บท 22: First Taste

Paladins were considered the elite forces of the Brotherhood, once you were promoted to them you'd be provided with the best training they had available and learned the complete range of known tactics they had. You were also fitted with the best gear the Brotherhood was able to provide.

Apparently, there was more than that but his father didn't elaborate further, the knowledge must be restricted for the man not to tell him.

Top of the hierarchy is the Elder, the absolute leader of the chapter. Of course there were higher ranked Elders back in California but they didn't even have a way to contact them so their influence was negligible.

The Elder controlled everything in the order, delegating tasks, and ultimately deciding the direction the Chapter would be heading. Whether it be to success or destruction, they have no way to refuse his orders, even if some were outright suicidal.

Elder Elijah had been a Head Scribe before he was promoted to Elder, no one was sure why he was given the rank though. Most assumed it was due to the nature of the task that the Elder's had sent them to accomplish. The man didn't lack any enthusiasm for pre-war technology.

Afton nodded in satisfaction, not noticing that Melissa and Miles had been peeking over to see his paper...

"You passed!?" Melissa exclaims, drawing the attention of most of the room.

"I did, I'd mind your tone as well Melissa, you're now talking to Initiate Parker." he says with a smug smirk.

"I refuse!" she retorts.

"Good job." Miles says to him, seeming a lot calmer now that the results were finally in.

A few other students walked by and congratulated him, Sandra included. Veronica ended up pulling him out of the room and towards somewhere else.

Once she'd reached whenever she wanted to take him he saw his parents waiting for him, immediately hugging and congratulating him.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you my genius boy!" Verna dotes, unable to hold back the flow of tears.

"Stop crying mom, its just test." Afton reassures, hoping that she'd stop crying soon...

"I know, I know..." she mutters as she wipes her eyes, "Its just, it feels like only yesterday you'd barely been speaking... And now? You're an Initiate."

"I won't be going anywhere, I doubt they'll even left me out with patron units until I'm seventeen." he says, or more accurately complains. He'd rather get some practical experience sooner than that, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

His father nods, "Yeah, I won't be letting you anywhere near combat until I know you can handle yourself." he says, more to Verna to Afton.

Christine pats him on the shoulder, "Good job, maybe they'll allow us to "officially" give you some training."

"You better not stop coming to get your butt kicked, I need the stress relief!" Veronica chirps from the side.

Afton sends a glare her way, "I'll be busy, I don't know if I'll find time to be your punching bag." he shrugs.

"If I can find time away from the Elder then you can spare an hour for training, got it?" she says, walking up and poking him in the chest.

He sighs, "Got it."

As much as he'd like to act otherwise, he enjoyed training with Veronica and Christine, it was a good stress relief from all the studying he'd been subjecting himself to... Now that he was an Initiate they might be able to get some actual weapons so Christine could teach him some moves. She was more adept in using knives and other similar things than she was in actual hand-to-hand combat.

She'd been made a Junior Knight a couple of years ago so hopefully he'd learn something interesting.

His father walks to the side of the room and opens a cabenet, pulling out a bottle filled with a brown fluid... "Whisky?" Afton muttered to himself loud enough for everyone to hear.

Zachary nods, "Whisky. As an Initiate you're technically an adult now, even if your mother doesn't want to admit it... When I became an Initiate my dad sat me down to have my first drink with him, I'd like us to do the same. Maybe it's becoming a tradition?" he says, sitting down and grabbing a few glasses and glancing over at Veronica and Christine, "You girls want one?"

They smile and nod, "Would it surprise you to hear that this'll be my first drink too?" Veronica says, Zachary becoming momentarily shocked by this. He recovers quickly though and smiles at her, "Well, considering your dad and I were good friends, I don't think he'll mind if I do the honours for him."

Afton sits next to his dad while Verna sits on his other side, sending an unhappy look at Zachary, "I don't think I like our ten-year-old son drinking alcohol Zach..."

"We're not gonna make a habit of it, it's just a right of way I think..." he gets up and walks behind her before whispering in her ear, "Plus, whisky tastes fucking awful when you're a kid, that'll stop him trying to drink later on." he says, his wife flashing him a sly smile as he goes to sit back down.

He pours everyone a small glass of whisky before screwing the lid back on and holding his glass up, "Congratulations son, you're growing up but don't forget your still just a kid to me." he says, as everyone clinks their glasses together.

Afton sips the whisky, he'd had it before in his previous world and was impartial to it. But as soon as the liquid hit his lips he felt himself almost gag. Harsh! It takes all his willpower not to start coughing, he hadn't realised before now how much his tastebuds had changed... Or, maybe the two-hundred-year-old whisky had something to do with it?

Regardless of his efforts, everyone noticed his troubles and started laughing at his expense. He took it in stride as he knew there were no bad feelings involved and continued to try and get his drink down.