Avryn’s squad emerged from the simulation room to a round of applause from their peers. Their inspiring performance gave hope to the others who were yet to go. Exhaustion forced them to take a quick breather by Leifren’s squad. Leifren had the look of wanting some answers.

  “So, what was your strategy for the bear?” he came up.

  “Forced a crack in its skull with this,” Avryn pointed to his gunblade. “Then a combination attack to punch it in.”

  He wiped off his sweat with his forearm. It was a good fight. His hands were still shaking as a result of the adrenaline rush dying down. He leaned his head back onto the wall, he was satisfied.

  “It’s only gonna get better from here,” he thought.

  He looked at his other squad mates. Valoche and Tvira wound down by doing some stretches. Rinna was being attended by Kiria like the latter was her maid.

  “Would you like me to get you some water, miss Rinna?” Kiria stood at the ready.

  Rinna shook her head,

  “No, I’ll be fine,” she assured.

  Another half hour passed by and the batch was finished. Results were overall satisfactory according to Aldric’s body language. He motivated them to continue their training.

  “Learn from your shortcomings you had today, and you shall come back stronger,” he encouraged them.

  The class was dismissed. This leg of the journey was finished, and they had the rest of the next two weeks off. Avryn felt like a new man as the breeze refreshed him. Rinna was in deep contemplation as she and the rest of the squad accompanied Avryn.

  “Something on your mind?” Tvira turned to her.

  “I’ve been meaning to visit some of the soldiers who recently came back. I have a few questions for them,” She replied.

  “Now that you mention it, I wanna come with,” Avryn chimed in.

  They paid a visit to the city’s barracks. It was the big square building made of marble near the president’s palace. Plenty of soldiers were rehabbing their injuries, others continued training, and a few were idling by. They came across a decorated fellow, an officer with rank by the insignia on the side of his arm. He welcomed them.

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  “Ah, students from the Academy, what brings you to our humble little barracks?” the officer’s voice gave them a sense of calm.

  Rinna got straight to the point and asked for the status at the front lines. There was a tone of impatience as her voice trailed off, as if she was anticipating something. Her eyes shone with a sense of curiosity.

  The officer replied they’ve dealt with the usual. Information gathering, Corpse hunting, and outpost expanding were what they had done. He noted her enthusiasm and encouraged them to continue training and take their time. Avryn asked for additional advice on what they could do in the mean time.

  The officer replied they could help with the local authorities maintain the peace. It was the soldier’s job to fight the battles, and it was their job to make sure they have a come to come back to. Avryn nodded, satisfied with his answer.

  “There are some opportunists who’d want to take advantage of others in vulnerable times like this. It’s why they established the guards and local police forces,” the officer lectured.

  They thanked the officer for his time and left. Rinna was still contemplating, her silence was noticeable. Valoche spoke up to ease the tension,

  “Well we’ve been given a break, we should rest as best we can, and come back stronger when our training resumes,” a few um’s got into his speech but it provided enough comfort.

  Logistics became the topic of the conversation. Everyone except Rinna did not have a place of residence in Ordellia. Money was out of the question since they were only students.

  “I could make a call to mother and set up something,” Rinna suggested.

  Leifren’s squad caught up to them. Jenilah proposed an idea for an inter-squad road trip for the duration of the break. Avryn spoke of the money problems they had to which he already had the answer for. Since they had the perfect scores in the test, they had extra credits, literally. Leifren handed them their share of the money.

  It turned out they just had enough Ordellian credits to last them two weeks, with a little leftover.

  “Man, I love the Academy,” Avryn fiddled with his stack of money.

  Leifren suggested a place to meet up tonight. A new buffet place was opening in town and he wanted them to celebrate there. There was also affordable lodgings nearby they could rest at until that time.

  The Cozy Cobblehouse, a homely hotel stood proudly near the edge of Ordellia’s commercial district. Leifren already took care of the bookings and had made reservations there. Two rooms, four beds each. The boys would have one, and the girls the other. The stonework of the building was detailed and uniform. It had a rough look to it but was smooth to the touch. The staff were very accomodating and friendly. A few other students from the Academy were spending their time there, too.

  They were all seen to their rooms. Conveniently they were just across the hallway from each other. Avryn entered and took in the sight of it. It sat just in between of simple and fancy, just as he preferred. The smell of fresh thistle made the room even more inviting. The boys set down their belongings and had a discussion.

  “So, now that we’re not pretend-killing each other, there’s something I’d like to know,” Leifren prepared himself a cup of tea. “You and Avryn, you know each other?”

  “Eh, it was a couple of weeks, we were kids back then,” Harver replied.

  “From how you two interacted, it’d sound like you’ve known each other for years,” Valoche lied on his side, facing towards them.

  Avryn remembered that time well. Harver was the first friend around his age that he was free to interact with. He retold them that their love of wanting to be stronger made them instantly clicked.

  “Weren’t you training to be a Knight, too?” he just remembered that detail.

  “Eh, things happened. I wasn’t ready just yet. Besides, being an expeditions soldier isn’t a bad deal either,” Harver danced around the question. A hint of shame was in his eyes.

  He switched the topics naturally. They all shared their own tales until the time for dinner arrived. The nightlife in the city of Storia was something to behold to someone who didn’t grew up in it. The dazzling lights and lively music gave life to the night. Smell of booze and the local food stalls were inviting to any who passed by. The boys reunited with the girls and made their way to the buffet place. Avryn’s mouth was agape,

  “And I thought the Academy’s cafeteria had good food,” he muttered.

  The buffet had different cuisines from all around the world. Valoche and Tvira eyed the section that had local Veilundian dishes. It made it an easy decision for them. They all paid for the fees and set out to gather their fill.

  The tempo of the music helped curate the festive mood of this night. They gathered around a table and ate away. Stories were shared, and bonds were strengthened that night.