*Ring Ring Ring*
Maxim groaned as he flung his arm towards the source of the sound, silencing the alarm. Slowly sitting up in bed, his eyes adjusted to the pitch black darkness of the room. Why is it always so hard to get up in the morning? He thought to himself as he swung his legs over his bed.
It had been two weeks since he had begun his life as a student at the military academy, and finally had begun to form a routine.
Standing up, he walked over to his wardrobe and put on a light jacket and sweatpants. Carefully exiting the room and walking down the stairs, he exited the building and began to do some stretches before beginning his morning jog. As he jogged around the campus, he watched as the sky slowly began to illuminate as the star began to slowly rise. With everything that's happened, I am grateful that I'm still able to live a somewhat peaceful life. Can't imagine what everyone else is going through right now.
As he finished another lap, he heard some footsteps behind him, approaching quickly. Twisting his torso around, he saw a figure quickly approaching him, in a full on sprint. His body naturally tensed up as the figure approached him. "I see you spec-ops folks also like to get a head start on the day."
Maxim slowed down, revealing another student at the academy. "Well, not everyone. This is just my morning training regimen."
The student slowed his pace until he was running in stride with Maxim. "How studious of you, still keeping up with your own training despite the fact your instructor is...ruthless, at least from what I've heard."
Maxim shook his head. "She may be tough, but we ARE in a military academy. It wouldn't make sense if we were let off easy, especially considering we're at a famous academy."
"Hmph..."
"Let me guess, you're in the military track, correct?"
"Yes I am, Class Two of Military Operations."
"Class Two huh? Wasn't that the class the heroes were in before being sent to active duty?"
"Yep, and until this semester, it was considered to be the most elite class of the academy, until this special operations class existed anyways."
"So that's why you're combative, despite us not even meeting before."
"Who's being combative? I'm just having a friendly chat with a fellow student at the academy."
"Some friendly chat...but even with our class being added to the mix, doesn't Class Two have what even most instructors consider to be the toughest curriculum in the school? By the time we're in individual training, Class Two is still in lectures and combat training."
"You are correct. A tough curriculum that's fitting for a class like ours. We've also been told that despite how tough our curriculum is, the academy is adding another major component."
"Do you know what it is?"
"I do not. Our instructor stated that he'll announce it sometime next week."
"I see...our instructor also told us last week that she'll be announcing a major part of our curriculum next week as well. Wonder if there's any connection there."
"Oh most assuredly there is. If I had to guess, most likely it's the same thing."
There was a long pause as the two of them continued their jog before Maxim spoke up. "So what's your name?"
"Kairn Scott."
"I see...I'll be sure to remember that." Maxim began to speed up and pull away from Kairn. Shortly afterwards, Maxim arrived back at the dorm. Changing into his training uniform, Maxim grabbed a key card he had been given by Sydney and made his way over to the training center. Using the card, he entered and walked to the general training room, surprised to be hearing the sounds of someone else training.
Lexi swung her saber downwards with great force, trying to get used to how the saber feels. After several swings, she stopped to catch her breath.
"Looks like someone's hard at work."
Lexi looked at Maxim as he walked in and nodded. "Have to use every second I can to try to get better. I'm not all that familiar with using a saber, so I have to spend more time just to get the hang of it."
"And somehow you were chosen to be a part of a special operations class. Well from what I saw, your footwork is still a bit sloppy. With every swing, your front foot kept sliding forward and caused your power to decrease. Focus on your balance. Better footwork means you're able to dedicate more energy to your swings and thrusts."
Lexi nodded and adjusted her stance. "Like this?"
"Hmm...move your legs very slightly outwards."
Lexi almost imperceptibly shifted her legs outwards. "Perfect. Now, swing again."
Lexi swung her saber again, able to sense a slight but very noticeable change in the power of her swing. She looked over at Maxim. "I take it this is a trick you learned while training in the Steiger school?"
Maxim nodded. "Yep, but I can't claim it's a Steiger exclusive. Every known school of saber fighting has a heavy focus on footwork, such to an extent that many potential students leave after only a week. They expect to be taught all the special moves that they've heard about in stories, only to be met with a stern instructor telling them that the way they're standing is wrong. They become disillusioned and leave, hoping to find the easiest path to power."
"I assume you've seen this first hand?"
"Many times. Many just don't have the resolve to keep going. However, from what I've seen, you have motivation that I haven't seen in anyone else here. You might have what it takes to master one of the schools if you put your mind to it."
Lexi nodded. "Thank you...that...means a lot from someone who's been trained as well as you have."
Another voice cut into the conversation. "And here I was expecting the two of us to be the first ones here. Pleasant surprise to see I'm wrong."
Maxim and Lexi turned and saw Aidan and Ellie walking towards them. Aidan continued, "I'm not that surprised to see Maxim here so early, but it's a pleasure to see you here too, Lexi. Maxim giving you some pointers?"
Lexi nodded. "He did. Thanks to him, I know what I need to focus on in order to continue improving."
"I see. Striving to impress someone, I take it?"
Lexi shook her head, slightly annoyed. "No, not at all. I train hard to not let down those who have given me their support. To those who gave me an opportunity to better myself and my family."
"Oh...I see. A very noble goal if there ever was one."
Maxim glanced at Ellie before returning his focus to Aidan. "I can't help but notice that the two of you arrived at the same time. Did you plan on training together?"
Aidan shook his head. "It was by coincidence. We both left the dorm around the same time and ran into each other on the way here. Though I wasn't complaining about having another practice partner, that's for sure. We have to get ready with whatever our dear instructor has in store for us."
"You mean that new part of our curriculum?"
"That's the one. Considering how hard she is on us, I'm dreading to find out what she has planned. Better to improve ourselves as best we can now so that we aren't overwhelmed later."
"Makes sense."
Maxim looked over at Ellie, who had separated from the group and had begun setting up targets. Maxim walked over to her and began helping her. "Deciding to focus on your blasters?"
Ellie smiled at Maxim and nodded. "Yeah, I don't exactly have the talent necessary to become a skilled saber fighter, so I figured that I'd continue with my blaster training. Want to provide you all with as much support as I can."
Maxim chuckled. "With how well you supported Aidan during our first practice bout, the thought of you getting better is terrifying...in a good way of course."
Ellie grinned and chuckled. "Why thank you."
After the two of them had finished setting up the targets, Maxim, Aidan, and Lexi began to practice together with their sabers, while Ellie focused on improving her skills with a blaster, until the time forced them to pack things up and get ready for what the day would bring them.
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