Cyrus Solaris
When I finally rematerialized, I was transported to a densely populated area at the edge of the forest. The air was crisp, filled with the shallow howls of the wind.
"My home away from home, I guess. Maybe those years in the wild weren't a waste after all," I muttered, pulling out my virtual map from my dimensional storage. A bright grid unfolded before me, displaying a 3-D version of the vast forest that served as the training facility.
According to the map, the forest stretched 3 miles in every direction. A river snaked through the landmass. The mineral deposits in each corner of the map were not mountain-sized, but big enough to potentially provide shelter.
The map also revealed that we were now on a separate floating island, connected only by astral chains. Since I was at the edge, I was curious to see what would be my fate if I were to fall off the floating island.
Looking over, all I could see were the very tops of clouds—beautiful in their own right as the sunlight sparkled down to give them a warm glow. It was a blessing that I didn't have to worry about someone coming up behind me.
With my current position discovered, I had to figure out who my first target would be. Slowing my breath, I focused on using Gravisense. During the two months of training, this was one of my primary focuses. Now I could maintain the ability for longer, but the influx of information was still a lot to handle.
Countless gravitational forces flooded my senses, like a tidal wave crashing down on me. It took several seconds for my mind to adjust.
Maintaining my breath, I was able to calm the initial tide, but the strain remained.
Despite my boasting, I knew I had my work cut out for me. I was only in this game for a minute, and I understood that my fellow students were all exceptional.
Everyone hid their cosmic signatures, no longer pumping their chest.
But they couldn't conceal their mass and their distortion of space-time. It took only a few minutes for my Gravisense to be in range to pick something up. I sensed several students moving—one seemed to be fleeing the others at breakneck speed.
"Whoever that is got the short end of the stick early," I thought to myself as leaves rustled with increased speed in the nearby brush. The confrontation now heading my way.
Quickly, I did my best to conceal my cosmic energy and took cover in the trees above.
Stumbling out of the brush was a student with unruly, jet-black hair and beige skin. Behind him was a pack of three students I hadn't seen before, breathing heavily.
"Hand it over now, and we won't hurt ya," one of the students said with a drawl, stepping closer.
"Um, how about we make a deal?" The kid said, reaching for his dimensional storage.
"I keep my totem, and you get a free makeover. You will fare much better with that." I bit back a chuckle.
"Jack, I think he just called us ugly," one of the assailants said.
"Well, your words, not mine. But tell me, are you all related, or did the trolls of the class just happen to team up?" the black-haired student continued as he pulled a shiny rod from his dimensional storage.
I couldn't help but think that was an odd weapon of choice. With maddening calm, he kept poking the bears.
"Shut it. Guys, we have him cornered. Let's end this quickly," the ringleader yelled. Suddenly, the troll-like students dashed toward the lone kid, approaching from varying angles.
The humorous student sighed.
"How about a song instead?" he asked, his voice calm but laced with mischief.
Instead of bracing for impact, he raised the radiant silver rod to his lips.
A low hum stirred the air—then it screamed.
The flute's vibration cracked the silence like lightning, shrieking with a ferocity that forced even me to flinch.
Suddenly, the students chasing after him winced in agony, desperately grabbing hold of their ears.
The attack even caused me to slip out of my Gravisense state. I could only imagine what a direct blow would feel like.
As the student finished his attack, his breath became labored as he put away his flute in the dimensional storage while he walked over to their bodies.
"It was a pleasure playing for you trolls. Hope to see you never," the student said as he started to dig into their pockets. I thought he was going for their totems, but instead he pulled their wallets. Confident in his performance, he sprinted away from the scene.
As the kid dashed away, I couldn't help but notice he was much slower than before. Making me wonder if he had some drawback to his power.
The troll-like students recovered in short order and were on the pursuit once again.
Before I tailed them, getting back into my Gravisense state was most important. Others could be perched up somewhere watching this situation play out, and I needed to be aware.
Catching up to the group wasn't difficult—their lack of concealing their cosmic energy made them like homing beacons.
When I finally caught up, the jokester was now indeed struggling. Cosmic augmentation and close-quarters combat did not seem to be his strong suit.
The musical jokester reeled from each blow, limbs flailing like dead weight. Part of me wanted to get involved, but I didn't want to be collateral damage if the jokester had one more thing up his sleeve.
So I waited—and waited some more. If there was anything planned, it seemed to be thrown out the window now.
"We know we're not supposed to kill," one of them sneered.
"Relax. Nobody cares if a nobody disappears."
I've seen feral beasts. I've come across terrifying astral behemoths. Looking at this scene, I could tell– these students were long gone. The totem, the game… none of it mattered anymore.
They reminded me of Adam when he killed those miners in cold blood—memories that still haunted me. When I saw the jokester spit blood, I had had enough.
Dropping from my perch like a poised jungle cat, I began my hunt.