Skye hummed quietly as she walked through the dark sewer, using a flashlight for unneeded light. She had been walking down this path since she was five. Navigating blind wouldn’t even be a challenge. This was her father’s favorite hideout, hidden underground and only accessible from one entrance. The large steel door her flashlight lit up was that only entrance. Skye stepped forward and placed her hand on the wall next to the door. As her hand came into contact with a small square of the wall, a purple light appeared around her hand. Revealing a touch screen that blended in seamlessly with the wall. The screen scanned her hand with a purple flash and the tunnel filled with rumbling as the mechanical door rolled to the side, revealing a bare hallway with a single light in the center of the ceiling.
Smiling at the familiar sight, Skye walked briskly into the hallway, passing the single light and taking a path hidden in the shadows. Down this hall she found herself in a better lit room with several doors on each wall. Without hesitation, Skye went through a door directly in the room's corner.
“Welcome back,” a feminine voice said as Skye entered the room. Standing in the room was an elderly woman dressed in a traditional maid outfit.
“Albert!” Skye beamed “It's good to see you.”
“My name is Mary, Master Skye,” the maid reminded the teen
“Yeah, but calling you Alfred makes me feel like batman,” Skye laughed
“As you wish, Master Skye,” Mary sighed
“Where’s my father?” Skye asked “I need to report in”
“Your father isn’t here,” Mary revealed “Something came up in South America that required his presence”
“South America?” Skye mused, “Are the Amazon druids causing trouble?”
“He didn’t say exactly,” Mary said “He directed me to call him when you return. He’s waiting in the meeting room”
“Thank you, Alfred,” Skye said cheekily, getting a grunt in response.
Mary led Skye to the meeting room, despite Skye knowing the way already. They arranged inside like a usual meeting room, one large desk taking up most of the room with office chairs spread around in. Directly in the center of the table sat a black speaker.
“Hey dad” Skye said cheerfully, switching to speaking in Mandarin.
“Skye,” a deep voice hummed from the speaker, “You sound awfully calm for someone who went against my direct orders”
“I told you two months wouldn’t make a big difference,” Skye said with a shrug “If I’m going to fight team China I need to grow stronger”
“Do not lecture me, child,” Gando said. “You may be an important part of my plan, but do not think you are free of consequences. I have been planning this since before you were born. There are thousands of elements you are important to in my plan. If your impatience causes any problems, you will be held responsible”
“Understood,” Skye murmured, her previous joy gone after the lecture
“Tell me of your time in God’s Dimension,” Gando requested
“I’ve joined team East America and survived the movie Scream,” Skye began, her tone turning serious “Upon first examination the team is rather impressive. The team leader is a jade dragonslayer who has reached the second stage of the genetic constraint. Then there's four other members who have unlocked the first level of the unlocked mode. The unique element is a human creation who has been accepted as a member of the team, she has also unlocked her genetic constraint”
“A human creation unlocking?” Gando’s voice hummed.
“Have you ever heard of that?” Skye asked “You talked little about human creations.”
“They were mostly irrelevant in my time,” Gando said, “Staying in the lobby during the movies. Sometimes one would be made to be a bodyguard, but they didn’t last long. It makes sense though, they are humans after all.”
“Well, Eve has survived two movies now,” Skye revealed “She’s considered the second strategist of the team”
“Impressive,” Gando said “I wonder how God factors her in with the strength ratings”
“I wonder the same,” Skye said “I’ll see what I can find before she or Lance die.”
“Are you intending to cause a team wipe?” Gando asked.
“No, not right now.” Skye shook her head “I believe the team right now would work well as I begin my true training. They haven’t committed to fighting team China but they do not object to my goal”
“Full report on the team,” Gando requested
“Including me, there are nine members and one human creation. Logan, the leader, is a jade dragon-slayer and has reached the second stage of the genetic constraint. He is a close combat fighter and has developed powerful combat instincts but doesn't have any formal training. His biggest flaw is his devotion to bringing his human creation daughter to the real world. This is leading him to step away from leading the charge in the movies, hoping to keep his rating lower and the movies safer. I’ve already had a talk with the team’s strategist, Lance, about this. I will use the next movie to see if Logan is fit to remain the team leader”
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“Tell me about this, Lance,” Gando directed, his voice holding an underlying chill.
“Lance is the team’s strategist and third most veteran with three movies completed. He’s exchanged for the angel bloodline and God’s Papyrus to focus on creation based techniques. He shows no interest in holding a combat role but his battle history suggests he’s more competent than he lets on. He single-handedly killed an unlocked human though he says it's only because he unlocked during the fight. The way he talks makes me hesitate to believe him. He won’t go into details about the fight. I believe he’s dedicated to helping the team, but he’s holding something for himself. He’s the one who created Eve in order to get points from the missions she completes. His biggest problem is that he must spread his points and rewards between him and Eve. Not to mention the deals he makes for cooperation. He also is inexperienced with leading groups, several team members have shared their hesitation to fully thrush him.”
“Monitor him,” Gando warned “A rotten strategist can corrupt an entire team”
“I remember Chu Xuan,” Skye said “I don’t think Lance is that extreme though. Plus his stepbrother Josh is also on the team, I believe he keeps Lance grounded”
“Tell me about Josh,” Gando requested
“Josh joined the same movie as Lance but has not adapted as well. Josh prefers peaceful solutions to problems and dislikes the idea of killing for his own benefit. He’s exchanged for Thor's demigod bloodline and a replica Mjolnir to synchronize his attacks. So far he’s been a front-line fighter, but I suggested to Lance that Josh learn more ranged attacks. He’s only fought monsters up to now. I’m worried if fighting other humans might damage his mental health. Logan and Lance are training Josh to be a secondary leader as the team grows. I believe he holds leadership potential but I don’t know if he will grow fast enough to live up to it.”
“Get rid of him then,” Gando said “If the dragonslayer proves useless you need to be the next in command”
“I’m going to hold off on that,” Skye said “Josh may prove to be a useful ally”
“As long as he's not interfering,” Gando said “Continue your analysis”
“Matt is the second most veteran player after Logan and is the healer and defense expert for the team. He has the B rank mamodo bloodline and his spells are mostly shield based. He has two spells that can heal, one focusing on one person’s instant healing and the other creating a safe room that boosts the regeneration of everyone inside. Despite his defensive magic, Matt is one of the most experienced combatants of the team. I have little on his personality or history. He stays away from everyone on the team. He’s comfortable around Logan and Lance, but I believe that’s because he knows they aren't interested in his past. I’m hoping we will eventually find another healer for the team as Matt’s spells limit his range of movement.”
Gando didn’t speak, so Skye continued giving two more reports.
“Crystal has survived two movies now and is becoming a summoner, focusing on monsters from the Yugioh world. So far her summons is a humanoid giant and a Brontosaurus with frostbite. Crystal is extremely hesitant to trust Logan or Lance, but has befriended Josh and now me. I don’t think she sees herself as part of the team and is trying to surround herself with allies who can’t betray her. One interesting note is her mental capacity is on a similar level as the psyche force user. Not something you see often. Apparently she had higher than average mental capacity since she entered the terror dimension. Her hesitation to join the team has me a little concerned, but she seems loyal to her friends”
“Elijah is the psyche force user of the team but is still inexperienced. He’s only survived two movies and has just gotten the soul link skill. He has a nasty personality that annoys most people. I’m quite fond of him. He makes me laugh. He’s smart though, he acts more docile in movies to avoid attention, but talking with him showed me he understands Lance’s thinking. Most of the team is hesitant to work with him except for Josh who had met Elijah’s sister in his first movie. The story I was told didn’t have Josh cause her death, but he definitely feels responsible. I believe watching over Elijah is almost a task of redemption to Josh. If Elijah is aware of this, I can’t say. I think Elijah would do well to pick up more psyche force attacks for future team battles. Hopefully, he will also warm up to the rest of the team.”
“A rogue psyche force user can be treacherous,” Gando warned
“I’m monitoring him,” Skye said “He seems content with sticking to a background role, so I’m not too worried. He won’t disrupt the status quo”
“And the final two,” Gando said
“Dale is one of the newest members, surviving one movie with me. Honestly, he doesn’t have any useful talents or skills. Lance believes his knowledge of light novels makes him valuable, but I don’t think he knows anything special. He’s exchanged for Qi and is aiming towards being a front-line fighter. Lance mentioned Dale might be perfect to work as a bodyguard for the newbies in each movie. He has shown teamwork and empathy as he spent most of the last movie caring for an elderly newbie. Her death didn’t rattle him as much as I thought it would. He was back to his cheery personality within a couple of days. I see little from him right now but I got a feeling he might be a fast learner like Logan or Josh.”
“It’s often the unassuming players who become pros,” Gando said.
“Louie is the new sniper of the team and also one of the most interesting. She reminds me of myself a little, a young prodigy raised by parents who would prefer her out training instead of at the dinner table.”
“You had more important things to do than have a pointless meal,” Gando said
“I know,” Skye said with a shrug “Just saying she may be the youngest member, but she’s definitely far from the least experienced. Her shooting skills are the best I’ve seen in a normal human. Now that she's being enhanced, she can only grow deadlier. She has quite the spirit too. Frozen in magical fear, she still bit off a demon’s finger and drank some of the blood”
“How did this affect her stats?” Gando questioned.
“Exact numbers I can’t tell you,” Skye said “This happened before she could see her stats, but everyone was approaching the human limit before exchanges. I would think the demon blood helped physical stats and mental capacity. She’s also one whose past is a mystery. Unless she's discussing a hunt or shooting competition, she won’t talk about her past. I don't have any information on relatives, friends, or allies. She’s keeping distant with the rest of the team but has developed a working relationship with Lance.”
“So what do you think of the team?” Gando asked.
“Overall, I think East America has great potential,” Skye began “I would like to see more diversity in the team. We’re missing a dedicated healer, a mechanic, and heavy gunners at the moment. If we don’t receive one from the newbies, Lance’s use of human creations may be the solution. Honestly, I’m looking forward to working with this team. I think it's going to be a fun journey”
“You’re not supposed to be looking for fun,” Gando Lectured “You were born to kill a tyrant and that should be all you think about”
“I know, dad,” Skye rolled her eyes “So anything you want me to do?”
“A few things actually,” Gando said, “but we should wait for my last guest to join us”
“You have other guests?” Skye questioned with mock surprise.
“Make your quips now,” Gando said “We have much to plan”
“Who is this guest?” Skye questioned.
“Someone I’m sure you’ll be happy to see,” Gando said cryptically
Before Skye could respond, the door to the meeting room opened and two individuals walked in. Skye couldn't hold back the nervous laughter as she watched Mary escort Skye into the meeting room.