"What is the relationship between the two of you?" Kaelin asked, her eyes landing on Callista's back as she walked away from the Ark Facility training room.
"A relationship between a master and it's cat. Beautiful yet contrasting." Jarren's words low and calm as the two stepped into the room. A huge white expanse was what greeted them before a low hum rang through the air.
The empty expanse morphed into something different, no longer a monotone of bland whiteness as the terrain of the room changed. A multitude of doors came into view before a list of notifications popped before the two.
[{Please choose your current training path}]
[{Physique strengthening=500 merits per hour, 1,000 merit points past the four hour mark}]
[{Malcore refinement=500 merits per hour, 700 merit points past the five hour mark.}]
[{Weapon browsing is currently locked}]
[{Tome and book accessory= 500 merit points per hour, 1,200 past the five hour mark}]
From there the notifications kept on flowing, breaking the aforementioned into further pieces.
[{If you wish for a better physique development process and additional 2,000 merit points will be required for each additional tier}]
[{This applies to any other field that you would wish to train or refine}]
"It would be better not to waste any merit points at the moment." Jarren broke the silence, his gaze shifting away from the messages. "So far we haven't figured out the true worth of these merit points so to spend them so casually would be detrimental if they turn out to be so important."
Kaelin paused, pondering his words. 'So far the twenty thousand merit points though high could be valuable so it would be ignorant to spend them here. And besides I don't know if they'll be required elsewhere or a method of obtaining them.'
Brushing the notifications to the side, she agreed with his view and the two left the training room. Alluring as it was to see what the Ark Facility had to offer, caution overtook them. The two broke off, heading to their respective rooms.
*Two hours later*
The bath was refreshing, the coldness of it all akin to opening his pores and remove the exhaustion out of his body. He wore his allotted clothes, uninspired grey overalls with dark strips running vertically through it's chest and spilling into his arms.
He wasn't one to bother too much with his appearance as he put them on.
[{Student Jarren Velros, the mission hub is now accessible to all located on the your map. From here you can take missions, some crucial and others optional to help you earn merit points. Please make your way over.}]
[{Merit points are crucial for your stay here at the Ark Facility. They will be required for more than just training but for other commodities and facilities as well. From high quality food to access to better resources and intel on the outside world.}]
The bracelet then highlighted a place he hadn't been before, blocked off as a restricted area now opened up. It wasn't that he didn't know the value of the merit points but knew how hard it would be to earn them.
Hovering his wrist over the screen, the door slid open revealing a set of screens that flickered to life. A soothing yet metallic voice rang through.
"Congratulations students,the mission hub will now be available for access to all. A multitude of options is present for you to choose however some will be required from you to execute regardless of your state." The three panels then proceeded to show a variety of missions that they could do.
However the problem was that with such a demanding toll such as climbing the mountain, the rest of the students were still in their rooms, resting safe for one. Callista who was browsing through her options. She didn't need to look up to know that it was Jarren who entered the room.
'Some of these missions are quite intriguing...' Jarren couldn't help but wonder as his eyes shifted from task to task.
[{Mandatory mission: Govern over a poor state town at the edges of Reuthar kingdom. 50,000 merit points upon completion}]
[{This mission will begin in two weeks}]
Other than that there were other choices to choose from. Some more alluring than others.
[{A fee will be required to start each subsidiary mission. The toll depending on the mission}]
[{Optional mission: Climb the mountain once more. 1,000 merit points}]
[{Optional mission: Hunt for wild beasts in the forest. The worth of the beast will be assessed by the bracelet upon slaying a beast. Merit points may vary with beast slain}]
[{Optional mission: Hunt Dreadhorn demons in the forest. 2,000 merit points per demon}]
The list went on but the rest weren't as intriguing. 'Oh what is this?' Looking at a specific notification, his lips couldn't help but curl into a smile.
[{Students can challenge other players for merit points. The two parties will decide on the amount to wager, if no merit points are wagered then 1,000 merit points will be drawn from the one that proposed. If the battle ends with the proposed's defeat then they will lose an additional 1,000 merit points}]
Callista paused as she finally made her choice. Alongside Jarren the two chose to slay the demons now running amuck in the forest. The rest less alluring to the two.
[{4,000 merit points have been deducted from your overall points. You now have a total of 16,000 merit points}]
Jarren brushed the notification to the side as he made his way out of the mission hub and left. The two didn't bother with small talk as they made their way to the cable car rather than trekking all the way to the bottom.
[{A fee of 1,000 merit points will be required for you to use the cable car. From heading down to the bottom and making it back.}]
Callista didn't bother wasting another second making the purchase alongside Jarren as the two made their way to the forest.
...
"Sir they're the only two that have left the facility." A man made a report to Eric who shuffled the documents at hand. "Jarren and Callista I suppose." His tone flat as he kept skimming through the pages. The man gave an affirmative yes however he still didn't bother to look up.
"Just keep an eye on them. And make sure that the rest take a mission regardless of the caliber." And with that the man took his leave. 'There's no way that this is possible.' Eric couldn't help but wonder, his gaze heavy as he read the contents of the documents.
It spoke about the rumored death of the royal court of the elves and high elites. All wiped out in a single night. 'Was the one responsible for this the same for her majesty's death?' He couldn't help but wonder before the theory met it's flaws.
'If so then why would they choose Reuthar specifically? And how powerful would the individual have to be to slip in the royal castle and kill her.' His gaze shifted to the screen illuminating his face in the dark office.
His eyes trying to dissect the glyph the pair used. 'Maybe they had something to do with these two. Demons perhaps?' The thought however didn't lasts long. 'No that couldn't be. The facility has the latest tech in that department so sensing them to be demons would have been long uncovered.'
The more he thought about it the less sense it seemed to make. 'As for Othera, it's streets have been running rampant with bizzare mutated beasts. The other kingdoms propose to wipe it completely.' Overnight the streets of the kingdom was being rummaged by nightmarish monsters that sought blood.
Their appearances similar to humans but wrong in a way that was hard to describe. It was clear that some hand in the dark had something to do with this. 'If such a breakout were to occur in other kingdoms...' His mind could only dread of such a fate.
"It would be best to get rid of it as a whole. As for these two... I wonder what your limits are." His hands clasped together supporting his head as his eyes bore into Jarren's and Callista's faces. Two completely different people of two completely different worlds and yet they had a common denominator.
At a certain point he thought that the two were in an affair, merely secretive about it but the idea had taken a back seat as he was primarily focused with their glyphs. "It's only a matter of time before your secrets are revealed to the world." His murmurs with no audience as he rose from his seat and left.
The royal court had ordered him to observe the two, never once disturb or ask them about their glyphs but merely watch the way they moved. Assess them the same way he would with the rest but the difference began to show with time. Eric who marched through the halls, his strides purposeful as he made his way to the chopper, recalling the fight between Jarren and Grazilla.
It was less of a fight and more of a one sided battle. By his seasoned wits, his gut told him that Grazilla was meant to hold his own when it came to close quarters combat would at the very least end the fight in a tie. However it ended with him losing in such a devastating fashion that felt comical if anything.
Hopping in, his gaze drifted to the greens below as the chopper's thrusters roared to life. However the sound was drowned out by his thoughts as the aircraft began it's ascent. 'These noble snobs better have a good reason for calling me all the way to the capital.'
The message out of the blue requiring his immediate presence. As much as he wanted to study the two he had an order to fulfill. "We'll be there in five hours." The pilot mused, his voice calm and assuring as he steered away from the Ark Facility. "Just make it quick." Eric posed,his voice flat lacking vigor as he stared at the world below him.
...
"So do you have a clear method of hunting these demons or are you going in blindly?" Jarren posed, his figure hopping out of the gandela. "I'm a hunter, so finding them wouldn't that much of a problem." Callista said, her words flat as a glyph flickered at her feet.
Multiple crystals surrounded her akin to a banished fairy, it's blackwater obsidian shimmering faintly in the light. "You can ask that question, after all did you forget that your thoughts are mine?" The two made their way through the thicket, aloof to what surrounded them.
"If they're just as lost as I then what makes you think so?" A good question, Jarren thought as he gave his answer. "I'm the darkness, watching all of you trying to navigate still holding onto your beliefs out of fear. Scared of becoming something that you'll fear at the end of it all. It's poetic."
Callista's eyes narrowed at his words, her breathe calm. "I didn't know that the darkness could talk." A jab he laughed off. "Well those in it are just as equally dumbfounded when they hear the whispers of something far greater. You five will make a great addition to my collection."
*Whoosh*
A crystal shot with no second to spare at the thicket only to reveal a hare. The two kept on walking. "One with lingering resentment, bound by the fear of inevitability of the end thus she despises my presence. Another out of fear of purpose, fearful of losing meaning thus she serves eternally. Another caught in the game, unaware now governed by the fear of losing it all."
He paused, intentionally as his gaze shifted to Callista. "And you my darling are the last. Bound by the fear of losing your humanity while you've already lost so much. Your emotions, your connections with the ones you love to fall into the abyss. You know that it's inevitable but deep down I can see your resistance. Futile."
His words weren't sharp or condescending, merely stating what he saw. "I've completely given into you. There's no resistance left within me." She mused eliciting a smile from Jarren. "So you claim, if I told you right now to kill Diana, would you do it?"