Jake stood in line with everyone else when the salute was called.
But unlike everyone else, he didn't salute. They were all sloppy anyway, aside from Samantha's, Peter's, and John's, but they all quickly put their own down.
The military might be based on a hierarchy, but this wasn't the military. This was a school. And Jake didn't think that any of Hashim intended to submit to authority, here or ever again.
Captain Rekhard stopped in front of Jake, scowling at the five of them.
"Do you have a reason for not saluting, soldier?" Rekhard shouted.
Jake nodded calmly.
"Until you can prove you deserve it, I will show you no honor," he said before Rekhard's red face burst from bloodflow.
"Why don't I show you then?" Rekhard growled, turning and leaping into the air.
Jake watched silently as Rekhard grabbed hold of the flagpole, glaring down at the students.
"Listen up!" he roared. "Some of you have been here before. If you think any of you can beat me, step forward!"
Shamelessly, Jake took a pace forward, and to his satisfaction, Peter and Samantha stepped forward with him as well, with John close behind. Rowan stayed back, nervous. He had already heard rumors of the man's power, then. It was still disappointing that he wouldn't support them, though. He would have to be punished for his distrust.
Jake shoved Regus's consciousness back. He didn't need to be told what to do. He would handle Rowan.
But we're still unraveling, Jake noted.
It's because of the new fusions, Hashim explained. We'll get used to them eventually, and that process will be expediated once we begin to switch back and forth.
Jake wasn't so sure, but it was a reasonable enough explanation. Besides, they had other things to worry about, so Jake dismissed his concerns for now.
A few of the other students stepped forward as well. Notably, every one of them was a first year.
Jake looked up at Rekhard. He was practically fuming up there. No, scratch that. He was fuming. Literal steam drifted up from him every time he breathed out. His body heating up was a characteristic of him activating his ability.
Jake knew as well as anyone that they weren't likely to be able to defeat Rekhard normally. But no one expected them to, not really. Even Corpse might have trouble.
But Regus could, Hashim broadcasted impactfully. He thought it slowly, turning it over and pressing it into Jake's mind.
I know, Jake thought. But we can't run to him for help.
If he was lucky, that would activate Hashim's ego.
No dice.
We're not running. We're using the resources at our disposal. Would you voluntarily forgo a chance to have power that's already yours if you knew you didn't have enough? Hashim responded hotly. His emotions ran high, and so did Regus's mind. He was growing stronger, pushing against the constraint, but Regus was holding himself back, ostensibly to honor the pact. He wanted to be out, to show what happened to those who tried to rule over Hashim Kamal, subconsciously. So, Regus became stronger when they were given an order or suppressed. That could be important. But he was showing Jake and the Council's decision respect. Normally that would be the baseline, but Jake knew that Regus could take over if he wanted to.
And he didn't exactly appreciate that fact being leveraged over him. Jake didn't like being manipulated. Although that went for most people, it was harder for Jake, because he knew when he was cornered. Lots of people tried to convince others of things. Most of them were lying or maliciously misdirecting, and some were telling the truth. Whichever it was, it was manipulation, and Jake hated it when it was directed at him.
But that wasn't because he was easily fooled. The opposite, in fact. He hated it because he knew when they were right.
Jake had never wanted to appear as someone's lapdog, whether or not it was true. He hated others looking down on him.
Perhaps he and Regus had the same goals. They just wanted no one to be able to rule over them.
The time for caution would come, and likely soon, Jake supposed. But until that happened, until they had a concrete reason to worry, he would allow them to lapse.
Regus emerged out of Hashim.
There was no other way to define it.
He fixed his gaze firmly on Rekhard's eyes. His presence snapped to his full strength, boring down on Rekhard like a monster loosed for blood.
The general did hesitate, though barely.
"Show me your champion!" he commanded furiously. Without a prompt or an objection, Regus stepped forward. Every one of the older students stepped back from him, clearing to the side, and the first years who hadn't stood with him followed them once they saw what they were doing.
"Come on then, you monster," said Regus. "If you think you're so strong, prove your worth against the king!"
He didn't think this was going to be an easy fight, not by any means. He wished that he could release Anguis, if just for a short while, to absorb some sunlight for power. It would be a significant boost, albeit temporary. The problem was, even a second's faltering focus would be seen by everyone. Regus had to do it himself.
The only way to rule is through absolute power, Hashim reminded him.
Regus broadcasted confirmation, and then Rekhard leapt. There was no sliding down the pole or softening of the approach. He directly launched himself at Regus with no more preamble.
The general's breaths were heaving, each exhale bursting forth from his mouth into steam. His body burned hot when he used his ability. That was important to know, because his ability was the only one that Regus would have access to. Under the sun on a day like this, that would be a slight disadvantage, but not much. Unless, of course, the fight went on for a while.
Now, Regus could easily dodge until that time came and wear Rekhard to the ground. That way, the general likely wouldn't outright oppose him anymore, though he would still chafe under Regus's control. But that wasn't an option in front of so many others. Although he was incredibly powerful, his ability was new, and he just didn't have the fame necessary for Regus to be justified in toying with him. In other words, he needed to take his time on more important matters. He needed to dismiss Rekhard.
And the best, and only simple and indisputable, way to do that was to defeat him outright. For Regus, that wasn't quite an option, because he needed a few touches to get himself going, and then he could really brawl. So he would have to pretend to toy with him a little first. It would be perfect. He had already challenged the man to show him his strength, so he could easily remain in control while feeling out Rekhard's strengths, in the guise of hoping he had more hidden power.
Regus smirked as the first blow came for him. He dodged to the side, leaning so that Rekhard flew past him and impacted the ground. There, a distinct crack sounded, and dust flew up from the hard, packed ground of the field. Immediately, before Regus could even step back, Rekhard came at him again, swinging, not wildly as it seemed, but efficiently and precisely, while putting up the visage of a berserker.
Regus laughed as he dodged. He could say that he would never be defeated by such a wild opponent, when in reality the opposite was true. When you were a well-trained soldier, even if you tried to hit erratically, you would always have predictable targets, so even as Rekhard backed him across the field, Regus wasn't hit once.
Perhaps he wasn't going to enter the arena after all. This was much more entertaining. How unfortunate, then, that he had already made up his mind to defeat Rekhard quickly. He might be given a higher rating, and if the older students' reactions said something, miniscule though they were, Jake had noticed them, and interpreted it. The message was quite simple. They didn't believe that Hasim Kamal could triumph against this man. And that meant that if he did, he would become even more high profile.
"Do you really think you can beat me, boy?" Rekhard asked as they fought. He wasn't anywhere near running out of breath, and could probably comfortably continue this for almost an hour.
If his opponent was anyone but Regus.
"Yes," Regus responded simply, stepping past him and flinging out a hand to shove him in the back.
Regus hadn't received military training, but it was simple to calculate where the blows were intended to land, because Rekhard had. In the military, it had been made clear to the students, you hit to kill. Any holding back would cost you your life, or something even more precious. Hashim still didn't know all the details, but they were working on it. Something more than what the public had been told was going on with the heroes and monsters.
So Rekhard's strikes were all reaching for vital targets. Meanwhile, Regus had no intention to kill, or even try to. This was for glory and respect, nothing more and nothing less. So Rekhard had no idea how to counter him. He wasn't using any sort of practiced martial arts or even basic combat stances, which, while capable of increasing his effectiveness, would make him predictable.
But what he was using was Rekhard's ability.