The exit to the Chosen side of the facility was surprising close, it was only about a ten minute walk from Fen's last position. Thankfully, he only encountered one other group of Chosen who, although they gave him weird looks, let him pass without any trouble. It seemed that he didn't have to worry about all the Chosen recognizing each other or anything like that, which made his travel much less dangerous.
No alarm rang or anything like that either, so Fen assumed that three weak Chosen that he knocked unconscious either haven't been found or they did wake up, and just accepted their beating without questioning it. Both of those options weren't realistic at all, but hey, since when was he an expert on the Chosen?
The exit itself was simply a metal gate operated using a mesh of old school electricity and magic engineering, resulting in a mechanical door that didn't need any Foundation personnel to operate. All Fen had to do was prove that he was an Opfer, and boom, he was back into his own side of the facility.
Hearing the sound of the metal doors close behind him, he heaved a sigh of relief. Having to constantly be on his guard for potential attacks while inside that part of the facility wore him down mentally.
The second he put his guard down... The VERY SECOND, when his senses relaxed by the tiniest margin, a bolt of electricity struck him square in the chest. Who said bad luck didn't exist? Who?
The magic bolt was quickly followed by another more deadly burst of flame after the caster noticed that his target wasn't dead yet. Noticing the direction from which the magic spellworks came from, Fen narrowly rolled away from the flame while grabbing the remains of his short sword and throwing it straight towards the caster.
A gasp of air came from that direction, Fen assumed because his aim was true, and the spellworks stopped for a brief moment. Taking advantage of the lax in attacks, Fen stomped his right foot forward to push off the ground, using his Vital Dash technique to burst forward with increased acceleration.
The rush of Vital energy didn't end there; seeing the dark figure of his attacker, Fen raised his knee and cracked it against his ambusher's chin, bringing his face into the light and into full view of Fen's eyes.
He grabbed their collar and raised his fist, intending to smash it against their face repeatedly before they told him the reason for attacking him, but his movements stopped when he noticed who had attacked him.
With a confused face, Fen uttered a single word.
"Marcus?"
****
He awoke very quickly, probably from the influence the Mana had on his body. Marcus gasped very violently before raising his hands before his chest, casting several spellworks to protect himself from any attacks, attacks which never came. With a frown, the Stage one Mage released his magic and examined his surroundings, seeing the white-clad Fen calmly squatting next to him.
Marcus almost attacked again after seeing the color of his uniform, but held back after seeing the familiar face wearing the Chosen uniform. While he held back his magic and didn't attack, Marcus' eyes still narrowed, expecting Fen to start explaining.
"What? I had to borrow a uniform, and some Chosen were unfortunate enough to be nearby." Fen started and ended his explanation with a joke in the hopes of lightening the atmosphere.
He too noticed the reason why Marcus attacked him, slapping his face while he was unconscious from failing to realize his own mistake while the youth was still unconscious. While his white uniform helped him blend in while he was still in the Chosen part of the facility, the fancy uniform had the opposite effect after he crossed over.
Of course any Opfer that saw him wouldn't hesitate to attack, hoping to catch him off guard before he noticed them. It just so happened that Marcus was the first one to notice him, otherwise Fen wouldn't hesitate to simply beat the person who dared to attack him. While he didn't know him too well, he searched for his Squad mate after noticing she was lost after the Task, and that was good enough to be considered a good person by Fen.
After all, everybody knew each other for at most a single month, and while it was no where near enough time to create lasting bonds, it was enough time to develop basic friendships. And someone who'd take it upon themselves to search for someone they had only known for about a month, well, they couldn't be a bad person right? Maybe his standards were weird...
Marcus groaned as he got to his feet, rubbing the place on his chest where Fen's damaged sword had hit him.
"Sorry about the bruise; I didn't really think about how to make you stop without hurting you." Fen apologized for having to knock him unconscious.
"A conversation would probably be enough..." He grumbled.
"I didn't think about that, but then again, its hard to think when a bunch of spellworks are being thrown at you, don't you think?" Fen shot back, not backing down for his actions.
The young Mage had no other option but to grudgingly agree; after all, it was technically his fault for not recognizing Fen as an Opfer in the first place and simply attacking first and asking questions later.
"You heading back to your Squad room? Here, I'll walk with you cause I'm a nice guy." Fen patted him on the back.
Marcus snorted. "Bullshit, you're just using me so you're not attacked by any other Opfer. Selfish bastard, but smart." He swung his body out of arm's length. "Cause I owe you one, I'll help you, but just this once."
Helplessly chuckling, Fen scratched the back of his head as his true intentions were revealed.
"Found out that easily, huh? Well, as long as you're cool with it. But what do you owe me for? I don't remember doing you a favor..."
Marcus turned and looked at Fen with a confused expression, his head having to tilt back slightly from Fen's much larger height. At the beginning of the Program, Fen had only been around 182 cm (6 feet), but thanks to the regular training regimen he went through, the nutritious and delicious food, and the aid of the Vital energy within his body and cells, Fen's body had undergone several changes.
For one, his height exploded and in a short month he'd grown an entire 4 centimeters, for a grand total of 186 cm (Around 6'1''). His shoulders thickened along with his arms to accommodate for his larger mass, his face smoothened and lost most of it's acne and any remaining development issues- He was endlessly thankful for that, of course- but for some reason, his hair barely grew at all, and maybe even stayed at the same length.
Thanks to his growth, he towered above most people in his same age group, and even those older than him. While he wasn't a giant, he was still quite large. If he was honest, he'd prefer to be smaller- for various reasons. If he grew any more, it'd be hard to display his affection with Miko, having to nearly break his back every time he tried to kiss her.
But, being bigger did have it's advantages. For one, he'd be able to play the part of big spoon very well- ahem, the increased strength was a nice boon too.
"You helped me find Orphinia after the Task. What, you don't remember that?" He said to Fen's confused expression, before the tall Knight's eyes lit up with understanding and he started laughing.
Waving his hand, he said, "You don't owe me for that, I was looking for my Squad mate anyways. Is she okay by the way? She didn't seem to be in the right place of mind when I left you two." Fen was of course referring to her standing with a blank expression on her face with blood still on her hands; she didn't even bother to wipe it off after finishing the Task.
Marcus' expression stiffened for a moment before he relaxed a little and started explaining.
"She's very... delicate. Before the Task, we worried if she'd be able to actually go through with it." A hollow laugh escaped his mouth as a bitter expression washed across his face, "Turns out, it wasn't her we had to worry about."
"We, as in your other Squad mate? They didn't make it I assume, based off your tone." Fen guessed.
He nodded. "Liza. She was Orphinia's girlfriend. The two of them were great together, and after the Task she was already in a fragile state of mind. After I told her about what happened to Liza... I don't know, it just shattered whatever was left inside her. Now I can barely get her out of her room to eat, let alone go to a Lesson." His voice slowly dipped more and more into sadness, making even Fen's apathetic heart twinge in pity. While Marcus talked, the Mage kept his eye on Fen's facial expression, especially when he mentioned the word 'girlfriend'.
Having to deal with people like Preacher made him subconsciously resent people like him who judged others based off their interests. Fen of course, didn't know about him.
Thankfully, he wasn't the type to mock people based off their preferences, nor was he a fanatic zealot of outdated religions. Fen continued talking like he didn't notice his stare.
"She'll have to deal with the guilt on her own. Eventually, the realization that she has to prioritize her life will get her talking again, so don't worry." Fen gestured towards the room they were approaching. "This your Squad room?"
"...Yeah. Good luck with getting back to your room dressed like that." Before he left completely, Marcus turned around. "And... thanks. It's hard, to have to comfort some one when you can't even understand the guilt they carry. And it's not like we're friends either, I've barely known her for a month."
For once, a smile spread across Fen's face. "A true statement was never said. Listen, if you ever need some advice, or just to talk, I'm-"
"No thanks." Marcus firmly refused before turning and walking into his Squad room, closing the door behind him.
And just like that, Fen was alone again. But this time, he was quite happy to meet a kindred soul similar to himself. He was very familiar with not being able to relate to people's struggles, especially their emotions. His entire life he could be considered 'anti-social', so being able to even carry a conversation should be considered one of his better qualities.
While they talked along the way to Marcus' Squad room, he discovered that they shared a lot of qualities. While he didn't learn much about him, the way he talked gave away a lot, like his similar lack of social skills. Fen recognized a comrade when he saw one. Er, heard one, in this case.
The walk back to his Squad room was much less dangerous and eventful than his entrance into the Opfer side of the facility. And, although it took some time to do so, it seemed that the Chosen uniforms he had borrowed- alright fine, stolen- had a self-repairing property. The scorch marks from Marcus' lightning strike had already started to repair itself, presumably using the ambient Mana in the air to transform the fabric back to its previous, clean form. The fabric was already beginning to whiten while the ash steadily flowed out from the fabric. It was cool to look at; Fen would have to ask Raisen about if he could get some of that for his Opfer uniforms. He really was going through too quickly.
When he entered his Squad room, Qin and Gray were surprisingly still training together in the Training Hall. The sound of weapons clashing against each other was quite unique to hear, especially because Fen didn't recall buying any weapons. The ones they used during the Task were given on loan from their instructor, who seemed to be breath of sane air in the Foundation.
Peeking into their training session, Fen was shocked to see that Gray had kept true to his vision and actually purchased a greatsword; the mighty piece of metal seemed out of place when being wielded by the young teenager. And it was mighty indeed, almost being twice the size of Gray when held upright, and a nonexistent edge. The weapon seemed to be more apt for bashing rather than cutting, the weight of the weapon adding to it's destructive power.
Qin, of course, had a simple spear. It was made of a yellow material, and seemed to flicker in the light. Every time he flicked it towards Gray in their spar, the spear disappeared and reappeared as it rearranged the light to camouflaged it's movements.
Both of the weapons had a long reach, so the spar hadn't reached it's climax yet. Both of their guards were still up and ready to strike and counter any of their opponents moves, making the fight one of endurance rather than skill. Their similar talent levels didn't help to speed up the fight either, though if Fen had to bet, he believed that Gray was more skillful with his weapon than Qin. Maybe it was his small size, but the kid seemed to much better maneuver his body, using his feet to deftly avoid most if not all of Qin's quick jabs. His strength seemed to improve as well, making it look easy to use the massive metal sword. The kid had the advantage on every front, but his unwillingness to use it was his downfall.
Although Gray seemed to possess more talent as a Warrior, his uncertainness about fighting kept him from using his full strength.
With the sound of scraping metal, Qin used his spear in a backhand sweep to scrape his greatsword away and out of Gray's hand. Without a weapon, it only took a moment for Gray to become pressured to his knees with a spear pressed against his neck. No blood was drawn the entire fight, but both Warriors-in training were covered in sweat from head to toe, with their uniforms soaked in perspiration.
When the fight ended, both fighters turned their heads to the sound of clapping, seeing Fen leaning against the entrance of the Training Hall as his hands came together to applaud their fight.
"Why the hell are you wearing a Chosen uniform?" Qin was the first one to ask the obvious question, taking the time in between his breaths to wipe away the sweat collecting on his face with a piece of his uniform, Gray doing the same after he got off the floor.
"And why the hell should I answer?" Fen snorted in response. Turning around, he headed back to his room. Truthfully, he did want to answer honestly but his mouth just started talking on reflex.
'It was a reflex, I swear!' Fen scolded himself inwardly.
Before he reached his room, the sound of metal hitting one another reached his ears, making it apparent that the two decided to continue their fight after conversing about each other's shortcomings.