Chapter 338: Earth’s Greatest Asset [Bonus - ]
"Come with me," Selene Marr said.
Lancet tried to ignore the stares as she led them deeper into the residential courtyard. More than a few conversations weakened when he passed, and he caught his own name being mentioned more than twice.
When Selene stopped near the entrance of the center lodge, six men and women in dark coats waiting beneath a gold crest immediately straightened at her call.
"Prefects," she announced.
Lancet raised an eyebrow, noting that they looked younger than the officers at the Control Tower, though none seemed remotely inexperienced.
He placed their ages around early to mid twenties.
One carried a spear across her back, another had a mechanical eye glowing blue beneath dark curls, and a broad man looked like he’d fought a tiger with those scars on his hands.
Selene turned toward the newcomers. "These are residential prefects. They manage the lodges, enforce building regulations, and help new arrivals settle in."
"Vernon Heavenblum, Valeria Bloodgood, Nereus Grimlake, Renan Falconhart, Espel Fyrebloom, Lancet Leogardt, and Exela Willion will be staying in the active lodges," Selene continued. "Professor Nightingale will be assigned to Senior Residential, where instructors, trainers, and visiting officers are housed."
Estelle nodded once as a prefect stepped forward to escort her, leaving Selene to give the rest their assignments.
That was when Lancet noticed a problem: three of the remaining prefects had started looking at one another. A woman with cropped bronze hair pointed subtly toward Lancet, the mechanical-eyed man shook his head, and another guy whispered, "I saw him first."
Lancet frowned just as Selene noticed the exchange. "What are you doing?" she demanded, causing all three to immediately straighten and claim they were doing nothing.
Selene stared them down until the bronze-haired woman surrendered first. "We were deciding who would take Lancet Leogardt."
"Why does a decision have to be made?" Selene reprimanded sharply. "Any of you can do it."
As the prefects went suitably quiet, a voice called out from behind them, "I’ll do it."
A young man stepped out from the back of the group with breezy confidence.
Lancet’s first attention went to the newcomer’s hair. The sides had been shaved close, while the longer dark-brown hair on top was pulled into a thick, crooked knot that leaned slightly backward instead of sitting neatly at the crown.
Two thin braids ran from his temples and disappeared into it, giving him the look of someone who had designed the style himself and refused all criticism afterward. A curved wooden-metal weapon rested across his lower back.
A boomerang.
The guy quickly took his place beside Lancet, casually rested an elbow on his shoulder and crossed his legs as if they’d been friends for ages.
"I’ll take him to his lodge."
Selene closed her eyes for a long, weary second. "Tavrik."
The young man smiled brightly. "Director?"
"Take Lancet to the Middle Lodge. Room six-fourteen. Explain the rules, not your opinions about the rules."
Tavrik placed one fist against his chest in a mock salute. "You can count on me, Director!"
With that settled, the other prefects selected the rest of the new recruits and they all dispersed to their separate lodges.
The inside was unsurprisingly wide. A massive central hall rose through several floors with open walkways running around it, while elevators moved smoothly behind reinforced glass at both ends.
Busy soldiers came and went through doors marked with room numbers, training schedules, and unit symbols. Tavrik pointed toward everything as though he personally owned the building.
"The Middle Lodge. Mostly Rangers, Awakeners, and Extinguishers." He waved his hand dramatically as he talked. "There are no Senior Residents here. Only the East and West Lodges have to deal with that. Heh! So you’re lucky to be placed here. No strict eyes on you, eh?"
Lancet gave him a sidelong glance. "Are the tutors that strict?"
Tavrik raised his brows. "Don’t let the cool buildings deceive you. This is a military encampment. So what do you think?"
Lancet realized he was right.
They entered a glass-walled elevator, and as Tavrik pressed the button for the sixth floor, he leaned back comfortably against the wall.
"So, you probably know what Awakeners and Kingdom Rangers are," Tavrik began. "You’re an Awakener yourself and you’ve seen Rangers before."
Lancet listened.
"Extinguishers though," Tavrik’s expression became slightly more serious. "They clean up what everyone else can’t." He gestured vaguely with both hands to emphasize his point. "Say a city gets invaded by Demons. Awakeners go in, Rangers go in, everyone fights. If they win, fantastic.
"Extinguishers come afterward to remove whatever infestation remains, destroy corrupted nests, clear the miasma, and make sure the place doesn’t turn dangerous again once everyone goes home." As the elevator continued its steady rise, Tavrik added, "And if the city can’t be saved, Extinguishers destroy it."
Lancet glanced toward him, faking being oblivious. He enjoyed Tavrik’s storytelling skills and didn’t really want him to stop. "Completely?"
"Pretty much," Tavrik nodded grimly. "The cities they burn are basically lost causes so it’s better than letting the danger spread to nearby cities, especially if it’s a bastion city that’s nearby, or allowing the Second World to keep a Citadel close to human territory. Especially again if that human territory is a bastion city."
Tavrik pursed his lips. "Extinguishers get a bad rep because of it. People think they enjoy destroying homes and even humans who couldn’t escape in time."
Lancet gave him a knowing look. "What do you think?" he asked him.
"Me?" The young man tilted his head. "I think Extinguishers have a difficult job to do. But someone has to do it. But they’re not bad guys." He quickly lightened the mood by pointing two thumbs at his own chest. "They’re actually pretty cool guys, trust me."
Lancet’s eyebrows raised. "Are you an Extinguisher?"
Tavrik made a face. "Nah."
Lancet nodded slowly, putting the pieces together. "You were."
Looking deeply offended, Tavrik scoffed. "How did you get that?"
Lancet didn’t respond to that, he just looked down at the weapon on Tavrik’s lower back again. "It doesn’t explain the boomerang though."
Tavrik’s offense doubled instantly. "What is wrong with my boomerang?"
Lancet openly studied the curved weapon strapped across the prefect’s back. "Nothing. I was just trying to imagine what series of intense Extinguisher operations made that the logical weapon choice."
Pushing himself away from the wall, Tavrik became dramatically defensive. "The boomerang is one of the greatest weapons humanity has ever invented."
When Lancet just stared at him, Tavrik began lifting fingers to count off his points. "Ranged weapon. Returns to you. Can break bones without killing someone. Can kill someone if you actually want to."
As Lancet opened his mouth to argue, Tavrik quickly added a fifth finger. "And it looks incredible when thrown correctly."
The elevator doors chimed and slid open. Stepping out into the hall, Lancet gave him a taunting grin, "That last one was the real reason."
Tavrik glared at him. "Smart ass."
They entered a long hallway lined with dark doors and narrow windows overlooking the busy courtyard below. Several nearby soldiers stopped their conversations as Lancet passed. One nudged another, whispering loudly enough for Lancet to hear clearly, "That’s him."
Tavrik smiled knowingly, prompting Lancet to finally ask, "Alright. Why were you people arguing over who got me?"
Tavrik looked at him. "You mean you really don’t know? You’re basically a celebrity here. First, we heard about what you and others did in Hebthej. Then there were rumors about your powers. Then one day, President Bane came back from a meeting and made you the subject of a full briefing."
Lancet’s eyebrows rose in surprise. "He did?"
"He doesn’t usually praise anyone either, which was why we were all fascinated to hear him talk about something like that," Tavrik explained, suddenly dropping his voice into a gruff imitation far deeper than his own. "Lancet Leogardt detected what our scanners missed. Lancet Leogardt exposed a Demon operation. Lancet Leogardt uncovered Verdrak."
Lancet couldn’t help but laugh as Tavrik spun forward again. "Then somebody actually asked why a Level Twenty-Five Academy student was being discussed like a seasoned war commander."
"Thirty-Five now," Lancet casually corrected him.
Tavrik stopped walking entirely. He looked back over his shoulder, his eyes wide. "Already?" When Lancet simply smiled, Tavrik stared for another long moment before continuing down the hall. "See? You’re awesome."
Lancet laughed, his head swelling. Tavrik looked at him with an exaggerated grin. "Do you hear what he called you?"
"Obviously."
Tavrik stopped and did a superhero-hands-on-waist-pose. "Earth’s Greatest Asset."