MTL NOVEL Chapter 32: CH-32:)
Two afternoons in the shooting gallery netted me an equal number of levels in [Firearms], raising my accuracy up from 'Poor' to 'A bit above Average' and in the evenings I spent time with a local Ensign who was happy to join me for some bouts of light sparring.
[Unarmed Combat] reached all the way to Lv.11 and [Kami-e] I'm proud to report has already risen to Lv.8. Now the [Skill] only has a 45% chance of failing on use. Still objectively garbage? Sure. But all that improvement was just from a few sessions of grinding. A little more time with the technique and I'll be able to incorporate it seamlessly into my fighting style.
I do need to watch for any slips of the tongue though. Just because I can use one of the Rokushiki doesn't mean I need to announce it to the world every time I use it. Can you imagine if I actually shouted "Kami-e!" in the middle of a Marine training area? The last thing I need is word reaching one of the higher ups around here and they start grilling me on where I learned it.
Unfortunately when my partner, Ensign Sylvia, grew tired of hand-to-hand training and insisted we move on to swordplay my performance became..less than stellar.
I could tell I had her pretty impressed before, the two of us were even starting to throw light bits of flirting into our bouts. But once my practically nonexistent level of swordsmanship made itself known that spark of interest in her eyes dimmed noticeably.
Oh well. At least [Bladed Weapon Mastery] gained two levels out of the whole thing.
According to her my swordsmanship was now almost to the level where 'A freshly frocked Petty Officer won't openly laugh at your incompetence'.
An indignant piece of my brain wanted to dispute the harsh claim but considering that I only have a (4/150) in the [Skill] I have to begrudgingly accept it as a fair assessment.
Whatever. I prefer to fight with my hands anyway.
Eventually my downtime came to an end though and after four days Mori has finally been cleared to leave the infirmary. The Chief was barely a free man for 15 minutes before the pair of us were summoned to Captain Rasure's office.
"Once again I would like to congratulate you two," The man behind the imposing wooden desk spoke as he ran one hand through his impressive facial hair. "Uncovering a hidden agent within the Marines ranks -a commissioned officer no less- is a major victory. Chief Mori I'd like you to know that I've spoken to your CO and we're both in agreement that your actions warrant a promotion to 'Master Chief'. It goes into effect at the end of the month. Congratulations."
"Th-Thank you sir!" Mori responded, still standing ramrod straight at attention. Rasure smiled warmly. "If you continue to perform admirably you could have quite the profile to submit towards an officer program in a few years. So long as you keep up with your training there's no reason you can't wear the coat someday." Rasure spoke with a gesture to his golden epaulets.
The Captains hands returned to his desk and then his smile shrank back down to neutral. "That all being said, I'm afraid to say the situation has become rather…delicate." The Captain said with a tired sigh. "Back when he was an Ensign, Jorgen underwent a small apprenticeship beneath Rear Admiral Aquino who as you know oversees all the bases in this quadrant of South Blue. Hearing that his one time protege was a criminal plant...well..the Rear Admiral has become equal parts furious and embarrassed. If that wasn't enough it seems that the crown prince of the Caeban royal family was secretly using the Masserida's to provide him with..." Rasure shook his head despondently. "Never mind. It doesn't really matter. The point is that there's pressure coming in from all sides to just sweep this story under the rug as quickly as possible."
"No big deal." I say with an over-dramatic shrug. "The masses have always suffered from short-term memory. By this time next week all the townsfolk whispering out there will have moved on to other things. So long as all the pricks go to prison where they can't bother me anymore its no skin off my bones."
Captain Rasure gave a tiny smile and nodded subtly in agreement. "I'm glad you have that attitude young man. Unfortunately, it makes what I have to say next taste all the more unpleasant. Due to the connections Masserida had with the prince, your name is now known to some people in very high places in this Kingdom. Now since you're a civilian I can't actually give you a direct order. But I think it would be in your best interest if you went back to Yeutton, got on a ship, and left this Kingdom as soon as you're able."
And just like that my day is ruined.
I mean... I wasn't exactly planning on putting down permanent roots here or anything but I'd grown rather fond of the place. Some of the local restaurants back in the port town had even started treating me like a regular.
"For how long?" I asked.
Rasure gave a minute shrug. "Couple years at least. Sorry son."
I ran my hand through my hair and gave my own frustrated sigh of resignation. "It's okay. Just life I guess."
Three Days Later, The Cracked Pearl
I push open the broad wooden doors of the tavern and feel the familiar scent of smoke and booze wash over me. "Shots all around! It's my last night in town boys and everything's on me!"
A raucous of excited cries and raised glasses was the response. You know the funny thing is I could have sworn that most of these people hated my guts. What with the whole 'bounty hunter' thing and all. It just goes to show how incredibly quick you can turn opinions around by buying people free drinks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Do you enjoy reading? Visit my Ko-fi! There you will find the advanced chapter in PDF format, ready for your convenience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://ko-fi.com/fictiontopia