Dalia wasn't just a commanding officer; she was the officer in person. As soon as she set foot in the Fallen Capital, Captains and Lieutenants came to meet her. Each of them wore white, the original color that signified the chain of command. They carried papers and reports about movements inside and outside their boundaries.
Dante kept following, listening without fully understanding the recent attacks on the Lagmoratos, even though he knew it was an important place due to the power struggle. He remembered his father telling him many years ago, when he first started training, that the Lagmoratos were the central part of the battle, and the focus of the training was to remain within it.
He never truly understood why he had never seen one of those places, but seeing its importance, he couldn't afford to falter if he were in one.
— We'll take a shorter path to Retino, Tecno said, pointing to a street on the left. It was less busy, with no carriages. Dante had expected more reinforced technology from the stories he'd heard. — And we'll save time with the completed reports. Ma'am, how do you want to proceed with the recent issues?
— Pirates and bandits are the priority for the guards inside the Capital, Dalia replied. — I don't plan on making this our problem. The infantry is being tested because we had to leave for a while. Fortunately, we were lucky.
Freto and Crish raised their thumbs at Dante once more, proud. They're so different when they're fighting.
— I fear our main objective will be to bring the miners back, Dalia continued. — If what they showed us is correct, then we have two problems. The extraction is being violated by something, and the place is in conflict.
The last part didn't sit well with any of the listeners.
— We need to go immediately, Freto concluded. — The miners may be in danger if they stay there.
— Calm your heart, Dalia said. She made another turn. The street ahead was long, and at the end, there was a marble dome with a flagpole bearing a red flag at the top. — Dante needs to do the first inspection. We'll proceed once everything is done. He'll be tested in a rivalry and combat with the other cadets to see his positioning. After that, we'll leave.
The dome was twice as large up close. Beneath it, it was almost impossible to see its curvature, and the marble was so thick that one could feel its coldness even from several meters away. Dalia introduced herself to one of the Sergeants of the day, and they entered.
Inside, the entire place seemed painted bronze, with a huge chandelier on the ceiling and few lights on the walls. The sun seemed to radiate inside, creating a light and natural clarity. Dante didn't want to be impressed, but his face didn't make it easy.
The others smiled when they saw him excited.
Dalia led them to where a Sergeant named Marques was waiting.
— External form, said the Sergeant, handing it over without looking Dalia in the eyes. — Let him fill in the details, ma'am. Once he's done, he can head to the field. He'll be tested in whatever you decide.
The clipboard was handed to Dante.
— And what I asked you for, did you manage to get it? Marques spoke even more quietly, looking at the papers on his desk.
— It's already being put under your name.
Marques thanked her, and Dalia turned her back. Dante didn't comment, just started filling in his personal information. He grabbed the age section and sighed.
— I don't want to put my age here. It's impolite.
His voice reached the Sergeant, who simply stretched his hand and crossed out the question.
— Courtesy for the officer. He still hadn't lifted his head, but Dante thanked him anyway and handed the clipboard back. Marques analyzed it and passed it to another corner.
— I'm sure you're ready for the field, but we have procedures. Lagmorato is a place where the Felroz and we have had conflicts for over a century. You've probably heard many rumors about it. Our current technology recreates a battlefield with other cadets so we can assess the limits of what each one can achieve. This problem is specifically referenced because when we're facing those horrid creatures, they don't attack recklessly. In the portal to my left, you'll be tested against them. Staying or not in the field is your decision, but don't expect anything easy.
— It's time, then, Dalia said to Dante. — If you want to pass, stay as long as you can. I may have chosen you, but that doesn't mean I'll accept any result. You don't have to win, but don't be defeated in a ridiculous way. We'll all be watching.
Marques gave a slight smile and stretched his hand to the left.
— Please. I look forward to your return.
Dante walked in when Tecno stopped him, laughing.
— Hey, you're going in empty-handed? The question left Dante a little confused. — Even though it's a simulation, they're still Felroz. You can choose any weapon you think is necessary. You've used something before, right?
Dante nodded.
— I've used a baton and wooden swords. His father always beat him when he was younger because of that. If they knew how much he'd been beaten, they wouldn't care about asking about weapons. — But I prefer using my arm.
Tecno found it amusing but immediately disagreed. He went to one of the counters and pulled out an iron baton. He twirled it on his finger a few times and threw it. Dante caught it.
— Even if you're confident, don't let her take you by surprise. You need to be at your best. Now, go. I want to see you in action again.
Dante nodded, thanking him, and entered quickly. The light on the other side was opaque, turning green, then blue. He stepped onto something soft, with a warm air, and breathed in deeply, smelling the rich scent of wet earth.
His eyes adjusted, and he saw a plain with inclines and smaller plateaus throughout the space.
He crouched and touched the ground. The grass was real, the scent too. He saw other people appearing, but none were impressed. Weapons in hand and determined faces. Dante didn't get up and asked for information from Vick.
— Based on what you're seeing, everything's leaning towards a direct battle. I advise you to stay within the designated area so you can keep the rivalry active.
— It'll be like this, a woman stepped forward, pointing ahead. — I've done this about ten times. We're going to win the right way. The Felroz will come from all directions, so we have to keep them out of the area. You can observe the numbering in the sky.
Dante looked up. There was a screen, something large, showing 30% in blue.
— We are the blue, the woman continued. — If we leave the area, this number drops. If they enter, we lose. If we die, we lose. The new cadets need to synchronize with us. The simulation is calmer than a normal battle, but don't let your guard down. Those things can't see us, but they can hear us.
The blue numbering dropped to 29%, and Dante furrowed his brow. No one had left the area.
— The more of them there are, the less there is for us, the woman explained to the confused faces from the new number. — We need to hunt them. Now, let's go.
Dante saw the cadets all following the woman. She used some kind of ability that increased their speed. They began moving toward the center when a huge noise sounded from the left. An explosion in the ground, and the creature emerged with its mouth open, full of teeth, its tongue swinging from side to side, and its four arms desperately trying to escape the ground. The nearest cadet fell sitting, trembling, as the Felroz's arm turned into a claw.
His chest was pierced instantly. No one had time to do anything.
Dante opened his mouth. The size of the creature, its strength, even its speed. It was far beyond what was in the books. The battles he'd heard about from his father, the fury, the chaos, even the wars. The stories of soldiers who went in to save people. The willpower of those who stayed inside the Lagmorato so civilization could expand.
The Capital was the last part fighting these monsters.
Wasn't that more than motivating? Dante slowly closed his hand around the baton, his eyes wide as he watched the creature quickly break free from the ice that had been thrown at its chest.
All his training had been for this…
He let out a laugh and swung his whole arm back, adjusting his posture.
— Let's see how much they can take from this old man. It didn't matter anymore, he would be a veteran rookie. He was decided.
The baton cut through the air in the blink of an eye and exploded the Felroz's chest all at once. Dante didn't let up and tensed his legs. The energy was released, and he leaped forward, closing the distance in an instant. The creature was still swinging its arms, spitting blood, and trying to find a victim. Dante grabbed one of its arms, brought it down, and slammed it against the ground. With one stomp, he broke its stiffened arm and drove it into its head.
The Felroz stopped moving.
Dante picked up the baton he had thrown and faced the other end.
— There's more coming.
— Hey, you. The woman shouted, pointing a finger. — Don't do that again. Are you trying to kill us?
— Ah, shut up. Dante turned his back. — Get lost.
Her face turned bright red, and she raised her hand, but Dante reacted with the baton.
— If you raise your hand at me, I'll take you down too. He let out a broken laugh. — Wanna test me, little girl?
The old man moved away. The cadets were quite startled by the way he had spoken. Regardless of whether he had just taken down a Felroz by himself, his demeanor wasn't the best. And that was reinforced when the woman trembled and stepped back.
Outside, Dalia and the others watched.
— He took that one down by himself, Tecno said, impressed. — Giving him the baton was a good move.
— It doesn't matter the weapon, he could do that with his bare hands. Dalia didn't uncross her arms. — I want to know what his weakness is.
The three of them looked at the Officer at the same time.
— Weakness? The question seemed silly coming from Freto's mouth. — Why are you looking for that?
— We all have one. Even though we're improving our technology, we still need to know our main weakness. He likes to fight, he must have lived a whole life training against people, but now he showed it doesn't matter if it's a monster. He destroyed a simulated Felroz in a matter of seconds. Speed, strength, mentality, capability. Dalia paused briefly, looking more focused. — His ability converts kinetic energy, so he can overload if he reaches his maximum. That's why he has strange habits, like scratching his own hand or snapping his fingers out of nowhere.
It was impressive that Dalia had noticed something so trivial. Tecno found it amusing.
— You're really interested in him, ma'am.
— A good warrior. If he only relies on individuality, then he must not have learned to fight with weapons, which is why he didn't want one. The Officer's fingers dragged over her own armor. She wanted to know what it was. — Show me where you falter, Dante.