My eyes squint at the light shining through my window, the sun having already risen for quite a bit now. I wipe some dirt from my eyes before getting out of bed.
"Shoot. Forgot to shower." My lungs let out an exhale as I go to do my business.
After doing so, I get changed into my usual Venator outfit. A black compression shirt, compression sleeves, white cargo pants, and my new addition...
[Valkyrie's Creation]
My choice from last night. Before I picked the item, I got a notification from the normal system telling me that Kia made a group chat for me, Micaiah, and Elena. Apparently Kia and Micaiah kept talking after they left and decided to get Elena and I in on whenever they were talking. Plus, she also explained my whole situation with my class, which I was fine with. Of course, I didn't tell her to do it, but at the same time she kind of knows when I'm okay with things she's going to do. That said, this group chat was basically filled with people who know about my secret... Or who are okay with keeping it a secret at least. Max and Isaac? I'm not so sure.
Anyways, after watching Kia explain everything, I realized, I have three other higher ranked Venators to ask about stuff! So after seeing this, I asked them what [Shinestrider] was.
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Kia Firaga: shinestrider?? sounds a lil familiar but idk
Me: Ye thats what I thought too but I cant put my finger on what it is
Micaiah Dastin: ain't that a mobility skill?
Elena Vermilyea: Yes. If I remember correctly, it is a B-Rank skill that allows the user to form propelling beams of light underneath their feet, effectively allowing them to dash if used correctly.
Kia Firaga: elena i just wanna say you tecxt exactly how i thought you would
Kia Firaga: text*
Me: It sounds pretty decent but why does it sound so familiar though but also not at all??
Elena Vermilyea: It is one of few skills that are only attainable through Exile souls. Shinestrider caused much uproar due to how underwhelming it felt, that is, for unexperienced Venators.
Micaiah Dastin: oh yeah! it comes from souls of some fallen angels which are hella tough too. i remember a friend of mine resonated with one of those souls but after getting his head hit a few times usin it, he just gave up on the skill entirely
Kia Firaga: seriously? im sure if he gave it enough time it would be super useful
Elena Vermilyea: Correct. With enough practice and understanding, Shinestrider can become a staple to whoever has access to it. Aside from that, why do you ask, Iason?
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After reading that, I eyed over at the three golden panels displaying the items, specifically [Valkyrie's Creation].
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Me: I got an item that gives the skill apparently. Its an equipment tho and not a soul
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And after texting that, I decided on the greaves. Yeah, I know that they said it'll take a lot of time and practice to get used to, which is why I chose it first. If I were to choose [Valkyrie's Creation] last, it might be a little too late for me to learn. That said, even if I didn't have any problems with mobility so far, that doesn't mean I won't run into it later. Plus, if what the others said is true, which I assume it is, [Shinestrider] could solve a lot of things for me in the long term.
After making that choice, Elena also said something right after in the group chat.
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Elena Vermilyea: Is that so? I have a friend that is quite famous for utilizing Shinestrider if you would like to meet her. I'm positive I could convince her to teach you a thing or two.
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Of course, I accepted her offer. I mean, how can I not? Free tutoring from an S-Ranker's friend? Not to mention, possibly more connections that could help me in the future? Both are huge opportunities I can't even begin to pass up. Having said that, afterwards she texted her friend and scheduled for us to meet up. Unfortunately, it's going to be in the common training floor, a facility that's not restricted by what class can access it. Thankfully though, Micaiah and Kia are both going to be there just incase any trouble happens. In any case too, there's still private rooms we can rent out. I still have to keep my situation a secret somehow.
I get downstairs and in the kitchen I see a clear, glass Tupperware on the kitchen counter with a pink sticky note on it. The sticky part of the paper peels off the container easily and it reads out: make sure to eat! Yeah, that's mom if I've ever seen it.
Inside there's a a few soft boiled eggs inside. She really does know my favorite, huh? I mean, of course she does. She quit her job as a Venator to raise me after all. I assume she left to go to her new job though. I'm pretty sure she's a real estate agent now for South of Polaris? She never really talks about it much because she says it's boring, but I still like hearing her chat about it anyway! In every conversation we have, she always knows how to make things entertaining.
After eating one of the eggs, I slide the Tupperware inside the fridge, and step outside. The new equipment on my feet were surprisingly snug. I've heard most equipment-type items adjust their size based on the wearer, but most of the time with how they're created they awkward to have on. On the contrary, mine feel as if they're just any pair of shoes.
As I look down at them, the golden material breams my reflection, the golden sun behind me sparkling and filling my body with warmth. I take a deep breath.
In...
"Haah..."
Out...
"Hooh..."
Today feels like a good day!
As I make my way to the Diamondback building, I get a few stares and dirty looks every now and then but no real interactions. Maybe it's the new item I got? I does feel a little silly wearing these, but maybe it's a sign to them that I'm actually getting somewhere. It's actually a little nice that I'm getting some kind of positive recognition!
Upon entering the building, I spot Kia, Micaiah, and Elena, each sitting on a black and white plush chair surrounding one of the glass tables in the hotel-like hotel. It's pretty easy to spot them really. I have a revelation last night that they all pertain to a primary color. Kia is red, Elena is blue, and Micaiah is yellow. It's sort of how I recognize people most of the time due to me doing it as a habit when I was younger.
"Goldie!" Kia shouts, her call out echoing throughout most of the lobby and causing other people to look our way. Ugh... It's also where that nickname came from.
I awkwardly smile at her as I give her a small wave, my shoulders slightly raised from embarrassment.
"Come on, dude! Elena's friend is waiting for us." Kia comes up to my side and pulls me in by the neck with her arm. I've learned to not try to wrestle out at this point.
"Alright, alright!" I audibly giggle as I give a nod to Micaiah and Elena.
As we walk over to the elevators, a weird feeling surrounds me. It was mostly because of the looks people were giving me, but not just towards me either. It took me a second to realize what they were thinking, but me, a support, the supposed lowest of the low in the world of Venators, was being all buddy-buddy with Kia, a rising star battlemage with an eccentric personality people can easily cling onto and admire, Micaiah, a famous social media influencer who has enough strength to back up his entire fan base, and Elena, an S-ranker who's currently most notably known for shooting up the ranks during her debut. It's basically staring at needle next to three nuclear bombs. A whole lot of pressure I should say...
That crawling feeling and the stares continue one the general training floor which was a few floors below the lobby but was still open to sunlight due to the courtyard-like extension that was separated by a large glass wall. The first thing I notice about the training area was the rush of air-conditioning that blew onto my face. I usually never get cold, but that initial burst of air was enough to make me shiver.
The next thing I saw were all of the different stations and rooms orderly place around the entire facility. Upon exiting the elevator, the glass wall spanned my entire view leading to the courtyard outside where people were sparring and doing other methods of training. To the wall on the right were large simulation rooms which could create holograms of known Exile types to practice against. Over on the left were the rentable rooms, which were being used for the same purpose as outside, just with the opportunity to keep things private or clear up the glass to show off. Everything surrounded the middle of the facility which had a numerous amount of standard issued machines and stations for working out. The entire sight was left me speechless and gawking at every bit of the area until Kia tapped my shoulder and pulled me towards the rentable rooms.
We opened the door with a four on it and there they were, the friend Elena was talking about.
I squint a little.
The slim but curvy woman had her hair styled into a layered bob cut, some bits of her black strands being dyed a dark purple, something that was barely noticeable but very apparent when spotting it. Some of her hair streaming down from the middle of her face was pushed back behind her right ear, causing her hair to circle around her right eye which had a crosshair on its iris.
She looked over at me with an uninterested look, her facial expression not changing at all while she eyed me up and down. I returned the gesture, noticing her opened streetwear-like jacket that had shorter sleeves with cargo pockets and cuffs that ended before reaching her elbows. The jacket consisted mainly of a light gray, with the inner collar being a similar shade to her dyed hair, and the out collar being light gray as well, the right side of it being more outstretched than left as if it was made to connect to each other.
Further down, she wore a black shirt with a streak of the same purple slashed down the middle with a corset over her stomach. My eyes more noticed the strap that was just below her collar bone which led down her body beneath her jacket and connected to a large book with several bookmarks and unaligned pages. The grimoire had around the same color scheme as her with a large symbol on it that resembled a bullet. Attached to her waist was a belt that held a few see-through grenades that held some swirling energy inside each. Lining her legs were a pair of black leather pants, her shoes being armored and bearing a resemblance to the gauntlet on her left hand which held her badge, a crow made of crystals.
A runeshot.
As I look up to her face, it was filled with disgust. A familiar look I see on people, but this one was a little too familiar.
My eyes widen as I think back to my first ever day as a Venator.
"Not a hard answer."
Those words echoed in my mind as I imagine her mouthing out those words.
"Tch." She clicks her tongue and grimaces. It was the same voice as the one who greeted me into the Diamondback building that day, along with signing me off with pure distain.
"Iason Desier." Her tone was low, sounding like a grumble but incredibly clear and backed up with pride.
"I was hoping I would never see your face again."