Chapter 17: Oddball
Arbus exited the mental training room, relieved to finally be done with it. For the last two weeks he had spent most of his time training in this section, while spending the little that remained in the sparring room.
His limited time in the sparring room wasn't exactly by choice. Hardly any trainees ever wanted to practice with him. There wasn't much the instructors could do about that since they completely understood why. The only exception was Alexander, his oddball of a bunkmate who didn't seem to care about Arbus's background.
After the first few days at the training camp, it was pretty clear that he would be just as isolated here as he was on Terytl-b.
The male trainees usually clustered around Jet whenever they had free time, treating him like some sort of clique leader. Meanwhile the female trainees did the same with Rin, a female White Mornan who had made her hatred for Arbus painfully obvious.
Arbus was pretty sure she had a personal history with Reincarnators, so he tried his best to avoid her.
He wasn't really surprised that everyone else was trying to get closer to the white Mornans. Every other trainee besides them and him were blue Mornans after all. They probably saw this as an opportunity to establish some connections with the elite of their species.
His thoughts drifted back to the final mental simulation, which had taken him three attempts to complete. Everyone there was far easier to work with. That was mostly because the species of the trainee isn't considered important to the simulation. He wondered if there'd be a day where everyone treated him with so much trust and comradery in reality.
Even though he'd technically cleared the mission, Arbus still counted it as a failure. He couldn't save anyone, despite promising himself that he'd try. just like on Terytl-b. The simulation didn't include his immortality, since most people had no idea about it. Arbus was actually grateful for that. His immortality was nothing but a burden, a never-ending curse, and it felt good to be rid of it for a bit, even if only in a virtual world.
As Arbus exited the support facilities, he ran into Ty, one of the head instructors, similar to Kate and Dutch.
"Hmm, Arbus, here again today? Seriously, you don't have to focus on just one aspect till you complete it. Training isn't a speed run," Ty said with a tired yawn.
"I'm aware instructor Ty. I simply focused on this because it's what I'm best at. Plus it's kinda like an outlet for me. Being in this base can be pretty tiresome sometimes." Arbus said with a smile.
"Hah!, tell me about it. Anyways, don't overwork yourself alright, you're a good kid. I have no doubt that you'll be an amazing Knight" Ty said as he patted Arbus on the shoulder.
Arbus had quickly noticed that Ty wasn't like the others at this base, that were weary of him. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't really seem to care that Arbus was a half-breed. he reminded Arbus of Bridge in that aspect.
When Arbus got back to the boys room, he was met with an interesting sight. Two Blue Mornans were sprawled on the ground, struggling to get up while Alexander stood over them, with a smile on his face.
Apparently, they'd tried to mess with Arbus's belongings again. Unfortunately for them, Alexander had just returned from the shooting range and caught them in the act.
"Seriously, don't you guys ever get tired?" he asked with a sigh. "I'm pretty sure Arbus already gets the picture. You hate that he's here. How unfortunate. It still doesn't change the fact that he's not leaving. You're not children, you're future Knights. I think it's time you started acting like it," Alexander said, looking down at them with his unwavering smile.
The boys weren't sure how to react. Usually, they would argue back or even attack someone who interfered, but Alexander was a White Mornan — just like Jet, who had encouraged them to keep harassing Arbus.
"Hmm. You're quite the annoying thing, aren't you, Alexander?"
Alexander glanced over to Jet, who sat on the top bunk at the far end of the room, reading a book with a small smile on his face.
"Annoying?, how hurtful!, I'm the most cordial person in the universe!" Alexander said, still smiling.
"Jet, right? I suppose this is your handiwork. I'd prefer if you told your goons to stop. Them bothering Arbus is bothering me too," he said, turning his gaze back to the two Mornans, who took it as their cue to leave.
Arbus just stood in the doorway watching it all unfold, unsure if he should step in or not.
For weeks now, Alexander had been trying his best to get closer to Arbus with surprisingly little success. Arbus wouldn't have been opposed to the idea, if he wasn't convinced that Alexander had ulterior motives. He just wasn't sure what they were.
Jet's smile vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating stare as he examined Alexander. "Which family are you from again? I never did find out your last name."
"I'd like to know what kind of family raised someone so supportive of Reincarnators. I'm sure our Liege would like to hear about them too," Jet said, referring to the current ruler of the Mornan species who operated independently from the Renegade system.
Alexander's expression darkened momentarily at the mention of his family. "You're quite good at annoying people yourself, Jet. Unfortunately for you, I've never met my real family — raised in an orphanage, you see. Which I think is where I got my amazing personality from."
"Hmm, so you're a nobody. No wonder you associate with another nobody. Both cast out by the world from the moment of your birth. Quite a fitting pair," Jet remarked as he slid down from his bed and approached Alexander.
"I'd advise you to stay out of my matters while I'm still being...cordial. If not, I can't guarantee that you'll come out unscathed," Jet whispered before heading to the door, brushing past Arbus without acknowledgment.