Wandering through the halls, Williams walks side by side with Rozzante, who seems to think about his question.
It is more precise to tell that he is reconsidering some answers, but he has trouble coming up with some. His face contorts, and he frowns in wonder.
Most students around them don't talk to each other. The only exception is Stark and Louise who also walks side by side. Nobody else is then talking to one another, as they expect their time for the 2nd Trial. They are focusing on what is important, which isn't a bad idea and it isn't surprising.
For first-timers to expect some socializing isn't right. They come from different sides of the world, and experiences. Most don't know what to expect from this Trial or life anyway, they have no idea about one another unless they come from the same faction.
They are even less interested in talking here when they have the most important time in their Walker's life, right before them. That goes to all of them, while the two groups of two, which are William and Rozzante, and Louise and Stark are nothing much but rare occurrences.
“I mean...” Rozzante starts. “We have to stick together out there, or even here. Why be sorry or afraid? I am not. Everyone has to do what they can or do their best. Now, that's how Walkers follow these ridiculous dark times, while Outside is... whatever it can be.”
William doesn't know everything that Rozzante experienced, nor should he know it all. He could imagine the troubles from his own experience while sharing his words has been quite a ride.
Their own little past doesn't make them all that different, but the future is more crucial than that. William remains silent in their walk, while Rozzante accepts his silence as a comforting idea. He decides to keep talking about insensible or sensible topics of the Outside, or his view on the Walkers.
Rozzante appears more like a talkative type of a guy than William took him for, and as far as William seems to notice, he isn't a bad guy at all. It is his first basic interaction with him since the first was nothing but a means to continue their trial.
Back then, Rozzante was a serious-looking guy who took the Trial seriously, because he didn't know what to expect. Now, he looks more easygoing when he knows that the 1st Trial is over, or it is because he is more confident after getting to know more Walkers.
“Oh, I seem to one talking now and I keep blabbering about nonsense. That's normal, isn't it? Where I am coming from, sticking together and knowing others is something we had to account for. A good team is a must-have, and humanity must stick together. We are surviving humans in this messed up world so we must be great with numbers, but... those numbers are just numbers. Dark Age has more of them, but I get what you mean when I see those Emblems or Walkers too. I don't mind having a friend in you if you know what I mean. Heheh.” Rozzante says, chuckling and surprising William with his outlook and casual words. He even pats him on the shoulder.
“I don't mind nothing,” William says with a smile. “I know how it is outside myself, and now... things are different and difficult in a new light.”
He speaks of the future for the most part. It's also a bit different opinion and something he views in light of his growing up. He endured his fair share amount of living Outside of the Federation or even at proper settlements for years. It is about the times when camps weren't as pronounced, and a keen part of Walker's integrity was pointed to the dark, rather than the rest of humanity. That sort of strategy still allowed many to keep going, surviving with some bare notion of hiding and fleeing for their lives.
William wonders what Rozzante experienced when he speaks with his own version of the Outside, but he doesn't seem to be too broken about it. That is good.
That speaks of a tough mentality, stubbornness to keep going, and surviving with a keen mind. Rozzante doesn't look like the kind of person like Stark, so he must've grown in different ways than others.
Having this sort of different perspective isn't that bad since it's his perspective and he has his own.
In fact, William will think about his words some more, take them to his mind and maybe he will grow and get something out of it. That's how he always looks at other people for a long time, while more time will show him more people. It is his living that he follows, since he had no one else but himself, with few friends around him. It was a game of survival back then. A time when he was young and inexperienced.
Now, he is nothing better, but a bit older.
In the meantime, their conversation goes on without any issues or problems, the group walks on.
Tiberon reaches his desired destination in about 15 minutes of walking. They walked through a few halls and flowed, before arriving at the lowest section of the building. There are some underground levels to this skyscraper, right below the ground, as William assumes.
It gets cold, eerie, and rather... strange in here? The walls and staircase to this location aren't in such pristine condition and appear damaged by the passage of many years or is it done by other factors?
Their journey ends up in a wide and long hallway, with an open door that appears out of horror. With old bulbs on the side of the wall that illuminates the surroundings not that well, one couldn't help but get creepy feelings about this. The door is open, revealing a large reinforced room, with no walls, or any details inside of it. There are just tough metallic walls, rough floors made of large blocks of concrete, and slabs of metal reinforcements.
It is a rectangular room with a single chair in the middle.
Wiliam recognizes this sort of room as some kind of bunker, but it is wider, taller, and tougher looking from his memory. There are also a lot of things around this room that make it stranger than a bunker. Walls have many marks of damage, with cuts, and scorched sort of patterns.
Well, he ended up destroying his bunker in 9 days, so he isn't surprised to see another one that is also damaged. There are also cameras at each corner of the ceiling which he notes, so this must be a much more powerful and sturdier version of regular bunkers.
“As expected of the Academy.” he reckons in his mind.
Walking towards the middle, Tiberon crosses his hand behind his back to appear more professional. It helps a little, but his overall appearance already went downhill the moment he revealed himself to these first-timers. Though, not like he cares about it all that much.
Standing with his back behind the chair, he looks at the first-timers alone. There isn't even Agata here to scold him for his wrongdoings, since she approves the 2nd Trial which is also his idea. It has peculiar prose, with interesting potential results and easy management.
“Alright! This is a room for the 2nd Trial and everything that you are looking for, is all here.” He spreads his arms and glances around. “One by one, I will be the one accessing your prowess, skills, handling of the cycling, and other details of your system. I won't tell you how it will go, why, or what are exact details of the trial. You will get it when you will come here. It's an unexpected way to do things, as it's an important aspect of Walkers to be flexible and able to thrive through unexpected events. That is also what 1st Trial was about, but... it went in a strange direction. Each of you will wait outside of the room, while a butler will inform you who will come next, am I right?”
“Precisely.”
Behind the group of 10, a sudden word reveals a butler, who neither of the first-timers knows or notices. It is as if he has always been there for a long time, but was he? None of them are sure about it, but it must be the unique powers that the butlers possess. That is something that few among them know, and it clears some answers to their questions.
“Excellent!” Tiberon claps his hands. “Then we shall start. Apart from Roberto Ougin, everyone is to leave the room and follow the butler away,” he announces, pointing his finger to a lonely, rough-looking youth who is the first to undergo this Trial. He looks tired beyond common means as if he endured the worst time in his life.
What lies before him is not one bit better than the 1st trial, however. It is to go 1 on 1 against Tiberon's ideas of the 2nd Trial, and few among the group of 10 even know what it could even mean.
“Hold on!” Starks's voice speeds through the bunker. “What sort of reasoning is this? You do it all, so that means the decisions are all up your ass! How can we know this is all fair if it doesn't concern our abilities?”
Tiberon glances at the loud youth, unbothered and not surprised. “That is an expected thing, but let me rephrase it...” he says and steps closer to the group. “Do you think I am unqualified to know what it means to be a proper Walker? Hm? You, little kids, are just little pubs before the gates to hell, and you question your choices? Out there, there is no choice or hope. Only a proper mind, talent, and power can even do something about it.”
He even smirks at them, and Stark losses any chance to refute him with any kind of sense. It is his mistake... He misspoke, but won't deny or confirm his words.
“Thought so,” Tiberon says and gestures to the group to get out.
Out of the room, 9 first-timers are waiting for their chance, while the butler waits beside a closed door. For the purpose of a better time and care, there are some chairs and sofas at the side of the wall or opposed to the door.
Something even better is there aside. A hot meal and water to let them gain some energy. The 1st Trial makes most of them tired, but some of them had a better time than others.
It is too bad for Roberto who is the least accomplished ascendant of the skyscraper. He ended up on the 21st floor, which is the lowest accomplished of them all.
However, the rest of the first-timers don't seem inclined to touch the food. They are nervous, and most of them are getting bad ideas over the Trial. They never expected Tiberon to act like a Trial itself, and anything about what goes behind that door isn't clear. That is to clear a Trial, which Tiberon told in a loose fashion. He hasn't told or mentioned the necessary details to get any kind of idea about it. Just assessment, but what kind? 1st Trial was also about assessing their abilities, but in a way, they could work with it in mind.
Here? They don't know what to expect from Tiberon at all. For all they know, they may even spar against him.
Louise and Stark especially never heard of a Trial like that, and both of them are concerned and unsure what this will end up like.
In this situation, they wait for their time full of nerves. Some meal isn't in their heads, so most of them rest up and ready their minds and emblems alike.
It's quite nerve-wracking because there isn't anything they can work with. No rules, purpose, or something they could do to ease their nervousness away. It is as Tiberon said, and Outside is no different. One has to adjust to the tough decision, and also cluelessness.
One never knows what is out there in the wild dark age.
Tiberon himself is the Trial and decision maker.
What does that mean? Are they meant to undergo some sort of spar with him? Against a freaking Rank 8 Walker?
Sitting beside each other on a sofa, William and Rozzante await what is yet to come. Both are rather nervous, yet they still talk to each other. All of a sudden Rozzante stops and gets up from the sofa. He figures it's a good opportunity to ask the two youths, sitting opposite the door some questions. As for William's suggestions, of course.
“Good luck though,” William says, wishing him the best of luck since he has no clue if those two would even be of some help.
Rozzante sees Stark and Louise sitting on the sofa some distance away. Walking toward them, the pair of youths notices a sudden intruder, which is the first. Both of them know how Trials go in the heart of regular first-timers, and they all appear to care about maintaining some sort of focused facade. But not them. They know what to expect, albeit to a very limited degree.
“Hello there.” Rozzante greets them.
“Hello,” Louise greets him with a smile, swinging a hand in return. He doesn't seem to be all that nervous about this clueless aspect of the trial, and it goes along with his personality. One has to adjust anyway and he will do exactly that.
On the other hand, Stark is still rather angry, as usual. “Fuck off.” is his rather unsurprising greeting, which stuns Rozzante.
“Oh, don't mind my friend. He is still pissed about Tiberon, while this Trial isn't making it better. Can I do something for you? Not many people are interested in making some form of contact yet, which is understandable. Everyone is nervous, and they have all the right to be like that. Some more. Some less.” Louise says, dismissing Stark altogether from this conversation.
Unlike him, his awareness of the social ways of Walkers is much more noticeable and he cares about his image. Maybe it is because of a better upbringing or simply because he isn't an asshole.
“Well, a friend of mine told me you are quite knowledgeable about some things.” Rozzante points at William who is still sitting and thinking about the Trial and Tiberon's worlds. “I wonder If I can talk to you about a broader word that I am yet to understand all that well. May I take a seat?” he politely asks, trying to make a good first impression.
“Oh? William did recommend us? That is surprising, I suppose.” Louise says, obvious from the past glances where he notices those two are friends that kept walking here together.
“Yeah. Him. Do you know each other?”
“Not really, but it's nice of him saying we are knowledgeable. That's quite funny, but understandable, I guess.” Louis says, scratching his cheek with a smirk on his face. This is obviously a compliment on William's part, which makes him somewhat happy.
Noticing still standing Rozzante, Louise pushes Stark aside, making room for Rozzante to sit between them.
Even though this sofa is for 2 people at least, since they are young, it's enough for 3 of them to be side by side. It is a bit cramped, angering, and frustrating Stark that much more, but he gulps his anger away.
“I am Rozzante by the way.” he gestures his hand, which Louise takes and shakes.
“Great to meet you, I am Louise, and this is Stark. Both of us are from renowned Walker families, so our talents are quite good, and because of that, we are knowledgable, I suppose. That is the reason William suggested us to you. We have more than a better upbringing about Walkers and the world.” Louise unexpectedly reveals the true reason for everything, which shows quite a surprise on Rozzante's face.
“R-renown Walker families? I only heard about them but never got to know more. Is it... good to grow up in such a world?”
“Are you seriously asking such a piss-poor question?” Stark barks at this sudden intruder, caring only a little, so his face and body language are facing the other direction.
“Hey!” Louise pokes an annoyance at his remark. “Don't make this first guess to our company leave! It is already so poor of you to let anyone even approach us. No girls either. Tsh! Disappointing...” he sights and shakes his head.
“You wish for that. Hmph!” Stark mumbles something under his breath, leaving the two of them alone.
“Anyway, I don't think it's that bad.” Louise continues as if Stark hasn't told a thing. “There are higher expectations put on us, but thanks to that, we are able to reach higher stages much better. It's mostly about earlier Ranks, which will be better for us than the rest. It will go well for us, or even you can do a lot if your talent is good enough. It is all about talent and ability and in this place we can create miracles, hopefully. Don't get me wrong. Everything will be somewhat tough at this age, but we will try.”
“Yeah, I hear a lot about it. This place is Emblem Academy, and it has something to do about Affinity or something. 70 or above is the base for going here, so it must be quite hard, isn't it?”
“That's wrong. 70 is for the basic premise to get an attempt for the Trial. No matter what affinity, they will have to reach the end of the Trials and actually succeed.”
“Even Walkers with 90 affinities?” Rozzante asks, making Stark grunt in displeasure.
Louise notices it and chuckles since he finds it more than hilarious.
“Right, Those are the same as you, or me, even if you have 70 or more affinity. What was yours, if I am not bothering you about it.”
“Mine was around the 80s, which isn't bad or the worst, as far as I know, or been told.”
“That's great. Mine is a bit above that, so you have quite a talent so there is no need for being nervous.”
“It's just a number. What's the point in that?” Rozzante downplays his words, finding the whole thing about numerical affinity quite terrible.
“Don't say that, Rozzante. It's still a good way to see how Walker's bodies can take on the flow of Arcanite. 80 is already more effective than 95% of the Walkers and anything above 90 is almost a peak of what people can even manage. Walkers of those calibers are prone to great things if I must say so myself, and what I know.” Louise says, speaking casually. He feels great to get to know yet another talent, and he has no problem with befriending anyone.
“Yea, that's great and all. Not like it will change my opinion about it, though.” Rozzante still insists, but it's not like Louise minds his words. As far as he knows, there are a lot of people who have opinions such as this. They are mostly from Outside, which Louise knows this youth is from, but from where exactly? He isn't sure about it.
Their conversation flows on, and 10 minutes later, the door to the bunkers shots open. Roberto Ougin walks out of the door, grimacing in pain and he is quite frankly, beaten and tired.
It isn't to the extent of bloody sight, but his whole walking stature seems to inline he is like a broken kite.
9 of the remaining first-timers note his presence, but neither walk to him nor talk to him. No one is ready to know what's going on behind that door, but there is still someone who speaks first.
It's Roberto himself.
“Blood and hell... Good luck to you all, but don't get your hopes up. This damned man is a crazed lunatic... This isn't going to be easy... Tiberon is an utter devil, let me tell you that” he complains, not telling anything substantial about what goes behind the door.
Some of the first-timers discern some of the possibilities through his appearance, while his words indicate he doesn't want to talk about it. It must be because Tiberon said to him he shouldn't, as this is an individual battle, and nothing else.
Though, there is one who doesn't care about any of that, and he has to come to terms with his own knowledge. “What that fucker made you do?” Stark shouts, causing Roberto to notice him.
“You... Ugh... I won't tell. You are on your own, and me too. I failed by the way. This is the end of the line. It is what it is.” Roberto says, clumsily walking towards the hall and away from this room.
“What a coward.” Stark mumbles under his nose, unbothered to even curse at this failure of a Walker.
“Isn't it a bit harsh?” Rozzante voices his opinion, but Stark couldn't care less either way.
“Leave that be. I bet Tiberon told him not to reveal the purpose of this Trial.” Louise argues, feeling that this must be most likely the case.
“Bullshit. He is a coward. What's the point of not talking about it since he lost? He is making things unknown and more difficult for us. What an unnecessary mess.” Stark complains, which leaves the two youths to his left a little speechless.
The butler who remains standing beside the door points towards some girl who is standing aside, dejected and nervous like the rest.
It's her time, and her name is Sharie, which is a girl from the group of 2 from the 1st Trial. From her lone figure, it appears one of the 3 first-timers who gave up was her injured comrade. This leaves her alone, but it isn't her problem. She has to go on, taking this trial for her own sake, and nothing will stop that.
After hearing her name, she walks to the door, disappearing behind it, while the butler remains to guard it.
Meanwhile, William doesn't find any form of enjoyment in this waiting game. It's more of an annoyance than anything else.
“Interesting... That boy has been already tired before this, and afterward, he was the same, apart from a few things. What is up with that? Does Tiberon make up some things in there? Could it be like fighting or sparring with Roman but in a different way? I can imagine that, but 10 or so minutes passed for that boy named Roberto, and it was his failure. Does it mean a time limit is up to this trial, or it was about his cycles?” William gives rise to many questions, deducting and figuring out what is even going on.
He considers a few things and how this should be some form of an endurance Trial that doesn't take that long. 10 minutes should be the limit when the majority of first-timers can maintain their cycles, and their best fighting abilities. That includes interconnected skills, fusions, and so on. It is about the cycles the most, which is what any kind of endurance training is. At least from what Roman told him, and how the majority of Walker's Systems, and Emblems work in their limits.
William is no different, so he is rather apprehensive if he is going to be at a disadvantage. His cycle time could be weaker when it comes to endurance.
With the passing of time, the majority of the Walkers here are still the same as ever. The two who don't feel this sort of pressure and nervousness are Rozzante and Louise. They keep conversing, while Stark decides he couldn't be bothered with this and forget any issues.
The same as before, 10 minutes later, the door opens, revealing Sharie who appears somewhat better than Roberto from before.
Though, her face is rather ashen, and tired. She is clearly exhausted, and she supports her body with a hand on the wall.
She walks by the wall, where she finds a place beside a pale-looking girl who is sitting alone on the sofa. She is one of the few who munches on some food. She is Celleste.