[Wolf Lord+] DEPRECATED - Chapter 14

THIS CHAPTER IS DEPRECATED AND HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A NEW VERSION.

THIS VERSION OF THE CHAPTER INCLUDES POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR FUTURE CHAPTERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

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------------------- Start of Pre-Chapter Author Note (Patreon-only) -------------------
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Hello everyone, LunaWolve here!

This is the first release of an Overflow chapter ever, so I wanted to just quickly give another rundown of how these things work:

Overflow chapters are basically anything above the 5 guaranteed advance chapters for the $5 Patrons, if I end up finishing some additional chapters way ahead of schedule (at least 2+ days).

Overflow chapters will not come with any guarantees, such as amount of advance chapters, release schedule or anything of the sorts, as they are purely an additional 'Thank You' I want to provide and do not want them to become a further responsbility.

I hope you can understand my reasoning for this.

Lastly, this chapter is even more 'unpolished' than the ones released for the $5 Patrons, as they're literally released the second they're done being written.

I've only done a rudimentary check, but haven't really reworked any major parts yet, in case of reptitions etc.

Expect a slightly lower quality from these chapters than you might be otherwise used to .

I'd love to get as much feedback as possible on these chapters, as I'll be using you as my stand-in Editors for these chapters. So don't feel shy about commenting!

Tell me what you think about the chapter, what you liked, what you disliked, etc.!

These overflow chapters are still in the moldable phase, where I can make some bigger changes, so if there's passages that suck, I can still re-write them without TOO MUCH issue.

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Lastly, again, a huge thanks to all of you crazy people, that decided to Support me with $15/month for basically no additional benefit.

I hope this little gesture of some additional chapters every once in a while, is a decent recompense, as right now I feel like I'm robbing y'all blind.

Enjoy the chapter!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------- End of Pre-Chapter Author Note (Patreon-only) ------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thea was snapped out of her stunned state by the concerned voice of Karania next to her, “Thea? Are you okay? What happened?”

Blinking a couple of times to clear her foggy mind and refocus on reality, Thea looked over at her squadmate, who had scooted over on her chair, ever so slightly.

Not quite sure how to answer the question, Thea simply held up her data-pad to Karania, “Just take a look yourself…”

Taking the data-pad with a slight hint of apprehension, Karania read through the message displayed on the screen, her eyes widening in shock at the information.

Karania only managed to mutter one word in response, “Ah.”

“Yeah... tell me about it. I honestly completely forgot about the whole AI thing. I hope this isn’t going to become a problem for us going forward,” replied Thea, worry evident in her voice.

Shaking her head vigorously, as if to clear her thoughts, Karania returned to her usual, kind-looking smile, “Ha! Never! We’re Alpha Squad, remember? We’ll figure something out, no worries! Although, if you want to show me that Ability, we better do so in either your or my room - Just in case.

“We don’t want anyone to randomly see it looking over our shoulder out here. Who knows what The Sovereign will do if we mess up her direct orders…”

Recalling Major Quinn’s display during the graduation ceremony, Thea couldn't help but shudder at the thought of what an unfeeling AI would do to her if she disobeyed a direct order, considering a human being like the Major was so quick to react to an interruption of her speech.

“Ye… You’re probably right. Let’s do it later then in my room, after the squad meeting?”

With an even wider smile, Karania nodded enthusiastically at Thea’s proposal.

Suddenly realising what she had just nonchalantly done, Thea was inwardly ecstatic, 'Did I just invite someone to my room?! Does this mean we’re friends now…?—No! Don’t get ahead of yourself, Thea. It’s a good first step, but you need to stay focused! Slow, steady steps. Build trust - Find commonalities - Spend time together. Patience, Thea.'

Inwardly clenching her fists in triumph at this first step towards potential friendship with Karania, Thea’s mood improved tenfold.

Remembering that their break time was limited, Thea quickly pulled out a small package from her backpack, gesturing it towards Karania, “We should probably get some of that ‘sustenance’, as the Professor called it, before the lecture continues.

"I’m glad you recommended we take some extra breakfast and pack it for later, Karania! You’re so damn smart sometimes…!”

With a smug smile, Karania replied, “What do you mean, sometimes?” before grabbing her own prepared package from her bag.

Giggling at her squadmate's antics, Thea had to admit, it was a fantastic feeling to share such lighthearted banter with someone.

Biting into her breakfast leftovers, which consisted primarily of a grain-based loaf and a sweet, sticky spread that somewhat reminded Thea of the bright violet-coloured falberries from Lumiosia, a local treat she had rarely gotten to partake in but had loved nevertheless, she felt at ease with her current situation, a warm sense of belonging gradually settling in.

Happily eating and chatting with Karania, Thea quickly pushed the thoughts about the looming, potential repercussions of The Sovereign’s attention to the back of her mind.

—

Karania and Thea spent the entire break-time chit-chatting about different, mostly unimportant topics while eating their breakfast leftovers. As their data-pads chimed with the notification that the lecture was about to continue, they started preparing themselves for the next session.

Re-energised from the enjoyable break, Karania filled her desk with the usual data-pads and notebooks, while Thea simply cleaned her own desk of any leftover crumbs.

Professor Pierce entered the lecture hall just as they had both finished their preparations. Quickly moving towards his usual spot at the front desk, he activated the audio system again and explained the future plan for the rest of the lecture.

“Ahem… Welcome back, everyone. I trust you are rested and ready to take in more information by now. That said, as I had feared, there are too many questions on the message board that seem to require my direct input to answer, so we won’t be delving into the Class or Build discussion today.

“Rest assured that we have more than enough time to get to those topics in future classes however, as you are all very far away from really having to think about these things anyway. So, going forward, I will be going over a lot of the asked questions from the message board.”

Thea shot a disappointed look towards Karania, who mirrored it back at her.

They had just talked about their excitement about the Class and Build discussion during their break, hoping to glean some further insight into the System’s workings, so the announcement that it was being postponed definitely put a damper on their overall demeanour.

Thea tried to pump herself up internally, albeit with mixed success, thinking, 'Ah, well. Maybe there are still some nuggets of new information hidden inside the Q&A…'

—

Three hours later, Thea and Karania finally left the lecture hall side by side, for the first time in a little over eight hours.

While the Professor’s Q&A had featured some interesting tidbits here and there, Thea had a lot harder of a time following it than the more interesting parts of the overall lecture before the break, ‘I might have to ask Karania for her notes on the Q&A at a later date…’

Thea did have to admit that it wasn't entirely the Professor's fault for her inability to follow the class, as she had been too pre-occupied with her doomsday thoughts on the Sovereign incident.

Stretching herself, to get her stiffened muscles to loosen up a bit after the continuous sitting, as they walked through the hallways of the Sovereign’s education area, Thea casually addressed Karania, “Next up is ‘Practical’, huh? Any guess what it’ll be about?”

Thinking to herself for a moment before answering, Karania replied with a devious grin, “No idea, but I hope we get to beat some people up. ‘Practical’ sounds to me like we might get to use our Abilities, or see someone else do so?”

Unable to hide her own eagerness for some action, Thea's heart pounded just a bit faster at the thought of getting some practical experience with System-enhanced combat, "That would be great! I really need to stretch my muscles... and let off some steam!"

“Still annoyed by the message board, eh? I still can’t believe you… you know, got lucky like that. Think ‘it’ will give you an advantage if we do get some combat, or…?” Karania probed carefully.

She had slowly been trying to find out what exactly Thea’s Passive Ability entailed throughout the entire break and the Q&A session of the System 101 lecture, obviously unable to contain her curiosity.

Thea gave an exasperated sigh and answered her squadmate with an exaggerated role of her eyes, “Nooo, Karania! I don’t think so… Listen, you’ll get to see it in a couple hours, just let it rest already. I understand it’s exciting, but come on…”

In response, Karania put her hands together in a praying gesture, while making big puppy eyes at Thea. With no possible retort to give but another, deeper sigh that was accompanied by a helpless shrug, Thea continued leading them towards their ‘Practical’ class.

—

When they finally arrived at the class room for their ‘Practical’ and walked inside, Thea and Karania shared an excited look between them.

The room was designed somewhat like a dojo, with an expansive open floor plan and high ceilings, providing ample space for movement and exercise. The walls were adorned with training equipment and various weapons, indicating the potential for a variety of combat scenarios.

The most striking feature of the room, however, was the presence of 13 large arenas, each specifically designed with physical combat in mind. Each arena was roughly 100 metres long and wide, with plenty of space for spectators to walk between them.

They were further separated by semi-transparent, slightly blue-tinted barriers, allowing spectators to observe the battles within, while remaining safe from any stray projectiles or forceful impacts.

Everyone could tell right away, that without the DDS, the setup of the room would never have been possible to achieve, as the inside of the room was easily tens or even hundreds of times more spacious than the footprint of it inside The Sovereign.

The flooring of each arena was made out of what seemed to be a durable, shock-absorbing material that Thea hoped would be able to withstand the rigours of System-enhanced combat. The lighting in the room was bright and even, ensuring that no shadows or dark corners could provide an advantage or disadvantage to the combatants.

Several observation decks were positioned around the room, allowing potential instructors to monitor and evaluate the progress of each individual battle from a vantage point that offered a clear view of the entire room.

It was clear that this environment was designed to allow them to hone their skills and test their abilities in a controlled, yet challenging setting. The prospect of engaging in their first ever System-enhanced combat, whether friendly or competitive, only served to heighten Thea and Karania’s excitement as they found themselves a free pair of seats amongst the already assembled group of Marines.

As they waited for the rest of the Marines to trickle into the room and for the class to start, Thea overheard a lot of hushed, yet excited chatter from the already seated Marines, thanks to her heightened Perception.

"Think we'll get to see a bunch of Ability descriptions? I'm really curious about what other people got for their starting one..."

"I hope so! I'd love to know that too. I just had to end up with a completely useless Ability for combat, huh... sigh..."

Another conversation caught her attention, as Thea heard the mention of 'Alpha Squad' in the hushed whispers and animated chit-chat behind her.

"I'm so excited to finally test out this new body! Just look at these muscles, they're raring to go! I even got a 4 in Strength, I bet I'll be one of the best out there, ha! Maybe I can even get into Alpha Squad by doing well here...?"

"Get into Alpha Squad? You'd be lucky to even make it through the class without severe injuries. Did you not see that cyan girl dodge the Major's bullet at point-blank range during the ceremony? What's your 4 Strength gonna do against that kind of monster? You think your fists are faster than a gun or something?"

"Pah. That was all fake, and you know it! I bet the cyan girl somehow got the Major to put on a show, so she wouldn't be bullied or whatever. Probably had an influential sugar daddy strong-arm her into the Corps too! There's no way that A, anyone at our level can dodge a bullet at point-blank range, and B, a cyan from a mid-world undercity would be able to get into Alpha Squad like that. I call bullshit on the whole thing."

"I mean... I get where you're coming from, but at the same time, I don't see Major Quinn, of all people, bowing to some kind of influential guy, y'know? All I'm saying is that you shouldn't be too overconfident. You heard Professor Pierce, those Alpha Squad guys have a 5! Who knows what a 5 in, say, Dexterity could do! Just don't ruin your own shot at this whole thing, Alex."

She had never been an overly patient person, and though her anxiety in social situations might have led some onlookers to believe so in the past, it came as no surprise to Thea herself when a familiar surge of anger bubbled up inside her stomach at the blatant lies and downright slanderous allegations of her fellow Marine behind her.

Unfortunately for her, she had no real recourse at the moment, as the conversation wasn't directed at her, for she had simply eavesdropped on it. Still, she hoped the class would provide her with a potential avenue for venting her rapidly overflowing frustrations soon.

First, Desmond, a member of her own squad, had insulted her to her face in front of the whole of Alpha Squad! Then there was the ordeal with the message board just hours before, which still bothered her, despite realising it had been her own misunderstanding causing the issue. And now another bigoted piece of trash was blatantly lying and questioning the sacrifices she made to get here and her overall capabilities?!

Thea had to forcefully swallow the words that were threatening to escape her throat, in order to present a mostly calm front. With her fists clenched tightly, she eagerly awaited the start of the class, hoping she might be able to meet this 'Alex' inside one of the arenas in front of her.

Thea decided that, for the rest of the waiting time before the class finally started, she would continue to practise Sergeant Kaelin’s advice and not eavesdrop further. Some things were best left unheard, lest she might end up doing something she would ultimately regret…

—

After about ten more minutes, it appeared that all the Marines had assembled in the room, as the doors to the classroom closed with a surprising force, culminating in a loud crash. Startled by the sudden and loud noise, the class of Marines fell silent, their eyes turning towards the source of the interruption.

Upon the sudden silence, an imposing looking man, clad in the UHF Marine Corps’ typical Lieutenant uniform, strode towards the front of the assembled Marines with a brisk step.

Broad-shouldered, with a chiselled jaw and a stern expression, the man’s appearance left no doubt that he was a seasoned warrior who greatly valued physical prowess and combat. His close-cropped hair and the various scars adorning his face told tales of numerous battles fought and victories earned.

As he came to a stop in front of the Marines, his piercing gaze swept across the room, assessing the gathered company with a critical eye. The Lieutenant’s imposing figure and formidable presence demanded the full attention of every Marine in the room, nobody daring to make even a single sound.

"Now that I have your attention," Lieutenant Eifang began, his deep voice echoing throughout the spacious room, "we can get started with this class. You will address me as Lieutenant Eifang or Sir exclusively from this point onwards. I expect each and every one of you to give this class your all. There is no room for half-hearted efforts or excuses. Am I understood, Recruits?"

The way the Lieutenant emphasised their rank left no room for interpretation as to how he saw the assembled Marines before him: low-ranking Marines who needed to be taught from the ground up.

As one, the company of Marines answered, "Yes, Sir!".

Without wasting even a single second, Lieutenant Eifang went on to explain the class.

"This class will be bloody, brutal, and deadly. You will go inside these arenas behind me and fight each other, testing your new bodies and Abilities against one another. Combat will be focused on CQC, with no firearms available. You can request any UHF-standard weapon inside the arenas themselves. Victory is only possible through the death of your opponent, so don't hold back.

“For the squeamish among you, firstly, you have chosen the wrong path.

“Secondly, the arenas are set up to employ the DDS' filter function, to save you from any psychological harm as a result of your timely death. I have disabled the physical filter function for your pleasure, however. Failure should hurt, so that you may learn not to fail again.

“The front five arenas will be seeded with a starting combatant, but you may choose which arena you want to join if you're the challengers. The remaining eight arenas in the back will be open for anyone to join. Each fight will last for three rounds, with two wins required for a total victory. You will not be getting any resets in between each round, so any damage you take will carry over for the next one, until you die or win the whole fight.

“Death will reset you to your pre-fight state. The winner of each bout will stay in the arena, while the loser must find another arena for a new challenge. At the end of the class, we will have the remaining people inside the arenas fight each other, to see the best of you duke it out. Everyone not in those fights at the end better pay close attention, you might even end up learning a thing or two from your betters.

“The following Recruits will seed the five arenas in the first row from left to right, ending in the arena right behind me: Zarael Mol'Buk, Atlas vir Skyfire, Nyx Celias, Karania Faulkner, and Thea McKay. Get to your arenas now and prepare yourselves for the rest of the Marines here to challenge you.

“For the rest of you, I will allow no questions, but I got a few more pointers."

Inwardly excited at the prospect of testing her new body and Abilities, Thea was still somewhat shocked by the rough tone of the Lieutenant and the downright dangerous training conditions he described for the upcoming class. While it was true that the DDS' filter function was effective at its job, dying was not something anyone would want to experience regularly.

Being seeded as the front-and-centre Marine, right in the middle of the room, did not help her anxiety, as she felt the stares of over a hundred Marines at her back. Regardless of her rapidly beating heart, however, Thea quickly got up and briskly moved towards her designated arena.

The prospect of letting off some much-needed steam and venting her bottled-up anger, resulting from continuous disappointment in her fellow Marines and the bigotry levelled against her, easily overpowered Thea's initial apprehension and anxiety at having to be a figurehead for the Marines once again.

As she passed Karania, who was heading for her own arena, they shared a brief glance accentuated by an excited yet focused smile. After all, they had both been hoping that the 'Practical' class would feature some combat, and Lieutenant Eifang's description had certainly delivered on that expectation.

Upon entering her arena through a door-like cutout in the barrier, Thea quickly gravitated towards the rack of weapons and armour on the right side.

She eagerly donned the provided standard-issue light armour, which, much to her elation, felt exactly as she remembered from two years ago. Grabbing two vicious-looking combat daggers from the weapon rack, she made her way to the centre of the arena, awaiting her first opponent with anticipation and a hint of nervousness.

'I really hope I don't utterly embarrass myself here... But as long as I don't get completely out-Attributed or outplayed when it comes to the Active Abilities, I should be fine. There were barely any Marines during basic training that managed to stand out in CQC, after all... I'll just focus on my own game.'

Thea watched as the assembled Marines finally rose from their seats and apprehensively walked towards the different arenas scattered around the room. She noticed how a couple of eager Marines rushed to claim the free arenas in the back, likely attempting to stand out for the instructor.

The majority, however, were slowly approaching the different, already seeded arenas, as they were clearly waiting for somebody else to take the first step.

At the sight, Thea was briefly reminded of the fake graduation ceremony, where the exact same scenario had played out in front of the gate to the second ceremony hall. To her, the memory felt like it had happened a lifetime ago, yet in reality, it was only the day before.

Smiling to herself at the recollection and the realisation of how much had changed in those few hours, Thea cracked her neck and began jumping on the spot to warm up her muscles. Adding a few stretches into the mix, she made sure that her body felt as ready as it could be before the first Marines finally decide to walk into her arena.

James had drilled into her the importance of always properly warming up if she knew she was going to engage in rigorous physical activity. The old man had never been wrong with his advice, so it was a no-brainer for Thea to follow it, even now.

Just as Thea was about to get annoyed at the time spent waiting, a timid-looking girl entered her arena. Slightly deflated at the thought of her first opponent being someone even smaller than her, effectively denying her the opportunity to really let off steam, Thea sighed silently to herself, thinking, 'Haa… Well, at least it’ll be a good warmup. Just surprised they let the small one go first… Are they trying to scope out my Ability? Really not leaving anything up to chance here, huh…'

As the girl donned her chosen armour, the same one Thea herself was wearing, and grabbed herself two combat knives, Thea examined the girl more closely, intrigued by the fact that she had chosen the exact same setup as her.

She had delicate facial features, framed by shoulder-length, wavy auburn hair. Her large, hazel eyes seemed to continuously dart nervously around the arena and Thea, betraying her apprehension at the idea of having to fight her.

She was petite, standing a few inches shorter than Thea, with a slender frame that made her appear almost fragile, in comparison to the rest of the Marines. Despite her small stature and obvious apprehension, there was a certain determination and confidence in her movements as she stepped up to the centre of the arena, facing Thea.

The girl’s stuttered and overly loud greeting caught Thea off guard. "H… Hi, Thea!"

The surrounding Marines started and looked over at the sudden outburst of noise.

Thea hesitated, thoroughly taken aback by the situation, before responding, "Uh... Hi?"

Obviously summoning up her courage as she closed her eyes for a second, Astra continued, "My name’s Astra! I’m from a mid-world too, you see… You’re kind of an idol for me… Eh… Us!”

‘Huh…? An… idol? What in the—Wait, who is “Us”? There’s more than just this one?’ Thea thought to herself, utterly confused by Astra’s declaration.

Not wanting to waste any more time, in case Lt. Eifang was watching however, Thea said, “Uh… I appreciate it? I’m not… I’m not really sure what you expect me to say here… Can we just get started with this?”

Astra bowed deeply, her actions bordering on grovelling. “Ahh, yes! Of course! My apologies, Thea! Don’t go easy on me!”

‘I… never intended to…?’

As both fighters mentally signalled their readiness, a sudden holographic countdown appeared between them.

Standing about 30 metres apart, each combatant was clad in the same light armour and armed with the same two combat knives, creating an even-looking matchup by most measures.

As the countdown began, Thea assumed a low stance that she had been trying to perfect for nearly two years. Though most onlookers wouldn't recognize the specific posture, anyone familiar with recordings of Thea’s assessment would immediately identify it as Lt. Frost’s own combat stance.

Examining her opponent closely, Thea thought to herself, ‘Let’s see if the new enhanced Attributes give me the boost I needed to make this work… Her Attributes should be lower than mine, pretty much across the board, based on her physique, so I should be mostly safe there. Just have to remember to watch out for whatever Ability the girl got. I hope there’s nothing like a flamethrower or something…? ’

When the countdown finally reached zero and a loud buzzer rang through the arena, Thea kicked off the ground with force, dashing towards Astra at incredible speeds.

As Thea closed the distance between them in mere moments, Astra seemed to struggle to keep up with her explosive speed. Despite her best efforts to mimic Thea's combat style, Astra's movements were noticeably less polished, her footwork lacking the finesse that Thea displayed.

Barely dodging the first stabs of Thea’s vicious knives, Astra stumbled backwards. Before she could fully recover, Thea was already in the process of slicing at her neck once again.

Astra's eyes widened in panic as she narrowly avoided the lethal swipe, her own knives clashing against Thea's in a desperate attempt to block the incoming attacks.

Thea's superior skill and speed were evident, as she effortlessly danced around Astra's clumsy counters, continuously probing the girl’s defences for openings. The relentless barrage of slashes and thrusts left Astra increasingly overwhelmed and disoriented.

However, Thea remained vigilant, unwilling to fully commit to an attack, as she anticipated the possible emergence of Astra's mysterious System Ability at any moment.

Despite her best efforts, Astra's defences began to crumble under the pressure of Thea's relentless assault. With each passing second, it became more and more apparent that the gap between their technique and Attributes was simply too wide for her to bridge. As the battle wore on, Thea couldn't help but wonder when, or if, Astra would finally reveal her elusive Ability.

Inevitably, Thea managed to connect with one of her attacks. Skillfully contorting her upper body around one of Astra’s counters, she plunged her knife deep into Astra's right shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain from the girl. Remaining vigilant about Astra's potential Ability, Thea was satisfied with the successful attack and quickly retreated a couple of metres, bracing herself for any possible countermove from her opponent.

Astra, clutching her injured shoulder, gritted her teeth and tried to regain her composure. The pain and shock seemed to fuel her determination, as she adopted a more aggressive stance, dropping the imitated version of Thea’s entirely.

Thea watched carefully, searching for any sign of Astra's Ability, as well as any change in her fighting style that might indicate a newfound advantage from the change in stances.

However, as Astra launched herself towards Thea in an attempt to retaliate, it became clear that she was still struggling to keep pace with her more experienced opponent. Her attacks were wild and uncontrolled, lacking the precision and finesse that Thea had demonstrated throughout the fight.

In response, Thea easily evaded Astra's desperate swings and quickly countered with a series of controlled, accurate strikes. Recognizing that Astra's Ability had yet to manifest, but her opponent was struggling, Thea capitalised on the situation and disarmed her with a well-timed move, sending one of Astra's knives clattering to the ground.

In a sudden move, Thea exploited the newly created opening in Astra's defences, swiftly closing the gap between them. She expertly deflected Astra's desperate attempt at a final counter, driving her knife deep into the girl's throat. Blood splashed violently across Thea's armour and hand as the arena fell silent as the simulation waited for Astra's life signs to cease.

In that intense moment, Thea locked eyes with Astra, the weight of their wordless exchange conveying the brutal reality of their situation. Despite her grave circumstances, Astra's eyes were filled with awe as she looked up at Thea.

But before Thea could attempt to decipher the other girl's thoughts, Astra's eyes glazed over, and her body slumped to the ground, releasing Thea's knife.

With a buzz, the arena signalled the end of the first round, declaring Thea as the winner.

Unsure of her feelings about what had just occurred, Thea stared blankly at her blood-covered hand and knife. She had undoubtedly won the first round, but the outcome left her feeling hollow and unsatisfied.

A tangle of emotions welled up inside her—pride in her skill, having managed to emulate Lt. Frost’s style to a greater degree than ever before; a lingering unease at her inability to figure out Astra’s Ability; and the feeling that her victory had come too easily.

Only one, fleeting thought dominated Thea’s mind at this moment of ‘victory’:

Maybe Astra was the one going easy on her, instead…?