Humanity at Stake (Completed)

Chapter 7

"Another cog in the murder machine." -"Teenagers" by MCR

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"You've managed to defeat your instructor in hand to hand combat a few times, matching him evenly. You've received full marks and an impressed comment in your archery. You can keep up a jog for six miles. Your sword sparing teacher tells that you are excellent at both defensive and offensive attacks. I say you're ready to finally join your squadron and be put into the field," the Colonel said as she stared at a paper in front of her. She looked up, giving Nova a friendly smile.

"You've made quite the improvement for the six months you've been training." Nova stood stiff, her arms clasped behind her back and her chin held high as she listened to her superior. "What were you thinking about for your choice of weapon?" Colonel Marie asked Nova. Nova cleared her throat.

"If at all possible, ma'am, I'd prefer my main weapon to be a bow, and my melee weapons being two one-handed swords," Nova asked, bowing her head slightly. It was common knowledge to all of the soldiers that if you preferred a long range weapon, you were also asked for a short range one for close quarters combat. The colonel nodded her head, scribbling notes onto the paper.

"Well, let's go meet the rest of your squad." Excitement and nervousness built in her stomach, wrestling back and forth. The Colonel stepped around her desk and walked out her door, beckoning Nova to follow her. She did, and they went right, passing a doorway before turning into the next one. The women went down a short hallway before turning left into another room. She was led around a small bend, before she opened a door, and Nova slipped in ahead of her. There were five other people in there already. They all turned their attention onto the newcomers as they entered the room.

"As you all know, each squadron has six members. Meet your final member, Nova. Nova meet the rest of your squad." The Colonel first pointed to a man that relaxed against the wall on the opposite side of the room, twirling a small metal cylinder between his fingers. His hair was platinum blond, and his eyes were pale blue. His face was oval-like in shape, and he had thin lips that rested in a grimace.

"This is Christopher. He will be the squadron's leader. Next is Thalia, she's tactical support." She pointed to a girl who sat in the nearest seat to Christopher. She had a darker complexion than the leader, with dark unruly hair and light caramel eyes. Her lips were full, and she sent Nova a friendly grin.

"Next is Pax. He's the handler of magic." She pointed to a mocha colored burly man with black tattoos covering every inch of his exposed arms. He was sitting at another seat at the table. The scrawl seemed to be in a foreign language, and it was every once and a while accompanied by shapes with crisscrossing, intricate lines. In front of him resting on the table was a black quarterstaff tipped with a red crystal. Colorful feathers and beads hung from a loop lodged into the wood under the crystal. A single golden bell laid nestled within the feathers.

"Next is Zethus." Colonel Marie gestured towards an intimidatingly tall, buff man with short dirty blond hair. He leaned next to a filing cabinet crossing his arms over his chest. He had a permanent scowl on his face and seemed like the quiet type. "And this is Leon. They are both combat supports." She pointed to a boy with his legs stretched up onto the table. His dark hair hung shaggily over his forehead. He had dark blue eyes, and was using a throwing knife to clean some dirt out from under his nails. When the Colonel spoke his name, he glanced up, sending Nova a flirty wink. She decided to ignore him.

"And Nova is your look out and sniper." Nova gave the Colonel a surprised look. The Colonel gave her a knowing smile. "Well, I'll leave you all to get to know each other for a bit. I'll return once I've collected the weapons that the rest of you have asked for." She nodded towards Nova, Zethus, Thalia and Leon before disappearing out the door, closing it behind her. The room stayed quiet for a bit, before Thalia heaved out a huge sigh. She scooted back her chair, standing up. She made her way towards Nova.

"Hi, Nova, it's nice to have you on the team!" she greeted warmly. Nova couldn't help but give Thalia a timid smile. There was a suddenly slicing noise followed by a woosh. Soon, Nova was staring at a sharp blade protruding from the end of a large bow staff. She took a small step back, worried the blade would pierce her throat. She gulped, her eyes trailing down length of the weapon before finding a stormy looking Christopher on the other end.

"You better not make any trouble for this squadron." He scanned his eyes over the three other boys who all seemed surprised by his actions. "Any of you, really." Nova couldn't help but notice that Christopher left Thalia out of the threat. He must know her...

"Chris! Put your weapon away!" Thalia scolded in a motherly tone, her hands resting in her hips. Christopher's eyes slid over to her's, his guard lowering as his gaze softened. He instantly retracted his weapon, sliding the smaller version into his pocket before crossing his arms and huffing. Thalia rested her hands on Nova's shoulder, giving them a gentle squeeze. She smiled sheepishly at the newcomer.

"Don't worry about Chris, he's just kind of a dick. It's his personality." A sharp, protesting noise came from Christopher from across the room, and he sent Thalia a mean look. She ignored him, playfully rolling her eyes. There was a shuffling, and Nova looked up to see Leon heading towards her, the throwing knife no where in sight. Thalia stepped away slightly from the newest person coming to greet Nova.

"As introduced, I'm Leon," he started, giving her a sly smile and another wink. He grabbed Nova's hand, kissing the back of it. "And it's definitely a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." Nova pulled her hand away from Leon's gentle grip, sending him an uncomfortable smile.

"Nice to meet you too..." she drifted off awkwardly. He stayed in front of her, sending her a suggestive grin until eventually Thalia pushed him back into his seat.

"I guess he's a flirt," she muttered under her breath as she returned to stand next to Nova. Nova giggled at her comrade, and Leon sighed lightly.

"Hearing your laugh is like hearing the tinkling of bells in a world of silence." Nova decided to ignore his comment, watching Pax who grabbed his quarterstaff and headed towards her. Nova watched warily as he raised the wooden staff above his head before smacking it down on her head.

"Ow!" she whined as she grabbed her head, giving Pax an angry look. His face remained impassive.

"You will now have good luck on your journeys to come," he spoke deeply, shocking her that he blessed her.

"Thank you?" she said unsurely. Pax stayed still for a bit before letting out a booming laugh.

"I'm kidding! I don't know anything about charms," he joked. Nova pouted towards the large man, keeping her hands covering her head.

"Don't just go whacking me!" she complained, rubbing the sore spot. "I'll strangle you next time," she halfheartedly threatened. Pax chuckled at her, not at all taking her seriously.

"It was worth seeing the look on your face," Pax admitted, walking back to his seat. At that time, the Colonel walked in with two other officers. The three spread out around the room, handing the remaining weapons to their owners. Zethus received a double edged greatsword. The hilt was fairly plain. The metal mocked the look of leather being wrapped around. Leon was given a complex looking black crossbow with bow strings going all over the place. He giggled like a child, greedily taking the weapon and looking through the scope it had.

Thalia got two curved, light weight swords that gleam dangerously in the light. She ran her hand along the side of the blade before sheathing them in the covers provided. The sheaths were a thick leather with precise stitchings along the edges. One of the helping soldiers provided Nova with a wooden, recurve bow. It was simple, but still had its curves and twists of design. It was fairly lightweight, but still a comfortable weight. And then two sheathed swords. The Colonel looked around pleased at all the members.

"It looks like you all are ready for the field!"

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Media of Christopher! You know the drill :P