Chapter 76: The will to follow

The hunt didn't go as well as Ciaran had wanted it to. After the initial attempt, the kids had been demoralized. After that, they decided to exclude all aisle bodies in the next hunt. They weren't so worried about falling on the hunt or getting injured. What they feared was what came next.

Of the almost seventy kids only seven had been killed. Ciaran, Sunny, and Clara were among those. One of the brave ones was Mille. The girl had been healed and had returned seeking vengeance. Strongly enough, her wrath was aimed only at the critters not at the boy who forced them into this situation.

Mille was still limping, the hole in her leg was gone, but it was still sore. She had become the slowest of the bunch, but that allowed her to hang around the group of monsters."Don't let that bruit intimidate you again Mils, he is being an especially smelly ass today." Clara said.

Ciaran didn't say anything and only snorted. He had had enough of babysitting for one day."I don't mind, today was quite eye-opening actually." Mille said, flashing them a smile. She had once hated the boy with a passion, but things had changed. Her ambitions to use Clara so she could carve herself more status had crumbled. Now she believed that Ciaran was way more reliable. He was ruthless, and he did anything and everything to further his goals. More importantly, he believed everyone could be bought, and he never cheaped out on paying.

Since she became Eddy's secretary she was exactly where she wanted to be, on top. She still harbored some ambition to step above the monsters as well, but today her delusions were shattered.

The girls were still reluctant to kill, but they still did. They could do in seconds, what took thirty people ten whole minutes. What really scared her however was, her Boss. Ciaran simply crushed their troats. In one day, he had completed twenty-five hunts, and he only stopped because doing more was unnecessary.

The worst thing was that the animals never seemed to notice him until it was already too late. "No point staying here anymore. It's getting dark, and most are at their limit. Let's go, we have some bonding to do." Ciaran said with a sigh.

It was time for the worst part of the day to commence, the fraternizing. Most of the children were over the moon to finally leave the hunting rounds. They weren't as happy they would be accompanied by Ciaran though. The boy was more than a little vocal about his disappointment in them.

Out of everyone, he was only satisfied with Mille, even the other girls had been far too squeamish. He couldn't even fathom how those two had reached Rank One with such a weak mentality. Even now, when they had done the deed, he could see traces of guilt in their eyes.

Their first stop after leaving the Academy was the military base. They had to go pick up Rayon, before going to the tavern for a little fun.

The soldiers looked at them with distaste. To them, Rayon was their most talented asset and these brats were nothing but a distraction. Worst of all was his brother. The rascal always caused problems, and now he even had the gall to come and drag his brother into debauchery. "Call out Ray, I don't have all night. And drop the attitude; I don't want to be here as well." Ciaran grumpily said.

The soldiers stood still and glared at him. They were contemplating teaching the brat a lesson on manners.

"Do as I say, or Mrs. Clades will receive an anonymous tip that a certain military base doesn't allow he son to have fun with his friends, AFTER training hours even." He said as he flashed them a grin. Namedropping was not even close to being below him. And Camille had caused so much commotion here, that every soldier knew not to mess with her less she begins asking for their commanding officer.

Five minutes later, Raymond came out in civilian clothing. He usually had his school uniform delivered to his house every time he got to the base. It was more convenient for him that way.

Ciaran had grabbed his brother at first sight and complained his heart out. "I don't get it, there isn't even a single vegan among us, what's the problem?" The boy soldier asked. Everyone was shocked. They could see Ciaran saying that, it was by no means normal, but then again the boy was hardly normal himself. Rayon saying something like that, however, was completely out of character.

"Have you done it before Ray, hunting I mean," Clara asked what they were all wondering.

"Yeah, before we began the Academy, grandpa took us hunting every weekend. I have never hunted anything ranked, not on those trips anyway, but we caught a lot of game. The largest thing I ever caught was one of those elephants. Grams said they get as big as a small mountain when they rank up." The boy said, with pride for his accomplishments.

"Did you, ah, finish the job?" One of the kids asked. Rayon looked a little sad at that. His eyes to the ground in shame. His visage had brought them some relief, at least he wasn't like his brother.

"No, Mom said I am not allowed in the kitchen anymore. She told me I had a lot of talents, but cooking wasn't one of them." Rayon said, his face growing ever so red.

"They meant if you had killed your prey, Ray," Ciaran growled, still passing at them. Rayon blinked his eyes, not expecting the question.

"Of course, we wanted food, not a pet, why wouldn't I?" He asked utterly lost.

At this point, it was obvious to Clara that she could thank The Colonel for the warped personalities of the boys.

"Whatever you will all learn, whether you like it or not. For tonight though, let's celebrate." Sunny called out from the side.

When they got to the tavern the kids finally relaxed. The familiar atmosphere calmed their nerves. Some of the cheeky brats even asked for some alcohol, earning themselves an earful from the waitresses.

Everyone was enjoying their food and some were even showing off on the dance floor. Children were a rare sight in the tavern at night, but seeing their Academy uniforms, the adults had learned not to treat them as they would others of their age. This particular tavern wasn't very popular among the older students, but some still found their way in on the rare occasion.

Ironically Ciaran was doing the worst of the bunch. First of all, he only had the money he had hustled via the betting ring. He technically had no family and no allowance. The dreads didn't seem to care about money, and all his needs had been met incise the Academy anyway.

The second problem was that he hated how vulnerable he felt. He was surrounded by people, and every last one of them could potentially become a danger to him.

His biggest problem seemed from the vocal contrast. Outside, the pests cheered, sang, and danced. But inside his mind was empty, and the silence was deafening. Ariadne was still with their teacher, and the boy had grown accustomed to her suiting presence.

He knew it was for their sake she learned, but dealing with the noise without her was proving to be too much for him. He was keeping a straight face, but there was sweat forming on his forehead and his left index finger had developed a nervous tick.

Usually, his friends would notice, but today the girls were letting off steam, enjoying a nice fast-paced dance with each other. Rayon on the other hand was really eager to socialize with his peers. He was eating and joking with the other boys.

"Ciaran, can you escort me to the bathroom, I am feeling a little scared to go alone," Mille asked.

Any other time, he would have, at most, pointed her in the right direction, utilizing his middle finger. But he would take any excuse to leave the mass gathering, even for just a few minutes.

When they got to the corridor, she pulled him to the outside, and he allowed it, curious to see what she wanted. Of course, she might still hold a grudge, but an ambush was preferable to him right now.

"Make me one of the highest authorities under you." She said, looking him in the eyes.

He stared at her.

'Ah, a deal brought to me by ambition and desperation.' He thought and barely suppressed his desire to lick his lips.

"You already are Mils. If I am not mistaken, you are second in command only to Eddy." He said, a smile on his face starting to bloom.

She stared at him and fell to her knees.

"I solemnly vow in the name of ~Olorun~ that my loyalty lies first and foremost with you, Ciaran Clades." She made an oath, and as the boy was already a Novice, he could feel it binding their souls.

He gave her his hand and helped her get up.

"What is this about really? You just bound yourself for life to me you know. At least tell me what brought this insanity out of you." He asked, the smile on his face gone, this had gotten too big.

"I need more Ciaran. My family is small, and my brothers would take most of our wealth. I don't have much of a Martial talent, and my academic skills are just average. What I have is an education in administration. My mother has forced it upon me since I was able to hold a pen in my arm."

"I will deal with what you so clearly hate. Our classmates fear you, they don't want to follow you, because you don't cuddle them. Well, fuck them. Allow me to deal with this for you, and everything like this as well. I want power, and unlike Clara, I know you will give it to me. In exchange my very soul is yours." She said, not a hint of deceit in her eyes.

The boy said nothing and just extended his hand. She grasped it, and on that night, Ciaran's first real follower had joined his side.