NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22: Degraded
–What was your name?– Frost asked Scott casually, trying to conceal his malicious intentions, but as Scott came to his senses, he refused to answer, instead choosing to close his eyes once again and pretend to not listen. He tried shutting himself off and ignoring his surroundings, but as his classmates’ constant cheering and the feeling of having Frost’s menacing presence right next to him overwhelmed him, he began to tear up. Frost didn’t care about the pain he was in, though he did now notice the cuts on his legs. But instead of consoling him, he became impatient and kept insisting on getting his name, forcing Zoey to step in after not being able to bear watching such humiliation.
–His name is Scott, and he tried his hardest!– Zoey shouted in anger as she tried pushing Frost away to defend her friend. Even though she didn’t have the strength to move him an inch, her loudness still caught Frost’s attention, and when he turned back in surprise, he stared at her for a good moment as she stood between him and Frost. He considered listening to her for a second, but since the audience was too thrilled to see him embarrass Scott even further, he knew he had to entertain them by making an example out of him.
–Yea, sure, that’s cute…– Frost scoffed before forcing Zoey to step aside as he took a step forward and gestured for her to move. She tried to stand her ground, but since she was too weak to confront Frost, she ended up complying reluctantly and giving up on Scott, who had slightly opened his eyes to watch as Zoey tried her hardest to stand up for him. He looked proud for a second, but as the audience began laughing again, Frost raised his hand and ordered silence.
And with the entire crowd quieting down at a moment’s notice, Frost took a moment to think hard of a new nickname for Scott, all while he stared at him with true spite, almost the same hatred he would display when fighting omens. Zoey could also only watch with a bitter frown as Frost pretended to think for longer to build more suspense, getting the students so eager that they were on the edge of their seats, trying to get a closer look at Scott’s distressed face as he anticipated the worst to happen. But just as he began to make peace with the idea of getting a bad nickname, Frost startled him as he asserted his loud voice in the silent atmosphere, now having settled his decision.
–Alright, for showing absolutely no strength or intelligence in a basic duel against a girl, from now on, you will be called…– Frost began announcing with joy, getting way too into his role as announcer; looking at both sides of the bleachers to incite them to keep mocking Scott. He dragged his words and stopped before revealing Scott’s new nickname, who, in the last moment of dignity he had left, glanced at both Zoey and Crisis, noticing that Candy had left the arena a while ago. He had completely lost all hope, and with nothing left, he took a big breath to prepare for what he already knew was going to cement him as the subject of all future jokes.
–Sissy!! How about that? Sissy fits you perfectly!– Frost added with an elevated tone of wicked glee, laughing with true ill will, and shouting proudly to prompt an immediate collective laugh that seemed to never end. Frost kept looking around at the audience to keep encouraging their laughs, and though some seemed a bit remorseful of the lengths they were going to mock Scott, they just followed what everyone else did, meaning that as long as Frost wanted, he could get them all to ridicule Scott in the most staggering and derogatory manner. But as Frost distracted himself with the crowd, stepping away from Scott, he noticed that Zoey ran to his aid, though he didn’t seem to care what happened to them both anymore since he had already had his way with him.
–Yea, you can take your boyfriend to Candy. Have her check on him to see if you killed him. It would be a shame to waste such a good name on a dead kid …– Frost said to Zoey dismissively, immediately infuriating her as she struggled to help Scott stand up. But instead of arguing, she just gave him a death stare and stayed quiet before turning her back to Frost, who kept himself entertained with his other students while Scott and Zoey tried to escape the arena as fast as possible.
Even with Scott collaborating with her and standing up on his own, he looked absolutely defeated and at a complete loss of motivation. The pain had already subsided, even though it still seemed to hurt to even walk, not just from his injuries on his legs but from the damage his back suffered in the fall, but it looked like that was the least of his worries. Zoey could see it in his eyes; he had no strength or passion to keep going anymore. All of his determination had disappeared, and in its place, the shame was now going to haunt him forever. But as she rushed to get him away from the arena and into the shack, where they could still hear their classmates cheering despite the second duel not having started yet.
Once they reached the office, Zoey hesitated to open the door, but after carefully peeking inside, she saw that Candy was waiting for them. Scott tried to resist going in, looking back to see that the next duel was about to start, but before he could argue for his wellbeing, Zoey forced him into the shack to get checked out. He looked more embarrassed than ever, more so than when he was surrounded by everyone in the arena. Despite now being in a private and safe place, he refused to see Candy. But as he had already placed a foot inside, he had garnered Candy’s attention, and there was nothing for him to do since she ordered him to take a seat right away.
–Alright Scott, talk to me. How are you feeling?– Candy asked with immediate concern, spotting his injuries as soon as he stepped inside the office, though not sounding too alarmed to not worry Scott, who pretended to not be in pain even though he couldn’t really sit properly without Zoey’s help. She was kind enough to pull one of the chairs around the round table before helping Scott lower himself carefully into a sitting position. But as Candy moved from across the table to sit right next to him while pulling out her portable medic kit, Zoey moved out of the way to not interfere, though she also seemed surprised to hear that Candy knew Scott’s name despite not being there a moment ago to hear it.
–I’m fine, it was just a small fall…– Scott mumbled sleepily, completely drained of all emotion or energy, not even looking at Candy, despite her showing great compassion and getting close to get a good look at him. He grew a little nervous, trying to hide it by staring at the bleak decorations in the office, finding anything to distract himself, and not making eye contact with Candy.
But as she and Zoey didn’t fall for his clear lies, they looked at each other with the same troubled expression, and although the latter didn’t know how to handle a dizzy Scott who refused to receive help, Candy seemed to have some experience dealing with stubbornness and began doing her job regardless. She began wiping Scott’s face with a wet cloth to clean off the mud and check if he had any bruises or significant injuries on his face. But as she proceeded with a full body check, she quickly found that his injuries weren’t as severe as they appeared to be from Scott’s demeanor, which eased her mind a little, though she then moved on to his actual wounds.
–And what about your leg?– Candy asked briefly, trying to be friendly and remain calm to draw back Scott’s attention, which ended up working as he found her soft and reassuring voice soothing, even though he still was a bit insecure to look her in the eye. For a moment, he genuinely forgot about the cuts on his legs, so when he looked down and saw that Candy was about to stitch him up, he froze for a moment at the sight of his wounds opening and bleeding once again before Candy started patching him up.
–Oh…– Scott muttered before leaning back in exhaustion to let Candy do her job. While she stitched his wounds up, Zoey stood awkwardly next to him, trying to comfort Scott but hesitating to interrupt. However, as she watched Candy work, her curiosity got the best of her, and after a brief silence, she decided to clear her doubts.
–Wait, do you two already know each other?– Zoey asked curiously but shyly, though Candy seemed more focused on treating Scott’s legs than listening to her. But as her speedy aid caused him mild discomfort, Candy slowed down after hearing a couple of soft groans from Scott, taking it easier and not focusing so hard on him.
–We met when you all arrived here…– Candy replied inattentively, choosing to pay more attention to Scott than Zoey, who was a bit upset by Candy’s bleak response and took a moment to take a good look at her appearance, being a bit critical when seeing how she acted when she talked to Scott. Her brows contorted as his expression became skeptical, distrusting Candy’s superficially sweet demeanor, though she didn’t get the chance to say much about it since she still focused more on Scott.
–It looks like you are prone to injuries, Scott. I’ve seen fewer bruises on my teammates, and we are the ones actually fighting…– Candy quipped with a cheerful smile, being lighthearted but caring enough to get a chuckle out of him. He didn’t know how to react, though he did look a bit proud to see that he was able to endure so many hits on the obstacle course without feeling much pain. But as he began reflecting, he stared right up at the ceiling, causing both Zoey and Candy’s worries to increase, but the latter chose to keep quiet and keep aiding his wounds while Zoey tried to talk to him.
–I’m so sorry for that. I didn’t mean to hit you that hard, I just-...– Zoey tried to apologize, but as soon as she started talking to him, she got him to say something as he finally reacted with more energy.
–I know, I’m sorry for trying to hit you too. I just got angry because I knew everyone was going to laugh at me if I lost, and… Well, in the end, it didn’t matter because it still happened, so…– Scott replied with a similar apologetic tone, showing even more remorse than Zoey, sounding more disappointed than anything, though only at him in specific, no one else. He held his hands to his face to hide the shame, beginning to tear up again, though both girls could only hear some faint notices. Zoey couldn’t come up with anything else to say, though; she just placed her hand on his shoulder and tried to comfort him, which didn’t end up being too effective. However, with her trying to reassure Scott, Candy saw the opportunity to do the same right after she finished tending his wounds.
–Not everyone. I couldn’t stand to watch what happened to you. It’s okay to feel bad, we all fail at first, even the more experienced soldiers, so don’t worry, Scott. I’m sure you will improve greatly in the next few weeks, and even if you keep falling, I’m always here to help you get up every time…– Candy reassured with a lively and hopeful smile. Her heartfelt and heartwarming words compelled Scott to pay more attention, growing interested in hearing her advice. He finally looked at her directly, and as he saw genuine care and sympathy in her big, empathetic eyes, he found comfort in her promising stare, though it got him to blush a little. In response, Zoey nodded enthusiastically to everything that Candy said, though she quickly tried to join the conversation to give some advice of her own.
–Yea, of course he will. But I’ll also keep getting stronger, so you won’t have it easy…– Zoey added playfully to follow up Candy’s optimistic comments, though she was almost dismissing her as she cut their moment short to get a good laugh out of Scott. Her joke did seem to cheer him up, but he quickly turned his attention back to Candy, who glanced at him from time to time while also trying to look at Zoey, who competed to draw Scott’s attention. Luckily, Candy forgot about bandaging his legs, so as she reached for bandages and kneeled once again to wrap his legs, Scott and Zoey got to share another one of their playful stares, although it didn’t last very long.
–I guess so. Thanks, Candy… But apparently, now I’m named Sissy, so you have to call me that…– Scott replied in a similar lighthearted tone, though a bit more self-deprecating, as he was genuinely upset by his new nickname. He and Zoey tried not to give it much thought, choosing to focus on the bright side to ignore any potential implications his new name might bring. But unlike them, Candy didn’t find any humor in it, not even smiling when he showed gratitude, as something immediately bothered her.
–What? Did Frost give you that nickname?– Candy asked in a mix of surprise and discontent after being disturbed by Scott’s nickname, taking a break from bandaging his legs for a moment to stare up at him. He became nervous to see her get upset so suddenly, but as her attitude returned to a concerned one quickly, he found the courage to just be honest with her and tell her what happened after she left the arena.
–Yea, after failing miserably in front of everyone, he just had to make it worse by giving me this dumb nickname… Now people are going to think I question my sexuality or something… Which I’m not, by the way, just so you know…– Scott replied with a melancholic voice, though taking it a bit lightly as he exaggerated his annoyance a little by frowning to garner sympathy from both Zoey and Candy, who didn’t even hesitate to show support and get him smiling once again.
–I think it’s cute…– Zoey muttered with a teasing smile, though she became a little embarrassed as Scott turned to her. He barely heard her, but just when she began blushing at the sight of him looking at her, Candy replied as well.
–Well, don’t let it go to your head. Everyone is used to having a bad nickname at first with Frost around. I don’t know why he does it, but he likes to diminish people and regard them as worthless and all that stuff. Believe it or not, some of us suffered the same punishment as you… even worse. He has berated, and insulted, and degraded, and just outright threatened many soldiers before, but he always does it with the intent of disciplining them and strengthening their skills, just like how our faction taught us…– Candy responded more earnestly, dropping her usual demeanor as she seemed to reminisce about her previous experiences with Frost. Seeing her talk about the common struggles of soldiers in the base spoke to Scott, who took a long moment to think, though he did seem to doubt Candy’s depiction of Frost’s intentions.
On the other hand, Zoey wasn’t as intrigued by the idea, just more irritated by it, huffing at the mention of Frost humiliating soldiers AS a normal recurrence. But as she saw that Candy didn’t seem to oppose his teachings that much, just wasn’t too comfortable watching it, Zoey grew curious as it looked like Candy was one of the only ones who did understand Frost’s methods, although it sounded like she never was the recipient of any of Frost’s punishments and strict lessons.
–Still, I think I should talk to him about it. I told him not to be so harsh with his students…– Candy added more compassionately and thoughtfully as she focused back on Scott and finished bandaging his legs, trying not to be overly optimistic like before, AND showing more sympathy for the awful experience Scott just had. And while Scott didn’t seem to put much thought into it, just continuing to stare at her as he became more awkward, it looked like her comment confirmed Zoey’s doubts, who had stopped to think for a good while before finally speaking her mind again.
–Wait, I saw you two the other day talking in private, is he like your boyfrie-...?– Zoey tried to ask curiously after realizing something that apparently didn’t sit well with Candy, as she interrupted her in the middle of her sentence, getting startled by the mention of her relationship with Frost.
–Alright, we are all done here, I probably need to treat other people if those duels end like yours…– Candy interjected with a nervous undertone right before Zoey could finish her question, leaving her in doubt, not only about her question but the way she reacted so quickly. Scott was also caught off guard, but as he had been waiting for Candy to finish treating him, as soon as she ordered, he stood up and stepped away to let Candy tidy up her medical supplies and wait for the next patient.
–You seem to be fine and ready to train more, but try not to hurt yourself again, okay Scott?– Candy followed up more casually, still focusing her attention solely on him, almost like she couldn’t see Zoey, who remained curious and clearly had more questions to talk about. But as Scott just nodded and showed his gratitude with a timid smile again, both he and Zoey were led to the exit of the office by Candy, who was now suspiciously in a hurry.
–Sure, thank you, Candy! See you around!– Scott responded with more enthusiasm, regaining some of his energy, though only for the brief moment that he faced Candy as he walked out of the office.
–Bye Candy!–Zoey exclaimed as well, although seemingly only out of politeness as Candy was already closing the door behind them. Her smile immediately disappeared as her expression became dubious again, though when she turned back to Scott, she noticed that he had returned to his disappointed, bitter self from earlier.
–She is nice…– Zoey said in a playful manner, trying to get some sort of reaction out of him after seeing his defeated demeanor return. But as he just stayed silent, they stayed silent for an awkward moment before they began walking away.
–Yea…– Scott replied after a while with a tired sight, but only to himself as he was already heading out to see the rest of the duels, which apparently had just begun. Zoey hesitated to follow him, watching him walk away with a bit of concern as he would now have to show his face to his classmates once again, having to withstand their mockery for the rest of the training program. But as it looked like everyone was more focused on the ongoing duel in the middle of the arena, Zoey caught up to Scott and hurried up to get a seat at the back of the bleachers on the left side, blending in with the rest of the students without anyone noticing.
Now that they were done with their fight and could just watch their classmates fight each other, Scott and Zoey kept themselves distracted with the next duels, now seeing why they were so amusing to the watchers as the students in the arena didn’t know how to fight one bit. They began enjoying themselves and finally got a chance to relax, and in Scott’s case, he cheered himself up a little by seeing other people fail in combat like him. He laughed at Shane and his friend in particular, who looked like complete savage animals, fighting brutally until one of them was knocked out.
Scott did have to keep a low profile to not be seen, but since they kept their distance, he got to fully enjoy the rest of the duels, which surprisingly took less than an hour. Once the matches had finished, the sun was already setting, and with the first class done, everyone was dismissed. Zoey and Scott did try to stay hidden in the crowd as they returned to the base, but on their way, Scott was seen by Frost for a brief second. He seemed just as tired as his students, though when his gaze met Scott’s, it seemed like he had completely forgotten about him and the degrading nickname he had given him.
Scott left with a bitter expression, but since he finally got to leave the training grounds and get something to eat, he quickly forgot about his worries and focused on enjoying the rest of the day. Frost did remind everyone to return tomorrow early in the morning to train once again, though he wasn’t heard by many. He and Crisis didn’t return to the base right away, instead staying near the shack as they waited for all the students to leave. And while the recruits continued their day like normal, even having to return to their jobs, Crisis was just about to put Frost’s plan into motion, beginning a new schedule to get back to the battlefield behind everyone’s backs.