Chapter 16: Introductions and Ranking
His role was different. To wait for Dalia to return. That was all.
"Oh, dear Dante. You arrived early, huh."
Luigi came with open arms, giving him a big hug. They hadn't talked much last time; why was he so familiar with him?
"I heard they caught some troublemakers out there." Luigi took Deco's reins, leading him back to the stable. "I always tell the younger ones, 'Don't get into trouble,' 'Don't do foolish things,' but they never listen to me. And there are the little jerks, it's always a pain watching them come and go."
Dante accepted a canteen of water from Luigi and leaned against one of the horses' stall doors. He refreshed himself and looked around.
"Nothing new under the sun." He looked at the sky. It must have been almost 3 PM. Dalia and the others should be arriving soon to pick up the crystals. "Luigi, can I stay here this afternoon? I don't want to go back to the Host anymore."
"Of course, of course. You're a friend of the house." Luigi waved his hand, beckoning him. "Come, I have some fruits."
Dante followed him. Behind the stable, a wooden house stood. It was small, no more than four rooms with three square meters, but for Luigi, it was immense. He entered and grabbed the fruit bowl. A table was set for both of them, and they sat.
"Take any one, I got it today from the Collection."
The apple was very red and seemed to have been picked recently. Dante took it for himself and cut it with a knife. The slices were placed on a plate, and he pushed it toward Luigi. They ate some slices, and another apple was peeled.
The atmosphere in the stable wasn't that bad. It was quiet, not many people passing by, and when he looked around, he could see the wall and the gate up close. It was very peaceful compared to the Capital's center.
Here, Dante could at least think.
"You seem a bit tired too. You need to take better care of yourself, Dante. At our age, we need to exert less effort than the young ones. Look at them."
At the gate, a group of soldiers was walking, dragging a boar killed by arrows. Hunting was regulated, but did they really need ten more for that? He used to hunt moose alone. What glory was there in catching a boar, and a skinny one at that?
"In your glory days," Luigi said, "did you ever manage to save someone?"
"I never liked being around people." Dante bit into the fruit again. "I liked staying with my parents. I trained a lot and then rested. They gave me that comfort so I could come to the Capital."
"Wow. And why did you take so long?" Luigi's face showed curiosity, not judgment. "If you had come a few years earlier, you might even be in a more advanced position by now. A lot of people retire here in the Capital and start living more peacefully. I myself stayed with the stable. Look, all of this is mine."
It was a nice place, really. Dante agreed with him.
"And it'll be even better if you let me take a nap at your place. My back hurts."
"Of course, of course. I have an extra room."
Captain Hermes took the report handed by Rutteo. He glanced over it vaguely and nodded, handing it to the Lieutenant beside him. Micael was his current squire, even though he was a Lieutenant, he always stayed by his side, no matter what. Rutteo found it hilarious that someone like Micael, so intelligent and wise, lacked this capability.
Considering Rutteo didn't like either of them because of what they had done years ago, he could barely set foot in that den again. The Camp was far better than being with two rats who liked to think they owned battalions.
With his arms thrown over the chair and legs crossed, Rutteo rocked back and forth. He took a good look around; the shelves had been reinforced. Books were stacked up to the ceiling. And there was a War Table, Rutteo had to lift his head to see what it was. But he scoffed, losing interest.
This could change as many times as it wanted, there would still be these two.
"Are you bored, Officer?" Lieutenant Micael asked, still reading the report. "I can arrange a room until we call you again."
"No problem, I like the smell of arrogance here." Rutteo inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled. "It's like being at home, but hating your own home."
"I know you hate being here," Captain Hermes said, carrying a quill to the parchment. "But the prisoner escort needs the officer with the most time at the Camp to be present. And we also have the responsibility to make sure the soldiers and Recruits are well during the journey."
"I know the rules, that's why I didn't question them."
Hermes stared at him with his round face. His chubby cheeks and pig-like lips. Rutteo was disgusted just looking at his face.
"And the old man who came with him, what do you know about him? I heard Dalia did her best to keep his abilities low-key. What's his deal?"
"Why do you want to know? Dalia already said everything there was to say in the report. And I didn't spend much time with the old man to know who he is. Of course, he likes to eat chicken well-done and train alone, but everyone has their hobbies."
"Forget his hobby, Rutteo. I want to know about his skills. It's in the report that he defeated Crosu." Hermes grabbed the report on the table and pushed it forward, almost letting it fall to the ground.
"The same Crosu who hijacked the Barge about a year ago, the characteristics are the same. But he managed to keep up with three Sergeants, and the old man beat him? Are you kidding me?"
They weren't stupid enough to ignore that. Clearly, Rutteo had his own ego to ignore the offenses. It wouldn't make his rank any higher. He took the notes and threw them back without even reading them.
"What good is having three newly graduated Sergeants against a thief who doesn't follow the rules? Crosu made them look foolish because it was their first mission in the airspace. But," Rutteo smiled at him, "if you were there, would you have beaten that kid?"
Micael answered, walking over to the Officer.
"If the Captain had been there, no one would have dared to do anything."
"And you, why weren't you there? Micael, honestly, spare me that, okay? I don't want to know what you or he are capable of. The directive says that Dalia has the means and ends to have Dante as a Recruit, and I'm not against it. He's a good man, old and wise, very different from those we see walking around the Capital just because they're retired."
Hermes agreed, something strange to see because his throat wobbled along with it.
"Dalia is still within our limits. I don't want to lose her to another Command. But since she failed two years ago, we haven't had the same results. I want to know if you can take on this burden, Rutteo."
"Me?" Rutteo laughed. "You must be joking, Captain. Who am I compared to Dalia? She's the one who makes everything turn. We're respected because of her. Tell me another Officer who has the same stature as her? There isn't one."
Hermes and Micael exchanged glances. Rutteo hated those two with a passion.
"The weight on Dalia is too much for her to bear," said the Lieutenant, returning to his seat next to the Captain. "She's always overloaded. When she failed, the weight doubled, and we suffered a huge financial loss. We're the last Command right now, and we have no one else to turn to. The best Officers are in the Camps, we don't have anyone to share the problems with Officer Dalia."
"And Officer Tecno? He's more centered than half the idiots in the Capital."
"No. None of Dalia's Officers are allowed to leave her squad."
Captain Hermes' arms sank into the table, and his hand covered part of his face.
"We want someone who can bear the weight that Dalia cannot. Can Dante do that?"
Rutteo laughed again, but they didn't answer.
"Wait, are you serious? No way. He's a Recruit, he just got here. He hasn't even been here a week. How is he going to take on a position for complex missions? Not even the High Command would agree with this."
"We're not talking about doing it now, Officer," corrected Lieutenant Micael, adjusting his glasses.
"Our Division is going through a recurring problem. We have less than six months for the Sergeant tests, and we don't have enough resources. We need someone who can handle the Simulacrum."
The Simulation Network, the largest engineering left from the old society. All collective tests passed through the worst possible scenario, involving the candidates in extreme desperation situations.
The taste of blood from that day still seemed fresh in Rutteo's mouth. He wiped his lip with his hand, but there was nothing.
"I get your point. The old man isn't ready. I believe no one is for what you want."
Hermes said nothing, still looking at him sideways.
"And you, wouldn't you like to take on this problem?"
"I'm not the man you're looking for. I hate being in the Capital, I have no taste for dealing with the people who walk through these halls. I'd rather be outside, at least there I know who my enemy is."
A smile spread across the corner of Captain Hermes' mouth.
"We agree on that. You're dismissed, Officer."
Luigi pointed to his house when Rutteo appeared walking. The Officer grabbed one of the fruits on the table and entered eating. He found Dante lying on the bed with his mouth open, snoring a bit.
Hermes and Micael could dismiss the old man from being among the top names in the Simulacrum, but Rutteo didn't want to deny that he had enough grit and humility to overcome obstacles. The longer you stayed in the Capital, the more dirt you discovered. Dalia almost got caught in one of these, but she had help, and Rutteo himself turned to the Camps outside the walls.
Competition, rivalry, and even smaller Command tricks — High Command had its principles of creating division among the Divisions so they could keep strengthening against their enemies.
The only problem was that defeating those who should be your allies created a huge rift inside the Capital itself.
"Dante, wake up. Let's go."
The old man opened his eyes and nodded, already sitting up in bed.
"I was thinking of taking a nap, sir." He put his feet into his boots and started tying his laces.
"Where are we going?"
"Meet some people. Come on."