Chapter 2 - equipment
With everyone standing still, the tension dropped to bearable levels. Looking at the imposing figure staring at me, as if he could see my soul, I felt a chill.
"A new awakened one with a teleportation ability,” he said, looking at Alice. After a brief pause, he looked at the male guard. “Julios, explain!" said Cassius Marcelos.
Julios exchanged glances with the female guard, and both looked at Robert with discontent.
"We just responded to the call to contain a supposed threat," said Julios, returning his attention to Cassius.
"And who are you?" Alice knew the question was for her.
"My name is Alice Niveus. I just 'awakened' this morning and came to register,” said Alice, and with a clear tone of defiance, she looked at Robert and continued, ”Honestly, I'm still trying to understand how things got to this point, I..."
"She's 21 years old, must be a Rogue Awakener," shouted Robert, interrupting Alice with clear despair and rage.
"And you didn't think to perform the test and check her level?" said Cassius.
Robert was about to retort, but at this moment, a well-dressed woman stepped out and bowed deeply. Her badge read (Norta Jorques - Supervisor).
"I deeply apologize, Director Cassius. If you allow me, I will take care of everything so you won't have to be bothered with such minor matters as this," said Norta, with a tone of regret.
"Very well, thanks to you I am late. I hope not to hear more about this." After finishing, Cassius continued on his way, going up a restricted entrance and disappearing into the hall.
Norta directed her attention to Alice. "Miss Alice, you can go to counter 2 to register. And as for you..." Norta directed her gaze to Robert. "Even after so many warnings, you continue to cause problems. Now that this has reached the Director, you leave me no choice." Norta left, taking a furious Robert with her. The two guards returned to their posts without another word.
At counter 2, a much kinder attendant named Luiz proceeded with my registration.
Luiz pulled out a rectangular-shaped device with a black crystal ball, dark as night but without stars. "Touch the crystal and open your status, please," said Luiz.
Alice obeyed. Alice didn't feel anything, but she knew that it was a simple assessment device that could show if someone is awakened, as well as their level and the level of their mana heart. "level 1, dark red mana heart" You can sit down. Your name will be called when your card is ready.
After about 30 minutes, Alice was called. "This is your awakened card. You can download the association's app and scan the QR Code on the back to use it on your phone, if you prefer. The app also has the association's rules and the laws that now apply to you. Congratulations on becoming awakened and good luck." Luiz dispatched Alice with a professional smile.
Finally free, Alice left the Hall of the Awakened towards the commercial zone.
Time to buy the basics, thought Alice.
Alice's financial situation was not good, but she had some money saved. The government guarantees a discount on basic equipment for newly awakened as an incentive to register. If she joined an organization, she would have access to high-quality equipment right from the start, which would greatly facilitate the path ahead. However, Alice knew that this was a double-edged sword, most of these organizations trap their awakened in nearly impossible-to-escape contracts. The Guardians is an organization strongly linked to the government and the army. However, its members have considerable freedom. The army is not an option for Alice, she wants to travel the world and become stronger while exploring, not stay stationed in one region for the rest of her life, even though the army's benefits are possibly the best, including high-level meditation techniques and a considerable investment of resources, even for low-level soldiers.
All of this, however, is a problem for the future. Now, Alice needs to start her journey, and basic equipment is indispensable. The commercial zone near the hall is poetically entirely dedicated to the awakened. Alice is now in front of a store famous for its blades, 'Blade's Echo'. It is a store that has existed for almost 200 years, with branches in various city-states, famous for recruiting nothing less than the best metalworkers, and they specialize in blades, as the name suggests.
Alice approached the entrance, where there was a well-polished glass door with the store's symbol a long sword in the style of ancient European civilizations, with three wavy lines one above the other, originating from the tip of the blade and going to the hilt. The doors opened automatically thanks to some motion sensor. Inside the store, a saleswoman immediately attended to her.
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"Welcome to Blade's Echo, how can I help you?" said the saleswoman.
"I'm looking for basic equipment, I just awakened," said Alice.
"I understand, a newly awakened then. What kind of weapons would you like? Besides that, you will need armor and a backpack, hum, and also this and this." The saleswoman quickly picked up the items of the basic kit, which included a weapon, a backpack made of synthetic material, but resistant and that fits well on the back, a simple chest armor piece made of a synthetic material resistant to cuts and temperature, but that does not offer much protection against blunt damage, a pair of bracers and greaves of a similar material, but with a little more resistance to blunt damage, as well as some basic survival items.
"I want a long sword that can be used with one or two hands," said Alice. The battle style of her class favors the use of more than one sword, but Alice has not reached that point yet.
The receptionist went to a part of the store where several simpler items were lined up with price tags and picked up a long sword. The straight double-edged blade had a suitable tip for piercing. The grip was simple, with a metal guard and the grip itself made of some kind of non-slip synthetic material. The material was soft to the touch, like some kind of fabric.
"This is the standard basic long sword of our store. Its straight blade is rigid but flexible enough to absorb impacts, perfect for cutting and piercing. And its grip is made with a special material that is a trade secret," explained the saleswoman.
“Excellent, what is the total amount?” Alice asked, unable to hide her excitement.
The saleswoman quickly calculated and said “8300 credits, 6300 with the awakened association discount.”
Alice took 2 crystals from her pockets and offered them to the saleswoman. The crystals were small, the size of a fingertip. “I would like to sell these, please.” The crystals were gifts from her mother. At the time, everyone believed she would awaken, and her mother gave them to Alice so she could advance a few levels. Alice always carried them with her. Despite it being a dangerous practice, she felt better having them with her.
The saleswoman evaluated the 2 crystals and said “2 low-intensity crystals. I can offer you 2500 credits each, that’s our best offer.”
5000 credits. Alice had about 2000 credits saved up, which was enough. After completing the purchase, she acquired a pair of pants and a shirt in black and green colors, respectively, made of more resistant materials than her old ones. Alice changed in the store's fitting room. The armor fit very well, with a simple and smooth design in dark gray, almost black protecting her abdomen. The bracers and greaves also fit well with similar design and colors. The sword was attached to her waist with a leather sheath, and the backpack contained the basic survival items and her old clothes. Alice was now ready for her first hunt.
Alice took out her cell phone and opened her rideshare app, a taxi-like app. Well, not exactly a taxi, but with the same logic. Alice set her destination the south gate of the city. After a few minutes, her car arrived. The trip was smooth. The driver seemed nervous, but Alice pretended not to notice and continued looking outside, watching the city’s movement as they headed to their destination. Upon arriving at the south gate, Alice thanked the driver and walked towards the gate. Upon reaching the gate, guarded by the army, Alice went straight to the awakened exit area. The military personnel conducting the inspections asked for her awakened card. After checking its authenticity, the soldier allowed her to leave. The walls surrounding the city are gigantic and cover the entire city. The wall is at least 20 meters high and the towers even taller, where soldiers with artillery classes are always ready for a possible grin invasion. After being cleared, Alice headed towards the main gate, which was open since the flow of people and cargo vehicles is constant. This gate is different from the others because it doesn’t lead outside the city but rather to the city’s dungeon defense zone. Passing through the gate, Alice encountered a U-shaped sub-wall surrounding the dungeon entrance. Besides the dungeon, several commercial establishments dedicated to trading materials obtained from the dungeons were situated. The main resource found in the dungeons, of course, are mana crystals obtained by killing grins. Alice continued towards the dungeon entrance, a stone portal. Inside the gate, all that could be seen was void, endless darkness.
The dungeons were created about 100 years ago and are one of the main reasons humanity has managed to stabilize. They absorb mana from the environment over a large area, reducing the chances of grins appearing in open zones. In exchange, the grins appear in the dungeons. They were created by the gods to support humans. No one knows exactly how they work, but we know they are gigantic. It is estimated that this specific one extends over an area of hundreds of square kilometers. Despite being a dungeon, it is more like a sub-universe with various micro biomes, such as hot deserts, icy zones, swamps, and forests. The Zephyria dungeon, the city where Alice lives, is famous for being one of the largest among the city-state dungeons currently. Whenever someone enters, the person or persons, in the case of a group, are teleported to one of the dungeon’s extremities randomly. The grins become more powerful and numerous as one approaches the center, making the dungeons a relatively safe place, even for novices, as long as they do not venture too far. Alice has the memories of Kate. However, when Kate was alive, dungeons did not yet exist. Thus, her legacy cannot help Alice much at this moment. The portal in front of Alice is gigantic. People are coming and going all the time. After a few minutes to calm her pounding heart, Alice took a deep breath and walked towards the portal.
Name: Alice Niveus Age 21 Race Human Class Moonlight Sword Dancer Titles Daughter of the Moon Level 1 Class Abilities
- Sword Dance - Expert
- Song of Healing - Beginner;
- Song of Purification - Beginner;
- Moon Steps - Beginner
- Night Vision*
Mana Heart
Red - Dark