((Warning. This chapter contains some excessively coarse language))
A flurry of papers lunged across an office room towards the door. An assistant jumped and cowered as they felt the beginnings of a migraine set in from the enraged bellowing from his boss.
"FUCK! Fuck fuck fuck!" The gray-haired Association president looked for something else to throw across the room. His eyes were bulging and his face was beet red. His staff outside were still scrambling to pick up the pieces of what transpired that day.
He was rather grateful that he had the forethought to have the abduction and everything involving Marcie handled and signed off by a manager. They made for an excellent scapegoat and the president was then able to feign ignorance.
He didn't think Marcie was so well-connected to another guild, much less the Atlas guild. "Damn you Atlas!" he cried in anger. He had been able to buy off most guilds and have them overlook the things the Association often did, claiming it to be for everyone's benefit. But the Atlas guild has been a regular thorn in his side and has never once cooperated with anything he had proposed.
"S-sir… please calm down… it could have been worse…" the assistant cooed. A binder flying in his direction, however, answered his plea. The assistant ducked, but was a tad too slow as the binder hit him in the shoulder and broke apart on the ground.
A ring on the phone caught the president's attention while the assistant picked up the carnage of paper surrounding him. "What is it?!" he barked but listened intently. His fist clenched and found the top of his desk. "WHAT?! What do you mean a tower is missing?!" The person on the other end replied nervously.
"One of the towers on the l-lower project floors has gone m-missing sir… It might have c-contained some sensitive information…" The president's blood pressure started to rise even more as the assistant urged him to sit down.
"There were no reports of the police or the Atlas guild confiscating any of the association's property aside from the paperwork from Manager Swinde when they arrested him. None of the cameras show anyone leaving the building with it except…" the employee paused. The president growled back at him while trying to recollect himself. "Except…what…"
"E-except the tower was on the same floor that we were keeping Marcie Bromley, and during the raid, all the cameras on that floor had short-circuited, so we don't have any footage of its actual disappearance." The president smirked and then began to laugh hysterically. What the hell? "And the footage of the team who retrieved Bromley? Were any of them carrying it?"
"No sir. The security footage for the rest of the building was still functioning and it showed that none of them were carrying the tower sir. Only Captain Wells was carrying Bromley that was it." The employee excused themselves from the call and left the president to make sense of the situation. He leaned back in his chair to contemplate everything.
'Does that mean that there is a traitor in the company? Or is there something I'm missing?' He couldn't exactly ask the two that were tasked with looking over Bromley when the raid happened. Vargof and Moodro had been incapacitated and apprehended by the authorities.The president waved to his assistant to approach. "Call the warden. He'll have some loose ends to tie up."
—--
"Just what sort of tests are they?" Marcie flipped through the booklet of information about the services that the Alpha division provides. Many of the machines looked like they were taken straight out of science fiction movies and she admits, a few of them were kind of intimidating.
Richard directed her to the page that had more information about the tests he was suggesting. "Well the first test is a measuring device to see if your body contains mana currents. That's the most important one to prove you have been awakened. It doesn't test your individual abilities or strengths, just that your body is capable of containing and manipulating mana."
He went on while Marcie flipped to the next page. "Angelo and I suspect that there might be something else going on inside your body that the normal medical devices aren't picking up. The Alpha division has machines that are more suited to detect something so abnormal, but in order for this to be a more affordable option, we need to first have you assessed to see if you've awakened."
Marcie set the booklet down, her expression was that of worry. "I… d-did awaken… in the dungeon… b-but…" she wasn't sure why she felt so nervous about revealing this but she could feel her anxiety taking over. She clenched her hospital blanket. "Erhm…" Richard took her hands into his to reassure her of his support. She recalled an old friend of hers in the past who met a terrible fate after he couldn't get support after awakening. "I'm not exactly suited to be awakened. Where could someone like me even hope to find the proper support? The Alpha insurance only applies to those who fit into their criteria."
Richard could see how anxious Marcie was. He's seen it plenty of times. A lot of the lower classed awakened often end up on the streets or used as bodies to throw enemies in dungeons all because they aren't strong enough to warrant the big guilds support. It was like a crappy lottery that only served to further divide people.
"Marcie, you don't have to worry about that. Our boss at the Atlas guild has agreed to have our guild sponsor you. I won't let you be abandoned." What? A sponsor? What did she ever do to earn something so miraculous as a guild sponsorship? "I don't understand…"
"The entire team had always felt this way since we first met you in the dungeon. That you are truly a fighter. Someone who doesn't give up against all odds. We could sense it back then, and you proved that to us when we found you at the Association earlier. Our guild holds that kind of resilience and determination in high regard." Angelo answered as he shut the room door behind him. He found a stool to use as a seat and rolled up beside Richard.
"The Atlas guild wants you to join our ranks, regardless if you've awakened or not Marcie. And because of that, the boss is willing to cover the expenses for these tests, as well as make sure you have access to anything else you could possibly need." Angelo gave Marcie a wink and a grin, to which Richard promptly kicked his chair away somewhat disgruntled by the flirt.
"Are you sure?" Did they just offer Marcie a job? Admittedly, her current job was starting to get tedious and difficult to handle with the increasing workload and how difficult her peers were being with communicating. "T-then if it's okay, let's do the tests…"