The Group Project

~Chapter 7~

"It's nice to meet you as well and yes Ma'am." I replied, a bit nervous as I was meeting the General in charge of this place, I was still new to the base and still had no understanding of how it worked. She may even be capable of kicking me out of the base if I make a bad first impression.

"I'm glad you were able to make it here. I've learned that you and your group have an interesting story. Did they tell you about their journey"

"No ma'am. They didn't tell me a lot about what exactly happened on the way here though." I answered, the atmosphere feeling slightly tense and like this was an interrogation.

She explained, "Ah that's right, I wanted to speak with personally so I asked them to conceal that information for a bit. First, I find you and your group truly remarkable, they have fit seamlessly into their jobs and easily became ideal trainees. You all also managed to survive for 6 days and safely arrive here. But that's not all, you personally defeated a savage, one that was a variant."

"A variant? What exactly does that mean?" I said scratching my cheek. I was also confused on why she personally, wanted to speak with me.

"As time has gone on, we've found mutations present in animals and plants, as well as savages. It seems as if we weren't the only ones to undergo a mutation. Your group was able to capture a couple of these cases on camera in animals as they journeyed here giving us the first cases and information about potential mutations across species, we also happened to find five more cases so far." She explained. She then opened an envelope, taking out three pictures and sliding them towards me.

The first picture was of a deer, but it was no normal deer, it had a third antler growing from the center of it's head. The second one showed a department store that was covered by webs, having dozens of spiders the size of a housecat. She continued, "The first two are what your friends saw on the way here, these animals have undergone mutations the same way we have and we can only assume it was not just them. They're honestly quite brave, I would've floored it in the other direction after seeing those spiders."

"To verify your particular case we sent out a team to examine and retrieve the body of the savage you fought, after examining it further we found no snake present in its digestive tract and venom glands in its cheeks. Meaning that it was capable of venom production, which is unheard of. However, on the way back from that mission they encountered a what they called a "colossal black creature", one of my soldiers was barely able to snap a picture." She said as she pushed the third picture towards me. It was the back legs of a creature with black and gray fur, almost the same size as a car with a long tail, running into the forest line. I couldn't make the rest of the picture out clearly as it was blurry.

"Are those real?" I asked in disbelief, the sheer size of the spiders was enough to send anyone fleeing in the other direction.

"Yes, unfortunately." She said.

"Why are you telling and showing me all this?" I asked questioningly.

"Because information helps save lives." She said sternly. "The information you and your friends had discovered proved to be useful, it proved there are other threats we need to be wary of. That information was implemented into our training courses and thanks to the caution that came with it, we were able to find over a dozen more cases of mutation in animals. I was also impressed with how you've taken down one of the only recorded variants and came out alive. There are very few people in the base who've taken down a normal savage without a gun. That's why I'd like to promote you to Adept rank for whatever profession you decide to choose later on. You have proven yourself to be quite capable and brave, but let me explain that your rank is temporary. I'd like for you to pass savage survival training. Once you've cleared the basic training, your rank will be solidified and you will be allowed to go out the fence if you decide to do so. I look forward to all the bright things you may do in the future."