Free Cartlidge: Rise of the Imperfect Flame by Devon Loos

charge of the armory.
    “Ah! Cartlidge, is it? Your new armor has just arrived.”
    “Yes, sir.” I looked around. “Where
is it sir?”
    “You see that machine there?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “It’s in there. I just fired it up. We need to give it a
nice coating of paint to finish the customization process.”
    “Paint… sir? Why? Nobody else has paint on their armor,
except generals.”
    “True, but that’s because their armor isn’t custom
designed.” He began working on his computer terminal. “You see, you father left
enough money in his will to have your armor both custom made and custom designed.”
    “I don’t follow…”
    “Your armor automatically had to be custom made so that it
could fit your human form. Custom designing, however, means that we can put a
lot more into the final product, the materials, the amount of protection it
potentially can offer and any other accessories you can think of! Its almost mandatory for Generals
and Elites.” An image of the set appeared on a large screen. The armor was
silver, and had a smooth design to it. The helmet was a single piece with no
noticeable details, aside from the silver visor that blended almost perfectly
with the helmet. The cuirass was equally simplistic, with the lower half of the
torso left exposed to increase mobility. The arms were covered in three long
plates each, and were strikingly similar to the bones of the human arm. The
waist was covered in a long, silver belt with several clamps for holding
weapons. The legs were covered only by large metal shin guards, which were
specifically designed to be separate from the shoes, allowing for greater
agility and speed. The shoes were clad in light, metal plating that protected
the entire surface.
    “Accessories?”
    “Attachments, robes, emblems, trophies,
that sort of thing.”
    “So… What about the colors?”
    He handed me a touch screen device. “It’s your armor.”
    I thought hard for several minutes, then began drawing with the device. The computer screen updated, covering the silver
armor in a skeletal image. The helmet became a furious skull that had lost its
lower jaw. The cuirass evolved into a ribcage, and the arms and legs were
covered in a dull, grey color. The mesh remained mostly black, except for the
locations of the neck and spine. These areas were painted as vertebrae.
    “What an interesting design. I’ve never seen a human so
determined to portray his humanity.”
    “Well, sort of. The human skeleton is typically a symbol of
death to humans.”
    “Really? Interesting.”
    I handed the device back to the instructor. The then machine
began humming silently as he moved his finger across the screen. “Anything else?”
    “How about a cloak. Maybe with a hood?”
    “Alright. We’ll have that ready by
tomorrow. Your armor should be ready in a few seconds.” The machine suddenly
stopped, and a large metal door opened to reveal the freshly painted armor. I
quickly put on the mesh suit, then the plates. I left the helmet off. The armor
was heavy, but fit perfectly. I threw some punches and a kick into the air to
see how easily I could move in the set. It was perfect.
    “The mesh suit has large fibers that work with hundreds of
smaller fibers to stretch the suit when you move. The suit will feel like a
normal shirt, but retain its overall protection.”
    “Thank you, sir.”
    “No problem. You better get going, though. The test is in 15
minutes!” I nodded, grabbed my new helmet, and left. I reached the meeting room
for sky team, only to find it already filled with anxious recruits. The
majority of the team had already entered, chosen their squad, and began to
socialize. I wondered if being late to the test meant that a recruit would not
be allowed in. Five more people came in after me, and I quickly moved towards
the squad terminal. Each squad was comprised of five soldiers, and a commander.
Since we were all recruits, the commanders were chosen from those who were
first