IKER POV:
That d.a.m.n brat. It wasn’t fair. How come he got to go to The Summit and I was stuck all the way up here in space. Sure he was somewhat decent at fighting, but he was five. He wouldn’t even be able to understand the gravity of the meeting. I was much older when I first went and even I struggled to keep up.
Whatever. I went back to my training.
In case I wasn’t able to develop an attribute, I had to be prepared. Not all of us are fortunate to be like Evanii with TWO of them.
Starting at 0400 EST I would wake up and get dressed in loose-fitting workout attire. By 0430 I was downstairs and eating my first breakfast of the day.
100 Push-ups. 100 Sit-ups. 100 Squats. 200 Crunches. Repeat that four more times in a row. My first of three workouts each day.
Next, I would eat a massive breakfast. I’m talking about pancakes, omelets, toast, eggs, all of it.
Then till about 0800, I would soak up all different types of military and combat information in my room.
Repeat my workout routine.
By 0930 I attended online classes at the prestigious Military Education and Preparation Academy. It was a decent school. Many people dreamed of getting in. However, it was second to Vesta Military Academy which was the crown jewel of education throughout the Empire. Only those considered the best of the best could attend, meaning they had to have an attribute. I scored in the Top 1% of all other curriculums to attend but the one thing I couldn’t control held me back. Even my Father’s position could not breach the gap.
Whatever. It’s outside of my control. I’ll show them that I can be better than anyone with an attribute.
I had first been really bummed out with the whole thing. I became distant from my family and looking back I do regret it. I could reconcile at any moment and be welcomed back with open arms but I decided against it for now. No, I needed to do this by myself.
By 1600 EST I was done with school for the day. Besides the occasional snacks, I went without food until then. However, a grand lunch was prepared for me right as I finished and I chowed down on a different dish every day.
1630 to 1800 I would train against combat robots. I generally used a massive war hammer that had two small spikes on top and on the opposite side of the blunt end.
A hammer made the most sense. Lacking an attribute such to focus on amplifying speed, using weapons such as daggers or swords didn’t exist. Similarly, weapons that needed a lot of mana reinforcement such as spears were way too taxing for me. However, simply releasing my mana through heavy armor and a big ole war hammer was relatively easy.
See having attributes is like using a funnel to pour gas out of a can. Much easier to avoid spillage and direct mana to where it is supposed to go.
Without attributes, it’s much harder. Trying to focus mana into a specific area was like trying to direct a wild river with nothing but string cheese. However, letting that river rush throughout the body and gear was much more simple.
Only having an F-Class Orb, it would be much more difficult to be a Top Tier Tank but not impossible with the right gear and runes. Runes are basically gems with attributes poured into them allowing those unlucky enough to not develop any skills to at least have some versatility. Though, even advanced runes couldn’t get much stronger than O-Class.
1800 to 1900 consisted of a 10-mile run. An hour for such a distance is average throughout the Empire, but on days I really tried I could do it in almost half that.
By 2100 I had done my last workout for the day and eaten a big dinner. After that, I would go to sleep and repeat the same process the next day. I loved routines. They kept me focused. I would only deviate on weekends when I would use that time normally at school to relax. Occasionally, I would take time to spend with Eliana or Iris but as I said… I tended to stick to myself.
CRONUS POV:
Vesta. Home to 50 Billion citizens. That’s right 50. It occupied many times the number of people on any of the previous planets I had once lived on. Made up of 80% humanoid, the remaining 20% consisted mainly of 2 other races.
A race called the Pitaahians. The second most populous race in the Empire. They were similar to humans except they were generally much bulkier and had darker skin. Oh, and each one had two small curved horns poking out from underneath their hair.
The other race was known as the Pluthus. They originated from the home planet of Pluta. They had slight feline attributes such as white and black striped ears and a tail. They all had certain gifts such as cat eyes-which is a unique trait some develop which grant them much more proficient eye sight-and a few other ones. Other than that, they were like regular humans. This race prefers to stick to the cold climate of their native plane thus making them the least populous race of Vesta. Even in their homeworld, they are considered a minority with only 18 Billion of them still in existence.
Humans made up a total of 50% of the 120 Billion or so citizens throughout the Empire. Pitaahians make up 30% and contributing another 15% are the Pluthus. The remaining 5% or so consists of various refugee races from other planets not yet conquered.
As I stepped out of our Hover Craft I let out a big sigh of relief. Despite the metropolitan landscape, the air still felt much more natural. The towers built all-around put any skyscraper of my old world to shame. The Capital City of Vesta, simply known as The Capital, consists of multiple layers.
The bottom-most floors were known as the Underground. Quite original. While crime was considered high for the area, it still was much safer than parts of my own world.
The Middle Floors was where 60% of the population lived and businesses thrived. Small hover ships flew all over the roads as people went about their daily lives. Small entertainment districts were strategically placed around the city keeping the civilians occupied when the Upper Floors were off-limits or otherwise unavailable.
As I looked around the Upper Floors, it was clear this was the epitome of the Empire’s might. The grandiose architecture was everywhere. Massive theaters, businesses, parks, and everything else you could think of filling the streets.
Where all the fun was at currently though was the massive fair that had been built right in the middle of the Upper city. As big as a city in my old world, the fair stretched out as far as the eyes could see. As my father led me through it came clear that the center of the fair was where the majority had gathered.
I heard it long before I saw it. A massive arena that would put any stadium or coliseum to shame. Inside, the roar of people made it clear what was happening. Duels.
“Can we go, Father?”
He looked at his watch on his left hand. “No.”
“Come on, pleaseeeeee,” this was the first time I think I had ever used that word in this lifetime.
He looked at me for a long moment, “Fine, you can go, but be careful.” He took another look at me then continued, “You're strong for your age, and with what you're wearing only a fool would mess with you… but be careful ok?”
“Of Course.”
“Very well, at 1700 sharp report at the gates over there,” he said pointing towards a massive staircase surrounded by gates at the far end of the city. The pearly white stairs rose to the highest part of the entire city.
Way up in the clouds stood the massive Capital Building.
“1700 on the dot,” I said confidently.
“Run along then, try to make some friends while you're at it, never know who you might meet here.”
With that, I used my royalty privileges once again and ran into the mighty coliseum. 1500 EST. I had a few hours to learn as much as I could from the duels.
Comments (4)
See all