Alkalians (28 page)

“
Uh, yeah, I guess you’re
right.” Backing off to let Sean go, the guy that held him against
the wall tells his buddies, “Come on, let’s get out of here, before
we look like the bigger idiots.” The other men nod and grunt before
they shamble off, becoming lost in the crowd throughout the
room.

Sean shrugs his shoulders and rubs his
neck before telling Dante, “Hey man, thanks for the help there. I
was certainly in a sticky situation, wouldn’t you
agree?”

“
Yes, you certainly were.
I don’t really care if this rumor is true or not at the moment, as
I fear something more sinister is going on.”

“
Oh, really? What could
that be?”

Dante narrows his eyes at him and
says, “I need your help finding Matt. Do you know where he
is?”

“
Of course! He should
still be playing cards.”

They both go to look in the gambling
room, but don’t find him at any of the stations. “Maybe he’s in the
pit arena room?” Sean suggests. They go check, but he wasn’t there,
either.

“
He must have left the
building,” Dante says. Before Sean could ask, he answers, “I think
James is up to something. Something bad.”

“
James? You mean James
Iroshen, the boss student, James?”

“
Yes, that’s who I mean.
Now listen, I saw him enter the men’s restroom, all wet and in
swimming trunks, and less than a minute later, he comes back out,
pressed in one of those rich suits and completely dry.”

Sean fails to see the significance.
“So? He changed clothes. People do it all the time.”

“
In less than a minute?
Switching from swimsuit to the complex fabricated suit, without
drying off with a towel? And not to mention he went into the dance
room’s lavatory, rather than the changing room at the pool? Doesn’t
that seem odd to you?”

Sean considers it for a moment, and
then blinks. “You don’t think,” he asks more quietly, “that he did
that, you know, trick of his?”

“
He must have, because a
moment before the swimsuit James appeared, I saw the groomed James
enter the restroom, and he didn’t come out until the second James
went in.” Dante glares at Sean and says, “James was separated into
two of himself.”

“
Yeah, but, he only does
that, outside of battle, for a…”

“
Deception mission. And I
have a feeling he did that to Matt and one other person. Anyone you
know who was at the pool?”

“
Uh, I think Rose was
going to be lounging there.” Sean realizes what could have
happened. “But what could he have told Matt and Rose, in different
rooms, at the same time? What’s he planning to do?”

“
That’s exactly what I am
worried about. James couldn’t have gone too far, so let’s go ask
him. If he’s in the mood for talking to us.” Sean nods before they
begin searching through the casino again, looking for
James.

***

Matt, alone in the wind-brushed
fields, makes his way back to the cabins, a headache thumping
through his skull. He can’t understand why Rose would be a ninja.
The moment the Alkalian Confederacy was formed, thus ending the Age
of Chaos, assassinations were no longer needed, so the states
unanimously decreed them illegal. If being an assassin makes you a
murderer, why would Rose have trained in the ways of one? Of all
the martial arts to base her skills on, why did she choose
ninjutsu? To answer him, James’ hint about Riaquen still finding a
use for assassins comes to him, and considering the state’s
military regime he does not find the theory farfetched. With a grim
frown on his face, he can only settle on asking Rose herself the
important question.

Meanwhile, far away from him but about
to cross his path, Rose, changed into her normal clothes, broods
about Matt. Could he really be an undercover terrorist? It’s
possible because no one would suspect a student having criminal,
orchestrated plots to prepare the destruction of a major school.
Perhaps the S.C. has figured this out, and Matt could be their
attempt at it. There is only one way she could think of to find out
for sure, interrogating Matt’s story for any flaws and then
directly asking him the question.

***

Dante and Sean plunge out through the
doors of the casino, where Dante asks, “He wasn’t on your
half?”

“
Nope, and I guess not
yours, either.”

Dante curses. “He’s probably long
gone, then. The only thing we can do now is look for Matt and Rose,
so they can tell us.”

“
Good idea! Let’s start at
the cabins. They could be heading there right now.” They start
trotting off when a voice hidden from view halts them.

“
Hello, Dante Goros and
Sean Wyseinburg. What’s the rush?” They turn around to at last find
James, emerging from the shadows by the casino’s entrance. “Where
could you two be off to in such a hurry?”

Sean spits, “YOU! What did you do to
Matt and Rose!?”

“
I beg your
pardon?”

“
Sean, let me do the
talking,” Dante says, and Sean backs off with a pout. He then asks
James, “Not too long ago, did you have a conversation with Matt
Calamos or Rose Alamence? Or both?”

“
Hmm, now what could make
you think that?”

“
Because I saw you as two
people instead of one about five minutes ago, and everybody knows
why you would be split when not fighting someone.”

“
Heh, and? What makes you
think I spoke with Matt and Rose, of all people?”

“
You’re a boss student,
which means you’ll be most likely involved in the latest big
happening when you’re sneaking around. That means you must have
done something involving Matt Calamos, the biggest topic of
interest right now.”

James looks impressed, and
congratulates him while applauding, “Well done, Dante, well done. I
confess, you’ve figured me out. But what do you think I told them,
Matt and Rose?”

“
I was hoping you could
tell us that,” remarks Dante. “But if you won’t talk willingly, we
may have to make you reconsider.”

“
You’re threatening me for
the information?” James laughs before saying, “A first-year
intermediate and a freshman, against an elite senior. Who’s more
likely to get hurt? Besides, even if you beat me, why would I
bother explaining myself to you?”

“
Oh, I’ll tell you why!”
Sean responds. “If word goes around that another boss student got
beat by rookies, there’s going to be uproars throughout the entire
student body, and there will be constant battles against the
seniors, eventually leading to their downfall and pandemonium in
all the classes for who will be the new bosses! But, in exchange
for some important information, we may just keep our rookie mouths
shut.”

James sees Sean’s point
when he glares at them. “That would only be possible if you
did
beat me, and I’m not
about to let that happen.”

“…
Way to go, Sean, how do
you expect us to defeat him?” asks Dante as he puts a palm to his
face. “I was going to try threatening something else valuable to
him, without a fight.”

“
Oh, really? Like
what?”

“
Like, exposing how James
uses and abuses every pretty girl he gets his hands on.”

“…
I thought everyone knew
that.”

“
We know it, or at least
suspect it, but have never been bold enough to bring it up to the
authorities.”

“
Oh. Well, then, how’s
that, James? Tell us what we want to know, and we’ll not tell the
officers how you’re a womanizer!”

“
Hah, I don’t think so,”
blows off James. “And besides, what could you use for
proof?”

“
Did you ever consider,
James,” Dante asks, stepping forward to stare down the taller
senior, “what some of those poor girls, after giving their chastity
and hearts to you, do after you’ve taken and thrown them away? Some
of them come to me.”

“
You? Hah, and why would
they come to you, Dante Goros, the smoker in the
shadows?”

“
Because I am Dante Goros,
second in line to the monarchy of the Saratu state, and some of
those women also hail from Saratu. They come to me for guidance and
affection, and trust in my nobility after yours betrayed
them.”

“
In
your
nobility? Why wouldn’t they go
to your sister, the first in line to your throne?”

“
James, everyone knows why
they wouldn’t go to my sister. Half the time, she’s the reason you
left them.”

“…
Again, well done, Dante.
I’ve always wondered if you had any agenda in mind here at college,
almost figured you didn’t, but now it seems I’ve underestimated
you. Very well, then.” He nods to them both, oddly smiling, and
turns to walk away.

Sean, at first impressed by Dante
intimidating James, glances in confusion between them before
asking, “Wait, what? Why’s he walking away? You just…”

“
He’s not.” Sighing, Dante
warns him, “Get ready to fight.”

“
Huh!? What do ya mean? I
thought we didn’t want to fight him!”

“
If he can injure us so
badly that we are sent to the infirmary, I won’t have the chance to
expose him, and not only would that give him time to prepare ways
to make himself look innocent, but he would also always loom over
us as the superior, his shadow threatening to beat us
again.”

“…
You’re too good at this
game, you know that, Dante?”

“
Yes, I do. It’s a curse,
actually. And incoming.” When Sean turns to look, they both morph
an instant before two fast objects collide into them.

***

Matt and Rose, lost in their thoughts,
don’t notice the other until their paths toward the cabins converge
and they nearly bump into each other. Startled, they both hesitate
before greeting, and move on together toward the cabins. For a long
minute, neither of them speaks before Matt asks, “You’re an
Elemental Artist, right?”

Rose answers, “Yes.”

“
And your elemental type
is plant-based?”

“
Yeah. Why are you asking
me things you already know?”

“
Well, because I just
learned something I didn’t know of you. Is your martial art
ninjutsu?”

“
Of course! Couldn’t you
tell on your own?”

Embarrassed from her response, Matt
admits, “No, I never did guess what your art was. In all of my
training, and in the gym, I wasn’t told there was a ninjutsu
martial art, so I’ve never heard of it until today.”

“
Oh, right.” Rose feels
bad for snapping at him and agrees, “Ninjutsu isn’t a very common
art of battle, so it’s hardly even mentioned. But yes, I specialize
in it.”

“
Uh huh. So, how good are
you at it?”

Relieved to talk about it, instead of
more pressing concerns, Rose says, “Very good, actually. I’ve
trained in it ever since I was a child. In fact, my expertise isn’t
limited to my battle morph. Not only can I automatically do the
techniques in my morph, but I’m also capable of using them as a
human. Not too many Alkalians share that condition, being able to
use your art in either of your forms.”

Matt slightly pales as he forms a grim
conclusion from her statement. She doesn’t even need to be in morph
to stalk and kill someone, and could it be that Riaquen had
intended to make her an assassin when she was just a child? He
keeps his fear hidden, replying, “Wow. That’s amazing.”

“
You’re not the first
person to say that,” Rose says with a wry smile. When Matt doesn’t
ask anything else, she finds her chance. “So, who are your parents,
again?”

Matt shrugs and replies, “Romulus and
Anna Calamos.”

“
Okay. What do they
do?”

“
My dad is a ranger, and
my mom stays at home, occasionally going to town to sell sculptures
or figurines.”

Raising an eyebrow, Rose asks,
“Sculptures or figurines? What kind?”

“
Oh, well, you see, when
my dad’s home, he and my mom work together and create sculptures or
figurines made of glass. Then, my mom either leaves them made of
glass, or transmutes them into a rare and valuable substance, like
diamond, emerald, ruby, etc.”

“
Uh huh. Does she have a
license?”

“
License?”

“
Yeah. By national law,
one needs to have a license to transmute rare minerals or
jewels.”

“
Oh, right. Uh, yeah, I’m
sure she does. I never thought of it, but yeah.”

Frowning in response, concerned his
story could be flawed from not being ready for that important
detail, Rose goes on. “Anyway, your father is a ranger,
right?”

“
Yeah.”

“
Where does he patrol, and
how often?”

“
The Minari/Tirez border,
for three months, before coming back home for a month.”

“
Uh huh. Who was the
latest terrorist or criminal he’s caught, and what for?”