"Good morning, cadets!" Exclaimed Liam, as he did roll call in the morning of the third day of Week 2 on Isle Monroe.
Much to everyone's dismay, it was job day again, and certain people hadn't slept well enough for that kind of thing. One such person, was Jorge Vasquez, who took two hours to break the lock to get in his room, only to be woken up by Thomas' infernal 1AM alarm. Another such person, was not Nikolai Nikolaoff, who for once had no shenanigans to get up to, and was able to get a good night's sleep.
"Alright, here's the sheet of paper. You all know what to do. But first, some announcements. Ross and Gardner, Douglas wants you to help him sort the armoury. Johnson, take Nikolaoff and Tuscan with you to the entrance. The King's daughter is coming again; I got no idea what she wants but she asked for you. Good luck, I'm off to get my stupid brother unstuck from the fridge." Liam explained, then went off to the staff building.
"Wonderful, now I'm stuck with you losers for the entire day again. Meeting princess cuckoo again is definitely making all this better. «Nikolaoff complained to his two roommates, even though neither really cared about his opinions.
"Don't talk about Renee like that, man. She hasn't done anything to you." Jon shook his head.
"She'll only sit on your dick if she's actually here to listen to you defend her honour, y'know." Nikolaoff snarked, then let out a low chuckle. Jon gave him no response, and went to sit on a mantel near the dock.
Dex, who had been silently following the conversation this entire time, turned his gaze to Nikolaoff, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Don't look at me, I'll catch lung cancer." Nikolaoff said. Dex exhaled a bunch of smoke in his face.
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"Is there a reason you specifically asked for us, sir?" Thomas asked Douglas, as soon as he got to the armoury of Isle Monroe. The armoury in question was a large room in the basement of the staff building, lined with shelves all across it, with crates filled with various equipment in each. In the centre of the room, hanging by the ceiling, was a single light bulb, aimlessly swinging around.
"Well, you're in my Group now, so I wanted to get a better read on you. And as for Ross... To be frank, he's been kinda useless so far, I was hoping he had a flair for carrying crates instead." Doulas explained, shrugging at the last statement.
"You don't need to be frank any more, sir, you can go back to being Chet." Jason deadpanned.
"I don't think we're quite on a first name basis yet, kid. Enough talk, grab these crates." Douglas gestured to a particularly heavy-looking crate, making Jason slouch at the sight of it.
"With all due respect, sir, why is it that a general of your calibre needs two trainees to fix up his armoury? It really doesn't reflect on you very well." Thomas commented.
"For your information, kid, I'm only reorganising the armoury because I need to make space for some new stuff that's coming in today." Douglas informed Thomas, making some very unamused grimaces in the process. He then tapped on one of the crates, signalling to Thomas to pick it up.
"There would not be a need to make space if you had organised the armoury correctly the first time, no? Perhaps you should leave these mental tasks to General Starman. No offense, but he's better suited than you." Thomas said as he lifted the crate up, proudly smiling to himself. Douglas could hardly hide his annoyance as he grumbled at the two men to pick up the pace.
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After a short while, Renee's boat arrived at the dock of Isle Monroe carrying herself and the bodyguard, Nick, as well as a bunch of boxes labelled 'confidential'.
"Good morning, gentlemen. Thanks for coming." Renee greeted the three. Dex nodded at her, Nikolaoff scoffed, and Jon walked up to her, and shook her hand.
"I heard you asked for me, so..." Jon said, smiling at her.
"Well, I knew I could rely on you to help me out with these boxes." She explained. Nikolaoff shook his head, mumbling about how he did all the work last time, or something.
"So, no cowboy hat guy, this time? Why'd this guy come back?" Renee asked, staring at Nikolai as he walked past her to get to the boxes.
"Well, this guy is my roommate now. Thrilling, I know. And this other guy is also my roommate. He's Dex, Tony Tuscan's son." Jon explained.
"Yes, I'm familiar." She said, but before the conversation could develop, Nikolaoff interrupted, as per usual.
"Will you bums help, or what?" He complained. Jon rolled his eyes, but himself and Dex both went to help anyway. In a few short minutes, the boxes had all been moved to the armoury, where a very tired-looking Douglas had taken it inside to put in their place.
"Thank you for the help, Jon." Renee said as she was preparing to leave. Dex made a weird face to Nikolai, expecting himself to get some thanks as well. Nikolaoff flashed his most disgusted expression to Dex in response.
"The truth is, I only really came here to see you again. Its aways work back at the castle, you know how it goes." Renee complained.
"I do in fact, not know. So maybe when I get out of this place, you, I mean, I can visit and you can show me how it goes. Eh?" Jon proposed, awkwardly smiling. Dex smirked at him.
"Oh, certainly not with my sister around. Anyways, it was nice to see you lot. Farewell!" Renee said, and shortly after left for the mainland.
"Well, well, look who got a random confidence boost." Dex elbowed Jon, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Shut up, Dex! I'm still mad at you!" Jon exclaimed. Dex laughed it away, and took a puff out his cigarette.
"Jesus, man. Was that you asking her out? You may as well have said 'Hi, I'm a virgin.' You're pathetic." Nikolaoff commented.
"Like you can do any better." Jon said.
"Watch me." Nikolaoff smirked, and turned to where the boat had begun leaving. "Hey, sweetie, maybe next time you roll around these parts, you can stop wasting your time with loser-boy here, and take your shot with a real macho-man, like me!" He shouted at the moving boat. Jon facepalmed, and Dex stifled a laugh. Renee gave the jock a grossed-out grimace, while Nick was glaring daggers at him from across the waters.
"You definitely got it, Nikolaoff." Dex laughed at him.
"Okay, not the intended response. But man, that guy is creepy." Nikolaoff said.
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The rest of the day moved along smoothly, should we exclude any of the disagreements General Douglas and Thomas had in the armoury. While an air of hostility was being conjured between the two, it was nothing too serious. For now.
The following day, the second round of expeditions would occur, with Group B going out into the wilderness this time, rather than Group A.
"Listen up, cadets. Today we're going up to the top of the Grossglockner. Straight walking, no stops until nighttime, you understand that? And we'll keep at it, until we reach the top!" Douglas announced the announcement to Group B, once they made it on the mainland, and was met by many groans and pouts.
"Don't stare like that, men! Tighten the straps on your backpacks and let's go!" He barked orders. Suddenly, the realisation dawned on Larry, who was accompanying the group, that he'd also have to go up the mountain.
"Whoa, whoa, hold on there! Certainly, you don't expect me to climb 4 kilometres of mountain straight up, do you?" He complained while munching on a chip.
"I most certainly do, corporal. You're supposed to be the good example for cadets with lower ranks. And you certainly cannot be seen MUNCHING ON CHIPS, YOU FAT SLOB!" Douglas screeched, and slapped the bag of chips out of his hands.
"Okay, rude. I just paid for those." He commented.
"Sir, with all due respect, what exactly is the purpose of this exercise?" Thomas interjected.
"You don't expect to have to fight in mountains, kid?" Douglas asked, eyeing the mouthing trainee.
"Certainly not. Is this camp not supposed to train us to fight the sorcerers? The ones that can fly, for example? What use would they have for mountain combat?" Thomas questioned. Douglas was very much annoyed by him at this point.
"Will you just walk, kid? It's good for you." Douglas proposed, lowering his large frame to get on Thomas' eye level, and putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm a scientist, sir, I'm just trying to decipher your motivations. It seems to me you've been 'throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks', as the simpleminded say." Thomas explained.
"Shutting up once in a while, is also good for you Gardner." Douglas advised him, before leaving his side and muttering to himself: "And you seemed so nice and silent before I had you in my group."
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As Group B began their hike up the alpine mountain, Group A was back in Sowei City, paying a visit to the Sowei City Museum. The curator of the museum, AJ Melan, was there to give the group a tour.
"...But I'm also a glazier, a farmer, a demolitions expert, a PI, and a mycologist." Said AJ. "Anyway, as you can see 'ere, there ain't much actually. The museum is kinda underfunded, so I just put whatever cool thing I find out in the wilderness. Over here is this freakishly large melon I grew week last."
"I don't see how this is supposed to help us. All the exhibits in this museum are rocks and crops." Bryce complained, crossing his arms.
"I hate to agree with him, but he has a point. I was hoping to learn more about the history of Soweiland and the great heroes whose footsteps we should follow." Nikolaoff added.
"Well as you know, the history of Soweiland is nothing too amusing. A bunch of Englishmen, tired of the old king's rule left the isles around 400 years ago and settled where Stormhaven is today, and gradually started expanding. But then the Austrian Empire under Frederick Gaspar subjugated them shortly after, so that was a bust." AJ explained, showing the group various murals depicting the history as he moved along.
"But if you want great heroes, I can definitely show you that!" AJ took them to a large glass booth. Occupying it were various items, with named scribbled on some tags near them. Most of them were rifles or blades, but a bow is what caught the attention of the crew, as it was positioned near the centre of the booth. AJ noticed the attention it got from the crowd.
"This old thing belonged to me old mate, Tom. The Austrians did him in during the rebellion. Poor guy that one, we went to university together. Oftentimes I wonder what would have happened had someone been able to give the guy first aid in time." AJ sighed. Dex tugged on his collar, and let out a big puff of smoke.
"Welp, that's it for the tour, mates. feel free to take a few more looks around, then."
A nearby incomplete exhibit regarding the Old Rebellion caught Nikolaoff's eye. A withered photo of the organisers of the rebellion in question was displayed, with an inscription of their names underneath. Most of the names were unknown to him, aside from a few.
"Say, Johnson. That's your father, isn't it?" Nikolaoff asked.
"That's him, yeah. That's the King to his right, and that strange man who always accompanies the Revolutionary, Kane, to his left. I'm not sure who the other man and the woman are, though." Jon explained.
"..."
"If there's anything to learn from this Old Rebellion, is that no matter who you are, you stand no chance against these otherworldly beasts, like Gaspar. I'm not sure what happened in that throne room 2 years ago, but our prime minister stood very lucky that day. We should take this to heart, and make sure luck isn't a factor next time. That's why we undergo this training, after all." Nikolaoff said. Jon had nothing to add, and a short silence ensued.
"Well well well. If it isn't Nikolaoff, and his affinity for history. I didn't know you had hobbies, other than being a brat of course." Dex jabbed at Nikolaoff.
"Shut up, Tuscan. It's interesting." Nikolaoff scolded him.
"Ha, way to go Dex! Oh, wait, I'm supposed to be mad at you." Bryce corrected himself.
"No need. You were right. I got scared, and didn't think that there was another person's life at risk. I'm sorry for running away." Dex said, raising his hands up in defeat.
"There we go! Now was that so hard?" Jon chuckled.
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The hours passed, and while Group A had safely made it back to the Island, Group B was still suffering in the alps. The sun fell, then came back up again, Larry had gotten lost twice, and all the while everyone was complaining about how tiresome the hike was.
Well, except two people.
Thomas was complaining about how useless the hike was, and Vasquez was complaining about how useless the other members of the Group were, for not being able to complete this simple hike.
"Sir, please, you cannot possibly expect us to cross such a distance! It'll take days and it's freezing up here!" Jason complained.
"Suck it up, you loser! Or are you not man enough, gringo?" Vasquez mocked him.
"I'm sorry Vasquez is such an unfiltered asshole, General, but I don't see why we should suffer for his sins!" Jason added.
"The truth is, sir, we have underprepared for a hike of this magnitude. We have no clothes suitable for the snow, and no batons to hold our weight up. It might be best for us to turn around and go home." Thomas stated.
"Quite frankly, this entire expedition is turning out to be a blunder unfit for a General such as yourself. Maybe it's time to quit while you're ahead and 'save face', like the city people say."
"Hrmmmm..." Muttered Douglas, he could only hear so many complaints. "Fine. We'll turn back. But I want all you privates to know I'm very much disappointed in you!"
"YES! FINALLY! THANK YOU, JESUS!" Larry yelled out in excitement.
"Whatever, man. Ya'll just a bunch of wusses, anyway. I could do the hike, no prob." Vasquez said, crossing his arms. Truthfully, he was just as glad to leave as everyone else.
"Quite frankly, I'm not sure why we had to endure this in the first place. Group A only hiked 10 kilometres, but we had to high five God." Said Jason.
"The General is clearly enacting his revenge for his car, and we're in the crossfire. Pay it no mind." Thomas said silently, but just loudly enough so the General could hear him. His eye twitched a little.
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Group B only managed to return an entire day later, and they were all very much exhausted. Group A had gathered on the dock to see what had happened to the others.
"About fucking time we got back! Every muscle in my body is screaming for help." Vasquez complained, and he threw his backpack off of him on the ground.
"Liam! Get me chips, immediately!" Whined Larry, after collapsing on the floor in agony.
"Why, so you can gain back all the weight you lost?" He jabbed, but Larry had no energy for any smart comments.
"Go to the cafeteria so you can get food, cadets. And get ready for tomorrow's training." Douglas instructed them, and began heading to the cafeteria himself.
"Fuck that! I'm going to bed. I swear to God, Jason, if you dare lock the door again-" Vasquez began an enraged tangent, but Jason quickly shut him down.
"Fuck off, Jet." He muttered, ad left to follow Thomas, who had begun making his way to the cafeteria.
"What did he do to them?" Asked Bryce. Nobody really had an answer.
"Maybe switching groups was a blessing in disguise." Nikolaoff thought out loud.
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The cafeteria was empty, aside from General Douglas, when Thomas and Jason arrived. They both quietly picked up the trays with their food -some steamed vegetables and mystery meat Douglas had readied up- and took their seats in the table nearest to the kitchen.
"How do you even have the energy to eat, man?" Jason asked, poking around the food on his plate.
"We need food to survive. If you can even call this food." Thomas explained. "I must say, your Group B has not given me the greatest first impression."
"Hmm?" Jason mumbled.
"Everything we did over at Group A seemed to have some point. General Starman and Liam created a schedule that was fit for the kind of training we should be doing. Comparatively, the leadership of Group B seems incompetent. What was the point of going to the aquarium, or climbing a mountain?" Thomas began analysing. Jason glanced towards the kitchen door.
"Uh, the General is just beyond that door, man. You may wanna cool it down. You've been antagonising him too much. Let's just eat." Jason worriedly proposed.
"As you wish. Bon Appetit." Thomas said, and took a bite out of his food. He chewed for a sec, then swallowed the bit. "Hm. It needs more salt."
Alas, the straw that broke the camel's back.
"THAT IS IT!" Douglas screamed from the kitchen, quickly ran outside to the main hall, staring directly at Jason and Thomas. "I TRY EVERY DAY TO GIVE YOU UNGRATEFUL MAGGOTS SOME PROPER MILITARY TRAINING AND ALL YOU DO IS COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN."
Douglas walked up to the two, and pick Thomas up with both his hands by the collar. "And you. From the moment you got here you have done nothing but question my methods. Remind me, Gardner, WHO'S THE GENERAL HERE BETWEEN US?"
A bright blue glow began emanating from Thomas' hand. He placed his palm on Douglas' chest, and shortly after, he got sent flying into a wall, crashing into it with great force. Jason went wide-eyed, and let out a gasp.
"Don't grab me." Thomas said, dismissing the blue glow from his hand. Douglas' eyes twitched, and he quickly got up and began hurling chairs at Thomas, which he dodged, before running up to him, grabbing him by the collar again, and slamming him on the table.
"I WILL HAVE YOU KICKED OFF THIS FACILITY FOR THIS!" Douglas yelled. Unfortunately, none of that would be happening.
"What in tarnation is going on here?!" A third party had arrived to break up the fight. Prime Minister Leo, and General Starman.
"Get your hands of that trainee, Douglas, have you completely lost it?" Leo exclaimed. Douglas let him go.
"I apologise. It's just that-" Douglas went to say, but Leo lifted his finger up, shushing him.
"Don't speak. Gardener and the other kid. Get out of here, immediately." The two of them quickly dashed outside. "As for you, Douglas, you're coming to the mainland with me today. I don't know what's gonna happen to you, but you most certainly aren't staying here after everything I've seen and heard this week."
Douglas sighed. He followed the Prime Minister outside and they silently took the helicopter off the island.
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The two trainees had regrouped in the bathroom after the fact. Jason was sweating bullets, but Thomas was looking sharp as always.
"Jesus, man! What was that blue stuff? Are you also a wizard or something?" Jason began asking the other man a barrage of questions, that he had no intention of answering.
"Shut up." Said Thomas. His demeanour had switched. It was no very different, but his eyes looked colder, more intense. A blue glow emitted out of his hand, taking the shape of a small knife.
"Speak of anyone to what you saw earlier, and you die." Thomas- no, Tomas Gaspar said.
"Wh-what, you mean like the blue glow or-" Jason tried to joke around, but Tomas threw the knife right next to him, making it stick to the wall. Following that, the knife disappeared, but the damage to the wall remained.
Tomas left the bathroom after that, leaving Jason alone.
"Ah." Jason muttered.