How stupid.
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"It's so big!" Exusiai says.
"Yeah, I'd think that something called a landship would be the size of an actual ship." Mostima says from the backseat, "Not this humongous piece of metal."
"Texas, you should slow down, I know that the parking area isn't that large." I say.
"Really?" Texas says, "Rhodes Island's landship is this big, but their parking is limited? That's stupid."
"The parking in the entrance we're heading to is small at least." I clarify, "They probably have a larger pure garage somewhere."
The car goes silent aside from Sora's latest album blasting through the speakers, courtesy of Texas's CD collection.
After Skullshatterer, or Misha, was killed we were informed that our dorm was ready, so everyone in Penguin Logistics packed up and hopped into a car heading straight for Rhodes Island.
It's... very exciting.
It's kind of like heading into college with a group of buddies with you... and you know almost everything about said college and the people who inhabit it.
So maybe not like heading into college.
...
But the overall feeling is still there. A mix of excitement and anxiety.
And... It's a fresh start.
Joining Rhodes Island was something that I would have to face at some point, I should just be glad I got it over with.
And to be sent with the rest of the gang is a large, large cherry on top.
Mostima has even joined us, though she still is being watched by that red-haired girl.
...
Texas pulls up onto the ramp and reaches the top in no time.
An attendant asks her a couple of questions.
After a couple of answers, we're on our way through the storage area.
3 or 4 minutes pass, and we reach the end of the room. A worker greets us by flicking a switch and having the entire wall move upwards, allowing us to go through.
We're met with a multitude of cars, and it seems that my assumption of an actual parking lot was correct.
We drive through for a bit and find a parking spot.
"Ahh... Finally!" Exusiai says stretching outwards before jumping out of the car, "Alright, We'll all carry what we packed. If you brought too much just give it to Texas."
Texas gives her a quick death glare as we all get our stuff and head to the unnecessarily large elevator.
About 60 buttons are present, all of them labeled with nothing but one or two letters.
But I'm pretty sure Amiya said that our dorm is on...
"D3." Texas says, "That's where we need to go."
"Alright." I say pressing the button.
...
Elevator music is present this time.
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"And this is it." Texas says.
Two doors are present, one labeled with the words "PENGUIN LOGISTICS" in all bold, the other showing our logo.
Three boxes are built into the wall outside the room, labeled PL1, PL2, and PL3.
I assume they're mailboxes for individual rooms.
...
No noise is made while the doors open.
And we're met with something very reminiscent.
A sort of homey feel. A TV with a gaming console in the far corners. Couches and unnecessary bookshelves everywhere. They even have a small little kitchen in the corner.
...
This is literally just the default look of our safehouses.
...
"Do ya' guys like it!" Croissant says plowing in first, "I gave 'em a couple photos of our safehouses for reference. They matched it pretty well!"
We all stare at her in confusion for a second, until smiles break out across our faces.
"It's wonderful Croissant." I say, walking in, "This makes our job a lot easier, you know, we've never been good at decoration."
Croissant gives a glowing smile before galloping around the room.
"I call this room!" She says, stopping in front of a door labeled PL1.
Two other doors are present next to it, labeled PL2 and PL3 respectively.
...
"We only have three rooms, huh?" Texas says, "We have six people not counting Mostimia's follower, so that's two per room."
"Well, I'm going to be with Sora/Az!" We say at the same time.
Everyone stares at us.
...
"Yeah, yeah, I don't think anyone was going to mess with the couple." Mostima says, "Though if I had to choose, my partner would be Exusiai."
Exusiai nods vigorously before moving over to Mostima's luggage.
"So that leaves me with Croissant then." Texas says hauling her luggage over to the room Croissant called, "We can all unpack and then meet up in about an hour or so."
We all nod our heads before heading into the rooms we're closest to.
Sora and I get PL2, the middle one.
Stepping inside, it's a surprisingly decent amount of space. About enough to fit a piano between the beds.
Speaking of the beds, they're on opposite sides of each other, definitely made for one-person use. A small nightstand is present beside both of them.
A closet is present next to the door, and the restroom is on the opposite wall.
Storage can be found above the beds, where a couple of little shelves are placed. The beds themselves also have decently-sized drawers under them.
The walls are painted a lush light brown, giving it a nice, calm feeling. Two small windows are present on the back side of the beds, though they're both closed right now.
I don't think the view would be that great anyways.
"This is so much better than what I was expecting!" Sora says, taking in the sight, "Even the bathroom is decently big compared to our average safehouse!"
"Is it good enough to last the next four years?" I ask, opening my suitcases on my bed.
Sora laughs at the question, "Darling, anything would be good enough if I can spend it with you."
...Darling?
...Ah... Of course.
"Good to hear, darling." I say back.
Sora's giggles are heard throughout the room.
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"We're all done with unpacking?" Texas asks as we all take seats in the main room.
We all nod.
"Alright, they gave us a little checklist we need to get done before the first week passes." Texas says getting out a paper, "Firstly, we all have to take interviews about... something. Then we have to take a physical and a combat test."
...
"That's it?" Exusiai says, "That should be easy with a week's time."
"Well, they've also recommended that we take a tour around the landship, and they've given us times where people are willing to take us around the important stuff." Texas says, "It isn't necessary though."
Thinking faces litter everyone.
"But I think for now we can just hold off, today's been annoying." Texas says after a bit, "What do you guys think?"
Everyone nods or gives a thumbs up.
Everyone except me.
"I'd actually just want to get it over with." I say getting up, "What rooms do they use for the interviews?"
"They use the appointment rooms, labeled AP on the elevator." Texas says, "I don't think you need to schedule anything, they said that there would be a receptionist there and we can just talk to them about it."
Receptionist? Are there two different appointment levels?
"Got it, I'll be on my way then." I say heading out the door.
"Make sure to tell us if the interview is hard!" Exusiai says while I walk out the door.
...
I head over to the end of the hallway, doors litter the area.
I hear a noise up ahead, a door has opened.
Orchid walks out of the dorm. She notices me immediately.
"You're one of the new guys from Penguin Logistics, right?" She says as I walk towards her.
"Mhmm. I was heading to get the interview and all the other new-guy stuff done." I say as we begin walking together towards the door.
"Oh, then that makes this a lot easier." She says as we reach the elevator, "I'm your interviewer. We can just head into the first room and get it done with."
I nod as the elevator begins moving.
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I guess they do have two different appointment rooms.
The one I went into when discussing the contract felt like an old, rugged office.
This room here is just plain nicer.
"So your name is Azrael Winters?" Orchid starts the interview.
I nod.
"Alright then, what do you want your code name to be?" She asks.
"Azrael."
...
She looks at me for a second.
"Are you sure? Having your real name as a code one can cause issues on the battlefield." Orchid warns.
"I'm fine with it." I say.
W already and Talulah seem to already know who I am, so what's the point in hiding it?
"Alright then." She scribbles on her notebook, "Do you know where you were born?"
"Iberia, though I don't remember that much about it."
Orchid goes back to her notebook, "Alright, that makes sense given that you are an Aegir. Now, what did you do after leaving Iberia?"
"I'm kinda spotty on it." I say, "All I remember was awakening my arts and starting to train with them."
I know that my time after Iberia was probably in Ursus, but I'm not one-hundred percent sure, so I'll just leave it as a mystery.
"You said you awakened your arts and began training with them?" Orchid presses.
I nod.
"Do you know when you awakened your arts? Or when you began training with them?" She asks.
If I was in Ursus, I probably awakened them due to being in the cold for so long. That would explain why I don't mind cold temperatures. But I'm still not sure.
"I don't remember when I awakened my arts, but I'm about ninety percent sure that I started training with them when I was around 8." I answer.
"And you're 24, so you've been working on your arts for 16 years." She says, "What was the training like, was it combat-related?"
Was it? I can't remember it at all. Eh, I'll just say-
"Yes, the training stuff was definitely combat-related, though don't ask me exactly what it was, I have no clue."
"Alright then. When do you begin remembering your location?" Orchid says.
Well, I definitely did mercenary work before joining the Guard Academy. But it's a bit harsh to say that... But this is Terra we're talking about, who cares about a youngster doing mercenary work?
"I don't remember when I started, but I did mercenary work for a while before heading into Victoria and making it into their Guard Academy." I say the truth.
"You did mercenary work?" She asks, slightly surprised, "Most mercenaries I've known don't act as... rational as you. But, noted. Anything else important when being in the Victorian Royal Guard Academy?"
"Nothing much, just a couple of friends and such."
"Alright." She spends a fair amount of time scribbling in her notebook, "Last question, do you have any reason to why you began training your arts or to why you began mercenary work at such a young age?"
"No reason for either of them." I state clearly.
I lied, I have a reason for both of them. It's what I dreamed to explain how I got so powerful, but that will cause way too many problems, so I'll keep it under wraps.
And was the interview that fast?
"Well, your interview is done, pretty quick right?" Orchid jokingly says, "We still have the medical test and combat one. Which one do you want to do first?"
"I'll do the medical first." I answer her, "Just in case something goes wrong during the combat exam."
Orchid laughs a bit before walking back to the elevator, "With sixteen years under your belt, I think you'll be fine."
...
We both hop into the elevator and she presses MP1.
"What does MP1 stand for?" I ask.
"Multi-purpose room 1." Orchid says, "It's probably the largest open space in Rhodes Island, this is where you'll find most operators and services."
We step out of the elevator.
...Wow
She didn't lie, this is an absolutely humongous area.
It's a nice open area with people everywhere, kind of like an expo hall if that makes sense.
Walking through, I spot a lot of operators from the game just... hanging about.
It seems the cafeteria is here as well, which probably explains all the people.
I even spot my first six star hanging about, humming a tune while walking around carrying a handful of mail.
...
It's very surreal. Seeing these characters I've doted on for years, it's kinda funny just seeing them laying all about here.
But, it's cool, really cool.
These people aren't characters, they're real people living real lives.
And I'm now one of them.
...
Life can really be romantic sometimes, can't it?
...
"We're here." Orchid says opening up the door, "I'll leave the doctor to you, she handles the procedure for new people."
"Alright." I say as she leaves, "Have a good day."
"You too." Orchid walks out the door.
...
She said that the doctor would know what to do.
But... there isn't a doctor here.
*Creak*
A door opens.
"Sorry! Sorry! I was eating outside of my break when Orchid called me over." Warfarin steps out, "So... You're a new operator and you need a medical test for the file or whatever it is?"
"Yup." I say, not questioning what she was eating before heading through the door.
"Alright, firstly take off your shoes first and step on this scale." Warfarin says.
I do it.
"Alright, 76 kilograms." She says writing it down in a notebook of her own, "Now lemme take your height..."
I step onto a height-taking thing. Warfarin gets up on her tippy toes and jots down some digits.
"Alright, you're 186 centimeters so... Your weight checks out perfectly." She says turning around, "In fact, you're only about 3 kilos away from the ideal weight, good job."
She runs over to a door as I put back on my shoes.
"Come into this room and we'll do a quick physical and oripathy check." She opens a door, to which I walk in.
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"Alright, your body's all normal and you don't have any oripathy." Warfarin states opening the door, "You'll have to wait on your originium blood density results till later, but you're still uninfected."
I get up and walk towards the door.
"And just making sure, you're keeping your arts under check when you use them?" Warfarin says right before I leave, "You know what happens if you push it too far."
"I know what'll happen." I reassure her, "I've been taking the right measures for years, I got it covered."
"Alright, good." She says as I walk out the door, "The combat facility is C1 on the elevator, I've already called an instructor there to do the test. Good luck!"
I give her a thumbs up and continue out of the medical office toward the elevator.
I step in.
...
Nian steps in after me.
I press C1, she presses D2.
We ride in silence, ignoring the elevator music.
A literal god just walked into an elevator I'm in.
Isn't that nice?
"Hey." Nian says after a bit, "Do you like spicy foods?"
"Not really." I say, "I'm pretty mild when it comes to my food pallet."
"Alright then, just askin~"
*Ding*
The elevator door opens. The number reads-
"D2, this is my stop." Nian says, "If you ever change your mind on the spicy food thing, I'll always be here."
She chuckles to herself and walks out.
...
Why is she even going to a dorm level? Isn't she a freelancer who just appeared here for no reason? I don't think they would give her a dorm if she contributes nothing.
*Ding*
The elevator door opens again.
C1 is the combat facility apparently.
It's about what I expected, a big open room with everything looking to be reinforced.
In the far distance, I'm pretty sure I can see an outside portion of the training grounds.
I look around.
A range of tools and weapons is spotted to the left.
To the right-
"Hey! You're a new recruit in need of a combat test, right?"
Is Dobermann.
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"Yeah, I just joined Rhodes Island under the Penguin Logistics agreement." I say.
"Oh." Dobermann says, "Well then I expect a very high ability to be shown off here, or else I will personally take my training to you."
"Yeah, I get it." I say stepping into the grounds, "What do I have to do first?"
Dobermann smiles for a second before getting out her whip and attacking me head-on.
I cover my hand in ice and swat it away without taking a single step.
Dobermann looks at me, "Those are your arts I assume?"
I nod.
"I don't think those are all you can do with them." She says, "Show me what you can do with them in full."
What?
Is this how they measure someone's effectiveness?
"Alright then." I say still kinda confused, "Here's an ice wall I use to block projectiles and stop enemy advances."
I make a decently tall ice wall in the open space.
"I can add more ice or take it away to change the thickness." I state while making the wall bigger, "I think you get the gist of it. I can make and manipulate ice."
"Does the ice stay there forever?" Dobermann asks.
"No." I say letting it melt, "I can flip a metaphorical switch and let the entire thing melt in seconds, no matter the size."
Dobermann nods slightly, "Alright, I get the idea of your arts. Are you infected?"
"No."
"Alright then." Dobermann says walking around, "Now for the actual test."
And of course that first part meant nothing.
"Here are a bunch of dummies that are set to rails." Dobermann says as dummies plop up from the ground, "They'll move around and attack you, you'll have to either defend against them or eliminate them. It's up to you."
There are about 20 dummies...
She really is expecting a lot of me. I don't think a regular recruit would get more than 4.
"Alright, I'll just take them out then." I say making my ice swords.
"You make your weapon out of your arts?!" She asks surprised before calming herself down, "Well, it seems you're ready. Dummies incoming... Now!"
All 20 of the dummies sprout to life.
Half of them take out bows and set up shop where they stand. The other half hold wooden swords and begin to rush me.
Since they're on rails I can't make them slip on ice... So I'll clear them the old-fashioned way.
With a single step, I propel right into the middle of two dummies with my swords fully extended.
Two dummies get cut in half while I place a rock of ice on the ground to kill my momentum and push off.
With a single slash, another dummy falls into two.
At this point, the arrows come in.
I make a thin sheet of ice to block the arrows and extend it to freeze the remaining dummies.
I make another piece of ice under my feet to push off of, and with my speed carrying me, I cut through the rest of the sword dummies like butter.
I place yet another piece of ice under my feet and use it to bolt right towards the side of the bow dummies.
They're lined up straight, giving me an easy time clearing them out.
One slash to cut all of them in two.
...
I look back at Dobermann after clearing down the dummies.
"How much experience do you have in fighting?" Dobermann asks, "Years wise."
"I've been training with my arts since I was 8, and I don't remember when, but I started doing random mercenary work at one point." I answer.
"...That makes sense." She says, "I knew you had the look of a mercenary when I saw you, but you still blew away the hardest dummies in less than 30 seconds."
Those were the hardest dummies? What standards does Rhodes Island hold their operators too? Well... I guess these are for the new recruits while the more experienced ones get actual in-field combat.
"Well, I don't think I have to continue with this anymore." Dobermann says heading back to the elevator, "I'll get the combat portion of your file sorted out by tomorrow. We'll get back to you with your full file by the end of the week."
She keeps the elevator door open as I step inside.
"What's your dorm level?" She asks me.
"3"
"We're on the same level then." She says pressing D3.
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"So it was easy?" Exusiai asks while I lightly play some throwaway notes on an acoustic guitar Sora brought over.
"Decently easy for me at least." I say, "Interview went smoothly, the medical test went smoothly, and the combat test went smoothly. But you guys might have a bit of trouble with the last one."
"The combat test?" Exusiai asks while hanging upside down on the couch, "Why do you think that?"
"Well firstly, you have to do it individually, so no relying on each other." I say, "And secondly, I maybe went a bit overkill, so she might put you guys to the same standards as me."
"So they'll give us a test assuming we're the same level as you?" Texas says raising an eyebrow, "I might actually like that. It gives us a challenge by being by ourselves as well."
"But it'll be annoying!" Exusiai says falling down onto the couch, "Mostimia is the only one who can match Az. We're gonna be screwed!"
"Relax, it's not that hard." I say resting the guitar aside the chair, "You guys are still way stronger than the average recruit, you'll be fine."
Exusiai breathes a sigh of relief.
"Okay then! So, we don't have to worry." She gets up and activates the game console, "Now, to truly settle into this place, we all have to play a game together."
I get up and head towards the small kitchen present.
"That includes you as well Az." Exusiai says, "You can't just watch us, you'll have to actually play with us."
I sigh and nod.
Texas gets up and heads to her room.
Exusiai pouts.
"What don't you guys understand!" Exusiai says at Texas, "When I say we're all playing together, I mean everyone here. Including you Texas!"
Texas sighs as well, "Whatever you say, I'll go get Croissant from my dorm."
"Don't you dare lock the door after stepping inside there." Exusiai says while Texas opens her door.
"I won't." Texas says, closing the door.
A deadbolt is heard the moment the door reaches its frame.
Exusiai stares at the door for a second, in complete disbelief.
Until...
"TEXAS!"
(Firstly, I know that the next chapter is just Azrael's operator file and it adds literally nothing to the story, but it was so much fun to write, so I went and added it in anyways. Besides that, this chapter was pretty enjoyable. I liked describing the dorm room for whatever reason. But anyways, Thanks for Reading :)
Uploaded on August 14, 2022. 3874 Words.