Arcane: CH/8RWLN/V-0001
Chapter 8: [ANGEL] Testing for CitizeNship
Corporate Alliance Territory
Eden City// Cordell Industries Central Territory.
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Jack stood nervously in front of the Awakened Testing office, waiting in line with the other hopefuls who came to get tested. Despite the large crowd of people and traveling pedestrians, Jack felt exposed. As if a Corpo goon or Angel Merc would show up at any moment and snatch him up. Luckily, no such event occurred as the line began steadily moving, but he couldn't help but feel anxious eyeing the neon high-rise surroundings.
Entering the facility, Jack was made to surrender his gun for safekeeping before being issued a number and then ushered to a seating area, where dozens of hopefuls his age and children were being corralled by their parents into a cramped room.
There were even people outright partying and eating cake in the lobby, celebrating their collective birthdays as they threw the facility into chaos.
Taking a seat on a hard plastic chair, Jack pulled up his system and began eyeing the information. It wasn't much but it'd help to get his mind off of the pending test and worry of Corpo spies.
[Angel System Status]
[TITLE]- [The Incomplete Nephilim]/[???]
[Class]- None
HP-[180]
MP-[6]
[???]-
FREE POINTS REMAINING: - 0
[STRENGTH]- 15+3(18)
[VITALITY]- 18
[SENSE]- 12+10(22)
[AGILITY]- 12+10(22)
[ARCANA]- 3
[???]- 2
[???]- 1
[Active Buffs] Wind Affinity I(+10 Sense, Reduce cost of Aero based skills)
[Passive Buffs] Partial Rune of Atalanta(Left+Right Leg+10 Agility modifier) Weakened Sigil of Gehenna(Left arm+3 Strength),Fractional Blessing of Sahaqiel(+20 Wind Affinity+10 Light Affinity) Skill Siphoning.
[Resistances]- +5 Radiation(Human Innate)
+50 Anti-Curse, +20 Anti-Corruption.
[?????]-
[ACTIVE SKILLS SLOTS]
[Slot 1]: Gasp of Gehenna LvL 1(Drain target of mana. Warning: excessive drain can lead to the target's death.” EVOL
[Slot 2]: Fira LvL 1(Let loose a burst of hot flames from palm) 20MP
[Slot 3]: Wind Blade LvL 1(Condense wind into a blade and fire it)20-15 MP=5(TH)
[Slot 4]: Dash LvL 1 (Acquire a momentary burst of speed) 5 MP
[Slot 5]: Optics of Sahaquiel LvL 1 {SEALED}
[Slot 6]: N/A
DATA HIDDEN.
ACCESS DENIED
Much of the system was hidden, apparently by a restriction of the system due to how weak he currently was. But Sahaqiel assured him that it would only be temporary until he grew.
Eyeing the skills and his abysmal Arcana stat, Jack started rehearsing what he was going to do. He was worried that his low arcana would make the test read negative. However, Jack knew that if he demonstrated a skill, the testers would have to pass him.
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Sahaqiel materialized into existence in front of Jack, distracting the teen once again as she observed people and looked over their shoulders nosily.
Would you at least put some clothes on?! Jack yelled internally, making the semi nude angel covered by tiny specs of light roll her eyes before fading out of existence.
[Relax, it’s not like anyone can see me. I've been stuck in a coma for tens of thousands of years, I just want to look around, stretch my legs.]
I get that, but even if they can't see you, I can! And you’re very distracting!
Sahaqiel reappeared in Jack’s lap, cupping her face with both hands. “Oh stop you’re gonna make me blush you charmer, you.”
Exasperated by her antics, Jack got up to use the bathroom but froze when a horrific thought occurred to him. He turned his head slowly toward the angel watching some child play with an Intellipad.
Can… can you see me using the bathroom?
Looking up at Jack the Angel made a devious smile.
“Well of course silly. I see and feel everything you do." Sahaqiel replied, making Jack’s eyes go wide. Suddenly he didn't need to use the bathroom anymore. Fortunately, Jack didn’t have to dwell on the ramifications for long as his name got called by a test proctor.
Navigating the crowd, Jack went through a pair of steel colored double doors where he bypassed a crying child. Ignoring the kid, he was then greeted by a man who seemed more machine than human.
"Eh, number twenty-three? You Jackie Knight?” The cyborg said, looking at the teen skeptically. Ironically, despite all of his cybernetics the man held an intellipad in his hands.
“Yea, that’s me.” Jack replied, holding out his ticket to the man who glanced at it and then back to his electronic pad. All that chrome and no note system. Jack thought to himself.
“Alright, over here.” The cyborg opened a nearby door and directed Jack inside where a crystal obelisk sat in the middle of an empty room with a camera overlooking it. “Just touch the crystal firmly. If it lights up, you’re an Awakened. if it doesn’t, vete a la mierda.”
“What?”
“It means get the fuck out. Now get to it and stop wasting my time. I’ve got a hundred more people to fail today.”
Ignoring the man’s rudeness, Jack stepped into the room and eyed a smooth obsidian crystal sitting squarely on a pedestal in a concrete chamber.
[Fascinating, they took a shard of Amrythum and used it to conduct Awakening tests] Sahaqiel said in Jack’s mind.
What does that mean?
[It means it glows based on the amount of mana absorbed. I'm assuming its because most newly Awakened don't have skills. From your abysmal mana level, you won’t be able to just activate a skill if it reads negative. The obelisk will just absorb your mana.]
Then what do I do?
[Don’t worry I have a plan, just touch the crystal.]
Jack hesitantly approached the crystal and reached a hand toward it. On contact he could feel a connection of sorts being established between his body and the crystal before abruptly feeling something leave his body and flow directly into the crystal. Yet despite the connection, the crystal didn’t light up.
C’mon, ‘c’mon, c’mon. Please! Jack begged internally. Looking over his shoulder he could see the test proctor staring with a bored expression on his face.
After a few minutes of the crystal being blank, Jacked looked at his system where his mana had fallen to zero.
“Alright pendejo let’s go. Thanks for wasting my time.” The cyborg called out, beckoning Jack to leave. Jack ignored him, focusing on Sahaqiel as she fed him instructions.
[Keep your hand on the obelisk and activate the Gasp of Gehenna, but don’t let him see your arm.] Sahaqiel said.
“Didn’t you hear me? Don’t make me tell you again.” The irate man began moving towards him, causing Jack's heartrate to beat rapidly in his chest.
“Wait!” Jack exclaimed, holding out his right arm to signal to the large man to stop. “Just give me a few more seconds.”
Jack activated the sigil on his left arm, causing a glow to appear. Luckily his body was positioned in just a way that it obscured him from the approaching test proctor.
"So uh, what do you think about the new model android they have out?" Jack stalled, attempting to make small talk as he felt his energy returning and his MP bar filling back up. "I heard it even has uh special time features."
“No me pagan lo suficiente, let's go! You aren’t an Awakened kid, stop wasting my time.” The cyborg went to grab Jack but he nimbly moved away putting his hands up.
“Look, I can prove I’m an Awakened! I have a system!”
“Yea, that’s what everyone says. But I can't see it. Look e mano, I have a hundred more like you that swear they have systems, but the test don’t lie. Veta a la mierda kid.” The man cracked his neck before grabbing at the boy who went wide-eyed.
“I can prove it! Look!” Jack dodged the man’s swipe and panically activated Wind Blade, firing a blade of thin energy from his hands that narrowly missed the man and left a minor cut in the ceiling. The cyborg paused, mere inches away from grabbing Jack and turned his muscular head to look stupefied at the crack in the ceiling.
Jack held his breath.
“Huh… you actually are an Awakened. Well shit e mano, that’s a first, most Awakened don't have skills right off the bat.” The test proctor’s tone changed from rude and dismissive to one of genuine surprise. Jack scrambled back and held his palm out to the man.
“So I pass right?”
“Yea, you pass kid." The man chuckled before murmuring something and heading to the exit. "Wait here while I go notify my manager.”
Jack breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the floor, watching as the robotic man disappeared.
Oh man that was close.
“Congratulations Jack-ie.” Sahaqiel said, appearing in front of Jack and patting his head. It took him a moment to realize the Angel was messing with him.
“Knock it off.” Jack grumbled. ”This isn’t even the first step.”
“Oh don’t be such a downer. Would it help if I let you squeeze one of my boobs?”
“Yes actually.” Jack went to cop a feel but the Angel immediately faded away.
[I was kidding! Jeez]” Sahaqiel yelled. Despite not being in front of Jack, he could tell she was flustered.
“Then stop teasing me.” Jack huffed, shaking his head and lying on the ground. Lets just get this done and over with.
A/N!
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