Shadow Walkers by Micheal Kostura Read Free Book Online Page B

has told her stories about a crimson sword like this one, but she didn’t know that it belonged to Isaac . If what her father told her was true, then Isaac was not just your average captain.
    “This is my sword.” Isaac says, interrupting her train of thought. “You see Nick, not all Walkers use swords to battle. In fact, those who can use swords are extremely rare in comparison to the other abilities a Walker can have.”
    Nick studies the sword curiously, but Allison notices that there was a little bit of fear in his eyes as well. “Walker’s have other things too?” He asks.
    Allison fights back the urge to laugh. Instead, she helps her teammate understand things a little better. “To put it simply, there are four ‘classes’ that a Walker's powers can fall into. Isaac’s power lets him use a physical weapon, which indicates that he belongs to the dueler class.”
    Isaac nods his head approvingly. “Correct. When training naturally, Walkers have to train in four different ways to see which class they belong to. Every Walker will be highly proficient with just one of these classes. However, they will have a lesser affinity for at least one other category as well. When you’re proficient in a category you gain more skills than you would with the class you only have an affinity for.”
    Nick’s lips spread open slightly, and Hector decides to speak up before he can.
    “And no matter how hard you train, you can never master more than one class.”
    “Why not?” Nick asks. “How can you be able to use all of the categories, but not be able to master more than one?”
    Allison shakes her head. “It’s not something you can help. No Walker, not in any history book here in the Pit, has ever had more than one main class. It’s not a rule or any type of restriction set upon us. It’s just something that can’t be helped.”
    Nick nods. “Okay, I guess I get it. So what are your guys’ abilities?”
    Isaac sighs, obviously as tired of explaining such basic concepts as Allison was. “Well, that’s actually why we’re here.” He places his hand on the crystal ball. “This thing is called the Pathfinder. It was created by Walker scientists to help detect what a person’s main class is even if they have zero training whatsoever. All three of you are rookies, so none of you have any of your powers unlocked yet. The Pathfinder is used to tell us what each of your primary strengths are. Once we know that, we can do specialized training to help unlock your powers and bring them to the surface. Then, in a month’s time, you’ll be ready to fight the void.”
    “So this crystal ball is basically a shortcut to skip through a large portion of the training process?” Nick asks.
    Allison nods. “That’s right. That huge head start, plus the gear that we’re gonna wear during training, let’s us develop our Walker powers in a month’s time- and that’s just the maximum. It’s entirely possible to finish training much sooner than that.”
    “Only people who join the Guard get this special training.” Hector adds in. “Walkers who don’t join the guard never get it, so they don’t figure out their dominant class until they’re in their thirties. Be grateful you joined the Guard, Nick.”
    Isaac smiles and nods approvingly. “That all sounds correct! Now Allison, come over here. One of you needs to get this party started, and what a bigger honor than to let Ms. Marxon herself have the first results.”
    Allison can’t help but grin slightly. As much as she hated her family name, she also loved the legacy it carried. She was at the top of the food chain, and everybody in the Pit knew her name. As she walks to the Pathfinder a sudden surge of energy begins flowing through her, ready to pour into the Pathfinder.
    Allison smiles as she places her hand on the Pathfinder. She can’t hold back her pride in her family name or the eagerness in her mind as she channels her energy into the Pathfinder. All of her