Homestar Saga

Chapter 157: Way of the Starfang

"What's this?" Scarrend Scathach gave Mims and Yvian an appraising look. The Vrrl was dressed for training. He wore his leather skirt, but his vest and cape made of scalps were absent. He'd also taken to wearing black shorts under the skirt, thank the Bright Lady. "Were we not training hand to hand today?"

Yvian was once again taken aback by the sheer size of the monster. Over three meters tall, weighing in at three hundred kilograms, the man's shoulders were as broad as Yvian was tall. Scarrend's upper arms were wider than Yvian's waist, and muscles bulged and rippled under his fur. It was annoying. Yvian had worked really hard for her muscles. The Vrrl didn't need to exercise at all.

"We are." Captain Mims was in his voidarmor. He'd donned his helmet and sealed the suit just before Scarrend entered Training Room 4. Yvian was in her armor as well, per the Captain's request. Kilroy stood to the side in his usual suit. The machine insisted on being on hand for training. Kilroy was certain there'd be a fatal accident without him.

"Then why are you armored when I am not?" A hint of amusement curled the Vrrl's lips. "Have I finally succeeded in teaching you fear, Scargiver?"

Mims ignored the jibe. "We're doing something different today." He walked over to the far side of the room. Training Room 4 was less a room and more a walled off section of the Random Encounter's cargo bay. The other rooms had been built for humans, and the ceilings were too low to accommodate a Vrrl's full range of motion. The Captain opened one of the cabinets that had been built into the bulkhead and extracted a small brown box. "But we'll get to that in a minute."

Mims walked back to Scarrend. "I have something for you."

"A present?" Scarrend took the box from the Captain's hands. It was long and thin, made of wood. Something had been done to the material that made it smooth and reflective. He raised two of his eyebrows at the human. "It is not my Birthing Day."

"It's not a gift," said the Captain. "Open it."

The Vrrl eyed the human for a moment longer, then unlatched the box. Inside was a folded strip of fabric. Thick. Blue. Scarrend pulled it out. "A belt?"

"A Blue Belt," Mims corrected. His voice turned formal. "Scarrend Scathach, you have demonstrated dedication and competence in the Way of the Scargiver. Blue is the color of the sky, a symbol of insight, enlightenment, and of reaching to greater heights. This belt is neither a prize nor a gift. It is simply an acknowledgement. Recognition of the skill and mastery you have earned for and within yourself. Wear it with pride, or do not. The skill remains." The human place a fist against his palm in front of his chest and bowed. "Congratulations."

Scarrend stared at the man, then looked down at the belt in his hands. "Excuse me a moment," he said, voice thick. He turned his back and walked out of the room.

"Do I get a belt?" Yvian asked.

"If you want one," said Mims. He shrugged. "I don't do the belts when I'm training Privateers, but the Way of the Scargiver's being used to train the entire Starfang Empire. They need a ranking system."

"Ranking system?" That meant more than one belt. "What rank is blue?"

"The fifth of seven," said Mims. "The order goes White, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, Brown, and Black." he scratched his head. "Though I think I might use Red instead of Brown. You know, since it's the Vrrl."

"They'd like that," Yvian agreed. "What belt would I be?"

"Blue," said Mims, "But you're pretty close to Brown."

"Oh."

"Don't knock it," the Captain noticed her disappointment. "It usually takes six to eight years to get to that level. Doing it in two is impressive."