"What is happening here?" Said Iden Versio as she cut through the ring of students surrounding Raine and Co.
Raine perks up when she heard Iden's voice, and she hurriedly took a sitting position, cross-legged, on the ground.
"Ah, Ms. Iden! Nothing! I was engaged in an argument with this old man here, who insist on making things difficult when I asked him a simple question." Said Raine as she hopes to show her innocence in the disturbance on the Garden's common ground by narrating the flow of conversation word by word.
"You were arguing with Master Yu and Mi? They wouldn't hurt a fly, much less making things difficult for you. Besides, you misunderstand what they said as that is their real name Master Y.U. and his attendant M.I." Said Iden as she raised an eyebrow after listening to Raine's testimony.
"Oh, what bullshit is that!" Said Raine as she cursed her luck.
Raine is wondering why does this kind of thing keep happening to her? It's like there are higher beings deriving pleasure from seeing her get into trouble and wondering how she would wiggle out of the hole they have put her in. Perhaps she would need to go to church again, but from what she heard everyone in the future became an atheist, so looking for an open church now seems impossible.
"Sigh, for the umpteenth time Ms. Raine, please do not cause trouble for Master Yu. I have asked him for a favor to assess Tanya's enrolment in the Garden and register her for a course appropriate to her level." Said Iden as she sighed and can feel wrinkles starting to form around her eyes when dealing with Raine.
"Oh, the pleasure is mine, Ms. Iden. I never taught someone as driven and talented as you when you were attending this Garden. Your recommendation of young Tanya here is giving me another hope for the future of humanity if what you said is true." Said Master Yu happily.
"Oh you jest Master Yu, I am sure there are many promising students that went through the Garden after my time." Said Iden, flattered at Master Yu statement.
"There has been, but most quit being a mercenary and join the Caldari Navy after graduation instead. Damn them Navy brass, and I have been petitioning them to stop stealing our graduates as there would be situations where they would need our assistance yet unable to do so due to some treaty or whatnot." Complained Master Yu bitterly.
"Really? That sounds bad. I could bring this up with director Alakoni Ishanoya of Lai Dai if you want Master Yu. I bet she could approach the Caldari Navy and do something on your behalf." Offered Iden thoughtfully.
"Oooooh! That would be most helpful Ms. Iden, if you could do this on our behalf, then all the Garden Masters and even the Headmaster himself would owe you a debt." Said Master Yu happily.
"Perhaps we should take this up to your office, Master Yu. After all, this kind of talk isn't something that should be discussed out in the open." Replied Iden as she glanced around at the ring of students surrounding them. Some even taking pictures and excitedly talk among themselves about the presence of adamantine-ranked mercenaries in the Garden common ground.
"Oh, forgive me. Most certainly, let us continue this conversation in my office. Come Mi, help guide me back to our office." Said Master Yu, as Mi started guiding Master Yu with one hand and used the other hand holding the harpoon to make a path through the shrieking ring of students.
"Oh, so that is what the ridiculous harpoon is for." Said Raine with wonder as she sees Mi lazily carving a path through shrieking and protesting students trying to avoid being impaled.
Everyone follow the path left behind by Master Yu and Mi through the student bodies. After going through the cliche gargoyle statue pillars on the common ground, Raine and Co. approach the entrance to the Galbadia Garden main building.
Once she and everyone else pass the large sliding doors, she found herself surprised at the fantastical lobby design.
[http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091214060429/finalfantasy/images/b/b4/FFVIII-Galbadia-Garden-Entrance-Artwork.jpg]
After they enter the main Garden building through the sliding doors, Raine found herself standing on a bridge leading to the lobby, some distance ahead of them.
However, she forced herself not to gape as she still has some pride as an old veteran who has seen everything.
‘Holy are those coral reefs and ocean fishes down there?! Even manta rays, sun fishes and dolphins are down there!' Thought Raine bewilderedly, pride forgotten.
Raine and Tanya found themselves speechless at the sights below them as the circular design of the lobby enable currents to be artificially created, which resembles a moderately paced vortex surrounding the main lobby. Some dolphins could be seen hunting for darting squids as a multitude of brightly colored tropical fish taking refuge among the coral reefs closer to the center of the lobby. There are so many things to see that both Raine and Tanya found themselves being left behind by the rest of the group. Feeling embarrassed for falling to distraction, both of Raine and Tanya chased after the rest of the group before they could make an issue out of it.
"Has it been more than ten years since you last walk this hallway Ms. Iden? Time does flies when you have been as busy as I have." Said Master Yu conversationally as he walks while being guided by Mi.
"It sure has, Master Yu. I hope you are well and did not fall into the oceanarium again." Replied Iden pleasantly as she walked alongside Master Yu.
"Oh, more than times than I could count Ms. Iden. The downside of being blind you see. Of course on the upside, I could take a dip in the oceanarium and blame it on the same account of being blind. It's just a matter of perspective you see." Said Master Yu, good-naturedly.
Before Raine realizes it, among the incessant small talk, they have reached Master Yu's office. Master Yu opens his office by swiping his Master access card through the digital lock of the door. Master Yu's office looks like your standard utilitarian office with few amenities, not even the stereotypical book case filled with books. However, there are plenty of sofas around, presumably when students gather for an after class lecture or study session.
Everyone then went inside to look for a seat and get comfortable, before Mi closed the door and locked it.
"Now then since everyone is here, let us start the discussion on young Ms. Tanya here." Said Master Yu from the office desk at the center of the room.
"Just a minute, I have to check for bugs first." Interjected Ron.
"Hey what happen to Kaidan? I thought he was with you?" Whispered Raine to Iden's ear, as she watches Ron working to scan every corner of the room with his Omnitool.
"He's guarding you know where from thieves and looters. I'll get back to you later on what we found there Ms. Raine." Whispered Iden back to Raine.
Raine shrugged and got back to watching Ron scanning the room for bugs again.
"All clear, we could go ahead with the meeting now." Said Ron professionally.
"As I was saying now, Ms. Iden. Is it true that Ms. Tanya has a perfect human genome? Superior in every way compared to the average Homo Sapiens?" Asked Master Yu with trembling hands.
Tanya suppressed a chill, hearing the tone of Master Yu and the glint that could be seen in his blind eyes. She has the urge to run and hide from Master Yu blatant intent and greed, a stark contrast to the simple and kind old man persona he has shown earlier.
"Yes Master Yu, it has been confirmed by medical personnel. Of course, the whole thing is beyond top secret, and black ops procedure is implemented properly." Answered Iden seriously.
"I see, I see. Err figuratively of course. However, this does present an opportunity for the Garden. My only regret is that because of the black ops procedure I am forbidden to share it with the rest of my fellow Master colleagues. I assume even the Headmaster is not exempt from this rule?" Asked Master Yu.
"You assume correctly. The State Intelligence department has been noting that the Headmaster is showing signs of being too close with members of the Gallente Federation Balamb Garden. He is being monitored at the moment for signs of being compromised." Answered Iden gravely.
"Sigh, I did wonder at that time why the Headmaster seems so at ease with lady Quistis Trepe." Sighed Master Yu.
"Who is this Quistis Trepe?" Asked Iden with a glint.
"She is a young elf prodigy and a rising star instructor at Balamb Garden. At the age of 150 years she became SeeD, and now at 180 years is the youngest instructor in the Balamb Garden. In the past she can be seen visiting Galbadia Garden, often to foster the spirit of cooperation and implementing a student exchange program for the benefit of the students and promoting good bilateral ties. Unfortunately, due to the recent tense bilateral relations after the destruction of the station, she has stopped coming here due to the political situation. I believe this has made the Headmaster unhappy and maybe they still maintain contact through video call now and then." Said Master Yu.
"Interesting, I could pass this information along to the State intelligence department. See what they come up. However, the Headmaster is not why we have come here today. It's about Tanya's incorporation into this Garden and asking your support to keep Tanya's record a secret from internal and external parties. Do this for Lai Dai, and you can expect support from the highest level of Lai Dai management in return. Betray us, and you would find yourself terminated as well as all your familial relative up to your second degree relative would be terminated as well." Threatened Iden casually as if it's a common procedure that she always do during work.
"Oh my, so the standard high-level contract fare then? Very well, where do I sign?" Agreed Master Yu solemnly.
"Since you have agreed verbally to the assignment. A legal representative from our lawyer firm would approach you soon. Expect them within this week and clear your schedule as we cannot give an exact period. Finally, is there anything else you need?" Answered Iden professionally.
"Well, I still need to test Tanya for entry to the mercenary program. There would be a set questions examination as well as a physical test so we could find out where to put Tanya. This procedure is non-negotiable as this is a set rule in place to block thrill seekers and bored children of executives from enrolling and quitting whenever they like. The funding for the Garden is provided by the State, not by tuition. Hence we have the standard in place to produce professional, highly skilled individual that is beholden to the state yet not duty-bound to the State to fill in an operational niche which could only be filled with mercenaries." Said Master Yu seriously.
"Hm, very well. Tanya if you could follow Master Yu for these tests that would be much appreciated. And Ron, accompany them and keep an eye out for Ms. Tanya's safety. I and Ms. Raine would wait here in Master Yu's office for your return." Acknowledged Iden, as she understands the reasoning behind the rule in place.
"Acknowledged, commander. We will be back before you know it." Replied Ron, as he moved to carry out his superior's order.
Everyone but Raine and Iden exit the room, with Master Yu and Mi leading the way, leaving both of them alone in the room.
"You have something to say between the two of us, Ms. Iden?" Asked Raine bluntly.
"Hmm, yes Ms. Raine. I did check the base of the Guristas pirate with Kaidan yesterday. We found something amazing in the basement." Said Iden conspiratorially.
"Oh? What is it?" Asked Raine, her interest raised from Iden's statement.
"We have found a frigate anchored in an underground clandestine ship bay, of course, we have to clear every personnel around it. I am willing to make a deal with you, as I have heard of your little stunt with Ron's game console back in the Normandy on our way here." Said Iden.
"Go on…" Replied Raine, remembering the game console she converted from a PlayStation 45 to a black pro version, using her dryad tendrils.
"Well, the frigate is locked down, and we cannot hack into it as it is a frigate belonging to and made by the ‘Blood Raider' pirate faction. Their technology is a combination of Amarr dwarven technology as well as Minmatar orcish technology, without a Mastery of both technology applied concurrently no one would be able to access the ship's interior." Said Iden regretfully.
"Who and what are the Blood Raiders?" Asked Raine curiously as it is the first time she has heard the term.
"The blood raiders are a sect of a deviant religious cult that roams the stars as one of the more notorious and feared pirate organization in the universe. Officially known as ‘The Blood Raider Covenant', it began as part of the Sani Sabik, an ancient Amarrian religious cult. Over time their practices grew more fanatical, they began draining victims of their blood to use in Blood Raider rituals. The Blood Raiders believe that the blood of children is purer than other bodies and they began seeking out and attacking undefended colonies in other star systems and outside the Amarr Empire. Fortunately, their target is primarily members of the Amarr Empire and its smaller affiliates, the Khanid Kingdom and the Ammatar Mandate as the blood raiders held the Amarr empire and it's faith in contempt even though originally they have the same faith before a schism occurred thousands of years ago which lasted to this day. Currently, the leadership is held by Omir Sarikusa, a bloodthirsty dwarf who have adopted the deviant faith of the Amarr empire." Explained Iden thoroughly on the nature of the new rogue faction.
[http://wiki.eve-inspiracy.com/images/3/30/The_Blood_Raider_Covenant_(transparent).png]
The Blood Raider Covenant is a particularly gruesome sect of the reviled Sani Sabik cult.
The Amarr Empire has had its share of religious cults and fanatics in the past, but few have been as successful or been feared as much, as the Blood Raiders. The Blood Raiders are a sect of an ancient cult called Sani Sabik, which uses blood in their rituals. The Blood Raiders believe that children bodies have 'purer' blood than other bodies and this explains while they operate mainly in space, attacking unwary space farers and draining their bodies of blood.
While all modern Sani Sabik rituals use blood in some manner or another, the Blood Raiders Covenant places particular value on it and will go to great lengths to acquire it from what they believe to be the richest and most unspoiled sources.
The Blood Raiders are led by the fearsome Omir Sarikusa, who has remained on top of the DED most wanted list for many years now. Under his leadership, the Blood Raiders have become more organized, and they have established several bases in the Bleak Lands region.
Under Sarikusa's rule, the Blood Raiders went from targeting children for their blooding rites to targeting powerful individuals in the belief that they are consuming the strength and power, taking it in as their own. Because so many spaceship pilots are powerful individuals, physically and mentally, the Blood Raiders have begun piracy to capture them. They are utterly ruthless in obtaining the precious red, regularly boarding other spacecraft and abducting all aboard. Some sects prefer to process their donors aboard the captured ships instead. From their base in Delve, they launch lightning raiding parties and surprisingly well-co-ordinated incursions deep into Empire space in pursuit of their goals.
[https://web.ccpgamescdn.com/communityassets/img/releases/kronos/overlays/bloodraiders2.jpg]
Exclusive ships used by the blood raiders:
Frigate: Cruor
Cruiser: Ashimmu
Battleship: Bhaalgorn
Note: Just like their outlook in life, their ship technology reflects this as well, as all their ships excelled at neutralizing or stealing capacitors from other ships while at the same time dragging their victim speed to barely a crawl before going in for the kill and boarding them.
"Oh my God it's a group of dwarves masquerading as Pennywise the clown from IT in space!" Said Raine in shock.
Raine imagination shows her a dwarf in a clown costume riding a spaceship looking for children to eat.Seriously, just imagine a group of dwarves dressed as clowns wielding daggers and axes dancing creepily while chanting blood and children and tell her that it will not give anyone a nightmare fuel.
[http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/293/317/1e5.gif]
Accompanying song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB9elf-mecE
‘Oh fudge, I'm in a child's body now!' Thought Raine as she is torn between being scared for her life and being scornful about a threat to her life degrading themselves by wearing a clown outfit.
"Oh for pity sakes Ms. Raine, you really should stop referencing ancient pop culture terms now as it is a few hundred years too late to mention them again. Besides, what does the term ‘clown' means anyway?" Said Iden with exasperation.
"There are no clowns anymore? They are extinct... Haleluya! There is a God!" Said Raine as she cried happily from her seat across Iden.
"Alright, enough with the comedy act, let us return to our discussion, Ms. Raine." Said Iden impatiently while tapping one of her boot.
"... Fine, there is a good chance I can slip through the blood raider security measure. However, can I claim the frigate ship as my first dib claim on the Guristas base if I manage to bypass the security measure?" Asked Raine hopefully, as a means of transport for a trader is worth its weight in gold.
"There should be no issue as we only want whatever is contained in the ship's database as intel to sell to Lai Dai's main foreign trading partner, the Amarr empire. If we can gain the location of some of its base of operation and supply line of the Amarr's mortal enemy it would prove as a good bargaining chip in future trade negotiations." Affirmed Iden to Raine's proposal.
"Then it is a deal. I hope Lai Dai can help me register the frigate ship ownership under my name once I secure the frigate ship." Replied Raine happily with the deal.
"That one is between you and Lai Dai, but there should be no issue if you use the highest privileged ID ‘Being Y' registered with the state under Lai Dai sponsorship. If it were anyone else, I would say to them good luck with the registration as usually pirate faction assets are confiscated and destroyed instead. In this case, connection are more important than your ability to procure the ship in the first place. Although they can alway use pirate faction hardware illegally in a low-security region or null-security or lawless region of space, it's almost impossible to use it legally in high-security space, as it is managed and patrolled by one of the four major factions." Commented Iden informatively.
"Very well, I will do that once I meet up again with director Alakoni. The timing is good as well since I need to repair my gear after the altercation with the Guristas and the giant slime yesterday. By the way, why would Guristas pirates have Blood Raiders ship inside their bay?" Asked Raine curiously.
"Hmm, there is a multitude of reasons. While rare, there are cases where pirate faction trade with one another or appropriate for a false flag operation where they blame other pirates for a very illegal and amoral operation. With the blood raiders reputation, this would make sense." Answered Iden thoughtfully.
"Alright, do you have the technical specs of the ship that I need to crack and hopefully becoming mine soon?" Asked Raine again.
"I do actually. I can send them to your Omni tool now through a tight beam connection." Replied Iden as she tinkers her omnitool and a tight beam connect between Iden's and Raine's omnitools.
Raine glanced through images and information that starts to get downloaded to her Omnitool.
Once the download is complete, she opens the file for the blood raiders frigate, the ‘Cruor', anchored in the secret Guristas underground base.
[http://www.ravestats.com/public/fen/24052012051640cruor-374-new.jpg]
The ‘Cruor'
The word ‘Cruor' is a latin word from France A.D. 1650-1660, which means coagulated blood, or the portion of the blood that forms the clot. It could also mean gore or crude. Mottled, dark red, and shaped like a leech, the Cruor presents a fitting metaphor for the Blood Raiders' philosophy. Designed almost solely to engage in their disturbingly effective tactic of energy draining and stasis webbing, this ship is a cornerstone in any effective Blood Raider fleet - and could play an intriguing role in more standard ones.
'Cruor' General Attributes
POWERGRID CPU CAPACITOR STRUCTURE HIT POINTS HIGH POWER SLOT MEDIUM POWER SLOT LOW POWER SLOT RIGS SLOT RIGS CAPACITY RIGS TYPE 57 MW 150 TF 470 GJ 580 HP 4 3 4 3 350 SMALL
'Cruor' Navigation Attributes
MAX VELOCITY INERTIA MODIFIER RATING WARP SPEED BASE TIME TO WARP SENSOR STRENGTH SIGNATURE RADIUS SCAN RESOLUTION SHIP MASS SHIP VOLUME CARGO 330 M/S 3.6 5 AU/S 5.01 sec RADAR - 12 POINTS 35 M 760 MM 1,003,000 KG 28,600 M3 135 M3
'Cruor' Combat Attributes
DRONE CAPACITY DRONE BANDWIDTH MAX TARGET RANGE TURRET SLOT ARMOR HP SHIELD CAPACITY EMP RESISTANCE THERMAL RESISTANCE KINETIC RESISTANCE EXPLOSIVE RESISTANCE 5 M3 5 MB/sec 33 KM 2 740 HP 480 HP 25 27.5 32.5 35
"Hmm, I have certainly received the information I need to help you. When do you want me to start hacking it?" Asked Raine as she inspects the attribute sheet of the ‘Cruor' frigate.
"Perhaps later this afternoon?" Asked Iden.
"Hmm maybe not, Kaidan owed me for saving his life yesterday, and he promised Tanya and me to watch the mech coliseum match later. Perhaps tonight, after the match?" Offered Raine instead.
"Very well, I will take over Kaidan's watch. Since I have no more business here, I will meet up with him now and ask him to meet up with you here later on. Try not to cause any trouble please." Said Iden, even though she has very little hope that Raine will listen to her.
"But trouble keeps finding me!" Refuted Raine sulking.
"Tell that to the judge."Said Iden as she waved Raine's protest away.
Iden stands up and left the room, leaving Raine alone with her thought. However, after 20 minutes being alone with her thought, she is already terminally bored. The sound of the clock ticking on the wall is her only companion… Until it stopped for no reason.
Raine take a look at the clock on the wall yet she could not see anything wrong with it. She stood up from her seat and start approaching it when someone's voice suddenly reverberated in the empty room.
"Hello, Gatekeeper. How fares you since we last spoke?" Said the voice.
Raine was surprised before schooling her thought as she had an inkling of who is the mysterious speaker before her. No one else has called her a Gatekeeper after all. Resolving herself to act as if she is a Goddess once again, she hopes that she did not screw this up.
"Hello there God… I have been productive since we last spoken, as I have gotten hold of an artifact or two to create a guardian of my own." Said Raine calmly as she returns to her seat again.
"That is wonderful Gatekeeper. I am happy for you." Said the disembodied voice.
"Thank you God, now may I know what purpose is your visit today?" Asked Raine curiously.
"Certainly, since the last time we spoke we have visited all the races, humans included, to choose which race we will support. I am here to inform you that each God has split up in good term and are trying to build a relationship with each of their chosen race. We have already shaped the mana which is starting to fill this universe from your Yggdrasil tree. Soon the most basic framework of magic will be implemented in this universe, and its population can start displaying feats of magic beyond their understanding." Said the disembodied God.
"That is wonderful news indeed. I look forward to seeing the mortal races joy when they first practice magic. How soon can they practice magic and how far can they go wielding it?" Asked Raine calmly while trying to suppress her eagerness and ignorance in divine matters.
"As you know, the first stage of magic is the elemental framework. The four great elements which form the basic bedrock and foundation of magic which are Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. We have discussed among ourselves that eventually all four elements can be wielded by any of the four races of this universe. However, since this is the preliminary stage, we have decided to grant the mortal races each a single affinity to a certain element which will boost the performance when performed by that specific race." Explained God.
"That is fascinating, so which race will receive a specific affinity then?" Asked Raine tensely.
"Humanity shall receive affinity for water. Elves shall receive affinity for air. Dwarves will receive affinity for earth and orcs will receive affinity for fire." Answered God.
"Hmm, the obvious choice in hindsight." Agreed Raine.
"Just so. How goes our apostle under your guidance Gatekeeper?" Asked God in return.
"She is doing well, and I am here to enroll her in a training institution to prepare her for the time when she faces her destiny." Said Raine vaguely.
"Splendid, it was the right choice to entrust her to you. No matter which path we choose, if she still stays in the orphanage, her destiny always ends up as raped to death." Said God, slightly upset.
"... What?" Said Raine with shock at the bombshell.
"But now her destiny show up as an ascendant star, it's all thanks to you Gatekeeper." Said God, oblivious to the emotional change caused by his words.
Raine sat still silently, trying to contain her emotions with great effort.
"Now that I have confirmed that everything is alright on your side, I will get back to the other Gods and spread the good news. Until we meet again Gatekeeper." Said God before he suddenly disappeared and the sound of the ticking clock resumes again.
Raine twitches with every tick of the clock before she silenced it forever with a 0.8 second cast Lvl 1 lightning bolt, causing the clock to crumble to ashes. Not regretting at all her destructive act, she schooled her emotion and meditated to bring it under control. Bottling the intense and dark emotion to the center of her core, with the intention to unleash it at the next person she believes deserving of her wrath. Her meditation lasts for another hour before the sound of the door opening rouses her consciousness. In front of her eyes are Master Yu, Mi, Ron, and Tanya herself coming in through the office door.
"Hello Raine, sorry for waiting…?" Said Ron before trailing into silence, as he looks at the scorch marks on the wall and the ashes below it.
"Oh hi Ron, finally you're back. I was so bored, and you won't believe how the ticking sound drives me crazy." Answered Raine back nonchalantly.
"Ah, Ms. Raine I hope you did not mind waiting for Ms. Tanya's test result. It is a great success! She passed with flying colors, my colleagues are excited about her enrolment and have officially welcomed her to the Garden as a SparK mercenary." Gushed Master Yu, oblivious to his ruined office.
"Ah, that is wonderful news indeed Master Yu. I hope you do not mind if we can have lunch now as I am famished." Said Raine politely.
"Oh is it lunch time already? Forgive me for my excitement, and food seems to have slipped my mind. Very well, let us walk to the canteen for some food and refreshment." Replied Master Yu.
Raine already halfway to the door when Tanya come in, her uniform different now compared to when they first arrived.
[https://i.pinimg.com/236x/2f/6b/53/2f6b53e54d5b1e2713ca9cb4d622bcba--saga-php.jpg]
"Hmmm? A new uniform is it?" Asked Raine as she stares intensely at Tanya.
"Yes, I am a Garden cadet now, and it seems like they agreed unanimously to enroll me and decided to condense the course to a year before I can officially graduate as a SparK mercenary." Replied Tanya satisfied.
Raine nodded and seared Tanya's satisfied face in her memory as a reminder of a fate avoided.
"What is it? You are funnily looking at my face." Asked Tanya uncomfortably.
"I must be hungry as your face reminded me of a meat bun for a moment there." Said Raine, deflecting the suspicion, before slipping past Tanya and everyone else through the door.
"Ah Ms. Raine! Wait for us!" Shouted Ron from inside Master Yu office.
After everyone catches up to her, and lead by Master Yu and Mi, they reached the cafeteria together. The canteen looks exactly like the high school canteen you used to visit growing up as a student, so nothing to write home about there.
Raine took a tray of fried fish soup with cold seaweed udon and a bottle of milk. While everyone else is still choosing their food, she hurriedly picked an empty table and slurped her food and milk bottle through her Dryad leech vine from the back of her hands. Ever since she used up her magic reserve within her breasts yesterday, she needs regular intake of food and drinks same like everyone else. However, it is too bad because she can't taste anything eating food and drinking this way.
Unfortunately, since she has to hide how she eats, she has to do it from under the table. Fortunately, by the time everyone gathered on her table, she has finished her food and is twirling her leaves absentmindedly.
"You must be hungry if you've finished your food in five minutes. Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Raine." Said Ron as he put down his own filled food tray, followed by Tanya, Master Yu, and Mi.
Everyone's fare is also mediocre and unmemorable, except Mi. As Mi is eating a slab of grilled skipjack tuna, skewered through his harpoon like a boss.
Raine decided to ignore how Mi's eating his fish like a barbarian while shrugging at Ron's remark. She decided to go back to the line for drinks and pour herself a mug of hot and thick sweet black tea. After she procured the mug of hot tea, she returns to the table and sips on the hot tea normally.
"Ah, that hits the spot." Remarked Raine with satisfaction as she waits for everyone to finish their food and drink.
"You look like a young girl but act like an old man, Ms. Raine." Said Ron amusedly.
"Says the middle-aged man-child." Countered Raine cheekily.
"Ouch, that burns!" Complained Ron as he held his heart exaggeratingly while pouting like a child at Raine.
"Sigh, I can't stay mad at that face, perhaps you should volunteer at a children's hospital once in a while." Said Raine softly.
"I did when time allows me to do so. I bring my family as well so they can learn new skills and the mindset to appreciate what they have." Replied Ron.
"Hmm, you are a good man Ron Stoppable. The world should have more people like you." Said Raine thoughtfully.
"Ah, you are making me blush Ms. Raine. It's a pleasure being acquainted with you as well." Commented Ron.
Soon after that everyone else finished their food as well. Now with everyone's hunger satiated, Raine do not know what to do next in the Garden as everyone's purpose here today is more for the benefit of Tanya.
"Since we have the time, we should go take a tour of the Garden Guild office building. It's just opposite the canteen, and it would be good for Tanya to familiarize herself with the location where mercenary gathers, accept a job and socialize with their fellow mercenaries." Said Master Yu as he recommends a place to visit.
Tanya looks interested, before taking a glance at Raine and Ron with a question in her eyes.
"I do not mind joining the tour, as I have nothing to do but wait for Kaidan to pick me up anyway. Ah, Tanya don't forget that he would be taking us to watch the mech colosseum match later this afternoon. You are coming as well right?" Answered Raine mildly.
"Of course, I have the time since I already completed the test and registration. I would like to watch the match as well." Replied Tanya happily.
"I would be happy to see the match as well, especially with Kaidan as it has been a while since we last saw a mech match together." Agreed Ron as well.
"Then that settles it, alright Master Yu. A tour of the Guild office building and we will leave the Garden once our colleague arrived here." Confirmed Raine, as she addresses Master Yu directly.
"Splendid, then let us proceed to the Guild office with haste. Mi, if you would let us depart there now." Said Master Yu happily as he stands from his chair and guided by Mi towards the direction of the Guild office.
Raine and everyone stand up as well and follow Master Yu and Mi our of the cafeteria.
As Master Yu have said, it is only a short distance away to the Guild office building from the cafeteria. It only took about five minutes walk from the cafeteria, and they have already reached the lobby of the Guild office.
"It's still packed with plenty of colorful characters eh?" Said Ron as he swivels to look around the Guild office lobby.
Raine sees a lot of mercenaries wearing a multitude of dropsuit armors. There are mercenaries wearing the light, medium and heavy dropsuits variants. However, the majority wear the cheap and basic looking medium variant of dropsuit. A few Garden students can also be seen listening to and taking notes from the more senior mercenary. Some mercenaries are spending their time playing card games, drinking merrily or staring at the notice board for assignments to take as an individual or as part of a group.
A security guard approaches Raine and asks whether she carried any weapon on her person. She answers that she carries no weapon on her person before the security guard scans her with an omnitool and move on to the other person in her group.
The same thing happened when the security guard asked Tanya, but Ron has to handover all his weapon after he was scanned. The security guard thanked Ron once he is cleared and sealed the weapon before labeling it with Ron's name and dog tag ID, before putting it inside her secured office.
"No weapons allowed in the Guild office?"Asked Raine.
"Yep, some mercenaries are a rowdy bunch. Of course, most mercenaries are good, law-abiding members. It's just that some members are trigger happy and if they are drunk, high on drugs or depressed, it is a bad combination to have. Removing the temptation to use their weapons when they snap is just common sense, especially when the Guild office have young cadets around trying to learn from their seniors. Of course, fistfight still happens, and with regular occurrence but with mercenaries wearing dropsuits nobody will die from a typical bar fight now and then." Explained Ron.
"What about outside the Guild office?" Asked Raine again.
"Not to worry, we have flying drones stationed, ready to put down some rabid animals if they snap. Everybody gets to keep their weapons, and their safety is assured, everybody is happy. Of course, it's not feasible for the drone to operate indoors when there is a crowd, so they have to store their weapons and take it back when they exit the building. It is a procedure that has served the Caldari State well, for the past couple hundred years." Explained Ron again as he pointed towards the Guild office concierge for Tanya's orientation.
Raine nodded as their group moved on from the Guild office entrance and made a beeline towards the Guild, office concierge. Master Yu and Mi, followed from behind as Ron is capable of showing Tanya the ropes as a Garden graduate. Raine leads the way, and as she is halfway to the concierge, someone suddenly and deliberately blocked her way with their legs as she is about to pass their table.
‘Goodness, what an asshole.' Thought Raine with irritation as she glared at the slightly overweight and large mercenary sitting on the chair with his eyes closed and a smirk on his face, flanked with a pair of his goon friends with the same smirk on their faces.
In the face of disrespect, Raine forced her way through and kicked his legs away as she passes.
"Ouch! Hey now. That hurt!" Said the young man as he stands up and chases after Raine, blocking her way.
"What are you going to do about this? Huh" Said the young man before staring at Tanya longer, noticing Tanya's wearing an official Garden cadet uniform.
"Looks like my injuries need to be treated kindly by that women there." Said the young man again.
"Hehe..hehe…" Giggled Raine suddenly, attracting the attention of the young man in front of her again.
"No, no. Please forgive me. You spoke just like a stereotypical punk so I couldn't help laughing." Replied Raine mockingly.
"What did you say?!" Said the angered young man, as he brings his face closer to Raine to provoke her.
Raine punched the young man right at the center mass of his medium dropsuit armor variant with all her strength. The dropsuit armor cracked as the young man flew across the Garden office and crashed into the Garden office concierge, attracting the attention of the surrounding people and surprised a Guild attendant manning the concierge.
Raine was aiming to have him slide on the ground after the punch, but it cannot be helped as the angle could only result in him flying due to the difference of height between her and an adult man.
"Big brother!" Shouted his two goons as they stared at the prone body of their colleague slumped against the concierge.
[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rQg2qngyIZM/maxresdefault.jpg]
BAR FIGHT SCENE - Battle OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQg2qngyIZM
Raine meets the stares of the surrounding people unflinchingly while cracking both of her fists together.
"You will just do, I thank you for the opportunity. This is just what I need to let loose some steam. Come at me punks, if you dare!" Declared Raine as she can feel the heavy and negative emotion in her core spreads to her arm and limbs, pumping them for the coming fight.
Everyone silently stares at her, not knowing what to do. The silence did not last long however before some of the more hot-headed mercenaries got triggered by the prospect of a good fight.
"BAR FIGHT!" Shouted a mercenary before running towards Raine with fists raised.
The whole place gets noisy as some people run for the exits while some starts hammering the person next to them. Master Yu and Mi beat a hasty retreat, while Tanya is whisked away by Ron following the pair as well. Raine is left alone at the center of the chaos, blocking the triggered mercenary in front of her with both fists and knowledge of martial arts. Her martial arts are a mish-mash of techniques she learned as a man yet never completed due to disinterest. However, looks like it is enough to go toe to toe with this particular mercenary it seems.
Raine notices that the two goons of the first man she punched away start to run towards her, intent on taking revenge for their friend. Seems like she needs to take it up a notch, as she ducked under her opponent's round kick and countered by a mule kick her mercenary opponent's ass as he is facing away from her.
Raine feels that Copying Tanya's kick does feel good when done to someone else, as she sees her second opponent flies away and slide head first on the ground before colliding into another melee.
Raine then run towards the pair of goons before suddenly jumping and performing a flying lariat against the two goons. She runs while hitting their body with both her arms stretched as she passed in-between the two goons.
The two blasts off into space and crashed through the Guild office window, like a scene from an old western cowboy movie.
"I need more of this fight!" Said Raine as she could feel her heavy and negative emotion webs away from her core as it fuels her limbs for that extra strength and destructive power.
Raine joins other mercenaries melee, and with a swing of her arm, a mercenary discovers his/her penchant for flying. No one shows fear or hesitation when she strikes a homerun with another mercenary.
On the contrary, they get more excited at the prospect of beating Raine in a brawl. So much so that they all change their target to Raine alone, thirsty for the honor of being the one to bring Raine down in a fight. Dozens of people run towards her, and she managed to batter away one or two before they all dog-piled on Raine and starts hammering her with their limbs. The mass of human bodies then explodes outwards from the center as Raine burst from within the human dog-pile.
"Shoryuken!" Shouted Raine randomly as she performs a jumping uppercut from under the center mass of the human bodies.
Everyone in close contact with Raine's Shoryuken become disoriented from the violent impact and fainted, while the rest of the mercenaries jump in again for another chance to trade blows with her.
Being hit from all sides, Raine's HP is depleting but since her stats are much higher compared to the blow she received, only a quarter of her HP is reduced so far. These mercenaries are high on defense due to the dropsuit armor, but without their weapon, they are a brick house, the opposite of a glass cannon. At this rate, the security guards will come and break up the fight before she can finish enjoying the fight.
Raine wills her spirit to burn brightly, intending to squeeze that extra speed to beat up the surrounding mercenaries around her through force of will. Unconsciously, the heavy and negative emotion spread and burns her HP greedily. Not only that, under her uniform, dark veins spread and boosts her strength and speed attribute to their limit.
Before the surrounding mercenaries eyes, Raine blurred and disappeared before their world explodes in pain. With quick succession, the mercenaries are struck by something and flies away to crash some distance away. The mercenaries panicked as they did not expect the opponent to have a cloaking field even without wearing a dropsuit armor. They could only stare stupidly as one by one their number go down until no one is left fighting inside the Guild office building.
The spectator surrounding the melee stays silent, so amazed at the fight they have seen today, that they did not notice the sliding doors at the entrance to the Garden opens and closes by itself.
Raine is still on an adrenaline rush from the fight, yet she feels better as her heart became light. She is exhausted, and her HP is only half full because of it, but she could not say she regrets it as she has no intention applying as a mercenary anyway. Avoiding the attention of Tanya and Ron from the Garden common ground, outside the Guild office building, she returns to Master Yu's office to cool down more before meeting up with them again.
Hacking through Master Yu's locked door, she enters his office, and once she feels safe, she unconsciously phases out of being invisible.
Too tired to question where she gets this new ability, she dropped on the sofa and promptly passed out.
"Ms. Raine, it's time to wake up." Said someone as Raine could feel being nudged awake.
Raine opens her eyes and sees Kaidan in front of her, wearing an expression of curiosity and worry.
"Kaidan? Why are you here?" Asked Raine.
"What do you mean? Commander Iden asked me to meet you up here in Master Yu's office, I just arrived here, but someone told me that there was a commotion on the Guild office, so I became worried and came here straight looking for you." Answered Kaidan, looking at Raine's torn and worn uniform with suspicion.
"Alright, maybe I was involved, but I didn't start it." Pouted Raine.
"Sigh, fine at least I know nobody died. It should be easy enough to cover this up. I hope you realize that we would be missing out on the mech match at the colosseum since it's already this late." Complained Kaidan.
"What?! What time is it now?" Said Raine looking at the clock only to find the scorch mark and sheepishly look down to the ashes on the ground.
Raine hurriedly runs to the window behind Master Yu's office desk and proceed to stare outside with the intent to gauge the time of the day from the amount of daylight which can be seen.
"If we hurry, we can surely still make it!" Said Raine with stubbornness.
This scene was, however, before the window shatters into pieces as a hypervelocity bullet from a railgun tore into Raine's forehead and spilled black matter from the new hole at the back of her head.
"MS. RAINE!!!!" Screamed Kaidan, rushing forward with a hand stretched trying to catch Raine's falling body.
‘And the day is supposed to end with fun watching a mech match too…' Thought Raine as she is falling to the ground in slow motion.