The West Sea

Chapter 19: Delta

Captain Gatdula Agapay and former Aseatic recruit Arman Bruno trailed the rocky pathway of the outskirts, speeding through the rugged landscape of the Caltar Province. Arman Bruno had lived there a few years before the war; before the Great Wave had swallowed most of the surrounding villages and devastated the entire region. But to his surprise, most of the countryside's greenery were still intact and even denser after the citizens had evacuated to nearby cities.

The three-wheeled hydrocar bounced violently against the uneven sand mounds as they approached the shoreline, the Caltar Delta. It was previously the opening of the provincial river but when the Great Wave came, the river opened up while the sediments and eroded soil created a vast open space for the Knights of Vathalla to call their own.

It was not an ideal spot, as some of the Knights attested, but it was the only one given to them after the West Sea War. Though the Knights of Vathalla were regarded as the most decorated and highly skilled division in all of New Republic, bearing the shame of their commander's betrayal meant a bitter welcome for them after the war ended. Loyal to the end, the Knights of Vathalla never acknowledged the government's accusations about their commanding officers, which was ultimately based on hearsay, thus making it more difficult for anyone to join their exclusive division. The Knights hated outsiders as much as they hated their enemies.

The hydrocar paced itself to a slow glide as it entered the expanse of a formidable fortress, a few hundred meters from the shore. A large concrete wall greeted Agapay and Bruno as they stopped at the gated entrance. The fortress, built by the Knights themselves, had a fifty meter high alabaster wall that surrounded the base in an oval-shape fashion. From above it would resemble a shield with a sword piercing through it, much like their insignia.

"Halt!" The guard at the outpost shouted at the approaching hydrocar. He aimed his dual-barreled turret right at the vehicle as Captain Agapay raised both his hands outside the window and showed his face.

"It's me, damn it! Put down your weapons," shouted Captain Agapay back at the outpost guard who recognized the Captain immediately and ordered the heavy-looking gates to open.

A cacophony of rattling chains and twisting gears slowly exposed the facility behind the wall. The hydrocar continued its drive, passing through a muddy, asphalt path towards the head office. Arman saw the Knights inside their garrison doing all sorts of activities. Some were hammering on at the weapons bay, while others were practicing their hand-to-hand combat at an octagon ring. The boy even saw a woman practicing her gold-crested Aquasword on a motionless dummy, slicing it with intense precision.

The hydrocar parked in front of an old run down building; its walls and windows could use a bit of repair but seemed solid none the less. Captain Agapay and Arman Bruno exited the vehicle where the two were greeted by a few dozen Knights slowly gathering around them in curiosity. By the time the Knights have stopped closing in on the two visitors, there were about thirty Vathallan soldiers surrounding them.

"Where's Felipa?" ordered Captain Agapay. Not one Knight answered in reply so the Captain shouted once more.

"I said, Where is Felipa?!"

A scruffy looking Knight stepped forward in front of the Captain, eying both visitors.

"Ahh. If it isn't Gatdula. So, is this the boy you spoke off?"

"Back off, Remi. He's here for Felipa. Now just tell me..."

"You, boy! Are you really Jira and Alana's kid? Why would you even pretend to be a child of those traitorous bastards, hmm? Or are you just making some pretend excuse just to get in this here place?"

Arman Bruno moved in closer to the Knight they called Remi. He was a bit short for a Knight, Arman noticed. He was slouched down, had ruffled brown hair, and a leather eye patch covering his left eye. Remi had a weird smile painted on his face; his crooked teeth were a nice distraction next to his unevenly shaved beard.

"Now why would I pretend to get into this dump? And don't call my parents traitors, you one-eyed, pirate-wanna-be looking dung heap. "

"Oh look, boys! We have ourselves a fighter! Would you care to give us a taste of that Vathallan blood of yours, or would you like to go home and stop all this nonsense, Hmm? "

"We don't have time for this, Remi," interrupted Captain Agapay, who had growing concerns about the current moral of the Knights now that their former Commanders' son had arrived.

"Oh but we do. We have all the time we want. Don't we, boy?"

"What do you want to do? We can have a staring competition if you like? No, wait, how about we have ourselves a catching match? Or will that be too tough for you, with the lack of depth perception and all that."

Arman wasn't messing around anymore. Whenever his parent's names were brought up, something inside him just clicked. All his fears and anxiety seemed to vanish instantly. He was just focused on defeating what's in front of him. Sometimes it worked, like back at the tenements. But most of the time he did get himself in more trouble than its worth when there's more than one person he had to deal with.

"Well, ha-ha! Very funny, boy! Very funny indeed. No. We can have ourselves an old-fashioned hand-to-hand fist fight right up there in that ring."

"Let's do it then, or would you like me to carry you there so we can get started?"

Remi then started to straighten his stand. His back slowly uncurled while his posture grew above Arman. His shadow completely consumed the boy's entire body as he grunted his way to the combat ring.

"You don't have to do this, Arman. Remi is..."

The other Knights grabbed Captain Agapay and took him behind the head office. Arman, unafraid of his opponent's enormous stature, started to head towards the ring as well.

The octagon ring had no walls but is elevated a few meters high from the ground. It had a large dirt-white canvas on top of it; splatters of blood and sweat decorated the ring's floor.

Both fighters entered the ring through opposite ladders. Arman took off the top half of his jumpsuit and wrapped its arms around his waist. The Knight named Remi took of his armor as well, revealing a multitude of scars across his chest and neck while his face was left unscathed.

"Welcome to the ring, boy! Here you will know the difference between a Metro Pup and Caltar Hound! We'll see if you truly are the Commanders' son. Welcome to the Delta!"

A crowd of jeering Knights wrapped themselves beneath the ring while shouting Remi's name. Arman was quiet but focused. He took a fighting stance and waited for his enemy to make the first move. Remi raised his hands and clamored for more applause as Arman stared at his opponent, gathering every bit of information he can about the Knight's fighting style.

With a quick glance, Arman already knew how to beat Remi. He already knew how to fight, even before Harbor Point. All the gadgets and gizmos of the Aseatic Division were Arman's weak point. However, when it came to physical combat, he was confident in his skills. After all, he did train with the best fighters of the West Sea: Jira and Alana Bruno.

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