Chapter 124: Learning How to Drive Part 1
The sun had barely lifted over the horizon when Inigo stepped onto the training field, hands behind his back, boots crunching lightly over the dew-covered grass. The recruits, still stiff from the previous day’s simulated combat, emerged from their tents slowly. Some rubbed their eyes. Others walked with a limping gait, sore from bruises and awkward rolls.
But today’s field looked different.
Gone were the straw dummies, the target barrels, and painted barricades. In their place were colored cones placed in sweeping arcs, forming wide lanes and tight turns. The center of the field had been cleared entirely, leaving only the rising fog.
Lyra stood beside Inigo, scribbling something on her notepad with a feather quill. She didn’t speak—just watched with quiet interest as the recruits formed up, murmuring and exchanging glances.
"Another battle test?" Hal called from the back. "Or did we finally earn a morning off?"
Inigo turned to face them. "Neither."
A few groaned.
"Yesterday, we taught you how to fight. But that’s not enough." He raised his voice now, carrying it over the soft wind. "We need more than strength. We need speed. We need mobility. We need to cover ground faster than our enemies, hit them where they don’t expect, and vanish before they can react."
He reached into his coat.
"This world is large. Demons will strike towns a day’s ride apart. You can’t walk to every battle."
Inigo navigated to his Freedom Shop and selected the vehicle section. Then seconds later, asound followed—a deep, mechanical growl that rose from nowhere. The recruits froze as the ground began to tremble.