Reol shifted immediately, folding his arms. "I mean… the other suit did its job too… so you really weren't missed."
[Liar.]
Tyla watched him from afar, thinking, 'Well… it does make him more… confident.' Her eyes widened as realization hit her.
"Wait… you actually gave your body suit a name?!" she exclaimed.
Reol rubbed the back of his head with a light chuckle. "Yeah… it's a long story."
"Weirdo…" Geno muttered, meticulously dusting off his already-clean coat.
Reol glanced at him. 'Yeah… sure. I'm the weirdo.'
Commander Zackery made a soft sound, and everyone snapped to attention.
"Reol. Geno." His gaze drilled into them. "You are Honeybadgers now. Out there… every step you take, every choice you make, carries our name. Our pride."
Geno shifted his gaze slightly.
Commander Zackery's voice dropped, deep and deliberate. "The uniforms you wear… they are not just clothing. They are symbols of resilience. The Honeybadgers' way." His gaze bored into them. "I expect you to honor that. I expect you to rise and prove yourselves worthy of the rank of Sergeant."
"Geno… cast aside your past failures. What matters now is what you do from here on out. Reol… you proved we were right about you in your last mission. Keep doing so, learn everything you can from your fellow Fortextiles—and remember this." He let the words hang for a beat.
"We, the Honeybadgers, walk with absolute honor. Always."
Reol and Geno narrowed their eyes, determination sparking.
Felicia smirked. "And of course… wipe the floor with the other companies while you're at it."
Reol and Geno's grins widened, like that had been the plan all along.
"Yes… but of course," Commander Zackery said, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Now go and carve your names into this world!" he commanded, voice firm, leaving no room for doubt.
Reol and Geno exchanged a sharp glance, fists clenching. "Sir!"
As they turned to leave, Cassidy stopped Reol with a sharp hand on his shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going, buster?"
"Uh… to the exams…" Reol blinked, caught off guard.
"Without a weapon? You seriously think you can just coast by picking up junk on the floor?" Cassidy asked, voice incredulous.
"Yeah… that's exactly what I was thinking," Reol said, shrugging as if confirming what she already suspected.
Cassidy didn't wait for him to protest. She dragged him down the hall to a vault, pressing buttons until it hissed open.
Inside, an array of weapons gleamed: swords, shields, knives, shurikens, chains, whips, every kind of tool ever forged to kill.
Reol blinked, awestruck.
Cassidy's eyes gleamed with pride. "These are my little toys. I never thought they'd actually get used. Carriers don't need man-made weapons but then an Enhancer steps right onto my doorstep. What are the odds?"
Reol's gaze landed immediately on the perfect weapon: a baseball bat. Without hesitation, he grabbed it.
Cassidy and Tyla froze, shocked that he ignored the swords and guns. Reol ran his hand along the bat.
"It's perfect," he murmured, fingers curling around the handle.
Cassidy blinked, then realized every member of the Honeybadgers seemed to have their own brand of crazy. She smirked and flicked her glasses. "I think it suits you, Reol."
"Thanks, Cass." He slung the bat onto his back, alongside his skateboard.
Geno leaned against the door and clicked his tongue. "Hurry up, you're dawdling."
Reol raised an eyebrow. "You know, you could've just walked to the van on your own."
Geno said, his tone firm, "No. We wear the same uniform. We're going to the same battlefield. Which means we leave as one."
Reol hesitated for a moment, then smirked. "Fine… whatever that means."
Together, they made their way to the van as Tyla's voice rang out behind them.
"Wait—you guys!"
They turned, and Tyla tapped Geno on the shoulder. "The next time you return to these headquarters… it'll be as a Sergeant, right?" Her eyes were sharp.
Geno's widened for a moment before he smirked. "Of course," he said, walking off.
Tyla looked at Reol, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Promise me… you'll be careful out there. You won't just be facing Voletiles, you'll be up against other Fortextiles too."
Reol felt conflicted at the unusual softness in her tone, but he grinned. "Yeah… I'll be careful. And I'll look cool doing it too."
Her smile sharpened. "We'll be coming to support you at the final exam. So you better make sure you do."
"Well, you better scream your lungs out so I know you're there," he said.
She leaned closer, adjusting his hair. "No promises."
Reol felt a flush creep up his neck. He turned and walked away, trying to act casual.
Cassidy watched them, a devious smile spreading across her face. "Tyla's got balls big enough to match her tits, but I've never seen her this forward with a guy." She leaned back, amused. "Looks like we finally get the long-awaited girl-talk."
*****
The van rumbled along, nearing the location.
Jeff, the driver, finally broke the silence. "Look… failure isn't the end."
The words rubbed both Reol and Geno the wrong way, but they could tell it wasn't meant with hostility, so they just nodded.
When they arrived, Jeff spoke again. "With that said, show them what the Honeybadgers are made of," and drove off.
Reol and Geno stepped out. A massive building loomed before them, the main headquarters overseeing all ten branches. A sea of white uniforms stretched across the courtyard, over three hundred cadets, each bearing different crests. Murmurs rippled through the crowd, quickly turning into whispers.
"Look… Honeybadgers," one voice sneered.
"Cadets? They probably didn't even know the reputation before joining."
"Only two of them, though," another scoffed.
Reol glanced at Geno, who simply folded his arms. "Ignore them," he said.
Reol's stomach sank as he took in the scene. The Honeybadgers weren't respected. The branch lacked first-rate facilities. It all clicked.
Among the crowd, a few cadets stood out—a silver-haired boy with half-lidded blue eyes, a brown-haired girl absorbed in a book behind her glasses, and a hulking man towering over everyone else.
A woman finally stepped onto the podium. Silence fell over the courtyard like a weight. She wore a black coat lined with red, her silver eyes sharp, cutting through the cadets, her black hair fluttering in the wind.
The cadets whispered among themselves.
"It's her… it's really her. The Maiden of Death."
Rumors clung to her like shadows—every exam she oversaw ended in death for most who dared step into it.
She finally spoke, her voice cold. "Greetings, Cadets. I will be your examiner for the first exam."
Geno's eyes were already wide, sweat sliding down his temple.
Reol glanced at him, caught off guard.
The woman's gaze swept over the crowd, indifferent.
"In this exam… casualties are all but certain. If you truly value your lives, leave now."
Reol didn't need anyone to explain it to him. This was the woman Tyla had warned him about. And all at once, the weight of the challenge settled over him.