Columbia, City of Ironforge
Armatek main headquarters
Training facility.
"Okay~, here we are." Hera said as the elevator doors parted. She led Lee and the others towards a stretch of hallway that began curving towards the left, as the architectural structure of their headquarters was peculiar, to say the least.
As they rounded the corner, the five of them nearly bumped with a group of people. It was a mixed group of tier 2 and 3 agents, and when they recognized who they bumped into, they immediately bowed and greeted Hera.
"Good afternoon, Manager Hera!" they greeted in an almost synchronous manner, which made Lee feel surprised.
"Ara~, you needn't bow! Have a good afternoon to all of you~!" Hera smiled back and waved, before walking forward while humming to herself. Due to how fast her steps we're, she merely left the four of them in the dust, forcing them to walk briskly afterwards.
"Wow, The Manager is so beautiful!" One of the male agents remarked.
"I know right!?" the rest of the group exclaimed as they entered the elevator.
"She seems quite the celebrity here..." Lee uttered, glancing at the massive glass windows that lined his right side. Beyond it was the city horizon, spanning over 4 kilometers or so, as the headquarters was located near the central district of Ironforge. He could see vast amounts of smoke coming from factories near the outer edges of the city.
No matter how much he sees the landscape here in Terra, he still can't get enough of the abundant scenery it offers. It probably was his longing for Earth's state before the punishing virus outbreak began. It was all so good back then, if only they could have contained the outbreak.
"Duh, asshole, she's The Manager." Adelaide scoffed at him from behind, making him snap out of his sudden reverie. Peityr, who was walking to his right, stifled a genuine laugh of surprise. Franziska kept her usual composure as she walked in front of them.
"Tch, what I meant is that they seem to have seen her in person for the first time. Does Hera rarely make public appearances?" Lee asked no one in particular as they went up a small flight of stairs, ascending to where the training facility was located.
"I mean I get that she's the owner of the company and such, but shouldn't she be- *thud!*" His sentence was cut abruptly short after he bumped into Franziska's back. They haven't even reached the top of the stairs, yet all of them stopped dead in their tracks.
"Uhhh, what are you-"
"Shh, shut your trap for a second!" Adelaide hissed and elbowed him hard, still clearly taking revenge for him throwing a table at her head.
He just glared at the smirking Ægir, before averting his gaze to the scene in front of him.
A man of massive stature sauntered with elegance towards Hera, who was visibly shocked by his appearance as she stood frozen in place. He sported long, bright red hair that was tied in a low and messy man-bun. His skin was pale, but not vampiric-pale, which made the black turtle neck and overcoat stand out more due to his skin tone.
He then stops in front of Hera, puts his arms over her shoulders, before pulling her into a hug. The Manager returned the favor, tightly clinging on to him as if she was going to loose him. She looked like a child compared to the red haired man's height as they stood there in their seemingly unending embrace.
Hera was by no means a small woman. She towers most of the women employed here in Armatek, except for Franziska, of course. However, just looking at the giant of a man holding her in his strong arms made her look like a fragile woman.
"Antonin...I, I thought you'd forgotten about it, since you're always busy and away most of the time..." Hera sniffles as tears began watering her eyes.
"Oh dear, forget your birthday?" Antonin reached out and held her cheeks in his large hand. He caressed it and wiped away the tears gently with his fingers. "I would never let that happen."
"Du bist sehr schön."
She feels the warmth of his touch spread across her face, which sent an electric jolt all over her body. She also understood those words very clearly, and it made her heart throb after hearing that.
"Ah m-mou~! This is embarrassing, right in front of our colleagues..." Hera's face was flushed red as she covered her mouth with her hand, before glancing over her shoulders. Antonin followed her gaze and saw a group of people mingling about the steps of the stairway.
"Ah, Franziska and Peityr?" Antonin raised his voice a bit to catch their attention, before waving his hand once. He doesn't recognize the other two though, as the four of them walked towards their spot.
"How have you been? You've been quite busy these past few months." Hera faced him and traced lines on his palm using her slender fingers. She seemed really surprised about him being here, since she really thought that he wouldn't be able to make it, or even remember her birthday.
"I'm well alright, Hera. Seeing you in person was just what I needed." Antonin stated those words in a calm manner, which of course still made The Manager's heart go doki-doki.
"S-Seriously! Stop flirting in the middle of the afternoon!" Hera hissed at him, but she couldn't control her face from blushing and her lips from smiling.
"Ich liebe dein Lächeln." Antonin leans forward and whispers it at Hera's ear. She immediately smiled uncontrollably afterwards, before giving him a light slap on the shoulder.
"Antonin, it's nice to see you." Franziska said as they stopped near the two of them. The two of them shook hands.
"Dorothy hasn't notified me of your arrival though. Even Ulrich didn't say anything in advance." the Sarkaz finished, before glancing at the still blushing Hera with a look of amusement. She looked like a normal person without any burdens whatsoever.
"Oh, I just got here. Ulrich and Sigmund distracted Dorothy in her office, so she doesn't know I'm here." Antonin responded and made eye contact with the male with blue horns, since he was looking at him as if studying him.
Dorothy, the head of security, had a knack to stop him before seeing Hera whenever he's down visiting here in Columbia. Even though it was only a couple of questions regarding the update of the types of safety level around the city he could visit, it was still a waste of his time. After all, for Antonin, time is of the essence.
"Hehhhh!? Sigmund's also here?" Peityr said and grunted. He walked towards Antonin with a huge smile and the two of them embraced for a quick bro hug.
(No homo, really.😳)
"I'd kick that Kylin's ass when he shows himself."
"Still not over the fact he's a better swordsman than you?" Franziska asked, making the Pythia flinch.
"W-Well, I'm a better marksman than him though!" Peityr said with his eyes closed, crossing his arms over his chest as he sighed embarrassingly.
"You do know we're talking about swordsmanship here. Marksmanship and swordsmanship are two different things."
"Oh shut up Franz!"
"Ara dear, by the way," Hera said and walked over to the black haired Ægir, ignoring Peityr's antics.
"This is Adelaide Schaefer, a tier 2 agent. Adelaide, this is Antonin Jöhtunn, the Vice Manager. She's a very impressive person, trust me."
"B-Boss, what's with that introduction..." Adelaide embarrassingly scratched her cheek. She was also shocked by the fact that she had to crane her neck just to talk to this red haired guy.
"So she's that rumored agent to have Cross paths with Babel's Elizabeth? What a surprise, it's a pleasure to meet you." Antonin nodded approvingly, before extending a hand.
"W-Wait, are you really the Vice Manager..?" Adelaide suddenly asked, as she thought she misheard Hera just now.
"Yes, I suppose you thought that I was a rumor too." Antonin gave her a composed look, but his tone sounded rather amused, to say the least.
The Ægir had a look of shock in her face for a second. She suddenly clasped and shaked his hand multiple times, before bowing her head. "P-Pleasure to meet you too, Vice Manager!"
"Raise your head, you needn't bow." Antonin gave a slight chuckle.
'So he's the Vice Manager huh...' Lee mentally said to himself.
Meanwhile, in Adelaide's mind.
'What the fuck! I thought that Armatek having a Vice Manager was not true!'
"And this one is our newest addition. His name is Lee. He and Peityr was just about to have a mock battle so we could ascertain which tier we'll place him." Hera glanced at Lee, who then extended arm and offered a handshake.
"'S a pleasure to work with you." Lee said with a calm tone.
"Hmm, so he's acquainted with that swordsmaster you told me about?" Antonin responded, firmly shaking Lee's hand.
"Yes, it's a saddening fact that Babel got to her first." Hera responded.
Even though he was out running errands in Sami when he approved of the operation, he did it so because of Hera's adamancy. His phone notification blew up over an hour when he was returning from a successful business trip as back to back messages and miscalls from Hera plagued him.
Eyeing this blonde man up close this time now, he saw a slight change of expression in his face when he mentioned that. He must feel distressed right now, considering he's surrounded by total strangers, as well as being separated from his friends.
Antonin has read the reports, especially the encounter between Adelaide's killteam against Lee and a Vouivre named Jane. Considering Adel had captured most of the combat related footage in her bodycam's P.O.V, he could tell that this man was certainly being held back by the fact that he wasn't in an open battlefield.
An unexpected, almost childish thought suddenly crosses over Antonin's mind.
"Hera, you said they were about to have a mock spar just now, am I correct?"
"Hm? Yes, they are supposed to-, Oi Peityr? What the fuck are you doing on the floor!?" Hera exclaimed, seeing the Pythia sprawled like a drunkard next to Franziska, who was standing over him.
"I silenced him." The Sarkaz wore a shaded face, and her eyes seemed to glint a fiery blue glow.
"S-So s-strong..." Peityr wheezed out.
"Hm, he's out cold for sure." Antonin commented, before unbuttoning his over coat.
"Let me spar with Lee, to test his capabilities."
!?
Hera glanced at him with an utterly surprised look, her face devoid of the look of love from earlier. Franziska, who looked like a hideous devil just now, even stared at him with a genuine look that screamed 'are you out of your mind?'.
Peityr too, whose neck looked broken because of the angle, craned his head after hearing that.
Adelaide however...
"Eh... Uhmmm, what's with all that look?"
"You absolutely must not!" Hera screamed, blocking the path between him and Lee with her hands extended.
"Are you actually drunk right now!?"
"Antonin, I get that you're tired from the trip, but I didn't anticipate you were this tired." Franziska shook her head before dialing someone up on the phone, probably Ulrich or Sigmund.
"B-Boss, I may look dead right now..." the Pythia said as he cracked his neck, earning a surprised yelp from the Ægir. "But I assure you I can be a good instructor for Lee."
The three of them flocked towards the large man and began dissuading him to not do it. Only Lee and Adelaide had no idea what was going on.
"Err, why's he not allowed to spar with me?" Lee leaned sideways and whispered to the Ægir.
"Beats me, I haven't seen the Vice Manager fight. I actually thought he's a myth in the first place."
"The fuck?" Lee wore a disgusted look in his face afterwards.
"Why? It's not like I'd kill him. Besides, it's a mock battle only." Antonin argued, his overcoat already removed as he rolled the sleeves of his turtle neck to his elbows.
"Dear, a-are you serious? We can call Agartha here to test him, or, or Ulrich! They're both around the facility, so let me call them." Hera waved her hands frantically as she explained, but it seems like the Vice Manager had already made up his mind. It was already too late for her to change his mind.
"Don't worry now, I'm sure Lee is fine with it, yes?" Antonin directed his attention towards Lee, who seems to be quite interested about the sudden change of the situation.
"I don't see any problem with that. I'll take you up on your offer then." Lee shrugged his shoulders, before stretching his arms. He was also curious as to how strong this guy really was.
Antonin seemed to have a look of excitement in his eyes as he passed by Lee, walking towards the entrance of the training facility with his hands inside his pockets. Lee was about to follow suit when a hand suddenly grabbed his forearm, making him turn his head.
It was Hera, and she wore a genuine look of concern on her face.
"Whatever you do, avoid looking at him directly in the eye. My dear Antonin might come off as gentle, but he's..." Hera's sentence trailed off, reluctant to say it.
"Nevermind, just do your best and heed my words."
Lee nodded, although he was certain he could impress the big guy once they cross swords. "I've seen worse, so I can handle myself." He thanks her and heads towards the entrance, his steps full of confidence.
.
..
...
"Welp, ain't that a way to get killed on your first day." Peityr joked, breaking the uneasy silence. Even though he only caught a glimpse of the Vice Manager's skill once in one incident, he couldn't forget what he saw until this day.
Jokes aside though, he could only hope Lee wouldn't get seriously injured.
"What's gotten into Antonin all of a sudden?" Franziska glanced at Hera, who was leaning with her back against the wall. "Hera, you haven't said anything to piss him off now, did you?"
"I don't know, he must have been fired up after learning Lee's with the ashen haired swordsmaster." The Manager responded with a sigh, before shaking her head.
"Still, scaring a trainee on the first day? I'll make sure to talk to him later." She added with a pout.
"Uhmm, I know I'm the only one who can't relate here, but how strong is Mr. Antonin?" Adelaide, who was still not over the fact she saw the Vice Manager in the flesh, posed the question.
The three of them simultaneously turned their heads towards the Ægir.
"Very strong."
.
..
...
_____
The sounds of men and women alike sparring in the training facility filled Lee's ears as he entered. It was a large area, capable of holding atleast 200 people training all together. There was even a track and field in the far end of the training facility, as well as a basketball court.
"Basketball... Hah, I can't believe I'm seeing people play that game here too..." Lee uttered to himself. A part of him was happy that he could play the sport too, but it was also a stark reminder that even that basic sport was unplayable in Earth now.
As he was busy daydreaming about his past time in Earth, he didn't realize that he had ventured into an occupied area on the training facility. Due to it being an open space, he accidentally missed the person in his peripheral vision.
"Look out!" A female voice called from behind, making him turn just in time to sidestep. However, the woman also reacted the same way, hopping aside the same direction he went.
"Shit!"
*Thud!*
Lee felt his world spin as their bodies collided. He then hit the ground as he fell to his ass, the force of their collision just now made his eyes spin.
"Ara~, sorry about that." The woman said, offering her hand towards him.
"D-Don't worry...about it..." Lee visibly stuttered as he saw a hottie in front of him. She casually heaved him up with only a hand, before crouching down to tie her shoelaces.
"I didn't realize I was walking blindly ahead, ahahaha..." Lee scratched the his nape out of embarrassment.
"Oh, it's fine, I don't mind. You seem new here, my name is Agartha Schaffhausen." The woman said in a mature voice, all the while smiling at him and making intense eye contact.
"A-Ah yeah, I'm Lee, a new trainee." He tried his best to not sound like a dork, all the while keeping his eyes glued to her deep, cerulean orbs. It was also a last ditch attempt not to look at her other...features.
Agartha was a junoesque, voluptuous and fit woman, and just one glance could attract your eyes due to her figure. She had fair skin and a rather pointed nose, as well as having light gray hair. As she was also in the middle of her training, her clothes consists of a cropped black shirt and dolphin runner shorts, as well as a white running shoes.
"What's wrong~, you seem to be spacing out~." Agartha puts her hands behind her back and leans towards Lee, slightly tilting her head to the right and staring deep into his eyes.
Lee gulped hard instinctively, trying not to lower his gaze into something jiggling.
"Fuck you self! I swear, Jane's assets are bigger! Control yourself, damnit!' He mentally berated himself.
"W-Well, you're leaning in too close so..." Lee smiled slyly, earning a womanly chuckle from her.
"Ara~, not used to having seniors such as me?" She brushes her index finger on her lips in a rather... flirtatious manner, before giving him a killer smile. Luckily for him, he has a stronger will that mere mortal men.
"Agartha," A familiar voice called out from nearby, making them turn towards the source. "Lee and I are about to have a mock battle. Can you open the testing area?"
"Hehhh, Antonin-sama sparring with a trainee? That's unheard of." Agartha said as she glanced at the two of them.
"Still, it's good to see you back here, Vice Manager." She winked at him, before jogging away.
"Antonin-sama? You let her call you that?" Lee asked nervously after the buxom woman disappeared to open the separate testing area.
Antonin just gave him a sigh. "Aga's like that ever since, so get used to it. Come on, let's get going." he motions for Lee to follow, and he does so.
Lee could only stare at the man's back as he contemplated his decisions. He was doing all of this to save Alpha, and to also keep Jane and Nino from being involved further. He just wanted a peaceful life, but it seems he has to overcome a few obstacles in front of him to reach that.
"After this examination, I'll write her a letter..." Lee muttered to himself, watching the lights inside the testing area glow one at a time.
«‹⟨ TO BE CONTINUED ⟩›»
Published: March 24, 2023
Words: 3267
A/n: (Here's the latest chapter folks! Character profiles are next. Hope you enjoy reading them! Leave a vote if you want to ( ╹▽╹ ))