Trash: Chapter 150 The Idiot Tax (Patreon)

Chapter 150

The Idiot Tax

I was there, watching my status screen when it suddenly changed.

Current Obligations:

               Pass your Initial Team Interview to establish team cohesion. Status: (Probationary)

…

Current Obligations:

               Pass your Initial Team Interview to establish team cohesion. Status: (Admitted)

That was it, my status went from Probationary to Admitted, and I felt completely empty by the experience. In fact, at first I thought I just misread it, that it didn’t mean anything. I didn’t feel a sudden release of energy within me. The system didn’t do anything to help me feel that I was one step closer to my personal goal, or that I had somehow done something great that would change my life in profound and meaningful ways. For a moment I am brought back to my past life, where I got my acceptance letter to study for nursing, in that letter it was much the same. The letter itself was bland and lifeless, but it did make me feel accomplished after having to suffer through so much just to get to that point. Here I had to do the same thing, by the end I almost didn’t want the position at all. If it wasn’t for Lucia and the others depending on my being here, then I wouldn’t even care if I didn’t make it at this point. For I already knew myself.

I already knew I could be a healer here. My past life knowledge, along with the advancements posed by the system made it so I would easily be able to succeed at almost anything I put my mind to.

“Huh?” Luna was the first to react. Turning to her, I could see that her eyes were now glazed over and staring off into the distance, a sure sign that she was distracted by her own status page.

“We did it?” Junior called out, having picked up on Luna’s reaction and accessed his own status page to see the change. At that Lelia and Junior both jumped in excitement. Lucia and Luna who had both been excited and nearly jittery with bottled emotions suddenly stopped and glared at Junior. Seeing the sudden shift in the two’s emotions I paused and tried to understand where the sudden hostility came from. Fortunately, Lucia was there to explain why she felt as she did.

“We did nothing, this is all thanks to our leader here,” Lucia responds, making sure to highlight that Junior’s use of we was not the correct mentality to have. I opened my mouth to protest, but Luna cut in before I could, adding to Lucia’s comments.

“We are her support. We go as she goes, so it would be easy for us to forget that at times. But we must remember, she is the reason we are here,” Luna responded.

Junior for his part just looked confused. Then seeming to miss the nuance replied again, “right, we made it because of her.”

Seeing that Junior just wasn’t getting it, Luna and Lucia just shook their heads at the boy. Junior for his part looked like he wanted to protest, but before he could, fireworks erupted.

Green rockets streaked upwards into the sky, all being fired from the observation tower of the admissions building that I just left. The first one was so powerful that it looked like a miniature green sun appeared for a moment in the sky. We all stared up in wonder at the massive burst that somehow managed to hang there, followed by two more red, and two white rockets that flanked the left side, followed by two blue on the right side.

We watched how the first eruption seemed to last and flicker in the morning light the way only embers can in that celebratory way that seems to fight gravity, only to lose. Then just as they started to fall, we could feel the ground shaking force of the fireworks, particularly that first large green ball that burst into the air. A wave of force shot through me, seeming to shake my lungs and every organ within my body before moving on to release the rest of its energy into the ground. This release of energy into the ground caused a disorientating effect on me, as my new Earth Resonance* Skill told me of the massive vibrations that were happening all around me. Which seemed to have a delayed echo from the original surge I felt, to what was being sent back to my senses, causing me to feel slightly nauseous from the event.

I was apparently staggering, for I felt a strong hand reach out to grab me and support my arm. Looking over, I saw that it was Luna who had apparently noticed my own staggering from the disorienting feedback loop. This was good to know, that my Skill could cause problems if someone set off explosives or something nearby. Now that I knew about it, I could learn to train to resist this very state of disorientation, as I never wanted to feel like this again.

Unfortunately, just as I was starting to get my balance back from the first round of explosions in the sky, a second, and finally a third set of explosions were set off, followed by the ringing if a bell over the observatory that was performed by a set of three large but distinct bells. The first was the largest of the bells that released a long resonating gong type sound, the type one might expect to sound off for the hour of a clock. The second was a medium-sized bell, well medium in comparison to the first, that produced a more defiant beat. This one was still larger than me, but not as large as the first. This medium sized bell was used to produce two loud crisp chimes, before being stopped completely. Then finally a third fainter bell rang crisply once and then seemed to give a slightly flat chime for its second ring.

Honestly, I was confused for a moment as to why there was suddenly a loud celebration happening at noon. Even the way the locals, or those that had been here from the time before my train arrived a few hours ago. A few just looked up and watched the afterglow of the fireworks slowly melting from space. While the others, a few more desperate people looked around like they were meerkats aggressively scanning for predators.

While I was watching everyone approach the admissions building, I missed the moment that the doors to the admissions building behind me burst open and a runner charged out. Only the faint rhythmic thumping of danger coming from the Earth Resonance* Skill let me realize that something, or rather someone was coming up behind me quickly. As quickly as I turn, I see and hear the person cry out.

“Healer Candidate Bloom!” The runner calls out. Hearing them, I tentatively raise my right hand, indicating that he they are looking for me. For a moment the runner looks at me while running, and I can almost see the moment when he realizes I am not a big busty blonde healer with blue eyes, like the name would imply. Pulling up on his dead sprint from a moment ago, the runner pauses and almost looks like they are going to run past, but then look like they are about to continue running past me. As if I suddenly raised my hand as if I have a question, like where is the bathroom, which speaking of which, I do want to know that too.

“Healer candidate—" the runner begins shouting again, but this time I cut him off defiantly.

“Here!” I yell out, while lowering my hand and glaring at the runner, all but daring him to ask a third time. He pauses and looks at me.

“Name?”

“Catarine Bloom, of the DiVoratore healing line,” I add the last part, so he doesn’t continue to stare at me like I am trying to pull a fast one on him. Hearing the bloodline, he pauses and then I can almost see the moment when everything clicks into place. Well, my appearance, though I can then see the moment the next set of questions appear as he seems to open his mouth in advance of a question. A question that I also cut off before it can start, “it’s a long story.”

The runner then pauses, before nodding to himself. There is a moment when he takes a deep breath, and I can all but see the activation of some type of Acting related Skill. This is one that is still being developed, a fact that my now badged version of Acting lets me see through immediately. His moves are a bit too choppy, his words and cadence a beat too late to be genuine, but he still tries to come across as genuine.

“Greetings Healing Candidate Bloom, I am your temporarily assigned Runner, Marcus Ghulam. It will be my job to assist you, and your team,” the runner, Marcus, states while gesturing to the rest of my teammates. “With getting your gear and dorm room situation handled.”

With that, Marcus reached into a bag and pulled out an emerald-green badge with a giant white ‘H’ on it, the contrast in colors easy to identify. “This is your Healer badge, it signifies you as a Healing candidate.”

Seeing the badge, I pause as I try to think back to the other healing candidates that I have met, but realize that they didn’t wear these. Seeing my confusion as I take the pin, he gestures to a spot over his heart and begins speaking. “Once you get past this entry way area, you will need to have your pin displayed at all times here.”

Hearing the commands, I begin placing the pin as indicated, while he continues talking.

“Now, this is part of the training program. This area right here is technically a neutral zone, where you can add your badges, or remove them as needed,” as he speaks, he talks not just to me, but to my teammates as well. “Here are your four combat badges, and your two auxiliary badges. Give them out and take them back as you see fit. No paperwork needed, no arguments, just take the best members that work best for the team you want to build.”

Holding out my hand, I saw four ruby-red badges with a white ‘C’ at the center. Then two sapphire pendants with a white ‘A’ at the center. Seeing the badges, I handed them out as needed. Two of the red badges went to Lucia and Luna, while the two blue badges went to Junior and Lelia. Once done, I had two red badges in my hand that I just looked at stupidly for a moment.

“You can put those away,” the runner replied before looking over his shoulder at the gathering crowd of people that were now seeming to form a line at the end of the property line for the admissions building. Seeing the way everyone seemed to crowd around the sidewalk that seemed to separate this apparent neutral zone from the rest of the campus, I just paused and raised a hand to hopefully conveyed the question I was trying to ask. Basically, why is everyone acting like they are about to be shocked by an electric fence if they come any closer. “Ahh, these are the class candidates that will likely fight to join your ranks, so they can reactivate their initial contracts that bound them to either intense training, or needs of the Unified Empire.”

Hearing that, it made sense, sort of. “I’m guessing that these are the people that were replaced or couldn’t find a healer candidate to vouch for them?”

A nod was my only confirmation, at which point I continued, “but these people are still stuck here trying to graduate?”

Again another nod, but he then added more clarifying information, “yes, or what many will likely try to do is be hired on as additional help or service providers.”

“What?” Is all I can ask to that, my question apparently the same one as the other members of my team were now sporting.

“It takes a hundred credits to attend one semester here. Each team member gets two hundred and fifty credits to attend. One hundred will be for the course work for a semester. One hundred will be needed for their initial supplies. Then they will have fifty left, or roughly half of the tuition for next semester available. Now you can either save that, or pool it together to get a trainer or assistant for your team.” This is similar to what Mr. Zabal was talking about earlier, before he dropped and fell into horse dung. But it seems that the perspective being offered comes from the viewpoint of the team members, and not the team lead. Which is good, as I need to know these things to help contemplate how to help the team.

“To clarify, you as a team lead are exempt from all credits and credit related requirements. The University’s goal is to try to keep you here as long as possible, knowing that each year of training here will result in four years of future commitment to the United Empires,” Marcus begins by first addressing me. Then turning to my teammates he continues, “but know that while everything will be provided to team lead Bloom here, she cannot give her items to you as a way to bypass the protection mechanisms. Everything to her will be provided with special markings, indicating that they are for team leads only, and if you all are seen wearing the items, you will be punished.”

“That said, you are allowed to carry items for your team lead, and acting as a porter is just fine. But actively changing out broken items will cost you credits. Repairing items will cost you credits. Which is what your initial cost and tuition fees go towards. If you lose your sponsorship,” he states while pointing towards me. “Then you will need to learn to maintain your items and your equipment while wasting as few credits as possible, before you either find your next sponsor, or you lose all credits forcing you to serve out your needs of the military contract.”

Suddenly, I understood why there looked to be so many desperate looks from everyone.

“Okay, so why are they all just staring at us now, and not coming forward?” I ask.

“Again, this is a neutral zone. To come here without a team lead, or without express permission costs credits, as it is seen as trying to take a vacation or break from training. You can, but it is free with your team lead, or costs ten credits for each day you are out. If you are out of the perimeter and you run out of credits for your tally, you will be considered AWOL and will have 24 hours to turn yourself in, and begin your enlistment, before people get sent out to find you and then double your forced conscription time. I do not recommend either action,” Marcus stated cooly, his words needed as they showed a clear way we could all get into trouble. “Right now your credits are considered pooled. Should anyone be let go, then a quarter, or however many team members are left will divide the remaining funds. First time joiners get a full two hundred and fifty credits. Everyone else has what they started off with, unless you are filling out roster spots for the first time. I saw that you have two combat class slots open, meaning people will be really interested in joining your team. As everyone that joins will be granted a full initial tuition slot.”

“Wait, how did you know we had two combat spots available?” I ask, wondering how he knew without using any type of analyze Skill on me.

“Simple, your fireworks that marked your arrival. Along with the bells tolling all noted that only two rings or two red fireworks and two white fireworks. The red fireworks and number of bell tolls indicated your team composition. Meaning everyone knows you have two combat slots available.” Marcus continued.

“I take it you want one of these combat slots?”

“Me, a combatant?” Marcus asked, a bit of incredulity in his voice as he pointed out his skinny frame and seemingly weak muscular structure. “Gods no, I’m an auxiliary at best. My only hope is that you teammates take it upon themselves to pay the hundred credits for my tuition this year.”

“A hundred?” I begin, but then let the obvious take over, “meaning you have finished at least two full semesters here?”

“Seven,” Marcus begins a bit of pride to his voice. “I have completed seven semesters here. Meaning you will need to fund my full hundred credits to keep me at your service versus the service of the other healer teams.”

“Why would we want to give you our credits to join us, and make it harder for us to continue in the future?” Junior asks, saying the question that the others wanted to ask, but only Junior felt the most threatened by his position on the team. This is sad, as he is a welcome member of the team. Well so long as he can make lemon custards and other meals worth fighting for.

“Good question, but its simple. As this will be my eighth semester here, you can think of my services as paying for services now, that prevent you from paying the idiot tax in the future,” Marcus covers, sounding more like a snake oil salesman than ever, but I do want to hear him out. At the very least with seven semesters under his belt, he must know a few things.

“Idiot tax?” Lucia asks, covering her arms across her chest.

“Yes, when you borrow books, but keep them out too long and return with a late fee. That late fee can be considered an idiot tax. You were an idiot for forgetting, so you get taxed. When you ruin your clothes, in not training related ways and try to turn them in for new ones, not getting anything from your previous purchase, you pay full price. That difference between full price and a partial discount, that is an idiot tax. When you could have studied a bit more on a test, or known more common test questions to prepare for, thereby getting a better score and more personal credits received, that loss of wages is an idiot tax. My purpose here is to help you all save more than double my cost each semester, making it so I was, and will be the smartest team purchase you make each semester.”

As he spoke, I was sold. It wasn’t even my money, and I really wanted him here just to at least be a guide for the initial few weeks. To give us insights into what was happening and why. With seven semesters it was clear that he had been here for quite a while, meaning he must have done something right to stay for that long.

I look at the others, who are all looking at me. Seeing that they want me to chime in, I clarify, “it isn’t my credits, but I am all for this. Spending credits now to find ways to save later.”

After that, there was a pause as the other four members turned to each other and seemed to talk it out quickly before ultimately agreeing.

“Deal, one hundred credits to be our team guide, cost analyzer, class preparer, and all around team assistant,” Lucia stated, holding out her hand and apparently ready to make a hand shake deal.

“This is good, you are already aware of the handshake binding agreement process,” Marcus responded while holding out his own hand to shake and seal the deal. There was a flash of static electricity, and then apparently the task was done.

“Wow, a hundred credits spent just like that,” Junior responded, seeing that their pool had apparently been dropped by a hundred credits. I didn’t know as that was outside of my purview, but I could see it already affecting Junior’s mood, knowing that they were already down a hundred team credits and the semester hadn’t even started yet.

“Okay, now that I am officially your guide, my first word of warning will be about who you get to fill out your team,” as he speaks, I turn to him almost ready to deny that I even need to fill out my team. Seeing the look in my face he pauses and then holds up his hands in a placating gesture. “Look before this goes any further, there is one thing you should consider. First assigning a bag person.”

“A bag person?” I parrot back.

“Yes, someone who will be in charge of all extra team purchases outside what one soldier needs for daily necessities,” Marcus begins.

At that I immediately turn to Luna, who just looks flustered, her doe eyes going wide with panic. Then she looks emphatically at Lucia. With the notice, I turn to Lucia and give her the look that asks, do you want this task? There is a pause as she seems to think about also turning it down, a great sign for me. Then after turning to look at Lelia and Junior, she turns back and nods.

“Okay, I want Lucia to be the bag person, but how do I—” I begin, but suddenly feel a surge as a flash of light pulses from me and directly to Lucia.

“Very good, the fact that you did this administrative action here, at the admissions building is important, as it makes the request immediately binding for all,” Marcus states, explaining why there was an odd pulse of energy from me to Lucia.

“What many of these people are going to tell you, and offer you is advanced physical training. Insights into teachers and classes. Class guidelines and more. They might even offer insights into Hell Week,” Marcus continues.

“Hell week?” Everyone echoes back.

“Yes, the week immediately following –”