“Whoa!! This is a lot more intense than I thought It would be!” said Sarah as she dodged a Large crow-like bird with bat wings, multiple rat-like tails, and jagged horns, by zipping sideways using a grappling gun.

  The inside of the dome was in a state of utter pandemonium as sniper cadets ran helter-skelter, trying to fight off the monsters that were let loose inside. A mixture of land and aerial creatures pursued the cadets around.

  “Man! This is a brutal test!” said Amelia, as she watched the test from outside the dome via a monitor.

  “No kidding. They got no cover to run to.” Said Matthew.

  “Plus it’s difficult to get a clean shot while you’re dodging continuously.” Said Elena.

  A ghoul hound suddenly set its only bloody-red eye on Sarah and started charging at her. But before it could get near her, Simon reeled himself toward the beast and knocked it out using a shockwave gauntlet.

  “Watch your six. Who knows what will come from where.” Exclaimed Simon.

  Suddenly Sarah whipped her handgun in Simon’s direction and fired a shot that hit another ghoul hound in its eyes as it came lunging at them. The beast skid to a halt near them as it writhed in pain.

  “Same to you too.” Said Sarah. Simon nodded and proceeded to neutralize the downed beast.

  “So Jack. What’s gonna be their problems besides maneuverability?” asked Elena.

  “Like you guys said. It's difficult to hit a target while moving around too much. In addition, snipers are meant to scope out targets and take out their most sensitive spots, their eyes. But this situation demands close-quarter fighting, and some of them have rusty close-quarters fighting skills. A handgun can only be so effective in such cases. This might be to test their close combat skills more because in case they ran into some outlaws or if monsters spot them, they would have to defend themselves.” Said Jack.

  “Makes sense. Sarah is the best shot of em all. But I’ve never seen her win any fencing fights or land a hit with a gauntlet. She gets them to a draw at the best.” Said Clarence.

  “Simon on the other hand has proficient sword skills. He’ll be able to hold his own. So he has to provide backup to Sarah.” Said Amelia.

  “Luckily for her, she can use a different gauntlet that can tip the odds in her favor.” Said Jack.

  As they watched the screen, a large crow-like monster landed in front of Sarah and gave an ear-piercing screech. Sarah ran toward the monster and slid toward its legs, narrowly missing its open beak lined with sharp teeth as it tried to grab her. She then materialized a gauntlet with two metal prongs. Electrical arcs began flying across the prongs as she hit the monster near its legs. As soon as the gauntlet made contact, the bird began to screech loudly in pain as it fell to the ground, writhing.

  “The electrocution gauntlet. Not lethal, but very handy when you want to immobilize a target.” Said Kyle.

  “The perfect support weapon.” Added Elena.

  Before she could finish the monster off, a ghoul hound attempted to lunge at her from behind. But Sarah noticed it and reeled herself out of its way.

  “We have to help and get help from other teams. It’s the only way we can pass this test. In one piece.” Said Sarah.

  “I couldn’t agree more. This is too stressful for just a two-man team.” Said Simon.

  Another group of snipers was struggling against a ghoul hound and the crow-like monster. One of the soldiers was firing consecutive shots from his handgun at the ghoul-hound to keep it bay, while the other was being grabbed by the tail of the avian monster.

  “Heeelp!!” yelled out the cadet who was grabbed by the bird.

  “Dammnit! Why do they have to make it this hard!!!” exclaimed the cadet who was keeping the ghoul hound at bay.

  In a flash, Sarah landed above the ghoul hound and pounded its head with her electrocution gauntlet before stabbing it in its brain. The beast roared in pain before falling to its knees. Meanwhile, Simon cut off the tail that was holding the cadet and hit the bird with his shockwave gauntlet.

  “Are you okay?” asked Sarah to the cadet who was holding the ghoul hound back.

  “Yeah! Thanks. That was a little too intense.” Said the cadet.

  “You aren’t hurt are you?” asked Simon to the cadet who was grabbed by the bird.

  “Yeah. Damned Pteraven caught me off guard. Thought that was it for me.” Said the cadet in a relieved tone.

  “We’ve gotta work together here. No choice. We can’t face these many things in small groups. Let’s form bigger groups with other teams.” Said Simon.

  “Yeah. Okay.” Said both the cadets.

  The four-man group started going about helping others who were having a tough time against the monsters. Little by little the group began to grow and the tide of the test started tipping.

  “Excellent. They’ve started to work together. Now things should eventually become easier.” Said Major Washington.

  Sarah and a few cadets were helping out the other cadets by pushing back against the monsters when she noticed William and his teammate struggling to fight a ghoul hound.

  “I’m still waiting for that shot William!!!” said William’s teammate.

  “You’re not keeping it still. I can’t shoot it if you let it keep moving like this.” Exclaimed William angrily.

  “What does it look like I’m trying to do here? You didn’t take the shot when I immobilized it using the electrocution gauntlet. And now you’re blaming me?” yelled the cadet angrily.

  “You can’t even hit it properly!” yelled William.

  “Well excuse me for not being proficient in maneuvering around. If you have a problem with how I’m doing it, why don’t you try switching places?” asked the cadet angrily.

  “Because you’re not a good shot. Not like I am.” Yelled William.

  “Enough!!! just pull the trigger already.” Yelled William’s partner in rage.

  “I don’t wanna grab its attention. You try putting in more effort!!” yelled William.

  Before the cadet could say anything back, Sarah and a group of three cadets, including Simon, swooped in to help William’s team. They electrocuted the beast and got the cadet out of the way before the beast could step on her and stabbed its brains. The beast cried out before it fell.

  “Are you okay?” asked one of the cadets who saved her.

  “Yeah. I’m fine. Thanks for rescuing me.” Said the cadet.

  “No problem. We’re forming larger groups to fight off these things. We still need to survive for 4 more minutes. So how about the two of you tag along with us?” asked another cadet of the group. But before she could reply, William interrupted.

  “We don’t need your help for anything. We can handle ourselves.” Said William arrogantly.

  “Shut it, William. Yeah, We’d like to join in.” said William’s partner angrily.

  “I’m not joining in some rag-tag team of bad shots just because you can’t restrict a monster. If you did a better job we wouldn’t need help from others.” Said William angrily.

  “William, this is neither the time nor the place to show your attitude. We have to survive for 4 minutes. You either join our group or just survive on your own. Come on guys, let's get going.” Said Sarah as they left William on his own.

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  “You little insect! You’re gonna pay!!” Muttered William angrily as he took off in the opposite direction.

  Meanwhile, Sarah and her group started fighting some monsters and helping another group. They subdued quite a bit of the horde and only 2 minutes remained before the end of the test. Sarah noticed William’s partner having a worried expression.

  “Hey. You all right?” Asked Sarah.

  “Yeah. I’m just worried if that jerk is gonna be alive at the end of this test. I mean we left him, but if he gets seriously injured before help arrives, it may be our fault. I guess.” Said William’s partner.

  “Don’t worry. He’s like a cockroach. If he finds himself in a pickle, he’ll just run helter-skelter until someone comes to his rescue. You shouldn’t be worried about someone who treats you as nothing but a sacrificial pawn.” Said Sarah.

  “I know. But for better or worse he’s in my team. And we’ve gotta look out for each other.” Said William’s partner.

  Suddenly, they heard a loud scream. Sarah and the other wheeled around to see William pinned down by a Pteraven. He helplessly fired shots at it in an attempt to loosen its grip on him, but it was all in vain as he couldn’t properly target the beast's eyes as it tried to bite out his head.

  “That damned idiot! HURRY!!! We’ve gotta save him!!!!” yelled Sarah.

  Everyone rushed in and shot the beast from multiple directions. The beast finally freed its hold on William and began to fly around as it was barraged with shots from handguns. Simon rushed to William’s aid.

  “Hey, William. You okay?” asked Simon.

  “Get off me, you loser. All right then, birdie! You officially pissed me off!!!!!” said William in a voice filled with rage.

  He took out his sniper gun, carefully took aim at the bird’s eyes, and fired. The bullet spiraled around its axis as it traveled with high velocity, pierced the avian monster’s eyes, and flew out its head. The beast fell and blood splashed out of its ruptured head as it slammed into the ground. He stood up and looked at Simon.

  “See. I didn’t need your help. Now, get lost, loser.” Said William in a low and menacing voice as he walked away.

  Just then, the alarm rang signaling the end of the test. The dome began to open up. Simon and Sarah made their way to their group.

  “Nice job out there you two.” Said Elena.

  “Thanks guys.” Said Sarah.

  “Thanks.” Said Simon.

  “Man! That egotistical jerk is gonna get himself killed someday if he continues like this.” Said Matthew.

  “I think he will be fine. He’s got his pals Gordon and Mackey with him to protect his butt.” Said Jack.

  “was it difficult to use the grappling gun?” asked Kyle.

  “It’s easy to fire it in any direction you want to escape, but if you want to get closer to a monster to attack it, then you would have to aim properly.” Said Sarah.

  “Right. Cause I think the knight’s test might be the same, if not, at least along the same lines as you guys. And we have to carry shields with us.” Said Kyle.

  “Yeah. Even if we slide our hands into grips.” Said Clarence.

  “I think you’ll be just fine.” Said Amelia.

  “Yeah, so long as I don’t get smashed to smithereens.” Said Kyle in a jovial tone.

  “AAAAAH!!!! I’m gonna get smashed to smithereens!!!!” exclaimed Kyle as he was being pressed against a wall by a Rhinigator pushing against his shield.

  The next test took place in a large rectangular compound, and just like the previous test, all the knights were placed together in the compound filled with only Rhinigators.

  “Hang on Kyle. I’m coming.” yelled Clarence as he rushed to his partner’s aid.

  Clarence used his grappling gun and reeled himself toward the beast with his shockwave gauntlet. He struck the beast on its side, felling it and releasing Kyle.

  “Thanks, Clarence. That was a close one.” Said Kyle, completely exasperated.

  “You ok, dude?” said Clarence.

  “Yeah. I’ll be fine. But we gotta do what Sarah and Simon did in their test. Form larger groups.” Said Kyle.

  “Yeah. Let’s go.” Said Clarence.

  “Just like the last test, they need to work in larger teams if they wanna survive this. They also need to make sure not to fire the shockwave blasts from their shields. The blast from them can be adjusted in strength, but it fires them over a wide range. If they’re not careful, they can blow the others while trying to hurt the monsters.” Said Major Wahington as he watched the test from a guard tower.

  Meanwhile, in another corner of the ground, the cadets were watching the test unfold.

  “Jack. Is there any specific disadvantage for the knights in this test? I think it’s the same as before.” Said Amelia.

  “Hmm. If you ask me, carrying those shields is a bit cumbersome. Even if it can be dematerialized for better movement, they’ll be open to any attacks. They have no choice but to keep their shields up. And they have to be extremely cautious while using the shockwaves from their shield. It can send the others flying like a ragdoll if they’re not careful.” Said Jack.

  The cadets started forming larger groups as the test went on. They were formed into two major groups. One group pummeled the monsters with shockwave gauntlets continuously, while the other maintained a shield barrier in front of the monsters, providing a safe retreat for the first group. Soon, they were able to overpower the beasts and push them into a corner.

  “Keep pushing them. don’t let up.” Yelled Clarence.

  “Let’s turn these things into mice meat.” Yelled Kyle.

  “Yeah!” said everyone in unison.

  Suddenly, one of the Rhinigators went on a rampage as it pushed away a few of the cadets and sent them flying, creating a gap in the barrier. They hit others who were ready to attack the monsters. Another monster pushed into the gap and charged at the cadets. The formation was scattered and everyone was running around trying to avoid being rammed by the monsters.

  “Ugh! Great! Now what do we do?” said Clarence in a frustrated tone.

  “We still have 5 minutes left. We will figure something out.” Said Kyle.

  Suddenly a figure dashed past Kyle and Clarence. The cadet was tall and bulky and was carrying the shield in front of him as he reeled himself toward the beasts.

  “Is that….?” Said Clarence.

  “Oh no! he isn’t going to..!” exclaimed Kyle.

  “Gordon, don’t.” yelled out Clarence. But Gordon didn’t listen.

  He used his grappling gun to fly up and held his shield in front of him. All of a sudden a huge blast of air came out of the shield that pushed a few of the Rhinigators against the wall, eventually breaking it. The blast also sent Gordon and a few cadets flying backward a few meters from where he fired the blast. The Alarms started ringing as the team of soldiers stationed outside the compound rushed in to neutralize the situation. They killed off the monsters in a few minutes and the cadets were brought out away from the compound.

  “Are you guys ok?!” exclaimed Amelia.

  “Yeah. Yeah. We’re fine. The armor protected us but it still felt like we got slapped by giant Ant-man.” Said Kyle.

  “Ahaha. That was one helluva shockwave.” Said Clarence

  “Does it hurt?” asked Sarah.

  “No. Not that much. But it did feel super weird being tossed into the air like that. Almost made me throw up. Ugh.” Said Clarence as he placed his hand on his mouth while nearly gagging.

  “What in the hell was he thinking? That’s dangerous.” Exclaimed Elena.

  “That kind of attack is only meant for really difficult situations with proper clearance. We’re not supposed to use them at full power. I don’t know what made him do that, but he’s in for a motherload of trouble.” Said Clarence.

  “Hopefully, this time, he gets fired and we don’t have to see his face.” Said Amelia.

  Everyone voiced their complaints against Gordon as he was helped by the soldiers. The Major came down from the guard tower to confront him.

  “Cadet Gordon!! Do you have any idea what you have done?!!!” asked the Major angrily. Gordon remained silent with his head facing down.

  “You know that move is not to be used under any circumstances except for the most extreme situation and with utmost regard to your companions in the battlefield? There is a reason why the instructors have told you not to fire them at high strength, or have you been sleeping through the lessons? These are powerful blasts with a wide range that must be kept at minimum strength. And using it in an enclosed space is the worst idea you could have come up with. What forced you to release that attack?! Answer me!!!!” asked Major Washington.

  Once again Gordon remained silent and kept his head down. There was a tense silence for a few seconds before the major Talked again.

  “I was seeing good promise in every cadet present today and thought that I wouldn’t have to send anyone back home. Now you’ve changed my mind. You’re suspended from the division. You will be transported back to the city tonight. I will also write a letter to the head of the Outlanders division to fire you from the force. There won’t be any further discussions. Lieutenant Rakes, Lieutenant Thompson, please escort him out to the quarters.” Said Major Washington in a low tone.

  The crowd watched as Gordon was escorted out of the field by Lieutenant Rakes. He maintained his silence and kept his head down while leaving the field.

  “Are all the knights okay? Is there anyone who feels like they need medical attention?” asked Major Washington.

  Several of the knights raised their hands including Clarence.

  “Ok. Lieutenant Huoston and other instructors will take you to the hospital wing to get you all checked. We will suspend the test for the tank cadets for now. The rest of the cadets, please make your way to the quarters.” Said Major Washington.

  Everyone started leaving the ground toward the living quarters, guided by the instructors. Kyle left the group to take Clarence to the hospital wing to be checked.

  “You guys go on ahead. I’ll join you after Clarence gets cleared.” Said Kyle.

  “Yeah. Go Get yourself checked as well. You never know.” Said Sarah.

  “Yeah, sure.” Replied Kyle.

  Jack and the rest of his squad along with the other cadets, took their belongings to the living quarters. Once again, boys and girls had separate quarters.

  Jack, Matthew, and Simon went to their rooms. The new quarters were to be shared by two people. Jack entered the room with his and Simon’s name written on it on it. Both sat down on their beds and unpacked their bags. Afterward, everyone was instructed to assemble in the auditorium. Jack and Simon made their way there. They were joined by Kyle and Clarence, who were cleared by the medics, and the girls of their squad. The crowd assembled in the auditorium, where Major Washington addressed the crowd.

  “Ok, not counting the fiasco during the knight’s test, all the candidates performed well. Tank cadets will be tested tomorrow, first thing in the morning. This test helps us underline your strengths and weaknesses so that your new instructors can help you overcome them and build on your strengths. For now, explore the facility except the training grounds, and make sure to have your dinner on time. The canteen closes by 8:30. And we look forward to working with you all. Dismissed!” said Major Washington.

  Amelia and the rest of the gang joined Jack, while Simon went back to the dorm.

  “Hey, Jack! Get this. There’s a small recreational area on the north side of the complex. Let’s go and see what it’s about.” Said Elena excitedly.

  “All righty then, Let’s see what we’ve got. You guys okay? Or do you wanna head back to the dorm?” asked Jack, looking at Kyle and Clarence.

  “Yeah, man. I’m stoked let’s go.” Said Kyle.

  “Mee too. I wanna have some fun after feeling all pukey.” Said Clarence.

  “So, do we have an arcade there? I always wanted to play arcade games!” said Amelia excitedly.

  “Well, we’re going to find out, aren’t we Amy?” Said Sarah.

  “I hope they got Super Mario.” Said Matthew.

  “Let’s have some fun until dinnertime, okay?” said Amelia.

  “Yeah, sure” said Jack as they headed to the north side.