Chapter 29: Ambush
Time went by as Arbus and the batch of Knight trainees trudged through the snowstorm of tomber, traversing the mountain paths. An hour had passed since they'd left the base. They had all agreed to move as a group for the time being.
The trainees moved in tense silence. Only the howling winds and the crunch of their boots on the snow broke the quiet. Most of them were lost in their own thoughts about what lay ahead.
Arbus maintained a steady pace near the middle of the group. He was constantly scanning their surroundings, looking out for any sign of danger.
Alexander trailed at the very rear of the group, under the guise of watching their flank. The truth though, was that he wanted to be prepared for anything the group was secretly planning. After his "talk" with a few of the instructors, He already knew that Jet had made a plan with the rest of the group to kill Arbus. This wasn't all that surprising to him. Every trainee here harbored a deep hatred for Reincarnators. It was practically a prerequisite for joining the Renegades. The Terytl-b tragedy had only intensified that hatred.
Arbus, a half-human, appearing in front of them just a week later was like a spark that lit the bonfire they'd been building in their hearts. Jet was simply directing that fire. Alexander wondered what his brother was thinking by making Arbus go through this in the first place. There were a few knight training facilities where they gave special training to solo talents the organisation believed could become Sentinels in the future. If Bastain wanted to, he could have sent Arbus to one of those.
Alexander sighed quietly, as he kept studying his surroundings. He and Arbus had already decided to split from the group once they'd gained familiarity with the terrain. He wasn't sure when Jet would commence with his plan, so he wanted to do that as soon as possible.
Jet suddenly slowed his pace, deliberately falling back from his position at the front of the group, until he was walking alongside Arbus.
He smiled brightly at him.
"You know, I've been meaning to talk to you for a while now," Jet said, his voice carrying his usual fake warmth.
Arbus simply looked at him with a neutral expression.
"What do you want now?"
Jet's smile didn't falter.
"Don't worry, I'm not looking to cause trouble or anything. I'm just genuinely impressed that you've made it this far in the program."
Arbus studied Jet for a few seconds.
"Thanks, I guess." He replied simply.
"No, really," Jet continued, subtly checking their distance from the base on the device attached to his wrist. "I have to say, I'm quite ashamed. So far me and most of the trainees have treated you with nothing but disdain and malice, and yet you've simply taken it. Even I wouldn't be able to do something like that."
"That's why we stopped bullying you after the first few weeks, there was just no point to it anymore. And you didn't even hold a grudge for it. You're quite altruistic aren't you Arbus? Maybe I was mistaken about your character."
Arbus smiled faintly.
"Who said I don't hold a grudge? Just because I don't see the point of fighting my fellow comrades, doesn't mean I've forgotten anything. There's a lot I want to say and a lot I want to do, but I'm not someone who easily gives in to those emotions, unlike you."
Jet studied Arbus for a few seconds, then shook his head with a faint smile.
"Is that so? well I suppose it makes sense. After all, no one is truly that selfless"
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Back at the base's central hub, the head instructors were monitoring the vital signs and locations of all the trainees on a large holographic display.
Kate sighed as she turned to Dutch.
"Looks like they're finally leaving the section closest to the base. Bringing back those that quit will be a lot harder now."
She rubbed her temples.
"I really thought more would give up within the first hour."
Dutch nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, same here. I'm really surprised there's still sixteen of them left. Especially when the batch was so small in the first place. But it was obvious in the hangar that some were just too embarrassed to quit too early. They'll likely quit at the first sign of danger. What do you think Ty?"
Ty didn't respond. he simply sipped his cup of Tai as he monitored the holograms.
Dutch chuckled.
"Still as worried as ever, I see. These final exams are the only time you ever take anything seriously. Usually, you're just lazing about the base."
Ty responded without looking at him.
That's because this is the only time our student's lives are actually at stake,"
"I don't have the luxury of being as lax as usual."
Dutch sighed.
"I suppose you're right. To be honest, I'm not sure why we still use these mountain trek missions. The casualties only seem to get higher each year."
Kate shrugged.
"It's the best evaluation we have. We're training them to be knights who'll face life-threatening missions every week. What would you recommend instead?"
Dutch shook his head dejectedly.
"I guess I don't have a better solution. Still, we should probably call in an extermination unit soon. The puppies seem to be getting more dangerous by the day. I've heard supply caravans are starting to avoid this route entirely because of them."
"Don't worry," Kate said. "I plan to do exactly that after this batch graduates. It'll give us some downtime since we can't take new students until fresh packs migrate to this area."
_____________________________
As the group reached a narrow passage between two towering ice formations, Jet's smile widened almost imperceptibly. They were finally far enough from the base. He made eye contact with several other trainees, including Rin, who looked more exhausted than usual. They all understood immediately.
The trainees subtly adjusted their pace, surrounding Arbus in a loose formation that would cut off any escape routes when the moment came.
Alexander immediately understood what was going on.
"Arbu-"
"Grah..."
Before he could warn Arbus, a low guttural growl echoed from behind a nearby cliff.
The entire group froze, all heads turning toward where the sound came from.
"W..what was that?" one of the Blue Mornan trainees, Maze, whispered, his voice tinged with fear.
"Grhh...."
Then another sound came from a different direction. Then another, and another.
The group immediately pulled out their weapons as they spun around.
They kept looking around in frustration, trying to find the enemy.
"Ahhhh!!!!"
In the next second, Maze screamed as he was dragged below the snow and beneath the frozen pond they were standing on.
Jet caught a fleeting glimpse of the creature, causing his eyes to widen. "PUPPIES!" he shouted. "They have us surrounded from all sides! Open fire!"