Trash: Chapter 153 A Three Part Battle With No Victory In Sight (Patreon)

Chapter 153

A Three Part Battle With No Victory In Sight

(Instructor Nikio Ionnidas)

Instructor Niko’s first task that he was ever taught, while becoming an instructor for the prestigious Unity University, was to always be evaluating for new talent that needed to be molded or shaped. At first, Niko found it relatively easy to look at people and see their true potential and push them to their limits until finally they were the warriors, supporters, or talents they were eventually meant to be molded into.

As a martial instructor, Nikio had it relatively easy in that he didn’t have to deal with any of the drama that eventually came from handling healers. Yes, he would say it, healers were the epitome of drama queens. They always acted like their shit didn’t stink, they got their own lines in the Dfac, and still somehow managed to mess up what was rest for everyone else.

Today was no exception to this process, it began with healer candidate Kerli Lootus going too far and having her team members use their authority to cut in line at the Dfac. Something that is not supposed to happen, for food is sacred, and time to eat is doubly so, as such these activities are not appreciated by the staff or others. It wasn’t until Nikio saw that there was a brawl ensuing that he reluctantly got up and made his way over. As he knew an instructor would be needed to quell this before it became an incident, especially given how volatile Kerli Lootus is as a healer candidate. Not even of the seven great lines but swears she can walk on water. A fact that seems to be encouraged as she is with the love-struck fool of a healer candidate, Maximus Zabal. Those two are a handful on their own, effectively stirring up trouble wherever they can. What’s worse is that Maximus is the healer candidate that has shown the most prowess in a long time, meaning that he has had many instructors bend over backwards to curry favors with the future generational talent.

Originally, both were fine. But when they were allowed to push boundaries and lines constantly due to their healer candidacy and perceived future importance, they realized they could get away with murder. At least, that is what Kerli tried to do, before the newest healer candidate took out her ox of a warrior, Nikolai Lootus. Whose only real claim to fame is that his younger sister was a healer candidate and took pity on the brute and made him a permanent member of her team. Even the new healer candidate could have gotten away with all of this, had she just been somewhat humble, lowered her head and let Nikio work his magic to defuse the situation. Fortunately, all of Nikio’s orator Skills, and the countless hours of practice that he spent improving those very social Skills paid off as he was often able to defuse many of the more enraged rants conducted by Candidate Zabal himself. In fact, many times the non-healing instructors would call upon Nikio to defuse any real situation, while runners went to fetch a healer candidate.

At the time, when this all first began, Nikio avoided calling in the big guns, aka the other healing instructors as he had the situation mostly handled. Also, it would look poorly if he and the other non-healing instructors had to constantly pester the Healing Instructors for help when dealing with particularly problematic students. This was how Nikio now found himself at the heart of what could only be described as a three-way standoff. As Maximus and Kerli have both found themselves joining forces and squaring off against the new girl.

By all looks, the new girl seems clearly out of her depths. While she has the green-emerald healing emblem emblazed on her uniform, it is clear that she is both new and going to be one of those problem children that Nikio oh desperately tried to avoid. Everything about her screamed eclectic and attention seeking. As a healer she wore both a dull stone sword that was two sizes too big for her tiny frame, and a violin case that screamed privileged upbringing. Nikio didn’t even have to guess that she was not only a healer candidate from one of the prime seven families, but that she also thought of herself as an exceptional healer without truly experiencing a day in the fields. This was all noted by the way she casually managed to somehow knockout Nikolai the Ox, with a takedown maneuver so fast and efficient that even now Nikio didn’t know how she did it exactly.

Again though, as the lead instructor still in the Dfac at that time, it was his job to deescalate the situation. That was why he came over and tried to calm down an already irate Maximus Zabal as he screamed emphatically at the newcomer. All while the newcomer made the situation worse by rolling her eyes at the dramatic tension building and then proceeded to throw water on a grease fire.

“Look, you weren’t even here. How do you know your little Playmate there is even telling the truth.” On its own, the comment wasn’t terrible and seemed like something that Nikio could likely defuse by redefining it as a regional term.

“A Play what now?” Maximus Zabal asked, suddenly confused by the odd term. Hearing it, Nikio was also confused by it, maybe it was a slang term from the east that meant something nice. Then she went and made it obvious.

“Well, you are right. With a face like your own, you probably do play with yourself far more than you do with your playmate.” The girl continued, effortlessly tearing into Zabal, while simultaneously making the term playmate clear. Well clearer, as Nikio still wasn’t certain about its true meaning though he could tell by the inflection of the spirited girl that it was nothing good.

“What? What is this? I –” Mr. Zabal began to rant, but was cut off mid-rant.

“Stutter a lot, or you just like hearing your own voice a lot,” the girl shot back. By now Maximus was truly enraged and had blood vessels pulsing on his forehead, showing just how undeniably angry he was. Seeing that he had to act quickly, Nikio stepped in and began speaking, but was cut off.

“You should—”

“I challenge you to an honor duel!” Maximus Zabal screamed, his voice emphatically declaring his intent for the entire Dfac to hear. There was a hush that almost fell over the Dfac as everyone took in the full weight of those words and their meaning. A duel among Healers was something to not take lightly as very real stakes were made and wagered in these. Positions, rankings, and even countries to serve in could and would often be decided in Healer Duels. For an elder classman with a class to challenge a junior newly arrived at the campus, was highly frowned upon and should be banned as it was assumed that the newly arriving healer candidate didn’t have a Healer Class and therefore was lacking compared to the experienced elder classman. Yet, before Nikio could even open his mouth to protest on behalf of the junior candidate, she had already set things in motion that would be impossible to stop.

“I accept your challenge!” Was the automatic response offered by healer candidate, who rather than looking shocked or lost in the moment had a manic smile form on her lips as she seemed to radiate a smug satisfaction. The satisfaction that a baby bunny might exhibit when it nips at the sleeping lion, thus fully gaining the lion’s full attention. Now silence truly settled over the crowd as everyone waited eagerly for the conditions to be met.

“If I win,” Maximus began, “you will renounce your sponsorship from the Bloom house and take up your rightful place as a lowly DiVoratore.”

Hearing that, Nikio looked at the new healer candidate and finally saw why this girl looked so odd as a Bloom. Looking at her, it was clear that she did have many of the markings of a DiVoratore, the pale skin, the pinkish-purple eyes, and the ashen hair. All of it screamed that she was not a blonde and bubbly Bloom.

“You really can’t get over that can you? That Madame Bloom found and chose me as her apprentice,” the girl, this DiVoratore bloodline owner, declared with a slight chuckle to her words.

“You mean the General! As in General Bloom, someone you are not worthy of even polishing the boots of!” Maximus declared, spittle flying out as he spoke. Seeing the look, the girl, just waived her hand and Nikio swore that the spittle disappeared completely.

“News flash, she doesn’t wear boots anymore, but she does have a wide assortment of slippers,” the girl comments as she looks up and to the right, a sign that she is calling forth memories and not lying about her perceived connection to the General.

“Fine, but second. When I win, you will owe Kerli and me an apology, and be our servant, doing any menial tasks that we demand of you whenever we see you on university grounds,” Maximus declared. Seeing this, it was too much. For one bad encounter, the girl would commit social and political suicide. While he didn’t know this girl’s home life, giving up a life as a Bloom was nothing to sneeze at. Furthermore, being forced to be the power couple’s slave while on campus would be a nightmare for anyone to suffer through. While it might do her some good, this was something that Nikio couldn’t allow.

“Do not acce—” Nikio began, trying to cut off the deal part of the duel. At the very least he could help the new girl argue out lesser terms, maybe make them conditional for a week or something. Have her learn her place and move on. Yet, before he could stress the point that this was a negotiation, she once again jumped straight into the fire.

“I accept!”  The girl replied, and then with a slight pause she provided her own qualifications for the duel, “with the same exact results for you. When I win, you renounce any and all claims to the Zabal family, and you and your girl will be my task completionists whenever we meet on campus.”

At that, both Maxiumus’ and the new girl’s eyes glowed as the system formally accepted their terms and conditions for each. Having witnessed it all, Nikio felt a wave of fear roll over him as he saw the last thing he wanted to see while at the university. This was also when Nikio finally learned the name of this troublesome healer candidate.

New Task: Proctoring A Duel: You were present for the entire duel request and acceptance between Healer Candidate Maximus Zabal and Healer Candidate Catarine Bloom. Your job is to proctor the test in the open martial grounds and assure that all dueling related rules and regulations are followed.

“The open martial grounds?” Maximus asked, wondering why the large gladiatorial stage was the one assigned for this duel. Nikio not even wanting to argue with this, but realizing that the system had entrusted him to see this event to its conclusion just let out a reluctant sigh of inevitability, before directing the others to follow him.

“This way,” was all Nikio said as he proceeded to leave the Dfac, giving one last side-long look of want at his tray of food that had now gone stale and focused on bigger things, like the door and why he hated healers.

At first, a skipped meal was what Nikio thought would be the worst case of what to expect from this intervention and impromptu duel between healer candidates. Yet, that was not the worst, not by a long shot as the girl, this Catarine Bloom, seemed extraordinarily pleased with herself. She was so pleased that she even began to do what could only be described as psychological warfare as she began whistling loudly to herself as Nikio marched them through the streets. Her piercing melodic tune seemed to speak defiance and hope.

All while drawing everyone’s attention to the fact that three healer candidates, along with their team members were marching behind Nikio as he led them to places unknown at an extraordinarily fast clip.

No, it was clear that today would not be able to end quickly enough.