Club (4)

"Earlier this afternoon a group of people launched a terror attack on the plaza right outside of the market district. The terrorist group, Ghast, has taken credit for the attack. They claimed that it was because the plaza used to be a place open for street vendors, but that corporate and political greed has made it a place where only privileged stores get a place."

"While the attack was a tragic loss of life, there was a ray of hope and inspiration that came from it. Nearby heroes rushed to the scene, working hard to prevent further loss of life, and driving off the attackers. There were even students from the nearby Academy of Heroes, who bravely risked their lives to do what they know is right, and proving that the academy truly raises amazing heroes. Here is a video a reporter of our KCCY News was able to capture."

The two reporters turned to watch a large screen in the studio. It played the video of a boy, without touching an attacker, raise him in the air and say a few words.

"For the Empire."

Covered in blood, a spear through his shoulder, and a fierce look in his eyes. He was a picturesque hero.

'That was incredibly cringe to watch again, even though I know others liked it...'

I used the TV remote to turn it off. I was currently in an incredibly nice hospital room, with my arm wrapped in compressive bandage, and my arm in a sling. While I was healed, there would be severe muscle pain if I moved my arm too much, so I was told not to move it more than light lifting.

I couldn't ever afford the treatment I was receiving right now, but King Runecraven had seen the video. He paid for my treatment, and even made a public statement about it. It seemed that my action had the effect I had intended. It stopped the spread of panic, and was an ignition point for my public image. I wasn't someone with a powerful backing, but with this people would remember me as that one kid who showed incredible patriotism.

When I woke up the nurses and doctors even told me that I would be given an award from the king himself. I didn't really care about the award, but then they told me that I would also received a reward. Either a piece of gear, or perhaps money. Either way, it would be beneficial.

It was almost 4 PM when I was finally released by the doctors. They gave me instructions on what to avoid, and then sent me along my way. I went out to the lobby, where I saw a group of girls sitting on their phones and chatting with each other. One girl saw me, and pointed frantically at me.

"It's Artemis! He's out!"

This caused the other seven girls to look up from their phones and turn to look at me. They all showed a myriad of expressions, but they all shared on similar emotion.

Relief.

I awkwardly waved.

"Hey guys, I didn't expect you to sit and wait for me this whole time."

Kimberly rushed over and put her arms around me.

Taken by surprise from the sudden hug, I was so shocked I just stood there as she hugged me.

"We were really worried about you... We're glad you okay."

I didn't know what to say, but I knew that I felt really grateful to have people who cared about me. I slowly brought my arms up, and hugged Kimberly back.

"Sorry for worrying you all."

The other seniors rushed forward and we had a big group hug. Mary, Jennifer, and Anastasia stayed out of the hug though. I wasn't close enough to Jennifer or Anastasia, and Mary didn't feel like the type to hug.

It was then that I suddenly thought of the hallucination I had earlier before passing out. It was ridiculous that I thought Mary and Jennifer would cry.

The seniors let me go, and we all headed back to the school since it was late. As we were walking, Jennifer had at some point made her way next to me, and began to talk to me.

"Hey.."

"Hm?"

"I uh... We saw you at the plaza, and I just wanted to say what you did was really... Reckless."

I raised my eyebrows at her. What she was saying wasn't wrong, so I didn't say anything, but I was curious why she was saying so.

"You could have waited until someone arrived who could handle the enemy without getting hurt... You risked your life... Why?"

I stopped where I was, and looked at her seriously. She was surprised, and looked back at me, where we made eye contact.

I looked at her seriously.

"If there is someone or something in front of me, that has intentions of hurting innocent people, I won't run. There are people who don't have the strength to do anything.. But I do. And I will. Every time, no doubts in my mind."

Jennifer was taken aback by my statement, and the others had also stopped walking to listen to our conversation. However she collected herself, and nodded while smiling lightly.

"You're right... That's what heroes should do... We didn't get the chance earlier, but... Could we exchange contact information?"

She clutched her phone close to her chest. I nodded, and stepped forward before she could say anything.

Bringing my phone right up the hers. However I forgot how sensitive people were about their personal space, as I had just walked straight up to her and put my phone a couple inches from her chest.

This caused her to freeze up, and her face went red. I looked at her, and realized what I had done. Our phones beeped in confirmation of the successful exchange, and I quickly removed my phone.

"Sorry I-"

"Its okay! It wasn't like it was on purpose... right?"

I looked down at her, and she looked up at me. Our eyes met, and we were locked in each other's gaze. Now that I got a look at her, she was by all means a beautiful person. I was extremely close to her. As we were simply gazing at each other, someone coughed lightly in front of us.

We looked over, and Kimberly was smiling while covering her mouth.

"We should keep going... if you two want to continue this... Perhaps we should go first?"

"N-No! Finish? Finish what?! Th-There's nothing going on right now!"

Jennifer briskly walked forward, and joined the others. Mary walked over to me, and gave me a bit of a sideways glance.

I looked at her as we started walking. I could hear the seniors and Anastasia all whispering to Jennifer in the front, no doubt teasing her as I could see her face blushing greatly.

"Me too..."

I looked at Mary confused.

"You already have my number? Oh are you talking about that moment Jennifer and I just had? I didn't mean to, but if you want-"

Mary punched me lightly in the arm.

"No you idiot... I.. Am glad you're okay... You're so weak but..."

She brushed some hair out of her face, and I also caught a glimpse of her face clearly for the first time. She was also extraordinarily pretty. Her eyes held an unidentifiable conviction.

"You were really cool at the plaza."

I looked at her, before smiling lightly.

"Thanks.. I thought I was a little cringe..."

Mary and I walked together chatting for a bit. She told me about what happened with them, and how their battles went. As we walked, I noticed Jennifer sneaking a few glances back at us, and the atmosphere between us felt a little awkward.

We boarded the train, where I was surprisingly recognized from the video on the news. People flocked towards me and took pictures with me. I took the chance to do a little more PR work.

Someone took a video of me, and asked me how I felt. Smiling lightly while looking at the camera, I gave a short statement.

"I am proud to be able to help, but I wasn't the only hero who worked hard. I hope everyone who was there gets the recognition they deserve. All of us here, are members of the Foodie club at the academy, and they also worked hard. I hope you remember them just as you remember me."

My clubmates looked at me with sincere looks of appreciation, and we ended up all posing for pictures together. The only pictures I ended up taking alone were oddly when women requested.

****

"This guy... I was right he is a monster..."

Edmond was sitting at a booth in the cafeteria. He was watching a video that was circulating the school. It was Artemis in the plaza, executing a terrorist with some sort of invisible magic.

"That's the same thing he used on me the other day... He could have killed me.."

Edmond touched his throat lightly in fear of the realization he narrowly avoided death.

"Why would I kill you?"

A voice from behind Edmond made him jump in fear. He turned around and saw Artemis staring at him with an impassive expression. Next to him was the girl who was recently always seen with him, Mary Heath, carrying two plates full of food.

The two of them sat down, and began eating. I looked at them stunned for a moment.

'Just hours ago... These two both fought with their lives on the line... Like real heroes.. Now they're just sitting here as if nothing happened.'

Edmond sighed, lamenting that he just wasn't like these two, and how he was unfortunately 'normal'. So he began asking Artemis various questions, and Artemis calmly began tutoring Edmond.

However Edmond failed to notice that Artemis's hands shook during the whole meal, and he was even unaware of Artemis's focus not being fully there.

After our short study session, I made my way to the maze, and ran through it for my daily mission. It was considerate enough to only have me do footwork. After an hour and a half I was back to the dorms.

****

"BLEGH!"

I sat on the ground, facing my toilet, throwing up the dinner I had managed to eat. Tears ran down my face as I threw up. Whether because of the throwing up, or guilt, I would never know for sure.

And that's how I wanted it to stay.

Taking a life was not a simple act, and I was now wrestling with the complex emotions. I knew I had to do it if I wanted to live, but that didn't make me feel better. That whole night, while the Empire was hailing me as a hero, I was in my bathroom sobbing.

****

On the next morning I received a text from the school, telling me to make my way to the principle's office to meet with the King, so I quickly made my way through the maze. It was again a straight path through. It seems on the weekends, unless someone wants otherwise, the maze will just let you through.

I walked to the principle's office, which was at the top of the administrations building, which was marked on a map they sent to my phone. Once there, I quietly knocked on the door, and waited for a reply.

"Yes, come in."

A deep grizzled voice rang out. I slowly opened the door, while announcing myself.

"Excuse me, I am coming in now."

When I walked through the door, there was an old man sitting at a desk, and another middle aged man sitting on the couch. There was another couch across from him, that he gestured towards, while smiling at me.

"Take a seat, Artemis. I am Urie Runecraven."

He stood up and offered a handshake. I looked at him briefly, before shaking his hand.

'James does take after him in looks. He also seems quite strong, just from his handshake I feel helpless.'

"It's an honor to meet you, your highness."

"Haha, that's enough. Please be comfortable. I came here today to give you a reward. That scene you made at the plaza... It was smart."

I realized now, that the King saw through my intentions, so there was no need to be coy.

"Thank you, I just thought it would bring me benefits while also reducing the effect of the terrorist attack."

The king nodded, and looked at the principle.

"You have a good egg here. Shame he isn't a noble. He would have made a hell of a politician. Anyways, I have here a list of treasures you to choose from. Pick one, and we will give it to you at the ceremony on Monday."

I took the papers from him. It was a thick list with multiple pages of items and descriptions. I read through it, and a lot of them were incredible, but none of them were really helpful to me.

I kept looking through the pages, when one item made me stop.

[Eldritch Belt][Unknown]

[Produces tendrils from the belt.]

I saw other items that were objectively better than this, however all of them were only good on their own. I had nothing that could enhance them currently, however I had a lot of synergy with the belt.

My unique gloves would work with the belt, and I could think of a lot of creative uses for the belt as well. The 'Unknown' ranking that the empire gave it gave me a weird feeling. I thought there was a good chance my system could see more information, and also accurately grade it.

When I pointed at what item I wanted, the king raised his eyebrows and looked at me questioningly.

"Are you sure? You can get Rare items, but you choose this weird belt?"

I simply nodded.

"I think it would suit me well."

He just shrugged at my statement, and circled it on the list.

"Then we will get it for you. Do you have a suit?"

I shook my head.

"Mmm... Hey, Hardings, can you get him a suit for tomorrow?"

The dean looked at the king and laughed.

"Sure thing kiddo."

'Kiddo? Did he just call the King... kiddo?'

The King had a vein pop out of his forehead, but he kept smiling.

"Haaah... Okay, I better leave before I ruin your office."

The king stood up, and I immediately stood up as well. Only the dean stayed seated.

"It was nice meeting you Artemis, I'll see you both again tomorrow evening. Bye."

He left quickly. Almost like he was running from the dean.

I turned to the dean at this point.

"Is there anything you need from me, Dean?"

The old man had an incredibly piercing gaze, even though he was always smiling, I felt like he knew everything about me.

"No, you're free to leave, Mr. Kiltec... Here, this storage ring contains a suit for you."

A small golden ring floated towards me, and gently landed on my open palm. I bowed towards the dean, and left the room almost as fast as the king had.

I made my way to the maze, and decided to finish my daily quest. The fatigue from the day before seemed to have caught up to me, as I ended up being completely drained after only an hour. As I lay on the ground, which seemed to have become a tradition, I activated my daily roulette.

[Ding Ding Ding!]

[Martial Body][F-Rank]

[A talent improves the effects of physical training.]

I smiled looking at the talent I received. It was good for me, who lacked even the basic physical fitness as other students, even though there still was not a solution to my ranged dilemma.

I decided I could settle with the current set of abilities I possessed, and would try to save up to unlock magic.

'50 gold a day... I need 2,500 to unlock any basic magic type... That's... 50 days to unlock magic. Not terribly unreasonable.'

Having made up my mind, I pulled myself up from the ground, and forced my tired body to go to my dorm. I showered, and when I came out I saw a message from Mary.

[Lunch.]

That was the entire text.

"This girl... Not even a question mark. How rude."

I still got dressed in a tracksuit, and headed to the cafeteria. It was another trek through the maze, but since I wasn't planning on training, it let me pass. Along the way, I was lost in thought, the guilt I had been struggling with began to weigh on me again.

Progressively making me more somber. It was hard to enjoy things, since I felt I didn't deserve to forget the guilt that I accumulated.

'I wonder if the man who killed me felt this way... Or did he justify it somehow? How do people make it so easy, or am I just not strong enough?'

I then began thinking of my brother, and my family.

'Do they miss me at all? I think my brother definitely feels something, but I really don't know about my parents... Surely.. They felt something... right?'

I didn't even notice myself arrive at the cafeteria. I only came back to my senses when Mary had walked up to me, and poked me in the chest.

Surprised, I looked down at her.

"Are you okay?"

I looked at her, and I didn't know why, but I opened up to her.

"I'm confused... Emotionally. Since yesterday."

She nodded after a moment.

"If you need someone to talk to, I am always there for you. Let's get some food."

I nodded, and followed slowly behind her. She gathered an assortment of meats and veggies, while I was oddly attracted to sweeter foods today, I got a lot of meats and fruits. We sat together, and I was slowly eating a handful of grapes.

We ate quietly, occasionally we would both receive texts, from the Foodie club group chat. It mostly consisted of talking about different foods, and deciding which place we would go next. It was nice to read the conversation while we ate. 

After our dinner, Mary and I sat on a bench outside the cafeteria together, the two of us staring at clouds together. I closed my eyes, basking in the sun, as if staying here long enough would cleanse me of my sins.

I could hear Mary's soft breathing, which slowly started to put me into a trance, one where I slowly began to sway slowly as I fell asleep.

****

'This idiot really fell asleep on me.'

Mary was looking down, at the boy who fell asleep on her, as he breathed rhythmically. He almost fell off the bench, when she managed to catch him, and moved him to laying on her lap.

She felt pity for him. She remembered her first time killing someone, and how it plagued her for a long time. A strand of hair came undone from his ponytail, and fell on his face. Mary looked at the hair in horror, as she saw it starting to fall into his mouth, which caused her to look around frantically.

Seeing no one nearby, as many were off campus for lunch, she looked back at the boy sitting on her lap.

She gently reached down, and moved the hair out of his face. She patted it slowly down, but she didn't remove her hand. Instead, she began to slowly stroke his head as he slept, looking back up at the clouds. She didn't know what it was, but she felt inexplicably at peace.

Looking up at the clouds, she slowly drifted off.

****

Standing on the road, Kimberly was staring at a scene of two underclassmen taking a nap together on a bench, she pulled out her phone before taking a picture of the two.

She smiled as she saved the picture.

'This will make such a good picture to put in the club photobook... They'll get so angry though. Hehehe.'

She then walked off, skipping lightly as she saw something really cute, making her way back to her dorm.