Once entering the underground compound, we all had to take it all in. And I mean all of it.
Wherever we looked, there seemed to be something going on there. Not even trying to count, there were approximately a hundred robots just rolling around, neatly organizing everything in this gigantic vault. Some of them were even conducting experiments.
To our general left, there were vehicles, of all sorts. Ships, aircrafts, motorbikes, and even some luxury cars were just parking next to one another. What was even their use? We were on an island, for crying out loud. Ships and planes I get, but the cars? No reason whatsoever.
To our right, it seemed to be a gigantic kitchen, where robots would cook with all their might, seemingly trying to compose new and even more nutritious food for the Order. The exotic smell of some of these dishes complemented their already amazing design. I just wanted to run over there, and try all of them at once.
In front of us however, was a decently normal sized machine. In the middle of it, there was this capsule looking bit, and right next to that was an input monitor. That's where we were heading.
Caleb had already brought all of our clothing-capsules from the other day, so that wasn't an issue. What was the issue, is that we had to design our new outfits, right here, on the spot. For me that wasn't really an issue, I already had a general idea of what I wanted, but the rest of the guys seemed uneasy. They most likely had an idea already, but they weren't sure if it was alright to use it.
"Okay, who'd like to go first?" Caleb asked us. I raised my hand.
"I'll go," I gave a short response, and walked forward.
The designer interface was easy to use, so I got through it relatively fast. I even had the choice of what materials I wanted to use. Caleb then waved towards the door, as to show me the way, and I stepped in. He placed my capsule in a neat little socket, and the machine started rumbling.
I felt a lot of things going around me, all sorts of different cloths, and denim just surrounded me, almost as if that was this machine's [Power]. It seemed unreal, even with our current technological standard.
After about a minute or two, it gave off a ding sound, much like what a microwave would've, and the doors opened. As I stepped out, I could feel the tension coming from the rest of the guys, mixed with some anticipation, and excitement.
"The hell is that, Danny?" Meda asked, her tone exactly the opposite from what I felt a moment ago.
"What, you have a problem?" I asked back, making my voice a bit lower than usual.
"You could buy that stuff in any shop, dude," Francis added.
I guess they were somewhat right. The design I chose was pretty simple. I decided to go with a simple outfit, that would be easy to move around in, and also that I could use to hide weapons, and had some armor to it.
I went with jeans and a trenchcoat. I know, I know. That sounds stupid, but it is actually perfect for me. It has a slightly ominous look to it, so it slightly feels like I'm a villain, but it's not flashy, or extra. I went with the color black, with some of my [Power]'s usual purple design, to trim it.
Now that I think that just sounds like the Mystery Man from the other day...
"Y'know, it's reinforced with mythrill. Light, and defensive. Easy to move around. Has a lot of space in it for hidden weapons," I explained quickly, "Also, you seem to forget, I'm not a close-quarters fighter. I don't actually need that much armour, this is just perfect."
I didn't convince them.
Next up in the queue was Francis. He seemed to have a good grasp of what he wanted, so he rushed forth. He stepped into the machine, right after inputting his outfit details, and the machine once again began rumbling.
A few minutes have passed, and finally steam started to pour out. The door opened up, and we could all see the form of our friend walk out of it. I didn't realize it before, but this lookas absolutely badass. The steam slowly dissipated, and we could marvel at the italian design genius of Francis.
Well, that's what we hoped. His outfit was sort of a letdown, same as us, really. I mean sure, he went with his italian style, but a blue polo? Is that really the best outfit for some wind-genius? Also, what was up with that stupid Zorro-esque baby blue mask? That one really looked ridiculous.
"Was that cape necessary?" I asked with a slightly distorted face.
"It is cool," he replied holding his nose up high.
I feel like I got way more negative criticism, but whatever. Mine was really utilitarian.
Following in our footsteps, now Meda was walking up to the device. She promptly stepped in, with her design input taking half the time ours took. Did she have the perfect idea already, or was she just that good with unknown technologies?
As per usual, we went through the entire steamy process, and she finally revealed her new look. Stepping out, this was a true jaw-drop for us. If I said only half of her body was covered, I'd be overexaggerating. Was this like one of those things for girls, when if you see them in their underwear they panic, but as soon as they put on a bikini it's all fine?
She chose a more offensive looking get-up in both meanings, as she seemed to be more focused on mobility, and giving up protection. With only some pelt-like barbarian design, she somehow still looked graceful. Like sort of what you'd imagine an amazon wearing, but a bit more tribal? Something along those lines. Sure, when she uses her [Lioness], she sorta has a bit more fur, that apparently serves as armor, but can that really justify this look? Not that I'm unhappy, though.
"What are you looking at?" she truned away, with a bit of a blood rushing to her cheeks. So it wasn't really a bikini afterall.
Last on the list was our nordic beast of a man, Baulder. I wonder what sort of stuff he had planned? After the entire shenanigan, he stepped out, straight through the mist. He had a tight overall, but more on the scientist looking side, with some sort of marine looking badge on his shoulders, as well as a captain's hat, that worked really well with his huge beard. For some reason, he also opt for a pair of glasses, with a really nice thick trim.
But I don't think that's what stunned us the most. He had a set of four extra arm-like branches coming out of his back! Was that his [Oarshield], or was that part of his outfit? Wander ing about this, he stepped behind us, and for some reason he reacted the exact same way as Meda did. Blood in his cheeks and all. What a shy boy he was.
Wait, how did he fit in the machine?
"Congratulations!" Caleb clapped, "You have finally become full-fledged villains. Or rather, anti-heroes, mayhaps?"
"Let's go with villains publicly, shall we?" I responded with a cruel smile. I want a fedora to pull down when I say that.
"Splendid. Allow me to deal with your public image, as well as all potential background dealings, after all I was a assistant my entire life," he asked for my permission.
"Acceptable. We need as much help as we can get," I replied.
"Wonderful! Well then, if you excuse me, I'll get back to my work," he bowed, and left us.
We looked at each other, took the sight in for a second, then suddenly, we all bursted out laughing, at the exact same time.
"Dude! What the hell is that trenchcoat?" Francis blurted out laughing at me.
"What about your ridiculous mask?" I laughed back.
"That's a cool hat," Meda roared at Baulder.
"I don't want to hear that from a pervert!" Baulder chuckled back.
That's the sort of atmosphere that I wanted my entire life though. I feel like I finally found a group that I can be myself with.
"Anyways, what should we do now?" Francis finally wiped his tears, and tried to start a normal conversation.
"Like training?" Meda asked back.
"No, no, like plans. Stuff to do as villains," he explained.
"I think we should just stay here for the time being. We have some serious issues coming up either way, so until then there's no need to make us stand out," I responded. I wasn't really sure if we should go out there straight away anyways, and I wasn't sure that rushing to Claire was really the best idea to do, but anyways, that's the best chance we have now, "And don't forget about that Mystery Man from the other day," I warned them.
They stood there for a second. Silent. Way to ruin the atmosphere.
"Anyways, how do we take these off again?" Baulder asked suddenly.
"Hell if I know," I laughed.
Then we resumed to laughing like a bunch of idiots.