NOTE 9

Karangka stood back up.

She sighed as she checked herself. Her entire body was drenched in sweat yet they were not shaking. Everything is fine. She is fine. Yet she could feel it, that something was not right. She turned her gazed to Alanka.

She was still standing there. Her stance still of holes that she could exploit. If she focused her attack on the abdomen, she could finish this mock battle in three or four moves. She could finish it even faster if she focused her attacks on the wrist or throat. And then what exactly happened? Did she really lose her momentum and fall just because she was… terrified? Scared? Her?

“Is everything alright?” asked Dianka.

“A-Ah, it’s nothing.” Karangka turned around to look Dianka and the others. “I just tripped.”

“Are you sure? But your eyes… They’re shaking.”

“Eh? M-My eyes—”

“Sorry,” Alanka interrupted.

Karangka quickly turned her back, again. Her entire body shivered and screamed at him to be on full alert. Her hand gripped the handle of the axe. Once again, she could feel it. Why was she suddenly sweating again? Why did the axe feel so much heavier? Why did her legs so rigid? Why did she feel all this? Why!?

“Is there something wrong, Alanka?” Asih asked.

“Yes. I believe the suits prevents me from moving.”

“Hm? Let me take a look.”

“Yes.”

All the students’ attention was immediately drawn to Asih. “How did this happen?”

“I don’t know. As soon as Karangka lunged, these panels immediately fille my vision. Then I realised that I couldn’t move when I wanted to go over to Karangka and help her up.”

“I see.” Asih frowned. “Who would have thought something like this could happen.”

“What happen, instructor?” Karangka asked.

“Alanka could not continue the fight.”

“Wha—why!?”

“It seems her suits is broken.”

“Broken? How?”

“I don’t know myself. But the mock battle must go on without her.” Asih sighed then looked at Alanka. “Wait there, let me con—”

“Leave it to me.” With her stride remaining casual, Thia walked up to Alanka. “Break your link with Instructor Asih and accept mine.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sure you remember that other than students and school staff who received permission, it is prohibited to set foot on the field in the hangar,” Asih reminded.

“No need to worry. As long as it’s to help Alanka, I’ve got permission.” Thia pointed at her Inchi. “And of course everything is under direct supervision. Do you also want to be a part of it as well, instructor?”

“I will leave that to the principal.”

Thia nodded in agreement. After connecting with Alanka, Thia took a glance at the display shown by her Inchi and frowned as well. “This will take more than a while.”

“Can you at least move it to the side?”

“That I can do.”

Above the interface that showed Alanka’s display, another panel appeared. Quickly, she accessed a number of sub-panels before arriving at the one that allowed her to take over Alanka’s suit.

“I will take over your suit,” said Thia.

Alanka try to nod her head but she cannot. “Yes.”

After receiving feedback from Alanka, Thia confirmed the panel in front of her in a single tap. Instantly, a circle appeared just above her wrists and feet, as well as her knees and elbows. She carefully watched as her hands and Alanka’s moved in sync with each other, and so did her legs and other body parts.

“We’re going to move,” said Thia. “And let me know if you feel anything wrong. Even the slightest discomfort.”

“Yes.”

Slowly, Alanka and Thia made their way off the field. While carefully watching them, Karangka returned back to the others.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” said Dianka.

“I am! I am! Didn’t I tell you that I just tripped!?”

“Then do you have an answer as to why you tripped?” Kertanegara asked.

“T-That’s…” Karangka tried to keep her gaze on Kertanegara. But the longer she looked at him, the harder it was to answer. “…I don’t know.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make fun of you. I just wanted to know why.”

“It’s okay. I don’t know either.” Karangka turned her gaze to Alanka who was still being led out of the field. “All I know is that my legs suddenly lost their strength. So did my hands, my mind, my concentration, everything. They just… gone.”

“I see. At least I know that it wasn’t all due to recklessness.”

She chuckled. “Could be.”

“What about you, Cakra?” asked Dianka. “You seem to have a different opinion, judging by the serious look on your face.”

But Cakra didn’t reply. His gaze was fixed on Alanka.

“Cakra!” call Dianka again.

“Hm? Ah, sorry. Did you call me?”

Dianka sighed. “Your opinion. It seems that you have a different opinion from us and Karangka wants to hear it.”

“B-But I don’t—”

“Ah, is that so? Well, I do have different opinion.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Karangka froze.

“I don’t think the suit Alanka wearing is broken.”

“Eh?”

“What do you mean?” Dianka asked.

Cakra folded his arms across his chest and frowned. “Remember the first fight?”

Dianka and Karangka nodded.

“When Karangka about to slash her with her axe, it stopped unnaturally in mid-air, right? Then instructor Asih said that it was all part of the safety system. And then… Uh… It stop any movement that cause harm to danger, or something like that.”

“It will stop any movement that is deemed to cause danger to others, even the slightest danger,” Dianka repeated.

“Right, right! That one!”

“So what about it?” Karangka asked. “The suit indeed will stop you. But only my hand that was holding the axe. I could still move the rest of my body.”

“Are you implying that the suit consider her to be that much of a threat that it decided to lock her up?” asked Kertanegara.

At that instant, Dianka and Karangka’s eyes opened wide.

“Wait, isn’t that too advance!?” Dianka protested. “I know it’s a new type of suit, but still… It just like the liminal armour.”

All four of them immediately fell silent.

“Are you four finished?” Asih shouted. She looked at the four of them and grinned. “As I said before. We are continuing.”