"Hah!" A collective gasp echoed through the hall.
"You see," Samuel continued with his blindfold off. "I tried being reasonable with a demon once by offering it mercy. I can assure you, there is no reasoning with them. They are creatures of pure darkness, devoid of empathy or any compassion. Their one and only desire is to destroy and kill us."
He put his blindfold back on then clasped his hands behind his back.
Clap! Clap!
He clapped his hands sharply, snapping everyone everyone back to attention.
"Now then," he said, his voice low and devoid of any warmth, "let's see to the practical side of today's lesson. Each of you select a weapon from the racks along the walls. Choose wisely as this will be your weapon I will instruct you in."
He pointed towards the weapon racks.
I moved towards the racks along with everyone else. There were swords of various designs, axes, spears, bows — anything you could want. But I already knew what I wanted — no, more like what I could use.
I picked out a dagger. This one, however, was longer than yesterday's, with a sleek, black blade and a comfortable, well-balanced grip. I tested its weight in my hand and felt a connection to it.
[Dagger Affinity Lv. 1 (★) active!]
Close by I saw Lucas selecting a one-handed sword. Amelia, meanwhile selected a bow, tracking the curve of the polished wood with her fingers.
'Just like in the novel…' I thought.
"Once you've made your choice, come to my desk and record your chosen weapon on this sheet. You'll be able to collect it at the training buildings by simply tapping your watch on the terminal."
We all nodded, lining up to register our weapon choices. As soon as we finished, the bell rang, signaling the end of class and the start of our lunch break.
…
While most of my classmates hurried towards the cafeteria, I had a different destination in mind: the academy's train station. I had a plan, a calculated risk, and I was confident it would give me what I needed the most to survive the events of my unfinished novel.
*
*
*
Once at the academy's train station, I found a train already idling at the platform.
"Train 777 - Lumina City - 12:15. Perfect."
I approached the station attendant, a middle-aged woman with a stern expression that suggested she would probably not budge, but I had to at least try. Time for a little improv.
"Excuse me," I began, adopting a tone of polite urgency. "I need to reach the city as quickly as possible. Is there any way I could buy a ticket and get on the train?"
She eyed me and looked at my academy uniform. "First-years are restricted to weekend train travel only," she stated flatly, implying there was no room for argument.
'Time for Plan B,' I feigned a slight cough. "Please… You have to understand, this is a matter of importance, it's a family emergency." I widened my eyes ever so slightly.
'Let's see if my acting skills are better than my shitty charm stat.
The attendant didn't move and her lips thinned into a disapproving line.
"Rules are rules," she reiterated. "And honestly you're not charming enough to pull off the puppy-dog eyes. Try again when you've hit puberty."
'Ouch.' A direct hit to my already non-existent charm! Note to self: work on my acting skills, or better yet increase my charm stat. This woman was a brick wall. Direct confrontation was pointless.
I let my shoulders slump, acting as though I had given up. "Right, yeah," I mumbled, turning away as if to leave. I even added a theatrical sigh for good measure. The key was to seem completely compliant, to make her think I had given up.
As I "walked away," I kept a close eye on the train. The moment the doors began closing, I made my move. It was now or never.
With a burst of speed, I dashed towards the closing doors, leaping over the barrier. I then somehow managed to slide through the narrow gap just as the doors hissed shut, leaving the stunned attendant behind.
The train began moving forwards, accelerating rapidly.
I caught a glimpse of the hag's bewildered expression through the window as we pulled away.
"Sorry, lady," I muttered under my breath while smirkng. "But some things are more important than rules." Or in my case, avoiding a very gruesome death.
I quickly made my way to the back of the carriage. The journey to the city would be relatively short, about an hour and a half, thanks to the train's high speed.
*
*
*
I found an empty seat and settled in, pulling my academy jacket off and keeping it over my legs. I kept my head down, trying to blend in with the other passengers that were students, mostly from the higher years.
Guchunk! Guchunk!
The train rattled along the tracks. I knew this was risky, that I'd get caught if a train attendant checked for tickets inside the car, but if I succeeded the potential reward outweighed the risks.
The carrige doors slid open.
"Tickets please," a train attendant asked one of the students, stopping just in front of the next passenger, some upperclassman. He flicked his ticket her like it was beneath him.
As she moved closer, I was starting to panic. No ticket. No excuses. And my charm was so low, I'd probably make things worse if I tried to talk my way out of this. I looked around the carriage, my eyes darting left and right like a trapped rat.
'Sealed windows. Great.'
The only other way out was past her, and that obviously was a no-go.
'Think, Caspian, think!' The voice inside my head was starting to grow desperate.
Instead of waiting for her to reach me, I decided to take the initiative. I stood up and walked to the front of carriage. As I passed the attendant, I flashed a piece of paper I found on the floor that looked deceptively enough like a ticket.
"I need to go to the bathroom, it's fine right?" I even added a little wince for dramatic effect.
The attendant barely glanced at the paper. "All good," she mumbled back, already moving onto the next passenger.
'Fuck yes!' I thought while making my way into the next carriage. 'It actually worked.'
I guess that saying about if you looked confident enough people would let you do what you wanted was true.
*
*
*
The train began to slow after an hour and half. Lumina City was right there. This was it.
As we pulled into the station, I peeked out the window. There was a crowd of people milling about, students obviously, commuters, and… shit. Two Academy security guards right by the doors.
'Damn it.'
The doors hissed open, and the passengers started trickling out. I took a deep breath, trying to look like I wasn't about to bolt.
'Act normal. Act normal. Act normal.'
Easier said than done.
I waited for a big enough group to get off, then slipped out with them with my head down and eyes anywhere but on the guards. Just another face in the crowd, that was the idea anyway.
I walked with a steady pace, doing my best to look like I belonged. Like I wasn't a first-year who'd just snuck onto the train. After another 5 minutes, I was out.
Lumina City.
I stopped for a second to admire the view. The very place I'd written about countless times was in front of me. The city… was loud with people of all kind.
I looked back at the station, the Academy guards were still busy likely looking for me. I grinned. I'd actually done it.
Now, time to find what I had come here for.
…