Chapter 5. Consequences

Jericho sat in the uncomfortable chair just outside of the principles office looking around at people left and right. His eyes calculating as he looked.

As he scanned people closely tiny windows with information about them kept appearing. If Louis was anything to go on they were all accurate or at least as far as Jericho could tell they were.

These windows would no doubt be extremely useful for him. The only problem was this message that was appearing in front of him.

User Interface Assistant Interrupted

20% Progression

User Interface Assistant will not be

available until data flow is complete

Please stand by

This message worried Jericho. What did it mean by "Interface Assistant"? Would it be something similar to a virtual assistant like most military bases have to assist officers? Or would it be more like an auditory text system that reads notifications as they appear to him.

"Jericho Reynolds. The principal wants you in his office now," said the older woman at the front desk as she filed her nails.

As Jericho stood and neared the door to the principals office he could hear muffled shouting.

"What are you going to do about this! My son is in the hospital now and you're telling me it's because of some abilityless freak? What are you going to do about this," a woman yelled in a shrill harpy-like voice repeating herself twice in blind anger.

"Ma'am, I understand your anger but it is not acceptable to address students in that manner when on school premises," said the principal in a placating tone.

'Meaning it's fully acceptable to call me that when not on school premises,' thought Jericho as he listened.

" We have had problems with Mr. Reynolds in the past but as everyone knows students intending to and who are currently entered in military schools have express permission to settle matters between themselves via challenge or duel. This system was put into place to allow students who seek a career in the military to hone their skills in combat. These rules are set, and while the boys may not have sought out a teacher as a referee they had more than enough students as witness to allow the duel to continue as it did. And as Mr. Reynolds did not use lethal force against your son he can not be held responsible for him."

"NO LETHAL FORCE!? MY SON IS IN THE HOSPITAL UNCONSCIOUS, AND THE DOCTORS HAVE NO IDEA WHEN HE'LL WAKE UP!"

Jericho froze at those words. This was definitely a pattern, when he had fought the other boy Jericho had absorbed a wisp from him just like he had Louis. Both times both boys had stayed unconscious after the fact, but Jericho had assumed he had just been to brutal with the first boy. Now however, both boys were in the hospital with doctors having no idea when they would wake up.

'I may have nocked Louis out but I know he shouldn't be in a comma. There's only one explanation, the wisps. They must be why neither boy is waking up.'

"Again, ma'am the doctors have ruled the reason for him not waking up not at all tied to Mr. Reynolds or the blow he delivered to your sons head. They have no idea what is keeping him unconscious but they have determined the source is likely someone's ability which, as stated before, Mr. Reynolds does not have."

"I DON'T CARE IF THAT FREAK ISN'T DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE. HE'S THE REASON MY SON WAS UNCONSCIOUS IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"Ma'am again I can't stress it enough we can not-"

Before Jericho let the conversation devolve any further he decided to knock on the door.

"Ah, it seems my other appointment has arrived. Come in," he heard the principal say.

Opening the door Jericho scanned the room, it was a medium sized office with the majority of the space being taken up by the desk and a few chairs in front of it.

The principal looked worn out, the bags under his eyes prominent but not as much as Jericho's home room teacher. He had a close cut salt and pepper beard and a dress shirt with slacks on. All in all he just looked like a man who was trying to be professional but was far to tired.

The principal wasn't really his main concern, the woman sitting in one of the chairs glaring at him was. Her purple hair confirming that this was in fact Louis' mom. She might've been pretty, with high cheek bones an angular jaw, and deep green eyes, but the appeal was ruined with the hawkish glare she sent Jericho's way.

"Mr. Reynolds so glad you could join us! We were just discussing-"

"WE WERE DISCUSSING HOW BEST TO PUNISH YOU, YOU MISERABLE LITTLE BRAT," yelled Louis' mom.

The principal had visibly cringed at her loud shrill voice," Now Mrs. Velior there is no need for that. I'm sure Mr. Reynolds feels quite terrible for what has happened."

Jericho frowned, why would he feel bad about finishing a fight he wasn't even the one who started? Louis had been stupid enough to challenge him with no strategy in mind other than to flail around like an idiot, and keep a mildly useful part of his ability hidden until the end. The only thing Jericho had learned from the fight was that no matter how much you thought you knew about an enemy never underestimate them.

So not wanting to underestimate the woman in front of him Jericho sat in the chair a few feet away from her and scrutinized her until the same window appeared that had for Louis.

Anastasia Velior

Level: 3 (Beta)

HP: 160

Status: Enraged

XP: 550/800

Energy: 600/300

Strength: 9

Dexterity: 30

Constitution: 16

Intelligence: 30

Wisdom: 10

Charisma: 15

Ability: Electric Flow

This ability allows the user to send electrical currents through conductive surfaces. If there is no conductive surface the user can electrify their own body at a cost of 10 energy per second.

Sub Ability: Battery

The user can store electricity within their body allowing them to exceed their energy limit by a factor of (INT x 10). However if the user stores to much energy they are at risk of energy poisoning. The alternate use for this ability is energy transfer; the user can transfer stored energy to a target they are touching.

Combination Ability: The user harnesses their own energy pool and the energy pool of Battery allowing them to discharge a line of electricity through the air equal to that of a small lighting bolt cost 400 energy.

Jericho had to suppress the urge to whistle at Mrs. Velior's stats, she could inflict serious damage to someone like himself. And her ability made it very apparent where Louis had gotten his stunning ability on his whip from. What was strange was why his mom had a sub ability but his only counted as a single one with the ability to stun as a side use.

Error! Information Unavailable!

User Interface Assistant progress 34%

"Now Mr. Reynolds, with Mrs. Velior's opinions aside we have had to inform Vesta's School for the Gifted about this incident, as after today we will have no more jurisdiction over you or any authority to punish you.

Although, I find it very unlikely that they will punish you we have had to inform them of these circumstances all the same. Wether or not they punish you is entirely up to them but just so you know they will be coming around collecting you for your first day of term in two weeks.

That is all, you may go. And please sign your name at the front desk to let Ms. Wiser know your scheduled appointment is over.

Blinking Jericho looked at the principal and then back to Mrs. Velior," um thank you, sir."

After Jericho had closed the door behind him he could hear continued screeching from behind the closed door.

"Done already," Ms. Wiser the woman at the front desk asked as she scrutinized her nails.

"Yes ma'am."

"Sign the sheet up here in front of me," she said with a bored drawling voice.

Jericho had no idea who you had to piss off to get stuck with a boring job like a principals assistant in a High School, but Ms. Wiser seemed to have given up long ago. He sighed propping himself up on his elbows while he signed the paper.

After one final shout and a loud bang, Mrs. Velior strode away from the principals office door making her way over to Jericho. As she strode closer he didn't like the look she gave him one bit he liked it even less when she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away from the assistant desk and out into the hallway.

"I don't know how you got out of being punished you little freak, but know this, my husband is a large contributor to Vesta's and I will make your life there a living hell."

Jericho stared at her with a blank expression and no fear," I don't know what you think it's like to live as a person in this society with no ability, but I can tell you no matter what you do you won't be able to make it any worse for me. So I'm warning you now, either let me go or use your weak ass shocking ability like your bitch son did so I can either leave or stomp our teeth into the ground. It's your choice, but we both know how it went for Louis."

With a stunned expression Louis' mom let Jericho go and stepped back a few steps," that's what I thought," Jericho said as he turned away from her and walked out of the front doors of the school.

'Holy shit! I can't believe that bluff worked! If she had used her full ability she no doubt could've knocked me unconscious if not outright kill me. I shouldn't have let her grab me knowing her power. It's a good thing I shocked her by letting her know I knew what her power was.'

As Jericho walked down the street it was well past when students would normally be going home it was around 5:30 p.m. and Jericho just wanted to get home and lay back down. Jericho's one bedroom apartment wasn't far but it would take him at least ten minutes to get back.

As he walked two and three story buildings passed him by, the town Near Port he lived in on Vesta wasn't very big but it wasn't like one of the small towns you would find on Earth, almost no towns like that existed on colonized planets. When humans had began colonizing, towns and cities had to be larger than average to properly populate the planets, after all humanity didn't have millions of years like they did on Earth to populate the new worlds.

While Near Port wasn't small like towns on Earth, it didn't hold a candle to Vesta City which dwarfed even Old New York on Earth. The thought of such a large City had Jericho both nervous and excited to see the new sights.

—————Unknown Location——————

"The new batch of recruits looks promising this year," said a gruff man his fingers steepled covering his mouth his slited yellow eyes giving him a bestial appearance.

"Maybe, but there's just as many oddballs this year too. Like this one," a thin woman with silver hair tied into a ponytail said as she threw a Manila folder onto the table a picture of the candidates face partially sliding out," he's got no ability, yet he's exceptional in every area we require including combat."

"That's true, but he's got a history of aggressive tendencies toward people his own age and even a few against authority figures," a tall man with black hair and glasses said picking up the file," not to mention he's been diagnosed with Conduct Disorder he's a disaster waiting to happen. Thank god he doesn't have an ability or he may have been even worse. The only reason we've allowed him to enter is his exceptional scores, not to mention he's been in at least eight duels since his peers found out he was applying and he's won every single fight. He's fought five Gammas, and now threw Betas each with more progressing hostility. The most recent one being Louis Velior a Beta in the same year as him and while he didn't inflict any lasting wounds this is the second person to have fought Mr. Reynolds and not woken up."

"Wait," said the silver haired woman," did you say Velior as in-"

" Yes," said a tall man with graying brown hair and purple eyes," my son."

Every occupant in the room sitting at the table stood abruptly to salute the new arrival.

"Master Sergeant Velior sir, we didn't expect to have you in the meeting today," said the black haired man with glasses.

"I do need to show up to these meetings every once and a while Dominic. Now onto matters regarding our special case student. Jericho Reynolds, I believe his name is?"

"Yes sir," said the gruff man," we've been having trouble deciding where to put him."

"Well," said the Sergeant," why not put him in the combat devision. He's got excellent athletic marks and his grades are more than adequate to keep him in that devision."

"With all due respect sir are you the best p-" started the silver haired woman before the Sergeant turned to her sharply.

"What, Corporal Diana? Are you questioning my authority and judgment?"

"N-no sir," said Corporal Diana shrinking back at the Sergeants glare.

"Good then it's decided. Jericho Reynolds will be assigned to combat devision grade one," the Sergeant said stamping the file of the student with a red stamp labeling him as "Combatant".