"Iason, this is Minji Sygilis." Elena steps in between the two of us, interrupting but not completely ceasing the tension. "I see you two know each other?"
My face tightens, displaying my on edge state to those around me. "Yeah. She checked me in on my first day." My eyes wander over to Kia standing at the side of the room, who seemed just as, and if not even more, disturbed by this familiar presence. The tips of her hairs spark a little as she glares at Minji.
"I substitute as a front desk worker for some extra pay every now and then. Unluckily that was the day this sad excuse of a Venator showed up, which," Her eyes panned over to Elena. "you never mentioned this was the person I'd be teaching."
"Well, knowing you, you definitely would have denied! Which, by this reaction, I can without a doubt claim say that my beliefs were right." My mentor slightly opens her eyes and covers her mouth with one hand as she laughs.
"Tch. Seriously. For someone as high of a caliber as you, I would've expected your pupil to at least have some sort of promise." Minji scowls at her friend, refuses to look at me.
"Hey!" I burst out in a swing of anger. "She-"
"Ah, ah, ah." Minji's eyes widen as she extends her arm out to me with just her pointer finger inches away from my face. Around her hand and arm was a dense amount of energy forming into the barrel of a gun around her finger and a number of what seemed to be magical circles orbiting her arm, all coming together to create a large firearm around her limb in the matter of less than half a second. The weapon whirred with energy as the magic circles rotated, the complex patterns shimmering in all sorts of colors and lights. I stared down the barrel of the gun, feeling a lump in my throat which clogged up my vocal cords and prevented me from speaking. Scary...
The crosshair in her right eye adjusted itself and zoomed in as if she was taking aim on me.
"The adults are talking, kid. Now shut your trashy, support, mouth before I erase the last traces of your kind."
"Why, you!" Kia yells, the room's temperature instantly shooting up in response along with her jacket folding into combat mode.
Minji refuses to change, even pushing further against Kia's act of defiance. The grimoire hoisted onto her body opens and flips through multiple pages. The fingers of her other hand trace symbol on each page before the book turns to the next one, all in the fraction of a second. Each time she touches a page, another magic circle appears around her arm. After she was done, she points her other arm at Kia, this time with a much larger weapon that resembled a shotgun.
The whole room freezes as if someone took a picture.
Micaiah remains leaning against the wall behind Kia, unsure if he truly wants to get involved, which is completely fair by the way. After hearing her name, I vaguely remember her.
Minji Sygilis, The Living Arsenal.
I can't recall much other than her title, but even based on that and her display alone, she can silence a crowd with just the point of a finger.
"Movement is for those who strike alone." Elena's voice is light, almost idle, but it fractures the silence enough for Minji's focus to slip.
"A journalist asked S-Ranked Venators for advice. Three hundred words were allowed."
Elena tilts her head slightly.
"You used seven."
She steps into Minji's view, completely capturing her gaze.
"People don't compress beliefs they're unsure of."
"Seven words means certainty."
"State your point." Minji's low voice follows, the reticle in her eye loosening.
"In a system where every class is optimized for their own benefit only…"
Elena's eyes briefly flick over to me.
"How does movement change when survival is someone else's responsibility?"
Silence fills the atmosphere once more. Elena sure is good at talking...
She's completely correct when she says that the culture when it comes to Venators is for the most part selfish. Outside of support classes, there are hardly any sort of skills that exist that are supposed to help others. The only case that comes to mind is Elena's barriers which can be used to block damage directed at others.
"Maneuverability designed for others is a crutch."
"So a is a sword without a target." Elena retaliates near-instantly.
"Tch." Minji bares her teeth. "Supports die because they hesitate."
"I hesitate because if I move incorrectly, someone else dies." I follow in my mentor's footsteps.
Tensions didn't just feel high. It was looming over us like a layer of thick clouds blacking out the sky. Again, Minji is the only person capable of teaching me how to use [Shinestrider]. Having a teacher for a singular skill may not be as high-value as having a teacher for my hybrid class, but it was still important nonetheless.
Luckily, it seemed like Minji felt how solid the tension was as well. The irritation in her eyes felt more emotional instead of something that was tactical. Her face tensed up and her body was stiff.
She took in a deep inhale, her hands and the weapons surrounding them shaking as if her body was conflicted on whether to shoot or not.
Exhale.
The guns dissipate into the air and she lowers her arms.
"Get out of my sight."
I blink and my jaw drops ever so slightly. The beating rhythm of my heart screeches to slow down. She declined.
...
The four of us remained in the training area for most of the day, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything at all. I was disappointed in myself. Just for a bit I completely forgot that I was the most bottom of the barrel class just because I was with good people. I can't be forgetting something like that.
I decided to head home for the day, leaving the other three at the Diamondback building.
"You sure, Goldie? It's only like, 3." Kia questions, a worried tone flooding her voice.
"Yeah, I'm just tired. Didn't get enough sleep last night or something." I fake a yawn, which seemed to be convincing enough.
"Ehh... If you say so. Let me know if you're feeling any better tomorrow, 'kay?"
"Right." I answer quickly and turn to walk away. I let out a sigh as I walk back, my head alternating from tilting up and down every now and then to either look up to the sky to ponder or look down at the ground to zone out.
The sun is a golden orange as is peeks over the horizon. The streets of Polaris were somewhat empty, but was still brimming with life. Individuals can be seen through he glass windows of stores and restaurants, others walking alongside friends and cherished ones maintaining conversation. Some people were even walking alone, but they looked content with their current situation.
I felt silly. I was dressed like a Venator but am hardly even accepted as one. A walking paradox.
I scratch my chin. Who knew I could be so caught up in thought?
WRRRRRRRRR
A deafening sound fills the streets. An alarm. Everyone runs out of the buildings they're in and starts sprinting towards the Diamondback building, all clamoring and panting, desperate for their survival.
I stay still. It's an Exile alarm.
Coming straight from the sky, something lands a good distance in front of me, cracking the street and causing a thick cloud of dust to form. I squint and cover my eyes with my forearm, planting my feet into the ground to resist the sheer force of the shockwave the landing formed.
I lower my arms, trying to focus on the figure in the dust cloud.
The first thing I make out are a pair of blue flames shaped into sharp eyes. They glow faintly in the dust cloud as it spreads out, revealing more of the Exile. The figure is clad in sharp, black armor, sleek and thin, allowing for much movement but enough to withstand immense pressure. Two large horns emerge from the helmet, small glowing slits of blue glowing from their spirals. With shoulder pads lit with blue fire, the Exile sweeps away the dust cloud, revealing it's full humanoid form with a long tail made out of chains floating in the air around its body.
The Exile sighs, its masculine voice loud and assertive.
"The Goddess's light refuses to be contained, even when it endangers its bearer."
His words are enough to make the ground tremble, buildings around him shaking from each word.
The creature clenches its fist and points at me.
"Thou art familiar with these words, no?"
"Passage 1..." I whisper to myself. Does that mean... he's here because of me? How does he know what Passage 1 is though?
It lowers its arm and strides towards me, each step it takes imprinting a blue fiery footprint in the ground.
"I am. So, you're only for me, right?" I prepare myself for battle."
"Indeed. I shall see thy light quenched from the heavens, never again to grace the sky. And when its glow is spent, I shall sunder the firmament itself, until no trace of thee endureth. Now stand, and contend for thy life. Each blow struck, each wound beared, each drop of blood dropped, I shall honor them all."
My feet plant into the ground.
"Pretty intense. I hope I can give you what you're looking for then."
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Passive Skill [Battle Invigoration] is in play.
Passive Skill [Pain Train] is in play.
Passive Skill <{Passage 1}> is in play.
Activating [Heart Mark].
Activating [Angel's Gambit].
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Mission Objective
Defeat S-Ranked Exile: Solvane, Scourge Sworn
Rewards: A Null-Rank skill + Exile Loot
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