A shuttle landed in the outskirts of Scabbard City.
Amongst shabby white-walled homes and various cheap and affordable workshop buildings, a single neglected campus stood out from the rest.
Aside from occupying a bit more space than the other lots, the site also featured a large, three-story structure that was notable for its state of disrepair!
The peeled coating, the obvious signs of corrosion and even the partially-collapsed sections all showed that whoever owned this building did not invest any money in maintaining it over the years!
"So this is the prestigious location of the great Annihilator Sword School." Ketis mildly said. "How… quaint."
Commander Sendra, Angelique Harcourt and a number of other Swordmaidens exited the shuttle and beheld the urban decay.
When Fred Walinski exited the shuttle last, he did not exhibit any shame. "This isn't the original campus of our sword school. When my brother became an expert pilot, he initially founded his school in one of the more central and desirable districts of Scabbard City. This is one of the privileges that the Heavensword Association bestows to expert pilots and swordmasters. Back then, we didn't worry about money issues at all. As long as our demands weren't too excessive, we could obtain sword coins from many willing sources."
At their level, it was impossible for expert pilots to get broke. Their amazing skill and strength made them incredibly useful in multiple different capacities. They could even earn entire mechs as long as they tutored a group of mech pilots!
The group strode forward and stopped in front of a statue that depicted a heroic-looking man.
While the bronze-like metal statue was well-made and resistant to corrosion, that did not stop birds from soiling it and weeds from growing over its surface.
"This is my older brother." Fred sighed as he looked at the face of the statue. Their features bore a close resemblance to each other. "Venerable Trey Walinski was a powerful expert pilot and a dear relative of mine. He always worked harder than me. It was no wonder that he managed to undergo apotheosis while I had to train decades more just to push myself to the level of a pseudo-sword initiate. I have no chance of ever catching up to my late brother in my lifetime, let alone revive our school by myself."
From the way the sculptor depicted Venerable Trey, Ketis could see that the expert pilot oozed confidence. The deceased expert pilot was a much greater man than his shameless and unsuccessful sibling!
Venerable Dise stepped forward and bowed in a formal fashion. She showed her respect from one expert pilot to another.
While her movements might not conform to local etiquette, Fred appreciated the gesture.
"My brother would have loved to exchange his views on swordsmanship with you. It's a shame he isn't able to do so now that his body is buried in a grave."
"How did he die?" Ketis wondered. "From what you have told me so far, Venerable Trey ought to be in his prime of his life before your school lost its head. Did he perish on the battlefield?"
Fred grew glum. "I would have preferred that, but no. The Heavensword Association sometimes gets embroiled in border skirmishes, but we haven't entered into any major conflicts for quite some time. My brother… suffered from a disease that has taken his life."
That was an awful fate for an expert pilot who still had a bright future ahead of him! Even in the Age of Mechs, humanity was still unable to cure every affliction.
Yet technology had advanced so far that people had access to many different treatments. Common injuries and diseases no longer threatened the lives of ordinary people!
"Did your state do anything in its power to save your brother? What about bringing him to the Life Research Association? The doctors over here are some of the best in the star cluster."
"Do you think we haven't tried? My brother developed a brain disease. It's a very rare condition that is slightly more prevalent in people with his genes. Out of all of the possibilities, he had to be the one to contract it. Our school would have been in a completely different state if I was the one who contracted the disease instead!"
Obviously, Fred was burdened by a lot of misplaced guilt. The Swordmaidens gave him some time to regain his composure. As much as they empathized with the loss, Venerable Trey had already died a long time ago. The time for condolences was already over.
"Let's head inside." He softly said.
While the school structure looked like it was a few steps away from collapsing, it was still in working condition. The electronic lock straightforwardly accepted the interim director's code before opening the double doors.
The group entered a foyer room of some sorts where dust and other signs of neglect marked the barren interior.
The large hall should have featured some furniture, but the state of the school was so poor that Fred had sold these assets a long time ago. There was barely anything of value left in this decrepit structure!
Ketis scrunched her nose as she looked back. Their footsteps left obvious marks on the carpet of dust.
"Couldn't you have acquired a cleaner bot or something? Even the cheapest ones can keep the dust away."
"I can't. The school organization is burdened by a lot of debt. I have tried to keep the Annihilator Sword School aloft for three decades without its swordmaster, and I could have never kept it going if I was any looser with spending what little money I can gather. I can't even power most of this building. The only working power lines make sure that the security system is up and running. I can't allow anyone to burgle the life's work of my brother, though I doubt that any thief is courageous enough to despoil the teachings of a swordmaster."
Not even the cruelest thief in the Heavensword Association dared to steal the belongings of a swordmaster! The status of the latter was too high among the locals!
After passing through some empty and unused rooms and corridors, they finally reached a traditional-looking hall that should have exhibited the splendor of the Annihilator Sword School.
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