Zion started right away, taking out a recharging cable and jamming it into his arm.
A small blue hologram popped up in the top right of his eye, showing him the current energy levels.
'78% in the reserves still,' he thought, closing his eyes for a moment. 'Shouldn't take long before that's full.'
Now that he'd started charging his suit, he decided to get some of the tedious work out of the way.
He brought up his Mercenary License and ID briefly, going through the details with Uriel and increasing the 'backstory' linked to them.
[Host's background is solid now, though high-level scanners can still easily find out that it's fake.]
Zion nodded as he dismissed the display.
"I just needed to be able to answer random questions… and they won't have scanners like that either."
With that settled, he leaned back slightly and shifted his attention elsewhere.
Zion brought up the city map next, pulling up the warehouse's location and the surrounding streets.
'Just in case,' he thought, memorizing several ways to get back to the mercenary guild.
Zion only dismissed the map once the routes were burned into his memory and he was sure he'd be able to get back under any circumstances.
With nothing else to prepare, he leaned back and let the remaining time pass as his suit charged to maximum capacity, only interrupting its charging once to eat dinner.
By the time night fell, everything was fully ready for the meeting.
'I should head to bed early today,' Zion thought, staring through his large window. 'If I do join that crew tomorrow, there's a good chance we'll head out on a mission within a week.'
That would put an end to comfort for a while.
The next day arrived quickly.
Zion woke up early, finished his routine, and recharged his suit one final time to make sure it was at full capacity.
"It should be around time to go now," he said, glancing at his alarm clock. "Uriel, you'll watch over any sneak attacks once we're out of the building, right?"
[Affirmative,] Uriel immediately responded.
Zion nodded once, put on his jacket, and left the room, merging into the flow of people in the mercenary halls moments later.
It didn't take long before he passed through the Mercenary Guild's scanners and stepped into the cold air outside.
Zion stopped for a moment, exhaling slowly as the cold air brushed against his skin.
[Does Host need me to call a cab?] Uriel asked.
"No, I'll walk," Zion responded calmly, already stepping forward.
The streets around the Mercenary Guild were already busy, though the crowd thinned noticeably the farther Zion walked from the main entrance.
Gradually, the neon signs and advertisements gave way to simpler lighting and broader roads meant more for transport than pedestrians.
Zion calmly maintained his pace, blending in with the dozens of citizens while checking out his surroundings.
'Seeing a route like this is far nicer than being forced to memorize it through a map,' he thought, enjoying the walk.
After nearly forty minutes of walking, a familiar-looking warehouse district came into view, reminding Zion of the one near Ravel's base.
Most of the warehouses were dark, their metal frames worn and rusted, though scattered lights and the faint sound of machinery made it clear the district wasn't abandoned.
It didn't take long before Zion noticed the Blue Mane crew's warehouse ahead, standing out among the others through blue markings and heavier security.
As he got closer to the warehouse, he noticed a large open door with light spilling out from inside.
Zion paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes.
'Uriel, can you keep me updated on all ranks from people in my range?'
[Affirmative.]
'Alright, then I'll go in now.'
With that, Zion stepped forward and walked through the doors.
The inside of the warehouse was well-lit and spacious, with containers stacked along the sides and equipment arranged across the open floor.
At the same time, he noticed a note stuck to a metal beam. On it were simple instructions, asking all candidates to continue walking down the path.
'So there's more people coming here?' Zion wondered, raising an eyebrow. 'Mhm, I guess that does make sense.'
As he continued down the path, Uriel's voice suddenly echoed through his head.
[Eight individuals up ahead,] it reported quietly. [Seven D-ranks, one E-rank.]
Zion kept his pace steady as he followed the indicated path, his gaze moving calmly across the warehouse interior.
Sure enough, the space opened up further ahead.
Seven mercenaries with blue marks on their armor stood farther back, loosely spread around the space, while a metal table sat at the center with two chairs placed beside each other.
One of the chairs was already occupied by another candidate, a young man seated stiffly with his hands resting on the tabletop.
While Zion was still taking in the scene, one of the mercenaries pushed himself off a metal crate and stepped forward.
He was a tall, broad-shouldered man in his early thirties, wearing reinforced combat armor with an energy rifle strapped across his back.
"You must be Zane," he said, offering a small smile. "Right on time."
Zion stopped a few steps away.
"That's me."
"Good," the man replied, already turning around. "Name's Devan. I lead the Blue Mane crew."
Devan took a few steps toward the table and gestured casually toward the empty chair.
"Go ahead," he said. "Have a seat so we can get the talks started."
Zion nodded once and pulled the chair back, sitting down beside the nervous candidate.
Up close, the young man looked even more tense than before, with his jaw clenched and his eyes darting all over the place.
'Why did someone like this even come here?' Zion couldn't help but think. 'He doesn't even seem of age yet…'
Before he could think any further, Devan leaned against the table, a smile plastered across his face.
"Now that both of you are here," he said, his smile widening. "We can get this interview started."