Chapter 12
Chapter 12: First Request
1 day (48 hours) after their internment in the medical center, Makino and Arlandy returned to the mining company. Their absence was already dismissed by Kadoji (he listened to Makino's explanation) who let them continue their jobs in the mines. It was the usual day of mining for everyone involved (with some awkwardness still in the air) and after that, they had their lunch break.
((Yup, they also eat, but not the usual menu for us. Just imagine our food, but bulgy, slimy, oozes, and in different colors. They are still solid foods, but still have some weird features. ))
"Uh...."
He was sitting in the far corner of the break room to take his lunch but Makino's reaction upon seeing the food in the lunchbox that he bought. His main dish today is like Chicken Adobo, just with some metal, much more slimier and faintly glows. This wasn't the first time that he had eaten this kind of food and as a Magistoid (his first reaction was revulsion) but still couldn't get used to it. It was just several days after he became a Magistoid.
'This is.... a perplexing experience, even now. I know that these guys can eat, but having first-hand experience was not what I had in mind. I thought about how to eat when I had these metal mask on my face, but-'
Without much thought, his metal mask that covered his mouth(?) and nose(?) slid open revealing them. This is a perplexing experience even after having done it multiple times. He tried to feel what was inside his mouth with his metal fingers and was surprised at what he touched: he has metal teeth, sure, but he felt some sharpness on what would be his canine region. He felt his other teeth and they do have some rough sharpness to them, even though they are not as pronounced as his canines. He saw the mouth and teeth of the other Magistoid and he saw them looking like normal human teeth, an uncanny sight for sure, but that makes his teeth even more uncanny.
'Gah! I can bother with these later. I had to eat now.... now.' He thought as he tried to eat his lunch.
The food, turns out wasn't really that bad when he first tried it on the day he got his room on the apartment. Weird texture, sure, but it taste like foods on earth. He ate there like usual and alone in his thoughts.
"Hm? It's Altor. Is he eating from that spot?" Arlandy saw him as he started to eat his own lunch with some of his work buddies.
"Hey Arlandy. Rumours here when you've taken a leave of absence is that you got ganged up by some of the thugs in the sector. Is that true?" His work buddy asked him.
"Ugh!!" Arlandy almost choked upon hearing that rumour.
"The news already got out, huh?" He murmured.
"True?" Another one of his buddies, Kagalo, wryly asked his friend.
"Alright, Alright! It's true, but don't be privy too much on the issue or just don't tell anyone more about this issue. I might get into trouble." He quietly murmured to his friends listening at the table.
"Yeah, Yeah! We know some of your troubles, blink. Any Kaidel does. Be Sneaky, Be Stealthy, We will get out of it healthy, Friend!"
"Hey, would you-" Arlandy instantly covered his cheery friend's mouth, Makario's, much to Arlandy's chagrin.
((Arlandy's buddies are surely merry alright.))
Makario, Kagalo, and Busti: they have been buddies with him since he first took this job several years ago. He had been working with them since and created relationships over their similar circumstances as being on the margins of society. He knew what their struggles were as they had known his struggles.
Busti is a mech of a comparable size to Arlandy. He has quite a bit thin build, but his armor has some thickness to it, almost rounder-like. His body was coloured in light orange with white lines in the sides, while his armor is coloured white, though it's luster was quite faded with scratches due to his job and state of life. His head looks like someone is wearing a winter hat, only white and metal and has an olden look on his face, signs that he'd almost seen all in life.
Kagalo is his work buddy with some mischievous air within him. He approaches conversations and events in a wry way that can get the ire of some of his buddies, but he doesn't mean harm. His body frame is a bit obtuse stock but doesn't hinder his bodily movements. He is quite agile and fast in his movements, he is the first one who finishes his daily workloads (well, that is until Altor came). His armor has some sharpness within them, but still falls under rigid geometric shapes of squares and triangles. Even with that, the armor still looks decent, with only just the dirt and scratch marks that decreases its quality. His head has an armor covering it, making him look the equivalent of a worker with mask and goggles.
And lastly, Makario, the most cheerful (annoying) of the group. That's it, he is a ray of sunshine. (Too much shine if you ask me - Arlandy) But with the condition they are in, probably his cheeriness was a way to cope with the situation he and everyone in the Kaidel class have been dealing with. His body frame is of the lean part with the coloration of blue with lightness on the sides and his armor of light red coloring is of the triangular leanings, though it still doesn't inhibit any of his bodily movements. His head can best be described as rounder but still has some squareness and his face, especially the eyes, was much more jovial looking
"Just be quiet about this and don't be shocked by the last tidbit about what happened back there."
He explained to them what had transpired that night and sure enough, they were shocked to their core.
"What!!" They all exclaimed.
"Hey! Didn't I tell you not!" He quietly murmured to them to pipe them down.
They all settled down and voiced their confusion to Arlandy.
"That Altor? Not only that he helped you there from those incorrigible thugs, but he also even covered your expenses at the medical center! That must be a fit of madness." Makario quietly exclaimed.
"He didn't take anything from as exchange, just like that?" Kagalo quietly asked.
"No. Nothing much. After we were released from the medical center, he just quietly left after getting a quick glimpse at me. I think I saw him nod. He was weird on that bit." Arlandy talked about that event before he eventually returned to his job.
"Probably that he was saying that he doesn't have any debt to you?" Busti questioned with uncertainty.
"Debt? What do you mean? I didn't even give him anything since we first met. And that was not here on the company." He interjected.
"Wait? Where?" All of them asked after being bewildered by that statement.
"It was on the day before Altor was introduced here. Those thugs were beating me up again as I, unfortunately, came across their paths in the middle of the night. No one would help me, of course, no one. Then, out of nowhere Altor appeared and started to beat them up. It was done in a flash, then he left. Just like that." He explained his story to them while he ate his lunch.
"Then when he was being escorted by our boss, we met each other and Kadoji asked if he knew me. Of course, I was scared that the fact that I had taking loans from those thugs could leak, landing me into trouble. Then Altor just said that I helped him around the area. I was so bewildered by that, but it was not his last weird thing to do. Remember his job and the salary. I thought that he might be a crazed mech. No Armanbens would gonna do all those things to us Kaidels until that last day with me."
The usually cheery crew was silent as he told his story to all of them, the shock and bewilderment were written on all of their faces.
"Altor is really weird, huh?" The usually cheery Makario replied this statement.
"Yeah." Arlandy replied as he looked upon Altor in the corner, his curiosity now is increasing.
Crunch!
"Hm?" Makino eating as he saw Arlandy's crew going into deep conversation.
"Well, I think... I'm glad he's fine."
He immediately snapped out it and continued eating his lunch.
'I need to move forward at the task at hand. Thank Goodness, there is a request today. Hopefully, I get one that would be beneficial to the mission.'
Requests. As it was on the name of the company, these are tasks posted on the magical projection board, being issued by the Armanbens or high ranking Hydafas. Jobs that the higher class considered below their level, so they issue the tasks to the Kaidels and low ranking Hydafas in exchange for compensations. It ranges to menial jobs to dangerous ones. But the compensations are large enough to support those who take this requests financially for a bit.
"Well, hope there's a request that can help." Makino whispered while looking around the board for requests.
He did some scrolling around the requests until something catches his eye.
"Hm? Capture of escaped Mechanical Beasts. Issued by Sir Aparido. Needed personnel - 15 mechs. Reward - 200 gold coins. Wait, Aparido?" Makino paused when he read that name. A name that he could never forget.
Aparido. The mechanical beast keeping Magistoid. He was the one who commands many Mechanical Beasts of great ferocity and strength, overwhelming the military on it's tracks. He bred them to be ferocious and merciless on any enemy and Ally it comes across. Only him has the leash on them and bragging his name from his command center nearby when he attacks. A name that Makino will never forget. By that moment, he is steaming in quiet fury.
"Hm? Wait, Altor's gonna take a request?" Arlandy said when he saw Altor at the requests board, his aura seemed fuming.
"Ugh! What is going on with him? Maybe I should-" Arlandy was freaked out by it but his curiosity is now getting on him.
Arlandy fidgetly started to approach Altor on his spot with his thoughts swirling in his head.
'What kind of request is he gonna take? He is weird, sure, but most of the requests here are very demeaning to us. Why would he want to take one?'
His thoughts are cut off when his steps are now near Altor, who gave him curious look.
"Hm?" Albeit a menacing one.
"Ugh! Oh! Um- Altor, hey. Hello there. You're looking for a request, right? What kind of request are you interested in?" Arlandy almost stuttered that line.
Makino shyly looked at him and replied this.
"Its- just capture request. Nothing much of note." He shyly replied in a flat monotone.
"Capture request?" Arlandy questioned as he looked upon the board and sees the request of the Mechanical Beasts.
"200 gold coins!?" He eyed up on the huge reward.
This reaction quite startled Makino, then it dawned to him that he wanted to take this subjugation request too.
"Wait, you're gonna take this request? No-No, don't. This is a- dangerous request." Makino almost stuttered in his plea.
'Ugh! Just why? But'
"Dangerous? What do you mean? The benefactor was Sir Aparido. His beasts are actually docile. His collection is being shown around the sector for the Armanbens and Hydafas. It was grand that murmurs are quite widespread within Kaidels."
That revelation shocked Makino on the inside.
"Wait, docile?"
"Yeah. Why do you say it's dangerous? Even we Kaidels didn't see them in person, the rumors are being spread by the ones who went to see them and all of them agree on the same thing."
This sent Makino in a shock.
'Docile? What? What is going on? His beasts are the most ferocious being that I've ever seen in my life and they say they're docile. But I guess those Magistoids are just saying that. It couldn't be true. Or maybe, I'm in the point in the past where those beasts are not ferocious yet. Of course, they're not yet going to war on earth. Maybe this could be my chance.' Makino in his thoughts, as he gleams over the fact.
"Uh... So, are you taking it?" Arlandy saw him in his gleaming and asked.
Makino looked upon the request and made his decision.
"Yeah. I'm taking it."
"Nice. I'm taking it too, if you don't mind."
"Sure. Go ahead." Makino said it a bit coldly.
There, they took ahead and has taken the request, along with many mechs who volunteered for the job.
A job that would be easy picking for them
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On a dark alleyway, something is crawling with it's claws scrapping the metal below and ambrosia leaking in it's head. It growls. It cries. Then, many growls are heard and it thirst for ambrosia.