Chapter 15: Strange Opportunity
Night had come and the entirety of Brixton Base was eerily quiet.
After the speech from General Eric, each student was then led to their quarters, entering the large huts scattered all around them. Males were separated into one section and females into another.
Finn, Terrence, and the shy boy had been placed into one of these huts, strangely together.
They must have grouped them based on how they had been positioned during the Entrance test. This was no trouble for Finn; actually, he preferred it this way.
To be placed with people he knew, and Terrence—despite how he did not want to admit it—made him feel safe instead of the isolation he was already used to.
As they entered the hut, none of them said a word.
Scanning through the large space the three of them had to themselves, with three simple beds placed around the walls of the mundane hut: one at the far end, and two opposite each other along the side walls.
A few golden glowing bulbs cast a soft, warm light down onto the room.
Beside each bed, luggage had been placed closely. One of them Finn could recognize from where he stood as his own. From the way the others looked, the same went for them.
And without a word to one another, each of them walked towards the bed that had their luggage beside it. Finn taking the one at the far end of the hut, Terrence taking the bed on the right, and the shy boy claiming the left.
As Finn reached his bed, he unstrapped his scabbard and collapsed onto it, the exhaustion crashing into him like a heavy wave.
He groaned. ’Oh, I’m so exhausted, my body feels so heavy.’
The same went for the others. Terrence fell face first into the soft embrace of his pillows while not even taking off his boots.
The shy boy was the only one to properly undress himself and then delicately bury himself under his blanket sheets.
The exhaustion of being drugged to the portal room, the test, the battle against the Mech, the long trek to the camp... Everything had been so tasking. Finn could barely endure it.
Soon enough his eyelids began to grow heavy, his breathing growing shallow as the comforting grasp of slumber pulled him into a deep, comatose rest.
Finn fell asleep quickly.
***
A while passed with Finn enjoying his peaceful sleep when he felt a gentle nudge on his shoulder.
At first he only grumbled, burying his face further into his pillow and waving his hand reluctantly at whoever was nudging him.
He even said a few words, which came out as a muffled groan thanks to the pillow.
However, all of that sleep quickly dissolved as his hand grabbed onto something unexpected.
Finn squeezed gently at it...
It was soft.
Warm even.
And extremely... Disturbing.
What sort of pillow was this, or was it even a pillow to begin with? Finn thought, continuing to squeeze and play with the softness of whatever his hand had found while still half-conscious. Until...
"Hmmmph, Finn."
Finn’s eyes jolted open. Out of shock he tried to leap to his feet and only ended up falling down to the ground, his blanket following right after him.
He crashed head first onto the floor with a frustrated groan.
The fall was enough to wake him fully, and when he opened his eyes once again, he turned toward his bed, arching his brows while rubbing his head.
Up on his bed was Estes in her usual black sundress, her face filled with worry...
’Worry? Why would she be worried? Maybe because she failed in her attempt to take my life.’
He frowned, his coherent thoughts slowly coming back to him. "Are you insane? How can you be showing your true form here of all places?"
Estes shrugged. "Don’t worry about that. I am practically invisible to the eyes and mana sense of everyone here. Only you can see me."
Finn’s face lightened up a little upon hearing that. ’Yes, how nice. Now the story doesn’t seem like I am talking to a hot slutty guardian anymore, but that I simply fell off my bed and started talking to myself in the middle of the night... Yeah, that’s better.’
He thought sarcastically, picking up his blanket and then rising to his feet.
"Come to think of it, what was that I was holding before I woke up?"
Estes opened her mouth for a moment and then shut it, her lips curling upwards as her cheeks reddened. "If you want more, you could just ask"
She raised both hands to her cleavage and smiled seductively.
Finn reddened. "What? No... I don’t want any more of that... I’m not in the mood Estes."
At his reply, the entire room went silent once again. Finn deep in his thoughts while his guardian stared at him her usual blossoming smile no more than a blank line over her face.
For a moment she seemed to be reminiscing something then after a short while, she mouthed.
"Don’t blame me," she sighed turning her face away disinterested, "I am just trying to cheer you up.... Ever since the Mech battle, I can feel your heart cold and sad... Song blame me for trying to warm your heart the only way I do."
Hearing Estes Pour out her true thoughts for the first time instead of her usually frustrating teasing warmed Finn a little.
It was nice to see her care.
He paused for a moment then sat on the bed next to Estes and sighed. "I wasn’t strong enough to face the Mech properly and I ended up getting injured. I have gotten stronger, sure. But in the end I am still battle inexperienced, slow and make bad decisions."
"With my current mindset and skills, it would be impossible for me to grow powerful and stop being trash."
Estes pursed her lips, letting Finn’s statement linger for a moment, and then she mouthed, "That’s why I am here..." she paused and stared at Finn then grinned playfully, "partially..."
However, her stare met with Finn’s blank expression. "I am not waking Terrence up."
Estes folded her arms and made a baby face. "You spoil sport."
"What do I care," Finn answered bluntly.
For a moment the two said nothing to one another. Estes reverting to her playful demeanor and adorable glances which she threw at Finn as he kept silent and lingered in his thoughts.
After a while Estes decided to break that silence.
"As I had said to you earlier when we met, Finn, you have the potential to match the Snake Guardian girl. I did not certainly mean you swinging just a sword and moving at superhuman speed," Estes began. "You have infinite Sword Potential and I would very much like you to see that."
