The cafeteria holds a special place for me within the company. It's a peculiar source of comfort, with the murmurs of agents chatting and eating providing an oddly soothing ambiance. Yet, it's more than that; it's a hub of rumors, unconfirmed reports, and insider insights into the company's true state.
As Alliana and I enter, our attention immediately shifts to TL Ava, seated at one of the tables designated for TLs. Beside him is Chelsea, who curiously resembles a brown duffel bag.
“How's the ice cream, TL Ava?" Alliana casually asks as she takes a seat across from him.
"It was decent," he replies with a cough, eyeing the pile of empty ice cream cone wrappers on the table. "Is this some new management ploy to rule agents to work in the office more?”
"Labeling it a ploy might be stretching it a bit, TL Ava," Alliana remarks, her lips curving into a playful smile. She then glances discreetly at Chelsea who shows a small smile,
. "Now, onto the matter of this special case from the Dragon Priestess. Before you say anything, Vaughn has already briefed me on the situation," she assures Ava, who nods in understanding.
"Alright. From my initial observations, this curse afflicting the Dragon Priestess could possibly be code corruption," Ava begins to explain as Chelsea hands him a green laptop, which he promptly powers up. "The rune markings bear a striking resemblance to several code corruption cases reported by customers."
"Well, you could argue it's code corruption, but if that were the case, the Dragon Priestess would have met her end before even reaching our office," Alliana counters. "Additionally, the markings on her arm might indicate the presence of injected bacteria."
"But those usually result in mild cases at most," TL Ava points out, typing away on his laptop and displaying various call records and emails. “What makes you say that this is injected bacteria?”
"We have indeed received several mild complaints so far. However, as I mentioned earlier, if this were code corruption, Ta'ul would have been a goner long ago. Furthermore, the issue seems to affect her innate abilities, as Vaughn mentioned that the runes prevent her from morphing into her draconic form which a code corruption wouldn’t do because it only cares of destroying the target’s life structure.”
"You do have a valid point," TL Ava concedes, returning his laptop to its normal position and continuing to type. "The Dragon Priestess did mention that the runes hinder her and her party members from transforming, suggesting it could indeed be injected bacteria. Nevertheless, it's still a rather expansive topic to delve into without further investigation."
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"In that case, let's proceed with our investigation. If necessary, we may need to visit the exploration line to check for any signs of deployment and spreading," Alliana suggests.
"But that's at least a 7-hour journey from the office!" TL Ava groans, his displeasure evident. "You know how I—"
He stops abruptly and looks at Chelsea. "We'll need to make the necessary preparations."
“Vaughn and I share your sentiments, TL Ava, so I suppose we can carry out this fieldwork tomorrow. It's high time I have Vaughn explore the Techtrae Bay and Arcanae Halls so he can choose his specialization," she declares suddenly, catching me off guard.
"But TL..."
"For once, I find myself in agreement with you, TL Alliana," TL Ava interjects, nodding in approval. "If Vaughn is going to engage in such perilous fieldwork, it would be wise for him to select his specialization."
…
"Are you really serious about this, TL?" I can't help but ask Alliana once more as we step into the elevator.
"There's no better time for us to do this, Vaughn. I know you're feeling anxious about this special case, but if I were in your shoes, I'd be excited. You're about to enter the halls where magic thrives and is harnessed for the betterment of MagicPerfomax," she declares with enthusiasm while pulling out her ID and presenting it to the compartment with the elevator buttons. In just a matter of seconds, a faint mechanical voice resonates within the elevator.
"TL Willingford, where would you like to proceed?"
"The Arcanae Halls, please," she responds with a grin. Suddenly, the ground beneath us trembles, and a series of magical circles appear throughout the small elevator. Before I can even blink, we are transported to an entirely new location that I could never have imagined existed within the company. Looking down, I see that we are standing on what appears to be a floating platform suspended in space. Everywhere I look, magical circles emerge intermittently.
"TL Willingford," a gentle voice emanates from our right, accompanied by a rush of water materializing in front of us. There stands a girl with cyan hair and eyes as blue as the sea, dressed in the traditional MagicPerformax uniform. Several floating books surround her.
"Harmony, it's been too long," Alliana greets her with a warm hug. "Well, I mean, I never thought I'd set foot in these halls again, but I have an SME who needs help deciding on his specialization. Rather than showing him videos and articles, I thought it would be best to give him a firsthand look at what MagicPerformax has to offer."
"Indeed, TL Willingford. And judging by his starry-eyed expression, it seems he's still in awe," Harmony remarks, bringing me back to reality as I offer an apology.
"I'm sorry; I was just... I guess I'm overwhelmed."
"It's perfectly fine, SME. Anyone would be left in complete disbelief the first time they set eyes on the Arcanae Halls. But believe me, there's so much more to explore,"