Bonded

Chapter 10: Hell

Running across campus in a tight uniform is shit. But what is worse is seeing your fellow classmates also struggling to get to class on time. Making me wonder if it was just a newbie thing because other students calmly walked towards their destinations shuffling out of the way of us as we ran without caution.

Finally I stopped running and asked an upper class student "How come you're not running to class?"

The student said "Because their is a rule about no running on campus except for during instruction."

My eyes widened as I watched all my fellow classmates run to their doom, if this was a rule then our instructor would punish our actions. Mind-linking my kin I said 'Stop running right now. It's a test.'

I knew these types of situations, my master had done the exactly the same thing to me when I was under his instruction. Immediately Wren and Icarus stopped running and turned towards me. Waving her hand, Wren motioned for me to come over there.

Thanking the student I speed walked to them, once I was close to them Icarus said "What the hell?"

Giving him a pointed look I responded with "Don't run. The school is testing us. That is why we are the only ones running. All the upperclassmen have made the same mistake and you don't see them running."

Looking around us he nodded and we finally started speed walking towards training field 1. Once we had gotten there the instructor was already screaming at the students. Gulping Wren stared wide eyed at the scene. Clearing my throat the instructor finally noticed our presence.

Hmmmm. The instructor looked familiar. Who was he??? Tall, kinda intimidating, dark hair, light eyes, tan skin hmmmmm. Sniffing the air his nickname hit me. Tulips!!!!

Tulip turned to us, his eyes showing surprise. Clearly he wasn't expecting us to walk here. "Ya'll walked here??" He asked us.

"Yes sir." We replied together.

I wondered if I ever slipped up and called him Tulip out loud what he would do?? Hmmm. I don't wanna die this year maybe I'll think about it next year. Laughing rang into my head, realizing I'd unconsciously sent my thoughts to my kin. Momentarily distracted I hadn't realized who had been watching the newbies off to the side of the training field.

Tulips cleared his throat in order to gain everyone's attention, looking towards him I sniffed the air again. Strange it smells of burnt marshmallows...... 

I'd never associate the smell with that Dragon guy but I knew better than to assume it wasn't him. Plus rarely anyone had a burnt smell forever lingering on them, but I can't help but wonder why marshmallows???

Tulips had been talking to the students while I'd been on my little rant but luckily Wren quickly filled me in on the details as I adjusted my focus to him.

"You newbies will be spending lots of time with me, so get used to it. I will make your lives a living hell, I will not go easy, and if at any point you expect me too then you'd assume wrong. Your suits are specifically designed to your body and have advanced technology that reads your vitals, wounds, etc. 

If your ever in a fight during training in my class my suit warns me when you are getting dangerously low on life, and at that time if I tell you to tap out you better do it. As much as I'd love to see you guys fail and struggle we need more people to survive the training than not." He explained, some of what he was saying made since to me. However I tuned out on some of his little speech.

I can't help it. I'm not really one to listen for a million years about the same topic. In the long run it would do me good to listen but I couldn't be bothered. Icarus was paying full attention to Tulips speech whereas Wren would concentrate for a bit before tuning in on something else and going back to the speech.

While on the outside I looked like I was paying attention in reality my mind was racing about other matters. Like how many other instructors were hidden in the woods around the training field? Or how nobody else cared to notice the smaller details?? Although most everyone was not taught to do these things I was just the 1 percent that could.

Focusing my hearing I listened for the steady beat of hearts outside of the group of students, a slow thump, thump, thump. Sounded off into the forest far enough away that the others wouldn't notice except for trained professionals. Soon after the first heart beat my ears picked up on others.

As I picked them up I counted them: three, six, nine, twelve, fifteen. Approximately there were fifteen instructors littered around the training field. Finally tuning back into Tulips speech he ended with "Does anyone have any questions?"

Nobody raised their hand so I thought the hell with it, why not ask?? Raising my hand I waited until his eyes fell upon my arm before instructing me to ask my question.

Looking square into his eyes I said "How come the other instructors are surrounding the training field?"

For a moment a look passed into his eyes; something like shock, recognition, or utter disbelief. All of them flashed by quickly, so quickly that even to the trained eye it was hard to decipher. Clearing his throat he said "That's a good question. They are simply there to surprise attack you, however since you've given their cover away I guess they will simply have to attack with full force without the element of surprise."

Almost immediately after he said that the instructors came running out of the woods, well then. If you wanna fight let's fight.