THE LAST KEEPER

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: THE GALKA WAR ACADEMY I

It took two and a half more days to arrive at Galka city and three more hours to arrive at the Galka war academy. Galka city is the most unique city sagiri had ever seen. Every building was built according to each tribe’s style and every tribe stayed at different sides of the city. Ever since he arrived in the north he could feel the strained relationship between the tribes. They thrived on war and bloodshed. It was survival for the fittest yet they somehow coexisted together. They shared a warring relationship. Even after the uniting of tribes their way of life went on, more than occasionally war still broke out between them to decide their strength. The weaker tribes got the least resources and the strongest thrived. It was a relationship built on the strongest deserved respect and the weak needed to be eliminated yet they thrived in their own way.

Salka and his squad had not been attacked again since the incident yet sagiri did not allow himself to sleep one bit. The hostility from bystanders did not receded one bit however and they seemed to get angrier every time they looked at Captain Salka who didn’t seem to care one bit. They seemed to hate his clan so much and his tribe even more. Looking at the guy’s build and agility, power and prowess in battle he could understand why. He was like a whole battalion by himself. Sagiri was convinced that if all the twelve intruders had come at him all at once the result could still not have changed.

Sagiri saw the Academy’s huge structures long before they arrived. Galka War Academy is like a whole district in itself. A self-contained district, a fortified city dedicated to producing soldiers, tacticians, and elite fighters. Everything inside its borders exists for the purpose of creating the strongest generation the kingdom.

The entire academy is enclosed by colossal reinforced stone walls, 30feet tall. The walls form two rough nonagons around the district, the outer nonagon wall has one guarded gate. They nodded in acknowledgement when they saw captain Salka tapping a salute in a form of a closed fist to their chest in salute not bothering to even cast a glance at him. They were dressed in the same tactical uniforms as the captain and his squad. The only difference was the sash colour. The sash ribbons tied on their upper arms was obsidian black while captain Salka’s was white with gold threads. Yavaga and Lotaga’s sashes are gold edged with black while Kolu and Matasi the final members sashes are solid gold in colour. It seemed that the sashes showed the designated rank.

”Welcome to the outer district of galka war.” Salka said to no one in particular.

After the first wall it was still a few thousand vaara to get to the inner wall. The land in between was packed with different landscapes both manmade and natural. It was a whole city and sagiri could finally understand why it was called the outer district. The place could have passed for a whole city in itself. The entire outer district is a massive training landscape surrounding the nonagon campus inside. It forms a complete ring around the school core. Sagiri could see forest patches and sand pits from the carriage and he instinctively craned his neck sideways to get a better look.

”This is the outer district and it is used to train students, there are natural training fields like rocky climbing ridges, sand pits, manmade lakes for water drills, long distance running routes, ambush and stealth fields, for weapon and combat training there are archery lines, spear throwing courts, obstacle arenas, beast combat grounds, and secret arts zones which are divided according to each bribe, for patrol training it also has circular patrol roads which follow the entire perimeter, guarded day and night. This is where students prove their physical and mental endurance.” Captain Salka explained with hearts in his eyes. ”I miss the days when I was a student.”

To sagiri they looked like torture chambers and the wall seemed even more intimidating.

”Why is the wall so high? Do students get attacked?” he asked captain Salka and all the men laughed until tears flowed down their eyes.

”No one breaks into the Galka War Academy unless they want to die.” Salka said in a cold tone as if he was imagining a person daring enough to step into his turf uninvited. A killing intent leaked off of his body so strong that Sagiri felt it sit like an actual weight on his chest. ”These walls are used to keep students in. Those little mice who want to escape when the training gets intense.” he finished with a sadistic smile that unsettled Sagiri. Just how hard was the training in Galka War Academy. His ’benefactor’ must really want him dead if he signed him up. Some determination however built in his chest.

’I can’t die until I get to the bottom of who I am and kill the person who is toying with my life. I will endure till the end’

”I love the determination in your eyes kid.” Lotaga said from beside him. ”But you better eat more from now on if you want to survive more than a day in the Galka War Academy.”

They were still weary of him and he could feel it. None of them had believed the lie he had told them after all. When Kolu had asked him how he heard the intruder approaching, he had pushed his hood back and showed them the Oru-shells.

”My father made me this to help me with hearing because I have bad hearing.” He told them without missing a beat.

”Can I try them on?” Yavaga had stretched his hand out.

”No!” sagiri had snapped too quickly. If he gave them to him then his lie could be caught and it was too early. ”They are not good for those without hearing.” He lied again when they reeked of suspicion at his reaction. Salka did not say a word however, he had seen many lies and that was the fattest he had ever heard, yet he knew not to pry. Whatever the boy used to hear the enemy wasn’t his problem because they made his hunt more fun. Besides if it was a secret, the boy had used it to save them even if they did not need it. He tapped a hand on his shoulder with a serious expression.

”Whatever you used, I don’t care, if it wins the war, I respect.” He said and the others men nodded. ”We will keep it a secret for you.” He added before he shut his eyes and he could only feel honest oozing from him and loyalty to him from the other four men. That was not the only secret sagiri carried and he swore to be more careful going forward, not to reveal more. His eyes were another secret. One eye was amber and the other red. He wore his fathers artificially made pupil veil which made them all amber and his father had made him swear never to show anyone his other eye. His body was another secret with ancient markings that moved and slithered under his skin and glowed when the power inside him got triggered or stirred. He was lucky that the men in front of him cared for nothing other than delivering him to Galka school and nothing more. Until he understood the power inside of him, how to control it and its capability he would be more careful.

Another single gate lead into the inner nonagon and the guards saluted Captain Salka with respect. Inside the outer district lied the core campus, a smaller nonagon that perfectly aligns with the outer one. It was smaller but in no way small. It was still huge like a small city. The inner nonagon holds five pentagons, tightly packed in a star-like arrangement. They all vary in size and the middle pentagon is the tallest standing a hundred feet above the others. The pentagon shaped structures are perfectly symmetrical and they scream of order.

”The academy is built as a double-layered nonagon, two nine-sided structures nested inside one another,” Salka started explaining again much to Sagiri’s delight. ”The inner nonagon is the core of learning and is divided into five interconnected pentagons. As you can see from here the five pentagons are of different sizes. The first one to our left and the smallest is the first year pentagon it is called the Ashiri, the house of initiates, the one behind it and partly disappearing behind the central one is the second year pentagon called the Merena, the house of walkers the one to your right is the third year pentagon called the Vailu, the house of runners and the tallest of the four behind the Vailu is the fourth year pentagon called the Drazin, the house of fliers. The middle one and tallest is the central administration pentagon.

”Each of the four student pentagons is a full self sufficient learning district with training halls, dormitories, small gardens, classrooms, and communal paths. The central pentagon is the one all paths lead toward. It is the school’s mind and heartbeat. The central pentagon is the only pentagon that has an entrance leading to the two academy entrances and four secondary gates that connect to each year’s pentagon, making a total of five gates. The four other pentagons have only two entrances, one leading to the central pentagon and the other to the outer district which can only be opened on special training occasions by an instructor’s permission.”

Sagiri nodded, taking in the instructions.

The carriage stopped at the front of the administrative building and the men jumped down. They all saluted captain Salka before leaving for their posts or whatever they did in the Galka War Academy. Salka led Sagiri to the principal’s office which was at the highest floor of the administration Pentagon. Sagiri had expected to see a man bigger than Salka but to his surprise he stood a full head and a half shorter than the captain.

”Salka, good to see you, took you long enough.” He stood from his desk where he was buried behind paperwork when they entered. A smile was plastered over his face and his white teeth shone whiter than the white tactical overall he was wearing under a white flowing over coat that dragged behind him. He looked like he was gliding as he approached.

”Don’t ever put me on babysitting duty again or I swear I’ll kill you myself Zazami.” Salka snapped but the man smiled even wider. He did not look a day older than twenty five which was more surprising.

”You are so mean Salsal.” The principal pouted like a child, approaching Sagiri, his smile never faltering. Sagiri wasn’t however deceived by his carefree nature. The man oozed so much power that he could almost touch it. After all you don’t get to be the principal of The Galka War Academy if you were just a wimp. Since he left home this was the first time he had actually felt utterly intimidated.

”You must be my aged student, Sagiri the suffocation chamber protegee, I am principal Zazami Senraki.

Senraki?!