028

 

28.  Ordinance

 

Knights and technicians filled the cafeteria that morning, talking, laughing, and eating while Azuka and Eden lined up to get some food. Azuka kindly introduced Eden to her personal favorite: grilled yellowtail sandwiches, and the two talked and laughed as they made their way through the line. Eden’s eyes explored the unfolding scenery, taking in all the sounds, colors, and faces. Soon, she saw two familiar figures trying to shove their way through the morning rush.

 

"Hey, I see them," Eden said to Azuka. "Wow, they're actually walking together."

 

Azuka peered over with a smirk. "Walden and I spoke briefly last night, and your friend Vance came up. He certainly sounds like quite a unique individual."

 

"Yeah," Eden answered. "Vance is unique, alright. So unique that he can scare me, frustrate me, and make me laugh all at the same time. I'm really surprised that he's with Cliff, though. They don't get along very well."

 

"Bring them over here," Azuka ordered softly. "We haven't much time left before the meeting starts."

 

After choosing their meals, the four went to find an open table.

 

"I hope you boys slept well," Azuka said. "You earned it."

 

"Thanks," Vance and Cliff both said, almost at the same time. They glanced at each other, then awkwardly turned their attention to their meals.

 

Vance immediately dug into one of his two fish sandwiches. Meanwhile, Cliff and Eden began working on their salads.

 

After eating some of her grilled yellowtail, Captain Azuka began to speak. "Well, Eden and Vance. As there are no longer any chaotic crises plaguing our Guild, I must ask: what do you plan to do from now on? Do you wish to become Knights?"

 

"I do," Eden answered quickly. "It's not like I have any other place to go...I want to find out where I really came from, and who my real parents are."

 

"Good," Azuka said. "And you, Vance?"

 

Eden watched Vance intently, curious to hear his response.

 

"I want to get stronger," Vance declared. "And if I need to become a Dimensional Knight in order to do so, then I will. Whatever it takes, I'm ready."

 

"Interesting." Azuka folded her hands and stared back at the young man. "For what purpose, though? What do you plan to do once you gain strength?"

 

Vance clammed up for a moment, apparently trying to discern the meaning behind Azuka’s question. "I want to find my mother. And if she really is dead, I want to avenge her."

 

"Okay then." Azuka leaned back in her chair. "In that case, I have an idea for both of you."

 

Cliff looked at his pocket watch. "The assembly will start in twenty minutes."

 

"That should be enough time to explain," Azuka began. "A public fighting competition known as the Belmarcian Tournament will be held about three months from now. Rumor has it that the grand prize this year is supposedly...a clock."

 

"What?!" Cliff shouted, then glanced around at the attention he'd drawn and quieted down. "They're giving a clock away to the winner? How is that possible?!"

 

"When we gave the report to the Church," Azuka answered, "our representative said it seemed like the perfect opportunity to ensnare the Dark Zodiacs and kill two birds with one stone. They want us to infiltrate the complex."

 

"But why would the tournament committee even do that in the first place?" Cliff was baffled. "Don't they realize what kind of attention they'll attract?"

 

"I think that is precisely their idea, Walden. When one truly masters psynergy and acquires a unique ability, money ceases to be a worry. For example, just think about Mixam, the man who single-handedly built the Guild’s headquarters. You think he’d stick his neck out just for a cash prize? Impossible.

 

"And so, for the past tournaments, the committee has been adding on all sorts of things to their monetary prize such as fame, property, and other services. Yet no matter what sort of material rewards they offered, it was never enough to draw the most famous of warriors, or exceptionally talented people like our Knights and the Zodiacs. They probably think they’ve struck gold by coming across a clock, but I guarantee you, they’re biting off more than they can chew."

 

"How did they even get a clock?" Eden asked.

 

"That's a good question," Azuka continued. "Technically, the Church could legally repossess the clock at any time by claiming it to be a holy artifact, since the dimension of Belmarc is a member of the Dimensional Alliance. Instead, they want to use it as bait to lure out the Zodiacs, then have us do their dirty work."

 

"Why do you keep working for these people?" Vance groaned. "They sound like assholes!"

 

"Trust me," Azuka said. "It’s better to be on their side than the alternative."

 

After they finished eating, the quartet cleaned up the table and headed out into the hall.

 

"What’s the Guild’s plan for the tournament?" Cliff asked. "Are we going to throw everything we can at it?"

 

Azuka answered as she walked. "The Guild will probably deploy the four captains and vice-captains to the city of Enmetropolis to both take part in the tournament and keep watch over the committee members. In order to ensure that we're up to the task, we'll undergo rigorous training up until the event begins."

 

Eden perked up. "Can I take part in the training too?"

 

Azuka smiled. "If you wish to become my student, you’re free to do so."

 

"Your student?" Vance asked. "What's that mean?"

 

"You will accompany Cliff and myself to an undisclosed location where we’ll train and prepare ourselves for the tournament. You will obey my orders without a second thought, and as a result, you will enhance your abilities much faster than you would any other way."

 

"Captain Azuka," Cliff interjected. "Are you sure this is such a good idea? I mean–"

 

"Oh, come on, Cliff!" Vance shouted. "Haven't we proven ourselves enough to you in the past two missions?"

 

"Boys," Azuka's powerful voice called out. "The assembly begins. Come."

 

Silenced, the two obediently followed their leader to one of the Guild's elevators. After a short ride, the group found themselves in an offshoot of the main command center, which was now deserted. Azuka moved diagonally across the room toward two large æsotech doors bearing the Guild's insignia: a slanted sword over a wireframe globe.

 

"The meeting’s inside here." Azuka lowered her voice. "Stay quiet."

 

Cliff moved ahead to get behind Azuka as she shoved open the heavy doors, revealing a spacious forum with a stage in the center. Standing behind a high podium against the far wall was the Seneschal, looking calm as usual. Lined up next to him were chairs occupied by the captains of the first three divisions. Azuka quickly made her way to the stage and sat in the fourth chair from the left.

 

"I heard you got caught by a Zodiac," a swarthy man beside her whispered. "You sure like to live on the wild side."

 

Azuka slouched back in her chair and rolled her eyes over to the 3^rd division Captain. "How long has it been again since you’ve been in a battle? Oh, I’m sorry, that’s not fair. I know how mean the Guild can be, forcing you to go on all those lengthy facility reconstruction missions, one after another..."

 

The man shot her a sour face and turned away. In the audience, Cliff made his way to the front row, where the other vice-captains sat. Vance and Eden settled upon a seat in the back row, high above the rest.

 

After a few minutes, Tao spoke. "Shall we begin?"

 

There was no gavel, no gong, and no shouts for silence from any guards or personnel. Silence instantly shrouded the crowd, and their eyes fell on the Seneschal.

 

"I wonder if he's stronger than all the captains combined..." Vance whispered to Eden.

 

"Well, I can't sense his aura," Eden whispered back. "So who knows."

 

Vance watched Tao closely, trying to detect any unusual movements. The Seneschal stepped down from the podium, moved into the center of the room and looked out to his audience.

 

"After a series of emergencies," Tao began, "our four divisions are assembled once more. We’ve lost many good Knights over the past months. Our collective blood has flowed. But I do not wish to lie you. From from here on out, it'll only get worse. We’ve known for a while now that the Dark Zodiacs possessed one of the clocks. Now, just this week, they claimed another, in Despair."

 

Vance and Eden winced.

 

"The time for war is drawing close, comrades. You all know very well that I despise fighting, but it seems as if we have no choice this time. We are up against vile terrorists – villains who choose violence to get what they want. The Dark Zodiacs are doing everything in their power to acquire the clocks so that they access the Space-Time Continuum. They must be stopped.

 

"Some of you may remember the Church's policy for the clocks, far before the Dark Zodiacs became a major threat. They were content to leave them hidden, out of the public eye and lost forever. They thought it would be a sufficient way to keep the peace. They thought that forgetting was the best solution."

 

Tao paused momentarily, watching his words sink in with his audience. After a few seconds, he continued.

 

"We can now see that they were horribly mistaken, for the Church was not the only entity studying the nature of space and time. There were others out there – a group of twelve heartless monsters – who came together for the sole purpose of destroying our universe."

 

Tao walked out in front of the podium. "We now enter the calm before the storm. The Belmarcian Tournament is in three months, and they’ve offered up something new in place of their usual cash prize: a clock."

 

A low murmur of gasps and curses erupted from the Knights.

 

"This is a monumental chance for us to crush our greatest enemy and acquire a clock at the same time. I'll be sending all four captains and vice-captains to Enmetropolis in order to try and regulate the tournament."

 

Tao scanned the the crowd. "Should any of you wish to take part in the tournament, we will arrange for you to receive special training in the upcoming weeks. But make no mistake. Although the tournament has a set of rules in place, mortal combat is always a possibility. You have been warned."

 

The Seneschal gestured toward his staff. "I will now allow the captains to address their respective divisions."

 

The first captain promptly stood up from her seat. Her bronze-skinned face glimmered with jewels and hooped earnings, one of which was +connected to a nose ring by a glittering diamond chain. Multi-colored robes shrouded her lean body, which was hairless right up to her smooth scalp.

 

She looked toward her soldiers with golden eyes and began speaking. "Vice-Captain Haq and I will proceed into the Vipassanarium immediately to begin our training. Any of you who wish to follow me, do so with haste." She turned to the Seneschal and bowed. "Ravi Katjagaarda, Captain of the 1^st division of Dimensional Knights, gratefully accepts this mission."

 

After Ravi sat back down, the second captain stood up. He was a tall man with brown skin and full head of dreadlocks that exploded outward like aloe leaves. He slid up to the center of the stage in a black-and-green battlesuit lined with protective æsotech studs. With a coy smile on his face, he waved to the audience.

 

"I'll be there, of course, to kick some ass! If any of you 2^nd division slackers out there are feeling frisky, you’re welcome to join me!" He turned to face Tao. "Kamo Metro, Captain of the 2^nd division, at your service," he said, then hopped back into his seat.

 

The third captain ran a hand through his long brown hair before he stood. "I don't have much to say that hasn't already been stated. Just make sure you realize the dangers before jumping into this. Don't waste your beautiful lives."

 

Black boots squeaked across the tile. The third captain wore a black jacket covered in gold tassels and matching pants. "Seneschal...I, Maximilian Trujillo, Captain of the 3^rd division of Dimensional Knights, passionately accept this mission."

 

He sat down, and at last, Azuka took the stage.

 

"Fierce battles await us, Knights. The Dark Zodiacs claimed twenty of our finest Knights only days ago. As you participate in the ceremony to honor the dead tonight, I want you to remember. They have humiliated us. They have hurt us. This is personal now."

 

Azuka turned to face her leader. "Seneschal Fukunaga, I, Azuka Ingram, Captain of the 4^th division of Dimensional Knights, also accept this mission."

 

Tao nodded, and she returned to her seat. However, instead of sitting down, she turned and stared into the crowd. Vance and Eden froze, realizing that her eyes were on them and no one else.

 

"Vance Darcouver, Eden Gardener!" she called out. "As of now, you are the only two Knights in the 4^th division capable of accompanying me on this mission. Do you accept it?"

 

Nervously, they both stood, alone in a sea of seasoned Knights. Despite their attempts to hide their apprehension, they were both visibly shaking.

 

"Yes!" they both bellowed.

 

"Good to hear," Azuka replied. "We depart for training in 72 hours. Make good use of them...because they'll be the last days of peace you'll have for a very long time."

Next: An Aberrant Gain