For the final day before the big operation, I was called in to participate in drills again. Machua and the others were considered a ‘special task force,’ who wouldn’t be fighting with the other EPG hunters. They had one job, persuade/defeat the three heads of Chimaera, who we would be cornering. We would corral them towards a certain building and then Lemuel would set up the barrier. As the only outsider of the group, I had to put in extra effort in their drills.

  Yang Anhe was our commanding officer. We conducted drills in specialised arenas, fighting mock monsters created with illusions. There were also robots dressed as monsters, with various mechanics to mimic them. Destroying them always made me feel a bit bad because that was a lot of Cets down the drain. I could even hear the mechanics and engineers watching and controlling them lament each time a Hunter went overboard and ripped off all their limbs.

  It was pretty easy. Well, not easy. It was… I didn’t know. The difficulty of the drills, in a vacuum, were moderately difficult. But I had gone through the real life combat scenarios these drills prepared you for so often that I was used to handling something of this difficulty. It was going to be hard. It was going to be a struggle. But I was used to it. With my two knives and my freeform movement, I could bob and weave out of any situation.

  “Ah, shit!” An EPG Hunter yelped. A robot they had been fighting had pinned them down and was opening its head to ‘eat’ them.

  I dashed forth and slashed the ‘leg’ that was pinning the guy down. With my momentum, I grabbed the guy’s arm and we both escaped the ‘beast.’ I looked up into the air, to where I threw the knife I was holding earlier. I stomped my feet ready to jump for it, but someone beat me to it instead.

  Yang Anhe leapt into the air and slapped it into the training robot with her tail. The knife, still enchanted with Kaleid Blade, pierced the robot’s head, and ‘killed’ it.

  “Trey, don’t dash ahead. Machia, don’t try to take too much work on your own. Look at how many people you left behind with your speed,” Yang Anhe advised. “Breaktime! You have 15 minutes!”

  “Thanks for the help there,” Trey told me. He scampered off to a bench along with the others.

  I silently retrieved my knife from the head of the training robot. It was broken. Being sent into a robot head with such force was not good for it. Especially when I wasn’t holding it to keep the Kaleid Blade stabilised.

  “Have you thought about using swords instead?” Yang Anhe suddenly asked me. “I know the two are very different but a durable weapon is necessary for fighting monster hordes.”

  I looked at the dual swords Yang Anhe sheathed behind her back. The scabbards were placed on the back of her hips, and her swords were just short enough she could pull them out with ease.

  “I’ve tried it in the past. The mechanics of my Kaleid spells favour smaller blades.”

  Yang Anhe seemed satisfied with my answer, so she turned to join the others. They had all taken out snacks to chew on, one guy was even eating a full-blown boxed lunch. But I didn’t want to let her go just yet.

  “Was I performing well?” I asked.

  “Your performance was adequate. We were told that you might split off from us in order to support the special task force, so we have no real expectations of you. You breaking off in the middle of the fight should be no issue for us,” Yang Anhe flatly said.

  “You told me I was doing too much.”

  “Normally, I wouldn’t say that, but you, Machia, have to pace yourself for if you are needed to support the special task force. As their sole reinforcement, you need to save your energy for that.”

  How thoughtful of her. I didn’t expect that out of Yang Anhe. She was similar to Elize in how she operated, but there was something more to her. She was younger than her, she was likely either my age, 25, or just a little older. This would be a bit of a surprise but she had a reputation among the EPG as one of its rising stars, her skill far exceeding her age.

  Despite following the same method of logic and rationality as Elize, I could tell she contained a bit of fervour in her.

  “Why did you ask about feeding Egotists when you knew the answers to your questions?” I questioned.

  Yang Anhe did not visibly react. “I could ask the same to you.”

  “I wanted confirmation from a former Ego Eater,” I answered. “You intentionally asked those questions because you wanted to make sure we understood coexistence is impossible.”

  “That’s right.” A straightforward answer.

  “Why?”

  “Because you all are acting quite idealistic about an issue no one has been able to solve.” There was more to that sentence than was obvious.

  “It’s not wrong to hope.”

  “Reality won’t be so kind.”

  “Maybe not to you.”

  Yang Anhe gave me a cold look. No, cold was the wrong word. The coldness was a facade. She cared about this issue too.

  “So that’s why you didn’t want to be there. Because you don’t believe in it either,” Yang Anhe claimed. A claim that was correct. She gleaned a lot from looking at my face too.

  “Maybe not. But I can have hope in them and be a pillar when they need it.”

  “You’re free to run yourself into the ground. But don’t make trouble for Lemuel or Elize. They already have enough problems on their plate as is.”

  With that, Yang Anhe cut off our conversation. Someone handed her a protein bar, which she gobbled down. I was offered one too, but I ate at a leisurely pace. I sat away from the crowd, but I couldn’t help but look back at Yang Anhe from time to time.

  I wondered about who she was. I knew that she was an EPG Hunter and worked under both Lemuel and Elize loads of times. She used twin blades, her Major Aspect was Lightning, her Minor Aspect was Water. She was half-lizardkin or snakekin and half-some sort of reindeer or the like. Her horns were pretty unique, so I couldn’t tell what they were off the bat. They might be fiend horns even. It would make more sense since beastkin don’t mix. Not that we’ve always obeyed animal biology in that regard. Women often had antlers. That wasn’t the part that bothered me though.

  It was that tail. Shimmering with azure scales, yet somehow it felt naked. Like there was something more to it, like it was missing something. If I asked Jingyun, he would have a good guess for what it was, but he was… a lot of things. But what was important is that he wasn’t my friend here.

  I doubted I would get a straight answer if I asked, so I let it be. Her race wasn’t important to the upcoming operation.

  “Breaktime’s over! We’re continuing!” She yelled out.

  I set my thoughts aside. It was back to the drills. But I definitely had to figure that out later. For the sake of my curiosity.

  Though, to be honest, I wonder just how much trouble I’ve run into over the years because of it. Mikoko always told me to tone it down. Meh, not like she liked me right now anyway.

  ———————————————————————

  At the same time as Machia was training with the EPG Hunters, Machua and her squad were busily strategising and practicing.

  ‘It kinda sucks Rasa and Carmine aren’t pairing up cause they’re easily the best. Miko and Rasa seem to work well together though, they talk things out. But Plu and Carmine…’

  Carmine ran rampant at a training dummy while Plue tried to catch up. She would often send a swarm of insects to obscure enemy vision, but Carmine would almost always cut through them to get at the enemy. Plue however, anticipated that, and was able to slash through the enemy at the same time.

  ‘At least Toolbox and I are going okay…’ Machua placated herself.

  Toolbox zipped around the room and smashed training robots to pieces. Her kicks had grown stronger and more effective. She had shown up to today’s training session wearing a pair of shoes with claws at the front. And she was having a blast.

  ‘I still don’t know where they came from. She was too excited to answer. Ah, she ran off…’

  “Toolbox, try to stay near me! I can’t block attacks for you otherwise!” Machua instructed. Toolbox nodded and rushed back.

  ‘These tonfas are also so heavy. I’m swinging so slowly, if I want to swing as fast as before, I need to spend more mana. Does a lot of damage though,’ Machua observed. ‘I need to help set up the best scenario for her to use 5-Claw Smash.’

  Now that they had time to train together, Machua knew how Toolbox’s Engraving worked. When she manifested a big paw seal, it could imbue her claws with power. She could only perform those big smashes 4 times in a fight before she had to rest and recover. Which made it all the more important that she help set up the perfect scenario for her to hit those attacks. Still, it was difficult. If their opponent was fast it was easy for the fight to get away from her.

  “I need a break,” Machua muttered. She called out to everyone she was taking a break. Toolbox, as her partner, followed her.

  “Did I do anything wrong?” She asked, a little afraid of it being her fault.

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  “I feel like the problem’s with me. But I don’t really know. It’s hard to work together with someone.”

  ‘Even with Machi. I always feel like I’m lagging behind with him. It feels like we’re moving really smoothly, but I know he’s always taking a lot of effort to account for me.’

  Machua sighed and took a big swig from her water bottle. As she looked up from the bench, she saw that three familiar figures had entered their training room. Everyone still training stopped when they noticed the same.

  “Lemuel, Rollo, and Elize. Did you come to check on us?” Machua asked.

  “Yes and no,” Elize answered first.

  “We’re here to train you guys!” Rollo blurted out with fanfare.

  “I thought it would be good for you all to receive special instruction. I know you’ll need time to adjust to your tonfas, and Plu could do with some reinforcement on her swings. As for Rasa and Mikoko, I’m sure they can take some lessons from El’s analytic mindset,” Lemuel stated.

  “Careful though. We don’t plan to hold back today. You’ll be on the ground or knocked out after this,” Rollo warned.

  Not a single member was afraid of that. They all nodded and separated back into groups.

  Elize taught Rasa and Mikoko how to quickly analyse the situation at hand, and to know the proper spells to utilise in the moment. Rollo worked Carmine and Plue heavily in melee combat, oftentimes correcting swings or forcing them to get better by sheer effort. As for Lemuel, he stood before Machua and Toolbox with a smile.

  “I’ll need to spar you two first to understand you. Feel free to use your strongest attacks.”

  Toolbox and Machua looked at each other and nodded. They stood closely together, waiting for Lemuel to make a move. Machua was in front and Toolbox was in the back, but with her speed, it wouldn’t be an issue.

  They stared at him, not willing to take their eyes off of him.

  “Alright then. I’ll start.”

  Lemuel moved much faster than he was expected to. Just as Machua could activate the barrier in her tonfas, Lemuel swung his. Lemuel’s tonfa slammed onto the barrier with great force. The barrier and Machua’s arms were already shaking. Toolbox reacted quickly. A paw seal had already formed behind his head.

  [Pathway Paw: 5-Claw Smash!]

  Toolbox swerved behind Lemuel and sent a kick through her paw seal. The claws flashed, but at the last moment, Lemuel swung back with his other arm.

  “Hup!” Toolbox tried to shift her momentum as much as she could.

  Toolbox managed to evade the thrust, but she was far too close to a dangerous opponent, so she dashed back. Lemuel followed after her with a similar speed. Both of them were surprised to see him keep up.

  ‘Damn! Already!’

  Machua ran after the two, but Toolbox’s scuffle with Lemuel carried them away from her. Just as she felt she was about to get a strike in, Lemuel was able to block it and struck back. Machua always had to dodge back or try and block it, but each time she did so, Toolbox would try and strike Lemuel, and then the cycle would start over again.

  It didn’t take long for Lemuel to catch Toolbox. He dropped a tonfa to grasp her arm. At that point, they knew it was over.

  “Your first mistake, Machua, is that you don’t know how to defend others,” Lemuel stated as he let Toolbox go.

  Machua shrugged weakly. “You guys keep getting away from me…”

  “Sorry,” Toolbox apologised while bowing. “But he keeps chasing after me and I have to keep getting away. I couldn’t find a way to path back to you.”

  “Machua,” Lemuel said her name in a commanding way.

  “Yessir!” Machua stood at attention.

  “When you’re fighting in a squad, and your role is to protect others, you cannot be afraid to get hurt.”

  “Yes…”

  “You flinch whenever I strike back, or you try to dodge much too far. You know my target is Toolbox, you need to stay close to me at all times,” Lemuel instructed.

  “I’ve been trying to-“

  Suddenly, Lemuel thrusted his tonfa at her. The tonfa barely missed her head.

  “You flinched again. You’ll be facing these kinds of scenarios constantly in combat.”

  “Hah…” Machua let out a breath when he took his tonfa away from her.

  “One training session isn’t going to be enough to get you used to it. But I will impress onto you your role. Nothing is more important than the defence of your charge.”

  Hearing that word used again, Machua reflexively glanced at Carmine. Rollo had forced her to work together with Plue, if only a little.

  “You can’t be too careless with taking attacks, you know!” Rollo swung his sword at Carmine’s side. She made her best attempt to dodge but allowed a few fingers to get sliced off. This caused her to drop an axe.

  “Just a few injuries…” Rollo slammed his sword into her again. She tried to block it, but with only one axe, she couldn’t manage it.

  “And your performance can drop like a rock. Take better care of yourself, or you’ll force your comrades to cover for you. That crucial moment where you need to recover could be all it takes for your comrades to die,” Rollo spoke, his blade already at Plue’s throat, who had tried to cover for her.

  “Tch…” Carmine silently re-attached her fingers.

  Lemuel added, “That gap where your comrade needs to rest is where you’ll be needed most.

  Rollo and his group separated and prepared to fight again. Unlike before, Plue rushed in first.

  Rollo’s swing took Plue off-balance, and using that momentum, he kept swinging into Carmine. Carmine attempted to block the strike, but it had too much force. She was pushed back, and Rollo, ignoring Plue, rushed after her. He heaved his greatsword above his head and swung down. Hard. Carmine knew she had to dodge, but she would be too late to avoid having her arm sliced off.

  A loud clang occurred. “But the best thing to do is to prevent the injury from happening first.”

  Lemuel had blocked the strike himself.

  “Hey, Lem. You jumping in?”

  “Carmine and Toolbox with me. Plu, you join Rollo’s side. Machua, watch,” Lemuel ordered.

  “Haha! Alright, Plu!” Rollo holstered his greatsword on his back and pulled out his scythe from his necklace. “Let’s show them what scythes can do!”

  “Roger!”

  Machua sat on the bench and stared closely at the upcoming duel. Elize had also paused her lessons to allow Mikoko and Rasa to observe. The four of them sat together on the bench.

  “You two can attack how you like. I’ll protect you,” Lemuel stated.

  Rollo hollered, “But, Carmine, you better not go over-“

  Carmine had already rushed to swing her axes at him. Already, she had foregone his lessons.

  “Sorry, you’re an enemy. I’m not gonna listen to you,” Carmine sneered.

  “Brat.”

  Carmine swung again and again, but Rollo was able to parry the strikes. Each time he did, the blade of his scythe got dangerously close to her body. Quickly, as it always did, Rollo’s attack was about to pierce her flesh. Instead, Lemuel’s tonfa blocked it.

  Seeing that, Rollo smirked. He swung again, aimed at Carmine’s neck. Lemuel interspersed himself in between the two and blocked the strike before it could even travel halfway there.

  “You two, are you just going to stand there?” Lemuel glanced at the two bystanders.

  Plue and Toolbox nodded at the other and turned to each other. They were both hesitant to move, so they looked at each other for a little bit, daring the other to move first.

  ‘Aww,’ Machua thought.

  Meanwhile, Rollo’s scythe had turned into a flurry of blades. The way he swung his scythe, using both arms to spin it whichever way, and making full use of the length of the polearm, was ferocious. Carmine struggled to interrupt, but Lemuel kept pace with Rollo. He stuck by his side and did not allow that whirlwind to strike Carmine. She threw herself at it, over and over again, but Rollo thwarted every attempt. Yet, she could still try because Lemuel protected her.

  ‘The blade comes so close to him so many times, but his expression doesn’t change at all,’ Machua noticed.

  Rollo suddenly stopped whirling. The suddenness took Carmine by surprise, so she couldn’t block the boot to her stomach. Lemuel, for once, was too slow to interrupt. Instead, he had to defend himself, as Rollo immediately swung at him. Scythe met tonfa.

  “Remember,” Elize turned to the three beside her, “when your primary role is to cast spells, you need to be aware of all factors in the battlefield at all times. This goes for every role as well, but for magicians, you need to be able to analyse what spells would best fit the situation at hand.”

  Rollo pushed against Lemuel, wanting to savour the clash. This finally gave Toolbox the opportunity to intervene. Plue followed her too, attacking her own father instead.

  The two men pushed hard against each other and skidded away. Plue and Toolbox landed where they formerly were.

  With a smirk, Plue ducked low to the ground and swung. Rollo reached forward and swung the other way, forming a pincer. Toolbox leapt up, but without a foothold, she was easy prey for Rollo, who easily transitioned into a jumping downward slash. Plue, a bit slower, sent an upward slash her way too.

  Suddenly, Toolbox was pulled aside. Carmine had shot a bloodline out and reeled her in. Finally, Lemuel sent a powerful strike at Rollo. One far stronger than anything anybody else had tried in this spar.

  Plue scampered out of the way as Rollo turned to meet it. He turned his back to Lemuel, allowing his greatsword to take the blow for him. In the same motion, he shrunk his scythe and attached it back to his necklace. His other hand reached for his greatsword.

  “He better not go overboard,” Elize muttered. “You three, try to remain calm.”

  Machua thought to ask why, but she didn’t have to.

  In one swift motion, Rollo took his greatsword and swung it as hard as he could while turning. Lemuel dodged to the side. The swing fractured the floor.

  “A-aaah…” Toolbox reacted.

  A wave of bloodlust radiated out from Rollo. Toolbox gripped Carmine harder, and her feet scampered onto the ground trying to escape. She didn’t have the mind to realise her two actions worked opposite to each other.

  Carmine clung to Toolbox in response. Her gaze focused onto Rollo, all her instincts telling her she couldn’t let him out of her sight. Machua felt the same. It was the same as facing down Dalan. Everything had to be accounted for, nothing could be left up to chance. A single mistake and she would die.

  Plue closed an eye in his presence and backed off. She didn’t seem too bothered by it. Mikoko as well only clenched her fists.

  The person who was most affected was Rasa. Like Toolbox, he was shivering. Sweat flowed down his head and his hands gripped his pants tight. His eyes quivered and his legs trembled, ready to run as far away as he could. It almost seemed like he was certain of his own death.

  “Huff…” Rasa rasped.

  “Rollo, stop!” Elize yelled.

  ‘R-Rasa?’ Machua looked to him.

  Rasa’s mana went wild. Darkness enveloped the room and a loud ringing shot into everyone’s head.

  ‘It’s black mist?’ Machua wondered.

  She unconsciously breathed it in. A mistake. The black mist was too thick, it suffocated her.

  Machua was momentarily brought back to that day. The fear she felt as she thought her life would be over, the fear she felt that pushed her to do something, anything.

  The bloodlust stopped. And then a paw seal shone beside her. It was followed by a loud slamming noise.

  Machua felt normal air return to her lungs. She turned to see where the paw seal was.

  Carmine was standing on the bench, and she held Rasa’s head in her hand. She had slammed it into the wall so hard that it had cracked.

  “C-Carmine…” Rasa mumbled. He was bleeding.

  Carmine shoved a nearby water bottle into his mouth. She forced him to drink, and when she was satisfied, she stepped off.

  “What did you promise me?” She asked.

  “I… can’t…”

  “You have to control yourself. Cause if you can’t, then who’ll control me? That’s what you promised to me and Galas.”

  “… Yes,” was the only thing Rasa could say. “I… will take a break.”

  Machua watched as Rasa left the room with Elize. He had stopped shivering entirely, though he was drenched in sweat. His movements were the same as always. The calm and collected Rasa. The air of the scared-to-death Rasa had all but disappeared.

  Lemuel glared at Rollo. He turned away from him with a pitiful grin.

  “Why would you think showing your bloodlust in a training room was a good idea?” Lemuel questioned.

  “I thought that since you were here, I could let some steam off,” Rollo admitted. “I knew I’d scare them, but I didn’t expect… that.”

  “I didn’t either. I’ll have to talk to Galas about this again. He assured me he would be able to perform in tomorrow’s operation, but I might have to take him off the roster,” Lemuel pondered.

  “He’s sensitive to people’s emotions,” Carmine suddenly said. “If no one around him reacts strongly, he won’t either.”

  “Strong emotions are typical on a battlefield,” Lemuel pointed.

  “He just needs one guy to be calm. One guy to be resolute and ready,” Carmine responded. “He slipped up there cause he didn’t expect it. He’ll know what to expect tomorrow.”

  “… Should we…” Machua trailed off. “Change the pairings then?”

  “Nah, you know what I’m like. I’m his mental exercise, I’m the excuse he needs to make sure he can keep it under control. But her,” Carmine pointed at Mikoko. “She’s exactly what he needs.”

  “I have my misgivings,” Mikoko stated.

  “He’s been working well with you this entire time. Just trust him like before.”

  “If he loses control even once, then we lose. Worse, we jeopardise the operation,” Mikoko reasoned.

  “That’s what Machia is for. And besides, he won’t.”

  “I don’t know him as long as you do. Neither Machia nor Rasa,” Mikoko spoke. “So I can’t simply place my trust in them like you can.”

  “Machua?” Carmine turned to her for help.

  ‘Me? She’s turning to someone for help for once and it’s me? Is she out of it?’

  “What do you want me to say? I don’t know him as well as you do, like Miko said. With Dalan, he stayed away from him for most of it. With the blue bandage guy you were sent flying and he had to go reel you back in,” Machua pointed out.

  “Tch,” Carmine gave her a glare.

  “He’s not… He was picked up by Galas for a reason. You all trust him so much, why can’t you trust Rasa?”

  No one had much to say to her. It wasn’t like they would get through to her, so no one tried. She looked around, ready to continue arguing, but no one met her gaze. The only one that did was Lemuel, and she knew that she didn’t stand a chance at arguing with him. He’d just shut her down and it was his operation anyway.

  It was at that point, the door to the training room opened again. “Hey, guys, I finished early, so I thought I’d pop by. What’s with the mood?”

  “Machia,” Carmine spoke. “Tell them that Rasa’ll be fine tomorrow!”

  ‘Is she grasping at straws? Why would she ask Machi? I mean, he does seem to know everything, but…’

  “Why should I?” Machia asked. “Just ask him yourself.”

  Machia moved out of the way to show a more composed Rasa. He had changed his clothes and Elize was walking behind him as well. Rasa strode into the centre of the room, and up to Lemuel. Lemuel looked into his eyes, seeing a rare look of resolve from him.

  “I can do it. I promise you, Lemuel, that I will be able to control myself. You can test me right now. I will not allow myself to lose control,” Rasa spoke.

  “Hah… You know. No one wanted Galas when he didn’t have an Aspect. One wrong hit and it could mess everything up,” Lemuel began.

  He didn’t take long to make his decision. “… Do it.”

  “Really?” Rollo asked.

  “At a higher intensity. Anyone who doesn’t want to go through this can leave the room first,” Lemuel added.

  Toolbox was the only person to take him up on that.

  Rollo sighed and placed his hand on his greatsword. He faced Rasa, who stood unwaveringly.

  He swung. The blade stopped short of Rasa’s neck, but it carried with it an intensified bloodlust. Sweat accumulated on his brow, just the same as before. His arms shivered and his legs trembled.

  But the one thing that did not move was his mana.

  “Hah…” Rasa breathed as Rollo retracted his bloodlust.

  “You’re in. Plu, could you call Toolbox?”

  Plue followed her father’s instruction.

  Machia patted Rasa on the back. “There you go. Good job.”

  “Knew you could do it.” Carmine patted his back too.

  “Thank you, both of you, for believing in me.” Rasa had a pleasant smile on his face.

  “As for the rest of you, I will prove to you that you can trust me in time.”

  “Looking forward to it,” Machua said.

  “By the way. You were completely unaffected,” Carmine pointed out.

  “Isn’t that expected of me at this point?” Machia asked with a wink.

  “Haha,” Rasa chuckled.

  “Bleh, you’re right. Anyway, we’re gonna continue to train, right?”

  “Yes,” Lemuel responded.

  “Good. Then you!” Carmine jabbed a finger at Rollo. “Your Aspect’s Blood. You’re gonna teach me a few tricks as an apology for what you did to Rasa.”

  Rollo almost scoffed. “What I did in the video’s an Engraving. You’re not going to be able to do it.”

  “Why don’t we try and find out?” She dared.

  “… Heh. Sure, why not? It’ll be hell on your heart though.”

  “We’ll begin training again after a short break!” Lemuel announced. “If we have no interruptions, we’ll be doing this well into the night!

  ‘Wait, the night? But…’ Machua grimaced. She turned to see only Machia’s smiling face as he left the room.

  ‘Machi, you traitor!’

  “Machua,” the voice came from behind her. “I’ll be correcting your forms and moves in combat. I’ll do the same for Toolbox, but you’re up first.”

  “Y-yes sir…”