Chapter 25: Fog widow
"What you have before you is a fog widow."
The elderly instructor smiled as he pointed toward a board. On it was projected an illustration of a forest, with tall trees, shrubs, and a dense fog obscuring the view of most things.
"Where’s the widow?"
I scanned it again, more carefully this time. That was when I noticed some rather odd trunks, eight to be exact.
Firstly, they were thinner than the others. Also, unlike the other straight trunks, they were inclined. I traced their faint outlines upward, leading behind a tree.
Unnervingly, hidden behind the fog and leaves of the tree were eight glowing orbs. I couldn’t make out anything else.
A few students gasped, having made similar discoveries. To this, the instructor just laughed, his eyes distant as though reminiscing about something.
"Rather nasty fellows, this bunch. Worse, the average rank of each is around D+. They are commonly found in the eastern parts of the Great Forest. The widows are also known as newbie killers, and for good reason too."
He paused, turning his head toward the projection as well. The light coming off it reflected sharply off his glasses.
"Their heartblood is quite popular among hunters, however, as they tend to provide stealth, detection, and illusory-focused abilities. Those long limbs you see also serve as excellent weapons, and although you can’t see it from here, their silk is highly useful as well."
The man adjusted his glasses before switching the projection with a gesture.
"Next..."
The man suddenly paused, turning to face the class.
"Have I explained the monster rankings?"
The class let out a noncommittal grunt, making the instructor facepalm.
"Right, of course. Let’s go over it quickly then."
He moved to switch the projection again, but I didn’t need to raise my head to know what was on it. The monsters in this world were ranked quite similarly to the humans, though their ranks had different names. Namely:
Rank E or Whelps
Rank D or Beasts
Rank C or Fiends
Rank B or Abominations
Rank A or Terrors
Rank S or Calamities
Each rank was broken into three stages, namely Fledglings, Adolescence, and Maturity. In the history of Bastion, the strongest monster ever encountered (at least publicly) was a Mature Calamity. It had almost led to the complete destruction of mankind too. Fortunately, the angels set aside their differences and teamed up to defeat it. Though, they went back to bickering right after.
Regardless, there were ranks even higher than Calamities, three to be exact:
Titans
Harbingers
And an Outergod
There was only one Outergod, and she was this world’s final boss.
Done with his explanation, the elder let out a satisfied smile.
"Very well, then. Shall we continue?"
The projection shifted again. The man seemed to take immense joy in the lecture. I couldn’t say I shared his sentiment though.
I already knew most of these things. I was only keeping my ear open in case there was something I didn’t know, like the previous widow. But even that was a problem when I couldn’t shake off the feeling of sickness that had been plaguing me since morning.
I’d run late into the night, pouring over the crossbow and long dagger manuals I’d collected from that guy. I later found out his name was Neji.
Add that to my morning exercise, and my condition felt even worse than it had yesterday.
I had to fight to stop the constant butterflies (not the good kind) in my stomach from spilling out. Even moving felt like a chore.
"And that’s about it for today. I’ll see you in wilderness survival class tomorrow."
The man tossed a wave at us before walking out, much to the chagrin of the Cadets. He was one of the nicer instructors, and his lecture on monsters and their environments was pretty interesting.
Not that it concerned me much. I leaned back on my chair with a tired groan, making Shin toss me a suspicious glance.
"You were like this yesterday as well. What exactly do you get up to in the mornin—"
He suddenly widened his eyes, covering his mouth conspiratorially.
"Ohhh..." He began nodding his head as though understanding something. "I respect you, I respect your choices bro."
I just waved him off tiredly.
"Whatever you’re thinking, it’s definitely not it."
"I see. I see."
Yeah, he definitely didn’t see.
Either way, he was quick to change the topic.
"You got any plans after lunch? We’re free today."
I nodded while clutching my stomach.
"Yeah, I need to do some training."
The look he gave me made his unspoken question obvious.
"In that condition?"
I didn’t bother answering him. He continued,
"Me too. I think I’ve gotten a bit rusty, especially after viewing that spar yesterday."
I gave him a deadpan stare at that. Shin just looked confused.
"What?"
"You just bullied your poor partner throughout the spar yesterday. How the hell do you think you’re rusty?"
A look of realization crossed his face.
"Oh, you mean that. I mostly beat him using brute force. If I wasn’t like this, the outcome of the match could have been completely different."
"Oh."
Well, when you look at it that way, it was a reasonable line of thought.
"So we’re going together, yeah?"
"Sure thing. Just... uh... give me a moment. Scratch that, a few moments."
I let out another groan.
’This is going to be a long day.’
---
"Urgh..."
I held the toilet’s door tentatively, waiting to see if my stomach was ready to let me go.
After a few more moments of waiting, and confirming I was truly out of the danger zone, I stepped out. I hadn’t been strong enough to keep the butterflies locked down, and in the end they spilled out. Halfway through my lunch at that.
Luckily, I’d been able to make it to a restroom before throwing up. Else, I might have gathered unwanted reputation with the other cadets.
At least there was a silver lining in all this, I felt a bit better after puking. However, my mouth tasted awfully bitter now and I was in no mood to continue my meal.
I sighed, seeing Shin waiting for me outside. Arms folded, he looked at me seriously.
"Are you sure you’re fine?"
I just waved him off before resting on my knees tiredly.
"Why so serious, of course I am."
I stood up,
"This... this is just a thing I have."
It looked like he got the hint, as he stopped questioning me about it. His face held a conflicted look though.
If a hunter had a recurring issue that they weren’t willing to tell anyone about, it was likely due to their burden.
We both stayed silent for a few moments before I decided to break it.
"Come on. Let’s go to the training hall."
Shin looked at me like I was a lunatic.
"You’re not going to the hospital?"
I scratched my hair in frustration.
"Like I said, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine, really."
Shin considered my words a bit before giving up with a sigh.
"Alright. If you say so."
He turned to leave, prompting me to follow. Only to stumble, nearly slamming myself face-first into the floor. Luckily, I caught myself in time.
Shin looked back in worry, extending his hand to support me. I declined the gesture though.
"It’s fine. Just uhh... walk a bit slower, will you."
He gave me an incredulous look before pinching his forehead and sighing again.
"Just don’t hurt yourself."
He began walking again, much slower this time.
I followed again, much more mindful of my balance. Nausea was a real bitch.
’Still, I can handle this much.’
It was more like I had to be able to handle this much. This burden wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Eventually, we made it to our destination. It was the same building I’d gone to yesterday, though it wasn’t nearly as empty. Numerous cadets streamed in and out of it, with some just lingering around nearby streetlamps chatting.
The reception hall was very lively as well, with the multitude of cadets hanging around putting its furnishings to good use.
The receptionist I saw yesterday was gone though. Instead, the table at the center was occupied by a slew of receptionists attending to cadets.
We went up to one of them, a weary middle-aged woman with a name tag "Karen" attached to her chest.
"Are there any free training rooms?"
Contrary to what her name tag would imply, Karen was rather friendly, if a bit tired.
"Yes, I believe there is. The general training grounds for year-one cadets are still open, though private privilege training grounds are locked until the rankings are released."
’Makes sense.’
"As long as you don’t mind having a few people around, it should be fine."
The woman asked us to imprint our thumbs on some biometric scanners before sending us off into the right corridor.
The right corridor was nigh identical to what I’d seen on the left. White, grand, and lined with metal doors.
We stopped at one of the particularly larger doors. It was the room Karen referred us to.
"You okay?"
I barely stopped myself from sighing. Ever since that incident in the cafeteria, Shin had been monitoring me like I’d collapse any second.
"It’s fine, really."
Well, kinda. During our walk here, I’d gradually been able to walk without paying constant attention to my balance. I still felt dizzy, with a lingering sense of weakness.
"Alright then."
He placed his thumb on a scanner beside the door, and with a gentle click, the door slid open.