[Ties] Bootcamp 4

"Are you ready, Malachi?"

"Yes, Mama."

Malachi and Bashia, along with Arlianne and Ibrahim, were outside their home in the Eskur village. Hanging on Bashia's arm was a pair of linen bags, and over Ibrahim's back was a rucksack. Malachi and Arlianne also had their personal bags. However, Malachi's bag was different from the rest.

"Are you sure that 'zipper' thing can hold heavy baggage?" asked Bashia, "Actually, Mally, how much can that bag of yours carry?"

On Malachi's back was a backpack. Unlike the linen bags and pouches that others had, he had a robust-looking bag with many pouches and compartments. Apparently, apart from studying and exploring, Malachi had shared his knowledge with the others. The Head Chief of the village furnace had one thing to say:

"Beautiful." he said, "Because of this bag, the number of items we could carry with just one of them had increased to five times the amount from mere linen sacks. How the heck does a kid like you come up with these?"

By now, many of the workers and couriers in the village had each their own backpacks of similar designs, adjusted to their body's build. Malachi, although he gave the design, had a smaller version suitable to his young body.

"Mama, you've seen the guys' reactions." answered Malachi to Bashia, "Don't you want to have one?"

"Hmm, even if it makes item transportation easier..." said Bashia, "Somehow, I feel my back will hurt in the long run."

"Then, how about a wheel cart that can be strapped to the back?" asked Malachi, "I could design one that could be pulled on the ground or carried on the back—a stroller suitcase. You can put more items in it, and just pull it along the ground."

Bashia clasped her hands.

"In that case, we will see in the next outing." replied Bashia, "I'm really curious about all of your past's technologies. That stove you had the engineers make was a hit for the village's families. The merchants have also been asking for you, you know?"

"Just making life easier for, ultimately, me. Besides, that adjustable stove, it took me a year and a half to perfect it with the available resources." said Malachi, "Though, truthfully, I would rather improve this kingdom's engineering instead, especially the military's. The fusil's design was too wasteful and cumbersome that it could be fatal to its wielder. This intent of mine is especially for the kingdom as a whole."

"I understand, Mally. However, for now, do enjoy your new youth, okay?" suggested Bashia, "It would make me sad if you were to leave home while being so young."

Although Bashia was smiling as she said that, her eyes said another thing entirely. Despite giving Malachi relative freedom, he was still her son, and her eyes were filled with worry and sadness.

"Yes, Mama." affirmed Malachi, "I'm sorry if I ever made you worry. I promise, that until I enter the academy, I won't enter the world of combat."

Concluding their agreement, the household left their home, and rode on a truck going to the city over the distance.

"Still, though, it wouldn't hurt to make these trucks more efficient, right?" wondered Malachi.

///

Rhiamalka, capital of the Kingdom of Perlas.

It was home to 400,000 citizens, Perlasians and non-Perlasians alike, and covered an area of 60 square kilometers. The city itself, shaped like a circle, was surrounded by tall and robust white walls and towers. Its outlying lands were covered with farmland, surrounding what few sources of water it had, and had a fairly rich agriculture. Within the city proper were large structures of stone, wood, and metal, grayed out by the soot and ash carried away by the smoke that formed pillars high atop the cityscape.

At the center of the city was a majestic palace, built upon a small hill overlooking the entire city. The palace, reaching heights of well over 100 meters, only covered an area of 3 square kilometers. However, the most prominent characteristic of this palace was...

"A pearl in the middle of a wasteland." commented Malachi, "A fitting description for the 'Perlas' Kingdom."

Indeed, the palace itself was kept as white as it could possibly be despite the city's pollution. Its brilliant presence could easily steal a visitor's gaze and admiration amongst all the seemingly dull sights in the city.

"Right? It could be called as the pride of the kingdom." said Ibrahim, "I knew you'd be surprised by the palace. That's where His Highness is staying."

"Hmm, but, can it withstand a siege?" asked Malachi.

"Oh, right, we hadn't really touched on the subject of military history, have we?" remembered Ibrahim, "Er, let's say that my elders, during the war, were unable to breach the inner walls before they were pushed back."

Ibrahim said no more as it seemed to be a touchy subject.

"As for other wars, there are probably none that were recorded." he added, "This palace was built only after the Unification War 300 years ago."

"300 years? That's sturdy." commented Malachi, "Although, I can be sure that it had been repeatedly renovated and improved upon since then, right?"

"The official count stated that the palace has been renovated and reconstructed ten times in the past." answered Ibrahim, "But that's, like I said, the official count. I cannot say for the rest."

Bashia suddenly clapped her hands and called for the men's attention.

"All right, you two. Time to get to work." said Bashia, "Dr. Ibrahim and I will be going to the commerce district to buy our necessities. Mally, I know you can take care of yourself, but do be careful, okay? Don't get Arlianne into trouble as well."

"Got it, Mama." replied Malachi, "We will just walk along the main roads. Good thing the cobblestones used for the main roads are differently colored than the rest."

"All right. Then, before the sun sets, we will meet back in this plaza." added Ibrahim, "Oh, right. Malachi, will you be wearing your goggles?"

"Ah, thanks for reminding me." replied Malachi as he pulled out a pair of goggles with a strap from his bag and wore it.

His goggles, which were tinted to a degree, hid his red eyes from the others. He had done so as he was unsure of the treatment regarding halves. Learning about history from Ibrahim, he had learned that Eskur and non-Eskur relations were strained because of a war a few decades ago. This war was dubbed as the Eskur Uprising. The cause of which originated from a distant continent where Eskurs also lived. Lived, but were oppressed.

The Eskurs took revenge upon those who had made them suffer and exploited their talent for engineering, and turned the world upsidedown. The war spread to the other continents, nations, kingdoms, and empires and lasted for a mere three years before the Eskurs in certain locations were defeated. The only Eskur group—also known as a Clan—that was victorious was Clan Skali, founded far to the west.

Those who were defeated, especially in the still existing Empire of Taijun, were thoroughly punished and unforgiven. Here in the Kingdom of Perlas, the late king that ruled before made a treaty with the surviving Eskur Clans. One of the clans were, as Bashia had told him when they were discussing the war, was Clan Skaria—Malachi's elders. The treaty was successful, only because Eskurs were not as oppressed in the kingdom as other states. Yet, even with the treaty, the embers of war still remained in the hearts of Perlasians that suffered greatly.

///

Malachi and Arlianne walked along the city's roads. With a map from who knew where Malachi had gotten it from in hand, they were heading towards the huge stack of smoke in the distance—the city furnace.

"If I recall correctly, the boss said that the city's furnace handles any request of any nature including the military's." uttered Malachi, "Let's go, Arlianne."

"Yes, Young Master." replied Arlianne succinctly, making Malachi turn back to her.

"Just call me 'Mally' or 'Baby Brother', Arlianne." said Malachi, "It's just us, after all."

"You say that, yet the truth is that you are older than me." replied Arlianne, "Besides, you don't even call me 'Big Sis' or 'Elder Sister'. No, wait, it feels wrong, for some reason."

Malachi stared at Arlianne.

"You've changed." he said, "Maybe I should tickle you?"

"I've merely matured, Young Master." she replied, "A grown man shouldn't do such childish things. It is very demeaning to one of such intelle—kh!? Young Master!?"

Malachi slid beside her as she spoke, and jabbed a finger at her side. Malachi poked her repeatedly, and her defenses crumbled forcing her to stifle a laugh.

"Young... Master... Stop it!" shrieked Arlianne, "Malachi!"

"Oh, how I miss your screams~" sang Malachi, "So young, so inno—!? Who threw that rock!?"

"What the heck are you doing to a girl, you pervert!?" shouted a voice.

Malachi guarded himself from an unknown attacker. A rock, that was thrown at him, landed at an empty area by the roadside. At a nearby alley, a child came out while tossing a rock from one hand to another. The child seemed younger than both Malachi and Arlianne, and wore linen overalls atop a cotton shirt. The child's appearance was typical for a Perlasian boy.

"Who are you?" asked Malachi, "You've got a nice throwing arm, but your aim sucks."

"The name's Axel, and this is my territory!" said the child, "I don't like seeing indecent acts within my territory!"

"A street urchin?" wondered Malachi, "Geez, just my luck to get into unwanted trouble. Come on, Arlianne."

"Hey! Where are you taking her!?" shouted Axel.

Just as Malachi was about to turn, Axel threw another rock at him. Only, rather than evading, Malachi executed a roundhouse and deflected the rock next to Axel's feet. Axel froze up when it happened.

"We'll be leaving your territory." stated Malachi, "I'm taking Arlianne with me because she is my cute little sister."

" 'Elder' sister, Young Master." retorted Arlianne.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that?" snapped Malachi, "Anyway, don't cause too much trouble, kid."

Malachi and Arlianne resumed their trip to the city furnace, and left Axel rooted where he stood. When Malachi and Arlianne were out of sight, Axel let out a sigh of relief, and a young man came out from behind.

"Are you all right?" asked the man.

"Why didn't you come out sooner?" questioned Axel.

"I deemed that the situation was merely a petty squabble between kids." said the man, "Besides, I didn't feel any intent to kill from that boy."

"But to deflect a rock with a kick, his body is also good." commented Axel, "I wonder if he's a noble's child?"

"Are you interested in him?" inquired the man with a wry smile.

Axel didn't notice the smile and answered calmly.

"A bit." he answered, "Still, a sister or a servant? The way he treats her is appalling, though."

"Hnn~?" snickered the man.

"What is it?" said Axel.

"Nothing, really." replied the man, "However, to not introduce himself despite you doing so upon asking... questionable ethics."

///

Malachi and Arlianne had arrived at a dome-shaped building in the eastern part of the city. The building had many chimneys and vents jutting out all over it, similar to the village furnace. It was the city's furnace. That said, just like the one at the village's, its entrance had an insane amount of traffic of, not only people, but also large transportation vehicles. Its entrance was more like a gate that could seemingly hold off a number of attacks just from the sight of its pure metal doors. The doors weren't hinged, but slid along a railway by a pair of Steam Knights.

"Ya know, with the present level of technology, especially with the Steam Knights, why not have the damned gates operate mechanically instead?" commented Malachi as he watched the entrance, "Thermodynamics, pressure, pumps and whatnot?"

"How would you suggest to move something of that size?" asked Arlianne, "I don't think the engine used for the knights would be enough."

"The first thing I would do is to get rid of that damned gate entirely." he answered, "Something of that size is useless once I recreate the weapons of my past life. Even if it could stop the attacks of this world's weapons, I cannot say the same once I get my hands on a factory."

"You plan to mass produce your technology?" she asked.

"As the future king, I have to." answered Malachi, "Though, I may have to deal with my uncle, first. I will 'revolutionize' this kingdom's military might. Heh heh heh."

Malachi and Arlianne mixed in with the crowd, and entered the city furnace. As usual, a wave of heat greeted them as the entered but, having gotten used to the village's, Malachi was unfazed. Except...

"Why do I feel cold air coming from somewhere?" he wondered.

"Is it your first time here?" asked an old man.

The old man was a Perlasian. Despite his age, his body was chiseled, and wore a thick apron. Wearing leather gloves, he placed a large box away as he greeted the two children.

"Why am I getting a mad sense of déjà vu?" commented Malachi, "I'm not even drifting."

Like how the village's Head Chief met with Malachi, the old man did the same.

"Are you the head chief of this furnace?" asked Arlianne, "You seem to look like one."

"Ohohoho! No, I'm not the head chief." replied the old man, "I'm merely one of the engineers working here. I usually hang around the entrance looking for fresh meat to invite into the business. Though, looking at you, I don't think you're the type to tinker around with... That bag...?"

The old man pointed at the bag on Malachi's back, his eyes wide in surprise. Looking closely, a number of engineers also had the same packs on their backs as they went from one place to another. Some engineers even used them as utility bags where they kept all of their equipment in.

"Are you also an engineer?" asked the old man, "But, you're too young."

"Actually, sir... um..." said Arlianne.

She was about to point out that Malachi was the creator of the backpack but was stopped the person himself. Malachi raised his hand to silence Arlianne.

"Nah, I'm not. Though, I am interested in machinery and technology." said Malachi, "I used to regularly visit the furnace in our village, and the head chief there told me to visit a city furnace to see more than what the level of a village could offer."

"I see, I see." affirmed the old man, "Your head chief has a good, well, head on his shoulders to guide a hopeful like you. So, how long will you be staying here?"

"Not for long, I apologize." said Malachi, "My family just went to the commercial district to buy some goods, and we will go home afterwards. As for us, a bit of adventure fitting for the youth."

The old man raised a brow.

" 'Youth' you say?" he said, "You sound like someone older than how you look."

"I get that a lot." replied Malachi, "Anyway, I've also heard that we could see military-grade equipment in the city. Where is it, exactly?"

"Are you interested in serving the kingdom?" asked the old man.

"In a way, yes. I am—will be serving the kingdom." he answered.

Although the old man couldn't see Malachi's eyes, he could hear the conviction in Malachi's voice.

"Huu... Quite serious, aren't you?" commented the old man, "Well, unauthorized civilians aren't allowed to go into the armory but, hearing what you said, I could probably let you slip in."

The old man led Malachi and Arlianne deeper into the city furnace. Passing by a doorway, it had a sign that said "Armory" hammered screwed onto a wall. They arrived at a long corridor,and were already halfway when they heard a loud explosion.

"BOOM!"

The explosion, although relatively muffled, was still enough to make the corridor reverberate from the shockwave.

"What was that?" asked Malachi.

"Haha, just in time." laughed the old man, "They're in the middle of testing the blasthammers. Anti-tank weapons, so to speak, carried by Steam Knights."

Passing through another doorway, the trio arrived at a large open area within the city furnace. To call it an armory was an understatement. The sheer size of it was enough to call it a weapons bunker. Over a square kilometer in size, with an open height of 20 meters, it had a myriad of military equipment. From handheld fusils and guns, to massive tanks the size of three houses. Each area had a team of engineers, Eskur and Perlasian, working together manufacturing and testing the equipment. A little while later, another explosion erupted in the middle of the area.

"BOOM!"

"OKAY! NEXT BATCH!" ordered an engineer that covered his ears.

Stacks of blasthammers were shipped out by a group of Steam Knights. Soon, a new stack of blasthammers came from a conveyor belt. Another group of engineers with a Steam Knight outfitted the knight with a blasthammers. The Steam Knight walked towards the space provided, lifted the hammer overhead, and brought down a meteor onto a stack of metal plates.

The hammerhead, upon impact, released a bright red-orange glow, before exploding in a split-second. The stack of metal plates, a total thickness of one meter, splintered and turned into shrapnel, blasting all over the place. The blast was strong, but was stopped by the barriers deployed around the testing site.

Malachi and Arlianne, being inside the armory, felt the brunt of the shockwave and the both of them were knocked back. The old man smiled as he watched the two children get up fro the ground.

"Powerful, isn't it?" commented the old man, "This is the pride of Perlas. The weapons that pushed back the Eskurs during the Eskur Uprising."

"Too cumbersome." stated Malachi, "Too much power, not enough mobility. How do the knights fare against armored cavalry?"

"Eugh... You know how to hit where it hurts." said the old man, "Yes, mobility is our problem, but our defense against infantry is unparalleled. Against siege weapons, though, the knights need to be escorted or transported closer to the target. But, it is how we've fought our war, it may even remain as it is in the future."

While the old man conversed with Malachi,

"Hyaa!?" shrieked Arlianne.

A woman sneaked up on Arlianne and gave her a hug.

"Hey, Gramps." greeted the woman, "I thought I told you to stop bringing in unauthorized personnel into the armory?"

"Ah, Chief. Come on, this guy is a hopeful for the academy." said the old man, "He will be serving the kingdom in the future. Ah, right. Kids, this is the Head Chief of Rhiamalka's Furnace."

The head chief, a woman seemingly in her late twenties, lifted Arlianne effortlessly. She wore a thick leather apron over linen overalls. Despite being a woman, her body was well-toned and could be compared to the male engineers in the furnace. That said, she had to be, being the head chief.

"I can see that the boy can handle himself quite well, but this girl needs to put on some muscle, first." said the Head Chief, "Hmm, are you planning to enter the academy as well?"

"We-well..." stuttered Arlianne, "I intend to follow Yo—my brother into the academy."

"Siblings, huh?" said the Head Chief as she had Arlianne, a twelve-year old girl, sit atop her shoulders, "Must be nice. Anyway, Gramps, this will be the last time I'll allow this, okay? Hey, kid."

The Head Chief approached Malachi.

"If you're entering the academy, what do you plan to work as?" she asked, "I'll personally give you a tour of the facility."

"Any reason for this?" asked Malachi, "It seems unbelievable to allow a pair of kids tour around a restricted area, even if you are the Head Chief."

"Let's say that you remind me of a certain old friend of mine." she replied, "When that friend of mine was as young as you, he did the same thing with Gramps here. Now, he is so high up above society that I rarely see him anymore."

Malachi scrutinized the Head Chief. Not finding fault her words, nor her expressions, he shrugged.

"Well, okay." he affirmed, "As for what I aim to be, something that focuses on good power and mobility. I prefer being able to hit hard and fast, harass the enemy for a bit before bolting for safety. All else, be able to pursue the enemy without pause, and swiftly ending the hunt."

Arlianne, the Head Chief, and the old man stared at the ten-year old boy before them.

'Is this kid really a kid?' thought the old man, 'His tactics are rather brutal...'

'I... did not expect that...' thought the Head Chief, 'He'd be perfect to be a Duelist, but somehow it's not that. He seems to mean something else...'

'Malachi...' groaned Arlianne in her thoughts, 'I give up.'