Had I known this is what the bastard meant by 'Your fate is sealed' I would have begged for a more appealing sentence. After being interrogated for information I did not have and having Nora, finally got her name was I only then allowed to rest. I was sent to the barracks after it being decided that regardless of the circumstances of how I got infused, such power warranted checks and balances.
The military had a whole branch for fellows like myself. People who got illegal infusions so that they could taste the power strictly monitored. At least I was sleeping on an actual bed now. It had been two days since I woke up in this world and my exact identity of who I was before was unclear. Colliding memories of what I was doing before I woke up in that cell didn't make it easier. In any case I remembered two things. Firstly, my name or what it was once. Sebastian Winters. Secondly, a contract. One that allowed me to experience a whole new life in a different world.
The terms and conditions hadn't been clear and I suppose I didn't care. That had been the whole charm of it. Faith in shady deal. Who approached me with it? No clue. These mysteries only made my current situation worse. I was a soldier now. I fought fiends now. During these two days in which I nursed the most devious hangover of both lives I learnt about this world.
Fiends had mysteriously appeared over a hundred years ago, quickly taking over most of civilization. Over forty eight percent of the world was lost and an estimate of half the worlds population in two years. These beast were resistant to most of our technology which made the first few years harsh. Some countries managed to hold out though and push back the wave of monsters. Europe though by this time was gone.
These fiends had three phases of evolution that increase their intelligence, regeneration and innate abilities. Category 3 was the highest and most dangerous with grade six to nine being the tiers found in it. These fiends were as smart as human beings if not smarter and were considered calamities. The highest ever recorded grade is eight. Only this was was spotted over sixty years ago. These beings could generate high levels of solflux, the energy in which they used. This same energy was measured using frequencies.
The door to our dorm room slide open and a devil, the street term now officialized for infused humans walked in. This friendly fellow was dressed in black as usual with his ruby red eyes gleaming malice. He had on his usual sneer. A scar ran across the bridge on his nose further boosting his looks. His name was Officer Cassian. Strictly.
"Times up chaps. No time for beauty sleep" he sneered. I had barely gotten any wink of sleep anyway. I jumped down from my top bunk bed and wore my shoes.
"Guy is an asshole" whispered Lach. He looked to be in his late twenties. His unkempt hair covered most of his forehead and eyes, so you were never sure were he was looking. He was medium height and dressed for necessity only. A blue shirt, some leather trousers and shoes. Everything else confiscated.
"This place sucks the personality out of everyone" I said as we shuffled out of the room. Our 'dorms' were on the lowest floor so we didn't walk too much before we found ourselves outside. Fort Ildris was huge and primarily a training camp so the grounds were spacious. The grounds were already packed with other soldiers doing their drills.
One soldier had his whole hands covered in blue scales that coalesced to make gauntlets. Tendrils of blue lightning snaked along them as he released fast, deadly punches.
"Today will be sparing, you guys vs me" said Cassian. "You can use your abilities, if you can use them. If you use your abilities, I use my mine. Who wants to go first?"
A tall muscular man shoved the crowd apart. He had a bushy beard with and hair that was like a lions mane.
"Rules?" he asked.
"First man down loses" responded Cassian "You would like that wouldn't you Ivan?"
Lach and I stood back to observe from afar. For me this was a chance to see just what these abilities were. They circled each other for a minute before Ivan stepped raised his right foot and stomped the ground. The resounding shockwave shook Cassian off balance and Ivan attacked. He used his height advantage to to throw heavy blows from above. With splendid footwork Cassian regained his balance and dodged the strikes swiftly. He kicked Ivans' right knee which threw off balance then delivered a swift upper cut. Ivan stumbled backwards with a grunt.
"Is that all you got?" Sneered Cassian, with his left hand he gestured Ivan to bring it on.
Ivan charged forward with roar each of his steps shaking the ground. He once more raised his leg in the air and stomped the ground. This time a large dust cloud rose up obscuring our vision. When it cleared Cassian was standing next to an Ivan who was on his knees. With a finger he gently pushed Ivans head and he fell to the ground.
"What does this teach us" he said as he nudged Ivan with a foot "Physical strength isn't power nor are your abilities. I only had to deliver one blow to him and I brought down this giant" he scoffed "Very boring. Next"
From then on no one dared use their abilities. No one was confident in beating Cassian until it was or turn. People around us were on sitting on the ground breathing heavily. We were the last two. Cassian stood tall and firm not even breathing heavily.
"Well lets get this done with" groaned Lach as he stepped forward.
"Confident are we?" Said Cassian as he watched Lach who didn't respond.
"I see" was all Cassian said before dropping his shoulders "Lets see if you're some fun."
Lach attacked first with with a leg sweep that Cassian easily side stepped. He followed it up with a kick to the sternum which Cassian dodged easily. Lach then using amazing foot work kept the pressure on Cassian until he trapped his left leg in a lock and through him to the ground. By now everyone was paying attention to the fight. Cassian slowly stood up and shook the dirt off his uniform. At the same time both of them thrust their hands forward and released a burst of solfux. Their hands were frozen in the air like some force had stopped them mid air. Then the bubble of air burst and a screech so sharp and intense followed that made my ears ring.
"AH huh. That explained the confidence" Cassian said as he he flexed his left right hand "You seem like you have experience using solflux."
"A bit"
"Round two" Cassian covered the distance between them with two steps. He feinted right with a punch while his left leg went for a kick. Lach countered the kick with another kick while he used solflux to stop the feint. Cassian stepped forward and headbutted Lach then grabbed his head and raised his knee. Lach swiftly brought his hands to his face protecting his head then, delivered a punch to Cassian's sternum. He let go of Lachs' Head. As he fell backwards he aimed two fingers at Lachs stomach and released a burst of solflux.
The attack hit him square in the stomach and flung him to the ground. He let out a pained groan that soon turned into him throwing up the remains of his last meal. Ouch.
"That was fun" said Cassian "Using your weak grade 2 abilities to counter my attacks was smart. Unfortunately I was a bit more skillful in my application"
"Fuck you" groaned Lach from the ground.
"Now, your turn"