Chapter 7 – Before the Expedition (1)
A second year female student stood up in protest against the bald general’s declaration. “You can’t just send us through an orange gate when we just awakened today! Do you want us to die?”
Orange gates were fundamentally different from normal white gates. While white gates led to fixed dungeon area that closed after all the energy signatures within were eliminated, orange gates never truly closed. They led to an area that seemed to have no bounds. Some claimed that they were other worlds, or even another planet, although no one knew for sure. They were far more unpredictable, and something could go wrong at any point in time. Even the big seven guilds were wary of sending their personnel there blindly without military backing.
Typically, white gates were left to the guilds, while orange gates required the military to get involved. Not just for fighting, but rather to set up an outpost and a perimeter to facilitate eventual material extraction, which required specialized equipment such as ground penetrating radar, thermal imaging cameras, trucks, cranes, and the like.
The bald general continued. “There is no need to be alarmed—you are not the main expeditionary force. We have already built an outpost and secured the area around the portal. Our scanners and the men at our observation posts have determined over the last month that all encountered entities in the area are fairly weak, making the area suitable for live training."
The general's words were convincing, and had a calming effect on the student body, although several students were still grumbling in protest due to their lack of choice and the abrupt nature of the announcement. On the other hand, there were students that approved the decree.
“It’s not so bad,” said the upperclassman sitting directly in front of Finn to the student to his right. “We’re getting free access rights to an orange gate this way. I’m not complaining.”
“Yeah, plus if they’re sending fresh awakeners over there it’s probably not dangerous at all,” responded the other student. “Hope they let us at some monsters.”
However, Evelyn Moon looked like she had been struck by a brick from the announcement. Perhaps the mandatory mission directly interfered with her career plans. A little beyond her, a short blonde haired girl looked like she was about to puke.
From across the other aisle, a male student from an elite family spoke up to the bald general. “What about guild recruitment this afternoon?”
Usually, guilds would recruit immediately after combat evaluations, but the general had just announced that combat evaluations were canceled in favor of the field excursion.
“We have already contacted the guilds and requested that all guilds postpone recruitment activity until after the field excursion. They are obligated to comply due to decree 751.”
“Therefore, your afternoon has been cleared. I suggest that you prepare for the excursion and get plenty of rest in the meantime.”
“That concludes the initiation ceremony. Instructions about this evening's expedition have been sent to your phones. Leaving the school grounds during this time is forbidden and will be punished as desertion."
It sounded harsh, but there was no debating a world council decree. The world council had been established two weeks into the original crisis under the premise that there was an overwhelming need for a global governing body that had the authority to supercede national or local interests, in the interest of humanity's collective survival. This institution underwent heavy stress tested during the calamity level events, but in recent years it had slipped back into peacetime operations as breaks became more under control—despite gate activity still varied greatly from month to month.
The bald general stepped down from the podium, and the soldiers flanking him saluted and furled the world council flag back up. The silver haired instructor approached the bald general and began talking to him with a frustrated appearance, gesturing widely, but they were too far for any eavesdroppers to participate in their discussion.
As the general and the instructor left through the backstage while conversing animatedly, the soldiers guarding the front doors to the auditorium stepped aside and opened the doors, allowing the media to finally point their cameras inside.
The entire initiation ceremony had been televised, so the reporters knew everything. The bootcamp decree was unexpected, but at the end of the day it was just a training exercise for now, and the level of risk was assessed to be minimal. There was precedent from two years ago where a similar decree was issued. That decree was eventually relaxed and was forgotten as the gate situation stabilized. From the reporters' point of view, it was news, but they wanted something juicier.
The reporters took notes during the broadcast and knew the abilities and power levels of every student. Their attention would be focused on interviewing the top candidates, particularly anyone who awakened at level five or above or anyone who showcased a particularly strong ability, like that level four wind user who blew the tie off one of the judges.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
The media was going to have quite the story with Luke, weren’t they, William thought. He could already imagine the headlines.
Blinding flashes from cameras lit the exit of the auditorium up as the competing media teams tried to capture every gesture and expression of the top performing students. Reporters jostled for position, their microphones thrust forward towards the exit as Luke Brightsteel’s group walked through.
"Mr. Brightsteel! Over here! Can you demonstrate your dual abilities once more?" cried one reporter, waving her microphone towards his face.
“Of course,” Luke Brightsteel said as he gave a practiced smile, not a hint of nervousness about the upcoming expedition detectable on his face.
Luke had been media trained since childhood for occasions like this. Even before the initiation, he was heavily scrutinized by the media as the successor of the mega conglomerate the Brightsteel Group.
Public image was a part of a Brightsteel’s duties, and it clearly showed. He obliged the reporter’s request, igniting his hands briefly with a dramatic flare of fire that drew gasps and a flurry of camera clicks. He then drew his hand back and did it again with even more flare. Luke’s confidence was magnetic, and each pose he made was calculated for maximum impact when photos and clips of him would eventually circulate online.
Moments like this were basically free marketing that could dramatically increase a student's bid value during guild recruitment.
“Exceptional! As expected of the Brightsteel family’s heir,” the reporter said.
Beside him, Jared Pain summoned and manipulated the torso half of a skeleton. The bones clattered in a macabre dance, causing a mixture of awe and discomfort among the onlookers. William couldn't help but wonder about the brands that would want to work with a necromancer—certain nouveau goth fashion brands might bite.
“Mr. Pain, as a level five ability user do you have any worries about the upcoming excursion?” another reporter called out.
“It's just training, it's not a big deal,” Jared replied casually while maneuvering his skeleton to haphazardly wave at the camera. “I'm proud to be the first necromancer of my family. Some people have been underestimating it lately, and I'll gladly prove them wrong."
“I don’t think anyone is foolish enough to underestimate a level five necromancer, especially from a family like yours!” the reporter said with a laugh. “We’ll be looking forward hearing about your successes when you return!"
William stepped out of the auditorium with Finn unnoticed by the press. He squeezed past several reporters who were busy with their backs turned to him on filming Luke, Jared, and a few other elite students.
"It's like we're invisible," Finn said, his tone a mix of relief and disappointment.
“Yeah, I don’t think they care about us,” William replied.
They continued to navigate through the sea of reporters, the noise gradually fading as they moved further away. It was late afternoon, and the skies were dimming outside the corridor’s windows.
“You can crash in my dorm room until the expedition,” Finn said.
“Thanks. You hungry?”
“A bit. What are you thinking?”
“I have some instant noodles in my bag.”
“Cool, I have an electric kettle in my room.”
William realized could test his ability out on the kettle, although he didn’t say it out loud to Finn.
He was glad that he brought a few clean changes of clothes from home. He had a feeling that he’d need them after the combat evaluations, but seeing as the evaluations were canceled he could bring them for the expedition instead.
A lot of students were practicing their new abilities in the school yard and in the corridors. Some of the ones in the yard had more destructive powers and needed a wide open space to use them. Sadly, neither William nor Finn could relate to having destructive abilities that warranted open space to practice, so they darted past them.
A few minutes later, they ended up at Finn’s dormitory. William always wanted to live this close to the campus like Finn did, since he always lived outside to save money. He’d asked Evelyn about getting him a dorm room, since she was always in his face trying to gain brownie points and volunteer hours from her professors, so he decided to put her to use for once. Apparently she was ‘working on it’.
Finn’s room was larger than the one William had visited last year.
“Welcome to my room,” he said comfortably, sounding more confident than usual.
His room was his domain after all. Only a few pieces of furniture populated the living room by the kitchen, including two sofas, a desk with a gaming pc, a television, and a lamp. There was a notable lack of textbooks and other signs that he studied, and instead there were a lot of empty takeout boxes.
Overall, it could be worse, William thought. The dorm room was a lot nicer than where he stayed.
“Where’s the kettle?” he asked.
“Over there by the sink.”
William walked over and unplugged the kettle from the outlet and placed his hand on it, trying to channel his energy into it. However, the kettle felt completely dead and unreceptive, just like with Finn's phone. He plugged it in and tried again, but it was no use.
Maybe the television then? He set the kettle to boil water and headed to the living room, where Finn was in some weird stance.
“What are you doing?” he asked, looking Finn up and down. Finn was standing on the carpet in some strange fighting stance, his hands clasped together. It definitely looked a bit silly.
“Trying to cast an illusion,” Finn said while clearly concentrating.
“I’m gonna test something real quick,” William said, placing his hand on the television.
Finn didn’t reply, as he was holding his breath now while shifting in his stance.
Channeling the otherworld energy in his body once again, William concentrated as hard as he could and tried to turn on the television with his ability. Once again, the television felt completely dead and there was no response.
It didn't make any sense. He was a dual ability user, that much was for sure, but on a technicality alone.
How curious, and simultaneously how useless, he thought. So now he had at his disposal a flame that would have trouble frying an egg, and a way to turn his phone into a flashlight through thought alone. Neither of which would help much in a fight.
Well, at least running and dodging didn’t require abilities, he thought to himself bitterly. He’d brush up on physical combat for now until he found out what his strange two abilities were actually useful for.
His phone started to vibrate. It was the message with instructions for the evening.
Attn: All students
Expedition will begin at exactly 5 P.M. Arrive at the courtyard no less than fifteen minutes before then. We will depart by bus. No personal belongings will be allowed. All belongings are to be discarded or stored in the lockers at the destination. Necessities will be issued upon arrival.
That was in less than an hour!