Episode 16: Thoroughbred

Arson loved to be trained by Jade, and so did Troy, but the others… did not.

Jade had no understanding of the normalcy they’d become accustomed through living out in society. It was savage and cutthroat, but Jade came from a place with no perception of fair, or right or wrong—only power, corruption, and purity.

So when the very young Arson heard “run with boulders,” he saw no reason not to. The others saw unreal expectations.

“Are you expecting me to keep this up all sparking day, kid? We may have to renegotiate my pay,” roared Khalif. The silver-haired young man carried a boulder twice the size of Arson’s own, and had decided to comment on it often. Arson let it go as he wasn’t being outright laughed at.

“Yeah, yeah, talk to Cultivator’s resources over there,” said Arson with a smile as he jutted his chin in Jade’s direction. They ran, and the woman seemed to be more determined than usual to tire the group out completely.

Arson wouldn’t stop until his body gave out and he assumed the others thought they had something to prove to Jade.

Arson and Khalif were once again lapped by Troy who ran with a boulder two times bigger than Khalif’s own. Khalif rolled his eyes, and Arson gave more of an effort to move faster through the track.

Night would soon arrive, and that didn’t necessarily mean their training would be complete. Arson feared what it would be like to maneuver through the area with the boulder on his back and shuddered at the potential of not being able to defend himself.

Then a friendly and familiar voice rang through the air and Arson smiled at the sweet fragrance of fruit that bloomed in the air alongside it.

“Hello young ones, it seems I have caught you all hard at work,” said Almarine. She stood near Jade and exhaled a blue cloud of fog from her lips.

Arson’s first gift had been a device made to break down mana particles into a smoke that gave the brain the same effects of nicotine or marijuana, but fed the brain and lungs, rather than damaging them.

The gift had been perfect for the woman as it needed to be powered by water mana. It was the only mana type that could create the filter within the center of the hoop-shaped smoking device. Others would have to have a water mana Cultivator refill the device when it ran dry, but Almarine wouldn’t mind. She was a water mana Cultivator of the highest-known prestige within Maelstrom.

His second gift was a framed portrait of Arson and Troy the night she’d won her first fight. Arson had his friend strike a victorious pose, and acted as if he was being choked in her one-handed grip for the picture. Troy also signed it in hopes that her signature would one day hold value.

“Hello to you as well,” said Jade. Arson noticed his mother didn’t look away from them, which told him keep to his task and there’d be no issues.

“Hello Ms. Mari,” yelled the orphans and Arson.

“I assume that you all aren’t going to come home for dinner. If not, I wondered if I may dine with you,” suggested Almarine. Arson was surprised that Almarine would ask to dine with them—she was a Keeper. Keepers dined on some of the finest cuisine Maelstrom could offer, and his orphan mother was no exception to the luxury.

“Dine with us? I am afraid that we may not be able to accommodate, ma’am,” said Rob. He worked on his knife skills behind Jade, and wasn’t given any slack either. He tried to take things easy when her back was turned and learned why this was a stupid idea through something Jade called “lightning reinforcement.”

“If it is credits I can—” started Almarine.

“No, ma’am. We have been hired as the main catering service for the Mana Well tonight. We have to cook for nearly 15 thousand attendees. People reserved plates almost a season ago for this event. The only person who could make you a plate would be Jade and—” said Rob with a glance toward Jade who shook her head.

“Sorry Ms. Mari. Jade will be helping me supervise the crew. We haven’t done something this large, and I don’t want to be the one to make Arson look bad,” said Rob before he went back to his cuts. He’d formed a beautiful swan in fewer than a dozen chops at a large onion, and even Almarine marveled at the creation.

Arson frowned at what Rob had said. Troy blew by Arson and Khalif again, and he and Khalif did the same to the twins then the members of ScapeGrace, and the cycle continued while the Keepers spoke.

“Have they noticed it yet?” asked Almarine.

“No,” said Jade. The flat response told Arson that Jade truly was focused on the task at hand and refused to be distracted by anything beyond a simple conversation. Jade was an introvert, yes, but never rude, only driven and unintentionally overwhelming in presence.

“They will with time. They may even realize it soon,” said Jade. She then called for the kids to stop and pay their respect to Almarine.

The twins and the members of ScapeGrace went first, then Troy. She dropped her boulder and the thud sounded like a bookshelf’s worth of tomes had slammed onto a table.

Troy hugged Ms. Mari and moved out of the way for Khalif. Khalif dropped his boulder and a slightly less impressive thud emanated from his own rock, and he grunted before he straightened.

He looked back at Arson’s own boulder and laughed before he walked up to Almarine and hugged her. He almost spoke before Arson dropped his boulder.

The boom cracked the ground where the boulder landed and everyone except Jade and Almarine almost fell over.

Almarine laughed and it was then that everyone as well as Arson looked at the rocks. All of them seemed pretty ordinary. The only differences were the sizes, and the fact that Arson’s rock was a deep red color that he’d only just noticed emitted light.

Troy walked over to the rock and tried to nudge the red stone, only for it not to move at all. With how small the material was, they’d all assumed it to be lighter than their own boulders, but instead Arson’s own was by far the densest.

“Arson’s stone will most likely always be the heaviest, unless you all use a Sovereign mana stone as well. It draws in ambient mana in the air, and from whatever it touches, to grow in both weight and size. As large as that one is, it is most likely around two or three tons already,” explained Almarine. Khalif looked at Arson a moment before he shook his head and sighed.

“How much would it cost for me and the members of ScapeGrace that I bring along to train using those stones? Are there any more available for use?” Khalif asked Jade.

She waved a hand toward Arson before she spoke. “Ask your friend and associate. It is only by his grace that you train here under my tutelage.”

“We can talk later, Khalif. For now we should probably get back to it, but I am glad to see that you like your present, Ms. Mari,” said Arson. He bowed toward his orphan mother before he took a knee and dipped his head in Jade’s direction. He was being trained in many categories of nobility by Jade for social appearances, but many of the requirements had already molded changes into Arson’s characteristics.

Arson struggled momentarily to once more lift the red boulder, then he began to run once more. This time Arson moved with a reignited vigor he couldn’t help but wonder about. Did it come from the energy of those around him and how they seemed to look at him differently now, or the pride he felt at his recent accomplishments when the two Keepers spoke about him? He was unsure.

“Are you sure there is nothing I can do to join you all this evening?” asked Almarine. Jade rolled her eyes and looked at Rob who smiled back at her.

“We may be able to work something out. If you can manage to get a viewing box for yourself, I will send Rob and some of the new kitchen trainees to serve and cook for you personally. Otherwise, I have to house a few noble families since Arson is a Scion now. Honestly forgot how much was involved with having disciples, but henceforth I will make sure you always have a seat at my table,” said Jade.

“Thank you. You honor me, venerable one,” said Almarine. Jade only nodded, and still managed to keep her eyes on the group as they ran once again.

“He is the best thing for them all it seems,” said Almarine.

“He is where he should have been all along,” replied Jade. Arson had no possible clue what Jade could mean by her statement, but guessed it was because of their assumed shared bloodline. Still his orphan mother’s response left him even more confused.

“Well I’m sure you’re happy to have him back in your life, as my quest to keep him from you was the only truly difficult thing I have ever faced in my life,” said Almarine. Arson wondered if the women didn’t care that they could be overheard, but then realized he was more than a football fields length away.

“This farce created by the system will be uprooted at its core when my son rises through the ranks of the Scions, we both know what he is,” said Jade, in the same moment she made direct eye contact with Arson across the distance.

“You believe he is—” started Almarine. Jade raised a hand and stopped the woman.

“The children have guests, and it seems Sovereign can hear us,” said Jade as she snapped her fingers loud enough for them all to hear. Arson didn’t know why he felt shivers at the use of his newly given first name, but he was definitely affected.

He’d begun to have all those that knew him as Arson, continue to call him his original name in private, but in public, they were to use his proper name.

“What a sight, what a sight!” A girl on a literal cloud floated into the open area Jade had set up, and Arson couldn’t help but be annoyed by the intrusion. It made him wish it was pitch black outside, as most people would stay far away after a single sight of the dump after sundown.

He didn’t know when he started to feel that way about the dump, he just did. Where others saw trash he saw literal treasure. All it needed was attention, and this land would bring a new option to the city to help others grow and be rewarded as Almarine had, with the orphanage. Only Arson would do it with luxuries forgotten, but not lost.

“If you would believe it, we have come across an exceptionally rare sighting. It’s not only two Keepers in the same place willingly, it is a new Scion and a few unnamed individuals, alongside our target—Troy the Queen of Light!” Arson looked around after a crowd of people could suddenly be heard in an uproar of cheers.

It was then that he noticed the camera that flew around the girl’s body and took pictures. The item marked her position as one of the many idols in competition for independent celebrity in the city. She wouldn’t be able to afford a camera if she didn’t have a large following, but large still didn’t mean much with how truly massive the population of the realm was. Known, in one city, could be completely foreign in any neighboring cities.

“Today you know we are here to confirm the rumor of Maelstrom’s newest speed tester. She is known to be a savage competitor and the second-most-likely to win tonight’s cage match at the Mana Well. There’s a passport in my stream bio for tickets, promo code, Lane Coin!” The girl Arson assumed to be Lane zoned in on and orbit Troy.

“You wouldn’t mind doing a speed test for us, would you? It would be for a license. I am a certified skill tester, and the fans would love a demonstration, especially with how strong your opponents will be. Some are saying you shouldn’t be so high on the odds to win, you know,” said Lane as she nodded to the camera as if to confirm her own words were true. Arson chuckled and the air distorted slightly around him. He was as shocked as everyone else was, but his new training kept his features as stoic as possible for the cycles-old Arson.

“What’s so funny Mr. Sovereign?” said Lane with a raised eyebrow.

“The fact that you think I’m going to let Troy make the mistake of showing you the results of her training from her last fight to now,” said Arson before he looked at Troy.

“The license only requires that you show your speed in a 100 meter dash. I recommend that you make this chick get an exclusive from one of the suckers you’re going to pummel tonight. What’s the guy’s name again?” said Arson.

“The Demon,” said Troy. Arson smiled as she closed her hands into fists at the mention of the name. She’d been fired up for this fight in a way that even surprised Arson, who’d seen how much better of a fighter she was now that Jade had gotten her hands on her.

“Yeah, go get The Demon to show off for your fans. We need to get back to training as soon as possible and if Troy isn’t ready for a license, nothing you say will change that,” said Arson.

Troy smiled and nodded before she looked at Lane. “He’s the boss, and even if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t be dumb enough to display my new speed to the public,” said Troy. Lane shrugged to the camera, said her goodbyes to her fans before she sighed, and turned off the floating device.

“You guys are more rigid than the nobles. Even that kid Lucas showed me a new lightning spell he’s been working on. You already beat him and even he wasn’t afraid to show me a new move or two. You sure I can’t talk you into at least a few frames of action?”

“How about this—you become the main broadcaster for our group,” said Troy on a whim. One that Arson couldn’t help but completely support. Even if he didn’t know the girl in front of him.

They needed a way to enhance their exposure. Rob and his people made more money from repeat customers than new foot traffic. Jasmine could only meet so many clients at a time. While Arson and Xani spent more time brainstorming and testing ideas than anything else in their free time.

Without someone like Lane, their group would remain modestly sized even if they gained the help of every orphan in the city. Arson knew it deep down, and though he wanted to remain as small as possible within his inner circle, Lane could be a reasonable addition. If she fit in.

“Follow around a bunch of potential psychos that train in a dump and junkyard? What an honor! Why didn’t you ask me sooner,” said Lane with an eye roll.

“I hate to say it, Ms. Coin, but you’d be dumb not to follow the kid over there,” said Khalif with a point in Arson’s direction.

“Oh ok. Yeah, the runt hasn’t said much, and what I’ve heard so far isn’t any different than any of the other young elites,” said Lane.

“Yeah, and how many of those elites have made themselves worth more than 100 million credits in less than a season, no hand outs, no obscene favors from family members, just hard work and determination?” asked Rob.

Lane opened her mouth to speak up but then Khalif cut in. “I’ve honestly considered dissolving my own gang and becoming a sector of full-time body guards, in whatever this is we’re all building.”

Arson frowned. He didn’t know if Khalif had complimented him or just stated a semi-realization as he had it. His facial expression revealed shock as if he was surprised by what he’d said.

“Wow, was that hard for you, Khalif? You look like someone just told you that they found your long-lost parents,” said Arson. Khalif raised two fingers at him and he laughed.

“You don’t know what it’s like following someone younger than you, or what it’s like to see your hard work pay off, while others try and fail every day,” said Troy. Arson knew she came from a good place when he met her eyes and she smiled back at him. His pain came from a place of fear—a fear of losing her and all the others he loved. He wondered if all the other orphans felt that pain. Surely, it wasn’t only him. They were vastly different in many ways, but they all started out the same.

“I will only push forward if you all come along. What’s the point otherwise? I’d end up bored and adopting brats like us anyway if I was forced to do this alone—hey wait. Can I really do that,” Arson said, catching himself thinking out loud a bit too late. He couldn’t help but look at Almarine. He looked back to Lane quickly after he physically shook the thought from his head. He didn’t want to end up as some sort of child worker, and a potentially free work force was something he needed to stay far away from.

“I don’t know what they see in me. I am what I am, nothing more and nothing less. I can promise you that following any other group of builders will be boring, comparatively speaking,” said Arson.

Lane looked around at all of them, before she asked a single question. “Builders?”

“Yeah, all of us,” said Troy with a gesture around herself and then to Arson, who spoke up once more.

“The Builders of Godhood. It’s our guild, and the primary force behind my company, the BlackHole Conglomerate.”