“My first day in a real school, and I already want to go home…pfft…ironic.” Hidden inside one of the few classrooms still intact, FFF-Class ’Mafioso’ Jacques Dreux made sure not even the tip of his head rose above the windowsill to avoid alerting the giant vulture patrolling the skies above the vast complex of buildings that formed Lady Étiennette’s People Collegium.
The K–12 institution was established in the latter half of the eighteenth century, its enormous size now serving as one of the most memorable testaments to the Pride Wars that plagued the nobility during the third and final act of The Great Revolution, when madames stopped squandered their husbands’ fortunes on lavish parties to delight thier vanity but instead pivoting extravagant charity to please their egos. DD-Class ’Dollmaker’ Étiennette De Miraval, the torchbearer of the Nouvelle Société, decided to take on her shoulders the full burden of the ’HRE’s’ orphans, taking care of every child labeled as ’unadoptable’ by Chaotia’s innumerable orphanages to nurture them within a highly supervised educational environment—truly believing she could erase, once and for all, the stigma of parentlessness.
For decades, it seemed she had succeeded, with thousands of hopeless children becoming functional members of society. Then, a whistleblower published an exposé in Sandhedens Stjerne, putting a new yet dark light on the many psychological techniques that Lady Étiennette had designed to artificially substitute parenthood. The revelation ignited all the Empire’s writing machines, with moderates accusing the People Collegium of exploiting the dire situations of their students and radicals of the Starfolk Intelligentsia denouncing her work as straight-up torture. Thus, despite the countless number of her former wards who defended her to their last breath, the ’Dollmaker’ was condemned to burn at the stake. At the same time, her school of thought was banned throughout the Empire, with her beloved People Collegium converted into an ordinary school to educate the children of Miraval City’s growing class of immigrants.
Now I’m on the fourth floor of the second wall. Three, maybe four Sphinxes are patrolling the gardens, at least couple for each rampart, and Adam only knows how many more are waiting outside if I ever get out of here alive.
”Fuck…” Jude, exhausted after more than three hours of running throughout the ruins of what had once been a thriving city, decided to hide into the largest building he could find, enjoying a few minutes of much-needed relax at the cost of caging himself inside his soon-to-be grave.
“Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!” The baby’s cries cut through the air. Despite the fact that even the slightest sound could alert the beasts outside, the infant’s stomach didn’t give a shit, requesting his daily toll.
“Shhhhhh…I know it’s hard, but try to hold on a little longer. As soon as the uncle tells us how to get out of here, you’ll eat as much as you wa—”
*DING!*
The notification’s sound almost made Jude cry under his Carbon-Woven Helmet, hastily opening the newly arrived [Email].
”Waaah! Waaah! Wa—” After stopping reading the [Email] on the floating blue rectangle in front of him, the ’Mafioso’ gently covered the baby’s mouth, soothing her with the lullaby his mother used to hum when he was a child—the sweet symphony that, each night, brought him joy after the brutal training in the darkest corners of the Tugurio.
“Calm down, little princess. You don’t want the big bald wolves out there to come and eat us, do you?” He whispered and the baby moved her head, almost as if she was nodding at him. ”Good, you are a fearless lady.” The ’Mafioso’s’ Carbon-Woven Armor already masked his own scent from the Sphinxes’ keen noses, but to hide the richer aroma of the baby’s diaper, he had to be creative, wrapping the infant in the blood-stained uniform of an unfortunate Korinthian soldier they’d crossed the road with. “I’m sure the Sphinxes aren’t allowed to eat anyone who smells of the Motherland…I hope…” he murmured, forcing out a last breath as he checked the strap that secured the VIP to his chest. Then, Jude slowly left the classroom, pressed his back to the crumbling wall, raised his Gaussbow, and marched into the darkness of the school’s hallway.
You idiot, there are three floors here—WHICH BATHROOM!!!
Jude furiously wrote his reply.
Fuck…
As he opened the attached image, the Mafioso’s worst suspicions got immediately confirmed. His only path to freedom now led straight into the enemy’s den, something he’d hoped to avoid at all costs. Nevertheless, venturing through the darkest depths of hell was nothing new to the young man, and as he carefully descended the stone steps of the grand staircase, Jude whispered a silent prayer to thank the Holy Trinity for this unique chance. “This…baby…” he whispered, as the little girl lifted her tiny hand to touch her reflection on the black glass of his Carbon-Woven Helmet, offering her savior a warm beam.
“Am I afraid of dying?” He stepped onto the parquet of the ground floor, its surface made of massive slabs of ambered oak hammered tightly together—the wood’s everlasting fragrance softened the tension hanging in the air. “Naaah…I might be paranoid, insecure, or even anxious, but afraid? That would be completely irrational.” The ’Mafioso’ loaded his Gaussbow’s second compartment with white bolts. “If you spend your life trying to avoid death—or worse, trying to avoid any sort of pain—well…I don’t need to tell you that’s a game rigged from the start.” He gave the map one last look, settling on his target—the only bathroom far enough from the dormitory, one that no student would be able to use at night. “If suffering is the only certain thing in life, then our goal is to choose our own torture, giving our death a true meaning.” Jude gradually exhaled all his stress and doubt, letting cold blood take their place—needed fuel for what was about to come. “So, what’s the meaning of life?” He asked the invisible stalker hidden on the ceiling. “Arranging your grand finale.”
*Twaaaaang!*
The human-sized bat could only helplessly watch as the bolt penetrated through its throat.
*SKREEEEE-AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!*
After a shriek of agony, the Sphinx fell from the ceiling directly onto the heated bayonet mounted beneath the tip of Jude’s Gaussbow—blade burning so hot that the creature’s blood vaporized on contact, filling the hallway with a crimson mist.
*SWRAAAAAAASH!*
With a swift twist of his shoulders, the ’Mafioso’ split the beast’s abdomen wide open, spilling its guts across the floor like molten tar.
“No time for that.” From every direction, Jude saw dozens of orange silhouettes closing in. So, he dove to the floor, rolling through the Sphinx’s blood in an attempt to further mask the baby’s scent, then rushed into the nearest classroom on his left.
As the oversized beasts—dogs, cats, rats, and other animals of any sort–reached the corridor, they found only the corpse of their fallen brother—no sight of their prey, and no scent to follow. However, one clever mongoose noticed the half-closed door and stormed inside.
*Twaaaaang!*
The instant the Sphinx’s head crossed the threshold, a white bolt met its tongue.
*frsshhhhhh—CHFFFFFFFFFF!*
In less than a second, expanding foam erupted from the projectile, flooding the creature’s throat, filling its stomach, and sealing its lungs, leaving the mongoose to a hopeless struggle to breathe once more.
*THWRAK!*
While the other beasts struggled to drag aside their fallen comrade to break into the classroom, Jude threw himself at the opposite wall, shattering its bricks and rolling into the next chamber—he could now feel every bit of the 12 [STR] points he’d earned after roasting that flying chicken.
”All right, little princess?” He said, glancing down at the pack bundle strapped to his chest. She beamed, her tiny eyes widening with delight, more and more, after each of Jude’s reckless stunts. “Now comes the boring part.”
*Twaaaaang!*
The first Sphinx that rushed through the door met the same fate as its brother, blocking the horde outside.
*THWRAK!*
Once again, Jude crashed through the next wall, rolling into another classroom, and again, the Sphinx followed.
*Twaaaaang!* *THWRAK!* *Twaaaaang!* *THWRAK!* *Twaaaaang!* *THWRAK!* *Twaaaaang!* *THWRAK!*…
The deadly dance continued throughout the entire hallway until no classroom remained intact. Nevertheless, no others were needed because as the ’Mafioso’ rose to his feet, he witnessed dozens of twitching corpses lying in perfect line before him.
”Thanks, Adam, the Demmies are the dumbest beings on earth.” Were they truly dying, or merely beginning to regenerate? Either way, he now had a priceless window of time, and Jude had no intention of wasting it.
***
Jude’s shoulder slammed into the gym entrance, smashing it open. The space inside was huge—two bleachers on either side, three tennis courts, and a ceiling so high the Magicbulbs vanished from sight—but Jude’s eyes were fixed on the far door, the one leading to the bathrooms—his ticket out of this hell.
“What a horrible, meaningless waste of human life.” The Korinthian bombing had first struck in the middle of a weekday. Therefore, the piles of rubble scattered around left no doubt about what had been buried. “I can’t change the past, but if I get back to the dorm with my skin intact, maybe Jacq—”
*THWRAAAAAAAAK!*
The celebration cut off as the gym’s west wall shattered into a thousand pieces, a shower of masonry that slammed straight into Jude, sending him crashing to the floor.
*SKREEEEAAAARRRHHHHHH!*
He barely managed to open his eyes before a horde of gigantic lizards flooded the room, swarming around him like a school of sardines.
“No more [SP]. No more flashbangs. No more bolts.” He gave a bitter smile as he propped himself up using his Gaussbow as a crutch. “All I have to do is reach that door, right?” Jude steeled his shoulders, circling around as he pointed the heated bayonet at the squirming tornado of scales. “If I have to slaughter them one by one, so be it.”
*SWRAAAAAAASH!*
The first lizard that broke formation was swiftly decapitated, but it didn’t frighten the rest, whose speed tripled until they vanished into a greenish blur of green that was steadily closing in on its target.
“Sorry, little princess…but it seems they’re not as stupid as I’d ho—”
*Sssssshhhhhhhhhh!*
Suddenly, the debris scattered across the gym began to lift from the floor. From chunks of stone to specks of dust, they all levitated into the air before spiraling around the ’Mafioso,’ forming a gray vortex. The lizards lunged forward, but each time the green tornado met the gray one, they were flung back as if they were two blades clashing against each other.
*Sssssshhhhhhhhhh—SSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH!*
The debris’s pace quickened, faster and faster, until the dull gray turned into a blinding, orangish glow—the heat was felt by Jude despite his armor.
*SKREEEEAAAARRRHHHHHH!*
Regardless of their outstanding speed, the Lizards couldn’t break the formation in time, and when the two tornadoes overlapped, what followed was an orchestra of grotesque screams, soon shrouded by a veil of black smoke that, once passed, revealed an eerie collection of carbon sculptures.
Jude looked at the ceiling, squinting into the light, but the glare was too intense, only witnessing a shadow standing on the Lighting rig.
“Thanks…you have just saved our lives,” he said while hyperventilating. The baby gurgled in agreement, waving both tiny hands at her savior. “May I ask your name?”
The figure fell from several dozen meters, landing perfectly on the tips of her elegant shoes. “I’m the heroine who brings the light of justice to the darkest corners of our galaxy!” She declared, striking a theatrical pose, followed by a more-than-embarrassing choreography that ended in a finger-shaped heart. Then, the young lady—barely half Jude’s height—revealed her identity.
“Princess Cassandra!”
