RE:volt! Chapter 9: The Plot.
Days passed as Ark got used to his new quarters and being made to partake in daily assemblies. Unlike the field hands and produce pickers, the autonomy of the warrior cadets were much more scrutinized, with nearly every action put under the spotlight by either Overseer Bruno or one of his helpers, a fact which annoyed Ark to no end.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do to mitigate their awareness as turmoil and unrest gripped the Constantine lands.
From Ark's knowledge, and the chatter of random helpers, Ark came to the understanding that many of the slaves obviously didn't take too kindly to their children being culled. There were riots, attempts to escape, and fires, with several helpers being injured, but ultimately the slave revolt was suppressed with life returning to normal a short while after.
During the purge and time under house arrest, Ark tried his best to get acquainted with his bunkmates, yet besides Nine, none of them paid him any heed, most of the others assuming he'd be dead soon anyway.
In short, Ark's progress had been stalled.
Fuck. How the hell am I supposed to craft my core if all of these fuckers keep staring at me. Ark grimaced, sitting on a barrel as he awaited his turn to get pummeled by Knight Bruno.
Toughening training the man called it, but it was more like an excuse to vent their frustrations on the weak and defenseless.
It wasn't all bad, at least for Ark. During these times when most of the helpers were gathered, the undisciplined vagrants were extremely loose lipped and gossipy in-between the beatings. From there Ark got to learn quite a bit more about the status of the world, the rumors surrounding the house, and the monster swarms that seemed to still plague humanity despite his and his former companion's best efforts.
The helpers weren't privy to the real reason why, only that the monsters had something to do with a place called the Grand Scar, a landmark that never existed in Ark's time. Irelidex didn't know either, but Ark had the sneaking suspicion she was being more unhelpful than knowledgeable.
"Number Six-two-six!" Bruno called out, the Knight smiling as he wiped his bloody fist and kicked Thirty-Four into the dirt, the bloodied teenager in rags already crawling to her feet.
Her beaten red red-haired friend glared but did nothing, standing in line like a good obedient dog, yet Ark could see the fury within them.
A potential exploit. Ark figured as he walked forward to stand before Bruno, all he had to do was rope in Thirty-Four who held the boy's leash and he'd get two for the price of one.
"Chin up boy." Bruno ordered, taking Ark away from his thoughts.
Ark did as told, lifting his head as the man cocked his armored fist back and punched him in the face.
***
Fortunately, a day came when Ark finally became acquainted with his schedule and his upcoming trainings, all thanks of course to the power of reading.
After becoming more acquainted with the cadet barracks area, Ark found that there was a pin-up board in the center of the four hovels that served as barracks for the different teams organized by age.
The helpers used the board to coordinate all of their activities and to avoid run-ins and stepping on each other's feet, however, thanks to this blatant disregard for operational security, Ark came to learn what the day-to-day to even the next week entailed thanks to the plans being out in the open.
Knight Bruno and the others banked on the slaves not knowing how to read, a fact of which was true, at least for everyone but Ark, the latter of which would exploit to plan his next move.
Idiots. Adam said to himself, staring in between the physical exercises he was mandated to do along with his cohort and memorizing every detail of the week's schedules. Operational security was one of the chief things he was taught about warfare, deception and guile, it was just too bad that those who taught him the art of war had chosen to lead by example when they took his life.
This time though… this time he would get it right. Although he was an age too late to save his love, vengeance was still within his grasp. Whatever legacy, whatever offspring, whatever foundation his former companions had built up… he would tear them down. Brick by brick if need be. He just needed to get strong enough to escape.
"Heh."
Irelidex seemed to chuckle, an image of the dragon applauding his efforts and thirst for vengeance.
You know you could be helpful. Ark said, performing his push-ups as a helper cracked his whip.
"Oh? But I like observing how you slither and toil." Irelidex said, the dragon being of no use at all as usual.
What the hell is the point of us being bonded if you don't do anything?
"I am biding my time." Irelidex replied, causing Ark to tense up.
The fuck does that mean?
"It means good things come to those that wait." The dragon chastised. "Besides, you should pay more attention to the eyes that wander rather than what dwells within."
Ark frowned, his eyes darting around until they settled on the girl named Thirty-Four glaring at him before they shifted away.
Odd. Maybe she's finally coming around.
"Optimistic much?"
If you aren't going to be useful, shut up lizard.
'My oh my… so rough." Irelidex teased.
Ark paid the Dragon Empress no heed, instead concentrating on his exercises and plotting.
***
At chow time, aka their lunch and dinner, Ark lined up with the other children, taking a yellowing wooden tray from a rack to acquire his daily rations from the house slave Ninety-Nine who had been in charge of ration distribution as of late from a large pot.
Ark clenched his hand, the little bit of paper rolled up and tied with string sequestered in the crevices of his palm.
He took his rations, the brown goop akin to diarrhea with chunks of meat splattered from a ladle onto his wooden plate.
Time to see if you're useful.
Ark locked eyes with Ninety-Nine, the slave smiling but saying nothing before the slave child tripped, grabbing onto the man's vestments where his hand quickly slipped into the House Slave's pocket in an attempt to halt his descent.
"Whoa!" Ninety-Nine exclaimed, catching Ark who stared at his spilled meal that sat strewn across the rocky ground and smothered in dirt. "You ok kid?"
"Hey! No dilly dallying! MOVE!" A helper barked, cracking his whip.
"S-s-sorry sir! Yes sir!" Ark let out, his voice timid and scared before he quickly took off, his stomach growling.
Now let's just hope he checks his pockets. Ark said to himself, his expression morphing from the worried child to his regular face before sitting at a table and blending in with the other cadre.
And now we wait.
***
Nightfall came, Ark laying on his wooden board as he waited, eyes staring up at the hole in the ceiling and the open night sky, the vast starry night that held constellations familiar to him.
He narrowed his eyes, his mind wandering back to those nights camped out in the woods when Jasper would set up his telescope, the mage excitedly speaking about something called astronomy and teaching Ark, Aem, and Liana about the stars.
Ark and the giant never really had a fascination with it and preferred using the time to train, but it was something Liana was interested in, so Ark did his best to at least feign interest.
"And that's the Pegasus!" The voice of Liana cried excitedly in his mind as Ark's blue eyes settled on a familiar constellation.
Those idillac days… How could things go so wrong…
Suddenly the door of their barracks opened, Ark's eyes tracking the entrance where a helper stood alongside Ninety-Nine.
Right on time.
"Six-two-six." Ninety-Nine said, his tone neutral as he stood over Ark with furrowed brow. "Come with me."