THE LAST KEEPER

Chapter 16: Chapter 16: GALKA WAR ACADEMY II

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

Senraki?!

The archive inside of him did not have information about the senraki clan or it was locked away by the barrier in his mind. He could visibly feel it sometimes. It was as if someone had locked the power inside him and just let him only scratch the surface. Even so he had heard many rumours about the senraki tribe of the north. They were the second most powerful tribe in the north right after the bami tribe. He knew that much at least. It was whispered that their tribe’s secret art was so secret that no one outside the clan knew about it. It was so secret that one only encountered it and died. No one saw it unless they were at the end of their life. Sagiri itched to push past the barrier in his mind to know what the senraki were capable of. He had tried to push the barrier in his mind once and he had ended up in so much pain that he collapsed

”I am sagiri” sagiri introduced his hands stretched forward in a formal greeting.

”Im leaving Zazami,” Salka said after the principal ignored him. The principal did not reply, turning all his attention to sagiri.

”You are our only aged student this year and it shows you must have great talent because Galka doesn’t take aged students. We drill both theoretical studies in all fields and combat and weaponry since the day the first years arrive. You are seriously late and since we are only nine months before the college exam I will spare no effort to drill the three years you missed into you and the final year which they started not long ago. Since you survived the suffocation chamber and got recommended here by two great chiefs I believe you must be a protegee,” the principal started and sagiri got nervous, he might have been good with theory because the archive inside of him made everything it touched its own but in combat and weaponry he was as good as an ammature, he might have hunted and run through the woods when he was young but after seeing the men of the north he knew his childhood play did not count as anything. Even when it came to absorbing knowledge the archive inside of him had limits. It used his strength and it could take a toll on him each time. If only he could activate the power inside of him all at once perhaps he could absorb whole libraries of information all at once.

”Even so you can’t just join the others or just join the first years, you’ll have to do it all at once, you will have a personal curriculum which can occasionally collide with the other students,remember as an aged student you only got in because of outstanding talent, so if you fail to show any catching results in the first three months, i will be forced to reconsider your admission, if you fail to stand top at least on half the subjects in six months then I’d have to eliminate you.” principal senraki continued, the smile on his face never faltering. ”I’m just kidding, but seriously don’t disappoint me.” he laughed ushering Sagiri out the door before entering another where men dressed in tactical uniforms were seated behind piles of papers.

”Junior instructor naga, can you help me turn this boy into a student, go to the uniforms department and then show him around.” he said to a young man who jumped to his feet immediately and saluted him.

”Principal Zazami, i wish to keep some things i wear” sagiri said quickly wondering if they’d make him live without his weapon which he could not yet use and his Oru-shell.

”Why?”

”I have a skin condition that I don’t want others to see.” He lied but it was half truthful, the markings on his body were actually like a skin disease he wasn’t allowed to show anyone because they could raise questions. ”And I use this for hearing because I have bad hearing.” he pulled his cape back slightly to not expose his neck. The oru-shells were hanging loosely not attached to his ear to allow him to hear the principal.

”You are an unlucky bone aren’t you?” the principal breathed in sharply wondering why the council could recommend a sickly boy to his school. It would not be the first time a student died in training.

”The two conditions don’t affect my efficiency, I just think my skin is ugly to look at.” he said not wanting to give the principal any more room to despise his weakness.

”Well then Naga, make sure the boys uniform is adjusted.” The principal said and nodded to instructor Naga to take him away. First they went to the uniforms department where sagiri was measured and prodded. The uniforms could take two days to make and so for the first two days he could walk around in his clothes. He did not like the idea of standing out like a sore thumb yet it could not be helped. It was too late to keep a low profile anyway after passing the suffocation chamber.

The instructor led him through a narrow stone corridor that opened into a massive, circular chamber, the fourth year library. Bookshelves rose five stories high, spiraling upward like a tower of knowledge. Dim lanterns cast warm gold light on old scrolls and leather-bound volumes.

”Our knowledge vault,” the instructor said. ”Everything from war ethics to ancient formations. This is the fourth year library but every lever pentagon looks exactly the same on the inside, every structure the same, the only difference is the size, if you get to understand your way in this pentagon then you can know your way through all pentagons. It is not allowed for students of different years to go to a pentagon they don’t belong in but since you are a special case I believe you will be able to move between all pentagons.”

Students moved quietly between aisles, scribbling notes, their faces tight with focus. They were all dressed in a tactical jumpsuit combat, with pockets for knives on the chest and thighs. The galka academy’s uniform was a black baggy combat overall with a hood which most students let lie on their back, at the back of the hood a sash extended downwards. Unlike that of captain Salka and his team which were short and tied to the upper hand. Theirs were long and starting from the ends of the hood where it was attached and it flowed all the way below the knee. Naga had entered with sagiri through a raised platform and they watched the students down below.

”You’ll live here when you aren’t training. If you fail in your theory weakly tests you’ll be assigned silence duty.”

”What’s silence duty?” sagiri asked.

”You don’t want to know.” The instructor gave him a look that made him regret asking.

They stepped outside after sagiri had memorized everything with the help of the archive inside him. They walked through vast corridors and went to one side of the lowest level, the vast pentagon courtyard with obstacle walls, spear ranges, sand pits, moving target machines, and an entire field designed to simulate battlefield chaos.

”This is the tactical training ground where you’ll be training under an instructor. You’ll be here every late evening till after midnight,” the instructor said bluntly. They were standing from yet another elevated place hidden behind a couple climbing obstacles. ”There are no students here since it will soon be dinner time. You will understand more after reading through your curriculum tonight. We still have many places to visit, let’s hurry along or you won’t have any actual time to sleep.” Naga said, back already turned.

”I don’t think I’ll be asleep much,” he said, voice low.

”You won’t,” the instructor agreed. ”Students across all years starting from the second year to the forth sleep for a maximum of four hours each day if they are lucky, only the first years get to sleep for four and a half hours on a good day.

Sagiri had spent his days either sleeping or in meditative slumber when he wasn’t helping Rusha or Bakuru and he could already feel the pressure.

”Next it will be the classroom area, try not to be intimidated, and stay close to me” instructor Naga turned to tell him, his voice strict as they walked into yet another wing. He was acting as if they were about to enter a war zone and sagiri did not like it. He did not want the power inside him stirred on the first day.