Read Online Star Rising: Heartless by Cesar Gonzalez - Free Book Online
Authors: Cesar Gonzalez
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fact that he’d never really felt the touch of a girl before today.
He let go of her hand, hoping she hadn’t noticed that her touch had flustered him.
If she took any notice, she showed no signs of it. “Hurry up.”
They stepped into the elevator. Xalen tried to collect his thoughts, concentrating on the purple interior walls and the overbearing scent of jasmine incense.
They emerged in a smaller room with two shelves at the center. Florescent lights shone from the oval lamps above. “Here we are. Alioth Musashi’s level.”
“This guy has his own room?” asked Xalen astounded.
“That is what I said, isn’t it? The Alioths are named after him. He’s a pretty big deal.”
Xalen couldn’t imagine what the man could have possibly done to earn such an honor. Whatever it was, it must have been nice to have people look up to you in such a way. To have people admire you so much as to name something after you. What he wouldn’t give to have such a feeling.
“Get to it,” ordered Nandi. “Show me these amazing research skills of yours.”
Xalen shook himself back to attention. He might have been new to this place, but that didn’t mean he was a stranger to how it worked. He had frequented the library back on Vintra many times. He selected a few books from the shelves and threw them on the desk, where they both took a seat. Usually it would have taken longer to find the right books, but every book on the shelves involved the legendary warrior, Alioth Musashi. This made everything monumentally easier.
He handed Nandi the three books that he thought she might find more bearable: The Battles of Alioth Musashi , Killcount of the Man Behind the Mask , and Musashi Battle Strategies to Decimate One’s Opponents .
Her expression turned icy. “What is this ?”
“They’re books.”
“Yes. I know that. Whatever happened to not reading any books?”
“You’re not going to read them. Just skim through them and pull some information that may be useful. A few battle strategies. A quote or two about his thoughts during a fight. Then we’ll mix that with what I find in my books. We’ll add some of your thoughts, and tada!”
She frowned, but refrained from saying anything further as she opened her first book. Once in a while, she would grunt and write something on her electronic pad.
Xalen took his own stack of books, which, judging from the titles, were much less violent than the ones he’d given to his companion. The first one he scanned was Alioth: The Man Before the Legend . After that, he skimmed through The Psychology of Musashi.
After about an hour, Xalen already considered himself a mini-expert on the man. According to the books, Musashi had grown up on Metrio, a dwarf planet at the very outskirts of the known galaxy. He had was the son of a wealthy entrepreneur, and as such was tutored on every subject imaginable from a young age. He attended Cambria University and became a scholar. Behind his father’s back, however, he used his substantial allowance to hire private mentors to tutor him on the way of the sword. As an adult, he served as a regular soldier during the invasion of the Sanatus. It was here that he devised the grand strategy that saved the galaxy from the brink of defeat.
“Let me see your notes,” said Xalen.
Nandi handed over her tablet and thumped her fingers softly on the table as Xalen went over her work.
He looked down at the notes, and then up at the girl, wondering if she was serious. What she’d written down was absolutely atrocious. Worse than atrocious, in fact. She displayed the academic skills of a five year old back at the orphanage. The first line read, He liked to fight . The second said, He would use the environment to his advantage.
“What?” she said, looking not the least bit ashamed. “I’m a fighter, not an academic.”
Xalen thought that was the understatement of the year. He copied her notes to his own datapad, and then handed the black device back to
He let go of her hand, hoping she hadn’t noticed that her touch had flustered him.
If she took any notice, she showed no signs of it. “Hurry up.”
They stepped into the elevator. Xalen tried to collect his thoughts, concentrating on the purple interior walls and the overbearing scent of jasmine incense.
They emerged in a smaller room with two shelves at the center. Florescent lights shone from the oval lamps above. “Here we are. Alioth Musashi’s level.”
“This guy has his own room?” asked Xalen astounded.
“That is what I said, isn’t it? The Alioths are named after him. He’s a pretty big deal.”
Xalen couldn’t imagine what the man could have possibly done to earn such an honor. Whatever it was, it must have been nice to have people look up to you in such a way. To have people admire you so much as to name something after you. What he wouldn’t give to have such a feeling.
“Get to it,” ordered Nandi. “Show me these amazing research skills of yours.”
Xalen shook himself back to attention. He might have been new to this place, but that didn’t mean he was a stranger to how it worked. He had frequented the library back on Vintra many times. He selected a few books from the shelves and threw them on the desk, where they both took a seat. Usually it would have taken longer to find the right books, but every book on the shelves involved the legendary warrior, Alioth Musashi. This made everything monumentally easier.
He handed Nandi the three books that he thought she might find more bearable: The Battles of Alioth Musashi , Killcount of the Man Behind the Mask , and Musashi Battle Strategies to Decimate One’s Opponents .
Her expression turned icy. “What is this ?”
“They’re books.”
“Yes. I know that. Whatever happened to not reading any books?”
“You’re not going to read them. Just skim through them and pull some information that may be useful. A few battle strategies. A quote or two about his thoughts during a fight. Then we’ll mix that with what I find in my books. We’ll add some of your thoughts, and tada!”
She frowned, but refrained from saying anything further as she opened her first book. Once in a while, she would grunt and write something on her electronic pad.
Xalen took his own stack of books, which, judging from the titles, were much less violent than the ones he’d given to his companion. The first one he scanned was Alioth: The Man Before the Legend . After that, he skimmed through The Psychology of Musashi.
After about an hour, Xalen already considered himself a mini-expert on the man. According to the books, Musashi had grown up on Metrio, a dwarf planet at the very outskirts of the known galaxy. He had was the son of a wealthy entrepreneur, and as such was tutored on every subject imaginable from a young age. He attended Cambria University and became a scholar. Behind his father’s back, however, he used his substantial allowance to hire private mentors to tutor him on the way of the sword. As an adult, he served as a regular soldier during the invasion of the Sanatus. It was here that he devised the grand strategy that saved the galaxy from the brink of defeat.
“Let me see your notes,” said Xalen.
Nandi handed over her tablet and thumped her fingers softly on the table as Xalen went over her work.
He looked down at the notes, and then up at the girl, wondering if she was serious. What she’d written down was absolutely atrocious. Worse than atrocious, in fact. She displayed the academic skills of a five year old back at the orphanage. The first line read, He liked to fight . The second said, He would use the environment to his advantage.
“What?” she said, looking not the least bit ashamed. “I’m a fighter, not an academic.”
Xalen thought that was the understatement of the year. He copied her notes to his own datapad, and then handed the black device back to
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