Field Training [Class Zero :: Morning]

With that said, Jackie retreated away from the fight, it was up to Susan to pick it up, it seemed. He hated pulling out like that, but if he stayed in, he'd just be a liability.

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Susan had managed to get over her weeping fit and collect herself though her cheeks were still wet. It wasn't through anything Hatsuhara had said to her moreover it was the collected demeanor she had to don in order to get through this training exercise. Make no mistake she was still incredibly upset but could hold onto it until the end of the mission unless everything began to fall apart like dominoes. Frankly it was somewhat calming to disassociate herself from her feelings and busy her mind with strategy, it was just like work. But the businesswoman handled herself much better when she could be alone to process this and focus. Deep breaths, in............. and out. She would summarily glance guiltily at Joseph's unconscious form. If this were a real mission she would have failed, at least in her eyes. Prince Julius laid out his objectives but Susan had her own. Casualties were unacceptable. The mission had already been lost to her. But she could save everyone else, she realized. The enemy cavalry was about to engage, leaving the back flank open. Meaning that they could do what Susan was best at: running away. They merely needed to reach the exit, a previously impossible task but could they lure the enemy deeper into their own territory the cavalry could be circumvented with no other battlefield deaths. Susan shivered at the prospect. It would succeed or she would fail further.

She had noticed that Cadet Jackie was at the end of his limits, something she had witnessed before the night prior. Though it was... very strange that he was a robot and definitely something to ask about in the future it was among the lesser outlandish things she had to deal with in the past few days. But he was overheating, he could not keep this up forever and he would be too tired to fight. Her stomach sunk. As much as she did not wish to enter the fray there was no other choice. Susan felt much less reserved about it this time around, now that she was responsible for the danger her team was in. She gave one last glance to Joseph before cradling her P90 in her arms and taking off at a dead run toward the battlefield as she witnessed Cadet Jackie retreat as she knew he would.
"Take care of Joseph...!" she called out to him as she passed him by. The woman came to a shuffling stop with her gun pointed down the riverbank, staring down the approaching force leaning against what little bit of rock she had for cover. Seshat began to form behind her in a dark smog, twitching and shaking at the anticipating conflict.

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A machine. Well that explained som things when it came to Jackie, but also opened the door for many questions too; however, this was no time to be bothered with curiosities. Their enemy was coming, Jackie was retreating, and Susan was entering the fray giving them the orders to defend and prepare to move out.

The Cadet would give a nod to the woman glad to see she was still choosing to stand despite it all. Perhaps it was this small bit of respect for that aspect of the woman that made it a bit easier for him he to do as he was told. He would up a defense for now and waited for the command as his eyes watched the approaching enemies as gun fire went off from behind. It was that gun woman again and a quick look back let him know it was Takeru that was being targeted.

“Hang on,” he would tell the guy before refocusing on the enemy and their movement. They were coming out of the dirt like areas that had them moving slowly and were now coming closer, but the young man would hold his ground. Waiting. Waiting. And then --

There was the signal from and without hesitation, Haru would do as he was commanded to do. He’d pull energy into himself, his persona melding with him to help channel the power. Then pushing off the ground the Cadet moved as fast as he could past the enemy and towards the exit. He did pretty good, but man after running through that dirt path he felt himself a bit winded and had to slow up for a bit. This was a memory, but seriously just what the heck was this place really that everything in it felt so real and wore at him like this? Another question to ask later he suppose….

Hatsuharu - Level 6 - Vanguard - Blue Star:

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The battle stress was getting to her as she felt her nerves begin to fray. Takeru came under fire as expected yet it was the enemy toward the front that had hit the hardest with their assault. Luckily for Susan she had been anticipating an attack on the front, though she shrieked and cowered behind her bit of rock as pellets ricocheted across it. Seshat had begun to grow restless, vibrating and interlacing its limbs with frantic, choppy movements.
"....n-now! R-run past them to the extraction zone...!" she cried out over the sound of shotgun shells and machinegun rounds.

Not now, any time but now! Susan began to panic as she could feel the scratching in the back of her head, the anxious sort of fear threatening to lose control of Seshat again just when every action was crucial. She was going to fail again. Susan would fail and everyone would die and it would be her fault. The tactician held her breath and forced those feelings downward, she would keep hold of herself. She had no other choice.
The timid woman picked herself from her crouch in time to see Hatsuhara take off at incredible, impossible speeds. This was the power the Cadets wielded. Maria held it. Hatsuharu held it. Jackie and Joseph and Takeru and the Prince and everyone else held it but not her. But she knew she was capable. If it could be attained then she would attain it.

With her resolved strengthened by the powerful, successful facade she wore Seshat began to morph and take an alternate shape. It was as if life had been breathed into the shadowy creature, the emptiness being given way to golden skin, the wisps into jewelry, and the papyrus into the robes of the Pharaoh. Susan could feel her mind numb, the terror subside, all emotion fell to logic, reason, tactics, and strategy. The work that kept her mind busy. The robes from Seshat would snake away to form wrappings that hung loosely from Susan's limbs and neck.


She was able to see everything so clearly now as if it was written before her in strange runes. The instructions to invoke her latent abilities were written before her eyes.

Breathe energy into your core. Translate it into your movements. Maintain focus on your destination.

Susan did exactly that, planted her foot, and charged the enemy with an empty look as motes of light trailed behind her. Yet just before she ran into them she would sidestep around them through the opening they had created to continue toward the muddy path they had trot from.

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Fixed map, ignore what H did.

The situation was tense. More tense than dealing with demons. He wasn’t sure if it was the open area or the type of enemies they were dealing with, but the Cadet found himself more distressed than he had ever been before in a battle. His body just wouldn’t relax despite how calm he seemed on the outside. Was this fear?

He didn’t know and wouldn’t figure it out as he heard a scream from behind and turned to see the enemy attempting to attack Susan who was ducking behind the rock. That wasn’t good and he honestly had half the mind to turn back and use himself as a distraction so the others could get away. His illogical side that didn’t take in all the factors wanted to do that. Protect.

It threw him off balance because he typically did not have issues with emotions...even less so when confronted with a task. So why?

You like them. That is why.

The voice...his persona. Calm, logical, and unfeeling this time around. It sent chills down his spine as it cut through the mess in his head and laid out the facts.


But you won’t have anything to like if they are dead though. So kid, make up your mind. Massacre or save?

His persona was grining from behind that mask as its strange eyes narrowed and slide to side to observe him for a moment.

Massacre...or save….

The idol’s mind would whirl as he saw another attack being perform by the enemy. He wanted to...No.

The idol move his eyes from the attacks and focus on the exit which was within sight. If they reached the exit, the battle was still won right? So then....

With his mind clear and the way ahead clear, the idol would push off the ground and make a dash for the exit.

Hatsuharu - Level 6 - Vanguard - Blue Star:

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The moment Hatsuharu darted towards the exit and his feet finally hit the spot, a loud alarm filled the entire forest as if signaling a kind of farewell. One by one, each enemy began to sizzle and spark before disappearing all together. Soon enough, the entire forest disappeared into a space of pitch dark blackness surrounding the Cadets. The entire expanse cracked and broke apart to reveal the dojo they were in moments before. Nothing changed since they began. Sera was panting as he leaned against a nearby wall. It was sure one hell of a ride this whole battle. There were so many reversals that it was hard to keep track and a have a clear sense of it all.



Julius seemed as if content with the results. This group had a long way to go, but they proved able like the other Cadets. Lisa knit a frown together as usual, but she seemed utterly disinterested and didn't say so much of a word. At least, not with her esteemed brother around. Speaking of which, the Prince gestured at Maria.  The religious Cadet glanced at the clipboard at her hand before speaking. "Out of the six Cadets, one of you became a casualty. It's to be praiseworthy that you minimized the casualty count and managed to guide the team to completion. While I doubt this team had one, it may have been better if you had a support to help bring up your defenses. Nevertheless, you managed to understand the situation and complete your mission despite the difficulty. You've done well. Please continue to endeavor to improve yourself further. That will be all."

Julius flashed a smile at the group. "That said, we will be moving to Maria's and Lisa's exercise. You're welcome to stay and watch. But--"

There was a loud bang exploding behind him, causing the Cadet Captain to swivel his head back to the direction of the dojo's control room. Smoke was beginning to emanate from the open door, but the sound of the fire alarm and the sprinkler running greeted him. He seemed lost for words for the moment, but he certainly would have a couple with his Sister about this. Both Lisa and Maria seemed to be just as surprised. They were all just in there for the moment and to have it happen just as they left caused a small crawling sensation in their spine. "You're... dismissed. All of you."

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The tactician was struck in the back as she slipped in the mud in a mad dash to get her peers to safety. She didn't even wince, no flinching or whining. Susan didn't make any expression at all, really, remaining eerily quiet through the gunfire and haze of combat and flurry of activity. Seshat's wrappings fluttered loosely from her limbs as she moved along with her team. And in an instant it was over. A distant horn sounded over the excitement of the battle as the training ground grew still and then black before shattering back to reality. Still Susan would remain emotionless, blankly analyzing the situation and making her own silent judgement of things. Personally she did not feel that this victory was adequate. There were improvements she could have made, should have made, small mistakes that could have been prevented with a more acute and studied mind. There should have been zero casualties no matter the strength of their forces, even one was unacceptable. A superior strategy would have ensured that. But for once Susan did not comment or speak or even beat herself up, she merely watched and listened with a vacant expression as Seshat flickered behind her like a wisp.

She didn't even react when the alarms began to sound and the training dojo became drenched, soaking her from head to toe. Instead she would calmly approach the Prince amidst the chaos.


The woman would turn to the others and give them an empty stare to enforce her point, much unlike her.
"Have a pleasant day." Susan would remain behind as the others would take their leave and go about their no doubt busy schedules. What she had to inform him of was certainly of the utmost importance yet not something that was expected. She would professionally state that she was about to lose control of Seshat. It wasn't safe for her to leave the dojo and wander the school hallways causing property damage or worse and she would prefer that her... condition... would not be revealed to her teammates lest it erode any confidence they held for her if any. The businesswoman would take the safe approach and deal with her problem in the most efficient manner even if it meant more chagrin and embarrassment in the face of they Endymion Royalty though she would make her best attempt not to cry this time. She would come close anyway. Once dealt with Susan would profusely apologize as she had done before and return to her flustered self, filled with doubt of her abilities, the fear of them, and more questions than she had arrived with. The answers to those would need to fit into her busy schedule, however, life did not slow down because she was struggling to keep up with it.