Book 5 - Chapter 47 - Pioneers (1/2)

All of these recent events were having a major effect on Greenland’s progress.

You could feel it in the atmosphere. A heavy gloom had settled over the city ever since news of Dawn’s capture had spread. It was suffocating, like the air before a thunderstorm. Still and ominous. Posts manned by Polaris soldiers were empty since they could not focus on developing the city as they had before.

At the same time, Greenland was and always had been a wasteland city. These settlements were prone to attracting snakes and other bad actors. Chaos always took root whenever cracks appeared in the foundation, like insidious weeds.

In large part, stability had been maintained in Greenland because of the strong Polaris presence. Once they began to disappear from their posts, it stood to reason that the security they brought would begin to erode, right. Murder, theft, extortion – would the seeds of sin buried in the wasteland’s barren soil bloom in their pure oasis?

And yet… it was a miracle, because what happened was not what people expected and feared. Even though the city was in conflict, and even though threats approached from all sides, chaos did not take hold.

Months of effort by its leaders had cultivated a sense of honor and gratitude in the hearts of Greenland’s citizens. They saw this city as their home, a place worth protecting.

Was the Elysian view that wastelanders lived for chaos true? Of course not! After having a taste of surplus, safety and comfort, who would throw all of that away for the bloody struggles of their former life?

Wastelanders were humans, and but for a few outliers they preferred safety to conflict. This precious gift, which Elysians were given at birth, wastelanders viewed as a hard earned treasure. The emergence of Greenland – its harmony, its order, its abundance – instilled within these wastelanders a long-dead sense of dignity.

The Greenlanders themselves, more than anyone, wanted to make sure this place was protected! And if the Polaris soldiers were too distracted to protect them, then they would do it themselves!

Grassroots groups sprang up to maintain order. One of the mutants who had been elevated to a leadership position in their forces took charge, leading his squad on patrol and manning guard posts. It was their express mission to make sure anyone who used this chance to cause trouble was harshly dealt with.

He was but one example. Greenland was their home! Although they weren’t strong enough to defend Greenland’s honor outside its borders, they could still contribute in this way.

There was one area in particular which was deeply affected by the changing times, and that was the Institute. Although classes run by Seekers would continue unchanged, most others had been run in the Elysian style with Elysian methods. Their instructors, soldiers from Skycloud, were now all gone. They were preparing to embark on a campaign to fight and die against the expeditionary force. But what of their students? What would they do without their teachers?

Claudia showed up at the school as she did every day and was faced with a striking scene.

Several hundred martial arts students were divided by class and were practicing strength training in the yard. These young, immature students were solemn and quiet. What did it matter that there were no teachers? They simply followed the same curriculum as any other day under the guidance of their class leaders . None of them had any doubt that their instructors would return safely in time, and they wanted to be in top shape.

Seeing these children dutifully attending to their studies moved Claudia deeply.

Beneath these fresh faces was a strength that was growing all the time. When they finally bloom, their effect on the world they inherit will be incredible.

Cloudhawk told her that his hope was to give the wasteland an opportunity to make the change it wanted. What wastelander wouldn’t leap at the chance? In most places, they were like drowning men grasping at straws. Now that they’d been given a vine, they would hold on tight as they could and never let go.

Claudia slowly made her way to the center of the facility. Here was situated their special demonhunter training area. She took up position behind her podium and every student was present. Wordlessly, they took their seats. Their eyes, bright with a third for knowledge, were all fixed on her.

Claudia looked them over for a moment then shut the book in front of her. “No class today.”

Her students were first surprised then disappointed. No class? Why!

“Headmistress, are you joining the fight?” From among her students one strong and dignified voice called out to her. It was Ironspike, the mutant. He had trained hard and was acknowledged as an especially talented novice demonhunter by this point. He spoke to her with a face full of enthusiasm. “The headmistress is strong, she’ll definitely make the enemy regret crossing us!”

The other student vociferously agreed. But their burning eyes were filled both with excitement and concern.

Ironspike’s resolute words caught Claudia off guard. She shook her head. “Actually, I’m not considered strong here in Greenland. And I will not be participating in the battle for various reasons.”

When she said it Claudia could see the disappointment in their faces. What were they disappointed about? That she wasn’t thought of as strong, or that she wasn’t going to fight?

She kept her face calm and continued. “We aren’t having class today, because we have something more important to attend.”

Her students quieted down again. They listened with eager curiosity.