"Victors of the tournament, I have to commend you all for your efforts in making it here." Eric spoke, his tone light and welcoming as his eyes surveyed his guests. Some wore looks of anticipation, two looks of apathy and one of disinterest. "However I'm sure that all of you have been informed on what to expect thus I won't waste much of your time."
With a snap of his fingers, a row of servants, all dressed in sharp uniforms emerged and handed each one of them with a card. Sleek, black with their faces. "Those are identification cards, to help you navigate the facility but there are places where your movement will be restricted so don't expect full entry to every door you see."
Some inspected the cards, impressed with the level of detail and art that went into making them. "Now..." Clapping his hands together as if the maestro of the show. "We can finally begin. All of you will be lead to your rooms so that we can begin with the first stage." Each of them were guided to their rooms.
Some stealing glances at Diana while others were focused with the stage proposed by Eric. Callista noted behind the apathetic mask that Diana wore the pain that bled through. Though she couldn't approach her as she was led to her room. The halls were empty and surgically clean, the servant leading her showing the room.
*Ding*
The electronic doors slid open, and in front of her was her room that she would be in for the next six months. Despite the massive size of the facility's size, it was shockingly small but functional. The bed was neatly tucked, white sheets pristinely laid out. A new set of clothes required of her to switch into and a desk nearby.
A shower to the right and to the left was a window that showed the jarry cliffs of the mountain. She callously threw the card onto the desk and hopped into the shower. Cold but refreshing before switching into the clothes laid out for her. They were bland and uninspired, gray running with a touch of black strips.
Comfortable and simple however before she left the room, she noted a bracelet similar to the one back at school and next to it was a small card.
[{Please wear the monitor bracelet as it will be important. Any loss or damage of the monitor bracelet will result with harsh penalties}]
The bracelet easily snapped onto her wrist
[{Welcome Callista Vaewlyn to the Ark Facility}]
A light blue hologram shot from the bracelet, soundless and sleek in design. Her face contorted into that of shock as she realized the disparity of technology between the prior and the present bracelet.
[{Here we will help you grow as a student and a valuable asset of the Reuthar kingdom but first please converge outside of the facility}]
A map popped up showing her the way out of the facility as well as the restricted areas locked for her. 'Well I might as well get comfortable.' With a final sigh, she made her way back to the required destination.
...
"I still can't believe that we finally get to meet the actual princess." Whispers filler the air, Diana treating them akin to air as she stood alone. "Why was the water so cold? They couldn't have been bothered to heat it at the very least?!" Not all voices were focused on Diana as some were discontent with the means of the facility.
"For a haven, it definitely lacks the comfort of one." Another added as more arrived at the base of the facility. The sleek outstretch of the building blended well with the mountain base, offering a sense of camouflage and secrecy that tightly wrapped the scene. It wasn't long before Eric made his arrival.
"I'm glad that you all are out here so we can the first stage but first, we have to split you into pairs. Feel free to pick whomever you wish." Eric mused, his voice booming filling the air. Callista glanced at Jarren who seemed interested in someone else entirely letting her let out a sigh of relief.
"Hello Diana, it's been a while since we last talked." She started off the conversation with Diana who finally broke from her look of indifference. "Callista, it's a pleasure to finally see you again." Diana spoke however her words seemed forced in excitement and Callista could easily see through it.
"What's wrong? I can tell that something's bothering you." Callista went on. Diana balled her fists as if in contemplation before finally coming clean. "It's...my mother. She passed away." Diana's words heavy and grim. Callista was left speechless not out of shock but indignance.
"It's a shame that that came to be." Wrapping her arms around her, Callista comforted Diana before the two attracted weird glances. Diana's breaks rang through however those around them failed to notice, brushing it off as a reunion between the two.
"I know that this may come off as off-putting but I have a question." Callista finally broke the silence. "What is it?" Diana quizzed, puzzled with what Callista had to ask. "Did you happen to place a hit on Jarren Velros?" Diana's soft sobs came to an end as she pulled away. "Well...yes. You said that he was constantly bothering you so I had him taken care off. Though he managed to evade by best somehow..."
Callista grit her teeth, her mind sprawling into muses of acceptance as she let out a sigh. "Well as much as I appreciate your effort you won't like it because he's here." Diana glanced to the side to see Jarren wearing a serpentine smile directed at Kaelin before shooting it at her.
Her face faltered before rage overcame her. "Wait!" Clutching her hand, Callista stopped Diana from lashing out on Jarren, well aware of the outcome. "What? Don't tell me that you now care about him!" Diana posed, her head tilted with a look of skepticism on her face.
"It's way more complicated than you think and I feel nothing more than pity for what is in-store for you." Diana brushed Callista's arm of her's. "I don't know what has gotten into you but you're acting weird." Eric noted the stage before his voice shattered the scene.
"Since you all have chosen your partner, it should be much easier for you all to get over the first stage. Getting all the way to the top of the mountain and back in less than forty eight hours. Good luck!" Eric was shot looks of bewilderment as some of those present had yet to fully understand what he meant.
"Wait! You want us to climb all of that?!" One pointed out his hands gesturing at the mountain that peaked behind him. The summit shrouded with clouds and snow. "Was I not clear?" Eric posed, his voice flat with his hands neatly folded behind his back. "Well how are we supposed to get to the top of that without some form of equipment is what I meant!"
The student corrected themselves. "What do you mean equipment? You have malcore and that should be more than enough to help you. As if anything, I'm sure that the trial you have yet to face is actually rather easy." Eric went on eliciting groans of contempt rang through.
Jarren merely smiled through it all. "Since it would seem that you all see the challenge in front of you to be too easy, all of you will have to start to from the very bottom before making it to the top. Three days should suffice. And we will be watching so don't bother taking any other means of getting around it." And with that Eric took his leave.
"Great, thanks a lot Jasper!" His partner cursed as he landed a joking punch at the one addressed as Jasper. "What! I still can't believe that we have to do all of that within three days? Just look at what we have to face!" Jasper called out at the faces that shot him looks of contempt.
"We might as well get started if we want to finish it in time." Some murmured and a crowd followed. There were a total of ten, pairs of five at the Ark Facility.
...
"Should we take the dense forest or go for the bare path?" Morren quizzed, her tone faint as she glanced at Jarren's back. She was still fascinated with such a monster within their midst and with the second trial of the tournament, she had grown much more quieter and submissive in his presence.
"I'm sure that you're starving, right? So we might as well take the dense jungle. We might find some game to come across." Jarren finalized his words before the two made their way. Brose on the other hand was left with an individual who had more than just lingering resentment with Jarren.
...
Eric looked at the screen presented to him, a playful smile flashing on his face as the camera portrayed all kinds of faces of the students. Some annoyed with the humid, others breezing through the jungle before his gaze landed on a particular pair. 'They seem that they should be able to make it to the bottom with no effort.'
He mused in his mind, watching Diana and Callista stroll through the forest. It wasn't long before the pair came across some ravenous beast. "Sir Eric, we have some news from the royal family." A notification rang through making his smile wane.
"Fine, put them on screen." His order short and brisk as it was quickly executed. The faces shone through the room, mostly stern with an air of professionalism hanging around. "Eric Polker, we hope that all of the tournament victors have arrived safely." One of them started the conversation, a face smooth and crystal, evident of the opulence the individual was drowned in.
"Of course, why they've are already began the first stage. A small field exercise to help them familiarize themselves with the terrain." He smiled it off following with a nervous laughter. "That's great to hear, however I wonder how Diana's doing?" One began, their voice dripping with curiosity making the others fall into thought.
"She's just like her mother so she should be strong to endure. But the poor thing..." Eric felt the words, deep yet performative, a skill that most of them had come to master within their professions. "These are the best we have to offer so make sure that they are safe Eric!"
Another shot through, the voice deep and authoritative making the man sigh. "Of course my Lord, I'll make sure that they have completely honed their skills and remained unparalleled with the rest." Eric's voice calm and collected as he faced the powerhouses of Reuthar kingdom, beneath the king.
More often than not few of those in his hands got the position out of pure merit, the majority out of dedication and he could easily identify them. "That's what we like to hear but at the end of it all, we want to see the results speak for itself." The voice continued, sharp as ever.
"I'll make sure that they are at their peak when their done with the retreat. After all what they have ahead of them is without a doubt easy and should make them fully utilize their skills and sharpen their edge." Eric's face lacking any form of ripple in sight. "We'll be waiting."
The call came to an end as Eric let out a light sigh before crashing onto his seat. His eyes darted from student to student, his mind descending into a frenzy of thoughts as he saw what they had to offer. Pleased with some, dispirited with others but six months was more than enough time to make sure that they came around.
'It won't be easy but it never was to begin with.' With a grin, he noted the slain beast at the girls' feet. Riddled with injuries of obsidian black-water crystals and singes and boils of light. 'So this must be the anomaly that Timothy had initially reported.'
Reviewing the footage, he couldn't help but wonder at the glyph that formed at Callista's feet. As for Jarren, he chose to dabble in flames rather than his shadow affinity.