Chapter 39: Composition

After Brawl practically fell limp in my arms, I glanced around. Of the few Dupes gathered around, none of them seemed particularly surprised by the outcome of the fight. But that meant I was still ranked second to the bottom of all the members of the SAP.

“Should we get a medic or something?” I asked.

“Is he breathing?” someone else grumbled.

“Yeah?”

“Then he’ll be fine. This isn’t the first time. He’ll wake up soon.”

“Right…”

Since no one had explained our schedule, and it didn’t seem like there was anything we were supposed to be doing in the evenings, I returned to the barracks. It felt odd to not gather around a campfire with the rest of my squad from the 294th, but at the same time, it had barely been two months that I’d spent with them. It was surprising how quickly you could get used to a new schedule.

When I got back to the barracks, I sorted through my equipment and set myself up in my room, which didn’t take too long, then went exploring to get used to the layout of Castle Urcia. By the time I returned, most of the other Dupes were settling down. A curfew bell tolled, signalling us to get back inside.

That was when I found my roommates. They hadn’t been expecting me, and one of them groaned. “New guy’s with us?”

“At least he doesn’t stink,” a second Dupe muttered.

“Not yet,” I told them, settling down on my bed. “But if you’re worried about not having enough free space, I’m sure the rooms will clear out after the entrance exam, and you’ll have more room to yourselves.”

It had been a long day, and I still had to remind myself that I’d spent the morning riding with my two recruiters to this castle. I hadn’t realized how exhausted I was until I settled down on my bed and nearly passed out immediately. It was so soft compared to the cots in our squad’s tent on the front.

Getting used to comfort like this was a bad idea. But, just like the baths, I had to enjoy it while it lasted.

~ ~ ~

When the bell began tolling next morning, I jumped out of bed. With four Dupes in one room, it was crowded, and I nearly crashed into another man who hopped down from the bunk above me.

Once I got my boots and my regular tunic on, I raced down to the mess hall, where everyone was gathering for breakfast. I grabbed a plate and walked down the meal line, claiming a plate full of scrambled eggs and diced potatoes before returning to one of the tables. I sat close to the open doors, where the most fresh air blew in and the most natural light poured into the hall.

And then I assessed the situation, looking for anyone who looked like a good addition to a squad. I couldn’t expect anyone to invite me. I had to form a squad myself if I wanted to be sure.

As expected, people were still avoiding me. Most of them had their friends groups that they stuck to, and I wasn’t going to break those apart. Besides, with the rumours that I was an Atoning, it would be even more difficult to get into a group now.

I began eating, running through different situations in my mind, when a weight settled down on the bench beside me, blocking out the natural light from the doors.

“Brother! You fought well last night.”

I glanced over. It was Brawl, holding a plate heaped high with food. He set it down with an earnest smile.

“Thanks,” I said. “You know, you’re not that bad yourself.” I wasn’t just trying to inflate his ego—there was something there. He had the power, but he wasn’t built for one-on-one fights. Of course he’d lost all his duels here, where the other candidates could identify and exploit weaknesses like that.

But all it revealed to me was how flawed this system truly was. Someone like Brawl should have been desired in every squad, but instead, he was at the bottom of the rankings because he had a weakness that we could easily work around.

Stolen story; please report.

And yet, this was all supposed to be team-based, right? It wasn’t like we as sappers were ever going on individual missions. I’d never seen one without at least a partner, but it sounded like we’d be in squads of four—at least to start off.

I asked, “You have an Art, right?”

“Indeed, brother. It’s an energy redirection Art. I charge it up throughout a fight, and when I’m ready, after I’ve taken enough hits, I unleash it at the cost of a Presence. It creates a swell of force that blasts anything away from me.”

I nodded. “Sounds useful.” After a short pause, I said, “Wanna join up? I assume you’re not in anyone else’s squad.” I hadn’t seen him with anyone else, and I figured if he had been in a squad, I would’ve figured that out last night.

“Truly?” Brawl asked. “You would have me in your squad?”

“Really,” I replied.

“You’re desperate, brother.”

“Yes,” I replied. “But I also think I can make this work.”

“You have two days to find two more members, brother. Your chances dwindle by the second.”

“Alright, so let’s consider this and plan it a little bit better,” I said. He was right, though, and we somehow needed to find two more squad-mates before the deadline, or we were automatically out. “What’s our schedule?”