It turned out that the Mushroom Lizard man wasn't anyone especially important. Jethro and other new tamers barely acknowledged his presence as they walked through the entrance door.
Only Kekius was kind enough to greet.
The door led them through an imposing corridor filled with bulbs of purple and red colors, straight into the grand hall.
Inside, Jethro was met with a galactic space of a room, designed almost like a colosseum with rows and rows of seats arranged in a circular design. Hundreds of students filled these seats, chatting, laughing and arguing with each other.
On the walls were murals of President Velara, Vice President Maximus, and the Prime Minister at the center. A sun simulation hung on the ceiling, illuminating the entire room. Mechbeasts ran around while their masters chased after them, others played with each other, or sat quietly beside their masters.
Jethro, flanked closely by Kekius and Oand, navigated the edge of the crowd, looking for a less conspicuous spot. But as they made their way past cliques of young tamers, they slowly began to draw attention.
Well, Jethro began to draw attention.
"Is that a Gutterling on that guy's head?"
"It's him… the one bonded with the scrap."
"Seriously? A Grey Rank? How the hell does he plan to get by?"
"He'll be gone soon. I just hope he doesn't end up in my Faction."
"Freaking scrap feeder."
Jethro side-eyed the person who had said that last bit, but didn't do anything beyond just maintaining an expressionless face. 'They always say that like it's meant to be a slur.'
He ignored all the stares and whispers that washed over him as he, Kekius and Oand finally sat at a particular corner where the seats were closer to the marble wall.
At the opposite end of the hall, Jethro's eyes caught Padva sitting alone. His gaze froze at her direction for a moment, staring as she absently stroked her Doomsday Panther which was thankfully now fully healed.
The scene was still odd to Jethro. Padva was a daughter of a governor. It didn't make sense that she was so isolated when she was a literal princess. Maybe it had something to do with her family.
"Hey, it's Eryn Fenlor!"
Jethro heard someone say.
Heads swiveled towards the near center of the hall where a different kind of character held court. He was a ruthlessly handsome boy with a face so pristine it most certainly had never faced any hardship. He had golden blonde hair that was styled regally to rest backwards on his neck, framing his eyes that were a proud and regal blue.
He was impeccably dressed in a golden and black gear with a cape draping down his broad shoulders and a confident smile on his face.
Kekius leaned in to give Jethro the gist. "That's Eryn Fenlor that Dash and Ben were talking about. He's the Prince of Sector Three, a higher Sector."
Jethro appeared utterly unimpressed. "Is that all that's special about him?" he asked, watching Eryn smile diplomatically as he spoke to a group of girls. "Being a Prince?"
"Actually…" Kekius lowered his voice. "If you notice, there are two mechbeasts with him."
Jethro's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly saw what he had missed earlier. Apart from the mechbird on his shoulder which was a Paragon Phoenix, there was also a sturdy Pyronic Beaver by his feet!
His eyes suddenly widened. "Two mechbeasts?"
"Eryn is the only Dual-Bond Tamer so far in our set. He's bonded with a Paragon Phoenix and a Pyronic Beaver, Platinum and Gold Rank. That's impressive right?" Kekius said. "Not many Dual-Bond Tamers can bond with two high ranked mechbeasts."
Jethro only stared. "Yeah, I guess." It had somehow slipped his mind that a tamer could bond with more than one mechbeast if their soul core was powerful enough.
"Oh look," Kekius nudged him again. "Jessamine is here too."
Jethro shifted his gaze to the main entrance. There, he saw the same princess from the Hatching Ceremony. The one who had hatched a Vulcan Hydra.
She was a very striking girl, grabbing attention from all corners of the hall. Her thick red hair was intricately designed, falling down her back and resting against the rich crimson fabric of her fur-collared cape. She wore a similar white cybergear that cinched tight against her athletic body and her boots were a duller white, tapping the floor as she walked into the hall.
She paused, observing everyone with an air of detached curiosity and actual pride that didn't appear performative like Eryn's. Perched on her padded shoulder guard was her Vulcan Hydra, still in the Hatchling Phase but noticeably bigger than it had been during the ceremony.
Eryn's gaze drifted from the ladies admiring him. Once he caught a glance of Jessamine, he abandoned them without a thought and began to approach her with his most charming smile, clearly angling to impress his fellow noble.
"Hey, Princess Jessamine," he said as he got closer. "You must know me, right? Our parents are close… Eh?"
Jessamine had walked past him.
She didn't stop for a chat or even a handshake. Eryn turned, confused and disgraced, as he watched her move through the crowded tiers of seats like she was heading straight for someone.
Others watched as well.
Jessamine made her way through the spaces in between rows of seats stopping at Jethro. He had looked away moments after she came in. Now, he was leaning back on the seat, reading the glyph Kekius had with him concerning Factions in the Academy.
Jessamine leaned forward, dangerously close to Jethro's face like she had no idea what personal space was.
"Hey?" she called him.
Jethro turned and paused. Kekius's jaws dropped. Oand paled, looking like he might faint.
Princess Jessamine offered a small, perfectly composed smile. She had the sharpest and clearest voice, causing the immediate vicinity to fall into a hushed silence.
"Jethro, isn't it?" she said.
Jethro lifted a brow, immediately finding all of this suspicious. "Don't you mean scrap feeder?" he asked flatly.
Jessamine smiled. "I'm Jessa. I've been really wanting to see you."
"Me? Why?"
Oand almost deflated. 'Did he just ask why? How doesn't he realize that he's speaking with the most beautiful woman in the world?'
"I wanted to make you an offer, you see." Jessamine continued, smiling. "If you'd like, I could secure you a spot in Knight Faction. That way you can get many resources regardless of your beast's rank."
"What?" Kekius choked out, unable to contain his shock. It was a fair reaction. He couldn't believe that Princess Jessamine was making Jethro such an offer. More especially, he couldn't think of why.
Jethro was experiencing the same uncertainty. He gazed into Jessamine's eyes, searching if she was being honest or if this was some new tactic of ridicule. But it seemed like the princess was being genuine. And that bothered him even more.
Why would she want to help him?
When he considered the offer, it was actually a very tempting one. From what Jethro gathered, Knight Faction was the largest and most prestigious of all four, hence the one to inevitably draw in the most points and the most resources.
But Jessamine's promise was vague. In a Faction brimming with elite tamers and high-ranked mechbeasts, how much priority would a Grey Rank Tamer truly get? The competition for resource allocation within Knight Faction would be brutal. He'd likely be sidelined, an afterthought despite the initial placement.
Jethro already had a sure way to get a good share of resources; and that was by drawing in the most points for his Faction.
He didn't need to be in a particular Faction to do that. In fact, being in Knight Faction might actually make that harder, as he would get lost amongst the stars.
Suddenly, the more he thought about it, the more awful the offer sounded.
So, in the end, his answer was:
"No thanks. I'm good."
Jessamine's perfect smile disappeared, replaced by a slight frown of surprise. Kekius froze. Oand eyes swirled as he almost fainted from the disbelief.
"Uhm…" Jessamine chuckled, pushing a strand of red hair behind her ear. "Maybe you didn't hear me well. I said…"
"No I heard you fine, ginger princess." Jethro cut her off.
Her eyes flashed, and mouth shut.
"But I'm good. I don't even mind being in the lowest faction." He sighed and rested his chin on his palm, petting Scorch who was locked in a silent staring contest with all three heads of Jessamine's Vulcan Hydra.
At first, Jessamine didn't know how to react. No one had ever told her no before. A swift wave of anger rushed through her, but almost immediately, as she gazed at Jethro's face, another wave of curiosity and intrigue followed.
If this ordinary scrap feeder from a lower Sector could have the guts to tell her no, then maybe he wasn't ordinary at all.
"Take your seats, new tamers!"
A voice thundered from the entrance as an enigmatic figure leading four younger ones entered the hall. The figure looked like a professor of the academy, sporting a white coat that draped the floor with collars that hung above his neck dramatically. Both his hands were covered with slim cybernetic gauntlets. His eyes were striking blue and his hair was that of any old man who was lucky to still have a full mop: silver and flowing.
Jessamine turned around to get a look of what was happening before swiveling back to face Jethro one last time. "Your loss then, Lizard." She smirked and took a seat not too far from him.
Eryn Fenlor, who had watched everything, glared intensely at Jethro, anger simmering within, before he grudgingly took a seat. Soon, everyone in the hall was quiet.
The professor now stood in the center in the hall with the four other younger looking, yet well dressed and important-looking people.
One was a very tall male with sun-blond hair and tiger-stripe designs all over his impeccable armor. Then a boy with red curly hair, average height and an arm completely gauntleted to the shoulder.
The other two were girls. One had braided brown hair and snake skin all over her expensive gear, and the other girl had stunning dark hair, a slender athletic body and a gear that invoked fashion, functionality and regality.
That last girl looked familiar to Jethro somehow.
"Who are these people?" he asked Kekius.
"Oh, these are the Faction Heads," Kekius whispered back. "You really don't recognize them? That's Lance Orchid, Viktor Smiths, Dara Kyle and… Fenris Harkson."
Jethro lifted his brow at the last girl, who stood with a stern expression on her face. 'So that's how I know her.'
☆ A/N:
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