Deliverance [malexmale]

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Are you sure you don't wanna sleep another day? Or at least sit and watch TV or something? I can translate for you." Even though he said it, I knew Arikos wasn't serious. Neither did he. We both knew there was no way he could stop me from heading to the training center in Portius where Hannibal currently awaited with the rest of our unit as well as his friend, Raven.

Today, I was going to get some of my dignity back and learn my job as Hannibal's lieutenant as part of the Deliverance unit in Lucifer's army. No amount of faint throbbing in my gt and my back was going to send me back to Lucifer's palace. As nice, and honestly gaudy, as the place was, I was a soldier. Flashy decorations and high tech devices weren't something I found much pleasure in. I found pleasure on the battlefield and I found pleasure in knowing I was keeping Amenti safe, Arikos, and Hannibal and Akin. And the innocent people who had nothing to do with the horrible prophecy the Source had cursed us with. Not to mention, it'd be nice to get a little payback.

"Can we at least teleport there?" Arikos asked after a moment, but I shook my head.

"I need to get back into shape. This is a good way to start," I replied. Arikos sighed.

"Gosh, you are stubborn." He didn't say it to be mean either, and somehow, I knew that. Instead, he smiled at me and walked close to my side as we approached the building.

I had only seen the training center once, and the last time I'd seen it, it was a giant pile of rubble being blown apart by the Khalian, the Atlantean blood beasts created by Atlan. Since then, the training center had been rebuilt, and a few scaffoldings and construction equipment was set up near the barracks where the center was still undergoing construction. It was a huge multi-building complex surrounded by a high wire fence that buzz and hissed with electricity, and I could feel the slight tingle of a barrier set up around the complex itself, completely separate from the one that encased the realm. The buildings were very glossy and made up mostly of black glass and steel.

We approached the front gates where someone checked our IDs given to us by Hannibal and Akin before they'd left us yesterday. We were granted access and walked through the small streets that ran around the buildings. Arikos led the way to the largest building straight across from the entrance where we once again had to use our IDs to enter the building before coming into a long stark white hallway, very sterile and cold. Aside from a wall of awards given to soldiers who'd broken records and won contests in the building.

I noticed Hannibal in quite a few of them.

"This gym is special for those of the Deliverance team," Arikos said, leading me to a set of double doors, using his ID to check us in, "Usually I hang out in the common soldier gym on the other side of the complex, but I was granted access today by Hannibal and Raven. Raven usually hangs out in the gym across from this one on the other side of the hallway." I nodded, glancing over at the other set of double doors before we entered the gym.

It was massive. Tall white ceilings with steel beams running the length of the walls, windows mounted high up toward the ceiling. Cords dangled from the ceiling, exercise equipment, a rock wall, punching bags, and a closed off sparring area where two men were currently grappling each other so hard, it looked like one of them might snap their neck.

Just outside the arena watching was a very petite woman, curvy, with long silver hair that faded to purple at the ends, her skin a rich mocha color, her dark eyes watching the men with amusement. Beside her stood another woman, this one taller, but more heavyset with a pair of black glasses she kept pushing up with her knuckles, laughing at something the smaller woman had said. The taller woman had a head of bouncy bright red curls, a spatter of freckles on a round, heart-shaped face. Unlike the others in the room who were dressed in military uniforms similar to my own, she wore a pencil skirt and ruffled blue blouse, but a band around her arm bore the same signature as my own-- the Deliverance symbol. A chain with angel wings protruding around the center.