If any of the students had been asked about the Imperial Guards, their answers would have been filled with nothing but idolization. The Imperial Guards were the apex of the Empire's might, akin to the special forces in the military. No one knew why information about them was ever made public, but one thing was certain…it was impossible to recognize a member of the Imperial Guard unless they were on official duty.
It was rare enough for ordinary beast masters to catch even a glimpse of them, let alone common civilians. Yet here they stood… speaking about teaching.
"Sir, what do you mean by live combat class?"
Heads swiveled toward the voice. It was a boy in glasses. His expression dignified, but his raised arm trembled ever so slightly. No one could tell whether it was from nervousness… or barely contained excitement.
"Good question," the man who had introduced himself as Captain Sanders said. "From here on out, a new, mandatory course has been added to your curriculum…and that is Combat Class."
He paused, as his sharp gaze swept over the gathered students. Everywhere he looked, he was met with bright, eager faces, eyes wide with anticipation. A subtle smirk formed on his lips.
" Here we do two things and two things alone… train and battle." He turned his back towards them, and then clapped his hands. The dark canvas on the boxes slid down to reveal… metal cages.
Immediately the canvas was lowered, a cacophony of beastly roars rang out, claws struck the metal with anger, the echoing across the field as the beasts clawed at their confines, evidently the dark canvas had a suppressing effect on what had been inside the cages.
A wave of bloodlust surged outward, and more than a few students unconsciously took a step back.
The captain's voice cut through the roars like a blade. "These are your opponents." He stroked one of the cages and the beast inside, which looked like a chicken on steroids let out startled quacks, fear evident in its eyes.
These are not city-bred beasts," he continued, his tone steady and sharp. "They are wild. Freshly captured from the wilderness. Perfect to let you know what it means to face the true brutality of the outside world. Out there, no one holds back. Not the beasts, not the rifts, and certainly not fate."
He straightened, folding his arms behind his back. "Your textbooks won't save you. Your theories might help you. But the only thing that will keep you alive is the strength of your beast, and your ability to use it."
" But... Sir we are just high schoolers, is there a need for this? there are plenty of opportunities to battle wild beasts and enter rifts after our college entrance examinations." The boy who had asked a question previously, asked again.
The students murmured their agreement. Yet, contrary to their expectations, the man threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
The laughter was deep and boisterous, echoing across the open field. The students cast uncertain glances at one another, none of them understanding what was so amusing.
Finally, Captain Sanders' laughter cut off as abruptly as it began. Without a word, he moved toward one of the cages. Inside was a Direwolf, its yellow eyes burning with savage hunger. Captain Sanders pressed a button.
CLANG!
The sound of the cage door hitting the ground rang out seemingly tugging at the heartstrings of the students. Immediately, the Direwolf lunged forward, claws tearing into the dirt as it sprinted straight toward the students.
Their formerly orderly formation scattered like dry leaves in a storm. Screams of terror rang out as they all ran like headless chickens. Valeryss shot up from Adeon's shoulders, her body swelling with terrifying speed, as she coiled protectively around him. Her fangs bared, her ruby red eyes locking with the wolf's.
But just as the Direwolf closed the distance, Captain Sanders appeared between the beast and students like a phantom. His massive frame seemed to blot out the sunlight as he raised one hand.
CRACK!
The Direwolf's charge ended mid-step, its body slamming into the ground, pinned by an invisible force radiating from Captain Sanders.
"Pathetic," Sanders said coldly. His eyes narrowed as he paced before them, hands clasped neatly behind his back. "So… tell me…did the wolf see you as just high schoolers?"
He let the word hang in the air, dripping with disdain. They lowered their heads in embarrassment, not one of them daring to meet his eyes. And truly, what argument could they raise? When faced with true danger, they had all forgotten their status as beast master. None of them had stopped to reason the fact that the energy signature given by the wolf was only normal level.
"Did it slow its charge because you're still children? Did its claws dull because you haven't finished your exams?" His gaze cut from face to face, and every student who met it instantly looked away.
The Direwolf whimpered under the crushing weight of Captain Sanders' aura but the captain ignored it completely, his voice rising like a whip.
"In the wild, or in case of a beast tide a beast will not care for your age, your excuses, or your lack of preparation. It will only see meat. And unless you change, that is all you will ever be…prey."
Captain Sanders' gaze swept across the crowd, lingering on Adeon…or rather on Valeryss, now shrunken back to her favored perch around his neck, before shifting to Kara, who, surprisingly, had remained standing. His eyes narrowed a fraction, but no words followed. Instead, he clasped his hands behind his back and turned back to the trembling mass of students.
"Form up again," he barked. " Choose numbers… starting from there " he said pointing to a student at the far right side of the row.
After they all had chosen a number, he said, "Those are your serial numbers and your means of identification from today…" He paused, as if he enjoyed the silence sharpening his speeches. "Now, our lesson for today is… the art of escape."
The students blinked in disbelief. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. The fearsome man who had just released a Direwolf on students without hesitation just to prove a point, who seemed like the embodiment of passion, was now speaking of escape? It felt almost absurd.
Before the confusion could spiral further, Captain Sanders barked, "Do not mistake escape for weakness. Survival is the first lesson of combat. If you cannot run, you cannot live."
He raised his arm and pointed toward the stadium track at the edge of the field. "Five laps. Now."
The students froze, the track was a standard 400 meter track, going five laps would be, 2000 meters. Seeing as the students refused to move, Captain Sanders grinned and said, " Last person goes an extra 2 laps."
Immediately the students burst into motion, feet pounding against the dirt track.
By the second lap, the difference between them was obvious.
Some, too eager, sprinted from the start, now they stumbled forward, clutching their sides, chest heaving. Others slowed to a crawl, sweat dripping down their faces as the strain took hold.
Adeon kept steady, forcing himself to breathe in rhythm, each step measured. His chest burned, but he gritted his teeth. One lap at a time… just one lap at a time.
Though his build was athletic, he had never been one to train for its own sake. Fortunately, he recalled something he'd once read in a book…that when beginning a sprint, it was best to start slow.
By the third lap, Adeon's breath was already coming out in ragged gasps. His lungs burned, every muscle begged for release, yet he forced himself onward. 'If I can't even endure this… how do I expect to find them?' The thought hammered in his mind with every step.
But determination alone couldn't make up for the years of non- exercise. By the time he got to the midpoint of the third lap, he was already gasping for air, his feet wobbled as he struggled to keep himself on upright.
'_I can't go on...'_
Just as he was about to collapse he felt a cool current flowing from his forehead through him, it lightened his fatigue.
_'huh... What was that?'._
**
Kara, by contrast, surged ahead with reckless abandon. From the very start she had thrown herself into a full sprint… like some humanoid beast. She was the first to cross the finish line, her pace never slowing. At the end she barely even broke a sweat her breath remaining even.
Nearly twenty minutes passed before the next student stumbled across the line— Ethan Cole, the Class president. One by one, more followed, each collapsing to the ground the moment they finished, their bodies wrung dry of strength.
Adeon too finally staggered across. The moment his foot cleared the line, his legs gave out. He fell flat on his back, gasping desperately at the air, his chest heaving heavily.
Clink…
A metallic badge clattered to the ground beside him, the number 31 engraved boldly across its surface. He turned his head, and noticed soldiers moving down the line, dropping similar badges near each exhausted student.
Only after the last had crossed the finish line did Captain Sanders speak.
"I've changed my mind," he announced, his voice carrying over the groans and labored breaths. "First… those numbers you've been given are the positions you finished in. From today, that number is your means of identification."
A low mutter rippled through the students. "Pretty sure he forgot he has those when he made us pick numbers earlier…" one boy grumbled.
Captain Sanders cleared his throat. "Ahem. Secondly…since all of you are already half-dead from a simple race, I'll pardon your pitiful display. But just this once." His tone sharpened. "Our next class will be battle."
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed them. "Class dismissed."
The soldiers who had remained standing without a change in expression for the past hour moved with mechanical efficiency, their beasts hefting the cages back into the truck before covering them with the dark canvas.
Moments later, the convoy rumbled away, leaving the field littered with battered students, each groaning in their aches and sores.