Cutlery got up just before dawn to begin her new job. Asim and the boys met her at the stairs to head down. Everyone looked exhausted. Fish had gotten hooked on the Suxing drink Haze always drink in the mornings. They walked together to the dining hall of the first sliver floor. There they took up spots at the door. Then all they had to do was wait.
Three dozen kids showed up. They looked like they had seen several dozen other kids gutted in front of them. They were in adult bodies but still moved like kids. It was much more apparent now to her. That was probably why their job started today. Before they had been kids, now they were youths. Dangerous children with adult bodies that were semi-superhuman already.
This group seemed more haggard than hers had been. Only a few seemed elated at their new bodies. No big Tall laugh ripped through their numbers. No one like Rega cheered everyone up or wailed loudly. They just ate like automatons.
She was with Gill, which would have made her happy. He probably wasn't going to change who he was at a base level. They didn't talk. Neither of them was a conversation starter. For some, it might be awkward. She just paid attention to the job. Which was quite easy since a depressed bunch of kids hardly talked to each other let alone physically fought. As the meal went on, some food hit their guts. They started to perk up as the best of them started conversations.
She let them work themselves up as the day went on. They started sparring and burning off the trauma fog. She walked some of the youths to the healer. They looked at their minor wounds disappearing in wonder. Then Cutlery saw a girl. She had shifting eyes and was shorter than the rest. Obviously, it was this group's her.
The girl stole knives, she kicked dudes in the nuts, and she tried picking the foam off her tools to see if weapons were inside. It was totally awesome. During their first afternoon training, Cutlery pointed at the girl.
"Hey, you! Yea squirt! Come over here!" Cutlery yelled. The first slivers all looked at her in her leather armor in fear. They likely knew soldiers were big scary mysteriously powerful people.
Gill looked at her with a raised eyebrow. The girl trotted over. She acted chipper but Cutlery saw her take in every sharp thing Cutlery had strapped to herself.
"What?" The girl asked. She was a tad shorter than Cutlery but they were both children in adult bodies. This girl probably still had her child mindset.
"What do you want to know?" Cutlery asked. The girl looked at her. She looked up and Cutlery more closely and narrowed her eyes.
"What? Like about, what?" The girl said slowly.
"Anything." Cutlery said. Gill still watched them. The other guards were too far to listen. The girl's face was screwed up.
"Why are we here?" She asked.
"To become soldiers for Haze. Next question." Cutlery answered quickly. The girl chewed on that.
"Why are you here?" She asked.
"I am a person with two more slivers than you. A single sliver made you into the adult you are. I am tasked to keep you safe so Haze can use you for his missions." Cutlery explained.
The girl thought for a long time again.
"Should I leave?" the girl asked.
That was the real question.
-
Cutlery was about to say yes. A rare pause for thought occurred instead. What would she do if she left? Steal food, snatch some coins, live in a lovely inn room, outrunning the guards and anyone the tower sent after her? Even if she escaped, she would just be an invincible coin snatcher.
Here, she could work her way up! But that was a trick of the tower. She wasn't sure.
"If you want to live comfortably, and think you won't get caught on the way out, then yes. Otherwise, this is probably more fun." Cutlery said. The girl nodded and excused herself. How polite.
That ended up being helpful for Cutlery. She would stay. She would fight and do the hard thing rather than slink into some dark corner of the city. The rest of the morning wore by.
With lunch came the end of their shift. They were replaced by more Thirds Cutlery didn't know. Fish and Asim babbled about what they thought of the new group of firsts. Once they reached their floor everyone split apart to jump right into training.
Now that perhaps her life would be within these walls, she would try harder. Training with Clyde took on a new hue. Cutlery pushed to match his movements despite the anatomical differences. When he made long jumps using his wings, she just jumped harder and reached farther.
She finished the day happy. The wanderings of her mind left her thinking about that little girl. Would the first slivers like her more now? Perhaps she could make an army! Now that she realized it, it seemed so easy. She could befriend all of them! She was no Rega. Making dozens of friends wasn't her forte. Rega was just a floor below her. Simply grabbing her and bringing her along could work. If Rega was allowed to do that.
Her plan began to evolve. She would train up Rega. Get her into the thirds. Then she would use Rega to befriend all the seconds and firsts. This would make an overwhelming army. She knew seconds could take on thirds! Her fight in the elevator had proved it.
Why not are thirds taking on fourths? Enough thirds could take on fifths! There couldn't be many of them. Some may even switch to her side. A big miracle would have to occur for this to work though.
The plan spun in her mind till it settled on the mental floor. The story of the Eternal One stirred up in its place A second mutiny could be pulled. Like the advisors of the Eternal One, her army would take advantage of the coming of the Temple and whatever event Haze was trying to pull during it. Surely he would be stretched thin then.
Sleep fog slowed her mind.
-
The second day of guard duty had Cutlery nervous. Not because she thought the kids would get into a fight. No, no, no it was because she had to figure out how to talk to them and be cool. Usually, it was don't talk, people assume you're cool. People who don't talk never embarrass themselves! So she watched over them cooly for now.
The first slivers were beginning their real training. Yesterday has been mostly fun and doing one pushup, one letter, etc. They would have a quest soon as well. Cutlery's job during their training was to be a sparring partner. Relief flooded Cutlery when she heard this. Fighting was becoming her coolest attribute.
Today Asim and Fish were with her. Gill was outside the room on actual guard duty. They used squishy weapons. However, Cutlery made sure to make them hurt. She fought at least two firsts at a time. She would make snide remarks as they went.
"Stab at my eyes and stuff you twats! What do you think this is a schoolyard fight." Cutlery would say. At first, Fish told her not to encourage that. Then some of Cutlery's trainees switched to him.
"Holy shit they fight so much better. What did you call it again?" Fish said during a break.
"Fighting dirty." Cutlery said. He smiled at that.
"Puts it simply and elegantly," Fish said. They didn't need many breaks. The weapons rarely dealt injuries to anyone who slivered. So constant barrages of thwacking went on. Until someone was beaten on the ground, the fight never stopped. By the end of the day, at least half the kids were comfortable with going all out in a fight. A good first lesson. Less poking and prodding, more winning. They all liked her.
Cutlery guessed through this method, she could win some over. The nerds and arcane people might not be so easy. Bidding her lightly bruised friends goodbye Cutlery left with a little pep in her step. At lunch, she left and stopped by the second floor to find Rega. It had only been about a week since she left.
Nonetheless, when she entered the arena a screech echoed from below. Rega lurched out of her chalk circle. A dexterous armored hop brought her in range to tackle Cutlery. Cutlery was a stone wall to the nerd but Rega wrapped around her like a spider.
"I missed you! You came to see me right? I knew you missed me too! It's alright if Haze kicked you out for being too cool and swearing a lot!" Rega spouted then buried her face into Cutlery. Cutlery kept her balance and peeled Rega off.
"I came 'cause I know something only you can do." Cutlery cut to the chase. Rega looked at her. After a few minutes of explanation, Rega was beaming.
"You want me to make a bunch of friends here!" Rega summarized.
"More than that dear friend! I want you to make allies! Find out who doesn't like it here! A rebel alliance one might call it." Cutlery explained. Rega nodded seriously.
"I can do that! Then when I get up to your floor I can work on the firsts and thirds as well! If all goes well we could have over fifty of us!" Rega said. Cutlery beamed at that. Rega was in. The conversation dwindled to less serious topics. They caught up for a few minutes.
Cutlery told her about the third floor and gave her some tips on how to move up. They agreed to train twice a week to keep Rega ahead as much as they could. Between Cutlery's job, training, training Rega, and life functions, Cutlery would be very busy in the coming weeks.
