Chapter 25:
Warpainter: From Office Workers to World Warriors
Arte's classroom was much larger than the others, with many people in attendance. While some were only there to observe temporarily, the overwhelming majority of them were there to learn the style itself. Arte found an open seat and sat down. After a few moments of waiting, instructor Valeria walked in. She stood in front of the class, taking a good look at all the students.
“Welcome to the elemental edge class.” She spoke. “As today is the first day, we’ll go over the general theory of the elemental edge.”
She grabbed a piece of chalk and started drawing on the blackboard. In just a few quick strokes, she outlined a person with an orb in their chest. She pointed the chalk at the board.
“Elemental edge relies on one’s control of anima. By channeling it into your blade and creating an effective trigger, your trigger will be not only what determines the strength of your element, but also how quickly you can activate it. How fast can you picture your trigger? Is yours strong enough to defeat the opponent before you?” She questions. “When it comes to using a trigger, something that resonates strongly with you will be what stimulates your anima the most.” She explains.
Arte raises her hand, and Valeria points to her.
“And it can be anything as long as it resonates strongly with you?” She asks.
“That’s correct.” She nods. “Today, we’re going to work with the element of fire and try to come up with a trigger for you all. Close your eyes and visualize fire, it can be from a memory or anything you’ve seen, what has stuck with you the most?”
Arte closes her eyes. She remembers the cold winters where her grandfather’s house would often leak cold air because of how old it was. Her, Leo, and her grandfather would be wrapped in blankets, sitting in front of the fireplace, while listening to stories together, over sips of hot cocoa. The quiet roar of the flame. It was in this moment that she remembered what her grandfather told her.
“Fire is warm. It comforts, but it can also destroy if used improperly. However, it can also purify.” He explains. “Those with darkness in their hearts fear it.”
“Why do they fear it?” Little Arte asks.
“Because, fire reminds them of what they’ve abandoned.” He smiled.
That gentle crackle of the flame before her and the warmth surrounding them filled her mind. A smile spread across her face.
“I see that some of you have found your trigger. Hold on to that, and over the course of the day, try to recall it. The more you’re able to recall it, the faster you’ll be able to use it when you need it.” She states. “That’s your homework for today. But moving forward, we’ll get into actualizing it. Next time, we’ll be heading to the Arena hall to see your progress toward recalling your trigger.”
During the time Arte was visualizing, Leo could feel the overlapping warmth of her memories flow to him through their rings. His lecture was just beginning as his instructor was writing on the board.
“The silver star style is in a word… Wild. It relies heavily on the user’s mentality, being difficult to counter because of its unpredictability. Each aspect of this style can be modified to suit the user’s preferences deeply. However, the moment you become predictable, you’ve lost. It’s like walking a tightrope. The skills of this style are largely dependent on you. How do you want your combat to feel?” He asks. “If that sounds appealing to you, then this style is for you.”
Leo smirked.
“The first step is preparing your anima. Following the path of the silver star isn’t easy. Speed is of the foremost essence when it comes to your anima. When you’ve completed the process, it looks something like this.” He explains.
He quickly runs forward through the classroom, in the space between the rows of desks. White-ish afterimages trace his path, and his shortsword leaves a trail of gleaming white while he moves. The afterimages and trail were still persisting even after he returned to his original position.
“Image training and practice are the crux of this style. When one can catch a shooting star with their bare hands, only then will they attain the true essence of the silver star style.” He explains.
“One thing that tripped up the hero, when I had him learn this style, is that he doesn’t mean an actual shooting star. They’re elusive creatures, so many don’t know about them. But… I do.” Leo thinks. “He won’t tell us any more than this and would rather we discover it on our own. Another reason why not many used this style in the game. Despite the info being on the web, the act of actually doing it was much tougher.”
“With that, this lecture is over.” The instructor spoke.
Some of the students stared at him in disappointment. While others got up and left. Leo stretched his arms up and got up from the desk. He walked out of the classroom and began stretching. Arte leaned against the wall, waiting for Leo.
“Wanna grab lunch?” She asks.
“Sure.”
At the center of this hallway was a pair of heavy double doors. They each took a door and pushed through, revealing the large room full of students. Rows of long tables filled the room with students eating at nearly every table. The room was full of chitchat and clattering utensils. At the far left of the room, the lunch staff had a buffet-style setup, lined with various foods. Leo drools, looking at the selection of food. Each section was divided by type of meat, and ended with vegetable options.
“We were never eating this good back home!” Leo exclaims.
Leo grabs a tray, some steak, chicken, pork, and a heaping serving of noodles, and a sweet garlic sauce to top it. Arte grabs a plate of garlic butter chicken and a salad with a small side of noodles. They find a nice table away from most others and sit across from one another.
“A salad?” Leo questions.
“I’ve got a figure to maintain.” She says.
“We use up so many calories fighting that it’s practically a non-factor at this point,” Leo states.
“You’re not wrong… But old habits die hard, I guess.” She says.
“Plus, you never ate like that at the bar…” Leo added. “Oww!”
She steps on his foot.
“I don’t know what you mean.” She says between bites of her salad.
“Sure, sure, and I’m the tooth fairy.” Leo rolls his eyes.
After finishing their meal, Leo and Arte pull out a piece of parchment. The parchment contained details of their enrollment with the school of blades. Near the bottom of the page, it contained a room number and the name of their roommate.
“As expected, I didn’t get the other party member.” She says. “Kerri Resgar is my roommate. Never heard of her before.”
“Of course. It’s not like either of us had the chance to sign up for coed dorms. Plus, it’s not like you’ll know everyone from the game.” He reads his sheet over. “Caius, huh? It’s gonna be cool having him as a roommate.”
“I guess we should head to the dorms a little early to greet our roommates,” Arte suggests.
“Good idea.” Leo agrees.
They leave the lunch room and make their way over to the dorms. The school worked to pair students with others in their age group. Older students resided in the higher floors, while younger students had the lower floors. The middle floor had a recreational room that students could make use of to pass the time and interact with one another. The building on the left was designated for the female students, which Arte entered. The building had dark hardwood floors and a security guard at the main desk. Arte waved as she passed by and went up the stairs to the right. Her room was on the 4th floor, at the end of the hall to the right. Room 410. She opened the door and was greeted by a small room with a pair of beds on opposite sides of the room. Her roommate jumped up to greet her as she walked in.
“Hiii! I’m Kerri!” She exclaimed. “You must be Arte?”
“That’s me.” Arte extended her hand to Kerri. “Nice to meet you, Kerri.”
Kerri moved past her hand and hugged her. Arte stood there in shock.
“O-oh, you’re a hugger...” Arte says with a bead of sweat dripping down her face.
“Absolutely.” She says while pulling back.
Her eyes catch a glimpse of the necklace around Arte’s neck.
“It’s nice to meet you, too.” She said while turning away, and walking to the center of the room, hiding a devilish grin. She corrects her expression, turning back to Arte and smiling normally.
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