He had a lot of explain to the Laila. He knew she was going to ask the question sooner or later. But when the question came, his mind became blank and no words came out. He turned his head slightly, and he caught a glimpse of Laila glaring at him menacingly...
"I... uh-"
"I don't want to know about it..." she said, looking away and crossing her arms. She was enjoying this. A small smile formed on her face. And suddenly, she burst out laughing, as if all the tension had melted within the last few seconds.
Siege, who was staring at his shoes, looked up and saw the girl laughing manically. "What?" he asked, his face going red.
"Your face, it's too good!" she teased, her eyes closed, clutching her stomach. She laughed whilst Siege awkwardly stood there silently. He didn't understand what made Laila burst out laughing.
*******
"I believe every word you say if I didn't make it clear already" Laila whispered, sitting on a large chunk of stone. She had a long piece of wood in one hand and a carved, sharp piece of stone in the other.
While they were having small talk, Siege watched his new companion grinding away at her piece of wood. 'She's making another wooden spear' he thought. He hadn't noticed the calluses on her hands either until now. He felt relieved to know he was working with a hard worker.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Siege casually asked while doing pushups. He turned his neck around and saw Laila staring back at him.
"Oh..." she began. "I-I thi-" he continued, stuttering and with a confused facial expression.
"Oh, I'm sorry... I was just wondering" Siege replied awkwardly when he realized his mistake. It was hard for Siege to think that there was other candidates doing something similar to him without any knowledge of their past.
"Finished!" Laila shouted, standing up and showing off her finished product. She spun it round with unbelievable speed and precision. "Let's go, Damon!" she cried, walking inland.
"Do you have any idea where we're supposed to go?!" Siege asked, sighing. Laila sped up, speed walking further and further inland. Soon, she was running. Siege had never seen someone run so quick with such little energy.
When Laila was far enough away, Siege whispered the words:
"Inspect"
[Does Siege Damon wish to use Potential: Inspect?]
"Yes" he whispered, keeping his eyes on Laila.
[Name: Laila Harlow]
[Dual Species: Half Technomancer, Half Healer]
[Strength: 65]
[Agility: 25]
[Stamina: 45]
[Intelligence: 30]
[Rank: 5]
"Holy Sh*t..." Siege muttered.
"All her stats are nearly double mine! Not to mention her strength and stamina" Siege spoke. "And how the f*ck is she rank five already?"
*******
Ranks were the government officials way of recognizing and determining the strongest Magic Users. The majority of the world were Rank 0 or Rank 1. The more you train, the higher the rank. When each being was born, a chip was inserted into them to track their magical growth. This chip sits in each and every beings neck. It was in a way, like a tracking system. Only once you reach Rank 5 would one be able to even start The Process.
"Huh?" Laila stopped, Siege not too far behind. She heard Siege curse and stopped, curious to know what had caused it. Siege, meanwhile, was too busy staring at Laila's stats that he didn't have time to stop when Laila stopped running. Siege's forehead came in contact with Laila's lips.
"Ahh" A short scream escaped Laila's mouth as both she and Siege crashed onto the floor.
"Damn it!"
They lay there in silence as both of them took in the event that took place. They both squirmed and struggled at the same time. They're arms were entwined in an odd position, making it hard for Siege to get up. Siege noticed his forehead came in contact with Laila's lips as he fell. He tried his best not to think about the watery feeling on his forehead...
To make it worse, Siege was already feeling awkward and ashamed for making the mistake. His face went bright red. He stood up, his face brushing against Laila's breasts...