"You called for me, Ma'am?"
"How are you finding your new roommates?"
"They… are very interesting."
"They are freakishly weird is what they are, you don't need to be nice. Come on in."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Are you not going to ask why I threw you to them instead of with the other recruits?"
"No, Ma'am. It is not my place to ask questions."
"Wow, would you look at that? Just one day with Pervert and Baldie and you're already learning. Let's hope being an obedient soldier is all that you learn from them. Well, take a seat."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"What about Millis? That fairy still giving you a hard time?"
"...No, Ma'am."
The Underworld Corps has two main bases. The secondary base was in the Surface, while the primary one was here in the Underworld, where there were tall walls and several buildings where the members were living.
How they built the walls and buildings, exactly, was something Rhys deliberated randomly from time to time. Right now, Rhys was in the Command building, once again inside Commander Ayesha's office-slash-chambers. Her office in the Underworld was much more… decorated; once again with tribal stuff. But most notably, the very same teddy bear he saw in Ayesha's tent on the Surface was now sitting on her desk.
"Zeus, Rhys. Sit your ass down already and stop thinking about everything!"
"Yes, Ma'am!" Rhys perked up before finally taking a seat.
"Good," Ayesha walked around her desk before sitting on it directly in front of Rhys, placing one of her feet on the armrest of Rhys's chair,
"Look, Rhys. The reason I called for you actually has something to do with why I didn't put you in with the rest of the sorry lot."
"..." Rhys could really only hold the other armrest tight as Ayesha slightly tilted his chair back with her foot.
"Because I don't think you belong with those assholes," Ayesha smirked as she leaned closer to Rhys, "The smell of blood is strong in you already. It makes sense since…
…you already killed a lot back in your school."
"...Ma'am?" Rhys tried his best not to show any reaction. But it was clear with the growing smirk on Ayesha's face that she could see right through him.
"Why is your heart beating so fast, recruit?"
Could it be… she knows what he did in the cafeteria?
"You… are making me nervous, Ma'am," Rhys took a deep breath to calm himself down, "I was not expecting to be alone with you again."
"Afraid?" Ayesha smirked, "Never seen a woman covered in scars before? Freakishly ugly, right?"
"I believe they are beautiful, Ma'am."
"W—the heck?" Ayesha finally removed her foot from Rhys's chair as she stood up, "Don't tell me the Pervert's already also rubbing off on you?"
"No, Ma'am," Rhys shook his head, "It was already my impression the first time I saw you."
And that was the truth, Rhys was not lying at all. His feelings were… genuine.
"The scars…" Rhys's eyes started to trail across Ayesha's arms, "... only make you more beautiful, Ma—Ugh!"
And before Rhys could finish his words, he found himself and his chair violently spinning in place as Ayesha very lightly slapped him on the cheek.
"I heard you the first time, don't make it weird," Ayesha clicked her tongue as she looked away and returned to sit at the other side of her desk,
"Now crap, I forgot where we were."
"...About me killing a lot back in school, Ma'am," Rhys subtly gulped.
"Ah, right. Pft," Ayesha waved her hand, "I was talking about those disgusting lady insects. Why…
…did you think I was talking about something else?"
"...No, Ma'am." Rhys shook his head; still trying his best to calm down and remain stoic.
"Well, doesn't matter," Ayesha shrugged as her chair started to creak when she leaned back, "I pulled you from the other recruits because you're wasted there. I'm putting you in a special tactical unit."
A… special unit? But he was just a fresh recruit who had only technically been in the corps for less than a week.
"Oh, it's nothing special."
"..."
"Just harsher training, live combat, scouting, higher chance of dying, and the likes," Ayesha's fingers started to crawl across the desk and onto her teddy bear, "Nothing too dangerous."
"Ma'am?"
"Don't worry," Ayesha subtly patted her teddy bear on the head, "They are a pretty relaxed bunch, all things considered…
…You'll fit right in."
***
"Is… this the right floor?"
Rhys found himself staring at a dark corridor, with most of the light actually coming from the elevator he was on. If it wasn't for the somewhat euphonious melody singing from the elevator, Rhys would have probably thought he was in Tartarus already — well, technically, he sort of is.
And as he stepped out of the elevator and it was closed, the darkness soon became even more prevalent. The entire floor seemed to only be lit up by the candles and torches which were dancing across the walls, somewhat eerily, as there were no winds to dance on at all.
Perhaps the most weird part of this all?
He was not even in the basement, he was on the 13th floor.
"..." Rhys just continued to walk deeper into the corridor, only to notice the empty rooms without doors. Judging from all the tables and the other things scattered, this floor was most likely used as some sort of storage.
"Heehee."
"Hello?"
Rhys immediately turned around as he heard a voice suddenly whisper in his ear, but all he caught a glimpse of was a shadow crawling on the ceiling. But as he blinked, however, it was gone.
"Hm…" Rhys squinted, before just letting out a small sigh. Suffice it to say, the rest of his walk was rather… interesting. But finally, after a few more seconds, he reached the part of the room that actually had a door.
[The Faceless Crew,] was written in front of the door, encased in gold.
Rhys knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it, but even after seconds had passed, he could not even hear a single rummage coming from the other side. He knocked again, and once again, silence.
And so, Rhys just let out a small sigh and opened the door.
"!!!"
And as soon as he did so, he was welcomed by a knife flying straight toward his face.
"Kh!" Rhys quickly leaned his head to the side, even using his wind control to slightly change the path of the knife as it was only an inch away from literally killing him. Before Rhys could see who threw the knife back at him, however, he felt a chill at the back of his neck as this time, he moved his entire body to the side.
"..." Rhys could really only stare as the knife flew back past him, and finally onto the person that threw it.
"Woah! Did you guys see that!?"
"..." A little girl then suddenly walked past Rhys, stepping into the room before him and he did not even feel it.
"He was able to dodge it twice! Twice!" The little girl started hopping up and down, causing her frilly and obnoxiously balloon-wide dress to bounce. But there was something eerie about her that Rhys immediately noticed — she did not cast a shadow at all,
"He even managed to notice me when I was following him! This guy's jacked as fuck! Hey, what's your name!?"
"Rhys Wilder, reporting for—" Rhys could not finish his words, interrupted by the fact that the little girl was actually wearing a faceless mask. Just an empty white mask with two holes in the eyes.
And it wasn't only her, the four people that were already lounging in the room were all wearing masks; their eyes…
...all staring at Rhys like he was some sort of prey.