"Look at this toad it's too cute! Sir, may I take it as a pet?"
"What is a- oh my of course. We don't ban pets in the camp. I will report it to the higher-ups, you don't have to worry."
{CROAK.}
The girl went back to dissecting the corpse with the toad on her shoulder, occasionally croaking.
They had collected a good amount of materials from the corpses, and a surplus amount of cores. Although humans collected a bunch of cores from the Abominations, they didn't just use them to evolve; they made weapons, armour, and delicacies from them. Yes, food. They would pierce the core and drink the pure Ether inside like it was coconut milk. Although it was something only the richest could enjoy… Embedding the cores also wasn't a 100% certainty, the cores could shatter during or after embedding them into the cavities, both of them being dangerous to the Engraver and causing enough damage to postpone the embedding.
Loading the materials to trucks, the trainees took their seats inside the carrier vehicles and enjoyed the ride back to the camp. At least until they arrived at the camp. Right after they laid down on their beds, an announcement was made and everyone gathered inside the training grounds, the usual place.
"I would like to thank and congratulate every single one of you for your efforts during the Abomination Wave. Although an unlucky happenstance, I believe it showed you the severity and dangers of an Incursion. Don't ever forget it. Use it to remember why we fight, who we fight for, and why we should emerge victorious from this war against the Abominations! Carve it into your bones! We are the protectors of those who cannot protect themselves from such monsters! We are the hope of humanity and our planet!" Captain Henry paused for a moment to calm down.
"Since you now know about it, it is time to challenge you in this regard. Obviously, we won't have you war against Abominations just yet. You will war against each other first. Two weeks later, you will have a 'Capture The Flag' drill. We know about the discrepancy between the average and top performers, so we decided that it would be best to have all of you do it together instead of having two groups go against each other. Five hundred of the top-performing groups will be fighting against the rest. This is your chance to prove to them that you are just slightly behind, not any worse than them. Use it well."
After making the announcement, he disappeared like usual, leaving the trainees to handle it themselves.
—
"Ma'am." Captain Henry greeted the person on the holo-call. "I'm afraid I have to borrow your team for a while longer."
"Yes, I have heard about your situation. It made quite a stir here. A psychic of Rank 4 Aberration on the loose… Do you know what you did wrong?"
"Yes. I'm ready for any punishment you see fit."
"I want you back at the capital when you deal with it, we will handle your punishment then. For now, clear the mess."
"Yes ma'am!"
The call ended at that, leaving Captain Henry on his own inside his room. He was clutching his hands so hard that the crushing of the bones could be heard. When he found that Aberration, he wouldn't have it die so easily.
—
Sean was on his bed, meditating. The morning exercises were scrapped and replaced with the practice for the 'Capture The Flag'. He could still see the expectant gazes of other trainees when they were looking at their group. Expecting them to lead their side for the win… Of course, they dodged those gazes and holed up themselves in their room. Leading 3000 trainees were above his and Latoya's pay grade. They could only leave it to Tyson and Group A-1. He was sure they could handle it.
The next morning, the leading figures were gathered around the southwest entrance of the training grounds. Latoya couldn't escape because of her team leader title but made sure to bring Tyson and Sean along. She wouldn't let Sean be the only one to escape from this burden. Other groups' representatives were mostly their leaders, with few bringing their right-hand person to the meeting too. It was already so crowded with just over 500 people, how hectic it would be when the day of Capture the Flag came?
"I would like everyone to write their groups' preferred weapons." Tyson was handing papers to every team leader. "We will decide how to position our troops depending on that, so if you could, don't forget to add any specialities they have." Sherryl continued where he left off.
"As you know, there is only one flag, and we will be the ones protecting it. The rules also said that if we managed to protect it for half a day, we would be considered victorious. That is why our formation is important. We will face against an army many times our size."
As Tyson and Sherryl were working, one person from the back came to the front.
"And who made you the leaders? Just because you were placed higher than us? I say we should decide on a leader first! Am I the only one?"
The boy had fiery orange hair in the shape of a mohawk and would be wearing piercings too if he was not in the military. He roused up others with his words that also felt inferior and was not happy with the arrangement.
"Alright." Sherryl calmly accepted his 'suggestion'. "How do you say we decide on a leader, duels?"
"Of course! But you will have to limit yourselves to the opponent's string count, deal?"
"You have yourself a deal." Sean came forward. He would gladly entertain those looking for a fight. "Just to be sure, is it only you, or do you want to come as a group? I would prefer the latter, we still have to strategise and train, after all. Don't waste my time."