In the morning after their meeting with Ken, they had just barely woken up and arrived at the main area of the barracks, just before Michael came in through the same door with a bag filled to the brim with paper. Joseph says, "What did you get?" Michael replies, "I got us all a job, because the government doesn't pay us for nothing." Roy, who is sitting down while drinking coffee, turns to Michael and asks, "What's this mission about?". Michael says to the whole group there, "It's a delivery to some secretive weapons manufacturer on Everflame Island. Supposedly, we're dropping some experimental weapons off and taking some back with us. They said that we have about three weeks for this mission, so they're probably treating this like some kind of vacation for us." Lena's expression would shift at the mention of Everflame Island, and she'd say, "I think I've been there before; doesn't it have a lot of crime there?" Michael replies, "I wouldn't know; I haven't been there before. We were also instructed to leave by the end of tomorrow. So, start packing anything that you don't want to buy there.
Joseph would say, "What are we taking to get there?" Michael replies, "We're taking a medium-sized boat. It isn't the most luxurious craft, but it's not too shabby." Joseph says, "Sounds good. I might indulge myself in some light shopping; what about everyone else?" Roy says, "I should have everything I need, but I might go to the armory for some minor upgrades." Lena says, "I might do some detailed shopping." Joseph interjects, saying, "Of course you are not prepared." Lena replies back, "You aren't prepared to exist half the time; you would die if Roy and Michael wouldn't remind you about things." Joseph says, "Touché, speaking of, what about you, Michael?" Michael thinks for a moment before responding, "There is one thing I need to get done, but then I should be ready. Remember, we're departing tomorrow, right before sunset." After that, everyone would go their separate ways.
Lena would be at a store when Joseph walked in. After spotting Lena, Joseph asks, "Oh, I didn't think you'd be in a store like this." Lena looked at him like he was stupid before saying, "You didn't expect a mage to be in a rune-crafting store." Joseph replies, "I thought this store was just for metals and gems!" Lena looked dumbfounded and was about to say something when Joseph was called up to the counter by a manager. The manager said, "Here's this steel you ordered. You've already paid for it, so you can just go ahead and take it." Lena would be even more astonished by seeing a very large cube-shaped bag on the table, which Joseph took. Lena walks up to Joseph and says, "You bought a whole block of metal?" Joseph replies, "Yeah, why? I need it for projects, you know?" Lena responds, "Sure, whatever you say, man." Joseph then asks, "So, what do runes do? I know they're magic-related, but what do they do specifically?" Lena replies, "Well, as you know, normal spells require either a mental or verbal trigger for them to activate, with stronger magics usually requiring verbal triggers. Runes are prepared spells that can be activated by touching a symbol on the object that the rune was created using. It doesn't require anything or need to be prepaired, but they're not reusable."
Joseph responds, "I got it. So, kind of like how a knife is weaker than a gun, but you need ammo for a gun, so you have to make a decision on what to use." Lena says, "That's a way to look at it, I guess." Lena responds, "Anyways, how are you going to use that pure block of iron?" Joseph says, like it was obvious, "I'm just going to have Michael melt it when I need it." Lena replies, "Of course." As Joseph was walking away, he'd pause before turning back to Lena and asking, "So, why'd you look like you saw a ghost when Michael was talking about Everflame? And, even if it's as dangerous as you made it sound, why do you need runes as well?" Lena froze before replying back, "I can't talk about everything in my life. And besides, I needed to refill on some runes anyway." Joseph responds, in an unsure voice, "If you say so, Its been a good time talking to you, but I gotta do some work with this iron, see ya!" Joseph walked out of the store, a large steel block in tow.
Roy would be at the armory, checking the stock there. There was a clerk at a counter. Roy walks up to the clerk and asks, "Do you have any stuff for this?" he said, holding his mechanical arm up. The clerk responds, "You're lucky; we have some equipment in stock for you." The clerk would go into a backroom and bring out some metal plates, which would appear to be able to fit on his arm. Roy asks, "So, what is this?" The clerk replies, "It's the latest in magic-tech; it's a strong alloy imbued with magic, with the capability to alter its opaqueness, strength, form, and more, with one electrical signal. And, it's easily modified to existing structures; no deconstruction is required." Roy laughs before asking, "What's the catch?" The clerk sheepishly replies, "Well, due to the nature of it, it can only last for about a year after first activation, and you need a mage to switch out plates. Plus, it's quite expensive." Roy says, "Alright, I'm interested. Hand me about three, and run me through the setup." The clerk sat the plate on Roy's arm and touched a symbol on it. As soon as he touched it, the plate seemingly melted into the arm, fusing with it. Then, the clerk says, "Go ahead and try thinking of turning your arm into something. In no time, the arm turned into a sword. Roy says, "It looks like I'm getting my money's worth." The arm quickly restored itself to its original form. Roy asks, "I'd also like two full officer loadouts delivered to my room, along with a riot shield." The clerk replied, "Of course, and who's the poor soul paying for all this?" Roy responded, saying, "Michael Torres." After saying this, Roy walked away. The clerk shrugged, hoping that Michael Torres would have enough money to pay for all of that.
Michael would walk into a small metalworking store. It had an older man at the counter who was working on a sword behind him. Michael asks, "Hey, I heard about this place from a friend." The old man turns to look at Michael before saying, "Alright, kid. What do you need?" Michael walks over to the counter and lays his sword and a gemstone that shimmers white and red on it. The old man looked at the sword and said, "Mmm, a Capital Forge sword, reputable brand, usually used by mage's, I'd say it's about an 8. I assume you're military if you have one this good." Michael responds, "Just police." The old man turned to the gemstone and would say, "I assume that a value rating isn't what you wanted here. I can tell that this is imbued with a lot of magic. I can't say that I would know how to use it." Michael would say, "Well, I'll be on my way then." As Michael began to walk away, the old man said, "I know a guy on Everflame Island who should be able to do something with it. His name is Stelis. It's been a while since I've talked to him, but he should know who I am." The old man gave Michael his business card and said, "If you're ever in the area, talk to him." Michael replies, "Thank you, I'll make sure to do that." The old man waved Michael off as he left the store. As Michael left, the phone in the store started to ring. The old man grabbed the phone and answered, "Yes?" The voice on the phone answered, "Thank you." The old man groaned before replying, "I don't understand how that was so important, and I especially don't understand how you knew that was going to happen, but everything's as you expected, right?" The voice on the other end says, "It's quite important, actually. I want everything to go as I plan it, or at least, the most consistent way for it to go as I plan, if you understand. " The old man responds, "Sure, whatever you say. Now, don't call this number again." The voice on the phone laughed before saying, "Alright. Good doing business with you."
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The next day, at the intended meeting point, Michael, Joseph, and Roy were waiting at the dock. They were leaning on the posts next to the ship. The ship itself was fairly large, able to comfortably fit around five to six people in it. Joseph suddenly exclaimed, "What's taking her so long? I'm ready to have a break for a week, and I heard Everflame Island is known for its fantastic beaches." Suddenly, they heard loud clanking sounds as Lena was running at them, with one bag of similar size to theirs and the other far larger and seemingly filled to the brim with runes. Michael says, "You have enough of those to take down a small country." Roy and Joseph both laughed at that, but Joseph's laugh seemed a bit forced. Lena chuckled and said, "I'm here. Sorry I took so long." Michael says, "Alright, let's head out." They walked up to the ship and began to unload their belongings. As Michael was about to start the ship, he had a feeling that this was just the beginning of a new part of his life. A part of his life that would determine his being, judge his character, and create his future.
If only he knew how to explore it.
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On an island in the far seas of the north, a group of people gathered there. They would be dining while talking. There were three people seated at the table, one of whom was a man in a black suit with a purple tie and black pants, and on the back of his suit was a golden 8-sided star with a simple circle in the middle of it. Another was a woman who had black sunglasses on, a messy ponytail, a purple shirt and black pants, and a black jacket lined with a gilded color, with that jacket having the same star on the back and a knife in the middle of it. The last person had a large, gray suit of armor on, which had many carvings across it. He also had the same eight-sided star on the back of his armor, with a sword in it. The man in the suit spoke, "I hope everyone's mission here has gone well. Especially you, Violetia." The woman, Violetia, spoke, "Mhm. The Leonese command has been infiltrated, with only mild interruptions. Our substitute has been placed. Now, what about you, Theron?" The man within the suit of armor answered, "I have done my duty, and we should have enough time to execute our plans. May I ask, What has become of Thomas?" The man in the suit replied, "A runaway. We've gotten everything I could have wanted from him, and the army is ready, barring a few upgrades." Violetia asked, "What about the rest of our group? I hope that nothing bad happened to them, correct?" The man in the suit asked, "They will be back. Two are busy with external matters; the rest are busy with missions." As they spoke, the man in the suit saw a boat sail near. Violetia asks, "Shall I deal with them?" The man in the suit replies, "There is no need to interrupt our conversation. The man then created a small, purple orb and pushed it to the ship before continuing to talk, saying, "Violetia, I would like to have you deal with Thomas. Theron quickly assures Michael Torres's execution, then heads to the Leonese northern border. If you must, ignore that first task. You both may leave tomorrow morning." Violetia and Theron would both agree. As they finished their discussion, the orb previously created by the man in the suit hit the quite large ship, and in an instant, the ship, along with nearby water, evaporated for a large distance. Violetia would clap, saying, "Good shot! However, may I ask, What will you be doing?" The man in the suit answered clearly, "I will be wiping out all possible opposition."
"Starting with Nicolas Torres, of course."