*In a large underground complex filled with laboratories, quarters, cafeterias, and offices*
A man sat at a luxurious wooden desk with patterns of gold while lovingly cradling a small domestic cat in his arms. He wore a short white cloak with a golden outline that reached down to his waist, a black suit, and a leather belt that had multiple keys attached to it. The man's extravagant attire was sported by his lush blond hair that descended down his back like a lava flow of brilliance.
"Void Eye, I want a report," he said with a voice as tranquil as a still lake.
"Yes, Master Yura. Four have passed the selection: Albert Erecus, Rennet Blazeron, Jetore Abdullah, and a curious boy named Riko with no surname," answered a figure kneeling and bowing with respect in front of the desk. The figure was adorned in black clothing with grey belts and a hood; a dark face mask with white slits covered their face in secrecy.
Yura smiled as he continued to pet the peaceful feline in his arms. "Four, aye? It's rare for Kran to allow even two at most to enter our organization. He still wants to protect others from joining us; I've figured him out. No matter how cruel he acts, it's the shame from his past that motivates him to try his hardest to refuse rookies an entry. Now, if I'm not mistaken, aside from Albert, there was one more noteworthy figure who was part of the selection—the heir to the Aerostar family, Felix. What became of him? I doubt he was defeated by another rookie," he said, his voice contempt.
The figure Yura called "Void Eye" peered up before speaking in a calculating and informative tone. "In his match with the boy Riko, I observed him to be overwhelmingly superior, yet the boy made an oath about his dream to Felix. I can't imagine why, but it appears that Felix was in some part moved and chose to forfeit. Although I didn't have the clearest view, as I was in hiding, so my facts may have a few inaccuracies," Void Eye answered.
Yura thought to himself for a moment after taking in the information before seemingly brushing it off. Multiple pages were in front of him on the desk as he picked up a pen and began writing.
"Void Eye, do you know something necessary you must consider when writing a story?" he asked, his tone littered with hints.
Void Eye seemed to know the answer right away. "A climax, Master?" he answered, standing up.
Yura smiled at him before replying: "Correct. And so I believe we'll be encountering quite a climax soon. In three days from now, the Red Auction will be held in the south hills of Neran city in a large hall; that's when we'll commence the raid and take the head of Laticia, the Witch of Chains. This job will pay for a lot, and besides, she's been a target for a while anyway. Remember to spread the word to anyone available; perhaps we should include the rookies in this operation too."
Void Eye nodded with respect before disappearing in a flash. Yura continued to write words on his pages while cradling the cat in his left hand, a sinister smirk appearing on his face for a moment.
*Underground plaza of the Marked Mercenaries*
Riko and Albert paced themselves through a large, fancy hall. There were many doors, an indoor pool surrounded by seats, and a cafeteria with red carpet. Riko was in awe at the area but suddenly locked eyes with the way to the cafeteria as he sensed the smell of his favorite sauces, herbs, and seasonings being cooked to prepare a dish; he almost began to water at the mouth.
Albert wasn't as surprised as Riko; after all, it was roughly the size of a part of his mansion. But he couldn't deny he liked the vibrant architecture—the coloring of the walls, the art, the designs, and contraptions over the decorations around the plaza. They were vibrant and colorful despite the secretive dark organization it belonged to.
Jetore and Rennet had seemingly gone their separate ways by now. Riko grabbed Albert's shoulder as he pulled him. "This way, Al—I smell heaven!" he commanded. Before Albert could reply, he found himself being pulled toward the smell.
"You seem to be in high spirits, aye?" he said, sighing, still tired from the selection.
The cafeteria looked to be huge with multiple seatings; there was food of many varieties, both veg and non-veg, in a neat selection. There were a few others sitting at surrounding tables indulging in supper.
"I'm askin' you a question! What the fuck is this shit!?!" a loud mouth caught Riko and Albert's attention as they looked to see Jetore complaining to what looked to be the head chef.
"Please calm down, sir. Take a bite before judging; I assure you my culinary skills have never failed anyone!" the chef claimed with a calm and respectful demeanor despite Jetore's rude outburst.
Riko looked to see a bowl of black soup containing cooked meats and pieces of strange creatures, presumably from beasts similar to those he saw in the labyrinth. It smelled delicious despite looking like a nasty science experiment—something Albert mentally noted as they approached.
In an instant, without consulting anyone, Riko grabbed a spoon and took a sip of the soup, a move that both disgusted and impressed Albert and Jetore. Riko's eyes widened as he smiled. "Hey, this is some good stuff! It looks like shit but tastes awesome!" he commented as he continued with a spoonful.
Jetore looked shocked and looked at the chef. "Explain—what the hell's this all about?" he demanded in a rude tone.
"I have a habit of using… peculiar meats in my dishes, although I ensure they are always high quality, nyahahaha!" the chef said, his strange laugh almost prompting a chuckle from Jetore and Riko.
"Nice to make your acquaintance, sir. I'm Albert, and this is my friend Riko; we're new recruits," said Albert.
The chef smirked. "The name's Awhiro. I'm just the head chef here in the base of operations. My Mark of the Cook allows me to make fine dishes that can strengthen and empower others. You see, it's a dream of mine to use my passion and talent for cooking to empower people across the world," he said.
The words completely went over Riko's head; he was too absorbed in the soup after all, and beyond that, no one had exactly asked the chef to go on a rant about themself.
"What a joke—these are the new recruits?" said an arrogant voice from behind.
"What was that?" Jetore said as he snapped back to see two others: a boy with tied-back brown hair, an unzipped red jacket with an exposed chest, and black pants; as well as a girl with black hair with headphones. She had a lollipop in her mouth and wore a uniform that looked to belong to a high school nearby.
"You heard what I said, punk. I'm disappointed Mr. Kran thought it would be a good idea to bring in such weaklings; it's obvious from looking at you that you ain't much. Ha! I guess he took pity on you fools," he mocked.
Riko wasn't affected by the words; after all, if that guy was truly strong, then he should've been able to sense that Albert and Jetore weren't weak, just like Felix did. Riko continued to dig in; he grabbed a plate and tongs before helping himself to some fried chicken from the selection of foods in the cafeteria—something that caught the attention of the girl with headphones, as she looked intrigued, still not speaking any words.
The remark did, however, get on Jetore's nerves, despite being a weak and childish insult. "Who are you? I'll blow you to pieces, bitch!" Jetore yelled.
The boy he spoke to looked almost offended that Jetore spoke back as he replied with an aggressive tone, "I'm Seracore, got it? And don't mouth off to me, you delinquent-looking punk! I'll beat you and your stupid nose ring!!!" the boy yelled back, his tone matching Jetore at the same level of arrogance and aggressiveness.
The girl beside him closed her eyes as she looked to be distressed, clutching onto her headphones tightly—something Riko immediately noticed as he put his plate down.
"Now now, why don't we calm down? I'll prepare a—" Awhiro was interrupted before he could finish by Jetore, who shouted: "Fine then! Let's settle it unless you're a pussy!"
Albert looked ready to intervene, but before he stopped Jetore from making enemies on the first day, Riko jumped in front, punching Seracore in the face and sending him flying as he smashed into the table behind him. Within the next second, Riko's gear-shaped passion mark glowed blue as a robotic mechanical pressure gun generated from his back, pointed at Jetore at point-blank range.
"W-what are you doing?" Jetore asked as Seracore stood up.
"That was a good punch. So you need your little friends to defend you, huh? Punk?" he remarked, clearly intended toward Jetore, who looked beyond irritated.
Albert was stunned but smirked. *Those movements were so fast that neither of them could react. Looks like he's picked up some moves in his fight with Felix. I can't believe he's been training ways of fighting better and brainstorming since the selection, and he's improved in such a short time too,* he thought, looking at Riko.
"Not here, you idiots. Don't you see you're making your own teammate uncomfortable with your bitchy attitude?" Riko asked, making eye contact with Seracore.
Seracore was caught off guard by these words; he hadn't even considered that as he looked to see the girl in headphones clutching her headphones to block out the noise while looking mesmerized by Riko's action.
"....Sorry if I upset you again by picking another fight, Kiera. M-my bad; these idiots were just getting on my nerves," Seracore said with a surprisingly genuine tone that surprised everyone.
The girl in headphones, Kiera, smiled awkwardly before shaking her head as if pretending it wasn't a big deal. She looked toward Riko for a moment before he smiled at her, causing her to blush and look away, still silent.
Jetore looked like he'd had enough; his anger and animosity were strong and noticeable as he tried to walk off. Suddenly, Albert placed his hand on Jetore's shoulder. "Calm down; I'm sure you can figure things out with these people," he said in consolation.
"Shut up! Get off me and stay away from me! What I do is none of your business, got it! I only worked with you losers 'cause I had no choice! Don't come near me unless you wanna be in pieces!" Jetore yelled as he slapped Albert's hand away and left, leaving an awkward feeling in his wake.
"What's up with Jetore?" Riko asked as his passion mark's glow disappeared, prompting the mechanical pressure cannon on his back to disintegrate—something that caught Seracore's eyes.
"So that's your ability, huh? Pretty corny. But I'll say this once—thank you for reminding me about Kiera. I can't believe that punky friend of yours got me so worked up; I forgot she doesn't like to see me mess with people," Seracore said as an apology.
Riko grinned as if nothing happened. "Nah, don't sweat it; it was Jetore's fault for falling to such obvious bait," he replied.
Albert smiled politely. "I am Albert Erecus, a pleasure to meet you, miss…. Kiera, was it?" he asked for confirmation but got no answer.
"She's… mute and can't talk," Seracore exclaimed as he stood up.
Before anyone could continue the conversation, the floor began to shuffle and bend, with a strange noise catching the group off guard.
"An enemy attack?" Albert asked, concern in his voice.
Suddenly, a portion of the ground below Riko's foot splashed like liquid—a logic-defying moment which was only made stranger as a man appeared from below, jumping up through the seemingly permeable flooring as Riko jumped away.
The man was half-naked, only wearing shorts and swimming goggles as well as a swimming cap. He struck a pose with his biceps, a motion that cringed Albert and Kiera respectively.
"Supp! Boys and girls! Who's the coolest guy in town? Me, Ren, of course! Hahaha!" he said with a flamboyant and obnoxious voice.