Aeon Legion: Labyrinth (43 page)

Terra lay on the ground for a
few moments before the pain faded. After groaning, she stood to see
someone nearby. He was about her height and had long hair tied into a
pony tail with several locks of silver in it. His face marked him of
Asian descent. The man smiled, extending his hand.

Terra returned the aeon edge
hilt first. “Thanks. Sorry it was wasted on me.”

He took the blade. “Do you
not have an aeon edge?”

Terra shook her head. “No,
but I almost have enough points saved up. I have only finished the
safety and maintenance qualifiers. I have little aptitude for one
though. My focus has been on the shieldwatch instead.”

“Smart. Too many fixate on
the aeon edge and forget that a shieldwatch is more decisive in a
fight.”

He
wore a full legionnaire combat uniform with top grade equipment
unlike the hodgepodge of most tirones. A patch on the man's shoulders
showed the numeral
VII
,
the number of the Seventh Cohort. Another emblem, a silver dot with
two semi circles on either side and a crescent below, showed under
the numeral; a captain's insignia. Terra saluted. “Sorry, Captain!
I didn't see your rank insignia.”

He laughed. “It's all right,
tiro. You may call me Chih. What's your name?”

“Tiro Terra Mason,” she
said, relaxing her salute.

Chih nodded before presenting
his aeon edge to Terra. “Show me your stance.”

“What?” Terra asked,
trying not to fumble the blade in her hand as Chih handed it back to
her.

Chih smiled. “Your fighting
stance with the aeon edge. Show it to me.”

Terra felt awkward, but she
did her best and raised her aeon edge as though to fence.

He shook his head. “Here,”
he said as he drew an aeon edged dagger. He faced Terra, aeon edge at
an angle with his stance wide and side pointed at her. “Like this.”

Terra did her best to mimic
the stance.

“Good. You learn quickly.
Solid foundations. More useful, in my opinion, than raw talent.”

“I am still horrible at
offense though,” Terra said, handing back the blade.

Chih dismissed the thought
with a wave. “Offense you can learn later. Foundations are more
important. Let me show you the most important part about having an
aeon edge.”

Standing straight with feet
together, he lifted the blade in his right hand while placing his
left behind his back. He then raised the edge of the blade a few
inches from his face with the guard just below his chin. Chih held
this pose for a few seconds before swinging his sword out at an angle
to his side.

Terra nodded. “An aeon edge
salute. You use it before a Trial of Blades, but the person who made
me a squire uses it before she fights anyone.”

“She is wise to do so.
Always salute your foes even if they don't salute you back. This is
important.”

“Do you mind if ask you
something, captain?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why are you here?”

Chih gestured to his group
that still watched from the sides. “Centurion Geres is up for
promotion to the rank of Serdar. The Academy also hosts the officer
training program. I myself volunteered for a special program that
mixes cohorts together for training. It was designed to reduce the
amount of inter-service rivalry between cohorts.”

“Is it working?”

“No, but I use the
opportunity to gauge new recruits and search for potential talent.
Cohorts also compete for talented tirones after they graduate.”

“Oh... Wait. I thought that
a legionnaire trained their squire after they graduated from the
Academy?”

“Sometimes yes. It's an old
tradition that few use now. Well I suppose Silverwind still does, but
she is a special case.”

“Of course,” Terra said,
trying not to seem awkward at the mention of Alya. “So why is the
salute the most important part?”

“Because being honorable,
being good, this is the true foundation of the Aeon Legion. We must
be noble, we must shine. If the most powerful cannot bother
themselves to be good, then what chance does anyone else have? Do you
know which cohort I am from?”

“The Seventh Cohort called
the Hunters, I think.”

“Our motto is 'We see the
hidden'. We track down evasive temporal criminals, but our most
fearsome quarry are legionnaires who have gone rogue.”

“I didn't know that was a
problem?”

“It is rare, but sometimes a
legionnaire goes rogue. Some use an aeon edge and shieldwatch to
conquer. Others grow tired of protecting status quo and instead try
to change history, but their attempts always make things worse. They
ignore the lessons already paid for in the blood of heroes.”

There was a yell as Hikari
defeated the tiro who had beaten Terra. Hikari then pointed to the
three remaining tirones on the other team. “I choose all three.”

The other team leader stared,
confused. “That won't be fair.”

Hikari shrugged. “True. You
would need twice that number, but I do not wish to wait.”

The
other team leader gestured for her two teammates to join her when
another man approached. Terra turned to see one from Chih's group had
made his way to the center of the salient. He had a centurion's
emblem on his shoulder under the numeral
IX
.

Terra gestured to newcomer.
“What cohort is he from?”

“Centurion Geres is from the
Ninth Cohort. The Slayers. A unit that specializes in search and
destroy missions for large targets like the larger varieties of
Faceless or Manticores.”

“Manticore?” Terra asked.
She hadn't gotten to them yet in her studies.

Chih's expression darkened.
“Nasty monsters, like a scorpion that kept growing until it became
as big as a palace. The Slayers killed most of them, but a few still
remain. They poison the land with their toxins and progeny. It's well
armored and smart. Not a good combination. They were an invasive
species that infested the Edge several centuries ago. Their biology
was so advanced that they could time travel and even their senses
worked across time.”

“Oh,” Terra said after
considering the implications of such a monster.

“Thankfully,” Chih said
with a sigh, “Centurion Reivair stopped them.”

“Who?”

“One of Alya's squires.”

The newcomer, whom Chih had
called Geres, faced Hikari and the other team. He had only a single
lock of silver in his hair. “I have a new challenge. All of you
against me.”

The others hesitated. Finally
the other team leader spoke. “Who are you?”

“Centurion Geres and you
will address me as such or have they not taught you insignias yet?”

Hikari stared at Geres's aeon
edge. Unlike her own dull gray lead weighted blade, Geres's was
polished silver in color. “I agree to your challenge only if you
hand over your aeon edge if I win.”

Geres grinned and turned to
Hikari. “I couldn't do that even if I wished, but I can hand over
one of my daggers, Tiro Hikari.”

Hikari paused.

Geres took one of his daggers
and tossed it in his hand. “Yes. Your name is known even outside
the Academy. Other cohorts are already fighting over who gets you.
However, if I win in a Trial of Blades against you, then you agree to
join my cohort as my squire.”

Chih approached Geres.
“Centurion, I don't think this wise.”

Geres faced Chih. “So you
won't override her refusal, Captain?”

Hikari stepped forward. “I
accept.”

Zaid sighed. “Hikari, that's
a full legionnaire. Trust me when I say you cannot best him.”

The other strike team leader
pointed to Geres. “Hey! What about us?”

Geres
shrugged, not taking his eyes off Hikari. “What
about
you?”

The other team leader fumed
and gestured for her team to take up positions around Geres.

Zaid shook his head. “Hikari,
this is your fight. I won't help you.”

Chih sighed, rejoining Terra.
“Well, just watch. You may learn a few things about swordsmanship
from Geres.”

“Is he good?” Terra asked.

Chih nodded. “He has won
many recent Trial of Blades. Though his victories have made his
boldness grow into foolhardiness.”

The battle ended in a flash.
Geres cut down the other strike team in seconds. Terra found herself
impressed with Geres's skill. His blows did not have the artistry of
Roland's, but had a practiced precision. Hikari lasted longer, but
was still defeated after Geres knocked her lead weighted aeon edge
out of her hand. Now Hikari lay on the ground, disarmed, with Geres
pointing an aeon edge at her throat.

Nikias then entered the
salient and paused when he saw the scene. He saluted when he saw
Chih. Two more Legionaries joined with Geres.

Chih returned the salute. “No
need for that. I am only here to assist Centurion Geres.”

Nikias then glanced back to
Geres and spoke in an even tone. “Are you with the officer training
program?”

Geres nodded. “Yes. Is there
a problem?”

Nikias narrowed his gaze. “I
do not appreciate you using the tirones for your training exercises.”

Geres ignored Nikias as he
sheathed his aeon edge. He turned to Hikari. “We will take her
now.”

Nikias's jaw went slack.
“What?”

Geres turned to Nikias. “I
said we will take her.”

Nikias clinched his fists.
“There is no chance Praetor Lycus will agree to this. Besides. She
isn't ready.”

Geres gestured to Hikari. “Yes
she is. So what she hasn't been through the Labyrinth? She shouldn't
have to. She doesn't need the rest of her strike team. Besides, if we
don't take her now some other cohort will poach her before we can get
her. Orion and his Shadow Cohort will probably find her. They always
get the talented ones.”

“She is not ready,” Nikias
said. “Besides, what cohort they join is up to them. Even still,
the legionnaire that squired her may train her for one year following
the Academy.”

Geres's eyes narrowed. “Then
I challenge you to a Trial of Blades. If I win, then I will take
Hikari.”

Nikias glanced to Chih.

Chih shook his head. “I will
not override your refusal. Turn down this challenge if you wish.”

Nikias regarded Geres with a
look of mixed emotions on his face. Terra could see that Nikias was
eager to fight Geres, but seemed hesitant.

Lycus Cerberus then stepped
into the salient. “I accept your challenge.”

Praetor Lycus Cerberus
Combat Record

Confirmed Kills

Kalian: 10,426

Manticores: 17

Faceless: 478 (See notes
class type kill counts)

Sons of Oblivion: 9,782

Hunter Keepers: 4,281

Timeships: 251

Dreadnaughts: 3

Askari: 821

Time Knights: 87

Aeon Legionnaires: 5

Other Human: 10,127

Other: 12,582

Unconfirmed Kills are
approximately double the sum of the above figures.

Medals, Awards, and
Commendations: See attached list with 5,292 entries.

Trial of Blades Won: 8,237

Trial of Blades Lost: 2

War Crime Accusations:
Records sealed by order of Consul Prometheus. This matter has been
formally investigated and closed.

-Log of unauthorized Archives
access

T
erra
shivered
, looking at Lycus's terrible snarl as he stood partially
shrouded in shadow.

Geres hesitated. “I did not
challenge you.”

Lycus approached Geres,
standing face to face. “You tried to claim one of my tirones. They
belong to me. No one else. They pass the training when I say they do.
I can reject them even if the make it through the Labyrinth. That is
my right. Not yours. By trying to take what is mine you have
challenged me therefore I accept that challenge.”

Geres recoiled. “I will not
fight a Legendary Blade. My challenge is withdrawn.”

Lycus's snarl grew. “As a
Legendary Blade my challenge may not be refused regardless of rank.”

Geres looked to Chih.

Chih shrugged. “This is
true. Centurion, you cannot refuse,” he said before turning to
Lycus. “However, praetor, I must remind you that he may make a
request for help to even the odds if he so chooses.”

Lycus nodded.

Geres glanced to his comrades.
“My strike team, four of us, against you alone. We get first
strike. If we win, then I get to chose any tiro I wish for my
Cohort.”

Lycus's snarl twisted into a
grin. “This is acceptable.”

One of Geres's Legionnaires
let out an audible growl and glared at Geres, but said nothing.

Geres grinned, regaining his
confidence. “Yes. This should work. The legendary Cerberus hasn't
fought in a Trial of Blades for over a century. I think it's past due
for someone to call him out. I was planning to participate in this
year's Tournament of Blades anyway. This saves me time. And if you
win?”