THE LAST KEEPER

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: KING BAMI

By the time sagiri was finished going through the curriculum mastering it with the help of the archive inside him. It exhausted all the energy left inside of him and he felt hungry. Mastering things did take a lot of energy and he was beginning to understand why the galka lions ate as much as they did. It was already midnight and he could hear movements from all sides as the fourth year students poured in. Naga hadn’t been kidding when he said the students only got to sleep after midnight. As much as he wanted to eavesdrop on what they said about him he was too tired, he pulled on his oru-shells against his ears and passed out immediately.

He had barely closed his eyes before a loud ringing sound jolted him awake. According to the curriculum he had approximately ten minutes to get out of his bed, clean himself and get dressed. If he wasn’t out of his dorm in ten minutes then could be punished with one less hour of sleep. The hours of sleep were already too little and if it got reduced by an hour he could die before the third day. He drugged his still closed eyes to the bathroom and had a shower before he pulled on his clothes and carried his oru-shells in his pocket. No matter how much he harried he was still a few seconds later and everyone was already seated on their knees backs straight, hoods pulled forward and still as a rock in their meditative positions. The dorm wing was built like a huge circular hall with rooms on the ground and top floor. The meditative instructor was standing in his black combat, his eyes scanning everyone.

”Room 246 is late, minus one hour of sleep tonight.” A voice announced and Sagiri physically flinched. That was the fastest he had ever showered and dressed yet he was late. ”A good soldier doesn’t have time to shower before attending to an emergency.” The instructor added. The other boys might have been sitting quietly in meditation but he could feel their feelings of happiness at his naivety, of course they woke up before the gong sounded to prepare. No matter how fast he showered he could still have been late.

He sank to his knees and used the time to enter his meditative sleep mode. The meditation went on for almost an hour till it was five. While the rest of the forth years could time between 5 and 6 to practice team combat, he would be studying alone under captain Fuwuka Chimera Bami on core combat lessons equal to those for first years for the next two months. They were the most basic in the overall subject of the Art of War. To put it nicely he was worse off in combat than the first years who were only three months into their first year. He could be trained in combat footwork, grip balance, basic evasion, war history, field discipline and first form stances all in one. If he had joined early all these would be different lessons but for him they would be compressed in one. He was so lucky in a parallel universe where pain was good.

Sagiri ran to the central building fearing to get punished again if he was late. By the time he made it to the central pentagon he was sweating bullets. The soldier standing guard regarded him with pity before he led him to the first year pentagon. There was where he could be studying the basics of the art of war every morning because all the fourth years combat arenas are busy in the mornings training the fourth year combat teams. The first years didn’t care much about him because they probably didn’t know who he was. Yet. and he appreciated that. How he wished he could stay in the first year pentagon for the entirety of the two months he could be studying all the compressed first year subjects.

The combat arena was much smaller and the obstacles and weapons much viewer but to sagiri they still looked intimidating. That however was not the most intimidating thing because at the middle of the arena stood a smaller version of captain salka but who looked meaner than the old innkeeper he met at the exam council. He turned around just when sagiri entered, his eyes narrowed to slits. He wore the same rank sash as Kolu and Matasi, solid gold in colour. It seemed to be the rank right below captain Salka’s. His hair was pulled into three braids, two at the back and one on the left side of his face. He was wielding a spear as tall as him.

”You are late!” he snapped. ”You are terribly unfit if you are sweating just by running here. Sagiri couldn’t be considered a nonfit person but running across the three humongous pentagons was the same as running a couple thousand vaara and only a genetically wrong person couldn’t feel the weight.

”Here!” he said, throwing the spear into Sagiri’s hands without warning. It fell diagonally making his hands twist forward making it fall. He picked it up quickly not to anger the already angry Mr Fuwuka of the chimera clan of the bami tribe. Him and salka were merely separated by clans yet he looked smaller compared to salka. Even so he was still huge. His face grew even angrier when the spear hit the ground with a thud.

”I dont know senraki could ask me to teach such” he looked sagiri up and down like he was dirt, sagiri was too sleep deprived, too tired and too hungry to care however, he just wanted to find a place to hide and sleep for just a couple minutes.

”Hold that sword on your shoulder as if you want to throw it” sagiri obeyed and laid the cold steel on his shoulder.

”Now run around the field and don’t change your hand until I tell you to.” is all he said before he went to stand on a raised platform watching his every move. Sagiri was already tired from running across three pentagons and he physically did not have anything left in him. He however did not have a way out and he moved faster like captain Salka he needed to move before he angered the man further. His clothes were not helping and after one lap they felt even heavier, he could not chuck them away however because of his secrets and so he persevered. He felt hot and his knees burnt after yet another lap. The spear that was initially not heavy nor light started to feel heavier and his lifted hand started to burn.

Instructor Fuwuka had not moved an inch as he watched him drag his feet. In fact his face was more meaner. Even after she circled another couple times he didn’t ask him to change his hand and his hand started to tremble violently.

”If you stop, I will take off an hour out of your sleeping time!” he yelled when sagiri fell down for the third time. His tone was cold. Sagiri couldn’t sense any malicious feelings from the guy. Just disgust at his weakness. He ran for the entirety of the remaining time barely breathing until the gong sounder for breakfast and instructor Fuwuka still didn’t tell him to change his hand. He just left the combat arena without saying a word and only said a few words over the shoulder when he was almost at the exit. ”If you are late you miss breakfast.” he said before disappearing out the door. Up to this moment sagiri had thought he was strong but all his willpower left him when Fuwuka left and he fell forward on the arena unmoving for a few minutes. It’s not that he was not scared to miss breakfast but he did not have the will to move. He clenched his fist trying to move but he couldn’t. It was physically impossible.

He dragged his body across the first year pentagon holding his right hand with the left as it shook violently. His feet shook with exhaustion and he staggered through the administrative pentagon, he was the only student allowed to cross to the first wing and he was happy no one could see him in that state. He was more angry at himself than anyone and self loathed in that moment. He was weaker than he thought. He had spent the last few years believing he was strong and under supervisor Fuwuka’s instructions he had realized he was weak. He pushed himself to move again but by the time he got to the dining wing the tables were already cleared and students were running in the opposite direction to the administration pentagon. He had never been so hungry in his life and he wanted to cry. At this rate he was going to truly die just like captain salka had speculated. He wished to cry but crying had been an impossibility for him since he was born and he had never shed a tear.

He did not want to get punished again so he dragged his tired and hungrier body to the central pentagon. He was the last to push through the gate and he started walking to the very back. A foot was accidentally put in his way which sent him flying a few feet before he fell forward. He had been even too weak to feel the malicious intent of the boy from yesterday. He fell forward on his hands and knee and his face coincidentally smacked into big boots. He looked up slowly but he couldn’t see the head of the person standing in front of him. He oozed pride and confidence and power. He was definitely tall and could pass for captain Salka’s twin yet he was only a high school student.

”Hey kaka, the new student is already recognizing you as the king of Galka,” the shorter guy beside him mocked. His uniform was pulled to his waist, the arms tied around it, his chest left bare and he had a wide smile on his face like he was always amused. A clan tattoo of a dagger was branded at the middle of his chest going all the way to his navel.

”Shut up Kiuga!” the huge mountain called kaka snapped but did not make a move to leave.

”I hear he is your equal since he survived the suffocation chamber.” Kiuga didn’t seem to care and kept mocking the bigger guy.

”Thlaka!” Kaka snapped going to his throat but Kiuga evaded him quickly. he moved so fast jumping back a few feet away landing in a frog position gracefully and soundlessly before standing to his feet. Kaka looked down at the sagiri for a long moment but he did not say anything before he stepped over him and walking to the other side followed by Kiuga who was laughing as he jumped from side to side beside him.

”King Bami is going to kill someone today again if Kiuga doesn’t stop irritating him.” a student retorted beside Sagiri. Again? Sagiri wondered. He had killed a student? So he is the other survivor of the suffocation chamber. And he entered it willingly. Sagiri vowed to stay as clear and as far away from him as possible. The boy looked to be as strong as captain Salka if not stronger and he was only a high school student. Sagiri finally pulled himself to his feet before moving to the very back and tried to stay as invisible as possible but wearing his civilian clothes did not help at all as he received looks from students across the years. He was too hungry and tired and all he wanted was to eat and sleep yet he was forced to stand under the scrutiny of over a thousand eyes.