Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Celestial Rise ❯ Arnold Beigeletter ( Chapter 10 )

The training of the new recruits started normally enough. The officers were introduced to the young and eager aspirants lined up, and got ordered around to do tiring and unimportant tasks. Those who could not comply fast enough (that meant everybody) were punished by being ordered to do pushups. They were yelled at--reprimanded for the smallest mistakes. They were scolded and penalized for doing nothing wrong. A few lieutenants particularly enjoyed an old pointless practice. Two lieutenants would order a private to do different things at the same time which were always impossible to do, such as fetching one lieutenant a glass of water within a minute and shining the other lieutenant's boots. The private will only get to please one of them. It didn't matter which one. The private got punished either way.

Celes watched her fellow lieutenants in disgust. Celes disliked participating in the hazing of the newcomers. It was immature and often cruel, though she had to admit that it did serve a practical purpose. It was supposed scare away the weak early even before they began the real training. The tradition was something she tolerated because it did effectively filter out the wimps from those who held true potential. If there was anything she hated most in the military, it was those who climbed the promotional ladder simply because they were the sons of important or rich people. They got the special treatment, and yet she felt that they did not belong to the military. They were spoiled slackers who couldn't--wouldn't--find another job outside.

There was one such person that she particularly reviled. He had recently been promoted to a First Lieutenant just like her in only a matter of weeks. She expected that person to be promoted again ahead of her. His name was Arnold Beigeletter, and he was one of those who participated in the hazing, drowning in his own sadistic pleasure.

Celes Chere saw him as a disorderly soldier and a coward. And yet he was not a complete dolt when it came to sword fights. His love for swords had given him enough motivation to be skillful at it. It was all too bad that he only used it for show. But what really annoyed Celes so much was his sexist attitude. She hated him so much that she avoided contact with him as much as possible.

Today was an exception. Lt. Arnold Beigeletter was the reason why the training didn't end quite smoothly.

Lt. Beigeletter gathered up some new recruits for him to toy with. He had made them stand stiffly in formation and started lecturing them about random military drills, sounding like he knew them all and had mastered the various skills. He told them exaggerated stories of his accomplishments and started bragging about his sword skills in front of them as the new recruits were forced to listen to him and laugh at his jokes. He wanted them to get the impression that he knew exactly what he was doing. Celes couldn't care less that what he did inflated his already bloated ego, but she did care about the new recruits. Beigeletter's group was behind schedule. The other recruits had already gotten their uniforms and were being briefed about the different drills. The ones that Beigeletter had (about ten of them) would be late in everything. Celes had to do something about it.

She did and she regretted it almost immediately.

Celes walked up from behind him. She could hear him lecture them about discipline and chain of command. The topics particularly centered on him. It made Celes roll up her eyes.

"Lt. Beigeletter, these recruits have a lot of catching up to do. Have them report to the Captain immediately. They will be starting the barrack assignments," she said out loud for the recruits to hear, too.

Beigeletter glanced at her and raised a brow. With a twisted smile he replied, "Ah! Lt. Celes Chere, you're just in time!" Beigeletter turned back to the men in formation and continued, "What are you, worms, waiting for? Salute her! Even though she is a woman she's still a lieutenant!"

The recruits saluted as ordered, and Celes's face turned red with anger.

"One of the things you have to get used to here in the military is the fact that even women like her get to boss you around because of her rank," Beigeletter tactlessly explained with a grin. "I don't know about the rest of you but that turns me on!"

None of the recruits gave any sign of reaction from the rude comment.

"That is enough, Lieutenant. Have these men report to the captain immediately," she said sternly, trying very hard to control her temper.

Beigeletter chuckled slightly and waved his hand dismissingly. "In a minute, Celes, let me just finish up here."

"You are finished here, Lieutenant! Send the recruits now."

Beigeletter's grin disappeared as he faced her again. "You can't order me around like that, Celes-"

"You call me Lieutenant Chere like everybody else, Lieutenant Beigeletter!"

"Oh, forgive me… Lieutenant Celes… for my mistake. I assure you it won't happen again… Celes. But as I was saying, you can't order me around because we're the same rank!" Beigeletter said arrogantly.

Celes was fuming. Her eyes narrowed to calculating slits. She wanted to strike him down but she knew it would not be that easy for obvious reasons. She needed to calm down. She needed to get away. This was not worth her time and patience.

"Very well, Lieutenant," she said with a nod. "I shall report this to the captain at once. I'll leave you to deal with him later."

With that, she turned and started to walk away.

"Ooh! Did you hear that, boys? She's going to report me! I guess some things don't change in the army. Women still resort to nagging. And if that don't work, they tell!"

Beigeletter laughed very loudly at his own joke. The recruits made no reaction to enjoy the joke. They stood stiffly in attention. However, they all eyed Celes, waiting for a reaction from her.

She stopped dead in her tracks and bowed her head. She felt the blood pounding in her ears. The anger had been too much for her to control. She turned around very slowly to face Beigeletter again.

"Oh, look! I think I hit a nerve. Let's see if she'll cry next!" he continued to taunt.

Celes drew her dagger from her belt and threw it towards Beigeletter's feet. As reflex Beigeletter pulled back his right foot and not a moment too soon. The dagger stuck to the ground where his right foot had been. The force of the throw was such that the dagger's blade sunk to its hilt on the dirt ground. If he hadn't moved his foot at all he would be limping his way to the Infirmary… after painfully prying his foot off the ground.

Beigeletter stared at the dagger in such an alarm that his eyes and mouth were wide open. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Beigeletter exclaimed in anger and shock. "That could've been my foot!"

"Pity!" Celes spat. "I guess I should've aimed for your knee, instead."

"You're going to be in so much trouble, bitch!" he growled.

"Oh, what are you going to do? Report me?" she taunted.

Beigeletter's face was contorted to an angry frown. After a few deep breaths, however, he calmed and wore his sneering smile once more.

"Of course, not. That's not how men handle matters," he said as bravado. He drew his sword from its sheath. "I don't normally fight women, but since we're in the army I suppose you're given the equal opportunity to prove one thing."

"And what would that be, Lieutenant Beigeletter?"

"That you do belong here, Celes," Beigeletter said with blunt effrontery. "So how 'bout it, Celes? Care for a practice session? I'm sure that the new recruits present here will learn something important from it."

A twisted smile appeared on her face as she drew her own sword. "I'm sure they will, Arnold."

Celes waited for him to make the first move, but she saw that Beigeletter was doing the same thing. It didn't matter. Celes bit first which was easily countered by Beigeletter. But to Celes, his counter moved so slowly. She saw an opening in an instant and decided to push on. To everyone's astonishment, most especially Beigeletter's, Celes managed to disarm him in a quick chain of deft moves. Beigeletter's sword flew from his hand and onto the ground in front of Celes.

Beigeletter managed a half-laugh after his initial astonishment. "Well, well, well! Somebody's been practicing!"

"Pick it up, Arnold, and stop wasting my time."

Her words hit a nerve. "Very well, Celes," he said as he slowly bent over to pick up his sword.

Then he moved quickly to deliver a fierce upward swing that should've caught an inexperienced soldier off guard. To Celes, however, he moved so slowly that all it took her was a simple and almost effortless sidestepping to dodge it. Beigeletter unleashed a chain of sword swings that met with Celes's own. Like her sidestep, however, her blocks seemed effortless at a glance. She seemed relaxed as the recruits watched the two of them fight. Though, nobody had given them the order to be at ease, the soldiers simply helped themselves to enjoy the show.

Celes skillfully managed to cut the distance between her and Beigeletter thus rendering their swords ineffective. The difference, however, was that Celes was prepared for her next move. Beigeletter couldn't figure it out at the time how it happened, but his shock and anger doubled as Celes disarmed him for the second time by twisting his sword arm behind his back.

His sword harmlessly fell to the ground the second time around, and this time, Celes had him at her mercy. Kicking him behind his knees, she forced Beigeletter to kneel as she held his arm firmly behind his back. She had him in a lock.

Beigeletter grunted as he struggled with her to no avail.

"What you've just seen, gentlemen," she started to say to the recruits, "was a weaponless disarm, followed by a Penitent's lock. It is one of the hardest maneuvers that you will have the chance to learn in your future training sessions. What normally follows next is up to you. You may decide to cuff them at this time and take him prisoner, or finish off your opponent by slitting their throats with your sword or dagger." Celes made a mock slitting gesture with her sword across Beigeletter's bare neck.

Celes pulled his arm up, and he grunted in pain some more as he was forced to stand up. Then with her right booted foot she kicked him away as she released his arm. Beigeletter staggered forward. She had wounded his ego, and she liked it very much.

Celes picked up his sword and threw it towards him. Beigeletter caught it by the hilt in mid air. He was furious but he didn't say anything. He attacked again with more ferocious sword swings. They were deadly but reckless. At least, that was how it appeared to Celes. She blocked and diverted them all. An idea entered her mind, then she smiled inwardly. She let herself be on the defensive.

Celes's sword flew out of her hand, and Beigeletter grabbed her by her right hand and twisted it behind her back just like she did to him moments ago. It was Beigeletter's turn to hold Celes in the exact same lock.

He laughed triumphantly. "I was just getting myself warmed up, Celes. You didn't really think that--oof!"

Beigeletter was thrown bodily over Celes's shoulder. He landed roughly on his back in front of Celes. She seized Beigeletter's sword, and with both hands she gripped its hilt and pointed the tip of the sword straight to his heart. He didn't dare move.

"Few of the things you'll learn in training are that predictability has no place in a melee. It leaves you prone to deception, making you think that you have your enemy right where you want him--or her--when in fact, it's the other way around.

"As you also saw, there is a way to get out of the Penitent's Lock. It takes a considerable amount of energy and high tolerance for pain. The move to escape from the lock is taxing. It is most advisable that you finish off your enemy immediately after pulling it off," she explained with a clear voice. "The price of your freedom is, at the worst, a dislocated shoulder bone or a torn ligament--perhaps both. However painful, it is so much more preferable to death, don't you think so?"

Celes stood up slowly, with her sword still pointed to Beigeletter's chest. She rubbed her right shoulder with her left hand. "If you're lucky, the price is only a sore shoulder muscle usually an indication of your opponent's physical exertion against your right arm… just like Lt. Beigeletter has demonstrated before you."

Beigeletter swore out loud and brushed off Celes's sword with his gloved hand. He tried to get up but Celes forcefully pushed him back down with her right foot on his right shoulder.

"Never give your opponent the chance to regain grou--"

"Shut it, Celes! Or I'll shut it for you!"

Celes released him and stepped back. She dropped his sword and picked up her own. She gingerly brushed off the dirt from the blade with her gloved hands.

"If you feel like embarrassing yourself in front of these men, then be my guest. I mean--I don't want to pressure you or anything but if I beat you they'll be talking about you for many weeks to come. Imagine that!" she said as she deliberately gazed up to the sky as a taunt. "A woman beating you. What will be your excuse? 'Oh, I just went easy on her 'coz she's a woman!'" Celes laughed sharply. "That would be so pathetic!"

Celes struck a few more blows to his ego. She wanted to completely humiliate him. She didn't know why, but her hatred for him increased fourfold. It wasn't like her at all. It wasn't like her to confront people--most especially not like this! She never really acted out of hatred or anger before this. It was dangerous to do so--reckless and irresponsible. It was absolutely unbecoming of an officer.

Her logic screamed out all the possible consequences of her actions. But her more satisfying reaction couldn't be persuaded. Beigeletter's character was most odious, especially to her. She didn't only want to get even for his thoughtless remark; she wanted to see him suffer for it. She was also confident that she could very easily do it. She still had the same vim that she had yesterday--perhaps even doubly so. She no longer feared its peculiarity. She welcomed it now.

"For those of you who do not know Lt. Beigeletter's reputation--he's the best swordsman among all the lieutenants of Vector. At least, that's what he thinks. He never bothered to challenge me thinking that women are inferior. A very important lesson to all of you--this lieutenant is no weakling!" she said the last sentence vehemently. "And for Lt. Beigeletter's next trick--he will lose to me again… then again… then again… then again."

Beigeletter was too furious to say anything. His face was an ugly red of rage. He engaged Celes again in a fight, vowing to make her feel sorry for her very own existence in the military. The idea, unfortunately for Beigeletter, was not to be. Celes had successfully blocked and countered all of his attacks. She had predicted all of his moves and had quickly adapted to all of his tactics. He was enraged at first, but now he was also frustrated. He could not seem to break Celes's defense. Not only that, he could not predict her moves.

The soldiers and new recruits from around them finally noticed the commotion. They gathered around the two to watch. It didn't take long for another lieutenant to start asking for bets. Even the new recruits started placing theirs. They all started to cheer as the two danced around in swordfight. Even Celes's own commanding officer did not stop the fight. Instead, he simply watched them both with a smile, thinking that it was Chere's and Beigeletter's idea to show a spectacular display of armed combat to the new recruits. He was immensely proud of them both. Their commander could tell that they were both very skilled, but he also noticed that Beigeletter was somewhat struggling to keep up with Celes. The commander thought it highly unusual for Beigeletter to be in that state. He also noticed that Celes seemed more relaxed and calm. Many of Celes's comrades observed that as well and they all thought it odd. Still, the display of skills provided an excitement and thrill in the air. It was a welcomed diversion. The commanding officer considered it a time well-spent.

Celes sensed the frustration from Beigeletter, and she decided to infuriate him even more by executing a few maneuvers that utterly humiliated him in front of the large crowd that now surrounded them. She started by disarming Beigeletter twice in a row. Those who knew both of them raised their brows in disbelief. To disarm an expert swordsman was close to impossible, and yet Celes managed to pull it off. Celes also started to play a bit more with Beigeletter by sweeping him off his feet or by making his footing falter. She did it by a combination of tricks and quick foot maneuvers. The sight of Beigeletter, tripping down seemingly unable to keep a good balance was astonishing. Beigeletter did not like it at all, to say the least. It was humiliating for him. Even more so to see Lt. Celes Chere blatantly expressing her delight.

Beigeletter was starting to panic. He was already fighting at the upper extreme of his ability and was still unsuccessful in bringing down her defenses. He was struggling and Celes was warding off his attacks effortlessly. Too many people were present to see this, and he had been humiliated too many times already. His reputation was being crushed.

Beigeletter panicked.

Picking himself up from the ground, he charged recklessly at Celes with a pitiable battle cry. Celes simply cut the distance between them with a long step, lazily diverting Beigeletter's sword to the side. And with an easy punch to his face, his cry was abruptly cut short. Beigeletter fell to the ground with his nose bleeding. He didn't notice this at first until somebody from the crowd pointed it out. He brushed it with the back of his hand and stared at it in horror. He was finished. He would never live this down. He would be the laughing stock of entire military. Worst yet, he would be the laughing stock of the new recruits.

Celes grinned at the crowd as they cheered for her. She raised her arms into the air, enjoying the sound of her name from the chants of her comrades. It was not like her at all to be so conceited, but she had to admit that it was highly satisfying to be in the spotlight for a change--even more truly so since it was at the expense of somebody she despised.

I will only allow this once. Just this once, she promised herself silently.

Her gaze went back to Beigeletter, still on the ground, catching his breath. He was finished. He had nothing left in him. Those who betted on Celes cheered even louder while those who lost shook their heads in disappointment. The major, her commanding officer, clapped his hand and nodded approvingly at his lieutenant. He was about to order them all to get back to training when a totally unexpected presence graced them all.