Vitkus Twins

Chapter Seven

“He’s late,” Jakoba huffed as she continued the warm-up excise that Aldona had walked her through and was doing herself. Launce was sitting in front of a wooden post, medicating? It looked like he was medicating. Or he was napping with his eyes closed, how did she ever like someone who acted like a toddler denied sweets?

And all because Azuloas didn’t want to spar wit him before the test that Justus had set up with them, Jakoba didn’t know why he wanted to fight before they had to fight to become full-fledged Kareivis members.

Either way, she wondered how Azuloas or Aldona got anything done with Melanthe and Hyacintha wrapped around their torsos. In fact, she wondered how Bellerophon got anything done with Bucky wrapped around him!

Not that she was saying that Azuloas and Aldona were skinny, but Bellerophon had more bulk to him than they did.

“Justus it known for being three hours late,” Aldona reminded her as Jakoba copied her movements, she just looked at her as she lifted her left foot to rest against her right knee. “We both read his file last night, it was noted in his ‘bad habits’ section.”

“I didn’t want to believe it,” Jakoba told her.

“None of us did,” Azuloas admitted.

“He’s also known for not taking it easy on newbies,” Aldona continued glaring both Azuloas and Jakoba. “So Jakoba, I want you to stay near me. Launce will try to lone wolf the whole test, but the village values teamwork. We don’t have to have it perfect, but we do need to show that we’re willing to work together.”

“That would be one of the reasons we’re put into teams,” Jakoba quoted, it was something her grandfather had told her during her first year. She didn’t know how much she missed him until she thought about everything, he told her.

“I might follow Launce around for a bit,” Azuloas told her, Hyacintha huffing from her spot around his torso. “And try to keep him from getting killed.”

“I wish you luck, Azu,” Aldona told him, she really did. Launce was a pain to deal with, she didn’t know if he was a bigger pain now, or when he used to live with them with the rest of the Atspoguļo Clan, while their Compound was fixed, and the dead were removed.

It was another reason that he was never invited to the Group training sessions, along with most of the group not being able to stand his presence.

“I can’t believe someone could be this late,” Jakoba told them. She didn’t think a teacher would be three hours later for a text that they set up. Now she was starting to believe the few stories she remembered about Justus Błyskawica.

“Jakoba, we’ll have to get used to it,” Azuloas told her, smiling as Aldona pointed her right foot to the right of her body. “Use the time waiting for training.”

“After we warm up, you can help us set up traps and such,” Aldona told her, grinning as she thought of us that they could make Justus pay for being three hours late yesterday and today. “After all, anything can happen in a second, but in three hours?”

“Everything can happen in three hours,” Azuloas chimed in.

“So, what are we going to do?” Jakoba asked them.

“We can show you some chakra control,” Azuloas told her looking at his twin as she started writing something in a notebook. Looking over her shoulder, he nodded his head at some of his plans, some of that they would need to climb trees. So, they could show Jakoba show how to put chakra in her feet and climb without using her hands. “If you want to be a medic, you’ll need basically perfect chakra control.”

“Which will be easier for you, then it was for us,” Aldona told her, while sealing away from the notebook. She had stopped giggling, but her checks were still slightly red.

“Why me?” Jakoba asked as she looked at her hands, as she put her foot down. She was still in the second last pose that Aldona had showed her.

“You have a smaller store of chakra,” Azuloas admitted.

“As in, about the same size as Dvesma had when she was five,” Aldona told her. “Which will increase but makes it easier to control in the beginning.”

“This is going to be hard, isn’t it?” Jakoba asked them.

“Torture,” Azuloas told her.

“It’s for my grandfather, he won’t be proud of me until I improve,” Jakoba told them, she was going to make him proud. Stand on her own two feet, not be a damsel in distress.

“I think he’s going to be so proud of you, all you can do Jakoba, is your best,” Aldona told her, smiling as her hands went behind her back. She was tracing her fingers along Melanthe’s scales. “But I’m not him, so let’s get started.”

“Then we’ll eat again, save our energy for the big event,” Azuloas told her.

Jakoba just looked at then, as they started whispering to each other. Azuloas walked over to her and patted her on the arm, she knew she would improve. Aldona and Azuloas would push her to her limits and then beyond.

“Loser,” Launce muttered.

“Alright, mister I have clan training and she doesn’t,” Azuloas snapped at him.

“Ignored him, you’re not in a life or death situation. Hopefully, you won’t be in one for a while and by then, you’ll prepared,” Aldona told Jakoba putting her hand on her shoulder. “We’ll be forced to push a bit harder than we’re comfortable with. But you’ll catch up if you put in the right amount of effort.”

“You’ll have one resting day a week,” Azuloas promised as he unsealed a roll of ribbon, passing it to her and she spotted a small drawing on the inside of the ribbon. “But you have six years of training the Academy didn’t touch on to catch up on. You’re the only who hasn’t been training since they were four.”

“It’s a bit, but I believe that you can do it,” Aldona promised her. “You’ll just need to put in more effort than Launce, Azuloas and I will.”

“Then we should get started then,” Jakoba told them, smiling as she started following Azuloas and Aldona into the forest. While they told her where to tie the ribbon, in small places like the steam of flowers.

-Three hours later-

“You’re late!” Jakoba screamed when Justus showed up.

“And you’re loud,” Aldona told her, seriously, what was with Jakoba and screaming? Aldona really did need to talk to her, since it could either break her and Azuloas’ ear dreams or could get her killed on a mission.

If she didn’t know, then Aldona and Azuloas was going to have to talk to her about lowering her voice, so that the enemy didn’t hear her.

Justus just looked at his Šuniukų, before looking at the other two. He didn’t know if this team would pass, but he also knew that Azuloas and Aldona had spent enough time with Paslėpta liepsna that the team’s chance of passing were higher than his last teams.

“Why don’t we start the test?” he asked them, all four wanna-be Kareivis members looked at him with blank faces.

“And the rules?” Jakoba asked him.

“Rules? Of course, rules one; all force is acceptable, even deadly force,” Justus told them, before showing them three bells that had tied them to his belt. “Rule two; you need to get these bells before the timer goes off.”

“Three bells,” Aldona whispered an amusement glint in her eyes, and Justus can tell that she was planning something. He hasn’t tricked her or Azuloas, Jakoba looked at him like he had told her a bad joke. Launce was the only one who looked like he had fallen for it, since he was looking at him with a challenging gaze.

“Now, start,” Justus told them, Aldona grabbed Jakoba and both girls disappeared into a poof of smoke. Azuloas grinning at him as he followed Aldona followed Aldona’s example, before he could do anything about it; Launce was attacking him with a dagger in his hands.

He had a good feeling about these four.

Jakoba, Azuloas and Aldona were looking at each other in the forest. None of the traps they had made were tripped, which meant that Launce had attacked Justus like they thought that he would, the twins knowing that Launce wouldn’t pass a chance to show off.

Jakoba knew there was something fishy about this test, they had to get a bell. But he was a member of the Apsauga Unit and they had just finished the Academy. He had years of training on them, while they had never been on the field.

He never did say they had to have a whole bell, nor did he say they had to keep said bell. Sashan was known for their teamwork, ever since the village was created between three friends. An orphan girl and two clan leaders.

“Launce as most likely attacked Justus,” Azuloas told them, both he and Aldona had decided to train as sensors. An ability to track people by their chakra, the most famous being Valkoinen Meža, Heikkinen’s teacher had been named after the man. In fact, Heikkinen had been named after the man’s older brother; Heikkinen Meža.

“What now?” Jakoba asked.

“We planned, use the information Justus pack and Oskari’s pack gave us about him,” Aldona told them. “For starters; he’s a pervert. Is far to attached to that book that he carries everywhere.”

“I hate perverts,” Jakoba muttered, before thinking about what she had read about Justus Błyskawica.

“Blackmail material?” Azuloas asked them, before looking at Jakoba and grinning. “If the book he carries around says anything; then yes, he is.”

“Trust me, Jakoba, in this line of work? Use ever advantage you can get your hands on,” Aldona told her.

“Get our hands on the book?” Jakoba asked then, Aldona nodded her head. Azuloas grinned at her, before they started talking.

“Azuloas, take Jakoba and I’ll distract him,” Aldona told Azuloas, when one of their traps were tripped.

Aldona watched as Azuloas took Jakoba into the nearest tree, Jakoba and Azuloas might be able to get the bells if she keeps Justus attention on her and away from them. Melanthe went back underneath her jacket, keeping herself hidden as Justus jumped onto the small clearing.

“Where’s your twin?” Justus asked her, Aldona grinned as she saw the glitter and paint that covered his clothes.

“You really think I would tell you?” Aldona asked him, tilting her head to the side. Launce jumping out from behind him, a dagger in his hand. Aldona looked at him, before deciding to see what he would do. “You should know that I’ve never give up my brother.”

Justus caught Launce’s hand and made him drop the dagger, while Aldona took a sword from one of her seals. Justus grabbed her own wrists, Aldona dropped her sword into her other hand and went to stab him in the kidney.

Aldona put her foot onto his right foot, before her blade touched his torso Justus used the replacement technique. She kicked the piece of wood into the forest, Justus jumped to the other side of the clearing.

Aldona almost felt sorry for him, since he walked right into one of Azuloas’ seals. One that kept the prisoner in place for about ten minutes. Justus wasn’t going to be moving for the next ten minutes, Aldona grabbed Launce before he could also be caught in the seal.

“Seal?” Justus asked her.

“Seal,” Aldona agreed.

Azuloas and Jakoba sneak up behind him, Azuloas grabbed the bells and pulled Justus attention away from Jakoba, before taking everything out of his pouch. Everything from the pouch, including the book.

Justus was going to panic; Aldona almost felt sorry for him.

“Scarecrow,” Justus muttered and soon he realised his mistake. Azuloas just looked at his twin as she dropped Launce and took Jakoba away from the small clearing to a safe place. No one should be on the receiving end of Aldona’s rage, more so, when they weren’t the reason behind said rage.

Aldona looked at him like she was planning his funeral.

“Don’t call me,” Aldona slowly told him her hands curling into fists, even Melanthe poked her head and breathed fire in his direction as she curled around his torso. No one called her scarecrow and got away with it! “SCARECROW!”

Since Justus couldn’t move, she had an easy time beating him up until she felt better about the nickname. When she dragged Launce behind her, Melanthe with her tail wrapped tightly around Launce’s wrist.

When the seal let him go, Justus looked at the damage. Looked like baby Vitkus did as much damage as Mama Vitkus when they lost their temper. When he put his hand into his pouch, he found that everything was gone. Azuloas didn’t take anything, and he had read that Jakoba, Aldona and Azuloas didn’t get along.

He had to get that back, he had to. He could only hope that Aldona didn’t try destroying it like Katė and Kranklys had threatened to do more than once.

Aldona and Launce finally caught up with Azuloas and Jakoba, Azuloas had already sealed everything away in one of his leather bracelet’s. Jakoba had watched in silent fascination as he did so, when she looked at Aldona, her eyes went to the leather bracelets on her wrists.

“Well, that worked,” Jakoba told them.

“Now we’re in bigger trouble,” Aldona and Azuloas said at the same time.

“Bigger trouble?” Jakoba asked them, before twirling her hair around her finger and then slapping her forehead in frustration. “We have his belongings.”

“And his prized possession,” Aldona told her.

“What about the bells!” Launce hissed at them.

“Justus never said we had to keep a whole bell,” Azuloas told him, shacking his head while looking at the sky. “We have an hour to keep said bells, whole or not.”

“Pass the bells,” Aldona told Azuloas, when he handed them over. She sealed them away into one of her bracelets. “If Justus thinks that Azuloas has them, then he won’t find them if there with someone else.”

“Another traps been tripped,” Azuloas told them.

“Illusions on clones?” Jakoba asked them.

“There’s a cave nearby,” Aldona told them, while putting her hand behind her back. “It’ll be easy to put a seal to hide.”

“We on put transform technique on two of the clones,” Azuloas told them, while making six solid clones. Transforming two of them into Launce and Jakoba, along with transforming another two into Melanthe and Hyacintha.

Aldona nodding, before her hands on the clone’s shoulder. “Jakoba and Launce, can you keep a look out.”

“I’ll put an illusion up,” Launce angrily told them.

“Who put a bee in your shoes?” Azuloas whispered to himself.

After getting away from the clearing, Jakoba looked at Aldona and Azuloas shyly as they hide in the cave. She had an idea, but she didn’t if it was going to work or not, but at the same time she didn’t want to be completely useless.

“I have an idea,” Jakoba told them.

“What is it?” Aldona asked.

“Maybe if you can a fake copy of Justus book and have a clone run around with it,” Jakoba told her while playing with the end of the black skirt she had borrowed from Aldona. It was made from thick cotton, with a dark violet ribbon along the end of the skirt.

But the outfit worked, black shirt and navy stockings. It was comfortable, then what she was wearing before.

“That might work,” Aldona told her, while removing her hand from the clone’s shoulder. Soon enough she had a transformed a rock into a book before handing it to her own clone.

“Sent out a team in another thirty minutes?” Azuloas asked Jakoba and Aldona, both nodded and grinned.

“I’ll show you the cave,” Aldona told them, before zigzagging them through the traps that they had set before Justus had arrived.

As Azuloas, Jakoba and Launce entered the cave, Aldona put her hand on the entrance to the cave and a seal appeared on the wall. Pulling out two cards from her pack, looking at them and put them just inside of the cave.

She had a packed lunch in one of her seals, it would better than anything that Justus offered. She still remembered the few times he had cooked for her and Azuloas, she sort of remembered a burnt piece of something.

Neither she nor Azuloas had touched it.

“Now we eat,” Aldona told them, giving them a container of butter chicken. “Justus won’t be looking for a seal, so this will keep us safe for the next hour.”

“And we’ll have more than one clone with a fake copy of his book,” Azuloas agreed.

“That can’t be his main objective,” Jakoba disagreed.

“Prized possession,” Aldona told her.

“You’d be surprised,” Azuloas told her while grinning as he recalled the time that Katė had hidden said book on him. Nothing else had mattered to the man until he had found it, even Katė was giggling as he looked.

She had told him that it was a common threat used against him, even if he hasn’t learnt that being three hours late today long meetings wouldn’t make anyone like him. So, it became a challenge for those in their unit to see who could hide said book for the longest.

“Very surprised,” Aldona agreed, while watching as Justus ran away from a herd of very angry cats and bees. It would like he had found another one of their traps, so they should be fine for the next hour. “Now we wait, I have books if anyone wants to read.”

-Training Field Four-

“There’s the alarm,” Azuloas stated as Hyacintha and Melanthe lifted her head. Launce looked at him from where he was medicating. Aldona and Jakoba looked up from reading a book about chakra control excurses, and Aldona telling Jakoba it was better to do one a day. Since it would increase her store of chakra, along with help her control it better.

“Justus is fully trained, he won’t try anything,” Aldona promised Jakoba, when she looked at the entrance. “And this whole thing was being able to put aside differences and start working together, which we have shown.”

“Launce wasn’t part of the plan,” Jakoba pointed out.

“Justus doesn’t need to know that,” Azuloas told her.

“Missions have a chance of going just off course,” Aldona admitted.

“Let’s go then,” Jakoba told them, Aldona nodded and she went to realise all three of her seals, picking up her cards before putting them back into her deck. Putting her hand, she transported Jakoba and herself to the clearing where they had started.

Azuloas appearing seconds later with Launce, who looked like he was going to faint. Justus appeared seconds later, covered in paint and glitters. Ribbons and string, he had been chasing clones for the last hour and still hadn’t found his book.

“Did we pass?” Azuloas asked him. Aldona unsealing the bells and showing to him, Justus just looked at her as she broke them and gave half to the other three. “We all have a bell, not a whole bell, but a bell.”

“You’ve shown potential teamwork,” Justus told them, holding out his hand as Azuloas unsealed his book and handed it to him. “Come back tomorrow, register at the Paslėpta liepsna’s office. You’re official Kareivis members. D-ranked Kareivis members, so don’t let it go to your head.”

When Justus left in a puff of smoke, Azuloas looked at Aldona and Jakoba. “I have everything else from his pouch.”

“I don’t think he cares that much,” Aldona told him. “The rest is replaceable; daggers, seals and steel wire.”

“Well, it ours now,” Azuloas told her, before turning around and watching Launce walk off the field without a word to either of them. “We should register first thing in the morning. It’ll give us more time to train before Justus decides to grace us with his presence.”

“Same time?” Jakoba asked her.

“Same time,” Azuloas agreed.

“I’ll wake you up the same time I wake Azuloas,” Aldona told her, Jakoba was going to have to help them buy more food. They hadn’t planned on taking a third person into their apartment complex; so they were running out of food a bit quicker then before.

“We should go to the markets,” Azuloas told them.

“I need more potatoes, along with more beetroot,” Aldona admitted, tugging Jakoba towards the traveller’s market. If she was correct, it would be open today and none of the shop owners would kick them out. “Ever been to the traveller’s market?”

“No,” Jakoba admitted.

“Then you’re in for a treat,” Azuloas told her, maybe they could get more information about Viktorija and her plight. She would be fifteen by now, if the news they had gotten from Launcelot was correct and she would be a full on Soldat by now. “Aldona and I will also be listening for information, so we might stay at a stall for bit longer than normal.”