After Graduation, I had considered all my options, but veered away from the first choice I had in mind, dropping the Monster Base tracts into the garbage bin to replace them with that of the Gunnery, spreading the information on the desk of my room.
Would you have guessed the Kingdom had its roots even in Space? The Faction's scope of dominion extending beyond the tech cities here on the terrestrial and in the sub-terrain. They had constructed and colonized the nearby moons and planets of the cosmos. Amazing. Captain Chalice had brought his dedication to new heights and had me and others fascinated even more.
"I hope your decision has nothing to do with the fact that you adore him so much."
Gustean. A Scholar of fiery red hair and dark eyes. Freckle-faced but a pleasant companion all in all. I met him at an orientation for Gunnery and we clicked.
He was aiming to be a Mecha Engineer, already had his plans set and his blueprints drawn that I was impressed with how much he had thought this out.
Meanwhile I was struggling with the simplest of decisions. The test to get in involved altering an old human machine gun to fit the Realms' standards and I was a nervous wreck.
'Gusty' had offered to help me out so he was here in my dormitory more often now during this break.
When Spring comes we will have to vacate our rooms.
"What? No," I frowned at his remark and sought to deny it. "You know I want to be a Rogue Bullet."
I swore and he scoffed at it, rolling his eyes with a chuckle.
He teased me about this 'crush' I had for Captain Chalice often that it was vexing but he was truly a good fellow. Because he lets me get back at him if ever he does rile me about it.
He also somehow dragged me back to reality.
"You know his standing in the Kingdom.
“He's a Trinity...one of t h e m.
“I heard the King has a say as to who becomes their mates, and the partner for someone like him is almost always another Trinity.
"Unless you make it to Heir Apparent. Which is about as far-fetched a dream as anyone could make it. He's not for the Ordinary like us," he said.
He was right.
I didn't refuse the fact that the distance between our ranks was here to Citadelia, and that he already had someone special in particular reserved for him, myself recalling the lovely Chrysanthemum.
That would probably be her. Plus, I hadn't seen him since. Other than the Ball and that one time at High Mass in fact, I was never able to catch him in public ever.
I just hear of his exploits, his spars and his appearances with the Royals but I would never spot him out in the open. Never again.
"I could dream right, Gust?"
That was what it may ever be. A dream.
---
The day we left the Dormitories was the start of our days in the folds of the actual Factions. While my other classmates went on to be Bards or Knights, Alchemists, Mages or Dancers, I aimed for the Gunnery with Gust.
My friend had passed the signings with no hassle, was tested and got high marks to get the endorsements he needed. I barely got through the exams but was hooked in as a substitute when one of the other passers shifted to be part of Monster Base the last minute.
Fated? Call me a sore loser. I now belonged to a club.
"Lousy…" we met a Rogue Bullet by the name of Sinquain, known as the Nuker due to the reason that his armament consisted mostly of bombs.
He had the same temperament to boot, in charge of us 'Low Lives' or what they called the camp consisting of those that had failed the signups the first time.
Gustean belonged to the Shells. He was an ace that would make it to the Rogue league soon if permitted.
"Really had to pick the Gunnery when you could've just lived a less stressful life plantin' herbs or maybe feedin' monsters!"
I was already regretting my decisions.
This Faction seemed to be the worst at treating its members. I was looking at the rag-tag group I was in and we all looked like we had the same thought in mind, reflected by tired faces, doubtful stares. Nuker didn't make it any easier.
After being shipped to the Faction Isles, we were sent to do most of the scullery work for the higher sections.
We scrubbed floors, cooked meals, polished boots…served like dogs under the seniors that I wished I never asked to be part of this.
Gust didn't seem to see me the same way anymore either. He took advanced lessons and pretended to not know me when he passed me by. No longer my help as I struggled alongside the other Low Lives and started Basic on everything.
The tasks piled. So did the trouble. It was clear after a few months that we were not regarded any better than leeches and even those things were treated with more care than we were. Some of us got bullied. Most quit.
I had my share of the ill-treatment that I had come back to my room bruised, falling asleep crying, but stomached it all in to wake up the next day and do it all over again.
I had not left.
I reminded myself that the only consolation, I being able to send my family a decent salary at least, was enough. The Seniors can pick on me as much as they want, the friend who told me he would stick with me can ignore me to oblivion, and Nuker can scream all he wanted, but I was staying.
Something in me wanted to stick with this Faction. It wasn't him this time. I haven't seen Trinity Chalice in over a year now that his name had faded into a myth to me once more...
"You maggots are the sorriest bunch I had the p l e a s u r e o'seein' all my life an' lemme tell ya I might gladly DIE of a heart attack--"
He was not even half done with this *sarcasm*, my ears and heart steeled as he whipped insults and orders one after another, curses running like the blood in his veins left and right.
We had all become cold.
We, the ones left of the Low Lives, somehow became indifferent to this form of treatment and regarded it as normal.
Shantee, a lanky girl from the Deserts of Abyssalia, even began making jokes about it now. We all snickered once Nuker left.
"Did you notice he had said the same thing yesterday?" she started with a drawl, making an impression that sounded just like the Bullet. " 'I might gladly DIE of a heart attack!'
"Well? Why won't he?"
I laughed while scrubbing at the floorboards of the kitchen. Mess duties felt livelier with them around in some way. We talked of nonsense and other stuff, removed from the dreary rounds we had here at the Faction Base.
Sometimes we talked about our reasons.
"Say Makia. Why'd you join this Faction anyway? If I remember right, before, you said you wanted to join the Monster Base. Why did you get yourself here?"
Augustus was a boy that was in the same Dormitory as I was. He was in a different section as a Scholar but had become close pals with me here in the Isles after I saved him from his bullies.
Ended up in detention for a day after giving two Seniors broken noses, but we discovered we had so much in common as fellow Low Lives.
He was also a herder's son. We came from the same Continent with his family just living farther into Inner DarkThrone. We found out we could discuss things easily.
"Perhaps the same reason as you. I mean, you could have been a Trader right? Why didn't you?"
We laughed at each other.
Shantee was throwing leftovers again and we had turned it into a food battle within thirty minutes. Much to Nuker's wrath, of course.
It always earned us three even more hours of extra work but it wasn't so bad at all anymore. We had adjusted. We were like blades toughened by our designation, moving much better through our life in the Gunnery.