Season 11.5

Episode 16

Zane set his clothes in the drawers, then approached the weapon case. He took out the weapon, and linked it into his arms.

Juliet nor Tim never complained about the weapon I had, so I'm assuming weapons are allowed here. Zane equipped himself with the chains, and angled the curved daggers on his sides.

He then left the room,and closed the door.

As much as it pains me to say, I wish Juliet was here. Zane thought. As soon as he left the room, he had found himself in a hall of identical room doors. Zane had strolled down the hall, but found himself at an intersection with no elevators.

Where am I? He thought. He knew his room number was 514, but he didn't know where the elevator was. Zane chose to continue walking forwards, and the corridor kept branching off into sections.

Zane was about to turn left when he realized someone was approaching. He jumped backwards, and placed his hands on his weapon, but the person put their arms out in defense.

"Wooh, calm down." The man said. It was the same man Zane had fought - the man with blondish hair and a spear. He wore a casual jacket with jeans, and still had his spear on his back.

Zane sighed, then stopped. The man offered his hand. "I haven't had the chance to introduce myself. I'm Trystan, with a y." He said. Zane nodded, not bothering to take his hand. Trystan stood awkwardly, and retracted it.

"Do you know where the elevator is?" He asked.

"Nope. But I do know that you card gives a general map of any area you're in within a fifty mile radius." He said. Zane took out his card, and saw the floor plan. The floor he was on had sixteen elevators, and the nearest one was around two hundred feet away.

Trystan cleared his throat. "I'm headed to the dining hall. Wanna come with?" He asked, breaking the silence.

Zane glanced at him. "I'm supposed to head towards the auditorium." He replied.

"Oh ya. You gotta do the introduction ceremony." Trystan said. "I'm supposed to head there too. Some guy made fifth rank in our Arctic group."

"Your Arctic rank?" Zane inquired. Trystan nodded.

"It's just me, Kenya, Juliet, and Gavin. But apparently, a newbie hit the ranks, and caused the group of four to become five." He said.

"Is there anything wrong with that?" Zane responded. The two started walking towards the elevator.

"Not necessarily. I'm just curious. But I feel bad for him though, he'll probably have people trying to contest for his rank." Trystan said.

"Contest?" Zane asked.

"Yes. If people want to move up groups, they can fight one another in duels." Trystan said.

"But what's so important about Arctic?" Zane said. The two had finally reached the elevator room, and Zane clicked on ground floor.

"It's the highest group you can attain in Yulta as a fighter, and out of the hundreds of thousands of members, only four have made it there. Groups start off from Lyken, to Drater, then Comet, to Savannah, then finally Arctic. People in Arctic have the closest connections to the leaders of Yulta, who never show their faces to the general population. If you're in Arctic, you also get to meet the leader of the entire fighter squadron." He said.

"Is that Muskrat?" Zane responded. Trystan coughed.

"How do you know Muskrat?" He asked. The two entered the elevator.

"Wait a minute." Trystan stared at him. "You're the guy that we fought the other day." Trystan raised his eyebrows. "You're the ninj---"

Zane threw his blade, and the impact buried into the wall behind him. Trystan blinked, then jumped back.

"Hey! That could've seriously hurt me!" He cried out. Zane took the other blade and cornered him.

"Don't ever say my identity, nor my name." He shouted, staring his cold white eyes at Trystan's face.  Trystan nodded, a bit frightened, and Zane backed off. The elevator opened, and the two walked out.

A visitor glanced at the two, and turned their gaze from their phone.

"Oh my gosh, is that Trystan?" She screamed. The entire room looked at him, and Trystan chuckled. Swarms of people soon rushed to him, and Zane silently slipped out.

Zane took out his card, and started scrolling through its functions. While Juliet hardly used it, it seemed like it had more uses then she let on.

So the card allows me to access any room, and only works when I'm using it. I wonder how P.I.X.A.L. broke into the first one. Zane thought.

I can also get any weapon I want, or vehicle. Zane headed into the main hall, and found it crowded with men and women. The majority of them had weapons on them.

Would I consider this area to be the training grounds? Zane stared at the map, and the map labelled the section as 'training area.' There was also a dojo and an arena.

This place is massive. Zane thought. He walked through the hall, and saw couches in the center. People huddled in groups together.

"Have you heard about the guy who made rank 5?" Someone whispered.

"How could I not? I'm excited to see who it is." Another said.

Is this really such a big deal?  Zane pondered.

"I'm just ready to crush 'em." A guy with a broad sword said. Zane took a quick look at him. He wore what Zane assumed to be a Yulta uniform, and squinted with determination.

Zane silently chuckled. Guess tonight won't be too boring. He stumbled through the halls, and found himself at the dining area. The cafeteria was jammed with people who took their trays.

Wrong place. Zane was about to head back, but heard a familiar voice.

"Azne! Azne!" Juliet shouted across the hall. Zane gritted his teeth, and tried to ignore her.

"Oii! Stop ignoring me, or else I'll come after you." Juliet shouted.

I'd rather she come after me. He thought, and started leaving. Zane felt Juliet behind him, and he stopped her mid air.

"Ready for me to break another arm?" Zane asked. The entire room fell in silence, and people began murmuring and pointing at him. Zane heard them, and felt annoyed

Juliet pouted. "I already have a cast on from the last one." She flailed her arms. "I don't need another." She shouted.

"Besides, you look lost." Juliet said, grinning.

"I'm fine. I'm headed to the auditorium." Zane said, turning around and staring at the map. Juliet followed him and walked behind him.

"If you're going to trail me, you might as well lead me." Zane finished. Juliet looked ecstatic, and skipped ahead.

"Go here, then here, then over here." Juliet and Zane turned corridor after corridor, and with each corridor they turned into, the bigger the crowd. Eventually, a massive amount of people stood outside four double doors.

"I gotta go into another area. Muskrat said I gotta watch the inductees from the balconies. I'll see ya!" Juliet waved, then hopped in another direction. The room gave her space to trapeze on, and watched Zane in wonder.

Zane ignored their stares, and looked at the clock. It was 9:59. A countdown appeared on the television screen, and the room watched the clock count down.

Eventually, the number chimed zero, and the doors opened up. The crowds marched into the doors, and Zane walked in as well.