Hardly Working

Rikkard dragged his feet while carrying the equipment in his back. The other Executioners looked concerned but didn't say anything. They were carrying things as well, so of course, they couldn't help the kid who was carrying a lot.

They were traveling down the roughest, thickest parts of the woods. The loud crunching of boots on fallen branches and dead leaves ringed throughout the forest. The cool breeze of the winds had died out, leaving him to the mercy of laboring exercise.

An hour ago, the campsite was packed up, Zabeth had given some orders, and everyone left. The once large party was split down into separate groups and went into different directions. Rikkard was assigned to Zabeth's personal squad and ordered to carry equipment. Heavy equipment.

As he adjusted his straps to the backpack, he stared ahead towards the front of the convoy. Leading the front was Zabeth, who scanned the forest for any signs of trouble. There was also Murlith, cracking a joke and smiling with Zabeth, whose soft laughter could be heard from the back of the convoy where Rikkard was.

Rikkard frowned as he recalled what Murlith said to him half an hour ago.

==

"Ok, listen well, Rikkard. The system we use to classify one's PT is called the 10 steps of power. It goes in this order: Manifest, Unleash, Embodiment, Domain, Pinnacle, Absorption, Modification, Cancellation, Opposition, and Deity. You follow?"

"Yes," Rikkard responded as he shifted the weight of the equipment on his back.

"Good. Now within each of these steps are certain levels of mastery: Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Expert, Master. Once you reach Master, you need to train for a long time to break into the next step. Mastery and Breakthrough are infinitely more difficult with each step. Some people will train all their life and never make it past the 3rd step." Murlith tapped his chin with his pen as he looked over his notes. "Which brings us to you."

"What's wrong with me?"

"As I said before, you're at the beginner level of mastery, which is normal, but…" Murlith looked at his surroundings and lowered his voice a bit. "Rikkard, it's virtually impossible to reach the 3rd step without some sort of training. And yet, you've never once used your PT before. This is very alarming…" Murlith bit the end of his pen as he thought of the possibilities. His eyes flared and darken as one popped up but he waved it away just as quickly.

"Nah, that couldn't be possible." Murlith sighed and tucked his notepad away. "Don't worry about it too much, Rikkard. We'll research it more when we reach our destination at Everstin. Don't exhaust yourself too much, ok?"

"Sure."

However, as Rikkard was about to walk away, Murlith pulled Rikkard a little closer, his hot breath against his ear.

"Oh, and Rikkard?" Murlith sharply whispered. "Let's keep this between us for the time being. Don't tell anyone you've reached the 3rd step before, especially Zabeth."

Rikkard, shocked, turned to Murlith for answers but his attention was now solely focused on Zabeth's back as she lead the way through the forest.

"Why not?" Rikkard quietly demanded.

Murlith was quiet for the next few moments before saying the words that left a strange feeling in Rikkard's heart.

"Because, if you really are at the 3rd step, that would make you the strongest Executioner here, including Zabeth, who's currently supposed to hold that title with her rank."

==

Stronger than Zabeth? He wanted to know more but never got the answer to that question because Murlith gave Rikkard's shoulder a tight squeeze before hurriedly running up to catch up with Zabeth, leaving Rikkard alone with weird thoughts.

Now he thought about, what step was Zabeth at? What step was everyone else at? He would have to ask the next time he got to talk to her. How was he at the 3rd step? Has he really never used his PT before?

Concerned, he tried going through his memories for anything off or strange. He barely started his search before someone bumped into him. Roughly. Rikkard almost fell headfirst into the dirt, but luckily caught himself in time. Someone giggled like a child right behind him. Annoyed, he quickly turned towards his attacker.

It was a small woman with auburn red hair tied up into 2 high buns on her head, each with orange feathers attached. Her pale, freckled face was turned up into a smile as her sky blue eyes twinkled with laughter.

"Can I help you?" Rikkard angrily snapped.

"Your guard was down." The woman teased in a cheerful, energetic voice. She pointed one of her blue-painted nails towards his sword. "If I was an enemy, you'd be dead."

"Who says that you aren't in the next few seconds?" Rikkard retorted with a frown. His hand hovered over his sword threateningly. She gave a determined, almost evil, smile as she slowly reached for a dagger strapped to her leg.

"Oh? You mean like the kid from last night?" She playfully sneered. "Oops, my bad, the pile of goop you thought was a kid."

"Tsk…" He can take on some punk girl. With his hand on the grip of the sword, he unsheathed the black blade. The woman, who watched the movement, whipped out her knife and swung it in a blur of silver.

But the attack never landed. Someone roughly yanked both the girl and Rikkard away from each other. Confused, Rikkard looked up and saw a huge bulky man with very short blonde hair and a goatee looking down at him.

Looking back at the girl, he saw that someone larger but with her same auburn hair and blue eyes holding her tight while she struggle in his grasp.

"Let me go, Frank! I got to teach this kid his place!" The woman squealed as she struggled in the man named Frank's arms. Frank gave the woman a hard look akin to that of a father to a disappointed child.

"His place? Annie, how old are you? Why are you messing with someone younger than you? It's embarrassing. Stop it." Frank coldly lectured his sister.

"Are you alright?" The big blonde asked in a deep voice, pulling Rikkard attention back up. He carried an ax almost as big as his body on his back.

"Well?" the big man asked again as the single long scar that ran down his face stretched and moved with each muscle.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Rikkard stuttered. The big man nodded once and looked back at Frank and Annie bickering, which Rikkard watched alongside him.

"…I have to assert my dominance early or else he'll treat me like everyone else does! Like I'm some kind of child!" Annie complained to Frank as she frantically waved her arms and stomped her feet.

"Oh, wow? Now, why would anyone think that?" Frank responded sarcastically.

"Frank!"

"By Saint Annaline's sword, you're a freaking handful. Apologize, right now." Frank demanded.

Annie loudly gasped. "I absolutely refuse to apologize to someone so young and inexperience!" She poked out her lip and turned her back on him. Frank's eye twitched as he snapped his fingers a couple of times towards Rikkkard's direction.

"Welters, give me the kid's things," Frank ordered. The blonde man named Welters shrugged his shoulders, took the heavy equipment from Rikkard, and chucked it to Frank. Frank caught the bag and placed it right next to pouting woman.

"Alright, Ms. Adult. Since you're so mature, you can carry his stuff since he's struggling. Hurry it up or else we'll be left behind." Frank coldly ordered.

Annie's jaw dropped as she spun back on her heels, ready to start another argument. But Frank was already walking away.

"Thanks for that," Rikkard said Frank as he walked towards them. Frank paused momentarily to glance at Rikkard. He gave Rikkard the cold look of someone beneath them. He roughly bumped into Rikkard's shoulder as quickly walked to catch up with the rest of the group.

As he rubbed his shoulder, Welters gently patted him on the back. "Don't feel bad. He's like that to everyone." Welters reassured. "Welcome to the squad."

"Glad to be here?"

Welters nodded once more before leaving Rikkard alone with Annie. Annie stared daggers at Rikkard as she picked up the extra equipment. Rikkard smirked and before Annie could react, he ran up to catch up with the rest of the squad.

==

Hours later, as the treelines got thinner, everyone pulled on their hoods, masking their bodies in dark black cloaks. The noises they made quieted as no one made a hint of sound with their walking. Rikkard pulled up his hood from his black cloak and tried his best to mimic their walking pattern to avoid noise.

They eventually broke out of the forest onto a path, which they followed as it lead up a hill. Zabeth stopped at the peak, smiled, and turned back to the squad.

"We're have arrived!" She shouted towards the rest of the squad as everyone gathered at the peak to take a look at Everstin.