It was noon when the ambushed troops of Zeku finally have refuge in Region SOPHIA. He brought Quiante by her arms and Lilliane beside them catching up while riding on the nurse polar bear's back. They went inside to a highly secured facility and Zeku having Major beside him scanned their IDs on a monitor screen that qualified them to enter the chamber. The monitor beeped and suddenly the barricades turn in halves and opened wide. And inside there you can see the highly advanced and systematic military equipments and technological reserved war vessels of Region SOPHIA.
They entered into the dome and the barricades automatically closed. While dragging along Quiante with them, Quiante was so enthralled by the highly advance technological tools which she had never seen before. They pass through a group of busy engineers and rummaging scientists just passing to and fro. Until they go deeper into the dome and they've arrived on the administration office. The admin office was filled with several desks of multiple high tech computers, a wide screen that floats in the air like a hologram and a map table that animates a replica of a particular land mass.
"Sir!" a woman in naval uniform saluted to Zeku.
Zeku saluted back and began, "You still keep the appraisal chamber, right Lieutenant?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm still the keeper of the Gate 5, Sir!" she replied.
"Good, then lead us the way Lieutenant." Zeku commanded.
"With your authority Sir, we shall. This way please." Lieutenant affirms as she led them the way to the appraisal chamber.
Zeku and Quiante followed, as Lilliane was instructed to stay with Major and went ahead to the base cafeteria to have their lunch. They entered in the left wing of the admin office, cross on a right section and took the elevator down to the fifth ground floor. The walls are crystallized so whenever they pass through subsequent floors they can see that every floor is occupied by people according to rank and field of specialty. The lift stopped and they proceed to the fifth floor or the Gate 5.
The Gate 5 compared to the upper floors is quite different. In this particular part of the military base, you most often cannot see people lobbying around. There were just these empty bronze walls with a tightly sealed entrance. The surrounding is quiet and only the dim lights are lit. They go down by the elevator carter, walks into the sealed door and halted against it. Lieutenant pushed something from the wall and came out a holographic typewriter. She enters the passcode and by and by the seal opened. There came out frost smoke and the freezing temperature suddenly arises.
"Brr… cold," Quiante complained.
"It's part of the procedure, Polar Bear." Zeku explained.
"Please, come." Lieutenant invited her to come in first.
"What?! A-are you two telling me to enter this gate of freezing hell? Cause I'm not." Quiante exclaimed.
"Yes, you should Polar Bear or else we're not getting out of here. And don't worry the cold won't kill you anyway, it'll just minimize your control over your full abilities." Zeku assures her.
"Hello? I'm in bare feet; the moment I step in there I'll probably turn into a frozen meat, Idiot!"
"Just…enter alright? You'll know what happens when you get there."
Zeku pushed Quiante into the freezing chamber and truly it was freezing inside. Quiante quiver in cold and a helper tech suddenly appeared from above like robotic skeletal hands and claws. It grabbed Quiante's shawl and took her to a crystal capsule. The capsule blurred and Quiante's ragged clothes were instantly removed. Sanitized her with a brief splash of steam and attached something to her neck that it suddenly turned into a garment and wrapped around Quiante's body.
The capsule opened and Quiante got out in a white patient gown and her hair neatly contained in a robotic head band. She was still in bare feet but it seems that the cold isn't affecting her anymore. Mainly because of the protective covering of the instrument that was attached to her neck. And when she got out, Zeku is now also changed into new clothing. He tossed his hair up again and put on his eyepatch without Quiante seeing his injured eye. He turned around and saw Quiante staring at him.
"What, you got captivated by my handsome face Polar Bear?" Zeku teased her.
"In your wildest dreams, nut head!" Quiante insulted him.
"Well, that's not right. Why you gonna be so rude, Quiante?You should learn how to have some fun too, you know."
"And why would I?"
"Come on, sooner or later I'm gonna be your husband Polar Bear."
"And you'll gonna die before that happens." Quiante suddenly interjected.
"Ouch, I think I'll gonna die by the hands of my wife Lieutenant." Zeku turned to Lieutenant.
"Nope, I think you two best match for each other, Colonel." Lieutenant corrected.
"Well, apparently I don't see a bright future in that, Lieutenant." Zeku replied.
"Why not, don't you believe in the more you hate the more you love, Colonel?"
"Ah, I get your point Lieutenant, thanks. Hey, Quiante! Did you hear that? Lieutenant said you'll also learn to love me one day." Zeku called unto Quiante.
"Yeah, bright and clear Zeku, but do you also believe that love can kill you too, right?" Quiante ominously smiled back at him.
I DON'T THINK I SHOULD KEEP THIS CONVERSATION LONGER. THIS IS GETTING WAY OUT OF HAND! SHE'S AIMING FOR MY HEAD! (Zeku thought)
"Yeah (sweat drops), (clears throat) anyway back to our agenda. Lieutenant,"
"Yes Sir! Ma'am, please come forward."
Quiante came forward and Lieutenant guided her into an inner room. Zeku was left outside and the two proceeds alone. When they got inside, they saw a formless Slime resting on the corner. Lieutenant called out to her and surprisingly she talks back. Then suddenly she turns shape and she became human. She had pink hair, a grown up body, and she walks naked. It was Quiante's first time to see a squishy pink Slime that talks and turns into human. This shocked her a bit and was left silent.
"Ma'am may I know your name, please." Lieutenant asked Quiante.
"(Paused a bit) Yeah sure, Quiantessette Kings." She replied.
"Kings?! Are you by chance a kin to the Region KINGS, Miss Quiantessette?" Lieutenant immediately inquired.
"No, I'm afraid not Ma'am. And I believe that was not on our family history, I'm a citizen of the Empire, Lieutenant." Quiante responded.
She quickly rummaged through the files and spotted Quiante's personal data, "Phew! I see. Pardon me for misjudging your background identity, Miss Quiantessette. I'm very truly sorry." Lieutenant apologized.
"No its fine, everybody thought about that too first. Apology accepted, Lieutenant." Quiante smiled at her.
Lieutenant likewise smiled back at her and continued on their pending operation.
"Miss Quiantessette, I will put this on your neck and you will be ready for your appraisal examination. Just press this button and then you'll be ready to start your assessment." Lieutenant instructed her as she put on the ruby collar over her neck.
"Candace, you may also please start your appraisal the moment she is ready." Lieutenant commanded the shape shifter slime named Candace.
"Aye, aye! Captain! And oh, before I proceed she knows what she's supposed to do right Lieutenant?" Candace inquired.
"Perhaps I guess. I'm sure Colonel Mag'ladroth has probably told her about it already."
"Oh, he was here today?" Candace asked.
"After getting attacked by the KINGS air vessels at the boundary, yes."
"What an unlucky day huh, I doubt he told her about this Lieutenant." Candace doubted.
"Well if you insist, Miss Quiantessette," Lieutenant called out to Quiante, "You already know what to do, right?" she confirms.
WELL ISN'T PUSHING THE BUTTON WAY TOO EASY RIGHT, IS IT NOT? (Quiante thought)
"Of course," Quiante answered.
"Now, push the button Miss Quiantessette. And position to the rear end of the ring."
Quiante pushed the button and she was equipped into a body fit combat suit. She felt strange about this but decided to let it be and went to the rear end of the ring. The ring is one hundred meter in diameter and it was contained in a sturdy translucent wall that surrounded the perimeter. Candace followed and she likewise positioned on the opposite end of the ring. The entrance walls suddenly closed and automatically locked its system.
"You ready, challenger?!" Candace called out to her.
CHALLENGER? WHAT IS THIS A DUEL OR SOMETHING? BUT WHY IS SHE STILL NAKED? (Quiante thought)
"I am but you're not!" Quiante called back to her.
"What do you mean?"
"You're still naked, Slime!"
"Oh, I forgot. Thanks for reminding, chief!" She loudly replied and cheerfully smiles at Quiante.
IS SHE COMPLETELY SHAMELESS? GEEZ! (Quiante thought)
"Sure…" Quiante hesitantly responded.
Candace pushed her collar button and instantly equipped into a combat suit, she pulled out a pink javelin from her fraction and suddenly yelled, "Ready or not Challenger, here I go!"
Candace charged at her and out of a sudden she throws the javelin straightly aimed at her face. To Quiante's quick reflexes she detected this threat and eventually evaded the unanticipated attack. The javelin passed through her and it impacted into the translucent wall just behind her. It was damaging and she might have died from that shot. And a swift violent kick almost cut through her vision when she instinctively moved away and stepped back instantly. But another blow came charging at her before she could even make a stance. And this time it is a full force front back kick stunt that she immediately bolstered her arms and crossed it against her body to defend herself from the lethal physical blows. The kick impacted on her arms and she was roughly pushed aback.
Quiante was still on her balance but the impact has pinned her strongly against the wall beside the javelin. Candace pulled the handle of the javelin and spontaneously tried to hit Quiante with it again. Quiante instantly ducked down to escape the attack and in the momentum of time she finds an opening then slashed an uppercut strike that hit directly through Candace face. Candace let loose of the javelin and went flying a meter away from Quiante's counterattack. And before she could even land the ground, her hand reached the surface and in a great balance she back flipped and regained her stance.
"My, that was a good blow, challenger." Candace began to talk.
"What were you thinking!? I thought we were undergoing through an appraisal procedure, aren't we?" Quiante exclaimed.
"But this is now the appraisal procedure, dummy."
"And the hell would I know?"
"You said so yourself that you know about it already right? Have you forgotten?"
"Of course not! But I wasn't expecting that we will be caught up in a battle, Slime."
"See Lieutenant, I told you I was right" Candace blamed Lieutenant observing outside the arena.
"Miss Quiantessette, this is now the appraisal procedure! And all you have to do is to fight back so that Candace may be able to assess your stats!" Lieutenant called out from the outside.
"What?! I wasn't even oriented about this." Quiante complained.
"Yeah, I feel you gal. But I'm sorry you're already on my ground prey. So, quit crying like a baby and fight me back!"
Candace charged at her again and now she magnetized her javelin and molted it into a sword. And when she reached the range, Candace then slashed her sword over Quiante but still she manages to dodge. So, she kept swinging her sword like a mad max yet Quiante was so mastered in evading her attacks. Candace realizes this and halted for a moment.
"My, you aren't fun. Why do you keep evading and you aren't fighting back!? Are you playing on me, prey!?" Candace raged and in an instant she turned her sword into a robotic suit and aimed a canon at Quiante's face, "You wanna die, bug?"
Candace threatened her and without hesitation she pulled the trigger and blows slime sharp bullets at her target. Quiante quickly run away from the range and tried to dodge as much as she can. But another bullet and another charging in spontaneously is a hard notch. While she was keeping on evading, unexpectedly her legs slipped that she kneeled on the floor and got lose focus of the bullets. Candace took this opportunity and the bullet pierced through Quiante's shoulders. The suit was damaged and blood spilled on her shoulders.
Unable to move due to the bullet staked through her shoulders, Quiante bravely took it out and the blood gushed out from the wound. She straightens her body and now she was furiously provoked by the game. Candace took no measures from this and continued on firing bullets aimed at Quiante. The horde of bullets rushed towards Quiante and she activated her earth defense shield. However, unfortunately this did not work and more bullets pierced through her body.
While struggling, she suddenly remembers what Zeku said that the temperature keeps their full power from declining. Hence, she wasn't able to deploy her magic lately because her mana was disturbed by the unconditioned temperature. But if she keeps up like this forever she might get killed before she can even regain her control once she got out. So in a great concentration she closed her eyes and focused. While Candace unable to wait forever, she then fire another group of bullets and it went charging towards Quiante again.
It was almost reaching her when a bright light suddenly flashed and all the bullets were repelled back to Candace. Suddenly a swift object went close to her and when she blinked Quiante was already next to her aiming a high powered gun aimed right at her face. And in an instant, Quiante pulled the trigger and it shot a bullet at Candace that it pierced through her head and blasted into a violent explosion. The arena was filled with fire and the smoke clouded the walls.
"(Gasped) An Artificer,"
Lieutenant gasped in shocked and immediately run outside the inner chamber to push the distress alarm. She was about to push the button when Zeku suddenly caught her arms and talked to her.
"Tell me what happened, Lieutenant?" Zeku calmly asked.
"A-an Artificer! Sh-she was a KINGS, Colonel! We have an invader!"
"(Smiles) I see, so she'd done it."
"W-what are you talking about, Colonel?"
"I'm sorry Lieutenant but you won't be sending any armies down here and you aren't taking her anywhere."
"Are you insane!? We have an enemy here, Colonel!"
"I know, but she's not our enemy, Lieutenant.
"Sh*t! You're endangering us, Colonel!"
"My apologies but this is an order from the Empire, Lieutenant. She'll become the enemy of our enemy and we will use her as our anti-weapon against the KINGS." Zeku pressed her and she stopped insisting and went quiet in shocked.