"Do you have any idea of what Division you want to pick?" Xander asked her as they finally made their way towards the final registration station.
Without giving it a second thought, she said "Fighter."
Xander looked at her with wide eyes, his mouth slightly agape. He did not expect her to choose the Fighter Division. It was not like it was completely unheard of for an Empath to want to become a Fighter. It was just natural for them to become Espers because it meshed well with their nature.
Empaths had the ability to see and perceive emotions. They could also control emotions and use them to their advantage. An Esper had a similar role but used emotions in combat as well as negotiations. They could use mind control, telekinesis amongst other things. Since they had a high affinity with emotions, it was the most obvious path for them. They were also soft in nature and were usually against using weapons and their fists to fight.
And looking at Kenneth, she didn't have the physique of a Fighter. But he couldn't exactly judge or ascertain wether she would be successful or not. After all, there seemed to more of Kenneth than met the eye. He also wasn't a Fighter himself so he didn't have the qualifications to judge her either. He still thought it was a shame. She could've become a powerful Esper.
Seeing the doubt and disappointment in Xander's eyes made her laugh on the inside. She loved it when people doubted her abilities. It gave her the chance to not only prove them wrong, but to show off her skills.
She wasn't interested in becoming an Esper in the slightest. She had been a soldier all her life and she knew she wouldn't be able to stay away from fighting. It was engraved in her gene code. She itched for war and chaos; it was all she had ever known.
If being a Fighter allowed her to fight then that was what she'd become. She didn't care what anyone else had to say.
"If that's what you chose then so be it. But be warned that it won't be easy."
Her lips formed a sinister smile at his warning. "I like a challenge." She declared in a low voice.
That look sent shivers down Xander's spine which surprised him even more. He didn't know why but he felt like this young woman walking next to him was dangerous.
They had finally arrived at the check-in desk. Xander looked at her with a slight smile. "If you have any questions or are in need of any help once we get back, please come see me. It'll be my pleasure to assist you."
Kenneth nodded her head and thanked him. Although there was still a lot she didn't know and so much she was curious about, she was thankful to have met him. He did his best to explain everything in the little time they had together.
Xander returned to his post and when it was finally her turn, she walked towards a man who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else and told him her name. He widened his eyes in surprise, at his file, then at Kenneth several times in disbelief.
Realizing that his attitude was rather improper, he smiled awkwardly apologizing to her.
Kenneth wasn't offended in the slightest. After what Xander told her, it would be weirder if he wasn't shocked.
"Welcome to Toleran Academy, Kenneth. I'm Alaric, the intendant of the academy. I'm in charge of registration as well as administrative affairs in the academy. Once we get back to Toleran, I'll be in charge of the warehouse management. So if you are ever in need to purchase something, I'm the the one you should come to."
"Understood Mr. Alaric." Kenneth said politely.
"No need for the honourifics, you can call me Alaric." He said waving his hand.
"Got it, Alaric."
"Since you already paid the 25 units, I'll be handing you a badge. Make sure you keep it with you at all times, it'll serve as an identification for you. Before that, which Division would like to be apart of?" He asked her.
"Fighter Division please."
Alaric looked up at her in surprise. He was expecting her to say Esper and was already going to reach for the Esper badge.
Looking her up and down, a slight frown formed on his face but he didn't question her decision and handed her a red badge with the letter F written on the front.
"I saw that you were with Xander a while back. I assume he explained to you our departure time for tomorrow?" He asked again.
Kenneth nodded her head. "Alright then." He proceeded to hand her a bag that looked light but contained quite a few things.
"This bag will help you with your early beginnings in the academy. Your schedule as well as your room number will be sent to you shortly. Don't forget to read the rule book as well. We aren't very strict with our rules however the ones you do need to follow are important. Make sure to adhere to them."
"Understood."
Alaric then nodded his head. "Make sure to be on time tomorrow. We won't be waiting for any latecomers."
He dismissed her and Kenneth made her way back towards the direction they had come from. She noticed that the two that had been training were no longer there.
Looking around she noticed that the line was half its size since this morning, there were only a few people waiting to get registered now.
Seeing the handsome man training made Kenneth itch for some action. She really wanted to spar with the man and hoped there would come a time where she could. She was especially curious about his style of fighting which was different from her own.
She wasn't opposed to learning new techniques since she'd always had a thirst for knowledge. Finding a secluded place devoid of prying eyes, Kenneth pulled out her bag and fished through its contents. They had provided her with quite a few things and Kenneth was satisfied with what she had.
Grabbing her own bag, she remembered that she had a dagger inside. Pulling the dagger out, she swung it a couple times, trying to get a better feel of the weapon.
She had wielded quite a few daggers in her lifetime and although she didn't have an aversion to them, she felt more comfortable fighting with a firearm. She didn't know wether or not this world had guns but from what she could see, most people preferred to fight with swords.
If she wanted to do well at the academy, she had to ditch her comfortable lifestyle and start training with a blade.
She started to perform simple movements with the dagger trying to get a better sense of the weapon. Once she felt comfortable, she spun it around, adding her own fighting techniques into the mix.
After a couple minutes of warmup, she began using a technique her old captain had thought her. It was called Eskrima, a knife fighting style that combined judo and capoeira techniques. It focused on creating openings when fighting against an opponent's defence. It was an effective and deadly form of fighting, one she enjoyed using against stronger opponents.
The more she swung the blade, the more at ease she found herself being. She could finally relax a little.
Meanwhile, the captain who had returned from his break was sitting on the ground next to the tents that kept him hidden. He had been harassed by his subordinates for awhile now, all of them wishing to spar with him for a little bit.
He knew it was a bad idea to come here. Not only was it exhausting, but it turned out to be a waste of time. No one here stood out to him. He felt as though this year was going to be another boring and disappointing one. The Ventures were in need of new recruits since the older members were graduating soon.
He came here in hopes of finding some promising individuals to enlist but came out to nothing. He sighed to himself.
Finally finding some peace and quiet, he decided to close his eyes and get a little rest when he heard the sound of a blade being swung aggressively. Slightly intrigued, he heightened his senses and could now hear the dagger being swung in intricate patterns and movements. Movements he did not recognize.
He made his way towards the makeshift training grounds, and saw a young woman swinging a dagger. He did not expect to see a young girl there. Although she had a hood on so he couldn't see her face, he could tell based off of her frame that she was young.
She was tall but looked a little too thin. There were almost no muscles on her body, he wondered how she was even able to exude so much force in swinging the blade.
After a few moments, the young girl picked up another dagger that was sitting on the racks of weapons in the training grounds.
She resumed her fighting but this time her movements were much more fluid and he was amazed by her agility. A couple minutes later, the young girl put down the daggers breathing heavily. It was clear she had exerted too much strength. Her body couldn't keep up with all her movements. She was panting trying to catch her breath.
She put back the dagger and still holding her other dagger walked out of the training grounds.
The young man stood there in a daze, looking at her retreating back. He had never seen this fighting style before. The young girl was incredibly skilled and he could tell she had experience. The only problem she had was her condition. She was in terrible shape and was already tired after training for only 20 minutes.
It's such a shame, he thought.
They could really use a girl like that in their team. But if she went on like this, she'd never make it.