"...you become a beast." The entire auditorium became still.
Axel's mind drifted to the first beast they had seen, then the tiger, the Phoenix and finally the harpie.
'Were those all humans? Or were they occupants of another dimension that is going through the same thing we are?'
Kale shook the thought out of his head.
'No. They are beasts.'
"Go through the common room and leave the Military Base Alpha. Gather and form a formation. I will be with you in a moment."
The Soldiers turned around and marched uniformly out of the auditorium. Kale was moving with the rest of them when he heard Toby call his name.
"Kale Vincoff, remain." He froze in his tracks and looked at Toby.
The rest of the troops left, leaving only Kale with Toby.
'How and why does he know my name? What could he possibly want with me? Is it because I'm not wearing my battle suit?' Kale panicked in his mind.
Toby groaned, "If you have questions, please ask them out loud. Unlike Stone, I can't read minds."
Kale's eyes widened and he took a step back. 'Wait, reading minds? Lieutenant General Stone can read minds?!'
"No, no , no. I can tell from your look that you're still thinking about questions. Say them out loud."
Footsteps resounded in the empty auditorium and both Kale and Toby looked at the source.
Miss Cayenne walked slowly holding a briefcase instead of her tablet.
"Mr. Vincoff, the military would like to apologize for the lack of your Battle Suit. Its upgrade took far longer than expected."
She dropped the briefcase in front of Kale. "Press the button."
Kale looked at the briefcase and noticed a small button by the handle. He hesitantly reached for it and pressed it.
The briefcase let out clicking noises and started to unfurl.
It opened and continued to expand, reaching a little over Kale's height. Many parts were still moving but Kale already knew what it was.
"Compression technology. One of the marvels of the military." The briefcase had expanded into his battle suit!
Kale's jaw dropped. It was near unbelievable.
"Put it on." Cayenne crossed her arms.
Taking his time, Kale studied the suit. It was the same with a few differences.
The fingers of the suit ended with slight talons while the main body of the suit had faint feathery patterns.
"If you haven't noticed, we used part of the harpie you killed to give your suit quite the enhancement." A smile spread on Miss Cayenne's lips.
'Beats can be used to enhance suits?' Kale's eyebrows furrowed.
"Don't bother trying to understand but everyone else is using a Tier 0 suit. You are the only one using a Tier 1." Toby spoke and Miss Cayenne threw him a glare.
"There are few more upgrades that can only be experienced. So Mr. Vincoff, put it on."
Kale placed the cannister and the crystal on the ground and touched the chest of his battle suit.
A vertical line that split the two in perfect halfs opened became visible.
The chest opened up, the helm rose and the arms and legs folded back to let him enter.
Kale entered with his back and felt the suit shifting to his size. It slowly closed up with him inside.
[Power Error]
[10 minutes of battery left. Find a power source]
Kale reached for the crystal and placed it in the forearm.
[Tier 1 crystal detected]
[Estimated Battery Life: 7 days at walking speed]
[Suit's Full Presets Unlocked]
[Speed Limiter: Off]
[Strength Limiter: Off]
[Agility Limiter: Off]
[Safety: Off]
Kale listened carefully and read the prompt at the same time.
[New Features Detected]
[Processing…]
[Processing Complete]
[1. Weapons Holster]
[2. Beast Integrations]
Kale looked at them before deciding on the one he'd check out first.
[Weapons Holster]
Kale reached for the leg of his suit and tapped on its side. A small slot opened and brought out a handle.
He picked up the handle and nodded. It was his laser blade.
He returned it and tapped on his back. Parts clicked and unlocked, a blade slowly rose out and Kale grabbed it.
[Share power?]
Kale pondered for a moment, "Yes."
The lines and grooves on the blade took on a bright blue glow.
He swung it around and saw the glowing arcs it left. It was packing power.
Kale performed a tornado kick and a loud bang resounded in the auditorium.
He performed a few moves using the sword and all of them showed devastating power.
"Enough." Toby spoke and Kale calmed down.
[Beast Integrations]
[Wind Step (One time use)]
[Become a child of the air. Unburdened by the earth, free to soar, and as fast as wind.]
Kale blinked slowly, 'Who the hell wrote this description?'
Miss Cayenne tilted her head slightly, "Oh, you will have to figure out the meaning of the description."
"We don't actively decide it, it is more of a translation. That's all I will say."
Toby stepped forward, "Go to the surface like everyone and get in formation. We don't have much time."
Kale placed his sword back into its holster and left the auditorium. The battle would soon begin.