章 56: Wolf

The nurses ended up applying some stitches on Khan's shoulder and a few lotions on the various contusions that afflicted his body. They even left him with clear orders. He couldn't do any physical training that night if he wanted to heal by the next morning.

The medical bay gave him a new uniform before ordering him to return to his dormitory. Khan unwillingly followed those directives, but surprise filled his expression when he saw a cheerful horde of recruits waiting for him near his rooms.

It seemed that everyone wanted to celebrate his victory in the tournament, and Khan decided to play along. He wouldn't refuse the additional food that his companions were throwing at him, but he didn't forget that most of them were unable to look at him just a few minutes ago.

Khan often searched for Martha with his gaze, but he always found her busy talking with her friends. Khan never found the opportunity to free himself from the constant attention that the other recruits were shooting toward him, so he accepted that the chance to talk with Martha would never come that night.

The other recruits threw a storm of questions toward him. They wanted to know the secret behind his power or eventual tricks to perform during their training. However, Khan couldn't give them anything. His ability came from constant exercise and a good mindset built in the Slums.

The desperation caused by his nightmares had played a crucial role in his training, but Khan wasn't willing to reveal that. He limited himself to give vague answers until he found a way to return to his flat and seal the entrance.

A heavy sigh escaped his mouth when the silence of his flat filled his ears. He had finally managed to leave the crowd. His mind could take care of reviewing the last battle and sort his emotions while he prepared to start his usual training.

His belly was full, and he barely felt his wounds. His condition was perfect for his mental training and meditations, and he still had many hours left in front of him. Khan could make full use of the additional time without sacrificing his sleep.

The eighth mental training was still a challenging opponent. Khan had made some progress in that exercise during those two weeks, but he had yet to feel confident in clearing it.

Still, he felt glad to discover that each aspect of his training seemed to benefit his overall growth. His battles against the puppets helped him gain a firmer grip on his emotions, which subsequently improved his execution of the eighth mental exercise.

The same happened backward, and everything eventually flowed into his meditations. Khan's ability would take a step forward as a whole whenever one part of his training experienced improvements. Even his recent execution of a proper technique with mana came from the convergence of his various feats.

The alarm rang, and Khan stopped draining his mind over the eighth mental exercise. He felt tired, but he still had many hours available for his meditation, so he didn't hesitate to switch to his second training.

However, Khan noticed that Martha had sent a message when he unlocked the phone to set the next alarm.

'Where did you get those muscles?!' Khan read on his phone before wearing a smile.

Khan had finally understood why Martha had been so strange for the entire afternoon, and the explanation left him laughing on his bed for a whole minute.

'Did you like what you saw?' Khan wrote and sent before continuing to laugh.

Martha's answer was almost immediate and left Khan's speechless. He almost couldn't believe his eyes when he read the simple "yes" written on his screen.

'What do I even answer now?' Khan wondered as a faint blush appeared on his face.

He didn't expect such a direct answer. His knowledge in matters related to love and relationships was non-existent, and having to handle that situation through the phone was even slightly annoying.

Khan stared at the screen in silence, unclear about what to answer. The desire to see Martha made its way inside his mind. Still, she sent another message before his thoughts could explore the topic any further.

'Don't overthink it and finish your daily routine quickly. We have the semestral missions tomorrow.' Khan read on the phone before heaving a deep sigh.

'I think I can confirm that she likes me, right?' Khan thought while lying on the bed and closing his eyes.

He couldn't ignore the happiness that had appeared in his mind, but that feeling struggled to find enough room to exist among his other thoughts. The matters with the Global Army, his nightmares, and his training were already too heavy. Khan didn't know if he could add a potential relationship to his life, but he would definitely try to do it.

'Don't tell me that dad was right,' Khan laughed in his mind. 'Do I really need to find condoms?!'

A siren sounded through the entire dormitory early in the morning. Lieutenant Unchai's orders quickly followed that noise and forced all the recruits to pack up and gather in front of the building.

The Lieutenant was already waiting for them, and he quickly led the group toward the camp's exit.

Khan didn't miss the chance to approach Martha, who was yawning in the corner of the group. The girl wore a complicated expression at that sight, but she eventually showed a slight smile.

"What's with those eyebags?" Martha asked as she suppressed a faint laugh. "You went to sleep late."

"The meds are to blame," Khan snorted. "I didn't think my body would naturally absorb the stitches. I actually had to search it up in the network before being able to sleep."

"Look at you," Martha laughed. "You can use the network on your own now. I'm so proud."

"You don't look too rested either," Khan tried to go on the offensive. "Did you think about something in particular?"

Khan uncovered his abdomen to use his uniform as a fan. He pretended to be hot, but he was clearly teasing the girl next to him.

"Cover yourself before the Lieutenant sees you," Martha laughed while covering his mouth. "I'm not like that, okay? You just took me by surprise."

"What if I were like that?" Khan asked.

"Do you lust after muscular bodies?" Martha asked. "No wonder you spend so much time with Lieutenant Dyester."

"You know what I meant," Khan smiled while adjusting his uniform and making sure that Martha watched the scene. "And you also know that one of us had to say it."

"Shut up," Martha whispered. "We would need to live on a planet where the days last fifty hours just to consider that."

"I'm considering it anyway," Khan announced.

"You are an idiot who needs a phone to rule the length of his training sessions," Martha rebuked.

"We can use the phone for that too!" Khan exclaimed.

"We won't use a phone for that," Martha quickly refuted Khan's idea.

"Something is there then," Khan smiled.

"The whole training camp can't be completely wrong, can it?" Martha said before a faint blush appeared on her cheek. "Focus now. The semestral missions are here."

"Can we talk about this properly once we are back?" Khan asked.

"No," Martha immediately replied before lowering her head. "Maybe."

"Maybe is enough," Khan announced before continuing to walk next to her in silence.

Luke and Bruce had noticed that interaction by then, but they didn't dare to approach the duo. The two boys had been with Khan and Martha far longer than the other recruits of the special class, so they could sense that something was off.

Martha and Khan had always spent a lot of time together, and they had clearly shared a few secrets. However, they had never obtained the romantic aura that new couples usually had.

Still, that feeling was surrounding the duo now. Luke and Bruce could almost sense that their relationship had taken a step forward. Something had changed during the two weeks on Onia, but the two boys couldn't understand the reason behind that event.

A long truck and a jeep were waiting for the recruits at the exit of the training camp. Lieutenant Unchai quickly ordered everyone to jump in, but the class of Ef'i suddenly appeared in the distance and delayed their departure.

Khan felt happy to see that Eztli was among them. He needed the help of one of his companions to stand up, and his waist had many green patches, but he was alive.

Teco forced his students to form a line in front of the human class and perform a military salute. Then, Lieutenant Unchai's voice roared behind Khan and the others and ordered them to reply with a similar gesture.

The two groups exchanged their polite salutations, and Khan didn't miss how Eztli's gaze never left him. Khan couldn't help but smile at that sight, but the Lieutenant soon made them break the ranks and go toward the truck.

"It's hard to believe that we have been on another planet," Khan sighed as he kept his eyes on the openings of the trucks to memorize Onia's desolate environment.

"Your body will remind you of the difference once we go back on Earth," Martha laughed, and her gaze often fell on Khan's curious expression.

The truck didn't take much to get back to the camp that held the teleport. Lieutenant Unchai made all the recruits jump off the vehicle before leading them toward a familiar structure.

Scanners and green floors unfolded in Khan's vision as he returned to the first alien building seen during that travel. It was time to leave, but the recruits had yet to learn about their destination, and Lieutenant Unchai had no intention to reveal it to them.

"I won't follow you there," Lieutenant Unchai announced once everyone gained access to the circular area with the teleport. "A different Lieutenant will take care of handling the semestral missions. Be sure to use the valuable battle experience you have gathered here to make your training camp shine. Bring honor to Ylaco."

"Do you mean that we'll have to fight against other training camps?" Khan asked, and everyone fell silent before turning toward Lieutenant Unchai.

The soldier didn't say anything else. He showed a wide smile before giving the order to the scientists. The teleport activated, and all the recruits jumped on the oval platform.

Khan could feel the area of synthetic mana gathering around him again, but another sensation suddenly spread through his arm. His eyes went on that spot and noticed that Martha was holding his hand.

"The first time wasn't too nice," Martha briefly explained.

Khan limited himself to tighten his grasp on Martha's hand and nod. No one could see their gesture since everyone was busy worrying about the side effects of the teleport. Yet, the machine activated before any of them could even think about preparing their minds.

Everything went dark before a few sensations appeared among that darkness. Khan felt cold spreading from his knees, but his left hand was warm. His vision then returned and allowed him to see that he was kneeling on a white platform surrounded by glowing blue plants.

Martha was crouching at his side, and the other recruits were in a similar situation. Some of them still puked, but the white surface of the teleport took care of that waste.

Khan wanted to help Martha, but a huge figure suddenly filled his vision. A more than two meters tall humanoid creature walked toward the group of recruits and showed a displeased expression when it noticed their state.

'Isn't that a Kred?' Khan wondered when he inspected the creature.

The alien was massive. Its furry skin didn't manage to hide the tight array of bulging muscles. The creature had the face of a wolf that had inherited a few human features, and its fingers ended with sharp claws.

"You are another disappointing bunch," A female human voice came out of the Kred. "Welcome to Istrone. I will be your Lieutenant for the semestral missions."

****

Author's notes: I'm back.

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章 57: Plain

"I'm Lieutenant Sehlolo of the Global Army," The humanoid wolf-like alien announced. "I will handle the special class of Ylaco's training camp. Other Lieutenants will manage the other groups from your city and the other training camps. We can move once you stop puking on the teleport."

Khan never blinked as he kept his gaze on the Kred. He had only seen a few images of that alien species on the network due to their connection to Lieutenant Dyester, but the real deal gave off a completely different vibe.

The Kred were creatures that humans often saw as evolved animals due to their stark resemblance with the fauna on Earth. Lieutenant Sehlolo was the perfect example of a wolf who learned how to stand on two feet and talk.

Their language didn't have fixed grammatical rules. The Kred used cries that reflected their apparent connection with the animal species on Earth, but they could understand each other even if their sounds were different.

A wolf-like Kred could understand a lion-like Kred and so on. The reason behind that feature was an innate mental connection among the members of their species. They were a spiritual bunch, and humans could communicate with them only if they managed to tap on that mental environment.

Khan had tried to understand more during his lessons of xenolinguistics, but Professor Thogett had never focused on a single alien language during the first semester. Rumors said that accessing that mental connection was possible only after accepting the innate feral side, but Khan didn't know how to take that information.

'It definitely looks wild,' Khan commented in his mind while trying to find any feature that could hint at her sex.

Dark-blue fur covered the entirety of Lieutenant Sehlolo's body. A few white strands of hair appeared under her long chin and seemed to stretch through her chest, but Khan couldn't confirm that due to her uniform.

Her right shoulder featured two stars, while the left only one. She was a second-level warrior and a first-level mage, but Khan wondered whether those symbols had the same value on a Kred.

'I didn't know that the Global Army had aliens in its ranks,' Khan thought while planting a foot on the teleport. 'They should have a better body, but they can't handle mana as well as us.'

Khan reviewed the little information about the Kred learnt during the past months while he prepared to stand up. He recalled their devotion to mana and their rebellion, but his knowledge ended there.

Martha was still holding his hand, and she had yet to find the strength to stand up, but her complexion was far better than the other recruits. She seemed ready to leave the teleport, but she clearly needed some help.

Khan crouched toward her ear before whispering a few words. "I'm going to help you stand now."

Martha frowned before performing a weak nod. Her grasp on Khan's hand tightened before relaxing and releasing it completely.

Khan took that as the signal that she was ready to stand. He took her hand and placed it on his shoulder before wrapping his arm behind her back and slowly pull her up.

Khan would be lying if he said that he wasn't enjoying that moment. He didn't like seeing Martha in that state, but the warm sensation spreading from the hand clutched at her waist was quite intoxicating.

He had heard his peers talking about hormones, but he had never felt them so clearly. Part of him wanted to hold Martha right away, but he suppressed that instinct to focus on helping her.

Martha clutched her hand on Khan's shoulder, but her grasp slipped away. She had to reach for his neck to gain a good handhold, and her short nails inevitably tried to pierce his skin.

The duo eventually ended up on their feet, and Khan remained in that position until Martha found her balance. The process took a few seconds, and Martha's hand soon left his neck to slide through his back and return to her side.

Khan did the same once Martha nodded, and the duo exchanged an understanding gaze afterward. They both had performed a few useless moves just to touch their friend's back a bit longer, but they let that knowledge remain silent.

The other recruits were doing worse than them, but Bruce and Luke showed signs of recovery. The two kids from the Rotston family were in a similar situation. It would only take a few minutes before all of them could stand on their feet and leave the teleport.

Martha and Khan jumped off the platform and started to study the area. The teleport was almost identical to the others seen on Earth and Onia, but the rest of the building was completely different.

The floor didn't have metal tiles. Instead, ground and glowing blue plants surrounded the oval platform. Walls made of a black material that seemed able to store electricity separated that hall from the outside world.

Many consoles and soldiers wearing white medical coats handled the various consoles attached to the black material, and a dark corridor connected the hall to the rest of the building.

There wasn't much metal in the hall. Most of the materials used for the walls and tubes that brought electricity and mana seemed to come from natural substances. Only the consoles and the teleport had a completely different technology, which required various alloys.

The recruits slowly stood up and gathered around Lieutenant Sehlolo. The Kred grunted before turning toward the corridor, and the kids instinctively followed her.

The same black walls unfolded in their vision. Pale azure glows shone from behind that strange material and made the recruits fear that everything could crumble at the slight tremor. After all, that black substance seemed to have the same fabric as Onia's terrain.

"Humans always rely on their metal," Lieutenant Sehlolo snorted when she saw the reaction of the recruits. "You are completely unaware of the potential of natural resources, but your power allows you to thrive in your ignorance."

"I'm sorry, ma'am?" One of the recruits asked after mustering enough courage. "Why did you decide to join the Global Army then?"

"We can do better together, humans and Kred," Lieutenant Sehlolo explained. "Istrone has been the home of the most recent rebellion, but the Kred believe in peace and cooperation. It's only logical for some of us to join the Global Army and try to change things from the inside."

"Change what, ma'am?" Another recruit asked.

Lieutenant Sehlolo didn't seem too scary after her first answer. She had a threatening appearance, and a wild aura surrounded her, but her voice hid a peculiar kindness. Her behavior was rude compared to human standards, but Khan began to accept that the Kred simply were extremely honest.

"Humans exploit the mana without caring about the consequences on the environment," Lieutenant Sehlolo explained. "Mana can empower everyone and have enough power left for the world, but the humans don't know how to contain themselves. They need a Kred to learn harmony."

The group went through the usual scanners and signed the familiar forms before going out of the building. Khan discovered that even Martha, Bruce, and Luke didn't require to use pills to breathe anymore, and he couldn't help but feel happy for them.

A proper jungle unfolded in their vision once they left the building. Tall trees that had greenish trunks and blue leaves stood all around the structure. Their large and thick crowns covered the sky, but a yellowish halo seeped through them anyway.

Azure glows ran through the terrain and ended in various plants that trembled when that energy spread through their structures. Violet flowers blossomed right in front of the group's eyes, and new vegetation appeared from those spots.

Khan and the trio who didn't need the pills took a few minutes to accept the change of atmosphere. The air there was dense and wet but also powerful. Khan could feel mana everywhere. It seemed that every inch of Istrone had grown with that energy.

"The days last twenty-six hours here, with an almost perfect division between day and night," Lieutenant Sehlolo explained once Khan and the others became able to breathe. "Don't underestimate the vegetation, humans. Most of the plants here have a will of their own and have gained special abilities through mana. You can consider them Tainted creatures."

Everyone immediately became wary of their surroundings. The recruits had yet to see a spot of Istrone that lacked plants, so their worries inevitably intensified.

"There aren't many paths on Istrone," Lieutenant Sehlolo continued. "Only the natives here can avoid losing themselves in this everchanging environment. Follow me closely. The area for the first mission is right ahead."

The group followed Lieutenant Sehlolo across uneven paths that had many hindrances on their way. They had to move roots, branches, bushes, and even entire plants at times to proceed forward, but a large plain eventually unfolded in their eyes.

Khan could finally see the single sun of Istrone once his group left the tight array of trees. The star radiated a pale-yellow light that kept the temperatures relatively low. He wasn't freezing, but he felt like in autumn on Earth.

Crowds of younglings filled the immense plain and surrounded the various metal platforms in the area. Those structures were thirty meters wide and two meters tall, but they had stairs on their side, which hinted at some special purpose.

Khan recognized some of the students from Ylaco, but he also saw many unfamiliar faces. However, the uniforms were all identical. The location of their training camp didn't matter. They all belonged to the Global Army.

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