The next morning will surely go down in my memory as one of the worst ones. I get woken up by someone throwing my door open, marching in and pulling the curtain away. This must be mind warfare, I’m blinded, deafened and barely awake. Truly hell.

“Wake up, little devil. We have some things to arrange and a postponed discussion to be had.” Comes the familiar elderly voice of Martha.

She’s again in her Fist of Krieg standard robes, red and grey with some metal parts. I don’t know how she can always look so well rested, being as old as she is, but the frown on her face with the commanding tone are telling me this is not the time to look into that mystery.

I crawl out from under my blanket and rub my eyes, trying to gain control over my still blurry vision. Disheveled hair, still in yesterday's crumpled clothes and a line of drool on the side of my face. Perfectly presentable as usual.

“Already dressed and… well, the rest needs some work. We’ll have to take care of those along the way. Follow!” She turns around and walks down the hallway.

“Where are we going? It’s only like,” I look out a window seeing the Solaire barely rise above the walls of the city. “what, six in the morning, can’t this wait until lunch?” I half demand.

My body yearns for some more sleep after yesterday. I worked hard for it, I deserve it.

I’m mindlessly trotting after Martha, trying to set my brain afloat, because right now I’m on the vegetable level.

“It could, yes.” Is all she answers.

“C’mon… Can’t I just go back? Or at least brush my hair and wash my face?” I plead, feeling miserable right now.

“No. You’ll have to get used to waking up like this sometimes in our line of work. You’re sleeping in the woods and all of a sudden your squad gets ambushed. If someone reacts like you do right now, then guess who’s gonna be the first to die.”

Even my slumbering brain is able to receive the message: Deal with it, get used to it.

We walk in silence towards the eastern wing of the fort, me managing to get myself into working condition along the way. If I remember correctly the eastern wing houses the armory, warehouse, and planning room. I have nothing to do with the last one, I’m no member so the armory is also out… what does the warehouse have to do with me?

The answer is… yep, it's the planning room.

It's not just the two of us standing in front of the large double doors either, Kayla and Victor are also here, waiting quietly by the wall. They brighten up at the sight of us yet restrain themselves, staying meekly by the wall.

“Come here you two, we’ll be allowed in shortly.” Martha orders, and they follow without delay.

The four of us don’t have to wait around for long, soon footsteps are heard from around the corner. The new arrivals? Bennett and August. My eyes narrow on the short fucker, still upset from yesterday’s squabble. His gaze zeroes in on me as well, eyes turning cold and hostile.

Just what the hell is his problem with me?

“Good, everyone’s here.” Bennett says and knocks on the door.

A few seconds later the double doors slide open, revealing a massive room. It's filled with tables and desks with stacks of papers, documents and maps on top. The room is dimly lit by a large chandelier dominating the ceiling. Not the most impressive feature in the room by far, that title belongs to the absolutely enormous map of the Green Sea built into the floor in the middle of the room.

image [https://i.imgur.com/YTD22pm.jpg]

There are little figures on the map likely not put there just to look cool, even if they kinda do, they mark… things.

What’s less cool are the scary-looking men and women standing around the map, their heads turned towards us, their eyes measuring our every move. I feel as if a heavy weight has been put on my shoulders, their mere presence emitting such pressure. None of them wear proper armor rather the leather pants and combat boots seem to be a common piece, even for women. Some wear a gambeson, others just a shirt, another an overcoat and the ever-present color theme, grey and red.

None of them speaks, none of their faces show any emotions, and they barely even blink. Even the air feels frozen in place, not daring to move.

This has some don’t goof around the big bosses vibe. I don’t like this vibe.

Bennett leads us into the room, our legs a bit reluctant to follow after him. I realize just now that I’ve been holding my breath all along, my shoulders so stiff they’re starting to tire. We come to a few meters in front of the commanding officers. Victor and I gaze at the ground, Kayla looks around cluelessly and August just glares ahead like it's nothing.

No fucking way he can be so casual in this situation. Kayla I can understand, she’s messed up in the head, good thing she didn’t ask a commander what’s their favorite color is, but for this halfwit to be fine.

Maybe I too could-

I try to lift my gaze, try to fight against my instincts to show them that I’m no pushover either. However, as soon as my eyes met with the man in the overcoat… I feel so small, so irrelevant. Everything’s at their mercy, I might’ve run out already if my legs weren’t rooted, unable to lift them in fright.

“They pass,” Says one of the women. Her hair is light blonde, similar to mine yet those two scarlet eyes… they make me uneasy even when not aimed my way. She might be the youngest one in the room but I don’t think she’s any weaker than some of the older fighters. “Actually, shouldn’t there be only three of them?” She asks, turning towards the instructors behind us.

Why are we even here? What is this all about?

“That one,” Martha points towards August. “arrived yesterday. We haven’t discussed it yet with the child, however, a scryer did confirm the date of birth.” She explains to the officer. On the contrary, I understand even less after this conversation.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“Very well.” Says the man in the overcoat. “What can they do and should they be grouped?”

Why can’t they just talk normally for us to understand?

This time Bennett speaks up. “That boy,” He points at Victor. “can see the odds as he likes to put it. If he concentrates on his chances of doing something or a certain outcome, his Skill tells him the likelihood of that happening. ” He takes a deep breath and hesitates for a moment. “I… honestly I dread to even imagine the extent of uses for such an ability. A walking lie detector, a thief, a gambler, a superb marksman and the list goes on. He observed that the stronger the people involved or the more impactful the outcome the less accurate the skill gets but that’s something that can be outgrown with skill levels. I’d advocate for a ranged specialist build.”

Seeing the odds? What magic is that? That sounds totally cheating, almost like my Bless- Ohhh, yeah. Bennett did tell me there are two more kids here with a Blessing and just now Martha called August the fourth. I have no idea what Kayla can do but what about August?

“About the elf here.” Martha continues with Kayla. “She likes animals and beasts alike so her Blessing is related to them, unsurprisingly. She’s able to communicate with any and all creatures and this is even the least surprising part. The creatures she talks to act like she’s one of their own. They rarely react aggressively and most try to support her to the best of their abilities. She needs to exert her will and quite a bit of mana to make the Skill work and we suspected it was some kind of forbidden mind magic however we’re unable to confirm. We’ve also observed that the higher a creature's Willpower is the lesser her Skills effect. Nothing that growing stronger wouldn’t solve. Her path towards becoming a beast tamer is clear, although I haven’t yet decided on a general role.” Martha concludes.

She can WHAT? I’m stunned to hear this skill rundown. Just imagine if it was her yesterday in the forest instead of me… She could’ve just told the locusts to kill each other, huh? Okay, maybe it's not that simple, still very impressive. I don’t even know if hers or Victor’s luck detector is better.

“What about the new arrival?” Asks the younger woman again.

“He’s been unwilling to share it with us so I can’t say much besides that Hubert scried his birthday and it matches the other three’s.” Bennett shrugs.

Huh, stubborn bastard, playing tough here. I bet his skill isn’t even that impressive. He showed nothing special during our fight and was just fast… That’s it!

“Speed.” I whisper to myself in realization.

He was too fast for his level yesterday.

“What did you say, girl?” Asks someone, breaking me out of my line of thought.

When I look around I see every pair of eyes looking questioningly at me. Of course, it doesn’t matter how quietly I talk, not with these people.

I gather my courage and with a bit of a shaky voice, I try to explain. “He was too fast, yesterday we got into a fight and he moved much faster than anything should at level 18.” I describe.

The people of the top brass just raise some eyebrows and murmur among themselves.

“Says the girl with the elements at her feet.” August's voice breaks the relative silence, making everyone quiet down and direct their gazes at him. “Your deduction is correct, my blessing is pretty straightforward. To be fast. Simple yet effective. None of you can fight something that you can’t catch. I can steal anything and get away with it, kill anyone and run before the authorities arrive. I’m untouchable.” There’s no arrogance in his voice. It's as if he’s stating simple facts like it's the most natural thing to do.

His skills aren't anything flashy or unique. I mean it's really unique but compared to the previous two… this sounds almost lacking. I’m not saying it's weak, oh no, I have no idea how I could beat him in like… say years.

“Why did you get into a fight as soon as you arrived?” One of the elders asks. Not an important question really but something I’m also kind of curious to hear.

“I arrived somewhere new so I had to establish dominance, to not look weak. I just picked this pointy-eared mongrel because all the people were eyeing her when I stepped in.” He answers with a shrug.

I take offense at that. “Fuck off you crazy bastard, call me that again if you want to smell the floor again today.” I cuss at him, not making threats but promises. “And everyone looked at me because I got here the same day just before you, that’s it.” I vent at him, seemingly forgetting about where and amongst who I am. I visibly shrink and turn a few shades redder after looking around, mostly seeing poorly hidden smiles.

“And what about this little miss, hm?” Asks the same old man. “What did the boy mean when he said the elements at her feet?”

“Well…” Bennett starts, scratching the back of his head. “restricted knowledge type.” A collective sigh follows the statement. “All we know is that she’s able to utilize nine of the fifteen elements with her Arcane Class. This does hint at some specific knowledge, except we can't confirm it in any way.” His explanation is followed by a short murmur and some headshakes.

“As we all know even if she can manipulate the other elements with Arcane magic it's more expensive and less effective due to the mana conversion, this is why I think she shouldn’t become a control or devastator mage. Power is not her forte but when it comes to versatility…” Martha chuckles. “That’s why I recommend a midrange caster, a battlemage, a bit less impactful yet more mobile. A joker for any team, with very little weakness.” Martha concludes, leaving the room in a contemplative silence. Some people are nodding to themself, others frown, all of the officers deep in thought.

"We propose getting them accustomed to working as a team starting as soon as possible." Bennett speaks up after our secrets are shared with the audience. "Their Blessings might make them suitable to work as solo operatives in the future, however for that they must grow and learn, a lot so starting in the standard squad setup is the best option. Their abilities fulfill most of the key roles a team needs with the exception of a heavy frontline and as individual fighters, they've proven themselves rather capable. Last but not least they require special attention and increased protection whenever they leave the Fort's premises having them in one spot puts less strain on the faculties." The old fuck concludes his report.

After a few minutes of nods and murmurs a man, whose presence is much weaker and somehow restrained, steps forth. Muscular like most of the people in the room as is expected from seasoned warriors even if on the leaner side. He’s also young with blueish-brown hair, one eye covered with an eyepatch and a sharp golden one observing us with aloof curiosity.

I don’t get the eyepatch since from what I’ve heard healers can repair any damage, even inherent ones.

“Every piece of information shared here today shall be kept as a closest secret. These children, although not one of us yet, are under our protection. Teach them, nurture their talent and soon, they’ll be the best squad to ever march out of the gates of Fort Karon.” He declares. “As for you children,” He walks closer to us. “remember, you’re not here as prisoners. We offer you protection and training with our little side motive as seasoning. After everything I’ve heard, I’m certain that all of you are gonna be Specialists if not Elites in your own fields of expertise. Train diligently, for in exchange for everything we provide we only ask for a few years of service.” His face stayed devoid of any emotion through his speech, his voice not harsh nor demanding but still somehow… it felt like it would’ve been a crime to even breathe, as I did not.

“We’re done here.” He says and walks back to the table at the other end of the room.

Every other top brass member also splits up, going to specific desks or leaving the room right away. Martha waves at us to follow them out and then I remember something she told me yesterday.

[Identify]

[Warrior lvl ???]

[Warrior lvl ???]

[Ranger lvl ???]

[Mage lvl ???]

[Leader lvl ???]

…

[The general [Skill Identify] has reached lvl 9 ->18.]

Hell yeah, Martha was right again. I throw one last Identify at the mysterious man before leaving.

[??? lvl ???]

As soon as the notification pops up the man looks up at me, our eyes meet and a shiver creeps down my spine. A tiny smile runs across his face before he resumes reading some documents.

I sigh in relief like never before when we finally step outside of that awful room and the majestic double-door creeks shut behind us.

I hate that room. Never again.