Chapter 25: "Corporate Culture"
The soldier chuckled. "You say that as if you have some training."
Kalli shrugged. Her old boss had insisted everyone at least learn something about handling themselves in a dangerous situation. "Corporate Culture" they had called it. But mostly it was trips to the firing range and yoga classes at the martial arts gym that the company owned.
She was far from an expert fighter, but she could at least throw a punch without hurting herself.
"If you can use a weapon, I can offer you one of the spare rifles. We brought them up to the tower, just in case."
Kalli smiled. "I will take you up on that offer. But I do have a pistol with me, obtained from one of the other soldiers before they left. That should be enough in case of minor trouble, and I know that ammunition is limited.
Sanchez has been lucky getting a couple of cases from quest drops, but I won’t be firing rounds off into the dark any time soon."
"He’s the one that you will be swapping tower duty with. I wouldn’t be surprised if he sleeps in the tower as well. Most of the guys will when they’re on night shifts. Normally, we would rotate out, but I think that we might end up out there every night.
At least they’re mostly enclosed, so we’re not exposed to the elements, and we can bring in some cots.
It’s just that with so few people, and everyone on edge, nobody is comfortable sleeping where they can’t see danger coming."
"I don’t blame you there. I think that most of my classmates are the other way around. They’re happiest in the dorm because it’s familiar, and they feel safe within the familiar walls.
I’m the only transfer student in the class, so I don’t have those years of experience here."
"You went to a public school before this?"
Kalli laughed as she remembered her upbringing. On her world, the Public schools were the Government funded free education for the Elites. There was no way that she could afford that, even if people from her district qualified.
"No, I was homeschooled. Remote education, I believe they call it here."
"Ah, that’s rare. But you still managed to get into Marimgar University, so you obviously didn’t miss out on anything."
Kalli shrugged. "If they put their heart into it, people can do anything, or die trying. But I should go take over so that the Sergeant can reset."
She made her way up the steep stairs that led up the back of the wall, and over to the corner of the building, where the Sergeant was holding watch in the tower.
"Anything concerning out there?"
"Other than two new moons, whatever that massive thing in the distance is, and the constant movement of rat demons in the distance?"
"Yeah."
"Not really. That thing doesn’t seem to be coming for us, it’s out in the bay, and I suspect that it’s either aquatic or amphibious. Doesn’t bode well for the rest, though."
They had all intended to escape in that direction. But if there was a gigantic monster in the bay, the naval ships must not be there. If they were, the battle would be visible from the Academy’s perch on top of the hill.
But perhaps they had retreated before it appeared.
"Shame, that. The city could have used their skills, even if ammunition was limited. It’s not just combat skills that our people are missing, most of these students have no survival skills.
Only a couple of us can even do basic cooking, and I would imagine that before this, most of these kids had never even made their own bed.
The daily housekeeping and turn down service was listed as a top benefit of dorm life in the Academy’s handbook."
The Sergeant chuckled. "The life of the privileged.
Though, you’re a bit different, aren’t you? They all went to school together for their whole life, so no matter what their family is like, they’ve mostly grown up as Marimgar students, the peak of society.
There are a few with good common sense, like that Yara girl. But we will have to start basic training for the others if they’re going to survive."
Kalli nodded. "Start with basic blade skills. Half the place is warriors, and they need to know how to defend themselves. Swords aren’t that much different from knife combat, and it’s more effective than relying on guns long term."
Sanchez patted the sword that Kalli had given him. "That is true. This thing is definitely going to save lives. But I have questions for you as well.
Your class, it isn’t something normal.
I get that feeling, from the way that you describe it, and the way that you’re not panicking the way the others with weaker combat skills are. You’re holding back on just how valuable that ability to exchange items is, aren’t you?"
Kalli considered how much she should tell him. Sanchez was a good enough guy, but she didn’t want to end up in a spot where she was just exploited as a tool.
She had seen in her past life what happened to those who said more than they should.
Still, she opted to give him enough information to make herself valuable.
"Every time our group completes a quest, I get one or more points to spend. The more they do, the better the stuff I can get. Give me enough time, and I can trade for heavy weapons, entire cases of ammunition, even armoured vehicles.
It might take months, or years, to afford that one, but it’s an option.
But If we get enough quests done, I can make sure that everyone has the upgraded gear, and whatever weapons they want. Even right now, I have enough points that I could get you another whole case of ammunition, or a year’s supply of unflavoured nutrition bars."
The Sergeant grimaced. "I know the ones that you mean. They’re absolutely horrendous. They are hard as a brick, and usually used as emergency rations in life rafts or for downed pilots.
On the other hand, I will remember that you can get more ammunition in an emergency.
Save those points for when things go wrong.
When we need them, we’re going to need them desperately. Just make sure that there are enough of them left to replace a broken weapon, or reload the guns. If the monsters start to swarm us, every shot will count.
I will stay here in the tower, wake me up at first light."
Kalli nodded, and gestured to the back of the room. "There is a folding cot in the back, if you didn’t see it on the way in. Your teammate warned me that you’d likely feel better staying here."
