when you are not with it."
"That could be done. I can have Thaddeus look after it, when I am off the premises."
"There is pet shelter right behind the mansion. I will send you the details and also how to feed and take care of Anubis."
"Thanks," said Balthazar receiving the information from him and left along with Anubis. He soon went to the mansion. After breakfast he put Anubis in the pet shelter behind the mansion and left to the board of directors meet at the mining company.